Taehyun Imagines - Tumblr Posts

When he thought he'd moved on (ex-boyfriend!txt)

Warnings: not really gender neutral

note: when I started this I wondered if it was appropriate, please let me know if there is any problem. sad hours open, I guess.

Soobin

The cafe was quiet, just the way he liked it. This was your meeting place; even if the place was closed, the two of you would meet here. He got here early, the table in the corner waiting for him as always. The owner had smiled at him and said hello, recognising him as a long-time customer.

As he pulls his earphones from his pocket and begins to detangle them, he unconsciously bounces his leg, an old habit. Soobin's thoughts are distracted, the new song he wants to show you by his favourite band occupying his mind. He's sure you'll like it - he's slowly converted you to a fan over the years.

Once the wires of the earphones are all straightened out, and he plugs them into his phone. The ear with a green sharpie heart is his side, the one with the blue is yours, a little faded from so many bus rides and time spent in bed sharing music together.

The bell on the door grabs his attention, and he looks up - and remembers. It wasn't you who he was meeting. This isn't your meeting place anymore. He feels guilty about being excited, more guilty about forgetting that he's supposedly moved on. Still, he grins painfully convincingly as she takes the seat across from him, as if this was what he had been expecting all along. He tries to figure out how he could have forgotten that this is how things are now, nodding as she is talking, although he doesn’t hear a word.

Yeonjun

Yeonjun doesn't know what day it is, what time it is. All he knows is his phone is ringing, dragging him from his much needed sleep. With a long groan he rolls toward the edge of the bed, not even daring to open his eyes and expose them to the bright light of the sun he can now see from behind his eyelids. Which means he hasn't looked at the caller ID. Which means he answers the way he normally would, half asleep and his brain not quite engaged. He answers with your name.

But it's not you. The voice that replies is so different from yours that it snaps him awake entirely. He is so disappointed he doesn't even panic, his voice so groggy he can play it off that she heard him wrong. After a short conversation, most of which he wasn't paying attention for, he throws the phone into the covers and wonders if he's made a big mistake by starting something new.

Beomgyu

He can't remember much about the dream, only your smile, your eyes, and your hand in his. Now he's awake, and the bed is familiarly warm, the sound of soft breathing behind him. He rolls over with a contened sigh, reaching arms out to pull you against his chest, pressing his nose into your hair. He feels a cheek nuzzle against his neck and all feels right with the world.

"Did you get a new shampoo?" he asks, voice rough with its first use of the day. He lazily pulls his head back and opens his eyes, and reality cracks down over his head like an egg when he sees her.

"No," comes her reply.

It's the first time she's stayed over, the first time anyone has stayed over but you. He was totally fine with it last night. Now it feels so gut wrenchingly wrong. Maybe he should wait a while longer before letting her stay again.

Taehyun

It's been a long, long day. Every muscle aches, and even his brain feels like a muscle with how tired he is. He drops his bag at the door and kicks off his shoes, the sofa calling to him longingly from across the room. The minute his back is on the soft cushion, he knows he'll fall asleep here, but he's not sure that he cares - he's fallen asleep worse places than this. Flicking on the TV, the first thing he sees is an ad about an upcoming movie, a remake of an old classic. He smiles.

"Hey babe," he calls out, "we should take your mom to see this, it's her favourite."

Hearing the familiar creak of the floorboards leading into the kitchen he glances up, and his smile falters. How could he have forgotten? She's looking at the screen with a confused expression, shaking her head. "No, it's not. I've never heard of it." She swings around to look at him now. "Have you even met my mom yet?"

He blinks, somehow feeling more drained than he was before. "Oh... I meant my mom."

Maybe he will go to bed after all.

Huening Kai

He's looking at the photos again, the ones in his phone that he keeps telling himself he'll delete. But every time he pulls them up to get rid of them, he finds he can't. He should, he knows he should, but it seems his head and his heart are at war.

He spends so long flicking through them, there are so many, accumulated over the years you spent together. He lands on his favourite; the two of you at the carnival. The memories the photo brings are so vivid, so precious, he swears he can remember every detail; the temperature of the air, the foods you ate, even the songs you listened to on the way home, car windows down and an impressive amount of sugar in your systems as you sang and bopped along. His mind replays the scene of the two of you on a ride, your laughter amidst the screams of other riders, clutching onto each other's arms for dear life, and how you almost dropped your phone as you reached out to capture the moment.

Kai forgets himself, forgets where he is right now, that this isn't your room he's lounging in, and a loud laugh bursts from him. When his joy filled eyes turn to meet hers, she is giving him an incredulous look over the top of her computer screen. He snaps out of it in an instant and tucks his phone away, apologising with a duck of his head. What is he going to do about those photos?

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

When you’re sick

Warnings: none, one Monsters Inc. reference I hope won't confuse people

Please let me know which is your favourite!

☆ gender neutral reader

Soobin

You'd tried everything, from warm baths to drinking god-awful concoctions people swore by on the internet. But you were still sick. You'd been holed up in your bedroom for almost a week, leaving poor Soobin to have to sleep on the couch. You missed him, but you couldn't let him catch what you had. The only contact you'd had with him all week was through texting, and the meals he'd leave outside the bedroom door for you.

Of course, you'd been apart longer than this before; being in a successful group, Soobin often went on tour for months at a time. But this almost seemed harder, maybe because you felt miserable physically and just wanted to be held and loved on.

"I just wanted to see you," came his muffled voice, a hint whiny. "I won't come any further than this, I promise."

Sighing, you retreated from hiding. You hadn't seen him with your own eyes for what felt like longer than it actually was. There was no helping how good it felt to look at him now. "I miss you."

His lopsided smile gave you a rush of warmth. "Please get better before I go crazy."

You felt guilty. "I'm sorry. You can go and stay at Taehyun's if you-"

Soobin's mouth quirked, his brow creased. "It's not that. I just want to see you, touch you, have a real conversation. I want to hold you until we fall asleep." You felt the longing for him increase. "You always take care of me when I'm sick, even if you might catch it. Please, let me do the same for you."

His eyes held a helpless look that tugged at your heart as much as his words did. You felt your resolve crack, and it must have shown in your face, Soobin crossing the threshold and shuffling towards the bed. Relief flooded through you as he crawled up next to you and tucked you into his arms. His warmth was everything you'd needed for the past week, and he sighed as you buried your face against his neck. You swear you started melting when you felt his fingers in your hair. This was home.

Yeonjun

You weren't sure how long you'd felt like this. Time seems a blur when most of it is spent in bed, falling in and out of sleep and dreams. It took a monumental effort just to roll from one side to the other, so you couldn't remember the last time you'd eaten or showered. One small mercy was the fact that your ears were blocked, muffling the noise of the world outside the window; birds and neighbours dogs and traffic sounds couldn't disturb your sporadic naps.

Suddenly there was soft skin against your cheek, a warm palm and fingertips that you leaned into without question, and a deep sound somewhere close by. It took a few minutes for your mind to kick in and realise that these things were real and not a dream. Opening your eyes to the dim room, you found a face smiling down at you; your Yeonjun. But something was strange about this. Hadn't you been alone? Wasn't there a reason you were in the middle of the big bed, his pillow trapped between your arms?

"Junie?" You whinced as your voice seemed to reverberate through your head, your throat burning as the word tore through it.

"Hey, baby," he replied softly. You felt his fingers swipe the hair off your forehead before his nose was touching your own.

With what little strength you had, you tried to sink further into the mattress to put space between the two of you. "Jun, I'm- I'm sick."

"It's okay." You felt his arm slither under your back and peel you off the bed, pulling you into him. "I'm here."

You sniffled, swallowing against the dryness of your mouth that comes with not being able to breathe through your nose for so long. "Why?"

"'Why?'" He laughed. "Because the tour ended and I came home to you. Aren't you happy to see me?"

You nodded weakly against his chest. "Junie... I'm sick," you said again, half warning and half complaint.

His hand began to rub your back soothingly, and it felt so good to be in his arms again that you sighed heavily, raspily. "I know, babe, I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't..." Words were too hard. Instead, you brought your hand to his chest and tried to push him, rather feebly, away.

A large hand wrapped around your wrist, softly pulling your arm up over his shoulder. "I don't care. I missed you."

Not having it in yourself to argue, you surrendered, letting your body totally relax into his. You had pictured him coming home after tour very differently than this. You wanted to kiss him. You wanted to talk about his trip, but you couldn't fight your body. You heard the rumble of his voice again. "What?"

"I'll make you some chicken soup," he repeated. But as he tried to turn to leave the bed you grabbed a handful of his shirt. You heard him chuckle, and his arms were back around you again. "Maybe later, then."

Beomgyu

One minute you were studying, the next you were being woken by your phone blasting the most annoying ringtone Beomgyu had set for himself. You scrambled to snatch the phone off the desk where you had evidently fallen asleep. "Gyu? What time is it?"

"Half past the time you were supposed to meet me at the cinema."

Your heart sank. How long had you been asleep? "Oh no. I'm so sorry, I fell asleep."

"Why do you sound like you're talking into a tin can?"

Now that you were more awake, you noticed the feeling in your throat, the pounding of your head. Sure, falling asleep with your head on a desk wasn't the best, but you'd never known it to make your head feel like this. Come to think of it, you couldn't breathe through your nose very well either. You thought back and vaguely remembered your roommate having had a cough before she left for the weekend. There was a knock at the door.

"Hang on," you said into the phone, crossing the small space to open the door and-

"You look terrible," Beomgyu said, to your face and in your ear before hanging up. His cheeks were flushed, telling you he'd walked all the way here, in the cold, probably to check on you.

"Wow, thanks," you deadpanned as you let him in. "When's the next showing? Maybe we can make that one."

Your boyfriend pulled his hood down and looked at you for a moment before pressing his palm to your forehead. Trying not to flinch at the coldness of his hand, you looked up at him, his eyes still studying you.

"You're hot," he told you.

You scoffed, but it came out as more of a cough. "That's not what you were saying a minute ago."

Without another word, Beomgyu's hands were on your shoulders, turning you around and steering you through the small dorm room and sitting you down on your bed. Then he disappeared into the bathroom, coming back with a towel that he pressed against your head.

"I'm fine," you sighed. "Let's go see the movie."

Beomgyu tisked, gesturing for you to hold the towel before dipping to his knees to pull off your slippers. "The only movie you're seeing tonight is the DVD I got you for Christmas." Standing up again, he shooed you up the bed and pulled the covers over you.

"But we've seen that a hundred times," you whined. You'd been looking forward to a night out with your boyfriend; the movie, popcorn, leaving the confines of your dorm room after so many days and nights of studying.

"But you love it," he retorted, mocking your whiny tone. He handed you the remote for the tiny TV at the foot of your bed. "I'm guessing you haven't had dinner?" You shook your head. "Got any cup ramen?" You nodded.

You opened your mouth again to complain, but the words never came as Beomgyu kissed you on the top of the head and walked over to boil the kettle. Instead you let yourself sink into the comfort of your bed, only now noticing how exhausted you actually were. So you weren't going to get your date, but how could you complain when you had a boyfriend like this?

Taehyun

You were up before Taehyun this morning - an unusual occurrence. You'd woken up with a funny feeling in your throat and quickly but quietly escaped his room to cough without waking him. Then you'd tiptoed to the kitchen to boil water, eyes meeting with Yeonjun's who was sitting at the table eating cereal. His smirk said it all.

You were sat on the couch when Taehyun emerged from his room, tired eyes searching for you. By now, Soobin and Beomgyu were also sitting at the table eating. Taehyun plodded over to you. "Morning."

"Don't get contaminated," Yeonjun called, looking up from his phone. You narrowed your eyes at him.

Soobin, who looked like he could've still been half asleep, whipped his head up in confusion, chewing his toast with a new expression.

Taehyun's eyes swept from his friend to you, scanning your face for signs of anything amiss. "Are you not feeling well?"

"M'fine," you croaked, arms wrapped around yourself inside your hoodie as you tried to hold off a shiver.

"Tried to cough up a whole cat this morning," Yeonjun snitched. Soobin looked between Yeonjun and Beomgyu, still puzzled, his messy bed hair comedically flapping side to side.

You rolled your eyes, looking up at Taehyun with a small pout. "I just have a cough. It's probably the change in the weather."

"Or bronchitis."

Taehyun ignored the oldest boy's comment as he crouched down in front of you. "Do you want me to go to the pharmacy?"

"Really," you persisted. "I'm fine. I feel okay, just an itchy throat." As if on cue, you started to cough again, burying your face into the crook of your arm, then quickly tried to recover yourself. "I don't want you to worry."

"Sounds like a duck," Beomgyu said with a tone that gave away his amusement.

Taehyun sighed and rubbed up and down your arms comfortingly. "I just want to help you feel better, so anything you need, you just tell me, okay?"

You nodded. He stood up and went to the kitchen to start breakfast, giving you a kiss on the cheek first. Suddenly there was a commotion, as Beomgyu grabbed his breakfast bowl and ran from the kitchen yelling, "twenty-three nineteen!"

Huening Kai

The first thing that you noticed was a dull ache in your head. You'd taken some pain relief, thinking it was just a normal headache, and pushed on to get ready for your dinner plans. Kai's parents were always so happy to have you for dinner, and to see him catching up with them and his sisters made you happy, too.

You started to feel a little weak halfway through your meal, participating in conversation less and less, and after dinner you'd slipped away to a quiet room for what was supposed to be a few minutes. Your body felt heavy, more exhausted than what would be expected, and as you sat on an armchair in the dimly lit room, you became aware of the dull ache in your muscles. Eyes closing, the sound of distant chatter and laughter from the dining room lulled you quickly into unexpected sleep.

Kai had thought you were gone for the bathroom, and after ten minutes of your absence, his eyes flicking to the door every so often in anticipation of your reappearance, he thought he should check on you - maybe something you'd eaten wasn't agreeing with you. When he'd knocked on the bathroom door and there was no reply, he'd let himself in only to find it empty. He checked the kitchen, then the garden, then walked back to the dining room to see if you'd returned there while he'd been away. His mother joined him as he went to check the living room.

The two of them found you dozing and lowered their voices to a whisper, Mrs. Huening commenting that you hadn't seemed yourself earlier. Kai gently touched the back of his hand to your forehead and found it clammy. This, along with the headache you'd mentioned before the drive up and how quiet you'd been, probably meant you'd come down with something, and he decided to take you home.

That's how you woke up in Kai's arms, in the cold night air, on the way to the car. "There you are," he said when he noticed you awake. "Have a nice nap?"

You noticed a sore throat was beginning as you spoke, glancing around the street. "We're leaving?"

His soft brown eyes met yours as he continued to walk. His arms kept you steady against his chest, so you barely felt like you were on the move. "You're exhausted. You fell asleep."

You hated that you were the reason Kai's family time was being cut short and that you hadn't said goodbye to anyone. "I'm fine, Hyuka. Let's go back. Please?"

He came to a stop as he reached the car, looking down into your eyes again with a soft smile. "You need rest. We'll go home, I'll run a bath, and then we'll get into bed." Seeing you open your mouth to argue, he added, "Let me take care of you."

You couldn't argue with that.

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

I don't think I could write this so ima I just blurt my idea, I don’t even know what member would fit best. It was actually a thought I had for Bangchan of Stray Kids but I didn't know who to give the idea to

Mafia!txt coming home to find the front door of the house open with definite signs of forced entry, throwing the car into park in the driveway without even turning off the ignition, sprinting straight to the front step and listening for a moment, but he can't hear any voices or movement inside. He knows you were home all day with no plan to go out, he knows he's been taking big risks in dangerous circles lately, angering big players. He knew this could happen someday, he just never imagined it would.

He considers calling his boys, but it would take too long for them to arrive when you could be in there, or when you could be out there somewhere needing him. He can't think clearly, his mind just repeating your name like a mental heartbeat. He should know what to do, he should move, but he's grappling with it all. Go inside, risk escalating the situation if someone is upstairs with you? But if they've cleared out and left you and you're hurt...

Steeling himself, he grabs the pistol tucked in the back band of his trousers. Inwardly, he is trembling with panic, stepping over the threshold into the home and fearing what he could find. Which is worse? Finding you harmed, or not finding you at all?

Med student Beomgyu has been posted! The option with the second most votes will be the winner.

Txt when their partner goes into labour

Warnings: not descriptive or graphic but labour (as in pushing out a baby), fem!reader

note: I promise this will be the last time you see me write about kids! blame Soobin and Beomgyu-

Soobin hears you cry out from another room, rushes to check on you, eyes darting cluelessly from your face to your belly and back again, until you tell him your water's just broken. You swear the man goes pale, stammering, but it's not time! Doctor's advice, birthing classes, everything he's read about what to do, it all leaves his head. Can he drive right now? Soob? you pat his arm, let's go. Yeonjun drives the two of you to the hospital, Soobin in the back-seat with you, squeezing his arm, his eyes growing wider and wincing every time you have a contraction and whimper with pain. He hates that there’s nothing he can do to take the pain away for you. When you are fully in labour, it's as if his instincts kick in, doing the breathing exercises with you, telling you you're so strong, he loves you so much, you can do it. You've never seen him shake his head so hard and fast as when the doctor asks him if he wants to see the baby's head coming. When the little bundle is in his arms, he becomes sniffly, eyes wet with emotion, the rest of the world disappearing around him. Hey, you say tiredly, when do I get to hold her? Soobin turns his body away instinctively, moving your daughter in the opposite direction of you. You got to hold her for nine months, it's my turn.

Yeonjun is pretty fine, following the plan that he's gone over in his head a hundred times in preparation for this moment. It's when he sees you waddling around your hospital room in pain that he starts to get jittery, and he wants to hold you, soothe you, but he knows that right now he has to let you do your thing. When you finally sit down on the bed between contractions, he climbs up to sit behind you, pulling you back against his chest and rocking you slowly from side to side. It's when you have to start pushing that he starts to get teary, seeing you go through so much pain and hearing you cry out in agony is too much for him, and he can't hold it back. Probably tells you he's so sorry for doing this to you, that he doesn't care if he can't use the hand you have a vice grip on for a month, he doesn't need it. As soon as he sees his child, Yeonjun is a mess. And I don’t just mean tears, I mean audible sobs, as he gazes down at this little piece of the both of you. He’s so choked up he can’t speak as he places the baby in your arms, pressing his head against yours as you both peer at the new member of your family.

Beomgyu is pretty anxious and a little protective. His arm is around the back of your chair as you wait to be checked in, his leg bouncing a million miles an hour. He's filling out paperwork at the front. desk when the nurse comes to take you to your room and get changed, where is she going? The nurse laughs; she's used to first-time dads. Beomgyu is very attentive, asking regularly if you need anything - water, food, a back rub - and after the first five hours, when you suggest he take a nap, he refuses. He's here for you. Can't you give her something for the pain? he asks the doctor over your wails of pain when you begin giving birth, and when the doctor assures him that they already gave you something, Can't you give her more? When you are prompted to push harder, he tells you to get angry, and when that doesn’t help, he starts listing all the stupid things he’s done that have annoyed you. This doesn’t really help either, but soon enough your baby is in the world. He’s real? Beomgyu asks the nurses as they towel off the crying baby, not yet ready to let go of your hand. A nurse hands him the bundle, and he looks so amazed. Hi, he says softly before looking at you with starry eyes, You made this. You laugh as he puts one arm around you and you both admire your son, You helped.

Taehyun is the most collected of the bunch. He knows how nervous you are, so he’s glad he can keep his cool for you. On the drive to the hospital, he can tell you need a distraction, so he tells you all the things you all the things you have to look forward to; no more cramps, no more morning sickness, being able to see your feet, not being a human incubator anymore. He stands by your side through the whole thing, feeding you ice cubes, guiding you through your breathing exercises the way he was taught, and when it's delivery time, being a strong arm for you to go to town on, wiping your damp face with a cold cloth, showering you with encouragement. As soon as he hears that baby cry, he absolutely beams, couldn't stop smiling if he tried, telling you he's so proud of you and kissing your tired face as you finally lay back and rest, exhausted. After helping to cut the cord, he's handed the baby, and he brings it straight to you, laying the tiny thing on your chest. His eyes are so full of love and shiny with emotion as he strokes your hair, both of you in wonder of his tiny life you've created.

You're out shopping when your water breaks, and Kai looks at you in distress. The- the hospital bag, it's at home! he frets as the two of you head for the parking lot. Kai, we put it in the car when it got closer to my due date, remember? you remind him, watching him blink adorably in realisation, though this reassurance doesn't do anything for the deer-in-headlights look in his eyes. At the hospital, he's unusually quiet; his whole world is about to change, and he wonders how nine months came and went so fast. He returns your reassuring smiles, takes a minute to answer questions, but when you need him most, he snaps out of it, large hands soothing your back as you rock yourself against the pain, tying your hair up for you, humming songs and breathing with you through the contractions. You won't have this belly anymore, he pouts as he rubs over the baby bump for the last time. When the baby is placed in his arms for the first time, he is speechless, looking from your tired eyes to the tiny pink human engulfed in his arms, overwhelmed with love.

Currently thinking about first-time dads txt having to discipline their kids or say no to them... they're all big softies who wouldn't want to be the bad guy or make their kid cry. I feel like Taehyun and Yeonjun would be best at gently laying down the law, while Soobin, Hyuka, Beomgyu, hmm and sometimes Yeonjun, would mostly use the distraction or bribery technique to redirect the child's attention to something else to move them on from the trouble they're in so they don't have to tell them off 😆

e.g. Beomgyu avoiding all the embarrassment a tantrum brings in public: oh look, a gum ball machine! here's a coin... oh nice, a blue one! is it yummy? yeah, that'll keep you busy for a while.

Yeonjun's technique is to just get really pouty with his kid and make them feel guilty for whatever they did lol

Txt as dads headcannons

Beomgyu's son being embarrassed that his dad is the loudest kid on the playground

Yeonjun watching his daughter at ballet class, proud grin never leaving his face and constantly producing his phone from his pocket to take videos, he can't help it

Soobin trying to help his kids do math homework and struggling, wanting to quit more than they do, sending you an SOS with his eyes across the kitchen

Taehyun whose son begs to be on a vlive, so he sets up his phone on camera mode so that they can see themselves, and asks staff to message him comments and questions, bright eyes beaming as he watches his son talk happily with "MOA"

Kai's son and daughter fighting over the tv remote, so he separates them by sitting between them, one on either side, and puts on a movie he knows they will zone out to, snuggling up to him and keeping the peace

Hybrid!txt when you smell like someone else

Warnings: gender neutral reader, but for Taehyun's reader is mentioned to have a boyfriend. I should probably mention that when I write hybrids, I don't really picture people with animal features like ears and tails, just animal senses and behaviours? That should help this make more sense. This could also work for werewolves if you prefer to imagine it that way!

Note: this has been sitting in my drafts for months, it kept getting pushed back by other ideas. So glad to get it out. Please let me know which is your favourite scenario!

☆ gender neutral reader

Soobin

You were standing in the kitchen filling the sink with water to start the dishes when you heard the front door. It was game night; the night your boyfriend and his friends ordered in dinner and hogged the TV to play games until they wore each other out, or on some occasions, to tears. So you didn't mind doing the dishes tonight, even though it was technically Soobin’s turn.

"Yah, what's that smell?”

You turned to see Soobin and Beomgyu appear in the kitchen, bags from the convenience store slung over Beomgyu’s shoulder, a telltale sign that he'd lost at rock paper scissors. “Hi guys.”

"Is someone here?" Soobin asked, glancing down the hallway. You shook your head and he immediately dropped his confused expression, his face scrunching in disgust. “Then what smells like dog?”

"I don't... oh. It's probably my new boss, we had a meeting today." After all the time you'd been with Soobin, all the time you'd spent around his friends, you were still not that used to this whole thing. You couldn't always spot their kind, and sometimes you forgot about your boyfriend's intense senses, though you had gotten better since you started dating.

Beomgyu placed the bags atop the counter and scratched the back of his head. "The other guys will be here in a minute, so..." He looked up at Soobin who met his eyes.

This was another thing that happened often. It was like they could just lock eyes and know what the other was thinking without saying a word. The two seemed to finish their silent conversing, turning back to you, matching grins growing on their faces. Your eyes darted between the two of them, trying to get a clue as to what you were left out of the loop about, before they were coming at you. Sandwiching you between them, they both began rubbing their cheeks against yours, scenting you as you squirmed.

"Is this what you're going to smell like every day now?" Soobin asked into your hair.

Beomgyu was finding this funny, his laughter in your ear as you whined in complaint. "You reek! Maybe it's time to find a new job."

Once they were satisfied with their work, they stood back, chuckling at how mussed up your hair was from their handiwork. You pouted up at them and they were even more amused.

The doorbell rang before Yeonjun let himself in, the door still being unlocked. He waltzed into the kitchen with Taehyun in tow. "Who's ready to get whoop-" his face fell and his eyes began to search the floor, before looking between you and Soobin, brows furrowed. "Did you guys get a dog or something?"

Before Beomgyu or Soobin could do anything except smirk at you, you were turning on your heel and announcing that you were going to take a shower.

Yeonjun

When he arrives home, straight away his senses hone in on your jacket hanging over the porch railing, soaking wet—yet still he can smell what you've tried to erase. As soon as you hear his key in the door you’re there explaining, before he can utter a single word.

"This guy at the bus stop was all over me. I had to get a different bus so he wouldn’t be with me on the way here."

He stops midway through taking off his own coat, the shoulders of the garment hanging at his elbows. You hear the strain in his voice, see the fervor flash through his eyes. "What do you mean all over you?"

"He put his arm around me. He kept putting his face close to my ear to ask me questions… but-but I washed my hair when I got home. I washed my jacket twice but I wasn't sure if it would still get to you, so l left it outside. I'm sorry."

His expression faded as he relaxed a little. Still he kept his concentration solely on you as he pulled his hands from his sleeves and hung the coat up. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. Did he do anything else, anything more? Are you okay?"

You sighed tiredly, glad Yeonjun was home and you could have dinner and relax together and put the day behind you. “No, I’m fine.”

Stepping forward, he pulled you into his arms and pressed his cheek to the top of your head. “That’s all that matters.”

Beomgyu

Beomgyu stepped out of the cool night air and into the small store you worked in. He always picks you up when you work the night shift, preferring to drive you home than you taking the bus so late.

You haven't yet noticed his presence, despite the place being empty, busy tidying the shop for closing. As he slinks over to you, you reach up on your tip toes to put something away on a high shelf, and he means to put his arms around you to surprise, but something made him stop short behind you.

"Not again," he says, making you jump out of your skin.

"Gyu!" you yelp. "Don't do that!"

He pouts. "You smell like not you."

Pulling the fabric of your shirt to your nose and inhaling, you shake your head. "I don't smell anything."

You move off to the front desk, Beomgyu trailing behind, still complaining. "Of course you don't smell it, you pure-bred human—" and when you send him a look, he adds, "—affectionately. You just have to take my word for it."

He watches as you clock out and untie the apron from your waist, looking up at him tiredly. "Let's just go home, okay?"

He nods, and after turning off the lights and locking the doors, you make the short walk to his car. It's still warm inside, and it's such a relief to sit down after hours on your feet. You let your head rest back against the seat and look up at your boyfriend as he puts the key in the ignition.

"Thank you," you say tiredly.

As he looks over at you, he grabs something from the mirror and holds it out to you. Taking it from him, you look down to inspect what you've been given—his car air freshener. "You're welcome."

Taehyun

Taehyun couldn't hide his smile as he opened the door, until he got a whiff of something he didn't like. "Hey," he said, trying to act casual despite his senses waving tiny red flags at him. Yet, before he could stop himself, he was asking, "Where have you been?"

He watched as you took off your shoes, a hard task with your hands occupied with the pile of books and stationary you'd brought for studying, and usually Taehyun would be a gentleman and take them for you, but right now his mind was distracted.

"I stopped at my boyfriend's place. I'm sorry, am I late?"

Your boyfriend. He hadn't known you had a boyfriend... had he? He tried to rack brain, think of who you hung out with at school as he lead you into the house. "Oh... no, uhm..."

You walked across him to put your stuff down at the table and he got a stronger smell of the scent that hovered around you. Your boyfriend was definitely not completely human. He wondered if you knew. He wondered if he could compose himself enough to study with this smell hanging around.

"Let's get started," you were saying as you took a seat.

Taehyun tried to ignore his thoughts as he sat with you, listening to you talk about the assignment and dividing tasks. He did his best to focus on the words you were saying, your voice, your eyes, anything he could hold onto. But his instincts were strong. He stood up suddenly, your eyes following him, mouth forming a question. "Would you like anything? To eat or drink?"

Your expression cleared of confusion. "Sure, water would be nice."

Thankful to busy himself and get a break, he walked over to the kitchen and filled one glass, then another, breathing deeply all the while to try to calm his system. As he returned to the table, you were coming back from the front hall, suddenly without your jacket on. You reached out and took one of the glasses from him and sat down once more. He noticed that most of the scent was gone; he could bear being so close to you now.

"I really like that jacket you were wearing," he commented nonchalantly between discussions of school work.

You looked up from your notes with a smile. "Oh yeah? Me too. It's my boyfriend's, I'm always stealing it when I can."

He nodded, trying to keep the small smile from fading. It's okay, I'm okay, his mind was trying to console him. It probably wouldn't work out between the two of you anyway... right?

Huening Kai

He found you on the couch, laying on your side, tucked into a ball. “Hi hun,” he spoke softly, knowing this habit of yours meant something was up. He wasn’t going to bring up the scent he had picked up before he’d even opened the front door just yet.

You peeked up at him and he could tell you were exhausted. “Hi." His smile and his eyes were so warm that you immediately blurted out what was wrong without him needing to ask. "I went to a party.”

“Oh?" Your voice was so small and meak it tugged at Kai’s heart. "A party?”

“I didn’t want to go but my friends… they dragged me there, and I… I’m pretty sure everyone there was…” You pressed your lips together.

“Stinky,” he finished for you with a playful scrunch of his nose.

Nodding, you uncurled yourself to make room for your boyfriend on the couch. He sat and reached for your hand, holding it inside his big, warm one. His hands were always warm. He was always warm. It was one of your favourite things.

“It was kinda scary,” you admitted. At this, he tugged your hand towards him, a sign for you to come closer, and soon you were tucked into his lap.

"I know," he said softly, rubbing his hands up and down your arms soothingly. "I know it's still all new to you."

Humming in agreement, you allowed your head to fall into the crook of his neck. This was the place you felt safest in the whole world, even before you knew that the world was not as you had always thought.

Kai's voice rumbled through his chest, vibrating through you as he spoke. "Maybe a bath might help you relax."

You looked up at him, and he brought his face down to rub his nose against yours, his trademark show of affection with you. "Do I really smell that bad?"

The boy couldn't hide his smirk. "Just a little."

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

Toxic ex-husband!txt

Warnings: toxic, possessive, erratic behaviour, do not try this at home

Note: I feel diabolical for writing this

Soobin

Soobin is ushered out of a different exit of the courthouse than you, but his long legs make quick work of rounding the building—he’d seen your lawyer steering you out a back door. He finds you just as you reach your car, in such a passion that he doesn't notice the way you jump at the sound of his voice. You just sat through an hour of feeling his eyes on you as your divorce was finalised, kept your nerve and avoided looking his way, and you didn't have the nerve to face him now. His mind flashes with glimpses of the past, before you went through this silly charade of separation. All the happy times you’d had, all those years of love. His heart felt sour in his chest.

"You don't mean it, I know you don't," he calls out to you as he approaches. You're quick to shut yourself inside your car and lock the doors, scrambling to put the key in the ignition as his hands press against the window. "I know you'll miss me," he insists, somehow still not understanding the reality of the situation even after the year-long divorce process. "You won't last a day in that house without me." He walks mindlessly in the wake of the car as you drive away, anger flaring. He won't give you up.

Yeonjun

He dons a hoodie and sits in the back of the dark bar you're having a first date in. It wasn't hard to get access to the time and location of this little rendezvous, since the password for your new dating profile is the same one you use for everything else. He watches you flirt and make small talk, smile stupidly at this new love interest, who in Yeonjun's opinion is definitely trying way too hard. And yes, he's noticed that you're wearing his favourite dress, the one that he bought for you, that you would wear to every date night the two of you shared. He grits his teeth so hard he can hear the strain on them, downing the last of the drink he ordered to keep his table and slipping out. When you finally make it back to the parking lot, he's leant up against your car, hood off and face smug in the dim artificial light.

"Hey, baby," he says smugly, causing you to shiver. You haven't heard his voice in so long, and the pet name...

"What are you doing here? You know it's over," you keep your tone confident while looking around nervously. "You should be moving on, like I have."

He takes a few steps closer to you. "You know why you like that guy so much?" Yeonjun asks, leaning his face close to your ear and taking a whiff of an in-breath before whispering, "he's wearing my cologne."

Beomgyu

You're about to turn out the light and go to sleep when a loud knocking startles you, bringing you back downstairs. Carefully you look out the peep hole and see Beomgyu, cursing to yourself before opening the door with the plan to give him an earful. But when the door swings open, his eyes look frantic, and he lets out a sigh, shoulders sagging as if relieved. "Oh thank god," he says, before stepping around you into the house and looking around the room.

"Beomgyu, no. You have to go," you say sternly. He turns to face you and his distressed look is still at play. "I saw- There was someone creeping around out there," he explains excitedly, eyes wide. "They were right on the lawn!”

Panicked, you turn your gaze to the window. Before you know it he's grabbing you, pulling you against his chest. "I was so worried." You can feel his heart hammering against you, no evidence to be suspicious of his story. Your own heart rate picks up, and you almost feel comforted that Beomgyu is here, that someone was looking out for you. "I'll keep you safe. Let me stay, just for tonight."

Taehyun

Taehyun never thought he would stoop to this level, but hey, the tracking program was on sale—it was as if the universe was telling him he was meant to do it. He doesn't know how long he's been awake, staring at his computer screen, at the red dot that represents your phone's location. He did wash a few dishes earlier, but he had intermittently looked over at his phone where the same red dot shone unblinking back at him. It hasn't moved for hours, and he begins to wonder if he's been scammed, if maybe he should have gone for the device that he could attach to your car... Taehyun feels like the little red dot is mocking him, and he almost wants it to move from the square that depicts your house. Antsy and frustrated, he turns on the TV. But even while he distractedly watches some sporting match, he sees red.

Huening Kai

You hear your mother talking as you let yourself in to her house, your childhood home, for one of your weekly dinners together. There were no cars parked on the street, so you figure she's on the phone with one of her friends as she laughs heartily. You can't help but smile at how happy she sounds as you leave your shoes at the door. When you round the corner into the kitchen, the smile dies on your face. Standing there, oven mitts in hand, chuckling along with your mother, is your ex husband. It's as if the last eight months never happened and all is nice and peachy, just another Tuesday night and not the twilight zone.

Huening Kai spots you in the doorway and gives you a smile, your mother turning around looking bubbly and bright. "Here she is! Look who stopped in," she says, as if you haven't noticed the big elephant in the room.

"Why?" you ask with no semblance of friendliness.

She flicks the tea towel your way as if scolding you, looking simply incredulous. "Be nice to our guest! He brought dessert."

You feel like you're being pranked. She's always been on your side of things, though she would never speak badly of her ex son-in-law, and suddenly she's wrapped around his little finger? Have you missed something, you wonder.

The oven dings and the two exchange excited looks, seemingly ignoring your presence. Kai slips his hands into the mitts and opens the door, retrieving a sweet smelling pie. Your mother claps her hands, childlike, and moves off to find cutlery. Surely you must be dreaming, because this is too much. Kai holds the dessert out for you to see, smiling down at you with bright innocent eyes, tilting his head the way he used to when he addressed you. "Would you like to taste, honey?"

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

Txt's favourite Christmas traditions with their kids

note: sorry it's so short! happy holidays, whatever you celebrate!

Soobin

Yes, it ends in a mess, and yes, half of the sweets are gone before they've really started decorating the cookies—he'll blame the kids, but he helped in more than just adult supervision. Truth be told, most of the time and energy is spent being silly, singing Christmas songs and dancing, but it's quality time. Quality time and a heavy dose of sugar. But when they decide to be determined at the task, they're focused on their efforts. The older one stands on a chair of her own, while the smaller of the two sits on Soobin’s lap and guides the spoon he's holding, laden with icing. They eat their creations while Soobin does the dishes, a Christmas movie and the music of his little girls' laughter playing in the background.

Yeonjun

Yeonjun's favourite thing about Christmas with his kids is watching their eyes lighting up when they see all the brightly coloured packages under the tree on Christmas morming. He gets so excited about it that he wakes up early like a kid himself. If his kids aren't up, he'll sneak in and wake them. He plays up his own reactions as they unwrap each gift, eyes and mouth wide as they turn excitedly to show him every toy they find inside the paper, a growing stack of toys he's going to have to wrestle out of the packaging afterwards. There are no fights over any of the presents because, of course, Yeonjun spoils them all, even though Santa gets the credit.

Beomgyu

Despite not liking the cold, Beomgyu always bundles up the kids (and himself) and takes them to the Christmas parade, always getting there early enough to get a front row seat. It's worth it for how much of a great time they all have. He waves along with the kids at the actors and dancers, smiling when they turn around to point out their favourite floats. By the end of the parade, there's always one kid in his lap, worn out from all the excitement. Before heading home, there's a stop at a cafe for hot chocolate—with marshmallows, his daughter is persistent in reminding him from the car ride to when he places the order, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket.

Taehyun

He loves going to the school Christmas concert. Watching the kids on the makeshift stage, singing along with their class to the carol, he watched them practice numerous times at home. Nodding along encouragingly for his daughter, who's little shy in front of the audience. Beaming when his son is one of the kids who the sings clearest of the mumbling group. When they run into his arms after it's over, he showers them with praise, and on the car ride home, they have their own mini concert singing along to the carols on the radio. Taehyun's kids are his pride, and he loves the holidays so much more since they came along.

Huening Kai

He wants to have a photo of his little ones with Santa every year until they're too old to believe. His oldest daughter, who has always been very inquisitive for her age, baffles Santa with the questions she asks, not satisfied with simply giving him a list of things she wants for Christmas. Kai helps to answer them, holding back a laugh as she watches the man scramble. When his youngest isn't sure, still at an age where he's funny about people he doesn't know, Kai sits beside Santa with him on his lap, showing him it's okay. After that, the kid waves to Santa every time he sees one, even on TV.

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

I'm not sure who this is about, since the poll hasn't finished. I was envisioning Yeonjun as I wrote it, but you can read it as whoever you like :) side note, thanks to aura whose work I was reading when inspiration struck!

trigger warning: angst?

"Don't marry him."

The world seems to shake as the words fall from his lips. It feels as though your heart comes to a screeching stop and drops into your stomach with a thud.

"What?"

"Please," he's saying before you've even finished forming the word.

His eyes are so sorrowful, and you're not sure if it's guilt or sincerity. Your head begins to throb as you catch up to reality. A few steps and he's in reach of you, reaching to cup your face between his hands as he looks down at you. His eyes dart between your own, trying to trace the look in them back to one single emotion. But even you don't know what you feel as you wordlessly shake your head as though the action could clear it.

"I..." you splutter, and his eyebrows tick upward, waiting for the rest of your reply, but it doesn't come. It feels like time might have stopped inside this room.

"I love you."

It sounds like the most matter of fact statement in the world. It sounds like waves crashing and the wind picking up and the first bird song of the day. So why does it feel so wrong?

"Why?"

You can feel the warmth of your own cheeks radiating back to you from the skin of his hands. The emotions you can't name are beginning to bubble up like lava in your belly, too many to name.

"'Why?'" he repeats, confusion clouding his brow with lines.

You wish you could silence the noise inside your mind. Thousands of words and questions and scenarios battering round and round inside your head, too loud.

"Why now? Wh- why are you telling me this now?"

You see the way he bites the inside of his cheek before he speaks, a nervous habit he's always had. "Because... I can't lose you."

The lava forms a name: Anger.

Instinctively, you pull your face from his hands, moving half a step back from him. "You're ruining everything... because you're jealous?"

"It's- I'm not jealous." His hands hang dumbly at his sides now. He looks hurt—by your words or by the way you've separated yourself from him, you're not sure. "Didn't you hear me? I love you."

Blinking back hot tears, you shake your head again. You refuse to believe it. Somewhere in the molten pool inside you swirls grief for what could have been if his words are true, and it's too much to bear.

"If you loved me, you could have told me. You had so many years to make your feelings known." You breathe sharply, something catching in your throat. "You just don't want me to have something that you don't."

The expression his face dissolves into makes your heart hurt tenfold. Maybe you were reading this whole thing wrong. But it's too late now; you're too proud to take it back or stay to hear another word. With one last look at your best friend and his pitiful glassy eyes, you turn and make a swift exit, finally allowing the tears to make their own escape. They taste of loss and regret.

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

Christmas with TXT headcanons

I'm sorry this is so short, I'm spent

Taehyun needing to look at all the Christmas trees at the farm before choosing one

Getting a tree almost as high as the ceiling because you've always wanted a big one and Soobin can reach the top to place the star >:)

Meanwhile, Beomgyu wanting the smallest tree of the lot because he feels sorry that nobody will want it

Yeonjun who you can't leave alone in the living room on Christmas eve because you just know he will peak at what's in his stocking

Huening Kai giving you the cutest snow globe as a gift because you've always wanted one and you'll treasure it forever

Going on a walk together to look at Christmas lights, Beomgyu and Yeonjun sticking to you like glue and sandwiching you between them because they're cold despite being bundled up to the nines

Running the last block and a half back to the dorm because Taehyun and Huening Kai decided to initiate a snow throwing fight, simultaneously laughing and trying not to slip in the snow

i just got like a random angst (??) idea like what if bf taehyun who has powers (visions/dreams of the future) but he can’t control them n is in a lot of pain when they take over his body 🤔

Whaaa this is such a good concept 🤯 I love your big brain

tw: mentions of death

Sometimes when you are out on dates you notice that your boyfriend suddenly goes quiet; body stiff, eyes blank, and seemingly suddenly disinterested in what you're saying and even his meal. You can't help but feel that maybe he's growing bored of you, waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to break up with you. But he doesn't.

One night, you're staying over at his place—something Taehyun has only allowed a handful of times in the two years you’ve been together—when you're woken by movement beside you. Taehyun's having a fitful sleep. You roll over to find perspiration on his brow, his teeth and hands clenched as though he's in agony. You've never seen him like this and begin to worry. Pulling the covers off of him, you discover his shirt is soaked with sweat.

They say you should never wake a sleep walker... is it the same for nightmares?

"Tyun," you call quietly, half hoping he doesn't wake. He begins to tremble, small grunts emitting from his throat, and you can't bear to see him in pain any longer. Shaking his shoulders, you speak louder. "Taehyun!"

His body jolts. His eyes fly open, pupils dilated. You can feel the heat radiating off of him–it's no wonder he's sweating.

"Are- are you okay?"

It takes him a moment to see you—really see you. The feeling that he's looking straight through you is one you know all too well, but maybe this time it's just the nightmare lingering in his view. He looks exhausted, swallowing thickly, his breath still coming to him in short pants.

Blinking fervently, his eyes finally seem to focus on you. "Why did you wake me?"

The words, though not said unkindly, stun you. You thought you were doing the right thing, and now you feel so wrong.

"I... you were... I'm sorry."

Feeling defeated, you roll back over onto your side, hiding your face from him and trying not to dissolve into tears.

Taehyun, on the other hand, is grappling with so much; the lingering fatigue and physical pain that accompanies his future-seeing visions, the emotional turmoil of what he saw is inevitably to come, and the guilt of how he knows he makes you feel. One day soon you'll leave him, he thinks.

He often wants to tell you about his ability, this inconvenient thing that was thrust upon him, but then he would have to tell you what he sees.

How can he tell you that he knew you before the two of you met? That he came into your life purposely, with the intention of getting close to you, for good reason? How can he tell you that every vision he has, every waking and sleeping dream, is of your untimely death?

Star soccer player!Taehyun who unexpectedly gets you pregnant, and now his heart's not in the game. His managers want him to choose, decide his future, one or the other. He walks off the field mid-game at the thought of never meeting his growing child, of never being permitted to see you again. Reporters and cameras clamour over the both of you as Taehyun ushers you out of the back door of the stadium, a protective arm around you and a sharp glare at the crowd as he pushes through.

Masseur husband Taehyun who notices that you’ve had a bad day when you come home from work, all tense and stressed out, and he knows just what you need. He hangs your coat and helps you take off your shoes before carrying you to his home office, ignoring your protests about needing to make dinner, and lays you on the massage table. He helps you unwind, gentle hands taking away all of the stress you were carrying from the day, before running you a bath and ordering in for dinner.

TXT with a vampire significant other

warnings: vampire reader, mentions of mortality?, blood not mentioned :)

note: I don't know where they come from, but the vampire thoughts keep coming! More Beomgyu x vampire reader on my 18+ nsfw blog!

☆ gender neutral

Even after you've been together a few years, you still catch Soobin admiring you as if he's smitten; your beauty and grace never wear off for him, and he still gets a little flustered and stuttery. You know he would spend every second of the rest of his life by your side, but you still want him to properly live it, not hide away with you all the time. So you let him introduce you to his friends, hard as it is for you to be around humans, and tag along to spend time with them for as long as you can stand. You find it gets easier each time, and more worth it to see your boyfriend laughing and enjoying time with his buddies.

Though Yeonjun knows you can't cry, he seems to be tuned in to your emotions. It's as if he can sense when you're upset. He knows you're older than him—though you've only given him a ballpark figure of just how many years you've seen—but, you're still his baby. He never lets you wall him out; even if you think it's too disturbing for a human to hear or he won't be able to understand, he wants to try. As the only person who knows your true nature, he wants to be someone you can open up to, tell all your secrets and fears to. He feels he can take it, because he loves you.

Beomgyu wants to hear all the stories—the real, true ones, not legends and lore that he can find on the internet that could just be foktales—and he wants to hear them from you. So many late nights are spent talking, Beomgyu mostly listening and throwing out questions and comments to your information. He listens so intently, eyes growing wider and wider, wrapping you even more around his little finger, especially when he breaks into an impressed smile during your recounts of things you've seen or done. When it's very late and Beomgyu refuses to sleep, too enthralled by the conversation, you retort to a little trickery; you gently brush your fingers through his hair over and over until his eyes start to grow heavy, continuing to talk in your quiet musical voice, until you've lulled him off into a deep sleep.

Taehyun has always been the strong one, but with his vampire partner, he often forgets that he's weaker and more vulnerable. Despite his love being immortal, he still acts in a protective way of them; walking on the side of the sidewalk on which he can shield them from threatening looking oncoming foot traffic, doing the heavier and more dangerous jobs around the house. It's natural to him. He doesn't even consider the fact that you don't need him to do these things. He won't admit it, but he's a little embarrassed that you can lift him off the ground with such ease.

Huening Kai is big and clumsy, while you are graceful and dexterous. You're always catching things he knocks over or drops before they can hit the floor, Kai apologising every time he notices your quick save. You just kiss his cheek and reassure him with a smile. The two of you are so in love, and Kai can't help but think about the future—the one where you live forever and he doesn't. It pangs his heart, the thought of you moving on and finding someone else after he's gone, and he often has nightmares about it. It takes a while for him to come clean about the context of the dreams you wake him from, and you're quick to make him understand that falling in love is not something you do often, with vampires or humans. It's just something that happened because you happened to meet him.

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

note: The last of the cursed princes :)

Soobin version / YeonGyuKai version

Taehyun loves stories. As a boy, he grew up with a higher reading skill than his classmates, devouring books faster than the school librarian could supply them. In his young adult years, not much has changed – wherever he is, there's a book in his hands, in his bag, or on his mind.

There's one story that Taehyun cherishes the most. It's a story his parents read to him when he was young, and he begged to hear it every night until they grew tired of it. This story is his favourite, one he knows by heart, his childhood copy so well-loved that its spine is as fragile as the pages themselves. There are several copies of the tale on his bookshelves; he's collected and procured special editions, different translations, most of which he can't even read. The story is important to him, and he feels a strong pull towards it, a connection he can't explain. It feels like a memory to him, or a recurring dream. He can see the tale play out in his head as if recalling life events, feel the emotions as if they were once his own. Sometimes it feels as though the story is real and his life is just a daydream.

While walking on a busy street one afternoon, he hears the name of the prince from his beloved book called out. Instinctively he turns towards the sound as if answering to his own name. But the caller is not seeking him. Instead he sees someone chasing after a dog that's gotten loose. The animal barrels into Taehyun, knocking him down. When he sees your face, he's certain he knows you. You’re as strangely familiar to him as the book he loves so much. The more time he spends with you as you two become friends, the more he remembers parts of the story that aren't written in any versions of his books.

How can he convince you that a fairy tale is really history, that you have known him before, and that your life is a fabricated lie to hide a curse that must be broken?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞

note: here is the prince Taehyun drabble that won the poll but never got posted! now all of the members have a prince au on this blog :)

Prince Taehyun is hardly ever seen by his subjects, commoners and nobles alike. He attends official ceremonies and meetings only briefly, for just as long as he has to, before disappearing once again and having his counsel fill his place. It's far from customary. Certainly odd.

His subjects call him the Raven Prince, for the birds that frequent the top tower of the castle where the prince's rooms are said to be. Tales spread in the town that Prince Taehyun could himself see through the eyes of the birds he loved, could hear everything as though with his own ears. These ravens are his informants, they say, often seen quietly perched around the kingdom and surrounding areas, observing, or rather, spying. They go where the prince cannot - or will not. Beady black eyes following the goings-on of the people — the exact shade of black of the eyes of the prince himself. One renowned storyteller swore he'd once seen the prince fly through the dark of night riding on the back of a great bird, bigger than a horse.

A closed-off, withdrawn man who was an open book as a boy, they say, what does he hide? What is he hiding from? What would his parents, rest their souls, say if they saw him holed up in the castle day in and day out?

Behind the mysterious reputation he has acquired, there is only a man. As a boy, prince Taehyun rescued and nursed an injured raven that had flown over the castle walls, forming a special bond with the bird as it grew to trust him and heal under his care. Perched on the young prince’s shoulder during his lessons and being fed by the boy’s own hand, the raven became used to Taehyun’s company. Once it was healed and was able to fly free again, the bird was never gone for too long, always returning to the castle and the window of the prince’s chambers. Over time, a flock of ravens slowly formed as Taehyun’s raven found a place with its own kind and bore a family.

As the prince turned from boy to man, he began to see with new eyes the judgement and expectations of others. Things were not as easy as they had been in his early life. Lessons had been replaced by council meetings and responsibilities. He came to realise that everybody around him had their own agendas and demands. Taehyun had a keen intellect and a thirst for knowledge, and he missed the lectures and tutors that had been a part of his daily routine. He would rather sit and read or care for the ravens than attend parties and meetings with people fussing over him and examining his every move. His ravens seemed to harbour more understanding and loyalty than most of the humans he was forced into the company of.

That he enjoyed the company of the birds was one thing the gossip of the townspeople had right. They all said that he was a lonely soul, but he wasn't – he wasn't lonely, for he wasn't alone. The ravens could bring a genuine smile to his face with one simple quirk of their heads, or their wit in finding the dried fruit he hides around his desk. It was when he was surrounded by other humans that he felt truly alone.

𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘

୨୧ 𝐄𝐍-

୨୧ 𝐓𝐗𝐓

୨୧ 𝐑𝐈𝐈𝐙𝐄

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