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An Echo of a Melody Pt 2

Summary: With a plan in mind and the pieces in place, you finally begin to help Jihoon move on properly. But complications arise, trust is lost, and you realize that you will have to be more honest with both him and yourself in order to do this properly. It'll be scary, like many things in life are, and you find out that being around someone who's dead helps you learn what it means to be alive.

University au, ghost!Jihoon, occultist!Minghao, fluff/angst, platonic friendship only

WC: 5.4k

Warnings: allusions to panic attacks and disassociation as analogies for bodily possession, bodily possession by a ghost, somewhat mild invasion of privacy (being able to access another person's thoughts), mentions of food, please let me know if there is anything I missed!

A/N: Hello, the part 2 to my original fic is now here! I originally posted the first part in October of 2022, so it's really interesting to see how time flies. You can find the first part linked here! (part 1) And of course, this is still going to be part of SVThub's Halloween collab that this fic was initially part of! Feel free to check out that collab and more recent ones, though many of the works in them are 18+. Enjoy!

And thank you to @novocainenoon for putting my first part on your fic rec list, I don't think I would have finished it otherwise!

After making as neat an array as you can, you gingerly placed the talisman in the center of the sheet and began reading off its activating words from a paper you were given with it. You mentally thanked Minghao for providing you not only the words, but also the way to pronounce them so you didn’t horribly butcher them. The talisman glowed very faintly, enough to where you almost missed it if it weren’t for the fact that all the lights in your dorm dimmed at the exact same time.

You blinked in mild surprise, peering down at it. “Huh. Okay then. I guess it worked.” 

Turning to Jihoon, you shrugged as you plucked it up again and put it on. “Guess it’s time to see-” 

In a flash of white light, Jihoon suddenly lunged at you, vanishing into your chest where the talisman hung. You gasped desperately for air, clutching at it as it burned against your shirt. You collapsed against the side of your couch, heaving as if the air had been knocked from your lungs. Tears pricked at your eyes as your heartbeat roared in your ears. Something didn’t feel right, the sensation that something was wrong intensified as you attempted to figure out what it was. Where were you? Whose hands were these? Who were you? You tried staring down at your hands through your blurred vision, watching them tremble like a leaf in the wind. You couldn't breathe, as if you lost control over your entire body. Something or someone was scratching around the inside of your head and you wanted it out. NOW.

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” You tried to scream, but your voice came out garbled and distorted, as if it were mixed with someone else’s voice. 

You tried to scream again, but your throat collapsed on you, air bubbling up where your voice should be. A cold grip overcame your limbs and you instinctively thrashed against it, fighting against an invisible foe. You vaguely heard shouting, you didn’t know from who or where, but you were too far gone in your panic to care. And as you flailed in your desperation to shake off the seeping numbness, your hand caught on the cord of the talisman and flung it off you. 

As if a spell had been broken, everything became crystal clear again. You gasped raggedly, greedily taking in lungfuls of air as tears began to roll down your face. What- what just happened? You fell back against the side of the couch, trembling as if you had been electrocuted. You spotted Jihoon floating from the corner of your eye, looking just as shaken as you felt. Good. You were glad you weren’t the only one who felt like they were losing their mind. 

Neither of you moved from your positions, the living room was dead quiet save for the sound of your labored breathing and light sniffling. It took you a long time to gather yourself again, your muscles protesting against you as you attempted to unfurl yourself from the tight ball you curled yourself into on instinct. You were eventually successful, now lying on your back on the floor as you wiped away your tears. 

“Jihoon?” You breathed, turning your head to him. “What happened?” 

“I’m so sorry!” He burst out, hugging himself tightly. “I didn’t mean to try to possess you like that, I panicked when you started panicking and I tried to get you to sit still to calm down but it only made things worse and-” 

You sat up in shock, staring at him with wide eyes. “Wait, you tried to possess me? And actually tried to control me?” 

“Yes, but it didn’t feel like I was trying to possess you, it felt like I was merely trying to move my own limbs. It was very strange, like I was being sucked into the talisman and then I was where you were standing-” 

He promptly stopped himself as he watched the shock in your eyes slowly morph into fear, scrambling to your feet as you ran to your room and slammed the door shut. Jihoon shrunk back at the sound of it, looking forlornly over the mess left in his wake. Your struggling had crumpled the sheet, and salt was scattered all over the floor. He glared deeply at the talisman sitting innocuously across the room, nearly untouched by the event except for its unraveled cord. He’d done it, he finally got you to genuinely fear him. So why did it make him feel emptier than the day he realized he was a ghost? 

Days passed before Jihoon would get the chance to talk to you again, it seemed that you spent all your time elsewhere and only returned when you were too exhausted to do anything else but sleep. He had a feeling you were doing this on purpose, the haggard look on your face and the slump in your shoulders were enough to give him pause and leave you to rest. With every day that ended with silence, Jihoon became more anxious, keenly feeling the shifting of the moon and sun in a way that he hadn’t even done in life. Finally, a gap in your work appeared, you didn’t leave as soon as the sun rose as you did most days, and Jihoon refused to let this opportunity get away from him. 

He appeared before you in your kitchen again, the parallel to your initial encounter didn’t escape his notice, and he hesitantly cleared his throat to gain your attention. You stared flatly at him, sipping from a cup of coffee as you leaned your elbow against the sink. You hadn’t forgotten your promise nor had any intention of backing out (especially since you had paid good money for the supplies you got), you just… needed time. As if you didn’t just spend the past couple of days or so using work to ignore the fact that you were terrified out of your mind over being possessed. You didn’t fully know why, it felt like some kind of primal reaction to suddenly losing control of your body to someone else, but you were over it now. Mostly. Spending the past couple of days out and about and doing nothing but work because you didn’t have any friends on campus was starting to get to you. Besides, you were a homebody at heart, you liked being in your own space. And Jihoon wasn’t awful to be around, at least not anymore, so it all worked out. …And you were tired, that was the main reason why you stopped fighting back. You could tell yourself all these excuses but you were tired and had literally worked the urge to run out of your system. So you merely peered over the rim of your cup as you waited for Jihoon to continue.

“So… um. Are you doing alright?” He started hesitantly, wincing at the meek way he spoke. “I know you went through a lot, and you don’t really have to uphold your end of the deal if you don’t want to. I truly didn’t mean to harm you, but you have my deepest apologies for doing so.” 

You finished off the last of your coffee without a word, putting the cup in the sink before standing upright to regard Jihoon properly. He looked so small like he did the first time, and something in your heart softened for him again. This is why you offered to help him in the first place; he was just a lost soul looking for answers and a way out, and he was no different from you in that regard. You sighed to yourself, mentally bracing for the fact that you’d have to put that talisman on again and let Jihoon possess you… again. You knew it would work, you found yourself reflecting on the sensation of being possessed after the panic had worn off, but it was the very same panic that gave you pause. 

“Alright, I accept your apology.” You finally say. “But, there are going to be some rules we’re going to have to establish if you’re going to… ugh, is there even a good way to say this, possess me.”  

You started walking to your room to grab the talisman you’d stashed away, talking as you did while Jihoon trailed behind you. 

“First of all, if I start freaking out or something again, let go of me. I don’t even know what you do when you possess me, but please don’t try to hold me down like last time. It’ll probably go badly again if you do. Secondly, please give me a warning for when you’re going to possess me. Unless the talisman means you’re automatically going to possess me. I don't know. I guess we’ll have to set more rules as we go.” 

You dangled it from two fingers, scrutinizing it as it swayed in place. You sat down gingerly on your bed in case you started flailing around again, took a deep breath, and put the talisman back on. You made eye contact with Jihoon, who was fidgeting with his fingers. He only stared back with mild confusion, and hesitantly approached you. 

“I guess the sudden possession part only applied to the first time you activated the talisman.” He murmured quietly, almost afraid that speaking too loudly would have an adverse effect on it. 

“Yeah, it seems so.” You responded just as quietly. “So, does anything feel… different? What makes this time different than before?”

Jihoon hummed to himself, noting the way that the talisman made you somehow more… receptive to him. 

“Wearing the talisman makes you more… open? Is that the right word for it? I normally don’t have the ability or strength to possess people, most of them feel like a closed door compared to you right now. You’re normally like one too, but the talisman sort of ‘opens’ the door.” He mused.

“Huh. That’s an interesting way of looking at it. Well, are you ready to try to possess me again?”

Jihoon nodded hesitantly, watching you tensely as you held out your hand to him. He felt the draw to you he did the first time, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as before. He took a small step forward, holding his hand up to touch his fingers to yours. Taking this as a sign, you shift your hand to mirror his as you close your eyes. A great warmth overtakes you, and you suddenly experience the feeling of floating before you open your eyes. 

You felt like a balloon, floating yet tethered to something you couldn’t see. Your body gasped in surprise, whether it was you or Jihoon who had done it was unclear. It felt almost serene this time, to drift in your own consciousness while Jihoon tentatively walked around your room with shaky legs like a newborn deer. It was such a sharp contrast to the first time you had done it, and it was so pleasant in comparison that you didn’t mind doing this again in the future.

Jihoon snorted outwardly at the deer comment, able to hear your thoughts as clear as his own. “Don’t get too comfortable in there.” He chided jokingly. “I haven’t had to navigate a living body for a long time so I would hope that you will help me if something happens.”

You agreed half heartedly with a dreamy voice, unbothered even by the fact that he had spoken out loud to you with your own voice. It was strange hearing your voice combined with his specific intonation, but it was novel at best and you let it drift from your attention as well. Everything began to drift further and further away before a vague sense of worry began to creep into your mind, prompting you to swat at it like you would a fly. It only grew stronger the more you fought it off, becoming more irritated as it did. Eventually, it reached a point where your laidback attitude was all but gone, and the world became clear to you again. 

“Jeez, Jihoon, was that you who was worrying so much? I know possessing someone isn’t exactly ‘natural’ or whatever but calm down, would you? I’m having a good time here.” You groused at him. You admitted that you were being a little snappier than normal about than you should’ve been, but you really liked that feeling of drifting. It was nice, letting someone else take the reins for once. Doing this more often was definitely on the table now.

“This isn’t the best time to be relaxing in your own head, you know!” He snapped back. “Didn’t you notice what was happening to you as you were drifting? That tethering feeling you described was fading, a body’s only supposed to have one soul in it at a time and my soul was trying to push yours out.” 

If you could sit up straight when you didn’t have a physical form, you would’ve done so in an instant, fully aware of the situation you’re in now. 

“Wait, really?! No way, how could you tell? Wait, where are we?” 

Jihoon rolled his eyes at your obliviousness. “We’re in your kitchen now, you clearly need something to eat and so I was trying to ask you how to use the contraptions you need to make food but you didn’t answer me. To answer your other questions, I started feeling like my soul was… taking up more space or something along those lines. When you first put on the talisman, it felt like we were sharing the same space. Sort of like two people sitting on a small bench together, they’re aware of how much space they take up and where they are in relation to the other person. But your presence began to fade and mine started becoming stronger, so I knew something was wrong then.” 

“Huh, that’s quite interesting. So, how strong is my presence now?”

“About the same as it was when we first started, it seems that being aware of where you are allows you to keep your soul intact.” 

“So, it’s a matter of focus, huh?” You mused to yourself. You weren’t exactly surprised by that, but you had no experience with the supernatural before this point and so you didn’t exactly know what to expect. “Hey, you can leave the whole ‘maintaining the physical form’ part to me, you focus on making sure you can do what you need to in order to move on. You have a plan right?” 

Jihoon scratched the back of his- your head with your hand, his trepidation filling your senses. “Well, sort of. I had some kind of plan, but now that I reflect on it more, I’m not fully sure anymore. Especially since it does require using you to do something I’m not sure you’ve done before.” 

“Alright, let’s hear your plan.” You offered. “It’s my body we’re talking about after all, I should be able to gauge my physical limits and help you develop your plan more if we hit those limits.”

“Well, you know how I told you I had died in the middle of a performance, right? I… want to finish that performance, you don’t need to find the sheet music or anything, I’ve memorized it by now. Especially since there was little else I could do besides terrorizing people into leaving me alone.”

You hummed to yourself, thinking about how you could execute this. “I don’t know how to play music, but I could find a music shop to rent an instrument for you to use. What did you used to play?” 

“I played the viola, I wrote many pieces for it and performed some of them too. I wonder if any were published after my death…” He trailed off, losing himself to his thoughts before being cut off by your stomach growling. “Ah, yes, the food situation. Do you want me to take off the talisman for you so you can prepare some?”

Jihoon spent the rest of the evening watching you with great fascination as you prepared dinner and looked up music stores as you ate. You found his interest in modern technology very endearing, acting almost like a little kid as he watched you type things up and get search results instantly. But once you had compiled a list of shops and cleaned up the remnants of dinner, exhaustion began to weigh heavily on you. Chalking it up to being possessed for a long period of time when you were unaccustomed to it, Jihoon left you to sleep. Once your head hit the pillow, you passed out immediately, too tired to even dream. 

When you awoke the next day, with bleary eyes and heavy bones, you wondered if being possessed would always do this to you from now on. Well, it was better than that first time, anything was better than that. At least it was a Saturday, which you were thankful for because the thought of trying to go to any of your classes in your current state made you want to curl up in bed more. You continued to drift in and out of sleep for a couple of hours, ignorant of both the way the sunlight streaked across your window and of Jihoon who would repeatedly try to check up on you. Eventually though you would emerge from bed as the sun’s rays started turning deep gold, and you reluctantly got ready to leave while hoping that the closest music store hadn’t closed yet. 

The cold helped you wake up, which was good for trying to do what you needed to, but you were still more than a little fatigued and it only made your bones ache more so you prayed that you could get this over with quickly. You couldn’t help but notice that the occult shop you visited previously was across the street from the music store you were about to enter, if its reflection in the store’s window didn’t catch your eye you didn’t think you would’ve noticed it at all. You turned around to look at it properly, the giant crystal frog in the storefront window glowing almost ethereally as the golden afternoon sun set it alight. It filled you with a profound sadness, as deep as it was fleeting, and you shook it off in confusion. Why would it make you sad…? You had a job to do though, and you had to focus. 

A pair of warm brown eyes gazed at your retreating figure as it disappeared into the store, a hand reaching up to adjust gold wire rimmed glasses before flitting back down to the book in its owner’s hands. No one else had truly noticed the statue the way you just did, and Minghao smiled sadly to himself. It seemed those touched by ghosts truly were connected.

The next couple of days passed by in a blur; when you weren’t doing schoolwork, you were donning the talisman and watching with detached awe as the familiar silence of your dorm was instead filled with the sweet music Jihoon made. You personally didn’t know how to play it, it was merely your hands being controlled by someone else. An instrument played by another instrument, one might say. You learned new things about Jihoon during this time, seeing him at work seemed to transform him into a completely different person. He practiced with complete concentration and, much to your chagrin, he had a perfectionist streak that resulted in aching fingers and a bone deep exhaustion when your body was returned to you. You couldn’t exactly blame him, you saw a lot of yourself in him and even understood why he would push himself so far despite the pain it left you in. It was no surprise to you that he had perfectly memorized what music he had composed in the time he was by himself, you were more than sure that you would go down a similar path if you were left alone to your thoughts with no purpose to fulfill for so long. Boundary lines still had to be drawn though when it came to letting Jihoon use your body though (and the lack of proper phrasing for bodily possession left you wincing every time you had to think about it). The exhaustion you felt from being repeatedly worked to the bone on your free days only to be thrown into classes the next day left you more and more drained, so you created a new rule where Jihoon could not exert all of your energy when possessing you. He wasn’t very enthused by being restrained, especially now that he finally had a body again after so long, but he was mindful of the fact that he was sharing it with someone else and was respectful of your wishes. 

Autumn slipped into winter as you both diligently prepared a small concert for Jihoon to perform, an echo of his final one in life so that he may find peace in death. You were the first one to propose this idea to him, and after settling on the plan to execute it, Jihoon finally agreed. He wasn’t sure that it would work at first, but his confidence in it grew the more you developed it together. Now with a concrete plan in hand, all you had to do was bide your time and prepare.

As you laid in bed late at night after a long possession session, staring silently at the ceiling, you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad that the end was near. Jihoon was the closest thing to a real friend you had in a long time, and he was the ghost that haunted your college dorm of all things. You didn’t want to let this go, whatever facsimile of a friendship you had created with him would simply go with him and you’d be stuck the way you were before: desperately lonely and grasping for a purpose you couldn’t fully see. Your chest tightened as you could feel the encroaching loneliness swallow you again once Jihoon was gone, and you gripped the edge of your blanket before forcing yourself to release it. You blinked back tears as you forced yourself to rationalize your emotions, this was for the sake of someone else who was in a far worse situation than you could ever find yourself in. The hand that gripped your blanket now pulled it up to your face, blotting the tears that silently began to fall. You hated to admit it, but you were a deeply lonely person despite how casually you acted about it and the inevitable loss of your one true friend only made you realize how deep that loneliness went. You would let go of your feelings eventually, you refused to squander the sheer amount of work both of you had done to get to the point that you were at now. Especially since Jihoon’s fate as a ghost hung on the line. You didn’t want to stumble now that you were so close to your goal, and it was this conviction that allowed you to push your feelings down. Wrapping your blanket tighter around you, you slowly drift into a dreamless sleep, exhausted from the events of the day. And as you drift away, you fail to notice Jihoon lingering in the corner of your room, reaching out to you silently before withdrawing into himself and fading into the wall. 

You spent the next couple of days in a fugue, doing work and letting Jihoon do possession practice on you to his heart’s content, blind to the way he was more careful with your body and making you take breaks more often. And you seemed to have forgotten that your thoughts were as clear to him as his own when inhabiting your body, watching with great concern as you seemed to sink ever deeper into the mire of your own thoughts. 

Finally, on a free day where you didn't have classes or work to use as an excuse, Jihoon hesitated before one of your routine possession sessions, and you stared at him curiously before he spoke. 

“Hey, is everything alright?” He asked hesitantly, approaching you slowly in the way one would a wounded animal. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You reply immediately, your brain on autopilot as you try to compartmentalize your emotions, perhaps in vain. 

Raising his eyebrow at the speed of your reply, Jihoon hovers closer to you until you’re face to face, leaving you no choice but to look directly at him. “You forgot I can access your thoughts when I inhabit your body, didn’t you?” 

Your widened eyes were enough of an answer as his simple statement stunned you into silence, and he sighed to himself.

“I’m sorry that you feel like this, that the loneliness you felt before will only come back with a resurgence once I’m gone. Maybe that’s why I found myself drawn to you, we’re both just a pair of lonely souls looking for a connection to others, and that’s okay. You know, you remind me a lot of how I used to be in life; I was so utterly devoted to my work that I neglected all else, and it wasn’t until I was faced with the quiet that came from being a ghost that I realized how lonely my life was. You don’t have to follow the same path I did, there will always be time to go out and meet other people. Who knows, you might be able to find people who you will treasure for the rest of your life. Even if you don’t think so, that’s okay. If you ever find yourself wandering as a ghost the way I have, then I’ll be sure to come for you. Afterlife or not.” 

You felt your vision begin to blur as tears welled up in you, quickly wiping them away. There was a soft look in Jihoon’s eyes you hadn’t seen before, one that made you desperately wish that he had his own body so you could hug him. Given his prickly nature, even after all this time, you didn’t think he would appreciate it but you still wanted to show him your gratitude.

“Thank you for saying that, I really needed it.” You sniffled slightly,  your voice wavering as you gave him a watery smile. 

“Oh, um. Of course. We’re friends now, aren’t we?” He mumbled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, I’d like to think we’re friends now too. And I promise you, from one friend to another, that we will get through this. I won’t let you be trapped here forever if I can help it.” 

The end was so close, you both could feel it in the air, and you grasped it as tightly as you could as you marched forward. You could feel the process of possession and practicing finally have an effect on you, your hands working more smoothly than you ever thought they could. You’d even made some flyers for the mini concert you were doing after much consultation with Jihoon over how long it would take to be prepared by his standards. A stronger sense of camaraderie made itself known to you every time he would possess you now, and you had a feeling it was coming from the both of you after the talk he had with you. You would do this, you would help him reach the end he deserved. And once that was done, you would live your own life. Live because he could not, and live because the time you had was yours. You hoped that your life would be longer than Jihoon’s, no offense to him, and so you should have plenty of time to thrive as you grow older. It’s funny, being in such close contact with someone who was dead was teaching you how to live. But you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Despite all the preparations, you feel out of place here. It's the middle of the day, you're holding a viola you barely know how to use, and you're standing awkwardly in the patio area in front of your dorm. And yet, somehow, it feels like you were meant to be there. Like you were standing on a stage, ready to dazzle the world with your skills. You know why you felt this way though, Jihoon's presence was a familiar one now, and was infinitely stronger than it used to be when you had first encountered him.

"Are you ready?" he whispered in your ear, the sound echoing loudly in your ears.

"As ready as I'll ever be." you replied breathlessly. 

You both worked hard to get where you were now, through trial and error and learning more about how possessions worked together. But even with everything you’ve learned, even with the fact that the viola clutched in your trembling hands was tuned to perfection, you didn't know how this would end. You refused to back down though, you had someone relying on you and you refused to let him down. 

With a deep breath and a sharp nod, you held the rest up to your chin, bow at the ready. As if on cue, your senses numbed, everything floating away from you until you saw yourself perform instead of feeling it. Good, the possession went smoothly. You played almost mechanically, the sharp focus you felt was not your own. You could see why Jihoon was hailed as a prodigy in life, every movement came to your hands like second nature. 

Your playing attracted nearby students to you, some curious as to why someone was playing out in the open seemingly at random while others were there because of your flyers. Some left again, but more stayed. The patio began to fill, and your heart soared at the sight of the growing audience. You couldn't tell if that feeling was yours or his, but the euphoria was the same. You took a deep breath again, focusing even more on your playing than you did before. You didn't even know someone could focus so much, but Jihoon worked in ways beyond your imagination, ghost or not. You practically held an entire concert on that patio, only faintly aware of the sun shifting in the sky. Nothing else mattered in this moment but the sounds flowing from your hands, the notes appearing in your mind as you played. Only once you finished that you felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment and relief that you only ever thought about achieving in your wildest dreams. The talisman began to warm slightly, getting warmer as your senses properly returned to you. You lowered the viola to your side, gazing out at all of the people who had gathered. With a short bow, you began to put your things away, only to be met with raucous applause. Though Jihoon had let go of his control of you, you could feel his pride stir in your heart. 

Jihoon appeared to you properly again, fully facing you with a bright smile on his face. The two of you were so tied together now that you were the only one who could see him. A bright light shone over his heart, mirroring the place your talisman sat under your shirt. 

"Thank you." He replied tearfully, his voice breaking with the sheer weight of his gratitude. "For everything. Thank you, so so much. I cannot give you much in this form, but know that I will watch over you from the other side." You shook your head, tears gathering in your own eyes. "You don't owe me anything, you're a friend to me now. I would do it all again for you." 

He shook his head fondly with a bright smile, his already translucent form fading even more. "A friend, huh? Well, I'm glad I had a friend as extraordinary as you." 

He continued to fade, until nothing remained of him, save for the now cooled talisman. Your face began to hurt from how hard you had smiled, and you only just remembered that people were with you when they started flocking to you. 

"How did you play so well? I've never seen anyone play that here before, not even the professors!" A student cried, staring at you with wide eyes. 

"Well," you chuckled. "something just came over me, like I was possessed." 

No one would ever know the full weight of those words, and you were more than fine with that. Now, whenever you felt like someone was watching over you without anyone else being around, you smiled. You knew you would be looked after, in this life or the next.

[vernblr]

thank you so much for recommending my fic especially because my writing blog has been so inactive 😭💕😭💕😭💕

i know that the version of my fic that's currently posted is only the first part, but you've inspired me to go back and finish it! once i get beta reading done for it and such, i will be posting the rest of it! thank you again!

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Synopsis: With zero experience or interest in the romantic aspect of his life, Jihoon finds himself in an unexpected situation when his company decides on a collab between the two of you, not expecting the work-addicted producer to develop a bit of a crush on you.

(m,a) A whisper from the forest @idyllic-ghost

Synopsis: When two lonely hearts meet, even under the strangest of circumstances, they bond with each other in a unique way. And as the weather grows cold, and as we seek warmth in the form of another’s embrace, we tend to seek those bonds out with more desperation. So when Jihoon - a solitary lumberjack living on the outskirts of a small town - finds himself enthralled with a fairytale creature of the forest, he doesn’t hesitate to let himself be held and loved. And who are you to deny him that love when it is all you want as well?

(m) Late nights @onlymingyus

Synopsis: Bf!Woozi

(m) Hoshi & Woozi + face sitting

(m,f) Of boobs and basses @rubyreduji

Synopsis: Jihoon gets to meet his favorite rockstar, things only go up from there.

(m) Ahegao and arousal

Synopsis: Jihoon just wanted to have a nice night watching anime with you, how was he supposed to know the show he picked was a hentai?

(m) Studio sex ft. Vernon

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*holds jeonghan up* 'cause baby you are my- wait is this joke still relevant

haopy (late) birthday to jeonghan, our angelic menace ♡♡♡

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A Love That Withers on the Vine

Summary: You stand shoulder to shoulder yet worlds apart from Prince Seungcheol as his advisor and closest confidant. The time you have together is quickly running out, but you don't have the heart to tell him that on a day meant for celebration.

WC: 0.6k

Light angst, royalty au, one sided pining that might be more than that

A/N: This is a super short piece that was inspired by this art from the ever lovely @dalkyeom!!! I might expand on this later if anyone's interested, and my askbox is always open to new ideas for it!

“It would be a shame for you to miss out on all of your hard work, you know.”

You startled at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice, looking over your shoulder to the person who managed to find you. Prince Seungcheol was a handsome man, only made more handsome in the cool moonlight that framed you both. Of everyone you had known in your life, you should have figured that the crown prince himself would remember where your favorite hiding places were at formal functions. He held no malice in his gaze, only concern, and your heart twinged with guilt at making him worry. You were his right hand in all things related to his courtly duties, you were supposed to alleviate his concerns not cause them. 

“My apologies, Your Highness.” You stammered, gripping your cup nervously in your hands. “I know how much your birthday means to you, and I should have been more present tonight. Especially because I helped you plan so much of it. Happy birthday once again, and may you experience many more to come.” 

You raised your cup in a small toast, but a gentle hand stopped your hand.

“Please, you don’t need to be so formal with me. You’ve been with me since I became of age, and you’re one of my most trusted friends. It’s not the fact that you’re not celebrating my birthday with me that bothers me, it’s the fact that something seems to be bothering you.” He clasps your shoulder with his other hand, stepping closer. “You can trust me, and I’ll help you however I can. You don’t have to go through this alone. I am here to support you, as you do for me.” 

You averted your gaze from his, fearing that the prince’s warm but piercing gaze would be able to read your very soul like a book if you looked into his eyes for too long. But how could you tell him? Two things were being celebrated for the prince tonight: his birthday and his upcoming coronation. And when the day came for him to be crowned king, you would be sent elsewhere to aid some other young prince in a neighboring kingdom. It’s something of a trade in your family, generations of advisors and scholars whose work bound them to no one land. It was a hard trade, but one your predecessors made up until you. In exchange for being able to travel freely across territories, you would move as you were needed. Always bound by duty (and a tidy sum of money), and little else. If love managed to bloom, it was with someone else who valued the sense of duty that threaded itself into your bloodline. And certainly not with the royalty you were supposed to aid. Though you admitted, you were a bit of a special case anyways. Being the same age as the prince you were aiding meant that you learned with him, grew with him. You couldn’t, and still can’t, imagine a life without him. 

You sigh, gently pulling his hand off your shoulder. “I’ll tell you another time, more privately.”

You brushed past him, murmuring apologies as you go. You leave your cup on the balcony railing, the only evidence that you were there in the first place. Seungcheol winces at the way you brush him off, confusion and hurt swirling in his chest. Something overcomes him as he seizes the cup you leave behind, and downs its contents in one go. The burn of the champagne in his throat is brighter than the tears that burn in his eyes, and he prefers it that way.

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sweet like cherry wine

happy birthday to our beloved leader and cherry boy ♡♡♡

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☆ — Place this star in the inbox of your favorite blogs. It's time to spread positivity!

OMG SAVV THANK YOU <333 and i'm going to answer the other ones too because you're such an angel for putting this in all my inboxes <333 have stars too because you shine as bright as one (^^)/ ⭐⭐⭐

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happy birthday @moriiyun!!!! i hope you have a wonderful day today, may it be as warm and sweet as sunshine ♡♡♡

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may you shine brightly, even in the darkest of nights

happy birthday to our beloved gamer man with a gamer plan ♡ (hopefully)

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happy birthday @jeonwonwoo!!!!!!!! i hope you had such a wonderful day zay my beloved (even if this is slightly late) and i hope your day was as sweet as these flowers ♡♡♡

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Rules

Before you request: Please be aware that I am a person who works very slowly and sometimes unpredictably. Writing is more energy intensive than moodboards, so moodboard requests will overall be fulfilled before writing requests. I will fulfill as many requests as I can, but I may not do something if I do not feel comfortable with it.

Please do not repost any of my works.

Moodboard Requests

give a member and a theme (ex: mingyu + red, jun + spring, etc)

more complex themes are allowed, but there may be a chance that I cannot fulfill it if it becomes too specific

I will not make nsfw themed moodboards

Writing Requests

I do not write nsfw content- all of my content regardless of what it is will be sfw

all of my work is as inclusive as possible, they are fully gender neutral so please do not ask for a reader of a specific gender

light violence/blood is allowed but will be tagged

please specify whether you want a drabble/imagine or a longer piece!

These rules are subject to change and I may have to add more in the future. Thank you for reading!

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Writing Masterlist

Key: f- fluff | a- angst | h- humor | ◇- reblogged from my other blog

Rules | Works in progress

S.Coups

A Love That Withers on the Vine | a 0.6k

Hoshi

◇ [Untitled Drabble] | f, 0.1k

Woozi

An Echo of A Melody | a, f, h, 3.7k

An Echo of a Melody Part 2 | a, f, 5.4k

Dokyeom

A Ferris Wheel for Two | f, 2.4k

A Breath of Fresh Air | f, 3.3k

[Untitled Drabble] | f, 0.4k

The 8

[Untitled Drabble] | f, 0.2k

Vernon

Strawberry Blonde | f, h, 3.6k

A Nighttime Routine | f, 0.8k

Do Not Disturb | f, 1.2k

Summer Nights | f, a, 1.5k

[Untitled Drabble] | h(?), 0.2k

Dino

Birthday Blues | f, a, h, 1.5k

[Untitled Drabble] | a, f, 0.6k

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feel free to ignore the next couple of posts i'm making i've had this blog for such a long while now and i've never made either a writing masterlist or a rules page </33

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I'm now working on another old draft of mines, a Jun fic inspired by Limbo (both song and music video), so I hope to release that in the future too!

Current Details:

"Welcome to My Lost World" (final title tbd): King!Junhui/Sorcerer!Reader, modern with magic, elements of fantasy, fluff with some angst, not requested

As always, if you have questions about any of my upcoming works, my askbox is open!

Updates

Hi hello, I tend to be very slow when I write full length fics, so I thought I might update the good people on what I have in store!

Work In Progress:

[Untitled]: Spy!Vernon/Spy!Reader, fluff, requested

"Fire, All Consuming": CEO!Dokyeom/Assassin!Reader, fluff and angst, major character death, not requested

"Beanie and the Beast": Vernon/Reader, modern with magic, Beauty and the Beast inspired, fluff, hurt and comfort, not requested

"An Echo of a Melody": Ghost!Woozi and Reader, platonic, fluff, light angst, part of a collaboration, first part is posted here [A/N: this is the least likely to be updated but there is always a chance]

If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to send an ask!

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go get 'em tiger boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy birthday to hoshi, our beloved... cat? tiger? hamster? spider? person?? no matter what he is, he will be beloved to us ♡

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Birthday Blues

Summary: Raise your hand if you've ever felt terrible on or near your birthday before. Well, I sure hope I'm not the only one. You were doing pretty well this year, until now. But as your birthday nears and you glimpse at something on Chan's phone you probably shouldn't have, guilt and paranoia begin to consume you until you can't bear it anymore. But luckily for you, you have a loving boyfriend who's got more than birthday plans up his sleeve.

WC: 1.5k

Established relationship, depictions of anxiety, light hurt and comfort.

A/N: This is the second part of a birthday gift for @bitchlessdino!!! NANA BELOVED I'M SORRY FOR MAKING THIS SAD I HOPE THE ENDING WAS CUTE ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR IT </3333 You can find the first half of her gift here!

Buzz. 

You groaned, turning over in bed and pulling the blanket over your head to stay as comfortable as you can. You don’t know what time it was, but it was too early to be awake and you didn’t want to be. You just hoped that whatever was causing the noise would stop soon. 

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. 

You realize after a while that someone’s phone kept going off next to you, and if it was yours you were going to fling it at a wall. Or, more realistically, put it on Do Not Disturb mode so you can get more precious sleep. But as the phone kept buzzing with notifications, you finally gave up the battle against wakefulness and pulled the blanket off your head.

It wasn’t a bad sight to wake up to, the soft sunlight filtering in through the curtains as Chan snored next to you. You blearily looked over at the phone that was still buzzing at you, annoyed to see that it was Chan’s phone that was buzzing and not yours. Oh well, you guess you can’t throw it at a wall today, but you could still silence it. Leave it to him to be able to sleep through all the noise, even as his phone sat charging next to him. It should’ve been a quick thing to do, to turn on the phone and press a few buttons before leaving it again. But you made the mistake of allowing yourself to glance at the messages as they flew by, Chan’s very large friend group chat enjoying (or suffering from) a boom in activity. You could barely read what the messages said with how fast they moved, but all you could glimpse at was your name being mentioned a few times and something about a birthday. Even in your sleep deprived state, you could connect the dots. Chan and his friends were planning something for your birthday, which was very soon according to your calendar, and now you were curious about their plans. 

But just as you were about to unlock Chan’s phone for a sneak peek, he started shifting in bed, a sure sign that he would be waking up soon. So you quickly turned on the toggle for Do Not Disturb and snuggled against Chan’s arm right as he started yawning and stretching. But you couldn’t stop the pounding of your heart at almost being caught looking at something private, and you could feel it starting to gnaw at you before you decided to push the feeling away. 

“G’mornin’.” He mumbled sleepily, pulling you into his embrace and half laying on you.

“Good morning to you too.” You grunt at the sudden weight on you. “Your friend’s group chat is blowing up your phone again, and I had to silence it because it was bothering me.” 

“Aw, I’m sorry it was bothering you.” Chan consoled, kissing you lightly on the forehead. “Maybe keeping my sound notifications on at night wasn’t a good idea.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Who even keeps sound notifications on for their phone anyways?” You teased. 

“I’m a heavy sleeper, it doesn’t bother me so it’s never been a problem for me before.” He whined at you, burying his face in your neck.

“Yeah, but you’re not living by yourself anymore, I’m here too now. So you can’t charm your way out of this one, now move I need to get up.”

“You’re so mean to me, I'm not making you breakfast then!”

“Then I’ll make my own.” You stuck out your tongue at Chan as you successfully shove him off to get ready for the day. “It’s not my fault my boyfriend is weird and has sound notifications on.”

“Hey! You’re being mean to your boyfriend! I think you should apologize to him with a kiss.”

“Only after he brushes his teeth.” You laugh at him over your shoulder as you go. 

Chan still makes breakfast for you both even as he continues pouting at you. But you give him all the kisses he asks for in return, so you think you’re even. But even as you both go about your days, you still can’t take what you saw off your mind. Part of you was excited to see what Chan and his friends had planned for you, but you still felt a little guilty for trying to look at his phone without him knowing. So you mentally agreed with yourself that you would leave it alone, let them plan in peace.

It was easier said than done though, the days passing by at a sluggish pace even if it was the same in every other aspect. And the guilt of seeing something you probably shouldn’t have was beginning to eat away at you even more now, despite your continued efforts to try and brush it off. The more you pushed the feeling away, the more ingrained it became in your consciousness, to the point where it constantly plagued your mind now. 

Chan noticed you getting antsy about it, you were impatient and nervous about something even if he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. He mulled over the possible sources of your anxiety, he wouldn’t just leave you to suffer in your own feelings if he could help it. Work seemed okay for you, he wasn’t having any problems with you as far as he knew… But maybe it was time to ask you, just in case.

The night before your birthday, he sat down with you on the couch in your living room, thumb smoothing over the back of your hand in an attempt to reassure you. He knew that this might not have been the best time to ask you about this, but he wanted you to have a good birthday and if he could alleviate any of your stress then he would gladly try to do so.

“Hey, I noticed you’ve been acting really anxious lately, is everything okay?” Chan asked gently, trying to meet your gaze. 

You kept your eyes averted from his though, unable to bring yourself to look at him properly. You hated the fact that you couldn’t let go of your feelings, and now you feel like you’re making Chan worry about you for no reason. “I…” You trailed off, gripping his hand tightly in yours as you tried to compose your thoughts. “I’m sorry. You know how I told you that I was trying to shut off your phone’s sound notifications when they were bothering me a while ago? Well, I think I might’ve- no, I definitely saw something I didn’t mean to in the process. And I know it’s something really small, but I also feel bad because I got so curious that I almost wanted to look at the messages on your phone properly to figure out what your friends were going to do about my birthday. I know I shouldn’t have, and I didn’t know how to tell you this.”

Chan sighed softly before pulling you into a tight hug, rubbing your back. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s as you said, it’s not that bad. I’m not upset about it. And I appreciate you telling me this now. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you see?”

“Not very much, just passing mentions of my name and something about my birthday. I… realize now that this really wasn’t a lot to get worked up over, was it?”

“Even if it was, your feelings about this still matter. I really wanted to keep this a surprise for you, but if it’s affecting you this much, then I don’t mind telling you.” 

“No! It’s okay.” You quickly reassure him, pulling back to properly meet his gaze now. “You and all your friends probably spent so much time working on this, whatever it is, and I won’t ruin it now just because I was getting paranoid over something small. I trust you, and I always will. I’m feeling a lot better now that I got to talk to you, so now I know I can celebrate my birthday tomorrow with a lighter heart. Thank you so much for being here for me, even when I’m being silly.”

Chan shook his head firmly at your last remark. “You weren’t being silly at all. But I will always be here for you too. And I will put the same amount of trust in you as you do in me. Now come on, we have a big day tomorrow so let’s get plenty of rest.”

You laughed lightly as Chan gently pulled you up from the couch, taking your hand to lead you to your shared bathroom so you could start your nightly routines. The domesticity of your actions didn’t escape your notice, especially the way Chan would make silly faces at you in the mirror while brushing his teeth. No matter what your birthday held in store for you the next day, you knew that you had everything you could ever want with you right now. And despite all the worry that plagued you for the past few days, you knew now that you could sleep with a smile. At least until Chan wakes you up at midnight to obnoxiously sing ‘happy birthday’ into your ear. But it’s the kind of rude awakening you would gladly embrace. 

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happy birthday nana!!!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ i hope you have such a wonderful birthday today my moon and stars, and may you shine as brightly in the dark as they do ♡♡♡

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i don't normally reblog replies on my moodboards (because i don't get a lot </3) but this made my day 🥹🥹🥹🥹 thank you i'm so glad you enjoyed this <3333333333

may you shine as brightly as the jewels of the sea

happy (late) birthday to our beloved catboy (who might be a mermaid)

thank you to @idyllic-ghost for helping me with this concept and sending me pictures!!! ilysm mwah ♡♡♡♡