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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

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DROP THE ACT(FT.HONGJOONG) (PART 6)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” -Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on Tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ; @nctflix ; @kskywalker17

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ It’s been a while and I’m really sorry about the delay in posting this. Hope you enjoy it! Pleasee leave me notes or asks, I absolutely love them

My update schedule is not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the tag list.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, kissing, fingering, crying, arranged marriages, breakups, partial smut, blatant classism.

Word count: 4768

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

To say Hongjoong was surprised when Jia walked into his office that day would be an understatement. They hadn’t really kept in touch after the breakup. To have her lean over him and kiss him was even more unexpected. She looked down at him with a curious look.

“I thought you hated Y/N.”

Hongjoong would have nodded. He really would. But…he found that he couldn’t. Jia continued.

“So why am I hearing that you are dating her?”

He didn’t even know why he so desperately wanted to prove Jia wrong, but he did.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.”

And he knew. He knew he should have stayed far away from Jia. Their breakup was…messy. But she got to him. The fact that he couldn’t say he hated you got to him.

Memories started flashing before his eyes. The way he felt every time your family snubbed him. Every time he had to put up with them talking down to him. Every time they refused to acknowledge him. He saw it all. The hateful glares. The malicious giggles. The pointed looks and comments. It wasn’t your family alone, but…it was just awful. The countless times he had come home, with tears of frustration in his eyes from investor meetings from not being taken seriously. The countless times he had been denied permits because of your family actively trying to make him fail. He had tried so hard not to take it out on you because you had never openly behaved that way with him. But when Mirae told him you were forcing her to break up with him, it was breaking point. That was the moment he came to loathe you with all his soul. He never paused to think that such deep hatred could only come from a place of care and disappointment.

He felt like such a fool. He had gotten too caught up in the fake dating thing. You probably still thought the same of him while he was hesitating to think bad about you.

That kind of vulnerability… no, he couldn’t do it.

He pulled Jia onto his lap before kissing her deeply.

“I wouldn’t do this if I were.”

---

“It’s just another ploy by an ice-cold, money-hungry bitch who is terrified of parting with her money.”

“I see you still think of her the same way.”

“Of course. She made Mirae break up with me just because I didn’t come from wealth, like her.”

“So, is this all just to prove something?”

“I mean, it is a massive fuck you to her family’s snobbery, so that’s a plus.”

Hongjoong felt sick the moment those words left his mouth. He didn’t have a single obligation to you. At all. But somehow, reducing everything, all the moments he shared with you to a ‘fuck you’ for your family was more than he could bear. And to call you an ice-cold, money-hungry bitch…he started feeling nauseous. Even as he sat there and fingered Jia, he felt like he would throw up.

When Jia reached for his belt buckle, he was sweating. But it wasn’t because of arousal. He had broken into a cold sweat. He couldn’t do this. he shook his head and stood up.

“Jia…I can’t do this.”

“What the fuck Hongjoong?”

He faced her and shook his head again.

“I can’t. I think you should leave.”

----

Hongjoong had originally planned to sit in his office for a while, but he couldn’t. He felt sick looking at everything that transpired around him. And you…he told you he wouldn’t hook up…

He wanted to see you. To have you smile at him and never know about what happened. But he simultaneously needed to tell you everything and ask for forgiveness.

He didn’t owe you anything. He suddenly started to get angry. He didn’t owe you this. He hated you. So why the hell couldn’t he hook up with Jia? Why the hell was the feeling this guilty? None of it was making any sense. So he did the one thing he knew he had to do, whether it was to apologize or yell at you in frustration. He needed to talk to you so, he called you.

---

When Seonghwa walked into Hongjoong’s apartment that night with some files for him to look over, he found a suspiciously red-eyed Hongjoong on the couch. Hongjoong’s voice was hoarse when he asked Seonghwa to call you.

“Seonghwa, can you call Y/N?”

“…why?”

“I need to talk to her about something.”

Seonghwa would have normally pressed Hongjoong for details, but Hongjoong looked like he would break any minute. He took out his phone and called you while Hongjoong watched, face blank. Seonghwa turned to him and shrugged once the call cut.

“She’s switched off her phone.”

“Does she do that often?”

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong, an odd look in his eyes. The last time she did this was when Mirae disappeared.

“No. No, she doesn’t.”

---

“Use me however you want to get over Hongjoong.”

You stared at Sunwoo in disbelief.

“Sunwoo, I…”

His eyes softened a little, but the feral look was still there.

“It’s okay. You can use me.”

You removed your hand from his chest and sat back a little. Your voice was shaky when you finally spoke.

“Sunwoo, I can’t do that to you.”

“What if I want you to?”

You stared up at his eyes. He looked desperate, like this was the one thing he was clinging on to. Like you were the one thing he was clinging on to. But you couldn’t.

“Sunwoo, I can’t use you like that. It’ll only hurt you.”

“I want you to use me.”

You shook your head, reaching out to cup his face and wipe away the one tear that slid down his cheek. You straddled him and pressed your lips to his forehead, wrapping your arms around him. That broke the dam and Sunwoo started sobbing. You simply sat there, holding him as he buried his face in your neck.

It was a while before he looked up. You wrapped your arms around him as he cried, rubbing soothing circles down his back. You let yourself cry too. You let out the pain of Hongjoong seeing you that way. Of not liking Sunwoo back. Of hurting Sunwoo.

It took him a while to realize your body was shaking because you were also crying, not just because of the force of his tears. He moved back, looking at you. Both of you had puffy, red faces and your skin was splotchy. He wiped your tears away with his thumb, the feeling of his familiar, rough hand giving you a sense of comfort. He cupped your face.

“Hey. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

You stared at him, the pain in his eyes as he said it making your heart drop.

“Sunwoo, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s okay. We’re already back to normal. I’ll get over you eventually.”

He wasn’t sure about it, but he said it anyway. You nodded, knowing him well enough to know he didn’t want to talk about it. He stared at you, the familiarity of it all making him smile. He would always sneak into your room and sit out on the balcony with you, watching the sky. The both of you were always affectionate, but now…it was enhanced by the intimacy of pain. Sunwoo’s hands slipped down from your wet cheeks to your lips, brushing against them gently. His voice was soft, hesitant when he asked,

“Can I kiss you?”

You stayed silent for a moment.

“It’s okay if you don’t. Don’t worry about it”-

You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his. He froze for a second before deepening it. The kiss you shared with Sunwoo that night…it was many things. Painful, cathartic, comforting. It was a long kiss, but it didn’t feel like it. You could tell Sunwoo was trying to convey what he felt through the kiss. You could also tell he was trying to force it out of his system. Trying to get it out once and for all so that he could get over you. He was also trying to comfort you, because he knew you felt guilty and that you were heartbroken by Hongjoong’s words. You, on the other hand, tried to convey the care and love you held for him. Sunwoo truly meant so much to you. You tried to convey an apology, even if it wasn’t warranted, because you wish you could have liked him back. You tried to convey reassurance; that it was all going to be okay.

He pulled away first, smiling at you before carrying you inside. The two of you then curled up under the familiar old blue blanket and went to sleep, just like you always did.

---

When Sunwoo dropped you home early the next morning after sneaking you out, you turned your phone back on. You saw missed calls from Hongjoong. You saw one missed call from Seonghwa. But neither of them left messages. Seonghwa because he knew you wanted space. Hongjoong because…he felt conflicted. It was killing him, his need to desperately hold you and have you with him, and his need to hate you for everything you had put him through. That desperation, that confusion, everything, made him resort to not communicating. He kept telling himself that he only called you in a moment of weakness. That was all. He was definitely not hoping that you’d see his calls and call him back. And he was definitely not disappointed when you didn’t.

---

A week later, Seonghwa was in the office with Hongjoong, having lunch with him, when you called.

“Hi, Seonghwa.”

He stared blatantly at Hongjoong as he answered.

“Hi Y/N.”

Hongjoong’s hands, which were busy eating French fries, immediately froze. Your voice was uncharacteristically distant when you spoke.

“So Seonghwa, I have news. There’s going to be a formal party next week for a fundraiser by Ms. Stiles. Since she controls export permits, pretty much everybody will be there. Long story short, I spoke to Sunwoo about a bunch of stuff. This party will be the last party we have to pretend for. After that, we’re done with this charade.”

“...Y/N, are you saying you’re merging with Sunwoo?”

Hongjoong’s fork fell.

Your voice was vehemently firm when you replied.

“No. There’s no merger happening there. I just spoke to an old friend and he’s going to talk his family out of this. They just need to see us at one last party.”

Seonghwa realized that he was treading on thin ice, but from the look on Hongjoong’s ashen face, he knew he had to try.

“Y/N, are you sure you want to end things so suddenly? Things will look suspi”-

“Yes. I’m sure. One month after the party, we can ‘leak’ an article to some paper about how we broke up amicably due to conflicting interests or something.”

Hongjoong looked like he was going to lose it. Seonghwa tried again.

“Y/N, I still think you should”-

“Sorry Seonghwa, I have to go. See you around.”

He stared blankly at Hongjoong as he put down the phone.

“What is it Hwa? What did she say?”

“Next party is the last time you guys have to pretend to be together.”

Hongjoong ignored the sharp spike of pain he felt and leaned into the anger that ran through him. You just decided that? Without bothering to call him? or even tell him in person?

Hongjoong smiled, not realizing Seonghwa was focused on his vice grip on the fork.

“That’s great Hwa. No more dealing with this bullshit.”

---

It was Ms. Stiles’s annual fundraiser for the school building foundation she supported, and as usual, it was a formal white tie event held at her mansion just outside the city. As you got ready, donning the pale mint green off-shoulder fitted dress, with the delicate gauzy lace wrapping around your arms in an interesting variation of the bishop sleeve, you kept telling yourself that you could do this. That it was just one last time. But when you checked google maps to see how long it would take to get there, you balked. You definitely couldn’t sit in the same car as Hongjoong for 90 minutes. You picked up your phone to shoot off a hurried text to Hongjoong, not bothering to see his response before leaving. After all, he hated spending time with you. He wouldn’t complain. This would do him good.

Hongjoong had just finished getting ready, giving himself a disgruntled look at how plain and basic the dress code was when he got your text. Hongjoong was nervous. He was very nervous. He was also very irritated at you for calling off the fake relationship, even if he had no logical reason to be. He was not looking forward to picking you up for the long drive at all. Which is why the cold, sinking sense of disappointment that enveloped him upon seeing your simple text was very unexpected.

Hongjoong, sorry for the late notice, but I’ll meet you there. I have something to take care of on the way.

---

As Hongjoong walked through the large white doors leading to the ballroom, he felt like the air had been knocked out of him, because he caught sight of you. It was impossible to miss you because Hongjoong certainly wasn’t the only person looking at you that night. He gulped. In your delicate mint green outfit that showed off your beautiful neck and the hints of a delectably soft leg beneath the slit up your leg, you were arguably (though not arguably in Hongjoong’s mind) the most beautiful woman there. And you had never felt more out of reach.

Hongjoong could see the soft, loose curls pinned at the nape of your neck and all he wanted to do was remove the pin so they could come loose and he could run his fingers through them. He wanted to walk up to you, take you in his arms, and kiss you senseless. He wanted to leave beautiful marks all across your neck. He wanted you.

But earlier, while he could have gone up to you, laughed with you, and wrapped his arms around you, he couldn’t anymore. Something had changed. He only snapped out of his spiral when he saw Choi Sam walk up to you with a flute of champagne. You did mention that Choi Sam had an unhealthy fixation for you. You had just turned and given Sam a painfully forced smile, mentally preparing yourself for another poem, perhaps about porridge this time, when Hongjoong wrapped his arms around you and pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“I missed you, love.”

That took both you and Sam by surprise, but you maintained a straight face and placed a hand on his chest, and flashed him a smile. To an outsider, it looked like a warm smile but Hongjoong could tell it was fake. That made his chest feel a little tight. You hadn’t had to put on a smile that forced with him in a long time. But all of that was eclipsed by Sam’s loud gasp and exclamation.

“You guys are dating?!”

He looked so shocked and hurt that you couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him. Yeah, he wrote terrible poetry and was a little annoying, but he wasn’t a bad guy. Your glance softened when you nodded.

“Hongjoong and I have been dating for a few months now Sam.”

Sam blankly nodded before making an excuse to get out of there with suspiciously glassy eyes. The moment Sam was gone, you dropped your hand from Hongjoong’s chest and he reluctantly dropped his from your waist. Normally, you would have been able to laugh or joke about something, but right then, it was painfully awkward.

“So…Y/N, it’s our last time doing”-

Hongjoong was interrupted by Sunwoo’s loud greeting as he nodded at Hongjoong with a studied look of neutrality and wrapped his arm around you in a hug. Hongjoong didn’t know how to explain it, but somehow, the bond between the two of you seemed even more intimate, with Sunwoo’s soft, protective glances or your fingertips constantly brushing against his arm. The feeling it gave Hongjoong was suspiciously close to jealousy. You simply smiled at Sunwoo; a real smile and hot flash of regret, he didn’t even know what for, flooded through Hongjoong. Hongjoong cleared his throat, annoyed at the way you and Sunwoo didn’t even have to say anything to be comfortable around each other.

“Sunwoo, lovely seeing you. Y/N and I haven’t seen you for a while.”

Sunwoo raised his eyebrows in question.

“I saw Y/N yesterday.”

You forced yourself to ignore the look of betrayal in Hongjoong’s eyes and took a sip of your drink.

“Ah yes, Y/N told me.”

You winced when Sunwoo nodded, obviously in disbelief. You needed to get away from Hongjoong, and you couldn’t take Sunwoo with you because that was the deal you made with Hongjoong. You sighed and said,

“I’ll be back in a while. I just need to touch up my makeup.”

Both men knew that was an obvious lie because you hated touching up your makeup. Sunwoo squeezed your arm and gave you a sympathetic smile. Hongjoong simply looked lost when he nodded. He couldn’t, for the life of him, understand what changed.

---

Hongjoong sulked. Anyone who knew the man knew he obsessively threw himself into work and sulked over petty things. But this wasn’t something petty. And he didn’t know what to do about it. So he tried his level best to distract himself, thinking that alcohol might be a good idea. However, he couldn’t execute his plan, because when he reached the bar, a woman reached for his arm to pull him back. He turned around, ready to snarl when his eyes widened at the sight of Mirae. Sure, her hair was shorter and he could see hints of a tattoo under her collarbone, but it was very much the same Mirae. She smiled as she hugged him.

“Hongjoong! It’s so good to see you.”

He smiled back readily. He always liked Mirae, even if things didn’t work out between them romantically.

“Mirae! It’s been ages.”

Her smile showed obvious relief when she said,

“Yes, it has! But I’m back now, and I’m back for good.”

“That’s great!” His voice turned teasing. “You here with someone?”

She turned and pointed at an elderly woman with a shawl.

“Yes, of course. I’m here with my mother. And what about you, you Casanova? Who’d you bring for the night”

Hongjoong’s smile grew forced when he said,

“I’m here with Y/N. We’ve been seeing each other for a while.”

Mirae raised an eyebrow, not bothering to conceal her surprise.

“Oh well, I’m glad that worked out. You must have been relieved when she told you, huh?”

Hongjoong tilted his head in confusion.

“Told me what?”

Mirae’s eyebrows shot up even higher, but she kept her voice nonchalant.

“The whole thing about how I lied to both of you? How I told her you broke my heart and told you that she forced me to break up with you?”

Hongjoong froze.

“You did what?”

“Oh shit, you don’t know. Fuck. I’m sorry Hongjoong. I- My father was trying to force me into marrying you, so I had to lie.”

It was like it suddenly clicked in Hongjoong’s head and he turned frantic.

“Wait, she didn’t hate me? She never forced you to break up with me because I didn’t come from money?”

Mirae’s face contorted in surprise.

“I never said anything about that.”

“I-I know.”

There was a moment of silence before Hongjoong spoke again, this time sounding very vulnerable and unsure of himself.

“She never hated me or looked down on me? What about her family?”

Mirae’s expression hardened at the mention of your family.

“Calling them family is a bit of a joke. She hates them. They keep trying to take away control of her company from her. They constantly put her down and guilt-trip her. They’ve never been there for her.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened and made Mirae panic slightly when she saw the sheer amount of panic in them.

“Hongjoong, no! She never looked down on you. She actually tries her hardest to defend you with her family, even though years of them not listening to her has made it really hard for her to do that. She only started disliking you when she thought you broke my heart. Hongjoong, she-wait, Hongjoong, are you listening to me?”

Hongjoong was listening, but he was feeling a whirlwind of emotions. Regret for having assumed things. Panic at how mean he’d been. Hope, because finally, he didn’t have to deal with the confusion. He could just accept that he likes you. Fear, because the way you had been behaving with him was just…off.

---

You came back a good while after excusing yourself to the restroom, thankful for the little peace it gave you. Just wandering around, you were appreciating the tasteful flower arrangements when you felt someone grab your arm. You turned around, prepared to scream when you realized it was a very panicked-looking Hongjoong.

“Y/N, we need to talk.”

You raised an eyebrow. Ten days ago, you would have happily gone with him. That day, you wanted nothing more than to be far away from him. Offering him a bland smile, you said,

“Perhaps another time, Hongjoong?”

His grip grew tighter and he grit his teeth.

“It can’t wait.”

You were panicking slightly, wondering how you could possibly get out of this one, when you heard the tell-tale sign of the bell calling people to dinner. Shrugging his hand off you, you offered yet another fake smile.

“I’m afraid it’ll have to wait Hongjoong. They’ve called us to dinner.”

And you walked away, leaving behind a very frustrated and scared Hongjoong.

---

While being shown to your seats, you had to work hard to control your dismay, because, for whatever reason, Sunwoo had been seated next to Hongjoong, who in turn was seated next to you. You were hoping you’d be able to take some comfort in Sunwoo’s presence, but fate, and Ms. Stiles apparently, had other plans.

Since you were seated with at least another hundred people, you were hoping Hongjoong wouldn’t be able to say anything. He didn’t, but it didn’t stop him from staring at you wistfully. You refused to look at him, making polite conversation with the elderly couple sitting beside you, but the moment you felt his warm hand on your thigh, you turned to glare at him with such unfiltered rage that he winced and removed his hand immediately.

When Hongjoong’s attention returned to his meal, he realized Sunwoo was glaring at him. He raised a questioning eyebrow at him, to which Sunwoo responded by shaking his head and muttering,

“Trying to corner her in public, where she can’t even do anything about it, is low, even for you.”

Hongjoong’s grip on his knife tightened as he cut through the steak.

“Why would I be cornering my girlfriend?”

Sunwoo couldn’t hold back the snort.

“Look at you, being the caring boyfriend to your ‘ice-cold, money-hungry bitch’ of a girlfriend.”

Hongjoong felt the sting of betrayal run through him as well as a feeling of uneasiness. He felt so betrayed that you told him, Sunwoo, the one guy both of you were trying to prevent a merger with, and the one guy Hongjoong was deathly jealous of, the truth about your relationship. And he also accepted, for the first time, that it was jealousy because Sunwoo was obviously closer to you than he was. He also felt uneasy, because those words… were his words. How did Sunwoo know them though?

Hongjoong almost slammed his knife down on the table, and he would have too if it hadn’t been for the gentle warning that came from you in the form of a hand on his forearm. You couldn’t hear what they were talking about, because if you had, you would have murdered Sunwoo for bringing it up, but you could tell when Hongjoong was getting worked up. Hongjoong looked at your hand, slowly lowered his knife, and turned towards Sunwoo, his voice low in a growl.

“The fuck are you talking about?”

Sunwoo glared right back before looking at you and letting his glance soften.

“Look man, I know I don’t understand it completely, but I know it was rough for you to make it big. I know that a lot of…people haven’t been very welcoming or receptive. Y/N knows that too, which is why she won’t say anything to you. She probably blames herself. But you taking it out on her with absolutely no basis is bullshit.”

Hongjoong bit his lip in confusion. Nothing was making sense. Did Sunwoo mean to say that you…you knew what happened that day? He turned to watch you smile at the old lady next to you, also offering her a smile as his blood ran cold at the thought.

---

You hung around for a short while after dinner, making sure to be surrounded by people to avoid a conversation with Hongjoong. When he was laughing at a joke and it seemed like he had lowered his guard, you whispered that you were going to leave and started walking away.

You expected that he would try and catch up with you, so you were power walking it to the hall, but you stopped when you felt a decidedly different hand, fully adorned with jewels and rings, stop you. As you turned around, you heard the soft voice of Ms. Stiles ask you,

“Where are you going Y/N? What’s the hurry, love?”

Cursing at the opportunity this had given Hongjoong to catch up, you smiled at her and said,

“Oh, nothing of any concern Ms. Stiles. I have a meeting early tomorrow morning, so I thought I’d take an early leave.”

That was the moment a panting Hongjoong caught up with you and grabbed your arm. Ms. Stiles raised an eyebrow.

“You were going to leave without your boyfriend?”

You shook your head with a controlled expression.

“I wouldn’t want to force him to leave with me.”

Ms. Stiles looked at your slightly pinched expression and Hongjoong’s desperate one and her face softened.

“You know what? Some friends of mine are going to be joining me for a weekend getaway at the beach. Why don’t the two of you join us? It’s a great way to relax and…I think the two of you might need it.”

Both you and Hongjoong froze. You were in despair. It was supposed to be the last time you’d ever have to deal with him as your boyfriend. But you couldn’t exactly turn Ms. Stiles down. This was the Ms.Stiles after all. She had been holding back some permits and this could help with that. You gulped and forced a smile.

“That sounds lovely.”

Ms. Stiles’s face shifted into a warm smile.

“Great. I’ll text both of you the details. Now Hongjoong,” she smiled at him, “go walk your girlfriend to her car.”

As soon as both of you were at a safe distance from Ms. Stiles, you spoke up.

“You don’t need to walk me to the car. Just stop when we reach the front door.”

His voice was quiet when he responded.

“And if I want to?”

“Too bad.”

You had reached the front door. You were about to walk out when he grabbed your arm and turned you around.

“Princess, please listen to me”-

The way you winced at the nickname and the way a sudden flash of hurt spread across your face stunned him into silence. Within seconds, however, you were back to being collected.

“Do not call me that Hongjoong.”

“Okay. Y/N, please”-

You were about to leave when out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sunwoo’s parents watching you. Your eyes lit up as it clicked in your head. This was a great opportunity to show them you were dating Hongjoong. Suddenly switching gears, you smiled at Hongjoong as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Goodnight Hongjoong.”

And you walked away, leaving a very hurt Hongjoong behind because even though you had kissed him, the utter lack of feeling and love behind it…nothing had ever felt so wrong.

----------

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(Reblogs are good :) )

#hongjoong angst #hongjoong fluff #hongjoong x reader #hongjoong x y/n #ateez angst #ateez fluff #hongjoong series #ateez series #idiots to lovers #rivals to lovers #fake dating au #hongjoong scenarios #ateez scenarios #sunwoo angst

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

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hi!! i was just wondering when you were planning on posting part 6! i love the story🤩 you’re a great writer

Awww thank you so much! I've been meaning to post it for a while but things just keep coming up. I will try and post it sometime over the next four days though. Thanks for enjoying my work🤗🤗

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

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Hi, guys!

As you may know, I am Ukrainian. I live in Kyiv. I have lived here since I was born and I love my country with my whole heart.

I see a lot of misinformation under the tag "Ukraine". Most of it comes from American people, who try to explain the conflict in their own words. They can't. It's impossible to explain if you haven't lived here. There are too many influences on this conflict. You keep looking from an american perspective, which is not crucial in understanding the conflict.

For example, have you ever had you language forbidden? Like straight up forbidden by the law? It happened to Ukrainian language a lot of times thought our history. And who did it? The Russian Empire. And it's not the end of it. The genocides, the assimilation, the deportation. Have you even researched Ukrainian history?

You do not uplift Ukrainian voices enough. And you should if you care about what's happening. If you don’t do it, you're just doing a performance of your support and activism.

Lucky for you, I am a Ukrainian person! And I am DYING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. I scored 191/200 points on my graduation exam in history, so you can suppose I know something about Ukrainian history.

If you stand for Ukraine, uplift Ukrainian voices. Educate yourself. Learn Ukrainian history. Ask Ukrainian people

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

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DROP THE ACT(FT.HONGJOONG) (PART 5)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” -Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on Tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ; @nctflix

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ I hope you enjoy Part 5! This is my favourite chapter, so do leave me notes and comments about what you thought :)))

My update schedule is not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the tag list.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, kissing, mentions of alcoholism, arranged marriages, breakups, partial smut, blatant classism.

Word count: 3100

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

You excused yourself early that night, only pausing to text Hongjoong as you drove home. Hongjoong himself only realised you were gone when Seonghwa was looking for you and he offered to call you. As he took out his phone, he saw your terse text.

- Hey

- I’m not feeling too good, so I’m going to head home

And immediately, he felt dread overcome him. It just felt…off.

His brain went into overdrive. Shit. Were you that upset about the kiss? Things did get weird only after the kiss. Granted, with the way your parents had been glaring at you, he did have to kiss you, but he’d be lying if he said most of it wasn’t just him wanting to kiss you. And he did. He did lie to you. Partly because he was afraid of your reaction, even if you did get caught up in the moment and kiss him back. Mostly because he was terrified of what it meant. He hated you. He hated you and your family with his entire soul. How could he want to kiss you?

No. It was just a temporary lapse in judgement. Call it the moment. Call it confusion. Call it whatever. But he most definitely did not want to kiss you. Even as his hands were aching to hold you again, that night, in bed, he told himself over and over again that he did not want to kiss you.

Keep reading

#hongjoong angst #hongjoong fluff #ateez angst #ateez fluff #hongjoong series #ateez series #hongjoong x reader

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

Text

DROP THE ACT(FT.HONGJOONG) (PART 5)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” -Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on Tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ; @nctflix

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ I hope you enjoy Part 5! This is my favourite chapter, so do leave me notes and comments about what you thought :)))

My update schedule is not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the tag list.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, kissing, mentions of alcoholism, arranged marriages, breakups, partial smut, blatant classism.

Word count: 3100

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

- Hey

- I’m not feeling too good, so I’m going to head home

And immediately, he felt dread overcome him. It just felt...off.

---

It was easy for you to avoid Hongjoong for the next few days, as there were no parties or galas. Of course, you could have texted him. Or he could have texted you. But neither of you did that. You threw yourself back into work. At least, you tried to.

A week after you last saw Hongjoong, you snapped your laptop shut after reading an email from the marketing team about your new cologne launch. It had a ‘woodsy’ scent. Fucking hell, of course, it had the one thing you associate with him. Okay, maybe not one thing. Maybe every perfume note that smelled like him sent you spiralling, which was inconvenient since you sold perfume for a living. You groaned and leaned back in your chair, marvelling at the situation you got yourself into when you jumped hearing someone knock on your door.

“Come in.”

The door swung open, and a very familiar head of short, wavy hair popped in. In seconds, your expression went from tired to complete and utter shock.

“Mirae?!”

She shut the door behind her and smiled nervously as she pulled you into a hug.

“Y/N!”

You stared at her, still in disbelief. You missed her. Of course you missed her. She was your best friend. Is your best friend. No matter how upset you were with her for disappearing for three years, you still loved her. But were you pissed as hell? Yes.

You raised an eyebrow as you stared at her.

She took a deep breath before coming to sit down in front of you.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

You turned and looked around.

“Oh, are you talking to me? I’m sorry, I thought you forgot how to talk.”

You gave her a pointed look. She gave you a sheepish one.

“Are you done being petty?”

“Nope. You’re going to hear about this for a really long time.”

“Fair enough.”

The two of you sat there in silence for a few minutes before she broke it.

“Can I at least explain why I disappeared?”

You nodded.

“Do you remember, around 4 years ago, I started dating this guy called Kim Hongjoong?”

You tensed immediately but simply nodded in agreement.

“Well, I never wanted to date him. My family…well, let’s just say that business wasn’t going well. My dad looked around and became fixated with Hongjoong. He was rich and was new to the business, so he didn’t know about my dad’s drinking problem. So, my dad forced me to date Hongjoong. He tried to force me to marry Hongjoong.”

Mirae paused for a second, clearly finding it difficult to talk about.

“I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. Not that Hongjoong was a bad guy. He was great. I just…I didn’t love him. And I did not want to marry him. So I made plans to run away. You remember my cousin Kiara, right? Yeah, she let me stay with her. Just before I left, I told you he broke my heart and I told him you forced me to break up with him. I’m sorry. I was desperate. I texted you before boarding the flight and yeah…I disappeared.”

You stared at her wide-eyed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“…I don’t know. It was just hard to admit that my family is that fucked up.”

You quickly hugged her, feeling awful. You weren’t even able to help your best friend when she needed it. What kind of a friend were you?

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Mirae. I should have been there for you.”

“No! You were there for me. I was just having a tough time talking about it.”

“Is it safe for you to be back here?”

“Yeah. My mom covered for me. And they just got divorced the other day. So yeah,” she turned to give you the happiest smile you’d seen from her in a long time, “I’m staying with my mom.”

---

The two of you spent ages catching up and only when she left did it sink it. You had no reason to hate Hongjoong. You didn’t even have to feel guilty about it anymore. Just like that, so much tension left your body. You knew there was something there. There had to be. You knew it wasn’t just you. And maybe, maybe like you, Hongjoong was also conflicted. Maybe he didn’t know what to do, since he thought he hated you. God, you had to tell him. You absolutely had to tell him. You two could finally drop the act of hating each other and just…be you.

You drove to Hongjoong’s office, knowing full well he wouldn’t go home before 6.

You walked down the hallway of the empty office, the employees having gone home for the day, and with each passing step, you felt your heart lift with a kind of elation. It was freeing to stop pretending to hate him. And you knew. You knew deep down you had always liked him. You didn’t have to suppress it anymore.

You quickened your step.

Hongjoong had to feel something. He could also give up the ridiculous farce of hating you. He kissed you for god’s sake. He even stayed with you the night of the storm. He took you out on a picnic just so you could relax. There had to be something there. There absolutely had to be.

And that was when you saw the open door of his office.

You frowned. That wasn’t like Hongjoong. He had the most peculiar habit of locking every door he could find. Suddenly, you started to feel uneasy. Peeking through the door, you felt your skin crawl as your instinct was proven right.

Hongjoong was there, sitting on the couch in his office. But he wasn’t alone. There was a topless woman straddling him, with his hands wrapped around her waist as she unbuttoned his shirt. You wanted to claw your eyes out because of the sight of Hongjoong with another woman…you were desperately pinching yourself to take away from the pain in your chest. Yeah, you knew he met a lot of women, but to actually see it…it made you feel sick. And that’s when you heard them.

Hongjoong was trying to kiss her when she pulled away with a glare. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Jia, that’s not true.”

“Oh, so you mean to tell me you’re not dating Y/N?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then what is that all about?”

“It’s just another ploy by an ice-cold, money-hungry bitch who is terrified of parting with her money.”

There was silence for a minute before Jia burst out laughing.

You could feel your knees get weaker. That was what he thought of you? That was why he thought you were doing this? You dug your nails into your palms hard, drawing blood.

“I see you still think of her the same way.”

He leaned back lazily.

“Of course. She made Mirae break up with me just because I didn’t come from wealth, like her.”

“So... is this all just to prove something?”

“I mean, it is a massive fuck you to her family’s snobbery, so that’s a plus.”

You couldn’t breathe. All this while, Hongjoong thought that was why you hated him? And he still thought of you the same way? Even after getting to know you? Even after you thought he had worked past it? Even after pretending to care? Everything he was doing was just to prove a point? A ‘fuck you’? All the time you thought you shared something was just that?

And just like that, the way he called you princess made you sick.

You walked away as quietly as you could, eyes screwing shut when you heard the moans behind you. As you walked to your car, you felt this overwhelming weight.

You should have known. You really should have known.

Even as you sat there in your car, trying to calm down before driving, as you told yourself that he was an asshole and it didn’t matter, you knew you were lying. Hongjoong…mattered. And yes, seeing him with another woman hurt, but it was the fact that he thought you hated him because he didn’t come from wealth that killed you. All of a sudden, you were frantically rethinking every interaction with him and trying to see what you did that made him feel that way.

The princess thing, the picnic…it was all just a ‘fuck you’ to your family?

It was nothing new. They all left in the end anyway. Sunwoo? He left. Mirae? She left. Your parents? You laughed. You never even had them in the first place. Why would Hongjoong be any different? You shouldn’t have been surprised. Yet, you were. Because you thought he knew you. You thought you knew him. And most of all, you thought he would stay.

---

Your eyes were listless as you stood in your parent’s living room, sipping on water, deliberately ignoring the obnoxious conversations happening around you. You didn’t even bother looking up every time you heard pointed digs at your love life or pointed nudges about Sunwoo. In fact, if you had been okay, you would have noticed that your mother was unusually warm. But you didn’t.

Her insistence on you coming home for dinner, her warmth, everything…it all fell into place when you saw Sunwoo walk through the front door with a bag of food. He froze when he saw you. Dressed in his old grey hoodie and black puffy jacket from high school, he clearly was not expecting to walk into a family dinner. His wince when he felt your aunt’s nails on his arm gave away the fact that he was very much unhappy about being there. You heard your mom voice out confirmation for what you knew she had orchestrated.

“Oh, Sunwoo! Is that the cake your mom sent?”

“Uh…yes.”

“Sweetie, why don’t you join us for dinner?”

Your mother hugged him and looked up at him in a way that made it clear that it wasn’t a question he could say no to. He could only gulp and nod.

He almost immediately made his way to stand next to you, leaning back against the wall. He tilted his head towards you and smirked. In that moment, a flash of memories flooded you. All those parties where you and Sunwoo would stand like this, quietly whispering and warning each other about potential boring and judgmental adults. He leaned in and conspiratorially whispered,

“They got you too?”

And normally, you would have played along, but you were so tired. You were so done. You were so alone. You simply nodded.

The way Sunwoo turned to you immediately knowing something was wrong was almost frustrating. He knew you well. Too well.

---

An hour later, you were seated next to Sunwoo at the formally laid out dining table. It was always formally laid out. No one was ever there to mess it up. No one ever rushed with warm food and accidentally spilt some over in their enthusiasm. No one ever fought over who got more food. No one ever laughed over the table. It was always cold and isolated. And your family liked it. They liked that it was a house, not a home.

You were forcing yourself to eat the food on your plate, tuning out from the conversation around you when you heard Hongjoong’s name. No one had said anything too direct about him, so immediately, without even meaning to, you started paying attention. It was your father’s brother who started it. Of course.

“Thank god I didn’t have to go to that party by Aurora Mists. That bloody upstart Hongjoong. I don’t think I could have kept a straight face.”

Your gaze stayed down on your soup. No one would have known a thing about how you felt. Except for Sunwoo. He saw your grip on the spoon tighten, and he watched you carefully, knowing you were upset.

You heard another voice chime in. And another. And another. It was too much for you to take in. You could only make out what was said last.

“He makes such a fool of himself. And oh my god, his clothes. They’re so trashy.”

Your voice was quiet when you replied.

“I like his clothes.”

It was so quiet that none of them heard you. No one other than Sunwoo heard you. He reached out to hold your hand, just about managing to comfort you, when you heard your mother sniff.

“His background really shows in his lack of taste.”

You slammed your spoon down, relishing in the stunned silence that followed. Your voice was louder this time around.

“I like his clothes. I like his taste. What’s so wrong about it?”

Your father looked aghast.

“But Y/N, he…”

“What? He what?”

“He doesn’t come from a good background.”

“You mean he can actually earn money without bribing half the politicians in the city?”

You looked around again, daring them to say anything.

“Don’t ever talk about my boyfriend this way again.”

You stood up, the sound of the chair grazing the floor making your mother flinch. It was exhilarating, doing the very thing she rebuked you for all your life. And you walked out of the room.

---

You were standing on your balcony, grateful for the peace of your locked room. You could sneak out down the tree and get away from them. You just needed to stop shaking first.

Subconsciously, you registered the rustling from the tree, but you still jumped when a figure landed on your balcony. You turned towards them, moving away when the figure stepped into the light.

“Relax, it’s me.”

And you did. You did relax the moment you saw it was Sunwoo.

Trying to keep the mood light, you forced a smile.

“You couldn’t knock?”

And for the first time since he got back, you heard him sound angry.

“Don’t.”

“…Don’t what?”

“Don’t pull this bullshit where you act like you’re okay.”

You stared at him in silence, registering what he said. He moved towards the wall and sat down, waiting for you to occupy the spot next to him. You did. He stared at you, finally back to the old Sunwoo you knew, with no filter.

“What’s going on with you and Hongjoong?”

You couldn’t look at him when you answered.

“We were faking being in a relationship to avoid a merger with you.”

Whatever Sunwoo was expecting, it was not that. He blinked twice.

“What?”

“Your family wants to merge companies. I don’t want to. But I’m under family pressure to merge. Hongjoong…he has his reasons.”

Sunwoo just nodded, staying silent. You knew he was waiting for you to continue.

“I caught feelings. And I thought they were mutual. But he hates me. And he thinks I hate him like my family does.”

You turned to look at him, and his heart broke at how tired you looked.

“I can’t do this anymore Sunwoo. I’m so alone.”

His voice had the slightest tremble when he said,

“No. You’re not.”

You couldn’t hold back the biting laughter.

“But I am. I don’t have my family. I don’t have you. You left and you never fucking kept in touch. I don’t have Mirae. And I definitely don’t have Hongjoong, but I was stupid enough to think I did.”

Sunwoo stayed silent for a minute before he turned towards you.

“You know why I was trying for the merger? I couldn’t care less about it. I just thought it might give me a shot with you.”

You turned towards him, confused.

“You know why I was trying to be flirty and suave? Because I was desperately trying to impress you. You want to know why I didn’t keep in touch? Because I panicked.”

He was pale and looked nervous enough to throw up, but determined to continue. Your gaze flickered down to the vein straining against the skin on his neck. He was clearly upset.

“I panicked because I’ve fucking been in love with you ever since I was thirteen. So, no, I’d say you definitely have me.”

His eyes went down to your lips before turning away.

“My parents won’t push it if they see you with Hongjoong, so I’ll make sure they’re there at the next event you attend with him. You don’t have to put yourself through this anymore.”

Your mind was blank. You really couldn’t comprehend what just happened. But you did know Sunwoo was upset and out of reflex, you pulled him in for a hug.

“Sunwoo, I’m sorry, I”-

He hugged you tight, desperately trying to take in every bit of you.

“Y/N, it’s-it’s okay.” He took a shaky breath. “I know you don’t feel that way about me right now. Maybe you will someday. Maybe not. And I swear we can put this behind us. Things will go back to normal, no matter what you feel for me. But '', he looked up at you with feral eyes ``use me. You can use me to get over Hongjoong.” He brought your hands to his chest. “Use me however you want to get over Hongjoong.”

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

Any unlawful and unauthorized sharing of these works will result in legal action.

(Reblogs are good :) )

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

Text

Drop the Act(ft.Hongjoong) (Part 4)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

-Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ;

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ I know it’s been ages and I’m really sorry about that, but please enjoy part 4. I hope you enjoy this! Please do leave me notes and comments :))) I love them! My update schedule is not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, kissing, a cut.

Word count: 4446

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

You were at the beach, wearing a white sundress, relaxing under the shade of your umbrella. You called out to someone.

“Babe, can you bring me a drink?”

Babe? You were dating someone. Good. Maybe your abysmal love life had finally decided to change.

You didn’t hear a response.

“Babe?”

You heard soft footsteps in the sand behind you and you heard a familiar voice jokingly say,

“Geez. Wait a minute. They didn’t have your favourite, so I had to find another one.”

Hold on. Why did that voice sound so familiar? Why did he smell so familiar when he leaned down to give you your drink? You turned and looked up at him, but his face was blocked by the glare of the sun. You waited a second to get used to it and that was when it dawned on you.

The man with you was Kim Hongjoong.

You jumped up from the bed, wide-eyed and very very confused. You should have hated that dream. After all, Hongjoong was an insufferable asshole who broke your friend’s heart. The only problem was that you didn’t hate it. It felt…nice. You groaned as you got out of bed, going to wash your face. Perhaps cold water would be able to get him out of your head.

Ever since he stayed behind at your house during the storm, with every passing moment, you found yourself thinking about Hongjoong more. It was confusing. It was very confusing. You hated him. Of course you did. But why did it feel like your relationship was changing? Why did those small moments of him comforting you mean so much to you?

—

Keep reading

#hongjoong angst #hongjoong fluff #hongjoong x reader #ateez angst #ateez fluff #hongjoong series #ateez series #reblog

35 notes · View notes

severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

Text

Drop the Act(ft.Hongjoong) (Part 4)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

-Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ;

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, kissing, a cut.

Word count: 4446

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

You were at the beach, wearing a white sundress, relaxing under the shade of your umbrella. You called out to someone.

“Babe, can you bring me a drink?”

Babe? You were dating someone. Good. Maybe your abysmal love life had finally decided to change.

You didn’t hear a response.

“Babe?”

You heard soft footsteps in the sand behind you and you heard a familiar voice jokingly say,

“Geez. Wait a minute. They didn’t have your favourite, so I had to find another one.”

The man with you was Kim Hongjoong.

---

That evening, just as you were about to finish working, Seonghwa dropped by your office.

“Hii Y/N.”

You smiled when you heard his voice. It was a pleasant surprise. You missed hanging out with him. You missed Mirae. You missed your friends.

You got up and hugged him. He hugged you back before gently hitting your shoulder, frowning at you.

“You’re overworking yourself again, aren’t you?”

You avoided his gaze before trying to divert attention.

“Some tea, Seonghwa?”

“Y/N…”

You sighed.

“What do you want me to do Hwa? You know how my family is. You know how they keep trying to insult me and goad me into losing control of the company. I have to work like this.”

“No, you don’t. You need to take some time off for yourself. You need to go hangout with friends. ...Jiyoon and I always invite you out, but you never accept.”

“…I know both of you keep trying to invite Jiyoon’s cousin. I see what you’re doing there. I do not want you to set me up with someone, thank you very much.”

“Look, we’ll stop that. Just come and hang out with us. Hire more people. Get yourself a proper secretary. You can’t keep doing this on your own.”

Your head snapped towards him.

“I can do this on my own. I already have.”

Seonghwa sighed.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

There was silence for a minute before you flopped down onto the sofa.

“I’m sorry Hwa. I know what you meant. I just…it’s really tough.” Your voice broke towards the end.

Seonghwa abandoned the bag he was carrying and hugged you.

“Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I-I feel so alone Hwa. I miss Mirae. I’ve been single for ages. I haven’t been able to spend time with you and Jiyoon in so long. I can’t-I’m under a lot of pressure from my family to give them shares in my company. I don’t want to. And…they’ve also really been pushing the Sunwoo agenda.”

Seonghwa’s voice was soft when he asked,

“Why didn’t you tell us how much they were pressuring you?”

You stared at him blankly.

“You think I would admit that to Hongjoong?”

He sighed.

“He’s not a bad guy Y/N. He really isn’t. He’s just got a bit of a messy past with you.”

You stayed silent for a moment.

“I know.”

You got home late that night. You had dinner with Seonghwa and he convinced you to take the next day off so that you’d have a long weekend. He was right. You needed this. You needed the break.

---

“Seonghwaaaaaaaaaa. You’re late.”

Seonghwa sighed.

“Sorry Hongjoong.”

“We were supposed to order pizza and watch a movie.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I ate with Y/N.”

“Ah. I should have known she was behind this. Did she force you into staying?” Hongjoong shook his head, a smile hiding behind it.

Seonghwa sighed.

“No. I forced her into eating and stopping work. She needs to take better care of herself.”

All thoughts of sending you a text and annoying you about forcing Seonghwa to stay for dinner left Hongjoong’s head in seconds.

“What happened?”

“She’s exhausted and overworked. And her family…” Seonghwa pursed his lips. You probably didn’t want Hongjoong knowing about that. “Nevermind. I managed to talk her into taking a long weekend off. God, she looked like she was going to pass out when I saw her.”

Hongjoong’s skin felt uncomfortably prickly. He didn’t like this. Without even realising it, he blurted out something.

“I need to see her this weekend.”

Seonghwa stared at him, slack jawed.

“Why on earth do you need to see her this weekend?”

Hongjoong’s mind went black. Fuck. He hadn’t even realised he said that and now he had to come up with an excuse for it. Shit.

It never even occurred to him that he could take it back. Maybe because he didn’t want to.

“Uh I need to because…”

“Because?”

Hongjoong’s eyes frantically darted about the room, searching for inspiration for a lie when he saw some party invites. Desperate for an excuse, he threw this one out.

“I’m throwing a party.”

Seonghwa narrowed his eyes.

“You? throwing a party? Why?”

“For…uhm, networking.”

“Soooo you’re randomly throwing a party, which you’ve never done before, for networking?”

Hongjoong gulped. He shook away his discomfort. Nope. He was just going to have to roll with his lie now. Fake it till you make it.

“Yes. Nigel suggested it.” Nigel was a safe bet. Seonghwa wasn’t close enough to Nigel to check.

“Okay then. And why do you need to see Y/N this weekend for it?”

“Because it’s in a week. And I want her to help with planning this.”

“You are going to ask her for help?”

“No. I’m not going to ask. I’m forcing her to help with this.”

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong in silence for a bit. Something was up. Something was definitely up. It almost seemed like Hongjoong wanted to do something for you. Seonghwa's eyes widened. Wait. What if Hongjoong liked you? What if that was what this kindergarten style drama was all about?

Seonghwa shrugged. He had to play it cool if this was going to go anywhere.

“Okay then. Good luck getting her to do that. I’m not helping.”

---

You looked away from your beloved comfort movie, Legally Blonde, when you heard the buzzing of your phone. Annoyed, you glared at it as you picked it up. If it was another message from your mother, you would lose it. Your eyes furrowed when you saw the text.

Good Morning Princess

If you’re up, that is

Your heart sped up immediately. There was only one person who would address you like that.

What do you want, Joong?

It was his turn to calm himself down. No, he totally wasn’t in love with your nickname for him.

H: Well, someone sure is pleasant today.

Y/N: Just for you.

H: Well, I need you to clear your afternoon/evening on Sunday

Y/N: What. Why?

H: You have to help me plan a party.

Y/N: I do?

H: Yes.

H: And no, there is no way for you to get yourself out of this one. Just be ready by 1. I’ll pick you up. Dress casual

Y/N: …fine

You rolled your eyes and looked back at the screen, but you could only pretend for so long. You were definitely happy. You were looking forward to seeing him. That realisation made your heart stop. Why? Why were you so happy about seeing him on your weekend off? The only time you get to relax? Seeing and having to spend time with that pest shouldn’t make you happy. Unless…he wasn’t a pest anymore.

---

Hongjoong honked again, yelling out of the rolled down window,

“Come on Y/N! Hurry up!”

He could hear an annoyed yell from you right back.

“How the fuck was I supposed to know you’d show up early?!”

“Ugh, just get here.”

“Two minutes”

Two minutes later, you rushed out of the house, double checking whether you had all the things you needed in your bag. The top half of your hair was thrown into a messy bun with wispy curls escaping it to frame your face while the rest of your hair fell in soft waves till your shoulder. You wore an off shoulder white dress, with puffed sleeves and a shirred bodice until the waist, after which it flared out until your mid-thigh. That, with your braided sandals, and the way the sun was falling on you as you walked up to his car left Hongjoong speechless. You looked at him and smirked.

“What’s wrong Joong? Admiring the view?”

He snapped out of it.

“And if I am?”

It was your turn to blush and keep quiet. You took in his loosely buttoned half sleeved white shirt and beige shorts, along with the hat and sunglasses.

“Are we going to the beach?” you asked incredulously.

“Nope.” And he pointed to the back seat.

There was a large basket and a soft blanket in the back.

“A picnic?”

“Yup.”

Shaking your head, you asked,

“Really? You want to go on a picnic to plan a party?”

“Of course. Work hard, play hard.”

“Hongjoong, you have to work hard for that.”

He turned to give you a half-hearted glare, more focussed on the clear joy in your eyes after you realised it was a picnic.

---

You twirled around, trying to take in the gorgeous garden you were in.

“Hongjoong, how…”

He smirked and shrugged.

“I called in a favour.”

He would never let you know that it involved hours of begging a cocky Jung Wooyoung on the phone.

He couldn’t hide the grin that made its way to his face upon seeing you. You were standing a little away from him, arms outstretched, face up, eyes scrunched, grinning at the sun. It felt nice to take in the warmth. And he felt warm watching you.

---

You were sitting back against the tree while Hongjoong lay sprawled across the blanket.

“Hongjoong, don’t we have to work?”

“Shhh you boring person.”

“…Joong.”

“Shh, princess.” He sat up and opened the picnic basket full of food before brushing a strand of your hair behind your ear. “We have more important things to focus on.”

He passed something to you with a playful glare.

“Mrs.Robin made you some cheesecake.”

---

You were there for five hours. Every time you tried to bring up planning the party, Hongjoong would groan, roll his eyes and give you more food. So eventually, you stopped. It just became you sitting back against the tree, gazing at all the flowers and relaxing while Hongjoong lay a few feet away, reading. It was…nice.

---

Hongjoong sat up when the sun was beginning to go down.

“Let’s head back?”

You looked at him and nodded.

“Wait, don’t we have to plan the party? Hongjoong, I swear to god if you spring this on me last minute”-

He raised his hands in surrender and passed you a sheet of paper.

“Those are the details of the party. I think that should be fine? Let me know if you want to make any changes.”

You stared at him speechlessly as he started to clean up.

Had he done all the planning before even taking you out?

Why?

Your heartbeat quickened. Did he do it all just to spend time with you?

He looked up and caught you staring. You expected a few narcissistic comments but all he did was walk over to you and pat your head. He crouched down and reached for your hand.

“Did you have a good day?”

You nodded, not trusting your voice. And then he tilted his head and gave you a smile of unfiltered happiness.

---

Hongjoong cursed himself over again as he looked at the guest list a final time while buttoning up his suit.

Why oh why did I think this was a good idea? I could have found other ways to cheer her up.

But the reluctant smile on his face gave him away. That picnic was special. He had never seen you so happy and he would do anything to see you like that again. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard you calling.

“Joong? I need your help.”

And even though he rolled his eyes and walked out, pretending to be annoyed, he was more than a tad bit happy that you called him. He knocked on the door of the room where you were changing.

“What is it? You know, we don’t have a lot of time princess. The guests are going to get here any minute now and”-

“Yeah well maybe, if you let me tell you what I need help with, we’d be done quicker.”

He glared at you while you just turned around, showing him your back, letting your hands that were holding the zip fall to the side. Even though he couldn’t see your face, Hongjoong knew you were blushing when you said,

“Can you please help with the zip?”

And well, Hongjoong didn’t mean to, but when his bare hands touched your back in an attempt to bring the sides of the dress together, he got a little distracted.

The feel of your warm soft skin, the curves of your body, the delicate black lace of your bra…all he wanted to do was press kisses down your back, but he quickly got back to reality. He cleared his throat, zipped up the dress and tried to calm himself down. Both of you had opted for slightly more classic looks, with him in a patterned suit, with those beautiful yellow glasses you adored, and you in a black dress. Of course, he went very heavy, and tastefully so, with his jewellery, and you went for a vintage look, with a fitted sleeveless black dress that went down till mid-thigh. You had also worn lovely sheer black thigh highs, with a lace trim, that you were secretly hoping Hongjoong would catch a glimpse of.

Neither of you wanted to look at each other because…well, for Hongjoong, he didn’t want you to openly see him drooling over you and for you, you were so confused about what Hongjoong meant to you, but needless to say, both your outfits were…appreciated by the other.

---

You and Hongjoong smiled as yet another couple made their way to greet you, smiles dropping only slightly when they moved away. You were in your own world, panicking about what Hongjoong meant to you, when the arm you were holding on to wrapped itself around your waist and pulled you closer. Before you could ask Hongjoong why he decided to do that, you heard Sunwoo’s deep voice greeting Hongjoong. You shook your head lightly. Of course. Trust Sunwoo to get to Hongjoong. Sighing, you turned to hug Sunwoo.

Hongjoong’s frown only deepened with that. You had hugged a few people earlier, but the way you hugged Sunwoo…it was warm and welcoming and it held a certain familiarity, like you would let Sunwoo hold you forever. That made Hongjoong nervous. Very nervous. The fact that you and Sunwoo were friends as kids? That made him incredibly irritated. But of course, it was all because of the plan. Definitely not because he wanted to have you hug him and hold him like that.

Half an hour later, when you and Sunwoo were still laughing about something, Hongjoong was positively sulking. You sat down at a table with Sunwoo, so of course, he had to join. But that didn’t mean Hongjoong was having a great time hearing Sunwoo tease you about your disastrous haircut in third grade. You hadn’t even spared him a glance since Sunwoo came. How was Hongjoong to know you were desperately trying to distract yourself to keep from thinking about him?

Hongjoong had just finished coming up with the tenth way to casually push Sunwoo off a cliff and make it look like an accident when he heard a woman’s voice exclaim,

“Y/N, honey!”

You froze. He immediately became more attentive. He looked up to find a middle-aged couple smiling at you in a way that sent shivers down his spine. The couple sat down at the table with you. You took a deep breath and smiled.

“Mom…Dad.”

Your father beamed at Sunwoo. You know, the kind of smile that reeks of the patriarchy wanting to pass over the control of his daughter to another man, because god forbid she lives for herself.

“Sunwoo. It’s great to see you, my boy.”

Sunwoo smiled an awkward smile back at them. Your mother picked up from there.

“Oh Sunwoo you should come over to dinner more often. You used to come home all the time. It’ll be like the old times, with you and Y/N.”

Hongjoong knew they were deliberately ignoring him, but he’d be lying if he said that didn’t anger him. He knew. He fucking knew that your entire family thought of him as the outsider. The upstart who is making a fool of himself. He was so caught up in his anger that he didn’t realise you were taking a deep breath and when you spoke, you took everyone by surprise. You grabbed Hongjoong’s hand and intertwined your fingers with his.

“Mom, Dad, Joong and I are so glad you could make it! How are you liking the party?”

They froze for a minute, clearly not expecting such a direct response to their snobbiness. Your father merely looked away while your mother pursed her lips and replied.

“The party is lovely Mr.Kim.” She turned back to face Sunwoo. “Sunwoo, you have a sweet tooth, do you not? Well, Y/N here is the most brilliant baker”-

“Oh mom come on! Don’t lie to Sunwoo. I can’t bake to save my life.” You laughed. “Also, ‘Mr.Kim’? is that any way to call your future son-in-law?”

Your parents went pale. Your mother looked like she wanted to murder you and your prim and proper father looked like he was about to pass out from the shock.

Sunwoo was watching you very carefully, knowing that you were very nervous. He knew something was weird about you and Hongjoong, but even more so, he knew how hard it was for you to press back against your parents. But he could only watch your face for signs of distress. Hongjoong, on the other hand, seated right next to you, could see your hands shaking in your lap. He wanted to help you. He wanted to take this on himself. But this was your battle.

What Hongjoong did do however, was reach over into your lap and hold your hand.

Your mother forced a laugh.

“Oh Y/N sweetie, you know your father and I have never been strict about your”, she gestured towards Hongjoong, “boy toys, but when it comes to marriage…”

Your voice was deadly quiet.

“What about marriage mum?”

“Well, honey, you can’t marry him.”

You were shaking and Hongjoong was desperately rubbing soothing circles into your hand hoping to help you.

You persevered.

“Hongjoong is not my ‘boy toy’. Do not call anyone that. And if we choose to get married, I shall marry him.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened and his heart started beating unbelievably fast. Why…why did it matter so much to him that you said that?

His hand slipped from your hand to your thigh, to the lace of your stockings which he slowly gripped tighter. You looked down at his hand, looked at his face, grabbed his hand and stood up. With a charming smile laced with the undertones of a sincere fuck you, you said,

“Well, Hongjoong and I must get going. We must be good hosts, after all.”

And you walked off towards the dance floor with him, his hands firmly planted in yours.

---

Five minutes later, you were panicking on the dance floor with Hongjoong.

“Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. I can’t believe I just did that. Oh my god”-

Hongjoong just smiled at you softly before brushing some of the hair out of your face. His grip around your waist grew tighter and he pulled you flush against him. Slowly swaying with you, he said,

“Hey. Princess. It’s okay. Look at me.”

When your nervous, panicky eyes met his calm, almost loving ones, you instantly calmed down.

“It’s okay. I’m proud of you.”

Your eyes softened. He smiled at you before his eyes slipped down to your lips. You followed his lead, looking at his lips. His head moved closer until his forehead was against yours. He raised his eyebrows in question and you nodded before he pressed his lips to yours. His lips felt way softer than they looked and you could feel the smile he had against his lips. It started off slow and your hands slowly went to the hair at the nape of his neck, grasping at them and gently tugging on them. That was when things heated up. He moaned into the kiss. He nibbled on your bottom lip and you let him deepen the kiss, unable to think of anything other than the feeling of his body against yours.

When the song came to an end, he pulled away, flashing a dazed smile at the equally dazed you. And all you could think about was what was that.

---

Soon after, Hongjoong had been caught by a group of people for actual networking. So you, still very much dazed from the kiss, wandered through the crowd, smiling at people. Your parents had long left. They were probably too angry with you to stick around. You couldn’t find Sunwoo. But as you walked past a table, you had to walk back because you saw someone you recognised.

Alina.

Your eyebrows furrowed when you saw what she was doing. She was trying to reach for a glass on a much higher table and her grip on the glass did not seem strong. You rushed to try and help her but before you could get there, the glass fell to the ground and shattered. Ali looked panicky and rushed to go and pick up the shards, but you lifted her up and away from it. Crouching down, you held her hand.

“Hi Ali. Remember me?”

She nodded, still looking upset.

“It’s okay honey. Glasses fall, it happens.” You leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I just broke a glass before coming here. Don’t tell Uncle Joongie. It was his favourite glass”

Her face slowly cleared into a smile.

“I’ll clean up here sweetie. Cleaning up glass is tricky. You stay away from the glass, okay?”

She nodded.

You focussed on the glass, picking up the larger shards and putting it away before getting to the smaller shards. You had picked up the last visible shard of glass when someone bumped into you. You could hear a shouted-out apology, but you were more focussed on the stinging feeling in your palm. Looked down, you could see the warm blood ooze and drip down your palm. You winced and you were just about to look for a napkin when you felt a vice grip around your wrist. Hongjoong was dragging you towards the house, his jaw set.

After walking for a while, he finally found the first aid kit in the bathroom and took it out, muttering to himself. He motioned for you to sit on the counter with a glare. Standing before you, he took your hands, and gently cleaned it with disinfectant, his actions a drastic contrast to the icy glare he was giving you, blowing on it to reduce the sting when you winced. He stayed silent the entire time he was cleaning the cut. Hongjoong staying silent for so long…good lord. You thought it was impossible for him to remain quiet for that long and it was making you very nervous. When he finally finished dressing your hand, he put his hands on either side of you and stared at you.

“Why the hell would you be that careless?”

You pouted subconsciously.

“I wasn’t being careless. I was just helping.”

“You couldn’t call the cleaning crew to help?”

“What difference does that make? Someone might have still gotten hurt.”

He sighed.

“No. They were wearing gloves. And they have better equipment to deal with it than you crouching in the dark and picking up glass over a lawn.”

He glared at you for a minute before sighing and giving up. Anger easing at your sheepish expression, he said,

“Just be more careful next time, hmm?”

You nodded.

“Wait, how’d you know?”

He held your other hand and started walking back towards the lawns.

“Ali came to get me.”

You were stunned.

Hongjoong turned to look at you.

“You know, she really likes you.”

You liked Ali too. She reminded you of you. You were glad things were working out better for her.

You stared at Hongjoong’s face as you walked back. He looked so great. With those soft eyes that could turn into a deadly glare in seconds, with his small hands, everything.

He came to help you.

He kissed you.

Something had to be there, right? And you thought you hated him, but this couldn’t be that…right? It couldn’t just all be in your head. He had to be feeling at least some of what you were feeling. You snapped out of it when you saw Hongjoong chuckle when he made eye contact with a smirking Wooyoung. Hongjoong turned to you and grinned.

“We really gave them a show on the dance floor earlier. I’m glad that managed to drive away your parents. They looked like they were going to drag you off with them, so I kissed you.”

Hongjoong continued to talk but you didn’t really hear any of that. There was a slight ringing in your ears as it sank in. It was all just for show, huh.

---

Any unlawful and unauthorized sharing of these works will result in legal action.

(Reblogs are good :) )

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

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Types of Fanfic Writers

The spontaneous writer, who has no idea what their fic is about or what happens next.

The planner, who has a very detailed outline about everything and anything that happens in the story.

The patient writer, who will finish a story before posting any of it.

The abandoner, who keeps posting new fics but never finishes them.

The multitasker, who works on multiple fics at the same time.

The fix-it writer, who shuns canon and shoots it in the face

The angst writer, who stabs the characters in the gut, twists the knife while it’s in them, and murders everything good in life

The hurt/comfort writer, who annihilates everything good before stitching it back together

The fluff writer, who loves the sweet and cute moments of their OTP.

The romance writer, who will make sure the characters get a happy ending together

The porn writer, who will ensure the characters get their much needed sex.

The dark writer, who takes angst and levels it up by 1000 before dragging the characters deep into the abyss

The tragedy writer, who makes the hurt/comfort writer look kind

The slow burn writer, who will put their readers through the worst kind of agony that exists

Which ones are you?

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

Text

Drop The Act (ft. Hongjoong) (Part 3)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

-Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ;

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ I know it’s been ages and I’m really sorry about that, but please enjoy part 3!

I hope you enjoy this! Please do leave me notes and comments :))) I love them! My update schedule is not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, talk of kissing, fear of storms and thunder

Word count: 4030

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

Hongjoong was late. You were ready on time this time, but Hongjoong was late, as usual. That day, Seonghwa had arranged for Hongjoong’s outfit since you already had an outfit in mind for the Pink themed fundraiser the two of you had to attend and according to Seonghwa, not just any pink would do. (“No Y/N, Hongjoong and you have to match perfectly”)

So, there you were, waiting for Hongjoong to turn up and get dressed. You heard Hongjoong ring the doorbell and you walked over to open it, taking your own sweet time. If he was late, he could jolly well deal with this. However, when you swung open the door, you had to freeze all your retorts for a minute.

Hongjoong’s face was flushed, his hair messy. There were fresh hickies blossoming around his neck along with a lipstick stain on his hastily and incorrectly buttoned up shirt. It was clear to anyone why he had been late.

Keep reading

#hongjoong angst #hongjoong fluff #hongjoong x reader #hongjoong x y/n #ateez angst #hongjoong series

30 notes · View notes

severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

Text

Drop The Act (ft. Hongjoong) (Part 3)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

-Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love ; @bangtanxberm ; @bunnybubkook ;

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ I know it’s been ages and I’m really sorry about that, but please enjoy part 3!

I hope you enjoy this! Please do leave me notes and comments :))) I love them! My update schedule is not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, talk of kissing, fear of storms and thunder

Word count: 4030

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

You felt a twinge of pain. Fuck, you wished you could make him look like that. But you brushed that thought aside, opting instead to glare at him and scoff.

“Are you serious?”

He flushed even harder. He didn’t know why but he hadn’t wanted you to see him like this…but things just ended up this way. He felt your gaze go to his neck and he felt a heat spread across it. He usually liked hickies, but he had asked her not to give him any today. Damn it. But of course, he wouldn’t say any of this. Why would he? He hated you after all. He had to be defensive.

“What? A man has needs.”

If you weren’t mad earlier, you sure as hell were now.

“And a woman doesn’t?”

“No, that’s not what I meant! I should know,” He paused to throw you a smirk, all in an attempt to cover up his bumbling embarrassment, “I satisfy them very often.”

“Hmm it’s interesting to see overcompensation happen in person.” This was your not so obvious attempt at covering up the twinge of hurt that kept picking at you.

He glared at you.

“I am not overcompensating. It’s just that some of us have more success in getting some than others.”

You burst out laughing, still laughing when you handed him the makeup he would need to cover up the hickies. He didn’t need to know that you were actually hurt.

“Sure, sweetheart, sure. Now go and get dressed.”

---

Hongjoong looked great. The very low necked, double breasted blazer he had on with the black pants and his hair brushed to the side, constantly falling in his face, looked sinfully good. But you were hurt. It was all fake dating, and it shouldn’t matter, but somehow, it did. The fact that he hooked up with someone and got late to pick you up mattered. The playful dig he took at your lack of a sex life mattered. Honestly, he was the last person you wanted to see.

Hongjoong, on the other hand, couldn’t stop watching you. The way the silk slip dress you had on draped around your body, accentuating your figure, had him thinking some very dangerous thoughts. Thoughts he knew he should not have been having about you of all people. But he couldn’t help it.

Your dress was backless, with a lace up back and was dangerously low cut, and for every inch of skin that he saw, his desire to feel it first hand grew. He might have even complimented you, but he felt embarrassed…and guilty about having hooked up with someone minutes before meeting you. Even though you refused to show it, something told him you were upset. If nothing else, the way you practically bolted to get away from him once you had greeted the hosts was indication enough.

---

You were out on the balcony, enjoying the breeze, a bit of alone time away from the crowd gathered in the woodland themed hall, when someone tapped your shoulder and cleared their throat. You turned around and smiled when you saw Sunwoo. It was a slightly sad smile. Not just because of Hongjoong, though he most certainly did not help. It’s just…you and Sunwoo used to be so close before he left. And of course things change and people change, but you were a little sad about it. Not that Sunwoo was mean. You just missed your blunt, loud, messy Sunwoo, who was now all charm and poise.

“Hi Sunwoo.”

“Hi Y/N. You look lovely.”

You turned and smiled at him.

“Thanks Sunwoo.” Your eyes trailed over him, in black pants and a practically unbuttoned silk pink shirt, with a black blazer over it. “You look great.”

He moved a little closer.

“Thanks. Uh, you okay?”

You turned around in surprise, your back to the railing.

“Yeah. Why?”

And for the first time since he came back, he seemed a bit like the old Sunwoo. He let out a groan of frustration and looked you dead in the eye.

“You seem off.”

You shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it. He nodded, knowing you weren’t okay, but he stood there with you in silence, keeping you company as you watched the moon. He broke the silence after a while, with a light blush peppered across his cheeks.

“I missed this.”

You hummed in agreement. You knew what he was talking about. Before Sunwoo left when he was fourteen, he would constantly sneak out and meet you on your balcony, watching the moon with you. You always had found it comforting. You always found him comforting.

His voice was soft when he spoke again.

“Do you remember what happened the last time we did this?”

You did. Of course you did. It had been both of your first kisses. And it was messy. It was funny. It was warm. But you couldn’t exactly talk about it. Not when Hongjoong was already convinced Sunwoo was flirting with you. You whirled around to face him, trying to change the topic, when you felt something catch on the railing. And just like that, your face turned pale.

“Oh fuck.”

Sunwoo looked hurt for a minute, turning to look at you with a pout, but then he noticed the expression on your face.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?”

You took a few deep breaths, staying frozen where you were.

“Sunwoo, how good are you at lacing up stuff?”

“Huh?”

“Just answer the question, goddamnit.”

“…Not very. It’ll do the job, but it won’t look pretty.”

“Well, we’re just going to have to make do.”

You turned your head to look at him.

“Sunwoo, go stand behind that wall over there, out of sight from the people inside.”

He stared at you, puzzled. Your voice was dangerously calm when you explained it to him.

“Sunwoo, you saw that my dress is backless right?” He nodded. “Well, it’s a lace up back and the knot holding it up just got caught in the railing behind me. It’s going to get undone the moment I move, so I need you to go there, so I can also come there and you can tie it back up for me.”

“Shit. Do you want me to call Hongjoong?”

Your eyes quickly searched for him, only to see him plant a kiss on the hand of the Mathews bakery heiress. Your tiny twinge of hurt grew to become a twisting coil. You thought the hand kiss he gave you meant something. Clearly not.

“No.”

Sunwoo, flushed and nervous, still did what you asked him to do and moved to the side. After a quick glance to make sure no one was watching, you followed, hands clutching your dress at the sides because you could feel the instant loosening of the dress around you.

“Okay Sunwoo, quick.”

You braced yourself against the wall with your palms while you felt Sunwoo’s warm hands on your bare back, causing goosebumps to prickle over your skin. Both of you ignored it. He scrambled to tie together the ends, not fully lacing it through all the hoops, but getting most of it done.

“Is this enough?”

“Nope. It will fall off me if it’s that loose.”

He pulled more, and your back automatically arched, pushing back towards him.

“More?”

“More.”

He did it one more time, with so much force that you fell back against his chest.

“Shit sorry. Let me just knot it and we’re good.”

You gave him a thumbs up, trying not to focus on how Sunwoo’s hands on you made you feel after so long. He finally stepped away and you heaved a sigh of relief.

“Oh my god. Thank you so much Sunwoo, that could have bee- What’re you doing?”

His cheeks were bright red, but he still handed you his blazer.

“Your dress is clearly not laced up right. It’ll give people the wrong idea if the two of us walk back out there like that. You can use my blazer. I can just say you got cold.”

You blushed a little, but took his blazer. He was right. As you slipped it on though, you took a minute to appreciate the blushing, awkward mess that Sunwoo had been reduced to. This was the Sunwoo you knew and loved.

---

It had been ten minutes since you walked back into the hall. You were simply standing to the side, smiling at random people when you felt Hongjoong push some hair out of your face. With barely concealed anger, he smiled at you.

“Had fun with Sunwoo?”

You were taken aback. You knew he was suspicious, but surely, he knew you wouldn’t actually do anything.

“Are you trying to make a mockery out of our plan?”

“Hongjoong, it’s not what you think it is.”

“Oh yeah? Then why’d the two of you move out of view and come back suspiciously out of breath?” He paused to look you over, turning to the side and scoffing. “And you’re wearing his fucking jacket.”

You looked around. It was fairly obvious that the people standing close to you were eavesdropping.

“Hongjoong, it was cold outside. That’s all. Now can we please discuss this at home?”

“Well, if it doesn’t matter, it’s not cold now. Give him back his jacket Y/N.”

You froze. Your face turned increasingly warm.

“What’s wrong? Give him back the blazer Y/N.”

You were mad. You understood that it could look suspicious, but it wasn’t what it looked like. And you really couldn’t remove the jacket. And Hongjoong should have had the sense to pick this fight in private.

He should have. He really should have. He knew that too. But he saw the two of you. He saw the way both of you were blushing. He saw the way Sunwoo looked at you. And he couldn’t help it. He got so fucking mad.

“Hongjoong, let’s get going. We can discuss this in the car.”

He was about to interrupt but one look at your face told him that was a terrible idea. You paused for a second.

“Why don’t you go say your goodbyes? I can see Anna Mathews waiting for you.”

He raised an eyebrow when he met your ice-cold gaze. Well damn. You had noticed. Of course you had. He didn’t even like talking to her, but he ended up flirting with her. Even he didn’t know why.

Was it to make you jealous? No. Not a chance.

---

Hongjoong gulped as he drove back to your place in stony silence. You were looking to the side like you wanted to murder him. He fucked up. Was he going to admit it? No. Did he know he fucked up? Absolutely.

Your voice was cold when you finally spoke.

“I have his blazer on because my dress came untied.”

His voice was hesitant when he asked,

“Were the two of you…”

“No. My dress got caught in the railing. He laced it back up.”

Hongjoong nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He was happy that you didn’t hook up with Sunwoo. Was he still envious that Sunwoo touched you and he didn’t? Yes.

“You had to go and fucking start a fight when I couldn’t respond, huh?”

Hongjoong stayed silent.

“Hongjoong. Do not ignore me.”

He groaned.

“I’m not ignoring you. I just don’t know what to say.”

“People were watching. People were listening to us. I told you to drop it so many times. Why? Why couldn’t you just listen?!”

“I-I don’t know. I was just mad because it seemed like our entire plan was falling to pieces.”

Yes, that was definitely the only reason for his irrational behaviour.

He pulled up in your driveway.

“And you picking a fight with me in public helps with our plan, Hongjoong? Just like you hooking up with someone just before this party helped, Hongjoong? Or you flirting with Anna? How exactly did that help? Enlighten me.”

You turned to glare at him, making him wince under your gaze. Just then, a clap of thunder sounding, making you freeze. Everything drained away and you were only able to focus on the sky. Your eyes saw the flash of lightning light up the entire road ahead of you and the heavy, dark clouds in the sky. But Hongjoong hadn’t noticed any of this.

“I’m sorry, okay?! I wasn’t thinking and I got carried away. But”-

That was when he noticed your frozen self.

“Y/N?”

You turned towards him, grabbing his hand. He looked up in surprise, eyes meeting yours. He had never seen you look so frantic before.

“Hongjoong, do not drive back now. Just stay for a while hmm?”

“What? What on earth Y/N? I’m not staying.”

The desperation in your voice increased.

“No, Hongjoong, seriously. A really bad storm is going to start any moment now. And for you to drive back in that is crazy.”

He laughed.

“No, Y/N, I swear it’ll be fine. It’s just a storm, for fuck’s sake.”

He looked up just in time to see your face fall. You didn’t even know why you were trying so hard, but you had to. You just couldn’t let him go like that.

“Hongjoong. Please. Please just stay until it’s over. Driving in this…”

He was about to brush off your worries again, but the look in your eyes haunted him. You were terrified.

“…Okay, Y/N. I’ll stay.”

---

The second you shut the door behind you, both you and Hongjoong jumped, because it started pouring. He looked at you awkwardly and smiled.

“Uh, thanks, I guess.”

You shrugged back at him, offering him the same awkward smile.

“I’m going to change. I’ll get you something to wear as well.”

And you left before he could tell you not to bother. He sighed. The storm did look like it would last a while and he had a feeling you wouldn’t let him leave before that. Well, if he was being completely honest, he didn’t mind. He felt this strange sort of concern for you, only because you were imperative to the plan, of course. And, well, he felt like he owed you a proper apology.

He got up from the couch and started walking around the living room, pausing to look at the pictures you had up on the wall. He started smiling without even realising it. The one of Mirae pulling you in for a hug was adorable. Then there was one of you with Seonghwa, Jiyoon (Seonghwa’s girlfriend), you and some guy who was looking away. Hongjoong narrowed his eyes. Seonghwa had told him about your asshole college boyfriend. It was interesting to see a side of you, a part of your life that you don’t otherwise bring up in conversation.

As he reached the end of the pictures, he realised that there were no photos with family in it. He frowned. That was not what he expected.

He stared at the last picture for a few extra minutes, wondering why the little boy next to you looked so familiar. The two of you were looking at something, with him staring at you with a smile while you were talking about something. And suddenly, it hit Hongjoong why he looked so familiar. Those eyes…it had to be Sunwoo.

Hongjoong had no explanation for the drop in his heart when he realised that, or the worry he felt when he saw the way Sunwoo was looking at you. He just shook his head and tried to distract himself. He turned around to go check out the cookie jars he saw earlier, but he accidentally bumped into a drawer while turning around and it opened. He turned back, fully intending to close it, when he saw what was in the drawer. It was clearly a boudoir shoot, with you in thin lace lingerie, splayed across the bed, eyes closed and head thrown back. Hongjoong immediately shut the drawer, his face burning. He didn’t mean to, he really didn’t mean to, but the image was now burned into his head. He could never forget it, even if he were trying. He could feel his pants getting a little tighter and he desperately willed his erection to go away. Come on Hongjoong. Not now.

He had just about succeeded when he heard your footsteps coming down. He turned to look at you and it was back. You were wearing a silk slip with matching silk shorts, both with lace detailing that took his mind right back to the photo. He could only stand there helplessly as you handed him a t-shirt and sweat pants.

“I usually wear those but they’re the only things I have that’ll fit you.” You tilted your head to the right. “You can go and change in the bathroom there.”

Hongjoong welcomed that escape, because the moment he shut the door behind him, he looked down and he knew he had a problem. He told himself to calm down. It’s okay Hongjoong. You can’t help it. She’s awful, but she’s hot. But he didn’t know what to do. Did he want to wrap his hand around his throbbing cock and jerk himself off? Yes. Did he think he could? No. He jumped a little when he heard you take out some mugs. God, what if you heard him? Nope. Definitely not an option. He took a few shaky breaths before splashing his face with cold water. He took a few minutes. He then changed into your clothes. Oh man. The smell. They smelt so inherently like you. The warm vanilla and cinnamon scent he had grown to associate with you, and then there was something that was just you. It was comforting. He refused to think about why. He took one last deep breath before exiting the bathroom, making his way towards you on the couch.

You were already sipping on a cup of tea when he got there. You waited until he sat down to hand him a cup of hot chocolate. He looked up to say thank you, but got lost at staring at your face. It was the first time he had seen you with your hair down and make-up off, relaxing in the comfort of your own home. His eyes softened. It was…adorable. You raised an eyebrow at his extended stare, very conscious of your bare face.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

His head snapped back down, stirring his drink.

“No. I was just thinking you make a surprisingly good host. Thanks.”

“It’s okay, you can make it up to me some other time. Mrs.Robin invited me over for some cheesecake, so you can work that one out.”

His jaw dropped.

“She invited you for cheesecake?! She hasn’t made cheesecake in ages, even though I’ve been begging her to.”

You smirked.

“I guess she just likes me better than you. I mean, can you blame her?”

He glared at you and just like that, the tension was broken. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while before Hongjoong pointed at the picture of you and Sunwoo.

“So, you two go way back?”

“Yeah... We used to be pretty close before he left for his posh high school. There weren’t many kids around growing up and it was just us.”

You had such a soft smile on your face that Hongjoong felt awful. He loved that smile. He just wished he could also be a cause of it.

“Are you guys still close?”

“Not really. We’re friendly, but…Sunwoo was a very blunt, expressive, awkward kind of guy before he left. And now that he’s back, he’s this charming, slick, suave man and…I don’t know. I just miss the old Sunwoo. I did see glimpses of the old Sunwoo tonight though. I think you just have to shock him out of his shell a little.”

You turned to offer Hongjoong a soft smile, making him feel inexplicably warm and fuzzy on the inside.

---

The warmth of your living room, the soft lights and just everything made it a very welcoming, forgiving space. So Hongjoong took his shot.

“I’m sorry Y/N. I just got caught up with how things looked. I should have listened to you.”

You sighed.

“It’s okay Hongjoong. I know it looked pretty weird. I just wish you listened to me and we had that discussion in private.”

“I’m sorry princess. I’ll keep my end of the deal properly. And no more hookups.”

You sipped on your tea to avoid him seeing you happy that one simple nickname made you.

“It’s okay Hongjoong.”

---

A loud clap of thunder echoed and you flinched. Just barely, but you did. He moved a little closer to you out of worry. Hongjoong’s voice was soft when he asked you,

“Why’re you afraid of storms, princess?”

Your grip on your knees tightened.

“I…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No. I do. It’ll just take a little time.”

He waited patiently until you were ready. He heard you take a deep breath and begin.

“I was five when I was alone in my bedroom, waiting for my nanny, Mia, to come and put me to bed. She was late, which never happened before and the thunder and lightning was loud and scary. My parents were never really home and didn’t check on me much when they were, so Mia was like an older sister to me. I waited for ages, alone in my bedroom, gripping my pillow, scared. Mia didn’t come home that night.”

You paused to take a shaky breath, surprised, but choosing not to comment on Hongjoong reaching out to hold your hand, opting to squeeze his hand instead.

“I waited for her all night. The next day, I found out she got into an accident because of the storm causing slippery roads. She recovered, but still. I’m scared of storms, but I’m deathly afraid of people driving in storms.”

You turned to look at him. He didn’t say anything. He only continued to gently rub your hand.

“That’s why I didn’t want to let you drive back in the storm. I know it might be silly but”-

“It’s not. It’s not silly. Thank you for stopping me.”

You sat in a stunned silence for a minute.

“Thank you Hongjoong.”

He didn’t let go of your hand.

---

The two of you once again went back to a comfortable silence before Hongjoong broke it again. He looked really embarrassed, but brought it up anyway.

“Y/N…I accidentally saw your….um... boudoir picture in that drawer.”

You stayed frozen in shock.

“Hongjoong!”

“I’m sorry! I swear it was an accident!”

You sighed even though your skin was furiously red.

“It’s okay Joong. I don’t know how that happened, but it’s okay. I don’t think I want to know how it happened.”

He paused, needing a second to take in the nickname. You still hadn’t removed his hand from yours. And he was sitting in your living room in the middle of the night, drinking hot chocolate with both of you in your pajamas. Things were oddly comfortable. He liked it.

---

Any unlawful and unauthorized sharing of these works will result in legal action.

(Reblogs are good :) )

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severetimetravelnerd · 2 years

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hey, i was wondering if you are planning on continuing the 'drop the act' story? i'm just curious if there is gonna be more parts because i really liked it. 👉🏻👈🏻

Helloooo

Yes, I am!! I have a lot planned for it...I've just been very busy off late 😅 I'll start posting soon 🤍

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severetimetravelnerd · 3 years

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reblog if you’re a little lost in life rn

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severetimetravelnerd · 3 years

Text

Drop The Act (ft. Kim Hongjoong) (Part 2)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

-Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

Helloooooo~ I know it’s been a while and I’m kinda back with this series. It’s a rivals to lovers fic with Hongjoong and it was something I just had to write, even though I am dying with college stuff~

I hope you enjoy this! Please do leave me notes and comments :))) I love them! I’ll update every week or so, but it’s not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, ‘old money’ looking down on new money, body shaming

Word count: 2379

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

“Okay, we have a problem.”

You groaned, putting away your phone to look up at the very annoying man who had been keeping you waiting for him for the past half hour.

“And that is supposed to surprise me because?”

“Y/N, please. This is important.”

Keep reading

#hongjoong angst #hongjoong fluff #ateez angst #ateez fluff #hongjoong series

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severetimetravelnerd · 3 years

Text

Drop The Act (ft. Kim Hongjoong) (Part 2)

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

-Oscar Wilde

You and Hongjoong couldn’t stand each other…right?

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

Taglist: @kwonnansi ; @unabashedturkeytreeslime ; @happiestgirlontheeastcoast ; @to-all-the-stories-i-love

Appearances from the Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and also Sunwoo from The Boyz

I hope you enjoy this! Please do leave me notes and comments :))) I love them! I’ll update every week or so, but it’s not fixed, so please do let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

RIVALS TO LOVERS AU, IDIOTS TO LOVERS AU, Not exactly Enemies, but kinda, FAKE DATING AU

Warnings: Cursing, talk of snobby families, ‘old money’ looking down on new money, body shaming

Word count: 2379

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut in later chapters

————————————–

“Okay, we have a problem.”

You groaned, putting away your phone to look up at the very annoying man who had been keeping you waiting for him for the past half hour.

“And that is supposed to surprise me because?”

“Y/N, please. This is important.”

“Remind me again; when did I sign up for dress up at your house?”

“You didn’t. Seonghwa dumped you here to make sure I get ready on time.”

He grabbed your shoulders and spun you around, making you look at him.

“On which note, if you don’t help me with this, you’ll have to deal with Seonghwa’s lectures.”

You rolled your eyes but started paying attention. Seonghwa’s lectures were the worst.

“What is it now?”

Hongjoong took a deep breath and you mentally prepared yourself for the rant that was coming your way.

“See, Y/N. So for today’s event, they had to go and make it themed. And I, of course, have to meet the theme brilliantly. They asked for fantasy? They’re going to fucking get fantasy.”-

“Hongjoong.”

-“Yes, yes. So for my look, I need curled hair, but I don’t have a curler. My last hook up took it.”

“…I’m sorry, what now?”

“Yeah, yeah, not important. Point being, I only have a straightener and I’ve seen the tutorials about how to curl your hair with a straightener, but I can’t seem to get it right. And I need to figure out what to do.”

It was only then that your eyes landed on his now wonky hair and you burst out laughing. He looked adorably ridiculous.

“What on earth have you done?”

He glared at you, subconsciously pouting his lips.

“Look, if I knew how to handle this on my own, I wouldn’t have come to you.”

You shook your head.

“Give me a hairbrush and a straightener. I’ll do it for you. Looking at this is causing me physical pain.”

He glared, but he still handed it over to you and sat in silence while you fixed his hair, eyes glowing in awe while he watched you until you finished, spraying it down to keep in it place. You smirked when you looked down at him. Adorable. But only when he shuts up.

“There we go. All done. Can I finally change into my dress?”

Hongjoong nodded his thanks and showed you to the room where Seonghwa had kept the dress he wanted you to wear. You shrugged.

“I still don’t get why you guys had to style me for today’s event, but okay.”

Hongjoong shook his head and walked out, not wanting to explain that he was the one who asked Seonghwa to do it. Hongjoong had a promise to keep.

---

You carefully undid the packaging surrounding your dress, forgetting to breathe for a moment when you finally saw it. It was a light gauzy material. That, paired with the powder blue shade of the fabric mixed with a hint of grey, made for an ethereal look. It had delicate translucent bishop sleeves, set right off the shoulder, with a bustier top, cinched at the waist, before flowing in delicate pools of material. The translucency extended to the top half of the dress, only stopping when the layers of satin under the gauze came into the picture as the skirt. You were enthralled. It was just such a gorgeous dress.

“Holy fuck, this is amazing.”

You loved the dress.

You did your hair in a low bun, with a few stray curls escaping it, and rushed to do your makeup before enlisting the help of Hongjoong’s housekeeper, Mrs.Robin, in lacing up your bustier. She was…incredibly strong. Feeling thoroughly out of breath, you realised you didn’t have faith in your own ability to remove it anymore. She laced up the last one before stepping back and patting your head.

“You look adorable dearie. Come back next time when you aren’t in a hurry. I’ll make you my famous cheesecake.”

You found yourself feeling warm as you grinned, hugged and thanked her.

Finally stepped into your matching shoes, courtesy Seonghwa, you made a mental note to find a secretary like him (your secretary just resigned because he was moving), before stepping out of the room. Hongjoong turned around, fully prepared to make a snarky remark, but he couldn’t, because both of you were speechless.

You openly stared at him, jaw slack as you took in his appearance. From the slightly worn dark brown leather boots, complete with straps and gold buckles, you worked your eyes up. He was wearing form-fitting brown pants and a ruffled, lace up white poet shirt, showing you hints of the toned chest that it did a poor job of hiding. He was also wearing a brown vest, almost carelessly thrown over his torso. Your eyes reached the bits of burnt gold hoops he had dangling from his ears before reaching his hair. Good lord his hair.

You were so so glad you curled his hair, because the way the soft waves of his dark brown hair enhanced his outfit was truly unmatched.

Hongjoong, on the other hand, was equally as speechless. He knew he told Seonghwa the theme was fantasy, but boy, oh boy did he deliver. Hongjoong drank in the sight of you, looking like something out of a fairy tale. He gulped when he took in the cinch at your waist and his eyes trailed upwards to the translucent bustier, deliciously hugging your curves and your breasts. Just the sight of the shadow between them and the curve of them was enough for it to be imprinted in his mind. He knew he shouldn’t have been having those thoughts, but all he wanted to do was press his lips down on the soft skin that teased him, marking them for the world to see. He finally forced his eyes to travel upwards, and immediately, his eyes softened.

God, you were beautiful. And all he wanted to do was run his fingers through your hair as you lay in his bed, wrapped in his arms- He shook his head.

“Hey Y/N?”

You snapped out of your reverie, trying to seem like you hadn’t been staring at the man you hated.

Nope, not you.

“Hmm?”

Hongjoong turned around with a silk scarf the exact shade of your dress.

“Tie this around my wrist.”

You raised an eyebrow, but you didn’t say anything, still too taken aback by everything. Neither of you noticed Mrs.Robin watching you tie the scarf around his wrist, shaking her head as she muttered to herself.

“I hope Hongjoong doesn’t lose this one. They’re cute together.”

---

When you walked into the ballroom on Hongjoong’s arm, even though your eyes were busy taking in the tasteful blush pink and cream décor, your body very much felt the pain of the heels and the bustier.

“Who the hell decided to throw a fantasy themed party and why do we have to attend?!”

Hongjoong didn’t let your grumbling affect the fake smile he had on.

“A ten-year-old girl did. And it’s her birthday, so play nice.”

Your cheeks and neck grew hot.

“I had no idea.”

“You never do.”

He stifled a giggle at your indignant expression.

“Her name is Alina. She’s the daughter of Mr and Mrs Lee.”

“Nigel Lee? The magazine one?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re friends with them?”

He turned to give you a grin.

“Nope. I’m friends with Alina.”

He paused to pull you a little closer, out of the way of the incoming crowd, making your heart speed up for reasons you did not want to think about.

“I used to tutor her. I’m friendly with her parents, of course, but she was always lonely because no one was ever home with her. So, I started playing games with her and getting her books and stuff. As you can tell, she adores fantasy. She goes out to play a lot more often now, but we’re still close.”

Your voice was small when you said,

“We should have gotten a gift for her.”

Hongjoong turned to flash you the smirk you were so well acquainted with.

“You’re here with me Y/N. We got her a gift already.” He paused to do a little hair toss. “It’s by the table there. She likes taking pictures, but she only ever does that with my phone.”

Hongjoong paused to show you the hundreds of pictures she had taken on his phone.

“So, we got her a camera.”

You stayed quiet, having nothing to say. You didn’t realise Hongjoong was that caring, especially since he just acted like a selfish brat around you. You felt the slightest prick of annoyance when you realised you acted the same way around him. But still, seeing him being caring and considerate made you feel warm on the inside…almost like he never disappointed you in the first place.

The sudden feel of his breath near your ear brought you back.

“Remember, play nice.”

And that’s when he let go of you to scoop Alina into a hug.

“Happy Birthday sweetheart!”

She squealed, clinging onto him in a bear hug.

“Uncle Joong!”

“Hey, we’ve talked about this. There’s no need for the uncle.”

She giggled.

“Sorry Uncle Joong. You’re old.”

Her smile grew wider when she took in his outfit.

“You dressed like the rogue! You kept your promise!”

Hongjoong put her down and ruffled her hair.

“I always keep my promises, Ali.”

She beamed up at him, and that’s when you felt Hongjoong’s hand grip yours. He was still facing her while he pulled you forward, squeezing your hand upon seeing your nervous face. Alina’s parents didn’t make you nervous but she did. Maybe because she is important to Hongjoong.

“I want to introduce you to someone Ali.” He continued holding your hand. “This is my girlfriend, Y/N.” And he couldn’t deny the odd sense of pride he felt as he introduced you like that. It felt right. It just did.

He picked Ali up again so she wouldn’t have to stare up at you. (Plus, he already saw you preparing to squat down to talk to her and he was certain you’d hurt yourself in those heels.)

Her eyes widened as she took you in. She suddenly scrambled to grab Hongjoong’s wrist and find the silk scarf.

“Oh my god. You guys have the best costumes ever!”

Hongjoong smiled to himself. He didn’t want to disappoint Ali after he promised to go all out.

“You look like a princess!”

You blushed from Ali’s words, not quite knowing what to say, when you heard Hongjoong let out a low chuckle.

“Well, she is my princess.”

You turned towards him, surprised. He took your hand and gently raised it to his lips, pressing down on them softly while staring you dead in the eye, with an intensity to his eyes that made a shiver run down your spine. Maybe you liked the nickname princess after all.

---

You smiled as you made your way over to the dessert table. You may not be the most comfortable in the outfit, but if it made Ali smile like that, it was worth it. You were just about to pop an éclair into your mouth when you heard a familiar snide voice behind you.

“Ah Y/N. Good to see you again.”

You pouted at the éclair you had to put down before forcing a smile.

“Auntie Regina. It’s been ages.”

Your father’s sister. Was like him in every way, that is, she was positively awful.

Her hand gestured at your outfit.

“Who are you wearing? Dior? Gucci?”

You shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

Regina sniffed.

“Ah. Looks like it. Don’t worry dear. It’s cute.”

Your fists clenched. She most certainly did not think it was cute.

“Thank you, Auntie.” You looked up and down her bedazzled yellow and lime green outfit. “You look lovely. Tropical, perhaps?”

You bit back a grin when you saw her eyes light up with anger. Maybe she’d finally get annoyed into leaving you in peace. You looked down at your beloved éclair and raised it to your lips. Finally-

“Should you really be eating that?” You froze. “You know what they say. It goes straight to your hips. And you, my dear, certainly don’t need that.”

Okay, that’s it. Aunt Regina was going to learn about your secret Taekwondo lessons far earlier than you planned. You turned around to aim a discreet kick to her shin and that was the exact moment when you smelled the familiar warm, woodland scent and Kim Hongjoong pulled you closer by the waist before feeding you an éclair, wiping a bit of chocolate off your lips.

You wish you could say you were rejoicing at Aunt Regina’s look of horror, but you were entirely too captivated by the feel of Hongjoong’s warm hands around your waist. He was the one who turned to her and nodded.

“Regina.”

She nodded back, still in a shocked daze. Hongjoong turned back to you, smiling at you.

“I saw an éclair and remembered it was your favourite, princess.”

He leaned in to whisper, “Eat as many fucking eclairs as you want. Do not listen to the hag.” And you had to bite back a snort.

He dropped his hand from your face, but his grip around your waist was still tight.

Protective.

He had been coming over to annoy you into getting him dessert, but when he heard you talking to Regina, he knew he had to step in. He hated you and your family with a passion, but somehow, the thought of anyone speaking to you like that was...was just not right.

Aunt Regina’s hands were shaky when she grabbed yours.

“Y/N, are you here with…?” Her eyes darted to Hongjoong. You moved closer to his side, wanting to shield him from her judgemental gaze, never bothering to think about why.

“With Hongjoong? Yes, I am here with my boyfriend.”

She nearly gasped, but politely nodded at the two of you before leaving. You turned around to face Hongjoong, rolling your eyes at her, but he just gave you an odd glance; one you couldn’t quite decipher.

“I guess I am the rogue who ran away with the princess after all.”

---

Any unlawful and unauthorized sharing of these works will result in legal action.

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