#nct fanfic

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 00:42:23

coming home | johnny | oneshot

pairing: dad!johnny x mom!reader

genre: syrup-y latte

bean count: 1.6k+

a/n: here’s a cute dad!johnny fluff for you! i missed writing fluff hope you enjoy reading this as much i did writing it ☕️

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as time struck 4pm, johnny quickly glanced around the staff room and swiftly shoved his files and papers in his bag. his colleagues perked up at the hustle he had been recently doing whenever the day came at this certain time, only to shake their heads playfully as the door slammed of their quiet workspace.

“he’s coping up, isn’t he?” kun fixed his glasses, smiling as his dimples indented his cheeks because johnny’s little habit reminded of himself before.

jaehyun laughed, agreeing with him. stretching as the day came into an end, he realized, “oh right, how long has it been already? seems like he’s still struggling at it.”

kun slung his shoulder bag, gesturing jaehyun to leave the office together, “just two days! hahah amateur.”

almost tripping on the way, johnny rushed down the stairs and caught the bus before it left. he panted as he sat down, checking his phone for any updates. a text message from his cousin- seo hyelin, popped out on his notification center.

boy was he sowrong.

when johnny was preparing dinner in the kitchen, he couldn’t even count the times he had to leave the stove to go and check on his crying, seven month old son, who couldn’t stand a minute without him.

he sipped the soup he was cooking and almost burnt his tongue when the baby started to wail a little. unfortunately leaving the television on play wasn’t a solution to keep him occupied.

when he decided to carry him while he fried the chicken, however, his son made a sour face hearing the sizzle of the hot oil. johnny sighed and put him down on his high chair and gave him a cracker.

that’ll settle him, for now. he thought.

dinner went by smoothly.. barely. changing diapers was a hassle as the little one kelt rolling over, ended up peeing on the bedsheet that johnny rubbed his eyes thinking he’d have to wash that first thing in the morning tomorrow.

even worse, the panicked him lifted up the baby and peed on him as well. johnny was dumbfounded but it was shortlived as the baby smiled at him as if he gave him a gift.

johnny thought he’d be able to put him to sleep right after. preparing his bottle of milk, he took the milk formula and warm water. then it struck him, “ah, how to do this again?” he sighed, looking at his son, “i don’t suppose you know how to make this, jesse.”

jesse looked at his dad, giving him a teethless smile. johnny snickered out loud, shaking his head and followed his instincts by putting warm water in the bottle and shaking it with the amount of tablespoons according to the can. shaking several droplets of milk onto his skin, he tasted it and concluded it was okay for jesse to drink.

his heart beated slightly, waiting to see jesse’s reaction. he puffed out a relieved sigh when the baby continued to drink as he laid on johnny’s arms.

“this isn’t so bad at all, huh jesse?” johnny shook him gently while jesse just looked at him with his long lashes. “we’re a good team.”

usually babies sleep around 8pm or so, and johnny thought he’d have some alone time after this. but nope! johnny let out a soft grunt when jesse started to cry nonstop, so he checked for any filled diapers or maybe he wasn’t feeling well.

he placed jesse facing him as he patted his back for some comfort. sighing when he finally leaned on his shoulder and hugged him, having hiccups here and there. he sung a lullaby his mom used to sing to him, five minutes passed and his son was sound asleep and he placed a kiss on his head as he turned off the bedroom lights and kept the baby light on.

opening the door to the bathroom, he turned on the showerhead to wash himself all the dirt he received from jesse: soup stain that splashed on his newly bought shirt, pee stain from the diaper disaster after dinner, milk vomit he got by the neck and shoulder, and the difficult phase of putting him to sleep.

he wondered how you were able to do this so flawlessly, and singlehandedly. being a mother was a 24/7 job, tirelessly working around the clock just to provide jesse’s needs. sometimes he was your big baby too, giving him a good dinner after a stressful day at work or giving him sweet embraces and massages to ease his mind.

that was why he wanted to work harder for his little family. and now that you were away, he had to work much harder since it was just him and jesse right now. gosh, how much he missed you.

24/7 during those seven months of love and care you gave was nothing compared to the two days he did. that was a huge difference.

the knob of the showerhead squeaked and johnny tried his hardest not to make a noise as he exited the bathroom. his fingers running through his wet hair made him so refreshed that he felt like he hadn’t showered for ages.

his computer rang, receiving a video call request from you. it was the first time you both have been apart since jesse was born and it was your first week back after maternity leave so johnny quickly clicked the button and answered it. “hi babe.”

he saw you shuffling through your things before you look at the screen, “give me a sec- a whole lotta things here.”

felt like forever, but seeing you made him so relaxed. “cool, take your time.”

you scratched your eyebrow and you swore you could’ve dropped your phone at the sight of your husband, fresh out from the shower with nothing on but a towel wrapped around his hips. “whoa hey,” you smiled, “how’s everything over there? our house hasn’t burn into bits just yet?”

johnny scoffed, taking a seat on his desktop chair and continued to dry his wet locks. “pfft, what do you take me for?” your laugh was contagious for johnny he nearly made a loud snort, “sigh, it’s manageable. our son is a handful, makes me appreciate you more by the second.”

you pouted in joy hearing that, johnny has a way with sweet words that it warmed your heart. even if he was tired from work, he still tried his best to make you smile by his actions. he’d kiss you passionately until jesse cried, give you warm hugs during movie nights, and listened to your complaints.

“i love you, but i know you know that already.” you chuckled, and for a second johnny paused before smirking at you. “what?”

“of course i know, just that it’s the first time you initiated saying it.” johnny smiled, agh i really miss you. “i love you more. when will you be back?”

his raspy voice was so attractive to you that you almost forgot to mention something. “by the way, my flight’s been rescheduled from next monday to tomorrow. work has been quick. your miserable days are soon to be over.”

you almost snorted seeing johnny’s reaction, he was obviously happy yet he attempted to hide it. “that’s.. that’s great! i’m happy for you. earlier the better.”

“i could tell you’re having a great time with jesse that your bags are showing.” you joked and johnny pretended to be hurt.

“hey, jesse is a sweetheart but he could be a terror.” johnny defended, remembering his cute little smile.

“wonder where he got that from.” you sarcastically pinpointed, earning a chuckle from him.

“i swear when you get back-“ he turned his head to the side and heard jesse making a fuss in the next room, sighing a bit before leaving and that made you giggle.

“oh you woke him up.” you teased as you waited a minute or two until he entered your shared bedroom with your son in his arms. “hi baby! how’s my little bear?”

the sound of your voice and your face on the computer screen made your son let out a gurgle and you were glad you were coming home the next day. you missed your boys so you could say you were homesick.

“baby look, mama’s there.” johnny took his little hand waved it at you.

“papa bear hasn’t given you a tough time, has he?” you continued to tease him, seeing him glare at you playfully. “mama misses you my little jesse bear, i’ll see you soon.”

johnny patted jesse’s bottom as he began to rub his eyes, “alright, he’s sleepy again. i gotta hit the sack too. it’s 1:30am here.”

you nodded, “mhm alright, i’m gonna go for lunch and walk around the city. i’m meeting eomma and appa after this.”

he smiled as he heard this, “okay. send my regards to them. we have to visit chicago this december, it’ll be jesse’s first christmas with them.”

“will do.” you gave a flying kiss and wave a goodbye to your boys. “love you both, see you in a bit.”

johnny mirrored your gesture before turning off the pc and readied himself for bed.

“love you too babe. goodnight.”

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 03:19:00

in love with a monster | johnny | oneshot

pairing: boxer!johnny x nurse!reader

genre: latte, splashes of syrup with hints of americano, some drama on the side haha

bean count: 6.9k (yup it’s my longest fic so far)

warnings: violence, slight mentions of drugs, abuse, etc (bc of the topic). pls scroll down if it’s uncomfortable

a/n: agh i had this on my coffee shelf for ages i thought it was expired lol, i re-brewed it again recently so i added some final touches eheh enjoy your coffee my beans! ☕️━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

people told him to not react, told him to not make things into a big deal, even to the point of bringing unsaid words to a physical state. that was how messed up he was, that he’d put a fist in every petty situation.

it was humiliating to feel that. ten had to watch his best friend being sent to the hospital for countless of times to have his injuries taken care of. the nurses probably named him an ER regular due to the constant fighting. only a few people knew of his reckless breakouts, and his group of friends found it worrisome.

it became much worse when he signed up for boxing. his emotions slowly coming out him and conveyed to another person, resulting them in bruises or bloodied scratches.

yuta was one of the few people in the group to ever receive a punch to the face from the johnny suh. yes, the johnny suh. the people on campus emphasized on ‘the’ because of the fact he acted non-human like. his gaze fierce like it about to attack any second.

johnny knew of those assumptions about him, and he hated the fact that people talked as if they knew him so well. if only they knew what he’d been through, it’ll probably shed some light in his ‘supposed’ darkness that lingered within him.

johnny never saw himself as a person who was reckless. he never intended to be that until he was cornered by seniors in high school as freshman, offering him drugs and telling him to man up and act like one due to his tall figure. he was apparently ‘too soft’ for his tough appearance.

that in a weird sense ticked those seniors off when he rejected them that they started to beat him up five against one. johnny on the other hand, stood up and as if he were possessed by some martial art spirit, fought back violently and his doings resulted him sitting in front of a police officer’s desk.

his parents believed him and because he was still involved in a physical fight he had to be detained for while. johnny never felt so betrayed by the defense system of the city when he was merely defending himself. he was an emotional wreck that his fist fights became worse by time and no one knew when he’d stop. his anger and frustration laid out on someone else that no one knew who was able to tame him.

the only person other than his parents who ever understood his background and encouraged him to change was his coach- mr. jeon. a neighbor he grew up with and a friend of his dad’s. he was the owner of the young people boxing association for people around johnny’s age. he in contrary to all familiar faces johnny knew, saw his strength as a skill and gift (to use as defense as well), and wanted to coach these into a sport he never thought he’d do.

it took a lot of persuading on his parents’ side for him to participate in that, as it was something that’ll possibly trigger his reckless behavior. eventually they were on the same page as long as it was beneficial for him to do something he liked- sports. besides, johnny was passionate about this, so why not?

what his parents didn’t know was that he had secret fights outside of that circle. though it wasn’t frequent, however, it still occured. johnny tried his hardest to keep distance but he always end up tied in the knots, provoked actually. he kept his mouth shut about those encounters, or else the college star- him- of the club would be kicked out.

“hey john, we hanging at your boxing club today, fine with your coach?” jaehyun slung his duffel bag behind him, earning an approving nod from the asked person.

“yeah sure. he signed me up for preliminaries last month and i got in, so we’re preparing for the for quarterfinals that’s happening in two weeks.”

“that’s great, at least you’re not kicking butts outside of this boxing arena.” jaehyun innocently remarked, making johnny hit his head under the table as he retrieved a dropped towel. ironic.

they walked towards the small building sandwiched in between a pharmacy and a coffee shop, which were johnny’s go-to places if he needed a bandaid or a coffee break. mr. jeon’s eyes lit up as he saw johnny and his mates of 6 enter the once quiet ring and made the place livelier. “alright the guys are here! got some pizza, feel free to eat, y’all big rascals.”

johnny wrapped a band on both hands before wearing a mouthpiece and a pair of gloves. his training was about to start and he couldn’t afford to slack off with a slice of pizza. his physique was good enough to last him today’s practice.

“ok john, you ready?” mr. jeon asked, johnny standing in posture until another voice entered the room.

“mr. jeon i’ll leave the keys to the upper classroom here. the little kids just finished their class for today.”

a female voice, johnny thought. he looked to owner of it and never had he stopped to look at something or someone for more than three seconds. because.. in other times, those three seconds were filled with aftereffects of adrenaline from a punch or a knockout he gave to someone.

“ah, yes just leave it there!” he called out, and from his peripheral vision, he noticed johnny was in a daze. he smirked a bit and gestured to the boys to observe him tease the obvious starstricken lad. “y/n! come and meet the guys, also feel free to watch if you’d like.”

“oh yeah sure, i got some time.” you smiled and placed your bottle down before sitting next to a doe eyed guy. “i’m y/n, nice to meet you all.”

johnny looked away before you could even greet him. you didn’t mind though, you already knew who he was. you’ve both only shared a conversation or two at the university anyway.

he was a star pupil and the person who had mr. jeon’s attention since day one that he arrived, wasn’t hard to miss. scrolling through your phone, you decided to check your semester’s schedule.

johnny attempted to glance at you, while mr. jeon readied himself to train his student. had he met you before? did you both attend the same school? he didn’t remember, but you looked like someone he met before. he hopped a bit before facing his coach again, but he wasn’t himself.

he was obviously distracted.

mr. jeon noticed the small gesture he had for two minutes now, internally chuckling before giving johnny a soft nudge on the back of his head. “ey rule number one, always stay focused.”

“i am.” johnny immediately answered, his ears slowly turning crimson.

“clearly on something else.” he smirked, referring to you, “come on, quarterfinals ain’t coming at you that easy, john.”

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“you fancy her- y/n, don’t you?” taeyong chewed as he played with the straws of his bubble milk tea. “among all your practices, last month’s was the one i’d say you were… out of it.”

johnny tilted his head and the corners of his lips tugged up, “not ‘out of it’. it’s just that i haven’t seen her before.”

“are you sure about that? you’ve literally seen tons of girls in this association and at gyms. you must’ve at least encountered her before or just admit that you like her and ask her out already.” mark whined, finally grabbing the rare opportunity for him to tease the guy.

johnny laughed and raised a brow at them, “you’re telling me to ask her out?” he shook his head, “nah, there’s no way she’ll fall for ‘this’.”

“you just gestured to all yourself.” jaehyun mirroring his actions.

“exactly.” johnny chuckled, “with someone having such a reputation like involved in bad fights and bruises and hospital bills and whatnot, there’s no chance.”

“look at you being considerate.” mark giggled, earning himself a slap to the back of his head. “ow, sorry.”

the coffee shop opened and revealed a tired you, the boys turning their attention to johnny and read each others’ minds. “hey y/n! the seat next to johnny is vacant! you can come join us!”

johnny slightly jumped in his seat after hearing jaehyun’s offer, softly asking him to stop as his teeth gritted. “dude quit it!”

“johnny said he doesn’t mind!” jaehyun continued to call out, making johnny’s eyes grow wide.

you smiled and looked at them, “really? it’s okay?”

johnny could only fake a smile.

but his heart couldn’t.

after ordering a cup of maple latte, you walked towards their table and johnny noticed something was off. it was subtle and it only took someone with such experience to see it. johnny had those ‘such’.

you were limping that he stood up and blocked you with his full body. “you need to go to the hospital now.”

“way to go for a conversation starter.” yuta said softly as jaehyun and mark tried their hardest not to snicker, eyes closed shut and mouths either covered or pursed.

“it’s just a sprained ankle, big deal.” you quickly denied quite light heartedly and sat beside him but before your bottom could even rest on the wooden seat, your forearm was yanked upwards by johnny. “ow, what are you doing?”

“just a sprained ankle, huh?” johnny smirked, his eyes spotting a bruise or more on your arm. the boys noticed it too, were you involved in an accident or something? “you’ve done a good job in hiding it.”

your ears heated up and your cheeks slowly burned a little, he got you. “fine.”

johnny groaned while he found out that his friends ditched him at the the foot of the hospital. he placed his hat the other way around where he could see clearly. the area was busy, nurses jogging to get to their patients and doctors getting paged for more incoming patients. he didn’t know where you were taken, so it made sense he’d be lost.

now that he thought about it, him coming here very often must’ve annoyed the ER. speaking of the ER, doyoung’s older brother- gongmyung, approached him.

“when i heard fellow colleagues mentioning you i thought you got yourself into trouble again.” he took off the stethoscope and hung it around his neck. “your girlfriend reflects of you, her bruises were indeed from physical fights.” tilting his head to where you were examined behind a room.

johnny’s ears reddened and his eyebrows rose, looking away. “she’s not my girlfriend.”

“i know.” he chuckled, “i just wanted to see your reaction if i did say so.” he crossed his arms smirking at johnny’s now rosy cheeks, “from the looks of it, it seems like i got my answer. you can go check on her, i got a code blue to catch up on.

johnny could only scoff after the young doctor gave him a playful wink before he made his way to the said room. seeing you all dazed staring at the ceiling. “let me guess, dr. kim told you about reason behind my bruises?”

he pulled a chair close to you before sitting down. “not quite, just that it rooted down to physical fights? never knew you could be reckless.”

you puffed a breath and bit the insides of your mouth, “you could say that.”

“what do you mean?” he asked, and you could only chuckle at the innocent child-like question that came out the lips of a muscular young man.

“i know we see each other at the gym but we never really get the chance to talk if i recall.” you blinked brightly despite your body aching. “i don’t share stuff of my personal life to anyone.”

johnny scratched the back of his head, “sorry, i couldn’t help but notice the ‘subtle’ pain you were trying so hard to hide.”

you giggled and sighed, “alright i changed my mind, i’ll share it to you. you seem harmless in contrast to your looks.”

“i guess i’ll take that as a compliment?” he crossed his arms and waited for you to continue.

he couldn’t see your now changed expression due to his closed eyes- drained and tired from training, your eyes started to glisten as you tried to compose yourself before speaking.

“they’re from my ex-boyfriend.”

johnny’s eyes shot open and stared at you speechlessly.

“what?”

“yeah, he didn’t like that i broke it off with him three months ago so.. that’s that i guess?” johnny stayed quiet, watching you look out the window to wipe small tears that couldn’t wait a second to fall. he chose to be that way since you weren’t finished with your storytelling. and he swore he wished he changed the topic immediately.

“my ex-boyfriend was park seoham. his name ring a bell?”

ring a bell? of course it did. johnny’s lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched and you could see the tensed demeanor he was having. he hadn’t heard that name in a while, let alone wanted to. the senior that tormented his freshmen years by getting him do to drugs and be involved in childish, unneccessary gang fights.

“too familiar,” johnny leaned forward, his elbows touching his knees as he saw your face change in horror that he knew who your ex was. before you could even say anything, he took his shirt into his hands and started to strip-

“hey whoa-” you covered your eyes, only to hear johnny chuckle from your reaction.

“chill, i’ll show you something.” johnny lifted his shirt halfway just by his abs. a scar that was about 3 inches long marked that area, and from the looks of it, it seemed permanent. “this- right here, was caused by him. park seoham was my senior in high school. used to be involved in a lot of things that i got dragged on.”

“sorry.” you sighed, “i guess we got our own fair share of disasters from him.”

there was an awkward silence between the two of you since the only mutual topic you’ve discussed on was about your ex-boyfriend. johnny didn’t know how to converse any further, because he was actually a wreck in front of you.

how can someone so fragile and decent fall in love with a monster like park seoham? from what he knew, only the feeble minded would hang out with the likes of him and his gang. who was he to judge anyway, it wasn’t like he knew you as much.

but because someone like you who was fragile and decent earned those unneccessary bruises sparked something in him that he wanted to protect you. he wanted to know you more.

at first, he didn’t know whether to pursue being friends with you while you had connections with the person he despised before (hesistation, really). though what role had you play with it back then when clearly you weren’t in the right condition at the moment. so guessed he wanted to give it a try.

“out of topic but..” you turned to look at him, “when this is all over, i mean when- you’re, out of here.. wanna hang out for coffee?”

you let out a giggle that made him slightly confused, “we would’ve earlier if you hadn’t brought me here. but yeah, i’d like that.”

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four months passed and it was funny how you and johnny grew closer by time. you’d meet him at the university during lunch breaks and have study sessions, even though you both have very different majors.

his parents liked how their son was happier than he was two years ago. somehow they thanked you for giving him a chance to find new friendship in a rather messed up version of him. you even find yourself staying late at night at his place to binge watch a lot of movie trilogies, just like how best friends act during the weekends.

sometimes, you both would go on a food trip out of the city. other times, schedules would clash so the timing had to be changed.

by this point, you’ve both taken a liking on each other. johnny felt like he found a long lost soulmate. he admired the fact that you compliment his wavelength and how he matched yours. as rumors about him in the past were worrisome to you and would like keep distant as much as possible, that was thrown under the bus by now because johnny was totally different.

he was a dork, the cute kind.

“that’s not how you throw a punch, sweetcakes.” johnny called out, clearly teasing at how you were so lazy and ‘not interested’ in boxing. “come on girl, you can do better than that!”

“what are you, my dad? so bossy.” you snickered, fixing the velcro straps on the gloves with your teeth to tighten the grip. screw big gloves, you thought, going back to the equipment room to get another pair.

jaehyun and yuta caught johnny’s reaction seeing you do that because apparently for him, it was… hot. and the fact that they caught it on video made them let out waves of laughter. “look at how tensed up johnny hyung is.”

“he’s so turned on.” yuta covered held his stomach from laughing too hard, “you think he’d survive one session?”

“what the heck, hyung?” jaehyun’s ears reddened at the implication, his low chuckles made him snort quite a bit.

“i meant if he could last-“

“shut up i can hear you guys!” johnny glared at the two, approaching them as jaehyun hid his phone in his pocket. “do your asses need a beat up?”

“dude, you’ve been distracted. we get ya bro, she’s really got you into her.” yuta wrapped his arms around the guy, squeezing his biceps to change his attention on you instead of them ratting his unsaid feelings. “so can you really last-“

“alright you asked for it.” johnny pushed him away, readying his arms to really give the boy an ass whooping of his life-

“ok my gloves are changed-” you called out as you exited the equipment room. “johnny?”

johnny held back when he heard your voice, and yuta and jaehyun could hear heralds of angels singing because you- a goddess, saved them both from disaster - no pun intended.

“are you sure you want me to throw you a punch?” you pursed your lips, “just because mr. jeon’s on paternity leave doesn’t mean i’m his subsitute. besides, aren’t the other guys more capable to be your boxing bag?”

“sshh, they’ll be heartbrokened if they hear you say that.” he held your head with his hands, “okay, now throw me some punches. you say you’re so strong.”

“you pushy.” you playfully punched his chest, johnny letting a groan out as you did so, seeing jaehyun and yuta jokingly pouting their lips at you before going into the eating area.

ten and mark entered the gym with food in their hands, keeping note that everyone called for a chinese take-out tonight. ten squinted his eyes at the ring, snickering at the sight of you and johnny practicing boxing. it was amusing because you didn’t look like the part who’d be throwing punches, until he remembered something.

“what’s y/n’s last name again?” he asked the younger boy, placing the styrofoam boxes on the table. “i can’t really remember.”

mark hummed, “i saw her name at a roster sheet by the student club recruitment board. ah- it’s.. it’s at the tip of my tongue. i just can’t put a finger around it.”

“it’s y/l/n.” taeyong came in with drinks after locking the car at the port outside. “you guys know the brazilian jiu-jitsu legendary fighter ‘lion fist’? she’s the granddaughter.”

the four boys looked at taeyong. “oh right-”

“what?!”

“really?!”

“ha!?”

“oi!!”

mark laughed in excitement before dropping everything. “dude- does johnny hyung- hahah oh my g- know? johnny hyung!”

ten looked at johnny, who responded to mark’s call “uh mark, i don’t think he knows-”

you used your leg to hit johnny’s ankle that it caught him off guard, making him fall to the ground while you landed on top of him, earning shocked reactions from the other boys. your legs straddled his upper body on a mount position while you put his hands into crosshold, while your right arm glided underneath his head as you lower your chest, pinning him down. this move- was one of the first offence attack your grandfather taught you as a child: the ezekiel choke.

“rule number one, always stay focused.” you smirked at him, receiving the same reaction from the boy.

johnny gave up by tapping out, immediately shocked by your attempt to give him an offence attack. “seriously? jiu-jitsu? i only do muay thai, you cheater.”

“you were distracted, johnny. had to shake you out of it somehow.” you winked at him as you took your gloves and bands of your hands. “let’s eat, shall we?”

as you excused yourself to the girls’ washroom, jaehyun and yuta held their laughs after many times today. it was so contagious that the other three knew what their gimmick was. yuta nudged the dimpled boy, “bro, did you get that on camera?”

“sure did, bro.” jaehyun shook his phone, giggling a low laugh.

yuta gave the boy a high five, “told you he wouldn’t last-“

“shut up you douchebags.” johnny squeezed the sides of the two younger ones while they whined with the stinging pain, panting after that shock of his life. “she did a killer move back there.”

yuta wrapped his arm around johnny again, “come on john, don’t tell me that didn’t turn you on? she was on t-”

“ah up up up!” johnny shushed yuta as he spotted you exiting the restroom, wiping excess sweat with a towel you borrowed. “hey.”

“thanks for lending me spare clothes, ten. tell your sister i owe her.” you said grabbing a lunch box before carrying your bag. “i’d love to stay but i have to go hit the sack. i’m beat.”

johnny pulled a face when you straight up ignored him and it wasn’t hard to miss that mark, yuta, and taeyong started laughing. then he noticed the two looking at one area of your body- a bruise. and johnny was quick enough to act and wrap his towel around you, making you become startled at his gesture.

“yeah looks like we have a marathon of movies to finish, don’t we?” johnny chuckled through gritted teeth, giving your arm a squeeze.

you put on a fake smile yet have no idea what this boy was up to. so you decided to play along, “oh right, we do. let’s go? i’ll get the car ready.”

yuta squinted his eyes at johnny, smirking once again. “johnny, was that a hickey-”

“i swear yuta, you’re such a pain in the-”

“okay okay! it isn’t. geez.” he chuckled as he chewed on his fried rice, giving up at teasing him.

the night was nearing and the sun was already setting. the drive to your place was quiet and by the time you got in front of your house. you took your bag onto the backseat of johnny’s car before turning to him. “okay what was that all about, draping me with your towel earlier..”

“you tell me,” he started, gulping water from his bottle.

“if it’s about me pulling you a jiu-jitsu move then i’m sorry i didn’t speak of it sooner.”

“well that.. and another thing.” he closed the cap but you took the bottle and drank from it as well. “that bruise.. seemed recent.”

“well duh, i had it from the punches received from the kids’ training.” you said, combing your hair back. “those little punks-“

johnny crossed his arms, “i know a fresh bruise when i see one.” he didn’t want to assume because he didn’t want for it to be real. but with the way that you were being all defensive, said otherwise. “you’ve been seeing him, haven’t you?”

you slightly choked on your water and thank heavens he didn’t notice it. “who? seoham? i haven’t seen him as of late.”

“really? why lie to me? we’ve been practicing together for fun and you haven’t got any bruise til now-“

“and what if it is? what will you do?” you spat. “can’t it just be a normal bruise i got from hitting myself accidentally by the corner from i don’t know- my drawer?”

“can it be true that that’s the case?” johnny rebutted, “or you’re planning to change and state the real reason?”

your face turned sour at the current conversation you were having with johnny. “what gives? i’m stating the truth that i haven’t been meeting him.”

“because if you’re the granddaughter of the legendary lion fist you’d be able to defend yourself months before we met.” he raised his voice, hurt by the fact that you hid something from him after months of being close friends, considering you as someone he cares a lot for. “or have you been meeting him since we crossed paths?”

you sighed, not understanding why johnny was acting up, “okay fine. you got me.” you raised your hands, “i’ve been seeing him, but not in the way you think.”

“then what was the past few month of us then?” johnny placed his hands on his hips. “did you guys somehow manage to patch up during the times we hung out? or were you just using me as rebound just to get back at him?”

“r-rebound?” your chest hurt at the accusation, “there’s no way i’d use you as rebound because if anything, what we did was real.”

“oh really now? like how you pretended not to know any martial arts or when you skipped our planned meetups so that i don’t know- you could meet up with him? were any of those part of your realness?”

you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. he was insanely getting into your nerves, so you raised your voice as well. “look i don’t know why you’re acting like this, this bruise is just a minor hit.”

“a minor hit? really? you had history with the guy!” johnny’s blood boiled and he was sure he popped a vessel.

“johnny, let’s just take a breather, shall we-” you covered your eyes with your arm as a passing vehicle drove by the both of you.

“even if it was a minor hit doesn’t change the fact that you got hurt.” johnny looked at you, even with all the tension between the two of you, you could still see the sincerity he felt in his eyes.

so you decided to tell him the truth.

you sighed as you rubbed your forehead, “okay. i wasn’t being complete honest with you, johnny.” you shifted your position to lean against a pole while he stood across from you, arms crossed as he mirrored your position by his car.

“when we first conversed at the hospital the day you got me admitted, i told you park seoham and i broke it off.” johnny nodded, waiting for you to continue. “we did, but i’ve been seeing him not because i wanted him back in my life but because right after our breakup, he got into a car accident and got hurt… big time. he didn’t want any other nurses but requested for me to get him through rehab.”

“sounds possessive.” johnny stretched, “he got hit real bad, huh?”

“so bad to the point that he only remembers my name.” you said, hearing it come out from your mouth left a bitter feeling. “guess it was just out of pity for me to help him, given that he ended up like that. this bruise happened because it was a muscle memory for him to do defense and somehow he doesn’t remember any of the bad things he did.”

now johnny wanted to gag after hearing that, “must be good on him, but for the people he victimized for his thrill and fun in the past? don’t think so.”

you walked closer to him, patting his shoulder. “he’s changing for the better.”

johnny’s brows met, change? as if. “he left a scar on me that made me hospitalized for three months that i almost didn’t graduate high school. how’s that for a change?”

“i know it must be hard to take this all in.” you sighed as your lips quivered, “i didn’t say anything before because of all the trauma you had with him. i also wanted to get over him and start anew but the hospital won’t shut up about him, so i had to go back. you have to trust me on this johnny.”

johnny held your hand and gripped it, you let out a sigh of relief knowing that he understood, until he let go slowly. “trust you? y/n, i don’t know whether to trust you anymore after this. i trusted you enough before but all these unsaid info.. it’s too much. call me petty but as i said earlier, it doesn’t change the fact that you got hurt.”

he stood up and straightened his posture, “you have to trust me when i say this though. i reacted because i care so much about you, so much that i wanted to protect you from harm, to the point that it was almost obssessive then i realized it was actually love. but a lot of things were revealed to me tonight and something dawned on me.”

you gulped nervously as tears welled, this isn’t good.

“i wasted my time and effort on you.” he sadly revealed, “here i was thinking i could be the hero who needed to save the girl he befriended and eventually loved. only to see that she can courageously handle herself, i’ll applaud you, really. the world needs more girls like that. i’m probably just being hopeful that i ended up looking like a idiot who’d never get that chance.”

before you could even say anything, he started the engine and drove off.

your chest hurted so much, just how stupid and messed up could you get? you covered your mouth to stop it from quivering but damn were you too late for that. tears fell at the guilt you felt and the dishonesty you did towards johnny was plain selfish, you only cared about yourself. if anything came out of that conversation,

was that you were the monster that hurted him.

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johnny hadn’t heard from you since that night. now that mr. jeon’s back from paternity leave, he’d rather focus on practice for the semi-finals and make a name for himself. like boxing, you were just another round he had to go through.

“you sure about that?” johnny was shaken from his thoughts as held the punching bag from swinging back at him. ten approached his best friend with a bottle of water in hand. “you really should keep your thoughts to yourself, this gym’s pretty quiet, y’know?”

johnny rolled his eyes at the suggestion, “trust me the last time i kept my thoughts intact with my brain i got my heart broken.”

“how you coping up though? we haven’t seen y/n come by recently after your quote on quote fight.” he held up his fingers, only to see johnny punch the bag harder. “guess i shouldn’t have asked?”

“it’s cool, it’s been a month now actually.” johnny hopped around the bag to get new punches out. “i’m all good.”

“really? ‘cause you’ve been throwing punches at the bag for a bloody month.” ten shrugged, taking a seat at the corner of the ring. “even mr. jeon couldn’t get you to snap out of it.”

“what do you mean? coach jeon and i have been training since then.”

“agh i mean the guys miss y/n! especially yuta and jaehyun!“ ten waved his arms exaggeratedly.

“you mean they miss me and y/n having the so-called tension?” johnny clicked his tongue, “they should keep their fantasies to themselves, geez.”

ten threw a towel at him, “i know semi-finals is in a few days and finals in a month. if you’re so busy fighting matches why not fight for your love life? you miss y/n more than anyone.”

johnny curled his tongue as he held a punch, “she’s a distraction.”

“sigh for a buff and strong guy like you, you’re still too soft.” ten groaned, “i’m done playing cupid!! you can cry your remaining days being loveless.”

johnny took a break, drinking the remaining water from the bottle when he spotted text message from mr. jeon:

coach jeon: “john, your rival’s been decided. check your email, please.”

as you worked at the university hospital, one of the few sophomores who actually had an opportunity to do so. you were actually quite happy you’ve kept yourself busy, well, your thoughts really. in all honesty though, you still pondered about johnny and he was up to.

you even thought about making up with him, but it was too awkward to show up at the gym after a month as if nothing had happened between you two. you shook your head to get out of overthinking. time will tell, y/n. you told yourself.

flicking your hands after washing them, you tore a piece of tissue paper before entering the rehab center. the corner of your mouth raised a little after seeing seoham waving at you walking with crutches. “nurse y/n! my favorite!”

in a panic, you jogged up to and slightly hit his shoulder. “quiet, your voice’s too loud. besides, i’m like the only nurse you know.”

he giggled with a snort as he adjusted his ankle wrap, “well true.. anyway dr. kim just stopped by earlier and said that i’m gonna be discharged tomorrow.”

“oh really?” you asked, checking his records, “good on you, eight months of rehab did something.”

he smiled a toothy grin and blushed a little, walking towards his room. “yeah, because of you.” not noticing you almost dropped the papers. “so when this all ends, i mean when i’m out of here… wanna grab coffee?”

your head never whipped so fast at the unncanny offer the young man just made, looking away. “i- uh.”

“or you’d rather hang out and have coffee with johnny suh?” your eyes widened as cold chills creeped up your spine. this voice.. was the old seoham. “think i wouldn’t notice?

“whatever you mean?” you feigned innocence, but that’s too late for now, wasn’t it?

“you’re not the only person i remember so clearly, y/n.” his facial aura changed, and just like before, he scared you. “johnny suh, seems like you know him. maybe even got tangled with him somehow? romantically? or have you guys even-”

“what do you want, seoham?” you gripped your board, staring at him firmly so that he wouldn’t see you give in so easily.

he clicked his tongue, “eh well, nothing really. felt like i had some unfinished business with him. not because you and him have been meeting up. no no.” you pressed your lips together, “his mere existence is a threat to me. so i have been doing research on your days off.”

“stay away from him,” your voice shook, breath hitching a little.

“how could i when you lead me straight right to him?” he leaned forward towards you. “i noticed all your little moves, sweet y/n. your little chats on the phone when i was ‘sleeping’? or what was the most recent one?” he tapped his chin, “the heated argument you guys had that night a month ago?”

you looked at him with widened eyes, trying to recall how he managed to know about that. then it came to you:

the car that drove by with the flashing headlights.

“no..”

“finally caught on, haven’t we.. sweetcakes?”

you flinched at the nickname, only johnny called you that. what right-

“dr. shin, my personal PT- said i’m all good for boxing. i could even start as early as tomorrow perhaps. given that the semi-finals is in a few days.” he chuckled before showing you an email he received.

“young people boxing association semi-finals: university division: park seoham vs. johnny suh.”

what?

“you can’t join that!” you gasped, “you’re still in rehab and can’t engage in any physical activities.”

seoham laughed in a low tone, “you underestimate me, y/n. before johnny suh came along beating everyone’s asses it was me who’s undefeatable.” he held your chin, “i should be thanking you, making our paths cross again.”

“you’re such a jerk, seoham. you always were a monster.” you said bitterly, holding your tears.

“but you fell in love with this monster.” he gave you a chaste kiss on the forehead as you pushed him away. “aw, was that you and johnny boy’s form of love action? sorry to barge in.”

“you should’ve stayed dead-”

“oh but i’m alive more than ever! you’re my angel.”

you opened the door and rushed out, wiping your tears. going to the locker room, you changed into your clothes and sent a text to taeyong that you’d be stopping by the gym.

“hey look y/n just texted, said that she’ll be stopping over.” taeyong announced and immediately looked for johnny. “where’s john?”

“he just left!” mark replied while playing with ten on ps5.

you cursed to yourself and ran as fast as you could so that you could catch up with johnny. this was all your fault, just how could you face him when you’ve hurted him and now it was seoham who was going to hurt him to extreme?

you search in every nook and cranny of the city for him, “where is he?” you stopped running, panting so much that gasped for air. johnny where are you? you ran again to look for him until you spotted a tall guy with a figure you so recognized… and missed.

“johnny?” you called out, and how your chest squeezed at the sight of him.

he turned around, quite shocked seeing you all tired. “y/n?”

“don’t go to the semi finals!” you cried, “seoham is going to be there.”

“so?” he sounded bitter and you didn’t blame him, “probably another park seoham, you know there’s a lot people with same names. we’re not in a small world, y/n.”

“no, it’s the park seoham. my ex, the person you hated, he- you gotta believe me!”

“i don’t know.” he shrugged, “one person can’t recover from a fatal car crash and recover less than a year.”

“not seoham, he’s different. please you have to forfeit the match.” you said as johnny gave you sour face.

“why should i listen to you?”

“because i don’t want you- the man i love to be hurt anymore!” you finally confessed and groaned as you wiped your face. “i don’t want things to change because of what i did and i’m sorry if i hurted you.”

“she finally got the hint now, john?” you turned to see seoham in crutches, smiling at johnny and you weren’t believing what you were seeing.

“yeah, thanks to you. can’t believed it worked.” johnny let out a sigh of relief.

your mouth went agape and you were frustrated right now. “what the- what the hell?”

johnny chuckled, took your wrist and pulled you close to him, wrapping you in a hug. “scared, sweetcakes?”

you patted his chest repeatedly until he let go, “again, what the hell?”

johnny looked at seoham and shrugged, “guess i was being dishonest. after our argument, i went to visit seoham just to see if he really did change for the better as you stated and to make peace with him.” holding his laugh seeing your startled expression, “he did. it took some convincing on my part but yeah, i guess we’re okay.”

seoham scratched his head in embarrassment, “i don’t know what history we had but he seemed to know you when he stopped by at the hospital. and we just.. talked. then i found out you guys were having a lover’s quarrel, so i talked to him about pranking you a bit. my idea. plus, lover boy here is a coward.”

you squinted your eyes at them, shaking your head. you must be dreaming. “wh- what about the email?”

“fake copy.” johnny showed you the legit one. “my real opponent’s matthew kim. from seoul national.”

you blinked, “then how did you-” pointing at seoham, know about the argument?”

“johnny told me.” he blinked back at you, his face showing no signs of deceit.

you tilted your head, whispering to yourself, “then it wasn’t the blinding lights?”

johnny chuckled, “sorry, must be a lot to take in.” making you scowl at the enunciation he made, then you realized something.

“ah, haha.” you combed your hair back again with your hands. “is this about getting even, johnny?”

he just smirked at you for an answer.

“that’s so low!” you threw a punch at his chest, him holding your hand before you even did so and hugged you once again. “that was so real, what the hell…”

“sorry,” he laughed and seoham signaled him his exit. he nodded at the forgiven person before nuzzling his face on your neck. “didn’t i tell you? my major is acting.”

you pushed yourself away from him, “oh my gosh john- you’re the worst! i’m leaving!”

johnny pulled you to him once again before kissing you on the lips, “don’t. you still owe me movie trilogies to watch.”

you puffed your cheeks, “fine. let’s go.”

johnny turned around, looking for certain people. “guys, you got that on video?

yuta and jaehyun gave him a thumbs up, snickering at their little boys’ play.

“sure did!”

“yup!”

johnny looked at you after hearing his name call from your lips before jogging up to you.

“she’ll never hear the end of it.”

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 21:30:53

[11:50] within the minutes, the tension between you, johnny, and your friends rose little by little. that question you asked caught johnny off guard. he didn’t know why but he felt disappointed and it was irritatingly inexplainable on his part.

it made him grit his teeth, as if he wanted to say something but no words seemed to come out of his mouth. his eyebrows met in frustration just thinking about it. you looked so familiar yet you were so distant. his eyes drifted from your face to your hand. the clenching of your hand on your chest gave it away that you were uncomfortable.

all the reason for him to pick up the hint that he needed to leave right now and not make you weirded out because of his mere presence.

“s-sorry.” he stuttered, “i-i think should leave.”

johnny exited the little circle your friends shortly gathered in, his group looking at you intensely and with pity. your eyes welled and you couldn’t say anything. as you excused yourself to the toilet, you told the girls not to follow you. you needed the time alone.

“it’s so hard to just watch them both suffer. we can’t even do anything.” mark groaned, mouth slightly quivering.

“if i were her, i could never handle the trauma and crap she went through.” kun sighed, combing his hair back before placing his hands on his hips.

yeri looked up with tears almost falling, “who could? she had to lie to the person she loved and owed her life to.”

jaehyun pressed his lips, “and she’s carrying the guilt she wasn’t even meant to carry in the first place.”

you stared at yourself through the mirror, you couldn’t even fathom anything. your head was all empty until johnny appeared in front of you after months.

ah crap.

the sight of the man you loved made your heart pierce wide open, it was stinging and painful that your breathing lost control. by the time you exited the toilet you were heaving, it was getting harder to breathe and you wanted to escape, bumping into several students along the way.

johnny..johnnysuh..

you haven’t said his name in a while and right now that was the only word you so wanted, craved for, desperate to see and be in his arms.

you could’ve been though, if it weren’t for the accident that almost costed your life yet put johnny’sin shambles and pieces, pieces that lasted years mostly had you in it but went away in split seconds.

seeing him right now would mean blaming yourself and that guilt would envelope you like a blanket. but damn those feelings hurt so much you wanted it to stop.

you wanted to see him, you wanted johnny.

“y/n?”

no way..he shouldn’t remember you, correct?

“it’s y/n, right?”

<prev

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 00:24:40

[11:45] you stood by your locker, sighing because the ringing in your head seemed restless. aimlessly staring at a distance made you hear the chewing you did inside your gums.

yeri was worried, looking at you every now and then just to check your state. “y/n, we have to eat.” flinching as you unknowingly slammed your locker, sighing more than ever. she turned to seulgi with teary eyes, “eonni, she’s not getting any better.”

she patted her shoulder before wrapping her arm around her even though she has books on the other. “she will be, it just takes time.”

you went to the cafeteria, quickly grabbing whatever food your eyes landed on. a rough group of boys caught your attention- the hot sporty ones, as fellow schoolmates called them so.

one boy dressed in a black tee stood out not just because of his height, but because he was staring at you since he stepped foot. the way he stared at you made you feel nostalgic so you averted your eyes.

his name’s johnny. everyone knew him as the surf guy, well-mannered, and handsome. he didn’t even plan on breaking eye contact with you until you did. “johnny… keeps looking this way, it’s weird, and awkward.”

sooyoung patted your hands, pressing her lips to a thin line, “why not talk to him?” and as soon as she suggested this, johnny walked towards your table.

“sure..” you said, straightening your body as he approached closer.

taeyong and the rest of the guys just behind him and walked to seulgi was, “why did you let y/n be? you know they can’t meet.”

“it’s troubling her, don’t you see?” she reasoned, “she’s been sighing since-”

“hi, i’m johnny.” they whipped their heads to their friend, and their chests never felt so hurt seeing him introduce himself to you with a smiling face. the air around them never felt so tense and never had they ever expected this to happen so soon. even so, the innocent look on johnny made them feel bad.

they looked to you, who was clenching your chest.

“i’m sorry, but… do i know you?”

—

<prev|next>

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 14:51:32

a spark maybe | johnny | ch.27

a spark maybe: ch. 27

coffee line: after floods of photos sent to you after that new years eve party, your once quiet life is soon to have a kickstart with the famous jock johnny suh. will there be a spark in your love life?

a/n: john and y/n wat u both doin?

<prev[asm masterlist]

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Thu, 24 Feb 2022 14:10:23

My Duty As Princess Masterlist

The updated version

Lee Jeno x fem reader

in collaboration with@urlocaltrash28

preview,01,02,03,04,05,06, ~~07, 08, 09, 10, epilogue~~

Genre:arranged marriage au! royalty au!

Warnings:violence, explicit language, suggestive content, smut

Word Count: 4-6K per chapter

Synopsis: “Crown Prince Lee Jeno, of The Kingdom of Northcy, expected to marry Princess (y/n) (l/n) of The Modia Kingdom just before the new year. The two young royals say they are just ‘doing their duty,’ as their union ends the war. I think we can all agree this marriage will be the beginning of a new era for both kingdoms. From myself and everyone here at channel 6 news, we congratulate the Prince and Princess.” You watched the news anchor announce your marriage to your kingdom, ‘just doing my duty, as princess.’

Authors Note:This is the same story as the original, that just went through heavy review and editing to comeback better than ever. All of this, was possible with the help of the Amazing@urlocaltrash28 As much love as you give to me, please give to her as well.

Original Masterlist

———————

Taglist:@floweronacloud @cookydream @nctstrawberrycow @marklexleaf @jvjsssnaa@thejeongjaehyun@thejungjaehyun@jackyeongljin@terjeno@tyongf-sunflower99@tgnctzen131@gooreumic@jenotation@nctdom@ficklehoe@itsveronicaxxx@actually-vl @her33n @tomorrowbymoa-together @bangtan-jam

#smtown #nct dream #nct 2021 #nct fanfic #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct series #nct reactions #nct royal au #nct jeno #lee jeno #jeno x reader #jeno imagines #jeno reactions #jeno fanfic #jeno scenarios #jeno angst #jeno fluff #jeno lee

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 15:53:54

My Duty As Princess

Chapter 02

Lee Jeno x fem reader

in collaboration with@urlocaltrash28

preview,01, 02, ~~03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, epilogue~~

Genre:arranged marriage au! royalty au!

Warnings:violence, explicit language, suggestive content, smut

Word Count: 6.1K

Authors Note: I know I said this is gonna be updated every saturday and this is the second time that I updated on a sunday, I’m sorry guys. This weekend just wasn’t it for me. I’ll do better, I’m sorry. hugs and kisses to anyone reading <333

OH I FORGOT TO TELL YOU GUYS THERES NEW SCENES IN THIS CHAPTER LOL

—————-

Finally, you lay in your bed; you finished getting the Na family settled. There was Lord Na, and his wife Lady Na. The lord was the brother of the queen, and their parents also came. They insisted you call them Grandfather Na and Grandmother Na, instead of their names. Then Lord Na’s son, Na Jaemin.

When escorting the Na family to their chambers, you experienced a few minutes alone with the infamous Na Jaemin. The tales of Na Jaemin have made it around the palace more than once. As soon as the maids heard about the early arrival of the Na family, the talk was nonstop.

According to Fei and Mei, Na Jaemin was a ‘whore,’ a ‘flirt,’ the ‘ultimate playboy.’ The paparazzi of Northcy would picture Jaemin with a different girl on the weekly. There’s even the rumor that Jaemin doesn’t have a preference. When you saw him, his smile, the way he walked, how he talked, you understood. Jaemin always had his head tilted a little to the right. Whenever you spoke, he made direct eye contact. It was captivating, memorizing, it made sense why men and women praised the ground he walked on.

“You’re very beautiful, princess,” Jaemin said to you when you escorted him to his chambers, “my cousin is a lucky man.”

Those are the words that you thought about as you slept.

A luncheon with Grandmother Na, Lady Na, and the Queen, is where you sat at the moment: the middle of the palace’s private garden, wearing a peach tea length satin dress, across from Lady Na. She wore a shin-length straight skirt, that was a lavender color, a simple off-white straight-neck lined blouse, tucked into her skirt. She kept her head down during the majority of the luncheon, refusing to look the Queen directly in the eye. The queen never addressed Lady Na either, rather speaking to Grandmother Na.

“Jaeyeon, this isn’t your wedding, allow the girl to speak,” Grandmother Na spoke in a scolding tone, looking at her daughter disapprovingly.

“It’s quite alright, Grandmother Na,” you started, unsure what else to say. You preferred not to talk about the wedding at all, still hoping for a way out of this union.

“Well, it is your wedding, after all, you do have a say in this right?” Grandmother Na asked.

“Of course, Grandmother Na,” is what you opted to say, instead of ‘of course not. If I had any say, this wouldn’t be happening, if I had a say I would not be here. If I had a say this would never have even been an option.’

The queen had seemed to pick up on your discomfort of the topic, opting to change it. “How is home, mother?” The Queen looked to her mother with what appeared to be hopeful eyes.

“Home is just alright. Jennie has started a charity, the first event will take place just before the new year,” Grandmother Na said looking at Lady Na, her head remained lowered, though.

“This is the first I am hearing about this, I hope you didn’t plan to not invite me,” the Queen said, her voice sounding condescending as ever. It was like Queen Jaeyeon was becoming a different person before your eyes.

“Of course, you’re invited, Your Majesty, I would never purposely leave you out,” Lady Na spoke, her eyes not meeting the queen’s. It was obvious Queen Jaeyeon didn’t like her sister-in-law.

“By my name, must you act so high and mighty, Na Jaeyeon?” Grandmother Na spoke out, the same scolding tone returning just much worse this time around. “Jennie has done nothing but try to earn your approval, and nothing she ever does seems to meet the criteria. She was your lady-in-waiting for your wedding, didn’t ask for anything during her wedding, waited until after it was confirmed that you were pregnant to get pregnant. Shas continued to do good work while taking care of me and your father, as well as making your brother happy. The least you can do is pretend to like her for one lunch.” Grandmother Na slammed her hands down on the table looking at her daughter furiously.

After Grandmother Na finished her rant, the queen was red in the face, the anger clearly evident. Lady Na was the first to speak, after an overly extended amount of silence, “If you don’t mind, I shall excuse myself.”

“No, we don’t mind,” Grandmother Na huffed out, her eyes still trained on Queen Jaeyeon. “My dear princess (Y/n), please escort Lady Na back to her chambers,” Grandmother Na said, looking at you softly.

“Of course.”

You and Lady Na walked towards the grand staircase, up to the second level. The majority of the bedrooms remained on that level. Lady Na kept her eyes trained on the floor, almost like a maid would. The outfit she wore was too simple to be considered classy, it was too commoner-like. Her hands looked rough, like a laborer’s hands. Her skin seemed aged, too dry in certain areas and littered with sunspots. It was all too clear: Lady Na didn’t come from a prominent family; she was a civilian.

“I was a maid,” Lady Na spoke, almost as if she could hear the revelation you made in your mind. “I worked for the Na family. I arrived at their house when I was 14. My parents died in an accident. There was no money set aside for me, and the job of a maid comes with housing as well as food. When I went to work, Joon was only 16, and I didn’t try to weasel my way into a better life. I was content being a maid. I certainly wasn’t overjoyed with the idea of working, cleaning up after two spoiled brats, but I made peace with it. I had a job, a way of making money, I had a place to sleep and I had food, I was content. Joon and I didn’t start getting close until after Jaeyeon was engaged to the Crown Prince at the time. She left home and Joon didn’t have his best friend. He turned to the maid that was there from before. I didn’t seduce him to buy a ticket to an easy life. I love every part of my husband and no matter what Jaeyeon tells you, even if Joon had nothing, I would still love him.” Lady Na looked at you. She was tired, tired of trying to please an unpleasable woman. You feared your future would look similar. Will you become tired of trying to please Queen Jaeyeon?

By the time Lady Na finished, you were already outside of her chamber doors. “I apologize for my outburst, you didn’t deserve that,” she spoke to you. Before you could even think of a response, she was already shutting the door, leaving you to your thoughts: a maid has married the brother of the queen. That must’ve made quite the headline for the papers and evening news.

Slowly, make your way to your bedroom. It seemed as if now you never saw Fei or Mei. The two of them often moved in silence, seemingly coming out of the shadows when you needed them. They were nearby, though; you could feel their presence. As you neared, it looked as if someone was waiting by your door. It most definitely wasn’t your two guards, for it seemed like even Chan and Hyunjin got busy, leaving you more lonely than ever, even in a palace full of people. It was Jaemin, Jaemin stood outside of your doors, hands behind his back, looking towards the ceiling.

“Something interesting up there?” you asked, standing next to Jaemin, now looking at the ceiling.

“Ah, princess, I was wondering if I could have a private word with you?” Jaemin asked, looking at you, with the head tilt and direct eye contact.

“What would you like to discuss?”

“Privately, please,” Jaemin said, gesturing towards your doors. He wore tight white pants, with black boots that went over his pants, and a long-sleeved button-up tucked in, a pair of black gloves in one hand; you inferred he was just returning from a horse ride. ‘Jaemin and I are racing tomorrow morning,’ was what Jeno said the night before at dinner.

“Very well.”

Jaemin and you sat at the table placed in front of the large window. Fei had brought in a freshly brewed tea, shortly after she saw you enter your room. Jaemin sipped his tea, admiring the view of the courtyard, his head tilting side to side often.

“Do you want to marry Jeno?” Jaemin blurted out, now looking at you. No, Jaemin’s gaze was reaching deeper: he wasn’t looking at you, but looking into you, into your soul, your heart of hearts. “I am asking you as the cousin of your fiance, and I want you to answer me as my cousin’s fiance. Not Princess (Y/n) of the Modia Kingdom, but just (Y/n).”

“No, I do not want to marry Jeno.”

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements,” Jaemin said, getting up from his seat making his way out of your chambers.

“Excuse me? Arrangements? What are you talking about?” You asked as you stood to follow Jaemin.

“My cousin doesn’t want to be married and neither do you, so I will make arrangements to get you out of this palace and on a flight back home in one week. We shall be in contact, princess.” Jaemin said, exiting the room, leaving you in utter shock. Can Jaemin possibly do that? Have you on a plane back home in a week? Technically, you could get yourself on a plane back home; it’s not like anyone was holding you hostage.

Before the arrival of the Na family, days bled into each other; meetings always seemed to overlap. Now that the Na family was here, it seemed as if the days dragged on longer and longer. Your lunchtime was always with a new person from the Na family.

Lunch with Grandmother Na was filled with stories from Jeno and Jaemin’s childhood. Apparently, those two were thick as thieves, always running around the palace, pulling absurd pranks, and causing trouble. Haechan played with them often.

Lunch with Lady Na was more filled with advice on what to do after the wedding: how to act, talk, walk and dress around the family. You felt pity for Lady Na; she never lived up to the expectations, and all she wanted was to feel like she belonged to the family.

Grandfather Na told stories of his time in the war. Lunch with him was the most unbearable. He spoke of his triumphs, the battles he won, the people he’s killed. Many of which were your people: the men and women you swore to protect, the people that willingly gave their lives to defend. By the time lunch was over with Grandfather Na, you felt sick to your stomach and tears flowed freely down your face. You even refused to go down for dinner, unable to sit and dine with that man. Rumor has it grandmother Na gave scolding to him, but the words were already spoken.

Lunch with Jaemin was filled with the plan to get you out of the country. You were to leave the palace at midnight and drive to a private airstrip, owned by Lord Huang, who apparently owed Jaemin a favor. There you would board a private plane that will fly to Teraha. In Teraha, you would spend a year traveling across the country eventually crossing the border into Modia. By that time, the union between you and Jeno will have been dissolved and you would no longer be “missing.”

“It’s perfect, princess. You would have been missing from Northcy for an entire year. There’s no way they would hold you to a year-old union. And if you’re unsure, you could always extend your missing period. If I didn’t believe in this plan, I wouldn’t have suggested it, Your Highness.”

“Are you sure, Jaemin?”

“Of course, I am, princess. The biggest issue isn’t what to do when you leave the country, it’s how to leave the country unseen. Luckily for you, I can provide passage out of the country undetected.”

Jaemin’s plan left you wondering if you truly could escape, leave this unwanted marriage? Have freedom? No one said you had to be “found”; you could pull out enough cash and exchange it for Teraha currency, to at least start a life there. There’s no doubt that as soon as you left Northcy, you could survive and not have to go back.

The day finally came. That morning, after Fei and Mei helped you dress, you made your way to breakfast with Lady Na, Grandmother Na, and the queen. There was more talk of wedding arrangements and guest seating. The conversation seemingly dwelled on and on, and you weren’t taking much interest in it.

You stared at Lady Na. She was perfect in every way: she was respectful when speaking about every member of the family, she never said anything outrageous, and chose all her words carefully. Even here at breakfast, she acted perfectly, her eyes trained downward, not to make direct contact with anyone unless warranted, she didn’t speak unless spoken to. Many probably wouldn’t even notice her presence. You wondered, is this how it would be as Jeno’s wife? Would you be expected to be perfect? The thoughts made Jaemin’s plans insatiably tempting: the idea of running far far away, living freely.

After setting up a life, you would write to Chan, under a name only he would know. He would find you and you guys would be free, free to live happily ever after. It seemed all too simple, too easy.

Finally, the sun set and you were back in your private chambers. You sent Mei and Fei away for the night already. You slipped a note to Chan, explaining you needed him for a midnight escapade. Chan was to meet you at the back garage of the palace, at exactly ten to midnight.

You grabbed a leather duffel bag out of the closet, throwing in a week’s worth of clothes inside, along with certain necessities. You change out of your pajamas, into something warmer and more appropriate for a midnight escape.

Earlier in the day, Jaemin slipped a note into your chambers, explaining the route to the airstrip. Note in one hand and bag in the other, you made your way down to the garage, and already there Chan was. He was in casual clothing: a pair of dark blue jeans, a hoodie, and a leather jacket thrown over.

“What is this midnight escapade you have me going on?” He asked, looking you up and down.

“I’ll explain, first get in.”

The two of you got in the car, you driving, and him riding passenger. Chan thought back to summer nights in Modia. You were restless some nights, so Chan would sneak you out of the palace and take you to car meets that he and some of his friends would attend. That’s where you first learned to drive, where you first did a street race, where you first ran away from the police. You were a different person in Modia, a different person before the third letter.

As you finished explaining what was going on, you pulled up to the airstrip. “My princess, are you sure about this?” Chan asked you as you both got out of the car to exchange seats. “I wouldn’t see this version of you doing this.” He came to your side of the car as you stood right outside the door.

“I was sure, but being here, I don’t know anymore,” you said. You are no longer who you were back in Modia. It was like when you go out and then all of a sudden life is drained from you and you just wanna curl up in bed. You were so excited, almost jumping out of your seat during lunch with Lord Na today, just aching to escape and be gone. You were prepared, ready for a new life. But now, being here, Jaemin and the plane ready to take you away in front of you, you weren’t so certain.

“Whatever choice you make, my princess, you shall always have my support,” Chan offers with a genuine smile and knowing eyes. Unable to form words of gratitude, a simple nod being all you could manage.

You made your way to Jaemin, stopping right in front of him. “Are you ready, princess? Lidia will meet you when you land, she’ll get you situated in Teraha with identification to help you get around the country. Teraha has been a neutral territory since the start of the war, so there’s no need to worry if someone picks up on your accent.”

“I can’t,” you start, Jaemin’s mention of the war throws you back to reality. This marriage, this union between you and Jeno was ending a century-old war. You wondered how you could have such selfish thoughts. With the alliance being freshly formed, there’s no telling what would happen if you were to disappear. Northcy could declare war on Modia for not honoring the union, Modia could declare war for losing the only heir. Mother and father would be absolutely devastated, they would think they lost all of their children. Not to mention your responsibilities, your people, your country. How could you ever think to turn your back on them?

“I’m sorry, Jaemin. I know this must’ve been a lot of work for you, but I can’t. I can’t run away from my responsibilities,” you said to the boy in front of you. He looked confused as if he didn’t understand the words coming out of your mouth.

“You’re gonna marry Prince Jeno, princess?”

“I am… it’s my responsibility to my people,” you said with a sigh.

“You will be an unhappy princess,” Jaemin said with a firm look. He didn’t agree with your decision. “You will be alone, in a marriage with a man you don’t love. Your maids and guards will be sent back to Modia, you will have no one. You will be unhappy.”

“Yes,” you breathed, pausing, unsure how to continue, “yes I will be unhappy, but isn’t it worth it? My unhappiness for thousands of lives? I will be unhappy and alone in Northcy, but I will save thousands of people, my people… it is worth it to me.“ You turned and began to walk away from Jaemin, back to the car where Chan sat, waiting to see your decision.

When you got in the car, the tears flowed freely, never stopping the entire ride to the palace. Chan placed one hand on your thigh and another on the driving wheel. You were painfully aware of what you’ve done to yourself, how you nailed your coffin shut. There was no turning back now.

“I’m proud of you, my princess,” Chan said, pulling your hand to his lips, placing a chaste kiss.

Jaemin stood there, watching the car the princess got in to drive away back towards the palace. He spoke into the walkie-talkie that he pulled out of his back pocket, “stand down, guard.”

Jaemin was never gonna let the princess escape. The plan was to entice the princess with the idea of escaping the impending marriage, allow her a way to get out of the country and when she boards the plane, palace guards will be there to restrain her and the union would have been broken. She would have been caught trying to willingly escape, going back on the union, allowing Northcy to invade the rest of Modia.

Jaemin wanted the princess to turn his proposition away, but he wasn’t hopeful for it. Nevertheless, Jaemin left the airstrip glad you turned him away, glad that you wouldn’t be held prisoner in Northcy, glad that you were going back.

Jeno paced his room back and forth awaiting news. The idea of catching the princess trying to escape was Jeno’s idea. He didn’t want to rule Northcy, he didn’t want to get married, so if the princess was caught trying to escape and go back on the union, that would throw his father for a loop. The union would be postponed, alliances would have to be renegotiated, Northcy wouldn’t enter a time of peace, and his father would stay on the throne. The ringing of Jeno’s phone pulled him from his thoughts. A picture of Jeno and Jaemin appeared on the screen, it was from a ski trip a few years back.

“Hello? Jaems, is she on the plane?” Jeno spoke into the walkie-talkie.

“You owe me ten Mons, dear cousin,” Jaemin replied.

“You’re kidding me, right? She didn’t get on? Did you tell her she was gonna be unhappy here?”

“I did, and she said it was worth it: her unhappiness was worth thousands of lives, thousands of her people’s lives.”

Jeno ended the conversation there, opting to quickly tell him to return to the palace and make sure no one heard of the event. Jeno didn’t like the princess, not one bit, but he sure as hell respected her. He respected the decision she made, the responsibilities she took on, the role she lives in. He wasn’t planning on making this marriage work, but he decided that he wasn’t gonna make life difficult for the princess. He sat on his bed and decided that he’d do whatever she needed to make her comfortable in the foreign environment.

To say Taeyong was unhappy with his younger brother would be an understatement. He had just seen the boy clearly protective of his fiance, and now he was doing beyond foolish things without enough thought. If their father would’ve heard about it, he would be livid, and that’s a sight no one wanted to see.

As soon as he found out that the event was organized by them, he went to knock on Jeno’s chamber door immediately. It wasn’t a hard knock, nothing that made his frustration obvious.

The door swings open, Jeno looking confused at the appearance of Taeyong. He was still thinking of how he could make things up to the princess, albeit without admitting any fault. “Hello?”

“Lee Jeno, you should be ashamed of yourself,” he starts the scolding right away, walking past the boy and into his room.

“What? Yong, what’re you even talking about?”

“You trying to trick the princess into abandoning the kingdom, you fool!” He exclaims. His eyes weren’t angry but no longer had the puppy-like innocence in them. Frustration was the main emotion visible to Jeno. “Why would you do such a thing?”

Jeno’s eyes widened. “H-how did you even hea-”

“Do you genuinely forget that I am the general of our army?” He sighs, rubbing his face. He didn’t expect this conversation to be filled with explanations. The fact that Jeno was clueless about everything was wearing Taeyong’s patience thinner by the second.

“Oh… yeah.”

“So tell me. Why?”

“W-well,” he pauses, feeling like a scolded child, “we both want out of the union, so it would be a simple fix.”

“Jeno… are you still a boy? I thought you were a man!”

“I am a man!”

“Men don’t do such foolish things!”

“Don’t act like I was being selfish; she wanted it too.”

“And that’s why she turned you down?”

Jeno opens his mouth to respond but Taeyong doesn’t let him. “What if she would’ve said yes? What if your plans went well? Do you think that, after she is imprisoned, she wouldn’t rat you out? The woman would have nothing to lose, and would likely want to get revenge. It was a direct back-stabbing before she’s proven she deserves anything of the sort.”

Jeno didn’t have anything to say to that; Taeyong made points he didn’t even think of. His mouth stayed pressed into a firm line. When Taeyong noticed he wasn’t going to argue, he sighs. “Jeno, I love you, but I sincerely hope you never do something this stupid ever again. Now go to bed.” And like that, he was gone.

The next morning came, your head aching from all the crying you did. You remembered laying in Chan’s arms crying as you two lay in bed, unsure of when you stopped or when you fell asleep. Chan wasn’t in your bed anymore and it was probably best he wasn’t, but that didn’t mean you didn’t wish he was. Fei and Mei made their way into your room, helping you dress. They ignored your puffy eyes and pale look, but you knew they knew. To anyone else, nothing seems out of the ordinary, but you knew better, you knew Fei and Mei.

You had breakfast privately in your chambers, grateful that no one called you down to eat; you wanted to do nothing but hide away in your chambers, curl into bed and watch the world around you fall into a black abyss. You pushed the food around, unable to bring the fork up to your mouth because nothing seemed to appeal to you.

“Take it away,” you said to Mei as she stood in the corner watching you with sad eyes. Fei just joined her side, having finished setting the bed.

“Yes, your Highness,” as Mei made her way to clean up your plate, there was a knock at your door.

“Send them away, I don’t wish to see anyone right now,” you said with a dead look.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Fei answered, she gave Mei a worried look, this was how you acted when the third letter came home. Fei made her way to the door and opened it to see Prince Jeno standing on the other side. Mei quickly made her way past Fei, carrying the tray of food out the door.

“Oh, perfect. The princess finished breakfast already,” Jeno said, pushing his way past Fei into your chambers. You stood against the windows looking down onto the courtyard, there were children down there playing, they were servants’ children. “Princess?”

You turned around to see Jeno standing there, with hopeful eyes. You didn’t have the energy for this, you needed time to mourn the loss of a what-if life. “Fei, I said I didn’t want to see anyone right now.”

“I apologize, Your Highness,” she turns to the man, “I am sorry, Prince Jeno, but now isn’t a good time.”

Jeno looked at you utterly confused, you weren’t doing anything, why would this be a bad time?

“Fei, leave us,” Jeno said with authority laced in his voice.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Now it was your turn to look confused; your maids never took orders from Jeno, they always looked for your approval before acting, but Fei quickly made her way to the door, not even sparing you a second glance.

“Princess, what is the issue?” Jeno asked, taking a stride to close the gap between you two.

“Your Highness, I am completely fine, there is no issue. Now is just not a good time.”

Jeno showed lots of emotion in his eyes, but so did you. For royals trained to not allow anyone to know what they thought, the eyes gave both you and your fiance away.

“I do not believe that, princess, would you like to try again?” Jeno was intimidating standing so close to you. You looked away not wishing to meet his gaze.

“Jeno, please,” you sighed, not wanting to do this right now.

“Alright, princess, but I need you to follow me.”

“Why?” you asked but Jeno ignored your question, grabbing your hand, lacing your fingers together, pulling you out of the room. Taken aback, you stared at your hand laced together with Jeno’s, it was odd how the two fit so perfectly together, almost made for each other.

As the two of you left your chambers, Chan and Hyunjin stared at you two, unsure if they should follow. After a moment they both followed you and the prince, Chan looked down to your hand, his heart hurting at the sight. Jeno had pulled you into his own chambers which were down the hall from your own. Chan and Hyunjin stopped and posted guard outside the door. The ache in Chan’s heart grew as each second passed on.

Jeno’s private chambers were similar to your own but larger and darker. The walls were painted a dark gray, there was a balcony, the floor was littered with books here and there.

There was a couch in the middle, across the wall held a TV as well as what looked to be several game consoles. Spoiled, you thought to yourself, the prince had many toys to keep himself occupied. In between the couch and tv there sat a nice wood coffee table, on top, a large package. Jeno gestured towards the package, “for you,” was all he said.

You took a step, closely examining the package. It was a puppy. A small Doberman puppy. The shock was all too evident on your face. You picked up the small gleaming puppy and held, what you assumed he, close to your chest. “Hi there, do you have a name?” you asked looking for a dog tag on the collar. “What is the meaning of this?” you said, looking towards Jeno, the dead look no longer present.

“I heard you had a dog, back home in Modia. This won’t ever be home for you, princess, but I hope this gift can offer some semblance of home,” Jeno said looking straight into you, just as Jaemin did only a little over a week ago. “You can name him what you want, it is a boy,” Jeno said, confirming your suspicions.

“Thank you, Jeno,” you said. Although your dog back home wasn’t a Dobermann, it was the idea that Jeno tried to make this new place a little homey that warmed your heart. Now turning to look at the puppy in your arms, “What should we call you, boy? Does your dad have any suggestions?” you asked, turning to look at Jeno not realizing what you said.

Jeno looked at you shocked, quickly recovering, “I don’t know, what about Gae?”

“No, no, Ilio?” you suggested.

“No way, Inu?”

“No,” you gave Jeno a disgusted look, “it needs to be a strong name,” you said as you sat down on the couch placing the puppy on your lap, Jeno sitting next to you petting the puppy.

“King?” Jeno suggested with a chuckle.

“Sarge?” Jeno grimaced at your suggestion.

“Hades,” Jeno said, looking at the dog, it was no longer a suggestion.

“Hades,” you repeated, have chosen a name for the Doberman puppy that sat in your lap. You and Jeno spent the rest of your morning in his chambers playing with the dog. He got the dog plenty of toys to play with and plenty of doggy treats as well. Apparently, Jeno left the place early this morning and went down to the city to get the puppy and all his stuff. After hours of you and Jeno playing with the dog, you thought about how, maybe, this union wouldn’t be as bad as you imagined.

You laid on the couch, the puppy curled up next to you, taking a nap. Your eyes felt heavy as well. Jeno sat on the floor, back against the couch. There was a movie playing on the tv but you were too tired to try to pay attention. Jeno looked over his shoulder, looking at the puppy curled next to you, hoping that this would be enough for you for right now. There was a knock at the door, pulling Jeno from his thoughts and to his feet. The knock startled you awake, now sitting up. Jeno made sure you were presentable for a guest before opening the door.

“Come in,” Jeno’s voice was cold, calculated, borderline strained.

The door pushed open to reveal Jaemin and Haechan, the two making their way into the room. Jaemin dressed simply wearing jeans and some sneakers, with a hoodie on top. Haechan dressed a little more formally, having jeans, with sneakers but instead of a hoodie, he wore a nice dress shirt. “What is going on here?” Haechan asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Jeno,” You started, stopping to correct your mistake, “Prince Jeno, gave me a very generous gift,” you slightly bowed your head, showing the dog to the two others.

“(Y/n), relax. It’s just us; no need to be so formal,” Jaemin offered with a smirk, the head tilted to the right and the direct eye contact. Heat was rising up Jeno’s spine at his cousin’s blatant flirting.

“What do you two need?” Jeno’s question comes out a bit too rough, even causing you to slightly flinch at the tone.

Jaemin smirked, clearly seeing the effect his flirting has, “we were just wondering where you were; you didn’t attend breakfast this morning and you already missed lunch with the General. He wanted to see you, considering he won’t be back until the wedding.”

“What time is it?” Jeno asked, looking for a clock frantically.

“He left already, he assumed you were upset about what he said at yesterday’s outing,” Haechan responded to Jeno. Jeno was aware that more happened to cause the misunderstanding than what the other boys knew.

“Damn it,” was all Jeno said as he ran a hand over his face, not realizing he missed seeing his brother off. Jeno then turned to you, “I’m sorry princess, I must leave you now, feel free to stay as long as you please.”

All you could do was shake your head no, trying to tell Jeno not to worry about you. Jeno walked to the door, Haechan offered a small smile and a wave, while Jaemin shoved his hands in his pockets and gave you a knowing smirk. The three of them exit the room, leaving you and Hades alone.

You looked around the room, this was the first time you were ever in Jeno’s room. His room held some semblance of personality. There was a desk in front of the balcony doors, and a trophy case on one side of the room next to the double doors that opened up to the sleeping area. Jeno’s desk held a framed picture of him and his brothers, and another framed picture of him and a girl. She was stunningly beautiful, shorter than the prince, with long, sleek raven-colored hair. Her figure was thin but she had a nice tanned complexion. It was like everything you wanted to look like was embodied in one person.

You didn’t even know this girl and already you didn’t like her; you didn’t like that she was everything you wanted to be. You didn’t like that her picture sat on Jeno’s desk. You didn’t like that Jeno looked at her and not you when he worked. What is wrong with you, you thought. Why do you care, why are you so jealous? You know that there was seriously no reason to not like this girl.

“Gosh, (Y/n). Get a hold of yourself, you don’t even like him,” you muttered to yourself, moving away from the pictures, to the paperwork on the desk. There was a document that caught your eye. ‘Accommodations for the Modia Princess,’ the top line read. You scanned the paper, it was a list of accommodations that needed to be made to ensure your comfort here in Northcy. It wasn’t until you reached the bottom of the document that you were seriously confused. The document was written by the prince and was awaiting approval from the queen.

“Why would he make a list of things for me?” You muttered to yourself once again.

Among further investigation, or snooping, as your older sister would say, you came across yet another picture showing just Jeno and a girl. This one, however, put a feeling in your tummy which was far from jealousy. It was confusion, sadness, and a bit of anger. The girl was strikingly similar in features to Jeno. Same sharp eyes, straight, pink lips, prominent and charming nose. Blood-related. It couldn’t have been more obvious. Jeno had a sister which he never mentioned. He had told you scandalous facts of his family history, but he left her out. Why? What did she do to deserve this? What could be more inappropriate than his father impregnating a maid?

Hades interrupted your thoughts by coming to paw at your feet. You picked up the dog holding him against your chest. “Aren’t you a spoiled boy? Yes, yes you are,” you spoke in the baby voice to the dog. “Let’s go take you for a walk.”

You went to the basket that sat on the coffee tables filled with all of Hades’ things. Finding a leash, you attach it to the dog’s collar, exiting the room. There you found Chan and Hyunjin standing guard. “Look at my new gift,” you told the two.

“Very nice, princess,” Hyunjin said to you. You walked, Chan and Hyunjin were on your trail and you walked the palace halls, letting the puppy see everything.

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Sun, 27 Mar 2022 15:53:09

My Duty As Princess

Chapter 01

Lee Jeno x fem reader

preview,~~01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, epilogue~~

Genre:arranged marriage au! royalty au!

Warnings:violence, explicit language, suggestive content

Word Count:8.8K

Author’s Note: I am so sorry, Idk what possessed me to think that this was Saturday and not Sunday. BUT ITS BACK. MDAP is back, this is the revised version in collab with @urlocaltrash28 and far warning this is the longest chapter in the entire series, it’s really just because this chapter is the set up for the story. I am so sorry again that this is a day late, I really thought it was saturday and not sunday. anyway, hugs and kisses to anyone reading <3333

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The trip from the north airstrip to the Northcy palace was a ten-hour flight and another hour-long car ride. The Princess arrived at Northcy’s Norhall Palace after a total of twelve hours’ worth of travel in the middle of the night. The only people there to greet her were the queen herself, and four maids.

“My dear, you must be exhausted, please hurry inside,” the queen said. She was a stunning and slim woman. She wore a rich navy blue jumpsuit, with a white long-sleeved coat that hemmed at her ankles. At the top of her head, there was a stunning silver crown, a sign of her being the queen. Although anyone could tell she was the queen by the way she carried herself. She held her head high and stood upright with proper posture. The queen and the four maids led you to your chambers. “You may wash up and when you’re done, Princess. One of the handmaids will inform me, that way I can personally see to it, that you have a meal before you rest,” the queen told you.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” you said as you bowed to the queen. Your two maids helped you undress and bathe as four of the queen’s maids made you some tea and prepared your clothing for the evening. The two guards stood outside the chamber doors because technically, you were still in enemy territory until the marriage.

After your bath, the queen herself escorted you to a private dining hall. The queen was about to have your maids be escorted elsewhere to eat, but you insisted they eat with you. The two maids, being Fei and Mei, were sisters from a family that has served your kingdom for generations. They have always taken care of you from the mere age of nine, when your parents decided it was time to have help. Although it was evident the queen didn’t agree, she allowed the maids to sit and dine with you. You assumed that the queen went to bed right after settling you in with the food.

“Breakfast shall be set in the garden courtyard. There you’ll meet the prince and the king,” the queen informed you.

As the queen made her way to her own chambers, she saw her son. He was pacing in front of her doors. “My boy, it’s very late, you should be fast asleep,” the queen said.

“Mother,” Jeno called out then turned to her maids, “please leave us.”

The queen nodded her head, permitting the maids to leave her side. “What is it, my dear?” The queen asked as Jeno walked with her into her room. Jeno gathered the tea set and poured his mother a cup as she sat down.

“Do you truly expect me to marry that girl, mother?” Jeno asked. “An alliance could be negotiated without marriage. That girl offers nothing of value to our kingdom or family. There are plenty of women within this council that would make a much better bride.” Jeno sighed; he barely wanted to be married, least of all married to a princess he didn’t know at all. “Mother, you can’t seriously think marrying princess (Y/N) is any good for anyone.”

Hearing her son complain about a girl he’s never met gave the queen a headache. The queen once met Princess (Y/N) long ago, during a summit meeting to discuss the end of the war. The little girl at the time was maybe only nine or ten years old, but she was far wiser than any other children the queen had ever met. Princess (Y/N) is only three years younger than her son and when the queen met the little girl on a visit to the Modia kingdom, she knew that princess (Y/N) would be a fine monarch.

“I do expect you to marry her, and I do think she be great, not only for our family but for Northcy as well,” the queen told her son. “So I expect you to be up early and be eager to meet the princess tomorrow morning”

“Mother, you’re kidding, right? You want me to wine and dine Princess (Y/n), the stubborn, unwavering princess that never once cared about her title?” Jeno asked the queen with a look of disbelief on his face.

“I am not kidding, Crown Prince Lee Jeno, and I expect you to be at breakfast prepared to meet your future bride. I expect there to be no complaints from you at all tomorrow morning,” the queen said standing up to dismiss her son out of the room. “Do I make myself clear?”

Jeno knew that whenever his mother addressed him by his proper title he was in trouble. “Yes mother, you have made yourself clear,” Jeno answered grudgingly, knowing he had lost this argument.

“Very well, good night my son.”

The sun rose bright and early the next morning. The princess made her way to the courtyard for breakfast with her maids and guards. Fei and Mei always trailed the princess, never standing in her way, while her two guards always led the princess, never allowing anything to touch her without permission. The two guards that the princess brought refused to leave her side. Even though there was an alliance between all the kingdoms, people could still have grudges against the princess.

“People will gossip if you two don’t leave me be,” the princess told her guards.

“My princess, we will be executed if anything were to happen to you, following you wherever you go is the best way to ensure that doesn’t happen,” stated the princess’ personal guard, Bang Chan. He joined the army at the fresh age of 18, became the princess’ personal guard at 20, fell in love with the princess at 22, and he is now 24. Fei, Mei, Chan, the other guard, Hyunjin, and the princess were all friends; they have basically spent the past three years together. The princess was only ever alone for a few minutes, when she lay in bed, in the middle of the night, before sleep consumed her.

“Princess (Y/n),” the queen called out, getting up from her seat at the breakfast as she saw the princess approach the pavilion. “Come, dear. Take a seat. You can dismiss your guards and handmaids.”

“Very well, Your Majesty,” the princess said as she dismissed the handmaids and guards, taking her seat. She gave them a look telling them to not make a scene. The princess and the queen began to chat amongst themselves. They were not allowed to start eating until the rest of the party arrived.

“My dear, maybe tomorrow you can come by my room and try on your wedding dress,” the queen told the princess.

“Wedding dress?” The princess asked, nearly choking on air “I mean no disrespect, Your Majesty, but don’t think you it’s too soon? I haven’t even met the prince.”

“Never too soon, and it doesn’t matter because you’ll meet my son right now,” And that’s when reality set in for the princess, she was in enemy territory, meeting her fiance. Prince Jeno and the King made their way to the pavilion to sit and dine for breakfast.

The rest of breakfast went by in a blur for the princess didn’t speak unless questions were directed towards her; not many questions were. The king was kind but not very welcoming, just because the war was over didn’t mean all the problems were solved in the country. He still had many issues to tackle, especially with a wedding approaching and the two kingdoms alliance still fresh. Jeno remained quiet for the majority of breakfast because he didn’t want to anger his mother. That would only enrage his father and no one wanted to see an angry king. The queen tried her very best to get everyone to speak, but it didn’t work out as well as she had hoped.

The king had already left the table and just as Jeno was getting ready to leave, his mother called out. “Jeno, why don’t you take the princess and show her around Norhall, it’s her first day here,” Jeno was getting ready to argue with his mother until he saw the stern look in her eye.

“Yes mother,” Jeno answered. He looked almost pained to say yes.

You and Jeno walked around the palace in awkward silence as he pointed things out to you here and there. Jeno wore a simple pair of black dress pants and a light blue button-up dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His black hair was tousled, almost looking like he just rolled out of bed. The two of you entered a room that you could assume to be the palace library. It was something that was straight out of movies; the walls were lined with books from ceiling to floor.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Jeno asked as you ran your hands across a shelf of books. Some of the books looked to be written in a language of Modia that was long forgotten.

“I was raised to only speak when spoken to, my father was keen to traditions,” you stated. Reading wasn’t something you found yourself doing often, but a desire to stay here and bury yourself into an enriching tale was there.

“Traditions? Something like women are only meant to be child-bearers?” Jeno asked with a quaint smirk. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone, in any kingdom, that the Modia royals were traditional. Many things were considered unladylike, therefore disallowing your participation.

“Yes and no,” the princess started. “Growing up, men and women were equal to each other, but they had different goals to accomplish. A woman was to bear a child, to continue a king’s rule, a man was to provide a just and safe kingdom for his children.”

The rest of the tour was met with silence; Jeno continued to point out things to you and when the two arrived at your chambers, Jeno bid you a farewell until the evening meal, almost looking to be relieved to be done.

The princess’ comment on how she was raised stuck in Jeno’s mind. Was that all a king was meant to do, make a just and safe kingdom? Was that all the princess expected from him? No fairytale romance? No faithful, supporting husband kind of stuff? If ensuring the kingdom’s safety and the justice system was all she expected, Jeno could fulfill those expectations before an earth’s orbit.

The days bled into each other and winter was approaching fast; it had already been a month into the princess’ stay in the Northcy kingdom. Being this far north from the equator, the days started to get chillier. By the time winter came, the kingdom would have already seen snow.

Being from Modia, a tropical climate, the princess was excited for winter to approach because she had never seen snow before. However, the princess was not prepared for the chill of the approaching winter. When the winter comes and the snow falls, the princess will be constantly shivering due to the cold.

Ever since the first day of the princess’ arrival to the Northcy kingdom, her daily duties have been filled as well as Jeno’s. Jeno was already a member of the council as Crown Prince, for he needed to be fully aware of the duties as a king before ascending the throne. The princess was busy familiarizing herself with the kingdom and its departments as this would be her new home. Not to mention the wedding was to take place exactly two months from now, just before the new year.

There was much to do, and there wasn’t nearly enough time to complete all of the tasks. You spent most of your time with the queen, learning about the council members and their families. You already held a vast knowledge of the council of the Modia kingdom. Back home there were ten high houses while only three of the houses held any power, and the other seven were just for show. However, Jeno’s future council held 18 different noble families, a royal advisor, two extra seats for “special members,” and the general held two votes. As to why Jeno’s future council held two special seats or why the general had two votes was beyond you. The vocabulary was so different. For example, what Modia calls high houses were referred to as noble families in Northcy. The number of papers to review to remember all of the council was never-ending. Apparently, it was the queen’s duty to be informed of all noble members and their families. The queen’s duty was also to oversee the budgets spent on entertaining said families.

You and Jeno rarely saw each other, except for the evening meals together with the king and queen.

“Jeno, why don’t you introduce (Y/n) to your brothers tomorrow?” The queen asked her son during one dinner. When Jeno heard the question he nearly choked on his drink. The queen was kind and loving, but she always made it abundantly clear that Jeno was her one and only child.

“Very well, mother,” Jeno answered. This utterly confused you because Jeno was the only known heir to the throne. In the whole month preparing for life in Northcy, there wasn’t a single indication of Jeno having any brothers- not even in your years of schooling did you learn about the children of the Northcy king. All the books and classes said King Lee Donghae of the royal Lee family and Queen Lee Jaeyeon of the Noble Na family had one child, Crown Prince Lee Jeno of the royal Lee family. Such long titles did the royals have.

After dinner, Jeno took the opportunity to escort you back to your chambers. He couldn’t help how curious he was about you. Jeno constantly found himself watching you as you made your way through the palace, trying to catch a glimpse into the drawing rooms you studied in, or just watching the way your hands handled the cutlery at dinner.

“I wasn’t aware you had siblings?” You had asked Jeno during the walk to your chambers. The curiosity of it all forms the words for you.

“All half-siblings, I’m my mother’s only child but I’m the third son of my father,” Jeno answered. He didn’t even think of his only full sibling: his sister, Jia. Part of his unconsciousness pushed the memories as far down in his memory as possible.

“Third son? Your father had other women? Your brothers weren’t angry that the throne was given to you instead of them?” The questions seemingly come to mind one after another, not having enough strength to stop them. “I’m sorry,” you said, realizing you might be pushing onto an unsettling topic, “it’s not my place.”

“It’s alright,” Jeno said, smirking to himself. “The first three years on the throne my mother couldn’t produce an heir. The council insisted an heir be produced, by any means. My oldest brother, son of a nobleman’s daughter, an approved out of wedlock union, was crown prince for several years. He said he hated every moment of it. It’s a shame because he would have made a great leader, but he believes it’s not for him. Then my second brother, son of one of my father’s courtesans was never crown prince and he knew he would never be a Crown Prince but he never minded, he actually promised to stand by my side when I took the throne. And my younger, son of a lucky maid, we’re just a few months apart, however, has admitted he wouldn’t make a great ruler, but he promised to take over if something were to happen to me,” Jeno chuckled finishing his statement.

“Lucky maid?”

“My father is a just and fair man, he is a good father and a better king.” Jeno paused before continuing, wondering just how much to tell you, would it matter? “However, he is a terrible husband. If Modia had a beautiful queen doing its negotiation, who knows if Northcy would’ve put up a fight,” Jeno stated as fact. Like the world knew that the king would spend a night without his wife every now and then. Then again, father did always say ‘palace walls hear more than any other wall. “I say the maid was lucky because there was no evidence to suggest that my father saw her. However, when she laid her accusations at his feet, he accepted the child and paid the maid to say nothing,” Jeno finished off with a small shake of his head.

As the princess thought about this, she found that Jeno seemed to regret being born and taking the throne from his oldest brother. The princess would later learn, from Fei and Mei, through other gossiping maids, that Jeno never wanted the throne. He even tried to surrender it because he just wanted to live a carefree life without a nation depending on him. Oh, how you wished to do the same.

The next morning Jeno waited outside the princess’ chambers to walk with her to breakfast with his brothers. In front of her chambers stood her two guards. Jeno looked at the two men standing in front and he wondered how long they had known the princess. Jeno had two personal guards of his own; each of the princes had two personal guards, but they never followed Jeno around in the palace. The only time Jeno sees his guards is whenever he leaves the palace. He thought it was odd how your guards followed you almost everywhere, even within the palace.

A moment passed and you walked out ready for breakfast. You greeted the prince and he greeted you. As you walked, your two guards began to follow as they were trained to do. “You know you can dismiss them, I can handle escorting you to breakfast,” Jeno told you. You looked behind and noticed the two guards there.

“Chan, Hyunjin, you don’t have to follow us, I’ll be alright,” you told the dear boys.

It took everything in Chan not to be mad at how you so easily believed that Jeno could protect you. “With all due respect my princess, it is our duty to ensure your safety at all times, the best way to achieve that is to follow you all the time.” You smiled to yourself as Chan finished his statement. You knew he wasn’t gonna allow you to be alone with Jeno and his brothers.

“Very well” was all you said and continued to walk. The rest of the walk to the dining hall was silent. Jeno didn’t like the idea that the guards didn’t leave after you told them they could but he understood it was only their job, having to remind himself that the alliance was not technically complete yet.

When arriving at the dining hall, Jeno placed a hand on the small of your back, walking with you towards the table. Chan and Hyunjin remained at the door of the dining hall, far enough to watch, but could barely hear anything. When arriving at the table, Jeno introduced each of his brothers. The oldest is a tall, lean, and handsome young man. He had a sharp jawline with piercing eyes but a childlike smile. His name was Taeyong. The second brother had pitch-black hair, with round eyes and small lips. He was closer to Jeno’s age than the older brother. His name was Mark. The last brother was more tan than the first two and he had a much rounder face with puffy cheeks. His name was Donghyuck. However, they called him Haechan because of his bright personality that reflected the sun.

“Be happy that you have such a pretty bride, Jeno,” Taeyong told his younger brother. You sat beside Jeno, on one side of the table, across from you sat Haechan, and next to him sat Mark. At the front of the table sat Taeyong with the right side having Jeno and the left having Mark. Even though Jeno was the crown prince, he showed his older brothers the utmost respect. He never flaunted his title to any of them and he adhered to all their advice.

“(Y/n), my brother is a good man but he has an atrocious temper. I ask you to be patient with him. He means well but he doesn’t always know how to express it,” Taeyong addresses you. You’re able to tell despite his young age, Taeyong is a man that is wise beyond his years. Jeno doesn’t try to fight back his comment, he simply nods his head. Jeno was different here. You often ate with Jeno, almost every evening, but here Jeno seemed relaxed as if he was a simple 21-year-old and not a future king.

The rest of breakfast goes on with funny stories of Jeno’s youth and constant laughter. This would have to be the first time you saw Jeno ever laugh since your arrival. He had a beautiful smile that reached all the way up to his eyes. The way he acted around his brothers was an all too pleasing difference. He was calm, inviting even, it was like night and day with how different he was.

“We should go horseback riding, they say the first snow is gonna fall today!” Exclaimed Haechan. Northcy looked forward to the first snow. It was both a privilege and a tradition to ride horseback during the first snow. Both you and Jeno didn’t have any duties for the day, which was rare. The queen made sure that your usual duties were postponed. She had hoped that this day would allow you and Jeno to bond in a way. “Please, Taeyong. Come with us, you never hang out with us anymore since you took that position by father,” Haechan whined. You had learned that after Taeyong stepped down from crown prince when Jeno was born he went into the army and within the past year, he took the position of general in the army. He was actually one of the main reasons that Northcy continued to win battles against the Modia Kingdom. He was the general that was allowed two votes at the council, he is the general and a prince.

“Just for the morning, I have duties this afternoon,” Taeyong said, not wanting to disappoint his brothers. They all cheered, including Jeno. As the brothers got up to head towards the stables, you were about to bid them a farewell. Horseback riding wasn’t something you were permitted to do. Your father’s comment about it was: ‘there is no need for you to learn, focus on remembering council members instead.’

“You’re not leaving us, are you, (Y/n)?” Haechan asked, disappointment laced in his voice.

“I don’t know how to ride, I am sorry,” you stated matter of factly.

“Oh, who cares? You can ride with me, you won’t have to learn right now,” Haechan said as he grabbed your wrist and started to pull you towards the stables. The shock was evident on your face. Mark and your two guards were running after the two of you. Jeno was about to race after you until Taeyong grabbed his shoulder.

“He doesn’t mean anything by it, Jeno,” Taeyong said. Even if it was only a split second, Taeyong could see the rage and jealousy spill over his brother from how Haechan grabbed onto you. “You don’t want to scare the poor girl.”

“Tae, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jeno said, “I don’t have any feelings for her.” Which wasn’t entirely wrong, Jeno held no feelings for you, at least not the feelings you should have for the person you’re gonna marry. However, Jeno didn’t like that Haechan just dragged you away. He saw it as impolite and believed that the princess deserves to be treated with respect.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Taeyong said as he watched the gears turn in Jeno’s head.

You and Haechan were the first to arrive at the stables. Mark followed soon after and after Mark was Chan and Hyunjin. All three boys were panting, not realizing how far the dining hall was from the stables. After a while, Jeno and Taeyong arrived side by side.

“You tire yourselves out already?” Taeyong jokes to his two brothers. “Guards, I’m sorry you had to run all the way here, but you can leave the princess be already, she will be alright”

“I do no-“ Chan was about to speak until you interrupted.

“It’s fine Chan, you and Hyunjin go get some food or walk around the palace. I’ll be alright,” you said, giving Chan pleading eyes not to make a scene. You didn’t want to ruin such a happy moment for Jeno and his brothers. Chan understood, and he and Hyunjin left to ensure everything.

The stablemates prepared the horses for the princes. Taeyong had a serene white horse. It looked strong and sturdy as most horses do, but you could tell this horse belonged to Taeyong as when the horse saw Taeyong its face was immediately bright. Mark had a beautiful black horse, hair dark as midnight. Haechan had a brown horse, whose coat was shiny in the morning sun. Jeno’s horse was white as well but the horse seemed more like Jeno. Taeyong’s horse was white but it had a serene and elegant energy, while Jeno’s horse had a cold and chilling energy. Each of the boys began getting on top of their horses. Haechan was about to give you a hand to help you up onto his horse when Jeno came up from behind and stood between you and Haechan. “The princess will ride with me,” Jeno told his younger brother.

“Awh why? She doesn’t want to ride with you anyway,” Haechan said, not meaning to make his brother mad, but just to tease him. However, when Haechan saw the look his brother gave him he knew he made him upset.

Jeno offered you a hand and because you actually wanted to go horseback riding you accepted. Jeno places you in front of him with one leg on each side, back pressed into his chest. Then you guys were off. You expected it to be a slow ride, but that wasn’t the case at all. You quickly learned that Jeno and his brothers enjoyed racing. Jeno kept one hand on your waist, holding you against his chest to ensure you didn’t fall; you kept both hands on the saddle for the same reason. You never realized how tall a horse was until you were on top of one and looking down towards the ground.

The wind was blowing in your face, it felt freeing. The experience was new and exciting to you; this was something you would like to do again. Jeno wasn’t paying much attention to you, he was still just a young adult and the need to beat his brothers took his attention. In the middle of the race, snow began to fall, it was light, almost dream-like. Haechan was right, today was the first snow. You looked up in amazement, this was the first time you had ever seen snow in your entire life, the snow didn’t last though, melting before it even hit the ground. Soon the race was over, Taeyong trailed behind during most of the race until it was almost one and then he pulled ahead winning. After that came you and Jeno, then Haechan and lastly Mark. By the time you made it to the clearing, you were shivering from the cold already. Jeno noticed your shivering body, pulled you closer, and wrapped his arms around you to keep you warm. You leaned further back into Jeno’s touch, trying to embrace as much warmth that radiated off him. Jeno placed his chin on top of your head and smiled to himself. At that moment you guys did look like you were engaged.

Taeyong took notice of how his younger brother treated you and smiled to himself. Jeno was just a young boy who was expected to do great things. Taeyong was treated the same when he was born, but Taeyong was the lucky one. When Jeno was born, all the responsibility left Taeyong and was dropped onto Jeno. To most people Jeno would appear to be the luckiest Prince, however, Taeyong knew Jeno didn’t feel like it. Jeno was never allowed to have a normal childhood. During childhood, Mark and Haechan ran around the palace freely while Jeno took etiquette classes for council meetings. In middle school, Haechan and Mark began taking up sports, while Jeno had to take up hand-to-hand combat training. In high school, Mark and Haechan were allowed to actually go to a school, but Jeno had private tutors and began attending council meetings. Jeno took on all these responsibilities, never throwing a tantrum, never taking it out on his brothers. In the eyes of the people of Northcy, Jeno was a picture-perfect prince. Jeno is the picture-perfect prince.

You and the rest of the boys rode back towards the stables. You held onto the arm that was draped across your chest like a seatbelt. You felt as if you were in a dream. As you arrived towards the stable you saw Chan and Hyunjin. The look Chan held was chilling, causing you to shiver again. You let go of Jeno’s arm and wrapped your arms around yourself, practically forcing Jeno’s arm off of you. You dropped your head in an attempt to avoid Chan’s intimidating glare. You felt nothing for Jeno, except responsibility. Jeno was simply a way to save your people, he was your responsibility, your duty, and nothing more.

“Princess, are you alright?” Jeno questioned when you forced his arm away, he could still feel you shivering.

“I’m fine, just tired,” you said breathlessly wanting to go back to your chambers. You bid a farewell to each of the princes and excused yourself. Jeno stood there, utterly confused, thinking that the ride went well. Jeno saw you walk off with your guards and it looked as if one of the guards were speaking to you.

“Are you in love with him?!” Chan yelled in your face in the privacy of your bedroom.

“Why would I be in love with that prince?!” You screamed back.

“You seemed all in love today holding onto him like?!” Chan kept yelling. A single tear slid down your face. Chan’s face was immediately filled with regret. He shouldn’t be questioning you like this; he knew you didn’t want to marry Jeno. Chan pulled you close and you sobbed into his chest. He held you close for what seemed like hours. You loved Chan with all of your heart, you wanted to run away and live a happy and simple life with Chan. However, each night that you thought of that dream, the cries of your people pulled you back to reality. You had a duty to fulfill, no matter the feelings your heart held.

“Are you alright, my princess?” Chan asked as you pulled away.

“Please never yell at me again, I don’t know if I could handle you being upset with me like that again,” you said breathing heavily. Your heart hurts knowing you can’t be with the man you loved.

“Of course, my princess,” Chan said, wiping the tears from your cheeks. Chan felt terrible. He allowed his emotions to get the best of him. He needed to remember his place, and it was not right for him to be like this with you. “(Y/n), I’m sorry, I had no right to yell or question you like that,” your face in his hand.

“I don’t,” you paused trying to calm down, “I don’t love him, I love you.”

“I know,” Chan said with loving eyes, “but you can not continue to love me, my princess.” A sad smile painted itself on his face. Tears came welling to your eyes, you closed your eyes allowing the tears to fall and nodding. What Chan said was the sad truth.

After making sure you were feeling better, Chan left your side to go stand guard outside your doors. As Chan exited your room, Prince Jeno approached. The two made eye contact and Chan quickly looked down, not wanting to see the man that would take the love of his life.

“Has the princess gone off?” Jeno asked the other guard, Hyunjin.

“She still there?” Hyunjin asked Chan.

“Yeah, she’s about to have a cup of tea,” Chan said as he returned to his position. Prince Jeno made his way into your room, not stopping to knock.

“You seriously need to be careful,” Hyunjin whispered to Chan.

“Careful? Of what?” Chan attempted to act oblivious.

“Chan, she is the future queen of our nation. She is going to marry Prince Jeno whether you like it or not. It’s her duty, and you know how (Y/n) is, she isn’t gonna run away from what needs to be done. I know you love her and I know she loves you but you gotta let her go,” Hyunjin said with sad eyes. He knew how much his friend cared for you, it was truly a pity you two couldn’t be together.

Jeno wanted to chase after you after the horseback ride, but that wasn’t possible.

“Crown Prince Lee Jeno, General Lee Taeyong, Prince Lee Mark, and Prince Lee Donghyuck, your presence is requested by the king,” a palace servant called for the boys.

“Father wanted to see all of us, this must not be good,” Mark said as panic started to flood his face.

“Oh, please! We haven’t done anything wrong,” Haechan said.

“Really? You’ve caused no trouble in the past day or two?” Jeno asked his brother. Haechan always enjoyed a good prank.

“I promise, my future king, I have caused no such trouble within the palace walls,” Haechan said with an exaggerated bow to Jeno. Jeno hates being addressed like that, especially by his brothers. Haechan loved to do it because he knew it made Jeno mad. Naturally, Jeno started chasing him around to give him ‘what he deserved.’

“Hey, quit fighting already, do you want to keep the actual king waiting?” Taeyong asked his two brothers who were currently on the ground wrestling.

“No,” both boys said with their heads hung low. They all made their way to see the king.

Upon arrival, the four boys were greeted by their father and Jeno’s mother. “Your majesties,” Taeyong greeted and bowed along with the three other boys who remained silent. They were in the king’s private drawing-room. It was plain, simple, much more like a lounging area for the king to entertain during private meetings. There was a secret door behind the shelves of books that led to the king’s office. No one was allowed in the king’s office. Not once did Jeno, or his brothers, or his mother ever step foot inside the office. Only the king, and one servant, Jung, the king’s personal butler, were permitted.

“You’ve requested our presence, father?” Taeyong asked, standing straight and looking directly at his father.

“Yes, I want to make an announcement to all of you: after Princess (Y/n) and Jeno’s union, I am thinking of stepping down as king,” The king said with a bright smile upon his face.

“What, father?!” Jeno shouted in pure shock.

“Yes, I will step down from the throne after you are married and you will be crowned king, but before all that, my two sons, Mark and Donghyuck, I want to make you each member of the council,” the king said with a satisfied expression.

“Father stepping down? No king in the history of our entire kingdom has ever stepped down before, is that even possible?” Jeno asked incredulously.

“If it’s not possible, I will make it possible. You, my son, have served on the council for almost five years now, since you were 16. You are ready for the throne and your brothers will help guide the way for you. Taeyong is already a member of the council. Mark and Donghyuck are sure to catch on soon enough. Northcy is entering a time of peace; there’s no need to worry about ascending the throne too early,” the king said with a satisfied grin. Haechan and Mark were given off to two council members; they were expected to start learning their duties immediately. Only Jeno and Taeyong were left.

“Father, you can’t be serious,” Jeno groaned in frustration. “Even if you consider Northcy to be entering a time of peace, there is no telling how our people will react to this union,” Jeno stated, his voice clear and concise. Although his point was to defer his father from stepping down, all it did was further prove that the king could step down. Jeno was thinking about what was best for his people, and he held the confidence of a king.

“Jeno, my boy, I am stepping down, not dying. I will help you at every step of the way. The transition between me stepping down and you being crowned king will be lengthy.” The king looked at his son. “There is no need for you to worry so much.”

“Father, no, you cannot just step down because I am forced into a marriage. That clearly is not wanted nor needed,” Jeno stuck firm to his stances on the issues, the venom being weaved into his voice.

“My boy,” the king stood from his seat, placing both hands on Jeno’s shoulders, “you need not worry so much, all will be well. It’s best you boys head off. I’m sure you have much work that needs to be done, Taeyong?” The king asked to change the subject.

“Yes, father, the plans to bring home soldiers and redistribute soldiers in all parts of Northcy is an effect. I’ll see to it personally that everything goes well,” Taeyong states, pulling Jeno along to leave the king and queen in the drawing-room.

“Taeyong, I don’t want this, I don’t want to be king, I don’t wanna get married, why is father making me do this? Can’t you become king and ascend the throne?” Jeno asked his older brother as he exited the room. Anyone could see in Jeno’s face how much the idea of being king worried him.

“Jeno, you will make a fine king, don’t worry so much. Also, the princess is a beautiful girl. What’s the problem with marrying her?”

“The problem isn’t her, the problem is marriage, I don’t want it, not right now at least,” Jeno sighed, “and I want to get married to someone I know, someone I love, not some girl that father and mother presented to me.” Taeyong knew what he meant. If he could lift the burdens from his brother’s shoulders, he would, but this was Jeno’s duty as the only male heir of the true king and queen. Sadly, after Jeno’s statement, Taeyong was called away by a maid, leaving Jeno to his thoughts.

As Jeno walked away from the drawing-room, he found himself wandering towards your chambers. As he got near, he saw one of your guards exit your room. A princess in her private chambers, alone with a boy. Clearly, that would call for a scandal, not to mention the princess’ engagement.

“Has the princess gone off?” Jeno asked the other guard, Hyunjin, as he approached your doors.

“She still there?” Hyunjin asked The guard coming out of your room, Chan.

“Yeah, she’s about to have a cup of tea,” Chan said as he returned to his position. Prince Jeno made his way into your room. Inside, he saw you seated pouring some tea.

“Chan, I promise I am fine, go before people talk,” you said not paying attention to who had entered.

“Princess? It is I, Jeno.”

“Prince Jeno!” You said startled, immediately getting up to greet the prince.

“You don’t need to bow, princess, it is only you and I here,” Jeno said with a soft smile as he made his way near your table. “May I?” Jeno gestures asking if he could take a seat. Your chambers held little personality. The walls were painted pastel green, and the trim was off-white. There was no balcony in this room, but large windows that allowed an abundance of sunlight. There were two white couches with a glass coffee table in between and a small table that held the tea set was in front of a large window, overlooking a courtyard.

“Of course, of course, would you like a cup of tea? I was just about to pour myself some,” you asked frantically, still unsure why Jeno was in your room.

“Yes, please,” Jeno answered. You two sat in awkward silence, sipping your tea and waiting for the other to speak.

“Sooooooo…” you started but trailed off, you reminded yourself to just breathe for Jeno was merely a young adult, who happened to be the future king of your nation and was to be your husband. “Why did you come here?” You asked as you found your words.

“Right,” Jeno set down his cup of tea, turning to face you, “I wanted to make sure you were alright, you didn’t seem well after the horseback ride,” Jeno stayed, there was a look of worry within his eyes. His gaze made you feel cared for, something you thought the prince was incapable of doing at one point in your life.

“I am just fine,” you felt a blush creep up to your cheeks, looking away to hide from the prince. “No reason for you to worry.”

“Are you sure? You rushed off so quickly I was barely able to even say bye as you left,” Jeno pressed on further. Deep in his gut, Jeno believed you rushing off had something to do with the guard, but he pushed the feeling further down as there was no reason to think that just yet.

“I’m alright, Jeno.” That was the first time in your entire stay here you addressed Jeno by merely his name, not with his title. He actually liked hearing you say his name, he liked the way you spoke. Your tone was always gentle, kind, like silk to his ears. Jeno pushed further on, asking you questions about yourself and your family. In an attempt to avoid conversations about you personally, you spoke of your family. When that didn’t work, you asked questions instead of answering them.

You learned Jeno was a skilled archer and he preferred music studies over all others. Jeno has never seen a single battle or a moment of war for Taeyong took those burdens; he was the prince in the war. Jeno doesn’t know what it’s like to have a kingdom fall into poverty because his kingdom always had money and a large army. You also learned that Jeno wanted to join the army with his brother, but was denied by his father, saying Jeno isn’t allowed to die. Jeno wanted to learn music and how to paint but was forced into archery and history. Jeno’s life was a never-changing path that was decided, it was a set road, ready for him to walk.

Jeno has learned that you were not meant to be queen at all. You were the youngest child of the king and queen, with an older brother and two older sisters. However, when the war took lives faster than new ones were born, your siblings weren’t afraid to step up to the fight. Being royal children, you and your siblings were raised as equals, learning everything from cooking and cleaning to martial arts and war techniques. Your siblings being much older than you, when they left home to fight, you were still doing your schooling. After each letter made it back home instead of the authors, your parents knew they could no longer keep fighting this war. They had already lost millions of people and now three of their children.

After the third letter made it home, your father put in order 15: ceasefire but hold the line. The soldier at the war front was not to evacuate or move from their position but they were to stop firing at the enemy. The negotiations for peace began, not that Modia had much to negotiate anyway because, without a male heir, the kingdom would fall out of the family. The royal family line died with your brother, so the island that started it all would be left alone out of respect for Modia, all of Modia’s territories would be in control of the new king and queen, and Makena Palace in Modia would now become a summer palace. This was temporary, though, because Modia would only be in Jeno’s control after your father passed on.

As the two of you talked on and on, neither one of you noticed or addressed Fei and Mei. The two maids entered your chambers, helping in any way you saw fit. However, seeing you in deep conversation with the prince, Fei and Mei decided to go about their routine: pulling out the evening dress for dinner, fixing the bed, cleaning the bathroom. The two maids nearly complete all tasks in utter silence. It was until Fei and Mei entered the bathroom did either one of them decide to speak. Your bathroom was connected to the sleeping area of your bedroom, which was separated by a wall and double doors from where you and Jeno were.

“Getting cozy fast, the princess has,” Fei stated to her sister.

“Fei, watch what you say,” Mei stated in a rather hushing manner.

“Mei, no one else can hear us,” Fei started, “all I am saying is the princess seems to be getting along well with the prince, nothing more.”

“I hope Chan is alright,” Mei stated and Fei just nodded along knowingly. Anyone, everyone, in your kingdom knew the story. Knew of the princess and her personal guard. There was no denying the loving looks passed among the two of you.

The knock at your door pulled you and Jeno out of your guys’ thoughts, looking towards the two eggshell white French doors anticipating who would ruin such a divine moment. One door was slowly pushed open revealing the queen. Both you and Jeno immediately stood, bowing to greet the queen.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize you had a guest princess, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the queen said, hand over heart.

“No apology needed, Your Majesty,” you said, slowly rising for your bowing stances, “your presence is no interruption.” ‘The presence of any queen or king is never an interruption to anyone. You must remember that even as royalty, it is an honor to be in the presence of a king or queen,’ Lady Kam’s lessons on proper etiquette play in your mind.

“My dear daughter,” the queen has taken a keen interest in calling you ‘daughter.’ The name makes you tense. “You must meet with the gardener, the flower arrangements aren’t set yet.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” you said. You would take memorizing noble families over wedding arrangements any day, but you can no longer avoid the duties. “I apologize, Prince Jeno, for I must leave you.”

“No apology needed,” Jeno said, looking at you, longing for a few minutes ago, when your conversation wasn’t interrupted. There were still so many thoughts in his head, so many things he wanted to discuss with you and get your opinion on. And memories… slowly resurfacing, much to his own horror, that he needed help coming to terms with. He specifically wanted your help, as he knew you could truly understand him.

You and the queen walked together to meet the gardener in the main foyer. You stayed a step behind her. Everything from the seating arrangement to the way you walked must be done in a hierarchical order. The queen had a higher status than you, so she led the group, you were second, then your maids, and lastly, your guards. It wasn’t common for your guards to follow instead of lead, but since this was the queen, they had to follow.

Even what you wore was a sign of status. The queen wore navy straight-leg pants, topped with a white bishop sleeve blouse that went up to her neck. A simple medallion necklace lay on her chest, her hair pulled back into a tight low bun and a simple silver tiara topped her head. The outfit was simple but classy, only something a queen would wear. It was certainly more elegant than what you wore: black tight dress pants with a deep crimson red wrap long-sleeved blouse.

As you entered the main foyer, there the gardener, an older gentleman, old enough to be your father, stood. He was a slim man, skin obviously tanned from the sun, his hair salt and pepper from age. Next to him stood a young boy, at first just looking like an assistant for the gardener. But as you drew closer to them, you could see the resemblance between the two: the same nose, the same cheekbones, the same jawline. They were father and son.

“Your Majesty,” the older gentleman stated as he and his son bowed, “I am Andrew and this is my son, Ramsey.”

“Pleased to meet the two of you,” the queen started before turning to you, “let us make our way to the palace garden, there you can see the flowers we have and what will work best for the wedding.”

All of you made your way through the palace to the private garden. It was the only area where the temperature remained regulated, warm. The queen and the gardener talked amongst themselves about the flower arrangements, never once asking your opinion. This is how most wedding arrangements went: the queen handled it all, every now and then looking to you for a nod of approval, which you always gave. There was no reason to argue, you thought; the queen will have the wedding she wants. If you truly got what you wanted, you wouldn’t even be in this palace.

The son didn’t speak at all either, he just held a tablet with a pen. He wrote everything that needed to be remembered, never allowing his father and the queen to venture out of earshot, always close enough behind to hear everything but not too close to get in the way. Oh, how you envied him, to be responsible for so little. A simple life as a gardener’s daughter festered in your daydreams as you looked on to the flowers. You walked away from the group, to the neglected parts of the garden. It was all taken care of, just neglected because no one seemed to enjoy these flowers as much as the others.

“Princess (Y/n),” the queen called, pulling you from your thoughts.

“Huh?” was all that came to mind to say

“I’ve been trying to get your attention, dear,” the queen looked to you with a show of concern, but under the concern was a hint of irritation that you weren’t focused on the task at hand. “How do red and white roses sound for your bouquet and then we’ll have blue carnations for all the arrangements?”

‘I held orchids for my bouquet; they were always my favorite flowers’ your mother told you one day long, long ago. “Instead of white roses for the bouquet, what about white orchids?” You asked, more to the queen than the gardener.

“That’s possible,” the gardener said as his son wrote.

The queen was in shock at you actually making a decision, smiling to herself, hoping this was a sign you’re coming around to the idea of this marriage. “Of course, my dear, whatever you want.”

The words meant to encourage and uplift you about the wedding did the exact opposite. Hearing ‘whatever you want’ from the queen caused you to physically flinch. What you truly want is to cancel this wedding and go home.

Soon enough, the meeting with the gardener and his son was over. You see the two of them off leaving the palace. All the flower arrangements set into motion.

“Tomorrow, you have an important luncheon with the noble Na family,” the queen stated, walking away from the foyer. You followed closely behind. “The noble families will soon start arriving at the palace for the wedding.”

“Already? We’re still two months out.”

“The Na family will be arriving late this evening, and the two of us will see to it that they are settled in,” the queen ignored your comment as if you never even said it, “and in a couple of weeks, the noble Min family will come and then a week after them will be the noble Kim family. By that time, we will only be a month from the weddings, and more families will continue to arrive. Take the next few hours and prepare yourself; it’s time to put all those lessons on the Northcy kingdom to the test.”

————–

Taglist:@floweronacloud @cookydream @nctstrawberrycow @marklexleaf @jvjsssnaa @thejeongjaehyun @thejungjaehyun @jackyeongljin @terjeno @tyongf-sunflower99 @tgnctzen131 @gooreumic @jenotation @nctdom @ficklehoe @itsveronicaxxx @actually-vl

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 11:25:48

[10:49] Your thighs were sore, your eyes were rolling back, you were considerably fucked out of your mind, but your boyfriend was still absolutely conherent to everything around him. Jeno had looked completely unaffected as you bounced up and down his cock continuously. He even still managed to look behind you to the computer screen, when he noticed a notification pop up on the screen. You were nearly on the edge of the mind-blowing orgasm and your boyfriend was completely unbothered.

You wish you could say that you were irritated at his unethustatic reaction, but you really weren’t. You were extremely turned on by the fact that he remained completely in control. That he wore this cocky smirk as he watched you bounce up and down. That his hands rested on your hips, not at all controlling your movements but just resting there. That he looked at you with loving eyes, his pupils blown wide.

*ring*

Jeno’s phone started going off, stopping your movements. You calmed down a bit, sobering up just a bit. Jeno grabbed his phone off the desk looking at the screen to see Jaemin’s contact picture. He slid the button to answer the call, “hey.”

You could hear the muffled sound of Jaemin speaking, but you remained still waiting for Jeno to finish his conversation. “Hold on one sec, jaems,” Jeno spoke quickly, moving the phone away from his ear, “why’d you stop baby?”

You wanted to curl into yourself at this moment, completely shocked at Jeno’s question, “because you’re on the phone.”

“Did I say to stop?” Jeno asked, with an air of confidence. His voice dripped with dominance. You slowly shook your head, unsure where Jeno’s mindset was at. “Keep going baby.”

You slowly started back up again, going up and down at an insufferably slow pace. Jeno wasn’t satisfied, squishing his phone between his shoulder and ear. He placed both hands on your hips, this time controlling your movements. Bouncing you up and down faster than you were going initially. You had to grip Jeno’s arms to steady yourself. You threw your head back in ecstasy, the moans pouring from you. You felt the orgasm that was slowly built up over time, rushing back to you with light speed.

Jeno hummed along to whatever Jaemin was saying, as he moved one hand from your hip to your core. Rubbing soft circles on your cilt, speeding up your impending orgasm. You let a gut deep moan.

“Is that (y/n)?” you heard Jaemin’s voice clear as day in that one moment. You tried to halt your movements, but Jeno didn’t let you.

Instead he chuckled at Jaemin’s question, “I’ll call you back late Jaems,” he said with that same cocky smirk.

“Dude what the fuck, why…” Jeno ended the call before Jaemin could finish his question.

“Look at you baby,” Jeno teased, he started thrusting up, meeting your bounces, “couldn’t even control yourself when Jaemin was on the phone.”

“Jen… so” you were panting out of breath at this point, ready to pass out, “so close.”

“Go on baby, you can cum for me.” At his command you felt the wave of pleasure wash over you in absolute bliss. You threw your head back as you clenched around Jeno tighter than before. You rested your head on his shoulder, now feeling exhausted. “Feel good baby?”

All you did was nod and mumble something that sounded like a ‘yeah.’

“Don’t fall asleep, I’m not done with you yet,” Jeno teased further. You wanted to groan, and complain you were tired, but this was Jeno. You would never turn down the opportunity to get your guts absolutely rearranged by this man.

#smtown #nct imagines #nct reactions #nct dream #nct scenarios #nct 2021 #nct timestamps #nct fanfic #nct jeno #lee jeno x reader #jeno x reader #jeno imagines #jeno scenarios #jeno reactions #jeno fanfic #jeno smut

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 17:38:01

The Nanny

Chapter 10

Lee Taeyong x fem reader

Masterlist

preview,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,~~10,~~

Genre:mafia au! dad taeyong au!

Warnings:explicit language, mature themes, angsty

Word Count: 2.7K+

Author’s note: I am sorry this is late. I was out today, running errands and I thought I would be back home to post this but I wasn’t sadly. But this is the end guys, like this is the conclusion to the story and I feel like I lot of people just fell off at the end of chapter 8 because we found Taeyong is dead dead. When I decided to write this, I knew I didn’t want it to be a happily ever after, also I didn’t want to overly romanticize the idea of falling in love with a mafia man. Idk what did you guys think? like I want you guys to give me paragraphs about what you thought of the story as a whole. I want to know all your favorite moments, all the moments you hated me, all the moments that made your heart ache, all the moments that you cringed. I want to know, please tell me all of your thoughts. I beg of you. Nevertheless, hugs and kisses to anyone reading <3333

—————-

You sat in what was once Taeyong’s home office, going over the income paperwork of the last quarter for the organization. Mr.Lee, Taeyong’s father, offered you a secretary position within the corporation which you turned down. You wanted to be able to spend as much time at home with Dasom. Taking on the organization was more than enough for you at the moment.

You looked up from the paperwork on the desk. Your eyes found a picture that sat on the desk, it was of you and Dasom when you first started as her nanny. Taeyong took the picture, at that time, he said he just wanted a picture of Dasom, he didn’t mention you were in the picture too. You stared at the picture trying to remember that day.

“(y/n),” Johnny called while walking into the office. “Here,” Johnny handed you a stack of papers.

You flipped through the papers, seeing different options of private elementary schools, “what is this?”

“Dasom is gonna be five soon, you gotta choose a school for her,”

You flipped through the papers once more, “and what is wrong with the public school a few streets over? some of these school’s tuition is more than the average person makes in a month.” You looked up at Johnny wondering what makes him think that you’re sending your daughter to preppy private school at 5.

“These are school that was deemed safe enough,”

“Safe enough?” you questioned. Johnny looked taken aback.

“The original hit wasn’t on you, (y/n).” Johnny spoke hesitantly.

“Johnny,” you took a breath, fearing the next words that were gonna come out of his mouth, “what do you mean?”

“The Yakuza originally put out a bond for the kidnapping and delivery of Lee Dasom. A daughter for a son.”

You leaned back in your chair, holding your head unsure about what to think. “She’s not gonna be safe anywhere. Not until he’s dead.”

Johnny looked at you concerned, this isn’t who he imagined you to become with Taeyong dead. “We’re looking for him.”

“Make it quick, I want this taken care of as soon as possible.” You went back to overlooking the paperwork again.

“Understood,” Johnny said, as he started to exit the room.

“Oh Johnny,” he turned back around looking at you, “have someone keep an eye on Shotaro, I don’t want him trying to be a hero. We’re his family now.”

Johnny nodded his head with a small smile. You wondered what possibly went through his head, that he could smile. But all that went through his head is that’s exactly what Taeyong would’ve said. ‘We’re his family now.’

“Mommy, mommy, mommy,” Dasom yelled as she ran towards you, arms in the air. You scooped her up into your arms, carrying her.

“What do you want?” you smiled at the little girl.

“Can I have a snack please?” Dasom looked at you with big little eyes, hoping for a big yes from you.

“Sure,” you smiled at the little girl, nodding to nanny to give her the treat. You watched them walk away before turning back to your guest.

“You aren’t gonna dissolve this organization?” Taeil’s wife asked. She was visiting you and Dasom, her excuse being to check in.

“No, I won’t,” you picked up the tea that was once abandoned sipping on it. You wanted her out of your house, but she insisted on having a conversation with you. “Why did you really visit?”

“Taeil informed me that he had been given new orders, I wanted to check if that was true.”

“You don’t trust your husband?” You questioned looking her up and down. Taeil’s wife puzzled you greatly, she played this role of the dotting accommodating perfect housewife. However you knew better, she was much more than just a perfect housewife.

“I don’t trust him to understand what goes on in a woman’s mind,” she simply let out.

You hummed at her statement, not caring much about her opinions. “If that is all…”

“I won’t apologize,” she blurted out quickly.

“Excuse me?”

“I won’t apologize for my behavior at the dinner party. I do however want to make it clear that I hold nothing against you.” You tilted your head, trying to read her mind as she continued on, “Taeyong went through hell when Seulgi got sick, I believed he was gonna die with her at one point. I just didn’t want him to go through it again.”

You nodded at her, maybe it was Taeyong’s death or Taehyun’s words, but you couldn’t hate her for what she said. “It takes a strong woman to love a man of this life.”

“It does,” she nodded her head. “It takes a stronger woman to live this life. If I may offer the slightest bit of advice?”

“You may,”

“It does get more bearable.”

“Mrs. Moon visited today?” Chenle questioned at the dinner table, after hearing Dasom speaking about your guy’s visitor.

“She did,” you popped another piece of meat in your mouth.

“Everything okay?” Renjun questioned looking at you suspiciously.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” you asked, as you sipped the wine you were having for tonight.

“Nothing, we might have assumed wrong,” Donghyuck answered as all the boys looked at each other. They exchanged questioning looks.

“Spit it out,” you said to them, “what is it?”

“It’s nothing really,” Mark answered, you raised your eyebrow at them.

“We just heard that you and Mrs. Moon got into it at the dinner party,” Jeno started off, “but obviously that’s wrong.” Jeno shot Donghyuck a dirty look.

You couldn’t help but smirk, “Mrs. Moon and I did not get into it at the dinner party, we just had an exchange of words. Everything is fine now.”

“What did she say?” Jaemin questioned leaning closer to you. All the boys seemed so excited to hear what else you had to say.

“Rumor has it she made Jaehyun’s girlfriend leave,” Renjun dropped that bombshell.

“Didn’t she fight one of Johnny’s exs?” Donghyuck questioned.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Jeno shrugged as he continued to eat his food.

You sat there stunned with all the accusations made so quickly, “that is enough gossiping from you boys.” You had to stop yourself from all out laughing at the boys, “I am sure Mrs. Moon was doing what she thought was best at the time.”

All the boys laughed out, not believing anything that came out of your mouth. You couldn’t help but just shake your head at them with a smile.

You could hear fast footsteps approaching you, “(y/n),” it sounded like Johnny called out to you. When he was finally within sight, you could see that he had been running towards you, “we found him,” you gave a confused look, “Mr. Osaki,” Johnny stood up straight, stopped panting now, “We found him.”

“Where?”

“He’s in Okinawa, I’ve already sent dream out there to take care of it,”

“I want him brought to me alive,”

“(y/n), that’s…”

“I know what I said Johnny, but I want to speak to Mr.Osaki directly. He is to be brought to me alive, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes,”

“Good, let’s go.”

It was a clean, easy mission for dream, they were in and out within 72 hours. They brought Mr.Osaki to you in one piece, without a single scratch. He now rested tied up to a chair, in the basement of your home. You didn’t want him anywhere near your daughter initially but the basement was conventitly designed for this exact situation.

You sat across from him, Johnny stood in one corner of the room. Mr. Osaki, had to be in his mid to late 50s, maybe early 60s. You could see the age clearly on his face. He looked tired. He had salt and pepper hair, he was still dressed nicely. That must’ve been a custom suit, it fit too nicely to be anything less. The colors complimented his skin tone, his wife must’ve picked it out for him.

He didn’t look to be on edge, or nervous, or worried. He looked very content, almost happy like. You didn’t really think about this moment a lot. The character in the movies that want revenge for their loved one always says that they thought about this moment a lot. The moment they can get their revenge. The moment that they put the bullet through their head, but you didn’t.

You haven’t thought about this moment at all. You wanted to ask him why, but then he would say it was for his son. You wanted to ask him if he was scared, but he looked nowhere near scared. You wanted to ask him if this is what he envisioned for his death, but you knew any man in this life was living on borrowed time, he already lived through his death. You wanted to ask him if his son was worth it, but to any parent, it would be worth it.

The question that really bugged you was what did he do to make his son leave him. How awful of a parent was he, that his son left the country? Why chase him, when he’s made it abundantly clear he doesn’t want to come home?

“Mr. Osaki?” you questioned, to see if he was still there, mentally. He hummed in acknowledgment, nothing more. You could’ve sworn you seen the corner of his lip twitch.

“(y/n),” Johnny called out for your attention, “let me end this for us right now.” Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, dear Johnny. He has always been a dependable shoulder for you, never overstepping, never being disrespectful, never being emotional. He was a rock, and you really should’ve been more aware. His voice was strained, his hand already behind his back on the gun, hie eyes burning. He wanted this man dead more than you.

You shook your head, “no, when are they going to arrive Johnny?” You changed the subject transferring it to the people you have requested for over an hour ago.

“Soon,” Johnny took a breath, retreating further back to his corner.

You turned back, once again observing Mr.Osaki.

You didn’t have to wait long for the men you requested. Yuta and Shotaro walked through the door. Now in the room, Mr. Osaki sat tied up to one chair, you sat across from him in another chair, Yuta, Shotaro and Johnny stood in the corner.

Mr.Osaki looked up, and stared at the son that abandoned him. His face looked first relieved, but then it twisted to anger. He spoke angrily and quickly to Shotaro, the two of them conversing in Japanese.

You turned to Yuta and Johnny for any type of translation. Yuta beckoned for you to come towards them, in which you did. When you were close enough for Yuta to speak without interrupting Mr.Osaki and Shotaro’s conversation. Did he say, “Mr.Osaki said that Shotaro is an ungrateful son who has brought dishonor to the family by abandoning them. Shotaro says that he dug his own grave, abusing Shotaro. Mr.Osaki responded with, i was building your character, you have always been weak.” Yuta stopped, his eyes going wide, then moving to be hurt.

You looked back at Shotaro and his father, the atmosphere different now. Even though Mr.Osaki was tied to the chair, you knew he held the high ground. Shotaro hung his head, he looked like a child getting scolded by his father. “He said,” Yuta started off, “that he wishes he never had a son.”

You made your way over to Shotaro and Mr.Osaki, you stood close to Shotaro, “finish the job, Shotaro.” you spoke softly.

“He won’t he’s nothing but a weak link in the Osaki clan,” Mr.Osaki spat out, staring down his son.

“He’s not a member of the Osaki clan, he’s part of the NCT family now.” You spoke to Mr.Osaki before turning back to Shotaro, “finish the job.”

Shotaro grabbed the gun behind his back, pressing the cold metal barrel to Mr.Osaki’s forehead. He slowly let go the safety, his finger on the trigger. He took a deep breath, “ご目なさい.” He pulled the trigger, the blood splatter across both of your faces. You could smell the fresh burn of the flesh. You feel the burning of the blood against your cheek. You could hear the faint sizzle of the bullet lodged in Mr.Osaki’s head. You stared at his hanging head, his eyes wide open as he looked up to the sky. There appeared to be a faint smile on his face.

He looked so happy.

You sat in the backseat of the car, Jisung driving and Johnny in the passenger seat. You tried to wipe the blood out of your shirt, but it didn’t seem to be coming out. Mark said that he would take care of the body. You were on your way to get Dasom from Taeil’s house. You wanted nothing more but to have your daughter in your arms. You wanted to cuddle in bed, and watch an old Disney movie while eating popcorn.

You stared down at your bloodstained blouse. Deciding you button up our jacket over the blood so that Dasom wouldn’t be aware of it. You pulled up in front of Taeil’s place. You jumped out of the car, Dasom already racing out the front door towards you.

You picked her up in your arms. You took a deep breath reminding yourself that she was right here with you. Dasom pulled back just slightly to look at you, “you finish work Mommy?” she questioned with the biggest and brightest smile you had ever seen.

“Yes princess, I’m finished.” You smiled back at her.

“Come inside for dinner,” Taeil’s wife called out, beckoning all of you to come inside, “the rest of the boys can join when they finish the clean up.”

“Okay,” you nodded your head, carrying Dasom back towards the front door, Johnny and Jisung following ensuite.

It had to have been three months already since Taeyong died. You have taken over completely in the organization. You got Dasom set up with an elementary school. All of dream continued to live at the mansion with you. Taeyong’s parents would take Dasom out for dinner once a week to spend time with her. Taeyong’s sister comes over every now and then to check in. You and Taeil’s wife have started to get along much better now, helping each other survive this life. Jeno and Jaemin both have admitted to their relationship being more than friends, but you’re unsure if they are dating yet. Shotaro feels more free now than ever, he doesn’t regret doing what he did, but he does wish it didn’t come to that.

The Osaki clan had been dissolved and absorbed by other yakuza clans. The organization seems to be doing well now. You could only hope for further success.

You were now hosting another dinner party, in honor of Taeyong. It was something you should’ve done a while ago, but you didn’t. However, some things are just better late than never.

You sat eating dinner, laughing and enjoying with all the members of NCT and their partners. You took a bite of the fish that the chef prepared, and immediately felt the urge to throw up. You shook your head, trying to excuse yourself to the bathroom.

You rushed out of there so fast, trying to find a toilet to spill your guts to. You heard someone call out after you, but you couldn’t tell who it was. You made it to one of the first floor half bathrooms, and just puked your guts out into the toilet.

“(y/n),” Taeil’s wife exclaimed as she saw you puking, she began to gather your hair holding it back for you. “What happened? Were you drinking?” you shook your head while continuing to puke. Taeil’s wife hummed, deep in thought, “(y/n), when was your last period?” You lifted your head, and looked at her with horror. “I could be wrong, I’m just guessing, I’ll get Taeil to pick up a pregnancy test, I’m probably wrong anyway.”

The dinner party was yesterday. You now sat on your bed, in the bedroom, holding the positive pregnancy test in your hand. Taeil’s wife by your side, “do you know whose it is?”

You looked up at her, “it can only be his,” you turned to look at the picture of Taeyong on your nightstand. ‘The baby could only be his.’

——————-

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#smtown #nct imagines #nct reactions #nct scenarios #nct series #nct fanfic #nct mafia fic #nct mafia au #nct taeyong #lee taeyong #taeyong x reader #taeyong imagines #taeyong scenarios #taeyong reactions #taeyong series #taeyong fanfic

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 22:32:34

“i’ve always wanted to be a model but i dont think im made for it”

jaemin admires the fullness of your cheeks and the movement of your chapped lips as you murmur your insecurities. he lifts a hand to stroke at the soft of your jawline and the pretty button nose you’ve never thought was the right shape. his eyes trail down to your shoulders marked with his kisses and the hands you’ve always considered too boyish. his arms wrap around the plush of your waist and he whispers with the utmost sincerity, “you’re gorgeous enough to be anything you’ve ever wanted.”

and your smile comes, one that you try hiding behind the palm of your hand but jaemin leans in to kiss before you can do so. oh how pretty he knows you are.

#nct fluff #nct x reader #nct fanfic #jaemin #jaemin fluff #jaemin x reader #jaemin fanfic

Sun, 09 May 2021 22:18:42

“i wont lie,” jaemin smiles bitterly, gnawing at his bottom lip with the chapped skin breaking into red, “part of me still loves her. so much. i dont think i can change that.”

the man, with hands so delicate but holding your heart so fiercely, reaches up to your face and places your cheek in the palm of his hand, soft and sorrowful. a desperate chuckle leaves his lips and he utters, eyes peering into yours with remorse, “but if i could go back and change time, change it so you were my first love- so that i wasnt stuck on someone from time ago- you don’t think that if i could, i would?”

there’s no easy answer so you stay silent, watching as his pupils follow the tear that runs down your cheek.

#nct x reader #nct fanfic #nct angst #jaemin #jaemin x reader #jaemin fanfic #jaemin angst

Sat, 01 May 2021 11:20:23

Floor 1 - Incubus Haechan

; haechan x gender neutral reader

; incubus haechan, slight religious talk, suggestive, dubcon, demonic aphrodisiac

; 2.4k wc

; The entire room is painted black. The only thing you can see is your friend’s phone screen and the flickering orange light illuminating the elevator itself. It’s old fashion; dark-stain wood plank walls with a vintage scissor gate. The metal looks rusty and you’re afraid to touch it. You step into the small box alone, waving off your friend and nervously reading the attraction brochure for the fifteenth time. It’s creepily vague with way too bold of a font and too many colours.

Welcome to Elevator 127!

Come make an appearance at a spooky Halloween attraction unlike any haunted house you’ve ever seen. Pick a floor for an eerie hour with any of our paranormal members. Free of charge too! Pass the elevator doors and enter their realm far from any experience you’ve ever had.

Select your floor…

The very first listing in the brochure is for an incubus named Haechan; 606 years old, male (in human form), and Korean. There’s nothing but his information printed with what looks like a stamp of a sigil; two circles, one big and small, with three crosses meeting at their ends in the middle , laid 90 degrees separate from one another, with a flicked tail coming from the center. Lilith spells itself out between the edges of the circles in all capitals.

You scan the rest of the options but end up back at Haechan’s section. It’s best to go in order, he’s only a floor up and all the rest are placed in a drastic range from one another. You fold up the brochure and shove it into your back pocket, crumpling up the paper slightly, and scan the button selection for his floor. The pad is a painted rectangle with ten black, circular buttons, arranged in five rows with his placed alone at the very top. It’s damp when you press and you go to check your hands in the case it was your own sweat, grimacing when you find that there’s now a clear sheen on your right pointer.

With a final close of the door, you wipe your finger onto the thin brochure paper that peeks out and stand patiently as the elevator leisurely makes its way up. The floors were either built far apart or this old lift was taking its time on the way there. You check your phone for the time, feeling as if five minutes had already passed just for a single floor, and raise a brow when the device doesn’t turn on. How cliche, you think.

The elevator gently comes to a stop, so naturally that you wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t for the slight squeak that sounds when it halts. You press the door button and watch it squeak open, revealing a dim, red room with candles placed all over its wooden black furniture.

A second later, the view is obstructed by a large puff of smoke, a black cloud appearing out of nowhere to drift away in skinny tendrils from the body standing in the middle of it. You guess that this is Haechan. He’s a younger-looking man, an innocent face with a teasing smile and soft but prominent jawline. He’s got caramel skin with the reddest of lips, colour resembling the dark shade of horns that peek through his curled, light brown hair. He’s dressed in all black, head to toe varying from sheer mesh to worn leather in the dark shade.

“Hi,” he giggles as an introduction, a glittering in his black eyes and pearly whites. The man tilts his head like a curious puppy, eyes opening even wider with wonder, and he eyes you up and down before carrying on, “I’m Haechan, demon name is Donghyuck.”

You stand in shock, still taking in the sudden appearance of the incubus and his simple introduction. The first thing you do is give him your own name in a small mumble, biting your lip nervously. His eyes focus on the action with fervor, gaze so strong you swear you can feel a slight burn begin to bubble your skin on the exact spot.

He chuckles when you turn away, blinking in a lethargic manner before taking a step back and directing you into his room with a wave of two fingers. You walk in with a deep breath and the moment your body enters the room, the gate slams shut with a crash and plunges down so fast you can hear gusts of air follow behind it. How lucky that you didn’t have to experience that speed.

The first thing you notice is how warm it is here compared to the elevator, air stuffy, and dense. Your cheeks take in the warmth as you steady for proper breathing, adjusting to the thicker air as you take in the room properly. There’s a king-sized bed against the center of the left wall, covered in red satin and black lace lined sheets. With a proper inspection, the room is actually furnished like any other, only standing out due to its intimate and monotone colour palette. Besides the giant sigil that’s painted onto the center of the floor, identical to the brochure.

“Thanks for choosing my floor, doll. I was getting bored,” he smiles, still not moving an inch. His posture is like that of a statue, the only sense of life is the smile on his lips. With his hands crossed in front of his hips, he continues speaking with a charming lilt in a honey-coated voice, “the only rule on my floor is absolutely no religious or silver jewellery. Go put them in the box behind you.”

You spin around and make your way to the small glass box, open and waiting, before discarding any accessories that seem to be against his rule. The moment your necklace is off your skin and onto the box, you feel Haechan’s body stood a centimetre from your own. Leaning over your shoulder, he watches you drop the last of your rings into the box before whispering, “can I touch you?”

You barely get halfway through a nod before Haechan eagerly wraps his arms around your waist, pressing you against his own body. His skin is searing hot, only slightly hidden by the heat absorption of his clothing. The part that stands out the most is his bare fingers, ungloved, and laid on your sides. There’s a gradual sweltering feeling that forms like a branding print and your body begins to panic at the feeling, needing to run from the danger of burns this very moment. Except you lean into it, the slight numbing feeling worryingly satisfying the more you hold out. Sustaining the touch makes it more intense, more terrifying, yet when his hand drifts up to clutch at a different spot, the fresh searing feel has shivers flying down your spine.

“Close your eyes, doll,” he mutters into your nape. Your eyelids shut without any added thought of his order, lips parting in a slight gasp at the touch of his breath against your exposed skin. It’s overwhelming and you feel your brain go fuzzy, zeroing in on that singular spot and the throb that comes with every exhale .

His hand finds your jaw next, the touch burning just as much as the last, and with a firm hold, Haechan physically gets you to look over your shoulder. With a drowsy blink, you open your eyes to the dizzying sight of his face leaning in to capture your lips in a kiss. Your mind blanks immediately; senses working in overdrive so that all you can make out is static, you’ve forgotten how to breathe and there’s no way to feel if you’re kissing Haechan back properly.

The demon pulls back with a lewd pop, licking away the spit all over his lips with a swipe of his forked tongue before murmuring for you to open your eyes again. “You can relax now, baby.”

The action of blinking open is painfully difficult, eyelids insanely sluggish and head so heavy that even the low luminescence of candle-light is enough to have you wince. You open your mouth to speak but can only manage a smile, tongue lazy after the haze. He doesn’t look nearly as worn out as you, the exact opposite actually. His breathing is slow and controlled, expression alert and attuned to each and every one of your actions.

“I’ll let you relax,” he huffs with a simper, “I’ll have to calm down on how much I take, you’re more sensitive than I thought.” As if to check that truth, Haechan runs his pointer down your neck and follows the movement to the middle of your chest with a light scratch, digging into the midway point of your pelvis before letting go with an amused hum. You visibly shudder.

He pulls away and wanders to the other side of the room. The distance clears your head instantly, muscles gaining their strength back from the jello state they were in just a moment ago. Regaining the ability to breathe feels like a blocked nose finally clearing up after a week long fever and you take deep, desperate inhales, savouring the sensation of your lungs filling properly. Sitting up, you watch Haechan walk over to the glass box and examine the contents through the clear material curiously.

You startle realising you were no longer near the glass box, suddenly you were on a completely different side of the room watching it from a distance away. “What the fuck,” you whisper, gulping down the confusion and panting in fear. Your hands fly up and you look between them and the box so quickly your neck might snap if you do another two. The sleeves of your shirt fall down your forearm to reveal your skin, allowing access to cooling. You relish in the feeling of crisp air on your skin, exceptionally torrid, so much so you swear that you can feel the layer sizzling against one another.

“Don’t worry,” Haechan smirks, licking across his perfectly straight teeth with a calm gaze that only serves to panic you more. “I moved you to the bed while we were kissing.” There’s no shame in his voice, only a hint of pride when recalling the actions, but he’s so infuriatingly indifferent that you feel a whine crawl up your throat, feeling ignored.

Right, you think, inhaling once and twice to ground yourself after that blanking bliss. The satin is damp under your hands and it holds onto your legs surprisingly well, latching onto the sweat that has formed between before and now. “What happened to me?” you ask, breathless.

He stands up from where he was leaning over the box, strolling over the small distance with a slight smirk and watchful eyes. “You get weak when we touch,” he explains with a drag of his words, “having your essence isn’t the most powerful feeling after all.”

“My essence?” The saliva in your mouth is grossly thick, vicious, and somewhat salty. You’re dehydrated. There’s a bottle of water on the bedside table and you gulp half of it down in one go, forgoing the need to breathe in exchange for the cool liquid. The preparation is oddly excessive but you appreciate it nonetheless, necking the second half after less than ten seconds of being out of breath.

He watches you drink with a clouded gaze. The glaze in his eyes have disappeared, black irises dulling in emotion before expanding beyond their circumference, colouring part of his whites. You stare as they change and take a deep breath to control the fearful confusion of the sight. The night was strange enough, anymore questioning and your head would explode. Your lips, swollen and wet with more than just his spit is a delightful sight and Haechan feels himself grow impatient. “Are you ready to continue?” he hurries, trying his best to hide the hunger in his chest.

Continue with what, you don’t know, but there was absolutely no way you could take sitting around and doing nothing under his intense stare for any longer. You nod and he’s in front of you in half a second, on his knees and leaning forward with his hands on your thighs for support. “Okay,” he drawls, setting fire to your skin as he examines every line of your features, “I’m going to touch you. Are you okay with that?”

With the pressure of his hands on your body yet again, you feel your chest constrict once more before panting out a yes. He notices the effect and removes his hands, asking a second time to receive the same response, this time from a clear head. With your cue to go, Haechan’s pushing himself against you with haste and dives in to press your lips together. You chase after him when he pulls away, desperate and empty without his kiss.

“I could smell you the moment you got into the elevator,” he lulls, licking his tongue over the warm expanse of your neck. His saliva was cold, shockingly so, and you chase the chilling moisture desperately. The sharp gasp you let out is embarrassingly loud but Haechan, feverish, soaks the sound up, fingers tightening their grip on your shoulders as he noses at your neck.

“Smell what?” you shiver, afraid of moving even an inch away from his touch. It was dangerously enchanting and you find yourself losing your sense again, giving your all to the greedy demon. Haechan wasn’t taking nearly as much as before, you feel yourself becoming impatient, needing the overwhelming sensation for as long as you can take it. He pulls away with the widest grin on his face, the entirety of his eyes completely painted over in deep black. A misty cloud of smoke, like the one he introduced himself in, begins to surround you.

“Your arousal, of course,” he chuckles. He stuffs his nose into your clavicle, tracing up the line of your shoulder to inhale deeply. “It’s astoundingly suffocating.” The action would be weird if not for the warmth that gathers in your belly, one that dissipates into sparks that race down your limbs in a pleasant buzz.

“Do you like it?” you shudder, throwing your head back as he sucks at a pressure point in the junction of your neck and shoulders.

“Oh, my babydoll,” he growls, gripping your chin with his thumb to stare into your eyes, forcing you to gaze into his black. The rest of the room turns black in your peripheral, partially masking the wings that have grown from his back, but you can’t take notice with how potently demanding his stare is, not allowing you to look away for even a second.

His fingers, with nails that have become tough and black, wander up and push against your lips, fighting for entry before you feel his skin, now leathery and hot enough to bubble, lays flat against your tongue. It feels like your mouth is about to melt away yet you couldn’t want anything other than to be in this exact moment. Haechan’s grin stretches from ear to ear, wider than the length between his horns, and still, the harrowing image does nothing to deter your want. He leans forward and mumbles with the same honey, sweet voice as before, “I more than like it. Your arousal is a gift from God himself.”

#haechan #haechan x reader #haechan smut #haechan fanfic #nct x reader #nct fanfic #nct dream #nct smut #nct dream smut #nct dream fanfic #nct 127 #nct 127 smut #nct dream x reader #nct 127 x reader #nct 127 fanfic

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 11:03:48

ily

; how jaemin expresses love without saying it directly

; jaemin x gender neutral reader

; love languages, pure fluff

; 3k wc

Words of Affirmation

Jaemin doesn’t have a way with words, something clear since the day you met. With his simple vocabulary consisting of mostly sound effects, you wonder how he’s able to melt you with the slightest mumble of praise. It’s everything about him - everything other than his actual words. It’s his compliments coated in honey, slipping from his wide grin beneath gleaming eyes, so earnest and loving, that has your chest tightening.

“You’re even more gorgeous in person,” he cooed when you first met, blinking in appreciation but not straying away from your eyes at all, not even when you stare back in shock. Everyone loves a compliment or two but online, no matter how much you appreciated it, Jaemin’s emojis and capital letters were no match for the cheesiness of his physical expression.

He never learns to tone it down, always sending you an appreciative once over along with a wave of adoring words to last you for a month. Whether that be in the form of text messages, shouting across the hallway, romantic whispers, Instagram comments, or even bragging about you with his friends, Jaemin loves to talk.

“Hey, princess,” he greets you sleepily, feet dragging across the kitchen tiles with no energy to put into actual steps. You smile at his messy black bed hair and turn back to your coffee, stirring with an absent mind. He never learned to stick to one pet name, always bouncing around the few he’s become accustomed to. You think he’s picked up on your favourites though, usually choosing to call you princess with a proud lick of lips.

“Morning,” you chime back, finally lifting the cup to your lips with a hesitant sip. Hot, you think, but let the boiling drink into your mouth anyway, too tired to care about the pain.

Jaemin seems to notice it, sending you a playful giggle as he pops his favourite sunflower seed bread into the toaster. You glare back and put the mug down with a roll of eyes, clicking your tongue at his teasing through a fond smile. Your boyfriend sighs, leaning back against the counter with crossed arms and a soft gaze before humming out, “have I ever told you how cute you look in the mornings?”

You halt for a moment before your lips tug up slightly, shy, and you bring the coffee back up to hide your loving reaction. “You have,” you groan in exasperation, raising a brow at the man to ask what of the comment. As if an embarrassed school girl, you avert your gaze and twiddle your thumbs, attentive to his response but becoming more and more flustered when you meet his eyes.

“It seemed like a good time to tell you again then,” he chuckles with a shake of his head. With a tilt of his head, observing like an innocent puppy, the corner of his lips tug up into an attractive smirk. His words are knowing when he coos, “my princess is so pretty in the mornings. Still sleepy and in my clothes.”

“Yours,” you sigh back in a daze, pupils shaping into hearts at the very sound of the word. The hem of his jumper rolls between your fingertips and you drown in the familiarity of the comforting fabric, worn down and mixed with both of your scents.

“Adorable you are,” he lulls, turning around to pop out the toast impatiently. It hasn’t gotten brown yet. Jaemin spins back around after putting the bread back in with a groan, giving your sleepwear a once over before silently thinking to himself, contemplating. “You should wear that blue shirt you bought last week,” he suggests.

You’d never thought about wearing it to work before.

“I really like how it looks on you,” he compliments, genuine and whole-hearted about his appreciation.

“Thank you.” There’s those butterflies again, the cloudy feeling in your head as your confidence raises just the slightest, reassured. Accepting compliments is always a struggle but with Jaemin, there’s not even any room to ponder the praise, a statement said with so much simplicity and care that doubt just isn’t correct.

Jaemin adds, “though I think you look good in everything.*

Acts of Service

When they say chivalry isn’t dead, they’re talking about Jaemin. There’s no doubt his pride when it comes to helping you out, so in love with receiving a thankful kiss or smile that he’ll go out of his way any time he can. Dishes after a dinner party, making the bed every morning, stocking the groceries, making breakfast, dropping you off to work or school - the list goes on but by far his absolute favourite is giving massages.

With an echoing, exhausted groan you fall into the hot bathtub with closed eyes, allowing your body to slowly submerge and get used to the heat. The water is a pastel purple, white glitter floating on the top with tiny daisies bobbing up and down with every wave your fingers send their way. The air is filled with an artificial lavender similar to that of your car freshener but you appreciate the effort anyway, taking in a deep breath letting the scent flow through your brain like peach fuzz. Candles are lit on your sink counter, the closed lid of your toilet, and the corners of the bathtub itself. Jaemin asks if you’d like the lights off with that and you nod softly, listening to the switch flick as soft music lulls through the air, reverberated by your bathroom walls.

"I made a playlist for this too,” Jaemin grins proudly at his Spotify playlist listed as a single bathtub emoji. How appropriate. He sets it down on the floor at a low volume and lets the world fade away, only orange candle wicks slowly burning away with the movement of water to fill your blank minds.

Jaemin sits outside the tub, fully clothed but just as content, with an adoring gaze laid upon his open palms. “Do you like it, princess?” he asks, already knowing your answer but dying to hear it himself.

“Oh Nana, how much I love this,” you lilt through an exhausted smirk, eyes fluttering open to appreciate his skin glowing in the fire light, “you must’ve worked so hard on this just for me. Everything is absolutely perfect and I couldn’t have asked for anything more, you didn’t even need to do this in the first place.”

He beams, satisfied, “as long as you like it then all the work is worth it.” You hold back an adoring grin, biting on your trembling lip so painfully that you try to grip at the cloudy purple water. He’s kind and you just feel so special. “How was work?” he asks, redirecting the conversation.

“Ugh,” you deflate at the thought, twirling a daisy stem into Jaemin’s hair distractedly. He accepts it with a cute smile. “I was assigned to sort out bills in the afternoon so my neck and shoulders are killing me. I never want to look down again.” Your neck tilts back with the words and there is a small pop in your neck, bones cracking grossly to show Jaemin just how awful it has actually gotten.

“Oh, baby, do you want a massage for that?” Jaemin’s not the best as massages, hands always a little too gentle and wandering with soft touches rather than helping to release stress. Yet you accept anyway, absolutely lovestruck that he’d even offer after all he’s done to set up the bathroom alone.

His hands awkwardly twist around your shoulders, the angle of the bathtub not leaving much room for his arms to be properly placed. The tips of fingers meet your shoulders first, pushing in awkwardly to try and undo the knots in your muscles after a long day. God, does he suck at this.

“Thanks, Jaemin,” you whisper, genuine and appreciative.

Receiving Gifts

Everything always seems to remind Jaemin of you; planned or spontaneous, big or small, expensive or cheap, bought or handmade. The feeling of a fluttering heart never fleets when the man offers you a gift, his adoration for you held in the palms of his hands, ready to be taken by your own.

Sometimes the amount he offers is concerning, both because of how empty his wallet is getting and in exchange, how much space is it all taking up. The bathroom drawers are filled with lipsticks and eyeshadows Jaemin wanted to see you in, the sink right above it with two rubber ducks in matching scarves that he’d bought because “look! They’re just like us. Duck couple!” The wardrobe is getting packed and packed with every new shirt the man buys for you, knowing that you’ve been looking for something like that for a while now. The jar is going to overflow soon, rocks that Jaemin collected by the seaside all packed for a mix of colour and texture through the glass.

“Y/n!” he calls out, the tone of voice familiar, the same eager excitement of a child getting ready to show their parents a painting they did in class today. His footsteps pad up loudly, practically stomping as he sprints, and you turn around to a familiar sight.

Jaemin stands tall, not at all affected by the running, with strong shoulders and hands behind his back suspiciously. You pretend to be clueless, wouldn’t want to ruin a surprise after all. “Yes?” you reply, fond but unaware.

He becomes overjoyed by your unknowing attitude, heels bouncing up and down in an animated manner as he does his best to hold back the giant grin growing on his lips. He fails miserably, obviously. If holding the gift behind his back wasn’t enough, Jaemin’s eyes always glow in an overjoyed thrill when giving you something, curious of your reaction. “Guess what I got you.”

He’s practically shining, glimmering with the way he’s staring up at you with stars spinning around his head. “You got me something?” you chirp, lifting yourself happily and trying to take a peek behind the boy’s shoulder. Jaemin, like always, dodges your advance and takes a step back, a playful smirk on his face when he shakes his head with a click of his tongue.

“No peeking,” he bites his tongue, “I said guess.”

You blank at him, blinking with absent eyes before grunting out a “no.”

Jaemin gives up easily, shoulders drooping down before he rolls his eyes. Through a wistful smile, he mumbles, “I got this for you.”

This is the same too, his timidity whenever actually giving it to you, regressing into a shy attitude once the time for your reaction comes around. It’s probably when he’s most anxious in your relationship. His feet fall flat and he watches with curled shoulders as you gape at the tiny cupcake that finds its way from behind his back.

It’s red velvet in a white paper liner and pink hearts iced all over top. “It’s adorable,” you peep, bending down to get a closer look before taking into your own grasp first, “this is for me?”

“Well I was hoping we would share,” he chuckles, “but yes, I bought them with you in mind.”

The cake is room temperature in your fingers, feeling like butter as you peel off the wrapper. “That’s so sweet of you,” you gush, looking back up at Jaemin feeling like you’re about to burst.

“There’s more.” He rushes back to the hallway and bends down for a small white box that you hadn’t noticed before, too distracted by the singular cake that Jaemin originally approached you with. It’s cardboard with a silk red bow wrapped around the handle, draping down the prism with romantic waves. You almost want to keep the box too. There are all sorts of red velvet cupcakes, all the same paper but with different rises, sprinkles, icing patterns, and colours.

They’re too sweet to eat.

Quality Time

Jaemin is busy. Extremely so. Stressfully so. Any time he has to himself are balanced halves dedicated to you and sleeping. Sometimes you feel like a burden, always taking up every second he isn’t working, time he could be using to unwind alone, but he insists.

Jaemin pushes that he loves to be with you, even when he’s too emotionally drained to chat or stressed to even be touched, Jaemin accompanies you. It’s the small walks together to the SM building before late night practice or the new restaurant he’s wanted to try in Itaewon. He’s around.

“I’m sorry we didn’t watch the one you wanted,” you apologise yet again, kicking at the footpath sadly with your hands folded behind your back. The movie you begged profusely to see was definitely not at all what you thought it’d be and now, regretful, you realise that maybe that comedic drama Jaemin originally took you out for might’ve been the better option.

“I already told you to not be,” he groans playfully, knocking his shoulder into your own until you stumble at the edge of the footpath, toeing onto the road before hopping back up to push him aside in retaliation.

“I wasted your time though,” you sigh, solemn again. The sound on Jaemin’s feet on cement pause and you look up from your own shoes to see him standing behind you, arms crossed and lips in a pout. You rush to explain yourself, panicked by his displeasing expression, “we just don’t know when you’re going to be free next so the only time we had was used stupidly…”

Jaemin stands stoic, unmoving, until you slow yourself down and he softens at your shy purse of lips. “Don’t be sorry,” he begins, moving into your personal space with a reassuring tug of lips, murmuring, “any time spent with you is enjoyable, I love being with you, don’t ever feel guilty, okay?”

You worry at your lip, eyes darting around the cinema’s screens to observe every other movie’s showing times. Jaemin frowns even deeper at this, taking your silence badly and brushing a delicate thumb down your jaw to grab your attention.

Holding eye contact, stare holding so much intent, Jaemin repeats, “okay?”

A shaky sigh runs out your chest but Jaemin is pleased, dropping his hand to grin down at you encouragingly, patient. “Okay,” you chuckle, awkward but just as happy with yourself as he is.

“Now let’s go to the arcade, I’m not done with you yet.”

Physical Touch

Jaemin loves to touch everyone. His friends, family, strangers, and especially you. It’s his encouraging pats on the backs in place of ‘good job’, his hugs that make you forget the entirety of anything that isn’t his hold. It’s his delicate kisses on the cheek that light up anyone’s mood, teasing yet loving all the same. His hands are always everywhere, it’s always weird to see Jaemin on his own, not connected with another.

His hands are always wandering, finding home on any bareskin they can find, bare or under fabric. The touch is warm most days, other than when it’s dry and cold outside, his fingertips taking on the temperature, but otherwise Jaemin’s hands are clammy and rough, padding against your skin gently.

“Hey!” Jaemin yells, kicking at Donghyuck, who had slid into the seat next to you right before your boyfriend could. They bicker over the spot, pushing at one another like children until Renjun cuts them off in annoyance, shoving the youngest to the front seat with a curt glare.

“It’s okay, Nana,” you pout, leaning toward the passenger seat with a reassuring smile. Your fingers tug at his sleeve lovingly, twirling the fabric around your thumb and watching it fall loose before Jeno politely asks you to buckle up already. “We can sit together on the way back.”

There wasn’t anything to be lost, his shoulder is probably cramped from reaching into the backseat the entire car trip, holding onto your own outstretched hand or your ankle, fingers dipping into the cuff of your jeans tenderly. Only thing more he needed was to lay on your shoulder on the drive home.

Kisses of all kinds are Jaemin’s thing, he puckers his lips, all ugly and chapped, before leaning in with mischievous eyes to pepper any surface of skin with kisses. It’s especially dreadful when he’s just gotten his makeup done, tacky lip tints and glosses pressing marks of pink and glitter.

“Y/n! Come here,” Jaemin waves his hands at you, calling you over to his vanity in the waiting room as the details of his hair get fixed for the second performance recording. His skin gleams grossly with sweat but he smiles so purely with so much affection that you can’t help but approach the man with a mirrored look of adoration. It’s hard to not ruffle his hair when he peers up at you cutely, the stylist pulling away until his head is facing the right way again.

You think of complimenting his performance but bite your tongue. Today isn’t a praising sort of day for you and Jaemin. “What’s up,” you reply off handedly, tapping Jeno on the arm as he walks by to send the other man a thumbs up. He receives the gesture with a curt nod before going to get his own clothes fixed up.

Jaemin clicks his tongue and reaches for your hand, your fingertips now mildly damp from Jeno’s own sweat, before pulling it up to his lips to place a small, sticky kiss. A small line is left on your knuckles, sheer red with silver glitter, and you cringe at the sight, internally melting at his sudden affections. Your boyfriend’s lips tug up proudly before his hand weaves into yours silently, humming along to their song that plays in the background as your locked fingers settle on the arm of his chair.

Renjun steals Jaemin’s attention from across the room but his thumb rubs along your pointer, gentle and present.

#jaemin #jaemin x reader #jaemin fluff #jaemin fanfic #nct x reader #nct fluff #nct fanfic #nct dream #nct dream x reader #nct dream fluff #nct dream fanfic

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 10:49:13

a night’s escape

; in which you find home in a stranger

; dysfunctional families, angst, comfort, strangers, mention of donghyuck and johnny.

; jaemin x gender neutral reader

; 3.4k wc

The shouting is the loudest you’ve ever heard it, the sound of your father’s resentful voice pushing against the thin walls of your old home to pound in the chambers of your heart, later drowned out by your mother’s shrill screams and the crash of her favourite flower vase being thrown to the ground. You can see the blue porcelain shattered on the floor, water puddling around the shards to help the pink carnations survive only a little longer, a mirror image of the last time she had done just the same.

You stare at the smashed open earphones that lay by your feet, a product of your mother’s previous rage from when she had had enough of you ignoring her yells, now unable to block your ears from the noise just outside your room. Not even blasting the loudest songs could distract from the way you flinch as they raise their voices, battling to be the loudest, most controlling.

You curl up and throw your hands to your ears, staring into the pitch black of your room and mumbling assurances to yourself, desperate to tune out your parent’s screams. It’s a second later that your mother lets out her true frustrations, making the guilt build up in your chest like bile after overeating.

“It’s your fault I’m stuck here. I didn’t want a family. You made me unhappy.”

A choked sob leaves your lips and your ears ring, more piercing than the words of regret you overheard just a moment ago. Your father responds just as passionately, just as fired up, roaring back about how it was not his idea nor his wish to start a family. You aren’t his fault.

You need to get out.

Throwing a coat over your shoulders, not bothering to change out of your two-day-old pyjamas, you put a hand on your bedroom door knob and hesitate, listening to their curses and shouts, before forcing your room door open. The volume increases the moment you pull on the door, your heart constricting painfully tight as you will your way into the main area of your home. You can feel the headache coming on and you rush to leave as soon as you can, scurrying to the front door where your parents are too busy trying to prove each other wrong to notice their child throwing on a pair of old sneakers. A small spark lights itself up in your heart as your father glances your way. He does nothing to acknowledge or assure you but the small motion is enough.

So, you decide to make the effort.

Your lips tug up into a timid smile, hand raising up into a half-hearted wave, and you keep in the fear when your mother shoots you an angry look. “I’m going to go out for a bit.”

You inwardly scowl at the shakiness in your voice but it seems it doesn’t matter, neither of them spare you another second of their time. Your mother waves you off with a flick of her wrist and you can’t help the disappointment that overcomes you with the dismissive reaction. You hate yourself for even caring - for taking notice of how they don’t think twice about letting you out so late at night or worry about exposing you to their broken relationship - for wanting to be nurtured when even they’re at their lowest.

Ignorance seems bliss right about now.

The evening is apparent, the air still and freezing cold. The yellow street lamps are the only things providing a sense of life in the empty suburban street. The front door doesn’t fully muffle their yells and you wince at the thought of neighbours unwillingly witnessing your weak home.

Glancing to the left, you see Donghyuck’s house just a few blocks down and contemplate seeking his comfort. Not even two steps later, you backtrack immediately and begin to walk in the exact opposite direction, imagining his mother’s offer of dinner and his older brother Johnny’s invitation to join them for a game of Monopoly, it has your lungs tightening up in embarrassment. On the way to whatever’s on this side of the street, you continually argue with yourself, bouncing between feeling like a burden and knowing that Donghyuck would be nothing but happier to give you a sense of home. Though, none of your best friend’s comfort could help to drown away the shame that comes with running away, the envy of not being part of his loving family or the guilt of throwing all your problems onto someone who deserves nothing but good. Your arrival would only shatter the stable home.

You end up at a park, away from Donghyuck’s warm hugs and blissful smiles.

You’ve seen this playset in passing the few times your mother wants to invite you shopping. There are no children being pushed on the swing set so late at night, the slides and seesaw unoccupied and wet. Strange, you hadn’t noticed that it rained today. Despite the droplets that threaten to soak through your sleep pants, you step forward and make to sit in the small cubby house by the monkey bars, cramped because the space wasn’t made for anyone over the age of ten in mind.

Apparently that was the wrong move. The crunch of playground bark under your foot alerts someone already here and in turn, their movement startles you. A hooded person, tall and nimble that you hadn’t noticed before, stands up and calls out, glancing around before landing on your frozen figure.

“Hello?” His voice is deep and firm, not shaky like you know your own would be. You stare as he slowly comes closer and you feel your fingers loosen from the fists they were tightened into, fear lessening when you notice he isn’t much older than you, maybe the same age or slightly younger. Yet that air in your throat doesn’t loosen up in the slightest and you force out your next words.

“I promise,” you hiccup, sniffling, “I’m not trouble, just wanted to- uh- hang out.”

He glares.

“Alone,” you reaffirm, “I wanted to be alone.”

He loses the tension in his shoulders when he hears the tremble of your words and steps forward. You move back protectively and feel your breath catch in your throat, regretting your decision to come here rather than Donghyuck’s house. The embarrassment seems so much nicer than this threat.

“Are you… okay?” he asks.

Somehow, you feel safe instantly, his voice just as deep but holding a softness in it that you hadn’t heard anyone use when speaking in so long. Maybe it’s the desperation or the loneliness but you feel all your worries melt away immediately, wanting nothing more than to let in the stranger. It’s pathetic and you think back to all those safety videos and those ugly statistics that come up on the news often. Yet you can’t help but let yourself trust.

You swallow harshly. “I’m not.”

He nods and gives a little snicker, amused at your honesty, and comes closer. With the street lamps now able to reach him, you can finally put a face to the voice. “Are you crying?”

You nod.

He chuckles again but this time, you can see the small smirk that forms on his mouth and the sliver of straight, white teeth that shines through the slight part of his lips. Your heart pinches but you find yourself enjoying the feeling this time. He runs his fingers through his hair, knocking off the protective hood of his jumper and revealing the washed-out blue colour of his locks. Without the shade of his hoodie, his eyes are considerably more visible. They’re dark brown, almost black, but have a glimmer that’s able to shine through the hair that falls past his brows and into the empty night. His nose is tall and slim, lips thin and chapped.

You gulp and fail to hear what he said, distracted with only the movement on his lips to show he was speaking at all. You mumble an apology and ask if he can repeat himself, unknowingly wandering closer to the attractive stranger.

He sighs impatiently but looks at you with just as much kindness as before, looking to have dropped any fear as well. “If you’re here to hang out, want to hang out with me?”

It’s weird and very suspicious of an invitation but the slight purse of his lips and expectant raise of his brows are terribly convincing. You give in to the offer and nod again, not feeling the need to speak and watching him drop on the ground right there.

“Well?” he murmurs, looking up at you from where he sits criss-cross applesauce, “are you going to join me?”

“Right,” you cough, rubbing your eyes red and shaking off the strange feeling of security that comes with settling by his side.

“I’m Jaemin,” he introduces, raspy and slow.

“I’m Y/n,” you give back.

“Y/n,” he lilts your name, dragging out the last letter with an ending hum, “pretty.”

“Thanks.” You hope it’s dark enough to hide the shy smile that works itself on to your lips.

His hands, veiny and strong, pick up a piece of bark and toss it away, toward the footpath behind you. Not looking away from where he picks for another piece worthy enough to be thrown, Jaemin regards you in a hushed, thoughtful tone, “what are you wandering into a park late at night for?”

You stare down at the empty patch he’s created and offer a tight laugh, “I could ask you the same.”

“Yes,” he nods slowly, calm, and looks up at you with a teasing smile, not breaking his strong gaze even when you turn away, “but I asked you first. Shoot.”

“Oddly demanding of you.”

Jaemin flings another bit of damp wood over your shoulder, dangerously close to scratching your cheek, and falls back on his hands, scoffing. The bark is sure to be digging into his palms painfully. “It’s good to get it out.”

You glare, challenging, before scowling at his know it all attitude and dropping your head to face the ground. “How do you even know it’s something I’d need to vent?”

He laughs with a humoured shake of his head, loud and genuine. “You were crying just a second ago.”

“True.” It isn’t like you know Jaemin properly, you won’t see him every day after this and be able to feel shame or regret – like a diary page you’ll chuck out the next day, tangible evidence gone.

You tuck your knees into your chest, circling your arms around your legs to lace your fingers together at the front, holding your own hands tight. You bite your bottom lip harshly, not worried about your skin potentially splitting under your teeth, and feel your eyes dart from his own patient gaze to the swing set to the empty road.

“Whenever you want,” he whispers, knowing you’ve given up on arguing.

Dropping your forehead on the steadiness of your knees, effectively balling up, you try not to worry about whether or not Jaemin’s judging you and begin speaking. “Parents don’t want to be with each other. They regret having me- forced to stay together for a child they didn’t want. They love screaming about it every chance they get.”

“Yikes,” he hisses, unsure how to respond, “sorry you have to go through that.”

You dismiss him with a shrug, so used to being nonchalant about the topic with Donghyuck or worried friends who catch sight of your parents arguing in the car. Jaemin’s response is nothing different from the default that you’ve always been met with, a fake pinch of pity in their eyebrows. “It’s whatever.”

He pouts, clearly not agreeing, but doesn’t bother to scold you on your act of apathy. “For what it’s worth,” he begins, stopping all motion of his hand to show a careful grin, “I like having you around.”

“Thanks,” you smile playfully, not taking the comment to heart but enjoying the good hearted change of pace, rocking back and forth as he laughs along. “Just sucks to know I’m here out of necessity rather than love. Doesn’t really feel like my existence has worth.”

“Right,” he agrees, breathless. You don’t think he really understands but the way he goes along with it, listening without argument or a rush to correct your dejected feelings, it’s nice. It’s more polite than anything else you’ve ever been told and you can’t find yourself appreciating it more. “Some people just aren’t ready to be parents and don’t know it until it’s too late.”

“Correct,” you applaud quietly, “but that’s not what I mean.”

Jaemin tilts his head in confusion and goes to apologise but you cut him off, not wanting him to feel bad for not understanding, “it’s more so that being parents- my parents- is what’s keeping them from happiness. I’m holding them back or whatever.”

His head bobs up and down slowly, fully processing your words before settling into an understanding frown. “That sucks,” he mumbles, looking at you with sorrowful eyes. You refrain from balling yourself up anymore, his gaze reminding you of Donghyuck’s pitying smile and hesitant looks. Though, you feel yourself lighten up a little with his next words, “I’m proud of you… for enduring that every day and still having a sense of worth- no matter how much it may have weakened. You’ll be able to get out of that situation one day, the future is your oyster.”

It sounds genuine and your brain racks at the sentiment of being listened to properly.

You smile, small and flattered, in place of verbal gratitude and turn away, tired of his twinkling eyes. “I don’t think that’s the saying.“

“It works, doesn’t it?” Jaemin grumbles, kicking at your foot.

“I suppose so.” You click your tongue and kick at the little heart he’s drawn into the now exposed soil. He glowers and slaps at your shoe, mumbling about how ungrateful and mean you are before sighing, giving up on drawing any more. “Now,” you begin, tilting your head to rest your cheek on your knee, “why are you here?”

Jaemin huffs, upset it was already his turn to share his sob story. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’m just here for some fresh air?”

“Not a chance,” you grumble, giving a half smile before sighing yourself, “I know a miserable loser when I see one. You’re one of me.”

“Miserable loser?” he repeats with wide eyes, offended and disbelieving.

“Alright,” you loosen up, apologising with a simper, “that was an exaggeration.”

“I’m…” he stutters, hesitating a little. He meets your eyes and you offer a wide grin, cheesy and light hearted, and laughs. “I’m here for the same reason as you.”

"Tomato pasta?” you cut him off, joking. Hopeful that it’ll ease the tension in his shoulders.

It seems to work, his brows furrowed in confusion and lips parting in slight amusement, pupils darting around to study your face for some kind of explanation. “What?”

"That’s why they fought,” you giggle, finding it stupid now that you’re finally out of the situation itself, “dad asked for fried rice today but mum said she’s been craving pasta.”

“That…” he spaces off yet again, completely lost. The thoughtful pout of his lips is adorable and you find yourself inwardly cooing, feeling light. “That’s a weird thing to have a such a big fight about.”

"I agree,” you nod, toes dancing in a fiddle, “crazy how angry you can get when you hate someone.” You decide against explaining the escalation of the argument, letting Jaemin create his own story in his own head. “Anyway, you were saying?”

“Right,” he clears his throat, “here for the same reason as you. Can’t stand my parents.” There’s slight hesitation to his words, the way he rubs at the back of his neck and the guilt that shows in the way he smiles but won’t look you in the eye. He glances in your direction once before darting away the moment he meets your analysing eyes, wondering. It’s wimpish when he mutters, “hate how in love they are.”

The words leave his lips and you freeze, frowning ever so slightly and allowing your eyes to drift away from his apologetic stare, self conscious. “Way to rub it in,” you mumble. You feel your body lean away from his, suddenly insecure and regretful about what you’d just shared.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, licking his lips with a harsh breath, pushing out an open hand to rest on yours before pulling back when you flinch, reminded you had only just met. “It’s more than that, I swear.”

“What?” you scoff, hurt, “you can hear them having sex at night?” You let out a laugh but Jaemin finds it isn’t at all pleasurable to listen to this time.

“No,” he sighs, head falling in his hands. He looks up and sees you observing the empty road, unable to look at him but too tense to get up and leave. He gives up and gets it out, hoping you’ll understand if he gives you the context all at once, even if you’ve already decided you hate his privilege. “My stepdad. I hate him.”

A second father. Your eyes drift down to your feet and you ask him a question, it’s only to reassure yourself but he doesn’t mind, understands the curiosity. “Is he a jerk?”

“No,” Jaemin chuckles painfully, watching your frown reappear, distasteful, “he’s an alright guy if I let him be.”

“Then why-” you choke, punching at the ground and feeling the bark dig into your knuckles, the pain distracting you from your outburst for a small moment.

He doesn’t let you finish, desperate to clear the air and have you see the full picture. Wanting your approval and not for his sob story to be pitied but for you to be on the same page, he values your perspective of him already. “My stepdad’s a homewrecker,” Jaemin blurts, holding his breath and watching as you let your guard down, angry scowl fading into a look of realisation. You dart your head up, wide-eyed and rushing to apologise, but he sighs in relief, waving you off with an understanding smile.

You don’t look any less regretful as he continues to explain himself but Jaemin finds it sweet, not at all offended by your previous attitude. “I don’t like seeing my parents happy together. My mum doesn’t deserve it,” he hisses at the blunt words and laughs at himself, digging a hand in his hair, “I wouldn’t mind her moving on and finding love but she found him when she was still with my dad- pursued that relationship behind our backs.”

“Jaemin,” you struggle to find the words, “that sounds like such a hard situation.” He nods in confirmation and you purse your lips at the pained smile that comes with it.

He stares down at the ground, unsure why he can’t look you in the eye but loving the feeling of a weight being lifted off of his shoulders, his feelings finally being let out into the open. “I don’t know whether or not to hate my mum for breaking up our family. I think she already hates herself for it- she’s never talked to me about it… I don’t even know if she knows I know- but she has to settle or else she’s alone.”

“Whatever you feel,” you say slowly, carefully, “is complicated but valid. It’s understandable.” It’s a shit response, sounds like a script but it’s the best you can do with how unprepared you are. Jaemin a lot better at this than you seem to be.

“Thanks,” he whispers back, finally looking up at you.

You meet eyes, lips parted and breathing steady, neither of you making a sound but giving the other words of thanks with your steady gazes. Both of you are grateful. The way he stares, silent and caring, makes you wonder if you’d prefer to see him more after this, if having him in your tomorrow would be good for you, if he’s thinking the same. But for now you just sigh, delighted you can look at him in this moment and feel some sense of normalcy, feel understood, lost.

“You’ll be out of there soon,” you chuckle, blinking slowly. With a hushed tone, you reach for Jaemin’s hand and remind him, “the future is your oyster.”

#jaemin x reader #jaemin #na jaemin #nct x reader #nct dream #nct angst #jaemin angst #nct fluff #jaemin fluff #jaemin fanfic #nct fanfic #jaemin smut #nct smut #jaemin imagines #jaemin scenarios #nct imagines #nct scenarios