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acescavern · 7 months

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END TO START - LEE TAEYONG X READER

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Pairing: Soulmate!Johnny x Soulmate! reader, Taeyong x reader. ( Ft Mark, Jungwoo, Ten, Jaehyun, Taeil, Yuta. Mentions Jaemin once.)

Genre: Heavy angst my guys, soulmates au, neo frat au, university au, fluff, Hanahaki Soulmate trope.

Synopsis: Taeyong had been perfectly happy to sit back and watch you and Johnny be together. However, when he starts to notice certain behaviors that are all too familiar, he finds himself unable to watch you slowly die. Just because Johnny may not love you anymore... doesn't mean Taeyong doesn't love you either.

wc: 4.9k

Warnings: Heavy angst, Blood, Mentions of death, suffering, choking, johnny is unfaithful, it's a Hanahaki au so they basically cough up dead and thorned flowers. It's not a graphic description but there are descriptions of pain too, mentions of weight loss due to being unwell, Unrequited love, hurt, Taeyong's been in love with the reader since before her and Johnny got together, heavy rejection, soulmate rejection ( Just because i have written this does NOT mean that i think any one of the nct members would cheat or act thi way. this is pure FICTION.) Please let me know if i have missed any warnings

Note: Hi! I have a few fics in the works but I'm worried I wont get them done for Halloween. So, I am blessing you with this heart-breaking fic. I wanted to release this fic early as a thank you for all your love on Operation Rizz! Now, this is the same frat universe as all my other NCT fics. they can all be read as stand alone though, so don't worry! Any feedback is once again appreciated. I do not own the concept of Hanahaki.

Likes and reblogs are appreciated

Soulmates were supposed to be someone's everything—the one person who was meant specifically for them. Someone you can lean on and cherish, who would dote and adore you. Someone to dish out as much love to you as you unto them. To stay by your side and grow old together. However, some people are already at that stage when they meet their destined person. There was also the worry of some people not having a soulmate. Legend says that only the blessed are gifted with such.

Gifted? Yes. To many, the Soulmate system is a curse - depending on what type you are assigned to. Tattoos? Easy. Mind reading? Okay a little more difficult. Red string? That practically takes you straight to them. Eternal life? Near impossible! You could spend many years with someone you thought was a soulmate only to see a wrinkle and realize you aren’t made for each other at all. Seeing things in black and white only to suddenly be overwhelmed with color at a music festival and not know who the hell you’d bumped into in that massive crowd that could possibly be your soulmate. Not everyone even had a soulmate, they could be with whoever they wanted without consequences.

But there was one type in particular that nobody wanted. Hanahaki. Named after the fictional Japanese Hanahaki Disease. It comes from the Japanese words Hana - meaning flower and Hakimasu - quite literally meaning, to throw up.

In a soulmate's case, when they first meet each other a seed is awakened. It grows thorned roses - the flowers of love - cradling the person’s heart and twining around inside their lungs. For the most part, other than the occasional flutter and heartburn, it goes unnoticeable. So long as the soulmate reciprocates the feelings of love. But, should one soulmate start to fall out of love? The other will suffer terribly. The flowers will die, the spikey stems squeezing at the organs they were once gently caressing with love. Crushing in their anguish.

Of course, unlike the other soulmate types, there are two ways out of Hanahaki... Let the weight of the unreciprocated love drag on painfully until you die, or convince your health insurance to accept the cost of the operation to remove the offending plants. However, by the time one realizes they are soulmates, it is likely that the bond has already been unreciprocated.

Taeyong knew this. He knew this because it happened to him. He had once been on the receiving end of the agonizing scratch of dead rose stems climbing up his throat in a mess of blood and wilted petals. Taeyong had nearly died. He recognized the signs clearly and that was the reason he was so shocked to see them in who he did.

Johnny’s soulmate.

Taeyong first took notice when you walked through the door of the club. A celebration night to celebrate the frat’s anniversary alongside Taeyong’s new choreographer position in the dance studio he works in. Your face had a slightly paler tone and although you were doing a good job at keeping your breathing even… Taeyong recognized the telltale signs of a wince when you took the air in too harshly.

But when he saw Johnny approach you and press a loving kiss to your forehead, he scolded himself for thinking such things. Taeyong knew something was up though, your smile didn’t meet your eyes and when you congratulated him with a hug, he swore he could feel your body tremble.

He tried not to worry too much throughout the night but when he saw Johnny by the bar, his charming smile dazzled at some sorority girls that had been invited… Taeyong wondered where you’d gone. The disappointment within him only grew when he watched his best friend and frat brother go home with one of them.

So, maybe his suspicions were correct. A few weeks passed and he’d not seen a glimpse of you, Johnny hadn’t even uttered your name. The rapper hadn’t had time to sit him down and ask him about the incident. Until now.

Taeyong dabbed the sweat from his brow with the neckline of his shirt, swiping his water bottle from the floor. He shuffled toward his friend, watching as he grinned at his phone as he typed. He was talking to someone and Taeyong only hoped it was you. That you’d both mended things to stop it getting worse. The thought of it all being a misunderstanding had a relieved smile spreading across his face as he settled on the floor next to Johnny.

“You texting ____? Tell her I said Hey.” Taeyong said, twisting the cap off his drink to take a swig. Taeyong was almost taken aback at the irritated flash that crossed Johnny’s expression at the mention of your name.

If Taeyong wasn’t so observant, he would have missed it. Johnny shook his head, swiftly locking his phone when his leader went to peer over his shoulder. “It’s not. It’s Yuki.”

Taeyong’s eyebrows scrunched, posture freezing for a moment. “The sorority girl you went home with?” He tried to keep his tone level. Memories of the same thing happening to himself reoccur in his mind. “What about ____?” The question hung awkwardly in the air, Johnny staring at Taeyong as if he’d asked something ridiculous.

“What about her?” He shrugged. “Just because I do stupid things, doesn't mean I don’t love her. She’s my soulmate.” He paused, an almost defeated sigh sagging at his shoulders. “The only one I got.”

Taeyong took notice of the slight bitterness in his words. Almost as if he didn’t realize that he did it. “Do you?”

Johnny rubbed at the back of his neck, his mouth opening but no words coming out. Once again, a defeated shrug of his shoulders. “Yeah… yes.” He cleared his throat as his voice broke. “I’m sure we’d of noticed by now if I hadn’t.” Johnny left no room for debate, standing up with a clap of his hands to suggest they continue their lacrosse practice.

You knew. You knew Johnny’s feelings for you were dwindling. You were reminded every time you coughed. Reminded by the way your breath left you in an agonizing squeeze when Johnny would kiss your forehead.

But, even though you knew… it didn’t make you love him any less. You knew what he got up to when your nights weren't spent together. You didn’t do a thing, didn’t bring it up. You almost tried to ignore it. You loved Johnny. You always would. And, as long as you continued to love him, he wouldn’t have the same fate as you. You would never wish this pain on him even if he was the cause.

You wished you’d heeded Mark’s seemingly lighthearted warning at the beginning of your relationship. ‘He’s one of my closest friends but he doesn’t always do the right thing, just… please be careful.’ Mark had said one evening. You hadn’t truly understood why he had said it, nor did you get to question him before Johnny had slid his arm around your middle.

You understood perfectly now. Especially as a sharp tickle wheezed in the back of your throat, your eyes discreetly scanning the new text message from your seat at the very back row of English lit class. ‘Can we rain check date night again? Coach is being a hardass and wants us to stay late.’ For the third week running, the same excuse. Sure, you’d seen Johnny. But Thursday was always date night. Something you’d both stuck to like glue once before.

Pain twisted in your chest, your breath rough. You brought the sleeve of your hoodie to your mouth, attempting a discreet cough. It didn’t do anything for you, the feeling like you’d swallowed razorblades. The world felt like it was spinning for a moment and you had to close your eyes and count to ten to steady it again.

One look at your sleeve had you frowning. The next stage had started. You’d read about this. Discoloured petals. You’d only coughed up one but one was enough for you to be sure. With one last attempt at clearing your throat, you brushed the blackened petal to the ground.

Taeyong shared this class with you. Whilst he didn’t often sit next to you, he was mostly always on the same row. Not many people occupied the back row and so, when he heard the muffled hack come from your direction he had looked over, shoulders tensing as he watched you.

He approached you at the end of class, watching your sluggish movements as you shoved your laptop back into your bag. “____, Are you alright?” He asked softly, noting the sheen of sickly sweat coasting your forehead.

Lips pressed firmly together, you nodded. You were certain if you opened your mouth you'd start coughing and choking again but you didn’t want to be rude. “I’m fine.” Bad idea. “Sorry, Yong, I gotta go-” Taeyong had never heard your voice so scratchy and coarse. He had also never seen you flee so quickly before he could even open his mouth, your notepad falling from your unzipped bag as you vanished before his eyes.

As he knelt down to collect it from the ground, his fingers made contact with a velvety, withered texture.

A blackened rose petal.

The next time Taeyong saw you, you were much worse than he could have imagined. He had only turned up at your apartment because he assumed Johnny had left his phone at your place. He couldn’t really understand the rushed words of ‘Shit! I left my phone at her place, I’m already late!’ When Taeyong offered to go and get it, he naturally thought of your place.

So when you answered the door, he was standing frozen at the sight of you. Your eyes had bags under them that would put JFK airport to shame. Your complexion was grey, lips cracked and dry. Taeyong could definitely see you’d lost some weight too, your knitted sweater nearly slipping off one shoulder. His gaze caught onto the marks along your neck, long red streaks almost looking like you had been clawing at it in your agony. Your winced call of his name kicked his brain into gear.

“Now isn’t a good ti-” His hands flew out to rub and pat your back as your words were interrupted.

Taeyong’s heart broke as he watched you struggle. You couldn’t get your breath, your face turning red from the strenuosity. Taeyong backed you into your apartment, kicking the door closed behind him. He sat you on your couch, disappearing from view for a moment.

You didn’t even take note of what exactly was being thrust under your nose, only that it would catch what your body rejected. One of his hands held the bucket, the other sweeping your hair away from your face. It was all too familiar for him. Except for Taeyong, he had done it alone.

“It’s okay, ____” He hushed, palm flattened over your back to rub comforting circles. “Breath through your nose and count to ten. It helps.”

You did as such, shoulders relaxing as the air finally seeped into your lungs. You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, sighing at the crimson residue that was becoming all too familiar. You opened your mouth to speak, only to be gently hushed once more.

“It’s okay, it’ll hurt too much if you talk.” He set the bucket down on the side table. “You should get yourself some grapeseed oil. A teaspoon a day should at least prevent the attacks so often.” Taeyong didn’t look at you as he spoke, his hands busying themselves with opening the small drawer to your coffee table in search of tissues.

“You mean this?” You rasped, pulling the small droplet bottle from your pocket, and setting it down on the surface before you. Taeyong’s eyebrows creased.

It was the exact same bottle he was sure he had. Though, catching sight of the label on the bottle he knew it was his bottle. ‘Taeyong’ scribbled messily on the labeled sticker. He looked at you expectantly.

“Johnny gave it to me.” Just uttering his name sent a pang of hurt through you, a wave of emotion rippling from your jaw to the tips of your toes.

Taeyong understood immediately, a deep sigh resonating as he nodded once. “He knows then.” To which you nodded, eyes fixed on your lap.

He had never seen you cry, and he would hate to admit it but your eyes looked pretty when you did. It was as if the glaze of tears enhanced the colors of your iris. “He doesn’t know it’s this bad. He thinks the tickle has just started.”

“____, you’re dying and you’re telling me Johnny hasn’t noticed yet?” To say that Taeyong was in disbelief was an understatement. The new knowledge that Johnny knew now had floored him.

Why? Because Johnny hadn’t once let it show. Taeyong had been around the guy all week and he was still the happy comedic genius he always was. Not a hint of anything bothering him.

“Yong, It’s okay. I..” You drew your knees up to your chest, patting the spot next to you for him. “I’ve come to terms with it.”

“Come to terms with it?!” He spluttered. “____, you are in your twenties! You can’t be okay with dying in your twenties.” His hand raked through his hair, eyes blinking rapidly like he couldn't come to terms with how calm you looked right now.

Taeyong could feel the anger bubbling up in his chest, his gaze hardening as he addressed you once more. “You know he’s been seeing her too, don’t you?”

You were silent, shame eating at your subconscious. “If I ignore it then he won’t have to be like this too.”

Taeyong sprung up to his feet. “Wake up! He’s out there living his life with no regrets and you’re the one to suffer? I can’t…” He shook his head, shoving his clenched fists into his pockets. “I’m sorry, I just-” With one last shake of his head, Taeyong left you there. The slam of your front door announcing his absence.

Johnny remembered the conversation between the two of you very clearly. He was convinced he still loved you a lot. Just not in the way you need. At first, he thought it was doubt, but as time went on he started to notice the dry tickly cough and the abundance of petals scattered in your trash. He was sure it wasn’t harmful yet, certain that he still held the love in his heart for you.

Johnny didn’t love Yuki. She was fun. She was different. She wasn’t you. He could spend time with her without any strings attached. It was freeing, knowing he wasn't destined to be with her no matter what.

He felt guilt at first. He didn’t like lying to you, but it was for his own selfish gain that he did. Johnny had seen Taeyong go through the pain and near death of a soulmate falling out of love, he didn’t want that for himself. Johnny had too much to live for, as arrogant and self-centred as that sounded.

He remembered what you said when he gave you the vial of grapeseed oil, how your shaky hands had placed over his own. How you told him it was okay, it wasn’t his fault. But Johnny couldn’t help but think it was. Johnny tried so hard to make himself love you still. Your words of comfort swirled in his mind and kept him up at night. ‘Nobody can help who they do and don’t love. Feelings change, People don’t’ You’d said to him.

Johnny felt ashamed. Being unfaithful to you whilst you still loved him with every ounce of your soul. Deep down, Johnny knew you only had two options he just hoped you made a decision before it was too late.

Taeyong had been seen by barely anyone all week. It was as if he was attending his classes and then picking up every extra shift or odd job imaginable. The Neos were even more shocked when Mark slapped a flier down on the dining table ping pong table in front of some of the brothers. A for sale flier, advertising their frat leader’s motorcycle. The very same one that he cherished and spent a fortune to modify.

“Do you think he’s in debt?” Jungwoo frowned, setting his beer on the table.

That question alone earned a chortled laugh. “Woo, we’re in university. We’re all in debt.” Yuta clapped him on the back. “But, on a serious note, He’s been acting super weird lately.”

Everyone launched into debate, trying to determine why Taeyong would be selling his pride and joy so suddenly. Conversation ceased when the front door opened and the man in question shuffled into the open-plan living space with an exhausted wave.

“Ty, are you actually selling the bandit?” The question came from Taeil, Neo frat’s oldest member.

Taeyong moved through the living area, taking a seat at one of the beanbags littered around the table. “Already sold it.” He bobbed his head in a nod.

It earned him many concerned looks. “Are you in trouble or something? Are you trying to cover the water bill from when Mark broke the faucet?”

“No, Jae. I’m not in trouble. It’s not for me.” He reassured, his voice dying down quietly. “It’s for ____.”

Everyone stopped. Mark locked his phone, Yuta stopped chipping at his nail polish, and Taeil nearly spat out his beer. Jaehyun and Jungwoo were already staring at him.

“Why?”

Taeyong took a deep breath, anticipating the question.It didn’t take long for him to catch them up to speed. “You haven’t noticed? I can’t watch her die. Even if she’s come to terms with it.”

“She’s not been to class for a few weeks. Professor Choi just straight-up skips over her name now. I’m guessing they know.” Jaehyun hummed.

“Hm, Jaemin said he saw her last week on his midnight ramen run.” Mark recalled, “Said she looked like something out of living dead.”

“Mark,” Taeyong gave him a warning look. The younger just shrugged his shoulders. “I’m going to book the operation for her. She doesn’t know. I just need the deposit. After that, it’s monthly payments. I can scrape enough together for the monthly just fine.” He looked pained. “Whenever I see her, it’s like I’m watching myself go through it again.”

One by one, Jaehyun, Mark, Jungwoo, Yuta, and Taeil offered their help.

The six of them didn’t make it known what their plans were but soon enough, after Taeyong had put what he had already saved with what the others offered, it was enough. He rocked up to the private medical center, cash in an envelope that was tucked neatly within the inside pocket of his jacket.

Taeyong was pleasantly surprised that he was allowed to schedule and pay the deposit on your behalf. Acting on best interest. The receptionist did stress that you needed to fill in the form and sign consent upon arrival but Taeyong was more pleased that he was giving you a chance at life. That there was a possibility that you could carry on.

What he didn’t expect, was your immediate refusal when he brought the leaflet and forms over to your apartment the following morning. The smile dropped from his face as you tried to hide away from him. ‘He could die.’ You’d cried at him. And whilst it had been proven he wouldn't, you were convinced.

“He won’t, ____.” Taeyong begged. “Please, you can’t just accept this.” The bed dipped as he sat on the edge. The many times he had visited you now, you had always been. The last time you got up to open the door, Taeyong honestly worried that you would pass away right there on the doorstep. He took your spare key after that.

Taeyong’s gentle fingers lifted the damp wash cloth from the bowl at your bedside, running the cool material over your brow and cheeks. A light smile twitched at the corner of your lips, the sensation easing your fever, only a little but it was better than before. He knew he wasn’t going to get many more words from you this evening. You’d exhausted yourself already for the evening. Taeyong was just content enough to sit here and care for you.

Honestly, before it was known that you were Johnny’s soulmate, Taeyong had hoped you’d notice him. He had often found himself wishing that it wouldn’t last so he could at least have a shot with you. His hopes were crushed when Johnny had run through the fraternity declaring you were both soulmates. Taeyong had made peace with the idea that maybe he was meant to be alone, satisfied just by seeing you whenever Johnny brought you over to hang out.

He never wished for this, though.

Tenderest of touches brushed your hair away from where it had clung to your forehead. Taeyong clicking on the standing fan in an attempt to offer you some cool relief. “Trust me, ____.” He whispered, voice brittle. “I went through this.” His confession had your right eye cracking open.

“Back in the first year,” Taeyong recalled. “Watching you and Johnny go through this… it’s like a mirror. I nearly died,” He picked up your hand, engulfing it in both of his own. “I refused the operation until it was nearly too late. For the same reason, actually.”

Your fingers twitched in his own, your index finger hooking around his thumb to offer comfort. You have suspected Taeyong had some close experience with this. Especially in the way he always seemed to understand your pain, the sad gazes, and his drive to help you. You had never expected that he would be the one in your position though. The meer thought had tears welling up in your eyes. You seemed to cry a lot around the man these days.

“He didn’t die though. Apparently, he just… coughed up the root.” He lifted your hand, the ghosting feeling of his lips against your knuckles. “I promise you, Johnny won’t die… At least think about it.” To which you nodded in agreement.

Taeyong made you soup, your favorite kind. You weren’t even sure how he knew it was your favorite but he did. He parted from you with a lingering kiss to your hairline. Just like every night. This form of unrequited love seemed to of hurt him more than his last.

He’d left the forms and leaflets on the empty bed space by your feet.

You’d asked Taeyong not to come over for the last four days. As worried as he was, he had to respect your wishes. You didn’t want him to see your sudden decline as you entered the last stage of the rejection. Meaning, that Johnny had almost fallen completely out of love with you now.

You were expecting it, Taeyong too. You and Johnny had broken things off the last time you saw each other. Both of you doing so without even having to clarify the matter. He was free. Almost.

Taeyong had been stressed all week, even his frat brothers had given him a wide berth. Many put it down to the lacrosse game the pending evening. Only a select few really knew that it was because today was the same day Taeyong had scheduled for your surgery.

He hadn’t known it was the same day as the game, Jungwoo uttering the words with caution the day before. Taeyong swore to himself that he thought he booked it for next week. He didn’t even know if you were going to accept it… Any time he brought it up you tended to change the subject.

How Taeyong managed to even pass the ball with steady swings amazed even himself, his hands hadn’t stopped shaking. He had nearly skipped the game in favor of being with you, but he knew he couldn’t. The game had gone smoothly, they were winning by one. In fact, Johnny had to take the penalty shot.

The whole field waited on bated breath, all eyes on Johnny as he just stood there, his expression morphed in such a way that Taeyong exchanged a look with Jaehyun.

“Seo! Take the damn shot already!” The coach didn’t even get through his ending word before Johnny’s form curled over, knees slamming into the ground.

Taeyong rushed over as his friend tore off his helmet and spat his mouthguard to the ground. He would worry about that later. Taeyong slid to his knees beside Johnny, his own helmet crashing to the ground out of his grip.

Johnny had never felt such pain. His airways were burning. The sensation in his chest felt like all the oxygen was being torn from him. The team crowded around him, blocking anyone else's view of the scene. A choked cough left his throat, a shout of agony following after. Petals. Blood. Stems. The flower was unwinding itself, pulling at the roots from within his chest and lungs.

The team managed to maneuver Johnny back to the locker rooms, it took four of them to carry him but soon the male was slumped against the tiles of the showers. Taeyong was beside him once again. “Cough it up Johnny, you’ll do more damage if you don’t.” He tugged Johnny’s arm to sit him forward, his fist thumping down in the center of his back. “Johnny, come on!”

To say Taeyong was relieved when Johnny finally started coughing again was an understatement. “You gotta carry it on, it’ll hurt but I’ve got you.” He pleaded over the sound of his friend’s cries and chokes.

Johnny doesn’t know how long he continuously coughed for. All he knew was the last one to shake through his body finally offered him release, Taeyong tugging him away from the mangled mix of plant and blood only to rip him, Johnny, from his shock-induced state by shoving him under the freezing cold shower stream - kit and all.

A big, clear breath left him.

“What the fuck, John?” Ten peaked his head around the corner, having raced in after the team to check on his best friend.

“Dude, that's your flower.” Mark grimaced, crouched down next to the offending object.

The announcement made Johnny’s spine straighten, and Taeyong hung his head. “What does it mean?” Johnny shakily stood, pressing the button to stop the stream of cold water.

It was fascinating how Johnny already felt better. He felt no pull in his chest, no weakness even after the whole ordeal. He felt new. But if he felt like this… then what had happened to you? The realization of what had happened weighed heavy on his guilt.

He turned to address the sort of traumatized, faces around him but it wasn’t him that spoke up. It was Taeyong. “It means I need to find ____.”

Taeyong had raced past his teammates and into the locker room without any further explanation. His phone cramped between his ear and shoulder as he tugged on his sweats at record speed. “C’mon, Petal. Pick up.” He swore to himself, only removing the device from his ear to throw on a t-shirt from his locker. It was a term of endearment he had taken to calling you of late, though quite often when you were too dazed to notice.

He ignored the looks of confusion from his friends. Well, from those other than Mark and Jaehyun. From the look on Johnny’s face, he was still piecing things together. Taeyong didn’t have time for that, snatching the keys for the beat-up Honda he had gotten recently and sprinting from the room.

Taeyong continued to call you on the way to your apartment. He had just hoped you’d gotten yourself to the appointment. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of losing you like this. He found himself afraid to enter your building, scared of what he may find. His head thumped against the steering wheel, eyes burning with unshed tears. You had to be okay.

His phone buzzed, body jumped when he saw your name flash on the screen. He swiped to answer, bringing it up to his ear with a relieved sigh. “____.” He listened to your breathing for a split second, registering the steady beeps in the background.

“Is he alive?” Your tone was filled with urgency but your voice was clearer than Taeyong had heard in weeks. It had a relieved laugh bubbling from his chest, salty droplets cascading down his cheeks and leaving his tear ducts with the tension in him.

“He’s fine.” He sniffled, rubbing at his face. “ Petal, you’re okay. I tho-” You interrupted him with a soothing call of his name.

“You were right.” He listened to you pause, the sounds of you sipping through a straw present in the receiver. “There are things I do have to live for.” You spoke quietly. “The first one being myself.”

He hummed in agreement, starting up the car again. “Yeah? I’ll be there soon and you can tell me all about the second, Petal.” He was rewarded with a breathy laugh. “What?”

“Petal.” You murmured, Taeyong could hear the slumber lingering back into your tone.

“Get some rest. I’ll be there soon.” He was about to pull the phone away from his ear when you quietly called his name again.

“Yes?” He hummed, clicking the hands-free and setting the phone into the holder on the dash.

“Can I tell you my second reason?”

“What’s that, Petal?” He smiled softly to himself.

“It’s you.”

©Acescavern - I do not give permission for my works to be copied, translated or reposted

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writemekpop · 1 year

Text

Sleepless | Lee Taeyeong

Summary: Your boyfriend Taeyong has been moaning your name in his nightmares, but he refuses to tell you why...

Genre: Established relationship AU, angsty

Word Count: 0.8k

“Y/n! Stop!” Taeyong begged, his tear-streaked face squeezed against the mattress.

He woke up with a jolt, his terrified eyes meeting yours.

Your boyfriend’s nightmares had been going on for a week. Every night, he cried your name in his sleep, his voice husky and breathless.

“Baby, I’m here, it’s okay,” you whispered, wrapping your hands over his broad shoulders. “What was it about?”

“Nothing. I’m fine,” he said, rolling to face the other side of the bed.

“That’s the fifth time this week. You’re not fine.”

“I’ll sleep in the spare room tomorrow,” Taeyong replied gruffly, as if the conversation was over.

“I don’t care about my sleep, Taeyong, I care about you. I think it would help to talk about it.” You ran your fingers over his rippling back muscles.

Taeyong turned to face you. His lips opened for a moment… then he shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

His words stung. You knew Taeyong had had a traumatic experience when he was a kid, and you hadn’t, but… he had never made you feel bad about it.

You bit your lip. “Fine then. Sleep in the spare room – for a week.”

“Fine.”

The bed was chilly without your boyfriend in it. The white bedsheet could have been an iceberg.

For a few nights, you put up with his tortured nightmare sounds through the wall.

Then one night, you heard a sound that you would never forget. It was a howl, a sound of pure anguish, that tore through the air. You had to go and check on Taeyong.

You rushed to the bed in the spare room to wake him up.

Taeyong’s eyes shot open. They looked weirdly glassy, like he was looking through you.

“Did it burn you? Oh, baby, let me kiss your wounds!” Taeyong said.

Taeyong’s lips stroked your face, your neck, your waist, as his anxious eyes roamed over every inch of you.

“W-what are you talking about?” you said. “You’re scaring me…”

Taeyong squeezed you into his chest, his arms caging you in a hug. He pressed a soft kiss on your lips, then pulled you into his arms again. “Not too bad – singed hair – second degree – we’ll be alright.”

In your hair, he whispered, “I thought I’d lost you, I thought I’d lost my angel…”

Your heart swelling, you held his head in your hands, forcing him to look at you. “Baby! Nightmare – that’s all it is.”

Taeyong froze. Like a blind man seeing for the first time, he looked in wonder at the small bedroom, then back at you.

“But the… fire…” he said.

Taeyong sat down on the bed, hard. The mask had fallen again, and his face was unreadable. “Sorry. ‘Nother nightmare. Go back to sleep.”

“No Taeyong… what fire?” you said, sitting next to him.

When Taeyong met your eyes, his face was stony and you knew he wanted to shut you out yet again.

But after a long moment, something in him softened.

“When I was twelve – some people who hated my father burnt our house down. If I hadn’t warned my parents, I would have lost them.”

He took your hand and kissed it. “Ever since we moved in together, I’ve been getting these nightmares, where it’s you getting hurt – only – I can’t save you this time…”

Your heart throbbed with love for Taeyong. All this time, he had been worrying about you.

“You should have just told me!” you said.

Taeyong chuckled hoarsely. “Honestly, it feels good to tell you.”

“Of course, it does, you idiot. I’m your girlfriend,” you said, lightly punching his stomach. You looked into his eyes. “I can’t understand what you’ve been through, but let me just listen, okay?”

Taeyong nodded warmly. “I’ll never hide another thing from you, baby.”

“Wanna go back to sleep? You can come back to the master bedroom,” you said, chuckling.

“Can’t sleep,” Taeyong said, glaring at the corner as if he was warning the shadows not to come any closer.

“Well, I can think of a much better way to pass the time,” you said, eyeing him through your lashes. You let your fingers skate innocently to the waistband of his shorts… then underneath…

A grunt sounding in his throat, Taeyong swept you effortlessly into his arms and carried you into the master bedroom.

“You, my dear, are plenty hot enough to start a fire,” you giggled.

Taeyong’s smile dropped.

“Too soon?” you asked.

“Definitely too soon,” Taeyong agreed, but he was smiling. He leaned in to kiss you again.

—

MAIN MASTERLIST

Let us know what you thought in the comments or on anon! 💋

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wontune · 3 months

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Taeyong ☆ lockscreens ( nct 127 )

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lebrookestore · 2 years

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love theory | l.ty

Pairing: Lee Taeyong x reader

Themes: best friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, college au, wingwoman au, fluff, angst, comedy, mutual pining, lots of lying, kissing, references to 13 going on 30, Lee ‘whipped’ Taeyong, PG 15

Warnings: profanity, usage of nicknames, food, kissing, lying, angst, themes of being let down, slight unrequited love, taeyong is a little bit of a jerk but its unintentional i promise you he’s a sweetheart

Wc: 21k

Summary: "hey google, how do you fake going on a date with someone that doesn't even exist because you were too much of a coward to tell your best friend you're in love with her so now you're screwed? sincerely, taeyong."

Playlist: love theory by taeyong and wonstein, theres no way by julia michaels and lauv; starlight by taeil; best friends by conan gray; how you get the girl by taylor swift; just friends by why don’t we, shine by pentagon

Notes from brooke: happy birthday to the loml!! it’s been a hot minute since i posted anything but i had to for taeyong day, so i wrote this entire fic in eight days 🧍‍♀️ go big or go home amirite? (living that enhypen agenda). anyway! i worked really hard on this fic and had a lot of fun writing this, so i hope you enjoy reading it! as always, feedback would be much appreciated<3

Taeyong didn’t have the best luck when it came to romance.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true, he had been in a few relationships before. He had been through the first date giddiness several times and that fluttery, nervous feeling you get when you first start to get to know someone. He had experienced the lows of heartbreak and the sorrow of a breakup, the awkwardness of a crush, and— well, you get the point.

So theoretically, he should have been fine. There was no need to be so jittery about the situation because it wasn’t anything new. Unfortunately for him, knowing this did not help him at all, even though one would think it would. Even Doyoung agreed, he was hopeless.

To be fair though, Doyoung wasn’t much better than he was, if not worse. Taeyong sighed, taking his phone and holding it over his face as he opened his gallery. His current position was him lying down over the expanse of his sofa, aimlessly scrolling through the app.

It wasn’t completely aimless, he supposed. He was the type of guy who took pictures of the most random things on a daily basis, and sometimes he enjoyed looking through them, especially if they were artistic in a sense. His eyes caught on one and he smiled briefly, clicking on it.

This was one he hadn’t taken himself, but rather Doyoung had. In it was him and you standing over the kitchen island in your parent's house, with you staring down at a bowl of what he remembered to be a very uncooperative batch of icing with a poisonous look. You had never had much talent when it came to the kitchen, it was almost laughable at this point.

Taeyong, on the other hand, wasn’t looking at the icing, but rather at you, with the softest expression gracing his features. The ghost of a smile played on his lips as stared at you, beyond amused at your perplexed state at that moment.

He blinked, taking in the picture in its entirety with a small grin. He was so enraptured by it that he missed the clicking sound his door made when it was opened, and the footsteps that quickly made their way towards the living room where he sat (or rather, lay down), growing louder with each step.

“You won’t fucking believe what happened today-”

Taeyong was startled at the sudden sound of your voice cutting through his self-induced reverie, causing him to let go of his phone in a split second of panic.

Now, in the ninth grade back in high school, he had learned about Newton’s law of universal gravitation. It stated that two bodies in space pull on each other with a force proportional to their masses and the distance between them. He could lie and say that he understood whatever the fuck that meant, but in truth, he had simply memorized it for the exam he had to write on it that year.

What he did understand, however, was the fact that gravity was a thing. He received a first-hand demonstration of it right then and there when his phone fell flat on his face, leaving him to let out a string of very colourful language in annoyance.

Picking up the device that caused him a face injury, he pushed himself to sit up straight, glaring at your figure as you walked through the doorway and into the living room. The sight of you thereafter you had let yourself in was by no means a new or surprising one- he had given you a key to his place a long time ago, one that you kept along with your own keys.

No, Taeyong was more embarrassed that he had been caught so off guard, even if you hadn’t been there to see it. Thank god for that, because he knew that you would probably tease him for a good half an hour about it, before forgetting about it until some obscure moment in the future when you would bring it up again just to annoy him

How wonderful.

This time you didn’t seem aware of his sentiments at that moment, too caught up in your own business to do so. You stormed in after carefully taking your shoes out at the entrance and keeping them there neatly, and placed your hands on your hips, giving him an expectant look.

He sighed, pretending to be uninterested for a moment. “What happened?”

“I got paired with Kim Ji-woo for this project in my screenwriting class,” You groaned, making your way over to the couch where he sat and plopping yourself down beside him. “And look- Ji-woo is great, super sweet and a really nice person but is absolutely useless when it comes to project work! The last time someone was in a group with her she somehow managed to not contribute in the slightest!”

You slumped into the cushions in defeat, glancing at Taeyong who hummed in acknowledgment of your words.

“Sounds like a you problem.”

Scoffing, you took one of the cushions and hit his arm with it, causing him to laugh as he raised it in defense of himself.

“I come to you in time of distress and thats all you say? What type of shitty best friend are you?”

You were only joking, of course, because you knew that there was no way you could ever survive without Taeyong. He was your constant, the one person you knew you could fall back on with your eyes closed and trust that he would be there to catch you.

You had known him since the both of you were eighteen in your senior year of high school. Saying you knew him was a bit of a stretch considering your relationship at that only included polite nods and glances in between classes and in the hallways. You were acquaintances at most and forgot about each other's existence until you found yourself in the same classroom at your university, and he was the only person who was familiar to you.

Naturally, you went up to him and struck up a conversation with him and the acquaintance turned into a friend, and the friend turned into a best friend. Now a junior, you had stuck with him for around three years and could not have asked for more.

Alright, maybe that last bit was a small lie. There was something else you could have asked for, but it was a wish you preferred to keep to yourself.

He was gorgeous too, possibly one of the most beautiful people you had ever seen. It wasn’t your fault he was such a lovely person in every way, so really the possible feelings you harboured towards him (again, it was just a possibility and this was all off the record) was just a by-product of that. You would never be able to explain how just thinking about him would brighten your mood, or how you always felt safe with him. You would continue disregarding these thoughts, especially the one about how his idiotic little smile could prompt a smile of your own.

You chalked it down to him having an infectious smile and laugh, which wasn’t untrue. He was the type of guy who could light up a room with just his presence, and you were more than grateful to be able to call him yours.

Erm- your best friend, that is!

“Hey,” he caught your attention once again, a softer look on his face. “If it’s that much of an issue, just give her a few basic tasks and I’ll try and help you with your parts, okay?”

You furrowed your eyebrows in thought at this suggestion of his, and if you were going to be honest it sounded like a pretty good compromise. This wasn’t his first time being your saviour when it came to academics, in fact, he was there with you just last finals season. He had stayed up with you and helped you study even though his courses were not in any way similar to yours.

And you would do the same for him, you knew. It was just how the two of you worked, a good symbiotic relationship- well not a relationship but a friendship and-

While you were busy getting too in your head over your friendship and as you mindlessly nodded to his idea, he studied your features. The slope of your nose and the way your hair fell into your face since half of it was out of your poorly tied ponytail. Somehow throughout your graceful chaos, you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Instinctively, he reached out and tucked some of your hair behind your ear, startling you just enough to look back at him with wide eyes.

His mouth went dry for just a moment, and he realized that he was well and truly fucked. Whether you knew it or not, you had him wrapped around your little finger, and he couldn’t find it in himself to break away.

So yes, Taeyong didn’t have much luck in the love department.

Because he had fallen in love with his best friend.

There was something off about Taeyong today- like he wasn’t as normal as usual.

To be fair though, there wasn’t anything inherently normal about him either, but it was blatantly obvious right now. His knee bounced and he wasn’t paying any attention to the PowerPoint presentation of lecture notes on the screen of his laptop.

Moreover, his outfit was just a tad fancier than what you were used to, which was a shirt and skinny jeans, a jacket if he wanted to dress it up a little. The button-up he was wearing made him look great (not that he didn’t look like someone who walked out of the cover of a Vogue issue anyways, but this only amped that up), and the pretty silver earrings he wore only added to the look. And you could be mistaken, but you knew him extremely well, and you were willing to bet that he was wearing that good cologne he had.

You knew about it since half of his hoodies lived in your closet, but that was a conversation for another time. What was important now was the fact that he was actually using it. He mostly went for the less lavish one- which was also pretty good, again you would know- so this was a little bit of a surprise.

“Okay, fine, I’ll bite,” you cut through the silence that reigned over the library, “What is going on here?”

He looked at you in confusion. Wincing, you realized you had been a little too loud when the library sent a scathing look in your general direction and you lowered your tone to a whisper.

“What do you mean?” He asked softly and you gave him a once over.

“You look….good,” you cleared your throat as quietly as possible. “Why do you look good?”

This was not the reaction he had been hoping for. Taeyong raised an eyebrow, “Thank you? I’m sorry? Why do I feel like I’ve done something wrong?”

You shook your head, leaning over so you could speak a little softer, “I mean- you look great all the time but it feels like you put in more effort today- why?”

Why? Oh, that truly was an interesting question. A loaded question, but an interesting one nonetheless, because the answer was embarrassing. He studied your face, the narrowing of your eyes and furrowing of your eyebrows out of curiosity. You looked cute.

“I just felt like it.” He shrugged, but you could tell he was lying the moment the words left his mouth. The tips of his ears turned red, which was his tell. You scoffed at his attempt to lie to your face because he had always been absolutely terrible at doing so. You could see through him and read him like a book.

“Uh-huh.”

Okay, so maybe there was a motive behind this. Doyoung- god, he really had to stop going to him for help when it came to you- suggested he start trying to make his way out of the best friend zone because it was around ten times worse than the friend zone. The best friend zone was much deeper for it symbolized the trust and relationship between the two of you, but it wasn’t exactly the relationship he had been hoping for.

You were squinting at him now as if trying to peer into his mind and figure out what was going on in it. He briefly wondered if he should hold his book over his head so he could stop the brainwaves, or whatever.

“You’re trying to impress someone,” you concluded incredulously, eyes wide when you realized. In your ‘eureka’ moment, you once again forgot that you were in a library. The librarian rapped one of her books on her desk hard against it to catch your attention, leaving you to mouth that you were sorry, before muttering something about her under your breath.

Before Taeyong could even respond, you raised an eyebrow, “A girl? Oh my god, do you like someone?”

‘Yeah, you.’ He thought.

“Nope.” He lied.

But the lie came out much too quick, and you immediately figured out that you had hit the nail right on the head. So you waited for a moment to think of a clever one-liner to tease him with.

Nothing.

Instead, you felt rather hollow about this new development. You knew you should feel excited about it for him, to press him for answers and be delighted, but you didn’t and the worst part was that you had to make sure he wouldn’t pick up on that.

“Who is it?” You demanded, trying your best to sound normal as if you were genuinely curious. You weren’t. You would rather know anything else than who the person who had captured Taeyongs affections was. Lucky bitch.

Oh god, that definitely wasn’t very nice of you. This was why you didn’t want to know because if anyone was going to turn into a bitch because of it, it was you. No, that simply wouldn’t do, instead, you would help him.

Why?

Because you loved Taeyong enough to let him go, or at least that was what you were going to tell yourself. Also because that was what friends did.

And you and Taeyong were really good fucking friends.

He looked a little scandalized, eyes wide when he realized you had managed to deduce what the matter was within seconds. He almost dropped his book in surprise.

“It—it’s not important.”

“Yes, it is,” you leaned forward, “Do I know her?”

Now it was Taeyongs turn to panic because while just telling you the truth sounded extremely appealing, the possibility of getting rejected didn’t. He didn’t really want to lie to you either, but if those were the only two choices he had, he knew what he had to do.

“Nope.”

You deflated, slumping in your seat. Knowing who your competition was would be nice.

“Just tell me already!” You pouted, and Taeyong had to physically make sure he wasn’t looking at you at that moment because he knew that even one glance at your expression would have him melting on the spot.

“No.”

You pressed your lips together. You would help him, you promised yourself, but perhaps now your motivations were a little different. If you offered to help him, you’d learn who the lucky girl was sooner or later. You hoped later wouldn’t be at their wedding.

“At least let me help you,” you sighed in exasperation, “This is what best friends do, you know, they play wingwoman. Give you the love theory you need.” You cleared your throat to rid it of the lump that had lodged there when you figured out that he liked someone.

He scoffed, “Help me? Now how would you do that?”

An amused smile played on his pretty lips, and you momentarily wondered how it would feel to kiss them. Promptly after that, you pinched yourself under the table to bring yourself back to reality. Thinking ridiculously wouldn’t do you any good.

“I listen to Taylor Swift,” you said solemnly as if it answered everything perfectly. “And she literally has a song called ‘How You Get the Girl, so if anyone could help it was her or me, and you’re not important enough to talk to T Swizzle before I do, so you’re just going to have to make do.”

Taeyong was a little concerned over how enthusiastic you seemed about assisting him in this. If you were so happy about him being interested in someone else then didn’t that mean that you weren’t interested in him? Now he hated the fact he had lied because it all seemed pointless. Saying no to you was not something he liked to do often, but it was also something he couldn’t do now or you would grow suspicious.

God damn it.

“Hello? Earth to Taeyong?” You snapped your fingers in front of his face, causing him to blink rapidly, eyes focusing back on you.

His eyes had always been intense to look into, dark and demanding, which is something he had always hated about them. Over the years he had tried his best to soften them since it was one of the reasons others found him intimidating as well.

To you, however, they were rather mesmerizing. You loved the way that everything around you would slowly fade away when he looked at you like that, especially when they were upturned into little crescents when he was happy.

“I’m sorry?”

“Yes or no?.”

“To….what?”

“To being your wingwoman,” You reiterated, feigning annoyance. This earned you yet another glare from the librarian, but you were much too invested in your best friend's business to care about it.

“I—,” He thought about arguing for just a minute, but it seemed that he deemed it worthless to do so with you. He knew how convincing you could be when you wanted to, and so he simply nodded in defeat. “Fine.”

(There were two idiots in this room. Dumb and dumber, and no one would ever know who was which.)

You straightened in your seat, plastering another smile on your face as you did so to convey your supposed joy over him letting you do this. He looked dubious but allowed a small smile of his own as he pushed the book that you were holding open in your hands closer to your face. To this, you almost dropped the book, managing to catch it just in time to avoid a scolding from the librarian, who definitely didn’t like the two of you very much anymore.

“Study,” he instructed, “Worry about my love life later.”

Little did he know that you were very much worrying about your own.

When you were little, your parents had been extremely strict about everything you did to instill a sense of discipline in you. You had to wake up at seven-thirty to get ready for school every day, and on the weekend, it was eight. At birthday parties you always had to ask them if you could have juice when someone offered, and after dinner, you were only ever allowed to eat one cookie if there were any.

One day, however, after finishing your obligatory cookie, you found yourself really wanting another. It was urgent, you absolutely had to sink your teeth into one more to appreciate its chocolatey goodness properly.

So you waited till your parents thought you were asleep to sneak out into the kitchen and take one. You had no regrets for that night only, because you were caught the next night itself when your mother found that there was one cookie less in the stack. When she asked you about it, you stoutly denied this accusation, which she definitely didn’t appreciate, and sat you down with your father so that the both of them could give you a talking to about honesty.

This had left a mark on you, and so you tended to be as honest as possible from that point onwards. Your first lie led to the end of that road you had just begun to traverse, making you the perfect child.

Which was exactly why you weren’t ashamed to admit that your first thought was to somehow sabotage Taeyong’s possible relationship with this girl he said he liked when you proposed to be of help.

You really had to learn how to lie again properly.

You thanked the barista that handed you the two coffees you had ordered, managing to make your way through the busy line that infested the Starbucks that morning. Only God knew why you still opted to go there before classes sometimes, and you intended to keep it that way because even Taeyong didn’t understand it.

At first, it was because you liked the aesthetic, then you started realizing that people yelling over each other, uncomfortable lines, and your name being misspelled for the nth time did not count as an aesthetic. Alas, you were in too deep now and your pride wouldn’t let you quit.

“Here,” You handed one of the drinks to Taeyong and he nodded in silent thanks, holding the top and taking a small sip. It was one of those days when both of you had early morning classes and caffeine was the only thing that was capable of giving you the will to live through them.

“You know this tastes like normal coffee right?”

“Don’t,” You warned, but you knew what would follow. This might have been his favorite argument to revisit with you.

“I could literally make this at my apartment and it would taste the same,” He pointed out, taking yet another sip as you started to walk, falling into step with you. You liked walking around with him because it felt so natural and simple.

“You keep saying that but you’ve never actually followed through with that claim,” Your shoes clicked on the pavement, joining the rest of the cacophony that made up the walk to eight a.m. classes. “So you either are shit at making coffee and lying to me or you’re lazy.”

“Well, now I definitely don’t want to.” You caught the indignant pout on his lips from the corner of your eyes.

“Aha, so he’s lazy,” You concluded, glancing to your side to properly look at him as you stopped to wait for the traffic to pass by on the street. “So? Have you ever spoken with her?”

Confusion took over his features and he frowned. “Her?”

“The girl you refuse to tell me anything about.”

Shit. He had forgotten about that entire ordeal, eyes widening at the mention. You watched him with expectant eyes and he cleared his throat, nodding non-committal.

“A few times, yeah,” He hummed, nodding forward to tell you that it was okay to cross now. You did that, mulling over this information and commemorating it with a big gulp of coffee, almost burning your tongue. You would definitely more caffeine to survive this conversation.

“And? You have to give me something to work with, dude.”

Taeyong had no idea where he was going with this. He supposed he deserved to be stuck in such a situation because he had gotten himself into it without thinking about how it would sustain such a lie. Sighing to himself, he started speaking.

“She’s….nice.” What an eloquent description he had gone for. Trying to describe a girl that didn’t exist was extraordinarily hard, and he wondered where his childhood imagination had disappeared to. Your blank expression told him that he was doing a terrible job at whatever he was trying to achieve.

Well, there was only one thing he could think to do.

“She ‘s fun to be around,” He started, “Speaking to her is incredibly easy and I enjoy our conversations. She’s really pretty too.” The corners of his lips curled up into a slight smile as he spoke about this supposed ‘girl’.

Stop.

You wanted him to stop the moment he started elaborating because it was becoming clearer and clearer that he truly cared for this person. You had caught the way his eyes softened just a little when he started speaking, and the fond tone his voice had taken. You knew it all too well because you had sat through him speaking like this when he had been with his previous girlfriends. It was as if he reserved a special place in his heart for the people he loved romantically and spoke about them in a specific way.

You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about him speaking like that about you, but then again, you didn’t lie.

The university campus came into view and you knew that the both of you would have to part ways for your separate classes soon.

“Do you think she likes you back?”

He didn’t know how to answer that one, so he stopped for a moment and frowned in thought. You stopped as well, waiting for him. At times like these, you wished you could read his mind to figure out what went on in there. Normally you could read him like a book, and you knew everything about him, but when he would think really hard like this, it was like he put a mental block up that prevented you from doing what you normally did.

And then he started walking again as if you had never asked the question.

You stared in bewilderment as he walked in front, gaping and grumbling under your breath at being so blatantly ignored. Quickening your steps, you managed to catch up with him, panting a little now.

“Hey an answer would be lovely, you know!”

Taeyong stopped in front of the gate and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He fucking what?

“You—you don’t know?” You spluttered, a little annoyed now. “You don’t know if she likes you even a little bit?”

He shrugged once more, a victimised look on his face as he kept his shoulders up. “She’s hard to read!”

You scoffed in disbelief. “Say’s you.”

He snapped his head towards you, noting the stiff way you said that. It was a little resentful as well like you were annoyed at him, and maybe it was warranted, especially with the answers he was giving you. He was trying to be as vague as possible while being honest, so he had told the truth. He truly couldn’t read you one bit, he definitely didn’t know if you liked him back, and right now the answer was leaning towards a big, fat NO.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

You shook your head, patting his arm. “I have class, see you later.”

You began walking away, and then turned around when you realized how childish you had just been. He looked like a confused puppy now, unable to keep up with your constant switch in the mood.

“Did I….do something?” He asked gently as he cocked his head to the side, and you felt totally undeserving. You shut your eyes and shook your head. You couldn’t keep taking your frustration over him liking someone else on him. It just wasn’t fair.

“No, you didn’t,” You sighed, “I’m having a weird day, thats all.”

He raised his hand to look at his watch and then back at you. “It’s eight in the morning, what day?”

Panic seized you and your eyes widened in horror at that news. “It’s already eight? Fuck, fuck, fuck-”

“Y/n?”

“I’m late for my class!” You whined, walking backward quickly and turning around, breaking into a run. “I’ll see you later! Next time we’ll work on asking her out!”

He scoffed, watching as you hurried into one of the buildings and vanished from his line of sight, biting back the smile that was threatening to spill over. It was a very special smile, one he only kept for you.

And with another sip of his coffee, he too turned around and walked away to his class. He would have to make some coffee for you sometime soon so you would stop wasting your money on Starbucks.

“Idiot,” he muttered affectionately, “Going to miss your class and you’re still talking about that.”

lesson #1: talking to the girl

“So she knows who you are right?”

You adjusted the volume of the music playing from the radio of his car, letting go of your chopsticks and letting them fall to the inside corner of the takeout box. Your classes for the day were finally over and just like you had promised, you were going to help him

He nodded, taking a mouthful of his own noodles. On nights like these when none of you felt like cooking, takeout was your saviour. Tonight’s dinner consisted of Chinese food from the nearby restaurant. The food itself was by no means authentic, but it was tasty nonetheless a quick fix.

“Have you flirted with her?” You let him think over your latest question while he finished his bite.

“I probably have?” He ended it like a question rather than a statement. “We talk quite a bit actually, but anything I say always seems to go over her head like she’s completely oblivious.”

Damn. You couldn’t even hide the sympathetic look on your face at that. The girl really didn’t know what she was missing out on if she was able to ignore him so easily. You almost wished you had that talent so you wouldn’t have to be simply the best friend.

“Sucks,” You muttered, “Maybe step it up a bit? Try and gauge if she’s actually interested in you the way you are for her so you can actually answer me the next time I ask.” You rolled your eyes at the memory of him saying he didn’t know. What person didn’t try to figure out if their crush liked them back?

“I’ll try my best,” He promised absentmindedly, shaking some of his hair out of his face. Then, he offered you some of his food, and you exchanged boxes naturally, like you had done this a million times before- because you had. There were certain things in your friendship that had become so routine that you did them without thinking.

“You’re hopeless,” You muttered, “It’s like you don’t actually even care about this girl when I give you advice on what to do, but then you wear your nice cologne for her.”

He raised his eyebrow in surprise. “How did you know it was the nice one?”

“I know you,” You clicked your tongue to look at him, causing a mischievous glint to spark in his eyes. You were almost afraid of the next words that were going to come out of his pretty lips.

“Nice to know you pay so much attention to me, sweetheart,” He teased, reaching out to give your box back. Heart curled up your neck and to your cheeks, painting them in a warm flush as you puffed them out and looked away from him.

“You’re so annoying.”

“Am I wrong though?”

You were still hung up on the nickname. It wasn’t the first time he had ever called you that, after all, your friendship was affectionate and extremely close, but that didn’t stop you from being affected by it. You were more used to words like ‘dumbass’ or ‘idiot’ spoken fondly to your face with a grin, just like you did for him. The ‘sweethearts’ and ‘loves’ were more teasing than anything, never serious.

“I pay attention to you because I’m your best friend,” You argued, placing the empty take-out box to the side. “If I don’t, who will?”

The laugh that escaped him at that was enchanting, and he scrunched his nose up for a moment, as if in thought. “I guess you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“Hah, could’ve fooled me.”

You reached over and pinched his forearm, eliciting a yelp due to the force at which you executed it. “You’re impossible. I don’t know why I still hang out with you.”

“It’s because I’m impossibly lovable,” He corrected you with a shit-eating grin, finishing up his own food. Then he dropped his voice just a little. “And because you have no friends.”

The sound of your hand slapping against his arm was enough to inform anybody how you reacted to that smart-ass statement of his. He loved pushing your buttons because you looked pretty even when your brows were knitted and your lips were set in an angry pout. He especially loved it when that expression was directed toward him.

“Just talk to her more,” You sighed, “I pity her to be honest, imagine having to deal with you. I’ll start praying for her right now.”

“Wow, real nice Y/n. You always know exactly how to hype me up.”

“I’m excellent at boosting a person's confidence. Wanna see?” You were looking at him in anticipation now like you were really proud of what you were going to say next and wanted him to match your energy. He pretended to be exasperated with you, exhaling slowly.

“Fine.”

You beamed at him, turning in the passenger seat to face him properly. “Jellyfish have survived 600,000 years without a brain.”

For once, he truly didn’t know where you were going with this and waited patiently. The way you were trying your best to keep a straight face was enough to tell him that it wasn’t going to be anything good.

“So I’m really optimistic about you.”

He grimaced. “Do me a favour and never become a motivational speaker. Ever.”

If you thought his laugh was enchanting, he thought yours was nothing short of angelic. The way your eyes would crease into little crescent moons and how you would cover your mouth with your hands as you giggled. It was a habit of yours, one that he had picked up on pretty quickly into the first few weeks of your friendship itself.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” You weren’t sorry at all, not in the slightest. “But I’m serious, you have to talk to her more before you ask her out. The whole ‘instant ask out’ thing doesn’t really get you far. I’ve realized that being friends to an extent works best.”

“From what experience?” He snickered and you glared, holding back from giving the boy another pinch (or rather a shove this time around, which he wholly deserved for that backhand comment).

“Hey, I have dated around you know!” You protested, “And I’ve had a boyfriend before, so I know what I’m talking about.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“I’m serious!”

He twisted the keys in the ignition to start the car, amused at how eagerly you defended yourself. He had to give it to you though, you definitely sounded more credible than Doyoung did when he gave advice. After all, it was that said boy's advice that got him into this whole mess in the first place, with you being his wingwoman.

The world surely did love irony.

Doyoung was sick.

Not sick in the sense that he had to stay in bed and spend his day with a box of kleenex. That would have been much more bearable than having to be subjected to this madness.

He was looking on from afar as you and Taeyong spoke. He had been on his way to his next class, only to happen to catch a glimpse of his two best friends. Even though he was equally close to Taeyong and you, he more often than not felt like a third wheel in your relationship.

So yes, he was sick of seeing the two of you tip-toe around each other.

He had never seen two people more perfect for each other, and definitely not two who were so damn oblivious about it. Someone could dangle it right in front of your eyes and you would purposefully turn the other way and walk in the other direction.

The first time Taeyong had come to Doyoung all panicked was around a year ago when he had miraculously realized that he was in love with his best friend. Doyoung remembered this well because he had never been caught so off guard before at such a confession. Or so he thought.

Because around a week later, you came to him, whining about your feelings for Taeyong.

Fucking dumbasses.

You were so in tune with each other that you just happened to go to the same person for advice- the person who had yet to be in any relationships himself. Hey, the life of a STEM major was hard and Doyoung didn’t particularly want to waste any of the ridiculously high tuition he had paid. You had once teased him about being married to his studies, and at this point, he couldn’t even deny it.

Now you were pushing some of Taeyong’s hair out of his face, a deadpan look on yours. Doyoung could see the slight alarm on the other boy's face at this action, the way he stared intently at you as you did it. Then you flicked his forehead and laughed, causing him to puff out his pink cheeks.

Lord, give him strength. The sooner the two of you got together, the better.

lesson #2: how to ask a girl out

Taeyong thought you were the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, from the slope of your nose to the crease of your eyes when you laughed, even if you did cover up your mouth when you laughed most of the time. He liked your smile too, the way the corners of your lips would turn upwards in glee was enough to get him to smile as well.

Even now, when you were staring at him like he had murdered your childhood dog, he thought you looked pretty.

“You’re telling me that you’ve never considered asking this girl out?!” You asked incredulously, hands resting on your hips. “At this point, I’m starting to think the person you like is Doyoung.”

He scowled at you, “It is not Doyoung, and of course, I’ve thought of asking her out, it’s just-” He paused, realizing he didn’t exactly know what to say. You raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

So here was the problem.

Taeyong was starting to get a little tired of talking about this make-believe girl with you. It was slowly eating away at him, the fact that he was basically lying to your face at this point. Sure, there was some truth mixed in somewhere, but that very truth was getting buried deeper and deeper as time went on.

“It’s just?” You asked, giving him another helpful nudge to finish that statement, but he didn’t, sighing instead as he leaned back in the chair he was sitting on. Your persistence was going to be the death of him one day.

“We were working on your project a second ago, why are you bringing this up now?”

“Because!” You stressed the word, “It’s been around two weeks since you told me you started talking to her again, so I mean, isn’t it the appropriate time to ask her out?”

You sat up straight, closing your laptop and books, “Also I’m tired of this, so do you wanna watch a movie and order in? We can continue talking about this later.” You picked your phone up and sighed. “Ji-woo never answers.”

He frowned, “She’s still not responding to your messages? Damn. You really do need my help.”

“I do,” You whined, sighing in resignment as you once again slumped in your seat. Today was one of those days when you were all over the place, jumping from one topic to another. This happened sometimes, and he was used to it after being your friend for so long.

“Fine, let's take a break, I’ll choose the movie and you go order some pizza for us.” He didn’t exactly need the break, but he could tell from the way your eyes were drooping slightly and how quickly you had slouched again. He knew you so well that he could tell when you were done for the day. Chances were that you would probably fall asleep midway through whatever movie he chose anyways, so he picked one that you had watched previously, good enough to entertain the both of you till sleep took over you.

After placing the order, you moved to the couch where he was sitting now, browsing through the movies. You propped your legs up, grabbing a cushion and curling into his side like it was the most natural thing to do. He settled on 13 going on 30, one of your shared favorite movies from the 2000s.

As the movie began, he couldn’t help but notice how perfectly you fit into him, how your head rested gently on his shoulder as your eyes remained trained on the television screen. The blue light from it fell onto your face, casting shadows over your features.

“So? Are you going to ask her out?”

He pursed his lips, suppressing yet another groan at your words. He knew you meant well, wanting to help and all, but the truth was complicated. The truth was messy and the truth…..

“Nah.”

“Huh? Why? You said you have thought about it before.” Ever since this entire thing started, he had been getting harder and harder to figure out.

He had spoken nothing but the truth because he really wasn’t going to ask you out, and this was a decision he had thought well and hard about. There were many factors that went into it- you were his best friend after all. If you didn’t feel the same way not only would he be crushed, but it would be awkward. That awkwardness would probably lead to drifting apart from you and that was something he never wanted to happen.

He loved being there for you, listening to your whine about your latest grievance, or nagging you about your terrible addiction to caffeine. You had the habit of keeping things to yourself, so he loved when you indulged that information to him just as much as he loved you.

He couldn’t lose you. That would be far worse than you not loving him the way he loved you. Losing you would mean not being able to love you at all, not even quietly.

“I don’t think I’m good enough for her,” he said quietly, “I mean, just because we’re talking doesn’t mean she likes me that way, for all I know she could totally hate the person I am.” He forced a cheery voice to communicate the fact that he was joking, but not entirely. The smile that he wore was tired and weary like he genuinely didn’t think he was enough.

You didn’t like it.

You knew it was in his nature to be hard on himself, he had been doing the same since freshman year. If things went wrong he would blame himself. If anyone was there to criticize, he saw it as himself.

“Stop it,” You chided, moving away from him and glaring, much to his surprise. Your brow was knit in frustration as you reached out and took his face in your hands, cradling it gently enough so that he was looking at you.

“You listen to me,” You said firmly, voice dead serious. “You, Lee Taeyong, are absolutely fucking amazing, and I don’t want to hear you ever put yourself down again.”

You were angry, he could hear it in your voice. From sleepy to annoyed, the change in your demeanor had him blinking in silence for he was much too surprised to do anything else.

“You’re perfect,” You said so earnestly that it was a little amusing. “And whoever she is would be a goddamn fool if she doesn’t realize that because any girl would be the luckiest fucking girl in the world to have you.”

Unbeknownst to him, there was some jealously mixed into it as well. One of your flaws was that you often let your envy seep into things you did and as much as you wanted to help Taeyong as the great friend you were, it killed you to see that he was so much into someone else but thought he wasn’t good enough for them. That was utter bullshit, and you were going to make sure he knew that.

You would have done anything to be that her.

“Y/n…” He whispered your name softly, trailing off into silence instead of continuing the sentence. The dialogue from the movie was the only thing that could be heard for the next minute or so, and you let go of his face, clearing your throat.

“Got it?”

“Yes ma’am,” He mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize? You did nothing wrong,” You huffed, retreating to your previous position. You weren’t quite sure what had possessed you to do that, but you had a feeling it was something he needed to hear. “Ask her out, and if she says no, her loss.”

You were stupid. So painfully stupid.

“Thank you,” he simpered, nudging you slightly. You only hummed in reply, muttering something about your insistence on being good at hyping people up. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Die. You would die.” You offered helpfully, and he snorted but didn’t deny it, instead once again glancing over at you to catch a glimpse of your face. Yeah, he really did think you were the most beautiful person he had ever seen, even in the crappy dim lighting of your living room right now.

“I would walk through fire for you,” He mumbled, “Thats how much I appreciate you.”

The giggle he earned for that was fucking dizzying, and he was tempted to repeat the statement just to hear it again. “Yeah?” “Yeah,” He confirmed, before thinking about that for a minute. “Okay, maybe not fire because I’m too young and hot to die. A really hot and humid room perhaps.”

You gave him an unimpressed look.

“Not too humid because of my hair.”

The pillow you were cuddling before quickly turned into a weapon to hit him with for his dumb quips, making him hold his arms up to shield himself. He was smiling though, silently laughing as he yelped at every hit you landed.

“Your hair is already dead from the amount that you dye it,” You deadpanned, reaching up and running your fingers threw the front stranger, pushing it out of his face like you so often did. His breath hitched in his throat as you then fixed it again. His eyes fell to your lips just for a moment as you were focused on his hair.

He wanted to kiss you so bad, just like the many other times he had thought about it and backed out. The factors he had mentioned before were what he used to justify his chickening out every time.

“Yep, it’s fried,” You said, snapping him out of it. Pushing your hand away, he signaled towards the movie that was still playing, redirecting your attention away from his warm face.

“A moderately heated room it is.”

Now that you had given him the push to ask out the girl he wanted, you were somewhat anxious to know how that had ended. Had he finally gone for it? Had it worked out? More importantly, were you going to have to self-sabotage once again?

Top ten questions science couldn’t answer.

This time you found yourself at a different coffee shop rather than the overpriced one you usually visited due to the fact that your friend, Karina, worked there as a barista. Unfortunately, visiting your friend wasn’t the only reason you decided to go there today.

Ji-woo sat across from you, a nervous smile on her face. She was cute, with straight long hair till her elbows, fringe across the forehead, and eyes that were always bright and expressive. It was because of these expressive eyes of hers that she ended up always being a fairly open book to read.

And right now, that book was full of excuses.

“I’m so sorry Y/n! I swear I didn’t mean to miss your messages.” Her words tumble from her lips absolutely covered in honey- scratch that- sugar syrup. They were so sweet and patronizing that they were going to give you diabetes.

“All of them? It’s been a whole two weeks Ji-woo, and I’ve messaged you regularly throughout all of it to ensure you were doing your bit of the project.” It was clear that you didn’t believe a single word that exited her lip-gloss-painted mouth, and she was stressed over it.

People like her were why you were addicted to coffee. Hey, at least you weren’t as bad as Jaemin, the guy practically drowned all his sorrows in the bitter drink.

“I know—”

“You do?” You asked, pretending to be surprised. “Then why didn’t you answer those texts?”

Needless to say, you were not amused with being ignored, especially not when you had been working your ass off to get a good grade on this project. It was an important one, and you’d be damned if you didn’t do well just because of your partner who prioritized partying more than doing her work. There was nothing wrong with partying of course, but there was everything wrong with leaving your partner alone to do all the work while you rode off it scot-free.

You were mad. You had every right to be and Ji-woo knew it from the way she played nervously with the straw in her iced caramel macchiato.

“I—I promise to do whatever you give me to make up for it!” She bargained, a hopeful smile on her face. “I really am sorry Y/n.”

You definitely did not miss the way she completely evaded your question but decided to let it go. Exhaling, you collected every scrap of willpower you possessed before you started speaking so you wouldn’t snap at her.

“Fine,” you sighed, deciding to graciously give her another chance, much to her relief. “Handle half of the slides and make some notes. I’ve already most of everything anyway so this is all you have to do.”

“Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I expect you to have it done a week before our presentation, okay? Start working on it today itself.”

She pauses, pressing her lips together. “I’m busy today but I could start tom- never mind, I’ll do it right away.” She shut up after catching the near-fatal glare you were giving her, collecting her things and drink, getting up and bidding you farewell.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you sighed in exasperation. Karina noticed your distress and walked over and a fresh cup of coffee, placing it down next to your now lukewarm one.

“You look like you’ve been through shit,” She said dryly, tucking the empty tray under her arm vertically. You scoffed, eyeing the new cup, all too tempted.

“I didn’t order another.”

“I know, it’s on the house,” She winked, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “You looked like you were suffering and my mother always taught me to have pity on the less fortunate.”

“I don’t know if I should thank you or give you a shove.”

She pat your shoulder in faux sympathy. “Both. Both are good. Also, your boyfriend is waiting for you.”

“My who?” You gave her a puzzled look because you were very much- in the words of Na Jaemin himself- painfully single. Karina had a mischievous look on her face as she pointed to the side of the store where Taeyong stood, holding his own cup of coffee. When he realized you had seen him, a lopsided grin plants itself on his mouth and he waved.

“Rina, that is not my boyfriend. I don’t have a boyfriend and even if I did, it definitely wouldn’t be Taeyong.” You mumbled softly, waving back. Then you beckon at him to come to join you at your table.

“Yeah right, but you wouldn’t complain if he was.”

You were a hundred percent ready to argue back, but Taeyong was close, and saying anything further would give you away, which you definitely didn’t want to happen. Instead, you settled for glaring at her as she slipped away while Taeyong took a seat opposite you.

“Hey! Oh geez, who stole your candy?” It was then you realized you were still wearing a disgruntled look on your face and shook your head.

“Sorry, I just met with my lovely partner.”

“Seriously? What were her excuses?”

This was why he was your best friend, he somehow knew things without you having to tell him anything at all. All you had to do was fill him in on the details. The two of you were just so in sync that you worked perfectly in every way.

You were definitely grateful for the new cup of coffee Karina had gotten you since your old one was almost over and now cold. As the drink kissed your throat soothingly, you remembered the question you had been dying to know the answers to.

“Did you ask her on a date?”

Taeyong was mid-sip when you asked the question, glancing up at you as he did so. He nodded.

Oh.

“.....Well?”

“Well, what?”

“She said yes, didn’t she?” You asked, forcing a gleeful tone. Taeyong stared at you in bafflement, probably at how you had deciphered that so quickly as you down the rest of your coffee, resting your elbows on the table and chin in your palms. “I’ll help you get ready for the date.”

In actuality, Taeyong was panicking. His initial plan was to just say that this hypothetical girl said no to him, but you had already jumped to conclusions and looked so excited about it that he didn’t want to rain down on your parade.

The indifference on his face made you sit up straight, a triumphant grin on your face. You see, Taeyong had the habit of pretending something hadn’t gone his way to fool you before he gave you the correct information, and this was no doubt one of those times.

“Oh it’ll be fun- just tell me what type of date you’re taking her on and I’ll style you.” You clapped your hands together, and your best friend had no idea how to tell you that you were extremely wrong.

Whatever god was out there was probably laughing at him, clutching their stomach and all.

So! New plan. He was going to just go with the flow, fake going on a date, and then somewhere down the road say he broke it off with this girl. It would be fine.

Taeyongs fatal flaw would always be his inability to say no to you. It was the reason you ended up being his wingwoman, he knew this- no matter how much he tried putting the blame on Doyoung (who would call him an idiot and a simp for being so easily swayed by you every damn time. Taeyong would have to agree).

“Dinner maybe?” He asked, suddenly forgetting everything he ever knew about dates. This was so stupid, he had been on a plethora of dates before, and he had had girlfriends. He knew what to do and how to do it but when it came to you, all of that knowledge he had built up over the years seemed to disappear inexplicably.

You nodded appreciatively at this suggestion, pushing the empty mug to the side. “Nice, somewhere fancy maybe? I heard that the new restaurant is pretty good.”

The devil on your shoulder was pulling at your hair for being such a professional idiot and genuinely helping him. The angel was proud, perplexed at the way you were going on about it- yes- but proud nevertheless.

“I guess I’ll be taking her there then,” He said, sucking in a breath and giving you a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks for all the help Y/n, I mean it. Even if I’m a little scared to see how you’re going to…style me.”

You threw him a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t really have the best fashion taste.”

You scoffed, offended that he would ever dare utter something so outlandish right to your face. “Excuse you, just because I don’t have the perfect clothing pieces does not mean I have bad style. I got the skill, just not the materials because they’re expensive and I live off ramen as it is.”

“You have no proof and therefore, due to my deeply inlaid trust issues, I cannot take your word for it.” He said this as solemnly as he possibly could, nodding his head slowly and swiftly pinching his lips to avoid laughing.

Lee Taeyong was the worst tier of insufferable.“Screw you.”

“Time and place.”

“Someday, you’ll go far—” You started wisely, “and I hope you stay there.”

“Rude? I should have never bought you that coffee.” He said in disbelief, bringing his hand to his heart as he got to his feet so that he could leave. You frowned in confusion even though his voice held a playful lilt because something there didn’t add up.

“You got it for me? Karina said it was on the house I- KARINA!?”

lesson #3: the date

Taeyong was what you would call fashionably challenged.

The reason you said this was because while his style was good, it had two sides. On one hand, he dressed well, like the twenty-one-year-old he was. It didn’t really matter, you supposed, because Taeyong looked good in almost everything he wore.

Ah but you see, he had range. He could go from that to grandma-core in a blink of an eye. And while it was certainly a look, it wasn’t date-worthy at all.

God knows you weren’t going to let him show up in that quirky knitted sweater he had gotten at a random festival. You would rather eat your fist.

“Let’s see,” You hummed, running your fingers over his clothes. You were standing in front of his closet, mentally trying to sort out what items of clothing would work well with each other. You had been there many times before, but those instances usually ended with you nabbing a hoodie or t-shirt you had taken a liking to and was going to claim as your own.

Looking through your own closet didn’t look much different at this point.

He had been through two outfits at this point and was confused beyond compare at this point. Never had he ever taken so much effort for a date, let alone for one that was completely fake, so he had no experience with this whole ‘pre-date drama’, as you had oh so eloquently put it.

The first outfit had been cute, but a little too casual for a dinner date at a potentially fancy restaurant. The tee paired with jeans was a classic combo, but it more suited going to his Monday morning lectures.

The second outfit was too formal, the dress shirt and dress pants screamed prom and while you had full faith in Taeyongs abilities to win Prom King, that wasn’t the vibe you were going for either.

“Here,” You thrust another set of clothes to him. “Go change into these and let’s see how they look.”

He nodded, taking the clothing from you and going to change. While he did that, you plopped yourself on his bed, taking your phone out and scrolling through Instagram to amuse yourself in the time he took. He had started out pretty talkative, but you supposed after all the fussing you had done over him till this point had dulled him down a little.

You looked up when he walked back out, adjusting the sleeves and folding them up a little- just to his elbow to uncover his forearms. The shirt itself leaned more on the formal lines, dark blue in colour, collar kissing his collar bones perfectly, and the top few buttons left unbuttoned on purpose. The end of the shirt was tucked into his jeans that were ripped at the knees.

Your eyes remained trained on his figure, widening ever so slightly as you did a full-body scan of the entire outfit. Was this you blatantly checking your best friend out under the guise of judging the appropriateness of what he was wearing? Absolutely.

Were you even slightly ashamed? Not really. Hey, a girl has got to be proactive, especially when she was in love with the guy who was going on a date with another girl right at that moment.

Your lips parted in surprise as you sat up. With the way you had styled his hair before (and of course, the fact that Taeyong was attractive anyway), you couldn’t even think of any way else to describe him.

Other than, of course, saying that your best friend was hot as hell.

“So?” He asked, looking at you expectantly., awaiting your conclusion. You swallowed thickly, trying to think of the words to say.

“You look….wow,” You settled for finally, cringing at yourself when you heard it leave your tongue.

Bemused, he shook some of the hair that had fallen into his face out of it, cocking his head to the side in the process. “Wow? What an articulate observation from the English Lit. major.”

He was teasing you now, and you rolled your eyes, getting to your feet and walking over when you realized a part of his collar was a bit messed up on one side. His breath hitched in his throat when you were close enough, reaching your hand up and folding it over in the manner it was supposed to be.

“It was a good wow,” You defended, flickering your eyes up to his. He was already looking at you, and the attention had you feeling a little dizzy. “And I’m better than you, Mr. I exchanged the word assonance for alliteration.”

“I’m not the English major here though.”

You yanked a little on his collar to get him to shut up, and he did so promptly, but not without letting a dumb smile settle on his lips. Arguing with you would forever be one of his favorite past times and he would never give up the chance to do so.

“Alright,” You mumbled, taking a step back and admiring your handiwork. “You’re all set to go.”

“Where?” He breathed out, still looking at you in that maddening way. He was so distracted by you that he had completely forgotten what he was doing at that moment

“Your date, you idiot,” You pushed his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze.

The date. Yes.

He coughed slightly, nodding as he got his things, ready to leave. “Right. Thanks for…you know.”

“Any time,” You said, flashing him an assuring look. “Now go get your girl.”

He left a few minutes, later and you watched him do so, the smile on your face fading little by little with every second that passed. When you heard the door of his apartment click shut, you finally dropped the cheery look on your face, all sobered up.

You wondered how Taeyong would be on a date. He was confident, it was one of his most attractive features and you knew that he had this quality about him that had everyone charmed. He would be the sweetest on a date, no doubt, making sure his date was comfortable above everything else.

You almost wished that date was for you.

Irony was quickly becoming one of Taeyong’s least favorite things.

On approaching his car, he opened the door and placed himself in the driver's seat, letting out a sigh. He didn’t start the car, nor did he even switch the radio on. All he did was take his phone out and open Tiktok.

Ah yes, what an excellent date.

The consequences of lying about having a date meant that he had to go through the entire pre-date drama he had mentioned before, without actually going anywhere. It was why he now had two whole hours to kill without a single thing to do. His fancy ‘date’ consisted of scrolling through random people enthusiastically dancing to Lizzo’s About Damn Time and some dude whose money didn’t jiggle. Instead, it folded.

It was just as depressing as it sounded.

Good for the guy honestly, sounded like he was financially stable.

Taeyong wondered how his life had come to this. He ran a hand through his hair, successfully messing up the way you had carefully helped style it in the process. There were very few moments in his life when he had felt truly like an idiot, and this instance, in particular, took the first spot, dethroning whatever held that position before it.

The car was warm. He switched the air conditioning on and resumed watching the thirty-second video clips that were the reason his attention span had degraded so much.

He figured he deserved this, considering all he had done the past few weeks was lie to your face. Granted, the lies came from a place of protection- protecting himself from potentially getting rejected and protecting you from being disappointed about not being able to be his wingwoman.

But they had evolved from him simply omitting the truth by not being honest about how he felt to getting dressed in a really nice outfit with nowhere to go but two whole hours to kill in his car. It had him thinking over his life decisions, and anything that had him going all existential was immediately a bad thing.

This was definitely a downgrade. From actually going on dates and having girlfriends to faking dating someone because he was hopefully taken with you. He remembered the first time he realized was when you made the joke about getting married if the two of you were still single by the age of thirty-two and not being opposed to the idea. In fact, he rather liked the sound of it.

It was all downhill from there, and even though he considered it as such, he still smiled at the thought.

Two mind-numbingly boring hours later and another Tiktok sound that would be inevitably stuck in his head for the next two weeks minimum, he decided it was now acceptable to go back to his apartment.

When he was younger, his parents had always been proud of how responsible he had been, how he barely ever wasted time.

Oh if they could see him now. One hundred and twenty minutes of his life he was never going to get back.

He slid his keys into the lock, twisting them and pushing the door open. His apartment was quiet, and he wondered if you had gone back to your own as he slipped his shoes off. He unbuttoned another button on his shirt and walked into his bedroom, freezing when he saw the sight that lay before him.

You were asleep in what he could only describe as the most uncomfortable position known to humankind. You were still sort of sitting, curled over his pillows that were propped against the headboard, one hand held out as you held your phone weakly. It was just about to slip out of your fingers and hit the ground, but he managed to walk over in time to lunge over and catch it.

Taeyong scoffed, but the ghost of a smile played on his lips as he placed your phone on the little bedside table. He knew all too well that you would complain to no end when you woke up after sleeping like that, and so he carefully picked you up and adjusted your position, before tucking you under the sheets.

His heart was fighting its way out of his chest the more he looked at you. You were so peaceful as you slept, if you were awake he would have made a joke about it. Now, however, you were knocked out, and for once he didn’t have to lie. He didn’t have to pretend.

Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, mumbling a goodnight as he switched the lights off.

He’d whisper his confessions into the dark, where they would stay.

You were going to tear your hair out.

It had been more than a week since you met up with her to talk, and Ji-woo hadn’t done even a thing from the lot she had promised. You were tired from all your classes and the extra guest- lecture you had attended. Not to mention the fact that midterms were coming up and you had to spend time finishing other assignments for other classes along with your general studies.

You were exhausted beyond compare and couldn’t even bear the thought of having to do her work as well. It was already two a.m and you were so damn close to breaking down- ugly tears and all- as you stared at your laptop screen and at the unfinished slides. So you did the one thing you could think of and called the person you knew would have your back, whether that was to help or assist in your breakdown.

“Y/n?” Taeyong’s groggy voice sounded through your phone speaker and you let out a sound that could only be compared to a wail in response to properly convey how you were feeling. You could imagine him sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes.

“The fuck? It’s ass o’clock in the morning, why are you calling me?”

“I’m screwed,” You whined, kicking your feet childishly under the table you sat at for effect though you knew he couldn’t see it. “Ji-woo, and pardon my french but that bitch hasn’t done anything and I’m so close to dropping out I-”

“Why are you awake right now?” His question cut through your complaining, causing you to shut up and frown.

“Did you not hear me? I’m going to fail because of this girl, Tae, that’s why I’m awake.”

“Go to sleep,” He groaned, “You’ll definitely fail if you don’t sleep enough.”

“Wow, thanks.”

You could hear some shuffling in the background, and you assumed he had put his phone down for a moment. Then, you heard him speak again.

“Be there in five.”

You blinked, not really knowing to respond to that, but it was all okay since he ended the call right then. You had called him to vent, that was it.

Needless to say, Taeyong was at your door a few minutes later in his sweats and a jacket to combat the chilly night air, giving you the most murderous look he could muster up. Those eyes of his really did it justice.

“You disturbed my beauty sleep.”

You don’t need it anyway, you thought. “I didn’t expect you to come over?!? Don’t blame this on me.”

“Oh please,” He glared, but it wasn’t serious in the slightest as he sauntered inside. “You called me in the middle of the night, and I’ve been your best friend long enough to know what that means. Are you telling me you didn’t want me to be here in the slightest?”

You could only give him a sheepish smile because it was 100% true. Then, your smile melted into a look of disgruntlement as you led him to the table in your living room, collapsing on one of the chairs while you gestured wildly to the blank slides.

“Nothing, nada, I’m going to fail.”

He sighed, joining you in your task of staring down the unfinished work. Not that was much to stare at, but he definitely pitied you for somehow landing the worst project partner of the year.

He could also tell how tired you were from just one look at you and how there was no way you would be able to get anything done like this. Slipping his jacket off, he hung it on the back of one of the chairs around the table and clapped his hands together. “Alright, we can do this, but first I need to know where you keep your kettle because you keep stress cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen.”

You looked at him, puzzled. “Huh? Why would you need that?”

“Because,” he walked into the kitchen, leaving you with no choice but to trail after him. “I’m making your coffee, there is no way in hell I’m helping you without some and you look like crap right now.”

You almost missed the dig at you, too surprised at the fact he was actually making your coffee. It had been a running joke that he never would because he was terrible at doing so, which was why you kept running to Starbucks.

“First of all, ouch.” You glared at him, taking your kettle down from one of the cupboards. “And secondly, are you really?”

“Yep,” he confirmed, finding the coffee beans by himself and taking the appliance from you, placing it on the fire. “After a cup, you’ll have all the motivation in the world.”

“I sure hope so,” you chirped, leaning against the counter. “God, I can’t believe she didn’t do it this time. She said she would.”

“You trust too easily,” He muttered, mostly to himself. The gravity of the situation had started to eat away at him more than before and he was guilty. You trusted every word that came out of his mouth and he just kept lying. He told you he had been going on more dates with the girl to make it more believable, you were overjoyed and told him to ask her to be his girlfriend.

It was all going wrong. All he had wanted to do was impress you that day.

“Maybe so,” you agreed quietly, pushing yourself off the counter. He poured the coffee into two cups that you got down wordlessly, the both of you working together perfectly even without any words being said.

Taeyong handed you a cup, and you wrapped your fingers around it to absorb the warmth, taking a cautionary sip so as to not burn your tongue. The bitter drink washed over your tongue and you savoured the flavour. It revitalized you, giving you back some of the energy you had lost.

“Holy shit,” You said in quiet awe, “This coffee fucking slaps.”

He chuckled in amusement, happy to have proven himself right. Even more so, he was happy to see you happy over something as minute as him making you some coffee. “I know,” He said smugly, “Come on, let’s get back to working on your project.”

You stopped, realizing how much you depended on Taeyong. Without him, you would have probably been throwing a tantrum right now, throwing stuff around your apartment and all. Within a short period of time, he had managed to put you together again.

“Yeah sounds good.” You murmured, warming your hands on the mug. He sighed, pointing the spoon he used to mix the coffee in your direction with a strict look on his face

“And you have got to stop staying up this late, you’re going to fall sick, and then I’ll have to stay over and take care of you.” He pretended to look as displeased as possible with that hypothetical situation. “Honestly, I’m at a loss for words with how bad your sleep schedule is.”

Despite being at a loss for words, he continued to lecture you.

You put the cup down and moved towards him, wrapping your arms around him and tucking your face in the crook of his neck. The hug caught him off guard, but he returned it almost immediately, his own arms around your frame and lips pressing a soft kiss into your hair as if he could sense you needed the comfort.

“Thank you,” you whispered, shutting your eyes and pretending for a moment. Every day you had to remind yourself that there was someone else he was interested in because of things like these. He assured you with the usual ‘don’t mention it’ and whatnot, but you weren’t paying attention.

Just a moment.

final lesson: how to ask her to be your girlfriend

“I can’t believe you still haven’t told me who she is,” you said incredulously. “This might be the longest you’ve ever kept a secret from me, so maybe if you would just-”

“I’m not telling you.” He seemed adamant about keeping it a secret and part of you were starting to wonder if you were ever going to meet this girl. You exhaled in exasperation, throwing your hands up in defeat.

“It would be a lot easier to help you with asking her to be your girlfriend if I knew who she was, you know?”

But you knew better than to try and convince your best friend of something he had already made his mind up about. You were never going to get that girl’s name from his lips, so this entire thing was for naught. Besides, there was no point in competing with someone you didn’t know when it already looked like you had lost.

You really didn’t understand how you were supposed to help him make this ‘thing’ he had with her official when you knew next to nothing about her. If you had even a little information, you could put something meaningful together,

“Just seduce her into being your girlfriend.” You offered helpfully, not really having anything else to add. He gave you a deadpan look.

“Y/n, I am about as seductive as a cabbage.”

You snickered at that, somewhat agreeing with him. You were at his place, sitting opposite him on the couch with your legs criss-cross-applesauce. He mirrored your position, one hand propped up on the back of the couch. It was around this point in time when you were really starting to despise the wingwoman position you had landed yourself in because you couldn’t find a way out no matter how hard you tried.

Unfortunately, you had no one to blame but yourself for this predicament.

“I guess you’re screwed then.”

“Helpful,” He muttered dryly, shutting his eyes and leaning back properly. You would never understand his reluctance towards the topic.

“Hell no, you have a girlfriend to get.” You sat up and hummed, “Just be honest about what you feel for her and tell her. People always want to know what they mean to others, and if you tell her how much you appreciate her she’ll realize that you’re perfect for her.”

“But saying shit like that without messing it up is hard, and messing up in the middle would be embarrassing.” Taeyong pointed out, jutting his lower lip out in thought. He ran a hand through his hair- a habit of his- messing up the strands that somehow always looked good no matter what he did. They always fell back in place perfectly.

“Then you need to practice,” You said firmly, “Ever tried the mirror technique?”

“Mirror….technique?”

You started explaining what you meant by that. “You know when you practice what you’re going to say in front of a mirror, as you would when rehearsing for a part in a play?” He hummed at this.

“I haven’t tried that, actually.” He admitted, “I don’t think I’d be able to be serious about it.”

A solution to this sprung to your mind, but it was a selfish one. It was selfish because it was more due to the fact that you wanted to hear what he had to say for yourself than to actually help him in knowing what to say to make things official with this girl. Hey, what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?

“Just try it on me.”

Taeyong’s eyes widened slightly, lips parting in shock at your proposition. You quickly scrambled to elaborate on what you meant by that so there were no misunderstandings.

“I mean— just pretend I’m her! Pretend I’m her and say what you want to me and I can judge it for you.” You coughed, trying to rid yourself of the strain that had suddenly caught onto your voice. “Maybe it would be more helpful than talking to a mirror.”

He stared at you for a second, digesting this information before nodding slowly. He adjusted his position and pressed his lips together in thought, recollecting everything he wanted to say. It was an opportunity to test out what he had ever wanted to say to you without actually going out and admitting it.

The best-case scenario was the only thing he had to consider over here. There were no consequences, no backlashes, just an experience that he was much too cowardly to claim for real.

“We’ve been going out for a few weeks now.” He started slow, deciding to just go where his words took him. “And—”

Update; his words then failed him.

You see, it was the way you were looking at him, so focused and determined to listen to every word. It reminded him of the fact that he didn’t actually have anything to say because he had pretty much told himself that he would never be in this position. His mouth went dry and he had to swallow thickly.

It was getting easier to lie to you, little by little the white lies piled up on top of each other and disillusioned his sight. However, for some reason, right now no lies sprung forth. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He chose the truth. Sort of.

“You make me really happy,” he said, voice dropping in volume a little bit. That fond tone you had always envied for others slipped into it and the sides of his lips curled upwards slightly into the smallest boyish smile. “I love spending time with you because you make me feel like those moments could last forever. I love seeing you happy, but more so when you’re sad because then I can be the one to cheer you up.”

Your heart had a mind of its own, dancing violently in your chest at the way he spoke. It was a cruel joke that the world played on you, for you to be selfish enough to want to hear this, but so selfish that it hurt.

You couldn’t even look away, bound to your duty of listening to every word that left his honeyed lips. Words that weren’t meant for you and never would be, because you were the best friend. You had always been and forever would be just the best friend.

“I love your frowns and your smiles,” he continued, “And I want to be there for each and every one of those, so that’s why I’m asking.”

He sucked in a deep breath. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Yes.

No. You had very conveniently forgotten how to breathe at that very moment, air getting caught up in your lungs and throat. His eyes dropped down to your lips, making you want to lean over and perhaps press them against his own. Then you wanted to run far away and hide because the prospect of ever being able to kiss Taeyong on the mouth had you feeling so fucking dizzy-

“Y/n.”

Did he—

Did he fucking end his little speech with your name?

It served as a reminder, bringing you back to reality without even a semblance of mercy. One would think that him using your name there would only further your thoughts, but no. They dragged you back and rooted you to the ground from the clouds you had been previously walking upon.

Because you simply were not meant for that.

You blinked rapidly, sucking in a breath of air to calm yourself down. It was then that Taeyong realized his slip up of saying your name, alarmed at what he had done, and racked his brain on how to fix it.

“I used your name because I can’t tell you who she is,” He said all too quickly, cheeks flushed pink. Heat crept up your neck and to your own face, leaving it hot and flustered.

“Yeah, I gathered as much,” You said, clearing your throat because it seemed like your voice had gotten stuck. “That—that was good. Really good. She’ll definitely say yes.”

(You knew you would.)

When you start to mix the truth with lies, it gets harder to distinguish the two from each other.

Taeyong told you that the ‘girl’ had agreed to be his girlfriend in the end, every deceitful letter becoming easier to pronounce as time went on. That didn’t mean that he liked it any better, of course not. He hated that he had to continually lie to you, he hated the bitter taste it left on his tongue.

The guilt seeped in like poison, tainting everything. He started to use his ‘girlfriend’ as an excuse to avoid meeting up, saying something about having a date, or spending the day with her. Distancing himself from you to avoid feeling bad about it, and then proceeding to feel like a terrible friend for doing so.

Third ring of hell, party of one.

The cycle was one that was going to be hard to break, and the problem was that he had no idea where to start making a crack.

From seeing each other almost daily to maybe once a week if you were lucky, you missed your best friend. It was only natural to miss the person you loved, but it wasn’t just that anymore. You missed the Taeyong that was your rock, the person who agreed to grocery shop with you at three a.m, the best friend that you knew would respond to all your texts within seconds.

But you understood. You forced yourself to understand and come to terms with the fact that while you were his best friend, he had a girlfriend now- a girlfriend he was very clearly head over heels for. You would just have to learn how to deal with only seeing him occasionally. You would have to relearn how to be just a friend.

That was the funny thing about love, one would find themselves doing absolutely anything for the person they had feelings for. It didn’t matter if it hurt them, as long as the other was happy, it would be okay.

You finished 13 going on 30 by yourself on a lonely night, without the company of your best friend. You watched as Jenna finally realize that Matty was the one that was for her, and how she run after him. You watched her get heartbroken and rejected and go back to being thirteen. You watch as she marries Matty when she really was thirty. Two best friends, in love.

This time around, you didn’t fall asleep until the very end.

It was two days before the presentation of your project. You wished you could have said that you were doing great and that you had your shit together, that everything was going smoothly, but that would be a big fat lie. You already talked about your reluctance with lying.

The truth was that you did not, in fact, have your shit together. You needed more fiber in your diet.

Two days before the project and Ji-woo hadn’t sent in her notes. She hadn’t followed up on her aural part of the presentation or anything to do with the project and you were done.

You really didn’t like Kim Ji-woo.

Unlike the other day, it wasn’t late at night. It was only eight in the evening, but you really didn’t feel like pulling another all-nighter because your partner decided to be irresponsible. Truly you had never met someone so hard to work with and you hoped you never would again. Working alone would have been better than having to put up with this nonsense since that was what you were essentially doing anyways.

Perhaps it was your fault for ever trusting that Ji-woo would do her work. You should have known better than to be so naive- like Taeyong had said. Your problem was that you were too trusting.

Taeyong

Right. You took your phone out and fumbled with it, clicking on his contact and holding the phone up to your ear. If there was anyone that would help calm your nerves, it would be him.

Wait. No. You pull the phone away and stare at the call screen for a moment, the picture you had taken of the two of you to put as the background. You were mid-hug, your own face was almost completely hidden while he displayed one of those brilliant smiles of his. It was a sweet picture, one you cherished.

Then you looked at the contact name, the way you had typed in ‘yongie<3’ with a little dragon emoji next to it. The original one never had the emoji, but since he knew the passcode to your phone (and had one day managed to convince you into adding his fingerprint in as well), he had broken in once and added it.

You click off the call, pressing your thumb onto the little red phone icon to end it before he could even pick up. There was no point trying to reach him, he would probably be busy with his girlfriend. Or something else. That thought has your gut in a twist because never before had you thought like this.

Since when had he ever been too busy for you? He had had girlfriends before and you had always been the best friend even then, watching from the sidelines. Even then, he never made you doubt what you meant to him. Even in a relationship, you were his favorite girl.

The fingers of your other hand curled into a fist, and you clenched it, swallowing hard. You missed him so fucking bad and you wanted nothing more than to call him. To hear him tease you about something and then show up anyways.

Where was your best friend when you needed him? For some reason, the fact that you were drifting felt like it was all your fault, and you had no clue on how to fix your mess. You wanted to be able to call him without second-guessing yourself and crossing your fingers, without biting your lips and hoping that a certain other girl hadn’t already taken up his time.

When you needed it most, your best friend was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t just the project. It was the fact that you were head over heels for the boy and it would never be known to him. It was the fact that there was no one else you wanted as badly as Taeyong. You wanted to be the girl he spoke about fondly, the one who he took on dates and the one he called his.

But you weren’t. Instead, you had been a complete idiot and assisted in the process of him falling in love with someone else. You thought it would help you figure out what he liked and who it was, but no, all it did was hurt.

You didn’t realize tears had welled up in your eyes until one trickled down your face to your chin. You sniffed softly, bringing your hand up and wiping your face, screwing your eyes shut to prevent any more tears from spilling out because fuck, you hated crying over something you had no control over.

More quiet tears made their way out and to your surprise, you weren’t breaking down over your project. You were crying because of your broken heart and the pieces that lay around you helpless. Pieces you didn’t know how to put back together yourself.

It had never hit you as hard as it did right then, leaving you to cry into the palms of your hands. You were crying for the loss of a lover, over having him slip out of your fingers and never even trying to hold on. You were crying for the loss of your best friend, who seemed to not value you as important enough anymore.

Your phone lay unattended on the table. You missed the quiet buzzing of a return call, the notification of a check-up message. It didn’t matter anyway, because when you did go to check, you found out that the message had been deleted.

You were starting to feel a lot like that message.

From the moment he saw your name light up his phone screen, Taeyong had been worried.

He hesitated to answer it for just a second too long, but it was that second that fucked everything up. The call ended right before he could even pick up his phone and there weren’t any follow-up calls. This was extremely unlike you because when you wanted to reach him, you would keep calling until you got tired of it or he picked up.

He waited for the second call. Nothing.

It was then he called you back, wanting to check up on you. It had been a week to ten days since he last saw you, something he hated with every fiber of his being.

When you didn’t pick up, his stomach sank. He opened your texts, looking at how far back the last one had been, before pulling the keypad open and starting to type out a message to you.

[8:24 p.m.] yongie 🐉: hey, something up?

Fuck, that sounded weird for some reason. He backspaced, biting the inside of his cheek as he contemplated what to say.

[8:24 p.m.] yongie 🐉: u good?

He pressed send and then almost immediately regretted it. He dropped his phone and groaned aloud to no one in particular, looking up at the ceiling of his apartment. He missed hearing your set of keys jingle when you were outside the door, he missed your spontaneous visits. Without you, his home didn’t really feel much like one.

He deleted the message hurriedly and decided to call it a night. He would deal with all of this tomorrow when he had a fresh mind after a good night of sleep. Before bed, he checked to see if you had seen the deleted text.

You had.

The walk to campus the next day was lonely. He even waited at Starbucks for you, but you were nowhere to be seen and he was going to be late, which left him no choice but to go ahead without you. It felt wrong to walk without you chattering along by his side.

He missed it.

So when he saw you walking through the hallways, reading some notes you had out, he knew he had to talk to you. He walked over and cleared his throat, gently tapping your shoulder to attract your attention. You stiffened, turning around to look at him.

Your expression relaxed just a bit but stayed guarded to an extent. He gave you an impassive smile, pressing his lips together to form a thin line to cover up the surge of guilt that rushed through him after going so long without seeing you. “Hey.”

“Hi.” You said softly and immediately he could tell something was wrong. Your demeanor was completely different from what he was used to, closed off and voice clipped. You held your notes close to your chest, waiting for him to continue with what he was going to say.

“Can we talk?”

Talk, talk, talk. You wanted to talk to him so bad, but you knew that after you had finished it would be another week before you saw him again. Plus, you only had a day before the project left and so much to finish, you couldn’t be here wasting your time on a feeling that would only last a few minutes.

“I’m busy, got a project to finish.”

“It’ll take five minutes,” he promised, “I’m guessing Ji-woo didn’t do her work?” “She didn’t,” you confirmed, “Would have been helpful if I knew I could count on you.”

You didn’t mean to say that to his face and you definitely didn’t mean for it to come out so harshly. He looked taken aback, blinking slowly at your sudden outburst.

“I—I saw your call,” he mumbled, “It’s why I want to talk to you.”

You felt a little bad for springing that upon him so abruptly and so you agreed- out of pity, of course. You weren’t doing this because you were hopeless in love with him, you weren’t doing this because of some sort of futile hope. Definitely not. You were doing this because you felt bad and possessed empathy.

Wow. After all this time, you had finally started lying.

You nodded, and he gave you another one of those pretty smiles of his, this time a little brighter. Cocking his head to the side, he gestured towards an empty lecture hall that you could speak in. You followed him inside, noting that it was the same one you had to visit every Wednesday when you were a freshman.

It was quiet now. He turned to you and let out a sigh.

“You didn’t call again,” he said finally, “That’s not like you and I got a little worried so—”

You wanted to groan. While you had been overthinking and crying like a little bitch, he actually noticed. He got worried and thought about you and you hated the way that little piece of information had butterflies erupting in your stomach.

Because you’re angry, and being angry and in love at the same time was not the most optimal combination. It had your stomach fluttery and your mind pissed at you for being so affected by every little thing. It wasn’t your fault, you were just a girl in love.

“Stop. I’m fine, you can see that, can’t you?” You cut him off and once again it was like you had no control over your tongue. Hurt was thrown into the already mess that your feelings were right then, and it was ugly. You shut your eyes, regretting your words immediately.

“Sorry. I’m having a bad day.”

He knew what that meant, you had said the same thing all those days ago when you had gotten all snappy at him. Whenever something was wrong, you tended to hide it under the fact that you were supposedly having a bad day. This time, however, he wasn’t going to let you go without figuring out exactly what was troubling you.

“You’re not fooling me with that,” he said firmly, “Something is bothering you. Tell me.”

This was why you didn’t want to have this conversation. Taeyong could always see right through you and dealing with this was not on your agenda for the day.

“Taeyong—”

“You can trust me, you know? I’m your best friend.” There was a hint of offense in his voice. He was sad that you seemed to not want to share what was causing your shitty mood, even though all he wanted to do was help. After all, that was what best friends did, was it not?

You narrowed your eyes at him, your anger overriding your affection. Scoffing, you asked, “Best friends? Is that what we are?”

He looked bewildered but answered assuredly, “Always.”

“Right, because best friends avoid and ignore each other,” You scowled, taking a step away from him. “You haven’t been a best friend in weeks, Taeyong, so don’t pretend that you suddenly are now.”

It was the way that guilt took over his features so damn quickly; you knew that you hadn’t said a truer thing ever before. For weeks you had been trying to convince yourself it wasn’t so, that you were just reading too much into things, but you hadn’t. He had been avoiding you, you had hit the nail right on the head.

“Y/n I— I didn’t mean to, I swear,” he said earnestly, those eyes of his going round and insistent.

You raised your hand to shut him up, which did the trick pretty effectively. Immediately, he clamped his mouth close and you looked at him sharply.

You asked, “I get that you have a girlfriend and all, but does that mean you forget about me?” “Please if you would just—” He was panicking slightly now because of the fact that he was realizing exactly how far he had taken things. The lies had created a mountain, one that blocked his view of you and how you were doing.

Pride comes before fall. The act as up, for he had been standing so tall on his metaphorical mountain, he forgot the person who helped bring him up there.

But he didn’t, he didn’t forget, which only made this worse. He did this to protect you- no, that was a lie. He did this to protect himself. Coward, chicken, scaredy-cat.

“And I understand that you’ll never love me as you love her,” you exhaled, your throat feeling as if it had been pricked by several needles all at once, a strained pain that seemed to refuse to leave. Your eyes were wet, and you refused to cry but fuck, you might just start.

“So fuck me for falling in love with you,” you said. “But the least you could have done is be there for me like the best friend you claim to be. Somewhere along the path of you falling for her, you forgot about me.”

Confessions were supposed to be sweet and gentle, something that caught you from the fall that was love. Yours was nothing of the sort, instead a horrid sharp punch to the gut as he stared in horror at what he had done.

You loved him?

“Y/n,” he whispered your name as if it was something fragile. If he said it too loud, you would have crumbled right then and there. Then again, you were doing that anyway, right in front of his eyes.

“I just want you back.”

“I’m sorry.”

He didn’t even think to tell you how much he fucking loved you back, because all he felt was this overwhelming guilt. It was taking over him and he despised himself for being the reason you were like this. You were right, he had been the worst friend in the world to you.

‘I’m sorry’. The words taunted you and you almost laughed. ‘I’m sorry I was a shitty person. I’m sorry you fell in love with me.’

You sniffed, turning around on your heel and walking to the door, leaving the classroom without another word. You had nothing to say and wanted to leave before those tears made their way down your face and reminded you once again of what you would never have and never be.

You felt pathetic.

No one told you that there were repercussions for falling in love with your best friend. There really shouldn’t have been, but love was harsh. Love wasn’t like it was in the movies because you weren’t in one. Heartache was cruel and you were nowhere near prepared for the impact that it left on you, the hollow feeling you didn’t know how to fill.

From wingwoman to wreck, teaching Taeyong to fall in love and win the heart of another girl had never been a good idea, and you were insane to think so.

You were sorry too.

Taeyong didn’t have much love when it came to the romance department.

He said this for several reasons. The first was his terrible habit of tending to chicken out of situations often instead of owning up. The second was the fact that he had managed to fall in love with his best friend and break her heart all in the same breath.

The third was because somehow, he always went to the same person for advice.

Doyoung stared at his best friend, wondering how he always ended up being the therapist. Taeyong had showed up a few minutes ago, looking absolutely distraught and panicked, and although he had been pissed over his study time being interrupted, he knew he couldn’t just leave him there.

And so here he was, raising an eyebrow and prompting his friend to continue.

Taeyong sighed, feeling more like an idiot as time went on. The irony of him going to someone who had barely any experience in terms of dating for help was utterly ridiculous, but he kept finding himself in that position over and over again.

“I fucked up.”

Doyoung snorted. “You always do that.”

The former glared, “I’m serious. I fucked up so hard that I have no idea how to fix it.”

You were in love with him. He fucking apologized for pushing you away instead of saying it back like the absolute dumbass he was. He was in love with you too and he failed to tell you in time.

“Fine, fine,” Doyoung sighed, pushing away his textbooks when he realized his friend was serious. He had watched the two of you dance around each other for so long, what was a few more minutes of his life dedicated to it? Plus, he was admittedly a little invested in it now.��

Yes, Kim Doyoung was potentially a whore for drama. And what about it?

Taeyong sucked in a deep breath and then started from the top. He told Doyoung the entire story, starting from that day so long ago at the library when he had dressed a little nicer than usual and used his good cologne just to impress you. He told him how you misunderstood his actions to such an extent that he ended up with you being his wingwoman.

He told him about how you helped him gather up the courage to ask this hypothetical girl out, and how you got him ready for the date. He was ready for the inevitable snickers around the part when he confessed that he sat alone in his car for two hours just to pretend he was at that date.

How he lied and ignored you and made every possible bad decision in the book along the way. You were right, after all, he really did need someone to guide him in the art of love, a wingwoman.

Preferably one that wasn’t you.

Once he was done, Doyoung was looking at him like he had grown another head. He probably deserved that, if he was going, to be honest with himself.

“You’re stupider than I thought.”

“I didn’t come here to be verbally abused, I came here for assistance.”

“You’ll get your assistance but first I have to remind you of how absolutely idiotic you’ve been,” Doyoung deadpanned, leaning back in his seat. “You apologized? I mean, at least you have your manners down.”

Taeyong groaned, burying his face in his hands. Just because he knew this was called for didn’t mean that he liked it any better. He waited for a moment for the other boy to continue, but nothing came.

“How do I fix this?”

……And now Doyoung was looking at him like he was a maniac. “You’re kidding.”

“Dead serious.”

“You seriously don’t know how to fix it?” He asked incredulously. “Why do I hang out with you again?”

“I swear to god-”

“You have a pretty face but your head is empty,” Doyoung grumbled, getting up from his seat and turning it around so he could sit on it backward, properly facing his obviously challenged friend. “You have to tell her the truth.”

Taeyong paused, remembering how much you disliked lying. Doyoung was right once again (unfortunately), the best thing to do was to come clean about everything that had happened, even if it ended with you hating him even more than you did currently.

So that meant he had everything to lose, but also everything to gain if things went right. He had to bet on it swerving the right way.

Begrudgingly, he admitted. “You’re right.”

“Hah, I always am.”

Your love for Taylor Swift was something you made sure Taeyong knew from the very start, where that was him having to listen to all your borderline insane theories over the next album she was going to release, or the songs that somehow were connected. He sat through them every time, not really paying attention to the content of your words, but more so to how your eyes sparkled with excitement over something you were truly passionate about.

Turning to Doyoung for help when it came to his love life was bad, so turning to songs written by an eleven-time Grammy award winner was a significant step up.

Stand there like a ghost Shaking from the rain, rain She'll open up the door And say, are you insane, -ane?

It wasn’t raining- thankfully- so he had to settle for an apology that was a little less dramatic. He was pretty sure he knew what he was doing for once, so all he had to do was actually go through with it.

He rang your doorbell twice in succession, which was a habit of his. He was the only person who did it like that, so the moment you heard it from where you were sitting in your bedroom (and sulking), you knew that it was Taeyong waiting out there for you. You cautiously swung your legs over the side of your bed and padded to the door, hesitating for a second before opening it.

You didn’t say anything when you first saw him standing there, instead, you silently held his gaze, gripping the side of the door. Taeyong gave you a crooked smile.

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m insane?”

You frowned, “I don’t follow.”

He shrugged before sobering up and biting the inside of his cheek. He knew you better than anyone did, down to your littlest habits that you didn’t know you did yourself. He could see the hurt in your eyes that you had disguised as indifference and apathy, and he was somewhat comforted by it. It meant you loved him just as he loved you.

Say it's been a long six months And you were too afraid to tell her what you want, want

“The song said you would,” he said, hoping to at least crack a chuckle out of you, “Fine, I’ll continue and tell you why I’m here.” He shut his eyes for a moment and gathered his wits. “I would say it’s been a long six months but I saw you a week ago so.”

As if something had clicked in your mind, you gave him a look that was a mixture of amusement and bewilderment. “Shut up,” Your breathed out, unbelieving that he was actually doing this, “you’re not seriously—”

And then you say—

“I lied to you. A lot.”

So maybe he was thwarted from the original lyrics, but it had to be done. The moment he said those first few words, he could feel the weight of it all roll off his shoulders. He should have never lied in the first place because you were his best friend and you didn’t deserve that at all.

He was going to make this right. He was going to get his girl.

You blinked slowly to silently tell him to continue with whatever he had to say. It wasn’t like you had anything better to do anyway, and you were admittedly now intrigued to see where this was going.

“And I know you hate lying, but I promise it’ll all make sense.” Taeyong was nervous because as he had mentioned earlier, he had never thought about asking you our or every properly telling you how he felt. There were always a million excuses he fell back on to justify this decision, but for once everything depended on him putting those aside and doing it anyways.

“Do you remember the day at the library?”

You nodded because how could you forget? “You were trying to impress your girlfriend.” The word ‘girlfriend’ was said bitterly, you didn’t even try to hide it anymore. It wasn’t like you had to anyway, you had already outed yourself to his face.

He shook his head, “No, I was trying to impress you.”

And now you were confused and it was apparent on your face from the way your brow knitted and your lips turned downwards into a baffled pout. “I’m sorry?”

“Y/n,” he said, voice dropping to a whisper. It was barely loud enough, but due to the silence of the hallway outside your apartment and your own anticipation, you heard it. The way he said your name made you almost flinch, but his next words had the wind knocked out of your lungs.

“I love you too.”

Too, because he hadn’t responded to your own proclamation before. Too, because he returned those very feelings that you had harboured for so long towards the boy. Too, because your affections weren’t in lonesome, and too, because it was an assurance.

I love you too, and the world stopped just for a minute as you sucked in a breath, your heart beating faster as if reminding you to breathe. Could he perhaps hear the way it hammered against your chest?

“You love me,” You repeated his words in a whisper as if you couldn’t believe it. “Taeyong I don’t think—”

“Stop thinking then,” He said quickly, looking down at his shoes. “I lied because I was scared. I was scared that you wouldn’t see me the same way and then I just kept letting that lie get bigger and bigger. There isn’t another girl, there never was, because the girl I wanted the entire time was you. For fucks sake I faked going on a date! Do you know how boring it is to do nothing for two hours in your car?”

You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of your throat, tears springing to your eyes. The information was overwhelming for you had never even considered this happening. You had settled firmly into your role as the best friend, the wingwoman, so much so that you had forgotten if there was anything after that. Your feelings had piled up so high that you couldn’t see what was behind them.

His own lips curled into the most affectionate of smiles at your laugh as he took a step closer to you. He reached out, hesitantly cupping your face with one hand, thumb brushing over your cheekbone gently. You leaned into his touch, placing your own hand over his.

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah, Doyoung said that too.”

More laughter, your eyes turned into little crescents of joy at the mention of your shared friend. Taeyong studied your face, picking up on the little things he loved so much about you.

“I love you Y/n, and I love you because you’re the one who I want to go with to the grocery store in the middle of the night, the one I want to call when something happens. I love seeing your caller ID on my phone, and the fact that you stayed with me to build that stupid set of lego flowers that still sits on my chest-of-drawers back home.”

His eyes- those eyes you adored so much- looked at you with so much emotion. You were positively enchanted by your best friend, as you had always been, and you were sure you always would be.

“I love when you show up at my place unannounced or drag me along to cook with you even though I end up doing most of the cooking because you suck at it. I love it when you call me at the worst hours possible and the look on your face when I show up.”

He dipped his head down a little, an infuriating little simper on his lips. “I love your smiles and your frowns, Y/n, because I love you.”

You thought you were going to start crying, because fuck, he was talking about you the way you had always wanted to be talked about. In that fond tone of voice where anyone could see how much he truly cared, he was using it for you. No matter how many times you had imagined that happening, nothing could ever beat the real thing.

“Stop it,” You choked out, hitting his arm, “You’re going to make me cry, you dumbass.” But you were smiling, blinking away the happy tears that were threatening to spill. “ Since you love my frowns so much, you’re forcing me to say this with the most unpleasant face I can muster up right now, but I love you too Taeyong, I have for an embarrassingly long time”

Your glower didn’t last very long, however, because you were too busy blinking rapidly to stop yourself from crying. It felt amazing to be able to say those words to him and have him say them back to you in the way you had always wanted. As something more.

He let out an offended sound. “Embarrassingly? I just poured my heart out to you and you classify it as embarrassing I-”

You quickly shut him up by pulling him forward and pressing your lips to his, which did the trick pretty quickly. He kissed you back, his arms falling to your waist as he pulled you in even more until your body was flush against his. You smiled into the kiss, not caring that you were still standing in your doorway.

There were no fireworks like they said in books and movies, no cheers in the background or music. Instead, you were hyperaware of the way his fingers drew dizzying circles on the exposed skin of your hips from how your shirt rid up and how his mouth moved against yours.

You memorised every second of your first kiss with your best friend, eyes fluttered shut and holy shit, you never knew a kiss could ever make your eyes flutter, but this one did.

The kiss was delicate, you slipped your arms around his neck and your fingers entangled in his hair, tugging ever so slightly. His lips were soft and cautious almost- he didn’t want to do anything you weren’t comfortable with.

You thought you fell just a little bit more in love with him.

Pulling away, you rested your forehead against his, eyes still screwed shut like you believed that it would all disappear if you opened them. A fever dream that you wanted so badly that you couldn’t bear the thought of it being ripped away from you. This time you clung onto it, holding it tight and you would never let it go.

You could still feel the ghost of his kiss on your mouth, something that you never wanted to forget. You let your hands slip from their position in his hair and down to his neck, trying your best to not giggle like a giddy schoolgirl.

It was by no means your first kiss, but the fact that it was with Taeyong, someone you truly loved, and not a random boy you had had a mild crush on made all the difference. He had kissed you like you were the only girl in the world, the only girl he ever wanted.

“So….do you wanna let me inside or do you wanna continue making out here in the cold hallway?”

“Fuck,” you muttered, a flush rising to your cheeks as you took a step away, having to bite down on your lower lip to stop your smile from showing. “Can we continue making out inside?”

He laughed, “Yes we can.” He was already pulling you back in after shutting the door, and you grinned, looking up at him. The boy had listened to Taylor Swift for you and loved you back, everything was perfect.

You just had one question though.

“Can we circle back to the fact that you faked going on a date or—”

“Not a chance.”

“I’m breaking up with you.”

Your boyfriend threw you a scandalized look at that statement, shaking his head as he took a few more steps. You were (surprisingly) not too far behind him, a grimace seemingly permanently etched into your face as you glared at him.

“Oh come on,” Taeyong protested, stopping where he was and helping you catch up to him. “It isn’t that bad.”

“You woke me up at four a.m for this! The sun is still asleep.” And it was because the sky was still a deep purple colour at five a.m. You were close to destroying all his chances of having offspring in the future.

“That’s…..that’s why it’s called a sunrise hike genius, you’re supposed to finish the hike to see the sun come out.” He deadpanned, a droll expression on his face at your whining. You knew he didn’t really mind it and was simply amused.

“If the sun isn’t awake, we shouldn’t be either.”

“What, are you a plant or something? Do you need photosynthesis?”

There were boyfriends that let their girlfriends sleep in on days off, and then there was Taeyong who practically dragged you out of bed to go on a stupid hike. For someone who constantly told you how fucked up your sleep schedule was, he wasn’t really helping fix it, now was he? Hypocrite - a cute one- but a hypocrite nonetheless.

“I’m trying to be romantic and this is how you act?” He asked, an infuriatingly adorable pout resting on his lips. You had to pinch your lips to stop yourself from smiling because if you did, he would never let you live it down.

“Taeyong, I love you, but nothing is romantic before ten.”

He simply rolled his eyes, reaching out to take your hand and help you climb up a jagged bit of the trail. You stumbled slightly and he slipped his arm around your waist to steady you so you wouldn’t fall flat on your face, making sure you found your footing. You mumbled thanks under your breath, shaking your hair out of your face and dusting your pants.

“Come on,” He said, squeezing your hand, “We’re almost there anyway. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

You would never understand how he thought this was relaxing or romantic in the slightest because you were already tired and your hair was sticking to your forehead due to it being weirdly hot that morning.

The things you did for this boy. You silently scoffed at yourself as you followed him, this time managing to stay in step and not fall too behind. You didn’t even have any caffeine in your system right now and he knew how much you needed your daily fix of it. The fact that he had managed to get you out here without that was a miracle in itself.

The two of you had made it official a few days after he told you that he loved you back, much to Doyoungs relief more than surprise. He had been tired of being subjected to your mutual obliviousness and was probably the first and biggest supporter of the relationship, but not without pointing out how much of a third wheel he had always been.

Taeyong was an amazing boyfriend, even when he made you wake up much too early for your liking. Being with him was incredibly natural and the two of you worked perfectly together as if it had been made to be that way all along.

The sky was now a lighter colour, indicating that the sun was rising. The trail was almost finished, and Taeyong stopped where he was, a small smile making its way onto his face as he looked out at the view.

“We’re here,” He whispered, and you joined him, sucking in a breath- one, because you needed it from all the hiking and two, because god.

It was fucking gorgeous. He had been right, it really was worth the getting up early and taking the hike just to see how the sunrays filtered through the sky and spilled out over the city below, painting the sky with oranges and pink hues that blended into the blue.

“I…wow,” You couldn’t find the words to describe the beauty of the scene, forgetting all about your contempt over being awoken so early.

“Told you so,” he quipped, and you elbowed him, letting out an unamused laugh, turning to face him properly. Maybe it was more than the view that had you feeling the way you did right then like you were on top of the world. Maybe it was Taeyong right by your side, hand in hand with you. The glow of the sun just about flickered through his hair, giving him a gentle halo.

“You….were right,” you admitted finally, letting him wrap you in a hug and pull you closer. “And you know what? I’ll give it to you, this is pretty romantic. Even if you did make me exercise at five in the morning.”

He pushed some of your hair out of your face and tucked it behind your ear. “Was that so hard to say?”

“Extremely. I’m never doing that again.” And with that, you pressed your lips to his for a short, sweet kiss underneath the rising sun atop the trail of the hike. Breaking away, you buried your head in the crook of his head, and the two of you stayed like that for a bit, basking in each other’s comforting silence.

Taeyong quite liked the outcome of the mess he made, somehow everything had worked out, and he promised himself he would never do something that stupid again. He would never let you go.

“Hey, Taeyong?”

“Yeah?”

There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation from you. “I love you.”

He would never, ever get tired of hearing that. The two of you had come a lot way, from a girl latching onto a boy because he was the only person she recognized, to both of you being everything to each other.

“I love you too.”

And that’s how it works, Taeyong thought, that’s how you get the girl.

fin.

1K notes · View notes

yongility · 9 days

Text

NEO TV # ROCKABYE (taeyong x reader) 2/?.

genre: single dad au, ceo au, fluff, slightly angst, smut.

warnings: adult language, death mentions, idk there's not a lot of warning for this one.

word count: 7k (not proofread!!!)

a/n: if you want to be in the taglist, just lemme know;) enjoy!

When Taeyong was growing up, he always carried with him the memory of the wonderful family he had, a small yet at the same time, great family. He, his mother, and his father didn't need anyone else. They were always the three of them, and it was more than enough. Sure, his family wasn't always conventional, and there were obviously mistakes here and there, but that would never mean that Taeyong wouldn't be grateful for the life and love his parents provided him.

Taeyong was always a starry-eyed boy. Passionate about everything that interested him. As a child, he went through countless phases trying to discover what he wanted for his future... Would he be the same man as his father? Or would he choose another profession? Would he be a stay-at-home dad and dedicate himself to his family?

Like the hyperactive child he was... he never knew for sure, and if there was an exact word to describe Lee Taeyong, it would surely be unpredictable.

Unpredictable because no one had the slightest idea what the boy's next step would be. Unpredictable because Taeyong changed his opinions every half an hour unless he felt one hundred percent sure about what he was doing. That was Lee Taeyong, that's how his family and friends knew him, and that's how he was formed.

Nevertheless, the boy matured at a fast pace. Without necessarily feeling it present, the pressure regarding his father's company position was looming closer and closer, not explicitly, but it wasn't necessary to be so to know what would become of him once he graduated from university. He could always hear what others said about him: 'Oh, Mrs. Lee's son is a true gentleman, surely his parents will be proud of him' ... 'Will he really take over the Lee company? He's nothing more than a spoiled child who always had everything handed to him on a silver platter.'

There were always different opinions and criticisms from different perspectives. Yes, Taeyong knew he wasn't perfect, he was more than aware of it. Taeyong was human, he had made mistakes, stumbled along the way, but he always tried to put one foot forward and rise from every stumble he had encountered.

He wasn't a relationship guy. He was sure of that. Of course, he had had some teenage romances in his high school days. He had been on a few dates during college, and yes, he had had at least one relationship that had lasted at least a year.

Although this last one was more about social pressure than simply enjoying the company of the girl who was his girlfriend at his twenty-three years. He would never blame Joy and would never speak bad about her; in the end, Joy had been someone with whom he had spent part of his growth and accompanied in various moments, which was when they decided to try some kind of relationship between them and for the good of both families according to his mother. The Lee family and the Park family had been partners for a long time, so what better than to bring together both heirs of their heritage to reinforce both businesses? However, that didn't last long. Only a year, Taeyong appreciated Joy and vice versa, but definitely didn't see any future with her. He tried, he really tried. He wanted to do his best, he wanted to do things right, but he couldn't. He simply couldn't.

And with the pressure from his family and Joy's family, nothing could be contracted.

'Taeyong, we are very happy that our daughter and you are making such great progress, we can't wait to see a ring on my daughter's finger.'

'Taeyong, time is passing and you still haven't knelt before her, you know we can't grow old without seeing you at the altar.'

'Taeyong, today Joy and I were at the mall and we saw a spectacular baby clothing store, you're taking too long! How lovely it would be to already have a little one running through the halls of the house!'

Marriage, family, commitment. It was something that Taeyong didn't think about and didn't want to have at his twenty-three years. Sure, someday he would have to settle down and form his legacy, but he wished it would be with someone he truly loved, with someone he could see his future with and grow old together, but could he ever get all that someday?"

_______________________________________________

First Month.

Week one.

For someone with enough money, Taeyong didn't usually keep his apartment constantly in undergoing renovations. Lee Taeyong was a simple man, he preferred the minimalist and the modest. Nothing extravagant, nothing ostentatious. At the end of the day, there were few times he found himself at home, its only use was just for sleeping, if he had the opportunity to do so.

However, as many things had been changing suddenly in the last few days, it was no news that his apartment would be one of the things involved in one of those changes. So his apartment was now filled with piles of boxes here and there and a few cans of paint waiting to be used.

It would be a long process.

"If someone told me that, that when I return from America, I would be assembling a crib for one of my friends' daughters, I definitely wouldn't believe it," Jaehyun said slowly as he read some instructions.

"Hard to believe, but not impossible," commented Doyoung, snatching the paper from his hands and now reading the instructions.

"It's just that I only left for two weeks! And now I'm an uncle! As far as I know, that process takes nine months," exclaimed Jaehyun exasperatedly.

A thump on his head made him stop and he brought his hand to his neck to rub it as he complained slowly and looked at the cause of that attack.

"It was a nine-month process, idiot. It's just that we didn't find out about it until a little over a week ago," Doyoung told him, looking at him disapprovingly.

After that, and quietly giving up on how to build a crib, they left the room where they were and headed to the small baby carrier that was on the couch with a very peaceful Sun Hee inside it, or at least she seemed to be peaceful.

Doyoung and Jaehyun approached her, who either looked at them or made an attempt to do so, with her eyes wide open and babbling sweetly. The heads of both boys tilted as they watched the little one and her actions, almost as if they were examining her and trying to guess what her next move would be.

May the universe take care of the little one with such uncles she has.

"She looks like Taeyong," murmured Jaehyun.

"Well, of course she looks like him, she's his daughter," Doyoung replied obviously.

"She could look like her mom, who knows," the younger shrugged and continued to watch the little one. Who would have thought that one of their friends would be a father?, who would have thought that the very Lee Taeyong, who loved freedom, would become a father? The little one remained calm for a few more moments, until Doyoung and Jaehyun's gaze that was on her may have made her uncomfortable, because without further ado and letting out a whimper, she began to cry; causing both boys to look at each other and panic as they didn't know what to do next.

"Should I pick her up?" Jaehyun asked alarmed. He had never held a baby before. "Sun Hee? Calm down... calm down Sun Hee... don't cry."

"Where's Taeyong?" asked Doyoung, and the baby's crying became even louder. "Taeyong!"

"Sun Hee, please don't cry," murmured Jaehyun as he looked around, then took the remote control and turned on the TV. "Look! Look Sun Hee, the news! That so interesting, isn't it?"

"You idiot, what does she know about the news," snapped an upset Doyoung as he lightly hit his friend's arm.

"How would I know, I've never had a daughter! Where's Taeyong? Taeyong!" they called again for the attention of the father, who was not present, and the little one began to cry more and more. "Sun Hee, don't cry because I'm also going to cry," commented a very sentimental Jaehyun.

To the misfortune of both boys, Taeyong along with Johnny had gone down to the lobby of the building for a couple of things that would be delivered for the apartment renovation.

Who else but the great Lee Taeyong would leave a baby in the care of TWO adult babies? Nobody else but him.

Doyoung quickly grabbed a toy that looked like a rattle and after seeing his friend entering a great state of panic, he began to shake it trying to get the attention of the little one who seemed not to have precisely an off button, and instead of getting distracted and stopping crying with the noise of her toy, she seemed to become more uncomfortable and start crying once again.

Both friends looked at each other again, defeated. A one-week-old baby had more power over them. They would definitely be ready to be parents in about... thirty years.

"You idiots , what have you done to my princess?" Lee Taeyong questioned once inside his apartment, leaving the boxes he was carrying on the floor and approaching his daughter, lifting her in his arms and making her cry cease once she felt the warmth of her father.

"What did we do to her? What did she do to us!" exclaimed Jaehyun, bringing his hands to his face.

"You're so dramatic, Sun Hee is a sunshine," commented Johnny, approaching his friends and stroking the cheeks of the little one in Taeyong's arms. "Aren't you? You're a very pretty sunshine, Sun Hee, I bet when you grow up you'll be so pretty that everyone will be after you," he said in a high-pitched voice while Sun Hee seemed to be very familiar with the voice of her third uncle, who was making a very small attempt at a smile.

"Look at that, it seems like Sunnie already has favoritism towards one of her uncles," Taeyong said, smiling tenderly as he saw his daughter calmer.

"Johnny her favorite uncle? I'm the godfather!" exclaimed Doyoung offended.

"He's the godfather?" Jaehyun and Johnny asked incredulously, pointing at Doyoung.

Oh no.

Taeyong looked innocently at his friends and smiled slightly once an idea lit up his head.

"Whoever manages to assemble her crib will be her godfather. Isn't that right, Sun Hee?" the little one just babbled while her eyes closed, beginning to drift off to sleep.

He didn't need to repeat his sentence before his friends ran out of the room and ran towards the place that would be Sun Hee's room.

Taeyong laughed and left his little daughter in the baby carrier while gently rocking her.

It will be a long day.

_____________________________________________

First month.

Week three.

If there's one thing people know about Lee Taeyong, it's that he's a dedicated and determined man. A workaholic perhaps, and that might be the reason behind the great success and reputation of his company. Taeyong knew what he was doing, and he was the best at it. His investments always remained clean and on a large scale; any businessman would feel honored to work with the great Lee, or even to have a minimal connection with him. He was well-known in the business world, not just because of who his father was, but because of the great work he had done on his own to achieve everything his companies obtained after his father's retirement. A young man in big business, respected by the world.

That was Lee Taeyong.

He was also a man of routine and hated when it was affected. Over the years and as he grew older, Taeyong realized that the best thing for him was to have a schedule ready for each morning so that things would go more smoothly and efficiently. His days were mostly planned, but it was obvious that there would always be some unexpected event to deal with during the day. However, Taeyong always found a way to handle it as organized as possible.

However, with the arrival of Sun Hee in his life, and what it caused to change completely, his routine had to be terribly affected. He had been aware that this would happen, at least in the first weeks – or months – of Sun Hee's life. At least until he could take her to a daycare or until he could find a nanny he could trust completely to leave the most precious thing in his life in her care.

So for now, he had to play two roles, that of being a father and that of being the CEO of one of Korea's most important companies. Although now that he could see his life from two completely different points of view, he could assure that the first role was by far more difficult than the second.

He had heard a lot about being a father, even his mother had given him a book on how to be a father, he thought it would help, but it really didn't help at all. Being a single father was hard, especially being a first-timer; his mind was in chaos. Of course, he loved Sun Hee, she was his life, his ray of sunshine, but sometimes it was too much to handle, sometimes the diapers didn't fit as nicely as a pretty nurse had taught him... Sometimes Sun Hee didn't want to drink the formula that Taeyong offered her when she was supposed to eat – and according to his mother, maybe it was because the girl needed breast milk, how the hell could Taeyong do that? – Sometimes no matter how much effort he made, Sun Hee wouldn't stop crying.

And that's where he was right now. At three in the morning, with visible dark circles under his eyes, his hair disheveled, barefoot while rocking Sun Hee back and forth in his arms, who seemed to find no peace.

"Shh, Sunnie. What's wrong? You should sleep a little, don't you want to let Daddy rest a bit?"

The day for Taeyong had been difficult; there had been some mishaps in the company that couldn't be dealt with from home, so he had to go there with Sun Hee as his company.

The confused looks from his employees had not been of much help to him at that moment.

Nor had it been of much help that Sun Hee had been whiny all day. Taeyong didn't understand what was going on with his little one, it wasn't that she needed a diaper change, it wasn't that she was hungry... she just spent the day throwing little complaints.

And that had been too much for Taeyong. The pressure of business matters and the responsibility he had as a father became too much.

Sun Hee continued to cry in his arms, and Taeyong felt like he would cry at any moment too.

"Sunnie, please. I don't want us to be kicked out of the building for bothering the neighbors," murmured a very frustrated father. "Calm down, baby, can you do that for me? Can you calm down a bit, huh? Can you do that for Daddy?"

Taeyong stroked his daughter's cheek, who seemed to stop crying and just let out a few small sobs that hopefully would stop in a few seconds.

He sighed and relaxed his body, bringing Sun Hee closer to him.

And maybe... just maybe, he spoke too quickly.

Because as soon as he was relaxed, his daughter started crying again, and this time Taeyong couldn't take it anymore and cried too. He sat on his bed with her in his arms, and a few tears fell from his eyes.

Looking at his daughter and seeing the state she was in, he couldn't help but feel his heart ache. Sun Hee looked so fragile, so small. How could he keep her safe? How could he make everything alright? Oh, how he wished he had come into the world with all the knowledge about how to be a good father in his mind.

"I wish I could know what's wrong with you, Sun Hee, but I can't read your little mind," he murmured between sobs. Obviously, his daughter didn't respond, but rather continued with her act.

His lungs would probably hurt right now with all the crying he had done, and that terrified Taeyong, who stood in his place and walked to the bedside table, where he picked up his phone and entered his contacts list. He didn't exactly know what he was doing or why, but his desperation overpowered him, and in a moment his fingers were dialing the only number he could think of, he just hoped he was doing the right thing.

One tone... two tones...

It's three in the morning, Lee Taeyong, who would answer you at this hour?

Three tones... four tones.

"Hello?" a very sleepy voice was heard on the other end of the line, and Taeyong could feel the air returning to his lungs.

"Y/N?, I'm really sorry for calling you at this hour," Lee murmured as he left his daughter in her rocker and held his phone between his shoulder and ear.

(Y/N) recognized that voice after a few seconds and recognized those cries even more, making her sit up briefly in her bed and mentally forcing herself to wake up completely.

"Taeyong? What's wrong? Is it Sun Hee the one I hear?"

Of course, it's Sun Hee, idiot! What other daughter does Lee Taeyong have?

"Yes, it's Sun Hee... and I... don't know what's going on. Sunnie has been complaining all day and hasn't stopped crying for a while. I don't know what to do, I've already changed her diaper, she's already eaten, I even sang her some lullabies, but nothing works," explained Taeyong desperately. "I don't know what to do, I'm tired, my arms hurt from carrying her so much, I've memorized all the nursery rhymes, and Sun Hee doesn't seem happy with anything."

"Oh, Taeyong..."

"You were sleeping, weren't you? Oh God, I'm so sorry, I know it's late, but calling you was the only thing I could think of, I'm really sorry..."

"Taeyong?" (Y/N) called him. "Don't worry, I told you that you could call me if you ever needed it. I have no problem helping you, even if it's three in the morning," the girl could hear the soft laugh of the nurse on the other end of the line, and this created a great contrast between the incessant cries of his daughter and the sweet laughter of (Y/N). "What can I do for you?"

"I know it's late, but I can't think of anything else, can you come? Or if you want, I can put Sun Hee in her car seat and drive over there!" Taeyong explained quickly.

"Calm down, I don't think it's the best idea for you to drive stressed and with Sun Hee crying in the back seat. Send me your address, and I'll be there in a moment."

"Thank you, (Y/N), I wouldn't be calling at this hour if I really didn't need it..."

______________________________________________

The door of Taeyong's large apartment was knocked, and this alerted the boy as he carried his baby close to his chest. Lee headed to the entrance of his house, and when he opened it, he found (Y/N) in a very different contrast than he had become accustomed to seeing her. For obvious reasons, she was not in her work clothes, and now she was wearing a black sweatshirt with cute pants covered in puppy drawings all over. Her hair slightly loose and without a drop of makeup.

Even so, she looked pretty.

Taeyong blinked a couple of times and moved aside to let the girl pass while he continued to rock his daughter.

(Y/N) entered the apartment and approached the father and the little girl.

"Can you lay her down somewhere? I'd like to give her a quick check-up,"

Taeyong nodded without hesitation, walked to the room that had been adapted for Sun Hee, and laid her down in her crib. The crib that Johnny had successfully built, opening the fight between who would truly be Sun Hee's godfather... something they would detail later.

Once the little one was in her crib, (Y/N) lifted her clothes slightly to observe Sun Hee's stomach and see a few more things. The boy simply watched in silence, resigned by his daughter's cries and giving a couple of glances to the girl beside him.

I wish the call I made had been for something else and not for this.

Taeyong and (Y/N) hadn't had contact since that time two weeks ago when the former had left the hospital. Taeyong tried to call her a couple of times, to thank her again for everything she had done for them during the time she had been Sun Hee's nurse, but for some reason, he was always busy enough with his daughter and the company, and he didn't allow himself to do it.

He would have liked to invite her for coffee sometime.

He really would have liked that.

"I'm not exactly a doctor," (Y/N) spoke. "But I've worked with many babies to see these consistent behaviors. It seems to me that Sun Hee is suffering from colic; I think it would be best to take her to the pediatrician first thing in the morning just to be sure."

Taeyong nodded without saying a word, maybe because he was too tired to formulate anything or because maybe his mind was no longer processing anything. (Y/N) smiled tenderly, regardless of the little one's whining; after all, it was something she heard daily in maternal care.

"Can I?" she asked, pointing to Sun Hee. Taeyong nodded again, and (Y/N) took the little one in her arms. "Oh Sun Hee, it's been a while since we last saw each other; you look even prettier than two weeks ago, even though you won't stop crying," she murmured, earning a small laugh from Taeyong.

"Try spending three hours listening to her cry," the visibly tired boy replied.

"I work in maternal care, remember? I hear several babies cry at the same time."

"True," Taeyong sighed, "it's just that it's tiring, you know? Particularly today was a heavy day, and it seems that Sunnie has no intention of letting me sleep tonight."

"We'll try to fix it then," (Y/N) gave him a smile, glanced around the room, and when she found a rocking chair, she went there to sit down.

She placed Sun Hee on her lap face down and began to pat her back gently, then used her fingers to give her a little massage, delicate enough for her. For a moment, the crying didn't stop, but after a few minutes, the father found himself really surprised to notice that his daughter had managed to calm down.

From the doorway of the room, with his arms crossed over his chest... Taeyong smiled.

But what a sight. (Y/N) tried not to be distracted by this and continued to massage while clearing her throat.

"The nursery is very nice," she commented, trying to look anywhere but at the boy's figure.

Taeyong nodded and approached her slightly.

If you don't see him, you won't be distracted... if you're not distracted by him, you won't think anything impure...

"Yes, we set it up the first week Sun Hee was here. The guys and I went through a moment-" Taeyong laughed as he remembered the day- "Do you remember, Doyoung? He was the one who accompanied me on the last day at the hospital," (Y/N) nodded, "Doyoung, Johnny, and Jaehyun helped me, it was chaos, but we managed to set everything up... still, Sun Hee doesn't sleep here yet."

"Really?"

"Mhmm, Sunnie sleeps with me. In a way, it's easier for her to sleep if I'm by her side; I just put some pillows around her, and she sleeps in my bed," he commented, feeling his cheeks blush. In reality, it wasn't so much that Sun Hee had gotten used to him, but rather that Taeyong rested more peacefully knowing that his daughter was by his side, so he would know that, if something happened, he could respond immediately.

"That's very sweet," she commented, "how has everything been? It's been three weeks since I heard anything from you," she continued massaging the little one's back.

"Uh, it's been good, I guess. Sometimes a bit chaotic, but I have my parents' help and Sun Hee's uncles," he replied, "... my friends, they say they're Sunnie's uncles, and I agree with them, they're like my brothers."

"It's nice to know you have someone to lean on; it would be much harder if you were alone," she took the baby in her arms and rocked her as she saw her sleepy face.

Taeyong, surprised by the immense ability of the nurse, watched the scene with tenderness, which looked too domestic. Too much for Taeyong's liking.

"Yes, it's been hard, but they've been a great help. I've been working from here, so I have to take care of the company and Sun Hee at the same time. Sometimes it gets stressful, but I have to keep doing it, at least until Sunnie gets bigger and I can get a nanny... or take her to the company. I don't know which of the two options is worse."

"You'll surely find a good nanny or daycare," (Y/N) encouraged, "you know? We have a daycare at the hospital... well, not exactly in maternal care or in the hospital itself, it's affiliated. Sometimes I cover shifts there; maybe you should consider it."

"Yes, maybe," Taeyong smiled.

Both remained silent for a few seconds, (Y/N) still gently rocking the little one to not wake her from the sleep she had fallen into, and Taeyong discreetly looking at the nurse.

Never in his life did he think he would find himself in such a situation.

But he wasn't complaining; he liked the scene. It was nice to see.

(Y/N) also discreetly contemplated the scene and thought to herself: How is it possible for Lee Taeyong to look so attractive at three in the morning? Even with dark circles under his eyes?

It wasn't news that the man seemed attractive to her, but after three weeks without hearing from him, she thought she wouldn't think of him that way. Of course, Taeyong and Sun Hee were constantly on her mind; she wanted to know about them on many occasions, but she had no way to contact with him, and the hospital, for good reasons, wouldn't give her the Lee family's private information; after all, it's the hospital's policies, and she would respect them.

However, she was grateful that Taeyong had called her, even though it had been at three in the morning on a Tuesday, to deal with Sun Hee's irritated problem.

She just hoped that if they met again, it would be in a different situation...

______________________________________________

An hour and a half later, with a deeply sleeping Sun Hee in Taeyong's bed surrounded by pillows, and the clock showing four forty-five in the morning. Lee Taeyong and Kang (Y/N) were in the living room of the apartment, not saying much.

"I think I should go," the girl commented. "I start my shift in a few hours."

Two hours and fifteen minutes to be exact.

"Oh my God, (T/N), you should have told me you had an early shift; I wouldn't have made you come here if I had known," Taeyong exclaimed alarmed.

"Don't worry, really. I told you that you could call me if you ever needed anything, and I meant it. You and Sun Hee would never be a problem. I'm glad to help," she smiled.

"Thank you very much, it means a lot to me that you did this," the boy commented. For a moment, he thought about taking the girl's hands and giving them a slight squeeze, but he held back his thoughts. "I promise to repay you soon... maybe with a coffee?" the brunette asked, feeling a surge of hope in his chest.

He saw the girl's smile widen, causing him to smile as well, and he lowered his gaze shyly.

"Rest assured that I'll say yes," she replied. "I'll be waiting for your call, even if it takes three weeks again," she joked.

"I won't take that long this time, I promise you."

"We'll see about that... in the meantime, don't forget to take Sun Hee to the pediatrician tomorrow; anything you need, you can call me, Lee Taeyong. I'd like to know how things are going with Sun Hee afterward."

"I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Goodnight, Lee Taeyong."

"Goodnight, (Y/N)."

And so, at five in the morning, each went to bed with a small smile decorating their faces.

____________________________________________

For (Y/N), life was something she appreciated.

Perhaps that's why she chose to work in the healthcare field.

She grew up in a middle-class family. Nothing extravagant, but with everything necessary to live comfortably. Her family wasn't large either; it was just her, her two siblings, and her parents. A typical family with its ups and downs.

She was never demanding and instead tried to help with whatever she could. She liked making people feel good and enjoyed contributing whenever possible, something that made her parents proud.

She grew up as a normal girl, at least until she reached high school, where her parents' divorce took place. She never knew when it happened or what led them to make that decision, which left a scar on her heart.

Or maybe she always knew but never wanted to acknowledge it.

She must have noticed it when her parents started arguing over every little thing. She must have noticed it when her father was less present at home. Surely, she noticed it when her mother cried all day in her room when her husband spent the entire night away. Perhaps the times when her older sister was irritated and left home to hang out with people of dubious reputation were a sign of how her family was gradually falling apart.

However, she hoped it wouldn't be like that.

Still, despite how much that decision affected her, she continued with her life as best as she could, being a support to her mother and becoming the older sister when her brother failed in that task.

She became an independent woman. She didn't like relying on others for money, which is why she managed to work since she entered high school. It was a part-time job, enough for her to have her own money, and it was the job that allowed her to find her vocation and passion.

Her job wasn't complicated – or at least, it didn't feel that way because it was something she genuinely enjoyed. Every day, after finishing her last high school class, (Y/N) rushed to the Dongjak area, where on a small street, she found the daycare center that allowed her to find her path. At that time, she didn't fully interact with the children, as she lacked the experience needed and was still young for that, but she was the assistant to the caregivers there, and seeing them work excited her every day.

She didn't know if she had developed an emotional attachment there, after the conflicts that had arisen at home due to her parents' arguments.

But she enjoyed being there, she really did.

Then her sister, in an attempt to leave home and go with who she swore was the love of her life, got pregnant at a young age. It was a difficult pregnancy, and (Y/N) took part in taking care of her sister throughout the process. She appreciated everything she had learned at the daycare center, which allowed her to put it into practice once her nephew was born.

Her nephew was the apple of her eye and would always be.

She didn't blame her sister, she really didn't want to, but there were times when it seemed like she was the mother of her nephew herself. There were many occasions when she had to take care of Jisung. Her sister had to leave high school behind and get a job to cover her and her son's needs, especially after the man who swore to always be by her side had cowardly fled two months before giving birth, making the childbirth process even more difficult than it already was.

So, her nephew saw her as a pillar. Someone who took care of him, fed him, changed him, and cared for him. (Y/N) even witnessed his "firsts" before his own mother. His first steps, his first words, she even accompanied him on his first day of preschool, continuing until she had to go to university.

Having found her vocation early on made everything easier. She entered the Academy of Health and Pediatric Nursing in Seoul. Where she always got good grades and became an exemplary student, graduating with all the honors her academy could give her almost three years ago.

It wasn't difficult for her to find a job immediately, thanks to the recommendations some of her teachers had, she was able to find a nice position in the maternity and pediatric care area at Seoul General Hospital, where she couldn't feel more comfortable.

Where she was right now.

" Nurse (Y/N)!" a soft voice called from behind her, causing her to turn around and smile emotionally.

"Hello, little one," she greeted, approaching the bed of one of her patients. "How are you feeling today?"

"Very well, they told Mom that I can go home today, they say the treatment worked," the boy told her with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! You'll soon be back to see your friends at school," she encouraged him.

"Yes, but I'll miss you a lot, so I made this for you," he said, pointing to the piece of paper in his hands. "It's you and me."

(Y/N) smiled tenderly and looked at the drawing Kaeyoon had made for her.

"It's very nice, Yoonie, thank you very much for your gift, I'll hang it on my fridge," she said as she high-fived the boy. Then she looked at the drawing and looked doubtful. "And who is he? Is he your dad?" she asked, pointing to another figure in the drawing.

"No, that's Doctor Yuta, and he has hearts in his eyes because he's your boyfriend!" he exclaimed happily, causing (Y/N) to widen her eyes and then release a smile.

"But Yoonie~, Doctor Yuta is not my boyfriend," she replied, still laughing.

"Then can I be your boyfriend?” he asked skillfully.

"Oh, honey, I'm afraid you're too young for me," she replied with a smile.

"And when I get bigger?"

"Maybe when you're big," (T/N) continued. "But by then, you'll surely have found another girlfriend that will have your age."

"But you're the prettiest! Besides, I have to beat Doctor Yuta," he muttered.

"What do you have to beat me in?" another voice chimed in, and (Y/N)'s body reacted to it.

"In nothing."

"In being (Y/N)'s boyfriend," Kaeyoon and (T/N) replied in unison.

Yuta opened his mouth and pretended to be surprised. "So it's a competition?"

"Yoonie's just kidding," (T/N) said with a nervous smile. "You know how kids are, doctor."

"Look, doctor! I've made a drawing for you too," Kaeyoon exclaimed, changing the subject drastically, and it was the perfect opportunity for (Y/N) to awkwardly step away from there.

She wrapped the drawing in the paper and put it in the pocket of her pants before starting to check the checklist and see which child she should attend to. She stood at the desk for a few seconds, checking and arranging things until she felt a presence beside her, one that she could easily identify.

"So you have little kids falling for you," Yuta commented with a mocking smile.

(T/N) smiled nervously. "That's how kids are. Two weeks ago, he was in love with Nurse Mina."

"But he was right to fall for you," Dr. Yuta continued, and (T/N) let out a laugh followed by him. "Would you like to go for a coffee in your next break at the hospital cafeteria? I mean, it's not the most elegant thing, but I'd like to spend some more time with you."

(Y/N)'s cheeks turned crimson, and she nodded, smiling. "Oh yes, of course. I would love to."

"Maybe I might win you over Kaeyoon," Yuta said as he walked away from the desk.

_______________________________________________

Second month.

Week one, Thursday.

(Y/N) had been right two weeks ago. Sun Hee was suffering from colic, and according to the pediatrician, it was due to the formula Taeyong had been feeding her.

Taeyong instinctively felt like a bad father; he had been feeding his daughter something her little stomach seemed unable to tolerate. But how could he have known? He had to completely discard those formula cans from his pantry and replace them with the new formula the pediatrician had recommended, and soon, Sun Hee's discomfort was diminishing.

Even now, he could sleep a little more at night.

Along with the massages he had learned the night (Y/N) had helped him and a couple of other routines, Sun Hee's colic decreased.

(Y/N)…

Although Taeyong had assured not to take three weeks again to contact her, it seemed that Taeyong really wanted to leave her waiting. Not to misinterpret, it wasn't that he didn't want to call her and invite her for a coffee, but his life was busy, and his priority was his daughter instead of throwing flirty glances around.

Although he knew that a coffee was the least Taeyong could offer her in gratitude for that time at three in the morning, he simply couldn't muster the courage to pick up his damn phone and dial a few numbers. Besides, he didn't want to misread the signs; who would want to date a dad?

"You should just call her," Johnny advised as he watched his friend from the other side of the couch.

Sun Hee rested on her father's chest as he stared at his phone incessantly.

"I don't know, John," Taeyong replied with a sigh.

"How long has it been? Two weeks? You should have called her the next day."

"I don't want to pressure anything... maybe she's not interested."

"The girl came at three in the morning on a Tuesday, do you really think she wouldn't be even slightly interested?" Johnny asked incredulously.

"It was for Sun Hee, nothing else. She said she wouldn't mind helping with Sun Hee whenever she could," the younger one confessed, stroking his daughter's back.

"You should give yourself more credit, Lee Taeyong. You're a coveted and handsome man; being a dad now doesn't change how attractive you are."

"I was hoping she would be interested, not you," he joked, and Johnny contemplated throwing a pillow at him for a moment, but after seeing his niece on his friend's chest, he stopped.

"You'll never know if she has even a little interest if you don't call her. Plus, for the favor she did you, it's the least you can do."

Taeyong fell silent and sighed.

"I know, I'm aware of that," he replied, closing his eyes momentarily. "I'll keep considering it."

"You're stubborn," Johnny commented, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, alright. Get your ass up and come with me to the supermarket; Sun Hee finished her formula, and she needs more."

"Anything for my niece."

______________________________________________

“What do you think of this?” Johnny asked as he showed Taeyong a jar of baby food.

Taeyong turned around and snorted.

“Sun Hee still can't eat those things; besides, the doctor recommended that once Sunnie started trying food, I should prepare her purees myself. It's more natural,” the father shrugged, glancing at his daughter strapped to his chest in a baby carrier.

“Wow.”

“Wow what?”

“I never in my life imagined you playing the role of a dad,” Johnny commented with a half-smile.

His friend sighed and placed a can of formula in the shopping cart before sighing again.

“I didn't either, but Sun Hee came, and I'll try to be the best father she could have,“ he replied, smiling as he looked at his daughter. “ Everything happened very quickly, but Sunnie is a ray of sunshine.”

“She is!” Johnny agreed, then cleared his throat. “When are you going back to work? At the company, I mean.”

“John, this isn't the place to talk about that,” Taeyong said, pushing the cart.

“Taeyong, you know it has to happen. At some point in your life, you have to return to your usual routine. You can't work from home your whole life. Even the day will come when you have to go out and have fun too!”

“Johnny, stop”

“You know I'm right, Taeyong.”

The younger one sighed again. "I know, John, but now isn't the time for that. Sunnie is only two months old; the day will come when I can take her to the office without her getting irritated so quickly or the day when she's big enough to leave her in daycare."

“Just promise me you won't put your life completely on hold. I know Sunnie is your priority now, and some things change when you become a father, but please, also give yourself some time. If you ever need it, you can ask your mother to take care of her, I could even be Sun Hee's babysitter for a day!”

“I'd rather leave Sunnie with Doyoung and Jaehyun than with you,” Taeyong joked.

“Hey! How could you prefer to leave my niece with those two clowns? They can't even take care of themselves!”

Taeyong chuckled and continued pushing the shopping cart while considering what groceries to bring home.

“Okay, Johnny, I really appreciate it.”

His friend kept talking beside him, but he wasn't really paying attention. Instead, he was focusing on the items on the shelves and what he should take home, gently rocking Sun Hee to prevent her from crying right there.

He stopped somewhere between the cereal aisle and the canned goods, and upon hearing a child's laughter, he turned to his right, finding a very familiar face. The girl was about twenty steps away from him, with a smile on her face as she listened to what a little boy was saying to her.

Taeyong was confused; his brow furrowed as he looked sideways at the scene. Was that girl (Y/N)? If so, who was the boy next to her? His eyes widened; could he be her son? But what about that time at three in the morning? She wouldn't leave her child alone somewhere to go help another family... What if she had a husband and left him with him? Oh no, no, no, no.

“Taeyong?“ a female voice brought him back to reality, and he focused on the girl coming towards him with a confused expression, then smiling as she recognized him.

“ (Y/N), hi” he greeted, once she and the boy holding her hand were in front of him.

“ Of all the places we could run into each other, it has to be the supermarket” she commented, laughing softly.

Taeyong smiled. "Yes, Sunnie ran out of formula, so I had to come for more," he explained, pointing at his daughter.

“ Oh, I see. How's Sun Hee? I haven't heard from you since about two weeks ago,“ she inquired.

“She's been better; she had colics because her stomach couldn't handle the formula she was drinking. Now everything's fine.”

“I'm glad to hear that,“ (Y/N) noticed how Taeyong discreetly observed Jisung and spoke, “ Oh, yes, he's Jisung*. He's my nephew; I brought him to buy his favorite cereal, and he's staying over tonight.”

The guy felt the blood rushing back through his body and smiled warmly as he leaned slightly to look at the little boy.

“Hey, hi champ. I'm Taeyong, and she” he momentarily uncovered his daughter's face “ is Sun Hee.”

“Hi, Mr. I'm Jisung, and I'm this many,“ he held up his right hand, raising five fingers and showing them to Taeyong, who smiled tenderly.

“Oh, that's a lot. You're almost catching up to me.”

“Yeah, he’s almost your age” she laughed off.

In that brief moment, Taeyong and (Y/N) exchanged a few more words. The guy was distracted by her, now seeing her in a different light. He had seen her in her work clothes, then in pajamas when he called her at three in the morning, and now he saw her in a floral dress and a thin sweater covering her, with her hair loose and slightly wavy, and a bit of gloss on her lips.

She looked phenomenal. Actually, she looked phenomenal no matter what.

In nurse's attire, in pajamas, he was sure she would even look spectacular in a sack of potatoes because she just shone in every way.

However, his little and discreet admiration was interrupted when Johnny's voice called him abruptly.

“Hey, Taeyong. Look what I found; this would look cute on my niece” Johnny spoke, lightly tapping his back as he reached his side. Then he realized the situation and smiled sideways, “Oh, I didn't know you had found someone. I'm Johnny Suh, pleased to meet you” the blonde commented, extending his hand to the girl and giving a high-five to the little boy.

“She's (Y/N),” Taeyong said, fearing the worst.

“Oh.”

“ Nice to meet you, Johnny. I'm (Y/N). I was Sun Hee's nurse while she was in the hospital” she spoke kindly.

Johnny smiled playfully and turned to look at his friend, who was looking at him barely shaking his head.

Taeyong could expect anything from his friend, and that was what he feared the most.

“Oh, so you're the nurse Yong wanted to invite for coffee?“ he innocently asked.

“Johnny.”

“Hmm, I don't know” she responded with a little laugh, “Am I?”

“Excuse my friend; he's a very busy and absent-minded man” Johnny explained, receiving a small punch in his ribs from Taeyong, who smiled falsely and continued talking to the girl, “Isn't that right, Taeyong?”

“Yes, sorry for not calling you back after that night; I've just been taking care of Sun Hee and working at the company, so I didn't find the right moment to call you” Taeyong spoke with his head slightly bowed, feeling embarrassed.

“Oh, don't worry. I figured you'd be busy. No need to apologize; I completely understand” she assured him with a smile.

“But what a lovely girl! You better invite her for coffee; otherwise, I'll do it myself” Johnny encouraged while still smiling, causing (Y/N) to laugh.

“Johnny...”

“I was just kidding,“ he raised his arms in a sign of innocence, “but I'll leave you two alone; I heard there's a sale on floral detergent. I can't miss it!“ he exclaimed so that, without further ado, he walked away from the aisle and left both guys with both children, alone.

“I'm sorry, really. Sometimes Johnny can be... extra,” Taeyong apologized quickly, shaking his head with a smile, “but what he said is true; I wanted to invite you for coffee, but I couldn't find the right moment to call you. I'm sorry for taking so long.”

She smiled sideways and nodded slightly as she placed her hand on the guy's shoulder.

“It's okay. I waited for your call after you said you wouldn't take three weeks to call me this time,” she said, laughing, “but I figured you'd be busy, so no hard feelings.

“Is it still time for me to invite you?” he asked, his big eyes shining. (Y/N) nodded with her cheeks turning red, “How about Saturday afternoon? I know of a café not far from here, and they sell amazing muffins. I'm sure you'll like the place.”

“You've convinced me with the muffins.”

“Of course” Taeyong laughed. “I'll send you the location by text... this time, I'll do it.”

“I'll wait for your message then,” she said, nodding, then staying silent for a few seconds.

Should they say goodbye now? Should he wave his hand? Or leave a kiss on her cheek? They still didn't have the confidence for that, did they? Would it be weird if he did? How complicated everything is!

“Auntie, I want to go now,” the voice of a little boy took them out of their trance, and they changed their view to the kid.

“Oh, of course, my love. Have you had your cereal?” the girl asked, and Jisung nodded, “Okay, then we’ll go,” she assured him, then turned her gaze back to the boy and the little one on his chest, “it's been nice seeing you; give Sun Hee a kiss from me, have a good night.”

“See you on Saturday.”

“See you on Saturday, Taeyong.”

______________________________________________

The boy approached his car where Johnny was leaning against it, waiting for him. Taeyong gave him a dirty look, and the blond raised his arms as he opened the back door.

“Don't look at me like that! “ he pleaded with a smile “I did you a favor, dude!”

“Just don't say anything and put the stuff in the trunk” Taeyong ordered as he placed Sunnie in her car seat.

Johnny obeyed his friend's orders and began to put everything inside the car. After a few minutes, he returned to Taeyong's side, who had already settled Sun Hee comfortably and asleep in her car seat.

“Come on, help me get rid of this thing, it's stuck,” the brunette said as he tried to open one of the zippers of his baby carrier, struggling with it.

His friend approached him even closer and tried to help in a failed attempt; the zipper was stuck, and it didn't seem to want to open even with all the force in the universe.

“Let me try, don't move,” Johnny requested as he held his friend by the back and put one of his hands on the zipper of the carrier, “why won't it come out?”

“What a beautiful family!“ the exclamation of an older lady was heard, causing both boys to look at her. She was looking at them with a tender smile as she waved at them. Then they looked at each other and at their current position, prompting Taeyong to quickly push him away with his hands, and Johnny cleared his throat as he turned around.

“You get rid of that by yourself”

I’m sorry I took too long for posting this!! 😭

Taglist is open, just lemme know if u want to be added! You can ask me something if you want here!

Taglist: @geminiml95 @zooana @cathamada

36 notes · View notes

xofanfics · 5 months

Text

Lost for Words - Part I

Part I | Part II | Part III

Genre: angst, fluff, smut 🥺🤗🥵

Pairing: Reader x Kun // Reader x Taeyong

Word Count: 6k

Summary: You have the best boyfriend you could’ve asked for. Things take an interesting turn as you befriend your new coworker, exploring the blurred lines between friendship and something more.

Kun was the first man that came into your life that cared enough to try to learn your love language. For that, you were forever grateful. He bought you flowers, just because. He admitted that he never bought a girl flowers for no reason. Before he met you, he thought things like flowers and chocolates were meant only for Valentine’s Day and birthdays. But he bought them for you on the first Valentine’s Day you spent together. He could see the glimmer in your eyes as you admired them and, because of that, he bought them for you when he felt like you needed it. So, he bought them for you when you were feeling stressed, before a Friday night date, and sent them to your office for no reason at all.

He’d do things like cook you dinner when you didn’t ask. He paid attention to the things you said, like if you were craving Chinese dishes. The next day, he’d been in the kitchen making your favorite noodle dish. And you’d smile wide, the sparkle in your eyes enough to light up the darkest of his days. He’d do small things to make your life easier, like run the water for your bath while you worked late or steam your clothes in the morning if you forgot the night before.

Kun liked to cater to you, perhaps more than you did for him. Despite that, he never complained about it and he assured you that it was fine when you asked about it. He’d said, “I do these things because I want to, because I love you.” Kun’s love languages were different from yours, you realized. He preferred quality time and physical touch, so as long as he at least had those things, he was happy. In contrast, you preferred acts of service but, like him, you also enjoyed quality time.

You were looking at your sleeping boyfriend with a smile. Your leg was wrapped around his and he had his arms wrapped around you. The two of you often slept like this, with your limbs entangled around each other until it got too hot in the middle of the night. You’d roll over on your side and he’d follow so that he could spoon you from behind. And sometimes, he’d be hard and it would turn you on. And then turning over in bed would lead to you getting under him, wrapping your legs around him as he gave you what you wanted. You smiled at the thought, not because you were horny but because the love you had was so beautiful, so pure. As you watched him sleep, you realized how lucky you were to have found a man like Kun Qian.

You buried your face in his arm and he stirred. He groaned, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand. “Why are you awake so early, baby? Let’s go back to sleep.”

“I can’t believe we have to leave each other in a couple hours… The weekend goes by too fast.”

“I know,” he said, “The weekend isn’t enough.”

“I can’t wait to move in together,” you said, smiling at the thought.

He pulled you closer and kissed you on your forehead. “Waking up to your face everyday would make me so happy.”

“I know,” you said, melting in his embrace.

You couldn’t imagine being with anyone except Kun. And being with him, you hit so many milestones already. You’d been together for two years now and you were ready to take the next step—moving in together. Soon, you wouldn’t have to alternate weekends, going from his apartment to yours. Soon, you’d be falling asleep and waking up together, making meals together, and heading out for work together everyday. And even if he had a business trip, you’d be at home to greet him upon his return. Still, this was a few months down the road, given that spring was in the air and summer was on its way. The decision was set for this winter.

It was perfect. Everything was perfect. He was perfect—a match made in heaven. But sometimes you wondered if things were too good to be true. Sometimes, you felt insecure. But you knew that it was your fear of abandonment speaking and that was something you had to overcome. Kun was a good man and you had no reason to think he would suddenly leave you. Always, he reassured you that you were perfect for him and that there was no way he could live without you. Despite your random feelings of doubt and worry, Kun held your heart in his hands and held it tightly. They say that actions speak louder than words and he’d proven to you, time and time again, that he had no intentions of letting you go so easily—not if he could help it.

He told you that he would marry you someday. And despite what you may have thought, he had no intention of going back on those words.

You sighed as you walked into your office that day. Staying in bed with your boyfriend would’ve been the better of the two options. The aroma of the cheap coffee the office manager ordered every week filled your nostrils, as you walked past the kitchen. In passing, you exchanged greetings with a couple of coworkers who were deeply immersed in a conversation that seemed to revolve around the latest celebrity scandal.

You placed your vanilla macchiato on your desk before you started setting up your desk for a long work day. Your coworker and friend, Hina, who seemed to have just come from the bathroom, greeted you as you sat down. “Morning, Y/N!”

You raised an eyebrow. In general, Hina was a pretty energetic person, but she seemed extra hyped up this morning. “Morning,” you replied. “Why do— no—how do you have so much energy on a Monday morning?”

“I’m excited because the new hire starts today. I dunno about you but I can’t take another second of trying to figure out how our campaigns are performing,” she complained. “I know there are a couple positions being filled but Chaerin could’ve at least left after one of them was filled.” She rolled her eyes and slammed her notebook closed.

“I would leave in a second if I got the offer she did. She’s making well over six figures now, can you believe it?”

She sighed. “I mean I get it but if someone asks me one more question I can’t answer,, I’m actually going to kill myself. I shouldn’t have said that I was eager to learn in the interview.”

“There’s been so much going on, I guess I forgot about someone new coming on.”

“He should be getting here soon.”

“He?”

“Yeah. The HR lady had his new hire paperwork on the desk when I went in there a few minutes ago looking for her.”

“So nosy,” you said, shaking your head before taking a sip of your coffee.

You looked up as you heard the light murmur of chatter coming toward your side of the office. You saw the HR Manager walking into her office with a handsome man walking behind her, looking around the office with big, curious eyes that darted from left to right.

“He’s good looking,” said Hina, nudging you with a wink.

You chuckled. “I thought Kevin was your office crush?”

“Hey, I can have two office crushes!”

A half hour passed and as you were getting into the groove of your workday, the Creative Director, David, walked over toward your desks with Taeyong behind him. “Meet Taeyong,” he said. “He’s our new analyst. He’s going to be trained by Valentina once she’s back from maternity leave in a couple weeks. Of course, we will all be working together closely as we use analytics to inform our decisions for our upcoming campaigns.”

You stood up, shaking his hand, after he greeted Hina. “Hi, I’m Y/N. I’m one of the marketing managers. If you need help with anything or have any questions, you can ask me. I know things can be a little overwhelming on the first day but if Valentina picked you while on maternity leave, I already know you’re the best of the best!”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, smiling brightly. “And thank you so much. I look forward to working with everyone.”

At that, David cleared his throat. “I have a meeting with a partner in a few minutes but, Y/N, could you get him set up and show him around the office? Hina, could you come with me? I want you to join this one, since you had some ideas from our brainstorm last week.”

“Um, sure,” you said, as your coworkers walked away from you, leaving you and Taeyong behind. You walked ahead, to the next row of desks across the aisle. “So this is going to be your desk while you’re here. You actually have a nice view on this side of the office.” You turned the monitor on to check if it was functional and checked that he had all of the cords he needed to set up.

Taeyong let out a lighthearted chuckle as he placed the laptop he’d been carrying on the desk. “I just can’t believe I have the newest MacBook. My last work computer was so slow and it would overheat anytime I opened Chrome.”

You laughed. “Sounds like a pain in the ass.”

“Definitely…”

“Did you go to school in Seoul?”

Taeyong shook his head. “No, I actually went to the University of Hong Kong. I ended up getting a scholarship.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. I wish I had the opportunity to study abroad. It seems like a great experience.”

“Yeah,” he said, “I’m definitely glad I left Korea for a while. It’s nice to experience new things, meet new people, you know, and get out of your comfort zone. Plus, I even learned a little Cantonese.”

You led Taeyong through the office, showing him where the product, sales, and tech teams all sat. You showed him the meeting rooms, some empty and others filled with two or three people getting their days started. You showed him the kitchen and how to use the coffee machine while you explained that there were bagels on Mondays and that you’d have half days on Fridays once summer commenced.

Taeyong looked around the office with curious eyes, excited to be a part of this company. He’d been so excited to hear back from this company after three rounds of stressful interviews. He’d heard of people struggling to get a job in the current economy. So, he was grateful to be in a company that seemed to have some good perks.

His last job treated him poorly. He’d spend hours, sometimes even outside working hours, working on reports. And then, the data wasn’t even used. He never received any recognition and barely received any feedback. The only feedback he ever got was when his work wasn’t what the higher ups wanted. If it was negative, he sure got feedback. But as for anything positive? There was rarely any feedback there. So, Taeyong gave his resume a much needed makeover and set his sights on a new job and a company that would at least value his work.

He got good vibes from this place so far, especially from you. He thought about what it’d been like when he came here for his very first interview. Honestly speaking, he remembered seeing you. He saw you while he was waiting for the hiring manager. You’d been walking past the blue armchair he was sitting in. You were with the coworker he met today, Hina. He noticed you right away, mostly because you had this loud laughter. It wasn’t obnoxious but it was the kind of laughter that was contagious, the kind of laughter where you had no choice but to laugh, too. But he noticed how wide your smile was and how happy you seemed and how long it’d been since he’d seen a woman smile like that.

You noticed him then, a worried expression plastered on your face. “Hi, are you here for an interview? Did someone help you already?”

“Yeah, they know I’m here. Thanks.”

“Do you want water or anything to drink?” you offered. “I know interviews can be a little stressful.”

Taeyong shook his head. “Water would be nice. Thank you.” And a moment later, you returned with a cold water bottle for him, handing it to him with a smile. And then he aced his interview and ended up here, with you.

He figured it was probably insignificant but he found that a lot of people in the working world could be so cold. But Taeyong was a person who cared a lot. He was someone who treated everyone with kindness, because that’s what he’d want in return. He was the kind of person who cared about the people he worked with.

“Have you been working here long?” Taeyong asked, as you showed him into the main kitchen. He noticed that the kitchen was stocked with snacks and fresh fruit, as he recalled you mentioning that the office manager, placed an order every week. You added earlier that if he had any requests, for office supplies or for snacks in the pantry, to let them know.

“Almost two years,” you replied. “I actually just got a promotion. I came up with this amazing concept for one of our new products. It wasn’t perfect but I worked with the product development team to figure it all out.”

“That’s really impressive,” he said. “I hope I can grow here, too.”

You nodded. “I’m sure you will…Between you and me, they took forever to fill this role. I feel like they were looking for the perfect person and, well, it looks like they found you.”

Taeyong chuckled. “That’s great to know.”

The two of you stood at the coffee machine, deciding to get a fresh cup from the machine that seemed to have endless options; from lattes to macchiatos, it seemed like the machine could do it all. You were very friendly, he noticed, and he hoped that the others were just as nice as you were.

Two weeks had gone by since Taeyong was brought on. In just two weeks, he’d gotten a lot done. Taeyong went from meeting to meeting, learning as much as he could about the company’s products. He took in your marketing plans, asking questions as he went. And soon enough he was churning out data reports based on your past campaigns. So far, he seemed to be the type to go above and beyond and you appreciated that. His doing his job well helped everyone else do their jobs well, too.

It was Friday and it was nearly five o’clock. It’d been a long week, full of deadlines and you were relieved to have a couple of days to relax. As of now, you had absolutely nothing planned. Kun was going out to a friend’s birthday dinner, so you figured you’d stay home and make dinner while enjoying a cool glass of wine.

As you made mental notes of the groceries you wanted to buy, you heard a slam from across the office. You’d been lost in your thoughts at that moment and you shrieked aloud.

Hina looked up from her laptop with a grin. “You’re so dramatic!” she said, nudging you in the arm. You both chuckled.

David stood up from his desk. “Please tell me that everyone is finished with their to do lists for today,” he asked, with a hopeful tone.

Mostly, everyone nodded, except Kevin who huffed and said, “We need to have a meeting with the product team on Monday. I just saw that they rejected the new design for packaging. And at this point, we’re going to have to push back the launch again.”

David sucked his teeth, turning back to her laptop screen. You knew his stress all too well. If his team’s work got rejected one too many times, all of our plans got pushed back. “What’s the issue now?” David chimed in, glaring across the room at the product team’s side of the office. “You know what? I don’t care. It can wait until Monday. I will send out a calendar invite. We can’t keep pushing these launches back like this…Anyway, I was thinking that we could go for a team dinner tonight if most of you are free? We haven’t officially welcomed Taeyong to the team since we’ve been so busy. My treat.”

The team clapped in response. Typically on Fridays David and Valentina didn’t make anyone work late, but very rarely did it come with either of them offering to pay for dinner. Within five minutes, all ten members of your team were packed and ready to go.

“Where are we going?” asked Taeyong in a curious tone.

“How about dim sum?” David suggested. “I’m in the mood for some dumplings and they have really good soup dumplings. Have you had those?”

Taeyong nodded. “I haven’t had any since I left Hong Kong.”

“Right, you went to school there. You’ll love these. The owners are from Hong Kong so it’s authentic and delicious.”

There were some murmurs of agreement and you and your team were whisked away, heading toward the elevators.

Taeyong walked with you, Hina, and your other teammate, Michelle. Taeyong was the talkative type, from what you could see, and he held up most of the conversation. You wondered how he had so much energy. Maybe it was because it was Friday and you’d left the office to start the weekend. Maybe it was because he was new and excited about his new position. Maybe he just had a lot of energy, in general. It wasn’t that you hated your job but it was rare that you felt feelings like joy or excitement about coming into work. Taeyong was excited and you almost envied him for it.

Your stomach grumbled as you went inside the restaurant and got a whiff of whatever was cooking in the kitchen as your group walked toward a large table in the back. Just as you were about to take a seat next to David, he waved Taeyong over. “Come sit here.” He made a hand motion at Hina, who had sat next to the seat he apparently wanted Taeyong in. “Scoot over one seat and let Y/N sit there so Taeyong can sit here.”

The three of you shuffled about until you were in your “assigned” seats. Hina whispered, “God, are we adults or are we in elementary school?” The two of you snickered together as the waiter placed a fresh pot of barley tea in the middle of the table.

The group spent the next ten minutes figuring out what to order. Your boss ordered several orders of everything—dumplings and buns in just about every form, wine chicken, tofu dishes, bok choy, chicken feet, and probably more rice rolls than you needed. And of course, he ordered some liquor to get everyone started. That was always his strategy: get everyone at least tipsy so that the conversation would be more interesting, as he put it.

The conversation was spread across the table, with your half of the table talking amongst yourselves and the other half doing the same. It wasn’t until the food came that your boss decided to be more interactive with Taeyong.

“How were these past two weeks? Are you adjusting well? I told everyone to take care of you so if they didn’t, you can tell me.”

Taeyong nodded. “It’s going well. I’m enjoying the work. And Y/N is really sweet. She helped me get settled easily.” He then turned to you directly. “Thanks for being so helpful and answering all my stupid questions. You’re really good at explaining! And you too, Hina. I’m learning a lot from both of you.”

You felt yourself blushing at the sudden compliment. Your work was something you were proud of but it was rare that someone openly appreciated the projects you’d worked on or your knowledge of the company products. Of course, Kun would always congratulate you when you told him about your accomplishments at work. But it felt good to hear it from someone at the company, especially from someone new to the team and someone who knew more about the things you were working on. You and Taeyong collaborated more than you thought you would initially. And the meetings you had with him were extremely helpful and even gave you some ideas for future projects. Taeyong seemed to be pretty creative and even contributed ideas that he wasn’t sure were even possible. But you liked that he seemed to believe that you could do anything with the right people and the right tools and resources.

David’s lips parted in surprise. “Wow, Taeyong is showering everyone with compliments today. I feel a little left out.”

Taeyong laughed. “Of course, I like working with you all but I have to admit, I think Y/N and Hina are more my style.”

You felt heat rising to your cheeks at Taeyong’s seemingly flirty comment. It wasn’t that you had a crush on Taeyong, but you were interested in him as a person. You genuinely enjoyed spending time with him and working on projects together. You were a marketing manager and he was an analyst. The two of you made a good team…along with Hina of course.

***

After food and a couple more drinks than you should’ve had, you were thoroughly stuffed. Your boss paid for the meal with the company credit card and scurried off saying that his wife was waiting for him at home. Then your coworkers began to disappear, one by one, until only you, Hina, and Taeyong were left. And Hina insisted on finishing the liquor your coworkers left behind in the pitcher.

You said, “I must have gained like fifty pounds.”

“Let’s start walking so we can lose at least five,” Taeyong said, nudging you.

“I should go on a diet,” you said, standing up from the chair, stretching.

“You don’t need a diet,” he said. “It always bothers me to hear women say that…”

Hina said, “So, your type is a woman who eats well, hm?”

Taeyong nodded with a smile. “Yeah. I love cooking so I want someone who can taste it first and tell me if it’s good or not.”

“Will you cook for the holiday potluck?”

Taeyong smirked. “Maybe.”

“I never had a man cook anything for me,” said Hina, frowning as she stood.

“But your dad cooks really well,” you said. “I still think about the clam soup he made for your birthday.”

“That doesn’t count,” she explained, as she slowly began to tip over into the chair. She held onto the table to hold herself up and rolled her eyes. “He’s my dad. I want a man to cook for me!”

Taeyong chuckled. “Does that mean you’re good at cooking? Do you take after your dad?”

Before she could answer, you opened your mouth to speak. “Let’s just say she could use a little work…”

Hina laughed. “Hey! I improved since last time!”

Taeyong patted her shoulder. “Let’s get you home.”

“I can go myself,” she said, doing her best to stand straight. Whether she realized it or not, she definitely couldn’t do it on her own.

You said, “Don’t worry. I can take her home.”

Taeyong shook his head. “What kind of man would I be if I let you go by yourselves? I’ll call a taxi and the three of us can go.”

Hina said, “I’m perfectly fine to take the train!”

“Fine,” said Taeyong with a sigh, “we can take the train.”

***

Hina was the one who insisted on taking the train despite hardly being able to support herself on her own two feet. She stumbled into you and Taeyong as the three of you walked to the station and even fell asleep in her seat, her mouth wide open.

“I’m sorry about Hina,” you said, as you arrived closer to her stop. “She’s one of those people where you don’t know how drunk she is until it’s too late.”

Taeyong smiled. “We all have that one friend.”

You’d been worried that Taeyong might be annoyed but, from what you could see, he seemed to have a lot of patience.

“Well I’m sorry that you have to spend your Friday night with your drunk coworkers,” you said, chuckling.

“It’s fine,” he said. “Really. I don’t mind at all. This is better than spending my Friday night by myself. I don’t have many friends in Seoul since I moved back. I got pretty close to a few people in Hong Kong but, you know, they’re in Hong Kong…” Taeyong continued. “My best friend from high school was an international student from Thailand so he’s back there. Lucky for me, he comes to Seoul pretty often for his work. And my other best friend is living in Incheon, so he’s close but he works in finance and he has a girlfriend now so he’s busy.”

“Wow, so most of your friends aren’t even in the country, huh?”

“Lucky me,” he said, with a sigh.

“Well we’ll definitely be friends with you. Even though Hina fell asleep, she really likes you. She said that you’re way better than Chaerin.”

You laughed and Taeyong joined in with a laugh that seemed so light and free. You liked hearing him laugh. Taeyong could be quiet at times but he was playful, too. Hina liked him and you liked him, too.

You and Taeyong helped Hina up and off of the train a moment later. Together, you brought Hina to her small apartment a couple blocks away from the station. As you got into the elevator, she said, “I ordered pizza.”

“When did you order pizza?”

“When you went to get me water from the convenience store.”

In those couple of minutes you were inside the store, Hina apparently ordered pizza while in Taeyong’s care. You shot him a look, to which he said, “I didn’t see her do it. I just thought she was texting or something.”

You laughed. “Well hopefully she can stay up long enough to eat it…”

Hina put in the code to her door and you and Taeyong followed her inside. You said, “I’ll help her put her pajamas on. You don’t have to stay. You’ve helped us out a lot tonight. I really appreciate it.”

Taeyong said, “I’ll stay here at least until she gets settled. I should make sure you get home okay, too.”

“Okay,” you said, before you disappeared with Hina into the bedroom. Thankfully, Hina had had a little bit of time to sober up and she didn’t seem as wobbly before. You pulled out pajamas from her drawers that didn’t match and handed them to her. You turned while Hina got herself undressed.

“I can’t believe I’m this drunk,” she said. “I’m so embarrassed Taeyong saw me like this.”

“It’s fine,” you assured her. “You had a little too much but it’s not like you did anything embarrassing. If you jumped on top of the table and started dancing, that would be a different story.” The two of you laughed for a moment before you turned to her. “Wait, you ordered pizza, right?”

Hina said, “Oh! I almost forgot. The app says it’ll be here in ten minutes. I’m so tired though.” She walked over to her bed. “I don’t care about taking my makeup off or taking a shower right now. Actually, can you just stay here until the pizza comes? I’m just gonna take a little nap. Wake me up when it gets here.” She put her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost instantly and you knew that she would give you hell when you tried to wake her up in a few minutes to eat.

You figured you should go to the bathroom before leaving. As you headed down the hall, you tripped over an unknown object, sending you crashing into the wall. As you collided with the wall, you knocked down a photo frame. It plummeted to the hardwood floor, crashing to the floor, the glass shattering.

Before you could blink, Taeyong was by your side, eyes wide and full of concern as you’d also ended up on the floor. “Are you okay? Did you get cut anywhere?” He took your hand, examining it for cuts.

“I think I’m okay,” you said, putting your palm on the floor to help you up.

“Wait,” he said, putting his hand out before you could touch anything. “Let me clean up the glass. There could be some small pieces and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

You waited for him to get back with the broom and watched as he swept up every single piece you could see.

“I guess I’ll buy her a new picture frame,” you said, chuckling. “What did I even trip over?” You turned to find one of Hina’s slippers in the middle of the floor. They must’ve come off as you brought her into the bedroom.

Taeyong winced as he picked up the last piece, shaking his hand. “Damn it!”

Your heart dropped as you saw a tiny sliver of blood pour from his finger. You got up, despite his protests, and got Hina’s first aid kit from the medicine cabinet. You called him over to sit on the bathtub edge, next to you, and pulled out a bandage and alcohol wipe.

He sat down and said, “I can do it, you know…”

“It’s fine,” you said, ripping the paper open on the alcohol wipe. You swiped at the blood coming from his cut, causing Taeyong to yelp from the sting. His reaction made you chuckle. He rolled his eyes as you put the bandage on, wrapping it carefully around his finger. “There.”

“Thanks,” he said, smiling at you.

Your eyes met his. The air felt heavy for a few seconds. It felt almost as time stopped. There was this slight tension that you weren’t sure if he felt, too. The few seconds that you had locked eyes felt like hours. The doorbell rang, interrupting the seemingly intimate moment.

“I’ll get it.”

As you predicted, Hina didn’t wake up in time for the pizza. When you attempted to wake her from her drunken state, you were met with protest and crankiness. Despite your best attempts, Hina refused to be pulled or prodded. So, you and Taeyong helped yourselves.

In the middle of your bite, you heard a loud vibrating sound. “Oh,” you said, “my phone!” You realized that you hadn’t paid your phone a single ounce of attention since you’d arrived. Your heart dropped as you realized that it was your boyfriend calling.

You answered. “Hello?”

“Are you okay, babe?”

“Of course. I’m fine.”

“I was worried,” he said. “I was trying to stay awake until you came home but I fell asleep…Why didn’t you text me back?”

“I saw your message but I forgot about it. Hina got a little too drunk, then me and Taeyong helped me get her home…”

“Taeyong?”

“He’s new to the team. I told you, remember?”

“Right,” he said. “Anyway, are you still going to come here? Maybe you should go home instead. I could meet you there?”

“No, it’s okay. We have pizza so I’ll eat a little more and then come there.”

“Use my account and take a taxi, okay? I’ll wait for you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“I love you, Y/N. Get here safely, okay?”

“Yeah,” you said, “I will.”

You pressed end and returned to your pizza. To be honest, you felt a little awkward having that conversation in front of Taeyong.

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” he said. “Have you been together long?”

“It’s been about two years,” you explained. “I guess I just don’t talk about him much.”

Taeyong nodded, taking his last bite of pizza. “We should get going,” he said. “Will Hina be okay?”

“Yeah,” you said, “I put a bottle of water on her nightstand and the garbage can is by her bed if she needs to throw up.” You stood up. “I’m just going to go to the bathroom.”

While you went to the bathroom, Taeyong picked up the paper plates and cleared the counter. He put the pizza box in the fridge and then went to get your coat. By the time you came out, Taeyong had your coat and bag ready for you.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

***

Kun was awake when you arrived. He was sitting on the couch waiting for you, makeup remover and cotton balls ready.

“Hey baby,” he said, a wide smile on his face. “Welcome back.”

“Hi,” you said, sitting next to him. You planted a kiss on his lips with a loud smack. “I’m not that drunk babe. I can take my makeup off.”

He chuckled in response. “A good boyfriend should always be prepared for his drunk girlfriend to come home. They’ll come back too drunk to take off their makeup, they’ll start demanding to order chicken nuggets or they’ll throw you on the bed for sex.”

“I’ve only done those things like once.”

“I mean, you definitely made me go to McDonalds and yelled at me because it was late and they only had breakfast. So, you asked for a McGriddle instead.” As you laughed and reached for the cotton balls, Kun stopped you. “I got it, babe.”

You shrugged and let your boyfriend remove your makeup. He was always so gentle with you; it was as if he thought you might break if he held you too tightly. In that moment, you realized how tired you were. And Kun knew that because he picked you up off of the couch, carrying you into the bedroom. He kissed you as he placed you onto the bed. Before you knew it, he was peeling off your clothes, kissing each spot where he removed something.

You could feel yourself getting wetter and wetter with each kiss. When he finally took your panties off, you couldn’t take it anymore. You found yourself climbing on top of him, cupping his face with your hands around his face. You kissed him, pushing your tongue in his mouth.

“What’s with you?” Kun asked, surprised by your forwardness, as he pulled away from you.

“I just want you, babe,” you said, kissing his neck.

“I want you, too,” he said, rolling you over onto your back. He swiped at your pussy, feeling how wet you’d gotten. He hummed in satisfaction. He pushed a finger inside, your wetness covering it. You gasped at the feeling, gripping around his finger. As he added another, you let out a moan. He fingered you for a few moments, driving you crazy. You needed him inside of you and you needed it now.

“Please,” you whined.

At that, he pulled his fingers out. He got on top of you and you used your hands to guide him inside. He plunged deep into you, taking a moment to revel in the feeling. You pulled him closer, wrapping your arms and legs around him. Your lips parted in satisfaction as he began to pull and push himself in and out of you. Kun loved it when you were on your back and he could look deep into your eyes.

You pulled him closer, bringing him into your neck. He kissed it so tenderly with each stroke, allowing a soft moan to come from your lips. He went slow for you, plunging seemingly deeper and deeper into you.

Moments later, he wasn’t going easy on you anymore. He’d bent you over the bed and was pounding you hard, sending you into a frenzy of loud moans in which you were sure the neighbors could hear. And with one last stroke, he came undone with a heavy sigh.

After, you and Kun laid down in bed. Naked bodies pressed against each other, Kun held you in his arms as you began to slowly drift to sleep.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered before pressing his lips to your shoulder. You heard him but couldn’t bring yourself to speak back. It was just seconds before your world went dark.

***

General Taglist: @to-all-the-stories-i-love @sweetnspicy-noona

LMK if you want to be tagged in the next part! - Part II coming soon!

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ddmmyuta · 1 year

Text

lee taeyong’s ideal type

before you read: some nsfw parts, fluff, deep stuff, swearing

lee taeyong, bu bu, neomu neo chicken, korea’s senpai… he’s a man of many things. I think taeyong is quite a complex person when it comes to love. one minute he’s talking about how he is all shy and cute around you, but the next minute he’s talking about ramming you like there is no tomorrow! anyways… here are my thoughts on lee taeyong and what he wants in a future relationship…

★Personality:

someone who is: caring, emotional, mature, soft, sensitive, socially dominant, pure

I think taeyong wants a partner who truly cares for him and his emotions cause he does the same for you. he doesn’t want someone who can’t get in touch with their emotions and confront their internal or external issues. he seems to enjoy being taken care of and also caring for someone, and I think he values that quality in a significant other as well. he tends to think more innocently and closed off at certain points, therefore I think he’d appreciate a mature partner who can give him perspective and help him understand things he can’t. someone who is sympathetic and sweet towards others always gets him weak in the knees. introverted or extroverted, he likes someone who can dominate social situations, wether it’s at work or just hanging out, he likes someone who communicates easily and enjoys social interaction, but he doesn’t mind staying at home with you. he’s definitely into people who are pure, people who haven’t experienced everything they’ve wanted to experience cause I think he’d love to teach you stuff and experience new things with you as well.

let’s go head first into the horny pool: he pretends to be a top but really he is a bottom, so a partner who can do both (a switch basically) is his favorite. you are his muse… a new NCT horny song? babes it’s for you! he loves someone who is confident when it comes to the sideway salsa, not necessarily someone super experienced, just confident.

★Physical:

someone who is/has: long-ish hair, shorter than him, soft features (like a puppy face), pretty thighs

homeboy loves shorter girls, like his ego just thrives off of it. I’m not saying his partner has to be a fucking elf, I’m just saying that he prefers to look down than up at his lover. he might like short hair, but I think he likes longer hair more (imo), he would just love to play with it and even tie it or braid it for you. I think someone with a soft-ish appearance and innocent like aura attracts him. puppy eyes, pupils as big as the earth, chubby cheeks, plump lips… he would die for that. I really think bubu is a thigh guy… boobs? meh! ass? meh! THIGHS? SIGN HIM UP! (for clarity I’m not saying thick thighs or skinny thighs, all thighs are hot no matter the cellulite, scars or fat on them).

once again, let’s dive deeper into the horny pool: he loves it when you sit on his lap and he sees your thighs spread out… like her gets super hot at that simple little thing. he is a body worshipper, so I feel like he would love everything about you… BUT YOUR THIGHS IS HIS FAVORITE! He would love to look into your eyes as you are topping him like the queen/king you are.

anyways… hope y’all enjoyed that. remember that this is all delulu and fictional but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be horny! embrace the slutty side of you, trust me it’s life changing! love you!

#nct taeyong #taeyong #nct smut #nct127 #nct 127 #taeyong smut #taeyong scenarios #taeyong fanfic #taeyong fluff #taeyong packs #taeyong angst #nct x reader

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ljxlj48 · 1 year

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[20:35] “I can’t,” you said in a shaky voice, tears rolling down your cheeks. You took the knife to your own heart, twisting it further. “I want to, but I can’t do this anymore,” you whispered, you had never felt so ashamed of yourself before tonight.

“I’ll quit and you’ll never have to do this anymore,” Taeyong said, standing on the opposite side of the hotel room, facing you. As tears rolled down his own cheeks.

You shook your head, “no, this is your dream.” You looked away, not being able to handle seeing Taeyong in so much pain like this.

“Y/n, please, you’re more important to me than the boys t-…”

“Stop,” you cut Taeyong off. If you let him say anymore, you wouldn’t leave tonight. “Don’t, don’t say that, you know it’s not true.” You pulled off the necklace Taeyong had gifted you for your one year anniversary, “I’m sorry.” You dropped the necklace into Taeyong’s palm before walking out of the hotel room, bag in hand.

You hated that you weren’t strong enough to endure this. When Taeyong invited you on tour with him, you thought it would be great. It would be an amazing way to spend time together. You had racked up enough vacation days to be gone for a whole month. However after the first week of being on tour, you realized this wasn’t gonna be as great as you thought.

Nevertheless you pushed on. You went to all his concerts, you seen amazing sites, you ate amazing food. Then there was the pictures, the rumors, the online abuse, the mental toll. A saesang had found out what floor Taeyong was staying on, and took a picture of the two of you returning to the room. From there the amount of hate you got online was overbearing, and then anytime you went to an NCT event, you got more hate.

The final straw was when you were staying in the hotel room alone, because you didn’t want to go out anymore, and a saesang broke into the room. You finally had it, you were done. You couldn’t handle it anymore and you hated yourself even more for not being able to handle it. You hated that Taeyong was willing to give it all up for you, but you couldn't handle it long enough for him.

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xdjville · 1 month

Text

tinnitus

pairing: taeyong x gn!reader

genre: angst, hurt with no comfort

cw: none

word count: ~490

author's note: i'm sad so here's my first ever angsty piece (i think)! please be nice to the first born 🙏

the sound of door slamming echoed in taeyong's head as he stood in the middle of his living room, alone.

eyes not focused on anything in particular, he stared blankly into the void of the dimly lit room. the tinnitus in his ears was so overwhelmingly loud that it almost made his head spin, hindering all attempts to collect his thoughts and fathom the situation he found himself in.

his breaths were short and shallow, his heart racing, and taeyong thought he somehow might be drowning. or perhaps he hoped that's what was happening, and that this was all some sort of a dream and soon someone would soon carry him to the shore.

but there were no arms grasping his weak body and he didn't wake up on the sand, and that realisation forced him to clutch onto the backrest of his sofa as his knees lost all strength.

only then that he was finally able to move his gaze and see clearly again his eyes roamed around the room frantically in search of something. he didn't know what that something was, but he hoped for anything that would convince him that you were still there.

but he found nothing, only silent whispers of the wind coming through the left ajar windows, the echo of your voice, full of despair and anger he'd never realised you had, and this goddamn endless buzzing in his ears keeping him company in the desolation of his apartment.

but when taeyong shifted his weight to rest his hip on the cushion, arm getting too shaky to keep him from falling any longer, he caught a glimpse of something laying on the floor as it reflected the ceiling lights for a fraction of a second.

still not conscious enough to be able to move closer, he tried his best to make out the shape of the tiny object in the half-light, squinting his eyes as it contorted and morphed into something that perhaps could be recognised.

when the contour settled in the right place to reveal the item, taeyong's heart sank.

the silver ring shined softly against the dark wood, rhinestones flickering as if imitating shattered pieces of a promise left behind.

his vision became blurred by the tears welling in his eyes before he could take any more than a glimpse of the almost painfully familiar shape, his own maching piece of the jewelry burning hot against his ring finger.

his throat clenched so tight he chocked on his breath, sobs cut short to barely audible gasps. he fell to his knees, faltering under the weight of the shadows of memories as he suffocated on the bitter taste of the consequences of his actions lingering in the air.

at once, everything around him fell silent. the wind ceased to sough, your voice reverberating bewteen the walls quieted down, even the merciless tinnitus seemed to have left him.

and he was left all alone.

©xdjville

taglist ➼♡ @bambisnc

#nct imagines #nct reactions #kpop imagines #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios #nct scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 angst #nct 127 taeyong #taeyong angst #taeyong imagines #nct angst #kpop angst

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gyeomsweetgyeom · 9 months

Text

[10:57 pm]

(cw: angst, mentions of receiving hate and threats, no happy ending) (I also have no knowledge of being an idol, I’m a 23 year old teenage latina, I doubt this is accurate)

“I can’t do this anymore,” you sobbed, wiping away at your tears.

Taeyong’s head snapped up, looking at you with teary eyes, “Please don’t tell me you mean us.”

You nodded, trembling hands going up to muffle your sobs. Everything was awful, your perfect little bubble was popped with one stupid slip up. You were both usually so careful about being out in public together, only going out at night, dark clothes, masks, and hats to disguise who you both were. You had both decided that after a year of publicly sneaking around maybe you could finally have dinner together. Wrong, so, so, so wrong. A “fan” had taken both your pictures and someone else must have tipped off Dispatch because the next morning you had woken up to pictures of yours and Taeyong’s faces plastered on every site you clicked on and countless calls from your manager.

The meeting with your company had been disheartening. Even though you had let them know about your relationship months ago, everything had now fallen on your shoulders. You were bringing a bad look to your group and tarnishing your own reputation. It was at least a little hopeful when they told you they’d put out a statement and this would all blow over soon. It felt even more awful sitting beside your manager while she got her own earful for allowing you to sneak off as if she were completely responsible for your own actions. You had apologized profusely after the meeting, begging for her forgiveness. She of course forgave you, but it didn’t ease the pit in your stomach.

Two weeks had passed and you were still under under scrutiny. Scrolling through your instagram, every single post had hate comments that were vicious and heartless. Even your group’s page contained the same comments and threats. You had apologized to your members, promising that it was never your intention to have anything like this happen. They understood, some being in their own relationships and reassured you that everything would work out. Again, it didn’t do anything to ease the guilt and anxiety you felt with the mess your love-filled relationship had become.

Your guilt only grew, learning that your comeback would have to be held off because of all the backlash against the group. You could comeback and risk having your worst public reception yet, or comeback and not be given opportunities to promote anywhere. You had even overheard a few managers from another group from your company talking about how the company shares had taken a very noticeable drop after the news came out. The pit in your stomach only grew at that news.

“Taeyong, nothing good has come from us being exposed to the public. I can’t open any apps because all I see is hate, my members are bombarded with hate too, and we can’t comeback so we don’t make money. I heard them talking about the threats they were getting,” you paused as your voice cracked, “The stocks at the company have taken a hit from this too! All this is my fault!”

“It’s my fault too, but we can’t give up on this- on us. I’ll talk to my manager and we can get the company lawyers involved,” Taeyong tried, reaching for your hand.

“You’re not getting hate like I am Taeyong, you still get to make your comeback and make appearances because no one will assume that my senior is dating me to get his name out. You can keep living your dream, but if I double down this can be all over for me and everyone I work with. My manager almost got fired over this, Taeyong. I’ve known her since I was 15 and she’s the closest this I have to family besides my members this far away from home. I’ve almost ruined people’s livelihoods over this news,” you cried with your head in your hands.

“But we know that’s not what this is, please, my love. Don’t give up on me.”

“It’s not like I want to Taeyong! My manager will get in touch with yours so a statement can be made about us splitting up,” you decided, wiping away your tears as you stood up and left his dorm before he could protest any further.

It was the hardest decision you ever had to make. Nobody understood you like Taeyong. There was no one in the world who could get you like he could, simply because he had gone through the same things you had, he understood the busy schedules, the constant change in time zones, the shoots, the promotions, living with your group members. Unfortunately, that also meant he understood the consequences that could come from both of you becoming public. You had both seen so many peers experience the same thing, and chose to ignore that when it came to the two of you since there wasn’t any plan for you to go public any time soon. It obviously didn’t work out like either of you wanted.

You were about to step out the door, when Taeyong’s voice rang out, “I love you, is that not enough for you? You don’t even want to fight for us? Please, just tell me you love me back.”

“I can’t just think of myself here, It’s beyond me Taeyong- beyond us. I will not put my needs and wants before a team of people, I can’t do that,” You replied, wiping away your stream of tears. “I do love you, but that can’t be enough.”

It was over and it felt so heartbreaking and awful. You loved Taeyong with all your heart, but you had worked so hard to get where you were, where your group was. You couldn’t risk all your hard work and the work of your team going down the drain because you chose to be selfish. In an ideal world, you could live your dream and have your love, but it didn’t always work like that.

#kpop imagines #kpop au #kpop scenarios #kpop reactions #nct #nct imagines #nct timestamps #nct x reader #taeyong x reader #taeyong scenarios #taeyong blurbs #taeyong timestamps #taeyong angst #taeyong imagines

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phoxphenex · 5 months

Note

HIHIHI I just read your Renjun Bff Angst! ITS SO GOOD AND CAN I ASK FOR TAEYONG VER PLS ?

IM JUST AN ANGST ENJOYER 🥹❤️‍🩹

bff taeyong angst texts

#scenarios #nct social media au #nct #heart emoji #nct dream #nct texts #nct taeyong texts #nct taeyong #taeyong #nct doyoung #nct doyoung texts #doyoung #best friend taeyong #lee taeyong #kim doyoung #taeyong angst #bff taeyong angst

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mystverse · 1 month

Text

04:32 PM

PAIRING : Lee Taeyong × Fem Reader

WARNINGS : fluff

❝This is nice.❞ Taeyong whispers, pulling you closer to him. You both are running away from your abusive families. With no idea about the days ahead, you are scared to face tomorrow, which is nearing as the sun rises to the sky.

❝What's nice?❞ you ask, snuggling closer into his chest. Eyes unconsciously closing, and you inhale his citrusy cologne, which provides the comfort you've wanted. He tilts your head and presses a chaste kiss on your lips, ❝Having you, all to myself?❞ he answers with a warm smile. A smile like home, a home you always wanted. ❝O-Oh,❞ you stutter, pink dusts on your cheek, and your heart races almost as fast as the train you are traveling in. Going somewhere, somewhere you can love him as much as you want.

: MYST

#nct #nct dream #nct u #nct 127 #nct fluff #taeyong scenarios #taeyong fluff #taeyong #lee taeyong #taeyong smut #nct taeyong #taeyong hard hours #taeyong angst #taeyong soft hours

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writemekpop · 1 year

Text

Possession | Lee Taeyong

Summary: You fall in love with a strange boy, but never suspect he is a vampire… until it’s too late.

Genre: Dark academia, suggestive

Word Count: 1.2k

You had heard the phrase to die for, but never experienced it.

Until you met Taeyong.

That still October night, you had to ask yourself the question: was his love to die for?

---

When you got a scholarship to start in New England’s most elite college in the fall, you were thrilled.

During your first college dinner, four of the strangest people you had ever seen stalked in.

They seemed to walk straight out of another era. They wore frilly high-necked blouses and trench coats. And they were beautiful. Their eyes were a perfect black, like the inside of a heart.

You couldn’t take your eyes off one of them: a boy. He twitched in his chair, the movement making his black curls dance ever so slightly.

“Who are they?” you whispered to the girl beside you.

She rolled her eyes. “They don’t mix with us mortals… they’re General Studies majors.”

“They still offer that?”

“If you’re a Lee. They’re some mega-rich family. Half the libraries are theirs – or so they say.”

“H-how do you choose General Studies?” you asked.

“Blood sacrifice.” She laughed.

Suddenly, the dark-haired boy turned and stared directly at you. You face flashed with heat. His eyes weren’t black – no, they were emerald, violet, midnight blue. Your head clouded with a thousand dizzying fantasies. You looked down at your plate.

“Huh,” the girl said.

“What?”

“The guy you were staring at – Taeyong…”

“What about him?”

“He never notices anyone.”

--- Taeyong occupied your every thought.

He haunted your dreams, always walking away from you. Just when he’d turn around to flash a dazzling smirk at you… he would disappear. You would wake up, sweaty despite the chilly fall weather, grief gnawing at your chest.

One night, you woke from a dream of Taeyong… to see his burning violet-green eyes just inches from your face. His face was contorted with fury, but that only made it more earth-shatteringly beautiful. His icy fingers were clutching your neck, squeezing.

You blinked, and he disappeared.

One night, after dinner - Taeyong himself was standing at the end of your table.

His shirt was slightly unbuttoned. You found your lost in the dark planes of his chest.

“Y/n, right?” he said. His voice was deeper than you’d expected. How did he know your name?

You nodded slightly.

And then he did something you’d never seen him do before. He smiled. His face broke into a stupefying, angelic beauty. “I heard you like the forest. I can show you a great spot for hiking.”

You, him, alone? What could he possibly see in you?

But when he took your hand in his, and all your questions evaporated.

Taeyong led you to the edge of campus, then deep into the woods.

As you walked, two things changed. Two little things. Two things that, if you’d noticed them, might have saved your life.

First, the restless look in Taeyong’s eyes was back.

Second, that there was something unusual in the way he spoke. You basked in the glory of his voice, not really hearing individual words as he murmured, again and again:

“This downhill path is easy, but there’s no turning back.”

Or at times:

“Y/n. Oh, Y/n, sweet Y/n. Did anyone ever tell you that you look just like a young princess out of a Disney movie?”

Slowly, suspicion did rise out of your gut. Taeyong’s ice-cold grip on your wrist was just a little too tight.

Tears sprung to your eyes. “You’re hurting me!” you cried.

He turned to stare at you, eyes wide. He let go of your arm.

Seeing the tears in your eyes, something seemed to change in his expression – like it was the first time he’d noticed you were there.

Taeyong backed against a tree, clutching it as if to restrain himself. Light shudders ran through his body.

“Go… away,” he ordered, his voice trembling. “Now.”

Your heart swelled at the sight of him. He wasn’t trying to hurt you. He was in pain.

“Why?”

“Because – I’m going to hurt you – the way I hurt all the others.”

You gasped. He took in a shaky breath, putting on a wavering smile that was as gorgeous as it was painful. “I’m afraid I - brought you here to kill you.”

He laughed, running his fingers through his hair. “Now don’t judge me too harshly! I never was hard or self-denying enough. When people are soft – soft people can’t help but make a few mistakes, listen to the devil on their shoulder…”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been watching you every night this week – ha! – looking for moments to snare you in.”

Taeyong voice wavered, and you sensed the true pain behind the bravado. “Oh, but what was I meant to do? You’re the one following a strange fellow into the woods at night. Don’t humans have any instincts at all?”

Humans. Your gut instinct had been right. “So, you’re not. Human.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

“Oh dear.” he murmured. “Blood sacrifice? Yes, that’s about right. There have been many… blood sacrifices.” The word vampire appeared, in swirly silver writing, the title scene of some awful 90’s movie.

And yet… it was the only explanation.

“But you didn’t hurt me,” you urged.

He continued his confession, and the phrase, if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you, sounded in your mind. You ignored it.

He laughed a strange, choked laugh. “You are so pretty when you sleep, do you know that? Like a… a little paper doll. I could just take you in my hand, and…”

You knew that should scare you. You knew that would scare most humans.

Your breath stuttered. “You were there… as I slept?” So that explained the dream. Or… not-dream. Your heart kicked into overdrive, but it wasn’t due to fear. It was due to the fact that he was in your bedroom each of these nights, inhaling your scent, close enough to touch…

He clutched his arms around his body, like he was restraining himself - or maybe just trying to keep all the pieces together. “Go, now, love. I can save you – I think. But you must go.”

But you did not go. Instead, you stepped forwards, slowly, never leaving his majestic eyes. I stroked one steady hand over his cheek, his lips. His skin was cool and stunningly smooth. His eyes fluttered shut under your touch.

And then you couldn’t resist, and you brought your lips to his.

You knew you were bringing yourself face to face with death.

And yet you didn’t care.

Because you’d never felt so alive.

—

MAIN MASTERLIST

Let us know what you thought in the comments or on anon! 💋

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dollfacedsl1ut · 7 months

Text

Hands are for choking holding

➙ compendium : He was a deadly and sociopathic killer needing to be on watch every second, coming back to Arkham after your attack you caught his attention the dead but playful look in your eyes when you got into trouble he wanted you breaking all boundaries and rules. At what cost would you realize being with him was mistake.

➙ dynamic : !joker Taeyong x !psycho reader

➙ warnings : reader is called “Jane doe”, sexism, reader is in fight mode all the time, Taeyong in love, joker lore

➙ word count : around 1.5k

A/n: GUYS THIS IS PART 1 there will be more parts since this is a reoccurring series honestly I wanted to start this a while ago

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

October 31st 3 a.m.

Your head bumped against the metal barrier of the van your body chained to a cold metal seat your ankles and wrist handcuffed to bars as much as you tugged it was so use, the city looked so pretty at this time you smiled hearing the news report covering your case “Jane doe is on the way back to Arkham asylum for the 3rd time this year after her 4 hour homicidal rampage, authorities stated she was willing to be arrested although she has been know for her devious acts of permanently injuring police officers from broken bones to death we have no further knowledge on janes case we will update you when we have more Intel” the driver you presumed was a associate with Arkham turned the radio down before chuckling

“You’re too pretty of a woman to be doing all this Jane” the man glances at you before facing the road “you could easily be the perfect house wife if you weren’t so damn crazy” he said with a monotone tone assuming what he said would change your mind and mood about everything you’ve done “you should really watch your tongue” you grinned the driver scoffs “I’m just saying you have the perfect body for reproducing I bet men dreamt about pumping their children into you Jane whether they’re mental or not” his words were starting to really piss you off although you’ve always heard these things but hearing them directly to you without being able to do anything didn’t sit right

You stayed quiet the rest of the ride hearing the drivers occasional smart remarks, finally arriving at the asylum the driver parked the van in the back entrance the back door open as Ms. Loren stood there waving at you with your documents “this is your 3rd time Jane what happened” Ms. Loren always spoke to you like you were a fragile child “well a lot I just got upset at something” she nodded before jotting it down on her clipboard the driver from before came inside the back uncuffing you his hands caressed your thighs midst way seeing him angered you, it made your veins pulsate knowing you couldn’t do anything he gripped you by your arms before practically pushing you out the van as the door closed you noticed a pic of you on the back “they had it revamped for you specifically Jane” you smiled at the gesture “thats cute” Ms Loren leaded you towards your room giving you a fresh pair of clothes she also handed you a sandwich and a bag of chips you noticed how it came with 2 triple AAA batteries you furrowed your brows but paid no mind eating your meal then heading to bed….

9:45 a.m.

Ms. Loren shook you awake “cmon Jane it’s time for breakfast in the common room” you woke up groggily “can I freshen up” Ms loren nodded as you walked out your room towards the bathroom you washed your face and tried to manage your hair before just putting it into a low ponytail “you look pretty jane” Ms. Loren always complimented you even when you looked your worse, walking to the common room you seen a bunch of new people in the cells banging on the door “Some of your old friends are already in the common room so don’t worry” loren smiled a bit unlocking the common rooms door ushering you inside as she followed, “what do you wanna eat”. She walked to a menu before handing it to you “chocolate chip pancakes, sunny side up eggs, toast with Jam and a cup of apple juice” Ms.Loren smiled as she asked the chef to prepare you breakfast you noticed a bunch of your old acquaintances wave at you, “can I-“ before you finished your sentence Loren nodded “I’ll bring you your food in a bit” waking over to your friends you noticed a green haired one with unusually red lips and pale skin “ah welcome back” a guy named scar smiled patting a seat next to him, you sat down as you started to talk with your group the guys with green hair occasionally glancing at you, he was starting to piss you off, “what are ya looking at” you glared at him as your fist clenched “easy, easy go take a break don’t hurt em he’s a wild one I’ve seen him fight people here myself” scar said trying to rub your shoulders “yeah anytime he fights I never see the other person again..you remember max” Max was a older man who was sent here for being schizophrenic, you nodded remembering max vividly talking with him before “well he’s not here anymore he possibly killed him” he said pointing to the green haired man “freak” your aimed your insult towards the man as you stood up walking to one of the bodyguards

“can I have your badge” you asked “why” the man sized you up “what’s it to ya lemme hold it” you plead and begged over and over until Ms. Loren called your name saying your food was ready “this isn’t over tubby” you pointed at the body guard before walking to ms. Loren sitting down at the table you noticed it was just you, Ms. Loren and the green haired guy from earlier “what’s he doing here” you glared at Loren “he says he wants to make friends with you” you smiled as you looked at the man “my friend?” He nodded his finally spoke up “my name is Taeyong, yours?” You body stiffens you never old anyone your name before you didn’t even know it yourself “She never tells anyone her name” Loren spoke up for you “just call her Jane doe we all do” Taeyong nodded before holding his hand out shaking yours “well I be right back I have to fill out some paperwork and Taeyong try to keep a eye on her she’s a crazy one when she’s upset”

Walking away you noticed the chef bringing your food out sitting a tray in front of you “thanks” eating your food you noticed Taeyong staring at you with a glint in his eyes “what is it” you stuffed a forkful of pancakes in your mouth glaring at him “you’re unlike anyone I’ve ever seen Jane” you noticed a slick yet neutral tone in his voice “I’m like everyone else so what are you getting at” he shook his head and laughed “Jane you’re different I’ve heard the stories about you, you’re everything I’ve ever hoped for in a woman” your eyes twitches at his confession “no thanks I don’t date people who watch me from afar it’s stupid and creepy love is something that can kill a person so easily falling in love with the Wrong person can lead to dead” he smiles at your words fascinated but the way you see life “so basically there’s danger at every corner??” He questioned, you nodded before finishing your meal setting the tray aside you held your face in your palms “you ask too many questions it makes me nervous like I’m being interrogated” he glared at you “imagine how I feel” you were taken aback “the fuck is that supposed to mean” your fists clenched, he noticed this placing his cold hands over your fists “Calm down doll..just saying I’ve been moved from Asylum to asylum this is the last location for me doll I might have control over my anger so I don’t scare you away” you hummed in response “so will you be my muse” his wide grin showed his straight teeth and sharp canines “no thanks it’s too early in the morning for me to think about my answer let me think about it”….:.

PART 2 COMIN SOOOON

#nct #nct u #nct smut taeyong lee #nct smut taeyong #Taeyong #taeyong lee #lee taeyong nct smut #lee taeyong #taeyong nct #nct taeyong smut #taeyong lee smut #taeyong smut #lee taeyong smut #taeyong nct smut #Taeyong angst #lee Taeyong angst #nct Taeyong angst

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starlitmark · 11 months

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Summary: The universe has a funny way of working; maybe you should let it do what it plans. Pairing: ragdoll kitty!Taeyong x fem!reader x dutch rabbit!Doyoung Tropes: hybrid au, uni au Genre: fluff, angst, suggestive Rating: PG 13 Warnings: hybrids, mentions of prejudice, language, anxiety, breakups, implied sex, nudity, kissing, pregnancy scare, polyamory, mxm involvement Part 2 Word Count: 4,323 Note: thank you to @kthpurplesyou @raibebe and @daesukiii for beta/proofreading this for me!!

Neo Hybridverse Masterlist || Dotae Masterlist

University: Fall Semester of Sophomore Year

You toss your keys into the small dish in the entryway of your apartment. It’s been a while since you’ve been able to come home and relax a little before diving into your assignments. You’re planning to take full advantage of the opportunity, of course. Doyoung is home, too. You can hear him scuffling about in the kitchen.

“Hey, I’m back,” you call.

“How was your Scientific Thinking class?” he calls back.

“Stupid as fuck. I feel like I’m retaking basic middle school science,” you groan, “I don’t have any major assignments to work on immediately, though! You down for a movie?”

“Always.”

You and Doyoung decided to move into an apartment near your university after you found out you both got accepted to the same one. At first, you were worried about the potential fallout of living with your best friend, but living with Doyoung wasn’t as hard as his brother had made it seem. Being in the same major at the same university was the perfect arrangement for you. You had shared a dorm room your first year while you scraped enough money together to get a small apartment together. Neither of you loved living on campus; the dorm room was small, you had almost no privacy (not that it mattered too much), and the walls were thin. Overall, the apartment was a much better option.

You make your way into the living room again, grabbing a throw blanket on your way. Doyoung follows behind with his favorite snack. He often yells at you for eating it all, but you both know he’s eating most of it. You ignore what he’s putting on. Every time you decide to watch a movie together, it ends up being a movie you’ve both seen a million and one times. Doyoung tugs at the blanket lightly about halfway through the film. Without sparing him a glance, you toss a bit of the blanket toward him. Ultimately, you end up tucked under his arm, stealing his snacks.

“You fucking idiot.” you sigh at the main character.

“You act like you don’t know how it ends.” he teases.

“Shut up; I’ll make fun of the characters all I want,” you respond with a dirty look.

“Whatever you say,” he says with the same teasing lilt.

You sit up a bit more and scoff at him. He raises an eyebrow at you. He’s challenging you to say something. There’s a strange tension between you that hasn’t been there before. Maybe it’s always been there. You just now feel it, though. Suddenly, you’re aware of the bunny hybrid’s eyes flitting between your eyes and lips. A weird heat rushes through your chest, but you don’t hate it. You haven’t been with anyone since Taeyong just over two years ago now. You’re touch starved, to say the very least. You hardly hear the tv playing in the background. Everything seems like it’s underwater besides yourself and Doyoung.

“Doyoung?” you ask, now looking at his lips occasionally too.

“Yeah?” he responds quietly.

You both notice yourselves leaning in, but again, you aren’t stopping yourself. Before you know it, your lips are on his. His hand comes up to cup your cheek. And what starts as an innocent kiss becomes much more. When you come down from cloud nine, you realize you’re in your bunny friend’s lap and have slightly swollen lips. That’s when the panic sets in. You see the same thing in his eyes as well. He studies your face momentarily to see if he can miraculously tell what you’re thinking. You try to do the same but desperately want to lean in and kiss him again. That’s precisely what you do. You push your body against Doyoung’s more and pull him into a fiery kiss. His ears are angled down slightly, making for the perfect opportunity for you to run your fingers through the beige fur.

“Hey,” he sighs between kisses, “we should probably talk about this.”

“Maybe,” you respond, “in a few minutes.”

You try to lean in and recapture his lips again. Instead, he tightens his grip on your hip and gives you a stern look. You nod and pull away, still staying in his lap. One of his thumbs gently strokes against your hip in a calming sort of way.

“What do you want this to mean for us?” he asks bluntly, “I know it could get really messy, considering we’re both still rather close with Taeyong. You said-”

“I know what I said, and he said. He also hasn’t made an effort to show me he wants to be with me after he comes home, though. You’re right. This could get messy, fast.”

“So?” he questions, his ears now perfectly upright and attentive.

“So, let’s say this is casual. No labels mean that no one gets hurt, right?” you offer.

“Right,” he confirms, “No labels.”

“Ya know, I thought about something for the first time in a while the other night.” you muse, drawing random shapes across Doyoung’s bare chest.

“Yeah? What about?”

“When I first met Taeyong, he told me you and I would click well. You ever think that if Taeyong hadn’t made a move on me first, you would’ve?”

Doyoung shifts and sits up a bit more. You still keep your head resting on his shoulder, eyes fixated on him, waiting for a response. He nibbles on his lower lip as he thinks. It’s a habit he’s had as long as you’ve known him.

“Actually, yeah.” he admits, “Of course, reality is a bit different, but we’ve always clicked well, so I’d imagine if you hadn’t been dating Taeyong, we would’ve ended up together.”

“It’s a little crazy when you think about it.”

“What is?” he asks, running his fingers through your hair.

“We’ve known each other for six years now. We went through a whole stage of life together, and now we’re figuring this one out, too.” you think out loud.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I don’t know. It’s just crazy that we’re already halfway done with university when it feels like I only met you yesterday. But it also feels like I’ve known you my whole life.”

“Both are incorrect answers.” he teases.

You pout at him, “I know that dipshit.”

He giggles lightly before suddenly tugging you closer to him in a tight hug. You let out a slight noise of surprise that quickly morphs into a laugh. Doyoung speckles small kisses all over your face and head, wherever he can reach. Finally, you try to grab ahold of his face to kiss him properly. After a few moments, you manage to, and you see the brightest smile on his face. You kiss him and feel that familiar rush of emotion that you still wish not to address. Being here and having these domestic, sweet moments with Doyoung feels right. More right than most things you’ve felt before.

University: Late Spring after Junior Year

It’s beyond hot out today. Even with the air conditioning system blasting, you feel like you may melt at any given moment. You’re wandering around your shared apartment in nothing but a sports bra and tiny athletic shorts that don’t leave very much to the imagination. Doyoung is in no better shape. He’s in a loose lowcut tanktop and a random pair of shorts he found. Nothing seems to help with the nearly unbearable weather, regardless of what you try to do.

“Come here real quick.” Doyoung calls from the living room.

You shuffle your way from the small kitchen to where Doyoung is. He’s spread across the couch; his bunny ear twitches toward you as you approach him. When he turns his head, a slight smirk rests on his lips. You know that look all too well. It’s far too hot for that right now, and you both know it. Still, you find yourself standing beside the couch, waiting for his request.

“What’s up?” you ask.

“Come sit with me.” he requests.

“Where? You’re taking over the whole couch, idiot.” you tug the tip of his beige ear as you tease him.

“My lap is somewhere to sit.” he responds with a suggestive lilt.

You roll your eyes but start climbing into his lap, “You do know it’s 35 degrees out, right?”

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he lets his hand fall onto your waist as if it’s second nature to him. You give him a look that might not be obvious to everyone, but it’s easy for Doyoung to decipher. Finally, he shifts slightly under you and moves his hips so you tip forward over him. You giggle lightly before letting your lips lock with his.

It’s not hard to get lost in kissing Doyoung. You learned that very quickly. You still feel lost in him two years later when you share these moments. You almost entirely forget about the brutal heat of the day. Doyoung’s hands wander up and down your sides, as you continue to make out. Eventually, his hands find their way to your chest. You gasp into the kiss but almost immediately kiss him harder and hungrier than before.

“D-doyoung, can we-”

“Hmm?” he hums into the kiss.

“Bed. Now.”

“Why do that when I can-”

“Damn, I’m gone for four years, and I come back to see you fucking around with our best friend.” you hear someone say with a half-teasing tone.

Your heart practically drops through your ass. When did Taeyong even get home from university? You knew he graduated this past spring, but still. You practically launch yourself out of Doyoung’s lap and look at the older kitty hybrid in the doorway. His hair is a dusty blue color now. It looks stunning on him. You stand up and walk toward him. Doyoung opts just to sit up and pull a pillow into his lap, avoiding eye contact with his best friend as long as possible.

“It’s not what it looks like, Taeyong.” you try to defend yourself.

“You were just in his lap, but continue,” he responds with a slight bite.

“Um, uh,” you stutter, “Doyoung, some help, please?”

Doyoung shakes his head at you. But, of course, now, of all times, he chooses to be no help at all.

“Okay, it’s exactly what it looks like,” you admit.

“We said once I was done with my degree and came home-” he can’t seem to finish his sentence.

“How about we go out and chat about this? This atmosphere isn’t great right now.”

He nods. You walk back over to the couch and find your forgotten phone. Just as you’re about to put on your shoes, Doyoung grabs your wrist and pulls you down into a quick kiss. You’re not sure where the territorial behavior comes from, but you’ll have to talk to him about that later. He gives you a concerned look, and you give him a sympathetic, gentle one in return.

“It’ll be okay.” you mouth to him. Doyoung nods back at you.

You walk to the door where Taeyong is waiting for you and offer him a soft smile. He returns it and allows you to step out before him. An odd tension between you wasn’t there a few years ago. The two of you walk to the park across the street from your apartment building. It’s not too busy despite the warm weather and clear skies. Taeyong guides you to a bench under a tree and sits down.

“How did you even get into the apartment?” you question.

“I wanted to surprise you guys, so Doyoung’s mom told me where you guys hide your spare key.” he explains, “Turns out I surprised you at the wrong time.”

“Taeyong,” you sigh, “I don’t know whether to apologize or-”

“Don’t apologize. Just explain what’s going on.”

You nod, pursing your lips, “Well, we aren’t dating. I guess we started hooking up about two years ago.”

“Seems like a whole lot more than just hooking up,” Taeyong interjects, “I know you can’t smell his scent, but-” he interrupts himself with a sigh, “he was definitely saying you’re with him based on how he smelled. He was trying to get me to submit.”

“Oh,” you quip, “It’s not like that between us. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but we haven’t said we’re dating.”

Taeyong nods, “I missed you.”

“I- I missed you too.”

“I was serious when I said I wasn’t going to leave you behind.” he tells you, reaching to hold your hand, “I want us to be us again.”

You’re screwed. You aren’t sure how to respond. You’re active with Doyoung, and you know there are romantic feelings even though you choose not to address them. In the same breath, though, you missed Taeyong. He feels just as much like home as Doyoug does. You look at your ex wide-eyed and hope he’s not expecting an answer immediately. There’s hope in his big sparkly eyes, and his bushy grey tail swishes behind him in anticipation. He wants you to say yes right now and live happily ever after. Your subconscious thinks about Doyoung; you don’t want to hurt him. You love him too. The last thing you want to do is cause a rift between the three of you because of this.

“What about…”

“I know. I shouldn’t have sprung this on you,” he says sympathetically, his ear twitching as he hears you.

“It’s just. I don’t want to hurt you or Doyoung. And I don’t want to cause any tension between our friendships with each other either.”

“You go home and think about it and give me a call when you make your decision. I’m home for good now.”

You both stand up, and Taeyong envelops you in a hug. You didn’t realize how much you missed this. You hug him back tightly. You both end up going your separate ways, and on your short walk back to your apartment, you realize you have much to think about.

A few days later, you’re panicking as you pace back and forth through your small bathroom. There was no way; you can’t be. Doyoung is still passed out in his room. You’re hoping he doesn’t wake up before you’re done in here. You’re nearly two weeks late for your period. You hadn’t even realized until your friend had asked for a product, and you didn’t have any on you. But, of course, luck isn’t on your side today. You hear your bunny roommate shuffling down the hall toward the bathroom. There’s a gentle knock on the door, followed by his voice.

“Y/n, are you okay in there?”

“Y-yeah! Just fine!” you call through the door, “I’m coming out now.”

You speed past him and lock yourself away in your bedroom. There are footsteps behind you, and that’s when you realize you left the test on the counter. Then, again, Doyoung knocks on the door between you.

“Please, let me in.” he asks quietly.

You gulp and pull your door open slowly. When you make eye contact with the bunny hybrid, he’s giving you a concerned look. Your eyes flit down to his hand. He’s holding the still-developing test. He steps in and waits for you to talk. When you just keep your eyes on the piece of plastic, he speaks instead.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you if there’s nothing to worry about.”

Doyoung places the test on your desk and moves closer to you. He cups your cheeks in his hands. Then, he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to your forehead.

“How late are you?”

“Two weeks,” you admit.

“Well, if you are, I’ll do everything in my power to take care of you and the baby. If not, then we can continue what we’re doing. Just a little safer. Okay?”

“We aren’t dating.” you state, “Why are you going to all this effort to make sure I’m okay?”

“Well, for one, you’re still my best friend. I’ll always take care of you. Second, maybe- know what, that’s not something to talk about right now.”

“What’s not something to talk about?” you ask, slightly annoyed.

“Fine.” he grunts, “I fucking love you. I know Taeyong came home, and he wants to pick up where you left off, but I fucking love you. I have since we first kissed two years ago, maybe even earlier.”

“Doyoung,”

“No. Let me say this. You’ll probably run back to Taeyong and have a beautiful life together, but I love you so much. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t help falling in love with you.”

You go to respond, but you hear the door open again. Neither of you needs to question who it is. You and Doyoung agreed that giving Taeyong his copy of your key was in your best interest since he’ll be hanging out a lot now. Doyoung’s jaw is clenched tight, and you search his face for what move to make. You do the first thing you can think of and kiss him. You instantly feel him melt in your arms and relax.

“Why do I always catch you two like-” he cuts himself short, “Who’s negative pregnancy test is this?”

You pull away from the bunny hybrid and let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, thank fuck it’s negative.”

“Rude, what if-”

“Not now, Doyoung.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Taeyong starts, “You mean to tell me-”

You sigh again, “I don’t want to go into that right now. What brings you by?”

Taeyong shifts awkwardly, and his tail swishes behind him, only exemplifying his feelings. Doyoung scrunches his nose up and shakes his head slightly, showing distaste for something. You assume that Taeyong’s typically sweet strawberry scent soured. Taeyong’s eyes jump back and forth between you, Doyoung, and his own feet. Finally, you remove yourself from Doyoung’s rather tight hold on you and take a step toward the older hybrid.

“You can tell me, tell us, anything,” you say sincerely.

“It’s just- I guess I did some thinking,” Taeyong admits.

“Thinking about what?” Doyoung asks suspiciously, “Your scent smells weird. I can’t really figure it out right now…”

Again, Taeyong’s gaze shifts back and forth between you and the rabbit hybrid. He takes a long deep breath before reaching behind him to grab his tail. Taeyong wrings the end of the fluffy grey appendage while his right kitty ear twitches once every few moments. This time, instead of you moving to comfort him, Doyoung does so. The younger rabbit hybrid walks right up to him and takes the kitty’s hands in his. You guess that Doyoung starts emitting some sort of calming pheromones based on how quickly Taeyong’s tense state relaxes. A soft purr escapes the kitty’s throat. It’s a sound you haven’t heard in years. Hearing it makes your heart flutter.

What you didn’t expect was for Taeyong to step forward again and nuzzle into the crook of Doyoung’s neck. Based on how Doyoung reacts, he wasn’t expecting it either. You know enough about hybrid anatomy to know that Taeyong’s face is hidden in the scent gland in Doyoung’s neck. Doyoung lets him relax in his rosey scent for a moment before lightly pushing his shoulder. The omega detaches himself from the beige rabbit hybrid, and you notice the light dust of a blush across his face.

“W-well,” Taeyong stutters, training his eyes on you, “I knew that you really cared about Doyoung and how he feels. What I told you last week was definitely not expected, and clearly,” he pauses to gesture to the pregnancy test on your desk, “There was more under the surface too.”

“I didn’t know that was happening when we talked,” you explain.

“I didn’t know until today either if it makes you feel better, Yongie,” Doyoung adds.

“You guys definitely didn’t know I was coming, but… I heard everything you just said, Doyoung. As much as I think your assumption would happen had y/n and I never broke up, we did, and life took a few turns.”

Doyoung gives him another suspicious look, “What are you on about, Taeyong?”

“What I’m saying is. I love her a lot, a hell of a lot. But I love you too. I guess I never let it on how much I do love you. I always assumed it was platonic.”

You’re in shock, to say the least. Taeyong had mentioned in passing a few times that he found some men attractive, but he never outright told you that he was bisexual. You’re not upset at all; honestly, it makes sense in a way. When your eyes fall onto Doyoung to gauge his reaction, you also notice a slight blush taking over his face. He doesn’t look uncomfortable with the confession, though. Taeyong takes one step further into your bedroom, again invading Doyoung’s personal space. You watch as Doyoung resumes eye contact with the older. They’re hardly a foot apart. Doyoung leans in slightly but then pauses.

“If you don’t want me to kiss you, I’ll back off right now. Let me know what you want.” he nearly whispers.

Taeyong lets out a noise similar to a trill with a slight undertone of annoyance before surging forward to kiss the younger rabbit hybrid. Suddenly, you feel as if you’re intruding on a private moment. The kiss doesn’t last long. It was nothing more than a long peck. Doyoung clears his throat and lets a quiet clucking noise escape his throat. It’s a noise you know well. He only lets it out when he’s failing to hide how happy he is internally. Taeyong knows it, too. In return, he lets out a purr again and starts to rub his kitty ear against Doyoung’s cheek.

“I guess we should work out what this is then.” Doyoung comments, still trying to compose himself.

“It doesn’t have to be that complicated.” you comment with a chuckle, “I love him. I love you. You both love each other and me. Then, boom! Everything’s figured out.”

“You- you what?” Doyoung gasps, trying to push Taeyong away with playful annoyance.

“Oh, don’t play dumb, Doyoung.” Taeyong muses, trying to attach himself to the rabbit again, “She wouldn’t be this calm if she didn’t love both of us. We both know that.”

You chuckle and walk up to the pair of hybrids. Taeyong grabs you and wraps you up between them. It feels right in a way you can’t describe. A laugh bubbles up inside you, and you smile at them as your eyes move between them. You lean over to kiss Taeyong, then lean in the other direction to kiss Doyoung as well. It seems as though Doyoung is still either processing the information or in shock. You jab his side lightly with your finger making him jump slightly and growl at you. You know he doesn’t genuinely mean the growl he lets out, so you chuckle at him and press another kiss to his cheek. Taeyong decides to follow suit and kiss the beige bunny’s cheek. Doyoung gives him a disgusted look. But, again, it’s very much a joke.

“So,” the bunny boy states, “Are we calling this casual friends with benefits all around or?”

“Oh my god,” you groan, throwing your head forward to be pressed against Taeyong’s shoulder, “If we all just fucking confessed we love each other romantically, why would this be casual fucking?”

“Ya know, for being such a smart guy, you’re being really stupid right now, Doyoung.” Taeyong teases.

“And how did you still remain the same dipshit you’ve always been after four years of studying in a foreign country.” Doyoung bites back.

“Am I going to always have to keep you two from killing each other?” you interject.

“He’ll submit to me one day, watch.” Doyoung adds.

You feel Taeyong buckle beside you slightly. Doyoung’s looking at the older omega with a specific look. This is not the time for this, though. You reach up and flick Doyoung’s ear. He breaks the eye contact with Taeyong and narrows his eyes at you.

“That doesn’t work on me. Now, can we just say we’re dating and live happily ever after all together?” you question the two men.

Taeyong nods and trills, his tail brushing against your leg as it swishes happily, “I like the sound of that.”

“Does that mean?” Doyoung asks.

“Does it mean what?” you bounce the question back.

“If you’re asking if we’re also dating each other, then I would say yes. I’d like to be a partner to both of you if you’ll have me.”

“I-” Doyoung lets out a slight bunny hum, “I’d like that too. Just don’t annoy the shit out of me all the time, okay, Taeyong?”

“If I didn’t, you’d think I was mad at you.” the older chuckles and makes kissy noises at him.

“Gross.” Doyoung rolls his eyes at him.

You stand there between them, watching their playful bickering. The universe has weird, backward ways of working, but it always has a plan. You wouldn’t have thought this was its plan when you first met Taeyong or dated Taeyong. You really should thank your silver fox friend for jump-starting all of that. You wouldn’t have thought it was even possible a few months ago before Taeyong came home from California. Through the peaks and valleys of your relationships with both these men, you don’t think you could ever live without them. Now, you’ll never have to worry about that. The universe planned for you to have them both in your life. That red string of fate connects you to both of them, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You must’ve gotten lost in your thoughts because you jump nearly a mile high when you feel very obnoxious wet kisses on each of your cheeks. Yeah, this is right where you’re meant to be.

Networks: @kwritersworld @k-vanity

Tag List: @raibebe @jaehunnyy @umbralhelwolf

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