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thelargefrye · 3 months

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ATEEZ AS MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ... bullet - point fic ( 17+ )

pairing : teacher!ateez x teacher!f!reader (separately)

genre : teacher au, fluff, comedy, workplace romance, bulletpoint headcanons, implied co-workers to lovers (for all of them), secret relationships (for a lot of them)

word count : 4.1k

warnings : middle schoolers (yes this is needed), mentions of students shipping their teachers, mentions of a past make-out from college (mingi's section)

note : inspired by these prompts and my own job lol

honorary tag : @sanjoongie

what i think it would be like working with ateez in a middle school and perhaps being something more than co-workers with them.

KIM HONGJOONG

he's a math teacher – seventh grade and also head of the math department at the school

when he's teaching, he's in his element and he's very passionate about teaching his student and the content

he was terrible at math when he was a student and often tells his own students in order to motivate them...

sometimes it works but most times it doesn't

he's definitely one of the more stricter teachers at the beginning of the year, but lets up near the end of the year

students love him, like there's not one kid who hates him

some students do wonder how he manages to get away with his funky hair colors, but no one really questions it anymore

he's also very stylish and is known for his fashionable looks that make him look like he just came off the runway

the two of you met when you started teaching at the same school, he's been teaching for two years longer than you have

you also teach seventh grade and immediately clicked as friends on your first day

he answers any questions you have that isn't content related and is kind of seen as the head of the seventh grade as well

he gets along well with the older teachers who have been doing this for 20+ years, those teachers either go to you or him when they need help with the new programs that admin is making them use in class

a lot of the students ask him if you two are dating because you're the younger teachers in the grade-level and are always hanging out

"dating? why are you worried about who i'm dating? we have equations to worry about," he would say and always brush them off

most of the students drop, not really wanting to make hongjoong upset but that doesn't mean the question won't come up again later on

your students will also ask you the same question and like hongjoong, you brush them off and not really answering them

the students would often go back and forth on if you two were dating or not with some even trying to provide "evidence" that you were dating

and some students gave up on thinking that their literature and math teacher were dating

until one day you showed up to school wearing a cardigan

and not just any cardigan

a cardigan that hongjoong wore a month ago, one that students knew was custom made by their teacher himself

and the whole seventh grade lost their minds because holy cow, their literature teacher and math teacher WERE in fact dating

the evidence of you wearing hongjoong's cardigan was enough to convince all the students it was true

so then some of them decided to confront you both

"teacher kim, teacher l/n we know your secret."

you and hongjoong were of course confused because of course your students had to be cryptic about everything... seventh graders 😒

"we know you guys are dating! teacher l/n, you're wearing teacher kim's custom cardigan!"

hongjoong had never turned his head so fast in his life and he immediately looked at the cardigan and sure enough

it was his

and you two were busted because now all your students knew you both were at least something, if not more than friends

PARK SEONGHWA

seonghwa teaches eighth grade reading / literature, he also has his masters in special education and administration

he is also the teacher that heads student council – like he built it from the ground up after the teacher before him let it crash and burn allowed it to be ruined

but seonghwa rebuilt the student council club and now its flourishes thanks to his leadership skills and teaching the students those same leadership skills

being a teacher is like a family job, his mother was a teacher and taught at the same school that he now teaches at

he wanted to become one to continue her legacy

students think he's way too handsome to be a teacher

he's also way too nice to be a teacher but like... none of the students ever give him issues

like even the behavior students don't disrespect him like they would other teachers – its kind of crazy

you had always admired seonghwa because of how good he was at his job and honestly... you were kind of jealous of him too

but you wouldn't dare tell him

you can't help but be amazed when you watch him speak at department meetings and how he always voices his thoughts so elegantly

seonghwa is also never afraid to help you if he sees you struggling or to ask for your opinion during meetings when he notices you haven't spoken

and he'll always back you up which surprises you because you aren't friends or even in the same grade

you kind of developed a crush on him but again you would never tell him or anybody for that matter

which to be honest, your crush and admiration is probably what lead you to volunteering to help out with the student council overnight trip to a student council convention

it was you, seonghwa, plus the ten student council students that qualified to go

you really never knew who exhausting planning a field trip was and seonghwa amazed you once again with how well-planned out the trip was

it kind of made you feel guilty because of how little you did to help out with the planning

"don't feel bad y/n! i'm glad you volunteered to come, i usually struggle with finding someone to come with me to help chaperone."

"really?"

"yeah."

well... that did make you feel a little better

and of course since you two were the only chaperones, that meant the two of you got to room together

the students were pretty sure they almost saw you pass out in the hotel lobby when seonghwa told you that

"teacher l/n, are you okay! you don't look so good!"

"i'm fine..."

"you're fine with sharing a room together right?" seonghwa asks once the two of you are alone in the hotel room

the students were also in their own hotel rooms and winding down after the long trip, you could feel yourself sink into the bed once you got into the room

"its fine, i don't mind," you tell him and seonghwa gives you a warm smile as he settles down on the bed next to yours "are field trips always this exhausting?"

"only the overnight ones"

"great"

JEONG YUNHO

eighth grade history teacher but he's also taught sixth grade history in the past as well

yunho is very serious about teaching and strict when it comes to listening, doing work, being respectful, etc.

especially in the beginning of the year, but does let up a little bit near the end and after exams and stuff

he has a strict schedule that he follows when teaching his content and knows his content like the back of his hand

he has a routine and the students are quick to learn it and make sure the others are at least doing what they are suppose to be doing when the bell rings

but despite how strict and stuff he is, yunho loves teaching and the kids love his class

even if they don't like it at the beginning, the class and yunho will grow on them before the year is over

even the other teachers respect yunho and will ask him on how he teaches certain events and whatnot, always going to him for tips on where to find good materials

yunho is like the jack-of-all-materials

even has his own tpt page because of how much stuff he has made for his own class and co-workers

you will also always find him and san hanging out together in each other's room during their planning time

usually gossiping about students or other teachers

students have learned that when san walks into yunho's room, then its serious because san never leaves his room during class time

also no one ever really bothers yunho because of how strict he is with teaching and getting everything he needs done, to get done

however, students are shocked when you walk into yunho's room one day WHILE he's teaching to ask him a question

like their jaws drop when yunho stops teaching in order to help you with something and laughing with you as he brushes your apology off

it was like they just watched a mean dog turned into the friendliest puppy when you walked in

some of them questioned if they were transported to a different reality because there is no way this is happening

you and yunho are like night and day, yunho with dark button-ups and you with your funky colored pants

"you're seeing this to right?" one of them would whisper to the other students around them

the students were too stunned to speak

"hey! get to work, i expect you to have these notes written down by the time i'm done," yunho would say and immediately the students would get to work

"thank you teacher jeong, i appreciate the help with this new program"

"sure, its no problem," he says as he walks you to the door. "choi came to me during planning asking about it plus some other teachers as well"

"ah, well glad i'm not the only one struggling!" you let out a laugh and yunho returns it and laughs with you, "i'll see you after school, yeah?"

"of course"

you wave as you close the door behind you and yunho immediately goes back into his teaching mode

once again leaving his students shocked and with whiplash from how fast his attitude changed

"we really were in just another reality"

KANG YEOSANG

seventh grade history but wants to one day be a librarian

yeosang loves history but is also certified to teach reading/literature

a lot of the students and teachers love him for how nice he is to everyone

he really connects well with the behavior students, like a lot of them will always say he's there favorite teacher

even the ones who never come to class, go to yeosang's class because who in their right mind who skip teacher kang's class?

no one that's who

students will always go to him when there's an issue because they know he will help them

that's why a lot of them are surprised when they find out him and wooyoung are best friends since high school

"you and teacher jung are best friends!?"

"yep! have been for years!" and yeosang is proud to say that him and wooyoung are best friends and can teach together at the same school

none of the students can get over how handsome he is as well and a lot of sixth graders can only hope to get him in seventh grade

"teacher kang, you're so handsome you could be an actor!"

yeosang can only smile at the comments, not really saying anything as he's use to those comments by now

well coming from his students or other adults that is

however, hearing those comments (or reading them) from you is a different story

he doesn't know how you manage to time it whenever his students are doing independent work but you do

he'll be at his desk or walking around, when you come in and some the students will immediately greet you

you simply smile and wave at them before walking over to hand yeosang something

"i got the stuff from your mailbox while i was at mine," you told him

yeosang thanks you and you smile at him before turning and leaving

you usually go to the mailbox when you need a break from your class and there's already someone in there to help

yeosang looks at the stuff in his hands, and notices the folded piece of paper that had his name written nicely in your handwriting

he opens it as he walks to his desk and immediately feels a warmth overtake his face

'you look really pretty today, yeo ;) can't wait to hangout after school in our usual place! miss you already!'

yeosang quickly stored the note in his desk, before quickly going back to teaching and trying to hide the excitement of seeing you later to the back of his mind

CHOI SAN

eighth grade reading/literature teacher along with seonghwa and school's volleyball coach

he played volleyball when he was in school and so he's very passionate about the sport and his athletes

a tough coach and an even tougher teacher, but only because he knows all his students can do better than what they showing him

like seonghwa with student council, san managed to help the volleyball team go to nationals thanks to his coaching and the his girls' effort and teamwork

a lot of students are scared of him because of how he coaches, especially his athletes – like even just the mention of san gets them scared

but really san just wants the best for all his students and just like volleyball, he's also passionate about his teaching

very writing focused versus seonghwa who is more reading based, but they work really well together to make sure all their students are getting the same knowledge and material

san's not afraid to speak his mind during department meetings and the other teachers know this – like he will straight up call something out if he knows it won't work

seonghwa usually has to cut him off because of this, they are a very funny duo and students love watching them interact

"teacher choi is like a dark cloud and teacher park is like a sunny day"

like the kids, you are also intimidated by him because of how much just pure authority he gives off

like you would think he's a principal from how students act around him

he actually does step up as an admin when the actual principals are out of the building because he does have his masters in administration, so he could very well one day become a principal

but going back to you being intimidated by him 💀

you never really dared to approach him, always sitting on the opposite side of the room during department meetings

mainly because you didn't want to get on his bad side

"please teacher l/n, can you help us start this club?"

"sure, girls!" you were more than happy to help sponsor their club "who's the other teacher?"

you watched as the girls' faces deflated at the question, of course you don't blame them for not knowing that clubs needed two teachers to become official, not just one

"i have a teacher in mind!"

"who?" "tell us!"

"coach choi, can help! especially since volleyball is over!"

you felt the color drain from your face at the thought of san and you running a club together

"teacher l/n will you ask coach choi if he can help us?"

"sure... i'll ask."

"a club?"

"yeah, some of your volleyball girls recommended you and wanted to see if you could be the second teacher sponsor."

"ah, that's right. the school has that stupid two teacher club sponsor rule. always did think that was dumb."

san thought for a minute which felt like a lifetime the longer you stood in his classroom

"sure, why not. i'm sure it'll be fun to run a club together."

"i'm sure the girls will also appreciate it. i'll send you the information when i hear back from the principal about the club."

"of course, if you have any issues let me know."

"will do, thanks!"

that was definitely a lot less nerve-racking then you thought it would be...

maybe running a club san won't be so bad after all

SONG MINGI

mingi is THE ms. frizzle aka the best science teacher you will ever have

he teaches sixth grade science and is always having some sort of fun with testing experiments and theories with the students

science class will forever be ruined after you have him as a teacher because no one is doing it like mingi

literally older students will come by to see either him or wooyoung and they will always ask mingi what he is currently doing in that class

and while he's an amazing teacher – he's also hella clumsy

like students learn fast not to leave their things in the floor if they don't want this 6ft tall man tripping over and possible destroying their things

someone save this man from all those decorative pencil pouches and metal water bottles pls 💀

anyways, a lot of students love mingi because of his fun personality and not because he almost below up the science lab because a experiment gone wrong

very much into team building and having all the students work together towards a goal because he knows how important teamwork is in life and wants students to have it

a lot of students are actually intimidated by him when they first see him because of his tall stature and harsh look

but he's really cool once him and the students build that rapport

so a lot of students were surprised when they found out that you and mingi were best friends

it never really clicked for most of them since you both taught different grades AND subjects

but then during school assemblies and such, you and mingi would always be sitting next to each other

whispering and laughing to each other and it would leave students bewildered when they saw the two of you

like "what in the world are they laughing about?"

"you know... the kiddos asked me the other day about us," you said, leaning over and whispering into his ear

"yeah?"

"they asked me how long we've been friends"

"w-what did you tell them?"

"since college, i left out the part where you made out with my best friend before tripping over her bag and landed into my lap."

you could tell mingi was blushing, his ears turning red at your words

"i-it wasn't like that!"

"i know, no need to feel embarrassed. i agreed to go out with you didn't i?"

you couldn't help the smirk on your face while mingi had a pout on his own, completely forgetting that the two of you were suppose to be watching the talent show and not flirting

JUNG WOOYOUNG

teaches sixth grade math and is an on-going menace to his students

you either love or hate him because of how he teaches and runs his classroom

always changing the seating desk arrangement in his room which keeps students on their toes

he's always a complete 180 from hongjoong who is the head of the math department

like students get whiplash when they go from wooyoung to hongjoong because of how different they are

but that's not to say wooyoung is bad at his job, on the contrary wooyoung is fantastic at his job

always has a math pun ready to whip out when needed and is always dishing out savage remarks to his students when they try to be a smart-ass to him

they learn quick that they won't be able make smart comments with him around

wooyoung is just very blunt with how he's feeling – like if a student makes him mad you'll know he's mad

does a lot of bootcamp punishments (i.e makes them do exercises when they don't listen to him like: jumping jacks, squats, nothing too extreme) this makes kids not want to disrespect him because they know what will happen if they do

some parents have thought it was "extreme" but he simply told them "well it got your child to listen for once in their life" – that shut the parent up real quick

but wooyoung rarely gets serious because he has the respect from students and so those bootcamp punishments are rare and few in-between

most of the time he's fun and playful which also travels over to how he acts with his fellow teachers

including you

wooyoung always visits you when he's on his planning period

like your class can always expect him to stop by at least once during their class

which none of them mind cause that means they can see their favorite math teacher again but don't tell hongjoong that

however with his constant visits, it makes students question if you guys are dating

especially when wooyoung is always complimenting you when you're at your desk and you both think that the students can't hear you

"you look very lovely today, teacher l/n."

"watch yourself, jung."

you eventually have to run wooyoung off so you can get back to teaching

"oh they are totally dating" students would whisper to each other watching the two of you interact

students really really ship you guys together and are always questioning you about your ideal type and stuff

but you always brush off their questions and comments about how you and teacher jung would look great together

and eventually the students had moved on to something else and you were thankfully left alone about your love life by your students

until one day when you and wooyoung were spotted by some students outside of school

you and him had went to the store together, not really thinking about school as you both spent time together

however that peace between the two of you was set ablaze when heard a familiar "teacher l/n! teacher jung!" and snapping the two of you out of your daze

wooyoung was quick to greet the students who approached you both, a smile on his face and arm around his shoulder

and you knew your secret was out because of how the students' zoned in on wooyoung's arm around your shoulder

you couldn't help but dread what would happen when you arrive at school tomorrow

"i didn't like keeping it a secret anyways," he would making you smack the back of his head in response before pushing the shopping cart and walking away from your boyfriend

CHOI JONGHO

eighth grade math who got roped into teaching seventh grade science as well

jongho is really in his element when it comes to math

and is really hanging by a thread when it comes to science

like he's the opposite of mingi and HATES science – like who thought it was a good idea to have this man teach it?

oh, they did a budget cut and so they were down a science teacher? makes sense.

the kids either love or hate him because of how he teaches

his eighth graders and seventh graders are like night and day when it comes to literally everything

it might also have something to do with the content but just let him complain about his seventh graders

you actually found him one day in the workroom stressing over his science while eating his ramen

you remember some of your kids talking about jongho and you've seen him at faculty meetings

but never had a one-on-one conversation with him mainly because he was in a totally different content and grade from you (he was still an eighth grade teacher at the end of the day)

you know hongjoong really likes him and praises him for learning how to adapt so well to a new content era that he never studied in

you think that for a first-year teacher he's doing a lot better than you had when you were in his shoes

and you figure what's the harm in talking to him and seeing how he's doing

"everything going okay, teacher choi?"

he's caught off guard by your voice, jumping and looking up at you as you walk over to get your copies from the copier

"oh, um, i'm fine. just thinking about what i'm gonna do for my science class"

"ahh, that's fair, i still can't believe they have you teaching science and math for your first year"

jongho lets out a laugh which is followed by a small "yeah... i can't either"

"but hongjoong says that you're doing a good job for your first year, so you should be proud! hongjoong never compliments anyone"

"really?"

"really. and just know that if you ever need help just reach out. i know you're not a seventh grade teacher but us who teach seventh grade needs to stick together. its a tough group."

"oh my god, i'm so glad you think that as well! i thought it was just me!"

"oh no, everyone knows seventh grade is always the worse year, we all struggle with them at some point"

"that really makes me feel better about doing my job"

"jongho, you're doing a great job. the kids love you and there will always be those kids that make you feel like you are terrible at your job. but all you have to do is teach to the ones who want to be there, and worry about them."

you tell him the exact same words you were told when you were a first year and thinking the same thing

"thank you, y/n"

you can't help but smile as you nod your head, taking your copies and heading back to your room while jongho finishes his ramen

tag list : @frankenstein852 @watamotee33 @kawennote09 @mixling-blog @marahleiwhen @kpopnightingale @harry-the-pottypus @pyeonghongrie @sanniesbum @marvelahsobx @khjcoo @mysticfire0435 @exfolitae @dementedaly @simeonswhore @moonm1st @nvmbheart @spooo00oky @frgogh @sookacc @seongwin @burnsmepls @ad0rechuu @tunaasan @northerngalxy @silverpixiedust23 @cheesekimchi @confusedmoonchild777 @mjyungi @innieontop @iweirdthingsblog @s0obinluvr @worcesheshestershiresauce @moonlightgrleric @wineyoungie @jeongwangjessmina @lemineso

network : @cultofdionysusnet @cromernet

#cultofdionysusnet #cromernet #kdiarynet #ateez x reader #ateez blurbs #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez fluff #ateez headcanons #ateez hongjoong x reader #ateez seonghwa x reader #ateez yunho x reader #ateez yeosang x reader #ateez san x reader #ateez mingi x reader #ateez wooyoung x reader #ateez jongho x reader

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ppumeonae-bigvibe · 2 months

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at the end of the day, it's you whom i come home to

↖ navigation: ateez masterlist || main masterlist

pairing: bf! yeosang x gn! reader

↬ tags: yeosang being a sulky boy is so cute actually i need to thank my braincells for choosing him this time round paired with this scenario,, yeosang being an office worker (mm him in suits >>), mentions of wooyoung being his colleague and deskmate, basically a pining yeosang

summary: yeosang's morning routine got ruined because you weren't there with him (not entirely serious)

word count: 807 words

yeosang's alarm rang, effectively jolting him awake out of his slumber. with his eyes still semi-closed, he yawns as he reached out blindly, only to be disappointed by the lack of your warmth beside him. he pats the empty space again, groggily mumbling your name under his breath.

he pushed himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before forcing them wide open: confirming that indeed you were nowhere to be seen and that he was alone in bed that morning. yeosang grabs his phone from the bedstand and noticed your message.

"sorry lovely, i know you came home late so i didn't want to disturb you this early. i have many errands to run today, so i left home first. by the way, breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen, so eat well ♡ i love you! have a good day~"

yeosang sighs, a visible pout forming unconsciously on his face. he runs a hand through his bed hair, deciding to finally get ready for the day. body moving on autopilot, he realizes the mundane morning activities seemed so much more dull without you around: no good morning kisses, no hugs, no clingy you to be around him.

steps ladden with mild lovesickness, yeosang trudges into the kitchen, eating alone. even his food didn't taste as good as when you were with him.

a small smile graces his face when he spots the carefully folded attire placed on the sofa. despite you rushing off, you still picked out his office wear, as it was something you did every single morning before his work. yeosang puts on the selected button down and slacks, rereading your message on the post it note.

"I thought this would be fitting for today! I'm sure you would look really dashing as you go into the office today. work hard my busy bee!"

he takes a picture of his fit as he leaves for work, texting you many pictures he knows you would like. sending you a short text to have a good day as well, he leaves for work.

----

initial happiness gives way to moody brooding in the office as he stares at the lockscreen of you two for the umpteenth time that day. yeosang exhales loudly, the clock moving incredibly slowly. you did not reply to his earlier text, only sending him a picture to show you were busying scarfing down your lunch.

he unfortunately chalks it up to you being caught-up.

yeosang signs again, earning him a nudge from his colleague and deskmate wooyoung. "seriously, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?" wooyoung joked, but only got a defeated eye roll from yeosang, "yeah, unfortunately-" he turns to face wooyoung, who had in that moment taken a rather unflattering photo of the pouting male.

"too late, i sent it to your lover!" wooyoung cheekily scampers away and yeosang shakes his head at his antics. the same dreary mood carried him through a handful of meetings and for the rest of the day.

finally when morning bleeds to evening, yeosang is the first to pack up, heart racing as he waits impatiently in the lift to go down. he rushes out of the office building, eyes scanning the passing crowd and finally landing on your figure waiting at the same spot for him as always.

his entire being feels so much lighter when he hears your voice calling out to him in the distance: the evening's lazy atmosphere almost turns electrifying whenever you're around him. your smile widens at the sight of him sprinting full force towards you. you catch him in your embrace with a soft "oof!" when he collides into you.

"i missed you so much." he greets you with a kiss, face flushed from running. you gazed up at him, his heart overwhelmingly burst into a thousand butterflies at how much warmth was radiating from you. "i missed you very, very, very much." he repeats again, holding your face in his hands.

you chuckled, raising your arms to tousle his hair, "i know. wooyoung told me how you seemed to be in a horrible mood. is it because i didn't wake up with you today?" you teased him, showing him the picture that wooyoung sent to you: a defeated looking yeosang grumpily typing away on his keyboard.

yeosang embarrassedly nods his head, but when he attempts to act more manly you tiptoe to press another kiss on his lips. "let's go home my big boy." he practically melts into your side, and it feels as if the world is tilted right back on it's axis. everything felt right in that moment: his fingers intertwined with yours as the two of you make your way home.

at the end of every day, it was you whom he came home to.

@ppumeonae-bigvibe 's work ; likes and reblogs are appreciated <3

#ppumeonae-bigvibe #ateez #ateez imagines #ateez fluff #ateez scenarios #ateez kang yeosang #ateez yeosang x reader

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cherrysoojins · 8 months

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८ bewitched , ateez laufey songs .

✉️. four of eight, kang yeosang. i wish you love.

life pulls everyone in different directions. you and yeosang might’ve been made for each other, but your life paths just didn’t allow you to be together.

&ㅤㅤ 📦 ♡ warnings. sfw, fluff / angsty ( mainly angst ), suited for all ages, not proofread ( might have spelling errors ), let me know if any other warnings that should be added ! 985 wc.

reblogs appreciated because im shadowbanned :(

taglist. @luvvvlyjoong , @cherrystar1117

you wish the man in front of you everything good in life.

from happiness, to sadness and healing, to wonderful friendships and his favorite delicious bagels to be cooked to perfection every time he orders them, to love.

you wish it all for him.

kang yeosang was a man you would give your everything to. in your will, when the time comes to write one, you would write to give him everything you own for him to use or to sell for money to give him a better life. with your own money you would constantly buy him riches and lavishes to decorate himself or his apartment or his car with, even if you were bordering on being broke.

and you would do it all out of love. time and time again, you would do it until your last, wishful breath. and even now, you still wouldn’t change anything.

you wouldn’t change anything even though life is pulling you two into two different directions.

you, a job opportunity across the world from him. and him with his own career starting in a place you can’t be, you would continue to wish good things for him.

“you’ll be alright,” you spoke softly, smiling up at the male who looked down at you as you tied the scarf you bought as a present around his neck.

the scarf that had a very excessive price for it just being a scarf, but he said he liked it.

“just stick to the flash cards we did and the interview will go good.” you comforted him, tying a knot of the scarf and bringing it up to cover the bottom half of his face, making a smile etch into your face at how cute he looked.

yeosang said nothing, simply staring down at you for a moment longer before bringing his hands up to cup your face in his hands.

just moments prior he had been complaining about his interview and how he thinks he is going to freeze up and ruin it all, but now he was silent and had a look of longing in his eyes that tugged on your heart strings.

you two… were two different people, with two different dreams and aspirations, when you talked about your future together, it never lined up.

when you wanted to go an explore the world, bask in freedom and have fun, he wanted to settle down and have a loving family.

and there was nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what you wanted. and what you wanted was not what he wanted.

when you got your job that allowed you to travel across the world and get paid for it, he unfortunately couldn’t come due to his own job and the fact he didn’t want to leave seoul, he wanted to stay here and relax. but he wanted to do that with you.

but you two were two different people.

you couldn’t force him to come with you, he couldn’t force you to stay. and neither of you wanted to force each other into anything.

“do you really have to go?” he asked even though he knew the answer. his strained voice was muffled slightly due to the fabric of the scarf, causing you to let out a small giggle at how utterly cute he was at the moment.

you put your hands above his that were on your cheeks, looking up into his eyes as you smiled softly at him, a look of sadness in your eyes that gave him his answer.

yes. you had to go.

you had a dream, and you wanted to achieve it. even if it didn’t include him like you originally wanted it to.

he also had a dream, a dream you couldn’t provide him. and he would continue that dream, even if it also didn’t include you like he wanted it to.

it was a mutual understanding. right person, wrong time in a way. maybe if you two met before college where you still weren’t set on what you wanted to do once you graduated, maybe you two could’ve had a different outcome.

but that wasn’t the case.

so you had to let him go, despite the urge to tug him on the plane that you were about to get on and keep him with you.

and he had to do the same.

“i hope you can find someone who wants the same thing as you,” you whispered lowly, swallowing the lump in your throat that was forming. you tried to ignore the tears pricking at your eyes at the mere thought of him with someone else, settling down and starting a family, coming home and making his presence known with a kiss to their lips—

but you can’t be selfish.

if you wish him love, you can’t be. you have to give him the future he wants, and you just can’t be apart of it, sadly.

but you also knew it tore him apart. how you both chose to respect the different life styles of each other, how you both decided to let each other go.

you always said you hated growing up, and even as an adult who graduated college, you still hate it. growing up and moving on… fuck, you hated it so much.

“i also hope you don’t forget me.” you sheepishly said, leaning forward to rest your head on his chest, hands hanging onto the long coat he was wearing.

“never.” he said immediately, wrapping his arms around your back, pulling you closer into him and burying his nose into the crown of your head. “i’ll never forget you. never.”

from now, until the point you got onto the plane, you had the same thing on your mind through it all.

you wished kang yeosang all the love in the world, even if it couldn’t be from you.

and he wished the same for you.

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hwaightme · 1 year

Text

Your fan, Yeosang (part 1)

(part 2) (your fan ml)

📺 pairing: yeosang x talk show host!reader 📺 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining, 📺 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if yeosang was stanning you 📺 wordcount: 3.5k 📺 warnings/tags: language, yeosang lowkey writing fanfics, manhandling, wooyoung attacks, roommate gathering, mc yeosang, reader is a late night talk show host, exo and txt appearances, wooyoung has connections everywhere, yeosang always has a plan even when you think he doesn't 📺 taglist: @acciocriativity, @senpai-of-doom, @layzfeelit @jcngh0-hq @ficrecsiguess 📺 a/n: Hello there <3 guess who's next in line to stan? None other than Kang to the Yeo to the Sang!! Hope you enjoy, much love and big hugs, and any asks, reblogs and likes appreciated <3

All the way back, even from the stories of your childhood that your parents would tell you, you always had a thing for asking a lot of questions, without giving up until you got a response.

And you did not stop at "why is the sky blue", oh no, you would go right in and ask whoever you had picked to be your target questions along the lines of "why are good people good at giving love but not receiving it".

It was not because you wanted to annoy anyone, in fact, you never once got mad when someone brushed you off or openly expressed their distaste for what they called "your pointless chatter". Quite the opposite. You enjoyed getting into the nitty gritty of human emotions, really getting a feel for other people's energy.

In return, if you were able to make conversation and really connect with someone, you tried your best to be caring, attentive and selfless. You were the smiley toddler who waved at everyone. You were the kid in school who made sure everyone was included.

Although the more people you spoke to, the more not so positive experiences you got, you were not discouraged from pursuing a career in doing exactly what you loved. Talking, listening and learning all that you could about your interlocutors. You could not imagine your life without other people, and as such, ended up being the person who brought others together, and helped them rise to new heights.

First, it was broadcasting and radio clubs in middle school and high school, as well as earning the reputation of being the go-to host for talent shows. In university you had become the president of the Broadcasting & Journalism society, and had led your alma mater's socials and student-led news show to gaining recognition in national media for their quality, insightfulness, and a fresh, memorable feel.

All throughout your journey, you were driven by people and wanted to learn more about them. So when, while you were hopping between internships, you were scouted by a major media label to become a fulltime journalist and prospectively a show host, it was nothing short of the best thing to happen to you in your life.

Initially, it was a rollercoaster, with you being thrown around from one project to another, working in areas where you had to learn on the go - screenwriting assistant, director's assistant... truth be told you had no idea there could be that many assistants.

What had stuck to you were a couple of variety shows that you had the chance to see behind the scenes, along with a couple more formal interviews. The gears in your head started turning, as you watched the high profile figures, promoting themselves, going through the usual routines, doing aegyo and whatnot.

To you, celebrities were a sort of beautiful enigma, even though it initially seemed that their entire lives were available to the public - how wrong. Behind each persona was someone else entirely, and you adored catching glimpses of said realness.

This was exactly what had motivated you to propose the concept for your late night show "Late Night Dive". Dedicated to deep diving, and really getting to know idols, actors and the like, your show was all about the person. Not excessively curated, just pleasantly minimalist. Raw. Real.

Thanks to your prior experience in being a stand-in announcer for a twenty-four hour news channel (aside from what you had done while in education), you were no stranger to being in front of the camera, and having worked in enough departments to make strong connections, your boss agreed to give you a chance.

And now, here you were, going strong, having become a celebrity that interviewed celebrities.

---

And were watched diligently by others. Others like ATEEZ's Kang Yeosang.

Although he had continuous exposure to performing, speaking singing on stage, and had even become an MC for The Show, he never, not for one second, thought he had the right to rest.

He was always looking for ways to improve and to hone the skills that he considered lacking (even when his fellow members and ATINY would praise him). For Yeosang, there was no such thing as 'stop'.

Aside from upping his game quite literally whilst playing the newly released Aenigmata, and working together with Hongjoong and Mingi to improve his song-writing abilities, he was determined to be the next best MC and spent day after day working on it.

He took monologues and repeated them until he, nor his roommates, could stand it any longer. He went over cue cards to improve his memory and to combat his instinct to hide behind them and read whilst looking down. He listened to shows, paid extra attention to the MCs he worked with and those he interacted with through the group's promotional activities - anything was good in his books.

Yeosang knew how to listen, he felt deeply, he was always there for those closest to him, but he did not want to let his members down when it came to speaking and engaging in fun dialogues live. The desire to find his own style grew stronger, day by day.

It would be foolish to try and be like the others, he had concluded. And the members had told him the same during one late night conversation where Yeosang had brought up his concerns about being a talk show host. So, it was clear:

"I am Yeosang, and I am not like other girls." he had proclaimed, with a dramatic 'hair flip'.

He began to search for inspiration outside of standard variety shows and music award programmes, having grasped their methods well enough to emulate. For some time, Yeosang focused on competitions and survival shows, though it did not exactly bring him comfort, nor confidence. That was when it hit him - late night talk shows. They were entertaining, informative, and had a completely different feel.

And after browsing through popular lists and and making his own (only to cross items off again), pushing through his disappointment when he discovered that far too many of said shows were still obnoxiously loud and better watched at double speed, he had finally discovered one show that was exactly to his tastes: 'Late Night Dive'.

Intentionally toned down studio set, warm lighting that gave off a more 'homely' atmosphere, music used staying within the realms of rhythm and blues or smooth jazz, and you truly being the host. The show and you were a perfect match, so he was not surprised when after a bit of Googling he had found out that the show had been your initiative.

You were welcoming. The episode that had established 'Late Night Dive' as a sought-after promotion for various celebrities, with none other than EXO, had shown your deep understanding of their journey, their challenges, and nothing but utmost respect. You had a unique way of easing guests into the questions, and stepping away as soon as there was even a hint of tension.

It was as though you could see right into their soul, and was gently bringing the best parts to share, whilst encouraging the owner that yes, they were safe, and what they had to share was valid, and beyond beautiful.

Yeosang had no idea how to describe the feeling he got while watching some more episodes of your show. The way you guided the conversation and posed questions in such a manner that meant an individual had options (instead of being cornered into making a fool of themselves, for instance), had left him in utter disbelief.

He was used to surprises - the veering off-script for a gag, or for emphasising an error committed for comedic effect. This was entirely absent. In fact, during a particularly sensitive episode where an actress had divulged some details about her struggles while filming a new drama (information that had never surfaced before), you had explicitly asked for consent to air, and in a borderline therapeutic voice had commended the actress for what she had been doing.

You were a bringer of tranquility. You were there not for a superficial chat and waves goodbye, it seemed that every episode was a glimpse into a tale of life-long friendship. And this stunned Yeosang. You knew exactly what to say, even though he had not spotted any cards, nor any sign of reading from a screen at any point. Your heart was working for you, he was sure of it.

This was the style he wanted to learn.

To keep it on the low, he started his quest by allocating half an hour, every night, to what he called 'LND Time'. This involved him creeping away from the rest of the members, plugging his headphones in, and, notepad and pen in hand, noting down particularly well-phrased questions or statements that you had made.

Yeosang had also begun to enjoy writing down observations for what gestures that you did were effective in emphasising a point, which ones were done for reassurance, which ones were plain cute-

He was writing fan fiction about you wasn't he? While he was in the midst of processing the fact that he had, over the span of a few of weeks, had nearly filled out an entire pocket notepad with just you facts, and needed his brain to reboot, a voice right behind him made all his systems crash.

"What'cha writin'?"

So much for privacy. He thanked the lucky stars that he had the reflexes to slam the book shut and lie down on it before Wooyoung could see anything. Though he knew his friend would not let go of any suspicious behaviour that easily.

Especially not when your show continued playing on his phone, that was lying upright, and of course there had to be a close up of your gorgeous face, then and there for Wooyoung to see.

"OOOOH HOLD ON A SECOND!? Forget THAT question what are you WATCHING? CAN I JOIN?"

"My guy, didn't I tell you and Jongho to leave me alone for half an hour?"

"Now I am more than fascinated by what exactly you do alone in this room for half an hour!? Besides, it's been one and a half hours now, and I kind of live here too~" Wooyoung wiggled his eyebrows as he explained, and while Yeo was busy taking his earphones out and locking his phone for good measure, Wooyoung went in for a full attack.

He tackled Yeosang, and since he managed to use the surprise to his advantage, nearly pushed his friend off the bed with the notebook exposed.

But, in gains we trust.

And so did Yeosang. In a matter of seconds, he had Wooyoung flailing his arms and legs as he had been swung over his shoulder like a toga, and turned to 'kindly' teach his friend a new way of using the door.

The commotion had gained the attention of Jongho, who had been passing the time by belting 90's hit songs at the top of his voice in the living room - much to the delight of those he had been keeping as (hostages) an audience.

Claiming that his roommates had finally decided to hold an idol boxing match and that he had promised to referee, he placed his hands behind his back and ambled towards a now slightly open door, through which he could see Wooyoung pushing against the frame with his dear life.

"You are doing MMA in here wait let me grab the guys-"

"NONONONONO JONGHO SAVE ME!"

"And what will I get out of it?"

"....I'll clean the room?" Wooyoung offered, still suspended in midair, but, having wriggled a little way forward was on the verge of toppling onto the floor.

"Woo you'll do it anyway." Jongho replied, smiling just a tid-bit sadistically and crossing his arms.

He stepped into the room and shut the door with his foot, scrutinising the aftermath of the impromptu match. Nothing was on fire, nor was any furniture broken - so he was still going to have to share with two roommates.

In an act of mercy, Jongho decided that he was too bored to prolong the older member's suffering and motioned to Yeosang for attention.

"Put the guy down. And I don't mean like euthanasia. Even though he barks."

"HEY EXCUSE ME."

"I'll leave that pleasure to myself if you are going to act up."

"Okay brutal but thank you Jongho~" now finally back on his feet, the dazed member was shaking himself off and pressing his hands to his face in a feeble attempt to cool down.

"Now I know the real origin story of your hair. It was Yeo's doing wasn't it?"

"Yeah the blood flow really does something." Wooyoung agree, instinctively running his hands through his locks.

Yeosang had edged away from the two members back to his bed, to take the opportunity to hide the notepad somewhere, anywhere. He only had time to shove it under his pillow, but neither Jongho nor Wooyoung seemed to notice, as the former merely stated:

"Well good, now let's chat, gents."

Did Yeosang want to chat? No.

Did Jongho look done with everyone? Yes.

Did that mean he had to be at least a little bit considerate of his friend? Probably.

But did he want to though? No.

"What is there to chat about though?" he blurted, flopping down on his bed and stretching across its length, resting his head on his palms.

"Uh, well it's the room hogging for me." Jongho retorted, settling right across from him while Wooyoung sat at the foot of Yeo's bed.

"No such thing. I just need space."

"I don't have a problem with that dude, and you know I don't, but if you tell us why, that would be great." the maknae was persistent, and leaned in to click his fingers over Yeo's face a couple of times when he unceremoniously shut them to pretend he was in another galaxy.

"Jongho, he keeps notes." the redhead stage whispered, glancing at Yeosang, who looked like he was ready to exploit Wooyoung's choice of sitting too close to his legs.

"What notes?"

"Ones that he would kill me for."

"Kind of a cheap exchange, but makes sense."

"Boo that's rude-"

"The notes, Yeo? Songwriting?"

"Sure." finally seeing some sort of opportunity to steer clear of explaining himself, he took Jongho's question as a suggestion for a fib to tell.

"Smells like bullshit to me, my boy." but he forgot they knew him a little too well.

"Agreed, plus I saw a certain lady on a screen~"

There was no way of getting around this, but Yeosang was a man who did not give up that easily, so he resisted:

"No, seriously, it was a song! And that, well haha, uhm, a tutorial? Yeah."

"Sing the song then!" Wooyoung implored, patting his friend on his knee in encouragement.

"No melody?"

"What is it about?" Jongho joined back in.

"Uhh............ fried chicken." Yeosang was impressed by his own mastery. Truly, a one of a kind lie. Stellar. Award winning. At least the two looked a lot more accepting of his secretive warfare than before.

So he ended up being strong enough to make Jongho impatient and leave the room. The same could not be said for Wooyoung, who was now attempting to smother him by hugging out his soul.

"YEOSANG DON'T CONCEAL DO FEEL AND DO LET THEM KNOW! Well more specifically let me know because I can see you are super passionate about something and I really want to feel that passion with you because hey this is what brotherly bonding is about and I want to rejoice in the positivity and you have no idea how proud I am of you and so I really wanted to spend some time together just the two of us and really just wanted to say that you have grown so much and did you know that you have absolutely been slaying the episodes for your MCing gig-"

"Wait really?" Yeosang shot up, abruptly cutting off Wooyoung's stream of words.

After Wooyoung reloaded himself for a second, he half asked, half confirmed with an: "uh, yeah?"

"Like how, in what way? What aspects?

"Weren't we talking about-"

"We passed that checkpoint, keep moving. In what way did I improve?"

Wooyoung's total confusion nearly made Yeosang chortle as he slid down to sit by him, but he was too eager to hear what his friend had to say.

"Well... there was this... thing you did. I think it was even off script? But you did it so naturally it was almost like dorm-Yeo rather than 'I am now on stage and I must be strict with myself'-Yeo. You just picked up on something one of the other MC's said and your words just flowed. You just flowed. And even how you were standing was slightly different. Dare I say, you looked a lot more comfortable in front of the camera!"

"Okay I will tell you what I was watching."

"What was so special about that compliment?"

"For the few weeks I've been hogging this room I've been training. And I have found the perfect teacher."

Wooyoung asked him to backtrack and explain in more detail, which he did, step by step. He recounted the search he had gone on, his motivations, and finally, how he had found you. With newfound confidence he took out his phone and showed Wooyoung a couple of his favourite clips, all while running a background commentary of why you might just be the best talk show host and interviewer of all time. If there was ever a moment for Wooyoung to melt, it would be now. Yeosang's enthusiasm and appreciation of your work was not only infectious (and completely well-founded), but also came right from the heart.

It was clearer than a blue sky that you had become Yeosang's hope in the MC world. He had not exposed himself fully, but Wooyoung could guess that his friend probably had done a deep dive on you already, and continued watching your shows exclusively not just because you were 'a good teacher'.

This man, was a fan. Likely a little bit (a lot) more than just that. So what did such an amazing friend like Wooyoung have to do, despite being manhandled barely twenty minutes ago?

Network. Find connections. And bring you two together.

"Yeo, how would it make you feel if you got to meet Y/N? Like, face to face?"

"I would probably forget my own mother tongue, but aside from that - I would just be grateful. I could pass her a note about how much she..."

"Means to you-"

"HELPED me, Woo."

"Yeah, whatever. But now I have a goal!" he rose up, fist raised as if he was about to start a revolution.

"Wait wait wait what are you trying here?"

"TO SET UP YOUR FUTURE, DUH! Now excuse me, I have some phone calls to make.

So, Yeosang's spur of the moment plan had worked seamlessly. He patted himself on the back as he watched an over-excited Wooyoung strut out of his room, already messaging someone and simultaneously calling an already-waiting Jongho over.

It was quite easy to get Wooyoong to be a perfect middle man if one were to act the at the right levels of mysteriousness. Since he knew he had been cornered, Yeosang decided to change strategies and get something out of his fellow members, who would undoubtedly get excited about any mention of him treating someone outside of the group with such care and attention (especially if he did not know them personally).

He played the part of 'I am shy and not revealing my secrets', then transforming that demeanour into 'you are the closest person to me so I am telling the truth and baring my heart to you'. And BAM, he could now hear Wooyoung shushing the other members as he was calling Yeonjun from TXT.

Yeosang was impressed, however, when it took his friend only three days to go through his connections, and through his connections' connections and find the ones that led directly to you. And to a meeting with you, to which you somehow agreed, though under an odd condition.

That someday, you could interview him.

"As MC to MC. As two people with a similar style and passion."

You were one two keep your finger on the pulse of media at all times. And when you heard what you knew to be a quote from an older episode of LND, said in a similar manner to yours, you simply had to speak to the MC who had done it. After all, you had a thing for asking a lot of questions.

226 notes · View notes

ghastlybin · 1 year

Note

HI HI HI PLEASE IF YOU STILL WRITE FOR ATZ I NEED A YEOSANG FALLEN ANGEL AU WHERE HE’S THE READERS GUARDIAN DEMON OR WHATEVER THE OPPOSITE OF THE GUARDIAN ANGEL IS AND HE ENDS UP FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE READER ~ overexcited atiny anon 🙈

I love how everything was all caps except “overexcited atiny anon” LMAO as always, thank you so much for the request :,) I love Yeosang sm and this also took a long time to WRITE SO thank you for being patient and sooooo sorry for being hella late on this ily <33333

Pairing: Fallen angel/“Guardian” Demon! Yeosang x (GN) Reader

Feat: Guardian angel! Wooyoung, (domestic) demon! San, Reaper! Seonghwa, Souls Keeper! Hongjoong, (domestic) Angel! Jongho, bestie! yunho, & other bestie! Mingi

Word count: 13,028 (estimated)

Genre/contents: Demon/Angel! AU, Angst, maybe *some* fluff but don’t quote me, past criminal! Reader AU also lol

!!!!TW: Lotta blasphemy, Lotta cuss words/ mature language, blood, anxiety/fear, nightmare, guns, knives, weapons, near death, hospital mentions, revenge, familial/loved one loss mention, *kinda* gang mention?, past criminal history, youredefgoingtohelllmao, murder, unresolved trauma, kidnapping, poorly written fight scenes, death mention but it’s only brief, angsty overall lmao

Note: Not much to say other than I have no creativity with original names so the main antagonist is just “your enemy” etc. lmao. Also I love Yeosang so THANK YOU for requesting him but also please never fcking tell him about this long ass fic lmao before I get on with the fic, also know that I *tried* with the whole romantic sub-plot, fluffy cute shit but if you know me you know I suck at those 🥹🤟 I also do not know how to end a fcking sentence or stORY and I have thoroughly pissed myself for making this long bc editing is hell, it is 3 AM as of rn its fine if this flops I will cry (jk jk) If you read this, I love you. if you don’t, I still love you. also beware it’s a bit dialogue heavy. Goodnight.

btw Yeosang in this fic is halazia era Yeosang but this was the only gif I found that he wasn’t smiling in which definitely isn’t matching the theme I had in mind lmfao

There was the belief that everyone had their own guardian angel watching over them. Some people believed in it fully, others merely acknowledged it, and the rest dismissed the idea.

Those who believed it often had guidance and lived fulfilling lives.

Those who merely acknowledged it went on to lead normal lives, whether they were fulfilled or lived terrible lives, it was considered normal.

Those who dismissed it led arguably worse lives than the normal route.

But no one talked about the demons.

The ones who raise anxiety within you when something around you was wrong. The ones who send waves of depression that in turn, make you cancel the plans that would turn out disastrous due to some form of danger.

They were the ones that took the guidance you were given and manipulate it somehow to keep you alive, even if a bit reckless at times.

No one ever acknowledged that maybe demons could be helpful.

Demons were aggressive, but they sure did get the job done.

Yeosang never wanted to be a demon. He trained and abided by the rules, well on his way to becoming a guardian angel for whichever soul he was assigned to.

He was the top-ranked angel, even.

All it took was one mistake.

“Yeosang. You’re up.”

Yeosang always did as he was told. He passed every test, treated everyone with respect, he did everything. He thought it was bullshit that one mistake suddenly demoted him to a demon.

Bullshit.

He could think that now. He wasn’t an angel anymore, though he still acted like one. He wouldn’t be someone’s guardian angel either. Not anymore.

“This is bullshit,” Yeosang spoke out loud this time as the head demon showed an ounce of surprise at Yeosang’s language.

“Ha! That was fast. Looks like I just lost a bet.”

Yeosang frowned. He still couldn’t believe his surroundings. Everything smelled like blood and gore and that was how it smelled before he was even let into the title fair.

“Seriously though, you’re holding up the line, fallen angel. Go to table eight.”

Yeosang forced himself to walk forward and into the gross, humid area where every demon was assigned a title, or in angel terms, your soul's commitment.

The real difference, other than being surrounded by demons who had immortal sins attached to them, was the fact that demons weren’t called upon individually onto a gorgeous stage in front of thousands of other demons, proud to be promoted as a God or Goddess, Soul Keeper, Guardian Angel.

No. Down here, it was Demons, Reapers…

“Kang Yeosang?”

“Yes.”

“You’re listed as a Guardian Demon.”

Yeosang began to laugh, causing the man at the table to give him a strange look.

“That’s not a real soul's commitment!”

“What the hell is a soul's commitment?” The man heavily sighed, leaning back in his chair. Yeosang still grabbed the name tag with his name and title on it, but still found it laughable.

“Wait! You already have a human soul bound to you.” The man called out before Yeosang had gotten a considerable distance away.

“What? Like a soulmate?”

“Is there a problem?” A guard came up to them. The man at table eight was now standing as well.

“Nope. I have this under control.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes, “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m a damn angel!”

“Alright, wait in the back of the line again and come back when you have an attitude fix” the guard roughly put a hand on Yeosang’s shoulder. Yeosang didn’t budge but he did flinch.

“Hey, that’s not necessary! I will handle him.” The man at table eight walked around the table and tried to get in between the two as much as he could. “He’s just in denial. They usually are.”

The guard scoffed, “I don’t have time for this. Next time he causes trouble, I’m sending him to the boss. You too, San.”

“You too, San,” Yeosang mumbled under his breath mockingly as the guard walked away. San slapped Yeosang’s arm, shaking his head.

“I don’t usually do that for anyone. You better be grateful.” San went back behind his table and gave Yeosang a small, rusted box that was way heavier than it looked.

“Doesn’t seem like it, but that contains any and everything you need to know about your human.” San sighed, “every memory, every fear, every-“

“Every happy moment?”

San shook his head, letting it slide that Yeosang had interrupted him.

“No. That’s in the angel department.”

Yeosang had already exhausted his explanation, I am an angel. He wasn’t about to reaffirm that to a demon.

“If I have any questions, is this where I find you?”

San scratched the back of his neck, followed by another head shake. “I’m just a volunteer today.”

“Volunteer?”

“Anyone who sins has to volunteer or they are sent off to any punishment of the boss’ choosing.” San sat back down in his seat, “I hear no punished demon has ever come back the same.”

Yeosang shifted the box to his other arm to be sure it wouldn’t fall. All while maintaining a curious gaze toward San, “So it can get worse here. What did you do?”

“I set one fire that just so happened to turn into one giant one- Which is not my fault! I’m not the one that stored kerosene in a shed built with rotted wood… Amateurs.” San looked around the place, waiting for another demon to come up to his table.

“It was so fucking cool though.”

Yeosang furrowed his eyebrows, “Sure. Where do I go?”

“Don’t know. Not my department. Just find a cozy spot and open the box, I guess. Get to know your human that may or may not end up here in less than a century.”

Yeosang walked off, having exhausted any questions he currently had. That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t have any later.

Y/N.

Yeosang read your name and looked into every detail of your life that he had access to. All the while he had found a spot in the corner between a wall and a trashcan that somehow had a slightly less atrocious smell than the entire realm.

He knew your fears, worries, guilts, sins, and pretty much anything that an angel wouldn’t have access to if they were promoted guardian angels.

The rusted box became less heavy as he absorbed more information regarding you.

Yeosang was actually fascinated by you and all he knew were considered the ‘ugly’ parts of you.

And somehow he did not find anything ugly at all.

His entire career as an angel, he was taught what makes a person a good person.

The more that he had learned about you only left an itching in his brain that wouldn’t go away.

How does any of this make a person bad?

Why was this information only demons had access to?

Yeosang closed the empty box after every bit of information had been collected and ingrained in his mind. He had no use for the box but figured he should hold onto it anyway.

He let out a disappointed sigh and looked up at the red sky above him.

Maybe I don’t need your forgiveness.

The past month swirled in his mind. Memories of his rise and fall as an angel created a bittersweet feeling in his chest that even he wouldn’t be able to describe.

I know I didn’t deserve to be easily replaced.

But those thoughts were just thoughts and Yeosang knew they wouldn’t change anything.

The land of the living.

Where everyone had to pay just to live. Everyone had to work and to no avail. Most lived from paycheck to paycheck that just ended up in the hands of the rich again and then it was back to work with no time at all for themselves.

Hell, even semi-immortal, you had to work every day. But not like this.

Yeosang had never been on earth before today. Only caught glimpses during training, but this is earth?

This had to be hell.

Yeosang looked for you. He knew your location. He knew your face, name, age, and even your height.

But he did not know your exact location. Just the town and building where your workplace was.

“Oh, what the hell.” Yeosang mumbled, his shoulders drooping upon seeing just how many people were in the building. Finding you would prove to be difficult.

On his first day on the job and he was already tempted to break the rule of never showing a human your face.

That was a common Angel rule. Demons, well, they had no rules, technically. As long as you aren’t setting fires and causing mass casualties, that is.

Yeosang was an Angel. He was a perfect angel. At least he used to be.

“Yeosang?”

Until Wooyoung got into trouble.

“Speak of the devil and he appears,” Yeosang muttered, pivoting to face his friend.

“Devil? Pssh, you mean certified Guardian Angel?” Wooyoung grinned. Yeosang saw the halo and the very faint wings that only Wooyoung had.

Yeosang felt his heart sink. Jealousy, anger, grief, and even pride, all jumbled in the same pot that contained his emotions.

“Oh.”

Yeosang didn’t mean to hint at his disappointment. After all, it wasn’t toward Wooyoung. It’s not like Wooyoung forced Yeosang to save him from being denounced and outcasted.

Wooyoung didn’t send Yeosang to eternal hellfire, unforgiven, and all of his hard work amounted to nothing.

What was originally Wooyoung’s mistake, turned into Yeosang’s. Yeosang, who would- and did save his friend from the wrath of the gods and goddesses.

“I never got to tell you how sorry I am.” Wooyoung had immediately changed in demeanor, his grin was now a slight, sorrowful frown. “You deserve this halo more than I do.”

“Don’t. There’s no use in being sorry… Being a demon isn’t so bad.” Yeosang forced a smile, even though he was lying. Wooyoung knew he was lying.

“I know it’s killing you inside.”

“You were assigned to a human in here too, right?” Yeosang dodged the subject further. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about it.

He did, but how to approach it? What to say? Would it make a difference?

“Yes. They are named Y/N.”

Yeosang froze, looking at Wooyoung in disbelief.

“My human's name is Y/N.”

Now Wooyoung was in disbelief. No one had told them that a single human would be assigned two vastly different guardians.

Amidst the crowd of people, their gaze had gravitated toward you, watching as you appeared to be quickly walking out of the building.

While Wooyoung saw your actions as you just trying to get home after a long day, Yeosang sensed the danger.

He had an immediate tunnel vision developed for you as well as the strange yet dangerous person who had been following you.

“Do me a favor and let me handle Y/N by myself.”

Then Yeosang left the building and followed the person that was following you.

You knew what you were doing when you pissed off the wrong person. Them being the wrong person only dared you to piss them off more.

All you did was minor. Setting a car on fire, cutting the brakes to their secondary vehicle, and causing a minor injury to this person that was after you, all were minor actions compared to what they did to you.

You knew they were following you, trying to get you alone. They’ve been attempting to ever since their discharge from the hospital.

They were powerful but you were smart.

You rounded a corner and immediately hid. The only problem was, this person wasn’t following you anymore. And judging by the tone they carried in their voice, it seemed someone had stopped them.

“What do you want? Get out of my way.”

You took this time to leave the area completely, now that they were distracted.

Yeosang felt you had left by the feeling of you pulling apart from him. He knew he couldn’t go a certain distance from you, that was just an unspoken rule.

However, he was not prepared for how excruciating it felt.

Yeosang fell to the ground in the most unbearable pain he had ever felt while the person, whom he had revealed to be a wanted serial killer and gang leader, had walked passed Yeosang and in your pursuit.

Yeosang reached his hand up to grab this man’s leg in an attempt to stop him but was instead met with even more excruciating pain from the memories absorbed.

He saw you and this dangerous man’s connection to each other. The man that caused you so much pain.

He murdered almost everyone you loved over a disagreement you had.

You were once a part of a team with that man. A partner in crime, only, you’ve both hated each other from the get-go.

Yeosang felt your emotions, your anger, your grief, but most of all, he felt your unwavering need for revenge.

Yeosang had regained his bearings, the pain eventually subsiding as he was met with the familiar scent of blood, rotting meat, and something he couldn’t attach an existing smell to.

“You’re welcome.”

San.

He must have spotted Yeosang and decided to check on him. Or maybe San brought him back from the land of the living.

“What?” Yeosang hadn’t meant that as a question but more as a statement. San smiled widely, picking Yeosang up off the ground.

“You’re welcome for saving you from having your soul ripped out.” San further explained. Yeosang was still very much confused.

“That’s what happened?”

“Yep. Go too far from your soulmate and not only do you possibly die, but they will eventually die an early death too.” San put his hand on Yeosang’s shoulder and led him towards a seating area as they trudged through a patch of mud and fresh blood.

“They aren’t my soulmate, that’s-“ Yeosang stopped himself and took a deep breath before continuing.

“What about their guardian angel?” Yeosang asked. He wondered if Wooyoung felt the same pain. Thinking about it made Yeosang feel guilty for telling him to stay away from you.

“Guardian Angel? Only humans who are on the borderline of redemption and damnation have a Demon and an Angel.” San sat down on a crate made out of human bones and motioned for Yeosang to sit on a similar crate as well.

“San,” Yeosang groaned, putting his head in his hands upon sitting down. “What does that even mean?”

San sighed in response, but further elaborated, “Y/N, a criminal, has one more screw-up with the law before they are either sent to your old Angel realm or to your current Demon realm where you will both be together, forever.”

San looked around the barren wasteland of fresh and old blood, mud, human bones, and even the occasional demon remains.

“It’s up to you and the Angel. If you succeed, you’ll have a better chance of getting them into redemption. If the Angel succeeds, well, Y/N is coming down here in our humble abode.” San pulled out a canteen full of whatever drink only San knew.

“Crazy how that works. Huh?”

You locked every available lock to your hotel room and even covered the bottom of the door with an extra sheet to avoid anyone from trying to pick the lock.

Nothing scared you, yet you were on edge. You weren’t ready to die, not without revenge.

But you weren’t afraid of dying either.

You received a call, forgetting to turn off your phone, only to see it was just Yunho.

“You can’t just call! What if someone tracks you?!” You spared any form of greeting and went straight into scolding him.

Yunho was silent for a few seconds after you ended your sentence.

“Well, hello to you too. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that they are moving into phase two.”

“What the hell is phase two?”

“Killing you. Y/N. They are planning to kill you.”

Yeosang listened from the corner of the room, invisible to you at the moment, but if you were to take a picture of him, he’d appear.

There were other ways he could make himself visible, even. But he chose to let it play out, observing until something was about to happen.

“Let them try.”

“Y/N, You need to leave town. As your current only friend, I beg you.”

“Goodbye, Yunho. Use a burner next time.”

You hung up before he could protest. You had a plan and you weren’t about to stop it in its tracks before it could start. Not even for Yunho, as much as you hated to worry him.

Yeosang sensed danger again. Only this time, it was impending. A danger that would come in a few hours. When you had gotten ready to sleep, Yeosang dreaded having to use his demonic abilities.

It was the only way, though. He wasn’t an angel anymore, sure, but he didn’t like being a demon.

“I am so sorry.” He mumbled. He touched your head with his fingertips and conjured the worst nightmare he could send as a warning about the impending danger.

Yeosang stood back, grimacing as you began to tremble and squirm, your breathing was out of your control and you had even begun to mumble fast.

“I am so sorry,” Yeosang repeated, looking away from you to avoid the guilt he felt. “But you should’ve listened to Yunho.”

Your heart thudded against your chest, your vision blurry as bile rose in your throat. You were running and whatever- Whomever- was chasing you would be an arm's length from catching you.

You were terrified. The earth beneath you felt like jello that would trip you at any given moment. You tried running faster, jumping, and even flying just to get away.

But to no avail, you were not fast enough.

You screamed as loud as you could, your voice catching in your throat as you slapped a hand against your chest.

You were in the hotel room. The sun had begun to rise, shining through the curtains. You actually slept the entire night for once.

Yeosang couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with you, despite you not being able to see him.

You had a nightmare, the first since, well… Since you lost almost all of the people you loved.

You knew it was because of your criminal past. You weren’t sure it was even in the past just yet, but the point is, you knew the dangers.

It was just your subconscious telling you to stay away, trying to instill a fear that would burrow itself inside of you until it’s deeply rooted in your mind to stop trying to get justice for your lost loved ones.

“I just have to push through it.” You whispered to yourself. After all, it was only a nightmare.

If you had a vision instead, well, you still would’ve had your mind set on revenge. Nothing was changing that.

Yeosang stared at you, dumbfounded. All of that work and his plan failed. His first time using his demonic capabilities and it was futile. Yeosang, already fed up, slapped his palm against his forehead.

“Oh my fucking god.” He really couldn’t bring himself to look at you. Yeosang stood up and closed his eyes, phasing back into the demon's realm.

“So, I read more about Y/N.” San poured Yeosang a drink, which he downed in one gulp a second later. “They set a vehicle on fire? Yeosang! Why did you gate keep that information?!”

“Gate keep? It’s in the public records.”

San rolled his eyes, hesitantly pouring Yeosang another drink, only for Yeosang to down that in one gulp as well.

“At least take a second to taste it. I brewed it using the herbs in purgatory.” San frowned.

“You can harvest herbs from Earth?”

“You’re funny.” San scoffed, “you’ve never met a reaper, have you?”

“Only the Souls Keeper. Hongjoong.” Yeosang allowed San to pour him some more of whatever he had brewed.

“Reapers are different from Souls Keepers.”

Yeosang groaned. The more he learned, the more he wished this information was just an unspoken fact. He wished there was a way to automatically know everything, whether it was shot up his veins or absorbed in his brain.

“Seonghwa is the lead Reaper. You can go into purgatory and meet him. It’s also your only link with other Angels if they agree to meet you… Maybe you and Wooyoung can meet and get on the same page or something.” San handed Yeosang a key that was larger than his hand.

“That’s my spare key. Do not lose it. It unlocks the gates to the purgatory realm and you won’t be able to leave without it.”

Yeosang looked over the key, turning it over in his hands, and felt the weight of it.

“Seonghwa has the only direct line to the Angels, so you’ll have to talk to him anyway. He’s usually cooperative with most of us demons. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yeosang stood up from the chair San had in his living space. It wasn’t much, but San didn’t seem to mind and it wasn’t Yeosang’s place to degrade a house that wasn’t his.

“Thank you, San.” Yeosang held the heavy key in his hands, flashing a quick smile at the younger demon. San smiled back, only wider and longer lasting than Yeosang’s.

It didn’t take long for Yeosang to find the gates leading to purgatory. Especially with the key he had. He wondered if it would have appeared without the key.

Yeosang lifted the key and fit it perfectly into the keyhole before turning it. The black gates had creaked open, the sound echoing throughout both realms.

Once the gates had opened, Yeosang retrieved the key to honor San’s wishes. Yeosang was pleasantly surprised by the change in scent. It wasn’t much of a change, but it sure was better than the amalgamation of many horrid stenches.

“Seonghwa?” Yeosang called out. He had never stepped into the purgatory realm before. Yeosang was then startled by a tapping on his shoulder, immediately turning to face whomever it was.

“You called?” Seonghwa, presumably, raised an eyebrow, dropping the arm he used to tap Yeosang’s shoulder, to his side.

“Yes… I’m Yeosang, I was-“

“I know who you are. You’re the Fallen Angel. The first Guardian Demon.” Seonghwa nodded in the direction he had begun to walk. Yeosang followed, surprised at how much Seonghwa knew about him.

Word must travel fast.

Seonghwa took a deep breath, inhaling the mist that blanketed the realm.

“I admire what you did for Wooyoung.”

“You know what happened?” Yeosang furrowed his eyebrows. He felt a sense of dread, hoping the truth wouldn’t come out and then Wooyoung would be stripped of his Guardian Angel title.

His soul's commitment.

“You’d think your gods and goddesses would know all. But I won’t tell anyone. I know everyone’s story. And if you don’t believe me, ask Hongjoong. He knows the truth too.” Seonghwa gave Yeosang a quick pat on his back. “Hongjoong and I, are not bound by rules or contracts or commitments. We will not tell a soul.”

Yeosang scratched the back of his neck as he followed Seonghwa. “It’s good that you know Wooyoung because I have to talk to him.”

“Can’t.” Seonghwa’s reply was so quick that Yeosang wasn’t sure he heard him right.

“What?”

“Wooyoung is busy with his human. I can’t contact him directly right now.”

“Damnit!”

Seonghwa laughed, “Just go to Earth. What’s the worst he can do? Kill Y/N?”

“Yes!” Yeosang ran back towards the gate, lifting the heavy key again and repeating the process of entering, by exiting.

Yeosang felt you near.

He also felt Wooyoung near. And as soon as he found Wooyoung, Yeosang pushed Wooyoung against a wall, angrily pinning him to it.

“What the hell?! I told you to let me handle them!”

“I can’t just stay away! They are my human too!” Wooyoung stared at his friend, wide-eyed. Yeosang loosened his grip and let him go, not wanting to hurt him.

“You know if you help them, they will be commissioned as a demon.” Yeosang glanced over at you as you continued walking, unbeknownst of their short-lived conflict.

“I know. But there has to be another way without you traumatizing them.” Wooyoung crossed his arms. Yeosang shot a glare at him, following you as he started to feel a tinge of pain the further you walked away.

“It was one goddamn nightmare… And it didn’t work. They are dead set on getting revenge.”

“I can change that!” Wooyoung jogged after You and Yeosang and met his friend's pace.

“You need to go back to the Angel realm and let me handle Y/N.”

“Are you upset with me? I said I’m sorry.”

“Sorry won’t make the gods and goddesses forgive me! It was humiliating, Wooyoung! You shouldn’t have been getting into shit you knew you weren’t supposed to!” Yeosang halted his steps and faced Wooyoung. Every ounce of hurt was evident on Yeosang’s face.

“Yeo-“

“You saw how fast they replaced me! They didn’t give me a second chance! If you make another mistake, I won’t be there to save you!”

“Then why did you?! Why did you lie and say you did it?”

Yeosang was on the verge of letting every tear he held back puddle to his feet. Wooyoung manipulated the future Guardian Angel database. Hacked into it, as humans would call it.

“Because…”

Wooyoung wanted to be sure that his friend had been granted the Lead Guardian Angel souls commitment. But he was caught by Yeosang, who took the fall for it as Angel guards were immediately alerted.

Yeosang yelped, the pain he had ignored had grown significantly larger the further you had walked away. Wooyoung was unaffected.

“Yeosang? Are you okay? What’s going on?” Bombarded by questions, Yeosang had attempted to crawl toward your direction in an attempt to lessen the pain.

He felt a chill run down his spine, sensing danger coming your way.

“Y/N!” Yeosang yelled just before his vision had darkened as the excruciating pain had become too unbearable.

Your mortal enemy was powerful. That was a fact. You were smart. That was also a fact.

You were alert, but he was strong.

You were guarded, but he outnumbered you.

You were even stubborn, but in your mind, you had to be. Otherwise, bad things would continue to happen to good people.

And maybe you weren’t a good person before, but god, you were trying.

One more sin and you swore you would leave it all behind.

It almost cost you, though.

The copper taste filled your mouth as you were splayed on the ground, bleeding and twitching from the pain of being battered by a blunt object repeatedly.

Any ounce of you that fought back before had since depleted, a groan leaving your lips after each hit.

Only for a second did you see the silhouette of a man watching you from afar as you lay there on the pavement, running on your last bit of fumes.

The silhouette walked closer to you and the pain you felt had soothed away somehow. That, or you were completely numb.

“Close your eyes.”

Yeosang shot upright in an unfamiliar- and uncomfortable bed, trying to calm his panicked breaths. He felt you nearby, yet so far away.

He felt the pain you experienced as if it were his own and there was nothing he could’ve done to stop it during the time he was unconscious.

He even saw Seonghwa. His face was the clearest thing you and Yeosang saw while you were struggling to get back up.

You weren’t dead. Yeosang wouldn’t be able to feel the connection if you were. Then again, Yeosang has never experienced being someone’s Guardian.

Nor was he taught what it felt like if they ever died.

He could see you. Your location was vivid in his mind. The beeping of the monitors that kept track of your vitals. The sterile scent, the bright fluorescent lights, the hospital bed, the IV in your arm, how it felt, even. Yeosang saw, smelled, heard, and felt it all.

And then he appeared in that same room as you. He tried to will you into waking up. He shook you, tapped you, and even tried calling your name.

You weren’t waking up.

You weren’t dead either.

Some would say you were stuck in limbo. Purgatory wasn’t limbo. The mist obstructed your vision and nothing hurt anymore. You knew you were hurt, physically and emotionally, but you couldn’t feel it.

You saw the silhouetted man again, only this time he wasn’t a silhouette. Striding toward you, it seemed as if the mist had parted ways to let him through.

“Am I dead?”

“Why does everyone ask that?” Seonghwa couldn’t help but laugh. You failed to see the humor in it though.

“I feel…” you pondered what you felt inside if it wasn’t any more hurt.

“Free? Dead? Scared?”

“Happy.” You spoke. “I feel happy.”

Seonghwa gave you a soft nod and an empathetic smile. “I see. You have lived a tough life.”

“I will wake up soon. Won’t I?” Your heart sank a little at the thought of having to go back. You knew it would entail more continuous pain and disappointment of having failed your mission of getting revenge.

“Yes. It’s not your time. Not yet. You are just here temporarily.” Seonghwa walked closer to you and put his hand on your shoulder. “Sorry to say, but you have to return now.”

Your eyes shot open, immediately recognizing the room you were in. All at once, the pain you’ve felt for years and the pain you’ve gained from being beaten almost to death had collectively returned without a single minute to spare you any preparation.

Tears brimmed your eyes and you couldn’t help but let out a quiet whimper.

“Finally.” A voice you have never heard before startled you, a deep echo traveled through the almost silent room aside from the beeping of the monitors.

You turned your head as much as you could muster and saw him. Black hair, dark eyes, soft skin, a birthmark near his eye, and a faint outline of ash and flame around his body.

“You are difficult, you know that?” He sat in the chair across the room from your bed and he had one foot on the chair, hugging his knee to his chest.

“I’m tired of trying to anonymously guide you. You haven’t listened once, I hate traumatizing people and I can’t keep letting you stress me out like this.”

“Who the hell are you?” You asked, slowly- and painfully, sitting up.

“I’m Yeosang. Your Guardian… Demon.”

“Guardian Demon? That’s not real.” You questioned. Yeosang groaned, “I know, right? Who thinks up these titles?!”

“For a demon, you are handsome.” You rubbed your eyes. You were convinced you were dead for a second, but you remembered the mist-blanketed place you were just in, the man that seemed way too mystical to be real.

You wouldn’t have believed Yeosang was an actual demon if you hadn’t met that mysterious man.

“You actually believe me? Like, you’re not even gonna call bullshit?” Yeosang sat up, straightening his back. You shrugged, “I met another handsome man in this mist-covered area and nothing hurt, so, I might as well believe you too.”

“Ah, you met Seonghwa.” Yeosang stood up and walked towards the window, peeking outside. He sensed danger imminent, again.

“What are you supposed to do? Just guide me?” You asked, “are you like a Guardian Angel?”

“Would’ve been. But yes, in a way. I sense danger, I try to scare you away. The only problem is, you’re fucking difficult to scare and it’s even more difficult to keep you alive.” Yeosang looked at you, crossing his arms.

Ash sprinkled to the ground and disappeared a second later before repeating every time he moved. You weren’t entirely sure he was aware of it. Or how cool it looked to you.

“You’re not very good at keeping people alive.” You glanced at the monitor beeping.

“You’re not very good at minding your own business,” Yeosang remarked. You smiled with a tilt of your head.

“It is my business.”

Yeosang rolled his eyes in defeat. You had a point, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. You were after a guy you had years of beef with.

“Since you’re a demon,” You smirked, pausing to make sure he was listening. When Yeosang raised his eyebrows, his arms still crossed over his chest, you continued.

“Want to help me break out of here?”

Yeosang was still an Angel.

He was kind, despite his witty sarcasm, but you found him to be funny, he was gentle with you and even showed guilt if he thought he had accidentally hurt you, and you’ve noticed how shy he is- For a demon.

He was an Angel in a Demon form. Misunderstood, even. But you didn’t know the full story.

Even if you did, it wouldn’t change your mind. That was one thing you guaranteed.

He took care of you after breaking you out of the hospital, though he still felt conflicted on whether he really should’ve or not.

Point is, Yeosang was gentle with you. He nursed you back to health and was careful not to add to the pain you already felt. You were further unconvinced that he was a demon.

The outline of animated ash and flame did little to nothing to convince you.

You had spent days- Weeks, with him and he never left you. You weren’t aware of what happens when he’s a certain distance from you. He never told you either. He was shy, he made you laugh, he took care of you, watched over you, warned you when he sensed something or someone dangerous, and he tried to help you deal with your pain.

Yeosang, this Yeosang? He was anything but a demon.

He was like your safe place. Your comfort zone.

He was an angel. A misunderstood, fallen angel.

For some reason, fallen angel seemed more incorrect than a demon.

Yeosang knew everything about you too. Your darkest parts, your regrets, fears, everything. And not once did he ever interrupt you to say, “I know.”

He listened.

He learned.

And he accepted you for you.

He wasn’t a demon.

Yeosang had left a note for you while you slept, telling you he would return soon, and that he needed to speak to a friend of his in the demonic realm.

Aside from leaving a note, he left you alone while you slept, avoiding touching you and giving you another nightmare. He still felt lingering guilt from the first nightmare he had given you.

Yeosang trudged through mud mixed with fresh blood and remains, remembering how rancid the scent was down here.

He followed the path until he came upon a familiar, yet dilapidated shack.

San immediately opened the front door as if to expect Yeosang. That same smile he always had was plastered on his face.

Yeosang found himself smiling back.

“Welcome back!” San and Yeosang entered the shack, it was in the same condition it had been in before, but Yeosang didn’t complain.

“How is Y/N?” San poured Yeosang a drink and judging by the smell of it and the way it sizzled, this had been a new and different drink.

“They are okay. Recovering nicely too.” Yeosang accepted the drink and stared at the sizzling liquid.

“Good. You gonna deal with the guy that caused them weeks of recovery or are you still living by angelic means?” San sat beside Yeosang, noticing his stare towards the cup he held in his hands. San chuckled. “I call this masterpiece, blood ocean. It’s not actual blood, though… Ew.”

Yeosang took a sip and immediately tried to suppress the cough he needed so desperately to let out. San laughed in response, “I know. It’s strong. But it’s non-alcoholic if that makes it better.”

“No, not at all.” Yeosang cleared his throat. “By the way, I am not living- But of course, I’m going to deal with this guy. Y/N… They deserve better.”

“Even after all they’ve done before?”

Yeosang nodded without a moment's hesitation, “if you knew them, you’d see the way I do.”

San took a sip from his cup, ingesting it better than Yeosang had. Then he stood up again to take his cup to what would be considered San’s kitchen. Yeosang took another sip, only to decide he couldn’t handle the rest of it, and gave the cup back to San, still full of the strangely edible liquid.

“Blood ocean, is made with a herb from the Angelic Realm, believe it or not.” San came back to sit beside Yeosang. “I asked Seonghwa to retrieve some from Jongho while you were on an Earthly vacation.”

“Jongho… How is he?” Yeosang coughed into his elbow as he asked. San smiled.

“He seems busier since you’ve been demoted… Or promoted… We couldn’t meet up directly but he still passed on some herbs.”

San leaned back in his chair and observed Yeosang. The ash from his outline fell around him, but never on him.

“Do you like having Y/N as your first human?”

“Yes.” Yeosang didn’t hesitate, “I care about them. I like the aura they have. I like that they don’t see me as someone bad just because I’m a demon now. So, yes. I do like having Y/N as my first human.”

“Hm.” San stared at Yeosang for a moment, followed by silence. Yeosang took a deep breath, the aftertaste of blood ocean lingered in his mouth.

“Do you like Y/N?”

“Yes.” Yeosang felt like he was repeating himself. San chuckled, “romantically?”

Yeosang froze. He thought about it before. When you were talking to him about your happiest moments. How he wished he could absorb that feeling too rather than just the bad. He remembered how your eyes lit up as you recalled those memories.

He remembered the way your eyes lit up at a lot of things you spoke about. Your favorite things, mainly, but the memories he, as a demon, couldn’t see or feel.

But he still loved every second.

“Yes,” Yeosang responded after what San felt was an eternity. “I… I do.”

“Never heard of a demon and human relationship before.” San’s smile dropped and Yeosang felt the energy in the room darken even more, considering the realm they were in.

“It’s not forbidden if that’s what you’re wondering. But,” San sighed, leaning forward. “It will hurt when they inevitably die. Even if a human is destined as an angel or demon, it would be years, centuries, lifetimes- your lifetime, before you see them again.”

Yeosang didn’t speak. He just stared at San and tried to grasp the meaning of what San had just said.

“I won’t stop you, but I do ask that you are prepared for the inevitable.”

You, a human, who Yeosang had grown attached to. You who had the power, unknown to you, of breaking a demon’s heart.

If a broken heart was the worst he would get in the end, then he wasn’t afraid. He would go through that kind of pain over and over again if he could if that meant he could see you smile.

Yeosang felt a strange euphoria that had been short-lived when imminent danger clogged his senses.

“Ah, I have to go.” Yeosang rose to his feet and began to head for the door. “Y/N is in danger again.”

San softly laughed, “Already? They usually this stubborn?”

“Oh yeah.”

Like that, the door had closed behind Yeosang and he had raced to the exit that led to the land of the living.

It happened in the morning, shortly after you had read Yeosang’s note. The disappointment and feelings of worry that he might not return, that maybe he just left you for good, had filled your mind.

It happened in the morning while you were distracted by your feelings of abandonment. It wasn’t like he would never return. He was bound to you.

But something awakened inside of you and you felt an attachment to Yeosang.

You were chained to a pipe in a gross, worn down, and seemingly abandoned room. Wherever you were, you knew no one would come looking for you.

Even Yunho, your only current friend, wouldn’t know where to look. And he always knew where to look.

There was one person or being, that you thought of. Yeosang. He was bound to you, after all.

He would know. And for the first time, since you’ve been kidnapped from your home, you screamed a scream that was meant for Yeosang.

“Yeosang!”

You were met by a slap from the very person that caused you pain. He grabbed your face roughly and forced you to meet his eyes.

“Yeosang, huh? Who is that? Someone else I will need to take care of?” He roughly let go of your face and began to pace again. “Someone else I need to release from this world?”

“Screw you! You’ll never succeed.”

You felt comfort, knowing that you were right about that. No one could kill a demon. How would they try?

“I already have.” The guy drew his gun and aimed it toward you. You remained still, unblinking.

The downside if he shot you? You wouldn’t live to see his downfall. The upside? You wouldn’t be in pain anymore.

You smiled, staring down at the barrel of the gun. Not because you wouldn’t feel pain anymore and not to piss off your enemy.

But because Yeosang was there.

And he was pissed.

“How many goddamn times are you going to keep showing up?!” Yeosang’s eyes appeared to have darkened, if at all possible. Your enemy could see him too.

You widened your eyes when the gun went off and Yeosang had been right in the line of fire, but Yeosang just laughed.

“You can’t kill something that’s not alive.”

Your enemy continued to fire and for the first time, you were given the satisfaction of seeing him in fear. Actual trembling fear.

You watched the scene unfold, and how Yeosang, your angel, had become a proper demon at handling the man who caused you so much pain.

“Didn’t think you had it in you.”

You were sat in front of Yeosang, who tended to any wounds you sustained during his visit to San. Your enemy had left in a hurry after getting the lights beat out of him.

“You did say I was bad at keeping people alive.”

“Pssh, I say a lot of things.” You eyed his hands that carefully fixed the bandages that had been slipping off.

“Do you still believe I’m a demon?” Yeosang asked. You watched the ash falling on your skin, only you never felt it.

“Well,” You took in a deep breath. Dust and the scent of mold caused you to scrunch your nose, “I watched you take ten bullets to the chest and you still beat his ass and you seem perfectly fine, so… Yes. I believe you. Always have. Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Yeosang looked at you, yet still held your arm in the middle of rewrapping a bandage around a pre-existing bruise from weeks ago.

“You’re more like an angel.”

Yeosang felt his heart skip a beat. No one referred to him as an angel anymore. No one considered him one anymore either, at least not in a serious way.

Until you did.

“We have to get out of here before he comes back with more people.” Yeosang proceeded to rise to his feet, helping you stand. His touch generated a feeling of anger and fear in you, but he wasn’t aware that his feelings would absorb into you.

Only what he intended was what he was aware of. Still, you somehow didn’t mind.

“Quitting so easily?” You joked. How hard could it be to take down waves of goons with your demon companion?

Yeosang just stared at you, a shake of his head following. “Let’s go.”

You followed him out of the abandoned building, which appeared to be an old church. You laughed at the irony.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be writhing in pain in the presence of the Lord’s home?”

“Oh my, a demon in church? Who’d have thought?” Yeosang kicked down the front door after it failed to open the first time.

“Common myth. But if you want me to, I will.” Yeosang continued to walk ahead with you following. You took in your surroundings, seeing nothing but an empty dirt road for miles.

“Now what? Drag me to hell and teleport me home?” You asked. Part of you was dead serious. You were already in hell, after all.

“If I drag you to hell, you will die.” Yeosang put his hands on his hips and thought for a moment.

He was stronger than you. He was a demon after all. You couldn’t take ten bullets the way he did. They actually passed right through him.

You would have died for sure.

“On my back, let’s go.” Yeosang compromised by opting to carry you to your house. You climbed onto his back, still sore, but at least you didn’t have to walk.

Despite how long the trip actually took, Yeosang’s speed made you question what it looked like to any cars that eventually passed by.

Were you invisible? Did they see Yeosang too?

Can everyone see Yeosang now?

“Wait, take me to my friend's house.” You realized you were more than halfway home and how dangerous it would be to just simply return after being kidnapped.

“Yunho?”

“How do you know his name?” You asked, yet immediately dropped the question, “Yes. He has a gate with a code to his house, let alone the cameras fucking everywhere. No one’s getting in or out easily.”

“Language,” Yeosang mumbled as he changed his route. He realized then that he didn’t have access to Yunho’s location. He wasn’t the human he was bound to.

“Please. You’ve said far blasphemous things.”

“Where does Yunho live?”

You shut your mouth, trying to remember where your friend lived. You weren’t bad with addresses, but you weren’t good with them either.

You just remembered that Yunho had a huge house, was rich, and maybe a little paranoid- which he would argue that he’s just trying to be safe.

And you believed him. He was the only person in your criminal reign that didn’t turn on you as everyone else had.

“Take me to the rich side of town.”

Yeosang began to walk again, only to stop.

“Where the hell is the rich side? North? East? South? West? I’m not a GPS, Y/N.”

You sighed, burying your head into his shoulder. Your memory was fuzzy, and you didn’t have your phone on you to pull up a GPS.

Yeosang walked you over to the nearest payphone. He helped you off of his back and allowed you to into the booth as he waited outside.

You used a coin you found on the ground and dialed Yunho’s number.

“Hello! Can I call you back? I’m in the middle of getting banned in fifty countries!”

“Yunho.”

“Oh, Y/N? Long time no hear… I was kidding about getting banned in fifty countries. Just trying to scare unknowns away.” Yunho awkwardly laughed on the other line.

“I don’t think you’re kidding,” You looked out at Yeosang, who had gotten distracted by a stray cat that actually let him pet it. “Remember when you said I always had a place to stay as long as you were in town?”

“Yeah.”

“May I use that offer today?”

“It’s night.”

“Oh my god! Yunho!”

Yunho’s laugh emitted loudly in the booth, even as you held the phone away from your ear.

“Yes! Yes! You know where to find me.”

“I don’t.”

“Again? It’s in the North. Want me to send Mingi?”

“Holy shit, he’s back? yes! I haven’t seen him in a while!” You grinned, glancing outside to see Yeosang suddenly surrounded by two more stray cats and giggling at their cuteness.

“Too bad. He doesn’t drive.”

“Then why did you-“

“Where are you? I will get you unless you’re wanted for something.”

“What? Like getting banned in fifty countries? I’m,” you looked around for a notable landmark. “Just start driving by phone booths. You’ll find me eventually.”

“Fun. See you in three hours.”

You hung the phone up, opening the door. Yeosang was completely unaware that you were done with your phone call.

“Thought animals feared demons.” You crossed your hands. Yeosang looked at you, a bright look on his face.

“That’s very stereotypical, Y/N. Look how cute they are!”

You smiled at your demon companion actually showing happiness.

“Did Yunho tell you his address?” Yeosang asked, not looking away from the purring animals. You shook your head, still wearing your smile.

“He’s actually on his way.”

“Cool.”

Heart thumped, hitched breathing, and a lot of blood on his hands, Wooyoung ran through Jongho’s garden.

He knew Angel Guards would be on their way. They were always fast when sin was committed within their realm.

“Jong…Jongho!” Wooyoung stammered, his voice catching in his throat. “Jongho!”

Wooyoung frantically searched the garden for the other angel.

“Jongho-“

“What? Oh my… What did you do?” Jongho appeared, immediately wide-eyed upon seeing the crimson mess on Wooyoung’s hands and clothes.

“Accident! It- It was an accident! I just wanted-“

“Calm down, meet me in purgatory.” Jongho glanced behind Wooyoung, hearing the guards nearing.

Wooyoung nodded, ran to the nearest gate to purgatory, and entered the misty, gloomy realm.

Wooyoung wiped the blood on his shirt in an attempt to get it off of his hands. He wasn’t completely lying when he said it was an accident.

He never intended to murder someone, let alone another angel.

Nosey angel.

“Wooyoung, what did you do?” Jongho’s voice startled Wooyoung as he entered the realm soon after.

“Accident-“

“Tell me. Now. You have a lot of angels looking for you, it’s a manhunt up there right now so you have five seconds to tell me the truth.” Jongho was stern when he spoke, his arms crossed over his chest.

Wooyoung nodded, collecting his thoughts.

“Yeosang and I share a human. I only wanted to see how long their life was. I… Manipulated the database and absorbed the information to find out how long Y/N has to live.”

Jongho dropped his arms at his side, “so, back up. When Yeosang was publicly denounced for stealing information about the future guardian angels, was that actually you?”

Wooyoung began to cry, nodding. “Yes.”

“I knew it!” Jongho’s eyes went wide again. “Yeosang covered for you!”

“Jongho, what do I do?”

Jongho looked behind the older angel, seeing Seonghwa standing a few feet behind him. His mysterious aura parted the blanket of mist.

“What can we do?” Jongho asked, directly the question towards Seonghwa, whom Wooyoung was now aware of his presence.

Seonghwa didn’t speak and instead snapped his fingers, summoning Yeosang into the realm. Confused, Yeosang hesitantly made his way to the three.

“Wooyoung… That better be paint.” Yeosang couldn’t avert his eyes from the crimson stains on Wooyoung’s clothing and hands. Even more so concerned seeing Wooyoung had been crying.

“Yeosang-“

“What happened?” Yeosang didn’t wait for a second longer, pressing his palm against Wooyoung's arm and absorbing the negative memories he had.

Wooyoung pulled away, but Yeosang already learned what he needed to know.

At first, Wooyoung, Jongho, and even Seonghwa- for a split second, were expecting Yeosang to blow up at Wooyoung for getting into more trouble.

For stealing more information similar to what had gotten Yeosang cast out. For murdering another Angel who caught Wooyoung in the act. Wooyoung still not learning how to cover his tracks or lock a door.

But Yeosang was staring at Seonghwa, the Reaper, with a hurt and spiteful, volatile glare.

“You told me if I guided Y/N to the Angelic Realm, they wouldn’t die an early grave.”

“That’s true.” Seonghwa maintained his composure. He stared at Yeosang, waiting for him to continue. Jongho and Wooyoung stood silent, unknowing what to do, say, or even how to react.

“Two years is an early grave!” Yeosang yelled, shaking the entire realm. Wooyoung and Jongho flinched simultaneously despite not being the ones getting yelled at. Seonghwa, however, maintained his stance.

“Early grave is a grave less than their allotted lifetime.”

Something about Seonghwa’s calm voice only angered Yeosang further. The fact that you had two years left in your life wasn’t something he could accept so easily.

“What about Hongjoong? Can’t he change their lifetime?”

Seonghwa slightly smirked at the younger demon’s naivety. Still, Seonghwa snapped his fingers again, and Hongjoong- Who Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho had seen around in the angelic realm on occasion.

“What?” Hongjoong walked towards the group, the mist parting for him as well.

“I have a favor to ask,” Yeosang glanced at Wooyoung. Hongjoong shook his head immediately.

“I’m can’t cover for your friend.”

Seonghwa looked at the ground, a laugh leaving his lips. Yeosang balled his fists in frustration.

“He’s asking for his soulmate.”

“He doesn’t have a soulmate.” Hongjoong looked at his wrist, checking the time ticking away on his watch.

“Let me reiterate. He wants his human to have more time in their life.” Seonghwa smiled. Hongjoong stared at Yeosang, an unfortunate expression following.

“That is beyond my capabilities. That is up to Y/N and Y/N only. I’m sorry.”

“Holy shit!” You entered Yunho’s house, immediately seeing Mingi. “You’re alive!”

Mingi grinned, taking his hand out of the bag of chips he held to give you half of a hug.

“I should be saying the same! You went AWOL for weeks!” Mingi seemed genuinely happy to see you, as you were with him.

“You went AWOL for months!” You remarked as Yunho had finished locking every lock on his front door.

“Oh yeah, sorry.”

Mingi held out the bag of chips, offering you some. You refused, though. Mainly because there were only crumbs left and Mingi knew this too.

There was something relieving about seeing your old friend in the flesh again. Alive, too.

As far as you knew, You and Yunho were ex-criminals. You, not so much, but Yunho definitely. Mingi was just the friend that tagged along but never participated.

He knew everything and never told a soul out of respect for you and Yunho. He listened to your and Yunho’s advice to lay low, for months until recently.

Despite not being the main target, he was still a target by association.

You were a team once and forever.

“Mingi! Did you lock the back door after taking out the trash?”

Yunho was cautious. Arguably paranoid and for a good reason. By the look on Mingi’s face, he had forgotten to lock the back door again.

Yunho let out a deep sigh, heading for the door. Mingi crumpled up the bag of chips after pouring the leftover crumbs into his mouth.

“If it makes you feel any better, no one would think to get in at this hour.” Mingi checked the time to be sure of what he said was true.

“You never know, buddy.” You gave him a quick pat on his back before walking by him to meet Yunho at the back door.

You stopped in your tracks, hearing an all too familiar voice. Multiple voices. Yunho was compliant, but if it were you, you wouldn’t have been.

“Where is Y/N?”

“Why is your face bruised?” Yunho asked, immediately followed by a groan.

You heard footsteps, and returned to Mingi, pulling him towards the safe room Yunho had installed.

“I need you to be quiet or so help me, Mingi.” You whispered to your confused friend as you slowly and quietly shut the door before covering it with something to make the door less obvious.

You ran up the stairs, looking for a weapon before the other guys found you. The ones who turned on you despite all you’ve done to save their asses.

Didn’t matter now. What mattered was keeping Yunho alive somehow. The worry and fear you felt, you weren’t sure if it were Yeosang trying to warn you to stop and just hide with Mingi, or if it were your feelings.

The fear you would lose Yunho too. PossiblyMingi too, if he attempted to come out from hiding.

Where do you keep the weapons?

He had to have one. No one has this much security and doesn’t have a weapon for added protection.

You turned a corner in Yunho’s giant home, feeling compelled to enter a room you had never been into. It had a layer of security to it as well and for a split second, you wondered why Yunho never used a burner phone for phone calls.

That was beside the point. You knew the password to this door, somehow, and behind it was an arsenal of weapons you never thought Yunho kept.

How he obtained them? You don’t know.

You grabbed a gun, ammo, and a knife that you could easily conceal, and left the room, heading downstairs.

All this while Wooyoung watched you, cursing himself for only being able to give you positivity. He needed Yeosang for this.

As bullets were fired, Wooyoung panicked and Yeosang appeared in that same room with him.

“I’m sorry. It didn’t work! They won’t stay away!” Wooyoung profusely apologized. Yeosang grabbed a short sword Yunho had and offered a look of reassurance to his angel friend.

“Calm down, and leave it to me.”

Yeosang followed your path throughout the house, seeing you as you shot back. He saw your enemy as well, how he ordered a retreat all while having two others take Yunho with them.

“Yunho!” You screamed, running towards them. Yeosang grabbed your shoulders and instilled as much anxiety and fear into you until you had second thoughts.

“Stop! He’s my friend!” You began to cry a stream of frustrated tears. “He’s my only family left!”

Yeosnag didn’t let go of your shoulders but hated every second of it. The fear, the anxiety, the hurt he was causing you. It was debilitating you but it was for your well-being, as strange as that was.

Yeosang squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to scream from your now shared pain, but he held it in as you collapsed to your knees in a hyperventilating, sobbing heap on the carpet in Yunho’s home.

“I’m so sorry,” Yeosang muttered, knowing those were just words in the end. You weren’t any more calmed hearing those words.

Your only family, found family, was in the hands of your enemy. Someone you knew was dangerous. Someone who almost killed you, twice even.

“Yeosang, you have to save Yunho!” You cried out as Mingi pushed his way out of the concealed safe room door. Mingi watched with a frown, seeing you a mess.

He noticed Yeosang too. The outline of ash and flames around his body continued to fall and crackle in a consistent movement.

Then he noticed Wooyoung, who had come down the stairs. His faint halo and wings had a pattern unique only to Wooyoung.

“We can’t,” Wooyoung spoke up, overhearing everything. You looked at him, tears in your eyes. The halo and wings gave his title away.

And you wondered where he had been all this time. You wiped your eyes, your sorrow being replaced by cold, frustrating anger.

There would come a day when you weren’t constantly living in fear, loathing, vengefulness, or regret. Where your heart wouldn’t be in it anymore to keep fighting the wars waging in your mind and with your enemy.

“Why the hell not? You’ve saved me! Why not Yunho?” You argued.

“Yunho isn’t our human.” Yeosang swallowed back the lump in his throat. His emotions were just as high as yours were.

“Well, he’s my human!” You yelled, forcing yourself to stand up again. You couldn’t believe what they were saying.

You would fight for him, as long as it took. Yeosang knew this. Wooyoung knew this.

Yunho was your family. Mingi was your friend.

And they knew you would never give them up so easily.

“I love you.”

You weren’t sure you heard him correctly. Your mind was just playing tricks on you- The demon? The angel? Was any of it even real?

“Now’s not the time.” You tried to walk past him, only for Yeosang to appear in a swift movement in front of you.

“I know. But I love you. I shouldn’t, but I do and I can’t lose you. So please just-“

“So you understand. I can’t lose Yunho.”

“You can’t save everyone.” Yeosang took a deep breath. You scoffed as tears began to leak out of your eyes once more.

“I haven’t saved anyone.” Your voice cracked, and for probably the first time, Yeosang had wrapped his arms around you tighter than you could imagine.

And despite the negative feelings you absorbed from each other, it was the most comforting hug you’ve received in years.

“You saved me,” Yeosang mumbled low enough for only you to hear. Wooyoung and Mingi glanced at each other, silent and confused.

“You want me to save Yunho, I will have to relinquish you as my human and switch with his guardian.” Yeosang cupped your crying face into his hands, wiping your tears away with his warm thumbs.

“Yeosang, no. You may never see Y/N again if you do.” Wooyoung spoke up, moving closer to where you two stood. Mingi took this as an opportunity to speak now.

“Hi, yeah, what’s going on?” Mingi leaned against the railing of the stairs. His head began to hurt from the confusion.

No one responded.

Yeosang accepted the possibility. He told you how he felt, he got to hold you one last time, and now he’s going to save Yunho.

For you. The mortal he would never be able to spend eternity with.

“I’ll do it.” Yeosang felt numb. Wooyoung shook his head.

“I will,” Wooyoung announced. “You know Y/N more than I do. I will be Yunho’s new Guardian Angel while I still can.”

You felt relief fill your chest, your guardian angel- whom you’d barely met, was going to take over as Yunho’s guardian.

He would lead you both to Yunho.

“Hey! Context?” Mingi threw his arms up. You, Yeosang, and Wooyoung looked at him.

“The context is; Go upstairs and get a weapon.” You ordered. “We’re getting Yunho.”

“That’s not context enough, who are they? What is going on? I don’t know how to fight!” Mingi argued. You pointed upstairs.

“You don’t need to fight. Just defend yourself. Go get a weapon.”

Mingi sighed and reluctantly jogged up the stairs, stopping halfway. “I’m only doing this for Yunho.”

You smiled at him in response.

“He could’ve just… Had this one. I don’t know why I got it.” Yeosang lifted the short sword he had brought down but didn’t use.

“Yeosang.” Wooyoung cleared his throat, motioning towards the front door. “A word?”

Yeosang walked away from you and entered the purgatory realm with Wooyoung upon leaving Yunho’s house.

“You know I’m going to be cast out if I re-enter the Angelic Realm.” Wooyoung rubbed his hands together nervously. Yeosang nodded.

“I’m sorry. For bringing you down with me, I mean.” Wooyoung avoided Yeosang’s eyes as he spoke.

Yeosang brought Wooyoung into a hug, “I would do it again.”

Wooyoung felt grateful for Yeosang yet sorrowful at the same time. He felt another feeling, a feeling he didn’t recall feeling before.

He felt free.

No more strict rules, no more need to be perfect for an entire community of angels. No more fear of being caught doing something wrong or needing to filter himself to please the gods and goddesses.

Sure, it wasn’t bad. The angelic realm is and will always be everyone’s dream. Everything is better there.

But it wasn’t for him.

“Since I’m already damned,” Wooyoung started, pulling away from Yeosang’s embrace. “Any last requests?”

Yeosang grinned, “Find out Yunho’s location?”

“And?” Wooyoung raised an eyebrow.

Yeosang’s grin faded. “What?”

“Nothing. Watch over Y/N and Mingi.” Wooyoung began to walk towards the nearest gate into the angelic realm.

And Yeosang watched. The only thing he could do for his damned friend.

Wooyoung raised his hands in the air, a proud and fearful smile on his face as he walked through Jongho’s garden. Jongho hadn’t noticed Wooyoung had re-entered the angelic realm until he heard the commotion of guards rushing to arrest Wooyoung.

And Wooyoung smiled towards him, “catch you in the in-between.”

“That’s not what it’s called,” Jongho mumbled, watching the guards putting handcuffs on Wooyoung.

“Jung Wooyoung, you are to be detained and cast out into eternal hellfire for the sins of theft on two accounts and murder.”

Wooyoung was cooperative. He didn’t fight it nor did he show any form of remorse- Save for the angel he accidentally murdered.

The gods and goddesses didn’t see it that way.

But that didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter for Yeosang, who was falsely accused of theft, and it wouldn’t matter for Wooyoung, who did commit these sins.

“You are to be stripped of your soul's commitment to being a Guardian Angel within the coming hour.”

Wooyoung thought about Yeosang. He thought about you as well, and Yunho, who was kidnapped by your enemy. Mingi, who openly admitted to not knowing how to fight, but was still ready to charge in and save Yunho with you.

For Yunho.

“Can you speed the process up?” Wooyoung mumbled.

“What was that?” A guard asked, giving Wooyoung a warning look.

“I said,” Wooyoung glanced at Jongho and Hongjoong, who had joined in to watch out of curiosity despite being on a tight schedule.

“Speed up the goddamn process.”

Yeosang paced, waiting for Wooyoung’s return. You and Mingi waited anxiously.

Waiting. Just like Yunho was waiting for someone to go save him.

“We’re wasting time.” You’ve had enough waiting. The anxieties that filled you, thinking of what could be happening to your friend at that moment.

“We don’t know where Yunho is.” Yeosang frowned. You felt helpless, and being bound to Yeosang, he began to feel it too.

“Sorry for the delay.” Wooyoung entered, out of breath as if he ran to get to you.

“They took for-fucking-ever.” Wooyoung had the same outline of ash and flames as Yeosang.

Every angel was unique, but every demon was the same.

Equal.

“Yunho. Wooyoung, where is Yunho?” Your voice was desperate in the words you spoke.

“He’s close,” Wooyoung answered, leading the way. Wooyoung winced and groaned with every step, now knowing the excruciating pain Yeosang felt when he was a certain distance from you.

A pain Yeosang understood all too well.

“I thought you said he was close.” Yeosang jogged beside Wooyoung. Wooyoung stopped and doubled over in pain.

“Everyone in. Yunho won’t mind, right?” You opened the driver's side of Yunho’s car and began to hot-wire it, failing to find the keys. Mingi shrugged, “he might mind you hot-wiring it.”

You successfully started the car up as Yeosang helped Wooyoung into the back seat while Mingi sat shotgun in the passenger seat.

“Where to?” You asked, peeling out of Yunho’s driveway. Wooyoung pointed a shaking finger at the street ahead.

You sped up, wondering why Wooyoung was in so much pain. That was a question you’d have to ask later.

The more you drove, the less Wooyoung felt as if he were being ripped apart. Yeosang kept an eye out, sensing danger.

“Here! That building!” Wooyoung pointed straight ahead. You came to a stop, freezing.

This was where you lost your loved ones all those years ago.

That same building, the paint peeling, the rusted door hinges, broken windows, and memories you couldn’t erase.

Yeosang wanted to shield you from it all, but he knew your determination wouldn’t allow him.

You were the first one out of the vehicle, Mingi being the second. Yeosang and Wooyoung followed before you two got hurt.

“Stay behind us, you can die. We can’t.” Yeosang instructed. You smiled, the helpless feeling fading and telling you indirectly, everything would be alright.

You would end this.

Wooyoung took the lead, sourcing Yunho out and finding him tied to a pillar. When the four of you entered altogether, the lights came on and you were all surrounded by the people of your enemy.

Some from before, and some new. But they all are against you. Yunho met your eyes.

He felt relief. Someone came for him after all. But it was short-lived, and he began to wish you or Mingi had never come.

Yeosang and Wooyoung guarded you and Mingi with their eternal lives, making sure no one came near you two. Wooyoung even kept an eye on Yunho, his soul being bound to him and all.

“Y/N. You showed.”

“Let Yunho go. It’s me you want!” You scowled, glaring at the man you called your enemy. He let out a dry laugh, standing beside Yunho.

“I know another way to hurt you.”

He had a gun, waving it around and threatening Yunho with it. It worried and angered you. The fear of losing another person weighed down on you more and more.

But while he had a gun, you had Wooyoung and Yeosang.

They weren’t here to be toyed with.

“If you touch him, I swear to god.” You clenched your teeth, fear evident in your voice.

Looking at Yunho, you saw how calm he was. He didn’t show fear despite the situation. All he wanted was for you and Mingi to be okay in the end.

“Y/N, get back.” Wooyoung grew impatient, charging at the speed of light, and disarmed the man that threatened Yunho. You and Mingi readied the weapons you two had brought along, though both of you were taken by surprise at what had just happened.

Wooyoung protected Yunho as the attack had set everyone else off into a battle.

Yeosang tried his best to protect you and Mingi, delighted to see how well you two held your own. Even Mingi, who claimed he didn’t know how to fight.

Yeosang sensed the danger. He always had, like an eerie premonition. He knew there was a chance you could get hurt at that exact moment.

He saw your enemy, the man who took so much from you, charge towards you when you were preoccupied trying not to get hit by the end of a bat or fist or whatever blunt object that was about seconds from connecting to your head and body.

It was a blur, really. You saw yourself about to be lunged at and suddenly you weren’t.

Your enemy had a crew, but you had two demons outcasted by their gods and goddesses.

Need there be any more of an explanation?

Two years had passed. Almost.

One more day and then it would be two years. Everything was okay again. You were no longer in constant danger, your enemies had been eliminated.

Yunho and Mingi were safe. Wooyoung and Yeosang were the kindest, angelic-like demons.

You, well, you finally began to learn how to live again. Yeosang, Yunho, Mingi, and occasionally Wooyoung were all by your side through it all.

You learned why Wooyoung felt so much pain back then when he was too far from Yunho. You learned that Yeosang had also felt that same excruciating pain.

You two were inseparable.

He treated you right, better than anyone you’ve ever been with, despite being a demon.

As unrequited as it felt, you loved him. He saved your life, what was left of who you called ‘family’, and you saved him, in some unknown way.

Yeosang was acting strange. He still took care of you, made sure there was food on the table, he did everything for you. A gentleman.

Until the end.

He dreaded the end. According to Wooyoung’s information, Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s confirmations, and your state lately, he dreaded the end.

One more day with you. However many hours you had left, he didn’t know. Wooyoung didn’t remember. Any information he absorbed from you, he no longer had access to.

Yeosang wasn’t the one who hacked a database. It seemed unfortunate at that moment. He never told you, though. Yeosang didn’t want to scare you any more than he already had to on occasion.

Yeosang tried his best not to let you know, given that you share each other's feelings.

“Tell me why you are radiating sadness.” You confronted. Yeosang forced out a laugh.

“What?”

“I know you’re sad, but what about? You can tell me, you know.”

Yeosang just smiled and you could feel his heart aching as if it were your own.

“I won’t be here forever. Who knows when I will see you again anyways.” You sighed, slowly putting a hand to your chest to soothe the shared ache you just felt. “Just know it will hurt when I’m gone and you didn’t tell me everything.”

You were only concerned about him. Despite him being a demon and semi-immortal, you still wanted to take care of him and help him the way he did for you.

“If it hurts, I will let it hurt. If it takes us years or centuries to meet again, I will wait.” Yeosang spoke, a slight crack in his voice when he did.

“Anything I don’t tell you now, I will tell you in your next life. And your next, and the one after that one. I won’t forget.”

“That’s so romantic… For a demon.” You placed a kiss on his cheek. “But you are kind of scaring me with all of this talk, so spill.”

Yeosang insisted nothing was wrong, even trying to hide his hurt from you somehow. He dreaded the end so much.

But he loved every second he was with you.

Time of death, 10:24.

The metal blade scraped across the dark red rock, marking another tally.

182,625.

Or, as Yeosang saw it, five hundred years.

All spent without you.

“Yeosang! It’s demon title day!” San startled Yeosang out of the gloomy state he was in as he stared at the new tally mark he carved.

“Let me guess, you’re volunteering again?” Yeosang tried to hide the fact that he wanted nothing more than to cry, impatient that he spent five entire centuries without meeting you.

Yeosang promised you he would wait, no matter how long it took, and he would keep his word no matter what.

“Nope. But you are!” San grinned cheekily. Yeosang frowned, closing the blade inside its shell.

“What?”

San grabbed Yeosang by the back of his neck and led him to the demon fair, where Yeosang had become a demon centuries ago. Yeosang squirmed out of his grip but continued to follow him.

Especially now that he was volunteered and that was one thing, if not the only thing, a demon could not get out of.

“What did I do to be volunteered?” Yeosang walked with San, who guided him to table 8.

“Nothing. I just volunteered you.” San pats his back. Yeosang sighed, sitting down.

“Meet the new demons.” San stuck around as the line of new demons began to walk through toward their tables.

Yeosang looked over at another table, seeing Wooyoung, who San had also volunteered without asking.

Wooyoung waved towards Yeosang but looked about as pleased with being volunteered as he was.

Yeosang looked towards one of the new demons that walked through the gates he’d once walked through.

Yunho.

Yunho walked towards Wooyoung’s table before he realized who he was. Yeosang watched as the two stared at each other in shock.

And he smiled. Yunho looked at Yeosang, who Wooyoung had pointed out, and was greeted with a wave.

Yeosang handed many new demons their designated titles. Guardian demons, reapers under Seonghwa’s division, guards, or demons like San who didn’t have a title- Citizens, San once referred to demons like him-.

He watched the entrance, and a sense of longing took over. If Yunho came, where are you?

That’s when his question was answered. All five hundred years of missing you, yearning for you, wishing you weren’t a mortal- All over.

“Aw, you look like you’ve never seen a demon before.”

Yeosang covered his mouth, pleasantly surprised. Then he pulled you into a tight embrace that he had longed for centuries to do.

“Holy shit.”

Yeosang quickly pulled away as a guard began to look in your direction. He cleared his throat and handed you your designated title.

“Cool. I’m a-“

“Citizen. San calls them citizens.” Yeosang couldn’t contain the emotions he felt- all of which were happy and positive emotions.

“Sweet?”

“Sweet.” Yeosang smiled. “We’ll be able to see each other more this way.”

You hugged him again. “Did you see Yunho?”

“Yes.”

“And that Mingi was promoted as a guardian angel?” You added. Yeosang shook his head.

“Yeah. Crazy how that works.” You chuckled, seeing Yunho and Wooyoung catching up after centuries of a long overdue conversation.

You looked at San, who knew all along that you’d be arriving as a demon. And Yunho too.

“Isn’t volunteering awesome?” San spoke up, jokingly. Yeosang rolled his eyes before sitting down again.

“I will catch you later. I need to finish giving demons their titles.”

You bent down to leave a kiss on his forehead before you left him alone, but he had looked up at the same time, causing your lips to meet instead.

Then you felt the memories you two had, the spark you two had, and the connection you shared five hundred years ago all come back in a flash.

“I will wait for you.”

#ateez x reader #ateez imagines #ateez #ateez yeosang #ateez au #ateez yeosang x reader #ateez fanfic

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halaboyz · 1 year

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CONSENESCERE :: three.

m.list ┆彡 ≺ back ≻ ≺ next ≻

PAIRING: bestfriend! yeosang x fem! reader x blockmate! san | ot6 ateez is also here ! SUMMARY: typical cliche best friends story– you like him, he’s oblivious to your feelings. but digging a little deeper, a little more hurting here and there because let’s be honest, yeosang wouldn’t know sooner because he’s such an ignorant being. you still continued to like him though. yeosang finally only realizes something when someone is starting to take his place– or is it just because he was the one walking away in the first place?

AU TAGLIST: (open, send ask!) @woobly @talkbykhalid @kawennote09 @naiify P. TAGLIST: (open, answer form.) @svhnflwr @igotkpoops @deobibu @sunwoahkim @icedcoffeesunwoo @squiishymeow @fluffyju @nycol-ie @defjcm @allorysayshi @mingi-banana @enivivs @yunkiwii @mavericsohn @miriamxsworld @choielyssa @kurosism @renjuunsz @euntak @hyungseos-cafe @stealanity

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blossom-hwa · 2 years

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child of aphrodite!yeosang

this au has been in my thoughts since last year and it’s finally making an appearance :) while I’m not sure when the other members’ parts will be finished, I hope you enjoy this one! happy birthday to our bestest boy yeosang <3 <3

(side note - this has nothing to do with my other demigod au, demi! they are completely different universes.)

Pairing: Yeosang x gender neutral!reader

Word count: 3.1k

Genre: fluff, angst, demigod!au (Percy Jackson universe)

Triggers: cursing, parental abandonment because gods suck, a chimera appears for like five seconds, a chemical explosion also happens within those five seconds

Ateez Masterlist

godly parent: Aphrodite

preferred weapon: poisoned needles and short blades hidden in his hair, his sleeves, his pants, is that one under his nail -

in short: dangerous boy

he doesn’t look like it! the soft blond hair and sparkly eyes can be very deceiving

but in the same way that a rose has its thorns, yeosang has his ways of defending himself, and it isn’t always orthodox

see everyone always thinks the children of Aphrodite are harmless, just vapid pretty faces who only care about beauty and breaking hearts

but have those same people ever been on the receiving end of charmspeak? probably not

and even though yeosang may not have charmspeak, he /did/ get a very good brain

a brain which he uses for chemistry :)

see. love may be a feeling, but it is also partially a mix of chemicals in the brain

and yeosang :) happens to be :) very good :) at using chemicals :)

in the Aphrodite cabin he’s got his own little lab space where he makes perfumes for his half siblings and other people he cares about

but at that very same lab space is where he makes the poisons that are his weapons

no one really knows what all of them do because yeosang doesn’t use them on other demigods (he may or may not tranquilize hongjoong when the dumbass needs to sleep but that’s besides the point) but what they have seen are how monsters die after being shot full of his darts which is more than terrifying enough

hence why no one really bothers him too much. or his siblings

anyway we’re getting too far into this, let’s talk about how he got to camp

yeosang’s father could see through the mist, that’s originally how Aphrodite noticed him

so he was just chilling. seeing monsters but assuming they were hallucinations yknow. chilling

at least until Aphrodite decided he was too fine to ignore, told him about monsters and gods and stuff, and like? obviously he didn’t believe it at first but 1. Aphrodite is like godly beautiful and 2. the monsters started making a lot of sense and 3. yk that quote that’s like the truth is stranger than the fiction? well that’s how it is here I guess

nine months pass and then we have a baby yeosang <3

of course Aphrodite left soon after, these gods/goddesses have zero sense of parental responsibility except maybe Apollo and Dionysus I guess but that doesn’t mean it didn’t still take a toll on both yeosang and his dad

but it was okay, mostly, because yeosang’s dad still loved and cherished him very much

when yeosang was diagnosed with dyslexia he just helped his son learn to read as much as he could, and eventually succeeded

when he realized yeosang was struggling with ADHD as well, they did their best to work on that too

and, of course, he tried to shield small yeosang from the monsters and other things beyond the mist that both of them could see

see Aphrodite warned yeosang’s dad about the dangers that monsters would pose with a demigod child before fucking off into the void of Olympus, and obviously he took that to heart

besides, children deserve to be children for some time - even demigod children

but you can only hide things like this for so long

and when yeosang got older he started questioning the things that were happening to him

like why random people would stare at him for a little too long in the streets with a dazed look on his face

why his classmates would always ask if he was wearing rose perfume or something because he always smelled so nice

why he picked up French in a matter of days when he had literally zero experience with the language beforehand

and, of course, why a fucking gigantic ass weird thing decided to corner him in the chemistry lab one day after school and cause him to like... explode the lab

the thing exploded. into monster dust of course

but the lab also exploded in a cloud of chemicals

and that was very not fun to explain to authorities

especially because yeosang was like half in shock and still babbling about a monster with a lion head and snake tail and some weird body that didn’t fit either of those animals and everyone thought he was just wack out of his mind but thankfully his dad showed up and he was the only one who believed yeosang because he knew what was going on

so after yeosang more or less recovered from the chemical explosion, his dad sat him down for a lengthy explanation about greek gods and goddesses and why he doesn’t have a mother

yeosang: so greek gods and goddesses are real

his dad: yeah

yeosang: and my mom is a goddess

his dad: yeah

yeosang:

his dad:

yeosang:

his dad: yeosang? are you okay?

yeosang: I think I'm going back into shock

totally understandable

anyway less than a week later yeosang was in front of camp half blood holding a suitcase with as many belongings as he could stuff in

and then there was a wheelchair man welcoming him into camp and he was crying into his dad’s shirt because he didn’t want to go and his dad was also trying not to cry but yeosang would be safer here, it would be good for them both

guess who Chiron (wheelchair guy) decided would be perfect to show yeosang around camp

guess

you have to guess

hint: his initials are jwy

yeah jung wooyoung

match made in heaven I guess? or hell idk (the underworld if you want to be pedantic, tartarus if you want to get real dark)

but wooyoung’s infectious cheer was enough to help yeosang feel a little better, and by the time night rolled around and it was time for the campfire, yeosang was feeling okay enough to go to the campfire with wooyoung

everything’s better with a friend, after all

and he was just starting to smile and sing along, but. But.

when he started singing

everyone fell silent.

it’s not like camp doesn’t have it’s good singers - many of the apollo kids are musicians, so a lot of them are good at singing and/or playing instruments and everyone’s mostly used to that

but it was like yeosang made everyone fall under his spell

because by the time he realized what had happened, the entire camp had already gone silent

and they were all staring at him.

wooyoung snaps out of it first and immediately starts screeching like you didn’t tell me you could sing and I need to introduce you to yunho and hongjoong and stuff like that until one of his cabin mates jabs him in the side and points to yeosang’s head

and then even wooyoung goes silent

and yeosang is so fucking confused, he looks up and there’s a red haze in his vision and so he looks down like what the fuck and he’s enveloped in this rosy aura

the smell of roses is stronger than ever, and his arms suddenly feel kind of cold

probably because of the long, flowing, sleeveless chiton draped over his body and the gold bracelets and jewelry wrapped around his wrists and neck

he looks at Chiron because he seems to be the most knowledgable, but the centaur (no longer in a wheelchair) is already kneeling and saying something like all hail the child of Aphrodite or whatever he says when shit like this happens

and so that’s how yeosang gets claimed. with a circlet of gold roses crowning his head and a shit ton of jewelry on his body

as the Aphrodite kids herd him over to the cabin, yeosang privately thinks the day couldn't get any worse

he had to say goodbye to his dad for a camp that would supposedly keep him safe but where he would be completely alone

and then he kind of made a friend who let him cry even though they’d only just met, and he was kind of looking forward to not being alone in the Hermes cabin where he’d sleep until he was claimed

but then he got claimed, and now he’s being dragged to a cabin he doesn’t even know he wants to stay with but of course he has to because every cabin is for that one godly parent and he’s so tired and he keeps almost tripping over the chiton and the jewelry is really cold and his sandals are so fucking annoying and it just feels like everything is going so wrong

he looks in the mirror when he gets into the cabin because he needs to wash up and sees the perfect face of makeup that Aphrodite gave him and in that moment he wants to break the mirror

the only thing that keeps him from doing so is the fact that the birthmark on his cheek is still visible

there was a point in time when he hated the birthmark and wanted it to disappear, but now he takes comfort in this last tie to his old life

he shows up to the Hermes cabin to get the stuff he’d left there before he was claimed and he feels really damn depressed

but then wooyoung screeches and jumps out at him and is like omg omg omg you were CLAIMED by APHRODITE I knew it I KNEW IT I KNEW IT YOU’RE SO PRETTY AND BEAUTIFUL AND! OMG YOUR COUNSELOR IS LEE MINHYUK HE’S SO HOT YOU HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT HE’S LIKE I’VE HEARD HE’S AWESOME AND OMG WE HAVE TO HANG OUT TOMORROW I’LL SHOW YOU EVERYTHING -

and that’s when yeosang realizes that just because he’s in a different cabin, that doesn’t mean he can’t make friends with the campers in other cabins

so maybe

just maybe

he thinks that things will end up being okay :)

and they do end up being okay

the blessing of Aphrodite fades after a few days and he’s free to go back to wearing or not wearing makeup as he so chooses

it turns out that lee minhyuk is actually really awesome and really hot and that gives yeosang ample ammunition with which to tease wooyoung (because you can’t not tease a friend’s puppy crush, that’s like illegal)

he learns more about the powers he has as a child of Aphrodite - speaking French aka the language of love, always smelling nice no matter what, and his ability to sing

which isn’t charmspeak - he doesn’t have the ability to get others to do what he wants or what they want

but his ability is more so to hypnotize others with his voice or lull them into some sort of daze. he can’t get them to do things, but he can sort of sedate them I guess

which explains what happened that night at the campfire

it also makes producer child of hades hongjoong take a particular interest in him and thus yeosang gets roped into recording several demos for him :)

but most importantly, it turns out that the Athena kids are more than willing to help him out with his interest in chemistry, and they don’t tease him for being an Aphrodite kid the way he was worried they might

one brilliant mind is just another brilliant mind to them, and yeosang finds several campers who are willing to let him bounce ideas off of them for whatever he wants to make next

and so that’s how yeosang becomes a little bit of a mad scientist with his own little lab in the back of the Aphrodite cabin like I mentioned earlier, making perfumes and poisons and occasionally attempting to cook on his little burner and failing miserably because he can’t cook

one time he almost set the cabin on fire

he got put on toilet cleaning duty for a week

wooyoung did it with him out of solidarity

a lot of people will say that yeosang doesn’t look like the type who would use poison as his primary weapon

and it’s true that he’s got strength and speed, like he’s fairly good with a sword and a mean shot with a bow and arrow

but pretty roses have wicked thorns, and yeosang’s hidden weapon happens to be his extensive knowledge of chemistry and poisons

anyway, it ensures that no one messes with him or his cabin

because he will put people to sleep during capture the flag which will end with his team winning

but anyway mad scientist yeosang is kinda the reason he ends up meeting you

you’re a camper in the Demeter cabin, and you know a lot about plants - medicinal properties, poisonous properties, edible properties, all of that

and when yeosang exhausts the books the Athena kids have on plants and things, child of persephone seonghwa recommends that he go to you for more knowledge - maybe you can lend him something to read or just talk to him about the stuff he doesn’t know

yeosang hadn’t interacted much with the Demeter cabin beforehand and he’s still kind of shy, but he works up the courage to approach you at sword fighting practice one day and of course you’re extremely receptive :)

and so you invite him over to the Demeter cabin where you’re cultivating little plants around your bed as well in your corner of the shared garden behind the cabin

yeosang asks a lot of questions despite his shyness and you answer them all as best you can, writing down what you don’t know and promising to get back to him as soon as possible

you also lend him a couple of books and say to just return them whenever

which gives yeosang an excuse to come back to the cabin again

and again

and at some point you run out of books and yeosang feels kind of lost when you admit that because now he doesn’t have an excuse to see you anymore but then you offer to teach him how to garden so he can cultivate some plants of his own and ! he just lights right up and of course he doesn’t know it but you kind of melt inside because :( he’s so cute :(

little does he know that you were scrambling that whole week to come up with an excuse for him to come back even though you have no more books and now you kind of owe seonghwa a big favor for coming up with that for you

seonghwa’s the matchmaker in this story I guess

anyway

it turns out that yeosang is shit at planting things and keeping them alive

and you’re kind of awe about how bad he is at it like holy shit he knows so much about plants and their properties but holy hera when it comes to keeping them alive it’s like all of that brainpower flies out the damn window

so you offer to try and cultivate something around his cabin in addition to your own plot at the Demeter cabin just so he can have a supply of plants without worrying about depleting your own supply

and at first he’s like no it’s fine ! because he doesn’t want to inconvenience you he’s so sweet but you insist and he’s like okay okay okay and that just gives you both more excuses to hang out with each other

it’s wooyoung’s turn to tease yeosang about his crush on you I guess

which kind of sucks (for yeosang) because yeosang’s crush is like... hella big

and he can’t even bring up wooyoung’s previous crush on minhyuk because 1. that crush is long gone and 2. it was also not nearly as deep as the one yeosang has on you

and ! yeosang feels so stupid ! because all of his friends know he has a crush even though he tried to hide it

even his dad sensed he was kind of slightly maybe lovestruck when he came to visit and took yeosang for a quick lunch nearby camp

and it’s like holy shit yeosang is the child of Aphrodite for fuck’s sake the literal goddess of love and he can’t even deal with this crush

but in the end

he smacks some sense into himself

and sets to work creating a perfume of the perfect scent, one that is literally inspired by you

it smells like home

so yeosang gives you the perfume, and that’s his confession to you

which you obviously accept but of course after a short silence because holy shit the beautiful kang yeosang really returns your feelings holy shit holy shit holy shit and yeosang almost runs off before you can respond and only when he turns to flee do you finally come to your senses and say holy shit yeosang I adore you

and that’s that :)

you two are extremely cute, one of the sweetest couples at camp

the plant nerd couple <3 it’s adorable

you have your first kiss when you bring yeosang a bouquet of home grown roses for his birthday, and it’s mostly because he looks so cute with his cheeks all red and his face all shy that you can’t help but lean in and ask if you can kiss him

if a human could short circuit that’s the definition of what yeosang ends up doing

you kind of worry that you broke him after he doesn’t respond for a good ten seconds after you break away

but after that it’s like you flipped a switch in him and he becomes much more comfortable with showing affection in public

wooyoung: why won’t you return my PDA :/

yeosang: you bit me on our second day of knowing each other

wooyoung: that is my way of showing affection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeosang: go show affection to your s/o then

wooyoung: big pouts

wow I'm imagining sitting by the water with yeosang, he’s grown his hair out and you’re braiding some of it while san and some of the others splash in the bay nearby

the sun is shining and yeosang looks like he’s glowing, especially when he turns to you, ruining the braid, and you go to scold him but he gives you a long kiss instead that stops you short :)

son of Aphrodite yeosang is extremely beautiful, even for a child of love goddess

but what’s more important is his very very big heart

the heart that has more than enough space for you <3

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 prayer that I finish all the members’ parts help)

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eightmakesonebraincell · 5 months

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ateez as royals who fall for you (hyung line)

read maknae line here

genre: royalty!ateez x fem!reader, fluff, angst, smut, crack, a brainrot and smutfest of royal tropes

length: 12.8k

c/w: very nsfw scenes - mdni, explicit language (dirty talk, swearing, insults), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, heavy & mature themes (sex work, murder, assassination, execution, mentions of misogyny)

a/n: this has simultaneously been the pride and joy of my life and the bane of my entire existence for the last 2.5 months 🥴 and tumblr is an inept incapable CLOWN who cannot handle the full 24k worth of bullet points so here is the hyung line first - maknae line coming soon (yumi @sorryimananti-romantic can vouch for my unsuccessful 3-hour attempt at formatting them into a single post)

hongjoong

pov: you're the king's royal courtesan

“fuck,” hongjoong lets out a deep growl from within his chest as his head dips down to rest against the crook of your neck. “you’re just as tight as last time”

when your hips involuntarily buck from the pleasure, he nudges your thighs further apart and keeps your wrists pinned above your head

he can’t help but let out another groan when he feels your walls clench around his cock as you adjust to his thickness

“i thought- god,” a moan escapes you after he thrusts his hips against you, “thought you never fucked the same woman twice”

“i don’t,” he simply says

and it’s true

hongjoong is one of the youngest princes to have ruled during the kim dynasty, having risen to power after the previous king succumbed early to an unknown illness

he has the choice and selection of all the courtesans available within the palace and outside its walls

hongjoong also has a reputation of being highly sought after by everybody, not just amongst courtesans

it’s not only because he is devilishly handsome, knows how to properly fuck somebody dumb, and is the literal king

the main thing that makes him so desirable and unreachable?

he never sees the same courtesan more than once

“yet here you are,” you hook your legs around hongjoong’s waist to gain leverage and meet his thrusts with your own hips, “between my legs for the second time”

you smirk when he curses and throws his head back

his grip on your wrists tightens and his voice drops dangerously low

“the first time doesn’t count because i was meant to see lady chae. so really, this is the first time i’m requesting for your services”

he silences you from retorting by pressing a bruising kiss against you, lips messily attaching to yours before trailing down the sharp angle of your jaw to bite your neck

you are a courtesan for people of nobility and royal status

part of the ‘house of flowers’ and commonly referred to as ‘flower courtesans’, you and the other women are highly-sought after for the companionship you offer

you are well protected by the house of flowers though - the services of companionship that you provide is requested by your client, but is ultimately accepted or rejected by you

lady chae, another of the flower courtesans and one of your closest friends, is requested by the king for her services

it is quite clear what it is going to entail and you both spend several of the following nights giggling and whispering scandalously to one another

whether the rumours about his stamina will be true

whether lady chae will be the first to break his one-fuck rule

except when the day of the meeting comes around, she spikes a sudden fever

lady shin, the head of the house of flowers, takes all but one look at her before ordering her to bed rest despite both of your attempts to, albeit unconvincingly, persuade lady shin that chae’s fever would only serve to help make the king’s dick warmer

lady shin is not amused to say the least

with the last minute hitch, the king agrees for you to be sent out to him as a replacement instead

and you end up being the flower courtesan who he breaks his reputed rule for

(lady chae is initially jealous, understandably)

(but very quickly, she appears to be even more excited than you are as she combs through your undergarments for the “sluttiest set” that she can find)

your attention is brought back as hongjoong flicks his tongue over your hardened nipples, continuing to drag his length in and out of you while your back arches off the bed

you tease in between short breaths, “are you really bringing up another woman’s name while you have your cock inside me?”

“you brought it up first,” he reminds you, accentuating his answer with timed thrusts

you grind your hips against his, chasing more friction against your clit as you feel your high approaching

“why?” he snakes one of his hands down between your connected torsos to rub messy circles against your clit, smirking as he asks, “are you getting jealous already?”

for that, you clench down hard on his cock, immediately feeling the way it throbs inside of you as you bring him closer to his orgasm too

“as if. fuck off”

your words are hardly audible from the whines that are leaving your mouth due to the added pressure of another finger against your clit from your retaliation

“i’m close,” hongjoong releases his grip on your wrists so that he can straighten his body, anchoring his hand on your hip instead so that he can fuck you and rub your clit with his other hand with renewed vigour

when you hear him groan, “cum for me,” the string snaps and your whole body quivers in his hold as your orgasm washes over you

hongjoong’s hips gradually stutter to a pause, an occasional thrust inside your clenching pussy as he milks out the rest of his cum inside of you

he finally eases himself out of you and hums in satisfaction as he watches his cum slowly leak out of you

hongjoong drops down beside you, toned chest covered in a sheen layer of sweat as it rises up and down with his pants

when your fuzzy mind has cleared a little from the blissful haze of your orgasm, he strokes his fingertips along the side of your thigh, along the curve of your ass, and over the dip of your waist just under your breasts as he says, “you better not be jealous. first one to get jealous loses”

“if anyone’s going to get jealous first, it’s you,” you scoff back

he raises an eyebrow

oh yeah?

he shoves his leaking cum back inside of you and fingers you to another orgasm

now that shuts you up

for a man who barks, he sure has no bite, because you find yourself being notified by lady shin several days later of yet another request for your services under the king’s name

and another request turns into another

and every single time, hongjoong makes sure that the only word leaving your lips for those many hours is his moaned name

but at the same time, the more you and hongjoong meet, the more he just savours in your simple companionship

he asks you to teach him how to embroider because you’ve mentioned before it’s how you like to spend your free evenings

he rifles through your bag of materials that you bring

you smack his hand away at the carelessness with which he’s upturning everything

“what’s this?” he holds up a large, wooden hoop before trying to fit it through his head, “a necklace?”

“i wonder if people know they appointed an idiot to be king,” you say as you gently unscrew the hoops and demonstrate how to align a piece of fabric between the rings

he watches with interest as you screw the outer hoop tighter until the fabric is nice and taut and then repeat the process so you both have one to work with

you have to help hongjoong thread his needle too, because apparently the king’s fingers are only good for scissoring you open

you weave your own needle through the fabric at a slow pace whilst telling him the different names and uses of the stitches you’re showing him

except, when you look up to see if he’s following?

his own hoop has been abandoned to one side and he’s leaning against his hand as he gazes cheekily at you

“were you even paying attention?”

he sounds a little too confident when he answers not at all

in return, hongjoong shows you how to write hanja the next time you meet

he positions himself behind you with his hand over yours as he guides you through different characters stroke by stroke

he claims that there are specific ways of applying pressure to the brush so he has to be holding your hand at all times

you most definitely roll your eyes several times but you indulge him anyway

there are a lot of giggles and teasing pushes when you accidentally dip the end of your sleeve into the ink and you try to spread it onto his robes too

(the calligraphy may or may not become forgotten when hongjoong pins you down to stop your cheeky behaviour, because things naturally escalate whenever he has you under him)

you two do eventually manage to finish one decent-looking scroll of characters which he ends up gifting you so that you ‘don’t forget’ about him when you’re not with him

when you walk back into the house of flowers, the hanging scroll perks lady shin’s interest as you walk past

“hongjoong taught me how to write my name today”

lady shin waggles her eyebrows at you suggestively because of how casually you refer to the king, for which you nudge her with a shoulder

she laughs then asks to have a look

you unravel the paper to show her but then she makes a funny noise

“that’s not your name? these are the characters for- oh,” she cackles scandalously to herself, as if she has made a secret discovery

“what does it mean?” you hurry to clarify

you wouldn’t put it past him to have taught you a crude phrase instead, like ‘best tits’ or ‘biggest ass’

lady shin lets out an amused exhale, handing the scroll back to you

“it says, my flower”

you’re looking at those exact characters from where you lay on your bed when a knock sounds on your door several days later

lady shin steps into your room with a warm smile as you greet her

“you have an appointment with lord min tomorrow, but the king has just inquired about your service availability for tomorrow,” she informs you. “would you like me to give him the usual answer?”

this isn’t the first time a clash has occurred, particularly with the increasing frequency with which hongjoong requests to see you

you have always told lady shin to ask for hongjoong’s pardon and to offer him an alternative time or day, because in the end, you still need to maintain a professional and admirable reputation as a flower courtesan

and as you open your mouth to tell her ‘yes’, your eye catches the scroll hanging on your wall

my flower

you hesitate

“actually,” you look away from the hanja, “i’ll see hongjoong.”

lady shin gives you a motherly smile as she nods in understanding and closes the door behind her

the next day you see him, he excitedly points out the large tambour frame in his room that he bought just a few days prior, claiming you two can work on a big embroidery patch together now

you give him one look then demote him back to the small embroidery hoop because he still hasn’t learnt his basic stitches yet

(that’ll teach him to not pay attention when you’re demonstrating, ha)

you relent and end up going through the different stitches with him again anyway

and you find that he’s actually not that bad with embroidery once he’s actually focused on the task at hand

it’s nice, basking in each other's presence while he threads his little square of fabric and you work with the large frame you have now essentially claimed as yours

not that hongjoong minds; he did buy it solely to make you happy

and then you offhandedly mention that someone had gifted you a handkerchief with your initials embroidered on one of the corners the other day

“i actually have it on me, in fact,” and you take it out from where it’s tucked into your waist so that you can show him

he juts out his chin as he peers down at the delicate letters, huffing, “it’s pretty, i guess”

then as an afterthought he tacks on, “bet i could do a better job”

“are you jealous right now, kim hongjoong?”

said man is hellbent on avoiding your eyes as he picks up his needle and thread again

“no i’m not!”

“whatever you say,” you smirk

after that day though, you don’t receive another request from hongjoong to meet until two weeks later

which, in the grand scheme of things, really isn’t much

but in comparison to the frequency at which you are used to seeing him, the frequency at which your body is used to having him, it is much too long

you are almost beginning to wonder whether you shouldn’t have brought up the handkerchief gift

yet, he greets you with his usual teasing squeeze of your waist, dangerously close to your ass

you make a move to follow him through the doors to his chambers but he turns around to produce a silk cloth

he starts to blindfold you, whispering sultrily, “i have a surprise for you”

you feel the hairs on the back of your neck raise at his tone

guiding you inside, hongjoong gently pushes you down so that you sink into the plush duvet of his bed

“do you trust me?” he whispers

trying not to dwell on the urge to lick your dry lips, you answer, “of course”

you feel him tugging slowly on the string that holds the front of your corset together, loosening your dress with tenderness like you are a fragile gift

you shiver when your shoulders are suddenly exposed to the cold air

and then the sensation is followed by the warmth of hongjoong’s soft exhales along the expanse of your collarbones as he leans closer to fully disrobe your shoulders

you have to remind yourself to keep breathing

“you can look now,” he tells you

you remove the silk cloth from around your eyes, unsure of what to expect

it takes a few blinks to readjust your vision to the room around you but then your eyes finally focus

and you gasp

there, hung on the wall with its striking viridian green, shimmering threads and intricate swirls on glorious display, is quite possibly the most stunning dress you have ever laid eyes upon

“try it on,” he encourages

but as you step closer, you realise the lacing across the front of the corset and running down the sleeves of the top dress is in fact, not lacing

it’s patchy

it’s uneven

it has empty areas

but it is no doubt embroidery

“did you…did you make this?” you reach out a hand to lightly caress one of the embroidered flowers, not quite daring to believe that hongjoong would go to these lengths for you

“of course,” he wraps his arms around you from behind and presses a light kiss against your temple, “i’m not losing to a lousy handkerchief”

“is that why you disappeared for two weeks?”

you let out a laugh, sinking into his embrace, because the image of the great king holed up in his chambers for days on end, hunched over your dress with a needle, thread and frown on his face is just too endearing

he lets out a warning huff as he turns you around in his embrace to face him

upturning his hands, he shows you the tips of his fingers and grumbles, “i poked myself so many times for you and you laugh at me?”

you bring his hands closer to your face, pressing light kisses to his fingertips as you smile, “thank you, joong. i love it so much, i really do”

he looks at you impossibly soft

under his tender gaze, something suddenly rushes to your very core

you hold one his hands steady in front of your lips then swirl your tongue out in an experimental lick over his fingers

it’s almost captivating how quickly his pupils dilate and zero in on your tongue

so you dare to bring his fingers into your mouth

you suck on them a little harder

a little deeper

and then you moan around his fingers, “i want you”

he lets out a groan himself, feeling the front of his breeches tighten as his cock twitches

“i- fuck, i didn’t give the dress to you in hopes that it would lead to this,” yet despite his words he is stepping you backwards so that he can pin you against the wall

“i know, but i want you,” you palm his growing bulge, your knees going weak at how hard he already is. “and i need you. now.”

he doesn’t need further encouragement

he shoves the remainder of your clothes aside before inserting his fingers roughly between your folds

it doesn’t take long for him to bring you to your first orgasm, curling his fingers relentlessly as you ride them

he spreads your cum over your pussy and you buck your hips with a whine when he circles over your clit briefly

then he’s turning you around and bending you over, one of your hands bracing against the wall, your other arm held behind your back by hongjoong’s firm grasp

“fuck, you’re so wet,” his whole body shivers with pleasure as his cock slips right into you

the obscene sounds of his hips slapping against your ass and your slick being pushed back into your hole over and over again fill the room

and to the clenching of your pussy from another orgasm, hongjoong also cums into you with a guttural groan of your name

he gently carries you to his bed and lays you on top of the covers

he leaves your side for a moment and you listen to him rummage through something while you try to regain control of your quaking legs

when he comes back, you feel him gently spreading your legs and then the ticklish sensation of a soft cloth along your inner thighs

a whine escapes your lips when he rubs over your sensitive clit and hongjoong grips your thigh a little tighter

“be careful what pretty sounds you’re making if you can’t handle another round”

it isn’t until he finishes cleaning you up and lies down next to you to start wiping himself down that you look over and realise what it is that he’s been using this whole time

your mouth drops in disbelief

when hongjoong notices your expression, he smirks, “the man who gave you this has no idea his handkerchief is being used to clean my cum off your thighs”

“hongjoong!” you flush with a laugh. “you are definitely jealous, aren’t you?”

“yes, i’m fucking jealous,” he growls, “you’re the only one i want. you’re the only woman i’ve been requesting for since i’ve seen you. and i want to be the only one who gets to have you, too”

you confess, “well, you can have all of me. because i’ve started refusing other people just for you”

he looks at you for another moment before he’s suddenly straddling your hips

“change of plans,” he says breathily, “i need you again”

“very good plan,” you grind up against him

and then you pause, mirth starting to bubble in your throat, “one last thing though”

hongjoong looks down with amusement in his own eyes, wondering what could possibly be so funny

“that handkerchief?” you start, struggling not to laugh when his eyes immediately narrow, “i never said it was from a man. it was a gift from lady chae”

seonghwa

pov: you're his royal guard

as soon as you notice the movement out of the corner of your eye, your body reacts straight away

you murmur seonghwa’s name with a tight voice and move to position yourself in front of him, unwilling to risk the prince’s safety

one of your hands grasps the hilt of your sword, ready to unsheathe it at the first sign of danger, as your calculative gaze darts between the two young men stumbling closer on the dirt path and the line of forest trees from which they appear

they are wearing simple tunics and breeches with their colour faded and seams loosening from wear

from what you can discern, they are simply commoners, but that does not rule out the possibility that they are bandits

seonghwa seems to think otherwise, though

unsurprising but still grating

the prince places his hand on your shoulder gently in a silent reassurance and request for you to step aside

albeit reluctantly, you force yourself to move to his left

it becomes clear to you as the two figures stop just shy of a few feet away that the term ‘men’ was pushing it - their faces are young and they appear to be no older than seventeen or eighteen

the young strangers dip their head in greeting, one of them apologising as well as he pulls out a tattered map that he extends out for you two to see

“my companion and i are traveling to the village norshaw but seem to have lost our way. would you be able to point us in the right direction?” the one with the map asks

“of course,” seonghwa offers with a kind smile

you watch as the three of them step closer together to look more closely at the map

on high alert, and just as you are predicting, you see the companion shuffle closer to seonghwa, hand inching towards the leather pouch that hangs from the prince’s belt

you catch the subtle motion of seonghwa’s eyes flickering down just an inch

because of how well you understand his body language, you know that it means he has already noticed the thieving intention

but because of how well you understand seonghwa, you know that he isn’t going to do anything about it either

so you strike in his stead

your hand darts out to snatch the thieve’s wrist, twisting his forearm upwards so that he is forced to lean awkwardly towards one side to prevent his elbow from snapping

his partner drops the map, letting out a string of curses and hesitating for all but three seconds before he turns around to flee

scoffing, you threaten the one who is still in your hold, who then bolts with his tail between his legs after you release him

"did you really need to scare them off like that? it's not like i had any money in the pouch anyway," seonghwa chastises with a chuckle

"yes," you deadpan. "i did not spend the last two hours of our trip pausing every fifty meters to wait for you to pick up a rock because you thought it looked pretty, only for them to be stolen by a pair of petty thieves"

"it would have been funny to imagine their faces after realising what they stole," seonghwa grins

“mhm,” you hum, “and the next thing you know, you’ll wake up to your palace ransacked, because word in town is that you can steal from the prince and get away with it”

he levels you with a boyish scowl, “you’re so dramatic. what are you, my mother?”

“no, but i am your royal bodyguard”

“exactly. you are my bodyguard, not my brainguard. if i am to be swindled of my pretty rocks, then so be it”

you roll your eyes out of exasperation, but everything is swiftly forgotten minutes later when you point out a heart-shaped rock and seonghwa rushes over to pick it up

it has been like this ever since the incident occurred - him, the sunshine; you, the sunshine protector

it has been almost four years since it happened

somebody had attempted arsenic poisoning of not only seonghwa, but also those working under him

you had noticed strange discolouring of the silverware in the kitchen and on the table serving his dinner, which prompted an investigation and subsequent discovery of the perpetrator

an act of betrayal and treachery by one of his closest relatives - his very own uncle

seonghwa was - still is - too merciful and tender-hearted to punish his uncle, even if the severity of his uncle’s crimes warranted execution

to have his trust broken so shatteringly hurt seonghwa more than if he were to actually have been poisoned

you still remember like it was yesterday; the sight of the prince slumped against the wall, weighed down by chains of turmoil and despair as whispers fly through the palace of the weak-hearted prince who is unable to deliver fair judgement

it is the sight of the prince looking so small and lost that drives your feet forward to stand before him

as the soft draught coming through the windows tugs gently on your tresses and the flickers of candlelight illuminate the glint of steel in your hand, you make a decision

“i’ll be your sword,” you pledge

not just as his royal guard, but as his haven when he is forced to face corruption and wickedness

and when you see the way his shoulders immediately sag with relief at your declaration, the way he nods like a child who has been reassured that everything will be okay, you tell yourself that seonghwa will never have to dirty his hands as long as you are with him

you will be the dark to his light; the yin to his yang

quietly, you see to it that his uncle is executed for his crimes - your statement to the rest of the palace that prince seonghwa is not to be mocked

neither of you bring it up again, but seonghwa knows

he pulls you into a wholehearted hug, arms enveloping you securely as his chest shakes with shuddering breaths of thank you over and over again

you rub your hand up and down his sturdy back soothingly

it is an action that simultaneously reciprocates his embrace and his crossed line of professionalism

one that starts the shift in dynamic between you both, boundaries of sought comfort blurring with friendship and then something more

where seonghwa is too trusting and too soft-spoken, you become his skepticism and his voice

“you should be more wary of others,” you always remind him

“and you should be more trusty of others,” he’ll retort

yet, he will never make a decision that does not receive your input nor one that you do not agree with

where seonghwa is too gentle and too humble, you become his sword and his shield

you do not waver when you strike down foe, and friends turned foe alike

you speak up and establish firm boundaries when others take advantage of the respect he shows everybody regardless of their class or status

and yet, if you find yourself on the receiving end of someone’s condescension or discriminatory treatment, be it due to your rank as a guard or identity as a woman, seonghwa will be advancing forward to defend you before you can do so yourself

where seonghwa is too innocent and too bushy-tailed, you become his eyes and his caution

your morning walks together always last for longer than they are scheduled for

he stops to watch every butterfly and bumblebee that flutters along the flowery path, and he waits for caterpillars to crawl onto a leaf that he holds by the stem so that he can move the critters off the pathway

you love to watch him and his glittering eyes, his cheeks rosy from happiness and from the air still crisp with morning dew

but you also make sure to watch his surroundings with greater vigilance because the quiet peace that the freshly awoken sun brings simultaneously increases the likelihood of a targeted attack against him

as much as you rib him for being a marshmallow personified, however, and as much as he banters back that you are more than welcome to resign at any time, neither of you want it any other way

seonghwa carries out a lot of gestures that he justifies to himself as being eternally grateful for you and the things you do for him

he likes to gift you flowers he has plucked from his garden or the bushes he walks past that remind him of you

(“that’s actually just a very pretty-looking weed, but thank you, seonghwa,” you tell him on more than one occasion)

(it’s adorable, because the next time he finds a flower, he goes to the length of certifying that it is indeed a flower with the merchant who sells bouquets in the nearby town before presenting it to you, eyes gleaming with pride)

you stand still and let him tuck a flower behind your ear, sometimes braiding your hair gently so that he can weave and secure the stem into your hair, holding your breath as his features fill with the same enrapturement that he would admire a beautiful artwork with

after you voice this out one day, seonghwa supposes to himself that there is not much difference between an artwork and you

not that he’s attracted to you or anything - you just…have an objectively attractive face

yes.

especially when your usually-piercing expression is softened by fatigue, guard no longer up as you sleep slumped over a desk while accompanying him during his late night of studies

he does not realise his feet have moved until he is right beside your resting form, as if the soft exhales escaping from your slightly parted lips are a siren’s song

seonghwa tenderly brushes your stray locks away from your face and behind your neck

except he forgets to account for the fact that you are trained to sleep on the brink of consciousness

the squeal that leaves his mouth when your reflexes kick in and you almost slit his throat resounds at a frequency so high you almost believe it comes from your own mouth

you have a grand time watching his beet red face stutter out an excuse as to what exactly he was doing so close to you

needless to say, that is the last time seonghwa ever tries to do anything while you are sleeping

but as much as he bumbles around, he also reveals his perceptiveness when you least expect it

like now, as you accompany the prince to one of his meetings with numerous advisors and ministers

it is relatively dull and uneventful, mostly a cordial appearance to maintain amicable and loyal relationships with his subjects

conversation is limited to pleasantries and at one point, seonghwa even points out the calligraphy paintings hung at the back of the room

everyone nods with throaty laughs as if the paintings are indeed the most exquisite and tasteful artworks they have ever laid their eyes upon

when you and seonghwa arrive back at his chambers following the conclusion of the meeting, he walks over to his bed and shakes the sleeves of his robe over the expanse of his duvet

and out drops a neatly-wrapped sweet, followed by another, then another, until there are enough to amount to two handfuls

baffled, you look at seonghwa, because these are the very same treats that had been plated on the tables during the meeting

“you smuggled candy out of the room?” you try to keep the amusement out of your voice

he peers into his sleeves to ensure there are no more stragglers, before turning to face you as he waves his hands over the small collection of goods on his bed

as if they are-

“for you!” he exclaims almost proudly. “i saw you eyeing them during the meeting so i took some for you”

okay

most definitely proudly

you feel something tickling you from within, as if he has reached through your chest to directly caress your heart with a delicate finger

“when did you even…” your voice trails off when it comes out a little fonder than you are expecting it to

“remember the paintings i pointed out?” seonghwa giggles, and you think that the hand in your chest is now cradling your heart completely. “i swiped the sweets when everyone was looking back at them”

“thank you, hwa,” you settle on saying, because you do not trust yourself to say anything else

that is more than enough for him, though

which, of course it is - this is seonghwa, with his huge heart that fills easily with the smallest of things

he eagerly hands you one of the treats and you unwrap it to place into your mouth

you’ve had these before, but this one that he has specially grabbed for you tastes remarkably sweeter

you wonder if his lips will taste the same…

but then you accidentally bite your tongue, hard enough to draw blood, and you realise just how wrong you are for letting those fleeting thoughts into your mind

because while you navigate the world in thick droplets of red and sharp glints of silver, seonghwa sees the world in soft hues of pastel and gleaming rays of yellow

how could the two palettes ever blend together harmoniously?

so instead, you grant yourself one last moment of selfishness and pull him into a hug, a gesture that toes the already shaky borders of professionalism yet can still be excused under the guise of friendship

you realise that he has always meant much more to you, but that is what this will stay as - a mere realisation

seonghwa wraps his arms around your form as he relaxes into the way your bodies naturally meld together

it’s strange how easily you slot into his life, his thoughts, his heart

he wonders whether it’s possible for feelings of appreciation to run so deeply and potently within somebody, like a drug that he cannot get enough of

and when you take a step away from him, leaving his chest feeling physically and emotionally empty, he wonders if he is perhaps…

in love with you

following that incident, it is almost as if a switch flips - both of you take several steps away from the line that has been danced around

but neither of you notice the distance because you are both consumed by your own thoughts

until one of your usual morning walks around the castle walls of his palace

seonghwa is wondering whether the bushes you walk past remind you of the flowers he used to gift you and you are debating whether to reach out to brush a petal out of his half ponytail

then, like deja vu, your eyes flicker towards the burst of movement as a figure covered in black comes darting forwards with their blade raised intended for murder

you immediately start to unsheathe your sword, feet poised and prepared to defend-

until you are harshly tugged back and the prince steps in front of you to parry the strike that the assassin tries to land

it takes your lifetime of training and experience to snap back into focus and thrust your sword into the enemy’s exposed side

when you are sure he is dead, you whirl around to descend upon seonghwa with a voice trembling from both anger and relief

“what in the world were you thinking?” you yell

“i-”

taking a step forward, you toss your sword to one side, “no, actually. you weren’t thinking at all”

“i was afraid that you would get hurt!” he takes his own step closer

“that is my duty!” the volume of your voice raises even more. “i am willing to lay down my life to ensure your safety! i have been guarding you for years now and you have never acted this way. what has changed?”

for a moment, the only sound that punctuates the silence is your harsh breathing

seonghwa swallows

“my feelings…” he whispers, a stark contrast to the peak of emotions you have been riding. “my feelings for you have changed”

your throat tightens at his words

it is your turn to whisper, a noise of confusion leaving your lips

he takes another step closer, bringing himself to stand right in front of you as he looks down earnestly into your eyes

“i’d rather be the protector, and you be the protected”

“but…why?” your heart races with anticipation

“because i’m in love with you”

right at the invisible border that has been separating you two for as long as you have been his guard, seonghwa now stands, hands wringing together as he awaits a response

“then that makes the two of us,” you confess

you step forward to take your familiar spot on the other side of the line, except this time you do not stop

you stride over the boundary completely to stand by his side

raising yourself onto your tiptoes, you pull him down slightly by the front of his doublet so that you can press a chaste kiss to the corner of his lips

it stretches wider and curves upwards under the nurturing of your own smile

you can’t help but give him another kiss on the other side of his mouth to match the one you just gave him

“from now on,” seonghwa starts, “i’ll be your sword”

you wouldn’t really, and you will fight him to let you continue being his guard, but that doesn’t stop one last teasing question from escaping you

“does this mean i get to retire?”

yunho

pov: you're part of a rebel group

the crown prince is not in his fucking library

for the past three weeks, the crown prince has always been in the royal library at night

until today

under normal circumstances, his royal guards and staff would be alerted to ensure that the deviance in routine is a conscious decision and not an issue of the crown prince missing

except doing that would make your job significantly harder…

considering you have been ordered to assassinate him.

you’re part of the ‘red sun’, a revolutionary movement aiming to overthrow the current monarch

following the debilitating state of the king after falling ill and the subsequent coronation of queen jeong into power, she has since then established numerous royal decrees to keep everyone under her reign on a tight leash

a leash made of barbed wire

people are quick to become resentful and thirsty for an end to the dictatorship and bloodline

although he has made limited public appearances, the crown prince has also developed a reputation rivaling the queen’s

within the second year of the jeong dynasty, red sun has already amassed a multitude of supporters

the focus is currently on growing in numbers, preparing for an imminent revolution and picking off corrupt royals and noblists, be it through incrimination or assassination

dealing with those in positions of higher power is a task only completed by an elite selection of red sun rebels who have distinguished skills and traits that set them apart from peasants and commoners

and you are amongst the elite team

which is why you find yourself staking out on the tiled roof of the imperial palace, clothed in black with a mask and hooded cowl covering your face that blends you in with the darkness of night, on the orders of a higher-up to assassinate the crown prince

except the target is missing; the information you were given is wrong

which never happens

you can’t risk staying around for much longer, especially now that the crown prince has broken his routine

he could be anywhere and so could his royal guards

you shift your body to a crouch and place your hands on the cool tiles beneath you, ready to leave

only to spot a figure, crouched just like you are, on the opposite side of the roof

their face is a black hole of nothing within the shrouded confines of their hood, but you can feel their gaze piercing into you all the same

you run

you scramble to the edge of the roof and nimbly leap off the curved eaves to the neighbouring structure of the study room

when you glance backwards, you see the man - physique now obvious - is keeping up easily along the stepping stones of roofs

this game of cat and mouse isn’t going to work for long

if you don’t get caught by him first, you’re both going to get caught by the palace guards

so you make a split decision and alter your next trajectory lower

keeping your arms outstretched for the eaves, you grab on tightly when your fingers touch the edge of the roof and use your core to kick your legs up to stop your body from slamming into the wall from the momentum of your jump

you let go and drop to the ground like a feline, noiseless, and slink towards a line of trees

then you wait

he’s good, you note to yourself, when the only sound that alerts you to his presence is the quick scuffle of his feet as he softens his impact against the wall and the muted thud of his body landing on the ground

“state your purpose,” he demands, voice low yet firm

you ignore him to ask, “who are you?”

now up close, you can see that the man is wearing attire almost the same as you are, identity also hidden by the his bandana and hood-

wait

even the dark red stitching that subtly replaces the original seam on the right shoulder of his outer clothing is the same

the same as those on the elite team

“one of you,” he confirms your suspicions

except you don’t recognise his voice nor his build

being one of the earliest members of the rebel organisation, you are familiar with all the members who carry out missions like yours

he is not one of them; not one you can trust yet

when you don’t speak, he adds on, “we need to go. the safehouse might be in danger”

he refers to the two of you so easily, as if you and him are an unspoken team

you cannot trust this man until you know for sure he is part of red sun, so you ask him

“when is red most beautiful?”

it is a vague question with a fixed answer

one that reflects the heart of the revolutionary itself

during the sunrise of a new beginning

“during the sunrise of a new beginning,” the man says resolutely

the tension releases from your shoulders

“okay,” you opt to abandon your original mission. “let’s check on the safehouse”

the man offers you a hand to hike yourself up onto one of the outer walls of the palace before he jumps up himself with ease

you both flip over the top and land in unison

the moon illuminates the ground beneath your feet as you both sprint into the surrounding forest

the safehouse is really just a small hut situated far enough from the palace to stay inconspicuous, yet not close enough to the outer borders of the kingdom to risk discovery by the frequent border patrols

you both slow down as you approach the clearing, steadying your breaths and treading with cautious steps

and then you hear it

the shattering clang of a desperate parry

all it takes is a quick glance at the man by your side before your eyes harden with purpose and your steps are dashing in unison towards the hut

you’re both hit with the smell of a metallic tang in the air, and it’s not from your drawn swords

bursting through the door, you quickly take in the scene before you

several red sun members are scattered around the hut and slumped in varying degrees of injury

it’s easy to spot the intruder; they’re yanking their sword out of a body’s torso as they simultaneously turn to look at you

and it’s hard to miss the royal insignia of the jeong monarch on their chest plate

you have the element of surprise

but only for the next few seconds

you leap forward with the thud of footsteps of your partner following almost immediately, side-stepping once you close the distance to dodge a haphazard swing

there’s a brief break in defense when the enemy tries to aim for another strike that leaves the gap in the side of their armour exposed

you feel the slight resistance of your sword entering flesh as you thrust it forward into them

except when you try to tug it back out, a hand grasps your own and the hilt of your sword, stopping you from stepping away

the enemy has realised they are not going to make it out of this alive

but if they are to die, then they are going to take one last person with them

you.

you see glint of metal as they use their other hand to swing their sword down onto you, only for it to be deflected at the last second by another sword

the man you have met for barely an hour is now at your side with his towering protectiveness

in one smooth kick, his long leg sends the other careening into the wall of the hut with a mighty slam

you feel yourself jerking forward from the enemy’s grasp still on your hand

but the man next to you quickly tucks you into his side before you are also sent sprawling

“check on the others,” he briefly says, and then he is striding towards the fallen intruder

you only spare him another quick glance and then you rush to the nearest figure on the ground

you go around checking for pulses, and for those who are still breathing, the extent of their injuries

there are several casualties but nowhere near as many if you and the man had not come to check on the safehouse

which suddenly makes you pause in your tracks

how did he know about the attack in the first place?

you stretch your legs from their squatted position next to one of the red sun members and turn around to confront him

except…the man has disappeared

and so has the intruder’s body

days later, the question of whether you will chance upon the man again tonight flits through your mind when you find yourself perched in the very same spot on the tiled roof of the palace that gives you a clear view of the royal library

you have received another order to assassinate the crown prince as soon as you see the opportunity arise

this time, the note is accompanied by a cyanide capsule, a non-verbal message that this mission is to occur with your life on the line

you spot him

he’s preoccupied by the scroll in his hand as he makes his way through the shelves of parchments

you wait until he’s walked far enough into the library before you drop down from the roof, keeping your stance low to ensure you stay hidden as you silently move closer

you take out the jagged dagger from its sheath by your waist as you anticipate it will be too difficult to wield your long sword in the narrow aisles

and there the crown prince stands

he has his back to you, exposing him to your mercy

mercy that you have no intention of showing him

the cruel heir to the throne of an even crueler dictatorship deserves none

“it’s you again, isn’t it?”

you freeze

the crown prince still has not turned around to address you, but you can feel the dark gaze of his eyes on you as if he were looking at you

“you were here a few days ago”

fuck

how he knows you have no idea

what you do know though is that you have about two seconds to make a move before you lose this chance to assassinate him completely, and quite possibly, lose your life as well

the pill you have hidden in the breast of your tunic feels heavy

“you are part of red sun, are you not?”

this time the crown prince does turn around to face you, but it isn’t the nonchalance with which he reveals your identity that makes your head reel

it is the warmth and softness in his gaze and the hint of a smile on his face that does

what the actual fuck

you’re convinced that the crown prince is not only heinous, but also batshit crazy

“i am,” you spit out at him, “with orders to assassinate you, in fact”

his mouth thins into a tight line, “the orders you have received are false”

“sounds exactly like something a crown prince would say to avoid being assassinated,” you scoff

but then his next words change everything

“red is most beautiful during the sunrise of a new beginning”

before you have time to fathom the bomb that has just been dropped, your heads swivel simultaneously towards the entrance of the royal library when a voice calls out for the crown prince

“hide,” he hisses urgently

and then he’s stepping further away to conceal your presence as best as possible

you hear the shuffle of footsteps approaching before they stop, dangerously close to where you’re crouched behind a bookshelf

“apologies for interrupting your time, crown prince,” they say

from where you are you can see the crown prince’s expression clear as he lets out a small huff, “i have told you many times to just call me yunho”

“of course, crown prince yunho”

even though you can’t see the other person’s expression, you can hear the amusement in their voice

they continue, “i have the information you have requested for”

“thank you,” you see him - yunho - receive a small scroll. “the queen does not know?”

“no, i made sure to be as discreet as possible”

yunho thanks the other once again and your eyes nearly fall out of their sockets when he bows his head in appreciation as he dismisses them

is this the same crown prince as the rumours?

and what is he doing behind his mother’s back?

you don’t realise you’ve been staring dumbly at him until he’s back in front of you with amusement on his face

he stands tall and proud, robes accentuating his stature and nobility

“who exactly are you,” you dare to ask

your voice is small - you feel small, crouched at his feet like a stark physical representation of the power he holds over you

but then he takes yet another step closer and kneels down so that your eyes meet at the same level

“i am the leader of red sun. the creator of the whole revolution”

your ankles actually do give out at that and you have to seat yourself on the floor

because how is any of this possible?

you must have voiced your thoughts out loud, because before you know it, yunho is crossing his legs and making himself comfortable on the floor right in front of you

it makes you feel so strange

the crown prince’s willingness to make himself an equal before you - and even to his staff from earlier

yunho starts to explain

a change in monarch, particularly one of such dictatorship, requires massive momentum and synergy; something he cannot produce alone nor without the support of the people

thus, red sun came into existence for the exact same reason you and all the other supporters have joined

in hopes of a sunrise one day that marks a new beginning

a new leadership

except recently he has had growing suspicious of the presence of a traitor within the organisation, which were confirmed the night the safehouse was attacked

“that night…that man was you,” you realise, “and that’s how you know who i am”

he nods, “and that’s also how i know your orders are false.” yunho nudges you playfully with his knee, “pretty sure i never ordered for my own assassination”

yunho continues to explain that he had taken the intruder back for interrogation, but then you frown when he reveals the enemy had swallowed a suicide pill before any information could be gained

he has an inkling that someone in a high position of power is involved, since the pills are almost impossible to gain access to, but it cannot be ruled out as a coincidence

“hang on,” you pull down the top of your tunic in a hurry

yunho scrambles to cover his eyes and turns his head as he jokingly sputters out, “woah okay, this is moving a little fast don’t you think?”

you tug impatiently on the sleeve of his robe, telling him to look

yunho hesitates for another second before lowering his hands and realising you have-

“a suicide pill?”

you look at each other, because this can only mean one thing

the pills are not a coincidence; the enemy is much closer than yunho would like

you’re both unsure how much time there is until the traitor decides to order someone else to assassinate yunho, or worse, decides to finish the job off themselves

but from that very night of discovery, you and yunho work together incessantly against a ticking time bomb

it’s a delicate balance between finding as many leads as you can and spreading out your investigations to stay under the radar

yunho tries to look further into the cyanide pills while you try to uncover any information regarding the order you had been given

whoever is behind it all has kept their tracks hidden well

there isn’t much to report from either of your ends whenever you sneak into the palace to meet up with yunho

but he makes it very hard for you to feel discouraged when he makes your meetings seem like casual catch ups between - you dare say - friends

you have yet to catch him by surprise whenever you drop down from the roof in front of him in an attempt to scare him; he has an uncanny ability to sense your presence

except, you think you prefer being unsuccessful, because your indignant grumbles never fail to bring out his toothy grin and an excited body jiggle

other times he is the one trying to fluster you

“remember that time you literally tried undressing yourself in front of me-”

“i was taking the pill out to show you!”

you bring your thumb and index finger closer together in front of your face and squint at the gap

“i am this close to changing my mind and assassinating you after all”

he gets a kick out of it, pretending to beg for your mercy, “oh please spare me, your majesty”

other times, yunho teases you for always keeping your cowl and mask on

“bet it’s because you’re ugly or something,” he jokes

and you bite back that he had his face covered too when you both met, so you’re one to talk, ugly

“but since then i’ve always shown you my face as the crown prince. you can see me nice and clear,” he suddenly leans forward, so close you can see the dip of his cupid’s brow. “what do you think about me now?”

you swallow hard

you’re glad you have your mask on because you can feel your face rapidly heating up

“i think…” you gently cup his jaw, “you look better with your mask on,” as you nudge his face to the side

you cannot help but join in with your own chuckles at his laughter and boyish glee

and eventually, you two have a breakthrough

yunho manages to trace the cyanide back to a traveling merchant operating under the guise of selling rare herbs and medicine

in the transaction ledger, there is an unusually large purchase under the name of ‘lee minjun’

“i’m sure i’ve seen the name before somewhere, but i can’t remember where,” yunho huffs

you let out your own huff at his elbow that has very naturally taken a rest on your shoulder

pulling out a stack of paper, you spread it out onto the table before you two

they are past records of certain red sun missions that, upon looking back, seem suspicious

“i noticed a mark on a couple of them, a drawing or character perhaps? except none of them are fully intact. it’s almost like the paper was accidentally marked”

you point them out to yunho in hopes that he will have a better idea

he doesn’t - not at first

not until he chances upon two that vaguely align with each other to form a clearer image

“this-” yunho runs his hand through his hair, “this is butler lee’s stamp. my father’s butler.”

the king’s butler?

lee?

your eyes snap to yunho’s, just as his meet yours

“lee minjun”

you sink back in your seat

there’s now definite proof that the king’s butler is at the very least involved

the question of why and what for remains

in fact, you and yunho would not put it past the queen either to be involved too

there is a long moment of shared silence as you both mull over what this means for the future

yunho breaks the silence first

“after this all ends…do you want to work for me, officially?” he clears his throat, “will you stay by my side?”

after this all ends

you two must still uncover butler lee’s motives; likely part of a much grander scheme involving queen jeong too

you two must still bring down the whole monarch; with the support of red sun, yunho needs to sit on his rightful throne

the sun has yet to rise but you can see the faint hues of orange and twilight blue in the horizon

the new beginning is close

and at that, something in you relaxes

crumbles and disintegrates with utter relief

“it would be my honour to stay by your side forever, yunho”

and then you are removing your hood and mask, daring to breathe and feel alive and hopeful for once

ironically, yunho chokes on air

you glance at him to find that he is unable to meet your eyes

you think your eyes are deceiving you because-

the tips of his ears are a glowing red

you could definitely get used to seeing the usually calm and collected crown prince become a shy, blushing mess

the corner of your mouth rises with smugness, “like what you see?”

“you should really keep your hood and mask on,” he mumbles

“and why is that?” you humour him

he finally looks at you

and when he sees the shit-eating grin plastered across your face, his shoulders suddenly fill out again with confidence and cockiness to match yours

“because,” his voice deep and flirtatious, “with a pretty face like that, you’re going to distract me from my duties”

yeosang

pov: you're in an arranged marriage with him

ever since you could understand the words coming out of your parents’ mouths, you have known that you will be married to yeosang

it just made sense

for the respective princess and prince of two powerful kingdoms to join together, leading to increased power and stronger allies

it is tradition for the pair to meet their chosen spouse for the first time only when both parties have turned sixteen, and even then, subsequent meetings are rare until the time of the actual wedding

so you spend the first sixteen years of your life infatuated with the idea of your prince charming - of prince yeosang - wondering what he looks like, what his personality is like, and how you two will fall in love

and when you finally reach that long-awaited first meeting, prince charming is everything and more than what you have envisioned

if angels with broken wings were exiled to earth, they would look like yeosang

he is soft-spoken and slightly reserved, as any awkward teenager meeting their future spouse would be, but you don’t miss the way that his eyes overflow with adoration and his shoulders shake with exuberant giggles whenever his little sister, yeoreum, comes tottering into the room

he always bends down onto one knee to match her eye level, uncaring of the stains that mark his pants even as his mother narrows her eyes in disdain, and he listens with utmost sincerity when yeoreum tells him about the secret pink and glittery fairy she spotted in the courtyard

they remind you of the relationship you share with your own little brother, juwon, who is barely half your age and height, yet has you wrapped around his little finger

you lean down closer with a hum at the soft tug on your dress to hear your little brother whisper conspiratorially into your ear, “he looks stupid”

if looks could kill, yeosang would be dead right now

you stifle a laugh as you flick juwon’s chin affectionately at his sudden display of childish jealousy

if anything, you’re pretty sure you are the one who looks stupid

stupidly in love

because walking away from that first meeting with yeosang and his family, you know that you are absolutely smitten for the prince

unable to quell the restlessness of having to wait until the next unforeseeable meeting, you pick up a quill that very same day you return to your palace and start writing

it takes you all night, the gentle gleams and winks of the stars keeping you company until they rotate shifts with the songs of the waking world

but by the time you have crossed out and scrunched your way through rolls and rolls of parchment paper, you are satisfied with the letter you have written

the letter addressed to prince yeosang, which you task eunju, one of your maids, with passing it to the royal couriers for delivery to the kang palace

it is a simple letter, thanking him for the enjoyable day, yet it holds the deeper message that you are interested in him and would like to become better acquainted before your marriage

you wonder whether his cheeks will flush a pretty red as his butler hands him your letter

whether he will trace his fingers delicately over the curve of your words

whether he will bite back a smile as he pictures you saying the words to him

two weeks pass, and you approximate the letter to have just been delivered to his kingdom

and although you desperately wish for him to immediately sit down with a quill in hand to pen out his reply, you wait and give him a week before you eagerly start counting down the days until the arrival of his letter

your whole life you have been able to wait patiently

you wonder what has changed now that mere weeks feel like an eternity

the day yeosang’s letter is due to arrive, you are sporadic bursts of giggles, twirls and skips throughout the palace

even juwon is starting to become sick of getting swept up into a crushing hug to the cheery tune of i loveee youuuu every single time you pass him

nothing can bring you down from cloud nine

only…the letter never comes

not the day after, not the week after, not the month after

you’re disappointed, of course, but you busy yourself with reasons why yeosang has not replied, and you don’t give up

you send him another letter, and then another, and another

sometimes you just tell him about your day - what made you smile, what made you sad, something interesting you saw, something your little brother said

other times you tell him about yourself - your hobbies, likes and dislikes, aspirations, fears

and you also wonder about him

you ask what he likes, what he smiles at, what makes him sad, what his dreams are

with each letter that you hand over to eunju to be delivered, it becomes harder and harder to stay optimistic - not even the words of encouragement from your favourite maid lifts your spirits

you continue like this for over a year, still yet to receive a reply

until-

you do.

it feels like you are brought back to that very night of your first meeting, feeling so very alive as hope and excitement cascade into your body the moment eunju hands you a letter with a smile

with shaking hands, you fumble to unpeel the wax seal and free the envelope’s contents - a single piece of paper, neatly folded

your mind races with anticipated words and explanations

perhaps he had been too shy to reciprocate your letters earlier

or perhaps your letters had been lost in transit

you unfold the parchment as the hairs on your skin raise in anticipation, only to find it blank save for one scrawled sentence in the middle of the paper-

stop sending me letters.

and just like that, the clock strikes twelve

your carriage reverts into a pumpkin

and your carefully curated story of prince charming disintegrates into ashes

you don’t write to him again.

years later, the stacks of parchment scrolls on the wooden desk of the guest room you are currently residing in feel like a fresh slap in the face each time your eyes land on them

they are a stark reminder of your very own letters, the cold rejection you received, and the irony of the only letter you ever received again following his being one from the kang monarchs, announcing the proceeding of the royal wedding between you and their son

now, only a few days newly-wed to yeosang, the king and queen are gracious enough to let you sleep in one of the guest rooms temporarily, under your claims of adjusting to a life in a new kingdom and as a wife

really, you are trying to avoid yeosang for as long as you can

you spend your time instead getting to know his little sister better, which is why you find yourself sitting side by side with yeoreum, legs dangling off the edge of your bed

she eyes the vase of flowers on your bedside table curiously, “did you buy that?”

“no,” you reach out to touch the baby’s breath, “someone delivered it to my room”

you had offhandedly mentioned to some of your staff the other day that flowers would make your room look more homey, and you had woken up the morning after to find the beautiful vase teeming with flowers next to you

“why?” you ask yeoreum when she hums thoughtfully

“it looks just like the vase in my brother’s room, but he’s weird about it. yeo never lets anyone touch it, much less have it”

you blanch a little, “in that case i’ll give it back to him later then”

“you don’t like it? or…you don’t like my brother? my brother talks about you a lot, you know,” she reveals

caught off-guard by her perceptiveness, you reveal that you have been hurt before

you don’t specify by what exactly or who it is that you’re talking about, but she seems to understand regardless

later that night, sweet yeoreum barges into yeosang’s room and with as much feistiness as she can muster, she glares at her brother and interrogates, “what did you do to make her upset?”

before he can so much as blink, yeoreum concludes, “you boys are dumb. go talk to her and fix it or something,” and then walks out with a huff

there’s no one there to witness it, but yeosang nods anyway

heart feeling a little heavy after your conversation with yeoreum, you head towards the kitchen to seek solace in the sweet pastry you are usually served each morning

the first time you tasted the danish pastry, decorated with strawberries and cream cheese, was when you had traveled to yeosang’s palace at the age of sixteen for your first meeting

you remember the blissful expression that had bloomed across your face with your initial bite, and no dessert ever captivated your tastebuds quite the same way ever again

if there is one good thing out of this arranged marriage with yeosang, then it would be the reunion between yourself and the strawberry danish

“your highness,” the head chef bows, followed by the rest of the staff in the kitchen, “how may we help you?”

when you ask for one of the pastries, the head chef apologises that there are none

“but we can make you one now, if you do not mind waiting”

you tell him not to go to the trouble and ease his worries, “i just thought there may have been leftover pastries”

“we make only one fresh every morning, specifically for you,” the chef explains, and confusion must settle across your features because he adds on, “his highness has expressed that you may like them”

oh?

flustered, you can only muster a short response of, “i do, thank you,” before you smile once more and excuse yourself

because of all people to notice and remember such a small detail, and then to go out of their way to put in the request with the kitchen on the off chance that it was still true, it was yeosang?

first the vase, and now this

you feel something deeply buried inside of you start to stir but you rush to nip it in the bud

your head and your heart are beginning to wage war against each other and suddenly everything feels like it’s too much

when you reach your bedroom, you throw open the double doors to step out onto the balcony, welcoming the chilling breeze of the darkening sky

you’re tired of fearing rejection if you open up

you’re tired of questioning yeosang’s intentions

and on top of it all, you suddenly miss home and you miss your parents and you miss juwon and-

“are you okay?”

yeosang’s soft question startles you, having missed his knocking at your door

he walks closer to join you out on the balcony when he sees that the answer is obviously a no, and he prompts you again, “what’s wrong?”

thoughts of vases and strawberry pastries flit across your mind

you start with half truths

“just missing my little brother”

“you love him a lot, don’t you,” yeosang smiles sweetly, “i can see it in the way you take care of yeoreum”

you can’t help the heat that slowly creeps up the back of your neck and to your ears, because it implies that he’s noticed all the times you’ve showered his little sister with the same love you give to juwon

it implies he’s noticed you

“what’s your fondest memory of juwon?” he asks when you nod

something within you thaws slightly at the fact that yeosang remembers your little brother’s name

you step closer to the edge of the balcony so that you can overlook the garden outside your room a little clearer, resting your hand on the railing as yeosang waits patiently

“we used to have this game we played. we had a lot of gardenia flowers growing around our courtyard and juwon loved cutting some to make me a mini bouquet,” you pause to shake your head with a chuckle, “it drove our mother nuts”

“doesn’t sound like it stopped him from continuing though, did it?” yeosang questions with mirth

“no, it didn’t,” your heart aches with fondness. “he would use a certain number of gardenias and make me guess what phrase containing the same number of letters he had in mind”

it never failed to tug your mouth into a smile whenever juwon giggled at your attempts to guess the flower phrase, even when most times he would bound away whilst singing answers like y-o-u s-t-i-n-k or d-u-m-b d-u-m-b

yeosang supports himself on the railing with one hand as he nearly folds in on himself in laughter, and before you know it, you too are gasping for air and wiping away tears from your eyes

when you both calm down relatively enough, only intermittent chuckles leaving your lips, yeosang clears his throat and scratches his neck awkwardly

“i know it might not be much, but maybe we can go out into town tomorrow and it might take your mind off things? and we can bring yeoreum along if that makes you feel more comfortable, because you’ve probably spent more time alone with her than you have with me?”

you don’t admit it, but you’re already feeling a little better, so you decide to tease, “are you asking me out on a date right now, kang yeosang?”

“oh, well, we’d be doing things a little backwards since we’re already like, married…but, yes? maybe? is that okay?”

it’s yeosang’s turn to flush a deep red as his usually composed demeanor is reduced to stutters, but you don’t notice under the faint glow cast by the moon now reigning the sky

“yeah, that’s okay”

you and yeosang smile fondly as your little trio stroll through a nearby town the following morning, his younger sister skipping ahead to peer at the colourful trinkets being sold at the market stalls, and your own small squad of royal soldiers following behind at a respectful distance

it’s kind of endearing how yeosang points out item after item, asking whether you like it or whether you find it pretty, in a not-so-subtle attempt to learn about your preferences

you have to stop him from buying you something from every second stall you both pass, but you’re unable to convince him from purchasing a small wooden toy as a gift for juwon, insisting that you give it to your little brother the next time you see him

the more you actually interact and talk with yeosang, the harder you find it to associate him with the memory of the yeosang in your rejected letters

because the equation of the letters, the vase and the pastries just does not add up

as you two sit under the awning of a small shop, watching yeoreum play with the shopkeeper’s dog, you find yourself unable to hold back anymore

“why didn’t you reply to my letters?” you break the silence, trying to hide the hurt laced in your voice

yeosang looks at you with wide eyes as his mouth stutters open

and in the smallest voice you have ever heard him speak with, he says

“you wrote me letters?”

your eyebrows knit together as your eyes dart back and forth between his, searching for any hint of deception

“too many to count,” you confess, “until you sent a letter telling me to stop…”

“impossible. i never got your letters”

your head recoils back as you try to make sense of his words, “but-”

“wait,” he interrupts

yeosang reaches into his robes, pulling out a small, wooden block, extending it out closer to you as he asks, “do you recognise this?”

upon closer inspection, you realise it’s a square seal stamp

it has the character ‘姜’ carved into it and you’ve seen it enough times to know it represents the kang family name - but the inscription that stylises the border is unfamiliar

“not the seal, no”

he swallows apprehensively, “i stamp all my letters with this to certify authenticity”

you let his words sink in as they throw you into a sandstorm of bewilderment

“but then-”

but then who wrote the letter?

and where did all your letters go?

the only people who would have known about them would be the royal couriers and…eunju

a memory flashes through your mind - the moment she handed you a letter with a smile

no, not a smile, you realise

a smirk

you are simultaneously overwhelmed with betrayal, guilt and apologeticness

yeosang doesn’t push you for a response, and you come to recognise that you are also grateful

“i’m sorry for doubting you,” you tell him

it’s nowhere close to the amount of things you want to confess, but it is a start, one that yeosang picks up on and understands immediately

“no, i’m sorry you felt the need to doubt me,” he offers. “that i didn’t make you feel loved enough”

“but i did, actually. the vase and the pastries, then our conversation last night…and even today”

he blushes a deep red as you list the things off with your fingers

“you weren’t meant to find out about the first two,” yeosang admits as he ducks his head shyly

then he suddenly perks up with a sudden thought

he ruffles inside his satchel that had been abandoned to one side, mumbling, “my sister said i did something to upset you…so i um, got you these”

he turns around to reveal a bouquet of flowers, looking a little rough for wear after being hidden in his bag all morning, but his clumsy consideration only serves to makes your heart skip dangerously

“forgive me?” he asks cheekily, and you both giggle at the absurdity of his question because it should very well be the other way around

“if you insist,” you take the bouquet into your hands

and finally, you allow the chains around your heart to fall away, “i can’t say no to my husband, can i?”

yeosang lets out a little squeak as you look at the bouquet more clearly, counting the number of flowers

you turn to ask if he remembers the game you told him about, but the way yeosang suddenly finds the patch of dirt near his foot absolutely fascinating tells you everything that you need to know

eight flowers

eight letters

i l-o-v-e y-o-u

4K notes · View notes

holybibly · 4 days

Text

𝔐𝔶 𝔏𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔰 | Seonghwa x reader

Pairing: Emperor Seonghwa x Virgin Bride reader Summary: You dreamed that your love would be like a cherry blossom - tender and beautiful, but instead you are going to get married to the Great Emperor of the Park Dynasty - the cruel and depraved "Lunar Dragon" Park Seonghwa.

Genre / Au / Trope : Smut, historical!AU, arranged marriage!AU, s2l, Royal!AU, Rating: 18+ / 21+ / MDNI Word count: 11.6 k

Warnings: Unprotected sex, deflowering, corruption kink, first time, virgin kink, fingering, degrading, pet names, size kink, dirty talk, explicit sexual content, explicit language, oral, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, сreampie, rough sex, rough oral, power play, praise kink, and more.

net: @cultofdionysusnet A|N: Bunnies, as promised, I am going to spoil you with something absolutely glorious and wicked at the same time. Elegant depravity, that's what this is. Although I struggled to make this work, it has turned out to be absolutely amazing. I hope you're going to love Emperor Seonghwa as much as I love him. Have fun, bunnies, tonight is the night of the fall of the stars.

ℌ𝔬𝔩𝔶 𝔅𝔲𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔗𝔞𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 @tiny-apocalypse @captain-joongz @alicedawitchbish @woohwababes @wlv-asteria @wisejudgedragonhairdo @mingisprincesss @lavishloving @teagietots @spooo00oky @sousydive @hwapou @bunnliix @softwsan @mjyungi @fantasy2wonderland @noirsfantasy @cassies-cookies @renaholicss @luffypants @hyukssunflower @watermelon2319 @peachygiku @bunnyxoxodarling @stolasisyourparent @soranosnowbunny @certifiedmoa @sanglix @slvtiny @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @hecateslittlewitchling @xxawl @pastellbunno @starlletsblog @seonghwasstar @hwanring @vtyb23 @pearltinyy @minjaeum @chasevixx @bomi-ja @onedumbho3 @sanglix @cursedeastern @itza-meee @pinkies-things @atinism @mxnsxngie @nenefix-on @therealcuppicake @annafeebou @sharksandminhos @@lixies-pixieboy @@vampzity @0rangemilk @yellow-foxxing

"Mom, I'm so frightened..." You barely whisper as you sit in front of the luxurious, heavy, gold-framed mirror as servants scurry about you, combing your long, jet-black hair and gathering the smooth, silky tresses into a traditional wedding hairstyle. Massive gold jewelry set with rubies and topaz framed your head and secured your long scarlet veil—the veil of a virgin bride. You stared at your reflection in the mirror with large, wide-open eyes full of anxiety, your hands trembling nervously as you clasped the thin silk of the white robe in your lap. Your whole body was slightly shuddering with a sense of fear and dread that bound your chest like stems of icy roses full of sharp thorns, which wrapped around your delicate, pale bones and prevented you from taking a full breath. It was so natural to be afraid, not only of the fact that in a few hours you would be the wife of a great and powerful man, a man who had power over everything in your world—the greatest emperor of the Park Dynasty, "Lunar Dragon" Seonghwa—but also of your first wedding night.

"You should be proud of the fact that the Great Emperor has chosen you out of a million other girls, Y/N. His Majesty Emperor Seonghwa wants you and only you, and you must obey his wish without questioning and be the wife he would admire. You have my meaning, Y/N." Your mother said. She looked at the magnificent crimson robe, richly embroidered with gold thread, that the Emperor had chosen for you. The robe was magnificent, a perfect embodiment of His Majesty's exquisite taste and the ancient traditions of the ruling Park dynasty. Only surpassed by the brilliance of the great stars themselves and the hypnotic glow of Emperor Seonghwa's dark feline eyes were the stars and moons embroidered on the seemingly endless tail of your wedding gown. "After all, the empress must be a virgin when she ascends the throne; that is the tradition, and your purity and chastity will give the emperor a strong heir." Your mother's voice was calm and unemotional. It was as if she were talking about the most mundane of things, not your virginity.

Your mother had explained to you many times how things were going to go down on your wedding night. She hadn't gone into great detail, only saying that you should do your best to please the Emperor. But now you had a good idea of what would happen when you were alone with the Seonghwa, and it couldn't help but frighten you.

The marriage contract between your family and the ruling Park dynasty was made almost immediately after the birth of the current Emperor Seonghwa. Your family had many daughters, each one more beautiful than the one before. You never thought that you, the youngest of them all, would be the future wife of the Emperor. You had only met Seonghwa once, and then only briefly, remembering only his blowing in the wind silk robes, turquoise, and his long hair, the most beautiful shade of sakura blossom.

But you have heard many gossipy stories about Seonghwa, and they filled you with fear and kept you awake at night.

He was a cruel ruler—overbearing, selfish, proud, and arrogant. And Seonghwa was also absolutely insatiable; all the servants in the palace whispered about what a huge sexual appetite the emperor had and that his poor virgin bride would not be able to properly satisfy his hunger and desires. He had a huge harem of girls and handsome, exquisite young men who rotated in and out of His Majesty's chambers with an enviable frequency. Seonghwa never fucked the same concubine more than once. He could point his finger at anyone who interested him, and that person would be in his bed in no time. And tonight you will have to share his bed, and unlike the concubines who spend the night with him and then disappear into the luxurious gardens of the harem to continue their lives, you will have to stay by his side until death do you part, serving and worshipping him as your emperor and husband. And, of course, you will have to provide him with an heir—preferably more than one.

The purpose of your life is the continuation of the dynasty.

You were intensely jealous of all your sisters, who were free to choose their husbands, who were free to marry for love, now that you would be the bearer of the unbearable burden of the crown. You never asked for it; you never wished for it. Seonghwa was extremely wealthy; he was the most powerful ruler in the world. He enslaved and conquered lands as if it were child's play. Even though the Emperor showered you with jewelry and gave you lavish gifts to marry, you didn't care. He would never love you, and you couldn't imagine a world where you could have love and desire for a man who knew nothing but the flames of war and debauchery.

"I'm very scared of him, Mum..." You said again as you watched one of the maids place a golden hairpin set with a black onyx into your hair, given to you by one of the Seven Great Generals of Seonghwa, Choi San.

The dark-eyed demon had given it to you personally this morning, and looking at the man's otherworldly beauty, you couldn't help but think of the rumors that the generals were bound to Seonghwa not only by the battlefield and the hot blood that ran down their arms like scarlet rivers, but also by the silk sheets of the emperor's bed. And perhaps the devilish gleam in San's eyes as his plump, soft lips pressed sensuously against your wrist in a sign of respect meant that you would be able to confirm or deny the rumor in no time at all.

Right now, all you wanted was for your mother to make everything better for you, to spare you from the fears and terrible thoughts that swirled around in your head like a swirl of falling sakura petals, the color of which reminded you of Seonghwa's hair. You were a grown girl, hours away from becoming Empress, but there was a small part of you that longed to be safe and comforted by your mother. You wished with all your heart that she would be able to make Emperor Seonghwa change his mind and choose one of your sisters instead of you.

But it was impossible to do that. No one in this world had the right to go against the wishes of the great Emperor 'Lunar Dragon' Park Seonghwa. He chose you without even bothering to explain why, simply pointing his finger at you as you spent time with your sisters in the Imperial Garden during one of your family's visits to the palace.

"She will be my Empress. She will be mine." Seonghwa said, and you saw the eyes of your mother glisten with tears that had not been shed.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." Your mother whispered to you. "But perhaps the Emperor will be a good husband. If he wants to have strong and healthy heirs, he'll have to treat you well."

Your mother tried so hard to be brave for you, and you were forever grateful to her for that. In your family, it was always believed that a man had to treat his wife well if he wanted her to bear him a large number of children. And your father really did idolize her, judging by the fact that your mother gave birth to nine children. You could only hope that Emperor Park would follow this wisdom, but you really had doubts that Seonghwa would make any effort to honor and follow your family's traditions. He probably didn't care about anything except increasing his power and satisfying his animal sexual desires.

Seonghwa was a true dragon, not only by blood but by nature. A predatory beast dressed in silk robes and glittering jewels.

"I will do my best to please him." You murmured, and you immediately heard the soft chuckle of a maid tucking a veil into your hair. You cast an angry glance at the slender girl, and her cheeks flushed in an instant. But you could understand the reason for her laughter. What pleasure could a virgin give an experienced and lecherous emperor, whose luxurious bed was warmed by the most beautiful and seductive girls and boys in the empire?

It was a bit of a delusion on your part to wish for that. Most likely, Songhwa would see you as just another beautiful thing in his collection, spending the rest of your life bearing children and sitting on a velvet cushion. Once the wedding ceremony was over, you would be nothing more than his next great conquest.

"Give me your hand, My Lady." Another of the maids spoke to you politely, and you reluctantly held out your cold palm to her. The girl carefully placed a heavy gold bracelet on your wrist, engraved with a dragon with rubies glinting ominously in its eyes; it was more like a shackle, another gift from the General, this time given to you by the magnificent Kim Hongjoong.

As you knew, Hongjoong was not only one of the seven generals and Seonghwa's confidant, but also his close childhood friend, with whom he grew up and shared everything in his life. Hongjoong was also the one who visited you more often than the other generals. He had a devilish gaze and a sly curve of blood-red lips, and he instilled in you the same animal terror as Seonghwa himself. You thought that everything he touched or said had an ulterior motive, and frankly, you didn't really want to know the true meaning of his actions, but the smile he gave you last night when he handed you the bracelet left you no choice. Sooner or later, you will find out, but by then, it will be too late to try to escape the Golden Emperor's cage. Your life, like your body, will belong to Seonghwa from now on.

You swallowed hard as the maids began to remove the robe from your shoulders. It exposed your sun-untouched skin.

"My Lady, it is time..."

You could hear your mother sobbing softly as the bloody silk flowed down your body. She seemed to be holding back the tears from all of them for your sake. Your heart was beating faster, and your fingers were starting to tremble. You were only a few hours away from your inevitable destiny and several miles of ceremonial procession, at the end of which would be the Great Lunar Dragon, Seonghwa Park.

The anxiety of it all almost made your stomach hurt.

The wedding ceremony was grand; your golden palanquin was carried solemnly down a street strewn with flowers and silk ribbons to the cheers of the crowd welcoming their new Empress. The flash of his cherry blossom hair and the firm, possessive palm of his hand that took yours before leading you up the great staircase 'to heaven' are all you can remember of Seonghwa. It was all a blur to you—the rich scent of incense and flowers making your head spin and a nervous knot tightening in the pit of your stomach. Your hands were cold in the Emperor's hot palms as you made your marriage vows. Your lips trembled as you swore to be his precious wife and to carry the burden of a great empire on your shoulders as his Empress. Tears welled up in your eyes.

Songhwa's soft, velvety voice whispered in your ear, "You belong to me.".

Nothing in the universe could have prepared you for his kiss - fiery, passionate, and hungry, it seemed as if Songhwa wanted to drink your soul through that kiss, to consume you whole, to turn your will and your desires to ashes. You heard the rapturous cheers of the seven generals and other cronies of the ruling Park dynasty. The Emperor's graceful palm encircled your neck from behind and pulled you closer to him. Your knees buckled, and you could barely breathe as Songhwa's long, hot tongue took possession of your mouth, wrapping around your own tongue and sliding across your palate and the inside of your cheeks. His thumb pressed lightly against the pulsing vein in your neck, your pulse racing beneath his soft fingertip as his teeth dug into your plump lower lip, almost biting to the blood.

You wanted to scream in pain, but there were too many people around—too many angry tongues dripping venom—just waiting to start gossiping about you. So instead, you tried to distract yourself from the pain and focus on something else.

But instead, your eyes were captured by the seductive gaze of the siren belonging to none other than General Jung Wooyoung. His full, sensuous lips parted as if he were enjoying the kiss itself, the sharp tip of his tongue sliding across the soft, red flesh of his lower lip, leaving him glistening and moist. You had the feeling that his dark, almost black eyes were gliding over your body. His gaze was shamelessly undressing you, while his friend, his Emperor, was devouring your mouth with a hungry, passionate kiss. You looked away in shame and embarrassment.

When Seonghwa finally let go of you and allowed you to take a long-awaited deep breath, you felt like you were going to faint. Just a small glimpse of what awaited you on your wedding night sent shivers of fear down your spine.

"You belong to me. Forever." Seonghwa whispers again, and you have a full understanding of the meaning of his words. Yes, you really do belong to him right now.

When it's time for you to leave the ceremony and prepare for your first wedding night, you almost start to gasp. You catch San's dark, demonic gaze as he leans over to whisper something into General Kim's ear. His words cause Hongjoong's blood-red lips to curl into an evil, almost devilish grin. Even through the many layers of heavy silk, you can feel the flames of his gaze burning through your skin.

"Your Majesty..." You turn your head to the side, only to find yourself facing the goddess Aphrodite herself, in the form of a man. General Kang Yeosang has always held a special place in your heart. Gentle and elegant like an exotic flower, his speech always soft and soothing, and his deep, velvety voice like the call of a chamois. Seonghwa's hair may have been the color of delicate sakura petals, and his eyes may have been brighter than all the stars in the endless midnight sky, but that was just a facade to hide the lustful and cruel devil that lurked inside. Yeosang, on the other hand, in spite of his wicked beauty, was the very embodiment of an angel. You will have heard the servants of the palace call him the Black Swan of the Empire.

Yeosan's soft and gentle nature might have reassured you and even given you some semblance of comfort before Seonghwa ravaged your body and took what was now his—your virginity. But the sensual curve of his plump lips and the hungry glint in the dark eyes of the siren, General Jung Wooyoung, who now extended his palm to you in an inviting gesture, sent an icy shiver down your spine. You rarely saw Wooyoung, and when you did, there was always a decent distance or several other people between you, so you had never felt his presence as close as you did now, and you had never been so fascinated by the sharpness of his face or the small mole under his eye, and this feeling frightened you as much as it frightened Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

"Your Majesty, it's time for you to go." As he turned to you, Wooyoung's voice was sultry and hoarse. It made you feel as if the flames themselves were licking at your body or at the lips of your lover in the heat of a forbidden caress.

"I...my maids should see me out. General Jung, thank you." You bite your lip nervously and look around, hoping to find your maids and avoid the two generals' eyes on you, but instead you see Seonghwa watching you intently, his head tilted slightly to the side, a few soft pink strands falling onto his gorgeous face. If he could only have a breath, it would be majestic. Seonghwa was indeed the true embodiment of the divine Lunar Dragon.

"His Majesty, the Emperor Seonghwa, has ordered us to escort you to his chambers in person." It was Yeosang's voice this time. Something about the way he said your husband's name aroused you, and not in the most pleasant way.

"I... I'm not quite sure, General Kang." You have an almost pathetic look on your face, an attempt to delay the inevitable, and to be honest, you had no desire to be in the company of any of the seven illustrious generals right now.

Wooyoung just grinned mischievously at your words, obviously finding you very amusing. As he leaned closer, his lips almost touched your earlobe, and you could smell the scent of sandalwood emanating from his caramel skin.

"Don't make him wait, dear. Seonghwa is an impatient and passionate lover; the longer you resist him, the harder he will be with you, and we don't want a jewel like you to be injured, do we?"

"Stop it, Wooyoung; you're scaring her." Yeosang hisses, but does nothing to contradict the words of General Jung.

You swallow noisily and silently place your cold, clammy palm in Wooyoung's hand, letting him and Yeosang escort you to the Emperor's quarters. The last thing you notice as you leave the Ceremonial Hall, where the noisy festivities of the Imperial Wedding will continue until dawn, is the sensual curve of Seonghwa's luscious, plump lips as he smiles at you and the glimmer of ominous rubies in the eyes of the golden dragon on the very same bracelet you wear on your arm, jingling on Hongjoong's slender wrist as he lazily waves goodbye to you.

"You don't have to worry that hard, Y/N." Wooyoung says as he pulls the heavy silk of your wedding gown off your shoulders, and you might have resented the familiarity with which he addressed you if you hadn't felt the glide of his fingertips over your bare skin. The whole situation was confusing, to say the least. Completely beyond any conscious explanation, two great generals of the Empire are now acting as your personal maids, helping you change your dress, removing your jewelry, and unraveling the intricacies of your wedding hairstyle.

Letting them treat you like a doll, undressing you layer by layer, and exposing more and more of your body to their dark gaze, you didn't know how to react or what to say. Wooyoung's breath was hot on the back of your neck, while Yeosang's cold fingers brushed over your collarbones as he removed the massive gold necklace. They continued their actions until you were left in the thin white dress that was the base of your outfit, and the only jewelry you wore was a black onyx stud given to you by San and, as it turned out, a paired bracelet from Hongjoong.

"Everything will be alright, Your Majesty." Yeosang gently ran his thumb over your wrist, the feel of your pulse racing under his touch. He liked the fact that he was making you nervous; your reaction brought a smile to his beautiful lips. Wooyoung's arms wrapped around your waist for a second, and his firm, hot chest pressed tightly against your back. You could swear you could feel his heart beating through your skin at that moment; he was so close to you.

"We will leave you now, my... Empress." It was almost as if he whispered the last word into your skin. "Enjoy your night." His touch was gone as suddenly as it had appeared, and you could feel the cold air of the room now caressing you as General Jung's hot body moved away from you.

"Try to relax and let Seonghwa take care of you; I promise nothing terrible will happen to you." Yeosang leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on your cheek before following Wooyoung out of the room, leaving you all alone—completely confused, frightened, and not knowing what to expect from Seonghwa if his generals could afford to treat you like this.

"Lunar Dragon" - the great Emperor Park Seonghwa is standing in front of you. His luxurious long hair, the colour of sakura petals, was still partially gathered on his head by long crystal hairpins. Teardrop-shaped crystals were dangling from them. He had replaced his heavy ceremonial robes with a light mantle of the most beautiful snow-white silk you've ever seen - dragons embroidered in silver and turquoise danced on the fabric like in the clouds. You can see his naked, chiseled torso, his muscular chest rising and falling to the rhythm of his measured breathing. Seonghwa's appearance is completely relaxed, but everything about him is a scream of the majesty and power he has over this world. He notices the way your eyes slide down his body, his lips curling into a satisfied, smug grin. You blush and lower your eyes to the floor.

Your heart is beating at breakneck speed against your ribs, and you have the feeling that Seonghwa can easily hear the sound. Your mother told you that you might feel aroused when you were alone with the Emperor, that you would want to touch his body, taste his lips, feel his hot hands on you, and maybe even feel his mouth on your private parts, but you... you didn't want to. You didn't feel aroused at all. You were afraid of Seonghwa, and after what Wooyoung had said to you in the ceremonial hall today, you were even more afraid of him, and no amount of assurances from Yeosang that everything would be all right could change your mind. You were afraid to even look him in the eye, and you clutched the fabric of your dress nervously in your hands, trying to calm yourself.

"My Emperor, are you going to hurt me today?" You were so stupid, good Lord, you couldn't think of anything else to say? Apart from the wedding vows, these were the first words you'd ever spoken to him directly, and you couldn't think of anything else to say: "Will you hurt me?" For some strange reason, you expected that after the wedding you would magically feel like a different person, that after saying your vows, your animal fear of Seonghwa would disappear. It didn't happen at all. You continued to feel frightened and ignorant, and completely at the mercy of the Emperor.

You could feel the weight of his heavy, hypnotic gaze on your skin as he silently scanned your body through the thin, transparent dress that you wore. He was looking at you shamelessly and greedily, and it only served to increase your fear. Seonghwa's long fingers cupped your chin and lifted your face. The soft pad of his thumb is pressed against your lower lip. You hesitantly met his gaze, your eyes instantly held hostage by the magnetic, bottomless eyes of the Emperor. Sharp and soft, demonic and angelic, sparkling like eternal stars and impenetrable like the thickest darkness, you had never met anyone with such eyes. His almost black irises flickered like flames, as if they were absorbing the glow of the candlelight.

"Is that the way you are supposed to address your husband, hmm? Call me by my name." Seonghwa's command to you. The sound of his voice was like liquid silk. Seonghwa grabbed your chin with his graceful hand and tilted your head even higher. You had to strain your neck to hold his gaze with your eyes.

"M-my Emperor..." Your voice trembles, and in spite of the clear command, you say something completely different from what Seonghwa wants you to say.

His finger presses harder against your lip, the sharp nail digging into the soft flesh in a painful way, and your mouth opens automatically.

"I want to hear you say my name, my love. And you need to obey without questioning, darling. You don't want to upset me. Do you?" Seonghwa's tone of voice is still soft and velvety, but you can hear the small hint of a hidden threat in his words. And it is scaring the hell out of you right now. To be honest, you don't want to say his name at all. There's something about it that feels like an irreversible end, like if you say it out loud, you're going to lose any semblance of controlling your life. But there can be no disobedience, especially not now.

"Seonghwa." It's easier than you thought, but for some reason, his name still leaves a bitter taste on the tip of your tongue.

He turns away from you, instead walking over to the luxurious bed and lowering himself smoothly onto it. The flaps of his robe swing further open, and the wide silk collar slides off his shoulders as he sits down on the soft feather bed. You can't help but admire the Emperor for a moment as strands of pink hair fall across his handsome face.

His eyes narrowed predatorily for a second. His gorgeous, god-like face takes on a sharp, animal beauty, but it's only for a moment before his expression becomes majestically relaxed again.

"There you are, good girl." His praise is as condescending as if he were addressing one of the many maids in the palace instead of his Empress. Without taking his eyes off you, Seonghwa pushes his thumb fully into your mouth, pressing it against your tongue's soft, slippery surface. Your eyes widen at the action. "Lick it." He gives the order again, and you weakly run your tongue along the pad of his finger, leaving a thick trail of saliva on it. Then he pulls the finger out of your mouth, takes a step back, and, looking you in the eye, pushes the wet finger into his mouth. His plump lips close in an erotic way around the long appendage as he sucks weakly on it. Heat floods your whole face at this seemingly innocent act, but when Seonghwa does it, it looks so damn lewd and lascivious.

"Strip for me." Seonghwa's voice commands you.

The cold air of his chambers was now licking at your skin, causing your sensitive nipples to tense and swell in response. Embarrassed, you covered yourself with your arms and crossed your legs slightly to hide your pussy from the dark, burning gaze of the Emperor. At that moment, Seonghwa reminded you of a huge, contented cat that had gotten the cream. He leaned back slightly on his hands on the bed, arching his back and tilting his head to the side, making the muscles in his long, thin neck tense. Seductive wasn't a strong enough word to describe the way the Emperor looked right now. Depraved? Vicious? Devilish? Maybe it was all of those things at the same time.

Your cheeks were burning with embarrassment. His command was clear and precise, and the fear of being completely vulnerable in front of him made your heart beat even faster. Your fingers trembled as you reached for the wide waistband of your dress. It had all happened so very quickly. Your mind had barely had time for a moment's reflection. You knew that it was best to obey him and not question what he wanted. Carefully, you unbuckled the belt, and the dress slid gently down your body before it spilled out in a puddle of silk on the floor at your feet.

"I-I... do you like it?" You asked him. Your voice was barely above a whisper. God, it was so embarrassing. Would this happen every time you shared a bed with him? You lowered your eyes to the floor, unable to bear to look at his hungry, lustful gaze.

"Ain't you a pretty little jewel, huh? It was so sweet of you to ask me that. Now take your hands away, so that I can see the whole of your pretty body."

His words caused you to let out a soft squeak, as you were completely shocked. It was humiliating, to say the least. It was one thing to be lying naked under someone else, but it was a lot more vulnerable to find yourself completely naked in the middle of the room. But there was no way you could forbid the Emperor to look at your body the way he wanted to. The words he had spoken earlier were still running through your mind: "You belong to me." So you obeyed him once more, even though everything in your heart was telling you not to.

"What's a gem? Are you so embarrassed already?" Seonghwa laughed grimly as he looked at your naked body; his eyes lingered on your pussy as he sensually ran the tip of his long tongue over his plump, sensual lips. "Come closer to me, darling."

God, it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, but obviously the Emperor had thought a lot about how to make you squirm without even touching you. You took a couple of steps forward until you were standing between his legs as they spread apart.

"Now turn around for me." His voice dropped a couple of octaves, the velvety tone getting darker and more husky. Your face turned even more red, and your lips began to quiver. You slowly turned away from him so that he had a good view of your bottom. You could feel his predatory eyes on the small of your back and his greedy gaze on your crotch. You almost screamed as you felt his hands on your hips, pulling you down with all their might until you were sitting on the bed between his legs. Seonghwa pressed his body against your back, and it reminded you of Wooyoung, but that thought disappeared as quickly as it had appeared when his hands cupped your breasts and his full lips were pressed against your ear. "You're supposed to please me, you know." He said. His hot breath flowed over the soft skin of your ear with each letter of the word he spoke. It sent a shiver down the length of your body. "Remember this." He squeezed your breasts roughly, causing you to give a soft whimper.

"Yes, Your Majesty…" You breathed out.

Your breasts were terribly sensitive under his rough and skilled hands, and you were so overwhelmed by the sensation that you collapsed completely into his arms. You had no idea how pleasurable it could be; you'd never played with your boobs before. As Seonghwa's long fingers brushed lightly over your swollen nipples, a soft moan of pleasure escaped your open lips.

"You're so sensitive, my little jewel, and that's what I love about virgins; you're all so sweet and shy, you blush and whimper at the slightest touch. But do you know what it is that I love the most?" Seonghwa asked you as he gently twisted your nipples with his long, thin fingers, making you moan and shake your head in a negative way. "Most of all, I love to see the look on their pretty faces when I stretch their tight little cunts with my big, thick cock. I love the sound of them moaning my name as they cum on my tongue." God, that was just too much.

The combination of the Emperor's deep, hypnotic voice and how dirty and disgusting his words were almost made you whimper pitifully. His hands continued to play expertly with your heavy, plump tits, massaging and squeezing the flesh as his fingers tweaked and pulled at the hard, sensitive nipples. The tender skin of your breasts reddened under his firm grip. Unconsciously, you rested your head on his shoulder, becoming more and more lost in the sensation of his touch on your body.

"But you are my shining star; you are special to me, unlike those whores who live only with the thought of being filled with Imperial sperm. They will never be able to stand in your shoes, and none of them will ever be the mother of my heir. None of them will ever be my Empress." One of his hands slid down your belly until his hot palm cupped your pussy in a possessive way. His long middle finger pressed between your labia to feel the moisture that had accumulated there. Your breath caught in your throat as Seonghwa pulled roughly on your nipple, his palm pressing even harder against your cunt. "I'm going to fuck that virgin pussy until your belly swells up with my heir." His lips brushed against your ear again, and he whispered in a sultry voice. "And maybe it won't just be mine, if you know what I mean."

Seonghwa began to kiss your neck, leaving scorching, open-mouthed kisses on your skin. His lips were plush and moist as they glided over the sensitive veins and nerves, which flowed in bluish, translucent rivers beneath the pallor of your skin. You moaned and unconsciously pressed your pussy harder against his hand as Seonghwa's teeth bit into a particularly sensitive spot on your neck. The Emperor ran the tips of his fingers along the silken folds of your cunt, the moisture clinging to his fingers.

"I-I...oh..." Endless moans echoed through the room as Seonghwa's finger pads pressed against your sensitive clit. The light pressure on the swollen bundle of nerves sent waves of pleasure through your body.

"Can you feel it, my star? Do you have a sense of how swollen and wet your pussy is?" The Emperor's words caused another moan to escape your lips; your mind was hazy and distant, and Seonghwa's voice was luring you deeper and deeper into the trap of lust and pleasure. "I can feel your desire, my jewel; your little cunt wants to be filled with cock so desperately." He said. Lost in the sounds and sensations of your own body, your hips twitched as his fingers began to circle your clit. Your breathing came and went, each exhale punctuated by a soft moan of pleasure. "Your virgin pussy is throbbing under my touch, my little star. I want to see you sink into ecstasy; I want to see that shy, innocent facade shatter as you cum and wriggle under my touch." Seonghwa removed his hand from your breast, then wrapped his fingers around your chin, turning your head sideways so your lips met his. "Under my tongue." He whispered before you had the taste of his kiss for the second time that night. You were so mesmerized by the feel of the Emperor's soft, luscious lips on yours that you didn't notice him pressing his hips against you.

You were whimpering into his mouth as you felt the hard, hot length of his cock pressing down hard against your arse. Your eyes widened in fear, and your mouth opened to allow Seonghwa's tongue to enter your mouth and wrap around your tongue in a sensual way.

Seonghwa's kiss to you at the wedding ceremony was nothing in comparison to the kiss he was giving you now. The impossible, hot-tight, sinful, shameful, pleasure-filled kiss that made you gasp and whimper against his lips. A low, guttural moan escaped from his lips, becoming almost animalistic in nature as his fingers slid deeper and deeper between your folds. Seonghwa growls and pulls his lips away from yours, swollen and tortured after his caresses them. You moan loudly as his fingers circle around your clit, your juices making it slick and slippery, and that just adding the stimulation. Mindlessly, you buck your hips against his touch, and he lets you do it, enjoying how desperate you are already looking. The Emperor was right. Virgins are always so easy, too pliable, and eager to be touched. And you, his precious little Empress, are no exception.

His eyes were the trap of vice, the bottomless pit of lust and wickedness, but you couldn't look away from them. They were lustrous and almost black, like the onyx in the jewelled hairpin San had given you. They seemed to penetrate your very soul, making you shiver. A seductive grin played across his devilishly handsome face as his fingers continued to play with your pussy, making it more and more wet and in need of attention. You gasped for breath as you felt your little hole squeeze on nothing, and a thick, gooey drop of slime poured out of you.

"Ahm-aah...Your Majesty...ahhhh...Seonghwa." You were at a loss for words and had no formula. Pleasure curled up at the core of your being, and you rolled your eyes in delight.

"Yes, that's right, my star. Does it feel good? Do you like it when my fingers play with your little virgin pussy, when you feel them on your throbbing, swollen clit?" He asked. The silk of his voice was a breath that was a tickle to your ear.

"Your Majesty... It's... It's so embarrassing."

His eyes flashed with pleasure, and the grip he had on your face was like a vice grip. You felt his hips jerk forward, and he pressed his cock harder against the soft flesh of your ass. His excitement was obvious. Suddenly, his fingers stopped teasing the folds of your cunt. Seonghwa brought them to his mouth instead. His eyes sparkled like jewels, seductive and dangerous, as his long tongue darted out of his mouth to lick the viscous fluid that ran down the long appendages.

"You're sweet—maybe too sweet for your own good." Seonghwa wraps his arms around your neck and pulls you closer to his beautiful face, so that his lips make contact with yours once more. "And there's something you should know about me, my star: I have a horrible sweet tooth." Instantly, he releases you from his grip and changes position so that you're on your back, spread out on the beautiful sheets, his lithe body hovering over you. His hair is completely disheveled, long strands of pink falling haphazardly across his face, and you can see a faint blush on his cheeks and his luscious lips, swollen from kissing and taking on a darker shade. God, he looks like a true deity, and you can see why they call him the 'Lunar Dragon'; mere mortals can never be so majestic and seductive; they are not given that magnetic pull that draws everyone to this dangerous creature like a moth to a flame.

Seonghwa slides down your body until his hands are cupped around your thighs, pulling them apart so that your juicy, wet cunt is exposed to his hungry gaze. He runs his fingers gently down your thick, soft thighs, squeezing your flesh together for a moment, the sharp tips of his nails digging painfully into your thighs, and you make a squeal at the rough caress. It was a terrible shame to lie there, completely naked, with your legs spread wide open, while Seonghwa towered over you, still fascinating and powerful, even if he did look a little disheveled. And what was even more humiliating was that you were already so wet for him—your juices were constantly flowing from your hole and dripping between your cheeks onto the silk of the sheets—but you didn't have time to think about that when Seonghwa pressed down on your clit without warning, making you gasp loudly. You almost screamed, your legs twitching in a feeble attempt to squeeze together as he skillfully circled the sensitive bundle of nerves, his fingernail lightly scraping the tender skin.

"You have such a sweet little cunt, my star," Seonghwa whispered as he pushed your swollen labia apart to expose the soft pink inside. He bent his face over your pussy and let his hot breath flow over the sensitive flesh, causing even more fluid to spill out of your hole. "I will only say this once, my precious. You will be a good girl and take everything I give you. I will eat that sweet virgin cunt for as long as I want. If you dare to refuse, I will fuck you without any stretches at all, and believe me, unlike you, I am going to get a lot of pleasure when my cock rips that tight cunt in half. Do you understand me?"

"I-I, yes, I understand, Your Majesty."

The first licks from Seonghwa's tongue on your juicy pussy made you arch your back and roll your eyes. The sensation was too overwhelming for your words. As soon as the Emperor had tasted you on his lips, he began to eat you with a hungry ferocity. Seonghwa plunged his tongue into your tight, wet hole, almost biting your tender, quivering folds, his teeth clawing at your swollen, sensitive clit, making you writhe and squirm as his hands gripped your thighs tighter.

Seonghwa lived for the pussy, and he'd tasted a lot of it over the years, but your sweet virgin cunt tasted the best of all. His little Empress had the most amazing cunt of them all—a pussy that was worthy of an emperor.

"I can't wait to get my tongue inside you, my star. Do you like it, my Empress? Tell me. Do you like my tongue in your slutty virgin pussy?"

"Uh, huh... I... I... it feels so good... your Majesty..." You moaned.

Your viscous slime and his own saliva now coated Seonghwa's chin as his mouth pressed greedily against you, licking and lapping up all the juices flowing from you as if they were divine nectar. Your tight hole was twitching under the caress of his tongue, begging for filling. And who was he to refuse to give it to you?

Seonghwa slid his finger into the throbbing warmth of your vagina, feeling the slight resistance of the muscles as the long appendage stretched your virgin entrance. He did it slowly, but you moaned in spite of himself as his finger filled you. His lips circled around your clit, slowly sucking at the sensitive cluster of nerves, and Seonghwa felt the warm, silky walls of your pussy tighten around his finger.

"Y-Your Majesty... that's a lot... I" You found it hard to speak; hot excitement was flowing beneath your skin, making you helpless and pliable for him, but a sharp slap on your thigh made you cry out loudly. The mark of his hand bloomed like a rose on the milky surface of your skin.

You continued to whimper as you responded to the rough and vulgar words the Emperor spoke to you. Not daring to take his eyes off the way your hole was absorbing them, Seonghwa added another finger. Your walls clenched around his fingers, trying to hold them in, even though the burning sensation of stretching made it difficult. To make it easier for Seonghwa to move his fingers in and out of your pussy, you tried to relax as much as possible. A lump of saliva landed on the top of your pussy and spread over your delicate folds.

"My Name. I need you to moan out my name and nothing else, my star. I want to hear you say it out loud as I destroy you with my fingers and my tongue. Your hungry cunt swallows my fingers so well, my little

Empress."

"Look at you, my star; you're so wet for me; you literally drip into my mouth. You are not so clean and pure any more, are you? Who would have thought that a beautiful lady would like to have her cunt licked?" The squelching of your wetness and Seonghwa's saliva as he slid two fingers in and out of your tight hole was loud and disgusting. Seonghwa was mesmerized by the way your pussy clung to his fingers, his tongue circling the edges of your vagina, slipping inside slightly each time his fingers came out of you.

You arch your back and feel a strange, crushing tension build up in your lower abdomen, and you clench the silk sheets in your fists. It's frightening, but somehow you have a desire for it to consume you completely.

"Seonghwa, I... Oh God... I, I don't know, this feeling inside me..." Your breathing is ragged, with each word coming out of your mouth with difficulty. The Emperor lifts his hypnotic gaze up to you, his mouth still pressed against your pussy. His eyes are so dark and hypnotic—glimmering black stars in the lacy frame of his eyelashes—and you swear you see a flash of golden glow in them before it fades, leaving only lust and insatiable hunger.

"My little Empress, you are about to cum for the first time, are you? Jewel, you must wait until I say so." Seonghwa growled as he squeezed the soft flesh of your thigh harder and harder, and you could already see the purple and black bruises that were beginning to form on your skin. "Your slutty cunt won't be able to come until I tell you to." You whimper pitifully at the command of authority in his velvety voice, your pussy clutching onto his two fingers.

But Seonghwa doesn't seem to have had enough and decides to stretch you even further, trying to push a third finger inside you, causing you to squeal and jerk your hips in an attempt to avoid the stinging sensation inside you, but it has the exact opposite effect. Your abrupt movement forces his fingers deeper into you, hitting a particularly sensitive spot inside, and you gasp at the sharp sensation of delight that rips through you like a bolt of lightning. You are so lost in pleasure that you don't even notice the tip of his third finger as it enters you.

Seonghwa is sucking on your clit in an almost lazy way, stretching and stimulating you at the same time.

"S-Songhwa!" You almost start to cry, your eyes filling with tears from the mixture of feelings and emotions. This is too good to pass up, but at the same time, too much for you to bear. "Please, Seonghwa, Your Majesty."

"Hmm, are you beggin' me already, my star? My little Еmpress, if you can't take my fingers, then you'll never be able to take my cock, and that is literally your only responsibility in life. To lie here in my bed and to fuck me like this. Your husband and your Еmperor. Seonghwa replies, licking the broad stripes between your trembling soft folds and pulling her fingers out of you to suck on your clenching, flowing hole.

"I'm sorry... I'm t-trying to be a decent wife to you... I'm so sorry." You stutter.

The Emperor slid three fingers back into your pussy, stroking your velvety walls and pressing the pads of his fingers against your G-spot as he did so.

"You're so sweet, begging and crying like a pretty little girl, but you're not a girl anymore. You're my wife, my Empress, so be damned obedient to me and take everything I give you without objection." When he had finished speaking, his lips were around your exhausted clit again.

"Oh, please, Seonghwa! P-please, I need...I want...please let me come...I promise I'll be so good to you." Tears streamed down your face as your whole body began to shake a little, and you lifted your hips to press even harder against Seonghwa.

Seonghwa seems to have decided to spare you this time, enjoying how desperate and needy you look—all that crying and whining, and he hasn't even fucked you properly. But it's not over yet.

"If you want it so badly, darling, you can cum." As soon as those words fall from his flushed, swollen lips, it feels as if your whole body is completely attuned to his every command or desire, and you arch up almost immediately, rolling your eyes and experiencing your first real orgasm on Seonghwa's long, slender fingers. Seonghwa lets out a deep, low moan as he watches you writhe in pleasure as he continues to finger-fuck you until you begin to whimper and beg him to stop.

"I'm not done with you yet, my star." Seonghwa whispers in a grim voice as he pushes his fingers into your wet and sensitive pussy. You're almost incoherent at this point, shaking with excitement as he pulls his fingers out of you and crawls up your body to pull you into a hot, dirty kiss. His lips, chin, and cheeks are wet and sticky with your juices, but he doesn't care; he doesn't bother wiping, preferring to fuck your mouth with his tongue.

As Seonghwa pulled away from your lips and allowed you to take a full breath, the look on his face took on that predatory animal look that you'd seen on him before tonight, and it was crystal clear to you what was going to happen next. Fear and excitement at the prospect of finally losing your virginity mix together in your heart. You weren't sure if the feeling was one of relief or horror, but your body was already on edge with anticipation. You could feel your stomach twist with desire and excitement, and you were absolutely shocked that your body reacted in this way even after an orgasm.

"And now, my little Empress, I would like to show you what it means to be the wife of the Emperor. His beautiful cock sleeve." Seonghwa gets down from you, but only to take off his silk robe and to pull his trousers down over his long legs until he is completely naked. His hair is now completely loose, long strands the color of sakura petals falling freely over his shoulders and chest. You would want to admire how beautiful his face looks framed by his pink silk hair if your eyes weren't focused on his cock pressed against his flat, embossed belly. Like everything about His Majesty Emperor Seonghwa, his cock was just as magnificent and attractive: the hard, thick length was slippery and glistening with pre-cum flowing from the dark pink head, the vein bulging with tension stood out on its velvety girth, and overall, his cock made you inexplicably want to run your tongue over it and taste its flavor. You swallowed loudly, turning your head to the side, a crimson blush of embarrassment mixing with the lust that now filled your veins with something intoxicating and forbidden and spreading across your rounded cheeks.

Your mouth opened to say something, but you quickly shut it when you noticed that he had raised his perfect eyebrow in a slightly mocking expression. His movements were slow and elegant as he crawled across the bed towards you like some mythical beast. Long fingers wrapped around your ankle before he pulled you towards him until his body was between your spread legs. He towered over you—magnificent, almost divine—making you feel small and fragile. Strands of his long, sakura-colored hair fell around his slender body. His smooth skin shimmered like liquid gold in the soft, diffused light of the candle.

His graceful hand slid up the curve of your thigh, caressing your soft skin where the marks of his possessive touch had already blossomed, and higher and higher until it reached your full breasts. Seonghwa squeezed your breast before running his fingers around the swollen pink nipple. A pitiful moan escaped your lips as his luxurious, juicy lips connected with another hardened bud and sucked it roughly into his hungry, beautiful mouth. You meowed in response, the new kind of stimulation causing you to arch your back in pleasure and unconsciously push your breasts closer to him. He purred velvetily, flicking his tongue over your tender nipple until it was glistening and wet from his attention.

Without hesitating, the Emperor lifted his knee between your hips, forcing them to spread further apart, allowing him to slip between them. Your hands rose hesitantly and floated in the air for a second before you found them lying on Seonghwa's strong shoulders. His skin felt warm and soft under your fingers. Your body tensed, and a small cry escaped your parted lips as you felt Sonhwa's teeth bite into your chest, and soon a mark resembling a shining crescent moon formed where his teeth had been. Suddenly, the Emperor grabbed hold of your wrists and lifted your arms above your head, restricting your movements and locking you completely into the cage beneath his body.

"And now you would like to touch me, my little Empress?" Seonghwa grinned grimly. "First of all, I want to take what is rightfully mine, my star. Beg me for it." He let out a growl. Like a dark, forbidden caress, the low, vibrating sound of his voice went through your body. The heavy, velvety length of his cock pressed against the inner side of your thigh. You wanted to run away, to hide from that bottomless, hypnotic gaze of lust and hunger, but at the same time you wanted more of him, to feel everything you'd never felt before. The thought of how Seonghwa would enjoy you, how he would use you for his own pleasure, and how he would make you his own, subjecting you to his will and his power, made you long for that feeling. You desperately wanted to belong to him.

"Please, my Emperor, Seonghwa, take me. I belong to you." You barely managed to whisper the words, but the Emperor was able to hear them clearly. Embarrassed, you turned away from him, exposing your slender, delicate neck. His hot body merged with yours as his head sank into the curve of your neck. The swollen, wet head of his cock pressed against your trembling pussy. He was still holding your wrists tightly above your head, his sharp nails digging into your skin, but your hips were lifting to meet him as Seonghwa moved forward, weakly, and rubbed the head of his cock against your clit. A low, languid moan escaped from his throat as your soft labia parted a little, allowing his cock to slide into the warmth of your wet cunt.

"You are so impatient, darling. And that's another thing I like about virgins—once they've tasted pleasure, they stop controlling themselves and start asking for more. Look at you; you're so desperate for me to fuck you, little Empress. Can't you wait for my cock to be inside of you?" He looks so smug, his ego shining brightly in his dark eyes, and a lecherous smile has blossomed on his plump lips. Your natural essence thickly coats his thick cock, allowing it to slide easily through your warm folds, the head of his cock touching your sensitive clit with every move he makes. He is laughing at you, at the way your body is haunting him at every moment. Once again, the Emperor is proving you to be right—you really are hungry for more. You want to feel him all over you.

Seonghwa loves the way you look underneath him—your flushed face, wet from the tears you shed earlier from your orgasm, your skin covered with bruises and his bite marks, and of course, your wet little cunt begging to be filled to the brim with his cum. Maybe that's why he can't hold himself back any longer and slowly begins to push his cock into your oozing hole. You moaned loudly as his cock pushed deeper and deeper into you, and although you had been prepared for it, the way his thick girth stretched your silky walls made you squeeze your eyes shut and feel a slight burning sensation. Seonghwa's cock was too big and thick for you, at least for now, but somehow you didn't doubt that he was going to fuck you until you could easily take his whole length at once.

When his cock was all the way inside of you and his balls were pressed against your plush arse, he let out a guttural, almost growling, moan as he nuzzled his face into the back of your neck. Your cunt was everything he'd imagined—tight and hot and silky—divine. A small shiver of pleasure went through his body as he felt your walls tighten around his cock. Your answering moan was an unrestrained one, grateful for the hot, thick length of it as it displaced your emptiness, stained your chastity, took away your purity, and filled you instead with an insatiable need.

He hardly gave you time to adjust to the size of his cock before he began fucking you mercilessly. Obscene sounds filled the air with each of his hard and deep thrusts, mingled with your whimpering and long moans, as well as his enthusiastic purring of satisfaction as he tormented you. His warm breath filled your mouth, forming a subtle contrast to the uncompromising demand of his tongue as it penetrated your mouth and tasted you as you moaned and whimpered. Seonghwa feels that he has become a little bit dependent on you and that he will probably never be able to satisfy this hunger that he now has for you. Your slippery pussy tightened around him impatiently and greedily, hot and wet, squeezing him so hard that Seonghwa let out a low moan of pleasure.

Seonghwa lets go of your hands and wraps the palm of his hand around your thin neck instead, squeezing it lightly. His grip on your throat makes you gasp, and your moans are hoarse and soft.

"You are all mine." He growls, watching as his cock enters and exits your tight, pink cunt, a thick vein stretching along your silken walls with every movement of his beautiful and skilled hips. Seonghwa can't help but marvel at the way your juices are coating the velvety length of his cock as it plunges deep into you. Your hands dig into the sheets, crumpling the fabric between your fingers as you do so. "Who is your husband? Your Emperor? Tell me, my little star!" Seonghwa demands as she presses her fingers around your neck more tightly.

"Y-y-you!" You screamed, but the sound of your voice was so distorted that it was barely audible. Your thighs began to ache from Seonghwa's relentless thrusts, but you didn't know if you wanted to ask him to stop when his cock kept hitting the most pleasurable spot inside you, making you feel every cell in your body heat up until it was white. Stars started to dance in front of your eyes, exactly the same—mesmerizingly sparkling stars like the ones in Seonghwa's eyes. "Seonghwa, that's you! You are my husband, my Emperor!"

"That's right, you treat me so well, my little Empress. I am going to fuck you until you are swollen with my heirs and until your little pussy is dripping with my cum day and night. My beautiful star, don't you think that we should give the seven great generals a taste of your divine cunt, as well? Let them saturate you, let them breed you, and let them shower you with caresses and praise. They are magnificent lovers, my star—passionate, tireless, and demonic—and they crave you so much. And here's something else you should know about me, my little Empress: I share everything with them—the battlefield, power, life, bed, and of course, I will share you with them, my beautiful wife." Seonghwa stops what he is doing and looks down at your trembling, delicate body lying underneath him. You can feel how his demonic gaze is burning into you before he grabs hold of your waist and quickly forces you down on all fours, lifting your bottom up into the air. His hand slides along the curves of your inner thighs, running his fingers over the warmth of your cunt and oozing sticky nectar. Two slender, long fingers rub your quivering hole, and you clench involuntarily at the tantalizing sensation of his fingers.

"Say it once more." He orders you as he presses down on your clit and begins to rub it in rapid circles. You let out a shrill cry, your voice echoing through the luxurious imperial chambers.

"Seonghwa! I am yours. You are my Emperor. You are my magnificent husband."

The Emperor let out a purr in response to your words, which sound silky and almost sinful. He pressed himself against you once more, thrusting his cock inside of you. Your face was pressed against the pillow before a graceful hand pulled your hair and pressed you against his wet, hard chest. He never stopped his hips from moving. His pace was sure and persistent, his lack of mercy cruel to your tender, sensitive cunt that had never known such sensations before, but still you moaned with pleasure.

"You are going to cum on my cock, my beautiful star." His teeth graze across your ear before Seonghwa bites down on the lobe of your ear. All of a sudden, his fingers find your swollen clit and make slow half circles over it, stimulating you even more. Immediately, you feel yourself tightening around his thick cock; your mouth falls open, and your lower lip begins to quiver as you feel that sweet tension at the bottom of your belly. Your orgasm is like a starburst of sensations—the pleasure exploding beneath your skin, stinging you like sharp shards of broken stars—and you almost lose yourself in the sensation. You moan so loudly that you swear the servants outside the door can hear you loud and clear, but whether it's the servants or perhaps one of the seven handsome generals, you have no way of knowing.

Seonghwa lets go of your hair and grabs your waist instead, digging his nails into your flesh until it bleeds. The squishing sound your pussy makes every time his balls slap against the soft plush of your arse draws a deep animal growl from Seonghwa's throat, the great dragon inside him coming out. The warm, sticky liquid slowly seeps out between your thighs as you shiver and melts into Seonghwa's arms as he holds you upright, your head resting on his shoulder. But it doesn't last long. In a second, you're on your back again, facing the godlike Lunar Emperor.

He stares down at your emaciated face and at the glistening beads of sweat on your brow. His smug smile was devilish and vicious; he spread your legs again, watching the heat of your tiny, squelching cunt as it greedily swallowed his cock.

"Oh, your pussy is so beautiful, my star. A perfect little cunt to be filled with the emperor's cum, to be a breeding." Seonghwa's words are nothing more than the sweetest praise wrapped in pure sin.

Holding your breath, your body feeling boneless and tired, you nod recklessly at his words.

"You will cum again, my star. You're going to scream out my name so loud that everyone in this palace will know just how good a fuck I give you." He lifted one of your legs and pressed it up against the side of your chest. In this new position, you felt stiff and small under the Emperor's exquisitely elegant body, yet your pussy continued to greedily milk his cock. The vulgar, disgusting words that Seonghwa spoke to you in his deep, velvety voice made your head spin around. It made you feel so soft and sweet.

Seonghwa fucked you in a deep and rough way. You could still feel the remains of your orgasm boiling in your belly—so sensitive, almost painful. As the head of his cock kissed your cervix, your body tensed, and every muscle in your body tightened like a silk ribbon. Yet, as if it's his only purpose in life, Seonghwa continues to split your heart. You roll your eyes, your lips quiver, and your chest shakes with sobs. You look completely fucked up as you lie there, taking everything the Emperor gives you.

"Who do you belong to, little Empress?"

"I-I, yours, Seonghwa..." You let out a gasp as you felt the tingling sensation of a new orgasm flutter around your pussy. Your soft walls clenched hard, almost restricting Seonghwa's movements, contracting and pulsing around his thick cock.

"Louder!" He crashes his hips into you, your skin reddening where his thighs made contact with yours.

"S-Seonghwa, I belong to you, only to you... ah!"

You feel like you're drowning—falling rapidly and irreversibly into the depths of a bottomless ocean of pure pleasure as Seonghwa's fingers press against your swollen, torn clit. Your orgasm is all-consuming—your vision disappears for a second, your breath is trapped in your chest, and all you can hear is the raging roar of the blood in your veins. You scream—piercingly loud—but the sound barely reaches you. You're shaking, your whole body twisting and writhing from the wild intensity of your orgasm as Seonghwa continues fucking you relentlessly. Seonghwa's skilled fingers move over your clit, matching the rhythm of his hips, making your body shake around him as you go through blissful orgasm. Your juices rush between the two of you, spilling over and down the silk of the sheets.

"I can't... I can't take it anymore. Please, Seonghwa..." You cried out, the tears running freely down the sides of your face.

Seonghwa leaned forward and captured your lips in an incredible kiss, his hips pressing hard against you as he began to pour his cum as deep as he could, savoring how hard and greedily your pussy milked his cock, your silky walls trembling around him. After a few moments, he slips out of your exhausted pussy, lets go of your leg, and lies down next to you on the bed, his head dropping to your chest as he cuddles closer to you, listening to your heart pounding furiously beneath his cheek. The Emperor intertwines your fingers with his own in the most intimate and tender of gestures. Still in a daze, you lie motionless on the bed and allow him to do whatever he wants to you.

The Great Lunar Dragon is curled up beside you like a purring, cream-fed cat. He looks completely relaxed and peaceful. Your eyes wander aimlessly around the luxurious chambers, trying to collect your thoughts, but it's only for a moment before your eyes widen—frightened and in disbelief—as you meet the gaze of none other than the great, demonically beautiful General Choi San. Your soft scream attracts the attention of Seonghwa, and his eyes are lazily open to see what it is that has upset you so much.

"Ah, Sannie, you have frightened my star." Seonghwa reluctantly gets up from you and lightly covers your body with the sheet, but it does little to help the situation, as you can feel the general's sultry gaze burning into your skin. "You should have waited until the morning at the very least; you are too impatient, do you know that?"

"My precious Empress made a sound that was too tempting for me to resist, Hwa. I am nothing more than a male slave of my most beautiful mistress." San purred, got up, and crept towards the bed like a big cat of prey. He moves clean and elegantly, and you can't help but be enchanted by what you're seeing. But the spell is broken as soon as you feel the bed begin to sag under the weight of his body. In an attempt to shrink and hide your body from this breathtakingly handsome man, you pull your legs up. Seonghwa notices this and gently puts his arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to him and giving you a light kiss on the cheek.

"My star, you have no need to be afraid of San; he is as gentle as a kitten. You will have fun playing with him, I assure you." Seonghwa's voice was like melting honey on your skin, and you wished you could relax, but the whole situation was just wild; this is totally not how you expect a first wedding night to go. "But first we need to bathe, and then we can go and play again, my little Empress; the night is still so young." Seonghwa literally sings, letting you go and moving around the bed until she is next to San. You watch in silence as the emperor's plump, sensual lips touch the sharp cheekbone of the general for a moment before he rises from the bed and pulls a silk robe over his naked body. "I trust everything has been prepared." It is clear that the question is not directed at you.

"Of course it has; Wooyoung and Yeosang have taken care of it." San extends his hand to you. It is the same inviting gesture that General Jung used before leading you to Seonghwa's chambers. "Come with me, my precious Empress. Your servants are waiting to please their mistress."

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thelargefrye · 3 months

Text

THE YULE DRAGON … holiday one - shot ( 17+ )

pairing : poly!dragon!ateez x witch!f!reader

genre : dragon au, fantasy au, holiday au, fluff, angst

word count : 4.3k

warnings : language, mentions of dragon hunters, talks about death, light injury but nothing major, one death threat

suffer tag : @sanjoongie and for anon who asked about any new chapters

note : very excited to write this, so let me know what you think! also here is a link to what y/n's dress at the yule gala looks like!

the winter month draws near and the clan prepares to celebrate the yule dragon festival for the first time in years. knowing this is wooyoung's first one with an actually clan, you want to make sure everything is perfect.

when you woke up in the morning, you noticed how snow had slowly begun to fall and lay on the ground. you also couldn't help but notice how the dragons around you seemed to have been in good moods. smiles on their faces as they walked around and some even greeted you with warm smiles.

when you arrived at the nursery, the hatchlings all immediately greeted you. most of them run up and tackle you to the ground.

"miss y/n! miss y/n! did you see the snow?" one hatchling, jiyu, asked and you couldn't help but laugh as you nodded and pushed some hair out of her face.

"yes, i did. very beautiful isn't it?"

"not as beautiful as you, miss y/n!" another hatchling, minjae, said. the other hatchlings couldn't help but agree with minjae and you couldn't help but laugh at them all.

"prince mingi said that we will be able to celebrate the yule dragon festival this year!"

"the yule dragon festival?" you remember wooyoung telling you about the holiday years ago when you first met. you can't help but feel excited knowing he's going to enjoy a real one this year.

"yeah! it's been years since the clan last held one," seeun says and that quickly catches your attention. years? you thought the holiday was a yearly thing?

"alright, little ones, let's go ahead and get ready for the day," mingi comes in and ushers the hatchlings away from you in order to gather them in a line so they could eat.

you push your curiosity down for later as you go over to help mingi with the hatchlings. you watch the hatchlings with a warm fondness as they eat and talk to each other, and the rest of the day goes by in flash with you and mingi taking care of the young dragons.

"miss y/n, have you ever experienced a yule dragon festival before?" one of the hatchlings asked as they were laying down for a nap. the question of one hatchling seemed to have caught the attention of a few others around you two.

"not a proper one with a true clan, but me and wooyoung used to do a small celebration before we came to the clan," you said as you remembered your time with wooyoung back in your cottage. you can feel your cheeks heat up as you remember the first time you both celebrated the yule dragon together.

"do witches have any special holidays?" another hatchling, siyu, asked.

"we do but they're not like the yule dragon one. we focus more on what we are thankful for and mourning those that have left us," you explain.

"that sounds sad."

"sometimes it is sad, but then you have to remember that even those that left this world are still with us in spirit. watching over and guiding us on the right path of destiny," you say.

"but miss y/n, you don't have to be sad anymore because you have all of us!" one hatchling said with the others immediately agreeing and you couldn't help but smile at all of them.

"okay, okay, everyone," mingi says as he comes in and immediately calming all the hatchlings down. "its time to rest, not get excited."

"but prince mingi," minjae says looking towards the tall prince, "don't you agree that miss y/n doesn't have to be sad anymore, since she has all of us now?"

"of course," mingi says as he bends down to pet minjae's head, "but miss y/n still has a right to miss those that she lost. we all do. now come on, everyone, time to rest!"

you can't help but smile at how some of the hatchlings groan at mingi's words, but nonetheless all lay down in their little nooks. you and mingi go through and make sure each hatchling is comfortable before you leave the nesting room.

you watch as mingi closes the door behind him before he's offering his arm to you. you take his arm with a smile as he escorts the two of you back to the main palace wing.

"i meant what i said though," mingi begins and you look at him with a raised eyebrow, "that you have a right to be sad about those you lost, but also know that hatchlings are right as well and that you have all of us now. the hatchlings, me, wooyoung, yeosang, the others, and even the clan. you have all of us."

"thank you, prince mingi," you say, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek and he smiles at you before quickly pressing his own kiss to your lips. "also," you speak up after you two continue to walk, "what did the little ones mean when they said its been years since you all had a yule dragon festival?"

"well... we haven't had one since hongjoong's parents and brother were killed. hongjoong didn't want to have a large one with the whole clan, so this is the first time in five years that we have celebrated it as such," mingi explains and you nod your head in understanding.

"what caused him to suddenly change his mind?"

"well you and wooyoung of course," you wanted to laugh at mingi's answer. more like just wooyoung, you think. you decide to remain silent as mingi guides you through the palace.

"this will be wooyoung's first yule dragon with an actual clan in years," you note as you notice many dragons setting up and decorating the palace corridors with festive decorations. you can't help but feel excited knowing that wooyoung will be able to experience the real thing after so many years of not having it with an actual clan.

your mind goes back to when you and wooyoung would celebrate together back at the cottage. both of you dressing up, decorating the cottage, and spending the entire night together. wooyoung taught you the dances that he learned. even when you weren't celebrating the dragon holiday, you would find wooyoung and yourself dancing and just enjoying each other's company.

"hey, mingi?" you caught the dragon's attention and he turns towards you as you continue to speak, "is there... a way i can help set up the festival?"

"oh! umm, i think so. seonghwa is usually in charge of things like this, but i volunteered to help him this time, so..."

"do you need help?" you ask, feeling an excitement bubble up in your stomach.

"of course you can help," mingi says, a wide smile on his face and you mirror his smile, beaming up at him. the two of you share a quick hug, mingi lets out a small laugh at your excitement, almost not expecting it.

"thank you," you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek before you are separating yourself from him. you notice the blush that covers his cheeks and ears and you have to stop yourself from pouncing on the tall dragon from how cute he is.

as the next week goes by, you spend your time helping the dragons in the clan to decorate for the yule dragon holiday. at first some of the dragons were reluctant at accepting your help, but slowly and eventually they allowed for you to help with the decorations. sure they didn't trust you with the important stuff, but that was okay.

you only wanted to make sure everything was perfect for wooyoung, he needed to have the best yule dragon after everything he has done for you. you also wanted to make sure the clan had a good one as well, but wooyoung took priority in your heart.

"wow, look at these decorations, darling," yeosang's voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you look down from your spot on the wooden ladder to see your lover looking up at you with a smile. you finish hanging the silver garland before climbing down the ladder and yeosang is quick to press a loving kiss to your lips.

"thank you, me and the hatchlings made them," you say, feeling rather proud from how all the decorations have been turning out. many of the other clan dragons complimenting you on your hard work.

"you've been working so hard, a lot of the clan members are grateful for your help," he says as the two of you begin walking out of the grand hall, where the yule gala will be held tomorrow night. other dragons are busy around you all finishing up last minute details, with most of them stopping to bow at yeosang before scurrying away to finish their task.

"i have something for you, princess," he says once the two of you are out of the grand hall and you give him a confused look which only makes him smile. "it’s custom for everyone to wear special outfits, rather a little too fancy if you ask me, but people really enjoy it," he begins as the two of you continue to walk down the hall.

"and i bet you completely forgot to make sure you are prepared for the gala," yeosang teases and you felt yourself get flustered at his words. "but don't worry because you wonderful mate has taken care of you," he says as you both stop in front of your chamber doors. "i hired a seamstress to make you a dress and thankfully she managed to finish it in time."

"wait, yeosang– you... you didn't, you shouldn't have."

"but i did, and i wanted to. my darling, you have done so much, let me give you this," he says, cupping your cheeks before leaning over and kissing you. you feel yourself melt into the kiss as you press yourself closer to your lover, arms wrapping around his waist. the two of you only separate when you're out of breath and yeosang presses one last kiss to your lips before he's pulling away and opening the door to your bedroom.

when you stepped inside, you were completely shocked at the dress that rested on the mannequin in the center of your room. you had honestly never seen a dress more beautiful in your life and you felt yourself tear up because of it. you felt like you didn't deserve a dress as gorgeous as this.

"it's beautiful, yeosang."

"you look absolutely beautiful, my fire," seonghwa says when he sees you walk into the grand hall.

the gala had been going on for several minutes, hongjoong lighting the ceremonial flame that burned in the center of the clan. you were amazed at the flame and its rather unique color, and mingi explained that this flame could only be lit by the leader of a clan and that it in order to celebrate the first dragon.

you honestly couldn't look away from the flame, almost like it was meant to entrance you.

"thank you, prince seonghwa," you said, bowing slightly to the eldest dragon prince. seonghwa could only smile as he took your hand into his before pressing a kiss to the back of your hand.

"make sure you enjoy yourself," he says, not yet letting go of your hand. "i want a dance before the night is over."

"of course, your highness," you say, a small smirk taking over your lips before seonghwa is nodding and making his leave. he does unfortunately have other people to see and talk to.

your eyes scan around the grand hall, looking for the head of familiar red hair and you feel your heart skip a beat when you finally find him. wooyoung looked absolutely handsome in his outfit and you were glad to see that he matched the other princes. it made your heart flutter knowing that wooyoung was being accepted by the clan.

you made your way over to your first lover, your feet picking up speed when you two made eye contact. you felt like it had been forever since you last seen wooyoung – however it had only been a few hours. you had been so caught up in making sure the festival and gala were perfect for him that you had completely forgot to pay the red-headed dragon attention.

so you immediately wrapped wooyoung in a tight hug once you were close enough. wooyoung was quick to return the hug, holding you close to him as he inhaled your scent before pressing a kiss to your neck.

"my y/n, you look so beautiful," he says as he twirls you around, the white-silver fabric that was decorated with beautiful shimmering stars and moons. wooyoung had seen the dress, yeosang having shown him before you and he knew you would look beautiful in it. but of course, seeing you actually in it he was blown away by your appearance.

"are you having a good time, woo?" you ask, heart beating rapidly waiting for his answer.

"of course i am," he says with a smile, "mingi mentioned how you helped out with this whole thing. any reason why?"

"you, of course," you say, both your hands linking with his. "this is your first yule dragon with an actual clan in a long time. i wanted to make sure it was perfect."

"oh love," he says, gently pulling the two of you off to the side, "you didn't need to do that. it would have perfect no matter what because i'm celebrating it with you. back at the cottage... i saw the two of us as our own little clan. and the yeosang joined," wooyoung says and you can't help but laugh at his last comment. despite mating and bonding with yeosang, wooyoung still couldn't get over the other dragon coming in basically setting up camp in your little cottage.

"you love yeosang, don't try to fool yourself," you tease and wooyoung grumbles a little bit before rolling his eyes.

"whatever."

you were about to say something when the sound of a familiar tune filled the grand hall. you turned to see a lot of the people gathering at the center and began dancing. you noticed mingi pulling yunho behind him to the dance floor with many of the other dragons cheering for the two tall princes. following them, you see yeosang and san dancing and you were a little surprised at seeing the blonde guard dancing and smiling as him and yeosang looked at one another.

"wow, who knew san could smile," wooyoung says and you crack a smile before turning to your lover.

"shall we join them as well?" you ask and wooyoung nods before he's pulling you towards the dance floor and you two quickly fall into a rhythm of the dance. the music easily guided you as you and wooyoung danced, you felt your whole attention center in on your lover and it felt like it was just the two of you.

you got flashbacks to when you and wooyoung would dance in your cottage. how back then it really was just the two of you and no one else, but now you were surrounded by people that even if they all didn't welcome you, they welcomed wooyoung. and even if you didn't feel welcomed at first, you have mingi, yeosang, the hatchlings.

seeing wooyoung smile and laugh and enjoy himself made you feel like you were on cloud nine. even if he wouldn't say it out loud, you knew wooyoung enjoyed being a part of the clan.

you felt the music guide you and your thoughts, as the music began to slow down you found yourself and wooyoung also slowing down. wooyoung pulling you close to him, his arm coming to wrap around your waist to hold you close to him.

"i have you had your ceremony?" wooyoung suddenly asks, snapping you out of your happy daze. you knew immediately what he was talking about.

"not yet, i was waiting till after the gala was over," you say, feeling a lump form in your throat at knowing what you would have to do later.

just like dragons, witches also had their own traditions and such. not as public as the yule dragon, but more intimate to each witch. celebrating those that you left you in this world. wooyoung has been with you during this ceremony like you have been with him for his. you don't know how many nights you have fallen asleep, crying in wooyoung's arms because of all the witches that have died.

"do you want me there with you?" he asks, and it takes you a moment to think about it.

"no, i'll do it alone this time."

"are you sure?" you nod your head, you didn't want to ruin wooyoung's good time here with your own traditions and ceremonies.

when the music changed once again, you pressed a kiss to wooyoung before stepping away, telling him you needed some fresh air.

"let me come with you," he says as he starts to trail after you, but you stop him.

"it’s okay," you say, hand out to stop him, "i'll be right back."

you don't give wooyoung a chance to say anything as you're turning and making your way to one of the many garden doors that lead out into the courtyard.

once the cold air hit your skin, you let out a sigh as you made your way over to one of the stone benches that overlooked most of the courtyard and even down further into the clan. the yule flame burned brightly a short distance away and you couldn't help but walk over to it. the flame reminded you of the flame that you would light for the umbra ceremony.

the flame burned brightly and you almost felt like a moth from how you were being drawn to it.

which is how you found yourself in front of it. the noises from the grand hall behind you is like static as you look at the flame, letting it consume you. you got flashbacks to when you would set up a room of candles for the witches that you lost, the flame from those candles burning brightly into your mind.

"why are you out here," the cold voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you turn to look at hongjoong with wide eyes. the prince looks at you with a stern expression, his cold eyes burning into your body.

"i was just... just getting some air," you tell him, refusing to fully make eye contact with him.

hongjoong lets out a 'tsk' sound before he's coming to stand next to you, looking up at the flame. you're surprised by how close hongjoong, this is probably the closest he has ever gotten to you without trying to kill you.

"mingi told me how you helped decorate for the festival," he said out of nowhere after the two of you stood in silence. "i guess witches can be good for something," he adds and you feel yourself deflate at his harsh words.

"i did it for wooyoung," you said wanting to make it clear that you were only doing it for your first love and no one else. "this is his first yule dragon with an actual clan in years," you add.

"and i'm sure witches are the reason why he had gone for so long without experiencing one with a clan," he says back.

"perhaps," you say as you clench your fist together tightly, "but wooyoung is here now with a clan," you turn your head to look at hongjoong, taking in his form once more. his lavish outfit and vibrant blue hair standing out against the dark night. he was the epitome of what a leader of a dragon clan should be in the fact that he always had that air of authority around him. everyone respected him and if they didn't respect him then they feared him.

you, unfortunately, feared him more than you respected him. the dragon oracles say that you two are mates like you are with the rest of the princes, but you knew hongjoong refused to acknowledge you as his mate. you were a witch, the thing that killed his parents and brother and forced him to take the role of leader too soon. you wondered if you and hongjoong would ever get along.

you notice how the flame reflects against hongjoong's skin and then something hits you.

"please excuse me, prince hongjoong," you say suddenly before you are rushing past him. hongjoong doesn't say anything and you don't know if he watches you leave as you are too caught up in rushing back into the palace.

you run to your room, feeling out of breath as you enter your chambers you share with wooyoung before going over to the large trunk that rested at the foot of the bed. you quickly dig through the trunk and pull out a set of candles. all three a beautiful rose color and it reminds you greatly of your mother.

"what are these for mother?" you asked, looking up at your mother as she handed you the three candles. they were different from the ones you were use to lightly for the umbra ceremony and you wondered why she was giving them to you.

"these are special candles, y/n, i made them myself so you can use them when you need them the most," she explains, her voice seeming ever cryptic.

"when i need them the most?" you echo and she nods, a tight-lipped smile painting her features.

"they are for the one who will need to say goodbye the most."

you gripped the candles tightly as you raced back to the courtyard and was surprised to still see hongjoong standing there. somewhere deep inside wants you to believe he waited for you, but you know that's impossible.

"prince hongjoong," you say as you approach him. "i want to thank you for letting wooyoung into your home. i know that... you despise me and my people, you lost your parents and brother after all. and i know you probably don't care but i want to share something with you."

hongjoong turns to look at you, his face void of emotion as he watches you set the three candles down between the two of you. you crouch down, kneeling front of the candles as hongjoong stands towering above you.

"the umbra witches have their own ceremony, we light candles in order to remember those that have left us and this world. we do this as a way to remind us that while they have left this world physically, they are still here with us spiritually," you pause in order to take a deep breath, licking your lips before continuing.

"my mother made me these candles when she was still alive. she told me that they were for someone who needed to say goodbye, and... i think she made them for you."

"what the hell are you talking about?" hongjoong asks, voice full of surprise and anger. "i don't need any of you stupid umbra witch shit," he adds and you notice his fist clenches with his rage.

"please," you beg, voice straining as you plead with the prince, "take the candles, it will bring you peace, prince hongjoong."

you feel a sudden shock as you are grabbed by the collar of your dress. you're pulled up from your kneeling position, face dangerously close to an enraged hongjoong as he bares his teeth at you. in the moment you are reminded that you are at the mercy of a clan full of dragons whether you liked it or not.

"i will never," he jaw clenched tightly as he speaks, "ever, forgive your damned people for what they did to my family. my people. so don't think so damned candles will change that. you will never be my mate and just know that if it wasn't for yeosang and mingi that i would have burned you at a stake a long fucking time ago."

hongjoong waste no time in throwing you to the ground, your hands skidding across the stone pathway harshly and you flinch at the sudden burn of skin. you turn to see hongjoong's eye burning, like he will kill you if you say anything else to him.

you then watch him destroy two of the candles, his foot coming down harshly on them and you feel like a part of you is being ripped apart as you watch him. he's about to do the same to the last one, but you move and grab the last candle. the last one your mother made.

then without thinking you stand up and run away from the prince. you clearly made a mistake in thinking that you could get hongjoong to open up just a little bit. you felt tears begin to form in your eyes as you ran, clutching the candle close to your chest as you collapsed in the one of the many decorated halls.

you looked down at the candle once more, the image of your mother's smile flashing inside your mind as you caressed it. you knew this candle was for hongjoong. he was the one who needed to say goodbye to those he lost, but it was obvious that now wasn't the time.

"y/n!" the sudden call of your name makes you snap your head up to see yeosang rushing towards you. face full of concern and he drops down to the floor next to you. "y/n, what's wrong, why are you crying?" he brushes the tears away and you open your mouth to say something before a sob escapes instead.

you throw yourself into his arms and he arms them around you protectively. you hold your mother's candle close to you as you allow yourself to cry in yeosang's arms. yeosang doesn't say anything, only letting you cry as a comforting hand runs over your hair.

"it's okay, y/n, i'm here," he says softly, holding you closer to him. "whatever made you sad, don't think about it anymore, okay? cause i'm here to protect you."

and so the night comes to an end as you spend the rest of it in yeosang's arms, allowing him to hold you closely as you mourn for the loss of your mother and the hate hongjoong bares for you.

network : @cultofdionysusnet @cromernet

#dragon from the window.#cultofdionysusnet #kdiarynet #cromernet #ateez imagines #ateez x reader #poly ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #ateez fantasy au #ateez angst #ateez fluff #ateez dragon au #ateez wooyoung x reader #ateez yeosang x reader #ateez mingi x reader #ateez hongjoong x reader

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k-hotchoisan · 1 month

Text

vanilla and cream

where you flip a switch in your pretty boyfriend, and now he has a breeding fetish he can never get out of his system no thanks to you.

Genres: smut, pwp, forced breeding, mild bondage, cream pies, breeding kink/fetish, overstimulation, unprotected sex, whiny and desperate Yeosang for the girlies out there, it's quite a lot of cum (but are we surprised)

Taglist: @bro-atz @diamond-3 @mcarebearsstuff @choisansplushie @voicesinmyhead-rc @pre1ttyies @hwallazia @songmingisthighs @yeosangiess @sanhwajjong @interweab @mylovelymito @softwsan @hongjoongswifefr @yourlocaljonghoe itza-meee

🩷 stay perverted: the masterlist

Yeosang never considered himself to have much kinks or fetishes, at least, before he met you. But even when the relationship as partners turned more intimate, Yeosang never seemed to have much preference when it comes to sex.

But nothing could have prepared him for the effect just one night could have on him. Now he can’t seem to get enough, and he drives him fucking insane. The taste of it still lingers in his tongue as if it just happened the night before, and when he finally snaps out of it (barely), Yeosang has to make sure he’s not wearing pants that that especially pull taut against his crotch, or that would definitely become an issue.

The ironic thing was that it started on an ordinary night.

You are peppering kisses across his temples, his pretty little birthmark, before you go down to his neck and shoulders, listening to the soft hums of approval while his hands are warm on your sides.

“Could you let me try something, Yeo?” You ask, going back to facing him at eye level, your palm resting against his soft cheek.

“What is it?” Yeosang asks back, closing the distance with a kiss. The way he’s swiping and biting softly against your bottom lip, almost erasing whatever you wanted to tell him.

You giggle in between the kiss, teasing him back with your tongue in your mouth before you pull back, leaving Yeosang slightly breathless.

“Do you trust me?”

Yeosang nods, his fingers combing through your hair. “Of course baby.”

“Could you let me tie you up and fuck you?”

Yeosang blinks. He never really gave bondage much thought, and even if he did, he always thought you would be the one tied up.

After a second of silence from him, you shift around the bed, Yeosang following your gaze, watching you take white rope from the nightstand.

“I practiced” you assured him.

Yeosang cocks an eyebrow. “On someone else?”

You hit him playfully, earning a giggle from the male.

“Obviously not, dumbass”, you tease. “So do you want to try it? We can stop any time if it hurts?”

Yeosang ponders for a second. Deep inside, anticipation brews in him—the thought of you tying him up and fucking him on top. It’s not as if he doesn’t let you ride him, it’s just the addition of bondage had roused his interest. So he agrees to try it out.

Your soft, warm walls hug Yeosang, he swears he’s at the fucking gates of heaven. His muscles flex when he pulls against the ropes, groaning at the pleasure rapidly filling him up. His thoughts are swarming altogether, growing incoherent. He wonders if this strangely more euphoric because it’s something new introduced to the bedroom. He’s never complained about the current sex life the both of you have, he enjoys it, but something about this arrangement is getting a rouse out of him. Yeosang’s heart is pounding, and he hopes you can hear that it’s for you.

“Babe…” he trails off, still tugging against the restraints. You think the way he looks almost helpless is so endearing, especially when he has his cock sunk all the way into your cunt. And the thought of being completely helpless while you fucked him senseless? Yeosang is indulging it in like it’s his favourite dessert.

“How does it feel, baby?” You ask, letting your hands run down from your shoulders, giving your nipples a little tug before your hands slide down your bare body and thighs. Yeosang swallows hard, another soft groan leaving his lips as the sounds of skin slapping slowly grows wetter and wetter. His moans turn into whines.

“So good. So tight, so warm. Fuck”, Yeosang curses, forcing his eyelids open, wanting to look at the way your cunt sinking down and swallowing his pathetic, twitching cock, as cream gradually coats his length.

Yeosang barely manages to calm down, trying to regain his breathing, his control, from just bursting in you. He doesn’t want to risk cumming in you, no matter how fucking good he thinks it’ll feel, because it’s the first time in a long while since then both of you fucked without protection. Yeosang bites his lips, taking deep breaths, his abdomen flexing once more, his arms pulling against the ropes again. You stare at him, watching Yeosang shift helplessly, his face contorting into pleasure from time to time when he feels you squeeze against him.

“B-babe… I don’t think—ah fuck—we should keep going”, he barely manages out. You see the beads of perspiration clinging against his temples and his cheeks.

“Why not?”, you tilt your head, your grinding slowing painfully down, Yeosang jerks slightly, he feels his throat grow dry when, especially the orgasm that was dangling before him completely gets snatched from him. Yeosang spits another curse.

“I’m not wearing protection,” Yeosang replies, his thighs now trembling from the tension. “It’s not safe.”

You plant a finger on your lip, scrunching your eyebrows, pouting at him slightly, your pussy still riding off his cock. It feels so fucking good that it’s starting to fucking hurt. “But don’t you want to cum, baby?”

Yeosang’s eyes are slowly growing more glazed out the more your hips slap against his. He wants to cum so fucking badly that he doesn’t even know how he’s still thinking of protection. But he still nods, and he’s rewarded with you picking up the pace and bouncing off his cock again, which he wonders if it’s a punishment to feel this fucking amazing.

“But still—“ Yeosang tries to counter, only to be shut up when you have him completely up to the hilt, dragging your cunt against his poor cock, sending him into another layer of pleasure, his hips unintentionally bucking up to yours.

“I’m so fucking full, Yeo,” you hum, leaning closer into him, your body pressing onto his, still bouncing off him. “You make me so fucking full. So fucking thick.”

A pained whimper escapes his lips. He doesn’t think he can last much longer.

You lean in, your hands cupping his pretty face. Yeosang has his eyes screwed shut, his long lashes resting against his skin, he’s biting his lips, sometimes letting go soft pants that come off as whimpers.

“You’re gonna cum in me like a good boy, okay? You know you want to”, you hum once more, before a soft moan leaves your lips when you feel him grow even more in your cunt, his cockhead pressing against your g-spot when your hips lower down once more to fit him fully once more.

Yeosang is able to lock his fucked out eyes with yours, looking at you with so much desire, so much adoration, before his eyes roll back, his jaw slacks, his abdomen completely flexed. He’s in so much bliss, the pleasure tingling—streaming like electricity across every single nerve that existed in his body as his cock squirts so much thick and warm cum right into your tight little hole. He couldn’t even tell you that he was about to cum before it happened. All he hears is your soft voice, coaxing him to empty it all in your pussy, with broken moans in between.

When Yeosang is barely recovered from his high, your fingers are under his chin, gently guiding his head to face you, still sat prettily on his spent cock.

“Good boy. Look at the pretty mess you’ve made”, you praise, leaning back, forcing him to watch you pull out of him. His cock is decorated in a pretty translucent, wet coat of cum, but what completely flips something in him is when your fingers slide to your wet folds, barely pulling them open, and the thick, white cum trickles out of your hole. Yeosang is completely entranced and breathless. And he’s completely hard again.

“You filled me up so good, Yeo,” you smile, even though at the same time whimpering as another load seeps past your folds.

When you untie his restraints, Yeosang has your legs pushed into a mating press, his cock entering you once again, with much ease thanks to the extra lubricant of cum, before his mind completely blanks out, sanity and rationale somewhere else on earth, just not with him, while his hands pin your wrists above you, and he fucks you like a starved man before breeding another load into you.

Since that night, it was all Yeosang could think about. The bondage was definitely fun, the orgasm denial was heavenly, but nothing could top the way you made him breed you like that. Before he realises it, he’s addicted.

The condoms now were all forgotten at the bottom of the drawer. Yeosang thinks this completely ruined when using condoms, so he stops—the feeling of his bare cock being squeezed raw by your pussy gets him off so fucking fast now.

He would have you seated on his cock, riding him, creaming on him, squeezing him before he empties his load right into you, making sure you milk him dry of every single drop.

You were right. Your cunt was made to be his cum dumpster. And Yeosang can’t get enough.

It was to the point that he bought a full length mirror that faced the bed from an angle, and he would have you ride him, while he watches from the mirror the way his cock is swallowed full by your pussy, your moans accompanying his cock hitting in the deeper areas of your cunt. He would grab a handful of your ass, spreading your cheeks wider, watching the way he forces his cock to go deeper in you, and the fucking cries that come out of you? So fucking delicious.

If it wasn’t fucking you on cowgirl, he would have you face the mirror, legs spread wide open, his cock stuffing you full from the bottom in full view in the mirror.

Either way, he never misses the way his cum dribbles and drips out of your pussy hole, usually accompanied by your shaking thighs and breaths.

And then he would slide his cock right back in, making sure he breeds you full for the next two rounds.

His words in the bedroom turned more dirty too, reminding you that his cock will always have enough to fill you up over and over again until he is satisfied.

The extent? He even videos some of the fucking if he doesn’t have time to fuck and breed you on days and weeks when he’s unable to meet you.

The phone is pointed right at your pussy, propped on a tripod from an angle, so his phone camera is able to capture the scene in full. Your legs are wide open, your mind hazy from the euphoria.

“We’re not done yet, baby”, Yeosang reminds you, his hands sliding up your thighs, pushing them lower. The camera catches your cunt in full view, before Yeosang’s cock comes into view, sliding right into you, immediately thrusting right into you, and it records your choked moans and the obscene sounds of the both you fucking like rabbits.

“Fuck, Yeo, you’re so deep,” you cry out, eyes rolling back when his cock hits your sensitive spot. “I’m gonna cum. Gonna cum so much on your cock”

Yeosang’s low voice only pushes you further, and he encourages you, “that’s it baby. Doesn’t that feel good too?” His thrusts are becoming ruts, desperate and feral, making sure you feel it all the way in your stomach before you completely let go, your walls convulse against his cock before he spills his load right into you once more. He pulls out, rubbing his cockhead on your folds without much friction, no thanks to the cream and cum.

Then he moves away, giving you a few seconds before cum starts to trickle out of you once more. His fingers come into view, rubbing both sides your folds before he pulls them open slightly so even more cum seeps out onto the soiled sheets beneath you. You’re so out of it, still recovering from your high before Yeosang dives in for another wet kiss.

Yeosang moves out of the frame once more, his hand reaching out to halt the recording, his mind buzzing with excitement to watch such a perverted video when he’s away from you. He tosses the phone onto the bed, giving soothing rubs on your thighs while his muscled arms are wrapped around you, kissing the back of your neck.

His thumb swipes across your bottom lip affectionately while the both of you cuddle.

“What are you thinking about?” You ask, your fingers dancing along his biceps.

“Thinking about how I should fuck and breed you in public too, make sure you keep my cum nicely in your pussy while we go on our date. And if you don’t, I’ll keep breeding you till you’re begging me to stop.”

You stare at him, speechless and you think to yourself-- what the fuck have you done?

#ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez fanfic #ateez imagines #ateez smut #smut #ateez x reader #ateez fic #kpop smut #ateez yeosang #kang yeosang #yeosang x reader #yeosang smut #yeosang ateez #yeosang imagines

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cherrysoojins · 9 months

Text

८ bewitched , ateez laufey songs .

❛ i didn’t know that much at all ‘bout love before . . . ✉️

╰ where i bring you ateez oneshots based off of laufey songs !

✉️ : five out of eight completed.

BEWITCHED ! — ‧₊˚✧

hongjoong

❛ falling behind ❜ — read here !

seonghwa

❛ dear soulmate ❜ — tba

yunho

❛ like the movies ❜ — tba

yeosang

❛ i wish you love ❜ — read here !

san

❛ best friend ❜ — tba

mingi

❛ what love will do to you ❜ — read here !

wooyoung

❛ from the start ❜ — read here !

jongho

❛ valentine ❜ — read here !

bewitched taglist ,

send an ask or dm to be added !

warnings will be in the individuals posts .

special thanks to the anon that gave me this idea !

stories will not be in order. i write the ones i get inspired to write, so the oneshots will not come out in the order listed above !

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hwaightme · 1 year

Text

Your fan, Yeosang (part 2)

(part 1) (your fan ml)

📺 pairing: yeosang x talk show host!reader 📺 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining, drama 📺 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if yeosang was stanning you 📺 wordcount: 8.0k (hehet? this be a long boi v sorry) 📺 warnings/tags: language, drama, reader has connections, woo and jongho are best homies, seongjoong parents, flute remixes to soothe the soul, general chaos, 6d chess master plans, prejudice, growth, interviews and press, discussion of media, mention of eating, slight sleep deprivation, sneaking out 📺 taglist: @acciocriativity, @senpai-of-doom, @layzfeelit @jcngh0-hq @black--awsum @honey-lemon-goose 📺 a/n: Hello!! <3<3 Is drama on the horizon for Yeosang? Let's find out! Thank you so much for your love and support, big hugs, much love and hope you enjoy <3 (p.s.: can you guess who is next? hint is: sOft chaos bringer)

The clock struck eight in the evening as you were sat in your favourite family restaurant, toying with a napkin that you had taken from the table drawer. You did not want to order anything before his arrival, just in case if the meeting were to be cut short for some unknown reason.

You liked to give people space to breathe, and that always started from the way one carried themselves, and whether they were forward-thinking enough to consider how some of their most insignificant actions could result in something much, much bigger.

For celebrities, and any public figures for that matter, this was amplified a thousand fold and had many nuances and interpretations.

Take a scandal stemming from exposure. Why you had chosen this restaurant in particular, was so that there would be no curious eyes: the storefront was covered by a myriad of posters, an old vending machine, and stacks of crates. Most importantly, they were actually closed today, and only because of your close ties to the owner were you allowed in here 24/7.

Take a red herring or misleading information. You were clear in your demands for the meeting, and appreciated the directness with which you had been approached. Seeing as this was an unofficial introduction, you had picked the time and day when you were bound to be off work and did not have to lie to your colleagues.

Take foolishness and lack of reflecting on one's actions and words. It was a simple error to make. Many had done it. You tried your best to veer away from such disasters during interviews that you led, but some... were just prone to talking first, thinking second.

This is why, when you saw the handsome young man by the name of Yeosang walk through the door, lowering his mask just a little to let you confirm that it indeed was him, you waited for him to greet you first. Perhaps you might have come across as cold, but you felt that it was the right tactic to choose considering that you had never crossed paths before.

Of course you knew ATEEZ, and had even tried to organise interviews with them before, alas, it had not worked out. At the time you either had not gained enough traction to come across as important enough, or they were simply too busy. Aside from that, you had a hand in suppressing some recent 'what could have been' scandals, but you kept your battles with the yellow pages under wraps.

Destiny had its own plans for you personally interacting with ATEEZ. Destiny in the form of a complex entertainment industry network and... an intriguing broken telephone that led you to contact a certain Jung Wooyoung directly.

And upon doing so, you had finally gotten to exchange a couple of message with none other than the instigator of this whole spy movie-level plot. The contrast between him, and the other member was nothing short of hilarious. Down to the emoji count and the use of punctuation, their personalities revealed themselves to you in seconds.

But Yeosang still seemed... odd. Like he was guarded. And you adored when people were guarded. Especially towards you. Since that normally meant that in reality, they had a lot to say.

He stood at the entrance, feeling a little awkward since he was unfamiliar with the place, it being in a distant neighbourhood to both the company and the dorms. To add, it was you he was meeting, so even if he tried to act cool, it would be a bit of a lie. He rocked on his feet a couple of times, fiddling with his face mask that he had now fully taken off.

Then, as his eyes scanned the surroundings, he spotted you. You were sat at one of the tables furthest from the door, and seemingly did not notice him yet. You were folding the tissue paper in your hands into an elaborate origami structure, and looked almost the same as on screen.

How you were sat reminded him of the little segments during the shows when the camera cut to you a little bit early, and you were still in your zone, waiting for a cue - this had been more prevalent in the earliest episodes, and even then was barely noticeable.

The only reason why he knew was because during an anniversary episode you had dedicated a portion of the show to discussing professional blunders, taking your own as examples and encouraging your viewers that mistakes were very common - it was how we responded to them that mattered.

That had resonated with Yeosang, and as such, he had written about this (for research purposes) in detail. It had motivated him to not be so hard on himself, at least in the moments when he recalled that you had said so.

You had become a sort of stabilising presence in his life, since he admired you so greatly, and he had begun to enjoy pretending that it was exclusively him that you were sharing wisdom with. He had been in denial about that part for a few days, but managed to convince himself that a provider of fan service had the right to enjoy some imaginary fan service too - now if he were to bring that to LIGHT.... that would be a different story.

Not appropriate for a first impression. Matter of fact, not appropriate for later impressions either. He vowed to keep this unfounded 'strangers to whatever it was'!au in his head until he himself turned into a blue bird.

He ambled towards you, straightening out his clothing as a soothing gesture, and when he was a couple metres away from you, froze in place. This was real, wasn't it? He blinked slowly a couple of times. Yep, yep it was. Wooyoung really did have mafia-level connections. All so Yeosang could act like a mafia boss. Bro code certified.

As he wondered how exactly to better gain your full attention and running through different alternative scenarios, you beat him to it, raising your head and beaming. Your cheeriness was contagious, making him return the smile two-fold.

"Kang Yeosang, right? A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine, L/N Y/N."

Yeosang took a seat right in front of you, and as if she had been waiting this whole time, the ahjussi who owned the restaurant strolled up to your table, and asked for your orders. With a kind, yet still unreadable smile you ordered a couple of things off the menu from memory. It seemed both you and the owner were on the same wavelength, existing in an alternate universe where no one forgot anything.

As he fumbled for the menu, not finding anything on the table, then struggling to figure out what the scribbles on the wall were as they seemed to have been written in stereotypical calligraphy of a medical professional, you softly captured his attention.

He half expected you to make a joke about his lost expression, or about how he was pulling a classic Yeosang moment and struggling to catch up, but you only mentioned that the best items were always the ones off the menu, and you would be interested in learning more about what kind of food he liked so you could make a suggestion that would suit him.

Yeosang's heart skipped a beat. Was this what it felt like to be in the studio with you? Were all the people who you worked with and travelled memories with actually there to just... fall for you?

But in the words of the greatest, we must stay focused, brothers, we must stay focused. He pushed the fanboy trapped within him a little bit further down so he wouldn't act up at least for the next hour, and nodded appreciatively towards you.

After confessing his love for certain types of fried goods, but making sure to politely add that really he was okay with anything, you grinned, and explained to him one of the specialties, that luckily, included chicken. He gazed at you, head resting on the palm of his hand, as he pondered just how nice it was to listen to you.

It wasn't just about how you asked questions really. Though that was technically what brought in the money in, as one could say. It was about how you treated your conversation partners with respect. You were not forcing the conversation, nor letting it burn out.

At this point he was not sure if Hongjoong even had the right to call himself a captain anymore because of just how masterfully you navigated discourse, guiding it but not overwhelmingly so. Just enough to keep things interesting. (but Yeosang did not have a death wish, so this was again, personal and exclusive to his mind palace)

As you two were served some soft drinks while you waited for the food to arrive, you decided to cut right to the chase.

"I have heard a few things through the grape vine, and have some conclusions of my own, but I would love to hear about a certain thing from you personally. How would you describe the purpose of a master of ceremonies, of a show host?"

Yeosang needed a moment as he contemplated the question. It felt purposefully cryptic, but he could not feel any malice behind it. Was he being too trusting? He could not help it though, you had an innate ability for welcoming yourself into the inner worlds of others.

Quick, quick... what should he say that would make him appear knowledgable? He could not have a person he looked up to, was basically stanning, think that he was a fool.

"Uh, someone who... and MC is someone who embodies the message of the show, is a reflection of it in a sense. They are a personification of what the programme stands for, from the language they use to how they dress to how they behave overall."

He listed off, feeling proud that he managed to muster up something he deemed worthy of your analysis. At least, until he saw your eyes narrow, and stopped fiddling with your glass of water, instead intertwining your hands together and resting them on the edge of the table.

You extended both your index fingers, and directed them at him. Be it in accusation, or because you wanted to emphasise something, he had no clue. But panic mode was upon him and he began to replay what he had just blurted out in search of an error or any sign of what could have possibly upset you.

The side of your mouth twitched upwards as you noticed a familiar series of behavioural patterns right before you. It was only natural for people to act that way when they said what they thought they had to say, instead of what they really believed in. Especially when you gave the sign that you did not buy it.

"In total agreement with you, Yeosang. Now how about you? How do you view it?"

"But I just-"

"Said what you assumed I wanted to hear. While I do appreciate how considerate you are, and how you respect my profession, it does little to help me get to know you."

Why did that sound so... double sided? Yeosang was at a loss for words. He had not prepared himself for this. The interviews... the shows... they all were so smooth-running. Yes, you were just as nice right now, and probably your technique did not change much either, but feeling it full force was making his brain fuzzy.

"Then how about this. You tell me about your experiences. You have quite a few events and filming under your belt. How would you evaluate your growth over, let's say the last year?"

He jumped at the modification of the question, thinking it was somehow easier and was neutral enough. He told you about how in shows with the rest of ATEEZ, he preferred to take more of a listener role, since there is always so much to cover and so much to do. He even went so far as to explain that prior to any filming, they normally got a rundown of who is expected to have what screen time. His nerves were getting the best of him and he was beginning to ramble. So much for pretending that he had some sort of master plan, when a real master was right in front of him.

But you did not stop him. Not once. You listened intently as he walked you through his journey as a new MC. You enjoyed his diversions into a couple of funny episodes, him stumbling over his words as he realised he was about to spoil something... but especially when he finally touched upon what you had been waiting for.

"...and I have been practicing daily. I find this to be like any singing, or dancing. So needs a unique approach... and... yeah..."

"How? That must take so much effort and the fact that you do it is so admirable!" You encouraged him, motioning for Yeosang to continue and elaborate.

He could not resist you, not when you were right here, not talking over him, complimenting him, and looked interested and not in a rush for time.

"I watch and try to work together with episodes or with clips of people I admire a lot."

"And how are you developing your unique style?"

"Late Night Di- oh. Oh no this is awkward wait oops haha I..."

"Not to worry. You can quote me anytime, Yeosang."

He swore his face just flashed beet red, went pale and heated up again. Instinctively he raised his hand to feel one of his ears - yep, he was beginning to burn up. Did this mean that...?

"And to answer your question, yes, I did watch the episode. And I appreciate you prefacing it by saying 'as said by one of the greats'. Respectable and endearing." you leaned back. This was just the beginning for you, but you already saw Yeosang starting to crack a little.

That front that he had entered the restaurant with, some agenda that was not true to his intentions... it was crumbling away as you laid out the facts in front of him. Using the quiet that had fallen upon both of you, you continued your simple, but impactful monologue.

"I would like to apologise to you for being so persistent in my inquiry. As you probably know, I like to have those who contact me to be open. Maybe it is just how I am, or how I had adapted over time, but I have little patience for saying only half of something. And I think you can agree with me on that."

He merely nodded, unable to break his trance. He was feeling how he was enraptured by you. There it was. That magnificence. The professionalism only you had, paired with the sweetest words and silver-screen femme fatale looks (because even though he did initially find you and became a fan because of your talents, now, sitting together with you, all of his senses were going into a bit of an overdrive).

"As we have already established, we are aware of one another. At least from a distance. So, whilst I must thank Wooyoung for his pains, I have yet to see your intentions."

"Oh?" he whispered, looking straight into your eyes, hypnotised.

"You have a great friend, Yeosang. He almost made this rendezvous sound like a blind date with the number of good things he told me about you."

Yeosang pinched the bridge of his nose, imagining just how nonsensical his friend could be, and what sort of conversation that must have happened between the two of you.

"Gosh I am very sorry about that... Wooyoung is, well Wooyoung." he could not exactly say

"But he has a heart of gold. He lives for the people in his life, even if he might show it in unconventional ways at times."

"Well, that is one of the best ways I have heard him be described. I guess I will not be digging my hole any deeper if I say I am blown away by how you can read and understand people?"

"Not at all, I am flattered. And a word of advice, do not apologise for your friends if you cherish them, and especially if they were acting on behalf of you."

Yep. This was it. This was why he was here. Why Yeosang was just so into you. While he was often labelled as quiet, or shy, or zoned out, or slow, to you he was an open book. And instead of making him feel unsettled, it reassured him that there was someone right here with whom he could stop pretending and stop being unnatural.

This was the moment when he mustered up the courage, and in a tiny voice that got louder as he became more reassured by your nods, hums and overall attentive reactions, began to answer the real, unspoken question that had been hanging over him as soon as he had walked in.

Yeosang expressed his fascination with your approach to being a show host, commended you for starting and leading one of the best programmes on television, and listed of niche, thus even more special reasons for why he was just grateful to you.

For the first time in his life, he felt like he was on the other side of the fansign table. Like he was about to take out an album for you to sign or give you something, anything (he would give you his heart but you already had it).

His gushing was making you blush. It was hard for you to take the compliments, seeing as the whole time you had been in the business, you just took it day by day.

Though you were on the 'entertainment' side of things, you were still a journalist. You still did your fair share of articles for your company, and you still were in the know about the gossip pool. So you had come to ignore all comments made about you or said in your address, since to many you were a 'vulture'.

A lot of people did not care for your good intentions, nor for what had motivated you to start your show in the first place. They only saw a creature who wanted to coax juicy details out of big stars in exchange for huge lumps of money and clout.

Even your bosses, whilst they praised you and had given you a lot more free rein than to others in your age group, they were much more attracted to the connections and sums you were bringing in. That was the darker truth of your business.

You had found yourself forgetting the eagerness you had when you had just started, how you had done the same things Yeosang was doing now. His words woke up a hope within you. That maybe you were not the only one in this industry who wanted to see the brighter side of things was was working hard for that to happen.

His speech slowed down, and he began to pick words carefully, which made you hang onto each one. Then, he asked what you had suspected, but did not think he would go ahead with:

"May I... learn from you? As in... could we meet... sometimes? Whenever we are free..."

How were you in this position right now? A global star, asking you to basically be his coach??? His teacher???? Impostor syndrome was very real and activated, 0 to 100. The woman was too stunned to speak.

You studied Yeosang. The honesty in his eyes was overwhelming. To an extent you were not sure you even deserved this. But, if he wanted it. So be it. You had nothing to lose from continuing to speak to him, especially since he was now fully open with you.

"I would be more than happy to meet with you again, and would be honoured to teach and learn from you, too."

"I really don't know how I can repay you for that. Truly, thank you." Yeosang was on cloud nine as he heard your agreement. And he was mentally patting himself on the back for not becoming a puddle over the duration of this discussion.

"I have an idea." he perked up.

Your show host and main promoter of 'Late Night Dive' side would not let go of you, so you rapidly thought of something in return for sharing your wisdom. You produced a document out of your bag which had been resting on the chair right next to you, and placed it in front of Yeosang.

"These are just some brochures that we use to pitch LND to different agents. Truth be told, a couple of years ago I did try to talk with KQ, but nothing happened. So if you have the chance, mention my show to the big man. And it's a deal."

"Consider it done."

"Thank you. And by the way, I am really glad we met, Yeosang."

"Then let's organise for when we shall meet again, so I can look forward to it."

So you planned one meeting. Another. And the next one after that. It was pretty much like a meeting series on Outlook Calendar at this point. And then, you had stayed in that restaurant until you began to hear a bassline of a snore coming from the kitchen, which upon inspecting, was the ahjussi having a good ol' time sleeping against a wall.

Feeling bad about staying until what had turned out to be past midnight, you and Yeosang had split the bill and left an envelope with the money, adding a little extra in secret so that it technically was not a tip, but a treat instead.

You ambled towards the front door and locked it, having seen the owner do it many times, and with Yeosang's help, pulled down the inner shutter for safety. Then, you guided your companion to the back door, and soon enough, you were back out on the Seoul streets, fresh air hitting your smiling faces. Since you did not want to risk him having to take odd commuting routes at spooky o'clock, you drove Yeosang back to the dorms.

For the duration of the drive, you noticed a light blush on his cheeks, and when an ATEEZ song began to play on the radio, he practically tried to blend with the seat by squeezing himself into it. Did he think you looked very cool while you were steering and generally being all powerful behind the wheel? Yeah. Was he again doubting Hongjoong as captain? A little.

When he got back to the dorms and crept in through the front door, everything was enveloped in darkness. Not a single ray, from any of the rooms. Not a sound. Very, very suspicious. As he took of his shoes, washed his hands in the bathroom sink and was on his way to slink into his room, his suspicions were confirmed.

In the blink of an eye, ALL LIGHTS were flipped on, blinding him after he had gotten used to navigating without it, and a pyjamas-clad Wooyoung hopped out from behind the kitchen counters, recorder in his hands, and started playing an ear-bleed worthy rendition of George Michael's Careless Whisper.

There was no such thing as dynamics in this interpretation. It was just continuous musical screaming. One that made Yeosang double over and cover his ears. He thought it would end there. But, alas, the vocal line had other plans. A wild San and Jongho strolled out from their respective rooms, and launched into one of the later parts of the song. Damn were they going to have to apologise to the neighbours for this... again.

"TONIGHT THE MUSIC SEEMS SO LOUD-"

"...it sure IS GUYS CAN YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP WE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!?" a disheveled Seonghwa stormed out of his room, a selfie stick in his hands that now appeared to be a little to much like a weapon.

"I WISH THAT WE COULD LOSE THIS CROWD-"

"...guys I will legit dispose of all of you and JONGHO I CAN FIGHT YOU TOO I AM NOT AFRAID!" Mingi stepped out too, barely having time to put on his glasses, but with one 'you wanna fight bro' taunt from Jongho - and him moving to stand in a boxing position, made the taller member turn right around and loudly proclaim 'NOPE'.

"MAYBE IT'S BETTER THIS WAY"

"WE'D HURT EACH OTHER WITH THE THINGS WE'D WANT TO SAY"

"Guys???? Is no one going to stop them?????" Seonghwa was at a loss, and searching for salvation in Yunho, who just stepped out, and was leaning against his doorframe.

"Nah, I have no beef with Yeosang, he was a homie when I was having problems with a certain someone. Now his roommates on the other hand... well, you can see they want their revenge for the savagery." he simply shrugged, enjoying the show of a very flustered Yeosang not knowing how to process what was happening.

"At my ears' expense? Why is Hongjoong not home... OH HONGJOONG HELLO!!!!" Seonghwa spotted another figure at the door - an incredibly disturbed captain, who had initially walked in with a small smile on his face, but that rapidly turned to disgust.

"I swear I leave y'all for just a COUPLE OF HOURS and you legit start a shitty flute band????? What brain cell is responsible I need to have a word, and YEOSANG? Where were you?"

Yeosang was hoping that Hongjoong would not pay much attention to him since he was not the one being loud, and he managed to make his way behind the San and Jongho line, but nope. Eagle eyes. When he did not respond, Hongjoong basically flung his shoes off his feet and stormed across the room while muttering:

"I swear to all that is good in the world I am wearing all black because I am about to attend y'all's funeral."

"And not because.... goth gf?" Yeosang could not help it. He saw the opportunity."

"BOI sit down on the couch right now, and Woo give me this... instrument? When did you get this?"

"This morning. Saw it on sale. Isn't it great?"

"You should have picked this as your 'main object to describe you' for Watcha."

"Life-changing, monumental, legendary?"

"Loud. RIGHT. Seems you and Jongho are also part of this little... escapade involving Yeo's disappearance into the midnight. Care to explain?" Hongjoong's exhaustion was evident as he lowered his voice and was generally on the verge of letting them do whatever. But once a leader, always a leader. And he could feel that something was up. Something that needed his involvement.

The other members promptly retreated to their rooms, since their wake up alarms were going to be ringing in a couple of hours and they needed to at least pretend they got eight hours of sleep. San quite literally skipped back to bed, seeing as he managed to have his share of chaotic fun, but escaped the scolding. The only one to remain was Seonghwa, who sat down at the dining table and set the selfie stick of doom aside.

Hongjoong took one of the chairs and slid it towards the living area, so that he could sit in front of today's trouble maker trio. Clearing his throat, he asked no one in particular:

"Okay. Why do I find out about everything only after it happens?"

"Maybe because you don't come home?" Wooyoung quipped, stopping playing with his phone and looking up to face the leader.

"Excuse me, I don't come because I am working, for you guys, by the way. I literally carry the ATEEZ lore on my shoulders." obviously hurt, Hongjoong sent back a retort.

"No wonder you are the closest to the ground." Jongho commented on the other's height, looking off in a different direction, the picture of innocence.

"Yeah, so I'll drag you to hell if you dare say that shit again."

"Calm down, demon line rep, it's just banter." Wooyoung stepped in, because even though he did sent a thumbs up to the maknae behind his back for being so quick, he did not want this argument to get any more heated. "Plus, weren't you out on a date tonight, and not working, as you so proudly say?"

"Uh... that... I was yes." Hongjoong could not deny it. At the end of the day, it just would not be respectful to the one he was out with.

"Bro code?" Yeosang asked, breaking his silence.

"I'm sorry, bro, but I am afraid your bro code evaluation and policing privileges have been revoked, you are in the grey zone." Wooyoung turned his attention to him, a smirk on his lips.

"Wait hold up back it up-"

"Yeah you heard Hongjoong, baaaack it up-" Wooyoung was about to hop up, with every intent to begin twerking, but Jongho pulled him right back down and forcefully held him in place.

"And you should retire from your ho era." Jongho addressed him, face remaining emotionless.

"Okay Jong-ho."

"Do you want this fist?"

"Yes fist me."

"Just- oh my word." Jongho face palmed at Wooyoung's intentionally out of pocket statement. At least it did the trick of getting everyone to move on and right back to the main topic at hand.

"Anyways... Yeosang, care to elaborate about this so-called grey zone?"

"First off, they are blowing it out of proportion just to take revenge on me. Second off, I met up with someone today." he kept it vague for now. Maybe it would be enough.

"And I take it that someone is in your sphere of interests, yes?"

Yeosang starts blushing and looks away. Of course, that was not enough. And of course Hongjoong knew him far too well to see he was acting smitten.

"OH MY GOSH YES IT IS SEONGHWA GET THE CAMERA KANG YEOSANG LIKES SOMEONE!" Hongjoong, acting like the dad he was, called out to the eldest, who just remained sitting in his place, processing.

"Dude not so loud the others will give me so much shit." Yeosang pleaded, waving downwards at Hongjoong to emphasise the need for a volume drop.

"I think all the shit has gathered on that couch next to you my guy." with a grand gesture, Hongjoong swept over the two others on the couch with Yeosang.

He glanced in their direction, surprised that they did not act out, and only shrugged.

"Okay, so, who is it?" Hongjoong was not letting up.

"Do I really have to-"

"Yes. Yes you do."

"Y/N."

"Okay? Do I know her, this Y/N?"

"Well... maybe. L/N Y/N?"

Hongjoong went pale in the face upon hearing that name. He took a moment, and asked for Yeosang to repeat it. Once he confirmed for himself that no, he was not being delusional and this in fact really was you, that he was aware of, that Yeosang was talking about, he was distressed.

"So... you are talking to press, basically." Hongjoong jumped to the conclusion, disappointing Yeosang.

"Where did that come from?"

"I should be asking you that, Yeo! How the fuck did you even reach her?"

"I just... I just did." he did not want his friends to get mixed up in this. At the end of the day, it was he who was your fan... it was he who liked you.

"Ugh, okay fine. Yeah, media people are all over the place. But were you even thinking? She is a big name in the industry right now. If she wants to she can squash us, and here you are selling yourself out?"

"Why are you saying all of this nonsense about her? What did she ever do to you?" Yeosang raised his voice, discouraged by the aggression he was suddenly having to face. The derogatory remarks, the prejudice, all of this was now hurting him personally.

"I know the likes of her. They try to get close, really butter you up and then they expose you and hang all your dirty laundry out to the world."

"Who hurt you, man?" Wooyoung placed a reassuring hand on Yeosang's shoulder. It was not hard to guess that this was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"Shut it Wooyoung, I am worried!"

"Dude, she is really nice and understanding, have you ever even seen an episode of-"

"Have YOU ever filmed a variety show or been interviewed before? You know how we all change in front of the camera. So. Does. She. She gets paid to act, 'tis the way of life."

"I think you are overreacting Hongjoong." Jongho joined back in.

"Look. Music people? Fine. Internet people or athletes? fine. Literally so many other people except those that drag us through the dirt? So fine. But this is just dangerous. Yeosang. You trust so easily, and I do not want you to get in trouble, nor subject yourself to the terrors that come with such close, unmediated interactions with those people."

"You are saying such shit about Y/N right now, and you dare attribute terrible qualities to her? I'll have you know she has NOT ONCE exposed ANYONE! She purposefully CUTS THINGS OUT OF HER SHOW IF THEY ARE SENSITIVE, even if including them would bring her more views. She literally helps her guests out of uncomfortable topics, and-"

"So she is manipulative?"

"WHY ARE YOU TWISTING THINGS?"

"As much as we need media people to survive, there are vultures out there, and I don't want you to become a victim of one. Seonghwa, thoughts?"

Hongjoong turned around, expecting support from his friend, only to see that he was face down forehead resting on his arms, and fast asleep. Hongjoong groaned, and turned back, his voice dropped into a whisper.

"One last thing from me then. I suggest you stop talking to her before things get serious. And no talking back at me right now. We need to be up soon so get your ass to bed."

As Yeosang watched the two eldest going back inside the room - Seonghwa having been awakened just enough for him to be able to migrate on his own, he was distraught. He did not believe a single word Hongjoong had said. Especially not in your address.

Yes, he knew far too well about how hatred can spread. He knew about the negativity, and about just how ruthless a journalist could be. But Yeosang also had the chance to meet you, and had spent even longer learning about you. And you were nothing like the rest. Not one bit. And just like that Yeosang decided to go against his own Captain.

"So... uh... want to learn how to sneak out of the dorms unnoticed?" Wooyoung leaned over and mumbled, making sure no one except those left in the living room could hear.

"I can help you plan better meet ups." the maknae offered his support immediately too.

Yeosang felt like crying, there really were people on his side. And on your side. Those who saw through the horrific, unfounded claims.

The next day, he took the risk and slipped the LND brochure into one of the senior publicity manager's desks. He was not sure whether it would work, nor if he would get caught, but he did not care. He was trying his best to repay you.

He did not bring up this topic to any of the members except his roommates, and was stoic enough to not give rise to any suspicions. Hongjoong had all but forgotten the quarrel, preoccupied with promotional schedules and training.

But, under Wooyoung's and Jongho's guidance, unconditional support and even pestering, Yeosang continued seeing you. If Jongho had the abilities to be an orchestrator of the most elaborate plans, Yeosang was doing it in 6-dimensional space, since not only was he dedicated to keeping his connection with you alive, but you too were giving 200%.

He did not give a single shit about what his hyungs had to say. Because you made him happy. You listened, you asked, you shared everything with him. You did not have a single judgmental bone in your body.

You had organised a couple of your 'meetings' (but really a couple of months in you had long transitioned to calling them dates) together with Yeosang's roommates, because he wanted them to meet you. They could not be more gleeful, and you had impressed them both.

During one of the deeper conversations, after Wooyoung had asked about whether you had known anything exclusive about them ever, you offhandedly mentioned certain Dispatch pictures of Wooyoung leaving a cafe after closing hours. Initially, that made Wooyoung ill at ease, suddenly remembering what Hongjoong had said. But then you launched into a story of how you almost physically fought the paparazzo who had taken the picture, and the editors, managing to make them delete some of the more 'exclusive' and 'breaking' pics that involved another person, for good.

This had elevated you beyond belief in the two members' eyes, and made Yeosang completely fall in love with you. He had never expected for that to happen so quickly, but you were easy to adore. He felt it - this was for the long run, and he was willing to fight for it.

You were witty, and smart and really could see through any bullshit and would strike if the situation called for it, but you never did it out of pocket. In reality, you were the nicest, most selfless person of all time. You cared about everyone.

At first, you were his coach and a fellow MC, then you were his inspiration, then you were his love.

Now, because every camera and stage where he had to MC was associated with you for him, so Yeosang glowed on camera. He just pretended that he was talking with you, and it all flowed. He had also improved his skills greatly, and had allowed himself to joke, to be truly joyful and just... be himself.

You had almost completely regained your faith in the industry, thanks to Yeosang always cheering you on. After any episode of your show, he would get back to you with a detailed review, and would praise you and if it was a date night, would bring a little gift, to celebrate.

During one such date, he had bought you a delicate silver chain bracelet, and asked you to be his girlfriend. Because even though Hongjoong and probably Seonghwa too would not approve, he did not see any other way being right. Much to his delight, you had agreed then and there.

All was calm, and all was bright, until one day, you had to come to the KQ Entertainment building because the publicists responsible for ATEEZ promotions had contacted you about a potential interview. Although it had been a few months, you were no stranger to waiting. Moreover, this made your heart soar as you just knew this was Yeosang's doing.

It was a success. By fate, filming could be done next week. You were ecstatic. Yeosang had explicitly told you of how the leader of ATEEZ felt about you, but you did not mind it, so long as he could be professional. But that hope flew out of the window when you accidentally bumped into him when strutting down one of the numerous corridors.

He recognised you instantly, and the side eye he gave you was less than pleasant. Smile a little too tight, phrases too generic and superficial, he was definitely less than fond of you.

You tried to turn the conversation around, and mentioned how you were excited to learn more about his leadership and hard work, about how he operated in the studio, his inspirations. But this led him to just grunt and rather coldly state that 'ah, so that's happening'.

Hongjoong guessed quickly enough that you were talking to Yeosang. And that broke him, for not only was Yeosang in danger, in the leader's eyes, but also that the member felt the need to lie, and conceal his feelings towards you. He was up front, and asked if you were together, to which you responded with a quick yes.

At that moment, none other than Wooyoung had walked around the corner, and sensing a possible conflict nearly ran over to the two of you. If hands were going to be thrown he was ready - no way in hell was anyone messing with Yeosang and the one he loved.

"What's popping party people? Manager just texted that we'll be on Late Night Dive, isn't it exciting? And hello Y/N!"

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That she, and Yeosang, they are... they are dating?"

"Boy they are official. Not just dating. Really a match made in heaven let me tell you. If you were to open your freaking eyes dude, you would see just how happy Yeosang is. Hah sorry Y/N, but yeah man's glowing."

"Is there any reason for me to fully trust that you won't do any harm?"

"For once I can say, time is on my side, for I never had, have, nor ever will want to harm him, nor anyone connected to him. You do not need to trust me, Hongjoong. I accept that and am used to it. What I would like is for ATEEZ to be harmonious, and for us to connect. I really respect you, and it would be a shame if we could not get to know each other better."

Your colleague, who had just wrapped up another meeting, called out to you as they appeared in the corridor. You parted ways with the two ATEEZ members before either of them could say anything else.

After you left, Wooyoung noticed a figure standing off to the side, evidently someone who had been in hiding, but chose to reveal themselves only now. It was a livid Yeosang, who had been hoping to find you, but now, just wanted to give Hongjoong a piece of his mind.

He admonished the leader for being so weirdly judgmental of you. For not wanting to just be happy for his own close friend. For being hypocritical, and forgetting about the fact that love was often found in the most unexpected places.

And it just so happened that yes, Yeosang had found his love in you. In a person who had dedicated themselves to journalism. Media. Broadcasting. Televised entertainment. Interviews. Celebrity life. But that was not not a manifestation of some kind of evil. Quite the opposite. It was you searching for the best in people. By doing what you did, you made people shine brighter than the damn sun.

He dropped facts on Hongjoong about how you had purposefully invited a star who was receiving unjust hate, and thanks to that episode, literally transformed their career for the better. Yeosang did not fail to mention the Wooyoung Dispatch - a recounting which made the Captain's jaw drop.

And, explaining that if Hongjoong still did not want to care about you a single bit, then he should know that only thanks to you was Yeosang so much more confident. thanks to you was he getting more offers to MC, or to make guest appearances. Because you had changed him. And he was proud of it.

Oh how Hongjoong regretted being skeptical and untrusting after seeing Yeosang's certainty. But the innumerable apologies that had followed that day, and lasted for the week until interview filming did little to influence Yeosang and how he was treating Hongjoong in private - like a stranger. Hongjoong needed to apologise to you.

It was the day, and ATEEZ made their way to the company where you worked. After styling and some final touches on makeup, they appeared on set and greeted the staff. You were nowhere in sight. As they were instructed on how they were going to make their appearance, and on different cues and generally what the structure was like, Yeosang kept on looking around.

In part because 'woah this was the real deal this was the set'. In part because he desperately wanted to see you. To cheer you on like he always did.

You appeared on set ten minutes before the scheduled time slot, and since you had to communicate some details to the staff, you barely had any time left for ATEEZ. You exchanged niceties and were incredibly polite (but extra friendly to Wooyoung and Jongho, and sent a loving glance towards Yeosang), but that was it. Hongjoong was becoming more concerned.

But there was no purpose in that, as the interview went better than anything he could have hoped for. Everyone was engaged, you asked each member questions that resonated with them, threw in some cheekier comments to successfully elicit laughter, and really were the master that Yeosang had described.

You had even given Hongjoong special attention for his captain status, which left him in awe. How were you not mad at him? Were you indifferent? Were you just an amazing actress? Not really, you just had a thing for asking a lot of questions, and understood how people were when they were trying to protect someone they loved.

But what had left a permanent impact on him, was Yeosang. He was the most joyful and comfortable of the lot - a stark contrast to the more introverted disposition he normally adopted. He was in the same flow state as you, and at times was almost like a guest host, an improved role which you had welcomed. Yeosang was screen time king. He made you laugh, effortlessly recounted stories, did not spoil any shows, stages or comebacks but instead sent witty remarks your way. Finally Hongjoong could see, you really did give Yeosang everything and more.

After filming, Hongjoong had taken a split-second opportunity and apologised a number of times, with each iteration becoming more and more formal until he was basically doing a ninety degree bow. But you had forgiven him much faster than that, because being who you were and having seen the things you had seen (due to your job), you were not one to ever stay angry for long, if at all.

As you chatted away, with your boyfriend promptly joining you, both of you were elated, and were inseparable during a private dinner that the eldest members had organised. You had helped to pick out the venue, knowing exactly which locations were the safest - perhaps it was going to turn out to be very advantageous for the group in general to have you on their team.

Yeosang was over the moon as he watched you work your social magic - how you rapidly became close with each one of the members off camera, and were, quite simply, being yourself. His heart melted at the way you so quickly integrated yourself, and the adorable smiles, meant just for him, as well as the squeezes of his hand under the table... he really was a goner.

If he were to be told even a year ago that he was going to find a you in his life, he would have laughed. Because then, he had not yet understood that the most important phrase to live by was, in fact, not a statement, but a question. A dare, a motivator to take risks and a description for how you and Yeosang had become a beautiful duo:

Why not?

You and Yeosang had a thing for asking questions. And now, together, were crafting the answers, one by one.

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