#zhong chenle x yn

[endthedream]

three sins to hell

pairing: devil!chenle x human!reader

summary: the devil, a creature so sinister he seduces humans into sins so he can have their souls in hell.But if you’re his next target, what would you do? Would you even notice that the devil is standing right in front of you?

words: 10k

story colour: orange

warnings: vulgar language, toxicity, manipulation, heavy makeout/almost smut (nothing happens tho)

note: I hate this story with a passion, but I didn't have the nerve yet the time to rewrite it again. I hope you can still somewhat enjoy it. It's my halloween story (a few days too early). I will try to get something out on Halloween as well, but I can't make any promises. Hope you guys are doing well! Feel hugged~

masterlist of ‘nct dream as supernatural creatures‘

You have known of the existence of the devil, have heard stories about him when you grew up. Warnings, wherever you go. ‘Don’t go near the devil. He will suck out your soul and bane you to an eternity of hell and misery.’ People would tell you stories about him, how he seduces men and women to doing sins, how he hides among the common folk, how easily he gets into your head. They called him the fallen angel, who was banned to ruling over hell for his sins. Some say he is a frightening, red creature with three heads and a mouth with teeth so sharp they can break through any bones. Some say he is a demon with wings and horns, and a tail so long and sharp he will pierce through your heart. But some also say he is a man, a very handsome one. He was once an angel graced with an eternity of beauty; hell couldn’t change that as well. They say the reason why he is able to seduce so many people is because of his piercing beauty, his sharp features and hypnotizing eyes. They say that one look from him and you’re gone, fallen into a pit of longing, no matter how pure you swear to be.

You heard so many stories, got told so many warnings and still you found yourself not believing those words. You found yourself thinking it was all just a tale, trying to make you scared to keep you in control. But you were never one to believe in fairy tales, never one to look for the truth in them.

But all this changed. All this changed when you looked the devil right into his eyes.

-

There is something in the air this morning, something different. You can feel it filling up your body, clouding your senses. You take a deep breath of the fresh morning air, before grabbing the straps of your backpack and beginning your walk to school. It isn’t far from your home, just about six minutes, but you like to take those few moments to be grateful for everything you have. You go over it, over and over again, in your head. ‘I’m grateful for the roof over my head, the food in my stomach, the friends that I have, the clothes that I wear, all the luxury items I have at home and every single day that I live on this planet, protected and healthy.’

It is something you like to do to remind you that nothing in this life is given, nothing in life is permanent. Some people don’t have a house, or food, or clothes. It keeps you on your toes, never lets you stray away or complain about unimportant things. It keeps you down to earth.

“Y/n.”, you can hear your best friend Jisung, calling your name and see him sprinting in your direction. “There you are. I was starting to get worried about you. You are always on time.”

“On time?”, you ask confused as you look at the time on your watch. It’s five minutes before class starts. Five minutes? Normally you are always here ten minutes before it starts, never five. But you walked the same path you always do every single morning, you left at the same time you always do. How come you arrived five minutes later than normally? Something is weird, you felt it this morning when you left your house. Something is definitely weird.

-

You almost fell asleep three times in class today, which isn’t like you. You are a straight A student, with a perfect attendance record. You don’t sleep in class; you pay attention and write notes. You ask questions and answer the teachers’ questions. You don’t fall asleep, that is not like you.

“Ms. Lee.”, your teacher says, a sympathetic look on her face. “I have seen you doze off three times today and I must say this genuinely surprised me. You are my ace student, Miss. I have never seen you like this, so I wanted to tell you if you have anything in your heart, or if there is anything that is bothering you, private or in school, you can always talk to me, okay? You don’t have to go through this alone.”

-

“Wait so she really offered you therapy hours?”, Jisung says, amusement lingering in his voice. You shake your head at the boy, opening the main doors and walking out of the school. All you want to do now is to get home as fast as possible and forget all about this awful day. You want to drown yourself in your books and studies and wake up the next morning to your normal routine again.

“You are so funny, Jisung.” Said boy ignores the roll of your eyes and the annoyance in your tone, and bumps your shoulder with his, showing you a sheepish grin.

“Come on, princess. I didn’t mean it like that. Everyone has a bad day every once in a while, even you little Miss perfect.”

“I am not little Miss perfect.”, you protest, crossing your arms and showing Jisung a pout. He just laughs at you, ruffling your hair in an adoring manner.

“Are you sure? Aren’t you the person who follows a strict routine every single morning? Aren’t you the person that volunteers at every event, helping the poor and caring about the ones who are lost? Aren’t you the person who goes over a list of things she is grateful for just to stay down on earth and never take things for granted? Sounds like little Miss perfect to me.”

“First of all, a routine is good for your mental health. It gives you stability, helps you stay organized and clears your head. Second, I like helping people in need and volunteering in places where they need someone. It’s better than playing video games every single day.” Now it’s Jisungs’ time to roll his eyes at your words. “And lastly, I just see so many horrible things every single day. So much agony, pain and suffering, I just want to remind myself that having luxurious things is not a normal thing and that I should always be grateful for being born into a family that doesn’t have to turn every penny twice and fear they won’t make it out alive until next week.”

You can see Jisungs’ mouth open and close a few times, contemplating what to say to your words, but right when he feels ready to answer, someone clearing their throat interrupts you.

“I’m sorry I don’t want to interrupt your nice talk, but I’m looking for someone named Y/n.” Jisung and you turn around almost immediately, looking like dears caught in a headlight. A boy is standing in front of you, hair a bright orange. He is wearing all black, black ripped jeans, black shirt, black leather jacket and black shoes. A smile is present on his lips, well more like a smirk, his posture is straight with his head held high. He is oozing with confidence, oozing with something you can’t name. And he looks, well, breathtaking. He looks like came straight down from heaven, like he was created by God himself. He simply doesn’t look real.

“Uhm, that’s me.”, you speak up, voice breaking with those two words. You have to clear your throat a few times, ignoring the teasing look Jisung is giving you. “How can I help you?”

“I just transferred here, and the principal said you would show me around school tomorrow. I just thought I would search for you and introduce myself already.” The stranger softly takes your hand in his, but instead of shaking it, he places a soft kiss on the back of your hand, showing you a charming smile afterwards. “My name is Chenle. It is very nice to meet you.”

There is something in his aura, something about the way he talks, the way his eyes bore into yours, that makes your heart skip a beat. “It’s, uhm, very nice to meet you too.”

It is like Chenle can sense the effect his simple presence has on you by the way his head cocks to the side and cockiness takes over his whole face. “How about we meet here in our lunch break and then you can tell me all about the school, and you, of course.” You can’t do anything but nod at the suggestion, suddenly losing the ability to form sentences with your mouth. “Wonderful. Till tomorrow then.” And with one last smile in your direction, he walks away, turning his back and leaving you and Jisung alone yet again.

“Well, that was… weird.” Your friend just mutters, shrugging his shoulders before grabbing your arm and pulling you in the other direction. “But as I said, you are way to tedious…”

-

Chenle is already waiting for you at one of the tables outside of the school. It seems like nothing has changed from yesterday, he is wearing the same clothes. His orange hair stands out in the crowd, earning stares which he just ignores. Because the moment you step out of the door, his eyes are on you, and only you. He doesn’t pay attention to the girls a few tables from him who are giggling and yearning for just one look, he only looks at you.

“Just be careful.”, your best friend says as he walks you out. “I have a bad feeling about him. I mean, he didn’t even look at me once yesterday. He is weird. I heard some rumors about him. They say he was in prison in China and broke out two months ago. Some say his father is in some kind of gang and they earn their money with human trafficking. Some even call him the devil. I just don’t want you to get into whatever weird thing he is in.”

“Jisung.”, you call say his name, looking up at him with stern eyes. “He is new and needs help around school, that’s all. He is not in a gang; he did not escape from prison, and he is definitely not the devil. Stop feeding into cruel rumors and give him a chance. And even if you don’t want to give him a chance because you have a bad feeling about him, then don’t. No one is forcing you to be friends with him, just don’t be one of those judgy people, okay?”

Jisung sighs, throwing his head back with a groan and rubbing his forehead with one hand. “You are right, I know that I’m just worried about you, that’s all. Be careful, okay? And you remember our codeword, right? Just scream it or text it or send an owl, I don’t care.”

You smile at him, wrapping him in a quick hug. “Don’t worry, I will. See you in thirty minutes.” And without one last glance you walk in Chenles’ direction, showing him a small smile and a wave.

“Hey.”, you say as you stop in front of him. “Are you ready to take a tour through the school?” Chenle looks down at you, eyeing you for a few seconds before nodding his head at you and following you into the school.

-

“I’d rather hear more about you.”, Chenle says as he stands in the middle of the gymnasium. “I don’t care about the boring stories of how this school was founded. Tell me something about you. Something fun.”

“Fun?”, you ask him, playing with the page of the school map between your fingers. “I’m not really fun. I don’t think anything about me would interest you.”

“I beg to differ. What do you do in your free time? How does a pretty girl like you spend her day?” You have to swallow the lump in your throat and hide the evident blush on your cheeks. This hasn’t been the first time Chenle has flirted with you today. He used every opportunity, every small timeframe to throw in a comment that has you blushing and clearing your throat in embarrassment.

“I don’t do much. I read or study after coming home from school. Sometimes I spend the evening with Jisung, but he plays video games most of the time, so I end up reading anyway. Sometimes I volunteer at social events, at the church or for any person that needs help in that moment. I like to help people, makes me feel a bit better for living such a privileged life.”

There it is, Chenle thinks. There it is again; the pureness he felt the moment he laid eyes on you. The innocence, so evident he could smell it from miles away. He wanted you, from the moment he laid his eyes on you, he knew he had to have you. He just has to corrupt you; make you do all the awful things in the world and drain you dry until there is nothing but pure evil running in your veins anymore. He has to destroy you, absolutely and utterly destroy you.

-

You didn’t expect to run into a familiar face while grocery shopping for your elderly neighbor. But Chenle stands right there, right in front of the apples. One hand picking up a green one, admiring its shine against the shining lamps, the other in his pocket, casually resting there. Normally, you would have turned around, walked to another aisle and ignored the strange boy, if it wasn’t for the bright red ink on the paper sheet in your hand reading ‘green apples’. You close your eyes, taking a deep breath before walking to where the orange-haired boy is standing.

“What a pleasant surprise.”, Chenle says the moment he spots you. “Are you stalking me? Not able to get enough of me, huh?” You show him a pointed look, grabbing one of the apples, inspecting it and softly laying it in your basket.

“No, believe it or not, but I am also grocery shopping.” A sound escapes the boy’s throat, almost sounding like a choked chuckle. He grabs another apple, following your movement before placing it in your basket as well.

“For yourself?”, he asks, ignoring your confused stare.

“No, for my neighbor. She recently had lumbago and is on bed rest. I’m just getting her some things she needs, since her children are out of town until tomorrow.” Chenle feels it again, this need, this heart wrenching need, to break you, to make you do things you would never dream of doing. It overwhelms him for a second, blinds him and consumes his veins. He has to find a way, some way, to fulfill his desires. And it is as if it hits him with a brick on his head, that he got just the right idea to make you carve into him.

Sin 1: Wrath

Jisung talks your ear off as the two of you run side by side in gym class, something about last night’s game and how he lost to a twelve-year-old online player. You try to pay attention, you really do, but the piercing gaze of Chenle sitting on a bench is distracting you. Ever since your encounter at the grocery store something about Chenle has changed. Something about the way he was looking at you. It almost seems like he is craving you like a bloodlust lion craves its prey. It scares you a bit, if you are being honest with yourself, but you can’t help but to be intrigued by him.

You can’t explain it, can’t grasp the concept with your bare hands. It confuses you, plagues you, keeps you up at night. He hasn’t made a move anymore, hasn’t tried talking to you again. It’s like he is waiting for you to come to him, to approach him. It’s like the lion changed his tactic, waiting for his prey to step closer, fascinated by the lion’s presence, before making a move and eating the prey alive.

“Are you even listening?”, Jisung says, voice evident with hurt. “I have been pouring my heart out for the last ten minutes and you don’t even listen to me. What kind of best friend are you?”

“I’m sorry, Jisung.”, you tell him, honestly. “I’m not really concentrated today. Everything is distracting me and it’s like I fell face first to the ground and I can’t get up.”

Upon the whistle of your coach, all of you stop running, walking to your water bottles and hastily taking sips. “I know, I’m sorry. I noticed you were acting kind of off today and I still kept talking about all of my worries without even asking about yours. I’m the bad friend, sorry.”

“No, you’re not, Sungie. I love listening to you and all your stories, don’t apologize for it. Today is just a rough day, and I want it to be over really bad.”

“You’ve been having a lot of bad days lately.”, your best friend remarks, worry lacing his voice. “Are you sure there is nothing wrong at home? Maybe you are just burned out from all your studying, and you need to take a break. How about we drive down to the beach over the weekend. It will help your mind to clear a bit.”

Normally you would hate this idea, not wanting to waste the weekend lying on a beach instead of studying for your upcoming tests, but with everything going on lately, you don’t think it’s a bad idea. You haven’t been feeling like yourself in a while, fog clouding your brain whenever you just try to sit down and read a book. Maybe a little trip away from everything will help you get back on track and be your old self again.

“You know what.”, you say, looking up at the boy in front of you with a bright smile. “I think that is a great idea.”

“Oh yes.”, Jisung jumps up and down a few times, excitement filling the young boys’ body. “This is going to be the best trip you will ever be on; I promise.”

-

Chenle leans against the hood of his car, waiting for you to come out of school. He has done this a million times, successfully. There wasn’t once that he failed, that he strayed behind. This is his job, his repute. He was born to do this and nothing else. But never once, never once in the years he is alive, has he crossed someone so pure, someone so good. There was a little bad in everyone, a little temptation, a little sin. Everyone did something bad, everyone had that part in them, that longing to commit a sin. But not you. You are so good. There is not one single part of you that seems evil. And that has made you become his most desired hunt.

Chenle doesn’t just want you, he needs you. He craves you. Your soul, your body, everything. He wants to break you, make you become the worst version of yourself. He wants to be the reason why you sin, not only once. Oh, no. It will take a few sins to make up for all the goodness you brought into this world. And he will watch you do them. Every single one of them. And he will thrive in the feeling of all the goodness draining your body, of the evil ruining your soul.

He will enjoy every single second of it.

Chenle watches as you smile at your friends. He watches as you bid goodbyes to every single one of them with a hug. And he decides then and there that it’s the first thing he wants you to lose.

“Chenle. Hi. Is everything okay?”, you ask him as he walks up to you. In his presence you change, he can feel it. Your body goes stiff, your eyes wide and alarming and your heart starts to beat faster than it normally does. And he loves the effect he has on you.

“Actually. No.” As you see the sadness in his eyes, alarms ring inside your brain. You have never seen him like that. You have never seen him express any other emotion than confidence, cockiness. And it immediately worries you. “I have this problem. And I wanted to come and talk to you. You know, you’re the only person I talked to so far and I think I can trust you the most with this issue.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. You can talk to me. I will try to help you with it.” He has you now, he thinks. Of course, he knew you wouldn’t turn down the opportunity of helping someone who desperately needs you. How could you live with yourself knowing you couldn’t help Chenle? You would do anything to help him, right? That’s who you are. That’s what you do.

“There have been some people talking about me behind my back, making up rumors about me. And while I act like I don’t care it actually really gets to me. You know the only thing I want is to fit in. I just came here, and all these rumors are making it hard for me to make friends. Everyone is scared of me, while all I want is for the people to like me.”

He can see it, right there, your face changing. Sympathy overtakes your features, and he can feel it spreading through your whole body. “Oh, Chenle that is awful. How can I help you with it? Do you want me to talk to those people?”

“That’s were it gets a bit tricky.” Chenle stops for a second, looks down at the ground, biting his lower lip nervously. “Your friends started these rumors. They were the ones who said I escaped from prison, and that I am a drug dealer. They were the ones who started calling me the devil.” Tears fill his eyes, and the sight breaks your heart. He sniffles, once, twice, before he continues. “They said I scared my family away, that they left me because I am so terrifying. I don’t get it, Y/n. I really don’t. I am not the most social person, I know that. I have been taking the time observing people more than actually talking to them and I know that can seem a bit scarry, but I am not a bad person. They haven’t even given me a chance to prove myself. They judged me without knowing me.” Chenle wipes one stray tear away from his eye, looking at you with pain in his face. “All I wanted was a chance.”

A feeling you never felt before enters your body. Is it rage? Is it anger? No, you are pretty sure it is wrath. Your friends, the people you trust, the people you grew up with. How could they treat a person like this? You knew about the rumors, all the things’ people were saying about Chenle, but hearing your own friends were the ones making all this up, makes you want to scream at them. Your parents taught you to surround yourself with people like you, kind and honest people, with people that respect others and show love to every soul, even the lost ones. You really thought they were like you, but you were wrong. You were wrong about them.

“Are you okay?”, Chenle asks, gently placing a hand on your shoulder. You look at him and see the tear stain still evident on his cheek. You see his glassy eyes; his slightly trembling lips and you knew you had to do something about this. You had to make them stop.

“Yes.”, you answer him, taking a few calming breaths. “Don’t worry Chenle. I will fix this. I will make them stop saying all these mean things about you.” With that you take off, walking to the back of the school. You know they hang out there after school is over, talking and studying together. And it is where you find them right now as well.

“Hey, Y/N. What are you doing here? I thought you went home already?” Looking at them, hearing them talk and laugh, it makes you sick. How can they sit there and act so nonchalant when they just hurt a person with their made-up rumors? How can act so innocent when they have the devil inside of them?

“Well, I came back because I just had an interesting conversation with someone.” The girls give you an usure look, all confused at the angriness in your voice. You don’t try to hide how you’re feeling, how upset and disappointed you are. You don’t try to hide the obvious wrath on your face.

“Okay? I am a bit confused. Why exactly are you telling us that?” It’s a simple question. A simple sentence. But it makes your blood boil.

“I ran into Chenle, and he told me something about you.” There are a few seconds of silence, and you watch as the girls look at each other, some confused, some with a knowing look. “He told me that you were the ones that made up those rumors about him. You made up lies about a person you don’t even know, a person you didn’t even give a chance to introduce himself. I know that he can seem a bit creepy, and distant, but that doesn’t give you the right to be so cruel to him. That doesn’t give you the right to act like stuck up bitches.”

“Y/n, what are you talking about? That doesn’t sound like you.” You just scoff, anger and frustration filling your body. You have never felt that way before, like you were about to explode, like you couldn’t control yourself anymore. And while it scares you a bit, you also never felt more powerful, more secure.

“Not like me, huh? Well, I thought the same about you. I thought I could trust you, count on you. I thought you were nice girls, raised to treat everyone with kindness. God, I thought you were like me. But, oh, was I wrong. You are all just insecure little girls who gain satisfaction in bringing other people down, in seeing them fall.”, you scream at them, not caring who can hear you. Your hands are shaking, your body is trembling. But you don’t care, you just go on. “You are so pathetic, a disgrace to humanity. You know how much you hurt that poor boy? He cried in front of me, because of you. You were the reason why he couldn’t make friends, why he never had the chance to fit it. People like you are the once that put shame on our society. You are the kind of people my mom always warned me about. Backstabbing, stuck up, insecure little girls. I should have never trusted you, be friends with you. God, I hope one day you will wake up and regret all this. One day you will pay for what you did, for your disgusting behavior. I hope that one day, one day… one day…” Your voice flatters, your vision goes blurry.

You feel two arms wrap around you, panic floods through your body until you hear the familiar voice of your best friend. “Hey, it’s okay. Just relax. It’s all going to be okay.”

The world starts spinning, your head starts throbbing. You can’t take this anymore, this pain, this stress. And shortly before the world goes black you see Chenle, standing on the sidelines with a grin on his lips.

Sin 2: Envy

“You’re sure he wasn’t there?”, you ask Jisung as you watch the waves crash against the shore. The setting sun glows brightly over the ocean, painting your face in a beautiful rosy color. The sand under your feet cools your body from the heat of the day. You watch as a caterpillar moves over the bumpy surface, hurrying back to his home to take a rest during the cold night.

“No, Y/n. Chenle wasn’t there when you passed out. He wasn’t anywhere near, believe me. I watched him walk home two minutes before I caught you in my arms, I swear.” You let out a sigh, closing your eyes as the soft evening breeze hits your hot face. Everything about that day is a blur, a fever dream. You don’t remember a lot. Everything is a haze. You barely remember talking to Chenle or screaming at the girls or fainting shortly after. Everything is blurred memories; no clear picture comes to your mind. But the only thing you remember clearly, like it’s burned into your brain, is seeing Chenle right before your vision went black. You remember his grin, his triumphant grin, like he just won a prize he has always wanted. It makes no sense that he wasn’t there when that is the only thing you can actually remember.

“Are you ready to talk about what happened that day?”, Jisung asks carefully, adjusting his position on the itchy sand. You haven’t avoided that subject, it’s just that you aren’t sure what’s happened. You aren’t sure why you reacted the way you reacted or why you felt the way you felt. This has never happened to you before and you are simply… lost.

You don’t know who that was that screamed at your own friends, but that wasn’t you. And it scares you to know what you are capable to do, scared at the lengths you can go. You barely managed to get the girls to except your apology. They were so shocked and hurt by your words, they didn’t even know if they wanted to forgive you. But they did. They also apologized, explained their side. They told you they didn’t start the rumors, but they also did nothing to stop them. They spread them just like everyone else and for that they’re sorry. But that day will always be hunting your friendship. It will always be there, day after day. And while they forgave you, you don’t know if you will ever forgive yourself for it.

“I told you already Jisung, I don’t know what happened. It’s all a daze, and it’s confusing. And hurts by brain just trying to think about it.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to think about it, Y/n.” Jisung shows you an encouraging smile, one hand softly taking yours. “It’s all going to be okay again. Let’s just enjoy the rest of our trip and forget about all this for a while.”

-

Chenle has been sitting with you at lunch for the past couple of days. Jisung is too busy at football practice, and Chenle took the opportunity of catching you alone. It’s mostly silent between you two- which you appreciate a lot- but when you’re talking, the conversation doesn’t seem to stop.

“You are telling me you have not watched the movie Tangled, the best Disney movie to ever exist?” Chenle shakes his head, earning a gasp to escape your lips. “How couldn’t you? I mean it’s such a life changing movie. Wait, tell me you have at least read Romeo and Juliet?” You are met with another shake of Chenles’ head. “Romeo and Juliet? Shakespear? Not ringing any bell? Wow, where do you come from that you don’t know those things?”

Chenle shrugs, taking a bit off his sandwich, chewing it cautiously before answering your question. “Well, we don’t really focus on books or movies where I come from. It’s considered a waste of time. Something that doesn’t bring you far in life.”

“That’s… so wrong. Movies and books teach you so many valuable lessons about life. I mean, Disney movies, for example, shaped me when I was a little girl. And with books you can gather so much knowledge, you can improve your imagination. They give you a chance to forget everything that happens in the world, even if it’s just for a few minutes. It’s really calming, reading I mean.”

“Well, how about I can come over to your place and you can show me that movie and that book, and I can judge for myself how good they really are.”

“I would love to, but my parents don’t allow boys in my room. I mean, not even Jisung is allowed to come into my room, and I’ve known him since I was five.” When you see Chenles’ face after your words, you start feeling bad. You can’t change your parents’ strictness, and you definitely can’t sneak Chenle into your house somehow. That would not end well, and you would break your parents’ rules. You were never one to do that, never one to disobey your parents. You couldn’t live with yourself had you gone behind your parents’ back to do something.

Chenle looks down at his hands in his lap, eyes sad like those of a puppy. It breaks your heart, yet again. It makes you long for him, long to make everything right, to cure all his pain, to change whatever is the reason behind his sadness. You let out a sigh, one hand nervously tucking your hair behind your ear. “But what about we meet at the local bookstore? I can recommend you books and tell you a bit about them. How those that sound?”

Chenle looks up at you, a smile lightening up his features. You can’t help but to match his energy, showing him one of your bright smiles as well. “That would be wonderful, Y/n. I’m picking you up later at 4.”

“But…”, but before you can say anything, Chenle has already packed his things together, hastily walking out the door. You sit there, dumbstruck, heart racing and mind spinning in circles. You ignore the fluttering in your chest, the weird churning in your belly. You ignore the lightheaded feeling, the blush on your cheeks. You simply ignore it, because if you ignore it, it isn’t there. It isn’t real.

But it’s all going according to plan, Chenle thinks. Everything is going according to plan.

-

Chenle has a book in his one hand and a coffee in another while you explain him the story about the book ‘To kill a Mockingbird’. He’s not listening, nodding when needed and humming when it feels necessary. He spends his time looking around, scanning people for familiar faces, waiting patiently for someone to arrive. Before he spots who he was looking for.

“But I think you should definitely read it. It’s one of the most important books on this planet. I think everyone should read it at least once.” You finish your ramble, placing the book in Chenles’ bag, before looking back at your list. “The next book is Moby-Dick. A classic in my opinion. Another book that everyone should have read at least once. You know I’ve watched a theater play of this book.” You are met by another hum, probably the 20th you received in a matter of seven minutes. “Are you even listening?”

“Yeah, sure, of course I am listening. Moby-Dick. Classic.”

“You know, you were the one who asked me to show you books, but if you’re not going to listen, then I will just leave.” You want to get up, but before you do, your gaze shifts into the direction Chenle is staring at. Lee Nuri is sitting a few tables away from you, a book in her hands. You know her from school, talked to her only a handful of times, but you never paid close attention to her. She is gorgeous, unmistakably, but she doesn’t run in the same circle as you do. “Were you staring at Nuri this whole time?”

“Nuri? That’s her name?”, Chenle asks, eyes not meeting yours even just for a second. And you ignore how upset that makes you feel. “I wondered what beautiful name such beautiful girl could have.”

A scoff threatens to leave your lips, but you swallow it before it comes out your mouth. You pack your bag together, ready to leave Chenle behind in the bookstore before he continues. “I mean look at her, she is glowing. Her skin looks so soft, and her hair so silky, don’t you think?” He looks at you, just for a millisecond, before focusing his gaze again on her. “Her legs are so long and smooth, her short skirt only empathizes that. Her body is perfect, look at her waist, what an hourglass figure. I bet so many girls are jealous of her. And she has such plump and pink lips, I guarantee you she’s a phenomenal kisser. Oh, what she could do with those lips. Her eyes, man, they are so big and round, makes her look so desirable, right? It’s almost like God took his time crafting her to perfection, to create a temptation to every person on this planet.”

Something inside of you shuts off, completely. You don’t work anymore. You can’t speak, can’t feel, can’t breathe. Your mind is blank, wiped clean, empty, expect for the blinking white light behind your eyes. Dizziness takes over your whole body, stops in your head and makes a home there. Everything is a blur, a daze. It’s almost like a déjà-vu, like something hidden deep inside your memory.

“Are you okay? You’re so pale.” You hear a voice, but you don’t know who is talking to you. You don’t know if that person is right in front of you or five feet away. You don’t know anything anymore. “I’m taking you home.”

-

You stare into the mirror, deep and long, seeing your bare self in front of you. You don’t know how you got home, when you took your clothes off or why you started staring at yourself. But you do it anyway. You observe every single part of your body, judging it. You take the flesh of your skin in your hands, moving it, adjusting it, never being satisfied with how it sits on your body. Your hips could be smaller, your legs longer, your lips fuller, your eyes bigger. You could be taller, skinnier, prettier. You could be so many things, so many things Nuri already is.

You know that this isn’t you. You wouldn’t pick yourself apart. You wouldn’t sink into this envy, into this jealousy. But you haven’t been you in a while now, haven’t felt real in a long time. You feel it sinking in, this need to be her, to have what she has. You let the envy sink it. No longer grateful for what you have, for what you are. You want what makes her so attractive to Chenle. You want her long eyelashes, her red lips, her curves, her long fingers, her clear skin. You don’t care about the things you have, the things that make you beautiful.

There is a scream inside of your head, a voice that repeats itself over and over again. It multiplies, getting louder and louder and louder.

Be grateful.

Be greedy.

Love yourself.

Love what she has more than what you have.

Don’t care about others’ opinions.

Impress Chenle, be what he desires to be.

You want him to look at you the way he looked at Nuri. You need him to want you, crave you, desire you. He can’t find her more attractive than you, he simply can’t. Your jealous of his attention on her, of his gaze wandering off; his thoughts not belonging to you. You’re jealous of her grace, her captivity, her beauty. You need to be her if that’s what it takes. Whatever it costs you, whatever it makes you do.

When you look up again into the mirror, Chenle is standing behind you, a grin on his lips again. It robs your breath, crushes your soul into two. It brings burning tears to your eyes, a broken heart. He doesn’t look at you, not really, not how you want him to. He stares straight into your eyes, his gaze never once straying.

“Am I not enough for you?”, you ask, screaming into the void. “Am I not desirable enough? Sexy enough? Pretty enough? Is my body not good enough for you to look at? Would you rather look at Nuri, huh?” You don’t get an answer, but you wait anyway. You stare back at him, tears uncontrollably streaming down your face. “What can I do, Chenle? Tell me. What can I do to be enough for you? I will do anything. Anything it takes. I want you. I need you. Please don’t look at Nuri anymore, please just look at me.” You watch as Chenles’ grin never leaves his lips. He doesn’t move, doesn’t say a word. He just silently watches you lose yourself. He watches you break, and he seems to enjoy it.

“You’re sick you know that? Watching a girl begging you, crying her heart out and still you say nothing. Still, you choose to be quiet, enjoying this sight. Is that what gets you off, huh?” Your voice gets louder and louder by the second, raw with emotion. “Please, just look at me. Speak to me. Say anything.” Nothing. “I will make you want me, Chenle. You will look at me the way you’re looking at Nuri. I promise, I will become everything you’ve ever dreamt of.”

There is hope glimmering in your eyes, stupid, dangerous, hope. “We belong.”, you say, voice just a bare whisper. “I know that. Because since you’re here, I’m different. You did something to me. I don’t know what it is, but you did something. You have that power and you used it on me. You talked to me first. You stared at me first. You want me, and you know it. You wouldn’t be standing here if you didn’t.” You laugh, hysterically, like you already lost your mind. “You want me.”

Another pause, another silence. You sniffle, lifting your hands to furiously wipe the tears away from your face, rubbing your eyes.  And when you open them again, regaining your vision, Chenle is gone. He disappeared, like he was never there in the first place, and you’re fully dressed from head to toe in the same clothes you wore earlier.

Sin 3: Lust

Heavy eyebags surround your eyes, exhaustion written all over your small quivering frame. But the familiar feeling of determination fills your body as you hold the Halloween Party flyer in your hands with a written note saying ‘Pick you up at five. Dress nicely.’. This could be your chance, your chance to keep the own promises you made.

You have been ignoring Jisung, the girls, Nuri. Everyone, if you’re being honest with yourself. Nothing has been worth your time, not listening to Jisungs’ endless rambles, not watching the girls Cheerleader practice, not reading a book, or studying for all your tests. It’s not important anymore, not worth your thoughts. There is one thing, and one thing only, in your mind written in bold red letters, engraved into your brain. Chenle. Nothing more. Just him and his orange hair, his seductive grin, his black outfits. Just him and his words, replaying over and over and over again inside your mind, reminding you what to fight for, what to live for, or to die for.

“Y/n. Stop walking away from me. What is wrong with you?” There is a voice calling for you, behind you, but you don’t pay any attention to it. You continue your walk home, thoughts of what to wear, how to look the best. “Stop.” A hand grabs your arm, and you flinch, turning around to see your best friend, no Jisung, standing in front of you. He is wearing his practice clothes, sweat dripping down his forehead. He looks frustrated, desperate.

“I don’t have time, Jisung. I have to go home.” You try to walk again, but his grip on your arm doesn’t budge and it irritates you. Why can’t he just let you go? Can’t he see that you have something more important to do, a duty to fulfil?

“No, you’re going to stay and you’re going to tell me what is wrong with you.” And it is then in that moment that you realize what’s wrong. That you know why he looks so desperate. “Y/n, please just tell me what’s wrong. Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you in any way? If I did, please tell me. All I want to do is make it up to you again, be friends again. Y/n I don’t want to lose you, please just tell me what’s wrong.”

You look at him, long and deep, before a sigh slips past your lips. There is no other way around this. “God, if I knew you were so clingy, I wouldn’t have become friends with you.” Silence. Long, dreadful silence. Jisungs’ mouth is hung open, his eyes wide. He can’t believe his ears.

“What…? What did you just say?” Jisung already starts talking again before you can repeat your words. “Y/n, that’s not you speaking. I don’t what happened to you, what made you turn into this. But that’s not you. You are loving and sweet and kind. This is not you. For god’s sake, you told me you love it when I’m clingy, that it makes you feel needed. You told me those exact words.”

You sigh, yet again, taking the moment to remove your arm from Jisungs’ grip. “Maybe this is who I always was, not who everyone wanted me to be. I know this is hard for you, Jisung, but you have to accept it. You have to accept the fact that I will never love you the way you love me.”

Jisung chokes on his own spit, eyes almost falling out of his body. “You… you know?”

“I think I’ve always known. But I don’t love you, Jisung. I never will. And I feel honored, really, but this won’t work out. So just accept it, move on. It’s for the better.”

“But I can’t move on, Y/n. Not after everything, not after our trip together. I love you, and I want you to be in my life, even if it is just as my best friend. You can’t do this to me. I won’t let you.” Jisung is trembling, head shaking left and right over and over again, desperation in his eyes. But it doesn’t work. You don’t feel bad for him, you don’t care. You care about one thing only.

“What happened on that trip was a mistake. I never should have kissed you.” But you did, and as nice as it felt, you regret it now. Because now you wish it would have been Chenle. “I don’t want you, Jisung. I want Chenle. Get that inside your head and leave me alone. I don’t want you, never.” And with that you turn around and continue your way home, leaving a heartbroken Jisung behind.

But your thoughts already pushed that away. All you can think about again is the outfit you’re going to wear tonight. All you can think about is how tonight you will make Chenle yours, you will make him desire you.

-

Devil and angel. That’s what you find yourself wearing as you enter the party. It’s ironic, really. How Chenle decided to wear a devil’s costume, black clothes, red horns and big black wings. And you as an angel, white short dress, big fluffy wings and red lipstick painting your lips. It’s even more ironic that Chenle wants to make the rumors come true, he wants to be who the people paint him to be, he wants to show them that he can play this game as well.

Chenles’ hand hasn’t left your lower back ever since you left your house, sometimes wandering further but never too much. It sends electric shocks through your body every time, something different filling your body. Lust, is what you call it. He hasn’t left your side, keeping you close. Sometimes he leans down, whispering things into your ear that leave you breathless. And sometimes his gaze wanders through the crowd, but you stop him every time, guiding his face back to you, capturing his eyes with yours. You don’t want him to look somewhere else, don’t want him to stray away. You just want him to put all his attention on you, to put everything on you.

Out of the corner of your eyes you can see Jisung, leaning against a wall, drinking a cheap drink out of a red plastic cup. But you ignore him, you ignore everyone in the room. You just keep on grinding your body into Chenles’, dancing until your lungs give out. Chenle has his hands firmly on your hips, guiding your moves, pressing you further into him. It makes your head spin, your vision blur. It makes you want to rip his clothes off, right here, right on this dance floor for everyone to see.

And you would have, you really did, if it wasn’t for Jisung grabbing your hand, pulling you away from Chenle. “What the heck?”, you scream at him over the loud music, struggling to get out of his grip. “Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere quiet.”, Jisung says, voice unsteady. The kitchen isn’t crowded, expect for one couple making out in the back, but Jisung doesn’t give them any attention. He just looks at you, at your revealing dress, your smeared red lipstick, the sweat dripping down your forehead. “God, I can’t even look at you.”

“Then don’t.”, you shoot back, turning around to leave, but he stops you. Jisung quickly walks in front of you, causing you to bump into his chest. “Jisung.”, you sigh. “I already rejected you. Stop bothering me. I am here with Chenle, I want Chenle. Do you want me to spell it out for you? Want me to scream it to the whole world? Because I will when he fucks me later.”

Jisungs’ breaths are unsteady, tears sting in his eyes and you have to advert your gaze. You can’t look at him like that, and you don’t know why. “Look at me.”, he whispers, one hand softly holding your cheek. “Look at me, please. I’m begging you.” Your eyes meet his, unsure, unsteady. “I love you. I do. Chenle doesn’t. He doesn’t even know you, not the real you anyway. Whatever you are doing, I know it is to impress him. But you don’t have to. You don’t have to be someone you are not. You don’t have to change yourself just so that he will like you. God, if he doesn’t like you for the way you are then he doesn’t deserve you.” He lets a frustrated hand stroke through his hair, tugging on it lightly.

Jisung knows something is wrong. He knows that whatever Chenle did to you to make you this way, it must have been something serious. Ever since he came here, you have changed. You turned into someone you always wished never to be. “Remember when we were eight years old.”, he starts speaking, his other hand never leaving your cheek. “We were friends, barely actually. We knew each other, played every now and then together, but we were both shy. We didn’t know how to talk to each other. That was until I scrapped my knees falling down while playing with a jumping robe. I remember crying so much, not being able to look at my bleeding knee. But you immediately came running to me. You kept on telling me how everything was going to be okay. And you held my hand until my mom came, until she was done cleaning up the wound and until I had a band-aid on my knee. You never once let it go. And that’s when I knew, Y/n. That’s when I knew that I love you, and that I always will. That’s when I knew that you are the kindest person on this planet.”

“Jisung.”, you whisper, one tear falling from your eyes, but he catches it with his thumb. You feel it, all the weight crushing down on you. You feel every single thing, and it destroys you. Jisung looks deeply into your eyes, his other hand coming up to stroke your hair softly. You don’t know what to say, what to feel, what to think. “I’m so sorry.” And he wants to say something, open his mouth to speak, but someone beats him to it.

“There you are.”, Chenle says, leaning against the kitchen doors frame. “I searched for you everywhere, my love.” And it’s like a switch turning inside of you. You slap Jisungs’ hand away, rolling your eyes at his advantages and walking towards Chenle. The moment you are within reach, Chenle pulls you in, wrapping one hand around you. “Hey man, I get that you are in love with her, or whatever, but it’s rude to steal someone else’s date. So, search for someone else to fuck.”

The moment Chenle pulls you into one of the free rooms, his lips are on yours. He kisses you feverishly, devilishly. He kisses you like he wants to leave you dry, like he wants to have you pleading. Chenle has you against the wall, hands all over your body, gripping and groping the sensitive skin, marking you up flesh by flesh. He bites your lower lip hard, only stopping when blood drips down your chin. Only then does he move on to your neck, sucking and biting, slurping and groaning. He presses you further into the wall, presses his whole body against. And you enjoy it. You enjoy his roughness, his possessiveness. You enjoy the way he doesn’t care if he’s going to hurt you, how he only cares about his own pleasure.

“You’re mine, sweetheart. You know that, right?” You nod at his voice, taking a few breaths trying to clear your foggy brain. You lean into him again, searching for his lips with yours but he pulls away, enticing a whimper to come out of your mouth. “I need you to say it, baby. Say you are mine. Say it like you mean it.”

“I’m yours.”, your voice is hoarse, breaking with those two words. “I’m yours.” Chenle grins, evilly almost. But he knows it’s not done yet; he knows that he has to do a little more. Just a tiny bit more and then he can have you, all to himself. He gives you what you crave, leaning down and capturing your mouth with his.

The kiss is messy, spit dripping down your chin, but you don’t care. All you want is to have Chenle closer, feel his skin on you. You want him to make you his, to claim you, to paint you from the inside. You want him to fill you up with all his everything and never let you go again. You want him so much it’s starting to hurt. Deep inside of you the pain starts to immerge, starting in your heart and spreading through your veins, slowly consuming your whole body.

“You feel that.”, Chenle whispers, parting from your lips slightly. You breathe him in, deep and long, but every breath is causing a sharp pain in your lungs. “You can feel the pain? This is your love for me, your want, your lust. It’s consuming you, isn’t it?” You almost can’t hear him through the ringing in your ears, almost can’t see him through the haze in your eyes.

Chenle presses his knee between your legs, enjoying the way you moan in pleasure at the feeling. He lets his hands wander over your body, moving your hips down, pressing you more on his knee. “I can feel you, baby. I can feel how you want me.” You weakly grip his shoulders, trying to stay up right. You feel dizzy, like you are about to pass out. And you don’t know if it’s from the pain in your body or the pleasure clouding your mind. But you know you want more, you need more.

“Please.”, you whimper, hands fumbling to unbutton his shirt. Chenle lets you try, chuckling at your shaking hands and the frustrated frown on your face as you notice your inability to open the buttons.

“Please, what, sweetheart? Use your words.” You sigh, throwing your head back and letting one hand glide down to the hem of his shirt, right before the button of his pants. “I can’t give you what you want, if you don’t tell me.”

“I want you.”, you tell him, voice coming out more stable than you thought it would. “Please, take me, Chenle.” And he knows, right in this moment, that it is time. That his plan has worked. He knows that he succeeded, that he can finally have what he has desired for so long.

“Finally.”, he whispers, face falling, eyes glowing red. “You know how long I waited for this? How long you made me wait? I should punish you, you know? I should destroy you for making me waste so much energy on your small little frame. But you don’t want that, do you? No, I bet you don’t. You just want to be with me, forever. Aren’t I right?” A tiny spark of fear courses through your body, but the lust inside of you makes you ignore that feeling.

“Yes, I want you forever, Chenle.” And it all happens so fast. Chenle takes your hair into his fist, tipping your head back violently. His eyes bore into the skin of your neck, marking it with his gaze. The whole room turns into black smoke, filling your lungs and making it hard for you to catch your breath. He is heaving, licking his blood shot lips with an animalistic manner.

“Oh, my sweet girl. We are going to have so much fun together. Your mind is mine, was mine from the second you looked me in the eyes. I made you mine, and that will stay forever. I broke the sweet innocent girl you were. I broke you and showed you who you really are. You are going to be eternally grateful to me for that. I am your master now. I am the one you’re serving. And don’t worry, I am going to take extra good care of you. I couldn’t waste such a pretty little thing.”

And just like that, in the matter of mere seconds, in the blink of an eye, everything you once knew gets taken away from you. And it is one thought that flashes through your mind, before you the world turns black.

You should have listened to them when they told you the devil exists, and that he is among us. You should have listened to them, before you fell right into his trap, before you looked him in the eyes.

Bonus

Screams of suffering souls are faintly heard in the back, whimpers of pleading ghosts surround you and the burning fire warms the side of your face, but you stay unmoving. Glued to your place right beside the throne of bones and shattered spirits with Chenle sitting on it.

His large wings stay firmly tucked on his back, horns covering the top of his hands and his sharp teeth snarl from time to time.

Hell is worse than anyone imagined it to be, but you got used to it. You got used to the screams of pain, the muttered pleadings, the overwhelming heat. You got used to the suffering around you, inside of you. It never gets easier, never gets less. It stays constant, the suffering. Only when you step out of line, when the begging gets too much, do you die again. You learned to not do that, to behave, to be a statue. You learned that asking Chenle to spare your life isn’t going to help you. Because the devil doesn’t feel remorse, the devil doesn’t feel anything at all. You learned that it will only make him more ruthless, angry, wrathful. And that is not a sight you want to see again. So, you stay a perfect statue, a perfect toy. Because nothing matters anymore, nothing is important anymore, nothing makes any sense anymore. Why?

Because you’re already dead.  

[ohmygs-blog]

hi baby!! asking for toxic/angry dreamies when u try to move on from your crush on them pls >_<

trying to move on from dreamies.

[cu1tsmark]

"Acts of Love"

Chenle grinned as he entered the grocery store, a determined look on his face. He was on a mission today, and nothing was going to stop him from spoiling his beloved Y/N. He pushed a cart down the aisles, carefully selecting items from her grocery list, and then some.

"Y/N loves strawberries, right?" Chenle mused to himself, tossing a pack of plump, ripe strawberries into the cart. "And she can never resist a good chocolate cake."

After a successful grocery trip, Chenle made his way to Y/N's favorite bakery. He knew she had a weakness for pastries, so he ordered a variety of her favorites: croissants, cream puffs, and cinnamon rolls.

Back at home, Chenle arranged the pastries on a plate and set them on the kitchen table. Just as he was about to text Y/N to come downstairs, he remembered the bouquet of fresh flowers he had bought earlier. He rushed to the living room and arranged them in a vase, making sure they looked perfect.

Finally, he sent Y/N a text: "Hey, babe, could you come downstairs? I have a little surprise for you."

Y/N's response was quick: "Sure, I'll be right there!"

As Y/N descended the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of a beautifully set table with a feast of pastries and a vase of fresh flowers.

"Good morning, princess!" Chenle greeted her cheerfully as he grinned and pulled out a chair for her.

Y/N smiled and gasp by the suprise. "Good morning, Chenle! What's all this?" she asked as her eyes widening in amazement.

Chenle chuckled. "Just a little something to brighten your day. And I brought some of your favourite pastries for us to enjoy together."

Y/N couldn't help but laugh as she sat down. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "Only for you."

Over breakfast, they chatted and laughed, and Y/N couldn't stop smiling. Chenle had a knack for making even the simplest moments feel extraordinary.

As they sat down to eat, Y/N couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by Chenle's generosity. "Baby, you really didn't have to do all this for me. You spoil me too much."

Chenle grinned and reached for her hand. "Spoiling you is one of my favorite things to do. I just want to see you happy, princess."

Over the next few weeks, Chenle's surprises continued. He would show up at her door with her favorite takeout, surprise her with tickets to her favorite band's concert, and even do her laundry when he knew she was too busy with work.

One evening, as they were cuddled up on the couch, Y/N turned to Chenle and said, "You know, Chenle, I appreciate all these things you do for me, but I don't want you to feel like you have to constantly spoil me."

Chenle looked at her earnestly. "Y/N, I do it because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. You mean the world to me, and seeing you happy brings me so much joy."

Y/N smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "Well, I feel pretty lucky to have you in my life."

Chenle kissed her back, his eyes filled with affection. "I'm the lucky one, Y/N."

And so, their relationship continued to blossom, filled with love, laughter, and Chenle's never-ending surprises. Y/N had come to realize that Chenle's generosity was a reflection of his deep love for her, and she couldn't be more grateful to have him by her side.

[sungbeam]

𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞

nonidol!eric sohn x gn!reader

you can't figure out why eric's been acting different, but maybe you had nothing to worry about in the first place.

8.2k words, bffs2l, college au, reader is incredibly oblivious, swearing, pining, flirting, kissing, mentions of organic chemistry (yuck), eric sohn, fluff, one really bad that's what he said joke (sorry it was chenle), mentions of alcohol

a/n: to @mosviqu !! (requests are closed) hope you like this one, beloved :')) thanks for waiting

A midnight pool party wasn't exactly what you had in mind when you told your friends that you had just gotten off of work. You'd thought they were just having a game night at another friend's house, but it turned out, they decided to utilize said friend's massive backyard space, including his heated pool lined with LED lights at the bottom.

"Who the hell has LED lights at the bottom of their pool?" You voiced aloud in the car.

Ningning's voice wrapped around you from the full volume of your phone's speaker, "My friend from middle school and the one who got us into Yangyang's party the other night��Zhong Chenle. You remember him, right? We went to high school with him, too."

You definitely remembered him. How could you not? He had the most subtly rich personality you'd ever come across. You once thought he was wearing a regular, white Hanes T-shirt from the store (the ones that came in a six pack from Costco), but it turned out that it was a two hundred dollar Balenciaga top.

It was literally just a white shirt.

"Yeah, so we're just here with him and some of his friends," Ningning continued on. You could hear the sounds of merriment in the background, including music and bodies crashing into the pool.

You pulled up to your apartment complex, and it took a second for you to gather your belongings and scramble out of the car. You squeezed your phone between your ear and shoulder as you bumped the car door closed with your hip. "Who's there again? I know you and Winter, but specifically…"

"Uhhh—besides Chenle, there's Renjun, Yangyang, Sungchan, and Eric."

As you let yourself into the apartment, you paused. “Wait, Eric's back?”

There was a commotion on the other side and for a moment, you didn't hear what Ningning said. Then she returned to the speaker with a giggle in her voice, “Yn! We're playing Monopoly soon, but I'm only playing if you're coming over—oh shit, did you say something just now?”

You chuckled, dumping your bag on the kitchen counter and just barely stopping yourself from slumping over like your work bag. “I just asked if Eric was back. I thought you just said he was there with you all.”

“Oh yeah! He said he got back from LA a few hours ago. I don't know how he's not severely jetlagged, but you know what? He brought booze.”

“Sounds like Eric,” you mused. You wondered why he hadn't told you he was back in town. You thought he wouldn't be taking off until tomorrow morning, so that was when you were expecting him.

“—so?”

“Hm?”

“You coming over?”

“Yeah, yeah give me a few.”

One cup of crappy coffee and a change of clothes later, you arrived in front of Chenle's house just a fifteen minute drive from your complex. It was gated and tucked away, which made sense as to why they were able to make so much noise. You could hear the music out from the driveway.

Ningning emerged from the shadows of the side entrance to the house. Her eyes lit up at the sight of you. "Ahh, Yn! I'm so glad you're finally here," she squealed and skipped over to you in her flip-flops, wrapping her arms around you in a big hug. Your friend was dressed in a pretty, bandeau bikini top and bottom, her inky black hair falling down her shoulders like the flow of a waterfall.

You laughed as she pulled away. "Glad I could make it. Are we just going through the side gate or something?"

She nodded and guided you through the foliage. "Yeah. How was work?"

You figured that after your long shift, you probably wouldn't have much energy to actually go swimming. You'd changed into a bathing suit anyway and threw a T-shirt and shorts over it in case, but had arrived with little more than your wallet, keys, and lip gloss.

You gave her a shrug in reply. "Eh. It's work," you said, your voice barely loud enough to hear over the sound of water splashing and high-pitched shrieks. "It was quiet, at least."

"That's good," she nodded with a soft smile thrown over her shoulder. "Thank god you're finally here. Chenle decided he didn't wanna get his limited edition Jade Rabbit Monopoly board wet—” She gave an indulgent eye roll, “—but his game, his decision, I guess.”

You chimed in your agreement just as you and Ningning emerged on the side of the backyard that hosted your friends and their midnight pool party. From your vantage, you could count the heads present, including one Yangyang making a splash into the pool and getting water all over Renjun.

“Yn!” Winter raised a hand from where she sat cross-legged on a lounge chair.

“Yo, what's up, Yn?” Sungchan hollered from the side of the pool where the speaker was. He was fiddling around with whoever's phone was connected to the aux cord.

You grinned, greeting everyone with a big wave. “Hey, guys. Have you been out here for long?”

“Yangyang, I swear to—” Renjun's swear cut through the music to the symphony of Yangyang's screeching of absolute delight. The former brushed his wet hair back, rubbing the pool water out of his eyes. It wasn't until afterward that he greeted you back as you neared where he had been dragged into the pool by his friend. “Hi, Yn. Did you just get here?”

“I did! Where's—”

The back door to the house slid open and Chenle emerged dragging out a massive cooler of what you assumed to be drinks. Carrying the back end was Eric in a pair of dampened board shorts with his wet bangs hanging in his eyes.

“Eric Sohn! You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow morning, you poser!” You shouted in his direction.

Chenle and Eric's heads both whipped over toward where you and Ningning were. Chenle said something to Eric with a wide-ass monkey grin, then proceeded to drag the cooler the rest of the way without Eric's help.

Eric cupped the back of his neck sheepishly as he approached you. He must have recently gotten out of the pool, because there was still water dripping down the lines of his chest and stomach. “In my defense, the airline offered me money if I took an earlier flight,” he said with a laugh.

“As your certified best friend,” you mused, “I'm offended I wasn't the first to know about this update.”

“Okay, best friend, let me hug you to make up for it.”

Your eyes widened, “Eric, you're wet—”

“That's what he said!” Chenle howled with laughter at his own joke, and Ningning groaned in anguish.

“Okay and?” Before you could protest any more, he trapped you in his arms, pressing his dampened skin against your perfectly dry outer garments. For good measure, he nuzzled his wet hair against the side of your face, too.

“You're like—like a dog,” you laughed, playfully pushing him away.

Eric beamed and placed his hands on his hips. “Golden retriever to your black cat. Now, do I have to dump you in that pool myself or are you going to like swimming tonight?”

Your face pressed into a deadpanning line, which drew an even brighter sound from him. You couldn't help but smile; it was nice to have him back. “You're so annoying sometimes. I'm sitting on the edge of the pool only, and you can suck it.”

As you began making your way over to the edge of the pool, Eric trailed after you with his head shaking and a laugh lingering on his tongue. “Missed you, Yn.”

It was a good thing you were facing away from him right then. A smile split your face like a slice of watermelon. “Missed you, too, Sohn.”

You didn't see your friends again until the following Friday evening. It wasn't late enough to call it “night” nor early enough to call it “afternoon.” It was a timestamp somewhere in the middle when the sun had yet to decide if it would hide behind the buildings or peer through the alleyways. It was also when the Korean BBQ place in the university district was relatively bare, and so you and your friends could get away with scoring the big table in the back on the raised platform.

“I feel like a king,” Chenle said with a smile on his face as he breathed in the smell of beef on the grill.

Sungchan flipped over one of the pieces of chicken with his tongs. “Wait, so Yn, they're for real making you work the Friday night closing shift?”

All eyes turned toward your end of the table where you sat with Eric on your right, and Ningning and Winter across from you.

Your eyelashes fluttered as you blinked, your dominant hand pausing your chopstick movements. “Oh, uh, yeah… I mean,” you added with a shrug, “it's not so bad most of the time. I think I would rather have me working than one of the kids.” The store you worked at was relatively understaffed, and your manager oftentimes hired high schoolers from the nearby district to fill in the spaces. There were rare occasions where rowdy customers came in during the latter hours of the night, and you would rather your younger colleagues didn't have to worry about that. (Even if you yourself also worried about rowdy customers.)

“Do you at least get a closing shift bonus?” Winter asked, her cheek stuffed with her last bite. “When I worked part-time at the corner store last year, they at least incentivized closing.”

“Usually when I work alone, yeah,” you said.

Eric's left arm came to rest over the back of your chair as he leaned forward to transfer a slab of short rib to your bowl. “Are you working alone tonight?” He asked, reaching past you to grab a piece of cucumber from one of the metal bowls of side dishes.

You placed the cucumbers between the two of you temporarily so he could have easier access. “I think so,” you said. “Unless my manager recruited someone else, but yeah, I think it'll probably just be me.”

The rest of the table turned to their individual conversations, especially as one of the waiters brought over an additional platter of meats to grill.

Eric murmured to you, “What if I just happened to show up at your work tonight?”

You turned your body slightly to face him, mutual smiles curling onto both of your mouths. “What, need a new first aid kit or something?”

“And a little dose of Yn Ln,” he said before popping a slice of fish cake into his mouth. He was still leaning in close to you, the twinkle in his eyes like a secret only you two knew. You were trying to not let the skin peeking out of his tank top throw you off balance; it was definitely just the heat and steam that made it glisten.

Your eyebrows shot up at his remark. “You're getting plenty of me now.”

“I need to make up for when I was away,” he replied as easy as it was for him to drink water. “I told you, I missed you.”

It was the fire from the grill, the heat of the room, the smell of the food. It was not Eric Sohn making your skin hot or your heart trip—at least, that was what you told yourself. He was attractive, yes, and he was one of your best friends. He was flirty, double yes, but he was still just a friend. (Right?) “Did you breathe too much LA air?” You joked half-heartedly. “You're acting… different.”

He shoved his bite into his cheek and gave you a shrug. “I think I'm acting exactly how I should be,” he said with a quirk of his eyebrows, then tuning into whatever topic Renjun had brought up—something about a party at Han Jisung's house.

Your head tilted to the side in dumbfoundment, but you returned to the rest of the group even if your brain was rewinding that conversation over and over again in your head. What did he mean that he was acting exactly how he should be?

For a moment, you turned back to look at him. His head was so close to yours, his body scooted forward on his chair to close that distance between his legs and yours. You couldn't read him—could only see the mirth in his eyes from Chenle and Renjun going back and forth in Chinese, as if he could understand. You weren't sure what you were looking for.

He glanced over at you then to meet your eyes. It was a split second, but that was enough to alter your brain chemistry, that you were sure his eyes flickered down to your lips. Then his eyes were away from you, having never dared a look at all.

It was about three hours later that you found yourself stationed behind the front counter at the store you worked at. After six, usually the crowd dwindled down when everyone was out having dinner or curled up at home for the night.

That left you with a few options to occupy the time. With the aisles less than crowded, you could hook your phone up to the overhead speaker and bop your head while stocking up the aisles. While Wednesdays were the main inventory days, some of that work spilled into Thursdays and Fridays depending on how much was delivered and who was on the schedule.

You were sorting through the candy aisle checking for expired dates when you heard the jingle of the bell above the front door. “Hi, welcome in!” You hollered from over the aisle, then broke into a smile at the sight of a familiar Los Angeles Angels baseball cap.

Eric tracked your voice and joined you in the aisle you were in, his tank top from earlier swapped out for a dark colored T-shirt under a corduroy jacket. He must have not wanted to come in clothes that reeked of food. “Hey you,” he said, walking over to ruffle your hair.

“Aye,” you chided half-heartedly and reached up to smooth out the hair on top of your head. “I didn't think you were being serious about stopping by,” you mused. You squeezed your hand to reach for the bars of chocolate at the far back. When you examined them and determined that they had reached the shelf expiration date, you dumped them into the shopping basket at your feet to be logged later.

“Of course I was being serious,” he huffed while perusing the bags of gummy candies hanging in the section next to you.

“Those are pretty good.” You pointed out a brand of lesser known gummies shaped like whale sharks. They had adorable, little smiles, but when they got damaged or melted… it was less adorable and less smile-looking. But they were nice and snackable, nonetheless.

He hummed in consideration and plucked a bag off the hanger. “How many of these brands have you tried?”

“Like… five or six,” you said. “I just kind of mark it as a store expense, and then me and the other person on shift share it.”

He chuckled, a smile flitting over his lips after examining the back of the bag. “Wanna share these with me?”

“Sure, man.”

That was how you found yourself at the front counter across from Eric, a bag of whale shark gummies split open between you. You had the store's to-do list binder open and were checking off the items you'd completed, all the while popping a poor whale shark into your mouth. Eric had found interest in one of the celebrity magazines displayed on the rack by the door.

It had so far been a slow night with very few customers coming in to grab a last minute case of beer or condoms. All the usual shit. However, time flew past a lot faster with Eric keeping you company. Even though the conversation you'd had with him at dinner earlier lingered in the back of your mind, it was quickly forgotten as he filled your time talking about LA, plans for the summer, and whatever you were up to while he was gone.

As midnight fast approached, the gummy sharks were finished and you whipped out the broom to begin cleaning up.

Eric idly scrolled through your phone to choose a song, skipping one after the other. “Can I help clean up or anything?” He asked after settling on a Dominic Fike song.

“Just sit still and look pretty,” you teased as you swept some dust and debris into a dustpan.

He smiled to himself. “That should be your job.”

There went your heart again, but thank god you were turned away from him. “Unfortunately, I don't get paid for that.”

“How much do you want?”

You turned your head over your shoulder to look at him, and he sent you a cheeky grin. You laughed loud at the ridiculousness, then returned to sweeping the aisle you were in. “You’re so stupid,” you said playfully. You didn't mean it… sort of. He was stupidly smooth, stupidly pretty, stupidly—

Eric grabbed the dustpan to trail after you. “Damn, I call you pretty and you call me stupid?”

“What if stupid is a compliment?”

“When is it ever a compliment?”

Despite the banter, the two of you were both beaming at each other in the lowlight. In no time, you had the entire store swept clean (for the most part), and you went to tuck the broom and dustpan into the back room. The clock struck just about midnight, too, and you swung the ring of keys around your index finger, your bag hanging off your shoulder.

Eric glanced up from where he had his nose buried in his phone screen. “Ready?” He asked, perking up like a golden retriever.

“Yep.” You stopped behind the counter to clock out. “Thanks for keeping me company, Eric. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, what are f—” His voice broke for a second, and you sent him a look. He cleared his throat, “What are friends for?”

You finished clocking out on the computer, then slipped out from behind the counter and moved toward where Eric was. “Is that what we are?” You jested in reply.

His eyes went wide for a second. “What?”

Your head cocked to the side quizzically. “Is that what we are? Friends?” You repeated. When he still looked dumbfounded, you grimaced, “Was that lame? Yeah, that was lame. Let's just forget about that.”

You stepped toward the front door, but Eric placed a hand on your upper arm to stop you.

“Wait, Yn—”

You stopped with a hum in your throat, head turned back toward him. The two of you stood slightly closer now. Beneath the dim fluorescents, between the cold medicine and magazine rack, you searched this man's eyes for an answer he wasn't giving you. You could measure the length of his eyelashes from this distance, and you saw the shine mark on his lips after his tongue darted out to wet it.

“Eric?” You voiced quietly after he hadn't said anything. “Everything okay?”

Something shuddered in his expression and you swore his cheeks darkened in shade. “Nothing,” he said swiftly. “Sorry, it's nothing.”

Eric sat down across from you with a pair of headphones hanging around his neck and his hood thrown over his head. He nudged his black-rimmed glasses up his nose as he powered his laptop on. “Hey,” he whispered to you, his eyes darting around to make sure no one around you was bothered by his speaking.

The two of you were situated in the upper levels of your university library to study for your upcoming final exams. Most of the libraries on campus had a system in place where lower levels were meant as collaborative spaces with each level getting quieter in general volume. You and Eric were on the top floor, but at one of the desks tucked into one of the bookshelves. There were a few people around you, but they were hidden by walls and shelves, for the most part.

“I think you're fine,” you whispered to him in amusement as you uncapped your highlighter to mark a specific passage in the text you were reading.

Eric got up and quietly moved his chair to sit adjacent to you, rather than across from you. “What're you working on?”

“Just some research for a paper,” you replied. “You?”

“O-chem,” he said, and his entire being flopped over his closed laptop, his face crumpled in anguish.

You cooed silently and gently patted his hoodie-covered head. “You poor thing.”

Oh, organic chemistry. The monster it was.

When he still didn't pick himself or his laptop screen up, you leaned over to lay on top of him. “This is comfortable,” you muttered into the back of his hoodie.

You heard him hum in agreement.

“Dude, I don't even know how you're keeping up with your classes during baseball season,” you whispered and began mindlessly drawing flowers on his back.

“I'm not.”

You had to bury your face into his back to suppress your snort. “That's valid.”

“Thanks.”

“Awwh,” you murmured and wrapped your arms around his back. “It's gonna be okay. I promise.” Out of the two of you, Eric was usually the one with the sunny disposition, but it didn't mean you wouldn't jump at the opportunity to help him feel better. He deserved just as much tender love and care.

For a moment, you stayed in that position with your body covering his and your arms wrapped around him. If you weren't careful, you might have fallen asleep like that.

Eventually, you peeled yourself off of him and coaxed him to sit up with you. “Study for an hour with me and then we can get a treat.”

“Your face is a treat,” he said groggily, rubbing his eye from behind his glasses while yawning.

You covered up any signs of being flustered with, “Is that how you pull girls, Sohn?”

“No, that's how I pull you.”

You didn't need to feel your skin to know your face was on fire. He didn't even glance over at you, only sleepily smacked his lips together and pulled his laptop lid up with robotic motions. Maybe that was a good thing though. You still weren't too sure how you felt about his flirty remarks as of late, and they had yet to cease.

But… you looked over at Eric and he was already getting to work—you could deal with it later. It wasn't like it meant anything, right? Surely, the quickening of your heart and continually flustered state because of him meant absolutely nothing, right? Of course. And they definitely weren't signs that you liked his increased lines. Definitely.

(Who the fuck were you trying to fool?)

As promised, after about an hour passed by, you and Eric packed up your things to head out to find something to munch on. With spring slowly fading out into a pretty summer, the sun gleamed from its perch in the sky to warm the day. The trees lining the walkway were beginning to lose their flower buds in exchange for rich, dark green leaves.

A few minutes out from the university's main campus, you and Eric walked into a bakery that was frequented by many of your peers. It wasn't a complete surprise to see that nearly all of the tables inside were occupied by people with headphones in, laptops on, and books out.

You and Eric hopped in line, nonetheless, your eyes darting from the display case to the room to scout for an open table. Your fingers drummed against the strap of your bag. “You know what you're getting?”

He hummed. “The almond croissant kind of sounds good right now. What about you?”

“Might get a sandwich, to be honest,” you said. You hadn't had a filling breakfast, so you might as well make up for it.

“Which sandwich?”

“You're not paying.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully with a purse of his lips. “That's what you think.”

He did not pay for your sandwich.

While there was not a single open table inside, there were plenty of them outside. Eric wrinkled his nose at you as you were just about to take a bite of your sandwich. You stopped short. “What? Don't tell me you're butthurt, Sohn.”

“That’s such a weird word,” he said, gently pulling a piece of the croissant apart for him to put into his mouth.

“What, butthurt?” You could agree with that. It was kind of funny. “True, but it describes you pretty well.”

He laughed then, his eyes turning upward into pretty, little crescent moons. Since the two of you were forced to sit outside, the sunshine had an easier path to paint over your friend's face and make him look even more ethereal. A feeling worked its way into your chest at the sight of him like this. “Okay, honey. Whatever.”

You smiled around your bite, replying only after you'd swallowed it, “See? Butthurt.”

“I'm a good sport though.”

“Fine, I will admit that you're a good sport.”

His smile widened as if satisfied with that answer.

From within your bag, you could hear an aggressive vibration from your phone. You set your meal down to wipe your hands, then fished the device out.

At the sight of the text messages, your face morphed into one of mild amusement concealing a whole lot of “what the heck?”

Eric noticed your change in mood. “Something wrong?”

“Not necessarily?” You opened up the text chain that you had with Bae Sumin, one of your friends whom you met from a composition class you both shared in freshman year. “She's asking if you'd be interested in being set up for a date.”

You didn't know why there had been a spike of panic in your heart after reading it. It wasn't like you had any claim over Eric; that wouldn't be right to gatekeep him, especially when you didn't like him like… that, right?

His brows knitted together as he skimmed over the messages. When he was done he leaned away, his head already shaking. “I'm not really interested.”

“Really?” You asked curiously, withdrawing your phone back to your side of the table and mentally drafting a text message back. “Sieun's pretty nice.”

“I'm just—” he nudged his glasses up, letting out a breathy laugh, “—I’d rather figure that all out for myself, y'know? It's not like I don't think Sieun's a good person, but I…” He huffed, and it sounded almost frustrated.

You didn't know why you felt guilty all of a sudden. “You don't have to explain it to me, dude,” you said and began texting Sumin back. “If you don't want to, then you don't want to, y'know? It's better than leading her on.”

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“So you're not interested in anyone then?” You asked, in an attempt to slowly bring the conversation away from matchmaking. “You know what? You don't have to say anything—we can talk about something else—”

“I'm interested in someone,” he cut in.

You paused, surprised. You felt your pulse leap. Who? You wanted to ask, but instead inquired, “Really?”

He avoided your eyes. “Yep.”

“Oh.” Well that would make sense why he didn't want to be set up with someone else. Why couldn't he just say that in the first place then?

You gnawed on your bottom lip and couldn't help but think about who Eric could be interested in. There was a jittery flutter in your stomach at the thought. You didn't want to pry, but you were also curious as to who he was interested in. “Well, uh, good for you! I think that's really great.”

That… sounded so insincere.

Eric lifted his gaze to yours, and you felt a jolt run down your spine at the look in his eyes. “Thanks, Yn. I don't really know what to do though, to be honest.”

You frowned, tucking your phone away. “About—about the person? Or about your feelings?”

“I guess,” he said with a helpless gesture of his hands, “both.”

You pressed your lips together. It had been awhile since you were remotely interested in anyone either. And even back then, you were never the sort of person to speak up about your feelings with the person first. But this was Eric, and you wanted to at least try to help him. “Is this person not someone you think you should have feelings for? I guess I’m just asking why you feel conflicted or helpless.”

“Kind of,” he said, tongue in cheek. “They’re—they’re one of my—” He stopped himself. “They’re one of the best people I know, I just don’t think they feel the same way.”

“And so you don’t want to risk losing them should you confess?” You finished for him. You felt your posture droop with sympathy, and maybe a bit of envy. Who could this be about?

Eric scratched the underside of his jaw. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Well, I mean, if they’re as good of a person as you say, I think that they wouldn’t hold it against you or your friendship if you confessed and they didn’t feel the same.” If you were in his situation, you wouldn’t want to lose Eric ei—wait, what? Why were you thinking of it like that? You shook yourself out of whatever delusional headspace you found yourself in. “And in any case, maybe you can flirt with them, or hint to them your feelings and see how they respond.”

His eyebrow arched high. “I’ve definitely done that.”

“And?”

He smirked, a chuckle falling out of his mouth. “They may be one of the best people I know, but they’re as oblivious as a rock sometimes.”

Your own brows lifted. “Damn.” And you knew exactly how blatant Eric’s flirting style was.

Eric’s eyes caught onto something behind you, and you sat up to see what he was looking at. Just on the other side of the outside seating area, you recognized Mark Lee and Kim Jungwoo from Eric’s baseball team strolling past.

Mark lifted a hand, his mouth widening into a grin. “Hey, man! What’s up?”

Eric greeted his teammates with his usual cheeriness, clasping his hand with theirs.

“Oh my gosh, is this the—”

“The best friend,” Eric interrupted, his eyes darting to you. Both Mark and Jungwoo did the same thing, so now you were worried about why they were looking at you like that. “Yeah, this is Yn, my best friend.”

Jungwoo grabbed Mark by his shoulder and extended a greeting fist bump toward you. “Nice to finally meet you, Yn. Eric’s told us a lot about you.”

“Oh?” You glanced over at Eric before reciprocating the gesture. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Hope he’s only said good things,” you jested. Partly.

“Oh, all the good things; don’t worry,” Mark chirped. “We’ll see you at practice later, Eric!”

Eric lifted his hand in a wave as they continued down the street. “See you then!”

Once you were sure they were out of earshot, you picked up your sandwich again. “So you talk about me to your teammates?”

“All good things—you heard Mark,” he said with a laugh, but for some reason, you thought you detected a hint of uncertainty there. “How could I not talk about you?”

“Careful there, you’re starting to sound like you’re obsessed with me.”

“Well, maybe I am,” he shot back at you. He brushed the crumbs from his finished croissant onto the plate, reaching for the small stack of napkins between you two. “But seriously, don’t worry about what those guys said. They just like to mess with me.”

You lifted a shoulder in a meager shrug. “No worries, man. I’m obsessed with you, too, so the feeling’s mutual.”

You relished in the way his countenance noticeably lifted, his expression brightened, the corners of his lips curling into the apples of his pinkened cheeks like twin divots. All of a sudden it was just you and Eric, and you could forget about everything and everyone else.

“He said the L word?” Vernon let out a melodramatic gasp, which made it all the more funny since he'd said it with the most monotonous tone. His eyes had gone wide enough to see the white of his eyes though, and you practically doubled over because of him.

Ningning, unaffected by Vernon's silliness, nodded vigorously. “He said he loved her first! Isn't that crazy?”

You plucked out one of your opened water bottles from the fridge. “I don't think it's that crazy. Is it weird that I don't think it's that crazy?”

Vernon sank deeper into the couch cushion he sat on, eyes already drifting closed. “It's Kim Sunwoo; I don't think it's that crazy either.”

“Am I the only person who was shocked by this?”

“Yes,” you and Vernon answered at once.

Ningning rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. I guess I can see it, too. But it's just weird because he never gave any indication that he even liked her.”

“He was probably just suppressing it?” Vernon offered with a yawn. “Maybe he's just got a lot on his plate. My friend Seungcheol's a little emotionally constipated, too, but it's 'cause he's been slammed by his work stuff.”

“Isn't it crazy that people our age are telling other people they love them already? Like, love-love, and not some kind of primary-school-playground-love.” You moved yourself to join your friends in your micro living room. There was a gathering of laptops and papers scattered on the coffee table, but no one had touched them since they'd been brought out. Finals week burnout was real and tangible.

“One day,” Ningning sighed, less so lovey dovey, and more so exhausted as hell. She leaned her cheek against the back of her knuckles. “I don't know if I wanna get married though.”

“I think marriage is cool,” said Vernon. He had now taken on a coffin position with his arms crossed firmly over his chest and his face tilted up toward the ceiling. “As long as it's with the right person.”

“Yeah, stuff like that can't be rushed,” you agreed. You weren't sure what your plans for the future were; you just hoped you had your friends by your side, at the very least.

All this talk about partners and futures had your mind turning toward your conversation with Eric from lunch the other day. Did he see this crush of his as a potential life partner? He deserved that—someone who loved him as much as he no doubt loved them. Where would that leave you? Didn't you want something like that, too?

“Let's not talk about marriage anymore.” Ningning fwumped onto her side over the remainder of the sectional that Vernon wasn't lying on. She'd clearly given up on studying, same as Vernon. “How's Eric doing, Yn?”

Your head perked up. “Eric? What about Eric?”

“Oh, I dunno.” She held her phone screen directly above her face as she scrolled through social media, her lips pressed together. “Chenle said that Mark said that he's interested in somebody.”

It seemed news traveled fast, but then again, you didn't know how long Eric had been interested in this mystery person. You blinked, gnawing on your bottom lip. “Ah, yeah. He mentioned something about that to me, but he didn't tell me who it was.”

Ningning turned her head slightly to face you and her eyebrow was flicked up toward her hairline. “You're serious?”

“Well, yeah. I'm not gonna force it out of him.”

Vernon peeked one eye open. “Dude, you know that guy would do anything for you, right? If you asked one more time, he probably would have folded like a lawn chair.”

You sent him a pointed look. “I'm not about to force him to give away something sensitive like that. I admit that I'm curious, but…” It just wasn't your business.

He frowned at you, then went back to his half-conscious state.

Were you missing something?

Ningning rolled over completely onto her side. “How about this: how do you feel about Eric being interested in someone?”

Why was this the sudden topic of discussion? You pursed your lips, eyebrows furrowing. “Is this a trick question?”

“Why would it be a trick question?”

You exhaled. “He said that the person he liked was one of the best people he knew, so I'm happy for him. Like I said earlier, it would be nice to know who it was, but I don't want to make him give up something if he's not ready to yet.” That would just be unfair.

Vernon opened his eyes again and turned to Ningning. “Doesn't this sound like an automated response?”

You deadpanned. “It is not an automated response. It's—y’know, why wouldn't I be happy for him?”

With a dead serious tone, your friends said simultaneously, “Because you're in love with him.”

That statement struck a match against your cheeks and set them ablaze. Your lips parted, words failing you. Because you're in love with him?

At your speechlessness, Ningning moved to sit up straight. “We think it's because you have feelings for him,” she rephrased, as if that was any better.

“I do not have feelings for him.”

“I think you do; you might be mistaking it as something else.”

You garbled with the words in your brain, but they slipped and fumbled and wouldn't line up correctly on your tongue. It was to the point that you had to put a pause on trying to come up with a retort, and rather, piece this together logically. There had to be a reason for why both Ningning and Vernon were on the same page with this.

It came to you then, slowly, like a train pulling into the station. It was every one of his flirtatious maneuvers to get you flustered, the bittersweetness you didn't want to acknowledge at the thought that he was interested in somebody else. It was that look in his eyes that you couldn't describe, the way he tripped over his words when it came to calling you a friend. The voice over the intercom was announcing the stop as the train came to a gradual halt.

“Oh.”

Ningning frowned slightly, her head nodding. Vernon was actually awake now. “Yeah.”

So what now?

You knew Eric just finished with his organic chemistry final when you found him passed out on your couch. You'd been out working for the majority of the day and passed him a set of spare keys to your apartment to let himself in whenever he was done so the two of you could start your long awaited movie marathon night. The sun had just set and you'd come with a bag of groceries to make dinner, but all you could think about was the guy snoozing on the couch, his tufts of hair sticking out of his hood.

Cute.

By the time he woke up, you had dinner fixed up, and the apartment was filled with divine aromatics. Some said the smell of food usually made chefs feel full, but you hadn't eaten properly since you left for your shift this morning.

The lump on the couch stirred as you turned off the stove and turned toward the sink to start washing the dishes. You didn't like washing dishes, but it was a necessary evil. Earlier, you’d found the evidence that Eric had helped himself to some of the instant noodles in your cabinets, leaving a note by the dishes in the sink: Sorry, I promise I'll wash these when I wake up!!

You knew he would have kept his word, but you also knew how hard he worked and stressed over that damn exam. It was no inconvenience toward you to wash just a couple extra things.

Eric rolled onto his feet and shuffled into the kitchen, his eyes fluttering to adjust to the warm lighting. “Hi,” he rasped, voice hoarse from his nap.

His chin found your shoulder. “I said I'd wash those,” he murmured, referring to the small pot you were washing now.

“I know. I thought I'd do it anyway.”

“You hate washing the dishes.”

Your movements paused for a second. The organ in your chest was galloping away again, but now you knew the reason. Your head shifted slightly as it bumped against his gently. “I know.”

He was quiet for a moment before his arms came around your form and settled across your stomach and waist. “Thanks. Sorry for the mess.”

“There was no mess, silly goose,” you told him.

“I'll wash the ones after dinner.”

You murmured, “It's okay, Eric. I know you're good for it.”

Eric let out a breath against your neck, his head tucking into the warmth there. “I love you.”

At once, you both froze. You felt his body tense up around you, and knew your movements had stopped completely. You'd both heard what he said crystal clear and even the volume of the sink faucet couldn't dismiss it as a trick of the ear.

“Shit.” He detached himself from you just as you finished washing. You reached for the dry towel next to you on the counter to dry your hands, then turned around to face him. His eyes were wide like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I didn't say that aloud, did I?”

You smiled through a small wince. “You kind of did.”

“What if I left and pretended I wasn't even here?—”

You stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. You gave him a little shake, the smile on your face sweetening. “Hey, Eric. I love you, too.”

His lips fell into a pout. “No, Yn. You—you don't get it. It's—I… I love you.”

“I know,” you said and moved your hands up to cup his face. There was a wobble in his eyes as you said this, that puppy pout deepening. “And I love you, too.”

Eric wrapped his arms around you tight then, a breath of air pushing out from his lips in utter relief. “Oh my god, you have,” he stammered, “no idea how—just—” He pulled away from you and pressed his lips to the side of your face.

You laughed, your hand coming up to cup the back of his head.

His face was split wide open by a massive grin and his eyes, his beautiful eyes, gleamed like a pair of twin stars beneath the dim kitchen lights. “Do you know how hard this has been for me?” He exclaimed while throwing his hands up in the air. “Do you know how much pain I was in when you couldn't get the hint—”

“Hey! Normal people don't just assume that their best friend has feelings for them,” you stuttered out in your own defense.

Eric tilted his head up to the ceiling. “I have literally flirted at you, right to your face.”

“You have a flirty personality.”

“And you are oblivious.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, your head cocking to the side. “Agree to disagree?”

He sighed and the sound was something happy and bright. “Agree to disagree,” he replied. He smiled at you again, but the corners were softer and mellower, the tenderness shining through like the glow of a lamp covered in a fabric shade. “I've been dying to tell you since I went to LA; I just didn't know how.”

“LA?” You parroted.

“I just couldn't stop thinking about wanting you there with me,” he said like it was the easiest thing in the world. “I'd be in the hotel room, staring up at the ceiling with the stupidest smile on my face thinkin’ 'bout you, and then I'd realize I actually was in love with you. It would flip-flop between those two things all trip long.”

You chuckled as you imagined Eric's starkly different facial expressions for each version of himself. It was an amusing thought. “Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for all the strife I put you through.”

His hands warmed over the sides of your arms. “Hey, honey, it was all worth it in the end.”

“You know,” you said, playing with one of the strings of his hoodie, and his hands came to rest around your waist loosely, “if the comfort and—the warmth and the happiness I feel around you is love, then I think I've been in love with you since the day we met.”

Eric's lips pressed in a deep pout again. “Come on! You can't possibly say that and not expect me to wanna kiss you.”

“I'm not saying no,” you teased.

There was that smile again. He licked his lips once and leaned over to gently press his mouth against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you let his softness consume you and ignite you all at once. It occurred to you that you were never scared of losing Eric as a friend—this was just what was next for you both.

When you both pulled away, your breaths still intermingling, his cheeks were a pretty, bubblegum pink color.

“Was that your first kiss?” You joked even though you knew full well it wasn't.

His laugh was low, but his expression brightened. “Might as well be,” he said, “it's the only one I wanna remember.”

Your tongue stuck out of the corner of your mouth as you carefully pulled the loops of ribbon through itself to create the perfect, matching bow to the one on the other side of your head. Chenle was hosting a start-of-summer party, and it was mandated that you and your friends attend (according to Ningning).

Through your mirror, your eyes caught a presence at your bedroom door. “Oh my god, you're so cute,” Eric groaned, turning to the side to melodramatically hit his head against the doorframe.

You melted into a smile. “Thanks. I wasn't really sure how they would look actually.”

“Well, they're perfect. You’re perfect. Please don't take them off.” He came over to join you were you sat on the floor in front of your body length mirror.

You wiggled around a strand of pink ribbon you had cut off earlier, but didn't end up using because it was way too long for a hair bow. “I've got an extra piece. Do you want it?”

He scoffed, a hand carding through his hair, “Of course, I want it.”

Very pleased with his response, you clambered onto your knees to decide where to put it. He was dressed casually with a loose tank top, board shorts, and a cap on backwards. You squinted one of your eyes closed. “I've got it.”

“You've got it?” He repeated with a chuckle, smile widening as you practically climbed into his lap. “Hi,” he said with your faces close to each other and his hands resting on either side of your waist.

“Calm down there, tiger,” you teased, “I'm just gonna tie it where everyone can see it.”

You looped the ribbon around his left bicep, his arm subtly flexing as you did so. You made sure the bow looked as perfect as you were capable of making it. With a little pat of your hand, you deemed that it was all set.

“Perfect,” he said with a nod of affirmation.

You nodded along with him. “I'd agree.”

“Hey.” He drew your attention over to him once more and his hands pulled you flush against him. There was a goofy grin on his lips as he gazed at you with wide, doe-like eyes that melted into pairs of molten chocolate. “Do you think…”

“Do I think?” You prompted, wrapping your arms around the back of his shoulders.

“Do you think that if I kissed you in front of our friends, they'd realize we were dating?”

A laugh fell from your mouth, and Eric had never seen something so pretty in his life. (There were few things worthy of being engraved on the backs of one's eyelids, but he thought he just found a view that was. He would chase your smile until the end of time.)

“What?” He beamed. “Good idea, right?”

“I thought we said we were soft launching,” you said, the smile yet to retreat.

“I guess,” he sighed dramatically and leaned back onto his hand to drape the other one across his forehead like a damsel in distress.

You went forward to kiss him. “You're cute.”

“Isn't that my line?” He teased. He licked his lips a little then, expression becoming thoughtful. “I know this is gonna be something different—this relationship—but at the same time, I feel like nothing's changed.”

Swoon. You went in for another kiss and lingered there a bit longer when his hand came up to cup the back of your neck. “It'll be different and the same,” you agreed. “Just better.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Definitely better.”

It was scary—this venture into new territory. It was something that both you and Eric would experience and discover together. But on the bright side, at least you were in love. Maybe that was all that mattered in the end.

a/n: everybody say 'thank god she expanded the plot'

tbz m.list

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @outrologist @rikizm @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @vernonburger @maessseongs @ericlvr @mars101 @moonyswolf @your-mirae @richasdiary

[luvyeni]

omg need a second part for that chenle smut🥵

INTERRUPTED; ZHONG CHENLE

pairings. non-idolchenle x collegefem!reader

word count. 1.5k+

warnings. (PART TWO TO THIS) pwp, fingering. oral (fem. receiving), unprotected sex, chenle cums inside, overstimulation if you squint, he calls her a slut once

synopsis. when you texted him to come over he couldn't put his shoes on fast enough to get to you... sadly his friends have other plans.

YN💓| my exams are done...

YN💓| you should come over...

YN💓| right now❤️

Read

Chenle couldn't think of any other time he has gotten up so fast to do something. He got up and got dressed, grabbed his keys, and was ready to get to the girl who captivated his mind 24 hours a day.

After the incident on the couch, he couldn't wait to see her again. Sadly due to her exams, he was forced to wait until hers were finished.

This doesn't mean she didn't make his life a living hell... no, she tortured him for 2 weeks with steamy images and text messages that left him with enough masturbation material for a week.

"where are you going?" Haechan and jaemin, his roommates, stopped him on his way out the door.

'Why is the universe stopping me from getting to her?' he thought as he turned to his friends. "Me and jisung are gonna hang out for a while." He didn't need to lie, but what he did in his free time was not haechans business.

"Good- jisung wants us to come over and play video games, we can go together." jaemin stood up from the chair. "Yeah, we can catch the same Uber and save money." Haechan followed, standing up.

He was starting to think jisung was a major cockblock, but he couldn't just say no they could come because he was going to fuck his best friend's roommate. "Okay, let's go." with that, the boys were on their way out the door.

"Haechan and jaemin are coming, over to play video games in my room, we'll keep it down I swear." She nodded at the boy in her doorway. "Thank you."

She wanted to tell him no, but how could she tell him she didn't want his friends to come over because his best friend was coming over to fuck.

There was a knock on the door, knocking her out of her thoughts.

"＿＿! Can you get the door, I'm trying to set up the game." Sighing at her misfortune, she got up, making her way to the door.

"Hello ＿＿ ." Haechan made his way into the apartment. "Haechan, jaemin- shit chenle." Her eyes widened at the boy who walked in. "You're here too?" she made her way into the kitchen.

Chenle's eyes followed her as she did whatever she did in the kitchen. His eyes roamed her body, her shorts barely covering anything, he couldn't help but stare at her ass, cock stirring in his pants.

"Of course, why wouldn't he be?" Haechan questioned. "Ji said it would just be you two." Haechan was about to say something when jisung finally decided to grace everyone with his existence.

"Chenle you're here too? I guess you can take turns playing." They followed jisung to his room, chenle staying behind, yelling about getting a snack.

"I can see you smirking, you must be having fun, seeing me suffer." He stalked the girl, lust clouding his eyes as he made his way over to her.

"I'm assuming you were expecting something, or do you dress like this for all of your roommate's friends?" He was now standing behind her, playing with the waistband of her shorts.

"I don't know, jaemin does look good."

He scoffed, letting the elastic hit her skin, a whimper emitting from her mouth. "You have a lot of jokes right now, but let's see whose cock is inside you soon." he kissed her neck, a shiver ran down her spine.

"Chenle c'mon!" he pulled away from the girl. "I'm gonna get you back." was the last thing she told him before he disappeared into jisungs room and she went into her room.

He needed to stop opening her text messages if he wanted to remain sane... or at least not cum in his sweats but between the text or the photos she kept sending him, he was gonna lose it.

"Chenle your phone has been blowing up for the past hour, you got a girlfriend you haven't told us about?" Haechan quirked a brow at him. He was about to come back with a snarky remark, but his phone rang.

YN💓| my door is open, and I'm so wet rn...

He couldn't stand it, she was gonna kill him. "I'm going to the bathroom." He didn't bother waiting for a response, leaving the room, he made his to her.

Not even knocking on the door, he opened the door—and when he opened the door, he could've cum just from the sight.

Her fingers were deep inside her, and her head was thrown back in pleasure. "Fuuuck~ Chenle, what took you so long?" The smirk on her face pissed him off to the max.

He had enough of her teasing, he took two steps toward her, stopping her movements. "You done teasing me, all those pictures and text, popped a boner in front of everyone." he climbed on top of her.

"Did you like them?" She tried to move her hands, but he held a strong grip. "Did I say touch?" a firm slap on her clit, a loud moan had him covering her mouth.

"Unless you want them to hear how much of a slut you are, be quiet." He could feel her clench around nothing. "Fuck of course you like that." he groaned, rubbing her clit in harsh circles.

"You're so wet right now, I need to taste you." he kissed down her stomach, stopping right at her waistline, looking for consent.

"Lele— shiiit please do something!" He couldn't help it, he wanted to punish her for sending those photos and text, but that fucking name was gonna get him in trouble one day.

Leaving a kiss on her clit—diving right in, he began to eat her out like he hadn't eaten all day. "Oh, my fuck~ chenle more please!" She pulled at his hair, trying to pull him closer, grinding down on his face.

She didn't have many partners—but out of the ones she did have, chenle was the best she had in a while, hell he probably was the best she had in general.

He kept going, switching between his fingers and his mouth, she felt the knot in her stomach grow tighter and tighter.

"lele~ lele fuck I'm gonna cum!" he moaned into her heat, which caused the knot in her stomach to finally snap. "I'm cumming!"

"Shit, you taste so fucking good, I almost came untouched." He rubbed soft circles on her clit.

The fucked out look on her face sent shivers down chenle's spine. "Such a pretty girl." He pressed his lips against her soft lips, grinding his hips against her. Her moans were the only thing he could hear, he was so captived by the girl.

"Gonna let me fuck you hmm, cream my cock?" He pulled his cock out he sweats, pressing his tip against her twitching hole.

"Chenle, please do something." She whined, trying to grind down on him.

"Should I?" He teased, sliding in just the tip. "What if I just fuck you with just the tip? hmm, tease you like you've been doing for the past two weeks."

She knew it would eventually come back to bite her in the ass. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" He cocked his head to the side. "Please lele~ please I'll be good." she begged, damn near on the brink of tears.

He couldn't help it, sliding in with a groan. "Oh, fuck~ fuck you're tight." He threw his head back.

Once he was fully in—he pulled out, delivering a powerful deep thrust that made her yelp in pleasure.

Speeding up his movements, her moans getting louder and louder. "you're clenching hard as fuck around me."

"You feel so good." He watched her eyes roll back—fucked out face, he knew it wasn't his last time doing this with her.

“So good for me princess, letting me fuck you.” he pants. “So fucking warm and tight and perfect. God, I can't get enough of you, gonna let me do it again, hmm? have you all the time.” he was saying anything, but he didn't even care, he had to have her.

"Lele, I'm gonna cum." She reached between them, rubbing her clit in harsh circles. "Go ahead, princess." he kissed her, replacing her hand with his, rubbing her clit.

"Cum on my cock."

With his permission—she came, throwing her head back. "Shit, such a pretty sight, I have to see you do it again." He rode out her orgasm.

He felt the knot in his stomach about to snap, speeding up he let out a few grunts. "Shit princess, I'm cumming, where do you want it."

"Inside, I want it inside." he could feel her about to cum again. "Fuck~ you're crazy." he delivered a hard thrust, painting her walls white, triggering her third orgasm.

"Fuck!"

He slowly pulled out, and she whined in overstimulation. "You okay?"

She nodded, breathing hard. "Those photos made you like that?" she laughed.

"You've been sending pictures of this—." He toyed with her clit, making her twitch, grabbing his hand for him to stop. "Four two weeks, I was pent up." he removed his hand.

Before she could come up with a sly comeback, there was a knock on the door.

"You two could've told us you were coming over to fuck, and we would've left, no one wanted to hear you two go at it like animals." haechan's voice spoke from the other side.

"Oh my god." She covered her face in embarrassment, he took her hand away, smirking.

"Don't be shy, now they know and they can leave, because I'm about to make you scream even louder."

©️LUVYENI

[ghostofhyuck]

Gang AU Series 6

Gang leader! Zhong Chenle x Gang member’s younger sister! Reader

Summary: "Why can't you resent me?"

cw: mentions of death, and blood. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“Yn Lee.” 

You turned around and saw him. You freezed, hands tight on the hem of your apron. You knew him and how you two are the same-age. But the way he’s all roughed-up with his leather jacket in contrast to your plain sweater and apron, shows how your lives are different from each other. 

“You know me,” you mumbled. 

“You’re Mark Lee’s only sister,” he answered. “I’m Zhong Chenle.” 

“What do you want?” you asked, trying to look calm, knowing that you two are in a public place. 

“Can I have a spare of your time?” he asked. “I need to talk to you about your brother.” 

You only pursed your lips, it’s been a week since your brother’s burial and as much as you want to cope with his death, the ghost of his past keeps on haunting you. 

And that ghost is none other than Zhong Chenle. 

“Is it important?” you asked, looking around the place. “It’s a busy hour for us —”

“Don’t worry about it yn,” your manager interrupted. “He already asked for my permission, go on.” 

That’s how you found yourself at a table in front of Zhong Chenle. You watched as he took a sip of the iced coffee that he ordered, glancing at the window beside as if he’s admiring the view of the outside. 

“Before Mark-hyung died, he asked if we could look after you,” Chenle started. “And I promised him that. That’s why I’m telling you this right now, moved in with —”

“What are you talking about!?” you asked, confused. 

“Mark-hyung wanted you to leave that shitty place of your aunts’ house,” he explained. “He’s much more comfortable if you stay with us.”

“And how can I be so sure that you’re not fooling me?” 

Chenle became quiet. A scene played in his mind. 

Blood. Lots of blood. Lots of Mark’s blood. Mark smiles at him, who's crying hopelessly, trying to keep his friend alive by holding him tightly. Mark continued to talk, stuttering at his own words in an attempt to make out of your name. 

“Get her out of that place, please…” Mark whispers at Chenle, who could only nod. And as if it was the answer that he needs, Mark closes his eyes slowly. 

“It’s a promise before he joined the gang,” Chenle lied. “We look for each other’s family, especially when someone dies.” 

You stared at him. He seems more distant than what you assumed, as if he was hiding something from you. But you tried to look on the other side. He wants you to leave your aunts’ place. Something that you and your brother have been dying to do. 

It was the reason why your brother even joined the gang. Both of you were orphaned at a young age. Your parents died due to a car accident, leaving you two under the care of your aunt and her husband. 

It was a living hell. They would tell you everyday that both you siblings should be grateful that she took you in or else you two will end up in an orphanage. She treats you like a maid and for years, you and your brother endured it. They were greedy for money too, they couldn’t even spare money on you two, saying that you two should be grateful that you have a place to live. At a young age, you are forced to find part-time jobs so that you have money for yourself. 

So did Mark. When your brother turned nineteen, he ended up joining a gang. It was dangerous, but it gave him a huge sum of money enough to buy both your needs. But in return, he would go home wounded and blooded. You hold your tears, as you mend your brother’s wounds. Trying to convince him to stop it and just live a normal life. 

“Soon, just a little bit more, we’ll get there. We can now move out of this shitty place and have a place of our own, you can study at one of the best universities here in Korea without worrying about the expenses.” he told you, smiling. You have your lips tight, trying your best to trust your brother.

But a few weeks later, Mark died. Your world crumbled when you received the news that your brother died in a gang fight. It was said that he was just an innocent passerby who happened to witness the illegal activities, that’s why he got involved. But you knew that he wasn’t as innocent as they tried to paint him. Whoever decided to change the statement, must be trying to protect Mark too. 

And you wonder if it was Chenle’s doings. You glanced at him, and he was nothing but staring at you. You let out a sigh. 

“How can I be sure that I should trust you?” you asked.

“Don’t trust me,” Chenle answered quickly. “I’m just fulfilling what Mark-hyung wanted. It’s just a temporary stay, soon, you can stay at the apartment flat Mark wanted to buy.” 

“Okay,” you let out a sigh. “I’ll come with you.” 

It was a risk. But it was better than staying in your aunts’ place. You knew the gang your brother joined. Mark keeps talking about them whenever you mend his wounds. He seems to love his gang, even considering them as friends. If Mark trusts them enough to look after you, then you’re convinced that there’s nothing for you to worry about. 

“Alright,” Chenle muttered. “Here’s my phone number, just contact me when we pick you up.” He leaves a card in front of you, and before you could mutter a word, he bids his goodbye to you and leaves. 

You stared at the paper. There’s not much to see except his name and number. That’s how discreet Chenle was, and now, you were even more curious about the gang your brother joined. 

-

As expected, your aunt was more happy for you to leave their place. She didn’t have an ounce of care about you and kept on insisting that it was time for you to be mature and live on your own. 

“Maybe even try to follow your brother’s footsteps, how about that?” she taunted. You froze for a second, but as much as you wanted to stop and slap the hell out of her, you couldn’t do anything but to continue packing your things. You tried to brush it off. At least you’re leaving the place. You’re free now and you’re on your own now. 

It took a while before Chenle arrived. A slick black car stops in front of you and from the driver’s seat, Chenle exits. He helped you load your things on the trunk, and even opened the passenger seat for you. You glanced at the apartment building, not noticing that Chenle had entered the car. 

“Is there something wrong?” he asked, you glanced at him and shook your head as answer. 

“Did your aunt say something?”

You became quiet, wondering how he was able to read your mind. 

“Mark-hyung talks about her all the time,” he answered, “That’s for another time, let’s go.” 

The drive to their place was quiet. You only stared at the view from the window. Chenle was a skilled driver, but he didn’t say a thing to you during the duration of the drive. You found it weird, he was far different from your brother’s stories. 

You knew them and their personality. You know that they’re just lost kids like your brother, trying to fight their way to survive the harsh world. The gang was small, but it’s enough. Chenle was their leader due to the fact that he founded and funded the gang, he did it in order to rebel against his parents. But slowly, Chenle realised that this is the family that he’s been yearning for. 

That’s why he was so protective of not only his members, but their member’s families too. 

Your thoughts started to trail off when you found Chenle turning right to a secluded road. It was down a narrow alley that seemed abandoned, barely visible from the highway you two just drove through. 

From the outskirts, you found yourself in a more hidden alley, filled with abandoned buildings and ruined roads. Chenle parks the car outside of a decent-looking building. And as you glanced at him, he only gave you a go signal to leave the car. 

“It looks abandoned but that’s the purpose of it,” Chenle commented. Grabbing your bag, not even letting you touch it. “Come on.” you only followed him quietly, entering the building. It was dimmed with lights, the walls weren't painted with any colours, and you felt its eerie presence as Chenle's footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. 

As you two reached the second floor, Chenle stopped in front of the only door in there. He types on the passcode and enters. “We’re here!” He shouts, and you only follow suit. 

You stepped backward when you were greeted by a bunch of boys — and girls. You were surprised, given that your brother didn’t mention any girls in the gang. 

“Like I told you, we protect each other’s families,” Chenle said. You only nod, as they introduce themselves one by one. Only a few of them are the member’s sisters, mostly their girlfriends. You gave them a warm smile, trying your best to be acquainted with them. 

“Jaemin-hyung, bring yn to her room, I’ve got to do something,” Chenle ordered, disrupting the talk. 

“Uhm, sure…where are you going?” Jaemin asked. 

“Meeting someone,” he said casually before leaving the place without any words to you. 

You stood there frozen, clueless as to what to do when Jaemin tapped your shoulder. 

“You’ll get used to it, that’s just how Chenle is,” the older one assured you. 

You tried to brush it off. That’s just Chenle’s personality. They say. It was weird given how your brother talks about him like a younger brother. 

“He may be younger than me but he’s smart, also calculated. But he still has a childish side of him. If you met him, you'd definitely like his smile.” 

Two weeks into your stay and you never saw Chenle smile. He seems reserved, as if he’s trying to hide something from you. You became curious, especially when the rest ignored it. Was your brother’s stories a lie? You wanted to approach him, and talk to him about your stay. You feel agitated, doing nothing and spending most of your time on your part-time job. But he seems busy, doing something, and completely shutting himself from the world. He couldn’t even look you in the eye.

You wonder if it was because of your brother, and yet, as much as you want to find the answer, you couldn’t find it especially when Chenle’s been avoiding you. 

It’s not like you want to leave the place, living with your brother’s former gang was much better than staying in your aunt's place. They were welcoming and still acted like a bunch of teenagers. They seem like a close-knitted family, and now you understand why your brother thinks highly about them. But of course, he mentioned that this is just a temporary stay, so you were also half-eager to not stay any longer. 

“We don’t know either,” Jeno answered when you opened up your concern. “It’s best for you to corner him.”

That was the only answer that you got. You only nodded and didn’t push them furthermore. Jeno noticed the way your expression faltered, he only smiles as he gently ruffles your hair. 

“He’ll be back here around two am, if you really want to talk to him.”

So you stayed up late. You’re used to it. Back then, you would wait for your brother’s return. It comforts you that he would go home late but alive. It assured you that he’s fine. 

Just like what Jeno had mentioned, it was almost two in the morning when the door opened. You stood up from your seat. You heard Chenle’s harsh breathing, as if he was struggling. You immediately went to him, surprising both of you. 

Your eyes widened to see him ruined. Open cuts and wounds in his face, blood-stained shirt and jacket, he was limping too. 

“Why are you still awake?” he asked, struggling to finish his sentence. 

“I was waiting for you,” you said, making him quiet. “You should sit, let me tend your wounds —“

“No thanks, I can manage —“

“Please,” you pleaded. “I do this to Mark too, I know what I am doing.” 

As if the magic word was your brother’s name that he agreed to. You helped him sit on the sofa, while you left to find the first aid kit found in the bathroom. Minutes later, you returned and began mending his wounds. You noticed how he’s looking sideways, not even batting an eye at you. 

“I was going to ask,” you started. “Until when can I stay here?” 

“Why?”

“I just don’t want to burden everyone,” you timidly said.

“You’re not a burden,” Chenle answers. 

“Really? Then why can’t you even look me in the eyes?” you asked. 

Chenle didn’t answer. He couldn’t help but remember Mark’s funeral — where you two first met. 

It was at a decent funeral parlour. The six of them went there together, and from the outside, Chenle noticed that there’s only a few visitors. You were Mark’s main mourner. Only sitting at the corner, holding the frame of your dead brother. Your head lay low, not even noticing their arrival. They all stood there quietly, trying to sink into their mind that Mark is dead. 

In the midst of the ceremony, Chenle’s eyes never left yours. He can see the resemblance of Mark to you, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

Yet he was intrigued at your calm demeanour. When it was time for them to bid goodbye, you personally sent them away, bowing at them as a sign of gratitude, and as you come face to face with Chenle, he couldn’t help but noticed the dead look in your eyes, and yet you seem to not shed a single tear for your brother. 

He doesn’t know what to feel about you. Intrigued? Curious? Guilty? All he knows is that he killed the only family member that you had. And as much as he tries to help you, he knows that he couldn’t do anything about Mark’s death. 

“Why can’t you resent me?” he asked. You stopped your tracks, looking at him. Chenle was devastated. He was wondering why you didn’t even try to push them away, scream or even call the police at them. 

But you only let out a small chuckle, “I don’t know, why would I?”

“I killed your brother,” he confessed. 

“You didn’t Chenle, I know the truth,” you told him. “You weren’t able to save him, that’s all.”

“See!? I was useless! How can you still mend my wounds after what I did!?”

You let out a sigh, “How can I resent the people who my brother considered as family?”

Silence. Chenle wasn’t able to say anything. You only gave him a bitter smile as you grabbed another alcohol pad and gently tapped it on his cheeks. That’s when he noticed how your eyes felt hollow, as if you’re dead inside. 

“My brother talks about you all the time, you’re like his younger brother,” you answered. “He thinks highly of you. He respects you, so how can I resent the person my brother loves?” 

“Why should I blame you for my brother’s death? When it was my fault that he joined the gang in the first place —“ and tears began to flow. Your hands drop as you hold onto the pad tightly. You couldn’t help but to sob, remembering that all your brother’s doing was for you.

All Mark wanted was for you to live a comfortable life, away from the shithole of your aunts’ house. And the only thing he can do as quickly as possible is join an underground gang. An easy access for money, but a risk. 

As much as you tried to stop him, it was useless. In the end, Mark was gone, and you don’t know if you can survive in this world alone. You felt helpless, that’s when you realised that you’ve also been dependent on Mark throughout your life. 

Your tears wouldn’t stop even when Chenle pulled you closer to his arms, you couldn’t help but cry louder. After weeks of being alone, this was the first time you found comfort.

“It’s not your fault,” Chenle muttered. “We never wanted this to happen,” he told you. 

And he was right. No one wants this, and the only thing that you two can do is assure each other. Both lost someone who’s very important to each other. Blaming and living with guilt was useless. 

Chenle thinks that it’s useless for him to let the guilt swallow him. He only lets out a deep sigh as he pulls you even closer to him. He was determined to never let you cry again. 

“I’m here, I’m not going to let you be alone again,” he swore to you.

[00127am]

ASTEROID BLUES is a cowboy-bebop inspired, x afab! reader fic series that revolves around the futuristic misadventures of easygoing bounty hunter, ln yn.

info. wanted posters are not full plot synopsis. for individual fic information, please click on the 'here' underneath each section. sfw fics will be posted on 00127AM, while all nsfw works will be posted on ROCKSTARYUTA.

soundtrack. tank! seatbelts young jesus logic kimidakenotenshi soul scream interlude: past to present nct u

living bounty to bounty, who's your first target?

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ──── ✈︎ sfw johnny suh ⌖ space cowboy ― fellow bounty hunter wanted for his ... unorthodox methods. the only problem? he's hunting you too. SESSION I. black dog serenade kim jungwoo ⌖ high roller ― wanted for a number of debts owed to some of the galaxy's most powerful syndicates. try not to get too distracted by that charm of his, or else you'll find yourself toeing the line between professional and personal. SESSION II. gateway shuffle huang guanheng ⌖ bartender ― wanted for the commodification and underground auction of information. secrets traded for a drink. watch your words and your glass. SESSION III. easy come, easy go lee donghyuck ⌖ con artist ― wanted for fraud, embezzlement, and that silver tongue of his that seems to constantly get him into trouble. or save him from it. whatever you do, just don't manage to become his next mark. SESSION IV. see you space cowgirl, someday, somewhere! liu yangyang ⌖ pilot ― wanted for illegal gambling and racing. in his world, the most important thing is staying one step ahead--so don't fall behind. SESSION V. boogie woogie feng shui zhong chenle ⌖ heir ― wanted for his outrageously large fortune tied to his namesake. he's playing a dangerous game in the galaxy's elite circles, so tread carefully, lest you become entangled with his high-stakes world. SESSION VI. honky tonk woman oh sion ⌖ journalist ― wanted for learning something he shouldn't have, wrong place, wrong time. whatever you do, don't underestimate him. after all, you know what they say, the pen is mightier than the sword. SESSION VII. stray dog strut maeda riku ⌖ thief ― wanted for his most audacious heist yet. a heist that involved stealing from the wrong person this time around. a person who wants the phantoms thief's head on a platter. be vigilant, or you might miss him before you even know he's there. SESSION VIII. see you space samurai click here if you have any further information about these fugitives

BOUNTY WORTH ₩2,500,000

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ──── ✈︎ ®️ nsfw moon taeil ⌖ ceo ― wanted for the enterprise he has built from the ground-up. it's a shame that the only way to get to him is to become his personal assistant. SESSION IX. you're gonna carry that weight lee taeyong ⌖ hacker ― wanted for the infiltration and theft of millions of megabytes from the 119 conglomerate. he probably knows where you are before you do. ever heard of a digital footprint? SESSION X. cowboy funk nakamoto yuta ⌖ hit man ― wanted for the assassination of the galaxy's most prominent politician. watch your back. in his line of work, you rarely see him until it's too late. SESSION XI. hard luck woman qian kun ⌖ igp officer ― wanted for arresting the son of one of the most notorious cartels in the galaxy. he's not very willing to roll over and be captured, certainly not when he's trying to arrest you. SESSION XII. waltz for venus kim doyoung ⌖ doctor ― wanted for preforming back room operations and illegal modifications. his medical expertise is only second to his ethical ambiguity. try not to lose a limb. SESSION XIII. ganymede elegy xiao dejun ⌖ entertainer ― wanted for his most recent scandal involving a heated affair with the igp chief's wife. one that was destined to end poorly from the start. the world is his stage, avoid getting caught in the spotlight. SESSION XIV. pierrot la fou mark lee ⌖ collector ― wanted for the prized artifact that lies deep within his vault. seems like your employer is willing to do anything to get their hands on it, including sending you to charm your way into stealing it. SESSION XV. brain scratch lee jeno ⌖ informant ― wanted for the dissemination of information regarding neo zone tech. hailed as a whistleblower, he's wanted galaxy-wide. just don't believe everything he says, or you might just find yourself amidst one of his rumors. SESSION XVI. sympathy for the devil click here if you have any further information about these fugitives

taglist. @evilsailorsenshi @222brainrot @firstdonutllamafarm @yangasm @sunflowerbebe07 @scinclaitnoir @hyuka-bby thank you for supporting me! ♡ ⤷ for those who are / are not on my general taglist : please let me know if you would like to be included on any of these fics taglist!

──── ✈ see you space cowboy ...

[rockstaryuta]

ASTEROID BLUES is a cowboy-bebop inspired, x afab! reader fic series that revolves around the futuristic misadventures of easygoing bounty hunter, ln yn.

──── ✈︎ asteroid blues ...

info. wanted posters are not full plot synopsis. for individual fic information, please click on the 'here' underneath each section. sfw fics will be posted on 00127AM, while all nsfw works will be posted on ROCKSTARYUTA.

soundtrack. tank! seatbelts young jesus logic kimidakenotenshi soul scream interlude: past to present nct u

living bounty to bounty, who's your first target?

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ──── ✈︎ sfw johnny suh ⌖ space cowboy ― fellow bounty hunter wanted for his ... unorthodox methods. the only problem? he's hunting you too. SESSION I. black dog serenade kim jungwoo ⌖ high roller ― wanted for a number of debts owed to some of the galaxy's most powerful syndicates. try not to get too distracted by that charm of his, or else you'll find yourself toeing the line between professional and personal. SESSION II. gateway shuffle huang guanheng ⌖ bartender ― wanted for the commodification and underground auction of information. secrets traded for a drink. watch your words and your glass. SESSION III. easy come, easy go lee donghyuck ⌖ con artist ― wanted for fraud, embezzlement, and that silver tongue of his that seems to constantly get him into trouble. or save him from it. whatever you do, just don't manage to become his next mark. SESSION IV. see you space cowgirl, someday, somewhere! liu yangyang ⌖ pilot ― wanted for illegal gambling and racing. in his world, the most important thing is staying one step ahead--so don't fall behind. SESSION V. boogie woogie feng shui zhong chenle ⌖ heir ― wanted for his outrageously large fortune tied to his namesake. he's playing a dangerous game in the galaxy's elite circles, so tread carefully, lest you become entangled with his high-stakes world. SESSION VI. honky tonk woman oh sion ⌖ journalist ― wanted for learning something he shouldn't have, wrong place, wrong time. whatever you do, don't underestimate him. after all, you know what they say, the pen is mightier than the sword. SESSION VII. stray dog strut maeda riku ⌖ thief ― wanted for his most audacious heist yet. a heist that involved stealing from the wrong person this time around. a person who wants the phantoms thief's head on a platter. be vigilant, or you might miss him before you even know he's there. SESSION VIII. see you space samurai click here if you have any further information about these fugitives

BOUNTY WORTH ₩2,500,000

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ──── ✈︎ ®️ nsfw moon taeil ⌖ ceo ― wanted for the enterprise he has built from the ground-up. it's a shame that the only way to get to him is to become his personal assistant. SESSION IX. you're gonna carry that weight lee taeyong ⌖ hacker ― wanted for the infiltration and theft of millions of megabytes from the 119 conglomerate. he probably knows where you are before you do. ever heard of a digital footprint? SESSION X. cowboy funk nakamoto yuta ⌖ hit man ― wanted for the assassination of the galaxy's most prominent politician. watch your back. in his line of work, you rarely see him until it's too late. SESSION XI. hard luck woman qian kun ⌖ igp officer ― wanted for arresting the son of one of the most notorious cartels in the galaxy. he's not very willing to roll over and be captured, certainly not when he's trying to arrest you. SESSION XII. waltz for venus kim doyoung ⌖ doctor ― wanted for preforming back room operations and illegal modifications. his medical expertise is only second to his ethical ambiguity. try not to lose a limb. SESSION XIII. ganymede elegy xiao dejun ⌖ entertainer ― wanted for his most recent scandal involving a heated affair with the igp chief's wife. one that was destined to end poorly from the start. the world is his stage, avoid getting caught in the spotlight. SESSION XIV. pierrot la fou mark lee ⌖ collector ― wanted for the prized artifact that lies deep within his vault. seems like your employer is willing to do anything to get their hands on it, including sending you to charm your way into stealing it. SESSION XV. brain scratch lee jeno ⌖ informant ― wanted for the dissemination of information regarding neo zone tech. hailed as a whistleblower, he's wanted galaxy-wide. just don't believe everything he says, or you might just find yourself amidst one of his rumors. SESSION XVI. sympathy for the devil click here if you have any further information about these fugitives

taglist. @evilsailorsenshi @222brainrot @firstdonutllamafarm @yangasm @sunflowerbebe07 @scinclaitnoir @hyuka-bby thank you for supporting me! ♡ ⤷ for those who are / are not on my general taglist : please let me know if you would like to be included on any of these fics taglist!

──── ✈ see you space cowboy ...

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

NCT Spooky Season [Day 3]

Dearly Departed

TW: Ghosts Genre: Romance, Comedy Pairing: Zhong Chenle x Reader YN Pronouns: Not specified Word Count: 1.3K Prompt: “If I die first, I will haunt you”

[NCT Masterlist] | [NCT Spooky Season Masterlist] | [Yesterday] | [Tomorrow] [Ao3 Link] | [Wattpad Link]

Notes: Day 3 babyyyyy Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

"I am so sorry for your loss," your coworker rubs your back comfortingly. "If you need anything, just let me know, alright?" He says.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," you hid your mouth behind your hand and opened your door with the other. Once it was closed and locked, you let out a sigh of relief.

"Who was that?" Chenle's head pokes out of a wall. You shrugged.

"Just a coworker," you hummed, walking past him.

"Just a coworker?!" Chenle walked out of the wall and poked his head out of the front door, and you could hear him laugh.

"What's so funny?" You pulled a box of ramen from your pantry and started to boil water. Chenle floats back in and settles on one of the counter stools.

"Babe, he's pumping his fist in the air right now, he really things he scored with you," Chenle laughs. "Little does he know."

"Who knows? Maybe I want a living boyfriend now," you joked.

"Huh?! Babe, that's racist," Chenle shoots you an exaggerated frown and you laughed.

"Wouldn't it actually be speciesist?" You thought about it while you mixed in the flavoring packet.

"Oh, yeah, huh?" Chenle chuckles. "You know it's a huge trend to date ghosts now," he shrugs.

"I do know, I'm dating one," you placed the finished bowl of ramen on the table and Chenle grabs at it, pulling up a ghost-version of it to eat with you.

"As cool as it is to possess inanimate objects for you... I do miss touching you," he blows on the noodles before eating them.

"Yeah... me too..." you rest your head on your hand. "Still, it's nice to still be able to talk to you like this, you sure you're not going to head toward the light soon?" You tossed another joke,

"Why? Do you want me to?" He jokes back.

"Hell no! You made me a promise!"

"Right, if I died first then I'd haunt you," he points at you with his chopsticks before slurping down more noodles. Then your doorbell rang.

"Huh, who could that be at this hour?" You looked at the clock and walked over.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let me look first," Chenle walks through you, sending a cold chill down your spine and freezing you in place for a moment with goosebumps, all the while Chenle stuck his head through the door again. Once you regained your senses, you shook your head and groaned.

"Seriously, Chenle?! You did that on purpose!" You wait for the warmth to move back to your fingers. Chenle walks back inside.

"It's no one, ding dong ditcher probably," he shrugs. Then the doorbell rings again.

"Sure."

"What if it's an axe murderer?!" Chenle worries behind you.

"Then we'd both be dead together, that would be fun, right?"

"And have some rando move into our apartment?!"

"We'd torment them together," you waved him off and looked through the peephole. You glared at Chenle before opening your door. "Mark, hey! What are you still doing here?"

"Turns out the cabs don't run at this hour," your coworker laughs nervously. "Is it... would it be okay if I spent the night?"

"Oh, babe, he's making a move on you, say no," Chenle says behind you.

"Sure, it's dangerous right now," you opened the door wider and let him in.

"Babe!" Chenle groaned.

"Wow, nice place you got here, (Y/N)," Mark whistles.

"Thank you! My boyfriend and I decorated it," you slipped it in so that he wouldn't get his hopes up.

"Damn, you both got good taste then, is he okay with me staying over?"

"No!" Chenle shouts.

"Yup," you answered for him.

"Cool," Mark sits on the couch.

"Let me grab a pillow and blanket for you," you disappeared into the hall and Chenle sat on the coffee table in front of him.

"Listen here, you little shit," Chenle glowers. "Don't you dare try anything with (Y/N), or I swear I will haunt you next!" Chenle grumbles.

"Here, Mark, you can use these," you placed the two things down at the side of the couch.

"Thanks, (Y/N)!"

"Say, do you believe in ghosts?" You ask him. Mark shakes his head. "Huh, no wonder," you laughed.

"What? What do you mean no wonder?" He tilts his head to the side and Chenle groans behind him.

"Look, he's horny and ignorant, kick him out of our apartment, (Y/N)," Chenle grumbles behind him.

"Well, Mark, why don't you look at your reflection on the TV?" You left to grab him a glass of water, and when you heard him scream behind you, you could only laugh.

"I got you some water," you walked back and Mark was on the floor, pointing at Chenle behind the couch.

"G-G-G-Ghost!" His voice cracks.

"Boo," Chenle responds and Mark screams again.

"Oh, come now, he's harmless," you crouched down next to Mark and handed him a glass of water. He looks between you and Chenle with shaky eyes.

"Y... You're okay with this?!"

"He is my boyfriend, I'd ought to be," you shrugged.

"You're dating a ghost?!" Mark half whispers.

"Hey! I used to be alive!" Chenle crosses his arms and reaches for the glass, pulling up a ghostly version of it. "Now get off of the floor, be lucky I can't kick you out right now," he huffs.

"I... I am so sorry, (Y/N), I was so ignorant," he shakes his head, "my, uh, my brother is also dating a ghost..."

"But you didn't believe him?"

"I didn't think it was possible," he shakes his head and sits back on the couch. "I... uh... thanks, (Y/N), I..." Mark shrinks under Chenle's gaze.

"It's fine, Mark, as long as he doesn't walk past you, you'll be fine."

"What happens if he walks past me?" Chenle rolls his eyes and does so and Mark freezes up, hand gripping onto the glass and pupils shaking.

"That," Chenle snarks.

"Babe!" You reprimand him. "He's a guest!"

"Yeah, and he has a gaga crush on you," Chenle floats next to him. "I don't blame him though," he laughs.

"Oi," you cracked a smile. "Is he alright?"

"First time is always the worst," Chenle shrugs. You wrap the blanket around Mark's shoulders and take the glass from his hands.

"Well, I'll check on him in the morning."

"Yup, let's go to bed."

General Tag List: @stopeatread @bat-shark-repellant @raeincitizen @umbralhelwolf @yangsrose @kazooms @sadcoffeecritic 

NCT Tag List: @cherrylovr @minjiville 

If you want to be added to either tag list or removed just send me a reply to this post, and ask, or a DM and I’ll add you as soon as possible!

[neokwxn]

my nct recs

key - [🦁] oneshot, [🐯] headcannon, [🐻] reactions, [🐶] short series, [🦊] series, [🐱] smau series

nct

none yet !

nct 127

🐯dates with nct - @lemon-boy-stan

nct dream

🐯common phrases in relationship - @yongislong

wayv

none yet !

moon taeil

none yet !

johnny suh

none yet !

lee taeyong

none yet !

nakamoto yuta

none yet !

qian kun

none yet !

kim doyoung

none yet !

ten lee

none yet !

jung jaehyun

none yet !

dong sicheng

none yet !

kim jungwoo

none yet !

wong yukhei

none yet !

mark lee

none yet !

hendery wong

none yet !

xiao dejun

none yet !

huang renjun

🐱best friend - @yuitaru

synopsis: as your best friend, renjun's been putting his feelings for you on the back burner, but what happens when his friends think it's time for him to confess after a drunken confession?

genre: smau, idiots to lovers, crack, fluff, slight angst, slice of life, (barely) university!au, parallel universe (based in let's fall in love! universe)

warnings: lots of swearing, mentions/threats of violence, mentions of bodily fluids/functions, references to let's fall in love!, my broken humour

🐱crush culture [renjun x gn!reader ] - @suhnshinehaos

synopsis: yn has always flirted with huang renjun. but they do that with literally everyone else too, they couldn’t possibly be serious about pursuing him, right? on their final year of university, yn is determined to show that they are. with all the walls that renjun has built around himself, will they be strong enough to succeed in tearing them down

genre: university + student council au, fluff, angst, pining, humor, slice of life

warnings: swearing, food mentions, suggestive humor

lee jeno

🦁social casualty [jeno x f!reader] - @mayaflowerxs

synopsis: Jeno doesn’t understand why he has such strong feelings for you, but he does. He also doesn’t understand why you try so hard to be someone you’re not. And you, well you don’t want to become just another student at school, no. You want to stand out, to be someone’s option for once. Most specifically, Jeno’s option.

genre: fluff, humour, angst

warnings: Slight Smut at the end! swear word usage, break ups, rejection, self consciousness, ‘unrequited love’, friend zoned , Jeno is a love sick pup, reader is afraid of confrontation, misunderstandings and mean girl alert

lee donghyuck

🐶blood red [donghyuck x reader] - @neonacity [chap 1] [chap 2]

synopsis: You’re a forensic psychologist assigned to one of the country’s high-profile criminals. You want to unravel him, but he’s set on catching you in his web instead.

genre: thriller, smut [only in a scene], angst (?), fluff (if you squint?)

warnings: crimes, blood, weapons, toxic dynamics, psychological themes, personality disorder, mental health disorder, dissociative identity disorder, alcohol use, smut (protected sex, humping, intoxicated sex)

na jaemin

🦁nighted [reader x vampire!jaemin] - @neonacity

synopsis: no official one, but basically just follow reader through their life as a hunter (?)

warnings: blood, violence, mentions of weapons and death. Age gaps though there is no underage romance that happened, reader goes through different ages throughout the story.

liu yangyang

none yet !

osaki shotaro

none yet !

jung sungchan

none yet !

zhong chenle

none yet !

park jisung

none yet !

[chaeryybomb]

nct dream reaction to their idol!reader girlfriend being shipped with another idol

anon: nct dream reaction to their idol!reader girlfriend being shipped with some other idol :) love your works btw. and thank you for this in advance

pairing: nct dream x idol!reader

genre: headcanons, fluff, crack

warnings: mentions of insecurities

a/n: dhsjdj technically my requests are closed rn but I decided I would write this out so I hope you enjoy this!

mark lee

confused boi™

tbh he wouldn't even notice you were being shipped with another idol until another member points it out

you were a special guest mc for the show and fans saw the cute interactions you had with the boyz juyeon

and soon enough fans started shipping the both of you together

in reality, you and juyeon were just high school friends and you were glad to see him again

fans on the other hand,,

mark didn't realise you were being shipped with juyeon until doyoung pointed it one day

and mark was all like

( ・◇・)？"nani? y/n and juyeon???"

he would then search up ynjuyeon on twitter because cough yeah

and found a shit ton of edits of the both of y'all

and now he's sad :((

he's sad that because no one shipped y'all together

"isn't your relationship a secret???"

"yeah but still :((("

mark sweetie y'all have neve interacted on stage before fjdjdndnd

he knows you love him and would never cheat on him

but boy is he going to be a pouty baby when y'all hang out next time

literally all he's going to say is:

"why do they ship you and him together?? why not me :(("

"mark they've never seen us in the same room before"

huang renjun

unbothered king™

at least that's what he tells you fhdjdj

he found out through a vlive fhdhdjj

it was one of the usernames and the username was like ynxyanan_shipper

and renjun mf squinted his eyes like

did I read that clearly ಠ_ಠ

he's like yn and wHO

chenle was beside him when it happened and chenle was like what's wrong

and renjun points out the username

and chenle starts lauGHING BECAUSE HE FINDS IT SO FUNNY

renjun smacks him on the head to tell him to shut up DHHSHDD

obviously he would take a screenshot of the username and sends it to you

and he's like

short king <3: do you hv something to confess to me

you: ,,, my love for you??

short king <3: blocked

you: HAHSAHS IM KIDDING

tbh you find the situation honestly really funny

cause you and yanan aren't exactly friends? you're more of acquaintances than friends

and you made eye contact one (1) time with him by accident at an award show and suddenly you're being shipped with him

when you call him the next time to hang out, definitely expect him to be salty about it fjdjfjd

"hey are you free to come over today?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask your BOYFRIEND yanan"

"renjun istg i will break up with you-"

lee jeno

oh baby boy is gonna be so so confused

he's going to be even more confused because you're being shipped with itzy's chaeryeong fhfhfjf

see you and chaeryeong were featured in an episode of a reality tv show once

and the both of y'all immediately hit it off and your friendship was just adorable

so y'all kept interacting every time y'all see each other

and y'all are now nicknamed as the 4th gen gfs because y'all are so adorable???

like the chaeryn ship ur most popular ship ever

so jeno is so confused?? like why is his gf being shipped with her??

he's like a whole ass puppy okay

you, on the other hand, find the chaeryn ship really cute so you don't mind it and you jokingly call chaeryeong your gf once or twice on live before fjdjfn

whenever you tell him that you're hanging out with chaeryeong, he will pout at you and give you his best puppy eyes

like he will cling onto you and try to convince you to now to go

it works like 13% of the time and you would cancel plans with chaer but most of time it doesn't and you would end up being late jhdjsh

but it will slowly become into an inside joke between y'all

like yk that one meme

"this is yn my girlfriend and her girlfriend chaeryeong"

kjdhkjshfs yeah that

but in all seriousness, jeno is really unbothered about you being shipped with chaeryeong because it basically has the same energy as him being shipped with jaemin

whenever y'all are having play fights, you jokingly threaten to leave him for chaeryeong jdsfjds and he immediately stops and says that's unfair

pls shower him in hugs and kisses later

lee haechan

definitely makes a fuss about it

i mean he knows that you aren't going to leave him and all but is he going to be dramatic about it? yes, yes he is

he finds out by himself because he was probably on twitter stalking your hashtag

when he suddenly stumbles upon and edit of you and ateez's san

he's like O.O wot is tHis?

screenshots the edit and sends it to you

hyuckie: yNNNN

hyuckie: THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

hyuckie: BABY

hyuckie: SUGAR BUM

hyuckie: DAISY PIE

you: what in, the ever loving fuck, is daisy pie

hyuckie: *sends screenshot* ARE U CHEATING ON ME

you: hyuck that pic is clearly edited

hyuckie: I KNOW BUT ARE YOU????

you: i-

he makes so much jokes about it that you literally have to shut him up with a kiss

jokes on u reader he's doing this on purpose to get those free kisses

the jokes stop when you actually finally meet san during a game show and shippers are like omg they finally interacted

and the amount of ynxsan edits just,, grow

haechan acts even salty about it and whines about why fan don't ship y'all together when y'all have made eye contact during the golden disk awards bc he was being a lil shit hdsjhfjds

"hey what if i keep staring at you during the melon so we can get into a scandal?"

"hyuck this is supposed to be a secret relationship-"

"yeah but-"

jokes on u he actually does stare at you at the next award show and thankfully did not get into any scandals, but fans started to ship the both of you!

na jaemin

the true unbothered king

literally does not care that you are shipped with someone else

because he knows that he is yours and vice versa

and plus you love him a lot so

he finds out from chenle, who did it out of spite because one day chenle was bored and wanted to cause some chaos

boi basically ran up to jaemin to shove an edit of you and treasurer's junkyu together and went like

"look hyung! ur gf is being shipped with someone eLsE"

"oh that's weird"

"rigHT"

"I thought people shipped her with treasurer's hyunsuk"

chenle is like

HUH???

"aren't you like,, jeaolous??"

jaemin just shrugs and says "hmm, not really"

jaemin knows that you are good friends wth a lot of idols because you're a social butterfly

so he truly doesn't mind when you get shipped with other idols bc in the end , he's the one holding you in his arms

plus he knows the edits and shippers are mostly harmless

and he trusts you

so he just fucks around with chenle jkldsfj

chenle is still confused bc he wants to rile jaemin up for fun but failed hjdshf

zhong chenle

if you thought haechan was dramatic, then you better buckle up for chenle's

so you see

fans already shipped u and chenle

like

y'all already have a dating scandal

and both companies tried so hard to defuse it

see you are an mc for a music show and you were interviewing nct dream

chenle, being the lil shit he is, kept giving you the heart eyes the entire time

and 6 months later, y'all got caught by dispatch on a daTe

ofc both sides were panicking but chenle was enjoying bc he's like "yeah this is my s/o and what abt it"

but y'all still had a dating ban so sm was this close in kicking him hfdsjfh

fortunately, they were able to cover it up as someone else so there's that

so chenle is aware that fans shipped the both of you together

so when he sees you being shipped with stray kid's jeongin

he was like "HOW DARE THEY-"

calls you to complain about the ship for 3 hours

and that is how you found out as well-

literally you don't even know jeongin so you just let chenle complain about it

he goes on and on about why fans should continue to ship y'all together so when he reveals the relationship the fans will be surprised but also not really at the same time-

"should i get into another scandal with you?"

"chenle no-"

park jisung

oh baby boy is going to be very, very confused

i mean he knows that shipping is a thing between fans

he's just confused why ppl would ship you and p1harmony's keeho

like you have never interacted with him so why would fans ship the both of y'all??

the dreamies mostly tell him to not take it serious but the chenle and haechan would egg him on

"get into a dating scandal with them"

"guys no-"

he wouldn't tell you that it bothers him because he doesn't want you laughing at him, worrying over a small issue

so honestly, it lowkey eats him up on the inside

until one day, you basically force it out of him because he's been acting weird for the past week

he finally confesses about the what's bothering him

and you tell him that you wouldn't have laughed at him

you know shipping idols is a common thing in the industry and sometimes it's uncomfortable knowing it when you're already in a relationship

but you also tell him that it's basically harmless because fans can't really force the both of y'all together

jisung would be insecure about the relationship because it's kinda of his first? so he just doesn't want to mess it up

just reassure him a lot and tell him that you won't leave him

and as time goes by, he just gets used to the shipping

[ohmygs-blog]

HELLO :0 ok but like what do the dreamies do when bae is clingy😔😔

being clingy with the dreamies.

[jiamour]

piano, practice & peptalks

pairing: chenle x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 5.9k

summary: chenle is the pianist for your senior year production of high school musical and he always stays late to help you practice

alternatively: chenle make heart go woosh

a/n: i wrote this a year ago so it may not be great,, he’s a shy boy in this im sorry,, but if people can write jeno as a bad boy all the time i can have my shy boy chenle so,,,, also i tried to edit it but i got tired of reading it over and over so its still a mess

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

“start on four okay, i’ll count you in,” chenle instructed, nodding his head like he was confirming your next actions to himself. he hadn’t even glanced in your direction, his eyes fixated on his hands that laid on top of piano keys. 

you were sat on the floor, a pointless rolled up and crumpled script in your hands, and just like chenle your eyes were glued to the movement of his hands against the piano. “one,” his fingers mechanically moving, nodding along to the beginning melody you both had heard at least a thousand times in the last hour. “two,” you were starting to get nervous again, maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea to ask the most musically gifted human to probably ever exist to help you practice for a school play. it was just another under budgeted, high school musical rendition of “high school musical” after all, because your school lacked any ounce of originality.  “three,” you took a breathe in, flopping out the lines in your hand so you could easily see, cringing at the noise. “four,” his eyes moved to you, still playing the basic tune, checking to see if you were going to start on time. which, sadly, was a rare occurrence. you tried your best to listen to his cue breathily beginning, “it’s funny-“ “nope, again,” he stopped you immediately, almost ruthlessly. you kicked your feet lightly against the stage, humming in disappointment. “but chenle, whyyy?” it came out in an unintentional whine. he laughed humorlessly, shifting his body so it was facing you, a hand running through his hair. he still had a smile on your face but you were sure it was more from annoyance than happiness. his hand dropped from his hair so he could look you in the eyes, though you could swear he was looking right passed you instead “you were off key, if you kept going, the whole song would have been wrong and we’d be wasting time.” “it seems like we’re wasting time anyways,” you mumbled under your breathe, frustrated, breaking the “eye contact”. you let your head droop towards the ground as you played with the half empty water bottle beside you. “hey,” his loud voice was so much softer now clearly noticing your frustration. he leaned forward on his bench his elbows resting on his knees, hair swooped slightly over his eyelashes, “look at me yn.” you listened to him and were met with his soft droopy eyes gazing right into yours, this time making your heart skip a beat. when he got your attention he started speaking again, awkwardly moving his hands along with his words not knowing what to do with them when he wasn’t playing the piano, “i’m sorry if i’m being too tough on you, i just know you can be great and i want to see that.” you huffed not appreciating his half assed pep talk, falling back on your hands, resting them flat on the floor behind you. “sure, whatever i’ll try harder.” “no yn, that's not what i’m saying. i um- you want to be like gabriella don’t you? work hard and it’ll pay off okay?” he tried, his tone a little stressed but slightly humorous. “gabriella was late to all the rehearsals and try outs, and almost didn’t go to the performance,” your tone was empty and tired, also a little raspy from all the times it had to stop and start. chenle was taken aback for a second, or at least you thought he was, his expression morphed back into the usual small smile almost instantly. “okay then, um, don’t be like her then, be like sharpay.” “but she doesn’t get the role after working hard for years,” you fought back sternly, like this was the subject you were most passionate about in life and not like you were just happy you got to take a break from chenle telling you that you were wrong.  he laughed a little, pushing himself up so now one hand was on his knee and the other was pushing the hair back out of his face. his navy blue sweater flopped open a little as he moved. “just let me have this yn, i’m trying to motivate you!” you were sure he was just as tired as you were having to play the same notes over and over, and the dim lighting of the stage didn’t make it any better. “never,” you fought back a little bite in your voice and he lazily rolled his eyes at you deciding it was best to turn away, back towards the comfort of his piano now. “we’re going again you know the count,” again without any confirmation he began playing, patronizingly calling out the number to you, and this time, just to push his buttons, you started at 3. “stop,” he muttered, before you could even get the second syllable out. “yn, you have to listen to me for the millionth time, it’s 1-2-3-4 and THEN you start singing, please stop missing the beat before i-“ he was keeping his tone low and calm but his hands waved through the air violently as he spoke, until his tangent was broken off by you laughing to the side. with the tiniest admirable smirk on his face he turned to see you giggling on the ground getting amusement from his annoyance.  “you should have seen your face,” you happily expressed through your giggles making him shake his head in disbelief “my face didn’t even move,” if you didn't know better you’d say his voice was almost whining back at you. “yeah but you wanted it too. i saw twitches zhong chenle don’t lie to me!” you cut him off when he tried to interject a finger held in the air just for emphasis “there was no-“ he took a breathe knowing you were just trying to get a reaction out of him, wanting to give into your game, but wanting more to practice at the same time, “let’s just start again and no forgetting how to count this time.” “one.” ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈« “that’s not the note,” he stopped playing and instead took to guiding you through the song with his finger moving up and down in the air as if you could understand that perfectly. “listen chenle, we can’t all be literal prodigies like you,” like always you began your usual squabble with him that had started to occur almost every time you messed up. or in other words, a lot. “hate to break it to you yn,” he started, tracing his hand over a key while playfully looking into your eyes, “but it doesn’t take a musical genius to be able to sing along to high school musical, zac efron could do it for god sake” “actually zac efron didn’t sing his parts in high school musical,” chenle appeared stunned, like he did every time you said something that he didn’t know, this might not even have been true but it was nice to have rendered him speechless if only for a second. his mouth hung open cutely until he swallowed and spoke again his lips in a small pout “i should just stop using characters as an argument you thwart me every time.” “did you just say ‘thwart’?” you laughed falling forward slightly holding your stomach. he nudged you with his shoulder, looking away embarrassed but still smiling along with you ALSO speaking of him nudging you, after many many practices together chenle finally let you sit beside him on his bench. you took this as a large accomplishment. you’d only seen one person sit on his bench before during normal play rehearsal and he definitely wasn’t welcoming their presence. chenle’s best friend, jisung’s, girlfriend, craving to be liked by everyone, pushed in beside him a few days ago taking up room with not only her form but also her overwhelmingly, extroverted personality. chenle, though clearly uncomfortable, just smiled shyly and opted to show her how to play a few simple chords per her request. it took jisung constant tapping on her shoulders for about five minutes straight to finally get her away with new piano knowledge she’d surely forget seconds after. bUT besides all that, chenle had finally allowed you to sit with him, and that’s all that mattered, even if it did leave room for more nit picking and teasing. “let’s just get back to practicing,” he said through his laugh, straightening his posture. you followed his lead almost comically straightening your back to mock him which just making him laugh more. he playfully pushed your forearm to get your shoulders to fall again, “stop ittt!” you punched your arm out just enough so it missed the piano in front of you and turned your head towards chenle, “stop what chenle, this is my battle position.”

he shook his head and positioned his eyes on the piano, “i’m starting whether you like it for not, so stop fooling around.” “fine,” swiftly your arms were crossed across your chest, an over dramatic pout morphing all your other features, “you’re no fun.” “oh, so that’s how we’re going to be,” he sounded like he was challenging you and not like he had been offended by your comment. chenle cleared his throat, positioned himself and his hands like he was about to play an epic concerto, and then in one quick movement he hit a single key around the center right of the piano, “you need to be here, but you are-“ he then proceeded to smash his hands down on the keyboard to create a loud unpleasant mash of noise, “here.” “heyyy,” you kicked his foot with your own lightly “you’re a bully zhong chenle.” ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈« your eyes were locked with chenle’s as you ran through one of the musical numbers. he was sat off to the side on his piano bench which he seemed to never move from while you were up on main stage, the stage lights blinding the corner of your eyes. it was almost the end of practice and you were tired, the cast was tired, the theatre teacher was tired, but chenle, somehow he had all the energy in the world to dance mockingly off to the side moving cutely around to try to copy your actions. you probably should have been watching your step or at least watching your “co star” because it wasn’t exactly safe with all the basketballs haphazardly thrown around. but instead you couldn’t take your eyes off probably the dorkiest little piano man. “okay, okay CUT!” your teacher called from one of the seats at the back of the room, pushing herself up slightly so she appeared more in charge. the dancing and singing stopped abruptly with her words and you stumbled a little having to be caught by jaemin who happened to be beside you, you could already imagine chenle laughing at you later, “yn dear, for the love of god please pay attention to what’s going on instead of staring at chenle.” you. were. embarrassed. your eyes sunk from the teacher to the ground to chenle who was indeed laughing and back to the ground before nodding and muttering an “um i- okay, sorry.” the teacher nodded back and turned her attention to the smiling boy,  “and chenle,” his expression immediately dropped and you saw him noticeably get shy and swallow “keep up the enthusiasm.” the rest of practice went smoothly, sadly with a lot less chenle dancing and a lot more actually practicing. like always you stayed later with chenle. he would always be waiting for you by his piano as you said goodbye to your friends and cast mates, sometimes he’d play to speed by time and you’d wait a little longer to go to him just to listen. but today zhong chenle wasn’t at his piano, today he was dribbling one of the basketballs that used to be a tripping hazard, across the stage. you leaned your left side on the wall beside you, your arms crossed and a teasing smile prepared on your expression. just as he was about to shoot on the flimsy basketball net some kid had taken off his driveway to help with the set, you snuck up behind him. with a light tap on his arms, you yelled a loud “boo!” causing him to drop the ball out of his hands and spin around towards you with a pout. “what was that for?” he continued to frown even as you smirked and ducked under his gaze to grab the basketball that had stopped rolling on the floor beside him. “i just wanted to show you how a real pro does it,” you said confidently a quick nod to your head and the basketball tucked under your arm. “uh huh sure,” chenle spoke sarcastically lunging forward to grab the ball out of your hands but you dodged his arms and ran a little to the side away from him “is that why it took you so many tries to get the ball in during practice yesterday?” “i just didn’t want to intimidate them with my talents, god chenle,” you moved your hand up to your head as you spoke and the ball rolled away from your grasp. quickly you scampered after it not wanting chenle to get it before you. “right, right sorry i doubted you.” he began walking to his piano again and you knew what that meant, more practicing. “let’s go over the song we stopped on yesterday, yeah?” he expected you to follow, instead you tossed the basketball weakly and it flew about 5 feet in front of you to the left side of the net. you turned on your feet hoping chenle hadn’t noticed and pretending that you had meant for that to happen: of course chenle noticed, he had his hand covering his smile as he laughed. as soon as you saw him as happy as he was, you knew you didn’t want to practice. “no,” you held your ground your feet cemented to the floor. “no?” his laughing haulted and, like the cutie he was, his head tilted in confusion. “i’m hungry” it was the first thing to pop into your head and plus, you really were hungry. somehow though you still sounded confident.  “you’re hungry?” he repeated your words back slower his eyes squinting against the bright stage lights which you hadn’t turned off yet. your eyes rolled the slightest bit and your hand rested on your hip, though you weren’t actually annoyed “what are you a parrot now?” “no,” he said. “i just don’t know how to respond, you don’t have food do you?” “no,” your face scrunched “that’s why i’m hungry.” he opened his mouth to speak but you continued talking “but there are vending machines and you seem like the kind of guy to always have your wallet on you.” “i’m not buying you food.” “but chenleee,” you tried a whine and puppy dog eyes that he never fell for. “no.” “look, i’ve been rehearsing for three hours, THREE HOURS CHENLE, please give me money so i can get us something from the vending machines,” you had your hands together, ready to beg him. originally this was just an excuse but now that you thought about it you were starving and you could already hear your stomach grumbling in the near future. he stood up from his bench dusting off his knees as just a habitat, because really where would he have acquired dust?  “if you can beat me in a basketball game to three, i’ll buy you food.” “you’re on,” and with that chenle lazed across the stage towards the basketball that laid just off stage and his nonchalant movements led you to believe this win would be easy even if you sucked. boy were you wrong. chenle tossed the ball to you which you caught with an oomf not expecting the strength behind it. you let him walk to center stage again before you bowed “what the fuck yn-“ “it’s for honor,” you hissed gesturing for him to do what you did “that’s not how it-“ you looked up in a glare “fine, whatever.” as soon as he awkwardly bowed you ran forward messily dribbling the ball. you heard his initial shock and then a laugh behind you and then seconds later in front of you as he swooped the ball out of your possession. “that’s illegal,” you cried chasing after him as he dribbled to the other side and easily sent it into the basket. he retrieved the ball and turned back to your slumped form smiling “no, that’s one for me.” “you’re not supposed to be good at this,” you sighed as he tossed the ball back in your direction. “come on yn” he said. “if zac efron can do it then you can too” you went to speak your finger up in the air like you were going to correct him again so he spoke faster than you, “what are you going to tell me zac efron didn’t do any of the basketball playing as well?” “no,” you bounced the ball in front of you “i was going to ask you if you only have one pep talk?” “yes i do,” he rubbed his hands together getting ready to play again, “now start dribbling so i can get 2 more points and we can go back to practicing.” “um i think you mean, i get 3 more points and we eat snacks.” “not a chance.” and with your newfound will to beat chenle you ran forward only to get the ball taken from you a second time. this time you reacted faster deciding to latch onto him in true koala form instead of going for the ball. “this-“ he tried to shake you off his back are the ball rolled out of his hands and across the stage again “is not how you play basketball.” “that’s because you’ve never seen my strategy.” “i don’t know what you hope to achieve from this strategy,” he laughed finally shrugging you off.  “snacks.” you answered, “i hope to achieve snacks.” chenle won the game 3-1 sadly, after his second basket he noticed your enthusiasm withering so he “accidentally” fumbled the ball in your direction 3 or 4 times until you finally got it in. his third point was achieved about 3.5 seconds later from the opposite side of the “court” to stop you from getting too cocky. “let’s go practice now,” you groaned and stopped chenle by pulling his arm before he could go back to the dreaded piano. “please chenle, buy me snacks,” you whined trying again with the puppy dog eyes “i’ll name my first born child after you.” “well i don’t think that’s necessary-“ “i’ll mention you in my award acceptance speeches when i’m famous, you’ll be known as zhong chenle the guy who got me snacks and saved my life,” you tugged on his arm more and you could feel him relenting “fine,” he said as he took out his wallet with the hand that wasn’t being pulled by you. “thank you-“ you yelled out happily jumping away from him “but-“ he held $10 in front of you and when you went to grab it he moved it away, “you have to promise me you’ll get famous, cause if you don’t i’m marching straight up to your house and getting my money back.” “of course,” you nodded barely listening to what he said your eyes fixed on the money in his hand which you snatched as soon as he brought it near. you sprinted off down the halls to the nearest vending machine leaving chenle on stage shaking his head with a fond smile. “why did you get apple slices,” chenle asked picking up the cold green plastic they were in and plopping them back on the ground in front of him. “i didn’t know if you were a vegetarian so i didn’t want to offend you,” you responded plopping a chip in your mouth, the bag of which chenle grabbed from your hand the second he noticed. you were both sitting cross legged on the stage floor across from each other the food laying in between you.

chenle waited until he finished his chip to speak, “chips are vegetarian yn, they’re just potatoes.”

“you’re a potato.” 

“that was uncalled for.”

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“we’re soaring. flying. there's not a star-” chenle mumbled through the words robotically as he played leaning forward to squint at the lyrics. 

you hit him with your slightly rolled up script, “sing! when i asked you to help with the duet i meant singing.”

“i’m not singing,” chenle leaned back his hands in his lap and no longer on the piano as he shook his head. 

“come on chenle if zac efron can do it you can too,” you laughed taking his stupid pep talk from him. 

he turned his head in your direction amused, “from what i heard zac efron didn’t sing either.”

“not in high school musical maybe,” you said smirking, “but he did in the greatest showman, at least i think he did.”

“you’re a loser.” 

“says you.”

he sighed and straightened out the sheet music on his piano, “let's start again.”

“are you going to sing?” you perked up hoping he would give in like he had for the snacks a few days ago.

“no,” he shook his head again, harder this time, like if he shook his head enough the idea would leave yours.

“please?” you were pouting and he knew it so he decided not to look at you, knowing that over the past few weeks he had been getting softer for your every action. 

“no,” his tone was uncertain and you latched onto that like he knew you would. 

“chenle,” you said this to get his attention hoping he would turn towards you like he usually did but again he refused his leg bouncing beside him. 

your socked feet hit against his piano bench in frustration which you sat on cross legged facing him. “chenle look at me.”

this time he did but he wouldn’t meet your eyes shyly he looked down at the ground beside you. you delicately grabbed his hands from off the piano and into your own.

when you squeezed his hands a little he finally looked into your eyes and you smiled at him, “chenle will you please sing with me?” you asked softly, softer than he’d ever heard your voice before. 

“fine” chenle relented, he knew if he looked into your hopeful eyes for too long he would agree but there was really no helping it. 

“really?” your eyes sparkled not expecting his response and he nodded.

“really.” he cleared his throat, “but don't laugh at how much i suck alright?”

“chenle i’ll only laugh if you're really bad, don’t worry” you watched as his shy expression changed into a pout on his soft lips. then you realized you were looking at his lips. You looked back into his eyes to see him staring back at you with a look of soft wonder.

with a small cough to break the silence and to break your hands apart, you forced a laugh “i’m kidding, i bet you’re great anyways your good at everything else.”

“i can literally do two things,” he laughed. Good, you were back to your usual interactions. 

“well that's two more things than me,” you fought back.

his mouth fell open like you had offended him but his eyes were still friendly, “um shut up, you can sing, you can dance, you can steal my heart,” he made a heart shape with his hands after he spoke.

“you can’t sweet talk me out of making you sing.” 

“darn.”

“and who the fuck still says darn?”

“your mom?”

you hit his shoulder a little harder than usual, “zhong chenle!”

“i’m sorry it just slipped out, i didn’t mean to bring back a joke from the 2000’s,” he looked ashamed but you saw the smile twitching on his lips. jEsus stop looking at his lips.

“i just-” you placed a hand over your heart, your head turned away dramatically, “i just don’t know if we can be friends anymore after that.”

“yn-”

“no i'm leaving,” you said getting up from the bench and grabbed your bag that laid on the ground beside you.

before you could step away he lightly grabbed your wrist in his hand and gently tugged you back in his direction, “don’t leave.”

he was too soft to decline so you huffed, you shrugged your bag off again, and sat back down on the stool.

“good,” he said letting your wrist go and turning to his piano “let’s practice.”

“fine,” you agreed taking in a breath of air “but no piano this time.”

“you want me to sing acapella with you?” he asked in disbelief, doubting you would stick to this seemingly outrageous request.

“yes,” you confirmed quickly.

“okay,” chenle didn’t know why he agreed or why he agreed so easily but he knew he couldn’t back out now without another fight, “so um- how do we start?”

“not so tough without your piano huh?” you teased reaching to his sheet music and handing it to him, “first you probably need the lyrics.”

“good call,” he nodded rocking back, one hand on the bench the other holding the lyrics, and swallowing nervously.

you could see how tense he was and placed a hand over his too try to calm him down a bit, he relaxed slightly under your touch and you began to count him in “one, two, three, four.”

“we’re soaring; flying, there's not a star in heaven that we can’t reach,” his voice was so fucking pretty and he didn’t tell you this before? and for why was he being modest?? his voice was beautiful and it made your heart swell that he had agreed to share it with you and no one else.

“hey,” chenle waved the paper in your face, you blinked and broke yourself out of the thoughts you hadn’t even realized you were trapped in, “you missed your part.”

“you’re so pretty,” it came out in an over dramatic pout then you realized what you said “um- i um meant your voice is pretty.” 

in typical shy boy fashion he looked away, “i um- thank you? but it would be nice if you sang next time too.”

“right, lets go again.”

“whats this?” chenle smirked tilting his head in fake confusion, “yn actually wanting to practice? was my voice that moving?”

“shut up,” you huffed and raised your fingers in a count to start again.

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“wheres yn?” jaemin asked leaning over chenle's shoulder as he did the soundcheck for the night.

“what do you mean, ‘where's yn’” he did finger quotes and his face scrunched up slightly annoyed and confused.

“i mean, wheres yn,” jaemin repeated again in the same curious tone “she’s not with the cast so i thought she’d do with you”

“what do you mean she’s not with the cast?” chenle’s voice was louder now trying to hide that he was worried about you when nothing was probably happening.

“I mean shes not with the cast-” jaemin frowned “why do you want me to keep repeating things? are you okay chenle?”

chenle ignored him and quickly finished his soundcheck going off to find you. awkwardly he went up to one of your friends spending the whole time fiddling with his fingers until they told him you had gotten nervous and went to splash some water on your face. 

he spoke quick thank you and wandered down the hall to see if you were okay, hesitantly he knocked on the door “in a minute!” you called from behind it your voice shakier than normal. 

“hey yn, you're on in um-” he looked down at his watch and his heart rate picked up, “literally two minutes, you good?”

“um yeah,” he heard a loud sniff as you walked over to the door and opened it. 

your face was red and you brought a hand up to rub your eyes leaning on the door frame giving chenle a fake smile.

“have you been crying?”

“no,” you sniffed.

he gave you a disbelieving look and you frowned tears spilling from your eyes again, he held his arms open and you immediately fell into them, holding onto him tightly. one arm wrapped around you while his other texted jaemin to tell the teacher they may have to delay the musical a few minutes. 

placing his phone back into his back pocket he brought a hand up to move down your hair calmingly as you cried into his chest.

“yn,” you hummed against him in response until he moved you back his hands on your shoulders, holding you about a foot away. he cautiously brushed a tear away with his thumb, “you’re going to do great and i’m the harshest critic in the world, you of all people know that.”

“yeah,” you sniffed again “but you like me now, so it’s not the same.”

you smiled sadly at your own comment and he smiled with you “i’ve always liked you.”

“liar.” 

“okay, maybe i didn’t like you when we first met because you cut in line and took the last of the pizza,” chenle agreed, you humphed at him, a little glare in your eyes “but i liked you the second time i saw you, you know when you accidentally threw a pencil at my head, i really needed a pencil that day.”

you giggled and chenle was happy he was making progress. 

“this isn’t like your usual pep talks,” you teased, biting your lip as you looked up at him.

“well after a while i learned every single character in high school musical is actually corrupt and maybe not the best people for motivation.” 

“good call,” you nodded, “but you’re not even going try? i like shutting your pep talks down.”

“fine um-“ he said thinking “you can do this yn be like kelsi and sing your heart out.”

“she played piano she didn’t-“

“you get my point,” he smiled his pretty smile and you couldn’t help but smile back, “and you’re going to do great, so get on out there before they kill you and i for keeping them waiting.”

“okay.” you nodded and he let your shoulders go so you could run together to the stage where everyone was panicking, and before you parted ways you gave him a quiet thank you.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

you felt the adrenaline and pride rush through you as you finished the final number in the musical. you couldn’t stop a smile that took over your entire face from forming. 

you took your bow, immediately after looked to the side hoping chenle was paying attention and there he was standing at his piano at the side of the stage giving you a standing ovation, your eyes met and he smiled so proudly. 

you felt yourself lose control of your body as you ran towards him and jumped into his unsuspecting arms, your arms wrapping around his neck and your legs around his hips. it took him a second to regain his balance from the unexpected hug but once he had, he wrapped his arms tightly around your waist. 

“you did so good,” you leaned back so you could see his face and he could see yours. he was smiling. you were smiling. god was probably smiling but you couldn’t be sure. he spun you once as you both laughed and stopped looking you in the eyes “i’m so proud of you.” 

then you noticed how close his face was to yours, your eyes dropped to his lips and you could tell his did the same, your breathe was heavy from the performance as well as the close contact, chenle began to lean in and you both start laughing again. your head fell to his shoulder while you laughed together.

after a few seconds, and realizing that everyone could still see you both he put you down and shyly stepped away. his head ducking and flushed.

“i’ll um- see you later yn?” he said and you felt a little disappointed as he disappeared backstage without even waiting for your response. 

you turned back around to see your friends all huddled together laughing and talking so you quickly ran back to join in. 

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

“what are you doing man?” jisung asked having walked backstage to see chenle with his face leaned up against the brick wall. 

“kicking myself,” chenle mumbled back.

“why aren’t you with yn?” jisung asked and chenle groaned flipping around just to frown at jisung.

“because i’m stupid.” 

“that you are my friend,” jisung agreed.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

you hadn’t seen chenle for the rest of that night but day 2 of performing was today and you were determined to not let him just walk away on you again. 

as soon as you entered the room your eyes snapped to the piano which luckily chenle was still sat at. he wasn’t playing just shuffling through his endless sheet music so you knew you wouldn’t be interrupting anything.

quickly you moved over to him, fixing your posture so your walk was full of false confidence and authority.

“chenle-“ you tapped his shoulder and slid into the spot beside him on his bench. 

“yn,” he mumbled his eyes keep flashing to your lips making it hard to think about anything but kissing him.

“what are you up to?” your voice was as soft as his and was hard to raise above a whisper just as much trapped in a daze as he was. 

“oh you know just um- piano” he smiled leaning to the side and accidentally resting his arm on the keys only to bounce off when they made a loud sound. you giggled at his actions and he cursed himself for ruining the moment but it had only made you want him more. 

“that’s-“ you started not sure of what to say “fun.” 

“yeah its um- can i kiss you?” chenle didn’t know where the confidence had come from or even where the words had come from but they were definitely there, they had been said, holy shit.

chenle was in panic, you were going to reject him, he was going to lose you, he was going to die alone and have 50 cats, wait maybe that’s actually not too bad-

“yes,” you hummed. oh. that wasn’t what he expected. 

chenle cupped your cheeks and your eyes drooped close. his heart practically fluttered out of his chest when his lips met yours and he could already feel his palms getting sweaty. he dropped his hands from his cheeks and you moved yours to wrap loosely around his neck pulling him closer but that just caused your foreheads to crash together. with a giggle from you and a groan chenle you pulled apart awkwardly placing a hand on your forehead where his had hit.

“sorry,” you laughed, your smile huge on your face and so was his, as carefree as you’d ever seen it despite the pain echoing in his head. 

“no, it’s fine,” his words were slow and breathy and sounded just as smiley as he looked. “but i don’t think gabriella would have messed up like that, or zac efron.” 

your mouth fell open and your hands flew to your hips “SHUT UP!!” 

[sungbeam]

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞

nonidol!chenle x fem!reader

premise. you and chenle fell hard and fast. but chenle's been hiding something from you, and he'll try his damnedest to keep it that way. but no matter how hard he may try, the truth always finds a way to be revealed. and that just may cost him everything.

genre. not exactly slow burn, fluff, angst!!, s2l, arranged marriage au later, college basketball star!chenle, richkid!chenle problems, college au, theaterkid!reader

warnings. ANGST, fluff, low-key cheating-ish?, chenle embodies down bad, reader tries and fails to resist, flirting and innuendos asf (it's chenle, cmon), kissing+making out (like one scene), cursing/swearing, chenle is kinda smooth asf, did I say ANGST yet?, angst, panic

word count. 24.2k (heh)

permanent taglist: @tayunji @im-a-big-mess @justanotherkpopstanlol @johlee @frickyratz @liamsholygrail @staysstrays @w3bqrl @y3jiishot

taglist: @j4eminie777 @jenosbliss @hibernatinghamster @user103843 @watermelonlee05

a/n: i speedran this fic and i am in shambles. i hope u all enjoy tho! pls pls pLs help a girl out and reblog, comment, or even send asks abt the fic! pls spread the word if u do enjoy reading this. it would mean the world to me <3

also huge thank you to @tayunji for being my sanity check and letting me live word count dump on her (and for always sending kind words, even if she angst cancels me 🤡)

You remembered the exact day you met Zhong Chenle.

It had been a long day. Actually, "long day" was an understatement. You'd been working at the café since opening until now, which was 4:32 in the afternoon, and for what reason? Absolutely none, other than the fact that you were dirt poor, and only the glimmer of false hope called overtime could grant you any reprieve. Ironically, you had little to no breaks today.

Funny, right? Always funny.

But it made for a sour mood as you took orders from people. You honestly tried your best to be nice and energetic and "happy to take your order!", even if that meant they wanted five more pumps of raspberry syrup, a dash of caramel sauce, and an extra pinch of turmeric. Turmeric, seriously?

You were just trading off places with one of your coworkers to take the register again when you heard the bell above the door jingle. Swiftly tightening the ponytail on your head, you adjusted the pencil seated in the little divot behind your ear. Your mouth widened in the perfect service smile, ready to spew out the same bullshit you always did.

The young man who sauntered through the door—yes, he sauntered—was lowering the Ray Bans from his eyes and hanging the leg from the collar of his black and white Balenciaga shirt. He had dark hair, the strands slightly wavy and curly atop his head; he reminded you of Ryan Gosling. At least, somewhat like Ryan Gosling.

But then that gut wrenching feeling came to you. Oh no, you knew exactly who this chad was.

And you saw the way his dark eyes looked you up and down, the same glimmer of recognition in them. You watched in slow motion as he approached the counter with a smirk curling at his lips, and you braced for goddamn impact.

Zhong Chenle smiled at you. "Hey."

If you hadn't known who Zhong Chenle was, then you would have been living under a rock—he was the boy who had everything. Basketball star, trust fund baby, academic genius—he was criminally famous around campus for not only being an all-rounder, but a total ladies' man. You were not oblivious to the rumors that circulated about him, but you had also never heard any solid evidence that he was dating anyone. He was an effortless flirt, and you had a feeling you might find out just how effortless he was.

Your smile tightened just slightly. Keep it up, Yn, he might tip well. And you need this new set of microphones for the stage crew. "Hi, what can I get started for you?"

"A tall, black coffee, please."

Easy enough. Your tense shoulders loosened as you reached up and took the pencil from your ear, the thin wooden stick twirling between your fingers mindlessly before the eraser came down on the screen to input the order into the system. "Cash or card?"

"Card."

And then you watched as he whipped out a slick, black credit card like it was the prophetic playing card you had pulled from his deck in a magic trick. You raised a brow, unimpressed, as he handed it over to you across the café counter for you to insert into the credit card reader. A black card for a four dollar cup of coffee?

Your friend Felix would be hounding for a good tip by now. You could imagine the dollar signs lighting up in his eyes.

"So uh, are you doing anything after your shift?" Chenle suddenly asked, leaning against the counter with one hip as he took back the card and tucked it into the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He brushed the dark hair from his forehead, glancing at you with cool nonchalance.

You were close to telling him that this was just a McDonald's drive-thru. Maybe if you weren't so tired from today's shift, you would have given him the reaction he wanted: shy giggling, tucking your hair behind your ear, smiling through soft blushes. It was the reaction he would probably expect. Instead, you could only give him a half-hearted smirk. "Probably take a nap."

"You could take a nap with me."

"Uh-huh." You finished off inputting his order into the system with the end of your pencil. You spun the pencil between your fingers, tucking it behind your ear once more, the feeling comfortable and familiar. Unlike the weight of his stare. You pretended you didn't see how Chenle's eyes bursted into hearts while he watched you do that particular move again. "Could I get you anything else?"

"Yeah, actually." He feigned confusion as he patted down his jacket and pants pockets. "I think I lost my number. Could I borrow yours?"

The feminine urge to—

"Ynie, what's taking so—oh hey, Chenle!" Thank the Lord for Felix Lee. The blondie appeared at your side, hand planted on your shoulder, as he greeted his friend with a bright smile. "Dark coffee again?"

Chenle nodded. "Yep. I was just introducing myself to your pretty friend over here." He winked at you, and you realized just how much confidence he must have had if he could wink at you in front of Felix.

Felix's head whipped over to you, eyes comically wide, and you sent him an earnest "don't you fucking dare, Lee Yongbok!" look, but alas… the man never did listen to you, did he? Felix smiled, slow and mischievous. "Oh? Well, I'm sure Yn would love to keep introducing herself to you while I go get your coffee ready, huh, Ynie?"

"Don't you 'Yn-ie' me, mister," you practically hissed. The cheeky bastard just threw you to the wolves!

Your friend patted you on the back and left soon after, swiftly stealing a cup from your side as he went. It was too late to haul him back without making a scene.

"He's gonna expect you to tip him for this, y'know?" You joked as a sorry attempt to make conversation. Or not be left in awkward silence. But you had an idea that Chenle was gifted at avoiding awkward silences.

Chenle bit his lip to suppress a smile. "Yeah, but I'd much rather tip you instead." The most magical thing he could have possibly done? He glanced around as if this were an illegal drug deal, and in a way this was, but he pulled a black, leather bifold from his jacket pocket and began counting out bills.

You slapped a hand over your mouth. "That," you said slowly before you could stop yourself, "is probably the sexiest thing you've done since you walked in here."

Aaaaaand there you go, Yn. Genius. Fantastic. If I could slap myself—

The man's eyebrows shot up and his hands stopped flicking through the bills. A grin crawled onto his sculpted face once more. "Ah, so you think I'm sexy? I knew you'd come around."

There was no doubt about it—your face was on fire. "No, that isn't what I said. I said that your action was sexy; not necessarily you."

But the damage had been done. You had inadvertently inflated Zhong Chenle's ego even more than it already was blown up to.

"That's cute," he said and folded a handful of bills in half. He gestured for you to stick your hand out, and he grabbed your wrist, placing the bills into your palm and curling your fingers around them.

After you had slipped the bills into the pocket of your waist apron, you saw Chenle lick his lips; there was a worrying sparkle in his eyes. "Hey, if you put your number on the cup, I'll give you more."

Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head. How much money did this man have? "Dude, I think you've given me enough. I'm close to giving you this wad of cash back."

He shrugged. "Then your number, and a date and time."

"Date and time?"

He sighed, hand draping over his forehead. Chenle shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, for such a pretty face, you sure—"

You glowered. "Finish that sentence, Zhong. I dare you."

Chenle let out a sharp laugh, but he raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, sure, baby. Whatever you want." He chuckled under his breath. "Damn, you're hot when you're feisty. I should rile you up more."

"Your presence is enough to do that."

"Ah, so I'm enough for you? I'd use the word perfect, but we can work on that." He opened his mouth, no doubt to say something to make you even more flustered, but Felix's squawk of distress pierced through the café's lo-fi music.

"Uhhhh, Yn? A little help, heh."

You pursed your lips. "Duty calls."

Chenle nodded in understanding. "'Course. Remember, Yn: number, date, and time." The image of his smirk was ingrained in your brain as you abandoned the counter to see whatever Felix had done to mess up his coffee. And you would end up scrawling all three of those things onto the side of Chenle's cup. For what reason? None at all, except for you trying to convince yourself it was because he practically paid you to do it, and not because you were the slightest bit interested.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐈—

It scared you, how quickly you and Chenle had fallen into a routine. After your first meeting at the café, you both had planned out an outing together—dinner and a movie. Simple, right?

Yeah. Except, dinner and a movie was in his penthouse with a private chef flown in from his home province of Shanghai, and the movie wasn't even out in theaters yet. Yeah, you tried to explain it to Felix the next day, but there were little to no words to describe everything you had experienced that night. The luxury, the awe—the guilt.

God, you couldn't stomach seeing yourself sometimes. Especially whenever he popped into the café calling you babe, slapping too much money on the counter for just a cup of plain old coffee, and hanging out on a stool to keep you company for the rest of your shift. Sometimes you had something planned at the theater that you had to go run and manage, but whether it was that or going straight home, Chenle was offering you a ride there.

You would be walking on campus and see him pass by with his group of wild friends. He would wink at you, blow you a kiss, shout your name; anything to get your attention. And it definitely caught people's attention.

You didn't have a shift at the café today, but you had been holed up in the backstage office all afternoon. The theater society at the university was going to be thrust into chaotic, hellish Tech Week, the week right before opening night of their most recent play, The Lucky Ones. It was actually a student-written and student-directed play, and you were so excited to see the finished product on opening night. You had already sent out advanced tickets to your friends and family, spread word to your theater friends at other schools, and most of all totally found a date.

It wasn't like Huang Renjun, the director, was forcing you to bring a date. It was just that you had never brought a date before. You never needed one. You always chose to enjoy the play on your own, or in the company of your closest friends, but with recent events? You had an idea.

A confident knock on the door broke you from your stupor, and you told them they could come in.

Speak of the Devil…

Chenle poked his head into the room, eyes already roaming about the small office space with curious eyes. He allowed himself in, easily finding a seat in the chair across from you. "Hi Yn-ie. Renjun said I could find you in here."

"Oh, right," you clicked your pen closed and tucked it behind your ear, "sorry, I forget how time passes when I'm alone in here. Did you call or text? I always keep my phone off." You dug around your desk drawer before finding the device deep in the mess of paper clips, random SD cards, bookmark stickies, and the like. It was like the aftermath of an explosion at an office supply store.

"Alone? You could always call me to come hang out; keep you company," he said, ignoring your previous statement. He twisted in his seat, draping his legs over the arm of the chair and resting sideways in it. "Unless this is your private space. Then I won't intrude."

You found yourself smiling. "Ah, no. Having someone in here will probably ground me to reality, actually."

"I do need something though."

You perked up. "Sure."

He grinned. "Don't sound too eager now."

"Zhong," you rolled your eyes.

"Okay, okay! God, you're kind of sexy when you're like that. Anyways!" He said loudly to prevent you from making yet another remark. He giggled. "You're cute. But yeah, I have court side tickets to our opening game of the season this Friday, and I would absolutely love to see your pretty face in the stands."

He added cheekily, "Screaming my name, of course."

Oh god. How did you not expect that? You sighed. "Yes, of course."

Chenle propped his chin in the palm of his hand, head tilted sideways as he looked at you. "That's a yes to the tickets and wearing my jersey then."

"Yes—wait, what?"

He clapped his hands together loudly. "Next topic! A little birdie also told me that baby needs a date for a certain opening night next week." He flipped his imaginary, long hair over his shoulder. "Just let me know when and what color your dress is."

You crossed your arms over your chest and you were scared at how fast it was pounding. "Bold of you to assume that I don't already have a date."

For a second, you swore you saw his confident facade falter. But it must have just been a glitch in the matrix, because there was no way, right? "Okay, and? I'm better."

"Uh huh," you hummed, unimpressed. "I'll need a better reason than that to ditch my prior commitment," you teased.

You knew he had caught on, tongue poking the inside of his cheek, corners of his mouth lifting. "Ah, I see. I don't think I'll buy myself into this one, will I? Well, what if I told you I'm an excellent play watcher? Probably the most well behaved person you'll find in the seats—"

You covered your laugh with a cough. "Chenle, you couldn't sit through one two-hour long movie. This play is at least three."

Chenle pouted, wrinkling his nose at you. "Why are you making this so difficult for me, Ynie? I just wanna return the favor, support your play, support your art!"

"Okay, okay, you big baby," you caved. "I'll let you know when I pick out a dress." But inwardly you were grateful. God, you were so grateful. There were so many rumors about this man, but he had yet to disappoint you. And even if you were nervous, you knew the butterflies in your stomach were from the things he was making you feel.

If he was as the rumors said he was, then why would he put so much effort into impressing you? Or, as he said himself, supporting you and your craft?

Chenle lifted his head, mouth falling open slightly. "You mean you haven't picked out a dress yet?"

"No, you are not buying me a dress or watching me choose a dress."

"You're literally no fun."

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐈𝐈—

Karina, your roommate, was skeptical. You had to admit, however, that she had every right to be, given her last relationships and the fact that she knew every drop of gossip that landed at SMU's front door. She was fully immersed in campus news, especially since she ran the university's magazine and yearbook committees. So Zhong Chenle was a subject she heard about often, but she never thought she'd have to hear about him at home from you, too.

"Just think about it, 'kay? Don't make any hard decisions yet."

You waved him off, this being the seventh time since the theater that he was bugging you about the dress. Jesus, it was like this man was eager to waste his money somewhere. You already felt terrible as it was. "Chenle, I will. But absolutely no promises."

He gestured with his hand, his back leaning against the wall in the hallway right across from your door. "Sure, fine. Whatever you say."

"Zhong Chenle, you are not getting your way this time."

He smiled, like he knew that was a lie.

You shooed him off after that. Your pride needed a bit of restoration, as well as some reassurance that you would not let this man completely take down your defenses.

When you let yourself into the apartment, locking the door behind you, Karina was already on the couch with her laptop on her knees and the coffee table swarmed with spread upon spread. "Was that Chenle again?" She asked as you set your things down on the kitchen table noisily.

"Yeah," you said back. "Just came from the theater."

"He came by to see you?"

You threw open the fridge in search of a beverage. "Mhm. Asked me to go to his game on Friday. Court side tickets or whatever."

Karina nearly rocketed up from her seat. "Court—court side tickets?"

Your back was turned, so you hadn't seen her very physical reaction. You continued to scour the depths of the fridge before you settled on a can of iced tea. "Yeah." When you faced her, sipping on your tea, you lifted a brow in silent question at her widened eyes and now disturbed position.

Your roommate set her laptop aside so she could lean against the back of the couch. "Yn, sweetie, he asked you to sit court side. Did he happen to ask you to wear his jersey?"

At this, you snorted. "Pretty much told me to."

Karina puffed out her cheeks, and you recognized this particular quirk as something she did when she was trying not to spontaneously combust on the spot. "He's literally staking his claim on you. Like… ever read those Wattpad books where the guy is possessive and makes the girl wear his jacket or jersey or whatever?"

"You have?"

"That's not the point!" She stammered. "But that's what's happening right now, Yn! The basketball players hardly ever bring someone to sit court side, unless they're family or close friends. Honestly, I think only two or three players are thought to be bringing their significant others to the game this week."

You screwed the lid back onto your tea bottle and settled on the couch beside Karina. "Why is it such a big deal?" You could probably answer that question yourself, to be honest.

Karina still answered nonetheless, "Because Chenle's single. Well, until he met you. Have you guys talked about a label yet? I don't mean to pry or push."

Actually? No, you had no label for whatever was happening with Chenle. "No, you're good. But no, we haven't talked about it, but to be honest, there hasn't been a need for it. We went on, like, one official date and then had a couple of hangouts afterward. We're like… friends right now."

That was generously put. He was practically your—no, don't say it. Maybe you should have a conversation about your boundaries.

"Okay well, does he feel the same way? I don't even know, Yn-ie, but I feel like I should warn you to be careful."

That was reasonable. You could understand where Karina was coming from, and you really shouldn't be falling so quickly into this thing with him until you knew his intentions. You didn't want to be just temporary to someone. If you were going to put your all into a relationship, it should be for real, right?

Karina sighed, bracing her elbow against the back of the couch and looking at you with her head tilted to the side. "I don't want to dishearten you. You like him, don't you?"

Your eyes widened. "L-like him? Maybe as like a companion, but not—not like that! Pfft." Yeah, no. You liked him, or at least, you were beginning to like him. But this could just be an infatuation, you thought. Feelings were fickle things, and you wanted to get this right.

Karina deadpanned at you. With an exasperated shake of her head, she shifted to pick her laptop back up. "Sometimes I worry about you."

"Hey!" You squawked. "It's too early to determine that."

Her hum was disbelieving. "Yeah, sure. So how many tickets did Chenle give you? Just one? It'd be kinda cool to sit court side for once."

You shrugged. "Actually, no idea. But I don't really wanna be sitting there by myself. I haven't been to a basketball game in a while, so it'd be nice to bring a friend or two."

"Shoot him a text?"

You were already pulling your phone out of your pocket, thumbs flying over the keyboard.

you: quick question

His reply was instantaneous.

zhong: yes i can pick u up to go dress shopping

You rolled your eyes. He really was not going to give this up.

you: no not abt the dress

you: i was wondering if my friends could come w me to the game?

zhong: yeah ofc! lmk how many and i'll send the tix

"He just asked how many," you told Karina, who's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'll just say you and Felix. I don't think I'd want to burden him with getting a hold of so many tickets."

As you typed out your response to Chenle, Karina voiced her agreement. "Yeah, that sounds good. Tell him thanks for me."

you: two + me pls

you: and karina says ty

you: ty again for doing this, u really didn't have to :(

zhong: i did it cuz i wanted to bby, so no need for all that

zhong: i'll get the tix and my jersey to u by tmr ;)

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐕—

The jersey was red with bold, white letters on the back spelling out ZHONG, and the number 30. It was made of really nice, breathable quality, and was definitely the product of the administration's budget toward the school basketball team. You knew this from Karina's constant research and digging and interviewing with her organizations, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the basketball team was good enough to get so much funding. Chenle, you knew, was one of the best. Even if he wasn't captain, he was still talented.

You had been sitting on the edge of your bed with the jersey in your lap for the past ten minutes, trying to sike yourself out of whatever funk you were in. It was just a shirt, right? It didn't mean anything. (Except, it totally did. A shirt with Chenle's name and number on the back was a statement.)

There was a knock on your apartment door, and Karina yelled that she would get it. You were still considering the jersey.

Felix's blond head appeared in your bedroom doorway, eyebrows furrowed at you. "How long have you been staring at that thing, Yn?"

"Only ten minutes," you said sheepishly, standing up and walking over to your wardrobe. You were still in loungewear after you had taken a quick shower post-lectures. You knew you probably should have been at the theater tonight, but Renjun and Doyoung had waved you out of the building, telling you they "had it covered". You still worried.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the doorknob. "Get dressed—it's just a shirt."

"It is not just a shirt, Lee."

He wagged his eyebrows, already closing the door. "You said it; not me…"

You glared at the closed door, but swallowed your fears, your nerves, your pride—and pulled the jersey over your head and over your tank top. Karina had suggested that you just wore shorts with the garment, but you realized now that the shirt fell to just about mid-thigh, basically hiding most of your shorts from view.

"Are you done? I want to see the floor from court side!"

Your eyes found the yellow cover of the book on your desk. Its cover read a pitiful Basketball for Dummies, and it was something you had bought on a whim at the bookstore yesterday in a sorry attempt to brush up on your basketball knowledge to ensure you didn't feel like a fool. You slung your small bag over your shoulder, leaving the book where it was, before you left the room. "You'll see plenty of the floor, alright!"

Felix was standing on the other side of the door, with Karina waiting by the couch. "Is that a threat, Ln?"

"Take it as you will."

The drive to the gymnasium was a brief one since yours and Karina's apartment wasn't far from campus. Finding parking? Now that was a whole different story.

Felix exhaled roughly as the three of you clambered out of his car, fresh night air rushing into your lungs after the stressful fifteen minutes of fighting for a parking space. It truly was war. All around you, car horns and squealing tires pierced through the night, only a taste of what you had just endured. Felix dragged a hand through his hair, huffing, "Christ, the people here are animals. Like seriously, it's like Black Friday!"

"I wouldn't compare it exactly to Black Friday," Karina mused. She adjusted the jacket on her shoulders to fit with the strap of her purse. Her eyes flickered to you. "Are you cold, Yn-ie? You can have my jacket?"

You dropped your hands from where they held your arms. It was a little chilly, but you should be able to manage until you got into the gym. You shook your head. "Nah, I'm okay. Just not used to…" You nodded to the jersey, your lack of pants. This was fine. Completely. You were practically swimming in the material.

Karina smiled at you and linked her arm with yours. "You look cute."

"You totes do!" Felix mocked a school girl squeal as he arrived on your other side, linking up with you. His asymmetrical silver earrings swung wildly from his earlobes as he began skipping through the tightly packed cars, dragging you and Karina behind him.

For a moment, you had allowed this to distract you from the whispers and glances you were getting from people. Once you reached the sidewalk to merge with the crowd of people headed for the gym, there was no way to hide the jersey now, except with a jacket. You held steady, kept your head level, and your eyes on the yawning doors to the gym.

"You think she made that herself?"

"It probably wouldn't cost a lot to make that. She must really want his attention."

You felt your friends' hold on you tighten, as if they were armoring up for something, but you wanted to tell them that you were fine. People could believe what they wanted to believe. By now, it was impossible not to draw attention to yourself.

The gym's bright fluorescent lights shone down on the court far below, and you and your friends showed your tickets to the nearest staff. He eagerly bounded down the stadium steps to show you your seats right where Chenle promised they would be—court side.

Felix could not get his mouth to close, or his eyes, as he gawked at the shiny floor under his soles. "Woah. This is so cool."

"I'm glad one of us is enjoying themselves," you chuckled, your hands finding your arms once more to hug yourself, maybe make yourself look smaller. From here, the big screens hanging above the court looked like the ones in Madison Square Garden, and everything just looked bigger, bolder. You had never watched a game from this angle, and you could only imagine how intense it got from here.

Once you were all settled, you felt a buzz from your back pocket.

zhong: hey u get here alright?

zhong: someone just told me they saw my jersey on u 👀

you: y r u acting surprised lol think I'd just leave it at home and say sike?

zhong: yeah kind of

you: zero faith

zhong: i'll make it up to u bby how does that sound?

you: and how exactly do u intend to do that?

zhong: win the game of course ;)

You shook your head, teeth gnawing on your bottom lip. This man was making your head spin with his words.

you: so u didn't plan on winning otherwise?

zhong: well yeah, that too

zhong: i might hug u when we win, just so u know

zhong: unless

you: let's slow it down, buddy

you: we can start w hugging

Perhaps you could hear his breathy chuckle in your ears now. It wasn't the classic, high pitched one that exploded and brightened a room whenever it happened, but the one that made your stomach twist with butterflies and your heart leap into your throat.

zhong: okok

zhong: i'll c u in a bit then, coach is calling us in

zhong: enjoy the game :)

you: good luck chenle

zhong: thanks yn

Karina nudged you with her elbow to show you something on her phone, and you pocketed your own into your small bag. Felix had gone somewhere to chat with someone he recognized a few rows back, and probably to boast about the amazing view he was going to get right on court side. He wouldn't ever forget that he watched the opening game from this vantage point.

Soon, Felix rushed back into his seat, body buzzing like a three year old on candy. "It's starting! Oh my god, here they come!" He gestured to the far opening where you could already see a mass of bodies lining up.

The announcer came on overhead, loud and clear, ready to hype up the crowd. "Live! From the honorable and world renowned SM University Stadium is the opening game of the season between the SM Sentinels and the FNC Falcons! Sponsored by KakaoCorp—where people and the world get connected; and Naver—helping businesses stay connected."

You could feel the energy in the room increase as the announcer introduced the FNC team to the arena, the team dressed in yellow and white. But it wasn't until everyone waited in bated breath for your own team to appear that the tension was palpable. You could practically taste it on your tongue.

"And now… put your hands together and make some noise for your—very own—SENTINELS!" The buzzer screamed loud, but the crowd screamed louder.

You could barely hear your own thoughts as you screamed your own heart out for the swarm of red that flooded into the stadium. The pep band on the other side of the stadium was playing some hype song—you thought it was Lil Nas X's Industry Baby, but at this point, all the sounds were melting together.

You caught a flash of that dark hair and terribly bright beam in the blurred masses. There was a red and white sweatband holding his hair back, and he greeted the crowd so proudly as he jogged along the border of the court.

And then there was that heartstopping realization as the team was approaching where you and your friends were, aiming for the silver benches about a foot in front of you. And suddenly, the only thought in your mind was—

"Zhong Chenle, you son of a bitch," Felix giggled in pure giddiness.

You caught Chenle's eyes as he was coming closer, stopping directly in front of you on the bench. There was this distinct gleam of approval in his eyes when he saw the jersey. He winked at you, then turned around so he faced the court.

He had put you right behind them. Directly.

The game quickly began, jumping straight into the first half of the game. You could barely keep your head straight as you tried either focusing on Chenle or the basketball being passed, Chenle or the basketball. Both moved swiftly throughout the court, weaving through and from player to player.

You could feel the weight of tension, the energy thrumming throughout the stadium like a heartbeat.

The ball swooshed through the FNC hoop once, twice, several more times. Chenle was passing the ball, dribbling it up, jumping up, passing it again. Each member of his own team worked seamlessly, like they were gears in one well-oiled machine. Now you knew why SMU was so revered on the basketball stage.

Players were switched in and out, replacing each player at least once, but sparingly and strategically throughout. Chenle was pulled out at one point, sweat dripping from his face, his hair, and he guzzled down an entire bottle of water in less than five seconds. He was heaving for breath, and soon, he was thrown back into the frenzy.

And then the buzzer blared. The first half was over.

You, Felix, and Karina all collectively let out equally relieved sighs. One glance at the scoreboard had your heart bursting into an excited overdrive again. SMU was winning. By a lot.

For the halftime show, it was something you definitely hadn't expected—a rap contest.

"Each of our beloved contestants, who are all members of your SMU Sentinels, by the way," explained tonight's host and SMU alumni, Johnny Suh, "will compete in saying a small paragraph that will be displayed on the screen. Whoever does it the fastest will be crowned our winner for the night!"

You and the rest of the crowd watched as people quickly brought on a whiteboard with a large poster of words printed on it. Lined up horizontally on the court, there were a handful of players, including Chenle. He didn't look nervous, but you knew he was cracking jokes to his teammates up there.

Jung Sungchan went first, raising the bar up incredibly high. Then it was Park Jisung, then Han Jisung who basically knocked the bar out of the ballpark. Seo Changbin raised it a little more after that. Chenle tried his hardest, but you caught his fumbling on tape. Bang Chan, Osaki Shotaro, and Lee Jeno all followed shortly. In the end, it was Han Jisung who walked away with the bragging rights of being the fastest speaker on the team.

"There you have it, folks! Our certified Eminem of SMU!" Johnny charmed the crowd as the team players bowed. "How about a round of applause for our participating Sentinels tonight?"

The game resumed shortly, and everyone was thrusted back into the tension and thrill.

The second half was noticeably more tense, as FNC strived to regain their disadvantage and SMU strived to keep their advantage. The points kept shooting upwards, and you could barely stay in your seat, but you somehow kept yourself anchored down to it.

At this point, your throat was hoarse from screaming just as much as Felix and Karina were.

By the time the buzzer blared for the final time, there was no doubt about who won. Everyone shot up from their seats in screams of pride and happiness. It was a complete madhouse in the stands, but everyone allowed the players on opposite teams to have their moment congratulating each other respectfully and with good sportsmanship.

And then Chenle was jogging his way over to you, brushing his sweat-dampened hair back. There was a massive, ear to ear grin on his face, and it only widened as you stood up and offered him what he had prefaced you with earlier.

"Hi," he said simply, stepping into your embrace and wrapping his arms around you. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course. Thanks for inviting me." You stepped back from him. "Even if you're all sweaty and gross," you commented, dramatically scrunching your face up.

Chenle laughed loudly. "Okay, get back here!" He teased you, opening his arms as if he meant to cage you again in his embrace; only chuckled when you feigned disgust. He looked at Karina and Felix then, greeting the latter with a fistbump. "Thanks for coming, too, guys. Your support means a lot."

"You guys did fantastic out there," Karina complimented with an approving nod.

Felix jumped in. "Oh my god, yes! That was so amazing, dude! And dude, the view from court side?" His eyes rolled back as he ascended to nirvana.

Chenle shrugged his shoulders, smiling eyes meeting yours. "Well, I hope you continue to like it then."

Your blond friend froze. "What? Uh, I—does that mean…?"

A nod.

You were certain Felix might faint from excitement, or at least, go running around telling everyone he just scored however many seats at court side. Felix disappeared to exactly that, and Karina sighed.

"I should probably go keep an eye on him." She passed you a knowing look, hand brushing against your arm. "Meet me outside when you're ready to head out, 'kay?"

You nodded, and she was melting into the crowd.

"So how'd you like it?"

You whirled back to Chenle, who had his head slightly tilted and arms folded over his chest. There was that twinkle in his gaze as he looked at you, and you had a feeling yours mimicked that. "The game? It was a lot of fun. Your rapping skills, however?" You shook your head and ran your hand across your neck in a definitive no.

He chuckled, stepping closer to you and gently holding your arms. "Good thing you don't like me for my rap skills then."

"Who said I liked you, Zhong?" You teased.

"I did," he replied, effortlessly arrogant. "I mean, I like you, too, so."

There he went again, making your heart feel like it could unlock your ribcage and fly.

"God, you're stupid," was the only thing you could say in response. Your cheeks were definitely burning brighter than his jersey, and you had to avert your gaze for a few seconds.

"Stupidly handsome, sexy, talented." He adopted a mocking thoughtful expression. "The list goes on and on."

You laughed at that, voice trailing off. "Um, by the way, you really made Felix's night with that thing you said back there. So thanks for that."

Chenle licked his lips, nodding. "I'm glad, but did I make yours?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad I made Felix's night," he repeated, just a tad slower this time and with a small tilt of the corners of his mouth, "but did I make your night? That's all I really wanted—to make your night."

There was no doubt about it. You could only answer one correct answer because it was completely and utterly true. "Yes," you told him. "You made my night." And you hoped this wouldn't be the last. No, you definitely knew this wouldn't be the last.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐕—

The Lucky Ones was written and directed by Huang Renjun, co-authored by his alumni friend Xiao Dejun, and sponsored by alumni and head of the SMU theater department Kim Doyoung. It was about this pair of teenagers who had fallen in love with each other, but realized later in life that their love had been quick to spark, and just as quick to sputter into ash and smoke. It was riveting, realistic, and alluring. The entire play was so well written and so well directed, and you wouldn't just say that because you were friends with the directors and playwrights.

As you strode through the bustling and chaos of backstage, you couldn't help the distinct feel of pride in your heart. All of this work to get everything to come together would be well worth it.

"Yn!" A familiar voice called to you from somewhere amongst the madness. Renjun was hustling over to you, the ends of his bow tie left undone, but his two-toned hair was styled to perfection. "What are you doing back here? You should be in the balcony already."

You rushed over to him and grabbed his tie, expertly and swiftly tying it into a bow. "I know, but Doyoung and Xiaojun needed me to smack some sense into you."

He scoffed. "Some sense? I'm completely fine. Not panicking, of course."

You gripped hard onto his shoulders and forced him to look at you. "Breathe, Jun. Just breathe. The show's gonna be perfect, okay? You've worked too damn hard for it not to be."

Renjun inhaled deeply, held it for a couple seconds, then exhaled slowly. He opened his eyes, nodding to you. "Okay. Yeah. I think I'm… calmer. Thank you, Yn."

"Good, okay." You smiled softly at him, his hand reaching to grab yours on his shoulder. "I'll see you in the balcony?"

"See you there. Say hi to Chenle for me?"

"Yeah, I'll let him know!"

In a few minutes, you had hustled your way out into the lobby and up the stairs to where the balcony for stage left was located. You knew that Chenle must already be waiting there for you, judging from the texts you saw light up your phone screen.

zhong: paging nurse to patient

zhong: i'm incredibly bored w/o my seatmate

zhong: nurse, i'm gonna need someone's hand to hold to get thru this

You snorted, covering your mouth sheepishly as you passed an older couple.

you: heels and velvet covered stairs do not go well

you: patience is a virtue

zhong: i just miss u 🤨 isn't that a virtue

You were already coming up on the doorway leading to the furthest balcony to the left. The usher at the door recognized you as the general stage manager, nodded and let you through. Even in your dark blue evening gown and fancy getup, you could still be recognized, which was reassuring. You definitely felt like you had overdone it.

The balcony was dark and relatively empty. There were a few couples scattered about the rows of seats, but you walked toward the lone form seated near the edge.

"You know, it was kind of embarrassing to walk in without a da—holy shit."

Chenle had twisted around in his seat only to find you making your way toward him in that dress. Well, to you, it was a dress. But to Chenle, it was the dress. The one he had subtly sent to Felix, who had sent it to Karina, who had sent it to you. It was quite the simple transaction, really, but god damn.

He thought you would look good, but he didn't think you would look this good. Like drop dead, fucking gorgeous. If he wasn't sitting, he might have dropped to his knees and prayed. Because what in the world had he done in his previous life to deserve meeting someone like you?

Of course, you were completely unaware of the purely simp thoughts running amuck in Chenle's head; you were only aware of the fact that he looked really handsome in his tux and that he was staring an awful lot.

"Hey," you said, settling in the seat next to him. "Is there, uh, something on my face?"

"Beauty," he said, almost in instinct, then cringed. "Sorry, that was the absolute worst."

You laughed, actually finding it funny. "No, that was good," you reassured with a very convincing nod of your head. "Renjun says hello. I had to go calm him before he started pacing. Hope you weren't waiting long."

Chenle nodded in understanding. "Ah, makes sense. No, I wasn't waiting long." He smiled at you. "Just couldn't wait to see you."

Flustered and flattered, you reached for his hand, lacing them over the arm rest between you. "Couldn't wait to see you, too. You clean up very nicely, Lele."

His lips parted, and you could've sworn his cheeks blushed a hard red. "Sorry, what?"

"Lele? You don't like the nickname—?"

"No, please—" he cleared his throat, hand squeezing yours lightly. "I—it's fine."

You grinned. You just made Zhong Chenle flustered. "Whatever you say, Lele. Anyway, thank you for coming tonight to see the show."

He regained composure quickly, to his credit. His thumb gently ran over your linked fingers. "Wouldn't miss it." For once, he couldn't choke out the words to tell you how beautiful you looked.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐕𝐈—

It was about a week later that you were groggily ruffling through your damp hair with a towel as you walked into your room. It had been an awfully long day at the café, and because Felix had a dance comp and because Chenle had an away game in another city, you were left by your lonesome, overworked and bored out of your mind. You were about to get Renjun or Karina to come keep you company, but then Chenle had actually called you at work.

For the remainder of your shift, you had one earbud in, listening to him talk about his day while he listened to you talk about yours. Since his first game, you tried to go to all of his home games, and if the away games weren't too far, you would try to make it to those as well. And after the opening night at the theater, the two of you had grown even closer. You were practically inseparable, so the hours-long phone call from today was well appreciated.

You kicked the door to your bedroom closed, aiming for your phone sitting on the nightstand connected to the charger. The screen had gone dark after you had taken a very indulgent hot shower. So much so that steam had trailed after you when you opened the door, and you were certain you would hear from the landlady about your hot water use again sometime this week. Or at least, you would hear from Karina.

"You took that long to shower and you didn't invite me over?"

You rolled your eyes and silently thanked god that Chenle wasn't here to see your smile. Yes, the call was still going. "In your wildest dreams, Zhong. And how would you have gotten here anyway? Cube is like at least a nine hour drive."

"Are you saying that if I was in town, you would have invited me to join you?" You could practically hear the smile in his words, the way his eyebrows would dance with intent.

"You're incorrigible." You hung your damp towel on the end of your bed and crawled under your covers. The phone screen lit up again as you tapped it awake to be met with Chenle's profile picture: him with his hair tied in a ponytail, like a little sprout. It had actually been lovingly sent to you by Chenle's best friend, Park Jisung, sometime last week after the two of you formally met. Chenle always teased you for admitting he was cute in the photo, but you knew that he had originally been so embarrassed when he found out, and even threatened to give Jisung the silent treatment for "betraying" him like that. That bit of intel was courtesy of some of Chenle's roommates, Jisung himself and Sungchan.

Speaking of…

"Is that Yn? Hi Yn-ieeeeeee!!!" Jisung and Sungchan choruses from somewhere in their shared hotel room.

You laughed warmly. "Hi guys! Lele, lemme talk to them."

A beat of silence passed, and the phone was handed over. Jisung's voice was a lot louder now. "Haha, Yn, Chenle-ssi's sulking now."

Sungchan chimed in, "Yeah, he glared at us just now."

"Ah well, I requested to speak with you both," you said. "I've been talking to him all evening. How are you both? How's Cube?"

"Oh," Jisung replied brightly, "it's so beautiful, actually! Their campus is really pretty."

"Yeah, I'm really glad we got to stay for a few days." This was Sungchan again. "Maybe next time you can tag along!"

You smiled, fidgeting with the hem of your blanket. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Okay, I think Chenle might beat our asses in the morning if he doesn't get the phone back this instant," Jisung laughed again.

The phone was passed for the second and last time tonight. There were sounds of shuffling again, then laughter from far off, and then a huff of annoyance. "Hi baby."

"Oh, stop sulking, Lele," you admonished playfully. "They only wanted to say hello."

"I know." You could hear him settle into his bed, or at least, sit down somewhere. "I like talking to you though."

"I know; I like talking to you, too." A thought suddenly occurred to you. "Don't you have practice tomorrow morning?" You asked him. You tucked yourself in, eyes pinned to his smiling face in the profile picture, suddenly wishing he was closer. "You should sleep."

Chenle's warm chuckle echoed through your phone. "You'll miss me too much, baby. But I'll let you fall asleep first, how does that sound?"

The corners of your mouth curled upward. "You're so stupid."

"Stupidly in love with you."

The words made your heart stop, and you swore you could hear a slap from the other side, as if he had slapped his hand over his mouth.

You sat up. You suddenly weren't too tired. "Lele… can we talk?" You asked quietly, sitting up against your headboard.

You heard shuffling and a curse from the other side, along with murmuring. After a door had closed in the background, he said, "Um yeah. Sorry, had to get out of the room. Uhm…" You would never know how fast his heart beat in that moment alone, the utter fear he held believing he might have just stepped over a line. "Sorry, was that too much?"

"Was it, like, a joke?" You bit your lip, then clarified, "Are you serious about that? Your feelings?"

A sigh. "Yn, I really like you. It scares me to bits how much I do."

Your nerves soothed at that. At least you were both feeling the same thing. "Okay, same," you murmured.

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this over the goddamn phone!" He made a noise of anguish and you giggled. "I'm sorry, baby. No grand gesture," he groaned, "but we both feel the same way, right? Can I—can I be your boyfriend?"

Of course, he would give you the ultimate decision. And of course, there were no doubts in your mind.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐈—

You know those rumors you had been so worried about before? You couldn't give two shits about them now.

It was a Sunday, generally the only free day that you and Chenle shared consistently. Today, you were sitting in a window seat of a dim sum restaurant, gazing out at the duck pond just outside the window. The willow tree leaves drifted peacefully in the mid-spring breeze, flowers blooming in their wake. It was a beautiful scene to behold.

Arms came around from behind you, lips pressing to your temple. "Hi, baby. Sorry I'm late." Chenle slid into the seat across from you, freshly showered, and bright as usual. He wore a dark blue sweatshirt and dark jeans,with his Ray Bans hanging from his collar—just a casual look for a casual brunch date.

"It's okay; you had practice," you told him and brought your cup of tea to your lips. "How was it this morning?"

Chenle gave a half-hearted shrug. "Tiring, as usual, but good." The team had been practicing relentlessly this past week since finals were coming up soon. It was a miracle that the two of you even made time for each other since you and the theater company were gearing up for closing night of The Lucky Ones. Shows had been selling out just as fast as the seats in the stadium, and while you didn't watch every showing of the play like you did opening night, you were in the gym watching Chenle and his team beat every competitor who set foot in there.

This Friday would be finals between SMU and YGU, and when the Sentinels beat them too, Championships would be held next week. You were all hoping that Championships would be held at SMU instead of the other school. It wouldn't make a difference whether or not you would go, because you planned to definitely be there, but it would be great to have home court advantage.

As Chenle raised his hand and flagged down a nearing cart, your gaze wandered to the grassy pond area outside. It seemed to be a wonderland for all of the dogs whose owners were inside eating brunch without them, but they were all playing together.

The smell of fresh steamed buns and a whole smorgasbord of spices permeated your nose as BBQ pork buns, shrimp shumai, fried squid, and shrimp rice rolls drizzled with a sweet soy sauce were placed onto your table. Chenle was already whipping out his chopsticks and wiping them with a napkin. "Bon appetit." He followed where you had been looking briefly out the window. "So many cute dogs out there."

"I know," you cooed, reaching for a pork bun. "It'd be nice to have a dog. I think I've wanted one since I was a kid, actually, but owning a dog is like having a child."

"I have a dog," Chenle said offhandedly.

Your eyes positively lit up, and he chuckled at how cute you were. "You do? But I never see anyone else at your apartment."

"She's in Shanghai." He shoved the rest of the shumai into his mouth before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing his phone. "When I moved to Seoul," he said as he swiped through his phone with a furrowed brow, "I left her with my cousin, Ningning."

He then showed you his phone screen where a slightly younger version of Chenle was taking a selfie, but with a small, white ball of fur peeking over his shoulder.

The further he swiped, the more you just melted. "Aw, she's so cute. What's her name?"

Chenle smiled fondly at the photo he just pulled up. "Daegal. Yeah, I miss her a lot."

"Why didn't you bring her to college with you?" You asked and broke apart the bun, steam flowing up out of the yawning mouth of fluffy, white bread.

"Ah, I thought it would be too much of a hassle at the time, but I haven't been home for a while, so I haven't seen her in a long time." He suddenly frowned, and you figured it'd been awhile since he thought of going home. He must have been so immersed in his life here, and you wondered if he would have ever thought of going back.

"Have you ever thought about going home for a bit? Y'know, to take a break?"

His face shuttered, like he was thinking of something. "No, not for a long time." And by his clipped tone, you knew to not touch that subject. But he was back to his pleasant self in an instant, "So what's the plan for today? Go roller skating, go swimming—god, I haven't seen you in a bathing suit yet? What is this—"

You slapped a hand over his mouth, red seeping onto your cheeks. He only snickered under your palm, and you hoped that everyone around you either didn't hear that comment or was choosing to ignore it. Either way, you hoped it didn't draw too much attention. But then again, Chenle himself drew attention.

"Are you crazy?" You whisper-shouted at him after you removed your hand and sat back down in your seat. "Why'd you say that so loud?"

Chenle's eyebrows danced in amusement. "I'm very passionate about the subject."

You deadpanned. "Well, I don't think America heard you."

"America would be lucky to see you in a swimsuit," he shrugged and flagged down another cart, this time, with his eyes set on the Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. His eyes twinkled. "As for me, I'd be very happy to see you in a swimsuit."

You tried to ignore the fact that your face was on fire. "You'll just have to wait then. I have a date."

Chenle wrinkled his nose at you sourly. "With who?"

"Felix and Karina—ooh, are those taro buns on that cart?"

Chenle was quick to flag down that cart, too, and got you a nice plate of four of them. He idly scratched his jaw, bottom lip pouting. "So I'm being cockblocked by your best friends?"

"Yah! Zhong Chenle!"

He bursted into laughter, the joyful sound drawing eyes, but making your fake anger melt away into fondness. "Sorry, baby, you're just so cute when you're flustered."

"That makes one of us," you muttered cheekily.

"Hey!"

You chuckled. "Deserved."

He made a face, cheeks puffed out as he scowled at the plates of food. "Remind me to not get you taro buns next time."

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈—

It was late when you finally made your way back in through the back door of the performing arts buildings, walking back to the theater through the back hallway. Tonight had been closing night of The Lucky Ones, and as usual, it had all gone incredibly well. Renjun, for the first time in the history of you knowing him, had bursted into tears as he bowed with his actors on the stage at curtain call. You had just walked the man to his car and now needed to hurry back to lock everything up for the night.

As you neared the backstage area, your footsteps faltered at the sound of music playing. Like from the grand piano backstage. You kept your footsteps light as you made your way toward the backstage door that was left open so the gentle serenade drifted out into the hall.

The stage lights had been turned off earlier to save energy, and the only light was from the little lightbulb hanging in the backstage area, above the piano.

You peered into the room, not wanting to interrupt the beautiful music being played, but knowing that no one else should be here. "Hello?"

The music stopped.

"I'm sorry," you said, stepping inside the doors, "but you're not supposed to… Lele?"

Even though he had a black hood thrown over his dark bangs, you still recognized his pretty eyes, rimmed in silver and red—like he'd been crying. He swiped at his damp cheeks, and you realized that, yes, he definitely had been.

"Oh, honey…" you murmured, rushing over to him and swallowing him in your embrace. Chenle wasted no time burying his face into the crook of your neck and hugging your waist tightly. Your hand gently rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him. "Hey, are you okay, what's wrong?"

Last night was the game against YG, to which, of course, the Sentinels had won. Everyone had gone home jubilant and hyped for championships next week against HYBE U. Chenle had gone out to celebrate with his teammates last night, so you hadn't seen him since, only talked with him over call and text like usual. So maybe something had happened between that?

He sniffled. "You weren't answering your phone, so I came here, and you weren't in your office, so…" He half-heartedly gestured to the piano. "I thought I'd try to… distract myself a little."

You brushed your lips against his head. "I'm sorry, honey. I had my phone on silent for the show, and I was walking Renjun out to his car. I—do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "Just want you."

"Okay, that's okay." You patted his head gently. "I didn't know you played piano. You're really good." And that was the truth. The notes had flowed together as smoothly as a river, and it had almost lured you to dance on the stage—if you could dance. It was like his hands had been made to play.

"It's been awhile," he said as an explanation. "Did you like it?"

"I liked it a lot. It's so beautiful; just like you, you know that?"

Checked suddenly raised his head from your shoulder to look at you. You could see the glisten of unshed tears waiting to spill and follow their predecessors down the slopes of his cheeks. His bottom lip trembled. "Yn," he rasped, "be honest with me."

You prompted him to continue, worry plaguing your mind.

"Do you like me—just for my money? Are you with me because I pay for things and get you things and all that?"

So this was what this was about. You shook your head earnestly. "No. No, no, of course not, Chenle." You reached for his hands and laced your fingers together, both of you staring down at your hands. "Chenle, I like you because you're sweet and hilarious and brilliant. I like you because you make my days and you always care about how I am, that you're not afraid to be with me. You show me off, but you respect my boundaries; you support me like I want to support you all the time.

"Maybe the money is how you show your affection, and I appreciate it a lot, but it's not what I like about you," you told him. "Even if you were dirt poor, I wouldn't care. I would still feel the same about you." You saw the tears falling down his cheeks and reached up to brush them away. "Are you okay, Lele? Really?"

Chenle nodded, raising his head so you could see the trembling smile on his face. "You really mean all that?"

"Yes, of course. I wouldn't lie about something like that. And I hope I can show you just as much love as you deserve."

The flood would not stop; he swiped again at his tears. "Yn, I—" I love you. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for loving you, Chenle."

He lifted his hands up to cup your face in his hands, and he slowly brought your face to his. "Yn, can I kiss you?"

Your breath hitched in your throat. "Yeah," you nodded, "yeah, you can kiss me."

Chenle brought his mouth to yours, his salty tears on his lips and brushing against your cheeks. You slid closer to him on the piano stool and let him tilt your head back with one hand, the other sliding down your body to hold your waist. Everything about him overwhelmed your senses—the familiar scent of his expensive cologne, the feel of his hair between your fingers, his warm touch making butterflies soar in your stomach.

He slowly pulled away, forehead resting against yours as your breathing intermingled. Then he braced his hand against the stool right next to your leg and pushed himself closer to you, pressing his lips to yours once again.

Under the dull glow of the lightbulb, Chenle kissed you in the empty theater, the dead of night. His tears had dried up by now, no longer there, and he was hauling you onto his lap with your legs dangling off the side of the bench. His hands were everywhere, fingertips trailing fire through the fabric of your clothing. He was clinging onto dear life, memorizing your every curve and edge…

And you couldn't help but think of all the words he was trying to say through his actions.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐗—

Chenle did not wake up to the comfort of your weight on his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut from the light streaming through the bedroom window, and reached his arm over to the other side of the bed, only to meet cold sheets instead of your body that he could latch onto again. He groaned into the pillow and rolled over. When his eyes finally adjusted to the morning light, he sat up and let the sheets pool around his waist.

You had been sleeping over at his place for the past several nights, ever since he snuck into the theater at night to find you. You stayed here at his insistence, of course, but either he or you had to leave before the other woke up because of work, practice, or classes. Today, Friday, was Championship day.

He leaned over to his bedside table and grabbed his phone. A smile broke out onto his face at the sight of you as his lock screen. It was a picture from the opening night of The Lucky Ones, with you in that gorgeous blue gown. The two of you had taken a mirror selfie in the hallway of the theater, just before leaving for the night. His arm was settled comfortably on your waist, your body leaning into his. Your faces were hidden behind the phone, but it was enough to let anyone know that he was happily taken.

The inside home screen was just you, but much more recent. It was dinner right here in the penthouse, but caught candidly. You had been enraptured by the TV, mindlessly shoveling noodles into your mouth. He had caught the moment right before you were going to open your mouth again, with that innocent, cute dazed look in your eyes and the chopsticks of noodles held just below your chin.

He bit his lip with a smile and opened up your text chain. You had already left him a message.

bbygrl: good morning love <3 had to leave for my 8am

bbygrl: i'll c u later tonight for the game!! good luck and have a good day x

He was about to send you a message back when another notification appeared on his phone screen.

(鸡蛋 - egg ; 笨蛋 - stupid)

鸡蛋: chenle they're asking again, i can't keep stalling

笨蛋: u have to keep stalling

鸡蛋: idiot do u understand how difficult it is to withhold ur phone number from them??? AND maintain innocence???

鸡蛋: they're getting suspicious

笨蛋: uh get better at acting??? 🤨

鸡蛋: ur so fxking stupid.

Chenle exhaled sharply and swiped out of his cousin's direct texts and back to yours. Ningning was one of his closest cousins who still lived back in Shanghai. She not only took care of Daegal, but was also the person on the inside trying to stall to give him some more time. Time and freedom from what was a whole other can of worms.

lele: gm baby missed u this morning :(

bbygrl: you'll see me later

lele: ur texting in class? 🤭 bad, bad girl

lele: u should be punished

bbygrl: …if u shut up, i'll kiss u

lele: right now?? bEt

God, how did he go so long without kissing your face. He could feel the plushness of your lips on him right now, on his mouth, on his cheek, on his neck. He needed your lips stained red to stain his skin over and over again. He wanted you to scar him with your love.

bbygrl: sighs chenle go get ready for practice

lele: yes ma'am x love u

bbygrl: i love u too

And he giggled as he hopped out of bed and went to get ready for the day.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗—

Your heart was pounding as the timer on the scoreboard counted down. You were in the second half of the championship game against HYBE University, one of the up and comers lately who was just rising to popularity and in skill. They had a lot of new, talented players lately, but not enough to beat the Sentinels.

"—Choi passes to Lee! Ooh—blocked firmly by number 17, Bang Chan!"

Felix was gripping your hand tightly in his as the three of you—you, Karina, and Felix—all leaned forward in your seats to watch the game. You thought the tension was palpable during the first game of the season, but you clearly hadn't watched a championship game before. At this point, electricity buzzed through the air and the tension was so thick, you could probably cut it with a knife.

"Twenty seconds on the clock to break the tie! Number 30, Zhong, maneuvering his way through to get the ball to his teammates!"

You murmured under your breath like a prayer, "Come on, Lele. Come on, Chenle; you can do this."

Your eyes feverishly followed as Chenle dribbled the ball, only to get stopped by Lee Heeseung from Hybe U. Chenle made eye contact with Han Jisung and Park Jisung, both the only two the most open. He feigned left, then passed the ball between Heeseung and Choi Yeonjun.

In slow motion, you saw Huening Kai and Han Jisung go after the ball at the same time—then time returned to normal, fast paced vision, and Han Jisung swiped the ball and passed it to Sungchan. In a smooth alley oop, Sungchan caught the ball and dunked it into the basket.

"And the tie is broken with five seconds to spare!"

You saw the players converge on the ball under the net in an attempt to either get it to the other side in a miracle maneuver, or keep it closely guarded.

It was the latter, and victory rang through the gym with a loud air horn, along with showers of red and silver confetti.

After a brief exchange of sportsmanship from both teams, Chenle came barreling out of the crowd toward you like a bullet. Sweat glistened over the sharp planes of his grinning face, and he raked a hand through his dampened locks. You both collided together, you jumping up into his arms, him swinging you around, then kissing you firmly on the mouth. It said sincerely, earnestly, I love you.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐈—

"Hey, Chenle, how the hell did you get Yn to like you?"

Chenle lazily looked up from his phone to where Sungchan and Jisung were both gazing at him expectantly. They were all situated in Jisung and Sungchan's shared apartment at the moment, hanging out and watching the game. "It's called having a personality, Park."

Sungchan oohed at Chenle's burn, to which Jisung rolled his eyes.

Chenle laughed. "It's just one of those things, y'know? It happens if it should. If it's meant to be, it should." He shrugged, thinking about it for a moment more. "Guess I'm just really lucky."

"When did you get so sappy?" Sungchan teased as he shifted his position on the couch, smiling at his friend.

"He wasn't in love before," Jisung chimed in with a wagging finger in Chenle's direction. "So what? You're just gonna give all the credit to luck? You're one of the lucky ones?"

Chenle considered it. He picked up his can of sparkling water and dunked the rest of it down his throat. "Yeah. I mean, Yn's… Yn." He couldn't help the smile that crawled onto his face. "I got her attention at first, but I think I'm lucky she didn't just blow me off because I sounded like a douche."

Jisung snorted. "That you are."

Chenle rolled his eyes. "Shut up, singleton."

"Ugh, look what married life has done to you!" Sungchan groaned jokingly. "You gotta help me, dude. I wanna find true love."

"Only if you're serious."

Jisung wrinkled his nose and stood up to walk over to the kitchen and pour himself another glass of whatever he was drinking. "True love's dumb, but Yn's cool."

"Yn is cool," Sungchan agreed. "Chenle is not."

Chenle scowled, then rose from his seat. "I'm done being bullied by you two losers."

As he showed himself out of their cozy apartment, he heard Sungchan yell, "Say hi to Bestie Yn for me!" Chenle tsked under his breath and shook his head. But yes, going to see you would be a fantastic idea.

He quickly glanced at his phone for the time—4:59pm. He could probably swing by that chicken place you really liked and catch you for dinner. With a plan in his mind's eye, he hurried down to his car and sped off.

Chenle was coming out of the fried chicken eatery just a few blocks from your apartment when his phone lit up with an incoming call. He dumped the takeout bag into the front seat, but frowned down at the unknown number. He wasn't expecting a call, but he figured there was no harm in answering.

"Hello?"

"Son, it's been a while since I've heard your voice."

Chenle immediately hung up and blocked the number. He knew it was no use since they had his number now, but it made him feel slightly better as he took off toward your apartment. The whole way there, numbers continued to call his phone; he would probably have to power off his phone while he was up there with you, or just leave it here, in the car.

But when the stupid thing would not stop buzzing, he parked in your complex parking lot and picked up the call again.

"What do you want?"

A muscle feathered in his jaw as his father spoke on the other end. "That is a terrible way to greet your father, Chenle. We've been trying to reach you for several months now."

Chenle poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. He knew. "Yeah, and you have my number now." Unfortunately.

"You will be coming to the Spring Gala in May, won't you? I've already put you down as—"

"I'm not."

His father paused. "Excuse me?"

Chenle glared out the front windshield of his car. "I said I'm not. I don't have time to fly back and forth for that and school. And I don't want any part of whatever business scheme you and Mom want to drag me into."

There was a beat of silence on the other end, and Chenle was so close to calling it a victory. "You will fly back home and attend the gala, Zhong Chenle. You can make up for your schoolwork later. You have a future—a business to run."

"Against what will? My own." Chenle scoffed as he glanced at the car's clock on the console. He had to go now if he was gonna catch you before you actually started eating dinner. He grabbed the bag of chicken, squeezing his phone between his shoulder and ear, as he climbed out of the car. "I already know what's going to happen as soon as I get there. I refuse to acknowledge that I have a fiancée when I didn't even propose to her."

His father let out a disgruntled, irritated sigh. "Chenle—"

"No."

"Stop interrupting me—"

Chenle rolled his eyes as he pulled the phone away from his ear as his father lectured away on the other side of the phone. He silently counted to twenty in his head, kicking the lobby door of your apartment complex shut behind him, then trudged up the stairs with his other hand holding a bag of takeout. He pressed the phone to his ear. "Are you finished?"

"Zhong Chenle, have some manners and respect—"

Chenle nearly growled into the phone. "You want to talk manners and respect? How about not forcing me to marry a woman I'm not in love with? What is this? The 1800s?"

There was one more flight of stairs left and Chenle's voice echoed against the walls. He always complained about how your apartment complex lacked an elevator, and you would always reply with something sassy like "climb up the window then" or "buy them an elevator or something". The irony was that he could buy the landlord an elevator if he wanted to. But that would definitely be a bit of overkill.

And everything was perfect. Even without an elevator.

Well, so far. His father was threatening to screw everything up again, but Chenle liked to think he had everything under control.

"An alliance with Jin Tech is imperative."

"And marriage is the answer?" Chenle scoffed as he bursted onto your floor. He nodded and smiled a hello to one of your neighbors as he passed, before lowering his voice and hissing into the phone. "Nevermind. I don't have time for this now or ever. I'm not coming home so you and Mom can just ship me off to some woman I don't even know the name of!"

"Her name is Alice Jin—"

"I really don't care."

"I will disown you if you don't come home and meet your fiancée," his father's tone firm and stone cold serious. Chenle wasn't afraid of many things, but that tone made a shiver crawl down his back. "That's a promise."

He opened his mouth, ready to say something back so that his father didn't think those words affected him in any way—

"Lele?"

Chenle slammed his thumb against the end call button, slapping a smile onto his face. You were just unlocking your apartment with your hair falling in gentle waves down your shoulders and your small purse slung over your shoulder. "Baby!"

You smiled at him, unknowing and oblivious to the call he had just hung up on. You peered at him curiously. "Hi, honey, what're you doing here?"

"Eating dinner with you, silly," he chirped, breezing past you into your apartment. He set the bag on your kitchen table, already pulling containers out. "Thought I'd swing by 'cause I missed you at lunch, and I was on my way home and your favorite chicken place was just—well, there. So I obviously had to get some for you… what?"

You pursed your lips, an amused look settled on your pretty features. Jeez, you were so pretty. "Are you okay? You're a bit… frazzled right now."

Chenle's cheery expression dropped for a millisecond as his mind flashed back to the phone call. Come home for the spring gala. Meet your fiancée. But his grin was back in an instant. "Yeah, I'm good." He flicked his wrist, a brief dismissal of the subject, then suddenly pulled you into a hug. Shoving his face into the crook of your neck, he tried to suppress the wave of guilt and dread building up in his stomach. "Just missed you, baby."

Your warm arms came around him as you gently rubbed his back. "Oh, I missed you, too, Lele."

You won't when you find out, he thought to himself.

But for now, as you and him sat down together to have dinner, as he took in your laughter and smiling face, as he remembered all of the reasons why he fell in love with you… he could fool himself into thinking that this could be his forever.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐈𝐈—

Disownment. The word reverberated around in Chenle's skull as he sat in his desk chair at home, computer open. The screen displayed the Shanghai Airlines website page, his cursor primed over the "confirm" button. The page detailed a round-trip flight to Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, set for the Sunday night of spring break to the Saturday morning right before it ended. He didn't want to spend any more time than he needed to be.

This would be this upcoming weekend, which was happening far too soon, now that he thought about it. He couldn't… how was going to do this without the people he had around him now? He would have Ningning, and that was about it. Kun hardly went back home now, and you… oh god, what was he going to tell you?

Chenle buried his face in his hands, rubbed them over his eyes, wanted to wash everything away and to shut everything up. What was he going to do?

He reached over to the touchpad of his laptop and pressed the confirmation button. He might as well have signed away his freedom if he stepped foot back in Shanghai, but—that ten letter word haunted him to his core.

He couldn't breathe. Jesus Christ, he needed to breathe.

His phone buzzed from the table and sent his soul flying out of his body for a second. But then he saw your pretty face in the caller ID and knew the pounding of his heart wasn't just from anxiety, but from the pure feeling he had for you.

Without hesitation, he answered. "Hi baby. What's up?"

Your beautiful voice met his ears, like the voices of heaven. He stared at the confirmation for his flight on the laptop screen. "Hey honey, what're you up to?"

He swallowed, scratching the nape of his neck, then closed the lid of his laptop. "I'm, uhm, I actually just booked a flight back to Shanghai." He cleared his throat and walked away from the laptop, toward the window in the living room overlooking the city. "I'm going back for Spring Break."

"Oh, that's great! Sounds like so much fun, Lele."

If only you knew. "Yeah," he said half-heartedly.

You sensed his tone and told him gently, "Hey, are you getting enough sleep? I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out at the office with me, but I'd rather you catch up on—"

"No, I'll be there." He was already halfway out the door, keys and jacket and wallet swiped on the way out. "I really need to get out of this apartment," he chuckled. "I'll meet you there? Or I can pick you up."

"I'm here already," you admitted cheekily. "I'll see you in five, love."

Chenle hummed. "See you then, baby. Love you."

"Love you, too. Drive safe."

When you hung up, he tucked his phone away to race off toward the university theater. On his way, however, he swung by the drive-thru Starbucks to grab you something to drink. Knowing you and the theater office, you would be there until you were literally drooling over manuscripts and bills. And knowing him, he would probably be knocked out as soon as he sat down.

He was striding in through the performer's entrance, passing by plenty of students and peers who he recognized ever since you and him became a "thing". But generally, as he greeted people he passed warmly and who greeted him the same way, he thought that he had been accepted here. His heart clenched at the thought. He had a basketball family, he had a community, he had his friends, he had you. What would happen in Shanghai? Would it change his entire life?

Knocking briefly on your closed door, he swiftly let himself into the room. Your head perked up at his entrance, and even more so at the cup of coffee in his hand.

"Oh my god, I love you!" You gasped, making grabby hands.

Chenle grinned, eyes smiling just like his mouth. You were so cute. He shook his head, pulling the coffee out of reach from you. "Nuh-uh, I want my compensation first."

You pouted, but you leaned up to press a kiss to his mouth. "Thank you, Lele. You're so thoughtful." You took the warm cup from him and took a careful sip.

He plopped into the seat across from you with a satisfied hum. "So what're you working overtime on today?"

"What do you mean overtime?" You asked innocently, your head already bowed over your documents.

"You know exactly what I mean." Chenle stood up and rounded the desk. Before you could object, he was lifting you off your chair. He sat himself in it, then placed you onto his lap. He peered over your shoulder. "Ew, why is that deadline so soon?"

You deadpanned. "That's exactly why I have to work overtime. The idiot at the office likes to give me this shit two weeks too late."

Chenle dug his nose into your neck to let the comforting smell of your perfume calm him down. Disownment. Shanghai. Fiancée. You. "Mm, the bastard. Want me to go talk to him?"

"No, it's okay. I'm good at making deadlines."

His mind wandered off to those skyscrapers across the Yellow Sea. Five days away from here. Things could change in five days. "Do you think you'd be done by dinner? We could go out to eat."

You made a noise of approval. "Yeah, I can be done by then. Any ideas?"

"You can choose. I just have an idea for afterwards. A moment of spontaneity, if you will."

You laughed. "We're planning it out beforehand, honey, that's not spontaneity."

Chenle pouted into your skin, wrapped his arms around you, and draped his body over your back. He watched your pen twirl and spin through your fingers. "Close enough."

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈—

The last thing you thought Chenle would do was drive you to some random neighborhood and to its sketchy basketball court, caged in the classic wire fencing and with amber street lights as its only light source. It was perhaps nine o'clock at night, and you had just finished eating dinner (finishing that document had taken a little longer than anticipated, but Chenle had seemed content to wait). The sky had darkened to a midnight cobalt, and you couldn't really see the stars, but it was a clear night out.

Chenle parked along the curb just across from the gate and was already tearing his seatbelt off.

You balked for just a moment. "Uhhhh, is this where I get murdered and dumped in an abandoned parking lot?"

He rolled his eyes. "Aish, you're so dramatic," he joked, tugging at your hand, "come on. I have a ball in the trunk."

The car door slammed shut on his side after he climbed out, and you were left in the silence of the empty car. Was that euphemism or…?

You slapped your hand to your forehead; you spent way too much time with Chenle. Not sparing another moment thinking about it, you followed Chenle out into the cool night. He was already hunched over the trunk of his car, digging through his basketball duffle bag.

"Jesus, you need to wash that thing," you grimaced, taking a step back.

He only laughed, pulling a basketball out of seemingly nowhere and slamming the trunk closed. He locked the car, offering his free hand to you. "I'm doing laundry before I leave," he reassured.

"I'd hope so," you muttered and faked a gag.

As Chenle pushed past the gate, you took a second to really look around at your surroundings. It was a classic neighborhood park with a playground over a little ways down the path, a grassy hill for kids and dogs to run around on, and of course, this court. There was a tennis court connected to it on one side of the fence, too.

Chenle released your hand and started to dribble as soon as his foot hit the faded lines outlining the basketball court on the grey cement. He dribbled the ball all the way to the three pointer line, stopped, then shot.

Nothing but net.

He grinned at you. "Easy enough. Your turn."

You sent him an incredulous look. "I don't think so."

He made a face, jogging over to get the ball back and to dribble it over toward you. He passed it, letting it bounce once before you caught it in your hands. It seemed like a very high quality (?) basketball, like it wouldn't deflate on you. To be honest, you probably hadn't touched a basketball since high school, and you told Chenle as much.

"Well, that's why I'm here, silly," he said and guided you over and across the court so you stood at midcourt. "Remember how to dribble?"

"I do." And you idly began dribbling the ball in place, using the pads of your fingers to push the ball down against the cement.

"Good," he praised. "Now dribble up to inner court."

"Say please," you stuck your tongue out at him over your shoulder, but walked and dribbled the ball all the way to the inner court. You figured you probably couldn't make a basket from the three pointer line anyway.

Once you were at inner court, you stopped the ball in your hands and made a sad attempt at shooting the ball into the net. It rebounded hard off the rim, and Chenle stopped it midair with one hand. He passed it to his other before returning it to the cement to be dribbled.

"That was cute."

You wrinkled your nose at him. "Oh, shut up."

He chuckled, placing the ball back into your hands. He stood behind you and guided your arms in the correct form. His voice was seated right by your ear, the warmth of his breath sending zaps of energy down your spine and to your curling toes. "You just need to follow through. Like this."

His hands moved yours to mimic correct shooting technique. Then he added, "You want to make sure when you shoot, your hands follow through and send it where it should be. If your hands aren't directed toward the hoop, it probably won't go in."

You nodded, and once you felt him take a step back, you tried again. You let the ball boost off the page of your fingertips once more, this time, keeping your follow-through. The ball didn't make it in the hoop, but it rolled around the rim once before slipping off the edge.

"Damn," you murmured and went to retrieve it.

"That was a lot better though," Chenle said with a glimmer in his eyes. You could feel the excitement and amusement rolling off him in waves. "Try again."

And you did. Until you made a stupid basket.

"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go!" You shouted, jumping for absolute fucking joy. Your grinning face met his as you stomped your foot on the ground in victory. "Did you see that? I finally got one!"

Chenle chuckled, nodding and indulging you with applause. "I did, baby. I'm proud of you."

The two of you would end up passing the ball around to each other, one of you taking a shot here or there. He taught you how to play Horse, too, and eventually, he went to get a mini Bluetooth speaker from his magical dufflebag to play some music.

"This is not fair!" You growled, nearly climbing up him like a tree as he held the basketball high above his head. "Chenle!"

Your boyfriend giggled like a maniac, not even bothering to fend you off as you braced your arms on his shoulders and tried to hoist yourself up. You clawed at the air in desperate attempts to get the ball from him, but the bastard was messing with you. "You're almost there, Yn-ie! Look!"

You were not.

You glared at him.

Chenle's laughter faded just a little bit. "Okay, okay. I'll give you the ball back if I get my compensation."

"That sounds familiar," you said, easily going up to him. You hauled him down by his neck, despite his squawk of surprise, and kissed him. As you pulled back, your teeth nipped his bottom lip.

His thumb came up to graze his bottom lip, tongue licking it, eyes growing darker. "Come here."

You giggled, backing away. "No."

"Yn," he said while slowly approaching you like a predator to his prey. He set the basketball down. "Come here, baby."

"No, no, no—AH!" Your laughter filled the night air as you darted off across the court, making a large loop around the wired perimeter. Chenle was hot on your tail the entire time, his own laughter intermingling with yours.

You were heaving for breath (goddamn, you were out of shape), and so clearly, Chenle caught you. He wound his arms around you, caged you in his embrace. You squealed, squirming in his hold, but he held fast and tight.

It was at this moment that both Chenle and you recognized the song playing. It was an old one, the lyrics prefaced by the melody of trumpets and violins.

"You know how to waltz, Zhong?"

He pulled a smile, but it was like there was something sad in it. "Ballroom dance. But yeah."

You mocked a curtsy to him. "May I have this dance then?"

He answered you by holding out his hand for you to take. You placed your right hand in his, and he guided you to the middle of the basketball court. You placed your left hand on his shoulder, his free hand on your waist. And you both marked the three-fourths time before stepping into the sway of a waltz.

You let your cheek rest against his chest as he pulled you closer and you were just swaying to the beat. Chenle rested the side of his cheek against your head, pressing a kiss to your hairline.

You could hear the speed of his heart, the quickness of its beat.

"Lele."

"Mhm."

"I love you."

His heartbeat quickened under your ear. Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump.

He swallowed. "Yn, I love you, too."

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐈𝐕—

"Oh my god, how does Chenle stand you? You're so boooooring, Yn." Felix groaned from where he laid upside down on your couch. His socked feet were sticking up the back, giving you a strange view from your vantage point in the kitchen.

You had just dropped Chenle off at the airport to head off to Shanghai about an hour ago. He had been an awful lot clingier the past few days leading up to the trip, but you supposed you understood since he would be leaving Seoul after being here for so long. New-old environments could be weird.

You were a little worried about him, but maybe that was just the thought of being away from him for five days. You'd gone days without seeing each other, but that was because you frequently called and texted. You didn't know what he'd be doing in Shanghai, but you were sure you could pick up any call he dialled. You weren't doing anything spectacular this break anyway.

In response to Felix, you said nothing. Instead, you marched over to the couch and flicked the arches of his feet.

He helped in surprise, using his miraculous abdominal muscles to haul his head up from the ground to glare at you. "Hey! Rude."

"Hey you," you snorted. You collapsed on the couch next to him. "And I am not boring. I just haven't hung out with you in a while solo."

Karina was going to visit her home in Gyeonggi-do for the week, so Felix had temporarily become your roommate. He didn't plan to visit Australia until summer break hit. It was just the two of you, but you were alright with that. You and Felix still worked at the café together anyway; it would just be fully you two for a week now.

Felix grumbled and pulled himself onto the couch to sit upright. "I know. You and Chenle are so busy being disgustingly in love. I mean, you can date someone and still hang out with your favorite Australian, can't you?"

"I think I like Chan better—I'msorrydon'thurtme!" You squealed, leaping from the couch when he feigned pouncing at you.

He settled in his spot again, pouting, but he reminded you of Mofy Duck as you looked at him. "But you and Chenle seem to be getting really serious though, yeah?"

You sat back down on the couch and sighed in content. "Yeah. I dunno, Lix. I think… you know—I'd spend my whole life with him."

"Really?" He pocketed his phone and so the two of you zoned into the conversation. "I mean, no, that's fantastic. It's great, Yn. And I'm so happy for you. I did not think that Chenle sauntering through the door of the café that day would end in something like this, but… I think it's beautiful, what you two have, I mean."

"Oh, thank you Lix. That means a lot." You pulled your knees up to your chest. "He really does saunter, huh."

Felix pressed his lips together, nodding. "He does."

You and Felix shared a laugh. You hoped Chenle was going to have a good time in Shanghai. In an hour, hopefully, you would receive word from him that he had safely landed.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐕—

Chenle wanted to leave. He wanted to leave now.

There was nothing wrong with the city of Shanghai. God, he had missed this place, with all of the smells and sights and feelings. It was his childhood, where he had grown up. He would have loved to bring you here one day.

The plane had landed, safely and smoothly, as per usual. As soon as he had access to signal, he was shooting you text after text, before his family's hired security company was carting him off into a black SUV. He would have preferred to drive himself, but he supposed this allowed him to text back and forth with you.

He didn't want to give away his displeasure about being here to you, so he took pictures of the city sights he passed by, described any and all of the food smells he detected, and sent them all to you. It was like you were right next to him, experiencing all of this yourself. He knew it wouldn't live up to the real thing, but he would make do.

He knew he drew closer to the family apartments even before they got off the highway. He could feel the thrum of the coast, could see the grey sea in the distance, then the dark and cream tiled roofs of the apartments. They were built in a modern spin on traditional Chinese architecture, and they had become very familiar to Chenle.

The family apartments were not the typical apartment complexes like the one you lived in, but a row of small houses pressed up against each other to squeeze into the limited space of Shanghai's city limits. Each house-apartment was built with luxury and comfort in mind, however, and each apartment featured a connected backyard space that looked out at the sea view. Backyards were separated by large hedges for privacy, as well.

Chenle's foot hit the car floor rapidly as the car approached the first apartment. He didn't expect his parents to be waiting outside for his arrival or to be there at the airport to pick him up; he was hardly surprised at this point. It just made everything easier to swallow.

Bags were pulled out of the trunk, and Chenle reluctantly trudged up the steps into his family home.

It was just as he remembered: dark oak floors, traditional poetry and paintings hung on the walls, his mother's pet project Bonsai trees scattered about hallway tables. It was like walking through a time capsule; that was how stuck in the past his family was.

He feared a collision course with his family earlier than was necessary, and escaped up to his room where he could probably have at least a couple minutes of calm before the storm. Or, at least until Ningning came with Daegal. He grabbed his backpack and suitcase, then hightailed it up the stairs.

As he locked himself in his room, he felt his phone buzz to life once more.

鸡蛋: hey loser i'm almost there

鸡蛋: i think bb daegal can sense that she's going to c u

-

bbygrl: *image sent* here's my pet chick for the week

bbygrl: he says *i'm* the boring one 😒 and he fell asleep on the couch

bbygrl: u better send pics of daegal 🤨🔪

Chenle settled on the edge of his bed, still crisp and made from when he left. Nothing else had been touched over the course of the years he hadn't been here, but it was still nostalgic enough. All the posters of NBA players, the keyboard in the corner.

笨蛋: well i'm excited to see her too

笨蛋: and ig u too..

-

lele: jeez say pls first baby :/

lele: haha u should write loser on his forehead

bbygrl: i knew there was a reason y i liked u 😁

lele: uH HELLAUR??

There was a knock on the door. "Chenle xiansheng, Ning xiaojie has arrived."

He didn't recognize the voice from the other side, but figured his parents had hired a few more staff members for the household since he left. "Oh, uh, send her up, please. Thank you!"

The footsteps withdrew from the door, and Chenle set his phone on the bedside table.

He stood up, walking over to the floor to ceiling window that doubled as a balcony door. It looked out at the sea from here. Chenle braced his hand against the doorframe and gazed out. Maybe he should send you a picture of the waves as they pulled and pushed along the shoreline.

"Jesus, you look like you're in some bad C-drama." The door opened to his room without a knock, followed by the tap-tap-tap of little paws along wood and an ebullient bark. "That's the most excited she's been in awhile."

Chenle whirled around and knelt to the ground as a furry white blur came crashing into him. He chuckled, hugging Daegal to his chest as she lapped at his face. "Hi Daegal. I missed you," he cooed.

Ning Yizhuo, Chenle's cousin from Harbin, stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. Her long hair was dyed a fiery red, just like her attitude. While her parents were partners at Chenle's parents' company, she wouldn't get a piece of the pie due to "traditional" inheritance rules. It was stupid, but now, she modeled for luxury brands and designed her own clothes, too. Chenle might find her irritating at times, but he had always admired her strength and independence.

He raised his head up to her as he picked Daegal up in his arms. "Thanks for watching over her." His hand idly ran through her fur and scratched behind her ears.

Ningning nodded, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She closed his bedroom door behind her. "How's life, cousin? Seoul treating you well?"

"It's…" he sighed. "It's better than I could've ever imagined."

"That's good to hear," then she added, "I'm glad you've enjoyed your freedom."

Chenle's mood soured, and he set Daegal down. The dog scurried around his legs once or twice before giving up and running over to jump into his bed.

Ningning lowered onto the edge of his bed and massaged Daegal's stomach. "Sorry, that's probably a bad way to put it."

"No, it's all right. That's pretty much what it is, right?" He shook his head and picked up his phone again. He went back to the window and snapped a quick picture of the view to send to you.

lele: *image sent* it's prettier when it's sunny

bbygrl: it's still pretty when it's gray

lele: i think ur prettier anyway

bbygrl: always a flatterer aren't u?

lele: what can i say? give compliments where compliments r due ;)

"Does she make you happy?"

Chenle snapped out of her daze, the smile still evident on his face. "Huh?"

Ningning inclined her head to his phone. "I'm guessing that's your girlfriend. Or partner."

He worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "Yeah, she's… yeah. You better not—"

"I thought you knew me better than that, Chenle." She arched a brow at him in slight teasing. But there was that sadness in her eyes, too. Chenle knew why. Even if she wasn't getting her parents' company, she still had their name. She was subject to just about the same rules as he was.

"Right. Sorry."

"So what are you gonna do?" Ningning asked him. "You know that they're gonna make you meet her at least once while you're here. I bet they have some kind of dinner planned already."

That wasn't even a question in Chenle's mind. His five days here were going to be the busiest and most exhausting five days of his life, probably. He could see it now, meal after meeting after meal after meeting. His parents were going to soak the life out of him while they could. And then some.

Another knock on the door. "Chenle xiansheng, your parents would like to see you in their home office."

Chenle inwardly cursed. He'd hoped they would let him settle in first. "Hao ah, thank you. Give me five minutes."

Once the footsteps had left, Ningning brushed a hand over Daegal's coat. "Need moral support?"

"When do I not need moral support to talk to my parents?" He joked. Chenle slipped his phone into his pocket, scratched Daegal's head one more time, then left the room.

As he walked down the hallway and down the steps again toward his parents' home office, Chenle willed his heart to slow. His hands were even getting clammy and he wondered how he'd grown so soft in his time away that he was like a kid again in this house. Where was the spine he'd grown? He'd need it before facing the wolves this week.

Chenle brushed a hand through his hair as he stood before the engraved doors to the home office. It was in the shape of a circle, split directly down the middle. With a deep breath, he knocked on the door and pushed the doors open.

There were three people standing inside the office, surrounding the big mahogany desk at the far wall. He recognized his father in the office chair and his mother standing at his side. The young woman standing across from them was familiar, but he couldn't put a name to the face. Then again, there were very few options as to who she was racing through the forefront of his mind.

He had a sneaking suspicion.

"Ah, my son has finally graced us with his presence." His father did not stand, did not smile. "Close the door."

Say please. Chenle closed the door. As he approached slowly, his nod of greeting was more akin to a bow. "Fumuhao." (fùmù = formal word for parents; hǎo = a form of greeting lol idrk how to explain it)

"At least he has some manners left," his father commented.

Chenle's jaw clenched.

"Well," his father continued, "I suppose I should not dawdle any longer. Chenle, meet Miss Jin."

The young woman bowed shallowly to him in greeting and he returned the gesture. Her expression was the dictionary definition of polite.

"She's your fiancée."

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐕𝐈—

You felt like your stomach was about to explode. Dazed and half comatose, you reached for the remote and lowered the volume of whatever romcom was playing on the TV now. Felix's head was slumped over on the other side of the couch, light snores emitting from his parted lips. The smell of brownies filled and lingered in the apartment air, making you sigh in content. You wondered why Felix never started a brownie business.

You reached for your phone, which had been discarded on the couch cushions beside your body, and you picked it up. No messages, no missed calls. This had been the same thing for the past day and a half. Absolute radio silence from Chenle.

And you were… happy? At least, you thought you were, but only because this had to be an indication that he was having fun. Right?

You weren't too sure and you thought he would at least send you a check up message to assure you he was alive. This wasn't very… Chenle of him? But you didn't want to bother, and you had slowed down your messages for a bit.

You bit your lip, hesitantly typing out another few words to send.

you: hey honey just woke up from a post-brownie hangover lmao u really need to try lix's brownies

you: hope ur having fun over there! :) love you

"He still hasn't responded?"

You shook your head, as Felix drowsily pulled himself from dream land. His eyes fluttered and squinted to adjust to the light of the TV screen. The sky outside the apartment was dark, since the two of you had chosen to stay in this afternoon to make brownies. Then you both crashed in a food coma until now.

"He's probably just really busy," you told him, mainly trying to convince yourself. You feigned nonchalance as you tossed your phone back onto the couch and stood up. "Want some water? I think I need to flush out all the sugar I inhaled earlier," you mused.

Felix cleared his throat. "Oh, yeah. That's a good idea. Get me some please?"

"Sure." You pulled two glasses from the cabinet and filled them with water from the filtered dispenser into the fridge.

Felix called from the couch. "I think you got a message."

You nearly dropped both glasses right there.

He chuckled as you messily handed him both cups to pick up your phone.

lele: sorry i haven't been able to text u babe

lele: save some brownies for me tho 😞 love u too x

A smile bloomed on your face like the rising of the sun. He was okay.

you: dw abt it love! i'll c u in a few days x

You knew you probably wouldn't get a text back right away, but a girl could hope.

Felix noticed the shift in your mood. He scratched the side of his neck, peering down at his phone. "Chan's hosting a small get-together at his dorm. You think you're up for it? We don't have to go if you don't want to."

But you could see that Felix was itching to do something. And that he believed this might help you. It would do no good sitting around moping about your boyfriend who was gone. Where was your independent self now? You gave him a nod and stood up again, stretching your arms over your head. "Yeah, we can go. I'll go put on something presentable."

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈—

The tie around Chenle's neck was practically a noose. He had a terrible feeling that if he wasn't on his toes, the fabric would tighten around his neck and keep squeezing. The sky outside his window was already dark like the abyss, meaning the charity gala being held here had begun. He could hear cars pulling up to the driveway and guests chattering below. His parents were supposed to be announcing his return soon, so he just bided his time upstairs until he was needed.

Somebody knocked gently on the door, and he was mentally preparing himself to be summoned downstairs.

"Chenle xiansheng, it's Jin xiaojie. Could I… speak with you for a moment?"

He couldn't tell if this was better or worse. But then again, the brief and polite conversations he'd had with Alice Jin over the past couple of days had been okay to say the least. She was quiet, not timid, but she didn't say anything that wasn't expected of her. He figured she was in the same boat as him.

"Uhm, yeah. You can come in." Chenle scratched the back of his neck instead of raking his hand through his freshly done hair. He stood awkwardly in the middle of his own childhood bedroom as he watched Alice slip inside and quietly close the door behind her.

She was pretty, actually. She had a heart shaped face and high cheekbones, with her dark hair partly pulled into an elegant hairdo. She wore an embroidered red qipao that accentuated her slim figure, but put her as the center of all of your parents' standards. It was no wonder they were so eager to welcome her to the family.

But he loved you, not her; he didn't even know her, other than their fates were inexplicably intertwined now.

"I'm going to speak freely," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest. "You and I both don't want this."

He huffed, leaning against the edge of his desk. "No kidding."

"But we have to." Those words settled uncomfortably in his chest. The truth was so difficult to swallow. "And we have to put on a show for those pigs out there, no matter what our true feelings are." She spat out the word pigs with the most emotion Chenle had ever experienced from her. It made him listen really closely.

Alice released a trembling breath. "My parents made me break up with my boyfriend for this, and I'm guessing you must have had a partner, too?"

"I still have one," he corrected. For now. Oh my god, he needed to text you back.

She pursed her lips. "Well, good for you, I guess."

He thought he heard bitterness in her tone, and maybe a hint of sadness. He felt guilt rise in his throat; she had already let go of her boyfriend, but he couldn't bring himself to let you go. He didn't want to, not yet. You were one of the best things that had happened to him.

"This is going to be weird for us, trust me, I know." Alice turned her gaze out to the window, staring out into the obsidian night sky and the infinitely dark sea. "But… I figured you could pretend I'm her, and I could pretend you're him."

Chenle rubbed a hand over his face. "Okay. Yeah, okay." He could do this. He could do this, right?

"They're gonna need us to come out soon. We need to be there when they announce our engagement anyway," she laughed wryly.

That made him pause. "Wait what? I thought they were just announcing my return?"

Alice furrowed her brows at him. "Surely you didn't just think that, Chenle? This isn't a charity gala; it's our engagement party."

Fucking hell. Chenle swore, wanting to scoop his eyeballs out. That meant there was press here specifically to report on how he had a fiancée. This was not good. He didn't know how he had convinced himself that the press wouldn't focus too much on him, but on the charity gala as per usual. He was a certified idiot.

"Chenle, you need to breathe."

He felt her hands planted firmly on his shoulders. She was standing too close, too close—

Alice backed away, apology in her eyes. "You really thought they wouldn't publicise it and hark on the opportunity?"

"I was optimistic." And stupid.

His phone buzzed.

"You should answer her," she told him, gesturing to his device on the nightstand. "But we need to go afterward."

He nodded and swiped his phone up. A small smile pulled at his lips as he read through the words you sent. He quickly sent back a couple messages, wishing he could see your face for some semblance of strength. When he was done, he left the phone on the nightstand again.

Chenle swallowed his pride and offered Alice his arm. She graciously linked her arm with his.

"Ready to go put on our first performance?" She asked. The smile on her face looked loving, but he saw the sad empathy in the fine lines.

He tried his best to return that expression, to channel as much love for you he had and to show that to her. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The two of them walked out of the bedroom together as staff rushed to and fro, hurrying past or allowing them to pass. They received compliments to their cleaned up appearances and elegance, and they accepted all of the comments with perfect decorum. As they were expected to do.

Alice suddenly stopped before they were about to round the corner to the stairway. Chenle could hear the sounds of chatter and laughter from downstairs.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She glanced up at him, murmuring softly with that same smile plastered on her face. "Did your parents give you the ring?"

"Ring?" Chenle didn't recall receiving one, but he patted down the pockets of his suit. He wasn't even surprised when he found a diamond ring in the top left inside pocket of his suit blazer. The massive rock glistened in the hallway lights. He imagined what it might have been like if he was putting the ring on your finger instead of hers.

The ring slipped onto Alice's ring finger perfectly. Like his parents had measured her finger to the millimeter and had been curated especially for her.

Alice tested the ring's weight, curling her fingers and examining the diamond's luster. "I once wanted to become a geologist when I was a kid."

"I wanted to be in the NBA," he chuckled. "Guess we all have dreams."

Alice considered him for a moment with a sideways smile. "We're gonna be okay, Chenle. We'll make it through tonight."

He nodded. "I know. Thanks." Just pretend it's Yn. You can do this, Chenle.

They returned their arms to each other, each taking a deep breath in. Then the two of them rounded the corner and met the wolves with blinding lights and pretty masks.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈—

Thursday morning, you woke up to the sound of murmuring outside your bedroom door. You groggily noted the sunlight streaming through your window and estimated that it was probably late afternoon. You and Felix had been out late last night at Bang Chan's apartment, playing Cards Against Humanity and bonding with a few of Chenle's basketball teammates, Felix's dance team, and others as well.

—Was that Karina's voice out there?

You tossed your covers back and stumbled out of your room, half dazed on sleep.

Karina and Felix were conversing at the kitchen counter, solemn expressions on their faces. Karina's suitcase sat by the door as if she had just gotten back from the airport. Felix buried his face into his hands and you wondered what was going on.

"Hey Karina, I didn't think you'd be back until later tonight," you said, shuffling over to hug your friend.

Karina hugged you tight. "Hey, Ynie. Yeah, I was supposed to fly in tonight, but… uhm, something came up." She exchanged a glance with Felix.

You frowned, looking between them. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah!" Felix stammered. "I was just talking to Karina about our work schedule for next week. Boss put me on extra hours."

You immediately frowned. "Wait what? Did he ask you beforehand?"

"No, but—"

"Let me talk to him," you offered, already hurrying back into your room to find your phone. "He knows you have a dance competition coming up."

Karina and Felix's faces drained of their blood and they chased after you, wide-eyed in panic. "Yn, wait! Don't look at your—phone…"

They stopped in the middle of your bedroom. You were hunched over your nightstand, nose deep in your phone. You were frozen, heart sinking into your stomach. Your phone had been blowing up while you were asleep with people sending you some clippings of some headlines. Most of the headlines were in Mandarin, but there were a couple in Korean.

"ZHONG CHENLE AND JIN ALICE: ENGAGED"

"ZHONG CORPORATIONS AND JIN TECH TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER IN HOLY MATRIMONY"

"CHENLE & ALICE: READ ALL ABOUT THEIR LOVE EXPRESSED AT THEIR ENGAGEMENT PARTY"

You could feel arms around you, holding you close against their chest. Then another set pulling you toward them, too. Was this real? It had to be, right? There were too many different sources that it couldn't have been fake. And too many people had sent it to her, asking about your relationship and if you were aware.

No, you weren't aware.

Goddamn, how could you have known? Just last night, you thought you were still in a loving, healthy relationship. Now? Apparently your boyfriend was engaged to another woman.

The phone was wrenched from your fingers and you were guided to sit on your bed. Breathe, breathe, breathe—

"Yn? Honey, do you want some water? Some space?" Karina asked softly, kneeling down in front of you so she met your eyes.

You blankly shook your head, wiped your eyes. "I need to ask him—" You cleared your congested throat, "—I need to get a hold of him. I want to know how he's gonna explain this to me."

I want him to say it to my face.

Felix frowned sympathetically. "Yn, I don't think that's…"

"Lix, give her the phone, please," Karina said. She held out her hand and Felix placed the device into her palm. She passed it to you and monitored you as you furiously pulled up his text message chain.

you: hey can we talk? pls?

you: I just want to know what's going on I'm so confused

you: if u want to break up w me, have some dignity and do it to my face

You trembled as a response came in, but you couldn't tell if it was from anger, sadness, panic, or all three.

lele: don't contact this number anymore

Then he blocked you.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐈𝐗—

You were probably insane, but at this exact moment in time, you convinced yourself that you were in the right. You deserved closure. And if Zhong Chenle lacked the balls to come to you and explain it to you himself, then you would march right up to his stupid penthouse apartment and give him a piece of your goddamn mind.

Chenle had been back from Shanghai for the past two days—it was currently the Monday after spring break. There had been nothing from him, as you expected. You were bound to take matters into your own hands to see exactly what went wrong. A handful of Chenle's friends who you had got acquainted with like Park Jisung and Jung Sungchan had reached out to you. They were really nice about it all, but couldn't offer any more information than you already knew. It seemed like no one knew what the hell was going on except for Chenle.

As a now engaged man—you thought of that title bitterly—he probably had the whole world's eyes on him. If he went to see you, everyone would pounce on the opportunity at a scandal. It was a disaster in the making. But maybe you needed a disaster. You'd felt far too helpless lately.

The doorman at Chenle's apartment greeted you warmly, and you made sure to wish him well. After all, he wasn't the one who deserved your wrath.

As you rose up in the elevator, you drummed your fingers nervously against the seam of your jeans. You had been rehearsing what you were gonna say ever since you woke up this morning, ready to hurt someone. You were adamant about getting your closure, and you knew Chenle didn't have classes until noon. So that gave you three hours to get shit settled.

The elevator arrived with a cheerful and metallic ding on his floor.

"Hello? Who—oh."

There he was, standing in slippers and his pajamas in the middle of the living room. He seemed surprised to see you for a moment, but that emotion vanished in an instant. You didn't recognize this Chenle. Fundamentally, nothing had changed about him, but you felt the shift. You felt the discomfort and tension, worse than it was at the Championship game. (That felt so long ago now.)

"How the hell did you get in?" He asked you, crossing his arms over his chest.

You stepped into the living room, not moving a step closer to him. This—this felt weird. Shouldn't the doorman have forewarned him you were on your way up? "The doorman, obviously. We need to talk."

"We're talking."

You know what? Screw the script. "What happened, Lele? What happened in Shanghai, what happened to us, what—"

"What do you mean 'us', Yn?" His tone made you start. "Can't you take a hint? I'm engaged to another woman, and you're just talking about the past?"

Your nostrils flared. "You mean the past that was literally a day beforehand? Chenle, what the hell? You don't even have the fucking decency to say you're sorry, but to block me without an explanation."

He rolled his eyes, like he had better things to do than to have this conversation with you. "You're really stupid, you know?"

"What?"

"You're really stupid." He tucked his hands into his pants pockets now, stance casual and gaze calculating. "You haven't figured it out yet?"

You wished you could speak. Fuck, you wished you could get words out.

"You were just a distraction, Yn. Just someone to have fun with before I needed to take over my responsibilities at the company."

You couldn't breathe. "Just a distraction."

He laughed, cruel and dark and wry. This was not your Chenle. But did your Chenle even exist? "You really thought I would keep you around? I have greater things in life than all this here in Seoul." Greater things than you, he seemed to say.

Wounded and heartbroken, you mustered all of your energy toward not crying or showing weakness. You held your head up high. "Guess you're even worse than the rumors say you are," you told him as calmly as you could. "Congrats on your engagement, and congrats on somehow living with such a shit personality. Have a nice, fake life."

You turned away and jammed the elevator button, willing it to come fetch you. Neither you nor Chenle said anything else as you left the penthouse. But as soon as the doors closed, your body shook so hard you fell against the wall, and you couldn't hold back the flood anymore.

Distraction. You were just a distraction.

For Chenle, the world was crashing down around him—walls crumbling, gravity flipping upside down. You had left with a stinging remark, and he couldn't bring himself to insult you anymore as you left. He was already breaking down as it was, collapsing onto the couch and trying to keep tears at bay.

How could he forgive himself for hurting you like that?

"You're a fucking dumbass."

"How could you talk to her like that? Don't you have any compassion?"

Chenle could feel Jisung and Sungchan practically run into the living room from his inner bedroom, where they had been hiding when you came in. He wouldn't have been able to do all that if it was in front of his friends, which was pretty pathetic of him, but he knew they heard everything. And they were rightfully furious at him for it.

Jisung planted himself on the glass coffee table in front of him, barely concealed rage on his face. "Have you any decency? Why the hell are you fucking crying when you just talked to her like that?"

Sungchan stood beside Jisung, arms crossed over his chest. "C'mon, Chenle. Aren't you gonna at least try to defend yourself? That was some pretty messed up shit you told her."

"I know," he croaked. Was it hot in here? "I was going to explain it all before she got here, but…" Well, you had gotten here before he could.

"So then explain," Jisung demanded. "You go to Shanghai for five days and all of a sudden you're engaged to some woman none of us know, you're acting like a douchebag, and you break Yn's heart. You told us yourself that you loved her. What the hell happened?"

Sungchan set a hand on Jisung's shoulder. "Jisungie-ah, calm down a little. Let's hear what he has to say."

They looked at Chenle.

Chenle leaned back against the couch cushions, eyes red with unshed tears. "My parents had my life planned out since I was born. Since I'm inheriting an empire, they had to ensure the future of it was in the right hands. Which also meant that they were going to pick who I married. They told me before I left for college here that I had a fiancée already and to keep that in mind, or some shit. I've been trying to avoid it, but it came to bite me in the ass when I met Yn.

"They basically threatened to disown me if I didn't fly back home and meet my alleged fiancée. And as much as I despise my parents for all the shit they've given me, I don't…" he struggled to find the words. "I don't want…"

Sungchan's expression was understanding. "You don't want to be without family. You still want that bond and you don't want to let people down, but you have to."

Chenle made a sad, noncommittal wave of his hand. "Yeah. That."

Jisung started at the floor, lips parted. "I'm sorry for going off on you like that. And I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this. But what you said was so brash—"

"Jisung, trust me, I know." Chenle let the emotion roll down his cheeks. He couldn't bottle it up any longer. "I want to throw up right now just thinking about what I said to her."

"Make it right, then."

"I'll have my ass beat if my parents hear. Everyone is watching me now. It's better if she leaves and never looks back." The press were harking for a scandal. If he so much as looked in your direction again in public, he was going to get a strongly worded warning from his parents. He was in a bind, and he didn't know what to do anymore.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐗—

Five days later, you were very close to committing murder.

You had managed to fool everyone, and even yourself, for a couple days that you were handling the breakup fine. You had gotten closure, and that had allowed you to scream and yell and cry it all out. But then you went right back to normal, albeit a little more of a workaholic than you used to be. Renjun and Doyoung were frequent visitors to your office and often had to drag you out by your ear. Felix forced you to make drinks and pastries while he dealt with customers at the café, probably for fear you would either snap or break down.

And you were fine. You were doing fine, you really were.

Until you were walking across campus to the library and heard the whispering, saw the pointing. And watched as Chenle and his fiancée walked arm in arm down the sidewalk toward you. You almost broke down on the spot, your legs were shaking so badly.

You made eye contact with Chenle for a split second, before you were speed walking past them, like you were never there in the first place. They had looked… content. And you wanted so badly to be happy for him, and to move the fuck on.

But that was just wishful thinking. Like you wishing this was all a fever dream or a misunderstanding.

Instead, everything you had experienced with Chenle felt like a mirage. All of it—had all of it been fake?

Today at the café, it was just you. Felix had a dance competition and Karina was on her way, but she wouldn't be here until later. You were slouched over the coffee machine, waiting for the cup to fill up.

"Hey, uhm, Yn."

"Hm?"

Liu Yangyang winced as he leaned over the counter, afraid to set you off. He didn't want you crying again; he hated when you cried, because he never knew how to help. "The coffee's spilling over."

You cursed, looking down. Indeed, dark bitter brew sloshed over the sides and onto your shoes. It stained your already dirty sneakers a dreadful dark brown. You groaned, smacking your palm against your forehead. "Damn it. Sorry Yangyang."

The man bit his lip. He knew you were struggling, and he felt bad that he needed coffee all the time. "It's okay. I can still drink that."

The coffee burned your fingers as you carefully slapped a lid on it and handed it to him. "I'm so sorry; I'm literally a mess right now."

"Take a break," he pleaded softly. He usually sat in the corner of the café on his laptop to do his work, but recently, he had moved up to the counter to monitor you. "Yn, please. No one's here; you can take a break. Come sit and talk to me."

He pouted at your hesitation. "I'm lonely."

You rolled your eyes, but wiped your hands on a towel and made your way around the counter. He grinned in utter delight (and relief) as you slid onto the open stool next to him.

Yangyang leaned his cheek against his fist as he looked at you—really looked at you. "Talk to me. Spill it all out; I can take it."

"I uhm…" you wrung your hands together. "I saw him." You struggled to swallow, already feeling your nose begin to sting. "I saw him walking on campus with her. I dunno why she's here, but she is and I—" a shudder quaked through your body and Yangyang frowned. "I thought I was gonna fall over, Yang, that's how badly I was shaking.

"God, I love him so much and it hurts so bad. I wish I could just stay mad at him, but all I feel is sorry. Sorry for myself, sorry for him, sorry for… I don't even know." You threw your hands in the air and let them flop onto your legs.

Yangyang scrunched his brows. "Why do you feel sorry for him? From what I heard, he's the one who should be sorry."

You shrugged. "I have a feeling this is arranged. Maybe he feels trapped; maybe he doesn't. Yeah, he was a jerk about it, but the more I think about it, the more I feel sorry for him. He has to live with himself like that. I don't even know if he's happy."

"You're so…" Yangyang tugged at the strands of his hair. "Why are you so nice?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you so nice!" He repeated in indignation, hands thrusted out for effect. "You said it yourself—he was a jerk about it, and yet, you want him to be happy. I demand whipped cream and sprinkles on my cold brew, and you say 'okay, that'll be 6,000 won'. I don't understand you."

You didn't know how he did it, but you were smiling, and then you were laughing.

Yangyang continued his little ruse, with even more dramatised movements. "And even like five minutes ago! You were gonna redo my entire cup of coffee, and you're still here instead of getting some other person to fill your hours for you. God, can you stop being such a good person?"

You sniffled, smiling down at the café counter. "Thanks, Yangyang. You're really good at this, y'know."

He shook his head, but the tips of his ears were turning pink. "Nah. I'm just a clown." He brought his cup to his mouth and took a grimacing sip. "Jesus, this is foul. Why am I even drinking this?"

"You ordered it, dumbass," you deadpanned.

He whined, "Well—I thought it was really easy for you to make, so I ordered it! I didn't want you to have to work too hard, but it still tastes like trash." He gagged, tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Ugh, I need a whole can of whipped cream after this one. I—"

The door to the café slammed closed, and your soul nearly left your body. Standing there in all his glory was Chenle. He had a glare fixed on you and Yangyang, and you couldn't tell how to feel about it. Yangyang, in classic Yangyang fashion, glared back.

You sighed, quickly heading for the counter as Chenle strode over to it. You grabbed the pencil from behind your ear and twirled it nervously between your fingers as the touchscreen loaded up. "Hi, um, dark coffee?"

Chenle nodded, pulling out his wallet. "Yeah, and an iced green tea, please." He wordlessly handed you, not a black card, but a regular old visa.

You didn't think much of it, but you grabbed it and quickly inserted the chip into the reader after inputting the order. So she drinks green tea, huh? "Here you go. Your order will be called shortly."

Without waiting for his reply, you scurried over to the counter against the far wall and began preparing his order. You wondered why he hadn't brought his fiancée along with him, but then again, did you want him to? You supposed this was better, but it was still killing you inside. You wanted the old Chenle back.

When you were finished, your voice was embarrassingly soft as you called his name. Chenle took the cups from you, fingers brushing against yours.

You were ready to turn away, to pretend he didn't exist, when he stopped you short. "Yn."

You hated how hopeful you were. Absolutely hated yourself for it. All he would do would break you some more.

You watched his Adam's apple bob in a rough swallow. "I'm sorry."

Yangyang nearly toppled over his stool as he lurched to his feet. "You have no fucking right—"

"Hey, stop it." You gave Yangyang an earnest look, pleading him to back down.

"But Yn!"

You shook your head firmly. This wasn't worth it. With a flick of your arm toward the door, you addressed Chenle. "I think you should leave."

His gaze lingered on you for a moment, but he surrendered, and left the shop.

For a moment or two, you and Yangyang were quiet. The only noises were coming from the speaker's overhead playing lo-fi music. You focused on your breathing: in for three, hold for three, out for three.

I'm sorry. Did he even mean it? You were just a distraction.

"Yn," Yangyang muttered. "What the fuck was that?"

"You think I know?" You tugged a towel from your waist apron and turned your back to him to start wiping down the counter you had spilled coffee all over. You needed to grab a mop, too, for the mess you'd made on the floor. You felt Yangyang's eyes on you for a while, but he must have given up after a few minutes.

Or he must have realized you couldn't face him after what happened. Because no matter what Zhong Chenle did or said, you would still be so pathetically in love with him.

—𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐗𝐗𝐈—

Summer hit you like a basketball in the face. With classes out of session for the break, you dove headfirst into your work either at the theater or at the café. You worked overtime, you took people's shifts, you worked until you wanted to cry and pass out.

You had accepted a lot of things. It would be a long time before you were okay again, but you were a patient person. Your friends—Felix, Karina, Yangyang, Renjun—all tried in their own special ways to make you feel better and to keep you in check. They dragged you out for karaoke, for BBQ, for impulsive shopping trips. They made you feel like yourself again, from before you met the man you had fallen so fast and hard for.

Those feelings, unfortunately, would never fade. And even if you still couldn't stand seeing articles about them, you knew you were slowly accepting it. Because you were never meant to be with him. Perhaps you were soulmates, but this wasn't the lifetime that you would get the happy ending. And some days, you wanted to commit crimes because you were so fucking pissed, but you were learning to live with it all.

It was late when you finally made your way to the backdoor of the performing arts buildings. You knew Renjun would kill you if he knew you came back, but you just remembered that you forgot your phone on your office desk.

Your paces were fast as you unlocked the theater door and let yourself in.

It was déjà vu.

The melodious sound of piano keys being played met your ears as they drifted out into the back hallway. The notes and melody were a familiar sound, and you suddenly felt a wave of emotion crash over you in a tsunami wave. You could remove that night like it was yesterday.

You slowly and quietly traced your steps to the backstage door to the theater. It was cracked open, just like that night, except you remember you had locked that when you'd left. He must have picked the lock or something.

Gently, you pushed the door open.

He had his head bowed over the keys of the piano as he played. His fingers danced as they pressed keys, like they had been made to play.

A week ago, you and Doyoung had decided to move the piano. The two of you had turned it around, so now, the bench and keys faced the door. So you watched his perfect posture, upper body clad in a regular old black hoodie.

"You're not supposed to be here."

His shoulders stiffened slightly, but he brought his fingers to a slow halt. "Sorry," he cleared his throat, "I… didn't think anyone was here."

He had picked the lock. He really didn't think anyone would be here.

You dared a step closer. "Chenle," you sighed, "what are you doing here? You have a piano in your apartment."

Chenle pulled his legs over the side of the bench so he faced you now. You could see the lines on his face under the dim light of the lightbulb, the roughness from stress and lack of sleep. It worried you to see him in such a state, such misery. But then you reminded yourself of his words to you and how it had all played out. He was the one who had broken your heart and smashed it into pieces, and left you to pick up the broken pieces. He had promised you the world—and you had been stupid enough to believe him.

"I—" he paused, "I don't even know. Yn, I don't even know why I'm here. I just needed to get out of the apartment and…" He halted on his words, thinking better than to repeat them.

Distract himself. Yeah, you figured.

You were tempted to tell him to go distract himself elsewhere, but you couldn't bring yourself to. You didn't want your sanctuary tainted by his memory.

You didn't know what you were doing and why you were doing it, but your feet carried you over to the piano bench and you sat down next to him. You felt the heat of his arm and leg by yours, wondered how easy it would be to be pressed up against him again. How good it would feel to have him in your arms for just one last time.

"How are you?" You suddenly asked. "How've you been?"

He tapped his fingers against his knee. "Really bad, honestly. How about you? You look happy with, uhm, Yangyang. I'm glad."

You shook your head. "We're just friends." Because you ruined everyone else for me.

"He makes you smile—"

"So did you."

Silence. Your heartbeat thundered loudly in your ears and you wondered again why he was here. Why he was tormenting you like this. Couldn't he ruin your life once and deem it over?

"You don't have to accept my apology," he started again. "You don't have to even listen to me right now, but I'm so sorry, Yn."

You didn't want to listen, but you did.

"I'm sorry," he croaked. "Everything I said—I hate myself for every word I said to you that day. Because all I wanted to say to you was that the engagement is a scam and I don't love Alice, and never will love her—not like I love you. Because what we had was the realest thing I have ever had in my life and I wish we had more time."

When you didn't respond, Chenle said, "It's no excuse. They threatened to disown me, and I didn't know how to tell you because I really am just a coward and a scared, little kid. And… you brought the best out of me, the best memories I will ever have in my life. And I'm just so sorry.

"You were never just a distraction, Yn," he rasped, "you were so real to me. I was trying to push you away, but… I wanted—still want—to spend the rest of my life with you. And I know you'd probably never take me back, but I'm trying to find a way out of this."

You stared at the black stage floor, licking your lips. Your hands were shaking. "You're wrong." You inhaled softly, breathed it out. "I would take you back—in a heartbeat. But Chenle, if you ever find a way out of this…"

The two of you looked at each other then, eyes finally clashing and colliding in an explosion akin to that of a dying star. Your love had burned bright and burned fast.

"It won't be easy. I won't make it easy."

Chenle smiled then through his silver-lined eyes. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you. I'll win you back. I promise."

Something settled in your chest, like the calming of waves. They smoothed out, brushed against the shoreline, but they didn't kick up in the winds anymore. This—this was the closure you needed. It was not whatever that screaming match of insults had been, but this.

"Can I… can I hold you? Just one more time."

You pursed your lips to suppress your bottom lip's trembling as you nodded.

Chenle leaned toward you and wrapped his arms securely around your body. He tugged you closer, and you leaned into his familiar and comforting embrace. You inhaled the smell of his cologne and allowed all of him to engulf and overwhelm your senses. You let his hands hold you tight, let him memorize your every curve and edge and inch.

And as you and Chenle sat there in silence together, you thought about how the boy who had everything had loved too hard and lost it all. But in his actions, there were about a thousand unspoken words, and for now, that would be enough.

"Thank you," he whispered into your hairline, lips pressed to your head and tears in his voice, "for everything."

You squeezed his hand. "You don't ever have to thank me for loving you, Chenle."

ending credits/aka my condolences: sorry chenle, i mayhaps did u dirty, but lmk what u guys think 😌💀

[sunrise-lou]

Lou’s KPOP MASTERLIST

Fics displayed in order of texts to writings; oldest, down to newest.

Ateez

No writings available for this group currently.

Stray Kids

No writings available for this group currently.

Tomorrow x Together

La Douleur Exquise ft. CHOI Yeonjun +  CHOI Soobin College, Unrequited love + Hanahaki Disease AU [WRITTEN] One / Two

BTS

Long Distance ft. MIN Yoongi Long Distance Relationship AU [ONESHOT TEXT]

Coffee Bugs ft. PARK Jimin & JEON Jungkook Barista & Cafe Owner AU [TEXT / INDEFINITE HIATUS]  One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

Astro

So Sparkly ft. MOON Bin Idol Boyfriend AU [ONESHOT TEXT]

“PARKOUR..!” ft. PARK Jinwoo Idol Boyfriend AU [ONESHOT TEXT]

Twitter Shenanigans ft. OT6 Idol Boyfriend PARK Jinwoo + Short Hair Reader AU [ONESHOT TEXT]

“This Hair” ft. PARK Jinwoo Idol Boyfriend + Masc Reader AU  [ONESHOT TEXT]

Double Shot ft. PARK Minhyuk Bartender + JINWOO Sibling AU [TEXT / HIATUS] One / Two

EXO

No writings available for this group currently.

NCT

“Fr,,, Fr?” ft. LEE Mark Best Friends to Lovers AU [ONESHOT TEXT]

“Spousey Wousy” ft LEE Mark Lovers to Spouses + Masc Reader AU [ONESHOT MIX]

The Romantic ft. Lee Donghyuck & Zhong Chenle College + Love Triangle AU

Hello, welcome to Clouds ft. LEE Taeyong Dance Youtuber + Rival AU [TEXT] Taeyong + 127 INTRO / YN + DREAM INTRO One /

WayV

No writings available for this group currently.

Monsta X

No writings available for this group currently.

Seventeen

No writings available for this group currently.

Got7

No writings available for this group currently.

[soobsung]

summer nights- zc

requested: no

summary: a day at the amusement park becomes a little more interesting when a cute boy sits next to you for a ride

pairing: zhong chenle x reader

word count: 911

an: the girl names picked have no correlation to the kpop idols, i just picked them because they were the first to come to mind.

walking into the amusement park, your arm linked with your best friend’s, you laughed.

“where to first?” hyuna asked, looking at all the rides with a smile on her face.

you turned to yuri on your left and she shrugged.

“maybe we should start off light and go on the swings?” you guys started to walk over to the first ride you’d go on. while waiting in line, you watched the people already riding the swings. a loud laugh came from one of them and you couldn’t help but smile at the sound. as the ride stopped, all the people got off. you heard the laugh again and you turned to see a boy wirh bright orange hair next to a boy with a faded rosy color in his. you watched as they pushed each other lightly, walking to another ride.

“yn, come on.” hyuna pushed you lightly, your attention going to her. you rushed forward, going onto the ride.

you three went on all the light rides before moving to the more extreme part of the park.

“this one only seats two.” you frowned, looking at the ride all three of you were excited to go on.

“rock paper scissors for who goes alone?” yuri said, you sighed but nodded your head.

“of course.” you mumbled, groaning.

“what if you just wait and i’ll go with you again?” hyuna offered and you shook your head.

“no it’s okay. i’ll just go, all alone. i’m fine.” you said dramatically and both girls rolled their eyes at you as you walked into the line.

“jisung come on! did we come just to walk around?” chenle asked, staring longingly at the ride in front of both of them.

“i went on a lot of rides!” jisung argued and chenle rolled his eyes.

“the swings is not a ride!”

“just go alone!”

“fine!” chenle said, walking to the ride entrance.

you stood alone, ready to go onto the ride when a voice behind you spoke. “is it okay if i ride wirh you?” you turned to see the orange hair from earlier.

“i-yeah. yeah sure.” you stuttered, giving a tight smile before the gates opens and you were allowed onto the ride. the boy sat next to you and smiled.

yuri and hyuna turned around and gave you big thumbs up and obnoxious winks. you gave them a death glare, hoping the boy didn’t notice. “are those your friends?” he asked, laughing slightly.

“sadly.” you said back as the worker gave the okay to the one operating the ride.

“i’m chenle.”

“i’m y-AH.” you started to say your name but was interrupted by the ride starting. chenle let his loud laugh out, the one you heard that made you turn to him before. you laughed along with him, both of you raising your hands up and yelling as the ride went on. when it was time to get off, you hurried to your friends who started to tease you.

“hey! wait!” you all turned to see chenle behind you. “is it okay if we tag along with you guys?” you noticed the boy next to him giving you a shy smile.

“yes! of course!” hyuna answered for you. chenle looked at you, waiting for a reply. you smiled and nodded.

after going on a few more rides and somehow convincing jisung to ride one, you guys stopped at the arcade the park had.

“i’m gonna trash you at air hockey!” chenle yelled, quickly running over with his tokens in his hands.

“you wish.” you laughed. yuri, hyuna, and jisung watched as you guys playfully argued before starting the game.

“ten bucks they kiss by the end of the night.” hyuna said, jisung laughed.

“he’s too shy for that. you’re on.” they shook hands and walked over to different games, allowing you both to play.

“let’s make this interesting.” chenle said, hitting the puck over to your side. you blocked it, raising an eyebrow. “loser buys winner any food they want?” you laughed slightly.

“okay, hope your wallet is ready.” you said as you scored your third point. in the end chenle ended up wining. he let his dolphin laugh out as you rolled your eyes at him.

“what do you want?” you asked as you both walked out, forgetting about your friends.

“how about a ride on the ferris wheel?” he questioned, smiling.

“that’s not food chenle.”

“i know yn, i changed my mind.” you sighed dramatically and he smiled, dragging you to the line. you guys got into the cart, you looking out into the park as the lights shown brightly and you went up on the ride.

“it’s so beautiful.” you mumbled, smiling slightly.

“yeah it is.” you turned to see chenle looking at you. you laughed pushing him.

“that’s so cheesy! stop!” he laughed along with you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

your phone rang, you quickly answered it letting yuri know where you guys were. you got to the top and you rested your head on his shoulder.

“would it be cheesy if i kissed you right now?” chenle asked. he himself was surprised by his boldness but he couldn’t help it. you looked so cute and the way you looked at him made him weak at the knees.

“yes but you should do it anyway.” you closed your eyes and he held your face and leaned in.

“yes! $10 park!” hyuna cheered and jisung groaned, pulling his wallet out.