Calling Ateez Babygirl

calling ateez babygirl

pairing: ateez x reader

type: reaction (texts)

warning: none

request: yes

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Hongjoong:

Seonghwa:

Yunho:

Yeosang:

San:

Mingi:

Wooyoung:

Jongho:

Lightning | Wooyoung

Vampire!Wooyoung x Investigator!Reader, Seonghwa and Hongjoong appears too. Word count: 9305 Genre: angst, horror Author: maari Warnings: I'm rating this one +18 so minors DNI please! Contains strong violence, like very graphic, blood, sensitive themes, death. It's a vampire au, what else can I say. I have to say that yes, this is fiction so whatever I say about the 19th century has absolutely nothing to do with reality, okay? And I know almost nothing about Romania except what I've already researched so don't read if you want something else accurate. Note: AYO there's someone surprised? Because I'm not lol This story is from 2015, I had already posted the Portuguese version on other platforms but I felt I needed to adapt it for tumblr. Thank you Wooyoung for giving me the vampire vision I needed. Summary: There are many mysteries in the 19th century, but the biggest one is your old first love that it's back in town.

⩥ Ateez Masterlist

19th Century. Romania. “Apparently there is a witness who lives downtown, so I..” “Apparently? Miss Y/L/N, we thought you had something concrete to prove your case to us." the sheriff interrupted her, making her take a deep breath, completely ignoring the lack of ethics. "I went to the village and only found dust, something has definitely happened." She concludes, with the last vestige of hope. Why did he look so bored listening to that? It was as if he didn't give the slightest credit to her words. In fact, it was difficult to maintain her poise when the sheriff's somber black eyes rested on her, a shiver going up her spine every time that happened. "And some people are scared of you, they said you're following them, miss." He rolled his eyes, pissing her off even more. "The murders didn't happen by coincidence!" she tried to argue and felt a hand on her shoulder. "Mr. Park, please contain your client." the sheriff spoke to the young man beside her, as if the woman were not even there. "Unfortunately it is not something that is of interest to you. Leave. We have a case to solve before the killer causes more panic." having said that, he and the other two men who were silent in the same room completely ignored both of them, as if their presence didn't make the slightest difference. As if her thesis wasn't convincing enough. What could she do without the evidence? Besides making others think she was crazy. "Please, Y/N, come with me." Seonghwa said, lightly pulling her shoulder.

She decided to leave with a sigh before starting screaming, it would be a lack of courtesy on her part and would ruin her reputation. It would be pointless to argue further about something the sheriff clearly wasn't interested in.

"I'm glad you didn't keep arguing." Seonghwa spoke when they were already leaving the place.

"It would be in vain, isn't truth?" she questioned, upset but not defeated.

"Y/N, I know how important your profession is to you." Seonghwa stopped outside, causing Y/N to do the same. She looked at him, he looked sincere. "But you need to be careful, as your attorney, disrupting a sheriff's investigation can get you into a lot of trouble. A mess that I might not be able to get you out of."

Y/N took a deep breath and looked straight ahead, far beyond the standing man, that's when her eyes focused on a familiar figure.

Her entire body shivered as his dark eyes met hers. Unlike before, the boy's eyes were filled with a dark haze. The serious face and emotionless expression was the opposite of the easy and wide smile boy who lit up the whole city.

"Y/N?"

"Is that…" she stopped for a second, to make sure what she saw was real and not a hallucination. As it had happened before.

That made Seonghwa turn to where she was looking.

"Jung." he spoke in a low tone and took two steps back, standing next to Y/N who looked like was going to collapse.

And indeed, maybe she would collapse, because now that Seonghwa wasn't in front of her, she could watch the boy who was now walking towards her.

He wore black leather clothes, a red blouse underneath and necklaces, very different from the elegant and light clothes he wore in the past.

God, he was wearing leather gloves!

He hated gloves.

"Y/N." she felt her whole body shiver when heard the boy's voice. Not just because of the fact that it had been a long time since she last spoke to him, but because his voice was now more mature. More obscure.

"Wooyoung." her answer was nothing more than a whisper and she couldn't take her eyes off him.

He looked like the same boy she knew but at the same time, was different.

"Well, I'm on my way. Let me know if you need my help again, Y/N." Seonghwa spoke and before she could say thank you, he left, glaring at Wooyoung steadily as he walked past him.

"I didn't know you were friends with pirates." Even serious, with a raised eyebrow, Y/N could hear the slight teasing and even surprise in his voice.

"I didn't know you were back in town." She replied, crossing her arms.

Wooyoung laughed, without humor.

"I can see you're on the defensive."

"Do you blame me?"

"No, of course not." he shook his head. "I understand, like no one else."

Y/N felt her legs wobble, it took a lot of self control not to let him notice. 

That phrase was theirs. He always said that to her when she was feeling lonely.

"Seonghwa was a pirate but is a great attorney." she replied, changing the subject suddenly.

"A what?" he looked shocked and Y/N wanted to laugh if it was any other circumstance. "Why would you need an attorney?"

"Because I almost got arrested." she replied, huffing and started walking towards her destination.

It was better to talk about the sheriff and his strange behavior than the past and how Wooyoung had suddenly appeared as if he had never left.

"It must have been something very worrying for you to need the help of a pirate attorney."

Y/N knew that tactic and that's why didn't answer, she just twisted her lip.

It wasn't quite true, but it wasn't a lie either. The fact that Seonghwa had been a pirate wasn't important, but she needed an attorney when the sheriff wanted to arrest her..

However, she wouldn't tell Wooyoung what had happened that easily. It wasn't just showing up after so much time that he would get everything he wanted.

"Oh, I see, you're mad at me." he laughed again without humor and Y/N got irritated with the whole situation.

"Well, don't tell me, Mr. I know everything!" she stopped walking and turned abruptly to face him. "You come back after years, without sending a letter, without even knowing where you went and you want me to be happy to see you?" Wooyoung was silent, analyzing Y/N's face so thoroughly that she found it strange.

"What happened?"

"What?"

"Your eyes are blinking constantly and I can see the worry in them." Y/N widened her eyes and Wooyoung twisted his mouth, almost as if he wanted to smile but couldn't. He still knew her better than anyone else, so that was why Y/N sighed. Defeated to expect an explanation from him.

Okay, she was still shocked that he had suddenly returned but she trusted him more than herself. And it wasn't like she could lie to him. "You always knew about my dream of becoming a private investigator." she said, seeing him nod. "I got a case. A murder on a farm in the city, the owner's daughter was murdered for no apparent reason."

"And?"

"And it coincided with 2 other murders. I was finally talking to some possible witnesses when the town sheriff came up to me, saying I had to go with him because they had reported me for disturbance. Apparently someone is afraid I'm going to find out something."

"Is this how Seonghwa appeared?" She nodded.

"We've been friends for a long time, you know." Wooyoung reluctantly agreed. "We became closer with your departure." he looked at her seriously and confused.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"I needed a friend, Wooyoung. He was there for me." she snapped back and he was silent.

They stared at each other for a while, as if to make up for lost time or find the answers they needed.

Anyway, Y/N knew he wouldn't say what was going on to make him come back without warning.

Even more so with such a difference between the Wooyoung she used to know.

"I felt the need to go back, something told me to." He spoke in a soft tone that caught Y/N off guard.

She couldn't contain her jaw which dropped in sheer shock.

It even looked like he had read her mind, which shouldn't be surprising because they used to do that in the old days.

Talk through the eyes.

"You know what happened." She raised an eyebrow. "About the murder, I mean."

"I have some theories."

"Then?" Wooyoung asked. "The police think I'm hallucinating." she said, angry. "There's something wrong, the sheriff was so… bizarre." She felt a shiver run down her spine at the memory of the man. He almost looked happy to be taking her away from people, and by the time she explained what was going on, he already seemed to have reached his own conclusions. At first, Y/N thought it was just jealousy of her work. She was paid very well to be a professional investigator and she didn't have to deal with the mayor like the sheriff did, she didn't have to wait for authorization from higher ups because she didn't have any. But then she realized that it wasn't that, in fact it was far from it. "Y/N, why don't you let It be?" she looked at him in disbelief. "Can't you see you could be in danger?"

"Excuse me?" he had no sign of reluctance on his face. He was indeed serious. "You have no right to tell me what to do."

She walked again but was stopped, held in the arm by Wooyoung, who didn't take long to bring his body closer to hers.

Ah yes, that was worrying, Wooyoung was not one to maintain physical contact on the street, with an entire city looking on and could compromise the two. That was always the excuse he gave to Y/N. But she couldn't deny that she liked it, even though she was a little mad at him, because she missed him so much that was still greater than any other feeling and having him there, holding her arm although firmly but gentle was probably the closest they would get to each other for now. "Leave this case before something happens." he asked gently but his eyes were different.

It was almost as if he was begging her to stop because somehow he knew it would hurt her. 

However, he had no way of knowing.

Or had?

Y/N looked into his eyes, they were still dark but something said that the Wooyoung she knew was still there. He only knew what she had told him, not her theories, so how could he know it was dangerous if he had just come back to town? Why did he suddenly look so worried? "Would you like to tell me something, Wooyoung?" asked, still not understanding the sudden concern. 

Her questioning took him by surprise, who looked away anywhere but her eyes. But that didn't make her give in, she continued to stare at him anyway.

He fell silent for a moment until he held her other arm and stared into her eyes in the way that made Y/N legs shake and her head stop thinking. "Listen, I care about your life and I know this story will not end well. Give it up before you get hurt, Y/N."

She had so many questions, and didn't even know where to start.

She wanted to say that those words hadn't affected her but that would be a lie, just as it would be a lie to promise that she would give up when she wouldn't. "I'm a professional, Wooyoung. I was hired to find out who the monster is and that's exactly what I'm going to do." She retorted.

Y/N was always stubborn and he knew it very well. "I can't stay by your side." murmured. "I can't watch you kill yourself."

She felt her eyes fill with tears, for being stupid to have believed that he was back for good and for losing him again, unable to do anything to stop it.

"Did you come back after so long for this?"

She let go of his grip so that could completely move away from his extremely comforting touch. She didn't know if she would control herself if he continued to hold her so close to him, so close that she could feel his body heat.

And he just let his hands fall to his sides, he didn't even struggle to maintain contact.

"I won't say I'm surprised." lifted her chin as spoke. "I think you got used to leaving me anyway but don't worry, I can take care of myself and the case at the same time. Goodbye, Jung." 

She turned her back on him and got out of there as fast as her heels would allow.

She would get concrete evidence of what believed. It was a promise.

And she didn't care if the person she trusted most in life had abandoned her before he even finally came back.

At least that would be what she would repeat until convinced herself. [...] Three victims in a single day, always in the cold dawn and none of them had even a drop of blood in their body. 

Things in common: marks on the wrist or neck. It was so obvious it was terrifying. 

She didn't believe in horror stories or about mythical creatures, it's true, but she couldn't ignore all the facts that came to the same explanation.

A vampire was loose in the city. Y/N's father didn't tell her about this kind of thing but he was smart enough to leave his diaries within her reach, in which said that he knew that one day this would happen and that humans would have to demand courage from themselves if they wanted to survive this kind of thing. 

The apocalypse.

Her parents were born in Serbia, they knew the rumors of creatures of the night feeding on human blood, it was one of the reasons they fled to Romania, while her mother carried Y/N in her womb.

Both died in a mysterious and still uncertain way just over eight years ago.

She became an orphan, rich and completely cold that same dark day she received the news, still a naive girl. She would have given herself over to the darkness if not for Wooyoung, her best friend and her only family left. After discovering her father's diaries, she was sure that he and her mother had been killed by some creature from the shadows. She just couldn't prove it.

With a thirst for revenge to find the culprits, Y/N became a true warrior in secret, at the same time knowing everything she could about vampires. Everything her father had left in his diaries had helped her, it had been the beginning of her era as an investigator.

She didn't do it for the money, did it because felt like she was closer to finding her parents' killers. 

A private investigator who was actually a vampire slayer, taking care of weird, unsolved murders was pretty satisfying and it brought her closer to the truth, that's what she felt. Although she was still frustrated since the creature was so smart, it was so hard to find something to back up her words. She needed more than her father's stories. "Miss Y/L/N, would you like anything else before you go to bed?" Addy subtly entered the room she was in.

She had barely noticed her arrival, with so much going on her mind. "No, I'm fine, thank you very much. Notify everyone to end their services for today."

She put the diary that was reading in the drawer of the furniture next to her bed. "Yes, ma'am. Have a good night." “Equally for you.”

Addy left and Y/N took off her robe, after blowing out the candles, leaving only one lit.

Y/N lay down on her bed and her mind felt like it would explode from so many things that came and went.

She couldn't understand why Wooyoung had even left, let alone why he had suddenly returned. She believed his words, though he wasn't specific about what had drawn him back, but she needed more. She wanted to know how he was doing, what he'd been up to, where he'd been. She didn't imagine how many minutes or hours had passed, but when was almost asleep, she heard some noises and a muffled scream outside the house.

Dread settled through her body at the exact moment she faced the dark room, feeling her heart beat faster. 

She would be exaggerating if she thought that maybe her house was being broken into at this time of night.

But the servants had already gone to sleep as she had ordered, the house was dark and her legs were shaking even though was lying in bed. A while ago she would just kneel beside the bed and pray it was just her imagination, only today it wasn't like that anymore.

That's why she dared to get out of bed, quickly put on her shoes, pick up the holder in which the only candle was lit, and left her room after taking a deep breath. Y/N tried not to get carried away by the darkness that her house was or by the terrifying silence. Walked through the house in large but cautious steps and she hadn't found anything unusual inside.

So she had to work up the courage to go through the main door and go to the gardens behind the house. With each step Y/N took, felt her heart beat even faster and her blood started to freeze. Everything was dark, her eyes couldn't stop staring at every square meter of the extensive garden. Sudden fear gripped her as saw a body thrown over the high gate's spear and the bloodstains on the ground. The white skin was full of red marks and one in particular caught her attention, on the victim's neck hovering the same mark as other murders.

She was in shock for long minutes and when regained consciousness again, she dropped the candle near her feet and started walking backwards, unable to scream or look away from that horrendous image.

The blood was still warm and gushing onto the floor, the lifeless body was different from the victims she had seen. Because that blood was a message for her.

She didn't need any other messages to understand.

Her instincts seemed frozen and slowly came back to tell her what to do, because the killer was probably nearby. 

Run away. Find a wooden stake and bury it in the chest of the first person that appears.

She ended up stumbling over her own feet and the terror came stronger than the thud when she fell to the ground. Y/N got up already trying to get away from there and ask for help however she ended up being held tightly by the arms. She prepared to scream for Addy or anyone else to hear but as soon as she took a deep breath, stared into the face of the person holding her.

Wooyoung. Her heart was still beating fast, seeing him there made it start to regain the air she had lost. "Y/N, why are you here alone?" Asked low and she just shook her head without being able to say anything. All she could feel was her heart beating too fast, it hurt. "What happened? You're pale." The only explanation Y/N could come up with was pointing her finger backwards, he looked at the spot of her terror and his face grew serious, she could see he had locked his jaw holding his breath.

"You need to get out of here, I think you've seen too much for one night." he seemed to contain his anger, his tone was far from calm, and she nodded in agreement.

Y/N let herself be carried away by him, even forgetting that they were actually apart, she didn't dare to look back. Something told her that tomorrow would be a very long day.

[...] "The police are already at the scene taking the body, the employees are terrified and I took something to put it in your hand." Wooyoung sat next to her on the bed and Y/N continued with her head down. "I said I didn't need it, it's okay." Her voice was choked, no wonder since she couldn't do anything but cry when walked in the main door after the adrenaline had worn off.. 

She was used to seeing victims in much worse situations but that scene wouldn't get out of her head for an obvious reason: it had been on purpose.

The killer knew who she was, it was clear.

She was lucky that Wooyoung was there, he didn't seem desperate and that helped her to at least calm down a little. As always was. "Be still for a moment." He took her hand and started to pass the wet cloth all over the place that had hurt because of the fall, only when he forced her skin that she knew it was hurting. 

Wooyoung was cleaning the wound carefully but his forehead was furrowed and his nose seemed to be being forced not to breathe that air. "I didn't know you were sensitive to the scent of blood." She commented and he looked up at her at the same time. "It's not something very important to know." He shrugged and finished cleaning her wound, placed the bowl of water on top of the furniture next to her bed and returned to face Y/N.

"Everything about you is important to me." declared, holding the gaze. When Wooyoung looked at her in that intense way it reminded her of the feelings for him she should have buried  a long time ago but would always be there, lying dormant waiting for him.

Wooyoung understood Y/N since forever, they knew each other even before she became an orphan.

One day, he was sleeping under the snow in the same gardens of her parents' house and the other day, Y/N's parents gave shelter to the boy who did various tasks in the house in exchange for food and clothes.

Because they were the same age, they became inseparable. Y/N didn't care if he was a servant, he was the only friend she could play with when she wasn't studying.

She and Wooyoung liked to play that they were warriors, they played with wooden swords. 

Little did she know that one day she would use that sword in real life.

He was her first friend and first crush, and also her first kiss. In fact, couldn't remember anyone other than him being her first at anything.

It was weird being close to him but at the same time being so far away, at least in the way she really wanted to be. She hated to admit it but deep down knew she had never forgotten what they left in the past. An impossible and secret love. "I'm sorry I fought with you." he said lowly, making her shiver from head to toe. "I'm sorry too." she sighed. "You could have come here earlier, this house is as much yours as it is mine. Maybe nothing would have happened tonight if you were here."

"Y/N." He leaned closer and touched her cheek gently.

"Why did you come back? Truly." she just needed an answer or else it would consume her alive.

He didn't take his eyes off her and Y/N was mesmerized to have him so close after so long, just one touch and it would literally throw her into his arms.

She knew it was what both needed. A simple touch. Wooyoung touched his lips to hers at the same moment a lightning cut the sky, illuminating his face and making her sigh as quickly noticed his dark eyes look hungry, before closing her eyes completely and giving herself away.

It wasn't many times that she was in his arms but each time he was very gentle, almost as if he was afraid of breaking her. But now, the way his lips sought hers in such an ungentlemanly way, it was almost animalistic.

It was surprising when he held her waist tightly and deepened the kiss, their tongues meeting for the first time. She grabbed his hair afraid that his momentary boldness wouldn’t last and he would be cautious again. She kissed him with all the desire she felt, without fear of regretting it later.

His lips were warm and soft, driving her crazy. That wasn't the kind of kiss they gave, it didn't have the childlike innocence of before.

Wooyoung knew how to move his lips and tongue sensually and slowly. Another lightning in the sky and Y/N heard a grunt, Wooyoung held her tighter and leaned over her. She had to break the kiss to catch her breath and he didn't stop there, he kissed down her chin and neck, making her skin shiver.

Y/N had to bite her already swollen lip to hold back her moan as she felt wet kisses trail across her skin.

She thought he was going to go down a little more, because she didn’t want to stop, in her wildest dreams she had been in his arms without any barriers, that was where she became his. Only in her dreams. But he held his breath and moved away so fast that she could barely keep up. Y/N was going to ask what had happened but a knock on the door undid all that moment, she didn't know whether to look at Wooyoung who now kept his face turned to the side or to tell the person to come in. She sat on the bed and straightened up so no one wouldn't notice that something had happened, Y/N asked them to come in and Addy came to her quickly. "The sheriff wishes to speak with you." She warned and Y/N took a deep breath before nodding.

The last person she wanted to see was him. "Thank you, Addy." she got up from the bed, legs a little bit weak, avoiding looking at Wooyoung who seemed to be embarrassed. 

Well, it was his fault that she was weak and horny.

She put on her robe and Wooyoung stood beside her, now maintaining a serious posture. 

Was he doing this to confuse her? Wooyoung noticed that Y/N hadn't understood his gesture and decided to quickly explain. "I wouldn't leave you alone with that man." Wooyoung never liked the sheriff and the feeling seemed to be mutual. That old man had been in town longer than she and Wooyoung could count, and what on the surface seemed like just a rowdy children's tantrum became more when they both grew up.

No matter how much time passed, Wooyoung still didn't like the sheriff.

But that night, Y/N was thankful for it. She felt protected when was around him and this was how she needed to feel when she was in front of the sheriff. She smiled knowingly at him, as the memories washed over her, he tried to reciprocate but it was sad and he looked away too quickly. She sighed and retraced her path, which was now lit differently from earlier. She arrived at the garden still a little apprehensive, the police chief had the man by his side and they were speaking in low voices. 

It seemed she wasn't the only one with secrets. "Miss Y/L/N, can you give me your statement about what really happened here?" the sheriff asked with a certain arrogance and she had to control herself not to be rude, he deserved it anyway. "I don't know what happened, I was getting ready to sleep at the time." "And how did you end up out here exactly?" she noticed that he looked Wooyoung up and down with his petulance standing out in his ego. "I heard a scream and decided to see what it was, after all it could have been one of my employees." Y/N crossed her arms, hating having to explain to him that he wouldn't even look at her. "Did you find no trace of the killer?" "No." "That’s what I need." he left quickly, being followed by the man, without even thanking her or questioning in a more intense way.

What was that?

Y/N glanced at Wooyoung as soon as saw the sheriff's silhouette walk away from her garden. "That was very strange, he didn't even insist." commented and stared at Wooyoung, it looked like he was holding back from saying what he was really thinking. "What's it?" she asked, curious.

He was never this quiet. "We need to talk about what happened." His serious expression took her by surprise.

She had just been interrogated, what else did he want to know? "How about later?"

When she catches her breath from seeing a body hanging in her garden, to be precise. "One day we'll have to talk about this, Y/N." He touched her chin and made her lift her head to look into his eyes. She frowned, still not understanding. "It wasn't a good idea to kiss you after the panic you went through, I apologize for invading your space."

What was he talking about? "What?"

Oh, that was the conversation they would have. "It was a terrible mistake on my part, I'm so sorry." He moved away and Y/N felt her jaw drop. "It won't happen again." Wooyoung passed in front of her and she hurried to stop in front of him. "Are you testing me, Wooyoung?" she questioned, completely confused. "Pardon?" "You come back, then fight with me, leave again, come back here, kiss me after so long and now you say it was a mistake. What do you want after all?" She was tired of it. "Do not blame my vulnerability, I wanted as much as you."

Truth be told, dear Wooyoung. "Do not say that." asked low, closing his eyes for a moment. "I will no longer hide my feelings, I will no longer lie to you. Not anymore." she held his face, making him open his eyes and stare at her steadily."I wish I hadn't loved you again but I did and I don't regret it."

He was silent and she couldn't contain herself, daringly she touched her lips to his once more, in a soft and simple touch.

Y/N didn't prolong the kiss for a long time, she knew it could make things worse, pulled away from him but not before saying one last thing. "I hope you can handle this, Wooyoung, or else you know where it will lead us."

She got out of there as quickly as possible and had to stop herself from looking back or else she would kiss him again. And again. And again until she wouldn't be able to stop. [...] "Are you sure you'll be okay?” Addy asked as soon as she put her feet out of the house. “Of course. You need to visit your family, Addy, the weekend will do you all good.” Y/N smiled at her.

A break for the employees was a good idea, to make them forget the trauma of the murder in the garden while Y/N drank herself to sleep. “But I can ask Joseph to stay here if you need anything.” she would really insist on that option. "I just need you to get into the carriage and let him take you home. It's two days, what could happen?” she asked and Addy stayed quiet. “Remember that I can take care of myself, that will calm you down.” she agreed and hugged Y/N. She more than anyone didn't mind showing the affection she had for the employees, after all, she had practically been raised by them after her parents' death.

“Take care of yourself.” Addy said goodbye and walked to the carriage, Y/N waited at the door until lost sight of her. After what happened at her house, Y/N decided to give all employees the weekend off. She was hoping to spend the two days with Wooyoung, they hadn't arranged anything but she figured if he saw the movement then maybe he could show up. Well, actually spending time with him wasn't the only thing that motivated her. Now lucid, she could retrace the killer's trail, they always leave traces. She had some acquaintances in London she could ask for help, or even Seonghwa who knew a lot of people from his pirate days. Giving up, as Wooyoung had asked her to do, was not an option. She just couldn't keep doing her job in this town, for now. Not when the sheriff seemed determined to derail her investigation. She might even go back to training, she had some favors to call in on some friends.

The night had already fallen and it had brought heavy rain, she loved the rain but on that day in particular it was a bit scary. She was still a little vulnerable with everything that had happened over the past few days, the empty, dark house had never felt so big for her to be alone. Y/N looked at the tray that held the wine and two glasses she had set aside. Hopeful? Deluded? She didn't know why but she laughed as she got up to help herself. Of course he wasn't going to show up. 

She had barely taken a sip and her head was spinning just thinking about Wooyoung. In the time he was away, she tried to distract herself with other men. After all, she couldn't wait for him forever. But it was always in vain because it was her eyes that she saw around the corners.

Sometimes she even seemed to have seen his figure on the street or elsewhere, but it was nothing more than an illusion because the moment she blinked he was no longer there.

Leaving a tightness in the heart and a desire to cry that was always supplied by alcohol.

Just like now, she tried to drown her feelings in the wine while trying not to think too much about him, how much she missed him and how much that kiss had affected her. She had known a less angelic side of Wooyoung, and it would be a lie to say that she was no longer interested in the boy. Because she was.

She liked how sweet and happy he was, but knowing that he too was shrouded in mysterious darkness drew her even closer. Well, after all, she hunted monsters.

It seemed hypocritical but she was attracted precisely by the unknown in Wooyoung.

She wanted to dig deeper, find out more why and how he had become so secretive. He had a reason, didn't he? She was already on her second glass of wine when heard a noise coming from the stairs. She even thought about ignoring it, but footsteps could be heard on the top floor of the house, so she set the goblet aside and stopped where she was.

She had ordered all the servants out of the house so no one was there with her. Was her head then starting to create illusions?

She got up from the couch, feeling her heart beat so fast that the corset she was wearing was hurting her ribs. Slowly and very carefully, she went to the front of the stairs and stopped there, straining her eyes to see better since everything was nothing but pitch black. Lightning cut through the sky, illuminating the place and showing that there was nothing, the noise was loud enough for her to jump with her hands on her chest that rose uncontrollably. She let out the breath she'd been holding, feeling weak for being overwhelmed by the darkness.

That was the alcohol making her relive that night all over again. That was why the trip seemed like the best option for her.

Y/N rolled her eyes and turned to go back to her whine, that was her night of drinking herself out. However, she couldn't make the journey back because her body paralyzed when saw a person a few meters away looking at her as if she were prey.

It could be another illusion, must have been, but when she realized that it was the creature she was looking for so long a shiver ran through her entire body, suddenly all the cold weather took over the house and she could hear the wind blowing in her ears.

“Good night, Miss.” he asked and Y/N could see his sharp teeth however she didn't dare to give him any answer, in her head, was already looking for a weapon to protect herself. “Sorry to come unannounced but I think we have some things to work out.” She took a few steps back when he threatened to walk towards her.

She held her breath, trying through her peripheral vision to find something sharp to shove down the throat of the person in front of her.

“Well, Miss Y/L/N, you don't need to be afraid of me, you know very well who I am.” He took off the hood he wore and her jaw dropped, surprised. “Or do you need to?” He smirked and remained silent.

It all started to make sense so quickly that Y/N's head started to spin and it wasn't just from the alcohol. Wooyoung asked her to leave the case because knew that it would hurt her. The body in her gates, the unexplained confusion when she tried to talk to alleged witnesses, the fact that the police were always one step ahead of her in their investigations. “It was you all along.” she said aloud, connecting all the evidence.

How foolish she was.

“Exactly.” He shrugged and took a step in her direction.

“Was the death near the police station on purpose or did you simply forget to hide the body?” she asked, trying to buy time. She had a dagger in the next room, she was near the door, and could run to get it.

“I confess it was an accident, unlike the body I placed at the gates of your home.” he confessed and snorted. “You don't think I'd leave a body next to my station on purpose, do you?” she was silent and he laughed. “Don't be stupid, it made me have to move forward with this case and it didn't help me at all.”

“But you managed to hide it very well, Sheriff West.” she said ironically.

“And I will continue to hide, do not think that I came to confess and then leave, letting you live.” he threatened and took a step forward, making her on alert. “It's a shame to have to kill a woman as beautiful as you, Y/L/N, but I have no choice.” she took it as an opportunity to get closer to the room and if she stretched out her hands she could open the door. “Don't worry, I took care of everything.”  as he said that, Y/N stared at him in confusion and heard a loud noise of glass breaking and she looked up instantly.

The entire ceiling of her house, which was beautifully crafted with the most beautiful glass in the city, had shattered into thousands of pieces and few vampires had touched the ground within seconds.

She only had time to stare at the wet creatures as they snarled at her.

The first one who attacked came running with his mouth open and hands with huge nails out in front of him, she took the opportunity to throw herself against the door of the room, which opened with a loud thud and she fell to the floor. Y/N reached out to grab the dagger from the table and at the same moment the creature appeared, throwing itself at her, which plunged the dagger into the vampire's chest without any hesitation before he sank his sharp teeth into her skin. The animalistic growls stopped when she turned the dagger inside the vampire's chest and in a short time the body fell.

On top of it he pushed it to the side, seeing the pale gray vampire's body. She wasted no time looking for another weapon, her eyes found a wooden cross, her father's relic, on the wall and she didn't think twice before pulling it out. She had been training her whole life for this moment and she wasn't going to die without even a fight.

She left the room and saw that they were waiting for her, the heavy rain falling through the broken window wetted Y/N and she had to hold the cross tighter.

This time, two vampires came towards her and stopped as soon as she raised the weapon, they looked at each other and when they looked back at her, their fangs were already out. Well, the myth wasn't true then, it would be otherwise.

Y/N stuck the cross in the stomach of one of them and the other pulled her back with force, making her practically fly to the ground, she ended up hitting her head but still dizzy, she managed to pull herself back with her elbows.

Y/N's now soaked hair obscured her vision and when she pulled away from her face, she saw the vampire pull the cross from his stomach and the blood spilled onto her floor.

“Eww.” she said involuntarily and the two attacked her at the same time. She tried to protect her body, putting her arms in front of her body and felt sharp nails scratch her arms, cutting the fabric of her dress, before she could even fight for real, strong hands held her by the neck, lifting her off the ground and squeezing her until it became difficult to breathe. She watched as the other vampire, the one she'd hit with the cross, approached with sharp teeth and she was sure this was how her life would end. Everything happened faster than the blink of an eye, suddenly the hand that was suffocating her was no longer holding her and Y/N fell to the ground at the same moment that the body of one of the vampires fell beside her, already lifeless and with a broken neck.

On the other side, before she could understand what had happened, the other vampire fell with a hole in his chest, heartless.

Y/N followed her gaze to the figure that was standing in front of her, holding the dead vampire's heart, and she felt her whole body shiver at the sight of her savior.

Wooyoung.

No, that could only be another illusion. Wooyoung couldn't be there. He was breathing heavily as Y/N's jaw dropped and looked confused, he threw the heart he held as if it was nothing and extended a blood stained hand towards Y/N.

She wasn't undecided whether to accept it or not but she was so surprised that it took her a while to hold Wooyoung's hand, she felt the warm palm and she didn't know if it was because of the fresh blood on his hands or if it was his own heat. “That's so typical.” Sheriff West spoke loudly and she looked into Wooyoung' eyes, they seemed way darker than before. “Pathetic.” against her will, she looked at the sheriff who had removed the overcoat he wore, his look devilish and angry. “I'll kill you both” he shouted and came to attack them.

Y/N couldn't follow what happened next, in one moment Wooyoung was in front of her and in the next the sheriff was blocked by him and the next second, the two collided against the wall on the other side and a hole was made there. Wooyoung was holding the sheriff's neck who had his eyes completely black and his fangs out, he grunted trying to get out of there and get some advantage against Wooyoung. She didn't know how he was managing to get the sheriff pinned against the wall.

“Come on, show her who you really are.” Sheriff spoke and Y/N remained paralyzed. What was he talking about? “Don't you know, Y/L/N? Have you ever seen your love the way he is?” he asked her, though he didn't take his black eyes off Wooyoung. “After I kill you, I will suck the blood and kill her slowly, exactly the way I did with her father.” Wooyoung grabbed him by his clothes and threw him to the ground with such force that she felt the house shake, he growled like an animal and when Y/N looked at his face saw two fangs. No, it couldn't be...

Wooyoung somehow seemed to be stronger than the sheriff and Y/N took the advantage to run to the stairs, opening a trapdoor that held more weapons. She didn't know what was making her think so fast, maybe it was the adrenaline, and she started to load the gun with ammo. Special ammunition, silver bullets. Y/N turned to face them as her fingers moved as quickly as she could, and she saw when Wooyoung now had his neck grabbed by the sheriff, who somehow managed to turn around and kneel on top of Wooyoung. That made her activate the gun and shoot at the sheriff, ended up hitting his arm and he got up, getting off Wooyoung, before he could say anything he closed his eyes and grunted loudly. So this myth was true...

“You know, sheriff, I went after myths about your species and I would like to try it with the murderer of the city.” Y/N shot him again, this time in his leg and he fell to the ground away from Wooyoung, he looked at her with pure hate. “I didn't believe that silver was your weakness.”another shot, on his stomach. He was still, squirming as if the bullets were burning him inside, and maybe they were. “No justice would be enough to punish you properly, so think about your sins…” She approached him, placing the gun on his chest and felt Wooyoung approach her and the sheriff showed his fangs. “...in hell.” she said before shooting him in the heart. The sheriff widened his eyes and fell to his knees, tried to raise his hand to hold Y/N but she just slammed the gun into his arm, making him fall to the ground while grunting in pain and losing his color. It was a matter of seconds before he lost his life right there on the ground while Y/N looked at him in disgust. Wooyoung didn't say anything, he just approached the sheriff's body and put both hands on his neck, she kept looking and watched as he snapped the sheriff's neck and took his head off. Y/N looked away, feeling her stomach lurch, and the gun dropped from under her feet as she tried not to think about what had just happened. Blood, pieces of glass, bodies, pieces of vampires were scattered around her house while the heavy rain was still falling on her and Wooyoung. The only survivors of the attack.

She felt his hand on her arm in a touch so soft it felt out of place. she shivered again when his fingers traced the cut she had on her arm and, unable to resist, turned her face to look into his eyes. The eyes were still dark but filled with guilt.

“Y/N.” he whispered

“When were you planning to tell me?” she asked directly, tired of secrets between them.

“Actually, I didn't plan to.” he was sincere and she crossed my arms, looking away from him. “I love you.” confessed and Y/N paralyzed again. “So much that it hurts my heart.” He grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes. For her to find the truth in them. “You're in constant danger if we stay close and I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“What do you mean?” she knew very well what he meant but she didn't want to accept it.

"I can't afford this" He pointed to the bodies. “happens again, I won't always be in time to save you.” She wanted to scream that she didn't want to be saved but that would be a lie because she wanted to live, enough to be by his side.

“You will leave again.” she guessed and he nodded. “At least now you know why I'm leaving this time.” he caressed her face, staring at every inch as if he wanted to memorize every detail. “I won't be able to say anything to change your mind.” it was not a question. “I'm thinking what's best for you. You deserve to be happy and I'm rooting for that.” He tried to smile but ended up failing.

“I love you.” she whispered, already with tears in her eyes. “I always did!” “I know.” He got even closer to her face and his lip gently touched hers, to then start their last kiss. Y/N could still feel his fangs against her lips and Wooyoung tasted like blood but none of that mattered because the way he was kissing her was clearly making her forget about what happened a few minutes ago. It was intense, full of feelings they both now knew were mutual, and also fraught with pain. For leaving, for not being able to live what they wanted. He held her face firmly one last time and broke the kiss, touching their foreheads while YN refused to open her eyes but she felt that he was staring at her intensely. She didn't want to say goodbye. “Don’t go, please.” She heard Wooyoung sigh but the contact had been lost and desperate, she opened her eyes to find him already climbing through the broken ceiling. He even stopped one last time to look at her from above and she pleaded with her eyes but he just left at the same time that lightning appeared in the sky.

After the sudden light, there she was back to darkness. But with her duty done.

[...]

“Tell me, Y/L/N, are the rumors true?” she straightened her spine on the chair was sitting on, the clothes she was wearing weren't so comfortable but it was effective.

“That I became a hunter? You weren't supposed to know about this.” she complained. “I know more than anyone realizes.” She went silent for a while, if the rumors were already getting to him then probably whoever she wanted to know about her current situation was also aware.

“That's exactly why I'm here. I need you to track someone down.”

“Wooyoung.” said simply. No one was surprised, not even the underworld creatures.

“Exactly.” Honjoong folded his hands on top of the large desk in his office. He was a vampire, his scent was better than any of the creatures, he was trustworthy. It could help her find Wooyoung. It was amazing how she now found herself surrounded by creatures of the night.

“I think you should know who you're dealing with.” he said, making her raise an eyebrow. “Y/L/N, never wondered where he came from?”

She shrugged. Nobody knew where Wooyoung came from, not even her parents.

“Do you know his last name?”

“He didn't have any so my parents named him Jung.” “Well, do you know the meaning of this name?” She denied with her head. Should she know? “Means, it is the connection between two people that cannot be severed.” “I believe you are telling me this because it is important.” “After a lot of research, I found out that he actually has a strong connection with the Tepes family.” Honjoong smiled, a little murky for her. “ You know who else was called that? Vlad III.”

“The Impaler?” she asked and he agreed. ”The famous prince of Wallachia who is the hero of this nation?” “Did you know that Vlad had a son?” Honjoong got up from his chair and walked around the office. “Mihnea, the Bad.” she followed him with her eyes. “He did not have a very happy reign, nor was he as loved as Vlad, so much so that he abdicated the throne to his son.” “Vlad had a grandson, who was hidden from the world for fear of retaliation. With Mihnea's fame, it was only natural that they would. The child grew up with a curse.” She paid attention, although she didn't really believe in curses, knew that supposedly magical things happen around the world. “At 18 he would become as cold, perverse and scary as his grandfather. His lust for blood and atrocities would be far greater than any other Tepes.” Memories of the night Wooyoung saved her and killed all those vampires returned.

“Are you saying that Wooyoung is the lost grandson of Count Vlad?” her heart believed in that fantasy but reason still brought her back to reality.

Honjoong nodded, putting his arms behind him. “The only living descendant. Vlad's family is very well known and even admired by us.”

“So the rumors were true. Vlad was a vampire.” 

“The first of the first.” Honjoong took a step towards her and Y/N glared at him. “So I must warn you, Y/L/N, you are not dealing with any vampire. It's a Tepes.” “I'm not afraid of him.” she admitted. Quite the contrary, actually, she loved him and was willing to find him. “That's not what worries me.”He took a deep breath before continuing. "Y/N," he knelt down in front of her, making her worried. He rarely called her by name. “Wooyoung has many doubts, he grew up without his family, being the monster he was in the times that he was away from you. I strongly believe that you were the only light the poor boy found in his entire existence. So I warn you, if you enter this world of darkness... you won't be able to get out.” “You know where he is.” “I told you the family is known.” “Be more clear, Honjoong.” she asked, tired of it. “Your beloved Wooyoung is coming for Vlad.” She was paralyzed. Impossible. “Vlad was beheaded in combat with the Turks, his head was displayed in Constantinople.” she said in disbelief. It was simply impossible. “That’s what they say, you know there are three versions of Vlad's death. I assure you, they killed the wrong man.” “What are you trying to tell me, that Vlad is alive?” he nodded and Y/N was petrified. She considered getting up from the chair but didn't have the strength in her legs after listening to all that. “Where is he?” she questioned. Honjoong rose silently, turning his back to her. He didn't say a word. “Honjoong…” she gathered strength and started to get up from the chair, approaching the young man who insisted on ignoring her question. “Where is he?” she said more firmly this time. “Paris, with the help of a witch to find his grandfather.” replied low. She stopped to think for a moment, was more confused than before. “Why would you go to Paris?” she asked herself. Honjoong turned back to her and took her left arm with unusual gentleness. “If they find Dracula, they will try to fulfill the prophecy.” she raised an eyebrow. What prophecy? “Vlad will take what is rightfully his, spilling the blood of his enemies and turn everything to ashes, making the world safe for creatures of the night..” She looked into Honjoong's eyes. My God… “Then it is to Paris that we will go.”

---

Quite a fall | Jongho

Jongho x Reader Word count: 2180 Genre: fluff Author: maari Warnings: Reader twists her foot, fake monsters. No proofread because I wrote at midnight. Note: I don't know why but Jongho is wrecking me lately so I was kinda forced to write something with him. This actually happened to me 5 years ago lol but it didn't had a romantic ending. Summary: Who knew taking a historic fall could feel so good?

⩥ Ateez Masterlist

Y/N loved her friends and couldn't live without them.

But the moment it was decided that San and Mingi would go with her to fulfill the bet, she began to wonder why she had accepted it.

And why she still called Wooyoung a friend, since the idea of the two most fearful guys in the group would go with her to the haunted mansion in the amusement park they were at was his.

The amusement park was for the whole family until the sun began to set, at night it was taken over by actors dressed as monsters.

But it wasn't just any monsters, it was Egypt themed. And the mummies were more terrifying than the 90s movie.

And what was the bet? The least brave three had lost at Rock Paper Scissors, and would have to enter the haunted mansion. While the others were outside recording.

However, they were one floor below the mansion because they had gone on the Viking boat earlier, which made her practically lose her voice since besides being afraid of monsters and anything involving horror, she was also afraid of heights.

Y/N grabbed San's arm on one side while the other pushed Mingi to go ahead, the three of them stared at the flight of stairs as it got bigger and bigger.

It wasn't just because the mansion was close but because one of the monsters was at the top of the stairs, scaring anyone who passed by.

"Stop being cowards!" Hongjoong yelled, clearly amused that he wasn't chosen.

"Complain again and you go along with us!" Y/N shouted, turning to face him angrily and saw the boys laughing at him, who raised his hands in surrender and stayed quiet.

"You guys know this is a really bad idea, right?" San spoke, cowering next to Y/N, he gripped her hand tightly as she held onto his arm.

"It's Mingi's fault!" she complained and the taller one stopped, looking at her in disbelief.

"How could I guess?" he asked, trying to hide behind Y/N. "Stop pushing me!"

"You're the tallest, you have to go first!" she said, trying to push him back. "And you bet with Wooyoung, it's obvious he was serious."

"I thought he was talking about the roller coaster." he defended himself.

The bet was simple: with the opening of the park, they divided into groups of three and whoever arrived late would have to face one of their fears, as well as pay for snacks. San, Mingi, Y/N, Yeosang, Yunho and Wooyoung arrived late. And it all came down to rock, paper, scissors.

Mingi was confident to compete against Yunho... and ended up losing.

The three went on high rides and paid for everyone's snacks, until Wooyoung remembered that it was the opening night of the mansion and that the three of them would have to go.

And there the three of them were, afraid to go up the stairs.

For Y/N, she had the perfect plan, she would hide behind Mingi and San, since one was taller than her and the other was stronger, very easy, she wouldn't even need to lift her head to look inside the mansion, all she had to do was stick her face in one of their shirts.

She had just forgotten that they were both as scared as she was.

After several long minutes and the rest of the group shouting that they had to go soon before the park closed, which would happen in two hours, they made it to the halfway point of the stairs.

Y/N didn't even remember her plan anymore, somehow she was leading the way, with San clutching her hand and Mingi on her side climbing slower than her. His legs were longer and yet he was behind.

"No!" San complained as she climbed another step, never taking her eyes off the monster.

"I think it's okay to pass." she replied when she saw the monster turn its back to scare a couple passing by. "He's busy."

Suddenly everything looked like a blur.

Y/N made a move to take a step forward while San and Mingi were behind her very fearful, the monster turned and faced the three. For two long seconds they stared at each other without doing anything and then the monster screamed and pretended to go to them, just projecting its body forward.

It was enough for the three of them to scream and try to run down the stairs. Just try.

Because Mingi went ahead, as he was strategically walking up the stairs slowly, San let go of Y/N's hand and in that half second their bodies blocked her field of vision. Y/N tried to go down at the same speed as San and Mingi but she was already late and her foot didn't settle on the step of the stairs.

With the fright and the vision a little blurred for having turned so fast, her strength was lost and she twisted her foot in a clumsy way and she rolled about three steps.

When she realized what had happened, at the exact moment she heard her name being called, she felt an unbearable pain in her ankle.

She took her hand to the place that seemed to be burning and a sob escaped, she didn't even realize she was crying until she noticed that her friends were running to her.

"Are you ok?" San asked worriedly and held his hand out to her.

But Y/N couldn't speak so she just shook her head.

"Y/N, get up." Mingi spoke and she sobbed again.

"I can't." she complained quietly, feeling her ankle go rigid and in her head there was only one thing going on.

That she had broken her foot.

San bent down to face her better and soon the rest of the group surrounded her.

"Y/N, what happened?" Seonghwa asked.

"I think I broke my foot." she replied between sobs and tried to look at the boys but because of the pain, she couldn't see who was in front of her. "And I think I ripped my pants."

A chorus of low chuckles was heard and she almost laughed.

"Yah, this is not the time to be joking." Wooyoung spoke.

"Can you get up?" Hongjoong asked and she even tried to support her injured palms on the floor but her legs were clearly weak from the fright and the fall.

"No." she replied weakly.

"Isn't it good to call some professional who works here and-" Yeosang's voice gradually faded as Jongho knelt beside her

"I'll carry you, okay?" he asked gently and Y/N nodded, wiping her face.

He put his arm around her knees carefully and the other went around her back, as he lifted her off the ground in his arms, Y/N felt her ankle hurt even more but her face burned not only from the pain but because Jongho was too close.

His breath was so close to her face and he carried her as if she were a feather.

If before her heart was racing because of the fright, now she doesn't even remember the monster.

Jongho took her to a concrete part that covered the root of a tree, she sat down and was now at his height.

"Is anyone going to do anything?" he questioned, looking seriously at his friends.

Yunho and Yeosang volunteered and ran in search of someone to help.

"Can you move your foot?" Hongjoong asked and bent down to help Y/N move.

She even tried but the pain was still intense.

"Ouch no, wait a minute." she screwed up her face and he stopped, looking worried.

"You're going to have to go to the hospital." Seonghwa concluded, crossing her arms and Y/N whined.

"Oh come on!' she snorted and now with her face dry, her eyes partially wet, she could face her friends properly.

"If I were you, I wouldn't argue." Wooyoung spoke and Y/N crossed her arms.

"You know how they put the bone back together? It hurts like hell!"

"Yeah, but it's not like you have a choice if you really broke your foot." San replied.

Y/N was going to look at Mingi but Jongho entered her field of vision, taking off the sweatshirt he was wearing and approached her to tie it around her waist.

Y/N kept her arms crossed but stared at Jongho's face in surprise, everyone was silent and he looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"You really ripped your pants." he explained, nodding towards Y/N and she felt her face heat up once more.

She brought her hand to her cheek slowly so as not to show that she was blushing because of it but seeing Wooyoung staring with a raised eyebrow, she knew it wasn't that subtle.

"Oh no!" she complained when she saw Yunho and Yeosang coming back, what really caught her attention was the ambulance coming after the two.

Wooyoung tried to contain his laughter when he saw the vehicle and was slapped by Seonghwa.

Y/N stared at the ambulance in disbelief that this was actually happening to her.

"I'm not going to ride that thing." she spoke softly and thought no one would hear but Jongho turned to her with a defiant face.

"Why the ambulance?" Hongjoong asked his friends.

"It'll be better to take Y/N to the hospital near here" Yunho explained as the paramedics got out of the ambulance.

"Did you know that there is assistance here at the park?" Yeosang asked, excited by the news. "Apparently that has happened a lot here."

"Come on, Y/N." Jongho approached and she looked pleadingly at him.

"Please."

"You don't want to argue with me now, do you?" he asked seriously and she was quiet.

She took a deep breath, giving up.

"Will you need a wheelchair?" one of the paramedics asked.

Y/N widened her eyes. Oh no, that would be too much for her.

"No!" she replied loudly, and threw her arm around Jongho's shoulder.

She had already been through enough humiliation that day.

She heard Jongho laugh softly as he carried her in his arms again and she glared at him, curious to know what he was laughing at but he didn't seem to want to share it now, and walked towards the ambulance without looking like she was making an effort.

He helped her into the vehicle.

"I refuse to lie on this stretcher, I didn't die!" she said when one of the paramedics indicated the gurney. "I'll sit here." she pointed to the upholstery beside her and the paramedic nodded.

"Will someone accompany you in the ambulance?" he asked, looking at the group of friends.

"I go!" Jongho volunteered first and looked at his friends. "I'll walk her into the hospital."

"We'll get the cars and we'll follow." Hongjoong spoke and the two nodded.

Jongho climbed into the ambulance and sat next to Y/N and the paramedic closed the doors, leaving the two alone in the back.

She took a deep breath and saw Jongho staring at her.

"All good?"

"It's all that stupid monster's fault!" She denied with her head. "Who scares people on the stairs?!"

He smiled discreetly.

"Not the smartest thing I've seen anyone do."

Y/N laughed.

"I bet Wooyoung recorded it, didn't he." she spoke and Jongho bit his lip, something that didn't go unnoticed by her.

"It was quite a fall."

Y/N shook her head and laughed, being followed by Jongho.

The scare was over, even if she was still in pain, she had to admit that it must have been a very funny scene that she would laugh about later.

When she had to rest for who knows how many days.

"You know what that means, right? I'm going to have to keep my foot still for days!"

"Hey, think on the bright side." Jongho pushed his shoulder against Y/N's and she glared at him with a raised eyebrow. "You got 8 slaves and if I were you I would charge Mingi even more because he left you behind on purpose."

"I knew it!' she said, slapping a hand on her thigh and reminded herself that his sweatshirt was tucked around her waist, "Aren't you cold?"

"No, I'm fine." he raised his hand in assurance and she smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks for what you did." she said and brought her face closer to kiss Jongho's soft cheek.

However, he turned his face at the same time and their lips ended up touching lightly.

The two stared at each other in surprise and once again that night, her cheeks burned because of him, shyly she looked away to anywhere in the ambulance. But Jongho brought his hand to her cheek and brought her closer, bringing their lips together again in a quick, soft kiss.

When he pulled away, his hand caressed her cheek and pressed their foreheads together.

"You really worried me."

"Well, looks like it was worth it."

---

aemulus. (noun) latin for rival or competitor. thought to be the origin of the name emily.

park seonghwa is in no position to ask you for a favor. but being underqualified for something has never stopped him before.

pairing: academic rival!seonghwa x fem!reader

details: grad school/nursing school au, fake dating

word count: 8.1k

warnings: swearing, food allergy, smut (18+ mdni), oral (f receiving), multiple orgasms, unprotected sex, discussion of birth control methods

a/n: for @sluttywoozi's birthday <3 (just a month and a half late)

playlist

“I need a favor.”

“From me?”

Seonghwa tongues his cheek and looks around. “Is there anyone else in the room?”

You scoff. You aren’t friends with Park Seonghwa. You don’t even particularly like Park Seonghwa. You know the feeling’s mutual so why was he asking you for a favor?

“If you want something from me you should try being a little nicer,” you mutter, turning your attention back to the textbook on the desk in front of you. 

You hear Seonghwa sigh beside you before he tries again. “Sorry, yes, I need a favor from you. I need a date to this event Dr. Harvey is hosting for all of his graduate mentees next weekend.”

Date? You? Your face must be scrunched up into an expression of confusion and concern because Seonghwa puts his hand out to stop you before you interject. 

“Yes, it has to be you. I-I’m trying to secure a position on his research team next semester and I need an extra edge.”

You raise an eyebrow. “And I’m the extra edge?”

“Exactly! Dr. Harvey loves you. If I show up with you on my arm, the spot is mine for sure.”

“You really think it’ll be that easy? I haven’t taken one of Dr. Harvey’s classes since undergrad.”

You’re not even a student in Seonghwa’s program, the one Dr. Harvey was the head of. There just happened to be some overlap between your field of study and his that required you to take some of the same courses. 

“But you were his TA last semester, and you’re the top student in the department, after me-” you have to fight the urge to roll your eyes, “he brings you up in almost every meeting we have,” he continues, sounding more than a little annoyed, “when we’re supposed to be talking about my dissertation.”

Despite the non-case Seonghwa was making on his behalf, you couldn’t help but feel a little curious. “He does? What does he say?’

“Usually, it’s little comments about how you would do something differently, which is not-so-subtle code for better. If you ever decide to write a dissertation on microbiology, let him know. I’m sure he’d love to be your mentor-” Seonghwa stops himself there, taking a deep breath as if to physically shake the bitterness from his demeanor. “Sorry. The point is that he thinks very highly of you and it would really help me out if you were my plus-one to this thing.”

“And what exactly does ‘this thing’ entail?”

“It’s a little appreciation banquet for all of the students he’s mentoring. He said it’s at this hotel, I think it’s downtown, and it’s a dinner and drinks in the evening and a brunch the next morning-”

“Wait, it’s overnight?” You hadn’t meant or intended to interrupt him but the prospect of spending the night in the same room with Park Seonghwa was enough to make you panic and forget your manners. 

Seonghwa looks annoyed that you cut him off but holds himself back from responding with something snippy. Instead, he lets it go. Unheard of for him.

“Yes, but it’s just one night.”

“One night?” He nods. “And I just have to show up with you?”

“Well, you’d pretend to be my girlfriend. ”

Right. That had sort of been implied when he asked but you were hoping that wasn’t the case. It honestly sounded like a nightmare, but the idea of having something to hold over Seonghwa’s head was tempting. 

Doing him the favor was one thing. The execution of said favor was another. Were you going to be able to put on a believable act as Seonghwa’s girlfriend? It certainly wasn’t going to come naturally to you... but you were friends with a bunch of theatre kids. You could pull it off. Probably. 

“Okay, well, what’s in it for me?” you ask.

He blinks, clearly caught off guard by your question like he hadn’t expected to get this far. 

“What do you want?”

Oh fuck. You scramble to think of something worthwhile that he could be of use for, coming up short in pretty much all aspects.

“My dad’s getting married in a couple of months. Our little duet can have an encore then.”

Seonghwa grins and offers his hand for you to shake. “Send me the details. Pleasure doing business.”

-

It isn’t until Seonghwa’s already left the classroom that he realizes he doesn’t even have your number. He’s known you for years now but has never had to contact you outside of the context of school. Never had reason to. He could turn around right now and go back and ask for your phone number. You’re still in there. 

He lets his pride get the better of him, and with a quiet groan, he shoves his hands in his pockets and keeps walking. He’ll just email you later to ask for it. 

-

You iron out the details over text, once Seonghwa finally gets your number. You had made fun of him in your reply email for forgetting to get it back when he begged you to come with him in the first place, which only reassured Seonghwa that he had made the right choice that day. It would’ve been way more embarrassing to have you say that to his face. 

He asks you to meet him at a cafe the day before the event so you can iron out your story together. You look nervous, he notes, so he tries to break the ice. 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet here. I would’ve had you over to my place, but my roommates are kind of obnoxious.”

“That’s okay. Thanks for the coffee.” You gesture with your cup, shaking the ice around before taking a tentative sip. 

“Least I could do, considering.”

You shrug. “You’re already repaying me by going to my dad’s wedding with me, but I’m not one to turn down free coffee.”

“Fair enough.” He clears his throat. “So, how’d we fall in love?”

-

Seonghwa picks you up at five pm on Saturday. He makes some comment about you looking nice that you don’t really believe he means, but you return the compliment anyway. He does look good. Annoyingly so. He had told you it was a formal event but you hadn’t expected him to show up in a fucking three-piece suit. 

His hair is slicked back on the side to show off his undercut, and wire-rimmed glasses sit on the bridge of his nose, the reflection of traffic lights and street lamps shining in the lenses. It’s a little intimidating to be on his arm for the night when he looks like that, not that you didn’t also dress for the occasion, he just... looks so sharp. 

“Do you have everything you need?” he asks as you climb into the passenger seat. “Pajamas? Toothbrush?”

“I think so.”

“If you forget something we can probably grab it at the kiosk they have in the lobby,” he assures you.

You groan. “Yeah, but we’ll have to pay a small fortune for it.”

“That’s the price of convenience.” He puts the car in drive and navigates out of your apartment complex’s parking lot onto the main road. “You can pick the music,” he offers after a moment of silence. 

“But you’re the one driving.”

“Is that a rule?”

“Yeah, the driver picks the music. Have you never heard of that before?”

He shakes his head but hums thoughtfully. “No, but I don’t mind. I’m not picky.”

“Shocking,” you mutter under your breath. 

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

You plug the aux into the lightning port on your phone and scroll through your playlist until you land on something you deem to be neutral enough to play in the background. You can feel Seonghwa watching you out of the corner of his eye but you willfully ignore it. 

“Do you remember the story?”

You nod. “We only got together officially a couple of months ago. You asked me out by waiting outside the door of one of my classes last semester-”

“Which class?”

“Um...” you frowned, trying to remember. 

“It was pharmacology.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“Just be sure to remember that.”

“I don’t think anyone is going to be interrogating us about our relationship,” you scoff. 

Seonghwa takes a deep breath. “You’re right, I’m sorry. This is just important to me and it needs to be believable. If anyone were to find out that I tried to pull this shit off just to get on Harvey’s good side... I don’t even know what would happen to me. Like, would I get expelled? I definitely wouldn’t get the position, I-”

“Woah,” you cut him off before he can spiral any further, “we... don’t have to do this. You can drop me off back at my apartment and pretend like it never happened. I won’t make you go to the wedding...”

“No, no I need you,” Seonghwa insists, panicked. “It just... didn’t occur to me how stupid this idea was until now.”

“If you think it’s a bad idea we shouldn’t do it,” you reason.

“It is a bad idea,” he agrees, “but I don’t know what else to do. Jung Wooyoung is vying for the same spot and he’s way more likable than me.”

“That’s not true, he’s just more of a kiss-ass.”

“Same thing. Either way, I already told them I was bringing a plus-one so I can’t show up without you.”

You nod, holding back from suggesting other alternatives. Seonghwa seemed resolute on going through with it and it wouldn’t do any good to try and convince him otherwise. He was like you in that way. Stubborn to a fault. Trying to “fix” the problem would only start an argument and that was the last thing you needed right now. So you let it go, and it only killed you on the inside a little bit. 

-

Seonghwa checks into your room as soon as you get to the hotel. Since it’s late in the afternoon, it’s already ready, and you go up to drop off your things before navigating to the ballroom together. 

You try to ignore the single king-size bed in the middle of the room but it’s like it’s glaring right at you, taunting you in the reflection of the vanity mirror as you reapply your lipgloss. If Seonghwa notices your apprehension about it he doesn’t say anything. 

“We don’t have to go over the top,” Seonghwa reminds you in the elevator. “You don’t have to kiss me or be super touchy if you don’t want to. Some hand holding and familiarity should do it.”

“Are you sure?” 

He smirks at you. “I mean, if you want to kiss me, you’re more than welcome to. But it wasn’t part of our agreement.”

You stare at him. He had never said anything like that to you before. It felt like it had come out of nowhere. The smirk falls when he sees your reaction and he side steps away from you, clearing his throat awkwardly. 

“Sorry, I was, uh, I was kidding. It was, I wasn’t-”

The elevator dings to signal its arrival on the first floor before Seonghwa can finish whatever excuse he was stuttering through. He motions for you to exit first, putting his arm in front of the door to keep it from closing. When you turn back to look at him, he’s all calm and collected again like nothing even happened. The only evidence of ruffled feathers was the pressed set of his lips and the pink tinge of his cheeks. 

“Ready?” he asks, straightening his tie. 

“As I’ll ever be.”

He offers his hand to you and you take it, entwining your fingers with his. His thumb finds the back of your hand and draws absentminded circles. You’re not sure if it’s supposed to be comforting but it is. 

There are already a few people mingling when you and Seonghwa make it to the ballroom. You don’t recognize any of them but that was to be expected. Seonghwa had said that it was an intimate event, just Dr. Harvey, his mentees, and their potential plus-ones. Not everyone is here yet from what you can tell. You can’t hear Jung Wooyoung’s loud voice echoing throughout the hall so you figure he must be one of the late ones. 

The way the room is decorated reminds you a bit of Christmas with the opulent chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the ivy garlands laid across the tables. All that's missing are the trees wrapped in lights and potted poinsettias in every corner.

Dr. Harvey is in the middle of a conversation with a couple of other students when he spots the two of you. He excuses himself and approaches you with a smile. 

“I’m glad that you both could make it!” he says, greeting you with a hug. 

He hugs your fake boyfriend next and claps him firmly on the back. Seonghwa coughs at the unexpected hit but plays it off easily with a chuckle. 

“When Park told me he was bringing you, I thought he was kidding. I couldn’t believe he finally got the guts to ask you out.”

Seonghwa stiffens next to you but keeps the smile plastered on his face. You, on the other hand, can’t mask your surprise. 

“What do you mean?” you press. 

“Oh, just that I sort of wondered if you kids would get together,” he explains. “You used to argue in my class all the time as undergraduates, but whenever we had group activities you would pair up anyway.”

“That’s because we didn’t trust anyone else with the work,” Seonghwa points out. 

You squeeze his hand urgently, trying to tell him to shut the fuck up before he ruins his chances with his big mouth. Thankfully, he seems to get the message and relaxes a little but you can tell he still wants to protest.   

“You didn’t even trust each other with the work,” the professor corrects. “You would bicker about every little thing under your breath when you thought I couldn’t hear even though you always sat in the front of the classroom.”

“I guess we are a little competitive,” you admit with a grin, looking up at Seonghwa with what you hope comes across as affection. 

“That’s an understatement, my love,” he agrees.

“Well, it’s nice to see that you’ve been able to turn that energy into something positive,” Dr. Harvey says. “What changed?”

“Well, we’d been seeing each other for a while and finally decided to make it official,” Seonghwa muses. 

And by ‘seeing each other’ he meant fucking. When you decided on your story that day in the cafe, Seonghwa had said it would make the most sense if your fake relationship budded from a friends-with-benefits thing- or acquaintances with benefits, whatever the two of you were. But of course, you couldn’t tell your professor that so you had to more so imply it by talking around the subject.

“Well, I hope that you being together means I’ll get to see more of your face. Park, you need to bring your girlfriend around the department some time. I’m sure the other faculty miss you too.”

Seonghwa nods. “I’ll be sure to do that, sir.”

“Great! I think some more people are starting to trickle in so I should go say hello, but please help yourselves to drinks while we wait for dinner.”

You both thank him and wait before saying anything else to each other. 

“I think that went okay,” Seonghwa sighs.

“Could’ve been worse,” you agree. 

He takes a quick look around before turning back to you. “Do you want something to drink, baby?”

“God, yes.”

At the bar, Seonghwa orders you both a glass of wine. It’s an open bar but there’s a little fish bowl for tips balanced on the edge of the counter so he deposits a couple of bills in it as he thanks the bartender.

He holds one of the glasses out to you with a half-smile. “Cheers.”

“To getting through the night,” you propose. 

“To getting through the night.”

-

Dinner is a choice between a chicken pasta dish, a beef and potatoes dish, and ratatouille that could be made vegan upon request. 

“Does the pesto have pine nuts in it?” Seonghwa asks the server when he reaches your end of the table.

“No, all of our options tonight are nut-free,” he replies. 

“Perfect, thank you. Did you want the pasta, then, baby?” 

“I- yes please.”

“And I’ll get the beef and we can share.”

“Sounds good,” the server says as he jots down your orders on his little notepad. 

You wait until he moves on to the next guest before leaning over to your date and whispering “I can’t believe you remembered.”

“Hm?”

“You remembered... I’m allergic to tree nuts.”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal and murmurs, “you almost dying in the middle of chem lab our freshman year is pretty hard to forget.”

He had a point. Still, you were surprised he remembered the girl that collapsed to the floor and had to be stabbed in the thigh with an EpiPen all those years ago as you. You’re not sure if you’d remember the details so clearly if it were the other way around. 

All of the dishes were pre-prepared by the hotel’s event catering staff so they were served almost immediately after the orders were taken. 

Dr. Harvey led the conversation, engaging each of his students about their studies and personal lives. He was even sure to include the plus ones at the table, making an effort to get to know them as well. That was why Dr. Harvey had been one of your favorite professors, why you’d agreed to TA for him when he asked. He genuinely cared about his students, wanted them to succeed and was willing to go the extra mile to help them do so. You still remember crying in his office over a failed lab report, remember how he had patiently walked you through what you’d done wrong until it finally clicked for you, how he ended up giving you half of the credit you missed back just for following up and showing how dedicated you were to learning the material.

Even now as he listens to his mentees talk about everything under the sun, he doesn’t want anyone to feel left out. 

A hand on your thigh startles you out of your zoning out. You had been trying your best to pay attention but it’s just so hard to stay attentive when Wooyoung opens his mouth. He’s been talking about algae for what you estimate to be the past twelve minutes- so in your defense, you never stood a chance anyway.

“Do you want another glass of wine?” Seonghwa asks, low enough for only you to hear.

You hadn’t even realized you’d finished your first one. It had probably happened sometime in the middle of Wooyung’s rambling. 

“Yes please.”

“Okay, be right back.”

He stands from the table and takes both yours and his empty glasses in one hand, using the other to push his chair back in. Thankfully, he’s back before you can be cornered by the others at the table. You can feel it, the curiosity your presence invokes from your peers. You only recognize a few of them but all of the sideways glances make you wonder how many of them suspect why you’re really here. Maybe you’re being paranoid. Maybe they’re just surprised Seonghwa managed to pull anyone at all... no, that couldn’t be it. He’s too hot, his personality alone wouldn’t be enough to deter anyone from going out with him. 

“What’s wrong?”

You take a sip from your newly refilled glass of wine and try to play it off. “Hm? What do you mean?”

“You’re making a face.”

“What face? This is just my face.”

“No, you’ve got that wrinkle in between your eyebrows. You’re worrying about something. What is it?”

You sigh and lean over to whisper in his ear. “I feel like your... friends think it’s weird that I’m here.”

“These people aren’t my friends.”

“I know. I didn’t know what else to call them- is that really the part of what I said that you think is important?”

“Why do you think they think it’s weird?”

“I don’t know, I just keep noticing everyone looking at me.”

“It’s probably because you’re pretty,” he suggests, which makes you want to change the subject entirely. 

He thinks you’re pretty? Does he think you’re pretty or does he think other people think you’re pretty? What would possess him to say something like that?

“That- no, it’s not that.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I know what a dirty look is and I’ve been getting a lot of them. Do you think they’re onto us?”

Seonghwa makes a displeased sound in the back of his throat. “I don’t know. Maybe I underestimated the number of people applying for the same position as me.”

“Maybe, and maybe they know we haven’t always gotten along and are suspicious of why this is the first they’re hearing of us dating.”

“I guess we need to turn it up, then,” Seonghwa muses under his breath. 

“Wha- that’s not what I-”

-

After dinner, there’s a bit of mingling. You get the opportunity to formally introduce yourself to the guests you’ve never met before and answer the burning question on everyone’s mind as to why you’re there in the first place. 

Seonghwa’s hand is warm on the small of your back, making you wish you had decided against wearing a backless dress. Although, you suspect you still would have been able to feel the heat of his palm through the silk had it offered more coverage. 

“Didn’t think you had it in you, Park,” Hongjoong, you thought his name was, says as he wraps an arm around his own date. In her heels, she’s taller than him by an inch or so, and somehow it only makes the man more intimidating. “Thought you were too busy for dating, or was that just an excuse?”

“I am busy. But when you meet the right person, you make time. You of all people should know that.”

Hongjoong narrows his eyes almost imperceptibly and grins. “You’re right, we’re all fools for love, aren’t we?”

“It certainly seems that way.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong continue exchanging semi-polite small talk until the latter’s date tugs him away, mumbling something about needing another drink. 

“I didn’t realize you were so popular,” you say under your breath once the two are out of earshot.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one who hates me,” he mutters. 

“And here I thought we had something special.”

Seonghwa gives you a half-smile. “Sorry to break it to you like this.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t hate you,” you clarify, voice lowered. 

He can’t hide his surprise as his eyes widen. “Wait, really?”

You nod. “I wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

He straightens up a bit, stiffening, and you wonder if you’ve said something wrong. “Good to know.”

You each have another drink before the night ends. Champagne is served with dessert and Dr. Harvey proposes a toast to all of his students once everyone’s gathered around the table again. 

You clink your glass to Seonghwa’s and take a sip. The bubbles soothe your throat, making the lies you’ve been telling all night easier to swallow. 

You’re not drunk, you haven’t had that much to drink, but the alcohol is definitely making you feel lighter. People have started filtering out of the ballroom to go to their rooms but a few linger a little longer, taking advantage of the free booze and relaxed atmosphere. Your professor flits between the remaining students, continuing conversations that had been cut short during or before dinner. 

Soft music is playing over the speakers and a few couples are dancing to it. Seonghwa hadn’t said anything about dancing, it probably wasn’t on the actual itinerary, but he draws you out to the floor without warning. You want to protest but his hands are already on your hips and your chest is already pressed to his. You don’t think you’ve ever been this close to him, save bumping into each other in labs and accidentally spilling samples down your coats. Based on the number of times that had happened, you don’t expect Seonghwa to be particularly graceful. But he seems intent on proving you wrong as he leads you to the rhythm. 

“I didn’t know you could dance,” you murmur. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he quips back. 

You quirk an eyebrow. “Yeah? Like what?” 

He seems to think about it for a moment before answering. “I love Star Wars.”

“I already knew that.”

“What?”

“You used to bring a Darth Vader thermos to class. The lid was his helmet.”

“Legos?”

“Lego guy keychain.”

“Animal Crossing?”

“You’d literally play it in class.”

Seonghwa smirks. “Wow.”

“What?”

“I just didn’t realize you were obsessed with me.”

“Wha- I’m not obsessed with you!” you sputter. “I’m just very observant! And you make your interests too obvious.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” he teases, making you roll your eyes. 

He spins you before you get the chance to argue again, extending his arm all the way and then whipping it back so that you’re stumbling into his embrace. 

“My turn, then?” he asks. 

You feel your face scrunch up in confusion before you can stop it. “What do you mean?”

“Your favorite color is pink,” he whispers, as if it’s some kind of secret. “You love The Lord of the Rings. You quote it all the time. You like to cook. You always brought your leftovers for lunch and everyone would ask how you made whatever it was because it smelled so good.”

You’re staring at him now, lips slightly parted in surprise. His gaze flickers down to them and then back up. He smiles. 

“You’re not the only observant one.”

A song is still playing but you’ve stopped dancing. It’s like you’re standing in the eye of a storm, surrounded by music and conversation that blurs and distorts around you. It all sounds muffled, but that might just be the ringing in your ears. You realize what’s about to happen a moment before it does but you’re still unprepared when Seonghwa kisses you. 

His lips are softer than you expected, not that you’ve imagined kissing him before... not that you ever wondered. His arms are still around your waist and he pulls you in closer, deepening the kiss. 

You’re stiff at first, unsure of what to do with your arms or your own lips, but you relax when you feel his tongue swipe at your bottom lip. He makes a contented sort of sound in the back of his throat when you open your mouth for him. It’s just slightly, just enough for him to get a taste, but he seems pleased nonetheless. 

Distant cheering in the background startles the both of you out of your daze, pops the little bubble you’d somehow found yourselves in. It’s then that you remember that you’re in public, and that you probably shouldn’t be sucking each other's faces off in the middle of this very nice ballroom in front of your peers. 

You part, both a little breathless. 

“I hope that was okay,” Seonghwa whispers against your cheek. 

“It was, yeah. It was okay. More than okay.”

“Good. I’m glad.” He grins, the upturn of his cheeks pushing his specs higher on his nose, making glimmers of light from the chandelier dance in the reflection of the glass like stars falling from the sky. One of his hands strays from your waist to take your own.  “Wanna get out of here?”

You’re nodding before your brain can fully process the question. “Yes please.” 

-

The journey back up to your room is a blur. You vaguely register bidding Hongjoong, Dr. Harvey, and a couple of other people whose names had long since slipped your mind goodnight. You’re not sure what you said, Seonghwa probably took the lead. 

Your cheeks are warm with embarrassment as you make your way out of the hall hand in hand. You feel like everyone knows what you’re about to do. And with a kiss like that in a crowded room, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out.

But did it really matter if they knew you were about to get your back blown out? It would only help sell the story to them even more. At least, that’s what you’re telling yourself, still not ready to admit that you’re not playing pretend anymore. 

The clicking of your heels on the marble sounds entirely too loud as you walk through the lobby to the elevator bay. The lights have been dimmed for the night, emulating the darkness outside. Only a few employees remain behind the desks, stationed for any late check-ins. The rest had surely clocked out hours ago when the rush ended.

“Do you have a key?” Seonghwa asks you, eyeing the purse you’d somehow remembered to grab on your way out. 

You did, but, “there’s one in your pocket.”

His hand comes to the front of his pants, feeling for the plastic card. “Right. Sorry.”

He uses the key to activate the elevator and then he uses it again to open the door to your room. The ride up had been silent, and a little awkward, both of you standing on opposite sides of the tiny room, avoiding eye contact.  

You wonder if the energy has shifted, if the moment has passed. Had he suddenly come to his senses? Was he already regretting kissing you? 

You don’t get the chance to ask either of these things, however, because he’s kissing you again as soon as you stumble into the room. It’s dark, so everything is a little uncoordinated, but it almost seems fitting for you and Seonghwa. 

He presses you up against the door, fingers fumbling with the ties on the back of your dress. It’s hard for him to undo them when he can’t see what he’s doing, too occupied with kissing his way down your neck. 

“Fuck this,” he gasps, breaking away. “Lift up your arms.”

You do, gasping as Seonghwa tugs the silk up and over your head. It’s the kind of dress you can’t wear a bra with so you’re left completely bare from the waist up. 

“Fuck me,” he breathes, running his hands over your body. 

“I’m trying.”

A beat lapses before Seonghwa lets out a quiet chuckle. You’re the one to pull him back this time, tugging at his suit jacket as you kiss him in an attempt to get it off his shoulders. 

“Let me, um,” he mumbles against your lips, feeling along the wall of the little hallway you’re standing in for something. “Let me turn on a lamp or something. I want to see you.”

The comment makes you feel shy but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to see him too so you let him go and only laugh a little bit when he trips over his suitcase on the way over to the desk.

“Oh, would you rather have it off?” he asks, noticing the way you’re holding your arms over your chest. 

“No, no, I want to see you too,” you assure him. “I just feel kind of weird being the only one naked.”

“Well that’s an easy fix.”

He makes his way back over to you, loosening his tie as he does. He leaves it hanging around his neck so that you can take it off for him. The satin feels heavy in your hands and you wonder briefly how it would feel tied around your wrists- another time, maybe. 

Seonghwa focuses on unbuttoning his shirt while you lift the tie over his head, hands brushing together as you work in tandem. 

You reach for his belt but he ducks out of your grasp with a grin, shrugging off the button up as he sinks down onto his knees in front of you. You barely register the feeling of his hands on your thighs. You’re too caught up with the way he’s looking up at you. He’s taken his glasses off, though you don’t know when- or where he’s put them for that matter, and is gazing up at you like painted the cosmos themselves. Like he fully intends on worshiping you. 

Park Seonghwa on his knees. What a sight. 

“Can I?” he asks, fingers gently wedging themselves in between your legs to part them. “Please?”

You nod. 

“I need you to say it.”

“You can,” you whisper. 

“I can... what?” Seonghwa presses. “I haven’t even said what it is I want to do to you.”

He’s taunting you now. It’s obvious what he meant when he asked you but he just loves pushing your buttons too much to stop, even when he’s on the verge of begging to taste your pussy. 

“You can do whatever you want to me,” you breathe. 

“Fuck.”

You nearly lose your balance as Seonghwa lifts one of your legs over his shoulder but he plants both of his hands on your ass and pulls you onto his face before that can happen. He groans at the first taste of you, even though it’s over your panties. You’re not sure whether he meant to leave them on to be even more of a tease or if he had just simply forgotten to take them off in the rush to get you on his tongue. 

They’re the seamless kind, the kind that aren’t supposed to show through thin material. You’d chosen to wear them with your dress instead of suffering through the discomfort of a thong all night. The comfort was a benefit. The sheerness was a drawback. You might as well not be wearing anything with how form fitting they were, especially considering how wet you already are.

Your hands are in Seonghwa’s hair and you’re trying not to pull too hard but you have to anchor yourself to something or you’re afraid your knees will buckle. 

“That’s it,” he praises, nose nudging your clit as he licks into you. It’s muffled but you can still make it out, if just barely. “Harder, baby.”

“Are you s-sure?”

He nods and the motion makes you want to cry out. “I won’t break. Promise.”

You decide to trust his word and tug a little harder. He moans and rewards you by pushing his tongue inside of you. He can only go so far with the fabric of your underwear restricting him but it’s enough to get you to whimper his name. 

-

God, you sound so pretty, it’s almost too much for Seonghwa to handle. You taste just as good as he’d always imagined, better even, and he’s losing all sense of control because of it. He can tell he’s making you feel good but this won’t be enough to get you to cum, at least, not as hard as he wants you to before he fucks you... if that’s where the night ends up going. He would be more than happy to have you cum on his tongue, kiss you goodnight, and then fall asleep beside you if that’s what you wanted.   

He manages to get your panties out of the way and to the side with his teeth before diving back in and sucking your clit into his mouth. You make a little surprised sound and melt into him even more. 

He wants to get his fingers inside of you too, but it would be difficult with the way the two of you are positioned so he pulls back and jerks his head in the direction of the bed. You help him to his feet and pull him in for a kiss, moaning at the way you taste on his lips. 

Seonghwa didn’t think it was possible for him to get any harder than he already is but you’re always going and proving him wrong. 

You release him after another moment and fall back onto the mattress, calling to him like a siren. You don’t actually say anything, but you don’t have to. The sight of you on the bed you’ll share with your legs spread and your thighs still glistening with your arousal and his saliva is all it’d take for Seonghwa to throw himself into the sea and drown in you. 

He takes off his slacks finally, just to give himself a bit of relief, and joins you on the bed as fast as humanly possible.

“Can I take these off?” he asks, running his fingers over the soaked patch of your underwear. 

“Please,” you laugh. 

You lift your hips so that he can pull them off of you and then he’s back in between your legs with your thighs clamped around his head so tightly he can’t hear anything aside from your desperate pleas for him not to stop. 

He doesn’t even realize he’s been grinding into the mattress until you’re cumming on his tongue and it takes everything in him to hold back from falling over the edge with you. 

“Hwa...” 

Your voice is so distant he doesn’t hear it until you repeat it. The nickname makes his heart do a little somersault. You’ve never called him that before. It makes him want to smile like an idiot and not fight so hard to suppress those pesky feelings he’s been harboring for you for God knows how long. He wants to kiss you all over and make love to you and give you a little house on his Animal Crossing island even though he’d have to rearrange the entire layout. He actually brought his switch with him, it’s in his bag and he could go get it right now and-

“Hwa!”

Fuck. Right. He pushes the aforementioned feelings down again, clears his throat, and plays it cool. “Hm? What’s up?” His voice cracks on the ‘up’ because of course it does. So much for playing it cool. 

“Can you fuck me, please?” 

He feels like he could fall through the floor. How the fuck could you sound so polite asking to get your back blown out like that? His dick twitches against his thigh and Seonghwa has to take a deep breath to steel himself before answering. 

“You sure you want to keep going? You want this?”

“God, yes,” you whine, leaning forward to try and pull him on top of you. “Are you going to make me beg for it?”

Tempting, but, “no, it’s just... I have to tell you something.”

Jesus, was he really doing this now? It felt like the worst possible moment to bring it up but he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he slept with you without coming clean. He’d already gone further than he probably should have, judgment clouded by lust and alcohol and the lingering scent of your perfume on your neck. 

You face falls, making Seonghwa realize he definitely should have worded it differently. 

“It’s not anything bad! I don’t think...”

“Just tell me,” you say flatly. 

“Um, remember in the car earlier today when we were going through our story, and you couldn’t remember what class I asked you out after?”

“And you yelled at me about it?”

“I didn’t yell at you-” he pauses, and squeezes his eyes shut. This was why he kept going back and forth over what he was about to say, why he was hesitating even now. “I reacted the way I did because... I actually was going to ask you out that night after your pharmacology class got out.”

“What?”

“I was there, waiting outside and I-I chickened out.”

You blink in disbelief. “You don’t... hate me?”

“Hate you? I never hated you!” You give him a look. “There was a bit of... animosity between us, but it was never hate! At least, not for me! Did you hate me?”

It’s your turn to feel exposed. That’s what Seonghwa thinks you feel anyway, from the look on your face. 

“No... I already told you I didn't! It was... what you described.”

Seonghwa narrows his eyes at you. “I don’t believe you.”

“I mean, like you said, it wasn’t hate. I just didn’t particularly like you. And I thought that was a mutual thing.”

“It was!” he agrees quickly. A little too quickly, maybe. “It was. For a while. And then it wasn’t. But I never said anything about it because I kept thinking it was just a phase I was going through. I thought I’d get over it and you’d never have to know.”

“But that never happened?” He shakes his head. “But you built up the courage to show up and ask me out that day. You had to have accepted it then.”

He sighs and rolls onto his back. “I guess I did, but like I said, I was a coward. When I peeked through the window on the door, I saw you laughing and joking around with your friends and I just thought about how it’s never been like that with us. And I thought it’d never work out because we’re... us. We bicker all of the time. We’re always competing. That didn’t magically go away when I realized I had feelings for you. So I thought you deserved someone who you’d actually get along with.” 

“Well, that should have been up to me to decide,” you say. 

“I know,” Seonghwa admits with a groan. Then, he bolts upright. “Wait, would you have said yes?”

“Probably.”

“What do you mean probably?”

“I mean, I would’ve liked to see where it went. I’ve always thought you were attractive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s one of the things about you that annoyed me.” Seonghwa scoffs. “Just being honest.”

“Well, if I’m being honest,” he counters, propping himself up on his elbow. “I kind of like it when we bicker.”

“Don’t tell me it turns you on.”

“Only sometimes.”

You roll your eyes at him. “You’re sick.”

He shrugs. “It’s only because you’re so hot when you’re mad at me.”

“You must be really horny right now, then,” you mutter. 

“You’re mad at me?” 

“Yes, I’m mad at you! You’ve been keeping your little crush on me a secret all this time! And you chose now to tell me?”

“I know, I’m sorry. I have the worst timing.”

“Understatement of the year.”

Seonghwa figures he deserves that one so he lets it slide even though it chips at his pride. “Wait, so... what does that make us? If we feel the same way, shouldn’t we give it a real shot?”

You groan, putting your hands over your face. “Can we talk about it after you fuck me stupid? I’m still so wet I can’t think about anything else.”

“Oh yeah, right.” He sits up and rolls back on top of you, caging you in. He presses his thigh between your legs so that you can grind on it as he kisses you again. “Are you sure arguing with me doesn’t make you horny?” he teases. “Can feel you throbbing against me, baby.”

“I’m horny because you’re hot and your dick is hard.” 

And because you like him, Seonghwa thinks giddily. 

“We can talk about it later, then,” he surrenders, reaching down to pump himself a few times. “As long as you’ll say you’re mine.”

You tilt your head to the side as you process his request. “Yours?”

“Mine.”

“You want me to be yours?”

“If that’s something you want.”

“It is something I want.”

“Then say it.”

“I’m yours.”

“Fuck,” Seonghwa hisses, grinding against you. He’s not even inside of you yet and he feels like he could explode.

“Please, Hwa,” you whisper and reach down to line him up yourself.

“Wait fuck, I don’t have a condom.”

“I have an IUD. It’s okay,” you assure him.

“Are you sure?”

“As long as you’re clean.”

“I am, I haven’t been with anyone since last year, and I’ve been tested.”

“Me too.”

“Then we’re good?” he asks. 

“We’re good.”

“Perfect. Deep breath, baby.”

Seonghwa’s arms threaten to give out the instant he begins to push himself inside of you. He should have been the one to take a deep breath. He already knows how you taste so he really should have been more prepared for how good you would feel but then again Seonghwa had always been a bit Icarian in nature so his overly ambitious attitude is pretty par for the course in light of everything. 

“Hold on, just... just give me a second,” he stutters.

He swears you clench around him purposefully, playing it off with a meek “sorry, it was an accident” when he glares at you. He wouldn’t put it past you to turn this into a competition too, but he wants to remember your first time together as something special. He wants to be in the moment with you, wants to make you cum over and over and over on his cock until you can’t say anything but his name. He wants to make tonight all about you. He wants to make every night about you, but he’ll have to start with tonight. 

“Are you okay?” you ask him, voice so sweet he almost has to pull out so he doesn’t end what’s barely started. 

“You feel too good,” he admits, dropping his head into the crook of your shoulder. 

“If you cum now, we can just go again, right?”

Right. He forgot about that. He needs to stop thinking with his dick. 

“Yeah, right. Right.”

“Fucked out already?” you tease, brushing his hair out of his eyes. 

“It’s you,” he pants weakly. “How can I not be?”

You open your mouth, probably about to say something smart in reply but he rolls his hips just as you do, pushing himself deeper inside of you. The words seem to dissolve on your tongue, your mouth falling open in a moan instead.

“What was that, baby?” he asks, moving even faster now.

You answer in mumbled nonsense. Seonghwa smirks down at you and leans forward to kiss the point where your neck meets your collarbone. He thinks about what a hickey would look like there, what kind of attention it would draw from everyone tomorrow morning. 

He can’t dwell on it for too long, though, because you’re yanking him back up by his hair, warning him that you’re about to cum.

“Already?”

“It’s you,” you repeat his own words back to him, and he feels his own stomach tense up in anticipation. “You and your perfect dick.”

Okay, so, less romantic than his sentiment but the structure was still there. It made him feel warm inside nonetheless. 

“Can I cum, please? Please?”

“Do you think you can be quiet? We don’t want a noise complaint, remember?” 

“I c-can be quiet.”

You’re lying through your teeth and Seonghwa can tell, he’s known you for so long now that he;’s memorized all of your tells. But he’s right there on the edge too and he wants nothing more than to cum with you.

“I’m close too, baby. Shit, can I cum inside you? Please?”

“God, yes- please, give it to me...”

He kisses you as he cums, managing to swallow some of your moans and cries of his name as you cum even harder than you did the first time. He’s sensitive by the time you finally come down from it but he doesn’t pull out. 

“Can we lay like this for a second?”

You nod easily, letting out a soft laugh when Seonghwa drops his weight on top of you. “I don’t think I can move anyway.”

“Not with that attitude, you can’t.”

“Oh my god, get off of me.”

“Sorry, what was that? Couldn’t hear you.”

“You’re the worst!”

“The worst at what?”

“Everything!”

“You didn’t seem to think that a few minutes ago,” he points out. 

“I’m having post-nut clarity,” you mumble, pushing weakly at his shoulders. 

“I didn’t know that happened to girls,” he muses. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about women,” you snap, still struggling underneath him. “Maybe if you talked to one once and a while you’d be more knowledgeable on the subject.” 

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

“That’s because I- are you getting hard again?” you ask in disbelief. 

“I told you that bickering with you turns me on!”

“You are unbelievable!”

Seonghwa kisses you and rolls his hips experimentally. You moan, relaxing under him immediately. 

“Fuck, that feels good,” you sigh against his lips. 

“Yeah, we’re definitely going to be late to brunch tomorrow.”

happy birthday emily!! i'm so lucky to call you my bestie and i hope you enjoyed your very late present :)

---

just want yeosang to use that deep voice of his as he makes love to witch yn 🤪

[ DEEP LOVE 18+ ] —— yeosang and you spend some time while wooyoung is away.

pairing : dragon!yeosang x witch!f!reader (background poly ateez) genre : dragon au, fantasy / medieval, smut warnings : language, unprotected sex, monster cock!yeosang, pet name (princess)

“how long will wooyoung be gone?” yeosang ask, his body bending over yours as his voice basically caresses your ear. his bare chest presses into your bare back as he bends you over the table you had been attempting to clean since breakfast was over.

“till around noon,” you say as a moan rips through your throat as you feel yeosang’s fingers touching your clit before running through your slowly dripping wet folds.

the black haired dragon hums as his other hand gropes your breast, tweaking your nipple. you let out a breathy moan as you make a sad attempt at arching your back. yeosang presses a loving kiss your scarred shoulder before he trails his kisses up your shoulder, neck, and jaw before he kisses your cheek.

“you gonna let me fuck you then? fuck you right here on this table and leave you full of cum for wooyoung to come home and see?”

you let out a moan at the image of your red haired mate walking through the front door to be greeted with your cum-filled pussy. how wooyoung would probably eat you out before fucking your pussy as yeosang either fucks your mouth or wooyoung.

“a-ah! please fuck me, yeo,” you beg as you rub your ass against his hard cock. the length alone sliding against your ass is enough to make you shiver in excitement.

yeosang let’s out a chuckle, “such a needy princess, aren’t you?” he teases before lining his cock up with your entrance and then slowly pushing inside.

“o-oh, f-fuck! sangie, yeosang! hmm,” you whine out feeling the fullness of yeosang’s cock inside you. the dragon pins you down to the table as his holds your hips in a tight grip. he waits a moment before he begins thrusting into you at a pounding pace that has the whole table shaking.

the small cottage is filled with the sounds of your moans and his grunts and words as he calling you his “dirty princess” and asks “are you going to hold my cum until woo gets home?” “you going to let him eat it out of you while i fuck him?”

“y-yes! yes, yeo— fuck, yeosang! please fill me up! please cum in me, your cock just feels so good,” you cry out feel his cock stretching out your tight walls as you desperately try to clench around him. “fuck so big,” you add as you feel your eyes start to roll in the back of your head as you grow closer to climax.

“fuck, princess, are you growing closer to coming? you gonna come?” he asks, his breath ghosting over the shell of your ear and you clench as how deep his voice is in the moment. you can tell he’s probably also growing closer with how his hips stutter and rhythm getting thrown off a little bit.

“yeo, can i come? will you come with me?” you ask as you feel his hand making contact with your clit once more as he vigorously makes tight circles on your bud.

“o-of course you can, y/n, let go whenever you want,” he says as he kisses his mate mark that rest next to wooyoung’s. you remember how wooyoung was a little grumpy about yeosang marking you right next his own, but hopefully got over it.

you do finally come when you feel yeosang bite down on his mark. you let out a loud moan as you clench hard around the dragon’s cock as he finally comes as well.

you let out a small groan as yeosang rests on top of you for a few moments before you start to worry about the two much access weight on the wooden table. “yeo…” you mumble catching his attention as he sits up. you can’t help the series of whines that leave your lips as your mate pulls out of you.

yeosang let’s out a laugh before he’s turning you over on your back and adjusting you further on the table. “make sure you look pretty for wooyoung. you know how much he loves eating this pussy, princess.”

“especially since it’s filled with sangie’s cum,” a new voice says and you looked through fuck-dazed eyes as wooyoung appears next to yeosang. you can’t help but clench at the sight of the two dragons looming over you and you know you are all in for whatever is about to happen the rest of the day.

tag list (bold means unable to tag) : @frankenstein852 @watamotee33 @kawennote09 @mixling-blog @hwal0v3r @marahleiwhen @harry-the-pottypus @rdiamond2727 @sanniesbum @marvelahsobx @voidcupidz @khjcoo @mysticfire0435 @exfolitae @kangskims @cvpitvno @lzvxndxr @dementedaly

honorable tag : bestie @songmingisthighs (your request is in the works right now 😭)

---

idiot in love. k.yeosang x f.reader 5.7k words (fluff + humour)

“I have an idea!”

“No.”

Yunho, who had just burst into the room with a bright smile on his lips, now stood by the doorway with a pout. His phone is held tightly in his hand and playing a video from what looks like tiktok. A chorus of cheers and gasps comes from the gadget’s speakers and you can’t help but to be intrigued.

“Don’t be rude, Yeosang.” San tosses a candy wrapper at the other’s face, telling him off for crushing the light behind Yunho’s eyes. 

You sit on the pink reclining chair in the middle of the room and look up at your tall friend who had just arrived. Currently, you were waiting for the rest of your friends to get to your guys’ usual hang out spot. A comfy little pool house in the back of Seonghwa’s normal-sized and humble house, or that’s what he likes to call it (you’d rather skip the pleasantries and call it a mansion). It’s a decent sized pool house, as decently-sized as a mansion’s pool house can be, and it’s well decorated.

That’s a lie. 

You know how there’s this big thing with the generation now with aesthetics and styles? Yeah, so if you’d gather all those and smush it into a snowball pile and then throw it against a wall, you’d get the pool house decor. It wasn’t bad! Mingi once said that this is what cluttercore is. And you don’t think that it’s ugly, it’s not the best interior design you’ve done but if you look at it at a certain angle and then tilt your head to the left, then sure, it looks pleasing to the eye!

Actually scratch that. This was all Jongho’s fault! Yeah for sure. He calls himself an interior design major yet he can barely even get this place in check. Yeah, that’s right. How about you shift majors, Jongho?

No… that’s a lie too. Because you know god damn well that Jongho’s no joke when it comes to designing. This mess of a house was collectively everyone’s fault. Why? Because everything in this god forsaken pool house was brought by none other than your group of hooligans. 

Hongjoong had speakers stacked up in one corner along with a keyboard and a 2015 dubstep pad which you highly doubt still works. Beside his mess is another mess, this one is of dumbbells and resistance bands with a pull up bar station and foldable bench (which never gets folded) in between it all. This one was courtesy of your gym rat friends, i.e: San, Mingi, Yeosang and Jongho.

Jongho’s solo corner is most definitely the only aesthetically pleasing and neat area of the whole place. He had set up a little bean bag seat by the door so he could bask in the afternoon sunlight. And beside that was his little guitar stand and trusty acoustic guitar. You remember gifting it to him when he graduated high school; oh the memories of huddling together to gather all your saved up cash from your part time jobs.

Your corner? Well you didn’t exactly have one, per se. You had a habit of hovering around everyone else’s little respective corners and sticking your nose into their business, so you never really saw the need to have your own space. But you had a little pink reclining chair you thrifted in the middle of the room. It was beaten up and the leather was peeling in some spots  but if you covered it with a blanket, then it’s out of sight and out of mind.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. 

You were sitting on your chair with your legs dangling off the arm rest and scrolling through twitter when your friend unceremoniously slams open the sliding glass door and holler about his brilliant idea. San was lying on the rug watching ants march by a cookie crumb and Yeosang was messing around with Hongjoong’s keyboard. Seonghwa was back inside looking for some snacks to share and everyone else was on their way to the pool house.

“What is it, Yun?” You turn to the man and place your phone down onto your chest.

“At least someone cares.” The tall blonde trudges to your side and plops down on the ground beside you. You watch as he shuffles around to get his bum comfortable on the concrete before he shows you his phone screen. Once he’s comfy enough, he leans his chin onto your tummy and starts talking about this one tiktok he saw. 

“So I was scrolling through tiktok and there’s this one that has like thirty million views.” 

San crawls up from his previous spot before kneeling beside your pink chair. His eyes are trained onto the people on the screen as he scurrys closer and leans his chin onto your shoulder. The newest addition to the scene connects eyes for a split second with the man on your stomach before he hums when the video replays again and it vibrates on your shoulder. But you’re not concerned, because your attention was on something else. Rather, someone else.

Yeosang stayed where he was, fingers mindlessly pressing key after key on Hongjoong’s keyboard while his other hand scrolled through his own tiktok. Is he not interested in what Yunho’s showing? Why isn’t he coming closer, you pout inwardly. 

Listen. If you were in his situation and you heard people gasping, you’d have ran all the way to see what was going on. This is not to say that you want Yeosang to come running towards you at any chance he gets, it’s just… Okay you do want him to run towards you whenever the opportunity’s there.

But can you be blamed for having a simple crush on your friend? He is exceptionally beautiful, of course all your friends are beautiful but you just think he has that edge that puts him above everyone else (but don’t tell Wooyoung or else he’ll flip). His large russet irises that just glitter in the sunlight like cold brew on a sunny afternoon. His high cheekbones and the rich red birthmark that sits at his temple. And his voice! So deep with a timber that makes your heart rattle in your chest. Everything about him just had you captured.

“Keep the pda to a minimum please, we have a minor.”

Hongjoong scolds from the doorway, throwing a glance at the other side of the room where Yeosang sat all alone with his equipment. He stands proud on his feet with pottery clay stained sleeves and mismatched socks. No one really knows what Hongjoong does in his free time, but he always turns up with skin tainted in whatever and oftentimes a new hair colour. Behind him stood your other two friends, one bearing a scowl and the other freely giggling at Hongjoong’s words. 

“I’m literally twenty one.” Jongho grumbles, unbuttoning the first couple of buttons of his tan cafe uniform dress shirt. 

“I’m talking about Mingi.” Hongjoong directs a nod at the taller of the three who then yelps out a ‘hey!’.

You and your friends had this little inside joke that Mingi was actually five years old mentally. Not in the sense that he’s dumb (he’s actually the opposite), but rather because of his cute and clumsy nature. For a man of his height, you wouldn’t expect him to be the type of person who makes hand hearts in every photo and calls the colour pink ‘heart coloured’. 

Moving forward, it’s not like skinship wasn’t a norm with your little gang of misfits, it was. Especially with the more cuddlier guys of the bunch, like Yunho and San. So, seeing them getting all cozied up with anyone isn’t all that surprising. 

“Where’s Wooyoung?” You ask, genuinely curious of where the loud one was.

“He went to bother Seonghwa. Probably making those crappy western sandwiches with ham and potato chips.” Mingi responded, making his way to you and peeking at the screen in Yunho’s hand.

“That looks fun.”

-

“Wait, so how does this go again?” Jongho asks, sitting on the ground beside the tray of snacks Seonghwa had prepared. Wooyoung had sneaked in three of those crappy sandwiches that Mingi mentioned onto the tray, and they were all eaten by him too. The rest of you settled on the bowl of salted pretzels and kettle chips.

Yunho downs his can of beer before tossing it to the side (much to Seonghwa’s dismay) and beginning to explain again. He believes this is his eighty-eighth time explaining to the group because none of them are ever listening at the same time!

“So we all put our phones down in the middle and make sure they’re locked.” Yunho demonstrates by placing his phone on the floor with the screen pitch black and reflecting his face. 

“And then we wait for one of them to light up. The person who owns that phone will then have to call their crush!”

Now everyone’s listening. Especially you, reclined on your chair and suddenly sweating. You can feel your fingers start to tremble and your heart beat quicker. Your eyes flicker to Hongjoong who gives you a wicked smile.

Hongjoong’s the only person who’s known about your… affectionate feelings for Yeosang. It’s rather an embarrassing story to recall. You were scrolling through your guys’ group chat and skimming across the recently sent pictures. You guys had just gone on a little beach trip in the middle of summer, yes how anime plot cliche of you, but who’s to judge? Anyway, you had stopped on a particular picture because it had caught your eye.

The sky was a rich blue and thin clouds had been strung out  across it. The horizon sits beautifully between it and the clear blue sea that calmly breaches onto the hot sand. But who cares for that view when you have the perfect view of Kang Yeosang clad in only his swimming shorts, sitting on a beach towel with his hands planted behind him to lean his head back. His hair was dripping with the salty sea water that trickled down onto his skin and pooling in his deep collarbones. 

You couldn’t stop staring. Not with the way his eyes had been shut and his lips hung open in a deep exhale. You were– as what the young ones say these days, quite gagged. The sight of his smooth skin with a light sheen of the sea and the sand that stuck onto his muscular thighs. Oh the things that ran through your mind… 

You wouldn’t have stopped staring if it wasn’t for Hongjoong walking up from behind you and gawking at the picture opened on your screen. In full brightness. Zoomed in on Yeosang himself. 

What’s worse than that was the way he reacted, but that’s a story for another day.

“I’m in!” San happily announces after Yunho explains, immediately fishing his phone out and placing it beside Yunho’s.

And soon, everyone had their phones out and ready to participate. Even you, although it does feel like you’re shitting your heart out of your ass. But what are the chances right? There are nine of you and there’s absolutely no way that your phone out of the nine lights up first. You had about an eleven point eleven percent possibility, so it couldn’t be you.

Yet, why were you so jittery? You know that your chances are low but why do you still feel like running out and diving to the pool by reason of insanity?  God, what’s up with you right now?

“We have to film this.” Wooyoung interjects before the game starts.

Everyone now had their phones laying in a circle right beside the litre of sprite. And honestly, you were kind of anxious, seeing that your phone was the closest to the bottle and might possibly get wet from the perspiration that’s dripping down the green plastic. You had literally gotten that five months ago, had to bust your ass sitting dogs and begging on your knees in front of your parents…

“Idiot how are we gonna film if all our phones will be in the pile?” San delivers a soft smack to the back of the shorter’s head. And now that you think about it, Choi San has been quite violent today. Throwing stuff at people and smacking heads.

“Seonghwa has two phones.” 

You hear Hongjoong call out from opposite of you. His voice was rather bitter, understandable. He, of course, has to live with his crappy little iPhone 6s plus until next month when he’s eligible for a new one from his plan (don’t ask why he hasn’t upgraded in the last– something, years). And his dear best friend Seonghwa is here with two of the latest iPhones tucked into each of his back pockets. But it all comes from a place of banter, though. You know how Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s dynamic is. 

“I’ll get the tripod!” Jongho immediately jumps onto his feet and runs to Wooyoung’s little nook. The latter then complains at how Jongho teasingly scatters his stuff in search of the tripod that’s ‘literally right there!’

When everything’s all set up, everyone huddled on the floor, Seonghwa’s turquoise iPhone perched by the sliding doors, and phones readily on hand, Yunho begins his countdown.

“Okay guys, so we all know what to do, right?” 

A chorus of ‘yes’ erupts from the team and a quiet ‘get on with it!’ sounds from Yeosang, who Yunho throws a pouty glare at.

“On the count of three, we’re all gonna lock our phones and then put them in the middle.”

One.

You have your phone in your hand and your fingers are trembling. You’re honestly so nervous because, fuck. The chances of you being the one chosen is high. Who in the world thinks that one in nine is a low possibility? Definitely not you! That eleven percent was one above ten percent. And in a situation like this? You think that a ten percent chance is still ten too many! 

Two.

You think about backing out, again. Maybe you should smash your phone on the ground and go oops! No… Maybe you could pretend faint and fall face first into the bowl of pretzels. Yes! That sounds– fucking stupid. Come on brain! You yell inside your mind, Think! Think! Think!

Three!

Too late. Everyone’s now clicking their phones shut and you’re left no choice but to follow from the peer pressure. And soon everyone’s phones are back on the ground again. This time, you’re not that worried about the damn puddle of water on the fucking gray concrete. All your mind is racing about is the fact that your life is on the line (okay dramatic much?). 

Your heart is pounding in your ears, and it’s all you can hear. Granted, everybody in the room had shut up in anticipation, but it just made the beating of your heart even louder. Your palms are growing clammy and you can feel beads of sweat forming on your hairline. It feels like millions of years have passed by now, but anyone can tell you otherwise. In fact, it hasn't even been five seconds since your phones were tossed into the ring.

With everyone’s eyes glued onto their own phones, you all waited. For whichever iPhone lights up first. The screens lined up together to perfectly mirror the way the pool water reflects the sunlight into the room. You try to distract yourself with the refracted light that dances on the ceiling, enjoying how they wiggle and float as a result of the pool right outside. It’s crazy how science works. But that distraction barely even lasts a moment before your eyes flicker onto a pair already staring at you. And as you stare into Hongjoong’s dark irises, you’re reminded of the fact that you’re waiting. For one phone to ping with a notification. Waiting. 

Waiting. 

Waiting.

Ping!

There it is. Finally you’re put out of your misery! Your eyes, along with everybody else's, fall onto the glowing screen. And you see the face of Suna Rintarou, Inarizaki High School’s Volleyball Team’s six foot one middle blocker. The same exact picture you have on your lockscreen. A text notification floats into view and it reads:

“Happy Birthday! This is Doja Cat, meow~. I am sending this message from my private number…”

That’s crazy, you think, who gets scam texts from Doja Cat? Haha… Oh.

Panic surges through your veins as it now registers that it was your phone that pinged. It was you who got the Doja Cat scam text. (It’s not even your birthday! Who sends this kind of stuff and how did they get your number?! What?) … And it’s you who has to call your crush right now.

At this point your heart has probably fallen out of your asshole, maybe even crashed through the crust of the earth. You can’t believe that this is happening to you right now. You had only a little over ten percent of a chance on your side yet the universe still pointed its grubby wrinkled finger at you. You’re convinced that you’re the main character of some stupid early afternoon sitcom titled ‘What are the odds?’ or something… Fuck, with a capital ‘F’!

Right after your phone had pinged on, Hongjoong’s crappy banged up iphone six followed suit with a notification from instagram. But it’s too late. Whoever just liked his post was twenty-three seconds too late. You were the chosen one.

The two of you make eye contact once more and his eyes now glitter with mischief. Not only was he saved by the grace of god, but he gets to watch you crumble into dust and debris like the ruins of Parthenon, again! Oh what a splendid day it was to be Hongjoong. What makes this situation even more satisfying (for Hongjoong and not you, oh dear god, especially not you) is what happened a couple days back. And the male who sits across from you can’t help but smile.

For context, it was a lovely Wednesday afternoon. You were lying on Hongjoong’s kitchen counter whining and moping about being single, as per usual. And your friend sits on the newspaper covered floor, painting his cabinets blue. Not even the usual calming sky blue that shows up naturally, no; he is painting his kitchen cabinets an awful shade of neon blue. One that blinds you and leaves a lasting orange mark behind your eyelids when you close your eyes.

“Is this about Yeosang, again?” He had asked you without even looking away from his brush strokes.

You felt your face heat up at the mention of him. You turned your head to look at the man with a pout, which he doesn’t even notice. Again, all his attention is on keeping paint from his precious bronze hinges.

“Maybe…” You responded after a few moments of silence. “And why aren’t you using a big brush like any normal person?”

Hongjoong murmured something along the lines of ‘mind your business’ and then told you to carry on your rambling. So you do. 

“I don’t know! It’s just that… I’ve been silent about my feelings for so long and this is my first time talking about them to anyone, so I’m dumping out a lot of emotions here.”

“Aren’t you glad I found out, then?”

“Fuck you.” You scowled at Hongjoong’s teasing tone pertaining to how he found out. You hate him.

“Like there’s something about him that’s just so charming!” You continued when he gave you no response. “When I first met him he was shy and quiet and so it was like whiplash because his best friend is apparently Wooyoung? I can’t be the only one who was surprised at that. But then… then he started opening up to us and then my perception of him just tumbled from there…”

Hongjoong placed his paintbrush on the floor, soaking the newspaper in blue paint and his focus had moved onto you. The way you talked so nonchalantly, like your feelings for Yeosang were something so familiar to you. The way you absentmindedly wiggled your fingers every time you giggle at a memory of a certain blonde. It was so obvious that your feelings for the man were much stronger than what Hongjoong first sought it out to be.

“He’s just so funny in his own little way. He doesn’t even have to try! Like that one time he was frying an egg and he tried to flip it but then–” You bursted out laughing at the memory. Hongjoong remembered too, the clueless expression Yeosang had after dropping the sunny side up egg on the ground was just hilarious. 

“I don’t know why I like him so much. We’re not the closest of the group– I don’t think I’ve even spent an hour just him and me alone! So it doesn’t make sense to me how I started liking him. I don’t know anything about him that you don’t, and vice versa. It just happened suddenly and now I have uncontrollable feelings for my friend. It’s like fucking cupid just punched me in the gut and went ‘hehe you have feelings now’!”

By now you had your face down on the countertop, muffling your cries onto the cold surface.

“And it’s so frustrating because he has the qualities to be the perfect crush! He’s handsome, funny and kind, but I know that’s not why I like him. Maybe it adds up to why, but it’s not entirely true. I think it’s because he has this aura around him that just had me hooked. It’s like his own angel halo, he’s just so– so… benign!”

“Benign?” Hongjoong finally spoke, he has never met anyone use the word ‘benign’ to describe anyone. Especially you! He did not expect you to pull out uncommon words for this. No hate, he loves you kiss kiss, but you’re the type of person to slap someone in the face and call it flirting. Describing someone as benign was not up your alley. 

“Why don’t you just ask him out then?” He asked you the most obvious question ever.

“What if he rejects me?” And you responded with the most obvious answer ever. 

“You’ll never know unless you shoot your shot.” Hongjoong picked up his paintbrush and went back to painting his cabinets such an atrocious colour. 

You gave him a cocky laugh in response. Pfft– confess? You? It was like telling an elephant to bungee jump, that’ll never happen! 

“But! If I don’t shoot, then I’ll never miss.”

Were your infamous last words, Hongjoong remembers so well. So maybe that’s what makes this entire thing so interesting.

Hongjoong watches you with hawk-like eyes, reading your heart off from your sleeves. Your eyes meet for a quick second before your eyes flit back onto the phone in front of you. The room erupts in hollers and hoots and Hongjoong can’t help but let his eyes drift off to the male who sat two persons to his left. 

Yeosang’s face was undecipherable, that’s all one could say. His eyebrows were raised in the slightest bit as a sign of intrigue. The corners of his lips were neither turned up nor down; they were just neutral. The only telltale sign of interest he’s showing is the upturn of his head as he tries to get a better look at your glowing phone screen. But other than that, you might say he looks indifferent.

But that’s not what Hongjoong sees. Oh no, the older male has his eyes on Yeosang’s closed fists. Watching as they ever so slightly clench when you shakily reach for the gadget. And Hongjoong’s mind is set. He knows now. 

“This is rigged!” You cry with your phone heavy in your hands.

“How?!” Wooyoung screeches from beside you. 

“You rigged it!” You point an accusatory finger at Yunho who flinches and gives you his sweetest most clueless puppy dog eyes. That devil.

“You came here with this idea! This was planned from the start! I am a victim!” You cry, voice getting more deranged as each word flies past your lips. 

And it’s funny, yes, everyone’s glad it’s getting captured by Seonghwa’s phone. But what will be even more fun is when you actually get to the fucking plot of this and call your crush!

“Just call whoever you have to call, y/n!” Jongho says firmly after his own laughing fit. Scary how strict the younger generation is nowadays.

“Do I have to?” You resort to pleading. “Can’t we just go again?” 

They all give you one final stern glare before you finally give up and unlock your phone. With each tap you do, your breathing gets even more shallow. Oh it’s bad for you.

Everyone has their eyes on you, some curious, some teasing, and you just want to die. Dig a hole and die. Eat concrete and die. Roll in barbed wire and die. Anything! Literally anything would be better than you embarrassing yourself. 

So you find the contact and press call. A ring comes from your speakers and it goes silent for a moment. Everybody is on their toes, giggling to themselves and feeling giddy over something that doesn’t even involve them. But can you blame them? They’re all so nosy and always want to be in each others’ business.

The next ring that blares into the room comes from the circle of phones on the floor. A light blue iphone vibrates and flashes, catching everyone’s attention. You’ve pressed your face into your palms, refusing to look at anyone as embarrassment spreads like wildfire on your skin. Just like before, the room has fallen silent again, minus the constant ringing of the still unanswered call. 

Yeosang stares, mouth agape and eyes wide. That’s his phone. There’s no mistaking it. And only he has his notifications set to LED flash which he first did because it annoys Wooyoung. He doesn’t exactly need it, per se, but at this point he’s had his phone set to LED flash for years now that he’d feel empty without it. Back to the scene at hand, Yeosang’s still staring at the call screen.

Everyone was at a loss for words. For multiple reasons, the first one being you having a crush on Yeosang. Wooyoung, at first was about to wail about you not choosing him instead, because obviously he is the better choice (his words). But that soon went over his shoulder when he glanced at the phone on the floor. The second, and more appalling reason to everyone’s disbelief, is that the object of your desires does not even have your number saved. 

“You don’t even have her number saved?!” Wooyoung suddenly breaks the silence and it makes you snap your head up. 

What…? You’re taking blow after blow today, a match with Manny Pacquiao would have had less punches to the gut. Triple Whammy! Or whatever you call it.

“Wow… You’re really…” San speaks up from beside you. “Really, you’re something else.”

The phones finally stop ringing and you hear an automated voice come from your end of the call. You could hardly look in Yeosang’s direction right now, because, face it, him not saving your number? That’s a large blaring neon sign of unrequited affection. And you’re too wrapped up in your own emotions, still frozen in shock, that you don’t notice Yeosang frantically shaking his head and hurriedly blurting out about how it’s a misunderstanding.

“It’s not just, y/n! I don’t have anyone’s numbers saved…” And his voice trails off when realizes that he just made things worse. That does not sound reassuring at all.

“Bro?!” Wooyoung snatches Yeosang’s phone from the floor and holds it up briefly to his best friend’s face to unlock it. The dark haired male finds his contacts list and it’s true. So far all he can see saved are his family’s numbers. Heartbreaking really, because after all they’ve been through?

“Eight years! We’ve known each other for eight years, Yeosang. And you don’t have my number saved?!” Wooyoung’s hysterical, which is somewhat funny. He’s an inch away from mauling his best friend like a bear and Yunho’s tasked with holding him back by the collar considering he’s sat beside the feral man. 

But there’s nothing for you to smile about, it seems like the group had momentarily forgotten about what happened a mere minute earlier. Which, thank god, you don’t want to dwell on that forever. But you are craving a little bit of attention right now, preferably from someone who’ll comfort you or some shit. You don’t know! It’s confusing.

Seonghwa notices the way your fingers pick and pull at the strings of your distressed jeans and he decides he should at least get you out of the room. He spots the empty bowl of pretzels and uses this as an excuse.

“I’m gonna go get more pretzels. Wanna come, y/n?”

You jolt at the mention of your name and you look up to see Seonghwa holding a hand out to you. Which, after you catch on to what his intentions are, you gratefully accept. Now on your feet, you grab the empty bowl and throw a quick smile at the squabbling group of idiots before making your way out. Missing the way a pair of panicked eyes trail after your figure. 

Once in the kitchen, you sigh and plant your hands on the pristine countertops. Actually, last time you were here, Seonghwa’s countertops were steel gray granite. How come the slab in front of you was now a snowy marble. When did his mom even renovate the kitchen?

“Hey, Hwa.” You start when you hear footsteps join you in the kitchen. “When did you get your countertops changed…”

Yeosang is who greeted you when you turned your head. Not Seonghwa.

And then everything’s quiet. Where was Seonghwa? You have no idea. Was he the one who set this up? You’re not sure, but you think so. Will you absolutely abolish him when you get him? Absolutely. 

You don’t know how long you both stand there stupidly staring at each other, but you assume it’s a really long time. You counted about seven bird chirps from outside and approximately three cars had honked as they passed by the road. You think you can see the sunlight moving, or maybe you’ve absolutely lost it. Matter of fact! Maybe that’s not even Yeosang in front of you. Maybe that’s just another one of your crazy hallucinations, that sounds about right. Real. 

Yes, there is no Yeosang in the room.

“So…” 

It talks?! 

The man in front of you starts and you’re startled out of your thoughts. Oh sweet cheese… That’s the real thing. That’s the real human Yeosang… oh great heavens…

“Uhm…” He scratches the back of his neck and sucks a breath through his teeth.

That is a telltale sign of discomfort, you conclude, the psychology major part in your brain puts on her lab coat and pushes up her jacket. Hand on the back of the neck? Head tilted? Avoiding eye contact? Yep, he absolutely despises you. He wants to grab you by the ankles and throw you onto Seonghwa’s incredibly large front lawn like a shot put. Miss Trunchbull style.

Only, you’re studying architecture. 

“This is awkward.” Yeosang speaks again.

“I’ll get the pretzels.” You turn your back and try to find a bag of pretzels, when you know that they’re in the pantry. And the pantry is right behind Yeosang so that means that to get to the pantry you’d have to walk past Yeosang. And you’d rather not get within shot put throwing distance of Yeosang right now! Maybe, you can take an alternate route over the kitchen island and then take the stairs up to the balcony and then jump off into the pool and then walk back in to grab the pretzels. 

Yes. Wonderful.

But, right when you’re about to jump over the marble, Yeosang’s voice pierces through the room.

“We should go get coffee sometime.”

And now you’re rooted in your spot. Because did Yeosang just ask you out or did you just bang your head on the counter in an attempt to run away? 

“I mean like… If you want to!” Panic rises in Yeosang’s eyes because, from his perspective, you’ve been silent this whole time. You even tried to avoid the topic entirely. But, I guess he wouldn’t blame you after the whole thing in the pool house. 

He’s been freaking out since the phone call. First of all, he fully expected San’s or Yunho’s phones to ring because you’re always cuddling with them. Maybe even Hongjoong, you go over to his place often and have a lot of inside jokes and secrets with each other. Who’s to say that you two weren’t secretly harbouring feelings for each other. But, that’s not to say he’s unhappy that you called him. He was just pleasantly surprised. 

He’s not complaining, he thinks you’re cute and he loves your personality. If anything, he’d love to get to know you more, maybe spend some time away from the hooligans you call friends. They always did hog you whenever you hung out. Never gave him the chance to talk with you one on one. Maybe this is his chance?

So, when Seonghwa offered to pull you out of the scene, he decided to take his place. A quick ‘I’ll go’ whispered as he passed by the older male. His palms were leaking by the time he got in the kitchen, standing nervously and bashfully scratching his neck. He genuinely didn’t know what to say. Where should he even start? 

So when he blurts out an invitation to go out, he feels his heart fall into the depths of the abyss. He didn’t mean to say that! He should have de-escalated the situation first, fuck! Now you’re standing there in the kitchen looking at him like he was stupid. He is.

“If you don’t want to then it’s okay.” 

And you just stand there staring, for another good three minutes. 

“Sure.” You finally whisper, eyes wide and dumbfounded, but Yeosang heard it. And it made his heart swell. Sure.

If idiot in love was the phrase, you were the picture.

note: not proofread and it's kinda rushed. ive had this prompt im my drafts for about a year now and i just wanted to let it out.

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