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mymoodwriting · 7 months

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Beyond The Stars

F!Reader x EXO

Genre: Amnesia AU, EXO Universe/Planet

Warning: Amnesia, Manipulation, Lies, Interdimensional Travel, Betrayal

Words: 4.8K

Chapter Seventeen

(Prev//Next)

Prompt: You’re the most important thing to EXO, you’ve been with them for years, and when you wind up missing, it greatly upsets them. Their journey to find you and bring you home starts a chain of events that leads to facing their own greatest fears, making unlikely allies, traveling to other worlds again and finally gathering the strength to take down their greatest enemy. Along the way you get to see their true colors and fall in love all over again, although you might come to realize you don’t like what you see in the mirror.

@suhappysuho @starillusion13

“Destiny? What do you mean?”

“This is a safe haven.” Suho explained. “I’ll show you, but you all have to be calm.”

“You’re not exactly making me feel any better here.” Taeyong commented.

“Just follow me.”

Others were hesitant to follow, but they did so. Lay took your hand and led you along with the group. You looked around, realizing this was some kind of ship, and that brought up so many more questions. At least now it made sense what Suho had said earlier, the ship’s name was Destiny. You came to some steps, although Suho told everyone to give him a moment and went up.

“Captain!”

From below you heard some happy cheers, followed by running. Soon enough you saw someone with Suho and then they noticed you.

“Wow… that’s a lot of stowaways.”

“It’s a long story, but the new faces won’t be staying. They just needed a safe place to stop, hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. You wouldn’t bring enemies on my ship. Welcome aboard everyone.”

You went up onto the main deck, taking in your surroundings again and being amazed. You weren’t out on the ocean where you would find such a ship, but sailing through the sky. You ran over to the edge to look overboard.

“This is amazing.”

“Careful now, don’t want to lose anyone.”

Xiumin came over and pulled you back, reminding you to behave yourself. You apologized and promised to stay close. You were brought over back to the crowd and over to the gentleman you had seen talking with Suho before.

“We should probably introduce you. Y/n, this is the captain of the ship.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” The gentleman bowed. “I’m Hongjoong, captain of the Ateez crew, and this is our lovely ship Destiny.”

“It’s wonderful.”

You got to meet the rest of the crew as well and struck up a conversation as the leaders stepped away to talk among themselves.

“I’m Taeyong, leader of NCT. Thanks for allowing us to remain on your ship.”

“A friend of Suho’s is a friend of mine.”

“I want to ask though… how did you meet Suho?”

“He helped us long ago to save our world, and thanks to them we now roam free, always ready to help others. Destiny is our safe place, and for you as well. You’re always welcomed on my ship.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we cross paths again under better circumstances.”

“I’m sure we will.”

“Do you think you and your people are good to travel?” Suho asked. “Or do you need to rest. I’m sure-”

“No, no, we’re alright.” Taeyong assured. “We should return home and fully rest.”

“Okay then.”

You all gathered to see the Neos off, and you hoped to see them again some time in the future. With the third party gone there was a shift in the atmosphere.

“So what really brought you by?” Hongjoong asked. “You are not one to show up unannounced.”

“I’m here to collect on the favor we’ve asked of you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Wait.” You asked. “What favor?”

You didn’t answer, but a look was exchanged between Hongjoong and Wooyoung. The other boy went off to the captain’s quarters and returned with an hourglass moments later.

“What is that? It looks so cool.”

“It’s called the Cromer.” Wooyoung explained, handing it over to you. “We don’t use it as much anymore, but it serves another purpose now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

You only pondered on that for a moment before the Cromer floated up into the air and away from you. DO had stepped away from the group, and the Cromer flew over to him. In the blink of an eye the hourglass had shattered, but all the pieces remained in the air. All the glass was separated and you could tell DO was focused on it. One moment there was glass and then it turned to sand. You had no idea what was going on, let alone as Kai stepped forward and allowed the sand to pour down onto his hand.

“What are you doing…” You mumbled.

“Remembering something long forgotten.”

“Why are you going there?” Hongjoong asked.

“We can’t keep running.” Suho stated. “We have to face our enemies head on.”

“What does that mean?” You questioned.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Chen assured. “Promise.”

“Kai?” Suho said.

“I got it.”

You didn’t know what that meant, but you watched as DO put the Cromer back together as if nothing had ever happened. It returned to your hands and you looked it over in awe.

“You could stay a while.” Hongjoong suggested. “Get some rest and prepare.”

“Can’t keep pushing things off.” Lay said. “But thank you.”

“If you guys need any help, you know where to find us.”

It was sad to be saying goodbye to new friends so soon, but you went wherever EXO went without hesitation. You hoped to see them again and get to know them more when the time comes. You gave the Cromer back to Yeosang, and they all wished you well. Sehun and Chanyeol took your hands, and you all said one last goodbye before you closed your eyes, ready for the next adventure. The quiet and calm of the open sky faded into the sounds of nature, and you opened your eyes to find yourself surrounded by trees.

“Woah… where are we…”

“Some place we never thought we’d return to.” Baekhyun mumbled. “Come on, we have some place to go.”

“You guys really need to stop being so cryptic.”

“I know, sorry. We’re still processing everything too.”

You followed the boys through the words, quite intrigued by the fact they knew exactly where they were going. After a while you came to this cabin. It seemed abandoned with nature having taken it back, but it all retreated as Lay waved his hand. You went with the boys inside, seeing all the dust that’s been collecting. Sehun was quick to blow that all away, but a silent stillness remained.

“So… what is this place?”

“An old home.” Xiumin said.

“Are we staying?”

“For the foreseeable future, yes.”

“Then we should start cleaning up.”

Your bright spirit was a bit of a contrast with the rest of the atmosphere, but the others agreed with you. The others helped you clean up, making this place feel more like a home. While cleaning you found an interesting picture. It was a group photo of the boys with a handful of unfamiliar faces. There was something strange about this whole place you couldn’t quite put your finger on, and this picture added to that uneasiness. Before you could dwell on it more you heard Lay calling out to you, and you made your way to the back of the cabin, finding a greenhouse. You stepped into a garden you had never seen before, amazed by its beauty.

“Wow…”

“This is an old garden of mine, and you can see the plants have taken very good care of each other.”

“They must have missed you.”

“I missed them too.”

“What happened here? I saw a picture of you and some other people. Was this home before you met me?”

“For a long time it was, but we had to flee.”

“So why are you back now?”

“Cause we need to fix things.”

“Fix things?” You thought for a moment. “Is RF the reason you left this world?”

“Yes. This place was home, and then we wound up being held captive. When we escaped, we left this world in their hands. We have to correct that mistake.”

“That’s dangerous… facing RF head on… especially if the two of you have history here.” “I know, but it has to be done. For starters we need to check in with old friends.”

“Old friends?”

“You can meet them later.” Kai said as he entered the garden. “We have to find them first.”

“And how are you gonna do that?”

“A lot of remembering.”

Kai stepped forward, going into the garden and sitting himself down. Some vines crept over, wrapping around his arms and waist. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, making you wonder what he was doing. You had never seen Kai in the garden like this before.

“Are you picking anything up?”

“I can sense them… but it’s faint…”

“It’s been years at this point. Will that be enough or should I look for them?”

“No. This should be enough.”

After a while longer Kai opened his eyes, the vines moving away and releasing him. He gave you a big smile and came over to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Suho, Sehun, and I will be going out for a bit. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“What? Can’t I go?”

“This place is unknown, and it’s best if you stay here where it’s safe.”

“Then why not bring our house here?”

“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Besides this place was the blueprint of the home we have now. Stay and be good.”

“Alright… don’t be gone too long.”

“Hopefully we won’t.”

The trio went off, and you focused on making this old place feel new. Kai scouted ahead first to make sure no one would get hurt and that they could lay low. Alleys always worked in their favor.

“Where are we?” Sehun asked.

“No idea.” Kai admitted. “Since the frequency is so faint I can’t get an exact location, but they have to be around here somewhere.”

“So like a needle in a haystack.”

“At least I narrowed down the search, didn’t I?”

“Don’t fight.” Suho reminded. “We have no idea what they’re like anymore after all this time. We might not be welcomed. Just lay low and don’t draw attention.”

The area they were in wasn’t that popular, but there were still plenty of people around going about their day. They seamlessly blended in, walking down the street and looking around. Nothing much had seemed to change about the world, but that wasn’t entirely a good thing. While walking Sehun had gotten a strange feeling, stopping before a building.

“Sehun?”

“There’s something about this place.”

“What place? A dojo?”

“I can’t explain it.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

The three went inside, seeing that the place was empty, except for one gentleman. They were cleaning the weapons rack. They began their welcome speech and turned around, only to cut themselves short.

“Suho… Kai… Sehun… is that really you?”

“Surprised to see us. Shownu?”

“I thought I’d never see you again.”

Shownu ran over to embrace the three in a hug, still processing that they were really there. So much had happened since they last spoke. There was a lot to catch up on, but something else was more important.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d return.”

“We have to right our wrongs.” Suho explained. “We’re sorry we took so long.”

“It’s just incredible to see you now.”

“What about the others?” Kai asked. “How are they?”

“I’m not so sure. We don’t keep in touch. It was better if we remained separate. Although for a while I was in contact with Wonho, but he hasn’t been around in months. I’m worried something happened to him but I have no way of finding out.”

“That’s alright. We plan to reunite everyone. If you don’t have any pressing business, we could go now.”

“Absolutely. It’d be so good to see everyone’s face again.”

Once again Kai relied on a faded feeling, going ahead to make sure everything was safe before returning for the others. Shownu did need a moment to recover from the nauseating feeling of teleportation before they could continue. It was another small town, but nothing vastly unfamiliar to Shownu. Neither of them knew where to look so it was back to walking the streets. Although this time around they had someone with a slightly better eye than them.

“Have you been avoiding me?”

“Huh… Shownu!”

Wonho ran over to hug his hyung, embracing them tightly with disbelief clear on his face. This seemed like a dream, more so when he realized his friend was not alone.

“You… is it really you?”

“Long time no see, right?”

“I can’t believe this.” Wonho stated. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll explain later, right now we’re just trying to find everyone.” Suho said. “Did you keep in touch with anyone?”

“No. Only Shownu, but that didn’t last long.”

“How did you find me anyway?”

“It’s a bit complicated… I received a watch in the mail with some instructions and a location… I was hesitant to use it but when I did, I found my way to you.”

“That must be what I sensed.” Sehun said. “The energy from you traveling back and forth. Without it we might not have found Shownu so easily.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Wonho teased. “So who are we looking for next?”

“No idea.” Suho admitted. “We’re just going to the nearest signal.”

“Got it. Ready when you are.”

“You’re very eager.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“I know.”

The five of them made the journey to their next location. Another town, and another needle in a haystack. Still, the more of them they found, the better they all felt. This time around everyone was surprised to find Minhyuk with Changkyun in a cafe. The reunion there was far bigger than the last.

“Have you two been in touch this whole time?” Wonho asked.

“Not consistently.” Minhyuk admitted. “Changkyun would stop by once in a while to check up on me, nothing more.”

“I have incredible timing don’t you think?” Changkyun teased. “I’m so happy to see you all, but also surprised.”

“When we get back to the cabin we can talk.”

“That place is still standing? I would have thought for sure RF would have destroyed it or something.”

“They’d never be able to get close.”

It was great to see each other, but they still had others to find. With the next jump some had gotten used to the nausea, and others not so much.

“Gosh, that always feels weird.” Changkyun commented. “So, who’s here?”

“We don’t know.” Kai said. “Just following a feeling.”

The group walked around for a while. They weren’t sure who to be looking for but once again Sehun had a strange feeling. He led the group inside a building, finding Jooheon behind a glass in the middle of work.

“Jooheon.”

“Hm?” The boy got up. “You… oh my gosh.”

Jooheon rushed out to embrace his brothers, tears stinging his eyes. Suho and the others let them have their reunion, aware they hadn’t seen much of each other in a long time too.

“What’s the reason behind all this?” Jooheon asked. “I thought we’d never see each other again.”

“It’s a long story.” Kai said. “But we’ll get to it. We just need to find the others first.”

“About that…”

“What?”

“I… I wish I could have told you all this sooner… but Kihyun… he was in a car accident… he’s…”

“I’m so sorry.” Suho mentioned.

The news took everyone by surprise, although Sehun had been looking around. Once again he felt something was off, except it was different this time around. He stepped away from the group, and Kai noticed, following him.

“Sehun, what is it?”

“I’m not sure… but I feel like someone else is here…”

“Someone else?”

Kai wasn’t sure what Sehun meant, but he had his own way of figuring things out. He closed his eyes and took a moment, then disappeared. Moments later he returned and threw someone to the ground. This person had a visor covering their eyes like some VR headset, and seemed to be wearing some kind of armor. The others had noticed this as well.

“What the heck?”

“This person’s been spying on us. Any ideas?”

“RF let us go.” Minhyuk said.

“That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t keep an eye on you.”

“They weren’t following us.” Sehun added. “So they must have been here keeping an eye on Jooheon.”

“Me?”

That’s when the spy decided to move, making an attempt to run but Kai was quick to follow. The two engaged in some quick combat. This person was skilled, but Kai’s powers gave him an advantage. He managed to land a hard kick to the face, causing the other to slam to the ground. There was the audible crack of the visor and then all movement ceased. Shownu and Suho flipped over the spy, realizing a familiar face was under the mask.

“Kihyun…”

Everyone was confused and shocked. The news they had just been told suddenly became a lie, and this brought up so many questions. They all agreed that they couldn’t stay here for much longer so Suho made the call to go back home, taking everyone with them.

“Clear the table.”

Shownu called out orders as he carried Kihyun inside, Jooheon quickly wiped everything off the nearest table. Everyone gathered around as Kihyun was laid out on the table, helping to get the gear off of him. Others that had heard the commotion came to see what was going on, although there were no time for greetings. Things were taken off Kihyun to make him more comfortable, but the visor wouldn’t come off.

“So…” Minhyuck spoke. “How do we get that off him? Seems attached to his face and I don’t wanna… what if I hurt him?”

“You won’t.”

Another voice caught everyone’s attention. They all looked over at the door, seeing a tall figure hidden under an umbrella walk in. Once the group had gotten to the old house Suho made it rain to cover their tracks and it was pretty bad outside. This person seemed pretty clean, barely a drop of water on their umbrella, and not a speck of mud on them despite the surrounding woods. The umbrella was lowered, Hyungwon revealing his face.

“There’s a button on the left side of the visor. Press it and it will come off without issue.”

No one moved but Minhyuck, feeling around and finding the button. When he got the visor off he tossed it to Chen. Kihyun didn’t react, the other boy starting to shake him.

“Kihyun… Kihyun, wake up.”

“He won’t.” Hyungwon said. “And I suggest you don’t fry the visor.”

“What do you mean he won’t wak-” Shownu said but was cut off.

“It was supposed to be me!”

Jooheon yelled, storming over to Hyungwon. The older boy didn’t move, not at all afraid of the other. It was clear Jooheon wanted to fight, but Wonho was quick to run over and step in front of Hyungwon, holding his arm out. Shownu and Changkyun had moved as well, grabbing Jooheon and pulling him back despite his protests.

“It was supposed to be me!”

“Jooheon, what are you talking about?” Changkyun asked. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I was supposed to be in the accident! Not Kihyun! I saw you there, Hyungwon, I saw you there at the crash site!”

“What?” Shownu’s grip got tighter. “Jooheon, stop this and explain yourself.”

Jooheon kept glaring at Hyungwon, wanting to punch him, but he stopped fighting when Shownu asked. The two holding him waited a moment, making sure he was calm before letting him go. Wonho stayed with Hyungwon, but wasn’t sure what was going on.

“I’ve always felt that something was off about the accident.” Jooheon began. “I’ve had dreams of it, where I’m the one in the driver’s seat, it felt so real, too real, to just be a dream. I remember seeing you there when the ambulance took Kihyun, and then you disappeared. It was supposed to be me right? You changed that somehow. Why? It should be me on that table!”

“I couldn’t let RF get to you, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, you’re saying that Jooheon’s dreams are real?” Minhyuk asked.

“Those aren’t dreams, but memories of another timeline. I’m surprised you retain fragments of the accident.”

“So this…” Changkyun was mumbling. “This was what you needed to change?”

“What?” Shownu questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“Hyungwon came to me once, long before the accident, he asked me for a favor, said it was important. He needed to change something in the timeline, told me when and where Minhyuck would be, asked me to look after him, keep him safe for as long as possible.”

“Wait, you’ve been in contact with Hyungwon this whole time?”

“Yes… yes, I have.”

“So, that’s how you found me? I found that watch, a customer left it. I was just messing with it, I didn’t know it…” Minhyuk trailed off as he came to a realization, looking at Hyungwon. “You left that for me! You wanted me to use it!”

“Yes. It’s why I left one at Wonho’s place too.”

“It was you? You… you set us up?” Wonho seemed hurt. “Why? WHY!?”

“I needed a distraction. You’re all on RF’s radar, if you were found to be time traveling they’d focus on you since you were messing with the timeline.”

“You gave one to Kihyun too!” Jooheon questioned. “Didn’t you! You knew he would feel guilty over what happened and would want to change it! Why didn’t you just stop the accident!”

“You don’t think I tried to stop it, despite knowing better. There are things that are fated to happen, that accident was one of them. It was going to happen, one way or the other, if not at that moment, then later. Every attempt I made to change it ended the same, Jooheon was severely hurt and taken by RF. I couldn’t stop it, but I could change who was taken.”

“Why! WHY!”

“What did you do?” Changkyun growled. “Kihyun didn’t just get into the driver’s seat…”

“I did what I just did here. I showed him the truth, the accident can’t be stopped, and I gave him the opportunity to save Jooheon.”

“No you manipulated him!” Jooheon spat. “I see no reason why it shouldn’t be me on the table.”

“It’s because of me.” Lay spoke up. “Isn’t?”

“Yes.” Hyungwon nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Wait, what? What does Lay have to do with this.”

“Everything.” Xiumin added. “Jooheon, you know more about Lay’s plants than any of your friends. If RF got to you, they would learn that and… well I suppose Hyungwon knows what the outcome of that is.”

“You’re seriously defending him? He’s the one who betrayed us, who turned Baekhyun in, when you asked us to look after him.”

“We did.” Sehun got up. “But not Tao, right Hyungwon?”

“Yes. Tao asked me to bring Baekhyun in, he knew it wouldn’t end well if he was kept from the group any longer. I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Shownu asked.

“Cause he told me not to.”

“So you just betrayed us?” Wonho said. “You picked him over us?”

“That’s not it.”

“That’s exactly what you did!” Minhyuk yelled. “You betrayed us! And stayed with RF when they gave us an out!”

“He made a promise.” Kai added. “Isn’t that right? Tao could see the future if he focused with Luhan at his side. He knew what would happen if Baekhyun stayed away from us. He knew what would happen to him, to the others, and that we’d escape, but he knew we’d be back too. So, he needed someone to look after this world in our absence.”

“Yes.” Hyungwon admitted. “I made a promise, and that meant gaining RF’s trust, even if it meant losing you guys. I’m-”

“Don’t.” Wonho interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it, just wake Kihyun up and go.”

“I… I can’t… he’s comatose.”

“What!”

“The visor… it controls him, he’s lifeless without it.”

“So that’s what my fate was.” Jooheon said. “Comatose.”

“No… no it wasn’t. Messing with the timeline has a price, even when you find a loophole.”

“You… you killed him!” Changkyun shouted. “You killed Kihyun!”

“I’m sorry.”

Changkyun charged at Hyungwon, but he disappeared before he was grabbed. The boy fell to his knees distraught. He felt partially guilty for having helped Hyungwon in his plan, not knowing what the outcome would be. Shownu went over to comfort him, Wonho screaming as well and punching the wall. Minhyuk had fallen to his knees as well, holding Kihyun’s hand, his own silent tears falling.

“Fix this.” Jooheon looked at Lay. “You can heal him.”

“The mind is a far more complex thing to heal.”

“But you can do it.”

“I… I don’t know.”

“No, the answer is yes, you can fix him!”

“Jooheon, I don’t-”

“Don’t give me that crap, you can!”

“I don-”

“Maybe we can.” Baekhyun interrupted. “When Haechan and the others were stuck in the inbetween they were pretty much comatose. You woke them up, so you could-”

“We knew where their minds were, knew where to go and get them out. We have no idea where Kihyun is, he could be brain dead for all we know.”

“Then take him there.” Shownu spoke.

“What?”

“Take Kihyun’s mind to the inbetween, if he’s truly alive then you’ll find him there, right? And you can bring him back.”

“Do it.” Jooheon said. “Whatever that is, do it.”

“We can’t just do that.” Suho said. “The inbetween isn’t our place. We didn’t wake the others up, we helped one of their own go in and get them out. We can’t-”

“Then call your friends! Get them to do this!”

“Jooheon-”

“What do we have to lose?” Minhyuk added. “We didn’t know what had become of Kihyun until now, but this isn’t living.”

“The inbetween becomes a personal hell if you stay there.” DO said. “It’s not-”

“Kihyun put himself in a car accident.” Wonho cut in. “He knew the consequences then, he’d understand them now. So whoever you need to call, call them and try to save him, that’s all we’re asking.”

It got quiet. Suho looked around at everyone, the decision had fallen to him. He took a breath then looked at Lay, nodding his head.

“Lay, DO, with me. Xiumin, you and Chen know what to make, the garden here is like the one back home, so you should have what you need. The rest of you look after y/n.”

You had heard the commotions from before, but Baekhyun had you stay hidden just to be safe. Nothing that was spoken made sense to you, not until the end and talking about the inbetween. You peeked your head around the corner, seeing this person unconscious on the table. Everyone seemed busy with things so you carefully approached them. You looked at them for a while before someone else approached. They looked you over and then pulled you into a hug.

“Y/n!”

You didn't react, confused as to who was hugging you and why. He had such a huge smile on his face, but it faltered when he saw your confusion.

“Y/n, it’s me, Wonho, we grew up together, remember?”

“What?”

“We went to elementary and high school together. You disappeared a few years ago, we thought you were dead.”

“Wait, what? You’re saying we know each other?”

“Yes.” Wonho pulled up a picture of you and him together. “What happened to you?”

You were quiet, staring at the picture, then you looked over at Chanyeol who was in the room. The sad look on their face told you everything you needed to know.

“I’m... I’m from here, this world is my home… why don’t I remember that! Why don’t I remember my past!”

You started to panic, drawing a blank on your childhood, on everything before knowing them. Cahnyeol took a step towards you but you backed away.

“No… what’s going on… why don’t I-”

“A lot happened when we met.” Suho added, having overheard things and coming over. “We met by chance and you helped us but RF caught up to us, we couldn’t just leave you for them to do who knows what so we took you with us. We never planned to come back here and we couldn’t return you either. We didn’t want you to feel home sick… so we made you forget your past…”

“I…”

You had tears in your eyes, the lack of memories making you feel so lost. Your past had always been a fuzzy thing, and when you thought back on it something else always came up to distract you. This wasn’t how you thought you’d get answers. Even if you did know Wonho you felt nothing familiar about him.

“It’s our fault. We got you involved, we never meant to, I swear, but we had to keep you safe.”

“Did you?” You spat, eyes flashing black for a moment. “What you did… was it really for my own good… or for yours.”

You stormed out, not wanting to hear anything anymore, having some new information to deal with. Once you were gone the others looked at each other, then Wonho.

“You knew y/n?” Suho questioned.

“Yes, and I thought I knew you too.”

17 notes · View notes

chanyeolsbiggestfangirl · 10 months

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Synopsis:- Born and raised in a seafaring community inhabiting a small island away from mainland, you’ve always heard legends whispered on those starry nights around the housefires, legends about the formidable creatures out there in the world. You always passed them on as mere stories told to the children by their law abiding parents, fearful of the wrath of the beings shrouded in myth and mystery. When your ship is tossed by the vengeful waves of the sea and you’re on the verge of dying, the myth you never bothered to believe in, saves you. But you’re almost sure that there’s more to the mysterious, handsome male and the more you spend your time with him, the more you want to push away those doubts. Sparks turn into flame, all the while a sinister shadow gathers at the horizon. What happens now?

Pairing:- Merman! Suho X Female Reader

Type:- Oneshot?

Genre:- Smut, Fantasy, EXO Planet AU, World Building AU.

COMING SOON

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proudahgase-exol · 10 months

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Exo masterlist

Here you will fine everything I had made for exo. :)

-𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 ♡

Last updated: 11/23/23

Guide: ♤ angst - ❀ fluff - ♡ smut - ✧ text au

𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

Nothing here yet….

𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕓𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕖𝕟 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 ♤ ❀ ♡

𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 ♤ ❀

𝕎𝕒𝕝𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕪 ✧

Nothing here yet….

ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 ♤ ❀ ♡

𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕚𝕤 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕀 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 ♤

ℕ𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕨𝕖’𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 ❀ ♡ ✧

𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖? ℍ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕘𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 / 𝕨𝕚𝕗𝕖…… ❀ ✧

𝕊𝕟𝕒𝕡𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕓𝕠𝕪𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝔻.𝕆 ❀

Nothing here yet….

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖 ♤

𝕊𝕖𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕤 𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 ✧

ℍ𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕓𝕠𝕪𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 ��𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 ✧ ♡

𝕊𝕖𝕙𝕦𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕪/𝕟 (ᴍɪɴɪ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ) ♤ ❀ ♡

ℝ𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕞 𝕥𝕖𝕩𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝔹𝔽!𝕊𝕖𝕙𝕦𝕟 ✧

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕚𝕣 ❀

𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕫𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 ❀

𝕊𝕖𝕩 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕖𝕩 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕖𝕩𝕠 ♤ ❀ ♡

𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕓𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 ♡

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦 ♡

𝕀𝕟𝕤𝕖𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕘𝕒𝕡 ♤ ❀ ✧

ℙ𝕝𝕦𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕫𝕖 𝕘𝕚𝕣𝕝𝕗𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 ❀ ✧

ℕ𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕝 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕡 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕖𝕩𝕠 ✧

Love fool

1:54 ━━━━⬤─────── 3:24

⇆ㅤ ||◁ㅤ❚❚ㅤ▷||ㅤ ↻

If you don’t see a member’s name here is because I haven’t made nothing for them. Photos aren’t mine found them on Pinterest *credit to owner*

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quokkacore · 2 years

Text

king and lionheart II [k.jm]

summary: joy has come to your kingdom of oceansforte. your prince, junmyeon, is betrothed to the princess of avilux, and the wedding is quickly approaching. while the kingdom rejoices, you, his knight, are secretly in shambles; your dedication to your prince is not simply out of duty, but out of love as well. but as you begin to unravel secrets of the royal court—hidden alliances, forbidden romances, and a deadly plot against your kingdom—you steel your resolve: you must keep junmyeon safe no matter what, even at the cost of being ripped away from his side forever.

pairing: prince!junmyeon x knight!reader

warnings: fem pronouns for reader, language, “period typical” sexism (even though this isnt rlly historical but yall know what i mean—sebastian is the in-world equivalent of an andrew tate fanboy), toxic masculinity, so much jealousy, junmyeon (and all of the kim bros) has/have daddy issues, the exos are younger than they are irl, implied underage drinking in a flashback, classism, y/n has impostor syndrome, handling of weapons, mentions of food

genre: fantasy!au, royalty!au, childhood friends to lovers, angst, a mix of unrequited love and mutual pining

word count: 17.2k

chapter playlist: red velvet - in my dreams // abba - when you danced with me // the oh hellos - soldier, poet, king // abba - fernando // series playlist

a/n: OH BOY did this take me a hot minute. i’m not the biggest fan of this chapter, but please trust the process—although i do love the way the members interact with y/n and each other when they’re not yelling at each other. also happy chanyeol came-home-yesterday-day <3

fic masterlist / main masterlist

CHAPTER TWO: ANDANTE

The blooming patch of rose bushes they were currently in front of reminded you of them. You seemed to be more the single lotus floating in the garden pond, which was wilting. It seemed to be mocking you.

While they had been walking through the royal garden for almost an hour, they’d been standing in front of those bushes for a few minutes now. As much as you wanted to distract yourself and think of something else, somewhere else, you knew that focusing on them and your surroundings was paramount.

“So… all of this will become mine once we’re married?” She sounded awestruck, breathless almost. “And I could change whatever I’d like?”

Your eyes trailed across the garden, but you could still hear the smile in Junmyeon’s voice. “It’s royal tradition, dating back to Queen Boram of House Do—first queen of Oceansforte. She gifted this space to her husband as a wedding gift, and their son did the same when he married his wife. Every heir to the throne has since gifted the garden to their spouse as a wedding gift ever since. When we marry, you’ll be able to do whatever you’d like with this space.”

“It’s beautiful as it is,” Mariana murmured, “I don’t know what I’d do with it.”

Your eyes landed on them as Junmyeon sighed wistfully, not taking his eyes off of her. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

As his friend, you almost wanted to laugh, to playfully gag and poke fun at him. He looked like a lovestruck moron. As his knight, you hated to admit it, but you were happy for him. He had been so angry and worried that this union would be painful and awkward, and the two of them had clicked into place immediately, like gears with grooves cut perfectly to fit each other.

As far as these past few days had gone, Mariana had given you no reason to hate her. You felt bad for your feelings toward her when she seemed to think you were amazing, if her behavior towards you were any indication.

When she spoke to you, she seemed kind enough, soft-spoken. She was a bit shocked when Junmyeon had introduced you as his knight, the member of the royal guard assigned to him. She’d seemed to regard you with wonder.

“Forgive my gawking,” She’d said after a curtsy, “In Avilux, women are not allowed into the military, much less the royal guard. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Y/N.”

“No offense taken, your royal highness,” You’d told her, “And believe me, I can assure you I am more than honored to serve.”

But still, as someone in love? You couldn’t find it in you to hate her, but you did resent her. Jealousy bubbled in your stomach whenever he offered her his arm, even more so when she linked hers around his. Every laugh, hushed whisper, prolonged stare seemed to build up an invisible wall between him and you, and you weren’t sure how to break through it—you were hesitant to even try.

It wouldn’t bode well to meddle in their affairs.

“Still, you could do whatever you’d wish. Say, I don’t know…” Junmyeon turned his head to you. “Y/N, what would you add to the garden if you could?”

You blinked, unsure of what to say. Doing your best to ignore the implication of the question, you offered the princess a small smile. “In truth, my prince, I have so many fond memories in this garden, there’s practically nothing I’d change.”

“Fond memories?” Mariana’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, do tell, Lady Y/N! You must.”

You managed a small smile. “Oh, they’re mostly of me and the other members of the noble houses play fighting when we were children. I believe I was exceptionally skilled when it came to knocking your betrothed off his feet with toy swords.”

Junmyeon’s ears grew red at the reminder, and Mariana’s head tilted curiously. “So you both grew up together?”

“I lived in the castle from a young age.”

Junmyeon nodded. “Y/N is nobility as well. Our mothers were very close. And Y/N’s father was also a member of the royal guard, so his family was allowed to move into the castle.”

She seemed quite impressed. “Continuing on your father’s legacy, I presume?”

Your smile grew. “I would hope so. My father served as the king’s ward, and captain of the royal guard until he retired last year. His highness’s brother has taken the helm, but I would still hope to serve as Junmyeon’s personal guard when he becomes king.”

Mariana nodded. “Lady Y/N, my admiration for you seems to grow by the day. Are you as good with an iron sword as you were with the toy sword?”

Junmyeon stepped toward you, and she followed. “I’d say she’s even better. Y/N has always been the best at dueling amongst our friends. She’s a pro.”

“Amazing. You must teach me once I’ve moved in. Oh, Father never allowed me to learn—”

“And with good reason,” Another voice said from across the garden. The three of you turned to face Prince Sebastian, who was walking toward your trio.

While you didn’t dislike Mariana, you detested her brother. Sebastian was haughty, entitled, clearly spoiled as the heir to the Aviluxian throne. Still, out of duty and respect, you managed a bow when he got close enough.

He raised an eyebrow at your gesture. It was clear he didn’t like you, either. “Father was right. Women should not handle such objects.”

Junmyeon cleared his throat awkwardly. “Your highness. What brings you here?”

“I was in this wing of the castle when a servant informed me it was time for dinner. I decided to tell the both of you since I was so close already.”

“Thank you, brother,” Mariana said, “But it would do you well to respect the customs of this nation. Just because Lady Y/N would be deemed unfit back home does not mean she’s unfit everywhere. She’s a perfectly capable fighter. Dare I say, an extremely skilled one.”

Your chest warmed at Mariana’s defense, but it waned when Sebastian bit back a scoff. “Honestly, with a woman holding the weapon it’s a miracle His Royal Highness has not been killed yet. Still, I would love to see her try to convince me.”

You looked at the other two, wondering if they would say something. Mariana was red in the face, as though she were holding back a few colorful insults for her brother. Junmyeon was looking simply at the ground, not meeting yours or Sebastian’s eyes. You let out a soft tsk, before letting out a quick sigh.

“I would love to convince you, your royal highness.” You flashed him a smile that was cordial enough, but likely didn’t reach your eyes. “It’s a shame you and your family are leaving in the morning. I would have loved to invite you to spar with me.”

The prince’s smile grew, but you didn’t find it comforting. “During our next visit to the kingdom, then. I accept, Lady Y/N.”

You bit down on your tongue to avoid saying anything snarky, and maintained your smile. “Very well, then. Thank you.” Your eyes turned to Junmyeon and Mariana. “I shall take my leave then, your highnesses. I hope the rest of your evening is as lovely as this past day has been.”

The princess offered a curtsy in respect, and Junmyeon nodded. “Thank you, Y/N. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

You wordlessly watched them leave the garden, discussing something you didn’t quite pick up. When they were gone, you heaved a deep sigh, shoulders slumping, before heading off in the opposite direction, towards your own quarters.

Throughout the past week, as always, you were tasked with guarding Junmyeon. This was, of course, not as enjoyable with Princess Mariana around.

The three of you had gone for a stroll in the Common, a large public space filled with gardens, fountains and swaths of land for all to enjoy. You watched them from behind, a member of Mariana’s royal guard in front.

The people that passed by all seemed to do the same thing: they would spot Junmyeon, their eyes would widen, and as he and Mariana passed by, they would offer bows and curtsies, and give pleasantries to the prince and princess. And when they saw you, they would grin and greet you as well.

Of course, the kingdom knew that the royal family of Avilux was visiting. They still didn’t know the pretense of the visit, as it had only been publicly announced that it was a diplomatic visit and not the initial planning stages of a royal wedding.

You watched as the two of them spoke softly to each other, occasionally laughing. You were grateful you had to focus more on your surroundings than them. It gave you the ability to push away your questions. What was so funny? Why were they acting like they’d known each other their entire lives?

“Your highness!” A voice called out to Junmyeon and immediately your head snapped to the direction of the sound. A woman was walking slowly towards your small cohort, a little girl in tow. The both of them had their heads perched down, and while you didn’t register them as an immediate threat, you didn’t lower your guard completely. They could be in disguise, they could be a distraction.

“Good afternoon, Miss,” Junmyeon said, giving a friendly smile. He looked down at the little girl, who was hiding behind the woman’s skirts.

“Hello,” He murmured gently. Her eyes widened and she gasped when he acknowledged her, burying her face into the fabric. She couldn’t have been older than five.

“Brigitte,” The woman chastised softly, “Don’t be rude. One day, this man will be king. Be kind and greet him.”

He laughed gently. “It’s no problem, Miss…?”

“Treegrove,” The girl’s mother said, “My name is Elisa Treegrove. This is my daughter, Brigitte.”

“Miss Treegrove. There’s no need for all of that! Not with me. I would, however, ask that you extend such a pleasantry to the Princess.”

Elisa Treegrove curtsied deeply, and Brigitte copied her with the clumsiness of a five year old. Watching the interaction, you thought the little girl seemed quite sweet. The girl and her mother introduced themselves to Mariana and she smiled, kneeling to shake little Brigitte’s hand.

“Hello, Brigitte,” She said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Brigitte murmured, “...You’re very pretty.”

“I think you’re even prettier,” Mariana answered, “Your hair looks very nice today.”

Brigitte smiled bashfully, reaching up to tug at one of her braids. She seemed to not know what to say next, eyes looking at Mariana, then Mariana’s guard, Junmyeon, her mother.

And then her eyes landed on you, and her smile turned into the widest grin you’d ever seen on a child.

“Lady Y/N!” She exclaimed, letting go of her mother’s hand to run up to you. Your eyes widened. You hadn’t been expecting her reaction. You looked up at the people in front of you, who obviously felt the same way. Mariana’s eyes were wide. Junmyeon looked very amused. Miss Treegrove was openly gawking.

“I’m going to be just like you when I’m big!” Brigitte proclaimed, jumping up and down. “I’m going to be strong and brave and I’ll protect the kingdom, just like you!”

That made you smile, and you kneeled. You bristled at the thought of speaking, but smiled nonetheless. “Going to be?”

She nodded, and you shook your head. “If you’re ready to protect your home, you already are.”

Brigitte smiled, big eyes sparkling. “Th-thank you,” She said finally. You flashed one final smile at her, before nodding at Miss Treegrove.

“I think your mother needs to get going,” You told her, before offering her a small bow, “I’ll see you again someday, Lady Brigitte. Hopefully, it’ll be the day you go into training.”

She nodded, seemingly mystified, before walking back to her mother. Miss Treegrove gave a final goodbye, saying she had to leave to visit a sick relative, and both Junmyeon and Mariana bid her farewell.

Mariana looked surprised once they were gone. “I had… no idea you were so popular, Lady Y/N,” She said genuinely. You shrugged.

“The people love Y/N,” Junmyeon explained, “Her father as well. He wasn’t born into nobility but was knighted by my grandfather, so he’s seen as a sort of bridge between the common people and the crown.”

“I wouldn’t say they love me,” You muttered, “That’s a bit much.”

“You’re very admirable.” Mariana straightened her posture. “I have no trouble believing that the people of Oceansforte… care for you so much.”

Junmyeon put his hand on her upper back, trying to get her to keep walking again. He’d already turned his back to you when he began to speak again. “And I have no trouble believing that my people will grow to care for you just as much.”

Heading up to your quarters now, you rolled your head on your shoulders. Yes, standing up all day left your lower back stiff as all hell. However, this particular week you seemed to have been tenser than usual.

When you awoke in the mornings, your jaw would hurt. You only realized one day after sitting down and forcing your body to relax that you’d been clenching your jaw the entire time. Which meant you had to have been grinding your teeth in your sleep. When you’d asked Minseok, he’d answered with another question.

“Well, are you particularly stressed?”

You’d gnawed on the inside of your cheek. “Having to protect Junmyeon along with a member of a foreign royal family is not exactly the most stress-free of tasks.”

He nodded, but didn’t ask whether it was due to the responsibility or the emotional taxation. Either way, he knew it was both.

Junmyeon hadn’t made it easy, either. To a degree, you were slightly frustrated at him. Within the palace grounds, him and Mariana had made several attempts to ditch you, be it by slowly drifting away when you crossed with another member of the royal guard and stopped to chat, or tiptoeing quietly away from you in the castle library, or even riding a bit too fast when he showed her the palace’s private beach.

You knew you’d have to speak to him on it once you managed to get some alone time. The whole week had been hectic. Between visits to the Aviluxian consulate, private meetings planning for the wedding, or even things as simple as Junmyeon showing Mariana the Common, you felt like you’d barely had time to breathe during the past week.

Once you’d trudged up the stairs and had found yourself within your quarters, you began the long and grueling task of taking off your armor.

This was nowhere near as formal as the armor worn for major ceremonies, like military events or royal weddings. Even before you’d realized your feelings for Junmyeon you’d dreaded the idea of his wedding—the silver armor was large, clunky, and much too flashy, paired with excessive fabric and a ridiculous red cape. You hated the idea.

You much preferred the slightly less formal version, like you’d worn the day the Salazares had arrived, as well as all week in their company. Even better was the middle ground between the two, worn very, very rarely, on the nights where members of the royal guard were invited to take a night off and enjoy the company of the royal family and other noblemen. You’d be wearing that on the night of the engagement.

Removing the pieces on your own was hard. Your arms reached for the clasps of the armor, fumbling and eventually flaring in discomfort when you held them in place for too long.

Each clasp served as a reminder: you are alone. Completely and utterly alone.

“So he challenged you to a duel?” The tall man’s voice wavered as his sword clashed with yours, two days after your agreement with Sebastian.

“Precisely.” You sidestepped, thrusting your sword in the direction of his torso. He barely dodged, letting out a rough, “oomph,” as he did.

“Is he a fool?” Called another voice, leaning back in his chair while watching you and Chanyeol spar. “You’ll chop his balls off with your sword before he can even whip it out.”

“‘Before he can even whip it out’ sounds so very wrong, Baekhyun,” Sehun muttered, not looking up from his book.

You stepped back from Chanyeol, but stumbled on your final step. You tumbled onto the ground, landing on your butt and somehow still managing to hold onto your sword. He grinned down at you, walking towards you at an almost leisurely pace. The air of the small courtyard was hot, leaving your chest heaving.

“I’m not sure, Y/N. I mean, if you can’t beat me, maybe Prince Sebastian does have a ch—agh!”

You caught him off guard, using your feet to kick at the side of his shin. He lost his balance, tumbling to the ground with you. You took the time of him falling to pull yourself up onto your knees, effectively straddling his chest as you knocked his sword out of his hand. You held your own up to his throat.

“If Sebastian Salazar is anywhere near as prideful as you, Park Chanyeol, then I can assure you he doesn’t.”

Chanyeol scowled, before tapping the floor twice—the sign that he was conceding. You’d won this round, and now you could gloat and watch him pout all day. You stood, offering out your hand for him. Apparently, he wasn’t that prideful. Although his scowl deepened at the sight of your hand, he still took it anyway.

When you both stood, you were met with applause. And if it were just Baekhyun, some guffawing as well.

“That was lovely,” He said, “Do it again!”

“Do what?” You stretched, moving your neck back and forth to loosen the joints. “Spar, or humble our good friend even further?”

“He could use some humbling,” Jongin muttered, “Bedding all of the women in Boram’s Bay fawning over him hasn’t done his ego many favors.”

"I do not bed all of the women in Boram's Bay!" Chanyeol cried in protest.

"That's true," Yixing agreed, "Give him some credit."

Chanyeol's face brightened. "Thank you, Yi—"

"He doesn't bed the married ones, right, Chanyeol?"

Something in Yixing’s tone didn’t sound quite right.

Chanyeol crossed his arms in indignation, rolling his eyes. But you couldn’t deny the redness of his ears. Before you could ask any questions, Jongdae spoke.

“You know who else could use some humbling?” He huffed, crossing his arms. “Prince Sebastian.”

You nodded, wagging your finger in agreement at the suggestion. “He’s an ass, that one.”

“Junmyeon,” Baekhyun muttered, taking a sip of water, “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

You wiped the sweat off of your brow, turning your gaze towards your prince. He was sitting in the seat across from Sehun, next to Jongdae and Yixing. His arms were crossed as he flashed Sehun a disapproving look.

“I cannot simply speak ill of my future brother-in-law, much less the future leader of an allied nation,” He said uncomfortably.

“Oh, please,” Jongdae scoffed, “We know you can’t stand him! Especially not when you know what he thinks of Y/N!”

Junmyeon huffed. “I disagree with him deeply, yes. But for propriety’s sake, I can’t bring myself to offend him. Father would skin me alive if I did.”

You let out an internal sigh. Yes, Junmyeon was the future king. But would it have been so bad if he’d just slapped Sebastian around a little? Even better, give you his approval as future king and let you slap Sebastian around a little?

But in all seriousness, it hurt. Even disregarding your affections toward him. The fact that he didn't see fit to defend a childhood friend, when it was quite literally your life's work to defend him, felt like a slap to the face.

“How lovely of you to defend me, Myeon,” You muttered pointedly. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows and gave you a sideways glance. Jongin let out an awkward cough. Sehun finally looked up from his book, glasses glinting in the sun. He looked expectantly at Junmyeon, who flashed you a quizzical look.

“Y/N, I—”

“I can understand you not wanting to curse the man or anything of the sort. But you were there when he made those comments. Every time I was in a room with him, he’d say something, and where were you but burying your head in the sand? You wouldn’t even look at me—”

“It would be inappropriate to intervene. If you were to—”

“Has anyone been to the new tavern down in Fairview?” Baekhyun said, trying and failing miserably to diffuse the situation, “I've heard their chicken is lovely—”

“If this is how you’ll practice diplomacy as king, then you’d concede everything to everyone else and leave nothing for us. He disrespected not only me, but also you and your father by implying that your judgment is wrong, and our entire country for letting a woman take the oath of knighthood. Quite frankly, my prince, I find it infuriating that you would stand aside and let a foreign prince do all of that, simply for the sake of propriety.”

You spat out the last word, crossing your arms. When you finished your rant, it was as if all of the air was sucked out of the room. Everyone was staring either at you or Junmyeon, whose face was unreadable.

You realized almost immediately you’d spoken a bit too harshly. You shouldn’t have said anything about him being king or how he’d rule the country. That simply made everything after your point moot.

You looked around the table, everyone's faces now awkward. No one dared to challenge you, but no one dared to say anything to your prince. Scoffing, you turned away.

"Y/N," Chanyeol said, "Wait—"

You tossed the wooden practice sword into the storage bucket, and promptly left the courtyard.

When you were gone, everyone turned to Junmyeon. He refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

"Well, you can't blame her." Jongin elbowed Jongdae at his words, but the older prince flashed him a nasty look. "What!? She does have a point, Junmyeon."

"Even if she was a bit crass," Yixing agreed, "Y/N made a fair point. Him insulting our way of living is undermining the sovereignty of what will soon be your own kingdom."

Junmyeon heaved a sigh. "I can't just—"

"Can't just tell a foreign prince to fuck off, we get it,” Sehun muttered, “But you should have found a way to put a stop to it the second it started.”

“Sehun!” Kyungsoo frowned at him. “Don’t say it like that.”

“I’m right,” Sehun insisted, “And all of you know it.”

Junmyeon got up from the table. “I’ll see you all some other time,” He said emotionlessly, “I have other matters to attend to.”

And then there were seven left sitting around the table, one standing a few feet away.

“So…” Chanyeol coughed, trying desperately to change the subject, “Baekhyun, you said there was a new tavern in Fairview?”

You were undoing the clasps in your armor again when you heard a knock on your bedroom door. With a huff, you turned your head. “Who’s there?”

“A jackass,” Junmyeon’s voice said, muffled from behind the door, “That’s who.”

You sighed, standing. Your armor was hanging haphazardly off of your chest, half of it still clasped together. Swinging the door open, you met his eyes with a glare. “What? If you want me to apologize—”

“No.” He shook his head. “May I come in?”

You stepped to the side, silently answering his question. When you closed the door, you turned to face him.

“I should be the one apologizing to you,” Junmyeon mumbled quietly. “You’re right. He’s disrespecting our customs and our way of life. The next time he does that, I’ll put a stop to it. If our families are to merge, he should learn to respect my culture as I respect his. A-and even worse—he’s disrespecting one of my closest friends, and one of the greatest warriors this kingdom has ever seen.”

You huffed, trying to reach for another one of the clasps. “Now you’re pushing it.”

“I’m right on this one. You simply refuse to admit it.”

Smiling sadly, you shook your head. “Fine. Apology accepted... I should apologize as well. I shouldn’t have said that thing about how you’ll be king. I know how worried you are about it and I just… let it slip. I didn’t really mean it. I’m sorry.”

He nodded in acceptance, before tilting his head as he noticed your leather breastplate. His lips quirked up timidly. “Do you want help?”

You slumped with a pout. “Yes, please.”

You held your hair out of the way as he undid the remaining clasps. Here, standing so close to you, in the hidden air of your bedroom, was Junmyeon. In this proximity, you could feel his breath against your neck. You just knew that if you were to turn and look at his face, you’d see his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and lips pursed into a small frown.

You swallowed, wondering what would happen in any other lifetime. Where neither of you were bound by royal duty or sworn fealty to the crown. Where social ladders and caste laws didn’t exist, and arranged marriages were not something in store for either of you.

Would things have been different? Would you still have been as devoted to Junmyeon as you were now?

You knew the answer to the second question was yes. In every life, every death, every universe, every breath and promise, it was all for Junmyeon.

But you weren’t so sure if he felt the same.

When all of the clasps were undone, you opened your wardrobe and stored it carefully inside. Once you were done, you turned to him.

“You’re my closest friend,” You admitted, “If I’m quite honest, I’m scared things will change once you’re married and you’ve become king.”

He looked down, before sitting on your bed. “Things will change,” He said, “It would be improper of me as a wedded man to be so close and informal with you, an unmarried woman. Besides… I—you’ve heard the whispers.”

The whispers. The royal court loved a good story, whether it was real or not. Rumors that you and Junmyeon had fallen into bed together at least once, because of how close the two of you were. That you were secret lovers, that any second now despite the laws, Junmyeon would publicly proclaim his love for you.

And if all of those were fake… most of them at least believed that the two of you were deeply, madly in love, but simply too afraid to admit it to each other.

“Yes,” You mumbled, not meeting his eyes. “...All completely ridiculous.”

He laughed nervously. “Precisely. You understand. So… Daresay, our relationship will have to become more formal.”

“I understand. We’re grown now. No more… no more playing around.”

He nodded sadly. “Y/N, no matter what happens, I’ll always cherish you as my close friend. Everything you do for me and for my family, for the crown… don’t think it goes unnoticed. I was born with the privilege that I would always have someone willing to give their life to keep me safe. Every day, I’m grateful that it’s you.”

“I took an oath, Myeon. For king and country. I intend to keep it.”

You sat down next to him and leaned your head against his shoulder. Your eyes fluttered shut, and you sighed. Knowing that soon, it wouldn’t be appropriate to be in such proximity to him.

The two of you sat there quietly, for god knows how long. You wondered if the silence said everything you wanted to say.

The week before the Salazares returned to Boram’s Bay, the 12 Nights Festival began. The weeks prior to that were filled with Junmyeon and Mariana exchanging letters as fast as the messenger birds could deliver them. You escorting Junmyeon around the city so that he could attend preparations for the festival. And at least twice a week, crying yourself to sleep.

The idea of everything changing so quickly was daunting. Already, Junmyeon was beginning to distance himself from you. He joked less, and seemed more serious. When you were with your friends, things felt more or less the same. With them, you caught him acting more genuinely. He allowed all of you to make fun of him and of each other.

He seemed relaxed. He seemed himself.

Other times, he was stern. Serious. The times you cracked jokes he would let out one of those exhales through the nose that let you know he found it amusing, but not enough to actually laugh.

Already, more pressure was being placed on his shoulders. You would stand by when Junmyeon sat in on audiences between the king and his subjects, listening to their requests and issues and how King Ilseong would negotiate to facilitate a solution.

By the time the first day of the festival rolled around, he seemed exhausted, dead on his feet. You wondered how he managed.

“How do you do it?” You asked him the day before the festival began, while you were walking him back to his quarters after one of these audiences. “You look like the next strong breeze will knock you down.”

He smiled, face turning warm. “If I’m being honest, it’s the thought that by this time next week, Mariana will be back. She said she’s bringing even more people for us to meet. Her cousin Cesar and her ladies-in-waiting. I’m excited—I can’t wait to see her.”

You gave him a tight lipped smile that likely didn’t quite reach your eyes. “That’s very sweet. You seem quite taken with her.”

Junmyeon nodded, grinning. “She is… exceptionally charming. You don’t understand, Y/N… One night, after you were dismissed, we stayed up for hours, just speaking. She’s brilliant. Easily one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met. I-if we could talk about it, we did. It felt as if—as if—”

You watched him fumble with his words. The so elegant, composed crown prince of Oceansforte, left speechless by one woman. You couldn’t believe it. Oh, how the mighty fall.

The 12 Nights Festival rolled around, and you welcomed it with open arms. It was easily your favorite time of the year. Summer was hitting its peak, the streets were lively and bustling. The festival made it just that much better.

The Festival included parades around the country, parties and speeches, all at night, to commemorate the 12 Nights Siege which the founders of Oceansforte had survived some 406 years ago.

Every night a new celebration was held. Speeches were held at different places throughout the country, parties were thrown, every night the streets of Boram’s Bay were lit up with dancing, singing and street markets. Everything around you was lit up beautifully, and was a huge reminder as to why you did what you did.

You loved your home. Nothing could beat it, and although it had its flaws, it was ingrained in you. Always had been, always would be.

The night before Mariana returned, two days before the end of the festival, three people planned to address the people of Boram’s Bay from a balcony while the rest of the royal family watched from the side. You were to stand guard the entire time, pointedly watching the crowd piled into the Queensquare.

A few minutes before the door was set to be opened, everyone stood in front of the door, speaking with each other. You were stood with Jongin and Junmyeon.

“Are you nervous?” Jongin said, to which Junmyeon shrugged.

“It’s nothing I haven’t done before. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

You looked him up and down. He was clad in the colors of House Kim: a black, ceremonial military suit, with a red sash over his shoulder and chest. Gold tassels decorated his shoulders, the buttons on the coat embellished with House Kim’s coat of arms. All very nice, except for one detail.

“Your crest is upside down,” You murmured, stepping closer to adjust it.

He chuckled, studying your face. The proximity made your face feel hot. “It’s so heavy. It does that sometimes. Drives me mad.”

Jongin bit back a smile. “Are you sure that’s the only thing?”

You sent Jongin a vicious glare, but he simply smiled in return. Another painfully obvious reminder that everyone you were close to just knew—but somehow, Junmyeon was none the wiser.

You knew this, because then Junmyeon said, “Well, this coat does feel a bit loose. Maybe I’ll have Cora tighten it around the waist.”

Now that the pin was straightened, you pushed it slightly against his chest to ensure it was pinned properly, before smiling. Out of the corner of your eye, you noted King Ilseong approaching your small group, Minseok following behind him.

You cleared your throat, stepping away. “There you go, Junmyeon. Hopefully that should be all set.”

“Thank you, Y/N. I d—”

“It would do both of you good to keep your distance,” The King interrupted, sending you a particularly nasty glance. You took another step back, shame pooling in your gut. “Especially you, Lady Y/N. An unmarried woman of your stature—”

Your head ducked to look at the ground. Suddenly, the room was dead silent.

“Father.” Minseok’s voice was gentle. “I think that’s enough. There’s no need to be so—”

“I don’t think it is, Minseok. Junmyeon hardly knows the meaning of enough.” He faced both you and Junmyeon. “You two are to stand within an arms’ distance. L/N, remember your place. Junmyeon will be your king. Not your little—”

“Minseok was right, that is enough. You will address Lady Y/N with the respect she deserves and the title she earned fairly,” Junmyeon hissed, stepping in front of you. “After everything her and her father have done for you and this kingdom, I believe she’s entitled to it.”

King Ilseong took a deep breath, and took a step towards his son. “You are my son, and I am the King. If there is anyone who deserves respect, it is m—”

You sidestepped Junmyeon to place yourself between them both and faced the King. “My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”

Dropping to one knee, you looked at his shoes, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I have overstepped. It will not happen again.”

“Y/N,” Junmyeon said, “You don’t have to—”

“If the King feels I am out of turn, then I have acted out of turn,” You insisted, looking up at him. You turned back to the king. “It will not happen again, my King.”

The King looked down at you. He hummed in approval. “I care about you, Lady Y/N. Junmyeon is correct, both you and your father have served the kingdom greatly. But the law is the law—your House remains Unvalidated, and Junmyeon’s engagement is soon to be announced. Be very, very careful with your behavior. Your House’s reputation depends on it.”

You clenched your jaw at the mention of your House. Your father had worked hard to get your House instated, and you weren’t about to ruin all of his hard work.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” You answered, voice small. “I will do what is right.”

When you stood again, you moved to join the ranks of the Royal Guard. You were hyper aware of everyone’s eyes on you, the King’s outburst having drawn their attention to you.

Minseok stood next to you. You focused on taking a few deep breaths, hoping to calm your nerves. During that time, everyone else lined up into their positions, and a few moments later, the servants opened the doors, and you poured out before the Royal Family did.

The Queensquare was relatively small—but it was beautiful. Tonight, it was decorated with banners and triangular flags along the lampposts, flower arrangements placed in windows and above doorways.

The first to speak was Kyungsoo. Although not a direct descendant of Queen Boram, he was still the heir to House Do, and his house still received tribute during the festival. He was dressed in the colors of his house, a white and gold military uniform with the crest of his house, a dragon holding a sword embroidered into his chest. His hair was slicked back, and his eyes glittered with pride.

“I thank the people of Oceansforte for holding my family in such high regard, even if the reign of the Do dynasty ended 212 years ago. That you still place your trust in us. We are a people strong in courage. I believe if she were alive today, Queen Boram would be greatly proud of the nation we have grown to become.”

He smiled at the applause, the cheering. “Our nation celebrates over 400 years of independence after over 800 years of Aviluxian rule, and some 88 years of rule under Paimonsvale. Here’s to double that, triple that, many dynasties more!”

The crowd in the Queensquare below erupted into even more applause and cheers of agreement. He waved at a few of the people, before stepping to the side. Junmyeon took his place at the center of the balcony.

He looked breathtaking, and there was only so much you could do to let loose the quietest heartfelt sigh. Next to you, another guard, Jaehyun, raised one of his eyebrows at you.

“My people! People of my father, and of my grandfather, and of his father before him. We live in an ever-changing nation,” He said, somehow managing to project his voice over the crowd. “Customs change, people change. In the past year, our kingdom has lost much. The difficult harvest season, flooding in Grathport and its surrounding area… the loss of our queen.”

The air turned melancholy, and Junmyeon’s eyes turned downcast for a second. It wasn’t every day that anyone in the royal family mentioned the passing of Queen Yerin. The illness that took her had been sudden, and within less than two weeks she was gone.

“Kings and queens… they come and go. One day I shall rise to the throne. I shall remain there for as long as I am physically and mentally capable, and as long as the people will have me. But this kingdom…”

He spread his arms, smiling as he gestured back at the Queensquare. “This kingdom will, if the gods have it, stand forever. Even if the gods disagree, we will fight until the end! We have carved out our destiny for as long as this kingdom has been an independent, sovereign nation. Let us continue to do so, and let us prosper!”

Everyone in the Queensquare cheered, and his smile grew even bigger.

“Long live the nation!” He declared.

Long live the nation!”

You raised an eyebrow. You knew this speech in and out—you’d watched him practice, day in and day out. This was new.

“Long live the people!”

Where was this going? Or so you thought for the next few seconds, until Junmyeon roared, so loudly even you could hear the strain in his voice;

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Even after all your training to keep your face still, you found it incredibly hard to hold back the gasp in the back of your throat. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched Jongin and Minseok’s eyes snap in their brother’s direction.

For most, this would be a show of loyalty and love to his father. To those who knew, especially when this was unplanned?

Long live the king—the longer his father lived, the longer he could put off his duty as heir. The sarcasm couldn’t be missed.

And yet… was this because of what had just happened? You forced the thought away. It was too much to think of everything and ignore the crowd in front of you.

The Queensquare’s reply was so loud it was deafening even from atop the balcony. Junmyeon grinned, expression nothing short of ecstatic at the response—sarcastic in intention. Your heart skipped a beat, but your gut felt like it was made of lead. When he stepped away a moment later, you noticed the sweat on his brow.

This isn’t going to end well, you thought.

He stepped to the side, his father stalking up to the center of the balcony. Junmyeon exchanged a glance with his father, whose thin-lipped smile gave you no pause that he was secretly fuming.

“My father wishes to address his subjects,” Junmyeon declared, “Thank you, my people. Let us all rejoice!”

He stepped to the side, and King Ilseong stood at the center. He held out his hands, quieting the crowd. Once the silence had died down, he began to speak again.

The king’s speech was a bit longer than Junmyeon’s. He went on about his duty to the kingdom, the people’s duty to their nation. You zoned out, eyes scanning over the courtyard. There in the distance, towards the back of the crowd, you saw a familiar face.

Or at least, you were rather sure it was a familiar face—from here, it was a bit hard to tell. Your memory was a bit fuzzy, but the blonde mop of curls was distinctive of little Brigitte Treegrove.

She’d climbed up onto an oil lamppost, and was watching the king speak with wide eyes. Every few seconds she’d turn to say something to a man you hadn’t seen before.

He didn’t look like the girl’s father, but you tried to pay it no mind—maybe he was, maybe he was a close family friend, maybe it was none of your business. But you didn’t like the way his eyes would change every time he looked up at the balcony. When he looked at Brigitte, his eyes were warm and kind. But the second he turned, eyes settling on Junmyeon, his gaze turned smug… hungry.

You didn’t know how you knew he was looking at Junmyeon at this distance. But you just knew.

It alarmed you so much you kept your eyes trained on him the entire time. Towards the end of the speech, he looked over Junmyeon one last time, and then… his eyes landed on you.

For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, you locked eyes. His gaze didn’t falter, and from here, his smirk seemed to grow. Your face remained stoic, and he broke away a few seconds later.

As the king concluded his speech, the man gently tapped on Brigitte’s shoulder. She looked at him and jumped off of her place on the lamppost into his arms. The Queensquare erupted into cheers and applause, but the two of them headed down the dark street behind them.

You forced yourself to focus. There had to be some logical explanation to it. But you couldn’t shake the strange feeling brewing in your gut.

Next to you, Jaehyun straightened. You mirrored his movements, recognizing this as the sign to escort the royal family back inside. The guards entered last, and the doors shut with a final boom.

“Everyone who is not a personal guard to members of the royal family, you are dismissed.” King Ilseong’s voice was dripping with disdain. His eyes softened when his eyes landed on Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo, my boy,” He said, voice softer, “Thank you. Tell your mother I bid her well.”

“Of course, your highness. Thank you for having me.”

When everyone else had been ushered out of the room, King Ilseong snapped his head at Junmyeon’s direction.

“You fool of a prince,” He seethed, “Why would you even—“

“Is it such a crime to wish my father a long life?” Junmyeon asked, “Especially after so soon after losing my mother?”

The King’s eyes flashed in anger. “How dare you. You know what you said, you know what you meant by it.”

Jongdae huffed. “Could both of you calm down and stop being such—”

Jongin crossed his arms. “Jongdae—”

“Yes,” Junmyeon answered, glaring at his father, “I know what I said. So do you, and so does everyone else in this room, now. The people outside, down in the Queensquare do not. And they likely never will. What they see is completely different from what you or I would, father. I don’t know why you can’t recognize that.”

The king scowled, before glancing around the room. He took a deep breath, before looking back at his second oldest son. “Perhaps it is good that I live long. Then your disgraceful rule will be a smaller stain on our nation’s history. Your disrespect tonight tells me everything I need to know about how you will rule once I am gone.”

He stormed out of the room, Minseok following after him. He was staring at his father with great disdain.

The doors slammed shut, and Junmyeon shook his head. “Horrible old man,” He muttered, gnawing on his cheek.

“I don’t know what Mother ever saw in him,” Jongdae grumbled.

“Enough,” Jongin snapped. “This is supposed to be a happy night, but no. Apparently no one in this family knows how to behave. Not him, prideful bastard,” He jabbed a finger at the door, “Not you, you nosy buffoon,” He pointed at Jongdae, “And certainly not you,” He scowled as he pointed at Junmyeon, “With your—your theatrics. And you all call me the childish one.”

There was a beat of silence, and then suddenly both Jongdae and Junmyeon were in his face, cussing him out. This had happened before—House Kim was a prideful one, and none of the men in the Royal Family were good at knowing when to back down.

So you did what you usually did when this happened: You, Jaehyun and Sicheng placed yourselves in between the siblings, each of you hoping to separate your assigned sibling from the fray. Your eyes met Junmyeon as you stepped in front of him, and you felt terrible; his voice was angry, but his eyes were misty. Once you got closer, you could tell his lip was wobbling slightly.

You looked at Jaehyun, who raised an eyebrow in question. With Minseok gone, you were in charge. You nodded, silently answering his question. With difficulty, you maneuvered the brothers away from each other. Sicheng pulled Jongin out into the hallway, Jaehyun pulled Jongdae into a room adjacent to the one you were in, and you kept Junmyeon inside of the room.

Once the other two were gone, all of the fight seemed to leave him. He crossed his arms, shaking his head.

“Don’t listen to him,” You said.

“Who?” He asked, giving you a sad smile, “My father or my brothers?”

You shrugged. “Whoever bothered you the most. Come, I’ll take you to your quarters.”

He agreed wordlessly, letting you pull him out of the room. Sicheng and Jongin were gone, hopefully in the other direction.

“I… would like to ask,” You said a few moments later, “Why did you say it?”

Junmyeon was silent, before sighing. “I’m… not quite sure. I think I just… wanted to make him angry. It was immature of me, I know.”

“Is it because of what he said about me?”

He said nothing, but his silence told you everything you needed to know

You looked at him. “Junmyeon…”

“I know, I know.” He shook his head. “I’m turning 24 soon. I’m grown. But all of this, it—it’s stressful. It’s bad enough that his ego takes up the entire space in the room… I don’t need him insulting the people I care about.”

With a soft tsk, you huffed. “I can take him reminding me of my ‘place’. People did it all the time when I was still an active member of the court.”

“Still,” He grumbled. “It’s humiliating. He did it in front of everyone to shame you.”

You didn’t tell him you didn’t disagree.

The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes. You tried to focus not stepping on the cracks in the stones beneath you to try and avoid telling him that he was right. There was no need to possibly fuel any drama between the King and the Crown Prince.

“Remember when we were younger?” You asked, voice quieter. “When everything didn’t seem as… set in stone?”

You thought of all of the times you chased each other with wooden swords through his mother’s garden, of running away from parties to look for rooms with enough couches for all of you to sleep on because Yixing was tired and he was too afraid to sleep alone and insisted all of you come with him. You were all so young, so naïve.

All of that was gone now.

He laughed softly, nodding. “I do. I definitely do. I… there are so many things I would have done differently, knowing now.”

“Like what?”

His smile grew sad, before glancing at you. “I would have… hugged my mother more. She used to nag, saying that once I got older I stopped hugging her or kissing her like I did when I was a boy. A-and she was right. I stopped because Father would… say things. You know how he is.”

You hummed. Junmyeon’s father was a good king. But he wasn’t a good father. He tried to keep up the appearances in front of the greater courts. But in smaller, more personal circles… He was less than inclined.

“I… I don’t think it’ll do you well to continue dwelling on what-ifs, my prince.”

“What-ifs are all I’ve been thinking about as of late, my lady.”

You swallowed at the title. You knew he was just poking fun at how you addressed him, but… the sound of him calling you his lady. You liked it, a little too much.

You smiled at him, hoping the heat of your cheeks wasn’t too evident in the dimly lit corridor.

“What other what-ifs have been plaguing you, then?”

“Do you remember when we snuck out to that tavern in Allunya?”

Your eyes widened. Yes, you remembered Allunya.

You and Junmyeon were 19. It was late summer. On a trip for some Allunyan duke’s wedding, the ten of you had snuck out of the keep and into a village tavern. You’d drank common ale for the first time, and you’d all danced until your feet cramped. It was one of the best nights of your life… and the same night you realized your feelings for Junmyeon.

“How could I forget? Baekhyun drank so much he threw up on the horse on the way back.”

Junmyeon threw his head back, letting out a laugh—a real laugh, not one that felt forced or fake entirely. “Well, it was his first time—I don’t blame him. But… that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. I would have asked you all to do it more often if I’d known we wouldn’t get caught.”

“We were two day’s travel away from Boram’s Bay,” You countered, “I feel we would have gotten recognized if we did that here.”

“Maybe,” He said with a nod, “But I remember dancing with you and never wanting it to end.”

You froze for a second, before swallowing the lump in your throat.

“...Oh? Is that so?”

He laughed, shrugging. “For the first time ever, I’d never felt so free. I felt lighter than a feather. I—just for a moment, I had no… responsibilities. I didn’t know Minseok didn’t want to be king yet. Hell, I didn’t even feel like a prince at all. I felt like… well, like a boy, who was out having fun with his friends.”

The swirling in your stomach came to an abrupt stop. Of course that was why.

“Oh. Yes, I can imagine.”

His eyes were warm as he recalled the memory. You wondered how he’d have reacted that night if…

“Junmyeon.” Your voice was shaky, and not because of the staircase you were going up.

He raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”

“I—” You thought of the implications of it all. If he didn’t reciprocate, he’d treat you differently. You’d lose him even sooner than you were bracing for.

But if he did…

Then what? You had three months until the wedding. Mariana was likely already in Oceansforte, set to arrive in the morning. When you reached the top of the stairs, you gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“I just think… Tonight, you don’t feel that good. But by this time tomorrow, you’ll be with Mariana and I think you’ll feel a lot better. Don’t dwell on the past, my prince. The future will come before you know it, and… I think it’ll suit you.”

He was silent until you reached his door. “I… Thank you, Y/N. I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for you.”

“You’d probably be in the infirmary,” You joked, “Jongdae packs a pretty punch.”

He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I mean it. You’re the greatest friend I could ask for.”

You smiled, ignoring the small stab in your chest at the word friend. “You would do the same. Now, go get some rest. Your beloved will be here in a few hours.”

He grinned. “I intend to. I’m exhausted.”

You watched him enter his chambers, eyes warm. But your face fell the second he was gone, and you turned away without looking back.

That night, you dreamed of Allunya.

The music from the live band—which consisted of a fiddler, a drummer and two singers playing a mandolin and a fiddle respectively—was heartful and cheery, with just a touch of melancholy. They sang of winning battles with friends, spotting former lovers with their new lovers, and old lovers reuniting after years of being apart.

The ale was going to everyone’s head. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were play-fighting, Kyungsoo watching and drunkenly laughing as they did. Jongin was dozing off at the table. Everyone else was either drinking or dancing, but you and Junmyeon were dancing together.

You were drunk, so by no means were you two the most graceful couple dancing. But despite being so unaware of your surroundings and everything else going on around you, you seemed so fixated on Junmyeon’s face. He was laughing along with you as you got every step wrong and stepped on each other’s feet.

“Mother would be distraught if she—” He hiccupped, “—saw me now. All those years of ballroom dancing classes done away with a few pints…”

��I’d like to see her try to do the Allunyan Four-Step after three pints of ale, Myeonnie,” You slurred, “I d-don’t think it’d go too well for her—ah!”

You stepped back, slipping on something someone had spilled onto the floor. Your eyes clenched shut, hoping any bruises you’d get wouldn’t be visible to your parents. But a moment later, a hand caught your waist and another the back of your neck.

When he caught you, you were met face to face with him. Your lips parted. Under the warm lights of the tavern’s fireplace and lanterns, you could make out a bright shade of pink spread across his cheeks. The ale had clearly gotten to him. He looked so…

“Pretty,” You mumbled as he helped you stand.

“What?” He asked, “I didn’t hear you. ‘S too loud.”

“I said, ‘that scared me’,” You answered, a little too quickly.

He stepped even closer, gripping your waist. You swallowed at the proximity—your chests were touching now.

“I-I don’t think the Allunyan Four-Step is danced so close.”

He shook his head, eyes hooded. “I don’t care about the Allunyan Four-Step.”

You gasped when he led you through the crowd, dancing as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Your boots were sticky with spilled ale and other mystery substances spilled on the floor, and you had to lift your skirts with one hand to ensure they wouldn’t get dirtied or that you wouldn’t trip over them. Your free hand fastened itself around his neck for leverage, and the two of you went about skipping—stomping?—about the dance floor.

Some of the older couples stopped to watch and laugh, but not maliciously. You could tell they were happy to see two young persons, so cheerful and carefree and in love—

You stumbled again, but you caught your balance before anything could happen. In love? Where had that come from?

Junmyeon simply laughed, tossing his head back. Your face softened at his expression. He looked so… beautiful.

You dropped your skirts, reaching to cup Junmyeon’s cheek. He seemed a bit startled, but relaxed into your touch a few moments later. He grinned at you, and you matched his expression. Just a pair of young, drunken fools, laughing and dancing, holding each other tighter… faces leaning forward…

Your eyes fluttered shut. You almost felt alarmed at how right it felt. At this proximity, you could feel his breath fanning your cheek.

Until a split second later, when Chanyeol drunkenly yelled, loud enough for it to echo across the tavern, “That’s not true, you stump-sized bastard!”

You both jumped in each other’s grips, and when you opened your eyes, an alarmed gaze met yours.

“Time to go?” Suddenly, Junmyeon sounded a lot more sober.

“I think so,” You said without hesitating. A moment later, Baekhyun slurred, “I’m just—calling it as I see it!”

He tugged you toward the table by the hand. You ripped your hand out of his. Not just to hold Baekhyun back from Chanyeol. Suddenly, your hand felt like it was on fire.

You jolted awake in your bed. Swallowing dryly, your eyes fluttered shut again. Your hand came up to your forehead, rubbing away the cold sweat that had accumulated while you slept.

“Fuck,” You croaked.

As the envoy of three carriages and three wagons rolled up to the main entrance of the castle, you stood at attention. Parallel to you stood Minseok, who was eyeing the rest of his family nervously. You weren’t sure what had happened in the hours after you left. All you knew was that Jongin seemed to have calmed down, now eyeing Junmyeon, Jongdae and his father nervously.

There was no time for the dramatics—now was the time to concentrate on the task at hand. One of the carriages opened, a guard stepping out and announcing the Aviluxian royal family and their company.

From the first carriage emerged King Adriano. When the other two opened, Sebastian and another young man emerged from one, and Mariana and three young women emerged from another.

The servants took to unloading the carriage, and the Aviluxian guests walked up the castle steps to meet the royal family. They greeted each other with bows and curtsies, King Adriano and King Ilseong embracing briefly.

“Adriano, welcome back.”

“A pleasure to return,” The King said, “I bring more company.”

“Yes, I see,” King Ilseong answered, “Come, enter, let’s force the pleasantries out of the heat.”

Prince Sebastian laughed softly. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, this is nothing in comparison to summer in the Aviluxian desert.”

He nodded, “Yes, I suppose you’re correct. Still, you’ve traveled far, I assume you’re all tired.”

Your group of guards escorted the large group inside. Mariana turned her head to look at the guards, and when she saw you, she grinned in greeting. You acknowledged her with a small smile and quick nod of the head.

Once the gates were shut, she could no longer contain herself. She practically threw herself at Junmyeon with a quaint laugh, who embraced her with a face that looked like he was in heaven.

“I’ve missed you,” She said.

Junmyeon pulled away. “As h-have I.”

“You’ve grown so fond of each other,” King Adriano said, “It warms the heart.”

The two nodded, but said nothing further. You took a deep breath—this is going to be a long, long week.

“I was saying.” King Adriano turned back to King Ilseong. “You remember Mariana and Sebastian. This is my nephew, Cesar. He is second-in-line for the throne after Sebastian.”

Sebastian looked proud at the statement, but Cesar’s face remained passive. “The greatest honor, King Ilseong,” Cesar murmured, bowing again.

“The pleasure is mine,” King Ilseong replied. “Is it your first time in Oceansforte?”

“No, Your Majesty. I’ve been once before but as a boy, to visit a friend of my mother’s on Magpie Island.”

“Magpie Island, yes. A lovely place.”

Prince Cesar nodded in agreement, and then King Adriano introduced Mariana’s ladies-in-waiting and closest friends, Montserrat of the House Cipriano, Isadora of the House Leon and Lisette of the House Peralta. They spoke less, seeming to be the most timid of the Aviluxians.

They were all served lunch, you watching from behind them as you stood guard. Your lower back was beginning to ache from standing up straight for so long. You were forced to watch Junmyeon and Mariana’s every interaction from feet away, and it killed you. They sat next to each other at lunch. Every now and then, one of them would lean over and whisper to each other, then laugh quietly to themselves as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

And oh, how you burned. How you ached to push yourself between the two and demand they let you in on their little jokes. It felt like a stab to the heart every single time.

You forced yourself to focus on the servants instead, and the Aviluxian guards the family had brought along with them.

When that was done, you were dismissed to allow for them to discuss entrances in the ballroom for the celebration tomorrow night.

Minseok caught up to you as you exited the room. He nudged you gently with his shoulder.

“How have you been?”

“As alright as one can be,” You answered. He started to open his mouth and you held up a finger. “I don’t want to talk about it, Min. There are more important things than whatever I have going on in my personal life to think about.”

“Alright,” He conceded. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you. Now, who’s coming today?”

“The usual rascals,” Minseok said. “I think everyone wants to meet the only girl that makes Jun nervous.”

You chuckled. “No one’s ever rattled him quite like she does,” You agreed. “The great Prince Junmyeon of House Kim, stuttering because of a girl.”

The two of you waited at the steps of the main entrance, waiting in the meantime.

“You know more than I do,” You murmured, “What happened after the fight last night?”

“I know Jongin and Jun made up,” Minseok answered, crossing his arms. “I doubt anything of the sort happened between the rest of them. Father is… well. You know how he is.”

You nodded, face burning. His words from last night still felt like scratches on your skin.

“Jongdae is just as proud as father is. Junmyeon definitely doesn’t want to bend with either of them. Jongin is more forgiving, at least. More willing to compromise for the sake of the family.”

“And you?” You raised an eyebrow. “I know you were angry last night.”

“You’re my best friend and my second in command. Hearing Father treat you that way made me see red, and reminded me of another reason why I didn’t want to be king. It goes to your head if you’re not the right person. Father was the right person to be king, yes, but not the right person to… be anything else, I suppose. It’s gone to his head and he thinks himself better than anyone in the nation. And because he is king, there’s not much we can do to convince him otherwise.”

You nodded, but didn’t answer. Minseok frowned. “I think you’re the person who’s shown the least amount of emotion regarding the whole thing, even though he was cruel to you. How are you?”

A deep breath left your chest. “I… Sometimes I think I’m used to it. The whispers, the fact that some people think that my House isn’t ever going to actually be Validated. And most of the time I am. But when it’s said to my face like that, and by the king, no less…”

You bit your lip, blinking a few times and trying to ignore the sudden burning in your eyes. With a huff, you faced away from Minseok.

“It hurts. I hate to admit it, but I—it makes me feel so small.”

“You can cry if you want,” He said softly, “I’m not gonna judge you for it.”

You shook your head. “No,” You insisted, voice watery, “I don’t want to.”

Minseok sighed. “Y/N—”

“Please don’t.” You wiped your eyes, leaning against the wall. “I’ll be fine.”

He said nothing, but looked upset at your denial of him. A few moments later, the gates opened, and a carriage rolled past it.

When Baekhyun exited, he strolled towards you both with a grin. It faded when he saw your expressions.

“What’d I do?” He asked with a pout, “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Nothing, my friend.” Minseok forced a smile onto his face. “Y/N just has an issue with her emotions.”

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows. “Is this about Junmyeon again? Gods, woman, I don’t know why you don’t just—”

“Keep your voice down!” You hissed, “Do you want the whole kingdom to know!?”

“Oh, they already do,” Chanyeol said, popping his head out of the carriage. “Junmyeon’s the only idiot who doesn’t.”

You scowled. “All of you vex me so,” You grumbled, “You idiots.”

“What brings the two of you together?”

“I invited Chanyeol for lunch to have a… conversation about some choices he’s been making,” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Do—not—tell them.” Chanyeol made his way to your little trio, staring Baekhyun down.

“Is this about the Allunyan duchess you’re bedding? The married one?” Minseok asked, picking at some dirt underneath his fingernail. He sounded very uninterested in the whole thing.

Your jaw dropped open. “You’re sleeping with a married duchess?”

Chanyeol looked at Minseok as if he was planning on stomping on him. His ears were a bright red. “How did you know?”

Minseok rolled his eyes, before lowering his voice to mimic Chanyeol’s, “The whole kingdom already knows.”

“Not me,” You mumbled, confused at the whole situation. Evidently in your time away from court, it had been very eventful.

“Nor does her husband,” Baekhyun said, as if it were any consolation, “Just… most of the court.”

“Why?” You asked Chanyeol, still in disbelief, “Chanyeol, of all the women to stick your c—”

“It’s complicated,” He insisted, before grumbling, “Her husband’s an ass.”

Another carriage entered the gate, and Chanyeol held up his hand. “Not a word of this to anyone else. Understood?”

“I suppose,” Minseok answered, “Doubt they don’t already know.”

Chanyeol huffed, but said nothing.

As this carriage rolled up to the steps, another entered as well, which was followed by a third. Out came Yixing, Sehun and Kyungsoo, respectively.

When the three of them greeted the group, Yixing looked around all of you. “Everyone looks like they swallowed a lemon.”

“Chanyeol’s just told us all a terrible joke,” You said, glaring at him, “Not funny in the slightest.”

Sehun raised an eyebrow. “Is it the one about the Allunyan du—“

“Oh Sehun.” Chanyeol looked just about ready to strangle him. “Not another word out of you.”

“Gods, you’re right,” Kyungsoo groaned, rolling his eyes, “He’s not funny at all.”

Chanyeol looked as if he wanted to burst into flames then and there, but you all chose to ignore it. You and Minseok led the men to the courtyard, where you’d all agreed to wait for the members of the Royal Families until they were done.

Baekhyun strode next to you as you did, and he offered a sympathetic smile. “You should tell him.”

“I should not tell him,” You said, side-eyeing him, “Not when he’s getting married.”

“You’re thinking of this all wrong.” He shook his head. “You’re thinking that if you tell him he’ll be forced to reject you or accept you—which realistically, isn’t going to happen. Not because he doesn’t like you, but… You know. Because he’s getting married and the law wouldn’t allow you two to be together anyway.”

You gave a deadpan stare. “Thank you Baekhyun. You are so helpful.”

“I don’t mean it like that. I’m willing to bet my money that Jun does love you. But because of the circumstances he can’t give you what you want. Listen, what I’m trying to say is don’t tell him with the intention of giving him your love. Tell him with the intention of letting go of it.”

When you didn’t answer, he took that as his cue to continue. His eyes turned overly wistful, and he put a hand on his chest. Ever the thespian, he began to speak in a bad impression of your voice.

“Junmyeon, I care for you more than a knight should care for the prince she’s been assigned, and more than a best friend should care for their best friend. I’m not expecting anything—you’re engaged, and it wouldn’t be allowed anyway. I simply need to get it off my chest, so that I can heal faster.”

Ignoring his theatrics, you mulled over his words. Did you really even want to heal? You loved Junmyeon and you loved loving him, it was what kept you so dedicated to him. And you weren’t sure what you would do with his rejection, which was inevitable.

“I… I’ll think about it. It doesn’t sound like such a terrible idea.”

You all sat at the long table you’d sat at the last time—when you’d snapped at Junmyeon. That seemed to have been forgotten as you all sat. Minseok leaned against the table, crossing his arms.

“This is a foreign royal family. Not just Princess Mariana, your future queen, and not just Prince Sebastian, the future king of an allied nation—”

“The jackass?” Kyungsoo asked.

“The jackass,” You confirmed.

“—I’d better not hear that word once he’s around,” Minseok snapped, sending both of you a stern glance, “This is also their cousin Prince Cesar and Mariana’s ladies-in-waiting. Those four have nothing to do with any slights we might have against the two. We’re all adults here. We’ve all been brought up properly, no? Please just play nice. Mariana and her ladies will be apart of our circle and the royal court from here on out. Please be welcoming.”

Nodding, you looked around the circle. You sighed upon seeing everyone staring at you, waiting for a response. “Everyone here… knows about how I feel. Do not hold that against her. It is my problem alone and not anyone else’s. She is kind and treats Junmyeon well. I do not want her feeling unwelcome here.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“We wouldn’t dream of it.” Sehun patted your back.

“Well, we did dream of it, but now that you’ve asked us not to, we will not,” Baekhyun said, beaming proudly.

“You’re terrible,” You mumbled, laughing.

“What makes them so terrible now?”

Everyone turned their attention to see Junmyeon arriving with his brothers and the younger members of the Aviluxian envoy. He had his arm around Mariana’s waist.

“Nothing in particular,” You said, standing out of respect, “I just asked them not to embarrass me in front of our guests.”

Your friends around the table stood, offering bows and respect to the newcomers. They offered their seats, opting to stand around the guests. When you stood next to Baekhyun, you noted his shocked face. His eyes were wide, lips parted in awe. You followed his gaze, eyes landing on Montserrat, who was speaking quietly to Mariana, Caterina and Lisette.

Apparently all Oceansforte men look at Aviluxian women like that, you thought, remembering how similar Junmyeon’s face looked to Baekhyun’s. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. Instead, you rolled your shoulders back and stood up straight.

“Esteemed guests,” You began, smiling, “Today, apart from the brothers of House Kim, my friends and I join you. We are all close friends of the princes and the Royal Family. For those of you who have not met me, my name is Lady Y/N, of House L/N. I am Prince Minseok’s second in command for the Royal Guard, and Prince Junmyeon’s personal knight. It is an honor.”

After a bow, you went around introducing your friends. Each one of them offered the same pleasantries: a brief greeting and a bow. When Baekhyun gave his, he kept his eyes trained on Montserrat the entire time. And when she met his eyes, she bloomed a shade of red and looked down to her lap.

When you were all done, Sebastian leaned back in his seat—the one you’d just been sitting in. He smiled smugly, before looking at his sister.

“So, Junmyeon, you’ve invited us to spend the afternoon with your friends. Shall we be partaking in any activities?”

“Oh, I hadn’t had time to actually consider what we’d be doing,” Junmyeon admitted, “I left that mostly to them.”

Kyungsoo raised a finger, smiling at the guests. “Jongin and I were thinking of what to do a few days ago, actually. He made a wonderful suggestion. Since we’re in such a large group, we thought that playing Boram’s Triad would take up the entire afternoon and show the guests a side of our customs.”

You grinned at the idea, and saw Chanyeol and Minseok nodding in approval.

Mariana nodded. “I think we’d love to learn. How do you play—what did you say it was called?”

“It’s called Boram’s Triad. Most people call it S.W.S—Skill-Wits-Strength,” Jongin said.

“Skill-wits-strength?” Cesar asked.

“It’s a set of three games that’s played by eight different teams,” Kyungsoo explained, “The first round eliminates four teams, the second two, and the final round determines the winner. It’s always the same three games in the same order. Archery, to test skill, chess, to test wit, and finally, a sword fight, to test strength. Whichever team wins all three wins the Triad.”

“Isn’t it usually played in teams of three? Each person in the team participates in a different activity?” Junmyeon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “We figured it would be better to play in pairs for the first round and then choose who would play each round better.”

Cesar grinned, nodding. “It sounds like good fun,” He said. “Shall we team up now?”

Jongin nodded. “It’s customary for guests to choose first. Please, choose whomever you’d like.”

Immediately, Mariana stood. She looked excited, which you found endearing. “Junmyeon?”

The prince grinned in agreement. You tried to ignore the clenching in your chest as she strode towards him.

“Well, sister,” Sebastian said, standing from his chair, “All well and good for choosing your beloved, but if you wish to win you must choose strategically. Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s head snapped into his direction. He seemed caught off guard, almost surprised that the prince was addressing him. You did your best to resist cackling at his wide eyes.

“Yes?” He asked, voice teetering on uneasiness.

“I’ll play with you. We both seem to be strong, smart men—“

“Strong, maybe,” Baekhyun mumbled next to you, “Smart, I could tell you otherwise.”

You didn’t know what would’ve happened if Chanyeol or Sebastian had heard him, but thankfully that didn’t happen. Instead, Sebastian continued to speak.

“—So I hope we shall win together.”

Chanyeol hesitated. He glanced at Minseok, who raised an eyebrow in a manner that could only be described as threatening. Less than a second later, Chanyeol had put on the fakest smile you’d ever seen him wear, walking towards Sebastian.

“Of course, your royal highness. It’s an honor.”

Cesar opened his mouth, but Montserrat beat him to it. She pointed at—

“Baekhun, that was your name, yes?”

“Baekhyun,” He said gently, “Me, my lady?”

Montserrat nodded happily. “Yes, please.”

He grinned, and the two stood to the side, speaking in hushed tones to each other.

Lisette and Isadora exchanged glances, and Lisette chose first. Her eyes landed on Kyungsoo, who seemed indifferent—but you knew he probably would have preferred to be with Jongin. Isadora chose Yixing. Ever the gentleman, Yixing gave a bow when he was chosen and expressed how flattered he was.

Cesar was the last to choose. He was silent for a moment, but you didn’t have to think too hard on who he’d choose. Not if he was anything like Sebastian, at least.

His eyes landed on Minseok, and you resisted frowning. You would have loved to be able to choose Minseok, but then—

“Lady Y/N?”

All heads snapped in his direction. You blinked.

“Your highness?”

“Mariana has spoken well of you. You seem pragmatic and capable, may I please join you?”

“Why listen to Mariana?” Sebastian scoffed, “Oh, cousin, you should know by now—“

“I’d rather listen to Mariana than to you, cousin.” The fake smile on Cesar’s face did little to hide the disdain for his cousin, and you slapped yourself mentally for holding prejudice against him. Sebastian’s jaw dropped open, as if no one had ever spoken to him like that before. Given that he was the heir to the throne, that was likely true.

Cesar turned back to you, paying Sebastian’s gaping mouth no mind. “If you wish to choose someone else, my lady, I’d take no offense—“

“No,” You insisted, “Not at all. Please, I’d be honored.”

Cesar’s shoulders relaxed, and you heard Sebastian scoff as you stood next to his cousin.

The rest of the selections went by with a breeze. Sehun chose Jongin and Minseok and Jongdae were left with each other.

Jongin was nice enough to ask the servants to prepare a set of four targets, plus bows and arrows for each pair. The targets had ten circles, each circle representing a set of points. They were set up in the field between the castle and the castle’s private beach, where you and your friends would chase each other when you were all children.

“So the way we’ve planned it is every two teams get a target, each team gets four shots total—in turns of two,” Kyungsoo explained once you’d left the courtyard and were in front of the arrows.

“How will we decide turns and who plays against who?” Sehun asked.

“I wrote everyone’s teams down on the way here,” Jongin said, “I’ll just draw them from a cup.”

First up, were Minseok and Jongdae against Yixing and Isadora. Minseok and Jongdae made a formidable pair—Jongdae was fairly skilled, and while Minseok as captain of the Royal Guard was more skilled at close combat, he was decent enough when it came to archery. In the first round, Jongdae scored an 8 and Minseok a 7. In the next one, Jongdae scored a 9, much to Minseok’s delight.

“That’s it!” He said, slapping his younger brother on the back. You laughed from where you were watching, clapping for the loudest prince.

“I take it you and Minseok are close?” Cesar asked curiously.

“I’m his second-in-command, and I’ve been friends with the princes since I was a girl. He’s a good friend.” You nodded, watching Minseok take up the bow. This time, he had a little less luck. He scored a 6—their total added up to 30. He pursed his lips, evidently slightly disappointed.

You cupped your hands around your mouth, so that you’d be heard over the wind and the small distance. “Don’t fret, Min. It was a good shot, it’s just a bit windy.”

He shrugged you off. “It’s fine.”

Next up were Yixing and Isadora. The two of them were evidently a bit awkward around each other, and the minute she picked up the bow, you knew she’d likely never picked one up before. As you watched curiously, Yixing gave her a brief explanation on how to use it, and she was able to score a 3.

You nodded in approval. Without much experience plus the slight wind, it was impressive.

“Is it common for women in Oceansforte to train with weapons like you, Lady Y/N?” Cesar spoke again, leaning towards you. “Please forgive me if I’m intruding. I don’t mean to pry.”

“Not at all, your highness. I’d say it’s a bit more common now, but it wasn’t very commonplace when my father started training me. And please, just Y/N is fine.”

“Likewise—please just call me Cesar. How old were you?”

You thought for a moment, clapping gently when Yixing scored a 5. “I was about 8. When he wasn’t looking after the king and I wasn’t in class or off with my friends, he was teaching me the basics of close combat and the honor code of the Royal Guard.”

“That’s quite admirable,” He said with a nod, “I take it Mariana has told you of our customs back home in Avilux?”

You bristled. “Yes, but I ask that you respect my country’s customs if we do disagree—”

“Disagree? Nonsense. I think it’s perfectly sensible for everyone to at least have a slight idea how to defend themselves.”

You smiled. “There’s a bit more to it than simply self-defense.”

“What do you mean?”

You thought of the looks you got at court when it was announced you’d be joining the Royal Guard, the judging stares, the probing questions. “Plenty of things that frankly, I’m not looking to debate at the moment. Too much of a migraine. If you wish to read on it yourself, there’s a lovely book in the castle library that—”

“Oh! Isadora, do be careful,” Sebastian exclaimed as Isadora misfired, her arrow landing in the grass just below the target, “You’ll take someone’s eye out.”

She said nothing, staring at him expressionlessly. And despite not knowing her at all, you could just tell on the inside she was fuming.

Call it women’s intuition.

Yixing scored a 5, making their score a total of 13. Still, they took it with ease. “I don’t think either of us wanted to sword fight anyway,” He said softly. Isadora laughed, nodding.

“Quite true, my lord.”

The next time Jongin drew names, Baekhyun and Montserrat were placed against Junmyeon and Mariana. It was very apparent that both pairings enjoyed their respective pairs quite well.

Montserrat raised her bow, but instead pointed one of the tips of it towards Mariana, who raised an amused eyebrow.

“With all due respect, your highnesses,” Montserrat said, scrunching her eyes shut in a dramatic manner, “Baekhyun and I are simply much too skilled for either of you to best us.”

“Watch how it’s done, princey.” Baekhyun grinned cheekily at the prince, and suddenly you understood why they liked each other so much.

“I won’t watch then,” Junmyeon said teasingly, “Because whatever you do, I’ll do it better.”

You bit back a laugh. Junmyeon was loads better than Baekhyun had ever been at archery.

“He’s so obnoxious,” You mumbled, softly.

“She’s a menace,” Cesar said at the same time. You both met eyes, before laughing softly together.

You liked Cesar, you decided. He wasn’t rude, nor was he overbearing in order to gain your approval. Plus, he’d told Sebastian off earlier, which had Junmyeon and everyone else here beat in that category so far.

Montserrat fumbled with the bow, which caused Mariana to laugh quietly.

“Your mind games will not work on me this time, my princess,” Montserrat hummed happily. You blinked.

“Mind games?” You asked quietly, glancing at your partner.

Cesar tsked. “Oh, Aviluxian women—especially at court—are exceptionally good at getting into your head. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that being expected to simply sit still and look pretty grows rather boring eventually. My cousin is quite good at it,” He murmured. You raised an eyebrow as he lowered his voice.

“...Sometimes, you don’t even realize she’s there.”

When Montserrat let the arrow fly, you all watched it fly into the 1-point circle. Still, her and Baekhyun squealed as if they’d just struck gold. It was amusing to watch, but it did little to dissuade the sudden uneasiness in your stomach.

A minute later when Baekhyun fired his first shot, his arrow embedded itself into the 7-point circle. He nodded approvingly.

Montserrat, again with Baekhyun’s help, lifted her bow and aimed towards the arrow, arm shaking slightly with exertion. She took a deep breath, and Baekhyun leaned in to whisper something into her ear. She glanced at him, smiled, and the next thing you knew, the arrow landed in the 3-point circle.

They both celebrated accordingly, making you smile. As much as Baekhyun—and by extension, the rest of your friends—could get on your nerves, you really did care about them. Seeing him happy made you happy, even more so when he was playing up his antics.

Baekhyun scored a 9 this time, causing him to flex his muscles, despite them being covered by his several layers of linen. When you looked around the group, you saw your friends laughing at his dramatics. Mariana and her other ladies-in-waiting seemed amused, but Sebastian looked to be rather unamused by the display.

Their final number of points was 19. Neither of them really seemed to care.

“At the end of the day,” Montserrat said happily, “I’m content to just learn new customs and meet the members of Mariana’s future court. All good fun.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, Montserrat,” Mariana answered as she and Junmyeon stepped up to their spot, “But as much as you love fun, I love to win.”

Everyone chuckled. You thought back to what Cesar said, wondering how much of it was true.

He’s second-in-line for the throne, you thought, probably just resentful that his cousins are more likely to rule nations than he is.

Junmyeon was up first, and my, what an impressive archer he was. He rolled his head on his neck, before holding his bow up in a way that showed: he knew what he was doing. From his stance, to his steady breathing, to the unadulterated confidence rolling off of him in that moment. He nocked an arrow against the bow, and aimed, before letting go.

You watched as the arrow, almost effortlessly, landed in the center of the target. A seemingly perfect bullseye—the first 10 of the game. A stunned silence engulfed the Aviluxians for a brief moment, while the rest of you erupted into applause. To your small circle, it was nothing new. A second later, your guests joined you in applause.

“Perfect as always, Jun!” Yixing spoke loudly over the wind. “I’m glad Isadora and I weren’t up against you, it would have made our loss look even worse. Good thing it was just Jongdae and Minseok.”

“Hey!” Jongdae’s head snapped to glare at Yixing, but Yixing paid him no mind.

Junmyeon shook his head, laughing as he did so.

He handed the bow off to Mariana. When he approached her to help her into her stance, she shook her head. “I think I know how to do it, I want to try on my own.”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asked, to which Mariana nodded.

She straightened her posture, grabbing an arrow before nocking it into the bow. She furrowed her brows in concentration, and you leaned your head forward to watch in concentration. While you weren’t the best, you knew the basics. Just from simple observation, Mariana seemed to have learned them all. Her stance was right, she was holding the bow correctly.

And when the arrow landed in the 7-point ring, dangerously close to the border of the 8-point, you realized she might have learned even more than the basics.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. She seemed equally as stunned, but proud nonetheless. When she turned to Junmyeon, he was beaming. The group erupted into applause.

“Lovely, milady!” Isadora exclaimed.

“You’re a natural, princess,” Montserrat said.

Your eyes spared Sebastian a glance. He was applauding, but he seemed disinterested. He was probably thinking something along the lines of beginner’s luck.

Junmyeon took his turn again, and to no one’s surprise, he shot a 9. Everyone applauded politely, but you’d be lying if you didn’t acknowledge the slight disappointment in your prince’s eyes.

When Mariana took the bow from his hands, she took her stance again. Cesar seemed to share your curiosity.

“Now we find out,” He murmured in a deep raspy tone, leaning closer towards you, “Is she a natural, or is she just lucky?”

You raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. This was the first time you actually took his appearance in. He was about the same height as Junmyeon. His dark hair was on the longer side. He had a complexion similar to that of his cousins, but his eyes were a piercing hazel green. And unlike Sebastian, who kept a closely shaven face, Cesar sported well-maintained stubble.

Suddenly, he felt too close, and you took a step back with an uneasy chuckle. “Your cousin is smart,” You said, voice resolute. “I don’t doubt her talents.”

Your eyes shifted back to the couple, and you stiffened when you realized Junmyeon had been carefully studying your interaction. You locked eyes with him, expression unreadable.

A second later, when the arrow landed, it scored Mariana an 8. Junmyeon’s eyes snapped to his betrothed, and he plastered a smile onto his face as she grew excited.

Your shoulders relaxed. “The princess is a natural,” You mused, smiling nonchalantly at Cesar, “I expected nothing less.”

Together, the pair had 34 points, easily leaving Baekhyun and Montserrat in the dust. This meant that they’d advance onto the next round, and that left four more teams to compete.

The next names that Jongin drew were Chanyeol and Sebastian, up against Kyungsoo and Lisette. Mariana and Junmyeon made their way next to you. Montserrat and Baekhyun stood further behind, murmuring excitedly to each other about anything and everything.

Kyungsoo and Lisette’s turn was slightly embarrassing to watch. While it was evident that none of the Aviluxian ladies had ever handled weaponry, Lisette was much more anxious about the idea of handling sharp objects, which made you want to look away from the interaction as Kyungsoo, who was by no means the warmest person ever, did his best to reassure her.

“Cesar,” Mariana murmured, leaning her head past Junmyeon, “Can I speak to you?”

The prince blinked, before nodding and standing next to his cousin. You nudged Junmyeon. “She was amazing,” You said quietly with a smile. He grinned.

“A total natural. Even I was shocked.”

There was a quick lull in your conversation as Lisette shot, her arrow landing not even halfway to the target. She didn’t seem to be enjoying herself at all, practically tossing it to Kyungsoo as if it were burning her.

Kyungsoo sighed, before looking at Lisette and saying something too quiet for anyone else to hear. He turned to Jongin after she answered.

“I’ll be shooting for her ladyship,” He declared. No one seemed to protest.

Until he fired once—ten points. Twice—ten points.

Sebastian raised a hand, “I don’t think this is completely fair—”

“Sebastian, be quiet!” Mariana hissed.

“Just let him do it,” Chanyeol groaned, causing Sebastian to glare.

Kyungsoo let the arrow fly a third time, and to no one’s surprise, he landed the arrow into the already crowded bullseye a final time. 30 total. The group was left in stunned silence, but it was moreso the Aviluxians.

He turned to Lisette with a smug smile. “I do hope you’re good at chess. I don’t think you’d be the best in a sword fight.”

Lisette, who evidently hadn’t been expecting Kyungsoo to be so good, was silent. A moment later, her mouth fell open, before beginning to laugh.

“I-I am not the best,” She said eventually, “But I will do what I can.”

And when the pair stepped to the side, the two whose turn it was meant to be were left. One looked incredibly bored, the other was red in the face.

“Would you like to take the first shot, your highness?” Chanyeol asked, sounding ready to end it all.

“I…” Sebastian bit back a scoff. But after a moment, his glare faded and was replaced with his signature smirk. “Yes. Of course.”

The prince immediately rolled his shoulders back before taking his position. From the get-go, it was evident that the prince had been trained well. He seemed even more confident than Junmyeon, but that didn’t surprise you one bit.

He kept his eyes trained on the target, furrowing his eyebrows in focus. His fingers tightened around the bow, before…

thwap!

A perfect 10. If his head weren’t so far up his ass, you’d have commended him. But since it was, your compliment would have been muffled and he probably wouldn’t have heard you at all.

Still, his expression grew even more smug. “That is how that’s done.”

He traded off with Chanyeol, who took his stance calmly. Nothing to prove and his desire for competition seemed rather dim, which was strange for Chanyeol. You wondered if he thought Sebastian was bad enough. He probably did.

Chanyeol lifted his bow towards the target, and you watched him take a deep breath, correcting his posture. The initial discomfort in his stance and gaze cleared into an expression of focus, stretching the hand holding the arrow, pulling the arrow taut, until…

“Ah-choo!”

The loudest, fakest sneeze you’d ever heard Sehun sneeze seemed to echo across the open field, causing Chanyeol to gasp in surprise, body jolting. He let the arrow fly—although probably not on purpose—and it landed dangerously close to the 5-point circle, but still in the 6-point range.

Next to you, Junmyeon stiffened, and you pursed your lips, but it was futile. Both of you erupted into giggles. You hid your laughter by hiding your face behind Junmyeon’s shoulder, and he leaned closer to you to do something similar.

Chanyeol’s eyes grew wide, and he turned to Sehun. “You little—”

“What?” Sehun asked, trying and failing to hold back a grin, “It’s allergy season. Do forgive me, Lord Park.”

Chanyeol sighed, and briefly looked as if he was considering murder. Both you and Junmyeon took deep breaths, trying to hold back another round of laughter. But before he could say anything, Sebastian broke out into raucous laughter.

“Sehun, my friend,” He said, causing Sehun’s smug grin to fade, “You are too funny for your own good. You’ll make Chanyeol’s head explode, I fear.”

Sebastian took the arrow, and managed to score another ten—his smug grin was just as unbearable at the death glare Chanyeol was giving Sehun. A few moments later Chanyeol scored a 9, but not before mouthing something in Sehun’s direction. You couldn’t make out exactly what he’d said, but it was safe to assume that it was something vulgar, because Sehun rolled his eyes mockingly.

With totals of 35 against 30, Sebastian and Chanyeol advanced onto the next round.

That left Sehun and Jongin, against you and Cesar.

Jongin and Sehun went first, for which you were grateful. As much as you loved the two youngest of the group, they could be a bit of a bumbling pair—which was exactly what you needed to calm your nerves before your turn.

“Nervous?” Junmyeon asked, sensing your anxiousness. You shrugged.

“I’ve never been the best at archery,” You mumbled, “You know that very well.”

“I do.” He nodded, watching Sehun splutter as he missed his first shot, arrow lodging itself several feet behind the target.

Behind him, Chanyeol roared with laughter. Kyungsoo sidestepped him to avoid being his during his flailing laugh. Sebastian didn’t, jumping in alarm when the taller man slapped his shoulder. He looked at your friend as if he had gone mad.

“Do you want tips so you don’t end up like that?” Junmyeon asked, and you nodded urgently.

“Yes, please.” You watched as Jongin aimed, fired, and scored a 5. “I’ll probably end up more like that, but as long as I’m not making a fool of myself like Sehun.”

Junmyeon hummed in response. “Alright. What I’d recommend—”

“Junmyeon, my darling,” Mariana called. Junmyeon whipped his head in her direction. She and Cesar were walking back towards you.

“Yes, my angel?” He asked once she was by his side, and you let out a quiet sigh at how quickly she had his attention. As she pulled him slowly away from you, Sehun scored a 4, much to Chanyeol’s amusement.

“How are you at chess?” She asked, and Junmyeon shrugged.

“I’m not the best. I was going to suggest that you play.”

Cesar’s arm brushed against yours, and you turned your head in his direction. “Are you ready?”

You sighed gently. “I mean—”

Thwap! Your heads snapped in the direction of the target. You felt your hands suddenly grow clammy when you saw it embedded in the 7-point mark.

It’s not that you were afraid you wouldn’t beat Sehun and Jongin. Cesar seemed calm enough, which gave you the impression he was better than both of them. You were mostly just nervous about making yourself look bad. If you looked bad, maybe they’d think you weren’t worthy. Maybe you’d be cast aside, and then what?

“Lady Y/N,” Cesar said, snapping you out of your thoughts. Your eyes widened at the realization that Sehun was holding the bow in your direction. There were several eyes on you. Sehun looked like he was gearing up to snap his fingers in your face just to be annoying.

“My apologies.” You smiled nervously, shaking your head. “I was thinking about something I needed to talk to Minseok about later.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, and in that moment you remembered the man you’d seen last night. In the spur of the moment, you’d pulled that out of your ass. But you were right. Even if it was nothing, you wanted to at least let him know you’d seen something strange.

“I’ll speak to you later. It can wait.”

Cesar took the bow from Sehun, and you watched him take his stance. He puffed his chest out, stretching his shoulders. Pulling an arrow out from the quiver, he took a different stance from the rest of those that had stood before him. He stood with his back facing away from you as he nocked the arrow.

“You’re left handed?” You asked.

Cesar glanced at you for a moment, before giving a single nod. “Yes, milady. My father tried to have it corrected, my mother insisted I be left alone.”

He didn’t seem bothered by your interruption, and a second later he let the arrow fly. You stood in shocked silence as it landed perfectly at 10. When he handed you the bow, you felt a bead of sweat forming on your forehead.

“Oh, your highness, how am I supposed to follow that?” You chuckled nervously.

He shook his head. “Oh, you’ll be fine.”

You gripped the bow the best way you remembered, and put an arrow into the groove of the wood. Clearing your throat, you did your best to stand the way you knew. Your hand was definitely sweatier than it should have been. You were breathing through your mouth—gods, why did you have to think about breathing? Now you were thinking about breathing instead of the proper way to pull the string back. How many fingers? Were you supporting it right?

In your peripheral vision, you saw Mariana whisper something to Junmyeon, lifting her hand to cover his ear. Junmyeon bit back a smile, but did exhale through his nostrils and look down.

They’re talking about you, you know, a little voice said in your mind.

It couldn’t be true. You knew Junmyeon would never laugh at you, never allow anyone to disrespect you so blatantly… right? Right? Your hand trembled, and the arrow flew. You frowned watching it land in the 3-point circle. 13 points so far, in comparison to Sehun and Jongin’s 20. With Cesar’s help, you would easily pass them. But it wasn’t about that.

Your heart sank, and you sighed. Behind you, a deep voice laughed.

“Prince Junmyeon,” Sebastian gasped between laughter, “You let that defend you!?”

“It’s the wind,” You muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Oh, come on, now, cousin,” Cesar said as you handed him the bow. “Don’t be that way.”

You looked down, ashamed. Rubbing your palms against your pants to dry them, Sebastian began to speak again before he was interrupted by Junmyeon.

“With all due respect, your royal highness, I must agree. Lady Y/N is my friend. I would appreciate it if you did not treat her so callously.”

Your head snapped up to look at Junmyeon, who flashed you a sympathetic smile. Mariana nodded furiously in agreement. “Quite right, Junmyeon. Sebastian, it would do our family well if you did not treat my future husband’s closest guard and friend the way you do.”

Sebastian scoffed, but said nothing further.

“And besides, Sebastian.” Cesar drew the bowstring back. “Just because you are the better archer, absolutely does not mean…”

He let the arrow fly, once more landing in the 10-point circle. Cesar smiled, before turning to his cousin. “...That her ladyship will not best you when you duel later.”

Cesar handed you the bow. “Would you like help?”

You offered a small smile. “A few tips would be nice, Cesar. Thank you.”

He watched you stand, and handed you an arrow. A few moments later, he stepped behind you. You took a deep breath. Mariana and Junmyeon weren’t talking about you, you thought, now that you were calmer, otherwise they would have laughed with Sebastian. You can do this. No one’s laughing at you. No one that matters, anyway.

“Here, your posture should be a bit straighter,” Cesar murmured into your ear, correcting the curve of your back by putting his hand on your lower back and pushing gently. His deep voice and accent along with his touch left goosebumps wherever he went. “Draw the bowstring back to your lip. Raise your elbow a little. No, no, not that high. Like this…”

He took your elbow, lowering it gently. Cesar stepped back, before crossing his arms and smiling proudly. “There. Go ahead.”

You took one last deep breath, before letting the arrow fly. The second it flew, you closed your eyes out of fear. What if you messed it up again? What if you embarrassed yourself even further, what if this time your friends didn’t defend you—

“That’s it!” Chanyeol roared.

“I told you!” Cesar exclaimed.

“Amazing, Y/N!” Minseok yelled.

“Dammit, why did we have to go up against them,” Sehun grumbled.

Your eyes flew open at the applause erupting around you. Everyone except Sebastian was clapping. After looking around, your eyes landed on the target. There, just below Cesar’s two bullseye shots, was your own arrow. Yes, a 3 followed by a 9 was by no means as impressive as the two consecutive 10s your partner had pulled off. But after the rush of emotions…

“I knew she could do it,” You heard Junmyeon say. A smile bloomed on your face. When you glanced at him, he didn’t meet your gaze. He was too busy staring at Cesar, at your proximity.

You turned to the prince who had helped you. He was grinning.

“I hope you’re good at chess.”

taglist: @doderyscoffee @iwishihadabettername @kiwibomb @exo-fics-i-like @eegyo @signnora @cxsmicmyeon @taem-min @miramizar @pimpnameyannie

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#exo scenarios #exo au #exo x reader #exo angst #kim junmyeon x reader #junmyeon x reader #suho x reader #junmyeon scenarios #junmyeon angst #suho scenarios #suho angst

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jongbross · 4 months

Note

EXO members’ reaction on having a shy girlfriend around their (the idol’s) parents during family dinner 🤗

i think, fundamentally, all of them would try to reassure you somehow, like in their own way.

minseok: he would keep his hand attached to yours under the table, caressing your knuckles to make you feel less nervous. he would also ask his parents to go easy on you, as he knows how shy you can be.

junmyeon: whenever his parents aren't looking, he would lean in and whisper how well you're doing, besides giving you a kiss or two on your cheek. when you have to talk to his parents, answering questions or just being polite, junmyeon has the biggest smile on his face.

yixing: he lets his parents know that you're shy beforehand, so they won't pressure you in any type of way. he rarely presents a girlfriend to his parents, so when he does they know it's because that person means a lot to yixing - and the last thing he wants is for his parents to go all "are you the future mother of our grandchildren?" on you.

baekhyun: he tries to comfort you through physical touch as well, either is by resting a hand on your thigh or just being really, really close to you. he speaks about his mom with such love, i really think she might be a great person who can tell when someone's getting shy, so you can also count on her to make you feel better.

jongdae: his smiles are the only thing you need to know you're doing fine. like junmyeon, he would take his time to tell you to not worry, that his parents are loving you - which they truly were. he would also laugh a little bit harder at your jokes, just to make you win extra points with his parents.

chanyeol: i mean, have you seen him? have you seen his sister and mom? there's no way that family is making you feel uncomfortable. in fact, if chanyeol lets them know in advance that you're shy, his mom might even suggest you meet yoora first, and then her and his dad. but through it all, chanyeol has an arm around your shoulders and fingers brushing your arm.

kyungsoo: he can be quite shy himself, so he would ask his parents to please, just play it cool. he doesn't touch you or whatever, but he does give you little smiles from time to time. he also doesn't let his parents try any trick on you, which means that if any of them asks you something that might make you uncomfortable, he's more than ready to just say "mom/dad, don't". he respects your boundaries.

jongin: he tells you a million times that there's no reason for you to be that shy around his mom and sisters. having their approval over you means a lot to jongin, so he does everything he can to make you comfortable and talkative towards his family - he might even ask his mom to tell you embarrassing stories from his childhood, so you'll laugh and maybe loosen yourself a little bit.

sehun: similar to jongin, but their parents will tell you embarrassing stories about him on their own. he makes sure you're okay every minute, silently asking you if you wanna go home. he loves you to the point that, if you regret marking that dinner with his parents, he'll just excuse the two of you and mark it again in the future.

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eomayas · 11 months

Text

nip slip • kjm

pairing: exhusband!junmyeon x exwife!reader

genre: smut 18+ MINORS DNI!!!

synopsis: one wrong angle on facetime leads two ex lovers back to the same bed.

warnings: pwp, dilfy suho, p in v, no foreplay, swearing

“daddy’s calling!” your daughter gasps, rushing to answer the facetime call from her father. you glance down at her and her ipad. “hi daddy!” jisoo yells, and you shush her because you’re in a dressing room.

“hi, baby! are you excited for tomorrow?” he asks, and you tune them out as you start getting undressed. jisoo and her dad go back and forth, and your interest is peaked when he says, “baby, is your mom there?”

jisoo says yes and shoves the ipad towards you, your bare chest on full display for the camera. “jisoo!” you shriek, crossing your arms over your chest and turning around. “oh my god, jisoo!” you cry, your back still turned away from her.

“sorry mommy,” she says and you squeeze your eyes shut. you quickly put your bra and shirt back on, taking the ipad from her, your skin on fire from embarrassment.

junmyeons face fills up the screen, and you can tell he’s trying not to smile. after many years together, you’ll never not notice some of his quirks. “stop. what do you need?” you ask.

“is this a bad time?” he asks, running a hand through his hair.

“yes, it is,” you say, and he pokes his tongue in his cheek. “could you just call me later?” you ask. he agrees and you pass the ipad back to your daughter, slightly mortified that your ex husband just saw you bare for the first time in nearly a year, against your will.

you sigh and pull your hair out of the tight bun it’s in, shaking it out and running your fingers through your hair. you toss your keys and work bag onto the island in your kitchen, and take a moment to stretch against it. rolling your shoulders, you step out of your heels and crack rotate your ankles and press your toes against the base of the island to stretch your calves.

you’re grateful for the silence; jisoo being gone with her dad and grandmother, thus you having the house to yourself for the weekend. it’s rare that you have this much silence, even when shes gone. if your phone isn’t ringing, an alarm is going off.

as if you summoned noise, your phone starts to ring. you let out a breath and pad over to your work bag and fish out your phone. you stare at his name on the screen and debate sending it to voicemail before you remember that it could be serious, so you answer. “hello?” you say into the phone. you haven’t talked to him since your nip slip the other day.

“hey. soo forgot her stuffed bear and is freaking out. can i come over and get it?” he asks. it sounds like he’s already in the car, probably already on his way over here.

“uh, yeah. are you on your way?” you ask, leaning against the counter.

it’s silent for a moment before he responds. “yes—i’ll be there in about seven minutes,” he says, and you only roll your eyes because his new house is twenty minutes away from you.

“fine. i’ll see you soon,” you say, hanging up and gathering all of your belongings and going upstairs. you drop your work stuff off in your home office, and then go into jisoos bedroom to search for her stuffed animal before your ex husband gets here.

by the time you find the stuffed animal, he’s knocking at your door. you quickly bound down the stairs, still in your work clothes and heels, to open the door for junmyeon.

“hi. here,” you say, pressing the plush toy into his chest. he’s taken aback by your abrupt greeting, taking a small step backwards when you push the toy at him.

“wow, um hi—thanks,” he says awkwardly, shaking his head and blinking a few times at you. you avoid eye contact with him, like you have ever since you filed the divorce papers. while you look away, he lets his eyes roam your frame, your curves on display from the formfitting skirt and blouse you wear.

“is that it?” you ask, your body wedged between the door so he can’t see in behind you. there’s nothing to hide—you lived in this house together back when you got accepted into law school and he was at the end of his residency.

“i mean, i guess. you’re not going to invite me in?” he asks, almost like he can’t believe it. you frown up at him and he scoffs. “we were married for twelve years, y/n. my fault for trying to forge some kind of relationship with you despite it all.” junmyeon adds. his voice has a bitter edge to it, and you can’t help but feel slightly guilty.

he’s still broken up about the divorce—he never wanted it in the first place, and it took coaxing from his mom and several screaming matches for him to just give up and sign the papers. the sad reality of the divorce is that there’s no love lost on either side. you’re just better at hiding it.

out of guilt, mostly, you move out of the way to let him in. junmyeon thanks you and walks through the foyer, looking at all of the things that have changed or stayed the same. the picture of you, him, and jisoo hangs in the same spot it has since the day you hung it up five years ago. the runner on the floor is the same—everything is the same, except for the empty hook where he’d typically hang up his keys and white coat.

junmyeon walks deeper into the house and you follow close behind. having here after months of him not being here feels strange, like there is something out place. and you know what’s out of place and what this home is missing: his constant presence.

“so,” you say, slipping into the kitchen when he takes a seat at the island. you lean against the far counter and cross your arms over you chest, glancing at him but not letting your eyes linger anywhere for too long. “what’s up?” you ask. you’ve never been good at small talk, especially not with him. you’d rather get straight to it.

junmyeon chuckles and waves vaguely in the air. “nothing… just life, i guess. nothings changed at the office,” he says and you snort. “what?” he questions, eyebrows furrowed.

you shake your head. “nothing,” you say, but it’s something. you’re shocked he didn’t decide to fire the receptionist that you complained to him about, after you felt like she lingered around his office for too long. he said it was fine, and that he wouldn’t fire her because she was good at her job.

junmyeon stares at you for a beat before standing up from his chair. “well, i guess i’ll get going,” he says. you nod and push yourself off of the counter and follow him to the door. “it was nice seeing you. again.” he says, glancing at you with a teasing look in his eye.

you cheeks flush as you remember your mishap with him on facetime. when he blatantly checks you out, you shift the weight on your feet and press your hands into your stomach. “you should probably bring that to jisoo,” you say, nodding with your head to the stuffed bear in his hands.

junmyeon shrugs casually. “she’ll get it,” he says, and you two have a silent stand off. you finally let your eyes settle on him, and somehow you manage to not fall to the floor. “y/n.” he says when you avert your gaze to the floor.

“hmm?” you say. you don’t like the feelings that are going on in your head, your chest, your stomach. you yearn for him in a way that nobody else can satisfy. there’s a junmyeon shaped hole in your heart, your life, that is waiting to be patched up, or filled.

he crosses the short distance between the two of you, and you brace yourself against the wall. he reaches his hand out to touch you, but hesitates and drops it to his side. you wish he would just grab you, take you into his arms.

you lift your head to look at him, and his eyes give it away. you grab his arm and pull him towards you, noses only centimeters apart. you grab ahold of his biceps, pulling him closer. “just this once,” you whisper, and press your lips to his.

the kiss is rushed and messy, hands sliding everywhere. he presses you into the wall and you tangle your hands in his hair when he slides a hand up your leg and hooks it behind your knee.

his lips move down your neck in a hurry, but they don’t get far because of the turtleneck you’re wearing. you gently push him off and pull your shirt over your head and let it fall to the floor. he’s at your neck again, his hands sliding up your back to unhook your bra. “guest room,” you gasp, your bra hanging onto the last hook.

junmyeon nods and grabs your hand, dragging your down the hallway and into the spare room. you’re on the bed in seconds, pulling off your bra and holding onto the back of his neck as he takes one of your nipples into his mouth. “jun,” you sigh, putting an arch in your back and pressing your chest further into him. he fondles with your other breast before switching sides.

when he’s satisfied, he pulls away and pulls off his jacket and shirt. you unzip your skirt and slide it off, and when you’re bare in front of him, he stops and stares at you as if he’s trying to burn this image of you in his brain one last time. “junmyeon,” you call, curling your finger and beckoning him to you. he crawls back on top of you, still in his boxers and you pull them down. “now, i need you now.” you breathe into his ear. you feel him tense before he’s stepping out of his briefs and pressing you back into the bed.

junmyeon likes himself up with you and pushes in slowly, both of you letting out shaky breaths. you hold onto his side as he keeps moving in slowly, letting you get used to the stretch again. “you alright?” he grunts when he sees the look on your face: mouth open but no sound coming out, and your eyes screwed shut.

you only nod hurriedly. “yes, more!” you pant, and he speeds up his thrusts. when you cry out his name, nails pressing into his side, he can’t help but pull almost all of the way out and slam back in.

“y/n, fuck,” he groans, squinting as he looks down to see where the two of you connect. there is already a white ring around the base, and he moans out your name. “i missed this.” he pants out, his hips ramming into you.

you only whimper every time he pushes inside and hits that spot repeatedly. “oh-“ you cut yourself off with a moan and you clench around him once, twice, and he twitches inside of you. “fuck, i’m there, myeonie!” you cry, reaching down to rub at your clit.

you chase your release, and it comes crashing down on you. you cling to him as your hips buck, matching his thrusts until he releases inside of you, his strokes faltering slightly but he keeps fucking you and pushing his cum back inside.

it’s not enough for either of you. you pull him down to you so he’s resting on his forearms, and kiss him sloppily. both of your juices slip down your thighs, but you don’t care. you hook a leg around his hip and flip your position so you’re on top.

he remains hard inside of you, and you don’t waste time bouncing up and down on him, taking him all the way. you keep going until your thighs burn and your legs shake, and he coaches you through it. “that’s it, just like that—shit,” he groans, his grip on your hips tightening.

you brace yourself against his thighs, rotating your hips. he gropes one of your breasts with his left hand and presses his other thumb against your clit, moving it in circles. “junmy!” you mewl, your legs starting to feel like jelly.

“i’m close, y/n,” his chest rises and falls rapidly. he plants his feet on the bed, your hold on his thighs slipping and lurching your forward. you catch yourself on his chest, and the air is pushed out of your lungs briefly when he starts driving his hips up into you, making your scream out his name and claw at his chest.

all that can be heard is skin on skin, heavy breathing, and his name leaving your lips. that same white hot feeling comes back, and when you come for the second time, you’re seeing spots. his final and hardest thrust comes with his own release, and he elicits the sweetest moan into your ear.

your body crumples on his, and you rest your check against his shoulder. he wraps one arm around you, gently stroking your back.

that junmyeon-sized hole definitely got filled.

#exo #exo imagines #exo scenarios #exo x reader #exo x you #exo smut #exo suho #kim junmyeon #suho x you #suho x reader #suho fanfic #exo junmyeon #junmyeon x reader #dilf junmyeon #junmyeon x you #junmyeon

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paintingwhiteceilings · 8 months

Text

❃EXO as roommates❃

a/n: I know most people are here for the svt posts but it’s been a while since I have done an exo one. I literally just pre-ordered D.O.’s albums; I am already delusional as is without getting new do kyungsoo content :’)

Anyway, bc of having lived in a studio apartment complex, I well aware that nothing breaks or makes living in student housing more than roommates. CURSE YOU BONGO DUDE I AM STILL NOT OVER YOU WAKING ME UP AT MIDNIGHT WITH YOUR LACK OF RHYTHM.

Xiumin/Minseok: 7/10

✾ He would nag the entire time that the house is not clean enough and that you left your shit lying around. Whoever said that student housing tends to be messy has not met Xiumin.

✾ He has been cleaning ever since he moved in and will not stop until he has moved out. Xiumin will scold you when you try to help him out as you are ‘not cleaning right’, whatever that means. Fortunately, that means he will rarely ask you to help him with the chores so you still get to enjoy a clean house without having to put the effort in.

✾ Honestly, his healthy lifestyle choices kind of motivate you to do better. He will definitely take you with him to the gym when you let it drop that you might be interested in getting in shape. Free gym coach, basically.

✾ He organizes roommate days weekly where the two of you spend planned time together because he believes that roommates should become/be friends.

Suho/Junmyeon: 9/10

✾ He will adopt you as one of his children. The moment you step foot in your shared housing, he has accepted that he has yet another child to take care of and no, you can’t convince him otherwise.

✾ He takes care of you and makes you feel right at home; he is the definition of the mom friend. Are you having trouble making new friends? He will introduce you to his. Have you been too busy studying and forgotten to eat? He will drop by the grocery store.

✾ The only downside to roommate Suho is that he can be overbearing and slightly judgy. You will hear “I am not mad, just disappointed” a lot when you, for instance, decide to go to out with your friends during finals. Apparently, that is irresponsible.

✾ Did you really move out of your parent’s home, or did you just replace your parents with Suho?

Baekhyun: -10000/10

✾ He drives you absolutely insane and makes you regret moving in with him. Nobody is safe from his teasing and antics and you are stuck with it until the lease is up.

✾ He convinces you to divide the chores through games that he somehow always ends up winning. He has not done any chores since he moved in and he somehow keeps convincing you that this is the fairest way to determine who has to do the dishes.

✾ Boundaries, what boundaries? Locked doors will not keep him out. He will definitely throw himself on your bed telling you all about the drama of people you do not know when you are trying to study for an important test in the quiet solitude of your room. If you’re home, he will not leave you alone.

✾ Always spontaneously invites people over and forgets to text you about it. At this point, all his friends have seen you in your comfy but definitely not fashionable clothes.

Chen/Jongdae: -1000000000000/10

✾ He. Is. So. Loud.

✾ The walls are way too thin to live with him. You can always hear him before you even see him. The type to wake you up in the middle of the night or early in the morning because he has no awareness of how loud he truly is.

✾ It wouldn’t even be such a problem, but bro never shuts up either. If he is not talking, he is constantly singing or humming. Chen truly doesn't have an off button.

✾ Add to the loudness problem that Chen is a morning person. He is so chirpy in the morning, singing a song on top of his lungs whilst he eats his breakfast. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he is the type to try and have full on conversations with you minutes after you’ve woken up, getting offended when your replies are curt.

✾ You had to ban game nights because he gets too competitive, whining so incredibly loudly every time he loses. One time the neighbours filed a noise complaint and he still maintains he wasn’t that loud.

Chanyeol: 8/10

✾ A really fun person to live with if you like a very present roommate. He will constantly ask you to hang out and play games or watch movies because he can’t be alone for five minutes. However, compared to Baekyhun, his energy is a lot more chill.

✾ He will spend a lot of money on random geeky stuff, filling up the entire shared apartment with figurines, posters and that one Halloween costume that definitely was way too expensive. I can see him being the type to have a hallway full of boxes of stuff he ordered online. He has no idea of what actually is in them because he ordered it impulsively so long ago.

✾ Despite you living in student housing, he will make sure the interior looks stunning. He cares way too much about everything matching and will not allow you to place anything in the house without discussing it with him first. You can’t really be mad at it because your place looks like an Ikea showroom.

✾ Docking points because he will be either playing music or games at night. Trust me, nothing is worse than having someone practice their instrument when you are trying to sleep (Curse you bongo dude). All you can hear is him practising the same guitar riffs over and over again.

D.O./Kyungsoo: 6.5/10

✾ Listen, his cooking is amazing, it would make being his roommate worthwhile. He will always make enough food for the both of you, and if you do not dine together, he will leave his leftovers for you in the fridge to try. He genuinely enjoys cooking for others and is happy to try out new recipes on you.

✾ That being said, living with him is more like calmly co-existing in the same space. He will only talk to you when absolutely necessary and it takes him a long while to really open up to you (if he does at all).

✾ He respects your personal space and wants you to respect his, meaning he won’t go out of his way to spend time together. Being roommates does not automatically mean that you have to be/are friends in his book. If you click, that’s neat, but don’t expect him to invite you over for game nights for the first few months.

✾ He is definitely the passive-aggressive roommate that sends you a text over the smallest of things. Why confront you face-to-face when can send you a 2 AM text telling you to pick up that one sock that fell out of your laundry basket?

Kai/Jongin: 6/10

✾ He is an absolute sweetie, do not get me wrong. With his friendly and bubbly personality, he will try his hardest to become friends with his roommates. He will take every initiative to organize roommate events such as game nights, clubbing, etc.

✾ That being said, do not leave him alone in the kitchen, he will definitely accidentally set it on fire and you will be the one that has to clean up because do we really trust him after that? We have all seen his attempts at cooking, it never fails to be a disaster, so guess who is in charge of cooking from then on.

✾ Who needs matching cups and plates? Not you because he has shattered at least one of each set. Do not get too attached to your worldly possessions because Kai will knock them over or drop them on accident.

✾ He genuinely wants to help out with chores but he is so clumsy you still end up doing most of them. You can’t even be mad at him because, well, it is Kai.

Sehun: 2/10

✾ Is he even your roommate? You have no idea, he rarely helps out with anything. He has been so spoiled that he refuses to lift a finger and at this point, you feel brainwashed because he is getting away with it.

✾ If you are younger than him, he will be paying for everything you guys need, so that is a win. If not, be prepared for your bank account to take a massive hit because “the oldest should pay.”

✾ You guys get a lot of free stuff as Sehun knows to subtly let it drop to his friends, mostly Suho, that you guys direly need something. All of his friends basically function as sugar daddies, and neither of you is complaining about the free toilet paper.

✾ The type of roommate that judges your outfits and comments “Are you really going to wear that?” and leaves you on read when you text him about rent. He can be nice but tends to choose violence every time he wakes up. I hope that you’ve got thick skin.

✾ Despite his snarky comments, you know that he genuinely appreciates and cares for you based on how clingy he is. Good luck going clubbing without him. Your phone will keep buzzing with texts asking you when you will be home because he is too scared to sleep without another person present in the house.

masterlist

98 notes · View notes

jonglo · 5 months

Text

Masterlist

Fluff (F) Mature (M) Angst (A)

EXO OT8

nothing here...

Xiumin

nothing here...

Suho

[18:00] F

Lay

nothing here...

Baekhyun

nothing here...

Chanyeol

nothing here...

Kyungsoo

nothing here...

Kai

[22:00] F

Sehun

Sehun as your boyfriend F little M???

Best Time F and A

7 notes · View notes

namj00m · 1 year

Text

Exo Masterlist

All writings belong and were created by me. If you’re posting my work anywhere please be sure to either credit me or inform me that you are using my writings. Hope you enjoy!

MASTERLIST

✞ - Smut

❁ - Fluff

✄ - Angst

⚐ - One Shot

⚑ - Series

Kim Junmyeon ↳

coming soon!

Kim Minseok ↳

coming soon!

Byun Baekhyun ↳

coming soon!

Kim Jongdae ↳

coming soon!

Zhang Yixing ↳

coming soon!

Park Chanyeol ↳

coming soon!

Do Kyungsoo ↳

coming soon!

Kim Jongin ↳

coming soon!

Oh Sehun ↳

coming soon!

31 notes · View notes

rancidtae · 10 months

Text

ARCADIA’S LULLABY | CHAPTER 3

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI). Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina) - Kim Minseok/Original Female Character - Zhang Yixing/Original Female Character Word count: 7k+ chapter summary: the rain pours relentlessly, but a different storm is just starting. Jiah meets Jongin at a birthday party, it's all harmless fun and magnetic sparks until it isn't, and he calls her the wrong name.

masterlist meet the characters

You wanna disappear in a crowd Just a stranger in a room Wanna change your colors just for the night With no word of it following you home

081222 - 5:43 pm

Things are quiet.

The story is still at the center of the news and online discussions. People have dissected every detail of Lee Chungjae's life to the point that he took down all his posts. In every sense of the word, he's the country's most hated man.

And candidate Lee's reassuring smile when reporters bring up the subject has started to crack.

But nothing else happens.

She's on edge. Let the storm hit already, for fuck's sake.

Yixing finds her restlessness hilarious and texts her a screenshot of the weather app this morning. 90% chance of rain for the next three days.

It looks like Kuraokami answered your prayers.

In the midst of it all, he's been refusing to blend to the background of her mind, exploiting the fact that she's weak when it comes to a good meal. Most days he shows up to her door with takeout, and just yesterday he came with ingredients and made her eat her words about carbonara being the most overrated approach to noodle based recipes.

He’d laugh at her if he could see her now, standing outside the chronicle's building, struggling to get her buzzing phone from the inside of her bag.

A part of her hopes it's the blocked number from before.

But there's a name on the screen, and it puts a frown on her face.

“What do you want.”

A chuckle spills through the line. “Resentment is a terrible thing, you know? It does the heart no good.”

“How would you know? You don't have one."

“I heard you paid someone a visit last night. I wanted to hear it from you.”

She scoffs up at the sky through her see-through umbrella.

"You want me to say I’m... what? Shaking in my boots? So you can rub one out to the sound of it?”

“Language, sunshine. Let’s keep things civil.”

“I tried to be civil, didn’t I? I even gave you a heads-up for old times’ sake, but then you decided to make things personal. So now I’m thinking that next time, I'll just let it blow in your face, make it surprise.”

“Ah, there we go again with that. Why do you insist on calling it personal?”

“Why don’t you suck my dick, Namjoon?”

She hates that she can hear his poisonous smile, over so confident and collected.

“You walked into that room yourself. How is it fair to blame me for the consequences of your actions?”

He enjoyed it, he’s enjoying it even now, she knows. He denied any involvement in her encounter with a certain pair of recently debuted syndicate members, but hist hands were all over that stunt.

A blow like that, the same night she showed up to let him know she had info on his candidate’s son, and he expects her to believe destiny is just funny like that.

No fucking way.

Things may or may not have escalated to shattered wine glass and a deep burgundy stain on Jin's favorite artwork hanging on the wall.

“Can you get to the point? Some of us can’t afford to spend the day scheming, I have things to do.” she says, impatience seeping into her tone.

It's starting to rain, so her hair will start looking crazy in about three minutes.

“I was hoping you were bluffing.”

She laughs in a way that makes an older woman give her a nasty look.

“My hopes weren’t for us.”

Ah.

There it is. As grim as it is, it’s like a weight taken off her chest.

Her surroundings come back into focus. The narrow street. The stream of people walking past her, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible. A girl brushing her shoulder, recording herself speaking in a foreign language. A taxi driver fighting with a delivery guy. A German shepherd with a yellow raincoat and little rubber boots, its nose against the side of a phone booth.

“I see.”

“Just now?” he has the gall to sigh, disappointed. “I thought you knew when you went to Yoongi looking for a 22. I guess you're not that good at seeing things beforehand anymore, not even when you start them.”

If she had to describe it, she’d say it’s a lot like a game of hide and seek with the kids from her street. Terrifying and exciting at the same time.

“Come to the hotel,” he suddenly says, much to her surprise “Stay here until things settle down.”

And if she had to sum Kim Namjoon up, this would be it. No one but him could give an invitation and a threat at the same time with such ease. Come, or else.

“No. I think I'll stay outside, see what comes out of it.”

Another deep sigh.

“I see. Have it your way, then. You have your fun, make sure to enjoy it.”

She hits the red button and finds that the cute dog with the rubber boots nowhere to be seen, as if it vanished off the street with its human.

At least 13 different people stop her before reaching Kim Kibum's office. Even though her name wasn't credited, her co-workers know what it means when she disappears for weeks, and the kind of stories she chases. The vultures in her department rolling their eyes at the sight of her kind of give it away.

“I thought I told you to work from home until further notice,” he says as she locks the door behind her.

“What? I deliver the story of probably the year, and you don’t want to see my face anymore?”

"Don’t. I’ve had a long day” he huffs, pulling the blinds down. His office looks less cluttered than she remembers. Has it been that long since she clocked in? “You know there’s a reason why I asked you to lay low for a while.”

She drops her body on one of the chairs in front of his desk and grabs a heavy, fancy pen.

“Did you see? Lee Chungjae is living his best life in France pretending to care about free education. He’s out there taking pics with Rihanna.”

Her boss leans over, snatches the pen from her hands, and points it at her like a sword.

“And? What do you expect? That they lock him up as soon as the story comes out? We do our thing, the rest is up to the world. We’re a newspaper, not the league of justice.”

Earlier today she told Haneul something similar, just to calm him down. Now she knows how he felt.

“It’s been a week already.”

“No, it’s barely been a week” he corrects her, moving a storage box under his desk and stretching his waist like he just can’t wait for retirement. “You know how this is, Jiah.”

Yeah, she knows. Shitty. Working your ass off, dealing with red tape and censorship, putting everything on a plate only for the world to move on, people not give a shit, and those who are supposed to do something turn a blind eye and fill their pockets.

“Why is your stuff inside a box?" Even the fake Basquiat is missing, so she knows it's serious. "Are you quitting?”

“I’m moving to a new office,” he says, pausing before adding "Jongsuk quit today.”

The news hits her like an ice bucket.

“He turned in his resignation letter earlier."

"Fuck." she breathes. "Oh. Fuck."

"Talk about freedom of the press, huh?” he laughs bitterly, tapping his temple, shaking his head, his eyes turning red.

In terms of bad news, this is the kind that makes you very aware of the last meal you had.

The Chronicle’s had the same chief editor for nearly twelve years. It’s one of the country’s most respected newspapers, and Jung Jongsuk was a big part of the reason why. The idea of someone with enough power moving the right strings to get the man, the myth, the fucking legend fired just as means of revenge sets a chill down her spine.

It’s a petty but very clear act of revenge. A shame, considering he was damn good at his job and how much he cared about his staff.

She sucks on her teeth “What’s he gonna do?”

“No idea. He showed up earlier today and left as soon as he gave a speech. They want me to step in immediately. Can you believe it?”

She's out of words. Half wanting to congratulate him despite the sad circumstances of his promotion, half wondering what that means for her. He suddenly squints.

“You look terrible. Finals?”

“Done, I’m a free woman”

She's can't stop thinking about Chief Editor Jongsuk, how he was always like the cool stepdad that didn’t have to be too nice or too mean to get your respect, how he gave her a chance when she was just a freshman.

“Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep or, I don’t know... drinking your face off with your friends?”

Her hand slips inside her backpack. “Well, if you'd answered my calls, I would be doing one of those.”

She puts a small, puny handgun on the desk, and slides it in his direction.

“Are you—” he locks the door before lowering his voice to a hiss “Have you lost your mind? How did you get through security?”

“You said we need to be careful and this is what being careful looks like, take it.” she says, sliding it closer to him. It barely brushes the side of his keyboard.

“Are you crazy? Do not— ” he opens a drawer and pushes it inside like it burns to the touch, slamming it shut and leaning his body away, pressing one hand to his forehead. “Jiah, this is illegal”

“I’m the best investigative journalist you have, flirting with the illegal here and there is one of the many reasons why.”

“This isn’t flirting with the illegal, for god's sake, this is raw dogging it, Jiah. This is an office. We’re a–”

“Im Haneul is about to get into witness protection, that’s why I’m giving you something to protect yourself with. Thank you, Jiah. You’re welcome, boss.”

He bites his lip, looking at the drawer with resentment before setting his eyes on her, dead serious.

“Is there something you’re not telling me? Did something happen?”

“It’s always better to be prepared. You know what they say about peace and quiet.”

“I don’t,” he deadpans “Is that some kind of gang lingo?”

She frowns. “Just what has Minho been telling you? I should pay him a little visit—”

“You’re not going anywhere near my staff.”

“Your staff? I’m your staff. He’s a sports reporter, you can walk into a bar anywhere in Itaewon and find a dozen replacements.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, not denying it. “Did. Something. Happen.”

“I heard something. From a good source.”

“A good source.”

“Yeah, sometimes those are what we call confidential. So—” he fixes her with a look that makes her fear that his eyeballs will pop out of their sockets. “Fine, it was Kim Namjoon.”

He blinks at her. Throws his hands in the air and plops down on his seat.

“That's hilarious. If this doesn’t work for you, you can always pursue comedy. Now get the hell out of my office, I have to move my stuff to the other side of the floor.”

She stands up stretching her arms, giving him a once over and opening her mouth. He lifts a hand.

“I don't want to hear it. Go take a bath, get drunk, do drugs, get laid. You’re an undergrad student, not Chelsea Manning. Live a little.”

“Actually, I prefer Lisbeth Salander."

"Get out."

081222 - 06:55 pm

Something about the bleach fumes welcoming the moment she enters Lady’s Room is just– homely, and Wendy's threatening glare makes up for the stern mother figure she didn’t have growing up.

“Don’t even think about it, boots off.”

She toes off her muddy boots, struggling not to spill anything on the heavy takeout bags, making her way to the back.

“How come he gets to keep them on?”

Taemin looks insane with a black cape covering his body and his hair all foiled up, Seulgi's hovering over him with the cutest concentrated frown. He wiggles is feet at her.

“Clean shoes privilege. Plus, I'm way cuter than you.”

She snaps a picture of him for future use while he's distracted explaining how he read somewhere that hair takes bleach better when you're stress-free, and that the end of his last semester is just the perfect moment.

“And of course you believed that, because it makes total sense”

“No, it’s true,” Seulgi says. “It’s also better when you’re in a good mood. That’s why I don’t like to take people fresh out of a bad breakup, the chemicals get all messed up.”

“Oh, he doesn’t need to worry about that,” she says off-handedly.

Taemin doesn’t like her tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wendy answers before she can, flipping through receipts on the reception area. “It means that you need a relationship to go through a breakup. That’s usually how it works”

“I'll have you know that I have secondhand PTSD from you guys. I’m like one ride home with an angry couple away from giving up on monogamy.”

“So, blue?”

“Silver.” He shows her a picture of a male idol with gray hair, wet styled. He's worried that if he goes too light it'll wash out his complexion.

She inspects his face in the floor to ceiling mirror “Nonsense, you’d look good in anything, buttercup.”

He smiles, always a slut for some validation. "You're coming to Sana’s party, right?”

She groans, plopping down on the chair next to him.

“Jiah, come on, it’s the last party of the semester. The last party before I graduate.”

She’s not swayed by his abuse of the last something before I graduate card. “I’m out of social battery, I'll kill the vibe.”

“We’ll pregame at my place and you’ll be good to go.”

“I can’t be bothered to go home and get changed.”

“Oh! You left the strappy shirt, you know? the one you didn’t know you were wearing backwards, and that leather skirt at my place, I threw them in the washing machine just for an occasion like this.”

“I’m seriously not feeling the vibe today.”

“Who cares, you attract people when you’re sulking.” he shrugs “Plus that’s the skirt you were wearing when you pulled that Romanian guy. We get free bottles every time you have your leg meat out.”

Seulgi slaps the side of his neck with her glove-covered hand. “Don’t pimp her out.”

“And this is why I suggested a ladies-only policy.”

“Interesting that you assume you fall in that category, but go on.” Taemin says, Jiah gasps in fabricated indignation. “And isn’t that reverse sexism?”

“It’s not like men are rushing to get in.”

Irene emerges from the office, walking past them with her all work and no fucking around face on, all her focus taken by her tablet.

“Oh, actually, we had a guy customer a few days ago and he was very happy with our services,” Seulgi says. Taemin and Jiah let out synchronized snorts.

Irene looks at them, going through the pile of papers Wendy handed her. “Grow up, you two."

Seulgi catches on, making a noise of disgust.

“So what did he want? A massage?”

Irene flips a page, scanning its contents. The warning is sharper this time. “Taemin.”

“He wanted a full-on transformation, so we went with silver,” Seulgi says, ignoring the quip, poking at his bleach covered hair with the pointy edge of her brush “It looked pretty good on him. It suited his personality.”

Taemin coos "Is that a crush I smell?"

Seulgi shrugs. "I'm just saying he fit the look, he was easy to talk to. Funny too. Asked a lot of questions about the salon, said a childhood friend of his co-owns one.”

"Huh, sounds boring to me." Taemin shrugs, not impressed. Seulgi and Jiah share a knowing look. He's platonically possessive to a fault, and being the only guy in their group only makes it worse.

Jiah smirks, spinning on the chair. "Sounds like your replacement to me."

He sticks his tongue at her “I was going to introduce you to someone tonight, traitor.”

Irene and Wendy sigh in relief, finally finding whatever it was they were looking for, high five-ing.

“I’m heartbroken.” She yawns. “I wasn’t planning on going anyway”

“You should go.“ Irene says, coming to stand behind her chair, playing with her hair. "You sure need it."

“What is it with people treating me like I’m some boring bitch lately?”

“Have you considered that you’ve been a boring bitch lately? We barely see you, you were supposed to help us look for a new place” Wendy complains, plopping on the other chair next to Taemin’s, spinning. "And you missed the anniversary party"

Nothing for her to do but take the shots. Seulgi steps in for her, an angel.

"Cut her some slack, she brought food. You know that’s sorry in her language."

"Alright, yeah.” Wendy agrees way too easily "And for the record, there's nothing wrong with being boring, Yeri can always use a boring figure in her life"

“I’m not going to a party to be on Yeri Sitting Duty.”

Taemin squints at her, walking to the washing station under Seulgi's orders, cape swooshing dramatically behind him. “But you’re coming, right?”

To be fair, she does feel bad about ghosting them for weeks.

“I swear to god, you better not ditch me for one of your Instagram famous friends."

He doesn't get a chance to reply, his calls for help fill the salon and Seulgi giggles like a sweet summer child discovering the joys of waterboarding. Irene's pleased to the point of pulling her phone out to record the scene, chortling.

081222 - 11:25 pm

One would assume that the only child of the owner of a massive Japanese architecture firm, who also happens to own several clubs in the city, can afford to throw a party with decent alcohol.

Her annoyance should be directed at Taemin for talking her into coming and proceeding to do exactly what she asked him not to.

He’s nowhere to be seen, and Party Yeri is at her peak, hands thrown in the air, dancing between a bunch of freshman girls with their phones out, the red light beams bouncing off her glittery top.

“Not a dancer, or just not in the mood?” a voice interrupts.

She felt his presence before he approached her table. Some people are just hard to ignore, and with his simple silky shirt with a few buttons undone, pushed-back hair, and a flirty strand hanging on his forehead, he has a crowd of curious women and men alike following him with hungry eyes everywhere he goes.

“The second one.”

He smiles just like someone who's used to seeing others react to his looks.

Her first impression of him was jealousy for having better lips than her. She was too busy listening to Mina talk about her internship in Spain to pay too much attention to Taemin introducing the guy. Sitting at levels of handsomeness that don't require a personality, the man bored her without uttering a word.

But he's not hard to look at.

“So, how come we haven’t met before?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. Taemin says your presence is an exclusive experience." she sips her drink, he thinks it's funny. "Jiah, right?”

“And you’re Jongin, one of the dancing friends.”

A guy approaches Yeri’s group, disgustingly scanning each girl like he’s trying to figure out who has the lowest standards.

“Not a big fan of us?”

She considers her answer, watching the girls shrug him off before he can get too comfortable.

“I've learned to coexist with you people. It comes with the Taemin package.”

His little laugh is surprisingly childish for his masculine looks. The way he keeps looking at her face like he can't spare any bit of attention to their surroundings makes her feel like a bug under a microscope lens.

“Here's my theory, I think he might’ve been keeping you to himself for a bit there. But I’ve heard so many things about you that I kind of feel like I know you already."

Jiah doesn't know what to say to that, but holds his warm gaze and indulges in the view for a bit. Caramel skin, glowy under the strobe lights, painted red like a forbidden object of desire, or a character of a Japanese movie, waiting for his lover at a love hotel.

Handsome indeed. Nice jaw, soft nose, slightly arched eyebrows.

“Good things, I hope.”

“Interesting things.” He says with a crooked grin. She cocks an eyebrow, but he beats her to it. “So, journalism. What’s that like?”

She gives him the generic answer she keeps for occasions like this; lots of reading, being on the phone, doing more with less. No one is ever satisfied. Neither the readers nor the editors nor yourself.

Ok. So maybe she assumed a lot of things. He's surprisingly great company, really easy to talk to. He owns a dance studio and teaches from time to time. Some of his students have made it to entertainment companies, and he tries not to seem cocky, but it's clear he's extremely proud of them. He’s very nonchalant about covering various styles, though he’s more interested in R&B these days.

“Your day-to-day sounds like a lot of sitting behind a desk,” he comments. Being someone that works with his body, the idea must haunt him.

“Oh, god, no– I always feel like I’ll throw myself from the window if I spend too much time at the office. I’m on the investigation team, so I’m almost always out on the streets, harassing bureaucrats and stuff.”

“That sounds... fun.”

“Riveting,” she promises. “It’s not bad, really. You go through the boring stuff and then when you get a good story, you remember why you do it, and… it’s a good feeling.”

“You know, usually when someone mentions journalism I think of people with thinning hair and marriage issues.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“No. I was trying to say that you just took down a stereotype for me.” he pauses, pouting and looking up like he’s considering something “But you do give off an old soul vibe, sitting on your own, sulking like you’re here against your own will, ready to decimate anyone who dares come near you.”

She blinks at him, he’s holding back a smile, she can tell. Waiting for her reaction.

“Wow, so you’re just gonna call me a hag like that?”

He looks mildly surprised, worried, and amused all at the same time. “That’s not–”

“And if I look that scary, how come you’re here at my table?”

“Because you’re very attractive. It balances out the scary.”

She hums into her glass.

“And I’m very charming, I knew you’d be harmless.”

“Right.” He’s not entirely wrong. She’s always suspicious of extremely charming people, and the alarms are going off in her head.

“This is me hitting on you, off the record.” he continues, undeterred. She snorts. "And I say that because, as I’m sure you know, Taemin is possessive.”

She lifts and shakes a finger like an aunt at church when the pastor hits a mark. “Like a kid who doesn’t share his toys.”

Which reminds her, where’s that silver-haired menace?

“We’ll just have to ease him into it.”

“Uh-huh. This is flattering and all, I guess, but I’m married so–”

“Oh, that’s fine. I don’t get jealous” he shrugs, very serious about it. Which is unexpected, no one has ever reacted to the I'm married line like that. “I’m not gonna try to compete with your career.”

She's speechless, but in a good way, laughing at the audacity and shaking her head.

But then, just for a moment, he disappears.

There’s a quick, almost untraceable absence, even his smile falters.

Then he snaps back.

“Hey, you wanna get out for a bit? Get some fresh air? Looks like your friend’s gonna be busy for a while.”

Yeri was off her radar for a bit there, and now she’s got her arm threaded with the birthday girl herself. They’re moving away from the crowd, talking into each other's ears like they haven’t debriefed in months, probably headed to the bathroom.

Now that he mentions it, fresh air sounds nice.

“Promise I’m all out of lines,” he adds.

It’s humid out on the street, but less stuffy and noisy. She pulls out a brand new pack of cigarettes and they get fire from a girl hanging around with her friends next to a motorcycle. Her kohl-stained eyes scan Jongin greedily while he leans over, hands cupping the flame.

She suddenly turns to look at her, right when Jongin leans back and thanks her, and winks.

If Jongin notices, he’s unbothered, much more concerned with moving around her to stand on the side of the street, wordlessly making them switch spots. The gentleman move is soon eclipsed by a sudden coughing fit.

It's so bad she feels kind of horrible about finding it amusing. He really just fucked up his smooth streak after one drag.

She offers to grab him a drink, but he shakes his head, grabbing her arm before she walks away. He swallows hard one, two, or three times, wiping the corners of his eyes.

"You good?"

"No." he rasps. “These are the kind that my grandfather used to smoke.”

“You could’ve said no.” she counters, patting his back. They’re strong, she didn’t warn him because she showed him the package.

“I was a victim of peer pressure.” he jokes after clearing his throat. “I was doing well, wasn’t I?”

“It’s ok. Choking on smoke like a high schooler makes you human.” she offers him as consolation. The coughing fit messed up his hair. he looks younger now, less of a threat. Maybe it’s just the fresh air, the relief of getting out of the crowd, and the nicotine easing her up.

He asks if she smokes often, sounding like he doesn’t want to intrude, but a part of him will judge her if she says yes. Truthfully, she hasn’t in months, but it always hits a spot after a while, and people assume she’s too into it.

“Work's stressing you out?”

“That’s what work is supposed to do, isn’t it?”

He winces.

“Not to a level where you have to smoke like a war general.”

She grins at him sideways, the man who introduced her to this particular brand would have a few things to say about that sentence.

“I can deal with the stress, I only smoke when I get frustrated.”

“And does that happen often?”

“I don’t know? I guess. My boss says I’m too much of a control freak. He's a jerk, but sometimes it feels like he knows me better than I know myself.”

“Not great at teamwork, then?” he probes.

“No, I mean-- I’m not, but it’s not that.” she pauses. He’s waiting for her to elaborate. “I just wish I could do more sometimes, and not just document things from the sidelines. Does that make sense?”

“It absolutely does.” he assures. “I think I know what you mean.”

“I tried it, recently” she goes on, and she doesn’t know why she’s opening up to this guy. She’s not trying to turn him into her therapist, and she’s not even sure she wants to take him home at all. There’s too much going on in her mind at the moment, she wouldn’t be fully present anyway. It'd be a waste.

“And how did that go?”

“It was alright at the beginning. I've been helping someone– a friend who was gonna do something he'd regret. Actually, I'm not sure we're actually friends, but he's a great guy in a shitty situation.” she rambles, taking one last drag. “But then things went south in the worst way possible. It didn't even have anything to do with him, just personal baggage and terrible timing. I guess I had it coming.”

He nods, deep in thought, letting a comfortable silence fall between them, just watching people walk past, going in and out of the club. She presses the butt against the sole of her boots, and tosses it in the trash.

“If it’s any help, I’m sure your friend is grateful. You did well helping him.” he says, and she remembers Yixing saying something similar. “And whatever happened, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

She shrugs. “It is what it is, right? Onwards and upwards.”

He grins, pointing a finger at her. "That’s totally something my father would say.”

“So you ran out of lines and now you’re back to calling me old?”

“I only said that because I didn’t want to come off too strong, but if you insist.” He’s back on charming again, hands in the air like she’s just giving him no choice. The switch between kind to charming gives her whiplash.

A waste, really. A month ago she might’ve taken him home, let him make her coffee in the morning.

“I’m not insisting, I just asked you a question.”

He waves her off. “Bet you 5000 won I can kiss you without using my lips.”

It’s stupid. But he looks like the epitome of determination. Kohl girl behind him keeps looking at them over her shoulder, and without the meaningless rumble of the crowd to distract her, his voice turns out to be quite lovely.

So she tilts her chin at him, giving him the green light.

He takes two purposeful steps. She calls his bluff, refusing to back up against the wall. He gets close enough that he has to bend his head down to keep eye contact, and in a surprisingly smooth move, he places a short, harmless peck right on her lips.

Then he backs up with a single step and pulls out a bill from his pocket.

“A great investment if you ask me.” he says.

She laughs despite herself. Not in the coy, flirted up way, but a full, honest, belly laugh.

The silver-haired menace himself emerges from the shadows with a cowboy hat on his head, thumbs hooked on his jeans. He’s glaring, a scowl on his lipstick-stained lips, focusing on the way Jiah bends over, hand on her tummy and all.

“What are you doing with my best friend? I’m asking both of you, by the way.” he demands.

“Where did you get that?” she asks him, fully recovered, flicking the hat.

Taemin grabs the bill from Jongin’s hand before he can put it away. Jongin raises his eyebrows at him, anticipating complaints for his actions, daring him even.

“Not that I don’t respect the hustle, but I think you’re underselling yourself, sweetie." he says, turning to Jongin like a parental figure setting limits. "A peck from our Jiah is easily worth 10000 won. Pay up.”

“Deal,” Jongin shrugs, reaching for his back pocket again, pulling out several bills, winking at her. "How many can I get for--"

“Alright, we get it, she gets it,” Taemin interrupts, putting an arm around his shoulders, and rubbing his chest distractedly. “I thought you were on Yeri Sitting Duty tonight.”

Jiah licks her thumb and wipes the lipstick marks on his jaw, much to Jongin's endless amusement

“She’s a big girl. You got some on your teeth, you harlot."

"Finally. I keep telling you girls, you baby her too much" he complains, licking his front teeth. "Someday you'll have to set her free, let her make some mistakes of her own. They build character, you know?"

"How wise of you." Jongin says. "Was that the logic behind this new look?"

"Some mistakes don't." Taemin continues, looking at her with crazy eyes, pointing at Jongin. "Some mistakes make your best friend uncomfortable and are off limits."

Jiah and Jongin look at each other. "You introduced us."

"Yes, and? I never said get chummy and explore each other's bodies, did I?"

“Nice tattoo, by the way.” She tells Jongin. She caught a glimpse when he got closer and thought it looked familiar. Then Taemin unknowingly moved the fabric on his chest out of the way and she got confirmation. “It’s the helm of awe, isn't it?”

Jongin mouth falls open, genuine shock taking over his features. Not many people know about runes or recognize them. Taemin tilts his head to the side, eyeing her curiously, suspiciously.

“How do you know that? I thought it was a snowflake.”

“I knew a girl who had one on the back of her neck. Hers was red though. Looked great when she put her hair up.”

Taemin releases Jongin from his clutches with an unconvinced hmph, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. Jongin quietly fixes his shirt.

"Oh. Oh. I think I saw Minho inside. You wanna piss him off?"

Well, that’s great. That’s just great. Super cool.

Jongin takes a look at her face and blurts out the question. "Who's that?"

"Her ex. She broke his heart, he started rumors that she's with the Yakuza." Jongin blinks in surprise, and Taemin looks like he wants to elaborate further. She stops him.

“What’s that grown man doing here?”

“You know he likes to hang around the youngsters and make people guess his age. So, you in?”

“Leave me out of it.”

"Hear me out. I was thinking you and Jongin could walk around, right? Let him see you together, put on a little show. You know how his ears get red and his eyes bulge out when he's angry?” he's trying to contain his laugh, looking maniac. “I’ll buy you dinner, both of you. I’m serious.”

That’s her cue for a bathroom break. She puts the cowboy hat on Jongin’s head, not deterred by the way his eyes follow her on her way inside.

A sigh escapes her lips as the cold water runs over her hands. She smiles at a group of girls walking out of the door, their giggles reminding her of the task at hand—finding Yeri and making sure she's not too drunk to make semi-rational decisions.

Maybe she’ll try to talk her into ditching this place. Yixing's uncle's spot is not too far from here.

The possibility of running into her ex kind of makes her want to bolt. Not out of lingering feelings, she just doesn’t have the energy for that interaction. He has a way with sucking the like out of her.

There's only so much she can take of things beyond her control.

The bathroom door clicks. Something shifts in the air. The unsettling feeling of realizing she's not alone. She glances up at the mirror and catches a glimpse of him in the reflection.

Reacting on instinct, her hand snatches the decorative vase from the sink and hurls it at him. The man covers his face, not before grabbing her forearm and slamming her against the sink.

She puts her palms up to avoid hitting the mirror face first. It happens at once, suddenly he's grabbing her bag, and the next second the chain strap is pulling around her neck.

Her body bends back. His knee's pressed against her lower back. Either she’ll pass out or he’ll snap her in half.

She's not about to go down in a public bathroom. She pushes her shaky fingers under the chain, attempting to relieve some of the pressure.

Her vision' blurring, she's running out of oxygen and ideas. Tears well up. The muffled music starts fading.

There's a distant slam, a loud thump.

And thank fuck, release.

She catches her weight on the sink, gasps for air, almost crashes against the mirror again. She turns on wobbly legs and faces two bodies intertwined and struggling on the floor.

Her attacker’s dressed in all black, mask included, buzzcut, well built. The second man has his thighs wrapped around his head, snarling as he keeps him overpowered. A blue-grey silk shirt clings to his broad shoulders, thin black lines mark the skin on his chest.

The helm of awe.

He knocks the guy out with his thighs which... ok, impressive. With heaving breaths, his eyes land on her.

She runs. He grabs her arm before she can get through the door, and bends over when her knee finds his crotch.

Slamming the door behind her, she slaps her hands against the wall for support, still a bit dizzy, heart racing.

"Wait! Rina– please wait–"

Everything shuts down—her legs, the party, the whole city stops. She drops the plans of putting as much distance as possible between them, turns around and stomps in his direction.

Four letters, one word, a slap to the face.

“What did you just call me?” she demands, her face inches away from his. She doesn't recognize her own voice. He's pawing at his neck, pulling a chain for her to see, like that's gonna do something. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I know them. I know Yixing. You’re in danger, I’m here to help you." he sounds pained, trying to calm her down. She has no sympathy for him.

Hanging from the chain, a silver band morphs into two bony hands that hold a mint-colored ball. A ring, worn as a necklace. She recognizes it at once. She won that ring at some fair in Busan. Someone at school started a rumor that she joined the occult. Kyungsoo's mother thought she was a bad influence.

“We have to get you out of here. He has back up, they'll come soon."

Jiah exhales, relaxes her limbs. He mirrors the gesture, letting out a breath of relief.

Then she runs like her life depends on it. And it just might. She bumps into people, pushes them aside, desperately looking for an emergency exit she vaguely remembers from past situations that shouldn't be crossing her mind right now.

They come in handy, successfully leading her to the deserted alley.

But god, whatever version of it is out there, is just not letting her get away so easily.

The years have granted him an extra couple of inches, not that he ever needed them. Maybe it's just the thick soles of his boots that scrape against the loose gravel. He stops, mirroring her shock for a fleeting second.

She grabs the closest thing available; a rusty, long, and thin metal thing that's heavy enough to give her some confidence. He’s staring at her, no traces left of the awe she saw before.

He's pointing a gun at her face.

"Drop it" he barks "Hands up, turn around and try not to be so damn difficult. In that order."

Frustrated, she snarls at herself, her jaw tightening until it hurts before throwing the stick to the ground. She turns around, facing the mold-infested wall. The last thing she sees is a torn-off poster of an underground rap collective.

His forearm presses to the back of her neck with no mercy. He searches for a weapon she's not carrying.

"That's for being so fucking stupid. Do you realize what you got yourself into?" he snaps, not giving her a chance to answer before he pulls her back by the back of her shirt and pushes her against the wall again.

"Ow– What the fuck, dude?" the rough, disgusting surface of the wall scratches the side of her face. She kicks her feet against the ground. "I wasn’t even– what the fuck was that for?"

"That's for making my mom worry about you, idiot."

He finally lets her go, and she moves away from him, curses spilling from her mouth.

The exit door opens revealing Jongin—the impostor.

"What are you doing? We need to--"

They guards go up abruptly before her eyes. He raises his gun at her once again, this time with clear intent.

It'd be ugly, she imagines, being shot this up close. Her brains will end up on the floor, his clothes, maybe even his face. The Park Chanyeol she knew was an asshole most of the time, but he didn't have it in him to step on an ant or kill a spider even if his mother ordered him to, let alone shoot someone.

The inevitable fact is that they are strangers. She doesn't know who the time has turned him into, just like she’s no longer someone that he knows.

"Go ahead, big guy," she lifts her chin, rolls her shoulders. He’s looking at her like she's made of cellophane.

Someone takes the ground from under her. The ground is inevitable. Someone grabs her. Her shoulder feels wet, and her hands look for the source. When she looks down it, it’s stained red.

Did he just–

It can’t be. It doesn't hurt. It should hurt.

It all happens too quickly. There's a hissing sound. The impostor grips her tightly and says something.

Was her heartbeat always this loud? And did she really just get shot?

"Eyes open," The impostor orders. There's no escape with the world narrowed down to two walls. They’re closing in.

He keeps talking, telling her that it’s alright. Her heartbeat is drumming inside her head. It’s now supposed to do that, she shouldn’t feel this cold in August. A chill settles in her bones like she’s been running barefoot through deep snow in the woods, wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown.

Okay. Maybe she did get shot. And now they’re taking her away. But she can’t go down like this. Irene... the girls will wonder where she is, Yeri’s gonna burn the place down looking for her, Taemin’s too sensitive to deal with something like this, and Chanyeol–

He shot her.

And they keep calling her the wrong name.

"Rina, you have to...”

thump

“...be there...”

thump

“...right? C’mon...”

thump.

"Rina."

And then they kill the lights.

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