Yeosang Angst - Tumblr Posts

ateez fic recs

main masterlist

· · ♡ · · tysm to the amazing creative minds of the writers for giving me sevaral moments of joy reading your creations

i´ll be constantly updating this list so make sure to check it out often for new recs ;)))

pls remember to reblog if you like any of my recs❤️

ot8 / poly

ateez as boyfriends - smut, the description is so- just read it pls, you´ll get the visuals

loved - angstttty, they make you feel insecure about the relationship so you leave and they want to kts, part 2

mythical beings! ateez as your boyfriend - 80% crack, mingi is def my fave one lmao

in the same class - they´re so fucking flirty and hot and sdfksjdfkjsldkfjh i loved it, yuhno plays too much, the yeosang one would me be fr, mINGI MANSPREADING YESSS

when they have a crush - love love love, so fluffy

realizing they´re in love with you - so fluffly too :(

hongjoong

he´s kinda hot - demon! joong, he kills ur ex-bf bc he sold his soul for some stupid shit, now he wants you

seonghwa

biker seonghwa - slice of life, brother´s best friend! hwa, yeosang as the brother, he is flirtyyy, "pretty girls don't use their pretty mouths to lie"

san

fucking you stupid - idol!san, this made me want to sCREAAAAAMMMM bc wtf????, he is MEAN but at the same time it´s an aPoLogY kind of fuckinG?? ikyfl, he marks you,, LITERALLY.

car accident - angst, angst, angst, aNGSTTTTTT, my god. reader is pregnant with twins, read if you want to fucking crY :)

glimpse of us - a lil angsty angst, break up au

his princess - smut, fluff, bad boy! san, innocent spoiled! reader, he´s obsessed with her, so so in love

wooyoung

mingi

the princess treatment chronicles -fluff, crack, f2l, best friend!mingi, he has this 5 step princess treatment list and falls in love with whoever completes it.. yes, reader gave him princess treatment, as she should. this is really cute, she does everthing on accident and he paniCKS bc they´re besties and all that, very very cute

virgin loser!mingi - smut, shy! mingi, brain dead every time he sees you, he´s a fucking pervvv skdfskjd, dirty thoughts 24/7, dreams of you, watches porn thinking of you, ass man (canon), he´s so obsessed omg

you´re drunk - slice of life, I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTT, bf! mingi taking care of drunk oc but she doesn´t recognizes him, he call her "tiny" :(, he fixes her skirt :(((,

no good - angst, cheating au

yeosang

prince yeosang - royalty au, I LOVETHISSSSSSSS, he´s so husband material :(, it´s so well written

his fan - ido! yeo, baby daddy! yeo, long distance relationship, he falls in love with a fan at a meet & greet, pregnancy, he just wants his own lil family :( so cute

yunho

yunho as your boyfriend - fluff, smut, I hate thESEEE bc they make me so delusional sdlfjsdfj

hands - smut, "do you want to breathe or do you want to cum" SIR?????

size kink - smut, we already know yunho is a big mf, tiny! reader, you wear one of his shirts and goes all praise kink on you, we love that

size training - smut, size kink, wwwwhat do you mean size trAINING??? what is we talking about rn??

jongho

so lovely - fluff, you take care of him after a show, this is so CUTE, it´s pure sweet love

can I request a mafia ot8 x reader? where they all kept a secret from her which made her feel betrayed like she wasn’t a part of the team so like she reverted back to her old self (cold, not talking to them at all, being strictly profesional) and each one of them regrets it

CAN WE GO BACK?

Pairing: Mafia! Ateez x f!reader

Genre: Angst, Mafia, Mature

W.C: 4.2k

Warnings: arguments, regret, trust issues, keeping secrets, mention of death and mafia business and deals, traumas and betrayals.

Networks: @cultofdionysusnet @k-vanity

Note: Thanks for reading and reblogging. I appreciate all of your reviews and feel free to text me if you want. Spread love to others, not hate. I swear if I write one more angst fic then I will end up crying a river. I have made this fic a little bit less angst and let me know how it is.

"Where are they?" You asked Mr. Na with balancing the snacks in your hold.

He looked at you with a frown and glanced at the papers. It was afternoon and you thought to meet your boyfriends in the office but they were not there. It's unusual for them to not be there without telling you where they are going to.

You pout and placed the snacks on the table and munched on one of your favorites. You waited for him to reply but he seemed to return back to his work. "Hey! I asked you something and you are ignoring me. You know who I am right?" You asked him in a threatening tone and he was still not fazed by you.

"I can't hear you. I'm busy." He didn't look up from his paper-works and you got mad.

You slammed your hand on the table in front of him and glared at him. He rolled his eyes with a bored look on his face.

"How will I know where  are they? And also didn't you have a mission this morning? Why are you back so early and annoying me?"

"Me annoying you. I would never." You faked a hurt look on your face and acted to have a heart attack. "I had my missions and I did well. I was really disappointed that those shitheads were not afraid of me at first but were insulting me more. So instead of letting to have them taste of my precious words, I planted some bullets in their head."

He chuckled, "as expected from you."

"But don't you really know where they are...they are not even picking up my calls." You looked down at your phone, still no missed calls or any messages.

"How will I know about it? You are their girlfriend and if they are keeping something so confidential to them, it can only meant that it's to remain within the family and as you are also part of the family so I hope they won't tell me anything about it." He said and went back to his work.

You are their family.

"But they didn't told you anything like if I return or something and where to find them?"

He glared, "no. But they were pretty much in hurry when they left the place and I thought you knew about it. So don't ask me again."

"Jaemin-" "Don't call me by my name during working hours."

You scoffed, "just now you told me that I'm their girlfriend and now you are raising your voice at me. Also, mafia business is for 24/7 so I can call you anything anytime and anywhere."

Jaemin clicked on a website and replied, " it was good when you were of cold personality and kept your distance with everyone. It's pretty much annoying that you always pick me to disturb and interrupt my works."

"Oh come on Jaemin, you love me too much. And just remember if I return back to that self, it will be only when something like in the past has hurt me again. And I really don't want to be like that again. I like being so happy and free everytime."

You were sad and your words were pronounced clearly that made him understand that he should not have said those harsh words to you. He knew how pathetic and vulnerable your past was but still his work load and you in between made him slip those words.

He patted your head, "y/n, I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean like that. I really love to see you so bubbly. They have totally changed you and to see you happy with them is really the best thing in this building."

"You still don't trust me?"

"No no you are the lovely and the best sister I have got here and please don't mind my words like this. Please don't feel sad."

He was really trying his best to hold back his tears and make you trust him that the little suspicion he had back then when you joined the company had disappeared eventually. He always thought of you as the distraction in their life but now he sees you as a blessing. He is a best brother to you.

"Never. I can't feel sad with you atleast. You are not getting rid of me anytime soon."

A ring from Jaemin's phone interrupted your conversation with him, you both watched the name displayed on the screen 'Sir Yunho'. His eyes went wide and stared at the phone and you clutched yours in the hold.

You urged him to pick it up and put it on speaker. He received the call and you leaned forward to scan the drafts on the computer screen on which he was working.

"Has Y/n returned yet?" The voice from the other end was rough and tired.

"She-" you pressed a finger on your lips and signalled him to not tell them about your arrival. "No she hasn't returned yet, let me ask her."

"No let her be. We will be back soon from the business. If she returns then tell her we are out for lunch." He spoke in a hurry.

The call was passed to someone else. Jaemin was surprised that they just told to not tell you that they were out somewhere and even told him to lie to you. He was watching you how you were staring blankly at your phone.

"Jaemin, what happened?" Hongjoong was angry but still he was trying to contain his anger. The younger boy was distracted and soon collected himself to reply back.

"Oh just, some works are pending so I got distracted."

"okay."

The call was cut and you stood up. He was about to say something to you but you raised your hand making him shut and you turned towards the meeting room. The room which belongs to you too but now somehow it felt many secrets are hidden behind it, from you.

he watched you walking towards the room with lost eyes and tired form. He shook his head at the thought that it was not good whatever was going to happen because it's not a good decision for them to keep this sudden business hidden from you.

Where were they even? Why didn't they tell you about it?

These thoughts were storming inside your mind after you entered the room. Your fingers curled into a fist and threw the vase which was placed on top of the side shelf above which a beautiful family picture with you smiling with your boyfriends were hanging. You glared at the picture.

"Where are you all? Don't you all trust me that you had to keep this sudden business as a secret from me?"

You harshly wiped away the tears from your eyes and looked around the room. It was same as earlier when  you noticed before leaving in the morning. You slowly walked towards the leader's chair at the end of the table. 

You sat on it and held the armrest tightly. You turned it around to face the wall behind you. The letters on the wall were piercing your eyes which were designed with orange and black LED mini lights, 'ATEEZ'.

Your family.

"Don't you all trust me as your family?"

The more you were thinking about the situation, the more you felt like convincing yourself that you were just overreacting and after they come back from the place, they will tell you the truth and everything related to it but still somewhere you were impatient.

They know that keeping secrets only triggers you but still they chose to do it.

. . .

"Is she here?" Jongho's voice made Jaemin look up from the computer screen.

Jaemin stood up and greeted him and the rest who were chit chatting in the back. "Y-yeah, she just returned right now."

Jongho smiled and said, "you don't have to work on this today. We need this after two weeks so go have some free time with your friends. Don't stress yourself."

Jaemin nodded and sat down.

"Let's head to the meeting room first and she must be waiting for us in the cafeteria." Yeosang's cheerful voice made everyone laugh and there was a warm feeling in their hearts that you were waiting for them.

Jaemin's eyes followed them going to the same direction where you went earlier. Heavy boots clicked the marble floor with dark looks radiating from them but everyone had a small smile resting on their face because of the thought of you.

Seonghwa opened the heavy metal door only to be greeted by broken pieces of fiber scattered on the floors and then he noticed the vase in front of their picture was lying broken.

"Who the hell did this?" Hongjoong's angry voice brought the others attention to the situation.

"Welcome back, Ateez."

Their eyes followed the source of the voice and noticed the leader's chair facing backward to the table. They couldn't see the person sitting on it due to the high rise of the leather of the backrest but the voice was pretty much familiar, the one they crave to listen often, almost every time.

You swiveled around the chair to face them and they noticed you sitting on it with one leg over the another and staring at your phone.

San was last to enter the meeting room and when he closed the door behind him, he noticed the whole situation and the destruction on the floor.

"You look cute when you sit on this chair."

You ignored Hongjoong's compliment and he was surprised that you didn't reply him back. If it was some other time then you would have teased him or said that you always look better than him and then he would have placed you on his lap and proceed with things.

"How did your mission go?" You glared when San went to touch your cheek after asking the question. He thought you were joking so he again raised his hand only to get swatted away by you.

"Sir San, please keep your hands off from me. You should not touch me like this way."

He laughed, " are you putting up a new act again from a movie?"

"Hey let's get some food in the cafeteria." Yeosang said and smiled towards you while approaching you.

You gave both of them a stern look before staring at the man standing across from you in the far end of the table. He was watching you intently.

Hongjoong leaned forward and supported his hands on the edge of the table, "why are you speaking like this? What's with your behavior with them?"

"How does it feel to be the leader and sitting here? Very authentic, right leader?"

Leader...you don't call him this anymore because after the day they turned you into this new personality, you always call them by their name just to feel them more closer. It makes you feel a family with them.

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Seonghwa behind him asked you and you fished your phone inside your pocket of the combat pants and poked the inside of your cheek.

"Why don't you all take a seat? We need to discuss something about business." 

Your words were like a business partner waiting for them to make a deal not their girlfriend who was waiting for their return.

No one budged from their place and you rolled your eyes. You stood up but stayed beside the chair and spin it around. Their eyes followed your movements.

"I thought sitting here will make me the leader but I see that's not the case here."

Wooyoung sat in the second chair at the side of the table.

"Where were you all?" You asked.

Jongho scanned the room to see all of them were busy staring at you and so he said, "we were out for lunch." He nodded in the end.

You bitterly chuckled, "from nine in the morning to this later afternoon...almost four o'clock...you all were out for so long. Just for lunch?"

"We were not out for so long." Hongjoong said confidently.

"Of course. But that's not according to my watch."

"Why the vase is broken?" You smirked at Seonghwa's question.

"Ah finally the question I wanted.well, I broke it."

"Why?"

"And if I ask you the same question Seonghwa, why?"

Mingi interjected, "what do you mean by why?"

San was still standing confused beside the chair on the other side.

"I am asking you all again and for the last time. Where were you all?" Your words were so loud and this sudden yell made some of them surprised and others were still staring at you.

Mingi was quick to reply, "as he said we were out for lunch."

"Don't lie to me. If you don't want to tell the truth then shut up." You clenched your jaw.

"What makes you think like that?" Yunho asked and folded his hands above his chest.

"Oh come on Yunho, you told Jaemin to lie to me that you were out for lunch when you were actually on a secret business. Am I right?"

He was surprised that you knew about it. Wooyoung leaned back to his chair and said, "y/n, it's not like that. That's just a simple issue."

"Then why can't anyone of you tell me where you all were."

Jongho cleared his throat and said, "it's better for you to not know about it."

"Do you think of me as a spy?"

"Y/n no we can't ever think of you like that. Even if you did something wrong then we can always talk it out with each other but we will never suspect you for anything." Jongho quickly stated.

Hongjoong's boot echoed in the room and he stood in front of you. You glared at him when he placed his hand on your shoulder.

"Don't try to manipulate me or try to convince me to trust your lies. You promised me to never hide anything from me but suddenly you all are hiding something from me."

He nodded, "I know but I want you to calm down for me. Please." You scoffed. Another presence made an appearance beside you both but you were yet to notice it but when he spoke up you became more annoyed with the same words.

You pushed away the hand from your shoulder.

"Not always everything can be said to everyone. Sometimes its better to keep some things secret."Seonghwa said and held your hands in his and caressed them a little, "it's for your safety and well being."

He seemed to be calm and contented but deep down he was deeply hurt to see you acting distant with him and not even smiling a bit when he was so near to you. He was holding your hand but he wanted to pull you in a hug.

"We just want to keep you safe, y/n." Yunho stated very slowly and he was sad.

He is always the first person to pull you in a hug and fill you with love and praises and today he would have appreciated you for your success and instead of this dark environment, the room would have filled with laughter when he would have held you up and spin you around in the room.

Mingi stood behind you and prevented you to move away and whispered words to calm you down and to take everything slowly. But you were not in a mood. He was still process the fact that you came to know about the secret business.

You pulled your hands harshly from the grip and shouted which made the person behind you to stumble backward.

"Can you all stop pretending that you all did nothing wrong? If I'm overthinking then let me be like this but you know I hate when my own family hide something from me. It make me feels like I am not trusted. It reminds me of my past."

Wooyoung hesitated to speak anything but still clenched his fist, "no love, we trust you the most. Believe me."

You ignored his words and sat on the chair beside him. Seonghwa was about to say something but Hongjoong held his hand up to make him quiet. The past traumas always triggered you whenever someone lied to you or hide something from you but still he did it.

Rest of them were aware of this situation too. Your words were feeling so distant and you being so hyper was normal for you to act this way. Atleast they should have think about this situation before. You held your head over the table and grabbed your hairs and Wooyoung stared at you with hurtful eyes.

You looked like that old y/n who was with cold heart, piercing eyes and distant space with them. Not their usual y/n with the warm heart, sweet smile and confidence.

Hongjoong was about to pass by you to go towards his chair when he halted in his steps behind you, he raised his hands to pat your head but the younger one beside you grabbed it and glared at him.

"I told you to tell her about the situation but still you were persistent with your decision. Look what you have done." Wooyoung didn't mind to raise his voice at his brother but the leader just nodded to his words and retreated his hand back.

He went to his seat and signaled others to do the same. They all were glancing at you. You were near the leader and San who was across from you was glancing between you and the leader.

He wanted to just pull you towards him and take you away somewhere else just to calm you down and make you feel loved.

When you noticed everyone was seated, you raised your head and blankly asked, "I assume you all to start speaking now. And only the truth."

"We were with your dad and Mr. Lee." Hongjoong started the conversation.

"Don't ever refer that monster as my dad. He is no one to me."

"Mr. Lee's daughter..." he paused and looked around for anyone else to continue and Yunho nodded.

Yunho smiled but quickly erased it when he saw your fuming eyes, "his daughter is engaged to Hongjoong and Seonghwa because once we had a deal in the past to save our organization and today we were there to break the dealership with him."

When the topic finally started. each one of them had a same feelings tugging at their heart. the feeling of regrets. All of them were regretting to keep you oblivion to this.

You scoffed, "engaged?" your eyes took in each of their looks precisely and continued, "so its not about only today. you all were hiding it from me for a long time now. and for how long?"

"it's not like that."

"Yunho, I asked you for how long you all were preparing for this business and when all this engagement happened?" you asked and leaned back into your chair. Mingi was impatiently tapping the top of the table with the back of the pen.

Seonghwa patted Yunho's back  when he was on the verge of tears hearing your harsh and cold tone. he gulped and started to reply but his lost eyes were staring at you and you were not even minding his presence and Mingi chimed in, "last year. your da- I mean Mr. Byun offered this deal so that we could recover from the loss we had in the last year."

Yeosang added, "we thought to not worry you about this whole ordeal and we could have solved it without including you and then pretend that we were never in this situation."

"we always wanted the best for you. please don't feel sad." Wooyound said slowly beside you and you rolled your eyes.

"So I have been lied for one whole year. you made my only chance to go in vain. why? you thought I will be a problem  in this?" you turned towards the leader "were you planning to get married? why did you have to hide this whole thing?"

Jongho was curious, "what only chance you are talking about?"

you smirked at him, "I could have showed Mr. Byun that I have a family which he never gave me. I could have showed him how powerful I am. I am not the weak one he wanted me to be. I could have proved that I am being loved and trusted as a family." You paused and scoffed, “but I think I was delusional all these times.”

Hongjoong clenched his fist on hearing your words and sighed, "Wooyoung and Yunho wanted to tell you about this but I told them and others to keep this discussion away from you. I didn't want to include you because-"

"because you dont trust me. you thought I will support Mr. Byun when you all were crashing to the ground?"

San quickly denied, "no no. we trust you so much y/n. we thought hearing his name or facing him would have hurt you."

Hongjoong nodded and continued, "it would have been more dramatic if people came to know about your relation with Mr. Byun and that you are a part of us inspite of him being our enemy."

"you see me as your enemy?"

"what? no." wooyoung shouted those words at you.

Seonghwa stated quietly, "I'm sorry. I should not have hide these things from you. you should have been told about this earlier. it's really worse for you to find it like this. but trust me we were scared. how to protect you and maintain our organization."

"you made me feel like an outsider."

"I know we did it in that way." Mingi said and looked down.

"After this I can't trust anyone of you like before. Every time now I would feel like you guys are hiding something from me. I will feel like I am somehow related to your enemy and still like before you have the suspicion of me going against you someday."

you paused and inhaled sharply, "I don't know if you guys trust me or not but I have always trusted you more than everything. I trusted you all and whatever you did was to keep me safe and away from this to not hurt me but...atleast you should have let me know about it. My trust would not have broken like this."

Yunho stood up and walked towards you, he turned around your chair and kneeled down, "please Y/n, please we won't hide anything again from you. please talk to me but don't distance yourself from us."

"you gave me no other option. they were engaged all these times, you all met Mr. Byun often and made deals behind my back without even letting me to get a hint of it. I was blinded by the trust that I never noticed you all were lying to me all these times when you were actually going out not to hangout but to meet that monster and this new girl."

You were blinded by the trust that you never noticed they were lying to you.

Wooyoung hugged you from behind, "We only love you. you are everything to me. I never wanted to lie to you but this was the only option. please forget about this and lets go back to normal."

you removed both of their hands from you and stood up. everyone was attentive to your movements. you glanced at the clock and sighed. you were tired and hungry and frustrated. All at the same time and you felt a wave of anger rising inside you.

"you are not leaving us, right?"

"Jongho if I leave right now then where is the thing called 'we can talk out our problems' but yeah that's true that you have made me feel lose my trust on you all."

you paused and then added, "Are you two still engaged with her?"

"yes." both of them quickly replied.

"get rid of her quickly or I will get rid of her from this world."

Both of them nodded.

they all gulped hearing your words and Yeosang grabbed your hand when you stepped forward for the door. you eyed his hand, waited for him to say whatever he wanted but you didn't look in his eyes. you knew if you look at him, you might start crying but you needed some time to recover from this whole situation. 

"I'm sorry."

you knew he was sorry but still you were having so many thoughts that you couldn't still place things right on the places. once your trust is broken, it can't be mended so easily and they knew this. each of them were regretting.

"do you trust me?" your words were meant for all and he nodded quickly. you rolled your eyes and licked your lips.

"the ones who trust me, please follow me to the research room, I have kept the pen drive and file there so I can show you the details of it."

"Will you not eat?" San asked you quietly.

"I am not hungry. Finish the research room process with me and then I need to...I will have some time alone."

you glared towards Hongjoong and Seonghwa and left the room, slamming the door shut behind you. They didn't say anything. after all, it was their fault and you felt betrayed with them hiding things from you for one whole year. Mingi was the next one to leave room to quickly follow you and others sighed.

They need to start to build the trust from the beginning. You wanted to hate them but your trust and love for them was too much to hate them. To forget them as your family.

You smiled towards him and pecked him.

you once said, "how can I trust you?"

he smiled and hugged you, "your enemy is my enemy. our enemy and there is nothing that can come between us to tear us apart. you are the precious and the knot of this family. if someone hurts you, we all will be hurt and get scattered."

“We will never lie to you and there will be no secret between us.”

Was that all a lie then?

Taglist: @mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @anyamaris @yeoobin @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @dinonuguaegi @oreharuuu @hwanring @sanwifesstuff @kiwiisnthereoops @kiwiraccoon @hyuukah @kazscara @aceofspadesbiofalltrades @nvdhrzn [open!]

CREATIONISM ?! - 600 follower event

↳ TRACK 024: Peach Fuzz - bodyguard!k.ys ft heiress!reader

genre - smut + angst MDNI

duration - 839 words

parental advisory - groping, fingering (?), forbidden love, implied inexperienced reader, miscommunication

networks : @cultofdionysusnet @atzhouse @cromernet @pirateeznet

A/N: well shit now I just feel sad. Request for @nanime-roality

“You’re so pretty.”

Yeosang hummed in response, hands on your waist as you straddled him, kissing his adam’s apple softly. Yet again, he had you in his arms, showering him with affection, but it hurt. It was understandable why you could never be together, but was that supposed to make him feel better? Of course this is destined to fail, so don’t get mad when it does. What a horrible way of thinking.

As stupid as it sounded, Yeosang wanted you for himself. Not in some possessive lock you in the house way, but the familiarity way. To have someone who knew him inside and out, the one he could trust with his heart, the one he’d come home to after a shit day and still smile. He loved you, ever so dearly, but he had to keep those cards close to his chest.

If you knew how he felt, you wouldn’t let this continue.

When you took a deep breath, inhaling the homely sent of cotton fabric conditioner, you smiled into his skin. Luckily, you weren’t pressing deep enough to feel his pounding heartbeat, or notice the way he grit his jaw a little. Pulling back, you tucked a few stray hairs behind his ear, thumbing his birthmark tenderly.

“Can you touch me, Sangie?”

With the way you were pouting at him, face centimetres from his, arms wrapped around his neck, there was no way Yeosang could refuse. His hands moved up from your hips to your waist, thumbs rubbing your sides. He relished in the way you tensed before relaxing into his grip, breath hitching. It felt wrong yet so right to be in Yeosang’s arms, like he was some sort of forbidden fruit. In a sense, he was.

You’re not supposed to fall for the help when you’re destined to marry one of society’s elites.

Eager for more, you grabbed his left hand and brought it to your chest, watching in delight as his cheeks flushed from such a forward action. Tentatively, Yeosang squeezed lightly, watching your face for any discomfort. Your face contorted with pleasure, prompting him to massage you, thumb expertly flicking over your nipple.

His free hand had fallen from your waist, taking hold of your thigh and pushing you forward on his lap. The gasp that fell from your sweet lips as your crotch met his boner had his head swimming, already losing his self-respect to pleasure.

“You’re very soft, Ms. Y/N.”

A quiet moan was your response, one hand digging into his back while the other held the back of his neck. With the way he overwhelmed you, you no longer could toy with his baby hairs, simply clinging to him instead. His hand trailed up your leg at a snail’s pace, the skirt of your dress moving with it. While Yeosang’s gaze was fixed on the flesh he was exposing, yours was on him. His eyes darkened when the lacy trim of your panties came into view, his hand halting.

“I wore them for you, do you like them?”

“Ms. Y/N, when you said you wanted practice… I didn’t know you meant… this as well.”

Edging closer to him, Yeosang let his hand fall from your breast, eyes widening when you pushed his hand until his fingertips grazed the waistline of your panties.

“You don’t wanna help me, Sangie?”

For the first time since you requested ambiguously for ‘intimacy practice’ with your bodyguard, he let out a quiet sigh, as if he had been holding back something. Looking you dead on, expression almost indiscernible, his finger looped around the band, now holding you by the back of the neck as he toyed with the panties. His answer was almost robotic, the same words your father had told you when he’d introduced you to your new bodyguard on your 19th birthday.

“I’m here to serve your every need, Ms. Y/N.”

Yeosang’s lips collided with yours, a hunger in the embrace unlike anything you had previously experienced. You couldn’t help but smile into it, shifting on his lap to finally hear his soft moans. Surprisingly, it was lower than expected, as if some primal instinct had kicked in. His nails dug into the plush flesh of your thighs, and you loved the feeling.

While he couldn’t be yours forever, he could be yours for the summer, and that would have to suffice. The silly little feelings you were suppressing would have to simply go away on their own terms. You reasoned that satisfying your desires, at the very least, would help you mend your broken heart later on.

As Yeosang moved your panties to the side, you cling to him like you would never be in his arms again. Of course, the clock was ticking, so you weren’t entirely wrong. He separated from your lips to press sweet kisses to your jaw, then your cheek, then temple. Yeosang’s voice was sweet like honey as his lips ghosted your ear, thumb already rubbing your clit.

“You know I’ll always be here for you.”

⚝ - TAGLIST !!

@vampzity @jjoongstar @yyaurii @yuyubeans @yundeob @jycas @hwxbibi

SEND AN ASK TO JOIN THE TAGLIST

Stay

archer!yeosang x princess!reader

friends to lovers au

genre and warnings: fluff, angst, violence warning

word count: 18.6k

synopsis: you encounter archer yeosang not in the sports competition you had just sneaked out from, but in the forest where he saves you on your way to meet your 'boyfriend'- you're not sure what to call him. yeosang doesn't recognise you as the princess of this nation, however, you encounter him again as your replacement tutor and you become friends with him, sharing problems you face and sneaking out with him because you crave adventure. you find yourself falling for him because he makes you feel like no one else, and he finds himself falling for you but he thinks he's not worthy of you- even when you tell him again and again how brilliant he is. will he end up staying?

The air was filled with the cheers of the athletes, of the women wooing over the young participants, of the men howling in glee because they had waited the whole year for this day. The day where everyone- from the most royal to the peasants- gathered under the same sky, bathing under the same sun. The day where everyone had an equal chance of winning- if they were blessed with the right skills. The Athletics Championships- the annual sports event where people of every status, regardless of gender, participated. 

There was no shame in admitting that everyone from the oldest to the youngest throughout Eden waited eagerly for this day. The athletes practised all days of the year, stayed fit so they could show off. After all, a position in the palace and a cash reward wasn’t the only prize they won that day. Even the most lacking of the athletes could win someone’s heart that day. Since there was still a majority of men participating in the competitions, the women still new to being allowed to participate, the women were usually watching the athletes with eagle eyes- not for their skill alone. And the men never failed to show off- most of them anyway. 

You would have been one of those women too, but there were a number of things hindering that. Firstly, you were the Princess of Eden, seated right at the stage they’d had built for the royal family for the best view. That also meant the people could get the best view of you too, and you had to be cautious of where you let your eyes stray, of your reactions, which is why you opted to remain unfazed throughout the games, only clapping for the victors. 

Secondly, you had a really, really bad headache from the way the Queen, your stepmother, had chewed off your brains so early in the morning. His son, your stepbrother and the Prince of Eden, seated on your left was the only reason you could mildly enjoy the event. His mother might be an ambitious, greedy witch who wanted her son crowned the heir instead of you, but his son was very much the opposite, having little to no interest in the position himself, only doing it for his mother (at least, that’s what he insisted) and opting to fool around. The Queen scoffed loudly when his son passed you a bowl of candies and you took two, hiding it in your sleeve. She passed a glare to the Prince who only pretended not to know what it was about, making you smile a little at his childish antics. He was still a kid at heart.

Last, but not least, you couldn’t wait to get out. Yes, the competition was mildly interesting (mildly only because this time’s female competitors were giving the men a hard time and you enjoyed that and hoped you’d see more of them next year) and you were comfortable, but you had a little… date with your… boyfriend? 

You didn’t know what to call him. Yes, he was attractive, not bad to look at. He was a noble, and it made it easier for conversation to flow between you. He had a nice sense of humour (or maybe your scale of judgement had a very low base to start with). You two were friends, but at the same time, not really. And you two were dating, but not really. Currently, you were still figuring out why you were risking so much meeting a man in secret- the one you weren’t even sure about- yet. You hoped to be sure, though, soon. You just had to meet him a few more times, stop testing the waters and take a little dive, and see if he was someone you really liked.

You chewed loudly on the candy, earning some groans from the Queen. You glanced at her right where your father, the King, was sitting almost at the edge of the seat, looking as if he wanted to join the spectators instead since they could see the current game of fencing better from down there. You pretended to cough and your lady-in-waiting, Siyeon, took the signal and came forward, asking you if you felt alright.

“I just have a bad headache, is all,” you sighed loudly, making the Queen look at you two interact. 

“Goodness, you look pale, this won’t do,” Siyeon shook her head. “You should let me accompany you back for a while. A cup of tea or maybe some soup would do you good.”

“You can bring that here,” the Queen shifted in her seat. “We should maintain our attendance.”

“It would only take a few minutes, Your Majesty,” Siyeon insisted, bowing respectfully, and before the Queen could scold her, you got up.

“She’s right- I don’t want to create a scene here if I faint. I’m sure you wouldn’t like that, Your Majesty,” you smiled sweetly but the Queen could see right through you and she only rolled her eyes.

“You better be back before the hour is over.”

“You got it,” you winked at her, satisfied at the gasp that left her, grinning to yourself as you followed Siyeon. Once you were out of earshot, you slapped Soyeon playfully on the arm. “Nice work back there.”

“You’re going to get me executed, Your Highness, I haven’t even had the joy of marriage yet,” Siyeon grumbled, straightening her midnight blue gown, the uniform. “Please don’t take too long- I don’t want to go after you. In fact, going in the woods is a very, very bad idea- you’ll get lost, and I’ll get fired and executed for being lazy-”

“I’m glad you’re selfish,” you laughed. “I’ll find my way, don’t worry. Mingyu will be waiting, and he’ll make sure I get back safe. Just stay in my room and cover for me while I’m gone, will you?”

“I hope after all this trouble you go for this man, he treats you well,” Siyeon said and your smile didn’t meet your eyes. You entered an empty room outside your chamber, removing the outer layers of your clothes, the gown that indicated you were royalty, leaving you in normal clothes. You handed your tiara to Siyeon as well and she gave you the signal- no one would look at you twice today, at least. Not when you would be passing by as a noble woman, nothing more.

It was exciting, you had to admit. The thrill of sneaking out to meet someone- it would never get old. The way people met your eyes but didn’t look twice- it was refreshing, since all your life whenever someone dared look at you, it was either with wonder or fear. Mingyu, however, was different. He looked at you as if he was amused to find you to be the potential heir of the crown, and you couldn’t resist asking him what was so funny the next time you met him accidentally in the streets.

“I just think you’re too lovely to be wearing the heavy and dirty burden of the crown.”

“What makes you think I can’t handle it?” You had challenged, and he had laughed at that. 

“I never said you can’t handle it.”

You had smiled at that, and he had treated you to some ice cream, and you had found his company entertaining. You didn’t realise how you started encountering him more- in the palace when he came to meet a friend- which was an excuse to see you, or in the streets whenever you went out- having known from his acquaintances in the palace, but somehow, you didn’t mind him popping out of nowhere. He looked at you differently, and it got you.

You smiled at the thought as you navigated through the woods, the daylight a relief, trying to recall what Mingyu had said the last time he had come to the palace and sneaked into your room for a very short, dangerous moment to kiss your cheek and tell you to meet him in the woods near where the stream parted, when the fencing matches would start. You strained your ears to detect any signs of a stream but it seemed like you were still far. 

What you last expected was for two young men to spot you and grin at each other as they made their way to you, even when you had ignored them. They looked like they were athletes participating in the competition as well, since they wore the uniform. Perhaps they had come here as they waited for their turn, or perhaps they were done- it didn’t matter. It was your fault for thinking you could go alone in the woods on your own.

“And what’s a pretty little thing doing all alone? Lost?”

It was your fault. You rolled your eyes. “Making my way home- my brother’s picking me halfway. Have a nice day, gentlemen.”

You tried walking past them but they stepped in front of you. “We could drop you there- the halfway point.”

“There’s no need,” you insisted, this time pushing between the two and walking past, trying to ignore the way they laughed. 

“Why don’t you stop and have some fun with us? Won’t do you no harm.”

You should have turned and slapped them or punched them- you could do that. You had the training. But you did the most stupid thing you could have done. You ran- and that made them chase you as well. You couldn’t think straight- this was all so new, so you did the next best thing. You screamed for help, once, twice, before deciding the birds that were listening weren’t going to be much help.

But what you didn’t expect was the familiar sound of an arrow whooshing in the air and you only had a second to make a quick jump as you ran, the arrow lodging in the arm of the one who had been right behind you, making him stop and scream as he clutched at the arm. You turned back, trying to figure out the source, but you saw nothing. The second man who had been looking after his friend lunged for you but he, too, got shot by an arrow in the leg. You started running again, fearing you were next, finally hearing the damned stream and making the way there, hiding behind a rock.  

You watched the men struggling to run for their lives away from the stream and you sighed in relief, your breath catching when you finally spotted the person you definitely owed now- a young man with the most beautifully sculpted face you had ever seen, his physique radiating strength especially when he drew back another aimed arrow and put his bow down. You didn’t realise you were watching him shamelessly until he turned his full attention to you, flipping his hair back, and you immediately hid back behind the rock, praying to the heavens above that there was a small chance he hadn’t really seen you (even if you knew he had) or he would just call it a day and go back to wherever he came from-

“I saw you, you know.”

It was unfair, how even his voice had the strength to call your full attention- deep and rich, making you feel like it reverberated through your brain for a moment. You took a deep sigh- you had other problems to worry about, such as the fact that you were the Princess of Eden and this is the last place and situation you should be in.

“You do look awfully familiar, I have to say,” the man jumped in front of you and you put a hand on your heart- no living man had ever dared to pull such a stunt- not even Mingyu, yet. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m- I’m okay,” you managed to say, finally meeting eyes with him, finding them a rich brown. “Thank you for saving me back there.”

“No problem,” he looked down as he brushed his clothes. “But you shouldn’t have been out here all alone- not today of all days.”

“I was meeting someone here,” you explained but he shook his head, handing you his flask of what you presumed had to be water- he must have noticed how you were still out of breath. You took a swig, wiping your mouth with your sleeve.

“That someone must either live under a rock or must be stupid enough to call a girl here,” he frowned. “Men fool around here especially at events like these.”

“And why are you here?” You raised a brow, making him raise a brow at your sudden shift of tone. You were back to normal. “With an aim like that, you should be participating.”

He pursed his lips as he smiled. “I’ve got better things to do.”

“Like saving damsels in distress?” You scoffed, finally moving from the rock and going to sit by the stream, washing your hands in the cool water, wondering if Mingyu really was waiting. “Can you tell me where this stream parts into two?”

“Is that where you’re meeting whoever?” He asked, sitting a respectable distance beside you. 

“None of your business, but yes,” you sat cross-legged, retying your hair. It looked like he really didn’t recognise you and that was good. “So?”

“Just a few feet down the stream,” he pointed at your right. “Shouldn’t you go back though?”

“Maybe,” you shrugged, your shoulders slumping. “Can I just say he’s an asshole for asking me to meet there? He should have come to meet me! Why am I even making the effort?”

“Tell me more,” he turned his full attention towards you, resting his face in his hands, really eager as he waited. You glared at him but you needed to blow off the steam- the adrenaline from that experience was still there, and as someone who rarely encountered such incidents, you were finding that rambling was your coping mechanism.

“Yes, I’m meeting a guy. Here. Down the stream, actually. I’m not even meeting him anymore, he can go to hell. I don’t know why he thought I could even make it there or pass undetected. He really tests my patience sometimes.”

“And who is he? Your boyfriend?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” You shrugged and he gasped. 

“You don’t know? Interesting.”

“No, what are you doing here?” You scanned him. “Hunting? You do know hunting is banned in this part of the woods, right?”

“I prefer the term ‘practising’,” he straightened a bit. 

“Do you usually practise shooting on living breathing humans? Because if you do, we have a serious problem here-”

“Of course not,” he laughed a bit and you finally cracked a smile. “You really should go back- it’s going to get dark soon.”

“My time is up anyway,” you muttered as you got up, brushing your clothes and looking around. You had no idea which direction to go after running earlier. You asked him where the event was being held, making a story of how you sneaked here and your friends must be waiting. The way he looked at you made you wonder if he bought that story- he probably didn’t. He offered to drop you at the outskirts of the town and you agreed.

“I’m really curious though- why are you not participating? You’ve got a killer aim.”

He side-eyed you and you smirked. Groaning, he said, “I just don’t like being the centre of attention- not like that.”

You made an impressed face- you wished you had the luxury of deciding that for yourself too. “Well, I hope you’re doing something good or worthwhile with your skill. Wouldn’t want to put it to waste, would we?”

“I have better things to do-”

“You always do,” you interrupted and he smiled at that. 

“I just mean… I’m actually a strategist in one of the royal legions,” he admitted and you wowed at that- he was quite young. You thought strategists were always old or experienced people- at least from what you had seen. “So really, I do have better things to do.”

“Suit yourself,” you bowed in thanks when you spotted the hustle bustle of the town, the sound of the drums in the event not far. “Thank you for accompanying me.”

“Be careful,” he simply said, turning before you could ask his name. You would probably never see him again. You sighed deeply before making your way back to your chamber where Siyeon was already waiting, scolding you for taking so long. You didn’t tell her that you didn’t meet Mingyu, nor did you tell her about the person you had spent the hour with. However, he was all you thought about for the remaining part of the event, seated back as a royal. 

What different worlds you two belonged in. It was both thrilling and a little sad.

—------------------

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” you bowed deeply to your father, the King, before sitting down in front of him in his room. He watched you with mild amusement and you raised a brow in question, wondering what was going on in his mind. 

“Good morning to you too, I suppose,” he was taking quick puffs of his cigar. “Though I’m not quite sure it will be good by the time you leave this room.”

“Ah,” you scoffed, dropping all formalities since it was only father and daughter in the room- not king and princess. “Mother dearest must be on her way here.”

“With Chan,” he referred to his son, your stepbrother. 

“Isn’t that good?” You were smirking and your father practically glared at you.

“I don’t know why she thinks you are plotting something against Channie when you two are always partners in crime,” he shook his head, pinching his nose bridge. “If anything, with the relation you two have, you should be able to rule side by side, but-”

“But there can be only one ruler on the throne, for the peace of this nation,” the Queen entered, Chan right behind her who threw a wink in your direction. 

“For the peace of this nation, I never should have married you,” your father joked and the Queen rolled her eyes. “And then we wouldn’t be dealing with this… mess.”

“We’re a mess?” Chan put a hurt hand on his chest as he bowed and sat down beside you. “I bet your father thought so too, about you-”

“Chan-” his mother warned but you could barely contain your giggle and that made your father laugh too, making the woman shake her head in annoyance. 

“Anyways, back to business,” the King straightened and so did all of you. “The governors are all demanding a quick decision about who is going to be accompanying me when we go to the West. They think it would make a statement about the heir if I choose only one of you, so I’m suggesting you both join me.”

“Nonsense,” the Queen started. “Why would you take the Princess in a place where there will only be men? Just take Chan.”

“It’s not like there won’t be any women there,” your father began but you shook your head at him, asking him to not bother explaining himself. “Besides, she is older than Chan. He could learn from her.”

“If you insist, I’ll accompany you, but I think Chan should come with us too,” you looked at the Queen who narrowed her eyes as if you were cooking up a scheme. “I’ll feel more comfortable, and he should really start involving himself more in the court matters.”

“I don’t want to inherit the throne though,” Chan muttered, only for your ears. While the King and the Queen argued, you turned to him. 

“It doesn’t matter if you want to or not; you should still know how the court, how the palace works. That’s your duty, okay?”

“Okay,” he shrugged, “I know you’re only making me tag alone so you won’t be bored.”

“Duh,” you smiled and he grinned at you.

The King asked to be left alone after you two watched them argue senselessly for a few more minutes. As you exited the room, Chan scurried off before his mother could rant to him, which left you as her target.

“You,” she sneered. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re going to make a fool of my Chan and win your father’s favour.”

“In case you forgot,” you folded your arms, not bothering to be courteous when she always assumed the worst of you. “Chan despises the throne, and it’s not my favourite job either. We all know father only favours me because Chan hasn’t shown much interest.”

“That’s not true. He thinks you’re interested, and you’re older- that’s the excuse he always gives. Does he not realise you won’t make a good ruler?”

“And would you?” You challenged her, taking a step towards her, making her glare at you. “Aren’t you only pushing for Chan because you want to use him as a puppet while you run the palace?”

You didn’t wait for her response but got the satisfaction of her gaping at you. Siyeon, who was watching all of this from a distance, shook her head at the Queen and passed you a smirk as she fell in step with you, reciting your schedule. 

“Before you go to your room… there’s someone waiting for you in the guest chambers.”

You raised a brow and she nodded. You let her accompany you- it had to be Mingyu, and you were still a bit pissed at him. Siyeon made sure no one had followed you before letting you in, waiting outside.

“Your Highness,” Mingyu’s honey voice was laced with amusement and you got the sudden urge to accompany him to the palace prison. 

“I can’t believe you asked me to meet you in the forest, Mingyu,” you were angry and he was finding that funny, which was annoying you further. “As you suspected, I almost got lost and made my way back before someone would think my head was a nice place to land their weapon.”

Mingyu laughed at that, running a hand through his dark hair. “I waited for you, you know.”

“You shouldn’t have. Let’s not meet anymore,” you announced, about to turn back but Mingyu grabbed your wrist, turning you around and into him, putting a hand beneath your chin and lifting it up to make you face him.

“Did I ever tell you you’re cute when angry?”

“You don’t need to,” you scoffed but he had you- you were smiling now. “I know so.”

“Hmm, I like this confidence,” he tucked your hair back and kissed your cheek, making your hand go to the back of his neck, resting at the nape. “You know what else I like?”

“We don’t have much time, so shut up and kiss me,” you muttered and immediately, you two were tangling yourselves in each other as you kissed, fiercely and desperate, being chased by time. 

It was always like this with him. A few moments, stolen kisses, no promises of the future. No prying into each other’s personal lives. Just two people who got attracted to each other by chance, and decided to test the waters- you were sure he had better reasons for why he decided to play with fire, but you? 

Your cheeks would flame whenever you would think about it. You weren’t sure how much you liked Mingyu yet, but you did like him. He was smart, and comfortable to be with. As a Princess, you didn’t have the luxury to explore much, so being with Mingyu sometimes made you feel like you were in the clouds. He would listen to you if you had some steam to blow off, and he would kiss your worries away. So simply put, you were lonely, and he wasn’t bad to be with.

What Mingyu was expecting out of this, you didn’t know, and you didn’t want to know yet. He was a part of the court, though, and that was the only thing about him that set you off. People were always greedy for something. And you wished Mingyu was greedy for the right things- like you were. Greedy for love and acceptance. 

“Where are you?” Mingyu paused to look at you, caressing your cheeks. “You’re lost somewhere, aren’t you? Is something the matter?”

“Nothing,” you smiled weakly. “Just the usual. Have you been well?”

“I have,” he kissed your forehead. “I’ll be coming officially soon- maybe we could spend time together then.”

“I’ll see,” you assured him, pecking his lips. “I have to go now.”

Mingyu nodded, scanning your face with a smile on his face before he kissed you again and then let you go. You left first, spotting Siyeon who looked like she was going to have a stroke. 

“What took you so long, Princess?” She huffed. “My heart stopped like ten times whenever someone passed by and spotted me.”

“You’re too dramatic,” you laughed at her, letting her accompany you to one of the scholar’s offices, where you were getting trained in strategy. You made sure you yawned wide and good as soon as you entered, and the old man shook his head at you.

“This doesn’t work on me,” he let you know.

“I’m feeling sleepy because it’s you who’s tutoring me, Professor Seo,” you teased, joining him at the desk. “So? Let’s start.”

The day passed like any of the other days. Professor Seo told you to meet him in the library when you would be free from your duties in the evening, and though he was an old man and a boomer, if you were honest, you respected him as your teacher a lot. He had honed you into who you were. You owed him much more than that.

However, the last thing you were expecting was to see another presence with him, one that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

“This is Kang Yeosang, one of my friend’s son, a strategist in the royal legion in the North,” your tutor introduced him and the man first bowed to you, but as soon as he raised his head to look at you, he frowned.

And you frowned.

And then it clicked.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” you glared at him a bit as you shook his hand, silently asking him to keep his mouth shut. However, he was thoroughly amused. 

“The pleasure’s mine… Your Highness,” he almost mocked and you two took a seat, your teacher looking between you two.

“Have you both met before?”

“Not at all-” “Never-”

“Alright, I get it,” the old man sighed. “Your Highness, I have an urgent matter to attend to in the North. I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you in your lessons, which is why I arranged for a replacement.”

You made an impressed face. “He’s… quite young for your replacement, I must say.”

The two of them laughed at that. “He’s the best I could offer. He’s a… prodigy, if you will. And if you like him better than me, maybe I can finally retire.”

“I got used to you, so I don’t know about that,” you fiddled with the hourglass on the table as you thought. “Is everything okay in the North?”

The old man looked at Yeosang and he cleared his throat. “There’s some conflict at the border, which he must inspect. I may be a prodigy but I’m not more experienced than him, which is why he suggested that we shift.”

“I understand, and I hope you return back well and healthy,” you smiled at your teacher and he relaxed visibly, making you roll your eyes. “It’s not like I was going to, I don’t know, throw a tantrum about you going. In fact…” you looked at Yeosang, “I think I’ll enjoy his company more.”

“No funny business, you hear me?” He pointed at you two and Yeosang raised his hands in surrender. “She’s quite difficult to handle, but hear me, Princess. He’s here for a reason. He’ll tame you.”

Yeosang coughed at that and you shot him another glare- he was making it too obvious now. Thankfully, the old man got up and told you both to acquaint yourselves, leaving you two alone in the library, both of you mirroring each other’s posture and expressions- folded arms and sceptic looks. 

“So, Princess,” he started. “I believe this is the first time we’re officially meeting.”

“Officially, yes,” you nodded- no point pretending that time in the forest three days ago didn’t happen. “Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, roasting some squirrels in the forest or shooting strangers?”

“And shouldn’t you be on the way to meet a certain someone-”

“Not one more word about it, not here, you hear me?” You were almost whispering, to his amusement. “The palace has ears everywhere.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about anything,” Yeosang adjusted the collar of his shirt as he spoke. “We’re meeting for the first time. It seems like I’ll be your replacement tutor for a while, so I expect you to match my pace. Let’s be punctual in the mornings, shall we?”

“Of course,” you almost scoffed. “I’m guessing my dear old Professor must have complained.”

“Not really,” Yeosang leaned in, as if sharing a secret. “I figured you’re that type of a person.”

“Really?” You leaned in as well, more surprised to see him not backing off like others would. “What made you think so?”

“What do you think?” He almost laughed, getting up. “It’s getting late so let’s continue this tomorrow.”

—-----------------

“I can’t believe you asked me to be punctual and all when you’re late yourself and you’re trying your best not to doze off.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t sleep last night- Professor Seo took me out for drinks to introduce me to his friends here and you know how it gets…” Yeosang faltered when he saw your annoyed face. He smirked. “Are you the type that’s a teacher’s pet? Because you seem overly eager to be tutored-”

“I’m not,” you groaned, sighing deeply. “But you yawning widely when I’m reciting what I’ve learned so far really was the last straw.”

“I was only yawning, doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening,” he raised a brow and you glared at him.

“Did you hear the part about how I have to go to the East with the King?”

“You have to go to the West,” he smirked and you grinned. “See? I was listening.”

“I can’t concentrate if you look so sleepy, though,” you pouted. “It will make me sleepy too.”

“Then let’s just ditch all this,” Yeosang practically threw the register on the table to your left. “And take a little nap.”

“I ought to tell Professor Seo-” you were about to get up but Yeosang laughed, holding your sleeve and pulling you down and you raised a brow. 

“What?” Yeosang scoffed. “Don’t expect me to apologise or something. You still owe me for saving your life back there.”

You were the Princess of Eden, possible future Queen of an entire nation. But this individual seemed to not care about your status or the fact that you could end his career or life with a mere command alone. Perhaps because he had seen you as a damsel in distress, or perhaps because he was just like this. Peculiar. Interesting, even.

You rested your face in your hand, elbow on the table, as you stared at him. “I thought I told you to forget about that. It never happened. Nothing. Erase it from history.”

“I wasn’t aware the Princess of Eden had such secrets,” he mirrored your position. “And I wasn’t aware she was someone who took favours for granted.”

“Well, what do you want me to do? Pay you in gold? I can do that if you’d like.”

“I’m not interested in that, sadly,” Yeosang sighed as if it really was such a shame that he wasn’t. “I’m a rather humble person, which is why I only ask that we do not pretend that it never happened. I have an unfortunate habit of teasing, and if you can put up with it, that would be enough.”

“You’re an interesting person, Kang Yeosang,” you said and he smiled cheekily. “And your methods of teaching are also unconventional.”

“This is my first time tutoring someone,” Yeosang admitted and you were surprised at that. “So you can expect that. I think strategy is better learned from practical examples than by theory. And you don’t have to stick to battle. In your position, if you’re not strategic with every step you take, people will take the chance to pound at you from all directions.”

You considered that for a moment. “Did Professor Seo tell you something?”

“What he told me was enough,” he admitted and you relaxed- if he was someone Professor Seo trusted, that meant you could trust him as well. After all, the Professor was more a father than your own. “I still have to ask one question, if you would be so kind as to answer.”

“Go ahead,” you urged him.

“Why are you not interested in the throne, apart from the obvious reasons?” Yeosang leaned in, pushing back his dark hair. “You seem to have a rebellious streak within you, and I’m not sure why you’re not attracted to that offer- you could break the norms in Eden by being the first true Queen of Eden.”

“I know how big that sounds,” you sighed. “I’d be setting an example for all the females ahead- that there doesn’t necessarily have to be a Prince who rules the throne, but a Princess too. All these years in Eden’s history, if the eldest was a daughter, she would be considered negligible.”

“That’s right,” Yeosang nodded. “And Prince Chan isn’t too interested in the throne either. Everything seems perfect, yet…”

“Yet,” you almost smiled. “Do I really have to? I mean, I could. I’m ready, even, it’s what I’ve been trained for my whole life. Besides, my father, the King, would like me as his heir too. But as a person… I think I’m not good enough for that job. I have a few threats on my head if I am appointed the heir too, so I can’t jump on that chance without taking care of that matter- unless I’m okay with getting murdered which frankly, I’m not because I haven’t even lived yet-”

There it was. Yeosang’s knowing smirk- and your rambling mouth that was your besetting sin. Yeosang cocked his head. “You want to live a little, don’t you? Before you inevitably become bound forever? Is that why you’re risking so much meeting strangers in the forest?”

“First of all, you have no right,” you sneered but when he didn’t so much as twitch, you slumped back. “But yes. I guess so. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I don’t want to stop, yet. And anyways, our time is over,” you pointed at the clock. “Let’s continue this later, I have places to be.”

“Of course,” Yeosang nodded, resting his head on the table. “I’ll be taking a little nap here. You can go, Your Highness.”

You got up and stared at him, making him open one eye. “What?”

“I hope you won’t be rambling off whatever I said when you go to one of your drinks or something,” you muttered. 

“I’m not the one with the big mouth here, Your Highness- ow!” He rubbed his head when you not-so-gracefully threw your pen at him. You left, laughing loudly to annoy him but you could feel him smiling even though you couldn’t see him.

You didn’t know what it was about him that made the flow of conversation easier, that made you ramble without a second thought, that made you answer his very personal questions even when you hadn’t allowed this luxury to Mingyu, but… he really was an interesting person. You were having the sudden urge to ditch your next lessons and talk to him more, get to know him and judge him, see if he could be of more help, but you reminded yourself this was only your second (or third) meeting and you should take it slow. 

You shouldn’t make the same mistake you did with Mingyu.

Again, you found yourself pausing- whatever you had with Mingyu was a mistake, and this was the first time you admitted it to yourself. But… not all mistakes would bring bad consequences, right?

—------------------------

A few days later, Yeosang and you decided to take a walk around town- another one of his unconventional teaching methods. You were to dress as a noble lady, not the Princess, and learn the art of blending in.

You were also finding him wiser than you had initially thought. You two were crossing the road that led to the middle of the town from the palace when he explained the purpose of today’s lesson. “Strategy for you, Princess, is the art of disguising. When you are in the middle of planning an actual strategy for let’s say, a situation at the border or potential battle threat, or even civil war, would you trust everyone who’s in the same room with you as you plan?”

“I suppose not,” you nodded, adjusting your hanbok, walking comfortably for now due to the lack of the passersby. “As a Princess, I can trust no one. Not even family.”

“Exactly,” Yeosang clapped once. “You are capable of making several layouts in your head for any plan, I’m assuming?” When you nodded, he continued. “Real strategy lies in letting those people hear what they want to hear but doing what you want to. Please them but use them.”

“Ah,” you smirked to yourself. “I’m good at that.”

Yeosang gave you a doubtful look. “So, to make it seem legit, what will you do? You will need to blend in- not just in appearance, but in emotions, in their feelings. Now, we’ve almost reached town. I’ll let you lead and give you my judgement on our way back. We’re shopping in the marketplace first, and then we’re having lunch in public.”

“I wonder who allowed you to take me without guards-”

“I am the guard, in case you forgot,” Yeosang proudly pulled at his clothes and you scoffed. “I’m an excellent archer. Need I remind you how I-”

“I don’t see your bow and arrow today, though,” you pointed out. Yeosang paused as he looked at you.

“What makes you think my aim with daggers would be any weaker?”

“Wow,” you were actually amazed this time. “Maybe I should have paid attention when they were teaching self defence.”

“It’s never too late,” Yeosang resumed walking, urging you with a casual hand on your back. “Everyone should know the basics so they don’t encounter a situation like you did in the forest.”

“You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you?” You asked, tensing when you saw a couple looking in your direction and scoffing. Yeosang smiled to himself, not pausing, his hand keeping you walking as well. “Why did they laugh at us?”

“Why do you think? Now stop looking like you’re about to commit a murder and blend in.”

“But I am-” you shut up when you two took the final turn that led to the marketplace and this time, Yeosang let you take a deep breath as you took in the scene. 

There were people of all ages in the market- from old people who couldn’t even walk properly to kids running around, a group of them circling around you as they chased each other, making you almost yelp. Instinctively, you tried hiding behind Yeosang but he shook his head- this was your mission, after all. Blend in. the question remained- would people recognise you? Would they look at you twice?

“You have to stop at at least three shops and buy three things of different categories. So let’s start,” Yeosang said as he smirked. You glared at him before holding your head high as you walked. 

“Do you think you should walk so arrogantly?” Yeosang leaned in to whisper in your ear and you swatted him away, thoroughly annoyed.

“You think I can’t blend in? Fine- I’ll show you how good I am at it,” you said and didn’t bother waiting for Yeosang as you marched to the stall selling some candy. 

“What’s this called?” You asked the shopkeeper and both him and Yeosang snorted.

“It seems like she’s not from around here,” the shopkeeper smiled at Yeosang. “It’s called marshmallows.”

“Yeah, I’m not from around here, so I wouldn’t know,” you smirked at Yeosang and he raised a brow at how you had managed to twist the situation in your favour. “Is it a local delicacy? I haven’t seen it in the West.”

“Ah, yes, you wouldn’t see it in the West, I suppose,” the shopkeeper folded his arms. “Which ones shall I pack? They all taste the same so choose your colours- and add some flavoured jelly with it.”

“Hmm, let me see,” you took in the variety of the pastel marshmallows. “A few of each would be nice.”

The shopkeeper packed it for you with sticks for both of you and Yeosang paid for it. You were smiling cheekily at him as you waited for him and he scoffed when he saw you. “The day is not over yet.”

Yeosang wasn’t very surprised when you managed to shop for a few trinkets, a calligraphy brush and even a neck scarf. He had already judged you to be quick at adapting. You didn’t attract much attention at all, and he found you relaxing more and more as the day passed. Lunch was normal as well, choosing an outdoor dining as you ate noodles. However, the real test would be when someone would recognise her.

And he was going to make sure someone did. While you were busy admiring roses at a flower shop, Yeosang called a group of kids over and whispered what they needed to do, handing them some coins. The kids disappeared, unnoticed by you. However, as you turned, the kids (excellent actors, Yeosang laughed to himself) halted when they spotted you.

And you halted as well, frowning. Had the kids recognised you or what?

“Are you the princess?” One of the girls asked and you let out a nervous laugh, peeking at Yeosang who was currently too interested in his fingernails. 

“I told you, she is,” a boy elbowed her. “I saw her at the Athletics Championship.”

“You’re lying,” another girl argued. “Why is she not wearing her princess outfit?”

You snorted at that and the kids looked at you. “What? Do you think the Princess even sleeps wearing a fancy gown?”

“She doesn’t?” the first girl frowned. 

As the kids bickered among themselves, you turned to Yeosang. “I thought you could do better.”

“What?” Yeosang pretended to feign ignorance and you rolled your eyes. You were about to tell the kids to scoot off, but a woman came rushing towards the kids, scolding them for straying too far. You watched them, forgetting everything else for a moment until the woman looked at you and gasped.

“Your Highness!” She bowed deeply, and the kids burst into an excited fit that panicked you and you looked at Yeosang who was equally surprised. So this wasn’t planned…

“Your Highness?” A man who had been passing by also followed the woman’s suit and you groaned.

“Please, rise,” you commanded and they did, and you looked around, grateful for the lack of audience. “I am visiting town unofficially, so I hope you’ll keep my presence a secret.”

“Of course,” the woman nodded. “I’m a palace maid- you probably don’t recognise me. I’m happy to see that you’re out of the palace! You’re always inside- I hope you enjoy today.”

You were surprised at that- not her being a palace maid, but her observation about you. You thanked her, and the man grinned at you as a sign that he would keep it a secret as well and when they were gone, you finally looked at Yeosang who looked a little guilty. “Do I look that much of a bore?”

“What?” Yeosang laughed, not expecting that question so not understanding what you meant either.

“I mean,” you sighed. “The woman basically said that, right? That I’m always cooped up in my room?”

“Was she wrong?” Yeosang scoffed.

“No, which is why it hurts,” you laughed sadly. “I need more adventures in my life-”

You spotted a familiar face in the crowd- Mingyu. What were the odds? 

“Uh, Yeosang,” you kept your eyes at Mingyu who was alone, thankfully. “Do you mind if I go meet an acquaintance?”

Yeosang followed your gaze, right beside you. “Oh, is that the boyfriend? What a coincidence. I promise this was not arranged by me.”

“I know,” you tapped his arm as an indication that you were going. “You better wait right here- I’ll be back soon.”

Yeosang watched you boldly walk to the man who had to do a double-take as he saw you, and then you both disappeared in the alley, Yeosang laughing silently to himself. He had to admit- he was curious about what exactly was the relation between you two. He resorted to sitting on the bench and staring at the sky, while you?

You practically dragged Mingyu in the alley, the two of you stifling your laughs and hiding in a corner, you two were all over each other. You two were kissing like you were teenagers who had snuck out behind their parents’ backs, like you were past curfew. When you finally broke apart, Mingyu was grinning. “What are you doing here, Princess of Eden?”

“I was out with my tutor on a mission- blending in with the crowd,” you wiggled your eyebrows at him. “We haven’t properly sat in so long, Mingyu. Are you ever coming to meet me properly, or should I forget about you?”

“I promise I will,” Mingyu rubbed your arms. “I might get a job where I’ll have to frequent the palace often, so I’m concentrating on getting that first.”

“Really?” You were pleased. “What job?”

“My dad’s sick, so he might push me to handle his current affairs,” he said and you recalled how his father was a court member. “Let’s see how it goes.”

“Yeah, I’ll… look forward to seeing you,” you smiled at him. “I shouldn’t keep him waiting- I should go.”

“Okay,” he pecked your lips. “Go.”

Though you had just met your ‘boyfriend’, you didn’t look lovestruck, Yeosang thought, as you walked to him and joined him on the bench, slumping down with a sigh that made him feel as if something was bothering you. Yeosang simply offered you the same candy bag and you took some, the both of you staring at the sky.

“If you sigh anymore, I’m going to have to assume you broke up.”

“It’s not that,” you laughed. “It’s… I don’t know. He’s not my boyfriend, by the way.”

“Yet…” Yeosang raised his brows.

“Yet…” you sighed again. “He makes me forget that I am a princess when I am with him.”

“In a good way or a bad way?” Yeosang asked and you frowned- you had never had anything to compare it with, but today…

Or rather, with Yeosang, you hardly felt like a princess at all as well. And though Yeosang obviously treated you like just any other human… it was somehow better than Mingyu walking on eggshells with you or looking at you as if you would break. As if you were brittle- that you couldn’t bend, you’d simply break. So you only shook your head in answer, and that was enough for Yeosang. 

“Can I confess something?” You asked and Yeosang shrugged. He didn’t seem like someone who would judge you. “I don’t think Mingyu is the type of person I’d be happy with in the long run.”

“Ah, so that’s the name-”

“I think,” you ignored him, finding the fluffy clouds in the sky strangely comforting. “I think we’re both using each other one way or another. He’s handsome and I’m not the prettiest girl alive, so I wonder what he’s using me for. It’s obvious why I am, but I don’t think I want to know why he is. I don’t think I’d like the answer.”

“Then you don’t need to ask the question,” Yeosang commented. “You could part ways on good terms too.”

“That’s true,” you looked at him, smiling. “You know, you’re feeling more like a friend than a tutor or whatever you’re supposed to be. I like it.”

Yeosang put a hand on his chest and for a moment, you thought he was touched, until he said, “Then I have failed.”

You smacked his arm harshly and he laughed, shaking his head. “You’ve never had a friend, have you?”

“There’s Siyeon but she’s more like an elder sister,” you admitted. “Also, tell me you think of me as a friend too. I’d be hurt if you don’t.”

“As you know, I’m not the type of person who cares whether you’re hurt or not,” he brushed his clothes, getting up and offering you his hand, which you took as you got up as well. “But I think we could be friends. Only when I’m not tutoring you- I don’t want you to have the upper hand.”

You squeezed his hand, grinning. You could work with that.

—-----------------

“I can’t believe I thought you wouldn’t suck so much,” Yeosang was shaking his head in disappointment and you aimed an arrow at him. He didn’t even flinch when you let it loose- he already knew by what margin your arrows were always off, and he didn’t need to move- the arrow flew well past him. 

“It’s insulting that you didn’t even flinch,” you were laughing in disbelief at his guts. “How are you so good with all this calculating and aiming?”

“I grew up surrounded by archers,” Yeosang admitted, collecting the arrows as he walked around. You slumped down on the bench, waiting for him to continue. “I still think your case can be improved, so let’s not give up.”

“You remember what we promised, right?” You wiggled your brows at him and he rolled his eyes.

In the course of the past few days, there was a certain air of comfortableness between you two, growing casual with each passing day. As a tutor during the early hours of the day, you stopped giving him a hard time (only because you had the rest of the day to annoy the fuck out of him) and focusing on what he taught you- he was brilliant, you had to admit. He had taught you more tips and tricks than you had learnt in the entire course of your life. You would never admit that to him, or even to Professor Seo since he had shaped you at a good pace, but he really was amazing.

He kept insisting that you get basic self defence training before you go to the West. The civil war threat was still growing and the locals there were kind of brutal. You agreed that you’ve had enough of being the damsel, so you were going to learn to fight, at least enough to not get yourself killed in a stupid way. And Yeosang had been kind enough to try to teach you, albeit with little progress in the past two days.

Today, though, you struck a bargain with him- if your aim got better today, he would help you sneak out at night so you could meet up with Mingyu. 

Though he pretended to puke at the idea of it, he agreed only because you thought you wouldn’t get any better. He didn’t care if you met Mingyu or any other person, he didn’t care what you did with them, as long as he wasn’t involved, but for someone who didn’t bat an eye when others would very well crucify you, he was awfully curious. You were guessing curiosity was his besetting sin. Or maybe because you were the Princess of Eden, he was taking more interest in your life than he would have in any other person’s. Whatever the reason, you didn’t mind. You were very used to people prying into your private matters, but Yeosang was different- you just knew he didn’t have any evil intentions.

“You won’t ever hit your target at this rate, let me show you,” Yeosang said as he got up, making his way towards you. He stood next to you with his own bow and arrow, instructing you on how you should place your legs, how taut your arms should be, how you should hold the weapon properly.

“Like this?” You mirrored his position- or at least tried. He didn’t look satisfied but he nodded, urging you to try. You did, and surprisingly, this was the first time you hit the target on the tree, though you had almost missed it. 

“Again,” he instructed and you did, twice, watching him walk around you as he checked your posture. “I need your full focus on your target, not on me.”

“Yes sir,” you muttered, trying to pry your eyes from Yeosang who, frankly, looked absolutely ethereal in the glow of the sun. It was unfair how handsome he was. Sometimes you wondered how his parents looked like to have a son who looked like him. 

“Let me,” Yeosang met eyes with you, his hands raised in the air in front of you and you nodded. He fixed the position of your bow and then stood beside you, prying your fingers loose and positioning them correctly, his hands unexpectedly warmer than you had expected. With a hand on your back, he muttered instructions- which parts to relax, which parts to stretch, and the way his hands travelled all over your upper body-

Even though you were wearing a good amount of layers, you had to suppress the shiver with all your strength. Especially when he stood right behind you, snaking his arms around you as he positioned the bow and arrow.

“Shoot,” his breath caressed your ear and you were sure that was why you let go of the arrow, instead of the command. Yeosang drew back, clapping. “That’s much better. Let me see,” he said, standing in front of you and scanning you. 

“Relax that frown,” he pointed at your forehead. “And exhale with the arrow. Come on.”

You shifted your focus to the target and did what he said- this time hitting the arrow only a few inches above the bullseye. You lowered your bow, sharing a grin.

“See? Now you only gotta practise. And for the aim, try shooting daggers as well. Let’s do that next time.”

You continued to practise, your aim getting much better, while Yeosang lied casually on one of the benches, reading a book- or pretending to. You were pretty sure he had passed out at some point, and when you couldn’t shoot any more arrows, drained, you made your way to Yeosang, glancing around for any maids or guards- after all, you were still in the palace. Finding none, you flicked Yeosang’s forehead to wake him up-

Which resulted in him grabbing your wrist before you could blink, scaring you for a moment before he relaxed, letting go. “Sorry, I thought it was someone else.”

“Who would dare?” You rubbed your wrist, trying to calm your pounding heart. “You’ve got killer reflexes.”

“I do?” He laughed, tapping the space beside him and you sat down, stretching your arms and legs as you sighed deeply. “You’ve gotten better.”

He was staring at the arrows lodged in the target board. You grinned. “Now you’ll have to sneak me out.”

“I shouldn’t have helped you,” he shook his head but gave in. “As promised. But if we get caught, come up with a story before they send me for execution.”

“Of course,” you promised. “He’s coming tonight, you know. Mingyu. Should I see him before dinner or after?”

“Before would be better, night time makes everything more suspicious,” Yeosang ran a hand through his hair. “But then… everything is so visible before the sun sets down.”

“Night time is better,” you were thinking to yourself, folding your arms. “I can make the excuse of feeling under the weather and retiring early from my activities, and then wait for him in one of the guest rooms. All you have to do, Yeosang dear, is keep watch and alert me with three knocks on the door so I can sneak out from there and run.”

“What would happen if you got caught?” He asked and when you narrowed your eyes at him, he explained that he was just curious.

“I don’t know, actually,” you took a deep breath. “If it gets public, I guess the people will frown upon me, and then father’s plan of making me his heir would get more complicated.”

“You don’t seem particularly sad about that,” Yeosang observed.

“Well, it seems like I’m not hungry for that power yet.”

Oh, power was boring- you had seen enough of it in the two decades of your life. Sure, it had its perks- especially when you get to pull rank at times, however, once you took the crown and ascended as Queen, the little freedom you had? It would be gone like it was never there to begin with. So, yes. You did not like the idea of being his heir- at least not yet, and you were pretty sure you would never-

“Ah, so you’re simply hungry for an adventure,” Yeosang’s eyes practically gleamed as he made the connection.

You supposed he was right. After all, why were you still agreeing to meeting Mingyu, sneaking around the palace like a rat, walking on your tiptoes afraid of getting caught, all for someone you weren’t even sure about? Especially when you finally entered a guest room, finding that the thrill in your heart was not because you finally got to see Mingyu after so long but because of the excitement that came with the process?

As Mingyu smirked and walked towards you with light steps, tucking your hair behind as a greeting, you wondered if there was something lost in you. You wondered if you would ever find true love in your life- the kind of love they talked about in the books, the kind of love that people gave their lives for. Mingyu was not that person for you. And what turned you off the most about him was that he never tried to get to know you. Yes, he would listen when you would talk, but he never asked questions. He wasn’t interested in you.

Which meant there had to be something else that he was interested in. As far as you knew, he was only meeting you. He didn’t have someone else in his life, so what was he after?

“You feel so distant tonight,” he commented as he caressed your face. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just tired from all the practice,” you passed him a weak smile and he didn’t probe further, fishing out something from his pocket.

“Remember when we met in the market?” He grinned, “I may have gotten you something.”

You made an impressed face and opened the box- it was a necklace with a little golden heart pendant, intricately carved. “It’s pretty. Thank you.”

“You like it?” He pressed a kiss on your temple and you nodded, shy when he let his nose trace the angles of your face, his breath caressing you. “What else do you like, Princess?”

Well, the one thing he was good at was… whatever he was doing right now, snaking his hands around your waist and pulling you forward as he kissed you, letting his lips trail down your neck, peppering kisses and sucking at a few spots, drawing the collar of your dress away and making you gasp, drawing it away even further-

“Wait,” you suddenly pulled back, drawing your dress up and frowned when he looked disappointed. “I- I should go, we don’t have the luxury of time, Mingyu. Not right now.”

“It’s okay,” he got up and straightened his clothes. “I should leave anyway. My friend is waiting for me right outside the palace gates.”

“Oh, okay,” you nodded, getting up yourself. “See you soon?”

He smiled, tipping his hat before leaving and you didn’t realise how long you kept staring into the distance until Siyeon finally entered after a knock.

“Are you okay, Princess?”

“Ah, yes, I am,” you nodded. “Just taking a breather. Let’s go.”

You made your way to your room, not noticing Mingyu walking not towards the palace gates but to the direction where the Queen’s private chamber was. However, Yeosang who had forgotten his book in the library noticed Mingyu conversing with the Queen herself, hidden from sight- anyone else would not have noticed but Yeosang was more observant than the usual person. He wondered why the two were talking, dismissing it as their private matter, but as he tried to sleep that night, he kept wondering if you knew that the Queen and Mingyu knew each other enough to meet out of plain sight.

—------------------

“I didn’t know there was a place like this in the palace,” Yeosang commented, looking around after dusting himself. You passed him a grin.

“I found this when I was 11,” you told him. “My mother used to come here when she wanted to get away from things- I once followed her. After she passed away, I forgot all about this place until one day, I found myself walking here.”

“I can see why she would want to come here,” Yeosang folded his arms, nodding.

Away from all the hustle and bustle of the palace, at the far-east corner of the vast gardens that stretched at the borders, there was an opening in the fence, hidden from the overgrown vines. You supposed when your mother was alive, she must have maintained the place, but now… it was just a collection of forgotten memories, dust and overgrown plants. The hut was dark and home to spiders and other animals- you never dared go inside, preferring to rest on the stairs that overlooked the pond and the large tree which was the highlight of the little place- purple flower petals crowding the ground and the pond.

“Ah, there’s a cat here now,” you waved at the cat but it sneered at you before taking off, making Yeosang chuckle as he sat beside you, peeking inside the veranda. “What a rude cat!”

“You’re the one disturbing the poor cat’s peace,” Yeosang commented. “So? What are we going to do now that we’re here?”

“Well, I don’t know, not study for once?” You narrowed your eyes at him- he had been pretty strict with keeping the studying schedule. He had also been strict with your other classes- you were pretty good with weapons now- Yeosang would never admit that, always dismissing you off as ‘average’, but his proud cheeky smile? He couldn’t hide that. 

“Ah, so it’s just you and me then, huh?” Yeosang asked and you poked your tongue in your cheek as you wondered how to respond to that. He seemed to realise that and he shook his head. “I mean, as friends? That’s how we decided to go, right? Unless you’re planning to bury me here… pretty sure no one would find my body if you do-”

“Yes, let’s just talk and relax, and by the end of it I will decide if I really want to bury you here,” you passed him a sarcastically sweet smile. “Have you heard from Professor Seo yet?”

“I received a letter today, he’s doing fine and the situation is handled, but he decided to visit his family before returning,” he told you and you found yourself more relieved than disappointed about his late return. Yeosang spotted that right away and smirked. “Pleased that he’s not coming back soon?”

“He’s kind of boring and you’re… kind of not?”

“Why did that end as a question?” Yeosang frowned and you shook your head. 

“Anyways, you said you wanted to talk to me about something- what was it?” You asked and saw him visibly struggle as he decided whether he really wanted to say it or not. “Just spill- don’t make that face.”

“Well, it’s about Mingyu- let me make a few things clear first,” he cleared his throat and you raised a brow. “I am not interested in your relationship with him or whatever you do, and I don’t mean to pry, but what you said about him wanting something from you…”

“Well?” You urged him.

“Do the Queen and Mingyu know each other in some way? Because I checked and Mingyu wouldn’t need to privately converse with the Queen over his work matters.”

You felt your heart sink at that but tried to think rationally- maybe the Queen spotted him and called him? Maybe she found out about you two? But you couldn’t help but think of the worst- that the reason Mingyu was wasting his time on you had something to do with the Queen.

“Again, I could be wrong,” Yeosang sounded cautious. “Maybe it was a one-time thing and you don’t need to worry about it, but… you’re the Princess. You always have to be cautious, don’t you?”

“You’re right,” you nodded slowly. “It could be anything, but I have to be cautious. Thank you for letting me know, by the way,” you smiled at him and he pursed his lips, nodding. 

“I’ve ruined the mood, haven’t I?” Yeosang said after a moment and you finally huffed, laughing. “You said you wanted to ask me something as well?”

“Oh, yeah, did I?” You laughed nervously and Yeosang frowned in confusion.

For the past two days, you had been meeting with your father who decided he would have both you and Prince Chan accompany him to the West, despite the continuous attempts of the Queen to somehow make him choose their son over you. You felt better since Chan would be there and you wouldn’t be alone with the King and the generals and whatever officials you were going to find there, but you had an idea-

“If I asked you to accompany me to the West, with the King and the Prince, two days from now… would you agree?”

Yeosang raised a brow. “Is there a specific reason you want me there?”

“Uh…” Was there? “Just… it won’t be as awkward with you there, I suppose. Chan has his own friends there and I know as much as he likes me, he doesn’t like me enough to call me a ‘friend’. Besides, you’re a great strategist, Yeosang. We could actually use some help there. You’ll of course be representing me if you decide to go, so the court members realise I don’t have allies myself-”

“You don’t need to explain all of that,” Yeosang laughed to himself, shaking his head at you. “Come on. You’re the Princess. All you had to say was ‘it’s my order’.”

“I would have added it in the end,” you muttered, slumping but he knew you wouldn’t.

“You’ve warmed up to me, huh? Just admit it- you don’t want to die of boredom there. I make you laugh, I keep you on your toes, I even let you take those naps when we should be studying-”

“Fine, yes, you’re mildly amusing. I won’t say I’d die of boredom without you, okay? Don’t think too highly of yourself-”

Yeosang leaned forward until he was inches away from your face, making you blink in surprise. “But I think you would,” he almost whispered and when you didn’t push him away or respond, he seemed to realise just what position he was in, drawing back smoothly. “Talking about boredom, is there something fun to do right now?”

“I have dice hidden here somewhere,” you jumped down, pretending to search under the stairs while calming your pounding heart and trying to ignore the knot in your stomach. “Here it is. Let’s play?”

—---------------------

You were finding it extremely hard to get Yeosang alone once you arrived at the town in the west of Eden, where the Westerners were going to have meetings with your court to try and resolve the political problems they had with the King’s policies. The reason the King, his children and a good part of his court went themselves was a sign of good gesture- that you all were willing to listen and resolve this peacefully, but this was also a warning- that you would be assessing the situation and taking appropriate and immediate measures according to it.

However, you were warmly welcomed by the dwellers, and a large amount of the first few days were spent partying. You were, of course, the Princess and with that title, you had to display a certain amount of elegance, which Yeosang made sure to roll his eyes at whenever he came into your vision. He also made a note of telling you “I can see how hard it is for you to hold back” which only made you restrain yourself with a smile since the public was watching.

However, Yeosang clearly hadn’t expected you to sneak out in the middle of the night, leaving Siyeon alone in the room and tiptoeing to Yeosang’s room, following Siyeon’s map that she had drawn on your hand after you had begged her to let you breathe. Your heart was rhythmically matching your excitement, but you paused before you knocked on Yeosang’s room-

“Are you sure you and Yeosang are just friends?” Siyeon had asked.

“Of course we’re just friends, what are you implying?” You frowned.

“You’re different when you talk about him,” Siyeon smiled knowingly, which only confused you further. “I’ve not seen that smile once before. Not even with Mingyu.”

“Get your head out of the gutter,” you had muttered and she had laughed it off, but now that you stood-

The door slid open and Yeosang couldn’t keep from mumbling a curse when he found you standing with a hand outstretched. “What are you doing at this ungodly hour, Princess? And outside my room? Finally decided to kill me in my sleep?”

“It’s not even midnight yet,” you rolled your eyes, making your way inside his room and Yeosang watched you, peeking outside to see if you had eyes before shutting the door. “I knew you would be awake. Are you busy?”

“Not really, no,” Yeosang sat down on the couch, ruffling his hair. “Was just about to sleep, as you can see,” he pointed at his pyjamas. “Is something up?”

“I thought we could… I don’t know. Sneak out and enjoy the festival. I know we decided not to go because of security measures, but I learnt from my very wise tutor-” you pointed with both hands at Yeosang and he groaned, “-that the art of disguise comes handy. So we’ll blend in tonight, you and I, as civilians. No one would recognise us anyway- not when we dress up all fancy and… voguish, like them, eh?”

You could tell Yeosang didn’t hate the idea because he was not kicking you out of his room. “You do realise what you’re saying, right? You didn’t drink, did you?”

“I’m perfectly sober, thank you,” you got up and unbuttoned your cloak, revealing a pair of red jewelled velvet tunic and pants, and you revealed your hair tied in a bun- a mess of braids and curls. You waved your matching red mask at him as well, laughing when he gaped at you. “I’m ready. Are you?”

After a few protests and you dragging Yeosang and throwing clothes at him after shuffling through his bag, earning snarky remarks and how you looked ‘overdressed’, you finally got Yeosang to change. He looked perfect in his black outfit with a jewelled jacket, and then you made him sit on the chair in front of the mirror so he would take care of his hair.

“Don’t make me comb it myself,” you scoffed. “I haven’t ever done even my own hair apart from a ponytail, just so you know.”

“Snobby little princess-”

“It’s because I naturally suck at it,” you slapped his head and he glared at you, wondering why he was even doing this. 

“You know,” he started parting his hair to one side, shrugging because if he was going out anyway, he might as well look the best. “All you have to do is be yourself. People won’t recognise you even if you wear your crown over your head.”

“That’s insulting,” you leaned in the mirror, cleaning your slightly smudged lipstick. “But also, somehow good to know.”

Yeosang shook his head, finally done and you gave him an okay. “Now, how do we sneak out?”

“Leave that to me,” you smirked.

A few minutes later and one guard down after a random rock fell on his head (only knocking him out, you told Yeosang), you were in the brightly lit streets, the noise of the people and the music almost overwhelming, but even Yeosang was surprised how perfectly you two blended in- you had clearly planned this long ago. You stopped at a stall to get some cake and you slid down your mask, peeking around but no one recognised you- you felt safe.

“This is stupid, but I can’t say I’m not enjoying,” Yeosang took a bite of the cake. “I mean, when will I ever get the chance? The Princess of Eden in the streets with her replacement tutor, unrecognisable.”

“We’re friends,” you narrowed your eyes. “If you’re still calling yourself my tutor, go home, Yeosang.”

“I don’t know when the boundary blurred,” he pondered.

“Probably when you saved me in the forest,” you muttered. 

“Ah, saved you, did I?” It was the first time you had admitted and you scoffed. “If we hadn’t met that day, would we be here right now?”

“Maybe,” you shrugged. “What do you think?”

Yeosang looked at you as he finished his cake and waited for you to finish yours before stepping forward and you almost jumped when his hands went behind your head to untie the cloth you had been using as a mask. He locked eyes with you. “Can I?”

You didn’t nod but he presumed to tie it around your neck like a bandana, and he rested his hands on your shoulders when he was done. “That’s better. You look beautiful.”

As if just realising what he had said, he abruptly drew back, clearing his throat. “Evil. I meant beautifully evil. Or evilly beautiful?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, smacking his arm. “You don’t have to be awkward about it, Yeosang. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

You were the last person to talk about being awkward when you stood there with a silly grin until someone asked you two to move. You took a deep breath. “Let’s go watch the games?”

You got the first row in the audience that stood to watch the fire show and you didn’t realise that you had been holding on to Yeosang’s arm when he guided you through the crowd, but he didn’t mind- he liked it when you squeezed it whenever you were surprised. At some point, Yeosang himself had stopped watching the show, instead watching how your face looked in the glow of the fire, how your eyes reflected your excitement which was contagious at this point, how your red plump lips parted and pursed. He was smiling faintly when you caught him staring at you.

None of you looked away. You raised a brow. “Bored?”

“Not at all,” he shook his head. “Just want to get some air after this ends.”

“Let’s go right now,” you told him and he insisted that you finish watching the show because according to him, you looked like a cat who had seen a mouse for the first time, but you only held his hand and dragged him, almost exiting when you met a pair of mimers.

“Ridiculous,” Yeosang laughed when they started mirroring your movements.

“That’s not how we look,” you pointed and they mirrored that as well, making you gape at them. “That’s a personal attack! Choose someone else from the crowd!”

Yeosang burst out laughing at that and the mimers continued to mirror your exasperated expressions and movements, until Yeosang grabbed your hand and started running away, the mimers mirroring even that and following you, making all of you laugh because this was unbelievable but fun. The two of you kept running even after you had lost them and just when you were about to stop, Yeosang spotted them and slid into a dark alley, turning you and making you stop against him as he rested against the wall, out of breath.

“They’re right outside,” he whispered, shaking his head as he laughed. “Don’t move.”

You nodded, aware of your hands on his chest and shoulder, aware of his hands holding your wrists loosely but not letting you go, and you rested your head against his chest, out of breath as well. “Tell me when they’re gone. Or should we give them a little scare?”

“I’ll tell you when they’re gone,” Yeosang said and you hummed in agreement, not daring to move but feeling glad when you felt his tense body relax against you. His hands slid down your arms but didn’t let go, and even when he saw the mimers leave the area, he didn’t tell you. 

He wanted you all to himself just for a little longer.

And that realisation made him so utterly confused. He hadn’t intended to cross the line, yet… he knew you two weren’t friends at this point- at least he wasn’t, because he was falling. 

But you still liked Mingyu, didn’t you? Even when he had told you about the Queen and Mingyu’s meeting, you met him twice after, and Yeosang helped you. You told him you wanted to feel him out and see what exactly he wanted so you could catch him in the act, but… he was starting to realise why he hated it when he saw Mingyu touch your face- that guy was clearly not sincere.

Were his own feelings sincere then, he wondered. Is that how you felt about Mingyu? Unsure but wanting?

“They’re gone,” Yeosang finally whispered and you took your head off after a moment, looking up at him and finding him incredibly close. You grinned and let go of him. “Well, that was an adventure right there.”

“That sure was,” Yeosang brushed his clothes and you walked back to the streets, just walking and chatting and grabbing more snacks until you both were very tired, which was when you decided to walk back, sneaking past the guards into Yeosang’s room which was thankfully on the ground floor. 

Yeosang shut the window behind him and you secured your cloak, smiling at him and asking, “Tell me how tonight was. Tell me honestly.”

“Well, Princess,” Yeosang stepped in front of you, smirking and flicking your forehead. “It was the most fun I had in a good few years.”

“Really? You’re not lying?” You asked and he nodded, crossing at his heart. You smiled wide and slumped in relief. “Glad you don’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, why would you think that?” Yeosang’s voice was incredibly soft. “I like you. A lot. I like whatever we have, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I just hope you don’t forget all about me when you’re busy or when I have to go, y/n.”

Your heart did a somersault and you took a step towards him as well, almost closing the distance between you two. “This was the most fun I had too. In my life. Thank you, Yeosang. And I won’t forget you, ever. I hope you don’t if you go back.”

‘If’, you had said, Yeosang realised with a glimmer of hope. You didn’t want him to go back. It was up to him now. But he had to be sure about you first-

He didn’t expect you to lean in and kiss him on the cheek and then shyly look at you as you grinned. Oh, he wanted to cross the line so bad. “Thank you for tonight, Yeosang.”

Before he could respond, you scurried off, and he stood dumb for a few minutes until he smiled and sat in front of the mirror, taking off his accessories and looking at where you had kissed him-

Where the red smudge of lipstick welcomed him.

So that’s why you were grinning, he thought, laughing to himself as he wondered if he should just let the mark remain.

—-------------------

The situation in the West had been resolved and you made your way back, making the visit last for about a week and a half. A week after that night you spent with Yeosang at the festival. You had attended a meeting together where you got to see just what kind of a strategist Yeosang was, and he was one hell of a strategist- he managed to keep the political interests of both the parties in balance as he suggested ways to resolve the conflict, along with his seniors. He was applauded by the King himself and that made you giddy. It didn’t help that he looked incredibly hot when he was in operational mode, you told him.

“There’s something wrong with you,” Yeosang had made a face and you had only laughed.

“You know, my father approves of you. He even asked me if you’re my replacement tutor.”

“I should go and tell him how disrespectful my student is-” 

And that ended with the usual bickering as well. In the few days you spent in the West after the festival, you only got to meet up with Yeosang once during the evening when you two were walking around, and Prince Chan had joined, which ended up making you the third-wheel. They surprisingly had much to talk about.

Your lessons with Yeosang were going to resume today. You had also just received a letter from Professor Seo which said that he would be returning in a week or two. You felt anxious for some reason- could you keep Yeosang all to yourself? Would that be selfish of you? After all, Yeosang’s family and friends weren’t in this town.

You went inside the library, finding it utterly quiet. You almost called out loud for Yeosang, but you saw him dozing off, sitting crossed legged on the floor with his head resting on his arms on the table. You smiled to yourself- what a sight he was. You tiptoed towards him, sitting in front of him across the table and waiting for a while- he was probably tired. You heard a muffled groan and watched him as he frowned in his sleep- was he having a nightmare?

“Yeosang?” You whispered, but he didn’t stir. You slid away from the table and went to his side, carefully pushing a few strands of his dark hair away from his face- he seemed to be caught in a dream-

You noticed the redness on his temple that you had spotted before too- you hadn’t asked him about it and the way he styled his hair, you couldn’t detect it unless you looked carefully, but it looked like it was a birthmark. You touched it lightly, smiling-

You couldn’t even let out a scream when he went for your neck making you fall flat against the floor and him on top of you with his dagger threatening to slit your throat.both of you were looking at each other in surprise with wide eyes and you patted his arm cautiously. “It’s me… Yeosang, it’s me.”

Yeosang came back and sighed deeply, drawing back and immediately apologising. “I don’t know what I was thinking, I have nothing to say.”

“It’s okay,” you frowned as you straightened your clothes, getting up to go back to your place. Yeosang, confused, got up as well. “Are you alright, Yeosang? Are you haunted?”

Yeosang snorted at that. “Actually, I’m not always like this. I was attacked on the night when we came back, in my room. I didn’t get who it was, but someone’s after me, which means… someone’s after you.”

“Oh, come on,” you shook your head. “It might be something you did. You’re not a saint, Yeosang dear.”

“Could be, but I’m betting it has something to do with you-” Yeosang stopped mid-sentence and pulled you by your arm into his chest as a vase fell and crashed on the floor, making you scream and clench onto his clothes. 

“Wait here- someone’s definitely after you,” Yeosang said and before you could stop him, he went for what you figured was whoever he spotted. You took out your own dagger, waiting for him or whoever it was that dared attack you in the library, of all places. 

However, the last person you expected to see was Mingyu, calling out your name before he stepped in your line of vision and you frowned. “I heard a crash and a scream, I was just passing by. Are you alright?”

“You were just passing by?” You almost spat but then shook your head. “I’m sorry- it’s just been surprise after surprise today. I’m overwhelmed. Did you perhaps spot someone else leaving?”

“Only Kang Yeosang,” he said, stepping towards you but stopping when you raised your hand. 

“Do you know him?” You asked.

“He’s made quite a name for himself after the tour in the West,” he pointed out and you lowered your dagger. “He’s your replacement tutor, is he not?”

“That he is,” you nodded. “He’ll be back any minute.”

“Can I see you tonight?” Mingyu asked, shooting a playful smile in your direction.

“If you tell me why you’ve been meeting up with the Queen, sure, I can see you tonight,” you countered. You refused to believe him passing by was a coincidence- not after you’ve been suspecting him for so long.

However, Mingyu clearly didn’t like what you were implying. “Do you think I’m a spy or something? That’s a low blow.”

“What else am I supposed to think, Mingyu?” You countered. “You’ve been meeting up with her- I saw you myself. And you didn’t bother to tell me? A simple explanation would have done. You could have lied and I would have believed you. But you didn’t even tell me. You never tell me anything. You only call me when-”

“And what do you tell me about yourself, Princess?” Mingyu walked towards you. 

“I tell you enough,” you seethed. “I risk meeting you and tell you enough. You have no idea what the consequences would be if I got caught meeting you.”

“Well, no one would know unless you spill,” he stopped in front of you. “Have you?”

“I just- I can’t continue meeting you like this forever, you know it,” you sighed. “And you’re still not telling me why you met her.”

“I tell you enough as well,” he countered. You couldn’t believe him. You were about to walk away but he caught your wrist. “Come on. Don’t ruin this-”

“Ruin what, Mingyu? What are we?” You locked eyes with him, surprisingly relieved when you saw no signs of longing in them. “We never address that though, do we?” 

“Well, what are you with Yeosang then?” He countered and you raised a brow. “I’ve seen you both. He’s not your tutor-”

“He’s my friend,” you sneered, trying to break away your wrist from him but he wouldn’t let go. “And let go of me. You’re hurting me.”

“Friend?” He laughed. “Friends don’t look at each other the way I’ve seen you-”

“I suggest you let go of her right now, Mingyu,” Yeosang’s voice boomed as he walked to the two of you. “Let go of the Princess.”

Mingyu scoffed at him. “No, what do you two even do in here? I’m pretty sure it’s not just studying-”

The crack of the slap on his left cheek was the most satisfying sound you ever heard out of him, and you didn’t regret it, even when he looked betrayed and surprised. “Who do you think I am? You’re the first person I’ve been with, Mingyu, and you’re the only one. I can’t believe you think so lowly about me. I guess I should have thought that about you too,” you rubbed your wrist- he had finally let go due to the initial shock. “Meet me tomorrow night at the same place. We’ll end this- only after you tell me what you’re up to with the Queen. And don’t bother lying- I know what you’re up to. I only need to see if you’ll tell me the truth or not.”

Mingyu huffed, laughing in what you could only presume was disbelief. “I think we should. We need to think with clear minds, huh?” He looked at Yeosang and left the room, leaving you glaring at his passing figure. Yeosang stifled his smile as he stood next to you. “Well… that was one hell of a slap.”

“Shut up, Yeosang,” you muttered but smiled, looking at him. “I should have done that earlier. I don’t know what took me so long.”

“Do you really know what he’s up to?” Yeosang patted your back, urging you to settle down before sitting in front of you.

“I don’t, actually, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to continue whatever it is we had. It was only physical, and that’s… it makes me shameful to think of it.”

Yeosang looked proud of you though, especially when he said, “I don’t think I need to be your tutor anymore. You’ve learnt all you need to- at least about strategy and offence.”

You laughed at that. “Have I? You still have to teach me the damned nonsense the old scholars left for us that’s not even relevant-”

“Don’t disrespect your ancestors,” he shook his head, grinning. 

—------------------

When Mingyu entered the room, you didn’t get up this time. He didn’t approach you either, simply sat down next to you.

“I’m sorry for slapping you earlier- I could’ve dealt with that differently,” you told him. You were sorry- that wasn’t a lie.

“I deserved that,” Mingyu looked at you and you both shared a laugh. “I was being an asshole.”

“Glad you realise that,” you shook your head. “So?”

“The Queen… the first time that she called me, she only wanted to know who my father was- apparently, he used to do some of the Queen’s private tasks, so she thought she could trust me as well. I didn’t realise what she was on to until the second time, when she casually asked me if I was interested in you.”

“Wow, she’s still digging for something to bring me down,” you made an impressed face. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her the truth- that I admire you as the Princess. That’s exactly what I said. Not a lie, but not the whole truth either,” he winked.

“That’s smart, I’ll give you that,” you nodded. “How did she respond to that?”

“She told me I should meet up with you, that you might be interested in me as well. Honestly, I was confused- I didn’t know if it was a test or some twisted game where she wants us to get caught because it’s no secret that she hates you. So I just told her I’ll look for a chance. Now she just asks me if I made some progress.”

“I wonder what’s going on in her head,” you sighed. “You should have told me, Mingyu.”

“I know,” he admitted. “I should have, but honestly… I’m not interested in you that way- at least not yet.”

“Neither am I,” you admitted. “We should end it, though. There’s no use continuing whatever we had, but I hope we can part on good terms, and possibly be allies in the future. You’re smart, Mingyu. I hope you won’t use our relationship to bring me down one day- I’d rather you be my ally, my friend.”

“Now that’s one tempting offer,” he laughed, tucking your hair behind your ear. “No hard feelings?”

“None,” you nodded. “Unless you pull something, in which case you can expect not to wake up after you sleep,” you smiled sweetly at him and he shook his head, raising his hands in surrender. “Also, yesterday… were you really passing by the library?”

“Ah, about that,” Mingyu straightened, recalling the detail he needed to tell you. “I did spot someone suspicious- dressed like a guard- around the library, so yes, I was just passing by but made a detour because I thought I saw something.”

“Who do you think could be behind it?” You wondered.

“Could be anyone at this point, but maybe start from the people closest around you,” Mingyu said. “Should I look into it?”

“Will you?” You asked and he nodded. You thanked him- that really was a kind offer, perhaps to make up for his behaviour.

After that meeting, you walked to your secret place just to have some alone time and think things through. You had just been in your room, and Siyeon had been beyond relieved after she heard that you broke things with Mingyu. 

“I’m just glad I don’t have to be the watchdog anymore, you know?” She told you as she prepared you for bed, about to go and bring your tea when you told her you wanted to get some air first. She let you go willingly this time.

But when you sneaked in through the vines around the fence, the last person you expected to see was Yeosang. What was more surprising were the empty bottles around him- he was drinking. 

He never drinked this much, from what he had told you. You whistled at the sight and went to sit next to him, shaking your head at his flushed cheeks. “You need to stop before I wake you up by pushing you in the pond.”

“What are you doing here?” He sounded surprisingly sober.

“What are you doing here? Why are you drinking?”

“Just needed to stop thinking for a few moments,” he admitted, offering you a bottle. You took a sip and told him you weren’t going to drink more. “Boomer. Look at the moon- it’s a wonderful sight. That calls for a few drinks as we admire the sight, no?”

“Yep, you’re drunk,” you folded your arms. “What’s keeping you up at nights, Yeosang?”

He was silent for a few moments, and you almost thought he faded into unconsciousness when he mumbled something. You frowned, “What was that?”

“You,” he said, and your heart sank. “You. You keep me up at nights. You don’t let me sleep.”

“Hmm, really?” You pursed your lips, stifling your smile. “And what exactly about me?”

He glanced at you and it was your turn to get flushed- he had rarely ever looked at you that way, but whenever he did… it drove you crazy. “I wish I hadn’t met you, y/n.”

Your heart broke like never before- it was a sharp blow. You managed to ask why.

“I’m not worthy of you. I cannot be with you. But I think I want to be with you. But… you don’t want me. So I wish I hadn’t met you- at least that day in the forest. Maybe if we hadn’t become friends-”

“What are you saying?” You shook your head. “What’s this bullshit about being worthy? I’m not some prized possession you need to win.”

“Oh, but you are,” he smiled, looking down. “You’re… wonderful. You’re brilliant. I’m nothing.”

“God, if you were sober right now, you would be saying the opposite. And that’s making me confused,” you tugged at his sleeve, making him look at you. “Are you joking right now? Do you like me or something? Because I’ve been the one afraid to take that step-”

Yeosang leaned in and kissed your cheek, making you pause. He drew back slowly. “That night… I wanted to keep you all night. I wanted you so bad.”

“Yeosang,” you whispered, “You can have me. You’ve had me long ago.”

“Is that so?” He traced your hairline, tucking your hair behind your ear, and you couldn’t help but shiver. You couldn’t help but compare- Mingyu had done this so many times, yet this single action had never made you a puddle, a mess like you are now. 

Yeosang continued to trace the outlines of your face. “I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered, “Are you real, or am I hallucinating? Am I too drunk?”

“I think you are drunk, but I’m real,” you managed to say, locking eyes with him.

“Even if you’re not…” he put his fingers under your chin and tilted your face up, gazing at your parted lips. You stifled a groan- his touch alone was making you go crazy.

And when he leaned in and finally pecked your lips, holding on to his shirt was all you could do to keep from falling down. As if realising you were real, he pecked your lips again, and again, until you parted your lips and kissed him back, making him cup your face and bring you closer as he kissed you like a man deprived of air, tongue colliding and swallowing each other’s moans. You had never felt like this, feeling his touch in every cell in your body, feeling the kiss as if he was caressing every part of you. 

When he drew back, you rested your head against his, and you wanted more, you wanted to kiss him all night, but he dozed off and you couldn’t help but laugh. You let him rest his head on your lap, caressing his soft hair and running your fingers through them, smiling because he looked like a cat. After you almost fell asleep yourself, you decided to leave him here- he needed to face the consequences of his actions.

But the next day, when he sat in front of you teaching you about one of your ancestor’s history, you weren’t listening- just watching him with a smirk. He seemed to be annoyed at that when he shut the book and glared at you.

“What’s so funny?”

“You look like you had one too many drinks last night,” you told him. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember.”

He didn’t.

“I remember. I never forget when I drink,” he said haughtily.

“Is that so?” You made an impressed face. “Do you, perhaps, remember meeting me last night?” He frowned in confusion and you scoffed. “Maybe you shouldn’t think too highly of yourself, Yeosang.”

“You came last night? There?” He groaned loudly, hiding his face. “I hope I didn’t do something embarrassing.”

“Nothing at all,” you shook your head. “Just did this weird dance and twirled around-”

“Now that’s a lie,” he declared and you laughed.

“If you do recall the events of last night, come find me,” you winked at him, opening the book back and leaving him confused.

—-------------------

A few days had passed when the King called you in his study to have a private conversation with you. You went after having breakfast and had tea with your father, chatting about the weather and Chan’s silly pranks when he steered the topic to what he had called you for.

“I want you to participate in court matters regularly as soon as you’re ready,” he sipped on his tea- basically telling you he was going to make it public that you were his choice.

“And what does the Queen say about this?” You asked, taking the umpteenth cookie.

“What she says doesn’t matter,” he told you.

“I think it does, a little,” you began. “She’s been sending some people after me- I don’t know if she wants to simply hurt me or kill me, but she’s out for me. I thought I should tell you.”

Your father stopped mid-air, bringing his cup back to the table. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” you nodded. “I have an ally in the court, you see. He personally caught and interrogated the guard she used. She made it a bit too obvious- it was one of her personal guards. Caught in the act.”

You weren’t lying- Mingyu had done exactly that. You had been practising archery when he sent an arrow for you- and if he had hit, all suspicion would have gone to Yeosang. However, Mingyu had been following him and knocked the guard out, and by luck, you had narrowly escaped from the arrow. 

“I don’t know what to do about her,” your father rubbed his eyes. “It would’ve been one thing if Chan himself was interested in the throne, but… he’s the least interested.”

“And so am I, but father… you know there’s another reason you didn’t groom Chan like you groomed me. You’re afraid of what the Queen would do to you. After all… She was royalty too, before you became your wife. She owns a lot of land, and a good majority would support her if she decided to do something about you.”

“I don’t know why I ever agreed to marry her,” he sighed. 

“Doesn’t matter, but… you don’t need to do anything about what the Queen did to me. She’s been after me all my life- I’ll deal with her myself. It would be wiser if you don’t interfere. She’ll never admit she was behind it anyway.”

“I should warn her though,” he said. “You’re my daughter. I don’t want anyone hurting you. Even if she gets Chan to inherit the throne, she’ll never let you stay here.”

“There’s always going to be someone after us, father,” you pointed out. “We’ll never feel safe. That’s the price we pay.”

The two of you concluded the discussion on the terms that you’ll both confront the Queen and ask her to back off, and that both you and Chan would sit in the court matters regularly, but you would eventually inherit the throne unless Chan is interested, in which case the King or the court themselves would cast their votes. However, that time would hopefully be after a good while. You wished your father lived long and healthy so you wouldn’t have to inherit the throne so young.

After leaving, you went to the library for your lesson with Yeosang, who had been acting a bit suspiciously himself the past few days. You didn’t know if it was because he recalled what happened that night, if he even believed, or if he regretted that, but you weren’t going to bring it up. Professor Seo was arriving in three days, and each passing day was making you anxious because with each passing day, you only became sure that you wanted no one else but Yeosang by your side. For the rest of your life. If he would return the feelings- you hoped he did, because you weren’t sure you could ever love someone like you had begun to love him.

Love- you never thought you’d get to experience that. Even as friends, there was love between you two, the kind that friends had in the books you read, where they looked out for each other and knew each other’s secrets, their likes and dislikes, and such. But the line between friends and more… it was always a little blurred between you two.

You found Yeosang waiting for you not at the usual spot but at the window. He looked at you with a mischievous smile and you raised a brow. He took a deep breath. “Do you want to go to the mountains? A little trip?”

You smiled slowly. “What took you so long! I’m ready.”

It was a thing between you two- sneaking out disguised as random civilians. You borrowed one of Siyeon’s pretty dresses (she always had prettier dresses than you while you wore ugly uniforms for the court) and hid most of yourself in a cloak, walking to the foothills of the mountain which was fairly near, just a long walk that passed by in a blink because Yeosang was suddenly feeling nostalgic and told you about the time he was a kid and climbed all the way to the top of the mountain as a challenge. When you finally started to climb, Yeosang held your hand, surprising you but you let him guide you all the way up until you asked for a break.

“This is a nice spot,” Yeosang stood near the edge of the rock and peeked down. “This shall do.”

“I’m glad,” you huffed as you sat down, Yeosang joining you. “I thought my legs were going to break.”

“I think we should ditch history and start working on your stamina,” Yeosang narrowed his eyes. “Imagine someone comes after you and you give up because you got tired after running a little distance.”

“I’m sorry but no one’s going to chase me up the mountain, I can run just fine,” you said and he laughed. You drank water from your bottle and he sighed, looking up at the cloudy sky.

“I told father about the Queen, by the way,” you said after a moment. “I thought you should know so you don’t worry your ass off.”

“What makes you think I worried at all? It’s a regret the arrow didn’t strike-”

“Hey!” You smacked his arm, pouting at him. “You’re so strange, Yeosang. You say one thing and mean another.”

“Oh? And what do I mean when I say I wished the arrow had hit you?” He turned towards you, appearing very interested. 

“Well, how about ‘oh, I wish I was there and could have taken the arrow for you’. Okay, I admit that was too much,” you sulked when he laughed out loud at that, very sarcastically. “You hate me, that’s fine.”

Yeosang scoffed. “You know what I would have done if I was there?” When you didn’t answer, he put a hand on yours, caressing it. “I would have shot an arrow back, not caring who it was. If it had been the Queen, the Prince or even the King… I would have shot them.”

You were about to smack him again for teasing you but when you saw how serious he was and his gaze- the same gaze you dreaded but wished to see again and again forever- it made you pause. “You’re serious?”

“I am,” he admitted. “And it scares me because I’m the type who weighs all the pros and cons before striking, as you already know.”

You scanned him for a few moments. “Do you finally remember what happened that night?”

Yeosang answered by sliding closer and capturing your lips in an eager kiss, smiling into it when you immediately responded with a surprised moan, clenching his shirt in your hands as he continued to slide closer and kissing you without a break until you two were out of breath. You locked eyes with him, laughing in disbelief. “You’re gonna tell me now that you’re sober?”

“Am I?” He made a confused face and you pushed him back, laughing again but he caught your hands in his. 

“Well, Princess y/n,” he began, smiling cheekily, making you bite your lips because gosh, he was criminally handsome. A walking sculpture- Siyeon had made the right observation. “I may have developed a… liking towards you.”

“That’s it?” You frowned, pushing him away properly this time, making him laugh until he couldn’t breathe. “Come back when you’re sure.”

“Okay, okay, hear me out,” he took both your hands in his. “I don’t want to go back, y/n. If you’ll have me… I want to be yours. I love you more than I thought I did. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. I fell for you before even realising- wait, you’re not taking this seriously!”

You let out the laugh you had been stifling. “I’m just in disbelief, because I love you and I thought you hated me and made a mistake that night or something. Okay, not hated me, but didn’t like me like that or something. But you’re telling me that…”

“That I love you,” he nodded, grinning. “And I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, you don’t need to do anything, just… stay and we’ll figure out, huh? But… stay at your own risk because I will not let you go if you stay-”

He shut you up by kissing you again, this time with a force that had you arching back until you were flat against the grass. You broke apart, “You have a habit of not letting me complete my sentences.”

“You love it, don’t you?” He caressed your face and you felt knots in your stomach. “What do you want me to do, then?”

“Kiss me until I can’t speak anymore?” You suggested and he started by peppering kisses all over your face, making you giggle. Then he kissed you ever so slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, making you melt into a puddle. He earned quite a few moans with the way he kissed alone, and when he started at your neck, it was the end of you- especially when he started nibbling at your sweet spot, sucking and licking and leaving a mark that he looked at proudly.

“Tell me you’re mine,” he whispered, caressing your cheek.

“I’m yours,” you nodded. “Tell me you won’t go.”

“I’ll stay,” he promised, sealing it with another kiss. 

“Even if I have to inherit the throne?” You asked. 

“I’ll be honoured to be by your side then,” he kissed your forehead. “If… if you would have me.”

“Well, you’re one hell of a strategist, and an archer- you shot that arrow at my heart-”

“Come on, you can do better than that,” he shook with laughter at your cheesy line and you pouted.

“No, I can’t,” you said. “But yeah. I’d be honoured to have a mind like you beside me. And a body and a face like yours to look at for the rest of my life, because honestly, you’re hot-”

“Ah, here we go,” he shut his eyes, basking in the compliments. “Carry on.”

You scoffed. “That’s all, Yeosang dear.”

He glared at you, lying beside you. “Can I take back everything I just said?”

“Yeosang!” You turned to slap his arm, getting half on top of him and grinning at your position, letting his hands on your waist guide you up on him. You spent a good few moments admiring him before you kissed him.

“To always and forever,” you said when you broke apart.

“To always and forever,” he nodded, about to bring you in again when you interrupted.

“What are we going to do about Professor Seo? Maybe I should ask him to retire,” you pondered.

“Can you not talk about other people when you’re on top of me?” Yeosang commented and you poked your tongue in your cheek, realising exactly the position you were in- practically straddling him.

“As you wish,” you let him kiss you senseless after that.

It was sweet, and it made your heart feel alive for the first time. You wished in that moment to have a forever and always with him. You would have no one else.

And weirdly, you were glad Mingyu had called you in the forest that day. How fate had worked for you two- meeting as strangers and meeting officially in the palace, finding an unexpected friendship and love along the way. Unexpected but welcomed.

For the first time, you felt safe too, when you lay in his arms. Even though you had told your father earlier that you didn’t have the luxury of feeling safe, you decided to one day tell him that you had found your home- the person that made you feel utterly safe.

THE 'U' IN 'US' - AN ATEEZ SERIES - CHAPTER ZERO

Summary: You weren't really the lonely girl™ of campus, but it does feel like it when you look around, and there's no one by your side when everyone else are talking and whispering between each other. You did have "friends", more like "group projet friends" that you managed to get for yourself, but they were the ones that were real close, you were there only when they had an extra empty seat. But it seems like the gods above took your nonchalant facade as a challenge. Oh, you don't think you need friends to survive through college? Bet.

Pairing: Non! idol OT8 ateez x reader (platonic)

Tags: college! au; hybrid! au; ateez! au; fluff (a whole lot of fluff and wholesomeness); angst; hurt/comfort; mentions of mistreatment and abuse.

WC: 2,2k

N/A: It's finally here!! Please reblog and let me know your thoughts, the feedback is really important to me 💕 If you want to be tagged, also let me know!

INTRO MASTERLIST ONE

Ateez Masterlist

Don’t you remember us?, the words repeating in your head as you stared back at the brown haired boy. Now that your attention was on him and him only, you noticed the smallest of ears picking up from his hair, the color blend made it almost invisible. He was not a human, he was a bear hybrid, and you remembered exactly where you met him for the first time.

The police station was a complete chaos that day. It was a sudden change from the monotony of the small town your father started working at the beginning of his career. There was at least double the people walking left and right. Doing what? You’d never know, but it seemed important enough that you’re too scared to interrupt any of them to ask where was the bathroom, much less your father. He was not in the best mood since you moved, and you hated to be the reason for more stress. Also, he busied himself in conversations you could only watch from a distance, not even keeping his eyes on you sat at an old chair.

He won’t even notice that I left…, how stupid of you.

You wandered off, walking next to the walls so no one would bump into you while carrying a stack of thick papers. There was no sign of a bathroom in the room you were, you didn’t even know where you were, no idea it was the heart of that police station.

You kept walking further and further out of the room into the empty hallways at the back, ignoring the signs at the top of each door, too focused on the triangle dress symbol you couldn’t find. You turned right, but you only found a single wooden door.

The sight was discouraging to say the least.

You sighed, or you thought you did, because you heard it, but it didn’t seem like it came out of your own mouth. Then you heard another sigh, now you were sure it wasn’t you.

You stared at the door a little longer, then up to the sign at the top of it, it said ‘RH waiting room’. You didn’t even know what RH was. A waiting room so far back? Maybe there is a bathroom inside of it. That was enough for you to grab the handle, but it wouldn’t open.

“You have to be kidding me”, you said as you looked up to the ceiling, but you hoped all the gods above could see your disappointment. You were out of luck for the 4th time this week.

Inside the room, there was only silence, something you didn’t notice right away. If you were there, you would be able to feel the tension and fear as the hybrid stared at the door.

“Hey, is there a bathroom in here?”, Jongho repeated the first words you said to him back to you. “You remember now, yeah?”, he could see the embarrassment coming back as you recalled what happened after that, which made him giggle with the others.

You never remembered that moment as funny, because your father told you what RH stood for and why anyone would be there in the first place. But he did.

“Wait, that’s actually the first thing you said to him?”, the one with the bunny ears asked, while laughing so hard he almost fell.

“Yes, I did Min…” you tried to recall as he leaned forward, a glee of expectation in his face as you said his name. “…gi, of course, Mingi”, you said as casually as you could.

He seemed so happy, you felt bad that it was whispered to you behind his back. You would get to it eventually, he did make a good impression of himself when you first saw him too.

“I do think I remember each one of you”, you said as you looked at each of them, one getting harder to greet than the other, until you reached the last two, Yunho and Hongjoong. They didn’t seem to hold any grudges against you, Yunho smiling wider than Hongjoong, but that was a given considering the little you knew about their personalities.

“It’s okay if you don’t, it’s been quite a while”, the blonde boy gestured it wasn’t a big deal with his hands. “I’m Yunho”.

“You didn’t have blonde hair back then…”, you trailed off as you remembered the one day you wished to forget.

“Nor the height, it’s truly unfair”, Wooyoung said with a sad tone as he gave the blonde one a side eye, but his fluffy red tail continued to bounce back and right with energy.

That comment made everyone giggle a little, even yourself. It was true, he grew up well that one, he seemed well nurtured too. That thought calmed your heart a bit.

“So can we sit, then?”, Mingi asked then sighed as if he was standing for hours by the table. Even his long bunny ears were tired of standing on top of his head, alert of all movement around him. He got one lightweight slap on the arm for that. “Ow… why-“, before he could whine, you interrupted.

“Of course, but there’s no-, Hongjoong, Yunho and San already went to get some extra chairs before you could finish the phrase, while the other 5 got comfortable in their sits.

Only then you noticed they wouldn’t be eating since there were no plates

“Do you guys want some?”, you asked as you looked down at your food.

They all declined, including the three ones that just came back with chairs, but you could see some of them eyeing your fries for a bit too long, so you slid the plate to the middle of the table.

“So, every single one of you came to study here, and this is a complete coincidence or this conversation has another purpose than to chitchat?”

In your mind, there was a clear answer. They wanted something from you, and you’ll be glad to give it to them if you could, but what can you do when the cases closed so many years ago?

“We saw you around campus”, Wooyoung said as he leaned over the table, you noticed one of his hands holding onto San’s arm, just like you remembered. “We didn’t think you would recognize us, though”, Hongjoong added after a beat of silence.

“So you followed me here? I don’t get it”, you looked at each one of them.

“No, w-”, Jongho said, but then looked at San and Yunho’s guilty smiles and back to you. “Kind of, some of us saw you around two other times, we weren’t sure it was you the first time, but your scent didn’t change much from back then…”, his voice losing its confidence and volume by the end of the phrase.

“We hoped you would be here, we did not see you today”, Seonghwa cut him off as he leaned forward. His smile was shy, but you could see it was sincere. “That’s the only time of the day we all have to be together before dinner, so don’t worry, we weren’t stalking you together like this”, he giggled while talking and then gestured to them all at the end of the phrase.

The effort Seonghwa had to make to not cover himself with his ears were more than he could express. He was glad his tail was out of sight, clinging to Hongjoong’s thighs in search of some comfort.

It was a weird feeling to be in front of you after so long, and Seonghwa knew the others would agree. He noticed how Yeosang was uncomfortable, readjusting his position on the chair every so often, and how San’s legs bounced without him even noticing.

“Well, that’s good to know”, it was easy for you to smile when they were being so adorable without even making an effort. “But that doesn’t really answer my question, so did you guys just wanted to talk?”

On one side, you had Mingi and Yeosang barely looking at you, at anyone for that matter. Then you had Hongjoong and San, apparently the air was so dry to the point they needed to wet their lips every 3 seconds. Seonghwa, Jongho and Yunho were too awkward to say it first, they could only smile to try to hide their own embarrassment. Wooyoung was eating to keep himself calm.

“Is it that bad?”, your joke made Yunho and Seonghwa giggle and shook their heads. “Then you can tell me, it’s okay, did I make that big of an impression in some of you when we met?”, it was supposed to be a joke, they were supposed to laugh.

But all of them nodded. In such a serious way, too, they weren’t awkward smiling anymore. Their staring suddenly became intense. You couldn’t pretend they didn’t mean it, and you didn’t know what to do with that information.

What could you say? You didn’t do anything to help them, you couldn’t do anything at that age and with the little independence you had. Not to them, nor any other hybrid who stepped foot into that police station.

Your silence spoke for you, and your surprise spoke more than you intended to.

“We just wanted to see how you were doing and to show you how we were doing”, Hongjoong broke the silence.

“I’m glad you all are doing well”, they recognize a certain softness as you said those words, they knew you meant it from your heart.

It was this softness you carried with you whenever you spoke to them that made such a big impression. Humans tend to be harsher while talking to hybrids, maybe because they couldn’t see themselves in their position to be kinder or because they thought hybrids were born stronger and less emotional, they wouldn’t care about those things, right? Up until they met themselves, the only kind one was you, even when it was so brief they barely met your eyes.

“You weren’t even scared”, you barely heard Yeosang’s voice, but the other boys heard him as clear as the day.

He seemed like he was in another world, since he wasn’t looking to anyone in particular. Yeosang jumped out his skin when Seonghwa nudged him on his ribcage. The red colored his cheeks, ears, and nape as Wooyoung did a poor job at hiding his laughter.

You did laugh yourself, but you cleared your throat. “Who wasn’t even scared?

“Hmm, you, you didn’t seem scared when we came by”, Yeosang said as he searched for something to look at to calm himself down, but you did deserve the respect of being look at while being spoken to, so he ignored his instincts and all the bullshit he learned to look at you.

“Why would I be scared of you?”, you said as you watched all of them.

That didn’t even cross your brain, you only realized now. You were too busy wondering why someone would break the ultimate rule of society ‘do no talk to someone wearing headphones’, because that would be much more rare than a hybrid attack out of nowhere. Okay, that wasn’t a real statistic, but it could be.

Yeosang thought you were talking about him for a moment, but then he noticed it wasn’t the case. It was clear no one would ever be scared of Yeosang or Seonghwa, they were at the bottom of the hierarchy, even Wooyoung wouldn’t scare many hybrids, much less many humans. The other 5 were a different matter. By their tails only, one would know they were predators hybrids. Jongho could be underestimated, but smart eyes could tell he was a bear hybrid and not to be messed with.

They were surprised by your genuine question, including Hongjoong, but he felt like he shouldn’t be. You seemed to be just like the kid he met.

“Most people would, but you don’t seem like you are capable of being scared of hybrids, do you?”, Hongjoong said as he observed your body language.

His words carried more meaning than he let it show to the others, but you got it, of course, you did. You also remembered.

“Guess my mom was right when she said I’m not like everyone else then”.

“Fuck, I missed you”, those were the first words San said to you and it caught everyone off guard.

It sounded so genuine and raw, San himself didn’t know what to do now that he said it. Until now, he was observing, checking in with all of the others body languages and emotions, Wooyoung’s more than the others only because he was right beside him. But his own emotions were boiling inside of him, he had to say something to you, but he couldn’t find the right words, well, until now.

Wooyoung was only surprised by the sudden emotion coming from San, but he couldn’t say he was surprised he felt that way in the first place. You must not know to this day what truly happened to them when they met you, but your kindness was the only thing they had to hold themselves onto and if it was up to him, you would never know.

“I’m- I-“, Choi San was blushing like a school girl and that was enough for all chaos break loose.

The other students couldn’t help, but get curious to know what the hell was so funny as laughter dominated the whole cafeteria and to know who were those hybrids that no one saw before.

Tagslist: @asherthehimbo @katsukis1wife @a1i33a @idfkeddieishot @pyeonghongrie-main @h3arteyes4mingi

-> | You keep distancing yourself | Ateez Reaction (Hyung Line)

Some could call selfsabotage, others could say is insecure attachament style, but maybe, you're just tired of fighting a losing battle.

Genre: Angst

Pairing: Ateez OT8 x gn! reader

WC: 2 k

N/A: This is my peace offering after vanishing for so long (please don't k word me)! I had this in my drafts for the longest time, but I only got enough motivation to finish it yesterday

Reblogs and comments are highly appreciated! Thank you so much for reading my work!

Kim Hongjoong (김홍중)

His kakaotalk notifications were non-existent these days.

None of the boys were good texters, and their group chat was silent since Seonghwa asked for something he didn’t remember anymore a while ago. So why did he keep glancing at his phone across the table when he should be working? You never answered whether you would like to come see him next month or not.

“Aish..”, he suddenly got up and walked left and right in the tiny studio, every now and then hitting one of the chairs and acting like it was their fault.

Was it really too forward? Maybe you just were not comfortable with the idea. But you two met 5 months ago and you were never afraid to get out of any situation that made you uncomfortable, so you could just say no, no hard feelings. There’s always a next opportunity, right? So why, why didn’t you just reply?

His phone lighted up. A new yellow notification appeared and he ran to grab it. The simple thought of you messing with any rational thoughts on his mind.

He felt stupid as he read it, then dropped the device on the table, too dejected to care about Mingi’s lost earphones.

Since when did he become so clingy? Maybe you were just busy now, yeah, that was it.

And he wasn’t wrong. You were doing the most to busy yourself so you would have a perfectly acceptable reason to not answer him at all.

Any college assignment you had a month to do was now was a top priority. The new hobby you wanted to try for a while? You just started it. You barely talked to your brother nowadays, but in the last two weeks, you visited his family a couple of times.

Why? You knew what you were doing in the first few days. You got attached too soon, fell deep into a hole and only realized the moment he asked you to watch his concert, ‘It’d mean the world if you come see me on tour next month’ it said. You recalled one of those deep conversations you had some random night the moment you read it.

“It’s kind of embarrassing, but not at the same time”, you remembered how he looked down when you asked about it, the blush on his cheeks gave him away. “It gives me so much strength and makes me want to work harder whenever important people come to see us”.

He also said how he treasured whenever important people in his life would support him that way. Even through a simple video call, you saw how his eyes shined as he giggled, only to change the subject. A part of you wished to feel how it was to have a support system like he does, but you never thought you would be included in that category for him. You did not even know if you want to or if you could deal with the pain that always comes with giving your heart to people and letting people in.

So you refused to think about it.

Park Seonghwa (박성화)

He cleaned his throat as he saw you coming towards him at one of the many small corridors of KQ Entertainment.

“It’s now or never, now or never, now-”

You barely glanced at him as you walked into one of the empty meeting rooms like it was previously agreed.

Lucky him, nobody saw the disheartening expression on his face or how he hesitated to push the door open. His confidence level went back to below zero and instead of an easy smile, he could barely manage a shy smile and an unnecessary formal bow as he came in, it wasn’t like you did not know each other.

So maybe this collaboration would not go as smooth as he let the others convince him it would, still, he could talk to you and, hopefully, get back to the simple relationship you both once had.

“Hello, Seonghwa-ssi”, you said in such an indifferent polite tone. It surprised him and yourself.

What hurt him most was the fake professional smile on your face. You were known for your authenticity and the worst poker face on earth, but you made the effort to pretend in front of him, like he was nothing more than an inconvenient stranger in an elevator. His heart felt heavy on his chest, he never had to make an effort to make you genuine laugh or smile, and now he realized how much he took that for granted back then.

You seemed perfectly fine in front of him, like it hasn’t been more than a month since your last conversation. But he still likes to believe he knows you better than that. And maybe he wishes you also can not be fooled by his brave facade.

“How have you been?”, the words fell out of his mouth before he could even blink.

You cleared your throat as you sat on one of the rolling chairs. “Been good, Hongjoong-ssi is a bit late. Can you confirm that he is coming soon, please?”

You pretended not to notice how he fumbled to grab his phone to send the text and instead, busied yourself to set up your laptop on the empty wood table. But you could not ignore how he was still standing like a lost child by the table.

“Are you going to grab some water before the meeting?”

“No, no, I’m… I’ll go to get some coffee, do you want it?”

You said no, so he took your perfect opportunity to get out and he left as quickly as he could with hurting his pride too much.

With his back to the wall beside the coffee machine, he sent more than 16 messages pleading Hongjoong to let go of their stupid plan and come as fast as he could to the meeting. Yet, he was left unanswered. The last sent message almost taunted him, it said “Just apologize for your stupid mistake and make things right by her”.

He knew he had to after he acted like an asshole, it was clear the moment he got home to be with his own thoughts, but the more he reflected on their plan, more he realized maybe this is why you waked away from him.

So he gathered his courage once again, but now to apologize for two things and leave you alone for good.

Jeong Yunho (정운호)

He watched as you giggled over some silly comment Wooyoung made a point to tell for the nth time. Yet, there you were, acting like it was the funniest thing in the world. Maybe he would react the same way if you stopped ignoring him for once that night.

“It’s getting hard to watch this”, Jongho mumbled under his breath as he stood up from the couch to refill two glass cups in their dorm’s kitchen, both for himself because only God knew how tiring was to hype up a miserable and stubborn friend.

Yunho did not notice the change beside him, but he did take note of your agitated state under his stare. He wished that could satisfy a selfish desire of satisfaction, but he felt nothing of that sort. Instead, his heart felt heavy with despair and unfulfilled need of your attention.

It felt silly to him at first, you two kissed after drinking a lot, so what? He was ready to let the past be the past and he thought you were on the same page. How stupid of him, he recognized it. Your relationship with him never went back to what it was, but it took him a while to notice he did not want that at all.

“C’mon, will you really let him suffer for the whole night?”, Wooyoung asked as he leaned into your side, ready to cuddle some more in part because he wanted to and in part because it was fun to see Yunho going insane over it.

You two been near the window for a while, enjoying the soft cold breeze of the night after a sunny day.

“You can’t deny it forever”, he said it in an annoying singing tone. “-ow, but you know I’m right”, he looked down to your hands dangerously close to his poor ribs, then grab them tight. “Ok, I get it, not talking about it”.

“Great, now let go”, you mumbled. “Let go, I’m not poking you”, you insisted trying to free yourself, only for him to intertwine your fingers.

“What if I don’t want to? Now, stand still”, he said as he leaned into your shoulder, taking the space like he was entitled to it.

Now, you were flabbergasted and defeated, because no matter what you do, you could not escape him on cuddle monster mode.

“Can we talk?”, you froze in place the moment you heard Yunho’s smooth deep voice right beside you. His gaze were focused on your face, yet you still made no move to acknowledge it.

“Give me my cuddle buddy back later, yeah?”

And just like that, the freaking traitor let go of you. You could see the mischievous light on Wooyoung’s eyes focused on your figure.

“There was no way to run away now”

That thought ran through yours, Yunho’s and Wooyoung’s mind. But you felt rage while Yunho felt hope.

“There’s nothing to talk about, wasn’t what you said?”.

You bumped into the traitor’s shoulder, then walked away.

Kang Yeosang (강여상)

Maybe you were some sort of a masochist or, maybe, you were plain stupid.

You’ve been friends with him for so freaking long, long enough that the few female friends that could still deal with your bullshit were exhausted of you and your ridiculous crush.

You clearly knew you were the latter, for some reason you thought you’d get over at some point or maybe he’d suddenly see the mysterious thing he was always looking for in you. None of those happened.

You stopped talking about him a little ago, maybe a month or two, and it was a good change to your friends’ ears. It was noticeable, but they gave you enough grace to not mention it. Little did they know, you were running from him like the plague as well.

Truth to be told, Yeosang did not notice it per se. He knew for sure something was going on after you declined his third attempt to make plans in less than two weeks. Why would he think you were lying to him at all? He thought you were sick and if you were felling that bad, of course he wouldn’t hesitate to agree with you, it would be better to meet up another day.

But then, two whole weeks with barely a peep from you? He missed your companionship in a way he did not know he could. You came into his life and little by little carved your space in his heart. But it was hard to put this feeling into words, he was not good with them in general, so you often had to read through the unfinished lines.

Now, he laid on his back watching the nothingness on the ceiling, yet his mind kept recalling the earlier conversation with San, if he could call his tongue tied moment a conversation.

“So what you gonna do?”

He could do nothing but stare wide eyed. Up until then, he did not think- no, he did not feel like he should do anything. You said through your actions many times already that you wished to be alone and as a friend, what else could he do but respect that?

But San was a hopeless romantic, and he wasn’t one to let things go so easily. Also, he wished the best for the two of you, in whatever way that may be even though Yeosang did not see those possibilities right in front of his nose.

“What should I do?”

“You have to figure it out on your own”

He did, he should.

He called you.

You didn’t pick up.

You were tired of being the one reading between the lines.

Tag list: @h3arteyes4mingi

10:44 AM

Pairing: Yeosang x reader Genre: Fluff, a small amount of angst if you squint but mostly fluff Warnings: Mentions of lost friendships (not really though), mentions of awkward interactions. Word count: 589 Summary: You meet an old friend.

You almost couldn’t believe it. Seeing him, someone you haven’t seen in nearly five years, sitting right in front of the desk you’d planned to sit at. You’d heard that he was attending this school too, maybe even in the same program, but you didn’t think that he’d actually be in any of your classes. Let alone one of the core classes for your major.

It was… jarring, to say the least. But not unwelcome.

“Hey, stranger,” you say, sitting behind him. He turns around and blinks, eyes widening when he realizes who you are.

“Oh, yn! Hi! I had no idea you were here,” he says, blushing.

“Here as in this school or here as in this class or…?” you tease. He chuckles, then shrugs, indicating both. 

“Well, yep, I’m here. And now I’m sitting behind you.” “Yes, you are.”

A silence ensues, neither of you really knowing what to say. It had been a while. The last time you two really hung out was in freshman year of high school, and after that you only glanced at each other in the halls sometimes, saying hi in passing. You weren’t on unfriendly terms, not at all, just… unfamiliar ones now. 

“Well, I guess we’ll be seeing more of each other,” he says, still blushing slightly. You grin and nod, about to verbally agree when the teacher walks in. He smiles politely and turns back to the front of the room.

It was a bit strange. You two knew so much about each other, since you had known each other since you were seven, but now felt like strangers. You knew what his favorite colors were over a span of seven years, how he liked his eggs, who he’d had a crush on at nine years old, his favorite teachers at thirteen, his first girlfriend at fourteen, and so much more. And he knew the same about you, though maybe a few different milestones. 

And yet, it felt like you knew nothing about each other.

Maybe the disconnect happened in freshman year, when he told you he was dating someone. He had been waiting for you for seven years, he had said, and couldn’t bear you not returning his feelings, so he started pursuing someone else. But you had secretly loved him that whole time, and told him as much. That was when the awkwardness began—he couldn’t just break up with his girlfriend, he loved her too. So you two hung out less and less, until you found yourselves with different friends and different loves. 

His hair had been blond at graduation, but it looks like he’s dyed it back to black. You continue to stare at the back of his head until he senses you and turns around, giving you a quizzical glance. You just smile and wink, mouthing the words “hi, Sangie” and waving your fingers slightly. He blushes slightly, mouthing a “hi, yn” before whipping around to face the front again.

A small, folded piece of paper is tossed onto your desk five minutes later. 

“There’s a boba place a few streets away from campus, want to check it out with me after class? 

<3, Sangie” it said.

You smile, remembering notes in a similar format from interactions in the past. You tap his shoulder three times, your code for “yes,” and sit back. 

You don’t know if it’s just a friendly hangout or a precursor to a date, but one thing is for sure: you have a feeling you’re going to really enjoy this class.

ateez masterlist ♡

— key ; smut (s) , angst (a) , fluff (f) , mature (m)

©️ All Rights Reserved

All stories are MINE (minus features) please respect my wishes and do NOT transfer any work to any other platform without my permission! ♡

「 OT8 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Kim Hongjoong 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Park Seonghwa 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Jung Yunho 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Kang Yeosang 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Choi San 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Song Mingi 」

Good To Be Home (f)

genre : idol!au, idol!Mingi, atiny!reader, fluff

— in which Mingi returns from his mental health break and you welcome him home

「 Jung Wooyoung 」

《 coming soon 》

「 Choi Jongho 」

《 coming soon 》