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I’M TIRED OF SMUT, I WANT TOOTH ACHING FLUFF AND HEART SHATTERING ANGST.

Little Witch (Pt 2/5)

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

You begin trying to piece memories of what happened to you and Elijah together. Will it be enough to make Klaus believe the two of you did not betray his trust

The day had long since given way to night, letting shadows creep over the buildings and alleyways as you walked the streets of New Orleans. You'd gotten a hotel room but couldn't sit inside the four walls attempting to push against the heavy barrier within your mind blocking you from remembering just what exactly happened between you and Elijah.

You couldn't go back to the compound so you'd been forced to buy a few changes of clothes. Once you'd gotten the room you'd showered three times and threw away all the clothes you'd been wearing. You felt dirty, something had happened. You knew it to your very being that nothing on earth would have driven you and Elijah to hurt the very people that meant the most to you both.

You needed help but was unsure where to turn. Davina was with Kol, she may very well turn you away. Freya was a laughable option even if she'd been on the same continent. It had been years since you felt so damn alone.

You hadn't realized how blindly you'd been wandering until you slammed into a hard chest. Arms caught you before you could fall and only then did you realize it was Marcel. “I haven't seen you in ages without Klaus attached to your hip” he teased with a smile. Maybe Rebekah didn't know yet? Or maybe she'd kept it from him?

You forced a smile onto your face “He's at home with Hope. I was just out doing some shopping” his eyebrows furrowed together in disbelief “Alone? Normally Rebekah or Hayley would be with you” you shrugged “Maybe I'm shopping for them” he seemed to either buy it or chose to let it go. He nodded and squeezed your shoulder closest to him gently “Well do us all a favor and pay a little better attention. I'd hate to see something happen to you beyond the fact that New Orleans may not survive his wrath if something happened to Klaus’ little witch”

You promised him to be more intune with your surroundings before walking away. You took a breath, uncurling that string inside of you that held the spark of your magic just below the surface. You needed to calm down. You let it seep out just enough to make you aware should a threat be nearby but even then it felt heavier than usual. Like it took effort to touch the spark when it should've been as natural as breathing.

Maybe you just needed some sleep? You decided to head back to the hotel.

After a sleepless night you were up early the following day. Another round of showers and you'd changed into fresh clothes. You needed to chase down answers even if you were alone in it.

You were just heading to the door when a knock on it pulled your attention. You slowly walked across to it, as your hand hit the knob you heard Rebekah's voice “Just open the bloody door. We need to talk”

Great, was she simply going to snap your neck to save one brother from daggering the other or worse? You opened the door, feeling every muscle inside of you tense. She let her eyes track over you then shook her head “Calm down and tone down your magic. I'm truly just here to talk”

You stepped back and let her into the room before you closed the door then turned to lean against it “Rebekah you've got to know I love Klaus” she nodded before a smile slipped onto her face “No one knows why exactly but yes the love you have for my brother is clear. I just want to know what happened. Klaus is raging, Hayley won't look at Elijah and he's not exactly being chatty either. I've caught the basics but I'm still confused. You have never been more than friends with Elijah, how the hell did you two wind up in bed with each other?”

You shrugged, feeling yourself deflate “I have no idea. The last thing I remember was the two of us walking out of an antique shop. I'd gotten the owner to track down something for me. The next thing I know I hear Klaus calling my name and it was like his voice broke through a dark wall around me. When it burst Elijah was on top of me looking just as confused as I felt”

That barrier inside your head seemed to double in weight when you once again tried to remember what happened. “Sounds like someone messed with your heads. I mean I'm not well versed in magic but it's almost as if you were compelled but your magic prevents that and Elijah is an original. No one could compel him”

You met her eyes with a small smile “Do you believe me?” She nodded “Of course. I've questioned the why of you loving my brother not the fact of it. If you need help I'm here” you nodded slowly feeling a tiny bit lighter than moments before just to be believed “Do you think Hayley will talk to me?”

She shook her head “No but I could get Elijah to meet me at one of Marcel's places. Neutral ground. The two of you can compare memories and see where that takes you” you felt a flicker of your magic swirl up without you calling it. It slammed violently against that barrier in your head blocking your memories from you. Your magic demanded answers as much as you did. “I can't thank you enough” she waved her hand “Please don't take this personally but me intervening is selfish on my part. I can't stand dealing with Klaus’ tantrum for long”

You walked into the bar Marcel had secured for this meeting and froze when you saw Rebekah sitting at the bar drinking a glass of wine while it appeared the glass in Elijah's hand was barely withstanding the pressure from his fingertips while he stood on her other side.

They both glanced up at your arrival but you noticed how quickly Elijah dropped his gaze. Rebekah plucked another glass from behind the bar and poured it halfway with wine and slid it towards you. You sat next to her and stared down into the glass. After a moment she sighed heavily “I'm moving now to give you two the illusion of privacy to talk”

She stood and walked across the bar to a table. You took a sip of the wine before Elijah spoke your name gently. You turned to look at him as he said “I apologize for whatever happened”

Did he think you blamed him? Whatever occurred you were both victims of it. “I don't blame you, hell I truly don't think either of us was to blame” he tilted his head to signal you to go on with the explanation so you explained how it felt inside your head trying to remember and even told him how sluggish your magic was being. He listened intently then nodded “If what you're thinking is correct what is the reasoning?”

You shrugged “I'm not sure yet but I feel like maybe you were used as a weapon to hurt Klaus. He loves you, no matter what's happened between you two you are his big brother. I was being challenged by a lot of witches for taking the side of your family in the fight when Hayley was pregnant before Klaus invited me to move in. I can protect myself but the original hybrid saying I was his? That sent a message. I thought I'd killed all of my old coven but if someone survived this could be revenge. Rip me away from the man I love, the family that claimed me. The safety of having reinforces to back me up should it come to a fight. I took on the strongest spell they had and I'm still standing. They couldn't take me down as a witch so now they're aiming to take me down as a woman. Make heartbreak heavy on my mind so I don't see it coming”

Elijah was quiet for a moment and you could see him thinking of what you'd said then he nodded “They used me to hurt you, to hurt Niklaus. When you find them you have my word you won't be alone to face them”

You smiled slightly “Thank you Elijah and I hope this doesn't affect our friendship because you mean a lot to me” He finally gave you a small smile “It won't simply because we won't let it. I'll get Rebekah to help me speak to Hayley. Perhaps she'll see logic but as for Niklaus..” you cut him off by saying “I'll talk to him”

You started to stand up but Elijah caught your arm and when he met his eyes once again he gave you a gentle smile before slipping a dagger into your hand. “I know you love him and I want to trust in the love I know he still has for you but he is angry”

“I can't dagger Klaus” you whispered and Rebekah spoke up “The dagger is reversible but if he kills you in a fit of rage to discover later that all of this wasn't yours or Elijah's fault the guilt will never leave him”

The dagger felt heavy where it laid in the inner pocket of your jacket as you walked into the Mikaelson compound. Klaus didn't know you were coming, Rebekah had called him with the pretense that she thought he'd killed a couple wolves and he'd told her he was at home.

You knew this could possibly be a death sentence but something wasn't right. Both yours and Elijah's memories were spotty at best. The last thing sticking out to both of you was walking out of that antique store but hours passed between then and the moment Klaus and Hayley found you two together. What exactly had gone down in that time frame?

You froze the moment you felt him. "Klaus" you turned to see him standing not far from you leaning against the very doorway you'd just crossed through into the sitting room "I told you to not come back here or have you come to ensure I don't kill your lover?" You felt a surge of anger at his words. You loved him as did Elijah, neither of you would've hurt him or Hayley intentionally. "I've come to talk to you Klaus”

He took a step towards you and it took everything for you to not step back. You could sense the anger and betrayal rolling off of him in waves. "About what exactly, love? About how I trusted you despite you being a witch? About how Hayley trusted you? About how our daughter keeps asking for you and neither of us can give her an answer as to where you are? About how it felt to find the woman I love, MY little witch, spread out beneath my brother?”

So many emotions hit you at once. The love you had for the man in front of you, the indignation at knowing someone managed to get in yours and Elijah's head, the worry about if something else had occurred between the two of you, the guilt at knowing you'd hurt Klaus and Hayley and now the added guilt of Hope asking for you and not being able to go to her.

“Yes, if that's what it takes for you to talk to me then by all means yes” you could see the surprise in his eyes at you answering like that even if he'd swallowed the emotion the moment he felt it. He took another step forward causing you to unintentionally take a step back.

A flicker of a smile passed his face “What's wrong love? Scared of me now?” Despite his calm demeanor you could see the anger rolling off him. Betrayal and pain stained his aura as he spoke. “I don't want you to do anything that you'll regret later” he laughed and took another step forward and it wasn't until your back hit the wall that you realized he'd done it on purpose. He wanted you pinned between him and the hard wall.

He braced his palms on either side of your head before leaning down where you could feel the warmth of his breath on your ear. Your mind was working to remind you of the bigger picture at hand but damn your body it was reacting to Klaus’ close proximity. A whimper all but tumbled from your mouth when you left the warm flick of his tongue over your pulse “You're breathing hard and your heart has sped up. What's wrong little witch?”

You swallowed hard trying to find your voice but what he said next reignited that anger in your belly “Or are you wishing I was someone else” you reached down for your magic, using it to aid in the process as you shoved both hands hard against his chest. He backed up but kept a smirk firmly in place. You shook yourself to clear your head, feeling the weight of the dagger against your side.

“I want to talk” he waved a hand “Go ahead then. Tell me how it wasn't what it looked like. How Elijah somehow knew where on your neck you like to be kissed and how you were moaning his name but you somehow say it wasn't leading to you sleeping with him”

You forced the tears down that wanted to spill at his words “We can't remember Klaus. Neither of us have any recollection for about a three hour span. The last memory was us walking out of an antique shop together”

“Such convenient amnesia” he gasped and you had the urge to slap him. You never should've come here without proof. You shook your head “Forget it. You're not wanting to talk rationally or to see logic”

You took a few steps towards the door but the reality of the fact that if you were fighting someone strong enough to get into yours and Elijah's head you may not survive it this time. You paused with your hand on the door then looked back at him. He was frozen where you'd left him but this time he was looking at you at least “Rebekah knows which hotel I'm staying at. When I find who's responsible I'm tearing them apart. If something happens to me… she has a letter for you and one for Hope. Know I love you Niklaus Mikaelson and that I will until I draw my last breath”

When he didn't make a move to come closer you shook your head, feeling tears form in your eyes before walking out.

Yall, have I ever told you how much I love Lunar? Because I really do, but it comes to a point where I want to see him suffer so I have angst ideas for him since I thrive off of that type of shit. So, please give me angst ideas for Lunar or any character in the TSBS fandom in general, please 🥺🙏

If the writers make Lumini angst and it's just them not working out and breaking up, that will be the most basic and foreseeable shit ever.

I need them to be a great couple, and they're surprisingly so healthy for each other. Only for one of them having to die in the others arms. Yeah, it would be cool if it was Gemini and Lunar cried their heart out, but Gemini mentioned they can come back. So I think that episode and arc would've been for nothing (unless they make it turn out that they lose their memories than the angst would be impeccable 😩🙏).

I NEED THE MF DYING TO BE LUNAR. They get injured terribly and is on the verge of death, and they're being held by the one and only, Gemini.

Just a Lil idea yknow cuz I'm bored :3 :

They're looking at each other in their eyes, and Lunar starts to quietly panic, "I don't wanna die... I don't wanna go back, Gemini...". Gemini starts trying to comfort them to the best of their abilities, "You won't. You're half astral. You're one of us. You'll be back... don't worry, please.". They go back and forth on this until it's just Gemini talking, and they realize that Lunar is now gone. Gemini holds onto the strand of hope that Lunar will be reborn into an astral. Only for that hope to slowly fade as Lunars body is still in their hands. Laying limply.

im at roughly 4k words into this scara fic and im not even done with the ending yet goodbye 🤸🤸🤸🤸

More of my pressure oc, I’ve decided to name him Coel

Some information about Coel:

he can’t leave the water for long periods of time due to his fish dna making him unable to retain water, but he can breathe oxygen.

the shackles around his arm and neck cause him severe discomfort and pain and has caused him to be mostly mute since speaking causes him pain and discomfort. he is mostly aggressive due to the amount of pain he is in constantly.

He does eventually escape from his captivity but the shackles are still stuck on his wrists and neck

he isn’t very trusting to others, He is more likely to flee from others if he can but otherwise he will attack if he feels cornered

He is mostly human and coelacanth but he has horseshoe crab dna mixed with him, which is why he has blue blood

He is color blind and also very sensitive to bright lights he cannot see very well in light environments and prefers to be in the dark

The fact that it took me 6 years to work up the courage to watch episode 20 of the season 1 of Chima... 

star lost with you | hyunjin au | part 11

synopsis: working in a quaint little art store, you’ve had the honor of meeting all kinds of people, but you’ve never met somebody like him.

there were many reasons hyunjin returned to his hometown; a getaway from the ephemeral and fast-paced life of the city, so he could fall in love with life again. he thought he was prepared for everything, to study art in the way that he’s always wanted to, but what he didn’t anticipate was meeting you.

hwang hyunjin realises that sometimes, the best things in life happen unplanned.

series: star lost with you

pairing: idol! hyunjin x artist! reader

genre: friends to lovers, angst, smut, fluff, set in the idolverse, mutual pining, unrequited love, forbidden (?) romance, slowburn (!), soulmate au (kind of)

word count: 34K (im so sorry)

warnings: cursing, some angst, jealousy, mutual pining, sexual tension is off the charts, yn is very very insecure, oblivious behaviour, mature content, fluff, mentions of boners, drinking, making out, kissing, grinding, sub! hyunjin, mentions of the word cock, groping, dirty talk, opens with a flashback, dom! hyunjin

a/n: way too much happens in this chapter, but this is my favourite one yet. it has some of my favourite scenes I’ve ever written for hyunjin, and i hope you all love it! i hope it doesn’t disappoint, and that the wait was worth it. please tell me all of your thoughts. I know I could probably have broken it up into two parts, but everything has to happen together haha. it’s a really long part, so please get comfortable! 

you can listen to my star lost playlist here! thank you @ortali for this gif <3

masterlist

Yongbok’s hand was in yours, freckled skin and soft palms, the familiarity of its touch soothing you. It was a comfort that you were used to, the kind of reassurance you always had, just knowing him — knowing that his hand would always be yours to hold, at the end of any day. 

You could trace the dots on his skin with your finger, and you’d spent many afternoons counting the stars on his body. 

He hated his freckles, but he loved stars, and so obviously, that’s what you called them. 

If he so wished, you’d erase the word freckles from the dictionary, just for him, but you hoped that one day he would come to love them, just as you did.

“What took you so long?” He asked, a pout on his lips, and you knew that he’d only been waiting for you, just a few minutes, but if Lee Felix as a fifteen year old was anything — that was dramatic. 

His voice was saccharine sweet, and despite the excitement in his stature, he held your hand gently, rubbing circles over your skin.

“I just…got distracted” You mumbled, pushing the bag of your brand-new art supplies up your shoulder.

“Gosh. Y/N. You and pretty things…You’re so weak” 

Keep reading

idealizations concerning real life relations | jjk (m)

>>pairing:jungkook x reader / fuckboy!jk x hopeless romantic!oc

>>genre:s2l, fwb, smut, angst

>>word count: 40.9k besties i am so sorry

>>warnings: jk is so sweet, but also so evil lmao, oc lives in her little noggin, angsty fwb, drug and alcohol use, tattoos, multiple smut scenes that include: oral (m/f), fingering (f), light face slapping (with hand and cock??), praise, degradation, marking, dirty talk, so many creampies yum, multiple orgasms, kissing :(, cumming in pants :), probably more but i cant think of it, ok other stuff now, manipulation, infidelity, oc thinks jk is made of stars :(, jk thinks she is so pretty :(, misunderstandings, some fluff if you squint, brunette jk, blonde jk, n blue jk,  1 mentions of: howls moving castle, too many mentions of: stars, the color pink

>>notes: bruv i do not have anything to say for myself EXCPET that i worked v hard on her and i really hope u like it <3 beta: @birbdae​ tysm for dealing with this, she is long lmao >>> soundtrack

this is split up by seasons, so if 40k is a lot for one sitting, you can read one season at a time if that is easier :)

>>summary: jungkook loves to be loved, but he doesn’t love in return.

Keep reading

slow dancing in the dark

warnings: angst to fluff 

ive been in my jay feels its getting a little out of hand heh 

listen to slow dancing in the dark by joji! - romz <3 

The tension in the air was thick. So thick even a knife wouldn’t be able to cut it. You both faced each other, a far distance between. Waiting for someone to speak again but words never come out. 

Jay lets out a hefty sigh and runs his hand through his hair. You watch it fall back behind his ears and can’t help but think that even through scarce times, he still manages to be so beautiful. 

“Jay I don’t know if I can do this any longer.” Your words bring him down from his high of anger, almost piercing his heart in two. He stares at you again, this time trying to comprehend the words you just spoke. Your eyes pointed towards your sock-cladded feet, unable to make eye contact in the fear of meeting his starry eyes that deep down you know, you’ll never be able to let go of. 

He takes a few steps forward to see if you would back away from him. You didn’t. He takes another few steps, standing right in front of you. He places a hand on your waist while the other is softly tucked underneath your chin, forcing your eyes to meet his own. The lamp sitting the corner of your home casts a yellow light over Jays face, bringing out the all the features you’ve managed to fall in love with over time. 

You watch his eyes begin to get teary, your own eyes already slipping out a few tears before you could stop them. “You don’t mean that baby, c’mon don’t say that.” He says under his breath, almost inaudible, hoping you wouldn’t hear the shakiness traced throughout his voice. His thumb rubbing gently across your jaw at in inconsistent pace. 

“I just can’t do this. You a-always shut me out w-when all I want to do his be there for you Jay. I just want you to be okay…” Your words trail off as you move your head away from him. You’re suddenly pressed against his chest, his face pushed into your neck and arms tightened around your torso. His loud sobs fill up the once silent apartment. All you can do is relish in the feeling that he is finally opening up to you, being able to be vulnerable with you. The warmth of your hand running up and down his back calms him to an ease, bringing him back to his senses. He pulls his head out from underneath you. 

His anger filled eyes turned into sorrowful ones, the colour of red spread across the whites of them. Not due to irritation he felt from the argument earlier but rather the fear of losing you. His mind was unable to form any proper thoughts and sentences so he does what he knows his best. 

He sets his lips against yours. Both of your eyes closed as you take in the feeling of his chapped skin against yours. The taste of mint and salty tears prance around your taste buds. Time has stopped around the two of you, fireworks set off in your mind and all you want to do is stay in this moment with him forever.  

He pulls back and intertwines his hands with yours, bringing them up to his face and letting the skin lay across his own. “m sorry. I have a hard time letting people in,” He opens his eyes to meet yours “but im gonna work on this. for the sake of myself but… for us.” He says in a low tone. You send him a sad smile and pull him to you. Your arms wrapped around his neck whilst his arms gripped on to your torso. The two of you slowly sway back and forth to the silent music playing in the depths of your heads. He’ll always find his way back into your heart. 

Remember how in the Rottmnt Movie when Casey said, "They died, everybody died fighting the Krang."

So I just had a little thought...Just a little innocent thought....

Echo dies in Raph's hands after protecting him from the Krang >:)

And the dialogue would go something like this,

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"I love you Raph, I always will even after I die...."

"Don't say it like that! You're gonna be okay once Donnie fixes you up! Promise me you won't die."

"I promise..."

Oh I just got an idea

Remember how in the Rottmnt Movie when Casey said, "They died, everybody died fighting the Krang."

So I just had a little thought...Just a little innocent thought....

Echo dies in Raph's hands after protecting him from the Krang >:)

And the dialogue would go something like this,

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"I love you Raph, I always will even after I die...."

"Don't say it like that! You're gonna be okay once Donnie fixes you up! Promise me you won't die."

"I promise..."

Takin a break from the angst whewww

content: badboy!wonwoo (he's actually a cutie pie he's just v careless with his safety T^T), established relationship, break up, angst, fluffy ending (it's always fluffy endings here or i die), etc.

wc: 1191

a/n: thank you so much to the person who requested this!! im rlly bad with angst so this was hard haha if any of u want a smutty continuation pls lmk <3 i was gonna finish w smut but i wasnt sure ;-;

masterlist

'how can you expect me to care about you when you have such little regard for yourself?'

those were some of the last words wonwoo had heard from you last time he saw you.

he had, once again, arrived home late, blue and grey from yet another altercation he'd found himself in. he had promised you he'd leave his shady past behind. that he'd take care of you and you'd exist happily together, never having to worry for the other's safety.

it had taken you a while to break, begging him to put you out of your misery and either leave you or promise you a life in which you wouldn't be terrified every time he stepped foot out of the door. living without you was just unconceivable for wonwoo, which left him with only one choice.

he managed to keep his promise for about a week or two, happy to arrive punctual at home every night and find you waiting for him, more than ready to shower him with your affections.

he hadn't meant to break his promise. nothing broke him more than the look in your eyes as he entered your shared home, two hours late and with twenty missed calls from you. his skin was once again covered with bruises, disheveled hair and exhausted state to match. he hadn't thought this would be the end. that despite of his pleas to please stay, you'd still pack your bags, eyes filled with tears as you cried at him that you couldn't stay and watch him slowly kill himself like this. what you hadn't realized was that nothing could kill him more than your absence.

~

it had only been two weeks since you left him. two weeks since his last genuine smile graced his face. two weeks since he was able to sleep. and most ironically, two weeks since he'd gotten into some type of life-threatening altercation. his bruises had healed by now, taking longer than usual now that he didn't have you to tend to him like before. he still kept up with you, watching you from afar as you cruised through life. he didn't want to make you uncomfortable, hoping to respect your decision to leave and take his heart with you, but your absence was too much for him. if he couldn't have you, he'd at least watch you from afar, dreading what he had lost. so that's what he did, and thats what he was currently doing right now.

you were attending some party, he'd found out. which meant he needed to be in attendance too and watch over you. he felt dejected as he watched you have fun with your friends, sad that maybe the breakup just hadn't been that big of a deal to you. maybe you were truly better off without him. maybe he needed to leave you alone and allow you to enjoy life without a burden such as jeon wonwoo.

he wanted to leave, he truly did, but his body wouldn't let him. he just wanted you back into his life so badly. everything had turned bleak the moment you left, making him just a shell of himself. he wanted to approach you and get on his knees (in front of all the wasted party goes, even) and beg you for forgiveness. he wanted to cry out to you how much he loved you, that you were the light of his life, that he'd leave it all behind for you. but he was too much of a coward to do that. so, he prepared himself mentally in order to leave, sparing one last look your way before disappearing into the crowd. except you were gone. in his distracted state, you had left. your friends were still there, but you were the sole disappearance. wonwoo knew he should've just left you alone, but he couldn't live with himself if something were to happen to you.

he frantically looked for you for a good five minutes before finding you in some empty balcony, sitting down against the rail with your legs hanging from it. he could only see your profile, but was able to spot the shine of your cheeks, a clear indicator that you'd been crying. he once again couldn't help himself when he spoke up.

'baby?' he was slow at approaching you, not wanting to surprise you too much.

you jumped a bit anyways, 'wonwoo? what are you doing here?'

'i ... i wanted to see you. i'm sorry'

you had gotten up, now facing him but keeping yourself closed off, arms wrapped around yourself and eyes not meeting his, very much unlike your usual affectionate self.

'wonwoo ... you can't keep doing this. i know you've been following me around. you need to leave me alone.'

'i ..'

'do you think this is easy for me? i love you. so fucking much. i just cant watch you get hurt over and over. i cant wait home late not knowing if you'll actually come back,' you'd began ranting, your emotions getting stronger by the second, 'every time you leave it's like i have to hold my breath, and i cant breathe until i have you back to me safely. i can't do this anymore. i love you, i-'

wonwoo couldnt take it anymore. he walked the rest of the way and held onto you. he lightly grabbed you and placed you in his arms, engulfing your shaking form against his chest. you'd begun crying halfway through your speech, your words becoming slurred and you shook and sniffled throughout. wonwoo couldn't physically handle seeing you in such distress without wanting to take it away. so he held onto you. what surprised him was that you held him back. you nuzzled your face into his chest, wrapping your arms tightly around him as you sobbed against him, crying that you loved him.

'i love you ... so fucking much', pulling away, he made sure to look into your eyes as he spoke, 'i can't exist without you. i'll stop- i stopped. i'll leave it all behind for you. we can leave. together. i'll do anything for you, just- please. please come back to me. i love you.'

'wonwoo ...'

'i mean it! i'll keep you safe. i'll keep us safe. we can start new. just us. you'll never have to worry about me again, i promise. just need you back. please. i can't do this without you, i-'

like in any other cliche, you pulled him into you, kissing his words back into his mouth. but he didn't care. he kissed all emotions right back into yours, letting all the sadness he had in him dissipate against your lips. you kissed until you became lightheaded, sighing against each other lips even when you were out of breath, refusing to pull away. wonwoo was finally the one to pull away, almost losing his mind at the way your lips chased after his.

'let me take you home? i love you. wanna take care of you.'

and with that, you walked back into his life, hand in hand, with the promise that his love for you would keep him safe.

this hurt me in the heart too good

As The World Caves In - Tech (3/5)

summary: the galaxy is not a kind place for young lovers. it smothers what it cannot endure, including a love as bright and pure as yours and tech's. pairings: tech x reader (rebellion!era au) (death star au) tags: ANGST, blood, detailed descriptions of injury (yeah this is going to hurt), major character death, don't expect any fluff in this one folks cause this one is WORSE than all the others that I've written so far. a/n: i will be 100% honest and say i did NOT expect this to end up so FREAKING SAD. will this cause emotional damage? most likely. as always, grab your tissues and be ready to sob like a little bitch enjoy! (gif is not mine!)

⭒ main masterlist hunter ✓ crosshair ✓ wrecker ✓ echo ✓

-

"Tech! Tech, where are you!"

A painful cough forced its way out of your hollow chest. You rubbed the heels of your hands into your stinging eyes. Lungs full of smoke, you could barely see through the haze surrounding what remained of the communications tower. The blast from the Imperial gunships had caused the outlook to collapse during your escape, separating you and Tech when the debris fell.

You weren't supposed to be looking for him. He shouldn’t have been far away. You recalled him standing right next to you when everything went to hell. He was right by you when the durasteel and concrete rained on your heads.

The memory of his hand pushing against your back yielded a gut-wrenching knot in your stomach. Everything had happened so fast, the memories were like scattered puzzle pieces... yet you remembered his voice; the panicked cry of your name before he shoved you out from underneath a falling metal beam.

You coughed again, furiously wiping the tears from your eyes as you limped around the debris. Desperation clawed at your throat as you wailed his name, screaming it over the sound of gunships flying over your head.

They weren't firing. They didn't need to. With the Death Star entering the atmosphere, there was no use in wasting plasma. The Imperials fled the planet, leaving you alive and anguished as you scanned the rubble for any sign of white and red armor.

"Tech!" You screamed past the smoke in your throat. Past the blood on your tongue and lips. You screamed his name until your voice was nothing more than a dry rasp, bleeding iron into your throat.

You screamed and screamed until you collapsed on your knees, unable to stop the pained wail that broke past your lips. Rocking your head up to the sky, you let the tears stream down your cheeks. Wet streaks glistening down your face of blood and ash.

Then you heard it - the faintest, broken whisper of your name from underneath the rubble.

It ignited a fresh wave of fear within you, dousing you with enough adrenaline to get you back onto your feet. You followed the sound, shaky fingers pulling at the concrete until you caught sight of a pair of yellow goggles - cracked and broken, lying beside a bloody hand.

The cry that left your lips was nothing short of panic. You were trembling violently as you pried the rubble away, clawing at the concrete until your fingertips began to bleed. An angry, panicked cry pushed past your clenched teeth when you used all of your strength to lift a scalding sheet of metal off of Tech's body. It burned your palms, blinding your vision with white stars even after you tossed it to the side.

Your knees became weak and you collapsed to the floor the moment you realized what you were staring at.

A durasteel beam stuck out of his side, pinning him to the ground. The armor had fractured around it, leaving splinters of plastoid around your feet. You couldn't wrap your mind around the amount of blood. There was too much to feel relieved that you found him. There was so much that you couldn't help but cry, even as his bleary eyes flickered towards yours, brimming with a sorrowful mix of sadness and unspoken apologies.

His glasses, you thought immediately, trembling fingers reaching out to pick them up from the ground. He can't see without them. He can't see me.

Every step towards him was like walking on glass. The blood rippled underneath your boot as you crouched next to him, gently placing the goggles over his head, adjusting them on his face.

"No, no, no," you whimpered, hovering your hands over his face. You wanted to touch him but part of you felt as if anything would break him into little pieces. He was the thin sheet of ice beneath your feet, cracking with every slight movement, threatening to throw you into a deep, cold abyss.

He blinked, flickering his eyes across your face with a dip in his brows as if he was struggling to recall who you were. When the realization came, his face relaxed and the corner of his mouth twitched into a brief, short-lived smile.

He looked at you as if you were an angel - big eyes of wonder flickering from eye to eye, down the curve of your nose to your lips.

"Cyare."

The word left his mouth in a breathless whisper of astonishment, relief. Love burned in his gaze just as strongly as the blood that stained your knees when you fell to the ground, taking his hand in your own.

"T-Tech, we have to get you out of here." You reached for the durasteel beam but froze when his hand lifted with a groan, fingers wrapping around your wrist.

"It's t-too late," he groaned, eyes shutting in pain before fluttering back open. The amber glow in his eyes dulled with each blink. "R-Removing the b-beam will only cause more blood-"

Your broken sob cut him off. "I can't just leave you here to die."

"I'm afraid that doesn't matter anymore, my love," he whispered, eyes flickering up to the sky.

You followed his gaze, biting down on your tongue with enough strength to draw blood.

Of course. The Death Star. How could you possibly forget the reaper that was there to take you both? Where Tech saw you as an angel that came to take him to his peace, you saw the Death Star as your angel, waiting to drag you to the depths where you would be left without him. Alone and damned to grieve for the rest of eternity.

"I-I'm so sorry," you stammered, shaking your head side to side as you took his bloody hand and kissed his palm. "I'm so sorry, Tech. This isn't- I can't-"

You bowed your head, pressing your forehead against his pauldron as a sob violently wracked through your chest.

"Don't cry, cyare," he muttered, moving his hand to palm your hair.

Gentle fingertips raked the blood-matted strands. Tech would do that every morning when you'd wake together - silently running his fingertips through your hair. Sometimes he'd get flustered, blushing deeply whenever you'd catch him in the act. Other times, he'd simply smile and begin peppering your face with kisses - nose, eyes, cheeks, and chin, just to get you to giggle in the early hours of the morning.

Now here he was, running his hand through your hair for the last time.

Tech gazed at you through the cracks in his goggles. Dreamy eyes met your own, trapped in a haze of bliss after being bled out. His breath hitched and he grimaced before relaxing with a sigh.

"Don't cry," he repeated softly. "It will be alright."

No, no it wouldn't, but you didn't have the heart to tell him that. So you simply looked to the sky, letting the tears trickle from the corners of your eyes as you watched the Death Star beginning to glow red.

Pressing your lips together to stifle another stop, your broken gaze met Tech's when he cupped your cheek. His thumb wiped away a falling tear, lips curling into a tired frown.

"You're too beautiful to cry, mesh'la."

You couldn't help but duck your chin to your chest, eyes clenched shut to hide the fresh wave of tears caused by his voice. He sounded so tired, words slurring together like he barely had the strength to speak. You placed your hand atop his own, leaning into his palm.

Cold fingertips gently caressed your temple. You knew he couldn't feel anything in them, even as you turned your head to press another kiss into his palm. Teary eyes met his and you managed a choked, forced laugh.

"I was going to ask you to marry me when we got back home." The admission caused a look of surprise to drown away the painful adoration in his gaze. Sorrow burned in your chest but you forced yourself to speak, unable to withhold anything as the sky flashed red and the ground began to rumble.

"I figured you'd take a while and I was getting impatient," you said with a grieving smile, pressing your forehead against the back of his hand. Your shoulders shook as you sobbed out a laugh. "Gods, I had your brothers involved and everything. You should've seen how excited Omega was when I told her."

The violent rumble that echoed through the ground caused you to snap your head towards the horizon. A mushroom cloud rose into the atmosphere and you didn't need to squint to see the monstrous cloud of fire and smoke washing over the land.

You turned when Tech exhaled shakily, facing the sky with misty eyes and a sad, sad smile on his lips.

"I had so many things planned," you whispered brokenly, voice hitching as you began to cry again. "Can you believe I even had baby names picked out? I-I was so excited to have a life with you a-and now..."

You couldn't help but stifle your sob behind your palm, clenching your eyes so tightly they began to hurt.

"I want nothing more than to have a future with you." Another shaky press of your lips to his cold, cold fingers. "I love you, Tech. So much that it hurts. Please don't leave me..."

Silence.

You didn't want to look at him, even though you knew that he was no longer staring at you. Every fiber in your body begged you to keep your eyes closed, to pretend that he was still listening to you speak.

But you couldn't stop your head from lifting, eyes flickering from the pale fingertips to his face.

Eyes staring at the sky, the corners of his lips were curled with the faintest trace of a smile. The color had left his cheeks, eyes lifeless yet lingering with the ghost of happiness - the last fleeting emotion that crossed his face when he heard you profess your love.

There was no soft rise and fall of his chest. No quirky arch of his brow. His lips didn't part and mutter something sarcastic - no witty comment to get a rise out of you or a sly wink to make you blush.

His hand slipped from your own, falling limply to his side.

You blinked repeatedly, frozen in a state of pure disbelief before your chest began to rapidly rise and fall with short breaths. Your throat constricted, sending painful waves of grief throughout your body as you shakily rested your palms on his cuirass. Hunching over until your forehead leaned on the cold plastoid, you drew your eyes shut, lips parting to release an anguished wail from the pit of your chest.

The planet began to fracture. Your mourned cries bellowed into the sky even as the heat dried the planet's oceans and overturned the landmasses. Grief burned in your chest hotter than the blistering heat that rolled over your skin. The shockwave of the blast threatened to rip you away from Tech but you kept a white-knuckled grip on the edges of his armor, refusing to let the galaxy take him from you again.

Flames licked your skin as you gently ran your fingertips through his hair. Leaning over his motionless body, you placed a delicate kiss against his cold lips, tears falling from your eyes onto his pale cheeks.

"Goodbye, my love," you whispered to the ears that would not hear. You gently removed his goggles, draping your fingertips down his eyelids to shut them. Lowering your head, you placed your cheek against his chest and closed your eyes.

And as you were torn away from Tech for the second time, turning your body into dust, you heard the faintest whisper over the deafening roar of the dying planet.

Goodbye, cyare.

tagging some fancy folks who might be interested! the angst fairy has spoken… @jedipoodoo @coffeeandclaws

me when i think of another sad zero day post

Crowley that I drew yesterday:)

It’s when he just fell and the light shining on him represents God

And the lyrics are from “Take me to church” by Hozier because it’s a really good song and it’s super fitting for Crowley

Super excited to start writing this!!

Hello! could I write #10 ("Remember when you promised we’d always be together? Because I remember when I thought you meant it.) for Roger? Congrats on 3k!! :)

10 is yours!! good luck💓💓and tysm :)

them accidentally ditching you on your bday - vu

hhu, vu, pu

content: angsty, gender neutral, established relationship, etc.

wc:

a/n: thank u to the people who requested this <3 so sorry its so longshdkks pls lmk if u want a pt. 2 with a resolution. not proofread btw </3

masterlist

jeonghan -

jeonghan wasn't a big drinker by any means. sure, he enjoyed the occasional drink with his friends, but it wasnt much of a habit. being a member of seventeen, however, it was quite often that he found himself around alcohol. quite a few of his members enjoyed sharing drinks with one another whenever their schedules allowed. jeonghan, being jeonghan, would always join them, enjoying nothing more than to be around the company of his most loved ones. unfortunately, during these instances he was also away from you, seeing as drinks with his friends tended to be right after work, just before he arrived home to you. this would cause him to make his way into your arms later than usual on the days his friends dragged him away to a pub. you didn't usually mind this, only occasionally pouting at him when he'd come home a bit later than usual without texting you about it beforehand.

today was one of the many days in which jeonghan had found himself at a discreet pub in seoul, accompanied by none other than mingyu, seokmin, chan, seungcheol and joshua, who were all pretty heavy drinkers whenever the mood struck them. jeonghan had prior plans today; it was your birthday tomorrow, so he knew he needed to get home at a timely hour in order to allow you to fall asleep in his arms as your birthday celebrations began. those plans were, however, slightly interrupted by the insistence of a choi seungcheol who adored jeonghan's company and insisted he tag along, even if only for a little while. jeonghan didn't see any harm in this, knowing he didn't have much of a tendency of getting drunk at these gatherings. he could easily make an appearance for one or two hours before excusing himself to go find refuge in your arms.

except that did not happen.

jeonghan wasn't sure how events had turned this way. he had lost most of his sense of self five shots in (what the hell was mingyu feeding him?). he began to go in and out of consciousness, still being aware of his surroundings, but not having many more thoughts past that. the one thing that did manage to slip his mind, however, was his plan to go home to you before the clock struck 12, as it was now 1 in the am. he had fully disregarded his phone too, too distracted with his friends to notice the vibrations on the table.

he woke up the next morning at about 12pm, insane headache and in familiar surroundings. it was joshua's house, he was pretty sure. and he wasn't alone. seungcheol and the rest were also located in different areas of the living room which jeonghan had awoken in. how did he even get here, he wondered. must've called a cab last night. but wait, his phone was out of battery last time he checked it. must've been one of the boys then.

none of these things mattered to jeonghan right now, so he simply got up and charged his phone, heading to the kitchen for a glass of water as he made conversation with joshua, who was the only other member awake at the moment. as soon as his phone charged, jeonghan headed over to grab it, immediately noticing a total tally of 19 notifications, all from you. had something happened? you didn't tend to message him so much. he immediately worried, hurrying to open the messages.

turned out he was right, something had happened.

it clicked almost immediately, with the tone of your texts expressing varying emotions as time progressed, and the date above the messages confirming his suspicions; it was your birthday today, and jeonghan was hung over at his best friend's house. he had no idea how he'd been so irresponsible. he knew he'd be a bit later than usual, but he was so sure he'd still make it home to you before midnight. but that had clearly been wrong. jeonghan dreaded it, but he decided to call you, to at least assess if your mood was as sour as the messages showed.

you picked up within three rings, immediately voicing your concerns at him.

'jeonghan? are you okay? you didnt come home last night', okay, you were worried about him! that was a good sign, right?

'i- angel, i'm so sorry. i'm okay. time got away from me and i ended up blacked out at shua's. shit, i'm so sorry, angel. i'll-'

'were you just drinking the whole time?', you paused, sighing before continuing, 'you couldn't even message me or anything? you ditched me today of all days to get black out drunk with your friends? are you serious?', you paused again, not giving him enough time to respond, 'you made me spend my birthday worried you didn't make it home. with no communication. jesus christ, jeonghan ..'

'angel. fuck. i'm so fucking sorry. i'll come home right now. it's still your birthday! let me make it up to you, yeah? i'll do whatever you want, just-'

'you know what, han? ... just stay there. we can do this some other day. i'm not really in the mood right now. i'll call you later today, okay? love you.'

'wait, angel, no. just let me-'

he wasnt able to complete his sentence, as he was met with a beeping sound, informing him the line was disconnected. he stood there dumbfounded at what had just happened, not knowing how to react.

'man, you're fucked,' chuckled joshua, who had heard the whole conversation.

yeah, he had fucked up big time.

joshua -

today was a terrible day. well, no. it was an amazing day actually. it was your birthday. it shouldve been an amazing day. except due to uncontrollable circumstances, your boyfriend joshua had to be away from you for the entirety of the week. there was an award show going on overseas, in which your boyfriend and the rest of seventeen had to be in attendance.

he had planned a beautiful day for you, really. he had wanted to spend the whole day with you, tending to your every need. he was going to wake you up with breakfast - prepared by himself, of course. then he would take you out to a secluded restaurant to ensure privacy. he had even planned to give you a serenade (he knew you would just call him corny, but could be be blamed for being in love?). he had communicated all this to you as he lamented his sudden absence to you a week before the day of his departure. you had accepted it, being touched by the mere thought. he'd promised you he would still be with you on your special day. although the award show was that same day, he promised to come back to the hotel as soon as time would allow and provide you with his company even if it was only through the phone.

and now it was that time. seeing as he was in japan and you in his home back in korea, there was no timezone to worry about. you'd simply have to wait at home for him to return and give you a call. it was now 6pm. it was understandable he would still be busy. you knew he had packed rehearsals all morning, so his only chance to call you would be later in the night. he had still sent you a few messages congratulating you on your big day and reminding you to be ready for him at around 8pm.

it was now 8:33pm. you had expected him to be a bit late, so you didn't mind it. the award show had been live, and it had ended at around 7:30. however, you knew it would likely take him a while to get ready and to get back to the hotel. so you waited patiently, knowing your boyfriend to always stand by his word.

it was at 9:33 that you began to worry. you had already sent him a few texts, not wanting to bother him in case something was going on. you pondered about texting his members just to make sure everything was okay, but decided against it. you didn't want to be pushy.

it wasn't until the clock hit midnight that you'd given up. by then you had already called a few times, only being met by his voicemail. at 12:18 you called his manager, knowing that was your last resort. the response you received was disheartening to say the least. he had informed you that your boyfriend and his group had been taken to an after party, claiming it had been a last minute thing, but that they'd all seemed pretty enthusiastic about it. you decided not to voice your annoyance to joshua's unsuspecting manager, instead choosing to go to sleep, sad and dejected.

the next morning when you woke up to 28 messages and 5 missed calls from joshua, you turned off your phone, disregarding him in the same way he had you. happy birthday to you.

jihoon -

despite popular belief, jihoon was not as emotionally constipated as he seemed. he was a great boyfriend, always making sure you felt loved and tended to. you were always one his top priorities, so he would do his best to spend as much time with you despite his packed schedule. you were also one of the only people who made him want to clock out at the end of the day, knowing you'd always be home waiting for him with open arms. jihoon, however, still had the tendency of sometimes holing himself up in his studio. during these periods of time, jihoon would cut off most contact from the outside world, being hard to reach for a few days as he stayed over at his studio without ever making it home.

this week was one of those times. jihoon never really scheduled these occasions. they'd just somehow end up happening whenever he had a spurt of inspiration, being able to conjure an entire series of songs he believed would perform well together. he liked to keep things organized, after all. any time he disappeared for over 24 hours, you could safely assume he was in his studio, not even allowing himself the simple pleasure of going on his phone to message you. for entertainment, he would sometimes allow himself some anime in between work, but not much more than that. he'd still leave the studio occasionally to show up to dance practice and such, but he would not interact with anyone other than his members, his manager, and maybe some staff if need be.

he knew this might be a bit too much, but it was all part of the creative process. as of today, it had been three days since he had left the hybe building, having given his manager full control over his phone as he wished to remain as productive as possible. he knew that one single text from you and he'd haul ass back home, too lost in the bliss of your presence to get himself to do any work. he missed you, of course, but this was not your first rodeo. the two of you had gone through this before, and it seemed like you accepted his weird work habits, having never complained nor shown discomfort over them. which was why he was quite shocked upon finally exiting the building four days later and calling you up in order to finally check in on you, but not finding the usual response.

the first thing he did as soon as he got his phone back was he call a few times, but he had received no response, which was quite strange from you. he knew it was kind of hypocritical to expect an immediate response considering he had gone off the grid for a few days, but he also knew you were usually free at this hour, so he had expected the usual reaction in which you'd jokingly curse him out for ghosting you followed by an invitation to come over.

he decided then to open his imessage, choosing to instead text you and maybe check in on any of the notifications that never arrived due to having kept his phone muted and away from his reach for the past few days. that was when he realized his grave mistake.

from: my love ❤️‍🩹

(sun) baby

(sun) babyyyy

(sun) where are you? i thought u were gonna sleep over tonight? did u forget about tomorrow?

(sun) okay i called u and ur not picking up im gonna assume ur busy. ill call u again tmrrw then. gn hoonie <3

(mon) okay i gave u most of the morning but its 12 now ... i assumed you'd come back yesterday night. are u at the studio?

(mon) are u rlly holed up there today of all days?? we talked about today last week.

(mon) baby :((

(mon) i dont wanna bother u. take ur time. call me whenever ur done i guess :(

that was when your texts had stopped, two days ago after you had seemingly realized he did not have his phone on him. he also noticed a few missed calls from you during those two days, halting upon the second day of no responses from him.

it had not clicked at first, until he noticed the date above the first text, detailing a day before your birthday. the rest of the messages were sent on the date itself, stopping that same day at his lack of response. the realization made jihoon stop in his tracks. how could it have slipped his mind? not only had he forgotten but he had literally left you in the dark during your special day, even continuing his lack of contact for the next two days. his spiraling thoughts were interrupted by you finally calling him back, something that filled jihoon with hope that you weren't angry at him.

'jiho-'

'baby, i'm so fucking sorry. i swear to you it just slipped my mind. i'll go home right now and make it up to you, i promise', he interrupted you before you could say anything.

you paused before responding, 'jihoon. was work that important? was i that easy to forget? i respect your job, but you decided that day of all days?'

'it wasnt on purpose! baby, please just let me- let me come over and i swear we can have the day together. ill take off tomorrow too. the whole week! im so sorry.'

'im ... im not really in the mood to see you right now, hoonie. it's been three days. i thought about just barging in your studio, but i didnt want to be that type of person. i had the stupid hope that you'd show up, that it wasnt that easy to just disregard me, but i was wrong. clearly.'

'baby ... im so so sorry. i .. i'll give you your space. can i .. can i see you tomorrow then? please?'

'i'll call you to let you know, okay?'

jihoon held his breath at this, but quietly accepted your request, 'i .. okay, baby. i love you.'

'yeah, love you too', except your tone was cold, followed by the beeping of the phone, signaling the call had been disconnected.

seokmin -

many people knew seokmin as the embodiment of boyfriend material. or that was at least what many of his fans called him. in reality, he was even better than what cameras showed. he was the nicest, most respectful boyfriend imaginable, always providing you with everything you could ever need and more. he'd come home with flowers on a regular basis, he'd call you every single day to check in on you. he'd make you breakfast any time he had to leave before you, wanting to make sure you were well fed before a new day. he'd go above and beyond on any and every ordinary day in order to show you his utmost affections for you. don't even get you started on your birthday, which was a national holiday in seokmin's eyes. a day dedicated exclusively to celebrating the birth of his beloved? sign him up! nothing beat a day in which he could freely express all types of love towards you. he was over the moon every 365 days, knowing his favorite day would come again and again.

he had a huge day planned for you this year. there was a carnival in town, so he had planned to grab his manager and sneak out there with you for an hour or so before taking you back home. he also planned a cute moonlit dinner out on his balcony upon arriving home. it was all perfectly romantic, just like every other of his gestures towards you. he had the day marked on his calendar, only counting down the days until it finally arrived.

unfortunately for you both, your birthday landed on a work day for seokmin, who actually worked every day, really. but it was fine! seokmin had planned around that. he had his regular rehearsals plus a public appearance at a fashion show in the evening, along with a quick appearance at the afterparty, but after that he was all yours. he had to stay at the dorms this past week, having an extremely packed schedule, but he had made sure to text you a huge good morning paragraph detailing his love for you and how thankful he was you were his (just usual seokmin behavior, to be honest).

the fashion show had passed by quickly, having only taken a few hours. the after party, however, had been dragging a bit. it was now 6:04pm. he had promised you he would be home by 6:30, giving you enough time for the quick outing he had planned, plus a romantic dinner afterwards. he knew he still had time, but he was still worried he might not be able to follow through with his plans. the last thing he wanted was to be late. he currently had no way to communicate with you either, as his manager had possession of his phone while he was in such public schedules.

he lingered a little, making conversation with anyone he knew. there were many familiar faces, with a majority being that of actors who were also ambassadors of the various luxury brands at the event. he even saw a few actors he had been dying to meet. he felt badly at having such a good time while you were at home probably awaiting his return, but that thought left his mind as soon as a few of his musical performer friends approached him, engaging him in conversation. if there was anything seokmin was, it was overly friendly. he never said no to a conversation with friends, always being the energy maker in any and every relationship. however, it was easy for him to lose track of time and space whenever he found himself in conversation with friends, which was how time once again got away from him.

seokmin hadn't realized time had escaped him so quickly until his manager came up to him, quietly interrupting seokmin's lively conversation with his friends to inform him that his phone had been vibrating nonstop. fuck. he completely spaced out. checking his phone, he realized it was now 8:47pm. how had time passed by so quickly? he wad a bit buzzed, but he had no idea how he got caught up in conversation for so long. it was now too late to take you to the carnival, but he could still make it home for the romantic dinner. yes, okay. everything was fine. or at least that's what he thought until finally reading the 10 unanswered messages on his phone (while wincing at the 6 unanswered calls, also from you).

from: my love 😍

(5:32) cant wait for tonight baby <33

(5:32) i even bought a new dress hehe hope u like it ;)

(6:38) baby, are you gonna be running a bit late? it's fine, no rush! just pls let me know so i dont worry haha

(6:49) minnie ... is everything okay?

(7:14) minnie :(( are you coming soon?

(7:45) okay i called u a few times now ... do you not have ur phone on you? idk ur manager's number baby idk how to reach u rn :(

(7:53) they close the carnival at 8, i guess thats not happening anymore is it

(8:16) its so unlike u to keep me in the dark like this. i checked ur location and ur still at the event .. im assuming it ran late?

(8:23) its mean of u to keep me unaware of whats going on minnie

(8:35) okay nvm. u can just stay there. ill see if one of my friends wants to go out. goodnight.

the messages kept getting worse the more he read. he couldn't believe it slipped his mind like this. he planned it for weeks, even adjusting his schedule for it. and now he had ruined it all just because he felt like catching up with some friends.

he wasnt sure what to do. he had kept you in the dark all night, not even letting you know he wouldnt have his phone on him for a majority of it. he knew this was just an accidental slip of his mind, but that still didnt remove the way he hurt you. all he could do now was run home and await for your own return, hoping that you'd understand his mistake.

seungkwan -

such an outgoing guy like seungkwan always had high demand. they did call him the energy maker for a reason. his presence would always light up a room, which was one of the things you loved most about him. you'd met him in a very public setting, being able to witness first-hand how well he got along with, well, everyone.

however, his outgoing personality did come with some faults. due to having such high demand among friends and colleagues, it was sometimes a bit difficult to share seungkwan. yes, he was not yours per say, but he was your boyfriend. you liked to think you had special privileges that gave you exclusive access to his company that not everyone else had. and you did. seungkwan always gave you top priority when it came to sharing his time. he'd always let you know how much he cared for you, always babying you and tending to your every need. there was nothing in this world he loved more than you, his beloved, which was why it was easy for him to put everything aside whenever necessary.

now, you were not one to hog your boyfriend. you never wanted to be that person who insisted on having access to your boyfriend 24/7, nor would you ever want to keep him away from his friends. it was with this mentality that you had let your boyfriend know it was fine if he had previous engagements on the day of your birthday, letting him know that you'd be more than happy that day as long as he came home to you for a nice night together. he'd informed you that he'd be done with work that day at around 4pm, letting you know that he'd pay a quick visit to some of his 98-liner friends afterwards before going home to you. he had apologized to you for the bad timing over and over again, telling you that this was the only day they all had a day off all at once and would not be able to to gather for a few months after that. he'd insisted he would be quick, wanting nothing more than to head back to you as soon as possible. you'd assured him it was okay, being happy he'd be with you on your special day at all.

so now you were waiting. you'd spent part of the day with friends and family, not having seen seungkwan since the prior day due to his stay at the dorms this past week. you didn't mind this, though, as you were used to occasional separation due to his career. he had sent you a message in the morning, wishing you a happy birthday and once more confirming he'd be back home soon, prepared to celebrate your day. when it became a bit later than the time you'd agreed, you decided to continue to wait, not wanting to be pushy while he was with friends. when it became a lot later than the time you'd agreed, you decided to message him. but your messages went unanswered. you then began to call, receiving no response. it went like this until around 10pm, when you had finally chose to just change into your pajamas, only to be interrupted by a call from the man himself.

'baby! i'm so sorry, i just got your messages. i lost track of time, i swear! eunwoo and mingyu called me up while i was with my friends, and they were on live, so i had to go or else it'd look bad. don't be mad at gyu! he had no idea. i was supposed to just stay for a bit, but the live kept on dragging. i swear im on my way right now, i'll be there in-'

'kwan,' you sighed, 'not even a text? i dont understand. i didnt want to be pushy but .. today? i cant even lie to you. i'm disappointed.'

'baby .. i'm so sorry. i completely spaced out. it's totally my fault. i got too caught up with my friends and then when mingyu called, i was too buzzed to even think straight. i- im sorry. i love you. please don't be mad', you could hear him pout from across the line, a bit frantic as he explained.

you sighed again, frustrated since you did tell him it was okay for him to be with his friends, but still sad he had forgotten you so easily, 'i'm not mad, kwannie. just sad. i wish you'd called me to let me know you wouldnt be here at all today.'

'but i will be! i'm heading there right now, baby, i swear!'

'i dont ... i dont think i wanna do anything anymore, kwan. im sorry', you felt childish and immature, but you really did not want to see him right now. you knew your emotions would only get the best of you. having your boyfriend choose to be away from you on your birthday was beginning to get to you.

'oh', he paused for a beat before continuing, 'i- i understand. can i ... can i come over tomorrow morning, then?'

'you have work tomorrow. you have work every day, kwan. you dont have to-'

'please? let me see you tomorrow?'

'i- yeah. okay. i'll see you then.'

'thank you ... happy birthday, my love. i love you. please dont forget that.'

'love you too, kwannie', you felt sad as you said it, but you knew you still meant it. you just needed to sleep on it to ease the disappointment. or so you hoped.

whichever way [woosan x reader] pt9

pairing: woosan x f reader

rating: 18+

genre: smut, fluff-ish, neighbours au, friends with benefits

ch. summary: You visit Wooyoung at work, where one of your ground rules is tested.

wc: 7.7k

ch. warnings: gratuitous Seonghwa cameo, angst, a fight that lasts for like 15 minutes oop, sorta hurt/comfort, non-sexual bondage, dom San, sub Wooyoung, sub reader, rope space, mentions of past arophobia and amatonormativity

a/n: features a soft-bodied, aromantic reader who uses she/her pronouns.

a/n²: there is no smut bc i split this chapter up for length — but the next update will make up for that, promise!!! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

a/n³: in-fic time, less than a day has passed between the end of chapter 7 and the start of chapter 9. this feels worth mentioning, considering what happens in this one lol

masterlist. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

The florist shop where Wooyoung works has a colourful and refreshing showroom, filled with creative flower arrangements, lush potted plants and idyllic garden ornaments. Sweet fragrances permeate the air, bright sunlight comes in from the large storefront windows.

The place is small and packed tight, greenery within arms’ reach wherever you stand; but organised and clean enough that it does not overwhelm the eye. And your vantage point by the counter gives you a nice overview of the store, including its two employees currently at work — but right now, they’re not exactly busy with selling flowers.

“Just relax, hyung!” Wooyoung says, exasperated, waving a hand at his friend and coworker. “Look natural!”

He has a camera pointed at Park Seonghwa; an absolute sweetheart and strong contender for the title of ‘most attractive person you have ever met’.

(A title that Wooyoung and San and literally every single one of their friends are in the running for. You’re still not convinced they didn’t hire their entire social life from a modelling agency.)

You watch them with amused interest. You’ve only met Seonghwa twice before, but he had enthusiastically greeted you when you entered the shop earlier. Now all that bright friendliness has faded, replaced by a stiff smile that’s stretched uncomfortably across his face.

“I don’t look natural?” he asks, nervous in his role as a model. “Why do you need me anyway, isn’t all this for the webshop? Why aren’t you taking photos of the displays?”

Wooyoung sighs impatiently, shaking his head at Seonghwa’s obliviousness. “Are you kidding me? The internet is gonna eat your face up. This is going on all the socials, hyung, we’re going for a viral sensation here! Viral! Now go stand next to those hibiscus and look pretty, alright?”

While Seonghwa moves around the store for a good spot, Wooyoung shakes his head and gives you a pointed look.

“Can you believe this? Man has a phone bursting with selfies and now he gets camera shy? I really thought this’d be a cake-walk.”

You giggle at Wooyoung’s mumbled grousing, and give him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. You never actually planned to visit Wooyoung at work today, but after last night activities, you’d been overtaken by an unshakable urge to check in on him.

He’d been yours to take care of, bound and blindfolded, and you can’t shake off an oddly protective feeling, like he is still yours to take care of even now. (San also always insists on dropping by at your place after an intense scene. You always poked fun at his overprotectiveness, but now you understand his chivalrous instincts a little better.)

There really was no need for you to worry; Wooyoung is energetic and upbeat, firing off jokes at Seonghwa in an attempt to relax him.

“What if I pretend to be a customer? Just to set the scene, distract him from the camera,” you suggest to Wooyoung. “But no pictures of me!” you add quickly. “I don’t need to be on this place’s instagram or whatever, alright?”

Wooyoung perks up at your offer. “Yeah, that could work! Come, hyung, pretend it’s just another day on the job.”

He ushers you to join Seonghwa between the colourful dahlias and asters, where you exaggeratedly clear your throat and roll your shoulders, readying yourself for your acting performance.

“Okay, so help me out here,” you tell Seonghwa, overly serious. “Let’s say I want to give my neighbour some flowers. What type of bouquet would I need to communicate my sympathies because his boyfriend never stops bullying him?”

“Oi!” Wooyoung protests, but he has to bite down a laugh to keep his camera steady. “Hwa, maybe you should put together something for a poor guy whose boyfriend’s neighbour keeps bullying him!”

But Seonghwa lets out an adorable giggle, and his smile relaxes now you’ve put him onto a task — no matter how silly the task is. “Well, edelweiss are traditionally often with courage, that seems appropriate here, right?” he says, meandering through the store. “Or what about some red camellia? Means ‘to persist with grace’ in hanakotoba.”

“San does show remarkable grace throughout his many struggles,” you agree solemnly.

“Same can’t be said about you,” Wooyoung retaliates with a grin.

You stick out your tongue at him, very much proving his point. But then you quietly hang back while Seonghwa enthusiastically digs into the particulars to fulfil your fake request. Your distraction works exactly as intended; now that he has relaxed, his natural sweetness gets a chance to shine on camera.

Seonghwa continues babbling about flower language at you, until the photo-shoot is put on hold when a soft bell chimes through the store. The door opens, and an actual customer steps inside.

Seonghwa helps the distraught-looking young man, who seems to have made some disastrous choices in his relationship — but you don’t listen in on their conversation for too long. Instead, you and Wooyoung reconvene at the counter.

He takes you through his haul of photos, badgering you for feedback. Your lack of expertise never seems to stop Wooyoung from valuing your opinion, always eager to hear what you have to say. So you point out the photos you like best, and happily let him use you as a soundboard.

He nods thoughtfully when you admit to liking the photos where Seonghwa is still just slightly nervous; there is endearing about his tentative smile, making his beauty approachable rather than intimidating. “Maybe you could a few from that side of the store too?” you suggest, gesturing to an area to the side. “The succulent arrangements there are really cute.”

“Oh, good idea!” His eyes flicker over the displays, and already you can see the gears in his head turning, working out the best angles and observing how the natural light falls.

“Do you want me to take over the camera for a bit?” you ask.

“You? Why?”

You shrug, idly looking through more of the photographs. “You said you wanted a viral sensation, right? Getting some shots of you definitely won’t hurt.”

“Are you saying I look sexy?” Wooyoung grins as he leans on the counter, running a deliberate hand through his hair.

“No, that’s what you’re saying. I never used that word,” you tease him. “…But yeah. You look pretty sexy.”

You see no point in lying. There’s something unreasonably appealing about Wooyoung in a dark green apron, fitted around his slim waist; especially combined with a simple off-white shirt, rolled up to his elbows to show off his veiny forearms. He has his hair partially tied back into a half ponytail, the loose strands falling attractively into his face.

Wooyoung lets out a pleased giggle, bumping his shoulder into you and sticking close. His fingers reach to play against your wrist, tapping and drawing circles on your skin. He’s been acting especially clingy today, making you wonder if he also feels the remnants of yesterday’s scene just like you are.

Either way, you don’t give too much thought to his touchy-feely mood, until you keep looking through the photos — and see yourself back on the screen.

“Woo, didn’t I tell you? Not me!” you complain, whapping him on the arm, but it’s hard not to be struck by the picture; the way he has caught your face in the sunlight, your eyes glimmering with enthusiasm as you play customer for Seonghwa. Wooyoung has always had an uncanny ability to capture your happiness in his photos, bringing your inner joy to the surface. Sometimes the intensity of your own expression catches you off guard, making you wonder if your smile ever used to be that wide before.

Wooyoung pats your shoulder reassuringly, holding you into a half-hug. “This photo isn’t for the socials; it’s for me,” he grins and leans in, his lips suddenly pressed against your skin for a firm peck on the cheek.

You freeze instantly.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Wooyoung asks, but then his memory kicks in. “Ahh right, sorry sorry! No kissing when we’re not— Yep, got it.”

“Yeah,” you say awkwardly. It’s fine, you tell yourself. Wooyoung forgot a boundary, he corrected himself; that’s all. Drop it and move on.

But Wooyoung, caught up in his playful mood, is not dropping it. He tilts his head, his eyes curved with a happy smile of mischievous curiosity. “So really, not just on the lips, no kisses at all? Any room to haggle out a deal? How about… on the top of your head?” he teases, pretending to move in. “Or the tip of your nose?”

Wooyoung keeps feigning more attempts at a kiss, treating the line drawn by your ground rule like a tightrope, balancing right across and threatening to topple over.

And there is no safety net underneath, not for you.

Your good mood shrinks away as Wooyoung happily jokes around, a tightness freezing you up. “No, no don’t,” you say, stiffly pressing a hand against Wooyoung’s shoulder to push him back. “Don’t fool around, Woo. Not this time.”

A strange mix of guilt and discomfort tangles sharply around your chest. Discomfort at Wooyoung’s flippant reaction to your boundary, guilt for having a boundary against one of his preferred displays of affection in the first place.

Wooyoung sobers up when he sees how badly he misjudged the situation. “Hey, sorry alright?” he says, raising his hands in apology. “I didn’t realise it was a big deal.”

In a way, you agree. The kiss itself didn’t need to be a big deal, not if Wooyoung had just let you shrug it off.

But either way, it is part of a big deal.

Once again, you hear the clock in your head, ticking away until the end of your arrangement with San and Wooyoung. Right now, it’s louder than ever.

Most days you just try to enjoy the moment, and avoid thinking too much about it. Now the full weight threatens to come crashing down on you, right in the middle of the flower shop.

Usually you imagine it ending by a slow drifting of interest; a gradual, undefined shift where you fade into the background noise of each others’ lives. Still friends, hopefully, but no longer closely entangled the way you are now.

But the kiss is a blunt reminder that things can also shift in a different direction; San or Wooyoung might grow to want things, feelings, that you cannot offer them. You are happy with the way things are now — but how long before they aren’t? What if this one small stupid kiss is the first of many clashes? What if this is the first sign of some inherent incompatibility between their needs and yours?

What if they ever decide that what you can give them isn’t enough?

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” you stay stiffly, trying to keep the tight spool of emotions contained.

Hurt flashes across Wooyoung’s face at your obvious attempt to brush him off. “I’m worrying about it a little,” he says, awkwardly rubbing his neck. “You know I didn’t—”

But Wooyoung swallows down the rest of his words when Seonghwa joins him behind the counter with an armful of flowers for the customer. Wooyoung magics on his friendliest smile, amicably chatting away with the distressed young man while Seonghwa deftly assembles a beautiful arrangement of soft rosy and lavender hues.

Together they comfort their upset customer, assuring him his girlfriend will love these, though you know they’ll be like two gossiping aunties the moment this poor guy leaves the store.

You try to relax during the wait, but suddenly the store’s sweet floral aroma is cloying to the senses, threatening you with a headache.

You just want to get out, take a few deep breaths of fresh air, and ease down your discomfort without Wooyoung constantly casting glances at you. His bright customer service smile hides most of his true expression, but there is definitely a worry in his eyes, and you can’t stop thinking about the earlier hurt on his face.

The customer leaves with his flowers and a soft jingle of the door chime, and Seonghwa turns to Wooyoung.

“How about we do a video too? Talk the boss into making a tiktok account for the store?” Seonghwa suggests, his nerves fully flipped over into excitement now that he’s gotten comfortable with the camera. In his enthusiasm, he clocks a beat too late that something is off with his coworker. “Uh, Wooyoung? Everything alright?”

“Not sure,” Wooyoung says, lines drawn on his brow as he looks at you. “Are we alright?”

“Yeah, I just— I’m gonna head back, see you later, okay?” you say, the headache no longer just a threat.

Wooyoung’s worry falls away from his face to make way for disbelief, an annoyance prickles to life as you try to brush him off — again. “Wait, are you serious? C’mon, it’s only like five minutes ‘til closing time, I’ll be right behind you. Don’t be like that.”

Unsure, Seonghwa looks between you and Wooyoung. “Hey, why don’t you just leave early, Wooyo?” he offers. “It’s pretty quiet today, I got this. My turn to close up shop anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Wooyoung hesitates, but gives in when Seonghwa gives him a friendly nudge. “Yeah, see you tomorrow. I owe you one, Hwa.”

The way back to the apartment building is quite possibly the most awkward that things have ever been between you and Wooyoung — which is saying something, considering the whole ‘you walking in on him and San having sex’-thing that kicked all of this off in the first place.

Neither of you brings up what just happened, honouring an unspoken agreement to wait until you’re back home. There are a few stilted attempts at smalltalk, like you and Wooyoung are both trying to keep some thin thread of connection alive; but there is mostly just silence.

Wooyoung quietly trudges next to you with his face drawn, hands stuffed in his pockets, and plenty of thoughts on his mind. (You can’t help but wonder; how many of those are second thoughts?)

It’s a painful contrast with how affectionately clingy he was before, but thankfully the apartment building is just one quick subway stop away, and then it is only an elevator ride up to the top floor. You follow Wooyoung into San’s place without really thinking about it, like that’s just where you are supposed to be.

Inside, Wooyoung shucks off his shoes and barely waits for you to follow him into the living room. “Okay, we’re home, can we talk now?” he says, looking back at you with a tight expression on his face. “Cause that back there? That wasn’t cool.”

San, who had been hanging out on the couch, puts down his phone and blinks in surprise at the heavy tension that just walked into his apartment. “What wasn’t cool?”

“It’s not—” you start, but Wooyoung bluntly interrupts you.

“I kissed her.”

“Wait, you what?” San says, now outright startled.

“On the cheek,” Wooyoung explains, then crosses his arms as he turns back to you. “And no, I shouldn’t have — but when you tried to ditch me like that? That wasn’t cool either.”

His frustration is contagious, and you feel yourself responding in kind. “You know what else isn’t cool? You doubling down on the whole thing and making a laugh of it instead of just backing off,” you bite at Wooyoung.

Anger blooms inside you; anger that has very little to do with that stupid kiss on the cheek.

Every time you have to remind him or San of a boundary, it feels like you are speeding up the clock on this relationship, rushing closer towards the end. And you can’t help but resent Wooyoung for making you do it twice.

“You think I like telling you no? I don’t!” you snap, the frustration now burning behind your eyes. “Whenever I gotta push back against something, I feel like I’m pushing you away. I don’t want that! I don’t want to push you away, so just— Stop making me!”

“Make you?” Wooyoung snaps back. “I didn’t make you do anything yesterday. You started on that whole ‘we can still be friends after we stop having sex’ business all on your own, and that felt like a pretty big shove to me.”

Poor San looks completely out of his depth, uncertain as he glances back-and-forth between arguments, but his eyes widen at Wooyoung’s words. “Wait, you want to stop this?” he asks, staring at you in shock.

“No, of course I don’t!” you say, flustered that San’s takeaway is the exact same as Wooyoung’s had been. “Why do you guys keep asking that?!”

“Because you’re the one who brought it up!” Wooyoung says, rolling his eyes at you.

Your mouth opens, then closes again. Shit. That’s… actually a good point. “Not because I want us to stop,” you say, your heated anger slowly cooling down to brittle embarrassment, “I’m just…”

“Wait, hang on, hang on,” San says, finally willing himself into motion.

Carefully, he takes your and Wooyoung’s hands, then leads you to sit on the couch with him in the middle. He doesn’t let go of your hands.

“So let me get this straight. You” — he looks pointedly at Wooyoung — “are upset because you don’t want her to push us away. And you” — he turns to look at you — “are upset because you also don’t want to push us away? So what the hell am I missing here? Aren’t you on the same page? Can we please maybe entertain the idea that you guys aren’t actually mad at each other!”

Now it’s Wooyoung’s turn to cool down, the frustration seeping out of his shoulders. He sighs, something releasing in his breath, then meets your eyes with a tentative grimace.

“I’m not mad at you,” he admits awkwardly. (San lets out a sigh of relief.) “What you said yesterday… maybe it shook me up a bit more than I realised.”

You mirror his grimace, struggling to meet his eyes. “I’m not mad either,” you say, equally awkward. “Sorry, I didn’t really think about how that question could sound to you. I was just looking for reassurance, I swear.”

San squeezes his hand around yours, daring a cautious little smile now the thorn has been taken out of this conversation. “Reassurance for what?”

“Just what I said,” you say with a rueful laugh, unsure how to explain better. “That we’ll still be friends even after things between us change.”

Wooyoung makes a noise of exasperation.

“No but see, that kinda pisses me off,” he says, getting worked up again. “Listen, I get what you were saying, that we don’t know what will happen in the future. But why are you so convinced we’re stopping this any time soon? Sure, we don’t know if it will go on forever, but isn’t that the same for anything? Hell, who can even say if San and I won’t ever break up either?”

“Um, I can?!” San interjects, giving Wooyoung a distressed look.

“I didn’t— Sannie, I’m not saying we will!” Wooyoung says, interrupting his own vehement monologue with a fond laugh, patting at San’s hair. “I just mean you never know! But bringing up stuff like ‘after’ and staying friends…” Wooyoung looks at you with a faded smile. “It made me feel like you got one foot out the door already.”

His words sink in slowly… and for the second time today, you’re forced to admit that Wooyoung sure is making a good point.

(And despite everything, you can’t help but feel a small burst of happiness at Wooyoung’s complete distaste at the thought of ending your arrangement.)

“Maybe… yeah. Maybe I do have a foot out,” you say wryly. “Past experiences have turned me into a bit of a pessimist, I guess. But if they taught me anything, it’s that whenever I got something more involved going on, one of two things always happens. Usually, the whole thing just… dissolves. Not always on purpose, but it does. We’re having fun, but then the fun wears off or it isn’t convenient anymore or something else comes along that’s simply more important.”

“You’re important to us,” Wooyoung protests, sulking.

“Yeah, well. I’m important to Hongjoong too. He still left,” you say sharply, and for the first time, you allow yourself some bitterness in that truth. (Obviously you would have told him to go, had he asked. He never asked. And really, what right did you have to expect him to? You are ‘just’ friends, after all. But fuck, it hurts.)

Wooyoung flinches back, blinking in surprise at your tone, and a fresh wave of guilt bubbles up inside you. You hate it. Why, even in the privacy of your own mind, do you feel guilty for not wanting to be put in second or third or last place for once?

You sigh, reaching across San’s lap to rest a hand on Wooyoung’s thigh. “Sorry Woo, that wasn’t fair,” you say, not thinking too much on if that’s true or not. Right now, you’re tired and just want to smooth things over, not set off another argument.

“It’s fine,” Wooyoung mumbles; and for a moment you worry that it is not fine at all. He stands up, shoulders low from fatigue as he stares at the floor — but then he grabs your hand without even meeting your eyes and pulls you up on your feet, right into a hug.

His grip on you is so tight it knocks the breath of out of you. One of his hands finds the space between your shoulder blades, fingers clinging at the fabric of your shirt, while the other cups the back of your head, drawing you even closer into his warmth.

You can’t see his face, burrowed against your shoulder, but you think you can hear a muffled “you couldn’t push me away if you tried”. A cautious smile curves around your lips, and you gently return his hug, carding your fingers through his dark hair.

It only takes a moment for another set of arms to join the fray, and you let out a soft ‘oof’ as the full strength of San wraps around you and Wooyoung, his firm body pressing into yours.

“You guys scared me,” he pouts, rubbing his cheek against the side of your head. “Don’t ever do that to me again, you hear me? Are we all good now?”

You free up an arm to clutch at San’s shoulder; still a bit unsteady but reassured by their dual presences. “Better, definitely,” you allow with a soft smile.

Wooyoung lifts his head up. There is no anger in his face, but the furrow of his brow still hasn’t relaxed. “We are good,” he mumbles. “I still feel kinda shitty. I know I fool around a lot, but it was just supposed to be a bit of fun. Never meant to actually upset you.”

“I know,” you say, gently brushing through his hair. “It’s okay. Sorry I tried to shut you out.”

San looks from you to Wooyoung, gears turning behind his eyes as he sees you’re both not fully at peace yet. “Let’s take it easy tonight, alright?” he says with an encouraging smile. “You two go freshen up or take a nap or something, I’ll order some food, and after that we’ll make sure everyone gets all nice and relaxed. I may know just the thing.”

A ping of curiosity goes off at San’s last words, but you know asking won’t be any use; he likes to keep his surprises. “Thanks, San,” you smile back, “and thanks for snapping us out of it.”

“Hey, someone’s gotta be the sensible one around here,” he grins — and lets out a tiny, cute yelp when Wooyoung lovingly bites his shoulder.

“You think you’re the sensible one?” Wooyoung says in teasing disbelief, right back to his menacing ways.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Yeah, I’m with Woo on this one,” you say. “Sense? San, you bark at Byeol.”

San makes an offended noise. “Byeol grew up around pups, she doesn’t speak cat!” he defends himself, endearingly earnest.

“Ah yes, perfectly sensible,” Wooyoung drawls, exchanging a grin with you; and as your eyes meet, you know that things will be alright between you.

San tries to glare at you and Wooyoung, a look that is completely neutralised by the pout on his lips. “You two really want to piss off the guy who’s about to buy you dinner? That a road you want to go down?” he threatens, but there’s a poorly hidden, happy gleam in his eyes.

Wooyoung throws his arms around San, pressing an exaggerated kiss on his cheek. “Love you, babe!”

You hug San with equal enthusiasm, nuzzling against his shoulder. “Thank you, food daddy!”

“‘Food daddy’?!” San gives you a startled look but quickly sighs in defeat, patting you and Wooyoung on the head. “Fine, fine. Go take a shower or something and I’ll handle it.”

A long shower and a hot meal later, you find yourself in the familiar space of San’s bedroom; the white walls contrasted by dark sheets and curtains, with their the monochrome artwork of vast mountains and woodlands. A place you’ve come to associate with safety and pleasure; a place that eases the tension in your body just by breathing the air between these four walls.

Soft music drifts through the background; one of San’s easy listening playlists, relaxed and unobtrusive, and he even took the time to light a subtly scented candle. The atmosphere is quietly intimate, but also distinctly chaste, with none of the usual heat.

You are kneeled down on the bed, doing some light shoulder stretches to warm your body up, comfy in a basic sports bra and a pair of sleeping shorts. Wooyoung is dressed in a shirt and baggy boxers — and adorned by lines of rope stretched across his chest, already halfway into a box-tie. He submits to San’s work with a languid smile, slowly letting the outside world slip away.

“Of course your ‘thing’ would involve rope,” you tease San, then sigh in bliss at a particularly satisfying stretch. “Don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“Hey, if it works, it works,” San says with a wink. “Besides, you sure were eager enough when I pitched the idea.”

To literally tie you and Wooyoung together? A little on the nose, perhaps, but god San had looked so cute when he suggested it, so proud of himself for his ingenious plan, and you’d hardly object to such a thing anyway.

You realised long ago that bondage is a bit of a favourite between San and Wooyoung, and they are no strangers to non-sexual forms of rope play either. Both for the intimacy and calming benefits of the act itself, and to test out complex ties or positions in a low intensity environment.

San finishes the box tie on Wooyoung, securely cinching both his arms and wrists, ropes crisscrossed prettily across his chest. Already you can see the shift on Wooyoung’s face; in the right mood, rope is one of the few things that truly slows him down, its soothing effect reaching all the way into his very core.

“Everything good?” San asks, his voice like velvet while he checks the knots. “That’s it, slow your breathing,” he hums, raising and lowering a hand in time with Wooyoung’s breath, guiding him deeper into an almost trance-like state. “Focus on the smell of the candle, how the rope feels against your skin, holding you in. Nothing in the world except the three of us in this room.”

He tenderly cups Wooyoung’s cheek for a soft kiss, lingering close as their foreheads touch.

“I’m right here, I’ll be right next to you,” San whispers. “Just keep your eyes on me, alright?”

You smile softly at San’s reassurance. Even when he is forced to divide his attention between two subs, San always finds small ways to stay connected, especially when one of you is in a vulnerable state.

Wooyoung briefly rubs his nose against San’s, then lets him go with a content sigh. A familiar warmth spreads in your chest at being the witness to their intimacy, their willingness to share unguarded moments of delicate happiness.

Then San turns to you, and treats you to a moment of delicate happiness of your own with a light brush of his knuckles across your cheek. “You ready?” he asks with a small grin, looking far more relaxed himself too. Like the act of tying up Wooyoung unwound something inside him as well.

You nod, filled with gentle anticipation. “Yeah, I am.”

“Then let’s get started,” he says, holding up a piece of rope with a playful spark in his eyes.

You settle down while San goes to work, a feeling of serenity washing over you with the knowledge you are in safe hands. He is as meticulous as always, an easy rhythm to his movement, like the cords are an extension of his body, wrapping himself around you.

San’s slightly calloused fingertips brush against your sports bra and against bare skin. Even with zero intent on arousal, there is a sensuality to the way his hands move over your body, leaving a trail of rope that are not unlike his fingertips; slightly coarse but still soft. There is no restraining element to your decorative harness, but it feels secure around you, grounding your senses. With every cord San lays across your chest, he reduces the world further down to just this place, this moment; no thoughts, no worries, no conflict.

You glance at Wooyoung to find him watching you with a slow, dopey smile, all his earlier tension evaporated. His smile widens when he notices you looking, and your own lips curve up in response.

The diamond chest harness snugly hugs your breasts, and you feel the odd urge to preen, filled with a surge of confidence at how they accentuate the soft curves of your body. You arch your back just lightly, and Wooyoung bites his lip with a breathy laugh; he will always respect the need to show off.

“Looks nice,” he says, slightly raspy from the effort to summon his voice.

“Back at you,” you hum, casting an admiring glance at Wooyoung’s body and the ropework. “San did well.”

San strokes the back of your head, and gives the nape of your neck a small, appreciate squeeze at your compliment. “Ready for the next part?” he asks, looking from you to Wooyoung with a quiet intensity in his eyes, fully absorbed in his role of caretaker.

Once he is sure you are both still comfortable and in a good mind-space, San helps you down on the bed, on your side with one arm outstretched in wait. Then he helps Wooyoung to lay next to you, your arms neatly wrapping around Wooyoung’s waist as you scoot close, until your chests are pressed up against each other.

Wooyoung gives you a half-grin, his trance-like slumber disturbed by the change in position. He is close, so incredibly close that you can see even the faintest blemishes on his skin, tiny faded scars and small traces of acne. There is something mesmeric about them, grounding you deeper into the reality of the moment, the reality of him.

“Yeah, I like this,” Wooyoung sighs, wiggling closer while San ties up your wrists behind Wooyoung’s back, trapping you together.

“Good,” San says, his eyes curving as he finishes the last knot and looks up at you. “How about you? Still comfortable?”

More than comfortable; small jolts of excitement are firing off inside your veins at Wooyoung’s proximity, but you take a few slow breaths, guiding yourself back into the easy-going atmosphere. “Very,” you joke, squeezing your arms around Wooyoung. “As far as methods of conflict resolution go, this is definitely a new favourite.”

“See? Told you it was a good idea.” San grins at you, grabbing another length of rope; his work is not done yet. He starts on Wooyoung’s ankles, whose expression has gone thoughtful at your comment.

Tied up the way you are, there is no escaping Wooyoung’s pensive gaze — but you don’t try to, meeting his eyes while he is brought into an even deeper state of constraint. He slowly blinks at you, pupils dilated dilated in the dim light of the room.

“What was the other way?” he asks.

“‘Other way’?” you frown, trying to work out what Wooyoung is talking about.

“You said that whenever you’re involved in this type of situation, there are two ways for it to end,” Wooyoung says, still looking at you intently. “You never told us the second one.”

San perks up in curiosity at the question.

Ah shit. You groan, reflexively trying to hide your face in your hands — but they are securely locked behind Wooyoung’s back, so all you do is pull him in closer into the soft cushion of your chest. He is happy to let you, the ropes of your harnesses pressing into each other.

“Wait, is it embarrassing?” he asks, almost a little too eager; Wooyoung loves embarrassing stories.

“Not— not exactly,” you quickly disillusion him. “I told you it usually ends because interest fades, right? Well, the other way is… the opposite, pretty much.”

“Too much interest?” San asks, his hand now on your ankle, nudging you to bend your knee and hook your leg over Wooyoung’s.

You breathe out a soft, bitter laugh. “Yeah that’s spot on, actually,” you say, following San’s guiding touch. Your hips neatly line up with Wooyoung’s, and San starts to anchor you together. “Last person that I had a friends with benefits type of deal with, he… Well, he started to have some romantic ideas about me, about our deal. When I couldn’t feel the same way about him, he made it real damn clear he took that personally. Blamed me for wasting his time. Now… Now I don’t know if we ever really were friends at all.”

Saying it out loud hurts more than you expected, a painful reminder of how he’d seen your friendship as nothing more than a stepping stone.

You had genuinely liked him, enjoyed his company, but none of your time together had any intrinsic value to him except as a prelude to romance. Didn’t matter that you’d been upfront from the start; he’d still convinced himself that his feelings for you would magically change yours, like he was the one person who’d finally ‘fix’ you. His word, not yours — and that had hurt the most of all, threatening to undo all the work you’d done to teach yourself you were not broken in the first place.

Frustratingly, sudden tears burn behind your eyes. It is the vulnerability of the bondage, you tell yourself. It is because you are tired. It’s definitely not because of some asshole who’s not worth a single spare thought. Dammit, you can’t even wipe your face right now, forced to try and push back your tears through sheer willpower.

Wooyoung scoffs loudly, breaking your concentration.

“What a fucking asshole,” he says, shaking his head. He tries to grab onto your hands, still tied behind his back, but the best he can manage from this position is for his fingers to graze against your wrist. “His loss, if he thinks any time spent with you is a waste.”

“Agreed,” San says, squeezing your knee. The ropework around your leg is half-finished and forgotten. “The friendzone is criminally underrated, if you ask me,” he says, and somehow he manages to be joking and completely earnest all at once. “And our zone? Some hot cool gal lets me be her friend, and she’ll let me smash? I fail to see the problem.”

You hiccup a laugh, tears shaking loose from your lashes. “Yeah, you know what? You’re right. I’m a damn platonic catch!”

“Damn straight you are!” San grins, his hand warm and reassuring on your leg.

Wooyoung still looks intensely at you, his eyes flickering across your face, tracing your tears. Briefly, the thought strikes you that he wants to kiss you.

Right now, with your bodies trapped together, there is very little you actually could do to stop Wooyoung from kissing you again — but you do not panic when he leans in, filled with absolute trust. A trust that Wooyoung proves himself to be deserving of when he just clumsily brushes his nose against your cheek, an awkward attempt at wiping your tears.

You start to giggle when you realise what he’s doing, and Wooyoung joins in when he realises how futile and ill-conceived his efforts are. “San? A little help here?” he laughs, leaning back to his original position. He shakes his head at his own silly impulse, his bright smile even more beautiful and contagious from so close-by.

San does not hesitate, grabbing a tissue from his nightstand before he lays down behind you, leaning over to properly wipe your face. He does not return to his ropework, opting to stay close for a proper cuddle. His cheek presses against your shoulder, an arm slung heavily across your waist so his hand rests on Wooyoung’s hip.

“Just, for the record,” San says, his voice so close to your ear it raises goosebumps, “all jokes aside, I really am happy with how we are now.”

You manage to turn your head just enough to give San a grateful look, gently bumping your forehead against his. “Me too,” you say, and hesitate for only a moment to say more. “You… you guys do know I care about you, right? Like, a lot.”

“We do,” he smiles, dimples and all, while Wooyoung tries to squeeze his hands around yours again.

“But sometimes that only makes more difficult, to try and figure out how to navigate all this,” you say, grimacing again. “Even now? Right now? Some tiny part of me is worried that I gave off the wrong signal by saying that. It’s like I’m trapped in some weird split, and I’ll either push you away or lead you on, even by accident.”

Wooyoung chuckles dryly. “You get stuck in your head a lot, don’t you,” he observes almost conversationally.

“…Yeah,” you admit with a chuckle of your own.

“You know,” San says gently, “it’s not like I never thought about this kind of stuff either. Where it’s going, when you might break things off. Maybe I should’ve brought it up myself, I don’t know. Maybe I was worried where that conversation might go.”

Wooyoung blinks in surprise. “Wait, you also thought we might stop having sex anytime soon?”

“…You really never considered that??”

“Not until yesterday! Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”

“I just—” San shrugs, a little helpless. “I didn’t want to bother you with it.”

(It is an odd thought; all this time, you wondered how much time you’d have before San and Wooyoung inevitably moved on, while San wondered the very same thing about you.)

Wooyoung’s frown returns, and he shifts a little against his restraints. “Hey, you know I don’t like it when you don’t talk about what’s bugging you. Even if the thing bugging you isn’t me.”

The last part is light-hearted, but you can still sense his concern, a history of past conversations in his voice.

It is a new side they are showing to you; allowing you to witness not only the intimacy of their happiness, but the intimacy of their disputes as well. Somehow it’s both uncomfortable and a comfort at once; you are literally trapped between them, but there is something revealing about this kind of vulnerability, their willingness to let you into their lives. The pretty and the unpretty parts of it.

“I— Yeah no, you’re right. I should’ve,” San says quietly, reaching to brush his fingers across Wooyoung’s cheek. “Sorry.”

Wooyoung raises an eyebrow, but there is a budding grin on his lips. “Seriously, this all would’ve been sorted out so fast if either of you just talked to me about it. Idiots.”

“I did talk to you!” you splutter in protest.

“Yeah and here we are, not twenty-four hours later! Case closed!”

(Damn, he really won’t stop making great points today.)

“No, not ‘case closed’,” San says, huffing a laugh. “That’s what I was trying to talk about!” His face goes a little softer, leaning over your shoulder just enough so he can make proper eye-contact with you. “Listen,” he says gently, “we don’t have to work out anything definitive right now, but I— we’d like it if you stuck around for a long time. If you want.”

He rushes to add the last part, like he’s worried even the tiniest hint at anything remotely resembling a commitment could make you bolt like a startled deer — and you can hardly blame him for that.

You give him a quiet nod, unable to do much more right now than acknowledge his offer, then you look at Wooyoung, to see where he is at right now.

“Yeah, I’m with San,” Wooyoung says earnestly, but you spot the playful gleam in his eyes even before he opens his mouth again. “Seriously, what do I care if I get to kiss you or not, if it means we get to keep you around? I’d rather learn a little self-control than miss out on you.”

You exhale a soft, fond laugh. “Thanks, Woo. I know what a sacrifice that is for you,” you tease him, but you squeeze your arms around him a little tighter to make clear you really do appreciate it.

“Oh, it’s a huge sacrifice. Don’t you dare think I’m treating this lightly,” Wooyoung says, absolutely treating it lightly “Do you even realise just how much I love smooching my friends? So. Damn. Much. You better be grateful!”

You’re fully aware of how much he loves it; you’ve seen often enough how he — and San — menace their friends with kisses the same way you like to menace Hongjoong with hugs. In hindsight it’s a small miracle that it took this long for either of them to slip up and lay one on you at the wrong moment.

You try to move your arm to reach back and touch San, and are mildly surprised when you can’t, still restrained by the ropes around your wrists. They’d almost been forgotten, like they are as natural to your body as wearing clothes.

“…Hey, is it weird that we just had this whole heart-to-heart while me and Wooyoung are tied up?”

San just shrugs, giving you a small grin. “As long as it works for us. That’s how we’re doing this whole thing, right?” But it does pull his attention back to the bondage, and he testingly feels at your bindings. “Does it all still feel good?”

“Really good,” you sigh. “Definitely worth revisiting this type of thing under different circumstances. Ah… I think Wooyoung agrees,” you blurt out the last part; his cock gave an enthused twitch at the suggestion of doing this again, noticeable even through his boxers.

“Oh, does he now?” San purrs, running his hand over Wooyoung’s chest harness.

Wooyoung is predictably shameless. “Hey, I’m enjoying myself. I’m all for a redo without clothes getting in the way.”

“Then we’ll make that happen soon, for sure,” San says, biting his lip. “Want me to untie you now, or stay like this for a bit longer?”

You and Wooyoung exchange a look, coming to an unspoken, unanimous agreement. “Bit longer.”

San hums, the heated look in his eyes softening back into affectionate warmth. He nestles back against you, throwing a leg over yours to hook his ankle around Wooyoung’s; creating another connective thread between the three of you as the bedroom settles into a relaxed, almost dream-like space.

You’re still restrained, but you have never felt less trapped. Instead you surrender your body and mind to the rope, to San, even to Wooyoung, although he is just as tied up as you; and you know you are welcome here, your presence treasured for exactly the way you are.

The feeling lingers even after San carefully untangles you and Wooyoung, enveloping you like a soft, serene glow.

You feel it in the gleam of San’s eyes as he rubs circles into your wrists, gentle deep pressure to encourage your bloodflow. You feel it in the weight of Wooyoung’s head resting on your shoulder, so quiet that you think he has dozed off until he giggles at an exchange of small jokes between you and San.

You feel it even after you leave their physical presence behind to turn in for the night; it’s right there in the ease of your thoughts, in knowing they won’t carelessly discard you.

The timer has stopped, no longer ticking away in your head. Instead San’s offer echoes through you, resonating stronger with every repeat.

“We’d like it if you stuck around, for a long time. If you want.”

In truth, you never gave much thought to what you actually want the future with San and Wooyoung to look like, other than some vague idea of ‘existing in each others’ lives’. You always assumed the choice would be made for you, and to fill in any details would only set you up to get hurt.

Now they have extended a hand to fill in those details together. And you don’t know what it’ll look like exactly — a platonic commitment of some sorts, something that works for the three of you regardless of traditional conventions — but you do know that you want to stick around. For a long time.

The next morning, you wake up to find a 4AM text from Wooyoung.

hey so non-sexy kissing is off the table but i can still bite u right

You snort tiredly, still half-asleep. Like he hasn’t been doing plenty of that already! But you resolve to go see him today, and give an in-person demonstration to show him exactly how you feel about bites.