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240413 COACHELLA | MINGI

𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘰 𝐹𝑖𝑐 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑠

♡ Fluff || ୨୧ Angst || ★ Smut || ꗃ SMAU || ⌗ Series || ✿ Drabble || ♤ Mature (No smut) || ✹ Humor

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ The shattered camera ✹♡⌗୨୧ -> @puppetwritings

Summary: Wonwoo already had enough on his plate as it is—proving his parents wrong, making a living, fighting his just conscience—and with you in the picture, nothing could possibly go more wrong. Or could you be his ticket to the good life that he wanted?

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Head in the clouds (Landing among stars) ♡୨୧♤✹ -> @twogyuu

Synopsis: You're busy. He's busy. Doctors are busy. Pilots are busy. But somehow, he always found time for you - including pretending to be your boyfriend for your cousin's wedding.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Hi Wonwoo ୨୧ -> @diamondyjh

Synopsis: Sharing the details about your day with your boyfriend is a part of your daily routine.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Favorite ★ -> @wonusite

Synopsis: When Professor Jeon realizes his most earnest student is no longer paying him the attention he craves, he goes to great lengths to make sure he’s the only one holding her attention.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Love you twice ♡୨୧★ -> @toruro

description: in which your extremely hot and sexy one night stand turns out to be your son’s teacher. naturally, chaos ensues, but you might just find love as your life continues to take an unexpected turn.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Right where you left me ♡୨୧★ -> @tonicandjins

summary: in which wonwoo leaves and takes your heart with him. three years later, you're in another city, but tragically, right where he left you.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ In the spring ♡୨୧ -> @viastro

synopsis: in which you suffer from a car accident and have amnesia when you wake up. wonwoo is your current boyfriend, but you keep remembering your ex. [inspired by the numerous tiktoks i saw with this prompt]

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Payment due ♡୨୧★ -> @solarwonux

Synopsis: HYBE U one of the top highly prestigious universities in the country. A shit hole, a total money making scam that liked to sucked the life out of its students. Not being able to meet the funds to pay for your tuition your best friend lets you in a little secret. A way he’s been keeping afloat for years now, easy money. The problem is you want in. 

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Sharing is caring but I don't care ♡✹ -> @gamerwoo

Summary: All cat hybrids are different, but Wonwoo is exactly what you’d expect: reclusive, only wants attention for a limited amount of time, and slightly passive aggressive. You don’t mind, you love Wonwoo all the same. But he suddenly gets a lot more clingy after your best friend asks you to babysit the dog hybrid he’s fostering that seems to take a liking to you.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Wedding weekends with Wonwoo ♡✹୨୧ -> @suhnshinehaos

SYNOPSIS. jeon wonwoo, the perfect man. kind, smart, successful career, and not too bad on the eyes. all his friends are getting married and everyone’s aunts, mothers, and family friends are trying to set him up with their friends, sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews at every wedding he attends. he’s tired of it. what better way to solve his problem than to employ your help, someone who’s having the exact same one?

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Blind ♡୨୧ -> @wtf-taeyong

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Roommates with benefits ♡★✹ -> @shuaflix

SUMMARY ▸ initially, wonwoo doesn’t think much about your incessant requests to play on his xbox. however, when what was supposed to be a two-hour visit to his place stretches out for two weeks, he starts to think you’re overstaying your welcome.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Momentum ♡୨୧♤ -> @wonlouvre Part 2 , Part 3

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ His favourite colour is blue ♡୨୧ -> @euphoricsunflowers

summary: there’s this guy in your history class who is so attractive, but he’s cold and closed off. guess you gotta fix that.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Love me tender...or maybe not ♡★ -> @multi-kpop-fanfics

Summary: cupids are the messengers of love and eros. but not all of them have truly experienced eros, in mind and flesh.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Your friends suck ♡୨୧★ -> @bambikisss

Summary: Your friend group is filled with people who tend to push their wants onto you, so with you being a pushover, you sorta let them. Wonwoo takes notice after a while and begins to help you pull away.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Just ask ♡୨୧★ -> @idyllic-ghost

synopsis: you're not very good at asking for things, especially not of the sexual kind. but maybe you can be driven to a point where you simply have to ask.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Amour-Haine & Co ♡୨୧★ -> @wonwoosthetic

Six years. Six long years have you been working side-by-side with your father. Balancing studying at university while playing his right hand throughout it all without ever complaining about how hard it was, but rather always putting 200% into everything you did. You helped him grow the company to where it now was.

And now, after the many ups and downs you have shared, he retires only to let the company get bought by some young wannabe Jeff Bezos, who thinks money and looks is everything he needs to get him through life.

If someone thought you’d just let this pass and work as Jeon Wonwoo’s side chick… they would be wrong. So, let the games begin.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Blood love , Part 2 ♡୨୧★ -> @multi-kpop-fanfics

Summary: Swearing off human blood can be condemning for a vampire - despite Wonwoo surviving without it for decades. But living in the current era is much more different than the past - because you exist.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Good luck charm ♡★ -> @sluttywoozi

Summary: Progamer!wonwoo is having a minor breakdown in a closet pre-tournament. Good thing you know the perfect good luck charm for him!

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Sucker (for you) ♡✹ -> @gyu-effect

SUMMARY || First year in college was always known to be stressful with all the assignments to complete, parties to enjoy and lectures to attend. But for you, it was a whole different type of stress: the conflicting (and growing) feelings of affection towards your best friend. Falling for him isn’t an option, but neither is avoiding him. So what do you do when you are down bad for the one and only Jeon Wonwoo?

Or, in which, one drunk party sends you hurtling down a rollercoaster of love for your best friend.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Meet cute of the century ♡୨୧★ -> @lovelyhan

the last thing you expected when you volunteered at your city’s local animal shelter is to meet the hottest cat person in the world. now if only he’d just adopt one of them so you’d stop ogling him every time he drops by.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Homewrecked ♡୨୧★ -> @ncteez

Wonwoo doesn’t seem to realize that you’re giving him the best option out of a relationship that doesn’t even involve you. With a cheating best friend on one side, and a loyal Wonwoo loving her from two hours away on another, you decide that home wrecking isn’t always a bad idea. 

or the one where wonwoo fights internal demons over wanting you bc he’s in a relationship that he doesn’t even realize is falling apart.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ POV ♡୨୧ -> @by-soleil

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Something old, something new ♡★ -> @kwanisms

summary: When you get the news that your cousin is getting married, you lie about bringing your boyfriend as your date. Panicking, you ask your best friend, Wonwoo, to be your fake boyfriend.

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ The Peephole ★ -> @rubyreduji

summary: wonwoo can’t stop thinking about how he wants to ruin his roommate, the peephole in his wall isn’t helping tamper those desires either

❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Pretend It's Someone That Came for You ♡୨୧★ -> @beefboyandbabygirl

description: you're lonely. you're so lonely you think it might actually kill you. but when wonwoo transfers to your office, he might just change that fact.

[ More wonwoo fic recs will be updated ]

Want more Seventeen fic recs? -> Click here

sucker (for you) || j.ww

“IT’S LIKE I’M A SUCKER FOR YOU”

PAIRING || Wonwoo x Female Reader

GENRES || Best Friends To Lovers AU, College AU, Humour, Fluff

SUMMARY || First year in college was always known to be stressful with all the assignments to complete, parties to enjoy and lectures to attend. But for you, it was a whole different type of stress: the conflicting (and growing) feelings of affection towards your best friend. Falling for him isn’t an option, but neither is avoiding him. So what do you do when you are down bad for the one and only Jeon Wonwoo?

Or, in which, one drunk party sends you hurtling down a rollercoaster of love for your best friend.

SERIES MASTERLIST || teen, age

MUSIC || Sucker by Jonas Brothers

WARNINGS || Nothing actually, mentions of alcohol, just drunk!wonwoo being a menace and me attempting to be funny

WORD COUNT || 14.5k (probably my most massive work till now)

A/N || This is the first time I’m seriously writing for seventeen so I’m just going to consider this as my first full length svt fic. Please do tell me your thoughts!! I had a blast writing this one so I hope you all enjoy it as much as i did! Also, advanced birthday gift (or really belated?) to my bestest friend Ni @jaynaur​ . I hope we continue to be friends for million years more. Thank you for sticking with me for all these years, I honestly couldn’t ask for anyone better.

TAGLIST || @misssugarlips​ @loevngyuno​ [thank you for being interested!]

“You are going to burn holes into his face.” 

Kwon Soonyoung hissed into your ears, causing you to glare at him. He raised his eyebrows, as though challenging you and you rolled your eyes.

“I’m not staring at him, I’m just…worried.” 

“Worried he’s going to end up sleeping with her?”

“Shut up, Kwon.” You muttered, eyes back onto your best friend, whom you were sure was going to regret every single action the next day. If he remembered, that is. True, the last few weeks had been extremely stressful for him, but to see the reserved Jeon Wonwoo you knew become drunk and act this wild was something new even to you, despite being his best friend for more than ten years. 

Keep reading

♡ Wonwoo x Reader, Office!au, CEO!au, dark elements included!

♡ Genre — enemies to lovers

♡ Warnings — smut, angst, tension, cursing, screaming, alcohol, misogyny (not from our svt kings), semi-public sex (screw that, they‘re fucking in an office. And in other places. You‘re welcome.)

♡ current word count — 166.3k

Buildings for this series

Six years. Six long years have you been working side-by-side with your father. Balancing studying at university while playing his right hand throughout it all without ever complaining about how hard it was, but rather always putting 200% into everything you did. You helped him grow the company to where it now was.

And now, after the many ups and downs you have shared, he retires only to let the company get bought by some young wannabe Jeff Bezos, who thinks money and looks is everything he needs to get him through life.

If someone thought you’d just let this pass and work as Jeon Wonwoo’s side chick… they would be wrong. So, let the games begin.

The Main Characters:

Yoon (Y/N): COO of Oksan & Co.

Jeon Wonwoo: CEO of Oksan & Co.

Kim Mingyu: Co-CEO of Oksan & Co.

Yoon Sungho: former CEO of Oksan Inc. (before it became Oksan & Co.)

Lee Binna: (Y/N)'s best friend and teacher at an elementary school

most Seventeen members as employees and close friends of the main characters (Y/N, Wonwoo, and Mingyu)

Park Chanyeol: CEO of Exodus Entertainment and ex-boyfriend of Y/N

Oh Sehun: Directing Manager of Exodus Entertainment/Park Chanyeol‘s right hand

The Companies:

Oksan Inc.: Yoon’s advertising company

Vortex & Co.: Jeon‘s web design company

Goyang & Co.: Kim‘s app development company

Oksan & Co.: now a merged company (having a few other side merges as well, but these three are now the major areas; the other companies are just some that specify on one specific app or website)

Exodus Entertainment: growing music label

Prologue: "I didn't work my ass off for six years, just to be COO."

Chapter 1: “I don’t necessarily want to have to see you whenever I’m looking at my computer.”

Chapter 2: "Our COO had a tough first two weeks, and I want to make it up to her."

Chapter 3: "And suddenly you wish (Y/N) was co-CEO instead of COO?"

Chapter 4: “Men in general.”

Chapter 5: “Yep, everything’s fine.”

Chapter 6: “I know, I’m probably the last one you’d want to hear this from,” (Smut!)

Chapter 7: “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Chapter 8: “So, behave.”

Chapter 9: “Don’t miss me too much until then.”

Chapter 10: “This is very unprofessional.” (Smut!)

Chapter 11: “But I don’t think we should hide it anymore. Right babe?”

Chapter 12: "You do remember that I've had you naked on my desk, right?"

Chapter 13: “Suck my dick.”

Chapter 14: “That I’m on my fucking knees for you, Y/N.”

Chapter 15: “It might be a little less complicated now…”

Chapter 16: “You’re not gonna be able to walk away from this conversation forever, just so you know.”

Chapter 17: “We’ve been here before, right?”

Chapter 18: “I’m proud of you.”

Chapter 19: coming soon!

.

.

info on future chapters

Taglist: @nctxtrash @leicy0756 @hoe4wonwoo @jeonwonhi @nothingbutadeadesceane @smileywoo @angelarin @onewoowonderboy @goodforgyu @kavvs @sugarmilkchan @sweetheart-gs @wonforgyu @lilactangerine @meltinghershey @wonw00t @soonchanshua @jayswifeuwu @allorysayshi @shaurenlaw @drama-1998-girl @yoonren07 @malakasae @sseuyeon @venusprada @jeminiepabo @billboard-singer @safsaf1980 @monmarguerite @ji-jii-visha @renjunphile @haogyuslut @destinyg237 @taestrwbrry @renkkuri @travelleratheart101 @love-svt @sunshinein17 @morklee02 @wonuziex @pwwarkjisung @hokuuu @clvudisan @awyunh @restlesswritings @woohaosworld @caratlove10 @woo8hao @misssugarlips @heednpy @yogurttea @sigillaria-svt @seungcheolsblog @s-xoups @orujinkoo

A/N: please note that I’m in no means an expert in IT or any of the other subjects that might come up in this series. I do research on everything I write about, so that I can get an idea of what would/could be realistic, but that’s about it :)

If you have more knowledge about positions like CEO, COO, Directing Manager, etc. PLEASE let me know! I‘m always happy to learn and to make stories more realistic.

© this story belongs to wonwoosthetic - please do not repost it somewhere else without my knowledge. If anyone finds it on another website, please let me know. Thank you.

Your friends suck :: WW

-> Summary: Your friend group is filled with people who tend to push their wants onto you, so with you being a pushover, you sorta let them. Wonwoo takes notice after a while and begins to help you pull away.

-> College student/Coffee Barista! Wonwoo

-> Warnings: pushy friend group, the friend group is all toxic, descriptions of a fist fight. Oral (both), protected sex, hickies, mentions of multiple rounds, having sex in the coffee shop

-> Song: Friends - Chase Atlantic

A/N: After a looong wait, here it is.

You were a very trusting person. Someone people talked about; you were always so nice, caring, and sweet. If someone needed you, you were there no matter what.

And when you're too nice, people like to take advantage of it.

A prime example was your friend group; 5 people who saw you and took you into their already tight circle. They kept you close and when people saw you with them, they thought they must be as nice as you. But, it was so far from the truth. They pushed you to do things that you didn't want to do all the time, having no remorse when you would later explain to them that you didn't have fun. They would constantly say that you were "no fun" and that "we have to make you a better person. If that pushes you out of you comfort zone, than so be it." It sometimes made you feel small; like they were only keeping you around for the image.

But, besides them, you didn't really have any other friends. If you weren't in class or at work, you were with them. You did have one other friend, but they didn't like him, and vice versa. They think he was too caring about you; he thinks that they don't care enough. Deep down, you did like how much he seemed to care about you; it felt like being by the fireplace after being outside in the cold for such a long time (your friend group).

When you told him that, he started calling the group "the iceberg," which made you both laugh. It was a small inside joke that would always make you smile as they were sometimes very cold to you.

Like now. They had been playing with your umbrella and broke it, leaving you in the rain as they all hopped into one of their cars. When you asked where you could sit, they all shrugged, telling you that there was no room before speeding off. You sighed before trudging over to a nearby coffee shop, hoping to hide from the downpour. As you sat down at your usual table, you noticed a coffee being placed down before you, a foam bear on top. You smiled at the cute bear, looking up to thank the cause of your smile.

"Thanks Wonwoo, you're the best," he returned your smile as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, sitting down across from you. He wouldn't usually have the time to talk with you, however, with the heavy downpour, it gave him a moment to relax as no one came in. He rubbed his arms as he asked about your day, noticing that you seemed sad when you came in. You at first hesitated to tell him the reason why knowing he would complain about your friends for the remainder of his break. When met with your silence, he sighed before leaning forward to rest his forearms rest on the table. He stared into your eyes, raising an eyebrow before asking you once more what happened.

When you finally gave in and told him, he scoffed before cursing softly under his breath, removing his glasses. You could tell he was getting angrier, reaching over to try and calm him down by rubbing his arm, noticing how his muscles had tensed. Wonwoo ignored your words, ranting to you about how dumb the friend group was. You winced as his voice grew louder, which he noticed. He paused, clearing his throat before sighing, rubbing his face as he didn't want to get louder and scare you.

"Why do you hang out with them? They're going to do something one day that hurts you."

When Wonwoo said that, you thought he was just being sweet and caring as per usual.

You were wrong.

His words rang through your head as your friend group pushed you towards the group of baseball players, all looking at you like prey. One day, you had told the group that you found the baseball team hot, which they agreed to keep secret. But with all of them at the party, they took the opportunity to tell them and convince them to do a gang bang with you. When your friend group told you, you of course immediately refused and tried to object while they yelled at you. You were on the verge of crying as you got closer, trying to move away from their tight grasp, but to no avail.

Right when you were right in front of them, Wonwoo gripped your forearm, ripping you from their grasp into his chest. He stared down at your friend group as he was taller than them, his voice deep and loud as he asked them what they all thought they were doing. The party turned their attention from the loud music and watered-down drinks towards where you were, embarrassment filling you as people began to whisper. You tried to convince Wonwoo to let it go, but he only ignored you, asking them once again what they thought they were doing. One of your female friends stepped up, her attitude prominent as she said "we're having fun. Trying to set Y/N up with an athlete."

Wonwoo scoffed, shaking his head before he narrowed his eyes at the two groups. "She obviously doesn't want to, so, I don't know who is having more fun here: you guys or the group of fuckboys." He was surprisingly calm, telling you that you were leaving with him now. Your friend group tried to stop you both, demanding that you stay with them or "you weren't a good friend." One of the baseball boys (probably the one who wanted you the most) snapped out of his daze before realizing that he was insulted, gripping Wonwoo's shoulder to turn him around. Wonwoo pushed you behind him as the man's fist made contact with Wonwoo's cheek, making him stumble. You looked on in shock as Wonwoo handed you his glasses before his own fist made contact with the other man's jaw, dropping him to the ground before his fist continued to make contact with his body.

Your hands shook as you looked on, stopping Wonwoo when you noticed a brief flash of red and blue lights. You wrapped your arm around his bicep before pulling him away from the whimpering man that scurried off with his other teammates, ushering Wonwoo out the back of the house to avoid the cops. You tried to get a look at his face as you both walked, stopping him under a streetlight. His black t-shirt was ripped from the small scuffle, only on the shoulder. His hair was a mess, moving in the wind as you noticed his lip was bleeding. Besides that and his messed up appearance, he looked alright. You gently cupped his cheek, your thumb moving over his bottom lip to collect the blood from it. Wonwoo winced slightly but didn't stop you, his hands moving to gently cup your hips as you did. You paused as he did, feeling your cheeks heat up as he gently whispered your name. It sounded so far away to you. Before you could ask him what was wrong, you noticed the boy stumble forward a bit, gripping your hips tighter as he steadied himself. It snapped you out of your daze, looking around for a place for him to rest frantically. When you noticed there were no nearby benches, you slowly led him to the cafe nearby. You knew he had a key, reaching into his pocket to grab his keychain before turning to the door as you began to unlock it. As you did, he stumbled forward to lean his chest onto your back, breathing gently into your ear as he waited for you to finish. Your breath hitched, forgetting what key it was as the hands that were on your waist were now tapping your hips in a gentle rhythm.

"It's the brown one, Y/N," you nodded at his words, quickly entering the key in before opening the door, carefully leading him in. You couldn't help but bite your lip as you watched him slowly make his way to one of the chairs, slumping down into it as he closed his eyes. You only moved from the door when he held his hand up, his fingers making a slight "come here" motion before dropping back to his lap. As you stood before him, you took the chance to admire how he looked; he sat with his legs spread, his belt that held up his pants was slightly open, showing the top of his Calvin Kleins. Wonwoo may be in pain right now, but he looked hotter than ever to you.

Wonwoo finally gathered enough energy to open his eyes and gently tip his head forward, smirking lightly when he saw your eyes on his belt. He always liked to catch you staring at him, sometimes wearing purposely tight clothes to catch your attention along with a cologne you said that you liked.

"Enjoying the view?" you snapped out of your gaze to meet his eyes, noticing his smirk. You knew he caught you, which made your cheeks heat up as you mumbled something about getting ice for his cheek from the ice machine. Before you could walk away, though, Wonwoo gently gripped your wrist, his thumb rubbing your wrist as he sat up more. "The ice machine code is 171709."

You cleared your throat as you nodded, gently slipping your wrist from his hand before making your way behind the counter to get the ice. As you put the code in, your phone began buzzing like crazy in your pocket, all from the friend group asking where you were. You sighed as you read through the mix of toxic and annoyed messages, scoffing when one person mentioned how the baseball guys were worried about you. You had never met the baseball guy and knew that he probably just wanted to know where you were just to get some head and a quick unsatisfying fuck.

While you were reading, you didn't notice Wonwoo moving to stand behind you, only noticing when his warm chest pressed up against your back. His hands moved to close the open ice machine, caging you in as you were now pressed against it. He leaned down close to your ear, asking what you were looking at. You didn't think about lying to him as you usually did when it came to your friends, showing him the texts, making him laugh darkly. He gently tossed your phone onto the nearby counter, his hands moving back to your waist as it was earlier. "Your friends suck, Y/N," you tried to turn to face him, Wonwoo's grip on your hips stopping you as he continued. "I don't see why they wanted you to fuck that baseball guy. I mean, I know I can fuck you better than him."

"Wonwoo," you felt his lips meet the shell of your ear, slowly moving to your jaw as his hands moved from your hips to move all over your body. You closed your eyes as you enjoyed the feeling, biting your lip when his hands slipped under your top, playing with the bottom of your bra. He groaned gently as you pressed your ass gently against his hardening cock, his hips moving to meet yours as his kisses turned messy. You tossed your head back to rest on his shoulder, his hands moving to push up your top to rest above your breasts, squeezing them as he pulled back to meet your eyes. You bit your lip as his hands squeezed your breasts over the bra, Wonwoo biting his licking his lips as he watched you. "You feel so good in my hands, Y/N like I always knew you would." He slipped his hands into your bra, playing with your hardening nipples as one of your hands went into his hair. Wonwoo smirked as he pinched your nipples, watching as your knees gently buckled as you moaned his name. He watched you for a bit longer before he moved to pick you up, placing you on the counter as you gripped his hair, pulling him into a kiss.

Wonwoo moaned against your lips, his hands slipping to grip your ass to help you meet his hips once more. He couldn't believe that if he wasn't there, the baseball guys would be able to have their way with you; touching you like this, having you whimper like this. The thought drove him up the wall. He pulled back from the kiss, kissing down your neck until he reached your breasts, licking the top as his hands began to remove the bra, tossing it onto the floor as he immediately wrapped his lips around your nipples. He switched between them as his hands moved down your body, spreading your legs so he could stand between them.

"You look so good, Y/N," he pulled back to gently pushed you back against the counter, removing your bottoms as you made work of his top. As his shirt joined yours on the floor, put back on his glasses, sinking slowly to his knees as you gripped the counter. He wasted no time moving into you, his lips immediately wrapped around your clit as he pushed one finger into you. It was like Wonwoo was in a trance; from how you were moaning his name with a slight whimper in it, to how you gripped his hair to bring him closer. He couldn't help but moan loudly against you, the vibrations making you moan louder. Wonwoo licked up your wetness as it dripped down his wrist, meeting your eyes as his tongue moved up his wrist slowly.

You gripped his hair to pull him to smash your lips into his, your tongues meshing together as his fingers continued to move in you. "Do you like how you taste, baby? So fucking sweet."

Even though you loved what he was saying, you couldn't help but want nothing more than to feel his tongue back on you. You pushed him away from you before carefully jumping off the counter, moving him to lie down on the bundle of clothes. Wonwoo looked at you with a raised eyebrow as he did as you asked, a soft "oh'' leaving his lips as you straddled him, turning so you were facing his cock.

"I didn't know my innocent Y/N liked something like this," he placed his hands on your hips before pulling you close to his mouth, helping you to sit on his face before his hand pushed up your body. When his hand met your neck, he pushed you down so your mouth was closer to his cock, slowly pushing your head down onto it, making him groan. Even though you were on top, Wonwoo made sure he was in control. His hands gripped your hair as you began to bob your head, his tongue returning to your pussy, moaning at how tight you felt around his tongue.

He moaned praises into your pussy, his hand tightening in your hair as you moaned around him. You tried to match his movements, his praises giving you confidence. You decided to take him down your throat, pushing your head all the way down, making him toss his head back. His loud moan echoed through the empty coffee shop, hurriedly telling you to get off of him before he came. When you didn't listen and did it again, he picked you up, placing you on the floor next to him as he tried to catch his breath. You admired him as he did; his hair was a mess, his glasses were foggy while the bottom half of his face was wet.

When Wonwoo opened his eyes and caught you staring, he licked his lips before pulling you close to him before gruffly whispering "Ride me."

"What?" you tilted your head as Wonwoo gripped your hand, helping you to straddle him once more. "Y/N, if you know how to 69, then I'm sure you know how to ride someone." He slowly pushed up into you as you stumbled to give an excuse, the feeling of him filling you making you moan. You felt your cheeks heat up as he tossed his head back, closing his eyes at how good you felt around him. "Fuck, Y/N, baby. You feel so goddam good." He gripped your hips as you placed your hands on his chest, beginning to bounce slowly. Wonwoo couldn't help but let his eyes roll to the back of his head, cursing softly as you moved faster.

"You're so fucking thick, Wonwoo baby," you leaned down to moan into his ear, making him moan louder. He could feel you tighten around him, making him want nothing more than to cum at the moment, but he held back. He let his hand slip down to play with your clit as he began to fuck up into you, meeting your eyes as you came around him. ''Cum in me, Wonwoo," he bit his lip as he moved faster, asking if you were sure. "I'm on the pill" you nodded, making Wonwoo moan louder, the idea of filling you making his brain fuzzy. He leaned up to bite your shoulder, leaving hickeys as he moaned your name, filling you up with his cum as he stuffed his face into your neck.

As you laid down on his chest, he pulled out slowly, rubbing your back. Despite the fact that you had just fucked Wonwoo in the coffee shop, you couldn't help but blush, making him chuckle. You were snapped out of your embarrassment as your phone began to buzz, letting you know that someone was calling you. You gently grabbed your phone, laying back down onto Wonwoo as you checked who it was. It took you a second to realize that it was one of the baseball guys, who had gotten your number from your friends. You were about to answer when Wonwoo took your phone from you, laying you down on the ground instead of him.

Before you could ask what he was doing, he sat up on his knees, slowly pushing into you as he placed the phone on the counter. He slowly moved in you, leaning forward to rest his chest against yours, kissing you messily as he fucked you. When you begged for him to move faster, he shook his head, pressing open-mouthed kisses all over your neck. "We have all night, baby. Gotta show you how perfect you fucking are."

Wonwoo took his time fucking you, making you fall apart on his cock a few times before he let himself cum, watching as it spilled out from you, then fucked you again.

"Wonwoo, no more." You gently pushed him back as he kissed down your body, making him chuckle before listening. He sat down next to you as you tried to catch your breath, rubbing your legs as he waited. You sat up slowly as Wonwoo moved to grab a towel, cleaning you up as you rubbed his back. "Thanks, Wonwoo."

He paused as he finished cleaning you, raising an eyebrow as you cradled his face in your hands, bringing him in for a kiss, making him smile. "I will never see this place the same way ever again," you giggled against his lips, making him chuckle. He helped you get dressed, before cleaning up the area. "Me too. I mean, how am I going to make coffee when all I'll be able to think about his how I fucked you over here?" He tapped the counter as you gently pushed his shoulder, laughing softly. But, you also now wondered how you were to look at him the same? You just fucked one of your closest friends, which you knew you had to discuss with him. Wonwoo knew what you were thinking about, wrapping his arm around you before pulling you close. "We can discuss us over dinner. I know a great restaurant near here we can go to."

"Like a date?" you looked up at him as he nodded, leaning down to kiss your forehead. "But, I have one obligation; and it involves your friends..."

Speaking of friends, they were not happy when they saw you the next. Once you had gotten home that night, you left the group chat before blocking their numbers, along with trying your hardest to avoid them. When they did find you while you were studying outside, you were bombarded with demands to know where you went and why you were all of a sudden no longer talking to them. You tried to defend yourself, only to be yelled at once more like you were a child. You couldn't help but feel more and more annoyed as they began to speak over you before you just stopped. You let them continue to speak before gathering your things, deciding to walk away, leaving them looking at you with shock. "If you don't come back, Y/N, we're not friends anymore!"

"Fuck you," you smiled before continuing to walk away, deciding to head to the coffee shop to continue studying.

As you walked in, you couldn't help but feel like a whole new woman; you left your "friends" behind and now had something to look forward to.

As you sat down at your usual table, a coffee cup was placed in front of you, this time with a bear with a small heart on it, making you smile. "Thanks, Wonwoo." Wonwoo sat down in front of you, smiling at you as he took a sip of his water. He raised an eyebrow as you watched him, offering you a wink, making you smile. "So, did you end it with the iceberg?" You nodded, telling him about the interaction you just had with them. He gently held your hand, nodding as he listened before kissing it.

"I'm proud of you, Y/N." his thumb rubbed your hand before his coworker asked him to cover them, leaving Wonwoo to take care of the place as he went on break. "I'll leave you to study while I go take care of this place. I should be off on time tonight for our date."

"Date?" you smiled as he stood up, putting back on his apron as a customer entered. He nodded, making his way back to the counter. "Well, you fulfilled my one obligation, right?" You nodded as helped the customer, offering you winks occasionally as he did.

Now you had something better to look forward to: Wonwoo.

am i your little secret?

Starting a new education is frightening as it is, but thanks to Jeonghan and his push and pull game that’s the least of your worries.

pairing: jeonghan x f!reader wordcount: 8K tags: village au, college au, jeonghan is very hot and cold, bestie!jun, y/n getting close to cheol & chan we love to see it, insecurity, jealousy ; dom!jeonghan, oral (f), unprotected sex, choking, degradation, praise, jeonghan being mean again, spanking, multiple orgasms (f), mutual masturbation warnings: smut, cursing, alcohol, angst a/n: omg finally part 3 ! i love this series so much i hope yall like it toooo…. 🫶

this is part of a series! (one ; two ; three ; four)

"Remind me why you're here again?" Chan looks up from his phone, his overgrown bleached hair messy around his head while he lays down on his bed. You move your gaze from your reflection in the black phone screen over to him, shaking your legs that rest on the base of the desk chair.

"And I told you to stop doing that," Chan lets out a huff of air, shooting daggers at you. You stop shaking your legs. "It's distracting me." he sighs, rolling onto his side to look at you.

"Distracting you from... Tiktok?" you cock up your eyebrow, earning a chuckle from your friend. "Yea..." he pouts, dropping his phone on the mattress before sitting up.

Chan and you have gotten close in the last month ever since you got accepted into college, happily willing to show you around campus and introduce you to some friends with the same major as you. The new semester doesn't start till after the weekend, yet you feel strangely good about starting school.

"This guy..." Chan trails off, looking off somewhere randomly.

"Jun." you say.

"Jun." he repeats, looking back at you. "He's gonna stay in the shared dorms?" Chan asks you, holding his breath. You chuckle, looking at the two single beds he's pushed together for himself. "Single." you say, making Chan let out a huff of air in relief.

"Good. I bribed Seungcheol to let me stay here alone, but to be frank I think I'm on thin ice with him these days." he sighs, stroking his diy king sized bed.

"He's part of the student council isn't he?" you ask, earning a nod. "It'll be good for you to stay on his good side so he can help you pass exams and shit." Chan winks, making you chuckle. "I think I would rather get my degree the normal way, but thanks." you watch him shrug, whispering a 'suit yourself' before unlocking his phone again.

You look over at your phone for the nth time, still no message. "God, she's looking at that damn phone again." Chan mumbles, sighing.

It was supposed to be a surprise when one of your closest friend applied to be an exchange student at the same school you'd applied for, flying over all the way from his home country. After you'd figured out his little plan to secretly move countries for you you'd scolded him, calling him out for being so impulsive just because the idea seemed fun to him.

You were worried he'd been too hasty in making his decision at first, but now, with all the sulking out of your system, you were feeling giddy over seeing your best friend again. Maybe even nervous too.

jun: I'm here 🤓

You straighten your posture when you get the message you've been waiting for. It was the reason you were even on campus bothering Chan in the first place despite living at home (it wasn't that far and you figured you could just bike to school every day.)

"I'm leaving." you announce as you get up, saying your goodbyes to Chan and hastily messaging your friend to get his exact location.

When you see him standing in front of his new dorm you can't contain your excitement, running up to your close friend whom you haven't seen in nearly half a year. His embrace feels warm and familiar, and you feel all your nerves wash away in an instant. Why were you even nervous to begin with?

"Y/nnie, I missed you." he whispers in your ear, giving you a hard squeeze. A muffled groan leaves your lips at the harsh display of affection, chuckling after.

"I missed you too, Junhui." You feel your face heat up a little, feeling awkward with being vulnerable.

Jun lets go of you, dragging you into his dorm room. The space is clean and near empty, with only his giant suitcases and a white backpack on the floor.

It almost seems like you're right back in China. The both of you sat on the floor next to each other while you're abandoning the video playing on Jun's phone to gossip, snacks and bottles of beer splayed around you on the floor.

The two of you don't even notice the sky turning dark until it's midnight. You were planning to just cycle home and go back the next day to help him unpack, continuing the conversations that never seem to die down between you.

"-You're sleeping here wether you like it or not. It's not safe, y/n." he points his index finger at you like you're a small child, making you giggle. You can never stay serious in front of him.

"It's okay, Junnie. It's not like we're in Shenzhen anymore." you assure him, getting up from the laminated floor. You rub your butt in an attempt to soothe the skin after sitting on the same spot for hours, Jun mimicking you when he follows.

He grabs your wrist before you can move further. "Still, all these students, male students. A pretty girl like you won’t be safe."

You roll your eyes at him, ignoring the last statement. "Alright then, I'll sleep here if it'll make you feel better." you give in, not like you care too much about the whole sleeping situation anyways. You'd shared a bed plenty of times before, that's just how your relationship with Jun was. Comfortable, easy. Almost everything with Jun was easy.

The loud zipper of his suitcase catches your attention, your sight momentarily gone when he throws a shirt right in your face. "Oh right- still no pyjama pants?" You see Juinhui looking at you when you uncover your face, nodding.

"Scandalous." he chuckles, taking the pants and another shirt for himself before making his way into the bathroom. "Don't have an extra toothbrush yet but I did bring mouthwash." he yells from the bathroom, and you tell him it's fine before changing into his oversized shirt. His smell is even the same.

You fall asleep quickly next to Jun, and the lack of curtains in his dorm wakes you earlier than usual the following morning. There’s light snoring next to you, and you turn to see Junhui sleeping peacefully beside you. You unconsciously smile, resisting to urge to fix a strand of displaced hair in his face.

You resort to scrolling your phone for a little until he wakes up, which is a near hour before he finally does so.

He stretches his tall frame next to yours, his tired eyes meeting yours with a frown between his brows. You chuckle, watching him rub his eyes as an attempt to wake up.

“Creep. You’re staring at me again?” he chuckles after sitting upright. You roll your eyes at him. “Says the pervert who begged me to sleep over.” Jun chuckles, reaching over to his phone that’s plugged into the charger.

“You’re the sicko who always refuses to wear pants.”

“Do you want me to help you unpack or not?” you snap at him, a hint of playfulness behind your eyes. Jun pouts. “I love you.” he smiles sweetly, ruffling your hair before getting up.

“Yeah, yeah,” you mumble when rolling your eyes again.

“Go freshen up, I’ll start on the big suitcases first.” Jun says, rolling one of his giant suitcases to the middle of the room.

It takes you nearly two hours to unpack and sort all of Jun’s luggage, with another hour and a half of walking around campus and touring the amenities you’ve yet to actually go to.

The two of you get breakfast and coffee at one of the cafe’s before you finally say your goodbyes to Jun, promising to go come back tonight to attend your first frat party at an actual fraternity instead of Joshua’s place.

With the remains of your crossaint bagged and clutched between your teeth you unlock your bike safely parked near the entrance of your college, grasping the paper bag in your hand as you cycle the route you’ve been getting more familiar with.

As you make the drive thought the Greek row littered with Sororities and Fraternities, you suddenly recognize a certain someone. It feels like a punch in the chest, all the air leaving your lungs when you recognize Wonwoo.

You thank the gods his back is towards you, his broad frame walking up the steps to which you assume is his fraternity.

With quick pedaling you keep cycling, trying not to rile yourself up and get too angry again.

Sure, it had been weeks since you found out about your brothers little plan to get you and Wonwoo together, something that would’ve only been mildly infuriating if it hadn’t been for the fact Wonwoo was in on it.

But the ordeal had left you angry and confused, all the pain you’ve tried so hard to ‘self love’ your way out of coming right back; years of feeling like a burden with lack of direction, just a sad, pitied embarrassment.

You didn’t even text him back when he asked to talk to you, not ready to be confronted with all those repressed feelings again. Maybe it was rude of you, childish even, but you’re hurt and not ready.

Soonyoung could tell you were still upset about it despite you sucking it up and acting like everything was okay, yet he choose to not mention it again.

So, when you get home after exactly thirty minutes it’s no surprise your older brother keeps up the act, following you around the house happily yapping away while munching on some chocolate ice cream, residue collecting in the corners of his mouth.

He even stands outside the bathroom when you take a shower, his mouth nearly pressed against the crack of the door after you let him know you can barely hear him under the hot stream of water.

Once you’re sitting on your bed, covered by a soft bathrobe and a pink towel around your head, Soonyoung’s spread out in the centre of your bed laying on his stomach, watching some video on his phone while taking about something dumb Mingyu did the other week.

You admit the story is pretty funny, but something about that Mingyu just pisses you off. Just the way he smirked when talking to you, so obviously amused by whatever Jeonghan must’ve told him about you.

Jeonghan. You almost sigh at the thought of him.

“Don’t disappear on me again, y/n.”

What about him? It’s not like he makes any effort to contact you either. He doesn’t even have your number.

You think about Jeonghan a lot, so much it’s almost a problem.

It’s definitely a problem.

Whenever that pretty face haunts your thoughts again you try to think of anything else, mostly failing when you remember that warm laughter of his, or his pretty, brown eyes that seem to read you oh so easily.

Whatever. After the whole Wonwoo ordeal you made a promise to yourself. To never be that desperate girl you used to be, taking any affection or love that she can get her hands on. You know it was your own insecurity shining through, so deprived of warmth it made you accept anything from anyone.

It wasn’t like you actually liked Jeonghan, it was just the idea of him you liked.

"-As much as I want to meet your friend tonight I already promised dad to bring and pick him up from the game tonight," Soonyoung sighs deeply, genuinely seeming upset.

You chuckle lightly, wondering why you haven't send him away yet. "You just want to drink alcohol." you tug on his arm to try to get rid of him, Soonyoung frowning at you.

"Well there’s that too," he shrugs, letting himself get dragged out your room while still being focused on the screen in his hand.

Once you're finally by yourself you take your time getting ready for the party, humming along to some playlist while you put on makeup and carefully pick out your outfit for the night.

When it's almost 11 you shoot Jun a quick text you're on your way before getting on your bike again, silently cursing your brother isn't going with you so you could've just taken the car instead.

jun: sorry i just read this and i won't be ready for like another 30 min grrr but i'll meet u there later!!!

Great. Walking inside the party alone was a whole task on its own, having you pause your movements after locking your bike and trying to muster up your self confidence.

You should've taken a shot before leaving. Or two.

With anxiety haunting your body you force yourself to go inside, bodies of people already inside of the spacious fraternity. You pray to god you can find someone you know, not wanting to look like a complete loser before school had even started.

"Y/n?" you turn when you hear your name, the frown on your face barely smoothening out when Mingyu and Minghao are standing in front of you.

There's already a grin on Mingyu's tan face, taking a sip of his beer generously. Remind me why I keep coming to these parties. "What're you doing here?" he sounds genuinely confused, briefly looking around to try finding your brother.

You shrug. "I'm here with a friend." you say vaguely, looking behind them to try to find anyone else.

The two of them follow your gaze for a moment, giving each other a quick look. "This friend," Minghao starts swirling his glass of wine, making you wonder why he’s drinking wine at a frat party. "Is he like, an actual person we can see and touch?"

You roll your eyes, stealing a glance at your empty phone screen while you hear Mingyu laugh at his friend. "Yes, Minghao. He's not here yet." you sigh, pocketing your phone.

Minghao's been friends with your brother for quite some time now, and you get along with him pretty well. Now with your brother not here to pick on together, you seem to be the one falling victim to his sharp wit instead.

"I'm just kidding, funny girl. I'll get you a drink and you can wait for her with us." Minghao empties his wine glass before leaving you alone with Mingyu, who's on you within seconds asking you all kinds of questions about your brother without letting you get as much as a single word in, practically having a conversation with himself as he seems to realize he already know most of the answers.

Your mind wanders to Jeonghan again, a part of you hoping you'll see him again tonight. You could just ask Mingyu, one of his closest friends, but you don't want to be that girl. Besides, there's loads of other people to get to know here, people that are way better than Yoon Jeonghan.

Minghao gets back with two full glasses, handing you the simple mixed drink with a smile. You thank him before taking a well deserved sip, sighing in delight.

"Now that we've established what I'm doing here I'll ask you both the same." you eye the taller men while taking another sip, the both of them chuckling in unison.

"We threw it, why wouldn't we be here?" Mingyu smiles, turning briefly to greet some guy patting his shoulder.

"I mean, our fraternity. We live here."

You cock up your eyebrows, slowly nodding. Makes sense. "Must be fun living with all your close friends." your lips quivers in amusement. Minghao's face grimaces, giggling when his friend elbows him.

"Mostly," Mingyu says. "But you know we don't all live together." he tells you truthfully. "And maybe that's for the best." Minghao adds, swirling his wine again. You nod. Does Jeonghan live with them?

Your phone vibrates, and you seem to spot your tall friend walking in quickly, clad in all black clothing apart from his thick white shoes. 

"Oh, Excuse me," they watch you approach Junhui with a smile on your friend, going back to their own conversations when you disappear to the kitchen with him for a drink.

"Different crowd, hm?" Jun chuckles, clinking his glass against yours before you both start drinking.

"Different," you nod. "But fun." you take another sip of your drink, your eyes falling on a light tuft of hair walking past the body of people, two eyes lighting up after spotting your presence.

Chan quickly makes his way over to you, excited to meet this friend of yours he's been hearing so much about.

Chan's ability to befriend anyone is how the three of you get engulfed in a competitive drinking game, a handful of other people soon taking notice of your fierce competition and thus ending up with a whole group of people playing along.

Your friend Jun quickly sparks the interest of a pretty girl tactically asking him for help winning the game, a ploy that goes right over your clueless' friend's head. The two of them end up somewhere outside of your peripheral, and to be honest the game has made you far too drunk to worry about what your friend is doing.

Taking notice of how your vision has shifted, you decide to find anyone you know, preferably the one person you've secretly been thinking of the entire night.

Your eyes soon land on Mingyu, and too drunk to even care you walk up to him, tugging on his arm to get his attention. Mingyu frowns when turning to you, a smile painting his lips once he sees who it is. "Y/n." he chuckles taking in your current state.

"Where is he." you sigh, squeezing your eyes shut for a second in an attempt to get rid of your dry eyes.

Mingyu stays silent for a moment, his stare agitating you more with every second.

"Where is who?" he finally answers while crossing his arms over his chest. You snicker. Is he kidding?

"Jeonghan." you roll your eyes, almost stumbling over your own feet. Mingyu grabs your arm to steady you, sighing quietly. "How will you go home like this?" he patiently waits for your answer, one you don't seem too eager on providing him with.

Mingyu doesn't wait too long before he's helping you exit the party, your silent protest drowned out by the music until you're outside. 

“You came on your bike, didn’t you?” Mingyu hums when you nod, trying to decipher which one of the bunch is yours just by scanning the objects.

“Pink bell.” you look at him through heavy eyes, Mingyu dragging you to said bike. “Give me the key.” he puts out his free hand, expecting you to just hand over your key. Your hazy brain isn’t fully operating, not really getting what he’s meaning to do.

“I’m gonna bring you home, give me the key.” he nudges his hand towards you, waiting for you.

Mingyu cycling over half an hour to your home with you drunkenly clinging onto him? You can’t think of anything else you hate more at the moment. So, with a big grunt you force yourself out of his grasp, walking up the short steps to the fraternity to sit down on the top step.

The poor guy sighs. “Come one y/n. Do I need to call your brother?” he goes to stand in front of you, his eyes sneakily trying to scan you for any signs of your key.

“I don’t care.” you roll your eyes, laying down on the concrete floor in front of the busy house with your arms stretched out. There’s one guy that steps outside to smoke, a frown on his face when he sees the scene in front of him.

“Well, what do you want then?” Mingyu rubs his eyes, squatting down in front of your body.

“Where’s Jeonghan…” you pout, closing your eyes for a moment. You hear Mingyu chuckle. “I didn’t know you were so close with Jeonghan hyung,” he has this tone where you can tell he’s teasing eventhough you’re too drunk to function properly.

“Yes you do.” you mumble, already having picked up on Mingyu’s game the second it started.

“Yes I do.” he admits, watching you push yourself upright.

“I only want Jeonghan. Get him, now.” you hiss at him, making Mingyu laugh out loud. “You’re gonna be so embarrassed tomorrow.” he giggles. You let out a deep breath, shaking your head at him. “I just…” you let your face drop in your lap, sighing loudly. “I miss him…” you say sadly, hearing another laugh from Mingyu’s throat. Annoying prick.

“He’s out of town, y/n.” Mingyu tells you, making you frown.

“Y/n? Gyu?” you look up when hearing the deep voice, eyes widening when you see Seungcheol.

“Cheollie!” you push yourself up to engulf him in a tight hug, your friend groaning at your bone crushing grip. “What’s going on?” he asks you, already knowing the answer to his question.

“She’s gone.” Mingyu shrugs, ringing the bell on your bike. “I was gonna cycle her home but she won’t give me the key.”

Seungcheol sighs and nods, his arm around you to keep you steady. “Go inside, I’ll drive her home.” he tells his younger friend, who thanks him before going back to the party. You’re happy there’s at least one person you trust with you again, your relationship with Seungcheol progressed just like it had with Chan.

Before you know it you're in the passenger seat of Cheol's car, listening to him softly humming along to his playlist while he takes you home.

"You're so lucky dad was in a good mood last night." Soonyoung presses for the nth time as he parks his car. "I get it." you roll your eyes before stepping out of the vehicle, the sound of the door slamming echoing through the now quiet neighborhood.

Your brother offered to give you a ride back to his friends' fraternity so you could pick up your abandoned bike, last night's antics almost forgotten with the amount of alcohol you mixed. Well, almost. You sure do remember embarrassing yourself over Jeonghan to Kim Mingyu out al all people.

While Soonyoung finds his way inside of the big house rather quickly after yesterday's fomo, you walk up to your bike. Trying not to think of what you did yesterday you feel around in the pockets of your cardigan, freezing when you can't find your key.

Great. Can anything go right?

You figure you could just hang out with your brother and his friends inside, but you're really in no mood to socialize today. Not with the raging headache you’re having, and especially when knowing you could see Mingyu again.

With a sigh you sit down on the same steps as last night, looking out in front of you like some zombie.

"Looking for something?"

The voice makes you shudder. You turn to meet the gaze of someone even worse that Mingyu, Wonwoo.

He flashes you a shiny key, a small smile on his face.

"Oh." you say, pushing yourself back up. Before you can ask him how he managed to get your key he's already next to you holding the object out for you to take.

You give him a quick look when you accept the key, mumbling a soft thanks.

"I found it this morning. Right where you were sitting just now." he nods in your direction, his eyes trying to meet yours.

"Thanks, Wonwoo." you say again, resisting the urge to sigh in front of him.

There's an awkward silence between the two of you, and you pray he doesn't say anything and just goes back inside.

"Why... why didn't you text me back?"

You give him a look, thinking for a second.

“Because I’m angry.” you simply say, not in the mood to go into all the details. Isn’t it common sense? He played you for a complete fool, doing a favor for your brother like you weren’t your own capable person.

“Look, I,” Wonwoo sighs. “I know you think Soonyoung pushed me to tell you those things,” he pushes his black glasses back on his nose. “…A-And in a way he did, kinda….” you give him a look, crossing your arms over your chest with a frown growing on your face.

“But! I would’t have done it if… if it wasn’t-isn’t…true.”

You sigh. “Wonwoo, you guys had this whole coherent… thing going on behind my back.” you shove your hands in your pocket, fiddling with the key in your grasp.

“I would like to believe it was genuine, and maybe it was and I didn’t realize it until now. But if that’s true I still don’t appreciate this whole situation.” you pause for a second, thinking how you can’t ever seem to please the people around you.

“Am I really that incompetent if there’s constantly people trying to push me in the ‘right’ direction? Can’t I do something on my own without help?”

You watch Wonwoo opening his mouth slightly as to speak, yet he doesn’t say anything.

You give him a little smile, straightening your posture. “Just… forget it, okay? I’m sorry. It’s my own incompetence.” you pull your hands out of your pocket, unlocking your bike.

“What- Why are you apologizing?” Wonwoo scratches the side of his head, a little pout on his lips. “It’s… kinda silly when people constantly feel the need to help you, huh?” he says, sighing. You look at him.

“Maybe we’re more alike than you think, y/n.” Wonwoo says softly, chewing on the inside of his lip. “And maybe I’ve been a little too comfortable living like that.”

You really think about what he’s telling you. You’re both mere victims of insecurity.

“It’s a good place to be in. Until It’s not.” you chuckle. Have you been selfish only thinking of yourself? Or is that just human nature? Is it gnawing at Wonwoo too?

The boy smiles sweetly. “Well then… see you around, y/n.” his eyes linger on you for a moment longer before he walks back inside the fraternity, leaving you behind.

The first day of class creeps up on you too fast, but despite your fear it goes relatively well, happily chatting away and getting to know the students Chan had introduced you to. It isn't till you have a free period you don't really know what to do, deciding to explore the buildings a little better after finishing your lunch.

You walk somewhere outside on your way to one of the school's cafe's, feeling the warm sun rays hitting your skin. There's not many people around as most are in class or don't even have their first day till tomorrow.

Trying to feel confident wandering around on your own you can't help but shudder at the sudden breath in your ear.

"Boo." the voice makes you jump, eyes wide when you quickly turn to see Jeonghan grinning down at you.

"What the fuck." you whisper angrily, shoving at his chest. Jeonghan seems to rather enjoy watching you get frightened so quickly over nothing, heavy hooded eyes fixated on yours with a teasing smile on his pink lips.

He looks... so pretty. Maybe it's because you haven't seen him in a while, but the way his long dark locks frame his pretty face so perfectly has you enamored. Or his slender frame, dressed in a black track suit fitting his shoulders in some way that just makes you dizzy.

"A little birdie told me you've been crying telling people how much you miss me." he scans you up and down, eyes resting on your chest for a little too long before looking back at you in amusement.

You decide against making fists of your hands, letting out a long breath instead. Of course he'd hear about that. Had Mingyu exaggerated or was that all him?

"Need someone to bicker with without my brother near." you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

Jeonghan hums. "Of course. Maybe if you had some friends you wouldn’t feel the need to annoy me every time.” he chuckles, another one of his digs making you roll your eyes.

“I have friends. You do know you’re the one coming up to me every time, right?” you cock up your eyebrow, letting him take you in.

The boy laughs quietly. “I do know that, sweetheart. Maybe I simply need someone to bicker with too.” he licks his lips before hooking his finger in your jeans, pulling you almost flush against him.

You look at him while he’s so close to you, not taking notice of him pulling your phone out of the pocket of your cardigan until he flashes you the object.

He turns the screen so your facial recognition unlocks the phone, tapping away for a moment before he gives it back to you with a satisfied smile, pushing his hands in his pockets.

He opens his mouth to speak before some girl calls out his name rather irritably, jogging up to him and quickly linking arms with him.

“Here you are Hannie,” she gives you a subtle displeased look before fully turning her attention back to Jeonghan, who just keeps his eyes on you.

“Let’s go?” she tugs on his arm to try to get his attention before opting to just drag him away from you. Jeonghan gives you a wink before he walks off with her, the simple action leaving you flustered.

You didn’t expect to park your bike in front of that same damn fraternity again, but after getting Jeonghan’s text asking if you were still on campus (You weren’t, you were already on your way home yet you told him yes.) that’s right where you end up.

Jeonghan had put his number in your contacts and send himself a quick text to get yours when he’d taken your phone, a random, creepy smiling emoji that was so alike him.

It wasn’t even hours later he invited you to his place after lying you were still around, already hoping he’d invite you over like the pathetic girl you’ve become.

You remember it’s been only days since you promised yourself not to be so desperate anymore, yet you choose to ignore your inner voice scolding you for it.

“So you live here too then?” you ask the question when obviously already knowing the answer, walking through the hall until you reach Jeonghan’s bedroom, who just hums.

Once inside you can’t help scanning the room, surprised at how neat it is. Everything seems to have its own spot, decorated with care.

“Cute.” you remark, giving Jeonghan an amused smile. He raises his eyebrows at you, watching you further admire the little knick knacks spread all around. There’s three tiny ceramic bunnies on his desk, with a collection of all kind of bracelets, silver and beaded ones on a cute little tray next to it. He has a sneaker display, and you can see all kind of completed lego sets sitting on top of it, small and bigger ones. He even has a pretty clay lilypad ashtray on his nightstand, and you can tell he’s made it himself by the shabby look of the polished object.

You don’t know why, but seeing all this compared to the cold Jeonghan you first met all those months ago makes you giggle. In your head he hadn’t changed much from then, still the annoying and cocky guy who wouldn’t even bother lifting his leg for you to sit. Maybe a lot did change from then.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jeonghan frowns down at you like you’re stupid, watching you admire the cute bunnies at a closer proximity.

“Nothing,” you chuckle, shaking your head. “They’re just so sweet.” Jeonghan swats your hand when you try to touch them, making you pout.

“I know.” he says, forcefully turning you to meet his body. He holds your shoulders, pushing you back against the edge of the desk before pressing his lips against yours. He makes out with you slowly while his hands travel down to rest on your waist, holding you in place.

You whimper against his mouth when he starts sucking and biting on your bottom lip, hot tongue swiping the throbbing skin before delving right back, licking into your mouth almost desperately. You grab his face to bring him even closer, just as eagerly kissing him back.

Jeonghan peels off your shirt swiftly, throwing the fabric on the floor. He starts kissing your neck, slowly going down to your collarbone while his fingers remove your bra before undoing the button of your jeans.

You hum and bite your lip feeling his mouth exploring your skin, his touch giving you goosebumps. Hands push down the remaining of your clothes forcefully.

Jeonghan wraps his fingers under your thighs, lifting you on his desk before sinking down on his knees in front of you.

The sight in front of you is as beautiful as it is sinful, Jeonghan’s hand gripping your ankle while his lips trace your skin from your calf to your knee, starting to give the inside of your knee lingering kisses while he makes direct eye contact with you.

The act feels way too intimate for two people just sleeping together, yet you don’t want to put a stop to it either.

You start feeling shy when Jeonghan forces your thighs apart for him, cheeks heating up while he pulls you closer to the edge, in direct contact with your pussy. “Getting wet already?” Jeonghan drags out his words in an almost cute manner, his hot lips burning into your skin with every kiss inching closer to your core.

He keeps his hands on your thighs stubbornly, giving you a look before he suddenly gives your clit a small kitten lick. Jeonghan watches you react to the short touch, your body immediately shifting on his desk.

He only chuckles before his mouth finally finds your cunt. You quickly realize what you’ve been missing out on all this time, Jeonghan’s patronizing mouth finding solance between your sweet legs.

You stagger a long breath when his tongue teases your entrance, starting to lick at your hole like he’s a man starved.

He’s so good, so skilled. When his nose bumps into your clit you can’t help your hips from raising, trying to grind into his touch like you’re not the one in control of yourself anymore.

“Fuck,” you whimper when he tongue fuck you, occasionally withdrawing his hot tongue to suck at your clit, tongue swirling around your heat messily.

He licks you even faster, and your hand finds itself in his mop of hair to push him even closer to you. “‘M almost there Hannie… please.” you moan, fingers playing with the strands of his long hair. Jeonghan hums against you, moving his tongue and nose against you even faster till your body is twitching and rocking for him.

Jeonghan is perfectly content getting lost in your pretty cunt, grunting and mumbling against your heat endlessly. He slurps up some of your juices before pressing his face into your pussy harder, tongue massaging your clit repeatedly.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you gasp, coming undone crying out Jeonghan’s name. He licks and sucks at your wet pussy as you ride out your high, body gently rocking against his pretty face. When he doesn’t seem to stop, threatening to overstimulate your poor cunt you pull him back by his hair forcefully, eyes wide and breath hitching.

“Hey, wasn’t done yet.” Jeonghan whines, giving the inside of your thigh a kiss. He chuckles at your state, deciding it’s maybe for the best not to overstimulate you so quickly so early.

His hands press into your thighs when he pushes himself back up, giving you a look before lifting you off his desk. You look at him while he puts you down on his bed, standing in front of you.

“Now have you been whoring around y/n?” He takes your chin between his fingers, peering down at you with a serious look on his face. When you shake your head he hums, stroking your cheek with his thumb. “Good girl.” he whispers before shaking off his zip up hoodie, the white shirt under it following quickly.

You watch his every move, his delicate fingers hooking inside the fabric of his sweatpants and boxers before he takes those off too, his pretty body exhibited just for you.

Even after just coming down from an orgasm you feel yourself quickly getting turned on again, licking your lips at the sight in front of you.

“Think that cunt is ready? Bet I can just slip right in.” Jeonghan’s thumb presses into your clit, and you hiss out at the sudden contact. “‘M- I’m ready.” you force out, finding his big eyes staring down at you.

He chuckles before caging you under his tall body, his lips quickly finding yours again. His mouth is coated with your release, eagerly moving against yours as you taste yourself. The groan against your lips has you gasping, fingers finding his shoulders for some kind of support.

“Jeonghan…” you whisper against his mouth, lightly pushing at his shoulder to see him pumping his length between your legs, lazy hooded eyes watching you. “Hurry.” you tell him before pulling him back on your mouth again, just feeling him grin.

You don’t know why you’ve kept yourself from wanting Jeonghan all this time, stubbornly forcing yourself not to end up in a bed with him again after doing exactly that. Somehow now you see it, how much your body craves him, no room for others even if you wanted it.

Ending the kiss abruptly he keeps his face as close as possible to you, eyelashes practically fanning your skin to watch your face amend in pleasure once he forces his thick tip past your wet walls. The sound of his high pitched moan drives you crazy, and your mouth falls open at the feeling of him sinking inside deeper.

Jeonghan gives your bottom lip a quick kiss before firmly grabbing your throat, holding you as he bottoms out deep inside of you. The pressure of your walls so tight around him could almost make you cum alone, and you struggle to translate the feeling before he seems to read your thoughts, hips drawing back until only the tip remains. The grip on your neck tightens, Jeonghan’s tongue sticking out while he quickly thrusts back inside of your heat again.

“God,” you whimper feeling him bump your cervix, and you don’t know how you’re not supposed to cry when he keeps hitting that damn spot over and over again without giving you a break. Jeonghan’s pace is controlled and deep, having you struggling to moan with those skinny fingers digging so meanly into your skin.

“Already seeing god? thought I was being so nice only choking you out so softly…” the boy pouts at you tauntingly, loosening his grip without removing his hand from you. “Mhf-yes. Sorry.” you moan when he snaps his hips against you faster, seeing him cock up his eyebrow at you. “You’re apologizing?” he snickers, thighs hiking you further up the bed so he can reach even deeper inside of you.

Another thrust and a hand pressing against your stomach is all it takes for you to cum loudly around his cock, tears clouding your vision momentarily from the sudden orgasm you couldn’t forsee. “Fuck-shit.” you breath loudly, Jeonghan groaning at the way your pussy grips him. “Jesus, y/n. missed me that much?” Jeonghan sneers, giving your throat a final squeeze before letting go completely.

“That’s cute. Too bad I’m not done using you yet.” Jeonghan pulls out to flip you over, manhandling you on all fours in front of you. You wince when he smacks your ass harshly, hands on your hips to bring you closer to him. “Arch.” he warns, a glob of his spit hitting your pussy. His tip rubs between your folds, and your head falls down at the feeling, sure it’s gonna be too much for your poor overstimulated cunt to handle so soon.

Jeonghan doesn’t care, pushing his cock into you in one go. Your toes curl at the feeling, cries filling the room when he starts fucking into you. He’s fast, chasing his release eagerly. “Shouldn’t you be thanking me, slut? Aren’t I doing you a favor?” Jeonghan digs his fingers into your hips harshly, the sound of skin slapping in the air.

“Thank-s. T-thank you Jeonghan.” you whine without a thought, only focussed on taking dick. “Love your cock so much.” you almost cry, fisting the blankets under you tightly. You hear mocking laughter behind you.

Before you know it his hands press into the mattress next to yours, sweaty chest meeting your back. He wraps one arm around your waist, holding you tightly as he plummets into your pussy, his mouth kissing your neck between moans. “‘M cumming. Keep still for me.” Jeonghan tells you in a whisper, slowing down his thrusts once he spills his seed deep inside of you with a whine.

He holds you for a moment, lips resting against your neck as deep breaths tickle your skin. Silent gasps slip past your lips, still feeling Jeonghan twitching inside of you.

He carefully pulls out of your spent heat, letting himself fall back next to your body, catching his breath momentarily while he watches you tiredly turn to face him, sweaty bodies pressing right into each other.

“Come, sit on top of me,” Jeonghan motions at you with his hand, his chest moving with every deep breath he takes. You look at him, wondering if he’s actually serious or not. “Huh?” you let your head rest on the side of the pillow he’s using, face close to his.

“You didn’t cum this time. Come, pretty.” he grabs your wrist, gently tugging you in his direction fruitlessly. A chuckle slips past your lips, shaking your head lazily. “‘S okay, I’m tired Jeonghan.” you pout, watching him fight a smile before pouting back and covering your lower bodies with his warm blanket.

You get a good view of his back when he rolls over to retrieve someone from his nightstand, shuffling back a little so his back is supported by the pillow once he lays back down again. He rips a piece of paper from from its packaging, a little bag filled with weed resting on his chest while he creates a filter, two fingers reaching into the bag of weed to crumble off parts for his joint.

Like it’s this year’s best picture you watch him attentively, fingers rolling the joint skillfully between his digits. He makes eye contact with you when he licks the edge of the paper, chuckling in amusement before closing and twisting the top shut with his fingers.

"You're always staring when I do this." he notes, trapping the filter between his teeth before lighting the tip. You don't have an answer for him, knowing it's true. Jeonghan is like a work of art you can't stop admiring, even now with him covered in sweat, hair messy and smoke flowing from between his lips. You can't bring yourself to look away.

He hands you the lit joint after taking another drag, watching you copy his previous actions. "How's Soonyoung?" you frown in confusion, not expecting the question. "Uh, wouldn't you already know?" you chuckle, handing him back the cigarette.

Jeonghan hums, inhaling a long drag before speaking. "I know how he is," he scrunches his eyebrows before exhaling. "I mean between you two, obviously." he sighs, licking his lips.

You don't really know how to answer him, staying quiet for a moment. Jeonghan was really the only person who you've talked to about what happened, yet it feels awkward to speak of.

"We're good, I guess." you nod, hoping he won't see through your little white lie.

He hums, obviously not convinced. "Did you talk it out or are you two just pretending nothing happened." he did see through your lie.

"The latter." you try not to roll your eyes.

Jeonghan sighs, giving you a side eye. "One of these days it's gonna bite you in the ass. Both of you." he watches you ignore him, obviously not in the mood for this conversation right now. Jeonghan sighs again, making you snap your head towards him in irritation while he puts out the joint on the ashtray next to him.

"I know you'll figure everything out eventually, y/n." he then tells you, tone gentle in contrast to his previous words. Your eyes soften from his words, body sinking deeper in the mattress below you. Jeonghan obviously doesn't know of your insecurities, but something in his words satisfies a deep-seated craving you've had for so long: to be seen.

"Thank you, Jeonghan." you say softly, looking down in embarrassment. Jeonghan smiles out of your peripheral, his hand cupping your cheek to stroke the skin with his thumb.

The touch burns into to your skin, and when you force yourself to look back up you can't refute the drive to be closer to him. Jeonghan seems to think the same, giving you a look before closing in on you until he kisses you gently, the both of you giving each other gentle pecks that slowly transform into a messy french kiss.

You blame it on the weed, but soon your hand disappears under the covers to find his dick, fingers wrapping around him to slowly massage his length. Jeonghan groans against your mouth, taking his time to straddle your body. He keeps making out with you while he's positioned between your legs, hand snaking down to rub into your clit teasingly. You let out a soft moan, hand gripping him tighter so he can't help but do the same.

The strands of his hair tickle your face as he supports his weight on his elbow, body nearly pressing into yours. Jeonghan lets out soft gasps against your mouth, muffled against the skin. He feels himself coming close already, and he tries so hard not to cum so soon with your hand rubbing him so perfectly.

Once Jeonghan enters two of his fingers inside of you there seems to be a sudden unspoken competition between the two of you, thumb tauntingly pressing into your pearl to incite a loud whimper from you. You feel him smirk into the kiss, clearly amused at how easy it is for him to leave you panting and whining.

In response you stroke him faster, your fist going up and down his shaft to trigger his own moaning, which doesn't seem to be too difficult.

"Shit." he groans, digits moving and curling inside of you messily. He adds another finger, forcing you to cramp around him to try to match his climax nearing soon. Jeonghan goes even faster, your lips resting against another, too busy focusing on making each other orgasm.

Jeonghan's breath is ragged, face soon pushing into the crook of your neck to compose himself. His teeth softly bite into your skin, and he whines against you before you finally feel his hot cum making a mess on the inside of your thighs. His fingers reach deep inside of you, and with the feeling of his release burning into your skin you cum around his fingers soon after, hips bucking into his touch.

His body finds itself next to yours again, the both of you catching your breath before Jeonghan wipes your thighs clean with a tissue. Tired and spent you meet Jeonghan’s gaze, a hint of vulnerability creeping into you realizing how intimate the moment you just had with him was.

You don’t know what to say, trying to make sense of all the feelings you’re suddenly feeling. A part of you secretly hopes he’ll ask for you to stay, to want to spend time with you just like you want to.

Jeonghan clears his throat before getting up, picking up his underwear and dressing himself. “You should go.” he urges, looking over his shoulder at the door. His hair moves gracefully when he turns back to look at you, a serious look on his face. Your stomach tightens for a moment, and after a pause you nod, quietly starting to dress yourself.

“You can shower first if you want?” he cocks up his eyebrow, watching you somewhat quickly pull your top over your head.

“I’m already late for something actually,” you lie, grabbing the key of your bike after fixing your hair for a moment. You give Jeonghan a quick wave before leaving, and once you’re finally on your way home the sudden dejected feeling has you biting back tears when you realize what’s going on: you’re in love with Jeonghan.

taglist: @porridgesblog @cyberkdreamland @hannieween @Wheexine @haolistic @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan @scorpiobitch88 @allmyl0ve17 @torothecatt @alltheshineofthestars-blog @sxftiell @mansaaay @unusuallyshy @ur3am @hoichi02 @4cheezflatbred @yoonzinoooo @princessjazzyjazz @Utterlyuselessarenti @kthstrawberryshortcake @itsjnkingdon @sunfloweryjhan @yyy90210 @sleepy-kat-here @felicitydamronren @doljjongsmom @coupsystar8 @unlikelysublimekryptonite @lexix001 @ipodcure @zezedoesshit @aaniag @violentgf @afslme @shinetogether17 @iguessnotforyoon @bangct @walkingtravesty97 @itsaya @cantuseghirip @pyeonghongrie_main @hanni1004lover @blackberry3200 @yoonzinokim @luminouskalopsia @wh0r3r4ngh43 @missychief1404 @pepmiw @blackberyybee @seuvrng @jhadesummer @hoonxclsvly @gyuhao365

Masterlist

Skin-Deep - Seungcheol x reader fic

summary: The one where you fall for Seungcheol amongst all the protests and insecurities. The one where you don't know that he's fallen for you too.

Part 1 - 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5

Part 2 - 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Part 3 (Final) - 11, 12, 13, 14

Wait for your love - Wonwoo x reader fic = 1, 2

let me know if any links don't work :D

I don’t have a tag list but I might get around to making one soon but just check back soon if u like the fics 💞

JUN - 2024 Douyin Spring Festival

Seventeen as Mafia Members

This was just for fun and it is my first post on here, so if you want to see more feel free to request and give my page a follow.

Warnings: mentions of death, brutality, and jail but nothing to deep ;)

S.Coups: The boss

For obvious reasons. He is Seventeen's scary leader for a reason. For example, in that one video of a dog only listening to him. And how he can just give the rest of Seventeen one look and they like backtrack. Boss vibes.

He knows how to handle his business and very rarely gets truly involved with any actual dirty business himself. Is very careful about who he plans to give his business to.

No one double crosses him and once you work for him, it is understood that you will always work for him.

Jeonghan:Consigliere

I think Jeonghan would be S.Coups right hand man. Him and S.Coups only make decisions together. He has almost as much weight as S.Coups himself, and no one can meet S.Coups without Jeonghan approval and Jeonghan is always present. (lovers)

Jeonghan handles everything for S.Coups, that way S.Coups doesn't show his face unless necessary. However, it is understood that if anyone came for Jeonghan for any reason S.Coups would be the one to "handle" it.

Joshua:Capo

He definitely runs his own crew. He keeps a tight hand on them. He is the type of person that you would never expect to have a hand in illegal dealings. Which is why he is so good. I feel like he also has a dark side and prefers to be the one that handles the people that cross him during business dealings.

Probably the type to live in a house about a thirty minute drive from the city (so no one heard the screams of the victims). Most of those working for him were kids he picked up off the streets- they stay the loyal.

Jun:Police

Jun is smart and I think he could handle living a double life. He is the informant for S.Coups. He reports to Jeonghan if any of the other operating mafia families are crossing into the Choi territory.

He is the chief and can make evidence "disappear" if necessary. He is one of the main reason nothing can be drawn back to S.Coups. The only time there is evidence is if Jeonghan gave specific instructions. This usually was signified by Hoshi getting the case, which usually meant the person that had been caught by police was a rat.

off topic junhui is so pretty

Wonwoo: Capo

Wonwoo also has a group of soldiers under his command. He differs from Joshua because he only steps into the dirty side of the mafia business when absolutely necessary. The group he runs consists of mostly hackers and only a selected few can even speak to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo takes his job seriously though. He works with Seungkwan to make sure there are no moles in the "business". And if there are, then that evidence will be sent to Jeonghan and after direct work with Jun and Hoshi the moles are either dead or in jail.

Wonwoo also keeps people from bugging the Choi territory sending his soldiers to do mandatory sweeps of every building owned by S.Coups. And if he finds out that they are not being done right or a bug was missed-well I feel bad for that soldier.

Hoshi: Associate

Hoshi is a part of the mafia, but he also isn't??

Hoshi does what S.Coups (or rather Jeonghan) tells him to do for the right price. Hoshi seems like a prosecutor by day, assassin by night kinda guy. Which is why he is so useful to S.Coups. As a prosecutor, Hoshi dedicates himself to putting bad people in jail (or the people S.Coups wants put in jail). And at night, he dedicates himself to making sure justice has been served.

He is seen by the public as some vigilante and due to his close work with Jun for his morning job, there is no chance of Hoshi or "The Justice" being caught.

Woozi:Underboss

Jihoon is reliable and gets his job done. His work is his life, and he is willing to do pretty much anything in order to obtain the role of Boss one day. Jihoon also knows when he can test his limits and when he shouldn't. I think S.Coups also discusses almost every aspect of his "business" with Jihoon. S.Coups knows that whenever he decides to leave the business, Jihoon will take good care of everything.

Jihoon keeps his nose clean for the most part. However, if S.Coups is busy and something big is to be handled Jeonghan is given orders to allow Jihoon to handle it.

And he does.

The8: Associate

I think Minghao handles the finances for S.Coups. That is the only tie to S.Coups he has. He also works at his own pace, and very rarely gets his hands dirty. But that doesn't mean he won't (don't try to steal from him- those martial arts skills will pulverise you )

I think like only a select few have even lived to tale the tale of what would happen if Minghao caught you trying to steal. And those few would only be kept alive just to make sure no one was dumb enough to try. Of course...there is always someone dumb enough to try.

Dk: Capo

Now hear me out on this one. He is our sunshine, but I know he would handle himself very well when it came to managing his own team

Seokmin for the most part would be a fun, loving, typical sunshine person and a great boss. However, his soldiers know not to push him, because he can be dark. He can be cold-hearted and will be if pushed to that point. He does not like it when people try to walk over him, because they think they can. And he is quick to put them in their place-verbally or physically.

Mingyu: Associate

Assassin.

Mingyu is highly sought after, but he works only for a selected few. S.Coups being one of them. Mingyu is picky and high priced with his jobs. But if given a task, he will accomplish it and depending on the request it will either be the quietest death or the most brutal.

Definitely is given another name in the papers and on the streets...something like Kuro Neko (I am pretty sure that means black cat in Japanese).

I also think Mingyu would keep this side of him well hidden. And would use his bubbly personality to get close to his targets and keep up a solid public persona. Probably runs a clothing shop with a basement full of assassin equipment.

Seungkwan: Spy

Seungkwan has an outgoing personality. He probably would have some type of traveling job on the outside. But he is usually planting some type of bug that allows S.Coups intel on people that he is suspicious of.

Seungkwan also gets invites to parties for people of high status. This allows him access and plant more bugs on celebrities without any second glances. After all who would believe someone like Seungkwan would be involved with the mafia.

Vernon: Associate

Vernon works with Seungkwan.

(lovers pt.2)

Vernon is the new bartender (or bouncer of some sort depending where Seungkwan is planting the bugs-probably is housekeeping at some point). I think Vernon has a thousand costumes his closet because he basically either gets Seungkwan in (like if Seungkwan needs into a hotel room, Vernon will play housekeeper and role Seungkwan in the housekeeping cart) or out.

Vernon knows about S.Coups and but Vernon works more for Seungkwan and prefers it that way. However, he still receives a pay out from S.Coups for his work.

Dino: Spy/Assassin

Chan has a job that combines Seungkwans and Mingyus, but for a special purpose. Chan spies on the people he aims to assassinate, and unlike Mingyu who works for a selected few, Chan works only for S.Coups.

Chan targets people whose loved ones have not repaid their debts to S.Coups. Chan gets close to them and as soon as he is given the green light (from Jeonghan or Jihoon) he assassinates them.

He either sends invites to the debts owners so that they find the body or he moves the body to a place where he knows they will find it.

He leaves a symbol to let that person know it was him-like a black rose or something.

Is will come to be known as the angel of death.

Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this silly little writing of mine. I hope to write on here more often so follow for more :)

아름다워

When you accidentally like Mingyu’s shirtless picture from two years ago you dread seeing him again, almost willing to let go of your crush.

⋆ pairing: mingyu x f!reader

⋆ word count: 3.5K

⋆ tags: dom!mingyu, degradation, praise, choking, oral (f&m receiving), deep throating, orgasm denial, teasing, big dick mingyu, mingyu looooves talking you through it, marking, spanking, unprotected sex

⋆ warnings: smut, alcohol consumption, cussing

⋆ notes: inspired by monsta x’s song beautiful and my own life kinda (maybe i need to stop writing abt things that actually happened to me) (i wont) (im a pisces moon) (my crush hasn’t confessed to me tho) (i’ll be waiting)

A loud exhale leaves your lips when you scan the busy room, the seat in front of you as empty as it has been for the past 10 minutes. Your friend has left you to flirt with some guy she's been eyeing the entire night, leaving you to nervously fidget with your phone, trying not to look too pathetic sitting by yourself in the packed club.

You honestly don't mind, able to entertain yourself quite well on the nights before, but tonight, tonight it's different. When your eyes finally catch him inside the room your entire body tenses, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip for some kind of relief. His presence is loud, and you feel like you'd be able to spot him within seconds in a crowd 10 times bigger than this one.

Kim Mingyu… his smile is bright and beautiful, his tall broad body moving with power as he approaches the sticky bar on the other side of the room. He makes head turn, his beauty captivating the many eyes around him, girls and guys, it doesn't matter. That's how striking his presence is.

Your eyes divert away from him quickly after seeing him, cheeks already burning with heat. Before the weekend you'd drunkenly scrolled through his Instagram profile, swooning over his pictures like you've done more times that you dared to admit. It's an honest mistake, liking someone's shirtless picture from years back, but you can't stop feeling like you ruined everything with that one stupid like.

He's a nice person, always making sure to say hi to you when you run into him in clubs. The clubbing scene was really a small society, everyone knowing everyone who went to the same area every weekend. Some even went during the week, no sleep as they go to work or school after.

With your friend having texted him to come to your favorite spot knowing you're into him you can't help the nerves running through your body. You almost dreaded seeing him, trying to forget about him all together, so ashamed of your little fuck-up. The serious attraction and pull you have towards him makes it hard to forget him, and even now, a part of you wishes to talk to him again.

A hand grabs your shoulder, and you already know it's him. You try not to make it seem to obvious you're totally into him, flashing him a small smile when your eyes lock together. "Y/n." he says excitedly, softly squeezing your shoulder. His friend Minghao stands next to him, a drink in his hand while he waves at you.

"Hi guys." you try to calm your nerves, scooting to the chair next to you against the wall when they're clearly giving you signals they're here to drink with you at your otherwise empty table.

Mingyu sits next to you, his thick thigh pressing into yours when he takes a seat, his friend sitting down across from you. "Where's Chae?" he asks, looking around to spot your lost friend. You point to the table on the other side of the room, watching her as she laughs in conversation with the three guys with her.

They both giggle, used to your friend's bright and extraverted personality. "Where did you go before you came here?" you ask shyly while playing with the straw in your cocktail. You look at them.

"We went to XX, but it wasn't really busy so," he trails off, shrugging. You nod, taking a sip of your drink. The strong drink tastes sweet, the alcohol in your body used to the flavor after downing the two big glasses you had before. "Oh, Seungcheol is here!" he then says in excitement, excusing himself before he leaves to talk to his friend, leaving the two of you sitting alone.

It's silent for a second, even with the loud music playing in the room, and you wonder if you're the only one feeling the thick tension between the two of you.

"So," Mingyu says. You turn your body to face him better, looking up at him with a small smile. You try not to slouch your shoulders, making you appear confident when in reality you're filled with insecurity from the situation you found yourself in. "Why aren't you at some guys's table, hm?" You're caught off guard by the question, your mouth opening a little. He chuckles. "I mean, I never see you leaving with someone, or even making out."

Because I always compare every guy with you. "Um," you laugh. "I guess they're never my type." you tell him, watching as he gives you a doubtful look. "Oh?" he frowns. "Never? No one?" he pouts his lips a little, almost looking like he's deep in thought. You nod, chewing on your lip while all kinds of thoughts scatter around in your head. Is he teasing me? Did he see the like? Is that what he's trying to say?

Like he can read your mind he flashes you a smile. "You like my picture from two years ago but I'm not your type?" you feel your face heating up again. Shit.

"Ahh.." you laugh, looking away in embarrassment. "You saw that?" you almost whisper, clutching onto your glass tightly. Mingyu hums, his lips forming a smirk while he studies you. He must think I'm an idiot.

He leans closer to you, his lips going to your ear. What is happening? "Am I your type?" he says into your ear, leaning back to look at you again. Your eyes are wide in shock. You don't know if you should deny or be honest with him, wondering if you'll even get away with it if you try to.

You swallow a lump in your throat. "Yes, Mingyu." you look back at him, not sure how to compose yourself anymore. You just hope he won't laugh in your face. "Oh?" he crosses his arms over his chest, his arms and pecs looking big and meaty. "Cute." he whispers, another amused smile on his lips. You try not to show how strained your breath is, softly clearing your throat.

Then, Mingyu surprises you by putting his hand around your throat softly, pulling your face closer to his to catch your lips in a gentle kiss. You gasp softly, his pink lips pressing against yours harder after feeling you relax against him. Your heart almost feels like it's going to explode, your entire body high on the feeling of his lips and warmth.

You feel his hot thigh pressing into yours more, his hand moving up to cup your jaw while he darts his tongue against yours.

When you deepen your kiss he puts his other hand on your upper leg, softly squeezing the skin. You can hear the groaning in the back of his throat as you two make out, the sound flying straight to your core.

When he breaks the long kiss the hand on your face slides down to grab your hand, looking at you as to ask if it's okay to get out of here. You smile, and Mingyu takes that as a yes, getting up from the seat to walk out of the crowded room while holding your hand tightly in his. You can feel the eyes of people burning into you as they watch you leave together, impatiently walking on the street on the way to his apartment.

It’s no secret how tall he is, but you feel even smaller with his body towering over yours, his hand wrapping around your waist protectively when you near his home. His fingers press against the touchscreen on his door, and the it opens with a small tune playing.

After pulling it closed again he wastes no time exploring your body with his big hands, your back pressed against the cold door as his fingers leave hot marks on your skin after touching your sides and waist, gripping you tightly.

Mingyu is such a sweet sociable guy, not a bad bone in his body and loving to make friends, and he actually genuinely shows interest in everyone, so when he touches you with his rough grip you’re a little shocked to see this side to him. You exhale a breath when his teeth sink into your neck, biting and sucking your skin like he’s been hungry for you for years.

You grab onto him in shock when he sucks a painful, deep red hickey into your skin, leaving wet kisses and kitten licks on the swollen spot. “G’na be a good girl for me, y/n?” he weaves a hand through your hair, twirling the ends with his fingers while kissing down to your collarbone. “Yes…” you whisper, closing your eyes in bliss.

“Yeah you better fucking be…” he mumbles against your skin, straightening back up before putting both his strong arms around your waist, picking you up easily and walking to the couch in his living room. He puts you down so you’re laying down on the big piece of furniture, his knees press into the soft cushion, sitting up while he hastily undoes the button of your jeans. “Can’t wait to devour that pussy of yours… bet it tastes just how I imagined.” he bites his lip, ridding you of the piece of clothing.

His words make you wetter than you already are, and you’re so turned on you almost don’t hear him, cursing yourself for not making a move before discovering he’s into you as well.

Mingyu hums seeing your ruined panties, a grin on his lips while he hooks his finger behind the fabric covering your pussy. You shift below him, watching as he moves it to the side.

He leaves taunting kisses on the inside of your knee, looking at you with his dark orbs while strands of his bangs fall into his eyes. You suppress the moan unwillingly trying to leave your lips, reminding yourself he hasn’t even touched you there yet.

His hands hook under your thighs, grabbing onto your legs tightly and spreading you wide open for him. He blows air on your now throbbing core, licking his lips before diving in like a man starved. “Fuck…” you groan, throwing your head back against the side of the couch feeling his plumped lips on your clit. He starts by pressing kisses onto the sensitive knob, eyes never leaving your face. He licks a slow stripe from your clit down to your slit, collecting your juices in his mouth before swirling his tongue back around your clit.

You can’t help yourself fisting his hair between your fingers, soft moans leaving your lips while he continues stimulating you. You gasp when he sucks on your clit, resulting into a lewd slurping sound.

“Cunt’s sooo addictive… could eat your pussy for hours y/n.” he groans against your core, and you bite your lip harshly, feeling the blood under your skin from the harsh sting you’re inflicting on yourself.

Mingyu catches you off guard again by pressing his hot tongue into your hole, moving and thrusting the organ inside of you. “M-mingyu…” you moan loudly, the grip on his hair tightening. He hums against your pussy, and you feel like crying. He’s so good at pleasing you with his skilled mouth, knowing just what to do to leave you moaning at every small action.

Your thighs try to close around his head, but his tight grip on your legs prevents you from doing so. He answers with a harsh slap on the side of your thigh, his eyes nearing at you in an almost strict manner.

You’re out of control of your own body, hips trying to buck up into his touch desperately. Mingyu groans again, face lifting up, mouth leaving your pussy.

“I though you agreed to be a good girl?” he growls, easily flipping you over on your stomach. Your knees dig into the couch, back arched and your cheek pressing into the pillow below you. You hold onto the soft pillow to steady yourself, gasping when he slaps your ass harshly. “You think bad girls get to cum, hm?” he delivers another hard blow to your ass, admiring how red his touch leaves your skin.

“Please…” you softly moan, squeezing your eyes shut from the throbbing feeling on your bottom. “I’ll be good from now.” you manage to breathe out, your chest expanding fast. Mingyu fulls your panties down to your knees before using his knees to open your legs further. He wraps his arms around your thighs again, his mouth back on your pussy. His nose presses against your folds while he hungrily eats you out.

You can’t help moaning, not able to keep any in as he eats you like no one’s every done before. One of his fingers press against your clit teasingly, his tongue back inside of you. You curse, high pitched whines filling the air. He rubs your clit between his fingers, softly pinching the wet bundle of nerves. You feel him smiling against your pussy hearing you lose it from his mouth and fingers, plunging two of his thick fingers inside of you while his tongue licks your wet hole clean.

Your ass presses back into his touch, fisting the pillow tightly. He starts pumping his fingers slowly, loving the way you vocally react to him. “Should I make you cum, baby?” he kisses from the inside of your thighs to you ass, looking at you while he adds a third finger into your needy hole. “Ahhf- y-yes.” you stammer, back to biting your lip in pleasure. He hums, his fingers moving faster till you cry out loudly.

“Such a filthy whore, aren’t you?” he chuckles, leaving gentle kisses on the swollen red mark on your ass. Mingyu watches as you lose yourself, body shaking in pleasure as you feel your orgasm nearing. “Mingyu…” you whine, about to cum around his fingers before he pulls them out of you, leaving you frustrated and empty. “W-wha…” you whine, pouting with your eyebrows furrowed. “Mingyu…” you whine again, struggling to push your body up to look at him. His lips are glossed with your slick, and he chuckles before pressing a lingering kiss on your lips, making you taste yourself.

He moves to stand up from the couch and loosens his belt. You sit up on the couch, watching as he pushes his pants down. “Don’t frown at me.” he licks his lips, grabbing the hem of his shirt before throwing it down on the floor. Your eyes go straight to the big bulge in his underwear, and you swallow a lump in your throat at the sight in front of you. Fuck, he’s big. When he pulls down his boxers you’re left breathless. His cock is even bigger than you thought, that combined with his girth has you a little scared. You wonder how he would even fit inside of you.

Mingyu steps out of his jeans, hands on your shirt to undress you till you’re both fully naked in front of each other. His body is so big and muscular, his hot toned stomach hard as rocks from hitting the gym so much.

He grabs the back of your neck, looking down at you when guiding his cock to you till it’s pressed against your lips. “Open up, baby.” he bites his lip. You do as you’re told, feeling his big dick entering your mouth slowly.

You waste no time closing your mouth around him, hollowing your cheeks as you start sucking him off. His groans hit your ears, and you look up at him to watch how his chest rises. You start bobbing your head, happily swirling your tongue around the sensitive skin. “Fuck y/n… such a good slut for me.” his grip on your neck tightens before he moves his hips forward, his dick already pushing against the back of your throat when he’s not even all the way inside of you.

“Fuck…” he moans, his hand grabbing your hair tightly. “Take my entire dick, okay angel?” you make eye contact with him, watching as he holds your hair while guiding his entire length inside of you. “Such a good fucking whore.” he praises you, your nose pressing into his pelvis. He starts thrusting into your throat slowly, the tip of his cock repeatedly hitting the back of your throat, sure to leave a weird bruise inside. You gag around his length, finding it difficult to accommodate such a big cock inside of you. “Goood baby, hold on a little longer for me, okay?” he groans, his thrusts speeding up a little.

Tears form in your eyes, quick to roll down your cheeks while you repeatedly choke on him. Mingyu wipes your tears with his free hand, his groans and your cries filling the room. “Fuck!” he moans, and you squeeze your eyes shut, your hand gripping his thigh to stop him before you choke again.

Mingyu lets go of you, pulling his cock out of you with a loud grunt. A string of saliva connects your lip and his dick, and you cough out of breath, thick tears blurring your vision.

“You did so good y/n. So proud of you.” he cups your cheek, wiping your tears till you catch your breath. He joins your lips in a long kiss before pushing you back against the couch, back to lying on your back like before.

He crawls on top of you, his left knee above your leg next to your waist, thigh pressing into yours while his right knee pushes into your kneecap, pushing your leg up, pussy all exposed to him. His hand finds itself next to your head, his face close to yours while his free hand goes down to grab his hard cock. “Ready?” he asks, looking back at you before kissing your cheek.

“Yes.” you tell him, relaxing into the couch as you eagerly wait for him to finally fuck you. You bite your lip when he presses the tip against your slit. He slowly slides it around your entrance, collecting your slick before he pushes in slowly. You let out a breath, his thick cock leaving your pussy burning.

You grab his big arm when he pushes in deeper, the stretch painfully good. “Shit… tight fucking pussy already crushing my dick,” he mumbles, slowly easing himself in till he’s balls deep inside of you. You both moan feeling each other like this, your pussy contracting to adjust to his enormous size. He kisses your jaw gently, his lips following the line till he gets to your neck, nestling his mouth against your skin before slowly pulling out again, leaving just the tip in, before plunging back in all the way, leaving you gasping under him.

“So wet baby… such a needy whore for me, hm?” he groans, setting a slow pace till you’re ready for more. “D-did you like that shirtless pic on accident?” he asks, sucking your skin softly. You nod, not able to get out a single word right now. He chuckles against your neck, snapping his hips back into you. You moan, clutching onto his bicep tightly. “Such a cute slut… looking at my pictures… probably imagining me fucking you like this, hm?” he picks up the pace, moaning in bliss at the feeling of your tight, hot cunt. “Isn’t that right?” he breathes out, sucking on another spot in your neck, sure to leave another dark mark there.

“Y-yes.” you admit, moaning. “Yes Mingyu…” you tell him, your other hand going around his body to grab a fistful of his hair again. Mingyu bites the hickey, the sound of his harsh thrusts filling the room. You bite down on your lip harshly, his cock filling you up so nicely, your head spinning in pleasure.

“Fuck baby… I’m gonna cum soon if you don’t stop crushing my dick like this…” he groans, a pained look on his face. “M-me too.” you tell him, pressing your head back into the pillow while he keeps assaulting your neck, marking the area like he has some claim over you.

Mingyu lets his body sink down against yours, laying on you while he pounds into you, moving his hips in all the right angles, fucking into you at a head tolling pace. His hand latches around your neck tightly, his fingers pressing into your ruined skin harshly. You find yourself lost in pleasure, your cunt squeezing around him faster and tighter, making Mingyu hiss. “Cum around my cock, baby. You can do it.” he groans against you. Your toes curl in pleasure, body trapped under him while you move up against him, your entire body spasming from the pleasure he’s giving you.

You let out a sting of loud moans when you come undone, your body all worn out and tired and sinking back into the couch. Mingyu curses, quickly pulling out of you before pumping his thick cock over your stomach, his thick seed covering you. “Fuck.” he curses again, hair stuck to his forehead as he pumps every drop on your ruined body.

Mingyu tiredly leans back on the other side of the couch, looking at you with a content smile when his eyes admire the dark marks on your neck and throat.

“My good slut… my perfect little angel.” he strokes your leg sweetly as you both catch your breath from the amazing fuck.

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After months of feeling down, your brother Soonyoung decides to get you out of the house to meet his friends. You meet Jeonghan, who for some reason, doesn’t seem to like you.

⋆ pairing: jeonghan x f!reader

⋆ current word count: 16.4K

⋆ tags: village au, jeonghan is kinda mean, enemies to ?, name calling, teasing, oppa gets used a few times, reader has a thing for wonwoo

⋆ warnings: smut, drug use (marijuana), alcohol consumption, cursing, mentions of feeling burned out

[nsfw tags in posts] | title inspired by this song

chapter 1

After months of feeling down, your brother Soonyoung decides to get you out of the house to meet his friends. You meet Jeonghan, who doesn’t seem to like you.

chapter 2

Soonyoung has dragged you back to where you dreaded to be most, at one of his friend’s parties where you have no choice but to face Jeonghan and Wonwoo again.

chapter 3 → coming soon

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I should’ve known it was strange

Minghao only had one rule when he became a vampire: never fall for a human.

⋆ pairing: vampire!minghao x f!reader

⋆ word count: 3.9K

⋆ tags: pining, minghao is kinda a stalker, hes really soft and sweet tho, painting date, inner conflict, heavy make out session, talking about feelings, smut in pt 2!

⋆ warnings: mentions of violence, mentions of death, blood, cursing, mentions of drinking

// this is #2 of my halloween special! read fic #1 here

Minghao always had a fascination with humans. He loved how pure and fragile they were, only born to die.

Living whilst knowing the inevitable fate bestowed upon you, that was real living. 

Maybe it was a little dense of him to follow around a human without expecting to grow attached, but he really hadn't foreseen it beforehand. He just brushed it off as a hobby, a fun little secret that made his life more exciting. So, for months he'd find himself in front of your window past midnight. He'd only do it during the week, quickly discovering you'd stay up till late in the weekends.

He'd grow fond of your dark eyelashes resting on your cheeks when you'd be fast asleep, and your lips that always seemed to be slightly parted, even your messy hair. But most of all, he loved how you always tightly held on to the big teddy bear between your arms, fingers clutching onto the soft brown fur.

This would go on for months, him appearing in the shadow of your balcony, leaning against the brick wall to watch you carefully.

He knew he really shouldn't, especially after promising himself he would never fall in love with a human after being turned, but he can't help himself. Besides, he's not in love with you. He's just... attached. There's something about you he can't quite put his finger on, you made him feel more alive than he'd ever felt in his life, even before becoming a vampire.

Then, one day, when appearing at your window after the weekend something had changed. Your window now had curtains, white ones that were see through, but still made it difficult for him to see you.

So, what to do now... his eyebrows furrowed, thoughts crowding his brain. A part of him tells him to stop these visits all together, something he should've done a long time ago. But he'd really treasured the routine of visiting you, and he's not ready to let go of you like this. When the time was ripe it would be on his own terms, when he'd feel ready for it.

The next day he sits in the corner of the cafe you work at, slowly sipping an iced coffee with his painting supplies set up on the table in front of him. The ambience is calm and quiet, with just a few other people inside. He watches you make latte after latte, listening to your sweet voice taking to the customers ordering their coffee's to go while he colors the paper below him a deep green color.

There's a small smile playing on his lips, enjoying how sweet you look helping those who walk in. He overhears you talking to your coworker, talking about going to some club in the city.

"You should really come this weekend! I had so much fun last time!" you give your friend a small nudge to the shoulder, eyes big and excited remembering the past weekend. "Fun? Now that Eunwoo's not bothering you anymore it's suddenly fun?" you whine at Jia, throwing your head back in defeat. You've been trying to get your friend to join you for months, her busy schedule always preventing her from coming along.

Minghao frowns down at his painting after hearing you talk, feeling his chest tighten. The thought of some guy near you makes his jaw clench in anger, and if there's one who's been bothering you he figures he should keep a close eye on you just to be sure. Just in case.

You walk past his table minutes later, going up to him after seeing the empty cup in front of him. "Would you like another one?" you ask, looking at him while he lifts his head up to make eye contact with you. Minghao freezes for a second, taking in the sweet smell of your blood filling his nostrils. He tries to ignore how intoxicating the smell is, his lips curling up in a small smile.

"Yes, thank you." his warm voice and handsome face leave you startled for a second, feeling an intense attraction towards the guy. When you grab his cup your eyes fall on the perfect painting he's working on, a dark forest with pretty flowers scattered around. "Wow," you whisper, quietly inhaling when you catch yourself talking out loud. You softly clear your throat. "I love your painting, you're really good." you compliment him, clutching onto the empty cup in your hands.

Minghao's face lights up before chuckling. "Thanks, that's really kind of you." his gaze is fixated on you, and you can't seem to break away from it. "I used to love painting, but I haven't touched a brush in years." you admit, laughing awkwardly. You don't know why you're even sharing this, but he's so beautiful you can't help yourself talking to him.

"Hmm, it's never too late to start again," he says, smiling at you. "It's nice to escape reality once in a while and get lost in a world you can create yourself..." he nods softly, peering down at the painting in front of him. You bite the inside of your lip before smiling at him. "Yeah... maybe I should," you say softly before straightening up. "I'll go get you another cup then." you tell him before disappearing back behind the counter.

The interaction leaves Minghao feeling hot, happily stroking the hairs of his brush on the paper with you on his mind, adding in some rays of sunlight shining through the dark forest.

The next time he visits you is two days later, sitting in the same spot in the corner to just watch you go on about your day. You two don't talk that day, and he figures you're a bit tired from the way you present yourself, so differently compared to just a few days before. There's still a smile on your face, yet something just feels off about you.

Weekend is here, and Minghao is in the club he overheard you talking about, saying how you're going there tonight with some friends. He knows he shouldn't follow you so much, but since he can't see you at night anymore ( and it would totally be weird to sit in the cafe you work at every day) he told himself it's okay to include the weekends from now on.

Minghao doesn't want you to see him, so he sits at the bar sipping an overpriced cocktail while his super hearing focusses on only you. He enjoys how happy you seem, excitedly talking with your friends and joking around as if there's not a worry in the world.

When you suddenly leave after an hour he takes it as his cue to go home. He walks out of the club, ready to leave as he suddenly picks up your voice from near somewhere. He frowns when he hears the distress in your speech, and his body freezes when he quickly puts the puzzle pieces together; you're talking to the asshole that's been harassing you, and not only that, he's got his filthy hands on you.

"Don't fucking touch me." you say through gritted teeth, pulling at your arm to get him off of you. Eunwoo tightens his grip on your wrist, pushing you against the wall in the alleyway he's claimed he 'only wanted to talk' at. His jaw is clenched, his face inching closer as he talks into your ear. "Then fucking listen to me." his tone is angry, not ready to let you walk away from him again.

"I'm done talking with you. You never listen to me anyways. I told you, It's over, fucking cheater." You push against his chest, his grip only tightening. He's for sure going to leave a bruise.

Minghao is about to intervene, blinded by anger at the audacity of this guy. He's not only bothering you, he's touching you, hurting you. And no one hurts something that's his. He wants to smash his head against the brick building, kill him slow and painfully, he wants to rip that stupid face off his body before throwing him in a dumpster somewhere, where he belongs. Yes, you might scream at him, or run away in fear, forever scarred by him, but at least you'll be safe.

Then, you tell Eunwoo something that catches him off guard, finally pulling out of his grip and hastily walking off, back to the busy street filled with party-goers.

Minghao watches as you walk back into the club, rubbing your painful wrist. He wants go after you, make sure you're okay, but first he feels the need to do something else. When nearing the man in the alleyway he can't help the smile from growing on his face, only one thought in his mind: It's free play now.

Minghao loves the violent act of breaking a neck, the sound of the bones cracking loudly as a result of his touch, all while watching the life drain from his victim's eyes, he would dream about it if he could. He doesn't love tormenting people, he really didn't think of himself as that cruel, but god, right now he wanted nothing more but to torture the guy with a painful, slow death. But there were too many people near for that, and this wasn't an area he knew very well, so Eunwoo should consider himself lucky.

He dumps the body in a pile of trash, deciding he'd clean it up after the packed streets emptied out later.

First, he needs to see you, make sure you're okay. He just hopes you haven't ran straight home after the whole incident, although that won't be such a bad thing. When walking back to the entrance of the club he can see you about to walk out, jacket in your hand.

You seem okay, and he decides to keep his distance like he's always done, wanting everything but for you to get involved with a vampire. You deserve better than that, yet his heart can't help feeling heavy because of it (or whatever's left of it ) but it's too dangerous. He would never forgive himself if he ever hurt you, and he knows he will if he lets himself get too close to you.

But, things don't always go to plan, and he's taken aback when you suddenly put your arm around his bicep, flashing a big smile when recognizing the hot guy you complimented at work. The touch runs through his body like a ripple, leaving him, the two-hundred-something year old, out of all things, completely flustered.

He's screwed.

Minghao spend the next week thinking how you'd put up such a happy facade despite the situation prior, wondering what else you're dealing with all on your own. It hurts him to think about you by yourself in your home, the possible negative thoughts clouding your mind like a taunting whisper. He can tell you don't have many people you could trust with things like this, and somewhere inside of him he wants it to be him who comforts you, the only person to kiss your face and tell you that everything will work out, the only person that will do everything to protect you forever.

The thought of any other man holding you or even talking to you unleashed a burning fire in his chest, and he curses himself for already being in this deep.

He wanted to keep his distance, he really did, but after a week he needed to see you. What if there was another person in your life making you unhappy? Another man bothering you? He couldn't forgive himself if someone were to happen to you out of his control, so, after a long week of not seeing you he's back at the cafe.

Some girl that isn't you takes his order, and he sits down at his table figuring if you're not here today he will just come back another day after finishing his drink, but right when he's thinking to leave you walk out from the back, your jacket draped over your arm.

You're about to get home after finishing your shift, energy levels high knowing you have the entire weekend off. You're caught off guard when you spot a familiar face, one you've havent been able to get out of your head for weeks now. You make eye contact with him, and you give him a small smile. It's now or never.

You surprise yourself when you walk over to him, sitting down in the seat across from him with a shy look on your face. "Hi." you greet him, watching as he straightens his posture. His lips turn to an attractive smirk, his eyes boring into you deeply, making a shiver run across your back. "Hey." he licks his lips before smiling at you warmly. There's just something about this guy that makes you attracted to him like a magnet, a riddle that you wish to uncover.

When you don't respond, too stuck in thought, his body softly leans forward, his stomach against the edge of the table. "You were the one that recognized me last week, weren't you?" he pouts his lips a little as to think, even though the thought of not remembering you was absurd to him, but he couldn't come across as too much of a creep.

You relax into your seat, your glowing face on show for him to admire. "Yeah." you chuckle. "I'm y/n." you tell him. "I've been thinking about you," you admit, seeing something shift in his eyes. "I was wondering if you want to, uhm, maybe you'd like to go on a date with me?" you swallow a lump in your throat, your cheeks flush in embarrassment.

Minghao opens his mouth a little. Out of all the things he thought you'r might say, he never expected you to ask him out, and he's a little upset that he isn't the one asking you first.

He chuckles before speaking. "A date?" he raises his eyebrow at you, the thought of taking his distance from you completely out the window if he says yes to this. You nod, not able to hide the slight pout forming on your face.

"I would very much like to go on a date." he tells you, biting his lip. You try not to look at his lips, instead focussing on the dark long hairs falling past his neck. "And I'm Minghao." he tells you, earning a smile from you. "Maybe you can teach me some painting, since you're so good. Um... at my place?" he exhales a warm breath, smiling cutely at your request before nodding. "I'll bring my supplies." he says.

The next day Minghao and you are sat at your table in the living room, with two table top easels propped up on the thick wooden frame in front of you. His voice is sweet and gentle when he talks you through the steps of painting a pretty ocean, with thick clouds scattered around.

"You make it look so effortless." you whine, trying to fix the mess that was your clouds, even though they looked more like sheep overdue for a trim. A giggle leaves his lips, and the sweet sound leaves your stomach hot in a way that probably shouldn't happen this soon.

"Here," he says, putting his hand on yours to help you shape it better. You shyly look down, his touch sending tingles down your entire body. Minghao's focussed on your painting, making sure to get every little detail perfectly. You look up at him, noticing how close he is, his face a few inches from yours.

When he's satisfied he lets go of your hand softly, slowly turning his head to look at you. You can tell he feels the thick tension too, his breath deepening once you lock eyes. You swallow a lump in your throat. His dark eyes watch you carefully before a playful smile appears on his face.

You open your mouth to talk, but get cut off by Minghao, who drags a dark blue smear of paint across your cheek, his pleasant giggles filling the air again. "Oh my god!" you say in disbelief, standing up from your seat to quickly stick your pointy finger in a white glob of paint. Minghao keeps laughing, hurriedly making his way to the other side of the table, standing across from you with a mischievous expression.

"Come here, coward." you tell him, running around the table to try to catch him. Minghao is fast, easily keeping his distance from you. He's back at the opposite side across from you, grabbing one of the paint tubes in front of him and squeezing a small amount on his finger.

He's the one chasing you again, and it doesn’t take him long before he has you cornered, standing in front of you with a smirk on his face. “Got you.” he says, putting his hand up to smear some paint of your face, but you’re quick to grab his wrist, trying to keep him from putting another smear on your cheek. Your other hand sneaks up to his face, spreading the white pain on his cheek without being able to contain your laughter.

Minghao smiles at you, grabbing both your wrist in his grip and pinning it down against your body while he cups your jaw, smearing the red paint on the corner of your mouth while he looks at you. You two make eye contact, and you huff out a breath you’ve been holding in.

He moves moves his eyes down to your mouth, and you make a point of dragging your tongue over your bottom lip, a subtle invite you hope he catches. He strokes your plump lip with his thumb before looking at you again, a dark look behind his eyes before he leans in, grabbing your jaw a little tighter before he presses his hot mouth against yours, roughly kissing you like he’s been deprived of the intoxicating taste of you forever.

His grip on your wrists tighten almost possessively, and you can’t help loving the feeling of being trapped like this, eagerly kissing him back with an equal amount of drive behind you.

Minghao groans in your mouth, his chest heaving while his breath is heavy. He picks up the the smell of the sweet blood pumping through your veins, gliding his hand down to pull you closer by the back of your neck, his thumb stroking the skin above your vein.

Then, suddenly, he pulls away quickly, turning his body while putting a hand through his hair while he catches his breath. You look at him, a frown appearing between your eyebrows. “Is everything okay Minghao?” you ask him softly, taking a step towards him. Minghao shakes his head. “No.” he says, pausing for a second. “No, I’m not okay.” he tells you, turning to face you again.

He wants to curse himself for even allowing himself to get this far with you, his mind filled with thoughts of how he’s been stupid, selfish. Selfish to think he wouldn’t catch feelings for you. Selfish to think he would be able to control himself with the smell of your blood hitting his nostrils. Selfish that he thought he could protect you like this.

“I should leave.” he nods, turning to the table to collect his stuff. Your body fills with anxiety, watching as he grabs his painting supplies. Have you done something wrong? Said something? “What?” you say softly, almost inaudible if it wasn’t for his vampire hearing. “I don’t want you to leave.” you tell him.

If it was any other guy you would’ve told him to go, leave if you want. You don’t want anyone who doesn’t want you. Yet, it feels different with Minghao. There was a real connection there, a pull, and you’re sure he has to feel it too. There’s no way he doesn’t.

“I don’t want to do something i’ll regret.” he tells you, turning to look back at you. When he sees you standing there he wants nothing more than to pull you close again, hold you like you’re his.

“Regret?” you mumble, feeling a little hurt. A pout appears on your lips. “No.. not like that, it’s just… shit,” he sighs. “I… I don’t want to hurt you.” he takes a step closer to you, looking down at you with a pained look on his face. “Hurt me?” you whisper, looking back at him. You close the space between the two of you, putting your hand on his wrist. You get on your tippy toes to puts your lips close to his ear. “What if I want you to hurt me?” you withdraw your head to look at him again.

Minghao feels like his chest might explode, a little taken aback by your words. He tightens his jaw before speaking. “I’m not so sure you’d still like me if you found out the truth.” he tells you, looking away for a second. You pull him even closer to you, making him snap his eyes right back at you. “What truth, Minghao?” you whisper, gulping at the close proximity of you two. When he doesn’t say anything you keep talking. “I’m into you. Like, really into you,” you let go of his wrist. “I don’t know what it is… but i feel like there’s… there’s something. Isn’t there?” You watch him closely. “I want you, no, need you. Don’t you feel the same?” you whisper the last part, afraid you’ve read into into this all wrong and he’ll reject you.

He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again. “If not then I guess-“ you start, but get cut off by Minghao’s voice. “I fucking want you, y/n.” he says almost angrily, towering over you. Minghao looks at you while the whites of his eyes turn a deep shade of red, with prominent dark lines appearing under his eyes. He opens his mouth, showing the long fangs that have grown. He grabs your arm and pulls you against his body, looking at your wide eyes scanning his face.

A shiver runs across your body when you study his face, eyes big and filled with shock.

“Scared?”

part two: here!

decided to make this 2 parts since it was getting kinda long! happy halloween 👻

whatever i say

After getting blackmailed into doing whatever Wonwoo wants to keep him from exposing your secret, you find yourselves making your situation a whole lot more difficult.

⋆ pairing: wonwoo x f!reader

⋆ word count: 3.9K

⋆ tags: uni au, blackmail, power play, soft dom!wonwoo, light praise, begging, spanking (once), multiple orgasms (f!r)

⋆ warnings: smut, cursing, mention of drugs, alcohol use

⋆ notes: currently going feral over this man im letting off some steam. this is not proofread at all btw so ignore any mistakes!

There's a smile on your lips when you finally walk out of your university building, hastily running down the concrete steps before adjusting the strap of your tote bag. Autumn is finally here, its cold air having you wear your leather jacket for the first time this year, and you can't be happier you can finally get rid of your summer clothes.

The once green ivy-covered building behind you seems to have changed completely over the weekend, the leaves now a deep red color, slowly dancing in the low breeze. The big open garden in front of the school has many people walking around, some on their way to class, and others, like you, lucky to have already finished.

You walk past a crowd of people lined up to take a picture with the building, and decide to walk home today instead of taking the metro. It’s only a twenty minute walk back to your apartment and you have no plans for the day, opting to just chill in your apartment and get some take out.

Once you reach the comfort of your home you lock the door behind you. A big sigh leaves your lungs when hanging away your jacket and your bag, and you grab your phone when you feel it vibrating in your pocket.

🐈‍⬛: i know ur secret

You inhale a sharp breath, eyes wide while you stare at the words on the screen. Your secret. The damn secret you’ve been trying to forget. You start spiraling, your brain running like a well-oiled machine, considering every possible though inside of your head.

Even after some long minutes lost in thought you can’t think of a single outcome on how someone would be able to know, your parents having their ways to make sure it would never be revealed, swept under the rug forever. Only, forever didn’t last long.

🐈‍⬛: scared?

You flinch when the message pops up, gnawing at your bottom lip nervously. You’re a smart girl, knowing the best think to do is deny everything, even if it you’re flat our lying. There can’t be any evidence on your phone if it gets to that.

? wrong person

Somewhere you hope it’s only that; someone confusing you for someone else, but deep inside you know the truth.

🐈‍⬛: come one, let’s skip the bullshit :)

fine, who is this.

🐈‍⬛: now where’s the fun in that..

what do you want

money?

There’s a few minutes where you get no messages, and you turn your phone off right before the screen lights up again.

🐈‍⬛: i don’t want money

🐈‍⬛: i want to play

You find yourself stranded underground in the metro station only a few days later, clutching onto a brown package that’s tightly taped shut. It’s night time, and there’s heaps of people running to catch the last train.

After a handful of minutes you’re the only one left, and you can hear the cheerful music signaling the metro’s approaching in the far distance.

You force yourself not to overthink when putting the package in one of the lockers, making sure to leave it in #17 as instructed. When you walk home you can’t stop wondering what’s inside. Drugs? It has to be something illegal for that person to use you as an errand girl.

This goes on for 2 more weeks, the person leaving packages on your doorstep and you putting them in the right lockers.

You’re quick to retrieve the package from your apartment hallway when you get the confirming text, paranoid someone might get their hands on them and find something they shouldn’t, ending with you locked behind bars.

It’s the weekend, and you’re tipsy off some cheap convenience store wine.

Shaking the package you sigh loudly, frustration growing inside of your body at the mere sight of the stupid box. How long is this gonna go on for?

Your bottom lip rests between your teeth impatiently, eyeing the object with strained vision from the alcohol.

“Fuck it.” you mumble, scurrying to rip the tape from the cardboard. You can always tape it back up later, you figure. A sigh leaves your lips when throwing the sticky tape on the floor next to you, pausing for a second before opening the flaps and finally seeing what you’ve been moving for the past weeks.

You prepare for the worst, before finally ripping the bandaid and opening the package, seeing what’s inside.

You frown, your hand trashing through the ripped up newspaper clippings.

Nothing.

There’s nothing inside.

what the fuck??

🐈‍⬛: did you already drop it off y/n? you’re fast

no

🐈‍⬛: oh

🐈‍⬛: bad girl.. you looked inside, didn’t you?

You lock your phone in anger, kicking the package to the other side of the room. Is this some kind of sick joke to him? Your phone vibrates and lights up.

🐈‍⬛: don’t ignore me…

🐈‍⬛: aren’t you curious why?

fuck you.

🐈‍⬛: come on, you must be!

🐈‍⬛: meet me at the park by your house in 10

i won’t

🐈‍⬛: haha.. you dont really have a choice do you?

You know he’s right, you have to do as you’re told to keep him from spilling your dirty secret. Within ten minutes you’re sitting on a bench outside of your apartment, gripping the wood supporting you tightly.

It takes a few long minutes before you see a figure approaching you from a distance, a tall guy dressed in black with a white face mask covering his lower half. There’s black glasses resting on his nose, and his dark hair covers his eyebrows.

Is this the person who’s been tormenting you these past weeks? He looks to be around your age, maybe a little older. You see him carrying a white plastic bag in one of his hands when he fully halts in front of you. It’s him.

“Hungry?” his deep voice catches you off guard. He’s holding up the plastic bag for you. Your jaw tenses.

He takes a seat next to you, grabbing something out of the bag and holding it out for you, a kimbap roll.

“I’m not hungry.” you mumble, finding it hard to look him in the eye. He hums. “Fine.” he says before pulling down his mask, revealing his handsome face. He pulls the packaging open with his teeth before biting off a piece.

You can’t deny how striking the guy is, his jawline prominent and his plump lips perfectly moving while he chews. When you finally make eye contact with him you grow nervous, his intense gaze quickly making you look away again.

He chuckles. “You don’t recognize me, hm?” you frown. Should you? You’ve never seen his man a day in your life, and you’re sure you would’ve remembered such a handsome guy if you had seen him. Right?

“That’s okay, I had fun watching you all paranoid and jumpy in class after texting you,” he grins, putting down his food. He goes to your school. You’ve been to the same classes as him. You’re not shocked by that, but you are weirded out at the thought of him having watched you these past weeks. “You couldn’t help yourself opening it, huh?”

“You were just gonna make me drop off empty packages for months?” you say through gritted teeth, finally speaking again. He chuckles. “You get a kick out of playing childish mind games?” you grab the bench even tighter, scared your anger might take over soon.

“You think I didn’t know you’d look inside at some point?”

You swallow a lump in your throat. “So what, you’re gonna think of another way to make my life hell until you’re bored?” your voice raises in anger, and he cocks his eyebrows up in surprise.

“Poor girl… your life must be so hard when you have parents who are able to bribe you into the best university of Korea.”

Your blood runs cold, and he laughs at your frightened reaction. “Don’t worry, y/n. I won’t tell a soul if you promise to be a good girl from now on.”

You tense at his words.

“So, you’ll listen to me right? Whatever I say?”

You swallow. “Yes.” you tell him, defeated.

He grins, standing up from the bench while looking at you. “I’m Wonwoo, by the way. Hope you remember me from now.”

“Hello?” you ask unsure after picking up the phone. You’re almost home from school, walking in your neighborhood when Wonwoo decides to call you.

It’s been a few days and you haven’t heard from him since the last time. You expected to see him in lectures, but after scanning the entire 50 person class multiple times there was no sight or sound of him, till now.

“Almost home?” he simply asks. You hum. “Yes…why?” you bite your lip nervously. “Good. I’m waiting on you.”

You freeze in your tracks. Waiting? You want to ask for what but he already hung up on you.

Once you approach your house you see him standing there, observing you as you get closer to him.

“What do you want.” you flatly say, not in the mood for him beating around the bush. Wonwoo chuckles at you. “Let’s go inside first.” he says. You frown. “Huh?” “Let’s go inside.” he says louder, stepping closer to you. You take a step back, shaking your head. “I don’t want that...” you don’t dare to speak too loudly, afraid of his reaction.

He sighs before getting closer again, and you try to go unnoticed when you slip your hand in the pocket of your jacket, grabbing onto the pocket knife you bought for your own safety.

Of course, he notices, wrapping his hand around your wrist tightly. “What’s this?” he doesn’t struggle pulling your hand out of your pocket, even when you use your strength to keep him from doing so.

“A knife?” he says amused, looking at the shiny object in your fist. “You always carry a knife with you?” he asks, pulling it from your hand. “Y-yes.” you lie, watching as it disappears into his back pocket.

“Right.” he says, his voice has a hint of annoyance behind it. “Get in.” He pulls you closer and doesn’t let go till you’re next to the entrance to your apartment building.

He watches as you put in the door code, not a word between the two of you when you walk to your apartment together and open the door to your home.

“So,” you say softly, rubbing your hands together. You watch him look around your neat apartment. “What do you want.” you repeat, looking up at the tall boy who finally looks back at you again.

“Wow. Not even gonna offer me a drink?” he chuckles. You sigh. “Would you like something to drink?” you give him a fake smile. “Hm, so nice of you! Yes, please, um,” he thinks for a second. “Soju would be nice.” he smiles back at you.

“Soju? It’s 3pm.” you remind him, walking over to your fridge anyway. Wonwoo hums. “Classes were hard today, need a treat.” he explains. “They were.” you agree, grabbing a cold bottle from your refrigerator together with a shot glass.

“You’re not drinking with me?” he cocks up his eyebrow when you put the blue glass bottle in front of him. “No.” you simply say, sitting down on the couch. Wonwoo does the same, loosening the cap with his fingers before pouring a shot. “Drink with me.” he holds the glass up for you, and you give him a look.

“Will you tell everyone my secret if I don’t?” you say in annoyance, expecting him to tell you yes. Wonwoo gives you a blank stare. “No,” he tells you, before his face melts and he gives you a small smile. “I just want us to drink together.” he admits. There’s something behind that expression, vulnerability. You believe him, sighing before getting up again to get another glass.

“Good,” Wonwoo smiles, clinking his glass against yours before taking the bitter shot. You throw your head back and do the same, groaning at the taste. You seem to never get used to it.

Wonwoo pours you both another shot before pulling his phone out of his pocket, his brows furrowed like he’s searching for something.

“So,” he begins, his face relaxing when he finds what he’s looking for. He turns his phone screen to you, nudging you to take it. “Can you check my assignment on sustainability?” he asks. You look at him while taking his phone.

“Is this why you came here?” you frown at him. “For me to proofread your assignment?” Wonwoo’s lips form a small pout, before nodding. “Yeah.” he answers, smoothing the hair on the back of his head. You look at him for a second in silence before answering. “Um,” you say. “Alright.”

You look at his phone screen, starting to read the 10.000 word essay he seemed to have worked really hard on. You give him some compliments here and there, the work actually being surprisingly good, better than anything you could ever think of yourself. Wonwoo takes his shot glass, and you grab the other full glass on the table, the both of you drinking at the same time before you keep reading again.

“And?” he asks you with curious eyes when you finish. You hand him his phone. “Yeah,” you start. “It’s really good, Wonwoo. You should definitely hand this in.”

He smiles at your words, nodding softly. “Thank you.”

There’s some weird tension between the two of you, both not sure what to say next. You figure it’s time for him to leave, not keen on having him here if you’re done with what he wants. “If that’s all.” you don’t care to say subtle, standing up from the couch and bringing the empty glasses to your kitchen.

Wonwoo looks at you, eyeing you as you turn to walk back. You see the look in his eyes. Great. Of course this wouldn’t be all. “Unless… there’s something else you want?” you try to stay nice, hoping he won’t end the streak of going easy on you now. He stands up.

“There is,” Wonwoo says. You feel some anxiety in the pit of your stomach hearing his words. “One thing, I want right now,” he slowly walks up to you. You frown a little at him, unknowingly leaning back when he comes to stand right in front of you. You gulp. “Yeah?” you whisper, closing your eyes for a second when his face leans closer to yours.

You can’t help your cheeks from burning when you look into his eyes, gasping when he pushes you against the wall and shoves his body into yours. “Wonwoo..” you breathe out, pupils blown. He takes your jaw in his hand, looking down at you hungrily.

“Can I?” he whispers, his breath straining. Your lip quivers. Fuck, you really shouldn’t, but he’s so handsome and hes looking at you with those dark eyes of him. “Y-yes.” you say shyly. He pushes his lips against yours harshly, making you gasp. His hands go down your body, resting on your hips and giving you a small squeeze. Yours find his broad shoulders, holding him tightly as he deepens the kiss, his tongue darting against yours.

“Shit.” he mumbles against your lips after your push your hips against him, needing to feel even more of him right this second. His hands move down to your ass, lifting you against the wall effortlessly as he grinds his growing bulge against your core. You cross your legs around his waist, and Wonwoo breaks the kiss to hungrily suck your neck.

Your chest rises quickly feeling him all over you, and one of his hands moves to your back to hold you better.

You huff in disappointment when he stops kissing your neck to walk over to your bedroom, dropping your down on the soft mattress before grabbing the bottom of his shirt. He removes it quickly, revealing his toned body. The sight makes your core throb, the lines on his stomach are prominent.

You do the same, eyeing him carefully while removing your top clothes to match him. You impatiently crawl closer to him and pull him next to you on the bed, figuring the fastest way to get him naked is to do it yourself. He helps you as you pull down his trousers, tossing them somewhere across the room before repeating the step with his underwear. You can’t ignore his big cock, stopping yourself from licking your lips at the sight in front of you.

He’s so big, and you wonder if he will even fit inside of you. The tip is red and leaking, eager to feel your body around him.

“Y’have a condom?” Wonwoo whispers, the intimidating facade completely gone as he looks at you almost innocently. You nod to your nightstand, wasting no time to wrap your hand around his girthy dick.

Wonwoo bites down on his lip when you do, scurrying to grab one of the condoms out of the drawer. You snatch it from his hand once he has one, ripping open the packaging while his big hands go to your bra to remove it. Your thong’s next, disappearing on the floor like the rest of your clothes.

He hisses when you roll the rubber down his length, his eyes shutting briefly. Wonwoo moves to crawl on top of you, but you push him back down, straddling him so you’re on top. His hands go back to your waist, his grip tight like he’s afraid you’ll run away.

“I-I feel like this isn’t a good id- ahhfuck!” he moans when you sink down onto his length. You bite your lip to keep yourself from losing it already.

“It..isn’t…” you groan, grabbing his arms to ground yourself, slowly lowering down as you try to open up around his big member.

You clutch onto him for support, eyes squeezed shut at the feeling of him so deep inside of you. “So…big.” you say when you’re finally all the way down. It takes a moment for your body to get used to him, but the slight burn you feel kind of makes you turned on even more.

He’s leaning back against your headboard, half lying while you’re sitting on top of him.

“Pussy’s soo perfect…” he slurs, opening his eyes to look at you. You groan, going faster to set a pace. You love the way he feels inside of you, the tip pressing against the inside of your belly, stretching you out so prefectly.

You look back into his eyes, seeing the want behind his glasses. It makes you speed up your movement, rolling your hips against his in a way that makes your head spin. “Who…Who’s in charge now…” you whisper, moaning softly when his tip brushes against your cervix with every move. “Fuck…” he groans, bucking his hips to meet your movement. “You think you’re the one in charge?” he slaps your ass loudly, kneading the burning skin. You moan, the sting sharp and painful, but so good.

His hand fists your hair tightly, pulling your head back while he lifts his hips up slightly, using the angle to thrust into you at his own pace. You moan loudly, feeling his cock move into you a lot faster than before. You find it hard to move on your own like this, him deciding how fast you’re going now. He picks up the pace even more, the sound of skin slapping filling the room.

“W-wonwoo!” you moan. Your breath picks up, and you can already feel an orgasm nearing as he fucks into you with no mercy. “What’s wrong doll?” he says under his breath, his free hand moving down to toy with your clit. You cry out in pleasure, feeling your cunt tightening around him when you come undone from the action. “Already cumming on my dick?” he keeps playing with your sensitive nub, biting his lip while fucking you through your orgasm.

You grab his hand quickly, the overwhelming feeling almost painful as he keeps fucking you and playing with your clit. “Take it, baby. I know you can.” he breathes out, pushing your head down so you’re lying down against him. Your cheek is on his chest, lips forming a pout trying to control yourself through the overstimulation you feel.

Your can barely move in this position, but find yourself grinding your hips against him as much as you can. You’re at a loss of words feeling him toying with your body, his skillful fingers rubbing and pinching you till you’re a moaning mess again. You don’t notice the tears rolling down your cheek till Wonwoo starts petting your head with his free hand, gently shushing you. “What’s wrong baby? Already want to cum again?” he kisses your head. You nod, your hands finding his arms for support. “Then tell me, baby.” he mumbles, his movement slowing down a little.

A whine leaves your lips, tightening the grip on his arms. “Hm?” Wonwoo puts both hands on your back, stroking your skin softly. “Wonwoo..” you whine again, the loss of his fingers making you squirm on top of him.

“Please…” you whisper, hearing him chuckle. “Need your dick t-to…” you groan when he pulls his dick almost all the way out of you, just the tip inside, before slamming it all the way back in. “M-make me cum.” you finish. “Please.” you say again, breath straining.

Wonwoo hums with content, making you gasp when he flips the both of you over so he’s on top of you. You look into his eyes, seeing the grin on his face and a glossy look in his eyes. “My girl looks so perfect all fucked out from my dick.” he grabs your jaw and brings your lips together, slowly making out with you when he starts moving again, his thrusts long and controlled, slow.

You moan in his mouth, the roll of his hips every time he’s deep inside of you making your toes curl in pleasure. Your core is already clenching around him, his cock knowing just how to please you.

He wastes no time going faster, his orgasm approaching by the second. His thrusts become too fast for your slow kiss, and he moves his mouth to the crook of your neck instead, back to sucking into your skin. You put your arms around him for support when he fucks you even faster, the bed slamming against the wall with every harsh thrust.

The feeling of his pelvis against your clit with every move almost makes you cry again. “M’gonna cum.” Wonwoo says against your skin. You nod in agreement, not able to get a word out other than high pitched moaning.

You hold him even tighter when your body tenses, your walls gripping him tightly right when you feel him twitch inside of you at the same time, cumming inside of the condom while you let your second orgasm wash over you. You both groan as you ride out your high, his movement slowing down till he stops, carefully pulling out of your wet hole. You frown at feeling so empty all of a sudden, but are too tired to fight it even if you wanted to.

Wonwoo lays down next to you, breathing uncontrolled when he puts his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your hair.

Things just got a whole lot more complicated.

think i need someone older

Living in a small village takes a toll on you after having lived in the big city. So, after months of feeling down, your brother Soonyoung decides to get you out of the house for some socializing with his friends. You meet Jeonghan, who for some reason, doesn’t seem to like you.

⋆ pairing: jeonghan x f!reader

⋆ word count: 7.9K

⋆ tags: village au, dom!jeonghan, jeonghan is kinda mean, enemies to ?, name calling, degradation, praise, choking, fingering, teasing, oppa gets used a few times, pussy slapping (once), dry humping, unprotected sex, creampie, wonwoo hears them

⋆ warnings: smut, drug use (marijuana), alcohol consumption

⋆ notes: my first fic on tumblr! this is the first time i’ve written a svt fic since i’m a baby carat 👉👈 hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა - mar

title inspired by the song ‘older - isabel larosa’

(index ; next)

A sigh escapes your lips as you eye the growing pile of unread books on your nightstand, never in the mood to start any of them anymore. Buying books and reading books are two different hobbies, or so you heard.

Don't misunderstand, you used to love getting lost in the many different stories, getting sucked into the different plots pulling at your hearts strings in a way to escape boring reality, but, I guess, not anymore.

Nothing really feels fun or fresh anymore after getting back home from a year abroad living in a big city. The fast paced life excited you, meeting new people and seeing new places daily. Your life was filled with constant dopamine, with good highs and undeniably some low lows, but none you wouldn't pick over the dull, soulless life you had being back in your hometown, a small village with just over 10,000 people in it.

It doesn't matter now anyways, since everything is just a mere painful reminder of what was.

You squint your eyes when your bedroom door slightly opens, the light from the corridor startling your eyes for the first few seconds.

"Soonyoung.." you groan at your brother, who's eyes curiously peek at you through the small gap. His dark orbs almost disappear when he smiles at you sweetly. He closes the door behind him after stepping into your room, scanning the bedroom for a second before his gaze fixes back on you. You can tell he has something in that head of his, a small smile tugging on his lips before letting his body dip into your mattress.

A small groan escapes his mouth, and he crawls next to your body. "Are you all ready?" he asks, his finger swiping up on his phone to unlock it before tapping away vigorously. You turn your head slightly to look at his face.

"Ready? Ready for what exactly?" you frown.

The tip of his tongue sticks out while he's focussed on the screen in front of him. He inhales and turns it off with the click of a button, the phone falling flat against his chest before he looks back at you.

His cheeks seem to grow in size when he gives you a sweet smile. "Hanging out with some friends, wanna come with?"

You respond by quickly shaking your head with a subtle frown on your face. Soonyoung gives you a loud whine, throwing his head back into one of your pillows. Once he started whining you knew it was basically over for you. Stubbornness was a family trait your brother excelled at way better than you.

"Get up, you're going with me wether you like it or not." he gets up from your bed and smoothes some of the wrinkles in his oversized shirt, waiting till you follow him.

You sigh and get up, seeing how his face lights up when you do, except you know there wasn't any way getting out of this anyway.

A part of you feels excited to do something again after so many months of moping and numbing brain rot, but you would never admit that to him.

Soonyoung can't help feeling glee as you two walk together to one of his usual hang spots. As an older brother he knows all too well how down you've been feeling since being back in your village, not really knowing how to get you out of this rut he figured it'd be a good start to get you to socialize again, even if it was just his friends. But knowing some of them, he cant help wondering if he's making the right choice.

You two approach the small park around the corner of your street, walking way back to a graffiti covered metal dome that has been the village's hang spot for as long as you could remember. The dome is a modest 2 meters wide having built in seats, with a wide opening in the front so it isn't completely secluded from people walking through the park. Yet, the dark sky and late night breeze prevented many people from strolling around these days.

"Nyoung!" you recognize the voice calling your brother. The two of you approach, and you recognize one of the two people sitting in front of you as Joshua, who's been his friend for a few years.

You've only seen him a handful of times before, but he always had a sweet smile on his face whenever he saw you.

You make eye contact with the other guy, and you try not to think about how stunningly attractive he is, with long, dark hair falling to his shoulders and messy bangs that fall into his big eyes. He sits with his left ankle tucked under his right thigh, his right foot resting on the cigarette bud covered stone floor.

By his demeanor you could tell he wasn't into the idea of a random girl joining them. His eyes fall on you for a few seconds looking unfazed, and there’s a glint of annoyance rooted behind them.

He slowly changes his gaze to Soonyoung, giving your brother an acknowledging nod. 

"I brought my little sister!" you hear your brother say excitedly, his loud voice echos though the park as he places a hand on top of your head. You move away from his touch, hissing at him quietly.

Joshua gives you a warm smile. "So nice to see you again y/n! How long has it been, two years?" he purses his lips a little as to think if it's actually been that long. You nod. "Yes. Nice to see you, Joshua." you smile, feeling a little awkward standing in front of the two guys.

"This is Jeonghan," your brother says, pointing to the guy you deemed more unlikable by the second. You look back at him briefly, his features way too soft and pretty for a guy.

"He used to go to the same primary school as us, but I didn't know him back then as he was a few years above me." Jeonghan looks at you carefully, before lifting his hand and bringing a joint to his lips that you hadn't seen before. He takes a slow drag, his chest expanding as the smoke fills his lungs.

Soonyoung continues, "We met over a year ago at Joshua's place."

Jeonghan exhales the smoke, the strong smell of weed filling your nostrils. He takes his eyes off you to pass the joint to Joshua, and you feel slightly annoyed that he's being so aloof.

Joshua accepts the cigarette, using it to point at the empty seat next to him. "Chan's is on his way, something about his shitty car breaking down." he chuckles.

Your brother laughs loudly at the thought of his friend’s car breaking down again. He takes a seat on Joshua's left, the last spot being on the far right, next to Jeonghan, who's knee is covering half of the seat. You're positive he's not this dense, and assume he's purposely pretending not to notice while keeping his comfortable position.

Joshua however, seems to catch on, and stands up quickly, grabbing your elbow softly and having you sit next to your brother. He squirms in the far right seat, forcing Jeonghan to put down his knee, earning a blank stare from his friend.

You're still next to him, but feel grateful for Joshua's little gesture. Soonyoung reveals a small bottle of vodka from the pocket of his jacket, smiling while twisting open the lid and taking a big gulp. He groans in your ear, which makes you give him a displeased look before you chuckle.

You see Joshua's hand holding the joint up for you, and he gives your brother a quick look to make sure this is okay.

Your brother would usually make a point of this, scowling you for doing things you shouldn't as any brother would, but he's way too happy about you coming along he gives his friend the green light– not that you would listen to him if he didn't anyways.

You gladly take the lit joint, curious eyes on you while you put the tip to your lips and inhale deeply. The guys hold their breath, as to expect for you to cough like a fool, which you obviously don't.

The smoke blows in the air, quickly disappearing while the drug makes quick work in your body. Joshua laughs. "Don't remember this side to you at all." he tells you, and you stifle a laugh before taking another hit.

The revving sound of a car catches you all off guard, the three faces turning to see a car parked in the distance with its bright headlights shining.

"Shit, is that Chan?" Soonyoung shouts, jumping up from his seat when he sees his friend emerge from the expensive looking car. He spares no time, running in his direction while you hear Joshua drag out a long 'wow' before making his way there as well.

Chan used to be your classmate for years back when you were younger, and you knew him pretty well since he was so close with your brother. You remember walking back home from school a handful of times with him and your brother, his overly excited personality matching Soonyoung's like no one else could.

You stare at the abandoned joint, feeling a little tense now you're alone with Jeonghan. You hear Chan boast loudly in the background with his friends excitedly talking over each other.

"You’re hogging." Jeonghan says, and you turn to look at him before handing the cigarette back to him. He mumbles a quick 'thanks' before taking a hit, leaning back against the cold metal wall behind him.

"You two don't seem related at all." he then says, catching you off guard. You stay quiet while your lips pout ever so little, but Jeonghan can tell he's getting a reaction from you. What does that even mean?

He flicks some ash on the floor before continuing. "Soonyoung's so fun and loud," he fights a smile, looking at the frown appearing between your brows. "And you're, well..." he shrugs before lighting the unlit joint, the light from the fire illuminating his pretty face.

Your jaw clenches. "I'm what?" you say, fighting the urge to roll your eyes at him. Jeonghan happily takes another drag, not sparing you another look.

"Never mind." he lets out a small laugh, clearly amused at riling you up with such few words between the two of you. You wonder why Soonyoung is friends with such a prick.

The both of you look up at the approaching figures, their talking getting louder by the second as the three of them get closer.

When your brother takes a seat next to you again you visibly relax in your seat, his shoulder leaning into you comfortably. Chan gives you a big smile when greeting you, saying how it's been so long since you last saw each other and asking you some questions about your year abroad.

"Hyung! what do you think?! Ditched my old ride." he dangles his shiny car key in front of Jeonghan, squatting down after the eldest grabs the object for close inspection, cooing at him approvingly.

You spend a good chunk of the night caught up in conversation with Joshua, boding over having lived in the same country and how much you both miss it. You find yourself laughing a lot after that, the jokes and stories between your brother and his friends was distraction you much needed.

Like always, your lightweight of a brother ends up too drunk out of his mind after drinking barely half of the small bottle he carried, and Dino fights to jerk the glass from his stubborn fingers.

Soon after some protests you manage to take your brother home, rejecting Dino's offer to drop you off since you lived so close.

That night you lay in bed replaying the night in your head, your heart feeling full and content. The warm burn in your chest is something you haven't felt a long time, and even though it was only a short meeting you live the following days in ecstasy, high on this happiness making the meaningless days maybe not so meaningless.

Your brother's little mission to get you out more continues two weeks later, the both of you inside of his car on the way to Joshua's place to 'pick up something very quickly' as your brother had put it. You were supposed to go see some movie Soonyoung hadn't stopped talking about, promising you it would be worth it.

You weren't in the mood at all, even after you had a nice time a few weeks ago–that was two whole weeks ago. Today, you found yourself back dreading leaving your room again, but you promised.

"Wait here while I run upstairs," Soonyoung tells you before quickly disappearing to god knows where. You two just emerged from the corridor of the house, standing in the cozy living room with two pair of eyes on you.

Soft music plays on the tv screen, and you're hit by the strong smell of weed. The smoke hangs in the air, visibly dancing against the ceiling above.

Of course Jeonghan's here, giving you a blank stare before focussing on rolling his joint again. He has his long hair in a low ponytail, with loose strands of his bangs framing his delicate face. You can't help wanting to tuck the heaps of hair behind his ear, needing to see that beautiful face without any obstruction of view.

You've never seen the other guy before, but he shares the same odd look in his eyes, almost fully hiding behind the frame of his glasses. He stays like that for a second before giving you a small nod, his lips slowly curling up into a charming smile.

"Soonyoung's sister." he says. You hum softly, returning the smile he's giving you. "I'm Wonwoo." he tells you. His voice is deep, and you can't help but wonder what else that mouth can do. Your brother seems to have a knack of only befriending hot people.

"Does she ever dress like a girl?" Jeonghan mumbles, leaning back into the leather sofa before licking the seal of his rolling paper. He makes direct eye contact with you, and you stifle a loud breath.

Ass. Your face visibly shows your annoyance, and you're almost able to push away the thought of how attractive he looks wetting the paper with his dirty, witty tongue. Besides, what's wrong with your outfit? It’s fall and your oversized hoody-jeans combination is very on trend. It's street style.

"Aren't you basically wearing the same outfit, hyung?" Wonwoo comments, giving the older boy a quick look. Jeonghan rolls his eyes and sighs.

"Alright, nuisance. Stop standing there and sit down already." Jeonghan tells you, throwing the joint down on the table in front of him. You frown for a second before shaking your head.

"Soonyoung should be back soon." you explain, playing with the hem of your sweater. Wonwoo chuckles before speaking. "That should take a while, those two never follow through after seeing each other."

Jeonghan hums, smiling a little at the thought of his friends. Within seconds the smile turns into a taunting grin. "Or maybe he just wants to get rid of you?" he cocks his eyebrows up, licking his lips while he observes you.

You roll your eyes. Way to make me feel bad. You already feel like a drag having your brother putting in an effort to make you feel better. Him pointing it out didn't really help calm down your wandering thoughts.

"Anyways," Wonwoo says, catching on to the dynamic quickly. He pats the seat next to him. "You can add some songs to the queue if you want," he hands you his phone after you sit down next to him. Your hands touch for less than a second, but the action has your cheeks feeling hot. You both chuckle.

Jeonghan curses softly, grabbing the joint he discarded moments before and breaking his own promise of saving it for later. He really did find you irritating. He adored Soonyoung, so how could his sister, his own flesh and blood be so different from him? How could you lack all composure and walk around with this unlikable energy surrounding you?

"Will you be at the party this weekend?" Wonwoo asks, looking at you as you hand him back his phone. Shit, you almost forgot. The birthday party your brother is throwing for Minghao.

"Um," you bite your bottom lip, figuring you would be there regardless if you wanted to or not since the party will be held at your own home. "I guess so." you nod.

It takes another thirty minutes before your brother finally comes down, a happy smile plastered on his face like usual.

"Took you long enough." Jeonghan says, straightening up as if he can't wait to watch you leave. Soonyoung chuckles, shrugging. "You know how it is," he says before looking at you. "Thanks for entertaining her." he smiles and looks at the two guys sitting beside you.

Jeonghan grins. "Of course, shes quite the antic you know." he drips with sarcasm, a glint of amusement behind his eyes while making eye contact with you. You flash him a big smile. "I always am with likable people like you." Jeonghan flashes a smile right back at you.

The party is only two days later, with heaps of people showing up at your house to celebrate Minghao's surprise party. You really couldn't hide away in your room, and a part of you doesn't want to. The only thing you dreaded this night was having to see Jeonghan.

Luckily for you he minds his business, happily chatting with a group of friends and a full glass of booze in his hand. The alcohol is flowing, and you manage to contain the amount of drinks you consume, not wanting to do something you would regret later with your brother's friends around.

To your dismay your brother leaves your side after a few shots, running around socializing like his life depended on it. You aren't alone for long, seeing a tall figure approaching you from the corner of your eye.

When you look up, you're not surprised to see Wonwoo standing in front of you with an awkward smile on his face. He carries a shot glass in each hand, holding up one for you. You gladly accept it, thanking the older guy with a happy look on your face.

He puts the glasses together, locking eyes with you. "I'm happy to see you." he tells you before chuckling shyly. You grin at him. It's cute watching him act like this.

"Me too." you smile, your eyes shrinking in size. You bring the glass to your lips, throwing your head back as the cold liquid pours down your throat. Wonwoo hisses at the bitter taste, his face grimacing in pain. "Shit." he groans, and you keep yourself from reacting to the lewd sound.

"You're not really a party person, are you?" he asks, grabbing your glass and putting both down on the table next to you. He can't be more wrong. "I like parties," you look away to think for a second. "But it's kind of weird to drink a lot around my brother." You look back into his eyes, swallowing a lump in your throat when you see how intense his gaze is.

He nods understanding. "You really don't have to hold back with us." he chews on his plump lips. "You're our friend now too." You smile warmly at his words, and he might be right.

"Thank you Wonwoo." you catch yourself talking like you're on a mission, like you're trying to get him in your bed later tonight, his big hands exploring your whole body. You give him sweet eyes and your tongue glides over your bottom lip innocently. Shit, maybe the shot was already too much.

Wonwoo chuckles again, catching onto your subtle hints without you even knowing. You both take another shot when the birthday boy comes by refusing to leave you empty handed. 

You spend the next half hour talking to him about whatever, both feeling the effect of the booze in your bodies. You audibly make him laugh out loud, his booming cackle muffled by the music. You know you've moved past tipsy when your vision is getting blurry. And you find yourself ignoring the people partying around you.

He ends up inching closers to you, his face awfully close to yours when he looks down at you to talk directly into your ear. You pick up what he puts down, his tone matching yours resulting into playful banter.

"You look really nice today." he moves his eyes down to your body. You were wearing a long sleeved dark crop top paired with a short, tight denim skirt. "Didn't know you were hiding all that." you giggle at him, hitting your first against his chest softly. "Wonwoo..." you say shyly. He looks back into your orbs, gently biting the inside of his lip unknowingly.

"Well you look really good as well." you tell him, looking at him through your lashes. Wonwoo hums approvingly before grinning at you. "Jihoon is looking for you." you both look up to see Jeonghan standing next to you with bored look on his face.

"Ah," Wonwoo says, looking around for a second. Jeonghan doesn't say anything, but just makes eye contact with him. The taller one nods. "Right." he says before giving you a smile and turning to look for his friend.

You glare at Jeonghan, who's eyes glide back to meet yours with the same bored look as before. "You're lucky Soonyoung didn't see the both of you eye-fucking each other just now." his eyebrows slightly raise, his mouth agape. You exhale in annoyance. "We were just talking." you defend yourself, watching as he looks at you like you're the most disgusting thing he's ever seen.

"If you say so." he nods, clearly not convinced. "Don't talk to him again from now on." you snicker. You really don't see what the problem is, wanting nothing more than to put him in his place. "I'm not listening to you." you laugh, turning to get away from him.

Jeonghan grabs your wrist in his grip, not leaving you till you listen. "Yes you will." he says calmly, making you laugh again. He drops your wrist and gets closer to you, his lips inching into your ear. "Are you really that desperate?" he chuckles and shakes his head lightly, thinking of how unbelievable you are. You shudder at the feeling of his breath against your skin.

You purse your lips. "Get away from me." You look him up and down, expecting him to drop it and leave like you asked him, but he doesn't budge.

"You’re gonna drink some water and call it a night." he narrows his eyes at you, getting visibly annoyed at how difficult you're being. "You really are insufferable." you chuckle in amusement before rolling your eyes at him.

Jeonghan snickers, his jaw clenching. "Me? I'm the insufferable one?" he towers over you, nearing his face in front of you. You lean back, pressing your hands against his chest to push him off, but a sudden grip on your arm stops you.

"Hi guys." Joshua gives the both of you an over the top smile. "Can I talk to you guys somewhere? In private?" You exhale a loud breath, your night ruined within a few minutes. "Why? We're done he-" Jeonghan gets cut off by Josh. "Now." he presses, pulling you behind him as he walks to the nearest room.

Jeonghan sighs and follows along, entering a bedroom after his friend opens the door. He can tell it's yours by the pictures on your wall and the big bear plushy sitting on the neatly made bed.

The door closes when the three of you are all inside. "What the hell are you guys doing?" Joshua starts, eyeing you with a frown on his face. "You really want to throw a scene here?" he moves his face to look at Jeonghan.

"He started it." you say through gritted teeth, eyes nearing at Jeonghan. He glares at you. "I don't care, act like adults for gods sake." he shakes his head like a disappointed father, and you can't help rolling your eyes. "He can't tell me to leave in my own home." you argue, crossing your arms over your chest.

Joshua looks at the long haired boy. "Really? You can't tell her that." Jeonghan sighs in annoyance. "I wouldn't have to if you didn't send me over there in the first place." Your fists tighten in anger. Who were they to tell you what you could and couldn't do?

"If you all just mind your fucking business." normally you wouldn't have cursed at people you only met a few times before, but the alcohol in your body manifested in many different ways. "Maybe if you didn't whore around with your brother in the same room we would've." Jeonghan spits back at you.

Joshua curses under his breath when he remembers the time. "Shit, I have to get Minghao's present before its midnight," he sighs before nearing his index finger between you and Jeonghan. "Don't leave this room till you two are done. Fight, or make up, I really don't care."

With that he leaves the two of you alone in your room. You uncross your arms, dropping them down next to your tense body. You can feel Jeonghan's eyes on you, but you purposely ignore his gaze.

There's a few seconds of silence between the two of you before you decide Joshua should be long gone, and you turn to grab the door knob to get away from the prick as soon as possible.

The door only opens a few inches before it gets pushed back into the doorframe with a loud bang. You do a 180 turn, ready to verbally assault the boy who's hand you see are now next to your head, resting against the door. He puts his other hand on the other side of you when you try to move away from you. He has you trapped between him and the surface. There's only a small distance between your bodies now, and your eyebrows inch closer while you give him your nastiest glare.

"You heard Joshua. No leaving till we're done fighting or make up," he nears his face closer to yours, a cocky smile on his face before he whispers. "So which one will it be?"

"Fuck you." your lip quivers in anger, ready to push against his chest roughly. When your hands push off against his defined chest he catches your wrists in his grip, easily getting closer again while pinning them to your side against the wall.

A painful hiss leaves your lips, closing your eyes for a short second as he tightens his grip. "Oh you would rather fuck me?" you hear a laugh follow, and your eyes open to meet an amused look on his face. "You could've just asked me instead of putting on this fake little act of hating me."

You pull your arms, but he's stronger than you. "Act?" you can't help but chuff. There's no way in hell he can be serious.

"Oh come on y/n, don't act like you aren't practically foaming at the mouth every time you see mee." you notice the row of white teeth as he smiles cockily, those damn dark hairs falling perfectly into his eyes.

You pull your arms again, and he finally lets go of you, but his body doesn't move back. "And what's your excuse, huh?" you're the one moving closer to him now, standing on your toes as to assert some kind of dominance over him. He's still way taller than you.

Jeonghan chuckles. "I have none." he peers down at you, his expression almost curious, patiently waiting what you'll say next.

You frown, slowly sinking down onto both feet again. You look away, and don't say anything after that. The wheels in your head spin vigorously, what is he implying?

Then, he catches you off guard by tugging your jaw carefully between his thumb and index finger, and you release a breath you didn’t even know you were holding. He lifts your head a little so you're looking back at him again. You can tell something has shifted between the both of you, the energy between you two feeling a different kind of heavy than before.

Jeonghan hums approvingly when you don't fight him, slowly moving his hand from your jaw down to to your throat. He wraps his pale fingers around your hot skin, pushing you back against the door with his hand.

"Cat’s got your tongue?" Jeonghan whispers, a glint of amusement behind his hooded eyes. He then presses his soft lips against your jaw, a smirk tugging on his lips while he preps small kisses on the skin.

He notices how shallow your breathing has become, warmth pooling in his chest at the result of his own actions. A gasp leaves your lips when he pushes his fingers into the sides of your throat, not leaving you much room to move anymore.

"Jeonghan..." you growl, closing your eyes. The slight pressure on your jugular leaves you feeling lightheaded in the best way possible. Your hands find the fabric of his shirt, fisting it between your fingers, and softly pulling to try and get his body against yours. "So impatient..." he mumbles against your skin, nibbling right below your jaw. "Want oppa to touch you, hm? Tell oppa how much you've been wanting him to touch your whore body." Your face goes red in embarrassment, his words flying straight to your lonely core.

"Please..." you whisper, opening your eyes to see how he has you pinned agains the door. Jeonghan hums. "You can do better that that, no?" he chuckles, resting his lips against your burning skin as to wait for you to plead again.

You grab the wrist he's using to choke you, moaning softly at the intoxicating feeling. "Hurry." you tell him, curious on what he'll do next. A part of you hopes he gives you what you want, to choke you out in your bedroom with the threat of other people being able to hear you on your mind.

Jeonghan does what you expect him to do, tightening his grip on you while moving his lips from your skin to look at you, your eyes filling up with tears from the pleasurable pain.

You moan again, your mouth agape with a content smile on your lips. Jeonghan bites his lip. "Fuck, you're enjoying this aren't you?" he laughs, sounding like straight music for your ears.

You hear the lock of your door clicking before he removes his hand from your throat. "Fine by me." he replaces his hand with his hungry lips, kissing and sucking at your neck. One of his hands snakes under your skirt, and you flinch when he presses a finger against your panties, pressing up against your slit.

“Were your panties this soaked the whole time?" he laughs before gnawing your skin, sucking deep-red colored love bites into the surface. His finger moves teasingly up and down, the touch way too soft for your liking. "Jeonghan..." you plead again, bucking your hips against his finger to find some kind of relief. The older boy hisses in annoyance, his free hand pushing your hip back to keep you from moving.

"Tell me." he says, and you bite your lip in frustration when his finger leaves you entirely. "Oppa..." you pout, your breathing heavy. Jeonghan kisses down to your collar bone. "Please oppa..." your cheeks are red, but you don't know if it's from embarrassment or need.

"What baby?" his finger finds your wet panties again, pressing the digit against your throbbing clit. You moan at the contact, throwing your head back at the small touch. Jeonghan laughs at you. "Please touch me." you say, your body burning up from the teasing.

Jeonghan hums. "I am touching you." he smiles, his face moving up to meet yours again. You see the cocky expression on his face, amusement written all over him.

You whine with need and he chuckles before pressing a lingering kiss on your lips, looking at your face through his long eyelashes. "Want you- aah!" you gasp when he presses his finger harder against your clit. "T-to fuck me," you exhale a shaky breath. "Please." you look at him, your eyes watery and filled with lust.

Jeonghan hums again. "That wasn't to hard now was it?" he chuckles. He moves your panties to the side to sink two fingers deep into your desperate hole. "Fuck..." you moan, your head dropping down against his shoulder.

He moves his fingers at a steady pace, loving the way his fingers force your tight walls open. He can't help wondering how it would feel to have his cock there instead, contracting around his size uncomfortably.

You shudder when his thumb finds his way back on your clit, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves and crushing his fingers even more.

Jeonghan kisses you again, his tongue darting against yours desperately. You whimper against his lips. He's a damn good kisser, your mouths molding like they have always belonged together. You feel his bulge press into you, eagerly waiting.

He pushes another digit inside easily, your slick already finding its way dripping down his skillful fingers. "Such a needy pussy, baby," he groans, his plump lips pushing against your harshly. "Sucking my fingers in so deep, hm? So scared I'll leave you empty and desperate aren't you?" he chuckles, pumping his fingers into you at a set pace. You nod, your hands moving up to hold his neck for support.

You feel like you're not in control of your body anymore, bucking your hips into his touch shamelessly to try to feel him deeper.

"Please fuck me- hmph!" all air leaves your lungs when he curls his fingers inside of you, and one of your hands grab onto his hair tightly. "Need you to fuck me now." you breathe.

Jeonghan chuckles and presses his finger against your clit one last time, earning him a whine, before pulling out of you. You whine at the loss of his fingers, but aren't able to give it another thought as Jeonghan drags you to your bed, pushing you down on your back hastily.

When you watch stripping you of your clothes, you can’t help suppressing the grin wanting to sneak up on your face. You think about how the same boy who couldn’t stand to look or talk to you is now stripping you down like you were the only thing that could satisfy the growing fire in his chest. His lingering fingers feel hot on your skin, tracing your lines and watching the curve of your breasts as he leaves you in nothing but your underwear.

He swiftly removes his shirt, throwing it to the side. You can’t help admiring each other like this, almost completely exposed to each other. His body is slender but toned, with a trail of dark hairs peeking right above his jeans. “You’re so hot.” Jeonghan bites his darkened lips, putting both hands on your legs while standing in front of you. His touch is warm and intoxicating. He pushes your legs open a little, humming when seeing your wet panties again.

“Could use this pussy the whole night if I wanted to and you would let me, wouldn’t you?” he chuckles, and you gasp when he slaps your cunt harshly. “Where did that mouthy girl I know go, huh?” he grins at you, crawling on top of your body and trapping you under his weight.

You moan in bliss when he starts grinding his crotch into yours, the rough fabric of his jeans dragging against your skin. His hands cup your face, looking at you as he makes you wither in pleasure. He leaves a wet kiss on your cheek before crashing his lips into yours again, grinding slowly while he takes his time devouring you. Your hands find themselves on the small of his back, feeling how his skin burns under your touch.

Jeonghan groans against your lips when you push your hips up against his, crossing your legs around his body to get him closer. You start grinding against him, needing some kind of relief sooner or later. Jeonghan pushes his face in the crook of your neck, moaning into your skin softly.

“T-take off your jeans.” you stammer, uncrossing your legs from him and closing your eyes for a second to regain composure. You feel him smiling against you. “You can wait, whore.” he leaves wet kisses in your neck, and you bite your lip at the sensitivity. “Fuck you.” you mumble, breathing faster when he presses into you harder.

“Bet I can make you cum just by grinding into you like this.” Jeonghan mumbles, slowing down his movement. You sigh, closing your eyes. “I bet you can’t.” you tell him, crossing your legs around him again, knowing he’ll try anyways. “Hm? Why?” he looks down at you. You don’t answer, pressing your body against him harder.

Jeonghan chuckles. “Your little fingers can’t make you cum?” he grabs your wrists in his grip, pinning them back against the bed while he gives you another knowing look. You feel your cheeks turning a few shades darker, avoiding eye contact with him. You groan when he moves against you at a faster pace, his jeans pressing against your core, leaving you clenching around nothing.

“Need oppa to make you cum, don’t you?” he looks at how you squirm under him, body moving against his with need. He finally goes faster, biting his lip at the friction. “You think Wonwoo would be able to handle this needy pussy of yours?” he groans out, tightening his grip on your wrists. You moan in pleasure, pressing your head back into the pillow. “Don’t think so… n-need oppa to take care of you, hm? Fuck…”

“Jeonghan…” you moan again, bucking your hips into his desperately while he moves against you.

You feel yourself coming closer to your orgasm, the feeling in your stomach growing by the second. You’re overwhelmed by the pleasure you’re receiving, usually not able to orgasm when you’re by yourself. It’s almost painful, and you can’t help the moans spilling past your lips when Jeonghan moves even harder, pressing against your core harshly.

“That’s it baby, almost there…” he nibbles the skin under your ear. “Wait for me.” he tells you, squeezing his eyes shut. But you can’t hold back, moaning loudly when coming undone under Jeonghan. Your hips spasm, overwhelmed by pleasure as you ride out your high.

Jeonghan clicks his tongue in annoyance, letting go of you completely as he looks down at your tired body. “Now what did I tell you?” he sighs. Your wrist sting from his touch, your chest heaving up and down.

He undoes the button of his jeans, the sound of the zipper muffled by the loud music playing outside. He steps out of his jeans, and you see the big bulge hiding inside of his boxers. There’s a wet spot on the fabric.

Jeonghan pulls you to the edge of the bed by your thighs, kneading the skin softly before finally getting rid of his final piece of clothing. His cock springs free, hard and angry, the tip already wet with pre-cum.

“So selfish, never fucking listening to me.” He pulls your panties down, exposing your sticky hole to him. He discards them on the floor and props your feet on the bed, your knees up for him.

He crawls back on top of you, his thighs pressing into yours, pushing your legs closer to your body. His hands hold himself up on the bed, looking down at you with a grin on his face. You feel the side of his dick against your core, and see how long and girthy it looks through the gap between your bodies.

You bite your lip, already feeling yourself clenching at the though of having him inside of you. It’s been a while since your last time, and you’re unsure if you could even take his length inside of you. He’s bigger than the other guys you’ve had, and it scared you a little.

Jeonghan uses one of his hands to grab his cock, aligning it with your sensitive pussy. “You ready?” he asks you, looking at you. You nod at him, earning a chuckle from him.

He pushes the tip in slowly, inhaling a sharp breath. You tug your bottom lip between your teeth, the nice stretch already having you hungry for more.

He goes a little deeper, and your hand grips his arm tightly. “Jeonhan…” you groan, expecting him to wait for you to adjust to his size. Instead, he ignores your subtle plead, pushing in deeply till he bottoms out.

“That’s it baby… take it all like a good girl..” he groans, pushing his other hand back into the mattress. You moan when your pussy contracts around him as a plea for help, trying to get used to him. You make eye contact when he stills for a moment, finally allowing you to catch your breath before he plunges into you like a madman.

When he finally does so, you moan loudly, squeezing your hand tighter around his arm. Jeonghan fucks you quickly, chasing his release.

You both moan, and he lowers onto his elbows to get closer to you. You feel his lips pecking your cheek sweetly, while his cock shows you no mercy, only seeming to speed up thrusting into you.

“‘Rpussy’s soo tight..” he slurs, groaning lowly. His cock splits you open so nicely, and you’re even able to feel the veins of his dick dragging against your tight walls.

He snakes one arm below your waist, holding your hip tightly while his other hand grabs the back out your neck. His feet press into the floor, and he fucks into you even deeper after the slight change in angle. “Fuck!” you curse, feeling tears build up in your eyes. He moves his hand to fist your hair, holding onto it tightly while moving his hips into yours deeply.

“y/n?” you hear a knock on the door, eyes widening when you recognize the deep voice immediately. “J-jeong-“ you whisper, pushing your hand against your mouth to keep you from making any sounds.

Jeonghan grunts, moving his hand from your hair to pin your hand to your side. You swallow a moan when you hear the doorknob ratte, Wonwoo trying to enter after not getting a reply. He knocks again when it doesn’t open.

You quickly press your other hand back against your agape mouth, giving Jeonghan a glare. He glares back at you, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. The hand around your waist leaves, roughly pulling it away from you again. he grabs both your wrists in one of them, pinning them above your head tightly. His free hand goes down your body, pressing against your clit tauntingly.

“Y/n-“

“F-fuck!” you moan loudly, groaning after. You’re sure Wonwoo heard, because after your loud moaning you hear nothing anymore. Jeonghan chuckles, moving two fingers against your clit. “F-fuck you…” you moan, moving your body against him desperately. Jeonghan hums, biting his lip to keep himself from moaning at the feeling of your cunt trying to crush him with every thrust.

You feel another orgasm coming, and you’re sure he’s close too. “I-i’m almost…” you stutter, pushing your head back into your pillow. Jeonghan removes his fingers from you, letting go of your wrists while pulling out of you. You whine at him, the nearing orgasm washing away. Jeonghan’s chest rises quickly, looking at you for a second before flipping you over on your stomach. He pulls you by your hips, having you on all fours in front of him.

His body meets yours, and you fist your mattress when feeling him enter you again. Jeonghan moans loudly, gripping your hips and slowly thrusting inside of you.

The angle makes you cry out in pleasure, the tip of his cock slamming into the sweet spot you didn’t even know you had. You’re overwhelmed by pleasure, struggling to keep yourself up for much longer. Tears fall from your eyes before you weakly fall down into the mattress, your left cheek flat on the bed. Jeonghan puts his hand in your hair again, his face buried against your ear while pressing his body down into yours.

He picks up the pace, his thighs slamming against your raised ass quickly. More tears fall from your eyes, leaving you a moaning mess underneath him. “Jeong-h-han…” you stammer, squeezing your eyes shut. He grunts into your ear, his breaths loud. You’re so close, your pussy contracting out of your control.

“What? Isn’t this what you wanted?” he says, pushing your ass down so you’re laying flat on the bed. He grabs your throat with his free hand, his grip tight on your neck like before. “Gon-Gonna cum, baby. Gonna cum inside of your pussy, okay?” he breathes against your ear. You let out an inaudible sound before giving him a small noise of approval.

You push your ass up into him, the lack of air pushing you over the edge completely. You cry out one last time when you cum around his cock, groaning at the amazingly painful convulsion around him. “Fuck!” Jeonghan moans before you feel him twitch inside of you, filling you up with his cum. He rides out his high, his thrusts getting slower before he pulls out of you.

He lets go of you, letting himself fall down next to you. You close your eyes while trying to catch your breath.

You feel his hand stroke your back, his warm fingers leaving a trail on your skin. You groan softly and turn your body to meet his. He’s on his side watching you, his hand moving to cup your cheek.

You give him a small smile, shivering when you feel the autumn cold suddenly hitting you. Jeonghan gets up, putting the soft covers over your body and tucking you in tightly. You watch as he gets dressed, gliding his hand through the wet hair on his head.

He takes a hair tie out is his pocket, putting his hair in a low ponytail before sitting down on the edge of your bed and tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

“You’re going?” you ask, earning a nod from the boy. “Yes, Minghao won’t let me live it down if I’m not there at twelve.” You chuckle, nodding softly.

Jeonghan gets up, looking back at you before opening the door. “Might want to lock it before Wonwoo finds you laying here with my cum inside of you.” he grins, giving you one last look before closing the door behind him.

Maybe living in a small village isn’t so bad after all.

— every summertime  ⟢

you're not really interested in the record shop downtown. but people aren't oblivious to the way you keep trying to get into the owner's pants—not even the owner himself.

★ FEATURING; jeonghan x afab!reader

★ WORD COUNT;  16.1k words

★ TAGS; 70s au, playing hard to get, bad bad bad decisions, friends questioning said decisions, reader is a slut in theory but not so much in practice (at least...in the beginning), pining?, angst but like, only a microcosm of angst, smut (MINORS DNI)

★ WARNINGS; alcohol consumption

★ NOTES; if i told you all about how much this fic has changed over the last three months i've spent writing it, you'd all be sick of me going back and forth with the direction i wanted this to go lmfao !!!! i don't think i've ever suffered writing anything as much as i did with this, so i'm proud to be sharing the fruit of every one of my trashed drafts to all of you :') i sincerely hope you all like it T T

this is part of the svthub 70s;teen collab!

★ SMUT TAGS; unprotected sex, jealousy, possessiveness, dom jeonghan bc i just Need him to dom me, vaginal fingering, semi-public sex, dacryphilia kinda?, cockwarming

★ PERMANENT TAGLIST; @cheolhub - @pretty-trustme - @just-here-to-read-01 - @idkmelkro - @dejavernon - @venusrae - @jyiiscool - @jiniesclub - @junhui-recs - @bldelaine - @featmia - @fruitzcup - @hoeforhao - @candidupped - @billboard-singer - @caratochan - @novalpha - @dahliatopia - @0717luv - @shiveringgaze - @toruro - @mixling-blog - @minnie-mouser22 - @homerunhansol - @mirtaspace - @ti--red - @zzucculent - @woozarts - @rubyreduji - @mozellerra - @lllucere - @cheolzip - @jjjzzzz - @lissiesykes - @dearjeonwonwoo - @meowmeowminnie - @colored-confetti - @partiallyinfluencial - @speaknowlwt - @flwrshwa - @lilylikesthat - @aurorahongg - @whippedforjihoon - @todorokiskitten - @immabecreepin - @98-0603 - @peachhiz

★ JEONGHAN TAGLIST; @yoonzinoooo - @scandal-in-bohemia - @bias-recs - @lunaryoongie - @haoxiaoba - @ak6ko

“Ji, I got you a present!”

Your best friend of over ten years glances at you momentarily while he’s in the middle of replacing the strings of his guitar. There’s an unimpressed look on his face when he does it—no different from the way he looks at you whenever you walk in a gritty session of Dungeons and Dragons back in high school. Only this time, you’re being downright annoying for another reason entirely.

“I’m pretty sure you already have all the Led Zeppelin vinyls in existence so I just picked out whatever from the shelf instead,” you tell him nonchalantly as you bring out a spiffy-looking record of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. “This one’s nice, isn’t it?”

It is, but here’s the thing:

“I already have that.” Jihoon affixes you with a blank stare as he gets up from his seat, letting his fingers glide across the alphabetized collection on his own shelf. 

Ten seconds later, your best friend pulls a carefully preserved vinyl with the exact same album art plastered on the front, making you lower the one in your hands in abject disbelief. But Jihoon has been friends with you long enough to know that something like this isn’t enough to fluster you.

“Consider it a high quality dupe then.” You giggle maniacally before letting yourself fall on top of Jihoon’s bed and hold the sealed vinyl tightly to your chest. “Jeonghan looked soooo gorgeous today. I was really down in the dumps when I heard that he cut his hair, but there’s just a different appeal when guys have it shorter. You get me, right?”

“I really don’t,” Jihoon deadpans as he plops himself back into his chair, coiling a roll of fresh nylon around the pegs of his guitar. “Don’t you ever get tired of spending your summers chasing after a guy that obviously doesn’t like you back?”

“Don’t you get tired of lecturing me when we both know I’m never gonna listen?” A simper escapes your lips before you engage the Stevie Wonder poster on Jihoon’s ceiling in a staring contest. “Besides, it’s not as if I like like him! I just want to fuck him—big difference.”

There it is—the classic why am I even best friends with you sigh that only makes Jihoon more endearing than he already is. “Let me rephrase then: why do you keep chasing after a guy who obviously doesn’t want to fuck you back?”

Stevie Wonder ends up winning when you shoot back up into a seating position, letting out an obnoxious laugh that you stifle with the same vinyl you supposedly got for Jihoon. “Au contraire! It might seem that way, but you just haven’t seen a person as deep in his own denial as Jeonghan is.”

“Second door to the left—bathroom’s there. I highly recommend that you take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror.” Jihoon’s jaw ticks when he says the words but as long as he isn’t blatantly kicking you out of his room, you’re still within tolerable range. “Didn’t Mingyu set you up with one of his friends? I clearly remember you telling me about it before the semester ended.”

Ah, that’s right. 

Two weeks ago, Kim Mingyu—one of the many friends you’ve left in your hometown—called the telephone that you shared in an apartment with four other girls. When the housemate that answered told you about some guy with a lisp looking for you, you quickly ditched whatever notes you were pretending to read for a quick conversation.

Of course, once Mingyu dropped the call, you quickly turned the telephone dial to ring up your best friend with a pressing question: Mingyu wants to set me up with some guy named Jungkook. Do you know him? 

Jihoon, however, has never met anyone that goes by that name his entire life, which made you draw the conclusion that this Jungkook person must be Mingyu’s friend from another city. He tends to collect people like trading cards and you can’t fault him for it. Mingyu is pretty charming.

Charming enough that you agreed to go hang out with him and Jungkook once you’re back in your hometown.

“Well, he hasn’t contacted me about it again so my Jungkook appointment is on hold until then,” you point out with a huff. “Plus, I don’t see why I should stop trying my chances with Jeonghan just because I’ve got another boy reserved.”

“I don’t remember you being this much of a man-eater last summer.”

“Yet you still love me anyway.” 

Despite already having one in his possession, Jihoon accepts the blasted Pink Floyd vinyl and places the dupe right next to his first copy on the shelf of collectibles. The conversation drifts onto different topics ranging from your mutual struggles with work and the supposed girlfriend that Soonyoung may or may not be lying about. Then right after he finishes restringing his guitar, your best friend walks you home just like old times.

When you’re halfway to the front door of your house, however, Jihoon calls out your name—a sound barely audible in the evening breeze, but you turn around with a questioning look anyway. 

“Don’t be too pushy with Jeonghan, okay?” He instructs sternly. “I know you’re just fucking around, but really, you’re better off investing your time in better things. In better people. Not someone who only keeps you around as a source of entertainment.”

You gasp, covering your mouth with your hand for added flair. “Fucking around? I’m very serious about getting my insides rearranged by him!”

Your best friend makes a face. “Y/N.”

“Just kidding, Ji. You, of all people, should know that I know my limits!” you reassure him with a smile. “Why do you think Jeonghan still speaks to me warmly whenever I walk inside his shop? Whenever I run into him at the disco?”

“Because you’re his customer? And he’s after your money? And maybe he’s a pretty decent person outside his reputation as a sexual fiend?”

“Well that might be true, but that’s also because he’s interested in me too!”

“Good night, Miss Delusional.”

“Good night, Mister Enabler!”

This is pretty much a good summary of your relationship with your best friend. You willingly get yourself tangled up in something incredibly stupid, he tells you off like he’s your mother every time he finds out, and once things start crashing down, you run over to Jihoon in tears while he consoles you for something that’s a hundred percent your fault. It’s quite the understated miracle how he’s tolerated you for so long, but that’s precisely why you’re best friends in the first place.

But there’s this one thing that you can’t tell even Jihoon about. 

“Were you finally out on a date with Jeonghan?”

Your sister, Luna, asks when you make your way to the living room to say hi. She’s nose-deep in one of those Stephen King novels, but her eyes stray away from the pages to spare you a momentary glance. 

You snort. “As if he’s that easy.” 

Luna hums before her eyes wander back to her book. “Mmm. You’re right. If he was, he would’ve gone out with you like, I dunno, three years ago?” 

“You’re such a bitch.”

“And you’re such a coward,” she snorts. “You know, if you just told him hey I’ve been in love with you since we met at Joshua’s graduation party instead of asking if he wants to sleep with you, your odds of getting with him would skyrocket.” 

“Now where’s the fun in that?” you chuckle before stepping inside the living room to ruffle her hair—an act of affection that Luna receives with distaste. “Quit making unnecessary comments about my sex life and help me with dinner before Mom and Dad get home.”

“Your non-existent sex life?”

“Oh, screw you.”

After having dinner with your family, you quickly retreat to your bedroom to retire for the evening before Soonyoung can call your house phone to ask if you’re down for a night out. It’s practically tradition whenever you’re back in town, but your last conversation with Jihoon has been weighing heavily on your mind since you walked inside your house. 

Despite there being a one hundred percent chance that you’ll run into Jeonghan again if you go out with your friends, you’re strangely not in the mood to mingle like you always do. 

You’re better off investing your time in better things. In better people.

That might be true, but…

How can you possibly break free of a cycle you’ve always found yourself tangled up in every summertime? 

THREE SUMMERS AGO

A few nights before graduating from college, Hong Jisoo—better known as Joshua—decided to throw an unforgettable party at a disco club his stepfather owns and monopolizes an entire chain out of. You’re not sure how he managed to pull the strings and smuggle enough booze to make the entire graduating class drunk, but old money does wonders especially in a town as small as this.

You recall it vividly because that was the first time you met Jeonghan.

He was a new face in a crowd of people you practically grew up with. But even if he wasn’t, you still would’ve been able to pick him out of the sea of graduating seniors with ease because of how breathtaking he looks.

His hair was brown when you met him, the tips barely tickling the nape of his neck with bangs framing his soulful eyes. You caught him sipping on a glass of something you can’t really name and the moment your brain managed to process the existence of such a beautiful man in such a boring old town, your immediate reaction was to turn to Mingyu. 

“Who’s that? Violet jacket, white pants? I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

Mingyu hums before looking around—something made easier by his towering height. “Oh! That’s Jeonghan—Joshua’s brother.”

“Brother?” Jihoon pipes up right next to you, mirroring your surprise. “I thought Joshua was an only child.” 

Seungkwan hisses as he ushers the four of you into a miraculously vacant booth near the jukebox, looking around as if your conversation was under threat of being eavesdropped on. “Pipe it down! We don’t want to get kicked out of the party for talking smack about Joshua’s family.”

“We’re not talking smack, we’re just confused.” Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Is it so bad to wonder about the newcomer when the entire disco has been eyeing him up and down? Look, even Soonyoung stopped mid-dance just to talk to him.”

True to Jihoon’s observation, another one of your friends, Kwon Soonyoung deigned to step off the dancefloor to exchange a few words with this Jeonghan person. Their interaction lasts for merely a few seconds with Soonyoung obviously taking a liking to the newcomer—a hearty laugh piercing through the song playing on the jukebox as he nods before heading back to whence he came.

Jeonghan was grinning the entire time too—a lazy, laid-back yet attractive smile—and fuck… 

You might have a nasty case of love at first sight. 

“So are you going to explain why Joshua suddenly has a brother or are we going to be in suspense the entire night?” Mingyu whines in his seat. 

Seungkwan huffs. “Alright, alright! Apparently, Joshua’s stepdad has another son who used to live several cities away. No one knows why he moved into this old dump, but hey, more eye candy for everyone, I guess.”

“Is he single?” you blurt out.

Mingyu’s expression twists with smugness. “Why are you curious? You’re not trying to go after him, are you?”

“And if I am?” Brows raised, you fold your arms together as you stare the six-foot puppy down. “It’s like Seungkwan said—he’s eye candy! It won’t do anyone any harm to try and get to know him better, right?” 

“Are you sure that’s a wise decision to make when you’re going to be traveling a lot for work?” Jihoon ponders seriously. “What happened to being ready to leave everything behind and starting anew?”

“Hey, it still counts as starting anew when I’m trying to get with the new guy in town.”

That’s when it starts. 

Jeonghan is easy to talk to. That night, you learned that he moved into town because the big city was much too stifling for him to bear; that he gets along swimmingly with his stepbrother despite their parents’ sudden remarriage; that he isn’t really interested when you boldly asked if he wanted to go out sometime.

It’s no big deal. Not like you went into that conversation with high expectations. The fact that he even entertained you was already a miracle on its own. You can take your losses with your head held high—because it’s no big deal.

But then you saw him leaving the disco with some woman you don’t recognize. You’re not sure who she is and what her relation is to Jeonghan, but the smiles they exchanged as the man of the hour escorted her outside would be forever engraved in the back of your head. 

The rest of the evening was a blur. You thought you’d be able to wipe the image of Jeonghan going home with someone else off your mind with enough booze, but even when you wake up with a hangover the next morning, the ghost of his pretty smile still haunts you. 

You carry it with you even after graduation—all teary eyes and tight hugs exchanged with the friends you spent your entire life with. While Soonyoung is in the middle of telling you to memorize everyone’s house telephone numbers so you can keep in touch while you’re away, you spot Jeonghan in the crowd of visitors filling the university quad.. 

He’s with Joshua and their parents, happily congratulating the youngest for his most recent milestone. You're sure you were at least subtle enough with how you observe him from the corner of your eye, but he catches you staring anyway. 

Instead of breaking eye contact immediately, however, Jeonghan holds your gaze and cracks another one of those lazy grins before waving. You have to look around to see if he was gesturing towards anyone else, but to your surprise, it seems that you’re the intended recipient.

Naturally, you don’t let it get to your head. You’re leaving town in three days and maybe it isn’t such a good idea to keep hankering for someone who made it clear that he isn’t into you. 

But then Jihoon thought it would be a great idea to drop by this newly opened record store in Main Street. So I can give you a little souvenir when you’re thousands of miles away, he said and you were so touched with the sentiment, you actually went along with it.

The excitement you’d racked up at the idea of receiving a gift from your best friend, however, was easily eclipsed by the person that greets the two of you once you enter the front door of the shop. 

“Good morning,” greets a chipper-looking Jeonghan wearing denim overalls with the name of the shop embroidered on the front pocket. “How can I help you two?”

Jihoon quickly recovers from the initial surprise and utters, “Oh, um, I wanted to buy a few cassette tapes for my friend. Can you direct us to the right aisle?”

Jeonghan nods before leaning across the wooden counter to direct you two to a row of shelves on the far right. “Just go down that one and you should be able to find what you’re looking for. They’re all arranged by the artist’s names.”

“Cool. Got it.”

Before you can even get a word in, your best friend proceeds to drag you off to the stack of cassette tapes—ducking behind the shelves to make sure Jeonghan doesn’t see what goes on.

“What’s he doing here?” he hisses quietly.

“Do I look like I have a clue? You’re the one who planned this,” you point out with your arms folded. “Just when I thought you were against me making a move on Jeonghan, you proceed to bring me to the place where he works anyway.”

“I still am! I just didn’t know he’d be here too…”

“Well, don’t get your panties in a twist and just let me pick out my gift so we can leave. How’s that?”

Though he’s visibly disgruntled with the knowledge you’ve both been presented with, Jihoon grunts in agreement before you flutter off to the neatly organized shelf. It reminds you of the one back in your best friend’s room. He’s been big on collecting vinyls and cassette tapes for as long as you can remember, so it’s natural for Jihoon to be drawn to this newly opened record shop. 

When you end up taking far too long to make up your mind about what you want, Jihoon eventually migrates to the other spots in the store—checking out the other merchandise being put up for sale with a quiet look of amazement shining in his eyes. The sight of him in his natural habitat has you chuckling to yourself before your gaze rivets back to the collection of tapes you’re supposed to choose from. 

Of course, you’re startled by Jeonghan appearing seemingly out of nowhere right next to you.

“You’re taking your sweet time,” he chuckles, offering up another smile that makes your heart do somersaults. “Say, aren’t you the one who asked me out at Shua’s graduation party?”

You stare him down like he just personally affronted your entire family before clearing your throat—making a show of grabbing a random tape from the rack to examine its contents. Anything to get you to look at anything but Jeonghan’s stupidly beautiful face.

“Uh, yeah. That’s me,” you laugh uneasily. “And I’m only taking my sweet time because I don’t want to repetitively play an album I don’t even like on my Walkman.”

“Fair. How about I offer up a few suggestions then?”

That makes you arch an eyebrow. “Sure. What do you have for me?”

He hums for a moment before reaching for one of the higher levels—easily accomplished by his height. The gesture has you backing up against the wooden shelf to give him some more space, but the close proximity has your face flaring with warmth. 

“Here,” Jeonghan offers before handing you a cassette tape that looks pretty brand new. “The Beatles is cliché for a reason and I personally think Let It Be was the best way to end their time together. But you might also be interested in Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. It’s a personal favorite of mine.”

He then proceeds to reach for another tape from the store’s vibrant collection and gives it to you—the lazy smile on his face never faltering. 

“Hmm, which one should I get though?” you wonder while comparing the two. “My best friend over there rarely gets me gifts and I’m not about to abuse the privilege by getting two.”

Jeonghan shrugs. “The other one’s on the house then.” 

The nonchalance in his tone makes your face twist with disbelief. “What?”

“I said it’s on the house. You can have your friend pay for one while you get the other for free,” he explains. “Think of it as a limited time promo of sorts.”

You grimace. “Um, I don’t think I saw any signs outside that said you’re offering a Buy 1 Take 1… Won’t the owner of this place be furious with you or something?”

“Now how can I ever be furious with myself, sweetheart?” 

You’re not sure what baffles you more—the fact that Jeonghan turns out to be his own boss or the fact that he just addressed you with some nickname that has you blushing like a schoolgirl. 

“Y/N, are you done—oh.” 

Saved by the bell—or rather, your best friend—Jihoon walks back into the scene with surprise coloring his features. He’s got a couple of vinyls and a box of guitar picks hefted in his arms as he stares at you and Jeonghan all alone in the aisle.

“Ji, I finally got to pick some out,” you beam while holding the two tapes Jeonghan recommended. “The owner said it’s a Buy 1 Take 1 so…”

He mutters the words the owner under his breath before his gaze zeroes in on Jeonghan who simply waves at him with a cheery air.

“Oh, I-I see,” Jihoon clears his throat. “Thank you for being so generous. You really didn’t have to. She doesn’t even care that much about music in the first—”

“Anyway,” you interject loudly before directing yourself to the counter. “Let’s go check these out. We’re meeting Mingyu and the rest of the guys for lunch, aren’t we?”

You pack up your business with Jeonghan fairly quickly. He places your most recent purchases in individual plastic bags, handing them to you with an ever-present smile. Even when you’re already seated at the diner you chose to hold your farewell lunch in, your mind still toys with the memory of Jeonghan calling you sweetheart.

Though if you’re being honest with yourself, you don’t think of Jeonghan much when you eventually move out of your hometown to pursue your work. You make new friends and colleagues, kindle a few romances here and there, and still keep in touch with a select few you’ve left behind.

Of course, Jeonghan does cross your mind whenever you deign to listen to the cassette tapes he personally picked out for you, but starting over completely in a new city every few months certainly gives you a fresher outlook in life.

Yet whenever you come home for the summer, it takes little for you to start regressing into old habits you thought you’d already outgrown. 

TWO SUMMERS AGO

“When did you arrive in town?”

You nearly spill your drink all over that same violet jacket he was wearing the night you first met him—heart rate spiking at the sight of such a gorgeous face. Jeonghan leans across the counter where you and Seungkwan deigned to catch a breather after dancing your hearts out to Earth, Wind, and Fire. Thankfully, you’re able to mask the surprise upon seeing him again with a warm smile.

“Just this afternoon actually,” you chuckle before taking another sip. “I didn’t think you’d still be here. Big city boy like you should’ve gotten tired of this place in the first month.”

“I could say the same for you,” Jeonghan rebuts with an easygoing grin. “You’re a big city girl now too, aren’t you? But you’re back home anyways.”

“Well, Y/N actually has friends to come back to or else we’ll hop on the earliest flight to wherever the hell she is to come get her ourselves,” Seungkwan interjects beside you with a huff. “What’re you even doing here? Don’t you have a date waiting for you or something?”

Despite convincing yourself that you were over that fleeting crush on Jeonghan, you still feel your shoulders sag at the thought that he was here tonight with someone else. Thankfully, neither Seungkwan or Jeonghan notice the shift in your countenance.

“I do, actually. I was just going to pick up a couple drinks I ordered earlier. Can’t a man treat her to a Tequila Sunrise?” Jeonghan pouts and just in time the bartender stationed behind the counter places two glasses of a vibrant-looking drink in front of him. “Well, it’s nice to see you again, Y/N. I hope the tapes I sold you kept you good company while you were gone.”

Oh. He still remembers that.

“They did,” you affirm all while trying to keep yourself from smiling too much. “I can always rely on the taste of someone who literally owns an entire record store.”

“Well, if you need some new tunes to groove to, you know where to find me,” Jeonghan says with an attractive wink, butterflies beating their wings inside your stomach. 

It’s only when Jeonghan walks back to the booth he’s sharing with his supposed date—a pretty blonde with shiny dangling earrings that glimmer in the disco lights—that you realize that maybe you haven’t really gotten over him like you initially thought.

Unfortunately for you, Seungkwan gets the same idea.

“Jihoon’s not gonna be happy about this,” he drawls before taking another sip of his drink. 

“Well, he’s not my mother.”

“Your mother won’t be happy about you getting the hots for someone who sleeps with different women every weekend, but okay.”

You brush off his comments with a shake of your head, downing the rest of your drink as you tug him out of his stool. “Whatever. Come on, let’s go find Soonyoung and the others.”

Apart from your usual circle with Jihoon, Seungkwan, Mingyu, and Soonyoung, they’ve made a couple more friends in the local university they decided to attend together. They introduce you to Seokmin, a theater major with the brightest smile you’ve ever seen—and for some reason, they’ve all managed to befriend Joshua Hong himself as well.

The new additions to your growing group of friends fit right in. Even Joshua, who you’ve always thought of as some snotty trust fund baby, proved to be quite enjoyable company. To your delight, your first night back after almost an entire year of being away turns out much more worthwhile than you initially thought.

For the rest of the night, you try your best to keep your mind off of Jeonghan and focus on mingling with your friends again. God knows how badly you’ve missed them—the occasional phone call can’t ever hold a candle to hanging out with these lunatics in the flesh. 

But despite having loads of fun just watching Soonyoung engage someone apparently named Minghao in a dance-off, you can’t help but feel like someone’s watching you. 

It doesn’t take long for you to find Jeonghan’s eyes in the crowd. 

His date is resting her head on his shoulder—obviously buzzed from the drinks she’s consumed for the night. You’re not sure if it was pure coincidence that your gazes locked in such a packed crowd, but before you can even think about waving at him, Mingyu yanks you to the dancefloor to duke it out with the rest of your friends.

The heat of Jeonghan’s gaze sears into your being like a soldering iron kissing your skin. Every time you try to look for him wherever the boys would unwittingly drag you to have some fun, you’d find his intense stare still affixed on your form. If it was anyone else, you would’ve been unnerved by the scrutiny he’s giving you especially when his date is literally half-asleep next to him in their booth.

But maybe part of you will always want Jeonghan—even if you’ve convinced yourself otherwise.

When the night comes to an end, Mingyu and Seokmin do the honors of carrying a ditzy-drunk Soonyoung inside Joshua’s SUV. It proves to be a fool’s errand at most because of course Soonyoung would make it a point to be difficult while all his well-meaning friends just want to tuck him back to bed—breaking into a quick dance every five steps forward.

“Hey, I’ll just go use the washroom first,” you whisper in Jihoon’s ear. “I won’t be long.”

Your best friend nods. “Yeah, we need someone to look after these idiots. Seungkwan would just provoke Soonyoung into doing something even more stupid.”

“Hey! I heard that!” Seungkwan complains.

You break away from them momentarily with a giggle before hoisting the strap of your purse over your shoulder and making your way to the washroom. 

There are a couple of other disheveled disco-goers trying to make themselves look a bit more presentable. You decide to take a vacant spot by the mirror to touch up your makeup, dusting bits of glitter with unknown origin away from your face. Once you’re all set, the others have long left the washroom—prompting you to make your way out of the building before the owner closes its doors.

However, once you make it back to the main area, you spot Jeonghan on one of the barstools—speaking to a man with dyed blue hair, while his date is nowhere to be found.

“Y/N?” Jeonghan calls out despite your best effort to brisk walk to the door. “You’re still here? Your friends didn’t ditch you or anything, right?”

You shake your head. “Oh, no. They’re waiting for me outside. They were struggling to get Soonyoung inside your brother’s car so I thought I’d go freshen up first.”

“Shua’s car? I didn’t know you two were friends,” he comments with brows raised. “I asked him about you back then but he said he and you haven’t spoken two words to each other.”

Wait a minute. He asked Joshua about you?

“That’s because you’re always too friendly, Han,” the other man whose name you don’t know interjects with a roll of his eyes. “You probably know all your customers and mine by name at this point.”

“You’re being funny again, Cheol,” Jeonghan snickers before turning to you once again. “Y/N, this is Seungcheol. He’s the new manager of this particular branch of our father’s discotheques. He’s also a very good friend of mine.”

You glance at Seungcheol with a nod. “Hi.”

“Hmm, your friends are a bunch of regulars here, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around,” he observes. 

“That’s because this little bird has been away for work for the past year,” Jeonghan supplies while twirling a glass of what looks like bourbon in his hand.

Seungcheol raises an eyebrow at him. “You sure know a lot about Y/N.” 

“Well, she was one of my first customers and her best friend is one of my most loyal regulars,” he laughs before taking a sip, grinning so handsomely, you can almost feel your knees give out at the sight of him. “Tell Jihoon I said hi once you meet up with them again, yeah?”

“O-Okay,” you stammer, clutching your purse much too tightly for someone who’s just having a casual conversation with a bunch of guys who aren't your friends. 

“I’ll leave you for a while. I’m going to go check on your sister and make sure she hasn’t thrown up all over my desk,” Seungcheol excuses himself with a pat on Jeonghan’s shoulder. 

“Your sister?” you repeat with an incredulous ring to your voice.  

“Mhmm. My biological sister,” Jeonghan hums in affirmation as Seungcheol steps out. “Not so different from you, she’s been traveling in and out of the country for work and decided to pay me a visit while she’s here. Though I didn’t expect her alcohol tolerance to be…like that, which is why I had her rest in Cheol’s office for the meantime.”

Your mind processes his words at lightning speed—quickly pulling out the memory of Jeonghan with his supposed date with her head on his shoulder.

“So your date was your sister?” you clarify. 

“Why are you making it sound like it’s a bad thing? Can’t I take my sister out on a few dates?” He shakes his head.

“I never said anything like that!” 

Jeonghan places a hand on his chest in feigned offense, shaking his head with a dramatic sigh. “It’s alright, I’m quite used to being falsely judged.”

“You are so dramatic,” you snort.

“So I’ve been told,” he laughs airily before putting down his glass, getting up from the stool he decided to occupy. “By the way, there’s a little something that’s been bothering me since you came over here.”

As your present company draws closer to you with each word, your heart swells with equal parts anticipation and dreadful curiosity. 

Something’s been bothering him? Did you perhaps do something wrong? That’s a little impossible because you could’ve sworn you’ve done your best to ignore him the entire—

“You’ve got some glitter right…” Jeonghan murmurs as he cups the side of your face with a warm hand, thumb brushing against the corner of your mouth. 

“Here.”

It’s as if time came to a standstill when he does it—holding both your gaze and your breath captive in the lush brown of his eyes. You always wondered what it would feel like to have Jeonghan’s skin on yours and of all the ways it could’ve happened, this isn’t exactly part of your list of delusions.

He’s so close and so pretty and he smells so good—

“Are you sure you don’t want to go out sometime?” 

You don’t even realize that your thoughts have translated it into words until Jeonghan’s expression morphs from relaxed to mildly surprised. He pulls away only a little before his lips twitch into a smile that borders on taunting.

“Oh? You’re still on a mission, huh?” Jeonghan simpers. “You’re a persistent little thing, aren’t you?” 

Maybe it’s just the alcohol you’ve consumed making you just a bit braver than you usually are, but your mouth just won’t stop running.

“Well, I wouldn’t be this persistent if you didn’t give any signs that you might’ve lied to me the first time I asked.” 

“Hm? And what makes you think I was lying?”

Your shoulders heave with a soft laugh, folding your arms together as you hold his gaze with confidence oozing out of your posture. “Yoon Jeonghan, if you really aren’t interested, then why were you watching me the entire night? I’m not blind you know. You weren’t being subtle either.”

“What if I was just extremely happy to see one of my first ever customers back in town?” he chuckles, the tone of his voice aggravatingly leveled for someone you’re supposedly cornering. “And sorry to say, sweetheart, but I don’t really go out with any of Shua’s friends.”

His reasoning makes you heave an incredulous laugh as you recall the way he stared at you earlier tonight like you have a target on your back. You want to make it a point that you’ve only considered his stepbrother as a friend on this same night, but decide on going at this with a different approach.

“Okay,” you respond coolly, challenging the nonchalant smile on his face with one of your own. “If you don’t go out with any of Joshua’s friends, would you sleep with one?”

You don’t know how, but you’ve managed to make the distance between you even smaller. Jeonghan doesn’t budge even as you stare at him with fire in your eyes—even when your skin prickles with electricity from the sparks of something inevitably flying between the two of you. 

Once upon a time, you resigned yourself to the fact that Jeonghan would be nothing more than a fleeting, unrequited crush. But who knew that all it would take is a single night after months of not seeing him to make you realize that maybe things aren’t really what they seem?

“My, I’ve never had anyone come onto me this strongly before,” he muses with a soft laugh. “But your friends must be looking for you. No one takes that long to retouch in the ladies’ room, no? You best be on your way, Y/N.”

“You’re avoiding the question,” you deadpan with an amused smirk. “If I told you I’d leave you alone and never bother you with this again if you really, truly aren’t interested, will you answer me then?”

A voice that sounds like a strange mix of Jihoon and Seungkwan wails in the back of your semi-inebriated mind. What the fuck are you doing?!

You want to respond back that you completely know what you’re doing, but you’re well aware that the half the words you’ve uttered during the entire course of the conversation would never even get past your lips had you been in a better state of mind.

But for all of Jeonghan’s inclination of playing hard-to-get, he leans closer to your ear—the hand he places on your bare shoulder nearly searing his mark onto your skin. 

“Maybe next time, sweetheart.”

This game you’re playing with Jeonghan eventually becomes commonplace.

You spend a chunk of it deliberately getting under his skin. While you certainly made all those bold declarations under the influence, you quickly realized that the day after Jeonghan gave you his cryptic answer, you’re completely serious about this so-called mission.

So you brought out all sorts of ammunition that would make your mother weep with how you’re practically flaying yourself open for a man. You’d purposely wear tight-fitting clothes that emphasized the dips and curves of your body, show up to every night out where you were certain Jeonghan would be present, and of course, hang out at his record store more times than an average person would willingly spend in her boring old hometown.

Jeonghan—ever the infuriatingly level-headed person he is—takes all of it in stride. Where your friends have raised eyebrows with how you’re openly pursuing the most un-pursueable man you all know, he doesn’t treat you any differently from the way he usually does. 

He still entertains you whenever you sneak up on him at the disco, still accommodates your unnecessary purchases in his store…

Still flat-out rejects your advances even if he’s borderline flirting back.

It’s a constant push and pull that Jihoon might be sick of hearing whenever you deign to come over to tell him about the progress of your pursuit—or lack thereof. But since he’s taken up the mantle of your best friend, this is the fate that he has to live with. 

“You do know that you’re dancing with a wolf over there, right?” he points out one night while he’s busy writing a song and you’re flipping through a magazine on his bed. “The other guys have told me enough stories about how he’s always got a different date every time they’re at the disco. He’s a raging Casanova, Y/N. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“How can I get hurt when I’m just after a good time?” you chuckle as your ears ring every time he strums his guitar. “If he’s such a Casanova, then why hasn’t he tried to make a move when I’m openly expressing how into him I really am? Have been for, like, two years now!”

“If I knew the thought process behind how he responds to you, I wouldn’t be stressing as much as I have for the past two years,” he grumbles.

“You worry too much about me, Ji. I’ve already fooled around with some guys here and there. What’s another one from my hometown?”

Jihoon turns to glance at you with a tired look on his face. “But Jeonghan isn’t just some guy. He’s Jeonghan.” 

You want to refute that statement by saying that you have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. But for someone who mostly keeps to himself, Jihoon has an extremely good perception on things. He probably already knows things about Jeonghan even if you don’t say them outright.

The owner of the record store in Main Street is undoubtedly alluring. He’s the most beautiful person you’ve ever seen—beautiful enough to have you hope time and time again that you can call him yours. What’s more is that the chemistry between you was established the moment he teased the possibility of you getting what you’ve wanted since you met. 

Maybe next time, sweetheart.

No matter how risky it is to toe this jagged cliff of your mutual interest, you’ve always been a glutton for danger.

ONE SUMMER AGO

Your game plan after settling your bags into your house is simple: drop by Jeonghan’s store to let you know that the biggest thorn on his side is back in town and check if he magically wants to fuck you this time around. It’s a routine that your friends have long grown tired of—seeing no point in interfering when you’re so dead-set to get with Jeonghan however you can.

It’s pretty pathetic, but you’re anything but a quitter.

Although contrary to popular belief, screwing Yoon Jeonghan isn’t always the only thing running through your head whenever you’re home. Take right now for example.

You’d just finished unpacking your things into your room when you realized that you’d forgotten to place one of the cassette tapes that Jihoon personally made for you inside its usual protective container—discovering that the outer casing was cracked through the middle while the plastic film lolled out of the rupture, dangerously close to being torn in the state you found it in.

If it were any other cassette tape—even the ones Jeonghan personally picked out for you before you left—you wouldn’t have been fazed. These things are replaceable, especially when Jeonghan would have a dozen other copies waiting for you in his store.

Except this tape in particular can’t be replaced because Jihoon spent a fortune getting it personally manufactured for you. He recorded a few of the songs he personally wrote into the film and had it mailed to you as a surprise—a thoughtful attempt at easing your homesickness for the holidays. 

There wasn’t a day when you didn’t listen to your best friend sing with the help of your Walkman. Your old cassette tapes from Jeonghan definitely took a backseat once you received Jihoon’s present in the mail with a letter he personally wrote attached to the package. 

And now it’s broken because you were an idiot who didn’t pack it somewhere more secure—

“Sweetheart, I’m closing early tonight. If you’re going to ask if I want to sleep with you, you should try…”

Jeonghan’s playful tone falters when he sees that you’re sniffling in the oversized parka you hurriedly pulled from the coatrack before heading over to the only person who can possibly salvage Jihoon’s precious gift. You don’t say anything as you place the broken cassette tape on top of the wooden counter—eyes downcast as Jeonghan peruses what you’ve presented for him to inspect.

“T-That’s really important to me,” you murmur, wiping the tears off your face as your eyes rivet themselves on the smiley that Jihoon doodled right next to the message he wrote for you on the outer cover. “Can you fix it? I’ll pay you up front.”

As the store owner you’ve been crazy about for the better part of three years examines the crime scene before him, he lets out a soft laugh that has you glancing at him inquisitively.

“So Jihoon made you your very own tape, huh? How sweet of him.” He smiles comfortingly—devoid of the usual mirth and amusement he typically showcases in your presence. “Don’t worry too much, yeah? The outer shell is damaged, but the tape reel itself is still intact. I’ll just replace the casing and you’ll still be able to listen to this just fine.”

Your eyes widen ever-so slightly. “Really?”

Jeonghan’s smile spreads even wider as he leans across the counter. He’s tall enough that he can reach you without much difficulty, his knuckles softly brushing against your cheek in a quaint attempt at drying your tears. 

The sight of him so close to you is equal parts foreign and familiar. His gesture reminds you of the time he brushed some glitter off your face last summer, but the provocative look in his eyes back then is nowhere to be found. All Jeonghan offers you right now is solace over something that you probably overreacted about. 

“I’ll go check if I have some spare cassette cases in the back before I try to fix this, okay? You can have a look around the shop in the meantime.”

Jeonghan punctuates the words with two soft pats on your cheek, his soft smile never faltering as he directs himself to the door behind the counter—Jihoon’s broken present carefully cupped in his hands.

As promised, your knight-in-denim-overalls manages to fix one of the most precious gifts you’ve received in your lifetime. You nearly jump to embrace him when Jeonghan reemerges from the back with the cassette tape more or less good as new, but he quickly side-steps your attempt out of the fear that you’ll end up breaking the damn thing all over again.

“How much do I owe you?” You’re practically humming with glee as you bring out your wallet from the pocket of your jeans. “Thank fucking god, Jeonghan. I was so close to losing my mind over it.”

“I’m the one who revived this patient and you’re thanking god? Way to discredit an artist for his craft.” The store owner pouts. “I’ll let this slide and tell you that you don’t have to pay for a thing.”

“I insist.”

“You can pay for it in other ways, you know.”

Once the words are out of his mouth, silence settles over the two of you in near-deafening fashion. The bustling of cars and other vehicles from outside is the only sound you could hear as you mull over what his words could possibly imply.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” You gape, eyeing him incredulously. 

As Jeonghan hands you back your perfectly repaired cassette tape, the corners of his mouth twitch with a conniving smile. “What do you think I’m saying, sweetheart?”

That you can pay for his services with sex? Isn’t that the usual implication when it comes to things like this? But that doesn’t seem right. 

Even if you should be elated from being so much closer to your goal, it feels like you’re cheating. You’ve been subjected to this seemingly endless chase for so long that in the ideal event that Jeonghan would finally cave and let you sleep with him, this definitely isn’t the way he’d concede. You know him well enough to say that for sure.

So instead of pouncing at your prize like some slobbering mutt, you choose your words carefully—making sure to not step into that conversational bear trap he so obviously set up.

“No idea. You tell me.”

Jeonghan simpers before dusting off his overalls, carding his fingers through his dark hair. He’s wearing it a little longer this summer and you’re really digging the look more than you probably should.

“How about we stop by the roller rink later? My treat. You can pay me back with your company.” 

A large scowl immediately roots itself on your face. “Aren’t you already doing too much?” For someone who’s been pestering you like a fly every summertime, you’d like to add but obviously didn’t. “Seriously, let me just pay you for the repair and we’ll be even.”

Adamantly, he shakes his head. “I don’t have any rates for tape repairs, so consider it as a favor. I also mentioned that I was closing up early tonight, remember?”

“Uh, what does that have to do with—”

“Seungcheol begged me to come to the roller rink to teach him how to skate because apparently this lady he’s been eyeing is a figure skater. Poor guy doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of her on their first date this weekend,” Jeonghan explains swiftly before chuckling to himself. “He’s kind of unteachable so I thought I’d bring some backup.”

Your face twists with even more confusion. “And what made you think I’m any good at roller skating?”

Jeonghan shrugs. “Gut feeling.”

And that’s how you wound up in the town roller rink at eight in the evening when you promised Luna you’d be home to watch The Exorcist on your father’s VHS player. 

Jeonghan is awfully difficult to say no to when he’s the one doing all the pestering and even though your roller skating skills are subpar at best, at least you’re not as pitiful as a man named Choi Seungcheol.

“These aren’t even roller blades,” you point out all while stifling a laugh. “What’s the deal, Cheol? Is your center of gravity that shitty?”

“Say that to me when we’re in a taekwondo match, I dare you,” Seungcheol huffs as he grips the metal railing for dear life. “The things I do for a gorgeous girl…”

Jeonghan skates over to his friend with a smirk, tugging on his arm. “Come on, now. You won’t impress your date if you keep ambling by the sides like a spaz.”

In an attempt to become the devil’s advocate, you take Seungcheol’s other arm in your grasp as well. “Yeah. If you weren’t confident about this, why’d you ask her out here? Actually, who on Earth schedules the first date at a roller rink?” 

“I wanted her to know that we have common interests!” 

“And skating is your common interest?”

“...No, but at least she’d get the idea that I care about what she does for a living.”

With the newfound determination to not embarrass himself in front of the gorgeous figure skater, Seungcheol lets you and Jeonghan teach him the art of not falling on your ass every time he glides forward. This goes on for about thirty or-so minutes until he finally gets the hang of it and is out and about in the rink full of teenagers that are looking at him funny.

This is when you decide to wind down and hang out by the railings as well, watching your student test out if he can do a little spin now that he’s sort of mastered the basics. Unfortunately for Seungcheol, he slips and lands on his back after the attempt—immediately scrambling back to his feet before any of the younger skaters could laugh at him for the mishap.

“Hope you don’t mind that I whisked you off for an impromptu tutoring session.”

You don’t even startle when Jeonghan materializes beside you like he almost always does—his eyes also trained on his poor friend while he practices what he’s been taught. A soft sigh escapes your lips as you stare at him with a shake of your head. 

“I’m supposed to be marathoning horror movies with my sister, you know,” you chuckle. “Dunno why you asked me to come with you to teach the unteachable, but I’m glad I could help.”

He lets out a quiet laugh of his own. “I just wanted to give you a warm welcome is all. Haven’t seen you in a year.”

“Even if all I do is ask if you want to have sex with me?” 

“Hey, all friendships are built on different foundations. Ours just happens to be more unorthodox than the rest,” Jeonghan points out, like it’s common knowledge. “Besides, don’t you think it gives the friendship more spice when one of us keeps asking the other if they want to sleep together?”

You punch him in the shoulder. “You’re so weird.”

“And you still want me to fuck you despite that. I think that says a lot more about you than it does about me.” He grins and your throat constricts with how pretty he looks.

Just before you can open your mouth to dish out another snarky response, the song that comes up on the speakers switches into something familiar—the crowd of skaters immediately erupting into cheers.

“Oooh, Dancing Queen,” Jeonghan marvels as he pushes himself off the railing before yanking your hand. “Let’s go, sweetheart. Can’t let Cheol have all the fun now, can we?”

You’re no dancer but you’ve spent so many nights with your friends at the disco that you can’t really refuse when ABBA says that you can dance and you can jive. It’s a little more challenging when you’re literally wearing roller skates and Yoon Jeonghan is spinning you around while his head is thrown back in laughter, but you can manage,

It feels so strange to be doing this with him. You’ve gotten used to just coming up to Jeonghan to hit on him and get rejected before going about the rest of your day, so you don’t really know the protocol when it comes to fooling around with him in a roller rink. 

But instead of psyching yourself out too much, you just let yourself loose in the moment.

It’s…nice. You can feel the music in your veins as you burn the memory of Jeonghan grinning as he twirls you amidst a sea of roller skaters. Something pangs in your chest—a feeling you’ve felt with your other romantic prospects from the past, but never with Jeonghan.

Just when the song is about to end, however, you lose your footing and end up slipping onto the polished wooden floor. It would’ve been less embarrassing if you hadn’t hooked your arm around Jeonghan’s waist to balance yourself, but you both end up toppling into a heap.

“Shit, sorry!” you groan, rubbing your tailbone as you try to collect yourself. Your legs are right on top of Jeonghan’s though, so it proves to be somewhat difficult to get back to your feet without bracing your hands on the ground. 

Which is exactly what you end up doing just to keep yourself from face planting.

Jeonghan isn’t able to school his expression fast enough when you straddle his hips in the middle of the roller rink—eyes lit up with surprise as you stammer apology after apology. You really want to fucking stand up but you’re so shaken up by the chain of events that you can’t find the right balance. 

“So much for your center of gravity, huh?” 

You and Jeonghan both jump at the sound of Seungcheol’s voice—the other man sporting a smirk of his own as he stands over the two of you. Thankfully, instead of simpering at the fact that you got a taste of your own medicine, he offers a hand for you to take—one that you take more gingerly than you meant to. 

The three of you eventually hobble back to the waiting lounge together, making jabs at each other’s slip-ups for the night. Hanging out with these two men is just as fun as hanging out with your old friends and you’re glad to know that you’ve found such worthwhile company despite being away for most of the year.

After returning your skates, Jeonghan tells you and Seungcheol that he’s just going on a quick bathroom break and you agreed to wait for him before heading home. Your student then takes the opportunity to strike up a conversation. 

“Hmph. And you thought this wasn’t an ideal spot for a first date.”

Puzzled, you glance at Seungcheol with a questioning look. “What are you talking about?”

“You and Han,” he continues. “This is your first date, isn’t it? Took him long enough.”

Took him long enough? Seungcheol’s words sound so silly, you actually end up laughing at the foolishness of it all. “What? Jeonghan? Taking me out on a date? You didn’t hit your head while you were practicing, did you?”

“Hey, I might be a newbie, but once I learn, I never forget it,” Seungcheol huffs before crossing his arms. “And, yeah, is it so strange for Han to ask you out? Sure, you’re never really here like half the time—”

“I wouldn’t say half the time. I only ever get short breaks in the summer”

“Hey, summer breaks aren’t short… Okay, maybe they kind of are, but that’s not the point!” 

“Whatever your point is, it’s pointless,” you snort. “He always turns me down whenever I ask if he wants to sleep together. How could he possibly want to take me out on a date?”

Seungcheol makes a face. “You’ve been asking him what?” 

“...If he wants to sleep together?”

“Well, that’s because you’ve been asking the wrong question!”

“I’m not! Look, that wasn’t always my go-to. The first time we met, I asked if he wanted to go out sometime. He said no. And it’s been a…thing between us for me to constantly ask even if I know he’ll just turn me down.”

“...Doesn’t that just make you pathetic?”

“You know, you’re a lot different when you’re outside the disco.”

Seungcheol rolls his eyes. “Anyway, you should really recalibrate the way you’re trying to get with Jeonghan because even if he’s the biggest manwhore I’ve met, when he actually gets serious, he—”

“Now what could you two possibly be talking about?” 

Like he always does, Jeonghan waltzes into the conversation with the most opportune timing. He glances at you and his friend curiously as he slings his arms around both of your shoulders—a conspiratorial grin weaseling its way onto his face. “Sounds to me like it’s something interesting.”

“I was just about to tell Seungcheol that you don’t go out with Joshua’s friends, hence the complete impossibility of this being a first date,” you clarify—face heating up with embarrassment at how ridiculous you sound right now. “I mean, would a proper first date include teaching your hopeless friend how to roller skate?”

Seungcheol snorts. “You obviously don’t know what Han considers as a proper first date.”

“But she’s completely right about that specific preference of mine,” Jeonghan agrees without missing a beat. “Now that this is all cleared up, how about we drive her back to her house? It’s getting late.”

That night, you climb under the covers of your bed reeling from that conversation you had with Seungcheol. You still think it’s downright silly for him to assume that Jeonghan took you out on a date when he clearly just sees you as a friend. 

Yet when you think about it a bit more, isn’t it more ridiculous for you to still be going at this game you’ve been playing with him for the past three years? Asking a man who’s way out of your league to sleep with you like some hooker on the streets? 

The way Jeonghan receives your advances doesn’t help your predicament in the slightest either. Most men would be unnerved by the fact that some woman keeps trying to get in his pants, but Jeonghan practically considers it as a thing that friends do. He simply turns you down without treating you any differently, and you’re starting to second-guess whether he’s just that good of a person or if he’s only keeping you around to amuse himself.

Seungkwan would tell you that you’ve got little to no respect for yourself. Jihoon would just sigh and tell you that he honestly expected better from you, and you wouldn’t fault either of them, really.

Because even when the odds are stacked against you, you’ll always find your way back to Yoon Jeonghan.

THE PRESENT

Much to everyone’s surprise, you’re able to go two straight weeks without seeking out the object of your prolonged affections. 

You make plans with anyone and everyone else there is to make plans with—going on a picnic with your sister, helping Jihoon write a song, hitting the arcade with Seungkwan. Anything to keep yourself away from Jeonghan.

Hell, you even agreed to meet Jeon Jungkook in the flesh when Mingyu finally remembered that he set you up with him a month ago. 

First impressions last and Jungkook definitely blew all your expectations out of the water when he pulled up in front of your house with a shiny Harley Davidson that boasted far more horsepower than your father’s old minivan. He’s the textbook definition of a badboy if his piercings and full sleeve of tattoos are anything to go by.

But for someone who hasn’t even met you before, he was thoughtful enough to bring flowers for your mother, a bottle of wine for your father, and Stephen King’s newest release for Luna when he arrived at your door with a boyish smile.

When Jihoon caught wind of the news, he immediately came over to your house to confirm if it’s actually true—a completely drastic shift from your usual habit of coming over at his.

Apparently, your mother ran into him at the grocery store and fessed up all about this wonderful biker who took Y/N out on a candle-lit dinner at the only decent restaurant in town to your best friend. It’s painfully obvious that Jihoon mirrors her excitement when you tell him that yes, your first date with Jungkook actually went better than expected. 

You thought Jungkook was the type of guy that your best friend would avoid at all costs. Jihoon hates loud noises that don’t contribute to his musical creativity and your newest flame’s motorcycle would definitely be an issue if your best friend ever hears him rev it up. 

And yet when you finally introduce them to each other, they hit it off at lightning speed. Turns out Jungkook was also a music major when he was in college and you find yourself lost in a sea of jargon as the pair engrosses themselves in a conversation regarding their mutual interests. 

Jungkook gets along swimmingly with your other friends too.

You should’ve trusted Mingyu’s judgment when he first told you that his friend can blend into any circle he chucks himself into because now you can only watch in awe as he and Sonyoung duke it out at your usual disco—exchanging high fives when the song on the jukebox comes to an end and the rest of the crowd cheers at them from the sides.

“How’re you liking our little town so far?” you ask when he returns to the booth you’ve claimed for the two of you, giggling when he leans down to press a kiss on your cheek. 

“You seriously downplay this place too much,” Jungkook sighs, unable to suppress the grin on his face. “Sure, there aren’t a lot of things to do, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who’s as passionate about dance battles as Soonyoung over there. Joshua, Seokmin and Seungkwan are brilliant company, too. Oh, and how could I forget about Jihoon? I’m seriously pissed because Mingyu didn’t introduce me to them sooner.”

Your bottom lip swells into a pout. “Only them, not me?”

Jungkook lets out a soft laugh that makes your skin tingle, leaning closer enough that you can feel his breath on your face. When he smiles, his lip ring glints in the colorful lights of the disco.

“Baby, if we’ve met any sooner, you’ll probably get sick of me.”

“And why is that, Mr. Jeon?” you whisper. 

He hums for a moment, tracing the outline of your lips with the heat of his gaze. “I’ve been told that I’m a very passionate lover. You might not be able to handle it.”

“And who’s to say you’re the judge of that?”

“Well, we can get out of here so you can see for yourself, no?”

Your face heats up at the notion of what he’s trying to imply. It’s a little silly because you’ve spent so much of your time practically throwing yourself at Jeonghan that when another man expresses interest in you, you suddenly clam up out of embarrassment. 

Jeonghan…

Even if you’re being pinned in place by Jungkook’s weightful stare, your gaze still goes over his shoulder—straight to the bar where you know he’s been watching you. 

The moment your gang of loud friends piled into the disco one after the other, you were quick to pick up on Jeonghan’s presence as he spoke to Seungcheol at the bar and from the way he snapped his head in the direction of your group, you like to think he’s just as privy to yours too.

Especially when his eyes zeroed in on Jungkook’s arm around your waist.

This time around, instead of hounding the guy with the same question you’ve been asking for years, you do your best to ignore his existence altogether. It was easier than you expected because Jungkook has the ability to make you forget about everything else when you’re in his company. He’s charming and sweet in ways that don’t leave you second guessing his intentions. The man wants you and he needs you to know that in whatever way he can manage.

But even if you’ve got a handsome badboy under your spell, Jungkook’s charms don’t work on you with the same intensity as a single gaze from Jeonghan.

He isn’t smiling at you like he usually is—lips nearly twisted into a frown as he watches Jungkook crowd you in your shared booth. While most of your body language would suggest that you’re receiving your beau’s affections openly, the fact that your eyes are trained on the man you’ve been trying your best to get over would tell Jeonghan another story entirely. 

Which is what ultimately makes you let out a breathy laugh before lightly pushing Jungkook off of you.

“Easy there, tiger. We’ve been dating for, what? A month?” you remind him with a somewhat forced smile. “You might be one of the two hottest guys I’ve met in my life, but I still believe in the art of taking your time.”

“The two hottest guys?” Jungkook parrots, amusement coloring his face as he leans back on the leather upholstery of your seat. “Who’s the other one then?”

You force yourself not to look at Jeonghan so you wouldn’t give yourself away. After all, you haven’t lost yet. It’s perfectly normal to still think about the man you may or may not have been in love with for years when you’re in the middle of getting over him. Whatever you and Jungkook have going isn’t a lost cause just yet.

“No one important,” you insist before tugging him back to his feet . “How about you come dance with me instead of asking silly questions, loverboy?”

A hint of skepticism crosses his face for just a moment before he concedes, letting you drag him back to the dancefloor as you try your damnedest to ignore the way Jeonghan’s gaze never strayed far from you for the rest of the night.

Summer is almost coming to an end and your boss has already mailed you some documents containing the details of your next job. You read through them while you’re bundled up in blankets in the living room with Jihoon, who seems more excited about it than you are.

“You’re going to Paris?” your best friend gawks. “That’s actually insane. I thought only the filthy rich could go there in this economy.”

“Well, if you land yourself some work in a pretty well-off company, you can gain more benefits than you’d otherwise expect,” you chuckle. “How about you come with me? You can go busking in front of The Louvre or something. Then the Parisians would discover just how talented one Lee Jihoon actually is.”

“Or I could get arrested by the Parisian police force.” Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Thanks for the offer, but I am not as ambitious as you are.”

“Hmph. Suit yourself then.”

While the two of you are busy planning an itinerary for the entirety of your trip, the telephone rings down the hall and you get up to answer it. 

“Hey, beautiful,” Jungkook’s smooth voice rings in your ears after asking the caller’s identity, making your face warm with how flustered you are. “Heard tonight was best friend’s night so I wasn’t really supposed to bother you, but Gyu wanted to throw me a surprise birthday party and he was wondering if you and Jihoon want to come with.”

“It’s not a surprise anymore if you’re the one inviting guests though?” you point out with a laugh. “And your birthday isn’t until a few days.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but one thing about Mingyu is that he can’t keep a secret for the life of him. What’s more is that we already have dinner plans for my special day, remember?” Jungkook sighs. “Anyway, are you two going to show up or am I gonna be miserable the entire night because you’re not here?”

“Where even is here, Jungkook?” 

“At the disco, where else? Mingyu rented out the entire place for the occasion.”

“Hmm, maybe you should start dating Mingyu instead.”

“God, no. So are you coming or not?”

It’s funny how you don’t even hesitate when you answer, “Sure thing. I’ll go tell Jihoon about it.”

“Aw, baby, you sure know how to make the birthday boy happy. See you soon.”

You hang up on Jungkook after bidding him a farewell of your own, heart beating just a little bit faster at the exchange. You know you’re not obligated to come to his not-so surprise birthday party since you already made plans with Jihoon to marathon a couple of movies, but even if you and Jungkook aren’t really a thing just yet, you still feel like you should at least be there to celebrate alongside your friends.

Jihoon agrees to it without a hitch—god knows how much he adores Jungkook. And as the two of you are getting ready to go out again, an idea pops into your head.

“You can go ahead of me to the disco. I’ll just go buy Jungkook a present first.”

Your best friend glances at you, confused. “I can accompany you, you know. It’s no big deal.” 

But despite his kind offer, you shake your head adamantly. “I really want this to be kept between me and him, Ji. Is that alright?”

“Ugh. Fine, whatever.”

There’s some truth to what you’ve told Jihoon, but everyone knows that only relaying some of the truth is as good as lying. 

You tug your jacket tighter around your shoulders as you stand in front of a familiar record store. You’ve been to and from this place so often in the past that you’ve practically memorized Jeonghan’s operating hours by heart. 

You’re going to prove to yourself that you’re over that phase in your life. Once you buy a vinyl by this one bossa nova artist that Jungkook really likes, you’ll kiss your once-prominent obsession with Jeonghan goodbye.

Not like it’s difficult, right? Jungkook has always been sweet and reassuring where Jeonghan gave you nothing but uncertainty and countless instances asking yourself, what am I even doing? It’s practically a no brainer to choose the former over the latter.

You suck in a deep breath. The thundering of your heart is too loud to ignore, but before you’re overcome with nerves, you step straight inside.

It’s empty like it always is when closing time is just a few minutes away. Jeonghan’s already mopping up the floor of his shop—something that surprised you the first time because you didn’t think people who came from old money actually knew how to do chores. 

You also notice that he’s already changed out of his denim overalls—already donned in an outfit that he would no doubt be wearing to the disco right after he closes up shop. A velvet maroon shirt with a few buttons undone that’s tucked inside a pair of black trousers. Before you can catch yourself salivating over how fucking good he looks in that outfit, his gaze flickers to you in an instant.

“Hm? Been a while since you’ve dropped by, sweetheart,” he comments before stuffing the mop back in a supply closet and sanitizing his hands. “You’ve been busy with that boyfriend of yours, haven’t you?”

So he has noticed. “You could say that.”

He nods before stepping over to you, that stupidly disarming grin ever-present on his pretty face. “Hm? Is that trouble in paradise I sense? Don’t tell me he hasn’t bothered to put a label on things. What a waste.”

You planned on making this gruesome exchange with Jeonghan swift, but you completely forgot that he has a knack for getting under people’s nerves when he feels like it. “Why would it be a waste when we’re just taking our time? Besides, I’m not here to talk to you about me and Jungkook. I’m here to buy something.”

“For your little badboy? Now what could he possibly know about the finer things in life? That man looks like he wouldn’t even be able to play a triangle.”

Just when you managed to spot a record that you’re certain Jungkook has mentioned to you in passing, Jeonghan’s uncalled for words have you scowling at him. “Really? I know your family’s loaded and all, but you never really struck me as the pretentious type, Jeonghan. Mind you, Jungkook is a music major, and that’s low, even for you. 

He simpers with folded arms, one foot tapping impatiently on the linoleum. “Well, forgive me, sweetheart, I don’t think I can react with my usual finesse when someone else is encroaching on what belongs to me.”

You don’t even think it’s possible, but your scowl only deepens. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You’ve always been mine, no?” 

…How he has the guts to tell you that after every single instance he’s rejected you is unfathomable. You do not want to have this conversation right now, so you quickly pluck Jungkook’s present from the assortment of vinyls before storming off to the cashier—mentally cursing Jeonghan for being so self-sufficient that he doesn’t see the need to hire other people but himself. Now you’ll be forced to deal with him until you’re finished with your purchase.

“How can you stomach buying your little badboy a birthday gift when we both know your heart is still tethered to me, sweetheart?” Jeonghan taunts you from behind as he shuffles towards the counter. “I thought this was just some ploy to get me jealous, but you’re acting a bit too realistically for comfort. Have you forgotten who you were trying to get with for the past few years? 

“Have you forgotten who you’ve rejected time and time again?” you deadpan with a glare. “You made it clear whenever I asked that you weren’t interested. You know, Jihoon and the others kept calling you a player, so I never really understood why you never tried to get with me—someone who’s literally throwing herself at your feet every summer.”

Jeonghan lets out an incredulous laugh. “Why do you think I turned you down each time? You’re always asking if I want to have sex with you, but have you ever considered that maybe I don’t just think of you as another notch on my belt? That I actually wanted to get to know you past the sexual pretense?”

His words are quick to turn your heart into stone. “Then why didn’t you say that to me back then? Why are you only coming clean about this when I’m finally ready to move on with someone else?”

“That’s because I like you, Y/N,” he sighs, jaw clenching as if he has the right to be more frustrated than you are. “I didn’t want to just sleep with you. I wanted us to be friends first before I pursued you, but then you went on about asking if I wanted to fuck each and every time you’re home. I was just being careful because I don’t want to give anyone the power to trample on my feelings.”

“So you thought it was okay to trample on mine?”

The exasperation on Jeonghan’s face seemingly melts away with that simple response. You’re still staring at him with fire in your eyes—the kind he’s used to admiring from afar whenever you’re feeling your emotions a little more intensely than usual. But for once in his life, Jeonghan is unable to formulate some clever retort.

“Just fucking scan my vinyl so I can leave,” you grumble before sliding the record across the counter. “If you don’t have anything worthwhile to say to me, just don’t say anything at all.”

“Do you really mean it?”

Your whole body freezes up when you feel Jeonghan standing directly behind you, caging you between his tall frame and the counter. Both of his lean arms are braced against the wooden surface and you make a mistake of whirling around to face him. 

“M-Mean what?” you stammer, suddenly losing whatever conviction your voice once held because of his goddamn eyes. They look so pretty even if they’re pleading for something you can’t put your finger on.

“That you’ve already moved on with him?” he murmurs. “If it’s true then…you can forget that this conversation ever happened. Go celebrate his birthday and make him your boyfriend or whatever.” 

When Jeonghan leans closer, his lips brush the shell of your ear—making you shiver with anticipation. “But if you think you’d still choose me after all, then I promise you that I won’t waste your time anymore. I’m ready to own up to what I feel about you even if I deserve none of your reciprocation at this point.”

He’s right. He doesn’t deserve even an ounce of what you would’ve been willing to give before you saw reason. Jihoon was smart to come to the conclusion that Jeonghan only kept you around to entertain himself, but once losing you became a possibility, he suddenly put on this show of buttering you up.

Admitting things he should’ve told you years ago. Telling you he likes you only when you’ve already got your eyes set on someone else. 

The logical thing to do is turn him down and walk away from Yoon Jeonghan once and for all. You could do it—you could leave the convoluted history the two of you shared in the past. You’ve already been doing it with Jungkook for the past month. But no matter how much you convince yourself otherwise, there’s a singular truth that you won’t be able to escape: 

You’ll always find your way back to Yoon Jeonghan.

The next few minutes are a blur of desperate touches and equally desperate kisses. You don’t remember when exactly you lunged in for the kill, but the next thing you know, Jeonghan has you propped up on the counter of his store as he pushes your jacket off your shoulders and hikes your skirt further up your thighs.

“Wanted you for so long,” Jeonghan sighs against your lips and you feel like he’s exercising active restraint so he wouldn’t rip the delicate fabric of your skirt. “But I needed you to take me seriously so you wouldn’t think you’re just another girl I slept with.”

You bark out a condescending laugh before reclaiming his lips, shoving your tongue down his throat until he’s groaning into you—fingers digging into the flesh of your thighs. 

“You obviously didn’t take me seriously with how much you fucked with my head.”

“I wasn’t fucking with your head, sweetheart. I was just biding my time.”

“So the thing that finally got you to crack is seeing another guy get his hands on me,” you point out with a quiet chuckle, trying not to moan when his lips trace a scorching path down the skin of your neck. “I didn’t take you to be the jealous type. If I knew, I would’ve paraded Mingyu inside your shop ages ago.”

“Hm?” He hums—a noncommittal noise that has you shivering beneath his touch anyways. “Are you saying that you would fuck Mingyu too? When you’re already cozying up to his best friend? You’re quite greedy, huh?”

You let out a quiet whimper when you feel him press two fingers against your clothed core—wanting him, needing him. “J-Jeonghan, someone outside might see…”

“Then we better put on a show, right, sweetheart?” 

The fact that Jeonghan calling you sweetheart incites a more visceral reaction out of you compared to Jungkook calling you baby makes a clump of guilt fester in your chest. The vinyl you’re supposed to get for him as a present sits idly a few inches away, but all of it is forgotten once Jeonghan reminds you of what you really want. 

It’s fucking humiliating how your cunt gushes at his words. Jeonghan is clearly pleased with the mess he finds between your thighs after pushing your underwear to the side. You curl yourself into his chest, twitching every time his fingers graze your clit. He laughs, low and dangerous in your ear all while he lathers your slit in your own essence.

“I’d love to take my time and eat you out right here, but I don’t think I have the patience just yet,” he whispers before teasing your entrance with the occasional dip of his fingers. “I’ll make you come with my mouth some other time. For now, I think I just need to see you crying on my fingers and my cock.”

His crooked digits slide into you with perfect ease, stretching out your gummy walls so you’d be able to take something more. You cling onto Jeonghan like a lifeline as he murmurs a string of filthy musings into your ear.

“Has your little badboy finger-fucked you this good, sweet thing?” he rasps. “In fact, has he even kissed you?”

“H-He’s kissed me once,” you admit, the walls of your cunt clenching around his intrusive fingers as you try to recall how you and Jungkook shared your first real kiss in the parking lot of the movie theater. “But I wished it was you instead…”

“Really now?” Jeonghan chuckles, clearly emboldened by your honesty. “You still think of me even when you’re with someone else, hm? Well you’re in luck sweetheart.”

“I do the same thing, too.”

Your eyes flutter with pleasure when he curls his fingers inside your tight channel, his free hand toying with your clit with each pass he makes. Jeonghan praises you for spreading your legs so prettily for him, for being his good girl and no one else’s. Every word he breathes into your ears only makes you wetter by the second and you fear that each time he plunges his digits into your heat, someone outside would hear the squelching flesh.

“J-Jeonghan,” you whimper, thighs quivering with the need for release. “Let me come, please. I wanna come on your fingers. I need it.”

Of course, your newfound lover makes it a point to laugh at your desperate plea, licking his lips as he draws tight circles around your sensitive nub. “Just a few moments ago, you were afraid of being caught getting off like this. Now you want me to make you come?”

You nod vigorously—uncaring for how pathetic it would make you seem. “Yes, I want you so much… You’ll give it to me, won’t you?”

Ah, he’s always known you were a vixen. Those days when you’d purposely dress up wearing the skimpiest outfits just to get his attention were one of the hardest. In fact, the entire ordeal of keeping his hands off you when you were offering yourself up so willingly was one of the hardest things he’s done in his life. 

But Jeonghan supposes that he can still reap the benefits of his patience—even if that patience was snapped in two when you dared to think another man deserved to have you.

“Of course I’ll give it to you, sweetheart,” he murmurs sweetly before planting the sloppiest kiss on your lips. “Come for me if you want my cock in you. You can do that, right?”

You screw your eyes shut at his affirmation to focus on getting yourself to the pinnacle of gratification. Jeonghan has slowed the pace of the fingers thrusting in and out of your messy cunt and decided to zero in on your clit. You’re twitching and thrashing in his grasp, moaning his name so prettily, he wishes he could snap a photo to preserve the memory for life.

You come undone on his fingers with a breathless sigh, nearly collapsing on top of the counter from how boneless you felt in the aftermath. But Jeonghan is quick to coil an arm around your waist, peppering your face with kisses as he keeps himself from grinning too wide.

“So good for me. So perfect—my perfect fucking girl.” 

The lasciviousness dripping from his words urges you to spread your thighs for him—eyes glazed over with lust as he undoes the zipper of his trousers. You have to keep yourself from gasping once he takes out his impressive length—fully engorged with how much you’ve been teasing each other over the past half hour. 

Jeonghan fists his cock before sliding the head across your oversensitive clit, but you don’t voice out any complaints—already desperate to have him again despite having just recovered from your last orgasm. 

He doesn’t wait for a verbal confirmation, doesn’t waste his time on any more preamble. Jeonghan simply hooks your thighs around his elbows and sinks his cock into your tight channel with his bottom lip caged between his teeth. You’re a lot less reserved with the noises you make—openly crying out his name once he buries himself to the hilt. 

You feel him everywhere—inside you, on your skin, on your face, in your heart. Jeonghan is heaving deeply as he lets you get used to him and when he flashes you that lazy smile that started everything, your chest seizes with something not shy of glee. 

You have him. You finally have him.

And from the way that smile you’ve always loved morphs into a smirk, you have a feeling he’ll make sure you engrave this moment into your mind.

“We could’ve done this sooner,” Jeonghan sighs with the first drag of his hips, loving the way you writhe underneath him when he plunges his cock back into your slick heat. “If only we just got together like normal people, I could’ve fucked you on every surface of this store years ago.”

“If only you didn’t reject me every single time like some self-absorbed brat.”

“You sound pretty brave for someone who’s already in tears on my cock, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jeonghan murmurs something along the lines of cheeky little thing before surrendering his grip on one of your thighs in exchange for the space to reach for your face. There, he wipes the moisture collecting in the corner of your eye with his thumb, a self-satisfied look settling on his face.

Jeonghan murmurs something along the lines of cheeky little thing before surrendering his grip on one of your thighs in exchange for the space to reach for your face. There, he wipes the moisture collecting in the corner of your eye with his thumb, a self-satisfied look settling on his face.

“Maybe you do now.”

He doesn’t waste anymore time after that—fully aware that though he’s already drawn the shutters before you came, he hasn’t had the opportunity to lock the main entrance yet. The possibility of someone walking in on you getting fucked to an inch of your life on the countertop are all too real and Jeonghan has no plans on getting arrested for public indecency when he just grew the balls to tell you how he’s felt all this time.

“You’re fucking dripping for me,” your lover rasps into your neck, leaving a trail of love bites in his wake as your poor cunt takes a beating. “All dressed up for someone else but here you are stuffed full of my cock. Tell me, who is it that you really want?”

“You.” The mewl that follows your abrupt answer is music to his ears. “I’ve only ever wanted you, Hannie. F-Fuck! Right there, please.”

He drags your hips closer to the edge, resuming a secure grip on your thighs to keep you balanced as he rams his thick cock into you. You throw your head back in bliss, uncaring for how the bruises he’s kissed into your skin sting with pain. The pleasure he’s sowing between your legs eclipses any sort of ache that can deter you from losing yourself in the moment.

You hook your legs around Jeonghan’s waist to keep him close—arms slung around his neck as you pull him down for a kiss. Your lover responds in kind, moving his mouth in perfect sync with yours as if to make up for all the years you could’ve spent in each other’s arms. 

“You’re so pretty like this,” he murmurs against your lips, eyes burning with pure, unadulterated desire. “So pretty and perfect for me.”

“You’re only saying that ‘cause you’re balls deep inside me,” you try to scoff but it melts into another breathless moan when Jeonghan angles his hips just a bit differently and has your eyes rolling to the back of your skull.

“You talk big for someone who can’t handle being a little roughed up,” he teases. “Now hush and take my cock like the good girl you are.”

It doesn’t take long for you to feel that familiar pressure in the pit of your stomach—like a balloon expanding and expanding until you’re filled to the brim with the pleasure he’s giving you on a silver platter. You whimper beneath him, pressing your mouth against the cut of his jaw as you murmur about how close you are.

“Fuck, I need you to feel you come around me, sweetheart,” he moans. “Come on my cock—let me feel your cunt squeezing it out of me.”

You don’t know if you’re just that high strung, or if you’ve waited for this for so long, your body just responds to his whims. But whatever the reason, the most skin-tingling, toe-curling orgasm washes over you like a storm surge—pure lightning skidding up the length of your spine as you surrender yourself to the height of euphoria. 

“That’s it,” Jeonghan goads, fucking you through your orgasm as he chases after his own. “You feel so good around me, my perfect Y/N.”

As you drift in and out of coherence, you vaguely pick up on the fact that Jeonghan isn’t wearing any protection—the two of you overcome by your need to have each other to think things through. But as his cock plunges over and over into your soiled cunt, you find yourself uncaring for the consequences of your recklessness.

But Jeonghan continues to surprise you by using all his strength to disentangle your legs around his waist—pulling out just in time for those spurts of cum to splatter all over your rumpled skirt. He hisses between his teeth as he pumps his cock into completion, his white hot release staining your clothes in a way that you’ll probably still forgive him for with how well he fucked you tonight. 

"Can't get you pregnant when your career's ahead of you," he chuckles and you can only punch him in the chest in response.

The silence that settles moments after is more deafening than it should be, but you’re no means unsettled by it.

Not when Jeonghan still has that look in his eyes.

When he kisses you again, it feels like the stars and the planets have aligned for everything to fall into place. He smiles against your lips as if he’s just as relieved to have found you when you thought all hope was lost and it makes you recall any other time you’ve been more in love with someone else in your life.

In the end, you come up empty handed.

“I’ll clean you up and close up the store,” Jeonghan murmurs. “I need to take you home with me because I am nowhere near done with you.”

And who are you to say no to that?

“Paris, huh?”

Jeonghan muses right after he’s finished cleaning you up—diligently scrubbing at what three more rounds of sex at his apartment have done to your poor body. You answer him with a quiet hum, burrowing deeper into both the warmth of his blankets and the heat of his chest.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be stationed there for a better part of the year,” you tell him softly, tracing the small trail of freckles on his sternum. “It’s going to be way different than what I’m used to, but new experiences are always welcome.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, you don’t have any reason to be afraid of Paris to begin with. The only thing that might get in the way of you having a good time is the language barrier.”

“You talk like you’ve been there before.”

“Been there before? Sweetheart, I lived in Paris before I moved here… Why are you looking at me like that?”

You mutter a string of curses under your breath before pouting at him. “I keep forgetting that you and Joshua are a couple of trust fund babies. Of course I’d be surprised if you dropped a bomb like that.”

Jeonghan chuckles before leaning down to capture your lips in a searing kiss—deepening it until you’re hooking your thigh across his hip and moaning into his mouth again. Your lover chuckles at your eagerness before he pulls away, a string of saliva obscenely connecting your lips. 

“I do kind of miss it there,” he admits sincerely, but you can’t pay the admission much mind when his fingers are trailing the inside of your thighs again. “Maybe I should go on a quick getaway for a while.”

“What, so you can go fuck me in Paris, too?”

You do your best to bite down your whimpers when he lathers his fingers with the wetness between your thighs, making it a point to rub your still sensitive clit in slow, lazy circles. The vibrations of Jeonghan’s laughter travel across your skin and when he presses a kiss on the corner of your lips, you’re not sure how to feel—endeared by the sweet gesture or embarrassed by how quickly he’s winding you up.

It doesn’t take long for his cock to be in full hardness again and you don’t even resist him when Jeonghan eases his length back into your tight hole. He sighs against the crook of your neck, grazing your skin with his teeth as he slides inside you languidly. When your hips are flush together as he bottoms out, your chest swells with pride when you hear him breathe out a shuddering sigh.

“Fuck,” he groans. “Can’t believe I waited for so long to have you like this.”

“Now if only you said yes the first time I asked you to sleep with me,” you chuckle, trying not to moan at the feeling of his cock pulsating inside you. “You could’ve railed me in the bathroom of Cheol’s disco and he never would’ve known.”

“Oh, he’d definitely know,” Jeonghan chuckles dryly as he presses a kiss along your jaw. “But thanks for the visual, I think I just got even harder. We should do that when you get back.”

“Didn’t you say something about going on a quick getaway so you can fuck me in Paris, too?”

“You’re the one making plans here, sweetheart. Not me. But if you’re so hell-bent on taking my cock in the bathroom of some random Parisian disco instead, then I suppose I can make the proper arrangements,” your lover appeases you with a lazy smile. “Maybe I’ll have Jihoon and your friends watch after the store while I’m gone.”

“He might be your regular, but when he finds out that we’re screwing around, he’ll probably torch the entire building.”

Jeonghan pauses for a second. “That reminds me, won’t they be looking for you, sweetheart? From the way you were dressed earlier, it looked like you were headed somewhere else after buying that stupid badboy his birthday present. This is quite the detour, don’t you think?”

When Jeonghan brings it up, it takes you a few seconds to process that…fuck.

“Yeah…” you groan. “I was headed to the disco for Jungkook’s surprise party.”

He hums. “And here you are warming my cock. That boyfriend of yours is going to be heartbroken, you know?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you grumble, mewling when Jeonghan snaps his hips into yours to take you by surprise. “But…I guess it still sucks that I lead him on like that.”

“I suggest,” Jeonghan starts before pulling himself back again only to rut into you so hard, you’re surging forward on the bed. “That you give him a call in the morning—tell him that you’re fine and nothing’s happened to you. Oh, and tell him that you actually have a boyfriend now.”

Despite your senses being overloaded by how good his cock is stretching you mid-conversation, you still manage to look up at Jeonghan with withering surprise. “I do?”

“Sweet girl’s gone dumb on my cock, huh?” Jeonghan laughs, pressing a kiss to your forehead that has you melting from the contact. “From here on out, I’m your boyfriend. Some fucker from another city has no business flirting with you when you’re with me.”

In a split second of clarity, you roll your eyes at him. “I still think it’s stupid that you only went after me after I found someone else. You’re a terrible person.”

“But you still love me anyway, hm?”

You do. You think you’ve loved Jeonghan even longer than you first realized it. 

Loving him and losing him even if you had neither to love nor lose is a vicious pattern you’ve cycled through for the past four summers. You’re perfectly aware that actions have consequences and what you chose to do with Jeonghan now would definitely jeopardize everything you’ve built for yourself. 

But you can think about what Jihoon and Jungkook and Seungkwan and everyone else has to say about this some other time. 

For now, you’re just going to focus on how good your boyfriend splits you open on his cock.

“And how are you so sure about that?”

Jeonghan shrugs before crowding you against the bed, a no-good smirk plastered on his pretty face. It gives you hope that maybe—just maybe—the cycle has finally been broken.

“I dunno. Gut feeling.”

⟢ end notes: you're finally at the end of it! thank you so much for reading through this brain fart that has been decaying in my drive since july :') i'd also like to extend my thanks to jj, rj and zeta specifically because if it weren't for them i would've lost every and all direction for this fic altogether and i might've actually dropped out of the collab for real (i am literally 4 going 5 days late!!) leave a like, reblog with your thoughts, or yell at me in the replies -- idk !! it's just that this might be one of the last fics you'll read from me for a while, so i'd appreciate the feedback now more than ever T T that said, do check out everyone's works from the collab as well!! they've all created such wonderful stories with the given theme <3 you def won't regret it!

this is part of the svthub 70s;teen collab!

— ode to you ⟢

if there's one thing you've learned from all the lives you've spent together, it's that jeonghan isn't always someone you'll end up wanting. he can be crass. he can be secretive. he can be nothing short of vexing. but in the end, he's everything you need him to be.

or: 25 lives in which you find and don't find jeonghan.

★ FEATURING; jeonghan x gn!reader

★ WORD COUNT; 6.9k words

★ TAGS; reincarnation, multiple lives, pining, angst, suggestive scenes but no smut, sooo many tropes

★ WARNINGS; mentions of blackmail, implied murder, implied depression, mentions of puking/vomiting, mentions of car accidents major character death

★ NOTES; i was supposed to work on my collab fics but i feel like i've gotten a little rusty w my prose so i wrote this as a little writing exercise of sorts :D i've written for other fandoms in this format before and i thought it was high time i did the same for seventeen with my ult of all ults <3 i hope you enjoy!

this is inspired by tongari's 25 lives

★ PERMANENT TAGLIST; @cheolhub - @pretty-trustme - @just-here-to-read-01 - @Idkmelkro - @dejavernon - @venusrae - @jyiiscool - @jiniesclub - @junhui-recs - @bldelaine - @featmia - @fruitzcup - @hoeforhao - @candidupped - @billboard-singer - @caratochan - @novalpha - @dahliatopia - @0717luv - @shiveringgaze - @toruro - @mixling-blog - @minnie-mouser22 - @homerunhansol - @mirtaspace - @ti–red - @zzucculent - @woozarts - @rubyreduji - @mozellerra - @lllucere - @cheolzip - @jjjzzzz - @lissiesykes - @jeonride - @meowmeowminnie - @colored-confetti - @partiallyinfluencial - @speaknowlwt - @flwrshwa - @lilylikesthat - @aurorahongg - @whippedforjihoon

★ JEONGHAN TAGLIST; @yoonzinoooo - @scandal-in-bohemia - @bias-recs - @lunaryoongie

01. the very first time i remember you, you are blonde and you don’t love me back.

One strict rule that you make sure to uphold with all of your clients is that business comes first before all else.

You're a well-known freelancer that lands gigs left and right from high-end fashion brands and magazines alike. The only way your career managed to survive in such a cut-throat industry is because of the strict professionalism you never failed to maintain.

That's until you meet Jeonghan for the first time.

Fluffy blonde hair framing his face, curling just along the edges. Slanted eyes that crinkle just a bit whenever he smiles. And a lazy grin that betrays just how nonchalant he is about the entire thing. Like he knows he's gorgeous he is and how everyone else in the vicinity is aware of the fact, too.

You've worked with a handful of people with breathtaking features in in the past, but there doesn't seem to be any word in any language that could encapsulate just how mesmerizing Jeonghan is.

For the first time in your career, you find yourself wanting to reach for the subject being captured by the lens of your camera. Just to make sure he was an actual person and not some doll crafted from fine silk and porcelain. The fact that he's modeling with a bouquet of lush flowers does little to your peace of mind.

But your innate professionalism overrules whatever nonsensical desires your sleep-deprived brain could conjure in that moment.

Once you're satisfied with the material you've come up with, you're quick to dismiss Jeonghan and the rest of the team, and call it a day. You have another shoot to oversee in less than two hours and you'd like to avoid the rush hour traffic if you can.

Yet, despite your urgency, you stop halfway to the door to the studio—casting a sidelong glance at the person who's supposed to be one of your temporary colleagues and none else.

"Jeonghan," you call out, his name tasting bittersweet on your tongue. "It was nice working with you today."

He barely glances up at you from the soft glow of his phone screen, not even a smile spared your way.

"Yeah, sure."

02. the next time, you are brunette, and you do.

Yoon Jeonghan is the biggest menace you've met in your life.

Not only does he keep stealing your parking space in the office basement and plucks off the last brownie in the pantry during break time, but he's after the promotion you've been vying after for months, too.

Needless to say, he's public enemy number one in your eyes, and all your colleagues are well aware of the scorching rivalry you two constantly waged in the workspace.

But on the night before you're set to present the proposal that you swear up and down would make your superiors choose you over that sniveling prick, the Devil himself swoops into your cubicle with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Do you really not see it?"

You frown at him as you shove your laptop into your bag with an air of irritation. "See what? That they're going to select you for the promotion? I don't, actually. That's why I'm—"

The words promptly melt on your tongue when Jeonghan forces a hand on divider separating your space with the others—trapping you with a sleazy look on his face. His dark brown tresses fall across his piercing eyes but you force yourself to hold your ground.

In the midst of it all, a moment's worth of familiarity crosses your mind.

Blonde hair styled to perfection. A bouquet of flowers just as beautiful as the man that models for them.

How long has it been since then?

"Can't you see that I'm only doing all this to get your attention?" he chuckles. "I've always known you're a bit slow on the uptake, but you might need an extra push in the right direction."

You gulp nervously. "W-What's that supposed to mean?"

Jeonghan shakes his head, amusement dancing across his features in a way that makes you want to smack him, if not for the laws imposed on the land.

"Have dinner with me tonight and I'll withdraw from the competition" he propositions. "How's that sound?"

...Isn't this blackmail? It definitely sounds like blackmail.

But despite knowing that you should just bring your knee up to smash into his family jewels, your face heats up with the implications of his offer instead.

An offer that you begrudgingly accept.

03. after a while i give up trying to guess if the color of your hair means anything.

"Really?"

Jeonghan grins when he steps into your apartment sporting his newest dye job. You're perfectly aware that idols these days get the most outrageous hair colors, but you didn't think his stylist would be daring enough to pull off long purple hair for Jeonghan just a few months after his group's debut.

Over the years, Jeonghan cycles through a lot more colors than you'd ever thought he'd be willing to try. Blonde, pink, red, brown, silver—all of them, he pulls off with grace.

Even when his idol days are over, he still gets bouts of wanting to march into the nearest salon for another makeover, and you rectify this by just buying the cheapest bleaching kits online despite his whines in protest.

"Our stylist noonas would've been alright with a house call." He pouts just a little as you force him to sit still. "It might come out all patchy."

"Do you have so little faith in your partner's bleaching skills?" you huff, dipping the brush you have in one hand into the bowl of sharp-smelling bleaching mix in the other. "Your stylists noonas charge a fortune, too. We're better off doing it ourselves."

Jeonghan laughs. "You act like we can't afford it."

Turns out, you fucked up the portions of your little bleach concoction and your harmless session resulted into googling first aid for bleaching burns and soaking Jeonghan's scalp with coconut oil for the rest of the day.

"Sorry," you mumble as you help rinse out the oil the next morning. "Do you want to contact your stylist or head to a salon instead?"

Despite your wary disposition, Jeonghan merely breathes out a chuckle, taking your hand in his as he meets your eyes in the bathroom mirror.

There, two rings glimmer in the morning light—the one he shares with his twelve brothers and the one you slid onto his index on the day of your wedding.

"I've been through worse, love. This is nothing," he insists before pressing a soft kiss across your knuckles. "Let's just let my scalp rest for a few days before we dye it, okay?"

You shake your head with a laugh. Really, what are you supposed to do with this man?

"If you insist."

04. because even when you don’t exist, i'm still in love with you.

"You got my name wrong again."

In the middle of packing a takeout bag for the food delivery guy waiting in the corner of the café, you look up to some familiar college kid standing in front of the counter with a furrow on his brow. A regular, maybe.

"Sorry?" you ask, brain a little too frazzled to make sense of what he was trying to say.

Said college kid shows you the underside of his cup—the name Jeonghan scribbled hastily onto the material.

"My name's Jeongin," he sighs. "I've been coming here everyday and I swear, you always get it wrong."

"Well, I'm so sorry, Jeongin, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," you manage to wrench out before calling out to the delivery guy, saying the order was ready for pick-up.

Funnily enough, you end up living together with Jeongin by some twist of fate. Your shoes are lined up with his outside the apartment, toothbrushes lying in the same cup in the bathroom, and you even steal his hoodies every now and again.

But what you don't tell your boyfriend of five years is how you still dream of the man whose name brought you together in the first place.

A man who you don't get the pleasure to meet in this life, much like a dozen others that came before.

05. i remember most fondly those lifetimes where we get to grow up together

In the past (though its definition is a little...unique in your case), you were convinced that just because Jeonghan is the sole singularity to which your existence is anchored to, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get to have him and him alone in each life.

Yet in this one, you're fully convinced that he's the only person who'll ever have your heart.

It's on a cold, winter afternoon when you realize that you're in love with the boy that showed you how to cross the monkey bars in elementary school. The boy who gives you his packed lunch whenever you forget yours at home. The boy who taught you how to pick locks so you could sneak into his father's liquor shop and get drunk behind the counter.

Jeonghan has always been a fascinating person in whatever life you meet him. But now that you've got a taste of what it feels to grow up alongside him—witnessing him transition from a snotty kid to a troublesome adult—you can't picture yourself wanting anyone else.

He's rightfully startled when you confess your feelings merely minutes after having realized them. You've lived through this endless cycle of meeting and parting ways enough times to know that there's no room for uncertainty.

And each time he accepts you with open arms, the relief that washes over you feels like the first time all over again.

06. when i share my secrets and sorrows and hiding places with you.

There are times when you're the one who doesn't remember the lives you've lived in the seemingly endless cycle.

When you meet Jeonghan in this life, it's with shoulders carrying the weight of emotional baggage and dreams that have been crushed right before your eyes. It's an understatement to say that you're inexplicably drawn to him as if he's a beacon in the dark. But even if you're yet to remember, Jeonghan has always been easy to trust. Easy to fall into.

One night is particularly heavier than the rest. Your meds aren't kicking in the way they're supposed to and it's raining much too harshly to pay your comfort person a late night visit.

Yet when you call your boyfriend as you choke on your own tears, he's at your door in half an hour—paper bags full of all your favorite snacks in hand with a smile that feels like a ray of sunlight amidst a raging storm.

But he's quick to drop all of it and pull you into a hug when he sees the mess you are in the living room.

"I'm a bad person," you sob into his chest, clinging to the fabric of his jacket as he placates you in his tender embrace. "I'm s-selfish and always just think about myself. I've done so many terrible things, Hannie... How could you even love someone like me?"

Jeonghan doesn't answer right away. He calms you down for the better part of an hour before rising to get you a glass of water in the kitchen. Your boyfriend watches with quiet attentiveness until the look on your face tells him that you're ready to talk again.

"So what if you're a bad person, love?" he murmurs before planting a kiss on your forehead. "Tell me every terrible thing you did and let me love you anyway."

Despite yourself, you let out a soft laugh. "Which cheesy pocketbook did you pull that one out of?"

"Hey, I drove for thirty minutes in the rain and this is how you thank me?" He huffs before reaching for a bag of chips he haphazardly strewn across the coffee table, tearing it open and offering you a piece. "I read that on Pinterest, by the way."

07. i love how you play along with my bad ideas

In many, many lives, Jeonghan is not yours to love.

And that's okay. There isn't a fine print stating that because you're blessed (cursed?) to meet him in each lifetime, you're meant to be together against all odds.

Fate is fickle like that—so unpredictable that you never really know how to act whenever you do cross paths with Jeonghan eventually.

Still, even if you're not destined to be lovers, you can still love him in other ways.

Like helping him sneak out of his third period lecture so he can come watch local street performers hold a fundraising show in some underground bar. You do all this because he once told you that he wanted to support them in any way he could.

If only Jeonghan could see the grin on his face that gets wider with each dancer that takes the stage, he wouldn't have a hard time wondering why it was so easy to fall in love with him.

"So when's the next time you'll help me sneak out of a lecture?" Jeonghan asks as the two of you head back to campus at a mellow pace even if Jeonghan's next classes starts in ten minutes.

You hum as if genuinely contemplating. "Maybe after you do me a huge favor in return for this one."

Your shoulders bump together as he lets out an easygoing laugh. As the late afternoon sunlight filters through a canopy of trees and onto your best friend's face, you feel a tug at your heartstrings that urges you to pull him in for a kiss.

But you don't.

08. before you grow up and realize that they’re bad ideas.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

Jeonghan's voice sounds considerably spooked when the amusement park staff locks in the over-the-shoulder restraints. The buzz of excitement from other visitors rings in your ears and he seems to be the only person that isn't looking forward to being on a rollercoaster.

"You act like this is the first time you've been on one." You roll your eyes. "Just relax and feel the wind on your face, yeah? If it gets too much just hold my hand or whatever."

You should not have offered in the first place because by the time the you've made two trips around the wildly looped tracks, you're convinced Jeonghan has already cut any and all circulation to your fingers with how tightly he's gripping your hand.

But still...you can't deny that it feels a little nice to be needed by him.

09. (and in our lives together i have many, many bad ideas.)

“Do I know you?” 

Jeonghan makes the mistake of blurting out those very strange words when he catches you sitting right next to him at the bar. You startle when he breaks the ice, fully convinced you're the one who had to initiate when you deliberately slid into the stool to his right.

Amused, you study him without much of a real expression before the tension in your posture melts into gentle laughter.

“No,” you say with a tone that suggests you're making fun of him. “But we could get out of here so we can get to know each other better. What’s your name?”

A dozen expressions flit across Jeonghan's face in mere seconds and you would've laughed again if you didn't know the reason behind the perplexity of his reactions.

“It’s Jeonghan. But you can call me…”

Before he can get the rest of the pick-up line out, he promptly throws up all over your outfit.

10. when we meet as adults, you're always much more discerning. I don't blame you.

"Again."

Your sweat beads across your forehead and drips onto the floor as you catch your breath. Palms braced across your knees, you look up to your mentor with a resentful glare.

In this life, Jeonghan—who was considered part of the 'anemic line' in his group eternities ago—is now one of the most well-known choreographers in the industry and would probably put Soonyoung to shame with how much of a perfectionist he is when it comes to your routines.

"Can't I get a five-minute water break?" you plead.

"You can get one when you think you deserve it," he says flatly before crossing his legs. "Do you?"

Much to your chagrin, you're just as much of a perfectionist as he is in this life. You shake your head with a guttural sigh, forcing yourself back into position despite your muscles aching for a break.

You don't miss the way Jeonghan smiles at your display of determination, but you don't let yourself think much of it either.

11. yet, always, you forgive me.

Jeonghan is upset with you.

He has all the right to be, really. You promised that you'll leave enough candy bars from your Trick or Treat haul to last both of you for a week, but you ended up overeating while binging your afternoon cartoons and now there's only one stick of chocolate left in the hollow, pumpkin-shaped bucket.

"I'm sorry," you murmur. "Do you want to go to the candy store to buy some more? I can break my piggy bank if—"

"No, you're saving up for that new game on your Nintendo DS, right?"

The fact that he actually remembers that makes you gape at him. "Um, yeah, but it's no big deal. A candy bar is only worth a few—"

Not giving you any leeway to speak any further, Jeonghan grabs the last candy bar inside the bucket—tearing the packaging open with his teeth before breaking the chocolate in half in the middle. Despite his annoyance, he hands you the other half with a small pout.

"Then just keep saving up so we can play it together," he grumbles and even when he's barely eight years old, it comes so natural for him to show you how much he cares about you.

12. as if you understand what’s going on

"Do you go here often?"

You flash the stranger who's speaking to you a befuddled look—not expecting to hear a line typically used on you in bars at your father's yacht club, of all places. He's wearing tattered jeans and an atrocious pink flannel over an equally tattered shirt. You wonder if he's just going for an odd aesthetic or if he's in dire need of a closet makeover.

"No. I'm just waiting for my father," you tell the man honestly before glancing at the boats docked by the pier. "He bought another yacht that I'm sure he won't even think of after bragging about it to his friends."

The stranger laughs. "I know how you feel. My old man's just as materialistic as yours sounds."

Oh. Maybe he is just going for an odd aesthetic with his fit after all.

"Wouldn't have thought you were a nepo baby, too," you snort before kicking a lone pebble into the water—watching it sink into the depths until it's out of sight. "I thought you were one of the boys that maintain these things while their owners completely forget about them."

"Hmm, I can be anything you want me to be," he chuckles and even if you've only met this guy five minutes ago, something about his laughter sounds so oddly familiar.

"The name's Jeonghan, by the way." The not-so stranger smiles and the feeling that you know him from somewhere intensifies tenfold.

"What's yours?"

13. and you're making up for all the lifetimes in which one of us doesn't exist

You like to think of yourself as an independent person.

You've crossed literal lifetimes in the strangest rendition of immortality that you've never once read in all the books you've deigned to pick up in this never-ending eternity. It's only natural for you to be self-sufficient.

But when it comes to Jeonghan, you always get to refamiliarize yourself with what it feels like to be lonely.

There are things about him that you consider irreplaceable: the curve of his easygoing smile, the warmth of his slender fingers, and the touch you yearn for constantly.

You're perfectly aware that you don't need Jeonghan for all these lives to gain some semblance of meaning. In fact, it's in the lives where you don't meet him that you get to learn a thing or two about yourself.

But when he is there, when he's the reason you get out of bed everyday, you simply think that a second of being with Jeonghan in the flesh is worth more than a lifetime in his absence.

14. and the ones where we just, barely, never meet.

Your phone is pressed into your ear in the middle of the grocery store because your good friend Joshua thought it was the perfect time to rant about his insufferable boss.

Being the lovely person that you are, you let him talk your ear off as you parse through the cabbages on display—wondering which one you should bring home for salad night.

"He's such a fucking prick, you know?" Joshua groans out the same sentence for the third time since you picked up his call. "No wonder his wife is having an affair behind his back. That's karmic retribution if I've seen it.''

"Shua, have you ever considered just resigning instead of making me your therapist?"

"I have, it's just that finding a new job is way more of a hassle than dealing with my asshole boss everyday," he grumbles. "But about the therapist thing—thanks for always listening to me. I know I can be annoying at times but you always put up with it any..."

Joshua's voice fades into the backdrop of your mind when you spot a flash of pink in the corner of your eyes. You instinctively turn your head in the direction of a stranger running towards the exit of the supermarket—wearing an atrocious pink flannel that you would recognize anywhere in any lifetime.

You briefly apologize to Joshua before ending the call, shoving your phone into the pocket of your jeans before leaving your push cart to chase after the figure receding from your line of sight.

You just barely catch him hopping onto a bus when your instincts lead you to further outside. You would have sprinted for a ride, had it not been for the children that obstruct your path with a little game of tag.

By the time you finally shake them off, the bus has already driven past the intersection—snuffing out the candle, leaving you in the dark.

15. i hate those. i prefer the ones in which you kill me.

You've watched a dozen serial killer documentaries in your lifetime—well, lifetimes. They always start the same way: a psychopath with a way with words charming his next unsuspecting victim into their utter demise.

While you absolutely did not know that this life's Jeonghan will turn out to be a crazed lunatic that gets off on seeing another human being's blood on his hands, it doesn't really change the fact that your heart is still tethered to him despite.

He still smiles as sweetly as you can remember as the tip of his knife glides along the column of your throat. His voice is just as comforting in those lives where he'd never forget to kiss you good night right before going to sleep.

"You're such a pretty little thing, aren't you?" Jeonghan murmurs. "But you'd be so much prettier if you just lay still."

The last thing you remember seeing is the angelic look on his face as if he's the one who'll personally escort you to the next life.

You don't particularly mind.

16. but when all's said and done, i'd rather surrender to you in other ways.

It's only amidst the post-orgasmic clarity that you realize how much of a fool you are.

These quick trysts you share with Jeonghan are brief. He invites you over under the guise of something that isn't sex for the sake of propriety, only to pull you into his apartment and kiss you until stars danced behind your eyelids.

He's flicks the cigarette he's having on the ashtray as he complains about a coworker he's been trying to get with for the past month. She likes playing hard-to-get, but I like her so much that I don't really mind? Is that weird? Oh, do you want a smoke, too? Sure, let me light you a quick one in a sec—

You're a fool because you've spent dozens, if not hundreds of lives chasing after him—whether you yourself are aware of it or not.

To Jeonghan, this is a life he probably won't remember in the next. To you, it's another inescapable death sentence.

"Maybe you should drop the nice guy act," you suggest before taking a drag of your own—not caring how the ashes stain Jeonghan's crisp white sheets despite his protests. "Showing your true colors is what got you to land me, you know."

"And we all know how much of a catch you are." He winks before killing his cigarette on the ashtray.

You're about to respond with an eyeroll until he plucks the cancer stick off your hands as well, disposing of it the same way he did with his own. When Jeonghan maneuvers himself on top of you again, you let out a withering sigh.

"Maybe I should just date you instead," he giggles before leaning down to nip at your ear, slender arms coiling around your waist. "What do you think?"

"You already told me before that I wasn't your ideal partner, asshole," you remind him with a huff.

Jeonghan hums, a noncommittal sound that seems like there's something else layered underneath. "But what if I told you that already changed?"

It's enticing—the possibility of getting to have him again when you couldn't really call him yours right now. But you know better than to take things that aren't meant for you.

At least, not in this life.

"Stop saying silly things and just fuck me already," you grumble, already tugging off his boxers. "Then you'll delete my number right after so you can finally get with the woman of your dreams. Got that?"

17. even though each time, i know i'll see you again, i always wonder

You've always looked forward to summer.

No more grueling classes. No more deadlines to catch up on. Summer means you get to go back to your hometown for a few weeks, unwinding in ways that your usual schedules don't quite permit you to.

Summer also means you'll get to visit Jeonghan again.

Your mother already has food and flowers prepared in advance—saying Mrs. Yoon kicked up a huge fuss when she found out you were going back home this weekend. You receive the news with fond laughter, noting how the flowers Jeonghan's mother picked out are reminiscent of the ones he held in the very first life you met him.

"I'm graduating next year," is the first thing you tell Jeonghan when you arrive, popping open two ice cold sodas before settling yourself on the grass in front of him. "Can you believe it? Four years of college, just gone in a flash. If you actually went through with your performing arts scholarship, you'd know how I feel."

"I'm thinking of getting a job here instead of the city. You know, so you won't feel too lonely without me," you chuckle, the moisture of your drink beading across your fingers. "Although, your sister keeps insisting that they give you plenty of company already and that I should chase after my own dreams first. She's starting to sound a lot like you, you know that?"

Jeonghan doesn't respond. Of course he doesn't. But you can almost hear his stilted laughter in the warm breeze anyway.

You place the flowers and the cola in front of his gravestone with a bittersweet pang in your chest. But before the tears can get the chance to escape, you turn on your heel and leave the cemetery altogether.

You didn't always look forward to summer after the accident that took the love of your life away. But knowing that your best friend—your soulmate—would simply be waiting for you in the next life, things became much, much easier.

18. is this the last time?

"Don't go..."

Jeonghan murmurs the words between drunken hiccups as he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck. You chuckle, smoothing your hand across his sweater-clad back as he clings to you like a koala.

"Hannie, what do you mean?" you whisper as you glance at the mess of empty bottles you'll have to clean up from the coffee table once you put your boyfriend to bed. "I'm not going anywhere."

He pulls away from you briefly, puffy eyes glistening with tears as he lets out a shuddering sigh.

"I had a dream that you left me for some guy named...Jeongin, or whatever," he mumbles. "I promise I'll treat you better than anyone else. Just don't...leave me."

In some way, he remembers. Not everything because even you don't completely recall all the lives you've lived. There's too many of them now, most of which are too painful to think about all over again.

But this is the first actual instance where Jeonghan unknowingly hints that his past lives stay with him even beyond death, and it makes you wonder if he'll start to remember the others in time as well.

"I won't, Hannie," you whisper, weaving the words into a promise that you'll be sure to keep in the next life, and the hundreds of lives that will inevitably follow.

"I won't."

19. is that really you? 

There are lifetimes where you try, but it just doesn't work out.

Sometimes, fate carves both you and Jeonghan into mismatched pieces of two different puzzles, and he doesn't even try to convince you to stay as you quietly pack away your belongings in dull brown boxes. The tension in your movements tells him that you knows he's watching.

"I'm not getting back together with you, if that's what you're wondering," you rasp. "If you love your job more than me, then I'll be the one to see myself out." 

Jeonghan manages a sad smile that you completely miss—having been so caught up with your frustration with him to look. You thought that in each life he ends up becoming a world-famous idol, it meant that he'd also live all of his days with you by his side.

But things aren't always that simple, and Jeonghan merely stands in resignation as you shut the door to both his house and your heart. 

20. and what if you're already perfectly happy without me?

When you took up a job as an events coordinator, never in your wildest dreams did you expect to be planning Jeonghan's wedding, of all things.

He doesn't seem to remember you and you don't really fault him for not recognizing someone he's met literal lifetimes ago. Not when he's obviously so enamored with his current fiancé.

"We were interested in the deluxe package on your website," Seungcheol, his intended, breaks the ice after the formal introductions, showing you a screenshot on his phone. "Is this inclusive of a lights and sound system or will we have to outsource those somewhere else?"

You nearly miss what Seungcheol was asking you—too caught up in how beautiful Jeonghan looks today. He's grown out his hair longer than he usually does and it's half pinned behind his head.

When it takes you a while to respond, both his and Seungcheol's gazes flicker with confusion before your heart sinks with how in tune they are with each other.

"Y-Yes, lights and sounds are already included in the package." You compose yourself with a warm smile. "But you might be interested in the royalty package. This would give you access to..."

21. ah, but i don’t blame you.

"Baby, I'm sorry."

Jeonghan looks like a kicked puppy sitting at the side of the hospital bed with how apologetic he is. You want to tell him that it really is no big deal but with the lower half of your body temporarily paralyzed, you can't really say that's the case.

"I shouldn't have insisted that you come to the music show when it was raining," he groans. "It's a miracle you managed to swerve out of the truck's way."

You wonder if he remembers the life where you lost him to an accident not so different from the one you narrowly escaped last night. The absolute fear in his eyes the moment he saw you covered in casts and bandages is reminiscent of the time you received the phone call informing you of your boyfriend's passing.

But you don't make it a habit to ponder too long about lives that have long come to an end. What's important is now, where you're still living and breathing and able to remain by his side.

"It's not your fault, Hannie," you murmur as you reach out to pet his head with some difficulty. "I shouldn't have gone past the speed limit in the first place."

"Well, you wouldn't have to do that if I wasn't being so pushy about you showing up," he sighs in defeat. "Tell you what, I'll pull out of all our comeback schedules until you can walk by yourself again."

You frown at him. "What? No! Your managers are going to kill you."

"They will, but knowing you'll be all alone while you recover will kill me inside too."

Jeonghan isn't usually this cheeky with you, so you keep this memory tucked away in your consciousness for as long as you can. Knowing there's no talking him out of it once he's got his mind set, you shake your head with a defeated sigh.

"You better take care of me like they do in those five star nursing homes then."

22. i’ll never burn as brilliantly as you. 

Your favorite lives, you think, are the ones where he lights up the stage and the entire world as an idol.

He's happiest in these kinds of lives. The bond he shares with the rest of his bandmates transcends even the love you've harbored for him through lifetimes, and if there are people you'll gladly surrender Jeonghan to, it's those twelve boys that will always be his brothers no matter what.

"How was that?"

You're in the middle of giving out stage directions for the next round of performers when Jeonghan walks up to you with his signature, lazy smile. He's sweat-stricken with a stutter to each breath he takes, but he makes himself appear just as composed as he wants you to think.

"Breathtaking as always, Jeonghan," you decide to humor him—knowing that the sooner you give him a compliment, the sooner he'll leave you alone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to—"

"Will you be busy after the show? I wanted to cook dinner for us at home."

A panicked look seizes your face when you gesture for him to keep it down. Your eyes dart around the vicinity—idols and their stylists running around backstage in preparation for the next segment of the show. None of them seemed to have picked up on Jeonghan's little slip of the tongue.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" you whisper sharply over the sound of another fellow stage director paging you in the south entrance. "Anyways, I have to go, Hannie. And please don't go blabbing about our relationship where you shouldn't."

When that idiotically handsome smile doesn't fade from his lips, you know things won't exactly go your way as usual.

23. it's only fair that i should be the one

At some point, you stop counting altogether.

The lives you live with and without Jeonghan blend seamlessly into each other the longer the cycle repeats itself. It doesn't hurt as much when you don't find him, but your heart still gushes with relief when you do.

And yet there are instances where you try to spit in the face of fate itself. Instances where you decide that you don't want to be chained to Jeonghan anymore. That the lives you live belong to you and that you won't let some otherworldly force dictate the course of it any longer.

One day in the summer, in some petty attempt to cheat your way out of fate, you decide to date your next door neighbor.

Sujin has the same eyes as Jeonghan—it’s something you can’t really look past. Maybe that’s what makes it so easy for her to wear down your defenses without breaking a sweat.

But the moment the thought crosses your mind, you wipe out every similarity until you can’t see them anymore. They almost look the same apart from gender, but Sujin is so different from Jeonghan, that for a while, you forget about the burden you've been carrying all this time.

One day in the fall, Sujin talks about meeting her brother for dinner, and you don't really ponder about it—agreeing without a hitch.

But that’s only the first of your many mistakes because the man who walks into the restaurant is Jeonghan. Sujin’s brother, the person who’s kissing your girlfriend on the cheek, is Jeonghan. 

“Did you know that Sujin never shut up about you when you brought her the housewarming gift?” Jeonghan snorts before ordering a glass of wine. “Hmm, you look kind of familiar, though… Have we met before?”

“No,” you respond almost instantly.

It doesn’t work. Your master plan of waging war with destiny is rendered utterly useless when Jeonghan bruises his way back into your life. Where Sujin managed to ease herself past the walls you've put up after a few weeks, Jeonghan tears them down in half the time his sister took to pick you apart. 

One day in the winter, Sujin breaks up with you, and in spite of the coil of emotions twisting in your chest, you watch her pack her things and move back into the apartment across the hall. 

One day in the spring, there’s a knock on your front door that you're in no hurry to answer. You stare at Jeonghan with equal parts irritation and relief when you see him there. His grin reminds you of flowers unfurling as he stares back with a challenge in his eyes.

A challenge you loathe, but one you can never refuse.

24. to chase you across ten, twenty-five, a hundred lifetimes

“Don’t you ever get tired?”

Your head is resting on Jeonghan's lap when he poses the question, and you think the fact that your eyes are closed is already an answer on its own.

You used to think you were cursed. Maybe you've incurred enough bad karma in your very first life to provide you with a steady stream of misfortune in the next few million lives you're destined to live.

That could be the reason why you have to live all these lives, meet all these people—rinse and repeat. Is this how the gods are punishing you? Is there anyway to atone for sins you can't even remember committing anymore?

Though…when you open your eyes and see Jeonghan staring out into the distance, you have a hard time thinking of him as a punishment. 

You sit upright and stretch out your limbs. There’s a kink in the back of your neck that might be resolved by a good night’s sleep, but you offer Jeonghan a hand before you can think about it any more.

“No,” you answer as you twines your fingers together, pulling him back to his feet as he spares you a loving smile.

“Not really.”

25. until i find the one where you'll return to me.

"That bouquet's really pretty."

Jeonghan glances behind him with a confused look—frustration clear on his face from trying to get the new stove he had installed in your kitchen last week to start. When his eyes land on the beautiful spill of flowers bundled up in a vase on the dining table, his features soften with fondness.

"Those are the flowers I had when you met me the first time, right?" he chuckles before taking a seat next to you. "The one where I was a 'prick of a model who wouldn't even bat you an eyelash'?"

Your chest bubbles with laughter at his description. You've grown more and more comfortable with telling Jeonghan about the lives you've shared in eternities that have long unspooled, and just when you feared he'd treat you like someone who escaped an asylum, he instead took all your words to heart.

He doesn't quite remember them all on his own, but when you bring up little pieces from old memories you do manage to dredge up, he's able to complete the pieces of the story to form a coherent picture.

Maybe that's what Jeonghan is to you—someone that isn't exactly necessary to have in your life, but someone who makes it infinitesimally better.

If there's one thing you've learned from all the lives you've spent together, it's that Jeonghan isn't always someone you'll end up wanting. He can be crass. He can be secretive. He can be nothing short of vexing.

But he can also be kind, considerate, and present in times when you need him the most.

In the end, he's everything you need him to be.

And you couldn't ask for anything more.

⟢ end notes: me: this is a writing exercise, the word count: pushing 7k :') ok so this wasn't proofread even in the slightest so if you spot any mistakes and errors, no you didn't <3 thank you for joining me in this very self indulgent train of delusion!

— eyes meeting, hearts apart ⟢

you could’ve fallen for the childhood friend who owns a flower shop, the singer who takes the stage of the bar every other day. hell, even the landlord’s flirtatious son could’ve been a better choice. but you can’t really help it if your heart longs for a prince who’s in love with somebody else.

★ FEATURING; joshua x reader

★ WORD COUNT; 30.2K words

★ TAGS; bartender!reader, requited unrequited love, immense pining, angst, flowers, slow burn, smut (MINORS DNI)

★ NOTES; first of all, this hellsite was bein difficult w the tags again so ta-da! reupload! that said, please take the pining tag seriously bc i think this has even MORE pining than the first fic in this series and it’s one-sided for a majority of the story :’) ++ this story is the continuation to promise ring, but can be read as a standalone!

★ A WORD IN THANKS; i can’t bear to start this fic without thanking @hwanghyunjinenthusiast <3 rj patiently went over and proofread this fic for me, providing extensively helpful feedback during the process of its creation! ngl i hit a LOT of walls with this given the complexity of the plot and extensive word count. if it weren’t for her, this fic would’ve taken ages to see the light of day.

this is part of the it’s complicated series.

★ SMUT TAGS; implied drunk sex, married sex, unprotected sex, oral (m&f receiving), vaginal fingering, breeding kink, creampie

★ PERMANENT TAGLIST; @cheolhub - @pretty-trustme - @just-here-to-read-01 - @ldkmelkro - @dejavernon - @venusrae - @jyiiscool - @jiniesclub - @junhui-recs - @bldelaine - @featmia - @fruitzcup - @hoeforhao - @candidupped - @billboard-singer - @caratochan - @novalpha - @dahliatopia - @0717luv - @shiveringgaze - @toruro - @mixling-blog @minnie-mouser22 - @homerunhansol - @mirtaspace - @ti--red - @zzucculent - @woozarts - @rubyreduji - @mozellerra - @lllucere

★ SERIES TAGLIST; @ophelia-enthusiast - @hanniemylittlelamb - @ryusha-rose - @thesunsfullmoon

P.S. i reserve the right to refuse to add you to my taglist if you don’t have any age indicators in your profile regardless of whether this work is sfw or not :^)

Closing time is possibly your favorite time of the day.

The pub is always teeming with noise once the evening patrons arrive and while you find yourself enjoying the easygoing commotion, the peace that closing time affords you is a gift like no other. 

Most of tonight’s customers have already seen themselves out—drunkenly slurring the songs that the veteran performer, Seokmin, graced them with today. The knights who spent their day off helping themselves to your signature Oak Walker were some of the last to leave. They gave a hefty amount of money as payment for their food and drinks and you figure that they must’ve secured their paychecks recently with how generous they are with the tips.

Now, it’s just you—clearing out tables and polishing glasses—and another person who’s more or less part of the pub’s employee roster with how frequently he lingers after hours. 

“What a day.”

At the sound of his voice, you turn to Jihoon with a tired smile. “You can say that again. I thought Seokmin was going to break his vocal chords from the number of songs the two of you played tonight.”

Jihoon, the one in charge of musical accompaniment for the pub’s most popular singer, chuckles before seating himself across one of the barstools. In turn, you pour him a drink despite having already cleaned most of the glasses lined up beneath the bar.

“As much as I’d like to limit our songs to five max per night, I can’t do anything about Seokmin being a people pleaser,” he sighs, bringing the glass to his lips for a sip. “That idiot… We were supposed to take a carriage back to our neighborhood together, but then he decided he wanted to chase after skirts tonight. Saw him leave with two ladies hanging off his arms.”

You spare him a chuckle. “Well, you musical magic users have been racking up the female market more than you think. Kazuha’s been crushing on one of her teachers at the Academy—some guy named Chris if I remember correctly. I’m not sure. All I know is that he teaches musical theory and that he’s way too old for her.”

Jihoon shakes his head. “Speaking of, isn’t your coworker too young to be working here?” 

“She’s the owner’s daughter. I don’t really have much of a say about her employment, even if it’s borderline illegal.”

“Point taken.”

The silence sets comfortably inside the empty pub as Jihoon finishes the rest of his drink. He isn’t much of a talker anyway—that’s Seokmin’s area of expertise. The only reason the musician struck up conversation was probably out of the need to be polite. You want to tell him that you’re used to closing up the pub alone so he doesn’t have to worry, but choose not to interrupt the peace and quiet that the two of you have been craving all night.

Once you’re done, you lean against the counter to let your eyes wander for a bit—mentally listing what liquor needs to be restocked, what finger food won’t be available the next day, among other things. The sound of the rain coming down outside makes your contemplation all the more immersive, and you’re just about to wonder if you should invite another singer for tomorrow—considering Seokmin’s…activities tonight—but Jihoon interrupts your train of thought with an odd question.

“Have you heard about the recent news?” 

You flash him a puzzled look. “There’s a lot going on in the royal capital, Jihoon. You need to be more specific.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m talking about the youngest prince’s failed engagement. It’s been the talk of the entire pub all evening. I wasn’t surprised because the entire kingdom was plunged into madness when they announced that the wedding was going to be postponed. I don’t quite get the fanfare, though. What royals do with their love lives isn’t anyone’s business but theirs.”

If he notices the way you stiffen at his words, Jihoon doesn’t show it. You clear your throat, the relaxed expression on your face refusing to falter.

“Well, since they were so public about it, I guess us commoners have the right to at least scrutinize what they show us,” you offer. “But I totally understand not getting why they’re so worked up about it. I don’t pay much attention to those kinds of things either.”

“Right?” Jihoon sighs, exasperated as he takes a longer swig of his drink. “There are a lot more problems that people like us deal with everyday than the engagement of a little prince. Besides, isn't his older brother betrothed to some princess from another kingdom? They’re acting as if the royal bloodline is at risk of extinction.”

“You know, for someone who seems apathetic towards this whole mess, you’re awfully informed.” You flash him a teasing smile. “I didn’t even know Prince Jeonghan was betrothed in the first place. I thought all he did was terrorize the neighboring kingdoms while Prince Joshua cleaned up after him.”

“Our circle of musicians is full of gossip-mongers. I just happen to be there whenever they whisper about it amongst themselves instead of rehearsing,” he explains and you decide to let him off the hook with that one despite sounding just a tad defensive.

Jihoon gets up to make his leave once he finishes his drink—saying something about the rain not letting up anytime soon, so he should just pack up before it gets worse. But just when he’s about to reach for his wallet to pay—

“No need,” you insist before plucking the empty glass off the counter. “This one’s on the house. You worked hard today.”

His brows furrow. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Just take care out there. Seokmin would be devastated if his partner got struck by lightning.”

“On the contrary, I think he’d be elated to know that he won’t have to come into work while I’m out of commission,” he chuckles before gesturing with a curt bow. “I’ll be heading out then. Thank you for the drink and take care on your way home as well.”

Jihoon hefts the strap of his guitar case over his shoulder before making his way to the door as you busy yourself with cleaning the last glass to put back on the shelf. His footfalls are calm against the polished wood and it’s another sound you appreciate with the rainstorm buzzing faintly in the background. 

However, before he can reach for the knob, the door opens all the way—revealing a cloaked figure holding a stack of newspapers above his head. A makeshift umbrella, probably, but it did little to salvage him from the onslaught outside. Jihoon immediately recognizes him despite his disheveled state and lets out a long-winded sigh.

“Hey,” he calls the newcomer’s attention. “The pub’s already closed.”

The man ignores him, his damp cloak fluttering with his movements as he strides towards the bar. Jihoon sighs again, muttering something about bratty royals just doing whatever the hell they want before stepping out into the rain. 

You only realize that you’ve got new company when Jihoon pulls the door shut behind him—breath hitching at the sight of a very familiar face as he pulls off his cloak and tosses it on top of the counter along with the newspapers in his grasp.

“Your Highness?” you greet him half-heartedly. “What brings you here?”

It’s not a complete secret that Prince Joshua drops by for the pub every now and again. While not every one of your regulars is aware of his frequent visits, most of the staff have been informed of his tendencies to spend his time here. They’ve been sworn to secrecy, of course. 

It’s been over two months since Joshua last showed his face around these parts, however—busy with all the necessary preparations for his wedding, you bet. But from the sullen look on his face, you have a feeling that whatever gossip Jihoon has gotten wind of might have some weight to it.

He doesn’t answer your previous question, so you switch up tactics with, “What are you having tonight?”

“Jihoon said it was already closing time,” he mumbles.

You hum in affirmation. “But you went ahead and made yourself at home despite knowing that anyway, right?” 

The corners of his mouth turn up slightly but the smile quickly vanishes. Your chest tightens at the sight of it.

“I guess you’re not wrong,” Joshua laughs quietly before carding his fingers through his rain-soaked hair. “Fix me up a good old Oak Walker, will you?”

You’re not sure if it’s for the best to serve him a glass of the pub’s finest aged whiskey, but a sympathetic part of you says there’s no harm in indulging him. 

Joshua nurses his drink across the bar in silence—the ever-present backdrop of rain ringing in both of your ears. His lack of anything to say is mildly off-putting because you’re used to him being all smiles and laughs as he shares the royal ventures that took place after his last visit. More so the royal ventures he had with his fiancée. 

To say that you’re itching to ask him about how things are going on with her is an understatement, but you’re no idiot who can’t read the room. 

He stays for about twenty minutes, so deep in thought that you’re convinced that he’s forgotten you were there with him at all. Apart from a few sighs of defeat, you don’t hear even the slightest peep out of the prince. Sure, he was never one to be excessively talkative during his visits, but even a stranger can tell that something’s wrong.

Gods. Just how bad is it?

Joshua gently lays down his glass on the counter once he finishes his whiskey—all those etiquette classes easily setting him apart from regulars who slam them down before heaving their obnoxious laughter. He slides his payment across the surface; an amount that comes with change worth more than the drink itself. But before you can tell him the same thing you told Jihoon earlier, he’s already sliding his cloak back on. 

“Thanks,” he whispers, adjusting the hood so it somewhat conceals his face. “I really needed that drink.” 

…Was it selfish of you to hope he’d say something else? Like he needed your company, for example? It probably is. 

Because who are you to have the prince needing your company for?

Joshua’s boots fall heavy against the wooden floor—a far cry from Jihoon’s easygoing strides. As your eyes stay glued on his retreating form, you bite the inside of your cheek. You want to call out to him, ask him what’s wrong, and let him know that you’re there to listen. Just like all the times he’s talked to you about everything he’s come to appreciate about the common realm. 

But your voice fails you—just like it did many times before.

It’s only when Joshua is long gone and you’re slinging your satchel over your shoulder that you notice that the Prince left something behind. That stack of newspapers he brought with him when he came in earlier. Most of the flimsy material has been soaked through, but the text was still legible enough to read. 

When your gaze catches on the title of the headline, however, you nearly drop it out of pure shock.

WHERE HAS THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS GONE?

On the first day of spring, the shock of a lifetime befalls the ears of every citizen of not only the capital, but the entire kingdom of Seraphia. The youngest Crown Prince, Joshua, invited scribes from all across the land into the great halls of the royal castle to finally address the previous week’s hot topic: the postponement of his wedding ceremony with future Princess-Consort Hyejin, who was dubbed as the kingdom’s sweetheart by the general public over the past year. 

The blossoming romance between the royal couple charmed thousands of Seraphians, which vastly contributed to the sizzling anticipation for their marriage. It was due to take place in the courtyard of the royal castle once the snow has thawed and the kingdom is able to welcome spring with open arms. Needless to say, it would’ve been the perfect setting for a perfect celebration!

However, it was announced by the Queen herself a fortnight ago that the ceremony had to be postponed for reasons that would be disclosed in the future—causing quite an uproar amongst the populace. Not a word of input was heard from both Prince Joshua and Hyejin themselves and any information regarding the topic was put on tight reins. Some speculated that there were merely a few inconveniences that had to be sorted out first before the royal couple could officially tie the knot; others assumed that one or either of them fell ill and were simply waiting for swift recovery.

But today, we learned that not all fairytales have happy endings. Prince Joshua officially announced the complete dissolution of his engagement to Hyejin as well as the retraction of all previous news of the matrimonial ceremony. 

If the postponement caused an uproar, the latest update on our favorite couple’s situation has ignited chaos of insurmountable levels. The scribes that were present in the impromptu press conference begged for more details about the matter, but Prince Joshua requested for the citizens to remain calm about the entire ordeal—saying it was a mutual decision that he and Hyejin had come to make together. He also pleaded for the public to give them the privacy they both direly needed in such a trying time with the reassurance that the couple simply agreed that they were not fit to be each other’s spouse, despite Hyejin being eleven months into her royal assimilation period.

Several conflicting opinions have since sprouted about the latest scoop on the previously renowned royal couple. Speculations of third parties came into light, especially since Hyejin has yet to make a public appearance to address all these issues herself. 

Has the Princess-Consort really run away? Find out more in next week’s issue of the Daily Tribune!

As you read over the last paragraph, you notice frost starting to gather at your fingertips—a manifestation of your emotions. 

You’re quick to shake your head and retract your magic before you end up freezing the entire stack of papers with your touch alone. Not without cursing the gods for giving you an elemental affinity that’s painfully in tune with your emotional constitution, of course.

You decide to throw the newspapers in the trash—figuring that Joshua must place little importance in them if he left them in the state they were in. He’ll come across dozens of copies in the plaza if he ever wants another one anyway.

When you get home that night, you immediately treat yourself to a nice, hot bath before heading straight to bed, not seeing any incentive in staying up overthinking the recent news. But no matter how many blankets you bury yourself under, no matter how much wood you toss into the hearth…

Your fingers remain startlingly cold. 

The first time Prince Joshua showed up in the bar, it was raining as well. In fact, it was storming.

Business was slow. None of the regulars wanted to hassle themselves by braving the storm just to get their daily fix of alcohol and the owner couldn’t even convince any of the usual singers to show up that night. 

So it’s just you and the owner’s children, Kazuha and Yuta.

“Do you think something interesting’s going to happen today?” Kazuha sighs, drumming her fingers across the counter with a bored look. “Father shouldn’t have opened the pub when I told him multiple times that the weather is going to be like this.”

Yuta snorts from the other side of the bar, passing small crackles of lightning between his hands before getting up to pour himself a drink. “You know the old man is going to grab every opportunity to turn in some profit. Even if only a single customer goes through those doors tonight, he’d consider it worth sending three employees into a storm.”

“If that’s the case, we should just sneak a few banknotes in today’s order tally and call it a day,” Kazuha huffs before turning to you. “You’re with me on this, right?”

Pursing your lips, you raise your hands up in a gesture of indignation. “Don’t come dragging me into your schemes, Zuha. I have no intention of getting prematurely fired.”

Kazuha groans and Yuta snorts before handing you a glass of bourbon. 

“The least the old man can do is treat us to a few drinks, whether or not he knows about it,” he snickers as you take the glass from his hand. “Cheers?”

“What, so she gets a drink but your little sister doesn’t?” Kazuha scowls. “I get that you’ve got no one else to use your cheap pick-up lines on tonight, but how could you flirt so shamelessly in front of me?”

You placate her with an apologetic smile. “You know Yuta will have an aneurysm if he doesn’t express interest in anyone from the female population that isn't family. I’m just keeping one of my boss’ kids from keeling over.”

“Harsh as ever,” Yuta sighs before you clink your glasses together. “No wonder you have ice magic.”

“Say that again and I’ll freeze your entire drink, lover boy.”

As you continue playfully bickering with the siblings, you start to consider Kazuha’s suggestion a bit more seriously. It’s nearly time to close up shop and not a single soul has gone through the front door and it doesn’t seem like the rain is going to let up any time soon. Which is all sorts of strange because it rarely ever rains in Seraphia in the middle of summer.

But that’s exactly how the youngest prince walked into your life—like a summer rainstorm. 

He’s soaked all over, tracking water all over the floorboards with a shiver to his posture. You don’t recognize who he is at first—all bundled up in his cloak—but when the newcomer pulls off his hood, you and the siblings end up gaping at him like fishes out of water.

Because what on earth is Prince Joshua doing in some dingy pub in the middle of the night when it’s raining buckets outside?

“Hello,” he says kindly, not a breath out of beat despite the fact that he’s dripping from head to toe. “One of the knights told me this place sells the best whiskey in the capital.”

Surprisingly, Kazuha is the first out of the three of you to snap out of your collective stupor—putting on her best smile before replying with, “You’ve heard right. Would you like a glass, Your Highness?”

The formal address seems to fluster him and you find it slightly amusing to see a perfectly put-together royal’s ears turning red. “Please, no need to call me that.”

“I’m pretty sure we’ll be marching at the gallows if we called you by your first name, Your Highness,” Yuta interjects, grabbing a glass before heading over to the whiskey kegs. “You’re just in time, actually. We were just about to close early.”

“I figured,” Joshua chuckles before hanging his damp cloak on the rack by the entrance. “I didn’t think this place would be open, actually. Every other pub I’ve passed was closed for the night.”

Kazuha rolls her eyes. “You have the owner to thank for that.”

The siblings easily accommodate the prince himself as if he was just another customer they served on any other night. You suppose it comes from practically growing up in this place when their father still manned the bar. But still, how could they act so normally around someone as important as Joshua?

Then again…

They don’t know him the way you do.

“Hey,” Kazuha whispers when you flutter off to the side, letting Yuta entertain tonight’s esteemed guest with his lightning magic. “You’re acting a little weird. I get he’s royalty and everything, but this isn’t the first time we’ve had to cater to nobles. Father’s pub is well known for a reason.”

You take a deep breath as your eyes momentarily flicker to the prince who’s awed by Yuta’s little display. For someone who was just out in the rain, he still looked unfairly breathtaking. His damp hair is somewhat slicked back, tiny droplets dripping down every now and again. And even if his clothes—made from the finest of textiles, no doubt—haven’t been spared by the rain, his poise makes it seem as if he didn’t just rush out of a storm. 

You’ve spotted Prince Joshua whenever there are festivals in the city every now and again. He’s a benevolent royal that likes spending time with commoners—not one to mind the class divide like other nobles. But you’ve never seen him this close in a while.

The sight of Joshua now reminds you of several years before. 

Memories of a rushing river and a runaway pup. Of a young prince and flowers given to the brave. They all come back to you like these events happened yesterday and not more than a decade ago. 

But with all those fond memories also comes a firm reminder.

You and him are on opposite ends. You...should keep that in mind.

“Hello? You’re spacing out on me again.”

Finally, you snap out of it and catch Kazuha staring at you with a look of concern. Your coworker even flattens a palm across your forehead to feel for your temperature. “Are you sure you’re okay? Not running a fever or anything? You can go home early if you need to. Yuta and I can take care of him just fine.”

You’re about to insist that you’re fine, but before you can get a word out, you hear Yuta calling your name from the other side—a no good smirk on his face as he gestures for you to come over.

“This is our number one bartender and resident Ice Queen,” he introduces and you scowl at him immediately. “She might concoct the best drinks in the entire district, but she’s got an ice cold heart! Don’t try to flirt with her or she’ll turn your drink into a block of ice.”

“Weirdo. I’m only like that to you,” you hiss.

Yuta giggles and you want nothing more than to smack him. “Oh? So does that mean I’m special?”

“No. That means you’re the only one irritating enough to get a rise out of her,” Kazuha backs you up with a sigh before turning to Joshua. “Sorry about these two. They can’t sit in the same room for five minutes without a fight breaking out.” 

Thanks to both siblings, your earlier hesitation to let the prince even perceive you dissipates in a flash. You cast Yuta an annoyed stare before finishing the rest of the bourbon he’d poured for you earlier. “Well, no fights would be happening if Yuta stopped basing his entire personality off of being a playboy.”

“Gods, it’s not that deep, Ice Queen. Chill out.”

“I’m going to put arsenic in your next drink. Mark my words.”

While you and the eldest son of the owner are neck and neck, you hear Joshua stifle a laugh in his seat. You and Yuta turn to look at him abruptly, wondering what’s so funny.

“Sorry, I just found it amusing how easily such threats come from either of you,” he muses, swirling his glass so that the ice crinkles inside. “If anyone said that to me in the royal castle, even in a jest, they’d be thrown in the dungeons immediately.”

“And that’s why we’re going to be civil whenever His Highness is around, aren’t we?” Kazuha flashes the two of you a thin smile. Despite being the youngest out of your trio, she’s definitely the most level-headed.

“Of course,” Yuta responds coolly. “Prince Joshua doesn’t have to worry about Ice Queen here poisoning his drinks. She was starstruck the moment he set foot inside—ow!”

Kazuha clicks her tongue as Yuta rubs the spot on his head where his little sister just clocked him. “What did I just say about being civil?”

Sparing the siblings another laugh, Joshua then turns his attention to you. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Pray tell, why is he calling you Ice Queen? You seem like a warm enough person to me.”

You don’t know if it’s the unusually chilly air or his comment that makes the blood rush to your cheeks, but either way, you attempt to mask it by coughing into your hand before giving him an answer. 

“Um, that’s just Yuta being Yuta.”

“No, she practices ice magic,” the little bastard interjects. “Hate how she’s so good at using it too ‘cause whenever she says she’ll freeze my drinks, half the time, it isn’t a bluff.”

Kazuha stares at him flatly. “Only because you deserve it.”

“See, now she’s turned my own blood against me!” Yuta whines. 

The prince chuckles to himself again, taking another sip. “So all three of you are magic users as well?”

Yuta nods. “Mhmm. I’ve got lightning magic, Ice Queen’s got ice magic, and Kazuha’s got wind magic. Little sis can actually tell when there’s a storm coming, too.” 

“Oh? So you anticipated that the weather would be like this?” 

The siblings both groan in unison—clearly recalling how their father insisted for them to open the pub despite the atrocious weather. 

Joshua is immediately immersed with Kazuha explaining the technicalities of her magic and the prince gives his own input on how being able to predict the weather would benefit not just the royal capital, but the entire kingdom of Seraphia.

It’s so…like him to apply the things he learns to such an altruistic cause.

“I’m acquainted with a few wind elementals, but none of them have tried anticipating the shift in the weather like you do,” the prince comments, quite impressed, before turning to Yuta. “I suppose you have a similar ability as well?”

Your coworker shakes his head vehemently. “I can only feel a thunderstorm when it’s already here. If you want someone who can pick up even the slightest changes in the weather, Zuha’s your girl.”

Despite the rare praise from her brother, Kazuha merely scoffs. “It’s all useless if Father will tell us to open up shop in the middle of a storm anyway.” 

“I suppose so,” Joshua agrees with a sigh. “How about you? What do you use your magic for?”

It takes you a moment to realize that he was talking to you. “Pardon?”

The grin that spreads on his face is bright enough to light up a storm-ridden evening. “Your magic. I’m sure you don’t just use it to freeze Yuta’s drinks, now do you?”

Yuta snorts into his drink while Kazuha elbows him in the stomach. You keep yourself from letting out a laugh of your own. You can trust Kazuha to have your back all the time.

“Well, aside from that and enchanting the ice in our customers’ drinks so they won’t melt too quickly, I…don’t use my magic that much,” you admit, scratching the back of your head out of mild embarrassment. “Ice magic isn’t as versatile as water magic. It doesn’t have a lot of everyday uses. Plus, I could accidentally kill someone if I don’t keep my emotions in check.”

For the first time tonight, Joshua’s pearly white smile falls. “What do you mean?”

When you feel the skin of your fingertips prickling with a chilly sensation, you immediately ball your fists at your side—not wanting to give the prince a firsthand demonstration of your…magical affliction just yet.

“Elemental magic is easily influenced by the user’s emotions,” you murmur, purposely avoiding Joshua’s scrutinizing gaze. “But…mine has always been a little on the unstable side. I don’t use it a lot because if idiots like Yuta rile me up too badly, I might end up launching an icicle through his chest without thinking.”

“Hey!” The pub’s resident player complains. “That example is a little too scary. Couldn’t you have gone with ‘I might give him frostbite all over’ first?”

Kazuha glances at him bizarrely. “Isn’t that worse?”

Joshua hums contemplatively, taking another swig of whiskey. “Hmm. We’re on the same boat then. I don’t use my magic very often either.”

“You don’t?” you ask incredulously. 

“Yes. The royal family as a whole doesn’t rely on magic much. We have the royal mages to take care of anything involving the practice altogether,” he explains, pouting a little when he realizes his glass is empty. You move to pour him another round, but the prince shakes his head. “Instead of attending the Academy like most children our age did, my brother and I were thrust into the world of diplomatic relations at the ripe ages of twelve and fourteen. After all, you don’t need magic when you’re locked in a battle of wits in the royal court.”

Yuta and Kazuha nod in understanding, but the expression on your face is the exact opposite.

“But…your magic is so pretty,” you muse absentmindedly. “Why shouldn’t you use it? Especially when there’s lots of people who look up to you?”

You can feel Kazuha shooting you that reprimanding stare she constantly gives to her brother, but you can’t help it. Not when you’ve witnessed the prince’s magic firsthand—even if it was a long time ago. 

“They don’t look up to me because of my magic, sadly,” Joshua chuckles, seeing no offense in your question. “But…I find it more amusing that you say that as if you’ve seen my magic. It’s been years since I last used it, much less shown it to another person.”

Three pairs of eyes flicker to your form expectantly and you can feel your heart drop to the pit of your stomach. Fuck. 

“U-Uh, I just remember seeing it during your coronation ceremony,” you stammer. “When you conjured an entire bouquet out of thin air to give to the Queen as thanks.” 

You’re not exactly lying since you did see the youngest son of the royal family showcase his magic once he was hailed as the second Crown Prince. It was a joyous occasion for the royal capital—as Joshua held promise where his older brother Jeonghan did not. 

“I see. You have an amazing memory then,” Joshua commends with a smile that makes your heart flutter traitorously. “I didn’t think anyone would remember that.”

You have half the mind to tell him that you remember a lot more about him than just that. But the same words echo inside your head—over and over like a dreadful reminder of the striking reality you were born in. 

You and him are on opposite ends. 

You’re not certain if you should feel happy or not about the growing frequency of Prince Joshua’s visits.

He doesn’t really do much in the pub. For someone who grew up being the center of attention, Joshua actually does a good job at blending in the crowd unnoticed. The prince is merely an observer—quietly sipping his drinks as your patrons let chaos loose all around him. 

You and the siblings manage to keep his undercover visits discreet for about a week at most until the pub’s regular performer, Seokmin, finally notices the cloaked figure that always takes a seat at the bar whenever he drops by. 

“So the fabled Prince Joshua can actually drink cheap liquor,” the singer chuckles once the last of the regular patrons have left, clinking glasses with Joshua as if he was just another one of his drinking buddies. “Here I thought royals only had fine wines imported aaaaall the way from the vineyards of the next kingdom over.”

That earns him a smack upside the head by his fellow musician, Jihoon. “Keep talking loosely like that and you might just get thrown into the dungeons.”

“And our drinks are far from cheap,” Yuta adds with an eyeroll.

As usual, Joshua dismisses all their concerns with an easy laugh, insisting that there’s no need for anyone to be afraid of being imprisoned for being casual with him.

“When I’m here, I want you all to think of me just like everyone else,” he says with a smile so genuine, not a single staff member could even hope to refuse him.

Since he’s quite exceptional at keeping a low profile, it was mutually decided by everyone to just let the prince do as he pleases—soaking in all the noise and bonding over conversation with you and the other staff members after hours. It’s an unlikely interaction and an even unlikelier friendship, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Kazuha even joked that there’s no harm in seeing a pretty face every now and again. While you completely agreed, she doesn’t have to know that. Not at all.

He sticks around through the scorching hot summer and even the bleakest of winter. It’s gotten to the point that none of you are baffled by his constant presence anymore. By the time spring is upon Seraphia, Joshua still lingers by the sidelines.

Then comes the day the royal family announced that they were looking for wind elementals interested in becoming the kingdom’s first Stormwatchers. Yuta’s first reaction upon hearing the news was to put his little sister up for the job, but since Kazuha is yet to graduate from the Academy, she immediately shot down his encouragement. 

Along with that is the city-wide notice of an upcoming music festival. Similar celebrations aren’t rare in Seraphia, but one dedicated solely to singing and dancing in the streets of the capital is the first of its kind. Seokmin and Jihoon’s circle of musicians practically implodes with glee at the news—your two regular performers immediately asking for a few nights off in order to make the necessary preparations for the festival.

With so many things sprouting in everyone’s agendas, it’s no surprise that you don’t see Joshua for a while either. You have an inkling that all these new updates from the royal family have something to do with the things the prince has learned during his time hanging out in the pub. 

You’re not sure whether that’s a good thing or not, but the mere thought has you sighing dreamily like a schoolgirl with a crush.

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

Stopping by the Jeon Flower Emporium isn’t something you get to do a lot given the nature of your job and the biorhythm it forces you to operate on. The owner, Wonwoo, is one of your long-time friends. He typically opens up shop at the crack of dawn and packs everything away an hour before dusk. When you do get to drop by, it’s typically on your days off—much like today.

“Good morning, Wonwoo.” You smile at him before letting your eyes drift onto the bouquet he’s putting together by the counter. “How has business been faring?”

Wonwoo cracks you a grin that would make any maiden swoon as he ties the flowers together with expert hands. “A bit slow, if I’m being honest. But I am hopeful for more customers now that the royal family announced a music festival coming up. Those kinds of things bring in more tourists to the capital than you’d think.”

The two of you exchange quiet laughs before Wonwoo tells you about a rather complicated order he received a few days ago. 

“An entire plant box full of flowers,” he chuckles. “I haven’t done any orders like that before, but this client is sort of a big deal, so I couldn’t really refuse.”

“I’m sure you won’t disappoint,” you encourage him. “My mother doesn’t consider you her favorite florist for nothing, you know.” 

Wonwoo shakes his head. “My mother is Auntie's favorite florist. Don’t go mixing things up just to flatter me. Oh, by the way…”

“Hm? What is it?”

Your friend leaves the bouquet he’s been putting together for a moment before walking off to one of the many shelves inside his shop. Wonwoo hums a song that you could’ve sworn you’d heard Seokmin sing a few nights ago before his eyes light up once he finds what he’s looking for.

“I received a shipment of these from Ancarra yesterday and I immediately thought of you,” he says, gesturing for you to come closer.

Curiously, you pad over to Wonwoo’s side, taking a look at what he wanted to show you. The moment your eyes catch on a beautiful patch of daisies, however, you feel your mouth go dry.

“I still remember the time Auntie asked my mother to preserve the little daisy you found back then,” Wonwoo murmurs all while caressing the flowers with his gloved hand before shifting his spectacled gaze towards you. “Do you still have it?”

If Wonwoo sees the way you hesitate to answer his question, he doesn’t show it. “I do. It’s in my parents’ house though. I feel like if I took it with me to my place, it would die in three business days despite the preservation magic.”

“Nonsense,” Wonwoo laughs. “You’re always so hard on yourself. Just because you have ice magic, doesn’t mean that every plant you touch will freeze up and die.”

“You don’t know that.” 

Your friend rolls his eyes. “I do. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a second because—”

“Oh. Fancy seeing you here.”

You nearly jump out of your own skin when you hear that familiar voice calling out from behind you. Unlike yourself, Wonwoo isn’t even fazed by the sudden arrival of one Prince Joshua inside his shop. In fact, he even beams at the unexpected(?) visitor. Does everyone think meeting royalty like this isn’t a big deal anymore? 

“H-Hello, Your Highness,” you stammer, trying not to get too distracted by the way he carries himself so gallantly. It’s the first time you’ve seen him out of his usual disguises whenever he stops by the pub. You would’ve appreciated a heads up from the gods so you can at least mentally prepare yourself for this.

“I often stop by here to admire Wonwoo’s flowers since there aren’t a lot of them in the castle.” Joshua smiles—that pearly white smile that could easily bring you to your knees—before turning to face Wonwoo. “Well…that and I have a pending order from our resident florist here.”

So he’s the one who booked Wonwoo for that order he was talking about earlier. 

“I see…” You muse, forcibly taming your heartbeat into normalcy. “But, can’t you just grow them yourself? Or have someone else grow them for you? I’m certain your servants would be more than happy to do it for you.”

You half-expect Joshua to downplay your words like he usually would whenever someone in the pub brought up something concerning the castle. He’s a man who likes deflecting things like that easily, never one to talk about complicated topics. 

But for some reason, Joshua’s smile falls just a little before he lets out an airy laugh.

“Haha, I wish I could.”

Wonwoo eventually excuses himself because he still has an order to put together before his client comes to pick the flowers up. You want to tell Wonwoo not to leave you alone with Joshua because you might just melt into a puddle right there on the floor of his shop, but alas, your friend sees no problem in doing just that.

You fear that it would be too awkward to bear. This is the first time you’ve been around the prince without anyone else pitching into the conversation. Would he think you’re not worth talking to? Would he think you were strange for not being casual with him like everyone else seems to be? 

The flurry of questions that surge inside your head sort of angers you because…you never overthink your interactions with other people to this extent. You’re a bartender, for gods’ sake. It’s your job to talk to people. 

“So how do you and Wonwoo know each other?” 

You perk up at the prince’s question. It’s not that you didn’t expect him to initiate—because of course he would—but you’re mildly thrown off guard by the inquiry.

“Our mothers were best friends,” you explain, tucking your clammy hands behind your back.

Joshua raises an eyebrow. “Were?” 

“Oh, uh, Wonwoo’s mother passed away a few years ago.” Glancing over his shoulder, you watch Wonwoo quietly work on the bouquet with an easygoing look on his face, making sure your voice won’t reach him. “She used to own this shop, but Wonwoo has been manning it ever since her passing. He even quit the Academy just so he can keep the business afloat.” 

From the looks of it, this seems like news to Joshua. “I’m— I’m sorry. The question was somewhat out of turn. Forgive me.”

You shake your head. “There’s absolutely no need to apologize, Your Highness. Wonwoo is perfectly happy with continuing his mother’s legacy like this. I’m sure you’ve seen it for yourself.”

“Hmm… He is very passionate about his work,” Joshua notes with a small smile. “I wouldn’t have commissioned him to arrange my order if that wasn’t the case.”

“Speaking of…” Your voice trails off, recalling the details that Wonwoo imparted earlier about an entire plant box full of flowers. “If I may ask, what’s the occasion? Are you perhaps ordering the flowers for the music festival?”

Joshua blinks in nonplus, as if taken aback by your inquiry as well. Still, his posture doesn’t falter and he shakes his head with a chuckle—a tinge of red dusting both his cheeks and the tips of his ears. 

“No. It’s for someone I’ve had my eyes on for a while now,” he admits and you feel your heart sink at the shy manner he says it.

Someone he’s had his eyes on…

It shouldn’t surprise you that someone like Prince Joshua could arrange such grand gestures for the person who makes his heart race. But the fact that he has a person like that makes your stomach twist uncomfortably. 

You’re happy for him. A person who constantly looks after the people as often and as earnestly as Joshua does deserves a person he can lean on from time to time, too. But you can’t deny the ugly feeling that coils in your chest at the knowledge no matter how badly you want to.

Fortunately, Joshua is quick to change the topic before you can force yourself to voice out your well wishes for his pursuit of a lover. 

“Now that you mentioned the music festival though, I’m glad the news has reached you,” he laughs softly. “It took me a while to convince the old crones in the royal court to put the show underway. The gods know how stubborn they can be when it comes to making what they think are unnecessary expenses. But I thought it would be a good avenue to bring together not just the nobles and commoners of the capital, but also the kingdom’s musicians.” 

You don’t know how to react first—be endeared at the thought that he thinks so fondly of his constituents or laugh at the fact that the epitome of princeliness himself called the elders of the royal court ‘old crones’. In the end, you decide on neither and just appreciate the fact that he’s comfortable enough to tell you all of this.

“You got that right,” you tell him. “Yuta, Kazuha, and I were getting sick of the old traditional festivals. I’m pretty sure I can say the same for the rest of the people in the city, so it’s good that you decided to spice things up a little. What’s more is that you’re inviting people outside the capital for the festivities.”

Joshua nods as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Well, everyone within the borders of Seraphia is our people. It wouldn’t be fair for anyone to confine the celebrations here.”

Gods. How were you supposed to not fall for someone like him?

“That said, may I do the honors of inviting you and the others back at the pub?” He offers up another handsome smile. “Seokmin and Jihoon already signed up as performers along with a couple of other musicians all across the kingdom. I figured that all of you would appreciate getting front row seats to the show.”

Pushing away any and all unsavory thoughts about the prince and his would-be muse, you muster up a smile that, admittedly, doesn’t really reach your eyes.

“Well, if it’s a personal invite from the prince himself, we’d be heathens not to accept.”

You part ways with Joshua and Wonwoo a few moments later, saying that you still have some errands to run in the market. Definitely not because it stings to stare at someone who you never had a chance to have for even a second longer. 

But before you’re even ten steps away from the front door of the Jeon Flower Emporium, someone forcibly yanks on your arm—making you whirl around with equal parts confusion and surprise. When you realize it’s Joshua, you’re even more flabbergasted than you already are.

He pants as if he just sprinted out of the shop just to catch you—his princely demeanor making way for something bordering on desperate, but not really. Though you can’t pay his constitution that much mind because you’re hyper focused on the way his warm fingers enclose your wrist. 

“I-Is anything the matter, Your Highness?”

Joshua startles at the question as if he was in a trance himself. He takes a second to gather his thoughts before straightening out—clearing his throat awkwardly with his fist before offering you something in his other hand.

A daisy.

“I swear I’m going to pay for that when I go back to the shop,” he clarifies with a sheepish look.

With hesitance shining on your face, you accept his gift, trying not to collapse in a heap of tears in the middle of town. Joshua’s eyes seem to light up when you take it from his hand and you will your magic not to ruin the moment—to let you have something nice for once.

“Thank you,” you murmur, unable to help the way your face reddens. “But…why?”

“Why?”

“Why’d you give this to me?”

The pleased look on Joshua’s face morphs into confusion and then…embarrassment. 

“I…” His voice trails off as if he’s struggling to find the words. “I just thought even the Ice Queen deserves to receive flowers.”

If it was Yuta who said those words to your face, you would’ve blasted him with a hit from your ice magic. But this isn’t Yuta, it’s Joshua.

The prince you’ve been in love with since you were ten years old.

You don’t know the rhyme or reason behind his choice to pluck one of Wonwoo’s freshly imported daisies off the shelves; to run after you—a complete nobody—out of the shop before you can go any farther. But you bring the dainty little flower to your chest, cradling it carefully in your hands like you’re afraid it will vanish in an instant.

Instead of going to the market like you initially planned, you make a detour to your childhood home near the outskirts of the capital. You catch your father chopping wood in the front yard while your mother prepares lunch inside the house. Needless to say, your parents are more than happy to see you back home.

After having a quick meal with them, your father goes back to making enough lumber for the neighborhood while you ask your mother, “Can I see the flowers again?”

A puzzled look graces her face, but she nods anyway—leading you to the back where she grew flowers the same way she raised you.

“Have you seen Wonwoo lately, dear?” she wonders as she lets you marvel at the garden that continues to grow every time you visit. “He always asks about the little daisy his mother enchanted back then. Saying he’s concerned her preservation magic might fade away, but he keeps forgetting she used to be one of the best plant mages in the entire kingdom. That boy, seriously…”

As your mother drones on and on about Wonwoo’s concerns, your heart warms at the sight of a small pedestal that your mother bought to place the flower in question. 

It’s a little daisy just like the one Joshua handed to you earlier today. But what makes this one different is that, not only is it enchanted with the preservation magic of Wonwoo’s late mother, but it was given to you once upon a time by the same prince that still makes your heart flutter to this day.

Ten year-old Prince Joshua fashioned it with his own hands, with his own magic before giving it to you as a gift. 

For being braver than anyone I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes.

You place the brand new daisy right next to it in the pot—despite knowing that it probably won’t take root anymore and that the preservation magic won’t extend to it as well. Your mother watches your every move with a confused look on her face, but asks no questions.

You hoped she wouldn’t. Especially since you still live by the things she told you when you were still younger.

You and him are on opposite ends. You must keep that in mind.

“Anything interesting going on at work?” 

That’s the first thing she asks when you head back to the living room to gather the rest of your things. You humor her with a noncommittal hum. 

“Not really. Why?”

She pouts. “Really? No suitors at all?” You groan, but your mother just continues. “Wonwoo could be a good choice, dear. He’s always such a sweetheart. Maybe even that singer you keep telling me about…Seokmin? Oh, but aren’t you getting along well with your employer’s son, too? What’s his name? Yuta?”

“Mother,” you plead—nearly balking at the idea of being romantically involved with any of the men she just mentioned. (Okay, maybe Wonwoo isn’t too bad of a choice, but that’s not the point here.)

She ends up giggling like a socialite who just heard the juiciest gossip from her friends, but in the end your mother resorts to just smoothing her hand comfortingly across your back.

“I know, I know. It’s just that you’re at marriageable age now, dear. You should start thinking about these things sooner rather than later.”

Sooner rather than later, huh…

Even as you make the trip back to the city to run the errands you’ve been putting off, your mother’s words echo inside your head over and over.

In hindsight, you could’ve fallen for the childhood friend who owns a flower shop, the singer who takes the stage of the bar every other day. Hell, even the owner’s flirtatious son could’ve been a better choice. 

But you can’t really help it if your heart longs for a prince who’s in love with somebody else.

It doesn’t take long before Prince Joshua’s engagement is announced.

The kingdom is in high spirits—talk of the youngest prince finally tying the knot like he deserves fills every nook and cranny of the capital for days to come. He’s going to be wed to a commoner from the far east by spring next year and when Kazuha read the headline about it out loud one night at the pub, you try your best to act as supportive as you wished you were.

A commoner. He’s going to be marrying a commoner—not some socialite from high society, not a royal like himself, but a commoner. 

Someone like you, but at the same time isn’t because you doubt you’d be able to charm someone like Joshua in the next life either. It’s a bitter thought that simmers in the back of your head, but you’re smart enough not to dwell on it too much.

As expected, Joshua’s visits start to grow few and far in-between after that. Apart from his engagement with a woman named Hyejin, he’s tasked to venture off to the neighboring kingdom of Ancarra for the purpose of strengthening diplomatic relations. The gossip mongers in the pub whisper about how his older brother Jeonghan is accompanying him as well since his rumored fiancée is of Ancarran royalty but you can hardly vouch for the credibility of your alcoholic regulars.

That said, it’s become somewhat…lonelier in the pub. 

A few months after Joshua’s engagement, Kazuha was required by the Academy to venture far north to train under a wind mage rumored to be hundreds of years old. But you can’t really trust anything that Yuta says, so you simply sent her off with a bottle of aged wine to enjoy during her stay in case she misses you too much.  

Then there’s Yuta, your arch-nemesis. The bastard actually went ahead and got himself a day job at the local swordsmith’s shop. Though the need for weaponry has decreased over the years since there are no longer any wars to fight, he seemed very optimistic about his new occupation, so you didn’t say a word—not even in playful spite—when he broke the news. To his credit, he promised to hire additional staff to compensate for the loss in manpower, and that he’d still drop by the pub whenever he isn’t too exhausted. 

“So that you won’t get too lonely without us,” Yuta snickered before you froze his champagne before he could even take a sip. 

With both Prince Joshua and the siblings preoccupied with their own lives, that leaves you with less company than you’re used to. The new hires that Yuta promised offered more help than he ever did in the pub, but Shotaro and Sungchan are still too nervous to speak to you casually, much less squander time with you after hours. They’re out of the doors once they’ve helped clean up for closing time—leaving you with only Jihoon and Seokmin to hang out with in the rare chance that they still have energy after a long night of performing.

Every now and again, you catch a whiff of gossip in the wind—just some insignificant updates about Joshua. Both for his engagement and the constant back-and-forth trips he makes between Seraphia and Ancarra. 

Rumor has it that the royal family is hosting a ball after a while to mark Hyejin’s sixth month into her royal assimilation. It would be her first public appearance as Joshua’s fiancée, so it would make sense that more than half the citizens in the capital are highly anticipating it. 

The news doesn’t bother you as much as the engagement did. By now, your attraction to the prince is water under the bridge. Who cares if you were close enough to befriend him at one point? To let him become someone even more, if you’re pushing your delusions into the light? You’re content with having him as a friend and those nights you spent with your rowdy bunch in the pub are things you’d definitely spend years cherishing from the bottom of your heart.

In fact, you actually started to consider your mother’s advice recently. Though you’re nowhere near old, you’re not getting any younger either. Maybe you should start being more proactive with looking for a lover to settle down with in the future.

The first candidate is Wonwoo. 

He’s handsome enough that even noble socialites would ogle him by the window of his shop—going as far as purchasing bouquets just for a chance to speak with him. Plus, you practically grew up with him. If you were to pursue the man, you’d be past the awkward phase of getting to know each other. 

But you also remember Wonwoo bringing up that he isn’t really looking for anything romantic. He mentioned wanting to focus on the shop and provide for his father and younger brother at home. This happened before you started considering him as a prospect of your future affections, so that definitely saved you the time and effort and sheer trepidation that comes with switching things up with your childhood friend. Besides, you never really saw him that way.

The next is Seokmin. 

You’re not really sure why your mother even brought his name up when listing your potential lovers. Sure, you and him would dance around the pub after hours once both of you have had a drink too many, but things between you and the veteran singer never really bordered on anything more than platonic. Plus, Seokmin has a habit of sleeping with different women every week. It’s not that you have anything against that, but it just goes to show that he’s definitely not ready to settle down either.

Last is…Yuta.

Out of all the men your mother considered having as a son-in-law, he was definitely the last one you’d choose. Not only does he push all of your buttons and piss you off for the hell of it, but he’s even worse than Seokmin when it comes to his playboy tendencies. 

What makes it worse is that he’s so discreet about it, too! Most of the pub’s patrons simply know Yuta as the owner’s cool son with equally cool lightning magic. Despite how he looks, surely he wouldn’t be the type to break a poor maiden’s heart after one passionate night with them, right?

The answer to that is: no. 

You and Kauzha have dealt with dozens of ladies acting as if Yuta scorned them because the bastard just left without a word in the morning after a night of debauchery. Seokmin at least has the decency to say goodbye to his paramours and sets clear boundaries. There’s absolutely none of that with Yuta.

Which means you’re definitely smart enough to not get involved with someone like him. You’ve already set Prince Joshua as the standard. Surely, you wouldn’t find yourself in a situation where you have to pick the bar off the floor, right? For a man who you’d rather throw into a pool full of eels than say a polite good evening to, no less.

The answer to that is…

Also no.

In your defense, you were drunk. And lonely. And you never really denied the fact that, for all his irritating glory, Yuta is still objectively attractive. 

Besides, it’s not like the two of you went all the way. You merely confided your lack of a love life to him one random Saturday evening since Kazuha was already away for training. You wouldn’t dare admit it to his face, but Yuta was actually good at holding a decent conversation once the both of you got your heads out of your asses. 

You told him about Joshua, about your mother’s advice, and about how you feel like you’re going to die all alone in the world. He snickered, saying you’re overreacting again, but he doesn’t make any snide quips about the way you felt. 

Instead he propositioned you with, “How about this: let me kiss you. If you don’t feel anything—not even a single spark—then you might as well cross me out of your list of potential lovers.”

You remember staring at him incredulously before slurring, “But you can always just shock me with your magic, asshole. Don’t try to cheat your way into my heart.”

“You really think I’d cheat over something like this?” 

He sounded so serious when he asked, you didn’t have the heart to bite back with a snarky reply. Instead, you let your eyes drift to his grimacing lips. 

Yuta isn’t Joshua—he’ll never be.

But you’ll never be with the prince either, so you took the leap of faith, fisted the front of Yuta’s shirt, and kissed him.

Part of you is convinced that night changed the way things were between the two of you, despite his insistence that it’s alright, Ice Queen. I’m just not your type, and that’s not a big deal at all. Maybe it was what made him get a day job so he’d have an excuse to see you less—to talk to you less.

But you never really liked making things about you so you never really said anything when you watched Yuta walk out of the pub that night—with a slump to his shoulders that you can’t quite forget about. 

Thankfully, things seem to have reverted back to normal when he visits tonight, giving Sungchan and Shotaro a run for their money with how many mugs of beer he’s ordering for the friend he brought with him.

“That’s it, stuff this guy full before he avoids me for an entire year again,” Yuta barks out a grating laugh as he slings an arm around his friend, a fire elemental named Chan. “This bastard went all the way to the southern cities to train just like Kazuha’s doing right now and he didn’t even bother telling me!”

You’ve met Chan a few times in the past. He and Yuta are drinking buddies, but you’ve stopped seeing him around the time Joshua started hanging out here. Even if you barely knew the guy, it’s nice seeing another familiar face.

“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, calm down,” he laughs before downing another mug and wiping the moisture off his lips. “Although I did come here with an ulterior motive.”

Yuta hums. “Came here to chase skirts or something? Sorry to say but half the women in this place are wrapped around Seokminnie’s finger. You can’t even seduce ‘em if you tried.”

Chan snorts before punching Yuta’s chest playfully and for a moment, your eyes catch on something around his pinky. A ring? No… It looks like a small blue flower tied around the base. 

“Don’t lump me in with you,” Chan complains, snapping you out of your momentary fixation. “I meant to ask Kazuha to be my plus one for this ball that our town’s royal mage is telling me to attend. But then you said your sister is all the way up north.” 

“Zuha’s way too young for you,” Yuta points out with a huff before gesturing to you. “How about Ice Queen over here? She could probably use the time to unwind and meet more people.”

You bring down his drink in front of him with a glare. “Don’t just go volunteering other people without their consent, douchebag.”

Yuta snickers before taking his first sip, and though you refuse to let it show, you’re somewhat glad that he’s back to grating on your nerves as usual. “Okay, fine. I’ll let Chan do all the asking then.”

You’re convinced that Chan wouldn’t really jump the gun right away and ask you just like Yuta suggested. After all, even if you do have mutual friends, you barely know each other. It would be wise to invite someone he’s more acquainted with for an important function like a ball.

But he continues to surprise you by bringing his hands together and bowing his head—pleading almost desperately. “Please be my plus one! I don’t know who else to ask and I’ve only got tonight left to find someone.”

“Tonight?” you echo disbelievingly.

Chan lifts his head to nod sullenly. “The ball I was asked to attend is the one that’s going to be held at the royal castle tomorrow. You know, for the first public appearance of Prince Joshua’s fiancée?”

Silence hangs between the three of you, eclipsing the rowdy background noise from the other patrons. You don’t dare look in Yuta’s direction—afraid that he realized how attending an event where Joshua would be present would affect you. 

Your first instinct is to decline. After all, you’ve done so well for the past few months. Joshua is but a dream that you can’t attain, and it’s growing easier to accept that with each day you don’t see him. He’s better off on his designated pedestal in the royal castle—dazzling, but completely far out of reach. You’re afraid that seeing him again would make everything you worked so hard for crumble to dust in a second.

But another part of you—the more foolish one, unfortunately—longs to see him again. His kind smile. His gallant posture. Everything.

So of course it’s a no-brainer when you say:

“Yes. I’d love to come with you.”

Okay, maybe agreeing to be Chan’s plus one is more of a hassle than it’s worth.

First of all, you had a dress to worry about. Where the hell can you get a dress that’s worthy of being worn to an important royal celebration at such short notice? It’s not like you had the extra cash to spare for something like this either. 

The next is the dawning realization that you’re going to be surrounded by nobles for the entire night. While Chan reassured that he himself is a commoner too, and that other commoners were also invited here and there, it doesn’t change the fact that you don’t have enough exposure to high society to know how to act.

“Yuta’s told me a lot about you already, and I know for a fact that you’ll do just fine,” your partner reassures with a smile. “Just…don’t accidentally freeze anyone or their drinks and you’ll be alright.”

…The revelation that Yuta talks about you to Chan aside, his words do prove to be somewhat reassuring. He also promised to pay for your dress, makeup and overall styling at his superior’s expense (“Are you sure he even knows you’re spending his money?” “Relax, I’ve got it all under control.”) All you had to do was show up tomorrow at the inn he’s renting a room a few hours before the party starts.

However, these pre-celebration anxieties pale in comparison to the nerve-wracking jitters that intermittently seize you in the ball itself.

You’ve never been to the castle before—much less, the massive ballroom inside. Seraphia is a kingdom with centuries’ worth of history written into the land and part of that history is the countless celebrations held by the royals of old. You can’t help but feel jarringly out of place somewhere like this. In a room full of lavishly dressed guests—majority of which are nobles—you’re pathetically inferior.

It’s kind of comforting to know that Chan might just be feeling the same way.

“Gods, this place is making me so nervous,” he admits as he leads you to the table serving refreshments and champagne by the arm. “Parties were never really my thing.”

“That makes two of us then,” you chuckle softly, hoping the other guests in the vicinity won’t overhear. “Do you know anyone else here? 

Chan shakes his head. “Right now? No. But she’ll come out later though.”

Now that piques your curiosity. “She?”

Your partner’s face immediately flushes at the realization that he just ratted himself out. He sighs, carding his fingers through his hair as he lets his eyes drift towards the orchestra in the far end of the room.

“You know the prince’s fiancèe, right? Hyejin?” he asks and you nod. “Well, we…live in the same town. We grew up together, she’s my best friend. But I haven’t seen her in a long time since she’s been confined at the castle for her assimilation and I trained for a few months in the southern cities.”

Chan absentmindedly twists the floral ring around his finger as he says the words. A nervous tic, maybe? There’s also a twinge of fondness in his voice that you vaguely recognize. It’s the same way your mother talks about your father. The same way Jihoon talks about his music. 

The same way Joshua talks about the things he does for Seraphia.

You don’t voice out your suspicions, aware that though you and Chan have developed some level of camaraderie as people who both feel out of place here, you’re not close enough to pry about his friendship with Hyejin. 

Besides, the ball is already beginning before you can even have a chance to contemplate doing so.

The royal family comes out one by one. First, the king and queen themselves—greeted by the loudest of applause by their loving people. You don’t see them very often, but it’s clear that the years are starting to catch up to them. Though the royal couple still looks stunning as always, no one can deny the graying streaks in their hair and the waning youthfulness on their faces. 

It’s no wonder everyone is anticipating Joshua and Hyejin’s wedding. 

The next is the eldest prince, Jeonghan. He emerges from the doors of the ballroom with confidence oozing in every stride. You’re certain that he's well aware that he’s easily the most controversial person inside this room, but this man just does not give a single damn. You find yourself admiring the way he carries himself—so similar to the way Joshua does, but not at the same time. 

And then…there’s the stars of the night.

You haven’t been counting time between now and the night you last saw Joshua, but it’s as if the months flit past you in mere seconds. If you haven’t realized just how much you actually missed him earlier, you do now. 

Joshua’s hair is longer, dipping in swift curls just above his eyes. He’s radiant—almost blinding in the way he smiles and waves at the crowd with his fiancèe in his arm. 

His fiancèe… Hyejin.

She’s easily the most gorgeous woman you’ve laid your eyes on today. There’s a hint of shyness on her face as she periodically nods at those they pass by to congratulate them, but there’s also a firm conviction that would reassure any onlooker that she knows exactly who she is and what she came here for. 

It’s one thing to overhear the rumors and gossip circulating around the city, but it’s another to actually see the intended couple in the flesh.

However, in the middle of the queen’s opening speech, you notice that Chan hasn’t said a single word to you since the ceremony started. You glance at him from the corner of your eye, intent on asking if he’s alright. But then you realize that his gaze is completely trained on Hyejin—completely enraptured by the sight of her. 

The way his hand tightens around the flute of his champagne glass isn’t lost on you, but you don’t comment on that either.

Next thing you know, the opening dance led by the next royal couple is starting, and you force yourself to watch despite how much it physically makes your heart ache.

Joshua and Hyejin are in perfect sync. Like two people who have known each other all their lives. They move fluidly to the music of the orchestra, eyes never leaving each other as they traverse the dance floor.

You vaguely remember hearing that Hyejin also practices plant magic, like Joshua used to years ago. It’s no wonder how in tune they are to each other’s movements. Their elemental affinities already make them such a perfect match.

Time passes by far too slowly and you’d almost consider watching the love of your life dancing so gleefully with someone who isn’t you another form of torture. Once the first song ends and all the other guests prepare for the exchange dances, you can’t help but breathe out a sigh in relief. 

Surprisingly enough, the idea of dancing with nobles you don’t even know doesn’t make you as nervous as you thought it would. With how much drunken dancing you’ve done with Seokmin and Yuta in the pub, you figure that this wouldn’t be that much different. You just have to keep yourself from stepping on anyone’s toes, probably. 

Of course, Chan takes up the title of being your first partner—doing a ceremonial bow that has you rolling your eyes at him before melting into a fit of laughter. You try to push down the visceral emotions that coiled in your chest only minutes before and let yourself enjoy the privilege of being invited to such an exclusive event. 

You’ll never have Joshua—this, you already know. And you’re not about to waste any more of your time moping over something that’s already set in stone.

The dances pass by in a blur. You get passed around to several gentlemen who are actually more amicable than you thought nobles would be. The partners get switched up so quickly, you barely get their names before parting ways. But you do recall dancing with a fellow who calls himself Haechan for two reasons:

The first is that he just would not stop boasting about the things his parents have done in their town, the affluence his family affords him, and the “fact” that women back home trip on their skirts chasing after him. 

The second is, while you’re busy awkwardly nodding and smiling at Haechan’s endless monologue, you spot Chan in the crowd of dancing guests—hand in hand with Hyejin herself.

If you thought she and Joshua were in sync, it’s as if Hyejin shares the same heartbeat with Chan with how they move together. They’re completely enraptured in each other. Despite the obvious banter going on between the two of them mid-dance, it’s as if they’re in their own little world—not a single care given to the people around them. 

You don’t know if you should feel happy for Chan or not because if your hunch is right…

Then that just means he’ll be forced to watch the love of his life marry someone else in a few months’ time—just like yourself.

By the grace of the gods, you’re finally liberated from Haechan’s clutches and into your next partner’s arms. But right after curtsying before him, you nearly trip on your own feet when you realize who it is.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Joshua greets, repeating the same words he told you back in Wonwoo’s shop a lifetime ago with the same smile that you see even in your dreams.

You can’t find the words. You can’t even muster up the courage to say hello or anything remotely similar. The words stick to your throat like cotton, despite the fact that you’ve spent countless nights imagining what you would say to the prince in the off chance that you’d get to speak to him again. 

Thankfully, Joshua is more attentive than you are and immediately gets into position once the next song starts playing. 

You try not to think about how warm the hand resting on your hip is; how perfectly your fingers seem to slot between the spaces his other hand the two of you sway to the beat. Because the more you think about it, the more you’ll remember. 

The more you’ll remember, the more you’ll hope.

And you’ve known for the longest time that hope is a fickle, fickle thing.

“Can I ask how you wound up on our guestlist, dear Ice Queen?”

Your magic doesn’t react very kindly to Joshua’s teasing, and you immediately feel the flesh of your fingers drop several degrees. Joshua seems to notice the sudden chill and laughs before twirling you around.

“I’m here as someone’s plus one, nothing else,” you explain with a sigh before forcibly retracting your magic. The last thing you want to do is accidentally kill the most influential person in this room next to the king and queen. “But…you could even say I missed you a little, Your Highness.”

What the hell? 

You have to fight the urge to cover your mouth with your hand because of the utter shamelessness in your words. But to your relief, Joshua seems to take it in stride—his handsome smile never ceasing.

“Forgive me, things have been…very hectic as of late,” he confesses with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to just stop showing up like I did but believe it or not, I’ve had very little free time since the engagement.”

You shake your head at that. “Why are you apologizing? You don’t owe us any of your time, you know. We’re happy to have served you before, and we’ll still be happy to do that even if it takes you fifty years to drop by again.”

“Now don’t be so obtuse! I’ll make sure to pay you a visit once things start mellowing out again. That’s a promise.”

Pay you a visit… 

You know he means everyone back in the pub as a whole. But that stupidly foolish voice in your head insists that you should let yourself dream sometimes—no matter how impossible.

“Don’t go make promises you can’t keep or everyone will be very disappointed, Prince Joshua,” you chuckle, willing any halfwitted thoughts away.

The prince shakes his head before reaching up to tuck a loose tuft of hair behind your ear. You aren’t able to school your surprise into something less pronounced in time, and you’re sure as hell he saw the way your eyes widened at the gesture.

“One thing you should know about me is that I always keep my word,” he murmurs so softly, you barely catch the words over the music. “Always.”

…Why is he doing this?

Why is he unknowingly stringing you along with a false sense of hope? Why is he acting so outlandishly affectionate in the company of a hundred other nobles who might see what he was doing? With his fiancèe in the same room, no less?

But for once—for goddamn once—you give in to the foolish part of your brain. To all the false hopes. To all the delusions. 

Just for one night, you let yourself believe that perhaps, if things were a little different, if you’d been just a little braver when you had the chance…

Joshua would’ve loved you back.

The song comes to an end and so does your brief daydream of a happy ever after. You spot Hyejin scurrying through the crowd in search of her fiancè in no time, and you lean closer to Joshua’s ear to let him know.

It shouldn’t surprise you how his face lights up. How quickly he turns around to see his intended for himself. And you shouldn’t feel as heartbroken as you do when all he does in farewell is give you a minute nod before reuniting with his future wife.

As you stand there, amidst a sea of nobles in a place where you don’t belong, the reality check you so direly needed finally dawns on you.

You’ll never have Joshua. Not in a million years. 

But you damn wish you could. 

As the head bartender of the pub for a few years now, you like to think that both your regulars and the new faces you see around have come to trust you easily. Aside from being able to mix and serve a spectrum of drinks off the menu, it’s implicit in your job description to be an empath. Sure, you can always just serve them their drinks and go about your day, but that transactional type of behavior doesn’t make people keep coming back for more, it’s your hospitable personality.

From puppy crushes to marriages ruined by third parties, you’ve been on the receiving end of countless stories from countless customers. While you’re no expert when it comes to love, it still pays to lend a willing ear to someone who direly needs it. Talking to people about their problems is easy; all you have to do is offer some comfort at the right time. 

So why are you suddenly so clueless when it comes to Prince Joshua’s predicament?

You thought you wouldn’t be seeing him again after that rainy night. That he’d drift out of your orbit like he usually does just when your heart starts to delude you into thinking he’s finally within reach again. But it’s as if the past year hadn’t happened at all, and the next thing you know, he’s back to visiting the pub disguised as a commoner all over again. 

You’re no fool, though. Despite the fact that Joshua seems to have settled back into his habit of observing others whilst nursing a glass of his favorite Oak Walker, things are far from the way they were back then. 

You often catch him lost in thought, staring so deeply into space that you’re almost always compelled to ask if he’s alright. But you don’t because you know he’s not alright and you intend to respect that by giving him the time and space he needs. 

But while you busy yourself concocting the orders of other patrons, a sinister voice in the back of your head whispers the foulest things. How the gods finally gave you another chance to have the prince to yourself. How the stars have surely aligned for Joshua’s engagement to come to an end just when you thought all hope was lost.

You ignore all these ridiculous thoughts. You’ve already accepted a long time ago that the prince would never see you the way he saw Hyejin. And you’re not so wicked that you’d take advantage of his state of vulnerability for your own gain.

After all, you’re his friend before anything else. If the day ever comes that Joshua would confide his sorrows in you, you’d tell him the words you think he needs to hear and offer just enough solace like you have with your past heartbroken patrons. 

Nothing more, nothing less.

Except he doesn’t do that. Joshua doesn’t say a single word about how and why he and Hyejin split ways. Instead, he comes into the pub one night and the look on his face makes you feel like something just…changed. The lines on his face make you think that he still carries that ever-present sadness in his heart, but tonight, you notice that he’s at least learned to smile again. 

It’s not the pearly white grin that he’d crack whenever Yuta makes a tactless joke, or the one he showed the day he ran into you in Wonwoo’s shop. But the fact that Joshua still has it in him to make the corners of his mouth turn up into a gentle smile reassures you that maybe you haven’t lost him to his grief just yet.

“I heard that there’s a group of traveling thespians visiting the capital for a while,” Joshua tells you while you’re in the middle of mixing a gin and tonic. “My brother adores the shows put up by theater troupes all over the continent so he got himself tickets to the show.”

“Okay,” you start, shooting him a curious look to let him keep going.

He hesitates for a sliver of a moment, which is odd because Joshua is someone who’s always sure of himself. Almost awkwardly, he clears his throat—averting his eyes before continuing.

“But it just so happens that Jeonghan had to rush over to Ancarra to deal with a little problem. He won’t be in the capital once the troupe arrives, so he gave me the tickets instead.” Joshua pauses and chews the inside of his cheek. Then, he quietly adds:

“Would you like to accompany me to the show?”

If you were the same person you were a year ago, you probably would’ve dropped the glasses you were just about to hand to Sungchan. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen and all your younger coworker does is ask if you’re okay before you reassure him that it’s nothing he should worry about.

When Sungchan is out of earshot, you glance at Joshua once more. “Come again?”

“I asked if you wanted to go to the show with me,” he says point-blank, the smile on his face widening ever-so slightly. “Of course, there’s absolutely no pressure for you to accept. It’s just a waste of another ticket if I don’t bring anyone else with me to enjoy it.”

…There it is again—that traitorous flare of hope sizzling in your chest. 

How could you not feel it when Joshua makes it sound like, if you ever refuse, he won’t even try asking any of his other friends and acquaintances to go with him? To even consider anyone else other than you as a worthwhile companion to a show that costs an arm and a leg just to see? 

You should hate it; this push and pull you constantly suffer through when it comes to him. The most logical choice is to refuse. But, though you’re loath to admit it…

You’re nothing if not a hopeless fool for him. 

“Sure thing,” you tell him with a face as smooth as butter. “What time does the show start?”

The traveling theater troupe is one of the best you’ve seen. Contrary to your expectations, the tickets didn’t, in fact, cost an arm and a leg. Their group is apparently very well known as thespians who make their tickets affordable for all walks of life. The audience wasn’t confined to a bunch of nobles with extra cash to burn, and the sight of common people like you being able to occupy seats in the capital’s amphitheater warmed your heart more than it should.

Their play is about two would-be lovers who met in their childhood only to meet again eventually as adults. A typical romance between a commoner and a noblewoman that you’ve heard about in every cheap pocketbook that Kazuha likes to read in her spare time. But despite how cliché the story is, the actors easily brought forth a spectrum of emotions that you wouldn’t be able to fully invest yourself in from reading books alone. 

When the male lead was about to die in his lover’s arms, you were already in tears—not even having the hindsight to wipe the moisture off your face as you’re too entranced with the show. But the sound of your companion’s low laughter snaps you out of the momentary surge in emotions. 

You whip your head to face Joshua with a puzzled look, scrambling to dab away the tears in your eyes before asking, “W-What’s so funny?”

The prince shakes his head beneath the hood of his cloak—still disguised for his own safety—before reaching a hand out to gently scrape his knuckles across your damp cheek. “Nothing. I just didn’t think you’d feel so strongly about the story. I was afraid you were growing bored, actually.”

It takes you a moment to process what he was saying to you because your brain is hyper focused on the way his skin feels against yours. Joshua doesn’t just wipe the tears away. He even pats the side of your face with unfamiliar tenderness before retracting his hand back to his side.

Your heart feels like it’s slowly climbing up your throat before finding its place in the roof of your mouth. It would be easier to down five consecutive shots of vodka than fight back the urge to reach for his hand again, but you force yourself to hold your ground. You have to.

“I’m glad to see that you’re enjoying,” he murmurs, brown eyes riveting back to the actors on stage. “Jeonghan spoke very highly of this particular troupe, so I wouldn’t really question the quality of their performances. But seeing them for myself is…an experience.”

“It really is,” you can’t help but murmur in agreement.

(Un)fortunately for you, that’s not the end of it.

The prince’s invitations grow even more frequent as the weeks pass by. If he’d just asked you to share a few drinks together at the pub after hours, you would’ve been able to handle it just fine. Your workplace is comfortable enough for you to forget the fact that Joshua is someone you’re still in the process of getting rid of your feelings for. But for him to ask if you’re free to accompany him in places other than the pub? In broad daylight, no less?

You’re not sure how to feel as a platoon of knights flank you on both sides while Joshua leads you back to an orphanage. He’s telling you about how this place has been under close watch by his brother for years now and that Jeonghan asked him to check on the kids living here from time to time. While you’re glad that he’s back to busying himself with some princely duties, you can’t help but notice the way the knights would glance at you every so often.

You can almost picture the question going through their heads: how could Prince Joshua spend time with another woman when it hasn’t been that long since the engagement was called off? The mere thought of being perceived as some sort of replacement for Hyejin makes you sick to your stomach. You feel the familiar dregs of frost tingling across the skin of your palms, a chill running down the length of your spine. 

That’s another reason why you don’t want yourself to pursue Joshua. You don’t want to be branded as an opportunist of some sort—both by the general public and yourself.

But once you finally make it inside, Joshua instructs the knights to stand by at the courtyard, not wanting to frighten the children by their presence. You’re convinced that at least one of them would protest, but they all receive the prince’s order with surprising obedience. Being freed from their intent stares definitely makes things easier for you.

The orphanage isn’t as massive as you initially thought. Joshua further explains that the director is the daughter of one of Seraphia’s many royal mages. After her father’s passing, she repurposed their family manor into a home for children abandoned by their parents—giving them a more favorable future than they’d otherwise have in the streets.  

From what you can tell, the orphans residing here have been raised with love and care when you meet them. What’s more is that many of the children can already practice their own magic, and it’s for that reason that the royal family—particularly, Jeonghan—is keeping tabs on this place. 

“They’re the next generation of mages that will make the kingdom prosper one day,” Joshua says, quoting his brother. “I don’t stop by here very often, but even I can tell that the mentors Jeonghan hired have been very effective with their teachings.”

As if on cue, two of the children shuffle forward with meek strides. The girl introduces herself as Eri and the boy, Iseul. They flash you and Joshua vibrant smiles before placing a string of vibrant wisterias around both of your necks. 

“Prince Joshua, you’re back!” Iseul giggles with a toothy grin. “But…where’s the other miss? Weren’t you going to marry her?”

The abrupt question makes Eri scowl at Iseul in disbelief. “I-Iseul, don’t be rude!”

“But I was just curious,” the younger boy sulks. 

An uneasy feeling settles in your chest at their words. That could only mean Joshua has brought his ex-fiancée here before, right? Then again, why wouldn’t he? If Hyejin is as benevolent as the newspaper clippings from back then suggested, she wouldn’t be past visiting orphans at least once in her life.

“The miss from back then is fine. She’s already with the person she truly loves,” Joshua explains with a kind smile, crouching down to ruffle Iseul’s hair. “Don’t worry about her. I’m still making sure she’s safe even if we’re no longer in contact.”

The prince’s quiet admission has your eyes widening a fraction. You can’t tell if he’s simply feeding the children a little lie to pacify them, but that’s much too specific a coverup to not have some truth veiled behind it.

As Eri and Iseul scurry back to where the other children are playing, you let your thoughts scatter for a moment. You distinctly recall the time you last went to the royal ball as Chan’s plus one; that brief moment where you saw him and Joshua’s ex-fiancée dancing together as if they’re the ones who were engaged.

Once the pieces finally click, you have to stifle a gasp.

She’s already with the person she truly loves

It all makes sense now.

“Eri made these herself, you know.”

You decide to think of Hyejin and Chan’s relationship some other time, glancing at Joshua inquisitively before perusing the fragrant flowers around your neck. “Really? How?”

“Using the same magic you saw me use all those years ago,” the prince explains with a small smile. “Eri always hesitated with her conjuring magic the last time I was here, but it seems like she’s growing more comfortable with using it day by day.”

“How about you?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

You swallow thickly, unsure if you’re even in the position to ask him this. “I mean… Aren’t you comfortable with using your own magic? Just like Eri is?”

The silence that settles between the two of you is eclipsed by the gleeful noises from the children playing in the wide living area. Joshua’s face is unreadable as he considers your question, and you fear that you might’ve touched up on something that you definitely shouldn’t have.

“...Well, if I’m being honest,” he begins, “I’m not. I haven’t used my magic in years, and I’m afraid that even little Eri is better at conjuring flowers than I’ll ever be.”

You snort. “That’s not true, and you know it.”

“It still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t really have any use for it,” Joshua sighs before raking his fingers through his hair. “Me and my brother grew up being taught that we can always just rely on the royal mages if we end up needing to use magic.”

“But don’t you miss it though?” you wonder. “My magic isn’t the most…convenient, but I can’t imagine living without it. It’s…part of me, you know? I just don’t like thinking about how you’re repressing something that’s clearly a part of you, too.”

Never in a million lifetimes did you think that you’d be speaking about your magic in a positive light. The ice has always been difficult to deal with—especially in times when your emotions are all over the place. But despite that, you wouldn’t be who you are today if it weren’t for your magic.

“I…” Joshua’s voice trails off as he stares at you with wide eyes. “I never really thought about it that way.”

“That’s because you’re too busy being the perfect prince for the people,” you scoff before lightly punching him in the shoulder. “Think about yourself for once, will you?”

“Myself, huh…”

He falls into another bout of silence as if what you said reminded him of something. You don’t pry this time though, letting your eyes drift back to the children instead. But part of you hopes that he’ll take your words into consideration and start being less strict with himself.

Once you both leave the orphanage and Joshua dismisses the other knights, he asks if you want to stop by the Jeon Flower Emporium before he walks you home—an invitation that you’re flattered to receive, yes, but…

“You don’t have to walk me home,” you insist frantically. “I don’t want to take up more of your time than I already did. Besides, I’m familiar with this part of the city, and it isn’t even dusk—”

“What sort of gentleman would I be if I just let the person I invited out for the day go home by herself?” Joshua chuckles softly before flashing you a reassuring smile. “I promise it’s no big deal. It’s not like I have anything of dire consequence to attend to these days.”

Those last few words have you thinking for a moment. You have noticed that Joshua has a lot more free time to spend wandering around the capital than you’re used to. It makes you wonder if the royal family is giving him much needed time to recuperate from what happened with his engagement. 

The knowledge puts you at ease somewhat. Joshua definitely deserves a break after everything he’s been through for the past few weeks.

“Fine,” you relent. “My mother’s been asking me to check on Wonwoo anyways.”

Your childhood friend is in the middle of closing up the shop when you and Joshua arrive. But when Wonwoo’s bespectacled gaze catches sight of the two of you, he immediately stops what he’s doing to meet you by the entrance.

“It’s been a while since you stopped by. Both of you,” Wonwoo comments with a surprised look. 

Joshua laughs. “Well, things have been a little—no, very busy. I’m sure you’ve heard the news.”

Your eyes nearly bug out of their sockets at the nonchalant manner that Joshua addresses the proverbial elephant in the room. All this time, you kept yourself from encroaching on the topic out of fear that it would be a sore spot for him. Yet here he is, bringing it up just like he would the weather.

Wonwoo, the most polite person you know, meets your eyes as if asking for silent confirmation. Is this really okay? He seems to wonder and all you can muster is an awkward smile of your own.

“I…have heard the news,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’m very sorry for what happened, Your Highness.”

The prince shakes his head. “Please, don’t be. We mutually decided on it for both our sakes. Although that aside, I know you’re already closing up, but is it alright to place an impromptu order?”

You and Wonwoo have the same expressions on your face when you both stare at Joshua incredulously. The prince looks one hundred percent serious about his request though, making you wonder why on earth he’d need to purchase flowers all of a sudden.

“Um, of course.” Wonwoo recovers from the stupor fairly quickly before dusting his hands on his apron. “What would you like, Your Highness?”

For the first time since you’ve met him, the smile on Joshua’s face is something that borders on…mischievous. It’s a look you’ve seen Jeonghan wear in the rare chance you do get to meet the eldest prince in person. But you can’t even begin to wonder what would prompt Joshua to flash Wonwoo the same expression. 

Although you do find out shortly after.

“I refuse.”

“Why? You seemed to like it the last time I gave you flowers.”

“Flower. It was just a single daisy, not a whole bouquet!”

“Is it so bad if I want to give something as a token of appreciation? For letting me drag you all over the place even if it’s inconvenient?”

“Oh, so you are aware it’s inconvenient for me?”

“Hence the reason I’m expressing my utmost gratitude.”

Of all the ways you could’ve imagined today turning out, being gifted a bouquet that Wonwoo put together by Prince Joshua is the last thing that would come to mind. Your old friend didn’t seem to have any problems with catering to the sudden request and happily agreed to prepare it while you and Joshua waited in front of the shop.

“You don’t get it, Your Highness,” you sigh exasperatedly, embarrassment prickling the back of your neck. “You can’t just buy flowers for everyone you’re grateful for! Especially after… Ah, whatever! People might get the wrong idea, you know!”

Joshua pouts a little—very unprincely of him, but still disarmingly adorable. “While I take the citizens’ feelings to heart, I don’t see how my personal gifts to you are any of their business.”

Your jaw nearly drops at his admission. Is he being real with you right now?

The next moment, you feel several eyes on your form again—boring their judgemental stares deep into your skin until you can feel the oncoming chill of your magic reacting to them. You let your eyes dart around for a moment, and just like Joshua’s knights from earlier, you spot several passers-by sneaking glances at you and Joshua. 

Given that the trip to the orphanage was an official royal visit, the prince chose to forego his usual disguises. Now here he is, out in the open—bickering with some commoner who’s definitely not the woman he was engaged to just a month ago.

Fuck. You can already see your name plastered on next week’s Daily Tribune.

“An order of daisies to go?”

Wonwoo’s reappearance manages to salvage you from your spiraling train of thought. Joshua steps in before you can even utter another protest, handing him the payment for his purchase before cradling the flowers in his arms.

“Thank you, Wonwoo,” the prince utters with a small nod. “We’ll be heading off now. Take care on your way home.”

Your bespectacled friend doesn’t respond right away. His gaze is trained on the beautiful bunch of daisies he expertly put together. You think he was simply admiring his own handiwork, but then Wonwoo’s eyes flit to Joshua, and then to you. 

His lips curl into a smile that implies he might know something you don’t.

“Of course,” he chuckles. “Thank you as well for your patronage.”

Despite your repeated objections, Joshua ends up walking you home anyways. 

He may be the kingdom’s most esteemed gentleman, but the prince will insist on something he wants to the ends of the earth if he can help it. It’s a good thing that Wonwoo’s shop isn’t very far from your own house, saving you the sheer embarrassment from having to carry a bouquet of flowers with Prince Joshua himself by your side.

“Guess that concludes another eventful day,” he chuckles as you fumble for the keys. “A day well spent indeed.”

You let yourself glare at him for a moment before jamming the key to the front door in the hole. “You’re going to be the death of me one of these days. I genuinely wonder why I’m such a good friend to you.”

Before you can even twist the key to turn the locks, the prince suddenly takes a hold of the hand not holding the bouquet of daisies. You startle at the contact, but before you can even call him out for surprising you like that, Joshua brings the back of your hand up for a kiss.

You can barely feel the brush of his lips on your skin—much too mesmerized by how those honey brown eyes never leave your face as he does it. The gesture lasts for barely a moment, but it feels like lifetimes have unspooled before he peels himself away and lets your hand fall limply by your side.

“I wonder that, too,” he murmurs, the ghost of a smile hovering across his face. “I’ll be going now. Good night, Ice Queen.”

Joshua doesn’t even give you any room to respond. The prince merely straightens himself out, directs another curt nod your way before turning on his heel.

Later in the evening, you lay in bed with Joshua’s flowers sitting in a vase by your nightstand. Even as you stare at the ceiling of your room, the faint fragrance still manages to waft to your nose.

That night, you dream of a time you think you’ll never forget. Of rushing rivers and a runaway pup. 

Of a young prince and flowers given to the brave.

“You’re what?”

That’s Kazuha’s first reaction when you brought her up to speed about everything that transpired while she was gone. As much as you want to celebrate her return and the success of her training in the northern regions, going months without anyone to directly confide in does things to your brain.

“Shhh,” you hiss, glancing around the bar frantically in case there were any eavesdroppers. Then, you lean closer, lowering your voice when you say, “We’ve been…going out quite frequently for the past two months. ”

She gasps as if that was the most scandalous thing she’s heard all day before taking a moment to take a sip of her ale. “Going out…like, romantically? You’re going out with the same person you’ve been mooning over for the past two years?” 

“No!” you immediately retort. “I-I have not been mooning over Prince Joshua! And I wouldn’t say that the nature of our…get-togethers is romantic! He’s just comfortable around me is all.”

Kazuha rolls her eyes. “Please. Yuta has been keeping in touch with me through letters. You know my older brother is an even bigger gossip-monger than our regulars in this place. He says you always look at the prince as if he hung all the stars in the sky!”

“Could you please not broadcast that where everyone can hear?” you plead, resisting the urge to pour yourself a mug of beer while you’re still on the clock. “And is there anything else that Yuta told you that I need to know?”

You partly mean that in jest, but a bigger part of you is worried that Yuta must’ve told his sister about…the fooling around you did with him several months prior. But when Kazuha says, “Not much. He just goes on and on about his new job and asks how training is going,” you let yourself breathe out a sigh in relief.

“Speaking of Yuta though, he hasn’t visited in a while.” You let yourself think about when exactly Yuta last dropped by the pub, but you’re drawing blanks. Not even Shotaro could give you an answer when you flagged him down from bussing tables to ask.

But all thoughts of your arch-nemesis are promptly forgotten when Kazuha diverts the topic back to your…interesting ventures with Prince Joshua.

“Aren’t you happy?” she asks. “You finally have a chance to get with the man you so obviously harbor feelings for. I might be a little idiotic for not noticing sooner, but it’s better late than never to be supportive, right?”

While your first instinct would have been to deny any and all allegations about having feelings for Joshua, her question has you thinking.

Ever since Joshua bought you that bouquet from Wonwoo’s, his behavior has changed drastically. You understand why Kazuha would jump to the conclusion that your excursions have some romantic undertone to them from hearing the stories alone because the way the prince has been treating you lately has you second-guessing everything you’ve ever known.

He always buys you thoughtful presents no matter how much you insist he doesn’t have to. He always lingers long beyond closing time in the pub just to make sure you get home safely. Even the way he looks at you has changed. There’s always this…fondness in his eyes that wasn’t always there. 

If one of your patrons came up to you and told you a similar story, you would’ve told them that the other person involved is definitely head over heels in love. But…this is Joshua. Prince Joshua. The man you’ve long resigned yourself to never being more than friends with.

The man you can never have.

Speaking of the devil, the doors to the pub are pushed wide open by two newcomers. You’re not surprised by the first one—Joshua always makes time to visit you at work at least once or twice a week. But you’re very much taken off guard by the identity of his companion.

“So this is the place my little brother has been boasting about non-stop,” Prince Jeonghan comments with an impressed look, eyes roving across the crowd that’s just as stunned with their entrance as you are. Even Seokmin paused from his live performance just to gawk at him. “Well? We’re no strangers here, everyone. Just keep going about your night like always.”

Your patrons all glance at each other warily before doing just as the eldest prince told them to. The usual din of the pub fades back into your ears in no time, but that doesn’t make you any less surprised with their visit.

“Hello,” Joshua greets with a sigh as he slides in his usual seat at the bar, just next to Kazuha. “Forgive me. Jeonghan has been pestering me about where I’ve been sneaking off to all the time and it just so happens that he decided to tail me tonight.”

Jeonghan snorts before taking the vacant seat on Kazuha’s right, the brothers flanking the poor girl on both sides. “As much as I’m pleased to know that Shua is no longer distraught over what happened with our dear Hyejin, you can’t blame me for being curious about the reason why.” 

“Brother,” the younger prince groans. 

Of course, Jeonghan all but ignores Joshua’s pleas to be discreet. “Can you whip us up your best drinks off the menu? One of the knights told me about this pub’s famous Oak Walker in passing.”

“Coming right up, Your Highness,” Kazuha quickly responds, hopping out of her seat before taking her rightful place behind the bar. Before you can even protest, she shushes you with a finger to your lips. 

“Go entertain our very high-profile guests,” she whispers. “I’ll take care of the rest with Sungchan and Shotaro. Just keep them occupied enough, okay?”

You can only nod in defeat.

So that’s how you end up occupying the stool that your coworker was sitting on five minutes prior. You still feel bad for unwittingly making Kazuha work on her first night back in the capital, but you have to admit that it’s nice seeing her back in action again. She expertly maneuvers around the bar like she hasn’t been gone a day.

“What brings you here, Your Highness?” You decide to break the ice before your nerves can get the best of you once Kazuha serves the three of you one glass of Oak Walker each. “Prince Joshua mentioned that you weren’t a fan of drinking in crowded places, so it’s…really surprising to see you here.”

Jeonghan chuckles and props his elbow on the wooden counter—resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

“Like I said, I was simply curious about Shua’s trysts. Here I thought he was getting frisky with some maiden in the middle of the night, but…maybe I’m not all too far off after all.” 

His tacky response earns him another groan from Joshua. “Jeonghan, I only agreed to bring you here tonight because you promised not to stir things up.”

“I’m not stirring things up! I’m simply stating things as I see them,” the older prince laughs before taking his first sip. “Oh. The knights weren’t lying. This is some finely aged whiskey you’ve got here.”

“It’s a family recipe that’s been passed on for decades,” Kazuha quips behind the bar with a proud smile. “Although our head bartender over here has done most of the tweaks and improvements to the mix. You’ve got her to thank for the astounding flavor.”

Jeonghan nods before helping himself to another gulp. “I’d expect no less for someone who’s caught Joshua’s eye.”

“Jeonghan.”

…Caught Joshua’s eye? In what way, exactly?

“Alright, alright. I’ll tone it down with the teasing,” Jeonghan finally relents with a simper before turning to you. “So you’re the infamous Ice Queen, eh? Do I want to know what you’ve done in the past to warrant such an…interesting nickname?”

“That’s just something one of the other staff members calls her in jest,” Joshua sighs before halving the contents of his glass in one go. The way he slams it back down on the counter would’ve made you laugh, but you’re too high strung because of Jeonghan’s presence to even crack a grin. 

“Oh, my dear Shua, I wasn’t talking to you. Didn’t you learn in our many etiquette classes that it’s rude to talk over other people?” Jeonghan tuts. “Anyway, Miss Ice Queen, care to give us a quick display of your magic?”

You blink for a moment before letting your eyes catch Joshua’s. The younger prince flashes you an apologetic smile, mouthing the words I’m sorry before you turn to Jeonghan with a deep breath. 

As much as he intimidates the living hell out of you, you’re not very keen with the way he’s pushing your friend’s buttons so…

“Sure thing,” you say, trying your best to offer up a convincing enough smile…

Before wrapping a hand around Jeonghan’s glass and turning his drink into a cylinder of amber ice.

Joshua lets out an unbecoming snort to your left and Jeonghan’s jaw drops at your blatant display of petulance. You force yourself to hold the smug look on your face in an attempt at getting your point across. No one gets to mess with Joshua on your watch, even his older brother.

“I like you, Ice Queen,” Jeonghan cackles as he turns his glass upside down—the frozen drink staying solidly in place. “But please tell me this comes with a complimentary replacement? I might not look like it but I’m actually parched.”

It’s the first time in literal months that the pub started to feel like home again. Not only did Kazuha return from being out of town for months, but you found a new friend in Prince Jeonghan himself. The eldest prince took it upon himself to pay for everyone’s orders for tonight—earning the immense favor of your patrons. Jeonghan even bought a few rounds of drinks for Sungchan, Shotaro, Jihoon, and Seokmin once closing time came around. 

The only thing missing from the equation is…Yuta. 

You wonder where he is right now.

“Well, I best head out now,” Jeonghan announces just when Shotaro finished serving Jeonghan’s treat to everyone who stayed behind. “Unlike my little brother, our parents don’t know me as some fiend who has his share of nightly ventures. I best head back to the castle before anyone notices I’m gone for too long.”

Joshua snorts into his drink—a tinge of scarlet on the tips of his ears indicating some degree of inebriation. “You’re just worried that the princess will kill you if you leave her alone in her room for even a minute longer.”

Now that makes you pause. 

Princess? As far as you know, Seraphia hasn’t had a princess since the queen got hailed as…well, the queen. But you’re a little too tipsy to make sense of the logic behind the royal family tree.

“Must you single me out the same way I do with you, Shua?” Jeonghan sighs before making his way to the door. “You kids enjoy the rest of your drinks. Make sure to get home safely, all of you.”

“You’re only two years older,” Joshua points out.

“Old enough to buy the entire pub several rounds of drinks.” 

“With the king and queen’s money?” 

“Hey! I’ll have you know that the royal family’s money comes from the people’s hard-earned taxes!” Jeonghan balks. “I’m simply giving back to our beloved constituents.”

“Gods above, just leave!” Jihoon bemoans in his seat from where he nurses a cup of coffee instead. “And I thought Yuta and Kazuha’s bickering couldn’t get any worse.”

Jeonghan lets out one last chuckle before swinging the door to the pub open—letting the late autumn air breeze inside the pub. 

“Ah, there’s nothing more that I love than people who aren’t afraid to tell me off,” he chuckles before letting the door click shut behind him.

After the last round, Jihoon and Seokmin hail a carriage in the late night streets as their neighborhood is a bit of a ways away from the pub. Sungchan and Shotaro both promise that they’d bring Kazuha safe and sound back to her father’s house, despite the fact that the young servers can’t even walk straight. And Joshua takes up the mantle of the one who walks you home like always. 

If you’d been just a bit more sober, you would’ve noticed the way Seokmin and Jihoon shared A Look when Joshua announced that he’ll be chaperoning you. The way Kazuha’s lips were upturned into a mischievous yet supportive smile. But you don’t take note of any of this—simply looping your arms around the prince’s waist as he keeps you from stumbling into the pavement.

“Gods, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten drunk on someone else’s expense,” you hiccup all while trying to blink the spots out of your vision. “Is Jeonghan always that generous to people he’s just met? I don’t get why he’s so unpopular if that’s the case.”

Joshua chuckles as he untangles your arms around his waist so he can heft one over his shoulder to maneuver you around more comfortably. “No. He only does that for people he likes. Which aren’t a lot. He’s a very good judge of character though.”

“Did he know, then?”

“About what?”

“About Hyejin loving someone else?”

Despite the silence that settles into the night, the sound of your footsteps beating across the cobblestone rings loudly in your ears. Your mind doesn’t quite process just how long it takes for Joshua to respond. You simply find yourself attentively listening when he answers with:

“Yes. He did know. It’s hard to keep things from someone like Jeonghan.”

You snort. “Even your little visits to the pub?”

“Even those,” Joshua agrees with a small smile.

After walking in silence for a few minutes more, the cold evening air starts to seep through your clothes—making your body tremble with an involuntary shiver. You frown, unsure why the chill is affecting you the way it is now. You’re fully aware that winter is coming to Seraphia very soon, but the onset of it never once made you feel this off-kilter.

Oh, well. Maybe it’s just the alcohol.

“Say, Your Highness…” 

Joshua glances at you just as you both round a street corner. “What?”

You struggle to keep your wits about you as you stare at his handsome face. Though he’s marginally less intoxicated than you are, there’s still a tinge of redness speckled across his cheeks. Cute.

“Why are you such a good prince?” you wonder. “Back then, you were always doing the things Jeonghan’s supposed to be doing… It’s like you’re the older brother.”

“That’s not true,” Joshua responds quickly as he helps you step over a pothole in the road. “He’s…someone who likes working behind the scenes. But I can’t deny that Jeonghan sometimes likes to jeopardize his own reputation for reasons even I don’t completely understand.”

“But why are you working so hard in the front lines anyway?”

Another pause. Your eyes briefly catch on the way Joshua’s throat bobs. 

“Because I want to be king,” he murmurs.

You arch an eyebrow, guessing that it is natural for someone like Joshua to want that when he’s technically second in line for the crown. But…there’s something about the way he says it that doesn’t seem as sincere as you thought the words should sound like.

“Okay. Why do you want to be king?”

He glances at you again, rightfully confused, but the look melts into soft, gentle laughter. The sound reverberates deep in his chest and it somehow warms you up amidst the cool evening air.

“Do you want the answer I tell my parents and the rest of the royal court or the actual answer?”

Rolling your eyes, you playfully bump your knee against his leg. “Of course I want the actual answer, idiotic prince.”

“Alright,” he relents surprisingly quickly. “Well…it’s because I want to keep helping more people. If I have the power and authority of a king, I’d be able to do that on a much larger scale than what I’m currently capable of now.”

Your face scrunches up at his line of reasoning. “But…you can still help a lot of people even if you’re not king, right?”

“Yes, but I’d have a better chance at helping everyone if I was—”

You let your body move before your thoughts could completely catch up to what Joshua is trying to say. One of your fingers rests against the plush give of the prince’s lips as you silence him, supporting your wobbly stance by placing your other hand on his shoulder to steady yourself.

“Prince Joshua, not even the gods can save everyone,” you slur, shaking your head vigorously. “You’re not a child anymore, so I’m sure you know that very well. And don’t lie. I’ve been hanging out with you long enough to know that you don’t like the idea of becoming king at all. You just want to help people ‘cause you’ve got a heart of gold. That’s it.” 

…Maybe you shouldn’t be making baseless assumptions about what Joshua wants and doesn’t want to do with his life, but you’re sick of it. Sick of seeing him willingly put the expectations of other people on his shoulders.

Sick of seeing him think of everyone but himself.

Then you do something you never would’ve had the guts to do without the liquid courage coursing through your system. You pull Joshua down into a tight embrace that causes him to make a strangled noise in the back of his throat. 

“I told you to stop being so selfless, didn’t I?” you grumble, burying your face in the crook of his neck as your own face starts to heat up. You have a hunch that it’s probably not because of the alcohol. 

“Let yourself live a little. No thinking about other people. No altruistic agendas. Just enjoy your life just like you’ve been doing for the past few months.”

When you lift your head back to meet his eyes, there’s a look in Joshua’s honey browns that you don’t think you’ve ever seen before. 

It dawns on you just how close you are—bodies pressed together amidst the oncoming winter chill. His breath comes out a little unevenly, gaze smoldering with an emotion you can’t quite pin down. 

Never in your wildest dreams could you have dreamed of the prince who’s the epitome of the perfect gentleman looking at you the way you’ve been looking at him for years now.

Like he wants something he shouldn’t.

You don’t know how it happens, why it happens but you somehow end up with your back pressed against the wall of an alley right next to the bookshop you often pass by on your way home. Holding you in place is none other than the prince himself.

Your brain is seemingly absent when you feel the heat of Joshua’s mouth enveloping yours as his fingers dig into your spine—pressing you closer even if there’s no longer any distance to separate the both of you.

His touch rakes so impossibly hot against your clothes that you can’t find it in your heart to care when your embarrassing mewls are muffled by his lips. It doesn’t help that Joshua has his knee pressed between your thighs, effectively inching your legs apart as he kisses the life out of you underneath the glow of an old streetlamp.

The prince pulls away for only a moment—pressing his forehead against yours as earnest eyes bore into your soul. Joshua’s breath fans across your face in a way that makes your skin tingle with corrosive desire and you fear that you won’t be able to go back from this anymore. Not when he’s given you a taste of something you’ve been unknowingly craving for the longest time. 

“You don’t know what you do to me,” he whispers. “You haven’t the slightest clue.”

Part of you wants to tell him that you do. That he demonstrated just exactly what you do to him. But there’s not enough space in your frazzled mind to tease the man you’re so hopelessly in love with. 

Instead, you pull him in for another mind-numbing kiss, fingers tangled in his rich brown tresses as Joshua devours you like he’s been starving his whole life. 

All this time, you felt as if you’re walking on thin ice with him—careful to not break the surface. The friendship you’ve cultivated was easy. It offered you the security of his constant presence with no room for uncertainty.

But right here, in a dingy alley with no one but the stars that Joshua himself hung in the sky to bear witness, you realize it’s so much easier to just let yourself drown in him.

It’s filthy. It’s beautiful. 

It’s all you’ve ever wanted and more.

But you should have known it was too good to be true.

Just as all dreams tend to, the one you shared with Joshua ended in the morning with a raging migraine making itself at home deep in your skull. 

The sheets are cold, so is the stale air that lingers inside your bedroom. When you stare at the spot your nighttime lover had occupied when you both tumbled into blissful slumber, you find it empty. No sign of him anywhere inside your house. No notes left explaining where he went without waking you. 

You’re all alone with a trail of clothes littering your bedroom floor. None of them belonging to a certain honey-eyed prince.

You let yourself wallow in denial for a while—thinking that the reason Joshua left in a rush was because he had to reassure those back at the royal castle that he hadn’t been abducted in the middle of the night. 

He’d come around in a few days with a string of apologies prepared in advance. Maybe you’ll even spot him rushing into the pub later tonight—another one of his many gifts in hand as he expresses his utmost contrition. 

But the prince doesn’t show up that night. Or the night after that. And the night after that.

The days eventually bleed into weeks and you hear absolutely nothing from Joshua the entire time. 

You’re convinced that you managed to play it off as casually as you can. Either that or the rest of the pub’s staff is just good at not asking questions they have no business asking. The way that Kazuha occasionally looks at you with a worried look on her face when she thinks you don’t notice proves that the case is definitely the latter.

It’s not a big deal. This is just one of the many scenarios you’ve heard a few patrons tell you about—being left in the morning after by someone they’ve given their entire world the previous night. You always tell them that it’ll get easier in time.

But you don’t want it to get easier in time. You’ve wasted enough of that—investing years’ worth of love into a man who’ll never truly be there to reciprocate your feelings the way you want him to. It stings like a million arrows to the chest, like being stampeded by an army of knights riding into war.

Loving Prince Joshua was never easy, but this is the first time it ever truly hurt.

“Hey.”

You’re in the middle of cleaning a bunch of glasses when your ears perk up at a familiar voice you haven’t heard in a while. 

Yuta takes a seat in front of the bar with his usual mirth startlingly absent. Given how long since he last showed up around these parts, you at least expected him to have that stupid smirk plastered across his face when he finally drops by again. 

But all he greets you with is an uncharacteristically serious look that reminds you of the time he propositioned you for a kiss.

“Hey yourself,” you greet him back. “Kazuha’s not here, by the way. She’s dealing with some extra requirements needed to confirm her graduation from the Academy—”

“I know that,” Yuta deadpans. “She’s the one who asked me to come here.”

You make a face at that. “Why?”

Your old coworker rolls his eyes. “Can’t you at least pretend to be happy to see me again?”

Annoyed, you conjure up a tiny blunt icicle to launch into his face, but Yuta evades it swiftly with a scowl. “Wow, now you’ve resorted to attacking me, too?”

“That’s my way of saying I missed you, moron,” you grit out before bringing out two empty mugs from the shelves. “So what are you having tonight, Mister Swordsmith?”

While you and Yuta catch up, you ask Shotaro to man the bar in the meantime—a request that the younger man is nervous but happy to accept. That gives you enough time to finally speak to the one person you never thought you’d ever want to catch up with in the first place, given your consistent track record for pissing each other off.

But then again, Yuta has always been full of surprises.

“What?” 

Rage colors the tone of his voice when he asks, but you know perfectly well that Yuta heard every word you just said. You feel the pricks of shame in your chest as you attempt to drown it with a generous gulp of beer. The you from a year ago would’ve been mortified at the idea of spilling your most recent tryst with the man you’ve loved for more than a decade, but it is what it is.

Nonetheless, you repeat yourself anyway. “I…slept with the prince, and he was gone when morning came. Haven’t heard from him in almost a month and I’m not about to go looking for him either.”

You absentmindedly glide your finger along the rim of your glass, trying not to wallow in self-pity as Yuta processes the words in his head. But the reverie lasts for only a few seconds before your friend lets out a long, deep sigh.

“You know you deserve better than that, right?” 

You shrug. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. But what’s the use of knowing what I deserve when I can’t really do anything about it anymore?”

“I knew you were an idiot, Ice Queen, but I didn’t think it was this bad,” Yuta makes another exasperated noise before taking another swig of his drink. 

Now it was your turn to scowl. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Yuta leans forward on the table, making sure his eyes are leveled with yours as he stares you down with a look that would’ve intimidated everyone else but you. 

“You always think so little of yourself. Just because that guy is some hotshot royal, doesn’t mean he can get to walk all over your feelings like that. You’ve gotta learn how to assert yourself better,” he lectures. “Try acting around Prince Charming the way you act with me, sometimes. You were never afraid to set things straight whenever my jokes go a little too far, when you’re tired of me sleeping around with a bunch of our customers. 

“So what in the nine hells is stopping you from marching up to the castle and demanding a proper conversation from him? You’ve been hung up on the guy for fuck knows how long. The least he can do is give you a goddamn explanation for leaving you all alone that day.”

You’ve never liked Yuta’s very crass way of talking, but right now, the harshness of his words is probably what you needed all along. For a few minutes, you let the ambiance of the pub taper your restlessness into clarity—internalizing everything Yuta just told you the best you could.

“But…what if he doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore?” you mumble. “If he really cared about me still, wouldn’t he have reached out by now?”

“That’s because men are idiots, Ice Queen. I thought you already knew that,” he points out before folding his arms across his chest. “The dumbass probably thinks he’s doing you a favor by giving you space and waiting for you to come to him when you’re ready. But his silence is pretty much doing the exact opposite, am I right?”

You nod sullenly. 

“God. I’d electrocute that fucker if only the price I had to pay wasn’t death by the gallows,” he grumbles. “Anyway, the point still stands. If he won’t come to you, then just go to Prince Charming and let him know that you’re not gonna tolerate his shit anymore.”

For a moment, you let yourself chuckle at how strongly he feels about this. “Gee, Yuta. You’re awfully supportive for someone who’s made it his life’s purpose to mess with me every chance he gets.” 

“I can be serious when I have to be,” he bites back. “Now promise me that you’ll talk to him and set things straight first thing tomorrow. You’ve made Kazuha worried enough.”

“Are you saying you’re not worried about me?” you tease.

“Watch it or I won’t show up here for another year.”

After wrapping up your conversation with Yuta, you excuse yourself for a moment to get some fresh air outside. He waves you away with a dismissive air to his posture before finishing the rest of his drink.

Then, Sungchan walks up to him with a sigh.

“You’re so weird,” he mumbles as he clears out your empty glass. “What idiot would just let the person he loves flutter off to someone else like that?”

Yuta simpers with a shake of his head, willing away the pain that lances through his chest at the verbal reminder. 

“An idiot like me, maybe.”

You’re going to talk to Joshua.

You will. You promised yourself the moment Yuta talked you into it the previous night. But it’s as if your body doesn't want to let you feel the relief of certainty just yet. 

When you wake up the following morning, your limbs feel heavier than the kegs back in the pub when they’re newly refilled. The headache you’re suffering from isn’t so different from the one you had the morning after Joshua left you all alone, but you’re fairly certain this isn’t because of a nasty hangover.

Kazuha drops by your place when you don’t show up at the pub only to see that you haven’t climbed out of bed after getting yourself a glass of water earlier in the day. She immediately realizes that you were running a high fever—one that was probably brought about by the change in seasons.

“I’m going to get you some medicine and food, okay?” she sighs, smoothing a cool washcloth across your forehead. “Is there anything else you want me to get for you outside?”

You snuggle yourself further beneath your blankets, letting your body soak in the heat as you shiver from the cold air of the room. 

Ironic how an ice elemental gets sick first thing in the winter.

“Mother’s soup…” you whisper sleepily. “That always makes me feel better.”

That’s the last thing you remember saying before drifting back into slumber.

Life at the castle has been uptight for as long as Joshua can remember.

The royal court has always been strict with upholding tradition and the ways of old. Where other children would dream about getting to grow up in the lavish halls and high ceilings of the castle, Joshua has always longed to be liberated from it. 

Time dedicated solely for leisure was scarce. He and Jeonghan were immediately taught to put their royal studies and etiquette classes first before anything else. His older brother never stood by these regulations though—always the first to rebel against the rules the elders and their parents have set. 

Joshua admired Jeonghan’s courage. Yet he knows he can never really emulate it for himself.

So he decided to be the one who follows the royal court’s every whim. The obedient prince that everyone would come to deem as perfect with how compliant he is to what everyone tells him to do. 

But then came the day when the king of Ancarra sent a present for his brother. Their parents told both of them it was a gift of goodwill, and that Jeonghan absolutely cannot refuse even if the elders of the royal court were against it. 

Jeonghan pulled him to the side once the king and queen were out of earshot—saying that the ‘gift’ is nothing but an avenue to secure his betrothal to the Ancarran princess. Joshua didn’t know what that meant at the time, being barely ten years old, but he simply went with it.

He always agrees with what he’s told after all.

To his surprise, this so-called gift is actually a puppy. 

Joshua always wanted one. A knight once told him about a loyal dog waiting for him at home, which is why he rarely took any overtime shifts at the castle. The youngest prince has wanted something to look forward to going home to ever since he heard the tale. 

As Jeonghan let his new pet explore the castle gardens, he didn’t miss the way Joshua’s eyes lingered ever-so-fondly on the small puppy. It’s for that reason that he took it upon himself to gather the hapless animal in his arms, flashing his little brother a warm smile.

“How about we take care of him together?” Jeonghan asked. “This pup is yours as much as he is mine.”

That was the first time Jeonghan saw Joshua’s eyes light up so brightly, it’s nearly blinding. And it’s also the moment he decided that he’d do virtually anything to preserve that sparkle in his little brother’s eyes.

The youngest prince did an excellent job at helping raise the puppy. It took a while for him and Jeonghan to give it a name, but it came to them one summer afternoon right after they finished giving him a bath.

“Hwan,” Jeonghan mused before laughing as the pup shook itself to dry off. “Let’s call him Hwan.”

When Joshua asked him what the name meant, Jeonghan simply patted his head—saying that he’ll know when he’s older—before continuing to towel dry their newly named pup.

Hwan brought color to their once-stale life at the castle. The servants adored him and the knights would even play with him if they ever caught sight of the little rascal bounding down the hallways. 

About two months after Hwan arrived in the castle, Joshua took him out for a quick walk all by himself. No nannies. No guards. Just him and the little pup on a leash. 

Jeonghan reassured that Joshua could do what he wanted as long as he didn’t wander off too far, and knowing that his older brother was there to cover for him made Joshua’s first real attempt at rebellion easier to execute.

The castle wasn’t located in some remote area or anything like that. Joshua quickly spotted a bunch of children his age playing amongst themselves just a short distance from the gates. 

He had intended to maintain a short distance so as to not disturb them, but when one of the kids spotted Hwan, the rest of them came flocking over like a bunch of doves. 

That’s how he ended up befriending several children that would make the royal court’s elders frown at his actions. It’s not that he’s forbidden to interact with them, but those crones always did like maintaining the class divide between nobles and commoners. 

But, having been so distracted by the game they were playing, Joshua failed to realize that Hwan was no longer tied to the tree he’d last left him in. 

The young prince frantically broke the news to the other kids, saying that Jeonghan was going to kill him if he found out he’d lost their dog. But one of them told him that a girl whose name he didn’t quite catch already went after Hwan before they could notice he was gone. 

“She chased after him in the forest I think.” 

Joshua didn’t need any further explanations. He immediately bolted to the direction of the forest without another thought. 

To his relief, it didn’t take long for him to find the person who went after Hwan in his stead. The young prince spotted you by the riverbank that bypasses a clearing in the forest—crouched low as you attempted to reach for something he couldn’t quite see.

But when Joshua shuffled just a bit closer, he realized that Hwan somehow wound up in the middle of the stream—shivering on top of a rock that didn’t hold promises of holding out for very long. 

“Come on, it’s okay,” he heard you coo. “I’ll catch you. I promise.”

 The prince couldn’t help but interfere. “H-Hey! That’s dangerous. You could fall in!”

Startled, you glance behind you with an annoyed look. “Stop shouting! The little puppy’s already scared as it is. And doesn’t he belong to you?” 

“Yes, but we can just call the knights so they can get him for us,” he reasons. “Don’t lean so close into the river! You might fall in!” 

Your lips spread into a frown. “But…he’s family, isn’t he? You can’t just leave him like that. What if he falls in the water while we waste our time calling the knights?”

He wanted to insist that, despite that being a very real possibility, it’s still much safer to call on an adult. That’s what he was taught, after all.

But Joshua was unable to find the words. Instead, he watched in complete silence as you attempted to reach Hwan without falling into the rapid stream. 

You managed to save his pup in the end—not without tumbling into the water, of course. 

The sight of you plunging into the stream once your balance was tipped made Joshua fall into a frenzied panic. He nearly ran back to the castle to call the guards for real, but you quickly broke through the surface of the water and started swimming against the current and towards the rock Hwan was shivering on.

There you were five minutes later, soaked from head to toe as you cradled the poor puppy in your arms. You were so invested in scolding Joshua for being very irresponsible with his pets that you never quite noticed the way he looked at you with adoration in his eyes.

It was the first time he’s seen someone do something so idiotic and brave and selfless with his own two eyes. 

Joshua has heard stories about warriors who fight in wars for the sake of peace. But he never would have thought that his first encounter with someone else’s bona fide bravery would be in the form of a ten year-old that wanted to save a stranger’s puppy from drowning in a river.

Then, he recalled reading about daisies in an old picture book his mother gifted. How those frail little flowers could bloom even in the bloodiest of battlefields. As you droned on and on about hammering the importance of family into his head, Joshua pictured a lone daisy in his mind’s eye. 

He wanted to give one to you. To show that he’s grateful for what you’ve done. But there weren’t any flowers blooming in this part of the forest—much less, a daisy. 

Yet, when he lifted one of his hands up, there it was.

A frail little flower for a brave little girl.

Joshua doesn’t know what to expect when he drops by the pub after almost a month of avoiding it. He knows that the chances of you having him thrown out have increased exponentially since the last time he was here, but he couldn’t take it anymore.

The night he spent at your house, doing things he never even once pictured himself doing with his ex-fiancèe, he was at cloud nine. It was the first time he’d let himself loose; selfishly thought about what he wanted at that moment with not a single thought spared for other people but you. 

Yet when the sun broke through the horizon the next day, the gravity of his carelessness dawned on him. He’d just jeopardized a friendship he’d been so careful to preserve. You were one of the very few people he could fully trust and lean on, but he decided to throw that all away for a night of debauchery.

The prince felt disgusted with himself. He didn’t deserve to see how you dozed so peacefully in the comfort of your bedroom. How you smiled in your sleep when he brushed a few strands of hair off your face. 

So instead of apologizing to you like he definitely should have…

He ran away like a coward.

Now here he is, back to the place where it all started.

He hoped to see you behind the bar like usual, mixing drinks with a hospitable smile as you entertained the evening’s patrons. But the prince is surprised to see a person he hasn’t gotten a glimpse of in a long, long while.

“You’ve got some nerve showing your face here,” Yuta snarls as he shoots Joshua down with a glare. “What do you want?”

Joshua breathes evenly through his nose and out through his mouth. 

He’s got this.

“I wanted to talk to her,” he explains simply. “Do you know where she is?”

He fully expects Yuta to not give him the answer as easily as he’d like him to. Joshua isn’t blind. He’s seen the way he looks at you. Nor is he stupid because the prince is well aware that Yuta resorts to playful banter to cover up the fact that he’s enamored by you.

Takes one to know one, he guesses.

But to Joshua’s utter surprise, the owner’s son doesn’t tell him to get lost or find someone else to bother. 

“She’s sick,” he mutters. “That one hasn’t been able to come to work since yesterday. Maybe you would’ve known that sooner if you actually gave two shits about her.”

Joshua takes all his snarky comments in stride, knowing full well that isn’t even half of what he deserves after what he did. But the fact that you’re sick rightfully concerns him. Were you alright? Did you have someone looking after you?

“Her mother’s soup.”

The prince glances at Yuta quizzically. “I’m sorry?”

It’s as though Yuta’s face has a grimace perpetually etched onto the surface, but Joshua doesn’t let it faze him. “She always asks us to bring her mother’s soup when she’s sick. If you want to make it up to her, you better do that sooner than later.” 

“Where does her mother live?” Joshua wastes no time asking. “I can go to her right away.”

An unreadable expression crosses Yuta’s face, as if assessing if Joshua’s worth telling it to after what he did to you. In the end, the owner’s son merely sighs—carding his fingers through his mussed hair.

“Follow me, Prince Charming.”

Meeting the parents is something that never really fazed Joshua before. Then again, he was already acquainted with Hyejin’s father years before he proposed to her. Meeting your parents is something that makes the prince want to jump to the bottom of an ocean, never to be seen again. 

Because how could he possibly face the people who raised you after what he did? How thick-skinned could he be to introduce himself when he chose to be a coward when he should’ve been brave?

But your mother was a dear. Your father was rightfully apprehensive of his presence, prince or not, but they both welcomed him into their home—the place where you grew up—with open arms.

“That child. She never mentioned being friends with the prince, of all people,” your mother stresses with a sigh as she prepares her signature soup. “Did you know that she’s admired you for a long time now? It’s mellowed down over the years, but she always did have a soft spot for you.”

…You’ve admired him for a long time?

Joshua has only been acquainted with you for roughly two years. Perhaps the admiration your mother speaks of is the same way citizens would admire royals who actually do their job. Given his reputation among the citizens of Seraphia, it’s no surprise to be on the receiving end of something like that.

But when she tells Joshua she wants to show him something in the garden while they wait for the soup to simmer, he’s startled by a groundbreaking revelation.

The youngest prince hasn’t used his magic in years—this much still rings true to this day. But it’s just like you’ve said: his magic is a part of him. It’s something he can’t completely erase no matter how much he tries to suppress it. 

So when Joshua sees a potted daisy sitting idly in your mother’s garden, his magic instantly reacts. 

He’s felt the pulling sensation before. After his official coronation, when he created a bouquet of roses for his mother to express his gratitude, she kept the flowers on display in the great hall of the castle. It remained there until it inevitably wilted, despite the fact that royals were heavily discouraged from using their magic. 

Joshua always felt as if the roses he fashioned with his own magic called out to him every time he passed by. As if the flowers were alive and happy to see the person who created them.

The little daisy sitting right in front of him calls out to Joshua the exact same way.

“I’m not sure if you remember, but you were the one who gave that to her,” your mother chuckles. 

What?

“This is the one I gave to her a few months ago?” he mutters. “She…kept it all this time?”

Your mother shakes her head. “No, Your Highness. That one wilted fairly quickly. This little daisy…is the flower you made and gave to my daughter when she was ten years old. It perseveres to this day because of an old friend’s preservation magic. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Preservation magic…?  

Moreover, it’s something he created with his own magic? One he apparently gifted to you when you were only ten years old?

Joshua takes a moment to jog his memory, parses through a catalog of names and faces he’s come to acquaint himself with over the years. 

Then, it hits him.

He remembers his first dog, Hwan and how he nearly lost him to a rushing river all those years ago. If it weren’t for the girl who was courageous enough to swim across the stream to save him, Joshua was certain it would’ve been the end of it. 

And that girl—the one who made him decide that he loves people who are brave; people who are selfless…

It was you.

But why haven’t you said a single word about it?

“That child… She’s much too sentimental for her own good, you know? I’m afraid that sentimentality could be a detriment to her one day, but—” your mother startles all of a sudden.  “Y-Your Highness?”

Joshua doesn’t usually cry. Hell, he doesn’t make it a habit to wear his emotions on his sleeve. As a political figure that thousands of people across the kingdom are looking up to, he’s expected to embody poise and composure at all times.

But for the first time in his life, the youngest prince lets the tears fall in front of a mother that isn’t even his own.

When you get up to answer the door, you fully expect it to be Kazuha—carrying more food than you know what to do with and another bottle of medicine even if the last one she bought is yet to run out. 

You love her, really. She’s almost like a second mother with how much she fusses over you when you’re feeling under the weather. Thanks to her tender love and care, you’re more or less feeling much better than you were yesterday. Maybe you can even show up to work by tomorrow, too.

“Zuha, you really don’t have to keep checking on me anymore. I’m al…right?”

Except it isn’t your coworker who greets you. 

It’s Joshua, looking just as handsome as the last time you saw him—if not more. But before you can question if the person in front of you is just a mirage, you notice that he’s wearing familiar looking kitchen mitts and holding an even more familiar cooking pot by the handles.

“Hello,” the prince greets sheepishly. “May I come in?”

You stare at him for a few seconds longer, wondering why on earth he has your mother’s kitchen paraphernalia before cracking the door open wider. 

When have you ever said no to Joshua?

An air of awkwardness hangs above you like clouds over your heads as Joshua serves you some of your mother’s beloved soup. You insisted that you were well enough to do it yourself, but the prince was having none of it—making you sit down on the dining table as he concentrated on not having anything spill off the ladle as he transferred the soup into a bowl.

He somehow manages to mess even that up though, splashing a few drops all over the polished wood with a silent curse. You can’t help but stifle a laugh. This is a man who obviously hasn’t served other people in ways outside of his duties as a royal prince.

But then you suddenly remember how you felt when you woke up that day—nothing but empty sheets and a heavy heart to keep you company.

“Why are you here?”

The words come out so quietly, you doubt Joshua would’ve heard them if it wasn’t so quiet inside your house. But his eyes slowly rise to meet yours before he walks over to you and places a bowl of warm soup in front of you on the table.

Then, Joshua flashes you a shy smile. “Let’s…talk for a while, yes?” 

Both of you help yourselves to generous servings of your mother’s cooking for a while. The rich flavor easily reinvigorates you more than you thought it would, and you find yourself even slightly missing home again. Maybe you should pay your parents a much-needed visit.

“So…how have you been?” 

Right. You still have much to discuss with the prince himself.

“Do you want the answer I tell everyone else or the actual answer?” you muse, quoting something similar he asked you a while ago. From the way the tips of Joshua’s ears redden at your words, he recalls them just as vividly.

He scoops another spoonful of soup into his mouth before letting out a quiet sigh. “The actual answer.”

You manage a tight-lipped smile. “Miserable then.”

Joshua nods once, the grip he has on his borrowed spoon tightening ever-so slightly. He opens his mouth a few times, as if wanting to say something but being unable to form the words. 

“How about you, Your Highness?” you ask. “How have you been?”

He frowns. “You…you don’t have to keep calling me that.”

“Why?” Cocking an eyebrow, you help yourself to more of your mother’s soup without breaking eye contact. “You’re the prince and I’m just some commoner you got tired of playing with. It would be improper for me to address you as anything else.”

You know you’re speaking somewhat out of turn. It’s obvious that he paid you a visit in the same house he left you in to make amends, but you were sick of playing the understanding, lovesick fool. Pricks of anger start to dot your chest the longer you think about that day, and suddenly Yuta’s suggestion sounds so much more appealing.

All these months Joshua spent stringing you along with your heart in the palm of his hand, only for him to leave it for dead…

You were done taking his shit.

“I know that a million apologies won’t make up for what I did, but I’ll try anyway,” he murmurs. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for just leaving without an explanation. Waking up next to you was easily the happiest moment of my life and I’d want nothing more than to experience it again. I…didn’t know what came over me.”

You let out a mirthless chuckle. “You’re lucky that you saw me first thing in the morning, that you had the happiest moment in your life. When I woke up it felt like I never even mattered to you.”

Your heart feels like it’s on the verge of exploding with how much emotions courses through it in a single second. Joshua remains rightfully silent, head lowered as he takes in your words. 

So you decide to say even more.

“Not that I expect you to remember, but I’ve loved you since we were children. I was perfectly fine with the fact that you’ll never love me back—even when we became friends, even when you caved that evening and kissed me.” 

You pause for a moment, letting yourself breathe despite your throat starting to constrict with each passing second. The feeling of your magic creeping up in chilly dregs across your fingertips doesn’t make the entire ordeal any easier.

“I was going to let the fact that you just left like that slide because I was so convinced that you’d come around the next day to give me an explanation. That you’d at least give me some clarity because I deserve that in the least, don’t I?

“But you didn’t. You never told me why you suddenly thought I wasn’t worth clearing things up with. And now you’re here, saying that waking up next to me was the happiest moment of your life? Don’t you think you’ve already hurt me enough?”

“Because I was afraid,” Joshua interjects, much louder than you expected. “All my life, I’ve done what everyone tells me to do because I’m the perfect prince, the obedient one, the only one they can control.”

You grimace. “How is that my problem—”

“It isn’t. It never was and it never will be your problem. It shouldn’t have to be…” He sighs, dragging a palm over his face as he stares up at the ceiling. “You deserve someone who loves you without fear, without reservations. Someone who wakes up next to you everyday and won’t bolt right out of the door because he suddenly remembered he’s the prince of the kingdom.

“I want…so badly to be that person for you. But that morning, I stared at the person who’s the embodiment of everything I shouldn’t want.”

You bark out a harsh-sounding laugh. “Someone you shouldn’t want? Because I’m a commoner? In case you’re forgetting, only a year ago, you were supposed to marry a commoner, too. Why is it that when it comes to me, you suddenly don’t want to take that risk? Why do you have to continue lying to my face when you can just tell me outright that you don’t fucking love me—”

“I’ve loved you more in the past few months than I ever loved Hyejin in the entire decade I’ve known her,” Joshua rasps and you don’t miss the way his voice nearly cracks. “It fucking scares me because I’ve never loved someone this deeply. Never wanted something for myself as much as I want you. 

“I love you so much that I was ready to give everything up. Becoming king and helping others just like I dreamed—all of that didn’t matter that morning. When I realized just how tight of a hold you actually have on me, I was fucking terrified.”

For the first time tonight, you’re at a loss for words. You stare at Joshua with trembling lips, wondering a million times if you heard him right.

He…loves you?

“Ironic how the girl who taught me what bravery looks like when we were children is the same one I was too much of a coward to face when I realized how I felt about her.”

Wait a minute—

“What do you mean?” you whisper incredulously.

Joshua breathes in sharply before the tension in his shoulders visibly ebbs away. He fishes something out of his pocket for a few seconds…

Only to show you the small, frail daisy being kept alive with preservation magic.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he murmurs, twisting the stem in his fingers. “If I’d known you were the one who saved Hwan back then—”

“What, you would’ve let yourself love me sooner?” you ask sharply. “Well, I’ll have you know Your Highness, that I didn’t want to come off as some gold-digging fiend who throws herself at you. Nor do I want you to love me because you think of me as some sort of symbol for bravery or whatever bullshit noble reasoning you’ve got going for yourself.

“I wanted you to love me as I am now. Is that so hard to understand?”

You don’t tell him that you were just as cowardly as he was. That you’ve been sticking by your mother’s words since she imparted them. 

You and him are on opposite ends. 

Joshua is a prince and you’re nothing but a lowly bartender. That’s the thought that helped keep your love for him at bay for the longest time. 

But what do you do when the same prince who was always out of reach lays all his feelings bare? What do you do when you find out that he isn’t completely unreachable after all?

The room remains painfully silent for about three stuttering heartbeats before Joshua lays the daisy that started everything next to his bowl of cold soup. The prince gets up from his seat and you watch in rapt attention as he goes down on one knee. 

“What are you…?”

Before you can even complete that sentence, Joshua does something he hasn’t in years. 

You don’t think you can forget how he conjured a bouquet of roses for the queen during his coronation. That was the second and last time you’ve ever seen him use his magic. 

Yet now, the youngest prince is weaving the most beautiful bunch of daisies out of thin air. The blossoms look even more vibrant than the bouquet he’d purchased for you at Wonwoo’s. You don’t even realize you were holding your breath until Joshua pushes the flowers closer to your face and takes your hand in his.

You hate how he’s able to bring warmth to your cold, cold hands even after everything. 

“I know we got off on a very, very rough start, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness just yet but…” He breathes and it’s the first time you’ve ever heard him so nervous. “Can we try this again? Not as the girl who saved Hwan and as the prince you’ve loved for years, but just as you and me in the present.”

“No.”

Joshua blinks. “S-Sorry?”

“I said no, Joshua,” you huff, crossing your arms together as you push away his flowers. “You think I’m going to make things easy for you after what you did? I might be catastrophically in love with you, but I’m done being a fool. You have to earn my forgiveness first before I let you—mmph!”

You’re too slow to stop him when Joshua tosses the flowers on the table and lunges in for a kiss. 

“Y-You idiotic prince,” you gasp into his mouth, glaring straight into his honeyed eyes. “Kissing me without my consent isn’t going to make me forgive you any faster!”

“You called me Joshua.” He grins, and if that isn’t the most gorgeous smile you’ve ever seen, you don’t know what is. “You never call me by my name.”

Joshua pulls you in for another. And another. And another. You don’t have it in you to resist him and keep up the vengeful façade when the love of your life has finally deigned to return your feelings for him.

Maybe you’ll just punish him some other time.

For now, you let yourself bask in this small bubble of genuine happiness. 

“An Oak Walker, please. I heard that the king himself considers that as his favorite.”

You let out a quiet laugh as you list down the pub’s most recent order. “I wouldn’t say it’s his favorite—”

“Oh, it definitely is.”

At the sound of your husband’s rebuttal, you find yourself rolling your eyes. Joshua brings out a glass from the shelves before filling both of them with a fresh batch of whiskey straight from the kegs. The idiotic prince doesn’t even flinch when you glare at him.

The customer you’re serving—an Ancarran diplomat named Soonyoung—cackles in his seat. He’s a face you’re starting to see more frequently around the pub, and Joshua told you beforehand that it’s because he’s the new queen’s closest friend. The man spends a lot more time bar-hopping in the capital of Seraphia than actually doing his job in his own homeland.

“Always a treat to see the king’s little brother being a menace to his wife,” Soonyoung comments as Joshua serves him his drink. “No wonder I haven’t seen you around the castle much. You’re too busy pushing her buttons, aren’t you?”

“Hmm, not really. That’s the owner’s job,” Joshua replies with a smile. “I only like to tease her from time to time.”

“Why are we suddenly talking about the owner?”

As if on cue, Yuta eases himself into the conversation with one brow raised. It’s always surreal to think about how he took up the title of the pub’s owner after their father’s passing. But it’s still nice to have one of your dear friends around even after so many years.

It’s been roughly six years since your marriage with Joshua. Lots of things have changed since then, but there are others that remained the same.

For one, Kazuha is no longer part of the bar’s regular employee roster. Right after graduating from the Academy, she was immediately scouted to be a Stormwatcher by the royal family itself. She spends much of her time in the castle, studying various weather patterns prevalent in the kingdom and other neighboring lands, but she still visits from time to time.

Seokmin and Jihoon still hold the occasional performance at the pub whenever they’re in the city, but they’ve long decided to join a traveling group of musicians to spread their songs to places other than Seraphia. No matter how long they’re gone for though, you always make sure to reserve at least two glasses in case they come by.

Speaking of singers, Sungchan and Shotaro have been promoted from the pub’s usual waiters to regular performers. Both of them turned out to have hidden talents for singing, and your patrons were more than happy to enjoy the shows they put on every night. 

Wonwoo, your ever-present childhood friend has decided to hire more staff to manage the store before enrolling back into the Academy again. He’s always had the same kind of magic as his mother and he told you that he wanted to invest some time into cultivating it just as she had when she was still alive. Of course, you were supportive of the decision—promising that you’ll still buy flowers from his shop even if your husband can make an entire garden for you with a snap of his fingers.

Much more recently, Jeonghan has taken up the title of Seraphia’s seventeenth king and ended up marrying his not-so-childhood sweetheart. Both his coronation and marriage were an even bigger mess than what you and Joshua had to go through, and both you and your husband don’t particularly like dwelling on it very much.

As for the things that aren’t all that different…

You take the time to quietly watch Joshua as he tells Yuta about a child that burst into the pub earlier—a child that has Yuta’s scowling face and potent lightning magic. Your friend shakes his head, wondering how long his wife is going to scold him for bringing their son to work again. 

Yuta still calls you Ice Queen sometimes. Joshua is still very much a prince of Seraphia. 

And you’re…still you.

“You have a letter again.”

Joshua glances at you from the front door of your shared home as he hangs his coat on the rack. You were in the middle of sorting the mail you’ve received today and saw that one of them is addressed to Joshua. 

Even without a return address, you’ve been with your husband long enough to know it was from his ex-fiancée. 

As the two of you prepare for bed, Joshua quietly reads over Hyejin’s letter with a fond look in his eyes. You try your best not to feel envious because he’s your husband, for gods’ sake. What’s more is that Hyejin is already with Chan. Neither of you know where they went after the two of them ran away from Seraphia, but Joshua still feels responsible for covering their tracks so no one could ever hope to disturb them.

He’s always been caring for others, after all.

“What’s wrong, snowflake?”

Joshua asks the question when you’re both already under the covers. When you first got together, he opted to call you snowflake instead of Ice Queen—saying that he wants to address his lover in a less demeaning way. You thought it to be ridiculous at first, but now you can’t help but melt at the endearment.

When you don’t respond, he sighs, taking your cold hands in his own. Curse this man. He knows you too well.

“Are you bothered by Hyejin’s letter?” he murmurs, kissing your knuckles tenderly. 

“Just a little,” you answer honestly. “I’m sorry. It’s stupid, I know—”

“It’s not stupid. Don’t dismiss your own feelings so quickly like that.” Joshua pouts. “Does my wife need me to remind her that she’s the one I married in front of thousands of people six years ago? The one who screams my name in our bed every night?”

Scandalized, you smack him in the chest. “I do not scream your name! I have more courtesy for our neighbors than you might think.”

Your husband nods as if merely playing along, shoving the covers off your form before nuzzling the crook of your neck. “Yes, yes, of course. But you can’t deny that you moan it so prettily every time we lie together like this.”

Gods… Was he this infuriating when your love was still one-sided?

He strips you down like he’s already done countless times before. The two of you are bare in no time—clothes strewn all over the floor as your husband lowers himself on the bed and hooks your legs across his shoulders.

Husband. 

It’s so surreal that the idiot who left you all alone that fateful morning several years ago is the same man who’s made you the happiest wife for the past six years. 

“My, you’re much wetter than I thought you’d be,” Joshua teases with a breathy laugh, tracing your glistening slit with one of his long, thick fingers. “Here I thought you’d kick me out of the bedroom for trying something when you were in the middle of sulking.”

“I wasn’t sulking.” 

“Sure you weren’t, snowflake.”

Then, his mouth was on you—making you forget about letters from past lovers and everything else in between. 

Joshua tugs your thighs even closer as he feasts on your cunt, lathering his tongue in your essence before licking a long stripe across your seam. You let out a breathless whimper, hands immediately tangling themselves in his hair. You can feel him smirk against your sex but before you can make any side remarks about his cocky attitude, Joshua seals his lips over your clit and sucks on the sensitive nub. The effect it has on you is immediate—hips thrashing around as your husband relentlessly continues his ministrations. 

“S-Shua,” you sigh, toes curling as a steady stream of pleasure continues to pulse into your core. “So good… Your mouth feels so good.” 

He hums appreciatively before switching things up a little. You whimper in protest when his lips part from your clit, but he easily makes up for it by licking across your wet cunt in quick, repetitive succession. Your devil of a husband couples the amazing sensation with his fingers, quickly sliding in two of his digits because he knows you can take anything he gives you. 

“Such a good little wife for me,” he chuckles as he buries them to the knuckles, delighting in the way you purr out his name again when he curls them just so. “I’ve done a tacky job at reminding you how much I love you these days, haven’t I? Can’t have you getting jealous over a bunch of letters when I should just make you come like this, hm?”

You can’t even process what he’s saying right now—too focused on pinpointing the release he’s slowly but surely building up. 

Joshua continues murmuring a string of praises along your inner thighs, making sure to leave his mark across your skin. His love bites bloom like violets across your flesh and before you can let yourself revel in the sentiment of it all, he’s back to assaulting your quivering cunt with his sinful mouth.

“Joshua, please,” you cry out as he amps up the speed of his thrusts. “W-Want more.”

Your husband hums again but doesn’t have the heart to part with your delicious cunt, pulling his complete focus on your clit as he slides in a third finger. The stretch isn’t unfamiliar, but it burns a little. Overall, the sensation simply adds on to the growing fire inside your belly.

When your orgasm crests, you have to muffle an undignified moan with your hands—letting yourself ride it out as Joshua continues licking and slurping at your juices like a man starved.

You take a while to get your wits about you again, a breathless mess on the mattress as your husband pulls himself back up. When your brain is finally there again, the first thing you notice is how Joshua’s rock hard cock strains against his chiseled stomach.

“Always taste so fucking good, snowflake,” he chuckles, grabbing your chin with the fingers that were just inside you. “I could live off eating you up like this for the rest of my life.”

“You’re being ridiculous again,” you mutter shyly, warmth blooming across your cheeks.

Joshua laughs again and it’s such a beautiful sound, your heart flutters when it hits your ears. He gently presses his lips onto yours, letting you taste the tangy flavor of your release before sliding his tongue into your mouth. 

You’ll never get tired of kissing Joshua. It felt so inexplicably good to kiss him the first time in that lone alley, but every single one you shared after you can finally call him yours felt twice as better, and several times sweeter. 

“I love you,” he murmurs. “I’ll never regret choosing to spend the rest of my life with you.”

You chuckle, pressing your forehead against his. “Even if I refused to assimilate into the royal family? That’s the main reason why you couldn’t be king, right?”

Joshua simpers. “To hell with being king. The crown has always been Jeonghan’s to begin with. And I’d much rather spend my time pleasuring you like this than shoulder the biggest responsibility in the kingdom.”

“Mhmm. You chose right then.”

Your husband is mildly startled when you maneuver around to push him back on the bed. But Joshua doesn’t seem to have any plans to voice out his complaints when you prop yourself between his thighs—taking his hard, leaking cock in your small hand and giving it a few experimental pumps.

“Fuck. You look so good, darling,” he moans. “I won’t ever get tired of seeing you like this.”

You shake your head incredulously, a traitorous smile finding its way on your face. “Always such a sweet-talker. Pray tell, do you take eloquence classes as part of your upbringing as a prince? You never seem to run out of smooth things to say.”

“Well, we do have something similar to—”

Joshua’s words abruptly morph into a choked out sound when you take him into your mouth, letting your tongue slide across the vein jutting around his length. Your husband watches ravenously as you take him to the hilt—not once choking on his size with how many times you’ve already done this prior.

Despite how gentlemanly he is on the outside, you know Joshua likes his head sloppy. So you make sure to lather enough saliva around his cock as you bob your head up and down, wrapping your fist around the parts you can’t quite reach. The sinful sound of your lips working on his throbbing length is nearly enough to drive him to the pinnacle, but Joshua does his best to hold out for as long as he can.

When you feel his fingers in your hair, you let him push your head into his navel—delighting in the deep moan he lets out when he feels your throat constricting around the head of his cock.

“Pretty woman with a pretty mouth,” Joshua sighs pathetically as you look up at him with teary eyes. “But as much as I’d love to come down your throat and make you swallow it all…”

You let out a tiny squeak when Joshua lifts you off his cock and back onto the mattress. 

“I want you to take all of my seed in this sweet cunt of yours instead,” he chuckles evilly, lining his cock up against stomach as if measuring just how deeply he’ll penetrate you. 

The thought has you mewling with need.

“Joshua,” you mewl, lacing your fingers around his neck to pepper his face with quick, desperate kisses. “I need you inside me. All of you.”

“Yeah? You’ll let me come in this tight cunt?” he growls as he slides the head of his cock along your ruined slit. “Fuck you dumb and fill you up with my come? We can do it all over again once you’re dripping with me, you know? Just so we’re sure that my seed will take.” 

“Yes,” you moan aloud as he finally slides into you. “Want your come. Want your children, Shua.”

Just as he’s buried himself to the hilt, Joshua pauses to stare at you with a look of disbelief. You don’t really blame him.

Though you’ve been married for quite some time now, the topic of starting a family hasn’t really crossed your minds yet. Joshua wanted to spend as much time as he could showing just how much he loves his wife. But discussions about having a child or two have come up every now and again—though most of it was in half-jest. 

Now, though, you’re completely certain. 

“Did you not hear me, dear husband?” you laugh, despite the way your walls clench around his hot length. “I want your children. How can you give me that when you’re busy gawking at me like you are now?”

Joshua doesn’t need to be told twice.

He quickly throws your legs over his shoulders, introducing an angle so delicious, it makes your eyes roll to the back of your head even when he has yet to move. Joshua breathes out a strained groan at the sight of you—hair fanning against the pillows with a wanton look in your eyes. 

How could he not fuck you until you’re with child?

The first snap of his hips is brutal. It sends you forward on the bed and you feel every inch of him bypassing the tight ring of your hole. Your cunt squelches with every thrust, rendering you a panting mess beneath your husband of six years and hopefully more. Joshua leans down to pepper your chest with the same love bites he’s left between your thighs and you think fondly of the fact that your husband can still conjure flowers of his own without using his own magic.

“My gorgeous. Fucking. Wife,” he growls as he takes a handful of your breasts in his large, warm hands. “I’ve waited for so long for you to tell me you’re ready. Waited so long to fuck my seed so deep into you, you’ll be feeling me for days. You want to help me sire a bunch of little royals now? Let the entire kingdom know you’re mine?”

“I-I’ve—” You gasp when he grazes against that patch of spongy flesh inside you that makes you see stars. “I’ve always been yours, Shua. Always.”

Your husband smiles against your skin before pressing a long kiss on your lips. When you dare to look in his deep brown eyes again, you nearly lose yourself in the love reflected back.

“That’s right, snowflake,” Joshua sighs. “Mine to breed. Mine to fuck.”

“Mine to love.”

His tender words are your last straw. You spiral from the edge again as stars burst in the back of your eyelids, letting the rush of pleasure surge through your system as Joshua continues fucking himself into completion. Your husband is murmuring a string of sweet nothings as he chases after his own high, but you’re much too lightheaded to make sense of the words.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” you babble senselessly as his cock hits the deepest parts of you. “I’ll never want anyone else but you, Shua.”

“So will I, love,” he confesses as his hips snap into a stuttering halt. You let out another broken moan when you feel his thick, hot emission paint your trembling walls in the white of his release—feeling so blissful, you nearly forget your own name.

“So will I.”

Joshua doesn’t stop there. Even when he knows you might need a minute to recover, he flips you over on the mattress, pulls your ass up in the air and continues fucking his spend even deeper inside you. Though you want to croak out in protest, you’re much too delirious with pleasure to voice it out. 

“Need to make sure my seed takes, right, darling?” he breathes out as he smooths his large palms across the swell of your ass. “I can’t wait to see you heavy with my child. Don’t you ever think you’ll become any less beautiful than you are now when that does happen. Because I’ll continue reminding you just how unbelievably gorgeous you are.”

You want that too. More than anything you’ve ever wanted in your life.

It takes several more rounds for you to sate your primal need for each other. Joshua collapses into a heap right next to you on the bed and you try not to laugh—convinced that doing so would make his come trickle out of your poor, abused cunt.

“Hello,” your husband murmurs once he’s caught his breath. 

You giggle. “Hi.”

As he engulfs you in the endless heat of his embrace, your eyes catch on the collection of beautiful daisies on your nightstand. It’s the very same bouquet Joshua had given to you the night he came to apologize for his mistakes—enduring the passage of time with Wonwoo’s freshly honed preservation magic.

The cold of winter outside continues to seep into the room even when Joshua has already dozed off by your side. You glance at him lovingly, remembering him say that he’s grown to hate the season when Hyejin broke off their engagement in the middle of the snow.

But both of you are at that point in your lives where you don’t need to bury yourself in a mountain of blankets nor do you need to toss too much wood into the hearth. As long as Joshua remains by your side, you’ll always be warm.

⟢ end notes: i hope to god that tumblr won't crash when someone reblogs this monster lmfao. thank you for making it til the end! heads up that i might take a break from this series for a while bc writing this expended so many of my brain cells, i just have to step away for a while. i hope you'll still be looking forward for the third and final installment of the series hehe jeonghan's going to be getting his own spotlight very soon~

this is part of the it’s complicated series.

— the first circle of hell ⟢

pairing: jun x reader

summary: the first time you catch a glimpse of jun, you feel like you’ve seen him somewhere before. a magazine cover, a billboard, or a music show you watched in passing. jun, on the other hand, seems to know you a lot better than you know yourself.

word count: 6.3k words

tags: vampire!jun, stylist!reader, reincarnation, angst, smut

warnings: graphic depictions of sex, minors dni

notes: hi! this is my first fic on this blog and for seventeen in general! <3 i’d greatly appreciate any comments you’d leave for me hehe :3c this fic also comes in two parts, with this being the first. i hope you enjoy!

Keep reading

enemies to lovers prompt #10 "I'm not driving home with you..." with mingyu, thx <3

— vices & virtues ⟢

being from one of the most opulent families in the city, you're used to getting everything you want. but when you realize that your hot bodyguard is strictly off-limits, you treat him like anything else you can't have: with unbridled hostility.

★ FEATURING; bodyguard!mingyu x reader

★ WORD COUNT; 5.4k words

★ TAGS; enemies to lovers, unresolved sexual tension, smut

★ WARNINGS; alcohol consumption, cigarettes, implied/referenced drug use, self-destructive behavior in general, (probably inaccurate) discussions about drug poisoning, graphic sexual content (MINORS DNI)

★ NOTES; when i tell you i speedwrote this just in time for mingyu day,,, eugh i love you so much gyugyu and thank you to the anon who sent this in a while back!! this prompt was so tasty to work with!

★ SMUT TAGS; unprotected sex, couch sex, oral (f receiving), dirty talk, dacryphilia, size kink, mating press, overstimulation, creampie

★ SVT TAGLIST; @wonderfulshinee - @misssugarlips - @yourfavoritefreakyhan - @jeanjacketjesus - @just-here-to-read-01 - @hanihans - @venusrae - @taestrwbrry - @minnie-mouser22 - @dreamhannies - @thvhannie - @kkooongie - @gae-uls - @lenireads - @gaebestie - @ryusha-rose - @enhacolor - @ilyvern - @woo8hao - @spk93 - @tommolex - @stariightjoyy - @asjkdk - @horny4hoshi

★ MINGYU TAGLIST; @ @renjunphile - @acgyu - @potatofrieswithketchup - @pluviophile-xxx - @pretty-trustme - @zeenanigans - @noveniadelia

When the tiniest sliver of consciousness slips into your inebriated brain, you feel the cold tile of the bathroom floor being pried off your face. Well, more like you're being gently lifted off it, and into the arms of someone warm.

You nearly lean into their embrace until you catch a whiff of that familiar, musky cologne with hint of something like pine. It takes you some effort to keep yourself from bolting out of his grasp and retching your guts out in the toilet again.

You deign to squint your eyes despite the harsh fluorescent light razing your vision. Looking down on you is none other than Kim Mingyu, gaze as indifferent as ever. Unfortunately, you're too drunk or high to figure out how he even found you here, but you know there's no weaseling your way out when your father's little lapdog has tracked you down.

"What're you doing here?" you still ask even if you knew the answer.

It's my job to take care of you.

"It's my job to take care of you," he says the words in the same way you imagined him to—apathetic. Indecipherable.

"Fuck you. I don't need you to take care of me," you scoff. "My friends'll drop me off at my apartment like they always do."

Mingyu rolls his eyes. "You mean the same friends who called me because they're tired of having to clean up after your shit? I don't want to be here either, princess, but I'm actually getting paid to keep you in line, if you hadn't known that yet."

There's something so unfairly attractive in the snark in his tone, and you fucking hate him for it. Mostly, you hate yourself for even thinking that anything about Mingyu is remotely alluring.

In the end, you just tell yourself that you're an objective person. You have eyes, and it won't cost anything to admit that Mingyu is conventionally attractive. Even if you did hate his guts.

Not that he'll ever hear you admit that aloud, though.

You're vaguely aware of how the hem of your too-short dress rides up your thighs as Mingyu rises back to his full height—having no problems carrying you out of the bathroom bridal-style.

Under normal circumstances, you would've struggled. Proved that you could very much handle yourself despite being obviously hammered. But your head is spinning, and your limbs feel like they'll disintegrate any second.

Eyes closed, you press your face into the fine fabric of Mingyu's suit—breathing in the same scent that repulsed you not five minutes earlier in an attempt at anchoring your consciousness.

As Mingyu maneuvers you out of the bathroom, the loud bass blaring from the speakers at the frat party you've decided to attend last minute rings in your eardrums. You don't have to see your surroundings to know you've got onlookers. Those unsubtle comments are clue enough to know you're being watched.

Who is that? Her boyfriend?

No, idiot, that's probably her bodyguard or some shit. Her family's loaded as fuck.

So lucky. If I had a bodyguard like that, I'd totally let him smash.

The real question is: would he let you smash?

Fuck you.

You want to flash them the most disgusted look you could muster. As if you'd stoop low enough to fuck Mingyu, of all people. Don't they know who you are? You could easily let any man or woman you wanted on their knees for you.

You were supposed to stick to your regular routine of getting railed into the next day after a few drinks and sticks, but you obviously got a little too excited about the new strains your friends snuck into the party. Now you're being princess carried by a man you absolutely despise, too shit-faced to even be remotely desired by anyone else at the moment.

Still, never in a million years would you consider having this guy as a bodyguard lucky.

You can tell you're outside when the music starts to fade in the distance and the cold starts to prickle your legs and arms. A somewhat coherent part of you recalls leaving your designer jacket in the coatrack of the frat house, and if you weren't so fucking shit-faced, you would've yelled at Mingyu to go back and get it.

But just before you can consider asking him somewhat nicely, you hear him unlock a car that definitely doesn't sound like yours—making your ears perk up, and your consciousness flood back in much faster.

"What are you—?"

You thrash in Mingyu's arms until he lets you down on the ground—throwing him a stone-cold glare right after. The fact that your pedicured feet are in direct contact with the asphalt makes your rage spike further. How dare this asshole leave your Valentinos behind? He might as well have just left you at the party altogether!

"I'm not driving home with you," you growl.

Mingyu's expression doesn't even budge. "You're not driving. I am."

"Don't try to be fucking smart with me. I'm high, not stupid."

Folding your arms across your chest, you try to pretend that you're not in the middle of the street, arguing with Mingyu as your blood pressure rises to unimaginable heights.

Unfortunately for you, this isn't the first time your friends have left you in the quote-unquote capable hands of your bodyguard. But every time he did, he would always drive whatever car you chose to bring for the occasion and drop you off at your place.

When he brings a car of his own, however...

"You're bringing me straight to the old man," you grumble. "You think he'll appreciate seeing his daughter all wasted at three in the morning? You think he'll be happy with you when he finds out you let me sneak out like this? Are you stupid or do you actually want to get fired?"

"And who told you I was going to bring you to him?" Mingyu shakes his head, letting out a long-winded sigh. "Like I said, I don't want to be here either. The last thing I need is even more overtime after your father sets you straight."

That makes you pause, eyes widening with a hint of mistrust. Mingyu listens to every word his employer says. He's the perfect little lapdog. So perfect that sneaking out for these nightly escapades of yours have grown increasingly difficult with how good he is at finding you and bringing you home.

So hearing him practically say that he won't tattle on you...

"How can I be sure you're not fucking with me? That if I fall asleep in the car, I won't wake up in the courtyard of the old man's stupid mansion?"

"Do I look like I have the energy to deal with both of you at the same time?" he replies sharply, opening the door to the passenger seat with a hint of finality in his actions. "Just get in the fucking car so we can all head to bed before sunrise."

The sound of the house party still in full swing echoes in your ears from the distance. Your skin tingles a little beneath the heat of Mingyu's mildly pissed off gaze, and you let out a shuddering breath to keep yourself from giving the feeling a name.

"Fine."

...

Good news: you made it safely back to your apartment without anyone alerting your father about your true whereabouts.

Bad news: Mingyu just won't fucking leave.

He insisted that you get yourself refreshed with a shower first before he talks to you in the living room. The same guy that right-out said that you should hop in the passenger seat of his car so you'd both be asleep before the sun rises. The clock is already pushing past four in the morning, and Mingyu still insists on lecturing you before he leaves?

You of all people know how obstinate he can be. He's even more stubborn than you are, if you're being completely honest. So even if it wounds your pride to play along with what he has planned, you head back to your living room right after slipping on your usual nightgown—flashing Mingyu a look to remind him you're not at all pleased with whatever bullshit he wants to talk about.

However, your irritation ebbs a little when you see a plate of your favorite cookies sitting on the coffee table, along with a glass of water and a sheet of Advil.

Your gaze drifts from the snacks to your bodyguard, who looks more dressed down than usual. His coat is folded neatly, hanging off one side of your couch, and the first three buttons of his dress shirt are undone.

You gulp, prying your eyes off the sliver of chest he's willingly exposed before seating a respectable distance away.

"What did you want to talk about?" You try to sound casual as you leaned forward, reaching for a cookie and the glass of water without as much initiating eye contact.

"You smoked a few joints at the party, didn't you?"

You take a bite, washing it down with your drink before replying with, "So what if I did? A little kush isn't going to kill anybody, Mingyu."

"We both know 'a little' doesn't exist in your vocabulary, princess," he points out, crossing his arms with an unimpressed look. "Anyway, I'm not your father, so I typically don't care about what drugs you're taste testing every night—"

"Are you implying that you suddenly care now?"

"With a new poisonous marijuana strain circulating in the underground market? Of course I do."

You do a double take on that, staring at him hard as you begrudgingly swallow your cookie, "What? Underground market? And what do you mean poisonous?"

Mingyu lets out another sigh when he leans forward to reach for the box of cigarettes and a lighter you left strewn across your coffee table. You're even more surprised to see him lighting himself a stick and taking a drag than you were when he prepared some snacks and water for you.

"Some Columbian drug cartels thought it would be funny to infiltrate surface-level drug transactions. Long story short, they invented some fucked up strain laced with belladonna and smuggled it into the market under the impression that it's a new sativa strain."

You absolutely have no idea how Mingyu even got ahold of this information, but realizing the implication of his words has your stomach sinking with dread. If what he's saying is true, it's no wonder you were out so fucking quick tonight.

"I'm not gonna die within twenty four hours, right?" you half-joke because, Jesus, you're adventurous with your drugs, but you wouldn't willingly take something that can actually kill you.

To your relief, Mingyu shakes his head. "I don't know the science behind it either, but I was told sativa tones down the poisonous effect of belladonna by a huge margin. The worst you'll experience is a fever and a nasty cough if you don't do anything about it."

"Gee, way to be reassuring."

Mingyu scoffs before taking another drag of his cigarette. Your gaze is riveted on the cut of his jaw as he inhales the smoke with eyes closed. It's only when he flicks the ashes in a small ashtray you left by the small table beside the couch that you realize he's pushed the sleeves of his dress shirt to his elbows—exposing a good deal of his toned arms.

You immediately take a huge gulp of water, not wanting such unsavory thoughts about an unsavory person to surface now, of all times.

You might be more refreshed after your shower, but if you're starting to ogle Kim Mingyu, the strange joints you've been hitting all night might've messed with your head more than you thought.

"That's why we're going to the doctor tomorrow—"

You scowl. "Like hell I'm going to pay Doctor Yoon a visit. That guy's the biggest tattletale in the world. He'll definitely tell the old man. Oh, and I actually have classes tomorrow if you're forgetting, Mingyu."

"You're pretending to attend those now that it's convenient for you?" He smirks as he breathes out another puff of smoke. "Nice try, princess. But don't worry your pretty little head about it. I'll take you to another doctor I know—someone who won't get us both in trouble by telling your father that you've been smoking bad weed."

"Again, way to be fucking reassuring."

The silence finally settles as you nibble contemplatively on the snacks he brought for you. You're can say for sure that you're most certainly sober now, so Mingyu's words have got you thinking.

But it's a little difficult to think about the state of your health when you've got a sort-of uninvited guest manspreading right next to you on the couch.

"Aren't you going to leave?" you ask. "Just text me what time we're going to visit that doctor friend of yours."

"How would you feel if you got told to scram while you're in the middle of a smoke?" Mingyu flashes you an annoyed look. "For the third time, I don't even want to be here, princess. At least let me have this as compensation for saving your sorry ass."

He's so fucking infuriating.

The rough undercurrent in his voice. The perpetual upward curve of his lips as if he always has the upper hand. His beefy arms. His built chest.

...Not to mention his unexpected thoughtfulness when he decided to stick around and inform you about what you might've gotten yourself into instead of leaving you to fend for yourself. He even brought out your favorite cookies for good measure.

You never really know what to do with Kim fucking Mingyu. He stirs up all sorts of confusing feelings inside your chest at any given time, and frankly, you've had enough of it.

You allow yourself to relish in the pride that swells in your chest when he nearly drops his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray the moment you crawl on top of his lap.

Mingyu's mouth quivers with some sensible words his job description probably requires him to say, but you rob him of his ability to speak when you steal the cancer stick from his fingers. In one long breath, you smoke the cigarette down to the filter—killing it on your ashtray before leaning down to press your lips to his.

With how stunned he is, it doesn't take a lot of effort to pry Mingyu's mouth open, breathing the smoke into his mouth. Once you're satisfied, you pull away with a triumphant smirk.

"Now you're done," you say, making the motions to get off his lap. "I'm heading to bed. Don't wake me up before noon for that doctor's appointment or else I'm going to slash your ti—"

You don't even get to finish that sentence. Mingyu suddenly flips you over so that your back is pressed against the couch and he's lying on top of you—both knees planted on either side of your hips as he gazes at you with an ireful glare.

"W-What are you doing?" you whisper, but in spite of the protesting nature of your words, you can't help but feel a pang of white hot desire shoot straight through you when you feel just how big he is now that his body is pressed against yours.

"Teaching a bad girl a lesson," he whispers, grabbing your face roughly. "You can't just pull off shit like that and expect to walk away from it unscathed, princess."

Fuck. That nickname he always uses never fails to get on your nerves on any other day. But when he sounds like that and has you under him like this...

"What are you gonna do about it then?" you ask.

Mingyu chuckles darkly, as he squishes your face with his big, long fingers. You nearly shudder at the thought of what those digits could do to you if you just pushed the right buttons.

"You'll just have to fuck around and find out."

When the pressure of his strong grip leaves your cheeks, confusion paints your features. Mingyu's weight eases off your pliant body almost immediately as well, leaving you to scowl at him incredulously. He doesn't even look at you as he collects his coat from where it hangs off your couch.

But before he can even think about putting it back on, something not so different from a growl resonates deep in your chest as you sit back up—tugging on the collar of his shirt to smash your lips together.

Mingyu all but groans into the kiss, but you're not sure if you can even call it that. There's nothing but hunger fueling the both of you as your tongue slides alongside his, mapping out each other's mouths like your lives depended on it.

You vaguely hear his coat fall to the floor as Mingyu goes back to crowding you against the couch—one of his strong arms circling your waist as he grinds his hips against your middle. It's nearly embarrassing how willing you are to receive his advances.

You, the same person who told your bodyguard you refused to drive home with him, are now making out with said bodyguard at four in the morning.

But then again, who fucking cares?

"You have no idea," he whispers hoarsely against your lips and you let out a stifled moan when you feel the outline of his erection rut against your clothed pussy, "how much you drive me insane. You're such a fucking handful, you know that?"

"I'm glad to know I make your life miserable," you bite back despite the fact that, when Mingyu brings down the straps of your nightgown to expose your breasts to the cool air, you do nothing about it.

Mingyu lets out a harsh laugh. "You're probably into this, aren't you, princess? You like riling me up so much so that I'd snap and teach you a lesson?"

You want to tell him that he's being fucking full of himself if he thinks you've planned this that far back. But with how massive he feels through his trousers alone, you can't say that you don't want him inside you right this second.

It doesn't help that he's giving your chest a generous amount of attention—suckling at your nipples in a way that has you twitching beneath him with sensitivity.

"So what if I am?" you say, testing the limits of what he'll let you get away with. "You talk big about teaching me a lesson but you're being awfully careful with me. Aren't you going to shove your cock down my throat to get me to shut up?"

Mingyu chuckles with a quick shake of his head, like he isn't even taking your words seriously. You let out a sharp yelp when he bites down on one of your breasts—leaving a distinct imprint of his canines on your skin before staring into your eyes.

"I can choke you with my cock next time, princess. For now, I just want to make you come until you're crying for me."

Fuck.

Mingyu wastes no time. He immediately sinks to his knees on the floor, hauling your hips closer to the edge of the couch so that he can hook your thighs over his shoulders. When he realizes that you're not wearing any underwear underneath your flimsy satin nightgown, you swear the noise he makes is near animalistic.

"Don't get f-fucking cocky," you stammer, nerves alight everywhere his lips graze your inner thighs. "I don't usually wear underwear before going to sleep! This wasn't for you."

"It is now," Mingyu says before licking a long stripe from your leaking hole to your aching clit. He holds your thighs far apart as his lips latch onto that little bundle of nerves, alternating with delicious licks at your sensitive folds.

He practically smothers his face into your cunt as he continues his relentless assault on your clit. By the time Mingyu starts to tease his tongue along your entrance, your fingers have found their way into his unruly hair—moans falling from your lips with little concern about appearances.

Mingyu pulls away for a moment, and you nearly snap at him from that alone until he eases one of those thick fingers into your wet channel—dark eyes trained on you as he stretches you out with a hungry gaze.

You don't even feel any semblance of shame when you start to ride that single digit, wanting to feel him go deeper and spread you wider. Fortunately, your bodyguard is more attentive than you think, and it doesn't take long for him to ease another finger into your needy pussy, curling them just so once he's sure he's found that spot that'll render you an incoherent mess.

The sound he rips out of you is unholy and Mingyu growls again before his mouth finds its way back onto your cunt—getting lost in the taste of you on his tongue.

"Where's the fight you've been putting up against me all this time, princess?" he taunts just before those stupidly thick fingers graze that sensitive patch of flesh inside you again. "Are you that desperate? You've fucked yourself up so much tonight that you couldn't bring anyone back home. Your bodyguard's gonna have to do, huh?"

You know you should be affronted by how offensive his words are. Mingyu might be an expert at getting on your nerves, but with how good his fucking mouth feels as he laves at your cunt like a man starved, you can't even let yourself feel any modicum of annoyance.

"M-Mingyu," you gasp as he suckles on your clit again—steadily building your orgasm from the ground-up. "I'm gonna come, f-fuck!"

Three. Mingyu slides in three fingers at your admission, and you nearly cry with how wide he's stretching you out. This time, he switches from sucking at your clit to rapidly flicking his tongue against the sensitive pearl.

Your toes curl with oversensitivity, thighs nearly crushing his head as you frame the syllables of his name in another wanton moan. When Mingyu curls his fingers inside you one more time, the tension that's been building in your stomach snaps like a rubber band.

Once you teeter off the precarious edge of release, you feel a gush of slick surge out of your cunt and into his awaiting mouth. Mingyu laps it all up—his sinful tongue catching every drop of your tangy essence. If you didn't know better, you would think he's desperate for you as much as you are for him.

It takes a while for your mind to fully come back online after that first orgasm, chest heaving almost painfully with how Mingyu took your breath away with oral alone. When you finally have your wits about you, your bodyguard surges forward so that your faces are levelled, and you nearly groan when you see the way his mouth and chin glisten with your juices.

"So fucking delicious for me," he rasps. "Gonna let me have a taste of this pussy every time now, princess? Want my mouth on you before you sleep?

"Do whatever you want, Gyu," you mewl, tugging him closer as you position yourself horizontally on the couch. "N-Need you so bad."

He sighs, unbuttoning the rest of his dress shirt as he drinks in the sight of you all fucked out and compliant because of his mouth and fingers alone. Your lips are parted, eyes glistening with tears or desire—Mingyu can't say for sure just yet.

But if he can get you this wrecked from oral, he can't fucking wait to see what you'll look like after he gets you to cream on his cock.

His shirt falls to the floor and you can't contained the awed gasp that leaves you at the sight of him. He's built like a fucking sculpture—all lean muscle and hard toned abs. It would make sense for Mingyu to be this well-built, being your bodyguard and all, but the thought of having his body pressed against yours as he fucks you into the couch is sending your mind into overdrive.

"You're so adorable," he chuckles, but you know the words are anything but a compliment. "A moment ago you were challenging everything I said and did. Now you're suddenly an agreeable little thing. Are you that cock-hungry, princess? Want something to fill that pretty pussy?"

"Yes." You don't even hesitate. "Yes, yes, yes. Want your cock in me. Want you to fill me up, Gyu. Please..."

Fortunately for you, Mingyu isn't one to tease. The moment you've given him the green light to rearrange your insides, he steps out of his tight trousers and boxers at the same time, pumping his thick cock in one hand as he nudges your thighs apart once again.

You practically salivate at the thought that you're about to take all those delicious inches inside you. Mingyu doesn't miss the starry look on your face, but doesn't take the time to gloat about it. Instead, he leans all the way forward so that your thighs are squished against your chest—easing your legs across his shoulders in a position that's not so different from when he ate you out earlier.

"Gonna fuck the attitude out of you, princess," he promises before pressing a kiss on the corner of your mouth. "You ready for me?"

You nod a little too eagerly, forcing his face into the crook of your neck as you wrap your arms around his head. "Gyu, please..."

"Alright. Since you asked so nicely."

He doesn't even give any forewarning when he bottoms out inside you in one languid stroke. A choked up noise gets caught in your chest with how sudden he was, how full you feel in such a short amount of time, but Mingyu doesn't give you any time to think, or even to breathe.

Before you can even get a single word out, he's pulling his hips back—making you feel every inch of his thick cock before slamming his hips forward with a powerful thrust that drives you further into the sofa. You let out a long-winded moan, unable to do anything about it as he pounds into you with the vigor of someone who's been putting up with your shit for a better part of the year.

"Pussy's so fucking tight for me," he growls. "You're squeezing my cock so good, princess. Is this all I had to do so you'd stop driving me crazy? Eat you out a little and dick you down 'til you forget your name?"

You can't even process what he's saying right now—too lost in the sensation of his cockhead grazing your cervix with each forward stroke. He's reaching into you so deep that you might really just forget everything but the letters of Mingyu's name by the time he's done with you.

"M-Mingyu," you drawl dumbly as he peppers your neck with bites and bruises—unrelenting with his deep strokes as your cunt flutters around his length. "Fuck. L-Love your cock so much—oh!"

You let out a gasp that Mingyu quickly muffles with his own mouth as he adjusts your positions on the sofa—easing your legs off of his shoulders in exchange for spreading them wider on the cushions. How he manages to do that without his cock slipping out of you is a testament to your flexibility, and he's already cooking up what he'll do about that information for next time.

Mingyu continues kissing you all while he plants one foot on the couch and the other on the floor. When he tugs your hips even closer it's only then that you realize that the lunatic has you in a mating press.

"How long have you been thinking about me fucking you like this?" he whispers, deciding to drag it out with slow, deep thrusts that only serve to frustrate you. "You wouldn't have let me go this far if you hadn't thought about it at least once, princess."

I've wanted to fuck you since the old man introduced us, is the correct answer but you've still got some shred of dignity. If Mingyu wants the truth, he's going to have to work for it.

"Fuck me again after this, and I might give you an answer," you rasp, meeting his lazy thrusts with some of your own to get the point that you want him to ram into you across.

"There she is," Mingyu laughs. "My nasty, sharp-tongued princess. Thought I lost you for a sec."

"You will if you don't fuck me until I black out."

"Oh? All you had to do was ask, you know."

Then and there, Mingyu makes good of that interesting position he'd unknowingly lured you into—plunging that fat cock even deeper into your pussy if that's even possible. It felt heavenly, taking all of him while your legs dangled off his shoulders, but there's just something about having your legs spread impossibly wide as he drills into you with the full intention of making you come until you're crying that does it for you.

As each second passes, Mingyu's thrusts become more erratic—hips snapping with hard, calculated strokes so fucking good that tears are starting to glisten along the lines of your lashes like he promised.

You mewl his name like a string of prayers as the sound of your cunt squelching with every thrust rings in your ears. It's insane how close he's driven you to the edge in the span of thirty minutes, and you're starting to grow fearful of how addicting it feels to have him inside you like this.

At this point, you'd rather get off on Mingyu's cock than get high from some shady sativa joint. Something tells you he'd rather have that, too.

"Where do you want me, princess?" he whispers into your ear, reaching between your legs to give you just the right pressure you've been missing on your clit. You have to bite back a sob when he presses his thumb against it.

"Inside," you whimper as he continues plunging his engorged length into you. "Fill me with your cum, please, Gyu. I want it—want it so bad."

Mingyu hisses when you clench around his cock, large hands undoubtedly about to leave bruises on your thighs come morning. When you hear that deep, sexy laugh in your ear, you know it's all over for you.

"Come on my cock first, princess. Then I'll give you what you want."

He punctuates the words by drawing quick, tight circles on your clit all while keeping up the cadence of his thrusts. With the steady stream of stimulation he's so willing to give, it's a no-brainer for another orgasm to blindside you yet again.

You cry out with bliss as you screw your eyes shut—tears running down your cheeks in cascades as you fall apart on Mingyu's cock. He fucks into you despite the overstimulation, his own high not far behind because of the expression you're showing him.

"That's it," he rasps, leaning down to kiss the tears away. "Fucking cry for me, princess."

You're not sure if you're just too blissed out to comprehend it properly, but you're pretty sure that Mingyu just triggered another orgasm from you when you feel him twitch inside—your tight channel being covered in his white hot emission.

It doesn't help that your insatiable lover continues to fuck his cum deeper into your abused cunt, taking full advantage of this position while he can.

"M-Mingyu," you beg, fingers raking across his back as he punches the breath out of your lungs. "Too much. T-Too much."

You thought he wouldn't heed your words, but surprisingly, Mingyu halts every movement to gaze at you with a hint of concern lining his gaze. Wordlessly, he eases himself out of your sore cunt, wiping the tears off your eyes before pressing a kiss on your lips.

"Sorry," he murmurs before gently fixing the straps of your nightgown. He even tugs the hem down despite the fact that his cum is currently leaking out of you. "You want me to tuck you in?"

You nod, lacing your fingers around his neck, the overstimulated mess you are. Mingyu breathes out a quiet laugh before carrying you into his arms again.

"Alright, princess. Let's get you to bed."

You don't have the heart nor the energy to protest. Besides, it's his job to take care of you, after all.

⟢ end notes: reminder to not take any of the medical indications abt drugs that i included in this fic seriously. i made all of those up. oh and this should go w/o saying but don't fuck anyone while under the influence of anything AT ALL !!!

that aside, happy birthday to everyone's favorite puppy boy mingyu! i ended up loving him a lot more as i stanned svt, and i hope everyone else gives him the same love as well! god knows he has lots to give to both his members and his fans ueueue

++ if you spotted a few errors here and there, please don't tell me or i'll die of embarrassment ^_^ this wasn't proofread bcs i wanted to drop this exactly on his bday (i am 1 hour and 34 mins late!) HEHEHE i was sposed to write an ending scene in the morning where gyu wakes up and sees her wearing his shirt while making breakfast but that'll make this too long :| i'll just leave that to ur imagination!

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tease ||yjh||

summary- Jeonghan's a tease. You're delighted to find that this extends to the bedroom.

wc- 4k

Blue hues of light lit up the living room- spilling out of the blaring television and onto your faces. It was loud. It was bright. But it did nothing to distract you from the way your boyfriend toyed with you while he watched.

You and Jeonghan had only just started dating- it had been about three weeks- and nothing had moved past innocent make-out sessions yet. There was no rush, he told you, he was willing to wait until you were comfortable enough.

'no one has ever survived my plain rice original attack- take this!'

'HA! you underestimate m- AHHHHH I'M HUNGRY'

It was a silly movie. On any other day, you would've loved it. You would've been glued to the screen, shoveling popcorn into your mouth as you laughed away.

But right now? Right now you were focused on one thing and one thing only; the way Jeonghan was touching you.

He leaned against the arm of the couch, legs bent at the knees, with you lying between them. Your head rested on his firm chest and his arms wrapped themselves under yours, around your waist. It was standard procedure thus far. You always cuddled like this.

The thing with today, however, is that his hands are...occupied.

One hand sits at the hem of your shirt, fingers fidgeting with the flimsy fabric, while the other holds your inner thigh. Over the course of the movie, Jeonghan moved from twisting the hem of your shirt to tracing little hearts onto the skin below, right above the edge of your panties.

You've got half an hour left to finish the movie now. Half an hour to power through your growing desperation.

"there's no need to drag this out," he mumbles into your ear, and you jolt in his arms, feeling his breath tickle the shell of your ear.

"huh?"

"I mean, he could've just shot the guy-"

Unsure of what he was referring to, you opt to agree, not wanting to give away your current state.

"y-yeah, you're right" you stutter, cringing internally at how pathetic you sound.

If he notices, he chooses to make no comment about your utterance and resumes watching the movie. His hands move back to playing with you, only this time, he drags his nails over the waistband of your panties, causing you to squirm in his grasp. The other hand settles back on your inner thigh, fingers bumping into your cunt 'accidentally'.

The contact has you whimpering pathetically, and you bite down on your lower lip to seal off your voice. You fail to notice, however, the smirk playing on Jeonghan's lips.

Oh, this was no accident.

Fifteen minutes to go now, and you think you're going insane. The squeeze of his fingers, the way his nails rake against your skin so softly, he has you losing your sanity. Your panties are soaked, your breathing is shallow, and your face is so red he'd be able to see it even amidst the harsh blue glow the TV casts on your face.

'hang in there' you tell yourself, trying to squeeze your thighs together, trapping Jeonghan's hand between them.

"you okay, angel?" he asks, wiggling his hand until your thighs fall open again, "you've been so quiet"

"I uh, I'm alri-" you break off into a whimper when he moves his hand up and squeezes again.

"what is it, baby?" His voice is sultry and low. You feel yourself clench up around nothing.

"n-nothing hannie I'm okay" you say, breathlessly. Too caught up in watching yourself, you fail to notice the evident grin in your boyfriend's voice- like he was up to no good.

"if you need anything from me, you can just say, hm?"

'I need your dick inside me. I need you to touch me, to kiss me, to have me. Whatever you want. I need you to just have your way with me'

"yeah I'll um, I'll be sure to tell you"

Ten minutes to go. You are an absolute mess. Your panties cling to you uncomfortably, like a second skin, your body is enveloped in a thin film of sweat, and his hands, god his hands have not stopped.

Those gorgeous fingers of his torture you with their every move. You've forgotten about the movie entirely now, choosing instead to look at the way he plays with you. The way his pretty, long fingers grab at your flesh, teasing you without mercy.

You're transfixed, honestly, drifting into thoughts of how they'd feel inside you, how he'd feel inside you. Captivated by his hands, you don't realize when time passes you. Before you know it, the room goes silent, screen turning black before your unfocused eyes.

The credits roll quietly as Jeonghan continues to toy with your body, now certain that you're as invested in this as he is.

He hasn't said it before, but he's wanted to have you from the moment you called him yours. His mind was plagued with thoughts of you- what you'd look like, what you'd sound like, what you'd feel like under him. But, he didn't want to push. This had to happen naturally.

As names litter the screen, Jeonghan brings his hand higher, now flush against your groin, and you fail to conceal the moan that rips out your throat.

"oh?"

"sor-sorry," you stutter, eyes widening, "I should um, I think I'll go wash up-"

Hastily, you move to scramble off his chest, shooting up off the couch only to find him mirroring your actions.

Jeonghan's hand finds your wrist, and he tugs you back, into his embrace. He wraps his arms around you, leaning his chin on the top of your head.

"why won't you ask?" he mumbles into your hair, smoothing his palms over your waist and lower back.

"what are y-"

"I'm all yours, y'know... whatever you need, you can take it from me"

When you fail to respond, Jeonghan sighs, peeling himself away from you. His hands land on your shoulders as he walks you backwards, pushing you onto the couch.

"hannie what are-"

Soft cushions greet your tensed frame, dipping under your weight. Your boyfriend stares down at you, slowly settling on top of you, with his knees resting at either side of your hips.

"take it." he whispers, bringing his face right above yours, so close you can feel his breath tickling your lips.

A breathy sigh slips past your lips, and you shudder at the proximity between your bodies.

Jeonghan inches closer. Your eyes flutter closed, anticipation bubbling away in your stomach. He draws nearer still, pushing further and further, almost reaching your lips, until he stops.

You lie waiting, with your eyes still shut, before he whispers against your lips.

"take. it."

Blushing wildly, you look up at him. He's still close, still almost touching you. At first, you're unsure of what he means, but the look in his eyes tells you all you need to know.

Oh.

He wanted you to work for it.

Your head tilts tentatively, angling yourself towards him. It's a strain, lifting your head at such an awkward angle, but you're almost there. Your lips are almost on his.

So close, just about to touch, when he pulls back ever so slightly. A frustrated whine leaves your lips as his own curl up into a devilish smirk.

"hannie," you pout. His smirk widens.

"c'mon angel you can do better than that, can't you?"

Ignoring your crumbling pride, you reach up once again, managing to ghost your lips over his, only to have him pull away like before.

You huff, letting your head fall back onto the cushions as you turn to the side.

"giving up already?" he hooks his fingers under your chin, forcing you to face him as he speaks.

You're about to bite back, say something mean, but the view you're met with has your throat closing up. Jeonghan's hair hung loosely around his face, his lips were parted, his eyes were blown wide with something you'd never seen before- he looked unreal.

"are you?" he quirks a brow at you before leaning closer, ghosting his lips over yours.

Taking full advantage of the proximity, you loop your arms around his neck and pull him closer, finally managing to kiss him.

The action takes him by surprise, but he quickly recovers, grabbing your wrists and pinning them above your head.

You gasp at the sudden movement, and he takes full advantage, shoving his tongue into your mouth, licking his way inside. There was an expertise to the way he kissed you- how his tongue moved so sensually, how his lips pressed against yours in a way that had your panties soaked.

While one hand binds your wrists together, Jeonghan uses the other to cradle your face. The gentle manner in which his fingers splayed over your hair, thumb tucked into your temple, had you reeling. How dare he act so innocent with his tongue shoved down your throat?

For a minute you both seemed to forget about the world, about reality. All that existed was you and him and the heat between your bodies. You can't help the small whimpers and moans that escape you with every flick of his tongue.

Panting, you pull away. Your chest heaves as you gaze into his eyes, noticing how blown his pupils are. The same eyes that sparkled with love when he saw you, the same eyes that crinkled under his smile, those very eyes looked unrecognisable tonight. There was a lust, a hunger, that shone behind his stare. It made your stomach flutter.

"angel," he mutters, his tone low and raspy, "what do you want from me?"

"I-" you start, breaking eye contact when your cheeks start to heat up once again, "I want you"

He quirks a brow at you, and for some reason, you feel the need to add in a quick "please".

"want me how?"

Jeonghan trails his fingers from your jaw down your body, stopping at your clothed cunt.

"want my fingers?" he smirks as you shudder under his touch, and continues.

"want my mouth?" his head dips into the divot between your collarbones, licking at the tender skin before nipping at it oh-so-gently.

"want my cock?"

In one swift motion, he grinds down into you, pushing his hard bulge against your sex.

A moan claws its way up your throat, and before you're aware of what you're doing, you find yourself whimpering-

"all of it- all of it please hannie"

He stares down at you, his dominant persona faltering for a second when he takes you in. Soft wisps of hair framed your face, a thin film of glossy sweat settled on your skin, crimson tints painted your cheeks. You were sprawled out, blushing, panting, all for him. All because of him.

The way his heart swelled at the sight of you was something he'd never felt with anyone else before.

"my pretty girl," he coos softly, brushing a strand of hair off your face, "I'll make you feel good, okay? Is that what you want angel?"

You nod, desperately, eyes wide with sincerity. God you're adorable- Jeonghan can't help but fuss all over you and pepper your face with soft kisses, before he regains his composure.

With alarming ease, he stands back up, beckoning you forward with the quirk of his fingers as he walks backwards towards his bedroom.

"c'mere"

You swallow your pride and follow him, scrambling off the couch eagerly, chasing after his figure.

The dark setting of his bedroom greets you as you enter after him. It isn't what you expected. Not one bit. For someone as soft and easy going as Jeonghan, black walls and dark satin sheets seemed quite... out of character.

But then again, you've only known him for a few weeks. Perhaps he isn't as soft as he let's on.

"if you wanna stop," he says, pushing you to sit on the bed, "just say the word. okay?"

You nod and his jaw ticks.

"words. I'm gonna need to to use your words for me, yeah?"

"y-yeah I can do that Hannie"

"good."

Slowly, Jeonghan tips you back, letting you lie back onto his mattress with your knees hanging off the edge. He shoots you a sly smirk as his hands run up your sides, under your shirt, making you shiver.

"this okay?" he murmurs, kissing the skin of your exposed tummy while his hands undo your buttons with expert precision.

"mhm"

With each button falling apart under his fingers, you feel your heartbeat quicken. Anticipation builds in your stomach with how slowly yet easily he moves. It was so sensual, so enticing, how he took his time, how he was so confident with the way he handled you.

The heat between your legs is unbearable now.

"there" he sighs, almost to himself, as he pops the last button off, revealing your bralette.

Oh.

Just when he thought you couldn't get any prettier, you had to go and prove him wrong.

"I'm really lucky, aren't I?"

"what ar-"

"I've got the prettiest girl in the world with me. all mine"

You turn away, bashfully.

"m'gonna make you feel good, okay, pretty?"

"yes" you breathe.

Sparing not a second more, he crawls on top of you, nuzzling his face into your neck, leaving wet kisses below your ear.

"could kiss you all day" he whispers against the shell of your ear, biting gently at the sensitive skin.

"Hannie-"

"don't think I'll ever be able to stop"

Jeonghan trails kisses down your neck to your cleavage, stopping right above the fabric of your bralette to look up at you.

"can I?"

"mhm"

Deft fingers slide under your back, pushing you to arch up against him as he unhooks your bra with ease. He lets the fabric fall apart under his fingers and tosses it aside, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight of your breasts.

You shudder when his hands knead the soft flesh, occasionally tweaking your nipples between his fingers. He really knew what he was doing.

The heat in your belly only grew with the way he teased you, growing almost unbearable. You needed him to touch you. You'd go crazy if he didn't.

As if he read your mind, Jeonghan places his lips to your breasts, sucking faint red bruises into your skin, moving south. He leaves a trail of marks all the way down your torso, stopping at the hem of your shorts.

"still with me?" he asks, fingers tucked into the waistband of your shorts, mumbling into your skin.

"yeah just- please keep going"

He grins. You were exactly what he imagined. Responsive, sensitive and desperate. Oh he was going to have so much fun with you.

Tugging your shorts down, tantalisingly slow, Jeonghan stares up at you- a mischievous glint in his eyes.

You don't think too much of it at first, but when he moves to pull your panties off, you begin to put two and two together.

A faux pout takes over his features as he holds your underwear right above your knees.

"oh no," he coos, snapping the waistband against your lower thigh, "it's stuck."

Oh.

"what-?" you choke. It was painful now, how badly you needed him. Your clit ached, your hole clenched up around empty space, your skin was on fire.

"can't seem to get these off," A stupid grin stretches over his lips, and you want nothing more than to smack it right off.

"Hannie c'monn it hurts" you whine, tears pricking your eyes, "please"

He pouts, a condescending furrow in his brow.

"but it's stuck"

"god-"

You shove your panties down, hastily, and kick them off until you're completely bare for him. Exasperation paints over your face, only to be replaced by a furious red blush once realisation hits.

Did you just-

"so desperate for me," he smirks as his palms glide over your hips, "fuck look at how wet you are, angel"

Jeonghan crooks a finger into you, dragging it along your slit before raising the digit to your face. There's a glint in his eye, half in awe, half amused.

"you're practically dripping off my fingers, baby"

You feel your cheeks heat up at the sight and turn away, mumbling something along the lines of 'c'mon don't tease'.

There's a chuckle on his end as he gives in, pushing the soaked digit into your mouth. Your cheeks hollow around his finger, tongue swirling, and he sucks in an unsteady breath.

"will you be good, angel? can you stay still for me?"

You hum, opening your mouth to say something, but you quickly cut yourself off with a moan when Jeonghan's tongue drags along your slit. He works the wet muscle into you, dipping inside to collect your arousal before spreading it over your clit. His lips suction your aching nerves, tongue prodding it rhythmically, and your back arches off the bed.

Jeonghan's eyes meet yours, his stare warning you to behave. Instantly, your hips settle back, and you try your hardest to keep still.

"good girl," he praises, mumbling into your clit. The vibrations of his voice shoot up your spine, and you feel your nerves sing, now on edge.

A helpless moan escapes you when he slides two fingers inside you, pumping in and out as you squeeze around him. The combined stimulation of his tongue on your clit and those long fingers inside you, has you dangerously close to falling apart.

"H-Hannie fuck don't stop m'so close-" you gasp, grinding your hips onto his face to match the rhythm of his tongue.

His lips curl up into a sickly smirk and you feel you stomach drop. Surely, surely he wouldn't-

"gonna cum?" he grins. The thrust of his fingers begin to slow their pace and his tongue circles the area around your clit.

You push your hips up, chasing his tongue desperately, but to no avail.

"please-"

"please?" he echoes.

"so close"

"mm I could tell"

The sultry edge to his voice has you torn. On one hand, he just denied you of what would've been the best orgasm of your life, while on the other he sounded so fucking sexy being in charge. You couldn't decide whether you wanted to slap him or pull him into a kiss.

Your thighs quiver with the weight of your ebbing orgasm, and you feel tears spill over as it fades into nothing.

"aw, angel," he coos, thumbing away the pearls slipping down your cheeks, "you were right there, weren't you?"

You nod, sniffling away pathetically.

"do you wanna cum?"

You nod again and he tuts.

"what did I sa-"

"yes! yes please- wanna cum, wanna cum so bad Hannie,"

Jeonghan smiles, satisfied, and lowers his face to your cunt, this time shoving three fingers into you without warning and lapping at your clit with such precision you almost came on the spot.

You moan, hands flying to his hair instantly. His tongue flicked at your nerves just right and the stretch of your walls around his fingers felt ungodly.

"d-don't stop please-"

He smirks against your cunt and pushes further, harder. Within minutes you come undone, feeling your body sink into the mattress as your vision turns white from pleasure. Jeonghan fucks you through your orgasm, licking at your juices lazily.

"taste so good" he groans, pulling his fingers out of you and sucking them into his mouth.

The room feels hot. Far hotter than before. You can smell yourself, smell the salty sweat dripping off of you. Jeonghan grins at your dishevelled state, revelling in the way he had you breaking on his tongue.

"still okay?"

"more than okay" you breathe, tugging him by the collar of his shirt, into a filthy kiss. You can taste the remnants of your arousal on his tongue, and it only makes you want him more.

You pull away, panting, and keep your fingers tangled in his shirt.

"you- are far too clothed for my liking."

Jeonghan's eyes crinkle into that smile you fell in love with, and your heart skips a beat. God, he was just so pretty.

"perv," he smiles.

"hey, I'm the naked one-"

"mhm and who's fault is that? didn't you take these off yourself?" he reaches down, grabbing your panties before waving them around.

"god- you're so-"

"handsome? skilled? tempting?"

"just shut up and fuck me already"

Jeonghan steps back, now standing in front of the bed, and pulls his shirt off. You feel your lungs drain.

He was on the slimmer side, so you didn't really expect much, but the sculpted contours of his pectorals and abs told you something else altogether.

"you're staring"

Shamelessly you let your jaw hang open as you sit up to feel his abs.

"m'not staring what are you talking about?"

Your hands trace over his torso, eyes transfixed by how beautiful he looked like this- staring down at you, one hand resting on your hair, cheeks flushed.

He takes hold of your wandering hand and drags it up to the centre of his chest.

"can you feel that?" he asks, voice raspy.

It's his heart.

"that's all for you"

His heart thuds against his chest, pace so quick you'd have thought he was a racehorse.

"I-" you start, unable to find the words.

"c'mere let me take care of you, hm?"

Ridding himself of his shorts and boxers, Jeonghan let's your hand trace over him.

Gently, he lays you down on the bed, making sure your head rests securely between the pillows. He hovers over you, balancing his weight on his forearms.

"might sting just a little, okay?"

You nod, staring up at him with wide, eager eyes.

Slowly, Jeonghan eases himself into you. He was long. Really long. Girth wise, the stretch didn't hurt too much, but god- he was barely halfway in when you started squirming.

"shh, I know, it'll feel good in a minute angel"

Pushing further, he distracts you with a sensual kiss, licking at the seam of your mouth. You grant him entrance, whimpering when he swipes over your tongue.

He bottoms out inside you, and for a moment, you still in his arms.

"that's it, baby," he mumbles against your lips, breathing hard as is to contain himself, "taking me so good"

When he feels you relax around him, he draws his hips back before pushing back into you. His is pace is steady, his thrusts are firm, you swear you've never felt so secure during sex before.

His length kisses your cervix right away and you cry out, back arching off the bed and into his chest. Your nails rake down his back, leaving deep red marks you're sure he'll tease you about tomorrow.

"fuck-" he seethes, thrusting into you, his jaw tense as beads of sweat collect at his temples.

"Han- oh my god-"

The room echoes with your voices- desperate moans and whimpers neither of you can be bothered to contain. Hot, steamy air floods the space, and you can smell his cologne, his skin as he pounds into you.

A hand reaches down to toy with your clit, stretching your lips open, leaving your nerves completely at his mercy. His middle finger dips into you, rubbing lazy circles against your clit, and you cry out his name like it's all you know.

He muffles your cries with his tongue, shoving it into your mouth as you moan and whimper into him. It's hard to breathe, hard to speak, hard to think, but you just can't get enough.

A particularly harsh thrust has you clamping down on him and he groans. His lips trail over to your ear, and he bites gently at the tender flesh of your earlobe.

"you feel like heaven-" he shudders, licking at the shell of your ear.

Your skin lights up, hairs standing on end, and you feel your orgasm building.

His fingers circle your clit faster, and his thrusts move to a brutal pace.

Moaning into each other, you chase your highs, hips bucking eagerly, desperately, as you finally come undone together.

Jeonghan fucks into you, helping you ride your orgasm as he does his own.

There's a long silence as he pushes into you, both you and him wincing from overstimulation. He gazes into your eyes, a soft smile gracing his lips, and kisses you deeply one last time, before pulling out.

Whimpering at the sudden loss, your hips chase him, and he scoffs, an amused look taking over his face.

"you're insatiable- c'mon let's get you cleaned up"

Before you can protest, you find yourself slumped against his chest, carried in his arms like a princess as he walks over to the bathroom.

You're met with an already filled bath, rose petals scattered along the surface of the water, candles lit up and arranged along the room.

"so I uh, I might have planned thi-"

You cut him off with a peck, giggling at his sudden nervousness.

"thank you," you beam as he lowers you into the water, following right after.

"anything for my angel"

— game over ⟢

a minwon streamer au!

★ FEATURING; wonwoo x afab!reader x mingyu

★ STATUS; ongoing

★ TAGS; streamer/gamer au, eventual poly, enemies to fuck buddies to lovers (wonu), friends to lovers (gyu), in denial wonu and gyu, sex tapes, angst, smut (MINORS DNI)

★ NOTES; i honestly should've made a masterlist for this little passion project a long time ago, but since we're finally introducing gyu into the mix, might as well do it now :^) it feels nice to finally pick up a series i started in january lol

— main story ✧

✧ one: underlying pretense ✧

word count: 10.3k words

summary: being two of the most popular streamers across the board, your subscribers often speculate if your constant bickering with wonwoo has some underlying pretense. little did they know, the two of you have everything on display on a single, unsuspecting twitter account. 

tags: fuck buddies, not quite enemies to lovers but it’s the thought that counts, streamer!wonwoo, streamer!reader, attempt at humor, smut

✧ two: favorite poison ✧

word count: 15.5k words

summary: no strings attached sex is easy. catching feelings for a person you supposedly hate is hard. it’s in times like this when wonwoo wishes he can set the dial to his life on easy mode forever, but everyone knows he’s nothing if not stubbornly competitive.

tags: fuck buddies, not quite enemies to lovers, streamer!wonwoo, streamer!reader, attempt at humor, in denial!wonwoo, angst, smut

✧ three: caught in the middle ✧

word count: 15.8k words

summary: mingyu knows. he’s perfectly aware that his best friend’s girlfriend is the last person he should end up wanting. but who is he to refuse when wonwoo invites him to join something he never thought he could ever be part of?

tags: established relationship, streamer au, one-sided pining (or is it!!!), lots of guilt-ridden thoughts, fluff, angst, smut

✧ four: coming soon! ✧

— side stories ✧

⤷ 02:35 | bf!wonwoo getting jealous over some cosplay sent by your fans and sponsors

if you want to be tagged in the upcoming installments for the main story, leave a reply! however, if you already signed up for my permanent taglist, you'll be automatically tagged in all my full length fics <3

— it's complicated ⟢

one commoner, two princes, and three tales far too complicated to comprehend.

★ FEATURING; chan, joshua, and jeonghan!

★ STATUS; ongoing

★ TAGS; royalty au, magic, jeonghan being a menace (yes, it's a tag that's effective for the entire series lol), slow burn, fluff, angst, smut (MINORS DNI!)

★ NOTES; ok i lied abt posting this later hehe i've been soooo excited to share this entire series since i posted chan's story a few weeks ago <3 i hope you all like it!

★ BANNER CR; @himbocoups thank you so much for helping me out, nu!!!

✧ promise ring // chan ✧

word count: 21k words

summary: no one would’ve guessed that the daughter of the town’s royal mage has a soft spot for the clumsiest fire elemental in the entire realm. but when the crown prince suddenly asks for your hand in marriage, you’re forced to consider how you feel about a certain lee jung chan a lot more seriously.

tags: childhood friends, mutual pining, love triangle

✧ eyes meeting, hearts apart // joshua ✧

word count: 30.2k words

summary: you could've fallen for the childhood friend who owns a flower shop, the singer who takes the stage of the bar every other day. hell, even the owner's flirtatious son could've been a better choice. but you can't really help it if your heart longs for a prince who's in love with somebody else.

tags: bartender!reader, requited unrequited love, pining like no other, angst

✧ starcrossed losers // jeonghan ✧

word count: x

summary: at age fifteen, you’re betrothed to a prince named jeonghan. at age twenty-five, you’re set to marry him. so, when your father gives you a chance to find love all on your own, you immediately take it. now if only jeonghan would stop fucking sabotaging every relationship you’re trying to get into.

tags: royal!reader, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, emotional romantic and sexual tension all in one lmao, more angst than intended

want to be included in the taglist? send me an ask!