THE "U" IN "US" - AN ATEEZ SERIES - CHAPTER ONE

THE "U" IN "US" - AN ATEEZ SERIES - CHAPTER ONE

Summary: You weren't really the lonely girl™ of campus, but it does feel like it when you look around, and there's no one by your side when everyone else are talking and whispering between each other. You did have "friends", more like "group projet friends" that you managed to get for yourself, but they were the ones that were real close, you were there only when they had an extra empty seat. But it seems like the gods above took your nonchalant facade as a challenge. Oh, you don't think you need friends to survive through college? Bet.

Pairing: Non! idol OT8 ateez x reader (platonic)

Tags: college! au; hybrid! au; ateez! au; fluff (a whole lot of fluff and wholesomeness); angst; hurt/comfort; mentions of mistreatment and abuse.

WC: 2,2k

Ateez Masterlist

“… project, how come you did not come to see it? Did you know that you’re walking with…”, Wooyoung was talking your ears off about his dance major while the nine of you walked out of the cafeteria, both of his hands around your right elbow as he walked with a skip on his steps.

It was an adorable sight if San was being honest with himself, but he was too afraid of being only a house of cards to enjoy the moment. He could only hear his own nervous heart and anxious thoughts. Usually, walking alongside of a hybrid could only be two things for a human: a burden or a prize, but he never felt like any of those things around you. Which made everything worse.

It’s been almost two hours and the right time never came. San felt his throat closing around the words anytime he brought himself to say it. He felt bad. Yes, he missed you and yes, you did so much for all of them, but if they didn’t have a clear goal in mind, he doubted he’d talk to you again. You reminded him of the old days when he needed you. Once again, he needs you, but he wished he didn’t.

I’m so fucking selfish, his brain kept telling him. He hated that he was there to only ask for a favor without anything to give in return, as if he’d have anything you already don’t.

“San?”, your voice woke him to the conversation again.

The moment he looked around, he noticed how you already were near the entrance of campus. His pack was also expecting an answer from him. They knew why he got so distracted all of a sudden, they could feel how heavy his heart was and could only imagine the thoughts running through his head.

“Sorry”, he forced a genuine smile and you waved it off his apology. “What did you say?”

“What are you thinking about? You seem a little lost in there”. Once again you give them an opportunity to tell you whatever they wanted to.

San’s mind froze. It was the perfect time, he could just ask then and there. What if you said no? What if you hate us for taking your time for nothing? What are we going to do then? Where are we going to go?

It was your turn to force a smile, they changed the topic anytime you got close to ask what they actually wanted. It was cute when they insisted the first time they just wanted to know how you were doing, so you let it go. But they seemed more anxious as the time went on, if Wooyoung’s nails extending and retreating rubbing against your arm was anything to go by.

“Can I help you guys with anything?”, their expressions were the answers that you needed to know. “What it is? Why don’t you just tell me?”

“We don’t want to bother you”, Yeosang said so fast you barely understood it. “We only, w-we…”, he sluttered as everyone eyes fell on him.

“We were going to find a way ourselves, but then we saw you and you are the only human we can trust to ask this”, Jongho interrupted, taking all the attention to himself and Yeosang hid behind him.

You nodded along, getting a little nervous yourself. If it was money it would be fine, but they seemed so tense you thought they got into some serious legal trouble and you were far from being a lawyer.

“Do you happen to know a safe place for us to stay?”, Hongjoong said the final words.

It was a strange sight to see Hongjoong being so indirect, so shy about something that he wanted, that was the last thing you expected from him for something so small to you.

But it wasn’t small for them.

As the seconds passed, the more anxious they seemed to get. Wooyoung couldn’t look at you, although he was still attached to you by the hip. The floor seemed much more interesting to him.

“I think I do, but Mingi mentioned an apartment, did something happen?”, you asked and everyone glared at Mingi in a subtle way.

It was clear Mingi himself didn’t remember to mention it. He had a silence discussion with them through his eyes only. The apartment was a sensitive topic and nobody else was supposed to know.

“It’s nothing you can do”, Seonghwa said after a long sigh. “Some nosy bitch found out that all of us lived there”.

“What’s the problem with that?”

“Only half of us are free hybrids”, Yunho informed as he crossed his arms in front of his body. Out of instinct he shrunk into himself because of those words.

“Oh, fucking stupid law”, you said the words in your mind and that earned you a couple of smiles from them. “A safe place, huh? Like a hybrid facility but better?”

Yunho scoffed at those two words, but agreed nonetheless. “Better would be great”.

But even the facilities were shutting down one by one, thanks to the years and years of protests against the mistreatment and down right abuse from those institutions. To find something better than wouldn’t be easy.

“I have my own place, but I can try to find something better in the meantime”.

They seemed lost in thought, then looked at each other. The silent conversation between them showed you a bit of the true connection they had. It made you a bit uncomfortable all of sudden, like you shouldn’t be witnessing whatever was happening in front of your eyes.

If San seemed uncomfortable in your presence before, now it was clear to you the reason wasn’t because he said he missed you, but because of this whole situation. It also brought you some flashbacks and it made sense that he hadn’t looked your way in the past half hour or so.

“You guys can think, how much time do you have until you have to leave?”

“Not a lot, but can I have your phone number?”, Hongjoong took a step further with his own phone in hand. “I’ll let you know if we took upon that offer”.

“And I’ll let you know if I find something else, so send me a quick message, okay?”, you got another smile out of them and took it as a small victory.

“Thank you so so much”, Wooyoung said as he rubbed the marks he accidentally made on your skin before pulling away from you.

It then downed on you his tail was around your waist this whole time like a warm blanket protecting your skin from the wind and you only noticed it when it left your body. It didn’t cross your mind how strange it was when he got so attentive and clingy the moment he had an opportunity for it.

Did that fox just used his seductive skills to win you over?, you thought as you tried to keep a poker face.

To his credit, Wooyoung didn’t plan to do anything of that sort. He was only being himself, at least 99% of himself with only 1% of boldness he usually hadn’t in him. He felt like he did a walk of shame back to his pack, because, of course, they noticed. Sure, he knew he didn’t need to do that to you, but in the back of his mind he knew that was the only way to get into someone’s good side and they needed to be in your good side.

Wooyoung only took a deep breath when he felt the comforting hands of San rubbing his back. At least San wasn’t judging him.

You thought he was cute. Really, all of them would always be kind of adorable in your head and you weren’t mad at him or anything. But the fact he thought he had to do that with you was disheartening. Now you had another hybrid avoiding your gaze.

“Which side are you guys going to?”, you broke the awkward and full of unspoken emotions silence.

Jongho took that bait as a sign and pointed to his left with his left thumb.

“I’m heading the other way, I hope we see each other soon”.

It was a lie, your home was the same exact direction, but you took the long way around it.

San could say he never had a silent way back home such as this, but there was no home to come back to.

He didn’t need to look at the others to know how they were feeling. There was hope, frustration and anger hanging in the air, still nobody dared to be the one to say those words.

Hongjoong was the most frustrated one. Nothing went as planned, since they didn’t even planned to reach out to you in the first place. At least not now, but time never was on their side just like every other fucking thing. It was Mingi’s idea to go into the cafeteria and if you were there, they would go talk to you. What were the actual fucking chances you were there?

He walked in front of everyone else without a new plan yet, which was pissing him off further. His head was too heavy for his shoulders, but he needed to find a roof for his pack, so he couldn’t complain about it.

Mingi and Yunho were the last ones in line on purpose.

Yunho was a ticking bomb, he could keep the smile on his face as long as he wanted, but Mingi knew better. Yunho always thought this pride thing was kind of ridiculous in this situation. He was the first to agree to Mingi’s plan and the one who encouraged everyone else to at least try to find you, because there was not another alternative. Why was that so hard to understand? This could easier than the mess they created it.

And Yeosang was trying so so hard to conceal the hope that everyone would be ok in your house and would be able to figure it out from there. He understood why the others were hesitant, freedom wasn’t a joke for hybrids like them, who hadn’t any for so long. But at the same time you wouldn’t abuse your powers as owner of the house and only human, he would loose faith in humanity if you were like that after all he went through.

Everything was aligned for a fight to happen at any minute and San was more anxious than ever. It came out in ways off of him, Wooyoung, who was by his side, could actually feel it penetrating his own skin and therefore making himself anxious.

“Stop!”, Wooyoung yelled and all of them paralyzed in the middle of the sidewalk. He took a deep breath as a couple glared at them before bumping into Mingi. Jongho held Yunho’s arm before he could give them a piece of his mind. They can not afford to grab this much attention on the streets. “Fuck, guys, stop , let’s just… there”, Wooyoung pointed to an empty alley.

Wooyoung did little to explain himself as he walked away.

“You can’t just do shit like this in the middle of the road”, Hongjoong angry whispered to Wooyoung, barely able to contain himself as he was the first to follow him.

“I know, I know and I’m sorry”, he whispered back as he disappeared in the shadows and the others followed suit.

“I do no-”

“Does anyone have a better plan?”, Wooyoung interrupts Seonghwa without noticing it. “Because I don’t think anyone does and we’ll be out here until they throw us into jail, is that better than to just accept some help?”

“We can at least try”, among the whispers, San’s voice was the softest. “We did it once, didn’t we?”

“We are trying and where is that taking us, Sannie?”, Wooyoung’s voice sounded as tired of that topic as he felt dirty from the lack of shower for the 2nd day in a row. “We came back to level zero and we even lost all of the progress for Yunho’s case”.

At the mention of that topic, Yunho turned around to face the wall.

“Guys, we have to leave right now”, Seonghwa said as he looked over his shoulders. “Now, come on, we have to go”, Seonghwa pushed Mingi and Jongho to move first.

The two of them started with small steps looking for what Seonghwa saw, then they noticed the weird white dude talking on the phone on the other side of the road. The whispered words reached their twitching hybrid ears. It was something about safety laws and … hybrid security.

They ran.

Jongho didn’t know where he was going, but he found himself guiding them through neighborhood after neighborhood. Unfortunately it was hard to be discreet when there was nine hybrids running in broad daylight and as time passed, they got more and more attention from humans.

Their ears up in their heads, waiting for the first sign of sirens to come, because they always did if any stray hybrid was out in the open by 5.

Then, Jongho suddenly made a turn when he caught a familiar scent. The others were too busy to noticed the change in route. Instead of the nation park, now there were headed to the outskirts of the small residential area.

When they all noticed, it was too late.

They were in front of your house.

And the siren let them know it was well past 5.

ZERO MASTERLIST TWO

Tagslist: @asherthehimbo @katsukis1wife @a1i33a @idfkeddieishot @pyeonghongrie-main @h3arteyes4mingi @huachengsbestie01 @hhoneylix @alxxxnya @queenproxy-blog @staytiny816

He's this big 🤏🤏🤏🤏🤏🤏'|

THE "U" IN "US" - AN ATEEZ SERIES - CHAPTER ZERO

Summary: You weren't really the lonely girl™ of campus, but it does feel like it when you look around, and there's no one by your side when everyone else are talking and whispering between each other. You did have "friends", more like "group projet friends" that you managed to get for yourself, but they were the ones that were real close, you were there only when they had an extra empty seat. But it seems like the gods above took your nonchalant facade as a challenge. Oh, you don't think you need friends to survive through college? Bet.

Pairing: Non! idol OT8 ateez x reader (platonic)

Tags: college! au; hybrid! au; ateez! au; fluff (a whole lot of fluff and wholesomeness); angst; hurt/comfort; mentions of mistreatment and abuse.

WC: 2,2k

N/A: It's finally here!! Please reblog and let me know your thoughts, the feedback is really important to me 💕 If you want to be tagged, also let me know!

INTRO MASTERLIST ONE

Ateez Masterlist

Don’t you remember us?, the words repeating in your head as you stared back at the brown haired boy. Now that your attention was on him and him only, you noticed the smallest of ears picking up from his hair, the color blend made it almost invisible. He was not a human, he was a bear hybrid, and you remembered exactly where you met him for the first time.

The police station was a complete chaos that day. It was a sudden change from the monotony of the small town your father started working at the beginning of his career. There was at least double the people walking left and right. Doing what? You’d never know, but it seemed important enough that you’re too scared to interrupt any of them to ask where was the bathroom, much less your father. He was not in the best mood since you moved, and you hated to be the reason for more stress. Also, he busied himself in conversations you could only watch from a distance, not even keeping his eyes on you sat at an old chair.

He won’t even notice that I left…, how stupid of you.

You wandered off, walking next to the walls so no one would bump into you while carrying a stack of thick papers. There was no sign of a bathroom in the room you were, you didn’t even know where you were, no idea it was the heart of that police station.

You kept walking further and further out of the room into the empty hallways at the back, ignoring the signs at the top of each door, too focused on the triangle dress you couldn’t find. You turned right, but you only found a single wooden door.

The sight was discouraging to say the least.

You sighed, or you thought you did, because you heard it, but it didn’t seem like it came out of your own mouth. Then you heard another sigh, now you were sure it wasn’t you.

You stared at the door a little longer, then up to the sign at the top of it, it said ‘RH waiting room’. You didn’t even know what RH was. A waiting room so far back? Maybe there is a bathroom inside of it. That was enough for you to grab the handle, but it wouldn’t open.

“You have to be kidding me”, you said as you looked up to the ceiling, but you hoped all the gods above could see your disappointment. You were out of luck for the 4th time this week.

Inside the room, there was only silence, something you didn’t notice right away. If you were there, you would be able to feel the tension and fear as the hybrid stared at the door.

“Hey, is there a bathroom in here?”, Jongho repeated the first words you said to him back to you. “You remember now, yeah?”, he could see the embarrassment coming back as you recalled what happened after that, which made him giggle with the others.

You never remembered that moment as funny, because your father told you what RH stood for and why anyone would be there in the first place. But he did.

“Wait, that’s actually the first thing you said to him?”, the one with the bunny ears asked, while laughing so hard he almost fell.

“Yes, I did Min…” you tried to recall as he leaned forward, a glee of expectation in his face as you said his name. “…gi, of course, Mingi”, you said as casually as you could.

He seemed so happy, you felt bad that it was whispered to you behind his back. You would get to it eventually, he did make a good impression of himself when you first saw him too.

“I do think I remember each one of you”, you said as you looked at each of them, one getting harder to greet than the other, until you reached the last two, Yunho and Hongjoong. They didn’t seem to hold any grudges against you, Yunho smiling wider than Hongjoong, but that was a given considering the little you knew about their personalities.

“It’s okay if you don’t, it’s been quite a while”, the blonde boy gestured it wasn’t a big deal with his hands. “I’m Yunho”.

“You didn’t have blonde hair back then…”, you trailed off as you remembered the one day you wished to forget.

“Nor the height, it’s truly unfair”, Wooyoung said with a sad tone as he gave the blonde one a side eye, but his fluffy red tail continued to bounce back and right with energy.

That comment made everyone giggle a little, even yourself. It was true, he grew up well that one, he seemed well nurtured too. That thought calmed your heart a bit.

“So can we sit, then?”, Mingi asked then sighed as if he was standing for hours by the table. Even his long bunny ears were tired of standing on top of his head, alert of all movement around him. He got one lightweight slap on the arm for that. “Ow… why-“, before he could whine, you interrupted.

“Of course, but there’s no-, Hongjoong, Yunho and San already went to get some extra chairs before you could finish the phrase, while the other 5 got comfortable in their sits.

Only then you noticed they wouldn’t be eating since there were no plates

“Do you guys want some?”, you asked as you looked down at your food.

They all declined, including the three ones that just came back with chairs, but you could see some of them eyeing your fries for a bit too long, so you slid the plate to the middle of the table.

“So, every single one of you came to study here, and this is a complete coincidence or this conversation has another purpose than to chitchat?”

In your mind, there was a clear answer. They wanted something from you, and you’ll be glad to give it to them if you could, but what can you do when the cases closed so many years ago?

“We saw you around campus”, Wooyoung said as he leaned over the table, you noticed one of his hands holding onto San’s arm, just like you remembered. “We didn’t think you would recognize us, though”, Hongjoong added after a beat of silence.

“So you followed me here? I don’t get it”, you looked at each one of them.

“No, w-”, Jongho said, but then looked at San and Yunho’s guilty smiles and back to you. “Kind of, some of us saw you around two other times, we weren’t sure it was you the first time, but your scent didn’t change much from back then…”, his voice losing its confidence and volume by the end of the phrase.

“We hoped you would be here, we did not see you today”, Seonghwa cut him off as he leaned forward. His smile was shy, but you could see it was sincere. “That’s the only time of the day we all have to be together before dinner, so don’t worry, we weren’t stalking you together like this”, he giggled while talking and then gestured to them all at the end of the phrase.

The effort Seonghwa had to make to not cover himself with his ears were more than he could express. He was glad his tail was out of sight, clinging to Hongjoong’s thighs in search of some comfort.

It was a weird feeling to be in front of you after so long, and Seonghwa knew the others would agree. He noticed how Yeosang was uncomfortable, readjusting his position on the chair every so often, and how San’s legs bounced without him even noticing.

“Well, that’s good to know”, it was easy for you to smile when they were being so adorable without even making an effort. “But that doesn’t really answer my question, so did you guys just wanted to talk?”

On one side, you had Mingi and Yeosang barely looking at you, at anyone for that matter. Then you had Hongjoong and San, apparently the air was so dry to the point they needed to wet their lips every 3 seconds. Seonghwa, Jongho and Yunho were too awkward to say it first, they could only smile to try to hide their own embarrassment. Wooyoung was eating to keep himself calm.

“Is it that bad?”, your joke made Yunho and Seonghwa giggle and shook their heads. “Then you can tell me, it’s okay, did I make that big of an impression in some of you when we met?”, it was supposed to be a joke, they were supposed to laugh.

But all of them nodded. In such a serious way, too, they weren’t awkward smiling anymore. Their staring suddenly became intense. You couldn’t pretend they didn’t mean it, and you didn’t know what to do with that information.

What could say? You didn’t do anything to help them, you couldn’t do anything at that age and with the little independence you had. Not to them, nor any other hybrid who stepped foot into that police station.

Your silence spoke for you, and your surprise spoke more than you intended to.

“We just wanted to see how you were doing and to show you how we were doing”, Hongjoong broke the silence.

“I’m glad you all are doing well”, they recognize a certain softness as you said those words, they knew you meant it from your heart.

It was this softness you carried with you whenever you spoke to them that made such a big impression. Humans tend to be harsher while talking to hybrids, maybe because they couldn’t see themselves in their position to be kinder or because they thought hybrids were born stronger and less emotional, they wouldn’t care about those things, right? Up until they met themselves, the only kind one was you, even when it was so brief they barely met your eyes.

“You weren’t even scared”, you barely heard Yeosang’s voice, but the other boys heard him as clear as the day.

He seemed like he was in another world, since he wasn’t looking to anyone in particular. Yeosang jumped out his skin when Seonghwa nudged him on his ribcage. The red colored his cheeks, ears, and nape as Wooyoung did a poor job at hiding his laughter.

You did laugh yourself, but you cleared your throat. “Who wasn’t even scared?

“Hmm, you, you didn’t seem scared when we came by”, Yeosang said as he searched for something to look at to calm himself down, but you did deserve the respect of being look at while being spoken to, so he ignored his instincts and all the bullshit he learned to look at you.

“Why would I be scared of you?”, you said as you watched all of them.

That didn’t even cross your brain, you only realized now. You were too busy wondering why someone would break the ultimate rule of society ‘do no talk to someone wearing headphones’, because that would be much more rare than a hybrid attack out of nowhere. Okay, that wasn’t a real statistic, but it could be.

Yeosang thought you were talking about him for a moment, but then he noticed it wasn’t the case. It was clear no one would ever be scared of Yeosang or Seonghwa, they were at the bottom of the hierarchy, even Wooyoung wouldn’t scare many hybrids, much less many humans. The other 5 were a different matter. By their tails only, one would know they were predators hybrids. Jongho could be underestimated, but smart eyes could tell he was a bear hybrid and not to be messed with.

They were surprised by your genuine question, including Hongjoong, but he felt like he shouldn’t be. You seemed to be just like the kid he met.

“Most people would, but you don’t seem like you are capable of being scared of hybrids, do you?”, Hongjoong said as he observed your body language.

His words carried more meaning than he let it show to the others, but you got it, of course, you did. You also remembered.

“Guess my mom was right when she said I’m not like everyone else then”.

“Fuck, I missed you”, those were the first words San said to you and it caught everyone off guard.

It sounded so genuine and raw, San himself didn’t know what to do now that he said it. Until now, he was observing, checking in with all of the others body languages and emotions, Wooyoung’s more than the others only because he was right beside him. But his own emotions were boiling inside of him, he had to say something to you, but he couldn’t find the right words, well, until now.

Wooyoung was only surprised by the sudden emotion coming from San, but he couldn’t say he was surprised he felt that way in the first place. You must not know to this day what truly happened to them when they met you, but your kindness was the only thing they had to hold themselves onto and if it was up to him, you would never know.

“I’m- I-“, Choi San was blushing like a school girl and that was enough for all chaos break loose.

The other students couldn’t help, but get curious to know what the hell was so funny as laughter dominated the whole cafeteria and to know who were those hybrids that no one saw before.

Tagslist: @asherthehimbo @katsukis1wife @a1i33a @idfkeddieishot @pyeonghongrie-main @h3arteyes4mingi

This concept is sooooo I'm giggling and kicking my feet rn

San traces gentle patterns on the exposed part of your waist, his gaze fixed on the subtle shift of your breathing. With your back turned to him, he can't see your face, but he's certain you're fast asleep. If you were awake, he wouldn't dare to touch you. Arranged marriages aren't uncommon, especially among royal families. They serve to solidify bonds, bringing prosperity and peace to kingdoms, but not necessarily to the individuals involved - the groom and the bride.

It wouldn't be truthful to say that you two love each other or even that you are friends. Even after two years of marriage, your professionalism remains the primary barrier. Since childhood, you've been immersed in rigorous studies to prepare for your role as the empress of the nation. Your life was predetermined long before you were born. Hence, San comprehends completely why you maintain such a cold demeanor toward him.

But, he can't help but yearn for you. His thoughts constantly gravitate toward you, in a way that should be ordinary for a husband but not in your circumstances. He shouldn't love you, but you're making it incredibly difficult for him. Your conduct with those around you, the way you carry yourself, and the genuine kindness you extend, even to those beneath your station, it all makes it harder for him. He sees how you pay attention to your advisors during crucial meetings, noticing the subtle furrowing of your brows when issues with the crops or markets are brought up. Your effortless thoughtfulness is simply captivating; how could he not fall for you?

San places a quivering hand on your hair, toying with a curl between his fingers. He leans in to plant a tender kiss on it, but as you stir slightly, he withdraws his hand abruptly, pretending to be asleep, shutting his eyes tight.

You turn, still in your slumber, but San doesn't open his eyes. He knows you'll wake soon, as the sun begins to filter through the balcony, altering the hues of the sky. You emit a soft murmur, and San senses your eyes opening as you let out a gentle gasp. He feels you shift away slightly, understandable since your noses were nearly touching. San remains motionless, his eyes closed, his breath held.

He remains that way for several minutes until he feels you sit up on the bed. You sigh and stay put. San softly opens his eyes, stealing a glance at your profile. Your gaze is fixed on the horizon, the soft morning light accentuating the curve of your cheek.

"I need to get pregnant," you murmur softly, a tender hand caressing your belly, your eyes glazing over, lost in thought as usual.

"What?" San blurts out, rising to his knees, his eyes wide. "What did you just say?"

You turn to him, embarrassment flushing your face. You open your mouth, then close it, resembling a fish caught off guard. You didn't expect him to be awake this early. "No—I—I just—"

"I'll give you a son," he interrupts, his voice trembling, his hand running through his hair. "If you let me, I'll give you anything." His tone carries a hint of desperation. He had refrained from any physical contact since the beginning of your marriage. It would have created more distance between you, rather than bringing you closer. He didn't want your first night together to be the result of obligations. That would have been too cruel for his heart—feeling you so close, yet your heart so far away. No.

Your face flushes, and the overwhelming urge to conceal yourself becomes unbearable. You shake your head, swiftly discarding the golden covers from your body. "You must have misheard me," you hastily interject, planting your bare soles on the chilly floor. Before you can rise from the bed, San seizes your forearm and gently guides you back, prompting an unqueenly gasp to escape your lips.

He remains silent as he caresses your hairline with a tender hand, peering at you beneath his long lashes. Both of you linger in silence for a moment, locking gazes. The room is so quiet that you can almost discern the rhythmic thumping of his heart, although you can only feel it through the thin fabric of your nightgown.

"I like you," he murmurs into the void. You part your lips to reply, but he doesn't allow you to continue. "I don't know you, but I like you. I would say I love you, but I don't want to push you. So I'll settle for 'I like you.'" He concludes, his lips pressed together in an anxious frown.

You remain silent for a while, simply gazing at him, your eyelashes fluttering. San senses that he might be on the verge of being sick, until you break into a faint smile. Your hands find their way to his face, both of them cradling his cheeks, as your thumbs stroke gently.

"I don't… I don't know you," you mumble, and it's the truth. You hadn't taken the effort to learn more about him beyond the superficial information an empress should possess about her emperor, essential for ruling over a country by his side. "But I can learn. I can try."

Your voice barely rises above a whisper, and you both chuckle like children discovering something shiny.

He leans down over your body, planting a gentle kiss on the gold earring adorning your left ear and then another at the juncture of your ear and neck. He lingers for a few moments, inhaling your natural scent as he feels you shudder at the touch of his lips against your skin. A smirk tugs at his lips before he swiftly jumps out of bed, leaving you alone in the opulent chamber. You hear him exuberantly cheering with the knights outside the door, and you can't help but smile at his youthful enthusiasm. He's making a complete fool of himself, and you turn in the bed, burying your face in his pillow, releasing your own muffled scream of excitement, your feet kicking up in the air. You find yourself laughing, carried away by the rush of adrenaline.

Suddenly, someone clears their throat from behind you. You turn to find the rotation of maids, poised and ready for your daily morning routine. Flustered, you promptly compose yourself, rising to sit and smoothing down your hair. The youngest maids attempt to stifle their laughter behind their sleeves, while you attempt not to perish from embarrassment.

masterlist | taglist in comments

Quick update:

The chapter one is done and I'm not about to make you guys wait any longer, so after a quick spell check, it'll be up!!!

okay i dont mean to be mean or anything but pls read this if you consume any content on tumblr (which is ALL of you)

tumblr is a social media platform that runs on reblogs. unlike instagram or twitter, liking a post on this site doesn’t help the post get to more people. in fact, all it does is sit in your likes folder to rot.

in order to share amazing creations and amazing writings, you must reblog them. otherwise, that content that was worked on so hard will never leave your dashboard.

there is an issue, specifically in nsfw spaces in which people are reluctant on reblogging because they dont want that content on their page. and it is completely valid. the least you could do in that situation is send the author an ask saying how much you enjoyed the content.

please spread this. there are a lot of readers AND writers alike who either don’t know this or don’t care (if you dont care then im sorry but you dont deserve the amazing free content people put out on the internet)

if the ratio on this post is more likes than reblogs than that just shows you the problem im talking about.

He should get a trophy for the human who fucked up the most times in a row, but I get her being weak for him fr

unconditionally (04) — jung hoseok

summary: for the past three, almost four years, it has only been you and your twins after having been abandoned by your ex-boyfriend. you expected it to remain that way for the rest of your lives until one day you accidentally run into one of his bandmates at the park

pairings: ex-boyfriend/baby daddy!hoseok x f. reader (exes to lovers)

warnings: heavy drinking

rating: pg-13

word count: 6062

taglist [closed]: @darkphoenix5037 @mushroom-main @partyparty-yah @persnyako @violetpenguinkris @loveforred @thedarkeside @coffeewanderer @inlovewithallmusic @deejay08 @cryinginmyroomsposts @ilikekpop-c @aloverga @as-hs-blog @bangtanlovesk @mintchocoss @hopeonysus @smoltika @jjkluver7 @earth2joon @ayoo-bangtan @honsoolgloss @nochuel @addictedtohobi @renoirgoh @btsfluffsworld @scuzmunkie @bellamuerte1987 @strawbi-reads @secfir @missmischief1408 @savage-aespa @bts-dream @mixedfandxms

masterlist

All you wanted to do was go to sleep after your fight with Hoseok but Y/L/N Jaeyoung was making it extremely difficult to.

You watched him wearily as he bounced on the mini trampoline Mingyu bought for him and Jaehee, wincing every time you heard the spring squeak. He had been jumping on it for the past fifteen minutes, showing no hints of exhaustion as he squealed loudly and clapped his hands.

"Jaeyoung-ah, are you not tired?" You called out, on the verge of tears when he shook his head.

"No, I want to play, eomma!" Jaeyoung stopped jumping and scrambled off of the trampoline, sprinting to the other side of the room where Soonyoung, Seungkwan, and Jeonghan got a mini slide for the twins.

When the Seventeen members visited your new apartment, they were eager to learn that your apartment had extremely high ceilings and an empty room that was not put to use. They begged to turn it into a playroom and even insisted on paying for the entire cost (not that you would let them create a playroom if the money came out of your own pockets). After much convincing, you reluctantly agreed and now you were facing the consequences as you watched Jaeyoung climb up the stairs on all fours.

Most nights, the twins went to bed immediately after taking a bath and reading a bedtime story but tonight was not one of those nights. While Jaehee was sound asleep, Jaeyoung was running around like he drank a can of energy drink right before bedtime. You supposed that you should be grateful that only one twin was awake but your younger child was testing your patience. It seemed like all of the playing he did with Seungcheol and Eunae did nothing to wear him out.

"Alright, mister, that's enough." You caught him as he came out of the slide, swinging him into your arms.

"No, eomma, I want to play!" Jaeyoung squirmed around in your arms frantically, trying to get back onto the floor,

"Nope, we're taking another bath. You're all sweaty from running around in the playroom and then it's time to sleep." You simply replied.

He pouted and remained silent, his mood souring as you placed him back on the ground to fill up the bathtub. He sat on the ground and began kicking his legs, whining about how he wanted to play but you ignored him, filling the bath with bubbles instead. It was rare that Jaeyoung had a temper tantrum as he was typically well-mannered but in the moments he did, you let him take out his anger alone before talking to him about his feelings so he would listen to you when you tried to communicate with him. The first time you tried to hold him during a meltdown in an attempt to comfort him, he somehow managed to kick you in the jaw so you quickly learned that he preferred crying alone before listening to you. You were not a perfect parent by any means and were still learning how to raise the twins but you learned over the years that Jaeyoung listened to you best when he wasn't emotional.

"Are you ready to talk, Jae-Jae?" You asked after the tub finished filling with water.

Jaeyoung nodded his head tearfully, sniffling as he sat on the toilet seat. You squatted down in front of him so you could be at the same level as him, wiping his tears away.

"Why are you sad, baby?" You questioned.

"Because I want to play." He mumbled, his eyes brimming with tears again as he remembered how much fun he was having in the playroom before you snatched him up like a ragdoll.

"You already played a lot today. You played at daycare with your friends, you played with Eunae imo at the park, and you played with Seungcheol samchon after that. It's time for you to go to sleep or else you'll be too tired to play tomorrow." You explained. "You can play again after you sleep. Eomma let you stay up for a long time after I read you and Jaehee a story so now it's time to sleep."

"But I don't want to sleep." Jaeyoung pouted.

"Let's try to sleep at least one time, okay? You didn't even close your eyes when you were in bed, bubba."

The two of you agreed after you promised him that he could stay up longer if he really couldn't go to sleep and didn't feel tired in the slightest bit. He happily got in the bath and played with the bubbles for five minutes, before dozing off while you gently washed his hair and body. By the time you finished drying him off and dressed him back in his pajamas, he was half-asleep. You happily tucked him back into bed, feeling victorious.

"Finally, he fell asleep. I thought we would be pulling an all-nighter."

You collapsed onto the couch and lay sprawled out across it, staring at the ceiling in silence. Eunae, Seungcheol, and Joshua stared at you in amusement before snickering at your misfortune. You shot them a nasty look, irritated that they were disturbing your night but they invited themselves over after learning that Hoseok visited you a few hours prior. Eunae let herself in via the spare key you gave her and seemed to have allowed Joshua and Seungcheol in as well. You eyed the snacks and wine bottle that had been opened while you were wrangling Jaeyoung to bed; they were clearly having the time of their life while you were begging your three-year-old to sleep.

“You should’ve invited him to hang out with us.” Seungcheol grinned.

“And you should shut up.” You grouched, thanking Eunae for the glass of wine she poured for you. "As much as I love spending time with Jaeyoung, I need a break after that whole fiasco with Hoseok earlier today."

You weren't one to chug wine (or anything alcohol for that matter) nor was it the proper way to drink the expensive delicacy Mingyu gifted you a few weeks prior but you were in desperate need of a drink. Joshua winced as you drank the glass in one go, reaching out to grab it from you to refill it.

"Slow down, mama, we have all night." He scolded.

You smiled wryly at him before slumping further down against the couch, sighing deeply. "I hate Jung Hoseok. I wanted to kiss his pretty face when I saw him."

"You what?" Eunae screeched.

Seungcheol slapped his hand over her mouth. "Quiet, woman. There are children upstairs." He hissed.

She glared at him and reached up to yank his hand off of her mouth. She redirected her stare toward you, silently demanding you to explain. Quite frankly, you didn't know why she was surprised by your remark when you told her a few times you still loved Hoseok.

"He aged like fine wine." You simply shrugged. You then snickered to yourself at the realization that you were quite literally drinking said alcohol. "No pun intended."

Joshua shook his head. "You are pathetic sometimes, Y/L/N Y/N."

"Hey now, that's unnecessary." You swatted at his arm. "Just because I think he's still hot doesn't mean that I want to get back with him. I'm still mad at him; my conversation today only solidified it."

"What happened? How did he even know where you worked?" Seungcheol furrowed his eyebrows, realizing how strange it was that Hoseok quickly found you after you ran into the other BTS members at HYBE.

"Didn't Mingyu, Myungho, or Seokmin tell you? Hoseok has been looking for me ever since that day. He must've hired people or asked his management team to find information on me which is why he was able to find my cafe so easily."

Eunae scoffed in disgust. "What a creep. He has a lot of audacity to look up personal information about an ex-girlfriend."

"He also has a lot of audacity to say he would take me to court over Jaehee and Jaeyoung."

"What?"

So you dived into the story for your friends' sake, recalling every detail from the conversation. Just retelling the story had you heated and by the time you finished, you were red in the face, out of breath, and had a death grip on your wine glass which Joshua promptly snatched away.

"I am going to kill him, Y/N. Ooh, that man is not going to see the pearly gates of heaven once I get my hands on him." Eunae threatened.

"I'll hold him down, you punch him?" Seungcheol offered.

Joshua shook his head, disgusted and angered by the story. "I can't believe he threatened to take you to court when he was the one who accused you of cheating and broke up with you. Does he really think the judge is going to let him see the twins?"

You shrugged, "I guess so. I applaud him for being that confident. It takes a lot of stupidity to threaten court when he's the one who has been a deadbeat dad for the past three years."

Seungcheol grimaced, "Being called a deadbeat dad? That's tough. True but still tough."

"What did you tell him?" Eunae asked.

"That we can go to court if he wants to." You replied. "All of the inheritance money from my grandparents and parents can pay for ten years worth of lawyers if need be."

Eunae clapped her hands, nodding her head in approval. "You are so sexy for that. I could kiss you right now." She beamed.

"Excuse me?" Seungcheol gasped.

He was ignored as his girlfriend asked you more questions about what happened with Hoseok. You felt emotionally drained by the time she ran out of questions to pester you with, feeling like you relived the entirety of it for the second time.

"You should reach out to a film production company so they could turn your life into a movie," Joshua suggested. "You could be rich, Y/Nie. Even richer than your grandparents ever were."

You snorted at his remark, lazily swatting at him. "Don't be ridiculous." You then pondered on his suggestion. "How much money do you think I could make if I told them it was a true story and that Hoseok is the antagonist?"

The four of you laughed before silence fell. Nobody knew what else to say as they realized the true magnitude of the situation. If Hoseok was to follow through with his words, then there was no doubt that many issues were going to arise within the following weeks. Even if you could pay for countless lawyers, you didn't have the mental and emotional strength to fight in court for who knows how long. You also didn't want to put the twins in such an environment because they were so young.

"What are you going to do if Hoseok actually takes you to court?" Seungcheol asked quietly.

"I guess I'm fighting back until I get full custody and he gets no visitation rights."

"You WHAT?" Jimin screeched.

Hoseok winced, shamefully looking down at his feet while the other members glared at him fiercely. He was embarrassed and ashamed of his words after thinking back on what he said when he met you yesterday. He didn't know what he was thinking at the moment—in fact, he wasn't thinking. He had no idea why he threatened to take you to court and was shocked it even crossed his mind in the first place. He would never try to take the twins away from you and never considered it until you flat-out refused to let him see them. Hoseok didn't expect you to say yes right away and was prepared to ease his way back into your life but hadn't considered that you wouldn't allow him anywhere near them. He prided himself in being able to control his anger but the past few weeks had been overwhelming after realizing that he had been in the wrong for the past three years and you were telling the truth all along. His anger took the best of him and before he could stop himself, he threatened to take you to court even though he had no intention to.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Namjoon pleaded, pinching the bridge of his nose when Hoseok shook his head.

"Why would you say that? In what world do you have the right to say that?" Jimin demanded.

"I don't know, it just slipped out in the heat of the moment." Hoseok weakly explained.

Jungkook whistled lowly before shaking his head. "There's no way you're getting out of this one, hyung. It's one thing to accuse her of cheating but it's another to tell her that you're gonna take her to court over the kids you abandoned. Even your lawyers aren't gonna side with you on this one."

"I know that." Hoseok snapped. "Do you think I meant it? I said it without thinking."

"Do you ever think?" Yoongi retorted.

Hoseok's head snapped in his direction, hurt evident on his face. "What?" He questioned. He glanced around the room, finally noticing how the members were all looking down at him with the same expression of disappointment and anger. He gulped and forced back the tears that stung his eyes, realizing he dug himself even further into his grave.

"Do you ever think?" Yoongi repeated. "You didn't think four years ago when you broke up with Y/N, you didn't think when you accused her of cheating, you didn't think when you left her alone to raise your child on her own, and now you didn't think after seeing her for the first time in person since the breakup. You keep using the excuse that you didn't think and that your emotions got the best of you but those excuses stopped being valid three years ago, Hoseok. How long are you going to stop taking responsibility for your actions?"

"Now, I'll stop now," Hoseok replied, harshly wiping away the tear that rolled down his face. "I just found out that Y/N was telling the truth and that we have two kids. I need some time to process all of this."

"And spending days tracking her down to confront her at her cafe was the way to go?" Taehyung asked.

Hoseok fell silent. They all stared down at him, waiting for him to respond. The intensity of their stares made him squirm in his seat, uncomfortable with the tense environment. "Look, I know that I approached all of this the wrong way and that I have years of groveling to make up for everything I did to Y/N but can you cut me some slack? I don't understand why you guys are tag-teaming me all of a sudden."

"If we're not being harsh on you, then who will?" Namjoon questioned. "We're not saying all of this to make you feel bad. You've put Y/N through so much and it's about time you own up to what you did. Even if it means you have to hear nagging from us."

"You guys know that all of you need to apologize to her too, right? I'm not the only one who abandoned her." Hoseok pointed out.

Jimin nodded his head. "We know, hyung. But it starts with you before it starts with us."

"I know."

"We're not on your side anymore, hyung."

"I know."

"Do you? Because you've been acting awfully immature since the parking garage incident." Yoongi crossed his arms over his chest.

"God, why are you being such an asshole about this? I know I messed up, hyung and I know it was wrong of me to threaten to take Y/N to court but it was in the heat of the moment. I would never try to take the twins away from her when she was the one who raised them alone for three years because I was the one who abandoned her. I don't need you to give me a hard time when Jin hyung already is." Hoseok's voice grew louder as he glowered at Yoongi, feeling the same anger from when he fought with Seokjin bubble inside of him again

"Because I've been holding my anger against you ever since you broke up with Y/N and the one time you get the chance to fix things with her, you screw up again. I watched you fuck over my best friend with baseless accusations and let her become a scapegoat but I'll be damned if you hurt her again. My biggest regret is not standing up for her because her life would've been a hell of a lot easier if she had at least one person supporting her."

Hoseok and Yoongi stared at each other, the tension thickening tenfold. The rest of the members glanced in between them, suddenly feeling awkward and uncomfortable as they stared each other down. Though none of them said it aloud when Seokjin shared how he felt about the breakup a few days ago, they all agreed with what he said. His words rang in their ears with them afterward and the longer that they thought about what he said, the more they realized he was right.

“Fix this, Hoseok. Nobody is on your side anymore and if that doesn't tell you you're in the wrong, then I don't know what will."

The bartender stared at Hoseok wearily as he downed another shot. He lost count of how many shots he gave the man but now he was worried that he was going to get alcohol poisoning. The last thing he needed was for his face to be plastered all over the media for killing the dance leader of BTS.

"Two more shots please." Hoseok slurred.

"I'm cutting you off for the night, Hoseok-ssi."

Minjun swiped the shot glasses away from him and grabbed the credit card Hoseok had taken out at the beginning of the night, charging him for all of the shots he had drunk within the past two hours. He felt bad for Hoseok, who had been staring at the table like a wounded puppy while progressively getting drunker. He came into the bar alone and immediately asked for two shots of the strongest alcohol they offered, which Minjun was reluctant to give until Hoseok offered to pay double for them. It was clear he was going through relationship issues because he started mumbling about someone named 'Y/N' under his breath half an hour ago.

"No, I need to forget about Y/N." Hoseok protested, holding his hands out in front of him. "Give me more shots."

"I don't want you to die from alcohol poisoning," Minjun replied, wiping down the counters. "I would be sentenced to life in prison if I killed a member of BTS. Is there somebody who can come pick you up?"

Hoseok mumbled a name but it came out muffled as his head was buried underneath his arms. He was asked to repeat it, eagerly sitting upright as he repeated your name over and over again.

"Y/N, I want Y/N to pick me up!" Hoseok exclaimed. "Can you call her?"

"I don't know her number, sir," Minjun replied. He furrowed his eyebrows, confused by the sudden change in opinion about this so-called Y/N. Wasn’t he just complaining about how he wanted to forget about you?

"Call Y/N!"

"I can't call her number if I don't know her number. Is there another BTS member who can pick you up?"

Hoseok violently shook his head, almost falling off of his chair from the force. He wanted you to pick him up and he’ll be damned if anybody else came to take him home. He would camp out in the bar for the rest of the night if need be. “Y/N, I want my Y/N,” He moaned, dropping his head into the counter.

Minjun cringed before suggesting, “How about you call her? Have you thought about doing that?”

“Y/N hates me,” Hoseok whined.

“Then why do you want her to pick you up?”

“Because I love her.”

His bottom lip quivered as tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of your hatred for him. He sniffed, slouching over in his seat as he recalled the way you looked at him yesterday. “I don’t want her to hate me.”

Minjun sighed deeply. He was not being paid enough to deal with customers like Hoseok. He was certainly going to demand a raise after his shift was over. “How about I call her for you? Just tell me her phone number and I’ll talk to her.”

Hoseok perked up again, nodding his head furiously. "Yes, please talk to her! I still remember her number." He recited your number confidently, which was one of the few numbers he knew by heart. He just hoped you didn't change your number after the breakup.

"Hello?"

Minjun blinked, shocked that you had actually replied. He was convinced that Hoseok was just talking out of his ass but you were a real person. "Hi, Y/N-ssi, I'm Minjun, a bartender at Whiskey Lounge. I'm here with Jung Hoseok-ssi, who gave me your number. He's been drinking for the past two hours and is drunk right now. He insists on you picking him up and refuses to go home with one of his band members. Would you be able to pick him up?"

You pulled your phone away from your ear, making sure that it was a real phone call. You stared at the call for a moment before clearing your throat. "Hi, Minjun-ssi, thank you for cutting him off from drinking too much. I won't be able to pick him up but I can contact one of the Bangtan members to come get him and I'll call you back when one of them is on the way. I'm sorry if he was causing a disruption and thank you for reaching out to me."

"Of course, it's no problem at all. I'll be watching over him for the time being."

"Thank you. Have a good night, Minjun-ssi."

"You as well."

You sighed deeply once you heard the line disconnect, groaning loudly before you called up Mingyu to explain the situation to him. This was the consequence of not changing your number after the breakup, you supposed. Mingyu was more than happy to contact Jungkook about what was going on and assured you that he and Jungkook would handle it from here on out. You thanked him profusely and apologized for bothering him at such a late hour, but the younger man found the situation too amusing to be irritated.

"Looks like he's still obsessed with you." He teased.

"Oh shut it."

"Hoseok hyung?"

The older man was slumped over the bar, his face buried in between his arms as he tried falling asleep. Upon hearing his name, he lazily lifted his head before grinning when he saw who was staring back at him. "Jungkookie, it's nice to see you."

Jungkook shook his head disappointedly with a sigh. "You're such an embarrassment sometimes, hyung. Come on, let's go home." He tried to wrap his arm around Hoseok's waist and help him off of the stool but received a swat in the chest instead.

"Go away, I don't want you. I want Y/N." Hoseok whined.

"Well, Y/N is a working woman with a full-time job and two kids. She's too busy to be picking you up when you're drunk." The maknae snapped, forcefully dragging him away from the bar.

Hoseok’s eyes welled up again, causing Minjun to sigh and leave the scene. “She hates me. Y/N hates me.”

“Yeah, and for a good reason too.”

Jungkook dragged Hoseok out of the bar, cursing him out for being so stubborn and refusing to cooperate. It took him a few minutes, but he was able to force him into the car, buckled in his seatbelt, and slammed the door shut. Jungkook settled in the driver’s seat, quickly stepping on the gas before Hoseok could try to get out. Quite frankly, he had been tired of his hyung lately, and having to pick him up at two in the morning because he was drunk was pushing him over the edge. He ignored Hoseok's mumbles, opting to listen to music rather than entertain his drunk friend.

“Jungkookie,” Hoseok mumbled as the two of them trudged over to the elevators.

“What, hyung?” Jungkook replied, already fed up with the conversation.

“Are you mad at me?”

The youngest sighed before shaking his head. “No hyung, not mad. Just disappointed.” He truthfully answered.

Even in his drunken state, Hoseok felt ashamed of what he said to you at your cafe. He curled into himself as he leaned against the elevator walls, wishing they would swallow him whole. Jungkook noticed his sudden distress and sighed before rubbing his back comfortingly.

"It's okay, hyung. You made big mistakes but can fix them if you give yourself the time. I don't think Y/N noona is entirely opposed to having you back in her life."

Hoseok perked up at his comment. "You think so?" He hopefully asked.

Jungkook chuckled, "Yes, I think so. She may be angry now but she loves you so much."

The dance leader visibly brightened, allowing Jungkook to haul him over to the dorm. "She still loves me." He beamed. "I should call her."

Jungkook's eyes widened as the door accidentally swung open, slamming against the wall. "You should what?" He questioned, yanking Hoseok inside before shutting the door again.

"I should call her and tell her I still love her too." Hoseok fumbled with his phone but it was quickly snatched away from him. "Hey!"

"You are not going to call her, hyung. Not at three in the morning when she's still mad at you."

"But you said she loves me!" Hoseok whined.

Jungkook sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't realize that his words would hold so much weight to Hoseok but should've known better than to tell a drunk man that his ex-lover still loved him. "That doesn't mean you should call her right now. What are you gonna do, profess your undying love for her?"

"Yes." Hoseok stumbled a few feet as he tried to take off his shoes. "Y/N needs to know that I still love her and never stopped. I want to tell her that she's the only person who's been on my mind since we broke up and that I haven't looked at another woman since. She is the only one for me." He dropped to the ground, lying face down on the cold floor whilst continuing to mumble about his love for you.

Jungkook stared at his hyung, unable to believe what he was witnessing. He sighed again before lifting Hoseok off of the ground and taking him to his bedroom. He changed Hoseok out of his clothes and left him in his boxers, tucking him into his bed as if he were a child (spoiler: he's not). The older man easily complied, continuing to mumble about you and his everlasting love for you under his breath. Jungkook left a glass of water with ibuprofen on the nightstand and plugged Hoseok's phone into the charger before leaving him to sleep for the night. He sluggishly retreated to his room, where Taehyung and Jimin were waiting for him.

"How was picking up Hobi hyung?" Taehyung asked, amused by the way Jungkook flopped onto his bed face first.

"Awful." He grumbled. "The poor bartender looked exhausted and Hobi hyung would not shut up about Y/N noona. Did you know that he's still in love with her?"

Jimin sat up at the speed of light, looking alarmed. "He's what?"

Jungkook nodded solemnly. "I think there are a lot of things Hobi hyung hasn’t told us.”

"Bye-bye!"

Jaeyoung and Jaehee waved to you excitedly before Eunae shut the door behind her. She came over to your apartment bright and early to take the twins to daycare since her shift started a little later during the day. You were extremely grateful that your best friend jumped at every opportunity to help you with the twins and she adored spending every second with them when she had the chance. There would be times when you would go a few days without seeing her because she had back-to-back shifts that lasted at least twelve hours but nowadays, her schedule was rather lax.

Thanks to her, you could spend a quiet morning by yourself before you had to head to the cafe to do an inventory check. The cafe had been busier than usual thanks to the Seventeen members you found yourself having to restock on many items more often than in the past. Your cafe turned into a tourist spot for CARATs who were visiting from abroad. You were grateful for the business they gave you but hadn't expected your business to start growing rapidly. You didn’t know when was the last time you could settle down with a proper breakfast (one that didn't consist of eating leftover toddler scraps) so you were eager to make yourself an actual meal.

While you waited for the water to boil to make soup, you checked the missed call that you noticed earlier in the day. The number wasn't in your contacts but it was vaguely familiar to you. You couldn't quite put your finger on whose number it was but the person left you a voicemail at two in the morning.

“Y/N, it’s Hoseok.”

Your breath hitched as you pulled your phone away from your ear, staring at the number displayed across your screen as a sense of deja vu washed over you. When Hoseok became extremely busy once BTS began to take off, he often left voicemails for you because of differing time zones and work schedules. He greeted you the same way every time he left a message and though the greeting lacked the pet name he used you to call, it tugged your heartstrings all the same.

To say you were shocked that he still remembered your number would be an understatement, especially since he was drunk last night. Curious about what Hoseok had to say, you placed your phone back against your ear and took a seat at the dining table.

"I called you to tell you that I'm an idiot. I was stupid for saying that I would take you to court for the twins when I have no right to even see their faces once in my life. I don't want to take them away from you and would never try to. I'm sorry for everything Y/N. I treated you awfully when I broke up with you and there is nothing in the world I can do to make up for it. I'm so sorry, Y/Nie. I know I don't deserve any ounce of forgiveness but I wanted you to know I'm sorry and I love you. Please forgive me, I-"

Right before he could continue his ramble, he heard a door slam open. "Hoseok hyung, I told you to go to sleep. Who are you talking to right now?"

You heard Hoseok arguing with Jungkook before the line went dead, promptly ending the phone call and Hoseok's pathetic apology. You played the voicemail again, listening to your ex-boyfriend apologize through drunken slurs with bated breath. You played it again and again in hopes that the apology would placate the anxiety you felt ever since you saw Jungkook and fill the hole Hoseok left after breaking up with you but it didn’t help. The apology you waited to hear finally came yet it was falling on deaf ears.

It was wrong of you to take a drunken voicemail as a genuine apology from Hoseok but you were so desperate to hear the words “I’m sorry” fall out of his mouth. He wasn’t worth your time nor deserved your forgiveness however after waiting four years for an apology, you could feel the defenses you built up against Hoseok slowly weakening. Even if you weren't going to accept his apology from the voicemail, you knew you were eventually going to crack. You were still weak when it came to him and you always would be.

After all, you're only human.

"Holy shit."

Hoseok let out a groan as he opened his eyes, immediately feeling his head pounding from the sunlight that was streaming through his window. He yanked the covers over his head, hoping it would ease his headache but to no avail. He mentally cursed himself for drinking last night, irritated that he got carried away and got blackout drunk. Drinking to the point of having no memories of the night before was something he hadn't done in years.

He reached out for the painkillers that were on the nightstand, immediately taking two of them before washing them down with water. Hoseok stared at the floor, reflecting on his actions as if he were a child who got put on timeout. Faint memories of the night before flashed in his mind and he winced from the embarrassment of his behavior.

Hoseok eventually reached for his phone, figuring that there was no point in dwelling on something that already happened. He caught up on the plethora of messages that filled up his phone, ignoring most of them. He only replied to Jimin and Taehyung, who were worried that he was suffering from an awful hangover that would require him to be hospitalized. Their messages did get a chuckle out of him which immediately made his headache worse.

"Knock, knock."

The door opened and Jungkook came walking in with a tray of food in his hands. The smell of hangover soup wafted through the air and into Hoseok's nose, causing him to gag. He wasn't the type of person to seek food upon waking up after a night of drinking and with the nausea that still overtook him, Hoseok was prepared to run to the bathroom and vomit. He scrunched his nose at the smell of the spicy soup. Nothing about the steaming bowls of rice and soup was appealing to him.

"You have to eat, hyung." Jungkook urged, setting the tray down on the nightstand.

"I'm going to throw up all over you if you don't get that thing away from me in the next 30 seconds."

Hoseok didn't know why Jungkook was laughing when there was nothing funny about the fact he was suffering from a raging hangover. The maknae ignored him, grabbing the small table he brought for Hoseok and setting it up on the bed.

"Once you're done eating, make sure you text Y/N noona an apology for last night," Jungkook mentioned.

"Why? I didn't even talk to her last night." Hoseok snorted.

"For the drunk voicemail you sent her."

"The what?"

While Jungkook happily recalled what happened the night before, Hoseok was frantically searching through his call log to see if he truly did call you. Much to his horror, your number sat at the top of the most recent call log. "Why did you let me call her?"

"You did that all by yourself after I tucked you into bed like the child you are. I came back in because you were talking to yourself come to find out that you were confessing your love to Y/N noona and blubbering about how sorry you were." Jungkook snapped, slamming down the bowls on the table. "Don't get snippy with me when you're the one who called her."

Hoseok stared at your number miserably as he thought of dozens of different ways to apologize to you for everything that had transpired within the past week. Surely by now, he would have to provide financial compensation simply for existing in your life.

1 new message

Hey Y/N, it's Seokjin. I got your number from Jungkook who got it from Mingyu. I know that's an invasion of privacy and I’m sorry we went behind your back to do that despite the fact that you want no contact with any of us but I wanted to reach out and talk about what happened with Hoseok. You probably don't wanna talk to me and it's far too late for me to be reaching out now but I really do want to talk. If you're able to meet up with me, please let me know. I would love to see you again.

previous | next