Renjun X Reader - Tumblr Posts

hiiiii can u do renhyuck match icons plss?

of course!

renhyuck icons

The difference between Mark and Chenle 😂

hii can I request an Nct Dream text where you fall down the stairs and end up in the hospital and they don’t know, but when they find out they get super worried and start panicking

! dreamies find out your in the hospital after falling down the stairs !

thank you for requesting !! i hope u enjoy it😋

mark, renjun and jeno :

haechan and jaemin :

chenle and jisung :

nct dream as… / fanfiction aus 𓈒✳︎🏡

[take the quiz here to see which one you get!]

✰ MARK — childhood friends to lovers!au

ever since you've basically known your name, mark has been the boy next door. there was the cheeky, red letters of "lee" painted on the mailbox, the windows were adorned with the same coloured curtains, and the same doormat has been sitting in front of their door for ages. you have loved mark ever since you two have met. there wasn't a day where you wouldn't think of him, and there hasn't been a day when you haven't loved him. it was like a vicious circle which you couldn't get out of, because those stupid feelings would destroy the oh so precious friendship of yours, and you cannot let that happen, right? i mean, that's what you've thought for far too long, since this friendship meant more to you, than the fragile feeling of love - you didn't want it to get to the point where you would rather spit on each other, than talk it out. maybe that's why you pushed him away from yourself? maybe you just did that because you weren't too sure of your own peace of mind? no matter what, you knew the decision itself was wrong, only to realize it way too late. damaging the friendship and crying yourself to sleep was all your fault, after all, being way too proud and scared, stupid even; when you came back to the town where you two grew up, the least thing you wanted was to meet mark lee, mainly because you wouldn't have been able to look him in the eyes after all these happened. but you had to, so soon you even got a little surprised. it's been a while since the last time you have been home, your bedroom seemed way too unfamiliar at that point, just like the vhs tape placed directly in the middle of your bed. one which you haven't seen yet. it didn't have a title, the white label completely empty as you picked it up. you were a little bit cautious when placing it in the system, waiting for it to play whatever is on it, not having such large imagination to expect anything. it was a home video montage, full of videos of you and mark: playing together, getting ready for the first day of school, going to the movies, the way you two got engaged in middle school as a joke, and the omnious day of prom... you got teary eyed, with one thing on your mind - you have to go and save whatever's left now. maybe you're not too late.

✰ RENJUN — soulmate!au

life had been pretty much grey and dreary until you found The One. the other half everyone had been so obsessed to find. you were never big on all this stuff, because you were convinced you'd be able to live as a single half for you whole life, and don't need anyone else to feel complete. deep inside you knew that all of this is bullshit, truly, and all that was coming out of you was true bitterness and constantly ongoing unsuccessful confessions, making you believe in your delusions. with every passing second, you had to see people find their other half, while you were left to deal with the grey world you were left in, not as a choice but as fate instead. you felt like a loser, a big zero, who doesn't even deserve a soulmate. you thought you were destined to die alone, maybe compensate with something of brilliance: be a composer or a singer, write or paint something extraordinary, lord knows what, just something of importance! you were looking for yourself in every corner of the world, not for a lover or a fling, not for an other half, fully ignoring the law of attraction. it might have been some reverse psychological trick, effecting it all. and this may have been the reason behind why you had to leave that horribly boring theatre play, sneaking out and bumping into The One, who handed back your accidentally dropped bag, slowly looking into your eyes. he might have worked at the theater as he was wearing a name tag on his elegant shirt - huang renjun, it said. but it doesn't even matter, because his eyes were brown! brown! not grey, brown! everything cleared up. you did find the half - with brown eyes and a smile so bright.

✰ JENO — coffee shop!au

it was pretty much bittersweet to step foot in your favourite café: it was getting dark out there, and although the rain has stopped pouring, you got absolutley soaked to the core along the way there, rain replacing the tears on your face by then. your hair was sticking to your forehead uncomfortably, your body trembling without stopping, as you entered. the bell placed above the entrance was ringing lightly, gathering everyone's attention to you, although there wasn't too much people there except for the baristas, maybe two wandering souls, working on their laptops or reading in a cozy corner. well, maybe if it wasn't for getting dumped literal minutes ago, you wouldn't be here either, but it was still the most reasonable choice compared to going to a club or a ruin bar, gettig incredibly drunk, Plus! a good espresso might be able to clear the fog in your head, which you were in need of during this stupidly stressing period of life. you expected hyuck to greet you by the coffee machine, grinning ear to ear, as he always does when you visit between two lectures, but there was a completely new face behind the counter. it's been a long time since you've last seen a new employee here. his smile was sweet and rather warm, eyes conveying a sense of concern as you took one step closer, rubbing your eyes while getting your purse out of your pocket - you discreetly looked at his name tag, right on his black apron: lee jeno. whatta name... by then, you were way to hopeless to try and guess how the day would go, but life had to surprise you, fate deciding funnily against all odds: next to your cup of coffee, there was a napkin, hiding a telephone number on it, messily written down with a short message as well: "would you go out on a date with me, darling? :)"

✰ HAECHAN — rivals to lovers!au

lee donghyuck's name rushed through the hallways of your music academy just as quietly as a whisper, and you never knew why was it all like that ever since you've stepped foot into the school. you couldn't even hide the way too obvious rolls of your eyes every time you heard it. lee donghyuck was one of the biggest prodigies at the academy, no one could even be considered as a rival for him, this is mainly why he was such a big living legend amongst the students - you couldn't even hide how annoyed this made you, especially because he made sure you knew this ever since you two were little. music played a huge part in both of your lives, and somehow, you two always seemed to be at each other's throat, the first place at being the best always changing between the two of you. you could never get rid of each other either; your dad, always being so positive, once said, on your way to the academy sometime between sophomore and junior year, that the only reason behind this is that you two are equally good at what you're doing. you were pretty much skeptic for the longest of time, and felt as if you were destined to be the forever second next to him. you've had enough of always bumping into walls, since hyuck was the one who could stand at the first place ever so proudly. in kindergarten, in middle school, and even in high school, every. god damn. time. and that infuriating smile was plastered all upon his face even when you two were asked to not perform alone on the annual charity gala of your academy - you two had to perform something phenomenal, putting the childish jarring aside, growing out of the silly phase of hating each other, which was all made up by you, and you only, pushing the poor boy away from you. the boy who had always been so obsessed with you, utterly and completely. he won this time again, isn't it right?

✰ JAEMIN — photographer!au

when jaemin brought up the idea of making the last parts of his portfolio with you (which basically means about you), you were a little bit skeptic at first. you loved jaemin dearly, since he was a really understanding friend, but... you were simply terrified of cameras. you didn't really like the idea of being captured at all, you hated looking back at yourself on pictures taken of you, and you couldn't even think about how high quality his pictures would be with that hyper super machine, focused on all the little flawed details of your face that you absolutely despised. no, you couldn't even bear the idea of this whole project, and you stood by this decision of yours, jaemin waiting patiently the whole time, not pushing it too hard. since he wanted to work with you no matter what, giving up on his plan wouldn't be too typical of him - the fight didn't last long but it was pretty heated, him highlighting so many known things that needed to be said finally: it's childish how you reflect on yourself, and your delusions stop you from way too many things. the way he said straight into your face how beautiful he thinks you are, inside and outside, and that he wants the whole world to know how ethereal you are, made you tear up a little - especially when he said his heart breaks every time you speak so lowly of yourself. he truly thinks you're the modern manifestation of aphrodite, that you are his own venus, the muse of him, someone he can adore... that he's way too in love with you to let go of this, and-; the kiss you gave him was short, yet gave him exact answers. answers to hundreds and thousand of unsaid questions he kept hidden in himself for years and years on end.

✰ CHENLE — blind date!au

you clearly didn’t brace yourself for this whole fiasco proposed by donghyuck himself, foolishly believing his reasonings behind how perfect of a matchmaker he is. of course you knew that what he way saying was partly stupid, plus you were like a seventy percent sure he wasn't even sober when he set up a blind date during that omnious frat party he wasn't invited to. you didn't have to worry or anything, that's just how you were - overly anxious of such things, even if you weren't meeting a psychopath. you were only a bit vary of the awkwardness this whole new experience would bring, both of you rushing home way too soon from the date, trying to forget about it as soon as possible. these misconceptions about how the night would go stayed straight until you stopped in front of the restaurant to wait for your - then late already - date. you were a little nervous he stood you up, and you got yourself into the most beautiful piece of clothing from you wardrobe for nothing, but it was worth it, looking back at it, as zhong chenle arrived and you two simply just... clicked? automatically? not to mention you two decided to leave the place after the hors d'oeuvre, since you both found the place a little too fancy at that moment, going to a simple ice cream parlor instead, taking a walk in the park after, talking about anything and everything that came to mind: family, politics, movies and the most embarrassing memories from your childhood came up too, as you couldn't help but laugh at how chenle dropped his ice cream cone on the ground, while he simultaneously promised you that he wouldn't drop the cone on the next date - and you smiled, so happily.

✰ JISUNG — secret admirer!au

you were head over heels for jisung and his undying love for dancing. but, thinking a bit deeper about it, while writing that foolish, teenager like love letter for him, forced into the role of his secret admirer, there were much more of those things that made you feel head over heels for the boy: he showed you what persistence was, he spent the whole of his youth with you, and he wasn't afraid to spend the rest of his life with you, helping you out anytime you're in need of it, since he couldn't not do that as you "best friend". he couldn't be evil with you, he was never able to leave you and he couldn't even envision a future in which you weren't by his side. but the border he made up between the two of you, was never crossed - you two were friends, not more, not less. you were so torn deep inside, as you were helpless, being in the never ending limbo you would rather push forward, but he kept on tugging it backwards; the idea of writing letters was originally from your mother, who had enough of your obvious agony. she was positive you would write every feeling of yours out, making it easier as time goes by. their number kept growing, however, one letter becoming a dozen soon enough, maybe even more in the meantime, while not writing a name on any of them, referring to yourself only as a mere secret admirer. they suddenly disappeared from the bottom of your drawer one day, though, realizing way too late that the ringing phone in your pocket was in fact park jisung, the picture of him taking up the screen of your mobile - did he know?

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞

huang renjun x fem!reader

you and renjun are pen-pals-turned-best-friends, except, no one knows that you know each other. at the same time, both you and renjun are also trying to survive being set up with people by your own separate friend groups. turns out, maybe you both just want each other and no one else.

genre. f2l, secret friendship/relationship, rival schools, social media au

featuring. nct 00 line, itzy's yeji + lia, aespa's karina + giselle, and others!

status. completed

—ARE YOU LONELY?—

profiles // smh-art school · nc-IT guys (+ynlia) · 4lyfers

i. the point??

ii. conspiracies + experiments!

iii. same boat tho

iv. doomsday

v. on private

vi. trial run #1

vii. u read my mind

viii. budget cuts, baby!

ix. BOT FIGHT

x. schemes >:)

xi. and the night was young

xii. schemes >:) again

xiii. it's a plan!

xiv. lately

xv. *pretty nice

xvi. this is not #slay

xvi.v what... was that

xvii. my uwus? all over the place

xviii. oh god, he knows

xix. na jaemin.

xix.v get it together, yeonjun

xx. the side characters

xxi. to match or not to match

xxii. love scenarios!

xxiii. bold or bold

xxiv. pop the question

xxv. renjun, you idiot.

xxvi. the side characters (the sequel)

xxvii. subtweets *sweats profusely*

xxviii. let's get this right

xxix. i know it's not me

xxx. the truth

xxxi. read it and weep

xxxii. check yes, juliet

xxxiii. record scratch

xxxiv. the winter exhibition

xxxv. epilogue: this side of paradise

taglist now closed!

crush culture : part twenty-eight

synopsis : ln yn has always flirted with huang renjun. but they do that with literally everyone else too, they couldn’t possibly be serious about pursuing him, right? on their final year of university, yn is determined to show that they are. with all the walls that renjun has built around himself, will they be strong enough to succeed in tearing them down? pairing : huang renjun x gn!reader genre/s : university + student council au, fluff, angst, pining, slice of life, humor part 28 wc : ~1k

part twenty-eight : clear skies

previous  ➤ part twenty-seven : doing great sweeties next  ➤  part twenty-nine crush culture ➤  masterlist 

yangyang needed this. that’s all there is to it.

technically, he could have asked to reschedule. the project was due next week, he could have waited until jungwoo recovered so you could work on this particular part together. but you had already made that statement : it was only going to be you and him. and if he was really about to let you go, completely and truthfully, then this was an opportunity that he had to take.

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CUTE

love.fm | h.rj

genre ❥ fluff, angst, coworkers to lovers  pairings ❥ radio show host!renjun x fem!reader  word count ❥ 7.2k   warnings ❥ none author’s note ❥ had this sitting in my wip for a while after rewatching renra on akdong seoul….just thought it would be a really cute idea!!

My love’s so young, I’m young, at a sweet age I can’t only look at you

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loved this <3

beat you at your own game | hrj

summary : y/n has a crush on renjun, who's not that great with people. despite his standoffish nature, she makes an effort to be friendly. but things take a twist when she starts to ignore him.

pairing : renjun x fem! reader

genre : college au. romance, fluff, angst

word count : 3.5k

huang renjun, how exactly would you describe him? well, for starters, he can be a bit cranky. he's all about having his own space, not a fan of dragging things out, and gets things done in a flash. he’s also straightforward and not afraid to speak his mind. people have mixed feelings about him because of it. but oddly enough, it only adds to his charm, making people naturally drawn to him, much to his 'i'd-rather-not' demeanor.

needless to say, you just had to develop a crush on someone who’s the total opposite of you. you’re a people-pleaser; you’d much rather say things that would please others rather than express your genuine thoughts. confrontations make you uncomfortable, and you lean towards making excuses for those who hurt you on purpose. you also always try to avoid conflicts as much as you can, and resort to suffering in silence instead. you're trying to change that aspect about yourself, but you grew up having those traits, making it hard to break free. nevertheless, you're working on it.

you never intended to let renjun know about your feelings, but your friends were determined to embarrass you whenever he was around, constantly teasing you. it didn't help that despite not being close to renjun and his group, some of them were friends with your close friends, so they eventually joined in poking fun at your crush. one day, you decided to dismiss their incessant teasing and initiated a friendly conversation with renjun. at first, he responded out of courtesy. you weren't stupid though; you could tell that renjun was clearly fed up with his friends and wanted nothing to do with their antics.

he began to dislike being associated with you, offering only short responses and not acknowledging your presence more than necessary. you didn’t pay it much mind, since getting close to him wasn't your original goal. your aim was to ease the awkwardness and shed the embarrassment that accompanied your interactions. you happened to share some classes with renjun, coincidentally, those were the ones where both your friends weren't around. sitting next to him became a default habit, as he was the only familiar face in those particular classes.

one morning, you found yourself running late for your 8am class, prompting you to dash before your professor arrived. you accidentally collided with renjun, who happened to be holding an iced coffee. to your horror, more than half of the drink ended up spilling onto his shirt.

“oh my god, renjun, i’m so sorry!” you looked at him in fear, and it took everything in him to remain calm.

“why are you running around a busy hallway?”

“i’m really, really sorry. i’m late for my first class and i didn’t think i’d bump into anyone.” renjun let out an annoyed sigh.

“whatever.”

“wait!” you opened your bag to bring out your alcohol and wipes. “do you need them?”

“no, thank you.” he proceeded to walk past you, but you held onto his arm.

“what about the stain?”

“i have a spare shirt. can you let me go now? i thought you said you were late.”

“shoot, you’re right. i’m sorry again, i promise i’ll make it up to you!” you shouted as you ran.

“please don’t,” he grumbled.

later on, you found renjun at the library working on your assignments. you sat quietly next to him and began doing your own. he didn’t spare you a look and just carried on with his work. you spent a few hours completing them, and both of you got it done at the same time. as you got up to gather your things, you spoke to the boy beside you.

“renjun, do you have anything to do after this?”

“no.”

“do you want to try the newly opened diner just a few blocks away? my friends have prior commitments, and i wanted to make it up to you for spilling your coffee earlier.” you already knew he was going to refuse, but it wouldn’t hurt to still ask.

“sorry, i’ll have to pass. i need to get home quickly.” you nodded in understanding and smiled at him.

“no biggie. take care on your way home!”

“thanks,” he simply said before leaving.

“how are you and y/n? any progress? are you going out already?” jaemin asked teasingly, wiggling his brows.

“shut up. i want her to back off, honestly.”

“you want everyone to back off.”

“yeah, but most especially, y/n.”

“uh, why do you sound so annoyed with her?”

“because she is. i turned her down several times, but she can’t take a hint. nothing’s more annoying than someone who imposes themselves on others.”

“relax, man. you’re being a little too hard on the girl. you’ll see that she’s nice if you give her a chance.”

“what exactly is nice about her being fixated on me? it’s mostly your fault. if you guys weren’t such instigators, she wouldn’t have been pushy.”

you walked away from the scene, ensuring they didn’t notice your presence. you wiped away the lone tear that involuntary fell from your eye. it wasn’t often that you heard someone openly talk about their obvious dislike of you, and hearing it from the person you were supposed to like was quite disheartening. it wasn't your intention to impose your presence on him or force a connection that wasn't meant to be. you reckoned it was time to reevaluate your feelings and accept the need to let go of your futile crush on renjun, sparing both of you from any further confusion or misunderstandings.

renjun had grown accustomed to spotting you in your regular seat during your shared class. however, he was met with surprise when he noticed you had moved to a vacant seat considerably distant from your usual spot next to him. he was a bit confused at first, but chose not to dwell on it. he also noted that you didn't notice his entrance into the room, as you were engrossed in some task.

you continued to maintain a distance in your next classes with renjun. he was uncertain if you were oblivious to his presence or deliberately avoiding acknowledgement, given the lack of glances his way. he found it a bit strange that you refrained from initiating any form of interaction, but he didn’t mind. he thought he felt better. at least, for now.

however, renjun was not expecting your odd behavior to persist. it brought another surprise when you ignored him again the following day. even when your eyes accidentally locked for a second, you quickly averted your gaze. renjun wasn’t sure if you really didn’t see him or were just pretending not to. you weren’t wearing your glasses, and your eyesight wasn't the best. but even if you did ignore him on purpose, he didn’t mind… or did he?

it’s been a while since you stopped talking to renjun. at first, he thought he felt a sense of relief, thinking it gave him some space. but after a week, he was confused about why you suddenly stopped. the following week, he could feel his stomach churning seeing you leave class, secretly hoping you’d look back. then, the week after that, he felt a wave of anger because there were more than a few times he bumped into you purposely to get you to talk to him, but you did not utter any word other than a quiet apology. now, nearly a month later, he started to feel dejected because no matter what he did, you always acted like he wasn't even there. renjun wasn’t sure what he did wrong to make you so determined in avoiding him completely.

“renjun is going through 5 stages of grief,” jaemin started with a taunting smirk.

“what?” haechan looked at him in confusion.

“y/n has been ignoring him for a month.”

“WHAT? WHY?”

“exactly. i haven’t had the chance to ask her since we’re not close enough.”

“what about jeno?”

“he doesn’t want to pry.”

“maybe she got tired of renjun’s grumpy attitude,” chenle chimed in.

“maybe,” jaemin turned to the boy in question. “look at him, he’s miserable.”

“shut up,” renjun muttered in discontent.

“stop provoking him. this is his first heartbreak,” chenle taunted, making renjun roll his eyes at their ridiculousness.

“you know you can always speak to her first and ask her what’s up, right?”

“if she wanted to speak to me, she would’ve done it first,” his friends could only shake their heads in disapproval.

“don’t be stupid.”

“and i’m begging all of you to mind your own business.”

“be that way, and you’ll find yourself in an irreversible situation.”

"yeah, renjun, don't say we didn't warn you!" haechan added with a mischievous grin.

you kept quiet about what you had overheard from renjun in the last month, choosing not to share the details with your friends. you figured they would eventually notice renjun's absence from your life, and when they finally asked you about it, you dismissed their probing questions. you casually informed them that your crush on him had simply faded after getting to know him better. you were quite good at making believable lies, they were convinced by it and dropped the topic quickly.

unexpectedly, renjun sought you out in an empty classroom to confront you about your sudden disconnection. you looked like a deer caught in headlights when you realized who had just entered, walking in long and quick strides to your direction. in your mind, you were already conjuring up excuses to explain yourself.

“why are you ignoring me?” his question broke the silence, leaving you with no room to escape.

so much for attempting to evade this confrontation.

you took a moment to gather your thoughts, unsure how to respond. you tried to conceal your distress as renjun stared down at you while waiting for you to talk. it seemed like he was determined to stand his ground, expecting you to tell him the truth. with a frustrated sigh, you finally spoke up.

“i’m just staying out of your way,” you said after a moment of silence.

“yeah, so why?” his voice was demanding, it ticked you off a little.

you questioned why you were initially afraid of renjun confronting you and why you bothered coming up with excuses. after all, it wasn't his place to interrogate you when you were simply doing what he seemed to want from the start.

“i don’t know why you’re asking. isn’t that what you want? you should be happy.” you began to gather your things so you can walk off, but you heard him speak again.

“i don’t remember telling you to keep your distance. you obviously have a problem with me. what is it?”

“you don’t remember telling me because you didn’t. you told other people.” your tone laced with a hint of annoyance.

“that what?”

“renjun, i don’t get you. you keep brushing me off, you show your irritation with me so openly, and you tell everyone that you want me out of your line of sight. and now that i’m doing exactly that, you’re still mad at me? what’s your problem?”

“stop speaking in riddles and just tell me what's going on,” he said in an exasperated tone as you shifted to face him directly.

“last month, i was passing by the main library, and i overheard you talking to your friends. you mentioned something about me not getting a hint and wanting me to leave you alone,” renjun looked a bit puzzled at first. when you were about to walk away, his eyes widened in realization.

“no, y/n, i’m so sorry, i didn’t mean any of what i said-“ you shook your head lightly at his predictable response.

“don’t be. you were completely right, and i’m not even angry about it. i just don’t want to do anything with you anymore.”

“listen, i really am sorry. i blurted out those things in the heat of the moment. i regret saying them out loud, especially now that i know you were there to hear it… it’s really not what i think of you.”

“it’s fine, renjun. i didn’t tell you all of this to get an apology. i’m only telling you why i’m doing what i’m doing, like you asked, and to make it clear that i’m done.” renjun blocked your way hastily to stop you from leaving.

“hear me out, alright? back then, i was being overly sensitive. they were pushing my buttons, and i didn't know how to handle it. i messed up, treated you badly, and you didn’t deserve any of that. a month without you made me realize a few things. i had to confront what i really want and face some truths i'd been avoiding,” he paused, gauging your reaction before continuing. “i miss spending time with you, and, well, i realized i've got feelings for you. more than i thought. it never crossed my mind that you'd actually step away, and it hit me hard. the idea of losing you if you choose to walk away made me lose my mind.” your heart raced as he spoke, and his confession stirred up a mix of emotions. your confusion lingered, but you decided to reason through it, pushing aside the sincerity in his eyes as you gave him an incredulous look.

“are you… getting your feelings confused with something else? did you consider that maybe your mind is playing tricks on you, making you think you like me because you're used to others chasing after you?” he winced, trying to ignore the indirect suggestion that he might be a narcissist. it was a struggle for him to open up about his feelings, only for the girl he liked to question and imply that he couldn't understand his own emotions.

“i wouldn't be here questioning why you've been avoiding me for a month, and pouring out my feelings if i hadn't thought this through. it might be hard to believe right now, but if you give me a chance, i can prove it to you."

“i don’t think this is a good idea,” his face contorted into a pained expression. he felt lost, trying to find the right words to convince you. taking a deep breath, he gently held your shoulders, making you look up at him.

“please, just give me a chance to prove myself. i feel like i've wasted so much time.” the desperation was evident in his voice. still skeptical of his feelings, you removed his hands as they fell down to your arms.

“i’ll think about it.” you said before walking away, leaving a lingering sense of uncertainty in the air.

renjun’s friends had been observing him for a few days, and he’s become unusually quiet. they contemplated asking him what’s wrong, but they wanted to give him some space. it was glaringly obvious that something was bothering him, and he didn’t want to talk about it. jeno couldn't help but express his concern.

"renjun, you've been awfully quiet lately. everything alright?"

"yeah, i'm fine. just dealing with some stuff." jeno and jaemin exchanged knowing glances.

"we're here whenever you're ready to talk." jaemin assured, patting his back.

he had been feeling down since your conversation a few days ago. your words had been weighing on his mind and creating an internal turmoil. the fact that you continued to ignored him in all your classes didn't offer much comfort. renjun couldn't help but cast a longing look in your direction whenever he saw you. he was torn between regret and fear that he might have already ruined his chance.

meanwhile, his confession has been replaying in your mind. the idea of him reciprocating your feelings caught you off guard; it was something you never saw coming. after some contemplation, it became apparent to you that renjun really felt apologetic and was filled with remorse. could it be that he genuinely likes you? even if that was the case, you're still unsure whether it's the right move to start something with him.

maybe i should stop overthinking this.

you took a deep breath before releasing a loud sigh, unaware that the boy who had been occupying your thoughts, stood right in front of you.

“y/n,” you looked up to see renjun. you waited for him to speak, but it seemed like he was having a mental struggle, debating whether to say what was on his mind. he mustered up the courage to ask if you were willing to give him a chance. staring at him with an unreadable expression, he didn't know how to interpret the situation. was it a bad time to talk?

“why?” you finally asked. although renjun was hesitant, he answered.

“i was wondering if you already thought about what i said? i mean… i can wait if you’re still thinking about it.”

“if i say no, are you going to leave me alone?” your heart sank a little when his face fell. he didn't respond right away.

“well, if that’s what you want, i guess i would have to…”

“renjun,”

“yeah?”

“let’s give it a try.” his expression became hopeful.

“really?”

“yes. you said you liked me back, i’ll hold onto that for now. i just hope you won’t let me down.”

“i won’t.” a smile spread across his face as he enveloped you in a tight embrace. returning the hug, you savored the comforting feeling of his arms around you. "thank you for taking a chance on me," he said, the sincerity evident in his words and the embrace.

“i’m happy for them, i really am. but watching these two stare at each other lovingly is sickening.” giselle said, faking disgust.

“at least they’re just staring… you wouldn’t believe how clingy renjun gets when they’re at the dorm.” chenle remarked, your friends swiftly turned their heads around.

“spill.”

“he’s always attached to her, literally. there’s no other way to describe it.”

“huh… i thought it would be the other way around.”

“yeah, no. but i guess that’s just right, considering he didn’t give her the best treatment at first.”

giselle and karina chuckled at the revelation. intrigued by the dynamic between you and renjun.

"love can do wonders, huh?" jaemin grinned, nudging jeno.

"guess he learned his lesson," karina added, raising an eyebrow. "who would've thought?"

as the group watched the both of you, they exchanged knowing looks. it was obvious that renjun had gone through some changes, moving from his initial standoffish ways to being glued to the person he wasn't so kind to initially.

“i have the dorm all to myself this weekend.” you raised your brow at him.

“and what are you insinuating?”

“you know…” he continued with a suggestive look.

“i’m studying for finals week," you deadpanned.

“which is exactly what i’m suggesting. i find myself more productive when i’m with you.”

“quite the contrary. we don’t get anything done when we study together.”

“don't you want my hugs and kisses?” he pouted.

“not when i’m busy trying to finish school-related activities.”

“fine, i’ll behave.”

“you always say that. i don’t believe you anymore.”

“maybe i’ll be less clingy if you pay more attention to me. you’re always busy, you don’t have time for your boyfriend.”

“renjun, unlike you, i have to put in extra effort into studying to get good grades. i’m not as smart as you are.”

“excuses.” you rolled your eyes.

“you’re so adorable,” you cooed, grabbing his face for a quick peck. “i never imagined you to be the touchy and clingy type.”

“baby, there are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

“like what?” you inquired with a playful smile.

“like how great i am at using my hands to make someone feel really good,” he whispered in a lower voice.

“oh?” you raised an eyebrow, smirking playfully.

“yeah. apparently, i give one heck of a shoulder massage,” you burst out laughing at his endearing silliness. the sound of your laughter made renjun pause and smile, as he took his time to observe you. suddenly, he felt an overwhelming surge of happiness. taking your hand gently in his, he pressed a tender kiss to your fingertips, capturing your attention and prompting you to look at him.

"you make me feel the happiest. i love you," he confessed, the sincerity resonating in his words.

your stomach flipped, the euphoria of hearing those three words from him for the first time washing over you. then it hit you- the unexpected journey with renjun had led you to a place you never envisioned. he, too, held the key to your happiness.

“i love you too.” you closed the distance between you two and your lips met his. as he wrapped an arm around your waist, you let yourself fall to his embrace, deepening the kiss.

renjun was met with the realization that while you fell for him first, he descended later, but with an intensity that surpassed a thousand falls.

toy wagons & heartbreak ✧ huang renjun

✧ pairing: artist!renjun & dancer g/n! reader

though dancing is not as touched upon for reader as artistry is for jun

✧ wc: 4.4k

✧ genre: fluff, angst; best friends to lovers

✧warnings: language, brief description of a nightmare, cheating, suggestive? sorta.

"shove off, you bastard. i hope your mom chokes on a bag of cocks today and your dad gets his beer bottle shoved up his ass!"

the sudden and very vulgar outburst brought attention to the relatively short male in the back of the classroom. no one knew who he was. hell, they didn't even realize he could even speak. he was always mute and his ‘cool’ demeanor didn't help his case. silence followed for the next few seconds until a certain individual cracked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"dude, what type of fake british accent was that? you sounded like marie antoinette, but male. and very, very american. and she had had her head cut off already!"

the male that seemed to prattle off nonsensical insult after insult, lee felix, was doubled over. your fellow classmate’s arms were wrapped around his sides, laughter practically deranged. but, it helped. the merriment and joy the laughter brought.

it eased the tension in the room. soon, the whole class had reached a volume that could only be described as boisterous, cacophonous laughter permeating into every corner of the classroom. even the assistants in the class laughed. the teacher had a very strong look of distaste on her face. but, even the corners of her lips were turned up.

"jun! what the heck? i said at lunch, not in the middle of math class!"

another voice rang out. it was yours. the sentence wasn't heard very clearly, though. even you were laughing. the room seemed to be alight with a positive aura. and not even the quiet kid at the back of the class, huang renjun, (who also doubled as your best friend) could hide his smile. not even he could deny how relaxed the atmosphere had gotten.

of course, all good things must come to an end, right? and that moment of seemingly infinite bliss? oh, that was simply too good of a thing for you to experience. it was such a blessing of a moment, that you ought to have deemed it a curse.

your dream quickly turned for the worse as the vivid colors flashing behind your eyelids darkened, the joyous laughter from before transforming into something more sinster. you had no idea what was happening, the younger you being replaced with you from the present as you were being caged in by-

—

you awoke with a start, a hand clutching your chest. that wasn't exactly a memory you were fond of. you probably would've been close to forgetting about it if you hadn't dreamt of it tonight. when you took in your surroundings, the realization that you weren't in the dance studio anymore hit you.

that was the last place you remember leaving your room to go to, planning on venting out your frustrations in a form of art. and seeing as drawing and making music weren't exactly your forte, perfecting choreography was your next best choice.

seeing as how someone had to come and find you, that may not have exactly gone according to plan. every time you moved your legs, sharp pains shot throughout the rest of your body. sure, you could call it ordinary soreness. but, unfortunately, you have become painstakingly aware of how many bruises seemed to accumulate when you danced while upset.

but, that was beside the point. the pain could wait. right now you’d rather focus on the fact that you were in a bed. a very nice one in fact, although there was something wrong. you couldn't quite place your finger on it but maybe it had to do with the person sleeping next to you.

wait, there's a person in the bed. next to you. sleeping. next to you. and they’re…shirtless?

you had to stop yourself from emitting a scream that would've awoken the penguins in antarctica. instead, you settled on scrambling out of the bed, relieved to find that you still adorned the clothes you had left the house in the previous night. the sleeping person turned their body so they were facing you.

'more like sleeping beauty. jesus christ. he's so fucking pretty, oh my god. and his lips, oh my god. his lips. fuck. i bet he has a really pretty smile, too? oh god, he does, doesn't he? oh, fuck me.'

a smile adorned the unknown male's lips. well, 'unknown' is a false statement. the shirtless male was in fact your childhood best friend, and self-proclaimed platonic soulmate, huang renjun. he had gotten used to this behavior in the early morning. it was something you went through often when he had to pick you up from the studio.

he hadn’t been asleep at all. he woke up an hour ago, your movements in the bed much too erratic to even attempt sleeping through. the clock had stated that it was an alarming four-thirty in the morning. the sun wasn't even close to rising, yet here you were.

"aw baby, if you like my lips so much, why don’t you kiss them already, hm?"

that's when you seemed to snap out of your very sleep-deprived daze and you looked at renjun, your shock obvious on your face.

"...what?"

"unless you're all bark and no bite."

"okay, wait, you- what's that supposed to mean exactly?

"ah, so you're unaware that you said all of that out loud like two seconds ago. figures. although i gotta say, i especially liked the part about my lips. do you think about them that often?"

you blanched and stared at the male across from you incredulously. you couldn't have said that out loud. you were just having very, very loud thoughts. you were sure of it. until y'know, just now, you'd reckon.

"oh, jun. i'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable. i didn't mean that—"

"you didn't mean it," a pout took over renjun’s lips, his bottom lip jutting out which only made it seem fuller than it was. and all the more inviting— "a true shame. i would've liked a kiss from you."

there was a hint of sadness in his voice. no, not a hint. he didn't even try to mask it. all the emotions in that sentence were clear as day. disappointment, as well as sadness, were crystal clear.

"okay no, because what's that supposed to mean?"

a breath. a pause. a sigh.

"nothing. just go back to sleep."

and just like that, it was as if renjun was never awake in the first place. he was out like a light. which only left you with so many questions as to what just occurred. 'what the fuck?' seemed to be the most frequent one you asked though.

then, something happened that threw the both of you for a complete loop. you found yourself getting back in the bed, only this time you sat directly on top of renjun. he awoke easily, eyes wide and void of any sign of fatigue.

he blinked up at you blankly, unsure of what to do with you or with his hands.

"may i…help you?"

"cut the act and just kiss me."

renjun leaned in, much to your surprise, even if you had told him to do it in the first place, and placed a bruising kiss on your lips. it was intense as if he was trying to convey all of his emotions into a sloppy transfer of spit. you weren't even sure if this could be called a proper kiss, but your brain was functioning too slow at the moment to catch up to what was happening right now. hands roamed across any surface they came in contact with, yours eventually resting atop renjun's chest and his wrapped around your waist.

when you pulled away from each other, he busied himself with wiping his mouth of the spit at the corners with the back of his hand, while you attempted to hop off of his lap only to be pulled back down by his free hand.

renjun sat up, eyebrow raised at your attempt at a hasty getaway, grabbing your hips again in attempts to pull you closer still. he said nothing, which left you to internally panic in the mildly uncomfortable silence. unfortunately, your mind was on the edge of going completely blank as you tried to let your brain catch up to what just occurred. and what was currently still very much happening.

but catch up it did not, seeing as renjun pulled you in for another kiss. only this time, it was much softer. there wasn't any real urgency behind it. it was as if you melted together, breaths soft and eyes closed. it was only the two of you and that was all renjun needed. that was all you needed, even if you hadn't come to that conclusion yet. your arms moved to wrap around his neck, fingers softly combing through the hair at his nape, renjun’s hands grasping onto your sleep shirt.

this time when you pulled away, you didn't rush to get off of his lap. silence filled the room, the only sound being your combined breathing as you swallowed nervously. okay, so 'what the fuck?' was what you wanted to say. it seemed to be your favorite phrase lately. until renjun beat you to it and broke the silence himself. with a much more sophisticated question.

"uhm, do you wanna talk about that?"

"no. let's just be quiet for now."

but, quiet never lasted long when it came to the two of you.

"i think i’m in love with you."

the words weren't loud. they were soft. and you thought that if they had been any quieter that you wouldn't have caught them at all. but, you're sure you did. you're so, so sure of it.

"what?" a whisper.

it was dead silent in the room. the only sound that could be heard was the soft tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall in renjun’s bedroom.

"i didn't say anything."

renjun uttered out, cheeks aflame with embarrassment.

"but, you did. you,” a quiver in your voice made itself present. “you said you were in love with me. didn't you? you did. you did, right?"

the worry couldn't stay out of your voice as much as you had wanted it to. your heart rate was increasing, panic settling in now as the weight of everything started to creep up on you, planting itself atop your shoulders little by little.

you were scared.

scared you were still dreaming, and that just made this whole scenario up.

scared that you and renjun didn't just kiss twice.

scared that the boy whose lap you were sitting on wasn't actually underneath you at all.

scared that your feelings weren't unrequited after all. scared that they were.

you were terrified, actually.

renjun could sense that. he'd be a fool if he didn't, seeing as the air in the room is so still that he automatically picked up on when your breath hitched and became more of a panicked pant rather than a steady inhale-exhale cycle.

"okay, hey, wait. hi lovebug, i’m right here,” he rubbed your back gently, attempting to get you to calm down.

“i did say it. i’m pretty sure that i’ve been in love with you since fifth grade."

"fifth grade?"

your voice cracked and renjun finally took this moment to look back up from his legs and at you. your eyes were filled with unshed tears, both from your panic and from the situation in general. you were just so overwhelmed and were struggling to process any of this fully.

yet, that's not what renjun wanted. he didn't want teary eyes and soft voices. he wanted to hear the same words uttered back to him. he wanted a kiss, a touch, anything other than the silence that's filled with tension so high-strung that choosing to break it could be a very dangerous game at this point.

yet, some part of you convinced yourself that this was some sort of cruel joke. you liked renjun, loved him even. yet, you were so unsure. so you opted to remain silent. and a hush fell upon the room.

—

the words circulate through your head for hours on end. you're still at renjun’s house but you’ve moved away from his room and into the little office space he considers his art studio. You’re careful not to touch any of his pieces, fearful of messing one up.

as your thoughts race, you look around and analyze his works. while you’re not an artist and don’t have a keen eye for detail yourself, you’ve gone with renjun on enough trips to the art museum that you deem yourself knowledgeable enough for this.

the small pile of blank canvases spread across the floor that are intermixed with unfinished designs reminds you of something. he had told you recently that he’s hit an artist’s block, a ‘very hard, and a very mean one’, according to him.

he had confessed this to you in a joking manner but you knew it was affecting him more than he let on. how could it have not when it was what he’s done his whole life? none of his art coming out the way he wanted, none of the messages he’s trying to convey shining through.

you glance at the crumpled sheets of paper that lay about the trash bin, some torn from his sketchbooks, others from plain college-ruled notebooks. it was if you could feel his frustration emanating from that pile, his own perception of failure that had been weighing down on him, the standards far too high.

if only he could see how wonderful he is, you wished. you’ve drawn before sure, whether it be begrudgingly for a school project or for fun while you’re at the park. but, you truly believe that renjun’s art belongs in museums. he’s on a different level than you, something that was made well aware when you took that art class together in grade school.

you always tell him that the fruits of his precocious labor deserve to be shown off internationally, to be appreciated by all. he'll brush you off with a shy smile and change the topic every time but it never affected your admiration for him. it only made you say it more often.

the corners of your mouth lift up in a small smile as you catch a glimpse of the piece he made up back in your sophomore year of high school. you asked for a portrait, not of yourself but of things he associates with you.

“so, you want a collage then?”

“no, make it in the shape of me, just not of me.”

he still understood the assignment despite your confusing instructions and came over to your house to give it to you a month later. you brushed off his rushed apologies for how long it took and held out your hands so he could hand your the finished project.

your expression was nothing other than pure joy as you took in his art. the outline was the shape of you sitting with your head back. ‘’must’ve been a photo he took of me while we were hanging out’, you thought as your eyes moved slowly across the canvas. you picked out certain things, like pokémon and anime characters, sheet music and a tiny break dancer. each thing you recognized brought an ecstatic giggle out of you and renjun breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.

while he knew you’d like anything he makes no matter what, this work stressed him out because he saw you as way more than the things you have interest in or made a part of your life. but seeing your satisfaction and how your eyes shine with wonderment, he thinks he genuinely did a good job.

your arms engulfed him in a tight hug, thanks spilled from your lips as his arms came around your stomach.

“thank you junbug. i really like it.”

you pulled away and he flashed you a bright smile.

“anytime, sugar.”

the petname earned him a pinch on the cheek but he still thinks it was worth it.

—

as you pull yourself out of the memory, a smile on your face, you realize a couple of things.

renjun’s love was always evident, obvious even, but he always masked it under the guise of your best friend. he’d always done anything he can for you, offering up a helping hand no matter how grueling the task. even if he pretended to not like you sometimes, he was always ready to risk it all.

yet, he also protected you often. like tonight, for example. you wouldn’t have stopped until you literally couldn’t move anymore at the studio. and maybe you couldn’t when he had come to pick you up, you can’t recall. but the outlying fact is that he knew where you were in the first place. you wonder if that was the first place he went or if he had to think about it. nonetheless, it doesn’t change the fact that he knew.

you thought back on your feelings, on your relationship with your best friend, and your feelings for said best friend.

you always thought he’d be a good boyfriend to somebody, not specifically to you but you can’t lie and say you haven’t entertained the thought. nor can you say you’ve never thought about kissing him.

you had a crush on him before, it was always a random occurrence. a wave of emotions far more than platonic for renjun coming up all at once on more than one occasion.

but, do you harbor those same feelings now? is the question you can’t answer.

—

you padded softly back into renjun’s bedroom. you didn’t exactly expect to find him sleeping again but you can’t say you expected to find him up drawing either.

“hey.”

it was soft, hard to catch and laden with emotions you couldn’t decipher.

“hi.”

and silence befell the room again. you at the doorway and him on his bed. he had yet to look up from his notebook while you focused your gaze on the ground.

maybe if you stared hard enough you could fall through it, and avoid this. the entire interaction. maybe it’ll be one of doctor strange’s portals and you could go back in time to before the confession.

renjun sighs before putting his items on his nightstand and looking up. if you won’t start, then he might as well do you both a favor and get this over with. it’s simpler that way anyway, he’s never been a ‘beat-around-the-bush’ person, as far as anyone else knows.

“i understand if you don’t reciprocate my-,”

“i like you, too.”

you had started talking simultaneously, as your head finally lifted in order for you to meet his eyes.

your confession shocked yourself as much as it shocked renjun. he had prepared himself for rejection, having accepted it as his fate already.

“you, you, you what?”

“like you? back?”

you didn’t doubt yourself but, it was hard not to consider you had let yourself say whatever you felt right at that moment without inhibition.

“are you sure? i’m completely fine with being rejected, y’know. i can get over it-,”

“no need to, jun. i’m sure.”

you took your first step since having walked back into the room and sat on the edge of his bed. you looked at the wall in front of you, which adorned the pieces that had been recognized in competitions, all of them earning nothing less than the ‘gold’.

“are you, sure you’re sure, though? like-,”

before renjun could continue on any further, you moved close enough to cover his mouth with your hand. you sent him a bright smile before speaking.

“yes. quite, actually. so, if you may be so inclined, could you be my boyfriend?”

you let your hand fall from his face and he sent you a playful glare before replying.

“despite the fact that your question was grammatically incorrect, i’m quite sure my answer is yes.”

“hush you.”

you looked into his eyes, and the both of you broke into a wide grin before he pulled you into a quick kiss.

"hold on, you said ‘like’. i said ‘love’, there is a difference in the-,”

you placed your finger on his lips and tilted your head as you smiled.

“i love you, too. is that better?”

“much.”

—

fifth grade was what renjun had said to you that night. you're in your last year of high school now. the confession was said a little more than 1 year ago. yet, your dynamic has changed remarkably.

you two don't just talk while expertly skipping over any hints at a love life anymore. you don't just hold hands ironically, only to pull apart with an offhand remark towards the clammy state of either of your hands anymore. you don't just eat lunch together because he’s your only close friend anymore. now, you do so much more than that. all the little things that were considered platonic, all the actions that the two of you did due to how close you were to each other had so much more significance to them now.

the times you two locked eyes across the hall, or a classroom, a smile would find its way onto your face, a warmth blossoming throughout your chest.

or when it’s ass’o’clock in the morning, yet not actually morning, renjun finds himself in his room, texting you. as if it’s routine, there’s never any real topic of conversation, he just wants to talk to you. you're half asleep yet you're doing everything in your power to send mildly coherent responses. it's not exactly going too well.

long after you've stopped replying for the night, and after the crickets have stopped chirping and the moon is shining her brightest, renjun wraps himself up in his thoughts. they used to shroud him in darkness, leave him cold, and choking on his sobs in the middle of the night. holes and spirals he'd go down, the escaping so much harder than the fall.

but now?

they wash over him gracefully, a cascade of emotions that can only be summed up to true happiness. he had you to thank for it. your smile, the way you hit something, or someone, every time you laugh, the way you don’t feel as if you have to act polite and cute in front of him.

he used to admire you from a position he thought he would stay in forever, so close to you yet so far from where he wanted to be. but now, you’re within his reach, within his grasp.

and it’s obvious from the closeness of your bodies as you walk the streets of seoul late at night, to the secret moments you share in bed together. the soft kisses exchanged, the questions you ask each other that the both of you may have to thank TOK courses for having the ability to answer. the intimacy of it all, it was addicting. it made both of you feel wanted, appreciated, and loved by the other.

which is why the night when renjun walked in on you sharing that intimacy with someone else, it hurt. the closeness of your bodies, the flirtatious giggles, all of it.

it hurt him so bad. he couldn't fathom the reality of it all. he questioned himself as he took in th scene before him. was he not enough? was he merely just an object now? no longer the person that made you happy? that made you feel loved anymore? did you not want him anymore?

his questions were answered when he heard you utter the words 'i love you' to the unknown person. his heart dropped. tears clouded renjun’s eyes as he stormed into your shared bedroom, heart torn in two. sadness and rage dying down to a mere dull ache in his heart.

you looked up quickly, eyes widening. your hair stuck to your forehead, face flushed and covered in a sheen of sweat. immediately, you pushed the other person away, who had attempted to cower under the covers.

"renjun...i-,"

he shook his head, still in disbelief but unwilling to near any sorry excuse you had at the moment. his eyes bored into yours, excpet they weren't relaying the love and compassion you had grown used to. it was anger.

"save it. i spent most of my life loving you. for an entire 10 years, my heart was yours. i didn't look at anyone else with the same adoration i held for you. i didn't even think about anyone else. you were it for me. you were the only one i truly thought i could spend my life with. but i'm pretty sure i won't be thinking of you like that for a long time now. so, i hope the person under the sheets knows that you're a fucking dick. and i hope you know that, too. especially you.”

as renjun’s ramble dies down, his heart swells tremendously, with emotions he can't describe, tears slipping down his cheeks.

he shakes his head again, bottom lip quivering. he wipes the backs of his hands across his cheeks as he turns on his heels and leaves. he hears his name get called as you rush to pull yourself together and chase him out. he doesn't listen, he keeps walking.

a hand catches his wrist, and he doesn't turn. he keeps walking, dragging you behind him without a single care.

"hey, i'm not a fucking toy wagon, stop fucking walking."

"why should i? why don't you go back to fucking around with that boy you love so much? he seemed cute. and if you don't want to get dragged, get the fuck off of me then."

"if i let go, you'll leave. i can't lose you, jun . i’m sorry, i’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart. just, please, don’t leave me. i can’t lose you, i can’t. i, i can change? it was stupid, that was stupid. i wasn't thinking straight and i'm so, so sorry. junnie please, i can't lose you.

he scoffed, still not glancing back.

"you lost me the moment you decided that that was a good idea. the moment you went behind my back to satisfy your need for something i obviously wasn't giving you. you haven't ‘had’ me for however long that’s been going on. get that through your thick, fucking skull."

at that, renjun pulls his wrist out of your grasp. you were spared no attention as he walked away, blending into the crowd.

oh, and then it started raining. well, that's always fun.

— © jijiluvr 2021, all rights reserved

neotherapy (18+)

"Hey, uh... hello? You've reached Neo Therapy Practitioners, this is Jisung speaking!

Oh, you wanted to schedule with us? Sounds good! And who will you be visiting today?"

— Let’s face it, this whole adulting thing? Shit fucking sucks. Working from nine to five as a corporate slave for the next forty years until you’re rendered obsolete isn't exactly what you'd consider a fulfilling lifestyle. Between a ridiculous workload, an asshole supervisor, and an inexplicable amount of failed dates— it’s fair to say that you were one minor inconvenience away from committing arson.

That changes for the better when your coworker refers you to Dr. Lee at Neo Therapy Practitioners. A complex with a multitude of services to provide. Ranging from chiropractic adjustment, to beauty services, to even a practice as niche as aromatherapy? You find yourself dabbling in each of these services to unwind from all the stress, gaining confidence and relaxation in the process. 

You unfortunately learn nothing in life is without consequence, however. When you end up in certain "situations" with each provider— you think you may have bit off just a little more than you can chew. But hey, beauty is pain, right?

— scheduled appointments

♡ session 1: step on a crack, dr. lee's gonna break your back!

– by guanana

[ “That’s what I’m here for. I’ll put you right back into shape.” ]

pairing: jeno x reader

summary: After years of sitting hunched over at an office desk and squinting your eyes at an overly saturated computer screen, your back finally gives out on you and decides it needs a break. 

Good thing your friendly neighborhood chiropractor Dr. Lee is here to save the day! Small issue though— he’s really fucking hot and he’s got a way with his hands.

status — booked 

♡ session 2: paint nails n' get railed!

– by mondaycoffee

[  “So? Do you want that discount or not?” ]

pairing: yangyang x reader

summary: At the suggestion of Dr. Lee, you find yourself setting up an appointment at Yangyang’s Paint-n-Go, Neo Therapy Practitioners’ very own nail bar! However, when you discover just how freaking expensive it is to get a mani-pedi done these days, your tech has an offer that you find difficult to refuse…

status — booked

♡ session 3: wants n' kneads

– by guanana

[ “This would be a lot easier if we kept conversation to a minimum. I can’t do my job properly if you don’t shut up.” ]

pairing: jaemin x reader

summary: The stress of the office has caught up to you once again. In fact, it came back so strong your back gives out ten times worse than before.

As if it couldn't get any worse, Jeno’s out of town. With your trusty chiropractor missing in action, circumstance leads you to the front door of Neo Therapy’s late night masseuse. Jaemin's not the friendliest nor the most talkative, so your utter confusion makes complete sense when his fingers find themselves knuckle-deep in your pussy halfway through the massage.

status: scheduling

♡ session 4: sugar, spice, n' good advice!

– by mondaycoffee

[ “I see her everywhere. She’s the early morning rain, the neglected cup of coffee sitting on the bathroom sink, and kind words from a stranger when you need them the most. I am used to seeing those traces of her, and, more often than not, it is I who seek them. But, when I’m with you, her memory gets the slightest bit fainter and that’s really nice.” ]

pairing: renjun x reader

summary: After your last appointment, you find out the origin of the pleasant smelling oils used during your massage: the handsome Mr. Huang working just across the hall. You discover through research that he’s a popular Aromatherapist in your area, and that he’s known particularly for his expertise in treating work-related stress. Perfect! You discover that he’s the complete opposite of what you had gotten with the emotionless masseuse, Jaemin; he is kind-hearted, gentle, and a wonderful listener. So it’s no surprise that after only a few sessions, you’re falling hard for sweet Renjun—with disastrous consequences.

status: scheduling

♡ session 5: find love, or dye trying

– by mondaycoffee

[ “Dude, watch it! You’re gonna get bleach on my vintage 1987 David Bowie Glass Spider Tour shirt!” ]

pairing: mark x reader

summary: If someone were to ask you if the glass was half-full or half-empty, you’d simply answer by bashing the glass against their head. You were not rolling with the punches, life throwing one thing after another with no signs of stopping. It’s so bad that Haechan finds a whole patch of white hairs forming at your scalp. Entering a quarter life crisis, you make your way to Neo Therapy’s highly acclaimed hair stylist as quickly as possible.

Now enter the eccentric—and painfully awkward—Mark Lee. While he doesn’t know a lot of things, he seems to know just how to fix you up. But while you’re stuck in his chair, you discover that he also has a knack for pissing you off. And what does a sane person do when they lose their cool? Step on a man’s cock, of course! 

status: scheduling

♡ session 6 (FINALE): face your fears

– by guanana

[ "You don't always have to do things on your own, you know. I'm always gonna be here for you." ]

pairing: ? x reader

summary: You would think after all of the dollars you've invested into Neo Therapy Practitioners, you'd be much better off than how you started both physically and mentally. That's not the case though— you'd say you've gotten even worse.

After the trials and tribulations you've suffered from at the hands of the dastardly attractive men, you decide it's time to throw in the towel and accept that this 'treat yourself' shtick just isn't for you.

At least, that's what you had planned until you receive a call from the person you'd least expect. And just maybe, it might be what you've needed all along.

status: scheduling

— prologue

“Yeah, the fish was bigger than my forearm! Little prick nearly took me overboard, so you’re honestly lucky to be sitting in my presence today.” Your blind date guffaws, taking an obnoxiously loud sip of his wine.

You tried to be attentive, you really did. It isn’t often that you actually go out on dates, but when one of your ‘girlfriends’ offered to set you up with her “charming and well-mannered” coworker, you decided that it would be good to get out of the house for a while and enjoy yourself. However, this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind. Fortunately it doesn’t take long for you to see this man for who he truly is: a complete and total jack off.

Kevin Moon, on paper, is everything that a woman could ask for in a partner. He has a stable, high-paying job, and he makes enough money for you to step down from your position at the office and take care of the house. For an office man, he’s not exactly lacking in the looks department either, bragging that he works out daily to maintain his physique. When you ask him why he agreed to go on a date with you, however, his answer strikes you as more than a little off-putting. “Honestly??” He traces a finger along the circumference of a dinner plate, not breaking eye contact with you. “I was told that you have a bangin’ body. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed by that assessment.”

Your heart sinks to the bottom of your seat, watching a wolfish grin overtake his handsome face. Of course your friend didn’t say something like ‘Oh, she has an admirable work ethic’ or even a simple ‘She’s beautiful, I think you would like her.’ She has reduced you to the shell you inhabit without so much as trying. You squirm uncomfortably under his gaze, “Ah, I see…” You hum absentmindedly, trying to focus on anything but the man in front of you.

“Say,” He trails a suggestive hand across the table, grazing your own that rests next to your barely touched food. Having opted for the salad as your appetizer after he shot you a rather judgmental stare when you asked the waitress for fried calamari. Remembering the way he had spoken over you, taking on a snappy tone with the young lady. “Why don’t we take this back to my place?”

The logical thing to do would be to pack your things and leave this bastard high and dry. But you did tell your friend that you would give him a chance, that you were ready to get back into the game.

Your mind trails back to your time with Dr. Lee Jeno, your chiropractor who had shown you that there was nothing wrong with casual sex. While you enjoyed it and had gone back for seconds, thirds, and even more– the both of you had agreed that you were simply in different places in life right now. He was much too work oriented to make time for a relationship, and you were in pursuit of something more stable. Agreeing that your relationship held no depth aside from great sexual chemistry in bed.

An index finger traces down your knuckle, bringing your attention back to the man across from you. He tries a bit too hard to flash you some bedroom eyes, looking like he just ate an edible whole rather than looking desirable. Rather than subtly biting his lip, the man was just chowing down on the flesh. 

The bar must be in hell. Because in retrospect, the next words that come out in your mouth could’ve easily stayed within the burner of your mind. With a heavy sigh, you decide to throw the dog a bone.

“Sure, let’s go.”

—-

“God damn,” Kevin groans after pulling out of you. Rolling and splatting back flat onto his king-sized bed with fast paced breaths. Popping off the used condom and tossing it into the trash bin near his dresser. “You’re amazing.”

You really wished you could say the same, but you couldn’t lie to save your life. Mr. Moon was subpar, and that was being generous. The man has not mastered the motion of the ocean, and was a two-pump chump at that. Bland, boring, and overall textbook sex has you regretting ever agreeing to a night out with him.

If it was bound to go nowhere, you wouldn’t have had that much of a problem. Never one to set your expectations so high as to not set yourself up for disappointment. But was it really too much to ask for a basic understanding of human anatomy? He couldn’t locate your clit to save his life, and that’s not even the worst part. 

You didn’t even get a free meal out of this. The son of a bitch grinning at you cheesily back at the restaurant, shame apparent when he tells you that he’s ‘forgotten his wallet.’

Looking up at his ceiling, you refuse to look him in the eye. You’re especially ashamed of yourself for settling. If you wanted dick that badly, Jeno could’ve easily just fucked you until you literally couldn’t think properly. 

Kevin watches you worriedly when you pick yourself up, redressing yourself and patting yourself down. Wordless when you collect your bag from the coat rack. “Heading out already?” He asks.

“Yeah.” You reply dryly when you make your way down the stairs, Kevin following closely with his now flaccid dick swinging with every step. God, he’s shameless.

“I mean, did you want to spend the night?” He clears his throat.

“I’m alright,” Your hand is already on the door handle, ready to head home to cleanse yourself of tonight’s sins. “I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

“Could I see you another day, then? Maybe Friday night?”

It takes everything in you to not sneer at his audacity when he tries to grab at your wrist. Seeking solace in biting your cheek. If it was up to you, you’d never see him ever again. 

“I’m going to have a late night, I won’t be able to make it.”

“Saturday then?”

You blink at him slowly, almost appalled when he doesn’t get the hint.

“...Sunday?”

Oh, brother.

“You know what?” You say, twisting the door handle before taking a step out. Secondhand embarrassment running heavily through your veins when he follows you out, bare ass out for his neighbors to see if they were to look outside. “I’ll keep you posted.”

His lips form into a disappointed ‘o.’ “Uh, text me?”

“Yeah, something like that.” And with that, you were gone with the wind.

––

You’re late. 

That much is apparent as you walk into the private room rented by your group of friends, voicing an apology upon your late arrival. You rush toward the open chair, frazzled as you drape your coat and bag across the top. Nobody found it important enough to wait on you before starting on their meals, save for Yeri who greeted you when you took your place next to her. “It’s really, really nice to see you.” Her voice is sweet and her smile warm, you can already feel your nerves begin to melt away.

“You too, it’s been way too long.” You murmur, pulling her into a side hug. You mean it; out of all of the people in attendance, Yeri was the only person you could truly call your friend. She always made sure to keep you in the loop, extending hang outs to you even when the others hadn’t. “I hope you’ve been well.”

A nasally voice from across the table interrupts your conversation, painted lips pulling into a veneered grin. “Ya-da, ya-da. I don’t know about everyone else, but I for one would really like to hear how that date with Kevin from HR went.”

Of course she would. The owner of the voice, Rianne, sat opposite of you at the large table. She was the one who contacted you about the date in the first place, assuring you that he was the perfect gentleman. However, the triumphant look in her eyes revealed the truth– she absolutely knew exactly what she had thrown you into…and now she wants to hear you recount your failure in front of everyone.

“It went alright.” You take a long drink of your water, swallowing down your pride along with an ice cube or two.

Her eyes were predatory as she watched you swallow, “Oh, that’s lovely! Are you going on a second date? You were all he could talk about in the office yesterday.”

And suddenly you’re choking, water going down entirely the wrong way. “Really?” You manage between coughs. “What– what did he say?”

“He said that you were so eager,” Rianne hid her smiling mouth behind a napkin, eyes betraying her amusement. “You couldn’t seem to keep your hands to yourself.” Your jaw slacks at the audacity, but before you have the chance to defend yourself she cuts you off with a giggle. “I can’t say I blame you, though. He is quite handsome, you make such a lovely couple.”

Fire courses through your veins, “We’re not a couple. He was nice, but I honestly don’t think I’m ready for a relationship right now. I don’t have any plans to see him again.”

A few of the girls gasp at your words, whispers erupting from each corner. Rianne’s eyes widen comically, letting out a feigned gasp of her own. “But, you can’t keep waiting forever! Face it dear, you’re not exactly getting any younger.”

You bite down on the tip of your tongue, trying hard to keep from giving her a piece of your mind. Luckily for you, Yeri is there in an instant, hands wrapping daintily around your forearm. “That’s enough, I think.” She reprimands, voice loud enough for everyone at the table to hear over the chatter. Then, she turns to you with a twinkle in her eyes. “Now, who wants dessert?” 

The discourse ended just as soon as it began with much gratitude owed to Yeri’s intervention. Now that dessert has been passed around the table and the conversations have taken a better turn, you finally find time to relax. The atmosphere is far lighter, and even Rianne cannot keep from enjoying herself despite her loss. Soon, the attention of the whole table has been gathered, another one of your peers rising to their feet to speak. “As everyone already knows, our very own Yeri is getting married next month!”

The entire room erupts into cheers, Yeri bashfully curling into your side. You remember hearing about that! Her big, shiny engagement ring was the only thing taking up your instagram feed for at least a week. “This is so wonderful,” The same friend gushes. “Let’s hear some more details from the beautiful bride!” 

“Well,” The bride-to-be begins, not even bothering to rise to her feet. “The color scheme for my bridesmaids will incorporate the red gowns I have already sent to the group chat.”

“Question, are we allowed to bring a plus one for this event? My fiance is on his way back from France on the private jet as we speak.” One of the ladies interrupts from the opposite end of the table, studying her perfectly manicured nails, trying to bring everyone’s attention to the rock presiding on her ring finger. Shameless. “I need to let him know these things so that he can have his secretary plan accordingly.”

Your eye involuntarily twitches as annoyance courses through your veins at light speed, unsettling your stomach. Of course this was going to be a popularity contest, a dimwitted battle of the dates. What else would it be about? You knew that Yeri came from money, but at least she was humble about it. As for the rest of them, all they care about is their material possessions and comparing the arm candy they’ve managed to secure within the last week. In response to your intense emotions, one of your hands ball up the fabric of your pencil skirt.

Yeri nods in response to her friend’s question, “Yes, plus ones are welcome! Just let me know so we can have enough food for everyone!”

All of the women seem to speak at once, each describing their plans for hair and nails, as well as the various men they’re thinking about inviting to the wedding. You attentively listen in on each of their conversations, trying to gauge where you stand in the midst of it all. To your surprise, it seems as though you’re the only person in turmoil about this. Unlike them, you have no date and you hadn’t even thought about the possibility that you would need one.

Rianne’s voice rises above the chatter, “Yeah, I have a date, too! He’s the sexiest guy in the whole office, everyone wants him, but he wants me.” She boasts, pressing her chest against the table, breasts nearly spilling from her blouse.

Well what do you know, she tricked someone into liking her? Pity. Honestly you couldn’t understand Rianne’s appeal. Sure she’s gorgeous, but when age finally claims her beauty, what will she have left? Certainly it wouldn’t be her winning personality… “--what about you?”

“What?”

“I said,” Rianne sucks her teeth at your inattentiveness. “It seems like everyone here has a date, what about you?” She cuts you off before you’re able to counter her, corners of her mouth downturned with artificial sympathy. “Oh yeah, you’re ‘not ready for a relationship’ right now. That’s okay, someone has to be there to watch the kids, right?”

Oh fuck no. “You’re sorely mistaken. I said I wasn’t ready for a relationship, not that I didn’t have a date.”

Her perfectly arched brows shoot up, “Oh really?”

Your mouth runs dry, but you try your best to keep a neutral expression. “Well, not exactl–”

“Who’s the lucky guy? Do we know him?” She leans in even closer. Any sign of surprise leaves her face, contempt reclaiming her features. It was well known that Rianne had to get the last word in any scuffle, so it was no surprise when she drove you into a corner. Putting words in your mouth to paint you as a charity case. 

When your mouth clamps shut at the shame, a crooked smirk makes its way to her face once again. “Thought so.” She clicks her tongue at the last syllable. “You’ve always tended to… hm, how do I say this as nicely as possible?” She tilts her head, thinking hard when she brings a hand to her chin. 

“Tend to what?” 

“Neglect yourself.” She narrows her eyes at you, giving your visage a once over up and down. “But don’t worry about that, because I’d love to help you with that.”

“And why would you want to do that?” You snide, biting back any curses that threaten to leave your lips.

“Because what else are friends for? I’d hate to have you look anything less than presentable.” She travels from her spot at the table to wrap an arm around you, the suffocating closeness feels like being constricted by a snake. “How about you come with the rest of the girls and I for our next trip to the nail salon? I’ll cover all of your expenses, of course. I know you can get a little... stingy.”

There’s no way in hell you’re going anywhere with her. Not now, not even in a million years. At the mention of a trip to the nail salon, you’re swiftly reminded of a certain someone. Tall, broad, handsome, and offering a discount– at his colleague’s expense of course, but that didn’t matter right now. “No thanks, I’m good.”

Her confusion is apparent, and her hold on you loosens ever so slightly. “Why not?”

Because you would rather drop dead than give her any more ammo. “Because I’ve got an appointment elsewhere.” Shrugging yourself from her arms, you turn to face her and her expression is even better than you’d hoped. Mouth agape, jaw opening and shutting, almost fish-like as she tries to protest. You don’t try to stop the smile creeping up onto your face, “Contrary to belief, I do spoil myself every now and then.”

Never one to back down, she tries to call your bluff. “And just where are you going to get your nails done? There’s no way it could be any better than where we’re going.”

Even if it wasn’t by the grace of Yeri grabbing your attention to try her dessert that had just arrived, you know that you would’ve kept your little sanctuary to yourself. Turning away from the offended Rianne, you regain some semblance of control when you get one over on her. Honestly, a plus one wasn’t your top priority at the moment. Rather your mind drifts to your prospective nail appointment and your chiropractor.

It makes you think– not only did Jeno refer you to the nail technician across the hall from his office, but the complex had a whole hallway of different practices. Thinking about the two little business cards lodged in the folds of your wallet, you’ve yet to encounter even a fraction of the pleasures that they have to offer at Neo Therapy Practitioners.

...

"Hey, it's Jisung again. Thanks for holding.

...Are you still there? Ah, good! Alright, so I've got you all set for your appointment. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Oh? No need to thank us. You know it'll always be our pleasure to serve you."

...click.

——

( authors' note: thank you for taking interest in our collaboration project! be sure to follow the lovely and amazing @mondaycoffee for updates regarding the series.

the general series tag list and member specific tag lists are open! )

dance with a ghost (18+)

dark content; please read the warnings

nct dream’s 00’line x y/n smut

word count: 4.3k

warnings: drunk!y/n, dom!jeno and sub!y/n, dubcon in the beginning with jeno (because y/n is drunk), noncon for all the other members, “ghost sex”, nonconsensual filming, manipulation, degradation (mention of the word “slut” among other things), masturbation, facial, mentions jaemin’s feet, unprotected sex, creampies, some anal play, crying, one quick mention of the word “vomit”. jeno is sweet until he’s not. jaemin, renjun and haechan are weird. y/n is socially anxious and easily confused. y/n has a vulva. she/her pronouns, “girlfriend” and “baby” are used.

this is pure fiction for entertainment purposes only.

it’s fine, you tell yourself. this party is fine and you’re okay and you’re glad your nerves didn’t get the best of you.

you were very anxious about meeting your boyfriend’s friends, especially in such an un-chill setting like this celebration, but jeno convinced you that it would be just fine, that he would take care of you if you were made uncomfortable by anyone or the unlikely occurrence you had too much to drink.

now you’re glad you trusted jeno’s judgement as you’re more involved in this house party than you had expected.

you were drinking with mark first. when he tapped out you went drinking with johnny. out of all of jeno’s friends he’s the most intimidating one, with his charming smile and dry humor, he makes you feel small. as jeno’s girlfriend you want to be able to hang, so you accept every cup he pushes towards you with a challenging raise of his eyebrow and now, more than a couple of shots later you feel positively buzzed - both from the liquor and the exhilaration anxiety evaporating to make room for the hopef thought of maybe being liked.

when johnny leaves to set up a game of beer pong, you feel a bit lonely left at your own devices - maybe it’s from the drinks, but you feel needy too.

you try to find your boyfriend as quickly as possible, to get his attention and maybe have him make out with you, just a little, just to scratch that itch.

you finally spot him in the kitchen, where a girl that seems slightly familiar is flirting with him - or at least that’s what you think from the way she’s talking with heavy lidded eyes. jeno is just smiling sweetly, almost seeming shy with how nice he tends to be, not giving in to her advances but letting her talk nontheless. you butt in, a little insecure about coming off as annoying to your boyfriend, but jeno nonchalantly grabs your ass and pulls you against his front while the girl keeps talking to him.

“miss me?” jeno mumbles against your neck softly, moving your hair to plant a wet kiss behind your ear. you nod rapidly, side-eyeing the girl. jeno pushes you closer into his crotch.

“do you need some alone time, baby?”

you nod again, letting him turn your head with his palm on your jaw to kiss you deeply, not hesitating to push his warm tongue into your waiting mouth.

the girl huffs and walks away, you hear some of the guys in the kitchen - more of the other members maybe - holler when jeno covering your ass with both of his palms and squeezing makes you jump up into his arms. you feel him half hard rubbing up against your stomach when he carries you away from the pumping bass and into a room upstairs where dumps you on the bed, you crumpling up in a slightly dizzy heap and pliantly letting him manhandle you with strong, intentional hands.

jeno wastes no time and wrestles you out your clothes until he’s aggressively tugging your panties down your legs. you giggle at his neediness. you like when this rougher side of jeno comes through, when he shows you that he wants you.

only the change in altitude from jeno’s arms to the soft mattress has made you realize how tipsy you actually are, but you enjoy it, leaning in to the fuzzy feeling and letting jeno take the reigns.

lazing on your back completely naked as you watch jeno pull his shirt over his head to reveal planes of his hard body, illuminated only by the ray of light pouring in from the slightly opened. he messes with his belt, then fixes you with stern eyes.

“turn around,” jeno says, voice low and thick with arousal.

you let out a noncommital groan. laying on your back and having jeno gently rock into you with his forehead pressed to yours until you fall asleep sounds nice right now. your head is slightly spinning and you’re not sure what any additional movement will do to your condition.

“quick,” jeno hisses. you like when he gets strict with you, but you feel a bit too sluggish to immediately react the way he wants you to.

jeno grabs you ankle and yanks you down to the edge of the bed, manhandling you onto your hands and knees.

you limply slouch forwards, resting your forehead on your folded hands and closing your eyes, listening to jeno shuffling and rustling as he’s fighting with his jeans.

the music is so loud still, it’s hard to miss with the door being slightly open, bass pulsing in time with the blood rushing to your ears. you wonder how likely it is that someone walking by in search of a bathroom might see you getting fucked by jeno, thinking about whether you’d die of shame or cum on the spot - but all thoughts go out the window when jeno lets a glob of spit fall onto your cunt, making you shiver in surprise.

“you came to me all needy and now you’re not even ready for my fat cock yet?” he huffs, disappointed at the lack of your usual dripping wetness. it’s definitely due to the lack of foreplay, but you still feel embarrassed by his words. you want jeno, you do, but it’s hard to not get lost in thought when you’re tipsy.

“sorry,” you mumble, voice shaking, spreading your legs wider for him like an apology.

jeno spits again, then moves in with two of his fingers, making you hiss when he spreads the cooling wetness around your entrance then pushing his digits inside of your hole with practiced ease. he’s hasty, eager to fuck you and you like the attention despite the slight burn. you’re getting wetter too, especially when jeno’s thumb starts rubbing your clit in time with the steady pumps inside of you.

jeno curls a third finger into your cunt and you moan fully at the welcomed stretch, moving back into the sensation, pleasure clouding your thoughts and leaving you impatient to be fucked and filled by your boyfriend.

“ready?” jeno grunts. you playfully sway your ass from side to side for him in response and that’s all he needs.

you feel the bed dip behind you as a heavy foot is placed next to your knee for leverage, then you feel the blunt tip of jeno’s heavy erection quickly breaching your wet cunt.

it stings but you’re okay with that. you always struggle taking jeno’s big cock at first - especially during quickies - but you know pleasure is just around the corner, even though jeno seems less focused on you than usual this time around.

jeno usually likes gripping your hips when he penetrates you, he’s strong enough to keep you in place, but gentle enough to rub soothing circles into your skin with his thumbs - but now his fingers are resting way higher, just below your ribcage, digging into you uncomfortably as you’re held still with too much force.

“a-ah,” you huff when a harsh thrust jostled you uncomfortably, deep strokes more overwhelming than pleasurable you and leaving you pondering whether you should tell jeno to relax on you a bit.

fucking drunk always feels different though, you rationalize, sensations hightened and muted at the same time. but you just feel off this time around, the cock inside of you pushing forward with not a lot of finesse, bumping into your walls at a strange angle, then pulling back out almost entirely just to hastily ram forward again. he’s missing all of your favorite spots in favor of battering himself into the depths of your cunt, too far too quickly.

every thrust leaves you with a dull ache that makes whimper pathetically and the next time your feel the tip pushed deep inside of your walls you clench down around the intrusion involuntarily.

you hear a groan behind you, forced out from your cunt tensing up around his cock - but it sounds different from the ones you’re used to from your boyfriend, more nasal, more on edge. you freeze, tensing up even more when the feeling of wrongness suddenly gets almost unbearable, running down your spine like a shiver, while the the thrusts into you don’t cease, sharp hip bones steadily connecting with your backside with every determined push.

“jeno?” you whine, eyes still pressed shut and sweat prickling uncomfortably on your forehead.

“yes, baby,” jeno answers cheerfully.

you hesitate, disoriented. his voice sounds like it’s coming from your left side rather than from behind you like it should.

you slowly blink your eyes open to find that jeno’s sitting at the edge of the bed to your left side, still shirtless but with his jeans and boxers pulled up enough to cover his half hard cock.

he’s just watching you.

but you’re still getting railed.

you choke out a confused sound and jeno’s smile only gets brighter as he wiggles his fingers at you in a silly wave.

“j-jeno, what is this?” you splutter. the thrusts get stronger, more violent, firm hands pushing your face into the bed then pulling your body back to meet bruising hips.

“we’ve talked about inviting jaemin before, remember?” jeno says, sounding so calm and collected despite whatever it is that’s going on.

you do remember, vaguely. it was one time, just a fleeting memory, where jeno had pushed you deeper and deeper into a fuzzy headspace with his harsh words and teasing touches. “maybe i should let jaemin have his way with you, hm? i know he’d get real creative.” he had said it more like a threat, a cruel fantasy of a hypothetical punishment to rile both of you up in the moment to be forgotten - at least that’s how it was for you. it all ended with you crying, telling jeno you were a good girl and only his and jeno rewarding you with his warm load deep inside of your cunt.

how that could have lead to this, you’re not quite sure. there must have been a misunderstanding along the way that you haven’t quite figured out yet.

you make a displeased sound when the thrusts persevere and you can barely sort your thoughts.

“don’t you wanna be good for him too?” jeno asks. you shake your head no, trying to twist away with more vigor. you don’t appreciate jaemin’s iron grip around your middle or his fat cock inside your aching cunt. and you definitely don’t appreciate not being asked before being shared.

the thrusts stop when you struggle a bit more, but the cock - jaemin’s cock - stays buried deep inside of you.

“awww, you don’t wanna play with nana?” jaemin whines, mock offense in his voice.

you shake your head again. jaemin just laughs. jeno laughs too. you don’t say anything, waiting for them to knock it off, your tired body resting limply on the bed beneath jaemin’s hunched form. waiting until they stop laughing.

there’s a pause.

then there’s a shift behind you. you feel jaemin’s cock pull back a bit, but to your surprise he immediately pushes forward, burying himself to the hilt, with a groan.

“you don’t wanna play with nana?” jaemin repeats, voice even higher and whinier this time. “no,” you whisper, “no, i don’t.”

jaemin’s hips move back again, agonizingly slow, making you feel every inch of his cock that’s withdrawing from your pussy. “that’s too bad,” jaemin sighs. “because i want to play with you. and you’re going to let me.”

he pushes his cock forward again, grinding himself deeply into your cunt with yet another moan.

you stare at jeno, wide-eyed, waiting for him to say something. he just looks at you with his head tilted, still smiling softly. you don’t say anything, you’re not sure what you could say.

slowly jaemin continues to fuck you, but he’s quickly gaining speed. you’re squirming beneath him, unsure what to make of your emotions. objectively it feels good, but it feels wrong too. too much too quickly, with jaemin of all people.

it’s made worse by the fact that he is so strange about it. it’s not enough that his desperate groans and moans leave you with an uncomfortable mixture of arousal and repulsion, no jaemin has to make it worse by whooping exclamations like cynical “wahoo!”s whenever he changes his pace.

“do you have to be like that?” jeno asks with a snort after another ridiculous sound effect.

“what, i can’t be excited about you finally slutting your girlfriend out?” jaemin replies, sleazy satisfaction dripping from his voice.

jaemin shoves you forward on the bed, plants both of his feet on the mattress to hump into you from above, letting out more exaggerated moans that do nothing but make you feel disgusting about being used, sweat prickling at your back and tears gathering at your lash line.

you look over at jeno but he’s still just watching with his happy smile frozen in his face, eyes zeroing in on the spot where jaemin is forcing his cock in and out if your hole at a punishing speed.

jaemin crowds down onto you more, pressing one foot onto your face in a humiliating motion to fuck you deeper, painfully knocking into your cunt at this new, unforgiving angle. you decide you have had enough of his humiliation now, gathering your strength try to tense and writhe again, wanting to throw jaemin off you for good.

but jaemin only stills when he finishes inside of you, his cock twitching deep within your walls as he unloads rivulets of his cum with a groan. you haven’t even wrapped your head around it yet, when he hastily pulls back, eager fingers spreading you apart to watch his release drip out, sucking in air througuh his teeth.

“look at that,” he hums lowly. “i stuffed you to the brim. small pussy can’t even keep it all inside.”

you swat at jaemin hands weakly, ready to just go to sleep and file away this whole experience as a “drunken mistake”, maybe even ask jeno to never bring this night up to you and try to never think of it again.

you hear chatter in the hallway, passing by the door, then suddenly drawing even closer when haechan and renjun walk into the room. you freeze, mortified at them seeing you like this.

“we’re doing this now? why didn’t you guys call us?” haechan whines, only serving to confuse you even more.

there must have been a big misunderstanding here, there’s not other way. jeno - despite his tendencies to get rough in the bedroom - has been nothing but sweet and gentle with you in the relationship so far. he wouldn’t let his friends do this if he didn’t think you’d be okay with it. you don’t want to disappoint him.

“dude, you guys were gone doing whatever the fuck,” jaemin laughs.

“trying to get renjun laid,” haechan snorts. “it obviously didn’t work out though.”

you hear the muffled sound of renjun swatting at haechan’s arm.

“let him go next then,” jaemin says, the teasing lilt in his voice reappearing. “he must be desperate.”

renjun huffs, clearly annoyed, but waits for jaemin to manhandle you onti you back before he swiftly settles between your legs.

your hands rest against his clothed chest, weakly holding him at arm’s length. your head is spinning again, partly from the alcohol, partly from how quick everything seems to be happening tonight.

“honestly, i’ve been wanting to fuck you for so long,” renjun mumbles, voice jarringly soft and gentle while he wrestles his half-hard cock out of his jeans, pulling them just to his thighs to rub against your sticky cunt with his growing erection.

with a surprising force renjun hooks his arms under your knees, pushing you into the mattress flat on your back with you legs up in the air, hips tilted for deep penetration.

“you’re so pretty,” renjun hums, almost a distasteful comment for this depraved situation. his eyes look soft, but you feel his hard cock prodding at your entrance now, hot and unforgiving.

you catch the way haechan’s phone flashes in the corner of your eye as he films the moment renjun’s ramming cock into your pussy raw for the first time.

renjun gasps when your warm walls engulf him, hips stuttering forward as he shakily sheathes himself all the way inside until you feel his balls resting against your ass. he’s more desperate than you had expected him to be, eager to feel you in a way that almost makes you thankful for jeno and jaemin stretching you out beforehand.

renjun digs his fingers into your thighs and shakily tries to get inside of you even deeper still, grinding his hips in quick, aborted circles and moaning your name - a pretty melodic sound, that’s almost too intimate for this entire situation.

“injunnie,” haechan sing-songs. “don’t be such a pussy. fuck her properly.” he gestures to his phone, the light still tauntingly bright, like it’s obvious that renjun is expected to put on a performance.

renjun grits his teeth and puts his frustration over haechan’s teasing into his thrusts, building up an almodt angry pace that has lewd sound of his cock gliding in and out of your wetness echoing around the room.

you’re aware of the camera too, trying to hide your face, when your face contorts with embarrassment and pleasure as the tip of renjun’s cock reaches that gummy soot deep within your walls that makes you gasp.

you hate the humiliation of being filmed throughout all of this but something about it only heightens the sensitivity of your cunt, rippling around renjun’s cock and dripping your arousal as well as jaemin’s cum down his balls and onto the sheets beneath you.

“you should make her cum at least,” jeno huffs, making you wonder whether he’s getting frustrated with just watching you get used by his friends without having his turn.

you lose your train of thought when haechan reaches his free hand between your and renjun’s bodies and applies pressure to your neglected clit with his clever fingers. you almost scream at the sudden stimulation. you hate how good it feels, but you don’t want haechan to stop.

it doesn’t take long until you cum hard, whimpering and writhing as renjun keeps fucking you through your high, moaning each time to seize up around him from the waves of your orgasm.

renjun doesn’t seem to far behind, the look i his eyes bordering on delirious when he wraps one hand around your throat and applies a bit of pressure, making you lose your breath as he pummels his hips against yours with exhilarating. he gets even louder when he cums, warm and deep inside of you while he presses his lips to your cheek and groans out disgustingly sweet praises.

it only takes a few seconds until renjun’s done draining his balls inside of you, shivering through through the aftershocks on top of your naked form. you wait until his body leaves yours to roll over to lay on your side, trying to catch your breath.

your peace is son interrupted whenthe bed dips as haechan climbs up beside you, discarding his phone in favor of being the last one of the four to put his hands on you.

whike you’re still laying on your side, haechan reaches down between your legs from behind you, spreads the lips of your cunt just to watch renjun’s cum trickle out.

“jeno, your girlfriend is a slut,” haechan announces. jeno just laughs. you’re not sure, but you think the sound almost sounds hollow now, maybe angry even - you’re not sure if jeno could be angry at you, but you’d do anything to keep him in a good mood now.

when you turn your head over your shoulder a bit you see jeno holding haechan’s phone with a solemn expression, zooming into your ruined cunt when haechan’s still dipping his fingers in and out of the sticky mess.

then your sight of your boyfriend gets obscured haechan shuffles his body closer to you.

haechan hugs you tightly from behind, too tight, it feels like his embrace could crush your ribcage.

he buries his face into your sweaty neck and inhales deeply.

“jeno’s so lucky to have a partner like you,” haechan empathically mumbles against your skin, making your flesh erupt in goosebumps where his warm breath fans over your sensitive neck uncomfortably. “i’m jealous. really, i’m so jealous. all the girls i’ve dated turned out to be stuck-up prudes.”

you kind of wish you were a stuck-up prude, someone so adamant about not having sex that you never would have enticed jeno to sneak off into this room with you. now that the sparks of your orgasm have worn off completely your cunt aches from the abuse, a dull throb between your legs that makes you squirm when haechan’s nimble fingers meanly tap your clit again.

“aww, is it too much for you?” haechan teases. “don’t worry, i’m not going to hurt you.”

there’s some uncomfortable shuffling as haechan wrestles his tight pants down to his ankles, then his presence returns closer tagn before, his naked legs pressing up against the backs of yours as he forces his big cock between your thighs, just brushing the entrance of your leaking cunt but not pushing inside of your abused hole. he humps you just like thar, still holding you impossibly close, letting his hands wander to grope your tits and meanly pinch your nipples until you gasp for him.

“jeno hasn’t taught you any manners,” haechan laments, words losing all of their bite from the way he’s panting with the pleasure from rubbing himself off between your plush thighs. “you should be saying: ‘thank you for not hurting me’ when someone’s being this nice.”

“thank you,” you whisper, hoping to bring him along with your submission, to help him get off and end this strange game.

haechan moans, loud and obnoxious, clearly satisfied with your response. “good. now tell me where you want my cum.”

“not inside,” you cry. “anywhere, but not inside.”

haechan’s hips finally stutter, cockhead rubbing over your raw, sensitive clit one more time, then he pulls back finishes all over your pussy lips, fingers reaching down to hold your pussy open and let your hole get showered in streaks of his tacky release.

when haechan releases you from his clutches you immediately feel a new pair if hands on you.

it’s jeno - finally, jeno again - who sits you up, cradles you in his arms and kisses you softly, tounge gently exploring your mouth while you preen under his tender affection.

your hesitant to let yourself relax though: beneath his jeans your boyfriend’s rock hard, pushing up against your stomach firm and unyielding. you love jeno’s size, but you wince at the thought of taking him into your abused cunt now.

when he pulls away from your mouth, one of jeno’s hand cups your jaw, thumb tracing your bottom lip while his other hand slowly moves down your stomach, closer to your heat.

“d’you want to suck me off, baby? hm? i’m so hard because of you.”

you sluggishly shake your head no. you want to be good for jeno but… “if you fuck my throat now, i might vomit,” you whine, nauseous with just the thought of gagging on his massive length. “seriously.”

jeno frowns at your responds, fingers firmly gliding through your sticky folds and making you squirm.

“but your pussy’s already ruined, hm? let me fuck you here then…” his fingers travel further until they brush against your asshole, slowly circling your rim. you’re almost too tired to protest. all of this was for him anyways, this night must have been his fantasy, you assume. you want jeno to feel good. you want to be good for jeno.

he slowly pushes the tip of his middle finger past your unstretched rim. the slide is made easy by the smear of cum that’s splashed from your cunt to your thighs and ass, but the digit burns going in, more than you’re willing to take.

“stop,” you whine, hating how much your voice shakes. “i can’t do it, jeno. please.”

jeno nods solemly, pulling his finger out just as slowly while watching your face twist up in relief.

without a word he suddenly curls his other hand into your hair, guidijg you downwards until you kneel on the floor infront of him, trapped between his thighs and the edge of the bed digging into your back as you watch him pushing his pants to his thighs and pulling his straining cock from its confines.

he’s hard and heavy, bobbing in front of your blurry eyes in a angry shade red, almost curling up against jeno’s stomach with his arousal. you’ve never seen your boyfriend this hard before, but now he’s turned on beyond belief by watching you being used by his friends.

jeno grips your hair at the back of your head and starts jerking off over you, gripping his erection too tight, maybe in a poor imitation of how the unstretched rim of your ass might feel to him, maybe just proof of his desperation to get off without any meaning.

jeno is groaning, muscles in his arm and neck straining as he works himself over your tilted face, precum beading at the tip of his length and dripping towards you.

you stick out your tongue for him, whining from the sting in your scalp that gets worse as jeno gets closer and closer to his release. his hips rut forward, forcing the tip of his wide cock through the tight ring of his fingers with each thrust.

“don’t move”, jeno grunts.

not even ten seconds later he’s cumming in your hair and on your face with a groan, long tacky spurts of seed that force you to flutter your eyes shut while you sit still and take it.

“and cut,” haechan yells. the harsh light from the camera finally cutting off while jaemin and renjun cheer and clap.

when jeno lets go of your hair you crumple up at his feet, entirely spent and aching all over.

“get a towel,” you hear jeno say.

your eyes remain closed. you don’t care who he’s talking to, you just know this signals the end of all of this.

it’s fine, you tell yourself. it is fine. you’re fine. it’s over now and jeno will take care of you. he always does.

𝙂𝙇𝙄𝙏𝘾𝙃 𝙈𝙊𝘿𝙀: 𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙘𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 !

Welcome to GLITCH MODE; an rpg starring none other than the nct dream members! In each mission, you will take on the role of a new character and play through the story quest to reach the end!

[MAIN MENU]: from controllers and professional gaming pc’s, to head sets and twitch subs— the boys have it all. competitive, smart and ever ready to win, they begin to realize that there’s another prize lying out in the real world for them, the prize of your heart.

[SETTINGS]: fluff, angst, gamer! au, streamer! au, various trope pairings, fluff, angst, comedy, romance, suggestive, food, profanity, etc. warnings and themes will be added with every individual fic.

[DURATION]: speedrun: 3k | playthrough: 9k

[NEW GAME]: START (latest release)

▸𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝟐 | na jaemin

version: streamer! jaemin, gamer! jaemin, friends with benefits au, profanity, fluff, slight comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Na Jaemin has always been player 1, the one at the top of the player chart with all the wins and everything he could possibly want. Being the best sometimes got to his head and unfortunately for you, you were the girl who was hopelessly in love with him, eager to please. It’s sad really, the fact he only ever saw you as player 2.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐒𝟓 | lee donghyuck

version: streamer! hyuck, gamer! hyuck, established relationship au, profanity, comedy, fluff, slight angst duration: tba closed beta test: Your boyfriend is sweet and considerate, always looking out for you and making sure to be there for you. You had met him in one of your college classes and although you had been with him for over two years, sometimes you wonder if he loved his PlayStation 5 more than he loved you.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | lee jeno

version: gamer! jeno, streamer! jeno, enemies to lovers but also friends to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Lee Jeno is the epitome of everything you could ever hate, and the feeling is mutual. You’ve competed in almost everything against each other, determined to gain the upper hand. On a totally unrelated note, that fun streamer you’re pretty good friends with is thinking about doing a face reveal.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 | zhong chenle

version: gamer! chenle, streamer! chenle, friends to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, mutual pining, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Zhong Chenle wasn’t the type of guy to get nervous easily. He had known his worth ever since he was a little kid, so it wasn’t often that he found his palms sweating and words stumbling over each other. The only time that happened was when you were involved.

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▸𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑 | mark lee

version: gamer! mark, streamer! mark, strangers to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Mark Lee was popular, there was no doubt about that. Being one of the most relevant twitch streamers tended to do that to you in the online world as well as the offline one. That popularity led to a plethora of people falling for his sweet demeanor and pretty smile, so you knew that winning his heart would be a challenging game it itself.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐒 | huang renjun

version: gamer! renjun, streamer! renjun, exes to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: You’re heard of crying in the club, now get ready for crying on your DS! There was only one person in the world who managed to get you doing that and it was none other than your darling ex-boyfriend; Huang Renjun. The world hates you though, because you end up having to compete against him in a gaming competition. Using a DS.

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▸𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 | park jisung

version: gamer! jisung, streamer! jisung, best friends to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst,  duration: tba closed beta test: Jisung was the complete opposite of you, he liked peaceful games like animal crossing and you liked league. He liked story based games and you liked horror. Too bad that he was head over heels for you, because if there was one this both his viewers and you liked to do, it was to make him suffer.

CLICK TO PLAY!

texts ; huang renjun (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵)✧

pictures bf! renjun sends you of himself

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ

masterlist

proposing to you | nct dream

“Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

pairing » nct dream (individual members) x fem!reader​

trope/au » ​established relationship au!, non-idol au!, marriage au! (well it leads to it)

genre » it's all just fluff and vibes here hehe, dreamies who are all very much in love with you, mark's one makes me chuckle, renjun's one makes me wanna squish his cheeks (i miss him 😭), jeno's one makes me melt, haechan's one is chaotically (?) romantic (in my opinion), jaemin's one makes me want to have pets again so bad, chenle's one makes me want to splurge and treat myself, jisung's one is too adorable for me

word count; estimated reading time » 4303 (total); ~16 mins (total)

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » nicknames; members to reader (love, bubs), lots of kissing, ...not proofread---

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

my very first time doing something like this. this scenario has been in my head for some time and i finally had the time to sit and write it all 🥰 (and also because sem 1 results come out later today and this is my way of forgetting about it uhm 🤠)

this is my personal take on how each member from dream would propose to you!! i tried to make them all with similar word count but i can't help but to get carried away with some 🥹

Mark sits on the stool, one foot on the ground while the other is on the footrest, making sure that his guitar is tuned properly and that the new strings that he bought yesterday are set up properly. To ease his tension he strums random chords and raps random words on top, making the other Dreamies lovingly judge (and tease) him. Jeno would be tasked with calming him down, while Haechan does the exact opposite of what Jeno is doing, purposely annoying him to get his mind off his nervousness. Either way, it worked well to get the lovesick boy from the reason why they’re all gathered today. 

“You both are too loud!” Renjun says when Chenle adds random notes to Mark’s singing, belting high notes that are out of his range whilst also purposely hitting them off-tune.

“She’s probably going to walk in and think we’re crazy,” Jisung whispers to the boy who scolded Haechan not long after, who decided to join in on the chaos.

“Well, the point is that she doesn’t see the chaos right now…” Jeno lets out a nervous grin, turning his head to the still-closed door, “Maybe one of us should stand outside and text someone in the room or something.”

“No,” Jaemin crosses his arms, “This is funny,” taking out his phone to start recording, making the other three facepalm at how he’s indirectly contributing to the chaos. 

In the end, the noise and chaos were too loud for anyone in the room to realise the door opening. When he noticed you from the other side of the room, hand over your mouth, cheeks rising at the scene, his voice cracked and his cheeks blushed instantly. Mark’s voice cracked and his coughing caused the other boys to be immediately disciplined, rushing to their scheduled spots in their room as Mark mutters an “Oh crap…” thinking that everything has all been ruined.

You tried to keep your laughs at bay at your pouting boyfriend, but the image of him being silly only made it harder for you to wipe the smile off your face. But soon after, you realise the decoration around the room and the heart-shaped balloons and the unique balloons shaped like rings. Understanding how this is a different occasion to a date that you expected him to set up, you blurted a quick “No, I didn't see anything!” and rushed out the door, heart beating fast at the possible connotations behind the set-up.

It will forever become a memory that you two will always bring up whenever and wherever. A slight mention of it would instantly bring out a shy Mark who hides his red face in the crook of your neck, forever in love with you.

“Ah! That proposal was supposed to be perfect.”

Your mind replays the scene back again. After running out of the room, you waited around five more minutes, trying to calm the beating against your chest. When you did enter back, your eyes were only focused on Mark who started performing the little piece that he has prepared for you. Your body sways to the rhythm and the sweet melody of his voice and Mark who kept his eyes on yours for the majority of the performance only made the moment even more special. You remember the way you hopped on stage, only wanting to be held in his arms and unable to let go. Eventually, you did and Mark got down on one knee with the ring that he had prepared for this moment. Reminiscing the time always made you chuckle and Mark pouted and groaned, knowing that you were lost in that time once more. 

A kiss lands on his lips, wiping the pout effectively from his lips, “It’s perfect because it was you, Markie.”

Renjun is pacing around the room, making sure the decorations are placed at their designated spots properly. He would circle the room countless times, making sure the flowers were fresh and presented in the way that he liked whilst his hands busied themselves with playing with the case of your ring; that he hopes will be on your fourth finger soon.

Mark massages his shoulder, relieving his body tension. Jaemin has his camera ready to take pictures whenever he can, making sure not to interfere with the small bubble that Renjun would create with you. Jisung, being more responsible than the older members most of the time stands still with a proud look on his face while Chenle gives him a thumbs up along with Jeno as well. Haechan is just as encouraging; Renjun’s threat to make sure he didn’t cause trouble playing in his head.

“I think everything is set up,” Jaemin says as he takes more photos of the venue to add for the memory book.

“You’re playing a very important role here,” Haechan comments, a hand resting on his hand, “Don’t mess it up.”

Jaemin replies with a slightly menacing smile, “Don’t mess with me, Lee Haechan.”

“To be honest, everything will go well as long as Renjun doesn’t go blank as soon as she walks in,” Chenle teases the older boy at how in love and speechless Renjun would be around you.

“True,” Mark gives him an encouraging thumbs up, “But you’ll be fine. She’ll be here any minute now actually.”

You received instructions through text from Jeno about meeting at a place, a dress code and a time “when you should open the door (don’t open it before!)”. The text is odd and when asking Renjun about it, the tips of his ears growing red from each passing second tell you that he does know what’s going on but it's cleer he wouldn't tell. You couldn’t ask any more questions after he pulled your face into his for a quick kiss, hushing you from any more questions. 

When you walked in, outfit in line with the theme of the room and matching with his, Renjun’s heart melted once more, falling in love with you all over again. You slowly walk towards your boyfriend, eyes flickering around the area and taking in the decorations as well as giving the boys a smile and greeting back. When Renjun is infront of you, he playfully bows, momentarily stumbling and losing his balance. You cup his cheeks when he lifts his head, kissing his lips, not bothering about the camera capturing it all. 

“W-Woah,” Renjun stumbles with his words, “That was nice.” 

“This whole place is nice, Junnie,” your boyfriend is relieved by your words, “You look beyond nice, by the way.”

Few minutes later, Renjun takes his position on the floor and Jaemin captures it the memories with his camera: the way it dawned on you that he's proposing, to when you finally sealed Renjun’s love and to the way Renjun takes your lips after. 

Jaemin smiles behind the camera, capturing all the moments to make a physical memory of it all.

Including getting extremely closer than he said he wouldn’t take a better picture of the band around your finger.

“So this is why you made me dress up?” Taking in the fragrance of the flowers that Jisung gave as a token of congratulations from the rest of the boys.

Renjun nods, “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Jeno and his little smile that would reach his eyes. That was one of the first reasons why you fell for Jeno but to him, it’s his default expression whenever he sees, thinks of hears anything related to you. At the start of your relationship, he’s shy about receiving and giving you affection but you didn’t mind initiating the skinship, hugging and pecking his cheeks that would gradually lean towards his lips. He loves the skinship from you even in front of the rest of the boys who would tease him about it.

“She loves you,” Jaemin wiggles his eyebrows at the goodbye kiss you gave him.

“I love her more,” he replies, his eyes filled with heart shapes.

As the relationship developed and you got a little place with him, Jeno would slowly be the one who initiated the skinship, hugging your waist to sleep and keeping you close to him whenever he could. Even outside, he would be the one to link your hands together first and show his love through the bouquet of flowers from the start of any date.

“These bouquets just keep growing bigger and bigger each time in my opinion,” twirling the gift around in your hand while the other is in Jeno’s.

Your boyfriend kissed your head, “It didn’t really change from the first one, bubs.” Content with the little giggle you gave as he watched the elevator take you both to the floor where he booked the last dinner where you would be his girlfriend and the last anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend; the start of a new title to the both of you.

His hand is stashed in his pocket where the ring is and he couldn’t help but gulp nervousnessly. The dinner went smoothly with the courses that Jeno pre-ordered and throughout the whole date, he loves the way you fill the atmosphere with the times that you didn’t spend together for the day, him updating you on his day too. He would never be tired of hearing your voice and the eye smile on him is a clear indication of that.

“I’m going to go to the restroom,” Jeno says as he kisses the back of your hand. He approaches one of the workers there, asking for the largest bouquet that he has ever given you in their back room where he dropped it off hours before the dinner. 

You’re preoccupied with taking pictures of the view from the windows that span from the floor to the ceiling but your boyfriend’s reaction comes into view and your phone screen rests on the table once again, ready to greet him. What you didn’t expect is when Jeno kneeled to one knee, arms outstretching the flowers he had with the opened box nestling between its petals.

“Jeno?” You asked him, tears beginning to fill up your eyes.

“I thought it would be nice to ask here, at this place. We always spent our anniversaries here and even today,” happy with how the corner of your lips rises with the event, “Will you marry me?”

It took you less than a millisecond to respond with a nod and a loud “Yes”. When Jeno stood from his position, your arms were immediately wrapped around his, hiding your lower face behind his shoulder.

“I thought you were shy.” 

“I am,” heat rising to his cheeks, “But I wanted to make this special for my very special girl.”

The Dreamies have never seen Haechan so nervous before. It bought them back to the times when he was crushing on you, blushing and being giddy all the time at the thought of you. They remember how Haechan was asking Jaemin for advice for the outfit on your first date that you prepared, and he rocked up with something really formal for a casual date, mixing up the place for the restaurant as a similar four-star restaurant. It would be something that not only you would tease him about, but when news spread to the Dreamies, they used it as the main thing to tease him about whenever he was being mischievous. It did die down quickly as after learning that the memory is very fond to you, the teasing wouldn’t work against him anymore.

The necklace that Haechan gifted you that day would be a reminder of the happiness that he has been giving you from the start of the journey and just like the sun pendant that reminds you of him, you love how just a glance of it knocks out all your worries that life may have weighed you down with. 

It all seemed to be a recent memory, but that was quite a long time ago for everyone who knew what happened. Now, Haechan is waiting for you to come back home after a night out with your friends and earlier in the day, the boy who was pacing around the room about what to wear to his first date with now is now pacing around the jewellery store on the perfect ring on your hand. 

He talked with the boys about his proposal plan to which the others have chipped in and helped him with. In the end, some of their advice is taken on board, but most of them made him grip his hair and made him say, “I’m just going to wing it.”

To which Mark replied with, “Sure, dude. If it doesn’t go ‘well’, it’s another thing to tease you about.” 

In all seriousness though, he wants the proposal to be perfect; just like how you are to him. He plops down on the bed, raising the box to the ceiling as he looks at the diamond he worked hard for. At the sound of the front door creaking and your voice greeting him from the other side of the house, he pockets the jewellery in his sweatpants, jumping from the cotton to greet you.

Your arms were outstretched and Haechan brings you to his embrace immediately, “How was your day?”

“So good,” your voice muffled with the hug, “We bought friendship rings,” pushing him away slightly to show him, “We thought about this so much but we thought it’s so pretty that we couldn’t not get it.”

You realised that as much as Haechan smiled at the decoration around your finger, it didn’t go unnoticed that he was playing with the hem of your jacket. An eyebrow perks up from that and you give him a kiss on his cheek, asking him what was wrong.

He took a deep breath, took the box from his pockets, got down to one knee and opened the jewellery to you for the first time, “Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

Growing up, you were never able to have pets. Your dad is allergic to cats, one of the pets that you’ve always wanted, and your mum isn’t sure of how well the family would take care of another life due to how busy life is. You totally agree with her because pets should be well taken care of as much as any other kind of life form.

When you and Jaemin were financially ready to get a place for yourselves, one of his first promises was to get a pet that you wanted. Through motivation and a lot of saving, making sure that you were both ready to take care of another life and doing all the research on how to take care of cats, you and Jaemin finally adopted a pet to take care of. Jaemin is also thankful for the added company in the house as your work schedule wouldn’t match with his and that would mean that one of you would be alone in the house. Having another pet would make the house more lively and less lonely. With gradual time and more financial stability, you were able to adopt two more that you both love equally. 

“We should get another one,” you comment as Jaemin turns off the bedroom lights.

Your boyfriend hums at your thoughts, knowing exactly what you mean. He slips into the covers, hooking an arm around your waist and pulls you closer to his warmth, “You really love taking care of others, don’t you?”

You close your eyes and hum a response, exhaling at the comfort of him next to you. “You know how I am.”

“I do, bubs. I do,” and he really does. With how your eyes light up whenever you take care of the people around you, always loving how you’re able to help out others whether it be him, your family, his family or the three cats that are sleeping soundly in the living room, it comes naturally that he’s thought of settling down with you permanently for the rest of his life; and having a little mini you or mini him later down the track. Similar talks have happened in the relationship and he thought that it would be perfect to make it happen soon.

No more words were said that night but Jaemin kissed a final kiss onto your soft lips and made a mental note to prepare for another life chapter with you. A few days later, he was able to speed through his work, being able to finish early to see the ring that he had been monitoring through the website. As soon as his eyes landed on it, he immediately thought of you and that’s how he made his final decision to buy it.

Thankfully, you had a later end to your work today and that gave Jaemin enough time to prepare a small, quick dinner as well as dressing the three cats into little outfits that would be fitting to wear in a wedding. 

“Come on, Luna,” he says as he struggles to get her paw in, “I don’t have a lot of time and I want to make mummy proud!” With this, the cat seemed to comply instantly and Jaemin squished the cat’s cheeks in thankfulness.

With each cat, he securely attached a note on their ventral side: Love, Marry, Me, and plans to release each cat one by one from the bedroom when you come in. Jaemin just made it in time, quickly scooping up all the cats into his arms, and rushing to hide in the bedroom.

“I’m home!” You routinely shouted, “Nana?” Confused about why the house was so quiet, especially when knowing that Jaemin finished work a long time ago. “Maybe he went out and forgot to tell me?” But that’s quickly proved wrong when pipping hot homemade food were neatly set out on the table. “Luna! Lucy! Luke!” Calling out to your three cats, wondering how none of them rushed to the door like they usually would.

Suddenly, the door to your room opens and you gasp, scared that an intruder is in your house but out comes all your three cats in different, cute attires. “Oh!” Kneeling on the floor to get a better look at them, “Did dadda do this? Hm?” Picking up Luna with his little white dress, rubbing your nose on hers. “What’s this?” Reading the ‘Love’ message on her stomach. You set Lucy down, picking up Lucy in a similar outfit, “Marry…” Your eyes widened, looking at a groom-like dressed Luke who sat patiently, licking the back of his exposed paw. Sure enough, the final and last note makes your jaw drop.

Jaemin emerges from your bedroom, smiling at how you look up at him in shock. He kneels on the floor, “I was supposed to let them out one by one but they got excited," he shrugs with a smile. "As much as I would love another pet,” he hinges the velvet box open, “If you would like to, I would also love a mini you or mini-me.” A hand rises to your gaped mouth, eyes staring at the cushioned ring. “But first, will you marry me?”

It seems that Luna, Lucy and Luke were on board with the idea, jumping on your lap and resting their little paws on your arms. Sure enough, you nod and verbally express your actions. The “Yes” is all Jaemin took to carefully place the three nosy cats away from you, sliding the new ring on your hand and pulling you into a kiss.

During ring shopping, Chenle would look around the places he could find and spend a lot of time window shopping on all the rings that were available in your size. He invited Jisung along on the journey and the younger boy was more stressed than him with how he was handling the situation. From the very first store, he already has about five rings that he’s thinking would be perfect for you. Jisung gave his input on each one which Chenle is thankful for, but did minimal in narrowing down the options. He even asked the other members, but it was still the same result. 

In the end, after visiting all the stores that he had listed, Chenle purchased about ten rings from each store. The employees are used to customers who are stuck between multiple choices as a symbol of love for their partner. But they weren’t prepared for Chenle to cross his arms, calmly exhale point to the rings and say, “I’ll just take them all.” 

Jisung tried to save his wallet but after deep thinking and checking the return policy, he decided to buy all the ones that his heart couldn't let go of. He'll figure out what to do with the rest of the diamonds later. Because of his massive purchase, on the day of the proposal, he looked calm and collected but inside, his heart was beating like he just ran a marathon. It was running so fast to the point that you asked him if there was something troubling him when you laid on his chest to sleep last night. Chenle shook his head firmly but from the way his finger trembled a little when he was patting your head, you couldn’t help but to question him once more.

“It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

After some time, your raised eyebrows relaxed, “Okay. Tell me if it weighs too much and whenever you’re ready, okay?”

And he’s so excited to tell you what is on his mind soon. The thought of finally being able to spoil the love of his life for the rest of his life excited him so much that with the boxes looking similar across the stores, he didn't realise that he also grabbed the one that he hadn't decided on the previous night. When you nodded to his proposal, too stunned and speechless from happiness to speak, the different ring to his expectations when he opened the velvet box made him let out the famous Pikachu face. 

“What?” You chuckled and tilted your head in confusion at his reaction, completely unaware of the boxes hidden under the bed. 

“N-Nothing,” well, it looks like he'll explain later but with the happiness written on your face and the kisses you showered him with, maybe he'll just gift the rest of the spares to you.

“Don't be so nervous,” a hit lands on the side of Jisung’s arm from Chenle, “She'll love this.”

In the early stages of dating, you were always sharing your date plans with him, planning most of them. You made sure Jisung didn’t mind them because being in a relationship isn’t only about one person. Jisung loves the way you talk enthusiastically about all the places you want to go with him and all the activities that you want to do with him. Jisung would give you that adorable gummy smile, eyes shaped like crescent moons whenever he did so. Those small event plans became more detailed, expanding into different topics naturally such as proposals, weddings and honeymoon places and Jisung being in love with everything about you, would mentally take notes of what you love for each occasion.

“I promise,” Jisung stops your words for a second, “We will do them all together.”

There was a time he was caught writing it all down on his phone to which Chenle teased him endlessly, the other Dreamies joining along at their youngest being in love. It’s not that he will forget the things that make you happy, he just wants to be able to see it all so that he can plan the perfect proposal. They promised to help him with every step when he was ready. 

Today is that day.

Jaemin tells him that the hinge of the engagement ring’s box would eventually break with how much he’s fiddling with it but it’s the only way he could distract his nervousness.

“Maybe you should recite your speech once more,” Jeno clears his throat, opening the paper in his hand.

“Jeno loves Jisung, guys. Look at him,” Haechan teased his same-aged friend. His bear-like friend would chase him around the room and Jisung would be shouting at the two to be aware of the decorations around the room.

You came in through the chaos, the door opening inwards where Haechan stops abruptly to avoid his face smashing against the wood and Jeno back hugged him as a result of that. You peeked behind the door, confused but smiling at the two. Before you could question what was going on, Renjun kicked Haechan out the door and welcomed you in.

“He’s not prepared for this,” pointing at your boyfriend who hides behind Jaemin. “Stay here while I talk to Haechan for ruining this moment.”

But the moment wasn’t ruined at all because just looking at how your Pinterest board came into life and the boys slowly giving Jisung the spotlight while you walked down towards him, everything is indeed beautiful and perfect.

“Oh wow,” you breathed out, “It's like my Pinterest came to life.”

Hearing that is the biggest compliment to Jisung who spent hours analysing your saved folders of wedding venue inspirations, trying to find a consistent theme. He gifted the teddy bear on his hand to you, pecking your lips and pulling away with a deep red blush across his cheeks. He readies himself to his rehearsed position after, “Will you marry…me?” Endeared by the way you hide your face behind the teddy bear. Yet, your answer is clear without your words.

Just like how he gives you a kiss on the lips with a “Yes” from you and the silver band around your finger that sealed your happily ever after.

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here or removed!): @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️ @kflixnet 📺🍿

hi mika!! 🥰 thank you so much for reading and commenting about my work 😁 it's very much appreciated! jaemin's idea honestly stemmed from me wanting to have pets again like before but unlike the reader here, i'm very much aware that i'm not ready yet 😭 someday though!! 🤭 have a great rest of the night/day!!

proposing to you | nct dream

“Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

pairing » nct dream (individual members) x fem!reader​

trope/au » ​established relationship au!, non-idol au!, marriage au! (well it leads to it)

genre » it's all just fluff and vibes here hehe, dreamies who are all very much in love with you, mark's one makes me chuckle, renjun's one makes me wanna squish his cheeks (i miss him 😭), jeno's one makes me melt, haechan's one is chaotically (?) romantic (in my opinion), jaemin's one makes me want to have pets again so bad, chenle's one makes me want to splurge and treat myself, jisung's one is too adorable for me

word count; estimated reading time » 4303 (total); ~16 mins (total)

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » nicknames; members to reader (love, bubs), lots of kissing, ...not proofread---

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

my very first time doing something like this. this scenario has been in my head for some time and i finally had the time to sit and write it all 🥰 (and also because sem 1 results come out later today and this is my way of forgetting about it uhm 🤠)

this is my personal take on how each member from dream would propose to you!! i tried to make them all with similar word count but i can't help but to get carried away with some 🥹

Mark sits on the stool, one foot on the ground while the other is on the footrest, making sure that his guitar is tuned properly and that the new strings that he bought yesterday are set up properly. To ease his tension he strums random chords and raps random words on top, making the other Dreamies lovingly judge (and tease) him. Jeno would be tasked with calming him down, while Haechan does the exact opposite of what Jeno is doing, purposely annoying him to get his mind off his nervousness. Either way, it worked well to get the lovesick boy from the reason why they’re all gathered today. 

“You both are too loud!” Renjun says when Chenle adds random notes to Mark’s singing, belting high notes that are out of his range whilst also purposely hitting them off-tune.

“She’s probably going to walk in and think we’re crazy,” Jisung whispers to the boy who scolded Haechan not long after, who decided to join in on the chaos.

“Well, the point is that she doesn’t see the chaos right now…” Jeno lets out a nervous grin, turning his head to the still-closed door, “Maybe one of us should stand outside and text someone in the room or something.”

“No,” Jaemin crosses his arms, “This is funny,” taking out his phone to start recording, making the other three facepalm at how he’s indirectly contributing to the chaos. 

In the end, the noise and chaos were too loud for anyone in the room to realise the door opening. When he noticed you from the other side of the room, hand over your mouth, cheeks rising at the scene, his voice cracked and his cheeks blushed instantly. Mark’s voice cracked and his coughing caused the other boys to be immediately disciplined, rushing to their scheduled spots in their room as Mark mutters an “Oh crap…” thinking that everything has all been ruined.

You tried to keep your laughs at bay at your pouting boyfriend, but the image of him being silly only made it harder for you to wipe the smile off your face. But soon after, you realise the decoration around the room and the heart-shaped balloons and the unique balloons shaped like rings. Understanding how this is a different occasion to a date that you expected him to set up, you blurted a quick “No, I didn't see anything!” and rushed out the door, heart beating fast at the possible connotations behind the set-up.

It will forever become a memory that you two will always bring up whenever and wherever. A slight mention of it would instantly bring out a shy Mark who hides his red face in the crook of your neck, forever in love with you.

“Ah! That proposal was supposed to be perfect.”

Your mind replays the scene back again. After running out of the room, you waited around five more minutes, trying to calm the beating against your chest. When you did enter back, your eyes were only focused on Mark who started performing the little piece that he has prepared for you. Your body sways to the rhythm and the sweet melody of his voice and Mark who kept his eyes on yours for the majority of the performance only made the moment even more special. You remember the way you hopped on stage, only wanting to be held in his arms and unable to let go. Eventually, you did and Mark got down on one knee with the ring that he had prepared for this moment. Reminiscing the time always made you chuckle and Mark pouted and groaned, knowing that you were lost in that time once more. 

A kiss lands on his lips, wiping the pout effectively from his lips, “It’s perfect because it was you, Markie.”

Renjun is pacing around the room, making sure the decorations are placed at their designated spots properly. He would circle the room countless times, making sure the flowers were fresh and presented in the way that he liked whilst his hands busied themselves with playing with the case of your ring; that he hopes will be on your fourth finger soon.

Mark massages his shoulder, relieving his body tension. Jaemin has his camera ready to take pictures whenever he can, making sure not to interfere with the small bubble that Renjun would create with you. Jisung, being more responsible than the older members most of the time stands still with a proud look on his face while Chenle gives him a thumbs up along with Jeno as well. Haechan is just as encouraging; Renjun’s threat to make sure he didn’t cause trouble playing in his head.

“I think everything is set up,” Jaemin says as he takes more photos of the venue to add for the memory book.

“You’re playing a very important role here,” Haechan comments, a hand resting on his hand, “Don’t mess it up.”

Jaemin replies with a slightly menacing smile, “Don’t mess with me, Lee Haechan.”

“To be honest, everything will go well as long as Renjun doesn’t go blank as soon as she walks in,” Chenle teases the older boy at how in love and speechless Renjun would be around you.

“True,” Mark gives him an encouraging thumbs up, “But you’ll be fine. She’ll be here any minute now actually.”

You received instructions through text from Jeno about meeting at a place, a dress code and a time “when you should open the door (don’t open it before!)”. The text is odd and when asking Renjun about it, the tips of his ears growing red from each passing second tell you that he does know what’s going on but it's cleer he wouldn't tell. You couldn’t ask any more questions after he pulled your face into his for a quick kiss, hushing you from any more questions. 

When you walked in, outfit in line with the theme of the room and matching with his, Renjun’s heart melted once more, falling in love with you all over again. You slowly walk towards your boyfriend, eyes flickering around the area and taking in the decorations as well as giving the boys a smile and greeting back. When Renjun is infront of you, he playfully bows, momentarily stumbling and losing his balance. You cup his cheeks when he lifts his head, kissing his lips, not bothering about the camera capturing it all. 

“W-Woah,” Renjun stumbles with his words, “That was nice.” 

“This whole place is nice, Junnie,” your boyfriend is relieved by your words, “You look beyond nice, by the way.”

Few minutes later, Renjun takes his position on the floor and Jaemin captures it the memories with his camera: the way it dawned on you that he's proposing, to when you finally sealed Renjun’s love and to the way Renjun takes your lips after. 

Jaemin smiles behind the camera, capturing all the moments to make a physical memory of it all.

Including getting extremely closer than he said he wouldn’t take a better picture of the band around your finger.

“So this is why you made me dress up?” Taking in the fragrance of the flowers that Jisung gave as a token of congratulations from the rest of the boys.

Renjun nods, “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Jeno and his little smile that would reach his eyes. That was one of the first reasons why you fell for Jeno but to him, it’s his default expression whenever he sees, thinks of hears anything related to you. At the start of your relationship, he’s shy about receiving and giving you affection but you didn’t mind initiating the skinship, hugging and pecking his cheeks that would gradually lean towards his lips. He loves the skinship from you even in front of the rest of the boys who would tease him about it.

“She loves you,” Jaemin wiggles his eyebrows at the goodbye kiss you gave him.

“I love her more,” he replies, his eyes filled with heart shapes.

As the relationship developed and you got a little place with him, Jeno would slowly be the one who initiated the skinship, hugging your waist to sleep and keeping you close to him whenever he could. Even outside, he would be the one to link your hands together first and show his love through the bouquet of flowers from the start of any date.

“These bouquets just keep growing bigger and bigger each time in my opinion,” twirling the gift around in your hand while the other is in Jeno’s.

Your boyfriend kissed your head, “It didn’t really change from the first one, bubs.” Content with the little giggle you gave as he watched the elevator take you both to the floor where he booked the last dinner where you would be his girlfriend and the last anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend; the start of a new title to the both of you.

His hand is stashed in his pocket where the ring is and he couldn’t help but gulp nervousnessly. The dinner went smoothly with the courses that Jeno pre-ordered and throughout the whole date, he loves the way you fill the atmosphere with the times that you didn’t spend together for the day, him updating you on his day too. He would never be tired of hearing your voice and the eye smile on him is a clear indication of that.

“I’m going to go to the restroom,” Jeno says as he kisses the back of your hand. He approaches one of the workers there, asking for the largest bouquet that he has ever given you in their back room where he dropped it off hours before the dinner. 

You’re preoccupied with taking pictures of the view from the windows that span from the floor to the ceiling but your boyfriend’s reaction comes into view and your phone screen rests on the table once again, ready to greet him. What you didn’t expect is when Jeno kneeled to one knee, arms outstretching the flowers he had with the opened box nestling between its petals.

“Jeno?” You asked him, tears beginning to fill up your eyes.

“I thought it would be nice to ask here, at this place. We always spent our anniversaries here and even today,” happy with how the corner of your lips rises with the event, “Will you marry me?”

It took you less than a millisecond to respond with a nod and a loud “Yes”. When Jeno stood from his position, your arms were immediately wrapped around his, hiding your lower face behind his shoulder.

“I thought you were shy.” 

“I am,” heat rising to his cheeks, “But I wanted to make this special for my very special girl.”

The Dreamies have never seen Haechan so nervous before. It bought them back to the times when he was crushing on you, blushing and being giddy all the time at the thought of you. They remember how Haechan was asking Jaemin for advice for the outfit on your first date that you prepared, and he rocked up with something really formal for a casual date, mixing up the place for the restaurant as a similar four-star restaurant. It would be something that not only you would tease him about, but when news spread to the Dreamies, they used it as the main thing to tease him about whenever he was being mischievous. It did die down quickly as after learning that the memory is very fond to you, the teasing wouldn’t work against him anymore.

The necklace that Haechan gifted you that day would be a reminder of the happiness that he has been giving you from the start of the journey and just like the sun pendant that reminds you of him, you love how just a glance of it knocks out all your worries that life may have weighed you down with. 

It all seemed to be a recent memory, but that was quite a long time ago for everyone who knew what happened. Now, Haechan is waiting for you to come back home after a night out with your friends and earlier in the day, the boy who was pacing around the room about what to wear to his first date with now is now pacing around the jewellery store on the perfect ring on your hand. 

He talked with the boys about his proposal plan to which the others have chipped in and helped him with. In the end, some of their advice is taken on board, but most of them made him grip his hair and made him say, “I’m just going to wing it.”

To which Mark replied with, “Sure, dude. If it doesn’t go ‘well’, it’s another thing to tease you about.” 

In all seriousness though, he wants the proposal to be perfect; just like how you are to him. He plops down on the bed, raising the box to the ceiling as he looks at the diamond he worked hard for. At the sound of the front door creaking and your voice greeting him from the other side of the house, he pockets the jewellery in his sweatpants, jumping from the cotton to greet you.

Your arms were outstretched and Haechan brings you to his embrace immediately, “How was your day?”

“So good,” your voice muffled with the hug, “We bought friendship rings,” pushing him away slightly to show him, “We thought about this so much but we thought it’s so pretty that we couldn’t not get it.”

You realised that as much as Haechan smiled at the decoration around your finger, it didn’t go unnoticed that he was playing with the hem of your jacket. An eyebrow perks up from that and you give him a kiss on his cheek, asking him what was wrong.

He took a deep breath, took the box from his pockets, got down to one knee and opened the jewellery to you for the first time, “Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

Growing up, you were never able to have pets. Your dad is allergic to cats, one of the pets that you’ve always wanted, and your mum isn’t sure of how well the family would take care of another life due to how busy life is. You totally agree with her because pets should be well taken care of as much as any other kind of life form.

When you and Jaemin were financially ready to get a place for yourselves, one of his first promises was to get a pet that you wanted. Through motivation and a lot of saving, making sure that you were both ready to take care of another life and doing all the research on how to take care of cats, you and Jaemin finally adopted a pet to take care of. Jaemin is also thankful for the added company in the house as your work schedule wouldn’t match with his and that would mean that one of you would be alone in the house. Having another pet would make the house more lively and less lonely. With gradual time and more financial stability, you were able to adopt two more that you both love equally. 

“We should get another one,” you comment as Jaemin turns off the bedroom lights.

Your boyfriend hums at your thoughts, knowing exactly what you mean. He slips into the covers, hooking an arm around your waist and pulls you closer to his warmth, “You really love taking care of others, don’t you?”

You close your eyes and hum a response, exhaling at the comfort of him next to you. “You know how I am.”

“I do, bubs. I do,” and he really does. With how your eyes light up whenever you take care of the people around you, always loving how you’re able to help out others whether it be him, your family, his family or the three cats that are sleeping soundly in the living room, it comes naturally that he’s thought of settling down with you permanently for the rest of his life; and having a little mini you or mini him later down the track. Similar talks have happened in the relationship and he thought that it would be perfect to make it happen soon.

No more words were said that night but Jaemin kissed a final kiss onto your soft lips and made a mental note to prepare for another life chapter with you. A few days later, he was able to speed through his work, being able to finish early to see the ring that he had been monitoring through the website. As soon as his eyes landed on it, he immediately thought of you and that’s how he made his final decision to buy it.

Thankfully, you had a later end to your work today and that gave Jaemin enough time to prepare a small, quick dinner as well as dressing the three cats into little outfits that would be fitting to wear in a wedding. 

“Come on, Luna,” he says as he struggles to get her paw in, “I don’t have a lot of time and I want to make mummy proud!” With this, the cat seemed to comply instantly and Jaemin squished the cat’s cheeks in thankfulness.

With each cat, he securely attached a note on their ventral side: Love, Marry, Me, and plans to release each cat one by one from the bedroom when you come in. Jaemin just made it in time, quickly scooping up all the cats into his arms, and rushing to hide in the bedroom.

“I’m home!” You routinely shouted, “Nana?” Confused about why the house was so quiet, especially when knowing that Jaemin finished work a long time ago. “Maybe he went out and forgot to tell me?” But that’s quickly proved wrong when pipping hot homemade food were neatly set out on the table. “Luna! Lucy! Luke!” Calling out to your three cats, wondering how none of them rushed to the door like they usually would.

Suddenly, the door to your room opens and you gasp, scared that an intruder is in your house but out comes all your three cats in different, cute attires. “Oh!” Kneeling on the floor to get a better look at them, “Did dadda do this? Hm?” Picking up Luna with his little white dress, rubbing your nose on hers. “What’s this?” Reading the ‘Love’ message on her stomach. You set Lucy down, picking up Lucy in a similar outfit, “Marry…” Your eyes widened, looking at a groom-like dressed Luke who sat patiently, licking the back of his exposed paw. Sure enough, the final and last note makes your jaw drop.

Jaemin emerges from your bedroom, smiling at how you look up at him in shock. He kneels on the floor, “I was supposed to let them out one by one but they got excited," he shrugs with a smile. "As much as I would love another pet,” he hinges the velvet box open, “If you would like to, I would also love a mini you or mini-me.” A hand rises to your gaped mouth, eyes staring at the cushioned ring. “But first, will you marry me?”

It seems that Luna, Lucy and Luke were on board with the idea, jumping on your lap and resting their little paws on your arms. Sure enough, you nod and verbally express your actions. The “Yes” is all Jaemin took to carefully place the three nosy cats away from you, sliding the new ring on your hand and pulling you into a kiss.

During ring shopping, Chenle would look around the places he could find and spend a lot of time window shopping on all the rings that were available in your size. He invited Jisung along on the journey and the younger boy was more stressed than him with how he was handling the situation. From the very first store, he already has about five rings that he’s thinking would be perfect for you. Jisung gave his input on each one which Chenle is thankful for, but did minimal in narrowing down the options. He even asked the other members, but it was still the same result. 

In the end, after visiting all the stores that he had listed, Chenle purchased about ten rings from each store. The employees are used to customers who are stuck between multiple choices as a symbol of love for their partner. But they weren’t prepared for Chenle to cross his arms, calmly exhale point to the rings and say, “I’ll just take them all.” 

Jisung tried to save his wallet but after deep thinking and checking the return policy, he decided to buy all the ones that his heart couldn't let go of. He'll figure out what to do with the rest of the diamonds later. Because of his massive purchase, on the day of the proposal, he looked calm and collected but inside, his heart was beating like he just ran a marathon. It was running so fast to the point that you asked him if there was something troubling him when you laid on his chest to sleep last night. Chenle shook his head firmly but from the way his finger trembled a little when he was patting your head, you couldn’t help but to question him once more.

“It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

After some time, your raised eyebrows relaxed, “Okay. Tell me if it weighs too much and whenever you’re ready, okay?”

And he’s so excited to tell you what is on his mind soon. The thought of finally being able to spoil the love of his life for the rest of his life excited him so much that with the boxes looking similar across the stores, he didn't realise that he also grabbed the one that he hadn't decided on the previous night. When you nodded to his proposal, too stunned and speechless from happiness to speak, the different ring to his expectations when he opened the velvet box made him let out the famous Pikachu face. 

“What?” You chuckled and tilted your head in confusion at his reaction, completely unaware of the boxes hidden under the bed. 

“N-Nothing,” well, it looks like he'll explain later but with the happiness written on your face and the kisses you showered him with, maybe he'll just gift the rest of the spares to you.

“Don't be so nervous,” a hit lands on the side of Jisung’s arm from Chenle, “She'll love this.”

In the early stages of dating, you were always sharing your date plans with him, planning most of them. You made sure Jisung didn’t mind them because being in a relationship isn’t only about one person. Jisung loves the way you talk enthusiastically about all the places you want to go with him and all the activities that you want to do with him. Jisung would give you that adorable gummy smile, eyes shaped like crescent moons whenever he did so. Those small event plans became more detailed, expanding into different topics naturally such as proposals, weddings and honeymoon places and Jisung being in love with everything about you, would mentally take notes of what you love for each occasion.

“I promise,” Jisung stops your words for a second, “We will do them all together.”

There was a time he was caught writing it all down on his phone to which Chenle teased him endlessly, the other Dreamies joining along at their youngest being in love. It’s not that he will forget the things that make you happy, he just wants to be able to see it all so that he can plan the perfect proposal. They promised to help him with every step when he was ready. 

Today is that day.

Jaemin tells him that the hinge of the engagement ring’s box would eventually break with how much he’s fiddling with it but it’s the only way he could distract his nervousness.

“Maybe you should recite your speech once more,” Jeno clears his throat, opening the paper in his hand.

“Jeno loves Jisung, guys. Look at him,” Haechan teased his same-aged friend. His bear-like friend would chase him around the room and Jisung would be shouting at the two to be aware of the decorations around the room.

You came in through the chaos, the door opening inwards where Haechan stops abruptly to avoid his face smashing against the wood and Jeno back hugged him as a result of that. You peeked behind the door, confused but smiling at the two. Before you could question what was going on, Renjun kicked Haechan out the door and welcomed you in.

“He’s not prepared for this,” pointing at your boyfriend who hides behind Jaemin. “Stay here while I talk to Haechan for ruining this moment.”

But the moment wasn’t ruined at all because just looking at how your Pinterest board came into life and the boys slowly giving Jisung the spotlight while you walked down towards him, everything is indeed beautiful and perfect.

“Oh wow,” you breathed out, “It's like my Pinterest came to life.”

Hearing that is the biggest compliment to Jisung who spent hours analysing your saved folders of wedding venue inspirations, trying to find a consistent theme. He gifted the teddy bear on his hand to you, pecking your lips and pulling away with a deep red blush across his cheeks. He readies himself to his rehearsed position after, “Will you marry…me?” Endeared by the way you hide your face behind the teddy bear. Yet, your answer is clear without your words.

Just like how he gives you a kiss on the lips with a “Yes” from you and the silver band around your finger that sealed your happily ever after.

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here or removed!): @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️ @kflixnet 📺🍿

thank you for 100+ interactions!!

proposing to you | nct dream

“Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

pairing » nct dream (individual members) x fem!reader​

trope/au » ​established relationship au!, non-idol au!, marriage au! (well it leads to it)

genre » it's all just fluff and vibes here hehe, dreamies who are all very much in love with you, mark's one makes me chuckle, renjun's one makes me wanna squish his cheeks (i miss him 😭), jeno's one makes me melt, haechan's one is chaotically (?) romantic (in my opinion), jaemin's one makes me want to have pets again so bad, chenle's one makes me want to splurge and treat myself, jisung's one is too adorable for me

word count; estimated reading time » 4303 (total); ~16 mins (total)

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » nicknames; members to reader (love, bubs), lots of kissing, ...not proofread---

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

my very first time doing something like this. this scenario has been in my head for some time and i finally had the time to sit and write it all 🥰 (and also because sem 1 results come out later today and this is my way of forgetting about it uhm 🤠)

this is my personal take on how each member from dream would propose to you!! i tried to make them all with similar word count but i can't help but to get carried away with some 🥹

Mark sits on the stool, one foot on the ground while the other is on the footrest, making sure that his guitar is tuned properly and that the new strings that he bought yesterday are set up properly. To ease his tension he strums random chords and raps random words on top, making the other Dreamies lovingly judge (and tease) him. Jeno would be tasked with calming him down, while Haechan does the exact opposite of what Jeno is doing, purposely annoying him to get his mind off his nervousness. Either way, it worked well to get the lovesick boy from the reason why they’re all gathered today. 

“You both are too loud!” Renjun says when Chenle adds random notes to Mark’s singing, belting high notes that are out of his range whilst also purposely hitting them off-tune.

“She’s probably going to walk in and think we’re crazy,” Jisung whispers to the boy who scolded Haechan not long after, who decided to join in on the chaos.

“Well, the point is that she doesn’t see the chaos right now…” Jeno lets out a nervous grin, turning his head to the still-closed door, “Maybe one of us should stand outside and text someone in the room or something.”

“No,” Jaemin crosses his arms, “This is funny,” taking out his phone to start recording, making the other three facepalm at how he’s indirectly contributing to the chaos. 

In the end, the noise and chaos were too loud for anyone in the room to realise the door opening. When he noticed you from the other side of the room, hand over your mouth, cheeks rising at the scene, his voice cracked and his cheeks blushed instantly. Mark’s voice cracked and his coughing caused the other boys to be immediately disciplined, rushing to their scheduled spots in their room as Mark mutters an “Oh crap…” thinking that everything has all been ruined.

You tried to keep your laughs at bay at your pouting boyfriend, but the image of him being silly only made it harder for you to wipe the smile off your face. But soon after, you realise the decoration around the room and the heart-shaped balloons and the unique balloons shaped like rings. Understanding how this is a different occasion to a date that you expected him to set up, you blurted a quick “No, I didn't see anything!” and rushed out the door, heart beating fast at the possible connotations behind the set-up.

It will forever become a memory that you two will always bring up whenever and wherever. A slight mention of it would instantly bring out a shy Mark who hides his red face in the crook of your neck, forever in love with you.

“Ah! That proposal was supposed to be perfect.”

Your mind replays the scene back again. After running out of the room, you waited around five more minutes, trying to calm the beating against your chest. When you did enter back, your eyes were only focused on Mark who started performing the little piece that he has prepared for you. Your body sways to the rhythm and the sweet melody of his voice and Mark who kept his eyes on yours for the majority of the performance only made the moment even more special. You remember the way you hopped on stage, only wanting to be held in his arms and unable to let go. Eventually, you did and Mark got down on one knee with the ring that he had prepared for this moment. Reminiscing the time always made you chuckle and Mark pouted and groaned, knowing that you were lost in that time once more. 

A kiss lands on his lips, wiping the pout effectively from his lips, “It’s perfect because it was you, Markie.”

Renjun is pacing around the room, making sure the decorations are placed at their designated spots properly. He would circle the room countless times, making sure the flowers were fresh and presented in the way that he liked whilst his hands busied themselves with playing with the case of your ring; that he hopes will be on your fourth finger soon.

Mark massages his shoulder, relieving his body tension. Jaemin has his camera ready to take pictures whenever he can, making sure not to interfere with the small bubble that Renjun would create with you. Jisung, being more responsible than the older members most of the time stands still with a proud look on his face while Chenle gives him a thumbs up along with Jeno as well. Haechan is just as encouraging; Renjun’s threat to make sure he didn’t cause trouble playing in his head.

“I think everything is set up,” Jaemin says as he takes more photos of the venue to add for the memory book.

“You’re playing a very important role here,” Haechan comments, a hand resting on his hand, “Don’t mess it up.”

Jaemin replies with a slightly menacing smile, “Don’t mess with me, Lee Haechan.”

“To be honest, everything will go well as long as Renjun doesn’t go blank as soon as she walks in,” Chenle teases the older boy at how in love and speechless Renjun would be around you.

“True,” Mark gives him an encouraging thumbs up, “But you’ll be fine. She’ll be here any minute now actually.”

You received instructions through text from Jeno about meeting at a place, a dress code and a time “when you should open the door (don’t open it before!)”. The text is odd and when asking Renjun about it, the tips of his ears growing red from each passing second tell you that he does know what’s going on but it's cleer he wouldn't tell. You couldn’t ask any more questions after he pulled your face into his for a quick kiss, hushing you from any more questions. 

When you walked in, outfit in line with the theme of the room and matching with his, Renjun’s heart melted once more, falling in love with you all over again. You slowly walk towards your boyfriend, eyes flickering around the area and taking in the decorations as well as giving the boys a smile and greeting back. When Renjun is infront of you, he playfully bows, momentarily stumbling and losing his balance. You cup his cheeks when he lifts his head, kissing his lips, not bothering about the camera capturing it all. 

“W-Woah,” Renjun stumbles with his words, “That was nice.” 

“This whole place is nice, Junnie,” your boyfriend is relieved by your words, “You look beyond nice, by the way.”

Few minutes later, Renjun takes his position on the floor and Jaemin captures it the memories with his camera: the way it dawned on you that he's proposing, to when you finally sealed Renjun’s love and to the way Renjun takes your lips after. 

Jaemin smiles behind the camera, capturing all the moments to make a physical memory of it all.

Including getting extremely closer than he said he wouldn’t take a better picture of the band around your finger.

“So this is why you made me dress up?” Taking in the fragrance of the flowers that Jisung gave as a token of congratulations from the rest of the boys.

Renjun nods, “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Jeno and his little smile that would reach his eyes. That was one of the first reasons why you fell for Jeno but to him, it’s his default expression whenever he sees, thinks of hears anything related to you. At the start of your relationship, he’s shy about receiving and giving you affection but you didn’t mind initiating the skinship, hugging and pecking his cheeks that would gradually lean towards his lips. He loves the skinship from you even in front of the rest of the boys who would tease him about it.

“She loves you,” Jaemin wiggles his eyebrows at the goodbye kiss you gave him.

“I love her more,” he replies, his eyes filled with heart shapes.

As the relationship developed and you got a little place with him, Jeno would slowly be the one who initiated the skinship, hugging your waist to sleep and keeping you close to him whenever he could. Even outside, he would be the one to link your hands together first and show his love through the bouquet of flowers from the start of any date.

“These bouquets just keep growing bigger and bigger each time in my opinion,” twirling the gift around in your hand while the other is in Jeno’s.

Your boyfriend kissed your head, “It didn’t really change from the first one, bubs.” Content with the little giggle you gave as he watched the elevator take you both to the floor where he booked the last dinner where you would be his girlfriend and the last anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend; the start of a new title to the both of you.

His hand is stashed in his pocket where the ring is and he couldn’t help but gulp nervousnessly. The dinner went smoothly with the courses that Jeno pre-ordered and throughout the whole date, he loves the way you fill the atmosphere with the times that you didn’t spend together for the day, him updating you on his day too. He would never be tired of hearing your voice and the eye smile on him is a clear indication of that.

“I’m going to go to the restroom,” Jeno says as he kisses the back of your hand. He approaches one of the workers there, asking for the largest bouquet that he has ever given you in their back room where he dropped it off hours before the dinner. 

You’re preoccupied with taking pictures of the view from the windows that span from the floor to the ceiling but your boyfriend’s reaction comes into view and your phone screen rests on the table once again, ready to greet him. What you didn’t expect is when Jeno kneeled to one knee, arms outstretching the flowers he had with the opened box nestling between its petals.

“Jeno?” You asked him, tears beginning to fill up your eyes.

“I thought it would be nice to ask here, at this place. We always spent our anniversaries here and even today,” happy with how the corner of your lips rises with the event, “Will you marry me?”

It took you less than a millisecond to respond with a nod and a loud “Yes”. When Jeno stood from his position, your arms were immediately wrapped around his, hiding your lower face behind his shoulder.

“I thought you were shy.” 

“I am,” heat rising to his cheeks, “But I wanted to make this special for my very special girl.”

The Dreamies have never seen Haechan so nervous before. It bought them back to the times when he was crushing on you, blushing and being giddy all the time at the thought of you. They remember how Haechan was asking Jaemin for advice for the outfit on your first date that you prepared, and he rocked up with something really formal for a casual date, mixing up the place for the restaurant as a similar four-star restaurant. It would be something that not only you would tease him about, but when news spread to the Dreamies, they used it as the main thing to tease him about whenever he was being mischievous. It did die down quickly as after learning that the memory is very fond to you, the teasing wouldn’t work against him anymore.

The necklace that Haechan gifted you that day would be a reminder of the happiness that he has been giving you from the start of the journey and just like the sun pendant that reminds you of him, you love how just a glance of it knocks out all your worries that life may have weighed you down with. 

It all seemed to be a recent memory, but that was quite a long time ago for everyone who knew what happened. Now, Haechan is waiting for you to come back home after a night out with your friends and earlier in the day, the boy who was pacing around the room about what to wear to his first date with now is now pacing around the jewellery store on the perfect ring on your hand. 

He talked with the boys about his proposal plan to which the others have chipped in and helped him with. In the end, some of their advice is taken on board, but most of them made him grip his hair and made him say, “I’m just going to wing it.”

To which Mark replied with, “Sure, dude. If it doesn’t go ‘well’, it’s another thing to tease you about.” 

In all seriousness though, he wants the proposal to be perfect; just like how you are to him. He plops down on the bed, raising the box to the ceiling as he looks at the diamond he worked hard for. At the sound of the front door creaking and your voice greeting him from the other side of the house, he pockets the jewellery in his sweatpants, jumping from the cotton to greet you.

Your arms were outstretched and Haechan brings you to his embrace immediately, “How was your day?”

“So good,” your voice muffled with the hug, “We bought friendship rings,” pushing him away slightly to show him, “We thought about this so much but we thought it’s so pretty that we couldn’t not get it.”

You realised that as much as Haechan smiled at the decoration around your finger, it didn’t go unnoticed that he was playing with the hem of your jacket. An eyebrow perks up from that and you give him a kiss on his cheek, asking him what was wrong.

He took a deep breath, took the box from his pockets, got down to one knee and opened the jewellery to you for the first time, “Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

Growing up, you were never able to have pets. Your dad is allergic to cats, one of the pets that you’ve always wanted, and your mum isn’t sure of how well the family would take care of another life due to how busy life is. You totally agree with her because pets should be well taken care of as much as any other kind of life form.

When you and Jaemin were financially ready to get a place for yourselves, one of his first promises was to get a pet that you wanted. Through motivation and a lot of saving, making sure that you were both ready to take care of another life and doing all the research on how to take care of cats, you and Jaemin finally adopted a pet to take care of. Jaemin is also thankful for the added company in the house as your work schedule wouldn’t match with his and that would mean that one of you would be alone in the house. Having another pet would make the house more lively and less lonely. With gradual time and more financial stability, you were able to adopt two more that you both love equally. 

“We should get another one,” you comment as Jaemin turns off the bedroom lights.

Your boyfriend hums at your thoughts, knowing exactly what you mean. He slips into the covers, hooking an arm around your waist and pulls you closer to his warmth, “You really love taking care of others, don’t you?”

You close your eyes and hum a response, exhaling at the comfort of him next to you. “You know how I am.”

“I do, bubs. I do,” and he really does. With how your eyes light up whenever you take care of the people around you, always loving how you’re able to help out others whether it be him, your family, his family or the three cats that are sleeping soundly in the living room, it comes naturally that he’s thought of settling down with you permanently for the rest of his life; and having a little mini you or mini him later down the track. Similar talks have happened in the relationship and he thought that it would be perfect to make it happen soon.

No more words were said that night but Jaemin kissed a final kiss onto your soft lips and made a mental note to prepare for another life chapter with you. A few days later, he was able to speed through his work, being able to finish early to see the ring that he had been monitoring through the website. As soon as his eyes landed on it, he immediately thought of you and that’s how he made his final decision to buy it.

Thankfully, you had a later end to your work today and that gave Jaemin enough time to prepare a small, quick dinner as well as dressing the three cats into little outfits that would be fitting to wear in a wedding. 

“Come on, Luna,” he says as he struggles to get her paw in, “I don’t have a lot of time and I want to make mummy proud!” With this, the cat seemed to comply instantly and Jaemin squished the cat’s cheeks in thankfulness.

With each cat, he securely attached a note on their ventral side: Love, Marry, Me, and plans to release each cat one by one from the bedroom when you come in. Jaemin just made it in time, quickly scooping up all the cats into his arms, and rushing to hide in the bedroom.

“I’m home!” You routinely shouted, “Nana?” Confused about why the house was so quiet, especially when knowing that Jaemin finished work a long time ago. “Maybe he went out and forgot to tell me?” But that’s quickly proved wrong when pipping hot homemade food were neatly set out on the table. “Luna! Lucy! Luke!” Calling out to your three cats, wondering how none of them rushed to the door like they usually would.

Suddenly, the door to your room opens and you gasp, scared that an intruder is in your house but out comes all your three cats in different, cute attires. “Oh!” Kneeling on the floor to get a better look at them, “Did dadda do this? Hm?” Picking up Luna with his little white dress, rubbing your nose on hers. “What’s this?” Reading the ‘Love’ message on her stomach. You set Lucy down, picking up Lucy in a similar outfit, “Marry…” Your eyes widened, looking at a groom-like dressed Luke who sat patiently, licking the back of his exposed paw. Sure enough, the final and last note makes your jaw drop.

Jaemin emerges from your bedroom, smiling at how you look up at him in shock. He kneels on the floor, “I was supposed to let them out one by one but they got excited," he shrugs with a smile. "As much as I would love another pet,” he hinges the velvet box open, “If you would like to, I would also love a mini you or mini-me.” A hand rises to your gaped mouth, eyes staring at the cushioned ring. “But first, will you marry me?”

It seems that Luna, Lucy and Luke were on board with the idea, jumping on your lap and resting their little paws on your arms. Sure enough, you nod and verbally express your actions. The “Yes” is all Jaemin took to carefully place the three nosy cats away from you, sliding the new ring on your hand and pulling you into a kiss.

During ring shopping, Chenle would look around the places he could find and spend a lot of time window shopping on all the rings that were available in your size. He invited Jisung along on the journey and the younger boy was more stressed than him with how he was handling the situation. From the very first store, he already has about five rings that he’s thinking would be perfect for you. Jisung gave his input on each one which Chenle is thankful for, but did minimal in narrowing down the options. He even asked the other members, but it was still the same result. 

In the end, after visiting all the stores that he had listed, Chenle purchased about ten rings from each store. The employees are used to customers who are stuck between multiple choices as a symbol of love for their partner. But they weren’t prepared for Chenle to cross his arms, calmly exhale point to the rings and say, “I’ll just take them all.” 

Jisung tried to save his wallet but after deep thinking and checking the return policy, he decided to buy all the ones that his heart couldn't let go of. He'll figure out what to do with the rest of the diamonds later. Because of his massive purchase, on the day of the proposal, he looked calm and collected but inside, his heart was beating like he just ran a marathon. It was running so fast to the point that you asked him if there was something troubling him when you laid on his chest to sleep last night. Chenle shook his head firmly but from the way his finger trembled a little when he was patting your head, you couldn’t help but to question him once more.

“It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

After some time, your raised eyebrows relaxed, “Okay. Tell me if it weighs too much and whenever you’re ready, okay?”

And he’s so excited to tell you what is on his mind soon. The thought of finally being able to spoil the love of his life for the rest of his life excited him so much that with the boxes looking similar across the stores, he didn't realise that he also grabbed the one that he hadn't decided on the previous night. When you nodded to his proposal, too stunned and speechless from happiness to speak, the different ring to his expectations when he opened the velvet box made him let out the famous Pikachu face. 

“What?” You chuckled and tilted your head in confusion at his reaction, completely unaware of the boxes hidden under the bed. 

“N-Nothing,” well, it looks like he'll explain later but with the happiness written on your face and the kisses you showered him with, maybe he'll just gift the rest of the spares to you.

“Don't be so nervous,” a hit lands on the side of Jisung’s arm from Chenle, “She'll love this.”

In the early stages of dating, you were always sharing your date plans with him, planning most of them. You made sure Jisung didn’t mind them because being in a relationship isn’t only about one person. Jisung loves the way you talk enthusiastically about all the places you want to go with him and all the activities that you want to do with him. Jisung would give you that adorable gummy smile, eyes shaped like crescent moons whenever he did so. Those small event plans became more detailed, expanding into different topics naturally such as proposals, weddings and honeymoon places and Jisung being in love with everything about you, would mentally take notes of what you love for each occasion.

“I promise,” Jisung stops your words for a second, “We will do them all together.”

There was a time he was caught writing it all down on his phone to which Chenle teased him endlessly, the other Dreamies joining along at their youngest being in love. It’s not that he will forget the things that make you happy, he just wants to be able to see it all so that he can plan the perfect proposal. They promised to help him with every step when he was ready. 

Today is that day.

Jaemin tells him that the hinge of the engagement ring’s box would eventually break with how much he’s fiddling with it but it’s the only way he could distract his nervousness.

“Maybe you should recite your speech once more,” Jeno clears his throat, opening the paper in his hand.

“Jeno loves Jisung, guys. Look at him,” Haechan teased his same-aged friend. His bear-like friend would chase him around the room and Jisung would be shouting at the two to be aware of the decorations around the room.

You came in through the chaos, the door opening inwards where Haechan stops abruptly to avoid his face smashing against the wood and Jeno back hugged him as a result of that. You peeked behind the door, confused but smiling at the two. Before you could question what was going on, Renjun kicked Haechan out the door and welcomed you in.

“He’s not prepared for this,” pointing at your boyfriend who hides behind Jaemin. “Stay here while I talk to Haechan for ruining this moment.”

But the moment wasn’t ruined at all because just looking at how your Pinterest board came into life and the boys slowly giving Jisung the spotlight while you walked down towards him, everything is indeed beautiful and perfect.

“Oh wow,” you breathed out, “It's like my Pinterest came to life.”

Hearing that is the biggest compliment to Jisung who spent hours analysing your saved folders of wedding venue inspirations, trying to find a consistent theme. He gifted the teddy bear on his hand to you, pecking your lips and pulling away with a deep red blush across his cheeks. He readies himself to his rehearsed position after, “Will you marry…me?” Endeared by the way you hide your face behind the teddy bear. Yet, your answer is clear without your words.

Just like how he gives you a kiss on the lips with a “Yes” from you and the silver band around your finger that sealed your happily ever after.

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here or removed!): @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️ @kflixnet 📺🍿

multigroup series (and the sort!!) ♡

☂ - angst | ♡ - fluff | ➳ - hurt/comfort | ⋆⁺₊ - suggestive | ʚ/ɞ - external/internal challenges | personal favourite

Multigroup

[☂/♡/➳ʚ/ɞ] especially to you... | introduction 🤍 masterlist

THE BOYZ

[☂/♡/➳ʚ/ɞ] that's him, that's just who he is | introduction 🤍 masterlist

NCT DREAM

generating...

RIIZE

generating...

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 the boyz full masterlist 🤍 nct dream masterlist 🤍 riize masterlist 🤍

nct dream masterlist ♡

☂ - angst | ♡ - fluff | ➳ - hurt/comfort | ⋆⁺₊ - suggestive | ʚ/ɞ - external/internal challenges | personal favourite

OT7

[~4.3k ♡] proposing to you

Mark Lee

generating...

Huang Renjun

[~700 ☂ ♡ ➳ ʚ ɞ] [21:15]

Lee Jeno

generating...

Lee Donghyuck | Haechan

[~1.6k ♡ ⋆⁺₊] [08:52]

Na Jaemin

[~1.6k ☂ (slight ♡) ɞ] yesterday's petal [~2.5k ☂ ♡ ➳] [01:34] [~1k ♡] it's so nice to be loved by you

Zhong Chenle

generating...

Park Jisung

generating...

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 the boyz masterlist 🤍 riize masterlist 🤍 other masterlist

[21:15] | nct huang renjun

“Don’t listen to society. Don’t look at their views. You're beautiful and I love you as you are. I promise.”

pairing » nct huang renjun x gn!reader (fast proofread once - lmk if i missed anything!)

trope/au » ​established relationship au!, non-idol au!

genre » hurt/comfort, fluff and angst (pretty balanced imo), renjun is concerned for your wellbeing, but he loves you and is willing to show that anytime!, renjun is comforting and patient, best boyfriend huang renjun, renjun letting you steal his clothes instead of buying new ones

word count, estimated reading time » 772, ~3 mins

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » reader has trouble with body image, reader struggles with body changes in gaining and losing weight, mentions of being stuck between two clothing sizes, weighing body in the first few parts of the story, reader implied medium to long length hair, renjun is taller and physically bigger than the reader

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 nct dream masterlist 🤍 'especially to you...'

to the you who has doubted the image that any reflective mirror has shown you. surround yourself with people who love you as you are and love yourself as you are. you don't need to change and you don't need to force yourself to change.

if you stay true to yourself, treat your body with kindness, you will be able to see yourself in a healthier light.

it's not easy and it never was. the journey to be able to fully smile at yourself when you've been drowned in doubt is hard but i will pray that day for you will come.

It stares you dead in the eyes.

The meeting of the double arrow-like lines would only appear when you put a considerable amount of yourself with the help of gravity. Then when you do, it blinks alive, calculating the shift of your body and the amount of pressure you would willingly give them. You passed the single-digit stage a long time ago, the same time that you overgrew your baby crib. As you age and mature, you watch the first number change and morph, the next number coming along as it accommodates the changes in your body.

It doesn’t help that the scale is reflective, the fear in your eyes clear and the gulp of your throat resonated deeply in your head as you thought of the amount of food that you digested along with the lack of movement that spreads the entire week.

Maybe you shouldn’t have gone shopping today.

Or maybe, you should’ve never gone clothes shopping at all.

Your mind goes back to the image reflected on the shiny surface of the changing room. It tells you that even though you have made progress, the outfit that wraps around your skin isn't as pretty as you depicted on the mannequin by the big shop window.

Hypnotised to see the truth, your other foot raises, leaving condensation on the marbled floor due to stress. But before it could form a footprint on the glass, a pair of arms lifted you, kicking the machine to the best he could given the non-slip stickers on its bottom for user safety.

“You’ve just weighed yourself ten minutes ago,” the fact whispered in your ear directly. Renjun tightens his hold around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder. “Talk to me, bubs.”

The worried gaze falls upon you as soon as you turn your head sideways. Tears well up in your eyes when Renjun gives a half smile, eyes tender and fingers reaching to swipe the loose strands of hair that tickle your vision. 

“I just feel stuck,” you confessed, hitching rapid breaths with the way your boyfriend turns you to face him, lower body slightly bent to face you head-on. “I tried a bunch of clothes today and I feel like I'm stuck between the two sizes—it just feels like,” your eyes wander around the place, the room seemingly spinning and the tears clouding your view.

Renjun’s hands envelop your shaking ones, pulling them closer to the beating of his chest, in an attempt to ground you back to the present. His heartbeat runs through your fingertips, slowly matching his calming ones and eventually syncing when he instructs you to breathe in the cooler air through your nose and exhale the carbon dioxide through your mouth.

“Those clothes aren't good enough for you then,” Renjun’s brown orbs intently focus on your tear-stricken ones. Without another notice, he cups your cheek, his thumb giving reassuring swipes to your itchy and sticky skin from the salt water. “They don't deserve to be put on your beautiful body.”

It sends chills down your system, closing your eyes to further focus on the tapping of his pointer on the back of your palm. Renjun nods, humming to the count of his fingers on your skin, seeing how your throat stops constricting by your cries, hushing you and pressing delicate kisses on your spent eyelids.

“Don’t listen to society. Don’t look at their views. You're beautiful and I love you as you are. I promise,” Renjun’s sincerity hits your body in a warm wave and your eyes are now crying for a different reason. “Oh?” He exclaims amusedly, the hand on your cheek still holds yours to guide your now relaxed face into the broadness and safety of his chest.

Renjun sways his body, alternating his body weight between his legs. A hand is wrapped securely around your waist, the other crossing diagonally across the back of your head. The fingers on top found a home in your scalp, massaging your negative thoughts away.

“I love you too, Junnie.” 

The nickname that sounds even lovelier gives his heart life, chuckling and hugging you tighter as he lets out a prolonged squeal, commenting on how adorable you are to him.

Renjun pulls you away momentarily, swooping in for his lips to meet yours, calmly and sweetly, caring and patient. It flows through his gesture and he’s glad you know how much he loves you with the way the corners of your lips could reach your ears.

“Besides,” he starts between the medley of pecks on your face, “why are you shopping for clothes when you're always stealing mine?”

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 nct dream masterlist 🤍 'especially to you...'

tags: @k-films @kflixnet @starlit-network @kstrucknet

new fic coming soon!

pairing: renjun x reader

genre: restaurant au, college au, angst, fluff, waiter!renjun

summary: a dinner date gone wrong… or, if you look at it another way, a dinner date that almost got you in a terrible situation. almost.

posting date: hopefully sometime next week!!

water glass | h.rj.

pairing: renjun x reader

genre: restaurant au, college au, angst, fluff, waiter!renjun

word count: 5.7k

warnings: mentions of date drugs (not renjun), suggestive intentions (also not renjun)

summary: a dinner date gone wrong… or, if you look at it another way, a dinner date that almost got you in a terrible situation. almost.

a/n: not sure i really like the prompt of the way this date goes wrong, but renjun as a waiter? yes, always yes, 1000 times yes (also yikes the editing on the title in the picture rip XD) (also this is a repost because tags weren’t working the first time i posted this, i’m not sure why hjhdfjgfd)

Ever since you had laid eyes on Shin Youngjin, you’ve been harboring the largest crush on him. He was perfect — his voice had a comforting effect on people, his intelligence was said to be as sharp as his jawline, and every time he ran a hand through his hair, you felt yourself melt.

Unfortunately, you had been told by many individuals that Youngjin didn’t date — in fact, no one had ever seen him on campus with a girl longer than “was necessary”, which you took to interpret as “conversation made for class purposes only”.

But fortunately for you… he had seemed to make an exception.

That day when he had approached you of his own will, while World History class hadn’t even started yet, he’d leaned down next to your ear and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

Maybe it wasn’t the best pickup line ever, but it had blood rushing to your cheeks before he’d even started speaking (the wink he added afterwards didn’t help). One thing led to another, and the two of you had exchanged numbers. Youngjin promised to take you out to dinner one of these days.

“As a date?” you’d asked, not quite believing him.

“As a date.” The half-smile that traced his face was killing you slowly. But in a good way.

And this is how you find yourself tonight, wrapped in a dress that your roommate had suggested you wear (read: aggressively barricaded the door with a chair and told you that you are NOT going out like that on a DATE who do you think you ARE (Name)??).

Youngjin, ever the gentleman, opens the door to the restaurant for you. You’re vaguely aware of the hand that he has around your waist, but you decide you don’t mind. It’s Shin Youngjin, for God’s sake.

A waitress leads you to a booth and the two of you sit, a shy smile gracing your face as you open the drinks menu. Not long after, a young man in a black apron appears, and you notice the shining tag he wears on his top: “RENJUN”. He greets the two of you politely and tells you that he’ll be your server tonight, placing glasses of cold water in front of you both. “May I get you started on drinks?”

Youngjin looks at you expectantly, but you shake your head. “Ah, I don’t do alcohol.”

His eyes seem to glint at you, and he nods. “I don’t either,” he says, staring at the side of your head as you, unaware of his gaze, hand the beverages menu to Renjun.

Your server looks between the two of you. “Water’s fine? Okay, I’ll leave one of these menus here, just in case you change your mind.” His attitude is professional yet cheerful, and you wonder if you’ve seen him at your college. Before you can say anything, though, he’s gone, the dinner menu left in his wake.

“I feel like I recognize him from somewhere,” you tell Youngjin, tracing the condensation on your glass thoughtfully. “From school.”

“Hmm, maybe,” he says, not really interested in talking about your waiter. “So, Miss (Name)…” His velvety tone makes you blush. “What else do you do, besides being the only interesting subject in History class?”

Oh, oh wow. It’s not even a good line, but you’re smitten (unfortunately), and you know that (also unfortunately).

You’re in the middle of discussing how you spend your free time in your dorm rooms when the man in front of you has the audacity to whisper in that ever-so-secretive way (the same way that he makes you feel like putty), “What do you say we head back to my place when this is over?”

Now, although you’re quite convinced that Youngjin is The One™, you’re not foolish enough to agree to something like heading over to a near-stranger’s dorm. “Maybe some other time… but tonight I want to go straight back to my place.” You know that he might be disappointed, though, so you consolingly add, “My roommate made me promise her to tell her how the night went.”

He seems like he wants to say something against that, but instead he smirks. “Ah, yes, never keep your roommates waiting… I’ve had to learn that lesson the hard way.”

“Care to share?”

“Of course…”

A few minutes later, you catch Youngjin staring at your neck. Why would he — oh, of course, you deduce, he’s probably staring at your necklace. You play with it, explaining that it used to be your mother’s as you rub your fingers over the smooth circle. He’s a good listener, nodding as you continue, still staring at your necklace.

Renjun comes back after noticing that both you and Youngjin have closed your menus. Seeing that you aren’t ready yet, he takes your date’s order first before turning to you.

As your gaze is focused solely on the list in front of you, you barely notice Youngjin reach across the table for a napkin. You miss the small white tablet that falls from his sleeve into your water cup, dissolving quickly into nothing.

Renjun, however, doesn’t. Though he was only able to see it out of the corner of his eye, he has no doubt in his mind what it was. He knows where this will go, and it is in that split second when you look up at him, oblivious to what just happened, that he decides that he must do what he can to spare you, prevent you from even touching your glass of water.

You tell him your order and he writes it down absentmindedly, desperately trying to think of ways to take away your cup. To buy time, he asks about the toppings you want, and oh, what about these other toppings that aren’t even included in the dish? One is a repeat question, and he realizes his mistake only after the words are out of his mouth.

A look of confusion crosses your face. “Um… yes please?”

“Didn’t you already ask her that?” Youngjin asks, his suave attitude now borderline impatient.

“Uh — um yes, my apologies.” Renjun bites his lip nervously, not liking the expression on your date’s face while still trying to figure out how to deal with the water. You probably wouldn’t want him to outright say, “Your boyfriend spiked your drink!” That would be rude, and he doubted you’d even believe him.

He’s running out of time when —

An idea finally hits him.

And unfortunately, it’s a terrible one.

And even worse, it’s the only idea he has.

He leans to take your menu and, while retrieving it, the floppy bound leather knocks your glass onto its side, the contents spilling onto the table. And you.

You’re surprised to the point where you don’t even know how to react, but Youngjin stands up and points an accusatory finger at your server. “You did that on purpose!”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Renjun bows at a ninety-degree angle, pretending to panic (and, with the way Youngjin’s glaring daggers at him, he’s beginning to not need to pretend anymore). He quickly picks up the overturned cup and returns it to its upright position, scrambling to dab the water off the table with the spare handkerchief he has in his apron. “I’m new here, I’m so, so sorry…”

That’s false. Renjun’s parents own the restaurant, and he’s been working here longer than any of the other employees (that is, if he counted all those days he spent as a ten-year-old cleaning tables before opening hours and making sure each one had enough napkins and chopsticks). But he’s twenty now, meaning that he has ten years of practice under his belt, ten years of learning that obviously included how to not be clumsy with large menus.

Your date starts to raise his voice. “First you ask her the same question twice, then you spill water on her — if you must know, she is my girlfriend, so don’t even think about —”

“Youngjin, it’s okay.” It makes you weak when you hear him call you his girlfriend (even though you aren’t), but given that your date looks like he’s practically about to tear your waiter to shreds, his hand already clutching the off-white collared shirt, you feel the need to speak up. “He’s new here, and it was just water, anyways.”

Reluctantly, your date releases his grip on the server, sinking back into his seat.

“I’ll go to the bathroom to clean up,” you say, sliding out of the booth and heading towards the back of the restaurant.

Renjun’s hands linger over the napkins, collecting the water in swift, sweeping motions that guide the water away from dripping off the edges of the wood.

Youngjin’s eyes linger on your figure, watching your hips sway and disappointed that, tonight, he would be unable to see them swaying again, although at a different place, his place. Licking his lips at his fantasy, he clenches his jaw as he notices Renjun cleaning the table.

He has a feeling that the waiter saw the tablet, but then remembers that he should have been taking your order down at the time. He curses your server under his breath, which Renjun, ever the professional, pretends not to hear.

In the bathroom, you take paper towels and flatten them, lightly pressing them against your dress, hoping to soak up as much of the liquid as possible. It’s not quite as effective as you had thought it would be, but it’s a better solution than no solution at all.

You’re just exiting the bathroom when you see Renjun, standing against the wall opposite the door. Had he been waiting for you?

His expression makes it clear that he has. Looking around to make sure the two of you aren’t being watched, he whispers, “Your friend put something in your drink.”

“What?” Confusion is evident in your tone, so he continues.

“Your friend. He dropped something into your water.”

“Sorry… I’m not following…” You bite the inside of your cheek.

If you were this dense, he’d best be more direct about it. “Did he ask you if you were interested in going home with him tonight?”

“Huh?” Your eyebrows furrow, and Renjun has never felt more frustrated.

“Did he ask you,” he says slowly, leaning closer to you and lowering his voice even more, “if you were interested — in going home with him tonight?”

A chill makes you shiver, not because it’s cold, but because he’s right. “Yes,” you breathe. “He did.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said no,” you whisper, gulping as you’re starting to put two and two together.

Renjun steps back. “Right before I took your order, I saw him reach over your glass and drop something that was small and white, but I didn’t see it after that, so I assume it dissolved. I don’t think I need to tell you any more.” He pauses, waiting for you to say something.

You can’t believe it. Your Shin Youngjin? And to think he would stoop so low as to slip a tablet into your water in hopes that you would drink it and…

That doesn’t sound like the genuine, charismatic Youngjin you know.

“How do I know you’re even telling the truth?” You fold you arms and Renjun sighs.

“I’m not actually new here. This place belongs to my parents; I’ve been working here since I was a kid.”

“So?”

“So,” he says, trying not to sound annoyed with a customer he’s known for barely five minutes, “I would probably know to avoid knocking over drinks with a menu.”

“But what you’re telling me — about the thing he put in my drink — that just doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”

“Do you even know him that well to begin with?”

The blunt words hit you like the ice in the water, landing abruptly onto your skin and making you stare up at him in shock. But before you can tell him to get out of your way, the question finds its way into your conscience.

How much do you really know Shin Youngjin, other than seeing him regularly in World History?

Then you remember the arm he’d snaked around your waist as you were walking into the restaurant. And, although you didn’t notice it at the time, you vaguely recall his hand resting at your hip, daring to slink lower on your body than it already had.

And, if you can remember that, then you might also be able to assume that oh, maybe he wasn’t looking at the necklace you were wearing, maybe he was looking somewhere else, maybe his gaze was lower than your neck and you hadn’t realized it because you were too focused on him.

Because, when you look at the world — and Shin Youngjin, who up until now, was your world — through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags look like flags.

Renjun watches the realization dawn on your face, and as you glance back up at him, you no longer seem confused. Rather, you seem helplessly distraught.

“What do I do?” you ask, begging him for an answer.

“Dump him,” he says, as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

“What? I can’t just straight up tell him that I’m leaving!”

“Yes, you can,” says Renjun slowly, maintaining solemn eye contact with you. “Because you are your own person, and if you don’t like the way someone is treating you, you can tell them to piss off.”

You send a pleading look at him, but he shakes his head before you can even say your question.

“No, I’m not doing it for you, because it has to come from you. You’re the one he’s mistreating. Also, I’m pretty sure that if I say one more word to him, he’ll punch me.”

“Will you come with me?” Your voice is a whisper, your eyes are sincere. “Please.”

A pause, and then: “Okay, but I’ll have to stand slightly apart from you two. Don’t worry —” he adds, “I won’t be too far away.”

“That took quite a while,” Youngjin says as you return to your seat.

“It was quite a lot of water,” you reply, smoothing down your dress.

“I think we ought to complain to management about this,” he muses, glaring at Renjun, who’s wiping down a table a little ways away.

“But Jinnie, he’s new —”

“This is how new people learn: from their mistakes.”

“Youngjin, please.” You finally gain his attention. “I know you’re upset about the spill, but I’m not. I talked with him earlier and he formally apologized. I forgave him.”

“You forgave him.” His tone is one of disbelief, as if something was wrong with that.

“Yes.” You stand up, trying to maintain your composure. “And do you know what else we talked about?”

“What.”

As you stare at him, you realize that he is no longer the shining Youngjin that you’d viewed him as just an hour earlier. Instead, you see that he’s impatient, unforgiving, selfish.

And, as his actions from tonight had clearly displayed, you see that he has no respect for others. He didn’t care whether you said no to coming home with him, because he was going to try to have it his way. He didn’t care what happened to you — he only cared that he got what he wanted.

“We talked about how you drugged my drink when I wasn’t looking.”

The bomb you drop in the conversation makes him stand up, as if the spark was right underneath him. He tries to defend himself. “Whoa whoa whoa — I didn’t put a thing in your drink! I’m not that kind of person, (Name), you know that. And besides, why would I?”

“Because I said I wouldn’t go home with you tonight. And I meant it, and you ignored it.”

“I didn’t — I swear, I didn’t touch your drink. Did you see me do something that made it look like I had?”

“No. But someone else saw you.”

Renjun had moved onto another table, one placed in your peripheral vision if you were staring at your date. Your gaze flits to him, and he gives you a look, one that you can’t quite put into words, yet one that tells you what to do next.

“You’re despicable,” you say to him. “I hate your attitude towards me; it shows how you treat women.” You stand up from the booth and gather your purse and phone. “And I hate how aggressive you were with our waiter. Don’t even try to call me, or text me. I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”

As you begin to make your way towards the exit, his voice calls from behind. “You have nowhere to go.”

You can hear the arrogance in his voice when he says it, but you turn and face him with the most repulsed look you can muster, rooted in the absolute disgust you have for him. “I’d rather have nowhere to go than to be at your mercy. Goodbye, Youngjin.”

You spin on your heels and make your way into the outside air, already cold from the night but frigid from the slight breeze. He was right — you did indeed have nowhere to go, no ride to catch. Maybe an Uber would be the best option, so you look up the phone number before realizing that neither you nor Youngjin had tipped.

It takes a couple of minutes to find the back entrance to the restaurant, which is hidden by a wall and stacked boxes. This must be where the deliveries for supplies go through, you conclude. And that door seems to lead to the kitchen.

It swings open easily, maybe even too easily, the flimsy metal grate of the door wobbling as you try to close it without making too much noise, but in vain, you hear an “excuse me” from behind you.

Caught.

A lady with smile wrinkles bows out of common courtesy, and you bow out of respect. “I’m sorry, dear, but we don’t allow customers in this part of the restaurant.” She clasps her hands in front of her apron, the plastic of her head cap crinkling as her hair falls down when she stands upright. “May I walk you back to your table?”

“Oh, um —” You try to explain yourself without sounding too nervous. “Is it… is it okay if I stay back here for a little bit?”

She tilts her head to the side and leans forward, listening.

“I — I came here on a date, but he put something in my water — and our waiter knocked it over so I wouldn’t drink it, and — then the waiter told me about it, and then I — I talked to my date about it but he got angry with me, and he was being really rude and making me uncomfortable…” Your eyes dare to tear up and you lower your head in shame, embarrassed to admit such a thing to a stranger.

But she understands and nods, taking pity on you. “Stay here as long as you need,” she says, her eyes filled with sympathy. Then she sits you down on an unused chair, asking if you’d like something to drink. “Barley tea while you wait?”

“Yes, please…” Your tone is an odd combination of grateful and miserable.

A few minutes later, Renjun walks into the kitchen, relieved that your date had finally stormed off. His sleeves are rolled up from cleaning tables and he sighs, tossing the dish rag into a nearby laundry basket.

And then he notices you, holding a cup filled with something he assumes is tea. “Why are you still here?” he asks, a part of him breaking inside when he sees your expression.

It’s awkward as you try to put the cup down while fumbling with your purse. “Well I — I forgot that I hadn’t tipped, so I just — I wanted to —”

“You don’t have to.”

You stop, a couple of dollar bills between your fingers. “Why not?”

He shrugs. “You just don’t. I only brought you water… which I knocked over, so the more reasonable thing to do is for me to pay for your dress.” His mouth twists and he looks away, feeling partially guilty.

But you don’t stop the conversation there, frustrating him slightly more. “Oh, my dress? My dress is fine, it was just water.” And it’s awful, because now Renjun can’t think of anything else he can do to make everything up to you, make tonight not a complete failure of a date for you. Dear god, this is like when Mom tries to pay the check after a dinner with friends. Do I need to FIGHT you for the bill?

And then he has another idea, and he isn’t sure whether it’ll be good or not.

“I’ll take you out to dinner,” he says bluntly, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he can arrange them into something more polite.

“What?”

“Well if you’re still hungry — and if you want to, sorry that was a bit too straightforward —”

“I want to.”

It’s something barely louder than a whisper, but he hears you and unties his apron, folding it up and placing it on a counter. “Mom?” he calls. “I’m taking my break now.”

One of the chefs turns around, and you realize it’s the lady who allowed you to stay in the kitchen and gave you barley tea. She takes one look at the two of you before saying, “Oh, okay! Have fun!” and delivers a teasing smile to you both.

Renjun’s ears are pink. “Mom —”

“Yes, I heard you! Go take your break, Jun!”

You and Renjun prove to be very indecisive over where to eat (“Um… do you want to eat in the restaurant?” “I don’t mind, where do you want to go?” “I don’t know.”), which is the only reason why you’re eating churros for dinner. It has nothing to do with the fact that your friend doesn’t want to eat at his family’s restaurant (he says).

But Renjun knows the owner of the churro shop a block away, who said that you guys didn’t have to pay (he doesn’t tell you that it’s because his friend’s proud of him for finally getting a girlfriend, which he doesn’t object because hey, free food). And they’re good churros, so who are you to complain?

As you sit across from him inside the parlor, you learn that he does, in fact, attend the same college as you — you happen to be in the same year and you even have your life skills class together, which surprises you both (and despite it being a class of a hundred people, you wonder why you don’t seen him more often).

And he learns your name, something he realizes he didn’t know yet. He hadn’t felt the need to, since it was just you and him, but now he feels slightly embarrassed for not asking it sooner.

Your previous feelings pass with the time as you watch people enter and exit, walk by the glass windows of the place and peer in curiously. Renjun’s a good storyteller, weaving anecdotes of his college friends into your mind that play like a movie — Lee Donghyuck, his classmate from the music section in the arts department; Na Jaemin, his friend from and captain of the dance team; Lee Jeno, his roommate of two years and best friend of ten. And after a while, you find yourself longing to get to know the boy sitting in front of you, to possibly share some experiences with him, to fall into his memories and join him there.

By the time you finish your churros and walk around the streets, a question — ignored until now — arises.

“Renjun…” Your voice trails off, and you become painfully aware of just how many things still separate you. He may be in your class, but he’s still very much a stranger. A pretty stranger, but a perfect case of seeing yet not knowing.

“Hmm?” He turns his head, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Why are you… being so nice to me? You barely know me.”

“Well…” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks, starting to make things slightly awkward. “I didn’t approve of what your friend pulled earlier, no one deserves for that kind of thing to happen to them —”

“No, I mean all of tonight. You prevent me from drinking the water, and then you help me get rid of Youngjin, and then you take me out for dinner — why?”

He sighs. “What happened in the restaurant was what anyone would do. But I didn’t want you to be upset after everything… so I asked to hang out with you more, because I wanted you to at least have an okay night.”

Something inside of your chest blooms as his words reach your ears, a giddy feeling that only comes from the thoughtfulness of a stranger… and perhaps from other things, too but you’re not quite sure.

You’re caught up in your mind in dilemmas of your own. How can you express your gratefulness after all that has happened? He acts as if his acts were nothing, not knowing the effect it had on you. How do you thank him?

And you realize where your thoughts have left you, your gaze landing on his lips.

Oh.

Blood rises to your cheeks as you dismiss the notion, hastily looking away.

No, that’s a bad idea.

Quite terrible, in fact.

After considering what he had said earlier, Renjun is hit with a sudden thought and he swallows nervously, facing you. “I realize now that I’ve become too involved in your life tonight. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to mess everything up for you.”

You raise your eyebrows at his change in demeanor. “What are you talking about?” He doesn’t reply, so you continue. “You saved me. And… you encouraged me to speak out because I was uncomfortable, and I really appreciate that. You didn’t mess anything up, Jun.”

His ears burn a bright scarlet, unseen by you in the darkness, but he reaches up to touch them and you think you might know why.

 “Um — well, what I’m saying is —” You stammer under his gaze, which is fixated on you, only you. “— I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”

The lights on the sidewalk are able to illuminate his expression, but it’s not enough for you to notice the pale pink dusting his cheeks. “I did, too.” His voice breaks on the first word and the sentence becomes a whisper. “Ah — it’s getting late, I ought to take you home.”

“Wait —”

Renjun freezes when your hand grabs his in an attempt to make him stop walking, and his brain short-circuits as he tries to think about anything except holding it.

“We haven’t even had dessert yet.”

“What?” he chokes out as he concentrates on your hands, hoping you don’t realize his voice is suddenly an octave higher. God, were you trying to make him flustered? “Churros aren’t dessert?”

“I mean they’re sugary, but not quite dessert material…”

He tries to relax — at least as much as he can while you’re holding his hand — and manages to somewhat compose himself. “Okay…”

“Do you want to get something cold or something hot…?”

He doesn’t know, and instead chooses to run his other hand through his hair, the chill of the wind blowing gently across his face. You can’t tell that his cheeks are tinted pink, but you feel his palm starting to get sweaty.

“I have an idea,” you say, squeezing his hand and you could swear you just heard him gasp with a sharp intake of breath.

“Oh?”

“It’s a terrible one, though.”

“Go for it, I love terrible ideas.” He watches as you gaze up at him and step nearer, and he begins to realize where this is heading. “After all —” His arms find your waist, his eyes reflecting the pale glow of streetlamps. “— I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t spill water on you.”

“True.” You pull him closer and notice that he tilts his head yet doesn’t move. Were you making a mistake, was this too fast? If he wasn’t staring at your lips, you certainly would have thought so.

Then what was he waiting for?

Amidst the thoughts running through your mind, an answer comes to the surface.

You. He was waiting for you.

Renjun realizes that this may not be your first kiss ever, but it’s your first kiss with him, and it shouldn’t be his decision to make — it should be yours.

And your answer is yes.

You meet him halfway, a silent thank-you passing between. It was out of respect that he hadn’t kissed you first, out of respect, he had waited for you. You hadn’t expected a person to do that on a date… or ever.

The night air picks up and sends chills down your arms and legs, the only heat coming from Renjun’s hand on your cheek. With every gust of wind your grip on his shirt tightens, ensuring that the warmth won’t leave you, grasping for it like a child trying to catch embers flying from a fireplace.

An indescribable gratitude bubbles up within you as your arms loop around his neck. And the moments tick by as slowly as if you suddenly stared at a clock for each second.

One.

Thank you for saving me.

Two.

Thank you for keeping me company.

Three.

Thank you for waiting for me.

And you pull away. The kiss was short, yet it leaves you too shocked to speak.

Thank you for making me stand up for myself when I was nervous, thank you for encouraging me when I wasn’t sure.

Your thoughts never get further than the tip of your tongue, but they make it to your eyes, a sign of your gratefulness present in your expression.

The first actual words out of your mouth are: “You taste like cinnamon sugar.” His cheeks flare up in embarrassment, and although you can’t see them in the current lighting, you can feel them burning as you brush your fingers against his face.

 “I — thanks?”

“Mmhm. Well, you didn’t specify hot or cold for dessert, so I decided a little bit of both.”

“What was the cold?”

“The wind.”

“Ah, the wi—” He lets go of you to check what you’re wearing, noticing the raised bumps on your arms and the way that your hand is a lot colder than his. “Wait, you must be freezing, I’m so sorry —”

“Oh, it’s fine —”

“I mean, I would offer you my jacket, but I don’t have one, so unless you want to wear my shirt…”

You smack his shoulder lightly. “We should start walking, then.”

As you move to continue down the sidewalk, it’s now Renjun’s turn to take your hand. He ignores the fact that he can’t hear himself over his internal screaming while holding your hand again, asking, “Wait, you never told me the other half. What was the hot?”

Glancing sideways at him, you send him a knowing look and laugh. “I think you know. Let’s keep going —”

“Actually, seeing as I apparently taste like sugar,” he says matter-of-factly, “you don’t need dessert.”

“What are you talking about?” Whirling around to face him, you point to yourself. “Dinner goes to the stomach.” You gesture to your chest. “But dessert goes to the heart. That’s why there’s always room.”

Renjun pretends to consider your philosophy before agreeing. “Hmm. I like the way you think.”

“Yeah, me too.” You grin cheekily at him after dismissing his remark and earn an eyeroll, something that you were sure you’d be seeing a lot more often if you decided to start seeing him (which was a very likely possibility, if you were being honest).

“Are you sure you don’t need to go back soon? I don’t want to keep you here if you do…”

“What? No, I don’t need to go back,” you say, ignoring the rather inconvenient vibration of your phone, probably your roommate asking where you are. “The date’s not over until we’ve both had our fill of ice cream.”

“Hold on, ice cream? You want ice cream in this weather?” He gestures to the sky to indicate his point.

“Every time is ice cream time, Jun.”

Your phone keeps buzzing and you check it reluctantly. It is indeed your roommate, spamming your texts in hopes of getting your attention and an answer. Rather ineffective, you decide as you switch your phone to Do Not Disturb mode. Of course, it might result in some complaining at the end of the night, but you suppose that you could be spared that conversation for now.

She would ask you, “Where were you?” and you would reply, “On a date.” She would ask, “I should have known — no Sherlock, what were you doing for so long?” and you would say, “We went out for dessert, too.” She would inquire further, “So what happens with you and Youngjin now?” and your puzzling response would be a shake of your head and a “Never again… but I did meet someone else…”

You could picture the scene as you step into the ice cream place with Renjun’s pinky interlocked with yours, a small and rather inaccurate display of the growing affection he has for you.

Your orders are placed, as are your spoons, smooth plastic meeting smoother dessert. Neither of you are brave enough to try the adorable fish-shaped cones that the shop is famous for, since they look like a mess about to be made. Your dress and Renjun’s white collared shirt aren’t exactly ready for that, so you get your ice cream in cups like the cowards you are.

On the side of the counter, there’s a glass dispenser of water with cucumbers and mint sprigs floating over the surface, and Renjun leaves you to take the ice cream and find somewhere for you both to sit, which you do.

When he returns, he places two water cups on the table and bows respectfully, clasping his hands in front of him and surprising you slightly. Yet as he straightens up, you notice the smirk tracing his face, the playful gleam in his eyes.

“May I get you started on drinks?”