amidst the chaos of flashing lights and sweaty bodies on the dance floor, you can still make out the surprise in juyeon’s eyes when your lips encase his own. drunken desire drowns out the sound of the club music as his tongue delves into your mouth.
large hands come to grab the expanse of your neck, and it’s when the heat enveloping you two gets to be too much that you stop to smile up at him. dripping in ecstasy, your voice sends shivers down his spine,
content: female!reader, dom!reader, sub!idol, mommy kink, bondage, punishment, mentions of a humiliation kink and exhibitionism, hair pulling, mild degradation towards kevin, ~900 words
dt: the anon who requested it <3
What’s gotten into you today?” You click your tongue and roll your eyes, watching the way Kevin pulls against his restraints. “First, touching yourself without permission, and then trying to tease me in front of your members? Jacob almost saw you trying to put your hand in my panties, you know. Maybe you wanted him to - wanted him to see you be naughty, maybe you wanted him to help me punish you?”
Kevin looks at you with blurry eyes, but a smirk still on his face. “What if I did?” You laugh and tug on one of his restraints, spreading his legs wider and tightening it more once he’s in the position you want.
“Then I guess he’d have to help me edge you until you have rope burn, wouldn’t he, baby?” He makes a startled whimper at the sudden movement, and at the threat of the rope burn.
pairing: bf! hyunjae x fem! reader wc: 1.9k synopsis: at the beach, your mood suddenly swings, and your boyfriend is too oblivious to understand why you’re feeling that way. genre: angsty fluff, comfort, very cliché, fluffy end tw: insecurities, self body-shaming, a petty fight at the beginning a/n: yeah I went to the pool the other day and it was pretty much this, except that I didn’t have a hyunjae by my side lol… and Spotify played this olivia rodrigo’s song a moment after.. but happy birthday to Hyunjae in advance!!! requested: no!
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“What kind of fuckery is that?” you ask yourself when you take a look around you at the beach while Hyunjaewas settling your stuff down in the sand, trying not to get too much sand on the cooler. He removed his t-shirt to be more comfortable, girls built like models ogled at your boyfriend’s back and abs, giggling together and biting their lips as they saw his muscles move around.
The beach was filled with slim, fit people, either working out or getting that tan for Instagram. The girls were so pretty and looked like models that could sign with Marc Jacobs, which had the ability to make you even more insecure than you already were. A feeling of uneasiness settled inside your body, especially your heart, who felt heavy with insecurity when you took another great look at the people hanging out around you.
“Here darling, take a seat,” he said as he placed down a wide tablecloth on the sand with your towel on it, thanking him with a brief smile before guiding him to plant the parasol to let you rest in the shade together.
His shoulders and biceps glistened with sweat as he stopped digging to hammer the parasol pole in the sand, rubbing the grains off his fingers to finally sit down next to you. His smile subsided when he noticed you staring into space, gaze on the water, a weary look painted on your face.
“Y/N, is there something wrong? Don’t you want to go in the water?” he quizzed you, not really understanding your mood swing. You were so excited when he offered to go to the beach, and now, you looked sad, almost disappointed to be there.
“You can go ahead, I’ll join you later,” you said as you rested on your back, covering your face with your straw hat.
Hyunjaeobserved you laying down, frowning as you didn’t even remove your beach dress. Something felt odd, weird. You loved being there and having fun in the water. What was going on?
He looked around to see what could have upset you this much, but he couldn’t find anything. People, friends and couples were laughing and enjoying the sun, just like he had expected you to do with him.
You open your eyes and clench your jaw when Hyunjaelifted your hat off your face, a veil of concern forming in his eyes. Shifting his weight on one hand, the other caressed your upper thigh, the warmness of his palm contrasting with your shivering skin.
“Did I do something that made you mad?” he dared to ask another question, trying to get a glimpse of your thoughts to try to understand what was actually going on. “No you didn’t. I just don’t want to go in the water now, the wind is making me cold,” you lied and Hyunjaesighed, understanding that you wouldn’t share what was on your mind for now.
He kissed your cheek anyway, mouth lingering on your skin a bit longer than usual and stood up, removing his cap and sunglasses while looking at the people around you with a frown. You watch him calmly walk to the water, silently watching the waves crash against his feet, calves and knees the further he walked in the ocean, his glistening back muscles moving as he raised his arms to dive underwater.
You sighed and rolled on your stomach, your back facing the shore as you folded your arms, using the back of your palm as a cheek rest, closing your eyes in the process. A single tear rolled down your cheek, captured by the edge of your sunglasses, followed by many more, letting the insecurities invade your mind. You didn’t even want to look at all the slim, IG models look alike smirking and eyeing your boyfriend up and down as he walked by. You already felt so uneasy to be here, you didn’t want to add fuel to the fire by looking at what you’ve always dreamt to look like being attracted to your partner.
ButHyunjaedidn’t even notice those girls. His frown deepened even more when he only saw the back of your body, something quite usual coming from you. You absolutely adored the beach and the ocean, remembering one of your first dates where you told him that the beach - especially at sunset - was your solace, and now you were facing away from this source of comfort. Plus, there were occasions where you came here without really wanting to go in the water, just to enjoy the warmth and the sight of the ocean, happily waving at your boyfriend that was having fun in the water while you stayed in your seat.
He didn’t even notice themlooking at him, because his eyes and mind were focused on you and you only, trying to find what had caused you to become this weary and down all of a sudden. He didn’t feel the same when you weren’t looking at him, when you shut yourself out and let your brain overthink on its own, refusing his help. A pinch of discomfort tightened his heart, regretting that he wasn’t as good at reading people as much as he wished to.
“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N, what’s going on in that pretty little mind of yours,” he mumbled under his breath as he got out of the water, still not noticing that the source of your uneasiness were the ones staring at him, a few metres away from him as he walked back to you.
Droplets of salty water landed on your cheek and forearm as Hyunjaebent down to kiss your temple, forcing a tired smile on your face to try and not let anything show on your face.
“Is the water good?” you mindlessly asked as Hyunjaerested on his stomach, just like you, pushing his front pieces of hair back before putting his cap on.
“It’s a bit fresh at first, but once you’re in it, it’s good. You’d love it,” his voice trailed at the end of his sentence, eyes trying to probe your soul and bribe you to join him in the water.
“That’s great,” you nodded and sniffled, handing a bottle of water from the cooler to your boyfriend. He uncapped it but stopped, shifting on his side, resting his weight on his elbow.
“Babe, please, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting strangely since we got here, what’s going on?” he asked, voice ringing with frustration. You briefly looked at him before looking at the ocean, letting out a big sigh.
“Can’t you see anything, Jaehyun? Can’t you see that everyone around me, including you, looks like they just walked out of a Dior photoshoot by how slim and fit and pretty they look? That you have all the girls around us that ogle at you like you’re single? Yes I’m mad, yes I’m insecure, but I have my reasons, don’t you think?” you spat out your insecurities with teary eyes to your boyfriend’s face, who looked at you like he just saw a ghost.
That, was the last thing he had imagined. He never thought that you would get so insecure about this because you looked like the most beautiful girl in his eyes. He was about to speak up, but he placed himself in your shoes for a quick second, insecurities, as well as anger, started boiling in his veins as he imagined men looking at you like a fresh piece of meat.
You started scratching the skin around your thumb, a habit that you picked up when you were stressed and nervous and tears gathered in your eyes as you tried to ignore some girls still looking at and trying to flirt with your man. You wrapped your arms around your knees and pressed your chin on top of it, only to have Hyunjaepositioning behind you to have you between his legs, wrapping his arms around your middle to press you against him.
He grabbed your hand to stop you from scratching it and he pressed his mouth against your shoulder, remaining silent as he tried to search for his words.
“No. I didn’t see any of those people, because I don’t care about how they look. I don’t care if the girls look like skinny models or if you find their faces pretty. Do you find the men here handsome ?”
“No,”you said in a wobbly voice, eyes glued to the ocean.
“Why?”
“Because I love you and I only have eyes for you,” you said in a shaky voice and Hyunjaeremained in silence for a few seconds, knowing that you were smart enough to get what he was implying.
“So I don’t look at girls because?”
“Because you love me,” you said, voice wavering as tears rolled down your cheeks, Hyunjaeholding you close to his chest, trailing salty kisses from your neck up to your cheek.
“Of course I love you, and with all my heart. I wouldn’t be with you if that weren’t the case.”
He grabbed your chin and you shifted to the side, sitting perpendicularly to him. His hands cupped your cheeks to make you look at him and he offered you a gentle smile, his thumbs wiping the paths the tears left on your skin when they rolled down your cheeks.
“I only see you, Y/N. You’re much more than looks, and you can’t say that you are horrible next to them. You are just yourself, someone more honest, prettier and funnier than all those girls around us. They don’t interest me at all, I only care about you. It’s not my problem if they think I’m handsome. As long as you’re in love with me, I’m at my happiest,” he caressed your cheek with tenderness, holding a huge amount of love for you in his eyes. You nodded, trying to make his words imprint in your brain and ignore everything and everyone that was surrounding you, but it was far from being easy.
You delicately touched his cheek and he kissed your inner palm while holding eye contact, assuring you that he only had eyes for you.
“Do you want to go in the water? Yes?” his eyes sparkled with joy as you nodded with a smile, your boyfriend springing to his feet and removed his cap, getting all excited when he watched you remove your beach dress.
“Stop staring at me like that Jae, we’re in public,” you giggled as you threw your dress at him, who hummed your perfume on the fabric before dropping it on your towel.
“I won’t. I want to let everyone know that I only have eyes for you,” he said as he grabbed your hand and started running towards the water, entering it with a big splash and laughter.
You dove underwater to get used to the salty water, reappearing at the surface a few seconds later, Hyunjaesmiling at you. He wrapped your legs around his waist and held you close, pressing his lips against yours in a hungry kiss.
“Chill, chill,” you laughed as you pulled away breathless, Hyunjae’s hands caressing your body.
“No, no, I wanna show them that they don’t have a single chance against you. And that you’re taken,” he grunted the last part of his sentence, making you giggle and hugging him close.
“Thank you, Jae,” you mumbled and your boyfriend stares at you with a reassuring smile, pressing his lips to your temple.
“I love you Y/N,” you held eye contact again and Hyunjaewas happy to see your smile, kissing your lips the following second.
⚔ pairing: stranger!juyeon x single mom! fem! reader ⚔ genre: fluff ⚔ wc : 3.2k ⚔ tw: none ⚔ a/n: im so sorry it’s been so long but my work keeps me super busy and i hate my unposted fics that i wrote in the past, hence my absence. i promise to come back here asap!! <33 ⚔ requested: no
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“Mommy, where are we going?” your daughter asked for the nth time as you guided her foot by the ankle in her shoe. Her tiny hand leant on your shoulder while you fastened the Velcro straps and zipped up her jacket, walking out of your apartment to the corridor of your floor. She watched you locked the front door and sliding the keys in your handbag before grabbing her hand to the elevator.
“As I’ve told you, we’re heading to a coffee shop to see Uncle Kevin and Jinseon, remember?” she clapped in her hands as if she just learnt the news, despite her asking this question over five times since she woke up. You forgave her because she was at the age where she would find everything fascinating and barely pay attention to what you said. You chuckled and shook your head with a smile as her curious eyes observed the elevator, touching the mirror and gasping at the coldness of it under her palm. It was almost guaranteed that she didn’t listen and will ask again in a couple of minutes.
“Where are we going?” here we go again, her tiny voice reaching your ear above the roaring motor of the bus. She grabbed your leg as you were typing something on your phone with one hand, the other gripping the metallic bar as tight as possible as your daughter was not the most balanced child.
“Baby, I’ve told you many times that we are going to see Kevin and Jinseon at the coffee shop because Mommy and Uncle Kevin have to do something for work,” you looked at her with stern eyes, something you always did when she wasn’t paying attention.
“But why aren’t we going to their house? It’s so big!” she argued, and the bus doors opened, quickly sliding your phone in your back pocket and jumped out of the bus with your daughter in your arms.
“Uncle Kevin wants to change the interior of the house, so people work there, and it’s not safe for them and us to meet there. But I promise that we’ll go back there soon!”
“I won’t be able to draw with Jinseon?” you shook your head from side to side, and your daughter pouted, nuzzling her face in your neck.
“Not at his house, but maybe he brought a colouring book like yours today!” you exclaimed, and her mood lifted instantly, getting all giddy and happy to share her passion with her best friend.
Pushing the door of the coffee shop, you were instantly met with a reassuring warmth and the good smell of coffee, placing your daughter back on the ground as you lined up to order. The place was quite busy, but you were right before the time people were fighting to get a table.
“Mommy, this table!” she asked and pointed her little finger towards a table near the window, her little topknot moving on her head as she looked up at you.
“Good choice, baby,” you said, and she grabbed your hand again, noticing her gaze shifting to something scared. You frowned as she went to stand in front of you, her hands gripping your thighs as she stared up at you.
You asked for your usual order and a strawberry smoothie for your daughter, who happily giggled when she saw the sliced fruit inside of her transparent cup. She laughed and ran to the table you had agreed on occupying, her little hands pressed on the seat as she hoisted herself alone on it.
A few minutes after giving your daughter her pens and colouring books, your phone rang in your back pocket, getting you out of your bubble of focus as you stopped typing.
“Hello?” you said, and your best friend’s voice reached your ear.
“Hi Y/N, I’m really sorry to warn you only now, but I won’t be able to make it with Jinseon.” A wave of disappointment flooded your heart, but you didn’t raise it.
“Oh my. Did something happen?” you asked as your daughter was too busy colouring a monkey pink to even hear what you were talking about.
“Thankfully no, I uhm… I forgot that my in-laws invited us to a five-star restaurant today,” he said, and you bitterly chuckled, feeling sorry for him as you knew the exhausting relationship he had with them.
“Sounds fun,” you sarcastically said as you heard him sigh on the other side of the phone, “don’t worry, we can always meet up another time.”
“Won’t Chunae be disappointed?” Kevin asked, and you emitted a laugh, quickly looking to the side as someone at the table next to yours drew a chair.
“I’ll handle her, don’t worry about it. Have fun with your most favourite people in the world, then!” you sarcastically said, and you heard him sigh.
“Thanks, but I’d rather die than witnessing my mother-in-law brag againabout the new diamond necklace she bought and lie on how she’s not close to bankrupting,” you giggled and winked at your daughter, amused by the situation. That was what you got to have your stepson handling the family accounts and his best friend as an assistant counsellor. You both could see her lieto everyone, and it was funny.
“Try to make her understand that you know she’s lying in front of everyone else and see how she reacts,” you suggested and heard him gasp at your words.
“I beg you Y/N, can you please schedule us an appointment so I can ruin her?”
“Of course,” you opened another tab on your computer, typing and clicking on a few things to finally get to your best friend’s schedule.
“You can tell her that she can come on Friday at 1 pm to discuss about her financial state. I just sent her an email,” you announced, and Kevin sighed, imagining him biting his lower lip and clutch his fist in satisfaction.
“You’re the best. I gotta go now,” you took a sip of your drink and wished him good luck before hanging up.
“M-Mommy?” you heard your daughter whisper, barely making out her words as the coffee shop music and the hustling was quite loud. You smiled, but it immediately vanished as you saw her scared state, pen lingering on the pages of her colouring book. Her eyes were drawn to the table next to yours, her mouth trembling from time to time, close to crying.
Following her gaze, you noticed a man around your age and immediately understood your daughter’s fear as you took in the sight. The man was scrolling on his phone, his white t-shirt hugging his broad shoulders and slender torso perfectly. His biceps flexed each time he swiped up his finger on the screen or took a sip of coffee, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. You weren’t going to lie that he was super handsome, but something else couldn’t go unnoticed in your eyes.
His tattoos.
He was covered in them. Your eyes could scarcely spot some natural, intact skin. Arms, forearms, chest and neck, only his face remained untouched. His jet-black hair was as dark as his eyes, yet they still held something soft and human in them. A thin nose with plumped, pinkish lips, it would have been almost impossible for you to guess that he had tattoos all over his body if you only saw his face.
You found him quite attractive to say the least, but it was quite the opposite for your daughter. She found tattoos terrifying, only accepting the small, hidden ones Kevin had. Her eyes welled up with tears, and you gently called her name, gesturing her to come closer. She jumped out of her seat, carefully going around the table from the opposite side where the man was sitting and walked towards you.
“Baby, those are just tattoos. You see what you draw and colour in your books with Jinseon? This man decided to do it on his skin because he likes drawings too!” you explained gently as your daughter couldn’t tear her gaze off the man.
“But it’s scary,” she mumbled, and you shook your head, gently cradling her cheek.
“Do you find the drawings on Uncle Kevin’s skin scary?” you asked, and she disagreed, finally looking up at you.
“It’s the same for him. Like Uncle Kevin, he decided to get them on his skin because he likes the shapes and colours. Do you understand?” you smiled as she wiped her teary eyes, nodding, trying to look confident. But you knew your daughter, she was still scared.
“Do you want to switch seats with Mommy?”
“No,” she said in a frail voice, and you kissed her cheek while rubbing her back. It was always the same. Bizarrely, when she feared something, she wanted to stay close to it as if she was determined of getting over her irrational fear.
Chunae walked back on her seat and resumed colouring, her gaze looking to her left from time to time. You smiled and stared at your computer again, getting distracted by the man as well, but not for the same reasons as your daughter.
“You’re a mother Y/N, don’t let those stupid thoughts get inside your head,” you closed your eyes and mentally slapped yourself, heavily sighing as you answered some emails, focusing back on your work.
You were so concentrated on your tasks that you didn’t even notice what was happening in front of you. Chunae became terrified as the man caught her staring, his eyes transforming into crescent moons when he softly waved at her. Her eyes widened and started colouring faster, her nose almost touching the paper as if she wanted everything around her to disappear. It happened once, twice, but she remembered what you always told her; never talk to strangers. So when the young man whispered a small ‘hi!’ to her, she panicked and called for you.
“Mommy!” she got you out of your work bubble, and you stared at her from above your computer screen, fingers still typing on the computer. Your hands stopped when you noticed her little forefinger pointing at the man, whose chocolate eyes were quick to shift to yours.
Shit, he was really handsome.
“What is it, sweetpea?” you asked and lowered your computer screen. “I’m sorry for her behaviour, she’s not usually like that,” you said, grabbing her hand as you sent an apologetic smile to the man.
He shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry about it, I get it. She’s still quite young,” you were sized by a shiver when two sets of white, perfectly aligned teeth almost blinded you as his mouth stretched into a bigger smile.
“I’m five!” she said, pouting, crossing her arms on her chest, staring at the table with furrowed brows.
The young man’s eyes widened, and pursed his lips, trying to hold back a smile as he acknowledged her stubbornness. You puffed and rolled your eyes at her behaviour, noticing with a smirk that she was still glancing at his tattoos.
“What’s your name?” he asked after looking at you, asking for permission. Your daughter’s unsure eyes stared at you, and you nodded, allowing her to talk to him.
“Ch-Chunae,” she answered, and his mouth transformed into a surprised ‘o’, letting out a small gasp.
“That’s a very pretty name, I’m Juyeon,” he said, and your daughter blushed, a veil of shyness appearing in her eyes as he held out his hand for her to shake it. You smiled as he indirectly complimented you for choosing her name, his gaze softening as she timidly grabbed his hand. Her eyes couldn’t help but scrutinise his tattooed hand with attention, making the man smile fondly and brightly.
“I have drawings all over my arms, do you want to see them?” he asked, keeping a great eye on you to see any sign of reluctance. Or maybe it was for something else, but you didn’t need to know about this.
“But they’re scary,” she said, and Juyeon whole-heartedly laughed, drawing the sleeve of his t-shirt to the top of his shoulder.
“Look at this one,” he said as he twisted his biceps, noticing a dragon spitting fire and your daughter’s eyes widened. He then turned his forearm to show her a dolphin near the crook of his elbow, smiling as he watched your daughter’s expression change as she saw all his tattoos on his arms. She was now mesmerised by the tattoos, the gentle, deep voice of the man explaining to her as she stared at his inked arms.
“Do you wanna colour this one?” he asked, finger showing the rose on the back of his hand.
“Really?” Chunae was surprised by his question, and Juyeon smiled at you, your daughter already grabbing her red pen.
“You really don’t have to,” you embarrassingly said, but the man shook his head, resting his large hand in front of your daughter, who pushed all her belongings to the side.
“If that can keep her quiet while you work, I don’t mind,” he stated, and you raised your eyebrows, a grateful smile drawn on your face.
Colouring the red rose ended up inking the poor man’s entire arm, who had a lot of patience and discipline when it came to children. Chunae went over the line with her pen a few times, only to have him reassure and praise her to continue when she started feeling guilty.
“Oh no!” she gasped as her hand clumsily went over the scales of the snake circling his forearm, Juyeon chuckling before wetting his thumb to erase the misdrawn ink. “It’s okay, it’s okay, keep going,” he said in a gentle tone, smiling at your daughter as she was looking for reassurance.
You had told him a few times that he didn’t have to stay the entire day only here to occupy your daughter, but he genuinely was alright with that. He looked almost happy to talk with you and your daughter since you had stopped working a few moments ago to exchange a few words of politeness with him before heading home.
“Chunae, finish your smoothie before we go home,” you said, and she obeyed, nodding as she placed her pen down and started sipping on her drink.
“I’m really sorry for this,” you gestured to his arms, but he was quick to cut you.
“Ma’am, it’s okay, please stop apologising, I gave my agreement for her to do this. You seem like busy parents with your husband, I’m glad I could help,” he smiled, and you frowned.
“H-Husband?” you asked and Juyeon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“O-oh? Wasn’t it your husband on the phone?” you shook your head at his words, only to have him purse his lips in utter embarrassment. “Sorry for assuming,” he said, the tip of his ears turning pink just like his cheeks.
“It’s okay, it was my best friend. I’m actually a single mom,” you explained, and he nodded, his features expressing admiration.
“Wow, you must be super strong then,” he said, and you blinked a few times, discerning something sad appearing in his eyes as he stared at your daughter. It was inappropriate and way too intrusive to ask him about his reaction, so you just offered him a grateful smile.
“I have to admit that it’s not always easy being alone in this, but with a bit of discipline and organisation, you can manage to make it work!” you tried to enlighten the mood, and Juyeon laughed along, but his smile had lost its splendour.
He cleared his throat, and you stood up, your daughter being finally done with her smoothie. You helped her place her pens in the pouch before clearing your belongings off the table, Juyeon standing up as well.
“Will I get to colour your tattoos again?” Chunae asked, and you looked at her sternly, but Juyeonlaughed and smiled, gently ruffling her hair.
“This only depends on if your Mommy wants to see me again,” Juyeoncrouched down to her level and made sure to get her hair out of the way before zipping her light jacket up to the chin.
You were taken aback by his answer, looking at him in the eyes. Vaguely smiling, he stood back up and stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, thumbs playing with the belt loops as he waited for your answer. You breathed in heavily as you stared around you but in his eyes, trying to find an excuse.
“I mean… why not?” you eventually said, and his face brightened, his ears going pink at your answer. You grabbed your daughter’s hand as she was about to run to Juyeon and walked to the exit of the coffee shop, not believing what you’ve just agreed to.
Meeting a man? After your ex? With all the work and busy life that you had? Were you crazy?
Juyeonheld out the door for you, and you thanked him, your daughter now almost best friend with the man she feared when he appeared. You sighed and replaced your bag on your shoulder, offering a soft smile to the man.
“Is it okay if we wait a bit before all of… this? I have the deadline of a big project that is coming up next week and it has a considerable influence on the future of my career, I really don’t want to mess it up,” you explained, and Juyeonnodded, his hand going to your bag to shove your key ring back inside since it was falling out.
“It’s more than okay, I’ll wait as long as it takes you to finish this and be ready to meet up with me,” he said, and your mouth fell open, surprised by his attitude. The last man you dated and loved unconditionally dropped the family he had created with you for a career abroad and another woman, his words and behaviour offering warmth to your broken, lonely heart.
You got your phone out and took Juyeon’s number, a relieved smile painted on your face. Maybe not all the men were as selfish and nasty as your ex.
“Call me if you need anything. It can be help, someone to look after her, comfort. Whatever you need, I’ll try to help you out as much as I can,” he said and rested a hand on your shoulder, gently rubbing it.
“Thank you,” you said, and he nodded with a smile.
“Good luck with everything,” you beamed and waved at him, your daughter imitating you as you started walking to the bus stop, hailing the vehicle as it was approaching.
Juyeonwalked in the opposite way to the small parking lot in front of the coffee shop, his leg swinging over his motorcycle. He sat there for a minute, watching you get on the bus before the doors closing behind you, holding his helmet in hand. You were a busy, ambitious woman, you had set your priorities high, and you were not going to change them for a man. He was a bit scared of committing to a relationship with a busy woman and a child, yet that didn’t prevent him from wanting to get to know you and finding you attractive. He loved it even if he was a bit anxious about getting hurt, as it happened in his past way too many times to his likings.
His gloved hand moved side to side as the bus drove past him, your daughter on your hip as you both waved at him. The smile you had plastered on your face reassured him, hoping that you would give his heart a break and not break it.
pairing: bff!juyeon x fem!reader wc: 1'887 words synopsis: juyeon comes home crying, but it doesn’t end up in the way you thought it would. genre: angstish at first, then fluff tw: a big one; badly written a/n: hi pals! merry Christmas to the ones who are celebrating it, i hope you’re having a great time with your loved ones! <33 i really tried my best to write something to keep the account alive because i don’t want it to go to waste, I’m still so attached to it… i hope you’re gonna like it despite my absence, i can’t promise you that I’ll be back on here soon! I’m still pretty exhausted and unmotivated, but I’ll still come to say something for the new year, don’t worry!! love y'all, take care <3
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The door gently slams shut, and you close the book you had in your hands before placing it down on the coffee table, head resting on the armrest as you stretched your toes to try and reach the other end. You groaned and let out a heavy breath when your best friend appeared in the doorframe, a weary, sad look painted on his face.
“Hi,Ju,” you whispered after stifling a yawn more quickly than you had intended to as you noticed that something was wrong. “‘Sup,” his voice was joyless, and it made you frown.
This was unusual…
He drops his bag in the corridor before entering the living room, pushing the coffee table forward and plopping on the floor, head at the same level as your stomach. You retracted your legs and hummed, trying to lure him to get on the couch instead, but he refused.
Your heart skips a beat in worry as he throws his head back in a sigh heavy with emotions, craning his neck to try and find a surface to rest on. You shifted, and he lets out a light hum of satisfaction as the back of his head rests against your side.
“Is everything okay?” you whisper, and you’re met with silence, noticing that your best friend’s eyes were closed, his jaw tightening at your question. “Not really,” his deep voice eventually echoed in the room as it was filled with distress, making you sit up and slide down on the floor next to him, your back against the couch. His mouth twitched in a very brief smile as your knees touched, his Adam apple going up and down as he was trying not to let any emotion show on his face.
You give him a gentle, reassuring smile, shifting to the side to press your hand on his shoulder, “you can tell me anything if you need it. You know I’m here for you,” you mumbled, and he nodded, jaws jolting as he desperately tries to remain stoic.
Juyeondeeply breathes in and clears his throat, wiping his clammy palms on the fabric of his black Adidas sweats. He looks to the side opposite yours, clearly avoiding your eyes to hide his pursed, quivering lips, knowing that it would worry you even more. And that’s something that he didn’t want to see. At least, not now.
“Can-” his voice broke, and he swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath in, “sorry, can you give me a hug? No, one of your head massages, please? I think I really need one right now, they’re so relaxing,” his voice was above a whisper, and you immediately agreed, your hand not leaving his shoulder as you crawl back on the couch, Juyeon’s back resting in between your legs. “Sit a bit lower- there you go, perfect. Are you comfortable?” you asked, and he hummed, the side of his head resting against your inner thigh. He sighs in relief as you work your fingers through his hair, wrapping his arm around your calf, finding solace in this form of physical touch.
You had scraped him off the ground after he came back to your shared apartment, unconsolable and face drenched with tears as he had just gotten into a fight with his parents over his choice of career. They wanted him to become a lawyer or something that 'paid well’, arguing that he could keep dancing as a hobby. But Juyeondidn’t want that. He wanted to keep dancing in the streets till he got recognised and scouted by a company.
And that’s exactly what happened, and now he was a famous dancer in your town, attending worldwide-recognised competitions, earning a good amount of cash prize at each victory. And after that fight, you had consoled him, held him tight in your arms till he fell asleep, your hands working in his hair as you tenderly massaged his scalp. Since then, whenever he was feeling lethargic or depressed, he always asked for your head massages, helping him go to sleep and forget about his sorrow.
You stayed in silence for a few minutes, your hand still working in his hair as you feel him grow heavier against your leg. It was working like magic, he felt more relaxed, but he couldn’t prevent the tears from escaping from his eyes, out of pure exhaustion. A frown appeared on your face as scattered wet patches grew on the bottom part of the right leg of your sweatpants, hand falling on his shoulder to shake him.
“Ju? Why are you crying?” you mumbled, and he just weakly shrugged with a big sigh, mentally cursing himself for not wiping them sooner. He crouched up and plopped himself down next to you, his head falling on your lap.
Pushing some jet-black strands of hair away from his eyes, you loved the intimacy that you were currently sharing, yet you hated the sight of your best friend’s eyes turning glossy with tears and staring into the void as you tried to make him speak up and get his problems off his chest. He closed his eyes as you started stroking his scalp again, your fingers hitting all the tensed nerves that were making him act this type of way.
Soon enough, his eyes fluttered close, and his breathing pattern became more regular, happy that he was relieved from a part of his suffering now that he was asleep. In his slumber, Juyeonturned to the side to face your stomach, his arms wrapping around your middle as he sighed in content when his subconscious self felt your hand linger in his dark locks, playing with the spikey hair of his light undercut.
You observed your best friend with a comforting smile painted on your face as if you wanted it to be the first thing he’d see when he’d open his eyes. Even if your mind screamed not to do it, you couldn’t resist the temptation of trailing your hand lower, going from his scalp down to his face. Caressing his high cheekbones, the tip of your forefinger followed the shape of his thin nose, feeling the soft, dampened skin under the pad of your finger.
Juyeonheavily breathed as you followed along his jaw, digits hovering above his cupid bow, hesitating to feel his lips as his philtrum was tickling them due to not shaving for a few days. His lips just looked so pretty, feeling happy and complete when they were on your forehead or temple, the rare occasions where your best friend showed physical affection.
You quickly retracted your hand as Juyeonshuffled,“Y/N,” he grunted, head moving to try and find another more comfortable spot on your lap. “Yes, I’m right here,” you whispered, and Juyeonheld you tighter, nose nuzzling further against your side and digging inside your shirt. “Ksfhgfyou,” he mumbled in the fabric, and you giggled, flattening your top to free your best friend’s face. “What did you say?” you smiled, and he drowsily grunted, feeling disturbed by how shaky you got since you started laughing. “I love you,” he mumbled again, and you immediately froze on your spot, his three words acting like a cold shower on you.
What did he just say?
“W-What?” your eyes opened wide, and your jaw fell, expecting everything from him but this. Your heart started hammering faster in your chest, and your whole body felt hot, the surprise and excitement washing over your body like a tidal wave.
Juyeonopened one eye to look at you, gauging your reaction. He could tell that you were excited, but he just wanted to make sure that his exhaustion wasn’t making him hallucinate and hear wrong things.
“I… love you?” he said, more hesitantly, swallowing thickly after clearing his throat.
Helovedyou.
It took you a few long seconds to answer, your mind too clouded by many thoughts. All those times that you spent together, laughing and taking care of the other, weren’t just a best friend thing? How long has it been going for? Since the beginning? Since last year, when you surprised him with your presence at his key competition, the important one, which would decide if he was good enough to be the dancer he had always dreamt to become?
“Y/N… Please say something, the silence is getting too loud,”Juyeonwhined as he hoisted himself up on one arm, his warmth on your lap immediately bringing you back to your senses.
Smiling brightly, you cradled his cheeks with both hands and looked in his big doe eyes that you loved so much, your thumbs caressing the remaining of the dry, salty tears on his cheeks. He was about to speak again when you pressed your lips against his, closing your eyes as you felt yourself ascending. They felt so soft and plush against yours, you immediately melted into the kiss as he wrapped his arm around your middle.
Your mouths still dancing together, he gently pushed you down, your body lying in the same position as when he walked through the door. His hand rested at the back of your head as it rested against the armrest, Juyeonpositioning himself between your legs. The proximity you shared with him was enough to make you shiver, wrapping your arms around his neck to keep him close.
Pulling away for oxygen, your eyes fluttered shut as you breathed in deeply, his sudden confession and the amazing kiss you’ve just shared making you struggle to breathe correctly and had your heart beating faster. Juyeonkissed your eyelids as you gently gasped for air, his nose nudging some hair strands that were landing in your eyes.
Once you reopened them, you smiled at each other, Juyeondiving back down to press his lips against yours in a soft kiss before pulling away, rubbing your noses together.
“I love you too,” you breathed, and his sadness had vanished after he heard those few words, his mouth lingering on your forehead before retracting himself to rest his head on your stomach, his large hands resting on your sides as yours were on his head, again.
“I wish I had confessed earlier,” he admitted, voice sending vibrations through your body, butterflies erupting in your stomach. “I think I fell in love with you when you jumped into my arms the day of your exam results,” your mouth fell open as it happened almost two years ago, your hand stopping in his hair in surprise.
You cleared your throat, tilting your head for Juyeonto notice it and look up at you, “Ju, let’s make it up for the lost time. We should catch up those two years that we could’ve spent as a couple,” you declared and smiled as he upheaved himself on his hands on each side of you, looking at you with stars gleaming in his eyes. You internally laughed as he couldn’t stay in a position, always in the need to look at you when he talked.
“You’re right. What should we start with, then?” He asked. Smiling, you caressed his cheek, and he moved his head to kiss your palm, “Kiss me as if we spent those last two years apart,” you mumbled, and he didn’t need to be asked twice, diving on your lips again.
pairing: neighbour!eric x fem!reader wc: 2.8k words synopsis: you’re kinda feeling down in your bedroom, but your mom comes in to tell you something that will make you feel a bit better. genre: fluff, angst, a bit cliché, comfort, self-indulgent tw: the reader is not doing her best mentally, she’s lonely and insecure.
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Headphones glued to your ears, you didn’t hear your mother frantically knock on your bedroom door and call your name.
“Y/N, I know you hate us coming in without knocking, but you couldn’t hear me,” she said as you jumped when you saw the door swinging open, removing your set from your ears after pausing the episode you were watching. Your mother’s eyebrows slightly furrowed as she noticed the frown on your face but didn’t raise it, leaning her hand on your desk.
“I just saw Ericleaving his house as I was taking out the trash, he asked me to tell you that he’s going to the beach to chill with some friends, and you are more than welcome to tag along,” she explained, and you nodded, not showing a lot of enthusiasm, much to her dismay.
A few months ago, your former neighbours had to move out because of the father’s job abroad, welcoming another family into their home instead. They were quiet and nice, the son frequented the same college as yours and was legitimately a bundle of energy which was quite your opposite.
“I don’t feel like hanging out with anyone right now,” you emotionlessly said after sighing deeply.
“I know that you’re disappointed since you discovered that your friends betrayed you, but that doesn’t mean everybody will be fake and abandon you!” your mother exclaimed, and you just shrugged.
“You never know, not everyone has a kind heart. And it seems like I’m stupidly naive enough to be friends with toxic people without intending it,” your mother sighed at your stubbornness, but she didn’t insist. She knew that you were already suffering enough to be alone, feeling loved by no one. She kissed your temple and gently rubbed your back, telling you that she allowed you to join Ericand his friends if you wanted to, before leaving your room.
Groaning in frustration as the episode you were watching was the last, you closed your computer screen and stared at the logo, feeling jealous that all young adults around your age were having fun in groups while you were alone in your bedroom, your brother not even talking to you on the rare occasions he was home.
Walking to your closet, you lazily got out a swimsuit, quickly putting it on before covering yourself with a pair of sweatpants and a large t-shirt. You didn’t plan on going in the water, but maybe hanging out with people your age would get you out of your comfort zone and turn acquaintances into new friends. Or simply meet new people, because you were getting tired of the long process it was to become close with someone, only to end up disappointed by them in the end.
“Mom, I’m going!” you yelled from the entrance, and she hummed in response. “Have fun and be safe! Text me when you get there,” you promised her to be careful and walked out the door, following the pavement till you arrived at the beach.
You removed your light shoes from your feet and sunk them in the lukewarm sand, feeling at ease as the sound of the waves crashing on the ground reached your ears over the wind. Many groups of friends or couples were there, eating and laughing together. It made you feel even more like a loner, but you quickly chased this thought away by shaking your head, not wanting it to change your mind and force you to go home.
“Y/N! Over here!” you heard a bright, familiar voice in the distance, turning around as you involuntarily walked past your neighbour and his group of friends. A few of them raised their arms in the air to draw your attention, Ericvisibly happy that you eventually decided to join them. He jogged towards you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, his display of affection startling you.
“I’m so happy you’re here, it’s been so long since I last saw you! Come on, the water is still warm!” he said as he drew on your arm, but you answered negatively to his offer. “I don’t really want to get in the water Eric, I’m tired,” you explained, and Eric’s eyes widened, disheartened at your answer. “Are you sure you’re okay? Because Y/N saying no to going in the water, you must not feel good at all,” his face twisted into worry, but you offered him a tired smile. “I just have a lot going on right now, and it drains me out a lot,” you repeated, and you were happy that Ericdidn’t pressure you into telling him what was wrong. “Okay… you can talk to me if you need it, I’ll gladly listen,” you thanked him and watched him hurry in the water with his friends.
“Hi,” you said with a slight smile as you sat on the sand next to Sangyeon, the only one you knew best aside from Eric, and he shifted on the picnic tablecloth to make some room for you. “Hi Y/N, thank you for coming. Ericwas becoming very whiny since you weren’t showing up,” you almost lost your balance as you looked at him in bewilderment, your heart panging in surprise at his words, and Sangyeon confirmed them by a nod.
“Since that time you helped him take pictures for his Instagram, he won’t shut up about you and your skills,” he giggled, and you were surprised, to say the least, not really expecting your neighbour to enjoy your company that much.
“Well I’m glad I managed to make him happy,” you mumbled as you watched him and his friends acting like fools in the water, the sight tugging a smile on your face. You were tempted to join them, but for some reason, tonight felt different. You were too much in your thoughts to even consider having fun, going there was just an attempt on clearing your mind from everything.
“Y/N! Come have fun with us, please!”Ericwhined from the water, slapping its surface in a groan as you negatively shook your head with a small, amused smile. He looked like a child throwing a tantrum, making Sangyeon next to you laugh. Kevin, Juyeon and Changmin joined the youngest in his sulk, encouraging you to change your mind.
“Ugh, fine,” you said as you stood up, the guys cheering when they saw you take off your shirt. You shook your head again, Sangyeon removing his as well. The sight of his bare, broad torso had your eyes widening and quickly turning your back to the beach, trying not to let any emotion show on your face.
You giggled as some of the guys whined and groaned in frustration when they saw their friend shirtless, comparing the size of their abs and biceps with him, while Ericwas too busy silly dancing in the water as you arrived near him, his goofy attitude making you smile. He tried sprinkling some water on you with his fingers, but a quick, stern look was enough for you to make him stop.
“Keep doing that and I’m going home,” you warned, and Ericshook his head, immediately apologising. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But come on, don’t just wet your feet!” He whined, and you rested your hands on your hips, letting the small waves crash on your calves. “The water is a little bit cold if you didn’t notice, I’m just taking my time to come in,” you explained, and Eric got closer, wrapping his arm around your shoulders to pull you quicker in the water. “Wait, wait-” you said, but next thing you know, you were sunk in the ocean to the neck, feeling the freshwater surrounding your body. You hissed but smiled as your neighbour stood in front of you, offering you a piggyback ride.
“Hold on, Eric! Do you think Y/N would want to play at ourgame?”Changmin asked, and your neighbour immediately nodded, showing you how Younghoon let Chanhee sit on his shoulders, Sunwoo doing the same with Kevin, the two guys on top trying to push each other and lose balance to fall into the water.
“I think yeah! Okay Y/N, get on my shoulders!”Ericexcitingly said, but you stopped him right before he sank in the water, his surprised face making you giggle. “Not to upset you or anything, but I don’t want to break your back,” you explained. “Come on Eric, she needs a strongman,”Sangyeon approached the two of you, a teasing look painted on his face as he emphasised the adjective, slightly nudging Ericaway. Your neighbour grunted, and you rolled your eyes at their little game filled with testosterone. Ericswam towards Juyeon and jumped on his shoulders like he was as light as a newborn, the older feeling the aftermath of Eric’s weight on his body with a groan.
Sangyeon sunk in the water, and you wrapped your legs around his shoulders, the young man standing back up like he was carrying a feather. His strength surprised you, and you struggled to find your balance as he walked closer to Juyeon and Eric, who seemed determined to get you off his friend’s shoulders. Sangyeon’s hands gripped on your knees as you started to fight with Eric, giggling in anticipation as you could find yourself in the water in a matter of seconds.
However, this fight broke between Sangyeon and Juyeon as well, the latter trying to tickle his friend, giving you and Eric unstable foundations to fight. You still managed to push Eric in the water, earning cheers from Sangyeon and the rest of the group.
“Nice job, Y/N!” Sangyeon exclaimed as he squeezed your ankle, shyly thanking him right before the rest of the group started a water fight around you two. You shrieked as Sangyeon sunk underwater to get you off his shoulders, and both swim away from the fight. They all laughed as you thought you could reach the ground, but you disappeared underwater, lacking a few centimetres to be able to stand on your feet. You coughed out water as you involuntarily swallowed some, making you shiver at the saltiness of it as the boys giggled.
“Younghoon can barely touch the ground where you are, come back to us!” Sangyeon said, and you obeyed, the water fight now finished, leaving them exhausted and laughing at Eric, who tried to justify his defeat against you. “You can get your revenge next time we come here,” you said as you exited the water, feeling tiredness and hunger taking over your body.
You let out a groan of despair when you noticed that you had forgotten a towel to dry yourself, shivers starting to seize your body violently. The air was cool since it was already the evening, and you didn’t know what to do.
“Fuck,”you cursed under your breath, and Ericappeared next to you, a questioning look on his face. “What’s wrong?” “I forgot my beach towel at home,” you said as you started collecting your clothes and your small bag, sliding your wet feet in your shoes, ready to rush back home in the hope to get some warmth. Ericemitted a small noise of surprise and fumbled through his bag quickly as if he could find anything in his bag before you left.
It’s with surprise that you watched him withdraw a huge towel from his backpack, still wondering how he could fit it in his small sports bag.
“Here, take it,” he whispered before shoving it in your hands, watching him run back in the water. You didn’t have time to thank him that his whole body was back underwater, playing again with his friends as if nothing had happened.
You were too cold to refuse anything, so you wrapped the towel around your body after dropping your stuff back in the sand, sitting on the floor next to the calm figure of Sangyeon. He looked so peaceful and serene that you couldn’t help but envy happy, carefree people.
Bringing your knees to your chest, you were enveloped in Eric’s towel, watching the rest of the group enjoying themselves in the water as you smelt the comforting scent of his laundry. They were coming out of the sea one after the other, running to their towel as they were shivering. Once you felt dry enough to put your clothes back on, you stood up and rushed to the seaside with your friend’s towel as he sprung out of the water and huddled himself in the cotton fabric.
“I wish I had taken my own so you wouldn’t have to dry yourself with something so humid, I’m really sorry,” you apologised, but Ericjust laughed, happy that you were taking care of him by vigorously rubbing his back.
“It’s okay Y/N, it’s nothing,” as guilt was starting to eat you, you offered him a saddened smile, which contrasted with the bright one that was decorating his lips, your hand on his back gently pushing him to go back to his friends in the sand.
“We’re gonna get pizzas,” Kevin said as you both arrived next to the group, “we would all love if you joined us,” he said while his eyes shifted to you, him smiling as you blinked a few times.
“Hum, sure!” you said, showing him the brightest smile you could as your mind was still surrounded by dark thoughts. Your heart felt warm in your chest, happiness sparkled in your brain, but for some reason, you weren’t able to show it, and you mentally cursed yourself for that.
When you were all sitting down in booths with pizza shoved in your mouths, you felt like your sorrow had reduced by half. You were seated between the wall and Eric, Juyeon and Sangyeon facing you two. The atmosphere was light as your stomach was starting to hurt at how much you were laughing. It felt almost right as if you were part of this group since the beginning.
You noticed that Ericwas sometimes glancing at you just to see if you were okay, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw you with a bright smile on your face, his lips mimicking yours. Yes, bags under your eyes made you look exhausted, yet your neighbour still found you beautiful. Sangyeon and Juyeon exchanged knowing looks as Ericcouldn’t tear his eyes off you when you were telling a story, his frank laugh echoing in the booth each time you told something funny.
Your happy mood slowly faded as the time to leave was getting closer, each going in separate ways, except for you and your neighbour. You still managed to have a slight smile on your lips as you were talking about everything and nothing, arriving too soon at the gate of your house.
“Thank you for offering me to join you, it’s really nice of you,” your voice trailed as you wrapped your fingers around one of the spikey metal bars of your gate, Eric’s smile almost illuminating the neighbourhood sunk in plain darkness. You felt like crying but thickly swallowed the lump in your throat, compensating your emotions with a smile. He pretended not to see your eyes slightly glistening more under the street light, but his heart cracked as you were battling with the demons inside your head in front of him, feeling as helpless as ever.
“We all love to have you around. I noticed that you tend to eat alone during lunch breaks at college, so if you see us, please free to join us, even if it’s just to hang out, okay? We’ll always be here, and you’ll never bother us,” you nodded and thanked him, eyes soon diverting to your house.
Eric’s hand lifted to rub your shoulder, and you stared back at him, his lips drawn in a gentle smile.
You took in a deep breath and smiled too, your heart fastening as you couldn’t keep eye contact. He smiled at your shy attitude and leaned forwards, pressing a gentle kiss on your cheekbone. You blinked a few times as you got startled by his actions, the tip of his ears going red as he took a step back, his hand scratching the back of his head.
“Goodnight Y/N, I’ll see you soon,” he started walking backwards, and your heart fluttered weirdly inside your ribcage, feeling a new emotion.
As if he was slipping away from your fingers, you rushed back to him and wrapped your arms tightly around his neck, nuzzling your face against him. He remained shook but eventually wrapped his arms around your figure as you were about to pull away, humming the mix of your shampoo and the sea that fragranced your hair.
You felt both shy when you pulled away from the embrace, regret invading your heart as you wished it had lasted longer. You wordlessly waved at him before trotting back to your gate, slamming it shut as you rushed inside your house. Ericfondly smiled, feeling lucky that he was part of the reason for your growing happiness.
He couldn’t wait to see your gauge of joy at its maximum capacity, thanks to him.
☁pairing: bf!sangyeon x fem!reader ☁wc: 1.3k ☁synopsis: you come home from work furious, and sangyeon does his best to calm you down. ☁genre: fluff, comfort, domestic ☁tw: swear words, y/n is angry at the world ☁a/n: this is a self-indulgent fic because my boss fucking annoys me at work and I cba of her petty ass oh to get comforted by sangyeon honestly… ☁ requested: no!
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“I’m fucking tired of all this shit!” you cursed as you slammed the front door shut, sending your purse and jacket flying out of pure frustration.
Locking the door in an angry movement, you got even hotter under the collar when your heels didn’t want to leave your feet, your uneven balance making you stumble on air and almost fall on the floor. Once you were finally rid of your shoes, you felt like walking on clouds, but this was not enough to reduce your wrath.
“Woah, woah, woah. Easy there, love,”Sangyeon, your boyfriend emerged from the kitchen in the corridor, blinking in confusion at your unusual angry attitude.
Your eyes were close to glowing red, steam practically going out of your ears, which was not a good sign at all. You rarely got angry, so it must have been something pretty upsetting and important to send you in a fit of rage like this one. The sight of your boyfriend made you sharply inhale as if you wanted to control yourself in front of him, trying your best to channel your anger.
“What’s wrong, Y/N?”Sangyeonrisked asking the question, getting ready for you to yell out all your frustration at him, but he was wrong. You remained silent, chewing over your anger with a deep frown on your face, eyebrows almost touching. In all honesty, he would have preferred you screaming at the world rather than becoming as mute as a grave.
“This-” you wanted to curse out your colleague, the main reason for your anger, but remained civil, feeling like swear words weren’t even enough to get all the anger you had for her out of your body. “This fucking colleague of mine “accidentally” deleted the Excel folder I spent hours working on for our trimestral project next week. I had lunch after yelling at her and went to my boss’s office after my break, only to have himblamingmefor what shedid!” you yelled out in a hoarse voice the rest of your sentence, emphasising the pronouns as your hands started shaking, the tears flooding your eyes immediately after a choked sob slipped past your pursed lips.
“And then,” your voice was unsteady, looking at your boyfriend through your blurry eyes, pointing the door as if your colleague was here, “when I get out of work to come home, I see those two good-for-nothing idiots flirting and swooning over the other like the fucking disgusting couple they are.”
Sangyeonbreathed in deeply, brows slightly furrowed, dismayed at the situation you got unfairly put in. He placed the piece of cloth he used to dry the dishes with on his shoulder and gently approached you as if he was scared of getting rejected. Your shoulders subsided when he rested his palm on the side of your neck, his thumb gently caressing the edge of your jaw back and forth.
“Sangyeon, I’m so tired of this, I don’t know what to do,” you desperately struggled to mumble, this situation affecting you way more than you wanted, but it was hard not to. Your boyfriend rested his other hand on your shoulder, gently pulling you to him. Subconsciously, you wrapped your arms around his middle and closed your eyes, letting the tears wet his t-shirt as you tried to focus on him instead of your issue.
But it was almost impossible, this issue had you really worried. Deep down, you knew that your boss wouldn’t hesitate to fire you instead of whatever your colleague was for him, even if she was less qualified and talented than you. You should have been more careful, you should have immediately explained the problem to your boss to prevent your colleague from switching the roles and playing the victim, you should have-
“Y/N, I can hear your thoughts from here,” your boyfriend mumbled, his low voice vibrating in your chest as you were still pressed against him. Sighing heavily as an answer, you let his hand rub your back up and down, your breath uneven as you felt the anger boiling back into your veins.
Sangyeonfelt you tense against him, so he pulled away and cradled your face in his hands to make you look at him. He offered you a compassionate smile, his thumbs wiping the floods of tears cascading down your cheeks. Your mouth trembled, and Sangyeonlocked eyes with you, his hands travelling up your arms as he soothed you.
“Shht, darling,” he whispered as he kissed your forehead, lips lingering on your skin. Your tears redoubled at the display of affection, feeling the exhaustion instead of the anger taking over your body. He wrapped his arm around your neck, his other hand pressing against the back of your head.
“Do you want solutions or comfort?” he mumbled in your ear in a sweet voice, and you pondered his question for a few seconds, trying to collect your thoughts and shift them to something else.
He was always good at comforting you. No matter how bad or angry you felt, Sangyeonwas always here to soothe you and bring you back to a calm state, that’s why you could freely let your emotions speak when he was around. Of course, he was sometimes powerless, not really knowing nor able to help, but at least he was here to listen.
“Comfort, please,” you manage to utter, and he pressed you further against his chest, his arms still embracing you tightly.
“We’ll discuss solutions when you’ll feel better and calmer, alright? Now let me make you a cup of tea,” he said, and you whined, nuzzling up to his torso as he was about to pull away. “No? You don’t want one?” he asked, and you shook your head, his arms closing back on your tired figure as he was surprised that you refused your favourite beverage.
“Don’t leave, please,” you felt Sangyeonnod and press his cheek on the side of your head, holding you tight against him.
“Alright, darling,” he seized one of your hands and rested it flat on his chest, feeling his calm heartbeat under your palm. It was something he used to do when you were stressed out, and it always managed to calm you down.
Sangyeonheld you until you stopped crying, feeling your trembles come to a halt and find a normal heartbeat again. Eyes puffy and cheeks drenched in salty tears, Sangyeontilted his head to the side and lovingly smiled at you, letting you rest your head against his collarbone out of exhaustion. Crying drained all your energy because it didn’t happen as often as it used to, but you could always count on your boyfriend to take care of you and handle the aftermath like a pro.
“Come on love, let’s get you to the sofa so I can finish preparing dinner, okay? I won’t let you go to bed with an empty stomach,” you nodded as you sat down on the edge of the couch, Sangyeoncrouching down in front of you, his hands on your knees.
“What are you preparing?” you asked, your voice barely coming out of your mouth due to all your crying.
“I’m making your favourite. I figured that you had a rough day since you didn’t text me at lunch like you usually did, so I wanted to cheer you up,” he proudly smiled as he watched your eyes widen, a relieved smile drawing on your face.
“Oh my god I love you, thank you,” you mumbled, and Sangyeonsoftly chuckled, his hand carding through your hair as strands fell in front of your eyes. He cupped your face with his hand before gently rubbing his nose against yours, earning a smile from you.
“That’s my girl,” he whispered as he stood up, quickly bending back down to press your lips together in a soft kiss.
You offered him a grateful smile, and he winked, making his way back in the kitchen, leaving you appeased in the living room. With his hugs and support, you felt calm and collected for tomorrow, mentally ready to confront your colleague and boss for their mistakes. But for now, your focus was your boyfriend, and you couldn’t wait to spend a lovely evening with him and some good food.
ミ★synopsis: as the university’s part-time librarian, you didn’t expect to develop a relationship with the guy that likes to skip lecture in order to take a nap in the library instead. and as the bad boy of the university, hyunjae had never crossed paths with you until he started sleeping in the library—so he can’t explain why you’re so familiar to him.
ミ★genre: reincarnation!au, badboy!hyunjae, librarian!reader, angst, some fluff, some humor
ミ★warnings: major character death, depictions of violence, mentions of blood
ミ★word count: 20,800
ミ★pairings: hyunjae x gender neutral reader
ミ★notes: happy verybelated birthday to my soulmate and best friend, @sunlightwoo this oneshot took me an incredibly long time to write and it’s quite ridiculous how long it ended up becoming… but i really hope you love it <3 i love you so much gina, thank you for everything <3
“Please. You can take me, but not him. He has nothing to do with this.” You beg the soldier, falling to your knees without a second thought as you plead. The commander stares down at you, and you watch as the corner of his lips quirks upwards in amusement.
“Oh, Midnight.” He says in a sweet tone, and your eyebrows furrow in confusion, only for your blood to run cold when you see his hand wrap around the gun in his pocket.
“How bold of you to think that I would have mercy on a thief.”
You gasp awake, the sound of the gunshot ringing in your ears as you blink up at the ceiling. You’re drenched in sweat, making you recoil in slight disgust as you groggily sit up in your bed. You look out the window, seeing the sky that’s still full of stars, signaling that you have a long time until you need to wake up for your lectures in the morning.
You shake your head, reaching up and resting a hand over your forehead as you let out a shaky breath.
“What a weird dream.”
You push the cart full of books down the aisle, looking through the shelves to see where to place the book in your hand. A quiet, ah, escapes your lips when you discover its place, and you quickly put the book back in its rightful spot on the shelf. Smiling to yourself, you push the cart out of the aisle to head back towards the front desk.
You glance over towards the study tables, seeing the familiar groups of faces of students who enjoy going to this library to study. You slowly come to a stop when you see an unfamiliar body slumped over one of them, and you frown slightly at the sight. Looking around, you see no one even sparing a glance towards them, and you bite your bottom lip. You tentatively walk over, and gently knock your hand on the table as a means to wake them.
Only to blink when they don’t move at all.
Pursing your lips, you step around so that you’re standing where their head is facing, and you pause when you finally lay eyes on the man.
His eyelashes are long, resting beautifully on the tops of his cheeks as he breathes softly. From the slope of his nose, to his pretty cupid’s bow—you find yourself in a state of awe at the beauty of this man. There’s also the smallest inkling you feel within your chest as you stare at his sleeping face, and you wonder why you can’t help but think he looks a bit familiar.
“I’ll let him sleep.” You say quietly, thinking that he must be rather tired to have decided to take a nap in the University library. Turning around, you walk away from the man and go back to your cart. You push it to the front desk, and plop down into your seat behind it. Letting out a breath, you turn on the computer to begin a new round of solitaire.
“Dude, where were you? I was saving the seat beside me cause you said you’d come to lecture today.” Juyeon asks when Hyunjae walks up to him sitting on the bench. He lets out a yawn and shrugs his shoulders, scratching the back of his neck as he replies, “I didn’t wanna fall asleep during class, so I took a nap in the library instead.”
Juyeon’s eyes soften a bit at the news, “You still having trouble sleeping?”
Hyunjae nods his head, adjusting Juyeon’s backpack strap for him as they begin to walk out of the quad. He looks off to the side with a sigh, thinking of how he suddenly went from being able to have a dreamless sleep, to having sleepless nights due to dreams that he can never remember.
“I think you should go see someone so that they can prescribe you something. The melatonin gummies aren’t working for you, so this would be the next step.” Juyeon says, and Hyunjae purses his lips at the thought of having to take sleeping pills just to get a good night’s rest.
“It happened randomly, so I’ll probably be able to sleep normally at a random time too.” Hyunjae reasons, and Juyeon frowns at his friend’s stubborn nature. He nudges his shoulder, and Hyunjae lets out a chuckle at the blonde’s concern for him.
“I’m okay, Juyeon. This’ll pass.” Hyunjae tells him, and Juyeon just lets out a sigh of defeat as he just nods his head. Hyunjae places his arm over Juyeon’s shoulders, glad that he has such a good friend by his side.
“Now that you’re done acting like a mother,” Hyunjae begins, and Juyeon scoffs at the term. “You wanna go to that party Haknyeon and Eric are hosting tonight?”
He watches as the corner of Juyeon’s lips quirk upwards at the mention of a party, and he knows he’s got his best friend interested. As they begin talking about the plan for tonight, Hyunjae tries to ignore the heavy weight of exhaustion settled over his shoulders.
“Hi Kevin.” You greet your coworker as you walk past the desk to clock in. He gives you a smile, happy to see you after having not been scheduled together in a while. “Yn! I missed you.”
“Missed me? You just missed working with me since I put away all the books for you.” You tease with a grin, and he immediately begins to protest as you laugh quietly. While the two of you talk, your attention is caught by someone walking past the front desk with his airpods in his ears.
You take notice of the bags under his eyes in the brief glance you get of his face, and your eyes widen when you suddenly recognize him as the guy who took a nap on one of the study tables from the week before.
“And that’s how I got Jacob to curse for the first time. Was definitely something I never want to experience again, but I’m glad I scratched it off the bucket list.” Kevin finishes as he scans another book, looking up at you to catch your reaction, only to see you distracted. His eyes follow your gaze, and he almost chokes when he realizes just who you’re so distracted by.
“Don’t tell me you have a crush on him too.” He whines, and your head snaps back towards Kevin. “Huh?”
He gestures in the direction the guy went, and you raise an eyebrow, “Do you know him?”
Kevin just gives you a deadpan stare, and you blink, wondering if you asked the wrong thing. He chuckles and shakes his head, handing you a book to place on the cart. Taking it from his grasp, he begins to explain, “I can’t believe that you actually live under a rock.”
“Hey!”
“He’s my friend, and he’s well known at our uni cause he’s a handsome ass bitch. Some students like to call him a bad boy since he drives a motorcycle and doesn’t really talk to many people outside of our friend group, but I really think he’s the farthest thing from that.” Kevin explains with a giggle, and you find yourself wondering how you never knew any of this information when you and Kevin are besties at work.
You glance over in his direction, finding him fast asleep over one of the study tables once again. There’s an indecipherable emotion that tingles within your chest as you stare at his slumped over figure, and you question why you’re so intrigued by a man that you’ve never once shared an interaction with.
“What’s his name?” You ask in a soft voice, choosing to ignore the thought in your brain as you turn back towards your friend. He looks at you with a knowing smile, and he just lets out a breath as he hands you another book.
“Hyunjae. His name is Lee Hyunjae.”
It’s a few hours into your shift when you begin putting the books back into their respective places on the shelves. This is probably your favorite thing to do while working at the library because you’ve always enjoyed organizing, and this is the epitome of that.
Pushing your cart to the next aisle, you briefly look up towards the study tables, only to blink in surprise when you find Hyunjae still fast asleep on the table. Glancing down at your watch, you see that it’s already 6 o’clock in the evening.
“He’s been sleeping there this whole time?” You murmur as you look at him from the bookshelves. Pursing your lips, you glance around, seeing a few students minding their own business as they study at their own respective tables. You look back in his direction one more time, before letting out a breath and pushing the cart in his direction.
You wonder why you’re so entranced by him, a man you’ve never met nor spoken to once in your life. Since the day you saw him asleep in the library for the first time, you felt yourself gravitate towards him, and you don’t even know why.
Is it because he’s handsome? Because you found it funny that he had come to the library just to sleep? You’re not sure.
But as you bend down so that you’re eye-level with his sleeping face, you still can’t figure out the answer.
Standing back up, you reach out and gently tap his shoulder. When he doesn’t even shift slightly, you bite the inside of your cheek. You gently tap his shoulder again, “Excuse me? Sir?”
You watch as his eyebrows furrow at your voice. Moving to tap him again, you stop when his eyes slowly begin to open. He blinks tiredly, confused as to what’s going on around him as he gets used to the light flooding his vision. Letting out a quiet yawn, he turns his head in your direction, only to pause when he realizes there’s someone standing beside him.
His gaze slowly trails up towards your face, and he feels his breath get taken away when he locks eyes with you. Your eyes sparkle underneath the light as you look at him with a small amused smile, and he can only blink at the sight as a question suddenly comes to mind.
am i… in heaven?
“Hi, I’m really sorry to have woken you up from your nap. It’s just that you’ve been sleeping here for the last three hours, and I feel like you would be much more comfortable in your own bed.” You explain, warmth flooding your face as you speak because oh God you’re shy. He can only stare at you in silence, making you wonder if you made the right decision as you look back at him with increasing anxiety.
He blinks, before looking down at the table where he’s been sleeping this whole time. He lets out a quiet chuckle, reaching up and running a hand through his hair as he stands up from the chair. He picks up his backpack and throws it over his shoulder, looking back at you with an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry about that.” He says, and you immediately raise your hands towards him and shake them. “No! It’s okay! Really, I just woke you up because I would rather you be comfortable in a bed rather than an old wooden chair and a table.”
His eyes bore into yours, and you can only look back into his as the sound of your own heartbeat floods your ears from how handsome he is. You watch as a small smile forms on his face, and he reaches out towards you with his hand.
“My name is Lee Hyunjae.”
Glancing down at his hand, a soft laugh escapes you as you reach out and take hold of it. Looking back up into his eyes, you smile as you say,
“My name is yn yln.”
Hyunjae feels his heart pang against his chest when your name leaves your lips, a lump forming in his throat as he stares at your smiling face. Not wanting to appear affected, he gives you a grin and the two of you let go of each other’s hands.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, yn.” Hyunjae tells you, and you nod your head with a warm face. “It was nice meeting you too, Hyunjae.”
And with that, you watch as the “bad boy” of the university turns around and walks away. Your eyes follow him until he’s out of sight, and a breath escapes you as you lean against the table. You raise your hands up to cup your warm face, thoughts running a mile a minute as the whole interaction continues to play in your head.
While Hyunjae stops at the back of the library, resting his hand against the wall as he sucks in a shaky breath. Tears flood his eyes as he stares down at the ground, trying his best to hold them back.
He doesn’t understand why he felt such a large feeling of sadness wash over him when you had said your name, or why he’s fighting back tears as he stands outside of the library.
All he can really make sense of is that you have a beautiful smile.
“Jaehyun!” He turns at the call of his name, smiling brightly when he sees Hyunjun hurrying towards him with a loaf of bread he bought. He reaches out and wraps an arm around his friend’s shoulders once he’s close enough, ruffling his hair with his hand. “Did you make your move?”
Hyunjun immediately shoots him a glare, nudging him in the stomach with his elbow. “No. I don’t know why you’re so fixated on me and the baker’s daughter.”
“Cause it’s obvious that you have a crush on her.” He teases, to which he receives another jab to the stomach. He clutches his side, wincing in pain at Hyunjun’s sharp elbows as his friend chuckles.
“We just did the usual, talking casually as she got me the loaf of bread I ordered. Nothing special.” Hyunjun explains with a soft smile, and he lets out a disappointed breath. “Tsk, thought I taught you better.”
“The only thing you’ve taught me is that I should get better friends. Then again, I should’ve expected that the librarian who talks to books would be strange.”
“Hey! You know that books are precious! Take that back!”
“No!”
He’s about to put Hyunjun in a chokehold when a shoulder bumps into his own, causing him to take a step back. With a frown taking over his features, he turns his head to glance back at the person who bumped into him. His eyes slowly trail up from the ground and up their body, stopping at their lips when they begin to say:
“I’m sorry—”
Hyunjae blinks his eyes open, turning his head and squinting towards the sunlight that’s managed to peek through the sliver of his curtain. He lets out a groan, groggily rubbing his face as he sits up in his bed. Running a hand through his hair, he looks at the time and sees that it’s 8 am.
“Four hours of sleep.” He murmurs, staring tiredly at his clock as he thinks of his schedule for the day. He has calc at 11:30, bio at 12:30, then he has that class he always skips at 1:30. Raising his hands up towards his face, he shuts his eyes as the growingly distant memory of his dreams play behind them. Lowering his hands, he lets out a sigh.
“Why do they feel so real?”
“Why are you at the library when you’re not even working today? It’s Friday, wouldn’t you rather be out having fun?” Kevin asks with a grin when you walk up to the counter. You shrug your shoulders, “Maybe because I’m a student that likes to study here? Besides, you know I’d rather hang out in the library.”
Kevin chuckles, the sound making you smile as he gestures towards the study tables. “Whenever you feel like taking a break, come over here and talk to me. I’m on shift until 6.”
You give him a thumbs up, “Of course! I’ll talk to you later.”
After bidding Kevin goodbye, you walk towards the study tables in hopes that there’s one that’s empty. You do a quick scan for an available table, only for your eyes to stop on a familiar sight.
Hyunjae’s laid over the surface of a table, head resting on his arms that act as a pillow. His backpack is placed in the seat beside him, no laptop or journal taken out and on the table either.
A small smile forms on your face as you make your way over to where he’s seated. Biting the inside of your cheek, you slowly bend down so that the two of you are face to face. Your eyes roam over his features, and you quietly wonder how he can sleep so soundly over an uncomfortable surface like this.
You’re about to stand back up when his eyes slowly blink open, and you’re rendered frozen in place when his eyes bore into yours.
“Yn?”
You quickly take a step back, nervous chuckles escaping you as he tiredly sits up from his original position. Rubbing his eyes, he looks at you with a curious gaze, “How long were you watching me like that?”
You blink, “Oh, you know. A couple seconds or so…”
Hyunjae gazes at you for a moment longer, before a small smile forms on his lips. Shaking his head, he covers his mouth to let out a yawn as you awkwardly stand in front of him. You suck in a deep breath before gesturing over to the two empty chairs in front of him.
“Can I sit with you?”
The two of you stare at each other for a second, with regret slowly inching up your throat the longer you wait for his answer. Clenching your fists at your sides, you’re about to tell him that you’ll find another table when he finally responds, “Yeah, of course you can sit with me.”
The corners of your lips tilt upwards, and you nod your head. Stepping over to the chairs across from him, you pull out the seat and sit down. Putting your bag down in the chair beside you, you pull out your laptop and open it up, preparing to get to work.
Hyunjae quietly watches you as you do this, admiring the way the sunlight peeks in through the windows and hits your face as you reach for your headphones. He wonders why you had chosen to sit with him when there were other tables that are also only occupied by one person.
“You’re not working today?” Hyunjae asks right before you’re about to put in an earbud, and you nod your head. “Today’s my day off, but I still need to write an essay.”
“For what class?”
“Multicultural History. I was given a specific timeline and I basically just need to write about it for seven pages.” You explain with a sigh, watching as the latter cringes at how much you need to write. A small giggle escapes you at his reaction, and Hyunjae’s eyes sparkle at the sound.
“You can continue your nap, I just didn’t feel like sitting alone.” You tell him with a smile, and he nods. Moving to rest his head on his arms, he stops right before he closes his eyes and looks back at you. You tilt your head at his sudden pause, only for warmth to flood your face when he says,
“Whether you’re working or not, you can always come sit with me.”
And with that, Hyunjae lowers his face into his arms to take another nap. While you just sit there in shock, letting his words sink in as you stare at the pretty man with warm cheeks.
It’s a couple of hours later when Hyunjae finally wakes up, and he slowly blinks his eyes open as he sits up properly in his seat. Running a hand through his hair, he starts to yawn when your voice quietly greets him, “Good morning.”
He looks at you with an amused look in his eyes, and you grin back at him before glancing back at your laptop screen and typing away. Stretching his arms over his head, he gazes at the clock on the wall and sees that it’s now 7 pm.
He turns back to you, and reaches out and taps the top of your laptop. Halting your typing, you pause your music and pull out an earbud, “Mm?”
“Are you hungry? It’s around dinner time.” Hyunjae asks, and your eyebrows furrow. Your eyes dart down to the time on your screen, and you blink in surprise when you see that it’s already 7 at night. “Oh shit.”
He chuckles at how you sound when you curse, having only heard you be soft spoken in the times the two of you interacted. You give him a smile and reach a hand up to scratch the back of your neck, not realizing how long you’ve been working on your essay.
“I didn’t know that much time had passed.” You mutter shyly, and Hyunjae nods his head in agreement. Pressing your lips into a thin line, you gently shut your laptop and slip it into its sleeve, before beginning to pack the rest of your stuff.
Hyunjae watches you quietly as he stands up from the table. A question comes to mind as he throws his bag over his shoulder, and he lets out a breath while he looks at you. “Do you want to go to the convenience store together?”
You physically halt your movements right as you’re about to put your laptop into your bag, and slowly turn your head towards Hyunjae. “Heh?”
A small smile forms on his face at your reaction, and he tilts his head to the side, “Should I take that as a no?”
Your eyes widen and you immediately lift your hands up to him, “No!”
“No?”
“I mean, no as in, noyoushouldn’t take that as a no.” You panic, and Hyunjae bites back a laugh. Blinking your eyes, you let out a quiet cough and promptly place your laptop in your bag, before zipping it up and throwing it over your shoulder. “R-Ramen, shall we?”
Hyunjae nods his head, amusement dancing in his eyes as the two of you walk side-by-side to the exit. You glance over towards the front desk, seeing that Kevin has long been replaced by your other coworker since he got off an hour before.
“Damn, Kevin left already.” Hyunjae points out once you both reach the doors, and you nod as you each walk out. “He got off at 6, and now he’s probably going to be petty with me since I didn’t take a break to go talk to him.”
Hyunjae chuckles, already imagining what the latter would complain about. “Sounds like Kevin.”
A comfortable silence falls over the two of you as you head in the direction of the convenience store. Your eyes look over the scenery of the trees and the remnants of the sunset as you smile softly to yourself, while Hyunjae takes small glances at you, wondering how he can feel so comfortable walking in silence with a person he hardly knows.
“Did you finish writing your essay?” Hyunjae asks you after a moment, and you turn to him with an embarrassed smile. Rubbing the back of your neck, you let out a sigh, “No, not yet. I still have to write two more pages and then edit everything.”
“You sound disappointed by that.” Hyunjae points out, and you nod your head with a slight pout to your lips.
“I just wish I was more productive. Normally, I would’ve been able to finish writing seven pages easily, but I guess I was having an off day today.” You explain with a chuckle, but it slowly dies out when you don’t receive an immediate response. Turning your head to glance at the pretty man, you find him looking at you with a small smile on his face. He lets out a low whistle and turns away once he realizes that he’s just been staring, and you look down at the ground.
“I think you accomplished a lot during the time that you were working on it, so don’t be too hard on yourself for those last two pages.” Hyunjae tells you, and you bite the inside of your cheek at his words. There’s a sense of comfort that fills your heart, overtaking the slight disappointment you had originally felt.
Turning to him, you let out a giggle as you ask, “How about you? How was your nap?”
Hyunjae blinks at the question, before laughing quietly and nodding. “It was alright, felt nice knowing that I had someone to protect me while I was sleeping.”
He pauses after the sentence leaves him, and he tilts his head as he questions why he feels so weird. It’s only a second later when a brief memory suddenly comes to mind,
He lays on the grass, looking up at the blue sky as the heat from the sun lays over him like a warm blanket. Feeling a pair of eyes on him, he lets out a quiet chuckle, “Mm?”
“What?” The voice asks, and he smiles to himself, knowing that they’re trying to play it off as if he didn’t catch them. “You were staring.”
“I was just making sure you were safe.” They respond, and he laughs.
“What! What’s so funny about that?”
“Why would there be danger in this field of grass that’s far away from the city? Trust me, I’ve been going here since I was a child. No one knows of this place except you and me now.” He explains, only to hear a quiet chuckle in response. Turning to glance at them, their features remain a blur as the sun appears from behind their head, rendering their face unrecognizable. He blinks when their hand suddenly reaches out and rests on Hyunjae’s head, gently patting his hair as they say in a soft voice,
“No matter where you are, or where you go, I’ll be by your side to protect you.”
Hyunjae sucks in a sharp breath once the memory disappears, making you turn towards him with a look of concern on your face. His eyes are wide as he stares down at the ground while the two of you walk, and you notice how pale his skin has become.
You stop walking and gently grasp his wrist, making him halt his movements. “Hyunjae, are you okay?”
He turns his head and looks back at you, just to find you looking at him with worry etched over your features. Biting the inside of his cheek, he tries to shake off the initial shock he felt when the memory came to mind, as this has never happened while he was awake.
You watch as he finally gives you a smile, acting as if everything’s okay as he answers, “I’m alright, just remembered that I have to work on homework tonight.”
You stare at him for a moment longer, before nodding your head and letting go of his hand. The two of you aren’t close enough for you to ask him more, and you can already see that he doesn’t want to talk about it further. “Understandable. It’s kinda like a jumpscare.”
He chuckles and smiles in agreement as you begin to walk again, completely dropping the topic of whatever it was that bothered him. When you draw closer to the convenience store, you can’t help your curiosity as you turn to him again, “Why do you sleep in the library almost everyday? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Hyunjae doesn’t look surprised at the question, since he expected that you would probably ask him at some point. However, he doesn’t answer it until the two of you reach the entrance to the store, and he pulls open the door and holds it open for you.
Giving you a small smile, he finally responds, “I don’t really care for my technical writing class.”
Hyunjae heads towards the library with a little skip in his step, heart feeling warm in his chest as he thinks of seeing you again. The last time he saw you was a couple days ago when the two of you went to the convenience store together, since he didn’t need to go to the library due to it being the weekend.
“So you just go to the library to skip class and take a nap?” You ask with a hint of disbelief in your gaze as you step inside. Hyunjae nods his head with a quiet chuckle, closing the door and walking beside you towards the aisle of ramen.
“Why don’t you just go back to your apartment and take a nap then? The library tables can’t be more comfortable than your own bed.” You say as you reach out and pick up a shin ramen, and Hyunjae just shrugs his shoulders. He picks up the neoguri ramen, feeling a slight weight over his shoulders as the real reason why he goes to the library remains in the back of his mind.
“I find that sleep comes easier at the library than it does at home.”
Just as Hyunjae’s about to push open the doors to the library, he lets out a yelp when his backpack is suddenly tugged from behind, yanking him backwards.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Hyunjae exclaims when he tries to glance back, only to be dragged away from the library and down the steps. Once they’re at the bottom of the stairs, the person finally lets go, and Hyunjae turns around to start shouting at them, only to stop.
He lets out a sigh, “God damn it, Juyeon.”
“We’re going to class together, whether you like it or not.” Juyeon says with a big smile. Hyunjae groans when Juyeon wraps an arm around his shoulders, beginning to bring him in the direction of their building.
Hyunjae steps out from under Juyeon’s arm and points towards him, “I’m not going. I have my daily nap to attend to and that is much more important than technical writing.”
Juyeon squints at Hyunjae, making the latter look away and over to the library to avoid eye contact. The blonde continues to analyze his friend, before letting out a sigh of disappointment and shaking his head.
“Instead of taking you to class, should I take you to the hospital to finally get sleeping medicine instead?” Juyeon asks, a stern expression on his face. Hyunjae just presses his lips into a thin line, “You sound like a mother.”
“Would you rather have Sangyeon scold you? You can hardly sleep at your own apartment, you skip class, and go to the library not to study—but to sleep.” Juyeon says, making Hyunjae glance down at the ground. Juyeon stares at him for a moment longer, before looking away and running a hand through his hair.
“I’m just worried about you.”
“I know, but I’m fine. I’m not even failing the class either! I’m just going through a slump right now, but I should be able to sleep normally after it’s over.” Hyunjae explains earnestly, hoping that this will appease him so that he doesn’t have another thing to stress about. Juyeon reaches out and pats Hyunjae’s shoulder, “Okay, but you’re still going to class with me.”
“Ohhellno.”
“Professor is having us choose our partners for the group project that’s due at the end of the quarter and I need you there.” Juyeon says, before wrapping his arm around the back of Hyunjae’s neck and beginning to drag him towards the building of their classroom again.
“But—”
“No buts! It’s just for today, the professor needs to know that I have a partner so that I don’t end up working with some stranger.”
Hyunjae fails to come up with an excuse to skip this lecture and go to the library instead. He lets out a sigh of defeat as he gets dragged away, knowing that he should at least attend this section for the sake of his project. Taking a quick glance back at the library, he bites the inside of his cheek at the thought of you possibly waiting for him.
I’ll go see you later, yn.
You push the cart full of books past the aisles, looking at the study tables as you walk by, but failing to see that familiar slumped over figure. Pursing your lips, you shake your head and turn into the non-fiction aisle.
“Why do I feel a bit disappointed? I should be happy that he went to class.” You mutter, picking up a book and placing it into its designated spot. Doing a quick onceover of the shelf, you catch sight of a book that’s not meant to be in this aisle.
“Why would someone put Frog and Toad next to Stephen Hawking?” You ask yourself as you reach out and take it out of the shelf, only to lock eyes with someone in the next aisle. You blink in surprise, only for a smile to immediately take over your features when you recognize them.
“Lee Hyunjae!” You whisper-shout, and he waves at you with a grin. He holds up something in a plastic bag, and you raise an eyebrow at him, before gesturing for him to come into your aisle. Giving you a thumbs up, he disappears from sight and appears by your side a few seconds later.
“Where were you?” The question falls past your lips without a second thought, and you just as quickly turn around and slap yourself on the forehead. Hyunjae bites the inside of his cheek to hold back his laughter, watching as you eventually turn back around to face him with an embarrassed grin.
He leans against the shelf, a smirk on his lips when he asks, “Were you waiting for me?”
“No!” You exclaim, only to flinch back when you receive a few shushes from those who are studying. You do a quick bow in their direction, having forgotten that you’re in a public library as you turn back to Hyunjae with regained composure. “No. I just noticed that you weren’t at one of the study tables.”
“Ah.” Hyunjae says, and you let out a breath of relief.
“So you were looking for me?” He teases, and you press your lips into a thin line. He lets out a quiet laugh and waves his hand at you to signal that he’s just joking around, before lifting up the bag that you now realize holds a container of takeout food.
“What’s this? Are you having dinner here? You know that you can’t eat in the library—”
“It’s for you.” Hyunjae interjects, and you stare at him, mouth still open as the rest of the sentence remains lodged in your throat. He smiles, “I got you some kimchi jjigae since I know that you won’t be getting off shift until past dinner.”
You continue to stare at him in shock, unable to formulate a response since you’re still trying to digest the fact that he went out of his way to buy you dinner. He reaches a hand up and waves it in front of your face, causing you to snap out of your daze.
“O-Oh God, sorry. I just… I can’t believe you got me food.” You laugh softly as you stare down at the bag of take out, and he grins.
“I didn’t want you to have a late dinner.” He mutters in response, and you look up into his eyes. The two of you stare at each other in silence for a moment, with warmth flooding your face, and Hyunjae wondering if you can hear how hard his heart is beating against his chest.
“Thank you.” You say, and the corners of his lips quirk upwards as he nods. Without a second thought, he reaches out and grasps your hand, making your eyes widen in surprise. He lifts it up and faces your palm towards the ceiling, before repeating the action with your other hand.
Before you can ask what he’s doing, he gently plops the bag of takeout into your hands. You look down at the container, then glance back up at his face, just to see the warm smile resting over his features as he stares into your eyes.
“Eat well, okay?”
After nodding your head, he gives you one last grin, before turning around and walking out of the library. Your eyes trail after him, and once he’s out of sight, you glance down at the bag of takeout in your hands.
You let out a happy sigh, “He remembered that I work late tonight.”
“Why would a librarian have to work late at night?” A voice huffs from the next aisle, and Hyunjae chuckles at them. Taking a book off the shelf, he sees the back of the person’s head as they glance up at the other books. “Cause I’m the son of the family that owns this library, and that means I have to make sure all the books are in their designated spots.”
“Pft. Still doesn’t mean you need to work late hours.”
He turns the book over in his hand, and grins down at the cover. Letting out a breath, he walks over to the aisle the person’s in and stares at the back of their head as they’re crouched down to look at the books on the bottom shelf.
He lifts up the book in his hand, “Read this book.”
“Is it the bible?” They ask, making him roll his eyes.
“Pride and Prejudice.” He answers, and he watches as they turn their head slightly.
“Do you think I’d like it?” He stares at them for a moment, before chuckling and waving the book in his hand. “I wouldn’t have told you to read it if I didn’t think you wouldn’t like it.”
They let out a soft laugh, a sound that makes his heart warm.
“I guess I should read it then.” They say, before finally beginning to turn their head to look at him.
Hyunjae blinks his eyes open, a furrow to his brows as he slowly sits up from the table. He glances around the library, seeing that the afternoon sky had already turned dark during the time he was asleep. He sighs, “The dreams are haunting me even when I’m not at home.”
Letting out a yawn, he turns his head just to find you putting a few books away in one of the aisles. A small smile forms on his lips, and he tiredly stands up from the table to walk over to you.
You quietly hum to yourself as you put another book onto the shelf, feeling a bit excited for your shift to be over since you’re hungry. You spare a glance in Hyunjae’s direction, expecting him to still be fast asleep over the table, only to blink in surprise when you don’t see him.
“Where’d he go?” You quietly ask yourself, moving to step out of the aisle and walk over towards the study tables when a hand suddenly grasps your wrist and spins you around.
You suck in a breath of surprise when you end up face to face with an amused looking Hyunjae. He takes a onceover of your features, watching as your initial shock slowly melts into shyness as you suddenly begin to avoid his gaze.
“Were you looking for me?” Hyunjae asks with a grin, and you bite the inside of your cheek. “Maybe.”
He chuckles and lets go of your hand, allowing you to finally breathe properly as you take a step back. Sucking in a few deep breaths, you shake your head and turn back towards the shelves with a shy smile.
“How was your beauty sleep?” You ask as you reach for a book on the cart, to which Hyunjae takes it and places it into your hand. Giving him a grateful smile, you turn back towards the shelf and place it in its spot.
“It was alright.” Hyunjae lies, but he notices the way you glance back at him with disbelieving eyes at his answer. He picks up another book and hands it to you so that you’ll look away from him, “It was.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t.” You say in a sing-song voice as you place the book onto the shelf. Hyunjae squints at you, “Your eyes speak more words than you vocalize.”
You purse your lips, wondering when the two of you became close enough for him to be able to read you so easily. Shaking your head, you’re about to turn towards the cart again, only to pause when the spine of a book catches your eye.
“Lee Hyunjae.” You murmur, and he raises an eyebrow.
“Full naming me now, hm?”
You chuckle, reaching out and taking the book from the shelf. You briefly flip through the pages, remembering how much you enjoyed this book when you were in high school.
“Do you like books?” You ask, and Hyunjae pokes his tongue into the inside of his cheek at the question. He leans back against the shelf, “Not really, why?”
“I just found my favorite book, and I wanted to ask you to read it.” You explain as you skim through one of the paragraphs, a small smile forming on your face. Hyunjae tilts his head, “What is it?”
Shutting the book in your hands, you turn towards the pretty man and hold the book up towards his face. The cover of the story reflects from the light, and Hyunjae feels his heart stop when he reads the title.
“Pride and Prejudice.” You answer with a soft voice, watching as Hyunjae’s eyes get a faraway look to them as he stares at the old book.
He lifts up the book in his hand, “Read this book.”
“Is it the bible?” They ask, making him roll his eyes.
“Pride and Prejudice.” He answers, and he watches as they turn their head slightly.
“Do you think I’d like it?” He stares at them for a moment, before chuckling and waving the book in his hand. “I wouldn’t have told you to read it if I didn’t think you wouldn’t like it.”
The memory of his dream flashes past Hyunjae’s eyes as questions flood his brain. He wonders what kind of a coincidence this could be, how this could possibly happen as he stares at the familiar cover of the classic story.
At his silence, you glance at the book in your hand, before turning back towards him with an embarrassed smile, “You don’t like it?”
Hyunjae blinks out of his daze, eyes meeting yours as you stare at him with concern written over your features. He shakes his head, reaching out and gently taking it from your grasp, “No! I just spaced out, sorry. I’ll definitely read it though.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to read it if you don’t like reading—”
“It’s your favorite book, of course I have to read it.” Hyunjae cuts off, genuineness dripping from the sentence as he looks at you with fond eyes. You bite the inside of your cheek, warmth flooding your face as you nod. “Okay, tell me if you like it.”
And Hyunjae stares at you for a moment longer, quietly wondering what his dreams mean as he nods his head with a smile that fails to reach his eyes.
“Of course, yn.”
“Why am I coming to the library?” Juyeon asks as he gets dragged up the steps, to which Kevin just huffs out a breath.
“Cause I need you to see this.”
“I have a class soon, though. Why not show Hyunjae? He’s probably already at the library considering this is the class he skips.” Juyeon points out when they enter the library. Kevin bites his bottom lip, bringing Juyeon over towards the bookshelves so they can hide properly as he mutters under his breath, “Cause he’s what you need to see.”
Juyeon raises an eyebrow, “What?”
Kevin peeks past the bookshelf to make sure they have a good view, before tucking his head away. Turning towards Juyeon, he places both hands on his shoulders, making the latter squint at him in confusion.
“Kevin…”
“Shh.” Kevin says as he maneuvers Juyeon over towards where he was standing, “Just look quietly.”
Juyeon gives him another look, before peeking his head past the bookshelf, only for his eyes to widen in disbelief.
Hyunjae’s seated at a study table, but he’s not sleeping like he always said he does. Instead, he’s talking to the person sitting across from him.
Juyeon watches as Hyunjae smiles softly at whatever the person said, and his mouth drops open in shock when his friend even reaches out and pats their head fondly.
“No fucking way.”
“Yes fucking way.” Kevin says.
You look at Hyunjae with nothing but warmth in your eyes when he retracts his hand, and he can’t help but smile at the sight. Shaking your head with a quiet giggle, you glance at your laptop screen to see the grade of your essay staring back at you.
97/100
“Ah, I can’t believe they liked it that much.” You mutter, and Hyunjae scoffs jokingly. Looking up at him, you see the furrow to his brows as he points towards your laptop. “Of course they liked it that much. Don’t underestimate yourself, yn.”
You attempt to fight the smile from forming on your face, but you fail. Turning away, your eyes fall on the bookshelves, only to blink in surprise when you see two heads peeking out.
“Kevin?”
“Oh shit.” Kevin breathes out when you make direct eye contact with him, and you squint at him. Hyunjae sees the change in your demeanor as you look away from him, and he turns towards the direction you’re staring in.
“Lee Juyeon?”
“God damn it.” Juyeon states when Hyunjae sees him, and Kevin turns towards his friend with a frightened expression. “Should we run?”
“Aren’t you on shift?”
“I’m still on break for like, 15 minutes.”
“Word.” Juyeon says, before nodding his head and sprinting to the exit with Kevin. You and Hyunjae watch as the two disappear from sight, and you let out a quiet chuckle when you hear the sound of the doors closing.
“I hate them.” Hyunjae deadpans, making you snort in response. Turning back towards your laptop, you gently close it and pack it into its sleeve. The black haired beauty watches you quietly as you do so, admiring your features with a hint of a smile.
“Do you wanna do something to celebrate?” He asks, and you look up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Celebrate what?”
“Your grade.” Hyunjae responds, and you tilt your head. You had never celebrated getting a high grade or test score before since you’re usually busy, and you didn’t think it’s that big of a deal. However, with the way he’s looking at you with a proud expression, you find your heart swelling with pride.
“Should we?” You ask with a growing smile, and he grins as he nods.
“We should.”
It’s only a few minutes later when you find yourself staring at the death contraption that Hyunjae uses as his vehicle of transportation that you slightly regret saying yes. The pretty man notices the apprehension in your body language, and he chuckles to himself.
“What’s wrong?” Hyunjae asks, turning around so that he’s leaning back against his motorcycle and facing you. You gnaw on the inside of your cheek, before shyly pointing towards the bike, “Are we using this to get to the restaurant?”
Hyunjae spares a glance towards his motorcycle and nods his head, looking back at you with a grin, “Of course.”
Your eyes widen at his answer, and you immediately turn around to start walking back to the library. Hyunjae laughs and steps forward, grasping your wrist softly and spinning you around so that you’re facing him again.
His breath gets caught in his throat when he finds your face inches away from his own, having underestimated how close you were when he spun you. Warmth floods your face almost immediately at the close proximity between you two, unable to breathe as the two of you just stare at each other.
Hyunjae clears his throat after a moment and lets go of your wrist, and you quickly take a step back from him as you awkwardly cough into your elbow. Fighting back the blush that’s flooding his face, he reaches out and grabs his motorcycle helmet, before turning and holding it out to you.
“Do you trust me, yn?” Hyunjae asks, and you slowly nod your head. He smiles softly and wiggles the helmet towards you, “Then trust that I’ll protect you.”
You don’t move to grab it, still feeling unsure of what to do as you stare down at the helmet. He lets out a breath after a moment, before shaking his head and stepping close to you again. Your eyes widen when he reaches up and gently places the helmet on your head for you, a smile escaping him as his fingers graze your chin while he buckles the straps.
“Don’t know how to put on a helmet?” He teases, to which you slap his arm in reply. He smiles before patting the top of your head and turning around towards his motorcycle. You watch as he throws one leg over, and glances at you as he starts the engine.
“You wanna walk to the place with the helmet on?”
You squint at him, “You wouldn’t let me walk alone.”
Hyunjae stares at you for a moment, before nodding his head in agreement. Rolling your eyes, he laughs and pats the back of the seat. “Come on, you told me you trusted me.”
You purse your lips, before letting out a sigh and stepping up to the motorcycle. Resting a hand on his shoulder, you carefully lift your leg up and place it on the other side of the bike. Hyunjae grins proudly and revs his engine, eliciting a squeal from you.
“You might wanna hold on.” Hyunjae tells you, expecting you to argue with him. However, he’s shocked when you almost immediately wrap your arms around his waist, and he bites back a smile as a blush forms on his cheeks.
“Drive safely.” You say in a soft voice as you shut your eyes tightly, and the pretty man chuckles in response.
“Anything for you, yn.”
Hyunjae steps out of the library with a tired sigh, making sure to lock the door behind him before walking down the quiet street.
The small thrum of disappointment lingers in his heart after having not seen them today, and he quietly wonders why they didn’t visit. Looking around, his eyes gaze over the closed shops as he walks.
“You! Stop there!”
His head snaps back when he hears the shout, and his eyes widen when he sees a figure dressed in black run out from around the corner and in his direction. The entire lower half of their face is covered in black silk, acting as a mask to hide their identity.
“Midnight.” He mutters when he realizes just who they are. The bandit that strikes at night, taking money from those who are well off and later giving it to the less fortunate communities. He’s never seen them, having only heard rumors about them, almost as if they were just a myth.
But when he locks eyes with them, he notices their eyes widen in shock, and he tilts his head when he realizes.
Their eyes are familiar.
Before he can open his mouth to say their name, they’re already running past him, but not without grabbing his wrist and yanking him backwards with them.
“Run!” Their voice exclaims, and he doesn’t need to be told twice.
Removing his wrist from their grip, he quickly intertwines his fingers with theirs and ends up pulling the two of them forward.
“Since when could you run fast!? Don’t you just take care of books all day?!?” Their voice rings out in surprise, and he lets out a scoff.
“There’s much more shocking revelations that have occurred tonight!” He responds as he abruptly yanks them into an alleyway that he knows leads to a shortcut to his house.
“Do you workout in your spare time or something?!”
Hyunjae just laughs and glances back at their covered face, “We have a lot to talk about, y-“
Hyunjae gasps awake right before he learns the name of the figure he’s been dreaming about. Letting out a groan, he rolls over in his bed and picks up his phone to check the time. Biting his bottom lip, he puts his phone back down and reaches up and covers his face.
“Who are you?” Hyunjae whispers, feeling haunted by the mysterious figure he’s been dreaming about for months.
Heaving a breath, he slams his hands onto his bed and stares up at the ceiling with a tired expression. The exhaustion weighs heavily over him, but he already knows that he won’t get a dreamless sleep if he attempts to sleep again.
“I guess I’ll make coffee.” Hyunjae murmurs, before rolling off of his bed and leaving his room. He walks past the bright clock that displays the time, but he chooses to ignore it.
He doesn’t want to get reminded that it’s only 3 in the morning.
“So, anything for them, huh?” Kevin asks with a teasing smile, and Hyunjae just shoots him a glare from across the table. He reaches out to bonk his head with the book, only for Jacob to block it from hitting the blonde’s head.
“No bonking.” Jacob states, and Hyunjae lets out a huff. Juyeon walks in from the kitchen holding a bowl of rice, and he raises an eyebrow at his friend’s squinted eyes.
“Are you that upset that you can’t see yn today?” Juyeon teases, making Hyunjae snap towards him.
“Why is everyone teasing me about yn!?”
“Cause you’re in love with them.” Kevin responds, causing Jacob to let out a giggle and Juyeon to grin knowingly. Hyunjae lets out a sigh at their antics, pulling out his phone to see if he’s received any messages, just to put his phone back down when he sees texts from people he could care less about.
“Damn, you got a shit ton of admirers.” Juyeon points out when he sees a glimpse of Hyunjae’s unread messages, and he shrugs his shoulders. “Don’t really care about them.”
Kevin leans close to Jacob and places his hand over his mouth to whisper in his ear. Hyunjae looks up to find the blonde staring directly at him as he whispers quiteloudly,
“It’s cause he only cares about yn~”
Hyunjae presses his lips into a thin line, before shaking his head and taking some rice from Juyeon’s bowl. Placing some into his mouth, he mutters, “I hate it here.”
The sound of the door opening gathers the four’s attention, and they all let out a noise of greeting when Sunwoo walks in. The redhead grins and says hi, but a concerned expression takes over his features when he lays eyes on Hyunjae.
Hyunjae blinks, “What?”
“Did you sleep at all last night?” Sunwoo asks as he sits in the seat beside him, and Hyunjae shakes his head with a pitiful smile. “Only got three hours, but that’s the norm.”
They all exchange a glance before turning back towards their very sleep deprived friend, and Juyeon bites the inside of his cheek when he gets a better look at the dark bags under Hyunjae’s eyes. The black haired beauty sinks into his seat at all the eyes on him, and waves his hands towards his friends.
“Guys, please. I’m used to it, don’t worry about it.”
Just when Juyeon’s about to reply, a foot kicks Hyunjae in the shin, causing the latter to let out a shout of pain as he doubles over. Sunwoo’s eyes widen, and Jacob immediately asks if he’s okay, to which Hyunjae just lets out a quiet cry in reply.
“Underestimated how hard I kick.” Kevin murmurs, which Hyunjae overhears and lifts up his head to shoot him a glare. Kevin gives him a sheepish smile, “Sorry about your shin, but—”
“There should be no buts in a good apology—”
“But yn’s studying at the library right now. Alone.” Kevin cuts off, and Hyunjae blinks at him with his mouth wide open. Jacob and Sunwoo exchange a glance before looking at Juyeon, who just has an amused look in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, Hyunjae places his hands on the table and stands up from his chair. He takes a look at his four friends, before giving them a grin and pointing towards the door.
“I-I’ve gotta, ya know,go…”
The four share a look, one that basically says, get a load of this guy, before turning back to him and sending him a wave.
“Have fun!”
“Drive safe.”
“Take them on a date after!”
“Sleep well.”
Hyunjae chuckles at their different responses as he slips on his shoes, shooting them all an excited smile as he waves his hand at them.
“Text you guys later.”
They watch as he leaves the apartment, and Juyeon lets out a breath when the door shuts. Sunwoo turns towards the blonde, nudging him with his elbow to gain his attention.
“You’re really worried about him, huh?” Sunwoo asks, and Juyeon nods his head. Turning to glance at the door, he purses his lips at the thought of how dark Hyunjae’s eyebags have gotten.
“Ever since he began to go to the library, he’s started sleeping even less at night.”
Hyunjae walks through the entrance of the library, a smile threatening to form across his lips as heads in the direction of the study tables. Poking his head past the bookshelves, he glances around the library, looking for your pretty face.
He pauses when he sees not your face, but the back of your head as you’re slumped over the study table you’re seated at. He raises a hand up and covers his smile, holding back a laugh as he walks over to you quietly.
He pulls out the chair perpendicular to you, and carefully sits down as a means to not make any noise. He grins at your sleeping face, not even acknowledging the dried drool on the corner of your lips. Biting his bottom lip, he scoots in a bit more and places his arm onto the table, before laying his cheek onto it so that he’s facing you.
His eyes trail over your features, and he quietly wonders how a person can be so painstakingly beautiful as he stares at your sleeping face. After a moment, Hyunjae feels himself beginning to grow more tired as he looks at you, and he struggles to keep his eyes open.
“Ah, they fell asleep again.”
Hyunjae opens his eyes when the beginning of the dream flashes behind his eyelids, the exhaustion weighing heavily over him. He fights to keep himself awake as he looks at you, for the sake of not having another dream again.
But he fails.
“Ah, they fell asleep again.” He murmurs as he walks up to the wooden table after putting back the last book on the shelf. Letting out an amused chuckle, he sits in the chair perpendicular to them and rests his cheek onto the surface of the table.
Staring at their sleeping face, he quietly wonders to himself why they’re able to sleep so well on such a hard surface. Pursing his lips at how uncomfortable he is, he adjusts himself so that his cheek is resting on his arm, now feeling a bit more comfortable.
Looking back at their face, his eyes trail over their features. From their eyelashes, to the slope of their nose, and to their lips.
“What a beautiful sight.” He whispers. He blinks in surprise when they suddenly begin to stir in their sleep, and he watches silently as their eyes begin to open.
Hyunjae jumps awake, feeling startled as he stares at your sleeping face. Panic floods his chest when he sees your eyebrows furrow and you begin to stir, but before he can sit up, your eyes slowly blink open.
And his heart stops.
The visual of your eyes boring into his merges with the one from his dream, and suddenly all the memories of his past dreams with the faceless figure slowly become memories of you. He sucks in a breath and abruptly stands up from the chair, staring at you with wide eyes as you rub the back of your neck tiredly while you sit up.
“Hyunjae, what’s wrong?” You ask when you finally take notice of his shellshocked appearance. He doesn’t respond though, just continuing to stare at you while his heart beats against his ears the longer he stays there.
There’s no way, Hyunjae thinks to himself when your eyes grow with worry.
There’s no way that it’s you.
Your eyebrows furrow in concern, and you slowly stand up from your chair, “Hyunjae, are you okay?”
When you attempt to walk over, he quickly steps back and knocks over his chair. The loud thud of the chair rings throughout the quiet library, gathering the attention of other students as they look at what’s going on between you and the bad boy of the university.
You gulp, “Hyunjae?”
He blinks at you, before stepping past the table and sprinting out of the library without another word. Your mouth drops open in shock as you watch him leave, and you flinch when the sound of the door closing rings around the quiet space.
“What happened to make him react like that?” You ask yo
Summary:Sunwoo accidentally reveals something about himself..
A/N:I’m gonna tag @sunpoppand@vanillaknjcause I wrote it because they talked about him.. I’m sorry to put myself in the sunwoo convo.. Hope you enjoy(o^^o)!
☆ [nostalgic] summer romance! juyeon birthday present for him and one of my best friends! | tw: drowning
a soft splash of water cascades down the side of your arm and you turn your head, still floating, to see eric waving you toward him
flipping over, you dive down into the ocean and push yourself toward his direction
coming up for air - you see his eyes sparkle as he whispers, “let’s go scare chanhee!”
you scrunch up your nose and tell eric that’s not nice but he just insists he has to get back at him. did you forget the incident at the beach two days ago? you know, with the ice-cream?
you roll your eyes - recalling some argument over chanhee grabbing the last mango pop or something - but eric is gone before you can answer
you watch him doggy paddle to where chanhee and younghoon are - wrapping his arms around the other boy and pulling him down into the water
the shouts of shock and laughter wring around you like bells, everything is so happy and sweet, just how summer should be like
but something feels weirdly empty
you look up to your left where some of your other friends are, cuddled up against each other, even in the heat people in love just gravitate to each other
to your right are strangers, strangers clearly in the middle of their own summertime loves
all of a sudden - in the middle of a crowded, bustling ocean - you are hit with loneliness
when am i going to find someone who loves me?
you sink a little down, haloed by the oceans water, when you hear another sound
this one isn’t joyful, in fact it sounds like terror, and you turn to see a flaying hand only a couple of meters away
your body freezes - is that person drowning? - your muscles act before you do, propelling you down back into the water and toward the murky outline of the figure
you’re a decent enough swimmer, making it to the person - a small boy - just in time to do something
but do what? you’ve never saved someone before, do you carry him - do you -
“help get him on my back!”
the new voice comes from your side, you turn and see that you aren’t the only person who has made it to the boy
this person, all cut angles and seriousness, is wearing the lifeguards whistle around his neck and a wave of relief overtakes you
“ok!”
you do as you’re instructed and the lifeguard tilts his head toward the shore
you follow behind him and scramble up the sand - hand on the boys back as you watch everything play out in slow motion
all you’re aware of is that you’re down beside the boy, you’re watching the lifeguard do CPR, his mother and father scurry over, people are talking and yelling
then the boy jerks up - coughing and doubling over - the lifeguard is asking him something and you don’t even notice till everything is ok
that you’re holding the boys hand in your own
it’s a blur after that - after the parents thank you and the lifeguard, named juyeon, over and over.
and now - you’re sitting in a small cabin off the boardwalk, the lifeguards cabin, and you’ve got a towel on your shoulders and eric is asking if you’re ok now
you smile and say you are - just in the time for juyeon to come out of an adjoining office room and you get to look at him seriously for the first time
he’s tall, with wet dark hair pushed back from his forehead.
a light golden tint runs down through his muscular proportions and his eyes are …
they’re captivating
long and outlined by a perpetual darkness, long eyelashes to envy over, and a brown that almost looks onyx under the light
he’s shirtless, wearing just the bright orange swim shorts and that whistle
he comes over and crouches in front of you with a smile full of kindness, puts a hand on your knee that makes your entire body ignite
“thank you for helping me today, whats your name?”
eric answers for you and you’re thankful because up close his apparent beauty is way more to handle than you had imagined
words - no matter how hard you try to think of one - don’t even manage to formulate in your mind
that hand on your knee pats your skin, giving it a little squeeze before juyeon stands back up and says he’s gotta go back out - his shift isnt over
eric thanks him and when he’s gone, you hear him chuckle
“you know you’re drooling, right?”
that summer - you go to the beach every damn day you can
you tell your friends you’re just trying to get some workouts in, you know swimming uses all your body’s muscles
but no one is fooled
because you’re not the only one with what becomes known as “juyeon fever” around town
he just moved here, took a summer job lifeguarding at the local beach, and - to only add to your dream boy list - drives a cool looking sports bike to and from work
you get to the beach early one day, trying to hide your identity with a ridiculously sized sun hat and issue of the paper you stole from the grocery store - to see him pull up for his shift
he’s wearing those swim shorts, same color as his bike, and a hawaiian print shirt in navy (unbuttoned and fluttering behind him as he pulls up and parks)
he pulls the helmet off, shaking his hair lose, and you nearly curse to yourself - what is this? am i some extra in a movie all about juyeon, because he looks like the main character of a blockbuster for sure. baywatch level.
when he turns in your direction - you hide behind the sunday sudoku and hope he doesn’t notice - but suddenly the sound of feet on sand get louder and louder
he says your name and you try to compose yourself as you lower the paper
you smile, and ask if juyeon is here to start work
he plops himself freely down on the sand beside your towel and pushes the shirt off as he says he is, but he’s a little early
you avert your gaze and even as the sun beats down on you both, you feel yourself freeze when juyeon mentions he’s seen you around the beach alot
“well - it’s summer.”
you explain and juyeon laughs, and even that sound is perfect
“that’s true - the ocean is the best place to be in the summer…….and all the time.”
you see him stare out at the calm waves, his usual sweet smile still on his face, but those eyes of his look like they’re searching through a memory
“do you swim even in winter?”
you joke and he laughs again, “i do, at the indoor pools. oh - by the way your friend eric invited me to a barbeque are you going to be there?”
barbeque? what barbequ - your eyes widen as you remember that it is THAT barbeque the one you were supposed to come over and help set up
“right, yes i am - i actually i promised id buy the plates and stuff so i have to go-”
you scramble, rolling up your towel and reaching for your bag when juyeon says
“oh - id give you a ride back but my shift starts in five. ill see you there then?”
a ride on the back of your bike? - is what you want to ask, knees going weak at the thought - but all you do is nod, dumbfolded smile on your own face
he waves as you make your way up the sun and you don’t even have time to get giddy because your phone rings and its exactly who you think it is.
eric’s voice from the other side chides; “hey, where are you!? haknyeon just dropped the watermelon all over my kitchen!”
you keep looking at your watch
the little minute hand ticks to 11:39 and you wonder if juyeon is really going to come
the party has already been going on for a good three hours - the summer moon sparkling up above the strings of lights in eric’s backyard
everyone you know is already here and you know the public beach closes at 8:30 so it’s not as if juyeon is still on his shift
not unless something bad happened………or he’s decided to skip out on the barbeque to go do something else, you know, which someone else-
just as you set down your drink, little umbrella pathetically floating to the empty bottom, you hear the reave of a bike
everyone else hears it too because the chatter gets more excited and you hear his name float from one person to another
“is that juyeon?” “isn’t that the hot lifeguard?” “oh my god, do you think he’s single?”
you try to hide your own anticipation - not cool to get so excited over a boy right? - but the butterflies flap in your stomach and you just turn away
if he wants to talk to you he can come up to you and if he doesn’t then well it’s his -
“hey, sorry im late - do you know where i can put these?”
you turn and see juyeon there - for the first time he’s not wearing those neon swim shorts, but a pair of black denim jeans
the shirt, still hawaiian print, is slightly buttoned this time but you can still clearly see the dip of his chest and the pretty silver chain that rests on the jut of his collarbones
he waves the bags full of chips he picked up on his way over and you lead him toward the refreshments table, every pair of eyes on the two of you
“did you get stuck at the beach?”
you try to make conversation
“oh no, my bike had a flat tire so i had to get that fixed before i came over.”
“oh! well eric is inside if you want to-”
juyeon is looking at you, you can feel it because the intensity of his gaze is unmatched, and you don’t know why but you can’t meet it
he tilts his head and then agrees - he’ll go see eric, but he’ll come back
when he’s gone you let out the breath you’ve been holding and try to scurry away from the gazes that have wavered on you and juyeon the whole fifteen or so minutes he’s even been here
you find solace inside, past the kitchen and near the back staircase where the guest bathroom is
you’ve been in eric’s house enough times that you know it’s a perfect hiding spot so you don’t bother closing the door
you just lean back against the sink and cross your arms - what are you going to do now? juyeon is here, but that doesn’t mean anything.
plus every last single person at this party has him on their radar
what makes you any different? the fact that you helped him ONCE?
and you didn’t even do anything that serious……you had just been there at the same moment he was……
“ah - sorry, i didn’t know anyone was here.”
you look up suddenly and juyeon is in front of you again
he has this cute, flustered expression on his face - he starts saying something about how eric told him to use the mirror in here since the main bathroom might have a line in front of it and blah blah blah
you step forward and you think it’s whatever was in that tiny little umbrella drink you had that makes you put a hand on juyeon’s shoulder and stop him mid sentence
“can you take me on that bike ride now?”
the second you ask - you think regret starts to bubble in your chest - but juyeon just breaks into another of those heart melting smiles
“of course. i actually….” he scratches the back of his neck “i actually dont really like big parties.”
you’re remembered of those lovers you had seen at the beach, tangled in each other despite the summer heat, as you press a little tighter against juyeon’s back
the wind from the bike flutters your hair - and you feel his strong figure through the thin fabric of that ridiculous shirt he’s always wearing
you close your eyes, thinking back to the shocked expression on everyones face as juyeon had pulled you through them and toward his parked bike
how they had looked so confused - and eric had just shot you a thumbs up from the back step of his door
your heart beats heavy in your ears and at the end of your fingertips you feel the flex of juyeon’s abs in response to your tight hold. it feels so intimate.
juyeon stops at the only place you’d expect him too, the beach
it looks serene and beautiful in the darkness of the summer night
the sand isn’t as scorching as usual and the waves only kiss the shore slightly
you and him walk down toward it - feet reaching just the edge before you run back to avoid getting wet
juyeon laughs and runs toward you, strong arms picking you up and before you know it, you’re up in the air and dangling above the water
you’re telling him to not let you go, no matter what and juyeon is chuckling promising over and over he won’t he won’t
i will never let you go
your laughing and playing around leaves you breathless, when you and juyeon lay back down on the sand and stare up at a starless sky
just that summer moon glistening down on you both
“why did you become a lifeguard by the way?” you ask - just to break the comfortable silence
“because i love the ocean, but know it can be a scary place too.”
you turn to look at his profile, even more perfect inches away
“i like that about it, that it’s both beautiful and a little dangerous. i like things that have that duality.”
“so you must like love too?”
you don’t even mean to say it, it simply slips from your lips and juyeon turns to face you
his smile turns to another expression, more earnest and soft
“yes, i do.”
you swallow, “ i do too, that’s why im looking for it.”
the silence that follows is coated with the midnight waves and insects that come out only in the warm months
before, when you couldn’t meet his gaze, you were just being shy and afraid
now you are vulnerable and staring back - deep into those darker than the earth browns when suddenly his large hand comes gently up to your waist
his eyes don’t leave yours, not until you’ve been pushed up flush against him in the sand and they close in time with yours as his lips ghost over yours
polite, without having to be, he whispers - can i? and you whisper back - you can.
the first kiss is chaste and pure, vanilla bean ice-cream flavored with a little speckle of a firework.
it’s after you breach this first step that you both decide you can do better than that.
juyeon pulls you ontop of him, rolling his back deeper into the sand as you sit up on his hips and push your hands into the flimsy fabric of his shirt
it gives way, off his broad shoulders and you lean down to press kisses down from the edge of his jawline to the curve of his long throat, and then down to his shoulders
the entire time, his large hands seize you in place by your waist, he makes sounds of wordless pleasure and when you bite down into that perfect skin of his you feel like you’re marking an untouched beauty
he runs one hand up to the back of your neck and he pulls you in back to his mouth
sitting up easily as his tongue runs across the seal of your lips, you get yourself comfortable in the crook of his lap - pressed to the bare skin of his chest
this kiss tastes of fiery spice, multiple fireworks - a whole parade
and when you grind down slightly juyeon makes an animalistic echo that runs from his lips to your spine and you think you could really just let him slip whatever you’re wearing off
but just as you separate to help him with the task, you hear the screech of a car pull up
“who is there? the beach is closed!”
you pull back off of juyeon and gather yourself up - juyeon jumps to his feet too and you turn to help him button his shirt back up so you two look like you haven’t just been making out for god knows how long
the voice calls again, “hey - you two - you know the beach is closed right!”
you see the officer’s figure and wave back
“oh we didn’t know! we’ll leave in a moment!”
the officer motions for you two to get back up to the street and you and juyeon try not to laugh as he lectures you two on public decency
after that, juyeon drives you back on his bike and although you are more than willing to invite him back inside with you, all you do is share another kiss on your doorstep
“i should at least take you on a date before, you know?”
he mutters against your lips and you roll your eyes - modesty in this day and age?
“fine, but after that we have all summer.”
and you do have all summer. despite the fact that half the towns population is seething with jealousy about it.
you have the entire summer to bask in the unfiltered, sweet, and hot like the sun romance you have wished for for so long
meeting up with juyeon after his shifts, taking bike rides to other towns, picnics, amusement parks, dates shopping because you need him out of that hawaiian shirt, and get togethers with your friends as everyone else who is coupled off sticks to their other half and you ……… you stick to yours, juyeon
little kisses before he has to go to work - little hand touches when you’re sitting around eric’s dinner table playing monopoly as chanhee schemes you all out of your properties - arm around your waist when you go out to dinner
and pressing close in the depths of his room or yours, the sound a symphony of little noises and the buzz of the fan on your naked skins
its a summer that you only thought was possible in a movie or at least in someone elses life, not yours
and when embarrassing tell juyeon about your theory that he’s the main character of a summer romcom blockbuster
he looks at you clearly and smiles, “and so are you - since you’re my love interest right?”
you feel a flush overtake you and you laugh, say something about how you’re not star quality, and juyeon just pulls you back into him
“what are you talking about, you’re the only star for me.”
and you don’t expect him to remember that little line all these years later
when you’re standing with your toes in the sand, back at the beach you and juyeon fell in love with so long ago
you point to the lifeguard chair and joke
“i used to watch you and think you belonged on baywatch or something - you know everyone was in love with you right?”
his hand is a comfortable, knowing weight on the curve of your waist
“well i was only in love with you.”
you scrunch your nose up and lean in to peck his lips
“that’s sweet.”
“i mean, you were the only star for me.”
you turn, juyeon’s face - still handsome even though more mature - seems to flash for a second with a look he had when you two were much younger
find other love struck!aus here:monsta x|day6|ateez *this post was commissioned through kofi
sangyeon
confident sangyeon spends half the day flirting with you
then shy sangyeon spends the rest of the day running embarrassment laps around the creker building
he has high spikes of adrenaline where its just quite literally circling you with hearts in his eyes and doves singing
and then low long silent moments where he sits in a corner, muttering at the wall and everyone is like what is going on with him
if he could he might just spend eternity flip-flopping between the two
it’d take an intervention to get him to just seize the opportunity during one of his more positive moods to just ask you on a date
the only problem is he talks so fast and so jumbled and waves his hands around
and you’re like wh-
and he’s like datetommorrowcoffeeorteawhichdoyoupreferdoyounotevenwanteitherwhataboutumlikeamoviepleasesayyes
once again you are like ?
and sangyeons meter of confidence is slowly depleting hes about to run away until sunwoo is like
let me step in and translate:
sangyeon wants to go on a date with you tomorrow
when you brighten up and accept, sangyeon just breathes a sigh of relief and maybe almost tips over from the intense amount of feelings hitting him at once lol
jacob
no one takes him seriously when he starts saying he likes you
not because you’re unlikable but because jacob says it with such normalcy that everyone is like
nah
if you liked them, you would definitely be all mushy and shy and embarrassed about it
and jacob is like what are you talking about im not embarrassed to have a crush on someone i think is really awesome
even kevin is like dude don’t push it - you shouldnt make jokes about liking people
and jacob is just like *blinks*
but seriously, everyone expects him to be writing lyrics in secret and practicing some kind of grand serenade to ask you out - like you’re literally an angel dude so you have to like someone in the most cupid-esque way possible
which jacob is just like :/ about because there’s no right way to show someone how much you like them-
juyeon: sorry what i was not listening?
you on the other hand, don’t ever even catch wind of it because jacob is so sweet at all times
polite, caring, gentle touches, lots of eye contact, little smiles that make your heart melt, the usual
that you just assume he’s like this to everyone so of course you are clueless and his lack of grandiose confessions is making everyone else clueless too
until one day jacob is like fine if no one believes me ill just tell them a
nd everyone in the room is like pfft would love to see you try-
three seconds later jacob is standing in front of you and saying “want to date me?” and you’re so shocked you can’t speak
but the rest of tbz is so shocked at least three of them nearly faint
younghoon
keeps his mouth shut
literally like shut shut like not a WORD to you or to anyone in a five foot distance of you
he’ll be talking to chanhee about something and you’ll walk in and suddenly younghoon just hits pause
chanhee is like hello are you broken hello and younghoon is just _____
until you walk out of the room and then he’s like
“-that’s why i think we shouldn’t include that dance move”
and chanhee is like what the hael just happened
you will be in a conversation and pull younghoon over to join you and when you’re like what do you think!!!!!!!1
he looks at you and the cognitive function for speech just disappears
maybe its your cute face accelerating his heartbeat or maybe its the all the nerves in his body going haywire because all he wants to say is how much he really really likes you
but he can’t just SAY that so instead he says nothing
sometimes he’s lucky and members who understand this younghoon lovestruck glitch are around can save him
but sometimes its just you and him and silence until youre like ok- well-
you think maybe he just doesnt want to talk to you because he doesnt like you
so you apologize for bothering him
and its like everything that has ever blocked him from speaking before just flies out the window
because suddenly younghoon is holding your hands in his and saying
“no, im sorry. i just dont know what to say because i like you so much.”
it’s the longest sentence you’ve ever heard from him
and you are so flustered but all you can say back is
“you can keep saying ‘i like you’ if you want………..”
younghoon for the rest of the week: i like you
you: giddy
tbz: kinda wishing he’d shut it again
hyunjae
there’s no lovestruck period, it’s straight up infatuation from day ONE
and it comes at full force
hyunjae is like bubblegum, stuck to you and only you
sugary sweet and always reminding you that he is available whenever you decided you want to take him
it can really overwhelm someone, because his attention is fixated and forthcoming
and i mean you’d really have to lack all the common sense in the world not to see that he’s interested
but that’s the thing interest is not always a form of sincerity so you just kind of chalk it up to him trying to be funny
and he sprawls across your lap like a cat
happy with the fact that you just giggle and smile because ok you might never believe that he’s so in love with you it hurts but at least you still let him near you
really people probably ask you if you’re dating him and when you say you’re not their follow up is usually like well arent you exhausted having someone you dont love always around
and you’re like um - no well - i mean - and you are like ok i mean i do love him but im not going to be a fool and fall into a trap of thinking im special
and hyunjae will literally be like they are special. i feel nothing for anyone else, it is just them
and you’re like see! he’s so sweet!
and at some point i think you either drive hyunjae crazy and he kisses you because words are pointless - actions are everything
or chanhee pushes you two into each other from pure, unfiltered annoyance
“if you love each other stop pretending like it’s a big joke and just DATE!”
juyeon
return to kindergarten romance
literally he sees you and goes pink to the ears and slinks behind his friends even though he’s taller than most of them
and he can barely hide the fact that he jumps over the rainbow when your shoulders brush in the halls
if no one knew any better, juyeon probably scribbles your name in hearts on a notebook page somewhere
but then crumples it up and almost eats it if anyone tries to see what he’s up to
but again you enter the vicinity and he’s goo - muttering and forgetting to string nouns to verbs or whatever
everyone is so amazed that someone with so much charisma on stage can turn this goddamn goofy around someone he likes
and you are energetic and bright - you always want to pull juyeon into the loop - and you think the flustered look on his face is just from genuine surprise or confusion
and you’re like “oh! let me explain what we’re doing blah blah blah” and yes juyeon knows you guys are going to play monopoly but like words? dont? come ? out ? of ? his ? mouth?
and just like kindergarten he probably ends up writing you a note about how much he likes you (tick this box for yes and this box for no) or some form of that
maybe like a text where he is like hi do you want to go on a date and it was actually supposed to be like a ten page essay about why he likes you but then he got too nervous to send it so yeah
its a text that comes out of the blue and when you agree and see juyeon in person the next day you’re like why didn’t you just ask me like months ago
and once again, words? dont? come? out? of? his? mouth?
kevin
gift giving
nonstop gift giving
like to a point where jacob is worried about kevin’s spending habits
but it is all like handmade items and cute stuff he sees that reminds him of you
and everyone knows he has a crush before he can even process it because they’re doing a show halfway across the country and everyone is like practicing or doing something on their own
and kevin’s like guys look i saw this in a shop and it reminded me of-
all of tbz looking at him like: we know who it reminded you of
he plays it off though when he gives you the gifts, he’s like ah this was just like in my bag or whatever or oh i made this extra keychain when i had a day off like do you want it
and kevin thinks he is so sly and covering it up so damn well but he isn’t
you try to give gifts back, mostly because you feel bad that he’s always offering something to you
and one day you are like - at first as a kind of jest - like “here ill just give you myself in return”
and you throw your arms around his neck like you’ve done a million times before and oh shit you think kevin is going to pass out with how fast his heart starts beating and how he overheats
and you’re like kevin?!??!?! are you ok!?!??! and he’s like areyouserious
and you’re like wh and he’s like are you serious about that,,,,and you’re like oh well i mean do you even want someone like me
and kevin unblinkingly is like of course you are the only person i want
and suddenly you realize that these gifts youve been getting are kevin’s love language and its so freaking cute
(but also stop spending money just give kisses instead) (kevin agrees but he is still like im buying you anything cute i see because u are cute and cute people deserve cute things we love kevin moon logic)
changmin
ignores his feelings by throwing himself into his work
much to the surprise of no one, because he’s naturally a workoholic and perfectionist, but this time something is off
no one should be beating themselves up over such miniscule mistakes like he is
and hyunjae is convinced changmin has finally lost it, like the goddamn lid has flew off the kettle with this one
because they finish practice and everyone is clapping and changmin looks like he’s going to crush the speakers with his bare hands
less lovestruck as he is loveconfused because the real reason he’s so upset is like
he wants to focus so hard on being a great performer and whatnot but when he shuts his eyes or takes a moment to breath
his brain is fuzzy with thoughts of you and not like super romantic flowery thoughts like you see in movies or read in comics
its just little snapshots of you being,,,,,,,,,,,you
laughing along with eric, fixing the hem of your shirt in the mirror, waving at changmin before looking both ways and crossing the street to his side
GOD WHEN HAS SOMEONE CROSSING THE STREET MADE HIS HEART DO A BACKFLIP
the worst thing is he can’t seem to find a way for it to stop until like you are actually in front of him
like the real you - not the memories and thoughts he has daily of you - no just you
and you’re putting your hands on his face and he’s sweaty and hot from dancing for god knows how long and you’re like
“don’t wear yourself out like this, take care of yourself - if you don’t want to do it for you - can you do it for me?”
and changmin realizes oh right - for you, for you he could move mountains, for you he could fly, like seriously for you he could do anything
and he thinks he just says this to himself but he just said it outloud and somewhere in the room hyunjae is slapping his knee like
“AH! he’s not nuts - he’s just in love.”
chanhee
falls head over heels for you and expects you to read his mind about it
you walk into a room and he sits up a little straighter and is like ok one step two step ok come over to me, look at me, pay attention to me
and you - because you are not a mindreader - go to talk to juyeon first
and chanhee is like OH I SEE HOW IT IS and gets all moody there on out
honest to god he probably knows he’s overreacting but he just does not get why you cant tell how he’s feeling
and he asks like everyone this question and theyre like what? because you aren’t making it obvious at all?
and chanhee is like what the hell do you mean i totally make it obvious and everyone is like did you ask them out? did you get them a gift? did you compliment them?
and chanhee crosses his arms like no……but like……i smiled at them in a way i dont smile at the rest of you clowns
tbz: :/
either way, you start to notice this pattern, that when chanhee is not getting your attention he gets a little like a cat and curls himself away from you
so you, much like one with a cat, start to shower him in attention
and he just uncurls and gets all giddy and swats anyone away who tries to get into your little bubble with him
and its a bit entertaining really lol but you think its just chanhee being chanhee
till it keeps happening over and over and over again and you’re like ok wait
and chanhee is like hmm and you’re like why dont we just go somewhere alone together like on a date or something if thats what you like so much
and chanhee, who has been under the suspicion you have been going on dates sitting together in the tbz practice room is like
“oh right! a date, um i guess sure!”
inside he is screaming
haknyeon
does not waste time, he puts his detective hat on and makes a plan
for one of the youngest members he probably puts the most diligence into liking someone
its not just lovestruck butterflies and running away whenever you’re around
haknyeon swats all that gooey-mushy stuff away and is like ok lets see what movies do you like? what kind of food do you like? he has to know so that when he asks you out he is ready to impress
it shocks some of his other members, sangyeon has never seen haknyeon almost bite younghoon’s hand when he tried to as him to get off the shared desktop
haknyeon just wants to know everything about you - which kevin says he could probably do by talking more to you
and haknyeon is like go away grandpa and kevin is like WH-
either way, when it all comes to a head and haknyeon has memorized what he’s going to say in his confession to you for the one millionth time
he does not prepare for what actually happnes
which is you bound up to him with your arms open and you’re like let’s hang out! just the two of us!
and he’s like ok ill go get the other- wait
haknyeon.exe has stopped working
because truth be told he’d spend so much time trying to research and be perfect when all you really like about him is how fun and eccentric he can be
so you just ask him out first and this was not in the plan, but haknyeon is not about to let go of your warm hand as you pull him along beside you
sunwoo
swears to deny it to his grave because one) it’s embarrassing and………no that’s it. it is embarrassing to have feelings
jacob: feelings aren’t embarrassing! they’re the reason we can care so deeply about others <3
sunwoo: ok nerd……..keep it moving
and unlike younghoon who just goes silent around the people he likes or juyeon who tries to find sangyeon to hide behind
sunwoo just straight up is like cold. and you are like what didi i do?
everyone is just like he’s complicated, it’s just who he is and he’s young so just ignore him
but it makes you sad that sunwoo just doesn’t want to be your friend
and in sunwoo’s head he’s like I DONT WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE YOU ARE MY DREAM PERSON BUT THATS SO FREAKING CORNY TO SAY SO LET ME JUST MAKE GRUMPY FACE
he also has such a bad luck, even when he’s not trying to come off mean he probably accidentally spills something on you or breaks something of yours
and instead APOLOGIZING like everyone is telling him to do he just yoinks out of the room and you’re like damn :(
to be honest, i think the more you guys get distant the more sunwoo falls deeper into it because even with everything
you are always so kind and sweet and how? like how? how are you doing that?
it probably takes a miracle or actually just like someone spilling the beans to you that sunwoo stayed up all night trying to fix the bracelet of yours he broke for it to all change
for you to find sunwoo and hug him and thank him for trying to fix it and the minute you touch him its like
all these stupid little walls he built melt into nothing and sunwoo is just like i like you so much im sorry im so dumb and you’re like
well you’re like shocked but youre like im sorry i also like you and im also dumb sometimes
both of you standing there wide eyed but also like super super super giddy
one day you aren’t even talking to each other the next day you are cuddling on the couch
kevin: these people are giving me literal whiplash
eric
thinks you’ll never feel the same way so he does the next best thing, he tries to be your bestest friend
for someone so spunky and confident in himself most of the time you’d think lovestruck eric would just GO for it
but more than he is like outgoing and brave, he is devoted to people he loves
and losing you as a friend over confessing his feelings would probably spiral him into a dark place
so he’ll just take his spot as a super close friend, and horrible wingman
who tries to get you to admit that you like someone in the group when you have told eric ten times no you dont like changmin like that and yes juyeon is cute but youre not interested
and eric just wants you to be happy and he thinks youre lying and keeping it from him because like you think it would be weird to date someone in tbz
and he’s like cmon tell me! or do you like someone from skz, im friends with felix - do you think he’s cute
and at some point it wears you down and you are just like over to play video games and have fun with eric
and he’s like hey felix said you were pretty when i showed him a photo and you are like ERIC LISTEN TO ME and he’s like blinking like oh?
and you’re like i do like someone but its you and so since that isnt going to happen lets move on
and eric is like lets not move on because from the minute i saw you i thought cupid lodged an arrow so deep in my heart its been stuck their permanently and yes i watched hercules last night so i made that analogy isn’t it about time you kissed me so i would shuttup?
and when you do you’re like ok i have wanted to do that SO many times and he’s like well you should have
and youre like dont be sassy i will bring up every oppurtunity you tried to hook me up with your group member if you do and he’s like
i will shut my mouth forever if that is what you wish <3
☆ [nostalgic] summer romance! younghoon had to do something for his late bday because i adore him others:juyeon
the disappointed look jacob gives you as he pulls into the parking lot beside your school is that of a parent, deflated with the rowdy actions of their only child
you hold your physics textbook in your lap in the passenger seat and try to smile at him as some sort of compensation
kevin chuckles from the backseat
“can’t believe you’re stuck in summer school the year before you graduate.”
“shutup kevin the only reason you passed physics is because jacob lives down the street from you and let you copy all his old notes. otherwise, you’d be in there with me.”
kevin shrugs and motions for you to get out of the car, you stick your tongue out and thank jacob for the ride
“waterparks gonna suck without you.”
he says before he rolls up the window
you groan and mutter a “don’t remind me about the waterpark dude” before turning to head inside
the room is barely air-conditioned and your summer physics teacher is some old lady who tells you all to read for the next hour and do the exercises on page one hundred and three
she then puts on an ancient pair of headphones and seemingly tunes you and the other summer school students out indefinitely
she doesn’t even notice when the door opens half an hour later and in the frame is the tall, almost infuriatingly handsome figure of kim younghoon
you blink back in surprise - i thought he was a pretty good student?
younghoon notices you too, smiling as he passes your desk to sit in the one behind you
you look down at your textbook and suddenly don’t know the weird feeling that washes you over
the room is pretty empty, he could sit anywhere else….
five minutes later, you feel a gentle tap on your shoulder
you turn and younghoon smiles again - his teeth are blindingly white and he doesn’t have one acne scar on his pretty face
“do you know if the teacher took attendance?”
you shake your head, “she’s basically been comatose since i got here.”
he chuckles softly enough that just the two of you hear it
“got it. so we’ll just be sitting here in silence for two hours?”
“looks like it.”
he takes a pause and looks at you as if he has something else to ask, but it doesn’t come out
the first day then drags its feet until finally it’s over and you drop your worksheet off on the desk
the teacher mutters that the homework for tomorrow is the next chapter and you give the fakest smile you can muster before trying to beeline for the door
before you can leave though, younghoon calls out your name and you turn to see him standing in the empty hallway
“if i need help with the homework - can i text you?”
you reluctantly make your way back toward him, you take your phone out and hand it to him
“sure, add yourself to my contacts. god this summer is gonna be so boring.”
younghoon takes a moment before handing you back your phone, he nods in agreement
“at least we’ll suffer together.”
you don’t think much of it when he says it - actually you don’t think about it at all
the only reason it finds its way back into your head is because later that night your phone vibrates and it says you have a text from ‘hoon [seven different flower emojis]’
younghoon?
you open it and see that’s a long message whining about the confusing chapter you were assigned. you giggle because you’ve been whining to yourself while reading it too
but as you start to type out a reply you wonder………
'at least we’ll suffer together’………we barely even know each other? is it really normal to say that - what about being together with a stranger makes summer school of all things better?
your hand hovers over the send button - you close your phone instead and go back to reading, forgetting about the text and falling over yourself in physics terms you should have remembered when you first were taking the class
the next morning, jacob doesn’t drive you to school - you walk there and bump into younghoon whose on his way over too
he somehow manages to look tall and unaffected by the sweltering heat
he waves at you with another one of those priceless smiles
“did you do the homework?”
he asks as you fall into step with each other
“barely - i had to look at cobi’s old notes.”
“cobi?” younghoon tilts his head and you explain that it’s a nickname for jacob
something on younghoon’s face is confusing, it’s like there’s a twinge of sadness but you assume it’s just a reflex squint to the glowing sun
“you didn’t text me back - so i thought you might have given up on it!”
he laughs slightly and you clasp your hand over your mouth
“oh right! sorry - i must have spaced out and didn’t hit send. but i totally agree - fluid mechanics could put anyone to sleep.”
before you realize it you and younghoon are in the classroom again, sitting in the same seats
you’re early so the teacher isn’t there yet and younghoon flips to a page from the chapter to ask you if you know what its talking about
you explain what you think it means (from the information you got from jacob’s old notes)
and the entire time you’re maybe inches away from each other
when you aren’t actively thinking about it, it’s fine - but then your hands brush and suddenly it dawns on you and you sit back in your seat suddenly
younghoon senses the shift and opens his mouth to say something when the door swings open and a monotone voice tells you to open up to page one hundred and fifty-seven
like what younghoon said and his text, you soon forget about the momentary skinship
your brain starts to melt of boredom as the class drags on and you get past a note from younghoon when the teacher isn’t looking
'do you know the answer for problem #3?’
'it’s 23.56 m/s’
'woah you’re so smart’
'more like the person who used this textbook before me wrote the equation on the page’
'lucky - let’s trade textbooks?’
'in your dreams :P’
another long day comes to an end and you wave a goodbye to younghoon, he smiles and waves back and adds a - “reply to my text this time, ok?”
you nod and only again do you think about what he says when you’re home and thinking straight under the graciousness of your AC
does that mean he’s going to text me?
and like yesterday, younghoon does text you complaining about the reading
you answer and a conversation that comes almost way too easily starts
this cycle starts anew the next day, and the day after that, until at some point you realize you are forming a sort of summer friendship with kim younghoon
and that’s normal - that’s fine
but there are moments where you look up at him when you’re paired together for a makeshift lab or when you’ve agreed to stay behind some extra hours to study
that you see younghoon in all this detail up close and he’s undeniably handsome but also you see something more
for all the years you’ve been in the same school together, passed each other at parties, probably even stood together at assemblies
you’ve taken him at complete face value. perfect proportions, always someones crush, the pretty and popular boy who somehow hasn’t added complete selfish jerk to that title as well
he’s just - kim younghoon - untouchable, out of anyone’s league
and now he’s more real.
you see the mole on his neck, the way his eyes crinkle when he finds something really funny, the pickiness of his eating habits and how he can’t hold a pen properly with his left hand.
they’re things that make him human and they’re things that you can’t help but notice because like anyone, you are instantly attracted to younghoon
it’s just crazy that beyond that face there’s a boy who you could easily see yourself falling for
of course, you end the thoughts right there.
even though sometimes, you get a weird kind of feeling that younghoon is noticing something about you too.
it really starts to eat at you after you guys are at the halfway point of summer classes - and you have your first test.
you’re both panicking about it, because if you don’t pass this one - you probably won’t pass the final - which means physics again when autumn comes around
so you and younghoon have been spending a lot of time in the library after class with your textbooks, snacks, and jacob’s old notes
of course you’re both grinding, but distractions happen and you end up taking a break to toss candy into his mouth and doodle cartoons of your boring teacher in the margins of your notes
giggling like maniacs over the inside jokes about class and school you’ve both come up with, getting scolded by the ancient librarian if you’re just a little too loud about it
and then younghoon asks you: “do you have plans after the test?”
you huff and cross your arms
“yeah, to go home and curl up on my bed and forget it ever happened.”
he chuckles, puts his hand on his neck and then pauses - what you think is a light pinkness starts to dust his skin
“same, but if you want instead i though-”
your phone goes off just as the words string together - you pick it up and try to wave an apology to the librarian who rolls her eyes at you
with a whisper you turn your head to answer
“what? jacob? what - no i don’t know where kevin is i thought he’d be with you.”
younghoon’s lips thin out and you barely react as you duck under the table you’re studying at to keep your voice low
you finish the call and come back up with a sigh
“what were you saying by the way?”
younghoon shakes his head
“nothing, is kevin ok?”
you get back in your seat and you don’t want to comment on the weird thin blanket of tension that seems to undertone the question
“he’s fine, jacob will find him over at eric’s or something.”
you look at younghoon and he doesn’t return your gaze, he’s pushed his chair in closer to the table and picked up his pen
you do the same and try to break whatever this weirdness is
“should we go over chapter five again?”
that moment replays in your head for almost a week straight, it almost distracts you during the test but thankfully you and younghoon both pass
you flaunt your 84 versus his 82 but the happiness of it seems to wash away any excess awkwardness from before
at least for him, for you - you somehow can’t stop analyzing it in your head
to make matters worse, more pocket-sized interactions like this start to pop up
younghoon is always seemingly on the verge of asking you to hang out with him outside of class but he never really does
something always stops him
and you kind of start to wish he just would, or if the question that’s always on the tip of his tongue isn’t that - then you really want to know what it is
you overthink and it frustrates you more than you admit, but at the same time younghoon had been right when summer started
the fact that you have each other to suffer together actually doesn’t make this whole thing worse than it originally was going to be
the only reason you’re having a tolerable summer is because of him
you don’t want to ruin it by prying him with questions
wanting to know if he wants something more than just a physics class-based friendship
because it gets to a point where you don’t know what to do, you ask your best friends
when you explain that you and younghoon just click - and it seems like he might want to be around you more, the way you want to be around him -
jacob and kevin give you the same look
jaocb’s just nicer when he says “why don’t you ask him to hang out first?”
while kevin just laughs and calls you a big dummy - popular pretty boy or not, that’s crushing behavior you’re describing
you think about it
what’s stopping me from asking him first? seriously - am i going to be that person who needs to wait around for prince charming to pull the first move?
so you decide you will, it takes jacob giving you a pep talk before you go into class the next day but you are resiliant
and when younghoon comes through the door - you stand up
“oh, a standing ovation did i do something right?”
he jokes and you have to tell yourself not to focus on how cute he is and get straight to the point
“do you want to hang out after class?”
younghoon’s bag drops from his hands and you both kind of startle at the noise
oh shit. here it comes. the big 'oh i hope you don’t think this is something more than it is….’ line
“oh - i - sure, i mean i saw jacob’s car in the parking lot is he not gonna pick you up later?”
you blink in confusion
“no, why would jacob come pick me up?”
younghoon and you have a moment of complete silence and then
“you’re dating him, right?”
you’re pretty sure you let out a sound that’s a mixture of a little yell and an attempt at a laugh
it’s embarrassing and before you can backtrack it, the door opens and the teacher snaps her fingers for you and younghoon to sit
as you do - you realize your entire body has gone kind of numb
is that the reason he’s been dancing around me this summer, because of jacob?!?!?!
you turn before the teacher can even write the pages to work on on the board
“no!”
you exclaim and younghoon blinks those big, brown pretty eyes at you
“i am definitely not dating jacob bae!”
a sense of relief seems to wash over his face, but you can’t even enjoy the way he looks happy because the teacher clears her throat
“the matter of who you are or are not dating is not the topic of this class - physics is. so pay. attention.”
you nod, looking down at your textbook as the other students snicker to themselves
halfway through the class younghoon passes you a note
'how about we go see a movie or something?’
your first date goes well.
actually it goes really really well because it turns out younghoon is scared of horror movies and you’re not and when he nearly jumps into your arms with fear you just laugh and hold him close
by the time it ends he’s got his head completely in your neck and you have your arms wrapped around his waist
it’s actually insane how comfortable you two are with touching each other despite the fact that all of summer you would knock knees and it would set both of you into a state of petrification
and when you text your gc after, jacob sends a thousand loving emojis
and kevin replies with: but is he a good kisser tho?
turns out he is, although he kisses with a shyness that is unexpected considering how loud and fun he can get around you
he lets you take the lead, which is nice, and when you kiss him right on the jawline he inhales sharply and you figure out the part of kim younghoon that gets him all worked up
a secret you’re sure the rest of the student body will be jealous of you for knowing
the summer goes from tolerable to magical in the snap of a second
your classes finish, you and younghoon both pass the final and celebrate with ice-cream and a trip to the amusement park
you end up on the ferris wheel and younghoon sheepishly admits he had always been a little sad thinking about how you were doing these fun things with jacob and not with him
and you scrunch your nose up and tell him the last time you and jacob were on a ferris wheel together you were comforting kevin for his random fear of heights
speaking of moonbae, they both really like you and younghoon together
jacob thinks he’s a mannered young man and kevin is just like soooooo you’re nice enough to put up with them (you) you must be a saint
the four of you finally get to go to that water park you missed out on in the beginning and while you and younghoon are holding hands on the lazy river sharing little cute kisses
kevin is splashing jacob to a point where the lifeguard on duty has to intervene
younghoon still sometimes dances around what he actually wants to say or do - and so you coax it out of him with the threat of complimenting him
which you learn is your greatest weapon, you call him pretty and it’s practically game over
but seriously he just tucks you into his arms and mumbles something and you’re like hmmm and he’s like mumbling and you’re like younghoon words or i will list the top five things i like about you and he’s like
“oK i just wanted to ask if you wanted to stay over………”
you do :) and when you take the liberty of stealing a big flannel of his younghoon hides his face in his hands for like ten minutes straight
before autumn finally comes around for good - you and younghoon talk about how you both flunked physics
you explain that you just did not put the effort in at all and skipped more times than you could count, but younghoon just says he thinks he just messed up pretty bad on the final
“why did you do bad on the final?”
he looks away and you scoot closer, “younghoon?”
“well remember how we all took the final with our seats switched ….. the teacher put me next to you and it was distracting….”
“no way - are you saying im the reason you were in summer school?!?!”
you sit up and younghoon does too with a laugh
“maybe - but it was worth it. i got to spend a whole summer with you.”
years down the line you still bring the story up as a fun meet-cute
everyone thinks younghoon is 100% joking, there’s no way he failed a final because he was sitting next to his crush
but younghoon swears it’s the reason why - he’s sure if he could find his original test paper he could show everyone that where he was supposed to have written out the equation he just wrote your name down ten times
jacob accuses him one day for flunking it on purpose since he probably knew you were going to end up in summer school
you turn to your fiancee and ask him is that true, did he really fail it on purpose to spend more time with you?
younghoon’s ears turn pink and the whole room erupts into laughter
“younghoon, why would you do that!”
you push him gently, your hand on his chest with the glittering band he gifted you
he shrugs back with a big smile
“i really really really liked you - and hey, it worked out didn’t it?”
✁ plot: in the fashion and modeling world, there’s never enough time to just be yourself, until it’s behind closed doors. however, for both you and your idiot secret boyfriend, things aren’t surprisingly different in terms of your dynamics.
✁ a/n: to brighten up from my last eric post months ago,,, i decided to finish up my slot for eric as well for @nayuyeons’s la haute couture collab!! i saw the boyz on friday and was super proud after watching them after waiting for so long, and i realized at the end that i missed all of them and eric extra since he isn’t able to come, but am so proud of all of them for how far they’ve worked!! anyways i hope you guys like this oneshot!!
“Y/N! You’re due for makeup in fifteen for the next set.”
A hum goes past your lips as you had just finished up one of your biggest photoshoots of the year; a collaboration with one of the biggest brands that you were working with. As you’re scrolling through your for you page out of boredom, there’s a message or two that pops up at the top of your page that makes a smile, making you forget about all of the nerves and anxiety that were piling up on your chest and you could’ve sworn that if anyone were to see you now, they’d think that you were lovesick.
You’re going to look amazing as always.
Are we still down for dinner tonight, at the river?
You could’ve sworn that there were little giggles that escaped your lips as you typed back a response to your boyfriend, who was only a few doors down from where you were now in your dressing room. It was hard to even hide your relationship in the eyes of the public because of the harsh criticism that would come from not only his fans but also your own, knowing that being in the modeling industry was hard enough by just being a model.
Dating as a model, however, especially when your reputation is out there for the world to see was even harder because of the obscure standards that society had. After texting him back and realizing that the makeup artist was waiting for you to sit in your chair to get your makeup done for the next photoshoot that you were supposed to do for the day.
You were excited considering it was one that you were able to do with him for Vogue’s summer couple articles that they were planning on writing about; one that has been planned for months as it took a while for both yours and his agency to agree on. Vogue had asked both of you to model and be interviewed for their content, in which your manager had thought that it was a good idea to finally release a public statement of your relationship.
The article would be posted in a couple months from now, but that didn’t mean that you weren’t nervous for it to come out.
“Y/N?”
The sound of a familiar voice blocks you out from the daze that you were in while your makeup was done and the moment that you looked in the mirror to lock eyes with the figure that walked into your room, a large grin coats your lips as you smile at him. Eric carefully makes his way over to you and rather than look at you through the mirror, he stands right where the vanity and takes in your features sharply, but gently with his eyes and you could tell by the large grin on his face that there was something he had in his mind.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of having you here, Eric?” You giggled, getting up from your seat the moment that your makeup artist tapped your arm to allow you to and almost immediately, you’re already engulfed into his arms for a warm embrace.
He places small kisses into your hair on the side of your head, making more giggles escape from you as he rocks you both back and forth. It had been a while since you had last seen him, both of your schedules conflicted with the other and it was hard to even match it up on most times, but on days like today where you were able to have a photoshoot today and also schedule a date night ahead of time was going to be a good day for you overall.
You missed him anyway.
“When will I be able to shower you with kisses and hugs in public?” He jokes, giving you a silly look on his face and for a moment, you reach up to squish his cheeks together into a pucker in order to give him a quick peck on the lips.
It momentarily stuns him for a moment, but the large grin on his face doesn’t fade and you could’ve sworn that you saw the hearts in his eyes enlarge if it weren’t for the fact that you were also just as in love with him as he was with you. Pretty soon, you knew that your relationship would be in the eyes of the public and days like today where you’re both able to model together was going to be more often, but for now you treasured your little secret with him.
“Someday soon. Now, let’s go get ready babe.”
It’s finally night time as you’re walking hand in hand with your boyfriend as his other hand was preoccupied with the picnic basket that he had packed this morning into his car. You were both walking alongside the river in silence, but anybody could tell by the way that he was swinging your intertwined hands that he was ultimately in love with you.
“Do you think the grass has feelings when we step on them?” You randomly blurted out in the middle of silence and it takes everything within Eric to not playfully judge you right then and there.
He gives you a confused look as if you had asked him an absurd question, even though it was, and he gently flicks your forehead before setting down the basket and blanket that was in his other hand. The two of you eventually had your dinner on the picnic blanket and shared what had been going on in your schedules, but it was mostly Eric considering he was animatedly telling you how he had been finding new adventures with your mutual friends Juyeon and Hyunjae after you told him about your regular routine.
You were shocked to hear that he was able to have so much time off recently, making you miss the breaks and free time that you used to have also before you were bombarded with your schedules. It was to the point where you unknowingly frowned at the thought of it, making your boyfriend notice the ends of lips pointing downwards when he was just about to tell you about how he had gifts for you back at his place.
“Hey, what’s wrong baby? Are you okay?” He asks you quietly, reaching up to cup your cheek and gently stroke your face and you nodded in response, letting out a small breath as you gave him a small smile.
“I miss being able to spend time with you, ya know. Times like these us having late date nights planned weeks ahead of time sound like a fever dream… And it doesn’t feel like I’m actually with you when I have to go to work again the next day, while you’re able to take a break without me.” You rambled on, looking up at the stars and moon that were brightly shining above you to avoid the tears that were slowly starting to sting your eyes but you could tell that he was frowning as well at your words.
You didn’t mean to make him upset with the burden you were feeling at this moment, but you realize that this overwhelming feeling had been building up since the moment that the photoshoot started to begin earlier today. Pretty soon, your relationship will be published by the time that the magazine comes out and then you’re in the eyes of the public even more than normal. You were scared of what everyone would say about you both knowing you had big names in the modeling industry, but what then?
“Is it because of today?” Eric asks you, breaking your thoughts and you could’ve sworn that your knees felt like jelly because he knew what you must’ve been thinking about after today.
Truth be told, he had noticed from the moment that you were both taking photos and even if you were both having a good time modeling with one another, you had also seemed a little off as though there was something on your mind. He knew that coming out to the public with your relationship was going to be a scary moment, but he also swore to himself that he would be by your side the entire time that it happens, he wouldn’t leave you.
“I’ll be with you at every step of the moment. I’m not letting you face the public alone, Y/N, I promised you that when we first started dating, and I promise you now too. We’re in this together, and I won’t leave you behind.”
His words made your heart feel like there were fireworks bursting in it, feeling him pull you into a warm embrace that comforted you more than words can explain. You were grateful for Eric and for his presence in your life, because you knew that you would’ve definitely been eaten alive in this industry, had he not appeared into your world. From what was supposed to be a prank when you both met when you faked being a photographer to his significant other now, you’ve both been through a lot.
Even though the ups and downs of your relationship, you had only reserved your best smiles for what was supposed to be for the camera for the other instead.
“Thank you Eric, I love you.” You smiled, hugging him even tighter as if he were to disappear at any moment and he kissed your cheek at the same time that you squeezed him, hoping that him being there was enough to make you feel reassured.
⊱ warnings: i’m pretty sure i wrote ‘ass’ a couple times
⊱ word count: 2.8k
⊱ a/n: i try my best to make my work gender neutral but for my collab pieces where i have a lot to write, i tend to forget to write from all perspectives and therefore found it easier to make them from fem. reader perspectives, i apologise if this upsets some of my readers <3
my first collab piece! @atbzkingdom thankyou for the opportunity! i planned for this piece to be longer and better, please don’t hesitate to give me feedback as i’m still a little unsure on some parts. i’ll possibly edit and rewrite some parts in the future! thankyou and i hope you like it!
inserting the cassette into its player, the nostalgic melody slowly echoed around the room; you were entranced into a flood of beautiful and precious memories playing on repeat in your mind.
you were seated, cross-legged, on your roommates bed. she had invited you over upon your arrival at campus, to which you gladly took her invite, considering you wouldn’t really have a lot of time to spend with her with classes starting so soon. she was currently parading around in several different dresses, some tight, some loose, some just outright hideous. she claimed she was in a rush - her boyfriend, sangyeon, on his way to pick her up for the party they were attending that night. she ushered you to go with them but you opted out, wanting to get settled in before rushing off to a party.
pulling on the tiny bobbles on your socks, there was a knock at the door, and the next minute you were met with two guys. one in which you assumed to be sangyeon, considering your roommate sprung herself into him upon seeing his face. and the other - someone you didn’t know. that was, until he was introduced to you, as eric sohn.
your second encounter with eric, was - funnily enough - at a party. you were in your last years at college when your friends wanted to let off some steam and somehow had managed to get you to tag along with them. you couldn’t handle your alcohol very well so let’s just say you were pretty befuddled.
“woah, watch where you’re going there, princess” someone chimed.
you were wobbling slightly and accidentally backed up into someone, sending their drink down the front of their shirt.
the next thing you knew, you were being swept up by your legs, your face in vision sight with the person’s back, “hey! put me down.” you screeched between each punch of your fist. whoever it was, was really enjoying themselves, chuckling at your childish behaviour.
you were finally put on your feet, coming face to face with the ever-so-rude person who happened to escort you out of the building before a fight occurred. for some odd reason you just felt feisty tonight, probably since you haven’t let yourself loosen up since the start of classes and all of your wild and chaotic energy was protruding through all at once.
“i’m guessing you’re y/n, right?” he looked oddly familiar, as did his voice, but through your blurry and clouded vision, you couldn’t really make out who it was. he must’ve sensed your hesitance, tugging at your wrist before giving you a small high five, “i’m eric.”
ever since that night, he would take you out somewhere. and for someone who hadn’t explored much or had never even gone out of their comfort zone, it meant you had a lot to see and a lot to learn.
your favourite hangout had got to be the night where he drove the two of you to an outdoor cinema, seated on a plaid blanket that laid flat against the grass, your jacket shared between the two of you, your thighs pressing against one another whilst the pillows you brought propped your heads up comfortably to watch the movie playing. every so often, you could smell eric’s perfume as it blew with the wind, intoxicating you almost. without him realising, his hand would unconsciously fall and lay on your thigh, you ignored it however, knowing he didn’t mean it and is something you shouldn’t really be making such a big deal out of.
you were occupied in the screen played before you, giving eric the chance to etch your features into his brain. he had liked you for a while, even before you first saw him in your roommates dorm, sangyeon brought him along, knowing you’d be there and thus giving eric the chance for you to finally meet him. your hair was tied back, checking the weather before leaving knowing it would be windy and figured you’d pull it back to avoid the nuisance of doing it later on, except your baby hairs escaped it’s capture in the bobble and floated around with the direction of the wind. the screen’s light shone and bounced across your face, illuminating it in a way that made you look like you were an angel visiting earth but without the wings and plus, he knew you were real. he couldn’t help himself but to occasionally stare at your hands and wonder what it would feel like fitted between his, wondering how smooth they were. oh, how much he wished he could just squish your hands together right there and then. so he settled for leaving it purposely nearer to you, hoping you’d feel the same as him, yet a little braver by slipping your fingers together. you didn’t, but he figured it was wishful thinking anyways.
or there was another time, where he snook you out of your dorm past midnight just so you could both watch the sun rise. his safe place, he’d never brought anyone there before and he told you just that, causing butterflies to flutter crazily from inside of your tummy. just like how you smiling and letting out a little giggle at one of his lame jokes, he told the boys the same one and earned an eruption of laughter but it just didn’t create the same feeling compared to when you did it.
no. your favourite moment had got to be the moment you realised you loved him. you had been working yourself to the bone upon exams nearing and eric knew this, trying his best to relax you and to take your mind off of everything causing you distress. engulfing you into his warm embrace when the tears began rolling down your face. promising to stay the night with you in his arms to keep you safe and comforted and just so you weren’t alone. it’s also the moment you shared your first kiss.
what followed consisted of a few things. you celebrated your three months together before leaving education to finally turn into your own independent people with individual plans and paths they want to take. in other words: growing up. becoming an adult. and hence, you split. it was hard, at first. eric became your rock, as did you, become his. you never left each other’s sides and maybe that was why it was so hard for the long distance to work. you were both affectionate, both two loving and caring soles that just needed that physical touch, facetime can only go so far.
the door chimed, indicating someone had come through the door, “hi, welcome to moonlight’s diner what can i get for you?” you cringed at your superficial tone of voice as you casted a smile to the new customers, one of which left to find the pair a table. what a cute couple.
the woman was pretty, the way the sun shone through the open glass windows as she peered behind you at the menus, “hi, can i get two hot chocolates and chocolate chip muffins please?” she gleamed, fiddling with the cash notes she held in her hands as she looked at you expectedly.
“of course,” imputing the order into the cash register, excusing yourself as you went to prepare her order as she left to accompany her friend.
you were quite used to the machines at the diner, considering you had worked there long enough to learn everything like the back of your hand, so it only took you a couple of minutes before making your way to the table, placing each saucer and plate in front of the two, concentrating too much to notice the eyes watching your every moment.
“here’s your order and the bill, enjoy.” pushing the tray between the fold of your arm as you slid them the bill, only just having the chance to spot the man sat opposite the woman you served at the counter.
“oh hey y/n.” eric spoke, flashing his pearly whites as he began to stir his hot chocolate, “i haven’t seen you in… years. it’s nice to see you again.” the girl now staring at you instead, curious as to how eric knew you.
turning on your heel, wanting to get out of the situation as quickly as you could, you were just about to leave but god had other plans for you, “hey, i’m hanna, eric’s girlfriend. nice to me you..y/n.”
you didn’t see eric for weeks after the encounter with his girlfriend. nothing much happened after that, your manager had called for you from the back room to tell you it was the end of your shift and how you could go home. not even sparing eric or his girlfriend a second glance or word, you gripped the tray tighter and scurried out the door, not caring to even say much as a goodbye or see you tomorrow.
“so that’s y/n, huh? is that why you brought me here?” eric had been watching you leave, you looked different from the last time he saw you. god, he couldn’t imagine you being any prettier but there you were; proving him wrong. proving to him that he never actually stopped loving you. all those nights he would stay awake silently hoping you would surprise him at his dorm and you never leave his side again, “was a surprise for the both of us it seems.”
he met hanna through a mutual friend from his baseball team. they weren’t really that close, only a few civil greetings shared between the two but when he stopped eric in his tracks on the way out of the changing room, pleading him to go on a date with his love-struck friend, there wasn’t much to lose. he was lonely and she reminded him of himself; bubbly, energetic, and hence, they started dating, seeing one another more often. something he wasn’t able to do with you. he told hanna all about you. the girl he was once head over heels with, quite frankly, she knows everything about you. as do his group of friends.
except, the difference is, they met hanna and hardly know anything of her. but you, someone they have yet to meet, hell, they know everything from how you can’t eat dairy due to your intolerance to how when you were a child, you got bit by a donkey and still have the scar on your wrist. it wasn’t pleasant, comparing the both of you. you both have different traits, different personalities, different styles, you were polar opposites. and maybe that’s why things weren’t working well between eric and hanna and why he still loves you. you match him like a missing puzzle piece. hanna knew it too, but she was too blind sighted by the four letter word called love, that she didn’t want to lose eric. maybe it was out of nerves or worries, not knowing what the future had planned for her: would she ever get married? have kids? would she even meet another boy if she broke up with eric? she was being selfish really, but she couldn’t help it… especially when she saw the sparkle in his eye and the fond, lingering smile on his face by just the slight glimpse of your shadow.
it seemed like someone in the clouds above were playing some kind of god, putting scattered pieces together. almost like a person putting a broken jigsaw puzzle back together, nothing happening too fast, but also too noticeable for it to be just a coincidence.
life was hard, to say the least. some days better than others, some appearing as though it’ll never end and whilst some, you wished would stay around forever. but that’s how it goes, time still ticks on and moves through the waves of reality and if you just happen to stumble and trip, there’s the risk of never being fully able to catch up. time. something that is very limited, something people take for granted, that some people have too little of and others struggling to stay just one foot in front of; the fear of falling behind being all too real.
“penny for your thoughts?”
he spoke, breaking the tranquility that filled the empty playground.
“how funny, sohn.”
“so tell me,” he softly murmured, turning on his side to look directly at your side profile, “what brings you here? this is where we always went during school on our breaks.”
you nod, “i know. it brings peace, you know? i like it here.”
to which the male simply nodded.
“and you? shouldn’t i be asking you the same thing?”
“me and hanna broke up. came here to clear my head.”
“oh.”
abruptly, eric stood up, his hand outstretched towards you as he dragged you to your feet, “c’mon, we’re going to get ice cream from that place around the corner.”
and with that glimmering smile, you couldn’t refuse.
“andthat, is how sunwoo managed to get stuck inside of our dorms dustbin.”
“so, you’re telling me, at half three in the morning, sunwoo climbed into a tiny ass desk bin as he wanted to prove to you that he could get from one side to the other in thirty seconds or less?” letting out a cackle, your head thrown back as your hand covered the ice cream in your mouth.
sighing, “i miss how things used to be.” putting your spoon into the ice cream tub, resting your chin in your palms as you stared at the scenery occurring outside of the parlour, “i feel the same.” eric replied, huffing a little whilst his lips protruded into a pout as he copied your form, looking at you.
“want to restart?”
“restart?”
“yeah- why not? i’m not saying forget about what’s happened, just, i miss you.”
popping the spoon back into your mouth, a small smile forming on your face, “me too.”
eric was true to his word, every chance your schedules allowed, were you spending time with one another. like nothing had ever changed, and that you were still in school.
but there you were, sprawled across eric’s bed in his small - one man - apartment. both of you laid beside one another on your backs whilst observing the coloured star projector he had pointing to his ceiling.
“hey y/n?” eric whispered, closer to your ear than you expected, the tip of his nose rubbing against the shell of your ear slightly.
copying him, your noses now skimming each other but neither of you daring to move, “yeah?” you whispered back. unknown as to why you were whispering, possibly not wanting to burst the bubble the two of you were entranced in.
“do you miss us?”
smiling slightly before it dropped, recalling all the memories from your younger years, when you lost the love of your life, your best friend, the person who was always there in your time of need. just like you were to him, “i never stopped.”
never did your feelings for eric disappear, some might say you were meant to be together; soulmates your friends and family would say.
in which, probably explains why you were here to begin with, the same place, the same position, the same old
ceiling with the star projector. except, this time you were saying goodbye.
goodbye to eric’s one-man apartment, your life together with your identical rings located on your ring fingers as tiny hands held each of your empty hands. leaving heartbreak in the past, and focusing on loving one another for eternity whilst bringing up your two children that came after three years of marriage.
maybe it was always meant to be this way. maybe you’re meant to go through hard times to be stronger for the person you were always meant to be.
the puzzle was complete, and your happy family decorated the pieces. memories were memories for a reason. what was important was to live in the present, to stop daydreaming of the past, things that could’ve been better, regrets, mistakes- all made and done, but accepting you for you. and being complacent with that.
maybe you’d be stuck inside a daydream for the rest of your life, especially during the tough times. or just maybe, life itself is your daydream.
a knock on the door was what brought you out of your trance, and there you were - seated, cross-legged, on your roommates bed when her suited up boyfriend waltzed in with a familiar man trailing behind him.
eric sohn, the infamous, and handsome, baseball player on campus. the same boy of whom you’ve harboured a crush on for as long as you could remember and-
oh my god?! is he walking up to you?! okay y/n, stay calm!
: angst but not really + fluff // enemies to friends
: younghoon’s a bit sassy/socially awkward but nth too extreme
: 1.5k
: happy (belated) birthday my beaby @chaoticdeobi, ily endlessly, i hope you like it! i hope you had a great day!
the hall was grand, to say the least. the walls painted in the finest mix of white tieandmatchstick; but to any common eye, the paint was just simply cream. portraits of the family’s ancestors hung perfectly on said walls, golden plaques engraved with their names and the years from birth to death, situated just below them.
you could say the hall was the largest part of the building but yet, younghoon was always found hiding away in the undercroft. his time well spent at the very end, paintbrush in hand as he delicately placed the brush onto the canvas, an elegant piece forming in its wake; finding comfort and solace in the peace that he got, a break from his reality, hence why his father had gifted him the space and the utensils for his twelfth birthday.
a slight sigh left younghoon’s slightly ajar lips of concentration, brows knitting together as he couldn’t quite get the right angle of his paintbrush, “it won’t work if you’re holding it so awkwardly.” it took the man by surprise, spilling his water pot over his fresh set of white trousers, nobody ever wandered into his space during the day as the staff working in the castle feared him and his intimidating gaze nor did they ever sneak up on him upon knowing of his tendency to become scared easily.
fury burning in his eyes as his fresh whites absorbed more and more of the tainted water as he sat there, whipping his head in the direction of the voice who stood behind him, arms folded and they leaned against the porcelain walls, legs crossed in a way that just screamed arrogance.
“excuse me, who the hell do you think you are sneaking up on a royal, did you not see the ‘do not disturb’ sign?” with a sigh, younghoon scurried to wipe off his trousers - not that it would do anything considering fabric isn’t waterproof and the damage was already done - huffing again, “oh, forget it. clean this up, i take it you’re a maid? now if you excuse me.”
it was dinner time now, and everybody knew that the king wanted the whole family to sit around the dining table together, occasionally discuss important business him and his wife had to deal with, or something they wanted younghoon to participate in against his will; but in his eyes, it was all apart of the family bonding.
“where’s mother?” younghoon asked as he adjusted his newly fixed hair, the constant puffing of breath out of his lips having messed it up. watching the kitchen staff busily prepare the table for their meal.
“one of the cleaning workers knocked over your mother’s glass of wine and it went all over her new gown. she’ll be down in a few- oh look, she’s coming here now.”
placing her palm upon her husband’s shoulder, younghoon’s mother took her seat at the dinner table, a familiar face following behind and standing to the side of the room with the other staff, you. you were his mother’s lady maid. if it were anybody else, he would’ve apologised for the tone he gave you earlier when he mistook you for part of the cleaning staff.. but what right did you of all people have spying on him in his private space?
“son? are you listening?” his father called to him, realisation hitting younghoon that he hadn’t stopped gaping at you since you walked in the room. adjusting his collar before prompting his father to continue speaking.
“as i was saying, your mother and i have to leave the country for a few days. you are in charge of taking care of your sister whilst we’re gone as well as the staff. we trust you with this son, don’t disappoint us,”
“oh and y/n, you will be staying here for the time being, your services aren’t necessary on this trip. you’ll be in charge of our daughter when younghoon is busy, understood?” whilst younghoon’s father was a kind and generous man, he definitely wasn’t the most respected man in the castle for no reason. his striking and powerful demeanour spread for miles, no one dared to disobey the king, not knowing exactly what he’s capable of but not wanting to find out either.
younghoon’s parents were gone for most of his childhood, along through his teenage years and then into his early adulthood. so it’s safe to say he grew up isolated and alone for most of his life. his only source of socialisation was when his sister was born seven years ago, when he was seventeen. they’re practically attached at the hip, wherever younghoon went, his sister followed and vice versa. his sister was mature for her age, much like younghoon himself, she had to learn how to take care of herself from an early age; that included knowing how to dress appropriately, know how to do her own hair and makeup for any special occasions the family hosted or attended to as well as the basics on how to behave as a royal should. the only difference between the siblings was that now, younghoon had responsibilities he had to take care of- preparing to be king once his father passes or if he steps down from the throne, maintaining a clean record as well as the constant fear of practically falling apart at the seams.
it wasn’t and still isn’t the ideal life for one to live, seeking his father’s approval and permission for pretty much everything he does. the burden weighing upon his shoulders just itching to make his knees buckle and collapse, making it hard for him to do pretty much anything “normal” like making friends or doing typical things you’d do in your twenties; it wasn’t that he liked people keeping their distance from him, nor the fact that everybody in the castle had their own misconceptions on him and his behaviour, all of which turn their topic of conversations onto him whenever he walks into the room.
it was a couple of days later when younghoon found himself sitting on the top of a hill just outside of the castle gates, observing the vast and majestic view that clouded the sky. the blue replaced by a faint red hue whilst the clouds floated aimlessly. the only sounds heard consisted of younghoon’s breathing, the small flow of water beside him and the odd bird that flew by every now and then. he can’t remember the last time he felt pure peace. everything being far too fast to keep up, like a black hole or a tornado, something you’re quickly swept up into until you completely disappear and break.
“they’re going absolutely mad looking for you in the castle, sir.”
you.
without sparing you a glance, younghoon let out a sigh, his shoulders tensing slightly at the thought of going back to the place that causes far too much stress.
unpropping yourself from a nearby rock, settling a comfortable space from younghoon, staring out at the landscape that looked like it just came out of a painting.
“what’re you doing here?”
“i came to find you, duh. they’re going sick at the thought of you having fled the country or something.”
“no, seriously. what’re you doinghere?”
“contrary to belief, sir, but i actually want to be your friend. not your foe, regardless of how hard you try to push me away. don’t you ever get lonely in that big place?”
younghoon snickered at that, “you think you know me huh?”
“not at all. that’s why i’m saying i want to, i know what it’s like to have my childhood swept from between my feet, floating between self-doubt and uncertainty of what i’m going to do with my life and how i’m even going to do it on my own. i know far too well what it’s like to be alone my whole life, my parents either too busy preoccupied with work or too tired to spend time with me when they get home at the end of the night.”
for the first time, it felt like someone wasn’t pitying him, or mistaking his standoff-ish personality for something for malice and ill-intended. for the first time, he felt heard and understood.
“how about a restart?”
“huh?”
younghoon was turned towards you now, his hand extended to you, “hi. i’m younghoon. not prince younghoon, not sir, justyounghoon.”
“nice to meet you, just younghoon, im y/n. i hope we can be great friends.”
: ceo!sangyeon x coworker!fem.reader (ft. playboy!jacob)
: fluff
: cuss words here and there, mentions of alcohol
: 1.0k
: happy new year! dedicating my first fic of 2021 to my love, yu, @lsangyeons. ily just as much as i love sangyeon. cute ass couple right here. mwah. i hope you like it.
“you’re late.” your boss uttered as soon as he heard the click of the door and the clack of your heel on the floor of his office, “i’m also here, could have easily stayed home.” that. that, is something he didn’t like. he liked being the boss - not the other way around - not being the one given orders; that’s his job. that’s what irritated him about you, the fact that he spent his whole life not taking shit from anybody and proffering to be the man on top- the one who was superior- in a non narcissistic manner, but if the shoe fits then so be it.
ever since you stepped on the premises of his building, the building worth millions i may add, every little thing you did aggravated him. the way you would always be far in front of other staff in your departement, always one step ahead of them in terms of skills and traits, how you never failed to show up to work (whilst you were late occasionally due to your form of transportation continuing to be unpredictable) but nonetheless, you made up for it in the end with your customer reviews and daily late nights at the office with your contact lenses far gone hidden beneath the endless chocolate bar wrappers and your glasses framing your face instead, as paper upon paper consumed your undivided attention. he could also mention the fact that he noticed how you, regardless of your relationship with, never once was unprofessional and always looked their best at all times.
“you know, if you put as much effort into your work as you do getting under my skin you’d be promoted.” sangyeon cleared his throat and loosened the top of his tie, eyeing the way you lightly placed a stack of documents on his desk, taking a seat that sat just in front, “boss, don’t act like i’m not the most hard working person in this very building - besides you of course - and i put just as much effort into my work as i do at being your most favourite employee.” you retorted as the male opposite found himself unable to form a word, something you did to him more often than not.
it’s not that he was a pushover and let you do as you pleased, teasing him was off limits to everyone and they knew that. all the while you knew, of course you knew, but that didn’t stop you from making it a part of your daily routine. you could say he just had this form of admiration towards you, no, not admiration. you know that feeling as to when you find yourself being completely and utterly whoo-ed over by someone without even having to do anything remotely intimate, like parents watching their child perform their first school performance of twinkle twinkle little star, or, when you’re completely in love with someone that you just adore everything they do and say; proud of them and their accomplishments. you could say that’s how sangyeon felt. except, he wasn’t in love with you.
“you sound in love to me dude.” sangyeon’s close friend, jacob, claimed as he took yet another swig of his drink, lazily seated within the leather booth in the far corner of the bar the two were currently at.
the male scoffed, his face crinkling in disgust from the bitter aftertaste of the liquor in his hand, “and what makes you say that huh? mr playboy himself”. the latter let out a chuckle at that, sangyeon’s dig doing nothing but proving his point.
“i gotta know what love is to be able to stay away from it my dude - it’s simple, i don’t want that shit. therefore i learned the signs and get rid before it gets serious,” jacob winked as he ended his speech, leaving sangyeon in a whirlpool of his thoughts, “if i just sat through your whiny ass for forty minutes, expressing your undenying love for this girl, you better act on it before i actually strangle you with your own intestines.”
whilst sangyeon knew his friend was joking, and rather, he was sure he was exaggerating the feelings he held for you, he knew he had a point, “the worst she could do is say no, right? I say go for it.”
and he did, setting his ego aside, something he would never imagine doing in his lifetime - let alone for a girl of whom managed to capture his heart and occupy his mind twenty-four seven - and within twenty minutes after bidding his farewell to his companion, he was at your front door.
even if he wanted to back out, he had no choice as you stood clad in your pyjamas, rubbing your eyes as he cursed himself for not realising that of course you’d be asleep at this time. hell, he didn’t even think about what he was going to say to you, he could have saved himself by throwing a bouquet of flowers in your face to make up for his jumbled thoughts and his mismatched sentences but in his flurry to confess to you before his confidence (and alcohol) went out of his system that he didnt think of anything but going to see you.
“hey boss, are you okay?” you croaked, breaking the silence that fell upon the two of you.
“i’m sangyeon.” he announced suddenly, being put on the spot, all of his confidence leaving as quickly as it came, rubbing the back of his neck upon realising how stupid he sounded.
your brow lifted, what the hell is he saying? And quite frankly, sangyeon thought the exact same, come on dude, you got this.
“i know you are. are you okay, boss?” you said, pressing the back of your hand to the males forehead, coming to the conclusion that he isn’t ill, intoxicated but okay.
“how do i say this? I want you to stop calling me boss,” he demanded, cutting you off before you could even respond to such a command, “and i want you to go on a date with me.”
lounged on bean bags, sprawled across the sofa circled around the fire. several mince pies already eaten and chocolate chip cookies have been scoffed whilst you and the boyz continue your christmas movie marathon. completely forgetting what time it is before dropping to sleep, one by one.
“babe hurry up!” your boyfriend, sunwoo, whined from outside the changing room. the two of you opted for going christmas jumper shopping with the purpose of a party you both were invited to, except you both went your separate ways, wanting to surprise one another. taking a step out of the changing room, shock evidence on your faces as you realised you both picked those cringey ‘im with them’ type christmas jumpers. you wore them nonetheless and embraced the tackiness of the clothing.
you, your husband jacob and your two little children cuddled up against one another, woolly socks embracing your feet as you were all matched in festive pyjamas as christmas film after christmas film played on the tv screen. childish giggles escaping your bundles of joy every so often at the funny antics displayed in front of their eyes, earning proud gazes from you and jacob.
hanging out with your boyfriend and the rest of the boyz, the other ten of them all hollering and cheering at the sight of juyeon’s hands wrapped around your waist as yours locked around his neck, lips locked as the mistletoe hung over the both of your heads.
it was your annual secret santa, except this year, your boyfriend chanhee had managed to buy time off work to join you in your festive endeavours. his attitude of playing hard to get rubbing off on you every time he tried snooping in the presents, pouting when you made him wait. his frown soon turning into a shy smile when you pecked his nose.
younghoon’s eyes widened as he immediately sat up straight due to the fact that you turned on the speaker - “coincidentally” placed on his beside table - on full blast, the tune of rockin’ around the christmas tree blasted directly into his ear drums. if it were anybody else, he’d turn over and cover his head with the covers; opting that his love for you and your obsession with christmas, wanting to see that smile he loves so much on your face, joining you in your karaoke-style performance.
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