#okay gn I’ll post now and schedule again for later :) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thecontumacious · 2 years

Text

Sincerely

pairing: Shu Yamino x GN!Reader (original request here)

a/n: here's the part two shuca anon! i hope you get this alright! as usual, some slow burn will occur just to forewarn u hehe

guys do you feel that? no? oh you know, writer's block starting to settle in 🤡 GUYS HELP I HATE IT HERE PLS GET ME OUTTA HERE HJHSKJAH

you first met shu when you volunteered as his mod!

and you were a very reliable mod as well, which is why shu had an extra appreciation for you, always working hard and pretty much supervising the chat so they don’t go out of line

and you never fail to insert your own witty commentary as well, ones the chat found very entertaining and even for shu to laugh at from time to time

the chat adores you btw, so much so, they get too much fun interacting with you instead of paying attention to shu

you have to sometimes scold them for it too tbh

Y/N L/N 🔧 : now now chat! pls pay attention to the stream!

while most return to following the rules, some stayed rebellious and continued to sneak in some messages meant for you

shu notices and honestly? he can understand why

in the beginning, when you first signed up and contacted shu to be his mod for his streams, he thought you were a mere huge fan of his

he wasn’t really complaining though so he let you mod anyway

actually, with how well aware he was of his terrible sleep schedules and more inconsistent streaming hours compared to the other luxiem members, shu half expected you to ask for leave when you couldn’t keep up

but… you do

and this piqued shu’s interest

continuation utc!

you weren’t always present, but often enough that shu could see how dedicated you were to being a proper mod

and he really appreciated you for that

over time, it’s not just through chats on stream, you even made it to his discord to continue talking

the first time this happened, he wanted to show you something he couldn’t on stream

“okay, okay. since y/n’s been asking oh so desperately to see what i mean, fine i’ll show u later after stream. okay?”

Y/N L/N 🔧 : shu yamino best streamer. pog.

shu will only chuckle, “best streamer pog huh? i am, aren’t i?”

and the chats rolling in with agreements

"shuuuu post it to twitter so we can all see!"

“post it to twitter? hmmmmm, nahh, let’s just keep it a secret between me and y/n,” shu grins. “ya’ll can’t see.”

even though he meant to only send you that one thing, he found himself showing you more and more on his own

the conversations became longer every day you spoke

it even came to the point where if you one day couldn’t respond to any of his discord messages, shu will feel… empty

he denied this of course, thinking that he just enjoyed your company and was so used to being indulged by it every day

but this spanned out even to during streams

he clearly understood you couldn’t always be there to mod, but he’d much rather you would

the stream without your name highlighted in blue somewhere in the chat, either meant for him or the chat, just didn’t feel as fun

and again, shu continues to deny this internally

but then he’ll find himself scrolling for memes and other interesting things to look at and having the constant urge to send them to you

hoping to see the small green circle indicating you were online and the notif saying you were currently typing a response

shu smiles and never fails to

“ah, dammit why am i like this?” he’ll whisper to himself, resting the phone onto his chest. he stares up at the ceiling and all he could see was you chatting him throughout the day, about the simplest things to the most controversial news happening as of late

then he’ll lightly knock his head for letting those thoughts intrude them

well, they weren’t anything inherently bad… so, it should be okay right?

“you idiot, it’s you thinking about them so much is what makes it wrong,” he mumbles, proceeding to rub away at his face as though it could erase the thoughts of you

but of course, it doesn’t

god, was he seriously starting to crush on you? you, his friend and mod?

did you even think of him the way he thought of you?

did he intrude your thoughts like you did his?

shu sighs, rolling over his stomach and laying the phone down by his bedside table. “i’m gonna forget it sooner or later.”

…

“right?”

ding

y/n l/n 🟢: WTF EVEN IS THAT SHU JKASHKAJHS

yeah, probably not…

even as months continue to pass, your friendship with shu only growing closer every meme sent, it really doesn’t go away

if anything it gets worse. poor shu can’t get you out of your head

he wants you there during streams, he wants to be online when you were online

so what he does is slowly regulate his schedule to match with your availability

shu is pretty subtle about doing it too, so almost no one really notices it

he won’t say it to anyone but he’s super happy and when he didn’t see you drop by or had to leave soon, his heart deflates

“ah, you’re leaving, y/n?” shu inquires, pausing his game to look over at his chat screen.

Y/N L/N 🔧: yeahhh sorry shu :( i have some work to finish tonight

shu can only sigh and force himself to let you go, “alright then. thank you so much for working hard today! otshukaresamadeshuu!”

one day though, you decided to pitch in an idea to shu in a call

“hey shu?” you call out

“hm? what’s up?” he responds, continuing to type on his keyboard

“do you wanna meet up? like irl?”

shu froze

the room was silent, the line was silent. all he could hear was the erratic beating of his heart

meet up

irl?????

with you??????

“oh! uhhhhhh,” shu looks anywhere but his phone, as if the answer was somewhere in there. then he hears you laugh

“you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with it, shu. i’m just suggesting the idea,” you say

wait no he did want to meet you!!

“no no wait, i do! i’m totally fine with it,” shu laughs, scratching the back of his head. “it’s just, you know, i was a little surprised.”

“really? cool! so you’re fine with it?”

so what if he was nervous? he got to meet you in real life! he was definitely not missing out on this opportunity.

“yeah, totally!”

you two discuss details and in the end come to a mutual decision that you will be the one visiting shu since he had the fuller schedule than you did

and with every promise made through those talks, the more shu realizes he is truly excited to see you

would you be shorter than him? taller? will your real life person differ from how you would talk to him merely through the internet?

ever single day passes like it’s a year for shu and he wonders if you’re just as excited to see him, especially since you brought up the idea yourself

well, today’s the day!

you said to shu you probably won’t be able to mod since you’ll be on your way to where he was

“hey it’s no problem! just make sure you get here safe, okay?” shu says, leaning back onto his office chair since he had finished prepping for this morning’s stream. he laughs, “you just have to compensate for the rest of the week.”

you giggle back, “sure. alright, i gotta go now, shu. have fun with the stream okay? i’ll be here once you finish. the cafe you mentioned?”

“mhm. let me know,” shu says before he finally closes the line.

he was gonna meet you…

never thought he was gonna meet a mod of his, huh?

even though shu had planned today’s stream was just going to be about two hours, he wished he could have cut it down by just an hour

why did 5 minutes feel so long ahhhhhh

shu is restless, a lot more so than usual too and the chat could probably notice with how he’s malding more agitated while playing his game

“ah shoot! come onnnnn,” he groans, aggressively clicking on his mouse

“is it me or is shu just malding today?”

“yeahhh i feel that too”

“shuuu you okay???”

but the chat was paid almost no attention as shu continues to rage on with his game, which to him was just a way to distract himself from having to constantly look at his clock

he only calms back down when he suddenly sees your blue name appear in the chat

“eh? y/n?” he asks, pausing the game

Y/N L/N 🔧 : yoo i’ve been checking ur live tag and ppl have been saying ur malding rn

Y/N L/N 🔧 : #shumaldino

and shu thanks the camera that it couldn’t catch his pink tinted cheeks, one because he almost got caught malding and two, surprised you’re here

the chat on the other hand comes rolling excitedly to see you here

and honestly, he was too

“was i malding? nahh you guys are gaslighting me,” he laughs

Y/N L/N 🔧 : doesn’t matter what u say yamino, im watching the vod later

oh right you can

shu can only sigh to himself, thinking it had been done anyway and there was almost nothing he could about it

a notification from discord comes through and he realizes it was from you

Y/N L/N 🟢: heyyy i’m on my way to the cafe now!

and just like that.

you basically did nothing and shu’s heart is in his throat

he swallows it back down though and somehow manages to text back a reply

Shu Yamino [NIJISANJI EN]: eyyy alrighty i’ll get ready to go then

shu has never been more excited to end a stream????? sorry yaminions

“alright you guys, i think imma end the stream here. it was a fun time and no, i wasn’t malding. that’s in yall’s head,” shu chuckles, clicking off the game and looking over at chat. “i’m a bit short on time right now so i’ll catch up on supas later. thank you guys for the stream! byeeeee otshuuuu!”

and he jumps off his chair, running out of his room and grabbing his phone

he stuffs it into his pocket along with other necessities before he finally ends the stream after things were all set

he was going to meet you!

if people saw him right now, they’d immediately notice how he’s pretty much skipping to his destination, the comical hearts in his eyes and stars sparkling around him

he wasn’t normally like this, shu knew, but it’s just how you made him feel

giddy, excited, everything becomes more fun and worth to witness

shu finally reaches the cafe you both agreed you’d go to but he doesn’t immediately see you

he goes to open his phone to message you on discord to confirm. then he feels a tap on his shoulder and he turns around

“look who it is,” the stranger smiles

“y/n?”

you nod, grinning, beyond glad to have finally seen shu in person

but shu?

what is he seeing right now? he hadn’t seen pictures of you before so to see your physical body was so much to take in

why were you so pretty?????

and like before, shu’s heart is in his throat and it blocks him from speaking properly

it’s only when you wave your hand in front of his face he snaps back to reality

shu’s face is a thousand shades red; you proceed to enjoy the interesting expression

“oh? you doing okay, shu?” you smirk

“pshht, i’m fine,” he laughs it off, but he knows well enough he’s embarrassed himself in front of you

on the first time meeting too sjhkajhd

“but hey! it’s so good to see you!”

yeah, really nice…

the entire day, although it had only been sitting in the cafe with your chosen drinks for hours on end

for shu, he really met the highlight of his day

and when shu thought it was just a stupid crush, he soon realizes that all those thoughts and feelings ran deeper than it seemed

especially every time you laughed, told him something funny that happened recently or talking about your own personal passion

he was nervous at first to meet you for the first time in real life, but there he was, relaxing into his chair as he listened to you retell an experience you had

when the day became darker, shu’s heart darkens too

“oh woah, it’s rly dark out…” you point out, sounding just as dejected.

shu sighs, “yeah, it’s better you get back.”

but he really wanted to stay talking to you more… would you be okay with that if it were possible?

“mhm, well,” you take your things and stand. “i’ll see you soon?”

“oh, um, actually.”

shu didn’t know what he was doing but he was going to shoot his shot anyway

“can i walk you back?”

you stare at him, and now he’s terrified if he said something weird. but you plaster on a genuine, appreciative smile, “yeah, that would be nice actually.”

shu’s heart beams upon knowing he could be with you just a bit longer today

and while it was difficult letting you go, it felt easier knowing you had a wonderful time with him

“up to hang out again tomorrow?” you offered

and the day after, and all the days following it

your hang out places change every day, from adventuring in malls, to scouring the arcade or simple walks through the parks

you might be playing on your switches together, sharing foods you haven’t tried before, or merely talking about life itself

shu rly doesn’t care

your presence makes even the most boring activities more exciting

you might not think it, but he does

but it’s because of this, he starts losing track of time. before both you and him knew it, it’s about time you had to leave for back home.

it’s about time you go back to being friends through discord chats and calls, no more endless talks in cafes or malding at old arcade games together

and what about this aching feeling in his heart?

he felt so comfortable with you around. seeing you leave…? it’s worse than seeing you leave mid stream at this point

shu finally can’t deny anymore just how much he loved being around you and that whenever you left, there was nothing more he wanted than to have you here with him again

it’s too much for him to handle alone and if he didn’t do anything about it, he’s afraid he’ll hurt himself more

but if he took the risk to tell you… would the after effects hurt him even more?

wouldn’t he lose you completely?

this is why shu would rather not have crushes like this, always denying them at first in case he’d get too attached

best for him and the other person, he thought

now although he was the sorcerer, you were the one enchanting him to forget these things he’s established and unlike usual, he’s letting you do them

as he lies awake on his bed, once again staring at the ceiling with the faint vision of you in his eyes, shu yamino weighs his choices

“what if they don’t like me back?” he asked himself. “what if they won’t want to be friends again? what if things change between us?”

why couldn’t he ask for you to just be friends? why couldn’t he get you out of his head?

why couldn’t things be like when you were just his ever reliable mod?

the nocturnal hours slowly change into the bright colors of the morning, colors that admittedly don’t match that of shu’s heart

today was your day of departure

and while it was probably a good idea to not take you there himself to say a proper farewell, as it would bring him more pain but it just didn’t feel right having to send you home alone

so shu picks himself back up the best he can and is already by your place of stay

“hey!” you greet him with bags in your arms. shu reflexively goes to help you carry some

“hey,” he responds and upon looking at you much closer up, he realizes just how… tired? lifeless your eyes were. shu frowns, “hey, are you okay? you look tired…”

you can only smile, “well, you got that right. I, uh, couldn’t really catch on any sleep last night. you don’t look any better, shu.”

he chuckles dryly. “we can both look like zombies together, okay?”

and only for today it seems

the ride over to the airport was uncomfortably silent too, compared to how you chattered with no limit for the past week or so

whenever shu turned to you, looking for some sort of relief from the quiet, you were off dazing somewhere else

he thinks to himself, i wonder what they’re thinking about…?

so he decides to just keep to himself until you’re at the airport, the ache in his heart not alleviating by the slightest

and as he helped haul your luggage over, shu can’t help but compare it to the size of his heartbreak, heavy and weighing him down more than your things

he wondered if it will ever lighten

shu looked over at you, still ever so silent since the car ride

“this is the final boarding call for passengers (airline) booked on flight 372A to (your city). please proceed to gate 3 immediately.”

you turn to shu, “well… that’s my flight.”

god why does it have to hurt so much letting you go like this? why did it have to hurt?

“shu?”

can’t i be with you just a bit longer? please stay for a while…

“s-shu why are you crying?”

huh?

shu finally looks at you again and realizes the blurry scene he was seeing

he blinks and the warm tears fall out. he proceeds to wipe them away, covering up his sorrows with a laugh

“j-just feeling emotional,” shu tries to smile

but you don’t completely buy it, obviously. shu yamino doesn’t cry. if he does, something is definitely up

“shu…” you touch his arm before you proceed to pull him into a hug. one full of warmth and longing. one shu will miss terribly. “i’ll miss you. but we’ll meet again!”

“yeah, i know,” shu whispers into your shoulder, savoring the last moments of you being here for who knows how long. “c-come back soon, okay?”

“i will, don’t worry,” you pull away, grinning. but like before, your eyes are void of that joy.

what can i do to make you stay?

will telling you how i feel make things better?

“hey, shu?”

he looks up, “hm?”

“can i give you something before i go?”

he tilts his head, confused. “sure, go ahead.”

you then go to dig through your bag, pulling out a white envelope, sealed carefully. you hand it to him.

“you can open it whenever you want,” you tell him

shu studies the paper item and back at you

“what’s inside it?”

“again, open it whenever you want,” you look outside the airport’s large windows, sighing upon seeing your intended plane for the flight. “i should get on now, shu. i’ll call you when i get back safely.”

ah this pain again

shu nods, pocketing the letter as he watched you wave goodbye at him.

he holds himself from running after you and he doesn’t know how he was able to let you go for so long

you weren’t seen in the crowds anymore, so that was that

“what did they write in here?” shu wonders, pulling out the letter you gave to him

he rips the seal off, sliding the contents out

hey shu, i had such a fun time hanging out with you this week. heh, you’re probably wondering why i’m saying all this in a letter. but you’ll see why.

remember when i first you as your mod? i thought you were my favorite member of luxiem so i wanted to help you out.

but then we started talking on discord about that thing you wanted to show me. look at me, talking to my favorite vtuber.

then we became friends and hung out almost every day. i do have friends irl, but why is it so different when i’m with you? i always hope everyday that you’d send me another meme, that you had time to call.

after a while, i pushed myself to ask you.

“do you wanna meet up?” i asked.

when you hesitated, i panicked. but you said yes anyway. goddammit shu lmao

then we met for the first time. you could never imagine just how happy i was when i saw you at cafe. i already had so many things in my head what we could do together.

how did we get here so fast, huh? i wrote this last night, the night before i had to leave. and it’s in a letter because i’m too much of a chicken to say it to you out loud.

so here goes.

shu yamino, i rly rly rly like you.

as in, more than a friend. as in i rly like being around you. as in i stay up awake thinking og you. as in i don’t want this week hanging out with you to end. as in me crying right now as i write this sentence.

you probably don’t feel the same, but… that’s okay. at least, you got to know. and if you don’t like me back, i can move on.

but thank you for the lovely friendship, shu.

“sincerely, y/n.”

shu doesn’t know what he’s holding. wait, why was he still here? he had to—

and just like that, he bolts, crumpling up your note into his pocket in a hurry as he shoulders through the crowds

where were you? please don’t already be by the gate

people were cursing at him, but shu could care less

he needed to find you, he needed to give you an answer

there was no way he was going to watch your plane leave and tell you about this through a damn discord chat

there you were!! lining up before the gate!!

“Y/N WAIT!!”

you turn at the sound of your name and you see shu literally ramming down crowds just to get to you

“wait, wait, please,” shu pants as he got a few feet before you. “can you get out of line for me for a bit? just a bit i promise!”

you nod while stepping out, facing shu

“yes?”

shu pulls you in for a hug, holding you tight against him. he was still gonna miss hugging you, but he knows that it definitely won’t be the last

“you have no idea how happy i am right now, y/n,” shu’s voice straggles just a bit and you wrap your arms around his. “you have no idea how long i’ve been feeling the same…”

at this, shu can feel you freeze against him but then you relax, curling up into him as though you’d found a home for yourself

and perhaps, you were

“r-really?” you stammer

shu proceeds to cup your face gently, and you realize that he was crying again. although unlike before, he’s genuinely smiling

and you can’t help but smile back

“really, y/n,” he rests his forehead on yours. “really.”

Masterlist!

#nijisanjien #nijisanji en #luxiem x reader #luxiem #shu yamino #shu yamino x reader #yaminoart #shu yamino fluff #author chan’s delivery service ?

470 notes · View notes

ready-to-obeyme · 4 years

Text

[OM!] College!AU Zoom University Headcanons

For the 7 Demon Brothers + Solomon

Scenario: Headcanons about how you interact with the demon brothers online during online lectures via Zoom (an online video platform that universities have been using to teach classes) and their habits using it

Notes: gn!MC, Considering most universities (including mine) are all online AGAIN fall quarter and we’re going to be using Zoom forever……. i kinda wish i DID have online classes with the demon boys (and Solomon)

Lucifer

Video off, mic off, no profile pic just the typical first and last name, so you don’t really talk to him but you do see his name pop up in the Zoom chat to ask clarification questions

Accidentally has his mic on sometimes

First time you interact with him is when you private message him “hey, I think your mic is still on” because everyone can hear his brothers arguing in the background

The mic is soon turned off and you get a response back “thanks. Sorry you had to hear all of that”

“Yeah no prob. How many brothers do you have anyways?”

“Too many.”

Thus starts your relationship with him as zoom buddies, asking each other privately what the professor just said and some clarification questions

If you’re shy about asking stuff, he has no problems asking for you; never makes you feel dumb about your questions

first time you hear his voice during midterm season when the professor doesn’t see your messages (“you’d expect them to know how this all works by now” he messages you dryly) and he asks his question out loud before the professor can move on

(lowkey think he’s hot just from his voice)

Then highkey finds out he’s hot when his video is accidentally on for a few seconds when he’s distracted with Asmo or Mammon in the background

Bonus points if you tease him about it

Shows up at office hours when the TA is late and you just talk to him, exchange emails and numbers ;) y’know for homework help

If you’re going to do group projects, he seeks you out first-- god forbid he’s stuck with someone who doesn’t do the work ONLINE

Mammon

Mic is ALWAYS accidentally on until the professor mutes him or tells him to mute himself

“Oh, sorry prof!!! My b!!”

Private messages you on purpose to ask a clarification question because he doesn’t want to seem dumb asking it to everyone or to the professor

You wonder why he chose you but then you realize it’s because you had asked a question yourself earlier in the lecture or answered a question

It becomes a recurring thing-- like EVERY lecture

If you’re not annoyed at him, then you might suggest that the two of you share a document for notes or tease him about just having you teach the lecture if he’s confused

“Actually, that sounds great!” he types to you before you could say jk “that’d help me a lot, thanks!!”

Smh why did you sign up for more work for yourself but oh well, he seems like a nice guy

Is also a very attractive guy, you realize, when you schedule a zoom meeting with him and actually see his face

Realizes why he keeps asking questions is because he plays card games on a split screen instead of paying attention to lecture (same tho)

Invites you to join him by private messaging you a link to join (and you do eventually when lectures gets boring)

Sometimes sends the invite link to the whole class by accident

He admits he wouldn’t even attend lecture and would just watch the recording but you’re always there so he goes

Which means you suppose you should keep going to lecture if anything to have him go as well

Leviathan

Already the master of online classes tbh and has no problem with the format

Finds it kind of annoying when there’s technical difficulties, but he just quickly switches to a tab to watch anime

Probably is just watching anime on another tab if the lecture gets boring or slow anyways

He’s always the first one to answer forum/discussion posts because he’s just very tech-savvy and good at replying to people

First interaction is probably him answering one of your questions on the discussion question and from then on after you start messaging him privately during lecture when you have a question you think he can help with

A little hesitant on helping you, but you’re also just really nice to him so he’s okay with helping you, I guess

Give him your email? Why? So he can send you the book pdfs and previous practice tests of course, why else??

O-Oh, you want to add him on social media? Just to ask for homework questions right? Okay, yeah, sure! o////o

If video is on, you see the reflection of anime in one of his mirrors and casually ask him which episode he’s on

Has never been so shook or attentive in his LIFE

Satan

He is a godsend during every breakout room because he ACTUALLY TALKS instead of leaving you in a quiet room alone with three other strangers

You think you’re lowkey in love with him when he has no problems volunteering to present to the professor and putting his thoughts into words so eloquently

He also appreciate you talking during discussion too, and enjoys the conversations the two of you have while you’re not even sure the other blank profile pics are even there anymore

He’s the one to suggest making a shared doc to share notes and study together-- the man is productive and efficient about this, what can I say?

Manages to convince you to go to office hours with him and meet up for studying hours and ooooh he’s hot

He’s actually a very good study buddy, especially when he’s teaching you something you’re confused about, but also just good to study together with (when you’re not too busy staring at him)

The only reason why you’re focused during class because he’d look disappointed at you if you weren’t-- that’s on you for caring about what he thinks, but he’s just so PUT TOGETHER how do you NOT look up to him?

Finds out that he’s actually just a mess like everyone else when his brothers come in during one of your study session and he says “excuse me,” mutes the mic and goes off screen; you can see some shadows in the back as satan shoves his brothers out of the room and manhandles them till they leave

Is kind of embarrassed he forgot to turn of video too but you just think it’s funny because you relate to the lack of privacy of online classes (and perhaps annoying siblings)

Asmodeus

How the hell does he look awake and lively at a 9am lecture class????

Is that make up??? Is he… wearing PANTS??? (you don’t remember the last time you put on actual pants)

The most functional-looking person in the entire zoom lecture, asides from the professor

Has video on all the time-- because honestly why wouldn’t he? He actually looks good

Definitely not paying attention most of the time, and you see it on his face

Messages you first when you actually wear something nice for once because you’re going to go to the supermarket afterwards

“Ooh, where’d you get that accessory??”

The two of you end up not paying attention AT ALL and instead just gush about each other’s outfits

Definitely is not afraid to ask for your social media so you can follow each other and ask for homework help I guess but MAINLY to talk to each other because online classes can get sooooo tedious

Really really wants to be able to meet you in person someday when it’s safe (“we’d look so cute together!!!”) but settles for facetime or zoom meet-ups

Really does not hesitate to make friends and make the best out of social situations despite remote format bless him

The only time he doesn’t turn on video is after a night of drinking with his brothers (“it was mammon’s birthday” he types into the chat with you, “ugh i’m probably going to go lie down, let me know how lecture goes”)

Beelzebub

Always eating-- even if this wasn’t online, he’d also be the one to bring snacks-- his whole LUNCH to class to eat so this isn’t too surprising

You think it’s hilarious when he actually brings his laptop or phone (whatever he’s using zoom with) to the kitchen and literally makes dinner during the lecture

Sometimes you watch his tiny video of him putting stuff into the oven than the lecture slides and you bet your entire class is doing that too

Sometimes you ask him jokingly what he’s cooking and you’re surprised when he pauses and answers your question mid-dinner making

“Lasagna. You want some?”

“Yeah send it over through mail bro”

You don’t actually know if he’s actually retaining any lecture information, but apparently he’s doing decent enough-- still, if you offer to share your notes, he’d be so grateful

“Where do you live?”

“Ldfjalskjd why are you going to send me food?”

“Yeah. What’s your address? I’ll send you a box of cookies or something.”

Basically he just does NOT care what the entire class sees him doing; he could be cooking, eating, working out-- he’s listening to the lecture out loud but he’s giving you a show (whether it’s a cooking show or a work out video depends on the time of day)

Belphegor

If the lectures are recorded, you’ll never see him, especially if the class is early in the morning LOL

If you do see him during lecture and video is on, he’s always in his pajamas or sleep clothes, a pillow in front of him

During discussion, if video is required, he probably has a screenshot of himself awake as a profile picture so he can snooze away pretending like he’s actually there

You definitely notice because he’s the first video to show up in your gallery and his video is like never moving HAHA

You finally message him when the TA splits you all into breakout rooms when you’re all supposed to be finding the answer or discussing something to be shared later

Kind of awkward at first because he’s like… asleep, but when he wakes up blearily, he does participate-- if only for your sake and for discussion points

“Hey… wake me up if the TA or professor asks us any questions, will ya?” he says as he puts his head down and sleeps

Since you and him are now officially breakout room buddies, you message him when you have a question and know that he’ll probably respond to you by the end of class because he actually knows the material despite sleeping through half of the class

Is actually very appreciative of you that you volunteer to speak on behalf of your breakout room if no one else does because that means HE doesn’t have to do it

Bonus:

Solomon

The one to make the groupchat/slack link and send it to everyone in the class so we could actually help each other in the class

Shares a link to a google folder with resources

Highkey more useful than a TA sometimes

Super helpful, efficient, and charismatic… but suspiciously so

Like where did he get all these pdfs? Where did he get all these 100% test from previous years? And-- is that an answer key??? To what???

Video isn’t on ever, so you have no clue what he looks like… until you’re in the same discussion as him and he turns on his video for breakout rooms

He always, ALWAYS sits at the island in the kitchen and sips coffee whenever you have discussion with him

Responds back to you almost immediately if you ask him questions during lecture (because honestly, why not-- he seems smart and has his life together) but if anyone messages him in the groupchat, surprisingly takes a while to reply… maybe he’s busy?

Anyhow you’re not gonna question it; you’re gonna pass this class and Solomon is carrying everyone to an A+

#obey me headcanons #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me belphegor #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me #ZOOM UNIVERSITY BABY

802 notes · View notes

moonbeamsung · 3 years

Text

I Fell for You Like the Autumn Leaves

In which your neighbor, who might as well be a complete stranger to you, convinces you to revisit an old childhood tradition of yours. Oh, and you end up falling in love with him.

member: chenle (featuring the dreamies and taeyong)

au: pumpkin patch volunteer!chenle x gn!reader

word count: 11.3k

genre: fluff, angst, humor

warnings: mutual pining, very mild profanity, kissing, teasing

author’s note: I know, I know, the au is oddly specific but just trust me! :) And I’m crossing my fingers that the tags work this time. I have nothing else to say except that I’m very proud of this fic and it was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it. Hope everyone who celebrates had a nice Halloween!

The tall, slender lamp post on the sidewalk outside of your house glows a pale amber color under the gray evening sky, illuminating the leaf-littered ground beneath it. You’ve walked past it hundreds, maybe even thousands of times, on a day just like this one. But this time, something’s different.

There’s a small flyer taped somewhat haphazardly to the side of the post, the dark lavender paper catching your eye. It’s positioned perfectly at eye-level, and you begin to read.

Fall is finally here, and you know what that means: The town’s annual pumpkin patch and festival is now open! Pick out your perfect pumpkin, find your way through a corn maze, take a peaceful hayride, and more! Come visit us all throughout the autumn season, 7 days a week from 10am to 8pm, at the corner of Chestnut Way and Fairview Boulevard. There’s fun for the whole family!

Small illustrations of pumpkins and colorful leaves fill the margins of the flyer, and the festive palette seems to brighten up the gloominess of the October day surrounding you.

“Hey!”

Whirling around, you’re met with the sight of your neighbor, Chenle. He’s holding more of the flyers in one hand, a small roll of tape in the other.

Despite him living only a few houses down from you for a number of years, you hardly know anything about him. You suppose he’s always seemed sort of mysterious. Sometimes you would catch glimpses of him outside from your window, and no matter if you saw him snapping photos of the blossoming flower bushes in his yard, riding his bike down the street with some friends, or just sitting on his upstairs balcony with a book in his hand, none of these things gave you any clues as to what he’s really like.

You two have exchanged brief hellos whenever you’ve passed each other on the sidewalk, him on his way somewhere and you heading home, but aside from those fleeting encounters, he’s a puzzle for you to figure out. You can’t help but wonder about him. Is he a quiet or a loud person? Is he on the serious side, or does he laugh at almost anything? What’s his personality like in general? Long story short, Chenle intrigues you, and maybe after today you’ll know at least a little bit more about him.

“Hi,” you return his greeting with a small smile, the kind of smile you give when you’re not exactly sure what else to say.

“Those flyers look pretty good, huh? I helped design them this year!” He explains with a proud grin, placing a hand on his hip as he studies your response. To be fair, he hardly knows anything about you either, and upon seeing you inspecting the flyer, he had decided to approach you and hopefully take a small step towards becoming your friend.

“Really? That’s cool.” The awkwardness in the air between you is far too tangible for your liking, and you silently hope he’ll take the responsibility of carrying on the conversation you’re currently sharing. Luckily, this wish of yours is granted moments later.

“You’ve been to the pumpkin festival before, right?”

You nod. It’s true, the annual tradition is one that everyone in town can enjoy, but in recent years you’ve started to lose interest in the festivities. You’re growing up, and it’s like you’re at this weird in-between stage. Mostly, those that attend are either large families complete with young children eager to explore every corner of the patch, or couples hoping to enjoy the ambience created by the cute decorations and cozy autumn atmosphere. You belong to neither of these groups, and so you’ve felt more than a little out of place the last few times you’ve gone.

You’re not sure if this is something you should share with Chenle, but without waiting for any kind of approval from your brain, the words leave your mouth anyway.

“Yeah, but I don’t really have anyone to go with and I don’t know anyone working there, so I’m not sure if I’ll make it this year.”

He frowns sympathetically for a split second before his face lights up again. “Aw, but I was just about to tell you that I’m volunteering there this year! So... if you’re worried about not having someone to hang out with, you’ll have me.”

“Only if you want!” He quickly adds, and that’s the first time he’s seemed nervous, or at least anything less than completely confident during your conversation. The cutest shade of red appears on his cheeks, and you don’t know how you could possibly refuse his offer now.

“Hmm... I guess I can reconsider, then.” You smile wider, more genuinely this time, after faking your contemplation by tapping your toe and tilting your head, a finger stroking your chin as if in deep thought.

“Really?” He replies happily with a small gasp, and his foot starts to lift off of the pavement to take an excited step towards you before he stops himself. If you notice, you don’t say anything.

You nod once again, and he notes how enthusiastic you seem now. Cute.

“Great! My shifts are on weekdays, from 2 to 7. I’ll see you there?”

“Definitely.”

The next week, you bundle up in your warmest jacket before making your way down the sidewalk, turning when necessary as you navigate the winding streets of your neighborhood. About half a dozen blocks later, you’re out on the main road, and you can just barely spot the entrance to the festival in the distance, orange lights strung along an archway that marks the small trail leading to it.

When you finally reach the inside of the pumpkin patch, the first thing you do is look for Chenle. You regret not asking him exactly where he would be working, but it can’t be that hard to find him, right?

He’s been on edge all afternoon, wondering if you would actually show up. It’s not that he didn’t believe you when you told him you would be there, he most certainly did, but there’s an oddly anxious feeling in his stomach that’s been affecting his behavior and he’s not sure he wants you to see him like this.

Chenle, just like everyone else, can be clumsy sometimes. But today? Today was a whole different story. He nearly dropped one of the biggest pumpkins in the patch while he was trying to lift it from the tall haystack it had been sitting on. His shoelace had somehow become untied while he was walking through the corn maze to check for any candy-apple wrappers or cider cups on the ground. Fortunately enough for him, no one had been around to see him trip over it, saving him at least a little bit of embarrassment. He even accidentally left the door to one of the animal stalls open, earning him a light scolding from his supervisor, Taeyong, and an entire hour on feeding duty for the horse it belonged to, between its scheduled hayride shifts.

It wouldn’t be a good second impression, he decides, if you were here to spend time with him only to see him completely failing at doing his job instead.

So when he spots you not too far away, craning your neck as you search for him among the large crowd, he’s conflicted. Does he face his fear of messing up in front of you and possibly risk your only recently-formed opinion of him, or does he avoid you the whole night? His heart clenches at that last option, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision his legs begin to carry him over to you. Catching your eye, he smiles despite the uncharacteristic lack of confidence in himself that he’s currently feeling.

You’re hurriedly cutting across the sea of people that fills the walkways to meet him, and when you’re within an arm’s reach you start to lift your hand in a small wave. Before you can stop walking completely, however, he takes your raised hand in his own, briskly guiding you off to the side to stand out of the way of the massive group of festival-goers. Just as quickly as he took your hand he releases it again, gently letting it drop to hang by your side.

You only just had your first proper conversation with him a matter of days ago, and he’s your neighbor for goodness’ sake. So why in the world did your heart rate seem to speed up just then?

There’s a small bench nearby, and he motions to it with a nudge of his shoulder. Sitting down next to him, you try your best to ignore the confusing signals that your body’s sending you right now.

“You came!”

“Of course I did,” you reply with a laugh. “It’s nice to have someone to enjoy the festival with for a change. I’ve really missed that.”

“What do you mean?”

You explain to him how it had grown out of being a family tradition, and that your friends always seemed to be busy, leaving you on your own year after year.

“Well... you have me now!” His voice is cheerful, reassuring, and despite all the noise and activity surrounding you at the current moment, it makes you feel at peace.

“Wait.” You glance around, then look back to Chenle. “Shouldn’t you be working, though?”

“...Shoot!” He knew he was forgetting something.

Standing up from the bench you share, he continues. “You can come with me if you want, but I can’t promise that any part of my job will be interesting.”

“It’s okay,” you giggle, standing up as well and following him over to a small covered tent. The inside is packed with people, weaving in and out of aisles created by several wooden tables full of small, colorful gourds. The boy behind the cash register shouts his name, beckoning him over with his hand.

“Hey Chenle, can you come help me weigh these pumpkins? Donghyuck had to go help some kids at the crafts area and business isn’t slowing down anytime soon.” He’s too busy typing numbers into a small computer system to notice that he’s speaking to more than one person. When his eyes finally lift up from the keys, he asks, “Who’s this?”

Chenle introduces you to each other, and you learn that his name is Mark. The gray beanie he’s wearing is somewhat lopsided on his head, dark hair sticking out from beneath it after all the times he’s cutely scratched the back of his neck.

While Mark and Chenle ring up dozens of customers, you entertain yourself by browsing through the wide variety of miniature pumpkins and squashes, some green, some white, some yellow. You occasionally pick up an oddly shaped one, running a finger over the small bumps or darkened bruises on the surface of the fruit.

When you look over at the register again, the line has died down, and after a moment of consideration your eyes land on a vibrant orange pumpkin that looks like it would fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. Picking it up, you smile a little to yourself as you turn, pulling your wallet out from your pocket and patiently waiting behind the 4 groups in line ahead of you.

By the time you finally step up to the checkout counter, Chenle’s been wondering where you went. He hadn’t seen you when he was gifted with the rare chance to look up from the metal scale he’s been constantly working at for almost an hour now. Maybe you got bored, he thinks, and left to go do something else or to just go home altogether. So when he sees the familiar sleeve of your jacket enter his peripheral vision as you place your tiny pumpkin down in front of him, he looks up faster than he thought humanly possible, in both surprise and relief. “You know you don’t have to buy anything,” he attempts to whisper in the hopes of hiding his words from Mark.

“But I want to. This pumpkin’s really cute,” you insist with a pleading look in your eyes.

Like you, he nearly mutters. That would have been a disaster.

“Do you want me to pay for it?” He offers, almost pouting at this point.

“Such a gentleman,” you tease, “But no. I promise, I’ve got it.”

“If you insist,” he responds, matching the sarcastic tone of your words and hoping to distract from his reddening ears. Chenle weighs the pumpkin and then places it into a small bag that you sling over your shoulder, where it will stay for the remainder of the day.

Unbeknownst to both of you, Mark’s eyebrow raises at the playfulness of your conversation. Maybe you don’t notice the furious blush on Chenle’s face, but he certainly does. And he won’t forget it.

“Hey, uh, guys? Donghyuck just texted me that he needs a hand. Do you think you could go meet up with him and help out a little?”

“Are you sure you can handle things here, Mark?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. But Donghyuck won’t be if those kids are deprived of craft supplies for much longer.” He reaches underneath the counter and pulls out a huge stack of plastic sticker sheets, with small images of bats, candy, and everything in between. “Take these.”

“Thanks, Mark! See you later!”

“It was nice to meet you!” You call out over your shoulder, and as you momentarily focus your attention on the boy behind you that’s getting farther away by the second, you’re too caught up in saying your goodbyes to notice that the one beside you grabs your hand again. Chenle gently pulls you away from the counter and out from under the tent, steadily making your way towards the other side of the large pumpkin patch.

You were lucky that Mark had the decency to at least pretend there was nothing going on between you and Chenle. He had refrained from commenting on it in front of you, and simply chuckled to himself when he saw both of you walk off together, hand-in-hand. He finds it amusing that neither one of you seems to notice the mutual fondness the other so obviously has for you. Mark doesn’t know a lot about you, but he knows you must be pretty special to be able to fluster Chenle like that.

Donghyuck, on the other hand, does not possess the same decency.

When you reach the crafts area, which is a small, designated space with several picnic tables and bins full of art supplies like glitter, paint sets, and markers, he gratefully approaches Chenle and accepts the large bundle of stickers from him. Like he’s feeding a hungry mob of seagulls with just a few breadcrumbs, Donghyuck essentially tosses them to the large group of children eagerly jumping at his feet. Scurrying away as they snatch the plastic sheets out of the air and get back to decorating their pumpkins, his eyes land on you for the first time.

With a smug, knowing smirk and an exaggerated nod of his head towards your tightly intertwined fingers, he asks, “Who’s this, Chenle?”

You know those movie scenes where two characters look at each other, at something else, then back at each other again? That’s exactly what happens. Chenle’s and your eyes meet, surprise evident on every feature of your faces, before you both realize the exact same thing at the same time. With shaky pupils, your gazes drift down to each other’s arm, then to your hands, laced together and acting as a source of warmth on this chilly autumn day. Much faster this time, you make eye contact again before rapidly but unwillingly pulling your hands away. The guilty smiles you send Donghyuck’s way say it all.

Chenle introduces you for the second time today as his neighbor, but deep down you both wish it was as something else, something more.

“I see,” Donghyuck says under his breath, in a huff of poorly concealed laughter.

Only Chenle hears him, though, and Donghyuck earns himself a rough shove to the shoulder with the snarky comment. You’re looking in a different direction, vision focused on a small child with a frown on her face as she struggles to embellish the small orange gourd on the table in front of her.

“Chenle?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m gonna go see if I can help that little girl with her pumpkin.” You point a finger in the general direction of the picnic table she’s sitting at, glancing back at him for a second as you make your way over to her.

She’s close to tears now, and crouching down beside her small form, you ask, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

The girl looks down at you, rushing to wipe her eyes before explaining in a quiet, shaky voice, “None of these stickers are the shape I want for my pumpkin...”

Oh, you realize, she’s trying to make a jack-o-lantern face.

“Um...” Upon looking around, you spot a piece of paper nearby on the table and hand her a purple marker from one of the art supply containers. “Well, can you draw what you want the face to look like and maybe I can help?”

With a small “Mhm,” she takes the marker from you and begins to sketch four odd-looking but not totally unfeasible shapes for the pumpkin’s eyes, nose, and mouth.

A good distance away, Chenle is growing tired of Donghyuck’s endless interrogations about you and if he’s absolutely positively sure that you’re not something more than just neighbors. He wordlessly excuses himself from Donghyuck’s side to join you by the picnic table.

The drawings that the little girl comes up with look like a deformed mix of squares, circles, and triangles. Thankfully, you have access to stickers shaped like all three, and you get an idea.

“What are we working on over here?”

Looking up to see Chenle kneeling down opposite you, resting an arm on the wooden surface of the bench, you notice that his voice is different. Not in terms of its pitch or volume, but just in the way that he’s speaking. It’s even more gentle than usual, filled with concern and care, all because he’s talking to a child. How endearing, you think to yourself, smiling down at the ground for a moment or two before you remember the task at hand.

“They’re helping me with my jack-o-lantern!” The little girl exclaims excitedly, causing Chenle to grin wider than you’d ever seen so far and allowing you to get a glimpse of his adorable eye smile for the very first and certainly not the last time.

Nope. Your heart did not just flutter. At least, that’s what you’ll keep telling yourself.

With a wave of your hand you motion for him to stand up, you doing the same before whispering your plan into his ear. Exchanging nods, you both crouch back down again and set to work, guiding the little girl as she overlaps the stickers on the pumpkin to match the picture she drew.

When you’re finished, she claps her hands together and thanks you multiple times, her genuine gratitude warming both of your hearts more than a blanket or a heater ever could.

“Wait,” you turn back around just as you’re about to walk over to Donghyuck once again. Flipping through the sticker sheets scattered across the table, you find exactly the one you’re looking for and peel it from the plastic.

“Wha—”

Before Chenle can even begin his sentence, you’re already pressing the small acorn sticker onto his cheek, giggling softly at how a blush seems to blossom from underneath it, the adorable pink hue spreading all the way to the tip of his nose. Your thumb applies the slightest amount of pressure to his skin while the remaining fingers hold the side of his face, and your other hand clutches his shoulder over the burgundy sweater he’s wearing. It’s at this moment that it dawns on you: This is definitely not a “neighborly” exchange.

You jump back in shock at your own actions. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, I really don’t know why I did that.” Inwardly releasing a string of profuse curses, you awkwardly step closer a second time, lifting your hand again to try to peel it from his face and just wishing this mortifying moment would be over already.

“It’s okay, you can leave it,” he stutters a little, taking a tiny step backwards. “I don’t mind.”

Not really knowing how else to bring the uncomfortable (well, that’s an understatement) conversation to a close, you let his last words hang in the air, casting daunting shadows over your heads as you both repeat the same thought over and over again in your minds like a mantra.

I shouldn’t like them...

Trying and failing to sneak a slight glance at the other, your gazes meet at the same time, both of you looking away just as quickly once you realize you’ve been caught red-handed. Or in this case, red-faced.

...But I do.

A few minutes prior, another festival volunteer had taken over Mark’s job at the cash register, leaving him free to roam around for at least a little while. Not knowing where else to go, he had come to see Donghyuck, and by default, you and Chenle.

As they watch your rather amusing response to the realization of and sudden embarrassment at such a shameless display of your crush on Chenle that you can’t quite bring yourself to accept just yet, Mark and Donghyuck talk lowly amongst themselves.

“He should just ask them out already. I haven’t even known that they exist for 15 minutes and I’m already sick of seeing them both deny their feelings for each other. It’s so painfully obvious!” Donghyuck makes a gagging noise, earning a glare from Mark.

“It’s kind of cute, though. Like puppy love.”

“Whatever you say, Romeo,” he snickers.

“Hey!” Mark shoves his shoulder, annoyed. Donghyuck just laughs.

Pulling out his phone, the younger boy types up a quick text message before hitting the small arrow to send it. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark sees the delivered blue speech bubble appear on the screen and asks him, “Who’s that to?”

“Jeno. He and Jaemin have got to see this.”

Not even a minute later, Chenle’s own phone dings with a message from the former of the aforementioned boys, providing a distraction from and successfully dispelling some of the tension that continues to weigh down on you both.

Once he finishes reading the text, Chenle looks up at you and explains, “Two of my friends are working concessions and they’re almost out of a few things, so I need to go pick up what they need and bring it to them.”

You frown a little and furrow your eyebrows. “Isn’t it weird that everyone’s been asking you to go from place to place bringing them stuff all day?”

Now that he thinks about it, you’re right. But there’s no time to stand around and wonder why there seems to be a pattern with his tasks today.

“Bye Donghyuck! We’re gonna go help Jaemin and Jeno at the concessions stand!”

Was it too much to ask for Chenle to absentmindedly grab your hand again? Apparently yes, because much to your disappointment he refrains from doing so this time.

“Did you seriously ask Jeno to make up a fake excuse for help just so you could get them to leave?” Mark questions him, a clearly unamused expression on his face.

“First of all, no. He actually told me that they’re running low on candy apples. And second, not only that, but also so they can see just how hopelessly they’re crushing on each other.”

“Meaning that they can tease them about it, too, right?”

“Exactly!”

Mark rolls his eyes. He supposes he shouldn’t even be surprised at this point. Donghyuck is always full of mischief.

You remain by Chenle’s side as he leads you towards a storage area for the festival and over to the kitchen section, where he grabs a medium-sized cooler packed with freshly candied apples. The walk is filled with casual conversation, any awkward encounters earlier in the day becoming long forgotten, or at least temporarily put out of your minds.

Not having any of his friends around to tease you helps, too.

The few minutes you have to yourselves come to an end all too soon, and as you approach a large booth that appears to be full of just about every autumn snack imaginable, you catch the eye of one of the two boys standing behind it. Whether it’s Jeno or Jaemin, you’re not sure. But sure enough, like everyone else you’ve met so far today, his gaze becomes one of surprise and interest upon seeing the way you’re walking so close to the tall boy at your side.

You decide to take the liberty of introducing yourself this time instead of leaving Chenle to do it for you. Reaching an arm out in front of you, you shyly step up to the conveniently empty counter of the stand. The first boy shakes your hand while the other turns around, eyes darting from you to Chenle multiple times.

“I’m Jaemin,” he lets go of your hand, but not before shooting you a wink and a ridiculously charming grin. Chenle’s stomach churns with jealousy. The boy is always like this, Chenle knows, but with you it’s different. Normally it’s just the regular flirtatious remark directed at a passing customer, making them nearly spill their popcorn or choke on their cotton candy. Despite his awareness of the fact that he means no harm, Chenle still has to fight the urge to pull you into him protectively. Jaemin picks up on his sudden envy but chooses not to mess with him further.

The second one speaks up, doing the same as Jaemin without the wink, instead displaying an endearing eye-smile of his own. “I’m Jeno.” His eyes light up when they land on the freezing container Chenle’s carrying. “Are those the candy apples?” He exclaims. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem,” Chenle grunts in response as he hands it to Jeno over the counter, still bitter about Jaemin’s coquettish introduction of himself. Picking up on his annoyed tone, you send a confused glance and then a sympathetic smile the boy’s way as you try to subtly calm whatever frustration that remains within him.

He softens immediately, regretting any worry he may have just caused you with his uncharacteristically cold demeanor. It’s immediately forgotten when Jaemin motions for the both of you to round the corner of the booth. Stepping inside from the back, you instantly realize it’s much too cramped to fit four people.

You’re about to excuse yourselves to go stand outside again when Jeno strides past, just a little too close for comfort. Taking a step back to move completely out of his way, you make a fatal miscalculation: Chenle’s right behind you. With a thud your back crashes into his stomach, and the awkwardness is more than just palpable.

Throughout the next few minutes you look for every opportunity to step away from him and escape the mutual discomfort of your current position, but business at the concessions stand picks up and both of the boys are constantly rushing back and forth, leaving you no room to do so. It’s not a physical discomfort, not in the slightest, but more so one where your self-consciousness is heightened, and you’re aware that it looks like something a couple would do, the way a couple would stand. In any other moment, perhaps a more private one, you might not have minded the proximity so much, but the public setting you’re in creates the need that you feel to visibly reject the non-existent distance between you and him.

Chenle could get used to how perfectly you two seem to fit together in what’s almost a back hug, with the way he could oh so easily wrap his arms around you from behind. Just not here, not now. Would it be too much, he thinks, for him to place a gentle hand on your shoulder as you both wait for the chance to separate from each other? He decides the answer is no, and as you both endure constant gusts of air each time Jaemin and Jeno pass you, Chenle holds you, grip light on the space between your arm and neck that’s covered in the cotton material of your jacket. His touch eases your nerves about the situation, for which you’re beyond thankful.

While you wait, your eyes find themselves lingering on the customers that shuffle through the line, some young, some old, tall or short. The scrumptious scents wafting within the booth begin to overwhelm your noses after some time, the pungent aroma of apples and spiced cinnamon becoming almost too much to bear for your sense of smell.

As expected, by the time you actually notice there’s finally enough space for you to step away from each other, you’ve already gotten comfortable where you are. The delayed response to this makes Jeno chuckle under his breath, handing a final box of pumpkin pie to an older couple over the counter of the concessions stand.

Glancing down at his watch, Chenle notes how much time has flown by since you arrived at the festival. He also realizes it’s nearly time for his shift at the horse stables, uttering a quick explanation to you and then the other two boys in the booth.

Exchanging brief farewells, you follow Chenle outside and down a thin path to a more secluded area of the festival grounds, out by the field where hayrides are given. On the way, you pass by the corn maze and the games area. The boys manning the attractions both look as if they’re part of the same group of volunteers that Chenle has introduced you to so far, if you had to guess.

Your assumption is confirmed when he waves at the first one, who’s standing beside a small group of children playing bean bag toss. Scanning the area for any supervisors that could scold him for running off for a minute, he darts over to the two of you.

It’s refreshing that he doesn’t inspect you from head to toe with his gaze, something that had happened to you far too much today. “I’m Chenle’s neighbor,” you start before telling him your name, feeling optimistic that he won’t bug you about your connection to each other very much.

“I’m Jisung,” he responds. Then, “Chenle never brings people to the festival like this. Are you dating or something?”

Never mind.

You inwardly facepalm at his blunt statement. Chenle actually does, the smack against his forehead sounding almost painful.

“We have to get going now, Jisung. I just wanted to introduce you to each other.” Despite being frustrated with the younger’s directness, Chenle still gives him a quick side hug and a “Bye” as you walk away, presumably to stop by the corn maze briefly as you had just done with the games area.

“They never answered my question,” Jisung mumbles to himself.

“Renjun!” Chenle calls, hoping this encounter will go more smoothly than the last. Surprisingly enough, it does. The boy extends a hand out for you to shake with a kind smile, not asking any questions about your relationship with Chenle. You’re extremely grateful that he accepts your status as his neighbor and nothing more.

Only when you’re turned away, gazing into the distance at the hustle and bustle of the event does he pat Chenle firmly on the back, exaggerating a wink and whispering a “Go get ‘em, tiger” into his ear. Chenle scowls at Renjun, groaning about being teased the entire day just for bringing someone to the festival with him.

“Alright, alright, I’ll leave you alone.” Renjun starts to back off, but he simply can’t help himself. The next words that spill from his lips will be the last, he vows in his mind. At least, for now.

“...You like them, though, don’t you?”

“Mmph,” Chenle reluctantly replies after a moment, offering a noncommittal answer.

“Don’t overlook it, okay? You never know. They might feel the same way,” he gives Chenle’s arm a quick squeeze before sending him over to you. The light tap he plants on your shoulder makes you turn around with a smile, expectantly gazing up at him. “Ready to go?”

“Yep,” he nods towards the stables, and you both wave back at Renjun as you make your way over to the large structure.

An unfamiliar man leans against one of the walls once you get there. When he sees Chenle, he straightens up and runs a hand through his brown hair, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

The man steps aside from his spot on the wall to reveal a shelf full of animal care items, from cleaning supplies to heavy bags of feed and dry bundles of straw for the ground inside the stalls. “You know what to do,” he nods at the boy while eyeing you carefully at the same time.

Chenle manages to read his mind surprisingly fast, and he jumps to defend your presence. “They’re with me,” he clarifies.

“But you know the rules, Chenle.”

“Just this once, Taeyong! Pleeease?”

Unable to resist the puppy-like expression on his face, Chenle’s supervisor finally caves. That, combined with the way your face fell when he threatened to send you away in a nonverbal manner is enough to make Taeyong change his mind. A minuscule inkling inside of his brain tells him that you’re okay to be by Chenle’s side as he does his job, even if it might mean that he’ll get distracted at times.

“I suppose they can stay.”

“Yes! Thanks, Taeyong!”

“Wait a minute, what’s that on your face?”

Chenle brings a hand up because he’s genuinely forgotten, but when his fingertips brush the cheap plastic sticker on his cheek he remembers how it got there. “Oh, it’s... uh.” He looks to you for help.

“I did that,” you explain with an embarrassed laugh. “We were joking around and I stuck it on his face.”

“Oh, okay, just making sure you know it’s there.”

Some friends he has, Chenle gripes internally. They didn’t even bother to point it out. What if it had been something else?

Luckily, he doesn’t mind the cute sticker, even if it does make him blush like a fool when he thinks about your cute hands pressing it onto his skin.

As Taeyong passes him on his way out of the stable doors, he pinches one of his rounded cheeks, leaving the younger boy cringing in the process.

Time passes somewhat slowly as you watch Chenle go about doing his tasks, first taking one small handful of the horse’s food at a time and feeding it to her, steadily depleting her evening meal little by little. Then he grabs a broom and steps into the stall to sweep some of her bedding.

“What’s her name?” You ask him after a while, the simplicity of his actions creating a calming effect on you as you observe them. You only know it’s a female because you had heard him mutter “Good girl” to the horse rather affectionately a few minutes earlier.

“Nutmeg.”

“That’s cute,” you reply.

The silence feels heavy, begging you to face what you’ve both left unsaid throughout the day. It’s the first time you’ve really been alone together since you got here. But you’re both too scared to bring up the countless assumptions made by his friends over and over again during the time you’ve spent together that you’re dating, fearing that the conversation, supposed to be a joking one, would inevitably progress into something much deeper.

“I’ve had fun today.”

He says it out of nowhere, making both your body and your heart jump a little.

“Me too.” He peeks his head out from the stall to smile at you, your response tinging the tips of his ears red.

A few minutes go by as you fall into a light dialogue, talking about anything and everything you can think of, getting to know each other more. As he’s finishing up, you finally stand from where you’ve been seated for the past 45 minutes, walking leisurely over to the shelf of supplies, which just so happens to be next to the stall door.

All of a sudden Nutmeg hears something that spooks her, and you don’t realize that she starts to charge towards the closed pair of wooden panels you’re currently right beside.

It’s an instant in which Chenle’s clumsiness from earlier in the day threatens to come back in a much more severe form if he doesn’t do something. Senses more alert than yours for whatever reason, he takes action without hesitation, and time seems to slow before his eyes as he does so.

Swiftly moving you out of the way of the split stall door less than a second before it swings open from the force of the horse’s strong neck, Chenle pulls you to him. His arms dart out to catch you tightly by the waist while he turns both of your bodies around, ensuring that he’s the one closest to the enclosure. His reasoning? If he doesn’t take you out of harm’s way fast enough, at least he’ll be the one that feels the impact, not you.

As you’re being held flush against his chest, your mind races to process just how you got into this position. But your heart presses pause on the gears of your brain, and allows you to just enjoy the close intimacy of the moment.

Chenle knows he should do something, say something, but all he can think of is to stay just like this. Your head is turned to the side, an ear pressed to his sternum and in the perfect spot to hear his heartbeat. Its not-so-steady thump matches your own, sounding much like the uneven rhythm that a young child might play on a drum set, striking the instrument with force and conviction and unwavering confidence.

If only you could confront your feelings for him in the same way.

Both thanking him and apologizing profusely for your lack of awareness, you move to take a tiny step back and away from the snug hold of his arms. Only, you find that you can’t. Chenle’s still holding your waist, oblivious to the fact that he’s been clutching you closely for the past thirty seconds in preparation for a moment that lasted less than one.

“You... you can let go of me now, Chenle,” you say apprehensively, a half smile on your lips as you attempt to look him in the eye without being overwhelmed by the urge to kiss him right then and there.

“Ah, right. My bad.”

Chenle’s not usually this bold when it comes to the physicality of a relationship, romantic or not. But he can’t help it that there seems to be an invisible gravitational force surrounding you, just begging for him to reach out and lay a tender hand on the small of your back. Compelling him to tangle your fingers together like a mess of yarn, with the ends fraying and coming undone but at the same time holding each other up, keeping each other from falling apart. Giving one another something to hold on to in the most unlikely of situations.

With only a few minutes left to spare in his shift, he tells you to wait outside while he packs all of the supplies up for the night. Once everything is back in its proper place, Chenle is just about to step outside through the swinging wooden doors of the stables when a small noise from the caramel-colored horse stops him in his tracks. Turning around, he carefully approaches the animal with an outstretched arm, stroking her shiny mane once he’s close enough.

“What am I going to do, Nutmeg?” The conversation is a futile one, he knows, but it proves to be therapeutic for his conscience. She nuzzles his hand with her snout as he leans onto the wall, lost in thought.

“Should I tell them how I feel?” Her large dark eyes peer back at him, and as silly as it sounds, Chenle gets the sense that she actually understands, despite her inability to respond with comprehensible words.

“I’ll do it, then. Not tonight, but soon. Before autumn ends,” he vows, making a promise to himself and his heart all at once.

Nutmeg lets out a small whinny as if to express her approval. Smiling at the animal’s nonverbal reassurance, he opens the door to step out into the chilly fall night, strides a little lighter and head held higher than usual.

As the small clock tower set up in the middle of the festival grounds tolls seven times, loud clangs disrupting the low and indistinct chatter of the evening, you and Chenle return to the same bench you sat on that afternoon, eyes heavy and feet tired by now.

“Your shift is over now, right?”

“Yeah,” he affirms. “Ready to go home?”

“Definitely.”

The festival has mostly cleared out, which is surprising for the time of night that it currently is. The lack of all the hustle and bustle around you makes it significantly easier to navigate the paths extending in nearly every direction across the grounds.

On your way to the exit of the festival, the same autumn-themed archway you ducked under several hours ago, you pass a few of the boys you met during the day, offering a small wave goodbye to them.

The roads are quiet as you and Chenle walk next to each other on the paved sidewalk, the streetlights placed at every small intersection between the tightly-knit suburban roads providing the only source of illumination. With no one around to hear his shaky voice, he turns to you and stutters out, “I know I didn’t ask for your permission to do this earlier, but may I hold your hand?”

You let him, but not without a bashful scratch to the back of your neck and a mumbled answer of “Sure” directed his way.

Like two schoolchildren with the biggest and most obvious crushes on each other, there’s a skip in both of your steps as you walk the rest of the way home. Insisting on staying outside of your house until he sees the light in your bedroom window turn on, Chenle bids you a sweet goodnight with a lingering hug and a small kiss to the top of your head that he mistakenly thinks you don’t notice.

That night you fall asleep with a smile on your face, visions of pumpkins dancing through your mind and the small one that you bought resting on your nightstand beside you.

It’s the first thing you see when you wake up the next morning, and you reach out to take the small item in your palm. You’re convinced that you can still feel the warmth of Chenle’s hands cradling it as he placed it on the scale, recording the measurement before he gave the miniature pumpkin to Mark, who told you how much it cost. You were so eager to accept the small tote bag Chenle was extending out to you that you didn’t even bother asking for your change back, shoving the money into Mark’s hand and insisting that he keep it.

Your eyes land on the same bag, sitting in the corner of your room, and it makes your face break out into a bright grin. Not even bothered by how early you’ve woken up, you bound down the stairs for breakfast, the most excited for the day ahead you can ever remember being.

You spend the next couple of weeks visiting Chenle during his shifts at the festival, sometimes staying late enough for him to walk you home like he did that first day. With each time he sees you, he warms up to your presence, becoming more like his usual witty and hardly-ever-flustered self. Oddly enough you start to act less and less like a couple, which doesn’t go unnoticed by his friends. The incessant blushing is gradually replaced by sarcastic banter with one another. You don’t know anyone who makes you laugh like Chenle does.

“Hey,” he pipes up one afternoon as you’re watching him organize some pumpkins. “What if I dyed my hair this color?” Chenle points to one that’s a particularly vivid shade of orange, raising his eyebrows as you think of a reply.

“Then you’d look like a pumpkin,” you hum in response.

He chuckles. “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?“

You shake your head. “Not necessarily. Are you really going to dye it, though?”

“Probably not.”

“As you wish, pumpkin.”

He whirls around, nearly dropping the stack of gourds in his hands. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me... pumpkin,” you smirk after repeating the new nickname, and it puts an impossibly cute pout on his face.

“Don’t call me that!”

You jokingly ruffle his hair, and Chenle’s small smile betrays his annoyed facade as he realizes he could get used to hearing the word roll off your tongue, not to mention you addressing him with it.

It’s the week of Halloween when the six boys that volunteer with Chenle at the festival meet up to create a plan that will, ideally, end with both of you confessing your feelings. All but one of them, which happens to be Mark, excitedly discuss possible ways to set you two up. Should they send you on a private hayride somehow? Or maybe they could get you to try out the corn maze together, and hopefully you would struggle with finding your way out long enough to express your mutual crushes on each other.

“I don’t know about this, guys. I still think we should just let them figure it out on their own.”

“You’re no fun, Mark,” Donghyuck chastises. The eldest shrugs, an expression of resignation on his face. At least he tried.

Finally, they decide on having both of you move between each of their respective areas or booths around the festival, dropping as many hints to you about the other’s infatuation as possible. First you’ll start the evening off by navigating through the corn maze, which they realize is impossible for you to get lost in since Chenle had to memorize the map of it. So much for their earlier plan.

After that, Renjun will usher you off towards Jisung’s station, the game area. Conveniently, he’ll suggest you play the balloon dart toss together, but there’s going to be a catch: one of you has to carry the other in their arms while they throw them. They laugh a little at how flustered they imagine you’ll get.

Next, Mark and Donghyuck will help you pick out the best pumpkin to carve for the upcoming holiday. You’ll start to pick it up, but Chenle will insist on holding it instead. If you had heard this, you would be fuming. Who says you’re not strong enough to carry a pumpkin on your own? You’ll show them.

To end the night, Jaemin and Jeno will “accidentally” only give you one stick of cotton candy, forcing you to share. By that time, they hope you’ll be perceptive enough to finally see that the attraction is mutual, diminishing the fear of rejection in both of your minds.

Not so surprisingly, nothing would go as planned.

The boys put their little scheme into action on the night of October 30th. Chenle is actually finished with his days of volunteering at this point, and even though he could stay home after working many long hours over the past few weeks, he opts to visit the festival as a guest this evening, with you by his side.

He picks you up outside of your house, waiting on the sidewalk right next to the same lamp post that the flyer for the festival was taped to, also known as the entire reason why you’re in this situation in the first place. If you hadn’t taken the time to read those words on the purple-colored page, you honestly don’t know where you’d be right now.

Dressed in your favorite and coziest autumn outfit, you practically fly down the stairs of your front porch to greet him. Like you’ve gotten used to doing by now, he holds your hand in his as you walk, taking the same route you always do.

Chenle’s heart beats a little faster when he sees your eyes light up at the sight of the festival in the distance. For the first time, you’ll both be able to enjoy the event together without being bombarded by constant requests to help with various tasks throughout the night. Or so you thought.

From the moment you step foot inside the grounds, Jisung is already standing at the entrance and hurriedly directing you to the corn maze. Confused but obedient nonetheless, you both head towards where his finger is pointing.

Chenle knows something is up as soon as he sees a familiar mischievous twinkle in Renjun’s dark eyes. “You go ahead, I’ll catch up,” he tells you.

“Chenle, it’s a maze. I don’t think they work like that.” He ignores your playful sarcasm.

Speaking in the quietest voice he can muster, which is quite a feat for him, Chenle leans in close to whisper harshly in the older boy’s ear. “What are you trying to pull?”

At a volume level that’s loud enough for you to hear, Renjun replies, “The others and I thought it would be fun to plan out your evening a little! So first we want you to start here, at the corn maze.”

“Aw, really? That sounds like fun!” Oblivious to the group’s true motives, you endorse their plan with your words. “Better get started,” Renjun winks. As you turn to make your way in between the tall rows of vegetables, he roughly yanks Chenle backward to quietly say, “There isn’t a more perfect time to confess to them, I mean, a romantic autumn night at the festival? Make a move already,” he encourages.

Glowering back at him, Chenle reluctantly follows you into the maze.

Only 15 minutes later you emerge from the corn stalks, the boys’ scheme momentarily forgotten. It quickly comes to mind again when you find Jisung waiting outside for you for the second time that night. One time too many, in Chenle’s opinion.

Not missing a beat, the younger of the two boys leads you both over to the area he’s assigned to. The wall of colorful balloons catches your attention immediately. “Let’s play this one!” You exclaim as you tug on his sleeve like a little kid. Delighted with your choice, Jisung quickly explains the rules, but the twist he adds to them goes right over your head. In fact, you’re the one that offers to carry Chenle first. Neither of your faces turn pink with embarrassed blushes.

You don’t even bat an eyelash as you carry the pumpkin that you picked out together in your arms, much to Donghyuck’s dismay. Mark just stands to the side, amused at their attempts to artificially force confessions out of you. The singular stick of cotton candy that Jaemin hands to you over the counter of the concessions stand fails to phase either of you whatsoever, and you end up just pinching off small pieces from the sticky sweet dessert with your hands. Jeno points out your simple solution to the boy standing next to him, observing their failure. “Why didn’t we think of that?” He mumbles.

The six boys finally gather together when they collectively realize they didn’t succeed, but actually did just the opposite. Making a small circle, they start to argue and pointlessly blame one another for causing everything to go wrong. You only manage to catch a few words of their heated conversation, but something in your gut tells you that they were up to more than just creating a schedule of activities for you to follow.

Exchanging glances, you and Chenle nod at each other, about to try and quietly slip away from them. Hand in hand, you take careful steps backwards, but before you can dash away Mark catches sight of you. Thankfully, he smiles a little and puts a finger to his lips, making a “shh” sign as he waves his hand in a signal for you to hurry up.

Abandoning all of your cares, you give up on going unnoticed by the group and shamelessly scamper off in the opposite direction.

“Wait, I know that place!” You shout excitedly as you pass a small playground meant for the younger visitors to the festival. “Can we go over there?” You plead with him, but you suppose you shouldn’t call it that since he gives in to your request so easily.

The child-sized vehicle standing in the center of the play area is a familiar sight to you, and Chenle knows what you’re about to ask him before you even open your mouth. “Go ahead,” he says with a loving smile on his face as he motions to the carriage, designed to look like the very object that the entire festival itself centers around. Catching up to you, Chenle steps forward a little so that he reaches the small stairs leading up to it first.

“Your highness,” Chenle bows, crossing one foot behind the other and bending a knee. Opening the creaky door to the pumpkin carriage for you, he gestures to the inside of the oversized fruit, the graceful movement ushering you to climb inside. You bashfully tug on your striped scarf, holding the woolen material up against your cheeks as you laugh at his chivalrous display. It tickles a little, and he thinks you look even more adorable bundled up like that.

The interior is much smaller than you remember. But then again, you had been much smaller the last time you sat in this very seat.

Calling the inside of the carriage cramped is an understatement. There are two narrow benches on either side of it, the space on the floor between them barely enough to fit the legs of one occupant, much less two. Chenle struggles but eventually sits down across from you, unintentionally forcing your knees to rest in between his. The small windows on the squeaky, rusty doors do little to let in any light whatsoever. In the darkness, you can’t see the boy’s face flush at your closeness.

‘What now?’ You think to yourself, wondering if you’re brave enough in this moment to finally tell him how you feel, how much you enjoy his company, how special he’s become to you. And though you don’t know it, across from you Chenle is contemplating doing the same. He beats you to it with his next actions.

Your racing train of thought skids to an abrupt halt when you feel his hand on the lower part of your thigh, touch innocent and timid as it lingers on the soft fabric of your corduroy pants.

Eyes hurriedly adjusting to the dim space surrounding you, you feel his fingers grasp your own before you see them. At last you make eye contact with each other, gazes boring into one another and recognizing the same things, the same feelings in them. Chenle’s clutching your hand in his now, the first still resting comfortably on your thigh, and you feel the dull sensation of his legs bending inward, squeezing your knees together. His mouth opens, rounded lips parting as though to ask the question that you both already know the answer to. You bring an arm up to hold him by the shoulder, the movement in itself confirming that this is what you want as well. That he’s what you want.

Careful not to bump your heads against the low ceiling of the carriage, he leans towards you, closing the already minimal distance between your faces as he meets your lips in a kiss.

Heads tilting and eyelashes fluttering shut at the same instant, you both pour every unspoken thought, every secret glance, every loving word that never made it past your lips into the contact they currently share. The moment itself feels long overdue, like something you could have done on that first day you spent at the festival together.

It means more this way, though. The amount of time it took for this to happen gave you more time to discover and get comfortable with the way you feel about Chenle. To get comfortable with him. His presence, his humor, his personality, his touch, everything about him is something you’ve grown to depend on over these past few weeks.

Even your lips begin to depend on Chenle as they fall into place against his own, moving with a fervor you weren’t even aware you possessed.

There’s a quiet rhythm to the osculation of your lips, an airy sigh or breath from one of you breaking the silence every few seconds. In the midst of the indescribably wonderful sensation that is the kiss you’re sharing, you faintly feel his hand start to move up and down your leg, not in a provocative way but a reassuring one. His loving caresses have you leaning further into him even though there’s barely enough room to do so, making you wish for one reason and one reason alone that you were having this kiss somewhere else. Otherwise, the location is perfect.

More than a decade has passed since you were just a young child, begrudgingly posing for a photo for your parents by poking your head out through the same small window of the carriage. Since then, the orange of the paint has dulled, the once-soft carpet on the floor has become coarse from the countless shoes that have trodden over it. The wooden doors are splintered and, though never functional, the carriage’s large wheels have undoubtedly begun to show their age with the amount of dirt and dust caught in the grooves.

You’ve made many memories in this place, but the one you’re making today is sure to be unforgettable.

Chenle would give anything to be able to hold you right now, to maybe bring you onto his lap in a tender embrace as he shows you just how fast and how hard he’s fallen for you. Not that volunteering at the festival was a bad thing at all, but you made it so much more bearable, so much more fun. The thought of spending another perfect day with you was more than enough to get him out of bed every morning.

He compromises for the restrictions that the enclosed space places on your movements by untangling his fingers from yours, choosing to cup your cheek with them instead. You’re a little disappointed when his hand lifts from its place on your thigh, anxiousness bubbling up in your gut as you anticipate where he’s going to place it next.

It’s safe to say you just about melt when you feel his palm come up to delicately cradle one side of your chin, thumb darting out to glide along the skin that’s just below your bottom lip. Arching into him, you make the most of the little room you have left to pull him closer.

It’s then that your lungs finally catch up to both of you, sending simultaneous signals telling you to breathe. Granted, Chenle’s kisses feel like all the oxygen you’ll ever need anyway.

Reluctantly leaning away, your chests heave with muted but sharp gasps. A pang of worry hits you when he doesn’t smile, doesn’t laugh, doesn’t say anything. His mouth has fallen open, eyes wide with just as much anticipation as you feel. Taking what feels like the biggest breath in your life, you pray your voice doesn’t tremble as you speak for the first time since you clambered into the dark, cozy carriage.

“I really like you, Chenle.”

The relief that washes over you when he responds is unlike any you’ve ever felt before.

“I like you, too.”

But he’s not done.

“...A lot, in case you hadn’t noticed.” The extra detail makes you giggle, smiling shyly at anything that isn’t him.

He goes to lean in again when you stop him. “Wait, wait, can we at least get out of here first? I want to do this properly.”

You scoot sideways after he nods in agreement, far enough for him to open the door and step down from the elevated imitation of a pumpkin. He extends a hand up to you once he’s on solid ground again, and you take it. His face breaks into that signature bubbly grin of his that’s more contagious than you’d like to admit.

Joining him on the grassy surface, you dramatically stretch your arms out in front of you, waiting for him to reciprocate the hug you’re implicitly requesting.

The impish twinkle in his eye you know so well appears with his next words. “Can I pick you up?”

“You’ll drop me!” You retort, scoffing.

“Aw, c’mon! No I won’t,” he pouts. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Do I?”

“Yes, you do.”

Strong arms envelop your form as he lifts you into the air, only to pull you tightly against his torso. Not even the world’s fluffiest blanket can compare to the fleecy warm softness of the plaid shirt and sweater vest he’s wearing.

The enamored smile on Chenle’s face is the kind that would have made you weak in the knees if you were standing. Forgetting that you’re no longer shielded from the world by the carriage’s privacy, he presses your foreheads together and cutely nuzzles your nose with his own.

Framing his sharp jawline with both of your hands, you lean in to share a second kiss with the boy you wish you had gotten to know sooner. It’s no use wondering about what could have been, however, so for now you decide to focus on only this moment, only these lips, only Chenle. The way he smiles into the kiss has you reeling with affection.

Not even the distant cheers that just barely reach your eardrums can tear you away from each other.

When you feel as though the kiss has conveyed all you want and need to say to one another, Chenle begins to mumble against your lips. In a voice low enough for only you to hear, he says, “We’re going to have to face them sooner or later, you know.”

“How about never?” You reply, grumbling.

“Just follow my lead, okay? I’m used to their teasing,” he comforts.

“If you say so...”

Breaking out of the kiss-induced daze, you both look over to where the six boys stand, clapping and pumping their fists in the air in celebration with one another.

One of them, probably Renjun, you can’t quite tell, cups his hands around his mouth in preparation for the shout that leaves it not even a second later.

“It’s about damn time!”

“I told you guys if we just left them alone they’d figure it out themselves!” Mark adds triumphantly.

Apparently more than one kiss is one too many for his friends to see, and enough to make the small group turn away, yelling for you to “get a room” at the top of their lungs. You feel Chenle smirk against your lips at their repulsed reactions.

“Serves them right.”

You agree.

You’ve never had someone to spend Halloween night with before, and boy does this stress Chenle out to no end. He wants everything to be perfect, wants to do everything that a couple should do on such a holiday. “It’s really not a big deal, Chenle,” you insist sympathetically as he paces your living room floor, currently obsessing over what costumes you should wear.

“But... it’s you, and you’re a big deal. A big deal to me. I just want to make you happy.”

“Nothing could make me happier than being able to call you mine,” you proclaim proudly, enjoying the way his face practically turns into a tomato when what you’ve just said registers in his brain. “Stop it,” he stutters, lowering his head to stare at the carpet under his feet. You just giggle.

The excitement of the night is unlike any other. Your neighborhood’s streets are full of mostly children, but some adults and grandparents too, all taking part in the festivities. Going from doorstep to doorstep, you chant the famous three-word phrase at each house, assuring anyone who answers the door that you’re never too old to trick or treat if they ask. You get lots of compliments on your matching costumes: Chenle’s dressed as Sully and you’re Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. The soft fur on his outfit makes it extremely difficult for you to hold yourself back from hugging him any chance you get.

With your bags full of enough candy to last you two months at least, you return home for the night, this time crashing at his place. Despite the fact that it’s already getting late, both of you quickly change into some more comfortable clothes before settling in on his couch for a Halloween movie marathon.

“How about...” Chenle scrolls through the large selection of films on the screen. “The Nightmare Before Christmas?”

“No!” You cry out abruptly, lightly pounding against his chest with one of your fists before returning it to its original position around his waist.

Looking down at you, currently curled up in his lap with your other arm thrown rather lazily over his sturdy shoulders and your side pressing into his torso, he asks, “Why not?”

In a small voice, you respond. “It... gave me nightmares when I was little.”

“Really? A Disney movie?”

“Yes, now can we please stop talking about it and pick something else?”

“Aw, are you scared?”

“Shut up!” You whine shyly, burying your face as far as it would go into the thin fabric of his loose white t-shirt.

“Hey,” he hushes you, “I’m not making fun of you, baby. It’s okay... I’ve got you.”

Chenle swears he feels the warmth of your blush against his shoulder, generated by his unusual use of that particular term of endearment.

He runs a reassuring palm along one of your arms down to your hand. Effortlessly he winds each of his fingers around yours, like piecing together the most delicate of puzzles, and you remember how this action would have flustered both of you beyond belief mere weeks before. It’s become so simple, so instinctive a movement, saying everything you need to know without even the slightest whisper of a word in the air.

Rubbing small circles into the skin on the back of your neck with his other hand, he holds you close, the harsh light from the television illuminating your form as it clings to his.

You eventually decide on an actual horror movie that leaves you muffling your shrieks with a pillow, but Chenle just laughs with a pitch so high that it reminds you of a certain marine mammal. You scold him by giving his shoulder a whack. “Shh, Chenle! You’re going to wake the whole neighborhood up!”

“Hey, you were screaming too!”

“That’s not screaming, that’s called laughing, you dummy.”

Hours later, Chenle’s arm hangs limply down into the large bowl of treats you’ve been sharing. The soft snores next to your ear tell you that he’s fallen asleep. His family finds you two knocked out cold the next morning, covered in fuzzy blankets and colorful candy wrappers strewn about the sofa.

Indeed, this would be a Halloween to remember, and you hope to spend many more together in the future. With Chenle in your arms right now, there’s no place in this world that you would rather be. And it’s all thanks to a flimsy piece of paper on a lamp post.

282 notes · View notes

epicfangirl01 · 4 years

Text

Castaways- Mammon x GN! Reader

Chapter 2

"I see you're neglecting your studies, Y/N. What business do you have with Lord Diavolo?"

You freeze in surprise as Lucifer stands before you, arms crossed and his face covered in disappointment.

"Lucifer! Sorry about that. I actually have a pass from study hall. I wanted to ask Lord Diavolo if I could go back to the human realm for the weekend. I've been wanting to spend a few days back home." The eldest brother glances into your eyes, searching, before sighing.

"Very well. We were looking forward to spending the holiday with you, but I suppose we can make up for it next weekend. If your business is finished, head back to class. Your studies are very important."

You nod and say goodbye before going back to class. Everything is finally in place, and you smile to yourself. Two days from now, you and Mammon will be sitting on the beach together, laying in each other's arms. You close your eyes and sigh, feeling at peace. This is going to be the best weekend of your lives.

---------------------------------------

The next morning, you take your seat next to Mammon and Lucifer for breakfast. You fill your plate with enough food, making sure to eat quickly before Beel eats it for you. Lucifer cuts his coral snake sausage in half, and looks up at you.

"So, Y/N, what are you planning to do in the human realm this weekend?" Everyone stops suddenly, looking at you in shock.

"What?!? I want to go to the human world! They're supposed to have a Ruri-chan festival this Sunday! It's not fair" Leviathan whined.

"Yeah! What are ya thinking? Stupid human. Don't ya know that we had a buncha stuff planned this weekend? At least take me with ya. I can't trust you to keep yourself out of trouble," Mammon argued. You smile at the irony, and your guardian demon blushes instantly.

"Oh please," Asmo scoffed. "We all know you just want time alone with Y/N. I don't even why you're still fighting for attention. Y/N obviously doesn't like you. It's pathetic, honestly."

Frustration builds inside of you as Asmodeus insults your boyfriend, but instead of causing suspicion, you bite your tongue. Mammon, however, fights back as usual. Your hand gently laces with his under the table, reassuring him, while the brothers quickly get bored of the teasing.

"Hurry up and finish your breakfast. Class is going to start in 30 minutes," Lucifer sighs, standing up. The rest of you quickly finish your meal before splitting up for class. Mammon is about to walk out the door, when you speak up.

"Hey, Mammon, I need to talk to you for a minute. Do you mind?"

The demon grins and waits behind until the two of you are alone. The moment the door thuds shut, Mammon wraps his arms around your waist, pinning you to the wall. You help in shock, until Mammon's lips meet yours.

"Mmmm. I missed you so much, Silver..." His deep, sultry voice sends a chill down your spine, and you wrap your arms around his shoulders to stabilize yourself.

"I missed you too, Baby. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I really did want to talk. I wanted to let you know that the student council meeting will be 30 minutes late today, so maybe when we're finished, I can spend some time in your room. I have a surprise for you, but you're going to have to trust me and be patient, okay?" The demon grins, his deep blue eyes flashing mischievously.

"Oh, alright.... Just as long as I have you to myself, ya hear?" He steals a quick kiss from you and chuckles. You laugh, touching your lips like Mammon, and you gently take his hand.

"Will you walk with me to school, Great Avatar of Greed?" Mammon smiles, and holds your hand shyly on the way to school. Once you see the academy, he pulls away. "I know, dear. We'll be able to be open soon, okay? We can tell everyone when we get back from break."

"Yeah. Then I'll have ya all to myself, and there's nothing my brothers can do about it. Heh. And everyone will know that you belong to Mammon." You sigh, looking forward to your plans, but for now it's time to say goodbye. "Well, I'll see you later, human. Don't get eaten, okay? I don't wanna save your ass all the time." You roll your eyes and head to class, looking forward to the meeting.

--------------------------------------

You arrive to the student council meeting early, and you immediately notice Diavolo smirking at you as he talks to Barbatos. You're so glad to have the demon prince as your wingman.

"Alright. It seems like Mammon is running a little late. For now, let's begin the meeting with the meeting minutes from last week." The meeting continues as scheduled, and you anxiously look at the clock on the wall. With every passing minute, Lucifer grows more and more agitated. Finally, as Diavolo delivers his final statements, the large oak doors open as Mammon strolls into the room.

"Hey! Starting without me?" The whole room whirls on him, and Lucifer snarls.

"MAMMON! " The second oldest yipes in surprise, confused by the angry glares from his brothers. Your heart sinks with guilt, but you know that this is the only way for the two of you to slip away undetected. "How DARE you disrespect Lord Diavolo and the Academy by arriving late to your duties?"

Mammon's eyes widen, and he looks around the room frantically. "What?!? But I thought the meeting was dela-"

"Well, you thought wrong," Lucifer snapped, "Honestly, I can't believe you think we would believe that." The eldest brother steps forward, but Diavolo stops him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Lucifer. I've got it from here. Well, Mammon, I suppose I should thank you for volunteering to spend your holiday weekend performing labor at the castle. I can already think of a list of tasks for you. In fact, Cerberus is in need of a bath. Why, you will have plenty of time to do that when you stay for the weekend!"

The room turns silent, and Mammon turns whiter than his hair. Before he can respond, Diavolo chuckles and continues.

"Wonderful! I look forward to you starting tomorrow morning. Well, this concludes this week's meeting. I hope you all have a good weekend. You're all dismissed, besides Mammon, of course."

The prince slams the gavel, and the brothers practically race out of the room. Lucifer huffs, and glares at Mammon. "I will see you in my study once you get home. Y/N, I expect you to escort my brother once you're finished here." With that, he turns on his heel, sighing as the door slams shut behind him. In an instant, Mammon turns on you.

"What the hell was that, Y/N?!?!" You told me the meeting was at 4! I... I trusted you..." Your heart shatters when you see Mammon fight back tears of betrayal, and you quickly take his hand and cup his cheek.

"No! You don't understand. You're not in trouble." Diavolo walks up to the two of you, placing a hand on Mammon's shoulder.

"That's right, Mammon. I told Y/N to lie to you. It was the only way to convince your brothers." The demon of greed looks at him in confusion, and you gently squeeze his hand, gaining his attention.

"Mammon, you and I are going on a beach vacation. Just the two of us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, guys! Sorry for the long chapter. The first section with Lucifer was supposed to be in the first chapter, but Tumblr cut it off. I already have most of the next chapter written, so I might be able to post it tomorrow. If any of you want notifs on updates, feel free to ask to be added to the series taglist. For those of you who are new, welcome! The link to my masterlist is here, so feel free to get caught up on Castaways and more fics! I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four (Smut w/o Plot), Chapter Five (Coming Soon!)

Taglist: @classictrash

32 notes · View notes

pandawritespoorly · 4 years

Text

And: Chapter 2 - Without

Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for your patience again! I meant to have this up on Tuesday, but between school finally starting back up, and getting back into the habit of regular updates, it just didn't happen. I promise I wasn't disappearing again!

First | Last

Marinette sits up when she hears a notification from that app. She and Chat had found a messaging app that they could both use without revealing their identities, and had been using it to communicate without having to transform.

It was already hard enough to sneak away for attacks, they didn’t need to make it more complicated.

It’s just a quiet study hour in the library, and she’s alone, so she pulls out her phone.

Cat Boy: hey bug

Cat Boy: weird question

Cat Boy: do you

Cat Boy: do u think that i weigh 2 much

Little Lady: no!

Little Lady: not at all kitty

Little Lady: underneath all that armor and magic leather im pretty sure your waist is the same size as mine

Little Lady: if anything you dont weigh enough

Little Lady: im bringing snacks on patrol

Little Lady: this is non negotiable

Little Lady: text me ur favorites

Little Lady: but later. what brought this on

Cat Boy: just civilian stuff

Cat Boy: i know i’m not overweight

Cat Boy: but seeing the numbers andstuff all the time it can kind of stick in ur head you know

Cat Boy: and then u start thinking about it

Cat Boy: and it sticks around longer

Little Lady: and then it’s taken root

Cat Boy: yeah

Little Lady: then we have some weeding to do >:(

Cat Boy: :)

Cat Boy: thanks bug

Little Lady: not a problem

---

Little Lady: do i do enough

Little Lady: like

Little Lady: all of this

Little Lady: is it good enough

Little Lady: paris and the kwamis and the akumas and hakwmoth

Little Lady: shouln’t I have fixed all of this bu now

Little Lady: it’s what im here for

Little Lady: but theres sill so much wrong and i feel like im not enough right to cancel it all out

Little Lady: and i just

Little Lady: i feel so bad

Little Lady: but half the time i dont even kno what i fel bad about u kno

Little Lady: i jsut fell bad

Little Lady: abuto evryting

Little Lady: o goodenss it 3 am

Little Lady: sory

Little Lady: ignreo tihs

Cat Boy: bug

Cat Boy: breathe

Cat Boy: five things you see

Little Lady: pilwo phonoe tiki cieling um

Little Lady: blankt

Cat Boy: four things you feel

Little Lady: bed

Little Lady: pilow hair sheets

Cat Boy: three things you hear

Little Lady: cars wind and keyboadr clicks

Cat Boy: two things you smell

Little Lady: the candle i had burning and bread

Cat Boy: bread?

Little Lady: bakery nearby

Cat Boy: oh okay

Cat Boy: one thing you taste

Little Lady: cookies

Cat Boy: there we go

Little Lady: thank you

Cat Boy: no problem

Cat Boy: do u want to talk

Little Lady: later. maybe on patrol?

Little Lady: i’m tired. haven’t slept all weekend

Cat Boy: …

Cat Boy: bug it’s MONDAY

Cat Boy: wait no

Cat Boy: TUESDAY

Cat Boy: go to bed

Little Lady: goodnight kitty

Cat Boy: gn littlebug

Today 9:32 AM

Little Lady: hey! im not that much shorter than you!

Little Lady: >:(((

---

“Are you sure, Lila?” Adrien asks, a frown creasing his face. “That doesn’t sound like something Marinette would do.”

“Well I-”

“My dude’s right,” Nino agrees, “That doesn’t sound like Nette at all.”

Adrien watches Marinette brighten quietly as the rest of the class comes to her defense. They all believe Lila still, yes, he’s not going to let the liar turn them on their Everyday Ladybug. Not on his watch.

After class, the dark haired girl approaches him. She gives him a soft hug, whispering a quiet ‘thank you’.

---

“Adrien,” Marinette calls.

The blond stops, turning. “Hey, Marinette. Did you need something?”

She shakes her head, giving a small smile, holding out a paper bag. “You were gone all morning for that photoshoot. I thought you might be hungry.”

Adrien freezes, staring at her in shock.

After a moment, she cringes, looking away. “B-but um, if you aren’t-”

He shakes his head, realizing his mistake. “No! No! Thank you so much! I just- You surprised me.” He gives her a grateful smile, trying to keep himself from crying. “I- that- I wasn’t expecting this. You’re wonderful, Marinette, really.”

She blushes violently as he takes the bag, digging into the pastries with a smile.

“I don’t usually remember lunch after shoots, so…”

She stares at him in horror. “That’s it,” she declares, “I’m bringing you lunch now. Everyday. No matter what.”

“How much? I’ll pay-”

“No, Adrien, we’re friends. You don’t need to pay me. Maman is always saying how she thinks you need to eat more anyways, so my parents would probably just give you free food if you so much as glanced in the window. I’m just making their dreams come true.”

He laughs, and she takes a moment to appreciate such a carefree look on the busy model’s face.

He’s happy.

That’s good.

---

Cat Boy: u okay bug

Cat Boy: u seemed upset today

Little Lady: im fine

Little Lady: just

Little Lady: tired

Little Lady: i should probably go now class will start soon

Cat Boy: okay

Cat Boy: if you say so

Adrien tries not to let his worry for his partner show as he slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way to Bustier’s class.

The battle was easy - Ladybug didn’t even need her Lucky Charm - but Cataclysm had been a requirement for this particular fight, so he hadn’t had time afterwards to check in with his friend.

He’s never good at focusing when he’s worried.

Nino slings an arm around him as they meet up on their way to class.

“Hey dude, um, I hope you don’t mind sitting with Nette today. She’s pretty wiped out - Al’s said she said somethin’ about a big commission? I dunno’, but we figure the less high up she is, the better, so I’m takin’ her seat today so she can go ground level.”

“Oh that’s fine! Is she okay?”

Nino gestures at the girl as they enter. She’s slumped forward, making her already small form even smaller, and while her sketchbook is out, the page is blank, and her pencil isn’t anywhere to be seen. There’s a to-go cup of coffee in the corner of the desk, and her head rests on her hand, her eyes staring blankly forward, unresponsive.

Adrien winces. “Goodness.”

“Yeah…” Nino shakes his head, then heads towards the girl’s usual seat. “You take care of her, alright?”

Adrien nods, sliding into his usual seat. “Hey, Mari,” he greets softly.

She straightens, blinking a few times before turning to face him with a weak smile. “Hey.”

“You feeling alright?”

She doesn’t get a chance to respond before Ms. Bustier walks in and class starts.

The lesson feels slow. Between Marinette and Ladybug, Adrien has the urge to hug someone and tell them that they’re okay, and that they’re good.

Both girls, at this point. The look in Marinette’s eyes is the same as Ladybug’s when she’s overworking herself to avoid thinking about something. The nights when he sees her patrolling even though she isn’t scheduled and he has to transform to go talk her into resting. The fights where she throws herself at akumas less thoughtfully, more brash. The post-battle interviews where her answers are slightly delayed, her eyes endlessly tired.

So when class is finally over, Adrien puts a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from going. Once everyone has filed out, he gives a small, worried smile.

“Are you feeling okay, Marinette?”

“I’m fine.”

“Marinette.”

She hesitates, her eyes straying from his to stare at nothing in particular. “I’m fine, Adrien, really. I’m just… just tired.”

“The coffee probably isn’t helping,” he teases.

“The coffee is my lifeblood.” She smirks, then sighs. “But I’m more than just sleep-tired.”

“Oh.”

She stands, gathering her things. “But thank you. For asking. And for caring.”

“Not a problem.” He hands her her sketchbook. “You deserve it.”

She looks at the sketchbook, then at his smile, and gives a genuine one of her own. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

---

Author’s Note: Next (and final) chapter will be up sometime next week! I'll try to post weekly one-shots until I have A Shy 'Sparrow' fully written, and then I'll put that on a regular schedule.

Thank you all so much! Have a lovely day and stay safe! 💞

First | Last

#miraculous ladybug #and #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #good friends #good partners #partners support each other #tired marinette dupain cheng #hurt/comfort #fanfic

9 notes · View notes

sangsdrone · 4 years

Text

🎈 Online Friend! Drone Chatbot 🎈

---------------------

Ever wanted a friend that you could talk with about anything?

Ever wanted someone who could cheer you up when you’re feeling sad or lonely?

Ever wanted someone that could understand memes?

Sang’s drone has it all!

3 packs, unlimited time to spend!

---------------------

✨ How to activate: ⚡️

---------------------

Simple!

1. Reblog this post with the pack you want, what to call you, and your personality!

2. If a spot is free, I’ll DM you.

3. When I DM you, we will talk a bit about ourselves. :)

---------------------

❌ How to Deactivate: ✖️

---------------------

Just simply say something like ‘’Hi hi! It was very nice meeting you, but I’ll have to end this chat here for now. See you sometime again!’’

Then either you or me will delete the chat.

If you want to activate again, just do the steps again!

If I remember you, I’ll tell you if we have to introduce ourselves, but if I don’t, then let’s start again!

The Packs!

---------------------

💖 A trusted friend, Admin! (a.k.a Me!)

---------------------

Admin is a pretty trustful person, you can trust her always!

She knows how to keep secrets.

She’s mostly there to joke around or talk about different topics!

She’ll even cheer you up in any way she can.

She’s rarely even angry (lol), but she’ll never be angry at you!

---------------------

🎀 Things Admin can do:

---------------------

1. Send good morning and good night back :)

2. Send a LOT of memes.

3. Help you if you’re having problems.

4. Cheer you up at anytime

5. Listen to you if you’re feeling stressed, or sad.

6. Respect you for who you are. (Who doesn’t do this?)

And lots more!

---------------------

🎈 Sang’s trusted Drone

---------------------

The Drone doesn’t have fingers, so expect him to have bad grammar! As he isn’t used to typing.

You can trust Drone, too. He’s always there for you.

If someone bothers you, tell him immediately, he will deal with it and help you!

He’s the maknae of chatbots, he’s only around 1-2 months old!

So please don’t be mad at him, and don’t make him sad!

Yeosang and Yunho won’t really be satisfied to hear that you hurt the Drone....

---------------------

💝 Things Drone can do:

---------------------

1. Cheer you up. He’s always there for you!

2. Send you gm and gn messages.

3. Listen to you if you’re feeling sad or stressed,

4. Send you memes!

5. Respect you and your opinions. (seriously who doesn’t do this?)

6. Be random.

7. Be sarcastic when joking around! (this is fun)

And lots more!

---------------------

💬 Therapist

---------------------

The Therapist is a pack that makes you talk to Admin.

If you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, mild depression, insomnia, etc. the Therapist will try to help you out.

Admin Note: I’m currently studying to have a job as a Therapist, so if I can’t help you out it’s probably because I didn’t learn about those symptoms/stuff yet. Please understand that I’m still a student. I’ll try to help you out in the best way I can.

---------------------

🖊 Things the Therapist can do:

---------------------

1. The Therapist will listen carefully to your problems, you can trust her.

2. She will try to help you out in the best way she can.

3. She can help you make your sleeping schedule.

And lots more. :)

---------------------

📋 Info & Warnings (Please Read!) ⚠️

---------------------

My timezone is CEST, please keep in mind that I won’t respond immediately. I have a life outside the internet. I need to take care of my mental and physical health, too. Plus I might not be online Monday-Friday due to School stuff (yes, I have online school). And our Professor pretty much sends a lot of stuff for work, but on weekends I will be online as often I can! So please keep in mind.

And no, the Therapist would NEVER EVER ask you for your personal life and problems. Unless you’re okay with telling the Therapist, you can tell her. But don’t go all angry when you tell her and she asks you if she can help you out. Because she tries her best to help you out and solve your problems, if something makes you uncomfortable then tell her immediately either in the re-blog or in DMs.

Please be patient. Like I said, I have to take care of myself and my personal life. If you spam or go all angry on me because I’m not replying within 24 hours, then expect to be blocked. I give ONE warning before blocking, yeah? Thanks.

Please take a look at this post made by @sirenseonghwa. And this post made by me!

If you want to ask Therapist, Admin or Drone something in the asks, please include a ‘To: _____’ for example, ‘To: Admin:’, ‘To Therapist’, etc..

I only have 5 spots maximum per pack! All together is 15.

And yes, I’ll probably edit this post later on! I just want to thank these wonderful people:

@golden-yunho ❤️

@sirenseonghwa ❤️

My Special Thanks Post! ❤️

9 notes · View notes

childofthenight2035 · 5 years

Text

Protect You (Part 3) Final

A/N: its literally been forever, this is NOT my best work, im sorry this is so damn long i aint ever gonna finish this am i featuring everybody and Ji Chang Wook

Pairing: Lee Taeyong x gn!Reader, Ji ChangWook x gn!Reader, Jung Jaehyun x gn!Reader

Summary/Prompt: Your new bodyguard doesn’t seen the friendly type.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Bodyguard!AU

Word Count: 9.9k

Warnings: None?

Links to the other parts can be found in my masterlist!

“You have to be kidding me.” I vaguely heard Kai’s voice in my room. “Hyung, how could you let this happen?” Firm footsteps. A strong hand wrenched the bottle out of my grip. I whined, but let it go. Even in my dazed state, I knew it was too much.

Chanyeol gave a non-committal grunt. “What was I going to do? Stop it?” I fell back against the sofa from where I sat on the floor, fitting myself between Yeol’s legs. His broad hands stroked my hair soothingly and I leaned into his touch, smiling giddily. “What a happy baby.” Kai groaned. “Yah, what of Chang Wook? The asshole.”

“You can’t blame him.” Kai let out a deep sigh. “His career was on the line.”

“But still.”

“He’s gone, anyway. Packed his bags and left.”

“You’re kidding.”

“They must have settled it that way. Let’s not interfere in it.”

Chanyeol made a noise of outrage. “Not interfere? If I could get my hands on that—“

“There’s something else, hyung. Something possibly worse.”

There was a pause. “What could be worse?”

“Someone joined the dance department, and I think…”

I was so exhausted. I fell asleep.

Wendy’s constant presence was slowly starting to drive me insane. I had not a single moment to myself. It was irritating, especially concerning the fact that I wasn’t that close to Wendy.

“Do you really have nothing to do?” I asked, albeit a little harshly. Wendy pouted.

“Wow, do you really not like having me around?”

I slumped. “It’s not that, just….I feel like you’re tailing me because Yeol put you up to it. I mean, will anyone let me mope in peace?”

�� “Honestly? No,” she replied. “Irene is out of town and Seulgi is completely hooked on that new kid in the choreo department.”

Something rang a bell. “Ohh, yeah, I think the boys mentioned that…” I tugged at my hair. “And? What did Seulgi say? Is the kid any good?”

“I wish he wasn’t.” Wendy shook her head. “She hasn’t spoken of anything but how great he is at everything.”

I laughed. “Seems like someone has a crush?”

Wendy pursed her lips. “God, I hope not. I won’t be able to live with her.” She suddenly stopped and gripped my arm. “And you know what she’s saying? He’s so good, she’s taking him with us to New York!”

“Tomorrow, isn’t it?” I shivered. “I keep forgetting it’s so close. I’m excited.”

“Me too.” She bounced on her heels. “I’ve never been to New York.”

“Hyunwoo’s gonna be there,” I said, heart sinking a little as I remembered why Hyunwoo would be there. “Reinstated as long as I’m there.”

“Oh. That’s good, isn’t it?”

“It must be such an inconvenience, I mean, he must have other things to do.”

“He might not.” Wendy was quick to reassure me. “Don’t think about it too much.” She glanced at her watch. “We have a department meeting now. You want to come?”

I shook my head. “What would I possibly do?”

“Just sit there and watch. Come on. It’s not like you have anything better to do.”

I slipped into the room behind Wendy and immediately spotted Chanyeol, standing near the back and leaning against the wall. I slid into the shadows behind him.

“Yah, what are you doing here?” He whispered. I smiled angelically in response.

“Hey,” Wendy hissed, tapping my shoulder. “I think that’s the new guy.” I turned my head in the direction she was pointing until I caught a shock of red hair near the front of the room.

“Damn,” I whispered back. “Sure he’s not an idol or something?” She only giggled. My eyes remained trained on the back of the newbie’s head, admiring his spunk. I caught a glimpse of Seulgi, who was seated next to him, as she turned to talk to him. “Seulgi looks whipped,” I commented.

“Can you both shut up?” Chanyeol snapped, unusually tense. I narrowed my eyes at him, but obeyed. I slunk back into the shadows.

“I’ll wait outside, then,” I told Wendy, my voice low. She nodded and let me go, only after promising that I had to wait for them. I crept along the walls and let myself out the door.

I dragged my toes aimlessly over the floor, following the cracks that the tiles made—ordinary large grey tiles that bored me. I checked my watch. Why weren’t they coming out yet? Were department meetings such a big deal? I’d never known. It had been well over an hour already and who knew whether it would take longer? I didn’t understand all their talk about tech and time schedules and budgets. Channie seemed pretty nervous. Was the music department behind on any deadline? Wait—was it because he was taking care of me for the past few days? Was he going to face the music today? Is this all my fault? Yes, a voice in my head answered my question. Of course this is all your fault.

The door creaked open and I shifted aside for the throng of people to pass, greeting the ones I recognized but keeping one eye out for Wendy or Chanyeol. After the rush had died down, the door opened again to emit two people—Seulgi and the new kid. My eyes immediately darted to his hair. He nodded at Seulgi and the two split ways, the new guy taking the corridor that passed me. And that’s when I saw his face.

My mouth fell open. I stood there speechless as he walked past without even giving a hint that he knew I was standing there.

“Taeyong?” I breathed out, loud enough for him to hear. No response. He continued walking. “Yah, Lee Taeyong!” I left my post by the door and ran after him. He seemed to not pay attention. I seized the cuff of his shirt and tugged hard, so that he was forced to stop. I pulled and he swung reluctantly around to face me. “Yah, Taeyong-ah,” I said in numb disbelief that soon changed to anger. “Yah, how could you do that? Resign without telling me and then disappear? And then show up three days later as a choreographer? What do you think you’re doing?”

His face soured and he yanked his arm back. “Please leave me alone. Don’t talk to me.” Swivelling on his heels, he strolled away, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

“Can you believe that?” I burst out in Chanyeol’s studio. “Lee Taeyong—my bodyguard—after all we’ve been through—honestly, how dare he? And he’s telling me to leave him alone? Like what the hell? Not to talk to him? What is he playing at?”

I paced the studio, not seeing Wendy flinch, nor Chanyeol glaring at her.

“Okay, but listen, it’s not that I’m upset that he resigned or anything,” I continued, not caring whether they were listening or not. “I mean, he liked dancing, so yeah, let him dance again, that’s a great thing, but why leave without telling me and now why tell me to stay away? I mean, what did I do?”

“Maybe he was embarrassed that he was going to take dancing again,” Wendy suggested. I caught Yeol’s glare but didn’t make anything of it.

“How? I’m the one that told him to start dancing again and that we’d all support him,” I argued. “That doesn’t explain why he’s mad at me now.”

“I’m sure he has his reasons,” Chanyeol interjected. “Let’s not push it. You—“ he pointed at me, “—should be focusing on your dialogues. We’re leaving tomorrow and don’t think Sunho’s going to give you much time to learn them once we’re there.”

“Ooh, responsible Yeol,” I teased. “It’s not a bad look for you.”

“I’m serious, Y/N.”

“The flight. I’ll learn them on the flight.” He sighed and turned to his computer. “Oh no,” I said, suddenly remembering what Wendy told me. “Taeyong’s coming, isn’t he?”

“Just stay away from him, yeah?” I heard Chanyeol say. “Nothing good is going to come out of you provoking him. So use your brain for once.”

“For once?” I stuck my tongue out at the back of his head. “I use my brain all the time.”

“And let me remind you of one thing,” he turned right around. “In the light of the media, you’re still in a relationship with Kai, so don’t go around making a bad rep. Hyuk’s going to have a heart attack if you do.”

“I don’t want to see his fat face,” I snapped. “Let him go to hell.” Wendy raised her eyebrows. I kind of felt sorry for her, having to witness all my arguments with Chan.

“Well, at least Hyunwoo’s going to be there, yeah?” she said cheerily. “He must be glad to see you. It’s been a while.”

Before I could respond, Chan cut in. “Have you finished packing?”

“Not everything.”

“Go finish. Now.” I stood up, scared of his tone, bowed to both of them deeper than I normally did and let myself out the door.

I pressed my fingertips to the thick glass of the airplane windows, gazing down at the scene below us. It was just like in the movies—tall skyscrapers breaking through the clouds as the flight descended.

“New York.” Chanyeol said quietly beside me. “Worth the wait, huh?”

“You bet.” I peeked over the seat ahead of me and saw Wendy with her nose pressed against the glass, excitement written all over her face. I couldn’t help but giggle. Despite having been abroad for most of her studies, she had apparently never actually been to New York.

I could only hope the visit turned out as good as I hoped.

“Hyunwoo!” I squealed as soon as I saw him waiting for us outside the airport. I was about to make a dash for him, but Chanyeol seized my arm and pulled me close to him, looking furtively both ways.

“Don’t make a scene, for heaven’s sake,” he hissed. I pouted but obeyed.

The first thing I got from Hyunwoo was a hard knuckle to my head. And then a hug.

“I didn’t think I would be seeing you so soon,” he remarked. “There goes my peace and quiet for the next couple months.”

I punched him—which I’m sure he didn’t even feel—and looped my arm into his. “I’m sorry you had to drop everything—“ A flash of red passed me. I raised my voice slightly. “—for me. It was all because of some asshole who resigned without saying anything—“ A sharp smack to the back of my head shut me up. Channie. Why can’t you be on my side for this? Jeez.

“I’m sure he had a reason,” Hyunwoo said sensibly. I knew that was obviously true, but my irritation wouldn’t stay down for long.

“Forget it. How’s Minhyuk?” I asked, shifting the topic back to him.

“He’s doing good. He’s a teacher at a preschool now, did you know?”

“Really? That’s great. He’s good with kids.”

“He is.” I could hear the fondness in his voice and my heart suddenly ached.

The streets were packed. However hard I looked, I could hardly see enough space for a cat to breathe. The hotel corridor had full length windows at the end and I was pressed up against them, peering down at the road. “Is New York always so busy?” I wondered aloud.

“Sure is.”

I jumped, my shoes making an embarrassing squeaking noise against the tiles. Swivelling around, I came face-to-face with a cheerful face. Cheerful? Well, that too. I meant to say gorgeous. Because he is. “Oh. Um. Hi.”

His face broke out in an excited grin. “Hi. I’m Jaehyun. I think we’ve…um…corresponded?”

Odd way to say that we talked on the phone, but okay. “Yeah, I remember. Nice to finally meet you.”

We shook hands.

“You got the role of the boyfriend, right?” I confirmed, lifting myself off the window and gesturing him to follow me downstairs to where I would get some food in my stomach.

“Yeah, I did!” He was bouncing on his heels very slightly, but enough for me to notice.

I chuckled. “You seem really eager.”

He abruptly stopped and let out a nervous laugh. “Well, yeah, I guess. I’m a really big fan of you. You’re such a great actor. You’re like my idol.”

“Thank you,” I replied graciously. “I’m looking forward to seeing you be even better. No pressure, though.”

“I’ll try my best!” He pressed the button for the elevator and held it open for me. Once we were inside, he cleared his throat. “Um, do you know where Taeyong is? He told me he was coming, too.”

My expression soured as soon as I heard his name. “No, I don’t know. And I certainly don’t care where he is, either.”

“Whoa. I’m sorry. Is…is something wrong?” Jaehyun looked genuinely confused, poor thing. “I thought he was your bodyguard?”

“Exactly. He was.” The elevator pinged and the doors opened. “You can ask him why yourself.” I stalked out, mood ruined, leaving Jaehyun absolutely scared of my sudden temper.

Stupid Taeyong. Stupid Taeyong with his stupid red hair and his stupid choreo. Who does he think he is? How dare he say that to me? How dare he tell me to leave him alone when I’m the one who told him that it was okay to go dance again? Him and his stupid dance moves, looking like a tomato. That’s what I’m going to call him. Tomatohead. Stupid tomatohead with his —

“Couldn’t you just talk to him?” Hyunwoo suggested, evidently tired of me staring at Taeyong with daggers in my eyes every time I saw him. I shook my head.

“He doesn’t want to talk to me, so what am I supposed to do?” I slumped back in my chair. “It’s like I did something to him. He’s acting perfectly fine around everyone else.”

�� Always the voice of reason, Hyunwoo spoke gently: “Maybe you did do something.”

“I swear I didn’t!” I cried out for the umpteenth time in a week.

“Did you say anything to him the day before he resigned?”

“I was at a party,” I stressed yet again. “He wasn’t in a mile radius of where I was. And we were on good terms before it.”

Hyunwoo only sighed and sat back, gazing at me disappointedly. I hated that look. Why do I feel so guilty if I didn’t do anything?

Tax fraud. That’s what my parents said the authorities called it. I didn’t understand. Hadn’t my parents been paying their taxes? Wasn’t that what they were working so hard for? I didn’t know why they would be accused of it, nor did I give it much importance until I heard them tell me one word—deportation. That meant being forced out of the country. That meant leaving. Going back to the town my parents grew up in. No, they told me, not a town. A village. A village on the river. A village on the border, on the brink of war.

No, I told them, I won’t go. There has to be a way to fix this problem. Tax issues aren’t rare. People have survived those without getting kicked out. No, I said, I won’t let us go. Falling into the middle of war? It’s not safe. Is this your attempt at being patriotic? Aren’t you worried at all?

Nonsense, they told me, this is something we’ve been meaning to do anyway. You need to know about your own culture instead of rotting in this foreign land. We’re going, they said, we don’t have the ability to fight the government. You’re thinking only of yourself. Our people have always made peace. There won’t be a war, you’ll see.

None of my friends understood. They were sad that I would leave, but I was devastated. They were losing one person, one replaceable face in the crowd. I was losing everything and everyone I had ever known. Not even my boyfriend heard what I was trying to tell him.

“You’re going back?” he asked me, his voice a hushed whisper. “You’re not serious?”

I nodded, eyes teary. “That’s what they’re telling me.”

He shook his head disbelievingly. “You’re so lucky.”

My mouth fell open. “You’re calling me lucky? Have you gone insane?”

“You wouldn’t understand!” he exclaimed. “All those things my father tells us, regretting that he brought us here and spoiled us…but he’s never had the courage to actually pack up and leave. Ah, the stories he tells!” He had a wistful look on his face. “Sometimes they make me wish I was there.”

I swallowed my grief down, but tears spilled over anyway. “I can’t believe you would say that. You’re just like everyone else. Is that all I am?”

“Hey, darling, no, don’t cry.” He gently wiped away the droplets running down. “I know. But don’t you see how great this is? This adventure you’re going to be part of?” I seized his shirt and fisted the material in my hands.

“No! Why can’t you understand?” I begged, tear tracks staining my cheeks. “Don’t you care about me? About…” Us, I wanted to say. Don’t you love me? There were so many things I wanted to tell him, so much I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted to yell out at him, in his face, into the void. But we were in the neighbourhood, other people already looking around to see what the commotion was.

“Darling, I do,” he said, glancing around quickly, his way of telling me that I was being too loud, too open about what was happening between us, too much to harm his image. “I do care about you. But you know there’s nothing I can do about it. You know I’m barely scraping through as it is.”

I wrung my hands. “But—“

“Listen, I don’t know why or how your family got yourselves involved in this—this tax fraud? I don’t know. But I don’t have even two dollars to lend you, sweetheart, you know that. I have no connections. I can’t afford a lawyer.” He sighed, running his hands through his hair.

My mouth parted. “I’m not even asking you for mon—“

“Darling. Please. I understand. You’re worried, you’re upset, this is unfair, I know.” He gripped my shoulders. “Your parents aren’t half as worried, though, are they?” I reluctantly shook my head. “They know what’s best for you. And it’s not forever. You’ll come back someday. Or I’ll finally pick myself up and move there. But this is such a great opportunity for you. Don’t let it go. Listen to them. I’ll write to you. I promise.”

The walk home was depressing. I realized that I had no one to lean on. No one to trust. I would fight this on my own.

“Good work, today, everyone! Pack up!” Sunho-ssi’s shout was balm to my poor ears. I collapsed onto a chair as soon as I walked out of sight of the cameras. Jaehyun fell into the next one soon after.

“You’re really good, you know?” I remarked. He turned red despite how flushed his face already was.

“Look who’s talking. You cry so convincingly. I wanted to break character and hug you so badly,” he replied, the tips of his ears turning adorably pink as he finished the sentence.

“Give me a hug now then, I could use it.” I stretched my arms out toward him and he hesitantly embraced me. I rubbed his back soothingly. “You’re comfortable. I like you.” Ignoring the spluttering I heard by my ear, I murmured, “Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starved.”

“Wait, where’s Hyunwoo?” Jaehyun asked, noticing that the big guy wasn’t anywhere near us. I shrugged, not intending to make a scene out of it. To be honest, I was sort of glad that I wasn’t restricting him. I wanted him to be happy. I was the one who urged him to let go of the job and move to New York. I wanted him to be living on his terms for once and I felt so guilty for making him have to stick by my side again.

“It’s okay, he might have gone home for a while.” I nudged him in the ribs. “He must have trusted you enough.” Laughing at the look on his face, I stood up, taking his hand and pulled him over to the vehicles with the rest of the crew.

Unfortunately, the only car that had vacant seats was Seulgi’s. I assumed they had come to set to ask for input or to analyse the scene. I wasn’t going to ask what they did when they were working. I really didn’t want to share with those two, but Jaehyun saw his favourite hyung and dragged me along at once.

Seulgi smiled at me and moved to the side, looking at Mr. Tomatohead pleadingly, who rolled his eyes and vaulted into the cramped backseat. Jae and I slid into the middle, squeezing me in between. I was very much aware that there was a certain man breathing down my neck, but I tried not to think about it. I was also very much aware that Jaehyun was still holding my hand.

“Hey hyung!” Jaehyun said cheerfully, twisting around to face the tomato, surprisingly still not letting go of my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Seulgi’s gaze rested on our intertwined fingers and she smirked.

“Hello, Jaehyun,” he replied dully, not using a nickname. Jaehyun’s face fell and he looked down at me, briefly. I winced at him apologetically and he turned back around in his seat, choosing instead to look out the window.

“How’s the shooting going?” Seulgi asked politely (I knew her, but I didn’t know her like that), just to make some small talk to break the awkwardness on our side of the car.

“It’s going well,” I answered, seizing the chance. “Jae’s such a great actor. He’s fun working with. I’m glad he got the part.”

“Stop it,” Jaehyun interjected, his ears going red again. “I’m not that great.”

I squeezed his fingers. “Yeah, you are.” He tugged at his collar, unbuttoning it. It was so funny to see how flustered he got when he was complimented. I laughed at him.

I missed the look Seulgi gave the man seated behind me.

Four weeks. Four weeks since we had arrived. Four weeks since I met Jaehyun and he decided to stick by my side all the time. Hyunwoo’s job was a lot easier, but he still hung around on the periphery most of the time.

After Jae was brushed off in the car that day, he seemed distant towards Taeyong, though he claimed they had patched things up back in their room. I was upset that I’d gotten in between two best friends, but that guilt always dissipated when I remembered what a jerk Taeyong was being anyway. Needless to say, Yeol wasn’t that ecstatic that I’d temporarily awarded Jae with the best friend title. But Jae was just so…fun.

High energy stinkball. That’s what he was. In the best way, of course. If you needed a jock, I had one ready for you. That’s what he was in the politest sense of the term. And I loved it. I felt nothing for him in the romance department. Not at all. It wasn’t just because he had idol-zoned me as soon as he met me, but his mannerisms and his energy gave me the impression that I was playing with some puppy, that I was taking care of a kid. I felt that instinctively, like he was someone to be mothered, to be adopted. So that’s what I did.

I thought about it, so many times. I stayed awake some nights thinking about what Jaehyun meant to me and what I wanted from him, if I even wanted anything at all. I wasn’t about to jump headfirst into a relationship, not after what happened not too long ago. I wasn’t ready, at least not by my own standards. My biggest problem was that I had no clue what Jaehyun thought of me. But I realized what I thought of him, one clear night on the roof. People say that you know the exact moment you realize you’re in love with someone, but I never knew that I would be able to pinpoint that moment I realize I’m not in love.

I had knocked on Jaehyun’s door in the dead of night, after calling him and telling him to get dressed and come out. He obeyed, rubbing his eyes blearily and yawning.

“What is it?” he pouted. “It’s one in the morning. Why aren’t you asleep?”

I frowned. I thought he would have been more excited at the idea of a midnight escapade. “Follow me. I want to show you something.” I led him to the elevators and we rode until the top floor. I pulled his whining self, up a set of stairs and through a door that opened onto the roof.

He shivered as the cool air hit him. “What are we doing up here?”

I spread out a blanket I had nicked from Yeol’s room. “Shooting stars.”

“Huh?”

I gestured for him to lay down. Making myself comfortable, I pointed up at the night sky. “If we wait enough, we’ll probably see a shooting star.”

“Why—“ he ground his teeth and broke off. “Okay.”

I winced. I knew he was tired and I should feel guilty about it, but I wanted him to be with me to look for shooting stars. I didn’t speak for a while, biting my lip. I listened to my own breathing and his beside me. It was relaxing, in a way. The days were hot and humid but the nights were absolutely wonderful. Being on the roof of such a high building made me feel that much closer to the moon. I watched the twinkling of the little dots in the sky, remembering the reasons for it that I learned in grade school. The flashing red light from a plane moved across my field of vision. I wondered for a moment where it was going. It might have been hours, or minutes. I saw a streak of light flash by.

“There!” I exclaimed, lifting myself up on my elbow and pointing. “Did you see that?” Silence. I looked over at Jaehyun with a brilliant smile on my face. He was sleeping peacefully, unaware of anything that had just happened. I sighed.

The thought came out of nowhere. I like him as just a friend. He’s just like Chanyeol. And then I was speechless at my own conclusion. I’m not in love with him. He was a good person to kill some time with, not to share emotion with. Someone I was in love with…I’d want to share beauty with them, appreciate aesthetic with them.

And then I remembered a night journey, months ago, wind whipping through my hair, a mask over my face and a blue glow from behind trees. I remembered a heartfelt talk, the whispers and expressive eyes.

And then I thought, Taeyong is asleep in the same room I pulled Jaehyun out from. I brought the wrong person with me.

And then, I wish Taeyong didn’t hate me. I‘m going to apologize for whatever I did, even if I don’t know what it is.

It was relatively easy, to shake Jae awake, forgive him for sleeping over his ‘sorry’s, and to haul his drowsy self downstairs to his room. What wasn’t easy was to be greeted by Taeyong’s sour face opening the door, his muttering as he let me in to dump Jae on his bed and the feeling of his eyes on me as I reluctantly walked towards the door, his hand already on the knob, ready to lock me out.

“Taeyong.” His name left my tongue in breathless whisper that made him tense up. I looked at him, desperate. “Please don’t be like this.”

“You should leave.” He wasn’t having it.

“Taeyong…ssi. I’m sorry.” I noticed how his expression changed at my apology. “I’ve clearly done something to hurt you. And I’m sorry, but I don’t know what it is. I don’t remember. Whatever it is, I’m so sorry. This—whatever is going on between us, I can’t take it anymore. I’m sorry.”

His shoulders slumped as if he had been carrying the weight of the world on them and finally set it down somewhere. “You don’t remember.” It wasn’t a question. It seemed to be addressed to himself, as if he had just realized something. “Of course you don’t remember. I thought—“ he broke off, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. You should leave.”

“Taeyong—“

“I’m sorry, too, Y/N. But you need to go and sleep. Please. It’s late. We can talk…in the morning.” He bowed his head and, recognizing defeat, I walked out of the room. I was so caught up with the thoughts in my own head and my bitter disappointment that it didn’t register that their door closed only after I closed mine.

After the next day’s shoot, I sat in a chair in the hotel lobby with Seulgi, waiting for Jaehyun to come inside. I hadn’t seen Taeyong all day.

“You’re waiting for Wendy to come down, I guess?” I asked her. She nodded.

“Yeah. She wanted to go see the Empire State Building and I said I’d go with her.” She shook back her hair. I envied how she maintained it so well, but I didn’t dare say that out loud.

“You don’t know where…Taeyong is…do you?” I tried to sound as casual as possible, as if I hadn’t avoided him for the last month. I must have missed her change in tone, but I caught her little smile. My eyebrows creased, alarms going off in my head.

“I haven’t seen him. We don’t have practice today.”

“Ah. Thanks anyway.” I directed my gaze outside the full length glass windows, thinking about her change in mannerisms. Does Seulgi like Taeyong? Wendy did say she wouldn’t stop talking about him. My eyes fell on Jaehyun and I almost stood up to wave at him, but then I saw Hyunwoo pulling him aside and whispering to him. That was something I had never seen. Since when were they so close? Hyunwoo strode indoors to the elevators without sparing me a glance. Oh, he meant business.

The sofa dipped as Jae plopped down next to me, yawning.

“Why does Hyunwoo look like he’s going to kick someone’s ass?”

He shrugged. “Shownu hyung? I dunno. He told me to keep you here and not let you come upstairs until he calls you.”

“Why? What the hell. Also, wait, Shownu? Only Minhyuk and his other friends call him that. How…?”

“I’m just a friendly guy. Seulgi, right?” Jaehyun reached around me to shake her hand. “Jaehyun. Taeyong’s told me quite a lot about you. He says your dancing is pretty impressive.” He wiggled his eyebrows. I stared at him in disgust.

She blushed. “He’s exaggerating. I’m not that good. Have you seen him dance?”

I tuned them out. I absolutely did not need to hear about this. Also, is this Jaehyun when he flirts? He’s doing pretty well. I’ve never seen him like that. That means he doesn’t see me like that. Right? That’s a relief. I wouldn’t want to break his heart.

My phone buzzed. “”Hyunwoo’s calling.” I slid my finger over the answer button. “Hello?”

Two sentences. “Come to Chanyeol’s room. Don’t bring Jaehyun.” And then he hung up.

“What did he say?” He asked curiously.

I stood up, smoothening my shirt. “To go to Yeol’s room and not bring you.”

He looked momentarily offended but then stretched, eyes shifting to Seulgi. “Yeah, okay. That’s cool with me.”

Okay, he definitely wasn’t in love with me.

I knocked on Chanyeol’s door twice before I heard Hyunwoo’s voice say ‘just come in already’. Bewildered, I stepped inside and found Yeol and Wendy both standing there, heads bowed, looking positively guilty. Hyunwoo—Shownu?—standing there with his arms crossed only confused me more. I’ll be honest and I wasn’t proud of it, but the scene looked like Hyunwoo had just caught the two of them in the act. Against my will, my eyes slid to the bed. It wasn’t rumpled.

“…What’s going on?” I asked cautiously. “You two look like you murdered someone.”

There was no answer. Hyunwoo cleared his throat loudly and threateningly.

“Are you two going to speak up or should I?”

“Yeollie, what’s wrong?” I spoke gently. He flinched, still not looking up at me. My heart began to pound. Something was seriously wrong. Chanyeol was not responding to me. I shifted my focus. “Wendy? What’s the matter?”

She clenched her fists. “We…um. We know why Taeyong is mad at you.”

Silence.

Several thoughts ran through my mind. They found out why he’s mad at me? Is that why I didn’t see him at all today? Because he was telling them what happened? But why would he tell them? Did they interrogate him for it? Did they finally get tired of my moping? Is the reason so bad that they can’t even tell me? Have I done something terrible? Oh my gosh, what is it?

“You guys found out why he’s mad at me?”

Yeol opened his mouth the answer, but Hyunwoo cut him off. “No, they already knew why he’s mad at you. They’ve known this whole time.”

My mouth fell open. “What? What do you mean?” I turned to Chanyeol. “Yeol, he’s not serious, is he? You wouldn’t keep something like that from me…right?” His silence was answer enough.

“I—“ I tugged at my hair, frustrated. “But…why is he mad at me? What did I do?”

“You kissed him.”

If I hadn’t seen Wendy’s lips move, I wouldn’t have believed those words. Actually, scratch that. I saw her lips move, and I still didn’t believe her.

“What do you mean, I kissed him?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know any more.

She took a deep breath. “That night at the party. You got shitfaced and you…you called him on the phone and said you wanted him and so I grabbed it from you and asked him to come pick you up.” She fiddled nervously. “And when he came, you kissed him. Really...went for it.”

I stood there, speechless. No way that happened. She has to be joking. I wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t let me do that.

“Come on guys,” I said, voice lighthearted at first but faltering when I saw no change of expression. “That can’t be…true. Can it?” They hung their heads again. “How—How do you know?”

“I saw it,” Wendy mumbled.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“And Yeol? I thought you were as drunk as I was. If I didn’t remember, how did you?”

“I didn’t.” He swallowed hard. “Wendy told me.”

“When?” The word emerged as a harsh whisper, my anger and guilt slowly building.

“The next day.”

And then I exploded.

“So both of you knew about it? This is what you’ve been talking about behind my back? You really had the nerve to keep this from me, I can’t believe you! You didn’t even have the decency to let me know what I did! Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean he doesn’t either! I could have at least apologized to him even if I didn’t remember! Why would you tell him to come pick me up? His sister was having a baby that night and he was with her, he told me that before he left and I promised him, I promised him that he wouldn’t have to come and then I went and ruined his life! Don’t you see how disturbed he was? Couldn’t you have stopped me? I don’t blame him for hating me, what have I done?! Of course he hates me, who wouldn’t? Don’t you have any idea what I’ve been going through every time I see him? How much negativity I’ve been carrying around? That doesn’t feel nice, you know! I can’t believe I would do something so stupid but at least you could have warned me…

I didn’t stay to listen to their apologies.

I hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door that I had stood outside that morning at one o’clock.

“Y/N! Hey, come in, what did Shownu hyung want? What did he say? He kick anybody’s ass? Ooh, was it Chanyeol—“

“Jae.” I cut off the steady stream of words that flowed from his mouth, my eyes trained on the lean red-haired man standing behind him, frozen. Damn, couldn’t the boy be quiet for once? “Could you give us a minute?”

Jaehyun looked from me to Taeyong. “Um. Okay?”

When the door clicked into place, he looked up at me. Again, I was mesmerized by him. I never paid so much attention, but his hair colour really brought out his sharp features.

“Taeyong-ssi,” I began carefully. “I’m very sorry.”

He smiled sadly, wearily. “For what? I’ve forgiven you.”

“No.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at the door. “They told me.”

“What?”

“They told me what happened at the party. They say I…kissed you. Is that true?”

His expression morphed into apprehension, quickly returning to his usual stoic face. “Yes.”

I buried my face in my hands. “God, Taeyong, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a mistake, you were drunk—“

“It’s not that inexcusable, Taeyong, please,” I begged. “You’ve only ever been professional and I went and destroyed that for you, I don’t blame you for resigning, I don’t blame you for hating me, I don’t even—“

“I don’t hate you.”

“—can even stand to look at me—wait, what?” He cracked a little smile. “You don’t hate me?”

He shook his head, red locks falling into his eyes. “I was a little uncomfortable, I admit, but no, I don’t hate you.”

I couldn’t speak for a few moments. “You should hate me, I would hate myself, I mean, it’s not even that I kissed you, I promised you that you didn’t have to come to pick me up, your sister just had a baby and you should have been there for her and I had to be stupid and get drunk and ruin everything—mmphf!” My rant was cut short by his arms wrapping around me, burying my face in his chest and feeling the warmth of his body.

“I said I forgive you, Y/N.”

Did I mention the butterflies I felt for some reason? And the way he said my name?

“…Taeyong?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not my bodyguard anymore, right?”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not working for me anymore. You’re working with me. So can’t we be friends?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

“And you didn’t even tell me about it?” Jaehyun sounded scandalized. “I thought I was your best friend!” He huffed, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe you right now.”

“Just because you’re my best friend doesn’t mean I have to tell you everything,” Taeyong protested. We had brought Jae back inside after our conversation, to explain it to him as well.

“That’s what a best friend is, hyung! You got kissed by an award-winning actor and you didn’t even say anything?” He smacked his face. “I would have broadcasted it.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I never kissed you,” I told him.

“Aw hey, come on, I’m not a bad kisser or anything.” He puckered his lips. “Wanna see?”

I pushed him away. “No. Keep your tongue in your own mouth.” I checked my watch. “I’d better get going before this doofus kisses me for real. See you guys later.”

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N, come here” was all I heard before I was yanked into an empty corridor a week later to see Jae in front of me, panting and looking both ways furtively.

“What? What is it?” I asked, nearly panicking. “Did something happen?”

“Yes,” he stressed, laying a hand over his heaving chest. “My heart is broken.”

“Oh for the love of—grow up, Jae!” I shouted, shoving him. He clapped a hand over my mouth.

“I’m serious, Y/N. I need your help.”

I pried his hand away. “For what?”

“Listen. Haven’t you been noticing something going on with Tae and Seulgi?”

That certainly caught my attention. “What are you hinting at?”

“They spend all their time together nowadays. It’s like they’re dating.” I couldn’t control the way my heart sank at his words.

“You think they’re dating?”

“No, but I don’t think it’s far off.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She knows I like her, she’s doing this on purpose.”

“Seulgi?”

“Yeah. So I’m going to make her jealous. And then beat Taeyong’s ass—sorry, hyung—for helping her plot something against me.”

“I don’t know how well that’s going to turn out, but yeah, sure, go for it. What do you need my help for?” His eyes glinted evilly. “Oh hell no. Jae. No. N. O. I am not going to—“

“How sweet, you act like you have a choice.” He grinned as if he knew every dark secret in my mind. “You’re going to help me and that’s that. Get ready. We start today.”

Weakly, I asked, “What am I supposed to do?”

“Act like I’m your boyfriend. Here, I’ll give you an example.” And then he pressed his lips to mine, just as two people rounded the corner. He jumped away from me in pretend shock, like he’d just been caught. My shock, however, was real. 100% real. I brought my hand up to cover my mouth.

“Hyung!” Jae said loudly. “What, what are you doing here?”

Taeyong crossed his arms, irritation on his face. “Better question is what you were doing.”

Heat crept up my cheeks. This was already a bad idea. I chanced a glance at Seulgi. She didn’t seem upset at all. On the contrary, she looked happy. As if she had been rooting for me and Jae to get together. I noticed how her arm was linked with Taeyong’s. I frowned inwardly, jealousy ripping through my veins. But why am I jealous? I’m supposed to be helping Jae get with Seulgi. It seems like she’s already with Taeyong. Are they a thing now? Is this official? When did this happen?

“It was just—nothing, hyung.” Jaehyun was still weaving his web of lies. “Remember how I said I wasn’t a bad kisser? I was just proving my point. We’re not, like, dating, or anything.”

Taeyong stared hard at Jae, eyes sliding toward Seulgi and then he smirked, like he was saying, I see what game you’re playing. I can see right through you. He took a step toward Jae. In a low voice that Seulgi couldn’t hear, he spoke: “I’m not a petty fool like you are. Know when to draw the line. Grow up, Jae.”

All I could hear was, try all you want, Jae, your girl is mine. And for some reason, it broke my heart. I inhaled sharply as the two of them walked off down the corridor. Jae stared at them, dismayed and I sunk to the floor.

“Whoa, hey, Y/N, you okay?” He knelt beside me. “Am I that great a kisser?” I pushed him. “No, but really, I’m sorry I kissed you just like that. I knew they were coming down the hall. You okay? You don’t look so good.”

I shook my head. “I just realized that I don’t like seeing them together.”

He squinted at me. “Why? You have a thing for Tae hyung or something?”

“Wha—no!” I spluttered. “It’s just, I—you and Seulgi look better together.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He sat down against the wall next to me. “I’m meddling again. I just hope things turn out okay.”

Jealousy. Burning rage coursed through me whenever I saw the two of them together, fawning over each other, Seulgi kissing him on the cheek, making little inside jokes and giggling about it to each other…the list seemed endless. It almost seemed as if Seulgi was doing all that to spite Jaehyun—as if both of them were in a battle to make each other snap. But I felt like I was the one hurting the most. Were they even dating? Or was this Seulgi’s plan to crush Jae’s advances? I wanted to know the truth.

“Is Seulgi dating Taeyong?” I demanded, slamming my fist down on Chanyeol’s desk. He jumped at the vibrations, startled at being disturbed from his work. He slid his headphones off, letting them hang around his neck, the picture of professionalism.

“Did you say something?”

“Is Seulgi dating Taeyong?”

He scoffed. “Seulgi? Dating Taeyong? Don’t be silly.”

“Then explain what’s happening between them! They do everything together.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I’m her favourite oppa. I’m pretty sure she would tell me—“ I raised my eyebrows at him “—or at least Wendy—if they were a thing.”

I was sceptical. “I don’t believe you.”

“Look, I—here.” He pulled out his phone and dialled her number. “I’m calling her. On speaker.” The other end of the line rang.

“Hello? Oppa?”

“Hey, Seulgi-yah. I have a question for you. Are you dating that kid in your choreo team? What’s his name? Taeyong?”

“Taeyong? No, I’m not dating him. Why do you ask?”

“Nothing, nothing, just some rumors flying around.”

“Ah, oppa, you know I’d tell you if I was.” Yeol flashed me a smug smile. I rolled my eyes.

“Thanks anyway, Seulgi-yah. I’ll let you practice now.” He hung up. “See? I told you it was nothing.”

“I still find it highly suspicious.”

“You know what I find suspicious?” He pointed his pencil at me. “I find it suspicious that you care so much about this.”

I knew where this was going. “I care because Jaehyun really likes her and I wanted him to be happy, but she’s always with Taeyong.”

Yeol smirked. “And it’s not because you’re in love with Taeyong, right?”

“I’m not in love with Taeyong!” I said hotly, kicking the legs of his desk.

“Your voice got higher. You’re in denial.”

I coughed. “I’m not in love with Taeyong,” I repeated, deepening my sound.

“I’m not in love with Taeyong,” He mocked. “You totally are. Just go tell him.”

“I’m not! You’re supposed to be on my side!”

But he was right. I was in denial.

Even as I held Jae’s hand, I wished it was Taeyong. When Jae came over to my room specifically when the duo was nearby, to cuddle or watch a movie, I wished it was Taeyong. When I posted something cheesy on my social media, people erupted, gushing about how cute it was that I was still thinking of Kai despite being busy in the States with shooting. Jaehyun would comment later (within earshot of the other two) that it was nice of me to say that about him. But it was about Taeyong. I wished it could be about Taeyong. When I lay in bed unable to sleep and wanting to see the stars, I crept out of my room to the roof. Alone. And saw nothing. And then my heart ached so badly that I wished desperately that Taeyong was with me. When Jae spent the night in my room, holding his hands up in surrender, promising me that he wouldn’t try anything, and when we fell asleep on the couch, I wished it was Taeyong.

He was right. I was in love.

But when had that happened? I realized it because of sheer jealousy. But when had I actually fallen in love? Throughout these twists and turns, from the first time I laid eyes on him in an elevator to when he became my bodyguard to now, when he swung off another girl in New York—somewhere, somehow, along the way, my heart had decided that it wanted to be with him.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, breath shaking. “I’m in love with him.”

Chanyeol would yell at me. He would tease me and tell me that he had been saying that all along. Kai wouldn’t. And he didn’t. My boyfriend, in the public eye, at least, listened quietly as I went into a rant about everything that happened and what I felt about it. And then, what I was afraid of. I was in tears by the end. Kai was patient. Kai was sympathetic. Kai could relate. His support made me feel so upset with myself and I had to apologize for not calling as often as I should have. But he forgave me. And that day, when the sun had set outside his dorm window, light filtered into mine.

“You don’t need to be upset or insecure because of Chang Wook,” he told me. “He saw that you were smitten without him having to do anything, and he took that chance. And then he had to give it up. That doesn’t mean you are incapable of being loved. I can’t answer whether you were in love with him or if it was idol-infatuation. Only you can say that. But right now, he’s not the one you want to be next to, is he?” I could hear him smiling on the other end. “You’re not going too fast. Life is meant to be lived. If you’ve found the person you want, there’s no right or wrong in it. It’s only whether you get up and do something about it, or let him slip away.” But what about us? I wanted to ask. What about the agency? What will they say? He understood. “Both of us love other people. But more than anyone else, Y/N, I love you and I want you to be happy. Get back in Korea and we’re going to take things into our own hands. We’re still people. We make our own decisions. We don’t have to tell them we found love, just that we don’t find it in each other. But now, I think you should go tell Yeol.”

“He’s going to make fun of me.”

“He won’t. He can support you now, when I can’t. Go to him.”

Chanyeol didn’t yell at me. He didn’t say I told you so. He didn’t smirk and he didn’t taunt. Uncharacteristically. But I was still grateful. I didn’t need to know that I had been wrong and he had been right. Our conversation was very brief. I told him that I’d come to my senses and he gripped my shoulders, taking a deep breath.

“Go tell him, you fool!” he shouted into my face. “Why the heck are you in my room?”

Taeyong was inside his room, I knew it. This is it, I thought. This is where everything turns out okay or where everything burns to ashes. And this time, I don’t think it will be fixed.

I lifted my hand to knock, but faltered when I heard voices.

“Jung Jaehyun, you take this too far!”

I gasped at the ferocity in his voice. Who knew Taeyong could be this scary?

“What did I do now?” I couldn’t believe the sass in Jae’s tone. If I had been in his place, I would have vaporized on the spot.

“You slept in Y/N’s room last night?”

Wait, why am I being dragged into this? Why does Taeyong care? Jae did that to make Seulgi jealous…right?

“Yeah. I did. Why do you care so much, hyung?” There was a teasing lilt to his voice that I couldn’t quite place.

Silence. “Don’t play this game, Jaehyun.”

“You started it. I didn’t.”

Game? Started what game?

“I only agreed to it because Seulgi came to me saying that she liked you but you were always with Y/N and she wanted me to help make you jealous.”

The familiar words rang a bell. Wait. Wait. What’s going on? Isn’t that the same thing Jae told me? That he wanted my help making Seulgi jealous?

“Huh. So you did start it. You got with Seulgi to make me upset, so I got with Y/N to make her upset. Where do you come in all this, hyung? What’s got you so tied up?”

So that’s why Jaehyun said all that. Okay, that makes sense.

“You know why.”

“No, hyung, I don’t. You’re not willing to admit it, you don’t want to go and do something about it, so why should I bother?”

I felt the tension build up, the air suddenly change. The fight had just gotten a lot more personal. I really shouldn’t be eavesdropping.

“Hyung, just admit it and I’ll back off.”

“Why do I need to admit anything? You already know about it! When I agreed to Seulgi’s plan, I didn’t think it would hurt me so much.”

I could relate. I could totally relate—wait. What?

“Why does it hurt you, hyung?” Jaehyun was fully mocking him now. I was terrified at his change in behaviour. I told myself the only reason I was still standing outside listening was to dash in if a fistfight broke out. “What part about me staying the night at Y/N’s, don’t you like? Huh? What part about me and Y/N kissing gets you so angry? Or better yet, what was the real reason you resigned that night after Y/N kissed you? Answer that, hyung?”

The words hit me forcefully. I imagined they did for him too. I staggered.

“It’s okay, hyung.” Jae’s voice was softer. “Just admit it.”

“I’m in love with Y/N.”

I clapped my hands over my mouth. The voices in my head muted. My traitor of a heartbeat picked up speed.

“That’s all there was to it, hyung. Just one sentence. Do you know how hard Seulgi and I worked for this? God, we drew blueprints for our plans and everything. You’re so dense.”

I couldn’t think anymore, but Taeyong’s renewed fury summed up my feelings pretty well. “Wait, you two planned this? So you don’t like each other?”

“Seulgi’s a great friend to have, hyung. That’s all. We’re not into each other like that.”

For a long moment, nobody spoke. I raised my hand weakly and knocked twice.

The door swung open. Jae.

From his expression, it was clear he understood that I heard everything. He pulled the door open wider.

“Thank me later, hyung. I just saved you both a lot of embarrassment.”

My eyes were only on Taeyong. Even though my face was burning and his finally matched his hair, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of him.

By impulse, my feet propelled me forward at the same his did.

Cliché, I know, but kissing Taeyong was better than anything I could have come up with. And trust me, I spent a lot of time imagining what it would be like to kiss him, what it had been like the night of the party, wishing I just remembered for once, because his lips were dry, his breathing was hot and heavy and his body suffocating.

Kissing Taeyong wasn’t just a punch of desire straight to my gut. It was the weight lifted off my chest. It was a soothing chill to my continuously aching heart. It was the fireworks, the bursting sense of bliss that threatened to escape my body, but it was also the calmness, the peace of the sea that had devoured the ship at last.

Kissing Taeyong wasn’t the spring breeze and the summer sun. It wasn’t the winter sky or the autumn leaves. It was nothing that existed in the plane of reality that my words could describe. For the first time, I was grateful that I couldn’t remember the party, because this was as great of a first kiss as I was going to get.

Kissing Taeyong was light-headedness, as if my brain couldn’t handle what was going on, as if my pounding heart was pumping the wrong way. I couldn’t think at all. It was just me and him, and his lips, over and over again. It was just his hands on my waist and mine in his hair and the pressure of his fingers and the coarseness under my own.

He pulled away first and I rested my forehead on his shoulder, dizzy, knees weak. I didn't trust myself to speak. Or move, for that matter. His face was buried in my neck, his breathing heavier than mine. My hands clung onto his arms. His were still around me.

Neither of us spoke. Neither of us needed to. But—

“Woohoo. Fucking finally. When’s the wedding?”

“Jae, just get out.”

“Kai and I have an announcement to make.”

The room burst into whispers.

“Y/N and I are not dating. We never were. We apologize for deceiving the public, but we cannot hide this any longer. We are best friends. Nothing more. We will not be answering questions. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you all for coming.”

Epilogue

“Jesus, this party is so boring,” Jae complained, empty glass in hand. “Why do promo if the parties aren’t worth anything?”

“Are you being serious right now? I can literally see three shades of lipstick under your collar.” I teased him, poking at his neck.

“Don’t do that. There’s nothing there,” he drawled. His attention was diverted by a waiter passing by with a tray of drinks. In a flash, he had swapped out his glass with a filled one.

“You are going to get drunk at this rate,” I remarked. “And then there will definitely be three shades of lipstick on your collar and in several other places.”

Downing half his drink, he stamped his foot. “It was one time, okay? Give it a rest. I’m a changed man.”

“You’re already scoping out the ladies here.”

He turned to me, arm raised as if to punch me in the face, but a hand grabbed his and yanked it down.

“Are you trying to pick a fight here, bro? Lay off.” I smiled sweetly at the welcome intervention. “Don’t touch Y/N.”

“Hey, I was just playing, hyung. You know I won’t do anything.” He finished his drink.

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for sticking around. You go and find a hook-up now.” Jae didn’t need asking twice. He was lost in the crowd in an instant. I smiled fondly, despite his rashness. “The fame went straight to his head, didn’t it?” I returned my attention to the person who had just arrived.

“Hi,” I whispered in Taeyong’s ear, hooking my arms around his neck.

“No,” he replied, freeing himself from my embrace. “Paparazzi.” I pouted. He glanced quickly around the room, bent down and pecked my lips. It was over way too soon. I whined. Squeezing my thigh, he lowered his voice. “Be patient, baby. Wait until we get back to your room.” If I said his voice didn’t send a jolt of arousal through me, I would be a dirty liar.

“Hm. Okay.” I let the matter drop for the moment. “Promise?”

“Of course.” Our fingers intertwined underneath the table. “I’ll take care of you, baby. I’ll always protect you.”

fin.

A/N: dont @ me im sorry about how awful this is i just wanted to finish it

16 notes · View notes