After Many Candidates Does He, FINALLY, Realise What He Wants From The Princess Reblogging From My Shadow-reader

after many candidates does he, FINALLY, realise what he wants from the princess 🥹✨👑 ♡ reblogging from my shadow-reader days ♡

royal advisor wonwoo x crown princess reader

themes: royalty au, elements of east asian fantasy but it’s just atmospheric and not plot-relevant, childhood friends to lovers, slight romcom, misunderstandings, awkward loser!wonwoo

words: 9.5k

warnings: centers around a wedding, there’s a creep but he’s not that bad, genre-typical violence is alluded to but not explicitly detailed, and like two swear words

based on this text post of mine:

a royalty au where you’re the heir to the throne and wonwoo is your shy (and lowkey bumbling) royal advisor…. he’s smart and always has his head stuck in a book but he’s also painfully awkward and clueless to how deeply in love with him you are. until your parents decide it’s time for you to get married. and suddenly you’re inundated by suitor after suitor, and wonwoo is quizzing them on their credentials and doubting their suitability for you, this one makes brash political decisions, this one spends too freely, this one has no tact for diplomacy. until one day, you turn to him and ask, “you’ve hated every single one of them. who, then, do you think i should marry?” and wonwoo blushes red and presses his lips together.

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and the cute couple’s back with another domestic episode 🤣🦷 ♡ reblogging from my shadow-reader days ♡

lucky!

wonwoo x f!reader

words: 1.3k

genres: just fluff!!!

synopsis: the fanfic trope where a character wakes up loopy after wisdom tooth surgery

When you enter the waiting room, gripping the arm of the nurse who leads you there, the first thing that comes out of your mouth is “why are you here?” (but between the gauze and swelling, it more likely came out as waaough.) 

You turn to the nurse. “Why is he here?” She somehow understands you, however, because she just pats your arm.

With a deadpan expression, she tells you. “Sweetheart, that’s your boyfriend. He’s here to drive you home.”

You lean in close to her, trying your best to whisper in your ear. “No way, that’s Mingyu’s hot roommate!”

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pillowfort escapades 🥹✨🤭

cream of the crop | changkyun [mx]

[GENRE] smut, fluff

[COUNT] 4.4k+

[PAIRING] fem. reader x Changkyun (I.M)

[WARNINGS] f2l, unprotected sex, oral (f. receiving), fingering, cream pie, hair pulling, overstimulation, cockwarming, choking if you squint, multiple orgasms, edging

[AU] f2l au

[A/N] as requested by anon however I’m not too keen on how it turned out? I think maybe i crammed too much in such a short space of time and a small word count. I hope you still like it though and who knows! It might be up for a rewrite or a part 2

Something isn’t right.

Changkyun frowns, watching you speak within yourself – your chin lowered to your chest and your eyes avoiding contact – which is highly irregular. He knows something is eating away at you but for reasons unknown, you hadn’t yet shared what it was. He leans forward to take a sip of his milkshake before settling back in the booth and nudging Jooheon beside him.

“…so yeah. Dinner was whatever.” You shrug nonchalantly, picking at a basket of fries, which had gone stone cold.

“Don’t eat those,” Jooheon slaps your hand away and flags up a waitress. “I’ll get some more.”

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cheollie on the inside knowing what she’s been hinting at 🤣 ♡ reblogging from my shadow-reader days ♡

— haven | c.sc

for my 500 follower event !!! — cheol + breeding.

pairings; seungcheol x fem! reader | genre; smut, fluff, established relationship | w.c; 1.3k+ | warnings; breeding, soft dom! cheol, unprotected sex, creampie, messy MESSY sex, praising, pet names, multiple rounds, tooth-rotting fluff. | a/n; this took long to write but i'm happy abt how it turned out! ty for participating <3

“y’know? apparently, deep-voiced men have more children,” you state, eyeing your husband indiscreetly. 

“really? i’ll make sure to convey that to wonwoo next time.” seungcheol mutters, clearly disinterested in the discourse. 

a frown sits on your lips when you notice that he doesn’t even lift his eyes from his phone screen. this is another one of your fruitless attempts to get pregnant (re: to get him to bend you over and fuck a baby into you). but your husband, as usual, doesn’t pick up your hints. 

either, he can’t actually understand what you want. need. or he knows, but he doesn’t entertain the idea. knowing cheol, it was most probably the latter than the former. you’ve mentioned kids almost every day. you’ve sent him any cute baby videos that pop up in your feed (your feed is now completely filled with them). you also initiate more sexy time during your ovulation period, such as today. 

you doubt that seungcheol won’t pick up on your insinuations. maybe he doesn’t want children. a heavy feeling settles in your chest at the thought, and you don’t notice the way his eyes dart to you expectantly. usually, even if he doesn’t respond well, you’ll continue to fill him in with random pregnancy and fertility information. but you don’t today. did you give up? and why the hell can’t you see what he wants. 

hell yes. of course, he knows your intentions. the thought of having your belly swell with his child gives him pure dopamine. the reason why he doesn’t seem to reciprocate? he wants you to say it. no, beg for it. 

seungcheol can’t understand. why the hell would you search random stuff and tell him about it instead of just asking him. just four simple words. give me your babies. and that’s all it would take to have him on his knees. 

you stand up from the bed and make your way towards him. with a huff, you rest your arms on your hips and glare at him. you’ve had enough. if he wants to continue acting dumb, you might just as well say it to his face. but your confidence melts away when seungcheol sets his dark eyes on you. his tongue darts out to wet his tongue as he looks up at you, eyebrows raised and a ghost of a smirk on his lips. 

you kneel before him, resting your head on the thigh of his spread legs. and seungcheol has to control his flurry of emotions when you look up at him with needy eyes and a pretty pout. he feels your breath hitting his clothed crotch and your nails softly digging into the flesh of his thigh as you draw circles on them. 

“yes, baby?” he asks, tossing his phone away. his hand comes to rest on your head, thumb caressing your cheek. you lean into his touch and mutter something inaudible. before he can ask you to repeat yourself, you press your palm on his semi-hard, clothed dick, feeling it twitch under your touch. 

you smile, knowing the effect you have on him. with a newfound confidence, you mumble, “want your babies.” fuck, he did want this, but he didn’t expect you to ask him like this. kneeled down before him and innocently staring at him as you bit your lip and palmed his cock. 

“be good and i’ll fuck you, yeah?” he mutters under his breath, and you nod with glassy eyes. 

and that’s how you end up here. on all fours, tears staining your cheeks, and your sloppy cunt stuffed with cum as seungcheol keeps rutting into you. this is the fourth? fifth? you don’t remember. all you know is how his thick cock feels in your messy cunt and how you’ll pass out any second. 

both your bodies are covered in sweat, and seungcheol isn’t sure how long you both have been going at it. he swears this is the last round every time, but he gets drunk in the feeling of your warm, sloppy cunt. the wet squelch that he hears every time your bodies meet is enough to drive him crazy. and your moans and begs keep him going. 

“ah–yes! just-just gimme y’ babies,” you whine when he hits that sweet spot for the nth time. your arms give out, and you fall face-first into the pillow while his hands are still manoeuvring your hips with a tight grip. 

“fuck. baby, so good for me.” he praises feeling his cock twitch and his abdomen muscles coil. a low groan leaves him when he feels your gummy walls clenching around his length. this is way too addicting. everything about this is addicting. even the tiredness in his muscles, the breathlessness, and god, his cum oozing out your abused hole each time he thrusts. 

seungcheol ceases his movements momentarily to move you into a comfortable position. he flips you over, groaning at the sight of your messy state. you look so pretty. trembling under him with your tear-stained lashes and puffy eyes. you whine at the loss of contact, causing him to chuckle. he leans, pressing his lips to yours in a hot kiss. 

“needy, needy baby.” he mutters against your lips. “your needy baby,” you reply, staring up at him with such warmth in your eyes. that’s it. that’s his breaking point. he groans, and any rational thought he had is thrown out the window when he pistons his hips into yours again. 

you wrap your legs around his torso and moan loudly as he ruts mercilessly. he rests his face in the crook of your neck, biting and sucking at the skin. his mind is hazy. absolutely no thought except that he needs to fill you to the brim with his cum. to make your belly swell with his child. to completely mark you as his. 

seungcheol’s eyes tear up. he’s so sensitive, and the stimulation is clouding his brain, but he can’t stop himself. he thrusts harder when you start to moan louder. you can feel his tip bruise your cervix with each thrust, and you cry out loud. a warmth pools in your stomach. and you don’t know if it is because of the impending orgasm or the thought of having a family with him. 

creating a new life with him. the child will be the physical manifestation of your love. an evidence. a proof. even if you both are long dead, your child will carry on the legacy of your love. 

tears spill to your cheeks, and the warm feeling stems from your stomach, spreading throughout your body. your breath hitches when seungcheol kisses your tears away. wrapping your sore arms around him, you pull him closer and rest your forehead against his. he presses a soft kiss to your forehead. the warm feeling envelops your heart when he smiles softly at you, and you swear you can see hearts in his eyes.  

with a loud cry of his name, you cum. your legs tremble, and your arms tighten around him as he continues to thrust. your eyes find his teary ones when you feel a wet drop land on your face. you immediately pull him closer, kissing his lips softly, feeling your own tears flowing down your face. 

he moans into the kiss, and his hips still, ropes of cum pooling in your cunt. seungcheol doesn’t pull away. he pulls you closer, chanting ‘i love you’s in between hitched breaths and sobs.  

“can’t believe we’re gonna start a family,” you chuckle at his hoarse voice. you are cuddling into his chest by the time you both have calmed down. a serene warmth surrounding you both. 

“seriously. feels like our first date was yesterday,” he mutters, drawing circles on your back. your smile widens at the memory, and you look at him. you kiss his forehead and boop his nose, and he giggles. the warmth in your chest deepens when he starts kissing all over your face. 

but it’s not long before he pouts at you, whining about how you could’ve just asked him. he complains that if you did, he could be kissing your swollen tummy by now. you kiss him an apology, and his hand rests on your stomach warmly while he promises to take good care of you and your child.

you smile into his chest, listening to him talking about your yet non-existent child. you feel safe and warm between his arms.

this is your haven.

against all odds, they’ll have eachother 🫂🧜🏻‍♂️

like the moon ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ huening kai

huening kai x gn!reader , tags; mermaid!kai , human!reader , modern fantasy au , fluff , courting , slightly inspired by the little mermaid ofc , rejection , angst , getting together ? in a mermaid way , mates/soul ties , reader is sleep deprived , taehyun is a smartass , totally not stealing outfit inspo from sugar rush ride as an addition to the plot wdym haha

warnings: making out , reader's gender isn't specified but you wear dresses , near death experience? reader almost drowns

a/n: hiiii! sooooo i tried something a little different this time for my fairytale-esque fantasy lovers??? lmk how u guys feel about it :] i hope you enjoy!!! (edited but not beta read so pls excuse any mistakes aaaa)

wc: 8.4k+

you love the ocean more than anything else in this big, wide world. you treasure the crisp air and the salty, but comforting scent of the atmosphere,  the way the rays of the sun would bounce off of the rushing waves and onto your skin fills your heart with an uncontained warmth, and the sunset reflected on the surface brings you a sense of serenity. you have loved the ocean since you were little—growing up on the coast, the sea was basically your backyard.

your mother had nicknamed you “droplet” from the way you would always run into the house dripping with ocean water, spending most of your days out at sea swimming—your favorite thing to do was pretend to be a pretty mermaid, chosen to protect the reef from any bad guys nearby. the ocean is your home, your sanctuary… where you belong.

ever since you moved towards the inner, bustling part of your town, you have made it your mission to visit the beach every few days if you can, whether it be to stay for three minutes or three hours. so here you are, stepping onto the sand with bare feet in a secluded area of the beach, jacket discarded on some random rock, notebook and pen in hand. you prefer writing your lyrics out here; the sounds of small waves hitting the shore and the occasional squawk of a passing seagull always seem to calm you, letting you release any tension in your muscles. you have been overworking yourself lately, staying up all night to produce and write songs, barely having any time to yourself to just be.

you settle down into the sand, resting your back against a washed-up long, and from there, you let your pen do all of the work. the air is a bit harsher than usual, the breeze whipping around you, knocking the bottom of your dress up slightly with the movement. you cross your legs, digging your toes into the sand as you look up at the sky—it’s a dull gray filled with heavy clouds making their move toward your small town. 

a faint frown makes its way onto your face; a summer storm must be coming soon. the clouds are still a ways away though, so you bask in the small time you have left to relax, writing down a few more lyrics as you listen to the quiet song of the sea. 

words flow easily onto the page as you let your train of thought take the reigns, a familiar serenity washing over you. the wind, although slightly aggressive, feels nice on your skin—it’s a little clammy outside, the humidity of summer lingering in the atmosphere. everything is hushed, peaceful, and you think you can fall asleep right here on the shore.

the calmness in your body only lasts for so long—your body snaps to alert as a loud, echoing shriek interrupts the quiet. you tuck your legs into your chest as your eyes scan the beach, but nothing seems out of the ordinary, save for a forgotten towel a little further down the shore and the heavy clouds above you.

you squint a bit as you look out onto the water and a beat later, you notice a head peek out from under the deep blue surface. it’s not alarming in the slightest, though—divers do frequent this area during this time of year. brushing it off, you let your body relax as you settle back against the log, watching the diver go back under the water.

for a while, things go back to the way they were, your pen writing down as many lyrics as possible, tapping your foot in the sand as you hum a quiet tune to yourself. figuring out melodies has to be your favorite part of songwriting—hearing the words on your page come to fruition is a beyond-satisfying feeling. it isn’t until a few minutes later that your groove is heckled once again, that same shriek you heard before ringing through your ears. 

your eyes immediately find their way to the water, your heart nearly stopping in your chest as you lock gazes with the same head you saw a moment ago.

you’re quick to realize that whatever you’re seeing isn’t a diver. the man, or rather… creature has emerald green eyes, almost glowing as they glare from above the water, its dark hair wet and pressed down against their forehead. something akin to white, fish-like scales line the side of its face, flashy and sparkling. you can’t see the rest of the face due to the waves, but the head goes back under before you can fully process what you just saw.

you’re frozen still—those unnaturally green eyes send a chill down your spine. there’s no way that was just a diver, or a passing fish. whatever it was, it freaks you the fuck out. maybe you’re just imagining things. you’ve been running on less than three hours of sleep a day, staying up late to write and produce. you have over 20 commissions to complete in the next two months, so to say you’ve been neglecting your health would be an understatement. thinking of the fact, you decide it’s best to head home early; not only to avoid the soon-to-come storm but also to possibly squeeze in a quick power nap before the all-nighter you’re about to pull.

shooting a quick text to taehyun about how you’re so looped out, you’re starting to hallucinate (and receiving a lengthy scolding of a text back), you make your way home—and you don’t let yourself look back onto the water after a third noise sounds from behind you. must be a dolphin mating call.

or something like that.

the clouds have parted for the sun the next day you make it onto the beach. the wind is still persistent, but it’s not as bad as the day before, so you simply zip your jacket up to your neck as you walk through the sand. you didn’t bring your lyric book today—partially because taehyun had chastised you over the phone about your workaholic tendencies—but you really just wanted to relax. there’s a slight crook in your neck from the awful sleep you had last night, your eyelids heavy and your movements nearly sluggish. this lack of sleep has really been doing a number on you, but you know the sound of the ocean waves can help you de-stress, even just a little bit.

as you make your way to your usual spot against that big, washed-up log, you notice things sparkling in the sand right where you normally sit. you tilt your head in confusion, making your way over with a little more ferver in your step.

a small circle of pretty shells rests in your secluded spot, sparkling as the sun hits their smooth surface. they twinkle like stars in the sky and you can’t help but gasp at how beautiful they are, luminescent and bright. in the center of the circle sits a small, rusted gold necklace with an attached hand-carved pendant—the symbol is a crescent moon with faint initials at the bottom that you can’t quite read. you look around to see if anyone is around to claim the necklace, frowning a bit at the deserted beach. someone must’ve forgotten their things. 

you take a closerlook at the beautiful array, running your fingers over the awe-worthy shells—and one, in particular, catches your eye. it’s a pristine white, so rich you’d think it were manmade. it glimmers as you gently pick it up, holding it up to the sunlight. the color reminds you of those scales you had seen above the water the last time you were here.

it’s odd—whatever you imagined seemed so vivid and true. you can still physically feel the intensity of those green eyes, sharp and prying from where they watched you over the colliding waves. the sight had been so jarring that when you closed your eyes to rest that night, a pair of verdant ones glared back at you in the darkness. you don’t get enough sleep as it is, but you were barely able to get a wink of it with that image in your head.

you take a good look at the shell one last time, declaring it too beautiful to leave here all alone on the deserted beach—you slip it into your tote bag before taking a seat a few feet away from the necklace, just in case anyone comes back to retrieve it. the waves are gentle as they crash onto the shore, leaving seaweed, pebbles, and little crusteaceans in its wake. the sound is lulling as you settle your back against a nearby rock, letting your eyes slip shut to bask in the peaceful bliss.

you may have underestimated just how tired you really are, because as you blink your eyes open with a tiny yawn, you realize you had fallen asleep. the hidden gleam of the sun has moved towards west and you aren’t sure how long you’ve been here, but the uncomfortable pain in your lower back from the sharp rock behind you is telling enough.

it isn’t until you hear a small, surprised noise next to you that you actually will your brain to wake up. the scream you let out at the sight of a man crouched down next to you is absolutely embarrassing—especially with the way he simply fliches back a bit, his eyes widening at the sudden noise.

his eyes.

they’re a shockingly vivid green, round and dilated as he blinks owlishly at you.

they look incredibly familiar.

he seems to be just as startled as you are, and as your vision focuses a bit more, you notice the pearly white scales that sit on his face, glistening in the sunlight. tiny, pointy fangs peak out from his slightly ajar mouth, his black hair fluffed up and sun dried as it falls in waves on his forehead, framing his face prettily.

he’s very pretty.

but holy shit—you gasp as he blinks at you again, finally remembering where you’ve seen those eyes from.

well, this is great. you are so sleep-deprived that your imagination has now festered into some sick lucid dream. 

wake up, y/n! 

the man—the thing—seems to sense your disarray, a quiet noise sounding from the back of his throat as he reaches out to you with furrowed brows. you jump, moving back from the sudden movement, eyeing the fangs that rest on his bottom lip. 

oh god, this dream feels all too realistic and now you’re about to get eaten by some sexy monster man! this is why it’s important to have a consistent sleeping schedule, y/n!

you can hear your heartbeat in your ears as he stands to move in front of you—from this angle, you can get a good look at his figure. he’s incredibly tall, with long legs that go on for miles. his frame is covered by a tatted black and white sweater that just barely hangs onto his shoulder and a satchel across his frame, his upper body completely exposed to the slightly chilling air. he wears loose white shorts that reach just above his knees, littered with holes and tears—as if they had been washed onto sea after a treacherous journey across the ocean. that gold necklace from before rests in his hands, the chain dangling down and clinking softly in the wind. it must be his, you register. you open you mouth to defend yourself as not-a-theif—but you’re quickly cut off. 

he doesn’t speak other than to hold out the necklace to you with a small and insistent noise, his green eyes flitting quickly between yours. the pounding in your chest is incredibly persistent, every single bone inside of your body urging you to not take it—but your hand seems to have a mind of its own, reaching up to grasp the damp gold, your fingers shaking as they brush over the green-eyed man’s.

you can see the way his eyes glimmer as you warily hold the necklace against your chest, your breath stuck in your throat as he digs around in his satchel again. there’s no way you aren’t dreaming, everything seeming like a haze around you as you inspect the scattered white scales on his cheekbones, eyeing the fangs that slightly peek out from his mouth which leave shallow indents on his bottom lip.

his head turns towards you again and you feel your neck heat up from being caught staring, your gaze shooting down to your lap. you squeeze your eyes shut, willing yourself to wake up from this lucid dream, ignoring the way you can hear the man so clearly shuffling around in front of you.

you’re lucid dreaming, y/n. you really shouldn’t have eaten right before bed! wake up, wake up, wake up.

you count to ten in your head before you open your eyes again, flinching back as you find emerald green staring directly into yours. he’s kneeled down in front of you now, one of his hands in the sand next to your foot, his head cocked curiously as he scans your face—his thick, black hair falls into his eyes messily and up close, you notice the tiny beauty marks littered across his face and neck, the way his lips are bitten red, and the steady rise and fall of his chest.

so you aren’t dreaming? then that means… 

the man is cautious as he raises a hand to his chest, pressing over his heart before he bows to you. your mouth is dry—what the hell is going on?

you have no time to think before he lifts his head again, gazing up at you through his impossibly long eyelashes, the tiniest shadow of a smile slipping onto his lips. 

“i am kai.”

his voice is clumsy and horse, almost as if he doesn’t use it much, and a heavy, unknown accent paints his words as he speaks. the white scales on his face gleam in the sunlight and you find yourself slightly intrigued, wanting to reach up and feel them, but stopping yourself from doing so.

the man… or rather, the creature seems gentle enough—if he had planned on biting your head off, he surely would’ve done it by now. you let your guard lower as you sit up a bit, the necklace still clutched tightly between your fingers.

“my name is y/n,” you respond quietly—and the way his face lights up is absolutely blinding, a broad gleam taking over his initially shy smile, his scales twitching in an almost cute way. you watch as his hand drops from his chest, moving into your space to cup the side of your face. your body immediately tenses at the unexpected touch, a noise of surprise leaving your lips.

he leans forward as if to kiss you and a surge of panic courses through your body, cringing away from his hold—but he does no such thing. instead, he rests his forehead against yours, mumbling something in an unrecognizable language as his eyes flutter shut. you’re frozen in slight shock, but the lack of fear in your body confuses you to no end. you should be trying to run away from this strange creature, but instead, you feel… relaxed. a calm washes over you as his skin touches yours, feeling yourself be lulled by the quiet words he speaks to you.

when he pulls away, the grin is still on his face, running his finger down your cheek before moving out of your space. you try not to acknowledge the slight emptiness that fills your chest at the loss of touch, a faint and warm trail lingering from where is finger had traced.

“you took… you took one of m-my shells,” kai speaks with an eager bounce in his tone, gesturing toward your tote where that glimmering white shell still remains. your eyes follow his hand, quickly reaching for your bag to pry it open and search for the shell.

“oh, i’m sorry! i didn’t know it had an… owner…” you trail off as his eyebrows furrow, his lips twitching downwards as you grab the shell out of your bag. “you can have it back if you want…?”

the creature’s eyes comically widen, shaking his head at your words. he pushes your hand back towards you, a small whine emitting from his throat. 

“gift,” he states firmly, nodding towards the shell. you look down at the shell quizzically, everything slowly piecing together in your head bit by bit.

“you… did you leave all of those shells for… me?”

the bright smile quickly returns to the creature’s face as he nods fervently, his scales rippling in excitement. while you finally got answers to the weird phenomenon, you’re still full of bewilderment—what is this creature and why is he giving these gifts to you out of all people? it simply makes no sense.

“for you,” kai confirms, leaning into your space again now that you seem to understand. you catch the way his verdant eyes flicker with an emotion you can’t quite read. 

offering him a genial smile, you gently place the shell back in your bag. “thank you… but… why?”

the creature cocks his head, confusion overtaking his charming features at your question. he turns his head to glance back at the water before meeting your gaze again, pointing in that direction. 

you blink at him a few times, trying to understand what he’s referring to, but nothing comes to mind. seeming to sense your puzzled state, kai reaches into his satchel again—his eyebrows are furrowed with concentration as things clink and clang around in the bag. all you can do is sit and watch as he hums with contentment, pulling out a tiny metal ring before setting it in the sand before you.

you gape at the object, glancing down at the ring and back up to his eyes a few times—because if this is what you think is happening… and if this isn’t a dream… then you’re definitely hallucinating. you aren’t ready to get married! especially not to some strange being who clearly doesn’t know the concept of personal space.

“what is… what is this?” you ask quietly, your voice wavering slightly. kai smiles at you, nodding towards the ring gently.

“for the humans to know y-you are my mate, y/n.”

you blink at him, feeling your breath catch in your throat.

his what?

“i’m sorry… i’m not your… uh, mate. i—i think you’ve gotten me confused with someone else…” you begin slowly as you move to stand and get the fuck out of here; something you should’ve done when he first approached you. kai is quick to shake his head, his vibrant eyes dulling with something melancholic and heavy, reaching out to grab onto your bag so you can’t go.

“i am not confused. you are my mate,” kai speaks desperately, still kneeling down with the ring now slightly buried in the sand. you don’t know what type of creature he is, or what is even going on, but you are certain this doesn’t have anything to do with you. 

you’re a human and he’s a… whatever he is. there’s no such thing as mates. he’s surely one hell of a hallucination. next time, you’ll actually listen to taehyun’s lecture about the side effects of sleep deprivation and too much caffeine intake.

“this is… this is crazy. i have to go,” you respond sharply, ripping your gaze away from his distraught eyes—something in your heart pangs deeply at the pure sadness on his beautiful face, your gut twisting with something sticky and vile.

kai’s fingers hesitantly let go of your bag with a quiet, pained noise, shrinking in on himself as you give him one last glance before quickly heading towards your car. 

when you take a glimpse back to the shore as you begin to pull off, the man is nowhere to be seen—except for a slight glimmer of a white scale disappearing beneath the tide.

for the next few days, it rains—thick and heavy clouds cover your small seaside town, drenching every bit it can reach. the beach is closed off due to high tides, the waves all too harsh and cutting to be safe for visitors. being cooped up in your apartment is starting to drive you crazy—you already miss the salty smell of the water, the softness of the sand between your fingers…

and the calming touch of the strange creature you encountered.

it’s something horrible in the way that this… thing has been overtaking your mind, tainting your mind with emerald green every passing second. every time you sit down to write a new song, your pen develops a mind of its own; going on about the ocean’s waves, and glittering white scales, and vibrant eyes. it’s like a curse, the way you can only think about kai and nothing else.

after ruminating in your thoughts as the rain continues to nearly flood your town, you’ve come to the conclusion that kai wasn’t a hallucination. that shiny white shell sits nicely on your dresser, right next to the gold necklace you had been so selflessly gifted. 

you try not to let the guilt eat away at you—the creature had been nothing but kind to you, but the uncertainty is too much. what, with the talk about mates, the gifts, and that eerie calmness that overtook your body as he whispered those foreign words to you… it sounds like something straight out of a fairytale. 

it’s late when you settle into bed, your laptop resting in your lap as your phone sits on speaker next to you—they say curiosity killed the cat, but you need answers. sleep be damned.

“so what you’re telling me is that a strange, sexy man with scales on his face gifted you random shells and an old ass necklace before claiming you to be his mate?” taehyun recaps through the phone, voice coated in monotone incredulity. it sounds absolutely ridiculous when he puts it that way, but you’re having a hard time believing it even happened yourself, so you can’t blame him.

“i said a strange, sexy creature, not man.” 

the line is silent for a second.

“y/n… i know you’ve been stressed lately, but don’t you think it’s time to bring these delusions to a licensed professional—”

“taehyun, this isn’t a delusion! it actually happened!” you huff out, resisting the urge to roll your eyes. you try to put yourself in his shoes—if your friend told you they’ve been approached by a majestic creature, you’d also recommend them to get help—but you know what you saw. what you felt.

“that’s exactly how delusions work, sweetheart. we may think things are real, but—”

“hold on, shut up. listen to this,” you click on a link to a news page set in your town, the article dated back to 2007. “two foreign aquatic creatures were spotted near the shore on june 6th, at approximately 3 pm. they are described to be humanoid beings, with scaly, fish-like features.”

“y/n, that’s literally like every fish ever.”

“since when were goldfish considered to be ‘humanoid-beings’,” you quip, actually rolling your eyes this time before you zoom in on the blurry pictures provided on the site. It’s hard to make out in the 480p photo taken from a distance, but there seems to be two people, a male and a female, washed up on shore. they have long, shiny fish-tails that glisten in the way the scales on kai’s face did, their torsos completely human save for the gills on the sides of their neck. 

it’s all too jarring, all too real—and in your mind, right then, it clicks.

“please don’t tell me you think—”

“i think he’s a mermaid, taehyun.”

back when you were young, still the little “droplet” everyone knew, your grandmother would tell you and the other kids in your town stories about how she once fell in love with a mermaid when she was young. they’d met on the same beach you frequent and pursued their love in hiding. she’d go on and on about how he was the most beautiful person, or rather, creature she had ever laid her eyes on. how he was gorgeous and alluring—and the way his green scales sparkled in the sunlight.

you seemed to be the only one to ever believe her stories, even in the slightest. you already loved the sea, and the prospect of mermaids, real-life mermaids, inhabiting the waters you adored so much intrigued you to no end. you would stay at the shore with your grandmother after all the other kids had gone home for dinner, begging her to tell you more stories about this mysterious mermaid who held her heart.

she had said mermaids were forbidden to interact with humans, let alone be with one—but the two of them didn’t care. they had believed their love was too strong for even the wind and sea to tear apart. she spoke of how after the fishing industry became prevalent in their town, she had begun to see him less and less, until one day, he had stopped showing up at all—thus being the dull end of their story.

thinking back on her words now as you stare at the pixelated photo, things slowly begin to come together in your brain. he’s a mermaid. he has to be. there’s no other explanation.

“you’re still stuck on that? you know your grandma once told me a watermelon would grow in my stomach if i ate the seeds? i was scared for years, y/n. years! i don’t know if she’s the most reliable source—”

“this is the only thing that makes sense though,” you mumble as a pair of bright green eyes fill your thoughts.

it’s like something is calling you from deep inside your soul, something anguished and distressed—and it’s calling you back to that beach. you know answers are there. even if this all turns out to be some weird, ongoing delusion, you need to find out the truth—for your own peace of mind. (and maybe taehyun’s as well, seeing as he’s still rambling on about his fear of being pregnant with a watermelon.) 

and in all truthfulness, you want to… need to see those eyes one more time.

it’s a horrible idea. actually, it’s in your top 10 most stupid y/n moments.

sneaking onto the shore is easy enough. there’s no lifeguards on watch, or any lingering public safety employees as you step onto the sand. only a sliver of it is visible—even your usual spot is covered with water as the waves crash against the shore with untainted vigor. the rain is heavy, grimly pouring from the sky in buckets. your jacket isn’t doing enough to block it from seeping through the fabric, making your clothes cling to your skin uncomfortably. 

honestly, you pitched yourself to be smarter than this–-everything in your body, ever nerve and muscle screams at you to run around and go home. there’s no point in trying to prove something that simply doesn’t exist. they say the human body can only run on so much sleep before you start to feel out of character; and you already feel like you’re outside of your body.

it’s like you’re in a trance, under a spell as your feet keep on walking, your vision completely focused in the darkness of the night as you scan the water for anything. it feels like something inside of your body is calling for someone, the feeling profound and wretched to the point where it makes your heart heavy and raw.

that feeling tugs you like a magnet, past the public part of the beach and to a more vacant, woodsy area where trees and bushes reside, the branches hanging over and dipping into the water, leaves being whipped up by the unforgiving breeze. you’re close—you can feel it, deep inside your soul.

the waves are unrelenting as they tumble over eachother, some shallow ones hitting your ankles and splashing up your legs—and you’re too out of it, too entranced by whatever song is singing inside of your chest to watch where you’re going.

you trip over a rock hidden in the sand, falling over yourself as your already drenched form becomes soaked with ocean water, the harsh waves tumbling over you as you try to sit up. you’ve always been a great swimmer, phenomenal even, but the storm has turned the ocean into something wicked and unlawful, pulling you further and further into the water the more you struggle against it.

you’re tugged into the rip before your brain can process it, having only half the mind to call out for help—but it’s not use. the waves are too loud and the pouring rain drowns out any and every noise in the breeze. it’s too dark to see anything and you can already feel yourself tiring out as you fight to stay afloat. 

the ice cold water does wonders to sober you up from whatever hypnosis you were under and now that your mind is clear, true panic and terror sets deep into your chilled bones. you’re going to die out here, in the hands of something you have loved since you were a child. things really do come full circle, don’t they?

the full moon resting in the condensed sky is the last thing you see before you completely black out.

you feel it before you even open your eyes. a heavy, burning hand on your back and a heated finger trailing down the slope of your nose. your entire body is warm from head to toe, your cheek cushioned by a soft, cotton-like material. a captivating voice sings a gentle song in words you can’t understand, the volume just under the perpetrator’s breath—the sound is almost completely muted out by the roaring sea outside.

the roaring sea.

you inhale deeply as if you’re searching for air that’s nowhere to be found, sitting up quickly with labored breaths. your eyes automatically lock onto a figure—an all too familiar figure with worried green eyes and luminous scales and soaking wet hair that drips water onto the sand.

kai.

you fling yourself into his arms despite both of your wet clothes. his touch is grounding and comforting as you bury yourself into the crook of his neck, holding onto him tightly. he doesn’t speak as his arms hesitantly wrap around your torso, his hands smoothing down your back in silent consolation. only then do you register the thick sweater that is strewn across your shoulders—it’s the same one he had on that first day you met. 

the thought makes your eyes brim with slight guilt. he has just saved your life, even after you so rudely ran away from him. you want to apologize, but nothing comes out as you finally break away from the embrace. he won’t meet your eyes, and that fact alone makes your heart wrench.

“how did you… how did you know i…?” the words are stuck in your throat as you gape at him, trying to not let your eyes wander down his exposed clavacle where a few more shiny scales reside. kai’s pretty, pretty emeralds are sad—the kind of sad that radiates off a person and spreads to everyone nearby. your gut clenches. he’s quiet for a few beats before his hand moves to his chest.

“i… i can feel it. your fear,” he whispers, his hand resting over his heart as a visual communicator. you don’t know what to say, any words that come to mind die on your tongue just as quickly as they appear. your silence is incredibly loud as kai’s bottom lip trembles, hastily standing to his feet. your eyes follow him as he take a couple steps back, creating distance between the two of you. your body immediately goes cold, feeling a harsh shiver run up your spine, wracking your entire body.

“i am sorry,” kai mumbles solemnly, looking down at the sand below him, his hands folded tightly in front of his body. you’re still shivering despite the sweater draped across your shoulders, staring up at him as you wrap your arms around your body.

“why… why are you sorry?” you inquire, feeling your heart pang at the whine that leaves his throat. he won’t meet your eyes and you already find yourself craving to see those vibrant irises again.

“you r-rejected me as your mate. i must leave you alone now,” kai nearly whispers as he strictly keeps his eyes trained in the sand. he should be cold in his sopping clothes—this heavy wind and pouring rain outside of the small cove is enough to freeze just about anyone—but he seems completely apathetic to the weather. 

an ugly, weighted emotion rips through you at his words, mentally cursing your past self for being so rash about it all. you don’t know the implications of “rejecting” a mate, but with the way kai is weary of stepping any closer to you, you’re sure you’ve done enough damage to last a lifetime.

“kai—i’m sorry about what i said. i’m still confused, but…” you inhale deeply, watching the way his scales sparkle with the reflection of the moonlight on the water. he’s truly gorgeous. “i’m willing to listen if you want to teach me. about what all of this means… about yourself.”

you can physically see the way kai’s breath hitches, his body tensing up as he just barely lifts his head, emerald green peeking through his dark shaggy hair. kai’s eyes meet yours and you feel something akin to relief wash over you. he seems to be waiting for something as his eyes glimmer with hope and hesitancy, so you give him an affable smile, warm and inviting, before patting the spot in front of you.

kai’s scales ripple as his weary demeanor softens, quickly moving to take a seat in the sand. he mirrors your position, pulling his legs up to his chest, your feet almost touching from how close he is to you. your heart stutters a bit as he watches you, his gaze filled with so much infatuation and mesmerization, it fills your stomach with knots. 

“what would you like to know, y/n?”

the way your name rolls off of his lips, sounding oh, so elegant coated in his unnamed accent makes your head spin. his moles are placed perfectly on his unblemished skin like stars at night, his eyes shining like the moon herself. 

“i want to know what you are,” you start, speaking quietly so that only he can hear your words. kai smiles at you, his pearly fangs showing themselves once again. they aren’t so scary now—not with the way his hands are so delicate as they mindlessly draw shapes in the sand or the way his scales ripple once again as enthusiasm overtakes his body. 

“i am a mermaid. the sea is my home.”

the words would have surprised you, had he told you the very first time you two met, but now they simply settle the uneasiness in the pit of your gut. it all makes sense now. the scales, the eyes, the shells, and his fantasy-esque features… he’s a mermaid. 

you inhale deeply to collect your thoughts—the fact that this is all real is too much to take in at once. you look down at your own feet buried in the sand, shivering again at a harsh gust of wind. your heart rate picks up as kai lets out a soft sound, reaching up to adjust the sweater around your shoulders, running his hand down your arm before retracting. the touch that lingers in his fingers’ wake is incredibly warm, feeling it spread throughout your entire body. you want to feel it again.

“i… i thought mermaids aren’t supposed to be seen by humans,” you nearly question as you find his eyes. something sharp flashes through them, as stormy as the night sky above, and you feel your breath catch in your throat.

kai glances away as he thinks for a moment, his pupils shaky as the words strike him. he’s tensed up again and you begin to think you’ve said the wrong thing.

“you don’t have to tell me, kai. i’m just… i’m just glad you’re here with me right now.” your voice is incredibly gentle as you coax him to look at you again, watching the way his shoulders slowly relax at your tone. he doesn’t look at you, though—his eyes stay trained on a random rock, his fingers twitching from where they sit in the sand. he’s quiet for a bit as you two sit in a light silence, the sound of the fierce rain and the rough waves outside filling in the space around you.

it isn’t until he takes a deep breath, those emeralds on his face absolutely glimmering when they meet your eyes. there’s no smile on his face, but his eyebrows are slightly furrowed and his eyes are so incredibly sincere, you feel it pierce through your heart like a sword on fire.

“you are my mate, y/n. i will do anything for you,” kai speaks, closing his eyes for a second. “even if i had to betray m-my coven to find you… my life is for you. nothing else matters.”

his words invoke a deep stirring inside of you—the urge to reach out and caress his face, to hold onto his hand, to feel his skin—it’s untameable. it’s as if a flame is ignited inside of you as he opens his eyes, hearing your heartbeat pound incessantly in your ears, watching the way his scales flicker as they reflect the moonlight. his eyes are entirely dilated as he scans your face, the vibrant green of his irises overtaken by his dark pupils—you feel completely bare despite being fully clothed, vulnerable like a butterfly pinned to a board.

it’s only then does he move, untucking his legs to kneel on one before you—almost an exact replica of the way he had bowed to you the first time you met. he reaches his hand out to you and without a second thought, you take it, letting him pull you both to stand. his fingers are ice cold, but a warmth spreads throughout your body like wildfire, a soft gasp leaving your lips as he tugs you closer. he lifts his other hand to rest on your cheek, his eyes flitting in between yours. 

when he leans in again, you’re ready, your eyes slipping shut as he presses his forehead to yours. you can feel his breath on your lips, the sensation sending tingles down your spine. he’s silent for a moment before he whispers something in that enchanting language of his—even though you can’t understand what he’s saying, his timbre is like a lullaby, filling your head with cotton and stardust.

“i… do you feel it?” kai whispers as his nimble fingers stroke your cheek gently.

he doesn’t elaborate—he doesn’t need to, because you do. you feel the way his touch leaves a burning trail against your skin, the way his eyes pull you in like quicksand, entrancing and bewitching, and the way his voice sounds like music to your ears. you feel it all, and you’re nodding in response before you even realize it, registering the way his hand grips onto yours tighter, his breathing picking up ever so slightly. 

“it does not matter if you are human, y/n. our souls are connected… and mine has not stopped searching for yours.”

you’ve always wondered why you resonated so much with the ocean. sand is a pain to clean out of shoes, the waves can be terribly unforgiving, and the tide even stole your favorite pen once. but nothing can deter the pull you feel toward the sea—or more so, towards what resides in the sea.

your mate.

you don’t have to say anything for kai to know you finally understand, blinking your eyes open as he lifts his head. his eyes are practically glowing as they lock onto yours, his fangs peeking out as he smiles at you, his scales rippling and fluttering animatedly. 

“you are so beautiful,” he speaks through his small gleam. it’s such a cliche, but the way he says it holds so much weight, it squeezes your heart painfully. he says it like you’re a breath of fresh air, as if you’re the most captivating thing he’s ever had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.

the heat that crawls up your chest blooms throughout your entire body, wrapping your heart in a cozy blanket as his fingers trail down from your cheek to your jaw, tilting your head up ever so slightly. you don’t move away—and in all honesty, you have no desire to. he’s gentle in the way his hand lets go of yours, finger by finger, before moving to find a home on the small of your back. 

you’re not shivering anymore. his touch is incredibly searing, yet impossibly calming, feeling your mind go dizzy as his eyes search yours for something you aren’t quite saying. it’s almost nerve-wracking, how the suspense builds up in your chest as those emeralds flicker down to your lips, feeling your body grow hot all over. 

“will you allow me to… to k-kiss you?” kai whispers, not even the aggressive waves outside able to drown out his voice in your ears. 

there’s no doubt in your mind as a breathy “yes” slips into the air. 

he’s clumsy with the way his lips find yours, your hand coming up to his chest. his heartbeat under your palm pounds at lightening speed, his body slightly trembling as your lips move against his tranquilly. there seems to be no rush, melting into his embrace with each passing moment.

the press of his fangs against your lips only slightly stings when the tips of them dig in a little too hard, and kai is quick to soothe over the pain with a swipe of his tongue. he tastes of ocean water, a bit salty, but there’s another sweet undertone as well that you can’t quite place your finger on. you don’t linger on it for too long—you don’t want to have to use your brain, so you lose yourself in the feeling of his fingers against your spine, his thumb brushing over your jaw so delicately, you almost want to cry.

his tongue prods against yours as he presses closer to you, as if close is never close enough, as if he wants to sink into your body and become one. your mind is hazy, but you feel safe as his fingers trail down to the side of your neck, leaving fluttery, ticklish sensations in the process. he explores your mouth as if you are a cavern full of gold, mindless to the way small, needy noises leave his lips. it’s overwhelming for the both of you, engulfed in this little bubble you’ve created. 

when he pulls away, it’s slow and reluctant, leaning back in a few more times to get another taste of you, peppering kisses down your jaw and your neck. you can’t help but moan softly at the feeling that stirs in the pit of your gut as he nips and bites and sucks at your skin—completely enamored with you.

he places one final kiss under your ear before his emerald eyes meet yours—you preen at the way he looks at you like you’re the heart of the sea, the ocean herself. it’s too much and not enough at once as you tuck yourself into his broad chest, your heart beating in sync through your dampened clothes. it feels right. this—him. he feels right and now you’re certain he isn’t just a measly dream.

the sky appears to be unreal, coated with lovely hues of pink and purple, a deep orange settling near the horizon as the sun lowers itself from the sky. it’s still warm out, the tide low as you tip-toe through rocks and shells, feeling your heart fill as tiny hermit crabs take cover in the sand, holding the bottom of your flowy dress up so as to carefully watch your step. the waves wash against the shore with a subdued rhythm and the sky is void of any clouds—the calm after the storm.

your breath catches in your throat as you see the man waiting for you at the end of the shore, his black hair mussed and slightly damp. it seems as if he’s been waiting for a while—he stares off at sea, sitting just a few feet from the tide as his hand mindlessly picks up sand and lets it fall through his fingers.

he’s oh, so gorgeous, even from afar. the white button-up he adorns is rolled up to his elbows, legs covered by brown pants that flow in the wind. his trusty satchel is slung across his frame, seemingly full to the brim as it rests in the sand next to him. a contemplative look resides on his face, his head slightly tilted to the side as his mind wanders. you almost feel guilty for the thought of disturbing this quiet moment. 

but then you’re reminded that he’s waiting here for you—your stomach flutters as he turns his head, those vibrant eyes lightening up at the sight of your figure making its way toward him. he stands to his feet with the brightest smile on his prince-like face, his pretty fangs pressing into his bottom lip in the cute way they always do. 

his scales ripple as he pulls you into the tightest hug you’ve ever experienced, a serene buzz washing over you as he safely holds you to his chest. you register the feeling of him pressing small kisses onto the crown of your head and you giggle a bit at the fluttery sensation. you tilt your head up to meet his eyes; and they never fail to make your head spin, containing so much sincerity that squeezes your heart in all of the best ways. he cups your cheeks, the warmth of his fingers spreading down your neck and blossoming in your soul.

“i missed you,” you speak softly, and you mean it—nothing, no one can compare to the way kai can make you feel so loved and wanted with a singular, simple glance. you dream about his little beauty marks, his wide smile, and those iridescent scales that sparkle when the sun hits them just right. even just a few days without being near him makes your core surge with a deep longing—and now that restless feeling finally dissipates as he leans in to kiss your nose, and then your cheek, and finally your lips.

“i have missed you more,” he mumbles against your lips, his nose brushing yours as he kisses you so delicately, attentive to every little noise that leaves your lips. his hands smooth down your sides, running his fingers over the soft fabric of your dress, coming around to press against the small of your back.

when the kiss breaks, you’re rendered breathless, blinking your eyes open to find him already watching you. the faint smile on his face widens as you reach up to carefully touch the sparkling scales on his cheekbones before running your fingers through his disheveled hair. he leans into your touch, his eyes fluttering shut with the gentle movement of your fingers. 

“how long have you been waiting?” you question as you finish adjusting his hair, resting your palm against his chest. he hums in thought before he opens his eyes—and you’re in awe at the way the setting sun manages to reflect in them, looking like specks of gold against his irises.

“not long at all. i-i made something for you last evening,” he responds almost shyly. your eyes widen in surprise, watching as he takes a tiny step back to open his satchel. his cheeks are flushed a pinkish-red once he pulls out a handmade crown, woven with dried seaweed, softwood, and the prettiest, eye-catching flowers you’ve ever seen. there are even a few tiny shells tucked in here and there, and they all sparkle the same, twinkling as the sunlight hits them.

“you made this?” your voice comes out airy, in awe at not only the gift, but also the thought of him spending time handmaking something for you. kai nods timidly, looking up at you through his eyelashes. your heart threatens to explode as he gestures toward your body.

“m-may i put it on y-you?” he asks, a slight nervousness coating his voice and you’re quick to nod, bowing your head a bit to give him better access. a quiet, enthused noise escapes his lips before he can contain it, stepping close to you again. he adjusts your hair ever so slightly before situating the crown on your head. you can’t see yourself, but you’re sure it looks amazing by the way kai’s scales flutter, his gleam almost blinding as he moves back to admire his work. the crown is light and a few of the flowers tickle the side of your face. you feel beautiful.

“you know you don’t have to keep gifting me things, right?” you softly chide with a little chuckle, but kai’s bright smile falters at your words, cocking his head in confusion with a little whine.

“do you not… do you not like m-my gifts for you?” kai’s voice slightly trembles and you’re quick to backtrack, grabbing onto his hands with both of yours.

“no, no, no, kai–-i love your gifts. it’s just… isn’t the courting stage over? you know i’m yours, right?”

kai’s eyes sparkle with admiration as you speak, letting go of your hands to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you close to his body. he’s warmer than he usually is, and you suspect it has something to do with the humid air around you—the storm has long since passed, the shore drying up quickly, leaving only fluffy sand and a quiet, sedated ocean in its wake. 

it’s a reflex now, to close your eyes as he gently rests his forehead against yours, a faint, contented hum sounding from the mermaid.

“you still deserve the entire sea and all of the stars, my beautiful mate.”

it’s horrible, the way your entire body tingles, feeling your face heat up from his words. it should be sappy and sickeningly sweet, but his voice brings you nothing but peace, letting yourself melt into his embrace as he subtly sways you both to the rhythm of the waves.

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never goodbye

Characters: winter spirit!Jisung & female!OC called Yuki since it's the japanese word for snow (雪)

Setting & genre: hurt/comfort (bit angsty but has a hopeful end!), folklore/mythology-based fantasy

Summary: Jisung has no recollections of his life before becoming a winter spirit but when the first snow of the new winter falls, he meets somebody who does.

Warnings: references to past death and grief, discussions about loneliness

Words: 2.8k

Author’s note: yes, Jisung's Jack Frost look inspired this while inspirations for the OC's character are drawn from the legend of Yuki-onna. since the Rise of the Guardians also put a lot of emphasis on the moon, i couldn't not include this variation. title is obviously the new dream song but it will make sense, i promise

Jisung didn't remember much of his life before.

Before the spirit realm had become his home and he had been tasked with guarding winter. Before he had gotten used to teasing Renjun as sentimental as his season about his annual winter hibernation once all the colourful leaves fell. Before Donghyuck, the literal annoying ray of sunshine he was, kept melting all the ice cubes Jisung needed in his drinks to function properly. (Vaguely he missed having hot chocolate despite not remembering loving it in the first place.)

All Jisung remembered was blurry images of ice skating, of laughter, of snow angels. And a sweet voice calling his name. He had always assumed it had been a relative or a significant other and it filled his chest with warmth knowing that he had been cared for in another life. At least, he hadn't been alone. Because as much as he loved being the embodiment of winter (at least one of the many scattered around the globe), it could be a bit lonely, being in this realm where nobody could really see him. Though, people might have looked at him weirdly if they did, at his bare feet, his white blonde hair and the never-melting snowflakes on his cheeks. Other spirits saw him, of course, and young, innocent children sometimes waved at him cheerily. He always waved back with a toothy grin.

So when he heard that voice again, the voice from his memories, he stopped dead in his tracks on the top of Namsan, the taste of the first snow of the winter long forgotten. He was always so giddy when it was his turn, when he could leave the spirit realm after a long while and his excitement usually came with sporadic accidental incidents like turning puddles into ice or covering any surface he touched with hoar frost. He still couldn't completely control his power and he was a bit clumsy but he still crunched his nose (both shy and annoyed) when the others called him cute for it.

The sweet voice didn't call his name this time, it was singing, humming a melody that was vaguely familiar to Jisung but not quite. He felt like he was walking in a dream. Everything was both familiar and not. Despite the anxiety building up in his cold veins, he followed the voice, the entrancing musicality of it like sailors attracted to the siren's song. He was bewitched just like them.

He rounded the icicle-marred pavilion, passed by hikers, hopped down stairs and then there he saw her. She wore a white robe-like dress just as light and thin as his own jeans and hoodie combo, not too fit for the December cold. She had long, black hair framing her heart-shaped pale face. Her lips were almost blue but she wasn't shivering. She seemed a bit melancholic, murmuring an old, tragic folk song, but she didn't look sad as she was dancing, swirling among the falling snowflakes with her eyes closed, letting the downpour wash through her under the bright moonlight.

The boy just stood there, frozen and watching, his hair collecting snow, his hands itching to touch, memories he didn't know he had flooding in: he suddenly remembered slow dancing, the cold of unforgiving ice under the sole of his foot and ghost-like touches over his palm. His breath hitched as he felt himself slip and suddenly he couldn't tell whether it was a memory of reality. He grabbed on the closest tree branch for support. It made a noise startling enough to draw attention.

“Jisung?” the girl suddenly exclaimed at her next turn when she noticed that she had company. She stopped the dance, her dark eyes widening in surprise as if she was seeing a ghost or a miracle, depends on how you look at it. A few feet apart suddenly felt like an uncrossable distance because the boy was mesmerised. Fascinated not only by the ethereal, otherworldly beauty of the girl but by the way she called his name like a plea, like a dream.

“Do you know me?” he blurted out, dumbfounded, the easiest question on the top of his mind as soon as he collected himself enough to speak up. It was silly though, he felt himself flush immediately, the tips of his ears getting red with embarrassment. She called his name after all, she must have known him. But from where? And how?

“Ah, you don't remember me,” she whispered, looking a bit saddened at the news. Then she took a tentative step closer, her dark eyes glowing curiously as she was taking him all in. There was a slight, amused smile in the corner of her lips as if she was recalling a memory Jisung couldn't. Then tentatively, like someone who touches a wild animal, as if she was afraid of scaring him away or if she wasn’t sure he was real, she raised her hand to his hair and weaved her pale fingers through his white fringe, careful not to make skin-to-skin contact. “That makes sense. I almost didn't recognize you without brown hair.”

Jisung never met anyone who had known him before.

Before his hair turned white and his blood ran cold. Before he could command ice and frost and snow. Before he came to terms with never knowing his past. Hyuck told him it was natural, Renjun told him it was better this way and the pain in his brown eyes made Jisung believe him. Maybe it was better now knowing. Maybe it would have been but he had always been curious and a bit reckless by nature. At least, reckless when it came to people he cared about.

“Who are you?” he whispered, his own voice staining with the sheer willpower of keeping still, so close he could make out every single snowflake dressing the girl's dark hair like tiny white blooming flowers under the silver glow from above.

“I'm Yuki,” she said, smiling. Her eyes were full of warmth despite the cold her body emitted. “I have missed you.”

Her voice echoed in the mountain and Jisung found himself staring again, air stuck in his lungs and his heart beating overtime. But before he could have spoken up and asked more, asking about their past, the girl's form dissolved into nothing but a misty cloud with a pained look of goodbye on her face.

The snow stopped falling.

Jisung usually didn’t seek out the advisors in the spirit realm but he was so confused, he didn’t know whom else he could turn to. But he was sure other seasons’ spirits wouldn’t know about disappearing into mist and other winter-related spirits existing. So he went to the only person he thought could have the answers he needed.

“Jisung-ah,” the young woman smiled at him brightly as she rose from her ice chair after letting him enter her office. Her silverish blonde hair fell onto her blue-ish dress in braids. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well, noona,” the boy answered sheepishly as he was ushered to go closer, feeling shy in front of Taeyeon. He has been stuck in his 20-year-old body for a while now but in front of the senior winter spirit he often felt like a kid. She had taken him under her wings the first time he needed guidance in their realm, so Jisung knew that he could trust her. “I wanted to ask something.”

“Sure, whatever it is, ask away, I’m here to help,” Taeyeon looked at him reassuringly with a sisterly smile and gestured to him to take a seat while she poured a drink. Ice choco, his favourite.

“Since you have been around for a longer time, I thought that maybe you… so that you know of other winter-related creatures who aren’t exactly part of our realm… ?” Jisung kept mumbling until the very end when he realised that he didn’t phrase it as a question in the first place, so he changed his tone last minute. He looked up from his seat curiously and Taeyeon was looking at him with a quizzed expression in her caring eyes.

“Have you met someone like that, Jisung-ah?” she asked slowly, careful as she lowered the jug in her hand. “Someone like us but not quite?”

The boy nodded hastily.

“I… I think so. She wasn’t cold and she disappeared into nothing when it stopped snowing. She… I remember her voice from… so when…” Jisung gulped. He didn’t like to think that he wasn’t alive just because he was a part of another realm. He was right there after all, physical and feeling.

“When you were human? Did you know her in your human life?” Taeyeon helped him out with questions that were easier to answer than to explain them by himself.

“Yes. She remembers me with brown hair. She called my name. But I–” Jisung sighed, looking down in his lap, fingers fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie. “I don’t know her. I only remember tiny flashes from the past.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay to want to know but I hope you understand that not remembering serves our purpose. Our past shouldn’t dictate our actions as season spirits. You shouldn’t force yourself to remember or you can get hurt,” his senior warned him gently, putting a hand over his shoulder. Jisung wondered if she was referring to Renjun and the hurt in his eyes.

“I think… I don’t think she was a human even back then when she knew me,” he whispered. No matter how much she was trying to wrap his mind around the idea, in those bits of memories he had Yuki was all the same, never-changing like winter itself. “But she felt real.”

Taeyeon nodded with a little hum, deep in thought.

“There are all sorts of spirits in the world. Some are like us with a specific purpose, some are just wandering, tied to a place for a reason until they can let go and some have been here as long as the world was like this,” she said calmly, wisely. “Maybe she is a force of nature herself.”

I have missed you.

Jisung couldn’t get her voice out of his head. She must have waited long, he thought with an unknown ache in his chest. Donghyuck would call him lovesick yet Jisung didn’t know any better. He just wanted to see her again, but days passed, getting colder, the snow kept falling and Namsan remained empty.

Jisung was walking along the Cheonggyecheon Stream when the night fell and every snowflake sparkled by the light of festive lanterns. The water was icy, the air was frosty and he watched a family with a sledge play in the snow. He smiled as he helped them a bit for a smoother slide before turning towards the market. This was his favourite time of the year, when people called the things he did with his magic Christmas miracles.

And maybe it was time he got his own as well when a hand touched his shoulder and a figure slipped into his periphery.

“There you are! I really started to think I wouldn’t find you out so late.” A soft, relieved chuckle ripped through the girl’s throat, bubbly and beautiful, Jisung found himself enamoured right away. It felt familiar: the pounding within his chest, the fondness swelling in his heart and the blush on his cheeks. Oh, so she was looking for him too.

“Does it matter? That it’s late?” he found himself asking, a beat later than he was supposed to but Yuki smiled at him just the same. Her dark hair was a halo around her pretty face and the reflection of fairy lights flickered in her eyes.

“Of course, it matters, we cannot meet during daylight,” she said seriously as she sat down on one of the empty benches nearby and patted the place next to her. Taeyeon’s words about different kinds of spirits replayed in Jisung’s mind as he approached her, not taking his eyes off her, fearing that she would disappear if he did.

“Yuki, what are you?” he inquired, not knowing a better way to ask but the girl didn’t seem offended. Instead she looked nostalgic as if they had been here before. They must have if they had known each other before. She turned her face upwards, gazing at the round, silver moon, snowflakes falling onto her trembling eyelashes with every second.

“Do you remember the story of a moon princess who came down to Earth, bringing snow with her?” she asked but didn’t wait for an answer before turning back to the boy. It didn’t matter. Her smile was the same: pretty but sad. “I only exist under the moonlight when it snows.”

Jisung’s breath hitched and his doe eyes widened in surprise even though it explained why she had disappeared last time. She wasn’t just a force of nature after all, she was snow herself, she was a princess, a goddess, straight from the moon. And she knew him when he was still a mortal. How?

Yuki must have sensed his confusion because she broke into a softer, understanding smile.

“Not many people see me like you did, Jisung, and a lot of people are afraid of me. I learned the hard way that humans’ body temperature can’t handle my touch. It’s a lonely life I lead but you always made me feel less like that,” she reminisced and the more she talked the more memories hit Jisung with a force that pushed oxygen out of his chest: sweater paws over his cold hands, hot chocolate in reach, watching the snowfall side-by-side, exchanging shy smiles under the blanket of night, wanting to touch but not being allowed to.

There was a pause there, a silence filled with jingle bells from the distance and laughter of children. Pain flashed through Yuki’s face as she bit into her lower lip hard enough to draw blood but with a genuinely sorrowful look, she looked Jisung in the eye.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. And I’m sorry that I made a decision for you that destined you to the same lonely path I have to walk. You deserve so much more,” the princess cast her eyes down. “I thought I wouldn’t see you ever again, that not being able to was my price to pay for the favour I asked of my father.”

It was a lot much to process and the memories kept flooding in, their wave burying Jisung under. He remembered ice skating, laughter, he remembered slipping and the cold enveloping him. He remembered his lungs burning and hands pulling him onto the surface. He remembered shivering and tears on his face. A soft touch on his hand, a girl crying over his chest, sobbing, praying for just this one thing, just this one time, a second chance, for him to live. Soaked to the bone and vision drifting to darkness, the pale moon was the last thing Jisung had seen.

The boy stared ahead, the past suddenly fresh in his mind but despite how sorry Yuki was, Jisung couldn’t find it in himself to be mad at her. Why would he have been? Without her, he wouldn’t have been there in the first place.

“You still saved me in a way and I’m not alone,” Jisung said, determined. He thought of all his friends in the spirit realm, of the other season spirits he wouldn’t have known otherwise, of all the smiles kids playing alone flashed at him after helping them with building snowmen. He might have been lonely from time to time but he was happy with the life he was living. He wished she wouldn’t feel guilty and let herself be happy too. “And you don’t have to be alone anymore either.”

Jisung knew his voice sounded small and timid but he meant it. If she wanted, he could be there for her. He actually couldn’t wait to show her his favourite spots, all the magic he could do now and how good he had gotten in snow sliding. Now that he had a part of his memories back of what they had shared, he couldn’t wait to spend more time together.

He knew that their time was actually limited, its boundaries set by the moon and winter but now she knew how to find her way back to him and that he would be waiting for her under the moonlight. So when the break of dawn came and Yuki’s soft, lingering touch on the back of his hand inevitably dissolved into thin air – after dancing together under the snowfall and talking through the night –, their goodbyes weren’t sorrowful because they knew it wasn’t for forever. It was rather a see you again.