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#wayv au
softsan · 6 months
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NCT WEREWOLF AU (AESTHETIC)
A remake of this: X
Taeyong
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alpha
seven hundred and one years old
suspicious and dubious of humans
puts his pack above all
can be rash and unforgiving
encounters his mate on a non-routine hunt
mate: councilman's daughter
Taeil
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elder
eight hundred and fifty-six years old
oldest member of the pack
works as an adviser to the alpha and the betas
breaks up and resolves pack conflicts
stumbles onto his mate who's wearing a disguise
mate: physician
Johnny
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hunter
four hundred and eighty-nine years old
has the best sense of smell in the pack
the pack's number-one tracker.
exceptional at mauling his enemies.
left heartbroken by his mate's rejection
mate: rival pack member
Yuta
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hunter
four hundred and sixty-seven years old
incredibly quick and stealthy
is labeled the 'ambusher' for his cut-throat hunting tactics
despises the prospect of a mate
believes fate is cruel and callous
mate: city guardian
Kun
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beta
six hundred and eighteen years old
second in command
rules in taeyong's absence
known to be morally strict and stern
goes against his beliefs by stealing his mate away
mate: stolen bride
Doyoung
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delta
five hundred and thirty-two years old  
is the support unit of the pack
on standby to fulfill the duties of ill or injured packmates
finds himself in a hopeless situation
accidentally marks his mate in a poisoned haze
mate: north's princess
Ten
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head scout
five hundred and sixteen years old
has an unparalleled control of his inner wolf
works as the pack's eyes and ears in the city
warns the pack of dangers outside their territory
overcomes his heartbreak by meeting a nifty pickpocket
mate: thief
Jaehyun
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delta
four hundred and forty-nine years old
strongest member of the pack
formidable opponent in battle
responsible for guarding the pack's territory
comes across his mate in the scorching sands
mate: she-wolf
Winwin
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sentinel
four hundred and three years old
routinely patrols the pack's territory
greats new visitors and learns their intentions
will harshly punish aggressive and disrespectful intruders
accidentally kidnaps his mate instead of his actual target
mate: royal governess
Jungwoo
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scout
three hundred and twenty-one years old
has great command of his inner wolf
can avoid shifting on a full moon
gathers and shares information for the pack
blown away by his sweet mate
mate: royal maidservant
Mark
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delta
three hundred and twelve years old
known to be sunny but stubborn
incredibly fast learner
teaches hunting skills to younger pack members
saved by his mysterious and magical mate
mate: thread coven witch
Renjun
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salutary
two hundred and sixty-three years old
is the pack's herbalist
makes tonics and concoctions for his fellow wolves
plagued by dreams of the past
gives the cold shoulder to his mate
mate: old soul
Jeno
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hunter
two hundred forty-eight years old
a distinguished pack fighter
often organizes hunts
is the first to volunteer to go on nightly patrols
captured by his formidable mate
mate: general's daughter
Haechan
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omega
two hundred and twenty-four years old
rash and impulsive
has poor control over his inner wolf
frustrated by his low status within the pack
taken in by his beloved mate
mate: baker
Jaemin
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hunter
two hundred and twenty-two years old
very talented tracker
is the most versed with their territory's terrain
lovestruck by the idea of love and fate
has his memory wiped by his elusive mate
mate: siren
Xiaojun
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scout
one hundred and eleven years old
has mastered controlling his inner beast
recently elevated to the position of scout
is eager to prove himself within the pack
rescues his mate from the cruelty of humans
mate: seer
Hendery
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hunter
eighty-three years old
loves running under the moon's light
known for his great speed and stealth
recently elevated to the position of hunter
taken down by his fearless mate
mate: assassin
YangYang
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omega
twenty-three years old
only recently had his first transformation
is the pack's forager
searches for plants and provisions to help feed the pack
is reunited with his childhood friend and mate
mate: greenskeeper
Chenle
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pup
twenty-two years old
is eager for his first transformation
spent his early years on the run with his aunt
thankful to be accepted into a pack
ambushed by his wicked mate
mate: star coven witch
Jisung
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pup
twenty-one years old
is nervous about his first transformation
last to join the pack
spent years hiding underground from humans
shyly taken by his doting mate
mate: seamstress
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sadnightforus · 2 months
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coworker and enemy!yangyang who has been a pain in your ass ever since you joined the company in late September. He was your supervisor and he was helpful and nice before you got switched to be under Kun's wing. ever since that incident, he starts messing with you and your mind. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who looks for an opportunity to jap and even throw a smart remark at you whenever you both are together. You’ve grown so used to his behavior overtime that you aren’t fazed by what he was doing anymore. You began to throw remarks at him too and humiliate him at times for him to have a taste of his own medicine. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who purposely messes up your work items and hide your lunches so he’ll have a reason to say ‘haha loser you look like you’re about to die’ and you’ll be forced to sit through an empty stomach, insanely worn out from both work and his antics.
coworker and enemy!yangyang who always bickers in your social media posts even though you both don’t follow each other. You reciprocate the same energy and oftentimes, even go as far to mess with other people who attempted to flirt in his comment to show him that he will never win this silly little game easily. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who becomes much more meaner when you started getting closer to Sicheng, who is a new member of the team from the other department, and he seems to notice and like you too. He would go as far to say you’re unattractive and not compatible with Sicheng, which you both know is a total lie, but for some reason, you got affected by what he said. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who became worried as you began to be so much more quieter, distant and you stopped responding to his antics as your attention is solely directed on your works. He instantly feels like shit and even filled with rage when he notices that you have become much more affectionate with Sicheng too. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who often punches the pillows and gets drunk, murmuring about how he hates that you’re so distant and looks at Sicheng like he’s your world while Yangyang himself probably amounts to nothing in your eyes and he wishes that you’d reciprocated his love too. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who gets drunk and complains to his friends about how you have heart eyes for another ‘scumbag’ in his company, slurring all of his drunken thoughts about how he has been in love with you for so long and he just doesn’t know how to express all of those thoughts properly so he resorted to picking on you instead. He was mad that instead of you noticing him, you gave attention to another worthless guy who doesn’t deserve a dime of your time. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who one day works late overtime and gets out, thinking no one would be in the building. Surprisingly, he spots you, who seems to be equally as beaten down by the work as him. He walks to you, doesn’t have the heart to tease as it has been so long and you’re startled by how quiet he has become right at this moment. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who strangely enjoys the comfortable silence, without bickering just once as you both are taking a long walk, exiting the company’s ground. He was doing good until you hit him with the question ‘So.. a little birdie that you like me. Is that correct?’ in the most teasing voice ever and he swears he wants to die. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who begins to panic, while wondering who could be the snitch on him as his mouth quickly responds ‘No I don’t, you’re just egoistical.’ to which you respond with ‘Oh yeah? Then why have you been raving about how pretty I am to your friends and how you hate Sicheng so much?’ 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who becomes silent as he knows you have defeated him in this, then you laugh, the loudest and most genuine laugh he had ever heard since he knew you. ‘That’s my cousin, you’re so dumb.’ Then you laugh even harder, as you continue speaking ‘If you pay attention, you’d notice that I use Sicheng to get back at you for being emotionally constipated and bullying your crush as your love language.’ 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who becomes red in the face as he gets exposed as he tries to speak ‘Wait! I can explain-‘ and he just ends up stuttering half way when he does. You find it adorable how he has a new different side to him. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who becomes ecstatic once he heard the ‘You know, I think you’re so dumb that you never really noticed I like you either the way I harassed at least half of the girls who follows you on Instagram’ and he doesn’t care for anything else as he leans in to kiss your cheeks. 
coworker and enemy!yangyang who ends up working his courage to ask you out on a date and finally working out on getting his enemy as his baby. 
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COPYRIGHTED BY SADNIGHTFORUS, 2024
A/N: it's probably better if i write an au but I can't handle it so enjoy.
reblogs, comments and likes are appreciated!
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dr-qian · 3 months
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backburner // q.k
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kun x reader
"hey, i want that"
i told him while pointing at the lonely chips bag lying flat in the shelf on front of me.
it seems like people did not bother to buy it today, i don't know if it's because they don't like the flavor or it's just gonna expire soon.
either way, i'll take it home 'cause I pity it. like how i should be for myself.
"take it if you want it, i'll pay for it anyway" he mumbled the last part, and I chuckled.
and then suddenly i jumped on his back and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"you serious?" i asked as I squished my cheek onto his.
"get off me" he said while quietly laughing, pushing me off his back, conscious that the few customers there could see us like that.
so I granted his wish and hopped down. i'm still smiling.
"yeah, i'm serious, just take what you want..." he said while continuing to roam around the aisles.
and so i got what i want...
"how about you? are you going to get something?"
"i'm good with this" he lifted the coca-cola can in his right hand.
We walked towards the sleepy cashier near the exit, suddenly jolting up when he heard the sound of the can landing on the marbled counter.
then i started staring at his face while he fishes for his brown wallet in his jeans' pocket.
and i stared.
and i stared.
and i stared.
"hey, let's leave now" kun snapped his fingers on front me, stopping me from staring at him too much.
he's used to it. i'm used to it. so it doesn't really matter i guess...
he was about to lead me out of the store, carrying the paper bag, when suddenly raindrops started pouring.
"shit, let's just stay here for a while..." he told me, pushing me gently back inside the store.
i said nothing as I went back to looking at his face.
"you know, your staring won't change anything between us..." he finally looked at me, then looked out the glass window walls to see if the rain finally stops.
"i'm sorry i can't help it, it just gets worse everytime i'm with you..." i mumbled the last part.
suddenly, the floor is so pretty to look at.
i felt that he looked at me again, taking a long pause before saying the next brutal words for me.
"you know i'll never be in love with you, right?"
shit. uhh, that hurts. like really fucking hurts.
i nodded in agreement.
"i hate that you keep torturing yourself for this..." he said to me. pitying me for what i am to him
"no, don't be...I...I'm just hoping that we w-would continue being friends like, this..I" a tear accidentally came out of my eye as I tried to explain it to him.
he stood there in silence.
"I just still want to be someone you can lean on to, even if you don't really like me back or anything, no, I...just want to be your friend..."
now i can't stop my tears from coming out. i'm glad that the cashier finally gave in and slept so he wouldn't hear me sobbing at the corner because of the man right beside me.
i can't really look at him straight in the eyes because he's going to hurt me more, so my eyes just wandered everywhere around the store, avoiding his..face.
i know that kun doesn't really know how to react to this, to me.
so he just pulled me by the hand to keep me close to him, my left cheek on his chest as he rubbed up and down my back to calm me down from crying.
my hands gave in to him, and weakly held onto the hem of his shirt to keep him close to me even more.
and it helped me calm down, but the pain of it was still lingering inside me...
and i'm already okay with that.
now playing: backburner by niki
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meiideryz · 3 months
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oh i'm looking for affection.
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pairing: qian kun x reader
length: 1.07k words
synopsis: kun is just hopelessly in love with you.
tags: alternative universe, friends to lovers au, road trip, friend!kun, implied pining, implied rejection, one-sided attraction, fluff
warnings: none.
the sound of the car engine is now blowing up kun's ears, completely remembering that he was at the backseat while ten was at the front, driving his car.
of course, he recalled losing in a bet with ten that resulted in lending his car to ten for the rest of the week. he wasn't afraid because of the thought of ten crashing his car, ten knew the consequences after all.
for ten's last day of borrowing kun's one and only car, he suggested that kun should come to the road trip together with their other friends. kun asked if you were coming the night before the day of the plan as you responded happily during your call with him.
on the day of the road trip, everybody packed their essentials and valuable stuff in their bags as kun placed each of the heavy objects inside the truck, keeping it neat and tidy. you and yangyang were obviously inside the car, playing with your phones to buy time while kun talked to ten outside, setting up the map and destination of the place you were all going.
kun sneaked a good amount of glances towards your direction through the tinted windows of the car, silently watching you scrolling through your phone feeling bored. then his eyes fixed back at ten, who kind of knew what was going on.
“oh? am i smelling love in the air?” a hint of tease displayed in his voice while he tried nudging the older’s elbow. kun was used to this, and he wasn't gonna show reaction and give in.
“i have no idea what you're talking about.”
“oh, come on.” he dramatically sighed, tired of kun trying to act like nothing's going on. ten could read him like an open book and there was no way he could escape him when he knew something.
eventually, both of them get inside the car. since yangyang was in the passenger's seat, he had no choice but to walk around and get in the backseat with you. it got a bit awkward when he was finally seated next to you, so he tried to lift up the mood, waving at you.
“hey.”
“you’re here!” you beamed, taking one of your earphones off.
kun was taken aback when you reached the other piece of the earphones to him, he was about to reject the offer but the bud was already in his ear as the sound of classical music burst into his ear.
kun knew that you knew about his love for classical music, remembering back in the day where he played a lot of pieces on the piano for his performance at some event during his time in university. but he loved playing tchaikovsky's swan lake to you when you were alone together, and that made you love classical music more.
“it's gonna be a long ride,” ten broke the silence before the engine of the car started. “so you might need to sleep for a while, me and kun will be looking out for possible stops for us to eat, ‘kay?”
“aye aye!”
the sky was soon painted into a gradient of blue-orange while the gleaming sun set into the horizon. kun couldn’t seem to sleep after taking a short nap, and he had been helping ten at their directions to get to a nearby stop where they could fill their stomachs.
just as he was about to lean forward to take the phone in his hands to check the GPS, he was halted by a thud and a heavy weight on his shoulder. turning his head to the side, he found your sleeping figure leaning on him. 
in the rearview, he could see the smirk of ten, following the sound of the never-ending teasing. kun tried his best to ignore him and his dumb words, but the words seemed to weigh over his mind. it's been a long time since he had feelings for you and he could still recall the night he took you to the rooftop of his apartment to look up at the stars. 
he recalled that night when he expressed his fondness over you. although you didn’t give him the answer he expected, he never stopped being friends with you. usually friendships last when one gets rejected by the other. to kun, it was dumb and stupid if he would be immature about the rejection, so he didn’t try to distance himself away from you. 
kun was still that caring friend whenever you got to be with him.
he looked at you with that same fondness in his eyes as you leaned more, thinking that he was a pillow. “after all these years, you’re still in love with the same person.” ten broke the silence again. his words were more of a whisper to prevent disrupting you and yangyang’s sleep.
“i can’t help it, how could i not like such a lovely and wonderful person?” kun admitted, his hands ghostly extending over yours, then immediately retracted.
when they realized that it was already dark and they could see a nearby stop to get down to, ten finally pulled over to slowly park the car along with the other parked cars. “wake up everyone, we’re here to stop by and eat dinner.” ten loudly began, his fingers reaching over to yangyang as he shook him by the shoulder. 
kun on the other hand, does his best in waking you up with his soft grip around your hands, gently shaking it. “hey, sleepyhead.” 
his voice filled your ears while you tried fluttering your eyes open. when you realized that you were inches away from his face from all the leaning, you shifted in your seat to fix your position. “oh god, i’m so sorry. was i squishing you?” only a laugh left kun’s lips before shaking his head. “no, but i think you mistook me for a pillow when you were sleeping.” 
he could already see hues of red and pink emerging from your cheeks, burning up at the words. your flushed face made him smile even more, “did i drool?” 
“don’t worry, you didn’t.” rest assured, a sigh left your lips in relief.  
“we stopped by to eat, you coming?” kun added, moving to the side to open the door of the car. he looked back, waiting for you before you set a smile on your face, moving towards him. “yeah, i'm coming.”
©MEIIDERYZ 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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tensmutdepot · 1 year
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Dedication (part 1)
Pairing: Ten Lee x fem/afab!reader
Genre: idol au, slow-ish burn, acquaintances to friends to lovers, major fluff, eventual and abundant smut
Tags: incredibly self-indulgent; Ten is obsessed with Y/N (respectfully, with signs of flourishing mental health); NCT and WayV exist and Ten is in them; college party; alcohol; Y/N's friends are named after aespa members cuz I'm lazy; with guest stars Johnny, Jaehyun, Mark, and Haechan
Summary: Y/N is a creative writing student at a university in a major city. Ten is an idol from one of the most famous k-pop groups in the world. Can I make it anymore obvious?
Word Count: 7.9k
Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
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The vibrations from the booming bass of the music pulsated inside your chest, mingling with your heartbeat. You and your roommate, Karina, had pushed back all of the dining room furniture to create a makeshift dance floor. It wasn’t terribly often that the two of you entertained party guests, but it definitely wasn’t the first time either. You were both fourth-year college students in the area, and the home belonged to Karina’s father. Her father was quite wealthy, and not only that but he loved to spoil his daughter. So when you and Karina had decided to move out on your own while completing your studies, he made sure his daughter and her best friend were both well taken care of. 
The house wasn’t huge, but the main level had an incredibly open floor plan, so it was perfect for converting into a nightclub on a budget. The kitchen was transformed into a bar, the living room a lounge area. There were speakers set up to surround the dining area, which is where you found yourself now, letting your favorite party mix shake through you at top volume while you waited for people to arrive.
Karina was still upstairs getting ready. She didn’t typically take this long, but this time was different because her childhood friend, Jeong Yuno, more affectionately known as Jaehyun, would be attending. When she’d told you his name, you’d shrugged noncommittally, which didn’t seem to be the reaction she was expecting, although you had no idea as to why. You’d met plenty of her friends before. Why should this time be any different?
Your look was simple. You’d styled your hair in the quickest way you knew how while also managing to make it appear deceptively glamorous. Your make-up was simple, too, just some eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. Spritzing perfume on your neck and wrists, you nodded at yourself with approval in the mirror before you’d returned to your bedroom to get dressed.
Tight blue jeans covered your legs, accentuating your ass and calves, and you wore your favorite classic black top tucked into them. The look was completed by a pair of black converse. 
It wasn’t much, and it didn’t take long, but you felt good.
One of your conditions for agreeing to this party was that, as per usual, Karina act as the primary host of the event, and you be allowed to act as one of the crowd. However, one of Karina’s responding conditions was that you help out in the kitchen when liquor needed to be restocked from the stash the two of you kept in the basement. After accepting each other’s conditions, you shook on it, and Karina hopped in the shower.
It’d been a couple of hours since then, and people were meant to be arriving shortly.
As if summoned by your very thoughts, the doorbell rang. Your stomach turned with anxiety at the prospect of having to welcome them in Karina’s stead while she finished getting ready, but she saved you from such a terrible fate, rushing down the stairs as she applied her final layer of lip gloss and shouted, “I got it!” Tucking her lip gloss into the back pocket of her pants, she swung the door open, offering a vibrant greeting to your first guests. From what you could hear, it was Jaehyun and whoever he’d chosen to bring along that had arrived.
The sound of their overly chipper voices ringing from the foyer was your cue to get a drink, and you escaped to the kitchen, pouring yourself a vodka tonic. In general, you tended to prefer sweet drinks because you couldn’t stand the taste of alcohol, but there was something refreshing about vodka and tonic, something that allowed you to believe maybe what you were consuming was actually good for you. The denial, self-aware as it was, brought you a sense of comfort.
After several generous sips, the excited greetings died down in the other room, multiple sets of footsteps now travelling in your direction. You still weren’t quite ready to socialize, especially with new people, so you tipped your red solo cup back and drained it, tossing it in the waste bin under the sink, then started for the hallway in hopes of making it back to the dinette-turned-dancefloor before running into Karina’s guest of honor and his cohorts.
Unfortunately, you weren’t quite quick enough, bumping directly into one of said cohorts when you rounded the corner out of the kitchen. The stranger immediately caught you by the shoulders to help you keep your balance. Their hands were steady and strong. 
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry—”
“No, no, please, I wasn’t paying enough attention, it’s totally my…” Your words trailed off, your mind gone blank as you lifted your gaze to look at the man that you’d just collided with. A blush blazed across your cheeks, the heat of it spreading throughout your entire body, your bone marrow simmering.
You’d never seen someone so confusing. His face was pretty, so pretty you could hardly believe he was real. His features were soft and sharp all at once. His hair, pure black, was a good length, just hitting the back of his neck, although not shaggy or unkempt, and his layered bangs framed his face perfectly, the part in his hair just shy of center. You had the immediate and delirious urge to run your fingers through it. 
And if that bit of him wasn’t confusing enough, the rest of him was so much worse. His neck was long and pronounced, almost feminine if not for the obvious Adam's apple protruding from it. His shoulders were broad but not intimidating. His chest and arms were prominent in the fitted t-shirt he wore, and you could tell he was in good shape. With how lean he was, you figured he must be a swimmer or member of track and field at your university. Your mind couldn’t even conceive of the idea that he was a world-renowned dancer. 
It was like an updated version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” After knowing so many men who were too much of this, not enough of that, you’d discovered one that was just right. 
His lips, pink and petal-like and bow-shaped, spread into a smile — god, what a smile — and he chuckled lightly, yanking you out of your stupor, which had happened in the space of a single breath, the passage of time seeming to have slowed as you took him in. You were suddenly hyper aware of his hands, still gently holding your arms. You fought not to shiver. 
“Let’s just agree to share the blame on this one, yeah?” 
You laughed and nodded awkwardly, embarrassed at both your clumsiness and your gawking but doing your best not to show it. You needed to get out of there, to prevent any further humiliation on your part, and as if sensing this, your urge to flee, the beautiful man promptly released you from his grasp, allowing you to make your way through the small crowd in the doorway. A quick glance informed you that there were four other men present, each one of them also incredibly handsome, though none quite so handsome as the one you’d managed to carelessly barrel into. There was an itch in the back of your mind, a feeling that you recognized one or two of them, but you weren’t sure from where. And you certainly didn’t have the wherewithal to figure it out in that moment.
The warmth of your embarrassment merged with the warmth from the buzz of your first drink as you brushed past the small company of men currently smirking at you. Finding your favorite spot on the floor, some cheesy Dua Lipa song playing, you started to move, shaking off whatever it was that had just happened to you. As the minutes passed, the room filled with the rest of the party guests until you were surrounded by bodies, on the dancefloor, in the kitchen, in the living room. The party was an absolute smash. 
You moved around a bit, harmlessly flirting here and there, visiting with the few people from university you actually considered close enough acquaintances to warrant conversation, pouring yourself a couple more drinks, just enough to maintain your buzz without losing your sense. Throughout all of this, though, you noticed him, the beautiful man you’d crashed into. You couldn’t help but to notice him, his entire being demanded it of you.
He seemed to be everywhere that you were, always talking to someone, usually one of his comrades who’d witnessed your run-in earlier but sometimes others, people who always looked so thrilled to be in his presence. Still, in spite of this, they couldn’t quite capture his full attention. You knew this because he kept sparing glances at you each time you looked at him, even if he was in the middle of speaking, his train of thought clearly much more capable of navigating multiple tracks at once than yours was.
It became grounding for you to seek his eyes out in the crowd, a security blanket amidst the social anxiety. The dance floor acted as your unspoken home base, where you could always find him if you somehow misplaced one another, you somewhere in the middle, feeling the rhythm of the music, swaying your hips to it, and him standing at the edge, leaning against the wall and watching you. Complete strangers, the two of you, yet sharing in some strange psychological sanctuary together. You wondered if he would ever acknowledge it and approach you.
But at some point, he disappeared, and you couldn’t even find him out on the floor. Disappointment hollowed you out like an ice cream scoop to your insides. Which was just silly because, again, you were complete strangers. You knew absolutely nothing about him. 
Nothing except the perfect silhouette of his profile in the dim party lighting. Nothing except the sound of his laugh, floating over the din of the crowd whenever one of his friends said something especially funny. Nothing except the vibrance of his sweet smile, the quiet power in his posture, the slight upturn of his nose, the way his eyes shone with something open yet intimate when he gazed at you, like a secret only you were privy to. 
Maybe you knew everything you needed to.
Karina touched your shoulder, startling you where you stood in the kitchen, pretending to listen to some guy from your weekly chem lab tell a story about a minor celebrity he’d met a few weeks ago, which you truly couldn’t have cared less about. “Hey, Y/N, would you mind running down to the basement to get a fresh bottle of tequila? The people demand more shots!”
You shoved her shoulder playfully as you walked toward the door leading to the basement. “Anything for you, my liege,” you called back theatrically, your best friend’s pealing giggles echoing after you as you descended the stairs. Swinging around the banister at the bottom, humming to yourself, you made a beeline for the fridge that held the extra supply of liquor for just such occasions as these. 
When you opened the refrigerator, light poured out, illuminating the space, and you nearly jumped out of your skin as you realized you weren’t alone. On the other side of the room, sitting on the tattered old love seat, mindlessly scrolling through his phone, was your handsome stranger. He seemed to discover your presence at the same time as you discovered his, though he was significantly less alarmed than you were, probably because it was much more reasonable to expect someone to eventually join you in the basement than to expect someone might already be waiting for you in it, all alone, in the dark.
Your heart rate and breathing were slowly returning to normal as you gaped at him and said, “You lost?” 
He was smiling at you again, as if he was delighted to see you, which was unfair because you were trying to be irritated at him for frightening you. “What? Oh no, I just needed some air.” 
“So you decided to get it in a stuffy basement?” You cocked an eyebrow at him, tone dripping with sarcasm. 
“Hey, I didn’t say I needed the air to be fresh,” he shot back, his wit impressively quick.
You rolled your eyes. “Sure, I mean what’s all the fuss about fresh air, right? Breathing in air that’s mostly dust builds character.” 
He scoffed, masking his amusement with you, “Well, what about you then? What was so important you were willing to compromise your precious respiratory system by coming down here for it?”
Biting back a smile, you reached your hand into the open fridge, deliberately slow, and pulled out the bottle of Pueblo. “The powers that be, also known as my roommate, charged me with procuring this potion to pacify our esteemed guests.”
“Ahhh, I see.” He nodded in fond understanding. “And do you plan on partaking in this potion?” 
“Oh god, no!” You cringed, mind suddenly flooded with memories of past exploits fueled by tequila, memories from your freshman year, an exciting but reckless and at times regrettable period in your life. “Believe me, the last thing anyone needs is me getting drunk on tequila.”
His eyebrows hit his hairline. “And why is that?”
You scratched the back of your neck bashfully. “Uh, let’s just say that, when I drink tequila, I tend to make some questionable, arguably bad choices.”
“Define bad.” He was leaning forward, conspiratorially, as if he’d asked you to reveal the secrets of the universe.
“No, I don’t think I will,” you rebuffed plainly, no longer restraining your smile as it transformed into a smug grin, reveling in the opportunity to tease him.
His elbow was planted on the arm of the love seat now, chin sitting in his open palm as he gazed at you with something you couldn’t quite place, something that made your insides squirm. Sighing, he simply said, “Fair enough.” But his tone didn’t match his words. He wasn’t admitting defeat at your declining to elaborate, rather he was claiming a different kind of victory altogether, the specifics of which were a mystery to you.
Clearing your throat, the air in the room suddenly stifling, charged with electricity, you thought it best to make your escape and rejoin the party.  “Well, try not to deprive the other guests of your delightful company for too long, okay?”
You turned to climb back up the stairs but the man’s voice stopped you. “I’m Ten, by the way.”
Why was your heart racing? All he’d said was his own name. You swallowed thickly. “My name is Y/N,” you offered, barely more than a whisper.
“Pretty.” Just like you, he thought.
He was still smiling at you as you fled from him for the second time that evening. You scurried back into the kitchen and handed Karina the tequila, still reeling from the interaction you’d just had as she poured a round of shots for your guests. But before you could say anything to her about it, your best friend was bringing a separate matter to your attention. “Y/N, have you seen Ning? I invited her tonight, and she said she was gonna come, but I haven’t seen her yet. I’m worried about her, you know?” Your heart sank. Yes, you did know because you were worried, too. 
One of your closest friends from university, Ningning, had recently experienced an especially rough break-up. A couple of weeks ago, she’d walked in on her boyfriend of almost three years with another woman in their bed. After immediately throwing him out, she had called you and Karina to come over and sit with her as she broke down and cried. You’d held her in your arms, smoothing her hair and wiping her tears as Karina forced her to sip water and take deep breaths until the shooting pain in her heart settled into a dull, throbbing ache. 
Naturally, she’d been struggling to adjust to her new normal, her sleep schedule in shambles, GPA suffering, appetite nearly nonexistent. You’d both been doing all you could to try and help, reminding her to eat, hyping her up by telling her how beautiful she looked every chance you got, even going so far as doing assignments for her in the classes you shared. You loved her, and you knew she’d do the same if you were in her place. 
Hell, you had been in her place, your last break-up tragic in its own right. Karina had been your saving grace then, so you saw it as your responsibility to pay that forward with Ningning now. “I haven’t seen her, Kay, but I’ll see if I can track her down. Leave it to me, all right? You just focus on having fun.” You took her hand for a moment, squeezing it reassuringly, and she sighed, weary but accepting as you began your search, moving through the house and surveying each room in hopes of finding your friend.
It didn’t take you long. You asked yourself where you would’ve ended up if you’d gotten stuck at a party like this while still struggling with your break-up, and the answer brought you right to her, sitting on the big armchair in the corner of the living room where you and Karina usually sat up your Christmas tree each year, clinging desperately to a throw pillow like some sort of life line, knees tucked up to her chest as she watched the flurry of people around her with wide eyes. She looked so lost. You had to save her. 
Approaching her slowly, like she might get spooked and run off, you knelt down in front of her, a gentle hand landing lightly on her calf. “Ning?” She started, her eyes snapping to meet yours, her bottom lip trembling at the sight of you. The relief that came with your presence made her want to break down, but she knew she couldn’t in front of all your guests. “Hey, talk to me. How’re you doing?”
She let out a ragged breath. “Not great.”
“What do you need from me? How can I help?” you asked sincerely, ready to go to the ends of the earth if it would somehow help her smile again.
“I don’t know, Y/N. I just feel so… unattractive. In every way. I hate that there are so many people here to look at me without really seeing me, hate seeing them all effortlessly interacting with each other, finding interest in each other, hate watching all the public displays of affection. I’m lonely, but the thought of initiating a conversation with anyone here besides you or Kay in order to fix that makes me feel sick. I grew so dependent on him that I don’t even know how to connect with anyone on my own anymore, and I’m so scared of being rejected, or worse, being accepted only to be betrayed again.” 
The familiarity of the feeling behind her words struck a chord in you. “Hey, you made connections just fine before him, right? I’m living proof. It’s just gonna take time for you to figure out how again. You’ll get there. But for now, for this particular moment, what can I do to help? Do you want me to take you home?” Her brow creased as she considered your words, still a little too lost in her own mind to find her way forward. You could work with that. A smirk forming on your face, you pulled on her ankles, bringing her bent legs down in front of you, sliding your hands up and over her knees, creeping over her thighs toward the edge of her skirt. “Or do you want me to… take you home?” 
She blushed furiously. “Y/N, stop, people are staring!” But despite her protest, she smiled, and soon enough, the two of you dissolved into a fit of giggles. 
Unbeknownst to you, Ten had climbed out of the basement shortly after you, just missing you in the kitchen as you’d walked off to find Ningning, coming across his friends laughing it up at Karina’s childhood stories about Jaehyun instead. 
“No fucking way—” Haechan’s piercing voice filled up the whole space, holding its own against the soundwaves pouring in from the amps in the dining room. 
“I’m serious, Hyuck! Just before the song with his big solo in it, I turned to Yuno and told him a joke that made him laugh so hard he peed himself and ran off stage crying.” The other three boys, amused at their friend’s past misfortune, clapped their hands like well-rehearsed seals as Jaehyun scrubbed his hand over his face, his ears gone scarlet with embarrassment. “Oh, but it gets even better. The following Monday, when we were watching the tape from the choir concert in our music class, he got so flustered during the part of the video where he had his accident that he ended up peeing himself again.”
Ten joined Mark where he sat on the counter, adjacent to the counter housing the sink which Johnny, Jaehyun, and Haechan were currently leaning against. Karina was standing in the center of the kitchenette facing all of them as she recalled Jaehyun’s tragic tale.
“I’m honestly amazed he didn’t give up on singing altogether,” she concluded.
Clearing his throat, Jaehyun shot playful daggers at his childhood friend. “Why don’t we change the subject to something less mortifying for me?”
Mark jumped in, tapping Ten’s shoulder as his feet swung where they hung off the edge of the counter, “Like where you’ve been for the past half hour!”
“Yeah, I can’t believe you ditched us, dude.” Haechan was pouting at Ten, but Ten had grown impervious to the younger man’s methods, simply rolling his eyes in response.
Shrugging, he said, “I just needed some personal space, so I went down to the basement for a bit. That’s all.”
“Ah, then you must’ve bumped into Y/N again!” Karina turned her teasing on Ten now, referencing his run-in with you when the group of men had first arrived. 
But Ten just smiled softly at the mention of you. “Actually, I did bump into her. We had a nice little chat. Where’d she run off to?”
“She went looking for a friend of ours.” Karina whipped her head around, looking from room to room. She had a fairly good vantage point from the middle of the kitchen, able to act as a responsible host and keep an eye out for any funny business. Soon enough, she spotted you where you’d discovered Ningning. “There she is!” She pointed you out to Ten, but the others tracked the gesture as well and happened to look at you just as you were getting handsy with the heartbroken girl in front of you. 
Haechan, ever incapable of thinking before he speaks, especially when he’s been drinking, rubbed his eyes dramatically and blurted, “Whoa, what is happening there? Am I drunker than I realize or are they about to go at it?”
Johnny smacked the back of his younger friend’s head before turning to their host. “Sorry, we can’t take him anywhere—”
“Hey,” Haechan complained, “don’t act like you weren’t thinking the exact same thing, man.”
“Yes, but only you were dumb enough to actually say it, Hyuck.” Mark sighed, hanging his head in his hands.
Karina chuckled at the exchange. “Guys, it’s fine, really. But it’s nothing. They’re just friends. Ningning, the one in the armchair? She went through a cataclysmically bad break-up recently, and Y/N is simply trying to make her feel better.”
“Make her feel better by fucking her?”
“Bro—”
“No, Hyuck,” Karina broke in, impressively patient, “not by fucking her. Y/N does like girls—and boys, for that matter—but she’s not actually interested in sleeping with Ning. She’s just reminding her what it’s like to be seen as sexy by someone besides her ex. Y/N has this talent for making someone feel like they’re the only other person that exists, you know? Like she can see inside your mind, see all your worries and woes, and draw them from you like venom from a snake bite just by saying the right words, by smiling in a certain way. Believe me, she’s worked her magic on me more times than I can count, and it’s… something.”
As she said this, Haechan, Mark, Jaehyun, and Johnny watched you with renewed interest while you got up off the floor, encouraging Ningning to make room for you on the seat of the armchair with her. She did so gladly, and you rewarded her by wrapping her in your arms, allowing her to lean on your shoulder, your hand reaching up to run your fingers through her hair. The small audience you’d unknowingly gained the attention of couldn’t tell what you were saying, but they could see you start speaking to her, could tell that, whatever spell you were casting, it was slowly bringing her out of the despair which had possessed her up to this point of the evening. A smile found its way to her face and, in turn, to all of theirs.
Meanwhile, Ten’s blood was boiling. Karina had just explained that you and Ningning were only friends, nothing more, and he understood that, yet his blood was boiling at the sight of you touching her so intimately, so thoughtfully. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew it was because he wished it were him being graced by your touch. He knew it was because he wanted you. But he’d never felt this way before, not over anyone, let alone a stranger he’d met mere hours prior. What was going on with him?
He tried isolating his desire, distinguishing it from his envy. He tried to focus on it as he watched you. He was used to the feeling of wanting someone. He’d wanted plenty of people, and had succeeded in having most of them, too. But it was never like this. The last time he remembered wanting something this badly was when he decided to become a dancer. 
Yet, at the same time, he felt so completely unworthy of you, which was also foreign to him. It made his head spin, a strange concoction of confusion, rage, and longing churning in his heart. 
Maybe he’d had too much to drink. Maybe he just needed to fuck. Either way, he needed to do something about whatever he was experiencing, or he was going to lose his mind.
In the living room, you continued to comfort Ningning. “You are super hot, though, Ning. I hope you know that. You could have anyone here if you wanted to.”
She gave you an incredulous look. “Okay, that statement is already ludicrous, but when you consider the fact that five of the most famous dudes in the entire world just happen to be at this party, it’s even worse, you lying liar.”
Your brain short-circuited. “Wait, what? What are you talking about, Ning?”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? Y/N, do you seriously not know who any of those guys are?” Sweeping her hand through the air, she gestured toward the five men currently keeping your best friend company in the kitchen, the incredulity in her eyes now doubled. 
You shook your head calmly, but your heart rate was starting to pick up with the direction this conversation was taking. “Who are they?”
“They’re from NCT!” she practically shrieked. When you offered no reaction, she groaned in frustration. “Y/N, they’re a k-pop group. A really well known one at that. You honestly had no idea?” 
You’d never really been much into k-pop aside from the couple of songs that had managed to make it onto mainstream radio (although you did like them), so no, you truly hadn’t had any idea that the childhood friend your housemate had invited, as well as his friends who’d tagged along, were “famous.” 
It made sense to you now why Karina had signified to all the people she’d invited that this party was meant to be completely offline, even going so far as to make guests surrender their cellphones to her custody when they entered your home. She’d claimed it was because you all needed to stop investing so much in your online identities and learn to live in the moment, to actually enjoy all your experiences first hand instead of focusing on how they might be perceived by others. No one had questioned it because Karina was notorious for throwing great parties, and they didn’t want to miss out.
You really wished you’d been paying more attention when people had initially begun to arrive, though, because you were sure they must have been ready to strangle Karina for preventing them from being able to document this particular experience and share it on social media. 
But now, as you glanced up and locked eyes with Ten, your handsome stranger, you suddenly felt deeply embarrassed at your behavior. You couldn’t believe how you’d spoken to him, knowing the kind of people he probably had to deal with all the time. He must’ve thought you were an idiot, and hey, you couldn’t quite find it in yourself to blame him if that were the case.
Clearing your throat awkwardly, you turned your attention back to Ningning. “Okay, so, I need to go over there and apologize to one of them because I’m a fucking dumbass.” Her face twisted with shock at your admission. What could Y/N, of all people, have possibly done to upset one of them? “Are you gonna be all right if I leave you alone for a bit?”
“Oh no,” Ningning answered, “there’s no way I’m missing this. I’m coming with you.”
You gawked at her, affronted. Who knew all it took to break her out of her shell and distract her from her own misery was your public humiliation? She laughed–somewhat maniacally–and stood, taking you by the hand and dragging you toward the kitchen as you groaned in defeat. You tripped over your feet clumsily, your friend practically having thrown you into the proverbial lion’s den, all five men’s eyes on you immediately. “Uhhh, h-hi,” you stuttered, awkwardly waving at the spectators of your mortifying display.
One of them, the biggest and arguably most intimidating of the bunch, showed you mercy, reaching a hand out to steady you. “Hi, Y/N!” He must have registered your surprise at his having known your name because he quickly added, “Sorry, didn’t mean to spook you, your roomie was just telling us all about you right before you came over here.”
You shot subtle daggers at said roommate. “Was she now?” She just smiled smugly at you, clearly happy with herself. Shaking it off and resolving that your best friend could be properly dealt with later, you righted yourself and sought out the person you’d actually been intending to speak with. He was already looking at you when you locked in on him, his gaze intense as ever, hot enough to brand you. Was he doing it on purpose or did it come naturally? You had to figure it was the latter since the former would imply he had some sort of intentions where you were concerned, a concept you weren’t foolish enough to entertain for even a moment.
“Hey you,” he greeted, beating you to the punch. “Change your mind about the tequila?”
His callback to your earlier conversation made you smile, an embarrassingly shy laugh bubbling out of you and into the open air, the sound buzzing inside Ten’s brain, the most pleasant warmth spreading throughout his chest in response. “Not a chance,” you replied cheekily. 
“Shame,” he countered, smirking at you brazenly.
Everyone else was glancing between the two of you with varying levels of intrigue, Johnny wearing a knowing look, Karina and Ningning communicating with each other telepathically, and the other three men stuck on how cute you looked when you blushed. Neither you nor Ten detected any of this, too swept up in your third direct interaction of the evening, too engrossed by the genesis occurring inside you.
The moment was finally broken when a male voice cut through the silence, belonging to another of Ten’s friends, “So are you gonna introduce us or what, dude?” 
Ten glared at him but sighed in resignation, not willing to endure one of the younger man’s world famous tantrums right now. His voice deliberately monotone, he gestured lackadaisically and said, “Y/N, this is Haechan.” Haechan, you repeated internally, memorizing the information. He was obviously the youngest based on the way the others regarded him. The boy offered you a blinding smile, waving his hand emphatically. Ten snorted, adding, “Don’t worry, he grows on you.”
“Hey,” Haechan huffed, crossing his arms indignantly. It was absolutely adorable.
Ignoring him, Ten quickly moved on. “And this is Jaehyun. I’m sure Karina mentioned him to you.”
You grinned at Jaehyun, excited to have some advanced knowledge. “Is it okay if I call you Yuno like Kay does?”
He returned your grin and chuckled, the sound deep and rich, filled with bass. He both appeared and sounded like a prince from a storybook, and you would probably be more susceptible to his charms if you weren’t already so taken by Ten. “Sure, angel. You can call me whatever you feel like.”
Ten had never really felt like murdering Jaehyun before, usually reserving those kinds of urges for the likes of Haechan, but it took everything in him not to snap at that moment. He seriously needed to get his emotions or whatever the hell was happening with him in check.
“Wait, wait, then I want her to call me Hyuck instead of Haechan!” the adorable boy whined, his big brown eyes imploring you.
Before any of the other men had a chance to chastise him, you responded, “I can do that! It’s nice to meet you, Hyuck.”
The tallest one rolled his eyes and groaned. “Please, don’t encourage him. We’ll never hear the end of it.” You found it amusing how much they all behaved like brothers. It was clear they must have known each other for quite a long time, probably about as long as you and Karina had known each other if their heated yet ultimately playful exchanges were anything to go by. “I’m Johnny, by the way.” 
“And last but not least,” Ten interjected, “this is Mark.” He reached out and pinched the other man’s cheek, cooing at him lovingly.
Mark shoved Ten’s hand away. “Come on, man, not in front of the pretty girls!” His friends all just laughed at his distress, and he shook his head, exasperated. Cheeks flushed, he reached a polite hand out to shake yours. “It’s an honor to meet you, Y/N. And who’s your friend?”
Ningning squeaked from where she stood a few feet behind you, having assumed the handsome men would simply look right through her. Her reaction brought you to the decision that Mark was definitely your favorite of Ten’s friends so far. You smiled and pulled Ningning closer to you, wrapping your arm around her shoulders to bolster her. “This is Ningning!” She gave them a small wave but avoided eye contact like her life depended on it, looking absolutely anywhere in the kitchen other than at any of the men currently observing her.
“Not to throw Karina under the bus or anything, but when she pointed Y/N out to us, she also explained that Y/N was trying to cheer you up. She said you went through a pretty rough break-up recently,” Mark admitted, his voice tender. Ningning gasped quietly, meeting his sincere gaze. “I was really sorry to hear that.”
Johnny nodded solemnly. “So was I.”
“We all were,” Jaehyun assured her.
“I don’t know what happened, what the guy said or did, and I’m sure Y/N and Karina have told you this more than enough, but it will get better,” Haechan began, his wilier side giving way to something more genuine, something that told you there was more to him than most people probably gave him credit for. “Everything might feel shitty now, but there will come a time when the way you’re feeling now is nothing but a memory. You won’t be able to believe you ever wasted so much energy on that loser. You’ll smile more easily and laugh more freely. And it’ll be sooner than you think. I promise.” You were stunned to hear those words come from the youngest. You hoped he was just wise beyond his years and not speaking from personal experience, the thought of someone having broken the boy’s heart absolutely unacceptable to you.
Their kindness had managed to break the ice, thawing Ningning’s nerves. You heard her sniffle from where she stood still pressed against your side. “Thank you,” she said quietly, silence falling over your small company. 
“Hey, why don’t we play a game,” Johnny suggested, attempting to lighten the mood. “20 questions?” The rest of you either nodded or hummed your assent, more than ready to reignite the party. “Mark, why don’t you go first?”
The starry eyed boy’s mouth fell open in shock as he sputtered, “Uh, o-okay, I… I’m thinking of a person—”
“Justin Bieber.” Haechan cut him off, an impressively smug look on his face.
“Aw, come on!” Mark whined, hopping off the counter in a huff.
The boys began to bicker, Johnny attempting to mediate while Jaehyun, Karina, and Ningning looked on and laughed. You were endeared by the display, taking Mark’s now empty place on the counter and observing fondly as Johnny eventually managed to calm things back down and get Mark to pick a new subject for the others to guess, one that wasn’t quite so obvious. But just as he was about to begin, Ten pulled your attention away from the others, bumping his shoulder gently against yours and nodding toward Ningning.
“Is she doing okay?” he asked, his voice soft, eyes glimmering with genuine concern.
You sighed wearily, offering him a small yet reassuring smile as you gazed at your friend, watching her have real fun for the first time in weeks. “She’s… getting there. I’d say she’s about as okay as anyone can expect her to be at this point, you know? She thought she’d found her person. She had this whole vision of their future together, the life they would make, and that’s gone now. She’s mourning that, learning to live with the nostalgia for what might have been. It’s a haunting feeling.”
Ten’s eyebrows furrowed, the concern in his eyes magnifying. “You sound like you have some experience.”
“Unfortunately.” Your gaze fell to your hands, now nervously fidgeting with a loose thread on the side seam of your jeans. 
“So you believed you’d found the one?” 
You laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I did.” You wondered if Ten could see it, could see just how foolish and ashamed you felt at the thought of the person you once believed to be your perfect match.
“And what about now? Do you still believe you could? Do you still believe in soulmates?”
Your breath stopped, your racing thoughts skidding to an almost violent halt. You hadn’t been prepared for that question. You were so used to people asking you what happened, so used to recounting your own misery just to be met with empty platitudes or pity. This was the first time anyone had asked you anything like this, had been more interested in the state of your mind than they were in the gory details of what had devastated it. 
You stopped fidgeting and looked up at Ten, whose eyes were still trained on you, shining with a sensitivity you didn’t think most people were even capable of. 
For the first time, you considered it. You considered the condition of your faith in love after the trials you had faced. And once you did, you began to speak out loud thoughts that you were only just now conceiving. “I don’t know if I’d say I believe in soulmates. At least, not in the traditional sense. But I do believe that, at some point in each of our lives, we will meet the person, out of everyone we’re destined to encounter, who is best suited for us as a partner, as a lover. And it’s up to us to see it. A lot of people probably miss out on their greatest chance at true love because they’re too afraid of getting it wrong and ending up with a broken heart. It’s hard not to be afraid, though, especially when you actually have gotten it wrong before.”
Ten nodded perceptively. “So you’re afraid?”
“I mean, yeah, of course I am,” you admitted. “There’s a lot of people in the world, many of them incredibly magnetic and beautiful. How are you supposed to know which one is the one for you?”
He looked down at the counter where your hands had subconsciously moved closer to one another, your pinkies nearly touching, and smiled to himself. “You’ll know.”
Your eyes closed as you let his words soak through you. He sounded so sincere that it actually made you wonder if he could be right, if maybe there was still hope for you. You wanted to thank him, but weren’t sure how, which suddenly reminded you of why you’d walked over here with Ningning in the first place. Clearing your throat, you met his eyes and said, “I wanted to apologize to you.”
“For what?” he asked, confused.
“For how I spoke to you earlier. I… I didn’t know who you were. Ningning explained it to me, and I just… I didn’t want you to think I was some sort of crazed fan following you around.” You chewed your lip, once again too distracted by your own nerves to notice Ten tracking the movement with his eyes, practically hypnotized.
“You didn’t know who I was? At all?” he probed. You shook your head, and he gave you his brightest smile yet, butterflies stirring inside you at the sight. “So, this whole time, you’ve just been interacting with me as Ten, normal dude at a college party?”
“Yeah, that’s the long and short of it, I suppose,” you answered. 
Ten gave you an incredulous look. “Why would you ever apologize for treating me like a normal person?”
You shrugged awkwardly, unsure of how to handle yourself in Ten’s presence for about the millionth time that evening. “I don’t know. I just felt like I could have offended you in some way, and I never wanted that.”
He chuckled again, a sound you were beginning to grow quite fond of, and leaned closer to you, his breath tickling the skin of your neck. “What did you want then?”
You nearly choked, a blush blazing up your neck and across your cheeks. “I-I don’t know—“
“You say that a lot.”
You narrowed your eyes. “Well, there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“I find that hard to believe,” he said plainly, still smiling, driving you crazy.
Just as you were about to give him a piece of your mind, Haechan’s voice cut through and broke the illusion that you and Ten were alone rather than surrounded by a house full of people. “Y/N, it’s your turn.”
You’d forgotten about the game of 20 questions entirely. And as you were dragged back to reality, all at once, your mind began trying to process all that occurred in the last ten minutes.
It terrified you how easy it had felt to talk to Ten, how thoughtful and kind he seemed, how clever he was. The last time you’d felt even a fraction of the attraction you were feeling now, you’d ended up like Ningning. What should make you feel warm and fuzzy now filled you with a sense of dread, a wave of nausea passing over you. You’d been telling Ten the truth when you said you were afraid, now more than ever. 
Stepping down from your perch on the counter, you avoided eye contact with the man who seemed too good to be true as you addressed the small group, “Um, I actually think I might call it a night and turn in. I’m… I’m feeling pretty tired all of the sudden and kind of sick to my stomach, so I think I should get some rest.”
Karina immediately knew that something was off but also knew better than to question you. “Here, let me get you some water before you go.” She rushed to the cabinet, grabbing a glass and then moving to the sink, brushing Jaehyun aside so she could reach the faucet. 
You accepted the glass from her and offered a quiet thank you before taking a quick sip, the cool liquid running down your throat already beginning to soothe you. You could feel the eyes of all the men standing in the kitchen with you. “It was nice to meet all of you. Please, enjoy the rest of your night and get home safe, okay?”
“We will, Y/N. I hope you feel better,” Mark replied, giving you the most intense puppy dog eyes you’d ever seen.
“We all do,” Johnny interjected, Jaehyun and Haechan nodding in solidarity. “And it was nice to meet you, too.” 
You smiled shyly at each of them, then moved toward Ningning, wrapping her in a tight hug. “Have a good night, Ning. Text me when you get home, okay?” You pulled back and wagged your finger at her dramatically, making her giggle.
“Okay, mom,” she retorted, rolling her eyes. You scoffed and placed a smacking kiss on her cheek before turning back to the others and waving goodbye.
You had barely begun to walk out of the kitchen when Ten’s voice made you freeze in place, much like it had in the basement earlier that evening. “Sleep well, Y/N.” You turned to face him again and gathered the strength to meet his gaze. You were worried you’d find annoyance, disappointment, maybe even anger in his eyes, but they were still as soft as before, oh so soft. It confounded you completely. 
Clutching the glass of water in your hand for dear life, you heaved a sigh. “Good night, Ten.” And then you tucked tail and ran, bobbing and weaving through the throngs of people in the living room to get to the stairs that led up to your bedroom in record time. You closed the door, setting your water on the nightstand next to your bed, and flung yourself onto your duvet. 
Downstairs, still in the kitchen, Haechan gave Ten a pointed look and said, “Well, you fumbled that.”
The other three men groaned in unison, “Shut up, Hyuck.” 
The party didn’t last too much longer after that, and you were still awake by the time everyone had left, totally restless, your mind unable to quiet itself enough to let you rest. It only got worse when you heard Karina coming up the stairs to go to bed for the night. She wasn’t alone, and with a heavy heart, you realized that you recognized the other voice as they made their way to her room. It was Ten.
You convinced yourself that it didn’t matter, that you didn’t care, but your hands were shaking as you grabbed your airpods from your nightstand and placed them in your ears to not only drown out the sound of their laughter but also your own treacherous thoughts. Eventually, you finally fell asleep.
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Bonus:
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A/N: And that's the first part, folks! I have several parts written, so you can expect the second part sooner rather than later. I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think of it so far :)
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mymoodwriting · 6 months
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Request for @tenswife (Yandere WayV Maknaes) 4.1k, yandere, asylum patients, needles, drugs, restraints, manipulation, delusions, hallucinations, choking, bruising, kidnapping, loss of mental stability (@starillusion13)
“Stay away from the triplets.”
That wasn’t something you wanted to hear on your first day. All it did was make you aware of how dangerous this place was. That’s what you thought anyway, an asylum isn’t exactly a place for sane people, and this wasn’t making you feel better. Even with that in mind you were told it would be a good idea to get some help, professional help that is. The stress from work was really getting to you as of late, and it was becoming noticeable. You needed a break, and you needed to do better for yourself. A place like this had counselors, people who could understand your issues and help, so you figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check yourself in for a few days.
You had taken the time off work, and your friends knew where you’d be so no one had to worry about you. Once you had signed all the paperwork and changed your clothes one of the nurses showed you around. Everyone here was getting help for different reasons, and some patients were more extreme than others, so depending on one’s condition, they’d be on a certain floor. Since you were there for simple counseling and stress relief remedies you’d be on the second floor. You’d have full access to the second floor, and what it offered, but would be unable to enter any other floor. Only the staff could get to multiple floors. 
Although there was a common area on the third floor where all types of patients could intermingle under supervision. It was meant to make sure no one, not even the more difficult cases, felt so isolated from the rest of the world. If you wanted to be there you needed a staff escort and would be assigned a supervisor. Visiting this place was part of the tour, and as you were looking around your gaze was drawn to something. There were three boys sitting together in a corner, drawing with crayons and giggling. They seemed to be childish despite being grown adults. The nurse realized what you were looking at and gave you a warning.
The triplets, as she called them, were nothing but trouble. They weren’t related to one another, and were admitted at different times. Of course the nurse couldn’t tell you what floor or what reasons they were admitted for, but they told you those three were dangerous. You were still curious, but such a warning in this place was something to take seriously. You just wanted to get better, so there was no reason to take an interest in other patients. For the first few days as you settled in you remained on your designated floor, even making a friend with your next door roommate. They had only been there for a week longer than you, but they knew quiet a lot.
“There are five floors in total.” Mina explained. “The first one as you know is the public one for people to get evaluated, or come visit their loved ones. Second floor, where we are, is for those of us who are sane and autonomous, and can help themselves with their own care. Third floor is where the common area is, as well as where the long term patients like us stay. Fourth floor is for those who are mentally unstable, and the fifth floor… that’s where they keep the psychos.”
“Noted.”
Since you were doing well, seeing a counselor and participating in stress relieving activities, you thought it would be alright to visit the common area and see what it had to offer. You went up with Mina, being reminded of the rules and regulations to follow while there. The two of you found some board games to play while also watching some TV. It all seemed peaceful and relaxed, but then you noticed the triplets in the corner again.
“Mina.”
“Hm?”
“The triplets… do you know what floor they’re from?”
“Fifth.”
“Wait, what? I thought the fifth floor was for psychos, and they’re allowed here?”
“Yeah. What’s crazier is that those three come from well-off families and the rumors are they harassed girls and shit. They all got admitted at different times but stuck together for some reason. They behave so they’re allowed here. Just ignore them.”
“Right…”
They didn’t draw attention to themselves so it was fairly easy to ignore the triplets and just focus on whatever you were doing. Although one day you caught one of the triplets staring at you. When you met his gaze you kind of froze, but what sent chills down your spine was the fact you couldn’t read his face at all. Maybe he was just zoning out, but either way you moved away once you broke eye contact. You thought that would be the end of things, but it was only the beginning.
Since many of the patients gathered in the common area, weekly and daily announcements were done there. You were sitting off to the side, mainly alone, when a boy slowly approached you. He was very shy, and had a bit of trouble making eye contact, but he was certainly trying. He seemed familiar to you, but you couldn’t quite place it. He was probably someone who was always around in the common area you just never really noticed them. You didn’t know his situation, and he didn’t seem like a bad person so you left him alone. That is until he managed to speak up.
“You’re really pretty… what’s a pretty girl like you doing here…”
The question was a bit surprising, but you figured there was no harm in answering.
“Things have gotten a bit difficult for me, and I need a break. Plus it’s important to look after my mental health, so I’m here.”
“So… what do you do when-”
“YangYang.”
One of the orderlies came over, grabbing the boy and pulling him away from you. The whole thing confused you until you saw where the boy was put. He was in the corner with two others and you realized he was one of the triplets. It sent chills down your spine and you told yourself to be more careful next time.
🖤
YangYang gave a nasty glare to the orderly when they pulled him away from you. He knew part of the rules for them being the common area was to keep to themselves, but one little conversation should have been allowed. He returned to his group with a pout.
“So, so!” Hendery cheered. “What’s she like?”
A smile appeared on YangYang’s face. “She’s nice, and so pretty up close.”
“We should have her.” Xiaojun said.
🖤
You tried not to let that interaction bother you too much, and continued about your day as normal. You’ve never really had any trouble with anything, but that night you woke up, having heard some weird sounds. You groggily looked around your room until you realized you weren’t alone. You were ready to scream but someone put their hand over your mouth. Two people held you down and then another crawled on top of you, it was YangYang. He smiled down at you, a hand caressing your cheek.
“You’re really pretty… can we finish our conversation from before? What do you do in your career?”
The hand over your mouth slowly moved away. There really was no point in screaming or struggling. They had gotten into your room somehow when it shouldn’t be possible. For your safety and the safety of the others there was a curfew to follow, and all patients were locked in their room. Yet somehow they had gotten in undetected. It made you incredibly nervous and fearful, but you still managed to answer.
“Just… just a corporate job… nothing special…”
“You don’t seem to like it, so why do you stay?”
“I.. it pays the bills… and it’s not a difficult job…”
“Then why are you here? You said you were looking after your health. If it’s not a bad job or a hard one, then what’s wrong?”
“What… what about you… I… I don’t…”
“Oh, yeah, we never properly introduced ourselves, did we?” YangYang chuckled, gesturing to himself then the others. “I’m YangYang, this is Hendery and that’s Xiaojun. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Very nice.” Xiaojun added.
“I… so then… what’s… why are you here…”
“Our families didn’t want us around, and this was the best way to make us disappear.”
“Oh…”
You felt a bit sad upon hearing that. Although while you were distracted with your own thoughts you didn’t notice them moving around until you felt a pinch on your neck.
“Sleep well.”
🖤
You woke up in the morning with a big of a headache, but you didn’t let it bother you too much. If anything you were more concerned over the weird dream you had last night. As you went to get breakfast you found Mina.
“Morning.”
“Hey, good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Fine, why?”
“I thought I heard some noises last night, and I think I woke up but I’m not so sure.”
“Well, I didn’t hear anything. Slept through the night like a baby.”
“Right… do you know anything about the triplets? Besides what you’ve already told me.”
“Not really. They’re just a bunch of weirdos, there’s no reason to ask about them.”
“Yeah… you’re sure you didn’t hear anything?”
“No, why? Did you?”
“I mean… I’m sure I woke up cause I heard something.”
“Well, even if we’re locked in our rooms, the nurses and orderlies do still roam the halls. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I guess… none of the patients can access other floors… can they?”
“No. Only staff have clearance. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, just a weird night that’s left me to question a lot.”
You ended up chalking it up to being a dream and going about your day as normal. You figured you would have weird dreams since you were in such a different place, so it shouldn’t be something to worry about. Except it happened again the next night. There was nothing in particular that woke you up but when you opened your eyes you saw the triplets in your room. YangYang was sitting at the foot of your bed, Hendery at your little desk and Xiaojun sitting on the floor doodling with some paper.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Xiaojun asked.
“I… uh… I haven’t dated in a while…”
“Can I be your boyfriend!?” Hendery asked.
“What, no, I’ll be her boyfriend.” Xiaojun countered. “I asked first.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Yes I did.”
“I’ll be her boyfriend.” YangYang added.
“No!”
The three argued among themselves for a moment before settling down. They were sharing glances and seemed to be communicating in silence, then they looked at you.
“Can we all be your boyfriends?” YangYang asked.
“Uh… I’m not really looking to be in a relationship right now.”
You weren’t sure what the response to that would be, but it was quite frightening. For a minute they were all quiet, and then they sprung to life. They pinned you down and started tearing at your clothes. Before you could scream a hand was over your mouth and then everything changed. You shot up in bed, panting and looking around in a panic. You were still in your room, but you were alone, and it was clearly daytime. Everything seemed to be fine, but your mind was still racing. 
You asked Mina about hearing any noises last night, but once again she heard nothing. You were still freaked out so you avoided the common area for a while. Although you found yourself having some trouble sleeping. You were scared to do so, and triple checked your room to make sure the door was locked and you were alone. You did eventually manage to fall asleep, but randomly woke up at night. You were relieved to find yourself alone, but horrified to see your door wide open.
Against your better judgment you got up and carefully stepped out of your room. You looked down the halls but no one seemed to be around. So you called for a nurse or orderly, wondering if anyone was there. You were about to go back to your room when you saw someone approaching, thinking it was a staff member, but when they got closer you realized you were wrong. Xiaojun skipped over to you with a big smile on your face.
“Hello, welcome, it’s so good to see you.”
“What… what happened… how…”
“Now you can be with us.”
“What?”
Xiaojun gestured to a sign on the wall and you felt your heart drop. According to the number on the wall you were on the fifth floor and not the second. Your first instinct was to run, to find someway out, but of course you were chased. The boy had caught up to you and trapped you in their arms. You screamed and struggled and then you were back in your room, morning sunlight peeking in. It had been another bad dream, and far worse than the last. You weren’t going to get any better if you couldn’t sleep so you spoke to your counselor and managed to get some sleeping pills prescribed. You managed to sleep well that night, but it was short lived.
The next night you woke up to see the door to your room wide open, although you couldn’t get up. You knew all the beds in the asylum had restraints on them, but you never expected yours to be used. You struggled and tried to break free, but there was no getting out of these restraints. Then you saw those three walk into your room. You immediately shut your eyes, telling yourself that this all had to be a dream. With the sleeping pills, weird dreams were probably a side effect.
“Are you having fun?” Hendery asked.
You tried to pay them no attention, wanting to wake up from this nightmare.
“This is just a dream… just a dream…”
“Aww that’s sad to hear, but we can change that.”
You felt another pinch at your neck, and your world melted to black. When you opened your eyes again you saw the morning light in your room, and you could move around freely. The nightmare stuck with you though, like there was this sense of paranoia following you. Everything was making you feel uneasy, and you were suspicious of everything. That led to a breakdown, or so you were told, since the orderlies had to restrain you and sedate you. Because of that incident you wound up getting moved to the fourth floor. It was the last thing you wanted, but you weren’t in control of your health here, at least not fully.
You wound up seeing another counselor from there. They asked about the breakdown and what caused it. You were nervous to admit the truth but were told that if you lied to yourself it wouldn’t help you get any better. You knew they were right so you told the truth about your dreams and how they left you feeling. You were afraid they weren’t just dreams and if they were you couldn’t understand why you were freaking out so bad.
“You’re in a new environment, and even though you know you are safe here there are still many unknowns. I understand the situation surrounding the triplets may be unnerving, but they are always under supervision, and not allowed on any other floors. They’ve shown good behavior that’s allowed them access to the common area but that is all, and that can be revoked at any moment.”
You figured you could be more at ease here after speaking with the counselor. The fourth floor was far more secure than the second, more so considering who was right above you. Besides, there was a lot more focus on you and your individual care so you certainly felt better about yourself in no time. The one-on-one counseling was also really good for you.
“I don’t really understand why I kept dreaming about them…”
“Well, they are real and restricted in their movements, which perhaps reminds you of your own situation. Despite being well off you are still living with struggles, and surely here you’ve found things more easier. I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t feel like going home.”
“Why would you say that?”
“You are here to improve your health, and perhaps you haven’t been shown care in your actual life the way you have received it here. Which does bring up the question, is there something that hasn’t been going well in your life?”
“I… I was just working really hard… thinking I was gonna get a promotion… I failed on that end… so I guess I’m just feeling stuck… and I didn’t do much to help myself until I hit my breaking point…”
“Burnout needs more than two weeks of recovery. All this could be your own call for help.”
“I suppose that makes sense…”
You had a lot to think about, and a lot of time too. For the time being you weren’t allowed back in the common area. So you had a lot of time to yourself. You’d eat alone in your room, and found out that the people on this floor were just as friendly, if not more. Although at night you definitely heard noises. Staff roaming the halls and other patients having difficulty sleeping. At least this time you knew you weren’t just hearing things.
“Pretty girl…”
Except for the night you began to hear voices. You woke up and saw those boys again, but you told yourself it was just a dream.
“You’re not real.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I’m just imagining things… you’re all from the fifth floor… and dangerous…”
“If you say so, we can help you sleep better though.”
You felt the bed dip and opened your eyes to find YangYang on top of you. Before you could say anything his hands were around your throat, choking you out.
“You must be crazy and dumb to think we’re not real.” 
“We’re gonna drive you insane so you never leave this place.” Xiaojun added.
“Cause what we want, we get.” Hendery stated.
You couldn’t get YangYang off you, struggling underneath him until you passed out. When you woke in the morning you felt an ache around your throat. You got up and when you looked in the mirror you could see the bruises on your neck. You had no way of hiding the truth, so of course it was brought up in your daily session. You weren’t going to lie, the proof was obvious.
“Those triplets did this to me! They snuck into my room and YangYang choked me! They tried to kill me!” You were freaking out. “I’m not safe here. I need to leave. I know early release is allowed for my situation and-”
“It’s actually not.”
“Huh? When I came here the-”
“You need to go through a reevaluation given your change in situation. From there we-”
“I am not staying here! Those three have been messing with me since I arrived and-”
“Please calm down. You’re letting your emotions-”
“Look at my neck! You think I did this to myself?”
“That is still a possibility as-”
“Let me out!”
Of course the orderlies were called and you wound up being dragged back to your room and restrained. You wanted nothing more than to leave this place and now they were telling you that you couldn’t. You wouldn’t stop your screaming and wound up sedated, falling asleep for a while. When you woke up later you had calmed down, taking a moment to think of your next move. You called for an orderly, and they undid the restraints. Then you demanded your phone call. You could have used the phone whenever back on the second floor, but here you only got a call once a week. There were a list of people to talk to, but you could only think of one person.
“Hello?”
“Ten… I don’t know what happened but-”
“Who are you talking to?” You turned around to find Xiaojun. “The line is dead.”
“What?”
The sound of the dial tone slowly faded in, and your eyes went wide. You turned back to the phone, trying to dial the number again but there was nothing. You were starting to hyperventilate. You looked back for Xiaojun but he was nowhere to be found. Your vision was starting to blur and you collapsed to the ground. You couldn’t really tell what was real or what was fake anymore. You felt like you were losing your mind and eventually the darkness swallowed you up.
🖤
You slowly opened your eyes, and even if you were awake you could tell it was nightfall. As you sat up you saw that this wasn’t your room, but another place entirely. You weren’t sure if this facility had solitary confinement type rooms, but then again your door was wide open. You carefully got out of bed and walked towards the door. This was probably all just some dream. When you got out into the hall you found it eerily quiet, and rather dark.
“Hello! Is anyone there!”
Might not be a good idea to yell into the emptiness, but you couldn’t help it. Your eyes scanned your surroundings and then you realized where you were. This was the fifth floor. You immediately ran. You didn’t want to stay here and you had to find an exit. You really had no idea where you were going when suddenly you came upon a very peculiar scene.
“Good. You’re awake.”
The only common area you knew of was on the third floor, and yet this looked familiar. It was spacious and seemed to have a lot of activities, but what stood out was the emptiness and occupants. The triplets were playing video games, all kinds of junk food and snacks surrounding them. It was just them and no one else. Not a single staff member in sight.
“What… what’s going on…” They all laughed. “What’s happening…”
“You forget what we told you.” YangYang said. “What we want, we get.”
“But… I… I don’t…”
“Don’t get us wrong. We are legally locked up here.” Hendery commented. “Yet money is power. So we’ve made the most of this place.”
“It’s more like home.” Xiaojun added. “And we’ve wanted some company.”
“No… no this isn’t right…”
You took a step back, intending to run off and find an exit but YangYang quickly came over to you. He took your hand and dragged you over to where they were, forcing you to sit down. Next thing you knew Hendery was pressing a glass to your lips and tilting your head back, forcing you to drink this mystery liquid. It didn’t taste awful but you found yourself coughing and gasping for breath afterwards.
“What… what was that?”
You soon got an answer to your question as you began to feel a bit dizzy, your vision blurring and gradually fading in and out. Xiaojun came over to your side and had you lay down, letting you rest your head in his lap. He looked down on you with a smile, gently petting your head. Hendery also feeding you some snacks which you lazily ate. Although even in your dazed state you knew what was going on was wrong.
“I… I have to… leave…”
“You won’t be leaving anytime soon.” Hendery informed. “After all, you clearly had a mental breakdown.”
“And you were moved to the fifth floor.” YangYang stated. “No visits, no real records, you’re basically locked away in here with us.”
“Which isn’t bad at all.” Xiaojun explained. “We can do whatever we want here! Which means we can totally make you crazy on paper and in real life.”
The three laugh and you try to make a move to get up but get held in place, starting to find it difficult to move or even think.
“Things are better this way for all of us.” YangYang said. “It’s what we wanted. No more worries and responsibilities, and that goes for you too.”
“We’re free to just live our lives however we want.” Hendery added. “Doesn’t that sound great.”
“We’ll take good care of you.” Xiaojun reassured. “So just be happy, we got a great adventure ahead of us.”
You had certainly been drugged, and you had no idea if this was a dream or your reality. Either way you had to admit there was a sense of peace with losing your mind. Maybe you should figure out your situation and put yourself back together but for now you were content existing as is. You weren’t alone after all.
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haekisses · 1 year
Note
hey i was the one who asked if u do wayv/nct u reqs! when ur free id love bf yangyang texts please <3 thank u
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YANGYANG BF TEXTS.
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requests are open !
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377 notes · View notes
whereisten · 1 year
Text
Let’s Make Tonight Your Birthday
Ten X female reader (s,f)
((Part 2 to this!))
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Ten is crazy for you and fails to hide it. He wants to celebrate you (even when it’s not your birthday).
4.2K words
Warnings: this is like pure smut hehe, praise kink (receiving and giving), oral (female and male receiving), penetration, unprotected (be safe tho!), minimal choking, food play
(A/n) just a little something for @saint-jaemin that asked for a part 2 as well as a nod to Ten’s solo release “Birthday”!! i love it and i love him so much :’) Stream it for clear skin xoxo
“Let’s make this quick and clean, Ten.” You say while lightly pushing him back down on the couch.
He smirks. “Of course..we have dinner to get to, don’t we?”
You roll your eyes and get on your knees in front of him with your dress halfway down your body.
You slowly take his zipper down while his eyes follow you closely.
“If I do this for you, can we go after?” You plead.
Ten doesn’t let his strong gaze lift from your face. “Hmmm..” he hums as he leans forward.
“If you’re unaffected by this and your makeup is still intact…then yes.”
You chuckle. “Psh..of course I’ll be fine..you’re the one that’s hot and bothered by a few pieces of fabric.”
Leaning back into the couch, Ten relaxes, watching you wrap your hand around his hard length. He exhales loudly.
“Just feels good to have me touch you, huh?” You say confidently while stroking him slowly.
Ten lets out a laugh. “Mmyeah, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel so amazing, baby…especially when you use that smart mouth of yours.”
Your mouth tilts upward.
“Oh? I’ll see what I can do.”
And you do. You stick your tongue out and run it up and down Ten’s length while watching him groan. You wish you could do more, but if you wanted the night to progress smoothly, you’d have to keep it clean and quick.
Still, your tongue finds the slit and licks up the precum. 
His head falls back in response. “Fuck…”
“Does it feel good, Tennie?”
You move your hand faster and glide across every vein with your tongue.
“So good..but not as good as when you’re on top of me…” he grumbles.
Your breathing hitches as you remember the last time you rode Ten until you saw stars.
Memories of his hands gripping your waist as they explored your stomach and then your breasts flooded your mind.
You moan to send vibrations through his member, but you also genuinely became turned on yourself.
Your hand moves faster as you think of your legs on his shoulders as he buries himself into you, his finger tips massaging you as you slowly start to lose it. You think of his grunts and the way way he pins you down while fucking you senseless. His small, but his skillful hips drive into with an unimaginable force.
Ten chuckles, interrupting your thoughts. 
“Are you wet just thinking about me in-between your sexy legs?”
Your eyes lock and you suddenly start to feel less confident as Ten smirks.
Don’t let him get to you. You���re the one in control here. 
You tried to tell yourself, but you knew you were lying. Ten was slowly taking over and there was nothing you could do, your wavering legs reminded you of that.
You still stroke his dick and lick it like it’s a popsicle and it makes him weak seeing you like this, but he wants you to be ruined too.
“Hmm? Is it my fingers or my tongue? Or is it my dick? Which one are you thinking about?” 
“Ten..” you close your eyes and moan again. You nearly gave in right there and then by opening your mouth a little wider around his tip.
“Fuck.. I’m happy with anything, just as long as I’m inside you. You know that don’t you?” He caresses the side of your face.
He’s close and you can tell by the way his hand trembles slightly.
“Yes, Tennie, I know..” you smirk before licking your bottom lip.
The truth was you were remembering Ten making love to you when you visited him in the practice room one day. 
He was practicing alone late at night so you decided to surprise him with new sneakers. He made love to you in the room shortly after with your body against the mirror and his sweaty abs and chest on your back. 
Maybe it was the stress, maybe it was adrenaline, but either way, Ten fucked you roughly that day with his fingers digging into your hips and his teeth biting your skin.
The building was empty, but that didn’t matter. You had cried out his name so loudly the entire time, you prayed the entire block was unoccupied.
You remember having to limp home once he was done with you.
Oh no..
You’re wet.
You should’ve known that reminiscing about your moments with him would lead to this. 
You flatten your tongue on him and swirl the precum around carefully so it doesn’t drip onto your chin.
Ten glances down at your cleavage and then to your delicate hands stroking him with care. 
“You’re so perfect…just wanna feel you on me..”
“Mhmm..anything for you, baby” you hum once again and the tingly sensation is all he needs.
“Ahhh..fuck…” Ten curses as strings of cum spurt out onto your hand.
He pants and shuts his eyes tightly.
Once he’s done, you place a hand on his thigh as he watches you lick up his release from the inside of your palm. 
“Ahh good girl.” He smirks and zips his pants up.
You stand up and start to fix your dress, but he takes your hand while still seated on the couch.
You sigh and turn to him with a raised brow. “Baby?”
“Ride me..please.” He begs with wide eyes while intertwining your fingers with his and watching your lips lowly.
“W-what? You’re not even hard right now-“
He pats his thigh. “Come on, pretty baby, I wanna see how wet you are.”
You shake your head. “See how wet I am AFTER dinner. Let’s go.”
Ten pouts, but accepts defeat. After all, he did make a promise and your makeup still looked wonderful.
———
[After Dinner]
You barely make it back inside before Ten’s hands are all over your body. You make out deeply, finally ignoring your perfectly lined lips to make a mess of them instead.
You tug the bottom of his shirt slightly as he presses you into the back of the front door to his place.
“Finally…” he smooches your lips and smiles.
“The wait is over.”
You chuckle and press a hand onto his chest. “God you’re so dramatic, that wasn’t so difficult was it?”
“Baby, I just want to see you in that set again, it’s all I’ve been thinking about.”
Your face becomes warm as you look away. Ten was crazy about you and never hesitated to let you or anyone else know that.
He takes your hand as he leads you into the bedroom. 
He brings you to the edge of the bed and taps your shoulder slightly so that you sit down. You gasp quietly at the controlling action.
He places both hands on your knees and leans down to face you. You stare at his lips, your chest rising and falling quickly as you anticipate his next move. 
Ten knows how to get your full attention. Every delicate touch, every heavenly whisper, every heated glare makes your desire for him rise. Within seconds, you’ve forgotten all about your dinner and what you ate. This is how powerful Ten is. Or rather, how deeply in love you are with him.
His lips are stained with your lipstick, and the rouge shade brings out the special shape of them.
“Pretty girl, I just wanna make you feel good.”
He whispers before kissing your neck.
You groan quietly.
His voice lowers even more. “Do you want me to make you feel good?”
“Y-yes, baby.” You close your eyes and let your head fall back as his kisses continue downward and to your cleavage.
Ten chuckles before removing his lips from your goosebump-littered skin and holding your chin in between his thumb and index finger.
He clicks his tongue. “Such a pretty face, but without manners…”
He frowns before continuing. “If you’re gonna ask for something, ask nicely.”
Your eyes widen. “Yes. Please.”
He chuckles. “That’s my girl. I think we should make tonight your birthday..”
You nod.
Ten takes your hand and has you stand up in front of him. His dark eyes are locked onto your lips as he takes his phone out of his pocket. Fortunately, he had an amazing sound system installed a few weeks ago, so when he pressed play, a sultry slow RnB song echoes throughout the apartment.
He also uses his phone to dim the lights, emulating a very romantic mood.
You place your arms around his neck as he pulls you closer, placing his hands on your waist firmly.
You move slowly and in sync,  your bodies come together as one as your heart races and you struggle to keep eye contact with Ten.
He smiles slightly. “You’re so quiet now. Cat got your tongue?”
“And what should I say when you’ve got me tied around your finger like this?” You chuckle. “You’re good at what you do, Ten.”
Ten laughs before kissing you again.
When he pulls away, you lick your lips. “What do you mean by ‘making tonight my birthday’?”
Ten smirks and spins you around so his chest lays on your back like a blanket. He places one hand around your neck while the other rubs your thigh while moving in an upward motion. 
A moan escapes you as his hips grind against you. Your head falls back onto his shoulder.
Ten’s breathing staggers as he lowers his chin into the crook of your neck. His husky voice echoed over the music. “Everything about you is perfect..” he squeezes your butt cheek once he finishes his statement.
“Yeah..but why tonight?” Your eyes close.
“Don’t need a reason, baby. And to be honest, I can’t wait a few more months to celebrate you..”
“Oh..”
“And you know I love this set.” He continues to kiss your neck as his hand cups your breast.
His soft squeezes combined with the scent of his sultry cologne leave you mesmerized and almost dizzy.
A few minutes later, Ten zips your dress down to reveal your ass in skimpy lingerie. It falls to ground and you step out of it.
You’re about to turn to face him when is surprisingly quiet, but he pulls the waist band of your thong and releases it so that it snaps against your skin.
“Ow!” You yelp playfully, but he only chuckles and rubs his hand over the irritated area.
“I have something for you..” he says huskily, causing shivers to run through you.
“Yeah?” You look over your shoulder.
Ten quickly reaches into his pocket and takes out a small black velvet bag. 
“There’s one more thing your perfect body needs…”
He pulls out a Diamond-studded waist chain and tosses the bag onto the bed.
You gasp when you see the dazzling jewelry in his hands. “No way!! Ten..this is too much, oh my G-“
“Shhh..lovely, you’re gonna look so fucking sexy with it on.” He chuckles as he carefully places it around your waist and hooks it in the back. The diamonds and his fingers are cool against your heated skin.
You look down and sure enough, the majestic chain made you look and feel even sexier. “Thank you so much, Tennie. I love it.”
“Only for you, baby.”
He smiles before kissing your shoulder.
“Bend over for me.”
You bend over the edge of the bed with your ass up and wait for Ten’s next command.
“Tell me what you want, I’ll be the good boy for you tonight.”
You look over your shoulder at him in shock.
“W-what?”
He smiles and bites his bottom lip. “You still have to be polite.”
“Make love to me, please?”
He shakes his head. “Of course, but right now, what do you desire?”
“Oh…touch me…please.”
Ten nods and pushes the fabric to the side before cupping your heat. 
“Ahh..you’re wet just from our dance, baby.”
You whimper as his fingers press into you more and more, then finally, two enter you. 
You exhale. “Yes..thank you.”
He takes his time curving his fingers into you while watching your eyes close tightly below him.
You relax the side of your face into the plush bed and focus on his fingers slowly stretching you out.
He loves watching you fall apart under him and as much as he wants to feel what his fingers feel around his already hard member, he knows he has to wait.
“Ten…faster, please.”
“Hmm” he glanced down at your ass as you tip toe in an effort to bring it closer to him.
“I want to go slow tonight, love.”
You whimper. “Didn’t you say you’d be a good boy for me?”
He chuckles. “Ah yes, I did say that, but don’t you think you’re being a bit too greedy? I haven’t even seen your pretty face yet?”
“Ten…”
“And you’re taking me so well..I know you want it badly, right?”
His thumb flicks against your clit and you jump in response.
“L-let me face you then..”
You turn over on your back, using your elbows to push yourself further up on the bed.
Ten chuckles and places his fingers back in while adoring your gorgeous body below him. Something about you only being in this set with your heels and stockings on makes him silently lose it.
He takes your hand in his other hand and intertwines them above your head.
“Please kiss me.” You gaze into his daring low eyes after watching him eye you up and down.
He instantly leans down and takes your lips over like he’s been waiting all his life for you to ask. You moan into his mouth as your eyes close. He applies more pressure onto the fleshy spot, making you whimper and nearly bite his lip.
After only a few seconds, he lowers his face to your pussy and breathes heavily.
“I’ll kiss you here too, okay?”
He flicks his tongue against you while listening to you cry. His moves it in a circular motion as he presses his fingertips onto your sweet spot.
“You like it, right? Do you want more?”
He lifts his head to see your response.
“Y-yes.. More, please.” Your breathing begins to quicken as Ten continues to tease.
“Tell me I’m a good boy then..” he smirks, but never stops his heavenly fingers.
“You’re a good boy, Tennie..” you nod quickly.
Your grip on his other hand tightens as you bite your bottom lip.
He lowers his face again, pressing his lips onto your skin now and making sure apply immense pressure to your clit with his tongue.
“Ahh! So good.” You exhale.
 He never lets up on his attack, ensuring that his tongue covers all bases while his fingers move faster. Your breathing grows heavier and your moans combined with his get louder.
You bring your knees to your chest as you run your other hand through his disheveled hair and the new position drives you crazy.  
“Mmm Ten..” you cry out and shut your eyes tightly. With a few more brushes from his thumb and devilish tongue, you moan  while cumming. You grip his shoulder with your other hand, nails digging into the skin as if to hold on to your sanity.
“Ahh fuck..” Ten groans as he watches your back arch. You shut your legs tightly when your mind goes blank with just Ten’s name running through it.
“Good girl..wanna clean it up for me?”
Ten places his fingers into your mouth.
“Like this?” You lock eyes with him and he giggles at the sight of your eyes wet with your once perfect liner and mascara.  
He takes his bottom lip in between his teeth while watching you lick his fingers clean.
“Perfect..”
He then places both hands on either side of your head and kisses your lips deeply.
When he pulls away, you prop yourself up on your elbows.
“Can I take your clothes off for you?”
“Of course..” he chuckles.
After sitting on the edge of the bed again, you stare up at Ten as you unbutton his shirt and then unbuckle his belt. You face his rapidly rising chest and sculpted abs. Everything about him was beautiful and radiant, but he was more starstruck by you in this moment.
Your delicate fingers playing with the buttons, your swollen lips between your teeth as you try to breathe heavily. And your dazzling eyes that locked with his every so often.
 He rubs his thumb along the side of your face. “You’re so beautiful…”
He swallows hard while watching you struggle to unbuckle his belt.
“but you’re so anxious to fuck me, you can’t even take the belt off, can you?”
You scoff, but tighten your legs at Ten’s husky voice. He giggles unashamedly.
“Oh look at you being cocky..I kinda like it.” You finally take his belt off and bring his pants down slowly.
“Oh really?” He smirks.
“Be a good boy and rest against the headboard.” You say lowly as you stand up.
“I’ll be right back.”
You head to the kitchen while he gets into position.
A few minutes later you walk back in with a can.
“What’s that?” Ten looks up with furrowed brows.
“Oh this? Hmmm let’s just say I like my cake with whipped topping on it.”
You crawl onto the bed with a smile before kneeling over his lap and facing him.
“You’ll let me use it, won’t you?”
Ten chuckles. “Anything for you.”
He smacks a hand onto your ass before cupping it.
You yelp at the surprise attack before laughing together.
You then press the top of the can so that a white swirl escapes onto his nipple. 
“Let me clean that up for you.”
Using just the tip of your tongue first, you tease his hard nipples. He moans and throws his head back in response.
You flatten your tongue against it while flicking the tip up and down for a few seconds.
“Cant forget this one..” you say before placing a bigger swirl onto his other nipple.
Ten nearly loses it when you lick vigorously around the sensitive area. His grip on your ass tightens.
“Fuck..baby I don’t know how much more teasing I can take.” He closes his eyes tightly once your hand runs down his thigh.
“Hmmm..but I’m having so much fun.” You lick your lips and look up with an evil glare to which Ten smirks in response.
At that moment, he decides to take matters into his own hands.
He suddenly grabs your waist with both hands and brings you down onto the bed beside him.
He yanks your bra down to your midsection, causing your breasts to pop out above it.
“Don’t be selfish, pretty girl, I want a taste too.”
He takes the can from you and places a swirl onto your nipples before licking it off as you did for him. He sucks harder and moans while you cry out his name once more.
He swats your legs apart, pushes the thin fabric covering your opening and places two fingers inside you again while creating a love bite on your neck.
“Ahh! Tennie..I-I’m ready.”
“Well I’m not, I need more sugar.”
He places more whipped topping onto your skin and flicks his tongue against your hard nubs before sucking.
Your head falls back as you start to grow more and more wet with his actions. His thumb brushes against your clit with more pressure. You start to wiggle and your mewls grow louder as you fall apart.
Your hands find his broad shoulders as your press him down closer to you.
“Ten..oh my god.” You cry out as his lips latch onto your other nipple.
“Yes, baby, cum for me, please..I’ve been a good boy for you, haven’t I?”
Your eyes tighten, you’re so close and then he removes his fingers and lifts himself away from you.
“Ten!”
You leap forward and reach for his arm, but he pushes you back.
“Open..” his says sternly with dark eyes.
You instantly open your mouth and let him place his fingers into it, allowing yourself to taste the very buildup of essence he’s caused. Meanwhile, he swirls his tongue around your nipples.  
The way he commands your movements and caresses your breasts becomes too much. You cum anyway, clenching around nothing as you scratch his back and whine with his fingers in your mouth.
He kisses the center of your chest and smirks. “Good girl.”
You pant as his fingers leave your mouth.
“I…I thought you were supposed to be the good one tonight.”
“If I was naughty, you’d be a long way from your first orgasm of the night.” Ten says in an almost threatening manner.
You lick your lips. “Ugh you’re good, I can’t even be mad at you. Maybe we should use whipped topping more often.”
He laughs then fixes your bra back to how it was. “No..you’re the only sweet thing I need.”
You roll your eyes.
“Now..” he runs a hand through his hair and lays back against the headboard, patting his thigh while watching you through low eyes.
“I think it’s time for my reward…I’ve been asking for it all night.”
You smirk and lift yourself up over him.
“What now?”
He kisses your shoulder then looks into your eyes and whispers. “Ride me.”
You bring yourself to kneel even though your legs are still trembling from before.
“Would you like to do the honors?” You raise an eyebrow.
A corner of Ten’s mouth lifts slightly. “Of course.”
He grips your waist to bring your body closer to his.
He reaches down to your apex all while looking at you above him, never letting go of your eyes.
His soft fingertips brush against your entrance, and instead of pushing the fabric to the side, he attempts to unbutton where the front and back meet.
He struggles to do so with one hand and you both begin to laugh.
“You’re so anxious to fuck me, you can’t even unbutton it, can you?” You return his question from earlier.
He blushes before laughing sweetly. “God, I love you.”
You gasp when you feel the cold air against your soaking entrance as he finally unbuttons it.
He takes your ass in his hands while you place your hands onto his shoulder. You lock eyes, biting your lip as he brings you down onto his member slowly.
You both moan when he finally fills you completely, you feel complete and satisfied like you have for so many nights. It always felt right with him.
You move up and down slowly, gently swaying your hips to increase the friction in the area you needed it most.
Ten’s eyes wander from your face to your breasts gently spilling out with each thrust, then to your waist now decorated with a chain only half as dazzling as you around it. And then to your thighs where your garter belt and stockings attach.
He silently celebrates your beauty as you close your eyes and feel yourself nearing your climax.
“Is it good, Tennie? Am I rewarding you well?”
Ten runs his hands up your thighs causing you to clench suddenly. He gasps and thrusts harder than he wants to.
You fall forward, latching your lips onto his.
He quickly kisses you back then pulls away so he can watch you again.
“Yes..fuck..so good, you’re doing so well, baby.” 
A mixture of moans and cries fill the room, Ten knows you’re just a few more moments from cumming again.
The sight of the gorgeous man below you makes you so incredibly hot, it’s ridiculous.
He smells of cedar wood and citrus, you can’t get enough. His fingertips and hands feel like silk against your skin.
You love taking him this way, but the dainty chain gracing his neck reminds you of nights before when he pushed your body into the bed while gripping the headboard. His necklace would dangle in front you as you went crazy from his smooth, but pleasurable movements. 
You moan quietly while running your hands down his pale chest.
“Faster, baby, you’re so pretty like this..” he praises you and it nearly tips you to the edge, but you want to climax with him, you have to.
He resists the urge to take over by flipping you onto your back and pushing himself so deep into your velvet until you both see stars.
You place your hands behind you on his legs as you move faster. Ten loves this angle because he can watch your body more clearly and see your muscles flex with each movement. He can also meet you halfway by thrusting into you.
“T-Ten..baby..cum with me please, I’m so close.” High pitched noises escape you and your head falls back.
“I know, I know, good girl..” 
he pushes his hair out of his eyes and watches your bodies meet, your entrance leaving his member glistening with slick as it rises and falls onto him faster and faster.
“Fuck..” he grunts and thrusts in you.
Your movements growl sloppy so he controls your body by grasping your throat with one hand and your waist with the other. He slams you down onto him repeatedly as you clench and release onto him.
“That’s it, my pretty girl.”
Hearing you cry out his name one last time is all he needs. He chokes you as he releases deep inside you and curses. 
You breathe heavily, relaxing once he finishes.
A breath leaves you both as you fall into the bed together.
“Wow..what an amazing non-birthday night.”
You chuckle then kiss Ten.
“Hey, it’s someone’s birthday somewhere.” He smiles and hugs you tightly.
You go to the bathroom together, allowing Ten to remove your lingerie set before taking a shower. He whispers sweet word and “i love you’s” while lathering you down in body wash.
You then dry up and cuddle yourselves to sleep.
396 notes · View notes
dawn-in-neocity · 9 months
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nic’s masterlist
these are mostly very short and fluffy.
NCT 127
taeyong never alone
jaehyun soon  forever only
NCT Dream
ot7 types of hugs driving with them giving them butterflies best friend dream
mark secret rs designer
jeno love shot just jump
renjun do u wanna build a snowman tulips
haechan  love again gimme a kiss twister you’ll be okay shrek
jaemin peachy tinkerbell
chenle sneaking out 96/100 beer pong
jisung dream café take a break study buddy 420 early mornings outer space
WayV
yangyang ouch!
106 notes · View notes
2jaeh · 1 year
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summer rain | winwin
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it's a hot summer's day and you and your boyfriend need to cool off
genre: smut, fluff
content: gender neutral!reader, boyfriend!winwin, established relationship, sexual themes for like 5 seconds
word count: 526
- lin
i didn't want every fic to be winter themed bc i literally have summer in december lol
christmas fic masterlist (2022)
You gasped for air, your fingers gripping the silky sheets beneath you as Winwin rocked his hips against you, letting his length fill you up and repeatedly hitting that spot that made your head spin. Next to the sounds of skin slapping against skin and desperate, breathy moans, the rain poured down outside. The air was hot and sticky. Winwin wasn't used to Summer in December, so you took the opportunity to take him on a little vacation. But maybe fucking in 40 degree weather was the best and worst idea you two had.
He continued to ram himself into you, his hands rested on either side of your head as he leaned over to pepper your neck with weak kisses. You gripped onto your arms, your eyes fluttering open as you looked towards the glass sliding doors next to the bed. The rain pelted down from the bright, orange tinted sky, drenching the porch. 
"Faster, I'm so close." You murmured to him, squeezing your eyes closed as your body became restless.
Winwin, as silent as he was, always obliged with no complaints. He rode out both of your climaxes, letting his body go limp on top of you once he pulled out.
"Babe, its too hot." You complained, trying to get him roll over as the feeling of your hot, sticky bodies was becoming too much.
"Let's go cool off then." He muttered lazily, rolling off you to lay on his stomach, his face buried in the pillow.
"And if you try for round 2 in the shower I'll kick you out." You joked, sitting up to pull your underwear back on and throwing on an oversized shirt.
"I have a better idea." Winwin hummed as he also tiredly pulled on some clothes, still lying flat on his back on the bed.
"Hmm? I'm listening." You nodded, taking a swig of the water on your bedside table.
"Let's go play in the rain." Winwin suggested as if it were the most normal request he'd ever made. You'd never call your boyfriend boring, but he wasn't the most spontaneous person on the planet so that definitely came out of nowhere.
"Are you serious?" Your eyes moving between him and the rain pouring down outside.
"I saw it in a movie and it was cute." He explained himself nonchalantly, already making his way to the sliding door and cracking it open.
The cool air immediately engulfed the entire room and the feeling was heavenly. Winwin stepped out onto the porch and you followed him. You took in a breath of fresh air, sprinkles of rainwater bouncing onto your skin as you both were still protected by the patio cover. Before Winwin could react, you grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him towards the grass. You both were immediately drenched in rain, laughing and trying to rub the water out of your eyes. Winwin pulled you into an embrace and you had no reason to push away. He pressed a kiss to your lips, both of you smiling into it.
"Feeling better?" He hummed, his face still just a finger space away from yours.
"Much, much better."
164 notes · View notes
nevernonline · 6 months
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✴ duffy / she/her/hers / est. 1998 ✴
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✿⋆。˚ ☁︎ "the rain showers around april without fail, they always fall down beside me, at the end of the pants that have been dragged along the ground the rain gently rises and fills up my heart." svt ⁑ april shower
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✿ what i'm down to write and requests i won't fulfill:
𐦍 I'm not /really/ the best at writing smut, but if the request peaks my interest I will. also if i do i refuse to write for minors.
𐦍 i mainly focus on svt. i also stan nct (all units) skz, txt, & ateez but am down to take requests for groups/idols i don't stan. (no gg's pls, srry)
𐦍 i prefer text au's & mini drabbles, so I probably won't be writing many long fics.
note: everything written is for fun and is fictional <3 also I'm rlly fun (says every non-fun person) but i love asks about anything random too. xoxoxo
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✿ more: 𐦍 inbox. 𐦍 get to know me (only a little, lol). 𐦍 boombox (a list of my fic playlists.) 𐦍 fic recommendations. 𐦍 svt masterlist. 𐦍 other groups.
31 notes · View notes
neocitybooty · 11 months
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Culture Things [M]
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Genre: Dystopian, AU, SMUT, non-idol, angst, fluff
Pairing: NCT x OC
Warnings: Oral sex, bodily fluids, rough sex, multiple partners, unprotected sex, dirty talk, voyeurism, threesomes, thigh riding, spitting (don’t ask), fingering, anal  
Word count: 3.07k
Summary: Zennie’s dreams of entering the walls are finally coming true. But she is about to also inherit a group of men who all have one common goal in mind.
A/N: Oh oh oh! I enjoyed writing this update because we get to see more of Zennie’s personality as she starts to grow more comfortable inside the walls~ I have actually told myself that I would try my best to update this story in a timely manner because it’s just such a good one. I love being able to incorporate all of the neos into one story because I feel like the number of members in the group, gives us so much more to work with. I am going through a transitional period in life rn but in the best way possible. It is has been nothing but great news since I started the journey. I am all set to have a hot girl summer and I hope everyone can also enjoy themselves this upcoming season <3 I appreciate all of you for reading and please leave feedback or just say hi. I love hearing from you~ 
2. 
Zennie laid in her bed, eyes glued to the white smooth ceiling. She’d spent way more time with the Neos than she had planned. She couldn’t stop thinking about all that had happened. All the Neos she had met. Shotaro. Xiaojun. Jaemin. Haechan. Jeno. Yangyang. And so many more.
But it was Sungchan that grabbed her attention. He was the Neo that walked her back to her dorm. He was…Well to say he was fine would be an understatement. Zennie giggled at the thought of him. He was tall. He was stylish. He had the sweetest smile and his eye contact was enough to make her swoon.
Jungwoo was extremely drunk and Sungchan had offered to walk Zennie home. The Neos were extremely adamant about her not walking back on her own.
“No, Zennie, please. Let someone walk you home. Taeyong would severely punish us, if we let you out of here by yourself.” Jaehyun had said when she initially refused an escort.
“By punishment, he means we won’t get hotpot for a week.” Sungchan had chimed in with a wink. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.” He put an arm out and Zennie gently grabbed it. She noticed numerous sets of eyes on her but decided to ignore it. Sungchan had just offered to take her home. She couldn’t bring herself to care.
Zennie giggled out loud as she laid and thought about how charming this particular Neo was. Everything about him was just so alluring.
“You’re really pretty, you know.” Sungchan said as soon as they were outside. He looked at the ground and bit his lip. A bit embarrassed by his early confession.
Zennie looked at him with wide eyes and really took in his features. She didn’t see it at first but he looked a bit like a deer in headlights. His eyes were just so unique. His hair was a light brown and his skin was extremely smooth. Not a blemish in sight. Catching Zennie staring from his peripheral, he turned to look at her.
“Sorry.” He said, worried things would get awkward because Zennie didn’t answer. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Oh, no. Please don’t apologize. I’m sorry. Thank you. I think you’re really cute, too.” Zennie said.
“You do?” Sungchan asked with a smile. They continued to walk, slightly closer to each other this time.
“Yeah. Thanks for offering to walk me home.” Zennie replied.
“Oh, please don’t mention it. I consider it my duty. Please feel free to call me if you ever need an escort” Sungchan had finally said as soon as they reached her dorm. Zennie motioned for him to join her inside so he followed.
“I–uh. Well..” Zennie started. “I haven’t set up my communication devices.”
Sungchan raised his eyebrows at Zennie’s statement. “They should’ve been set up before you started roaming and exploring.” He looked confused but then his face automatically lit up. “Do you need help?”
Zennie couldn’t figure out whether he was joking or not. “Are you really going to help me?”
“If you want me to, I can.” Sungchan said softly.
“Please!!! It is so hard. This technology is like from 50 years into the future! How the hell am I supposed to know how to work a hologram?!” Zennie started to go on about the difficulties she experienced during her first 12 hours because she couldn’t escape technology.
“My door opening on its own because the peephole can scan my eye from over 3 feet away?!” She added. “I let it go this morning because everyone else around me was normal about it but c’mon. That’s insane. People off this site won’t see technology like this for decades!”
Sungchan smiled and sat on the stool by the island. “You haven’t read your handbook, have you?”
Zennie stopped talking and shook her head.
“I can tell. Please read it- all of it, first thing tomorrow morning.” And with that, he stood up and tapped the white lamp on the island and it turned green. “Initiate activation for Zennie Pearl 2020.” He said out loud.
Zennie jolted when the lamp responded. “Activation has commenced.” She looked at Sungchan for a few seconds and then the lamp talked again. “Activation complete. Please test your devices, Zennie.”
“It calls me by my name.” Zennie said while digging in her backpack to look for the 2 “cellphones” all rookies were given. One was a cellphone. Very slick, touchscreen, and solar charging. The other was nothing but a mere earbud.
“Of course it calls you by your name. This is your home. And by the way. It is a she. And her name is Czennie.” Sungchan said. “Please call her by her name. She is very sensitive and you don’t want a tantrum.”
“Czennie?! Our names kinda sound the same.” Zennie said, surprised at the similarities. She’d never met anyone with her name, let alone even anything that sounded remotely similar.
Sungchan gave a warm smile and stepped closer to Zennie. “Let’s make sure everything is working correctly.”
“Oh, right!” Zennie pulled everything out of the backpack. She turned on the phone and looked at Sungchan, her eyes communicating her confusion. Sungchan understood and pulled out his phone. It lit up once in front of his face and he said “2020”. Suddenly, Zennie’s phone rang. She gasped when a picture of Sungchan popped up on her screen. Then she picked up one of the earbuds and put it in her ear. There was a click and when Sungchan said “Hello” into his phone, she heard it in her ear.
“But how? We’ve never exchanged any of this information.” Zennie had so many questions and was having a hard time accepting what she was witnessing.
“Zennie.” Sungchan put his hands on both of Zennie’s shoulders. “Read the handbook.”
Zennie let out a nervous chuckle and nodded. “You’re right! I’m so embarrassed by how unprepared I am.”
“It’s okay. Just do it as soon as possible. All of your questions will be answered.” He squeezed her shoulders. “ I have to get back. But I hope to see you around soon.” Sungchan gave a warm smile and finally let go.
Zennie shifted from side to side a bit, not too thrilled at the thought of Sungchan leaving. “You’re leaving already?” She asked.
Sungchan bit his lip and looked at his feet. He then looked up and made eye contact with Zennie. “Do you want me to stay?” He asked in a low voice. Zennie felt electricity flow through her body.
“I- I mean. I’d like it if- if  you stayed a bit longer.” Zennie stammered.  
Sungchan looked at Zennie and then sighed before looking away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so flirty earlier. I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. I really can’t stay with you.” Sungchan said in a very apologetic tone. He had left shortly after.
-
Now she laid in bed, thinking about her short time spent with the tall and attractive Neo. Well….they were all attractive. She didn’t understand it. She’d also noticed she was the only woman in the entire room when she had met them.
Zennie gasped and put a hand over her mouth. Were they gay? She sat up. A few of them had to be. But Sungchan. Zennie hoped he at least played for her team, too.. Her and Sungchan with one or more other Neos didn’t sound bad at all actually…
Zennie shook her head rapidly to get her mind to focus on what was important. “The handbook.” She said to herself.
-
Half an hour later, she was at the dining table with the handbook. It seemed to be the most important book she would ever own.
The first chapter was about identity and tracking. Then the book continued with Neo Culture Technology philosophy, ground rules, help desk hours, and so much more. The book had everything. Sungchan was right. It answered every single one of her questions.
She grew more fascinated as she turned the pages. There was so much that she didn’t know.
A few of the things she learned were that:
1. The dorms were tied to everything. Instead of giving a phone number or address, people just gave out the number on the front door of their dorm. Phone calls outside of the walls were regular with the slight difference that Czennie couldn’t do it. It’d have to manually be done from the sleek phone.
2. There were no doctors. The “lamp” in everyone’s dorm was indeed an AI model that was everywhere inside the walls. Her name was Czennie and as far as Zennie was concerned, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. She could do surgeries and perform check-ups all on her own. There were nurses around but they were actually only present for newborns. The rest of the time, they worked to make sure Czennie was properly functioning.They were also extremely respected inside the walls.
3. Unity seemed to be the common theme. Without it, the entire system would collapse.
4. No jails. People who compromised the safety of the community or the system were to be simply kicked out. Never to return. Zennie took note that this had only happened twice in the history of Neo Culture. 
Zennie sat back in her chair once she’d finished reading. She absolutely should’ve read the handbook before she arrived.
“Incoming call from Sungchan.” Czennie said as the lamp blinked a bright green. According to her handbook, that color meant the call was coming from a Neo. Everyone else was pink. 
“Answer.” Zennie responded, a bit embarrassed at her excitement. She was still excited that Sungchan was interested, despite his refusal to act on it.
“Good Morning.” Sungchan’s voice snaked around the entire room.
I need to change those settings. Zennie thought to herself.
“Good morning.” Zennie responded, feeling as though she were in a different world. The amount of advanced technology surrounding her was indeed overwhelming.
“I wanted to talk to you about last night..” Sungchan started. “I- uh. I want you to understand why I decided against staying with you when you asked.”
“Please do.” Zennie said in a soft voice.
“So you see, all of the Neos. We have rules.” Sungchan started.
“I know. I read it in the handbook.” Zennie said matter of factly.
“No.” Sungchan gave a chuckle on the other end. Zennie bit her fist, thankful it was a regular call and not video. “We have rules that aren’t known to non-Neos.”
“You guys are such a clique.” Zennie said with a snort. “So let’s hear it.” She added on.
“I can’t tell you all of them but I can tell you one. I can’t fuck you.”
Zennie’s jaw dropped. She didn’t think Sungchan had that word in his vocabulary. Furthermore, she didn’t think any Neo did.
“Zennie?” Sungchan said. “Are you still there?”
“Yes! I am sorry, I zoned out for a second.” Zennie said a bit jolted.
“I’ve heard it’s your signature.” Sungchan said with a hint of amusement in his tone.
“Ha ha ha. So funny.” Zennie said. “So you guys took a vow to celibacy or what?”
“Oh no. I couldn’t survive without sex. I just can’t do it with you…” Sungchan trailed off.
Zennie sat in silence for a few seconds before speaking. “Why?” She said, feeling a bit uneasy. What kind of reason could they possibly have for such a weird rule? All of the Neos abstaining from sex made more sense than excluding only one person.
“I- I can’t tell you.” Sungchan replied softly.
Alright then. Zennie thought to herself.
“Okay, it’s fine.” Zennie heard herself say. “Can you at least hang out with me? I don’t have any friends..”
Sungchan made a sound indicating his surprise. “Zennie! I- I’m so sorry. I want you to see me as your friend. Of course we can hang out. Actually, can we talk in person?” He asked in a concerned tone.
Zennie became confused but she figured she'd get him to change his mind with some… encouragement.
“Of course! Can you come over?” She asked him. Testing to see if he would fall for it.
Sungchan was silent for a moment. “Yes. I can come over.”
Success.
“Okay. So I’ll see you in a little bit?” Zennie asked, trying her best to be normal.
“Yeah I’ll be over in about thirty minutes.” Sungchan said and Zennie immediately stood to walk over to the shower. Arguably the best room in the entire dorm.
“Okay, see ya! Bye!” And with that, Czennie ended the call for Zennie.
Zennie looked in the mirror and touched her hair. “You did well but I want you up tonight” She said as she undressed and put on a shower cap so she wouldn’t have to spend extra time drying her hair.
The shower was a long one and Zennie made sure to use her favorite body wash. Once she was out and fully moisturized, she combed out her hair and pulled all of it into a poofy ball at the top of her head. She then grabbed her old toothbrush and dipped in some gel and swooped her baby hairs on both sides of her hairline.
“You have a visitor, Zennie.” Czennie said as soon as Zennie finished her hair. “It is Sungchan. His heart rate is accelerated. It appears this may be an urgent meeting.”
Zennie stifled her laughter. “Let him in.” She told Czennie, fully aware that she was still in a towel.
She heard the door slide open and heard Sungchan call out for her.
Zennie walked to the living room and Sungchan scoffed and turned his head to the side as soon as he saw her. His arms folding together and his tongue poking through his cheek. He finally smirked and took a seat on the couch.
“Oh, Zennie..” He started. “Please put on some clothes. I came so we could talk.”
“But we can still talk.” Zennie said, choosing to continue her game. She sat right next to Sungchan and placed her hands on her thighs.
“Zennie.” Sungchan sighed. “Please.”
“Czennie already told me you were nervous, by the way.” Zennie said. “Is it because you believe you lack self control and there is a chance you might potentially break a very important rule?”
“I really can’t focus with you this close to me. Looking the way that you do. Smelling the way that you do...” Sungchan stood up and moved away from Zennie.
Zennie looked at him and sighed. She got up and went to her room. She threw on some sweats and an oversized t-shirt and went back to the living room.
“Are you happy now?” She asked Sungchan, doing a twirl to show off her outfit.
Sungchan smiled and sat on the couch. He patted the spot next to him, summoning Zennie to join him. She simply sighed and sat next to him.
“I know you have questions and I know you’re probably a bit upset.” Sungchan said, his big eyes gleaming against the sunlight. “But please just listen to what I say and be obedient?”
“Sungchan.” Zennie looked at him. “I need you to give me a chance. The rule is unfair and I don’t care about the reason behind it.”
Sungchan was obviously a well mannered and obedient Neo. He was also on the younger side. A hint of shyness surrounded most of his statements and he was very soft spoken. Zennie sensed this during their walk the previous night. He just wasn’t the type to cause any trouble. The conversation was hard for him, because he was not a rule-breaker.
But Zennie was. She believed some rules were unfair and caused more harm than good. Some rules were just meant to be broken.
“If the rule didn’t exist, would you date me?” She asked Sungchan as she rested her cheek on her palm.
“Are you serious?” He looked at her and scoffed.
“Answer the question.” Zennie squinted her eyes.
Sungchan’s face softened more than Zennie thought was physically possible and he said “Yes” with absolute confidence.
“Let’s date in secret.” Zennie suggested with a mischievous smile.
Sungchan gave a hearty laugh and started clapping his hands as if Zennie had just told the joke of the century.
“Taeyong would rip me a new one.” He said, wiping a tear from his eye. 
“Zennie, trust me. You do not want to get involved with any of us. Although we are Neos… We can be a bit..unstable.”
“I don’t like it when people make decisions for me. That should be something that I should decide..” Zennie crossed her arms and laid back on the couch.
“I know how hard it must be for you. But you should allow yourself some more time here before you try to…satisfy your appetite.” Sungchan said stern but still sweet.
Zennie shook her head but accepted defeat. For the day. “Okay. I’ll heed your request, Mr. Bambi.”
Sungchan’s eyes widened. “Bambi?!”
“Yes, you look like a deer. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard that before.” Zennie said, more shocked than he was.
“Okay, while I appreciate the nickname, I don’t need the other Neos getting any ideas.” Sungchan chuckled. “I have to go now.”
Zennie looked at him and pouted. “But I want you to stay with me.”
Sungchan’s eyebrows raised as he made a sympathetic face and he cooed at Zennie. “I know you do and so do I. But I can’t. Go out today and meet more people from the community. But don’t be late for your first day of schedules.”
And with that, he stood up and Zennie just watched in awe as his seemingly endless legs came into view.
“Okay, bye.” She said, not caring that she sounded bratty.
Once at the door, Sungchan looked back at Zennie and sighed. “Hope to see you soon.” He said and then he walked off and continued his day.
Zennie went to her room and unlocked her sleek phone and started a video log. Apparently they were extremely popular. Everyone kept track of their days and emotions with video logs and had the option of confiding in Czennie, as well.
“I have a crush on a Neo but he won’t date me.” She said as she lay in bed and the camera recorded her.
“Welcome to the club.” Czennie replied.
Oh, bitch. Zennie thought to herself. Even the damn AI was obsessed with the Neos?!
1. 3.
41 notes · View notes
warmau · 2 years
Text
☆ [nostalgic] summer romance! hendery another late as all hell birthday au! but happy bday dery~! find others here: johnny | haechan | taeil | taeyong | mark | jaemin | yangyang | yuta | sicheng | chenle | kun | yukhei | doyoung | jaehyun | jungwoo | ten | jisung | renjun | jeno | xiaojun | shotaro
"the air conditioner is broken in my apartment."
you cross your arms and jut your hip out with an amused gaze
"uhuh and the world is ending on thursday. what do you really want hendery?
he wipes the back of his neck and shoves his palm into your face with the evidence that he's been sweating for hours
you pull back just in time with a face
"im serious, my place feels like the pits of hells."
"i think that's fitting."
you don't uncross your arms and hendery groans
"c'mon, please just let me in for an hour of relief."
hendery looks unbearably long
taking up most of your carpet and then some as he lays starfish in your cool living room
you had been watching something on your tv, absentmindedly wasting your weekend away when he'd come ringing on your doorbell
technically, you aren't "enemies" or anything - you've been neighbors for well over half a year
it's just something about him irks you.
maybe it's the way he has one of those obnoxious doormats that doesn't stick to the ground so if you aren't looking and step on it - you'll go sliding down the hall like you're on ice
or the fact that you noticed he doesn't properly know the difference between fabric softener and detergent so he just pours them into the machine when he's in the laundry room with you
actually, you grind your teeth yourself, it's none of those - it's the fact that he thinks he's entitled to everyone else's hospitality and never gives any of his ow-
"can you throw me a pillow?"
he outstretches his toned arm and you ignore the way his muscles flex as you chuck one off your sofa at him with the intent to hurt
but he catches it effortlessly and without anything close to a thanks
he's a brat. that's why we don't get along.
"can i change the channel?"
"no."
"you aren't even watching the tv."
"and this isn't even your house."
hendery rolls over onto his back and gives you a glistening white smile that you're both envious and pissed off at.
"hey, why do you hate me so much - could it be that you secretly want all of thi-"
he runs his hand down the line of his body and that's the straw on the camel's back for you
"get out."
"oh come o-"
the door shuts with a heavy, cruel thud and you are left in peace again.
you stare at the pillow on your carpet and walk up and down the spot where you can still feel the heat from his body.
what a weirdo. well at least he won't bother me again.
you're in the shower the next time someone rings on your doorbell.
you half expect it to be the deliveryman so you peek your head around the curtain to yell out that they can leave the package at the door but all you get in response is another doorbell ring
you huff and grab a towel, wrap it around yourself and trek out with slippery footprints left in trail as you get to the door
"who is it?"
the doorbell rings again
maybe it's the building manager? only she's such a hardass about things and wouldn't just give up after the first ring.
you sigh and unlock the door to open it - fully sure now that it's the manager - when all you see in front of you is
hendery
he looks you up and down and you stare back in horror
seemingly unaffected by your appearance he points over his back
"our air conditioners still busted is it ok if-"
"NO!"
you shut the door again and hear hendery yelp in surprise, then add "you could have crushed my fingers!" for good measure
you stand there and grit your teeth - glaring at the door as if you're glaring at him
"hendery. im not letting you in here anymore!"
"but whhhhhhhy - it's so hot, it's like one hundred degrees out and kun can't fix the damn thing so im dying pleaseeeeeeee spare some mercy!"
you harden in your resolve
"no! if you want free AC, go stick your head in the freezer section of the grocery store!"
you think you hear his footsteps shuffle away and the tension releases in your shoulders
you head back into the shower and stand under the water as you try and figure out what exactly made you this mad this time
obviously, it was because he's coming here to annoy me.
the angel on your shoulder quips
but the demon on your other shakes its head
aren't you mad he wasn't all flustered seeing you like this?
the self-conversation is bizarre, and you shut off the water to stop it
when you dry off you decide that the summer heat is getting to you, what does it matter to me what hendery thinks? 
you need to go get some ice cream and regain your dignity
you’re humming to yourself, trying to decide between a tub of plain vanilla or the box of mango popsicles 
when you hear the door to the freezer beside you open
at first you don’t look up, but then you hear a loud sigh and you peek from the corner of your eye just for your gaze to fall on the one person you really - really - do not want to see right now
“hendery. what are you doing?”
he moves aside a carton of cool whip to rest his head on the shelf inside
“i’m doing what you told me to do. sticking my head into a freezer.”
you look around to see if any employees are milling about 
and if they are, you fully intend on abandoning this conversation so no one incorrectly thinks you and hendery have anything to do with each other
but don’t you?
an evil voice in your head suddenly chimes
look at him - doing exactly what you said. isn’t that kind of ........ cute?
you are so dumbfounded by your own inner dialogue that you scoff and hendery raises an eyebrow
“why are you scoffing, first i can’t use the ac in your place and now i can’t even do this? you’re the one-”
you grab the carton of vanilla and let the freezer door shut hard enough to shake the others beside it
hendery pops his head and squints his eyes
“you can do whatever you want hendery.”
“does that me-”
you extend your hand and point directly between his eyes
“let me rephrase that: you can do whatever you want, hendery, as long as it is not in my presence.”
you are half way to the cash register when you suddenly stop
you look over your shoulder, and a part of you seriously expects to see him there again
pouting and whining and annoying you again
but hendery is nowhere to be seen and you pretend the weird drop in your stomach is from the mean look a random lady throws your way for blocking her path to the produce 
hendery doesn’t show up for the next couple of days
you say you notice it only because you’re enjoying the fact that he took your last warning to heart
but in reality, as the vanilla carton of ice cream you bought empties little by little, you realize you’re just searching for him for another reason
one you don’t think you want to confront yet
then one day, when you’re sitting beside the window and eating the last of your ice cream you see him
he’s sitting in the little park across the street, right under the water fountain, and a group of kids are circling around him 
they’re all counting and laughing and the sound makes it up into your ears
hendery suddenly jumps up, shaking the water for him hair and starts chasing one of the kids 
they run all around the park and hendery purposely slows down so that he can’t catch them
you roll your eyes, what’s he doing playing with kids at his age?
and then the kid he was chasing falls, scrapping hands and knees on the hard ground
hendery immediately hovers over, your spoon stays in your mouth as you watch him scoop the little body up into his hands and rush over to where you presume the kids mother or aunt or older sister is
the other children form a curious circle, the ice cream starts to melt down the side of your spoon as you concentrate on the way the one who fell is still clinging onto hendery’s sleeve as their wounds are bandaged up
hendery looks up for a brief second and you back away from the windowsill on instinct
the carton of ice cream drops down beside you
it happens again, this unexpected view of hendery from a distance
you’re coming home from a meeting with a friend and he’s across the street at the bus stop
at first you just look to make sure it’s him, but that posture and grin as he stares down at his phone is a dead giveaway to his identity
so you tell yourself to just keeping going - out of fear that you’ll somehow make eye contact
then, you see him suddenly bend down
at his feet is a local stray, she rubs up against his bare legs and hendery scratches behind her ear 
if you remember correctly, that same stray has never liked you, hissing even when you had tried to put out a saucer of tuna
so you stop walking and watch as it nearly splays down over his feet and hendery laughs and tickles it 
and you hate to say it but you think he looks almost.........cute.
the bus comes puffing down the hill though and hendery picks the cat up carefully and sets it safely in the nearby bushes of another building
before he can turn around in time to see you, the bus blocks both your views
you hurry along and try to distract yourself with the thoughts of what you’ll have for dinner
summer is at its worst when you wake up and check to see that the temperature is forecasted to be 99 degrees
you turn the ac on and sit down to think of what you can do in such horrible weather
when you lean down to press your forehead to the cool surface of your table you think
should i let hendery in, is his ac still broken?
you jolt at the thought. 
recently, you’ve been thinking about hendery a lot. way more than you ever have before.
you’d been watching some b-listed romcom the night before and when the lead had fell on his butt trying to impress the girl of his dreams you’d akin it to something he would do
it was downright unsettling 
the sun has cursed you - you reckon - that’s what it is 
ever since you met him you knew you two wouldn’t get along, yet here you are sprouting up the thought of actually inviting him over if his ac really still is broken
you groan
no, it’s not because you care about hendery or have suddenly grown feelings for him. you’re just a concerned neighbor. plus hendery lives with kun and you.........like kun well enough.
it’s enough of an excuse that gets you up and down the hall, knocking on the door 
hendery doesn’t answer, but kun does - and so does a gust of strong, cool air
“oh. you fixed your ac.”
you say before you can think and kun raises an eyebrow
“fixed? it was never broken.”
“oh.”
you blink up and into kun’s confused expression
before either of you can follow up with a question in the awkward, tension-filled silence
hendery appears behind kun with his bedhead and no shirt. he doesn’t see you as he rubs the sleep from his eyes and asks if kun can make him an omelet
you wave without a word and rush back to your own apartment before hendery has the time to notice
you hear kun say something about how hendery needs to learn how to crack eggs himself before the door shuts
your heart is beating ever so erratically in your chest. at the kind of speed that you would deem humiliating.
but, if the ac was never broken then why was hendery always bothering me about it?
the devil pops back up onto your shoulder with a grin big and red like candy
maybe, he just wanted an excuse to be around you.
you spend the rest of the day debating this.
first off, hendery did seem like the type that would annoy his crush in highschool with weird nicknames or notes passed around during class
that is in highschool  - you’re both adults now. there was no way he would still be doing the same thing
then again, this was hendery you were talking about, whose common language and overall vibe seemed to work best with children and animals
you try to convince yourself that that’s exactly the issue
why am i suddenly liking a guy who acts like .... that?
by “that” you had meant childish and weird - but maybe “that” was slowly turning into kind, fun, and really easy to love
the thoughts clog up your brain, mixed with the miserable heat, you just give up and go to bed early
you hope you wake up with a clarity of mind
instead, you wake up to a note slipped under your door
you pick it up and know who it is from immediately.
guess he really isn’t above highschool level flirting afterall?
you read it and it says that hendery wants to meet you in front of the freezer you two talked at last
half of you says you need to keep face and just not go. 
the other half is sick and tired of being single.
hendery is wearing basketball shorts and a plain grey hoodie when you show up
“a lot of layers for someone who said their air conditioner is broken.”
is your opener and hendery turns to you, first smiling and then letting his face fall into a serious expression
it’s the first time you’ve ever seen his eyes not twinkle with some form of mischief
“yeah - i - kun told me you stopped by.”
now you feel your own playfulness wear off and while clearing your throat you wait for him to continue
“i’m sorry about lying. and im sorry about always being a nuisance to you.”
you wait two beats and hendery stays quiet
“anything else?”
you can tell he doesn’t really know what you mean by the question, you know he’s racking his brain for the ‘right’ answer
“i mean - um.........i’m sorry for being....um........rude?”
he tries and in response, you can only jut out your hip and roll your eyes
by that, hendery can tell that he hasn’t said what you’re wanting to hear so he tries again
“i’m sorry for acting like a chi-”
“hendery.”
he straightens up and stares into your eyes with concentration
“why did you lie in the first place? that’s what i want to hear. what was the reason.”
again, you can tell the cogs in his head are turning, and you start to second guess yourself
maybe he didn’t just do it because he wanted to be around me - maybe he really just wanted to annoy someone? was he just.....
“kun said i should apologize, i shouldn’t bother people just because i’m bored.”
........bored
you think you hear something break, maybe a glass bottle in another aisle over
but the ringing sound in your ears is actually just the fragments of your own heart
“right. you were just bored.”
you repeat and a shadow casts itself over your face. hendery reads the switch fast and reaches out to touch your shoulder
you shake it off and turn to leave, as there isn’t much else you can say
this time you don’t look back to see if he’s following you. you don’t think twice about the time you’ve spent changing your opinion on him and you decide that afterall, you knew that you and hendery just would never get along. in any kind of way.
“i’m sorry.”
his voice comes from over your shoulder before you can push your way out of the exit door of the grocery store
“kun also said i shouldn’t lie. i was bothering you because i like you. i was acting like a five year old with a crush because that’s the only way i’ve ever been with the people i like. i know it’s dumb and i know i really made you mad so i- i’m sorry.”
before you can turn, hendery tries to move past you and run away first
you catch him by the back of his hoodie and he freezes up when you tug him back toward you
“i’ll do anything ok, seriously, i’m sorry i will try my best to stop liking you because i know it’s a burden please i-”
he’s rambling and rambling and you two are blocking the way for people to get out of the store
so wordlessly and with more force than you mean to, slam your arms around him from behind
you bury your head into the fabric 
“you talk so much. i think i like you too.”
if you weren’t hugging him, you might have been able to see the physical joy that spreads over hendery’s face
it lights up every part of his features and he scrambles to turn in you hold to hug you back
he leans in, eager and overflowing to try and kiss you, but you put a hand up against his mouth
“we’re still in the store.”
he nods, saying something muffled and you push him toward the exit. someone scuttles past you and mutters something about how you both are being so annoying right now
when you finally get back to your place, you tell hendery that he can try again - with the kiss of course - but this time you want a genuine try and not some kind of messy puppy slobber which is what you imagine he had in mind
hendery feigns offence, but when he takes your face in his hands, he’s gentle and you’re thankful that his mouth tastes like fresh mint
“did you plan for this to happen?” 
you joke later as you two cuddle against each other with your ac on blast
“of course. i knew you’d fall for my charms one day.”
you playfully pinch him and hendery cries out like it seriously hurts 
you laugh, the two of you laugh together, but you can’t say he’s wrong
at the end of the day - somehow - you did end up falling for some kind of charm
and that charm stays with hendery, even as you two grow older together 
and being neighbors turns to dating turns to living together 
and the one summer where your shared air conditioner actually breaks and you two find yourself standing in the freezer section with the doors open
trying to take in as much free cold air as possible
you look at hendery’s reflection in the glass with a big smile
“babe, you were so smart back then. this is way better than an ac.”
he chuckles at his own corny joke before you can
you want to quip back, but in the moment all you can do is see young hendery in front of you
sticking his head in between cool whip and ice cream just because you told him to
“hey - i love you.”
you blurt out, even though you’ve said it way too many times before
hendery smiles, says “i love you too” 
and draws a heart in the condensation on the door
you grin and then under it hendery adds word that makes your eyes go wide
“forever?” 
264 notes · View notes
meiideryz · 1 year
Text
unexpected but sweet.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
pairing: chittaphon leechaiyapornkul x reader
length: 1.02k
tags: alternative universe, established relationship, boyfriend!ten, mentions of working, nap sessions, first kiss, tooth-rotting fluff, basically everything is just sweet
warnings: none.
afternoon nap sessions were your favorite, along with your boyfriend for almost a year. ten just loved the yellow hue of the sun penetrating through the translucent soft fabrics of the curtains, creating a lovely color painting the living room. he just loved to lay on the sofa with his favorite music playing on his phone for a bgm, and he would pull you into his embrace to nap with him whenever you came home from work.
it became a regular thing for the two of you, especially during weekends. you'd be there laying on his stomach while his arms are stretched out, caressing the sides of your body to soothe you into your slumber. ten loves being comfortable around you, in any way just to make you feel safe around him.
but it was always just cuddling, combing your hair, surprising you with his drawings of you, and anything else. however, ten never kissed you and vice versa during your eleven months of dating each other. maybe it was because none of you had the courage to initiate the first kiss, despite the closeness ten and you had developed.
he was with a friend the other day, unusually asking him if he had ever kissed you, and to his response, only a loud scream filled the room as he hid his face with the palms of his hands.
sure, he had relationships in the past with whom he kissed before, but when it comes to you, ten didn't want a simple first kiss where you both don't find it good, he wanted to make it memorable for the both of you.
maybe today has just been the day that he would actually do it.
before you left the apartment, he suggested to go on a picnic at the park later after you finish work. a grin plastered on his face when you agreed to his plan as he wrapped his arms around you to say goodbye.
during the times you weren't around, he'd play and feed his cats in his bedroom, or he would make a dish from your recipe book to improve his cooking skills, or do his art commissions online, but once it hit afternoon, it was time for another nap session.
he stretched his arms up to the air as he yawned out, indicating that he's eyelids were starting to fall down. ten slithers on the sofa, the soft cushions of the furniture relaxed him which made him curl into a ball like a cat would do when it's kicked back.
the silence inside the room was able to get him sleepy, eyes heavy at the feeling before dreamland awaits him in his sleep.
🥮
his nap didn't last long when he heard noise coming from the kitchen. a sound of a kettle boiling and your sweet humming in the distance. did he sleep for too long? he wanted to open his eyes to check but he was too sleepy to even open them and get up.
the lovely aroma of parmesan, bacon, and garlic filled his nose as he inhaled the delicious scent of the carbonara sauce being cooked. the way ten melted even more when the sound of your singing voice echoed the whole apartment, followed by a cracked voice and laughter filling the atmosphere.
when it comes to singing, everyone in your circle of friends thought how good you are, but ten was just something else. in your opinion, ten has the best voice, knowing too well he used to be in a music club during your college years. he brings his guitar to sing with his friends under the bleachers where you first met him.
there was a moment of silence inside the room, and ten couldn't help but slightly open his eyes to inspect what was happening.
and when he did, he almost let out a gasp, finding you in front of him. ten cursed in his mind, unable to do anything when you're this close to his face. usually he would pull you now to cuddle with him, but he stayed still in shock.
what was supposed to do in this kind of situation? the tension's incredibly high and his soul is leaving his body at the sight of you looking at him this close. he would've said 'love looking at my face too much?' right now but none of it came out of his mouth.
then everything felt like time had stop. it's cheesy to think about it but ten thought otherwise. and just a few centimeters left, you can easily close the gap between your lips to his. he waited, eyes closed shut this time, expecting to feel the soft moistness of your lips.
it never did. to his surprise, you pulled away out of embarrassment when he tried to slightly open his eyes one more time. well, if you won't do it, he will. ten finally opened his eyes, surprising you before a hand snaked around your neck to pull you into a kiss.
a burst of laughter left both of your lips when ten pulled you to the sofa with him, accidentally bumping each other's foreheads.
"you surprised me! i thought you were asleep the whole time!" you exclaimed, gasping for a breath as you playfully hit him on the chest.
"i was supposed to give you your first kiss later at our picnic date, but it seems like you were so impatient." ten pouts, only to see you laughing harder, hands reaching out to place both sides on his face to pull him into another sweet kiss. good god, your lips are just too perfect, a little too perfect where it molded so perfectly with his.
ten couldn't help but gently bit the bottom lip, then slowly, sweetly, kissed you again. his heartbeat rapidly going crazy at the taste of your peppermint lip balm. he can't get enough of it, he can't get enough of you, ten needs to be drowned with your kisses. "did i ruin our first kiss then?"
"it doesn't matter, every kiss we will share will always be memorable to me."
"then, so do i."
networks: @multifandomnet @neoturtles @neowritingsnet
©MEIIDERYZ 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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tensmutdepot · 1 year
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Dedication (part 3)
Pairing: Ten Lee x fem/afab!reader
Genre: idol au, slow-ish burn, acquaintances to friends to lovers, major fluff, eventual and abundant smut (it'll be worth it, just stay with me)
Tags: incredibly self-indulgent; artistic liberty has been taken; some suspension of disbelief required; Ten drives; Ten has a secret island; Y/N has a tragic backstory because I don’t know how to write things that aren’t at least a little sad; cheesy metaphors; they’re in LOVE your honor
TW // mentions of suicide (if you want to skip over it, skip over the section of red text, and don’t worry, the story should still make sense to you)
Summary: Ten never misses an opportunity to see Y/N. And the more time he spends, the more he learns. The more he learns, the more he wants to learn. What will he do when he learns about Y/N's greatest trauma?
Word Count: 6.2k
Part 1, Part 2, Part 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten became a somewhat permanent fixture in your life after that night. 
He had texted you the following morning, the steady buzzing of your phone pulling you from sleep.
[Unknown number]: Hey you :)
[Unknown number]: Karina gave me your number
[Unknown number]: Do you have plans today?
[Unknown number]: Aside from school work
[Unknown number]: Cuz I wanna come over and bother you some more
[Unknown number]: If you’ll have me
[Unknown number]: But like no pressure
You smiled to yourself as you read the messages, the smile turning devious as you formulated your reply.
Me: Who is this?
You fought a laugh as you watched the three dots appear and disappear several times before he finally answered.
Ten: Mean
Ten: Very mean
You couldn’t fight the laugh then, sitting up in your bed, your mind now fully awake.
Me: I’m gonna be home all day today
Me: You can come over whenever
Me: But like no pressure :)
Ten: You’re so annoying
Ten: See you soon
He started coming over regularly, at least three or four times a week. He told you there was a lull in his current activities as an idol, something about his subunit being on somewhat of a hiatus, so he had more free time than usual. Sometimes he would text you beforehand, but other times he would just show up unannounced. Some days he’d drive himself, other days he’d get dropped off and picked up, but he was there as often as he could be. 
The two of you would watch movies and binge TV shows and play board games. You’d eat dinner together and talk about the time you spent without each other, though those instances grew fewer and farther between. 
You were about to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. Your focus was poetry, and you wanted to have your first chapbook completed and ready to be published as soon as possible, so you would sit in comfortable silence with Ten and work on writing while he played around with Procreate on his iPad. 
You would play music for each other, and every once in a while, Ten would sing along or even show you choreography he’d come up with for a song he particularly liked. Those days were the hardest, convincing yourself you could be satisfied with appreciating him from afar and never experiencing his passion firsthand.
Ten never pushed you for more, though, seemingly content with the way things were between you. And he was. He was content just to hear you laugh, see you smile. He was content just to be near you. But there were moments. Moments where he’d catch you staring just a little too long, where your eyes would shine with something that made his blood flare with heat, the promise of what you might do if you weren’t so scared of the consequences. That promise made him patient. 
A couple of months into your friendship with Ten, you were done with finals. The day you received your diploma, yours and Karina’s parents having taken you out for food after the ceremony to celebrate and now headed back to their own homes, you and your best friend gasped as you discovered a gorgeous and elaborate flower bouquet waiting for you outside your front door. 
You picked it up and carried it inside as Karina unlocked and opened the door for you. Setting the ornate ceramic vase on your kitchen counter, you examined the fragrant cluster of blooms. There were yellow pansies, apple blossoms, honeysuckle, red tulips, and daisies. Amongst them, you found a note:
Y/N, Karina,
Congratulations!
We know you’re going to take this world by storm and can’t wait to support you every step of the way.
Sincerely, Ten & Yuno
P.S.
Y/N, flip the card over.
So you did.
Y/N,
Doubt thou the stars are fire Doubt that the sun doth move Doubt truth to be a liar But never doubt I am proud of you
Yours truly, Ten
You melted a little, your heart swelling in your chest at the sweet gesture. He’d referenced one of your favorite lines from Hamlet. It was disgustingly romantic of him, and you were seriously glad he hadn’t delivered the flowers in person because, at that moment, you don’t know what you might have been capable of. 
Karina was still in awe of the flowers, so you caught her attention and showed her the front side of the note. She smiled and leaned against you, taking your hand. “I’m sorry Ten couldn’t be there today. I know you were missing him.”
You shrugged noncommittally, an attempt at acting casual, embarrassed of how important Ten already was to you in spite of the short time that you’d known him. Karina wasn’t fooled, but she let it go, conscious of your sensitivity on the matter. “I’m sorry Jaehyun couldn’t be there either. It would’ve been cool if the guy you graduated elementary school with could’ve been there to see you graduate from university.”
“Yeah, I’m just happy we’ve reconnected at all honestly.”
“I’m sure he’s happy about that, too,” you asserted. “I’m actually surprised Jaehyun doesn’t come over more often, Kay. But maybe his schedule’s just a lot busier than Ten’s.”
Karina looked at you like she couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of your mouth. “Y/N, Jaehyun is a really busy guy, but that’s not why he doesn’t come see me regularly. He doesn’t come see me regularly because he’s not allowed to.”
“What? What do you mean?” Your brow was creased with confusion.
She sighed, frustrated that she was the one having to explain this to you. “If they’re caught coming and going from the same place too often, they can get in serious trouble. Jaehyun and the others had to lie to their managers to even come to the party we threw. They’re not supposed to be here because, if the media somehow found out, it’d probably turn into a huge scandal and cause problems for the group. You know, male idols in their 20’s spending a bunch of time at the home of two female college students? Sadly, that’d cause quite a stir.”
Your stomach dropped. If that were true, then it meant Ten was at risk every time he was with you. You were furious that he hadn’t been transparent with you about this. The next time you saw him, you would need to confront him about it.
You and Karina moved on from the topic and spent the rest of that night celebrating, popping open a bottle of champagne you’d saved for the occasion and drinking to all the hard work you’d put in over the past few years. 
The next day, Ten showed up to celebrate with you in his own way. You were sitting on your bed in your room, leaned up against your headboard, watching Netflix together and sharing snacks, when you decided to broach the subject.
“Ten, are you… allowed to be here right now?” you asked.
He froze like he’d been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. His reaction told you that your ignorance on the matter had been a concerted effort on his part, that he’d hoped this conversation would never have to happen. But now it was. “Not necessarily,” he answered quietly, not quite meeting your eyes.
You held in your anger, genuinely wanting to understand what he was thinking. “Then why are you?”
This answer came much more quickly. “I like spending time with you.”
You gaped at him, your frustration boiling to the surface. “Are you kidding? Ten, if your managers found out you were spending all this time with me, you could face real consequences.”
“Okay, I really like spending time with you,” he shot back with mirth. 
“This isn’t funny, Ten.”
“No, no, I know it’s not—”
“Do you know how terrible I would feel? If something bad happened to you because of me? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” You were breathing too quickly, anxiety building, and it destroyed Ten. This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. He reached out and grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him.
“Hey, listen to me. If I got caught and something happened, that would be my fault, okay? I’m a grown man. I make my own choices, and you are not responsible for them. I know what I’m risking by being here.”
But that wasn’t good enough for you. “And what about the others? Your members? They have a stake in this, too, Ten.”
He huffed, a little disappointed that you thought he hadn’t considered that. “I’m aware of that, Y/N. I’m not doing this behind their backs. They all know about it. We’ve talked about it, and they trust me. They understand why it’s so important to me.”
“Well, I don’t understand, Ten!” 
“You don’t have to!” he fumed. 
This was the first time you and Ten had truly argued, had even slightly raised your voices at each other. The silence that followed was agonizing as you stared into each other’s eyes, chests heaving. You weren’t certain how long the two of you sat there like that, but eventually, Ten closed his eyes and leaned his head back, exhausted.
“Look, Y/N, you can kick me out of here if you want. This is your home, and I can’t force you to let me stay.” He lifted his head and gazed at you again, desperation gleaming in his eyes. “But if you make me leave, then it needs to be because you want me to, not because you’re worried about something that isn’t your responsibility. You’ve always treated me like a normal person. Please, don’t stop now. Just let me be an adult who’s allowed to have his own priorities and make his own decisions about how he spends his time.”
You let his words sink in. All of them. Was he right? Did it matter if you couldn’t understand why he was willing to risk his career just to spend time with you? Maybe you didn’t need to. Maybe some things didn’t have to make sense. Maybe all that really mattered was that being with Ten felt good. Maybe it wasn’t your job to decide what was best for him. “Fine,” you breathed.
He whipped his head toward you in shock. “Wait, really? You’ll let me stay?”
You rolled your eyes affectionately. “Yes, Ten, you can stay.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next couple of weeks following your confrontation with Ten were perfect. You were the happiest you’d been in a remarkably long time. But it didn’t keep the rest of your life from catching up with you. 
Ten hadn’t heard from you all day. He wasn’t worried, per se, but it was out of the ordinary for him to go this long without hearing from you. His gut told him he needed to check in on you. But rather than blowing up your phone in hopes you might eventually respond, he decided to pay you a visit.
He knocked on your door and waited for you to open it, but he was greeted by Karina instead.
“Hey, Ten.”
When he saw the look in Karina’s eyes, his face fell. Something was wrong. “What’s going on, Kay?”
She worried her lip between her teeth, obviously considering whether or not she wanted to tell him. After a moment, she sighed wearily and said, “Today’s not a good day. I know you’re here for Y/N, but she’s… dealing with something.”
As if on cue, Ten heard the faint sound of you crying coming from upstairs. His chest tightened with anxiety, and he felt himself start to panic. “Please, let me see her.”
“Ten, you really don’t understand, she—”
“If she doesn’t want me here, she can send me away,” he implored. “I just want to help.”
Karina scrubbed her hand over her face, exhausted. Then she opened the door so that he could come inside. “Try to give her the time and space to come to you, okay? If anyone can make her feel better, I’m sure it’s you, but she’s hurting right now.”
He nodded in understanding and started up the stairs, moving quickly but quietly. The sounds of you sobbing grew louder the closer he got, and it gutted him. When he got to your bedroom door, he carefully pushed it open, just enough for him to slip through. You were lying on your bed, curled into a ball, clutching and crying into your pillow.
Ten’s heart stopped. You were wearing his sweatshirt again.
His voice trembled as he softly said your name, doing his best not to startle you. You jumped, sitting up straight and hugging your pillow to your chest, as if it would protect you from whoever or whatever had entered your room uninvited.
When you realized who it was, though, you weren’t sure what to feel. Part of you was filled with dread because you never wanted him to see you like this. But another part of you, a much larger part, was relieved. Relieved because, for some insane reason, he was the one person you wanted to see.
He gave you a small smile and cautiously walked toward your bedside, like he was afraid you might run off if he made any sudden movements. “Hey, sweetheart.” His voice was fresh air, cool water on a hot day. It soothed you.
“What are y-you doing h-here?” You hiccuped every few seconds, your lungs recovering from hyperventilation.
It was hard for Ten to see you like this. Tears streaked your cheeks, your eyes were puffy and swollen, you couldn’t stop sniffling, your bottom lip and chin were still wobbling, and your hands were shaking. He hated that he knew you were in pain and had no idea how to fix it. He would spare you any pain if he were able. “I was just coming by to see you like usual, and Karina tried to turn me away. But… but I heard you crying, and I couldn’t leave without checking on you, so I convinced her to let me in. You don’t have to explain anything to me or talk to me at all if you don’t want to, and if you tell me to leave, I will. But I don’t think you should be alone right now.”
His heart was the most beautiful you’d ever known. He was a fountain of kindness and compassion. He somehow managed to consider your pain and acknowledge your independence all at once. He offered you comfort, and whether or not you accepted it was entirely up to you. He didn’t put any pressure on you, didn’t expect anything from you. He just wanted you to know that he was there if you needed him. You were too drained to overthink it, too broken down to lie to him or yourself. So you looked him in the eye and said, “I d-don’t want you to leave.”
“Then I won’t,” he vowed, and it felt more significant than either of you were ready to acknowledge.
You sat there in quiet as your breathing calmed. After some time, you started to feel uncomfortable, unsure how to proceed. You didn’t want to start crying again, but despair was already creeping back in, saturating your heart and clouding your mind. 
Ten sat down next to you, sensing your distress, and took one of your hands in both of his. “Can I take you somewhere?” he asked, kneading the muscles in your palm, relaxing you. 
“Take me somewhere? Do you see me right now?”
He rolled his eyes and dropped your hand. Immediately, you missed his touch. “You look beautiful. You always look beautiful. But it doesn’t matter anyway because where I’m taking you is a secret place that only I know about. It’ll just be you and I. No one else.” 
Your heart leapt at the prospect. You definitely didn’t have the energy to deal with people right now, but you thought you could handle some time out with Ten. Maybe the distraction would do you some good, get your mind off things. Standing up, you stretched your arms out above you and popped your knuckles. Then you bent over and gathered your hair on top of your head, wrapping it up with the hair tie on your wrist. “Okay,” you told him, popping back up. “Let’s go.”
He actually giggled at you, tickled by your inelegance. Only you could make gracelessness so charming. He stood up to lead you out, but before he did, he walked up to you and brought his hands to your face, swiping his thumbs under your eyes to wipe away any leftover tears. It was unbearably tender.
You dropped your gaze to the floor. “Thanks.”
“Anytime,” he replied. “Now, come on.”
The two of you walked down the stairs together, and when you reached the bottom, Karina came around the banister to meet you. “Where are you going?”
You turned to her. “Ten said there’s somewhere he wants to take me, so I’m entertaining him.”
Karina smiled at you, but her brow was creased with concern. “Are you sure, bug? You don’t have to go if you don’t feel up to it.” The use of your childhood nickname made your heart clench.
Ten wasn’t offended by Karina’s apprehension. He appreciated that she loved you enough to stand up for you, that she wasn’t afraid of challenging other people if it meant caring for you. He would do the same in her place. If you’d suddenly admitted to her that you didn’t want to go with him, he would’ve been fine with that. But you didn’t. You just smiled at your best friend and said, “I’m sure, ducky. I’ll text you when we get there and let you know when I’m on my way home, okay?”
“Okay.” She wrapped you in a hug and kissed your cheek. “I love you.”
You almost lost it then, the thread holding you together worn so thin. 
Ten noticed. He could see it in the set of your shoulders, the tension in your jaw. He could tell that you weren’t being open about your emotional or mental state, not with him or with Karina. And he knew it was because you wanted to spare their feelings. You didn’t want to burden them. He wanted you to understand that he was happy to share your burdens, to shoulder the weight when you weren’t strong enough.
You held Karina tight and returned her kiss. “I love you, too. So, so much.”
Parting, you made your way to the door with Ten, but before you closed the door she called out to him, “Take care of her!”
He leaned back inside. “Always.” And then he took your hand and walked you to his car.
Neither of you spoke as Ten drove. You just stared out the window, watching the scenery, sometimes seeing a flock of birds and wishing you could fly away with them, become something new. He could feel the despondence radiating off of you in waves. He held the steering wheel a little tighter.
“We’re here.” Pulling off onto a patch of gravel, he parked. He got out of the car and opened the door for you. You weren’t sure how long you’d been in the car, but you didn’t recognize this place, wherever it was. You could see the river, though, feel its breeze kissing the skin of your neck, refreshing on this summer day. 
Ten started walking toward a path that led off the road and into the woods. The path was faint, hard to find if you didn’t know where to look. Luckily, he did. You followed after him, neither one of you saying a word, until you reached a clearing that led to a small dock on the riverside. 
There was a motorboat tied to the dock, and Ten walked straight to it. He reached for the two life vests inside and wordlessly slipped one over your head, fastening the sides and tightening the straps to fit you properly. After putting his own life vest on, he stepped onto the boat, then offered his hand to help you do the same. 
You sat and observed as he yanked on the pull cord of the motor, trying your best not to notice the way his arm and shoulder muscles flexed under the fabric of his shirt. You failed. The motor whirred to life, and Ten gripped the handle, steering it out onto the river and in the direction of whatever destination he had in mind for you.
Next thing you knew, you were coming up on what was probably the smallest island you’d ever seen, only a short ways off the river’s edge. You gasped in delight. Ten smiled at the sweet sound. 
After docking the boat, Ten helped you onto land. You both took off your life vests and tossed them back into the boat. He walked backwards, his arms stretched wide. “Welcome to Isle Ten,” he said brightly. You could see how excited he was to share this with you. It warmed your heart. 
The islet was maybe a few hundred square feet, soft sand surrounding a large patch of grass in the center of it all. “What is this place?” you asked, the awe apparent in your voice.
“It used to belong to one of my neighbors, an older man, who used to bring his wife here when they were younger. After she passed away, he decided he didn’t want it anymore. I happened to visit him a few days after his wife’s passing, just to see how he was doing, see if he needed anything. He sat me down and started telling me stories about his wife. He told me all about this place, about the trips he used to take with her. I made a comment about how amazing it sounded, and he said, ‘If you think so, why don’t you just take it off my hands?’ It took some convincing on his part, but eventually, I agreed, and he signed the deed over to me. I rent the dock and come here whenever I want to be alone.” 
“Wow.” You walked to the patch of grass and looked around, taking in the view of the river surrounding you, the huge, open sky above you. You took in the quiet, nothing but the sounds of the flowing water and the wind passing through the blades of grass. “I love it,” you whispered, more to yourself than anything, but Ten heard you. 
“Well, now it’s yours, too,” he said.
Before you could protest, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you to the middle of the grass. He laid down on his back and patted the ground next to him. You huffed and laid down at his side. The two of you sat there in silence for a short while, until you grew antsy and couldn’t take it anymore. “So, is this what you usually do when you come here? Just lay around?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. But other times I’ll bring my sketch pad and draw, or I’ll bring my guitar and my notepad, try to write some music. It’s just easier to clear my mind here. I can pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist and just be.”
You sighed wistfully. “That sounds nice.”
“I was thinking you could come here when you need some solitude to work on your chapbook.”
It was the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given you, and you had no idea how to thank him, to tell him just how much it meant to you. At the very least, you could tell him the truth about why this day is so hard for you. Sitting up and balancing your forearms on your knees, you cleared your throat. 
Ten didn’t move from his spot, but you knew he was listening, knew that you had his attention.
“I had a brother,” you began. He took note of the past tense in your statement and prepared himself for how this story may end. “He was a few years younger than me, almost exactly. Our birthdays were only a couple of days apart. We even used to have combined birthday parties growing up. Most siblings would probably hate that, would hate having to share their special day with someone else, but he and I loved it. We loved it because we loved each other, you know? We were best friends.
“But as we grew older and made new friends, we also grew apart, started to develop very different interests. I met Karina, and we were nearly attached at the hip. When my brother started high school, I was a senior. I should’ve looked out for him. It was my responsibility as his sister, but I only cared about myself, only cared about having the best senior year ever and spending as much time as possible with my friends before we all graduated.
“He fell in with the wrong crowd, got into drinking and drugs. But he was only trying to numb his pain. He had always struggled with depression. There would be days where he just couldn’t get out of bed, other days where he would fly off the handle for what seemed like no reason. The signs were there. I just didn’t pay enough attention.
“He got lost in himself. Between the substance abuse and the mental illness, his mind became a dark, dangerous place. When I did happen to see him at home or at school, I didn’t even recognize him. And still I did nothing. He was suffering, anyone could see that if they really looked at him, but no one did. Not even me. The person who knew him best. The person who was supposed to take care of him.
“I was at a party, a couple months after the school year ended, celebrating graduation, proud that I’d been accepted into the university I wanted, happy to be done with high school. My phone rang, and I almost didn’t answer it. But my parents were out of town, and my brother had the house to himself, so when I saw his number pop up, I wanted to make sure he hadn’t burned the house down or something. I didn’t expect…”
Your hands started to shake as you ran them over the back of your neck. You took deep breaths to keep yourself from crying. It had been years since you told anyone about this. It was so hard to say it out loud. But you needed to.
“I’ll never forget the way his voice sounded when I picked up the phone. He didn’t say hello, didn’t say my name. He just asked me, ‘Am I supposed to be here?’ He sounded wasted, high, but more than anything, he sounded tired. So tired. I didn’t know what his question meant, I assumed he was having a bad trip and had forgotten where he was, something like that, but…
“I told him I didn’t understand, so he went on. He said, ‘Here, you know, alive. Am I supposed to be alive? It feels like I’m not. I’m not any good at it, being alive.’ I can still hear him so clearly, remember it so vividly. I immediately started to panic and told my friends at the party to call the police and send them to my house.
“I tried to just keep him on the line, keep him talking. I talked about anything, everything. I asked him to tell me about the video game he’d started playing recently. I asked him if he could remember the lyrics to his favorite song. But it was like he couldn’t even hear me. He knew he was talking to me, though, because he kept apologizing. 
“He kept telling me he was sorry for always being in the way, always causing problems. I tried to tell him that I… that even when I was upset with him or something he did, I still loved him. I said it over and over, how much I loved him. And he told me he believed me. But he said that he knew he wasn’t easy to love, that if he wasn’t around, no one would have to worry about loving him anymore, and everyone would be better off, happier.”
Your head fell against your arms as you started to sob, but you kept going.
“One of my friends told me the police were on their way. I told my brother that people were coming to help him. I shouldn’t have. I was so stupid. He started to freak out. I could hear him moving around our house, and I begged him to just sit down and talk to me. I said everything would be fine if he just waited a bit longer, but he told me he couldn’t wait anymore, he was sick of waiting. He said he’d been waiting to feel happy for so long that he didn’t know what happy even was anymore.
“He was fifteen. How could he think something like that? How could I have been so blind to what he was going through? I didn’t know what to say to him. I promised I would help him learn to be happy again. I told him we would figure it out together. And for a moment, I thought I’d gotten through to him because he started to agree with me. He kept saying, ‘Yeah, that sounds good.’ But then I heard him rummaging around inside something. And I heard the sound of something heavy and metal hitting the floor. And I heard the sound of a box being opened, its contents clattering on the floor.
“And I knew. I knew that I was going to lose him. He put me on speaker while he loaded the shells into our dad’s shotgun. By this point, I was on the ground, sobbing into the phone while my friends watched on helplessly. I said I loved him so many times. I asked him not to leave me. It was all wrong, I did everything wrong. I did everything you’re not supposed to do in that situation.
“I wailed and wailed until I heard him call out to me. I kept myself quiet as best I could so that I could hear him. It was silent for a bit, just him breathing. And I never realized until that moment just how much I’d taken that for granted, you know? Him breathing. But then he said, ‘It’ll be okay.’ And the gun went off.
“Everything’s… sort of a blur after that. I didn’t leave my room for weeks. I wouldn’t talk to anyone. Not my mom, not my dad, not even Karina. I didn’t want to go on with my life because that meant accepting that he was gone. Then one day, my mom came into my room with a box. She told me she'd found it in my brother’s room. It was labeled, ‘Important Stuff.’ She said I should take a look inside and walked out.
“At first, I wanted to chuck it against the wall. But something stopped me. I ignored it for a while, just letting it sit there at the foot of my bed, but eventually I sat up and pulled it into my lap. And when I opened it, everything inside was just… him and I. The shitty friendship bracelets we made when I was eight. Mixed CD’s we’d put together and decorated with sharpies when I was in junior high. A bunch of stuff like that.
“I figured it was an old box, something he’d thrown this stuff in and shoved inside his closet, never to be thought of again. But then I noticed there was something recent in the box. It was the graded copy of a short story I’d written in my English class that year. It was written from the perspective of a caterpillar as it turned into a butterfly, but as the story goes on, you slowly realize that the caterpillar is actually a human growing into an adult. My teacher had asked us to write something about the inevitability of change.
“It was the cheesiest thing, but my brother was so proud of it. So proud of me. When I brought it home, a big red 100% written on the top of the first page, he asked me if he could keep it. I said yes, not thinking anything of it, and he absolutely beamed at me. It was one of the only good days we had together that year. In the box, he’d attached a sticky note to the front that said, ‘Y/N, For when you’re a famous writer and feel like giving up: Remember where you started. Remember why you started.’
“Amazing, right? He’d given me the best advice for moving on after his death without even meaning to. He reminded me that change is inevitable. A caterpillar will go through metamorphosis. It doesn’t get to choose. My brother died. It changed who I was, changed who I could become, changed the whole trajectory of my future. I couldn’t go back to the person I was before I’d lost him anymore than I could stop the sun from setting, stop the seasons from changing, stop the world from turning.
“I needed to lean into that change, otherwise I would end up just like my brother, so numb that it made more sense to not feel at all. Those few weeks holed up in my room ended up being my time in the cocoon. The day my mom brought me the box, I cleaned myself up and went online to declare myself as a Creative Writing major at my dream university. I hadn’t really known what I wanted to do before that. And now here I am.
“I still have bad days. This day is hard every year because I can’t help but relive those last moments with him. But there are other days, too. Days where I blame myself. Days where I’m angry at him. Days where I’m angry at my parents. Days where everything seems pointless. Until I remember what he taught me. I’m a butterfly. I pick up pollen as I go through different experiences, some good, some bad, some that seem completely inconsequential. But as I go about my life, I transfer that pollen through my interactions with other people. I transfer it through my writing. And as I do, I encourage others, the flowers of this world, to blossom, to reach their full potential. It’s not easy. Life isn’t easy. But it’s worth it if I leave this world a little more colorful, a little more beautiful than it was before.”
You weren’t sure when you’d stopped crying, but you had. You felt better, lighter. This was the first time you’d ever talked to anyone about this who didn’t already know, who wasn’t a part of your life when it happened. This was the first time you’d ever really talked through it from start to finish. 
Ten had been silent the entire time. About halfway through, when you were at the worst of it, he’d sat up, his hand reaching out to comfort you but stopping. He wanted you to let it all out. Any attempts to comfort you might disrupt that. He could tell he’d made the right choice as he watched you breathe freely for the first time since he’d walked into your room that day.
“Y/N,” he said, lightly tapping your elbow. You turned to look at him, your cheek leaning against your arm. “Thank you for telling me.”
You smiled at him fondly. “Thank you for listening.”
The two of you ended up staying on the island for a while after that, challenging each other to thumb wars, playing rock paper scissors and twenty questions, even swapping ghost stories. It was late by the time you got back, Karina long since gone to bed, although you had texted her to let her know you were safe and not to wait up. You stood in the doorway gazing at Ten, knowing that something had shifted between you but unwilling to address it. 
“Get some rest, Y/N. I’ll see you soon.”
“You promise?”
He smirked and lifted his pinky in the air. “I pinky promise.”
You giggled and hooked your pinky onto his. “Good night, Ten.”
He turned and started to leave. As you watched his retreating form, you realized that something had been missing. You caught up to him and grabbed his arm, twisting him back towards you, then wrapped your arms tight around his waist and buried your face in his chest. 
Ten froze for a moment until he figured out what was happening. You were hugging him. He instantly put his arms around your shoulders, one of his hands coming up to cradle the back of your head. You stood there and held him for a long time, just breathing him in. When you finally decided to let go, you avoided his eyes, too afraid that you might do something even more stupid this time, like trying to kiss him. 
“Drive safe,” you whispered. Then you turned and practically ran into the house, closing the door behind you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Whew, sorry for bringing the mood down for a minute there, but if you made it this far, I hope you're excited for the next part! The next part is when the tension finally breaks and the smut begins, so I'll try to get it posted sooner rather than later! As always, my inbox is open, so feel free to share your thoughts with me :)
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lunarsun12 · 5 months
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