Never in a million years would you have thought that you’d end up in this situation. As you stand on the balcony, leaning against the metal railing with a cigarette hanging from your fingers, the view of an entire city spayed out right in front of you, courtesy of your fiancé.
Your ears are filled with the sound of the city still alive and the music softly playing from your speakers.
You hear the sound of the front door opening, the lock clicking after it closes. Footsteps approach the balcony door and you hear it sliding open right before arms wrap around your waist and a chin rests on your shoulder.
“Honey, I’m home.” The familiar smell of his cologne floods your senses, your eyes closing slightly as it sends relief and comfort rushing throughout your system. “I thought I told you not to wait up for me when I’m working late.”
“You know that I can’t sleep without you, my love,” you hum. “How was work?” you ask as you lift your hand up to comb your fingers through Changbin’s hair while the other puts out your cigarette against the ashtray sitting on the rail.
“You know how it is,” he sighs. “I’m just glad to finally be home with you. I told the boys I’m off for the week. What do you wanna do, baby? We can head out somewhere, maybe fly out to Greeze—I could take you to Thailand. Spend a few days away from everything with just the two of us.”
“Sounds romantic,” you hum. Changbin spins you gently by the waist so that you’re facing him. “Well, hello handsome.” Your hand raises to cup his face when he smiles widely. His own hand raises to hold yours and brings it to his lips where he presses a kiss to your knuckles. “Why so generous?”
“Chan doesn’t need me for the next week or so. Felix and Jeongin sold almost three months worth of it. I’ve just got more than a hundred thousand on me, baby. I wanna pamper my darling for the week,” Changbin hums against your skin.
“You’ve pampered me enough, Binnie,” you chuckle. “I wouldn’t be in this penthouse if I wasn’t pampered by you. And I definitely wouldn’t be here this young if you weren’t part of one of the biggest drug trafficking networks in the world.”
“It’s part of my charm, (Y/n),” he jokes. “Plus, you would’ve left a long time ago if you didn’t like what I did for a living.”
“As long as I don’t get in on the actual drugs, I will still stay with you,” you claim softly. “I love you, Changbin.”
“I love you too, baby.” Changbin leans forward and presses a kiss to your forehead, then your nose, then your lips, where he lingers for a moment longer. When he pulls away, he looks at you with pure love in his eyes. “Now, about that trip; how do you feel about Seychelles?”
“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care about where we go. I don’t care about any of the money either, baby—I just want to be with you,” you sigh in content as you pull him back into your arms to bury your face in his shirt.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He pulls away slightly and reaches into the pocket of his pants, “I got you something.”
“How many times am I supposed to tell you that I don’t need more gifts,” you sigh with a smile as you watch Changbin rummage through his pockets.
“It’s all worth it for me, honey,” he reassures you just as he pulls a small box out of his pocket. “I told you I’d get you a proper engagement ring since I proposed to you in the middle of the ocean on a yacht when we were being gunned down by the cops.”
“Changbin…”
Changbin pulls the dark blue box out in front of you and pulls the top open. Your shoulders relax slightly when you see the ring, a small gasp leaving your lips. Your biggest fear when you had started dating Changbin was that he would go too over the top with his gifts, but at the end of the day, no one knows you better than him as you stare at the silver engagement ring topped with a diamond that doesn’t seem too flashy.
“I know how much you hate big diamonds, so I chose something that’s small and classy,” he says as he pulls the ring out of the box. “How does it look, baby?”
“I love it,” you sigh as you let him slip it onto your finger. “I love you. You didn’t have to even get me a diamond ring—I would’ve been happy with a soju cap.”
“I want to give you the best, my love,” Changbin insists as he keeps his eyes trained on the ring on your finger, “and now I can finally show off my pretty fiance with their pretty ring.” He raises your hand yet again, but this time, his lips touch against the ring. “I love this. I love seeing this ring on your finger knowing that this means we’re getting married. I love just being with you, (Y/n).”
genre: only headcanons au: non-idol au/post-idol au warnings: one instance of swearing word count: 0.2k pairing:none a/n:no pictures, just vague descriptions
bang chan
➵ script on his wrist with a reminder to take care of himself ➵ probably handwritten by his mom/other members of skz ➵ gets a minimalist compass on the other wrist
lee minho
➵ just a bunch of random bullshit on his chest and back (sticker style) ➵ all color, no black and white ➵ definitely a cat-related tattoo somewhere (in my head, he has catnip on his ribcage, read the fic i wrote here)
seo changbin
➵ black and white full sleeve ➵ spent way too much time trying to weave in as many elements as possible ➵ an allegorical piece about his struggles
hwang hyunjin
➵ full back piece ➵ designed it himself but modeled it after renaissance paintings ➵ black and white because he’s dramatic like that
han jisung
➵ studio ghibli and anime themed tattoos ➵ small, minimalist ➵ loves them all so much, he accidentally starts a sticker style sleeve
lee felix
➵ hear me out, leg sleeve ➵ neo-traditional flowers and animals in color ➵ flower and color symbolism everywhere
kim seungmin
➵ surrealist tattoo that follows the flow of his bicep ➵ if he flexes, it’ll warp in a really cool way ➵ black and white with some red accents
yang jeongin
➵ new school style tattoo on his forearm ➵ probably an animal-food hybrid ➵ gets a corresponding animal-drink hybrid on his ankle
genre: angst au: idol au warnings:none word count: 0.7k pairing: f!reader x seo changbin song:fools by troye sivan
Once upon a time, you could have had everything.
After you landed a well paying job, you had a castle, a one bedroom apartment in a new high-rise building with giant glass windows and an infinity pool on the roof. Once you earned a promotion, you bought a gleaming white carriage with 350 horsepower. When your grandmother passed, you inherited her gold crown with the sheer veil.
All that was missing from the story was a prince.
For years, you never thought you would meet him, but fate finally smiled upon you on your twenty-seventh birthday. The sun shone with a brilliance, and the clouds spread across the blue sky made it feel like the heavens had presented themselves to the mortals on such a blessed day. Distracted by the sight through the café, you bumped into a stranger, splashing your latte all over their shirt. You apologized profusely, but the man assured that he was unharmed. He pulled his baseball cap further down, almost if he was embarrassed by the incident. Then he scurried away.
You assumed you would never see him again after that. To your surprise, he was sitting at the café the following week. Tucked away in a back corner, hunched over a notebook, you would not have noticed him until he rose from his chair with a screeching scrap. An offer to buy him coffee as an apology turned into a chat and then a conversation that you did not want to end. He had a way with words and a sharpness to his tongue that you found strangely charming.
Names were exchanged, but you dared not ask for his phone number. It was too presumptuous, so you instead chose to visit the café every day in hopes that he would also come back. He did.
He worked in the music industry, he said, a producer and writer. When you asked for specifics, he danced around, so you did not pry. The liminal space you two occupied always seemed to be on the verge of collapsing when reality threatened to seep in. One did not wax poetry about doughnuts to strangers, but they did not reveal their deepest, darkest secrets to friends either. He was the only person you told about your loneliness, for the princess in her tower had no confidantes. He talked about the heavy burdens he carried, the immense pressure he placed on himself. Was it the shared pain that brought you closer? Your heart ached when you saw his artfully crafted smiles. They were masterpieces indeed, but the prince needed to be saved in this story.
So you broke the unspoken rule. It was by accident, but when the opportunity presented itself, you could not stop yourself.
Through a magazine cover, you discovered Changbin’s true career. You pored over the interview and the countless ones he had done before. Everything he had a hand in, you watched and listened with great curiosity. It was wrong, but he bared his soul to you; you had to help him. You should have kept your mouth shut, but your selfishness won out.
During your outburst, he shrunk himself into a little ball and tugged his cap down, trying to hide you from his view. When he finally looked up, there was betrayal written across. An apology wouldn’t suffice this time, nor would a barter of your own background. No matter what you did, you could feel him slipping away. You could not blame him, but you did not want to let him go either. You knew the rules, unspoken and spoken, so what compelled you to hold on? It only hurt you.
Finally, the rift grew too large to heal. While he returned to the stage, you sheltered yourself in your castle and watched from afar. You dreamed that he wrote about you, that your existence left something lasting. Yet nothing ever proved your claims, so you gathered the glass pieces of your heart and found a new prince. You wore your crown on your wedding and traveled to a new kingdom.
Now your past is just a fairy tale, a bedtime story you tell your children who do not believe it anyway. Perhaps that is the most difficult thing to come to terms with, that your relationship with Changbin was never possible in the first place.
+ pairing: seo changbin x female reader + genre: fluff, angst, enemies to eventual lovers, racer!changbin, mechanic!reader, bet!au + warnings: none + word count: 1.5k + written for D9W Writers’ Room - Week #61: write a scene set in a car! + summary: After losing a life-changing car race to Changbin, you have to join his team as a mechanic. However, you’re not making his life easier by giving him the silent treatment and he is also not helping you in the slightest by being charming and kind towards you. + lia’s note: Hello, how are you? Let it be known that I have been in my Changbin feels lately. And let it be known that this is a drabble of a future potential series if you are interested in that. I would love to write more of this, to be honest, but would you read more of this? Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts through an ask if you feel like it! As always, happy reading!
You kept your eyes out of the window as Changbin drove the two of you away from the city you had grown up in. You couldn’t hide the frown on your face caused by your reckless decision the previous night.
Of course, you would lose the race. Of course, Changbin would win. And yet, you wanted to believe it otherwise. You wanted to believe you still had the talent, the mastery behind the wheel. Now, sadly, you only knew how to master an engine. It wasn’t as great as driving a car, but it would serve its purpose.
The silence between the two of you was uncomfortable, especially for Changbin. You were giving him the silent treatment and he didn’t like that. Every time he tried to talk to you or offer you a happy smile, you just ignored it. You focused on the dark skies outside where soft stars shone, prickling the sky softly. You counted the lamp posts under your breath to entertain yourself as they cast shadows on the highway.
“I’ll… turn on the radio,” he said as he pressed a button on the car’s control panel. Static soon filled the void and he chuckled, pressing the same button again. “Guess we’re stuck with silence…”
Good, you thought to yourself as you crossed your arms. Get used to it because this is all you’re going to get from me.
After a while, the lamp posts disappeared and you were at the mercy of the headlights of Changbin’s car to guide you through the road. The weather grew colder too and you found yourself rubbing your hands in your arms, hoping that would get them warmer. It wasn’t working.
“My jacket is on the backseat,” Changbin said, keeping his eyes on the road. “Take it and put it on.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’reshivering, Y/N. Stop being stubborn.”
“As if you could tell me what to do,” you said under your breath, shaking your head. “I’m fine. Just keep driving.”
Changbin understood the tone in your voice and sighed. He kept his eyes ahead and for the first time, you allowed yourself to glance his way. What you intended to be a quick gesture lingered for longer. You traced his features one by one, getting annoyed at how even in low light, he still looked good. He had the appearance of a champion and his smirk told you he had the confidence of one too.
“I honestly didn’t think you’d keep your word,” he said, glancing your way briefly. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to stare at me after I won the race. I’m glad you did.”
“So you like the silent treatment?” You chuckled, rolling your eyes. “Good to know…”
“I like your company and your presence. Why don’t we make an effort to be friends, at least? We’re going to be working together, after all.”
“For the record,” you started, turning your body slightly to face him better, “I am doing this because I don’t back down from my promises. And I don’t plan on becoming friends with you. I’m your mechanic now. Not your friend. All I care about is your race car and its health. I couldn’t care less about you!”
“You don’t mean that.” It annoyed you how calm he always was. His poise was so… irritating at times. “You’re just upset you didn’t win.” He glanced at you sideways and smiled charmingly. “You’ll warm up to me, I’m sure.”
If you could, you would open this car door and jump out. This was why you wanted to give him the silent treatment. That was better than listening to his voice and whatever sweet words he tried to use to enchant you. It wouldn’t work. You meant what you said, you couldn’t care less about him. You never did. He was nobody to you.
After calming yourself down, you focused on the view outside again, trying to fall asleep from how boring it was. However, because of how cold your skin was, you couldn’t. All of your thoughts were about Changbin’s jacket on the back seat and how warm it would probably be. You cursed under your breath your choice of clothing for this portion of the trip.
It was hot in your hometown during the day, but at night, the temperatures dropped significantly. You should’ve known that your outfit would not cover you enough for this temperature.
Suddenly, Changbin started to slow down on the road as he drove the car toward the side of the road. You raised an eyebrow at him, confused as to what he was doing. There was nothing around the two of you other than sand and a concrete road. You were still an hour away from the nearest town.
When the car stopped, Changbin sighed and reached for the back seat of the car, grabbing something and throwing it into your lap. You glanced at it and as you were about to speak, he beat you to it, upset. When his eyes met yours, you wanted to look away, but couldn’t. Was he regretful? If so, what was it about?
“I understand you’re pissed at me. I understand you don’t want to be here, let alone with me. I know you despise me. For what, I honestly don’t know. But freezing yourself and getting sick just because you refuse to accept help? That’s not you being stubborn, Y/N. You’re being an idiot.”
“So now you’re calling me an idiot?” You chuckled, ready to throw the jacket back at him. “What gives you the right to speak to me like that?”
“What gives you the right to treat me like crap?” He asked, leaning towards you with wide eyes.
“Oh, so now I treat you like crap?” You couldn’t help but laugh at his remark. “What did you expect? Forgiveness just because I am part of your team? Me saying yes to everything that comes out of your pretty mouth? You’re annoying.”
“You’re not much better.”
“I didn’t say I was.”
“But you’d like to be, right?” His eyes didn’t leave yours as he spoke. “You don’t like me because I am a better racer than you. That’s why you’re treating me like this. You’re upset because I’ll be the one driving while you’ll be on the sidelines. But you know what I know?” He sighed and licked his lips. “If I’ll get to race and win, it’s because you’re on my team. I wouldn’t trust my car with anyone else and you know why.”
Changbin gulped and took a deep breath, focusing his eyes on the road. He put his hands on the wheel and closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm down. This argument had unravelled both of you in ways you didn’t think possible. Still, and as much as you tried to make sense of his last words to you, you couldn’t figure it out.
“I don’t know why,” you said, somewhat defeated. You always had the answer, the comeback. This time, however, you didn’t. “Why do you trust me so much with that?”
Maybe it was the shakiness of your voice that caught both of you by surprise. Maybe it was the darkness outside that made everything feel smaller. Maybe it was the silence of the night that made your thoughts louder. However, when Changbin spoke again, you suddenly felt seen in a way you hadn’t before.
“You’re the best mechanic I know,” he said with such ease, you wondered how long he had believed in it. “And I trust you. I trust you will do a good job. Because you may despise me, but you love cars and engines.” He gestured to his jacket on your lap. “Try to sleep if you want. I’ll wake you up once we get to the motel. We have about an hour left.”
Without giving you a chance to reply, Changbin took a deep breath and started to drive again, getting the two of you back on the road. Your eyes lingered on his slight frown as he focused on driving, gripping the wheel with both of his hands.
You sighed and glanced at the fake leather jacket on your lap, biting your lip. Maybe he was right, maybe you had been an idiot. Maybe you were an idiot. You were certainly the idiot right now.
Reluctantly, you put the jacket over your shoulders, keeping your arms under it to try and warm them up. Changbin’s jacket carried the scent of his cologne, something you learned to recognise a while ago. However, now that you were so close to it, the soft notes of pinewood surprised you when they pierced through the intoxicating citrus smell and musk you associated with him. It was… refreshing. Surprisingly, it was comforting too.
As you kept your attention on the moving landscape, your eyelids grew heavier and it was harder to keep them open. After fighting yourself for a while, you closed your eyes and allowed yourself to drift into a light sleep, pulling Changbin’s jacket closer to your neck and smiling to yourself at the scent of his cologne.
a/n : i’m not entirely sure how i feel about this one yet but i know if i keep rereading it i’ll probably end up making it worse. this is unedited so there’s bound to be some mistakes hidden throughout. i hope you enjoy xxx
The small couch in Chan’s studio wasn’t nearly big enough for the four of you to sit comfortably together and with Jisung inability to sit still you somehow ended up squished between Chan and Changbin while Jisung sat in Chan’s chair off to the side.
The movie was long, way too long for any of you to sit through one by one each of you taking turns getting more antsy as the film went on.
It wasn’t until you felt a cool touch brush against your thighs that you brung your eyes up from your phone taking in a sharp breath as Chan’s fingers dipped into your folds. Leaning over he pulled you closer to him giving him better access to your center.
“Make a scene and I’ll stop.” Chan’s voice was firm, eyes focused on the screen casually continuing his conversation Changbin as if he wasn’t playing with you in front of two of his best friends. Moaning softly you tipped your head to the side hoping to hide your face in his shoulder. You weren’t quiet, he knew that it was a struggle for you to keep your sounds down to a minimum.
Gasping, you felt his fingers slid into you, thumb brushing against your clit, fingers curving just enough to hit the spot that always drove you crazy. Biting your lip you looked around you trying to focus on something, anything to keep yourself in control. However, what you found was not what you were expecting.
From his position in the chair, Jisung’s eyes found yours, big and wide taking in the situation in front of him. When he joked about the two of you having sex in the studio earlier never once did he think you would continue with Changbin and himself in the room.
Locking eyes with him a whimper fell from your lips as you noticed the tent forming in Ji’s sweatpants. Squirming slightly you pushed the blanket to the side just enough to give him a better view and watched his eyes light up with shock as he focused in on Chan’s fingers pumping into your pussy.
“Jisung-ah you like what you see?” Chan asked, his eyes still focusing on the screen. You weren’t sure when he noticed the peep show you had been giving Jisung but even after his voice pulled the two of you out of your trance his fingers never slowed, continuing to let the pleasure build within your stomach as you felt yourself dance along the edge of relief.
Looking up you tried to read Chan’s face but his eyes were locked onto the tv even though you knew he was not watching anything on the screen. Silence falling over the three of you as you watched Chan’s eyes flicker over to Jisung who was silent. Eyes wide with panic.
“I asked you a question Ji. Answer me, do you like what you see ?” Chan asked again his tone stern as he continued pumping in and out, thumb grazing your clit pleasure pooling in your center.
“Hy—hyung I—shit I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-” Jisung stuttered his voice low barely above a whisper. Eyes meeting yours in the same moment Changbin muttered something about the lyrics he was writing on his phone completely unaware of what was happening besides him.
“Don’t apologize, you wanted to watch right?” Chan asked even though he knew the answer. “Shift this way let Sungie see your pretty pussy.” Following his orders you shifted towards him spreading your legs further apart giving Ji a better view, completely disguardging the blanket to the side.
Almost frozen in his position, Jisung watched as Chan fingered you, his fingers working thoroughly to bring you to your release. Were his ears deceiving him? Did he hear him right? Jisung had a crush on you forever, hell they all did. It was only when they found out you were sleeping with Chan that they stopped talking about the hypotheticals. The news put an end to the hushed conversations the younger members would have whenever you came around wearing something too short or too tight for comfort.
As Chan’s fingers pumped in and out his thumb circled your clit your eyes fluttered shut for a moment before a light smack against your clit caused you to open them again your eyes wide finding Chan’s. Shaking his head with disapproval he smirked at your confusion. “You wanted him to see you. Keep your eyes on him. I want you to watch him while you cum.”
Nodding your head you whimpered, lightly biting your lip to keep your sounds down. Eyes locked on Jisung as you imagined it was him touching you. Craving his fingers on you as pressure began to pool in the pit of your stomach threatening to spill over.
“Can I?” You asked softly your eyes pleading with Chan who simply shook his head. Confused, you furred your brows together. “Channie please,” You tried again, your moans lost in your throat as you focused your energy on trying to obey Chan.
“Don’t ask me. Ask Ji, if he wants you to cum then you’ll cum.” He spoke both of your eyes, turning to Jisung as you began to plead with him.
“No.” Jisung said boldly, nodding his head at Chan, signaling for him to remove his hand from you just before your orgasam took over your body. Moving forward Jisung kneeled in front of you. “I want to be the one to make you cum.”
You weren’t sure when but by this time the three of you had Changbin’s full attention. His phone long discarded his hands running over your thigh.
“Please Ji please touch me.” You whined as Changbin’s mouth connected with your neck tongue trailing lightly over your skin. His breath was hot on your neck as he chuckled.
“You sound so fucking good when you’re like this. Needy for someone to touch you. Needy for one of us to touch you. Eager for hyung to share you with us. For him to let us treat you like a whore.” His words taunt you. For a moment your eyes leave Jisung turning to face Changbin, his lips finding yours pulling you into a rough kiss.
If there was one thing about Jisung, it was that he didn’t need to be told twice. The moment the words left your mouth something inside of him shifted his gaze turning almost predator-like as he moved closer pulling the fabric down, hands gripping your thighs pulling you closer to him as his mouth connected with your core.
You gasped fighting the urge to press your thighs together as you let your body feed into Jisung’s touch. Holding you steady Changbin’s hand gripped your chin keeping you in place letting his lips devour yours while Jisung had his way with you down below. Unlike Chan, Jisung ate you out with a power you couldn’t quite comprehend. His tongue fast against your clit, pace unforgiving. You hadn’t even realized you were bucking your hips off of the couch until Binnie’s free hand pressed against your hips, his firm grip keeping you in place for Jisung.
“Keep her quite Binnie. We don’t need any other ears passing by to know what we’re doing in here.” Chan ordered Changbin’s kiss deeping at the request.
From where Chan sat he had the perfect view of the scene in front of him. The sight of you spread open for his members made his heart clench with pride. His members deserved the best and of course what better way to reward them for all of their hard work than you? He was well aware of the crushes all the members had on you. He was aware of how the small comments stopped after Jeongin told the rest of them he walked in on the two of you. They respected him and they respected you as their friend and more than that as someone Chan was seeing.
Of course though there were never any set boundaries and tonight Chan was allowing you what you’ve wanted for a while. The idea of being shared amongst his members was something the two of you talked about frequently. You were interested in the 8 of them and as you found out in the past Chan thrived off seeing you with others. He loved to watch and it seemed perfect.
Without any warning Jisung slipped his fingers into your center curling his fingers perfectly causing your body to struggle against Changbin’s hold as you moaned into his lips. The feeling overwhelms you, leaving you unable to focus as you let your body secum to the pleasure you were feeling.
Moans muffled by Changbin you felt yourself inch closer and closer tethering on the edge once again completely unaware of Chan moving around the room. “She’s close, Ji.” He spoke, causing Jisung to fall back, a whine falling from your lips as you broke away from Changbin. Jisung’s fingers instantly come to your mouth smearing the wetness on your lips, pulling you in for a rough kiss.
Breaking away Chan tapped your thigh, his touch pulling you away from the kiss as you waited for his command. Pulling your shirt over your head you sat back completely bare, a smirk playing on his lips motioning for you to come to him.
Repositioning yourself on the couch you hovered over Chan’s lap watching in awe as Changbin shed his clothes letting his cock spring up falling back against his stomach. Mouth watering you stood there frozen in place taking in all of him while Chan moved beneath you lining hip tip up with your entrance.
“You like what you see?” Changbin smirked, his voice low chuckling lightly, pumping himself a few times bringing himself to your lips. Opening your mouth you stuck your tongue out letting him slide in at the same time as Chan, both of them entering you together. Gasping around Changbin’s length you tried to relax Chan’s pace already sending you into a daze.
Changbin was almost the same length as Chan but way thicker feeling heavy in your mouth you struggled around him gagging instantly the moment he hit the back of your throat.
Running his hands up your side Chan gave a light tap on your hip. “Relax baby girl, it’s ok.” He hissed as Changbin pulled on your hair bringing your attention to him, his movements stopping pulling out of your mouth completely.
“Do you trust me?” He asked softly, his eyes locking in on yours as you nodded, whimpering as Chan continued to thrust into you. “Good, I’ve got you angel. I won’t hurt you unless you ask me to, ok? Let’s try again. Open for me.” He prompted, his hand still in your hair guiding you down his length.
In unison the two of them worked together thrusting into you, their pace steady. Eyes wide you looked up at Changbin watching as he groaned curse words leaving his lips, hand continuously guiding you never leaving your hair tugging roughly at your roots.
“You can be rough Binnie, she can take it. She’s ready.” Chan groaned his voice raspy as his pace speeding up his length twitching inside of you. On command Changbin’s grip tightened on your scalp pushing into you roughly. Tears pooling in your eyes you choked around his cock, breath leaving you as he held your head in place, nose pressed against his skin. Looking up you watched Changbin closely letting the tears fall as he growled pulling back roughly. Air filling your lungs, you gasped coughing harshly as Chan kissed your neck. “Fuck I love watching you like this. So fucking beautiful baby, you’re doing so well.”
Nodding at Chan’s words you smiled proudly bringing your hand up to his neck rubbing the side of his face softly. Feeling a light smack against your cheek you broke your eye connection with Chan turning your attention back to Changbin instantly opening your mouth for him.
The look on Changbin’s face as he thrust into your mouth was almost enough to send you over the edge. The pure ecstasy taking over his features as he continued to thrust into you his pace matching Chan’s once again overwhelming your senses. Hand finding your hair again, Changbin guided you roughly, his groans getting louder as his thrusts began to get sloppy.
With one last thrust Changbin came shuddering lightly as you swallowed around him taking his load down before he pulled out of your mouth falling back on the couch. Without Changbin your focus fell back to Chan who was thrusting into you relentlessly chasing his own high slamming your hips down onto him.
“Can I- I need to” You cried eyes searching Chan’s face as his hand gripped the back of your neck bringing your head down to his.
“Don’t even fucking think about it. You can’t cum until Jisung says so or did you forget?” He growled, his grip keeping you close as you whined. You had forgotten, you were so wrapped up in Changbin and Chan that you had forgotten about Jisung. He was the sole reason this whole night started and yet you had forgotten all about him.
With a few final thrusts Chan came hard, filling you up and kissing you roughly while he continued to fuck you through his orgasam. “Be good for Sungie yeah? He’ll take care of you if you’re good, ok?” He spoke softly, his grip on your neck loosening as he thrusts stopped pulling you off him.
From the chair Jisung sat quietly, he had watched his hyungs use you in awe. You were spent and rightfully so. Cum leaking out of you, a thin layer of sweat covering your skin. You looked beautiful and just the sight of you like this made him go feral.
While you leaned back onto Changbin, Jisung stepped up kneeling down on the couch in front of you pushing your legs apart, a chuckle falling from his lips. “Missed me?”
“Jisungie,” You whined watching helplessly as he toyed with you. “I’m sorry.” You cried, your body shuddering as you felt him lick one single stripe from your entrance to your clit gathering cum on his tongue. Leaning forward he gripped your cheeks prompting you to open your mouth. Mouth open, tongue out Jisung let his spit drip into your mouth.
“Swallow.” He ordered watching you closely pushing your hair out of your face. Running his finger slick with precum messily into your folds causing you to squirm underneath him showing him your tongue now completely clean. “Hold her open for me hyung.” Jisung ordered, thrusting into slowly you hissed, throwing your head back onto Changbin’s chest, feeling his arms snake around your front pulling your legs apart and into your chest.
Hips snapping into yours Jisung’s pace was relentless. The sounds of your skin smacking together paired with the wet squelching sounds filled the room. Tears falling from your eyes, you babbled mindlessly begging Jisung for some type of relief. You needed to cum, and more importantly you want to cum for him.
“Shit Ji look at her she’s absolutely fucking ruined. Doesn’t she look beautiful?” Chan rasped his voice smooth and thick like honey from his seat on the side. Eyes locked on you Jisung stared intensely down at you his hand rubbing you clit frantically as he continued to pound into you.
“She is,” He groaned voice strained as the warmth of your body mixed with the reminisce of Chan’s cum blanketed around his cock bringing him closer and closer to his release way faster than he originally expected. “She’s so beautiful. Fuck you’re so beautiful sweetheart.”
Whimpering softly you bite down on your lip hard to keep your moans contained as you felt yourself come close to the edge once again. “Please Ji, please” You murmured barely coherent as your mind fogged cloudy and overwhelmed.
Doing his best to hold back himself Jisung nodded, increasing the pace of his fingers along with his thrusts before he spoke. “Cum.” he ordered and just like that you’re orgasam washed over you Changbin’s hand securely placed around your mouth keeping your voice quiet as you moaned loudly. Clenching down you milked Jisung’s cock bring him to his own relief, head falling forward, his body collapsing on top of you partially as his cock twitched inside of you, stuffing you full once again.
For a moment the two of you stayed like that nozzled into one another heavy breathing filling the silence before Jisung pulled out falling back to the other side of the couch. Brushing your hair out of your face, Changbin kissed your hair with a smile playing on his features. “You did good angel.” He spoke softly.
Nodding you smiled weakly you felt Jisung’s hand running over your thigh as he sat up a fucked out expression, pupils blown and a lazy smile. “He’s right you did so good for us. That was amazing.”
You wanted to thank them but as you opened your mouth the words seemed to fail you causing you to close your mouth again smiling softly completely dazed out. With a chuckle Chan rolled closer to the three of you, his hand stroking your cheek softly.
“Its ok baby, you don’t have to talk. How about we get you cleaned up and we’ll head back to the dorms you’ll stay with us tonight yeah?” He questioned smiling down at you proudly.
“Yeah.” You whispered nodding your head softly laying back. After a few moments of silence the three of them began to take initiative shuffling around the room. Helping you pull on your clothes and getting a sip of water. In awe you say back, completely amazed by their affection before Chan pulled you to your feet, his arm securely locked around your frame.
“Let’s get you home baby,” He smiled, kissing your hair as he lead you out of the building.
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hi! i’m from tumble requesting a drabble :) can i have prompts 57, 99, 133 with 3racha x fem reader (she/her). if that’s too many people/makes you uncomfy, just chan and changbin x fem reader is perfect. thank you so much <3
BANG CHAN x CHANGBIN x FEMALE READER | 2.2k | EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT, STRANGERS TO LOVERS, DRINKING, A THREESOME, SPITROASTING, SUBMISSIVE LEANING CHAN, DOMINANT LEANING CHANGBIN, ORAL, PENETRATIVE SEX, DIRTY TALK, CHAN HAS A PRAISE KINK, MILD DEGRADATION, 2RACHA FUCKS BUT THEIR HEARTS ARE ONLY FOR EACH OTHER
57. “Does he/she know what a desperate little cocksleeve you are?”
Warnings: smut, angst, loneliness, cuddling with a stranger, cockwarming, soft smut UwU, strangers to lovers
Synopsis: You’ve been going through a period of depression and feeling rather alone. When you see a flyer advertising a professional cuddling business, you laugh it off at first because there’s no way you’re that desperate. Only the idea won’t seem to leave your mind. One day you’re feeling especially bad and before you know it you’re inside the building and signing up for a session.
Things had not been looking great lately. Slowly but surely you had grown apart from your friends as your lives had moved in different directions and you had less and less to talk about. Work was okay but you just went there to pay your bills. There were one or two colleagues that were worth your time but they were often busy with their own lives that you rarely saw them outside of work. It had been some time since your last date and even longer since your last relationship. You and your family had not spoken in years which was the only good thing given how toxic they had been for as long as you could remember. Even now after all this time, you doubted that they had changed and their words from the past sometimes still swirled in your head when you lay awake at 3 am.
Synopsis: If you think about it, it’s Chaeyoung’s fault for suggesting you do it in the first place. Magic AU. High school AU.
Warning: demons, fake witchcraft, possibly inaccurate tarot card readings, so much worldbuilding
Word Count:13k
Pairing: fem!reader x Changbin
There is a problem.
Actually, there are multiple problems, but the demon you accidentally summoned seems to be the most pressing one.
“I’m sorry,” you blurt out, hoping that the pajama-wearing demon with dark circles under his eyes does not blast you into oblivion. After four years of attending an academy for Supernaturals, Supernaturals no longer phase you, but this is a completely different case. Like regular Naturals, all bets are off when you wake them up at midnight during a much needed-sleep. “I really didn’t think that would work. Mina gave me the book, but she’s a diviner, so she doesn’t ever do this kind of stuff unless she really, really needs to, but she never needs to since she’s really good at divination and…” You sigh and softly add, “I’m really sorry.”
He yawns, and when he covers his mouth, you catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar sigil on his wrist. It doesn’t look like a disciplinary one, so maybe you won’t be turned into a pile of ash after all. You honestly didn’t think that you would be able to summon a demon. No modesty, it should have been impossible for you because:
Naturals have a two percent success rate in summoning them
You’ve learned how to read and write the Undead Tongue, but you still stumbled through the sentences and butchered about half the words involved in the ritual
This is a basic summoning; no respectable demon answers a general call
Even if one did, you highly doubt that they would want your finished set of balancing potion equations as an offering
However, for some strange reason, it appears that a demon actually is interested. Based on the Academy for Supernaturals gym t-shirt he has on, he’s a student and is in need of homework answers.
“So what do you need me for?” he asks as he glances around the circle you made out of shoelaces. Three candles of varying heights triangulate the center and are accompanied by the three different items required for this sort of summoning: an offering, a tie to the summoner, and a purpose. He picks up your equations and skims the answers. “Are these right?”
Still in a state of shock, you automatically answer, “They should be. I double-checked the math with a witch friend.” Not to mention, you’re actually good at Potions since it’s just magical chemistry.
“Great.” He starts folding up the paper until he notices your panicked face. “Oh, do you still need this?”
“Yes. I mean, I can just do the problems again or whatever, but I didn’t mean to summon you. You can go. I’m sorry for waking you. Good night.”
The demon crosses his arms and looks at you questioningly. “What did you summon me for?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to see if it would wo— Don’t look at that!”
You lunge for the creamy envelope on the floor before he can reach it, but by the time you have registered his movement, he has skipped past your stuffed rabbit and picked up the invitation. You have broken open the seal already, so you know exactly what its contents are. The student council sends out personalized invites to all of the students for whatever asinine reason—
Stars above, he knows your name now. It’s somehow gotten even worse.
You idly fan yourself, knowing full well that it’s not the small candle flames that are making you sweat.
“‘An Unforgettable Night,’” he reads. He reads aloud your name, and you burn hotter than Hell ever could. “You want a prom date?”
“It was an accident,” you hastily say. This is all Mina’s fault. After you lamented—her words, not yours—over not having someone to go to prom with, one of her diviner friends suggested that you make a deal with a demon, so being the caring roommate she is, Mina actually went to the store and bought a summoning book for beginners for you. You finally caved after weeks of incessant asking. You also made sure she would be at her star-reading class when you conducted the ritual. “Really. Just take the answers and go.”
“I can be your prom date.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugs. “I’m not going with anyone either. And you seem pretty good at Potions, so if I go with you, will you help me study for my Potions final?”
You had plans to study with Jihyo, the aforementioned witch friend, but you’re unsure if you’re allowed to reject a demon’s offer, especially since you’re the one who called upon him. Besides, this sudden idea of his feels like a trap. “You don’t want to ask a witch instead?”
“Aren’t you a witch?”
“I’m a Natural.”
You have no special powers or abilities, but the Academy admits a handful of Naturals each year to foster a sense of community with them and because they’ve learned that they’re actually pretty useful to have around as mediators, researchers, and inventors. As your principal frequently likes to remind you and your fellow Natural students, your innate ingenuity is what makes you so exceptional. Something about how Naturals overlook limitations that Supernaturals cannot, which explains why white shoelaces seem to be an acceptable replacement for chalk circles.
“As long as you’re good at potions.” He shakes his head. “Dumb question, my bad. Friend’s a witch, but he’s practically failing. But you’re a human. Cool.”
He smiles, showing off his pointy incisors that would be more fitting on a vampire or a werewolf, and you wonder if demons still eat their human sacrifices. Not that you’re offering yourself as one, but it would be nice to know if putting yourself into danger by agreeing.
“That’s all settled then. You should go,” you suddenly say, feeling a little embarrassed by your train of thought. Demons are perfectly nice Supernaturals. You wouldn’t have passed Demonic History if not for San, and he is way more intense than the one in front of you. “My roommate’s gonna be back from class soon. We can talk about… our deal tomorrow.”
He nods understandingly. “Call me whenever you’re free. Seo Changbin, iced coffee or culinary lavender, whichever is easier. I also answer to Potions answers.”
“Great, I’ll keep that in mind,” you reply even though you have no intention of ever summoning him again. A direct summoning like he’s suggesting is even more difficult, and the idea of even having to read that long page of the Undead Tongue is making you nervous. If the call doesn’t go through because of your lousy pronunciation, you’ll either have to ask Mina for help or beg San to give up Changbin’s contact information, assuming demons know one another that well. Hell is a small realm. “But could I just get your number instead? It’ll be easier for me.”
You hand him your phone and stifle a laugh when you see that he’s added the devil emoji after his name. He bids you good night and vanishes in a puff of fire and brimstone, blowing out all three candles. A heavy silence falls over the room as you finally begin processing what you just did.
By the moon, you made a deal with a demon. Over a prom date, of all things.
You bury your head in your head, trying not to let out the anguished scream that has been building up ever since Seo Changbin appeared. He set the carpet on fire momentarily. He left a scorch mark on your beloved bunny and on Mina’s bed skirt. He took your homework answers. That last one bothers you more than you expected.
You warily eye the time and the scene in front of you. You really ought to clean the room before Mina comes back. Maybe she’ll be too excited by the prospect of prom dress shopping to notice the smell of sulfur in the air.
No, she won’t, but some fresh night air will help your case.
Obviously, Mina finds out, not because of her bed skirt or the strange smell in the air but because you are delicately patting your bunny’s stomach with vinegar. Bun-Bun is sacred to you. Mina knows that you would never try to clean her in fear of messing up the de-stressing sigil Jihyo has sewn on since one loose thread could mean the sigil would stop working, and you would again be subject to nightmares where you have lost all your teeth.
When you inform Mina of your successful summoning, she nearly drops her star maps. “So he’s really going to be your date? I can’t believe Chaeyoung’s interpretation could actually be right.”
According to Mina, Chaeyoung, her diviner friend known for her rather unconventional mindset, pulled the Devil, the Wheel of Fortune, and the Lovers when she did a tarot reading for your future. Somehow, those cards translated into what you just did. You’re no divination expert, but that feels like a very surface-level reading.
“He agreed in exchange for help in Potions,” you sigh. Speaking of, you need to redo those problems since Changbin left with your paper. As you flip open the textbook again, you quietly ask, “Do you think this is a bad idea?”
“No, I think it’ll be fun. He seems nice enough, so what’s the harm? Prom doesn’t mean anything outside of school anyway, so it’s not like you’re committing to a relationship.” She glances over at Bun-Bun’s, and you protectively hold her closer, scrunching your nose when the smell of vinegar wafts upwards. “I think Jihyo needs to fix the sigil.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
You unlock your phone and send a message to Jihyo about dropping off your bunny at her dorm room tomorrow. In the meantime, Mina sends you a link to a dress shop in town and a winky face even though she’s in the same room as you. She flashes you a conspiratory smile before she disappears into the bathroom to shower.
Wanting a distraction, you click the link. The dresses on the website look pretty, and the foggy green one is so alluring that you almost think a charm has been cast on the image. As you contemplate over it, Jihyo responds, affirming that she can restore your plushie to her usual nightmare-preventing self. You relay the happy message to Bun-Bun, whose big black eyes stare soullessly back at you. You pat her head for good luck, and after a moment’s hesitation, you text Changbin to ask if he’s busy at four in the afternoon.
His reply is immediate: “I’m free.”
You sigh and absentmindedly stroke Bun-Bun’s ears as you hurriedly complete your Potions homework. No dreams tonight, you plead, or at least ones where you still have all of your teeth.
After you leave Jihyo’s room, you head straight to the east side of campus. The stony outcropping there has a smattering of picnic tables shielded by tall evergreen trees, making it the perfect location for discussing potentially shady deals. Also, the vending machines there have the best selection of snacks, and it’s Thursday; they’ve just been restocked.
Changbin has already arrived and acquainted himself with the beverage vending machine, as evidenced by the open can of coffee he has. He looks marginally less sleep-deprived than last night, which could bode well or not well. Maybe he’s changed his mind. Deals with demons are binding, but the default binding is vague, and you didn’t have the foresight to extract a pint of your own blood to create a more specific one. Maybe you should pay more attention to Mina’s musings about divination.
“Hey.” He gestures to the empty seat in front of him, and you sit, trying not to stare at the leaf stuck on one of the horns protruding from his skull. “So, how should we go about this? Prom’s in like, three weeks. Did you buy tickets already ‘cause I’ve got mine.”
You have since you were planning to go, with or without a date. This year’s theme promises an unforgettable night, and since last year’s Enchanted Garden theme included everlasting corsages and boutonnieres, there must be something spectacular planned. “Yeah. How about your tux? I still haven’t gotten my dress yet, so if you haven’t, that’s fine. Are we gonna match? And then there’s the flowers and stuff since I don’t think they’re giving free ones out this year.” Stars above, why are you so nervous about this? It’s just a simple discussion, straightforward as can be. Should you draw up a written contract, or would that be even more awkward? Before you can stop yourself, you quickly add, “You’ve got a leaf on your horn, by the way.”
He pats around until he finds it and flicks it off. With an earnest expression, he says, “We can match. Black ties are boring anyway. Unless your dress is gonna be black, which in that case, will be cool. Everything kind of depends on your dress now, huh?”
It does. You can hear the crickets chirping as you try to come up with something to say that doesn’t fully embarrass you. Changbin sips on his coffee, and your eyes wander to his sigil again. You feel like you should know what it is, but you can’t exactly place it. In the world’s smoothest transition, you pull out your planner and say, “So finals.”
“Finals.”
The heavy word hangs in the air, but he says nothing more. You flip to your calendar to check your available times. “Should we do weekly study sessions? Or a giant cram session the night before? How do you wanna do it? Is there anything in particular you need help with?”
“I kind of need help with everything?”
“Weekly study sessions then,” you decide as you click your pen. You press it against the page, and a dot of inky black sits across the surface as you wait for confirmation. “Every Thursday at four? We’ll meet here for an hour and go over the material.”
A relieved smile crosses his face. “You’re a lifesaver. This was supposed to be an easy class.”
“You thought Advanced Potions II would be easy?”
He blinks. “Yeah, since one was.”
He’s got a point. You take out your textbook and open to the latest chapter, Night Vision, which makes Changbin groan and you sigh. “C’mon, we have a deal. Don’t you wanna pass the class?”
He relents and listens as you explain the different effects of using belladonna versus tomato as a brewing base. Teaching Changbin is actually quite fun, you discover, since he’s mostly engaged and doesn’t try to undermine your authority by proposing bizarre scenarios that would never happen.
Yes, Minho, this is about you.
It’s also a nice opportunity for you to review the concepts yourself. You buy a pack of sour gummies from the machine and share them with Changbin who appears to be eating them out of politeness rather than enjoyment.
When the hour is over, he offers to walk you back to your dorm since it’s “the prom date thing to do,” but you decline. Jihyo has finished sewing, so you need to stop by her room first. Besides, Changbin’s stomach has started to growl, and you don’t want to keep him from dinner. You’ve learned from San that hungry demons are pissed-off demons.
“I’ll update you about my dress,” you tell him as you try to shove everything back into your backpack in a nonchalant fashion. That crunching sound is definitely one of your notebooks being crushed. “I’m going shopping this weekend, so I’ll probably find one then. And I’ll handle your tie too, so don’t worry about that.”
“Thanks. Good luck.” He waits until you’re ready and walks you to the outer ring of the outcropping. Then he waves and says, “See you next week.”
“See you.”
As you head to Jihyo’s, you realize that Changbin’s actually a really nice person. Demon. Supernatural. Doesn’t matter. Prom with a stranger might be okay after all.
Mina and Chaeyoung accompany you to The Spiderweaver and make you try on a dozen different dresses for their entertainment. Mina looked into her crystal ball, her favorite method of divination because of its clarity, before leaving the Academy and apparently knows which dress you’re going to buy, so why not have some fun? She refuses to tell you which one it is though. Chaeyoung has opted to go for a sleek jumpsuit instead of a gown, so she’s having fun on the sidelines as well.
“What do the cards say?” you jokingly ask her as you delicately peel off the skin-tight mermaid dress. You hope that the next one she hands you is the foggy green one you saw on the website. When you walked in and saw it hanging from the rack, you grabbed it and didn’t bother with anything else. That has to be the one you’re destined to buy.
There’s the sound of a deck of cards being shuffled. “The Empress, so cape dress.”
You swap hangers with her and step into the flowy dress with the sheer cloak attached. The gold adornments are very pretty, and you’re certain the skirt has been imbued with a shimmering charm of some sort since light does not usually reflect like that. You draw the curtain back, revealing your friends’ appreciative faces.
“You look like The Empress,” Chaeyoung comments. She holds up the card, and you certainly do resemble her in your current ensemble. All you need is a crown. “Do you like this one?”
Mina has her secretive smile on, which makes you think twice. However, you ultimately shake your head and point to the green one still on the rack. “C’mon, I know it’s that one. Divination is just instincts, and Naturals have that too. Ask Miss Wang. I’m doing great in tea reading.”
Before Mina can go on her long spiel about the history of diviners, Chaeyoung cuts her off with a laugh. “You’re no fun.”
“You’re no fun,” you call back as you shut the curtain once more.
Cards get shuffled, and Chaeyoung makes a triumphant noise. “The Fool. You’re wrong.” She pauses, then says, “Am I allowed to gloat about being right about your date, or is it too soon?”
“Definitely too soon,” answers Mina. She approaches the edge of the changing stall and sticks her arm in between the wall and curtain, waiting for the exchange. “Try again after prom?”
“Can we not discuss Changbin?” you ask. There’s something a little mortifying that you had to strike a deal with an entity in order to get a date. Your natural charms and innate ingenuity just weren’t exceptional enough, probably to the displeasure of Principal Park. You suppose your intelligence was since you’re going to be studying with him but still. “Did you hear that we might have a Folklore quiz on Monday? Apparently, Chan overheard Miss Bae talking about it when he passed by the faculty room.”
“You’re the only one here taking Honors Folklore,” Mina reminds.
She hands you your foretold dress, and you hurry to put it on. The fabric ripples as you zip it up, and you smooth the silver brocade detailing on the bodice. You’ll need to get it tailored for it to fit properly, but it feels perfect. The incomprehensible noises your friends make when you show it off to them, confirm your beliefs.
“You look amazing!” Mina says. She’s been taking pictures the whole time, but she’s going all in now, making sure to capture you from every angle.
Meanwhile, Chaeyoung holds the Lovers card between her fingers, flashing it every which way. “He’s going to fall head over heels when he sees you in this.”
“We’re not talking about Changbin.”
“I didn’t say anything about him.” She flips the card around and pretends to admire the gilded edges. “You’re putting words into my mouth.”
“There was an implication! Who else would you be talking about?”
“Chan.”
While you sigh, Mina sends you the photos she took, which you send to Changbin so he can match his tie to your dress. Chaeyoung and Mina peer over your shoulder as they await his response. He doesn’t reply within ten seconds, so you end up leaving your friends unattended with your phone as you change back into your normal clothes. You come to a realization why that is a bad idea twenty seconds in and throw on the rest of your clothing in record time. Fortunately, they haven’t done anything disastrous, though Chaeyoung is shuffling through her deck like she’s consulting the cards for what she can do to tip the scales.
“He says you look nice,” Mina informs. Your phone chimes with another message. “And he loves the color, smiley emoji.”
That’s a relief. You’re not sure what you would have done if you didn’t, but that obstacle doesn’t even exist now. He could also be lying, but you’ll pretend that it’s not worrying you.
“The Spiderweaver can make matching ties to dresses, you know,” Chaeyoung says. She puts her deck away and starts gathering the other selections she and Mina picked out. “You can ask at the tailoring station.”
“Did the cards tell you that?” you say.
“No, the sign at the front did.”
She gives you a cheeky smile while you and Mina share exasperated looks with each other. Chaeyoung mouths, “The Lovers,” as she walks away before you can tackle her to the ground.
You know a little bit about tarot. The Lovers isn’t always associated with a romantic outcome; it’s about a choice in a relationship, and right now, you have decided that your darling friend Chaeyoung needs a few bone-crushing hugs.
The chapter after Night Vision is Sun Vision, which greatly confuses you as to why it exists since sunglasses fulfill the same purpose and are significantly less fiddly. It’s a uselessly complex potion, and Changbin is struggling.
“I have to brew a night vision potion before I can make a sun vision one?”
“Yeah. It’s a counter-potion, and counters need the thing it’s supposed to counter.”
He sighs so heavily he knocks over the little origami goat he made in despair. You offer him your mini bag of fruit gummies in sympathy, and he mournfully chews on an artificial strawberry. The upcoming test is a practical one. Based on the stories he has shared with you, Changbin’s practical skills are a smidge above his knowledge.
Much to your chagrin, he shuts his notebook of crossed-out equations. “Let’s talk about prom.”
“This really isn’t the time.”
You haven’t been able to escape discussions of prom, especially since the rumors about the memory potions started circling around. Memory potions are strictly forbidden at the Academy, resulting in expulsion if one is caught, but according to Chan’s werewolf pack, a select group of the top witches has been tasked with a modified version for prom. Jihyo, who tested out of the entire Advanced Potions series and comes from a long line of brewing witches, has become increasingly busy with “work,” and everyone has noticed. As one of her close friends, you have been pestered.
Nevertheless, he asks, “Are we taking pictures? My friend, the same one who sucks at Potions, he’s a photographer.”
It’s a good question, you admit. Do you want to memorialize that night forever? “Yeah, why not? Should we do it in front of the fountain like everyone else does too?”
“Yeah. I heard some of the mermaids talking about making the water iridescent so they can get nice pictures.” Changbin smiles dreamily as if he’s imagining the moment himself. Almost as an afterthought, he adds, “That green color is really nice. I might re-wear the tie for graduation.”
Stars, why are you so flustered by that remark? You have done a lot more mortifying things than for such a simple statement to warrant a reaction like this. You abruptly head to the beverage machine and select the first drink that catches your eye, blueberry soda. It sounds mediocre. At least it’s refreshingly cold.
“How do you feel about white for your corsage?” he asks, unaware of your current state. “I think it’ll match with the silver.”
“Sounds good,” you say as you twist off the metal cap with a pop. If he weren’t here right now, you would press the glass bottle to your flaming cheeks, but alas, he is, so you have to settle for drinking a quarter of the soda. It’s better than you expect. You remember that you have to buy a boutonniere for him as well, and you take another gulp. “Pop quiz: what happens to sun vision if you mix a night vision potion with sunflower oil before you reduce it?”
His hand trails towards his notes, but one pointed look makes him stop. “It increases the effects?”
“Decreases. Everything before reduction gets countered since…”
“Reduction is the first step,” he recites. You’ve been repeating the phrase constantly at him since the session began, but it appears that it hasn’t been embedded into his brain yet. “Potions is so much fun.”
You keep your mouth shut, lest you demoralize him because to you, Potions is fun. Instead, you direct him to the assigned homework problems and guide him through the more difficult ones as you work alongside him. A particularly tricky review question about how Scoville units affect fire resistance causes Changbin to let out a long swear in the Undead Tongue. His horns momentarily catch fire in his frustration.
“Sorry,” he mumbles. “Bad habit.”
You couldn’t care less about all of that. “You’re so fluent,” you blurt out. “I mean, you are a demon, so it’s not surprising, but that was so clean.”
Most Supernaturals learn the Undead Tongue first since it’s still the main language used in old texts and whatnot, but it still impresses you every time. Even with some speech therapy, you can’t quite manage to get the sounds right. And unfortunately, pronunciation is generally important in most spells and rituals. You’re usually exempt from those sorts of exams, but it still sucks that you’re noticeably not good at it.
He smiles, incisors on full display, and thanks you. “It’s nothing. I’m sure you’re pretty good yourself.”
You prove him wrong by parroting the swear back at him. You truly are doing your best, but the presence of him combined with your usual anxiety makes your intonation even worse than normal. Where is Bun-Bun when you need her?
“How was that?” you ask before taking a large swallow of soda. Why did you decide to do that? Really, these last couple of days have just been filled with questionable decisions.
“Better than me and Potions, that’s for sure,” he laughs. “It’s a little rough, but I can understand you.”
He’s being very kind. Mina has gently corrected you a multitude of times when you read aloud, and San simply accepted you butchering the names of prominent demonic texts after two weeks.
“How about this? You only tutor me in the Undead Tongue,” Changbin suggests. “You get some practice, I still get to pass the class. Besides, there’s not usually a lot of people here anyway, so no one will hear you.”
“This is not part of the deal.”
“I’m doing it out of the goodness of my heart.”
You click your pen as you contemplate. You do need the practice, especially since you’re planning to stay within Supernatural society after you graduate. A blush begins creeping up your neck when you ask in the Undead Tongue, “How many Scoville units is pure capsaicin?”
With perfect pronunciation, he correctly answers fifteen million.
Next Thursday’s study session is canceled in favor of a trip to The Spiderweaver. Your dress’s alterations have been completed, and Changbin needs to pick up his rented tuxedo anyway. However, you quiz him on the week’s material. The practical test is tomorrow, and since all of the labs were fully booked, this is the best you can do unless you want to get a demerit for stealing Potions supplies and equipment.
While Changbin tries his tux on one last time, you are on the other side of the curtain, flipping through your flashcards for new questions to ask. You are debating whether it would be cruel to ask him to balance equations with no paper or calculator on hand when he steps out.
He spreads his arms out theatrically and gestures at the properly knotted green tie at his neck. “What do you think?”
You didn’t realize he knew how to do it, so you were fully prepared to help. After an hour of practicing on a very patient Mina, you finally got the hang of it. Now that you’ve seen him in all of his glory, you don’t know if you would have been able to without fumbling. By the moon, the power formal wear holds—he looks very, very good.
With as much nonchalance you can muster, you tell him so. “But maybe you don’t wear sneakers on the actual night,” you hurriedly add to distract yourself. “I mean, you still look great, but you know. Just prom things.”
He kicks his feet up, eyeing his worn-out shoes. The white midsoles are more of a yellow-gray than a true white. “You’re probably right.” With a cheerful grin, he points at the black garment bag hanging on the hook. “Your turn!”
He doesn’t even bother changing out of his outfit first; he just takes your color-coded cards and nudges you into the other side of the curtain. Before you can protest, he shuts it close and asks you to tell him all of the steps of brewing a dehydration potion with a lemon juice base. As you slip inside the dress, you recite every single step, pausing in-between to allow him to check. And because you feel that it is only right that you get to be as dramatic as he was, the moment you name the last step, you pull back the curtain and immediately regret your decision when you realize how much of a femme fatale you appear to be. Nothing against that particular archetype; it’s just not you.
You release your grip on the curtain and sweep back your skirt. “Ta-da,” you shyly say, keeping your eyes on your flashcards. “I got that all right, right? Pronunciation okay?”
“Yeah. You… you look really nice. Like, pretty. Better than the pictures.”
Did Mina’s crystal ball predict this moment too? She saw you in this dress, but flashes of the future don’t always tell a linear story. Surely, she would have said some— No, interfering with the future usually doesn’t change much, so you would have wound up in the same position anyway: flushed and suddenly wondering if Changbin is saying those things because it’s “the prom date thing to do.”
“Yeah, the fit’s a lot better now.” After a pause, you say, “Do you wanna change first?”
“No, you go ahead. I wanna study a little more before you test me again.” He holds up the flashcards and selects an orange one. “What happens if you add peppers to a fire resistance potion before reduction?”
“You made that one up.”
“You know the answer, don’t you?”
You close the curtain and say, “It increases fire susceptibility.”
The triumph in his voice is clear when he replies, “Nope, I didn’t say what kind of pepper. Jalapeños and chili peppers, yes. Bell peppers, no.”
You should feel embarrassed, but a sense of pride wells up in you instead. Last week, he probably wouldn’t have known the difference between bell and chili peppers in potion making, but today he set up a trick question for you. He’s a quick learner. “Nice. You’re definitely up to speed about book-knowledge. Maybe we can find someone willing to split a lab room with us when we get back.”
“Maybe, but hey, I’ve had a good teacher. I think I’ll be fine.”
Somehow, you believe him. Your beliefs prove to be correct because Changbin texts you the next afternoon that he indeed passed the practical exam. With all-caps and multiple exclamation points, you congratulate him and fall back onto your school-issued desk chair with a jubilant squeal.
The following study session is extended because Jihyo needs you for some unknown reason. Actually, you have a pretty good idea what the reason is, but you’re stunned that the school is allowing the secret memory potions to be tested on students. It’s a trap, it has to be.
Nevertheless, you and Changbin grab snacks from the dining hall before meeting Jihyo at one of the research labs at the far back of the campus. She said that he was free to come with you, and you’re becoming more and more grateful for that. Dense forest surrounds the sleek modern building, and an electric generator softly hums in the background. It’s nearly sunset, and orange sun rays paint the walkway with shadows of tree branches, which resemble claws reaching out to snatch at your ankles. There’s nothing dangerous in the Academy except for its occupants, but there’s something unsettling about a secluded experimental zone anyway.
Once inside the safety of the compound, Jihyo hands you a paper cup with what appears to be water. The faint odor, however, confirms that it is not.
“Drink this. I promise it’s safe.”
“Remember when I almost died?”
She waves it off like nothing and gives you an encouraging smile. “That was an accident, and you’re still alive.”
“What about Changbin?” you ask, hoping that he, too, will be forced to participate. In return, he gives you a startled look, like you’ve just betrayed him. “He’s a demon. That has to be helpful.”
“If a Natural can take it, then it’s safe for everyone. I know it is—I double-checked everything, so I just need proof. After ten minutes, you’re free to go until tomorrow. I need to test the memory effects too.”
You warily gulp it down. While you trust her—she’s the best brewing witch the Academy has, with dozens of research institutions and business industries clamoring for her approval—Naturals are vulnerable to quite a bit of things, and you still remember when her now patented Silver Tongue Potion actually turned your tongue silver. It would have simply been an unfortunate side effect had it not also made you temporarily lose your sense of taste. And let’s not forget the time you had a phantom heart attack due to a finicky mixture that seemed to have a life of its own. You didn’t die—hence, phantom—but apparently you got close.
However, this potion seems to be working perfectly. Or at least, nothing horrible is happening.
While you fidget around, toying with the cuffs of your sweater as you prepare yourself in case something does happen, Changbin has a slew of questions for Jihyo. As it turns out, like Minho, he also had tons of bizarre scenarios in mind. He was just kind enough to not subject you to them.
In the midst of answering a question regarding salt crystals, she abruptly says, “That’s one of Jeongyeon’s sigils. For deep sleep, right?”
Your eyes fall to Changbin’s wrist where the faint markings are still visible. No wonder why you didn’t quite recognize it. Jeongyeon’s family has a tendency to create and use their own unique sigils, meaning that they are often not in your textbooks. You also haven’t crossed paths with her magic yet, knowing her only as one of Jihyo’s childhood friends.
“I literally lost sleep over Potions, so I paid her to do it,” he explains. “It’s been about a month, and it still works decently. I don’t really need it now, but it’s nice.”
While the two of them start to delve into the intricacies of your deal with Changbin, you try not to blush at the memory. Changbin recounts you as his savior, his ironic guardian angel. He becomes animated when he mimes the way you dove for the prom invitation, and Jihyo laughs so uproariously that you want to burst into flames. You doubt that’s a side effect of the potion. As you shoot her pleading looks, she gives you a studious once-over before declaring you fine to leave.
“Promise I’ll be okay?” you say. You stick your tongue out at her, and she assures you that your tongue is its normal color. Unaware of the inside joke, Changbin cautiously eyes Jihyo, searching for any signs of malice like he can detect such a thing.
“Of course. Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow. Drop in whenever.” At your visible anxiety, she pops off the cap of the pen in her lab coat and draws a tiny sigil on the inside of her wrist. “This is linked to Bun-Bun. A stress detector, kind of. If she starts glowing red, then I’ll come to you. If I’m not there in time, ask Mina for help. I gave her a few antidotes last year when she was my other guinea pig, but you should be completely fine. Deal?”
What’s worse, a deal with a demon or one with a witch? “Deal.”
When you and Changbin are in sight of the main campus, he asks, “Is Bun-Bun your stuffed rabbit?”
“You’re not gonna ask about the time I almost died?” you say. “But yes, Bun-Bun is my rabbit. If you make fun of me, I’ll…”
“Do nothing about it? Bun-Bun’s a cute name.”
It is, which is why you named her that in the first place, but it feels like teasing from him. You direct your attention to the swath of fallen branches ahead of you, stepping over them with as much as you can. The pine bristles brush against your ankle, and you keep yourself steady. “Prom’s on Saturday.”
He arches an eyebrow. You rarely talk about prom, preferring to pepper him with Potions questions instead, but you continue with the topic anyway when he says nothing. “Are we meeting at the fountain or somewhere else? It might be crowded there, and not to mention, we have to head to the hotel afterward. Should we do pictures tomorrow then? We can still take them at sunset as planned.”
“Saturday at sunset,” he confirms, “and then we’re going to the fast travel station at the main hall.”
He makes you take a detour at the stony outcropping and pauses in front of the vending machines. After a moment’s dilemma, he selects the sour gummies and places the packet into your hand. “Usually, sugar is not what you give to Naturals when they’re jumpy, but you seem like you need it. Jihyo’s a good witch, don’t worry.”
You decide not to mention that he’s only known Jihyo for about ten minutes. You rip open the bag and pop a gummy in your mouth, delightfully grimacing at the flavor. Regular gummies just aren’t as good as these. “I know, but I’d really not end up in the infirmary and miss prom. We have a deal.”
“Hey, if you’re not feeling well, feel free to summon me tonight. I probably won’t be able to help, but you’ll have moral support. Iced coffee, culinary lavender, or just a good old human sacrifice.”
If something does go wrong, he might accidentally receive one. However, you opt to ignore the last bit and hold out your snack. “Want one?”
Tonight is going to be An Unforgettable Night.
The modified memory potions worked so splendidly that you didn’t have to call anyone. When Jihyo tested the effects on Friday morning, you found that you remembered everything that happened with great clarity, minus anything you read for class or studied. How she managed to create a potion with those parameters, you have no idea. Sheer genius? Quite possibly. If she asked, you likely could have told her the exact number of times you checked Bun-Bun for a glowing red light.
Now, Chaeyoung is sitting on your bed, shuffling through her cards while simultaneously peering into Mina’s crystal ball. Her pointy heels peek out of her scarlet jumpsuit, and she annoyedly tucks a loose curl from her updo behind her ear as she leans in closer to the ball.
“It keeps showing me someone else instead of your demon,” she says.
Overwhelmed by the number of prom photo poses recommended by the internet, you only mumble back, “He’s not my demon.” Why are there so many arms around waists? Can an awkward side hug suffice if you don’t know your date all that well?
“Seo Changbin,” she repeats as she gently taps the glass with a fingernail. “C’mon.”
Mina comes out of the bathroom, the smell of hairspray barely masked by a flowery perfume. You look up from your phone and grin at the sight of her in a champagne-colored ball gown. “The Empress is here.”
She goes pink, mutters something about it being the same dress as last year, and then finally notices Chaeyoung staring intently at her crystal ball. Relieved for the diversion, she says, “You know my crystal doesn’t like you. Whose future are you looking into?”
“No one,” you interrupt. Although a part of you wants to know what’s in store for tonight, a larger part prefers to leave the future for the future. Besides, there are a lot of theories about self-fulfilling prophecies for important events, and prom night definitely counts as one. “Do you both wanna go ahead without me? I’m meeting Changbin at the fountain first for pictures.”
They exchange glances. Diviners can’t read minds, but a message has just been passed between them. Luckily, you are well-versed in reading Mina and Chaeyoung.
Mina:We should wait with her and walk her to the fountain to calm her nerves.
Chaeyoung:We should leave her alone with Changbin for as long as possible.
“Let me fix your eyeliner before we go,” Chaeyoung finally says as she sits you down on your desk chair. You’re unsurprised; she usually wins the staring contests.
“It can’t be that bad,” you reply as you double-check your reflection on your phone screen. “I bought a spell card for my makeup. Yeah, it looks fine.”
“Naturals have a tendency to make spells not work.”
A valid point. The unnaturalness of a Natural using magic usually leads to spells gone awry, weird, or wrong, but your eyeliner looks perfect. When you scan the room for any signs of trickery, you find Mina with her crystal ball, and Chaeyoung fans out her cards in front of your face like she can help you unsee. “Guys!”
“I won’t tell you,” Mina assures, “or anyone else. I just wanted to make sure you would be safe.”
It’s a flimsy excuse because you know the true one is that they’re nosy, but for your sanity, you accept it. They soon leave. Mina smiles assuredly, but that doesn’t relieve your anxieties.
You were the first to change for the night, so that leaves you some time to pace around and practice pinning Changbin’s white boutonniere onto Bun-Bun. Occasionally your phone chimes with updates from your friends—Mina and Chaeyoung have arrived, Jihyo is handing out memory potions alongside the senior witches, and Changbin is on his way.
At the last message, you walk from your dorm room to the fountain, which really has been dyed iridescent. Two mermaids pose at the bottom, the mist of the water creating little rainbows with the sunset. Your date and your photographer are waiting for you beneath the large tree nearby. There’s a black case in Changbin’s hands, and for a delusional second, you think he’s planning to propose marriage to you. Then you take note of Changbin himself, and stars above, if you were the swooning type, you would swoon.
He has always been good-looking, but he is devilishly handsome in his black suit and not-sneakers. His hair is styled but still retains its usual softness, and that small detail keeps him Changbin, your Potions study buddy and not Changbin, the Supernatural is obligated to go to prom with you.
You can’t get out the right words to compliment him, so you have to make do with raising your eyebrows and gesturing at him. He laughs, spinning around so you can take in all of him. As he comes to a stop, his eyes dance like fire.
“You look incredible,” he says in the Undead Tongue, like it’s a secret only the two of you know. After a breath, he nods at the person dressed in a navy suit and a camera bag. “This is Seungmin, who sucks at being a witch but is passable as a photographer.”
“I specialize in charms and hexes,” Seungmin corrects. “Nice to meet you. Now, not to ruin the moment, but I’ve got other couples to shoot after you, so if we could get going, that would be great.”
He’s all business, which you appreciate because you would be fretting over every little decision. As predicted, the fountain is a very popular spot for photos, so he has you two remain under the tree instead while he snaps candids. A crowd waiting for the fountain spectates the affair. It’s beginning to feel a bit like a proposal.
Changbin ties your corsage of white roses and star-shaped buds to your wrist, taking care not to rustle any of the flowers. His sleeping sigil flexes as he knots the bow, and you are so entranced by the way it moves that you nearly miss his inquiry.
“Do you like it?” he repeats. “If you don’t, I can probably get Seungmin to charm it into something else.”
“No! I love it,” you assure him a little too loudly. Stars, people are watching. “I was just lost in my thoughts. The little star ones are pretty, and the green leafy parts match us. You did a great job. Honestly, the one I got for you isn’t nearly as nice, but I did try my best to—”
“What’s the base for a cloud breath potion?”
“Dry ice,” you automatically answer, though you are confused. Cloud breath isn’t being covered until another week, and as far as you can tell, Changbin has been diligent keeping up with class, not staying ahead of it. “Why the sudden question?”
“Because it’s your turn.”
He points at his bare lapel, and you open your clutch for the box that holds his flowers. You weren’t trying to deflect when you said his boutonniere wasn’t as nice. It’s made of white roses as well, but the baby’s breath and greenery are simple compared to what he got you. When he compliments it, your fingers slip. The flowers are spared from any accident, but you are left gripping Changbin’s lapel like you’re about to pull him in for a kiss. Quickly and without any ceremony, you finish pinning the boutonniere and step away with your hands clasped in front of you. Someone wolf whistles, not at you, but the sudden noise makes you want to hide.
“Should we go?” he whispers, glancing at the onlookers and your flustered state. “It’s probably better if we’re not late, right?”
As much as you would rather leave, you can’t. “But you were so excited about the fountain. We can wait, I don’t mind.”
“Seungmin’s gonna be busy anyway.”
He’s dejected. He hides it well with poise and rationality, but there’s a layer of disappointment coating his words. Suddenly feeling brave, you ignore your instincts and take his hand. “Let’s come back when prom’s over then. The fountain’s gonna look dozens of times better at night. Everything does.”
When he smiles, you learn exactly how well you like those pointy teeth of his now.
Prom lives up to its theme, and not simply because of the memory potions, though they do help. The hotel ballroom has been decorated to reflect the luxuries of the world, from the possibly real diamonds hanging in strands from the ceiling to the multitude of gems that form the compass on the floor. With the bright lights in your eyes, you wonder if this is why sun vision potions were invented. Sunglasses would destroy your look, but this level of illumination may destroy your eyesight.
But as stunning as the venue is, the event itself is boring. You and Changbin mill around the edges of the dance floor, pointing out the hidden treasures in the room to each other and saying hello to friends. Judging by the way they duck into different groups, Chaeyoung and Mina are intent on avoiding you tonight, only communicating by text. Though Changbin notices this, he says nothing and introduces you to his friends instead. San, as it turns out, is actually his friend, so you really could have begged him for Changbin’s number if needed all those weeks ago.
When a slow dance number comes on, courtesy of the magical birds in the golden cages hovering in the air, you are tempted to ask Changbin for a dance. It’s the prom thing to do, isn’t it?
“I think your flowers got crushed,” you tell him, heart pounding so loudly that every werewolf in the vicinity can probably hear it. “Let me…”
He stands still for you as you try to breathe some life into the singular sprig of baby’s breath that’s beginning to wilt. If you were a witch, you could have literally done so, but propping it upright against a rose is the best you can do. Then you move the greenery around to conceal the gap made. Is it strange that you can feel your heartbeat in your fingers?
Yeah, definitely.
“All good now,” you say. You awkwardly pat his lapel, realize exactly what you’re doing, and quickly retract your hand as your face heats up. Changbin works out. A lot.
“Thanks.” He scans the ballroom, his gaze lingering on the dance floor crowded with couples, once more before asking, “I thought prom would be more fun than this.”
“Me too.”
“You wanna go then? We can go to the fountain and then head to San’s afterparty.”
The idea of an afterparty makes you hesitant, and a flurry of excuses rushes to mind, ranging from “I’m tired” to “My friends imposed a curfew on me to make sure I don’t do anything too debaucherous and get kicked out a month before graduation.” If anything, they would rather you stay out all night with Changbin. Chaeyoung’s card of the Lovers flashes behind your eyes, but you push it away.
“I’m not really a party person,” you slowly begin, “but I’m still down for the picture.”
He tries to convince you to come along, promising it’ll be fun, but eventually accepts your decision. However, he does make you agree to let him walk you back to your dorm because it’s “the prom date and gentle-demon thing to do.” The phrase has apparently been upgraded.
There’s no one at the fountain, which is still iridescent under the light of the moon, glittering like ground diamonds. Bracing yourself for the inevitable chill, you dip your hand into the water just to make sure it is real. Everything truly does look better at night.
Unfortunately, your initial plan has a flaw: no photographer. That results in a quick selfie, followed by you constructing a stand out of the rocks and branches littering the area around. You wouldn’t trust putting your phone on it, but Changbin doesn’t seem to care. While you remain in front of the fountain, moonlit water misting the back of your dress, he sets a timer and runs back to you, draping an arm around your shoulder just in time. Then he goes back to set another.
The second time, he says something to you, but you can’t hear him over the sound of the water. The moment you glance at him, the shutter goes off.
“Sorry, what did you say?” you ask.
Changbin looks at you now. If you tilt your head just right, the crescent moon fits neatly in the space between his horns, like it’s suspended above his head. Transfixed by the image, you barely register his reply: “I asked if you wanted to dance.”
The shutter goes off again, and you realize that he must have set it to burst mode. You resume a more posed position, and he does as well. He speaks through a smile. “So, you wanna dance? I think I owe you that at least.”
Your heart begins pounding again, and this time you have nothing to distract you. “Here?”
“Where else? Unless you actually do want to go to that party.”
No matter how hopeful he sounds, you do not. This is your only chance now, so with one last smile for the camera, you say, “Sure.”
The song he’s playing from his phone isn’t even close to audible, but swaying back and forth with Changbin to the music of a bubbling fountain and faint bat screeches may be the most romantic thing you’ve experienced. The delicate distance between your bodies makes your intertwined fingers feel illicit. You can hardly bring yourself to look at his face. He hums a melody, perhaps from the song he chose, and spins you around, catching you in surprise. A star-shaped bud falls into the water in the commotion. When you’re back in his arms, you softly say to the empty space beside him, “Thanks for being my date.”
“It was my pleasure.”
You wait for him to say something about helping him study for Potions, but he simply leaves it at that. Idle conversation feels out of place, so you add nothing else. You listen to his humming, watch the stars shift as you slow dance, and feel the warmth of his hand in yours. For once, you feel serene in his presence, not a hint of blush threatening to bloom. You don’t want the moment to end.
But all good things must, so you pull away when Changbin’s melody stops. He sighs but keeps close. “You sure you don’t wanna go to the party?”
“You can tell me all about it on Thursday.”
“C’mon, let’s get you back.” Though unnecessary, he holds his arm out for you, and you accept it since the night is scary and so you can savor the dance for a little longer. Your memory of tonight will be crystal clear tomorrow morning and forever, but there’s something special about now, when the world is still enchanted and when you’re still bewitched by its spell.
The walk back to your dorm is quiet, with only the sounds of footsteps against stony pathing as company. The night strips away the outer layers of people, both Supernaturals and Naturals. What made you daring three weeks ago, makes you modest this evening. Changbin has changed too. He typically always has something to say, no matter how insignificant. It’s only when he drops you off at your door does he finally speak: “Say good night to Bun-Bun for me.”
“I will. Have fun at the party.”
“Thanks. Good night.”
He leans in like he’s about to leave you a parting gift on your cheek but stops before he can get too close. Instead, he waits until you’ve fished your room key from your clutch and waves goodbye. As you shut the door, the hallway light falls in the space between his horns like another moon. It oddly reminds you of a halo this time, and you stifle a giggle at the irony.
Bun-Bun waits for you on your bed. You pat her head three times in greeting and relay Changbin’s message to her. As expected, she stares blankly back. After a moment’s hesitation and after ensuring that Mina and Chaeyoung aren’t hiding in the room somewhere, you recount the night to her, caressing the petals of your corsage’s roses as your heart pulses at every detail of the dance.
Thursday is weird. You hoped that you and Changbin would fall back into the usual pattern, but prom has made it difficult. He tells you about San’s party with much enthusiasm, possibly more than needed for what sounds like a bunch of tipsy people making pancakes in the middle of the night. He did mention a fire though, so maybe that’s why. Either way, a normal conversation is hard, even with an arsenal of sour gummies, blueberry soda, and Potions flashcards.
You’re flipping through your textbook, trying to find the exact volume of dry ice required for a cloud breath potion, when Changbin abruptly asks, “What are you doing after graduation?”
You haven’t thought about graduation in a while, but you’ve had post-grad plans since the beginning of the year. “Working for Jihyo’s family.”
He sounds surprised. “You’re not going to a Natural university or something?”
“No, I like doing this more. And they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
If you were a witch, they likely would have offered an apprenticeship, but since you have no magical ability, you’ll be doing research for their family business and if your earlier incident with Jihyo is any indication, acting as a part-time guinea pig. While that last part isn’t ideal, working under a Park brewing witch is a huge resumé booster, especially as a Natural in Supernatural circles. Companies will be knocking on your door the moment you decide to leave, if you ever. Besides, the salary is really, really good. If you ever decide to go into academia, they promised that they would help fund your education, so really, how could you not work for them?
“What about you?” you ask. “Have you got a demonic kingdom to run like San?”
He shakes his head. “I’m gonna be a deal broker. Answer summons daily, make contracts, get paid in human sacrifices and money.”
How nice that demons now want sacrifices and money. If you ever need to summon one again, you’ll keep that in mind. “Well, you’ve got some practice with me already. If you ever need me to, I can write you a rec letter.”
He looks at the blank piece of paper he means to use for homework like he’s considering asking you to write him one now. You pick up your pen and diligently wait, but he just smiles wryly.
“I think I’ll be okay for now, but I’ll hit you up if I ever need one. And if you ever need special potion ingredients or a test subject, then feel free to summon me. No more lavender now though, just coffee.”
“What kind? Is it still iced coffee?”
He looks surprised that you remember. “Yeah. Put it in a potion bottle so I know it’s you and won’t decline the call.”
“Will do. Now,” you say, turning back to your beloved textbook, “back to studying. How much dry ice is needed for a cloud breath potion base?”
“50 milliliters.”
You finally turn to the correct page, and it is indeed 50 milliliters. As you jot it down, you tease, “Someone knows their stuff. Have you considered going into the potions business?”
“Yeah”—grinning, he stretches his arms over his head and around—“I did since I have a great tutor and all, but the lack of sacrifices made me rethink it.”
You crack open your bottle of soda, praying that the cold drink tempers how warm you are. You’re going to miss having a study partner when you start working. No more free compliments, no more fun moments like this.
Finals has approached, which means every student on campus is in a frenzy, and you are no exception. You split the weekend with Chan for Honors Folklore and Changbin. Folklore is right before Potions, and you’re less confident in that subject, so while you review Potions concepts with Changbin, you’re also skimming through the numerous texts you’re supposed to know by heart. The tales about werewolves and witches you’ve heard many times since Chan adores debunking them and since witch stories are one of the most prolific ones in the Natural world, but the alleged hierarchy of the faerie courts is driving you mad. Nearly everything is wrong, so it’s like learning fake history.
“… lung expansion?”
It takes a second for you to process Changbin’s words. “Two minutes?” you guess, hoping that he’s asking about duration. He asked about the effects of a lung expansion potion earlier.
“Yes, but only because you know my pattern of questions. Should we end early? You look stressed.”
You furiously shake your head. “I’m always stressed. Sorry, I’m just freaking out about Monday. It’s mostly short answer questions, but there’s an essay portion at the end, and there’s so much to memorize and so many things to get mixed up, so I’m pretty sure everything will muddle together, and I really don’t want to fail.” You shove your texts to the side and take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of the evergreen trees.“What potions must be brewed during the full moon?”
“Any werewolf-related ones, like wolf suppression or enhancement.” When he sees your strained nod of approval, he reassures, “You’re gonna be fine, I know so.”
“That’s what you said about me booking a lab, and here we are.”
The Potions final consists of brewing three randomly chosen potions and testing them on yourself. If all three work as intended, you get full marks. If only two are successful, then you pass. One success or no success results in failure.
As expected, the moment the format was announced, everyone rushed to reserve a lab, and with the number of claws and hexes flying around, you never stood a chance. You thought demons were at the top of the Supernatural food chain, so maybe Changbin would be able to intimidate his way into getting a lab, but alas, no one is afraid of them anymore. Or they’re more afraid of failing, which is understandable.
“Is Potions the only class you’re worried about?” you ask.
“Pretty much. Siren Song should have been really difficult in theory, but music and composition just click for me, and the teacher’s lenient on grading. Guaranteed 100 for me.”
You wish you had his self-assurance. Maybe you should find Jeongyeon and pay her to draw a sigil on you as well, perhaps one for confidence. You scan Changbin’s hand for his sleeping sigil, but it has completely faded away now. Nonetheless, you watch it anyway as he reaches for a gummy. Though he won’t admit it, you’re pretty sure that he likes them now. You decidedly like him less when he asks you to recite all of the steps fo
