#unfortunatus: paradiso

[neonun-au]

home is a feeling | lee donghyuck

pairing: haechan/donghyuck x reader  genre: fluff, tiny bit of angst warnings: alcohol (quite a bit), like very lightly suggestive word count: 8.2k words

for @nct-writers​ NeoHoliday event~ Inspired by the movie ‘The Holiday’

summary: Fresh off a break-up, not willing to stomach spending Christmas single with your family, you book a last minute trip overseas to escape the impending loneliness, not realizing that perhaps running away from your feelings will only serve to intensify them. You arrive at your home-away-from-home only to find you’re not the only one staying there. Through some unfortunate (or not so unfortunate) mistake, the AirBnB you booked has also been booked by a handsome young man looking for a similar escape from his own life. Now you have to choose whether or not to stay and spend your Christmas with a stranger or scramble to find a lonely hotel room last minute over the holidays.

taglist: @d-nghy-ck-main​ @infnteen​ (I hope y’all enjoy~)

The text message lights up your phone at 10:24pm. 

Mark: We need to talk

You would be lying to yourself if you had said you weren’t expecting it, but those four words still send your heart reeling regardless. The cold grip of anxiety tightens around your throat as you pick up the phone and stare at the message. The only communication between you and your boyfriend in over a week. Presumably, this was not going to be a good conversation. It wasn’t going to be one of those ones where he calls and rants about his day at work, about how much pressure he is under, and how you are the only person alive that is able to take his mind off of it. You aren’t that person anymore, and you haven’t been for a while. 

The writing was on the wall for weeks, but now that it's sprawled over your phone screen, it feels suddenly all too real. 

You inhale, fingers tapping across the screen, and attempt to craft a response that doesn’t indicate the level of panic you’re rising to. 

You: Sure, what’s up? 

Three dots. Appearing and disappearing. There and gone. You watch, sitting straight on the edge of your couch--Netflix muted in the background--and wait for the inevitable. 

Mark: I think we should break up

The pin drops and you feel your stomach tighten. Part of you wants to laugh, ‘really, two years and it ends over text?’ you think mirthlessly, typing and re-typing the message. Another part of you, a more overwhelming part, is just tired. 

You: if that’s what you want

The three dots return, flashing up on the screen and lingering. A visual representation of his overthinking. You sit and wait, biting back the angry tears threatening to spill out over your cheeks. Maybe you should fight for it--put up some small effort towards keeping this relationship--but you know it’s pointless. It would only drag it out, prolonging the death to an unnatural point and only sinking you further into a period of stasis. 

Mark: I think it’s probably what’s best

Mark: for both of us

You: Ok, I understand

Mark: sorry to do this over the holidays. Tell your mom I say hi

You don’t bother with a response. Instead flipping the screen face down on the table and inhaling deeply, breathing in the realization as it hits. 

Single. For Christmas. Great.  

Somewhere between the fourth and fifth glass of wine, with hazy eyes and even hazier thoughts, you find yourself aimlessly scrolling through holiday destinations on AirBnB. Rows and rows of home and apartments fly by in a blur on your screen as you scroll.

The thought of spending Christmas with your family, newly single, became too much to bear about an hour after the last text message was sent. You dug through your cupboards for an old, dusty bottle of wine, cracked it open, and put on a Spotify playlist to match the mood--sad and pathetic. Images of your childhood bedroom flooding your mind. Bright blue walls lined with posters and old photographs, all of the old books and stuffed animals your parents never had the heart to get rid of. A relic of another time, a shrine to another life. 

The thought of your sister’s pitying gaze turned your blood to ice. Her soft eyes, sympathetic but distant, as she chases your nephew through the halls of the familiar house. Your mom’s obnoxiously cheerful pep talks and all too unhelpful suggestions about who you could date fill your mind like lead. 

No. No you weren’t going to succumb to that fate. 

Instead, you click on listing after listing until you finally find one that fits your tipsy criteria. A small, modern home nestled in a copse of trees ten minutes outside of a picturesque village. Isolated, clean, and, mostly importantly--available. 

Without any further thought you type in your credit card information and wait for the confirmation email to appear in your inbox. 

--

The house greets you like a stranger. The door swings open into the dim interior--white walls, white furniture, and white curtains all cast in shadow--and you drop your bags in front of the door with a dull thud. Coat still wrapped tight around your body, you fumble around for the light-switch. The room warms up a bit under the glow of the yellow bulbs but you still feel the emptiness around you--descending in a thick blanket of silence. 

“What am I doing here?” You wonder aloud, kicking off your shoes and heading in to explore your temporary home for the holidays. The small living room opens up into a galley kitchen--clean and quaint. Despite reading the description in the listing, you hadn’t fully been prepared for just how pervasive the whiteness of everything would be. Especially in contrast to your parent’s home--with their richly painted walls, colourful decorations, and lush carpets. Everything in this house is a blank slate--you get the feeling you’re exploring it for the first time, that no one else has ever ventured here. Even the tint of grey on the walls isn’t enough to break up the uninhabited atmosphere. 

From the kitchen you wander back through the living room, past the large windows through which you can see the snow continuing to fall, and walk towards the hallway, presumably leading to the rest of the house. The bathroom provides some relief from the endless white. Blue tiles run up the walls of the small room, a relief for your eyes and a nice contrast with the tan flooring. It eases the sense of dread in your mind slightly before you move along towards the bedrooms. 

You peek your head into both doors in succession--disappointed but not surprised to be greeted by beds made with crisp, white sheets and duvets. A large evergreen tree peeks through the window of the room on your right and you drag your luggage in there, grateful for the proximity to nature if nothing else. You dump your bags on the floor and head back into the kitchen to unload your groceries and enough wine to put you in an effective holiday coma until your flight back home. 

Thankfully, the kitchen is well stocked with glasses. 

--

The sound of Mariah Carey’s voice drifts through the house, mingling with the boisterous, uneven tone of your own singing and effectively blocking out the wailing of wind as the storm picks up in ferocity outside. You take a sip of your wine--the first bottle of Merlot--and dance around in front of the stereo in your old t-shirt and underwear. Pushing aside the crushing weight of loneliness that had descended upon you when you first arrived at this place in the middle of the woods, you decided you were going to ride it out. 

Make the best of your solo Christmas trip and at least get drunk enough to forget why you came here in the first place. 

The song builds to a crescendo and you wail along, wine sloshing in the glass as you belt out high notes you never thought you were capable of, oblivious to the sound of the keypad on the door indicating someone’s entering. Mariah sings, you close your eyes and screech along, and a heavy bag drops to the hardwood floor with a loud thud. 

“You’re gonna damage your vocal chords if you keep that up,” a voice chimes out from the entryway and you stop mid shimmy--eyes wide with fear. You turn to see a young man starting at you from the doorway, smirk drawn over his lips. 

“What are you doing here? Who are you?” You ask, setting down your wine glass, body burning with a dangerous cocktail embarrassment and panic. Glancing around frantically, you see your phone on the kitchen table and try to plan out how you might be able to reach it before he can reach you. Memories of old new reports flash through your mind--home invasions, robberies, murders. 

“I could ask you the same thing,” he levels back, slipping out of his shoes and stepping towards you. His voice rises in defense, and you take the hint of confusion in his tone and run with it. Ignoring how vulnerable you feel, half-naked in the living room in front of an intruder--you pull your shoulders back and assert as much authority as you’re able to.  

“I rented this place for the holidays, so unless you’re the owner of this cabin--I would suggest you leave.” 

His eyes widen, but he takes another step towards you. “That’s a mistake. I rented this place,” he slips his phone out of his pocket and you watch through slightly hazy eyes as he scrolls through email after email until he lands on the confirmation from the website--shoving his phone in front of your face to show you the proof. 

Confirmation #343245 

Lee, Donghyuck

December 19-December 30

“No,” you shake your head, knitting your eyebrows together and staring up at him in firm disapproval. Your shoulders deflate slightly, assured at least that he wasn’t here to murder you. 

“No?” 

“No.” You reaffirm, hands on your hips. You feel the urge to poke him in the chest, to make him take a step back, but resist to maintain your stance. His honey golden eyes swim before you as you stare him down, ignoring the cool draft against your bare legs. “Hang on,” you grab your phone from the table and flick through your emails.

Confirmation #343244

_____, _______

December 19-January 2nd

“Ah,” he pushes the phone away from his face with a chuckle. “Umm, so I guess we’re stuck together?” He raises an eyebrow, clearly unsure of what to do in this situation, and you take a shaky step away from him. The liquid courage that had previously been roaring through your mind has now quieted to a dull whisper and you notice just how close you were standing. How the warmth from his body was seeping into your exposed skin. 

“No, one of us is going to have to leave,” you say, grabbing the throw that had been draped over the couch and covering your bare legs as you settle on the unforgiving white leather. “And by one of us, I mean you.” 

“I’m not leaving,” you watch as he walks to the entrance and drags his bag into the living room to reinforce his statement. You pause a moment, evaluating the man before you. His snow-soaked brown hair falling over his forehead, tanned skin, lean body. If it weren’t for the smug expression on his face you would maybe even think he was handsome. 

“Yes, you are.” You level him with a glare, taking another slow sip of your wine. “I booked this place first, according to the confirmation numbers. I arrived here first, too, so I have dibs. Sucks to be you.” You’re not sure if it’s the wine or the loneliness that’s making you so bold, but it catches him off guard nevertheless and he lets out a laugh. The sound echoes through the living room, brightening the atmosphere and chipping away at the sense of unease that had temporarily gripped you. 

“Yeah, well, I think I’ve probably got a better reason to be here than you do, so by that merit I win.” Resting his hands on his hips, he matches your glare happily. 

“Doubt that, Lee Donghyuck.” You scoff, memories of your frantic escape from reality swirling through your wine-soaked brain. 

“Oh yeah? You want a bet, ______?” He shrugs off his coat and tosses it haphazardly over his luggage on the floor before flopping down next to you on the couch. 

“Fine, let’s make it a bet,” any potential danger or fear you should be feeling in this moment, next to this complete stranger, is a distant thought as you prepare your case. Equipped with days of mulling over your own miserable state of affairs and a half-drunk bottle of Merlot. “Winner stays, loser goes.” 

“Deal,” he nods, stretching out his arms as if preparing for a fight. “Can I have some of that wine?” 

--

The previous cold of the home has all but dissipated through glasses of wine and the laughter of the evening. You find yourself sprawled out on the couch next to this strange man as he describes how he came to the decision, much like your own, to spend Christmas alone far from home. 

“So, since we didn’t have any schedules or anything lined up for the holidays, and I didn’t really feel like hanging around the dorms being reminded of how painfully single I am.” 

“How did she break up with you?” You asked, refilling your glass with another healthy serving of wine. 

“In person,” he shrugs, tossing back the rest of his glass. “She said I was ‘a handful’ like she’s my teacher or something.” Donghyuck rolls his eyes and you let out a short bark of laughter, slipping further and further into a strange sense of comfort around him. Whether due to the influence of alcohol or the shared misery, you’re not sure. 

Nudging him with your toe, you turn with a half-smirk, “at least she had the courtesy to break up with you in person. I got dumped via text.” 

“Ouch,” he laughs, shaking his head in sympathy.

“We had been dating for two years, too,” you nod. Now sitting next to your new companion in misery, the whole thing seems rather humorous in retrospect. The image of you, tear stained and tired, sitting in your pajamas booking a solo vacation for Christmas seemed like something out of a cheesy comedy flick. “He told me to tell my mom that he’s sorry he can’t make it for Christmas.” 

“Okay, so we both got dumped,” he says, emptying the rest of the wine into his glass and sliding onto the floor in front of you. 

“Yup,” you nod, stretching out across the couch in his absence. 

“And we both somehow rented the same vacation home for the same date,” he’s ticking off his points on his fingers. You watch the back of his head--staring at the soft brown hair now finally dry from the snow melt as he runs his free hand through it. 

“Yeah,” he’s reached some conclusion but any brain power you could have spared towards meeting him there was lost three glasses ago, so you just wait for him to spell it out for you. 

“Why did you choose to come here and spend Christmas alone?” He turns, sparkling brown eyes meeting yours a few inches from your face. You can feel the warmth of his breath, you see the pleasant upturn at the corners of his mouth as he waits for your answer. Your fingers twitch to brush aside a loose strand of his hair but you keep them still at your side. 

“Would you believe me if I said I was kinda drunk?” You reply, shifting away from his steady gaze. He grins wide and the urge to reach out and touch him, to check and see if he is indeed real and not some hallucination crafted by your addled brain, intensifies.

“Okay, so since we’re both pathetic losers, where does that leave us?”

“What do you mean?” 

“Who gets to stay?” 

“Well, considering I bought two weeks worth of wine, I think I might be more pathetic than you.” You state, waving your hand dramatically towards the empty bottles on the coffee table. 

“I came here in such a rush I only packed one pair of pants,” he rebuffs. 

“Not bad, but did you also forget to bring a toothbrush? Because I definitely had to rebuy all of my toiletries in the village when I got here.” 

“Alright, well I had to pack my bags and leave with all five of my roommates staring at me wondering what the hell I was doing.” 

“Five roommates? Jesus,” you heave a sigh, fixing your gaze back on his and ignoring the way your stomach flips. “Fine, you win.” His grin broadens and you groan internally, dreading the prospect of having to find a last minute accommodation. “Maybe this was a stupid idea anyway, I should probably just go home for Christmas.” 

“What, didn’t you just get here?” He asks, eyes widening in alarm. 

“Yeah, but--” you sigh, shifting up onto your elbows. The weight of your decision sinks in past the cloud of wine and laughter of the last few hours, settling into your stomach like a stone. “What was the point? I was sad about feeling alone on Christmas so I decided to book a flight to be alone...on Christmas.” 

“That is pretty stupid,” he agrees, nodding solemnly until you raise a hand and push him away from the couch with a firm shove. 

“Whatever, you did the same thing.” 

“So,” he sighs, settling back against the side of the couch after your attack. “Why don’t we be alone together?” 

The question shocks you out of your malaise and you balk at him, “what?” 

Donghyuck spins around on the floor to face you, “there’s two bedrooms, we both already paid for the place,” he shrugs, “you clearly shouldn’t be left unsupervised considering the amount of wine and cheese in the fridge.” 

You narrow your eyes in disdain, miffed at the criticism despite the accuracy of the statement, “so what, you’re going to change your mind now after I already said I would leave?” 

He just shrugs again. “Yeah, I’ll even let you have your choice of bedroom.” He winks. 

“Oh, wow, how generous,” you roll your eyes and push yourself into a sitting position--conscious of your still bare legs under the thin throw as you move. 

“In case you didn’t notice, it’s been storming outside all night so chances are neither of us was going to get very far anyway,” he gestures out the window where sure enough a small snowdrift has started to collect outside. The howling winds, drowned out at first by obnoxious Christmas music and then by conversation and laughter, make themselves known again and you feel a shiver cascade over your body at the mere thought of the frigid temperature. “Besides,” he continues, “I’m actually sort of having fun with you.” 

“Oh,” the sudden confession catches you off guard. Through the hours of shared stories and bottles of wine you had barely had a chance to notice the tension dissolve into a general sense of ease and comfort. His presence next to you had rapidly shifted from alarming to natural and you couldn’t deny that you had also been having fun. 

Donghyuck gets up, collecting the empty bottles, and heads into the kitchen. You listen as the water runs from the tap, as he rummages around in the pantry in search of some late night snack, and think over his proposition. 

Two people brought together under suspiciously similar circumstances from wildly different places somehow ended up at the same place at the same time. And by some further twist of fate, two people brought together who seem to also enjoy each other’s company. But maybe that was the wine talking. 

“Hey,” he calls out from the kitchen, voice carrying through your myriad of thoughts. “Do you want some cheese or…cheese? Jesus, is this all you bought?” 

“Yes and no, I’m good thanks,” you laugh and bring your glass to your lips with a smile. 

“We’re gonna have to go grocery shopping, this is ridiculous.” He slips back down to his spot in front of you on the floor, holding a plate of cheese and grapes in front of your face as an offering before popping a cube into his own mouth and washing it down with a sip of wine. 

The casual scene, too comfortable for people who met only mere hours before under bizarre circumstances, carries on deep into the night. Sharing laughter and jokes as you slip further and further into your new reality like an old sweater. Like it’s always been there just waiting for you to inhabit it once again. 

As the hours bleed on, Donghyuck’s smile and laughter at once so new and exciting become more and more familiar. You stop hyper focusing on his movements, on his wild gestures, and start allowing them to exist in proximity to you. To exist as they are alongside your own. Eventually you slip off the couch and take a seat next to him on the floor, giving him a hazy run down of how palmistry works and why the lines on his hand mean that he was born to be in entertainment. 

He humours you, holding his palms steady as you trace the lines without much care for the closeness of your bodies. The heat of his gaze sinks into the top of your head as you stumble through a half-remembered explanation about his heart line. “Hey ______,’ he interrupts your speech suddenly, fingers curling around your own. “Do you miss your ex?” 

“Huh?” The question catches you off guard and you almost whack his chin with the top of your head as you raise your gaze to meet his. 

“Do you miss him?” For the first time since he walked in on you wailing along to Mariah Carey in your underwear you see a hint of caution in his expression. Some small spark of vulnerability hidden behind the golden flecks of his irises. 

“No,” you drawl, slightly taken aback by your own honesty. “I guess I just miss…being with someone, you know? I knew for a while that it was going to end but I guess I held on because sometimes it's more comfortable to just...stay. Peacefully existing next to someone even if you know it's not going to end well.” 

He scoffs, “peaceful? I didn’t think that was possible.” 

“I take it your relationship was a bit more exciting than mine was, then?” 

“Well, like she said--I’m a handful,” he winks and releases your hand to reach for the last cube of cheese on the plate--popping it into his mouth. 

“Do you agree with her?” 

“About what?”

“That you’re a handful.” 

“Maybe,” he nudges you with his elbow and flashes a conspiratorial wink your way. “If you stick around I’m sure you’ll find out for yourself.” 

You shake your head in mock horror, “I think I already have.” He laughs and settles back against the couch, eyes closed. In the soft silence that settles around you you take a moment to study him. The soft flesh of his cheeks--a rounded profile. You always thought you preferred a sharper jaw but looking at him now before you, you imagine what it would be like to trace your lips along the curve of his neck. How soft and sweet he might taste under your gentle touch. He said he was a singer, but you haven’t heard his voice yet--just the cacophony of laughter and jokes that are almost constantly pouring out from between his full lips. You try to match the image of him to any voice you’ve heard before but come up short--your imagination either too frail or too soaked in wine to find a possible comparison. 

“Donghyuck,” you break the silence, clearing away the images in your mind with a slight cough. He turns to you, eyebrow quirked, and waits for your question. “Do you miss her? Your ex?” 

“No,” he laughs. “I thought I did, but listening to you talk about yours made me think that maybe it’s just having someone that I miss. Not necessarily that specific someone.”

“Okay,” you nod, thoughtful, and drain the last of your wine. “I’ll stay.” 

--

The cold light of morning greets you with a sharp pain in your temples. Through four bottles of wine shared between the two of you last night, you somehow managed to forget to drink any water at all. 

The heat of the water in the shower raining over your skin melts away the knots built up over a night of restless sleep and you close your eyes--immersing in the feeling. The calm and peace so rudely interrupted a minute later when Donghyuck pounds on the door, “______, hurry up and get dressed. We have to get groceries before we’re completely snowed in.” 

Ah right, a handful. 

Snow-capped trees pass by through the windows of the car in a blur as Donghyuck maneuvers the car down the narrow lane away from the house. The force of your headache has ebbed slightly after pounding back a couple of Tylenol, but the winding road coupled with the frantic speed of his driving brings up a fresh wave of nausea. A few times you’ve had to brace yourself against the dash to avoid slamming into it, and once your hand found purchase on his thigh in a desperate scramble for security--eliciting a loud bark of laughter from him. 

“Want me to slow down?” He asks with a sideways grin. 

“Yes please,” you groan, wondering at how he can manage to be so spritely after going glass for glass with you the night before. He laughs again but slows the car to a reasonable pace, easing the turmoil in your stomach. 

The sleepy village sprawls out before you, bringing a wave of relief washing over your body. Small brown buildings sprout up out of the stark white snow, and despite the nausea you can’t help but marvel at the sight. Somewhere in the post-breakup daze, this image was what you had been searching for. Picturesque countryside, a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the city you were so used to and judging by the look in Donghyuck’s eyes, he felt similarly. 

“This is cute,” he says, hopping out of the car and stretching towards the bright rays of the sun. His skin shines in the amber rays of morning and you have to peel your eyes away to keep from staring. 

“It is,” you agree, following him towards the shop on the corner of the street with a sign proclaiming ‘Fresh Bread Baked Daily’. 

There’s something about the understated domesticity of grocery shopping that grips you. How glancing over fruit and vegetables together is an act of almost intimate proportions. How his stern warning of “no more cheese” sounds a lot like a proclamation of affection under the flourescent lights of the small store. You follow him through the aisles, losing yourself in the fantasy and toss random items in the cart--some of which are immediately placed back on the shelf by him. 

“Can you cook?” He asks, surveying the roasts laid out in rows before him. 

“Yeah, well enough,” you nod. 

“Do you like cooking?” 

Another question that catches you by surprise. You pause, hand hovering over a rack of ribs and wonder. Did you like cooking? Or did you just do it because it was necessary--almost expected of you. Because all of your previous partners or flings were so hopeless at it that you had absolutely no choice. You could give the expected answer, or you could be honest. 

“Not especially,” you answer with a laugh when he glances up at you in question. 

“Okay,” he grabs a roast and tosses it into the cart. “I’ll cook Christmas dinner then.” 

“Do you like cooking?” You ask, surprise clearly evident and he laughs at the expression of shock as it washes over your face. 

“Depends who I’m cooking for,” he replies and you follow behind as he pushes the cart towards the bakery, watching as he inspects loaves of bread with a more serious look than you’ve seen from him yet. A small smile spreads across your face and you reach over him to toss a pack of cinnamon buns in the cart--earning a soft glare from him but the buns remain in the cart as you walk towards the till. 

“Will that be everything for you today?” The elderly cashier, bedecked in a bright red and green, hand-knit Christmas sweater tells you the price with a smile. Donghyuck counts out the money while you load the cart with the bags, eager to get back to your temporary home and slip into your pajamas with a plate full of fresh cut fruit. “I hope you kids have a lovely holiday,” she says as the receipt prints out and you match her smile with your own. “It’s so nice to see young love these days.” 

“Oh we’re not--” 

“Thank you,” Donghyuck grins, taking the receipt and pushing the cart out towards the car. 

--

Christmas Eve looms up in the midst of an extended snowstorm. The grocery trip turned out to have been perfectly timed, much to Donghyuck’s delight, and it has given him something to tease you with at every turn. How he should have been a meteorologist. “I’m so connected to the weather, _____.” He says around a mouthful of cinnamon bun--sly grin turning up the corners of his mouth and earning a playful slap from yourself as you try to ward off the rest of his smug comments. 

Briefly, in the cold, sober light of day after your fortuitous meeting you had worried that the comfort of the evening wouldn’t last. That this bizarre camaraderie and friendship forged through circumstance was tenuous at best. You worried that it would dissolve within hours and you would be stuck; snowed in to a house with someone you had nothing in common with. Stuck with a stranger and existing on the edge of a knife blade as you try to drown the pit of loneliness in your stomach with the remaining bottles of wine. 

Hours pass, and then days, and to your surprise nothing of the sort happens. Instead you find yourself spiralling deeper and deeper into this gravity of this unlikely companion. The stark white of the living room no longer feels cold and barren, instead it reflects the warmth of Donghyuck’s laughter--the warmth of your mingling happiness as you dance around the living room with abandon. Basking in the sheer freedom of the moment. Nothing to worry about, no one to worry for. Just existing, there and then--set to a soundtrack of Holiday hits. 

You finally hear Donghyuck sing one night, sprawled out in your pajamas on the living room floor and you swear this is what angels would sound like. You tell him as much and he just shoots you a wink and says, “I know.” The voice of an angel, the temperament of a demon. 

Through all of it a string is pulled taut between you. This underlying thread of possibility that taunts you at every turn. It tightens around your stomach in knots when he brushes up against you as he reaches for a glass from the cupboard. It vibrates like a string played on a harp when he smiles at you across the table, or laughs at some offhand joke made at his expense. Every glance, every word, pulls it tighter and tighter. Weaving your unexpected friendship into something more--something unspoken and unbroached. 

You lay awake at night, alone in the room across from him, and wonder if this is all an illusion. If the glances and stirring in your heart are all concoctions created by your post-breakup brain to lessen the feelings of sadness that should have been burrowing into your heart this past week. The worries swirl around in your brain, morphing and growing into your vivid dreams. Dreams of your ex, dreams of falling, and dreams especially of Donghyuck. 

Yet, in the morning light, sipping coffee across the table from him, all these thoughts and worries melt away as you let yourself drift further into this temporary domesticity. The laughter and happiness of the days overwhelm until eventually you can't remember what you had been worried about in the first place. 

Donghyuck makes good on his promise to cook Christmas dinner and you spend the day padding through the small home bathed in the intoxicating scent of the array of spices and herbs slowly roasting in the oven. 

“How much longer?” You ask peering over his shoulders as he slides a tray of potatoes into the oven. 

“Impatient,” he pokes you in the nose with the tip of his warm oven mitt. “It’ll be done when it’s done.” 

“That’s not a real answer,” you cross your arms and lean against the counter, waiting for an answer to appease your curiosity. 

“And people say I’m annoying,” he scoffs, slipping off his oven mitts and leaning next to you. The warmth of his bare arms as they brush against yours sends a shiver rippling over your entire body. “Did you do this to your ex, too, when he would cook?” 

“Who? Mark?” You snort, the image of Mark standing in a kitchen cooking eliciting a guttural response. “He couldn’t cook to save his life.” 

“Well, good thing you got rid of him then,” Donghyuck nudges you with his elbow, fingers grazing against your own. You feel the tip of his pinky finger curl around yours and your breath catches in your throat. A giddiness you haven’t felt since high school creeps through your veins as the contact deepens. He slides his hand into yours, intertwining your fingers. You chance a cautious glance out of the corner of your eye and see his soft brown gaze fixed steadily on you--all signs of teasing washed away until there is nothing but a sweet sincerity hidden in the depths of his irises. “______,” he breathes your name, pushing himself off the counter to stand in front of you. 

You wait in a bubble of anticipation as he leans in closer and closer. The warmth of his breath tickling your face, the thread between you tightening--pulling you together in the kitchen. His lips, soft and welcoming, barely graze against yours before the bubble bursts and your ringtone sounds out through the small home like an alarm, startling you back to reality. With an apologetic glance, you rush over to your coat and fumble through the pockets for the offending device. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, honey!” Your mom’s voice sings through the speaker of your phone and you heave a sigh, releasing the irritation that had wormed into your thoughts at the interruption. “Merry Christmas!” 

“Yeah, Merry Christmas, Mom,” Donghyuck laughs as you take a seat at the table, head in hand and listen as she rambles off a list of everything you were missing at home over the holidays. 

“Anyway, I just wanted to call and make sure you were doing all right all alone up there. It really was a surprise that you decided to leave for Christmas, but as long as you’re happy it’s alright I suppose.” 

“I’m, yeah I’m good, Mom. I’m enjoying it.” 

“I know the breakup wasn’t easy for you and I was worried that you might be lonely out there by yourself,” she sighs through the phone, motherly concern plain in her voice 

You glance over and watch as Donghyuck flips the potatoes, face illuminated in the glow of the oven, and smile, “no. Not at all, actually.” 

“That’s good to hear, sweetheart, I just want to make sure that you made the right decision.” 

“I think I did,” you smile. “I really think I did.”

“Okay, well, as long as you’re happy,” you can hear through the speaker the insistent wailing of your nephew in the background, cloying for attention and your mom’s voice grows distant as she turns towards him. Clearly preoccupied in all the goings-on at home. 

The image is clear in your mind, what you would be doing there in some alternate version of the present--if you had never decided to take this trip. You would be sitting in the same pajamas you had been wearing for 2 days, warm mug of apple cider in hand, fending off your sister’s pitying glances and making half-assed conversation with your estranged uncle as he tucks into yet another plate of baked goods. 

The familiar scent of cinnamon and clove draws you into the scene. Years and years of Christmasses spent in the same house, in the same living room, with the same people. Comfort, familiarity, and there are parts of it you miss. But glancing up now, laughing as Donghyuck reels back from the cloud of steam as it billows out from a simmering pot on the stove, you decide you that there are more that you don’t miss, after all. That home comes in a lot of different forms, and a childhood house is just one of them.

“Mom, I’m gonna let you go. I’m having dinner with a friend. Have a good Christmas, say hi to everyone for me.” 

“You too, honey,” she replies, clearly distracted entirely now by whatever disaster was unfolding in front of her at the moment. “Love you, we’ll see you in the new year.” 

The phone call ends and you walk over to where Donghyuck stands stirring one of his array of aromatic concoctions. “Smells great,” you comment and he smiles--clearly pleased with the reception. Whatever had passed between you minutes before has all but slipped away, replaced again by casual comfort. 

“It’ll be done in about two minutes if you want to have a seat,” he nods, flicking the burners off and gathering dishes and silverware. 

The wine is poured, the roast is sliced, and the mouth-watering aroma of sage and rosemary fill the small home as you sit across from each other. It still surprises you how easily you slip into domestic simplicity next to him. Simply existing in one another's company--absent of the pressure to be anything except oneself. Maybe, you think, it comes from knowing that it's only temporary. That you really only have each other for these few days stolen from time, and eventually you were each going to slip back into your lives entirely separate from one another. 

Having this holiday as only a memory, growing more and more vague with each passing month until even the sound of his laughter all but fades from your recollection. 

“Do you like it?” Donghyuck asks, slicing into his dinner eagerly. You watch and wonder if he thinks about the same things as you. If the thought of your inevitable departure from each other is casting any sort of shadow over this meal, this moment, or if he’s content simply just existing free of those worries. 

“It’s delicious,” you nod, forking another potato into your mouth. “Like really good. I never would have expected you to be a decent chef.” 

“Oh, you’d be surprised at the things I’m decent at,” he hums with a wink and you feel the blood rush to your head, clouding your thoughts. How easily his humour washes away all worries for the future, bringing you into the present. How easily over the span of a few days he has managed to pull you into him. 

“Is that right?” You swallow the intrusive thoughts down with a sip of wine and glance at him over the table, evaluating the sly smirk as it stretches across his soft lips. The feeling of his warmth against your body, so close you could almost melt into him, lingers  in your mind. 

“Yeah, do you want a demonstration?” He sets down his silverware, flexing his hands, and casts his eyes on you from across the table in question. 

“O-” the words catch in your throat, deepening his grin as he makes his way around the table towards you, “of what?” 

“The things I’m decent at.” The faint scent of wine and savoury herbs still lingers on his breath as he leans in, sending your thoughts reeling ss you watch his features come in and out of focus before you. He brings a hand up into your hair, a light touch just barely grazing your ear. You feel yourself leaning in towards him in response, a natural shift towards him and he chuckles low and dark next to your ear before pulling away with a grin. 

The sudden absence shocks you awake like a cold shower as he stands before you brandishing a coin in triumph, “you had something behind your ear.” He drops the coin into your hand and you stare at it, aghast. 

“A magic trick? You wanted to show me a magic trick?” 

“Good, right?” He laughs, “one of my bandmates taught me how to do it. Why? What were you expecting?” 

“I--” you stammer, mind still reeling from the dramatic shift in atmosphere. He leans back in towards you.

“Were you expecting something else?” His features come into full focus, a glint of mischief shining in the honey browns of his eyes. He hovers and you pause a moment to study his features up close. The slight imperfections in his skin, the gentle curve of his cheek as it meets the corners of his upturned lips. You open your mouth to speak, but think better of it. 

Instead you give in. You take the opportunity and move, barely an inch, towards him. Closing the gap between you and pressing your lips against his. He gives out a small groan of alarm, clearly not expecting the boldness, before he deepens the kiss. You lean back with him until your back is pressed against the hard wood of the chair, pinning you to his chest. His arms snake around your waist, supportive and grasping and he pulls you to stand with him--wine stained lips never ceasing their movements against yours. 

The dinner sits abandoned half-eaten on the table as you stumble together, wrapped in each other's arms, and fall into bed. Whatever fragile distance between you, kept to preserve your already wounded hearts, slips away as you lay each other bare in the crisp, white sheets. The feel of his golden skin against yours, the warmth of him melting away any worries gnawing at the back of your mind. 

Any thoughts outside of this moment. For now. For tonight. You fall asleep in his arms and your dreams are peaceful for the first time in a week. 

The bright sun filters in through the sheer curtains and you wake up wrapped in Donghyuck’s arms. You settle in, curling up tighter to his side and breathe deeply. ‘I could stay here forever,’ you think, a soft smile stretches over your lips as he tightens his arms around you in his sleep. You feel at home for the first time since getting off the plane, happiness singing through your limbs in the amber glow of the morning. 

At least until your thoughts return and your peace is disturbed by the unwelcome reminder that you’ve only got 4 days left until Donghyuck flies back home. Until you’re left alone again in this house that only feels like a home because of his presence. As if sensing the shift in the atmosphere, he stirs awake--pressing a sleepy kiss to the top of your head. 

“Good morning,” he sighs, loosening his hold on your slightly to stretch his legs out underneath the comforter. 

“Morning,” you try to match his smile, the cheerful tone, but the worry slips through in between and despite the sleep still hanging around his head he catches it, ever observant. 

“Did you sleep well?” He asks, brushing a stray lock of hair out of your eyes. 

“Yeah,” you sigh, leaning into his touch despite yourself. “Too well, I think.” 

“I don’t think that’s possible,” he laughs lightly before his face regains an expression of casual concern. “What’s wrong?” 

“I just,” you hesitate and he runs his hand down your arm--soothing. For a moment you contemplate just burying your worries. Hiding them far away in the dark of your mind to be dug up only after he leaves so you can parse through them alone in silence. The temptation to hide in his warmth and bask in his glow for the remainder of your days here is strong, but something in his expression stops you. Invites you in to share your thoughts, “what happens when we leave here? You’ve only got a few more days left and then...what?” 

Vulnerability never came naturally to you. It was always easier to hide--from your thoughts and from others’ reactions to them. But as Donghyuck wraps you back in his arms with a gentle squeeze, you think maybe it wasn’t the vulnerability. Maybe it was just the people you were scared of. “Are you worried I’m going to forget about you?” 

“A little bit, yeah,” you laugh, grateful for the comfort that never seems to disappear when you’re around him. 

“I don’t know what happens,” he admits and the expression of sincerity on his face--one free of the usual teasing or mischief--tugs at the fraying threads of your worries until they start to unravel in your palm. “I’m not sure where we go from here, but I do know that I don’t want to spend the last four days we have together worrying about it. So you shouldn’t either.” 

He emphasises his last sentence with a firm poke to your forehead and you laugh. The conscious choice to release your worries, to throw the frayed threads out into the snow and be done with them, presents itself and for once--you take it. You press your lips against his once more and set free your worries tangled in the soft flesh of his limbs.

--

“Okay, for real I have to go now,” Donghyuck stands in the entrance of the small house dressed in his winter coat, arms tightly encircling you as he sighs against the side of your neck. 

“I know, you can let me go anytime, Hyuck,” you laugh as his embrace merely tightens. He peppers your face, your head, your neck with kisses before finally pulling away and picking up his bag. 

“You have my number, right?” 

“Yes, you double checked it three times this morning.” 

“Okay,” he nods, lip between his teeth. “And I have your number?” 

“Yes, do you want to call it again to make sure or was the four times you did that earlier enough?” 

He groans dramatically, throwing his head back before running his eyes over you--head to toe--as if to imprint this image of you, standing before him wrapped in your onesie, into his brain. “Okay, for real ______, you need to let me leave. I’m going to miss my flight.” 

“Then go, you weirdo,” the laughter comes despite the knot in your stomach. Seeing him now standing before your, face twisted in a dramatic grimace, pulls at your heart but still you’re not sad. You’re sure you will be later, as you drink the last bottle of Merlot alone listening to a playlist of Celine Dion’s greatest hits, but now? The sadness is an afterthought. Instead you see him, bundled up in front of you in a thick scarf, and you can’t help but smile. The last few weeks, as bizarre and unexpected as they were, made you feel alive again. Made you feel at home.

And you wouldn’t change them for anything. Not even if he left and never called. Not even if you had to watch him walk out of that door 100 times over like some twisted version of Groundhog Day. 

“One more kiss,” he pouts, and you give in. Pressing your lips against his and savouring the moment. Savouring the feeling of him. You pull away after a minute and he groans, “just one more.” 

One goodbye and a thousand kisses later Donghyuck leaves, taking with him all the warmth of the small house and leaving you in silence. You watch through the window as the car makes tracks through the fresh blanket of white snow; a few wayward tears escape, rolling over your cheeks as the car fades into the distance. With a sigh you pull yourself away from the window and turn on the stereo--drowning out your sorrows to the tune of 80’s pop ballads while you clean up after the whirlwind of the last few days. 

The chorus of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U reverberates through the house and you wail along, elbow deep in dishwater--oblivious to the sound of the keypad at the entrance. You don’t notice Donghyuck for a minute, too lost in a state of catharsis. Singing along with Sinead as you let the tears flow freely now, mixing in with the dishwater below. 

“You know,” he says, leaning against the kitchen wall, “I almost think you’re trying to make me go deaf.” 

“Hyuck,” you stare at him, open mouthed, for what feels like an eternity before he ducks his heady shyly under the strength of your unwavering gaze. 

“I just--” he stammers, rubbing the back of his head with a gloved hand. “I just thought, you’re here until the 2nd anyway, right?” 

“Yeah,” you say, dumbfounded, as you slip your hands out of the water--never taking your eyes off his face as he searches for the right words to say. 

“It’s snowing a lot, my flight will probably be delayed anyway,” he waves a hand vaguely towards the clear blue sky outside. “Why not...stay? At least until you leave.” 

Your heart thrums wildly in your chest, unable to contain the surprise and excitement of his return. “Yeah,” you smile, watching as he shuffles in front of you.

“If you....want me to be here?” The uncertainty in his voice--the quiet nervousness you hadn’t seen from him before--brings the flood of warmth back into your body. 

“Of course, you idiot,” you reply, taking his face between your wet, soapy hands and pressing your lips to his. You feel the grin stretch across his face as he returns the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist. “Besides,” you say, a wry smile twisting up the corners of your mouth, “someone needs to finish eating all of this cheese.” 

© 2020, neonun-au

#haechan #nct #haechan fluff #nct fluff #nct-writers #cznnet #kconnet #nctcreations #kdiner #unfortunatus: paradiso #haechan angst #nct 127 fluff #haechan x reader #nct x reader #haechan scenarios #nct scenarios #donghyuck fluff #lee donghyuck fluff

[badwithten]

〉jaemin x fem!reader

〉word count 330

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for @chiffonymark SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT :( i hope its sweet though? 

“Y/N” His voice is barely audible, a distant mumble in your waking sleep. Your mind holding onto the warmth and safety of your fading dreams. But he doesn’t give up, his hand gently caressing your face. “Wake up dear”

“Jaemin?” You can barely think, let alone speak or open your eyes as you become aware of his presence on the edge of the bed.

“I want to show you something” His thumb brushes over your lips, swollen from sleep as your eyes flutter awake.

“What time is it?” You finally sit up, leaning your head into his shoulder.

“Half-past five” His hand rubs your back, trying to wake you.

“Jaemin” You groan and sit up, pouting as you finally open your eyes fully. You take in his worn-down features. Eyes heavy, skin pale and hair a mess. “Did you sleep last night?” It’s your turn to hold his face, touching his soft bare skin.

“Don’t worry about me” You know what that answer means, especially when you catch his computer screen still glowing. He leans in, capturing your lips for a sweet kiss. Not caring about dry lips or morning breath, more than happy to have you with him.

“What is it you were going to show me?” He answers silently by standing and taking your hand gently. You unfold your legs and hold his arm close as he walks you through the dorms and up to the roof. “Look”

You’re nearly blinded by the fresh morning light. The anger for him waking you so early disappears as you see what he woke you for. The rising sun, beautiful in her morning state. Although she never really sleeps, leaving as your eyes shut and coming back to say good morning. Usually, you’re not awake to tell her the same. But this special morning you are. Arm in arm with Jaemin by your side, your lips warm from his and the sun in the sky wishing you a good day

#unfortunatus: paradiso #NCTmentary.net #nct #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct reactions #nct dream #nct dream x reader #nct dream scenarios #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #jaemin #na jaemin #jaemin x reader #jaemin imagines #jaemin fluff #jaemin reactions #jaemin scenarios

[dreamystuffers]

accidental romance - lmk

playlist: i like me better - lauv | joy - nct dream | the first snow - exo | make it to christmas - alessia cara

summary: when your love letters that you’ve compiled over the years somehow get sent out, you grab a boy and fake your way out of it.

genre: crack, fluff, angst; high school au, to all the boys i’ve loved before au, fake s/o!reader x fake boyfriend!mark

word count: 11.9k words

warnings: profanity, kissing, miscommunication, food, 

note: repost from my old blog + edited!

"I can't believe you're gonna be so far away." You groan before shoving another scoop of ice cream into your mouth.

"Yeah, well you know, it happens." Renjun smiles sadly back at you before shrugging lightly.

Chenle remains unbothered as he takes another scoop of ice cream from your tub. 

The three of you were spending your last summer nights together before Renjun went to China for the next school year. Despite the fact that he’d been staying with you and Chenle for the past couple of years, it was time for a change of pace for him. The music school in Beijing that had adamantly scouted Renjun had offered him a scholarship he couldn’t refuse.

"Well, I'm glad that I'll finally get to practice my driving." Chenle grins devilishly at you. “Without Renjun here, I get to drive you to school every day."

Your eyes widen at this and you turn to Renjun.

"Please don't leave. I know you want to attend uni in China, but you know Chenle sucks at driving." You send Renjun your best set of puppy dog eyes which only elicits laughter from him.

"It won't be that bad ___. Besides, you can always ask Yuqi for a ride." 

You, being well aware of the fact that Yuqi lives across town, cling onto Renjun's arm.

"Please don't leave," You plead once more, “Chenle’s driving is going to kill me.” 

Chenle’s maniacal dolphin laughter simply increases in volume.

"I'll be back for Christmas. You'll live until then." Renjun pats your head gently as he pries away your hands gripping his arm. "Besides, maybe without me breathing down your neck, you'll finally get a boyfriend or something." 

"As if! All the idiots at my school are way too stupid and, as nice as a relationship would be, I am too emotionally unstable for that." Your eyes roll as you shove another scoop of ice cream into your mouth.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, I can see that," Chenle says.

"Thank yo-" You begin.

"You really are emotionally unstable." He says with a cheeky grin.

"You little-"

"Whoa," You're cut off by Renjun grabbing you and smacking Chenle on the head, eliciting a shriek out of him.

"___, do what you want to do, as long as it makes you happy." Says Renjun who then proceeds to turn to Chenle. "Make sure to look behind you before backing out of the driveway. We don't need you nearly hitting Park Jisung again.

"It's not my fault he tried to walk behind the car as I was backing out!" Chenle screeches.

Renjun simply chuckles fondly at the two of you, shaking his head, trying to engrain this moment in his memories forever.

Renjun is gone the next day, the two of you seeing him off to the airport in the early morning and the ride back is anything but serene with Chenle behind the wheel.

"I swear, I'm lucky to be alive right now." You say to Yuqi who shudders.

"Yeah, you should really get your license." She says in return, well aware of Chenle's questionable driving abilities. It was truly a mystery how he got his license.

The two of you walk towards the school, Yuqi having witnessed Chenle shamelessly double park.

"Even if I did get my license, I doubt Chenle would let me drive." You pout and Yuqi pats your head.

"That's valid." She says, the two of you reaching your locker.

"I can't believe it's a new school year already," You say as you gather your things.

"Time flies." Sings Yuqi as she looks down the hall.

"Yeah, one year closer to getting away from you," Donghyuck adds from behind you.

"Hey, that was mean." You scoff at him, mentally steeling yourself for any further comments.

While his presence may have been uncalled for, it really wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to interact like this. Donghyuck had always enjoyed getting on your nerves for some reason. Perhaps the two of you had simply known each other for too long or you were taking his words to heart, but he’d always rubbed you the wrong way.

"Yeah, that was mean Hyuck. Don't talk to her like that." Mark says mockingly as he steps in front of you to glare icily at Donghyuck. The tension is palpable, other students even stopping to stare at the most popular boy in school and his jokester best friend ready to throw down in the hallway.

"Guys, guys! Chill!" Yuqi pushes her way between the two boys before the situation can escalate any further.

The ringing bell is incredibly timely and Yuqi waves you off before grabbing Donghyuck and walking him towards their first period class.

What happened between them? You think to yourself. Weren't they best friends?

Before you can speculate any further, the lights of the classroom turn off and the bright light of the projector shifts your focus to the lesson of the day.

"I just can't believe they're fighting." You tell Chenle as the two of you rewatch another Captain America movie.

"Well, they have been vague tweeting about each other for the past few weeks." States Chenle as he grabs the popcorn bowl from you. "No one knows why they're fighting, but everyone knows it's probably something petty and stupid cause they haven't physically fought."

"I bet Hyuck started it." You say absentmindedly.

"Yeah probably." Replies Chenle solemnly, eyes glued to the scene in front of you.

A few minutes pass silently as the two of you watch the characters walk around the war base.

"I wish I had a Steve Rogers." You randomly blurt out a few minutes later as the two of you watch another scene where Peggy is not-very-subtly staring at him.

"Yes, I'm sure everyone wants a super hot superhero boyfriend." Chenle deadpans, scoffing as he puts more popcorn in his mouth.

"No," You reply with a roll of your eyes, snatching the popcorn back from him. "I mean he's so nice to Peggy and he's waiting for her even though it's so painful to watch him pine and we know what happens to him because he has such a good heart but ugh I love him."

Chenle nods slowly. "I get that."

You nod back at him and the two of you stuff your faces with more popcorn.

You fall asleep at some point during the movie and Chenle decides that this is the perfect time to execute his plan.

Carefully removing himself from the couch, as to not wake you, he quickly scuttles over to your room. Turning his phone flashlight on, he opens the door to your closet, grabbing the teal hatbox sitting at the very top of your shelf.

"Gotcha," He whispers to himself, making his way out of your room.

"Anyways, all animals should not have legs. They should just slither around on the ground so that I am not tickled when they walk on me." Yuqi says as matter-of-factly as possible as she fishes her wallet from her backpack.

"Yuqi, what the actual fuck." You gape as she pouts at you.

"I'm not wrong and I'm entitled to my own opinions, leave me alone." She whines. "I'm gonna go buy lunch now. See you in a bit."

You wave at her and head to your locker to grab your lunch. Although, your peaceful trip is interrupted as Mark appears out of nowhere as you're pulling one of your textbooks out of your locker.

"Hey," He says, startling you and causing you to drop your textbook on your foot with a yelp.

He winces at the sight, picking up your textbook for you.

"Sorry, sorry. Look I need to talk to you about the letter." He says, getting straight to the point, but you only blink in confusion.

"What letter?" You say, brows furrowed together at his statement.

"You know," He gestures to the space around you, causing you to tilt your head.

Mark sighs and pulls out a very familiar white letter.

Too familiar.

Your eyes widen at the sight of one the love letters you had written ages ago in the hand of the boy that it was addressed to and you lose your footing, crashing into Mark.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Mark grabs you, making sure you don't fall over. "Look, I'm like flattered that my cute laugh gives you butterflies and makes you happy and stuff, but I don't really like you in that way. I mean-"

You can't really focus on Mark's words as you see Donghyuck heading down the hall, another letter in hand, looking kind of confused, but clearly looking for you.

He spots you with Mark and starts heading your way.

"Oh no no no no." You mumble and shut your eyes tightly before crashing your lips onto Mark's.

A muffled protest comes out of Mark's mouth almost as soon as your lips meet but you're too panicked to care about that, only opening your eyes after a second passes to see Donghyuck, jaw dropped at the sight of you and Mark. Yuqi who also happens to round the corner at that exact moment almost drops her bowl of noodles.

"What the fuck." They whisper at the sight of you and Mark.

As soon as you detach yourself from Mark. He blinks at you and you scramble to get your stuff together.

"I don't think you got my message." He says as confused as ever, but you see Donghyuck leaving out of the corner of your eye.

"Oh trust me," You say, slamming your locker closed and locking it at top speed. "I got it loud and clear."

With that, you bolt away, leaving behind three extremely perplexed people.

After that awkward situation, you hide yourself in the school dance studio which was very luckily empty.

Or at least it was until Park Jisung flicks the lights on.

"Oh shit," You curse as you scramble to grab all your stuff but Jisung simply raises his hand in a stop motion and gestures for you to stay.

You shoot him a wary glance before taking a seat cross-legged in front of him.

"I don't like you in that way ___. But you're a pretty cool person and I think we can be friends." He states simply, looking away from you to hide the pink coating his cheeks.

You let out a sigh of relief.

"Jisung I don't like you romantically either. I wrote that letter after the project we had in like third grade together." You admit, offering him a soft smile.

"Oh bless," He breathes. "I thought this was gonna be super awkward or something. But yeah, that project was lit and we aced it."

"Yeah," You shoot him some finger guns. "We really did."

He shoots you finger guns back making you both erupt into a round of laughter.

Despite the fact that you had managed to deal with Jisung and his letter, you barrel into your room at full speed as soon as you get back to your house, desperately searching your closet for your teal hatbox realizing that it's nowhere to be found.

You take a deep breath before letting out an ear-piercing scream.

"It be like that sometimes!" Chenle screams back, despite the lack of context which only makes you sigh louder.

You don't even have time to compose your thoughts before the doorbell rings.

"Oh, hey Donghyuck." You hear Chenle greet from downstairs.

Your eyes widen and you practically sob as you grab your school bag and crawl out the window.

Please don't hurt. You think to yourself as you basically roll out of your window.

"Ow," You groan as you pick yourself off the ground. Your scooter, conveniently situated at the side of your house, you quickly realize is your only real method of transportation. You sigh as you place a foot on the wobbly device and scoot as fast as possible away from your house.

"One vanilla sprite float." You utter breathlessly to the tall male waiter who comes to get your order.

He simply nods, preparing it in an instant and handing you a straw.

You give him your thanks and take a sip of your drink, gazing out the window until you hear someone clear their throat.

You take a deep breath before turning to face the person.

"Uh, hi." Says Mark, waving awkwardly.

You choke on your float.

"Oh, oh boy." Says Mark as he quickly rounds the counter to pat your back. "Please don't die, I can't handle scaring someone to death."

You bat his hand away and cough a bit more before holding a hand up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." You say a bit breathlessly. "What are you doing here?" You ask as soon as you can form coherent words again.

"I think I like wanted an ice cream cone or something." He stumbles over his words, causing you to stare at him. "Okay, maybe Chenle told me I could find you here."

"I'm gonna kill that kid," You mumble to yourself as you reach for your wallet in an attempt to make another quick getaway but Mark speaks before you can do so.

"You kind of didn't let me finish earlier, but I was trying to tell you that I don't like you and-"

"Mark," You say, meeting his gaze and he shuts up. "I don't like you either."

His wide-eyed panic quickly turns to a look of confusion as he tries to piece two and two together.

"If you don't like me then why'd you kiss me?" He asks.

You pull your lips into a thin line before replying.

"Cause I don't need him thinking I like him either."

"Wait, wait, wait." Mark puts his head in his hand and holds his hand up trying to grasp what you just said. "Who's him? Why would he think you like him?"

"Cause he has a letter too."

Mark stares at you in bewilderment.

"You wrote two letters?" He asks, eyes wide in confusion.

You chuckle awkwardly.

"Mayhaps I wrote five." Your pained smile elicits a very loud response from him.

"Five letters?" He exclaims loudly. "Damn, I never pegged you as a player."

You roll your eyes and slap his arm hard enough for him to whine about it.

"A lot of these are from elementary school." You exclaim. You huff and take another sip of Sprite.

"Well, who'd you write letters to?" Asks Mark, his curiosity getting the best of him.

You scrunch your nose at the thought of your cringy letters being delivered to the five boys.

"Well, I wrote to you, which should be expected since you’re Mr. Popular; Lee Donghyuck-"

"My ex-best friend Lee Donghyuck?" Mark cuts in, eyes bugging out of his head.

"Yes, he's why I kissed you in the hall earlier. Keep up." Mark pouts. "He was my drama partner in eighth grade and he's the class clown. Park Jisung, who was my partner for a project in third grade. You probably know him as the captain of the school dance team. Na Jaemin, the flirtiest boy I have ever met in all my years of living and Lee Jeno, the captain of the school basketball team. I met him through Chenle, they used to play together."

Mark lets out a low whistle.

"That's a lot of boys." He breathes.

"I have a lot of feelings." You shoot back. Turning back to your now very sad looking float, you sigh before drinking a spoonful of fizzy, melted ice cream into your mouth.

"Could you maybe go over why you kissed me again?" Asks Mark.

You chuckle and shift in your stool.

"I kissed you because I do not ever need Lee Donghyuck to know that I like him."

Mark looks at you confusedly.

"Why?"

"Because he'd make fun of me forever." You scoff, figuring that Mark knows the nature of his ex-best friend, but he continues to look at you funny.

"Not gonna lie, that's kind of dumb but okay."

You glare at him and let out a huff.

"It might be dumb but you've gotta do what you've gotta do." You swirl the now melting ice cream into your Sprite. "Now, I just need to figure out how to keep him off my back."

Mark is silent for a bit, leaving you to stir your float.

"What if we dated?" Proposes Mark.

You shoot him a funny glance.

"Did we not just establish that we don't like each other?"

"No, well yes, I mean fake date." Mark bows his head down. "Why don't we fake date?" He turns his head back up to meet your wary glance.

“Why would we do that?” You ask bewildered at the thought of doing such a thing.

“I mean, it would keep all the other guys off your back, wouldn’t it? What’s the harm?” Mark smiles at you.

"What's in it for you?" You ask, eyes narrowing.

Mark chuckles nervously.

"I mean I know it'll piss Hyuck off," Mark mumbles awkwardly.

You can only roll your eyes at him.

"Weird and petty flex but go off I guess." You shrug. "Also, for someone who's mad at him, you certainly haven't resorted to calling him by his full name."

Mark's eyes widen at your observation before he sheepishly scratches the back of his neck.

"I guess I haven't." Says Mark, chuckling before clearing his throat and recomposing himself. "Anyways, I'm down if you are."

You purse your lips finishing up your float.

"I’m not really keen on being a weird shot at petty revenge but I'll think about it." You say, leaving cash on the counter for your waiter to take. Grabbing your backpack, you get up to leave but Mark stops you.

"Wait, __," He calls.

You exhale before turning to him.

"Yes?" You ask and shoot him a questioning look.

"Do you want a ride back? I noticed your scooter out front." He says, gesturing to your tiny purple scooter leaning against the exterior of the ice cream parlour.

Mark’s smart car parked by the curb almost right next to your tiny scooter is an almost comical comparison outside the semi-busy ice cream parlour. 

"Sure," You agree hesitantly as you push yourself off the stool you had been sitting on.

Mark waves to the tall waiter who calls out a quick farewell to him before you slide into his smart car, squishing your scooter into his trunk.

The car starts up and the speakers blast some Coldplay album he had left in the CD player.

"You know," Says Mark after a bit, speaking over the sound of Chris Martin’s voice, "If you ever do consider it, you know where to find me right?"

You roll your eyes and look out the window before nodding. A small gesture that Mark barely sees out of his peripheral view. He pulls up at your place shortly after, helping you take your scooter out of his trunk.

"See you around ____." He calls out from his rolled down window before he drives away.

It only takes you a few days to cave into Mark's request as you grow tired of aggressively turning in the opposite direction whenever you see anyone involved in the letter pandemonium. Especially Yuqi who’s proven to be extremely difficult to avoid. You soon discover that Mark is the only person you can truly find solace in, your pride too strong to allow you to turn to anyone else.

That's how you end up striding through the cafeteria straight to Mark, who turns to look up at you, lips slowly curling into a smirk when he realizes it's you.

"Let's do this." You say to him.

At this, Mark stands up and pulls you against his chest. Wrapping his arms around you, he successfully pulls you into his embrace and locks your lips making the entirety of the drama thirsty cafeteria gasp. Once you two finally break the kiss, he leans down to whisper in your ear.

"Meet me in the music room after your clubs and stuff." He gives you another peck on the cheek before releasing you, the bell ringing and the cafeteria shaken.

You find yourself in the music room at approximately 5:30 pm watching from the shadows as Mark jots a few more notes down after belting some random words and chords from the guitar.

"Good stuff," You say, making your way out of the shadows, making Mark jump a bit.

"Jeez, you scared me." He says, trying to recompose himself and plastering a smirk on his face once he guesses why you're here. "I take it you've considered my offer?"

You take a deep breath and fix your posture, straightening your spine and holding your head a bit taller.

"Yes, I have. I think I made that pretty clear at lunch." You respond, pulling out a notebook.

"What's that for?" Mark questions as you throw the notebook atop one of the music stands, propping it to an angle at which you could write on.

"Well, I'm certainly not agreeing to this without establishing any boundaries." You state the obvious, but judging by the furrow in his brows, it clearly isn't obvious to him.

"What do you mean ‘boundaries’?" Mark asks as he puts his guitar on a stand and takes a seat next to you.

"Like I don't want you kissing me again?" You state, writing it down on the paper.

Mark looks bewildered.

"How will anyone believe we're dating if we don't kiss at all?" He asks, staring as you scribble down your terms.

"You know there are other ways to show your affection than kisses." You look him in the eyes as you say this, thinning your lips into a line. "Besides, I just don't want you kissing me on the lips. You can kiss my cheek and stuff," You try to compromise, nose scrunching in mild distaste. "But definitely no lip-locking unless you ask me first or something."

He huffs.

"Okay fine, what else sunshine?"

You pout at that.

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Because you're just a brilliant ray of sunshine." Mark deadpans causing you to huff.

"Fine. We can't tell anyone else about this arrangement. For every person that knows something, two other people know and it'll spread like wildfire if we tell anyone." You say and Mark nods.

"That's fair."

You jot it down.

"We can also ham it up in front of Donghyuck and all the rest of your letter recipients." Proposes Mark.

You think about it for a second.

"Alright," Mark scribbles it down. You think about how else you could possibly benefit from this arrangement before an idea hits you.

"You have to drive me to and from school every day." You state.

"Alright." Says Mark writing it down.

"Me and Chenle." You say again, not entirely sure of how he'll do it with his tiny smart car.

"Okay," He says again, with no hesitation.

Damn, he and Donghyuck must've gotten into a serious fight if he didn't have to think twice about that. You think to yourself.

The two of you come up with a few more terms after that: you'll have to attend the school Christmas party together (Mark is expected to go, given his status), he'll give you random love letters in public, you have to go to his Fall Showcase (as a supportive lover would), you’ll both be actively flaunting your relationship on social media, the two of you need matching wallpapers, and lastly, no falling in love.

"If either of us feels like we're falling for the other, we must let the other know and call it off immediately. I'm here to get out of something, not to get hurt." You state, making Mark laugh.

"Okay, Sunshine. Whatever you say."

You grumble a bit at that before drawing two lines at the bottom of the page.

"Sign here," You say, pointing to a line before scribbling your signature on the other.

Mark complies, scribbling a messy signature onto the designated line.

You hold your hand out for him to shake and he scoffs before taking your hand in his, sealing your deal.

"We'll start tomorrow." Says Mark.

"C'mon!" You yell into the house as you wait outside.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Grumbles Chenle as he grabs his lunch and pulls on his shoes. "Why're you standing over here?" He asks as he locks the door.

With almost practiced timing, a black SUV pulls up at your door, driver window rolling down to reveal Mark.

You grin as he calls you and Chenle’s jaw drops.

“C’mon, get in. We’re gonna be late!” Says Mark, giggling at Chenle’s reaction.

“Mark, what are you doing here?” Asks Chenle as he clambers into the back of Mark’s SUV.

“Well, ___ here kept complaining about your driving-” You stifle a laugh as Chenle shrieks in protest and Mark smiles. “And asked me if I could give you two a lift to school.”

You watch as Chenle pouts in the rearview mirror.

“___, you’re a meanie you know that?” Whines Chenle as you giggle at him.

“Alright, whatever you say, you big baby.” You tease, eliciting another set of shrieks from him.

Mark can't help but smile to himself at the interaction between you and Chenle, admiring how well the two of you got along.

"Will you be picking us up every morning?" Asks Chenle, tapping his thigh.

"Yup," Replies Mark as he turns into Chenle's school.

"Why?" Questions Chenle, eyes wide and full of curiosity.

Mark suppresses a smile before answering him.

"Well, I guess I'm kind of dating ____."

You wince at this, anticipating Chenle's shrieking (Mark also anticipated this) which quickly follows.

"____ I can't believe you got a boyfriend and didn't tell me!" Shrieks Chenle.

You fiddle with your fingers.

"Well, I mean, it only happened yesterday; we thought we'd surprise you." You say, hoping Chenle wouldn't question you.

"Well," Replies Chenle stepping out of the car. "I'm definitely surprised. Now you’re not gonna die alone! Anyways catch you later!"

With that, Chenle heads towards his school and Mark pulls out of the drop off loop and towards your school.

You let out a sigh of relief as soon as the two of you are away from Chenle's school, glad that he hadn't caught on to your abrupt relationship.

"What happened to your smart car?" You ask Mark.

Considering the fact that his smart car was something he treasured—you knew cause he had told practically every person that he had ever met that he saved up for that eco-friendly vehicle—you were surprised that he’d found another vehicle to drive on such short notice and that he’d been so willing to give up his car.

"Well," Mark scratches the back of his neck. "I knew that the smart car would be a tight squeeze, especially with Chenle carrying his basketball stuff around with him all the time, so I asked my mom if we could switch cars for a while."

You nod.

"That's really sweet of you," You turn to face the window so that Mark can’t see the pink that's beginning to taint your cheeks. "Thanks."

"It's nothing."

The two of you arrive at your school almost immediately after and Mark pulls into his designated parking lot. The sight of the unfamiliar black SUV has already garnered the attention of a few students, their normal morning routine disrupted with the lack of Mark's typical tiny blue smart car.

You hear Mark take a deep breath before he turns to face you.

"Ready for this Sunshine?" Asks Mark, hand on the door handle.

"Sure," You echo hollowly, still unable to believe that the two of you are going through with this.

Mark flashes you a smile before holding a hand up, asking you to stay where you are. He grabs his bag before jogging around the car, opening your car door for you and offering you a hand that you reluctantly accept. He quickly moves to wrap an arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to him so that he can talk to you.

"Relax Sunshine, you're too tense."

At this, you take a deep breath and try to relieve some of the tension in your shoulders.

Mark flashes you a smile.

"See," He whispers, his breath lightly fanning the side of your face. "You're doing great."

At this point, the two of you have attracted a lot of stares, Mark's status leaving him less than immune to the prying eyes of your school populace. You can hear the whispers start and you feel yourself getting nervous again but take another deep breath, willing yourself to keep calm.

"I'm probably going to kiss your cheek and do something sappy when we get into the foyer okay?"

You hum lightly in acknowledgement, hoping that your nerves don't show.

The two of you reach the foyer and Mark pulls a letter out of his pocket.

"For you," He says, making a blush coat your cheeks despite the fact that this was one of the established rules.

"Thank you," You say and flash him a small smile.

Mark kisses you on the cheek before grabbing your hand.

"Have a great day Sunshine. I'll see you later." He lets go of your hand shortly after and you don't realize how much attention the two of you have attracted until you see Yuqi staring at you wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock.

She's quick to grab your hand and dart into an empty classroom with you.

"What the hell?" She whisper-yells as soon as the two of you are alone. "When were you going to tell me that you and Mark Lee are dating?" She asks, gripping your shoulders and shaking you lightly.

You chuckle and fiddle with your fingers.

"I mean he sort of finally asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday so um I guess since yesterday?" You flash Yuqi a nervous smile and she squeals and jumps up and down.

"Ah! I'm so happy for you!" Says Yuqi brightly. "That pet name was so mushy but so cute ugh I'm so happy for you. This explains whatever the hell that was in the hall the other day."

Yuqi's squealing and jumping come to a sudden halt as she looks you dead in the eye.

"If he ever hurts you, I will fight him okay?" The sudden statement and seriousness of your best friend makes you giggle.

"I'm sure you will Yuqi. I know you've got me."

The smile returns to her face, albeit not quite as brilliant as before.

"You deserve to be happy ___. Don't forget that."

The next few weeks pass somewhat routinely.

Mark would pick you and Chenle up and you'd all get to your respective schools. Somehow, Mark managed to think up some different cheesy thing to do for you every day (the amount you've been blushing lately is concerning, but props to him for that) and then he'd drive you back home. Sometimes you two would eat lunch together or do something at lunch, but that definitely wasn't every day.

You find that the two of you actually happen to get along very well. It concerns you a bit because you know that your relationship isn't built to last but you can't help but find yourself marvelling in your very unreal relationship.

Boys like this don't actually exist. You constantly remind yourself. Mark's just putting on an act. He just wants revenge. Don't let yourself get hurt.

Despite the kind of normal routine you've established and the weird friendship you've created with Mark, you still find him somewhat unapproachable in a way.

Before the two of you started dating, you found him unapproachable in the way that he was so successful and put together when you felt you weren’t. He had his life put together and he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wasn’t one of the most popular guys at school for no reason.

Now that the two of you are dating, you're not sure what the two of you can talk about and what's too much and too little. Plus, the two of you were on completely different social standings. Mark gets along with everyone, and you feel just a bit out of place with everyone.

You can only fake it for so long.

It is because of the social border that you feel an extreme amount of fear going to the Fall Showcase despite the fact that it was written in your agreement.

"C'mon, you have to go!" Says Mark  as you try to plead your way out of it.

"Yeah, but I could also like not." You retaliate, your argument weak even to your own ears.

Mark's eyebrows furrow.

"Sunshine, what's wrong?" You can hear the concern laced in Mark's voice and you feel your eyes downcast at the sound of it.

He squats down to meet your eyes and grabs your hands.

"You know you can talk to me right?" He says, big brown doe eyes shining at you.

You sigh still doing your best to avoid eye contact with the boy situated in front of you as you begin to speak.

"It's going to be super awkward for me to go. I don't even know anyone there. Plus I feel like I barely even know you." You mumble the very last part, eyes fixated on a leaf a couple of metres away from Mark but he still hears it.

Frowning, he stands up so he can look at you better. 

“You know, if it really bothers you, you don't have to go,” Mark says softly but you immediately protest. 

“But it's in the contract, I can't not go.” You whine and Mark freezes.

“Right,” He exhales. “The contract.”

Mark takes a moment to recompose himself before he speaks. 

“I'll tell you what,” He puts a finger under your chin to tilt your head so your eyes meet. “We can leave as soon as I'm done with the showcase and we'll go grab something to eat. You can get to know me better and stuff. Sounds good?”

You smile a bit and nod. 

“Thanks, Mark.”

"No problem," He replies with an easy smile.

You decide that you prefer his soft, shy smiles to his cocky, fake-looking smirks.

They suit him better. You think to yourself.

Mark's Fall Showcase is the next day. The two of you head home from school earlier than normal, not sticking around for your normal extracurriculars to make sure that you're able to get everything done in time for the showcase.

You suppose the fact that Mark had suggested that the two of you head home earlier is why you're surprised that his name shows up on the caller ID of your cell phone.

"Hello?" You answer tentatively.

"Hey Sunshine," Mark replies, his voice filtered poorly through the static but his nerves still audible through it.

"What's wrong?" You question almost immediately.

Mark begins to sputter over the other end of the line, on the verge of denying that anything is wrong before he remembers his dilemma.

"Okay don't laugh, but I've been trying to get ready for like an hour and I know you're going to look good and I need to look as good as you." He practically raps at you.

You can only giggle at this.

"Mark we got home around an hour ago-"

"Exactly." He deadpans.

You giggle again.

"And, you're performing and I'm not. Please just dress appropriately and don't worry about me."

The line goes silent for a few seconds before Mark's staticky voice fills your ears again.

"Would it be too cliché if we matched clothes a little?" His request is barely audible, the static and his mumbling distorting his words, but you hear it anyway.

"That's cute." You mumble in return. Your face feels hot and you fiddle with your sleeve as you reply. "Sure, what'd you have in mind?"

The two of you show up to the fall showcase in matching red plaid flannels, blue jeans, and random black accessories (Mark looking extra cute in his black-rimmed glasses and large floppy hat).

"You know if you ever need anything, just give me a call alright?" You say randomly as the two of you step out of the car.

"I will," Agrees Mark, the two of you walking towards the school. "We look cute; can we take a picture?" He asks, stopping the two of you in front of the school.

You want to refuse, but Mark looks at you, eyes glimmering and you cave.

"Okay fine, just one."

Mark pulls out his phone and opens the camera app. Pressing the button, the timer starts.

"Smile!" Marks says cheekily as the end of the timer grows near, taking you even more by surprise when his lips meet your cheek just in time for the shutter to go off.

Your face heats up and Mark simply grins at you.

"Perfect," He says, turning his phone to face you.

Yeah, it really is. You think to yourself as you admire the cute couple picture he had unknowingly sprung on you. The look of shock that you thought would appear on your face had not, a smile and a heavy blush replacing the image in your head. Even you admit to yourself that the photo is cute as you watch Mark send it to you.

"Whenever I kiss your cheek your face gets really red. It's cute." Says Mark, making you blush. You smack him in return and he chuckles.

"I'm making that my lock screen." He states and the words unintentionally send a stab through your heart.

"Guess I'll make it mine too." Mark beams at that. "Matching lock screens remember?"

Mark's smile dims noticeably.

"Yeah," Mark says and lets out a forced round of laughter. "Contract."

Noticing the increased tension, you start to head inside, Mark following after you.

"So," You start, hoping to rid the air of tension. "What're you going to perform?"

Mark chuckles shyly.

"Just a little something I wrote." Is his vague reply.

You beam at him regardless.

"I'm sure you'll do great." You reassure him and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Break a leg!" You cheer and head towards the auditorium entrance leaving Mark on his own, cheeks redder than they've ever been.

Mark can smile shyly and pat his cheek, the ghost of where your lips had been making his heart flutter.

"Let's get it." He whispers to himself before heading backstage.

The nerves only hit Mark a few minutes before the showcase starts. Convenient timing because that's also when Donghyuck appears out of nowhere.

"Mark, what the hell is going on." Spits Donghyuck in lieu of a greeting.

Mark releases a sharp exhale.

"Well, hello to you too Hyuck," Mark says as sarcastically as he can muster.

"Seriously Mark," Donghyuck says. "You've already screwed things up by talking with her, but dating __? Are you trying to hurt people?"

Mark can only huff and cross his arms tightly.

"Look Donghyuck," The younger flinches at the use of his full name. "This isn't something you should be concerned with. Just fuck off." Mark snarls making Donghyuck's strong facade waver.

"Fine," Donghyuck turns away from his ex-best friend. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." The last part comes out a little bit quieter as Donghyuck walks away, heading towards what Mark can only assume is his act.

He huffs before reading over his lyrics another time.

You clap loudly as the next as the last act before intermission ends. The showcase has been amazing so far, the various aspects of your school's arts program reflected in the different student stages presented.

"Hey," A deep voice greets, making you squeak a little before you whip your head around.

"Oh, hey Jisung." You greet the boy, visibly relaxing as he takes the seat next to yours. "I really liked your act."

"Oh, thank you." He says, running a hand through his hair.

He had performed some really intense choreography with the dance team to open the showcase. It really set the tone for the rest of the night, leaving the air of the auditorium buzzing with energy.

"So, you and Mark huh?" Asks Jisung, nudging you teasingly making you laugh.

"Yeah," You say, your smile bright until when you realize your predicament.

Fortunately, Jisung doesn't seem to notice your little slip-up.

"Yeah, you two are really cute." He comments. "Plus, he's really into you."

"Really?" You say, your curiosity piqued. You weren't quite sure what to make of his comment. A part of you looked for something genuine and another part of you was simply expecting Mark's acting to be complimented.

"Yeah, I've known Mark for a really long time and despite the fact that I've seen him in relationships and stuff before, no one and nothing has ever made him this happy before; well, except for maybe music." Jisung laughs and you do too, knowing that Mark's passion for music was something that no one could overlook.

Coincidentally, the lights to the auditorium dim just as the laughter between the two of you dies down, signalling the end of intermission.

"Hi everyone!" Greets Shuhua, one of the MCs of the night. "The twenty-minute intermission is now over. Please return to your seats as we will be resuming with the showcase."

She pauses for a second, letting the last-minute stragglers return to their seats before continuing with her script.

"Opening for the second half, please give it up for Mark Lee!" Shuhua introduces before heading off stage.

You clap loudly and scream a bit for Mark and he sends you a tiny wave before situating himself in front of the microphone.

"Hi everyone," He greets the audience, beginning his self-introduction. "As Shuhua mentioned, I'm Mark Lee and I'm going to be performing a piece I wrote tonight."

You see Mark take another deep breath before resuming.

"It means a lot to me and I hope you all enjoy it."

You could've sworn you imagined it, but you felt as if Mark had locked eyes with you as he said that last part.

The soft guitar starts up and Mark's voice fills the room. He sings and raps a soft melody about what you can only assume it's like to fall in love with someone and the difficulties that come with it. A sweet and sincere love story fills your heart, packaged in Mark's throaty singing and rough rapping which comes to a close much too quickly for your liking.

"Thank you," A bashful Mark says before taking a bow. The audience explodes in cheers, you cheering one of the loudest among them and you turn to Jisung.

"Wasn't he amazing?" You say, a wide grin plastered on your face.

Jisung can only laugh at you.

"He really loves you ___." Is his simple reply.

"You were great out there!" You tell Mark as the two of you settle down in a booth at the ice cream parlour.

"Thanks," Mark says as his face turns pink.

"So, what was that song about?" You ask Mark leaning against the table and looking up at him.

Mark opens his mouth to reply but the waiter comes over before he can respond.

"Oh hey, Mark." He greets before asking for your order.

You note that the waiter is the same one from last time as the two of you place your orders and Mark proceeds to give him one of those bro handshakes after.

"How do you know the waiter?" You ask, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"Yukhei?" Mark says in return. "We're in the same year. He's an exchange student from Hong Kong."

"Oh," You say, confused because you haven't noticed him around before.

"Yeah," Mark says.

You rub your arm and curl in a bit on yourself, the chilly air of the ice cream parlour affecting you.

"Are you cold?" Asks Mark, already beginning to shrug off the black varsity jacket he had on.

"Oh no it's okay-" You try to protest but Mark has already draped the warm fabric across your shoulders.

"Better?" He asks, plopping back into his seat.

You inhale his scent, the smell of laundry detergent and hand cream flooding your senses.

"Yeah," You smile at him. "Thank you."

"No problem," He says, avoiding your glance. Your orders arrive before you can question him about his behaviour and you busy yourself with your ice cream float.

"So, what's the deal with you and romance?" Asks Mark as he picks at his green tea ice cream.

"Nothing," Is your reply, the lie coming easily out of your mouth. "I've just never really had any luck with it."

"Bullshit. I know for a fact that Seo Changbin asked you to semi-formal last year and you said no. Why?" Interjects Mark making you wince.

You sigh.

"Relationships are scary. I'm not interested in being in one, I'll just be uncomfortable the whole time." You shrug and stir your drink.

Mark's brows furrow.

"You don't seem that uncomfortable with me." He notes making you sigh again.

"But none of this is real," You note softly. "You can't hurt me if you were never really mine in the first place."

Mark nods slowly at that.

"C'mon," Mark says seeing that you're now finishing up your ice cream float. "We should start heading back. We need to make sure Chenle hasn't burned your house down."

You chuckle at this getting up to leave but notice Mark's staring at you.

"Do I have something on my face?" You ask, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

"W-what no," Mark replies, clearly flustered. "I'm just-I-"

You look at him funny.

"You what?" You tilt your head at him.

"I'm not used to seeing you in my clothes is all." He breathes and you look down and see his sweater still draped around your shoulders.

"Oh yeah," You say, moving to take it off but Mark's hand on yours halts your movements. "Wait no, keep it." His face turns red. "It looks nice on you."

You do your best to keep your feelings in check as the two of you head into his car.

What have I gotten myself into? You ask yourself as you buckle in your seatbelt, the engine turning over as Mark drives away from the parlour.

It's only about another month before you find another yourself in another dispute regarding the terms of your contract.

"Is the Christmas party really that important?" You whine shaking Mark's arm as you try to get him to reconsider taking the two of you.

"Of course!" He retorts. "It’s the biggest social event of the year, we can't miss it!"

You groan at this.

"But I don't want to." You whine again making Mark sigh.

"Is there anything I can do to make you go?" Mark asks you, making you groan in response before a genius idea hits you.

"I'll go if Yuqi goes." You state.

"Okay deal." Mark agrees easily.

You can't seem to understand why it was so easy to get Mark to agree to that until you tell Yuqi later that day.

"Well that was dumb," She tells you, leaving you stunned and wildly confused.

"And why is that?" You ask warily.

She looks at you in mild disbelief.

"__, I've been going every year since we started school together."

Your jaw drops at her statement.

You vaguely remember her asking you to go the year the two of you first discovered the party, but after you quickly rejected her, you have no recollection of her ever asking you to go since.

"Yuqi, what the hell!" You shriek reaching to swat your best friend who shrieks in response to your whacks.

"I knew you wouldn't go so I went anyway! I thought you knew!" She tries to defend making you groan louder.

You conclude that it was truly a series of unfortunate events that landed you in the gigantic building that the annual Christmas party was held in. Never having been to a party before, the vast amount of cars lined up around the block amazed you.

You had begged Yuqi to drive you to the party, having felt suffocated near Mark for the past few days. You couldn't quite peg why, but you felt it was hard to think straight with him around and decided it would probably be best to avoid him for a while till you could figure out what to do with your strange feelings.

Unfortunately, one of the many side effects of not knowing that your best friend actually attended parties was ultimately that she also expected you to actually party.

"C'mon ___," Yuqi whines and pulls on your arm trying to pull you towards the dance floor making your eyes widen in fear. "You have to come dance, that's where all the fun's at. You can even ask Jisung."

Yuqi takes one hand off your arm to poke the younger boy.

"Jisung, tell ___ the dance floor is where all the fun is at," Yuqi demands, making Jisung back towards your side unconsciously.

"Yeah, no party dance floors aren't my scene," Jisung says, making Yuqi whine again. "I'm with __ on this one."

She huffs.

"Alright, __ stick with Jisung, don't get lost and please, find Mark at some point."

With that, she saunters off towards the crowded dance floor and you turn to Jisung.

"What else is there to do here other than dance?" You ask him and he shrugs.

"No idea," He replies. "Let's find out."

A karaoke room is most definitely not what you expected to find but was more than satisfying as the two of you sang to your heart's content and you spill the tea about you and Mark to Jisung.

"So there are five of us?" Jisung questions, trying to make sense of all the information he's just been given.

You nod and Jisung looks at you confused.

"So if you went through all of this with Mark and he clearly likes you and you clearly like him-"

"I never said that." You interject.

"You didn't have to say it." Jisung dismisses your rebuttal easily. "Why are you here with me and not with him?"

You sigh loudly and lick your lips.

"I don't know," Your reply is genuine, your feelings a bit more clear but your actions anything but. "He's probably having more fun without me anyway."

"Wrong," Jisung immediately counters, making you cock your head in confusion.

"I know for a fact that Mark typically leaves this party early." Jisung shifts in his seat, sitting up a little straighter. "He comes, greets people he needs to greet, does some dumb stuff with Donghyuck, and then leaves or sticks around the arcade room for a bit."

You puff your cheeks and exhale again, pushing your face into your hand.

"What does that have to do with me being wrong?" You sigh, turning to lean your cheek on your hand.

"This year, he doesn't have Donghyuck, and he's been sulking about being lonely on his snap story for the past 30 minutes with pictures of the arcade as the background." States Jisung matter-of-factly.

"You think he's waiting for me." You say warily in return.

Jisung hums in agreement.

"Let's go get your guy."

Jisung shoots you two thumbs up before darting off, leaving you alone in front of said arcade room.

The only thing you can do is will yourself to take a deep breath before heading into the dimly lit room, the darkness accentuating the bright lights of the arcade machines.

You find Mark dejectedly playing skeeball, sad off white balls flying into what looks equivalent to a gutter as he sulks.

You lightly tap him on the shoulder making him spin around.

"Hi," You mumble softly, making his face harden.

"Hello," He replies, keeping his answer short as he begins to throw the skeeballs with a lot more force than he had before.

"I"m sorry that I didn't show up earlier it's just that-"

"That what?" Mark cuts you off, scaring you a bit.

He takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

"Look ___, if you really don't want to do this anymore, we don't have to." He turns to you, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. He really did look like a kicked puppy.

"Mark," You say softly, taking a step closer to him and grabbing his hands. "Can we sit down and talk."

He nods and leads the two of you into the photo booth and you sit down.

You take a deep breath, hands clasped tightly together as you make eye contact with him.

"I don't want to do this anymore," You start, making Mark's face drop visibly, a pout gracing his lips and you place one of your hands atop his hand. "Mark, look at me."

He looks up at you, doe eyes sparkling sadly in the dim light of the photo booth. "I like you a lot Mark Lee and I'd really like to date you without a contract." You say softly.

Mark's pout quickly turns into a brilliant smile and he hugs you tightly.

"I'd really like that too." He whispers as he looks into your eyes.

Laundry detergent and hand cream. You confirm with yourself as you inhale his scent. Face pressed up against his chest in the tiny photo booth, you’re unable to focus on anything else but the all-consuming presence that is Mark Lee.

"Mistletoe." You whisper, noticing the tiny shrub poorly taped above your heads.

At this, Mark pulls you even closer and you finally allow yourself to fall in his embrace, lips locking and your hands roaming grasping at any and every part of him. Mark lets his hands drop to your waist, holding you securely as he kisses you carefully and slowly. The movement of his lips seems deliberate and calculated, nothing about the kiss urgent but conveying the want and need he's had pent up inside him for so long.

When the two of you break apart, you're both panting for air but smiling at one another.

"C'mon," Mark smiles, grabbing your hand. "Let's go get some ice cream."

You should have known things were going too well. Much too well to last anyways.

You and Mark are laughing on your way back to the car, earbuds shared between the two of you when shit hits the fan.

"Hey, can I pick a song?" You ask and Mark nods, handing you his unlocked phone.

You're scrolling through his song library when his phone buzzes with a notification. Under any other circumstances you wouldn't look, but when you see Yuqi's name followed by a message, you can't help but be slightly curious, reading what she sends.

Yuqi: Hey, thanks for last night

Yuqi: You helped me out a lot

Yuqi: Lmk if you need anything in return <3

You freeze at this, tears beginning to well up in your eyes.

"What's wrong?" Mark asks after noticing that you've been taking a while to change the song only to see his conversation with Yuqi open. “What're you doing?” 

“You've been talking to my best friend behind my back.” You say, voice suddenly small as you begin to step away from Mark who's eyes widen as soon as he realizes your thinking. 

"___, I swear it's not what you think." He pleads, looking up to meet your teary eyes.

"You've been talking to my best friend behind my back." You sob. "That's exactly what this is."

"Please just let me expl-"

You run off before Mark can finish his sentence unable to even look at him.

Happy endings don't exist. You just let yourself get hurt again.

Despite the fact that you had run as fast as you possibly could, you weren't surprised to see Mark pulling up to your house almost immediately after you arrived at your doorstep.

What you are surprised to see is Yuqi coming out of Mark's car and Donghyuck who pulls up in his car almost immediately after. 

Oh geez, this is too much. You feel a bit lightheaded. I'm gonna puke. 

“Please just listen to me, it isn't what you think,” Mark says, stepping towards you, making you back towards your house. 

“Oh come on Mark you've been talking to Yuqi much before you started talking to her,” Donghyuck interjects, his words spewing out like poison. “I told you this wasn't going to end well.”

“Oh fuck off Donghyuck. You don't know what happened either. Why are you even here?” Mark spits in return, fists clenched advancing towards Donghyuck.

“Guys, don't fight!” Yuqi screams and looks at you but before she can say anything, the door to your house bursts open, revealing Renjun holding a broom. 

“Everyone gets off my lawn and the hell away from __ right now or I'll call the cops!” He screams, running to stand in front of you, broom raised.

The three of them look at you, not quite willing to move until Renjun says as calmly as possible: “I know each and every one of you by name. Do you want this to get messy cause I can assure you it will.”

You can say with confidence you're glad that Renjun is on your side because the three of them reluctantly leave and he escorts you into the house. 

Once the door is closed and the three of them have driven off you let out a sigh of relief. 

“Okay, what the hell was that?” Renjun asks.

Five pots of tea, three playlists, and nearly two tubs of ice cream later, Renjun and Chenle have been updated on all the wild happenings of your life.

“Damn,” Breathes Renjun. “I left for like four months and you really fucked shit up around here.”

“Yeah,” You sigh and flop back onto the couch. “I still don't know how those letters got out-”

“It was me!” Chenle blurts, clapping a hand over his mouth and rolling off the couch.

“Chenle what the fuck-”

“You have caused me an immense amount of pain, I'm going to kill you!” You and Renjun exclaim at the same time, but Renjun squishes you into the couch, making sure that you don't kill Chenle.

“Why'd you do it?” Renjun asks, grabbing Chenle's arm to make sure he doesn't run away.

“You two kept talking about relationships and ___ is so lonely and I was like ‘I can get ___ a boyfriend!’ and so I mailed them while you were asleep because my chaotic energy called me to.” Explains Chenle confidently making you and Renjun stare at him in shock.

“Zhong Chenle, you're an idiot.” You exclaim loudly, trying to free yourself from Renjun's grasp to strangle him.

Renjun smacks you as he tries to get you to stay in his grasp while Chenle shrieks.

“But you seemed so much happier when you were with Mark!” Chenle protests making you freeze. “You went out so much more and you were so happy and you weren't complaining about my driving cause I didn't have to drive-” Chenle rambles.

“-Oh hey you got him to drive you. Nice.” Mumbles Renjun.

"-And I just wanted you to be happy ___." The younger boy finishes, looking to you for forgiveness, but you can only glare at him.

"Besides, I never looked at what was inside them; I just dumped them into the mailbox," Chenle states, making Renjun look at you in bewilderment.

"You're telling me you addressed and stamped all of them and you're yelling at Chenle?"

You pout at him but nod begrudgingly. 

“Well, why on earth would you do that?” Questions Renjun.

You shrug as Chenle screams.

“Cause you crave love and affection despite the fact that you fear it!”

“Chenle!” You shriek again and lunge for him best as possible causing Renjun to further squish you into the couch. 

“Well, am I wrong?” Chenle asks and you huff in response. 

"Alright,” Says Renjun. “Now that that's solved, we have to figure out how to fix things." 

You let out a loud sigh. 

"Yeah."

The three of you decide that your first step should be to talk to Donghyuck, cause he seems to know what's happening and seems to be the most innocent party at the moment. 

That's how you end up with him at your house, both of you on the couch, Renjun on call ready with a broom in hand, explaining your situation to him. 

“Okay, that's a mess.” Is Donghyuck simple response to your predicament. 

“Gee thanks.” You deadpan, sighing exasperatedly. “Now, what happened between you and Mark.”

Donghyuck puffs up his cheeks before letting out a long exhale. 

“Okay, firstly it's stupid and petty now that I know you two are aggressively wheeling or something-”

“Hey!” You shriek, but he continues.

“But he's been talking to Yuqi for a while and you know how bro code works right?”

You nod and he continues.

“Yeah, so I have a buddy who likes her and I was trying to tell Mark off and I got kind of pissed when he wouldn't tell me why he can't stop talking to her and jumped to conclusions, but uh,” Donghyuck pauses. 

“But what?” You prod.

“Okay, this is where it gets stupid.” Donghyuck lets out another loud exhale. "So the buddy I was trying to save; Yuqi likes him-"

"What?" You shriek, unaware of your best friend's attraction for the said guy.

"-And she's been talking to Mark for advice cause he's one of his friends." Donghyuck pauses.

You blink rapidly and place your palm over your face.

"This is too much for me. I can't believe you were all hiding this stuff from me. This doesn't even involve me. I can't believe none of them told me anything; especially Yuqi." You pout and Donghyuck shrugs.

"Yeah, she didn't tell me that last bit until about," He looks down at his phone. "Thirty minutes ago give or take."

You groan burying your face in your hands before something hits you.

"So if you know this now, why are you and Mark still fighting?" You prod.

Donghyuck sighs.

"I don't know." He puts his hands on his thighs and stretches. "I feel like a terrible friend. Besides," Donghyuck smiles lightly at you. "Look how much better he's doing without me."

You almost summon Renjun to whack some sense into him.

"Donghyuck," You say as calmly as possible, closing your eyes and taking a breath before resuming. "Mark only agreed to this whole agreement to piss you off. What kind of idiot does something like that unless they care?"

Donghyuck can't do anything but laugh at this.

"That idiot," Donghyuck says, smiling to himself. "Leave it to Mark to get himself into some dumb predicament while I'm gone."

You give him a look.

"I'm pretty sure even if you were there, he would've still gotten into a dumb predicament. The only difference would be that you would also be in that predicament. You two are literally two halves of one brain cell."

A silence fills the room as the realization sets in.

"Yeah, that's true." Nods Donghyuck.

You stand up and begin to gather your stuff.

"You should go talk to Mark," You say and pull on your coat.

"And where are you going to go?" Donghyuck asks, mirroring your actions.

"You know where I'm going." Is your simple reply as you wave Renjun goodbye and close the door behind you.

"I'm sorry I'm such an idiot, Donghyuck explained everything about your stuff to me so let me explain my stuff to you." You say as fast as possible to Yuqi when she opens the door to her home in fear of her slamming the door in your face.

She simply laughs at you before opening the door wider.

"I already know what happened." She says as you're taking off your shoes. "Mark told me everything."

"Ah okay," You say, joining her on the couch for a cup of tea.

"So," You say, filling the silence. "Who's the guy?"

Yuqi blushes before answering you.

"Wong Yukhei."

"Ice cream parlour man?" You ask, the name sounding familiar.

"Yup," Yuqi replies, shoving your coat into your hands. "You're gonna go see him right now too."

Her statement leaves you puzzled.

"Why am I going to see the boy you like?" You ask.

"Because the boy you like is there." She replies, making you blush.

"Oh and ___?" She adds.

"Yeah?"

"We texted so much because he wouldn't stop talking about you. He likes you a lot. Please go talk to him." Yuqi pleads with you, making you smile softly.

"I'll do my best, but do you have some stationary?"

You weren't quite sure what you were expecting upon walking into the ice cream parlour, but you do have to admit to yourself that the scene you see upon walking in is quite laughable.

Mark sits at a booth, head buried in his arms as he raps sadly to himself, spewing mostly incoherent non-sense as Yukhei stands beside him, jabbing a finger into Mark's bicep, unintentionally keeping up a beat for Mark to rap to. The two of them clearly don't notice you as Yukhei begins to talk.

"Mark, seriously just go talk to her," Yukhei says, his actions never ceasing as Mark simply continues his incoherent mumbling in response.

You do your best to stifle your giggles and keep a straight face as you walk up to the boys. Yukhei doesn’t flinch when you poke him, continuing to poke a mumbling Mark, but doesn't hesitate to respond to your touch either.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" He asks, mustering up a friendly tone to greet what you can only assume he thinks is a customer.

"Uh, hi." You respond, making both boys look up.

"___," Mark speaks, his voice still slightly raspy from his mumbling. "You're here."

You shoot him an awkward smile and Yukhei takes that as his cue to leave, making a quick exit to the back of the parlour.

You pull an envelope out of your coat pocket.

"This is for you," You say as you place it on the table and slide it towards Mark. "I'm gonna go now," You gesture towards the door and try to make a speedy exit but are interrupted by Mark.

"I won't read it unless you read it to me!" He blurts, doing his best to make you stay.

You turn to face him slowly.

"Please don't leave again." He says and gets up to stand in front of you. "Read me the letter."

You close your eyes and inhale before responding.

"Fine, turn around." You demand.

Mark looks at you slightly puzzled but you make a spinning gesture with your hand and he raises his hands up before turning slowly.

You take the letter out of the envelope and unfold it, taking a breath before beginning to read it.

"Dear Mark Lee," You start, biting back a smile for the first few lines. "You really suck you know that?"

You hear Mark take a sharp intake of breath.

"I wrote five letters. Five boys made me feel butterflies when I spoke to them. Five boys made me smile when I was down. Five boys made me feel so intensely I wrote them love letters. Despite this, I have never felt anything like I've felt with you, Mark Lee."

Mark lets out a sigh of relief, beginning to turn around but you put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"These past few months of fake dating you have been absolute bliss. I hope I can find a boyfriend like you in the future because I'm still somewhat unsure as to where we stand despite the fact that several people have told me that your feelings for me are as real as mine for you. I also can't bring myself to believe that you would actually treat a girl as well as you've treated me. If you really would treat your girlfriend like this, then I can't believe you're real. You're much too good for this world Mark Lee and I don't deserve you."

You exhale, feeling a lump form in your throat.

"Despite this, I can't help but want you. You haunt my every waking moment. Every time I look down the hall, I expect to see you there, some sort of romantic gesture about to be presented to me in front of the population of our high school. A lot of the time I let myself forget that this was all an act; that you weren't out here hamming it up with all these gestures just to get revenge on Donghyuck (which by the way is super petty and I hope the two of you make up soon). Now that I really think about it, I don't think any of this has been an act for a long time. Not for me at least. I like you a lot Mark Lee and I’m so sorry I hurt you. I really like you but I understand if you don't want to be with me. I can be overwhelming, but I know one thing for certain: I like you a lot. You make my heart flutter and make me see the world in rose-tinted glasses. You make everything better and I like you so much." You finally remove your hand from his shoulder and he turns around almost immediately.

"Sincerely, _____." You finish as Mark wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close to him, embracing you in a hug.

"You're such an idiot." Mark breathes out between the kisses he presses to the crown of your head. "None of this was fake to me. I even wrote you that song for the Fall Showcase. I thought I was being obvious about this but clearly I wasn’t."

He pulls away from you a bit so that he can look you in the eye.

"I like you a lot ___ and I'm so sorry for hurting you."

"No," You interject. "I’m sorry I refused to listen. I hurt you too. Please don't put all the blame on yourself."

Mark places a soft kiss on your cheek, but your moment is quickly ruined by a looming presence holding an arm up over the two of you.

"Mistletoe!" Cheekily says Yukhei as he holds a stick with the small shrub over your heads.

"Gosh, he and Yuqi will go well together." You mumble quietly enough for Mark to hear and you feel his chuckle rumble through his chest as he presses you against him and your lips meet. Despite the fact that the two of you had kissed several times before, you don't think any of them can compare to the kiss you two share now. All the pent-up feelings and everything the two of you have wanted to say to one another for so long is quickly and easily conveyed through the meshing of your lips and breaths, feeling as if your hearts have begun to beat as one. You both pull away breathless and he cups your cheeks pulling your face close to his till your foreheads meet.

"Be mine?" He asks, still panting lightly.

"Of course." You reply easily, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss.

You may have gotten many things for Christmas in the past, but you decide that Mark and your accidental romance is the best thing you've ever received.

i hope you enjoyed! thank you for reading and feel free to send me an ask with what you thought!

#nctcreations #ultkpop #nct-writers #kpopscape #czennienet #dreamwritersnet #kconnet #neowritingsnet #starryktown #unfortunatus: paradiso #nct #mark lee #nct fanfic #nct fluff #mark fanfic #mark fluff #mark x reader #nct x reader #nct dream #nct 127 #nct scenarios #mark scenarios #mark oneshot #nct oneshot #*mine:oneshot

[ncteaxhoe]

a cozy little christmas //

pairing: johnny suh x female reader

genres and tropes: fluff, romance, christmas au, college au, established relationship

warnings: none!!!!

word count: 1.2k

a/n: this is part of secret santa hosted by @neoculturechristmas​.

written for @jisunghoodieboogie​. hi cam! i'm indrani. nice to meet you non-anonymously hahah!! this is literally such a tooth rotting fluffy and domestic fic lol. hope you like this! merry christmas and a happy new year <33

the continuous knocking on your studio apartment door woke you from your afternoon nap. you groaned as you got out of your cozy warm blankets and put on a sweater.

you trudged to the door and opened it to find your six feet boyfriend in front of you with a wide grin on his face. your face lit up immediately and you jumped into his arms, almost making him fall down.

johnny let out a laugh and walked inside into the warmth of your home. he always liked how warm, cozy and inviting it felt at your place. you indeed made him feel all things warm. 

"johnny what are you doing here? i thought you were off to see your parents?" you asked him, still clung onto him and snuggling your face deeper into the crook of his neck. no matter what, johnny always smelt nice and comfortable, like home.

"my sister and her fiancé surprised my mom and dad at the last moment with tickets to spain." johnny spoke as he put down his bag and took a seat on the couch, you still wrapped around him.

"and so here i am." you pulled back and looked at him, a smile on your face. 

you leaned in and kissed him softly. his soft insistent lips brushed against your chapped ones. johnny let his tongue run over your lips, earning a giggle out of you. you broke the kiss for air, now blushing because of the loving gaze of your boyfriend. johnny pecked your lips once. and then again, and again and again, until you were a giggling mess on his lap. 

you got out of his hold after some more kissing and cuddled up to him. 

"i'm so excited." you mused out loud.

"this would be the first time we'll be spending christmas together right?"

"yup. i was ready to spend a lonely christmas wrapped up like a burrito." you giggled excitedly again and johnny placed a kiss on your head.

you flipped through the channels until you found something you liked on the romcom channel. you both watched a sappy christmas movie curled up in a blanket. you soon heard johnny's relaxed breath beside you and put the tv on mute. you looked at your sleeping boyfriend. his perfectly sculpted face, hair fallen in a messy way and his plump lips slightly parted. 

sometimes, you still couldn't believe you were dating johnny. just that one fortunate event of you getting lost in the other department while looking for a teacher. johnny had helped you in finding the teachers office, it being his department he knew the way around. he had even walked you till there, just to make sure you wouldn’t get lost again. and then that meeting at the campus store where you had hit it off. you smile remembering how smitten you were with this tall, handsome man.

you watched him sleep for sometime, running your fingers through his hair ever so lightly, so as not to disturb him.

you woke up a few hours later to the tv glaring in front of you and playing some other movie. you could see the sun setting outside the window. you were now parallel with the couch wrapped in your boyfriend's arms, who laid behind you, under the blanket. it was tight space, but you liked feeling johnny's warmth all over you. 

"how did i get so lucky?" you whispered.

but you remembered you didn't have extra groceries now that he was also here.

you moved around in his arms so that now you were facing johnny. your turning had woken him up slightly. he looked at you through half open eyes. 

"evening." you pecked his lips. 

"mmmm. evening baby." a smile appeared on his face. 

after a while and a cup of tea, you went to the grocery store. the weather was not so favourable, hence why both you and johnny were wrapped up in layers of clothes as you went to the supermarket. you huddled up to johnny as you seeked some warmth.

“ohmygod finally.” you remove the scarf from your face as you entered the warmth of the supermarket. 

as you were on the final aisle of frozen food, you realized johnny was nowhere near you. you started looking for him and that's when he suddenly came half-jogging to you, all excited and dumped a lot of glittery things in the cart.

"what's all this baby?" you asked him with a chuckle.

"i still can't reach, just a little further up." you spoke to johnny as he lifted you up so as to put the star on the top of the tree.

"decorations." he simply said and pushed the cart towards the checkout counter.

on your way home, johnny had pulled you even against your protests, to the christmas tree store and got a huge tree to be delivered to your apartment. but when it was up, you could see how beautiful the tree looked and how lively it felt in your apartment.

"no baby a bit more, i can't stick it like this." you could hear johnny's strained groans as he lifted you further up on his shoulders, him already balancing on the stool underneath. he was glad he worked out so much, so as to easily lift you anytime. 

"done!" you squealed and wiggled a little too furiously to get down, causing johnny to lose his balance on the stool.

"baby!" you yelped loudly and with a thud you were on johnny's chest while he laid flat on the ground.

"ow!" johnny let out while you laughed at your clumsiness. you rolled down from him and imitated johnny's position on his side.

"are you fine baby?" you asked in between laughs.

by this time, johnny was laughing as well. he turned to you and just nodded his head. both of you just laid on the floor until your laughter died down. then the both of you just stared at the tree from your positions silently, taking in how pretty it looked.

you moved your hand silently to intertwine with johnny's. he immediately laced his fingers with yours and gave you a tight squeeze, a small gesture which still made your heart flutter after all this time.

"should we move in together?" he suddenly said, half joking, and half hoping you'd say yes if you were ready.

your eyes widened at his question. "what?" you whispered.

johnny let out a chuckle at seeing your reaction. "just kidding baby." and started pulling you into his arms.

"no. wait-" you sat up, letting go of his hand. "are you serious? you're tone did not seem like you were kidding." you tilted your head at him, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

"i mean-" the boy in front of you started to sit up as well, now thinking it was maybe a bad idea to say his thoughts aloud, but before he could do anything you enveloped him in a hug.

"yes! yes! let’s move in together!" you squealed excitedly.

this time johnny's eyes were widened and he pulled back to look at you. "really?!" you grinned and nodded your head enthusiastically.

"this is the best christmas gift ever." your boyfriend pulled you in for a long and deep kiss.

-inna🌻

#nct-writers #neowritingsnet #kpopscape #unfortunatus: paradiso #nct #nct 127 #johnny suh #nct johnny #nct fluff #nct scenarios #johnny scenarios #johnny fluff #johnny imagines #nct imagines #neoculturechristmas

[fruityutas]

THE CRUSH REACTION WAS SO CUTE AGSJFLAGALF. Are your requests still open? If so how would the dreamies give a first kiss? like when you're dating but haven't really gone that far yet. (if you do smut too maybe the first time it gets a lil' more heated too? only if u wan to ofc) THANK YOUUU! <3

AHHH THANK YOU!! 🥺 i do write smut but im on mobile right now so if u send in a separate request i can get to it later when im on my laptop!! that way i can make a read more section hehe

renjun ★彡　his kiss would be very soft and expected, he asked before he even leaned in,,,, such a gentleman bruh. caresses your face and smiles into the kiss- i might die thinking ab it more 100/10 very good kisser

mark ★彡　awkward but smooth,,, he pulls it off somehow. sorta unexpected but you enjoy it nonetheless, his lips are probably chapped but your chapstick rubs off onto his lips 👁👄👁 doesn’t rlly know what to do with his hands so you place them on either side of your head for him, and then he gets the hang of it. puppy kisses really, it’s cute

jeno ★彡　lil samoyed boy is super excited to kiss u 🥺 giggles into it a lot, it probably happens while you guys are cuddling so he wraps his arms around you in a bear hug. even after it ends he keeps kissing your forehead and cheeks until yall actually kiss again its the cutest

jaemin ★彡　lemme tell you,,, this man LOVES U!! kisses all over your face before asking if he can kiss your lips, and he is so sweet and takes it slowly for you. isn’t awkward bc he watched dramas and practiced for u 🥲 sweet boy, prolly tells u you’re beautiful after

haechan ★彡　even tho he is cocky he is soft for u,,, asks if he can kiss u out of the blue. you agree duh and he holds you and gives u the sweetest kiss ever!! very touchy but in an innocent way, like he doesn’t want you far from him.

chenle ★彡　a lil awkward,,, he also doesn’t kno where to place his hands. you help him tho and its cute; soft kisses and smiles into the kiss,,,, i could talk about this boy all day he would be so happy that he gets to kiss u

jisung ★彡　he is shy but he is also confident that u want to kiss him. he asks you and leans in,,, very softly pecking your lips. you’re a bit confused but you kiss him again and this time he stays longer hehe. brushes the hair from your face and just stares at u lol. blushes too

#nshitty frathouse #unfortunatus: paradiso #nct #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct dream reactions #nct dream scenarios #nct dream imagines #nct dream

[puppywritings]

you make it feel like christmas - kim doyoung x gender-neutral reader 

⇢   synopsis: when you entered your job a few years ago, you found your best friend, doyoung. the two of you were partners-in-crime, platonic soulmates. however, during a drunken phone call with doyoung’s mother, she catches the wrong idea and invites you to spend christmas with their family… as doyoung’s partner. ever the mama’s boy, doyoung doesn’t want to disappoint her. and you? you’re counting down the days until you can stop this lovers pretence and slap your best friend upside the head.

⇢   word count: 5.6k ⇢   trigger warnings: alcohol use resulting in minor memory loss, swearing, slight suggestive references. this piece is suitable for all audiences! 

⇢   a/n: this is my piece for @pastelsicheng​ and @dearyongs​‘ a taste of winter collab. quick disclaimer that doyoung’s family in this fic may not represent his real life family situation, however this is a work of fiction and isn’t meant to mirror real life. i don’t know doyoung, nor do i know his mother, and the characters represented in this writing are fictitious versions of them. furthermore, the christmas traditions depicted in this story are mainly based on my own experiences celebrating the holidays in england.

⇢   taglist: @hunjins​ @ahgase55g7​ @mmoondance​ @notnctu​ @orange-nimon-cross​ @yeoshwa​ @infnteen​ @neonun-au​ @luvlala​ @neo-shitty​ @yutacrush​ @ethaeriyeol​ @fairyinaflowercrown​ @in-my-neofeelings​ @dreamieofu​

"All I want for Christmas is youuu, baby!"

Doyoung's voice was almost deafening in your ear, which would've been a problem if you were sober. Your voice, too, merrily drunk and far too loud, belted out the holiday tunes. Your best friend's arm was slung around your shoulder, and yours was around his waist. It was like the blind leading the blind, however; neither of you were keeping your balance very well. The two of you staggered together, navigating the city's streets back to his apartment.

The Christmas party that your office held would have been okay without your favourite coworker - you would've had a good time and enjoyed yourself, sure. But with Doyoung's presence, paired with the copious amounts of alcohol, it had been a riot. Even if you had peaked too early and had to depart by 11pm. 

Doyoung was, undoubtedly, the best part about your job. The workload wasn't overwhelming, nor was it tedious, and the salary was nothing to sneeze at. But, without a shadow of a doubt, the best thing your job had ever provided you with was the opportunity to meet your best friend. Doyoung was your platonic soulmate, and your favourite person.

"Hey," Doyoung slurred, calling out to you suddenly. "Is that your ringtone?"

Squinting, you listened closely. "No, Doie," you hiccupped. "I think that's your ringtone."

"Oh, shit,'' Doyoung mumbled, diving into his coat pocket to retrieve his ringing phone. "My mom! She's facetiming."

Your vision was blurred, but you very vaguely saw Doyoung answer the call, bringing up his mother's image on his phone screen. Though you’d been best friends with Doyoung for a few years, you’d never met her. Doyoung lived and worked alongside you in the city, but his mother lived a while away in the countryside, and so your paths had never crossed.

"Hi Mom," Doyoung waved at her.

"Doyoung? Where are you?"

"I'm walking home, Mom," he responded, beaming at her through his phone.

"You sent me a strange text message," she told him, her voice raised a little more than necessary - Doyoung had mentioned that she was somewhat inept when it came to technology. 

"Huh?" Doyoung looked confused.

"Something about lunch the day after tomorrow," she elaborated. "Doyoung, you aren't coming home for the holidays until next week, right?"

"Ah," Doyoung said, understanding. "That was meant for somebody else, sorry Mom."

"My boy," you heard her tut, and you laughed. "Is someone there with you, Doyoung?"

"Yeah," Doyoung nodded, "Y/N is here."

"Hi, Mrs Kim," you waved, as Doyoung turned the screen towards you. If you weren't so drunk, you would've been nervous about meeting your best friend's mother for the first time. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it) your bloodstream was mainly rum at that point, so you had absolutely no worries nor qualms. 

“Kim Doyoung! Why didn’t you tell me you had a partner?” his mother blurted out.

“Huh?” exclaimed Doyoung, utterly confused.

“Oh Doyoung, you must bring Y/N home for the holidays! I can’t wait to meet them,” she cooed.

“Mom, wait-”

“See you two next week!” she cheerily said her goodbyes before hanging up, disappearing from the screen and leaving the two of you in silence. 

Doyoung looked at you. You looked back at him.

“Did she…” you began, not quite wanting to end your sentence.

Doyoung nodded gravely. “She thinks we’re dating.”

The look on Doyoung’s face - eyes wide, lips in a straight, serious line - it was too much for you. You snorted, gripping his arm as you buckled in laughter. He wasn’t far behind you, bursting into a fit of giggles too. You and Doyoung loved each other, that was indisputable. But it was completely and entirely platonic. The two of you laughed together the rest of the way home.

As you were coming to your senses the next morning, you groaned. Why the hell did you feel so lousy? you wondered, full to the brim with self-pity. Your head pounded, a throbbing ache so strong you were certain somebody was banging pots and pans in your brain. Your throat was so, so dry, and you felt as though you could drink a whole gallon of water and still be thirsty afterwards. And then the memories of the previous night came flooding in.

Ah, you thought, Now it all makes sense.

You sorted through the events of last night, mentally flicking through the filing cabinet of your memories. A filing cabinet that was sorely empty when it came to the night prior. You remembered arriving at the party with Doyoung; you remembered the first few drinks, but following that your memories began to fade. You remembered Doyoung pressing a sloppy kiss to your boss’ cheek - a rather stoic middle-aged man - and you had no doubt that Doyoung would be apologising profusely on Monday morning. You had absolutely no recollection of the walk home, but since you had awoken in Doyoung’s spare bedroom, you supposed the night could have gone worse. At least you made it home safe.

Begrudgingly, you threw back the blankets and lifted yourself out of bed. Doyoung - bless his heart - had left you some painkillers and a glass of water on the bedside table. You consumed both of them gratefully and emerged from the spare room, wincing at the sunlight that met you. As you made your way down the hallway, whistling met your ears. How Doyoung could be so lively after a night of heavy drinking, you had no idea.

“Why the hell do you never get hungover?” you grumbled at him as you entered the kitchen, finding him at the stove.

“Good morning to you, too, sleeping beauty,” he greeted you with a smile.

“Seriously,” you continued as you took a seat at the kitchen island, “I swear I get hungover enough for the both of us.”

“Thank you for taking on that burden,” Doyoung replied sweetly, which you responded to with a spiteful glower. It doesn’t last long, however; Doyoung finishes cooking breakfast, and dishes you up a serving. Sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, baked beans, hash browns, and toast. As much as you playfully bickered with Doyoung, he was an absolute treasure.

“Doie, you’re a gift from the heavens,” you praise him, the sight of the warm, greasy food reviving your soul almost immediately. 

Doyoung took a seat next to you, placing down a plate of his own breakfast. “So,” he began, “How much of last night do you remember?”

“Huh?” you asked, suddenly wondering if you’d forgotten something drastic. “Did we…”

“Oh my god, no,” Doyoung denied quickly.

“Thank fuck,” you sigh in relief. Your best friend was attractive, definitely. But you saw him as more of a sibling than a lover.

Doyoung waited a moment before explaining, and with each second that passed, your suspicions rose. “My mom… She’s invited you to spend the holidays with us.”

“Oh!” you exclaim. That confession was a lot tamer than what you’d expected. “Sure, that sounds great. I was spending the holidays alone this year anyways.”

“There’s a catch.”

You dropped your knife and fork onto your plate. “Doyoung,” you groan, “Why is there always a catch?”

“My mom thinks we’re dating.” Doyoung pointedly avoided your eye contact while he spoke.

“And you corrected her, right?” you asked, fearing the worst. Doyoung’s silence only confirmed your fears. “Right?” 

“She was so happy when she thought I was dating someone! And she’s been on my back about settling down forever,” Doyoung rambled, trying to save himself from your wrath - to no avail.

“Doyoung!”

“Please, Y/N. It’ll only be for a few days,” he pleaded, clasping his hands together and giving you his very best puppy-dog eyes. And you had to admit, they were some top-notch puppy-dog eyes.

You gave a resigned sigh, and Doyoung cheered. “Fine. But only because I really want to try your mom’s cookies.”

“You’re the best friend in the world,” Doyoung complimented you, wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug. You whined at him, fighting the urge to bat away his affections; in your hungover state, you were not at all ready for hugs.

“Then make me some more hash browns,” you grumbled. If Doyoung was prepared to put you in this situation, he’d better also be prepared to pay you for it.

“You got it, best friend,” Doyoung beamed at you, getting up to obey your command. “You should pack those Christmas pyjamas you’re wearing, by the way. My mom would love them.” You scowled at him. He immediately backed down, waving away his previous statement. “We can figure out the logistics later.”

“You better make this worth my while, Kim Doyoung.” When he served you your hash browns, you were still scowling.

As the taxi pulled up at Doyoung’s childhood home, you couldn’t help but marvel at it. You raised a hand to the cab’s window, looking out at the idyllic cottage, rooftop covered in snow, decked out in twinkling Christmas lights. The environment had grown increasingly more peaceful as you had travelled out of Seoul and deeper into the countryside, picturesque hills and winding valleys rolling past the train windows. This place felt worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it was difficult to feel even slightly stressed. Even if the situation your best friend had put you in was less than ideal, this was an absolutely beautiful place to spend the holidays - it looked like it had jumped straight out of a Christmas card.

Despite the beautiful winter wonderland before you, you still weren’t prepared for the cold that hit you when you stepped out of the cab. You busied yourself getting the luggage from the trunk while Doyoung paid the driver.

“Are you ready?” Doyoung asked you, looking into your eyes sincerely.

You sighed. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” You gave him a smile, reassuring him. The truth was, you were truly excited to spend the holidays with Doyoung and his mother; you were excited to meet her, to eat her home cooking, to hear stories about Doyoung in his youth. You just had some qualms about the whole fake relationship pretense, and you really didn’t want to let your best friend down.

“Y/N?” Doyoung spoke, taking bags out of your hands.

“Yeah?” you asked, watching wistfully as the taxi drove away.

Doyoung smirked at you. “Just try your best not to fall in love with me for real, okay?”

You rolled your eyes so hard they practically fell out of your head. “You wish.” Just as the cottage door swung open, you reached for Doyoung’s hand, holding it tightly. So began the relationship charade.

“Doyoung, my boy,” his mother beamed, coming out to greet her son. It was hard not to smile upon seeing her - she was clearly over the moon to see you and Doyoung, and her joy was infectious. She was a small woman, but you had gathered from Doyoung’s description that she certainly had a big character. She welcomed her son into an embrace, kissing his cheek. “You don’t visit home enough, Doyoung,” she chided lovingly.

“And you must be Y/N,” she spoke, moving her gaze onto you. She looked at you fondly, and you beamed back at her. “You’re so beautiful,” she praised you.

Your cheeks, already red from the cold, blazed a little brighter. “Thank you, Mrs Kim.”

She wagged a finger at you. “Mrs Kim, you make me sound so aged. Please, call me Mom.” She turned around, welcoming the two of you inside, and you shared a smile with Doyoung. 

The interior of the cottage was every bit as charming as the exterior. Family photos decorated the walls, and warm rugs hugged the floors. You supposed the home would have a cozy feeling all year round, but now, in the festive season, the place was dressed up to the nines. Lavish paper chains were strung up, along with twinkling lights and boughs of holly. Not to mention the Christmas tree; though not huge it was still sizeable, likely the biggest Mrs Kim could fit through the cottage door. It was embellished with golden tinsel and crimson baubles.

“Your home is so beautiful,” you commended. “Did you decorate yourself?”

“All by myself,” Doyoung’s mother confirmed proudly.

“This must’ve been a beautiful place to grow up,” you marvelled, your comment pointed towards Doyoung, who smiled back at you appreciatively.

“Oh, the stories I have about Doyoung growing up,” Mrs Kim said, and you detected a mischievous tone.

“I can’t wait to hear them,” you grinned.

“And see them!” she added. “I have so many photo albums.”

Doyoung groaned, while you and Mrs Kim laughed in the presence of his misery. Yes, you decided. You were going to enjoy this visit very much.

When you settled into bed that night, you were beyond exhausted. Doyoung’s mother had kindly set you up in the spare room, which was delightfully warm and snug. Doyoung’s childhood bedroom contained only a single bed, whereas the spare room had a double bed to accommodate you - the ‘couple.’ Though it had only been a few hours since you’d arrived that afternoon, the gravity of your situation had well and truly sunk in. The performative affection you and Doyoung had been carrying out was alien, equal parts strange and comical.

“I can’t believe the amount of times you called me Honey today,” Doyoung scoffed amusedly, dressed in his blue flannel pyjamas with his dark hair laying flat and fluffy on his forehead. He turned off the big light to leave the room illuminated by the warm glow of the table lamps, before climbing into bed beside you.

“Mock me all you want, Doyoung, but I think I put on a pretty convincing performance,” you return smugly.

“Well, I can’t imagine it’s hard. I’m very easy to love. You on the other hand?” Doyoung faked a weary sigh. “I have my work cut out for me.” You flicked Doyoung on the forehead, snickering when he yelped. 

You yawned, depositing your phone on the bedside table and snuggling down into the blankets. Though you were exhausted, and the cottage was immensely cozy, it always felt a little strange to fall asleep in a new place. You were thankful for the company of your best friend, who always put you at ease.

“I hate sharing a bed with you,” you grumbled your complaint. Despite the comfort he brought you, he wasn’t the easiest person to sleep with. “You starfish. I always wake up with, like, one centimetre of bed space.”

Doyoung dropped his phone, letting it fall onto the blankets. He looked at you, eyebrows raised. “One centimetre?”

“Yeah, one centimetre!” you insisted.

“Well, I always wake up with your cold feet on my legs,” he rebutted.

“Yeah, well-” you sputtered. “It’s not my fault you’re a living hot water bottle!”

“And it’s not my fault you’re always cold. Yet I’m always punished with your horrible cold feet.” You laughed back at him; the normality of your bickering helped to put you at ease.

“Let’s get some rest,” you suggested, yawning again. “I don’t wanna miss your mom’s cookies tomorrow morning - I wanna try them while they’re warm.”

“Mmm, good idea,” Doyoung agreed, eyes wide with the thought of his mother’s cookies.

“Goodnight, butthead,” you teased your friend, turning off the lamp beside you.

“Sleep well, idiot,” he replied fondly. 

Thoughts of warm chocolate-chip cookies were the last things on your mind before you fell asleep, and you were lucky enough to have them drift through your dreams that night.

As you slowly woke up, gradually returning to the land of the conscious, you first became aware of how delightfully warm you were. A light winter sun was shining through the gaps in the curtains, bathing the room in a soft white light. You sighed, hugging your pillow closer to you, but  furrowing your eyebrows in confusion when you found it to be much firmer and less pliant than a pillow.

“Nice to see you’ve finally awakened. You drooled on my pyjamas.” Doyoung’s voice was gentle, and lacked any real annoyance.

“What time is it?” you asked, rolling off the boy.

“Half nine,” he told you, looking at his phone screen. You digested the information as Doyoung got out of bed, stretching his muscles which had stiffened from sleep.

“Now that I’m finally free,” he stared at you pointedly, “I’m gonna take a shower. There’s another bathroom down the hall if you want to wash up.” You nodded, accomplishing your own satisfying stretch in bed.

A while later, fresh and ready for the day, adorned in your favourite comfy sweater, you made your way downstairs, trying to dampen down your high, high hopes for cookies.

“Good morning, Mrs Kim,” you greeted the woman with a smile. A smile that increased tenfold when you saw she was, in fact, in the middle of preparing cookies.

“I already told you to call me Mom, darling,” she chastised gently. “Did you sleep well?”

You gave her a nod, silently thinking about the several times you woke up to Doyoung kicking you through the night. 

“Lovely,” she commented. “I’m making cookies, would you like to help?”

“I’d love to,” you answered honestly. “Your cookies are kind of famous back in Seoul. Doyoung never stops talking about them.”

“That boy and his cookies,” she remarked with affection.

Doyoung’s mother set you off to work making another batch of mixture, as she began her duties with the rolling pin. The two of you worked in a comfortable silence, and you marvelled at how much she put you at ease. She was a warm lady, the kind of mother figure a person is lucky to have.

“Y/N, I want you to tell me everything,” she spoke after a while. “How did you and Doyoung meet?” 

“Ah,” you mumbled, gearing yourself up to talk about your fake-boyfriend. “Well, we work together. I joined the company about two years ago, and Doyoung was the one to show me the ropes.”

“Was it love at first sight?” Mrs Kim asked you sweetly.

You turned away from the cookie dough, choking a little at the mention of romance with Doyoung, as you remembered the first time you met the man. 

You were almost trembling as your new boss showed you around the office; this was your first “grown-up” job and you were the very definition of nervous. You were thankful for your brand-new black blazer which covered the sweat stains that you knew were building. 

“And this,” your boss introduced you, “Is Kim Doyoung. He’ll help you settle in.”

“Hi. Y/N Y/L/N,” you offered Doyoung your hand to shake, which he accepted. 

Doyoung waited for your boss to leave before speaking. “So,” he began with a smirk, “How hard did he try to be ‘relatable’ and ‘down with the kids?’”

You hid your laugh behind a cough. “He’s a little out of touch, huh?”

“A little?” Doyoung raised an eyebrow, laughing alongside you.

“Is it okay to talk about the boss like this? We’re supposed to respect him, right?” you asked your new coworker, a little uncertainly.

“Ah, Y/N, of course we respect him,” Doyoung tutted at you, before adding, “To his face.” 

Doyoung had you in stitches your entire first day. Though he tried not to show it, you hadn’t seen anybody try so hard to help you become comfortable and calm. He had been easing your nerves since day one. 

“Yeah,” you confirmed as you recovered.  “I think it was.” Maybe it wasn’t love at first sight in a romantic sense, but the two of you definitely connected on a personal level right away.

“So romantic,” Doyoung’s mother cooed as she rolled out the dough. “What do you love most about him?”

“Hm.” You paused, taking a moment to think. It was true that you loved a lot of Doyoung’s qualities - he was your best friend after all. He was always supportive, an ever-present shoulder to cry on. He was funny, and kind, and pleasant to be around. You always had fun together. “I love a lot of things about him,” you answered truthfully.

“He’s wonderful, isn’t he?” she agreed with you jovially, to which you smiled and nodded. “Now, I don’t want to rush you,” she continued, “But will you and Doyoung be giving me grandchildren any time soon?”

You choked on your spit, just as Doyoung entered the kitchen, coming to your rescue.

“Speak of the devil,” his mom noted affectionately, as she loaded the full trays into the oven.

“Cookies?” Doyoung’s eyes glinted hopefully. His hair was still damp from the shower, dripping and leaving wet droplets on his plain white t-shirt.

“Yes, in about fifteen minutes,” she confirmed. “You can wait that long, right?”

“Oh,” Doyoung moaned, “I don’t know. I can feel my life escaping from me as we speak.” He collapsed at the kitchen table behind you, falling onto the chair as he pretended to faint. You chuckled at his antics, reaching over to ruffle his still-wet hair adoringly. You caught his mother looking over at the two of you fondly, and you smiled, a little self-conscious. 

It felt more natural than you’d imagined, being cute and cozy with Doyoung in this false relationship. You supposed your friendship was a little more affectionate than you realised. Now that you thought about it, there was a certain tenderness that was common between the two of you - aside from the constant snipping and bickering, that was.

You’d never considered that you could be suited to a life outside the city, but the longer you spent in the charming countryside, the more ideal it felt. On your second morning of your winter break, you and Doyoung had donned your warmest winter gear (hats, scarves, and gloves included) and set out on a walk down the rustic lanes that your best friend had once called home. Though there were no eyes on you, and logically you didn’t have to keep up your fake-dating pretence in these hidden moments, shared only by you and Doyoung, the two of you held hands as you ambled down the snow-covered roads. It was an unspoken act, and one that felt strangely comfortable and oddly natural. You didn’t accredit too much thought to it; best friends could hold hands, if they wished to.

“We’re almost there,” Doyoung told you, after a short time of walking.

You tilted your head in confusion. “Where?” You hadn’t thought you were walking with any specific location in mind - you’d assumed the pair of you were meandering through the countryside with no direction.

“You’ll see,” was all he said, leaving you wondering.

Not long later, Doyoung directed you towards an opening in the shrubbery at the side of the lane, maneuvering himself over a stile before helping you over. The field you found yourself in was empty, the normally green meadow blanketed in completely untouched white. The only thing standing in the field, other than you and Doyoung was an old, rather dilapidated-looking barn. You imagined it once blazed a beautiful scarlet, although the years and the weather had chipped and faded its coat, leaving it a patchy maroon.

“Who does this belong to?” you asked, reclaiming Doyoung’s hand as you approached the barn together.

“I don’t know,” Doyoung countered. “Nobody, I think. It’s been abandoned as long as I can remember.”

“It’s a little creepy,” you commented apprehensively.

“Don’t worry, there aren’t any ghosts,” Doyoung mocked you, although it was devoid of any cruelty.

The door creaked as Doyoung pushed it open, and you didn’t entirely trust it not to fall completely off its hinges. The interior of the barn was a dark contrast to the stark white of the winter wonderland outside, although some sunlight filtered through the gaps in the wooden structure.

“Welcome to my secret clubhouse,” Doyoung introduced you. Your hands fell apart, as Doyoung left your side to venture to the back of the dwelling, finding a rickety swing that hung from the rafters, constructed of two pieces of rope and a plank of wood. He sat on it, swinging lightly and you were surprised to find that it managed to support his weight.

“How many of your romantic conquests have you brought here before me?” you teased, examining his hangout.

“You’re the first.”

The barn wasn’t particularly exciting, but there was a certain buzz to be derived from gaining a little bit of insight to Doyoung’s past. The floors of the building were no longer lined with hay, but dirt and dust, featuring intermittent weeds and plants. A tree had reached its spindly branches inside the structure, intertwining itself with the beams and pillars. You perched yourself atop an old stool that was sitting amid the weeds and rubble.

“Did you put that swing up yourself?” you asked, eyeing its stability.

“Yep,” Doyoung confirmed. “All by myself. I climbed right up into the rafters to fasten it.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t hurt yourself,” you remarked. The barn was a rather significant height, and it can’t have been safe for a young boy to scale the wooden bones of the building, likely aided by the serpentine branches of the oak tree. 

“When I was a kid I thought I was superman,” Doyoung said, and you could see him reminiscing internally. You watched, captivated, as he looked around the tattered old barn which was clearly a sentimental place for him. He was beautiful, your best friend. Eyes that shined, dark as the night; a nose that sloped almost perfectly; pink lips that looked best when smiling. Though the winter was a cold one, your heart was warmed by your love for Doyoung. The two of you sat in a comfortable silence, simply existing together without any demand or pressure to make unnecessary conversation.

“We should get back home,” Doyoung spoke after a while, standing and stretching. “My mom is making hotpot for lunch.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” you said with enthusiasm. Spending time with your best friend, taking walks through the beautiful countryside, and being fed homemade dishes for every meal. This Christmas holiday may just be the best thing to ever happen to you.

Christmas morning came much more swiftly than you expected. The homely atmosphere of the cottage, the domestic haven where Doyoung spent his youth, felt like a sweet sanctuary that existed outside of the linear flow of time. Early morning walks down dew-covered lanes gave way to plentiful lunches that you savoured, which morphed into homely afternoons that eased into sleepy evenings around the fireplace. It was the sweet retreat you hadn’t realised you’d needed, and you were remarkably upset that you had to return to the city the following day.

“I know it’s not much, but I hope you’ll put this to good use,” you grinned at Mrs Kim as you handed over the Christmas present you’d brought her. She unwrapped the parcel, although the shape didn’t quite leave room for a discreet gift, to reveal a bottle of red wine.

“I’m sure I’ll find some way to use this,” she responded, a teasing twinkle in her eye as you shared a laugh together. 

“Y/N,” Doyoung spoke, handing you a small box wrapped in festive paper. “Here.” He was already wearing the watch you had gifted him with. You peeled back the wrapping, opening the box to find a delicate silver necklace, hanging from it a shining silver jewel. It looked expensive; you wouldn’t be surprised if it was a real diamond.

“Wow,” you gasped, at a complete loss for words.

“Let me put it on you,” Doyoung offered, and you let him. 

“It’s beautiful,” you smiled at him. “Thank you.” He smiled back sincerely.

Doyoung’s mother reached under the Christmas tree, bringing out two identically wrapped packages, square-shaped and squishy. “You kids open your presents together; I made them matching for you.”

You tore into the paper, opening the bundle to reveal a mass of knitted wool, soft and burgundy. You lifted it up to reveal a beautiful, intricate Christmas sweater - and noticed that Doyoung was holding an identical one.

“They’re so beautiful, Mrs Kim,” you complimented her, a little starstruck; though you knew Mrs Kim had handcrafted them, they looked like they were bought from a shop. They were of the most perfect quality, and looked splendidly snug and cozy.

“Yeah, thanks Mom,” Doyoung added, admiring the material. He waited until she looked away, taking a sip of her hot cocoa, before turning to you and muttering “Matching Christmas sweaters?” accompanied by a fake gag. You looked away, finding it almost impossible to stifle the giggle that bubbled up within you. They were beautiful, and you were endlessly grateful for the homemade gift, but Doyoung’s comment had amused you.

Mrs Kim looked at you with a knowing expression, and you couldn’t help but wonder if she’d noticed the exchange.

“Now you know I wasn’t kidding about my mom’s homemade cooking,” Doyoung said as he worked on the mountain of dishes in the sink.

“You really weren’t,” you agreed, stood next to him with a towel to dry the porcelain. You typically weren’t such a big fan of turkey, but something about the way Mrs Kim cooked it meant that it was surprisingly delicious. You had gone back for several helpings of the meal, encouraged by Doyoung’s mother, who seemed to derive pleasure from keeping people well-fed.

“I need a nap,” Doyoung declared, and you shared his experience of full-stomach sleepiness.

The pair of you finished up in the kitchen, and moved to the living room where Doyoung’s mother had relocated.

“Ah!” she stopped you in the doorway, before you could enter. “Look.”

You followed her pointed finger, to the green sprigs hanging in the archway. Mistletoe. Doyoung gave an awkward chuckle.

“Mistletoe for the lovers,” his mother chortled gleefully.

Doyoung captured you in his embrace, and your heart began to beat a little faster - was he really going to kiss you? You closed your eyes as he moved into you, and felt his lips peck your forehead. You smiled, before pulling him in for a kiss on the lips. In the spirit of Christmas. Doyoung’s eyes widened, and you laughed as his mother cheered. You followed her into the living room, making yourself comfortable on the couch that had no right being as cozy as it was. Doyoung’s cheeks were still red when he joined you, taking a seat on the couch alongside you.

The television was on, playing some old Christmas movie you vaguely recognised but had never seen. You brought your legs up onto the couch, snuggling into Doyoung’s side and nestling in further when he wrapped his arm around you. The film was already halfway through, and you were too sleepy to pay attention. It wasn’t long before you began nodding off to sleep, and you knew Doyoung was doing the same. Comfortable and relaxed, you let it happen, easing into a well-deserved nap with your best friend. Just as you fell into the unconscious, you sensed Doyoung’s mother draping a blanket over you both, and you smiled gratefully before letting yourself go.

“Taxi’s here!” Doyoung announced from his point of watch at the front door.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving already,” Doyoung’s mother pouted.

You agreed with a sad smile. “It was wonderful to meet you, Mrs Kim,” you bid her goodbye as Doyoung took your luggage out to the car.

“Beautiful Y/N,” she smiled back at you, taking your hands in her own. “Tell me the truth here.”

You blinked, surprised at her direct request. “Of course.”

“You and Doyoung aren’t really dating, are you?”

“I-”

“It’s okay, my love,” she reassured you. “Don’t worry about it. That Doyoung, he’ll do anything if he thinks it’ll please me.”

“He’s a good boy,” you commented, to which Mrs Kim nodded in agreement. “But how did you know?” You’d thought you’d given a pretty convincing show.

“Nothing gets past me,” she responded, her eyes glinting. “Listen. Doyoung’s partner or not, I can tell that you’re important to him. And for that, you’ll always be a member of this family. You’re always welcome in this home, Y/N.”

You swallowed back tears, touched by her warm words, and by how genuine they were. “Thank you, Mom.”

The older lady pulled you in for a hug, just as Doyoung called out to you, “Y/N, we gotta go.”

“You have my number, right?” Mrs Kim checked, and you nodded. “And keep that cookie recipe safe - three generations old, that is!”

“Of course,” you assured her, retreating to the taxi as Doyoung said his goodbyes to her.

“Come back soon, you two!” 

“We will,” you and Doyoung promised her in unison.

Settled in the back of the taxi, you heaved a sigh. It had been a beautiful holiday period, but part of you was happy to be returning to the security of your own home. And an even bigger part of you was relieved to drop the act of being Doyoung’s partner.

Doyoung looked at you, a tired look in his eyes. “Y/N, I love you so much-”

“But we could never date,” you completed his statement, sensing its direction.

“Never,” agreed Doyoung with a laugh. 

The two of you were much better off as friends. It would be a lie to say you’d never wondered what it would be like if your relationship ever happened to cross that boundary, but you were sated by the lesson you’d learned over the last week. Your relationship was platonic, and was destined to remain that way. That didn’t mean your relationship was any less significant than that of a romantic couple, though. Doyoung was your family. And you were beyond lucky to have found him.

#nct-writers #kpopscape #kpopuniversenet #kconnet #unfortunatus: paradiso #doyoung #kim doyoung #doyoung x reader #doyoung fluff #fake dating au #nct #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct drabbles #nct u #nct 2020 #nct 127 #wayv #doyoung imagines #doyoung scenarios #christmas au #doyoung fake dating au

[yuta-nakamots]

we go up - l.mk

Pairing - Mark x Reader

Genre - Fluff, College!AU

Warnings - one single mention of sex but no descriptions of it

Summary - Growing up was a part of life. Though you were scared of all that the future holds, you looked forward to going through it all with Mark right by your side.

Word Count - 4.2k

A/N - this was supposed to be released 4 days ago ahaha I passed all my classes so that’s really what matters. anyways, here’s this fic to celebrate Milly’s 3 years on Tumblr and 5 years for me and my blog

Written for the Moodboard Collab hosted by @bumblebeenct​​. Also part of the Neowinter Festival hosted by @czennienet.

Song: We Go Up. Color Set: #1.

Never would you have thought that you’d be on the path to living in the real world so soon. Summers were for relaxing and having fun but you’ll never regret jumping at the opportunity to travel the world with Mark Lee instead.

Mark’s parents were executives for a travelling company that offered a variety of trips all over the world. You knew it was part of their job to visit those countries and survey the different options available and put together plans based on them but with Mark having just graduated from college and you going into your final year, it was soon to be a job shared by both of you as well.

It hasn’t been long since you first began dating him, in fact, it hadn’t been long since you first met him on your first day on campus. Both of you were moving in on the same day and crossed paths as you were lugging your two loaded suitcases in through the main entrance of the dormitory. Your family hadn’t come with you, putting their faith in you to make it to your school on your own, so you could only guess how pitiful you must’ve looked to others.

“Hey those look pretty heavy, I can help you with that if you’d like,” you looked up to find the owner of the voice and were met by a handsome boy with a smile you’d never forget, “my name is Mark, by the way.”

“Uh, y/n, nice to meet you and yeah, actually, if you could take this one it would help me so much.” You told him as you pulled up the smaller of the two suitcases.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take the larger one? I can handle it.” He looked at you with eyes full of interest, his pupils almost resembling boba thanks to the odd lighting in the hall.

You shook your head before turning to head to the elevator, “I only just met you, I wouldn’t make you do this. Besides, it’s not even that much heavier than the other one.”

“Alright, whatever you say. What floor are you on though? I can help you move in if you don’t have anyone else.” He offered kindly.

“I’m on the third floor,” you informed him, “but don’t you have somewhere to be? You couldn’t have just been sitting around in the lobby.”

You say his expression morph into one of panic before quickly relaxing, “oh, I was just on my way to the university center to pick up my keys and get my mail. Gosh, you made me think I was late to something important.” The laugh he let out was so full and loud, it felt as if it were reaching out to you.

“Are you sure you don’t have anything else you should be doing?” You question as you pressed the button for the elevator. “I’d hate to be the reason why you missed a meeting or something.”

Mark pulled out his phone as both of you waited for the elevator. “No, I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything else planned for today. I just had to move in earlier and that’s it, I don’t have any solid plans.” The doors opened and let out a few other people, who you guessed were also students, before you and Mark stepped in.

“I just met you though,” you pointed out, “how do I know that you’re not some weirdo that’s gonna try steal my stuff?”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Really? I mean, not like in a bad way ‘really’ but I can promise you that I’m not trying to do anything bad.”

You hummed in mock sarcasm, “mmhmm, that’s what they all say.”

“If you don’t believe me I’ll give you my number if you want or like my room number, even-”

“Mark I was just joking dude.” You laughed, amused by how gullible the boy was.

“Oh…” he breathed, relief settling over him as the doors opened up to the third floor, “but can I still get your number though?”

“Beat me to my room and I’ll think about it.” You took off running in a random direction, unsure which way you were even supposed to go in.

Mark followed close behind, “wait but I don’t even know which room number to look for!”

“Maybe that’s the point!” You shout back.

continue as always, wild and free

Though he did not make it to your room before you, you still gave him your phone number to thank him for helping you with your luggage. Mark was kind enough to stay and help you unpack your things and get your room set up. He even accompanied you to get dinner from the cafeteria since it was already getting late by the time the two of you finished unloading everything.

Over the next few days before classes, you hung out with Mark and any other freshmen that you happened to run into. You found out that Mark was a business major and planned to minor in tourism industry management. As for you, your major was biology with a focus in ecology.

Mark seemed to love sharing about himself as seen from the way he eagerly told you about the company his parents worked for and how he was interested in someday becoming a part of it which was why he chose his intended path of study. You had come in the college with the intent of wanting to make a difference in the world and help tackle one of the biggest global issues, which is climate change, leading you to your chosen track.

Mark was a great listener and seemed genuinely interested in everything you had to say. If he thought anything was lame or dumb, he hid it very well because he seemed to be picking up all the information you put down. You had come in knowing that most people in large corporations didn’t think much about the environment. Either Mark was faking it to keep his new friendship with you or he genuinely held the same beliefs as you. You chose to believe it was the latter.

All throughout your first year in college together you and Mark stuck together, always preferring each others company, even within the large group of friends you managed to accumulate with him. Luckily he was only one floor above you so he wasn’t far away at all. If you ever needed anything, he really was ‘one call away’ and would come running even if it was just to catch a bug in your room.

Freshmen year came and went, both you and Mark went back home for summer vacation and came back to campus as sophomores. You both kept in touch and regularly updated each other on things like Mark’s trip to Britain with his parents. That was the first real glimpse you had into his dreams and goals for his future. Meanwhile you just ranted to him about all the terrible customers that came in at your part-time job, though he didn’t seem to mind at all and always offered you his company.

Sophomore year was when he asked you to be his girlfriend. After the two of you had eaten dinner together as usual and were walking back to the dorms, that was when he had finally made a move. “So, uh, I know this may be kind of sudden but I actually really like you.” He told you.

You looked up at him as you continued walking next to him. “And in what way, exactly?”

“In a ‘I like you as more than just a friend’ kind of way.” He replied, looking down at the leaf-covered sidewalk.

“Well lucky for you, I might just like you in the same way.” Mark’s head shot up and his eyes met yours.

He blinked rapidly and his gaze never left yours, as if searching for the truth. “Wait, like really?”

“Yes, really.” You pulled him closer to you so he wouldn’t walk right into the tree that was coming up.

“Does that mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” He asked after mumbling a quick ‘thank you’.

You stopped walking and turned to face him. “If you ask properly then I don’t see why not.”

“Oh, uh,” his eyes flitted left to right before finally settling on yours, “will you be my girlfriend?”

“No.” You tried to hold your laughter in the way his eyes widened but you just couldn’t. “Of course I’ll be your girlfriend you stupid! I didn’t say all of that for nothing, oh my gosh you really are so gullible.”

Mark’s mouth opened slightly before he closed it again and then burst out going “don’t do that to me for crying out loud! You don’t even know how I was actually about to cry if you said no just now.”

You grabbed his hand and quickly interlaced your fingers with his. “There, I’m sorry. Do you feel better now? Do you want me to kiss you to make you feel better?”

“Uh, yes? To both?” He spoke, still shaken from earlier.

You raised his hand to your lips, kissing that back of his hand with a smile. “Thank you for choosing me.”

i’m gonna try flying a little further

Things continued on in this way in your relationship, always keeping things lighthearted and never too serious. Thankfully both of you had past dating experience and weren’t completely clueless on how to act toward each other. One thing led to the next and you had your first kiss with him the day he was leaving to go home for winter break. “I love you, stay safe, don’t die.” You called out to him as he got into his uber.

“Got it babes, love you too.” He sent you a kiss before shutting the door which you happily caught and held to your heart.

It was during that break that the two of you told your parents about each other and things went surprisingly smooth of both ends. Mark had even informed you that his parents were interested in meeting you after he told them about your field of study. “Yeah they were so intrigued by it! They’ve been looking into more sustainable and eco-friendly options for a while now so I think this must’ve struck a chord with them.” He chattered excitedly over the phone.

“Dude, don’t make me even more nervous about meeting them-”

“Hold up, did you just call me dude?” He questioned.

“It’s not like you don’t call me dude as well.” You commented.

Mark let out a laugh on his end. “Alright, fair enough. But not to alarm you or anything, but they said that I could bring you along for one of our trips during summer if you’re down.”

“Oh my gosh, seriously?” You exclaimed.

“Yes, seriously,” he confirmed, amused at your enthusiasm, “should I tell them that you’re interested?”

“Mark is that even a question? Of course I’m interested.” Your excitement was almost bubbling over from the way everything seemed to be working in favor of you and Mark.

The next summer, you did indeed tag along with Mark and his parents to who were more than happy to meet you and share information on their company while visiting Nevada. Mark wasn’t lying when he said that you interests ‘struck a chord’ with them. Sometimes it seemed like you were more like their child than he was with how much his parents talked with you about possible green options to inquire for. It was thanks to them that you decided to minor in tourism industry management like Mark, even though it would set you behind one year in graduation.

Going into your junior year, you were able to put together a small scrapbook of sorts with all the pictures from the trip to Nevada and gave it to Mark to celebrate your one year anniversary. “Wait, when did you even take that picture of me though?” He asked while looking at the picture of him spread out on a hotel bed like a starfish.

“You smacked me with your arm so I woke up and it was like, seven in the morning so I decided to just fool around and take pictures of you,” you explained with a smile on your face, “if you look in that bottom corner, you can see my foot because I had to stand over you but not too closely so my legs were like a triangle over you.”

Mark shook his head as he laughed at your antics before gently closing the book. “I love you, you know that right?” He placed a kiss on your cheek and sat back to adore you with his eyes practically sparkling.

“How could I not? I’d be worried that you may not know that I love you.” You told him playfully, setting the scrapbook aside and straddling his lap.

“Baby, that’s the last thing you need to worry about.” His voice fell into its lower ranges as he began kissing you in a way he never has before. It was on that night, the night of your first anniversary that the two of you made love for the first time in your shared campus apartment.

make me beautiful in the memories

When you brought Mark home for the holidays, your family was more than thrilled to meet him and you thanked whatever supreme being existed out there for blessing you with him. He got along well with your parents and even became a favorite of all the younger kids, especially when he joined them in making a snowman out in front of your house.

“Look y/n! Marky helped us start building a snowman!” Your younger sister exclaimed before running off once again to join some of your cousins.

You watched as Mark helped them roll the largest ball of snow around the yard until it was at least a third of his height. “Come join us y/n!” He called out. “You can get the rocks and sticks to make his arms and face.”

One of your younger cousins came by to join you as you sifted through the snow to find nice rocks to use. “When are you and Marky getting married?” He asked.

“Married? We’ve only been together for a year.” You told the little boy.

“Oh, hmm, well it’s never too early to start thinking.” He decided before finding a cute little stick that he deemed fit to function as a nose for the snowman.

You joined Mark in rolling the second ball of snow while the kids made the last one. “So what was that I heard about getting married?” He questioned.

Suddenly your cheeks felt warm and your eyes darted away from him and back to the mound of snow in front of you. “Uh, nothing, one of the kids just was asking if we plan on getting married.”

“He’s right, you know,” Mark spoke quietly, “it’s never too early to start thinking about it.”

“I mean, we’re still so young though.” You told him.

“That doens’t mean I don’t see myself having a future with you.” Mark commented as he picked up the ball of compacted snow.

“Gosh, you’re so chessy. What next? Names for our kids?” You joke as you watch him place the ball on top of the largest one at his knees.

He winked at you once the snowman had his torso complete. “Already on it.”

Spring semester was spent planning for Mark’s graduation in the following year and getting the classes for your minor arranged. His parents invited you to go with them to Hawai’i which you politely declined, as you did not know much about the people and culture and did not have time to accurately research before going thanks to all the summer classes you were taking to ensure that you’d graduate on time.

You and Mark decided to live off campus for his last year in college and though it was inconvenient to have to cook your own meals and walk a little bit further to get to school, it was all worth it when you got to make the memories you did with him.

“So you just crack the egg and drop it in the pan?” He hesitated, the said egg hovering over the edge of the frying pan.

You rolled your eyes at him, “Mark, how many times do I have to tell you? You just crack it and let it fall into the pan. It’s not that hard.”

He mocked your expression after you said ‘it’s not that hard’ as he cracked the egg into the pan, yelping at the way the oil splashed up at him. You left to freshen up a bit, having been woken up by the ruckus Mark had made in the kitchen only to come back five minutes later to another bout of him yelling for help. “What now?”

“I, uhh, I think I burned the egg.” His face was tinged with shame as you came over to the stove, sliding the egg in question onto a plate before lifting its side to see that it was indeed burnt.

“I don’t know how you manage to burn an egg after I leave you for such a short amount of time.” You tell him as you pull another one out from the refrigerator. “Here, try again. You’re lucky it’s the weekend.”

“You’re not gonna let me stop until I’ve successfully cooked an egg, huh?” You shook your head to answer his question, causing Mark to let out a sigh before going to add a little more oil to the pan.

look time fly, we fly, changes come with time

Days like that were normal for the two of you, though more often than not, you chose to order food since Mark was clearly not very trustworthy in the kitchen and you weren’t all that better yourself.

Living with Mark was not always happy and fun, though. Sometimes the two of you fought and sometimes it was over the smallest things like how he didn’t put his clothes into his hamper after changing out of them or how you’d leave your belongings strewn about the apartment.

Being with him taught you that a relationship is a two-way thing. Everyone has their flaws and if you truly love someone, you’ll learn to work with them to get solve problems that arise or get around them.

Getting to live with Mark and see him everyday was certainly a lot more convenient, especially when both of you were swamped with finals and had little to no time to go out on an actual date. Falling asleep in each others arms and waking up to the sight of the other was enough for those times. In those mornings where you woke up before Mark and didn’t want to get out of bed just yet, you took the time to be thankful for the path of life you were on and how thankful you were to have met the boy in front of you.

It was moments like those that made it all worth it.

When Mark graduated in the following spring, you sat in the crowd alongside his parents, watching him and your past classmates walk across the stage and receive their diplomas.

“Ah, he looks just the same as when he graduated from high school.” His mother commented. She even pulled up his old pictures and showed them to you, making you laugh at how cute he was back then. You could hear his voice in your head, whining about how he’s not cute but you paid it no mind.

The rush of emotion you felt when the name ‘Mark Lee’ was called and he stepped out in his cap and gown was truly something else. You stood up and cheered alongside the rest of his friends who were seated around you, the bunch of you only getting louder when his head jerked in your direction and he smiled and waved to you all.

the reason why i can be fearless is because you’re looking at me with your two eyes

“That’s going to be you next year, you know.” Mark’s father stated nodding over to where Mark was playfully chest-bumping his fellow graduates. “Okay, well not like that, but you know what I mean.”

You let out a laugh as you watched Mark stumble and nearly fall. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Do you have any plans for summer, dear?” His mother inquired.

“I have a few classes from June through July but I believe I do not have anything for the latter half of June until school starts again in August.” You informed her.

“Would you like to come along with us to Paris then? We missed you greatly last year and felt you would have enjoyed the experience more than Mark did.” She explained as she pulled up more pictures of Mark though this time it was him in a botanically garden getting scared from all the bugs. “I’ll send this one to you.”

You thanked her with a smile on your face and graciously accepted her offer to travel with them to Paris. Mark was over the moon when he heard that you’d be going with them, especially since this was going to be the first time he’d be allowed to lead the meetings and events.

It felt like school hadn’t even finished from the way you went right back to work for your summer courses and Mark got to putting together his first few projects for the company. He was intent on showing the executives that he was a fully capable individual and was not trying to simple ride off of his parents achievements. You were proud of him for that.

By the time you all got to Paris, it felt like a much needed breath of fresh air from the constant hustle of school and work. One of the first places Mark took you to was one of the local night markets near the hotel you were staying at. You pulled out your light blue polaroid camera which Mark had gotten awfully used to within these past few years and took multiple pictures of him eating street food and walking around under the stringed lights.

i need you right here

“Oh, that fountain looks kinda cool.” He exclaimed, walking out of frame.

“Mark you can’t just do that when I’m about to take your pict-”

“Yeah yeah, you can take pictures here instead. It looks prettier.” You both paused to admire the sculpting of the stone and the way the water and the coins at the bottom of the fountain glittered under the night lights. Mark sat down at the edge of the fountain after a bit. “Here, you can take them now.”

You took a few before handing of the camera to him so he could take a few of you. “Have you ever thought that this is where we’d be after all this time?” He asked after giving the camera back to you and joining you next to the fountain. “Like, back when we were freshmen, we didn’t know where we’d be within the next few years and here we are, together, three years later.”

“I think you’re jet-lagged, babe, but yeah I see what you mean.” You agreed, falling into the rhythm of the way the water spilled over from the top tier into the lower ones and out from there into the base at the bottom. “We went from clueless freshmen to young adults breaking out into the real world.”

You watched as Mark dug around in his pocket, pulling out a single coin and enclosing it in a fist. “I wish for things to stay the same- no, for us to- wait, no, I wish for us to remain happy together while facing all the challenges that our lives have to offer us.” With that, he tossed the coin into the fountain and you both followed it as it sunk to the floor.

He pulled another coin out and offered it to you. “I wish…” you began, trailing off as you thought of what more you could possibly say, “I wish for us to stay together for as long as time allows and that we will get to watch each other grow and fulfill whatever plans that life has for us.”

As your coin hit the bottom, Mark pulled you in for a hug. “I really do love you, you know.”

“Yeah I know.” You hugged him back, enjoying the feeling of his arms around you.

“Look at me, babe.” He whispered, causing you to glance up at him. Whatever you were about to say was cut off by Mark’s lips against yours.

It felt like nothing else mattered at that moment. Nothing except your lips against his, his arms around you, your hearts and souls connecting as one.

we go up

#NCT-WRITERS #neowritingsnet #cznnet #unfortunatus: paradiso #dreamwritersnet #kwritersworldnet #neowinter #nct #NCT 2020 #NCT 127 #NCT dream #mark lee #NCT imagines #NCT scenarios #NCT fanfic #NCT fluff #NCT 127 imagines #NCT 127 scenarios #NCT 127 fanfic #NCT 127 fluff #NCT dream imagines #NCT dream scenarios #NCT dream fanfic #NCT dream fluff #NCT mark #NCT mark lee #NCT dream mark #NCT 127 mark #mark lee imagines #mark lee scenarios

[heartshyuck]

[16:35] 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧, 𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐨

It wasn't that it always rained in London, it was that it always rained out of nowhere in London. The weather was unpredictable, so your not surprised when the cold droplets fall from the sky, steadily getting heavier and before you know it, the rain is pouring down but it was the middle of August with the heat reaching 30⁰c, the air was humid and the rain only seem to make it worse. Your hair starting to stick to your forehead slightly and clothes becoming damp and worst of all your folders are getting soaked, all those hours of writing and organising your notes are being washed away as each droplets relentlessly attacks. Then a shield appeared, hovering above your head a clear umbrella was placed above, held securely by an unknown arm. 

His arm was muscular and his veins prominent which was a striking juxtaposition to his soft expression and how his eyes smiled first, how his nose scrunched up and then how his sharp features resurfaced as his expression rested. You could’t help but shyly smile back whilst avoiding his soft eyes. Now walking beside you he begins to explain how he saw you getting drenched and couldn't just walk past, the words however went through one ear and straight out the other as all you could do is watch the way he spoke, watching the way his lips moved, the cute expressions he made as he rambled on and apologised if he scared you. You liked the sound of his voice, it was the perfect harmony to the rain and it was the most perfect love song. “I’m Jeno, by the way” he said awkwardly as he realised he forgot to even mention who he was

 “Ah I’m y/n” you blurted out as his patient silence snapped you out of your daze “Are you sure you’re okay walking me though” you ask worried about being an inconvenience to him. With each step you simultaneously prayed for the rain to both stop and not stop. You hoped it stopped so Jeno could make his own way home but also prayed it didn’t stop you could walk along side him a bit longer and hear him talk a bit longer. It didn’t stop raining, you must have been praying for one harder than the other.

“It’s fine, I'm in no rush. Where we headed to” he assured you as he moved closer closing the distance between you two so that your arms brushed against each other as you walked. Every movement bought a haze to your mind and a blush to your cheeks and a silence always followed Jeno’s questioned as your brain couldn’t even function but he always waited patiently with the kindest eyes, that always smiled first.

“just to the train station” you finally managed to say and a sigh of relief left you, glad you were finally able to say something. Jeno only nodded in response and continued to walk you to your destination, you arrived a lot sooner than you would have hoped, the remainder of your journey was filled with Jeno showing of his three cats and you cooing at every picture he showed you, leaving a smile that reached his crescent moons. “well this is goodbye I guess” you say smiling as you step out of the umbrella and under the shelter of the station, Jeno pulls his head from under the umbrella and forces in into you hand.

“take it” he urges you “next time you can save me from the rain and this way it’s not goodbye” he smiles and waves before he disappears in the sea of people. 

© (jisungiest) 2021. All Rights Reserved.

#neothestars #nctcreations #unfortunatus: paradiso #mlznet #nct #nct dream #jeno #lee jeno #nct jeno #jeno x y/n #jeno x reader #nct drabbles #nct fluff #nct fic

[badwithten]

〉johnny x fem!reader

〉word count 1k

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for anon! this was super sweet to write and i really hope you enjoy 🥺

Johnny always thought you looked gorgeous. However, you wore your hair, makeup or not and no matter the clothing. But for some reason tonight he thought you looked even better than usual. Your skin seemed to glow under the cheap led lights, your outfit complementing your entire look. But the cherry on top was the frown you wore on your face.

“You’re cute when you’re angry, you know?” He has a cheesy smile on his face, one that was hard to stay angry at, but your embarrassment was too strong to let go this easy. His large hand rested on top of yours from across the table, an act of genuine kindness, a way for him to calm you down without letting go of his joke either.

“Oh piss off” But you weren’t having it, tugging your hand off of the table and turning in your seat, acting like a naughty child. Johnny had promised to take you somewhere nice for your eight-year anniversary, telling you to dress up the nicest you possibly can. So when you walked out of your hotel with him in a suit and you in your fanciest clothing, you weren’t expecting him to take you to a cheap pizza restaurant.

“Loosen up a little will you” You couldn’t understand how he wasn’t embarrassed to be so overdressed in such a place. Sure the pizza here was good, but you didn’t need to wear your diamond necklace to eat some cheesy bread.

But in his eyes, this was perfect. This was where the two of you had your first date eight years ago when you were still in high school. When he found out he would be in Chicago for this anniversary he knew you had to come and he knew tonight had to be the night it had to happen, he would finally ask you to marry him. To become his wife.

Yet tonight, you seemed so gorgeous, was it the hometown air? Or just his love growing? He didn’t know but it didn’t matter, either way, it made him incredibly nervous. When the food came out and the conversation started, you had calmed down. Forgetting your anger and embarrassment, just enjoying the night with the man you had been lucky enough to be with for the last eight years.

As the meal came to an end, he knew it was time to finally ask the big questions. His hands fiddled with the small box in his suit pocket, trying to find the courage to bring it out and ask as he watched you laugh about whatever story you were telling. But he couldn’t find the words, the ringing in his ears freezing everything around until all he could see was your bright smile and feel the velvet in his pocket.

“You alright?” You pulled him back out to safety, saved him from drowning as you did many times. His hands retreated back to his lap, cursing himself as he avoided the task.

“Yeah, are you ready to get going?” With full stomachs and sore cheeks from laughing, you made your way out of the pizza place, the cold night air instantly sending shivers down your bare skin.

“John” You made grabby hands at him, letting him know you needed him closer from warmth. “I’m cold”

“Of course” He chuckles, laugh steaming up in the icy air. Just like many times before, you let your hands slip forward into his pockets with his own hands. Sharing the warmth. It was something you often did on date nights when your hands began to get cold.

But he forgot about what he was hiding in those pockets. By the time he realised, it was too late. Both of your eyes going wide as both of you realised your mistakes.

“Johhny-” Your hands fall away from his pockets, leaving his hands empty and the box intact. You can feel your own eyes tearing up, heart pounding in your ears as you try to process how the next events are going to play out.

“I-, um” He took a deep breath, hand pushing back his hair as he swallowed his fear. No backing out now. With a shaky hand, he reached back into his pocket and pulled out the box. “I was supposed to do this earlier, but, well I don’t really know what happened?” His laughter was intended to hide his nervousness but you could see right through his glossy eyes.

“Oh my god, Johnny” Your breathing got heavier as you watched him get on one knee, not caring about the dirty sidewalk ruining his suit.

“Y/N, I have been lucky enough to spend the last eight years with you by my side. And I can’t express how much you being there has improved my life. You are kind and caring and to be honest, way out of my league”

You try to laugh at his stupid joke, but instead, it only makes the tears come out harder, your nose sniffling to try and stop the snot from ruining the moment. But the way you’re crying on a Chicago sidewalk may already be the end of your nice moment.

“So Y/N L/N, will you allow me to have the honour of having your hand in marriage? In being in your life for the rest of time? Will you marry me?” You can barely get the words out, mouth falling open despite no sounds coming out. Your hands reach down and cup his, both of you shaking in each other's hold. “Um, is that a yes?”

“Yes! Oh my god yes!” He stands, the biggest smile you’ve ever seen on his face. It takes a couple of tries for him to fit the ring on your finger, but when he does, he feels complete. The way the band shines under the light makes his heart jump.

“I love you” You can taste the tears on his face as he holds you close and gives you a proper kiss. But for him, you would go through any uncomfortable scenario. His love and soul are worth more than anything to you.

Because even after eight years with him, you can’t wait to spend another lifetime by his side.

#unfortunatus: paradiso #NCTmentary.net #nct #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct reactions #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct 127 #nct 127 x reader #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 reactions #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 fluff #johnny #johnny suh #johnny x reader #johnny imagines #johnny fluff

[badwithten]

〉mark x fem!reader

〉word count 624

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for anon! i hope this was fluffy enough haha <3

Unlike you, Mark was a semi-early riser. Up before you most days anyway. Whether it was because of his schedule or he just became restless in bed, you would often wake up to find Mark away from the bed, eating in the kitchen or just standing in the shower.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” You would pout, head resting against his back as he continued on with his morning tasks.

“You don’t even look awake now” He would laugh, turning to hold you in his arms and smother in you in giggly kisses. “And you look peaceful sleeping, my love”

Despite his never-ending argument that he doesn’t mind you sleeping in and that he doesn’t want to disturb you. You would go through this routine every morning. Not that either of you minded. If often ended with you dragging him back to bed where you would spend the start of your morning cuddling.

But this morning seemed different. Usually, you would awaken to the sound of something dropping in the shower or the soft sound of Mark singing whatever tune was stuck in his head. Instead, a soft hand was resting on your arm, gently shaking you to consciousness as the voice calling you became clearer.

“Y/N, wake up” You finally opened your eyes, seeing Marks happy face looking down at yous.

“Mark?” You were still half asleep and confused, but you knew by the playful sparkle in his eyes that he was up to something.

“Quick sit up” He didn’t give you the chance to do it on your own, tugging you up a little forcefully to sit you close to him, resting with your back against your chest.

“What is it?”

“Check the time” He spoke against the bare skin of your neck, goosebumps ravelling your body as you lent over to view the clock on the wall.

“11:10? What?”

“Just wait” And so you did, sitting against him in silence. Feeling his heartbeat against your back and his lips against your neck. You let your head fall back, resting against his shoulder, you could fall asleep again. His warmth and smell making you relax. You stayed like that for another minute before he spoke again.

“11:11, make a wish” His words came out fast and rushed before he blew a raspberry onto your exposed neck. You yelped and pushed yourself away from him. When you look at him again his eyes are scrunched shut, looking like a kid making a wish on his birthday. Which is exactly what he was doing, did he really believe this 11:11 stuff?

“Mark, are you serious?”

“Quick! You’ll miss your chance” His eyes flew open again, a large grin on his face. When you made no move to ‘make your wish’ he grabbed your arms, pushing you onto your back as he hovered over you.

“Mark!” You laughed as he startled tickling your sides, desperately trying to kick him off but he kept going until the clock changed to 11:12.

“Aww, you didn’t get to make a wish, did you?” He finally let off, sitting up again as you continue to lay on the messy bed.

“Of course not!” You playfully kick his leg, fully awake now. “Do you really believe that your wish is going to come true?”

“I hope so” He pulls you up again, much nicer this time, to hold your face close to his, placing a kiss onto your lips.

“What did you wish for?”

“Can’t say” You feel him smile against the kiss, you sigh at his childish behaviour but you can’t deny that it’s cute.

He kissed you again and again, knowing that his wish was already true. A wish for your everlasting love.

#NCTmentary.net #unfortunatus: paradiso #nct #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct scenarios #nct reactions #nct 127 #nct dream #mark #mark lee #mark x reader #mark imagines #mark scenarios #mark reactions #mark fluff

[badwithten]

〉haechan x fem!reader

〉word count 591

〉warnings mentions of drinking and hangovers

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for anon! ahh this was fun to write so i hope you enjoy <3

“Mrs Lee” You offer her a big smile, usually you wouldn’t see her in the mornings, Donghyuck answering the door, but something about today was different wasn’t it.

“Is that boy supposed to be ready by now?” Her eyebrows furrow and you nervously nod. “Sorry, he hasn’t come downstairs yet, but come in and I’ll give him a yell”

She steps aside and lets you enter her home, her friendly manner disappearing as she stomps up the stairs. “Haechan!”

“What?! I’m up” You take your place at the dining table, searching the walls of the familiar house for family photos and old memories. The yelling upstairs dies down, you don’t feel awkward about it though. His family was yours and you laughed at the playful relationship he had with his mum. “And don’t call me that!”

Mrs Lee comes back down was a disappointed look on her face. returning to the tea she was drinking at the table. “He usually doesn’t sleep in, I’m sorry”

“It’s ok, we shouldn’t be too late” The clock still read just past eight, the walk from his house to school wasn’t too long but you usually got there with only minutes to spare. “He must have had a late-night”

“I hope not!” Her voice is loud, making you smile. “He knows he’s supposed to be home by 10”

Before you can reply, Haechan calls for you from his room. You excuse yourself and head up, dumping your bag on his bed before joining him in the bathroom. “Why are you so late?” You grin at him from over his shoulder, catching his face in the mirror.

“You know why” He pouts, turning around and resting his arms on your shoulders to bring you closer. “If you didn’t take me out last night I wouldn’t be so hungover”

“Whatever, I didn’t force you to go, you big baby” You give him what he’s been waiting for a place a kiss onto his lips. Pulling away before he’s satisfied and stepping away. “Now hurry up before we get even later”

He finishes cleaning himself up and grabs his bag, the two of you heading out to start your long walk to school. It isn’t til you leave out the front door that you notice the rain beginning to pour.

“Oh come on” He brushes his now wet hair out of his face, pulling his hoodie over his head.

“This is your fault you know!” You do the same, yelling over to him as the two of you begin to make a run for it. “If you had been ready on time we would have missed the rain”

“Shut up, at least it can’t get any worse” Just as the words leave his mouth, you see him fall out of your vision, his foot slipping against a wet leaf as he tumbles to the floor. Skidding onto the concert with a thud. “Shit”

His defeated eyes look up at you through the rain, but he doesn’t say anything, only watching as you struggle to catch your breath through the laughing fit. He swears he can see a tear leave your eye, or is it just the rain?

“Are you going to help me up?” Once you’ve calmed down and he’s been soaked with rain from the ground, he finally asks, hand reaching out for you.

“Come on, that was funny!”

“Don’t test me, my head hurts”

“That’s not my problem that you can’t handle your drinks”

“Oh says Miss ‘goes home after two drinks’”

“Hang on a secon-”

#NCTmentary.net #unfortunatus: paradiso #nct #nct x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct reactions #nct fluff #nct dream #nct dream x reader #nct dream reactions #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #haechan #haechan x reader #haechan imagines #haechan scenarios #haechan fluff #donghyuck

[badwithten]

〉hendery x fem!reader

〉word count 434

〉warnings nudity??? kinda

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for anon! sorry this is kind of short, a lot of these are cuddling and i didn't want it to be too repetitive 

Wrapped up in his arms, bare skin pressing into each other, morning odours and all. You were his and you got to experience it every morning. The gleeful smile, puffy face and groggy thoughts.

Hot summer nights spent out on the beach or midnight walks lead to morning sleep-ins. No matter how hot it may be, he insisted on cuddling you to sleep. Claiming he couldn’t rest without you. And even if you separated during the night, face flushed hot, you’d find his arm back around your waist, his face in your chest and his sticky skin against yours.

“Hendery” You groaned out his name, pushing him away in your half-asleep state. It was too hot for cuddling and the intense heat had woken you up. He didn’t reply, only pulling you in closer with a hum. The both of you slept mostly naked on hot nights like these, the only thing covering your bodies are the thin sheets of your bed. Meaning you can feel every bit of his burning skin, the thin layer of sweat making you feel gross as you pull away to cool yourself down.

“Don’t get up yet” He mumbles his last words into your skin as you finally sit up, his head falling away from you and into the pillow with a groan. You can finally catch a breath of air, calming yourself down and tugging the sheet up to your body. Hendry's back lays exposed out into the air, his head down into the pillow. As much as he looks peaceful sleeping, you think he deserves some payback for trying to cook you this morning.

You lower your head and place a raspberry onto his back, the sensation startles him awake, making him jump up and push you away. “Y/N!” He laughs, eyes sparkling as he watches you giggle. “Why?” He slumps again, face hiding into your shoulder.

“Because,” You shove him off, letting him fall back down onto the bed. You love moments like this, where you get to see the real him. Fresh-faced, lying awake and exposed in the sun. His features are relaxed but you can tell he’s paying attention to every word you say, despite the childish nature of your conversation. “It’s too hot”

“You always say that you big baby” He tugs at your arm, pulling you back down into his chest. As much as you hate the heat, feeling his warmth brings you back to a state of comfort.

“You're the baby” You pour into his skin, feeling his body vibrate with his laugh. “Can’t even sleep without cuddling me”

#wayvhoursnet #unfortunatus: paradiso #NCTmentary.net #nct #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct reactions #nct scenarios #wayv #wayv imagines #wayv x reader #wayv reactions #wayv scenarios #hendery #hendery x reader #hendery imagines #hendery reaction #hendery scenarios #hendery fluff #wayv fluff #nct fluff

[badwithten]

〉ten x fem!reader

〉word count 529

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for anon! ok this is honestly so cute and i can imagine this happening a lot bc my cat is a bitch and does the same but enjoy LMAO <3

It wasn't often you got mornings together with Ten. Either of you leaving for work before the other got up. Even on weekends with Tens unusual schedule. So today was a lucky day, one that would happen once in a blue moon when your off days overlapped. You went to bed with high hopes for the next morning. Getting to see your boyfriend's morning face, his scruffy stubble and uneven hair. Or hearing his morning voice, deep and gravely, a reminder of the home he had brought into your life. This was an activity you had taken for granted in your last relationships. Something that you had just expected to happen whenever you stayed at your partner’s house. What you did not accept was it would happen less once you had moved in with one.

But Ten was the expectation, he always was. He made you view life differently, got you to live in a way that made you happier. He didn’t force his opinions down your throat or make you change to fit how he liked. He had made a positive impact in your life as time went on. The both of you grew as people, side by side, getting to have two perspectives on the world. You were in love to say the least.

So when your eyes fluttered open and you were met with his face, asleep and calm. You couldn't get rid of your smile. In the low light it was hard to see all of his features but you had seen his face enough to know what he would look like. His lips would be slightly separated, a small snore entering the room. Eyes resting shut, with lashes kissing his cheeks. Speaking of, they would be flushed pink, hot from sleeping.

Since this was such a rare occasion, you wanted to savour this moment with him. Your hand gently held his face closer as you placed a feather light kiss on his forehead. But soon all peace was thrown out the window. Sounds of two sets of paws happily stomping on the wooden falls and soon two thumps joined you at the end of the bed. Leon and Louis not caring about the sleep you would have been getting right now as they mowed loudly.

You quietly tried to call them over to you in an effort to shut them up before waking Ten. But it only made things worse as they continued their morning calls and barged their way in between you and Ten. The soft fur and gentle meows stirring him awake. “Y/N?” He slowly rises, sitting up on his arms to find your face. Instead was met with the wet nose of a cat in his closed eyes. “What’s happening?”

“The kids are here” You smiled, accepting the early morning wake up call as Louis makes himself comfortable on your chest.

“What?” Ten is still having a hard time waking up, but as he forces his eyes open it soon clicks. “What's the time?”

“Only just seven” His eyes go wide with a sigh, lying back down and covering his face, Leon playfully swatting his hand for attention.

“For fuc-”

#wayvhoursnet #unfortunatus: paradiso #NCTmentary.net #nct #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct reactions #nct scenarios #superm #ten #ten x reader #ten imagines #ten scenarios #ten fluff #ten reaction

[badwithten]

〉yangyang x fem!reader

〉word count 888

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for anon <3 i’d love to hear your thoughts! i’m not very good at writing fluff or cuddling but hopefully you enjoy

Yangyang, of course, loved you very dearly. His dedication to your relationship over the past year was evidence of that. But the things he more specifically loved about you. Well, that was a long list. He loved the colour of your eyes against any light, the way they searched the room full of hope and happiness, the way they delivered all your emotions alongside your words and moved him. He loved when you would grip onto his sleeve, scared of the crowd he brought on because of his career. He loved that despite being camera shy, you could push through your fear and love him unconditionally. He loved your voice when it would go quiet as you express your deeper thoughts or how it would explode with excitement when talking about your favourite show. Or the way it would crack when having to deal with any of his large number of colleagues. The last one was probably a bit mean to tease you about, but he loved when you got embarrassed. Oh, and he loved how you hated cliches.

You hated them with a passion and you refused to go along with any of his shenanigans. If he asked you to join him on the rooftop for a kiss in the rain, you would tell him off for trying to get the both of you sick. You would never ask him to kill or remove any bugs you saw, being able to do so yourself, which he was glad, he hated bugs. Never once did you need him to open a jar, the one time he joked about it, you handed the jar over to him and watched him struggle to turn it the wrong way for a few minutes before giving in. You didn't ask to wear his sweatshirts or clothing, knowing that he protected his expensive clothing with his life. And although he didn't mind those things, it made it hard for him to show you his feelings.

He based all his tips and tricks off of cheesy movies he had seen. Or he took advice from Ten, who was also taking advice from unrealistic k-dramas. So at first, it was frustrating that you didn't take to any of his stupid romantic gestures. Eventually, he became grateful, it made him more open with his feelings, coming up with different ways that actually expressed his love, rather than a cheap box of chocolates and a couple of roses.

But once cliche he was happy you didn’t hate, was cuddling. It was hard for you to admit, but you found such comfort in his touch and warmth. It helped ground you and bring you home. His heart beating calming you down. When he first found out that you truly desired to just be held by him and be told calming words, he teased you.

“Aww does my cliche hating girlfriend want me to hug her like in those movies?” You pouted and turned, refusing to hug him for the rest of the night until he wrapped you in his arms and brought you into his chest.

At first, it was pretty random whenever you wanted to cuddle. There were the obvious times like when he was leaving the next day or when you were watching a movie. But other times you would come home without a word, jumping into his arms and expecting him to know what to do next. Which he learnt after only a couple of times. But it soon became clear to him what was really causing it. Stress. When exam season started, your cuddle sessions became a lot more frequent. Him waiting with open arms as soon as you came home from your classes.

And tonight it was practically bad. Despite having such an important exam the next day, you couldn’t get your brain to relax. Stress keeping you awake with unimportant thoughts about failure and success. You tried your best to stay quiet with all your tossing and turning, but it must have gotten too much at some point, Yangyang stirring awake, voice still hoarse from his sleep as he speaks to you.

“Is that you?” He sits up and blindly reaches up to where you would be sleeping, but you’re eyes are wide open as he places a hand gently on your face, feeling your eyelashes flutter against his fingertips. You sigh and take his hand, sitting up and playing with his fingers. “What are you doing up?”

“I can’t sleep” You feel better already just hearing his voice so rough and broken at such early hours of the morning.

“Stressed?”

“Yeah” He lies back down, leaving his arm open for you to cuddle into. You already know the drill moving into his side right away and feeling a wave of relief as you meet his chest.

“Time to sleep now baby” He places a kiss on your forehead, tightening his arm around you. One hand finds your head, gently patting it until he gives in to sleep. But it’s ok because soon you join him, his heartbeat making you drift off.

Because as much as you hated cliches, it was hard to deny that being in Yangyangs arms felt like home. His scent was nostalgic, his warmth like a cup of tea of a cold winters day. He was your comfort.

#wayvhoursnet #unfortunatus: paradiso #NCTmentary.net #nct #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct reactions #nct scenarios #wayv #wayv x reader #wayv imagines #wayv timestamps #nct timestamps #yangyang #yangyang x reader #yangyang imagines #yangyang scenarios #yangyang reaction

[badwithten]

〉sungchan x fem!reader

〉word count 1k

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for @amaryllisray​ i feel like i had a fever dream while writing this idk what happened, its kinda shitty but enjoy <3

Sungchan was a very attentive person, putting time and care into whatever he was doing. It made for cute moments whenever it was his turn to cook dinner or when he picked out a movie for the two of you to watch. And you appreciated it. Although sometimes being woken up at seven in the morning because he thought you were wasting too much of your day was frustrating. You knew the kid had good intentions.

With quarantine keeping you locked inside your tiny apartment, you had been spending a lot of time with your roommate. Discovering things about him that you hadn’t noticed in the past year of your college life. Did he always have empty ears? You had sworn you had seen a shining piece of metal hanging off of them before. What about when he wasted you in Just Dance, was he always that good at dancing? It made you realize that while your roommate had been paying attention and befriending you, you really didn’t know much about him.

Sure he was nice with a cute smile, but what else was there about him? Exams and studies had kept your mind occupied. But now that you were free from all of that, it gave you a chance to talk to him properly. Actually appreciate his words and thoughts without the distant thought of your next quiz in the back of your mind.

But you had recently discovered his desire to visit a famous restaurant a couple of hours away from where the two of you lived. Without a car and no public transport available, he was stuck at home. This was the perfect time to offer him a ride to the restaurant. And maybe being stuck in the car with him for a few hours would make you pay a bit more attention to him.

Just like you had expected he was pretty excited to go. Planning his outfit out the night before like a kid going on a field trip. Which is why it made you feel like shit when stuff started to go wrong. First, you overslept and had to rush to get ready. Your car seemed to be way dirtier than you remembered and your card declined at the restaurant meaning Sungchan had to pay for it anyway.

“I’m so sorry about today,” The sun had left the sky, the two of you driving back in the dark. “I really wanted it to be a fun trip but I kind of ruined it”

“I still had fun, don’t worry about it” It was hard to tell if he was being genuine or just trying not to make you feel bad. But it worked, calming you down a little. Now the only thing you had to worry about was driving the two of you back home safely.

But even that seemed to be a challenge as your engine sputtered and slowed down, giving you barely enough time to turn off of the road. Your eyes went wide as you watched the scene unfold, the flashing empty light on the gas, the bouncing of your car and then the view of a snowy field as you moved off of the road.

“I thought we would make it” Your voice was small, broken as you tried to think about what to do next. But you were defeated, a state of exhaustion coming over you at the late hour of the night after a busy day out. When you were running late this morning, you didn’t want to lose any time at your reservation so you insisted that you would make it there and back with the gas left in your car. But you were just proved very wrong.

“Did we just run out of petrol?” You don’t reply, hiding your face in the steering wheel with a groan. Before he can reply or ask another question, you open the door and slide out of the car. Shutting the door in his face as he leans over to see what you’re doing.

The air outside is a lot colder than what you had expected, arms wrapping around your body as you feel your face go frosty. You can see your breath in the moonlight, looking up into the empty sky.

“Y/N?” Sungchan joins you outside, standing by the edge of the road where a thick layer of snow has formed. You walk over to him, struggling to see his face in such a dark night.

“I’m really sorry Sungchan, I’ll try to call my insurance.” His arm wraps around your shoulders, pulling you into his side for a comforting hug. One that also warms you slightly. “I really wanted today to be fun, I just ruined everything. This is my fault. I really am sorry”

“Aw Y/N,” You can feel the tears forming in your eyes, guilt for ruining what was supposed to be a fun day eating you alive. “Not everything is your fault, you can’t take the blame for it all. These things just happen sometimes”

You look at him, eyes sparkling and a small smile at his words. “But this time it totally is all your fault” But then it's pulled all away again.

“What?!” Before you can step back and get a reply, his arm pulls you back, letting go with a swing and his airy laugh as you fall back into the snow. “Sungchan!”

You freeze up, body going tense at the sudden cold and wet snow surrounding your body the further you sink down. You watch his silhouette as he laughs at you but it's not long before he copies jumping face down into the snow. Despite the day you ruined, he managed to save the night.

Another thing you failed to notice about Sunchan was that he was an easygoing person. You didn't need to stress the small things around him. He just appreciated the thought no matter what is was. So even though things didn't go to plan today, he got to spend time with you. And that's all that mattered to him. Laughing in the winter night, throwing snow at each other while you're stranded on an empty highway. To him, it was the perfect way to end a day that didnt go to plan. Because he knew you had good intentions.

#unfortunatus: paradiso #NCTmentary.net #nct #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct reactions #nct scenarios #nct fluff #sungchan #sungchan imagines #sungchan x reader #sungchan fluff

[badwithten]

〉jeno x fem!reader

〉word count 912

〉warnings drinking, mentions of vaping, vomit

〉from my 500 follower event

〉for @chiffonymark​ i was going to make this super angsty but i decided against is,,, you have been spared another day ENJOY THOUGH LMAO <3

You had arrived at the party with Jeno on your arm, both of you looking and feeling good, ready to spend the night drinking and dancing together. But you soon spilt up and here you are. Sitting on the bench outside of your friend’s apartment, the cold wind of the early hours keeping you awake and on edge as the alcohol in your system keeps you warm and tries to make you sleep. But you fight it knowing Jeno will be here soon.

“Y/N?” His familiar voice makes you sit up, turning to see where he’s coming from. You watch with love in your eyes as he jogs to you under the bright street lamps, his breath visible in the air.

“Hi,” You don’t make a move as he gets closer, arms hugging over your body to keep what little warmth you had left in.

“What are you doing out here? It’s freezing” He doesn’t let you stay dormant though, pulling off his jacket and throwing it over your shoulders. “Let’s go home”

His jacket and scent bring you back a little, willing to move as he helps you up. But the alcohol is still buzzing, your senses on fire as he walks with his arm around you to keep you close. “Jeno you’re so pretty” His side profile is lit up by the moon, skin glowing and red from the cold.

A breathy laugh comes up as he looks at you. “So are you baby” His words come easy as he gives you a kiss. Lips warm against your forehead. “You’re still so cold”

“It’s ok” He sighs, knowing that it’s not really. That later you’ll be feeling the cold real bad, maybe even get upset at him. But he supposes that right now, things are ok. Walking down the empty street on a quiet night in the lost world, with you by his side is the only place he wants to be right now.

The party you two had been at wasn’t the most exciting. It was small, just a group of college kids drinking and dancing. He mainly went for you, he didn’t know anyone else or really care for parties. But you had invited him and who was he to say no. So it was disappointing for him when you got pulled away by a friend right away. Although he managed to keep an eye on you for the whole night. If he was vaping in the corner he could see you on the dance floor, when he was playing beer pong, you were drinking with a friend. As soon as he lost sight of you, he left the party, soon finding out you went home with a friend. Despite the two of you not making it official yet, he had this weird sense of protection over you. Was it creepy for him to be watching you the whole time? Maybe, but he didn’t know anyone here, he couldn’t trust them.

But seeing you again, sitting alone in the night reminded him of why he fell for you in the first place. Your independence, like a sturdy rock against the wreckage of the ocean. His everchanging emotions, his rages and his highs. You were still always there. Always protecting him and watching over him. So tonight, it was his turn to be the sturdy one. To make sure you get home safe as you stumble down the street drunk.

“Y/N please” He begs for you to slow down but he can’t take you seriously as you hang off his arm, pulling him forward, using his strength to your advantage.  As if your small burst of energy ran out, you collapse onto the sidewalk, lying and looking up at the sky. “It’s late, can we please get you home?”

“Jeno” You groan at the movement as he pulls you up, needing to support you more than he did earlier.

“Y/N I love you but this is ridiculous”

“Oh~ he loves me!” You sing out, laughing in his face before burying it into his chest.

“Shut up” His hand rest against your head, patting it and trying to bring you up again. His face fulls up with heat as he thinks about your words. “Not in that way”

But he’s lying. That way is exactly how he meant but he was hoping you were too drunk to hear him. Yet even though he was only lying to himself, it felt so wrong when his feelings were so strong. It was now or never to finally express his thoughts. “I do like you though, I mean I guess it’s a bit obvious isn’t it?” Laughing to himself as he holds your slumping body against him. “But I was wondering if you felt the same if you wanted to take ‘us’ further”

“Nows probably not the time, but uh, I think I love you” It takes everything out of him to say those three words as he means it, not like the cheesy lines he spoke earlier. But when you don’t reply, it brings him right back down. “Y/N?”

“I’m gonna-” You have to push him away, falling onto your hands and knees against the edge of the grass as a wave of vomit passes through your lips.

“Oh Y/N” He finds himself laughing again, kneeling next to you and rubbing your back, helping you bring up the alcohol. Was this all his love was good for?

#NCTmentary.net #unfortunatus: paradiso #nct #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct fluff #nct reactions #nct scenarios #nct dream #nct dream x reader #nct dream fluff #nct dream imagines #nct dream reactions #nct dream scenarios #jeno #lee jeno #jeno x reader #jeno imagines #jeno fluff #jeno scenarios #jeno reactions