#yixing x oc

[cherryeol04]

Might Alpha 2

➻ Pairings: Chanyeol x Reader

➻ Genre: Romance, Wolf Au

➻ Additional: destined mates

➻ Word Count: 1.5K

➻ Warnings: N/A

➻ Author’s notes: This story is cross posted on multiple sites under the same username!

The backlash that came when Baekhyun and Chanyeol denounced their marriage was something that no one expected. They knew their parents would be upset, but the sheer mortification that came from knowing Baekhyun had been with another alpha and never actually slept with Chanyeol was so confusing. The fact that the male was Baekhyun’s destined mate didn't seem to matter to anyone. 

While the elders had stayed silent, the parents argued back and forth on how they could rectify the situation, without bothering to listen to the children whose lives they were purposefully trying to ruin for the simple fact that Baekhyun was a gifted male omega with the ability to bear pups. They didn't care that they were trying to break not one, but two bonds. Bonds from the same family. 

It confused Soohee, because she remembered very clearly that Chanyeol had said the whole union between Baekhyun and himself was because they trusted Chanyeol and it was a great way for her father to get a foot into the counsel and influence decisions and laws however he saw fit.  Chanyeol was going to be the next elder and possibly the next head alpha if he could pass the tests that would challenge his strength, his logic, and his wit. And while she worried about her brother being hurt, she believed the man he was with would never hurt him since they were destined mates. And if her father still wanted that in, if he would just listen to Chanyeol, he would know that they were destined mates. 

Soohee had never told her parents or anyone else what happened that night after her party, nor the weekend and the two days after that she was in heat. They were mates, she knew that and still had trouble processing it, but it was a fact she was more than ready to admit. Yet they hadn't mated during her heat, both agreeing that they wanted to wait. Even if they used protection, there wasn't a guarantee it would work or if they would constantly remember the amount of times they would have to have sex. So Chanyeol did his best to pleasure her and help her through her heat and she was so thankful for it. But they still haven't told anyone. Or rather, they were trying, but no one was actually listening to them. 

“Well since your son has been defiled, we will find a new mate for Chanyeol. A better and loyal omega!” Mr. Park grunted out. 

“What?” Chanyeol asked in shock. 

“Excuse me? My son is very much loyal!”

“Lies. He's been defiled by that Chinese vagrant!” Mr. Park growled. “You and your family are so immoral, Mr. Byun, that I'm surprised you're all even allowed to continue to live in this pack. And if your son acts like this, I can't even begin to imagine how your daughter must be, whoring about and asking for any male to fuck her.”

“That’s enough! You are so vile and disgusting, speaking of a child like that!” Mr. Byun shouted. 

“Child?! Child?! She's of age now isn't She? But has that ever stopped her? You don't think we don't hear rumors?”

“What? Soohee, what is talking about?” Mr. Byun asked, furious by all the words being thrown around. 

“I don't know.” Soohee said. “I don't know of rumors. Dad, it's a lie.” She said. 

“Adults don't lie.” Mr. Park snapped at her and she shrunk back. Lies from an adult. She had no idea where he would ever get such information about her. She had never done anything to try and get guys. She had only ever wanted Chanyeol. And even her closest friends knew that. 

“If she says there are none, then there aren't.” Mr. Byun growled. “My daughter is perfect! Maybe it’s your son that is the issue!” He fired back. Another round of shouting began and Soohee had heard enough. She slipped out of her chair and did her best to sneak out of the meeting hall. She thought she was very successful and made it outside with a sigh. 

“For the love of god. Adults are crazy. I don't want to be an adult.” She whined softly. 

“Tell me about it.” 

Soohee jumped and looked over at her brother as he came to sit next to her. “Oppa.” She said gently. “Are you okay? Dad and Mr. Park are blowing everything out of proportion.” She said. 

“I know.” Baekhyun sighed softly and closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead gently. “Like, why are they like this? The elders always preach about destined mates and not interfering and here they are staying quiet while our parents fight to ruin our lives.” 

Soohee stared at him and sighed softly. She reached over and rubbed his back gently and smiled softly. “It'll be okay.” She said softly. “You have your mate. You should go and run off with him. They can't stop you.”

“And leave you?” Baekhyun asked softly. “Disappoint our family? I couldn't.” He said as he looked at her. 

“So you'd rather risk your bond with your mate?” Soohee asked and cocked her head. “Oppa, you're not a disappointment. And I'll be fine.”

“Because you have your mate now.” Baekhyun said and smiled weakly at her. 

“I….what?”

“Don't play dumb.” Baekhyun laughed softly. “I knew the moment I introduced you to Chanyeol that you two were mates.” He said.

“How?”

“Blue eyes are the sign that an alpha has found their mate and imprinted on them. I saw them that day. I knew and I made him promise me he would never try anything with you until you were old enough.” He said. “I had no idea that this stupid union would be done either.” He said and ran a hand through his hair some before groaning. “I don't know what to do Soohee.”

Soohee frowned as she stared at her brother and was gonna answer when another person joined them. 

“Let's go and start our own pack.” Their heads whipped around quickly and stared at Chanyeol in shock. “what?”

“What do you mean what? How can we start our own pack?” Soohee asked, confused. “That's a big task.”

“Yeah and where would we go?” Baekhyun asked and Chanyeol just shrugged. 

“Does it matter? We’ll just go somewhere. The four of us establish our own pack. We'll gather packless shifters and shifters wanting a new pack and just start over fresh.” He said. 

“Do you...do you think we can do it?” Baekhyun asked. 

“Well with Yixing as another alpha, I'm sure we can manage and grow slowly. It might be hard at first. But won't it be worth it?” Chanyeol asked. “They obviously don't care about our wants and needs. Our destinies. So we need to take our lives into our own hands.” He said. His eyes moved from Baekhyun to Soohee and he smiled. He took her hand and held it gently in his, squeezing it gently. 

“Chanyeol.” Soohee whispered softly and smiled.

“It'll be worth it.” Baekhyun agreed and smiled softly at them. “Come on. Let's go.” He said and stood. Soohee looked back at her brother and nodded. She stood, pulling at Chanyeol’s hand and making him stand. “I'll meet you two at Yixing’s. Don't take too long, okay?” He said. 

They nodded and with quick goodbyes, they parted ways, with Soohee going with Chanyeol because she just needed to be with him. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Soohee asked as she walked towards Chanyeol’s jeep.

“No. But we have to do what we have to do.” Chanyeol said as he unlocked the doors and climbed into the driver's seat. Soohee sighed and got into the jeep, closing the door before turning to face him. 

“Chanyeol, I'm being serious. I'm still a kid. I'm fresh out of high school, just turned 18 and you want to move to some unknown place and start a pack there. It sounds crazy.” She said, “Are you sure this is something you really want?” Her question was directed towards their current decision but there was an undertone of uncertainty about their relationship. Was she really what he wanted?

Chanyeol sighed softly as he slipped the key into the ignition before turning to face her. “Soohee.” He said gently. He scooted over to her and reached out, his fingers stroking her cheeks gently. “I want to be with you, and only you. And if that means we have to go into the future blind, then I will do it. I love you.” He told her and leaned in, pressing their foreheads together gently. “I've loved you for so long and I've waited for so long. Now I have you, I don't ever want to let you go. Please. Stay with me.”

Soohee stared up into his eyes and felt her heart race at how beautiful and gorgeous they were. And probably because of his words, but mostly due to his eyes. “Of course I'll stay with you.” She said gently. “Why wouldn't I when I have been pinning after Mr. Handsome for so long.” She said with a giggle. Chanyeol smiled softly and leaned forward and kissed her softly. It was soft and quick, but she loved it all the same. 

“Then let's go. And we'll start a new life together and be happy together.” Chanyeol said gently with a smile. Soohee nodded and smiled softly as they pulled back and Chanyeol started the jeep. 

“Everything will be okay, right?” she asked. 

“Of course. Trust me.” 

~*~

“Dad, no! Stop it! Let me go!” Soohee shouted as she struggled in the grips of a few of the male wolves her father had dragged with him. She wasn't sure how they knew their plans or how to find them, but they did. It was probably just their keen sense of smell. That was the only possible reason she could think of, of how they found them this far out of the city. 

“I would expect this kind of thing from Baekhyun, but you? Why Soohee? Why are you going to associate yourselves with these rebels?” Mr. Byun asked as he motioned to her brother. His mate and Chanyeol, all of whom were being detained as well. Though it was taking more people to hold Chanyeol back as he was being scolded so loudly by his father. She could hear every nasty word he was calling her and her brother and she just couldn't take anymore. “Soohee! Answer me!” 

“He's my mate!” the words fell from her lips before she could even stop to fully process her train of thought. The announcement seemed to draw the attention of everyone as they all went silent. 

“Excuse me?” Mr. Park asked, eyes wide. 

“Chanyeol is my mate.” She said softly and jerked herself from the slacking grips of the men. “He is mine, and Baekhyun has found his and the rest of you are acting like spoiled little children!”

“Soohee!” 

“No dad! It's true. You all are supposed to be adults, filled with wisdom that's supposed to help guide your children as they become adults and start their own family. And here you both are, two families that don't give a shit about their own children and are just obsessed with whatever power they can have!” She sneered, disgusted. 

“Byun, put a stop to her before I do.” Mr. Park warned, but was greeted with a very angry growled and rough shove as Chanyeol tore himself from the four men holding him back. Their strength together was nowhere near a match for Chanyeol’s strength when he really used it, like he had in this case. 

“You won't touch her.” Chanyeol growled out as he moved to Soohee and pulled her close to him, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist to protect her. “And she's right. Ever since it was announced what my future status would be, all you or anyone else has ever cared about was that. You held me so high up on a pedestal, out of the reach for anyone you deemed unworthy. You never stopped to ask what I wanted or if I've found my mate. Well, dad, I have. And it's not Baekhyun. It was never Baekhyun and it would be selfish and wrong of me to try and keep him from his own mate.”

“Chanyeol.” Mr. Park floundered for words to speak, but he couldn't even form a decent, coherent sentence. 

“We know who we love, who we are meant to be with, and what we're doing is the only way we can be with them. So either you accept this reality or step aside and let us leave.” Everyone was silent for a long while, staring at the two before looking at the two fathers. 

“Soohee...there was an agreement…”

“And it can still be upheld. Just not with Baekhyun, but me instead. You can still have whatever it is you want. And the rest of us can be happy. The last thing I've ever wanted to do is leave you and mom but I can't live without him. I don't want to feel our bond break. It'll kill me.” she said softly. 

“Don't be so dramatic, it won't kill you if…” Mr. Park started but paused. “You haven't marked her, have you?”

Chanyeol stared at his father intently before moving his hand and lifting her shirt slightly to show the mark he had left on her side. “Three weeks ago, when she went into heat,” he said proudly. “She is mine. Forever.” he announced and pulled her closer as he leaned down slightly to nuzzle her head. 

“Dad please.” Baekhyun whispered. “Just let us be happy.”

Mr. Byun looked between his two children and sighed heavily. “We can't fight it now. A bond has been made, I assume for both of them. The elders wouldn’t take too kindly if we destroyed them for selfish reasons.” he sighed. “And it would hurt me to hurt my children, I should have realized that from the beginning.” he said and walked over to Baekhyun as he was finally released. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Baekhyun said and smiled. “There is no denying, he is the one.” he said and looked over at Yixing. Mr. Byun sighed, nodded and looked over, waving his hand in signal for Yixing to be released. The silent alpha moved to Baekhyun and hugged him tightly, nuzzling against his neck. 

“I suppose I have two unions to prepare for now.” Mr. Byun smiled. “Let's get you all home before your mothers have a fit.”

“Oh...yeah.” Mr. Park cleared his throat. “Chanyeol, I'll need you to-”

“Yeah dad. Don't worry. I'll call her down.” Chanyeol laughed. It was funny to see such a composed man cower in fear at the mention of his angry wife. 

~*~

Soohee smiled as she flopped back on her bed, a laugh leaving her as Chanyeol stumbled out of his pants, hopping around to try and kick off the offending garments before finally flinging it across her room. It hit her closed door and he winced before climbing into her bed. “Are you new to taking off pants?” she asked teasingly. 

“Oh shut up.” Chanyeol chuckled as he laid down next to her and stared at her face. “It's not my fault you have me tripping over my feet.” he teased and chuckled as she blushed. “You're so cute. You know that?” he asked as he reached out and stroked her head and cheek lightly. 

“I can't help but to know it. You tell me all the time.” she said gently as she leaned into the touch. Sighing softly, she leaned in and kissed him, her lips brushing teasingly over his lips every time he dipped in to try and deepen the kiss. A soft giggle left her, followed by Chanyeol’s own growl as he nipped at her bottom lip as Soohee pulled completely back. 

“You are such a tease.” Chanyeol groaned and pouted as he stared at her smiling face. “Soohee.” he whined out and Soohee giggled at it. She reached up and poked his nose lightly. 

“What?” she asked with a smirk. 

“I want a kiss.”

“You just had a kiss.”

“I want another.” he said as he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. 

“Don't be greedy.” she teased and Chanyeol huffed. “Oh, aren't you so cute?” she said and pinched his cheek lightly. 

Chanyeol stared at her with narrowed eyes and huffed again before he leaned in and captured her lips in a deep and passionate kiss. Soohee giggled slightly into the kiss before melting into it, pressing herself against him tightly. Everything just felt so right. She finally had the man of her dreams, she could openly be with him and start working on their future together and that excited her. Her future was with Chanyeol and hopefully with some children as well. 

[baekxytocin]

100 Days My Prince - Part 55

Part 55 – 46 Minutes Is Enough

Fluff

Character:

Baekhyun

Reader

Lay

‘Feels good to hear good news’

783 words

Both of you just stay at home for today, since you will travel to his parent’s house for the Seollal Festival tomorrow.

After having a hearty breakfast and another round of lovemaking, both of you take a seat while cuddling on the couch, doing nothing. Just having a conversation about the day, the weather, and the upcoming celebration.

“Hubby, we will see Mongryong too, tomorrow. Shall I make the treats for him now?”

“Since you have remembered the recipe, I think you better do it tonight. I’m just afraid that the food will get rotten or spoil or something if you do it early. Need to take care of his health more from now on though…. He is turning 11 this year” your husband carefully advises you.

“I see…. But he still goes for regular check-ups and grooming, right?” Baekhyun just nods at your question.

“I hope the weather will be fine tomorrow. It’s hard to drive when it is raining” you understand your husband’s concern as you also drive to work.

“Hubby, how much shall we give our niece and nephews this year?”

“I think just like last year. They possess a lot of gadgets than us though” somehow, you are laughing at his response.

“Don’t you think we need to go there tonight? Since we need to prepare the food for the festival though….” you are slightly worried.

“It’s okay. We can just drive there early in the morning tomorrow and return the next day. I have talked with mom about it and she is just okay with it.”

“Oh, okay…. if you say so….” both of you smile at each other, while your husband kisses you on your forehead.

“Seollal Festival….”

“Yup. It’s like, a Korean Lunar New Year, something like that” your husband answers.

All of a sudden, you remember something.

“Lay Oppa too!” you remember him.

“Why?”

“Well, he’s from China. He does celebrate Lunar New Year, right?” your husband nods.

You quickly take Baekhyun’s iPad and sit beside him again.

“Let’s call him and wish him Happy Lunar New Year. We can’t do it tomorrow, so we better do it today.”

“Sweetie, we can just call him tomorrow night though.”

“No. I believe he will be busy spending time with his family as well. We will be busy spending time with the other family members as well, including Mongryong. So, better do now” you give the iPad to him.

Your husband didn’t protest since there are truths in your words. He simply searches for Lay’s phone number and video calls him right away. Amazingly, Lay answers the call in just one try.

“Oppa!!!!” you can see Lay is smiling from the other line. While Baekhyun waves to him.

“Hey, Baekhyun!” Lay stops for a moment to see the background. “Oh, you’re at home now? I thought you are in the camp.”

“Yup. I’m at home now. I usually home during the weekend. And since tomorrow and the day after tomorrow is holidays, I will be at home for a few days.”

“That’s good then! Well, you can spend time together and make love together….”

“Yah! Yah! Hyung, hyung!! I get it! I get it!” you could only laugh when Baekhyun tries to stop at Lay’s honesty.

“Oh, by the way, Lay Oppa, Happy Lunar New Year to you!!” you happily wish him.

“Thank you! Happy Lunar New Year to you too! Oh wait, what is it called there?” Lay implores.

“Seollal” your husband answers.

The three of you chat all the way, updating each other’s lives, and you didn’t realise time flies fast.

“Oh, gosh! Guys, I need to go now. I am still in the company. I need to go home because I need to sleep for a moment. I need to travel back this evening to Changsha. Hope to hear from you and the rest of the EXO members again!” both of you wave goodbye to Lay, and then end the call.

“Wow, it’s almost an hour, we talked to him,” you said.

“Not really. Only about 46 minutes though. It’s stated here” your husband shows the call time.

“Well, I guess 46 minutes is enough. More than enough to catch up with each other’s lives. Feels good to be updated.”

“Yup. At least we can keep in touch constantly” your husband agrees with you.

“What a productive morning” you feel good to hear good news from the other EXO member.

“Well…. not quite, yet….” your husband’s voice gets low. He put down his iPad on the table and gets closer to you.

“Hubby…. what are you doing….” you pretend to not know what he is going to do next.

“Make our morning more productive.”

To be continued….

Uploaded on: 21st January 2023

Previous Part

Next Part

Back to Main

Back to Baekxytocin's Reading List

[stainandscribble]

Our Love is a Tempest

Pairing: Junmyeon X OC(female)

Genre: Junmyeon God AU; Soulmate AU; angst; fluff; one shot; junmyeon-centric?

Summary: Junmyeon was the God of the Sea, in charge of water, the god of storms and earthquakes. He was prone to anger, like the rest of his creed, and he could be cruel too, but Junmyeon was also a Guardian, who protected his brothers, who knew love towards his family. He also knew guilt, and maybe it was a mortal who would teach him forgiveness and moving on. Fate could be cruel, he knew that, but he would also learn that fate could be kind. 

 Warning: Mentions of death/drowning (OC is a mortician/undertaker)

A/N: This is inspired in part by Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. In the same universe as HONEY (EXO Yixing) and Flower (SVT Wonwoo).  It had been a while, but I’m back! :)  Let me know if you want a part 2 

Word Count: 13.8k

Aeons had passed since Junmyeon and his ten brothers came into being. Their predecessors were ancient Gods, jealous, violent and unforgiving. On Earth, they had been named the Titans by the ancient Greeks, and that was as close to the truth as they got. Yixing never revealed the full truth of their reign and their demise to his poets and his oracles. As the God of Oracles and the Arts he was tasked with keeping Junmyeon and the rest a mystery so that the full extent of their powers remained unknown. They never wanted to be worshipped, not the way the Titans had been, with blood and violence and fear in the hearts of mortals. Gods were often cruel, but they were not evil. Humans had named him Poseidon, Neptune, Morskoi, Aegir. All false names, ones they could comprehend and understand. His brothers hailed him Suho, The Guardian, one who watched over them and protected them. He was the strongest God among the eleven, but the mortals didn’t know that, and they would never find out.

It had been centuries since Junmyeon stepped onto Earth or muddled personally in human affairs, and he wished his brothers would follow suit. Fate, it seemed, had different plans for them. Gods needed love, the Fates had told him as they tied knots into the golden thread of life that belonged to Jongdae, the God of Thunder. His brother, although smaller in stature than some of the others, was quick to anger like the rest of them. Gods took time to learn, and it was time that Jongdae learned what love was.

Junmyeon remembered coming from the Sea to Olympus, to find the sky black and loud, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed above him. He could feel Jongdae’s fury, one that was unrivalled by any other God. He felt the same fury in his heart. How dare the Fates choose for them, how dare they tie their life lines as if they were mortal?

The three Fates had called them to Olympus as witnesses.

“Gods take time to learn.” The youngest of the three had spoken, looking directly into Junmyeon’s dark eyes, filled with fury, deep like the oceans over which he resided.

“Learn to love.” The middle Fate spoke, her gentle motherly hand grasped Jongdae’s. In slow motion, Junmyeon watched his brother fall to his knees, the King of the Sky reduced to a kneeling terrified man. Junmyeon would never forget the look in Jongdae’s eyes, the terror that fell over him and silenced the sky and quietened the rage was etched into his memory forever.

“Your time has started.” The oldest crone had croaked out, her hands pulling the knot tight, so that it would never be undone.

That was how their fate was sealed, starting with their most volatile brother.

Now, hundreds of years later, he was handing a golden ring, almost the same he had given Jongdae, to Yixing. His brothers watched, surprise filled their gazes as Yixing curled his hand around the little golden band, forged down below in the depths of the Sea. Yixing had learned too. Warmth had replaced rage, and the sun shone a little brighter over Olympus. None of his brothers could tell, but Junmyeon felt lighter, as if a weight lifted off his shoulders, as if he could breathe a little more air. His brother was happy, and Junmyeon could never fault him for that.

 -----------

Olympus was a fortress built of white marble, a castle hidden from mortal eyes within the clouds, often shrouded in storms. Above it the vastness of the universe spread into infinities as an intricate dance of light and colour, a composition more beautiful than anything on earth, incomprehensible even to the Gods that called Olympus their home.

Baekhyun and Jongdae stood on top of the fortress walls, gazing at the sky as it turned dark with nightfall. Although Jongdae saw nothing but the sky, he waited patiently for his brother. Baekhyun was entranced, unable to keep his eyes away from whatever scenario he was currently witnessing in his mind. The God of Love often stood gazing at nothing, his presence far away from his form, looking down at the fates of mortals, overseeing falling in love as was his duty.

“Who do you see?” Jongdae asked, leaning against the white marble edge as his eyes scanned the sky, watching as moonlight broke through the thick blankets of clouds that surrounded them. His fingers played with his wedding ring, the one that Junmyeon gave to him when he received their blessing and married his wife.

“Junmyeon.” Baekhyun’s voice was a whisper, but it was loud enough for Jongdae to hear and the name had sent a chill up his spine. He recognised that feeling as fear. His hands ceased their motions and he turned to look at the God of Love.

“What?” Jongdae’s eyes were filled with fear, the same fear that Junmyeon had witnessed in his own centuries ago, when the Fates had made them all watch as they tied knots in the golden string of his fate.

“Junmyeon will learn.” Baekhyun spoke, his voice sure now, steady. His gaze had locked with his brother’s and when their dark eyes met, thunder began raging on Olympus, the same kind that raged during the first Tying.

“He will love a mortal? Give up his rage?” The God of Thunder and Lightning had seemed unconvinced by the latter. He knew Junmyeon would love. No one could deny fate, not even them, but the image of his elder, the one who ruled over them and protected them, giving up his rage and letting go of the storm was absurd. Junmyeon didn’t know how to do that.

“The sea rages regardless, so does the sky.” Baekhyun responded, pointing an accusing finger at Jongdae, and then at the clouds around them when another flash of lightning passed right by his nose.

“Will he love her?” Jongdae looked over at his brother, his fingers still twirling the golden band on his ring finger.

“I doubt the Fates have seen anything akin to this.” Baekhyun answered. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes. The God of Love was fortunate to witness the greatest love stories as they happened and the displeasure of watching the greatest tragedies too. This twinkle, not quite jovial, and not quite the shine of unshed tears, was simply content. There was a light at the end of this story, and that gave Jongdae enough assurance to put trust in his elder.

“What is she like?” Jongdae prodded.

“She is a mortician.” Baekhyun spoke, playing with the hem of his sleeve.

“She’s like Zitao then?” Jongdae tried to joke, his voice surprisingly light-hearted compared to the look in his chocolate eyes. Baekhyun laughed weakly, the sound hollow in his chest. Zitao was the God of the Underworld, the one in charge of death. He was tall, imposing, but also often the most understanding and merciful. He saw more death than all his other brothers and that made him gentler than some. Baekhyun knew Zitao was reasonable and kind, and he hoped the woman his brother would love would also be accepting.

“Water is a deceitful thing, it gives life, it shapes the earth,” Jongdae sighed, looking out into the dark clouds, feeling the electricity in the air, but before he could finish his thought Baekhyun cut in. His sombre eyes gazed into his brothers as his lips formed into a thin line and lightning flashed behind him.

“It drowns its victims.”

-----------

Down below the water, deep within the Sea, Junmyeon ruled as King, as one of three brothers who ruled their own realms. His Sea was not the same as mortal oceans. It was an ancient realm between Olympus and the Underworld, deep and unforgiving, where everything answered to him. His realm existed just as he existed; as an in-between; a mediator. In a bubble of air at the very centre of this ancient depths, Junmyeon had built his palace, and in the deep trenches of the sea, he placed his forge. Marble halls filled with green plants, both those that grew on land and those that filled the floors of the endless ocean. Thanks to Junmyeon’s powers the kelps, seagrass and waterwheels that decorated the halls moved as if submerged in water. They danced along to the currents outside. The God of the Sea had a peaceful home, and an empty one too. Children had not graced these halls since the early days of Jongdae’s marriage centuries ago, and all his workers busied about not really paying him much attention. Everyone had their own life. Junmyeon liked it that way. This was also why he was currently pacing the main hall, stormy eyes mimicking sea currents as they gazed pointedly at the Fates that decided to visit him.

“Your time has come.” The youngest one said, twirling his golden thread between her fingers. She looked him right in the eyes, but her youthful amusement did not match his expression. He was angry, ready to create floods, ready to drown.

“My time will never come.” He had said, his eyes not meeting the three women. Although his voice carried anger, he was afraid that the ancient beings would be able to see beyond the rage. The idea that they could see his bitterness and somewhere even deeper than that, his longing, was a frightening thought.

“You cannot deny Fate. You cannot deceive us.” The oldest spoke, her croaky voice bouncing off his ears unpleasantly as it raised the hairs at the back of his neck.

“She will be miserable without you.” The middle one spoke, her voice calm and gentle, it would have reminded Junmyeon of a mother if he had one. Her voice was soothing, like a balm over a wound. Maybe, if she had continued speaking Junmyeon would have lost his will, maybe he would allow his walls and reservations come crashing down. He did not. His wounds were too deep and his walls built too high. There was no gate in them either. No Trojan horse could break him from the inside.

“Not for long.” His curt reply was icy like the blue waters of antarctica, and as he spat out his response, he could see the currents of the sea pick up ferocity in the way his plants swayed and rippled. Mortal lives were short. Even if Junmyeon never stepped foot on earth, her misery would not last long.

“You will forget how to live without her.” The youngest Fate chastised, pointing an accusatory finger with her free hand.

“You will forget how to love without her.” She added when Junmyeon did not move.

“Even your brothers.” She spoke, and although that shook him a little, Junmyeon was the Leader of the Gods, a King among them, he would not break the façade of calm fury he had assumed.

“You are already starting to.” The oldest Fate accused, her eyes falling on to the Guardian, but even her gaze could not break him.

He clenched his jaw and put his hands behind his back. Out of the scrutiny of the Fates, he let his hands shake a little, their faint trembling was a chip in his honour, a sign that they were right, that he was breaking. More than that, it was a sign that Junmyeon, the Guardian of the Gods, was breakable. Heavens forbid anyone, mortal or otherwise, found out.

“I am not.” He continued, staring right at the oldest Fate, his eyes black like a storm.

“You cannot deceive us.” She spoke and the middle Fate twisted the golden thread in her fingers and with that small movement, she sent Junmyeon to his knees.

He clutched at his heart, eyes falling shut as the pain in his heart spread through his ribcage. The knot that twined around his heart pulled, twisting the muscle, bending it out of shape. Behind his closed eyelids, Junmyeon watched his life, the empty halls of his palace, the fear and dejection in Jongdae’s eyes when he didn’t approve of his wife, the same look that graced Yixing’s face as it appeared before him. He knew his brothers had held their breath when he gave Yixing his wedding ring, he didn’t think it bothered him that much. Until now. Slowly, by denying their fate and their happiness, he was being unfair. His shortcoming and his burdens were not theirs to bare. His guilt was his alone.

They had stopped their frequent visits, reduced them to merely a few times a year. He knew Baekhyun was giving him the cold shoulder since he refused to bend to Fate, refused to accept it, and inadvertently refused his brothers greatest gift, the gift of Love. He was hurting them, just as he was hurting himself, and now, as his life twisted in the Fate’s fingertips, he was painfully aware of that. Even that though, no matter how hard it was to know, could not erase the image of tsunamis devouring the land, nor make him forget of sinking ships and the screams of those drowning under the force of the waves.

Once the pain subsided and he could open his eyes, Junmyeon saw the wrinkled face of the oldest Fate staring down at him, her eyes dark like the death she spun into their threads.

“As Gods can be cruel, so can we.” She spoke and for a brief moment the sea fell silent, all tides ceased their courses, and Junmyeon could hear the echoes of his own heart as it beat against the confines of his ribs.

“So I’ve been learning.” He grunted, rising onto his feet on wobbling legs, trying to dust off his dark blue suit.

“Where do I go?” He asked, his voice hoarse in his throat. He licked his lips in an attempt to moisten them, but to no avail as the cracks burned from his saliva.

“Forward. Your legs know where to find her, it is your destiny.” The middle Fate spoke, but just as before, it was not enough to calm his nerves. Before he could compose himself properly they were gone.

-----------

Jongdae had kept repeating one phrase over the last few centuries.

“You cannot fight Fate.” He would always say, mostly as he looked out into the sky around Olympus while twirling the unbreakable golden band on his ring finger. He said it to his wife on their wedding day, he told his children that when he was putting them to bed. Jongdae whispered those words to Junmyeon when he was stubborn. Now, Junmyeon was muttering them to himself in anger as he cut flowers and put them in the right buckets of the flower shop he was working at. Pretending to be mortal was not a favourite past time of his and although he was grateful that Kyungsoo provided him with a human life and a job, he would rather not have ever set foot here. He did his job flawlessly, out of respect for the nature that Kyungsoo was the God of, and out of respect for Baekhyun, to whom he promised to try and find love. His usually mischievous brother ended up crying into his shoulder as he gave Junmyeon his blessings, but he didn’t mind. A few drops of water would never harm him, but they did make this decision easier.

The bell at the door chimed, rousing Junmyeon from his task. He peaked out from behind the stand, his eyes landing on a mortal woman. She wore a black dress with sheer back tights, black heels and her hair in a tight bun at the back of her head. A single silver hairpin gleamed in her hair in the shape of a water lily. Her eyes, blue and deep like ocean depths fell onto Junmyeon. She gave him a small smile, trying to be polite as she walked through the shop and to where he was standing, currently tending to a bucket of white chrysanthemums.

“How may I help?” Junmyeon asked, putting the pair of scissors he was holding away onto the counter behind him. His heart, which had been still during the last few centuries, was currently beating faster than it had ever beaten before, his blood, red and hot, pumped through his arteries with a force he could feel beneath his skin.

“Hello, I’m here to collect an order for Haven Family Funeral Home.” Her voice was even, unwavering. She gazed straight into his eyes, her deep blue a match for his deep brown, both filled with the force of a storm.

“The wreaths, and the white lilies?” He asked, remembering that there was only one delivery today, and that it was for a local funeral home. Kyungsoo had told him to be respectful to their workers as the community respected them.

“Yes.” The woman nodded, and Junmyeon’s breath caught in his throat, the oxygen not reaching his lungs as they burned for air. Even Gods had to breathe, but she was making it extremely hard for him right now. She smelled like fresh linen and dust, a strange mixture, but one he could understand. Zitao smelled of dust too, there was something about being in a place that meant endings that made it feel stagnant, as if no one and no thing wanted to move, because moving on was hard. No one wanted to do the hard things, no one wanted to say goodbye, but fate and life didn’t care what one wanted. Death came for all and Fate was inescapable.

“I’ll be right back.” He said, before disappearing at the back of the shop. There, once he was away from the eyes of the mortal woman, he fell. Onto his knees, onto the wooden floor, a God reduced to a man in pain. His heart banged against his ribs like an animal in a cage way too small for its size. It wanted to grow, extend beyond Junmyeon’s understanding. The muscle that stayed silent for millennia was now breaking free and his mind was reeling. It was on that very floor, somewhere on Earth, surrounded by gardening equipment, that the King of the Sea, the God of Water started the hardest lesson of his life.

After a moment, reluctantly, Junmyeon picked himself off the floor, dusting his black suit trousers, to pick up the wreaths and lilies the woman was waiting for. When he came out from the back room, Junmyeon was pale as a sheet, but his cheeks coloured a vibrant red as his heart continued its pounding.

“I’ll take them to your car.” He told her, trying to be nice, trying to make a good first impression. It took him only one look to know you were the one he was destined for. The golden thread of his life had twisted around his heart, locking it in place, forcing warmth to bloom in the cold cavity of his chest.

“Thank you,” She replied, looking into his eyes before they fell down onto the nametag attached to his shirt. “Junmyeon.”

The way her tongue twisted around the syllables and the way the sound resonated through him made his heart skip a beat and he wondered, when Baekhyun named his cherubs, did they too, feel such warmth when their names fell from his lips?

He walked behind her as she led him to her car and opened the boot for him. Once he placed the green wreaths and while lilies into the car, laying them flat so that they wouldn’t get squashed during the ride, he straightened and his eyes caught the black mark on the mortal’s wrist. The black ink spelled out the Chinese character for water, shui. His symbol, unbeknownst to her, stained her skin out of her own will. Fates apparently did have a sense of humour, or maybe they truly picked out the perfect person for him. Junmyeon shook his head, reminding himself she wasn’t his. She was mortal, she would live here and die here, and Junmyeon could not bring himself to take her away. Mortals had lives here, people they loved, people that loved them. They had pets and plants and dreams, and none of them involved him. They shouldn’t. He didn’t want to take her away from a life, her life, one she seemed content with, even if it was just on the surface. Junmyeon wasn’t that cruel.

“Shui?” He asked, the word falling from his lips, familiar like the back of his hand, like the very essence of his being.

“It means water.” She said, for lack of better response. They were both aware he knew the meaning but allowed her to say it anyway.

“I know.” He nodded, his eyes now scanning her face, subtly falling onto the curves of her lips, red like the blood pumping in her arteries. Red like the blood that was made up of water, water that called to him, that knew him.

“May I ask why?” He asked, no longer trying to keep his distance. Curiosity killed the cat, or so the tale went and Junmyeon was not impervious to its allure. Curiosity was what got him here, along with Baekhyun’s tears that soaked his shirt.

“Water is the beginning of life, the very possibility of living. It’s a good thing.” The woman answered, her hand rubbing along the strokes of the character, the black ink made more vivid under her fingertips.

“Is it?” Junmyeon asked. Was water truly this wonderful, worthy of tattooing the word onto your skin? Was it truly this life-giving, when it could also take it away, when it could destroy? Junmyeon was well acquainted with its darker side, familiar with the rage boiling under his skin.

“Living?” She asked, her incredulous eyes boring into his. A kind smile stretched her lips gently, without quite reaching her eyes.

He nodded, his eyes falling onto the pavement. He didn’t want her to see the storm that raged in his irises, the brown mixing with black, crashing against each other like waves. His inner turmoil was not meant for mortal eyes.

“I think so.” She replied, and although she never reached out and touched him, he felt comforted. The mortals didn’t hate him, because they didn’t know of him, didn’t know he was the one responsible for sinking ships and raging hurricanes.

“Are you a regular?” He asked. He promised Baekhyun he would try his best, and Junmyeon kept his promises.

“I am.”

“See you soon then.” He smiled, and she smiled back, her hands holding onto her car keys, reminding him he couldn’t keep her waiting.

“Same time next week.” She told him, swaying on the balls of her feet.

“I’m Evangeline by the way.” She introduced herself, sticking a hand out for him to shake. Kyungsoo had told him it was a greeting, so he extended his own hand, clasping her small one in his larger one, allowing her to shake it twice, a smile decorated her lips. This time it reached her eyes, and he though they were like still water, reflecting the storm in his.

“I’m Junmyeon, but you already know that.” He smiled, his own smile was weak, but Junmyeon had meant it, and he hoped she would understand. Her hand was warm in his, making his heart skip a beat in its attempt to escape his ribs to be closer to her. He watched her leave and once she did, Junmyeon could not help the rain that fell onto his cheeks like hot tears. As she left, the God of Water began his first lesson in love; falling.

-----------

Exactly a week had passed. Seven days, Junmyeon had waited for the mortal woman to return to the florist, where Kyungsoo had given him a mortal life, all so that he could appease the Fates, all so that he wouldn’t break the promises he made to Baekhyun. All seven days were wasted on looking after the flowers. He cut the stems to equal lengths and he changed the water in the buckets. Junmyeon wondered what the mortal woman was doing. Evangeline was a mortician. He looked at death the same way Zitao did. Every day, he faced what all his other brothers were reluctant to. Every day Zitao did the gruelling work of judging souls, bringing peace to the suffering, easing the pains of the sick and hungry, bringing those whose strings had been cut into his realm, giving their souls a new home. Zitao did it all without complaint, did it all because he was kind, because he understood death, was familiar with endings. He wondered whether Evangeline was like that too. Was she kind? Did she know death like the back of her hand, looking it in the eyes day after day, unfaltering, with the same kind eyes she offered Junmyeon when they met? He knew she was strong. Not even Gods could look at death and carry on living.

Seven days Suho, the King of Sea, waited for a mortal woman who lived with death, and finally on the seventh day, just as he cut the last of the roses to equal length, the bell at the door chimed and she entered, clad in all black with her hair in a tight bun with a silver water lily pin keeping it together. This time, black leather gloves adorned her hands hiding the tattoo of water away from Junmyeon’s prying eyes. She had given him the same small smile as before, but her eyes shone like precious stones in the shop lights, tiredness danced in them like gentle currents. Junmyeon smiled back, his smile brighter than before, as he left all he was doing and grabbed the order of white lilies from behind the counter.

“More white lilies.” He informed her, watching as Evangeline walked over to where he was standing. Today, she was wearing a black coat over a white button up with a slim black tie. It was evident she had acted as a funeral attendant today. Her shoulders slumped lightly, and Junmyeon could see she was tired.

“Thank you.” She responded, giving him a small smile as she took the flowers from him. Her fingers brushed against his, sending a shock of electrifying warmth up his arm. The hair on her arms rose, her heart beating a little faster at their proximity. It was no secret Junmyeon was handsome, but more than that, Junmyeon seemed serious, and she had never thought that was a bad trait. Serious often went hand in hand with honest, and she wanted honesty above all else. Real love could not be built on lies.

“Would you like to get coffee later?” He asked, trying his best to be brave, trying to keep his promises.

“Sure.” Evangeline answered, her eyes gazing into his, “I finish at five.”

“So do I. I know a good coffee place.” He smiled.

“I’ll take your word for it.” She answered, the lilies in her hands were a stark contrast against her dark clothes as she held them closer to her chest, trying to keep her heart steady.

“See you later, Evangeline.” His voice was barely above a whisper, and despite the sudden chill that travelled up her spine, she could hear the fear in his voice, see the uncertainty brewing like a storm in his eyes as they darkened.

“Goodbye Junmyeon.” She whispered, unafraid. She had no reason to be.

He watched her retreating figure leave the store, and once she was out of his sight, Junmyeon slumped against the counter, his hand clutching his chest, where his heart resided.

As soon as the door closed, as soon as she was out of his sight, Junmyeon ran. He ran to the back of the shop, straight into Kyungsoo’s office, where he was currently playing with the leaves of a spider plant. When he noticed his brother at the door, he stopped, motioning for Junmyeon to sit. Suho’s wide eyes brewed with a storm, his shoulders rolling like a hurricane across land. With wild eyes, the Guardian of the Gods asked for his help, turning to the God of Harvest and the Earth for guidance. Junmyeon had always considered Kyungsoo as reasonable, someone who could provide solutions.

“So you are going for coffee?” His brother asked, his large owl-like eyes gazed at him gleaming with mirth.

“Is that bad?” Junmyeon asked. He had never been on a mortal date. At least not a modern one. All of his brothers had once taken human lovers, ones they lusted over, ones they toyed with. Never ones they loved. Love was not a feeling they felt towards humanity, love was reserved for the bonds of family and loyalty between them. That was all.

“No, that’s actually very good.” Kyungsoo spoke, his hands fiddling again with the green narrow leaves of the spider plant.

“How do you know?” Junmyeon narrowed his eyes at his younger brother.

“Baekhyun’s little messengers come to me too often.” He sighed, eyes distant as he thought about all the times Baekhyun’s love messengers forced their way into his office, trying to appease him with cups of herbal tea.

“They like you because you don’t tease them.” Junmyeon patted him on his back, fully aware that the younger gods teased them endlessly.

“Never mind that. Think about what you should do after this coffee.” Kyungsoo straightened up, his plush lips now set in a straight line, his bright eyes darkened into a serious expression.

“Like what?”

“Like a real mortal date.” Kyungsoo clarified, looking pointedly at his elder.

“I’m not a mortal.” Junmyeon’s eyes darkened, the hurricane in them picked up ferocity.

“You don’t want another date?” Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, disbelief painting his usually stoic features.

“I don’t want to muddle in mortal lives.” Now, with the Fates muddling into the affairs of gods and mortals, love was something else, something more. Junmyeon did not appreciate the Fates trying to make him mellow, he had given up enough rage, he had taken on responsibilities that made his shoulders bow with their weight. Why could it not be carefree Chanyeol who caused fires, or Baekhyun who had dreamed of it since the birth of humanity? Why could it not be Kyungsoo, with his big eyes and earth-stained fingers, who had spent more time among mortals than the rest of them? Why did it have to Suho?

“As Gods can be cruel, so can we.” He recalled the Fates’ words, remembered the chill that went up his spine, the ghost of which was now crawling the ladder of his vertebrae so it could settle against his skull, ring like a bell in his ears.

“Our pasts are long gone, mortals don’t believe in them anymore. Or in us.” Kyungsoo’s wistful voice rumbled in baritone through the room, and Junmyeon could have sworn that his brother made the room shake.

“It’s time Junmyeon.” He spoke, his voice deep like the earth and warm as his eyes looked at his brother. His hand went to hold Junmyeon’s, and that gesture, bold in comparison to the gentle affection Kyungsoo usually preferred, was reassuring. Maybe that was what a mother’s embrace felt like, Junmyeon wondered. He allowed himself the liberty to squeeze back. Finally, Junmyeon had found the rock upon which his waves could crash, and he was glad it had been Kyungsoo who caught him, who was steady so that he could break.

“What should I do?” He asked, and Kyungsoo didn’t waste many words, for it was not his nature. His answer was short, but it was enough.

“Fall.”

-----------

The coffee shop in front of which they met looked more like a greenhouse than a place serving food. Green areca palms were tall, spreading their thin leaves wide. Ficus plants stood like little trees beside the expensive brown leather couches in front of low dark wood tables. Small potted plants stood on windowsills and on plant stands in white ceramic pots. It was a pretty shop, one that Evangeline could see herself sitting in for hours.

Junmyeon smiled at the woman sitting in front of him. He could feel the strings around his heart pull and tug, trying to force him closer in an attempt to break the distance between them. The tugging was futile, as Junmyeon decided to keep his distance, watching as Evangeline’s red painted lips pressed against the white cup filled with espresso. Her black blouse was untied, the silk ribbons that would have been a bow before, now hung loosely exposing her collarbones and the expanse of her neck.

“This is a nice coffee shop.” She spoke, looking around at the plants surrounding their table.

“I didn’t lie.” Junmyeon smiled, his storm filled eyes never left her face, and his heart calmed when she caught his eyes. If he was filled with a storm, she was the opposite. Like calm waters, her eyes washed over him, surveying his relaxed form, watching as his fingers tapped ancient rhythms into his thigh.

“You didn’t.” She admitted. Her smile was bright, her eyes did not weaver from his as she held his gaze.

Junmyeon had ordered himself a cappuccino. He knew about coffee thanks to his brother’s Minseok’s love for the human beverage. It only took Minseok one trip to Venice, sometime in the 17th century, before he was in love and Jongdae’s wife once told Junmyeon that Minseok looked at a cup of coffee the same way Jongdae looked at her. Junmyeon wondered if the Fates would pair Minseok with the heir of Lavazza.

“How long have you worked at the funeral home?” He asked, wanting to know more about the mortal. If Fate wanted this, who was he to fight? If Fate dictated his, could Junmyeon truly resist? Jongdae and Yixing couldn’t escape, and he had a feeling neither could he.

“I’ve worked as an embalmer for three years now. I spent a year at the crematory.” She took a sip out of her cup.

“All for the same funeral home?” Junmyeon was intrigued. He had tried to avoid death, spent the last three thousand years as far away as possible. He kept his rage simmering, or at least tried to. Gods were volatile, and when they burst mortals suffered.

“Yeah. I like my co-workers and their values.” Evangeline nodded, eyes staring at him as he relaxed into the couch.

“Have you been a florist for a long time?” She asked in return, and Junmyeon had to remember that this was an exchange, ironically a one-sided exchange. Every word that came out of his mouth was a half-truth, a white lie to not give away much about himself.

He felt his heart constrict and the air leave his lungs, the familiar discomfort of guilt crawled its way languidly out of his stomach where he had buried it.

“A fair bit. I stopped counting how long.” He answered. Looking nonchalant and confident, he smiled at the woman in front of him. His arm rested on the plush leather armrest whilst his other hand played with the white ceramic of his coffee cup.

“Well, you must either love it or hate it then.” Evangeline laughed. Junmyeon had looked so serious, his eyes lost somewhere far away. She reasoned that if she had loved doing something, she would stop counting too. In the case that she hated every day of work, no longer counting would have been a reprieve. How could you continue living a life you hated if you knew how long you still have left? She didn’t want to even consider such a life. Evangeline was fortunate.

“How so?” Junmyeon asked, focusing on her, watching as she leaned closer towards the table, closer towards him. Among the warm tones of roasted coffee he could smell jasmine flowers, sweet and fragrant as they hung in the air. He wanted to continue breathing it in, wondering what he smelled like to mortals.

“You don’t strike me as someone old enough to stop counting years spent in industry.” Evangeline smiled, allowing Junmyeon to catch her eyes. He held her in his stare. The dark in his eyes was endless, and she felt herself tip over the edge of this unknown abyss.

“Why not?” Junmyeon’s voice was low and she felt the low rumble course through her.

“I believe I have lived long enough for numbers to be arbitrary.” He tilted his head, not breaking eye contact. He found he like the way she looked at him, her eyes swimming with questions and her lips trying to curl around unspoken words as she contemplated which ones should be voiced.

“How old are you?”

“How old do I look?” He smiled. Junmyeon could not guess how old he looked to mortals. Many things had changed since he came down to Earth. Civilisations rose and fell, people changed too, they changed clothes, the way they cut their hair, the way they spoke. Everything was different.

“You look about my age.” Evangeline answered, her eyes falling onto Junmyeon’s face. His strong brows and serious eyes told her he was mature, but his gentle features and golden skin didn’t show the effects of time on his complexion. She thought he was handsome, but she would not date to say it out loud.

“I’m thirty-one.” Junmyeon lied, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. He and Kyungsoo worked out a suitable mortal age for him before he came down to Earth, something old enough to allow for maturity and young enough to not attract scrutiny.

“I’m twenty-eight.” Evangeline answered, and Junmyeon could hardly comprehend how young she was compared to him. She was so young, she had seen so little compared to his brothers.

Twenty-eight years was a spec of dust in the lives of the Gods. He had lived four thousand years and half of that he spent living in chaos.

“I think I would like to know you better.” He told her sincerely. It was one of the only whole truths that passed his lips this evening and it felt good not lying to her.

“I like that too.”

Hours later, when it was time to finally part, they had looked once more in each other’s eyes, his a dark raging tempest; hers a brewing storm. Slowly, as if not to frighten him, Evangeline approached his towering figure, and pressed her lips into Junmyeon’s. The kiss was warm, and Junmyeon stood there as if carved out of marble, unmoving. Before he could react, reciprocate the small gesture, Evangeline had pulled away. Her bright red lips curved into a little smile and she waved him goodbye before disappearing into the crowd of mortals mingling about the street. Junmyeon watched her go, like a splash of black ink rolling through clear water until it diffused into nothing.

As Evangeline walked, she could not help but breathe deeply, not able to get the smell of sea breeze out of her nose, like the seaside after a storm. She turned her head to look back, catching Junmyeon’s eyes for one more second. Her blood rushed through her ears, imitating the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

-----------

Days passed in pleasant monotone. The new routine Junmyeon had built was broken only by occasional messages from Evangeline. The moment Junmyeon set foot on Earth Kyungsoo handed him a mobile phone and told him to figure it out. It had taken three of Baekhyun’s love messengers and a storm rolling towards the country and crushing against the southern shore for Junmyeon to learn to call and text. He still had no idea about what the Cherubs, as Baekhyun had decided to affectionately call them, referred to as Internet and he was not keen on learning either. Kyungsoo had mentioned that he does not use it either and since then Junmyeon refused help with it.

Evangeline soon learnt that Junmyeon was a lot more confident answering calls than texting. He had even taken the initiative to ask her on a date. He never mentioned where they were going, so just in case she had eaten before she left. They met in city centre, just outside the main government administrative building.

“What are we doing today?” She asked, looking up at the man as he led her through the streets.

“We are going to an Aquarium.” He answered and Evangeline could not help but feel relief at the idea.

“Right.” She nodded, falling in step with him as he lead the way to the large modern structure across the bridge.

“Do you like marine animals?” Evangeline asked, wondering why he would suggest such a unorthodox place. She was not complaining though, she had not been to the aquarium since she was little. It would be nice to visit it again.

“I love all marine life.” Junmyeon smiled, looking over at her. His eyes held a warmth in them that she hadn’t seen before. The serious, heavy atmosphere that usually surrounded Junmyeon and all of their conversations was gone. Evangeline could have sworn the man was practically gliding across the pavement, his legs light and his spirits lifted.

Once they had made it inside, Junmyeon had taken the liberty to hold her hand. Sometime after purchasing tickets he managed to slip his fingers through hers, intertwining their hands. His large hand was warm and comforting against her palm. A part of Junmyeon wanted to break all the glass here and let these fish and marine mammals and other creatures, all equally dear to him, all necessary, back to where they belonged. He knew it was unfeasible. Humans had an aptitude for destroying things, one that could rival the Gods, one that did affect the reals which they ruled. Humans had destroyed the habitats these living creatures belonged in, or they were in the process of destroying them. Humans knew like no other creature on Earth how to lay waste to ruin. They were masters of the craft. Some cared. Some looked at these creatures and felt the same rage simmer in their blood as him, some did all they could to preserve these creatures. Some of these humans even worked here. Junmyeon wanted to burst at the seams with rage, but the small hand clutching onto his was an anchor. It kept him in place, it reminded him why he didn’t meddle despite his desires, even the righteous ones.

Evangeline watched him from the corner of her eyes. When she saw another deep breath find a home in Junmyeon’s lungs she let her thumb caress the back of his hand, rubbing soothing circles over the smooth skin. Her eyes fell onto the brightly coloured fish in their tanks and she watched with awe as they swam between the vegetation.

“What is this?” She asked, pointing at the yellow fish, coloured like sunflower petals.

“Who.” Junmyeon corrected her, forgetting for a moment that he was pretending to be mortal. He had become comfortable by her side, Evangeline still rubbed circles at the back of his hand and each one was sending currents of electricity through his nerves, casing his blood to rush faster through his veins.

“That’s a Yellow Tang.” He pointed at the same small yellow fish she had.

“That’s a butterfly fish.” He pointed at another one as it swam to the front. It had stayed in front of Evangeline and Junmyeon had to remember to blink as he peered at the little fellow. She’s mine. He scrunched up his nose and the Yellow Tang swam away to hide behind some growing seaweed. There were benefits to being the God of the Sea and one of them was stopping marine life from ogling your girlfriend. What a life he was living.

“And this one is a Gobie.” He pointed at another fish as it swam towards them, passing Junmyeon to once more stay in Evangeline’s line of sight. Junmyeon shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s a clown fish, and the other one is Royal Blue Tang.” They passed onto another tank now and Junmyeon’s heart skipped a beat when Evangeline jumped excitedly as she peered into the green vegetation. From between the greenery swaying lightly in the currents generated by the water filter peeked a few little orange fish, their white stripes lined with black. Three deep blue fish, slightly bigger than them swam in front of the glass, waving their yellow fins and swaying their yellow tails.

“It’s Nemo and Dory.” Evangeline pointed at the Clown fish and then at the Royal Blue Tang. Junmyeon watched her, not understanding what she meant.

“Who?” He asked, eyebrows raised and wondering how she could possibly know their names.

“Have you never seen Finding Nemo?” She had looked at him with wide eyes, not believing what she heard. Junmyeon was tuck like a deer in the headlines. This was one these mortal things he didn’t understand and doubted he ever would.

“Finding who?” He repeated, still as confused as before. Evangeline straightened up, looking him in the eyes she smiled.

“I know what we are doing next.” She announced, before moving to the next tank.

Two hours passed in complete comfort as Junmyeon wondered the aquarium, Evangeline’s hand leaving his only in the small giftshop at the end of their trip. She had went and bought something small when he wasn’t looking, before taking his hand again.

“I got this for you.” She opened the little gift envelope, before taking out something small and shiny.

“Thank you.” Junmyeon took it from her. It seemed so small between his fingers. A small enamel badge gleamed in his hand, it was a little Royal Blue Tang.

“May I?” Evangeline asked, taking the little pin from between his fingers. Her fingers brushed against his and a current shot through their fingers, making their hearts beat faster. The golden thread keeping his heart prisoner tightened around the muscle, reminding him of the fate that bound them together.

“Of course.” He managed to tell her, his eyes creasing into half moons as he smiled, his cheeks rounding. She smiled back, fingers threading through his navy suit jacket to attach the little fish to the collar. Evangeline smoothed out the non-existent creases with her hands. Before she could retreat them, Junmyeon caught one of her hands in his, threading his fingers through hers. Joined this way, the continued walking.

-----------

The few days between their meetings had given Junmyeon time to resume his duties as a god. He allowed the tides to bash against the shores with new strength, waves beating against sand and rock and land, carving out new shapes and paths in their wake, creating and destroying all at once. Suho spun the typhoons and derechos away from the sea and towards the land, letting rain and sea water carve into the islands and continents. Nature had to run its course, whether people liked it or not, whether Junmyeon wanted it or not. Balance was essential. Balance was their friend and foe and duty. Junmyeon relished in the sound of waves crashing against the shore, he breathed in the fresh air, filled with storms and violence. His deep eyes, matching the dark waters crashing into land, scanned the horizon, his hair was tussled by the winds as he took in the force of his power, finally feeling what mortals knew since the beginning of their creed.

Electrifying, that was the way she would have described him had she been present. Magnetic and terrifying would also work if Evangeline could look into his eyes right now. Their softness was gone, replaced with something hard and serious. Duty or power, or maybe both, had made him harsh again, and it was this harshness, like a typhoon, that welcomed her when she visited the flower shop.

"Is everything alright?" The words flew out of her mouth faster than she could think, and her hands had reached for him out of their own volition, gentle in the way they cradled his cheek.

"I suppose so." Junmyeon spoke, his voice thunderous and cacophonous like crashing tides. He let his arms fall around Evangeline's waist, firm and sure in their hold. Junmyeon was meant to be the secure brother, the one sure of his standing, the one whose decisions are always executed, his words final. He had made his decision among the crashing hurricanes. Love was a force equal to his own, and he would not fight it. Evangeline was kind and mortal, but she would endure his love. She had seen death and continued living, continued being kind. That was more than Junmyeon could say for himself. He would give up his rage. He would transform it.

"You look different." She whispered, eyes falling from his hardened eyes to pursed lips.

"How so?" He looked down, feeling his true form peak through the mortal disguise.

"Like you're angry." She whispered again. It was quieter than before, more unsure.

"I'm not angry." He told her, turning his head enough to lay a kiss on her open palm as it still pressed against his cheek. The smooth skin was warm against him, comforting.

"Let me buy you dinner." He offered. Evangeline nodded her head, her perfectly red lips stretching into a smile. Junmyeon thought she would make a beautiful bride, dressed in white instead of black, holding flowers meant for the living. Reluctantly, he gave her white lilies and watched her walk out of the shop. Duty called, and Junmyeon understood very well what it meant to answer it. Love was a duty too, he thought, and Junmyeon was no longer afraid.

Later in the week they ended up in Evangeline’s home, curled up on the sofa as Finding Nemo played from her tv.

“These fish talk?” Junmyeon asked, eyeing the screen as the two clownfish, a dad and his son, argued about swimming.

“It’s an animation.” Evangeline laughed, watching as Junmyeon refused to take his eyes off the screen, gaze trailing behind the bright orange little fish as Nemo made his way to school for the first time.

“They are not real?” Junmyeon sounded incredulous. She wondered if he was one of those weird types whose parents never allowed cartoons.

“Are humans really that evil? Why do they take these creatures from their homes?” Junmyeon had cuddled up to her as the film progressed, angry at the way humans had separated the family. He had always known humans were cruel like that, but watching it on screen as it unfolded, knowing that the mortals knew what they were doing, was unbearable.

“Humans tend to take the things they think are pretty for themselves.” Evangeline answered him, her fingers running through Junmyeon's dark hair. His head had fallen into her lap and she enjoyed the comfort they have settled into.

“I can’t say I don’t understand, but I think by now they should know better.” He spoke, and she nodded along.

“We should.”

The film passed in silence. Junmyeon ended up too invested in it to speak, and when Nemo and his dad finally reunited, Evangeline could feel something wet soak through her pyjama bottoms.

“He finally found him.” Junmyeon whispered. She could see him wipe away a stray tear from his eyes with his sleeve.

“Do you want a hug?” She asked, stopping the gentle movement of her fingers through his hair to allow him to sit up.

“Yes.” He said, but instead of falling into being the small spoon he cradled her in his arms trailing kisses through her hair. She let him, closing her eyes when his hands came to rub soothing circles over her back.

"There is also Finding Dory." She whispered, eyes twinkling in amusement as Junmyeon stilled.

"Maybe next time." His voice came out a little hoarse, and she laughed lightly, turning to press a kiss against his lips.

----------- 

Mortified. The mortal word felt adequate in describing how Junmyeon was feeling right now. Baekhyun and some of his little love messengers sat at his table at the coffee shop down the street from Kyungsoo's shop. Sipping on his coffee, Baekhyun kept giving him mischievous smiles as he winked at him over the rim of his cup. The love messengers laughed at his predicament, finding his powerlessness amusing.

“You cried watching a children animation?” Baekhyun asked when Junmyeon finished telling his story.

“It was about fish! What could I have done?” The God of Sea tried defending himself. The wellbeing of those who live in the sea was always a touchy subject for him. It was no wonder then, why he had allowed his emotions to show.

“You could have tried to look cool.” One of the love messengers supplemented as he drank his coffee.

“I think it is good he cried.” Another one chimed in. Honestly, Junmyeon didn't know their names that well. A new one was born when Baekhyun felt like it, and Baekhyun expressed his feelings more than any other brother of his did.

“He seems more human that way.” Baekhyun nodded along, his eyes surveying Junmyeon as he allowed some of his godly power to seep through. Rage lit in his eyes. Baekhyun could swear he saw a hurricane swirl in his irises and could hear waves crash when he spoke again.

"I'm not human."

“She’ll like you more now.” Baekhyun chastised. It wasn't like him to scold Junmyeon like that, but sometimes his brothers needed reminders. Love was a gift. A gift from him, and he took his gift giving very seriously.

“She’d like him anyway, its destiny.” Kyungsoo's voice rang out behind them, and the messengers scrambled off their couch to offer space to the Earth God.

“You should kiss her next time.” He said when he sat down, his brown eyes soft but his expression was firm.

“Yeah, snog her.” Baekhyun cheered, sitting up straighter in his chair.

“Feel some eros for her, show her some eros.” The god of love raised his eyebrows at him, sending a cheeky wink Suho's way.

“I thought I should be feeling a different type of love.” He spoke, raising his cup to his lips, allowing the hot bitter liquid to slide down his throat. He preferred godly nectar, but down on Earth coffee was sufficient.

“Don’t lecture me about love.” Baekhyun spoke, and the ground beneath them shook with the force of his power. Junmyeon's heart skipped a beat as he was reminded just how much power his brother possessed, even over them- those both angry and immortal.

-----------

Evangeline was kind. He knew that early on. Evangeline was brave and she endured, he knew that too. Evangeline was only mortal, fragile and flawed and empathetic. She was vulnerable. He was witnessing this first hand now.

He found her weeping on the kitchen floor. She had called him twenty minutes prior asking him to come see her. Junmyeon heard the break in her voice and wasted no time. She was still wearing her black coat, her loafers were still on her feet. She had decided to curl into a ball beside the kitchen cabinets.

With slow, deliberate steps, Junmyeon walked across the kitchen, he sunk to his knees beside her and waited.

"Thank you." She whispered when Evangeline looked up. Junmyeon's breath caught in his throat before he moved to sit beside her on the tiled floor. Evangeline rested her head on his shoulder. He took the opportunity to intertwine their fingers, placing her hand in his lap. With slow, deliberate movements he turned his head, and placed a gentle kiss in her hairline, allowing her to burrow into the crook of his neck. Her tears begun to flow again, warm and wet against his skin as they seeped through his shirt. He didn't mind. Water was his domain, water was him; and yet his heart broke that it flowed from her eyes, rendered her small and broken.

"Do you want to tell me what is wrong?" Suho asked, his voice small as he held Evangeline in his arms.

"They drowned." The words came out as a whisper. For a moment, Suho's heart stopped. He knew by now that some days this job was harder than others. He knew that there were days when Evangeline broke down at the smallest thing; completely overwhelmed. This would pass, she knew this too.

"In the sea?" He asked, afraid of looking down at her. He felt her nod. They lived in a seaside town. It was not unusual this time of year, it didn't make it any less tragic.

Guilt ate at him. He had stayed far away from humans for so long, commanded the seas and waters of the Earth from far away. He made his rule impersonal. Now, with her in his arms he was faced once more with the consequences of his powers. Old ghosts came out to haunt him, blame him for tragedies long forgotten. It ate away at him, dulling the hurricanes in his soul, slowing the waves in their path. Was this what the Fates wanted? Was it his turn to confront his ghosts? Fate is cruel, he thought. Fate is cruel, he breathed, and placed a tender kiss in Evangeline's hair, smoothing down the strands with his hand, letting her warm up in his embrace. Like a gentle summer stream, Junmyeon flowed, enveloping her in safety, tenderly.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"I'm so, so sorry." He looked into her eyes, glossy with tears, as his blurred with the images of old ghosts. For a moment he remembered every ship that sunk in his rage, every lover who took their last breath in the murky waters of his kingdom, every echo of prayers sent his way to bring those lost back to shore prayed too late.

"It's not your fault." Evangeline rose from his shoulder, cradling his face in her hands. Junmyeon grabbed onto them like a lifeline, like an anchor he was afraid would rise too fast.

"It is." His tone was serious, darker. Godliness shone through him, waves crashed in his irises.

"I am the god of Water, King of Seas."

"Poseidon." He punctuated every letter.

"Neptune."

"Aegir." his voice was not loud, but it crashed through the space between them like waves against cliff faces. Forceful and final.

"Call me by any name, I have created them all." He whispered, almost ashamed.

"I am water." He spoke. Not once did he waver. He did not smile, his eyes didn't twinkle. His brows set over his features unmoving, his lips were like stone, features unmoving.

"And water drowns its victims." His eyes darkened, and he could no longer hold her hand.

Evangeline pulled away, her head shaking lightly as she searched Junmyeon's eyes for any hint of jest. She couldn't find any.

"No, Junmyeon." Breath caught in her throat and her voice cracked when she said his name.

"I'm sorry." He reached his hand out towards the kitchen sink above them, and with a flick of his wrist the water flowed from the pipes. With another twist of his hand it flew through the air, a thousand droplets filled the air, suspended and still. Light passed through them like through a chandelier. The room filled with golden rays. In any other circumstance Evangeline would have thought the sight to be magical, beautiful. Now she found it horrid, frightening.

The man she loved wasn't a man at all. He was something else, something unknown.

"Get out." The words punctured the air. Junmyeon forgot how to breathe.

"Get out." Evangeline repeated, pushing him away. The sudden touch caught him off guard. He lost all concentration. Thousand droplets fell around them, crashing against tiles and furniture as rain does against pavements.

Soaked, Evangeline shook, her whole body trembling as she made her way to her feet.

Slowly, Junmyeon rose from his seat on the floor. Not wanting to cause her further distress, he avoided her eyes as he walked out of the apartment. The only sound that carried through the air were his shoes against the wet floor.

Once he was in the corridor, out from Evangeline's line of sight, he heard a muffled crash. Silence. Then the sobs.

He took a deep breath, tears clouded his vision, and for the first time in over a thousand years, the God of Water, King of Seas, let himself cry.

With one last step he collapsed outside of his underwater halls, right by the throne surrounded by channels of sea water and crashing waves. Power had carried him to the safely of his home.

"We told you, Raging Tide." The Fates echoed through the Halls.

"To love is to hurt." Their voice rung out, thunderous and eternal as Junmyeon knelt at their feet.

-----------

A day passed by. Then another. Junmyeon had gained a new companion in that time. Fear was a new friend, or maybe a fiend as it stole his sleep and took his will.

He remembered what the Fates had predicted the first time they came to his Halls under the Oceans.

"You will forget how to live without her."

Their words seemed truer now than ever.

Junmyeon's thoughts were broken when his name rung out, bright and clear through the air.

"Suho!" His brother paced through the hall towards him.

"Baekhyun." He greeted, allowing the God of Love to hold him at arms length as he spoke. Baekhyun's usual light smile and twinkling eyes were replaced with worry. His coat was soaked by the roaring tides that crashed through Junmyeon's palace every once in a while. He must have gone down the wrong corridor when he went searching for him.

"Go to her." Baekhyun wasted no time in getting to the point. Junmyeon had promised his brother that he would not reject his greatest gift, but right now, more than ever Junmyeon wanted nothing to do with Love, nor with Fate.

"She does not want me to come." He spoke plainly, placing his hands behind his back as he tried to turn away.

"If you don't go now, you will truly lose her." Baekhyun admonished, making Junmyeon face him properly and look into his eyes.

"I made a mistake." The God of Water spoke. Behind him, Baekhyun could hear another wave crash through the marble halls.

"Then apologise." It was simple, a mortal solution that could remedy everything. Even to gods such as them it was hard. Apologise were difficult, no matter how many aeons one lived.

"There are no words adequate for her." Junmyeon turned his eyes way from the scrutiny of his brother. How could he apoligise? What words should he use. All languages of the Earth, alive or dead, did not have the vocabulary to describe his deep sorrow, to put his guilt into something tangible and explainable.

"You can't know until you try." Baekhyun pressed further, his hands no longer resting on his brother's shoulders. He gripped Junmyeon by the elbow, preventing him from moving away, from fleeing.

"Love hurts." Junmyeon muttered, allowing a new darkness to settle over him.

"Love heals too." Baekhyun spoke, sure of the fact that if his brother tried, he could find the right words. Happiness was so close, Baekhyun could taste it on the tip of his tongue. All Junmyeon needed to do was reach out.

"Go." He nudged Junmyeon one more time. A moment passed, and then Junmyeon's hard eyes settled on his. Junmyeon nodded, wordless and encompassing.

In a blink of an eye, he was gone and Baekhyun gripped empty air where he once stood.

-----------

Evangeline had spent the last two night crying, trying to dry her kitchen and her tears. Still, she found spots of dampness that reminded her that Junmyeon was a god. Junmyeon whom she loved, who she sought out in the night, who slept beside her and who smiled at her over bouquets of white lilies as if they were not meant for funerals.

She stood at the sink, watching water drip from the tap, remembering the way Junmyeon moved, the way he commanded it, the way it fell like torrential rain around them. She hung her head, trying not to think about him. Maybe if she forgot him she could live on. Maybe she could pretend he never existed in the first place.

A knock on the kitchen door startled her out of her thoughts. Evangeline turned, afraid that someone had gotten in without her permission.

Instead of a stranger, her eyes landed on a stoic man, his brows dark and heavy over his eyes. For the first time she noticed the way Junmyeon's eyes swirled like hurricanes. Despite the distance between them, she could see the crashing of tides over his face.

"I'm sorry." He spoke first. She stood still, afraid that if she moves away he will disappear like an apparition and if she moves closer she will never be able to let go.

"It wasn't the right time to unleash this on you." He continued, his voice deep and heavy as it crashed against her.

"You were having a hard time and it was unfair of me."

"Unfair of you?" She finally spoke. Despite her broken tone her words rang out clearly. For a moment Junmyeon looked away.

"I allowed my own guilt to take precedence." He clarified. Slowly, like he did that night, he walked towards her, giving her time to move away or to stop him. Evangeline did neither. her hands crossed over in front of her, but she didn't stop him.

"I am the one who controls tides and currents. I should take blame for when people die in my domain." Junmyeon spoke. He had been responsible for a long time, guilt ridden and detached all at the same time. People blamed him whether he was at fault or not, and he didn't doubt Evangeline would too. She knew the truth of what he was now.

"Just because you control water does not mean everything that happens in it is your fault." Her voice was quiet, but she looked into his eyes regardless.

"Did you know they drowned?" She asked after a moment.

"No." Junmyeon told the truth. He could control the tides, he could crash waves and aid migrations and lost ships but Junmyeon was not omniscient.

"Then how can you blame yourself?" It was so simple. So mortal. He didn't know it happened, he didn't cause it. So why would he feel guilty?

Slowly, as if not to scare him, Evangeline reached out, her palm cradled his face, stroking gently along his cheek bone. Her touch was warm, reassuring.

Something slipped off of Junmyeon, the hurricanes in his eyes changed into the glistening waters of calm cerulean seas.

He placed his hand over hers, before lowering his face to hers. Gently, slowly, they closed the gap between them. His lips were warm against hers, moving in careful, practised tandem as they drew the breath from her lungs, filling her with something hotter. Junmyeon's hands traversed the planes of her back, firm and solid against her. He pulled her closer, until no space between them remained. Evangeline's hands found their way around his waist. Their lips parted ways only for a moment.

"I love you." Junmyeon whispered against the skin of her cheek, before finding his way to her lips again. He didn't need an answer. The flutters of her heart against his were enough.

-----------

Since Evangeline found out Junmyeon was the God of Water, Junmyeon had become more keen in taking her out by the sea. Today he had taken her to the cliffs. They had strolled the lush green hills, covered in wild grass and purple flowers that somehow resisted the sea breeze and the salt in the air. They had walked hand in hand along the rocky beaches, watching waves crash and break against the shore. Now, they stood shoeless on a rock jutting out into the sea, a part of the low side of the cliff face as it joined the sea.

She truly had not meant to do that. In fact, she had wanted to do anything but that. She wasn’t much of a swimmer, and she had never dived in her life so slipping and falling off the rock and into the sea below was unnatural. She hit the waves, her whole body felt like it was covered in pins and needles. The coldness bit at her skin in the form of thousands of tiny teeth and her lungs burned as she tried her best to not breathe in the water. The salt burned her eyes, turning her vision skewed and blurry. Down here, there was no sound. No noise penetrated the wall of water all around her, and it was as if the sea had decided to drag her down, further and further into it’s depths, slowly.

Junmyeon’s reaction was almost instant. He let go of their shoes and jumped in after her, commanding the sea to let her go. The sea didn’t listen. Water was Junmyeon, and Junmyeon was water, and the sea desired her the same way he did. It’s desire was deadlier, it’s hold on her was the very opposite of Junmyeon’s. Cold fingers dug into her, clawing at her to stay, to be one with the sea bed. Junmyeon disapproved. He followed her trail, watching in the darkness as his love thrashed about and then slowly lost the will to fight as the current dragged her. The water whispered, pleaded for her to stay.

Junmyeon knew she was still human, mortal and fragile. Humans could not breathe underwater, could not survive the temperatures of the depths. Not without aid, not in normal clothes and without apparatuses that allowed them to breathe.

With one final command, Junmyeon called for the sea to leave her. This time it listened. The current around her stilled, keeping her in place, before pushing her towards him and towards the surface. It was arduous. Time seemed to slow down and seconds turned into whole eternities and lifetimes as he waited for her to be back in his arms.

Junmyeon gripped her, in the darkness of the sea, he fought the currents, bringing their mouths together, breathing air into her lungs as the tides carried them to shore, against nature but not against their master.

“I thought the Sea would never let you go." He spoke finally when Evangeline stopped coughing. She was still shaking from the cold and the ordeal, but she was alive, and her lungs were full of air. Crisp, sweet air.

"I thought so too." She whispered, falling into Junmyeon's waiting arms. He held her closed, warming her up with his body as he tried to ease her trembling.

"How can the soulmate to the God of Water not know how to swim?" He asked her, eyes incredulous and brows furrowed.

"Call it Fate." Evangeline managed to joke, but Junmyeon pulled her in closer, peppering kisses along her wet hair. The sun began shining again, its warm rays falling on their tangled bodies as they lay on the rocky beach.

"Fate indeed." Junmyeon whispered, looking up at the sky, wondering if his brothers were looking down at him now, whether it was Jongdae pulling the clouds apart to make space for Yixing's sun.

-----------

They left the beach soaked and trembling, but the whole ordeal had left Junmyeon with an idea. He didn't bother taking Evangeline back to her car. He didn't take her to the nearest village inn or grocery store. Instead, he pulled power, and in one step Evangeline found herself in his Halls under the primordial Oceans.

Evangeline's eyes roamed the marble halls, the flowers engraved in the walls that glistened from their mother-of-pearl linings. The rays of Olympus sun that reached them regardless of depths broke into rainbow shards on the walls and floors as they hit the crystal chandeliers with opal embellishments. Seaweeds swayed as if underwater and other sea plants lined the halls. the soft sound of flowing water came from the channels that turned the floors into an unending maze. Every once in a while Evangeline heard the great crashing of tides as they swept through distant rooms.

"Welcome to my home." Junmyeon spoke, leading her through the grandeur into his private rooms. There, he handed her clean dry clothes. One of his old tunics and a pair of soft cotton trousers. He handed her a towel as well.

Evangeline smiled and went to change behind a screen in the corner of the room.

"It's beautiful here, Myeon." She said once was dressed.

"Thank you. It's all yours." He watched her from his bed, the huge four-poster was covered in deep blue fabrics. Here in the depths Evangeline could see Junmyeon's godliness better. He seemed to glow with power, eyes shining and hair askew as if ruffled by sea breeze.

"My home is your home. Remember that." He told her, and she came closer to sit beside him. All this time they would meet in her home. Being here was foreign, strange. Only now she truly understood the scope of his power, the seriousness of their predicament. He was ancient, powerful and responsible for things she could not begin to understand. She was a mortal. her life a speck of dust compared to his, her responsibilities paled in comparison. She wondered, for the first time, whether this could even work.

"Will you tell me more," She finally asked, taking Junmyeon's hand in hers, she looked into his eyes and took a deep breath "About yourself and your family."

Junmyeon watched Evangeline with piercing eyes. He nodded, intertwining her fingers with his.

“ Gods feel lust, but we don’t fall in love. At least not the way humans do. The Fates saw that as a flaw, and my brother Baekhyun, the God of Love, agreed. He wanted to give his brothers what he gave to mortals, a type of happiness I suppose.”

He gave Evangeline a tight-lipped smile and she squeezed his hand.

"So the Fates and Baekhyun made a deal. They would tie soulmate knots into our lifelines, knots that cannot be undone. There was a caveat. The Fates wanted us to submit to their judgement, so there is no way to untie the knot without killing us."

"So you just accept Fate?" Evangeline was bewildered, her eyes Searched Junmyeon's face for any hint of hesitation or anger.

"Everyone accepts fate. We just happen to know about it. There are no exceptions in this universe. We just happen to be aware of it." Junmyeon let out a laugh, his lips falling into Evangeline's hairline. She still smelled like the sea, like him.

“So the myths?” She enquired, thinking back to high school, to learning about their marriages and conquests and romances.

“What myths? Of all the demigods? Of all of our lovers?” Junmyeon laughed again, smile bright and shoulders shaking gleefully, his eyes fell on Evangeline, his fingers smoothing over the furrow in her brows.

“Partially true. The time between ancient Greeks and the Crusades was a bit of a wild ride. We were ruled by chaos before I decided to be the responsible brother. Our children didn’t live long, they were volatile, unstable. They all died young. ” There was a small hint of regret in his voice, although he was never a proper parent before he felt hurt and grief for his children. Some things were inevitable if you lived this long.

“As my brothers run amok, Minseok and I looked at the death and destruction we caused and felt guilt, promised to never set foot on Earth again. I stayed clear of mortal affairs since.” He spoke, leaning back to take a good look at his soulmate. He felt the golden rope tied around his heart twist and tighten, reminding him of who they were and their destiny.

“Why me?” She asked, her voice small and unsure, and Junmyeon said the phrase he had heard over and over.

“Fates can be cruel.”

"Cruel?" He realised too late that this might have been the wrong choice of wording. Hurt flashed across Evangeline's face, marring her brows, twisting her lips. Her eyes flashed with sadness, but Junmyeon was quick to remedy that.

"Meddlesome." He corrected himself.

"Fate meddles, churns and spins our lives in ways we don't want." Junmyeon twisted their intertwined hands, pressed her palm to where his heart was, beating for her, twisting and churning as fate intended.

"It teaches us, that maybe the things we don't want, our fears and our rage, are only temporary. They harms us rather than protects us." He remembered his rage and his guilt, and the way she eased it, made it bearable.

“Do you really love me?” Evangeline asked, her eyes looking at him, waiting for him to look away, expecting him to do so.

“Yes.” Junmyeon was not a man who wavered or swayed. He would not turn away.

“It’s not lust I’m feeling. Eros is different. Eros is shallow, fleeting.” He remembered that kind of love. The gods had been hungry, left wanting more; never satiated. Junmyeon remembered the way it settled into his stomach like a monster in its pit. The lair had been shallow, and it did not make a home of it for long. This was different. It was terrifying and exhilarating and full of contradictions. This was the kind of love that would last, one that would never starve and never waver and never fade. It was a love that would require devotion and compromise and he was ready for both.

"This love is Pragma. A love built on duty and compromise and growth. This is a love that we had not been bestowed before."

“I feel like I’m drowning without you.” Junmyeon's breath fanned over Evangeline's face like a warm breeze.

“You can’t drown.” She whispered, remembering what had transpired earlier. He smiled lightly, but his eyes followed her with inhuman gravity.

“Without you, my lungs don’t feel like breathing.”

“Without you, nothing matters. Not the sea, not Olympus, not immortality.” Junmyeon took her other hand, holding both to where his heart thrummed and breath made home in his lungs.

“Fate is cruel, I know that. But Fate is absolute, and you cannot run from it. I tried.” He continued, watching as Evangeline gazed up at him, her breath in sync with his.

“You love me?” She asked again. Disbelief coloured her voice, as if she could not fathom the fact that a being such as him could feel such passion for her. Junmyeon put her musings to rest.

“I love you.” He repeated. He would repeat it as many time as he needed to, until those words made a home in his mouth, until they were engraved in the tissues and sinew of her heart; until her mortal red thread turned golden and godly.

“I love you too.” Evangeline's voice was clear as crystal when it rung through the halls, through the Seas and through him, tugging at his heart, pulling at his lifeline, twisting the knots in it until they were shapeless and impossible to untangle.

“What now?” She asked, and Junmyeon wasted no time to kiss her.

“Whatever you want.” He whispered against her lips.

“I don’t want to take you away from your life. I don’t want you to have to choose between me or the ones you love.” He confessed. Mortals had families, lives they needed to live. They were not made for immortality.

“You’re the one I love.” She looked hi  in the eyes, falling into the hurricane that swirled there, now slow and careful rather than destructing.

“Marry me.” Junmyeon stated. With gleeful eyes he watched as Evangeline moved her face away from his, completely taken aback.

“Excuse me?” She asked, knowing full well that even at their age, marriage after nine months of knowing each other was not the best idea. It was quite a terrible idea actually.

“Not now, when you're ready.” Junmyeon clarified, eyes still sparkling as he resumed peppering kisses all over her face.

“You said I’m mortal.” She looked at him confused again, and he caressed her cheek.

“Not if you marry me. Once our threads become tied, yours will turn to gold, you will become a goddess.” Junmyeon remembered Yixing and Idalia. It was a grand wedding. Olympus was decked in gold, flowers bloomed in every crevice and the sun shone so bright, so perfectly that Junmyeon himself could not believe his eyes. He remembered Jongdae and his bride, their wedding brightened by lightning and decked in diamonds and silver and plants so emerald he thought they were jewels. He remembered the unbreakable golden bands created in his forge for these occasions. Who would forge his wedding rings? Kyungsoo who would pull them from the earth? Yixing who would weave them from sunlight? Chanyeol, who would craft them in a supernova or the heart of a volcano? Either way they would be eternal and final and binding.

“Goddess of what?” Evangeline kissed one corner of his mouth, and then the other.

“Seaweed? Clown fish? Does it matter?” He muttered, not really knowing what would happen. It was the Fates, after all that made these kind of decisions. In this, he was powerless.

“Junmyeon!” She smacked his chest lightly and he laughed. The noise carried, cacophonous and full through the water as pure joy bubbled in his chest.

“ Calm seas. The Goddess of calm seas.” He proposed, his smile never faltering. If he had his way she would rule the world, but balance was hard to break and calmness easy to seek. 

Evangeline kissed his lips, hands now threading through his hair. He caressed her cheeks, fitting his mouth to hers.

Just this once, Junmyeon thought, just this once; Fate had been kind.

[amoc94]

.

Pairing : Park Jimin x female OC (From reader's POV).

Genre : Yandere.

Warning : Implied public sex (not with Jimin nor MC).

Wordcount : 3.2K

.

Full Masterlist and elaborate warning please read here.

.

ADDICTED

.

Summary :

What's forbidden is the most tempting.

Jimin was always good at restraining himself. Only this time, she was too alluring for him.

"Sleeping with me was your biggest mistake."

.

Part 11 - Weep

.

"Do you like it? Sorry, it's probably not much, but ... once I saw this, it just reminded me of you."

You almost changed your mind about giving the watch to him, a thank you gesture as well as belated birthday gift. You knew well he was rich, you had no idea what thing he possibly didn't have yet.

You just hoped the present wouldn't be too personal nor mundane.

He must have owned several from the mid and high range, you saw him alternating between different brands, -which out of your budget, so you just decided on the lower range.

He seemed like observing the watch with unreadable expression, touching the stainless chain with a kind of soft look before looked up and smiled to you.

"I like it. Not my usual dial color, I wouldn't think I like red, until now. Thank you. You don't have to give anything actually, but ..."

He clasped it and and put the watch back in the leather box.

"It will be one of my favorite."

He just picked you up from your apartment to go for dinner in a restaurant owned by his friend. It was his birthday, and since Yixing was busy with work, you practically had nothing to do. Besides, you wanted to thank him for his help to get the venue for your wedding.

"I'm glad you like it. And before I forgot, this is invitation for two people."

You took the card and handed to him.

Your wedding would be in a week, and you were hoping he could bring his fiancee to the party. All this time, the woman was still a mistery to you, he rarely talked about her.

His expression changed fast, his smile faltered once he saw the card.

The changing mood confused you and you almost thought he probably wouldn't be able to attend.

"Is there anything wrong? You can't ... come?"

He took the envelope and pulled out the silver and gold card. It was a totally different face from when he opened your gift.

There was a short quietness when he read it, before he answered.

"I'll come, but unfortunately, I will be alone."

"It's okay. You can come with your friend, more than two is okay."

"I broke up with her."

It took you by surprise, you looked at his face, which almost impassive. The break up must be recent, he never said anything about it.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just that ... it's been only a week. I'm still making some adjustment of back to singlehood."

"Why did you break up with her?"

Your unintentional question got him looked at you with obvious surprise, you hastily changed the subject.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer if uncomfortable."

"No, it's allright."

He started the engine with eyes trained at the front, stalling for a few seconds before answering,

"I fall in love with another woman."

It was your turn to stare at him in surprise. Fell in love with another girl?

You had never met with his fiancee, and he already found someone else. Who was the girl?

You wanted to question again, but felt like it wasn't the right time to ask. He probably hasn't even recovered from the heartache.

"I ... I see. Well ... maybe you can ask her to be your partner to my wedding?"

He clicked on his seat belt before wore a dark sunglasses, you couldn't catch the emotion in his eyes.

"We will see later. Let's get going, I'm starving."

The restaurant was located downtown near red light district. Prostitution was ilegal in South Korea, but it wasn't a secret that it was very much alive in Hooker Hill, a deserted area inside Itaewon.

It was four in the afternoon, and the sun was still up over the sky when you stepped inside the luxury Japanese underground restaurant, hidden from the main street. You wouldn't even know this place if it wasn't for Jimin.

You passed a big wooden double door with two burly men guarding the perimeter, reminded you of bouncer in nightclub.

The place was lavish, dark wooden blocks with intricate oriental bamboo carving around the wall, black marbled floor and deep red upholsteries. There were row of chinoiserie fans decorating the ceiling with warm mellow lighting around the space. The common seating area wasn't that big, but it has several of private rooms at the back.

He ushered you through mazelike hallway until you reached a big enclosed room. There was horigotatsu table at the center, of where guest would seat on tatami mats on the floor.

Jimin introduced you to his friends, two men who brought their female friend.

Seokjin was older than Jimin, and with the way he greeted the elder, you could feel his respect on the man.

The quiet girl sat next to him was Aerin, which was introduced as Seokjin's girlfriend.

The other guy was Taehyung, his dongsaeng, who looked almost the same age with Jimin. The woman with him was dressed in a red and white kimono, if you didn't know you would think she was one of the waitresses.

"Naomi! You are even more beautiful in person."

Taehyung smiled at you with teasing manner, blatantly staring at you. The girl next to him poured another shot on his shortglass while giggling.

"Don't mind him." Jimin spoke lowly on your ear. "He never thinks when talking."

Seokjin nodded his head to you, gesturing with his hand for you to take a seat.

There were two empty bottles of sake on the table, and you wondered how long they had been there.

The food were good, variation was mostly sashimi and rice roll, with small portion for each kind, but they ordered almost all from the menu.

"So, are you an item now?"

Taehyung dipped one sushi in the shoyu while looking at Jimin.

You stared at Taehyung perplexed. An item? Surely that was not what you thought it was.

Jimin cleared his throat while shot a glare on Taehyung.

"I told you she has a fiancee. Can't a man and woman just be friends without any romantic shit?"

"I'm sorry. Yes, of course they can."

Taehyung winked at you before put another sushi in his mouth.

"Can but rare, like maybe one in ten?"

"That will be your case, obviously."

Jimin gave him another warning look. He was pretty uptight and you wondered if it was because of the breakup.

"You know ... I was about to order nyotaimori, but I guess it's too early for some aphrodisiac."

Taehyung changed the subject with ease, his hand stroking the girl's thigh.

It was Seokjin's turn to glare at Taehyung, who took another sushi like he didn't have any care in the world.

But you could see he turned somewhat sober after reproving glare from the older man.

"What is nyotaimori?" You never heard that kind of food and you tried a lot of kind of japanese cuisines before.

Jimin looked hesitant for a moment before answering in small voice.

"It's body sushi. They serve the food on top of naked woman. But it's only available by reservation and member only privilege."

You heard that before, but never stumbled upon any establishment that was bold enough to serve it.

The general vibe of the restaurant was somewhat criptic, and you started to wonder if the place was legal. It seemed like a spot where rich men wasted their money for mediocre food and illicit entertainment.

It was kind of weird too that Jimin brought you here.

But the food was indeed delicious like he said.

Seokjin waved to another server near the door for additional sake, and you shifted your attention to Aerin instead.

"Are you in college?"

"No." She gave you a small smile.

"I'm twenty two. But people often think I'm much younger."

"Lucky you. A lot of women want to be like you definitely."

She laughed while her tail of eyes aimed at Seokjin who talked with Jimin and Taehyung.

"The grass is always greener on the other side."

"Are you talking about life or romantic relationship?"

You lowered your voice this time, stealing a glance at Seokjin.

The man was very handsome. Sculpted face with flawless skin, toned body in designer suit, and his manner shouted extravagance and wealth in general.

In fact, the three of them looked like they came from money, and with that kind of look, you wondered if they would settle down anytime soon. Hard to imagine.

"Happiness is relative. But I guess ... I should be."

She downed another shot of sake with one swig, then looked at you.

"You are very beautiful. Jimin once told Seokjin that he had never met a woman as beautiful as you, and I agree with him."

You never thought you would blush when a girl complimented you, but here you were.

Aerin herself was pretty too. Her skin looked very radiant, like porcelain with pinky hue on her cheeks.

"I guess his fiancee must be pretty too."

"Yes, so I heard. I've never met her til now. And I heard he broke up with her last week."

You turned to look at her with surprise.

"You've never seen her? Me neither. I'm really curious to know what she looks like."

Aerin took another piece of sliced tuna, while her eyes gazed at the men.

"It's only my second month being with Seokjin. Jimin is not the type to settle down with one girl."

"A player, you mean."

She shook her head and spoke in whispering tone.

"I heard that he likes to share his girl with Jungkook, another member of their group. You won't share someone you want to settle down with, right? But, he's not exactly a player. They are always blunt about their kink and taste."

"I see."

It was hard to resist temptation when you had that kind of look and money, obviously.

"So, Naomi ... you are getting married in a week. How do you feel?"

Taehyung spoke again, this time he was more serious.

You were a bit awkward to hear his question. What should you feel exactly?

"I'm happy of course."

"But do you love him? Your fiancee?"

"I'm sorry?"

"A lot of couple enter marriage just because they think they love each other. While in reality, everything end up on sex or money."

You felt uneasy with the way Taehyung boldly stated the fact.

While you wouldn't deny it, but ... how dare he. It wasn't even his business.

"I love my fiancee, and so does he. We won't get married if we don't love each other."

"Believe me, I hope that too."

You got up from your seat and threw the man a furious glare.

"What's your problem, really? You don't know me, you have no idea about us! It's not my fault if you have bitterness on your perception of love and marriage."

"Oh baby, I know more than you think I do."

"Can you just fucking cut it, Taehyung?"

Jimin chimed in, but Taehyung seemed unfazed.

"I think you should make sure about your fiancee before you proceed with the wedding. You still have time to change your mind."

It was so infuriating.

You were glad you only had two shots of the liquor, or else you might say something you would regret.

The nerve of that man.

You walked to the door, half pushed the sliding door with loud noise, didn't bother to excuse yourself.

Staring at your reflection in the restroom, you started to regret your emotional outburst earlier. You were never a short-tempered person, eventhough you knew you had all the reason to be upset.

Whatever he said shouldn't affect how you felt about Yixing, you knew better than him. No one knew better than the both of you.

But it couldn't be helped that somehow his words left an ugly thought in your mind, no matter how hard you tried to avoid.

Only a week before your wedding, you had those nagging feeling and fear of something that wasn't right.

That everything seemed to good to be true to you.

A handsome and rich fiancee, loving in laws, blessing from both families, a perfect couple in the eyes of outsiders.

You've been beautiful since you were a child. Having lots of men to pay attention to you was not unusual for you, but Yixing stood out above the rest.

You had nothing to complain about him so far. Just a few glitch was normal.

There was nothing to worry about surely.

Must be wedding jitters.

You took your phone from your bag and dialed Yixing's number.

The last time you talked to him was this morning, but he seemed in a rush, so you didn't have the chance to ask about his plan for the day. He usually finished working by sunset, if there was no meeting afterwards.

Meeting with his clients could extend until past midnight because he often treated them for some nightlife entertainment to score the deal.

It was a necessity, he always said to you everytime you tried to voice your objection. You didn't like to have to wait for hours until he called you to let you know he was finally home.

Call was connected, but Yixing didn't pick up. Huffing in annoyance, you made another two attempts that were also failed.

Where was he anyway?

You didn't want to imagine how your life would be after marrying him later, with the way he often went out at night and untraceable.

Granted business was important, but you wouldn't want to sacrifice your marriage as the consequence.

It was something you needed to sort out with him later. Nothing serius.

You walked out from the restroom fifteen minutes later, after finally gathered yourself. You would ignore whatever Taehyung would say to you.

There was a girl with uniform plain white kimono outside, who smiled and nodded to you.

"Mr. Park asked me to accompany you, in case you got lost. Rooms directory can be a bit confusing. Let me help you to your room."

Walking past several other rooms, you realized the place was very big. There were at least ten rooms separated by thick walls.

When you finally arrived at Jimin's room, the girl opened the door for you.

And you were instantly welcomed by the view of a group of men.

They circled a table, on which a naked woman was laying down with pieces of sushi and sashimi arranged over her body.

They laughed, poured some soju to each other, while using the chopsticks to take the sushi.

The woman didn't wear a single fabric.

You entered the wrong room.

The view in front of you was so bizarre that it was hard for you to look away.

Never in your lifetime you saw something so unsettling yet so real like this.

And the more strange was, no one seemed to realize your presence. Like this thing was very normal to them, not something to be hidden or shame about.

You almost turned and walked away before you noticed a familiar face sitting at the sofa.

A man had a girl stradling him with her body half exposed from her red blood kimono sagged on her shoulder, he was sucking her left nipple. Right inside the room, where the other guys seemed didn't mind nor care about the girl moaning incoherent 'ah ah ah'.

You could swear he actually fucked the girl, because his pants was down on the floor, the girl bounced her hips on his lap.

And you recognized the guy.

Along with your breath hitched in your throat.

"Yixing?"

The japanese instrumental music played around the room masking your voice calling his name, but the chatter died down a little, all of them finally looked into your direction in curiosity.

Except for your fiancee.

The girl was still moaning, the man didn't seem to realize you were there. Both of them seemed intoxicated that they didn't realize their surrounding.

"You ... you bastard!"

There was a haze clouded your mind that came from the coldness started to engulf your whole body.

You walked to them, ready to pounce him back on his senses.

To give him the ultimate slap he deserved.

You didn't care if you had the audience to watch the commotion.

Before you felt an arm caught you on your waist.

"Don't go there. You will only embarass yourself. They are ..."

Jimin pulled you to the door while spoke to you in a stern manner.

"They are fucking. Can you imagine how awkward that would be?"

You lost your voice.

And your sanity, apparently.

Part of you wanted to ignore Jimin and just go there and give that asshole the lesson he deserved.

The cheater.

The one that hurt you more than anyone in your lifetime.

Your groom to be.

The man that ruined your dream wedding.

Your fiancee that had his cock buried inside a girl, a week before your wedding.

Did you really want to go there and watch them separated themself from that position?

You wouldn't survive the shame and humiliation surely, didn't matter that they didn't know you personally.

You still had dignity after all.

When Jimin led you out to the parking lot, you thought about what Taehyung said earlier. You never guessed his words would be proven right.

"Wait! Please ... Jimin .."

You halted on your spot, your head was spinning so bad.

Your eyes were hot from tears threatened to spill, you really didn't want to cry for that man.

You saw your bag on Jimin's hand, as well as the card. Your wedding invitation you gave him earlier.

You snatched it from him, tried to tear the thick papercard apart. The thing that you so wanted to do to Yixing.

But Jimin took it from you, held it in his left hand, and lit it with a lighter, before threw the card to the ground.

You looked at the amber fire started to scorch the paper, the part that turned to ashes flew away by the wind, along with your hope on your future with your ex fiancee.

Your tears were finally dripping, your vision turned blurry looking at him.

"Why? ... Why did he do that?"

There was a look of pity from him. He closed the distance, extended his fingers to wipe your tears.

"Some men were just born assholes."

Your cry was louder along with twisting pain in your heart.

Your dream was shattered to pieces in just one night, and your stupid ass never saw this coming your way despite all the telltale signs and your gut trying to tell you.

You thought you were better and smarter. But turned out, you were so damn naive.

"What does she have that ... I don't? Is she ... prettier than me?"

Your sob was worsened, pitiful and uncontrollable, you just needed to let out the painful pressure from your chest.

Jimin carresed your cheek with a soft look in his eyes, before his stare shifted into one that was so intense, and for a moment there you were stunned by the words that he said.

Words that even your fiancee had never said to you.

"You are everything I would ever want and wish in a woman."

.

.

Part 12 - Pitfall

[michininja]

Introduction and Navigational Post

Hey, the name is Michi and welcome to my blog!

--

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: 21+

Socials:

Twisted Wonderland: @twstchaos

(I will add others as I really use them)

--

Here’s the navigation list for my blog~

➤ Genshin Impact

↳ Original Character

Tokki

Shikamura Koharu

Rike Snezhevich

Xiuhua

Yixing

Shar Weiß

➤ Twisted Wonderland*

↳ Original Characters

Missy Chievous

Bouquette de Rosario

Meihui Maeosarai

Sumana Maeosarai

Kore Meraki

Nadiyya Lattef al-Saleh

Tamannuk Arlooktoo

Chong-Qi Chang

↳ Writing Pieces

“Bad Boy” - Riddle Rosehearts x Reader

“im making gyros, anyone want” - Idia Shroud x Kore Meraki (OC)

“Just Leave It To Your Big Bro!” - Idia Shroud and Ortho Shroud, Ch6 Spoilers

“Never Do That Again. Please.” - Vil Schoenheit and Missy Chievous

More can be found under the #michi writes tag on @twstchaos.

*All of my TWST content links to my side account.

(I will update this as I actually get stuff to navigate to, lol)

[yourdreamsyourwish-2]

So, I used to do weekly updates to let everyone know where I’m at, and since I also like polls I decided to do weekly polls/updates on what I’m working on.

I'm hoping to make it every Monday night for it to come out on Tuesday Mornings!

Requests status: OPEN For both Reactions & Scenarios

Things Coming this Week:

As of right now, Nothing is set in the Queue. I am still working on things. I haven't had the time to write anything but I hopefully will get back into the swing of things ASAP.

Working On:

Reactions: Working on Reactions 13-25. In the Meantime you can find the Masterlist here.

Scenarios: I have 18 (2 for each member) in the planning phases as of this moment. In the meantime you can find the Masterlist Here. [These will usually be either One Shots or 1-3 parts]

Universes: My Multiple Chapter Stories. The Main reason I came back to writing EXO Fanfic. These will not be Member x Reader. For these I either write in 3rd Person with OC characters or First Person. Also all the Member OC pairs will stay the same through out each series.

Currently Working on...

Rewriting an old Minseok Werewolf -> Basic Plot is done. Maybe between 5-15 Parts, won't be higher than 25.

On: Chapter One

Phase: First Draft

Exodus College -> Based on Romance Trope; each Member gets one. [Each member will have 10-15 chapters each plus an epilogue]

On: Series Planning

Phase: Planning

Exceptional Love Series -> Sci-fi fantasy based on EXO Lore; This is 9 different stories that build to a second phase of the story that I am planning on being 25-50 Chapters Minimally [This is also a rewriting a pervious work I had done before as well; All members will have 5 Chapters each. All basic plot outlines for phase I are done.]

First Story will be Light [Baekhyun - 5 Chapters]

On: Chapter 1

Phase: Editing

Fae Inspired -> (I made a World map...) This will be similar to Exceptional Love with each member getting their own story but unsure if I will do a Part II, with a bigger story. [if I do, it' won't be that big]

Phase: Planning [had to finish the map first ]

Other works from my old account I'm thinking of rewriting and working out: Greek God Series & EXODUS City (A Mafia theme)

Okay that's a lot of information, but I do want to hear back from you guys! Which Universe are you the most excited about!

Also for those who don't know, I do not include Tao, Luhan & Kris in any of my writings of one shots/reactions. If I do, it's in the past tense, and I usually have them die in the prologue or before the stories begin in my universes if and only if it makes sense for the plot overall. I have chosen to include only current EXO members. Yixing to me will always be EXO Member, he has made it clear how much the band has meant to him over the years. Even if he eventually leaves, I will probably include him in the future as well. If you don't like that well then...Thank you for stopping by!

[xingplytwelve]

Author’s Note: This is a continuation of That Morning Love, just some slight references to the first part so for better understanding do check out That Morning Love otherwise it can act as an independent one too!  Title: That Morning Love: Epilogue Pairing: Yixing x Abigail (OC) Genre: Lil bit of fluff, Smut Rating: NC-17 Word Count: 2.7k

Abigail was so immersed in her work that not only did she not realised the time, she also didn’t realised that a figure was standing by the desk opposite hers. ‘Ahem,’ the figure called, attempting to catch her attention. Abigail looked up, and a smile soon formed on her face as she stood up and walked towards him. She placed her hands on his waist, pressing her body on his as she apologised, ‘Sorry, I didn’t realised it was so late already.’ ‘Do you know how daring you are nowadays, Ms Abigail Liu,’ he replied, pinching her nose lightly as a tiny punishment. She closed her eyes at his touch, and guessing that he won’t let it go so soon, she gave him a light peck on his lips quickly, shutting him off before heading back to her seat to pack up. He can’t help but to smile, as dimples deepened on his face, interlocking his fingers with hers as they left the office. 

It had been a month since Abigail started seeing yixing, the guy whom she had an amazing one night stand with, who was also coincidentally the CEO of her company. She had her doubts at first, but touched by what he did for her after their night together, and her friends’ convincing skills, she decided to give it a shot. And besides, she simply couldn’t believe that even though she attempted to keep him out of her life, he still managed to find his way to her. Yixing was never one who’ll drop by the office, since he preferred to work comfortably from home without much disturbance. But ever since they’ve got together, she noticed that yixing started dropping by the office more frequently. And knowing that he simply wanted to take the chance to steal some glimpses of her at work gave her butterflies in her stomach. It had been a long time since she felt like this, and even though she wasn’t sure how this was going to end up, she knew she was enjoying it. 

The moment the waiter served Abigail her food, yixing took it away from her, while a perplexed expression hang on her face. It was soon replaced by an inevitable grin, the moment she saw his sweet gesture. Yixing was cutting up her steak for her. ‘What?’ Yixing asked, puzzled, when he found her giggling as he passed her plate back to her. ‘Nothing,’ she answered, a gleeful smile still on her face. ‘Just wondering if you were this sweet to other girls too,’ she added, seeing that his brows were knitting into a small frown. ‘Well, if you must know, the last time I’ve ever cut a steak for a girl was 5 years ago. In the past 5 years, I’ve only slept with women, nothing more,’ yixing replied frankly, as he playfully stole a piece of meat from her plate. ‘I must be really special then,’ Abigail teased, as she took a sip of her white wine, her eyes not leaving him even for a bit. ‘I’m glad you know that,’ yixing said, that tiny frown leaving his face as his dimples soon appeared. 

Yixing soon sent Abigail home, and gave her a goodbye kiss the moment she was at her door. In the past month, the most they ever did was to exchange intoxicating kisses, and nothing more, since yixing promised that they’ll only do it when she’s comfortable. But just for tonight, Abigail kinda wanted him to stay with her. She had her hands on the hem of his vest, reluctant for him to leave. ‘Wanna come in for another glass of wine?’ She blurted out, still playing with his vest as she looked into his eyes. ‘Oh? Of course,’ yixing agreed, pleasantly surprised, as memories of the night they’ve shared started coming back to his mind. Yixing sat on her couch, and as he waited for her to come back with the glasses of wine, he can’t help but to let a smirk escaped his lips. Before he met her, he never had to wait for it. And in the past 5 years, his hormones were always well taken care at all times. Whenever, wherever he felt like it, he gets it. Filthy rich, want zero responsibilities, yup that’s zhang yixing. Of course, he had someone that he waited for as well, someone that he thought he’ll marry eventually. But in the end, he was the one who got hurt, causing him to lose faith in love. Until he met Abigail. Abigail was just, different. As she handed him his glass and sat down beside him, planning to take a sip of her glass as well, he took it, placing hers on the lounge table as he gulped his down, locking his eyes with hers. Before Abigail realised it, his lips were already on hers, and she was soon tasting what she wanted to, his lips, and that sweet white wine. Her eyes widened, surprised at his fast reflexes, and also how fucking ecstatic that felt, leaving her craving for so much more. ‘You like that?’ Yixing asked as their lips parted, his tone full of smugness knowing how good that made her felt. ‘Oh shut up,’ Abigail said as she simply stared back at him, before landing a daring and heated kiss back on his lips. Yixing loved this side of her, and as he returned her tacky kisses, he put his glass away quickly, in order to free his hand so that he could caress her beautiful face. His lips soon left hers, as he leaned in closer, laying her down gently on the couch. Abigail tugged the collars of his shirt towards herself, and tasted those lips again as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands were trailing down her body, almost finding it’s way down to her clit when his phone rang. 

Yixing groaned in annoyance, whereas Abigail just giggled as he stopped whatever he was doing to reach for his phone in the back pocket of his pants, her hands still grabbing onto his collars lightly. ‘You’re calling me at a fucking bad timing, it better be something important,’ he answered. His tone, though not loud, was extremely stern. He sighed as he ended the call, saying, ‘I have to go back to the office, there’s some urgent issues. Sorry, baby girl.’ He wanted to just disregard the call so damn much, even more so when he saw disappointment behind her eyes. Abigail pouted, as she released him from her grip as she said, ‘Go run along, work is more important. Will I see you tomorrow?’ Yixing softened at the sight of her, but soon got up and answered, ‘I’ll let you know ok? Think I’ll have to burn the midnight oil later.’ He then caressed her hair, landing a soft peck on her forehead before he left. Abigail sighed, as she cleared the glasses and went to bed after. Her attempt to sleep after what just happened wasn’t successful, as she tossed and turned in bed. She reached for her phone and took a glance, it was already midnight. She started thinking about him, and soon got out of bed. 

 It was wee hours in the morning, and dim lights were still lit in yixing’s office. He was finally done settling his urgent matters at work, as he took a glance of the documents that he had worked on, before piling them up and putting them away neatly. He then threw himself back into his chair, hands running over his face, followed by his hair, trying to freshen up a little. His mind wandered off to earlier on, right before he was about to have another amazing night with Abigail, and he started to wonder if she’s already asleep. He took a look at his watch, 3.31am. Of course she’ll be asleep, why won’t she be. Just as he was about to shut his eyes to take a quick nap, he heard noises, as though someone had arrived at the level. There were only that few people who had access to his floor, and he couldn’t think of anyone that’ll step in here at such ungodly hours. He soon found his answer the moment she stepped in, dressed in an oversized hoodie and hair up in a messy bun, extremely casual. Surprised and delighted, he stood up, walking towards her while she placed her things down on the coffee table. Slipping his hands around her waist the moment she turned over to face him, which got her to chuckle, as he then asked, ‘What are you doing here? And why aren’t you asleep?’ ‘I thought you might get hungry, so I prepared some snacks for you,’ Abigail answered, as she stroked his face gently. In actual fact, how could I sleep after you left me wanting you so much zhang yixing, was what was going through her mind. ‘Actually yes, I am hungry, hungry for you,’ yixing said, as he started planting kisses playfully on her nape. She laughed, stopping him after awhile as she said, ‘Aren't you going to at least eat a little to not let my efforts go to waste?’ She then pulled him lightly over and sat him down, as she took out what she brought. ‘Besides, good things comes to those who wait,’ she mumbled. She simply cannot wait to see what kind of expression will hang on his face later on. 

As soon as yixing was done wolfing down whatever Abigail had prepared, she stood up, as she walked past the table, his eyes staying with her as she moved. She then stood directly in front of him, as she undid her bun, her hair falling over her shoulders as she ran her hand through it. She then removed her hoodie, revealing her eyelash laced teddy, in a dreamy shade of purple, as she looked at him, biting her lips seductively at the same time. Yixing’s eyes grew bigger at what was being presented in front of him. No words were needed, Abigail could tell that she managed to wow him from his reactions. He couldn’t wait a moment longer to devour her, as he stood up, joining her, which she then proudly asked, ‘You like it?’ His hands were on her shoulders, moving downwards as they passed her breasts, groping them which made her released a soft moan, then down to her waist, as he whispered in her ears, ‘Yes, I fucking love it.’ Fluttered, a tint of pink appeared on Abigail’s cheeks, as she took his hand, leading him towards where he was working just now. She then pushed his chair slightly, making more space for the both of them, as she laid herself down on his desk gently, spreading her legs apart, as she said suggestively, ‘I’m all yours, CEO Zhang.’ ‘FUCK,’ yixing sweared, and lust was taking over his mind. He gave her a possessive kiss, his tongue finding his way into her fiercely, and was soon taking over her mouth. His hands, caressing her cheeks with one and kneading her mound with the other. She was enjoying how dominant he was, and knowing that her words were the trigger made her pleased. She was engulfed in his kisses, and how he was playing with her tits, as she unbuttoned his vest, followed by the shirt underneath, revealing his toned body. She might deny, but it was definitely a sight that she’ve missed since that night. He started leaving wet kisses on her, from her shoulder and downwards. He tugged the piece of cloth to the side, exposing her tits, and started nibbling, playing the other with his fingers. Cries of pleasure were leaving her mouth, as he continued to run his tongue over her nipple, while she raked her fingers through his hair. Yixing gave it a final lick, then pausing to catch his breath before he pulled down her one piece completely, exposing her bare skin. Knowing that her other breast was craving the same amount of attention, he soon begin to pleasure it the exact way as he did with the other as his fingers started trailing down her belly, before reaching her pussy, and started stroking her. ‘AH,’ she moaned, from the mind numbing sensation that he was giving her. As he continued feeling her, she can’t help but to squirm, her body, tensed and unable to stay still. 

Satisfied with his little whore, yixing then removed his pants, his length springing into action the moment it was released. Abigail sat up, preparing for his entrance, as she flirted, ‘Fuck me yixing, fuck me hard.’ The corners of yixing’s mouth were raised, turning into a full on smirk as he answered, ‘You got it, baby girl. I’ll fuck you, so hard, you won’t be able to walk later.’ He entered her immediately the moment he ended his sentence, while a loud moan escaped her lips. He thrusted inside her hard, so hard that she had to place one of her hands on his desk, while the other one holding onto the hems of his shirt for her dear life. He continued thrusting into her, skin slapping against each other, while caressing her thighs, which was hanging on his waist. Abigail begged him to quicken his pace, knowing that she was close, in which yixing gladly compiled. ‘AHH,’ she released, as she clenched onto the hems of his shirt tightly, after feeling a remarkably good load of hormones running through her body. She looked at him breathlessly, and decided to spice things up a little more, knowing that he was close as well. She pushed him down onto his chair, taking him by surprise yet again, as she got down from his desk swiftly, and kneeled between his legs. She stared into his eyes, hands on his knees, as she took him in with her mouth. ‘AH FUCK,’ he groaned in much pleasure, as he shoved her hair back away from her face. She ran her tongue around his sweet spots, and took his dick deeper and deeper each time she goes, at times almost gagging, but continued as she saw how much he was enjoying it. ‘Fuck, I’m gonna cum baby girl,’ he warned, and soon released his loads in her mouth a few throbs later, sending it straight down her throat. He let out a deep, and loud moan while catching his breath, as she shifted herself, before standing up and adjusting her teddy, with his vision still on her. She then moved closer, and sat on his lap as she gave him a soft peck on his cheeks. 

Yixing stroked her hair fondly, before removing his shirt entirely, and putting it over Abigail’s body, hands snaking around her waist and held her in his arms, like she was a baby. His thoughtful and sweet actions made Abigail blushed, which she then buried her face in his neck. He grinned at how adorable she was, to think that she was the one seducing him earlier on, and was now shy. ‘Rest for a bit first, ok?’ He whispered, before returning a kiss on her cheeks. She nodded, as she mumbled, ‘wake me up in 30 mins,’ before falling asleep in his arms. 

It was 10am in the morning, and Abigail woke up to find herself in a seemingly familiar surroundings. She recognised it the next moment, she was at yixing’s place. She jumped out of bed when she realised the time, but a sleepy yixing held onto her wrists, stopping her from getting out of bed. ‘Are you going to sneak away this time too?’ He questioned, in his morning voice. ‘Of course not, but I’m so late for work!’ Abigail answered, as she turned around to look at him. For some strange reasons, he looked even hotter when he’s still half-asleep, as she unknowingly gazed at him. Still reluctant to open his eyes, he showed a faint smile as he answered, ‘I already took the day off for you, so you can sleep in as long as you want.’ She heaved a sigh of relief, before laying down beside him again and resting her head on his bare chest. ‘Thank you, CEO Zhang,’ she whispered with a smile, as he gave her a peck on the forehead, eyes half opened. ‘You’re very welcome, Ms Abigail Liu. Let’s get a little more sleep alright,’ he answered, as he turned slightly and wrapped his arms around her. 

[soocouldbemyonlystar]

Chaebols: Laid Back Pt3

Genre: Chaebols AU/ fluff

Length: 6.3k

cover edit by @lalahs85

It was Yan’s greatest gift that she was always organized. Each task was assigned a number based on its importance and she rarely needed to deviate from that list. She was solid, on top of things, and she thrived for it. She had taken this small branch and made it the most successful part of her father’s real-estate business. She was savage.

Then how was it she was losing control of her life. Yan was drowning, held down by the expectation’s others had for her future. For generations, the women in her family had been used as pawns to garner favor, make alliances, gain investors in order to keep Lin Industries prosperous. Yan had thought she would be the first to break this tradition. Her own mother had been given to her father as requirement for her grandfather to invest in the company.

And her mother was the biggest advocate for her marriage. The woman cared more about keeping tradition than her own daughter’s happiness.

Yan stood, too stunned to move, as Lay leaned forward and presented his business card to her brother. Shen immediately back tracked.

“Mr. Zhang, I’m so sorry you had to come in during our little tiff, as you should know our Yan is a complicated woman,” He bowed repeatedly to Yixing and Yan couldn’t believe it.

“I’m aware, I also know she’s completed the requirements so if you could exit my fiancé’s office, we have much to discuss.” Lay demanded, politeness in his words but venom in his voice.

Yan didn’t know he could be cold. He seemed so calm and warm when he spoke to her. Even after finding her after she had left him alone in her hotel room with no name, number or way to know who she was. Lay was kind and seemed happy to see her.

“Of course, Mr. Zhang, or should I call you brother-in-law now?” Shen was kissing his ass now, it was what his slimy ass did. He would try to get in good with Yixing to put himself in a position of influence.

“Mr. Zhang would be fine for now, Mr. Lin. We will see you again soon.” Lay left her side to take hold of the door and usher Shen out.

Yan was still in shock as Shen bowed repeatedly until he was out the door and Lay closed it in his face. He stood watching the door until he heard Shen walk away.

He turned back to Yan, “That boy is conspiring at this moment, you know that right.”

Yan finally looked to Lay, “No, no, no, this is not happening, you are Lay from the last day of a vacation I was forced to take. It was a good day, but its just a dream I can think back to. You are not here. Not in my office, not in my home. I’m dreaming this.”

Lay smiled, “Have you been dreaming about me Lin Yan.”

“I don’t believe you. You saw the note I left my date, thought you would make some kind of joke or use it to stalk me. You are not Zhang Yixing.” Yan refused to believe it.

Lay sighed, pulling his phone out of his pocket, his fingers working quick on the screen. “Did you not do your research on your marriage dates?”

He handed the phone to her. On the screen was a picture of his, mother, father, and two older brothers and an older sister, and him the youngest son of the Zhang family.

“I’ve been working on acquiring an important property, I didn’t have time to look up the next playboy my parents wanted me to date.” Yan said as she read the article attached to the picture. “Besides, you still didn’t know who I was?”

Yixing, she had to admit it was him, took a seat in front of her desk waiting for her to finish the article.

“It’s not as dangerous for me. My mother is worried that I will waist my life away.” He explained as she handed the phone back and took the chair behind her desk. “You are the sixth woman from my mothers list of women who are suitable for me to marry.”

“You were four.” Yan told him, “but I’m not marrying you.”

“Yeah, that was just to get your brother out of here.”

“But you don’t understand what you’ve done. Shen will be on the phone with my parents already. The Zhang name will be too good for them to pass on. They will push. And if you were on my list and me on yours, my parents will make a deal with yours for us to be married.” Yan explained. They were done for. She would have to do everything to convince her parents not to force them to marry.

Yan didn’t want to get married at this point in her life. She didn’t know if she would ever want to be married. If she was able to get ahead of it and get Zhang Yixing to agree it was misunderstanding to her parents, then maybe they wouldn’t insist the two get married.

“We have to call my parents and tell them it was a mistake. You have to tell them it was a mistake, maybe they won’t become obsessed with me marrying a Zhang Group heir.” She demanded, picking up her phone and calling her father.

  “Father,” she started, “yes, I’m sure you just got off the phone with Shen. That’s why I’m calling. Look, Zhang Yixing is an acquaintance of mine and he…”

“Shen had told us the wonderful news.” He said.

“Yes, but Shen was aggravating me, and Mr. Zhang was just trying to help me.”

“Did he not indicate that you two were engaged?” Her father asked.

“Yes, but I’m trying to tell you that Shen misunderstood the situation. No, there is no marriage proposal.” Yan insisted

“Is he with you now, I would like to speak with him?”

“Yes, father,” she sighed handing the phone to Yixing, “he wants you to speak with him.”

Yan prayed he would convince her father that it was just a mistake. No marriage, she mouthed to him.

He took the phone, “Zhang Yixing… Hello sir, it’s nice to finally speak with you…Yes, I’ve known Yan for several months, and I’m quite fond of her. Did she now… I don’t know why she would tell you that… I’m very interested in marriage. My family would be happy to welcome Lin Yan as a daughter.”  

Zhang Yixing played right into her fathers’ hands. It was sickening. Any illusions she had about Lay were gone now. Good-bye handsome beach boy, good-bye sweet smile and cute dimple. Good-bye sand and sun and staying up all night talking about everything.

Her beautiful memories were gone, ruined by reality and a rich, entitled, jack-ass who now saw fit to bully his way into her life.

She would spend the rest of that life making sure he was miserable.

“Of-course we want to get this done quickly, but Yan and I would like just a little time to get to know each other better,” Yixing told her father, “Just a couple of weeks, then we can get deeper in the wedding details.”

Yan thought she was going to pass out. They were conspiring right in front of her face to marry her off. She thought about sticking her finger down her throat. It was childish and petty, not like her at all, but if this was now her life was going to be, she was going to get petty, pretty damn fast. She should have known Lay, no Yixing, wouldn’t be any different than her family or the list of brainless mutants her parents had her dating. This was a nightmare. She was stuck, forever as a puppet for her family.

“It was a pleasure speaking with you as well. One last thing before we go, could I ask for you to keep Yan’s brother away for a while. He seems to stress her out quite a bit. I don’t want her to worry about what he is up to. I would like her attention to be focused on me for the next couple of weeks. You can do that? Thank you. You are truly a generous man… yes, sir…I look forward to meeting you in person as well… You have a good day, sir.”

He handed the phone back to Yan, a satisfied look on his face.

“Father?”

“A Zhang, my daughter I’m so proud of you.” Her father said, something she had never heard out of his mouth before, in her life. “This is just what the company needs. You will marry this man without complaint, do you understand me. This is better than we could have hoped.”

Yan sighed, she wanted to cry, “Yes, Father.”

She finished her call and hung up the phone, turning her anger to Yixing. He stood, hands in his pockets staring out of her window. That silence loomed for several minutes. Yan was afraid if she opened her mouth, she could tell this man off.

Screw that, he deserved it! Yan would be the one to give him a swift kick in the ass.

“How could you? Just what do you think you’re going to gain from this? My family is not nearly as influential as yours…”

“Enough time for you to figure something out.” His eyes continued its scan of the city, “You have a nice view from this floor. I can see Kyungsoo and Jun’s buildings from here.”

“Who’s that… wait… what do you mean ‘enough time’?”

He faced her then. “Well you don’t really plan on marrying me, do you? This will give you a couple of weeks to work, free of distractions. Isn’t that what you said you wanted that night at the resort, the best vacation you could ask for was from your meddling family. Afterwards, we call stall until we can figure out how to stop your father from marrying you off.”  

“You’re trying to help me?”

Yixing turned back to the window. “All this time, I’ve been within blocks of you and never knew it.”

“Mr. Zhang, can you focus?”

“It’s Lay, or Yixing.”

Lay or Yixing. That was an easy choice for Yan. Lay didn’t exist to her anymore. He was body snatched by this…this… what the hell was this guy?

Yan sighed. “Yixing, you really seem to have misunderstood the situation. My father… he won’t accept anything less than a Zhang son-in-law now. There will be no convincing him otherwise.

Yixing remained silent, his eyes fixed on the view from her window. What the hell was out there? Yan was growing annoyed, definitely angry. She couldn’t read him. Yixing stood, arms crossed, this thumb and forefinger pinching the center of his lower lip as he focused on another world on the far side of the glass pane.

“Yixing!” Yan was losing her patience.

“I’m okay with that.” He dropped his arms dropped to his side and he faced her.

“How could you be okay with that?”

“Look,” he said, taking the seat in front of her desk. “My mom is worried about me. He thinks I have no drive, and maybe I don’t. She wants a new daughter, maybe some more grandkids. She wants to know I’m taken care of. I don’t like it when my mother worries. I’m not interested in a woman who has no interest in me, but it doesn’t matter if it’s you or another woman from my list, I’m going to get married.  I like you, marrying you would be better than any of the girls I’ve dated so far, and you being part of the Zhang family will be extremely beneficial for you.” Yixing explained.

“Yeah, I don’t have plans for my own life. I’m just here to benefit the Lin family name.” Yan spat.

“Who said the Zhang’s will benefit the Lin family. As far as I see, your family uses you, and I don’t think that’s right. As my wife you would have the support of me and my family, you could do whatever you wanted.” He explained.

“Look Lay, Yixing whatever your name is, I don’t need your family to accomplish anything. I became the director of this branch by myself.”

“From how it looks to me you got here cause your father was trying to keep you out of his hair until he could marry you off.” Yixing explained, “Why keep putting up with this?”

Yan sighed, it was a point she didn’t want to see. “I worked my ass off to get here Mr. Zhang. I put in three times the work my brothers did to get this position. I deserve to be here.”

“Don’t call me that, my name is Yixing or Lay, and I’m not disagreeing with you. I’ve seen my sister work herself crazy to keep the position she has at our company. She likes what she does. I think you do to. I just want to help you.” Yixing folded his hands in front of his. His calm demeanor pissed Yan off.

“You don’t know me.”

“No, but I want to. More than anything. All of this, our night together months ago, being on each other’s lists, it seems… I don’t know… like kismet.”

Yixings lips turned up into that smile, that sweet crooked smile that gave her the perfect view of his dimple. It was a little peek of Lay, his kind eyes, his honied smile. It made her want to believe. There was a sincerity in his voice. Yan didn’t want to get married, but she couldn’t help but wonder what a future with Yixing would look like. Would he be supportive, or would he hold her back…be a calming force or be the source of stress for her? She had a feeling it was all the above.

Lay made Yan want to dream, and that made Yixing dangerous.

“What if I don’t want your help?” she steamed.

“Then I’ll apologize for having complicated your life. Tell your father I’ve changed my mind, and marry some vapid, self-centered heiress who gets on my nerves instead of the woman who peaks my interest and invades my every thought.” He admitted.

“Ohh, so smooth.” Yan mocked him.

“Not smooth, just honest. Think about it Yan. I think we could make this work.”

“It won’t.”

How could it? Yixing wasn’t the only one who remembered their conversation from that night. They were different, Yixing the equator, Yan the poles. Hot and cold. Yan didn’t have a problem admitting she was a workaholic. Work didn’t feel like work because she loved it. Yixing liked his leisure. He only worked when he felt like it, choosing to spend most of his time traveling, staying in hotels and resort and overall not accomplishing anything.

It had been endearing in the beach boy who made the last day of her imposed vacation memorable. But in a perspective husband, the man she would spend the rest of her life with, it was a nightmare. He was laid back and she was uptight, how could that ever work?

“There’s no way to know that.” He countered. “And there is no point in worrying about it right now. You have the vacation you’ve always wanted. I was at least able to get that for you. I’ll keep everyone at bay for that time. Enjoy it and we will figure everything out later.”

Yixing stood again, buttoning his suit jacket. Yan smiled. The move gave him an air of professionalism that he didn’t normally exude. It was cute.

Yan sighed, “Yixing…”

“Two weeks. Think about it and talk to me then. I’m in this for you, because I like you, not your family. Think about it.”

He pulled out his wallet, brandishing his business card, holding it out to her. Yan hesitated, but if he had done all this for her, the least she could do was think about it as he requested.

She came around the desk and accepted his card. White with blue lines passing through the Zhang Group logo covered the top left corner, while Zhang Yixing, Consultant, and his number covered the bottom right. It was a good design, simple, efficient. Yan was impressed and her attention was focused on that stupid card, and not on the man who inched closer. So close she noticed his body heat before his proximity.

Yan gulped as her eyes came level with his lips, soft and pink. There was no smile gracing those lips. There was something in the set of his jaw that had Yan’s stomach flipping. Yixing took a deep breath, seeming to inhale her. It was heady, powerful and intoxicating.

Fool.

The thought ran through her head, but only a name passed her lips.

“Yixing.”

His own lips parted as he angled his face down. Their eyes met.

This is a mistake you idiot. She cursed, but Yan was unable to stop herself. As-much-as she wanted to fight it, pretend it wasn’t there, hew drew her in. His presence made her lightheaded and weak.

“I thought I made you up at first,” he whispered, “almost had myself convinced. Only my friends remembered you too.”

Every word seemed to steal more of her breath away. She felt dizzy.

“I don’t know what it is, but you affect me like no one else does.”

She could say the same. No one else had ever left her as shaken and breathless as this man. The logical part of her brain told her to run, he was trouble for her ordered, tidy life. The other part of Yan, however, told her she may not ever feel this way again.

Run with it, not from it.

“Are you going to disappear with my heart again?”

Yan shook her head slightly, “This is my home, I have nowhere else to go.”

“Good.” Yixing’s hands captured her face as his lips brushed against hers.

Run with it.

Yan leaned into Yixing, with a sigh. She couldn’t lie, this was something Yan had thought about frequently in the last few months. The softness of this lips as the played over hers, the way he somehow still smelled of the sun and the beach, and now his fingers lingered just flush with the skin of her cheeks. It was all exhilarating.

Each tug at her lips, each caress of his tongue convinced Yan that this man was dangerous. Yixing’s hands moved down her body, resting on her hips, drawing her closer.

Yan wanted to be closer.

Her arms snaked around his neck, pressing into him, opening up to him. But he pulled his lips away from hers, both struggling to catch their breaths. Yan didn’t want to let go, for a moment she was back at her hotel room. She wasn’t ready for the memory to fade back into her bleak reality.

Yixing rested his forehead against hers. “We are part of each other’s lives now, Yan. I won’t let you walk away from me a third time.”

Yan was uncharacteristically speechless. She wanted to deny it, but she felt connected to him as well. It couldn’t be purely coincidence they had found each other again.

“I’ll be what ever you need, your husband, or just a friend you come to when you need something. So, don’t ask me to pretend we never met. I don’t think I could do that now even if I wanted.”

She moved away, leveling her eyes with his. “Okay.”

Yan couldn’t bring herself to fight it.

“Two weeks,” he said as he backed away. “If they mess with you before then, text me and I will take care of it.”

She nodded.

He smiled, “Goodbye, Lin Yan.”

“Goodbye.” Yan whispered as he walked out of her office.

  The man was good at his word. For two weeks there were no calls from her mother, no visits from Shen and the only calls she received from her father or older brother Xiang was purely work related.

There was radio silence from Yixing.

Yan pretended it didn’t bother her, but she caught herself more often than not staring at her phone, waiting for his name to grace the screen. It did not.

Yan did, however, get a surprising visit from a couple of other beach boys from her vacation.

She squealed as Minseok grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Yan said wrapping Jongdae in a hug.

“When Lay said he found you we wanted to see it for ourselves.” Minseok followed Yan across the room, taking the seat she offered. “So, this is the real you?”

Yan laughed, “It is, pant suit and all.”

“Our Chyou is just as hot in a pant suit as she was in a bikini.” Jongdae teased, “But I guess that’s not your real name. Lin Yan. That fits better.”

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think it was a good idea to give my real name to strangers when I was on vacation alone. Plus, I kind of own that resort.”

“Well you’ll fit right in with the rest of us. Our whole group is big business.” Minseok laughed.

“Whole group? How many of you are there?”

Jongdae chimed in, “Kyungsoo got married right before we went on vacation, so with Jae-Eun, that makes ten of us now.”

Minseok explained their history. Going to the same schools, becoming friends, and how they were all so different, but somehow, they all just clicked. They were family now, more than friends.

Yan thought if any of them were like Yixing, Minseok or Jongdae, she would be happy to get acquainted. These men were so easy to talk to. Conversation flowed effortlessly with them, where Yan usually had a problem talking about anything but her work.

She worried some. When she turned Yixing down, would he disappear from her life, would he take his friends with him? There was so much conflict in Yan’s heart. She didn’t want to marry Yixing. There was no scenario that Yan could see it working out. But she liked him, she like these men. Yan didn’t want the friendship to end before it even began.

While Minseok was telling her about their other friends, Jongdae drifted over to her window. He was quieter than he had been when they first met. Like Yixing, his focus was on the view outside her window.

“He seems different than before,” she mused as Minseok noticed him.

Minseok sighed, worry drawing his lips into a frown. “He’s going through a lot right now. He has a right to be different. He’ll come through it though.”

Minseok’s hushed tone and sad eyes made Yan feel it was more complicated than he made it appear.

As if he had heard the exchange, Jongdae spoke up. “Did Yixing see this view?”

“Yeah, he stared out that window almost the entire time he was here. What is it about that damn window that’s so interesting?”

Jongdae held his hand out to her. “Come here, I’ll show you.”

Yan and Minseok made their way to the window. Yan slipped her hand into Jongdae’s and he placed her in the spot he was standing.

He pointed to the left, “See that tall dark building, just a couple of blocks down? That’s Kyungsoo’s building. He is the CEO of the Ganghan Company. Sehun run’s his fashion line in that building, and Yixing has an office there because he is Kyungsoo’s consults for Ganghan sometimes. Just to the right further down, that’s Jongin’s building, he works for his dad there.”

Jongdae turned her to look straight across, “On the other side of that block is Jun’s building. Just south of this block, right out of sight, is my company. Min’s family’s company is several blocks west of here.”

Yan turned back to him confused.

“Don’t you see? You’re surrounded by us. Lay was looking for you for five months, and you have been smack in the middle of us. I can’t imagine he took that well.”

Yan stepped away from the window. It was all too much. God, she just wanted her life to go back to normal. She didn’t want to be contemplating a marriage or thinking about a sweet-faced man who looked for her for months.  

“My parents want me to get married,” She confided. “Yixing was on my list. That’s how he found me. His mother wants him to marry as well.”

Minseok’s eyes grew larger, “That sounds like Mama Zhang. What are you going to do?”

She turned back to her desk, running her hands over her face. “Yixing told my dad that we were engaged. He’s trying to buy me time to figure out how to stop it.”

“You don’t want to marry?” Jongdae turned back to the window.

“Not now. I’m not sure if ever. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I like what I do. I don’t have time to worry about maintaining a marriage. It’s not that I don’t like Yixing…”

“Did he suggest you actually marry each other?” Minseok interrupted.

Yan nodded. “He thinks it’s a good idea. He worked it out so that I had two-weeks without my family meddling. But he said if I wasn’t interested that he would help me find another way to stop my parents from marrying me off.”

Yan was completely lost. Yixing was doing so much for her. He didn’t have to get involved. Part of her still questioned why. He didn’t know her. What reason could he have for getting himself stuck in the middle of her family squabble.

Jongdae finally moved away from the window and joined them around the desk. “I’ve never heard Hyung talk about marriage before.”

“Me either,” Minseok agreed.

“I don’t know what to do. He’s been great. He’s kept his word, but I just don’t see how this will work out. It’s a disaster.”

Minseok leaned across her desk, taking a hold of her hand. “You have to make your own choice, don’t let anyone else do it for you. But I can tell you, Lay will respect whatever decision you make.”

“Thanks guys,” Yan hadn’t spoken to anyone about it. She liked her privacy, but since they knew him better than she did…

Minseok changed the subject and they chatted for a while. About the other guys, Kris and Amy had gotten married, Luhan had gotten a promotion, and Tao had started working for his family.

Yan remembered being envious of Amy. Kris looked at her like she was the only woman in the world. His love for her was evident in every glance, every smile. She had never thought about relationships much. She dated, had a couple of short-lived boyfriends, but she never figured a relationship into her final equation. 

For a moment, seeing them, she almost regretted that choice. What must it be like to feel that deeply about someone? But it was a fleeting moment. Yan always knew what she wanted, and a complicated relationship would get in the way of her dreams. She always kept it casual, making sure the person was aware that she wouldn't be locked down. 

Now she was expected to do it just to be able to continue toward that dream. 

She wouldn't be forced, and she refused to be part of a game of thrones. Yan had to find a way to stop this marriage. Her mind was made, and it wouldn’t be changed.

When her two weeks was up, Yan had a solid resolve. She would make it clear that she valued a friendship with Yixing, but marriage was out of the question. He would likely be the easier to convince than her parents. 

But a line had to be drawn somewhere. The problem now was what it would take to get her parents to let this go. Getting married had to be the last resort.

It was time to see Yixing.

Not a word from him for almost the entire two weeks. The last morning, she received a text asking her to meet him at his office in the Ganghan building, at her convenience.

Talking to the man your parents were trying to marry you off to would never really be convenient, but she took the afternoon off and trudge's the few blocks to his office. She needed the walk since the past 14 days had been busy. With her family out of her way, she was able to accomplish loads more work. There were no calls, "Yan, what are you doing? You can’t low ball the seller like that… you are going to insult… you don’t know how to negotiate properly… you don’t know the true value of a property…" 

Soon followed by, " well that was just a lucky guess… who knew there were complications that could drive down the price… the seller knew we would catch those… I can’t believe they actually negotiated with you…" 

Yan's family always underestimated her. Would it be that hard to acknowledge she had skills? 

Yeah, because then they would have to admit she was better than them.

And that was an astronomical impossibility. There was no way she studied the tips and hard in school, busted her ass in Uni, worked twice as many hours as Xiang or Shen and actually knew the in's and out's of real estate. She knew a good property when she saw one, could find quality work for a good price, and create an investment property that was successful.

No, her worth lay in her ring finger.

She confirmed her arrival with the assistant on the first level and rode the elevator more than two times as many floors as her building to get to Yixing's office. 

He stood outside in the hall way, another man and woman huddled around him.

Yan's breath caught in her throat. Yixing looked like something out of a dream. His hair was styled back, and he was dressed in a navy business suit. His tie was held down with a silver clip. 

He had the air of a business man. If she hadn't seen him in board shorts on a sandy beach with the sun in his windblown hair, she would have believed he was a business man.

Something the woman said brought a smile to his face and Yan stopped in her place. Yixing genuinely like this woman. He looked at her like he looked at his friends at the beach. She was more than an acquaintance, she meant something to him. Yan didn’t think it was a romantic feeling, but she was still forced to clear the jealously from her throat. 

When Yixing saw her, his eyes lit up. Yan fixed a professional smile on her face and step forward and his he motioned for her to come closer.

"Miss Lin, I'm so glad your here." Yixing's smile was infectious, " This is one of my best friends, Do Kyungsoo and his wife Lee Jae-Eun. They own this building. This is Lin Yan." 

The couple Minseok had spoken of.

The woman, Jae-Eun, reached for her hand clasping it warmly.

"It’s wonderful to actually meet you. Yixing has spoken very highly of you." 

"Thank you."

The man bowed slightly, "Hyung says you are in real-estate."

" Yes, luxury resorts." She replied.

He smiled with ridiculously plump lips and extended his hand, "Hotels and malls, been thinking about resorts."

Yan shook it, "Then I would have to tell you how horrible the work is. No point in us being competitors."

The large eyes turned into half-moons as he smiles larger, a deep chuckle emanating from the man’s throat. “She’s clever, Hyung.” 

Yan turned back to Jae-Eun, "Are all of Yixing’s friends as attractive as the two of you? Minseok and Jongdae, are stupidly attractive as well." 

Why are you schmoozing his friends? I mean it's not a lie, though. 

Jae-Eun leaned into her whispering, "Every single one of them, just wait till you see all nine of them together."

Yan laughed, then noticed the smile on Yixing lips. He seemed pleased she was getting along with his friends. Her nerves rolled into a ball in her stomach. She was about to steal that happiness from him.

The fact bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

Yixing excused themselves to his office. It was an impressive size, tidy and well lit. Yan liked it. The more of Yixing she saw, the more she found she had in common with him. That made things even more complicated.

Yixing sat at a little meeting area in front of his desk and motioned for her to sit.

“You actually have and office. What does a perpetual vacationer need with an office?”

The corner of his lips turned up. “I may vacation frequently, but that’s not why I was there that day. I was scouting your resort. Ganghan has been considering a line of resorts for some time now. I was doing research on some of the most popular resorts in the area for Kyungsoo. But hey, it’s a free vacation, how could I not bring my friends?”

Point made.    

“I may be the youngest son of a rich family, but I do have some aspirations.” He teased, “so, you’ve decided against the marriage.”

Yan’s eyes narrowed. “How did you come to that conclusion.”

Yixing laughed. “Come on Yan, you were pretty against marriage in general. I can’t imagine you changed your mind just because it’s me. So that means we need to figure out a way to get out of this and stop your parents from marrying you off.”

“I don’t know how this will work. It’s tradition in my family to marry the woman off for financial or political favor. It’s archaic, but it’s how they operate. I don’t know how to get out of it.” She sighed.

“Well we could make me look bad, but you parents would just move on to another man. They obviously know you are successful enough on your own and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Ruining your reputation would only hurt your business and you and being horrible to the candidates won’t make much of a difference, eventually someone won’t care about your personality and just see the alliance or benefit of the marriage. Have you come up with any ideas?”

“Yes, I flee the country, continent even. Do you think Elon Musk has space on that ship to Mars?” Yan laughed in a sad attempt to mask her hopelessness.

Yixing chuckled. They seemed to have an easy comradery. She felt that even on the first day. And even with this looming over them, they could joke and laugh with each other. Still, she couldn’t marry a man she had only met three times.

Before he could answer, a little pop-diddy chimed from his cell phone.

“That would be your mom…” he pulled the phone from his pocket and answered. “Mama Lin, how are you today. Why… yes, I have. We had coffee earlier, She’s with me now. Talk to her?”

His eyes met Yan’s as she shook her head profusely.

“Now you know the deal. I have one more day before you get her back. I don’t want to go back on my word here. That wouldn’t fair well for me.”

How long had this been going on? He’d been talking to mom?

“Now as much as I would love to keep talking, I’m afraid I really have to get back to my date… Good to hear from you… Goodbye Mama Lin.”

Yixing hung up, shoving the phone back into his pocket and turning his attention back to her. His smile faded at the look on her face. “What?”

“You’ve been talking to my mom?”

Yixing stood, “How do you think I kept her from calling you? She called me, almost daily, and I gave her little stories about our dates and time together. This way she wouldn’t get it in her head to harass you during the last two weeks.”

He stepped behind his desk, pulling a stack of papers from a drawer.

“I asked Kyungsoo’s secretary to make copies of the conversations so that you know what was said.” He came back to her, handing her the stack of papers. “Just in case your mom cross examines you.  

Yan glanced through the sheets as he spoke. Yixing had been thorough. There were lunches, dinners, movies, picnics, phone calls late at night. Each conversation had pages of notes attached, what they ate, his opinion, her opinion, what movie was seen, the synopsis, their opinions. There wasn’t a detail missing. This had taken time. A lot of it. While she was enjoying the time alone, he was formulating, making fake plans, making real plans for when she would eventually tell him she turned down his proposal.

Her heart ached. He’d done all of this for her. Hours of preparation to fool her parents and allow her to have some peace. Yixing did this knowing she wouldn’t marry him.

“Okay,” the word barely came out. It was the smallest of whispers, only to herself.

She had come here to turn him down, but seeing this, knowing that he would go through all of this to help her. It was kind of convincing. This man could just possibly be her only hope.

“Okay,” she said louder, before she could stop herself.

Yixing went silent, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

“Okay, what?”

Yan focused on his face, that kind face, and came to one conclusion.

“I’ll marry you.”

Yixing’s eyes grew ten sizes larger. “You will? Are you sure?”

Absolutely not.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

He watched her, looking for any sign. Was it a joke, was she in shock?

“I’m scared,” she admitted, “but, I’m sure. If you still think it’s a good idea?”

He nodded, “I do.”

“Then I’ll marry you.”      

[oh-beyond]

The Postman AU - Part 8

Your parents tried to have children for years… They were desperate to conceive a child, almost gave up on the idea, until finally your mother got pregnant with you.

Fragile child, born underweight and prematurely. You were the light of their eyes. Now you were a teenager and still treated you as if you were going to get broken. Homeschooled and trapped in your house. You didn’t need anything from the outside world.

Nothing. Until you saw the postman one day.

Postman AU/Angst/Fluff/Smut

Lay x reader

Masterlist

< Part 7 - Part 9 >

“It was selfish of me. It is my fault. How did I ever think that this could work? It’s not fair on you son.”

“It is! I love her! I didn-”

“Goodbye Yixing. You may keep your job in the post. I will make them re-hire you”

“But I can’t just leave. I can’t leave, I don’t want anything, just don’t take her away from me.”

“This... what happened. She isn’t like any girl you might of known before.” Whispered your father defeated.

“I never knew any other girl.” That caught your father’s attention. “Yes! At my age. Please blame my inexperience, I didn’t mean t-”

“You do realise how uncomfortable this conversation is, do you?” Queried your father not expecting an aster from Yixing.

“Are you still here? What are you doing here? Yeobo, kick him out before I murder him right here.” Threatened your mother.

“Samo-nim, if you please just le-” but Yixing was interrupted with the biggest slap he’s ever had the bad luck to receive. The impact was so big that he almost fell.

You father held your mother’s hands and motioned to Yixing to go for now. Yixing bowed feeling his tears on his hot cheek that stung in so many levels. Physically and emotionally he was ruined.

His legs didn’t really carry him well. What was this heavy feeling in his chest? Was this really it? The end?

With difficulty he went down the stairs, he noticed how his hand shook as he turned the main door’s doorknob to leave. He saw Junmyeon leaning on the car while he talked on the phone. When Junmyeon saw him he placed his phone on his pocket and ran towards Yixing.

“Hey! Hey hey! Yixing? What’s wrong with you? You look almost paler than me, apart from that nasty cheek!” Junmyeon tried joking the situation out. “Are you alright?” He asked hooking his arm with Yixing’s.

“Jun- Jun- she...”

“Let’s go home. You are coming with me Xing.”

On their way back Yixing tried to suppress his tears but he couldn’t. As tears went down drawing lines on his burning cheek it reminded him of the reason. He wished to rewind... the ability of rewinding just 24 hours back. None of this would of happened now aware a 100% of the situation.

“Yixing it’s OK.” Affirmed Junmyeon.

“It’s not OK, I almost killed her because I am apparently a pig that cannot control himself, also her parents hate me and they now what happened, also the engagement if broken off. Junmyeon- I- I want to die.” Yixing’s voice was breaking.

“Alright Yixing, so she didn’t die, you are not a pig, and I know they cannot just break it off, both of you are adult-”

“She is 17!”

“She will be 18 in what? 3 months?”

“Eight!” Exclaimed Yixing.

“Well damn! I didn’t know, but like OK still. You are worrying too much, you should focus in your exams.”

“I will not continue, Moon Changwook just told me I could keep my job at the post office.”

“I will pay your tuition, you are not quitting! Not now that you finally are doing what you li-”

“Junmyeon I am not. I will go back to my mother. I just hope ___ can forgive me one day.”

“Bullshit Zhang Yixing. You cannot just leave. Is that how you love ___?”

Yixing burst into tears, he was weeping at this stage, so much so that Junmyeon was worried, he questioned whether to stop the car and give Yixing a hug.

“Yah! Yixing! What the fuck man!? Since when are you this weak?”

“I lost her Junmyeon. I lost her because I-”

“Nonsense! Let’s just calm down for now and think of how to fix this.”

*****

Nothing was done other than re-reading your text conversations you had... He read and reread them day and night. Junmyeon tried to get Yixing out of bed but it was impossible. In the end and after 2 days Junmyeon gave up and thought that it would be better if Yixing got out of it alone and whenever he was ready.

This time Yixing didn’t even have the will to visit your dad like last time. He knew that he was no longer welcomed. He wanted to keep a good image at least with your dad that seemed to be more understanding than you mother when it came to you.

But he was going insane, when his eyes closed and when his eyes opened your image accompanied him everywhere he went and in everything he did. He was done waiting, he couldn’t anymore, at least he needed to make sure you were alright. What if you were really sick? What if what happened between you was actually the new reason for a new sickness? He was thinking incoherently, as if he never studied medicine himself.

But what if... what if you were dying because you had sex with him?

*****

“What do you mean doctor?” Asked your father puzzled.

“What you heard, she is doing better. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with her apart from being weak, and that, she’s been her whole life, so nothing new, but her hormones... everything is better. It was about time that she started to live a normal life, and... that boy is actually good for her.” Replied the doctor with a smile looking at your parents in the eye.

“So you are telling me that all them bruises and scratches that animal did on my daughter’s sensitive skin, and the stage she came back in was beneficial?” You mother inquired through her teeth breathing loudly.

“No. Certainly I didn’t mean that, but... being sexually active is not bad for her, she might seem young, but it’s normal and it definitely improved other things. I guess the boy was inexperienced that is ju-”

“Enough doctor,” interrupted your father “we got the message. Thanks for coming.”

It was true, everything was better, even your hormonal issues went to almost normal, it was just that fever that accompanied you always but nothing to do with Yixing.

It was very disturbing for your mother, she just didn’t want to hear that anything good came from Yixing, she thought she had gotten rid of him, but it seemed that sooner rather than later there will be another encounter.

The doctor left and your parents sat next to you, in silence, avoiding looking at each other, just looking at your innocent face that slept soundly.

“You know we have to do something about this Marie.” Said your father calmly looking at you.

“I hate him.”

“That is not coherent, you hate him, but ___ doesn’t. He’s done nothing wrong.” Your father made eye contact with your mother this time.

“The bruises that decorated your daughter’s skin says otherwise.”

“Marie please! I am trying to conduct a conversation here.” Your father’s voice raised making you open your eyes slightly.

“Appa.”

“Yes baby.”

“I want to see Yixing please. Please he must be so worried, I know he can’t handle being away from me. Why are you doing this to us? Appa, please.” You cried and gathered some strength to actually sit up.

Your mother was heart broken watching you beg your dad and not her, she felt that she was the reason of your misery.

“___ baby, it’s not that easy, he... he didn’t... he promised-”

“Please, I am sorry I am responsible for what happened, he didn’t want to.” You pleaded.

Your mother scoffed and stood up. “Yeah he couldn’t control himself, animal! He is just a filthy animal.” When the words left your mother’s mouth she almost regretted it immediately, but she was too stubborn to recognise it.

You started crying bringing your knees to your chest. “I just want to see him, please, I need him to know I am alright.” You voice sounded muffled as your face buried between your knees.

“Try to relax now. We will see what we can do.”

“Promise appa?” 

“I promise honey, you are the most important thing in the world to me.”

Your dad kissed your forehead before tugging you again, the smile you gave as you closed your eyes, he somehow hoped your mother would see it. See how Yixing was the source of happiness they would never be able to provide to you, no money and no parental protection would ever replace Zhang Yixing.

*****

“It’s been a week, and all you’ve done is clean my apartment that doesn’t need cleaning.” Thundered Junmyeon watching Yixing as he ironed his shirts. “And that too, why are you ironing my shirts? I don’t want you to do that Yixing!”

“I want to feel useful, but you are right, I guess I should go back to my place.” Murmured Yixing looking down unplugging the iron.

“NO! Man you are not leaving until I see you are better. I want you to go back to your lectures.”

“We’ve talked about this, I will not do it. If I was studying before it was for ___.”

“And being a nobody is going to make ___ happy?” That came out way too harshly, Junmyeon didn’t mean it in that way and he realised late.

“All professions are something Kim Junmyeon.”

“Yixing wait! Wait man I didn’t mean it like that. Of course they are, and you know how much I love Baekhyun, he is cut for what he is, but you... you are a doctor. You were born to be one.” Junmyeon held Yixing’s shoulders as he tried reasoning with him.

“No I am not.” Cautioned Yixing removing his friend’s hands off his shoulders. “I have been a pain and I think I should go back home, I am doing better trust me.”

“Alright then, you are doing better so let’s celebrate.” Suggested Junmyeon.

“Sure Junmyeon.” Voiced Yixing as he moved to collect his belongings.

“No, I am serious, you know Luhan is in town again, he is staying at Minseok’s, and so let’s go for a couple of drinks. I’ll tell Baekhyun. Chanyeol will come I am sure Jongdae will join, it’s been long since we last met them. It will be great.”

“Not my thing Myeon-ah.”

“You are doing what I am ordering you to do because you owe me that much. Understood?” Junmyeon spoke knitting his eyebrows.

Yixing had no other option but to accept defeated.

Junmyeon insisted in dressing Yixing again, his suit pants ran a bit short but it was fashionable these days to show your ankles. 

“I love you Yixing, you were born to look this luxurious.” Joked Junmyeon dusting Yixing’s shoulders smiling dumbly.

“Alright, thanks, let’s get this thing over with.”

“If you don’t make an effort to look like you are doing better and convince me then you will have to spend the rest of your life with me until you are alright again my friend.” Threatened Junmyeon making Yixing shake his head in discontent. “Don’t you want to spend some time with your friends? Don’t you miss us hanging out like we used to?”

“I do miss the guys, but we have grown up and your ways are not my ways, we are not children anymore and your interests are not mine.”

“Have some fun Yixing, live a little.”

“All I want is ___, you think I didn’t live because I never got drunk or slept with a 100 girls. Well I say you didn't live because you’ve never fallen in love Junmyeon.” Yixing surprised himself when his voice came out a little higher than intended.

“Checkmate Dr. Zhang, you are absolutely right, but for me.” Junmyeon embraced Yixing into a caring hug, “for me just try to enjoy yourself with us today, then we will sit down and try to figure out how to fix this, now that you actually decided to get out of the house. It’s a good start.”

Yixing corresponded the hug smiling. “Thanks Junmyeon, now let’s go have some fun.”

Junmyeon collected Baekhyun and Chnayeol on their way to the club where they were to meet Luhan, Minseok and Jongdae. 

The guys were happy to see Yixing all dressed and looking forward to forget about his life issues momentarily, Baekhyun kept telling him how the place they were heading could make any man forget about anything and everything.

And he wasn’t lying, it was like entering hell itself, the way the bouncers made way for Junmyeon without having to wait in the queue and the way the crowd almost stopped doing anything they were doing watching the 4 elegant men make their way through the purple dim lit posh place made Yixing think how naive and ignorant he’s been all this time, places like this existed? 

“Relax man.” Joked Chanyeol patting Yixing’s back making him walk a bit faster as his eyes couldn’t take the view all in one go.

The high ceilings and the crystal chandeliers, the decorations that looked as if almost everything was made out of glass, even the bar and the Champagne fountain. Making calculations of the money that was spent in building such a place or the jewellery that adorned the women’s necks and fingers. That is the way Yixing was looking at everything and everyone.

“Yixing you look like we have just kidnapped you from a school, relax your shoulders.” Baekhyun jested loving that his most righteous friend had finally decided on a fun night out.

“Oh there they are!” Announced Junmyeon finally spotting Minseok and Chen in the VIP booth that looked at if it suspended in the air, it’s flooring made out of glass too.

“But how- how is that... the booth it’s...” Yixing asked confused pointing with his finger at were Minseok and Jongdae stood leaning of the rail.

“It’s hanging Yixing, look see?” Junmyeon explained. “Come on, the view from up there is even better.”

Yixing followed his friends finally greeting Minseok and Jongdae who were delighted to see him after so long.

“Fucker how are you this good looking still?”

“Minseok hyung you look good too.” Replied Yixing shyly.

“But where is Luh-” Junmyeon cut himself when he looked further inside the booth, Luhan wasn’t waisting his time.

“He said he’s been working a lot lately and Korean girls are his favourite.” Replied Jongdae cheekily explaining why Luhan was being straddled by an impressive looking girl on the long couch.

“Hey Luhan! Yixing is here man!”

Luhan pulled away from that kiss that looked endless rubbing his swollen lips smiling at the guys, he asked the girl to move and he came to greet Yixing that he missed the most.

They spoke in Mandarin as the guys eyed the girl than sat in the white velvet couch waiting for her manly man to come back.

“Yah Lu, your whole face is covered in lipstick.”

“Damn it! I told her not to- but... Anyways Yixing so how is that I see you in a place like this?” Teased Luhan.

“I don’t even know myself, I guess I missed you too much that I made some sacrifices.” Exclaimed Yixing.

“We shall make this night unforgettable.”

It was a mistake for sure, soon the guys found company and even Junmyeon got distracted getting lucky with 2 ladies at the same time, he couldn’t form words as his crotch was being touched by a girl while the other kissed his neck. Yixing just wanted to go home but the choice and assortment of colourful bottles that looked like they could wipe any problem were too inviting not to try out.

He clicked his fingers and the bartender that also was a very attractive female leaned over smiling. “Yes? What can I get you?”

“I have no clue what you can get me, but surprise me with something heavy and not too bitter.”

“Not a drinker I take it, but want to forget.” She winked.

“Precisely, I don’t know what you are going to give me but please make it strong and straight to the point were I could pass out, that way we will go home earlier and maybe sleep tonight.”

The girl nodded mixing an series of liquids. “Pity, you look like you could have some fun without this stuff.” She chanted shaking the cocktail shaker.

“Not interested in anything that is not forgetting, please just-”

“Here it is.” She poured a blue substance into a glass with ice.

It burned as it went down his throat, tears forming while remembering everything that had happened between you two, almost feeling your skin under his fingertips. The same skin he would never be able to touch anymore.

“Another one.” He demanded.

“It’s quite heavy, I made it so you have one of those and you are served for the night.”

“Another one!” He cried slamming his hand on the bar.

She didn’t argue and by his third one he was just repeating your name, thinking to himself how good would it be to see you about... right now.

“Whoah there buddy? Where are you going?” Asked Baekhyun straightening Yixing.

“Pee, I need to pee or I’ll do it right here.” Yixing sounded funny, like he’s never heard him before.

“No no man you go, but need help?”

“With what? Getting my ding dong out and-”

“OK hyung! Never mind, geez...” Retorted Baekhyun.

Yixing walked with difficulty and Junmyeon noticed that Yixing was definitely drunk already, Baekhyun motioned with his hand that he was just heading to the toilet so Junmyeon relaxed in his seat letting the ladies continue their treatment on his needy muscles.

As soon as Yixing was downstairs he headed to the door and without much effort he found a VIP taxi ready to take him wherever he asked.

It took what it seemed like 2 seconds.

“Sir! Sir we have arrived, if this is the house you indicated.”

Yixing raised himself and finally smiled when he recognised the fence that surrounded your house, he smiled like dumbly and without thinking he opened the door of the taxi.

“Sir! Wait! I can drive you inside.”

Yixing sat back in his seat while the driver pressed the intercom button to be let inside.

“Sir are you sure there are people in the house?”

Yixing panicked, what if you had moved? A rush of soberness took over him.

“Try again! They are home!”

But nothing...

Yixing got desperate and went out of the car, he held onto the fence crying like a baby.

“Sir? Would you like me to take you somewhere else?”

Yixing noticed a light turning on the kitchen where you used to meet.

“There are here!” He shouted.

“Who is this?” Yixing recognised Hyunsung ajeossi’s voice through the intercom.

“Ajeossi! It’s me! It’s me Yixing!”

He opened the gate without hesitation, even though all the house workers knew that he was no longer part of your future, nonetheless they all loved him. Hyunsung noticed Yixing’s drunken voice and the urge to help him took over his actions.

When the gates opened Yixing tried running inside but he tripped on his own feet meeting the ground.

“Sir! Are you alright?” The diver asked alarmed when he saw blood on Yixing’s mouth as he turned over.

“I am, I just bit myself.” Laughed Yixing as if nothing.

The taxi driver helped him on his feet sitting him back in the vehicle. Yixing had started a nervous crying, he was excited but he knew that this would only bring him more trouble, now looking the way he looked, blood covering his mouth and jaw, drunk like a skunk... he didn’t care, he just wanted to see you at all costs.

Hyunsung was standing waiting for the taxi to come his way, he was trying to motion with his hands to drive slower, fearing to wake your parents.

Yixing opened the door of the car while still moving, the taxi driver was loosing his patience.

“Yixing son! What are you doing here?”

“I just want to see her, one last time, please!” He drunkly affirmed walking towards the door, but Hyunsung stopped him.

“Can I get paid and leave?” Asked the taxi driver pissed.

Hyunsung fished Yixing’s wallet from his back pocket while he tried to steady him. “How much do we owe you?”

“₩20,000.”

“Wow, quite pricey!”

“Well... I need to clean the mess your buddy here has done, besides this is a VIP taxi.”

“Sure... well you will have to wait here because we don’t have enough. Come on Yixing son, stay quiet in the kitchen while I get the money.” Advised Hyunsung throwing Yixing’s arm around his neck walking inside.

Once inside he sat him down shushing him before he went to get the taxi fare, Yixng leaned on the table, he was still sobbing and of course the rest of the house would hear him any moment.

“Yixing son please, stop! Sajang-nim is here and if he hears you... I’ll go pay the taxi now please stay quiet.”

Hyunsung paid the taxi driver and came back.

“Come let me see your injuries” He said lifting Yixing’s face. “Nothing major I see you might of bitten your lip a bit harshly. I will clean you and offer you a glass of water and then you should call your friends to collect you. I can do nothing more.”

“___! I want to see ___!”

“Yixing!” Whisper-shouted Hyunsung. “This so unlike so you Yixing, don’t make me regret opening the door for you, I will get in big trouble.”

At that very moment they heard the door of the kitchen opening and your dad tying up his robe, his facial expression unreadable.

“What is all this?”

“Sajang-nim, I am sorry, I just had to see what the matter was with Yixing.”

“It’s almost 1 AM.” Said your father not very happy. 

Yixing stood up and went on his knees, he kneeled to the floor grabbing your dad’s feet crying desperately. “Please, just let me see her, I will leave after, I will leave forever, but I need to see her.”

Your father bent down patting on Yixing’s shoulder. “Stand Up!” He demanded firmly cutting Yixing’s sobs making him raise his head meeting your father’s eyes. “Don’t you ever act this weak ever again! You hear me Zhang Yixing?!”

Yixing nodded his eyes doubling in size, he knew he’d gone too far and then his tears started flowing again sounding like a desperate little girl crouching on the floor.

“Hyunsung thanks, you may go back to bed I will take it from here.”

Once alone, your father patted on Yixing’s back. “Now stop it!”

“And so you will let me see her? Please, please I will do anything.”

“You are drunk and you are hurt somewhere, I really don’t know how you thought doing something like this would make me let you see ___.”

As your father kept speaking Yixing stomach flipped and your father saw it coming, he pulled Yixing just in time guiding him to the small toilet, Yixing vomited inside the toilet bowl as your father held his head still until he was done. 

“What have you drank there son? You are one of those people that drink till they get to this stage? What else I didn't see? It’s like you are this person I don’t know and trusted and...” 

Yixng leaned on the basin looking down, he’s somehow sobered, even though he was still dizzy and didn’t know how he got there. If he had a chance before, he’s blowed all his chances now. He saw your father’s hand opening the tap bringing his head down and forcing it under the ice cold water to run on his head.

“Wash and call Junmyeon to collect you. I’ll go make you some coffee.”

Yixing washed his face trying not to cry, he willed himself to swallow his tears but as his knees shook and his mind started coming back to him he felt worst than before drinking. Here he was, at your home, creating a scene, vomiting and definitely the in the worst shape he’s ever been exposed in front of your father. What else could go wrong?

He washed his face and dried his hair with the towel realising there was a female voice talking to your father, of course it was his worst nightmare your mother. He fixed his har and tried to clean the blood stains from his shirt, he opened the door walking outside realising he couldn’t walk properly. He cleared his throat and made his way to were they were standing next to the coffee machine. 

“Oh look there he is, the filthy rat that that dares coming here looking like the beggar he is, drunk and creating a scene. How dare you coming here in the middle of the night-”

“Marie! Enough.” He shut her and proceeded in offering a cup to Yixing. “Here son, drink it all it’s a double shot of espresso, it should help.”

Yixing nodded taking the cup and drinking it in one go, he set it in the table never making eye contact with any of them.

“Right so what are you waiting for? We have been way to nice to you. Now fucking call someone to collect you! No! Where is Hyunsung? Let him drop him out of here!” Your mother’s tone getting louder.

Yixing took his phone out and searched for Junmyeon’s phone number, he just needed to press but he sighed and looked up meeting your parents gazes, your father’s gentle and worried completely the opposite to your mother’s. He chew on the inside of his cheek trying to speak but deciding against it, the alcohol still very present in his system. He swallowed and looked at his phone again not wanting to call Junmyeon. Not just yet.

“What are you fucking waiting for? Give me that phone!”

“Marie please, let him speak.” You father turned to Yixing again. “Son you want to say something?”

“I- I- sajang-nim... while I am here... maybe...”

Your mother walked towards Yixing and poked on his chest with her pointer finger. “You-are-never-going-to-see-her-again!” She was walking making him walk backwards. “UNDERSTOOD?”

With that last comment Yixing tripped over falling backwards banging his head on the hard flooring of the kitchen.

“Marie! Marie move away! What are you doing?” Shouted your father going on his knees. “Yixing! Yixing?” Called your father desperately shaking Yixing’s shoulders.

“Did he die? Why isn’t he responding?” Asked your mother coldly.

“Hyunsung! Hyunsung!” Exclaimed your father as he patted on Yixing’s cheeks gently to make him regain consciousness.

“Yes sajang-nim!”

“Pick him up and take him to the guest’s room upstairs!”

“What? No! Call his fried and ask him for his address so Hyunsung can dump him there” Suggested your mother.

“If you don’t shut up Marie you will be the one leaving this house.” Concluded your father following Hyunsung that carried Yixing upstairs.

She was left speechless, she scoffed and looked at the ceiling not believing what she heard, her beloved Changwook, speaking to her the way he did in front of the driver... She leaned on the kitchen counter thinking she was loosing territory, that this will definitely play against her cause. She looked at the floor and noticed a small stain of blood knowing exactly that it must of been from Yixing’s head. She swallowed thickly and suddenly she felt this feeling she never thought she would.

Worry.

Genuine worry for the boy that was causing her nightmares... But also the reason of your ultimate happiness.

Your happiness.

Your happiness that she had just caused him an injury in his head.

She ran outside the kitchen and went straight to the visitor’s room upstairs hearing your father giving commands to Hyunsung. She held her breath sinking her nails on the wall behind her. She took a deep breath before peeking inside the room watching your father carefully undress Yixing.

“I- I think his head...” she whispered opening the door.

Your father turned to see your mother standing at the door. “His head?”

“There was blood in the floor.”

Your father checked and indeed saw a small cut. “Oh my god! Call the doctor Marie don’t just stand there!”

You woke up when you heard a car pulling over in the driveway of your house, the reflexion of the headlights on the ceiling of your room. You were cold, cold and your heart stung more than usual.

“Thanks doctor for coming.” You heard your father say.

Your doctor was there? But why? You haven’t complained about anything unusual to have him coming this late at night, and your parents weren’t even near you.

You shoved the duvet aside and tiptoed your way to your door peeking outside, the corridor of your house was very long but you recognised your mother standing outside the visitor’s room, she looked uneasy, not in her usual self, not for something not related to your health.

A couple of minutes later your father and your doctor appeared, your father looking angry and not wanting to look at your other. What was happening?

Your father proceeded in guiding the doctor to his office and your mother followed them quietly. When they closed the door you found the opportunity to sneak in that room. You put your robe on and tiptoed your way to see that mysterious visitor.

Could it be? But why would he...

You pushed the door open and you saw Yixing lying down in the bed covered with a thin sheet, his cheeks rosey and you just couldn’t believe what he was doing there and why he looked the way he looked.

You heard the door of your father’s office opening and as an instinct you entered the visitor’s room and locked it behind you leaning on the door, your breath getting laboured not knowing what to do.

You heard footsteps and the doorknob of the room moving trying to enter.

“It’s locked!” Exclaimed your father form outside.

“How? I didn’t lock it!” Said your mother.

“___? Are you there?” 

“What happened to him?” You inquired from behind the door.

“Open the door honey.”

“No! Tell me why is he here looking like this?”

“He is alright he just fell and fainted.” Affirmed your father still trying to open the door.

“I will take care of him leave us alone.” You plainly stated.

“___! Open the door!” Your mother’s firm voice.

“NO!”

“Leave her Marie, leave them alone.” 

When you heard your father’s gentle voice suggesting to leave you alone you gained more courage and ignored them. You turned to Yixing untying your robe and without thinking it twice you got under the covers with Yixing. You cupped his face and kissed his cheeks looking at him and caressing his forehead before resting your head on his chest, forcing his lifeless arm to wrap around you.

“What have they done to you? Tell me what happened? Oppa tell me! Open your eyes!” You pleaded burying your face on his chest, your hand caressing his bare chest. “I missed you you know? Like I think really nothing is worth it if you aren’t near me. Don’t leave me, let’s escape, let’s go to China, I would love to meet your mom, I will make you happy I promise!”

Your parents heard you and they knew that it was going to be stupid trying to separate you from him.

You looked up again and now you kissed his lips slowly running your fingers through his hair, you then noticed a dressing on his head worrying you more. “Yixing oppa, I will get mad if you don’t open your eyes again. Please tell me you are alright.”

You then felt his arms wrapping around your waist, a smile drawing on his face. “Aren’t you supposed to keep kissing me until I open my eyes m’lady?”

“Oppa~~~ oppa!”

“Kiss here.” He pointed with his index finger at his lips.

You smiled and lowered yourself brushing your lips against his, your eyes wide open.

“Your kiss is so bad, I guess I will faint again until you kiss me properly.” He teased speaking in your mouth.

“Oppa!”

Yixing flipped you over forcing your mouth open, he tasted funny but you let him lead you. “I missed you my beautiful butterfly.”

His hand already at your centre making you gasp, his hard erection poking your thigh. How did all this escalate so quick? Wasn’t he just unconscious? He was acting weird, he wasn’t himself...

“Oppa?”

“What? Don’t you miss me?”

“I do but, you smell funny, and your mouth...” You tried straightening yourself but he pulled you back down now him straddling you looking at your innocent expectant expression. “Oppa?”

“___, I am drunk, I am sorry.” He sat back on the bed covering his face with his hands.

“It doesn’t matter, you are here with me, and my parents know, and I am going to spend the night with you on this bed, let’s cuddle till you sober up.” 

You pulled his arm and placed your head back on his chest kissing his soft skin. He kissed the crown of your head and fell heavily asleep in less than 2 minutes.

*****

Yixing opened his eyes and found you cuddled up on his chest, your legs curled up with his and the biggest headache he’s ever had the bad luck to experience present.

*Knock on the door*

__________________________

A/N: Long overdue, drama far from over.

Thanks for reading, feedback always welcomed ^_^

[niawritess]

Once Again | BBH

Theme; Fluff, Angst, single-parent, arrange marriage |

Member; Byun Baekhyun.

Synopsis; Played by the fate, and losing their loved ones, Lee Gayoung and Byun Baekhyun are given yet another chance to tie knots but are their hearts ready to be solace of each other, once again?

Hello, after a long time.

So, this is the story I have completed not a long ago on my other sites where I post my stories as wattpad and Asianfanfics and since I can't post here so I'm laying out the links for you to read it if you're interested in reading this story.

Love, Nia💕

Twitter; Niawritess

Instagram; Niawritess

[dragonowl]

Our Memories Carved into the Season

The Sky that Doesn’t End Series

Genre: EXO AU, High School

Rating: PG

Pairing: Chanyeol x Myeong-suk (OC)

Summary:  In which a new girl comes to school. A new girl determined to be alone. That’s no problem for a happy virus though. Chanyeol has suddenly found a desire to make a deep connection with someone outside of his brothers, regardless of the trials presented.

First, Prev, AO3

Chapter 15: Epilogue

Content warnings: blood, assault, kidnapping

“Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

“I’m good,” Luhan said, adjusting the phone against his ear as he unlocked the front gate. “I’m just going to grab a few things to keep me tied over for the next couple of nights.” 

“Geee…” Sehun whined on the other end.

“I can bring stuff over slowly,” Luhan said with a chuckle. “I have this place for a few more weeks, so there’s no rush. You just finish that assignment and you can help me next time.”

There was a huff of air over the speaker followed by a garbled “Fine.”

Luhan laughed at the maknae’s pouting and inserted his key into the front door. “I’ll see you in a bit.” 

“See you.”

Luhan hung up and slipped the cell into his pocket before turning the key and pushing into the house. He slipped off his shoes, taking in a deep breath. 

Now that he had found his brothers, the loneliness and empty space would get to him quickly. So he squared his shoulders, determined to make fast work of his task and return back to them as soon as possible. 

Pain shot through his foot as it came into contact with the bedroom floor and he pulled it up quickly to get a look at it. Blood was soaking his sock around where a piece of glass had embedded itself in his sole, and his brows scrunched in confusion. His eyes sought out the source and found glass covering his floor. The picture frame holding the old photo of him and Feilong had been shattered, the glass spreading in every direction. 

“How…?”

Footsteps echoed in the direction he had come from and he spun on his heels as anxiety flared up in him. 

“Welcome home,” Irene said with a smirk as she came into view. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Irene? What…?” Luhan stopped when her eyes flashed red and memories from the fight came back along with a very familiar presence that had been blocked. He stepped away, hissing in pain as another piece of glass found his foot. “You’re...you’re with the Red Force,” he forced out, trying with everything to reach for the others. “You’ve been playing with us.” Nothing. His powers weren’t even a whisper anymore. He stopped as realization hit him, then took a step forward as anger hit him. “What did you do with Feilong?”

She laughed and smiled, raising her brows. “Did you miss him?” She took a step forward. “He’s been close this whole time. Why don’t you say hello?”

Before he could respond, strong arms were pulling his own back and lifting him off the floor. He tried to turn his head to see his restrainer, hoping her implications were false, but he could just make out Feilong’s familiar features in his peripheral. 

“Feilong,” he pleaded. “What are you—?”

Irene’s hand was wrapped around his throat in an instant, cutting him off. “Uh, uh, uh. None of that now,” she said. “Do you have any idea how much my plans have been messed up the past few days? But no more.” She pulled a bottle from her pocket with her free hand and broke off the top, a colorful gas immediately pouring out of it which she brought to his nose. He tried to jerk away, but the hand that was wrapped around his throat grabbed into the hair at the base of his neck, causing tears to prick at his eyes as his lungs filled with the sickening-sweet smell and red began to fill his vision. He could feel his brain slowing and his limbs loosening as the fight left him. For one last time, he tried to send out a warning to anyone he could, but all he could feel was emptiness. 

~~~

Chanyeol woke up with a start as Sehun nearly busted down the bedroom door.

“Hyung, have you heard from Luhan?” he asked frantically, and Chanyeol groaned, blinking up at the maknae. 

He checked his phone, his brain barely registering the very very early time. “No,” he said, his voice scratching. “Shouldn’t he be home by now?”

“That’s the problem,” Sehun said with a huff. “He went to get things from his house and never came back. No one had been able to get ahold of him and some of the others went to check his house.” More commotion came from the other room and Sehun disappeared from the door to check on it. 

Chanyeol rubbed at his face, then crawled out of the bed that he had only been sleeping in for a couple of hours. But it would be better to go find out what was going on now rather than being pulled out of bed later. He stumbled slightly to the door then into the living room where there was complete pandemonium. 

Suho stood in the middle instructing everyone who was running about and bringing things into the common area. Chen was seated at the table, busily typing away at his computer and saying random things to Suho. 

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol finally asked, noticing as several duffel bags and important items were appearing. 

Kai was the first to notice his presence and made his way over, his brows pinched in concern. 

“Luhan went missing,” he said. 

“What?”

“He went to gather some items from his house while you were on your date and never came back,” Kai explained further. “Some of us went to check on him and his door was open. His room was a wreck and there was glass and blood on the floor.”

“What does that mean? What happened?”

Suho came over and placed his hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “It was the Red Force. They found us. We’ll have to scatter tonight.”

To Be Continued

Our Memories Carved into the Season Masterlist

[marshmallow-phd]

Scarlet Moon

Genre: Scarlet Heart Ryeo!AU, Time Travel!AU, Alternate History, Royalty!AU

Pairing: OC x EXO OT9

Summary:  This isn’t Gwen’s time. She was from the modern era, with technology and electricity. But during a solar eclipse, she’s transported back into a previous life in a time and place she does not know. Now, as the foreign daughter of a merchant living in a prince’s household, she must tread carefully, watch her back, and guard her heart. But with the princes locked in a battle over the throne, the chances of her making it out alive might disappear.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3

                                        ********

The bright sun felt warm against Gwen’s skin. Chae Ryung half-heartedly chastised her about burning her face, but Gwen hardly gave a listen. It felt like it had been years since she’d simply stopped and took in the light. All she ever did was go to work, do her schoolwork, and watch dramas. She never really took much time for simply… being. After a minute or so, Chase Ryung convinced her to keep walking through the courtyard, but she still went slow, taking in everything.  

The other servants would stop in the middle of their work and glance at Gwen in a fashion they might have thought was sneaky, but was, in fact, fairly obvious. Some gave looks of concern, others, it felt like, of awe. Gwen ran her fingers through her hair, the red catching in the sunlight. She stuck out more here than she ever did back home and it made her stomach queasy. 

“So, Chae Ryung,” Gwen finally said, “what is it that I usually do during the day?”

“All day?” she echoed. She pursed her lips side to side as she thought. “Mostly you keep Lady Hae company. She’s a bit lonely as Prince Suho’s wife. You’re the closest to her station here.”

Suho. An interesting name for a prince. I remembered Papa inquiring after the pale but beautiful woman in ornate clothing. “And she’s sick?”

Chae Ryung nodded sorrowfully. After looking over her shoulder, she lowered her voice as she leaned in. “Some are worried that she doesn’t have much longer and the prince still doesn’t have an heir.”

“Is it that bad?” 

Chae Ryung nodded again. Gwen’s heart went out to the beautifully tragic woman. In the single moment she’d met the Lady of the household, Gwen could tell that she had a kind heart. The look of worry and concern was etched in her mind, not a single twitch giving away possible deception. Spending her days with Lady Hae didn’t seem like too terribly a time. Perhaps she could be another person to lean on, to help Gwen when she stumbled. Because she would certainly be stumbling every other step in this place. 

Gwen and Chae Ryung wandered around the grounds for hours, the latter filling Gwen in on what she couldn’t put together for herself. 

Apparently, this Gwen had had a tendency to be a bit rambunctious, taking liking to archery just as much as needlework. Often, she would be caught joining in the servant boys in whatever rough game they were playing that day. Not exactly a good look for the daughter of a wealthy merchant. It had to be a comical sight, the horrified looks this girl must have produced from the other women around the household as a child. But over the last few years, she’d calmed to be a bit more demure. Chae Ryung went into explaining the wide gray area Gwen was given as an outsider. Though this girl knew the rules of society, she was able to bend them ever so slightly. 

Excellent. 

Coming up on the path was a pond, round and expanding, the edges lined with tall grass and fresh flowers that gave off calming scents. A family of little ducks floated on top of the clear water. Fish in bright colors of oranges and yellows swam freely, their tails creating the slightest ripples on the surface. As they walked around the water, Chae Ryung described a beautiful gazebo that this Gwen apparently loved to hide away in when she wanted to be alone. Disappointingly, though, the gazebo was already occupied by the Prince and Lady Hae. 

Looking like a happy but conservative couple, they drank tea together and spoke softly. Prince Suho smiled at his wife as he brought the teacup to his lips, but as his eyes drifted over to the spot where Gwen stood, the smile changed. 

It deepened, almost. An uncomfortable feeling settled in Gwen’s stomach. She smiled back, though, and waved, to remain polite. She was probably reading into things or misunderstanding them. Prince Suho held back a laugh before turning back to his wife. She still didn’t fully understand the dynamics of this world and could easily misinterpret his actions. And her head still slightly throbbed, so that could be clouding her thoughts as well. 

“It’s inappropriate to stare at a married couple’s private moments,” a high voice snipped. 

Confused, Gwen turned to find an elegantly dressed girl close to her age. Or, rather, this body’s age since this Gwen was a few years younger than the body she’d left behind. 

This new girl’s face was pretty, but it was destroyed by the snobbish and self-satisfied look she wore. Chae Ryung bowed deeply, but Gwen stayed erect. Bowing was not something that came as second nature to her and she didn’t want to do it for just anyone. Not surprisingly, this defiance deepened the annoyance on the girl’s face even more. Sensing danger, Chae Ryung forced Gwen into a bow.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Chae Ryung said with a shaky voice. She gave Gwen a pointed glance that was ignored. 

“Apparently, not only have you forgotten your memories, but the few manners you ever had as well,” her highness sniffed. “I would be happy to be your teacher. Maybe we can make you a more respectful person this time around.” 

“Perhaps we have two different definitions of respect.”

It was subtle, but the girl’s smile strained, stiffening and tightening in the corners. Gwen knew that irritated look all too well from high school. The girls of the popular crowd would often shift into this body language whenever Gwen ignored their insults or countered them with a response they weren’t expecting. It had made her extremely unpopular, but that was never important to her. All she ever cared about was getting out and graduating. It was sad that mean girls had existed back in this time as well.  

“How dare you speak to me that way,” the girl hissed. “You think because you’re a freak of nature you can do and say as you please?”

“Just because I look different from you doesn’t mean that I’m a freak of nature!” Gwen shouted. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to reign in the urge to respond physically. That particular subject had always been a sore spot for her. She didn’t think she was ugly, per se, but she wasn’t a beauty. Society’s standards, as ever changing as they were, always felt too far out of her reach. “Pretty” was not something she ever saw in the mirror. And, unfortunately, this body held the same face. 

“What is going on here?”

Gwen stiffened at the Prince’s voice behind her. Slowly, she turned around and bowed deeply. Prince Suho had abandoned his wife at the gazebo to investigate. She hadn’t meant to ruin his date, especially since they probably didn’t get many moments like this. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness.”

Prince Suho looked past her to the girl and then back at Gwen. “Perhaps, it’s best for you to go back inside, Lady Gwen. I don’t want you to tire yourself out and I fear it might get colder. ”

Nodding, Gwen bowed again and walked away. There was no point in arguing. Besides, she didn’t want to hang around this self-important girl, who she didn’t dare give a passing glance to and give her the satisfaction of besting her. Once out of sight, however, Gwen’s bravado deflated. 

“Who was that girl?” She bit her bottom lip in a very unladylike manner as she slouched against the outer wall of a red-painted building. 

Chae Ryung tutted nervously. “That was Princess Yeon Hwa. You’re lucky that her brother stepped in.”

That girl was Prince Suho’s sister? Gwen shuddered, feeling sorry for Suho since he had to be related to her. “Mom always said I was too spiteful. But I wasn’t being disrespectful by looking for five seconds. They just looked like a scene out of a movie.”

“A movie?”

Oh, crap. There you go again. “A novel. I meant a novel. They looked like a scene from a book.”

“Oh!” Chae Ryung nodded, though she wore an expression of confusion. “Still it would have been better to apologize and walk away.”

Gwen shrugged. “Maybe next time.” 

Looking up at the blue sky, Gwen wanted to pout. It was such a nice day. Even with these layers of clothes, she wasn’t too hot and a nice breeze played with her hair. But Prince Suho had told her to go inside. He must have figured she would cause less trouble there. He also said it might get colder. Gwen hated being cold. 

“When I have to stay inside, where do I like to go?” she asked as she looked ot her friend. 

Chae Ryung grinned from ear to ear. She seemed excited as she took hold of Gwen’s wrist and pulled her along to a building near the middle of the compound. It wasn’t a large building, with spaces barely able to be called rooms. That hardly deterred the excitement bubbling up in Gwen’s chest. 

Inside were wooden shelves, thin and easily seen through. But unlike the thick, hardbound novels Gwen was used to, the books stacked here were thinner, flimsy and held together with twine. Another servant girl shuffled up before they stepped into the room. Chae Ryung was needed elsewhere. She urged Gwen to go on ahead and stay at the library for a few hours. 

Within the shelves, she lost herself. 

Reading was always a comfort to Gwen, but she tended to lean towards adventurous fiction filled with romance and challenge. She doubted she would find such stories in the Prince’s library. If she could even read these manuscripts. 

Gwen blinked, reflecting on her presence here. Somehow, she was able to communicate with the others despite the fact that they weren’t speaking English. The real Gwen’s knowledge - at least, with speaking and reading - somehow had remained behind. As her eyes drifted over the Chinese characters written on the spines, she understood what they said. A small laugh escaped her lips. She’d always wanted to know more than one language. All it took was being transported back in time to a different body. 

From what Gwen could make out of the titles of the volumes, they were mostly science based - medical treatments and catalogs of animals and plants - along with a few recorded histories. There were no fictional stories to be found, so Gwen went for the next best thing and grabbed a book that recounted the story of how King Taejo founded Goryeo. 

The wording was a bit dry and straight forward, the author giving only the occasional flourish here and there. Still, like any written word, it absorbed her attention. To receive a recount of history from a source so close to the time that it happened was not to be taken lightly. Gwen walked through the aisles as she read, unaware that another visitor had arrived. In the middle of a sentence about a deciding battle, her pacing was stopped by a soft wall. She looked up and sucked in her breath. 

Prince Suho.

She bowed, thinking that her back would start aching from all this bending over. “I’m sorry, again, for earlier,” she whispered. It was a sincere apology. Though it wasn’t her fault, she’d egged it on and caused the Prince trouble, which in turn could cause trouble for this Gwen’s father. Both men had been kind to her since she woke up and she didn’t want to repay that kindness by being a burden. 

Instead of acknowledging her apology, Prince Suho asked, “Do you really not remember anything?”

Gwen shook her head, unable to meet his eye. She could feel his gaze seering onto her face, however. Warmth tickled at her cheeks and she hoped that it wasn’t a visible heat. The Prince was handsome, with a strong chin and kind eyes. He spoke softly.

“Do you remember why you were at the bathhouse?”

Gwen snapped her head up, confused. Why would he be asking her about a bathhouse? “The bathhouse?” She knew nothing about a bathhouse or what this Gwen would be doing there. 

He sighed. “Truly?” Did he not believe her? Did he think she was faking it to avoid getting into trouble? 

“I-” she stopped. Would she be punished for something she didn’t even do? She tried to be as sincere and honest as possible. She didn’t know what could be done to her if he didn’t believe her. “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Prince Suho didn’t look receptive to her answer, but he backtracked anyway as he looked away. “Perhaps I was merely seeing things,” he murmured to himself. Regaining eye contact, he took a step to shorten the space between them. “When I invited you and your father to stay here, I took it upon myself to look after you, knowing your foreignness would make you a target. I’m afraid I’ve neglected on that duty. It has caused Lady Hae great worry.”

Gwen took a step back, her hands behind her back. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I think I’m causing you more trouble than I’m worth. I promise, I’ll watch my steps from now on. The last thing I want is to be in the way. If you need anything, I’ll do it. I want to be a help, not a burden.” He nodded, the expression on his face softening slightly. Feeling the conversation was over with that last declaration, she bowed and scurried out of the library after replacing the historical text. 

With that haven now compromised, Gwen concluded the best place for her to go was back to her room until dinner. 

                                                    ********

After a few days of managing to stay out of trouble, Gwen ran into Lady Hae on one of her leg-stretching walks. She didn’t seem to be upset about the incident at the gazebo, though she was disappointed that Gwen hadn’t come to see her. Gwen stumbled through an apology, not realizing that she would be so missed. In fact, she thought she was doing everyone a favor by staying out of the way. 

Accepting the apology, Lady Hae asked if Gwen would like to learn how to make lotus lanterns for the upcoming festival. Gwen raised her eyebrows in surprise. Thinking it would be fun and distracting, she agreed and followed Lady Hae to one of the buildings with open walls that allowed a gentle breeze to keep them cool. The temperature hadn’t dropped like Prince Suho had predicted. When Gwen saw who was already at work in the building, she instantly regretted her decision to join. A groan was barely suppressed as she sat down beside Lady Hae.

“Lady Hae, I see you brought a friend,” Yeon Hwa sneered cheerfully. 

It took willpower, but Gwen managed to ignore the princess’s snide remark, instead focusing on Lady Hae’s explanation of how to put the lanterns together. The glue had a potent smell that stung at Gwen’s nose. No wonder they were in a building that allowed the air to drift in and out. It took a few poor looking lanterns for her to get the hang of it, but finally they looked worthy of being hung up for other people to see. Glancing over at Yeon Hwa’s, Gwen huffed internally. Though they were the same design, the princess’ were begrudgingly far superior.

“Lady Gwen,” Yeon Hwa called out. A faux-sweet smile stretched across her lips. “Why don’t you go take the dry lanterns and put them in the Moon building for storage until the festival?” 

Gwen returned a smile just as fake. “Of course.” 

Chae Ryung, who had joined the group soon after Gwen’s arrival, stepped forward. “I can take them, my lady.”

 “Lady Gwen is perfectly capable of carrying them herself,” Yeon Hwa snapped. The evil look gleamed in her eyes, as if she were punishing Gwen with such menial labor. 

Little did she know the request didn’t bother Gwen in the slightest. She was giving the perfect excuse to leave her presence. While making the lanterns, Gwen’s mind had wandered towards the village beyond the walls and - with everyone occupied here – sneaking out on her own should be easy enough. She wanted to see more of this world that she now resided in. 

Filling up her arms with as much as they could carry, Gwen shuffled up the hill, following the directions Chae Ryung had given to the Moon building. 

“Gwen, you’re out of your room.”

Papa walked up, a smile on his face causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle. He seemed out of place in the Goryeo fashion he donned, yet comfortable as the shiny fabric swayed around his legs. He wore the hanbok with dignity and ease. Back home, Gwen prefered less complicated clothing and was still adjusting to the multilayered dresses that needed an extra pair of hands to put on.

“Yes,” Gwen said. “I was helping Lady Hae make lanterns for the festival.” She held them up proudly for him to see.

“Those are very beautiful,” he complimented. Gwen’s smile stretched farther across her lips at the praise. “I’m happy to see that you’re getting back to your old self.”

The joy in his eyes was almost too overwhelming. Gwen thought back to her own father, with whom she was close. They seemed so much alike. Tears threatened to brim her eyes. Within the last few days, she’d grown an affection for this man. He was patient with her and caring. And, as an outsider himself, a small connection that she clung to. “I’m happy that you’re happy, Papa.”

“I have some business to oversee at the house. Please, stay out of trouble.” He gave her a kiss on the head and resumed in the direction he was headed before.

Continuing on her own way, Gwen barely reached the steps of the Moon building before a man in brown clothes ran, bowed, and took the lanterns to store them. He must have been a servant in the Prince’s household. She hadn’t seen him before but she gladly handed the lanterns over. Thankful that her task was now over, she waited and watched as the servant hung the lanterns up on a long string inside the open doors. Now it was time to explore. Taking a different path, she headed for the gate.  

This place was certainly different. Monarchies weren't as widespread in her own time, most nations having moved on to people-elected governments instead of blood-appointed kings. Though it was different, Gwen appreciated the underlining respect that drove this culture. The differences in formal and informal speech and the hierarchy of that respect ran deep within the people. The mutual heritage they all shared made her a bit jealous. She was from a place that didn’t have that. 

The sound of drums broke through her thoughts. They were deep, rhythmic, calling out to anyone who wanted to listen. Answering the call, Gwen followed them. 

In a giant dirt courtyard near the palace stood about six figures, some dressed in red, others in black. They were spaced equally apart in a square structure. Gwen hid among the archways, too fascinated to walk away like she should have. The figures danced in unison and with power – except one of the men in red, who was lacking enthusiasm and proper rhythm. The others noticed and stopped their dance, the drums fading out as well. They all stared at the one who had finished incorrectly as he flopped down to the ground. Gwen covered her mouth to soften the giggled. He was throwing a fit. A grown man by the looks of him, he was acting like a spoiled child. Among the figures was Prince Suho, who seemed exasperated at the situation.

So, those must be the other princes. 

This festival must be important, if royalty was performing. Gwen made a mental note to have Chae Ryung explain it in more detail when she went back to the compound.

A few of the princes ganged up on the one on the ground, criticizing him for still getting the moves wrong after such a long practice. Huffing, the one on the ground jumped up. He pointed a long finger and accused another brother of making a mistake as well. Gwen laughed loudly at their altercation, the noise pushing through her fingers. Prince Suho glanced up in her direction. She took off, scared to be caught. 

Once among the common people, Gwen’s mind eased. She wandered around the city, trying to ignore the whispers and stares that followed. The market was abundant with people. Men gossiped with their friends while the women picked over the vegetables and meats, inspecting for any impurities. Children played loudly and ran through the streets, uncaring if their feet were covered in mud. Different stalls caught Gwen’s attention, some selling soaps and bath grains, others selling intricate hairpins that sparkled under the sun. She made a mental note to ask Papa to come with her next time to buy a few wares. Maybe Chae Ryung could teach her how to place the pins in her hair. 

Leaving behind the market, Gwen came to a small bridge over a shallow river. The water flowed steadily, uninterrupted. She stared down at her blurry reflection, wondering how she could still look so much like herself. There was no railing to obstruct the view, so she bent down for a closer look. 

The face looking back was still round and pale, the soft jaw line giving a youthful appeal. Red hair fell natural, gentle waves that never liked to obey. Not even the multiple hairpins keeping it out of her face could tame it completely. Sea green eyes sat in hooded sockets on either side of a thin nose and average lips. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and apples of her large cheeks from years of sun exposure. Forced to come back to a time that wasn’t hers, the least magic could have done was improve her looks. 

The cries of the villagers reached her ears too late. Searching for the source of the hysterics, Gwen stood and turned as the villagers ducked out of sight. A mad man on a black horse galloped through the market. The rider didn’t care about others around him. He didn’t look back behind him or stop to check on those who dived out of his path. A villager with a traveling pack hanging from his shoulders scurried across the bridge to run away from the rider. In his haste, he knocked into Gwen. She lost her balance, flailing her arms worthlessly, and began to fall into the river that had served as my mirror just moments ago. She closed her eyes and braced for impact with the surly cold water. But it didn’t come.

A steadfast grip snatched her by her waist. When she opened her eyes to see who had saved her from the water, she was face to face with the rider.

[kxmssblog]

6.

Il consulente

Featuring: EXO Ensemble

Your family has worked as the mafia group go-to financial advisors and consultants. When a hit is sent out, by a rogue mafia group, your entire family s wiped out. You are left with only your brother. The EXO take you under their protection, regardless of your protests to want to leave the mafia world behind, along with your troubled memories.

Warning: More blood, Injury.

_____________________________________________

Suho's scolding words stay with you for days, but you were still unable to swipe right, to receive your brother's phone calls. At first, when you had returned, and days after your heated return and exchange, he had been calling excessively for hours at a time. Each call 'missed' or the phone turned off when you were busy with work.

As weeks continued the repeated calls still came, but fewer and far spread, each day. Then recently, you could not make sense of the Wills sent to your office, of your parents, family members and his own updated copy, to let you know of all they have left behind. Of what he intended to leave behind for you.

You will not pretend to act as though Yunho's Will, had not let your stomach drop, but you had no one to share your worries with. Not even Suho or, perhaps Kyungsoo-hyung since they were always out of the house and recently, traveling out the country more frequently. Where to and the length of periods, were never shared with you, although you never asked. Only when you heard their car drive past your window, would you know of their safe return.

Now seated outside, in the central area of the business complex, the office public moved out and about around you. Your coat blazer was stifling in the warm weather compared to the chilling air con in the office.

Minseok was somewhere, but nowhere in your sight. You know, where ever he stood to watch over you, was seething in anger, that you left your building without letting him know. Without his approach, you know he understood that you needed fresh air, although you could have called or shot a text at him for courtesy's sake.

You visibly shrug, with your blank phone, as silent as the past four days. Your brother has not called since then. Apart from Suho's texts checking up on you, Minseok's timely calls at the end of your day to tell you to leave the office, your brother was the only one who called your personal phone.

"What are you up to now, hyung? What is happening Yunho? Have you chosen to ignore me once more, because I have been ignoring you?" A heavy sigh escapes your lips, just as Minseok appears infront of you, with mildly concealed glower, that you spot behind his calm exterior.

"Minseok, I..." you start but you're cut off, with a harsh grab under your arm, stumbling you to your feet.

"Get back to your building and Sehun can keep an eye, so I can clean up, after you." He bit out, close to your ear and shoves you to start moving.

Your confused look is dismissed with his growl, for you to comply without question. That tells you to shut your mouth and do as he says. Your own panic climbs, when you throw your eyes all around you, to spot the danger you know you're in.

You have only returned for a measly four weeks, but you're already in danger of losing your life.

Staggering and nearly stumbling, you throw your eyes ahead, to the building almost a hundred metres ahead of you. However that will be just too much smooth sailing, in your dangerous world. There are busy bodies, nudging and bumping shoulders as the rushing crowd in the complex moves from and to their desired destinations.

A memory flings itself into your consciousness, grinding you to breathless halt. Shock leaves you unseeing and winded in the moving crowd. Tears sting your eyes and your heart aches at the fear in the voices you remember.

"Hyung, why are they attacking? Why are they being killed?" Your horror grows the longer you stand by the window, knuckles turning white on the clutched curtains, while your frame shook and shivered as you watched your family's most valued, trusted and fond men and women drop like flies in the dark gardens. Those people have been in your life, since forever.

"Son, get your sister and do all you can to protect her!" Your father's voice wrenches your eyes from the outside massacre, to a glimpse of your parents rushing up and down the stairs with heaps of files in their arms.

"YN, get back!" It's your brother's commands that pull you back to your rooted spot.

You spot the armed figure standing outside your window, with a gun poised in his hands, directly aimed at you. The gun, uselessly, fitted with a suppressor, when the once quiet night was roaring with gunfire, barked orders and cries of dying men and women.

Who has your family wronged in recent months, for them to stage an attack of this nature?

"Keys... hyung, he betrayed the Kim cla-" your stunned murmurs are hung in the air when your brother's solid, towering frame barrels into you.

You were a road-crossing away from your building. Halted in your stumbling flee for safety, a car makes a dead stop in front of you. You are given no time to understand just what is happening.

A suppressor sticks out of the heavily dimmed out windows, rolled down just enough.

A glance down to your bodyguard's direction, he's too distracted by his own fight to notice where you stood and what exactly stood in front of you.

You feel by your body being, twice, jolted back a step and the immediate burn in your belly and the warm splatters on your chest and neck. You have been struck, as the tires screech away.

Blood... not so much blood, again.

Flung by impact, your body slides on the floor, to come to a halt with your head hitting the marble vase stand, the said vase shattering down on your brother's back. Your head and ears scream, when bullets shatter the glass you had stood in front of seconds ago.

"Not only Keys... He never works alone, sister." Your brother was covering your frame on the floor, his gun knocked out of his hand during the fall.

Next you remember is yourself kneeling on the floor, arms tightly bound to your back and a tickling trickle of blood down your neck.

Lee SooMan and Taemin stood there.

Again, here stands in frint of you, Lee Taemin. Nephew to the notorious Lee SooMan, and heir to the Lee mafia family's wealth and territories. One of your family's oldest clients and somewhat rival, in various aspects of business and shady dealings. The same man you refused to be promised to marry, and probably the reason why your own family was attacked and killed.

No. I fucked up. I was the one in the wrong. I have wronged the Lee family, and now my family was to pay the price. Your whole body trembled, too stunned into silence above your parents' pleas.

"YN... move it!" You hear from the distance.

Your blouse that once caught the gentlest of breeze that day, now clung for dear life over the growing wet spot around your abdomen.

"Ah, there you are... alive... Or barely so, and kicking?" You can't help the frozen stupor, when you look up to the slim frame of the man in front of you.

"Uhm... T- Tae?..."

"Ah..." The man nods with a lazy drawl, completely impervious to the tension and your growing urgency for help, "back to your stutters, little one. With an interesting choice in your new bodyguard... or is it that much of a surprise?" He shrugs.

"He- help... need help..." You try to hunch over into yourself to catch your breaths but the man's hand on your shoulder makes sure that does not happen.

"Uncle had asked politely that you take the family's accounts..." He moves closer, with his mouth close to your ear, his other hand on your wound. A thumb digs in, eliciting a shout of pain and beads of sweat racing down your face. On instinct, your hands clung to the man's arms to keep yourself upright, "but now that I have had to come, personally to make sure that I convince you otherwise... again. You better think wisely this time around YN, about your choice because your Yunho may not be as lucky this time around."

The thumb, digs further into the wound and your shaking hand makes a weak attempt to push the hand away. Biting your trembling lip, you also make a shaky effort to push away to see where Minseok was?

Taemin encircled his arm around your waist and the public are none the wiser of your interaction.

"Look... look over my shoulder, little one." You're  shorter than the man holding you captive on the spot. But you try to look nonetheless around his shoulder. You spot Taemin's childhood best friend and now right-hand man you see. A distant cousin of the Kim hyungs and traitor to the entire Kim clan. "I would hate to send Keys, who only this time, hopes not to make the same mistake to miss his shot again."

"Yu-Yunho..." you stutter.

"No, little one. Right now it about our small walk down memory lane. And I remind you to make the best choice for the sake of your sole remaining family, YN."

Like that, you're pushed away and nearly lose your feet from under you. Right now you're not sure whether your bodyguard knows of your injury, or the other men will know about this already.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" A passing body, nearly collides with you and you murmur your apologies, pulling your blazer tighter around you, your fingers staining the delicate pastel colour.

Your shaking hand pulls out your keycard, entering your building. Security too distracted with the visiting individuals than to look up at the executive personnel entrance you always use to enter the building.

The lifts are too far, when you look down to the dripping blood on the highly polished marble floors.

"Sehun..." You mumble, looking up to try and locate the closest surveillance camera, then turn left in the direction of the door leading to the fire escape  staircase.

"Please see me..." again, your card let's you through without raising the alarm, "F-Find me... Min."

The stairs to the underground parking lot, where your bodyguard always parks, is too far.

Your knees wobble and finally give way to your subconscious swallowing you back into the nothingness, you were familiar companions with.

Your breaths were not only shallow, but they stuttered with lathergy unlike that linked you to your nightmares. This tiredness was directly linked to the one of that night, tinged with a sense of giving into the pain to fully consume you.

"Sehun, where the fuck is she?" You hear your bodyguard's frantic shouts from the other side of the door. Your head screams that he's close, don't close your eyes just yet. Keep fighting, a defiant voice at war with your subconscious, bellows at you.

"So tired..." you mumble stealing a look at the dark blood seeping through your trembling fingers, hearing the door finally click.

It bursts open, with it bringing a small gush of wind, and the hurried footsteps. You hang your head back, and see the gruesome smear of your blood against the wall that you had slid down from. Your eyes droop, near to a shut.

"No! Keep your eyes open! I'm here, stay with me." For the very first time, you hear your bodyguard's composure obliterate in your presence.

You listen to the raw emotions you have come to associate with your own grief and pain.

From the depths of your inner chaos and turmoil, and the pain ringing loud and obnoxious through your body, you hear your bodyguard.

Perhaps the slaps, and harsh shove of your hand to be replaced by a heavy press over you wound, were imagined.

*

Blinking once.

You hear the engine roaring, and frantic shouts and arguing, for the car to be driven faster, or the traffic is in the way. Was that Chen sounding concerned? Oh gods, not Kai hyung. He is the last person you would want to see you like this. He's too precious to see you like that.

Gods, not Kyungsoo hyung too.

There is a heaviness on your belly along with a burning sensation that leaves you gasping in pain.

There is a familiar person straddling your prone position. You're lying on what looks to be the backseat. The jostling car movements, force out moans and shudders of anguish from your barely conscious state.

Blinking twice.

A very tall frame is cradling you, and running up the stairs.

Is it Chanyeol or Sehun?

Gods, I still hope it's not Kai.

The glare irritates your eyes, so you can't see the owner of the voices barking orders to the side of your head.

'I smell too much blood...' this time you're too tired to make a sound of protest at the pain of being moved around.

Okay now I'm tired.

I can't stay.

I really, really can't stay, Minseok.

_____________________________________________

@suhappysuho

[jinmindeulle]

🪐 exo masterlist 🪐

김준면 • kim junmyeon

—  coming soon.

김민석 • kim minseok

—  coming soon.

张艺兴 • zhang yixing

—  coming soon.

변백현 • byun baekhyun

if we love again — angst. part 1 | part 2 | epilogue

make it work — angst, fluff

김종대 • kim jongdae

—  coming soon.

박찬열 • park chanyeol

—  coming soon.

도경수 • do kyungsoo

twenty one petals — angst, fluff. read here

김종인 • kim jongin

—  coming soon.

오세훈 • oh sehun

—  coming soon.

[cotton-myeon]

EXO MASTERLIST

SUHO

안녕 (Hello) [oneshot]

This is a short sequel/side-story from Been Through Genre: non-idol!AU, chaebol!AU, slight angst, drama, slice of life, friendship, slight romance What had happened cannot be undone, but the least she could do was to hope that he was doing well.

KAI

Truth or Dare COMING SOON!

SEHUN

Been Through prologue 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Genre: non-idol!AU, chaebol!AU, angst, drama, slice of life, friendship It all started on that rainy night in early spring, when a crying Oh Sehun came to my apartment after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend. As his best friend for years, all I could do was comfort him, and be there for him until he could get back on his own two feet. What I didn’t realize then, was that I was dragging down my own two feet by doing so. But then again, I should have known better, that when someone got close to you right after a break-up, you would just end up being a rebound for that person. Short Sequel/side-story: 안녕 (Hello)

[itsthe-neo-zone]

Wands and Potions - NCT DREAM

Please read the Masterlist before continuing ahead, thank you.

Chapter 4: 

~~~ Earlier, that day ~~~

[09:56AM]

“Hey, half-blood!” a voice bellowed down the sparsely populated corridor.

Most people glanced to see who was yelling but once they saw the blond strutting down the corridor, they stopped to see what was going on. Usually wherever he was something dramatic and gossip worthy was about to happen.

Selene was in deep thought, she was about to be late for her potions class when she heard his voice yelling down the corridor, she chose to ignore him and continue ahead speeding up ever so slightly.

Here came the buckling knees, sweaty palms and the nervous shaky gaze. All things she had to learn to deal with due to her extensive anxiety…

The only half-blood in the corridor… I’m sure of it, it’s me right…

He saw this and sprinted down the rest of the long pathway towards the female. Selene felt a hand slither its way around her arm as it tightened its grip around her and yanked, dropping her books.

God no, please, not here…

The thud and clattering could be heard from the end of the narrow and silent passage.

 “I was talking to you.” Chenle spat, blue eyes going darker than expected. A shiver slipped own her spine making her skin crawl slightly.

How, could someone have such deep eyes, icy cold glacier manifested beneath the cenetral iris melting into silvery blue orbs.

 “I didn’t hear.” She spoke softly her eyes flitting away from his quickly, gazing anywhere but him after he had raised an eye brown at her staring.

“Of course you didn’t, you inherited your muggle father’s ears.” the words went undetected for the minority of onlookers, the rest of the corridor shrugging the encounter nonchalantly. Chenle stared at her silently trying to read her, his expression wasn’t so merciful. The blond adorned a frown on his lips, his nose pointing upwards as he glared down at her.

 After a couple of seconds, he immediately pushed her back slightly.

She stared, shocked at his movement he stepped closing the gap between them as he leaned down towards her height.

“Lift your books and follow me, now half blood.” Chenle’s voice and tone left no room for discussion or time to dawdle at all. To her right and left in her peripheral view she saw others whispering and gazing at the scene.

Her chest tightened and her breath became shallow, Selene bent down to lift her books her hair falling to her face covering her.

She could almost hear their whispers in her head, what they must be thinking. God was she an idiot, an absolute baffoon for thinking anything good could happen when working with anyone else.

 Her body started to emit heat as she felt their eyes on her. Judging her every move, shudder and breath…

With shaky hands Selene scrambled to lift all her books quickly pulling herself up as she sprinted to catch up to the tall boy…

Selene let the hair fall over her face, she silently thanked the golden, fire-coloured, phoenix locks because those where shielding her from their deathly and quite bothersome stares.

The Gryffindor was never one to like bringing attention to herself and she hated being in everyone’s view, there was a reason she sat near the back in almost every class.

 “Right, I’ve been thinking, start working on the potions class project on Thursday in a couple of days’ times, during the afternoon.” He spoke not even glancing at her. That was a statement, not a question.

I don’t trust my voice right now and at this point, from the absolute embarrassment I’ve been through, I can’t bring myself to utter a word.

She was to agree whether she liked it or not. Selene gulped and nodded.

“Good, work in the library at 4pm then.” Chenle added leaving.

She stood there letting a long sigh out she never knew she had held. Clutching her chest, she felt her heart beat rapidly. At any moment it was going to burst…

It was going to be difficult breaking out of her shell with her paranoia not making anything easy.

 ~~~ Present time ~~~

After sleeping off an issue or problems that clog up your mind. I guess a good thing about this is that it does manage to wipe away your feelings and thoughts,

Only until you remember the reason behind your sticky face, extremely dry and painful eyes or the damp blobs on your pillow do you realise the pain behind the nap and how it all comes flooding back to you…

This morning hadn’t planned out well for Selene. When she wanted to gain courage she didn’t mean that by putting herself in the targets position…

But I guess she believes she deserved it, when you self-loath your existence, it can be like that sometimes…

[12:17PM]

Ravelle was almost like a sister to selene, one she never had but needed at times, she was there to aid in classwork and talk to her, comfort selene when it felt like the castle atmosphere was close to crushing her. Because deep down Ravelle understood what it was like to not feel completely there. issues at home were what kept the two somehwat bonded. 

Selene did feel somewhat fond of the girl,

till this year. 

She had just met up with said girl, catching up with the others was good for her, maybe it would take her mind off the situation that happened earlier? it could serve as a temproary distraction. As long as she was talking her brain wasn’t overthinking. 

What better way to talk exessively than with Ravelle and Jinny the two don’t ever shut up.

She met the raven haired bony girl, she said she was well her once gaunt looking face now plumper and filled with colour than ever before, the two were  walking towards Jinny when they saw her with a crowd of other students her and the others seemed to be standing as viewers behind a tall brunette Gryffindor watching the scene unfold.

“What’s going on over there?” Ravelle muttered pushing her raven hair past her line of sight. She walked closer in lead with Selene.

“I don’t know but Jinny is there, we could ask her.”

But as soon as she became more familiar with the scene, selene realised that this was a fight going on in the clearing of the hallway towards the great entrance.

Ravelle tried to pull Selene as she realised what was going to happen, but Selene refused to budge after her eyes caught his.

 Scorpius.

 “So Scorpie? You going to admit the fact your Voldies heir or what?” the tall brunette snarked. Scorpius stared blankly at him not giving him any sign of weakness.

“Not going to reply?” the other smirked.

 “Who are those two?” Selene whispered to Ravelle keeping her eyes on the tall Gryffindor between the two, she never needed to ask for his name though, everyone knew who james potter was.

“That’s Edan Woods and Thomas flint. Two of James potter’s best friends. Can we please, please, please go now; Selene I’m worried!” the raven haired girls voice hissed she tugged at the others arms lightly. it wasnt convincing though.

 “Daddy couldn’t conceive with mommy, so he left her do what was needed to be done.” James sniveled mimicking a young child’s voice.

“Were they that desperate to have you?” The raven haired male next to James spoke up smirking.

Scorpius was so close to cracking but held it in, Selene could see his hands forming fists. She was shocked to see the brunet male from her potions class behind Scorpius almost jump at the Potter in anger.

“Jisung, no.” Scorpius muttered to the brunet, stopping him by pulling him back with as much strength as he could, said boy growled at the tall Gryffindor with glasses.

 “Oho hoo, Rosier wants to fight!”

“Just remember I have your sister in my house, wouldn’t want to do anything that you’d regret!” the Gryffindor threatened,

Selene wanted that courage and outburst of energy to fight but she couldn’t, the thought of standing up against her house infront of everyone made her knees threaten to give up. It sent tight restrictions and stiffnes down every once-fluid part of her body, she felt the skin around her knuckles tighten and her dull nails digging harshly into her palms in a way so intense they almost bled.  

She was a coward though. She couldn’t bring herself to do it and it broke her inside. She wanted to scream and yell at him, to take him to the floor and hurt him in many ways than once.

Ironic honestly, she wasn’t brave but yet here she was, in gryffindor. 

Jisung was easily seen glaring at his sister who was standing behind the gloating potter. She sheepishly glanced at her younger brother wanting to explain everything to him. Jisung stared at her like she was the scum of the earth.

“You disgust me.” He spat at her watching her stand idly next to his enemy.

“Enough!-”

 “-You won’t talk?” James sneered back at the two slytherins 

“That’s not what your mother was like when she was being fucked by Voldie? Tell them! Tell them how your mother is a SLUT! How she left your inconceivable father to fuck with a half snake half HUMAN FREAK!”

He bellowed, every second becoming unbearable for Scorpius as his tongue dripped with nothing but poison. A certain blond male was about to interfere until he heard an ear-cracking scream, it came from a young female from behind them.

Selene pushed past Ravelle and the strawberry blonde female who was supposedly Rosier’s sister…

 “You foul, shrewd brat!” she screeched at james.

“Don’t you dare insult his family, I’m sure it’s nobler than any of yours!” she threw herself in front of Scorpius shielding him.

James started sniggering he mocked fake shock before turning to his other two friends to cackle hysterically. 

“Selene! Don’t! Please, you’re going to get yourself tangled up in a mess!” Jinny hissed running in and grabbing her by the arm.

“Let go of me!” Selene shrieked at her tugging her arm out of her grip, “He’s wrong, what he’s doing was wrong!” she thrashed against her blond friend throwing her arms at her and anyone who tried to stop her 

you’ve gone too far in, no going back now...

 “His mother is a fine respectable woman, better than any I’ve seen. I don’t want to hear you say his name or speak of his family again!”

“Selene listen to her, stop, please.” Scorpius’s hushed voice could be heard from behind her as he pleaded but she ignored him.

You Hear Me!” Selene spat.

 A loud snap broke the tension in the halls entryway, like the sound of the first drop of rain before a storm, the ginger fell to the floor. The stinging and intense feeling on Selene’s left cheek was intolerable as her eyes glanced down to the ground.

“Adams! Watch your mouth!” James now aggravated, spoke his eyes wide at her intrusion.

She knew she had stepped out of line.

None of her Gryffindor friends even had the courage to step near her, they knew if they did it’d be over for them too. Jinny slid back past the crowd and Ravelle was seen standing farther up the stairs as she ran out of sight. 

On the other hand, Scorpius was just boiling up and him slapping selene across the face had tipped him of the edge but before he could attack the Gryffindor, the blond at the edge of the comotion who was watching till the last minute stepped in.

“Don’t you have something better to do than sit and talk shit about people’s families, Potter?” he walked towards him eyes showing no emotion, blue and still.

Scorpius bent down to help Selene up she looked empty and her cheeks were a bit wet. She held the left in her hand covering the redness.

She wasn’t able to get up, to face him again.

“Shut it Zhong!” Thomas sneered. James smirked letting his friend do the dirty talk for him.

“Oh I will, but only of it’s a pure blood ordering me, see I don’t take orders from half-bloods like you.” Chenle slyly spoke glancing at the self proclaimed ‘alpha’ male of Gryffindor.

“How dare you speak about James like that!” the other male next to James exclaimed. It’s almost like they thought what Chenle was indicating couldn’t be true, he was a Potter right? A pure blood like he stated so many times before.

 “Well then James? Go on? Tell them if it’s true or not?” Chenle sneered stepping closer to him as he eyed the 5th year. 

~~~ Selene’s Pov ~~~

After that intrusion I had found myself walking away with Scorpius, my classmates too busy watching how Chenle was keeping James entertained. He led me down a quiet corridor and soon I found myself near the edge of the forbidden forests with him. 

“Are you okay? Does your face hurt?” Stepping closer to observe the redness on the apple of my cheek.

"I’m fine Scorpius,” I tried to be mindful of the space between us just so as to not spread any rumours about us from sight but he stopped me.

He caught on, knowing why I was being so distant… 

“Nobody is here, Selene.” I looked down, away from his soft, silver gaze as he caressed my cheek holding my face in his hands.

“That bastard is going to have it; just look how he’s hurt you.”

“Scorpius no. Please he’ll be much worse on us up there.” I pointed to the towers, a gleam of terror in my eyes.

“Wait… What?”

I could hear the start of a rage build up in him, deciding to push the conversation away. Even though he insisted I tell him, I stood firmly not peeping one word about what happens in the common rooms.

‘What happens in the common room, stays in the common room’

“Even so, what you did there.” he paused, “Was incredibly silly and dangerous-”

I groaned, I knew I was about to get lectured once again about ’minding my own business’ and ’not interfering with others business for my own safety’.

“But Sco-”… “Yet extremely brave.”

A smile graced my features, I was surprised at the sudden change of words. “Really? You think so?” I murmur.

He turns around towards me nodding. Though worry and anxiety was etched on his face. Scorpius changed the subject to something more serious.

“I’m worried about mother.”

 We had been walking down the edge of the forest until we reached the black lake, i spoke so suddenly after a quiet indulgent of silence my fingers started playing with the hem of my robes sleeves.

“Mrs Astoria, is she alright? Have you heard any word from your father?”

“No, not yet at least,” he paused glancing slightly down to my hands, “Are you…. anxious?”

“No I most certainly am not.” I quickly retorted sounding too defensive, he caught on and pulled my ’now hidden away from his sight’ hands smirking while doing so.

“Selene, I know if your nervous or not and if you’re lying or not.” I was shocked to say the least, was I that readable. 

“These arent ‘i’m cold’ shivers, what’s wrong? Tell me what happens up there?” he enquired further, maybe I was an open book to everyone, was i more oblivious than I thought?

 ~~ 3rd person Pov ~~

Selene stared at him, her eyebrow slightly lifted...

“I’ll explain,”

“When you’re nervous, you tend to fiddle with anything you can grasp.” He held her right hand up showing her the sleeve of her robe that was writhed away -threads sticking out like needles - from her constant worry.

“And when you’re lying,” he copied her stance she had a moment ago,

“You tend to back away and deny what you’re accused of immediately.”

Her shoulders dropped as she stared at him helplessly, he pulled her under his arm close to him after a moment or two as they continued walking on.

“Am I that readable?”

“All the time… ” he chuckles, “But only to me.” 

[02:28PM]

Selene was making her way to the potions class that was scheduled. It was already afternoon and she had spent her lunch with a couple of Ravenclaw friends including Olivia.

She entered taking her seat, shortly she felt a figure sit next to her. She turned smiling at her blonde friend,

But she was returned with a scowl on the beauty’s face, what was wrong with jinny now?

“You’re going to have to go work with him right?” she grunted. Selene understood what it was about now…

“Yep, Sorry. I don’t seem to have a choice.” Selene sheepishly glanced towards the professor who was getting herself settled for the upcoming group work. The professor glanced around the class before directing students to sit next to their groups.

Selene turned around peering towards the blondes table hoping to make this whole interaction go as smoothly as it can,

Although it usually goes as smooth as rocks. Sharp skin-slicing rocks.

Though thankfully, she realises he wasn’t even there.

The only interaction she got form that table was a blunt stare from that Jisung boy and his friend, Jayden? Was it?

She turned back sighing, she knew this could have been an option when she was being paired up with the slytherin but that wasn’t the main one she had thought of.

It was better than having to deal with his painful words and harsh attitude though.

As she began taking out her books, the professor had given out sheets of parchment explaining what the project was about as well as a small text book for each person explaining how this was going to help them in their study.

“This project is a half of your final grade in your O.W.L.S so please do be mindful and pay attention to your studies.” The spare pages of parchment and equipment to aid them floated around the class handing itself out on the orders of the professor, in a wave of her wand.

 “Vendiliquence potion. What do you suppose it does, Selene?”

Olivia spoke past Jinny (who was falling asleep), directed to the ginger, but she heard the low buzz of chattering from the rest of the classmates, no quiet yet melodious voice of the petite witch.

“Selene?” Jinnys sleepy form turned to the left side, her head heavy, seeing nothing but selenes empty void of a chair and table she once contained.

 ~~~ Selene’s Pov ~~~

I walked out of the classroom smiling back at the professor.

I couldn’t concentrate in the loud overflowing screeching and bursting excitement of the students in the class, and though I did get permission to study in the library since my partner was absent…

I decided to position outside for some peaceful and refreshing air and nature was good for my mind and body.

I clutched the spare copies of handouts tightly to my chest, my hands filled with parchment and a heavy text book. The visible notes on the brown tinted paper jumbled up making no sense in the way I held them.

Giverlein gave the orders. “Hand theses to Mr Greengrass, knowing him and his ways he’ll probably be loitering out there somewhere,”

After witnessing the way, the blonde slytherin stood up and confronted James, his whole demeanour shimmering in the ill lit hallways of the castle, I concluded he must have some sort of soft spot or weakness.

Everyone has those horrible bad days and I’m sure that was the reason he treated me in such a way earlier.

He wasn’t so bad when we met at the Hogsmeade train station. Everyone deserves a second chance. Right?

To defend someone like that, it takes courage and loyalty and lots of devotion. If he has such devotion, then he has the capability to care.

So he’s not a heartless monster like the others have presumed.

 I made it to the tables out in the gardens near the lakes. This was my last class for the day and so it was alright to spend longer than needed here, at least up until dinner.

Spreading out the sheets and getting to work on panning how I was going to make this potion and where to get such ingredients.

“Vendiliquence potion, a liquid used to see the deepest desires of the subconscious mind no incantation can bubble up…” It seemed interesting, but as I spared a glance at the ingredient’s list I knew why the professor decided the deadline should be up until Christmas for the creation of the potion.

The ingredients list, no … page, took up a whole parchment out of three.”

"A small mandrake, leaves of a Asphodel, wings and claw of bat, valerian herbs, Ashwinder eggs, dragons blood…” The list continued.

Although as I looked deeper I realised there was not too much to look for, it was quite specific even hinting at where we need to attain the objects from. I began finding links and filling up the empty parchment paper with notes and points.

 ...

Halfway through I realised this project was not going to go light on any of us. The ingredients listed were difficult to attain. In some sources the herbs haven’t been found or have gone extinct.

“Petals of a Rhaellis? What on earth is that?” I muttered out loud becoming extremely confused with this one ingredient. Flicking through the text book letting the used pages whizz past.

Nothing, nothing about this certain plant.

“How am I meant to get a pure dragons blood and scales?” I groan setting my head down on the wooden table filled with pages and equipment.

As I eyed the neatly piled objects that belonged to my pair, realisation hit me that I hadn’t given them to him.

He hadn’t bothered to look for me or even show up to class.

The whole time I sat here… I didn’t catch a glimpse of the blond slytherin.