#5sos x member reader

[tragedybubbles]

5 points in a star!

5 seconds of summer x member!reader

words: 5k

warnings: just some sadness over the lockdown. English is not my first language, this is a really old piece but I wanted to put it here and also first time making a reader first pov fic.

summary: being the fifth member of five seconds of summer has always been about being together during highs and lows. The only difference from the past, was that now, you all don't have to sing just to the stars anymore.

You settled back in your seat, relaxing shoulders and trying to remain calm. Taking a deep breath and, upon hearing the words of permission, smiling at the camera.

“Hello, hello, I'm y/n y/l/n and this is WIRED's self-complete interview, where I answer the most researched questions about myself.”

After finishing the introduction, the production handed you the first plate of Google searches.

“To be honest, I'm freaking out” you took a deep breath again, leaving the board in your lap “I'm usually accompanied by four guys to answer all the questions for me.”

You started to giggle when you heard the laughter of the people behind the cameras. Muttering an 'I'm ready', lifting the plate, arranged it so that you could read and propped it up on your legs.

“'What does y/n do?'” reading out loud and throwing the sticker on the floor. You gave a big smile, proud “I'm part of a band called 5 Seconds of Summer, I'm the keyboardist and also vocal when we need it.”

“'What does y/n wear?'” pressing your lips together, looking at the papers on the floor “Usually some boots with high heels, I have to at least try to compensate, you know? It's hard to stand next to four Australians who are almost six feet tall.”

You shrugged, grinning at the camera.

“'What does y/n listen to?' Stupid jokes and good music.”

“'Does y/n have a tattoo?'”you stared at the plate for a while “Great question! But my grandma's watching, so I'll just go to the next one.”

You get excited, happy by the smiles in the room, always used to noise and chatter, a warm atmosphere.

You placed the question board on the floor, soon having another one being placed in your hands.

“'y/n how tall?'” moving your head in denial mode, you laugh a little “That's a secret that will be buried, let's just say I'm average, I swear.”

You waved your hand, pulling out the tape of the next question.

“'y/n sang Wonderwall?' Yes, I did, and I think every beginning singer in the world did too” you laughed, shaking your head, remembering your mother recording the performance while you danced with the new sandals she got you for Christmas. You pulled out the last tape.

“'y/n dating?'” you gave a surprised sigh, smiling directly at the camera “am I?”

卌

You were leaning against the window, your body occupying two seats of the bus. The camera in your hands, recording some scenes for the band's tour diary.

“Is it just me or is there smoke coming out of the bus?” Your conversation with the camera was interrupted by Mike.

Randall approached, asking everyone to get off as soon as the bus stopped on the roadside.

“Come on, let's go.” you walked to the last seat, shaking Ashton until he woke up.

Luke got off the vehicle, looking at all the cars passing by and then, noticing the huge amount of smoke coming out of the transport.

“Is it on fire?!” a sleepy Ashton asked, stopping beside him.

Hemmings confirmed, watching Ash throw his blanket and pillows on the grass, he sat down.

“Are you really going to lie there?”

“I don't think this is the sort of thing they'll fix quickly.”

Soon you were at the bus door, but instead of getting off, you threw yourself onto the grass, rolling over until you were near the two men.

“Do you guys always come here?” you asked, smiling. But your pose was shattered when you had to wipe grass from your mouth.

Looking at the bus, you pick up the camera and record again.

“Our bus is on fire! It couldn't handle all our talent.” focused the lens on the smoke “Is this a good time to sing Easier?”

“It's a bad time to be singing anything.” Calum grumbled, sitting down on the grass as well.

You stared at him, shrugging.

“Until they fix it, we can have a party on the road!”

“A terrible idea, I give you five seconds to think of a better one.” Hood grumbled.

“Calum, you can go down by the road and hitchhike.”

“y/n, do you know the little voice in there?” Mike approached, putting his finger on your forehead. “It would be nice to ask her opinion about what you're going to say before you speak.”

You laughed, showing him your tongue. You looked at the vehicle again.

“The bus's kinda hot though…”

卌

Luke was sitting on the couch, throwing Chips at Mike to get his attention.

“For God's sake, man, what do you want?” he turned to him, throwing his arms up.

“I'm bored!”

“Good morning, family!” You opened the door, smiling and speaking loudly.

“What happened?” Clifford grimaced.

“What do you mean, my dear friend?” You opened your arms, good humour exuded from every pore “Why can a bad day be a bad day just because you woke up on a bad day, but a good day can't just be a good day because you woke up on a good day?”

You raised your eyebrows, wiggling them suggestively. The man rolled his eyes.

“Let's do something! It's a day too beautiful to stay inside.”

“It's raining, y/n.” Michael replied, clicking his tongue.

“Let's go in the rain!” Luke stood up from the sofa, getting excited at the idea.

“That's the spirit!” you got even more excited, being infected with Hemmings joy.

“Wasn't a rehearsal the reason we are here?” Mike asked no one in particular “You guys can't be serious, is anyone listening to me? It's a terrible idea.”

Ashton watched Clifford's drama, not really wanting to take a side, but already putting on his shoes.

“It's like watching an episode of SpongeBob.”

Calum laughed upon hearing his friend's observation, getting up from the sofa and walking to the door.

Luke and you were dancing in the street, the sky was closed, almost no light sneaking through the clouds. The raindrops falling on both of them as they swirled on the asphalt.

Hood smiled, running towards the two and joining in the dance, his steps making you laugh and clap your hands.

“If you don't want to come and dance, you'll have to sing for us!” you screamed, as if there were no other options available.

Irwin looked at his friend still sitting on the couch, the two exchanged glances.

“Okay, okay.” Mike stood up, taking off his cap and placing it on the nearest dresser.

Ash stood in the doorway, smiling, he reached for his mobile phone, recording the scene. It seemed a moment too special to not be remembered.

You entered the garage, slamming the door brutally.

“What do you think you're doing?” crossing your arms, you stand in front of the four of them.

“It's over, birdie, get over it.” Mike grumbled, throwing the tennis ball against the wall. The pet name almost made your anger go away. Almost.

“Clifford, have you gone mad?” he frowned, looking at his three friends, seeing them in the same situation. “This is a nightmare, I must have drunk something by mistake, you can't be serious!”

You had no answer, hands dropped to the sides of your body, a feeling of helplessness taking over. You hated to see them sad, but despondent about their dream? Your dream? This was even worse.

“Come on, we're the star band, right?” you stared at your four best friends, saying with obviousness. The boys begrudgingly murmured agreement, even if they didn't know exactly what that phrase meant, it seemed important to you, so they weren't going to disagree, even if it was hard to believe they were close to being something great.

You kicked Ashton in the leg, signaling for him to stand up, and did the same to Calum, but giving his boot a light kick.

“Come on, guys! We're not an opening act anymore! People don't come a long way to see someone and then bump into us. People come a long way to see us! People like us, Mike! They like our music! Awards are nice and nominations are nice, but we're being recognized by people who have us for inspiration! Is there anything more valuable than that?”

You stared into his eyes, couldn't believe in the dream without Mike, there was no 'us' without Mike.

“Stars, Cliff, stars.” you smiled at him “Five points.”

卌

Irwin approached you, one hand holding a camera.

“Are we recording this?” you frowned at the camera, tapping Ashton lightly on the shoulder.

“It's a music video, I think that's the idea.”

You snorted, shooing him away.

“You know what I mean.”

“We'll have a Behind the Scenes too.”

“Oh, that's nice” you said, this time with a lot of excitement in your voice “I didn't know you were going to be the cameraman this time.”

“It's a special occasion, I decided to interview the stars, I started with you because you're everyone's favorite.”

“And the first person you find.”

“That too.” The man agreed, looking around the venue, people were walking everywhere. “How are your emotions recording such a special clip?”

“Honestly, I've cried so much I don't think I have any water left in my body.” you were laughing as soon you finished the sentence, even if it was a little bit true. “Look at this…”

You took out your wallet, showing him and the camera some of the photos in there.

“This is me at Easter, I was very happy for the egg that comes with a hamster. I was also too old to have been disappointed when I discovered that the hamster wasn't real.”

“It's a lovely picture, you and your father look very much alike.” Ash commented, running his hand over it.

“Do you think so?” you looked at him, watching him confirm. “That's my stepdad.”

You started to laugh, making him laugh too, even if he was a little stunned.

“How many years have you known me, Irwin? Honestly…” he denied it with his head, facing the camera while grimacing and laughing.

The two were interrupted by Calum, who walked in between them, hugging them both and changing the subject.

“How long do you guys think it took to find a child that looked like you? I mean It must have been hard to find one as pretty as me.” Hood said.

“They found Calum very quickly.” Luke approached, denying the previous sentence.

“Luke was gone in a few minutes, just some kid walking down the street.” Cal stared at the camera as he remained with a laughing face.

One of the production men walked up to them, calling them to the outside footage.

The four of them followed him, finding Michael already outside. you perked up when you saw the yellow car parked.

“Can I climb on the bonnet? Please let me on the bonnet!”

“Please be careful.” Randall said as you crossed and leaned on Calum to sit down.

After the four of them settled down and the pictures were taken, they tried to record some of the scenes.

“Wasn't there a busier street?” you complained, getting a slap on the back of your head from Ashton. You looked at him, offended.

“Okay, I think you're all clear for today.”

“Humpf, saved by the gong, Irwin.” you pointed, getting down from the bonnet and running to the vlog camera, new ideas already in mind.

“I'm going to get something off my chest and if this doesn't make it into the video, we're in trouble, I'm going to run for my rights. If they put me in another wool sweater, we’ll have a serious issue. I'm sweating so much I could fill a swimming pool. And another thing, I'll never get used to the snacks here. On my next trip, remind me to fill a bag with just coconut snacks, you can fill my DM's, if I forget again it won't be for lack of a reminder…”

you took your eyes off the lens, watching everyone start to get ready to leave, soon having Hemmings take her attention.

“Luke just picked up his backpack, it's like watching an episode of Dora the Adventurer, hold on, I'll show you.” you talked to the camera, soon turning it to show the man with the backpack on his back “5sosfam, you can thank me later!”

卌

“Why can't I connect?” Luke complained,

“Honestly, who let Hemmings mess with the Bluetooth? We want to get there next week?”

“It was between him and Calum.” Ash replied, settling into his seat.

“Why would it be between him and Calum?!” you frowned, buckling your seatbelt. You were in the last seat in the car, behind Ash. “And why am I back here?”

“Because you lost the bet.” Cal replied, finally getting into the car, making you snort.

“Take it easy on her, she's still upset that the carpool karaoke is with us and not James Corden.”

“No I'm not.” you crossed your arms, staring at the window “That man missed his chance, we're the best band nowadays, we're the band of stars!”

Luke took his eyes off his mobile phone to see her. It was a fact that you had always been their biggest fan.

“Not to mention that he always expects some member of the band to leave.” Michael sat in the driver's seat, placing his drink in one of the cup holders.

“'Turn your mouth away, Clifford. We can’t say the d word.”

They all suddenly looked at you, expecting some explanation.

“Disband” you whispered, like you were a toddler saying a bad word in front of your parents.

You held Calum and Ashton's seat, getting between them both and whispering again “'Are we allowed to cuss in this video?”

“Yes, but if Randall asks, we didn't authorize it.” Ash blinked, laughing.

Michael started the car, soon directing them to their destination. Luke finally plugged in his mobile phone, starting to talk to the camera.

“Come on, we've got our song coming out soon, called 'No Shame', the third single from the fourth album, the first single of this year, 2020.”

“And it's so fucking good.” You nodded to the camera, shrugging as Hemmings turned back to face her again.

“And we're in the car together, normally we go separately.” Luke turned his attention back to the camera, gesturing as he spoke “Actually, we're always together.”

“Always together.” Mike repeated, trying to stay present while paying full attention to the track.

“For various reasons we're always together” he said again.

“I'm never not with these guys, I love my siblings” Ashton emphasized, making them laugh.

The five of them sang the first ‘hey's’ of 'She looks so perfect' together, dubbing the lyrics. Calum looked over at you, doing along with you and Ash, a sloppy dance.

After a few minutes of performances and conversation, the playlist alternates between old and new songs.

“I'm going to be sick, for God's sake.” you threw yourself on the seat, placing your hand on your forehead.

“What's wrong?” three worried glances turned your way.

“No, not like that.” you laughed, so many years of friendship and they still hadn't gotten used to your drama. “It's out! The album's out!”

You showed the mobile phone screen, where the band's twitter page posted the cover and links to access it.

“Our album is finally out! You can order it now by clicking on any of the links.” Ash waved your phone, showing the camera the post. “IT'S OUT!”

Michael began shifting in his seat as he heard 'Girls talk boys'.

“I just realized, we're in the same places as when we shot this clip.”

“I'm telling you! I'm always in the backseat!” you complained, throwing your hands up in the air as you nudged a laughing Calum.

“You were the ghost, dove, what did you expect? To drive the car?” Irwin questioned, even though in your head it wasn't such a bad idea.

You loved to play the ghost, you loved the costumes, you loved them even more when you all were dressed to match. You still had the Three Blind Mice costume in your wardrobe, and wouldn't give up on the idea of convincing Ash to dress up as Eugene.

“Favorites are shown when they decide who sits on the arm of the sofa in interviews.” Mike grumbled, hearing affirmations from the back seats.

“Ash still had the audacity to stretch out and knock me over.” you stared at the window, trying to recognise the way they were going.

“To this day Jimmy comments about us being the first celebrities he didn't have to scare to fall on the floor.” Luke punctuated, biting his mouth.

“Next time, me and y/n will have the sofa to ourselves.” Calum declared, tucking the hat on his head.

“We don't have to go on a sofa one, can you imagine all of us in one of those Buzzfeed animal interviews? Puppies or kittens, I'll take both.”

“It would be five dogs to give one to each, it's easier to take the ones from home.”

The conversation was interrupted by a noise.

“Was that a fart?” Luke stared at Calum, watching him make the noise again.

“Are you playing with a fart app? How serious is this vlog?” you asked, laughing.

“I can't believe you can put farts in it.” Hemmings said, surprised.

“Oh my god, that is so stupid.” Ashton began to laugh along.

Luke picked up his mobile phone, switching to one of the songs. Just as the beat started, they heard an excited shout coming from the last pew.

“THIS!” you began to dance and sing excitedly to 'Strip That Down' by Liam Payne, soon gathering all the boys for the performance.

“So put your hands on my body and swing that round for me, baby, swing it” the choreography was made sloppily, while changing your voice tone to sing all the parts “Ah! I love this song.”

“Almost our entire discography played here and I didn't hear y/n say it.” Ash looked at the camera, raising his eyebrows and getting your tongue as an answer.

The next song played, Luke introducing it.

“And this is the first track from our album, Red Desert.”

卌

“What's up? What song is it going to be?”

Calum asked, the band of the instrument already placed around his neck.

“How about When you walk away?” you clapped your hands together. Ash stared at you “Come on, I'm a widow of unreleased and forgotten songs.”

“Meet you there sounds like a good warm-up, then we'll rock it out with some album tracks…” Luke hinted, watching you give in.

“First of all, one rule” Michael held up his finger, soon pointing it at you “No pulling my trousers down during rehearsal.”

You snorted, rolling your eyes.

“I've only done it once!” you tapped your foot, walking over to the keyboard.

“Actually, it was three, if you count the ones with cameras off.” Hood shook his foot, laughing.

“You know, Cal, I had an idea for us…”

“No way. - You're in a band, y/n, we're not going to do a routine on stage.”

“One day he'll give in.” you whispered, watching Ashton smile at you and wink, as if your idea might one day come to reality.

The feelings were varied, euphoria mixed with apprehension, which didn't make for a good match with a teenage mind.

“You know, every time I dare to question if all this is worth it, or if we're even capable, I look to the sky.” you stared at the boy, giving a brief smile.

“You look at the sky?” he squinted his eyes, arching one eyebrow.

You took a deep breath, thinking of the best way to explain the feeling you had. Taking the boy's hand, guided him to the backyard, and sat down on the grass, looking up.

“I imagine myself in a stadium. Each one of these stars is a fan in the audience, excited about the opportunity to hear us play. - Sometimes the sky has fewer of them, sometimes it's all black, but that doesn't mean all the stars are gone. You can still play for them.”

卌

You straightened up in your chair, making a mental note to buy a more comfortable one. Always ended up procrastinating on such a task and, now in quarantine, you were suffering even more for not doing the purchase.

You stared at yourself at the computer screen, looking at your own "scenery" while the four men talked. You had the device in your reading corner, besides the books, some paintings of the five of you adorning the wall.

“We could start by talking about y/n being banned from asking fans for help.” Ash made a suggestion, raising his eyebrows.

“What do you mean? What's wrong?” Luke asked, finally sitting up after trying to straighten out his seat again.

“I made the mistake of allowing people to remind me to buy a Brazilian candy bar, and now there's nothing on my timeline but bookmarks and reminders.” you shrugged.

“The worst part is that now y/n has a lifetime supply of candy because their mother sent a box. Their grandmother sent a box. Their aunt and uncle sent a box.” Michael held up his fingers, enlisting for emphasis, as he laughed at the situation “And not only that, but a company sent a box after their name went on the trend.”

You covered your face with your hands, hiding the desperate laughter.

”We can record something, who puts more candy bars in their mouth? Who can sing with candy in their mouth?”

“y/n wants to use us!” Calum commented, pointing at the you, who laughed, getting excited trying to deny it.

“We're going to live on paçoquinha.” Luke spoke up, the word sounding funny to his ears.

“Can we continue on the subject of y/n's mistakes?” Michael continued.

“What did I do this time?” you asked, playing offended as scratching your foot.

“Did you stop singing out of the blue?”

“Oh, it wasn't even that long!” you answered, putting your arms around your waist, laughing at Hood's face. You could never keep a straight face around them.

“You never explained to us what happened.” Hemmings took another sip of his drink.

“You know that moment when you have an inner epiphany and become self-conscious about where you are?”

You received several 'no's' in response, even if Calum had understood a little of the feeling. Laughing, you mumbled a few words, trying to simplify the situation.

“I don't know how to explain it, I just went 'wow, look at the size of this crowd, what a huge show I'm in' and forgot that I was the singer of the show.” you shrugged, following the others in their laughter.

Your voice lowered gradually, but you kept your smile. Hood arched one eyebrow, as he stared at his best friend's camera. He found the behavior strange, a small worry already growing in his chest. Ever since the wave of internet attacks, Calum had remained apprehensive about y/n's emotions.

“If you could be anyone in the band, who would you be?” Ash questioned them, biting his lip as he thought and pulled everyone's attention.

“What kind of question is that?” Calum fiddled with his teacup.

“I would choose myself, because I would still be best friends with the four of you.” Luke shrugged, looking past the computer.

A few seconds of silence perpetuate itself.

“Now whatever answer we give ourselves, we'll be terrible human beings, thank you, Luke” Mike complained, making Ashton laugh.

You smiled, moving your hand on the camera, trying to pretend to pimp Hemmings' hair through the screen.

“I should put the video of Ashton singing Good as Hell on the internet, we need to flesh out the quarantine. Things have been a little restless.”

“What's your problem with peace?” Irwin narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms.

“What do you love about it?”

“If you don't want peace, I could take it from you, if they've already freaked out on your timeline over a piece of candy, imagine when they find out about your fan twitter account.” Ash teased, laughing at the nonchalant look on your face.

“This is blackmail! And the only thing I do there is say shit about you.”

Luke laughed, watching the story unfold.

“y/n's user is calumhood8love.” The man exposed, watching you almost choke on the drink.

“Eightlove?” Mike frowned.

“Yeah, infinite love, like the infinity symbol but on the side, you know?” you tried to explain yourself while you took a breath of air, your throat hurt from laughing so hard “Come on, I thought I was really smart for that…”

After the call ended, you went to your home studio in order to get some work done. Having no success tyoure, decided to take what was needed to the living room, but failed in this task as well.

Staring at the instruments in front of you, the electric guitar and keyboard were placed on the otyour side of the sofa. You were sure that if they were not inanimate beings, they would be judging you right now.

On your lap, a notebook of scribbles and ideas lay open. You would have liked to make more progress, but only one sentence was written: "open the window, hear sounds of people.”

you didn't know what to do, if you should just concentrate on finding your lyrics or invest in some melody that would fit.

“i can see smoke coming out of your ears.” the voice came out of the cell phone, Dominic grimaced.

“This sucks, I feel like crap, I can't produce anything.” He shoved his notebook in his face, wanting to scream.

“Do you want me to be honest? I think you're making this into more of a problem than it is. You're visualizing your frustrations in this song, y/n.”

you huffed, crossing your arms and looking at him from behind the cell phone screen.

“Normally I would have been able to expose them in the lyrics, but even that didn't work.”

“You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to.” Harrison shrugged, "Can't you talk it out with Mike? You guys talk a lot, don't you?

“I don't want to bother them with this kind of silly stuff, not to mention that they would worry about nothing.”

“Haven't they been your best friends for, like, a decade? Do you really think it will bother them?” he raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving the speech.

“Do you sell this advice?”

“If you didn't want an enlightening conversation, you know you called the wrong person." he said, laughing.

“I just want this all to be over soon.”

“Me too, you owe me a visit.”

“I can't wait to land in the land of the queen again!” he held his arms up, smiling.

“Are you all free this month?"

“I think we only have one to do, the one for reading the thirsty tweets, you know?” And a few online interviews, but not with all of us...

“So we'll talk more soon, I need to go record some stuff, you know…”

“Yeah yeah, no problem, good night Dom.”

And he hung up the phone. You were about to do the same with your phone when he got a message.

I left a box of cookies on your doorstep, hope you're feeling better, y/n

P.S. They are the animal ones —Cal

卌

It was the first time in a while that the band had reunited, after a week in great isolation, the four of them made their way to the Irwin residence.

Calum, Michael and Luke were in the kitchen, finishing setting the table. Ash excused himself, going into the hall to look for his other bandmate, a good few minutes had passed since you had left to go to the bathroom.

The man found you standing in the living room, with his new album, Superbloom, in your hands.

“It's amazing, Ash.” you said, noticing his presence.

Ashton smiled, even happier with his work after seeing your eyes light up as you complimented him.

“Can you believe we paid three bucks for you to play and now you have, like, 300,000 views on a video?”

The drummer's mouth tightened as he saw the tears come to your eyes, and he had to restrain himself from being carried away by his emotions as well. He came closer, giving you a tight hug.

“You don't know how proud we are of you, Ash. Even though I think it's absurd that I wasn't invited to do a duet” you said, your head resting on his shoulder.

He pulled away, clicking his tongue and putting his arms around your waist, as if he was really affected by the sentence. Your drama made Ash laugh and you smiled, that was the intention.

“have you guys had your moment or should we put everything back in the oven?” Mike appeared in the doorway, raising his eyebrows.

They both looked at each other, you quickly nodded and stared at Ash.

“He always gets sad when he's not called in for a group hug.”

“Maybe he's sad because he wants the four of us to hug him and smother him with love.”

“Or maybe he's sad because he's starving to death and none of his friends care.” Michael put his hand on his forehead, letting out a sad sigh.

You walked over to the man, pushing him by the shoulders and walking with him to the kitchen.

Ashton held up his album, reading again the dedication he had made to you and smiling at his own words.

He put the gift close to his bag and walked back to the kitchen.

“Mike, quick question.” you nudge your friend, sitting down next to him “How much do you want to drink the water from this pickle jar?”

#5sos x reader #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer x reader #5sos imagine #5sos x y/n #5sos x member reader #member!reader #tragedybubbleslibrary #platonic 5sos x reader

[allsassnoclass]

this winter i will be hosting the first 5sos slash fic trope/themed prompt fest!  basically, writers and spectators alike can submit different prompts for a particular trope or theme, and writers will get to pick from that list and write a fic!  writing will begin in mid-late october and fics will post at the end of december

if you are considering participating, please fill out this google form to help choose the trope/theme!  this is not the sign up form, it’s to figure out what the fic fest will actually be!

#personal #5sos fic #5sos fanfiction #5sos fic event #please boost this as well! i want as many people to see it as soon as possible #not the sign up but if you might participate please contribute! #i'm not going to ask people to sign up before the know that the actual fic fest will be but i'd like to choose a trope/theme that the most #people want to write #also right now this is a slash event #so it's band member x band member #not oc or reader insert #sorry! but not for this particular event

[nochuwastaken]

i want to make an au inspired by 5sos' disconnected,,,, idk if i should do it as a fanfic or just fiction,,, and if i should publish it or keep it to myself LOL but the concept is sooo good😩 i love disconnected it's on repeat these days

DONT TELL ME IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA JUST LOOK AT THE LYRICS

i hope i find someone i can dedicate this song to,,,,, 3am thoughts lol i need to sleep im rambling

#5sos #fanfic #enhypen #SHOULD I DO IT WITH AN ENHA MEMBER X OC OR READER #I SUDDENLY GOT EXCITED #BUT IM TOO BUSY TO MAKE IT AND I NEVER MADE AN AU BEFORE #just a short one with wonwoo and i posted it on svt amino LMAOOOO

[sungbeam]

𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐒 — part one (i – vii)

nonidol!ji changmin x f!reader

your sister's dead, but apparently that's not the most shocking news. maybe she wasn't killed on accident, maybe ji changmin isn't really human, and maybe the monsters were never under the bed but all around you...

▷ genre, warnings. strangers 2 reluctant allies/friends 2 lovers, slow burn, demon/supernatural creatures au, angst, action, murder mystery-ish au, forced proximity trope, suspense, gore, depictions of violence and blood, themes of death and grief, use/description of weaponry, swearing, a slightly unreliable narrator bc she has no idea what's happening, reader's sister is dead, mentions of stalking, humor bc coping mechanisms, reader has hair long enough to braid sorry, blood drinking, the barest of proofreading and editing done...

▷ part word count. 22.3k words / 47.4k - read part two here

▷ associated songs. teeth (5sos), wet nightmare (bibi)

a/n: i tried to make it scary I SWEAR but changmin brings the clown out of me 🤥 anyways i ripped a chunk of my heart out and im serving it to you bloodied on a gold platter, i hope u love her :') read the warnings ofc and lmk your thoughts <3 also i completely gave up on wrestling w blr so im dropping it in two parts, but both of them at once 🤣 pray for me.

#1—NEXT OF KIN.

THEY TOLD YOU YOUR SISTER'S DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT, they being the authorities who had shown up at the front door of your apartment with their caps in hand, solemn faces pressed into lines that you could not read between. The world had fallen out from beneath your feet like someone had just yanked the carpet out, and you hadn't yet stopped falling.

The funeral was set on the rolling green hills of Elysium Memorial Park, the cemetery where your parents were buried, where your grandparents were buried, and now, where your sister joined them six feet under. Generations ago, your grandparents had purchased plots for themselves and their future family members while the land was cheap. When it came for your time to leave this mortal coil behind, you too would join them in the dirt of Elysium. It almost seemed right that the sky had opened up to reveal a blindingly hot sun, not a cloud to be seen in the sky. Perhaps the sky would not weep for your sister, but celebrate her life instead.

But while the heavens above would shed nary a tear, you could make up for that loss yourself. Having little to no living relatives left, you had been expected to take responsibility for all the arrangements, all while grieving, all while studying, all while trying to not fall apart some more. You were holding it together by the zipper of your dress pants and the caffeine from your coffee. You couldn't stop crying for the entire service, the forced silence of your cries balanced by the violent tremors in your shoulders.

Your sister Sena's patch in the land was now marked by a heaping pile of dirt. She had a lot of friends—most of whom gathered behind you and had thrown their flowers upon the dirt hill. You had a few distant relatives as well who you'd managed to remember (somehow) amongst all the madness. A couple of them were able to fly out for the event, but most had to decline.

When you heard your name being called, you drew your blazer sleeve over your eyes in a futile attempt to dry them.

Walking towards you now was a couple, middle-aged, dressed in black from head to toe, not far from how you looked right now. You knew them from about a week ago when they had sought you out after the news of your sister's death spread.

You hadn't the heart to sue them when they confessed who they were. It's our fault, they told you in the quiet of the hallway outside your apartment, we're so sorry. We understand if you'd like to press charges.

Sena was a victim of an automobile accident. You didn't know the entire story—was too tired for the whole story—just shocked she was even in the country. She was supposed to be across the world for a study abroad program, but why was she discovered on the side of the road, a few towns over, inebriated and dead? She became nothing more than roadkill and a statistic in death, and maybe that was why you were so bitter.

"Yn, it was a beautiful ceremony," said the woman—Julia, she had introduced herself as that week ago. Her nose was reddened from the friction of tissue paper, her eyes damp and glittering in the sunlight. "I'm sorry you—that you have to deal with all the pomp and circumstance."

"We know you deserve your time alone," joined her husband, Carter. He tucked his hands into his pockets, mustering up a smile for your sake, but you could still see the guilt flooding his eyes with water. "We just wanted to say thank you for letting us come and pay our respects."

And for not pressing charges. But you dashed that thought away. That was the bitterness talking, but these were good people. They had come forward and been honest, and it wasn't their fault Sena was drunk. (Why in the world was she drunk and here and why didn't she tell you the truth—?)

"Thank you for coming," you replied, "I wasn't sure if you would take me up on the offer, to be honest."

You wrapped up conversation with the couple and watched them depart across the grassy hills toward their car. Your eyes surveyed the last bits of the lingering crowd for familiar faces—anyone at all. But all you found were strangers.

These were all Sena's friends, after all. She had always been the more adventurous of the two of you.

You sighed and resigned yourself to start looking for the funeral coordinator to discuss payment and the like. Though the event was over the worst was just beginning. There was so much to do, and so little energy left to perform them.

But as you began trudging through the plush grass toward the far end of the plot, you noticed a man standing beneath the shade of a nearby oak tree. He wore typical funeral attire—the black dress shirt, pants, shoes, and even a pair of rectangular shades to cover his eyes. Like many of the others, you didn't recognize him—at first.

And then he shifted, lenses of his glasses reflecting sunlight and you could just barely put together the puzzle of his face and his identity. Ji Changmin.

What was he doing here?

They were friends, too, Yn, you reminded yourself. Yet, you weren't sure why you were so surprised he was here. Maybe it was because you never remembered extending the invitation to him (but someone could have spread the news by word of mouth). Maybe it was because several months had passed since you last saw him. Maybe it was because you always thought there was something… strange about him (but that could have been your bias; there was always this thing about him that irked you). Either way, you never had anything to say to him before, and that had yet to change even in light of your sister's death.

The two of you stared each other down, and for a moment, you believed he was going to walk over to you.

But instead, he pushed off the tree trunk and made his way toward the trickle of funeral goers up the hill, leaving you to wonder after him.

The next time you saw Ji Changmin was a week after the will reading.

Because you were Sena's next of kin, you were contacted by your shared attorney about Sena's will. Apparently, she had a will. After all these years, you couldn't even fathom the idea of needing one so early, but for some reason, she had. (Maybe that worried you a little more.)

The strangest thing was that your attorney had delivered to you a flat lockbox made of steel and secured with an old fashioned lock and key. Along with the stash of money in her savings account (where the Hell had all of that come from anyway?), Sena also gave you that. Whatever it was.

You had yet to open it when you bumped into Changmin on your way out of your college's academic counseling center. With recent events, your departmental advisor called you in to discuss your academic plans for the foreseeable future.

You can take as long as you like, Yn, she'd said to you. You're already ahead of schedule to graduate anyways. But that wasn't the point was it?—

"Oh." You stopped short as you rounded the corner and nearly crashed into something. "Sorry," you said before you even recognized him.

A pair of dark, feline eyes looked you up and down. "Yn, right?" Changmin drawled. A pair of white wired earbuds hung from his ears and his shoulders were fitted with a dark colored bomber jacket that was familiar to you. You'd seen it draped over the back of one of your kitchen chairs once when Sena had him over for a project.

Your eyes shuttered. "Yeah. Changmin?"

His nod was barely there. He cocked his head to the side in a way that felt like he was trying to gaze into your soul. "I'm—I'm sorry for your loss," he said, grappling for the right words. "Sena was a good friend."

"I didn't realize the two of you were so close," you told him. This was probably the most he'd ever said to your face, and you to him.

Changmin gave a small shrug. "We worked closely together, so it was kind of inevitable. How are you doing?"

You didn't think the conversation would last this long. "Oh, uhm, I'm fine." You inwardly knocked yourself over the head. He's probably just trying to be nice, Yn. "I mean—" you amended, "—I'm doing as well as you can imagine, I guess. Just lots of legal stuff and…" Her room. Cleaning out her room. Opening the lockbox. Reading her last will and testament for the fiftieth time.

When you didn't finish your sentence right away, he nodded again, shuffling on the balls of his feet. Was he feeling as awkward as you were? "I get that. Hey, if you—y'know, like, need anything—"

"You don't have to do that."

"What about coffee? Just… to talk."

Coffee? You considered him for a second. Before, you nor he had ever given any indication to the other that you acknowledged the other's presence. In fact, you confessed to Sena once that he intimidated you, even if he was just sitting there in your shared living room while pouring over JSTOR academic essays.

He was patient, you realized. Then you relented. "Okay. When's good for you?"

You thought you saw a glimmer of relief in his eyes, but that could have just been the afternoon sunlight. "Now?"

Your eyes widened a smidge, and you coughed. "Uhm now? I—I have class…?" You didn't, but the curve ball that was an impromptu coffee session with Ji Changmin wasn't something you needed right now.

His eyebrow lifted as if he didn't believe you. "Okay," he dragged out. "Tomorrow morning?" He offered as a counter.

Your brain did cartwheels in an attempt to figure out if you would have the willpower to do that. "Okay," you said. Better to get this out of the way, right?

"Do you know that one place on Magnolia?"

"The one across from the Eight Ball?" You perked up in recognition. You and Sena used to go all the time. The two of you liked to say that Magnolia was her street because it housed all her favorite places; just the thought of taking a stroll down it made your eyes water. "Yeah, Sena and I used to go all the time."

Changmin paused, his mouth opening, then closing.

You guessed what he was thinking. "It's fine if we go. I'm not gonna like, burst into tears or anything," you chuckled awkwardly, clearing your throat when excess tear fluid made you congested.

His lips pursed, impressing a dimple into his cheek. "Okay, only if you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." It seemed that everything you said to people was something like a lie nowadays.

It was late when you finally faced the lockbox.

The box was an unassuming hunk of metal, flat and slim and no bigger than a standard piece of paper. You warmed the key in your palm until it was hot to the touch and made your skin redden. The sky outside your apartment window had darkened to a blot of ink, the white shutters drawn shut to create a white paneled shield. You just finished up a very lazy dinner, washed up, and decided to confront the last thing on Sena's will.

The lockbox in the bank under my name goes to my sister, Yn Ln. She is the only one allowed access to it until she opens it; what she decides to do with the contents is her choice.

There must have been something important inside it, you reasoned, otherwise it wouldn't have been a part of the will and it wouldn't be under lock and a single key.

"What is this, Sena?" You asked aloud, venturing to twist the lock open with the key. The locking mechanism gave way, and you set the lock and key aside. The shorter end could slide open like a hidden door, and you peered into the dark depths, almost afraid of what you might find between its jaws.

You could make out the silhouettes of shapes at the bottom, the soft-cornered texture of a wad of bills. You reached in.

One of the things she had left for you in her will was all of the money in her savings account. It had shocked you to see the number—you always thought her only job was at the library, but clearly, she was not just on a librarian's salary.

Pulling out a stack of cash from the box was yet another thing that helped solidify in your mind that something was off. The confusion settled first, and then the betrayal. Had she not trusted you with this knowledge while she was alive? You were the one going into accounting and finance, and yet, she hid all of this money from you? Was she afraid of something? Afraid of judgment, of the law?

You tossed the twenties onto the table. The note slipped between the rubber band and the first piece read something along the lines of 'in case of emergency.'

You made a plunge into the box again. This time, you pulled out the last two things at the bottom, a standard white index card and a small, fabric pouch. The card displayed Sena's familiar scrawl:

You're probably wondering what any of this is, but if you're reading this, it means that something's gone wrong—like really wrong. The necklace in the pouch is super important. DON'T TAKE IT OFF. Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't trust anyone. This is really important to me, Yn. Please be safe; I love you.

x, sena.

Please be safe? Safe from who or what?

You held the note in your hand for a moment and couldn't believe this would be the last thing you received from her. It would be a tangible legacy, in a way, and you weren't sure how to feel about that. You moved the note to the table and turned your attention to the pouch.

You carefully tugged it open. She said it was a necklace, right?

"Oh," you voiced aloud while fishing out a thin, silver chain.

There was a pendant attached to the end with some heft to it. It was a deep, bloody red in the loose shape of a teardrop. There wasn't a sharp peak, but a slightly flat end on one side and a rounded end on the other. You would guess it was some kind of precious stone, but when you stared at it long enough, it looked like the color pulsed… like a heartbeat.

Your breath hitched.

Eyes narrowed, you held it up to the light by the chain. The vibrant red remained stagnant—perhaps you were just tired.

Don't let anyone touch it before you do. Don't take it off. Don't trust anyone.

Strange request about a necklace. For a moment, you wondered if your sister had indulged in some unsavory acts to achieve the numbers in her bank account and the previous stone in your hands. If you put this on, would you be counted as an accomplice to robbery?

"God, you just need to go to sleep, Yn," you muttered, swiftly clicking the chain into place around your neck. There was no way your sister would have anything to do with—

You froze.

From the other side of your shutters, you swore you heard the sound of shuffling. It wasn't unheard-of that the leaves and tree branches knocked against your second-floor window once in a while, but there hadn't been much wind as of late.

A chill spider-crawled up your spine as you strained your ears to hear more.

When you came up with nothing, you shoved the pendant under your shirt and cleaned up the lockbox. You had an early day tomorrow, after all; sleep was dire to face Changmin.

But as you crept into bed, you couldn't help but feel as if the stone on your sternum did have a heartbeat, and that something in the dark was watching you.

#2—GHOSTS ONLY HAUNT.

YOU STEPPED FOOT ON MAGNOLIA STREET looking for signs of your sister.

The morning air was a little cooler as spring filtered into town, and it also meant that this street in particular would begin to swirl with baby pink petals from the trees of the street's namesake flowers. There weren't many people around on a Thursday morning, but the sun peered between the buildings to say hello, at least.

You were in good company.

"Hey."

"Holy shit—" you whipped around to find Changmin almost right behind you. Your heart stuttered against your ribcage, your hand flying to your sternum where the necklace was. You were still getting used to its presence.

He gave nothing away with his facial expression. Damn him.

"I didn't realize you'd be early," you breathed as you tried to get a grip on yourself. Did this guy just materialize out of thin air everywhere?

Tongue in cheek, he said, "Well, I couldn't really sleep, so I figured the morning air might freshen me up a bit. Shall we?" He gestured with his elbow and chin to the establishment to your right.

There sat the quaint, little coffee shop you'd both agreed on yesterday. This one was one of Sena's favorites. She always claimed that their blueberry scones were the best in the world.

When you didn't say anything for a little, he cleared his throat. "We don't have to, if you can't or don't want to."

You hadn't even realized you were being quiet. Thoughts had been muddled as of late. You cleared your throat and stumbled for the door. "No, we can go in."

Two cups of coffee arrived at your table seven minutes later in compostable cups and a pile of artificial sweetener packets and creamer. You straightened in your seat across from Changmin and began ripping open sweetener packets and wondering if you should have gotten something of substance to eat. (You had stared at the blueberry scones for a long minute before deciding that today was not the day you wanted to cry in front of someone, especially this someone in particular.)

Changmin moved his cup toward his side of the table but made no move to add sugar or cream, or to even drink it.

This place was so familiar to you that you knew exactly how many packets of cream and sweetener to mix in, and you gently blew a breath over the steam floating off the surface. When the liquid hit your tongue and your throat, its warmth enveloped your nerves in a warm embrace, assuring you everything was going to be okay. The emotion hit you like a freight train.

You pressed your thumb against the rear gland in your right eye and willed it away. "So uhm," you said, fanning your eyes gently as you attempted to pull yourself together in front of him, "what… what did you wanna talk about? If there was anything?"

He folded his arms over his chest while leaning back in his chair, and you thought you saw his gaze soften. "Why don't you take another sip?" His eyes went to the coffee. "It'll help."

You couldn't deny that suggestion, and you reached for your cup to take another small gulp. The breath you let out rattled.

This was a bad idea.

"Are you gonna be okay if I talk about Sena?"

You nursed the coffee cup in your hands and nodded slowly.

He eyed you for a moment, then relented. "Did she happen to leave anything that was marked for me? Before the—the accident, she said there was something she needed to tell me."

Something she needed to tell him? You racked your brain, eyes drilling into the wood grain of the coffee table between you two. The will hadn't mentioned anyone else but you. And all of the letters or notes from Sena that were given to you were all for you; the attorney would have handled the rest and mailed them off to anyone else she'd written something for.

You narrowed your eyes at him. "No, I can't think of anything. You say you were expecting something?"

The resolve in his eyes steeled over, and that little bit of softness you'd seen before disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. You couldn't read him anymore. "Yes, I have her texts."

He fished out his phone from his pocket and you pursed your lips as he maneuvered to a screen of his and your sister's last messages to each other:

sena: i think i'm going back home soon, so i'll c u then changmin: okay that's fine changmin: wait ur still over there?? i thought u left already? sena: had to talk to someone abt the thing, but it was a dead end sena: just remind me that i have something to tell u changmin: what? sena: it'll be better if i said this in person

That was all Changmin let you see.

You leaned away from his phone, head reeling more from the fact that he knew she had been out of town and knew where she was and why she was there. Never mind the fact that apparently, Sena was holding onto important information for Changmin. You couldn't care less about that.

You supposed the texts were for him to prove to you he was telling you the truth. It wasn't like you weren't telling the truth either.

"Why was Sena out of town?" You asked him. "Did she ever go on any of those study abroad trips?"

Changmin paused, then something flickered in his eyes. "I think I showed you too much."

"I think you showed me too little."

"Yn, did she tell you anything about what she needed to tell me?"

You were going to push against him for your own agenda again, but the slight pressure in his tone made you think twice. There was something urgent in his words, his expression, his body language. You couldn't tell what it was, but something about this had to have been important.

Absentmindedly, your hand rubbed the area where the pendant sat on your chest beneath the collar of your shirt, and his eyes followed for a moment before flickering back up to your eyes. "No," you told him quietly. "She didn't tell me anything."

He must have believed you, because defeat shuddered across his face, and he said goodbye to leave. He didn't even take his coffee with him. Asshole.

You told yourself it would be months before you could bring yourself to go through Sena's things, but after this morning's run-in with Changmin (because it wasn't even a session; you could hardly call it anything but a run-in because it lasted maybe ten minutes), you were determined to unlock her door and do some digging. Clearly, she was hiding more than her money and jewelry(?) from you.

Changmin… he completely ignored your questions confronting him about Sena's whereabouts and her purpose for traveling. You were getting more and more suspicious as to what your sister had been up to lately. Changmin had to be in on it, too, then. He had to be.

Sena's door took up your entire vision as you stood before it with the key in your hand.

You weren't entirely sure what you were expecting when you opened it, but it was as if she had never left. Everything was where she left it—plum-purple covers tucked beneath the mattress, vintage national park postcards hanging from fairy lights by wooden clothespins, jackets layered over the back of her desk chair. There was an empty mug on her desk with the remnants of a red lip tint on the edge, and you knew you weren't going to remember to take it out to the sink later.

The small shelf-nightstand hybrid next to her bed was filled to the brim with books and notebooks and magazines. You settled gingerly upon the edge of her bed, palms pressing against the comforter.

The room still smelled like your sister.

You took the small bottle of perfume on the nightstand and spritzed a little onto your wrist. You pressed it to your nose, letting the scent make your senses woozy. It wouldn't bring her back; it didn't smell exactly the same when it was on your skin.

You set the bottle back onto the nightstand, then lowered yourself to your knees to pull all of the books off the top shelf. You stuck your head into the empty cupboard—you weren't really sure what you were looking for.

All of the titles here were the normal things you remembered seeing her read: assorted mythologies, books on the occult and supernatural, her textbooks for anthropology and archeology. There were about a dozen and a half National Geographic magazines that you flipped through within the next two hours, as well, all of which turned up nothing of curiosity.

None of the bound books were notebooks of any kind.

You crawled over to her desk—rifled through those. Nothing. They were all school related and completely, utterly ordinary.

Disappointment weighed you down into her desk chair as you hit another dead end.

Was there nothing she could give you?

No, she's dead, you thought to yourself. You'd never known Sena to be a secretive person, especially with you—in fact, you were the quieter of the pair, and she always managed to coax the right things out of you.

Sometimes you had felt like the older sister because you handled so many of the logistics and practical things, but when the world became too scary, you could always count on running to her to feel safe again…

Safe.

Sena, were you ever safe? You were beginning to think not so much.

"Do I need to file for a restraining order?"

It was getting ridiculous how many times you ran into Changmin in the past two weeks. It was outside the advising office, on your way to the store, in the hallway outside your finance lecture. And now, he loitered in the lobby of your apartment complex with a wired earbud in one ear and the other dangling freely.

He seemed to be unfazed by your remark as he peered over at you from beneath the brim of his cap. "What if I just live here?"

"But you don't," you huffed, coming to stop right in front of him. You had a feeling you would have definitely known if he moved into this building. "What do you want from me, Changmin? I'm not going to magically lead you to my sister's secret stash of whatever. I just want to get to class."

"Then go to class," he said simply. He gestured with the phone in his hand toward the door. "I'm not here for you."

You narrowed your eyes at him. Perhaps you were being a little silly, and this was just some weird trick your brain was playing on you to make you notice him more. "Answer me something."

"Only if you answer something for me."

"This isn't a negotiation."

"Worth a shot," he said with a sigh. "What shall I answer for you?"

"You and my sister weren't dating, were you?"

He must have choked on his own spit because he coughed, furiously thumping his chest. You would have laughed if this was any other circumstance, and if you and Changmin were friends (but you weren't). He shook his head at you. "No. Your sister wasn't interested in me like that and neither was I. We were strictly colleagues."

You cocked your head to the side. Colleagues… you let that marinate. "Okay, so did she have anyone she was seeing then? Just out of curiosity." A former lover you didn't know about would make sense, something like a Bonnie and Clyde situation maybe. Or perhaps you were chasing after ghosts to get a glimpse into the past.

"Someone I suspect, but I don't have their contact," he replied, mimicking your head tilt and narrowed eyes. "If you had her phone—"

"I don't."

"Ah, a shame then."

"Do you?"

"And why would I withhold such an important item from the next of kin?" He drawled.

Changmin suddenly jolted upright from the relaxed position he stood in. It was so abrupt, it gave your heart a start. "That's my cue."

You followed after him out the front doors. "What cue? Did you hear your microwave go off or something?"

You swore to God you saw his mouth curl up in amusement. But it might have been just your imagination. He yanked his other earbud out and lifted a hand in goodbye. "Something like that! See you around."

He disappeared around the corner before you could follow after him. Plus, you really did have a lecture to get to. (Wait, did he say that she was seeing someone—?)

You sighed, wondering if you should follow him… something in the back of your mind told you it would be safer not to.

#3—MONSTERS AMONG MEN.

YOU SWORE JI CHANGMIN HAD TO BE a psychic with the amount of times he predicted your whereabouts. Every time you saw him in your vicinity, you and he shared either a verbal sparring match or stared one another down. He seemed amused by it; you were growing increasingly concerned, even if it was all just coincidence.

(There was this one time, on a Wednesday this past week, where you were the one who appeared at the anthropology department to see one of Sena's old professors. Changmin was there, as it was his major's headquarters, and shot you a curious glance. The meeting was innocent and an accident. No, you definitely weren't stalking him. Absolutely not.)

(It was interesting to consider whether both of you thought the other would lead you to something of Sena's. You were certain he knew more than he let on, and perhaps he thought the same of you… Shit, maybe you should invest in a taser.)

Additionally, the weird sounds around your apartment had increased. Sometimes when you walked around in the evenings, the hair on the back of your neck and your arms stood at attention, as if you could feel the gaze of someone or… something watching you. However, every time you turned to look, the crazier you were convinced you'd become.

It didn't help that the necklace Sena left for you kept mimicking your heart beat when you weren't paying attention. If you willed it to repeat the steady beat in the light so you could observe it up close, it would cease.

It was as if distance from your skin or touch left it without a heart to echo.

You were half certain you were losing your mind. It had to be all this stress and emotion overwhelming you.

Saturday morning, you decided to pick yourself up and go see your sister. The funeral home had called you earlier this week to say that her headstone was complete, so this would also serve as a trip to ensure everything was engraved correctly before it was placed over her grave. You dressed yourself up in a dark top and comfortable jeans, something you might be able to sit in on the grass as you lingered in her presence, even if she was dead.

Ever since you went through her things, you hadn't ventured into her room again. You thought it might preserve the way it looked, smelled, felt… preserve something of her.

Once you'd gone to the funeral parlor and management center at Elysium Memorial Park to confirm the engraving, you took a brisk walk up the hill to where you remembered Sena's plot to be. The sun peered out between clouds this morning, giving the sky a dual-toned appearance, one half a dark gray, and the other a gossamer yellow.

You started down the hill, head ducked to watch for any graves or hills so you didn't trample over other people's bodies. A bundle of flowers from the grocery store sat cradled in the crook of your arm—a bundle of pink carnations ("I'll never forget you") and dark crimson roses (mourning). You didn't often pay attention to the meaning of flowers, but you thought if you weren't able to choke anything out today, then at least they could speak for you.

Just as you neared the grave between oaks, you lifted your head, your footsteps slowing at the person who stood over your sister's grave. "You have got to be shitting me."

"Isn't it a sin to curse over someone's grave?" Changmin asked as you stopped short of where he was. There was a single stem of sunflower (adoration) seated at his feet on the bundle of earth that was Sena's resting place. "Well, I wouldn't know. That's not my expertise."

"What are you doing here?"

He gave a loose gesture with a flourished hand. "Visiting a friend. Don't leave on my account. She's your sister."

It was as if he could read your mind. You didn't count on anyone being here when you saw her, but he had a right to visit her, too. The bitterness seeping into your bones would have to be squandered for today; the universe just needed to stop making the two of you bump into each other.

You ignored the quickening pitter-patter of your heart and the necklace, and trudged over the grass to where he was.

You gently placed your bundle of flowers next to his, then straightened to stand beside him. The two of you stared at the patch in the ground in silence.

A frown etched itself onto his face, along with a crease between his brows. He seemed almost angry—at what, you couldn't tell. Not you, you hoped.

Quietly, you lowered yourself to the grass to sit down and be closer to her.

I miss you, you voiced into your head, as if you could transmit these thoughts to the dead body in the ground. I'm so… it's too much, Sena. I can't do this. I don't know what you want from me, I don't know what Changmin wants from me. The apartment is cold. Why didn't you tell me you were home all this time?

For the moment, you let your vision blur with tears.

You covered your mouth with your palm to dam the emotion inside, especially with someone else right next to you, but dignity be so fucking damned. Your body trembled with the weight of everything and beyond—you were Atlas carrying the world upon his shoulders. Pressure mounted in your cranium from how hard and freely you sobbed, your fingers pressed to your face to support your head as your tears wet the earth beneath you.

A presence lowered itself to the ground beside you, and Changmin remained politely quiet. He breathed in deeply, but you heard the slight tremble of his breath when he exhaled.

Maybe you were crying for the both of you.

After what seemed like eons, you sniffled, pawing at your puffy and reddened eyes with the sleeves of your shirt. You hadn't brought along any tissues or anything, an oversight.

You gathered your wits about you and clambered to your feet, your knees knocking together like a baby deer. Changmin still had his eyes pinned to the ground.

"Whatever the Hell you want from me," you told him hoarsely, "I don't care. Just leave me alone."

You watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. Without another word, you walked away to head back to the bus stop.

Your skin prickled when you returned home. The air was oddly… off, and a strange smell lingered in the air. It was subtle, only becoming apparent to you with deep, focused inhales. The identity of the smell eluded you and it wasn't something you were familiar with.

You kicked the front door shut behind you, and noticed that the window was ajar. Had you accidentally left that open before you left?

Strange.

You padded across the room to peer out at the street below. There sat the usual tree that occupied the space in front of your window, the one that you assumed (hoped) was the thing making all of the noises outside the past few weeks. (Because if it wasn't that, you didn't want to know what it really was.)

The thought occurred to you that you might have opened the window before you left to air out whatever smell had crept through the air vents. Yes, that made a whole lot of sense.

Settling with that explanation, you cranked the window closed slightly, only leaving a sliver so you could muffle as much of the sounds outside as possible. This part of town wasn't the noisiest, luckily, but when there were vehicles that drove by, they tended to be loud for no reason.

You sighed, settling down onto your couch with your bag. The whole rest of your day was open, and the only thing you had thought of was to go see Sena.

The feeling of eyes on you loitered on your skin like an invisible ant crawling over your body somewhere. You swiped at your neck, rubbed your arm… you couldn't identify it when you swung around to observe your own home.

This was your home, wasn't it? Why did it feel like you weren't alone in it?

You were going to go close the window—

A shadow appeared on the ledge of your window sill and you let out a scream.

The mass gnarled its teeth at the sound, pouncing at you with claws and fangs that glinted in the daylight.

You scrambled backward on the couch, toward the opposite end, your heart throwing itself up against your ribcage. "What the fuck?" You breathed, trying to figure out what in the world it was.

Bad idea. Oh, baaaad. Bad. Bad. Bad idea.

You shouldn't have stared so long; then you wouldn't have realized it had multiple rows of teeth, a face pale as a full moon, and two beady eyes narrowed into slits. Saliva dripped from its maw and down its chin as it crawled on its haunches and arms to you.

It made a guttural noise, then lunged.

You swore and fell over the arm of the couch, dragging along the lamp on the side table. You tried to move your right leg off the arm—it didn't budge. Oh god, it had its claws in your pant leg—

"Mine," it snarled, surprisingly sentient. "Master wills it so."

You kicked it in its face and managed to scramble away, clutching the lamp in front of your body as a weapon.

It ran after you, and your body leapt into instinct.

You nearly slipped as you fumbled to your feet and tipped the coffee table over the creature. "What the fuck are you—SHIT."

Wood splinters exploded as the creature smashed clear through one of the legs and went careening for you.

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE," you begged, running for the kitchen and the block of knives in your sight.

Your knees hit the wood floor with a vengeance, and you had no time to mourn over bruised knees. You twisted around and just barely shoved the lamp between its jaws before it could enclose them around your neck—

Somebody pounded on your front door. "YN? YN!"

Familiar—that was all that went through your head. "HELP ME," you screeched, your hands growing slippery from the slobber. Desperation filled your veins and you gave a violent shove.

Your front door bursted open, the handle banging against the opposite wall and leaving a dent.

Changmin charged into the room with a dark look in his eyes, a swear on his tongue. "You're the little weasel who's been fucking with me."

The creature shifted his attention to Changmin. "Your Disgrace," it gave a mocking bow.

That seemed to be his ticker.

You couldn't comprehend what happened—only an exchange of blows, a blur of body mass—Changmin brawled with the creature on your floor and you dragged yourself behind the kitchen counter to hide. You reached for a knife from the knife block up above and pulled your knees to your chest, the sounds of snarling and wood breaking and bones cracking—then—complete silence.

You slapped a palm over your mouth, eyes going toward the ceiling to pray to anyone who could hear you.

This was when you died. The creature had killed Changmin and now it was coming back to finish what it started.

You held your breath with your eyes wide open. You strained your ears. The sound of a sigh met your ears, one that was oh-so familiar to you.

"Shit," came Changmin's voice. "Yn. Yn? Yn, where…?"

He rounded the counter, his hair sticking up in different directions and a large tear at the top of his shirt, but other than that, he seemed no worse for wear. He eyed the knife pointed outward at him, and he showed you his palms as if placating a rattlesnake. "Woah, hey, it's okay. It's gone now."

Your body trembled from head to toe with all of the pent up fear and adrenaline. You shook your head, your hand still clapped over your mouth to keep your screams or cries in.

Changmin lowered himself to your level slowly. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise, it's gone and you're okay now. Let's put the knife down."

You slowly, slowly brought your extended hand down, letting the blade point toward the ground and away from the man in front of you. "What—" you choked, "—what was—who are—"

His facial features arranged into something short of stress. "It's a long story…" He roughed a hand through his bangs. "That thing back there? Yn, that was a demon."

You blinked.

He exhaled sharply. "I'm a demon."

"Don't fuck with me."

"You think I'm fucking with you?"

Your free hand clutched at the pendant around your neck. "You—you don't look like that thing though."

He gave a nod. "Right, I don't. I'm… a different kind of demon." When you remained quiet, he prodded, "You're not going to fight back? You're not gonna tell me you're going crazy?"

"Oh, I know I'm going crazy," you nodded vigorously, wiping away the snot that dribbled down your nose inelegantly. He reached over the counter to grab the roll of paper towels and slide it over to you in an act of (rare) kindness. Your head made contact with the cabinet behind you. "Is the carcass lying on my living room floor, Changmin? Tell me it is not lying on my living room floor."

"It's not."

"Then where the fuck is it?"

He licked his lips, closing his eyes. "It escaped."

"Out the window?"

"No, through a portal—"

You wheezed, and you were sure you looked half mad to him. "Oh my god, I really am off my rocker." A portal. A portal! Of course it was a portal.

He pinned you with a look. "Yn. Yn, listen to me. You're not safe here."

"No shit. I almost died two minutes ago." You saw his unimpressed expression and forced an apology out of your mouth. "Sorry. Humor is a coping mechanism. You can't just tell me demons exist without me thinking we've both gone absolutely insane."

Changmin settled into a more comfortable position on the floor, gripping onto the edge of the counter behind his head. "Yeah, your sister reacted similarly when she found out."

Everything came to a screeching halt.

"What?"

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Supernatural creatures exist. The ones that you read about in books and in myths and legends, and watch in silly movies and TV shows?" He gestured wide with both his arms. "They exist—we exist."

You could hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears. You swallowed. "And she… she knew this?"

A nod. "Yes. We've all been walking among you this whole time."

"What does this have to do with Sena?" What did any of this have to do with your sister? Was this even worse than you imagined it was?

He pursed his lips, exposing the little mole beneath his bottom lip for a moment. "Sena and I were… business partners. We were in the bounty hunting business, essentially."

There were words coming out of his mouth, but it was too much. All of it hit your head and fell straight to the floor, and none of it truly sank into your sense of reality.

Sena was a supernatural bounty hunter? And she died while on a case. A personal one, he said—?

"—I was coming over to show you something when I felt my trap get triggered."

"Wait, wait, wait," you cut in. "Trap?"

"I've been hunting that demon for weeks now," he explained to you, but the words were coming out slowly like he was reluctant to let them go. "It's been… avoiding me, and I tracked it to your apartment and realized what, or who, it was after." His teeth ran over his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed on you. "You're wearing it, aren't you? The pendant?"

On instinct, your hand shot up to your sternum. "How the Hell—"

"That's what Sena and I were looking for." His sharp, feline gaze remained pinned on you as you slowly lifted the chain to take the pendant out. It glistened like a fat, red ruby in the daylight. "What did she tell you about it?"

"Absolutely nothing," you said plainly. You set the knife on the ground beside you and adjusted your sitting position with a shaky exhale. "Except that I shouldn't let anyone touch it before me, that I shouldn't take it off, and to not—trust anyone."

You stiffened when Changmin reached for something in his back pocket.

"Relax, this is what I wanted to show you." He held his hands up after retrieving a cream-colored envelope from his back pocket, majorly bent and crumpled in some portions, but intact for the most part. He slid the envelope across the kitchen floor to you, and you immediately recognized your sister's handwriting.

You gingerly picked it up off the ground and inspected it. It couldn't have been forged—the way she wrote her R's were too distinct. She was so weird about always writing capital R's even if it was supposed to be lowercase.

You opened the flap and tugged out the letter inside. As you made your way down the note, it came to you that this was his evidence. This was his evidence that Sena knew him personally and that, according to past-Sena, you could trust him.

Your fingers shook as you pushed the letter back into the fold, and you shoved the envelope back over to him. "Okay," you muttered. "What now?"

Something akin to relief washed over his face. "She didn't tell you anything about the pendant? Nothing?"

You shook your head, fondling the stone between your fingers. "No. I found it in the lockbox she left for me with cash and a small note."

"Lockbox?" He perked up. "Are you certain there wasn't anything else in there? Not a second stone or a second necklace? Nothing?"

Your eyebrows furrowed in thought, and you pressed your thumb and forefinger to your closed eyes when they began to sting from dehydration. "No. It was just those three things I mentioned earlier. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," you said. "I am absolutely sure. You don't think I turned that thing upside down?"

Changmin stood up and began to pace around his side of the kitchen, his head buried in his two palms. "Oh fuck," you heard his muttered swear.

"What is it?"

He rubbed his hands down his face, and it reset him to that careful blankness from before. "Do you trust me?"

"No," came your automatic answer.

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Your sister was after something important before she died. She—she was supposed to update me about it when she got back, but she never did." He carded a hand through his hair again. "It could reveal to us more about what happened. Didn't she mention anything about how important this was?"

He wasn't wrong, unfortunately. Sena wrote it plainly in her final note to you about how important this necklace was, and keeping it with you. You supposed you could dash out any thought that she stole this from a bank or jewelry store… a mortal one, at least.

What the fuck was this thing made of?

You enclosed your fist around the stone. "So what are you saying?"

"We need to finish what she started." He considered something for a moment, then added, "And you're not safe here."

Something panged in your chest. "I'm not teaming up with you."

Changmin took a couple steps toward you and from this distance, there was an unmistakable ferocity in his gaze. "I would agree with you, but unfortunately, if I want answers and the pendant, then I'm stuck with you."

Your blood pressure spiked. "You're such an ass."

"Ass or not," he drawled, "you can stay here and risk that cretin coming back for you, or you can come with me, and we can figure out what the Hell happened to your sister."

Your bones, your joints—everything ached as you clambered to your feet. God, you were tired. A grave sort of determination trickled into your mind, though, at the thought of getting away from this. It didn't seem like there was much other choice anyway.

#4—SURVIVE THE NIGHT.

IT WAS LATE WHEN THE CAR pulled into the motel parking lot. Your ass was on fire from the long drive, and your mind hazy from sleep deprivation. Fear kept you awake for the entirety of the eight hour trek between home and nowhere. You would have worried about Changmin in the driver's seat, but considering you found out he was a supernatural being literally eight hours ago, your worries consoled themselves.

"This was the best out of the selection," he murmured, barely audibly, as he put the car in park. The glow from the motel lights was the only light for miles, and the red-violet from the neon sign washed over Changmin's sharp side profile like a grungy teen thriller show.

A yawn stretched out of you and you reached for your seatbelt. "Wasn't complaining."

He sent you a pointed look. It was a silent "Really?" You pointedly ignored it.

The two of you clambered out of the car and you massaged your back and butt with reprieve. Your hand reached for the red ruby settled beneath the fabric of your T-shirt, the warm stone solid and present between your fingers. Changmin slammed his side of the car closed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, and you were swift to follow his lead.

Your fingers drummed against the side of your pants just as the main office came into view. There was someone seated behind the front desk with her head buried in her phone and Candy Crush on the screen. You and Changmin walked up to the counter and her head flicked upward.

Her eyes darted between you two and something or other clicked in her head. "Room for two?" She droned, already clacking away on her computer screen.

"Yes please," you sighed. You knew there was no way you were getting around her assumptions.

She smacked the gum in the side of her cheek, twirling around in her chair to reach for a key on the wall behind her. "It'll be thirty bucks," she said, sliding the key across the counter, "and we don't have condoms."

You and Changmin both coughed, heat rushing to your face. "None needed," he muttered as he slid a twenty and ten dollar bill over to her.

You collected the key and checked for the room number. Sleep crept into the corners of your eyes again and they were starting to sting from dehydration.

Changmin eyed you from his peripheral vision and nodded his silent thanks to the girl. He swept an arm loosely around your shoulders to guide you back out to the night beyond the main office. The room you were assigned was on the second floor of a building just a little ways down the complex. It was outfitted with a single queen-sized bed and bathroom, and the lights fortunately worked well enough. You couldn't decide if it was a good thing that you were too tired to assess the cleanliness of this room, but you made a beeline for the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower," you announced, already closing the door.

The last thing you heard was his grunt from the other side.

You dumped your backpack on the lid of the toilet then braced your forearms on the sink counter. The lights in here were a dull gray and made you look sickly in the mirror. Dark bags hung beneath your pinkened eyes—the receptionist probably thought you were drunk or high. Exhaustion hit you like a bus, your limbs sluggish and heavy.

So much had happened in the past 48 hours.

You ripped the shower curtain back and fiddled around with the shower until cold water spouted from the top.

Changmin was a demon. He was Hellspawn. You'd messed around with the idea of him being a pain in the ass before, but you never expected his demon-ness to be true.

When the water warmed as much as it could, you stepped beneath its drizzle. The ruby pendant from your sister sat on your sternum, safe and warm, and you watched it pulse with a glowing scarlet beneath the stream of water.

Your sister.

A few weeks ago, you watched her body lowered into a ditch in the ground. A little before that, you were told her death had been an accident. Now, you were on the run.

From who or what? You weren't completely sure. That was what Changmin was here for. Well, technically he was here for the necklace your sister left with you, but after what happened at your apartment that caused the two of you to go on the run, here you and the necklace were. Plus, the note your sister left explicitly instructed that the necklace be kept with you—on you. (You still weren't too certain of anything.)

When your fingers began to prune, you reluctantly stepped out of the shower to slip on a new set of clothes from your backpack. You went through the motions of getting ready to sleep, too, mind fuzzy and unable to make sense of anything.

You wrestled down a sigh and desire to cry. You were tired, for fuck's sake, you were so tired.

But when you opened the bathroom door, flicking the light off, you paused. The room was dark.

Your breath hitched in your throat and the hair on the back of your neck stood at attention. Heart pounding, you took a step into the main room.

"Chang—" A palm closed around your mouth, another cupping the back of your head.

Panicpanicpanic—

A warm breath by your ear. "Calm down. It's just me." Changmin.

Fucking Hell.

You found his eyes as yours grew more accustomed to the dark. His head twisted over his shoulder to the window by the door where you could see silhouettes walking past, silent and stalking.

"Someone's here," he exhaled as he slowly removed his hand from over your mouth. His dark bangs hung in his eyes, his mouth set in a firm line. "They can sense the pendant, I think."

Your heart thundered against your ribcage—ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom—

Changmin's head whipped back toward you and he fished something out of his pocket. He reached for your hand, closing your fingers around something cold and metal. "Slowly put your backpack down and barricade yourself in the closet over there," he instructed quietly, finger pointing in the direction of the sliding doors just to your left. "If it comes to it, use the knife, Yn."

You bit your tongue to keep your breathing as steady as possible. Your hands shook around the switchblade he'd passed to you, and under his sharp eyes, you carefully lowered your bag to the ground without making as much noise as you could. Then, with his go-ahead, you crept as quietly as possible toward the closet.

Just as you reached for the slot in the door, all Hell broke loose.

The window shattered open, the door kicked off its hinges. Your entire body tensed as you dropped to the floor behind the bed, clutching the knife in front of you.

Changmin swore, nice and loud.

Shadows pummeled him to the ground until he was tangled in darkness, like nightmares brought to life. You saw a flash of claws in your view, your scream caught in your throat.

"You."

A blur of shadow whisked across your vision and your eyes went wide.

The creature crawled over the bed and pounced toward you—you rolled away from him, blade held out in front of your body. Oh, there was an awful wave of déjà vu coming over you.

"You are a difficult being to find, pet," the creature hissed. You were beginning to make out its features now—dagger-like eyes, claws that could easily rip flesh apart like cloth, and a maw of knives for teeth. Shit straight out of nightmares.

It cocked its head at you, crouching on the floor a few feet away. Why hadn't it attacked you yet?

"Curious," its scratchy voice croaked. "The master will be pleased when the asset is brought home to her."

The asset? It must have meant the necklace.

You heard a snarl from your right, and in horror, noted the thick, dark liquid splattered all over Changmin's clothes and body. When he snarled at the demons holding him down, you spotted the gleam of fangs.

"What do you want from me?" Your voice trembled, returning back to your main problem. The necklace sat warm and present, the pulses matching your racing heartbeat.

The creature released a sound like grating metal, something akin to a laugh. "Your guardian is more dangerous than he appears," he said instead while tilting its head to the side. "Clever being, that one. Master will be pleased when we bring his rotted corpse home."

You didn't anticipate how quickly it would move. You screamed as the creature dove for you and you swung out of the way. Its claws dug into the meat of your thigh, clinging to the flesh there with all of its might.

Fear struck painfully through your chest and you desperately twisted around to stab the blade into the side of the creature's neck.

It screeched. You drew the knife out to impale it in the back area, messily splattering an arc of its black blood everywhere.

You sucked in a sob as you scrambled backward. Its body dragged along the ground from its claws still sunken into your leg. The body was limp, but your nose wrinkled from the acrid, hot smell reeking from the corpse. It smelled burnt.

You peered at the blade in your fist with new eyes. The silver glowed gold in the darkened room; you shouldn't have expected anything less. Why did you think a mortal weapon could defend you from demonic creatures?

"YN!"

Too late.

Claws sunk into the sides of your throat and trapped your voice there. You thrashed around; panic stabbed your chest. Pathetically, desperately, you reached your arm back to try and drill the blade of your knife into the creature behind you.

Hot blood squelched down your throat—you were losing feeling there. Numb numb numb—it hurt, oh fuck, you were going to die—

All at once, the pressure subsided.

Breath could only flood into your lungs as quickly as blood spilled from your throat. You were choking, eyes wide up at the ceiling.

This was it, this was it. Maybe you'd see your sister in Hell.

A face appeared above you, sweaty but familiar. Your blurry vision couldn't make out the emotions on his face, but you could hear him… boy, could you hear him.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he cursed, rustling around and adjusting his position above your body.

His rough palms cupped your face. You could hear your heartbeat slowing in your ears. Ba-boom… ba-boom… ba… boom.

"Stay with me," he panted. His left hand pressed against that side of your neck to staunch the blood flow. He sucked in a breath and he ducked out of your view.

You felt a different wet sensation over your open wound. His tongue was rough, yet soothing as he lapped and sucked on the gouge in your throat. Feeling sparked in that area; you could feel your skin physically stitching itself together. If you could squirm, you would have.

He was swift to switch to your other side and copy those actions there. He groaned low against your skin, one hand cupping the side of your head to hold you in place.

Oxygen rushed through your lungs and you gasped. You tore your neck away from his mouth to dry retch. Blood dripped from the side of your lips to the dusty carpet. You had been asphyxiating on your own life force.

You flopped back onto your back, tears rolling down your cheeks as you gestured wildly at the steaming demon carcass still attached to your thigh. "Ple-please," you whimpered. "Please, get it off."

Changmin crawled onto his arms, sliding down toward your leg. "Yeah, sweetheart. I got it."

He looked up at you as he dug his fingers into the creature's skull, ready to pry the thing's claws from you. Something dark was smudged over his face—his nose, cheeks, across his eye. "It's gonna hurt," he warned, voice hoarse.

You moved your head in a microscopic nod.

Tears pricked at your vision, and your leg screamed. Blood filled your mouth even more from the force you used to clamp down on your tongue. Changmin was swift, but gentle as he removed each claw from your thigh, then tossed the body somewhere behind him. He lowered his face to your leg to carefully lap at your wounds like he'd done before.

When he was done, he flopped onto the floor with you, his sigh filling the awful silence.

You could feel everything. It was pulsing all over your body. Your skin, threading together, tingled and ached and throbbed. Your cheeks were damp with tear tracks and your fingers finally loosened their grip on the switchblade. Your mouth was coated in the metallic iron taste of blood.

The only familiar feeling was the pendant on your sternum. The bane of your existence.

"So you have magic spit?" You croaked, your voice scratchy from your sore and bruised throat.

You heard his huff, the closest thing you'd ever heard to a laugh from him. "It's regenerative," he exhaled deeply.

You snorted, then winced when it hurt.

If you could look up, you would've seen the corner of his lips twitch.

"Are you sure you're not a vampire?"

You heard a soft shuffling sound as he clambered upright to lean against the wall. His head thumped against it, eyes fluttered closed. "I don't drink blood, sweetheart."

"I didn't say you drank it."

You grimaced as you struggled to swallow. Reality was swooping in on you like a vulture above a carcass. Doom swirled in your stomach—you almost died just now. You choked on a sob, and you reached up to your face to brush away your tears.

Oh god, everything hurt.

"I want to go home," you whispered. It wasn't even to Changmin, just to whoever could hear you. Homehomehome, but where was home? They could find you anywhere.

A beat passed.

"I'm sorry." Changmin's head hung, either out of exhaustion or genuine regret. "I promised your sister I wouldn't get you involved."

You still couldn't move your head much, so you kept your gaze on the speckled ceiling. "What?"

"I have… had sisters."

You didn't hide your surprise. You didn't think you would ever get anything personal out of this guy, let alone the fact he had family. But his confession planted a seed of sympathy in you… maybe he was human before, or maybe he wasn't at all, but he had family. That had to count for something.

He released another haggard sigh. "So that was one of the few things we could agree on—keeping you out of this unless necessary."

Necessary. You should have never put on the necklace, should have never touched the cursed thing. Now, you were literally chained to it and its fate.

He went quiet again and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears. You thought he was going to say something else, but instead, he rose to his feet. Taking slow, careful steps, he made his way over to your body.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," he murmured as he tucked his hands under your armpits to haul you upright.

You cursed under your breath at the ache and the blood rushing to your head. Your left leg was pretty much useless, and he had to cup the nape of your neck to his shoulder so you could lean on him.

"Can you walk?" He asked, his breath by your ear again.

You shook your head, pressing your mouth against the muscle of his shoulder. He smelled like demon blood, and you shifted to lean your cheek on him instead, holding in a gag at the wretched stench.

"Okay. Hold on a second."

He helped you sit down on the ledge of the bed, before going around the room to collect things. He plucked up your backpack from the floor, then his own bag, hoisting them both over his shoulders before returning to you. From your vantage, you could see all the limp demon corpses lying on the ground, unmoving. You wrestled down the bile creeping up your throat and looked away.

Changmin scooped you up in his arms with a grunt, and you looped yours around his upper body, tucking yourself into him. "We have to get out of here before someone comes to check this shit out," he said to you as he exited the room.

You gave a nod. "Aren't you tired? Hurt?" You asked, guilt and fear twisting something horrid in your chest.

"Don't worry about me."

"How could I not?"

His lips twitched. "Oh, so you care about me now?"

You closed your eyes against his shoulder. "Don't be an asshole."

"Sure, sweetheart." He made it to the car and instructed you to reach around his back to get the car key hanging from his bag strap. Changmin managed to get the car door open and deposited you in your seat. Your body molded into the material, exhaustion settling once more into your bones and joints.

In a blink, the two of you were back on the road.

Changmin carded a hand through his damp hair as he pulled out onto the barren street. You rolled your head to the side, eyes drinking him in. There were scratches over his exposed skin, barely there, but still present as if they had healed over already. His clothes were splotched and stained, as well as ripped in other places. And of course, there was the blood smeared all over his face, his neck. The bastard didn't even look fazed.

Right, demon. What did that even entail?

Your eyelids were beginning to droop, yanked down by the force of gravity and the human necessity to sleep. You didn't want to sleep though; you didn't want to be attacked a third time. Though most of the adrenaline had dissipated, your shoulders were still tense, your senses alert and unable to relax just yet.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "You should sleep."

You moved your head. "Can't," you rasped.

He reached over then, his palm warm against your head, as he gently brushed his thumb over your eyelids to coax them closed. "You're safe with me, Yn," he promised. You were reluctant to believe him, but after what just happened, at least you knew he could take care of himself and you.

Sleep was already coaxing you into its jaws to devour you, and the pendant under your shirt pulsed to a steady beat to encourage your descent. "Morning will come soon."

All you could do now was trust him.

#5—THE ANGEL BLADE.

THE DINER OFF THE INTERSTATE was like the ones from the movies: red, vinyl seats that squelched when you scooted over them; blind fluorescent lights that flickered every time a fly died against them; people minding their own business as they hunched over grainy coffee and burgers that looked a little too good to be true. You sat across from Changmin, hands laced over the white table surface while he had his arms braided over his chest.

Another eight hours had passed since the motel. You'd found a rest stop to clean up and change clothes on the way, but when you could no longer deny your need for food, Changmin made the executive decision to feed the monster that was your stomach. Executive decision meant he was driving you somewhere to eat something so you wouldn't pass out from stubborn, self-induced hunger.

You're not gonna die if you want fries and chicken tenders, Yn, he'd said with a roll of his eyes.

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the target of every other supernatural being within a fifty mile radius. Perhaps by association, but still.

It was fascinating what a few hours of rest and magical demon saliva could do to help the human body. All of your wounds had pretty much closed up—albeit a tad sore, but nothing as awful as the pain you were in when being clawed in the moment. It was even more fascinating how alive Changmin looked despite literally not being alive. And the fact he hadn't slept a wink within the past day at least.

You, on the other hand, looked like a dumpster fire. Your hair was a bird's nest, eye bags more expensive than Louis Vuitton. Your stomach gave another whining growl; you'd ordered not five minutes ago with a middle-aged woman in too-bright red lipstick and a blue collared dress uniform.

"Are you sure you're not like, a vampire?"

His face dropped into a deadpan you'd seen before. "Oh my God."

"You can say His name?"

Your lips curled into a self-indulgent smile at the way he rolled his eyes so hard, he could probably see his brain back there. (If he had one.) "Sorry."

"You're not sorry," he said, eyebrow arching. "Do you have any real questions?"

Your hands shifted to your lap as your gaze moved to the window next to you. The sky was an ugly, sickly shade of gray-green. It reminded you of the lighting from the first Twilight movie, and you gagged at the thought. The bright red and neon of the diner clashed horridly with the sky, too. All of it was a little disconcerting.

Back in the car, when Changmin was first introducing you to the real world, he'd given you the short version of the supernatural who lived amongst oblivious humans. He hadn't gotten down to the nitty-gritty, just the shit he needed you to know so he could justify hauling you across the state, and to understand all the supernatural creatures after the little pendant resting beneath your shirt collar.

Two mugs of coffee were set onto your table, the dark liquid sloshing over the sides to stain the white below it.

You reached for your mug first, gently cooling it down with a breath. When you took a sip, gingerly, you grimaced. You somehow managed to wrestle the liquid down, but the searing bitterness was enough to make you push the cup away and reach for the sugar packets at the end of the table.

Changmin watched you in amusement, tongue poking the inside of his mouth.

You narrowed your eyes at him as you ripped a Stevia packet open. "What're you laughing at?"

"M'not laughing," he shrugged. He picked up his cup of coffee, clinked it against yours for good measure, then chugged the cup of shit in one sitting.

You watched in ill-concealed disgust, horror, and… maybe you were a little impressed.

When he set the drained cup on the table, he wiped his smug mouth with a napkin from the aluminum dispenser.

It was your turn to deadpan. "Show off," you muttered, stirring your artificial sweetener into the dark brown brew.

He shrugged again. "What? Like it's hard?"

"Oh my god, you can be funny."

Your chicken tenders arrived. Steam wafted from them and you closed your eyes to inhale the beautiful smell. Happiness on a plate, you liked to think.

Changmin thanked the waitress who had also delivered him a plate of blueberry pancakes. He eyed you quietly as you inhaled the food on your plate, despite the dull throbbing in your throat.

You caught his gaze, stopping mid-tender. "Want some?" You asked after swallowing the bite, gesturing to your fries.

He shook his head and began buttering up his hotcakes. "Nah. Have at it."

The two of you settled into a comfortable silence as you ate your separate meals. Changmin had told you before that demons didn't need all the typical things humans needed to "survive" or "live." Technically, since he was undead, there were only a handful of ways he could die. Eating and sleeping were necessary for human life, but they were more so preferences for him. If he wanted to eat, he could eat. If he wanted to close his eyes and dream, he could try.

The thought had you waving a fry at him. "The switchblade," you began, drawing his attention and pancake-stuffed cheeks, "what was it? It definitely wasn't something human-made."

Changmin swallowed his bite. "It was an angel blade."

"You're kidding," you drawled in disbelief.

He challenged your stare. "Believe it or not, it was. Forged up there." He lifted the prongs of his fork up toward the ceiling, shaking his bangs out of his eyes.

Your jaw dropped. "So the Big Man Upstairs does exist?"

"I mean, I don't really know. I've never met him if he does. I just know the angels are ruled by the Seraphim," he told you. "Lots of hierarchical bullshit I didn't care to pay attention to."

He impaled another piece of pancake. "Angel blades are one of the few things that can kill a creature like that."

"A demon?" You asked.

"Yes. Lower level demons are easier to kill, especially with a blade like the one I gave you." He shoved the bite into his cheek to continue, "That's why I was able to take on multiple at once."

You made a noise of indignation. "So you're telling me you're a higher level demon?"

His shoulders fell in a half-hearted shrug.

"Helpful," you muttered as you washed your meal down with bittersweet coffee. You paused for a moment, cleaning your fingers off with a napkin. "The… the licking thing."

Changmin's eyes could not meet yours. "Mhm."

"Do you… do you do that often?"

"No," he said curtly. "That party trick only works on humans and I don't really enjoy the taste of blood."

You pursed your lips at his rather clipped response. "Oh." You recalled the sound he'd made as he cleaned your blood up with his tongue at the motel… maybe it was something out of disgust. You suddenly felt out of place, like you had made his shoulders tense up and the air crackle. You racked your brain. "I—thanks, by the way."

With a cough, he murmured, "Welcome. Couldn't have you dying on me."

You nursed your coffee cup, reaching up to absentmindedly fondle the pendant under your shirt. "Yeah."

"Have you ever met an angel?"

The car was quiet as Changmin peered over his shoulder to switch lanes, the blinker tick-tocking away until it was turned off. "Yeah."

You stared out the front windshield to count the white colored cars on the highway amongst you. "What're they like?"

"They're like every other species," he said, unenthused. "Some are more asshole-ish than others. You'll find good ones and bad ones." A sigh. "The ones I've met have largely been the latter though."

"Oh." You weren't sure if you were disappointed by that answer.

The diner had been less than half an hour ago and you were back on the road again. Yours and Changmin's ETA to your sister's safehouse was supposedly another five or so hours. You couldn't believe she owned safehouses. For fuck's sake, she lived with you for majority of the time before she went to study abroad… she probably wasn't even abroad all those times, you realized anxiously.

It was like he could sense your change in mood from bored curiosity to tense overthinking. He dug around in the pocket of his pants and handed you the pommel of the switchblade from the motel. Angel blade, he'd called it.

You glanced at him in question, but he only pushed it into your palms.

"Get comfortable with it," he said. "It's a decent size as far as angel blades goes, since those fuckers don't really like to give them up. It's good for self defense."

The blade looked like something one could buy at a gift shop, slim with some heft, painted a shiny white color. There was no logo on it, but if you looked at it from the right angle, it shimmered. You unlocked it and let the blade whip out of the slot. The blade was shaped like any other box cutter you've seen before, but the underside had a serrated edge for extra ease in slicing through tougher materials. Your finger ghosted over the glowing metal, silver warming to a yellow-orange, but only if you didn't blink in the daylight.

You killed a demon with this. The blade burned the creature.

"How'd you get this if they don't like giving these up?" You asked as you figured out how to put the blade back into its sheath.

His fingers drummed against the wheel. "Won it in a poker game," he said.

Your eyebrows lifted. "Seriously?"

You swore there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Seriously."

With nothing better to do, you flicked the blade in and out, in and out. You'd only ever really held blades in the kitchen and when opening packages. "Do you have a name for it?"

"A name?"

"Yeah," you said, shifting slightly in your seat as an ache crept into your spinal cord, "y'know like the fantasy books where they name their blades." You inspected the switchblade again, rotating it in your hands. "Looks like a Clyde."

Changmin let out a huff from his nose. "Clyde?"

"What? Got any better ideas?"

"How about we don't name dangerous utilities for murder," he drawled.

"I can't believe you didn't just say 'weapons.'" When he didn't answer you, you made an indignant little noise you hoped annoyed him and admired the angel blade in your hand in a new light. Clyde. Hi, Clyde. You're pretty.

"Don't tell me you're communicating with it," he said to you.

You ran your finger over the flat side again with a fond smile—just to annoy him. "It doesn't give me lip."

A sigh. He tended to do that a lot. "How's your neck?"

Your hand lifted to your throat and massaged it lightly. "It's doing alright. Does it still look bruised?"

You tilted your neck so he could take a good look at it. He eyed the span of flesh there, his dark irises taking on a strange tint. The corner of his mouth curled downward as he turned his focus back to the road. "Yeah."

"It doesn't hurt as bad anymore, if that's any better."

"I guess," he grumbled. "Humans are so fragile."

"Hey man," you huffed, "is it my fault that I don't have magic spit or my skin doesn't heal fast—"

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not magic spit. That's just how human biology reacts to demon saliva." Changmin tapped the back of his hand on the steering wheel as a vague gesture.

You shifted in your seat to look at him and so that you could take pressure off one side of your back. "I have a question. Why does demon saliva have healing properties when usually lore says that you guys are opposite in nature? Actually, that kind of sounds prejudicial," you thought aloud.

"It is prejudicial," he replied. "Well, mostly. It depends on the demon, but we're just like any other species. It's just that most pop culture depicts us as evil. Demons and vampires are derivations of each other in that—"

"So you are a vampire!"

He didn't even try to counter you this time. "Both species have saliva that can heal wounds, not large wounds, but you can probably imagine that vampires use it to seal puncture marks post-meal."

That made sense to you. "But why do demons need it?"

"Human blood…" he trailed off for a moment as he narrowly missed a car zooming past, his glaring eyes trailing after them, "...is like our saliva. It regenerates us. It's kind of like an energy drink, so it's not a necessity, but more so like a luxury or privilege."

You swallowed and you could've sworn you heard a soft huff from his mouth like a laugh. The thought of your blood being like an energy drink for him—and he'd literally licked your wounds clean at the motel that night. Was that how he was able to heal so quickly? It was a marvel he hadn't drunk you dry. But then again, he'd also said blood wasn't his taste…?

"Are you sure you don't like human blood?" You asked, sounding like a broken record, but more apprehensively this time.

"Sweetheart, you really think you'd still be here if I did?"

Touché.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Changmin stiffen. His hands tightened the slightest amount around the steering wheel, his eyes darting from the front windshield to the rearview mirror.

"What?" You asked, taking a look through the side mirror on your side. "What's wrong?"

Changmin's face washed over in a careful blankness. "We're being followed."

Your whole body tensed and you had to physically restrain yourself from twisting around in your seat. "What?"

"Hey, stay calm." He flicked his turn signal on casually as he exited off the freeway.

"Why are you telling them where we're going?!" He was literally signaling to whoever was following you exactly your next move.

"Just because we're on the run, doesn't mean we shouldn't follow basic driving safety."

You sent him a very emboldened stink eye. "Out of all the times, you choose now to have a sense of humor and to be an upstanding citizen?" Where was this during the entire road trip thus far?

Changmin made no other comments as he turned right onto the street leading further away from the freeway. You sat quietly for a moment, monitoring the cars behind you from your side mirror. Your knee started bouncing as you took note of the white sedan following behind, not tailgating, but its intentions were clear enough where even you could pick it out.

"What're we gonna do?" You murmured.

Changmin glanced over at you briefly. "We're gonna be fine. We just have to lose them."

"No shit."

"And you say I give you lip?"

Without any forewarning, Changmin jerked the car to the left, practically zooming across the intersection to catch the yellow light. Your whole body sailed across the center console, and before you could give him a piece of your mind, he was sending you crashing into your doorway from another sharp turn. You glared daggers at him, but turned to peer out your window.

The white car was still following after you. They must have run the red light then.

Changmin's sharp eyes sliced across the rearview mirror, and his foot lowered on the gas pedal like a challenge. His eyes whipped back and forth for somewhere he could go next, brain working double the speed. "Hold onto something, sweetheart."

"I don't think that would—HELPPP!" You sputtered and yanked on the handle above the door, hugging yourself to that side of the car.

You could hear the tires of Changmin's car burn rubber and squeal as he zigzagged through streets. You were pretty sure half of this was residential, you thought as the landscape blurred past.

"Do you even know where—" You swore as your body flailed around from another one of his god awful swerves, "—we are?"

He shook his head and floored the gas. "Nope."

Great.

It was about fifteen minutes of this supposed drag racing before his driving finally began to even out. You were seconds from hurling up diner food when you realized…

"Where the fuck did the trees come from?" You asked, lowering your tense form from the door handle.

You pressed your nose against the window to gawk up at the towering trees on your side of the vehicle, all dark green and beautiful. A light fog clung to some of the leaves, making the sunlight streaming through them look like golden strands of gossamer. The road you drove on held to the side of the mountain, but from what you could tell, Changmin had officially lost the white sedan.

Changmin visibly relaxed. "You might wanna pull up a GPS."

You reached over to your phone in the cupholder. But you pretty much tossed it right back. "No bars. Where did you take us?" You didn't even realize there was so much forest in this area. How come you hadn't seen it from the highway?

He gave a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "Shit."

The car sunk into silence. Changmin could do nothing else but follow the road until you hit civilization or some kind of sign as to where you two were. You hadn't been in this part of the state before, so it wasn't like you could point out any landmarks. But as you both continued along, you settled into a sort of calm—the trees here were beautiful, untouched by man. Even from inside the car, you could feel the serenity.

Your finger pressed down on the button on your door to lower the window. You stuck your head out, hair flowing behind you. With a great inhale, your mouth broke into a smile. It smelled just as gorgeous as it looked. Fresh and clean and—

"You've got to be shitting me."

You pulled yourself back into the car and raised the window back up. "What?"

Changmin's mouth was set in a firm line, a dimple pressing deep into his cheek. "Wolves."

Your brows knitted together. "Huh?"

"We're in wolf shifter territory."

Just as he said this to you, the car rounded the side of the bend and revealed a large green sign that read: WELCOME TO MOONSTONE CREAK! Population 276.

The sign following it did not make you feel any better: CAMPERS! BEWARE OF WOLVES.

#6—BEWARE OF WOLVES.

AT THE FIRST SIGN OF WOLVES, you sunk low in your seat. You'd made eye contact with one of the furry creatures hidden in the brush, their sharp predator eyes narrowing at the sight of a foreign entity in their woods.

"By wolf shifters," you said quietly, holding onto Clyde in your lap, "you mean like… werewolves?"

Changmin's eyes stayed on the road ahead, but every once in a while, you would catch him scanning the forest, too. "Those aren't the same things. Werewolves are the things you read about in lore, half-man and half-wolf. Wolf shifters can change completely from man to wolf and vice versa."

"Oh." Well, that cleared some things up. "I'm guessing they don't take kindly to trespassers?"

He bit his lip. "I mean, it depends on the pack. If my hunch is right about where we are though, we shouldn't have to worry."

You gulped. "And if you aren't?"

"Well, I told you to get used to that angel blade, right?"

The trek further into the forest and mountains continued. The scenery around you was still as stunning as it was before, and you thought to yourself how dangerous a beautiful thing could be. Every time you peeked out of the car window, you saw a flash of something in the woods beyond the road. There had to be a reason why they hadn't attacked the car yet, right? If this was a pack of wolves who didn't like trespassers, then why were you and Changmin still alive?

Maybe they wanted you in a place where there was no chance of outsiders hearing you scream…

Your intrusive thoughts were getting to you.

There was a dead end, a near broken road sign and fence directing all passers-by that this was the end. Changmin was forced to take the off-road path, beaten into the dirt as it wound through the forest. If you didn't have signal up on the main road, you definitely would not have any here.

It was a few more minutes of traveling down the path that two wolves appeared before the car. Changmin brought the vehicle to a slow halt. The wolves were relatively large, spanning about six feet and about as tall as the bottom rim of the car door window. One of the wolves had black hair like a raven, and the other had hair like a field of grain.

Your heart stuttered in your chest as the wolves stared right at you. "Changmin…?"

He met their staring contest with little intimidation. "It's… it's fine. I think they recognize me."

After a moment, the two wolves broke their strange staring contest and trotted off to the side of the road. They were back so quickly, you almost didn't realize what had happened. Like magic, they had transformed into two toned young men, both nicely built with their lean upper body on display. They must have had a strategic stash of shorts hidden behind a tree for after they shifted to their human forms. One had cropped black hair, the other blond. Well, at least that made sense.

Changmin slumped in his chair, relieved. The corners of his mouth curled upward in an almost-smile, as the two wolf shifters came over to greet him at his window.

The brunette bent his head down to the window with a broad smile, the kind that made your stomach fill with butterflies. (Not to mention the eyeful of abs you and Changmin were getting…) He leaned his arms over the top of the car window, eyes flickering from the demon to you. "Long time no see, Changmin. Who's your friend?"

"That's Yn," your demon guardian said, clasping one of the man's hands in greeting. He reached for the second wolf shifter. "Haknyeon, nice to see you, too."

"Good to see you, Changmin" said the blond.

Oh, so he knew them.

Changmin gestured to the two men. "Yn, this is Kevin and Haknyeon. They're with the pack."

"Not that we're unhappy to see you," Kevin drawled, "but how did you find us?"

Okay, wait. If Changmin knew them, then why wouldn't he know the location of their pack? You sat quiet, waiting for someone to explain it to you… or just explain everything to you.

"Someone was following us and I lost them," Changmin told them, "but I managed to get us lost, too. Coincidence that we ended up here. I'm glad it's you guys and not another pack."

Kevin's eyebrows flew up. "Yeah, for sure. Well—" he turned his head up toward the treetops and scanned the skies. They were beginning to bruise like your skin as the sun sank somewhere amongst the trees and into the horizon. You hadn't even realized how dark it was starting to get. "—sun's already pretty low right now. Why don't you guys shack up with us tonight and then we'll help you out in the morning?"

"That would be great actually." Wow, really? You kept your surprise at bay. "Lead the way."

With no further discussion needed, Kevin and Haknyeon disappeared behind the same large tree trunk from before, then re-emerged as the wolves from before. Kevin, the one with black colored fur, pointed with his snout in the direction the path would take you. The two wolves began to trot down the path, and Changmin waited for them to get somewhat ahead before he flicked his headlights on and followed.

It was a curious act of consideration, you thought.

You watched as the wolves began to pick up speed, your eyes flickering to the speedometer. "So…" you drawled, "what the fuck just happened?"

A sharp huff, his version of a laugh. "They're old friends," he said.

"How'd you not know this was where their pack was if they're old friends?"

"I met them out of the pack," he explained. "It was somewhere in the New England area, and we just happened to be hunting the same thing."

Hunting? Oh, bounty hunter. Right. "And the—the shifting thing."

"What about it?"

You made a face of frustration. He always made you pull teeth when you wanted background information. "Everything."

He glanced at you. "I think it'd be better if one of them explained it to you. Better to have one of their own say it right than risk me getting something wrong."

That was, unfortunately, a very fair answer.

Instead of pushing on the wolf topic, you had more questions that he could answer. "So what now? Are we just gonna stay the night? Is it safe?" What if that white car found a way in here? Neither of you could see who the driver was, and so how could either of you be sure they weren't trying to perhaps get you both here? And if they also had the means to come in here without being marked as trespassers?

"It's safe," he said with such confidence that you arched your brows. He saw your expression, making a soft turn along the road as the wolves had, the pads of his fingers lifting off the steering wheel for a second in gesture. "I know what you're probably thinking, but it's safer than sleeping out in a motel off the highway, alright? Packs usually don't drive cars, and they have maybe one or two for convenience sake. They can smell trespassers from miles away, and they usually have people on watch all the time, which is how they found us so quickly."

You supposed that made sense. The forest here seemed denser, and with the quickly fading light, it made it all the more unnavigable. If you were to try to run… good fucking luck.

You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. As the car rounded the bend, yours and Changmin's faces illuminated with the glow of light.

The town was laid out flat before you, not over a ridge, not over a mountain, but a path that led into a central meeting place with wooden buildings all around it. The lights were all from candle-lit lanterns rather than the LEDs and fluorescents of the human world. There were a mixture of both wolves and people milling about, an air of warm cheeriness that you could feel even from the car. You felt a fuzziness manifest in your chest at the sight.

Kevin and Haknyeon directed Changmin toward a back road to the right behind a row of buildings. It was most likely to avoid getting in the way of the pack members, you guessed. You kept silent as you averted your eyes from the void-like darkness of the forest beyond to your right.

Up ahead, you saw the two wolves trot into a small paved area with one other car parked along the walkway. It seemed to be like a makeshift alleyway of sorts between two blocks of buildings. With some maneuvering, Changmin managed to parallel park into the space that was just big enough for his vehicle.

When he parked, he gestures for you to follow his lead and get out of the car. "You should be safe to come out with me. We'll probably meet the pack alpha and get everything settled—" His head tilted to the side, "—hopefully."

Your eyes shuttered. "Hopefully?" You echoed. Pack alpha? What the fuck did that entail? From what you remember in the books and shows, you thought to yourself as you clambered out of the car and stretched your sore limbs, wolf packs had an alpha that would lead everyone. You weren't sure if you would have to go through some kind of cult initiation or something to be granted permission to stay the night.

The angel blade sat tucked into the pocket of your pants along with your phone, and you slammed your car door shut. From here, you could peer down the alley and see out into the glowing atmosphere of the town center. It sounded like fun, actually—all of the chatter and laughter. You hadn't been anywhere so lively-sounding in awhile.

"Yn right?"

You startled a little, whirling around to find the brunette—Kevin was his name—smiling at you sheepishly. He was back in human form with a pair of shorts and a plain white T-shirt on. "Sorry I snuck up on you," he said.

"Oh, it's totally fine!" You laughed bashfully, smoothing a hand down your hair. "And yes, I'm Yn. You're Kevin, right?"

Man, he was so much prettier up close…

Kevin nodded. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you. Changmin says this is all pretty new to you." He gestured loosely to the world around him, an all encompassing notion to the entire world you had just unearthed beneath your nose.

Your eyes darted behind Kevin where Changmin and Haknyeon were gathered on the other side of the car, pulling yours and Changmin's bags out the backseat. Changmin caught your eyes, lifted his eyebrows, then returned to his conversation.

So he was just gonna leave you in the hands of the very handsome wolf shifter? Cool.

"Yeah, it's kind of a crazy story," you mused. Understatement of the century. "Thanks for taking us in, by the way.

"It's no worries," he chirped. "Changmin and us? We go back pretty far, I'd like to think."

"Oh, cool! He mentioned something about that… and something about meeting the pack alpha?"

Kevin's eyes flickered to something behind you, and you turned around to see what or who it was on instinct. "It's nothing to stress about—he's coming this way, actually."

You felt his hand, warm and large, gently settle between your shoulder blades to guide you toward the two men making their way down the alley toward you both.

One of them… well you could feel the subtle shift in the air. It was as if molecules in the air moved for him. He boasted a powerful sort of stature, with dark hair parted neatly to frame a carved face. For a moment, you didn't know if you were supposed to bow or something, but then he smiled, and you nearly fell over from that alone. He wasn't so scary once he smiled.

The man next to him was a lighter brunette with a cheery expression engraved onto his face as if that were his default setting. There was something about him, however—you thought he glowed a little in the dim light. The angel blade in your pocket seemed to warm slightly at the sight of him.

(So was everyone just super attractive in the supernatural world?)

"Changmin-ah," greeted the man with darker colored hair. He clasped his hand with Changmin's in greeting. "It's been awhile."

"It has," your demon counterpart agreed. "Thanks for taking us in on such short notice. I wouldn't have intruded had I known."

The man brushed the thought away. "It's okay, really. Nice to have a couple new faces around."

"Speaking of new faces," drawled the second man. He beamed a pretty smile your way, waving. "Hi, little one."

Something warm blossomed in your chest. "Hi," you said softly. You weren't certain of etiquette—if you were expected to speak for yourself, to bow…

But it seemed Kevin had your back. He clasped his warm hand on your shoulder. "This is Yn. She came in with Changmin."

"Nice to meet you, Yn. I'm Sangyeon." This was the man with black hair, who felt like the tangible version of power. He must have been the pack alpha. He had to be.

The other man placed a hand on his chest. "And I'm Jacob!"

"We're just looking for a place to stay for the night," Changmin piped up. He tucked his hands into his pockets, eyes shifting over to yours.

"Well, why don't we head over to the pack house and we can talk about all the details of a plan," said Sangyeon. He inclined his chin in the direction of where you assumed the pack house was. Then his eyes, you watched their keen movements, latched onto Kevin's as if they were communicating silently. "Yn," you nearly jolted when you realized he was addressing you. "Kevin's gonna take you to the small inn we have here. It'll give you a little more privacy, and I'm sure you've felt pretty overwhelmed."

It didn't sound like he was asking you, but there was a warmth to his smile. You couldn't help but feel inclined to agree.

Changmin's head went on a swivel. "Wait, she's not coming with us?"

Haknyeon and Jacob were already rounding on either side of him to guide him in the opposite direction Kevin was leading you. Something in the back of your head made you turn over your shoulder to look at him. Was being separated such a bad thing?

Haknyeon suddenly tossed Kevin your backpack, the latter shouldering it.

"Come on, Yn," Kevin chirped, angling his body as he nudged you along so you could no longer see Changmin. "There's a lovely hearth in the main lobby, and the auntie who runs the place makes the best cookies ever."

You nodded slowly as your brain struggled to think of any reason why they would separate you from Changmin. And why did he sound so surprised? Your hand drifted toward the pocket that hid your angel blade. "Oh, really? That sounds nice."

They didn't drug them, did they? Your shoulders tensed at the idea.

Why did they separate you and Changmin—

The inn was the building right outside the alley with a porch that spanned the front facade. The architecture reminded you of an upscale cabin with large oak logs piled atop each other to make up the structure. A warm light emitted from the front windows and glass doors, and you swore you could smell the cookies from here.

When you and Kevin entered the building, he called out a greeting to an older woman stationed behind a reception desk in the back corner. She greeted the both of you with a cordial smile, wiggling her fingers in a wave. Her head tilted curiously at you, however, her eyes zeroing in on…

Your attention was drawn away and you were directed toward the seating area on the other side of the lobby.

"Can I get you any water or anything?" Kevin asked you as he motioned for you to take a seat in the armchair adjacent to him. He set your backpack at your feet for you.

You lowered yourself onto the edge of the seat, hand reaching for the pendant beneath your shirt—you stopped short. Could he sense the power of the pendant? Was that why they separated you from your demon bodyguard? Oh fuck—

"Hey, hey," Kevin suddenly said softly, face morphing into an expression of concern. "No need to get panicked, okay? You're safe now."

Wait. What? You wrung your hands in your lap, heart still throwing itself up against your ribcage. "Safe? What do you mean safe? Safe from what?"

Kevin considered you for a moment, but the gentleness from his voice and body language never left. "You're safe from Changmin."

"Safe from Changmin?"

"Yes," he affirmed patiently. "The bruises on your neck—"

Your hand went to cover the side of your throat where it had been pierced by the maw of a demon, but not Changmin.

"—does he feed from you? They look fresh—"

You immediately put your hands up to gesticulate in wild opposition. "Oh, no, no, no. He—he didn't feed from me; he saved my life, actually. We were attacked by other demons and I was bleeding out, and he just closed the wounds. He… he isn't, uhm… yeah."

Kevin's posture changed, and his smile became relieved—sheepish even. "Well, shit. I'm sorry for assuming, Yn; it's just that a lot of people end up here because they're in unhealthy relationships, and I saw the marks on your neck and just assumed the worst." He cupped the back of his neck. "This must have been really confusing for you. Sorry about that."

Okay, now that made a lot more sense. Your adrenaline was slowly teetering out and the tension left your shoulders. "No, please, that's honestly really nice that you would help victims like this. It did give me a little scare, but… yeah no, this wasn't Changmin's doing."

"That eases my mind a lot," he chuckled. Then he turned and nodded to the auntie behind the reception desk. You watched as she disappeared out the doors of the inn. "She's just gonna let Sangyeon know that everything's good."

"I thought you said you and Changmin go way back…?" Did they not trust him?

Kevin leaned back in his armchair. "We do. It's just protocol, you know? Whether or not we know them, it doesn't matter."

That was good for victims, you thought. Though, you couldn't imagine what they were really discussing with Changmin then… "So Changmin…"

"Sangyeon, Jacob, and Haknyeon would have taken care of him if I told them he was harming you," he replied, lips pressed together. "They really are talking about how you both ended up here though—that, and plans for the morning."

It was like he could read your mind.

A lot had happened just now, and you were still reeling from the fact that you didn't need to prepare to run. Though, you were still hyperaware of Clyde's warmth in your pocket.

Kevin noticed your far-off expression. He leaned forward onto his knees, that kind smile of his curling onto his face and making you feel some sort of woozy. "I know it's probably been a lot for you. Do you have any questions for me?"

He was so different from Changmin. While with the demon getting information was like pulling teeth, here was Kevin offering you information. They were polar opposites, really. You wondered what it might have been like if Kevin had been the one to take you on this quest instead—your mind shuttered. What a strange thought. Changmin might have been a pain in your ass in the beginning (and still now), but… it wasn't like he hadn't protected you. You didn't know.

"I guess," you started, "what's gonna happen now?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, uhm, I think we're both gonna find out once Changmin gets back. See what they've all decided on. But for sure, you and he will be able to shack up here for the night."

You gave a slow nod. "Is Sangyeon the pack alpha? Kind of a stupid question—"

"It's not a stupid question at all," Kevin said. "But yes, he's the pack alpha. You can just consider him as a community leader, essentially."

"And you're all wolf shifters?"

A nod, then he paused, tilting his head. "Yes, but Jacob's not a wolf shifter; he's an angel."

Your eyebrows flew up. Everything was suddenly making a lot more sense. "An angel? So he and Changmin aren't, like, mortal enemies or anything?" You hadn't noticed any wings on him…

Kevin laughed. "Oh, you're cute. No, thankfully they are not mortal enemies. Jacob's too nice to have enemies."

"Even someone like Changmin?" You jested.

"Even someone like Changmin," he said, humoring you. "Speaking of the demon, you two aren't…?"

You sucked in a breath. "Definitely not. We're not together or anything. It's a long story, but our meeting and traveling together is just because of a common goal." You couldn't tell why the thought of you and Changmin being an item made your heart cartwheel. Perhaps it was simply the anxiety of being thought of as Changmin's significant other that made you want to jump to correct that assumption. Yes, that was it.

Kevin bit his bottom lip like he was trying to hide a smile. "Ah, I see. That's good to know."

"And why's that?" You asked.

You could have sworn if he was in wolf form, his ears would have been tucked against his head. "Nothing!" He insisted. "It would just be a shame to not take a chance when it's presented, you know?"

You weren't quite sure what he meant by that, but for some reason, you were eager to find out.

It was late still when Changmin knocked on your open door, lingering on the threshold. You had just stepped out of the shower in the private en suite your accommodations had, a towel settled upon your shoulders to act as a barrier between your wet hair and dry clothes. He didn't look any worse for wear—then again, he never did.

"Everything okay with Kevin?" He asked, clearing his throat. You felt his eyes on you, scanning your body as if searching for any signs out of the ordinary.

You were searching for your phone charger in your bag. "Yeah, it was good. What—what happened with you?" You asked and lifted your eyes to meet his as you fondled the cord between your fingers.

He stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Well," he drawled, "Sangyeon offered to send a small group out to scout for any signs of our pursuers from today. In the meantime, we're invited to stay here to recuperate for a couple days. If not, then they'll restock our supplies and help us out of here."

"I'm guessing you already made a decision." You paused when you realized there weren't any outlets in this room. Anywhere. A curse fell from your lips and you dumped your cord and dead cell phone into your bag.

"I figured you could use the rest," he said.

Your head whipped upward.

He arched a brow at you. "If that's alright with you."

Was he really asking you? No buts, no ifs, no snark? "Yeah, that's fine with me."

"Maybe a couple days here will be good for your frail, human body anyway."

There it is. You rolled your eyes so far back, you swore you saw your brain waving at you. "And maybe some fake demon sleep will make you less grouchy."

You thought he smiled. It could have been a trick of the light or sleep deprivation. "Whatever."

Just when it seemed like he was about to turn and leave, he stopped. "Kevin's taken a liking to you."

You stilled, attention piqued. "Really? How could you tell?"

Changmin gauged your reaction, and again, you couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. "You need to sleep."

"Wait, you're just gonna ignore my—and he's gone." You huffed and collapsed onto the bed. It was awfully comfortable.

Leave it up to Changmin to leave you high and dry like that.

You rolled over the surface of the bed to close your door. Quietly, you went around the room to close the knobs of the lanterns to put out the lights like Kevin had showed you earlier. The only light now came from outside the window, the campfire and lanterns in the pack center streaming through the shutters to create an elongated stripe pattern along the walls and floors.

You climbed into bed—it was a strange, but welcomed feeling.

Only a couple days without a bed, yet it felt like years had passed. You could only hope you didn't wake up to a demon at your throat this time.

#7—THE ONLY ONE.

WOLVES BEAT EVEN THE SUN from her slumber, you came to find out. The next morning, you rolled out of bed to hear the sound of muffled voices outside your window. Your body ached in places you didn't even think they could ache, and you stretched your arms up over your head as you opened the shutters.

Just a little off from your window stood a small gathering of creatures, both in human and wolf forms. You recognized Kevin as one of the human ones among them. It was the noise of your open shutter that had him turning his head up toward your window. He saw you there, and a smile blossomed on his face, bright and easy. He wasn't wearing a shirt again, as was the other man standing beside him. The other two in their group were wolves.

Kevin waved at you, catching the attention of the others with him. The man beside him beamed and waved, too.

You chuckled to yourself and returned the gesture.

Kevin beckoned you down with his hand.

You searched the window sill for the latch, muttering in triumph when you managed to notch it open.

He had walked over to stand directly below your window by the time you stuck your head out. "Good morning!" He chirped. "Good sleep?"

"Good morning, and so far I think so," you mused, unconsciously smoothing down your hair. You hadn't even checked the state of your bed head. Yikes.

"There's breakfast in the pack house if you'd like," he offered. "I can walk you over?"

You leaned your cheek against your fist. "Sounds great. Give me some time to get ready."

"Take your time!"

You locked the window back up, dropped the shutters, and hurried to get changed. It occurred to you, as you were getting yourself prepped and primed to face another day in a new world, that you hadn't felt so giddy in awhile. And about a boy nonetheless. The skip in your step was crazy to you, and—did you even have anything nice to wear?

You just managed to yank one of the nicer of your graphic tees over your head when you heard a knock at the door.

"Just a second!" You called, carding your fingers through your hair and separating into three so you could braid it out of your face.

You ripped the door open. "Hi."

Changmin stood on the other side looking slightly refreshed with his dark hair damp and plastered over his forehead. His eyes narrowed slightly at your lightened countenance, the way you actually cared about how you were doing your hair, the… everything. He sent you a look. "Breakfast is in the pack house, but I have a feeling you already knew that."

"Yeah, I was just headed down, actually." You stepped out into the hallway with him, closing your bedroom door behind you. Clyde sat in your pocket, replacing where your phone would have been stashed had it any use.

He cocked his head to the side. "You seem a lot more…" He made a gesture with one of his hands. "Alive."

"Well, considering I don't have magic regeneration—"

"Forget I said anything," he said, shaking his bangs from his eyes and beginning to walk down the corridor toward his room. "Go get sustenance, Yn."

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. You watched him disappear into his room before you made your way to the stairs.

Kevin was waiting for you in the lobby, perking up when you appeared on the stairway landing and made your descent. He took a couple steps to meet you in the middle, and you noticed that he had found a shirt to put on. Damn. "Hope you like waffles," he said as the two of you fell into step beside each other to head out of the inn.

"Love 'em."

It seemed that the entirety of Moonstone Creak was awake, even at such an early hour. The sun had yet to even clamber up above the treetops, leaving the sky a soft mesh of purple and orange. The air was as fresh as it had been yesterday, cool and pure, washing your lungs and waking you up some more.

"Is everyone awake so early?" You asked him, inhaling as much of the peace as you could.

Kevin nodded. "Pretty much, unless you're just coming back from a night watch. We usually encourage the pups to come out and exercise with us."

"Us?"

"The pack's primary watch," he clarified. "You probably saw me talking to a few of them earlier."

"Ah," you hummed. "That's nice though. You're all such a lovely community… It's refreshing."

His eyes twinkled as he smiled at you. "Thank you. I like to think we're a really big family."

You could see as much. By the way Kevin greeted all of his fellow pack members, a part of you wondered what it might have been like to grow up somewhere like this instead of always chasing after safety and security.

You and your sister had always got by somehow, but it had never been like this. With your parents gone so early in both of your lives, you only really had each other to rely on, besides the occasional aunt and uncle who took turns caring for the both of you until your sister turned 18. And now with your sister gone?

For some reason, it felt like you were still taking care of her in death. But perhaps that was the cost of seeking closure.

You weren't sure what you were expecting when they said pack house, but what you saw was about what it sounded like it was going to be. It was similar to the inn and many of the buildings around the area with its log cabin likeness, but this one was much, much larger. You could hear the squeals of children from out here, and there were smaller wolves chasing each other's tails around the wraparound porch. A few stopped to sit and cock their heads at you as you passed, their tails tick-tocking behind them.

It was strange seeing wolves carry around infants and toddlers in their hulking jaws, too, and Kevin chuckled when you almost stopped in your tracks. "It's no harm to them, don't worry."

"Yeah," you laughed nervously, fingering the pendant at your sternum. "It'll take some getting used to. Are you born as a wolf or as a human?" You asked him as the two of you stepped up the front steps of the porch and walked through the entryway.

"Depends—woah, hey guys. Careful!" Kevin clicked his tongue as he caught and lifted one of the younger boys off his legs just before he accidentally knocked over a table holding a vase of flowers.

The kid and his friend giggled as Kevin put him down away from the table. "Sorry Kevin!" And they were gone, out the front door.

He shared a smile with you, cupping the back of his neck. "Where was I?" He gestured to your right down a hallway; you could smell the sweetness and buttery goodness of breakfast. "Oh, right. It depends: since wolves and humans are mammals, giving birth is a little easier than other non-mammal shifters."

"Non-mammal shifters?" Your eyebrows shot up. "What other shifters exist?"

"Any you can think of, to be honest," he said. "All pups learn about their own growth and development though, especially since learning to shift and stay in touch with both their animal and human sides is so integral. It would probably be better if I connected you with someone who identifies as female to talk about birth specifically though," he admitted.

The kitchen was painted a pale shade of yellow that reflected the golden rays of sun and made the whole room much warmer and brighter. There was a mishmash of wolves and humans milling about the central island where a buffet-style breakfast was being served. The variety of food before you was enough to make even—as you liked to think—Changmin's mouth water. (He didn't need to eat, your ass. You saw the blueberry pancakes on the far end and wondered if he had some yet.)

Kevin passed you one of the plates stacked at the end before grabbing one for himself. "Lily, thank you for breakfast!"

Lily, you identified, was the woman leaning against the sink with a pale blue apron tied around her waist and baby bump. "You're welcome! Haknyeonie helped out, too."

Haknyeon's blond head poked in from where he was partly hiding in the butler's pantry, his cheeks stuffed with food. "Hm?"

You laughed to yourself as you started off by transferring a waffle to your plate. "Yes, thank you so much for breakfast. It looks delicious."

"Oh, no need for that," Lily beamed as she came over to the island across from you and put more food onto your plate. "Take more, please. We have so much to go around."

"Oh," you blinked, watching Kevin start to pile things onto his own plate. "It's so much; I don't want to take more than I can finish—"

"I'll help you finish," Kevin offered, shoving a strawberry into his mouth. "I'm sorry if it seems like we're pressuring you, though. I guess we're all just used to making sure the other is fed around here."

You could melt like a slab of butter between two warm hotcakes. "Thank you—I appreciate the thought."

Kevin ruffled your hair as the two of you continued around your tour of the island. "Of course."

From the entryway you had just come in, Sangyeon arrived whistling an offhanded tune under his breath. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning!" Chorused around the kitchen at differing intervals as everyone greeted their pack alpha.

Sangyeon beelined around the island and over to Lily, the two of them exchanging fond touches and a warm kiss in greeting. "Morning, love."

"Good morning," Lily said. "Eaten yet?"

The dots connected in your head and you nudged Kevin as the two of you finished up at the island. "Lily and Sangyeon—?"

"Yeah, she's our alpha female," Kevin confirmed. "Six months pregnant. They celebrated nuptials about a year ago."

"Ah." You didn't mean to stare, but they were such a beautiful couple. Though you thought Sangyeon's smile was warm, it was nothing compared to the one he saved just for his partner.

He must have felt your eyes on him, and he lifted his gaze to yours while he held one of Lily's hands. "Yn, sleep well?"

Your eyes widened. "Oh, uh, yes. Yes, thank you."

"All of your accommodations are to your satisfaction, I hope?"

"More than satisfied," you stammered with a sheepish smile; he was talking to you, right? Everything was way beyond what you had been living with for the past couple of days. A demon-infested motel or this? Well, no competition there. You could still feel the impression of Changmin's passenger seat in your back.

Sangyeon nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. I was hoping to speak with you and Changmin after breakfast about your situation. It'll be with myself and my closest advisors, plus the two of you."

"Yes, of course," you said. "Does Changmin already know?"

"I'll have someone run and let him know."

You and Kevin were dismissed to go forth with breakfast. The two of you settled in a room next door to the kitchen fitted with a long dining table that reminded you of a cartoon rich people banquet table. You sat adjacent to each other, Kevin at the head, and you with the seat to his left.

You smeared butter over the slots of your waffle. "Do I have to worry about what Sangyeon's gonna talk about at the meeting?"

Kevin shoved his bite into his cheek. "To my knowledge, no, but if you're worried, Sangyeon's advisors are a pretty cool crowd."

"Oh yeah?" You asked.

His lips turned up as he chewed. "Mhm," he hummed before swallowing, "I should know since I'm one of them."

Sangyeon had an office deep within the first floor of the pack house. It was tucked away somewhere between the living room in the back and the door down to the wine cellar. (Kevin joked that the first pack alpha had planned the layout of the first floor deliberately.)

Following your hearty breakfast, you found yourself seated in one of the armchairs in the leader's office chambers, amongst Changmin (in the chair next to you) and the other members of the so-called inner circle. Kevin lingered nearby, leaning against the office's hearth with his arms and ankles crossed idly. It seemed that the advising board included not just Kevin, but also Jacob, Lily, and someone named Juyeon. You learned that he was out on night guard when you came in last night, so you weren't able to properly meet him until now.

Sangyeon stood next to the office chair seated behind the grand, mahogany desk; Lily was automatically given the chair because of her pregnancy, and because she'd been working all morning. "Concerning the white sedan you said was trailing after you two yesterday—" he said, "—none of our scouts could follow a solid scent past the freeway entrance. It was interesting, actually."

Changmin leaned forward onto his forearms. "How so?" He asked, eyebrows creasing.

Sangyeon nodded to Juyeon, who filled in, "Well, we couldn't figure out what their scent is."

"How is that even possible?"

You blinked, brain whirring into overdrive. There was something you were missing yet again. What was the context here?

Kevin stepped over to your side and murmured to you, "We can usually pick apart scents to identify the layers, so this is why it's… concerning."

"Ah," you nodded. "Thanks."

"It was distinct for sure," Juyeon supplied with a vague gesture of his hands, "but it was nearly impossible to tell what species they were. It was easy enough picking apart the entity from the car smells—" Exhaust fumes, metal, seats, you assumed, "—and we could follow the smell as far as the entrance to the highway you guys came from, but…" He shook his head. "No-go. In all my years, I've never come across anything like it."

The helplessness that settled into the grooves of the room made you squirm, and your fingers fondled the red pendant at your collar again. Here was a space of the all-powerful, and yet, something as simple as a scent was throwing them all for a loop. You couldn't begin to wrap your head around the implications, because, well—you didn't know the implications.

(Dark. You were always sitting in the dark.)

Changmin passed you a glance, and you couldn't tell what he was thinking, as usual. "There has to be a way to somehow analyze it. Could we consult a witch?"

"I've already called an old friend," said Lily. "They're on their way over presently."

"Could I see the pendant?" Jacob's voice carried out into the room. Though he himself was soft-spoken, one could not mistake his volume. Everyone's attention cut over to you, and you wanted to be swallowed up by the earth beneath your feet. "If that's okay," he added. "It feels familiar."

"Feels?" You echoed, gripping the stone in your hand. The chain dug into the flesh of your neck as you anxiously yanked on it.

Changmin's eyes darted from the stone to you. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" You were overwhelmed; that was what you thought. You fisted it in your hand, suddenly reluctant to part with the thing that had caused you so much trouble as of late. You felt… an uncanny urge to keep it in your possession. "Uhm… you can see it, but I won't take it off."

Your devilish counterpart narrowed his eyes slightly, cocked his head to the side, at your behavior. He didn't say anything though, as if this truly was just all your decision. Perhaps this was because he knew that you weren't exactly buddies with these people yet. In retrospect, they were still strangers, and thus, potential threats to you.

Jacob took easy strides over to you from where he was standing by the desk. He passed you a reassuring smile as he knelt in front of you, close enough that you could see the eyelashes brush his cheeks. There was something warm radiating from him, and you swore you saw a flash of gold in his eyes.

Angel, right.

He rose up on his knees, holding out his hand, but not touching you. "May I?"

You pinched the part of the pendant attached to the chain and stuck it out toward him.

Jacob's eyebrows knitted together as he touched the pendant with only the tips of his fingers. You held your breath throughout the entirety of his assessment. When he finally leaned back onto his haunches, you blinked away whatever angelic warmth still lingered. "Juyeon, come smell the pendant."

Your eyes widened. "Uhm—"

"Hold on, what?"

"Wait, Jacob."

The latter two responses came from Changmin and Kevin, respectively, the two startling at Jacob's request.

There was a swift exchange of glances between everyone else and the alpha wolves in the room.

Lily said, "Yn?"

"Why are we sniffing the pendant now?" You asked, finding your voice.

Jacob looked up innocently. "Sorry, I probably should have explained myself. I think it might smell like the scent Juyeon was trying to track."

Something in the room shifted. You glanced down at the pendant in your grip and the questions in your head accumulated and accumulated and accumulated. What in Hell did you get me into, Sena?

"Okay," you said, "you can… smell the pendant."

You weren't sure why he couldn't smell it from where he was, but he took a couple steps over to you and replaced Jacob's position. Changmin's hand appeared on the arm of your chair as he leaned forward slightly.

Juyeon took a cautionary sniff, and his eyes widened. "That's it. It's—it was slightly different, but similar enough where it has to be the same entity." He looked up at you. "Is this the only one of its kind?"

You met Changmin's eyes.

He looked away first. "No."

Your gaze became earnest in his direction, and if you could, you would burn twin holes in the side of his head like a snakebite. More shit he hadn't told you. Were you surprised?

No? What did he mean no?

"We need to talk," you forced out of gritted teeth, gripping onto the arm of his chair now.

He passed you a glance. Later.

"Well, we can only really assume that the person following you was most likely after the pendant," Jacob said plainly as he stood from the ground and dusted off his pants. "But now that we know the origin of the scent, per se, it'll make the hunt a little easier."

Sangyeon gave a bob of his head. "Kevin, you're leading the search party for the day."

Kevin's head perked up, hand on the back of your chair. "But—"

A single look from his leader made his mouth snap closed.

"Yes, sir," Kevin murmured with a shallow nod of acknowledgement. He gave the back of your chair a small pat, then departed without another word from the office. You thought you could feel his presence leave your side, from the room. All of this feeling… was this how the supernatural operated? Was this what a sixth sense entailed all along?

"Juyeon—" the man in question raised his head, "—go find where Haknyeon and Eric are." Sangyeon scratched his temple with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like exasperation. "Grab them and round up the pups."

Juyeon brightened. "Are we taking them down to the creak?"

Lily nodded her approval. "Ooh, nice idea. Yn and Changmin, you're both free to join us. It's lovely down there."

You forced your hand to fall away from the pendant, but not before tucking it back beneath the collar of your shirt. It felt too exposed out here, sitting on your sternum for all to see. You nodded though, trying for a small smile. "Sure, sounds nice."

Sangyeon patted the desktop. "Excellent! The two of you can continue to make yourselves at home."

Though this was a physical conclusion to the meeting, your stomach continued to sit uncomfortably. This conversation should not have been over so quickly… right? Was there not more to discuss? Perhaps not now then. Maybe it was better to take your time letting this all sink in.

"Ah, before the two of you go join the little ones," Jacob cut in. He shot Changmin a pointed look. "You owe me something."

Changmin roughed a hand through his bangs, but you could have sworn his lips curled up with a smile. "Aish… your memory."

"It never fails me when I need it."

You glanced between the two; Changmin did owe you yet another explanation, but if there was something these two planned to settle… "What? What is it this time?"

Jacob grinned, and you definitely hadn't been hallucinating when you saw flickers of gold in his irises. "He owes me a sparring match."

a/n: i am clasping my hands in prayer for a reblog, comment, or ask. take a moment to grab a snack, drink some water, and head over to the second part! thanks for reading

read part two here (if it's not linked yet, refresh and it'll be at the top)

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @justalildumpling @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist @vernonburger @maessseongs @ericlvr @kflixnet

#kflixnet #deoboyznet #bjnet #the boyz x reader #ji changmin x reader #q x reader #changmin x reader #the boyz oneshot #the boyz imagines #the boyz scenarios #the boyz drabbles #the boyz fanfic #ji changmin imagines #ji changmin oneshots #ji changmin drabbles #ji changmin scenarios

[starshipsofstarlord]

Piece of Cake

Luke Hemmings x reader x Calum Hood

Summary Luke doesn’t think you like him, but oh does Calum know you do, and so he decides to interfere for both of your sakes

warnings = MDNI! includes smut, use of weed, blowjob, facial, slight angst, clitoral stimulation, exhibitionism

The last thing that you had ever expected whilst opening for 5sos during their post covid tour was for anything romantic or sexual to happen between you and one of the five members, of course that hadn't stopped you from dreaming lustful images, but never had you thought the opportunity would arise. That was until one evening when you were sat on the tour bus, Michael and Ashton had ventured off to spend time with their significant others, leaving you with the bassist and lead singer. You were sat on your bed, Luke and Calum were in the living space, you were rolling a blunt, licking the paper so that the contents would remain inside without quarrel without spilling out.

They were talking about music and other nonsense, whilse you were planning to get high, and you were rather glad that you hadn't even lit the blunt or taken the puff from it when you became the topic of their converse. Perhaps it was rude to listen in on their private conversation, especially when they had gifted you with a ride along on their tour to expand your own fan base, but it was impossible to help yourself. You were curious, that was all, and very intrigued.

“So about y/n?” There wasn’t much to the question that Calum was asking Luke, you could only imagine that the blond’s head perked up in as much confusion as your own was. “Are you going to make a move man, every time she’s up on that stage or she simply walks through the room you’re drooling more than your dog does.” Your head tilted in pivoted hope, however you weren’t going to make assumptions without a word being directly said to you… right? That would be absurd, especially considering within the spotlight that your career granted it was easy for rumours to be misinterpreted or spread throughout the media. However, this was the source that you were listening in on, and subjectively you chewed your own bottom lip as you awaited the response of the man whom was undergoing a friendly interrogation.

A long and drawn out sigh elevated from Luke’s lungs as he leant his curl rooted hair back, burning his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling lights that were built into the tour bus. “It’s not that I don’t want to man,” at least that was a comforting statement to feed your awaiting nerves, “but I feel like I have to remain professional. Not to mention, she probably isn’t interested in me anyways, have you seen how well her and Ash get along? If she were to want one of us, it definitely wouldn’t be me…” There was a seasoning of self sympathy behind his subjective words, of which formed a crack within your heart from hearing them. His undirected accusations were a harm to his own mind, inflicting his own doubts, and you could see how he could perceive your friendship with his band mate that way.

You and Ashton got along insanely well, he was the first one that calmed your nerves the first time that you were scheduled to perform before them. But the two of you were just friends and that was all. The entire conversation that you were intruding on with your hearing distracted you from the task that you were currently attempting to perform, and thus the joint that you had just glued together with the stick of your saliva escaped your grip as you fumbled and tumbled out of your bunk and onto the floor between the set of stacked beds. “Shit.” The curse spewed from your mouth as you instinctively reacted to the accidental slip of your fingers, and then your heart froze. You hadn’t wanted to make a noise, however now it was too late, and all you could do was hope that Calum and Luke had been oblivious to the sound of your voice.

“Y/n?” Calum cautiously enquired on your presence, the sound of his foot falls nearing closer and closer to your solitary destination, and instinctively you held your breath, not wanting to give your accidental agenda away to the bassist or the lead singer that had been discussing you and your status quo with each member. Softly the doll grey curtain of your bunk was pulled aside to reveal your embarrassed expression, Calum inquisitively staring down at you from the height of which he stood. A rosey warmth bruised the high points of your face as there was no doubt that your deposited hearing had been noticed, and so had the joint that you had configured. Cal plucked it up off the carpeted ground as he smirked at the circumstances that you were under, and thus with his sweet brown eyes he convinced you to crawl out of your bed, his large and tanned hand guiding you from the placement of your lower back.

He lead you into the entrance living space of the bus, where Luke was nervously planted, rubbing his painted fingernails gently along his bottom lip and diffusing his instinct to chew on them. With his cobalt eyes he sent harmless daggers towards you, his long legs taking up a length of space on the floor, the opposing limb folded over the knee of his other, his ankle tapping the air as he awaited for the tension to break. “Oh Luke, calm down mate, y/n overheard everything but don’t worry, I could see when she slipped down from her bed ho wet her pretty pink panties were. Isn’t that right sweetie?” Cal squeezed your ass which was facing him, the flirtatious notion making you jump in the oversized shirt you wore; he was embarrassing you in front of Luke, but the other man seemed shy to the appeal that was ongoing before his eyes. “Come on girl, tell Lukey that it was all for him. Tell him that he made you all wet, you could even show him how soaking your pussy is underneath that layer of cotton.”

A whine slithered out from your submissive throat, you felt vulnerable and the butt of the joke that Calum was telling, without the intention of a pun, but admittedly you were loving every second of it. But it wasn’t just Luke that had caused a sweet and slick river to flow between your legs, which was strange considering that he was the one that you liked. The way in which Calum degraded you before him though had you riled up, needy and desperate for someone to touch you, and it didn’t matter which one of them did it. “Y/n…” Luke spoke your name so delicately, there being a a quiet innocence behind his tone. Immediately your head snapped up to ogle at the man, an alert and doe eyed detriment reflecting in your hungry expression. You were all too focused on the blond so that you were late to notice how Cal veered closer to your sexually appealing form, his hand slipping upwards on the back of your thigh, rising up to the centre of all of your desires over the thin cotton that protected your vulnerability from seething eyes that intended to pry at your most intimate parts.

He continued his sly yet indiscreet movements until the pads of his thick fingers were callously prompting across your lightly clothed bundle of nerves, causing staggered breaths from leaving your mouth. It was difficult to focus on only the pleasurable feeling that Calum was making you feel, as Luke’s wide eyes were ogling at your glowing form, his pupils flickering from between your blushing face and where Calum was attending to tease the both of you. He was provoking his band mate, luring him into finally make a move, however he had yet to grow the courage to do so. Luke was in a conflict with his own mind and what his pants desired, he chewed stagnantly on his lip awaiting for the impulse to do something kick in. “Aw Y/N, did you hear him say your name sweetie?” The bassist teased you, withdrawing his hand from toying with you which made you whine from the extraction. He leant his mouth right by your ear, and whispered into it, “wouldn’t it sound better if he moaned it?” And you believed it, and you were even wetter from simply imagining it.

It was as though Calum were hypnotising you, and without your own will to do so, your feet fell in footsteps closer to where Luke was seated, and you succumbed to the cushions of your knees, staring up at the man that you lusted after as Calum stood as your shadow and brushed his fingers through your hair. The notion was a gentle one, until he gave it a harsh tug which hitched your throat back so that you were looking into his dark eyes. “I’ve made you feel good Y/N/N, now why don’t you do the same for our friend?” He was pushing you, convincing you to pleasure the god like adonis whose knees were resting against your collarbones, and you were easily sold. And thus you unbuckled his belt and loosened the tightness until you could slip the leather material out from the loops, feeding the teeth of his flyer to your hands. Without any haste you pulled the zip down, and tugged the tight denim from his upper legs, only to discover that he had opted to go commando that morning.

And by gosh you were enamoured with the sight that was in your face; he was erect and wantonly weeping from his tip for attention, and you weren’t going to deny his famine. And thus you engulfed the head of Luke’s large and veined cock into your mouth, greedily humming from the warmth of skin that filled your mouth. “Oh fuck Y/N!” Luke gasped, his mouth gaping open as he tried to ground his pleasure, and he tousled your hair in his hand. “Fuck, your mouth feels so good.” Each word that he spoke only gaged you to attempt to bring more of his length into your mouth, choking from your efforts. And you only choked more as you felt another pressure again on the back of your head, enforcing you to take more down your throat even though your survival instincts tried to reject the intrusion. “Such a good girl, making our Luke feel good. And you can always make him feel good now you know how he feels about you Y/N/N. This cock is yours to suck, this big fat cock that’s making your eyes water.”

Luke moaned simultaneously alongside you from Calum’s dirty words, the sound of your gagging and Luke’s light and vocalised moans being the distinct sound that filled the room in the tour bus. There was a tight feeling that was pulling from the insides of Luke’s balls, he was getting extremely close and he shocked the both of you when you unexpectedly pulled your lips away from his cock to get air, as ropes and ropes of his white seed decorated your face, the warmth of the liquid bringing you a sense of fulfilment and gratified euphoria. For a moment it felt like it was only you and Luke, taking turns to exhale heavily as you came to grips that this wasn’t just a dream, it was a reality. A hot, dirty and sweaty reality. However everything hit you when Calum released his hand from your head, his voice filling your ears intermittently. “Looking good Y/N. And my work here is done…’ Calum joked, metaphorically dusting off his hands from the gruel that he had to cause to finally bring both you an Luke together.

He slowly vacated the room with little words more to say, leaving you and Luke in your own comforting isolation. “So…?” Luke laughed with the emission from his lungs, stroking your hair away from his cum that still covered your face. “So…” He repeated back to you, a content and calm smile endorsing his features. “Do you want to maybe be my girlfriend? I’ve liked you for a long time, and I never had the guts to say something until, well, this.” You reciprocated his smile, tentatively nodding and forgetting all about the joint that you had been rolling, maybe you wouldn’t need it to feel at peace tonight, because Calum with his sexual interference had helped you come to it. “Okay, we can discuss the details of our first date after we get cleaned up. Fancy a shower?” He teased yet endorsed your interest, and soon the pair of you were off to the small and confined bathroom to get ‘cleaned up’ as boyfriend and girlfriend.

#luke hemmings smut #luke hemmings x reader #calum hood smut #calum hood x reader #5sos smut #luke hemming imagines #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings one shot #luke hemmings x y/n #luke hemmings x you #calum hood x y/n #calum hood imagine #calum hood one shot #5sos fanfic #5sos x reader #5sos imagine #5sos one shot

[heecyon]

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑; 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆 —volume one

pairing: ceo!park jongseong x brother's best friend!fem!reader

genre: arranged/forced marriage, accidental pregnancy, brother's best friend, slight age gap (reader's 22 and jay's 24), angst, fluff and second chance love.

warning(s): grammar mistakes, curse words, nicknames, arranged marriage, suggestive scenes, mentions/allusions to sex, toxic/abusive mother, verbal abuse, vomiting, mentions of food, accidental pregnancy, sort of toxic relationship between jay and reader.

word count: 14.0k words

summary: Just a year ago, you were forced to marry Park Jongseong, CEO of the Southern Branch, part of the vary famous Park Enterprises. It was all for the sake of your family, a marriage for the benefit of gaining more traction as a company. Jongseong was attentive, caring, sometimes even sweet, but your relationship was more about sex than it was about the marriage itself. At some point, everything got bad, and it was just mere sexual intimacy that anything else, and just when you were close to ending things...you found out you were pregnant.

playlist • backburner by niki • common by zayn • dos mil 16 by bad bunny • used to this by camila cabello • astronomy by conan gray • lovers by anna of the north • lover of mine by 5sos • this love by taylor swift • julia by lauv •

volume two

CEOs & ARRANGEMENTS MASTERLIST

taglist (open): @iloveoceaneyesss @abdiitcryy @chimajeyn @sjakewrld @loves0ft @duolingofanaccount @ufoundme @sunghoons-mole @tobiosbbyghorl @dasa3040 @monkeybabyzz @snowysung @wonyofanclub @prdxinvade @dearhee @zhrtics @woinswoo @rerequire @in2jhae @darkreymbow @ahnneyong @uuwonniee @hueningluvbotsworld @iwuvjay @zen003xx @pshchives

author's note: So sorry for the delay, I'm still not done with volume two, and I wanted to have ready before publishing volume one, but I'm very impatient. The story is so long (it's 39k long at this point) that I had to divide it in two parts. I'm really anxious, because I don't know if this is good... but here you go. Also, the story is narrated mostly on the MCs views, not in first person, but mostly in the ambience that she is around.

PROLOGUE; And for once, I don't care about what you want. As long as we keep talking

It wasn't that the hospital bed was uncomfortable. It's the ambience, the situation that you just got into that made you uncomfortable.

Jongseong wasn't showing any type of expression, he was just standing, staring at the floor, maybe at his feet. You swore that his soul was wandering somewhere around the room.

You should've ended things sooner.

Maybe it was your fault, somehow.

ACT ONE; I can't lie, it feels nice that you're calling. You sound sad and alone, and you're stalling

Ever since you had memory, Sunghoon has been your best friend. You were both polar opposites, but somehow you still got along perfectly. While Sunghoon was way more reserved, introverted and shy, you were outgoing, talkative and extroverted. Wherever Hoon went, you would follow him as well, as a baby chick following her mother.

And of course you weren't a stranger to Sunghoon's family. The Parks were very well-known around the continent, but it wasn't because of that. Your parents knew very well the five-membered family. As well, you were born in an old money family, from a very old business in the country. They had a very good friendship with The Parks, and that's how you met Sunghoon.

You would always visit the mansion with a huge smile on your face.

"Do you want more donuts, Bellie?" Hoonie asked, his cutesy twelve-year old face, stuffed with the strawberry jam-filled dessert. You held back a giggle, trying hard not to laugh. "Yes, obviously." Soon, you grabbed a donut from the counter. It had a delicious vanilla frosting, but on the inside it contained a nutella filling.

Bellie, Belle.

Those were the nicknames that the family gave you, well… Jay gave you that nickname. It started when you started dressing up as Belle from 'The Beauty and The Beast' every single halloween. Jay kept the name to joke around with you, but it soon became a way that they called you to express how dearly they loved you.

When you played around with dolls, it was a completely different story. With your friends, you used to play with baby dolls, pretending to be mother's taking care of their children.

But some of them didn't truly believe the name that you gave to your "baby".

"What's her name again?" The four year old in front of you asked. She didn't understand what you were saying.

While your friends gave their "babies" names like: Areum, Young-sun, and Lily. You, on the other hand, gave your "child" the following name…

"Noa, her name is Noa."

The kids looked at you weirdly, it wasn't a name that you usually heard, but you had always liked it.

Your parents had taken you on a business trip to Japan, alongside your older sister. They took you both to their offices in the country, where other kids would wait for their parents.

You were left alone, your sister leaving you behind to play with other children. You tried to play around with other kids, but they seemed to ignore, find you annoying, even, because of your chatty attitude.

The only kid who did not ignore you was a girl two years older than you, she was obviously smaller, but she was educated and sweet, and with the knowledge that she had, she held your hand taking you somewhere else to play.

"Play hide and seek?" Those were her first words towards you. "Of course!"

You were only happy that you got to play with somebody, that somebody was not ignoring. You just played around with her, both of your tiny legs looking for places to hide around the building.

And when the end of the day came, and you were being scolded by your mother to hurry up, you finally asked her:

"What's your name?" You said grabbing your glitter backpack.

"My name… is Noa."

The name sounded beautiful to you, something that you'd never heard before. And you remembered her, because she was the only kid who did not blatantly ignore you.

"Daddy, what does Noa mean?"

Your father had complete knowledge of that foreign language, within seconds he had answered your questions.

"It's a really nice name, it means 'from love' in japanese. Why do you ask?"

"I met a girl today, she was named that way, and I thought that the name was pretty."

That was the origin of that name that caused your friends to turn their heads, with time they got used to it, but they always found it curious.

As you were both enjoying your dessert, a presence came into the room. "I thought I told you to leave me one of those." You both turned around to see his older brother.

You were four years old when you first met Jay. Sunghoon had become your play partner and the rest of the kids were on a trip to the United States.

They had finally come back home and at first you weren't that interested, but when you first saw Jay coming through the entrance door, your heart gained experience for what a palpitation was, at least that's what your younger self thinks. For you, he was the most handsome boy you had ever seen, that childhood love that every girl would like to have for themselves.

"Sorry, they were way too delicious, they might have gone to waste." You said with a smirk on your lips. Nearly shoving the donut to his face.

Jay rolled his eyes, a small laugh coming out of his mouth.

"You are something else, if you continue like this you might as well just corrupt my brother with your silly personality."

"I'm sorry, but my personality is not silly." You got up from the seat, standing up in front of him.

For him, you could be a beautiful ray of sunshine one day, and the other you could be a huge gremlin, there was no in between.

"Sometimes it can be… you don't need to get so mad just because somebody finds you cute most of the time." "But I thought-"

He said lowering down his eyebrow, his hands laying on top of your shoulders. Jay sometimes made you feel things that you simply couldn't explain. You weren't in love with him, you just found him very attractive, and handsome…If someone would've told you would be feeling this way towards a boy, you were pretty sure that you wouldn't be friends with Sunghoon if it was because of that.

"When I say silly…I mean cute. Don't really want another cute person close to me, except you."

A sudden flush took over your cheeks, and till this day you are way too sure that something inside of him lighted up, right inside his soul.

But that wasn't the first close encounter you had with Jay.

Sometimes, things got way too intimate.

People knew you in high school as the witty, and silly girl, a ray of sunshine that illuminated the beautiful light blue sky. You made friends very easily, and were actually a good student.

You still hung out with Sunghoon during the school breaks, but because you were in different classes, you didn't see each other as much at school…but you did at home.

Still, the both of you tried your best to see each other at school.

It was one of those days where you waited for Sunghoon at lunch hour, the rest of the Parks were in the same class as Hoon. So, it wasn't a surprise for them that you were waiting for their youngest brother.

Even though you felt fazed at the moment, going back to what happened that morning. You had a small problem with one of your classes, chemistry to be exact.

It wasn't your forte, but you always gave your all, even though sometimes you felt a little bit lazy.

When your mother received your report card, a few days ago, she just focused on the B- that you had gotten in that class.

Among the various 'As' that you'd gotten, she only focused on that class. She scolded you, not only that… She yelled at you.

"Such a disappointment! How are you going to take care of a business with these horrible grades?!" She pressed her hand on your arm, as you looked at your sister, she gave you back a look of pity.

"Eunji, you don't have to be that way, it's just a grade, she does great in every single other class." "If you keep justifying her, she'll stay behind her sister and will continue to be a failure."

It wasn't like you weren't used to being called that way, it didn't bother you anymore, other than that it just made you realize that you would prove your mother wrong no matter what, you would be nothing like her.

"Hey, Sunghoon isn't done yet. You'll have to wait for a little while." Jay said getting close to you at the doorway

You still didn't understand why he never wore his uniform correctly. His school jacket was on, with the unbuttoned school shirt underneath.

And for some reason, he always wore a rock band t-shirt underneath his outfit.

By that time, Jay's hair was cut short. Bangs hanging on his forehead. Which was a problem, because for you… He looked hot. Jay was a good student, but with his image it didn't seem like it.

Girls were always trying to get his attention, as well as his brothers'. It was reasonable, they were incredibly handsome, but for you, Jay was something else.

"Yeah, I don't really mind." You responded, shrugging your shoulders

Jay examined you from head to toe. The way you looked down at your feet, the way your dark bangs covered your face, the way your skin glistened close to the sun and how your pink tinted lips would perfectly fit on his.

He also noticed your scent, a scent of cinnamon and vanilla glaze. It just made him more attracted to you.

Jongseong let a finger get close to your face, he then used three of his digits to move a piece of hair from your face placing it behind your ear. It felt like a light brush against your skin.

"You had a hair sticking out." The boy said with confidence. Your scent makes its way into his nostrils, as if you were tempting him into kissing you. He wondered what your lips tasted like? Did they taste exactly how you smelled like? Sweet and yummy?

On the other hand, your heart was beating irrationally, and soon you felt like your stomach was pressing against your ribs. Why was Jay making you feel such things?

"I can take you somewhere else, that way you won't miss your lunch." Jongseong's voice took you out of your trance in a complete surprise.

"And where would you take me?" You asked suddenly, gaining confidence.

"I know a place." He said getting closer to your body. You felt yourself heat up on the inside. "What about Sunghoon?" You came up with an excuse.

Jay looked back into the classroom. A focused Sunghoon getting in his view, still invested in his notebook.

"He won't mind." The boy said looking back at you, a smirk adorning his lips. "But-"

"Trust me, Y/N. Let's go." He held a grip on your arm, carefully guiding you to wherever he was taking you.

He somehow managed to take you to a place outside of the school territory. It was a burger place, decorated with hanging plants, cacti on the floor and white long couches that sat around the restaurant.

Jay guided you towards one of the couches, a table in front of you.

You both proceeded to order from the menu. Shy to order anything without having your wallet in hand, just having a few dollars in your pockets, Jay said the following. "Don't worry, order anything you want. Lunch is on me."

You nervously shook your head. "No, no. I'll pay for my own food." "It's alright, I'll pay for you. I don't mind." He smiled.

In the end, both of you ordered what caught your interest from the menu. And when it arrived, you were ready to devour. You know those delicious hamburgers with a juicy patty and that magnificent melted cheese? Well, that's what you were devouring, including those delicious cheese balls that you always liked.

"Can I have some?" Jay asked, pointing at the basket full of the delightful appetizers.

"Well… Let me think about it." You said while grabbing a cheese ball. A hum escaped your lips as you pretended to think about giving him the snack. "Ok, you can have it."

Jay happily grabbed the cheese ball from your hand, and just as he cheerily ate the snack you giggled underneath your breath. For you, he looked cute. And you continue to enjoy your lunch together, sometimes the silence that you would be in after a conversation, would be comfortable and warming.

Sometimes you didn't notice how he would stare at you in awe, as if he was seeing a hidden wonder from the world.

And then you asked him something, "Have you thought about what your grandfather told Sunghoon?" The inquiry you made had caused Jay to get out of his trance. He looked at you with strange eyes, as if he was thinking about what he wanted to answer.

His grandfather had always been skeptical, also a little bit stressful. When the boys were just little kids, he kept talking about how they had to continue the family business. They were just five at the moment, and they didn't understand what he meant. But as they grew older they soon got a hold of the situation.

'Park Enterprises' has been a family business since 1962, exactly founded by Mr. Park, it started as a small office, a business to start technological advancements. Soon, the company grew to be huge, having three different branches in South Korea.

SPE, or The Southern Branch, is the one in charge of the Nanotechnological Advancements. NPE, also called The Northern Branch, is the one who takes care of the Communicative Technological Advancements. Meanwhile WPE, or The Western Branch, is the one in charge of Healthcare Technological Advancements.

The enterprise had become an empire that had spread around the world. With different sucursals in Italy, U.S, even some countries of Latin America. It was clear that it was a very successful business, a well known name that was stuck to the public's mouth.

No matter what happened, the brothers saw this business as their future responsibility. They wanted to make their family proud, and they were ready for whatever they had to do for the family business, even if it was not what they wanted.

"If my family thinks that it's for the best, then I'll do whatever they want me to do." You looked at him, raising your eyebrows with curiosity and surprise. You always say Jay as a man that was stubborn and obstinate, if he didn't like something he would say it, and he wasn't someone to give in easily.

So, you scoffed. "That sounds so weird coming from you." He raised his head looking at you. Jay knew that somehow you were right. He didn't want to be brainwashed by his family, but that business was his family's pride and joy. He wasn't ready to let them down.

"What do you mean?" Jongseong pretended to be clueless. A sigh escaped your lips.

"Jay, you can't have kids when you are just 17." You stated calmly. "You also can't get married at your age, you are too young."

It wasn't that you were saying it just because of Jay. You were saying that to yourself too. The reason why you had met 'The Park Family' in the first place was because you came from an old money family.

Your family owned a business, 'Baezen Corp'. An investment company that has been led by your family from various decades and generations. Your older sister was the first in line to take charge of the president position in the company, meanwhile your family still analyzed what position you would have under the business (if that's what you wanted), as you were still young and they still wanted to check if you were perfect for the family business… and with the way that your mother saw you, you found it a little far away.

"They didn't say when they plan to engage me with someone." He muttered under his breath.

You slightly shook your head in disappointment, trying your best to alleviate the bad energy that you had just provoked.

"Also, do you even have an idea of who you want to marry? What exactly do you look for in a girl?"

Jay, then raised his head to look at you. He parted his lips getting ready to start talking, as if he already planned what to say even before you asked the question.

"I'm looking for a girl that is sweet, a girl that looks like an exact representation of the moon, but that her personality is just like the very rays of the sun falling into the ocean waves." He proceeded to stare at you, looking deeply into your eyes, as if he could read your soul. Jay's cat eyes shone from enchantment, anticipation, almost as if he was under a spell.

A spell that you might have put on him, his gaze was enough to make your heart race, and to make your fingers tingle from excitement.

"I want a girl who is intelligent and has a passion for learning. A girl that smells like cinnamon spice and vanilla. I'm looking for a girl whose lips will taste just like an exquisite dessert. And lastly, her eyes have to shine like the moon reflects itself on the water when she looks at what she loves and desires… Just like you, right now."

His last words made you blink in shock, you hadn't noticed how hard you were staring at him. But it seemed that at some point you might have been under the spell that he had been just a few seconds before.

"Sorry, it's just that your description sounded so poetic, I didn't know you could be so romantic." "There are some things that you don't know about me." He smiled.

You cleared your throat before proceeding. "Where have you seen a girl like that, anyway?"

You saw the boy get closer to you, moving his seat right beside you. Then, he moved his hand close to your locks, moving them away from your face.

"It might surprise you, but I'm staring at her right now."

That was the moment that your breath got stuck somewhere around your respiratory system. As if you had forgotten all of a sudden how to breathe.

You had expected Jay to tell you all those things. Yes, he was a tease sometimes, but never intimate with his words.

"Jay."

For a second your lips parted, and you felt that you were getting closer to each other, as if your lips were to touch at any time. The boy creeped a hand down to your neck, causing small tickles on your skin. His eyes were now dazed, left with nothing but a small glimmer.

And then the phone rang, Jay's phone to be exact.

You both backed away quickly, and you nervously passed your hands on your skirt, as if you were trying to keep it clean.

"I-It's Sunghoon, we better hurry. Class is about to start." This time he didn't look at you. It was like he was ashamed or was simply just shying away from you.

"Yeah, you are right."

It wasn't a few hours later, when you were at their house that things got intense. You had asked Hoon to help you with some homework, but he told you something that you weren't expecting.

"I don't really remember any of this, but you can ask Jay for some help."

And that's how you ended up at their study room, with Jay right beside you, giving a quick eye to your chemistry book, before turning to the next page.

How was it that he smelled so good? Just like amber and citrus, a small touch of wood but also warm.

How was it that he caused you to want to crawl out of your skin? The fact that he wasn't bothered to help even though he had better things to do, was causing a small race in your heart.

"It isn't that hard, it's actually quite easy. You just have to identify the components and use the formula. The formula is not that hard either- Bae, are you listening?" He waved his hand in front of you, causing you to wake up from your trance.

"I thought I lost you there." You looked directly at his lips, the mark at the middle of the skin calling your attention. It was as if they were calling you, calling your lips. You wanted to kiss him.

You inhaled deeply, getting ready for what you were going to say.

"Can you finish what you started?" Jay looked at you confused. "What do you mean?"

It was now you, who got close to him. Your hand making itself comfortable at his cheeks, the naughty of your thumb rubbing the end of his sharp jaw.

"Can you finish what you started? Please." You said with a little plea in your voice, like your body was desperate for his lips.

Jay looked hesitant, but he didn't waste a second to pull the same move that he did at the restaurant. His fingers guiding themselves to your hair, and softly caressing it in a comforting way.

"If we kiss then, I don't think I will be able to stop." "Then don't, just stop until you've finished what you provoked in me."

And that's when it happened, when the soft flesh touched yours, how you felt them pressing against your upper lip. He then moved them trying to start a monotonous movement. You felt his hands then at the bottom of your hips, your skirt being the only thing that stopped them from touching your skin.

You both felt as if you were running out of air, so you slowly disconnected your lips from the other.

Your hand was still stuck to his jaw, and you stayed like that until you came out from your dazy phase.

"I-I have to go back home." You stood up from the sofa, grabbing your stuff and letting your feet lead you to the door.

A while after that, both you and Jay pretended that nothing ever happened, and getting close to each other caused certain things on your skin, you were way too nervous to be around each other.

The Park Brothers graduated high school and that just meant that they were a step closer to getting what their family wanted.

You followed their steps two years later, and even though they were occupied with college, they still had some time to enjoy with you. It wasn't the same as it was before, but it was still fun and joyful.

But, it wasn't until you were twenty-one that something happened. It wasn't disheartening, it was just weird and obviously unexpected. You knew that you had feelings for Jay, you couldn't deny it. It was the butterflies and pixie dust that you felt every time you were with him.

"Unnie? Is something going on?" You asked as you walked into the backyard. Your parents were sitting across the huge table that decorated the garden. Your sister, Juni stayed at a distance, like she was trying to keep the situation from getting more awkward. She wanted to be there, but not didn't really want to invade your space.

"Mom and Dad have something to tell you. We thought that it would be better if we stayed here so you could take fresh air." Juni softly grabbed your arm guiding you towards a chair that was just in front of your parents seat.

You adjusted the skirt of your dress, and then noticed the serious expression on their faces. Mr. Bae and Mrs. Gwan, two successful business leaders that were well respected by the public. These were their faces when they had a critical meeting, when they needed to be direct and strict towards some clients.

"Is something wrong?"

And that was the same expression that they taught you just by doing it themselves. Something that no client wanted to see, neither any single worker and worse, their own daughters.

"Dear, you know how important Baezen Corp is to us. It's been an essential part of our family for a long time, and the thing is that joining our hands with other companies wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if it means for the future of the business."

You frowned at your father's words. Not because you found it weird, but because you already knew all those things.

"I know, father. You've been telling me that ever since I have memory, but it terrifies me what you want to tell me."

Your parents glanced at each other. Getting ready to tell you the news.

"Darling, your sister is soon becoming the president of Baezen Corp. and that means that she is going to need a vice-president by her side to help her manage the company. And you've proven to us that you deserve that spot." Your jaw fell in surprise, you never thought that you would be vice-president for Baezen Corp. You thought that you weren't good enough, but your parents have now proved you wrong.

"Is it really? I can't believe this. Thank you so much, I promise that I won't fail you." You stood up from happiness, but your sister put her hands on your shoulders for you to sit back down.

"That's not all we have to say, dear. There's more to communicate, and we don't know how you'll react." The smile from your face fell.

"How I'll react? How I'll react to what?"

Juni gave them a short glance before they continued speaking.

Your mother cleared her throat. "Y/N, we've been talking a lot with The Park Family, about how we want our business to grow and how we want it to last for many years."

"And we thought that it would be better if we join our businesses to make a new branch, where the next generation of our family will be in charge. So, not only are our companies joining together, but also our families."

This was the moment where you knew what they were talking about, this wasn't about you taking the position of Baezen's future vice-president. This was about your family making sure that you kept on for various generations. That was when your father spoke up again.

"Dear, you are getting married to Park Jongseong."

There was a huge fog that fulfilled your mind, and it felt like the world was moving all of the sudden. You weren't ready to get married, and it wasn't because of Jay, it was just that you wanted to get married in your own will, with somebody you loved and that loved you back.

Your body went numb and you felt your legs shutting their nerves down, as if you had gone paralyzed by the shock.

"Y/N, you got to understand that it's all for a major good." The voice of your mother sounded so distant and incoherent, as if you were underneath the water. You could feel your sister's hand across your shoulders, soothing you into a state that was supposed to be calm, but instead you just felt confused and lost.

You didn't want to get married.

You could not get married.

Because…

Jay didn't love you.

At least, that's what you feared...

ACT TWO; And whether we're free-willed or predestined, clearly I've not learned my lesson, even now. Hope he doesn't strike me down.

For the following week, you were dazed, nervous and stressed. Your special task was to maintain a peace of mind that you simply didn't have at that moment.

It was as if your brain was on fire, you were full of a million questions that weren't being answered for you.

Did Jay know any of this?

Was he in the same state as you were?

Did he approve any of it?

Did he hate you?

The less that you wanted was Jay to hate you, you wanted the exact opposite. But you didn't want to force him to love you.

At the moment, you were at one of the tables from a luxurious hotel. It was a company party… Park Enterprises' party, to be exact.

You felt embarrassed to be there, but your mom's tightening grip kept you in that place, her fingers hurting the delicate skin of your arm.

How red would it be after that…

Your entire family was there, not only because they were friends, but because your engagement had a lot to do with it.

Hands went to a glass of wine that had been given to you by one of the waiters, you drank a few sips, enjoying the taste of grapefruit and kiwi that the alcoholic drink contained.

The clinking of a spoon against a wine glass was heard across the room. The Parks had rented the whole building just for this event, and even though it didn't seem pleasing for the management, it was beneficial for the hotel owners.

"Dear guests, I hope you are having a pleasing evening. Thanks for coming to the celebration of Park Enterprises' 60th anniversary." Mrs. Park wore a long black dress, it had small pieces of diamonds decorating the torso of the clothing, she wore long sleeves and her jet black hair was down.

She looked so young and happy, like she had just found a lucky charm for a special collection. She looked… Proud.

"But, we are not only here for that. We are here also, to celebrate something really important."

"Soon next year, our son, Park Jongseong will become the chief executive officer of Park Enterprises' Southern Branch." Those sudden words made your heart leap up to your throat. Jay was finally taking his family's footsteps and for some reason that got you scared. That could mean that you both wouldn't spend as much time together as a couple. You would be vice-president of Baezen Corp. and Jay would lead the Southern Branch as its CEO.

People clapped from joy, or maybe compromise, you could care less, but being at the party just made you wish for some fresh air.

Maybe it was because you couldn't keep your eyes away from Jay, he looked so elegant with his tux, not only that, but he also looked hot.

You walked away from the room, going towards the pool area, the water being an artificial blue, looking just like a blue flame. The area was big and nice, with a clear view towards the city lights of Seoul and its buildings. There were various pool beds, big and round with white sheets, but gray borders. You sat on one of them, right below a louvered roof that was connected to a wall.

The thought of Jay being your soon-to-be- husband was terrifying, not because you were marrying him, but because the thought of him hating you because of it was eating you alive.

But there was another thought on your mind. Your first kiss. It was with Jay, he was your first kiss, and for you, the fire that was coming up inside your body that day was coming back the moment you saw him with that tux, he looked so professional and mysterious, as if his aura was different.

Jay had always been confident, but this time it was different, he looked… powerful. Ready for everything and anything.

You caressed your exposed leg, eyeing the soft fabric of your white, short dress. You kicked off your heels, feeling them press against your ankle.

The water from the pool was moving, but in a calm way, you tried concentrating on it, trying to forget about everything that was going on. For one night you just wanted to relax and forget.

A shriek escaped your lips when you felt contact within your skin. It was a hand, and when you turned around, you fell deeply into that familiar and deep gaze.

"Why aren't you at the party?" You brushed Jay's hand off from your shoulder. "I needed some fresh air, it was a little bit suffocating in there."

Jongseong passed a hand through his hair, keeping it away from his face. "Are you okay? Be honest with me, Y/N."

No, you weren't okay, there was something strange building up inside you, the fingerprints of your hands wanted to touch him so bad, it was a necessity at that point.

"I'm okay, it's just… you know, things have been weird recently and it can be kinda overwhelming."

Jay knew that there was something that you weren't telling him, you were hiding something, and deep inside him, he wanted to uncover it and at the same time he wanted to kiss you so profoundly that you would both forget your names.

"You are lying, baby." He grabbed your chin, making you look at him. Jay needed you so bad, he was done hard for you, head over heels.

You inhaled before answering again. "I don't want to be your wife if you don't love me."

"This isn't about love, Y/N. This is about our families… but that doesn't mean that I don't feel something for you right now." Jay looked at your lips, they were glossy and red.

Beautiful, he thought.

"Do you love me, Ms. Bae?" You feared what would happen if you answered that question truthfully, and Jay did too.

"I don't, Mr. Park." You lied with an awkward smirk, you shamelessly lied, and somewhere inside him, Jay knew that you were lying.

And Jay swore that his heart shattered when he heard those words come out of your mouth. So, he came up with the next question.

"Do you lust for me, Ms. Bae?" His eyes turned dark with curiosity.

"I do, Mr. Park." You whispered underneath your breath. Your face being inches from touching. "Do you lust for me, Mr. Park?" You said feeling his lips almost brush yours.

"You already know the answer to that." And with that, he kissed you. And he did roughly, it was so rough that you grabbed his hair as your lips crashed against each other.

His hands moved towards your hips as they did the first time. He didn't want to ruin this, you didn't want to ruin this.

You loved each other and you knew it, but your biggest fear, for the both of you, was that your arranged marriage would kill off that passionate love that you felt ever since you were teens.

You both knew you lied, but it was better to know that lie than knowing the truth and then it being shattered.

And when he laid you on that bed, you both knew that this was the start of something new.

A beautiful and lustful lie.

ACT THREE; After everything you put me through, I somehow still believe in you.

Your heart was about to break through your chest, all because what was happening at the moment was completely unbelievable. When you were little, you always had this fantasy that you would get married to Jay, your parents always said it as a joke and to play around with you, but you never thought that it would actually become a real thing.

Because right now, you had Jay dressed up as a groom in front of you, his hair back, only a few strands in front of his face.

The way his warm hands held your cold ones, and the way you felt your heart fluttering because he was right there, in just a few minutes Jay was going to be all yours, your husband.

It was just the way that you felt your feet go numb by knowing that he was about to say his vows to you.

He looked so unreal and so elegant, but if you could be inside his mind in that instant you would've been overwhelmed by how overestimated Jay's brain was at the moment.

Jongseong thought you looked so beautiful, and the way you pressed your lips in nervousness was heartwarming. He knew that at heart he wanted to be with you, so bad. He'd never had such strong feelings for anyone before, in his entire life.

Seeing you right now, Jay realized how bad he wanted things to work out, how bad he wanted you to be his wife. But he was afraid, he was afraid to grow attached to you, because he was afraid that after this you would both end up heartbroken.

"I, Jay, take you, Y/N, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honor you all the days of my life." He meant that last part, with his whole heart he meant it, how could he not love you.

But how can you love someone and also be afraid of loving them?

"I, Y/N, take you, Jay, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

Your parents were watching, both of your families were watching how their kids were fearful to love somebody with such passion. How could you be able to survive something like this? Pretend you both didn't love each other just for the mere fact of fear.

The ring exchange was just around the corner and everything just felt more surreal, as if you were stuck in a dream, a dream that was magical, but also painful.

The rings were presented to you, Jay grabbing yours, a beautiful ring with a shining heart-shaped diamond on its center.

You swore you saw his hand change, but he was shaking in anticipation, in amusement. Jay held back a chuckle, trying to keep it cool, but he gave a quick glance to you with a nervous smile, lips sealed together.

"With this ring I, Jay, take you, Y/N, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us." Jongseong slides the ring on your finger, feeling the cold sensation of the sacred ring in your digit.

You gave him a warm smile, a smile that he dearly loved ever since he was a kid.

"With this ring I, Y/N, take you, Jay, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us." Now the both of you had a ring in your fingers that joined you together, you were now one and only one.

You could daydream a life with Jay, but you couldn't envision it in your day to day life. Not because you didn't desire it, because it all felt so unreal.

You were now getting married to somebody whom you were afraid to admit that you loved. And he was feeling exactly the same.

The both gave each other a glance, your eyes connected, not being able to pull them apart from the other.

"By the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal your union and the promises you've made to each other this day with a kiss."

You looked at each other for a moment, this was it, you were now sealed by sacred union.

"May I?" Jay whispered.

You nodded your head with a shy smile on your lips. "You may"

The feeling of Jay's soft lips on top of yours was warm, candid, and sweet. Cheers from people could be heard from behind you…

From now on, you were husband and wife.

"This place is really nice, it's really pretty."

You had arrived at a hotel in Bali, something that your parents had planned, which was not a surprise. The flight was quiet and peaceful, Jay fell asleep on your shoulder, which caused your stomach to do weird tricks in you, you were more than nervous.

"I want to get to the pool first." Jay said placing your bags at a corner of a room. You felt his presence coming closer to you, his warmth betrayed him completely.

"So, can I call you Mrs. Park now? It has a nice ring to it." He placed his head near the crook of your neck, causing your skin to go ticklish that it made you shrugged. "Somebody's sensitive." Jay got away from your neck, but before getting away could do that, he placed a quick peck on your skin, which caused your cheeks to redden.

"And also shy."

He propped himself on the bed, his back resting against the bed frame. Jay took off his black leather jacket, letting it fall beside him.

You walked up to him, setting yourself on the large queen bed, sitting right beside him. "Can't believe I'm married to you." Jay murmured.

"Is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?" You asked him with curiosity, he could feel your gaze on him. "I don't know, you'll have to figure it out." He turned his to the side to look at you, raised eyebrows, cocky expression. "You are such a tease." You whispered.

Something overpowered you, as you let your legs guide you to where your soul wanted to go. You found yourself resting on top of Jay, on his lap, your eyes looking at his lips and then looking at his sharp cat eyes.

You felt his hands naughtly making themselves comfortable on your hips, the right one rubbing your lower back, he roughly pulled you closer to him and you grabbed his shoulders adjusting your body to his figure.

"I want you to kiss me right now." His smirk was such a provocative point and the way he missed the taste of your lips made him want you closer to him. "I was already thinking about that."

He pulled you closer to him, your lips sealed against the other as he tasted your lips and the vanilla flavor they had. He continued to caress your hips in a caring manner and you finished the night with the both of you feeling the warmth of each other's skin as you hugged the other.

The sun fell through the window as you blinked trying to keep the sleep away, you got up to the bathroom just to wash your face and do your skin care before finally washing your teeth.

You heard the water running and knew that Jay was getting ready for work.

"Good morning!" You said with your mouth full of toothpaste foam. "Good Morning!" Jay responded as he washed away his soap.

You continued with your routine as the morning went on, you cooked breakfast and prepared Jay's lunch bag.

"Belle I'm leaving!" You heard his voice soon, noticing that he was already by the exit. "Wait, your lunch bag." You sprinted towards him.

"Thanks." You saw his sweet smile, being completely grateful for your efforts and your food.

He loved when you did that, when you cooked for him, but he preferred when he cooked for you, he loved doing things for you and it was slowly becoming a habit of his.

"See you at night." Jay pulled you closer to give you a quick peck in your lips, before caressing your cheek.

You saw him go away and you stayed at the frame of the door as you heard the engine go off and him driving away.

With that, you got ready yourself and packed your stuff to get ready to work. That was the way that you started your day ever since you got married, and you definitely liked it.

"Thanks as always, Heeseung."

You had gotten off from your car, whose driver was your secretary, Heeseung. He was new to the business, but he was organized and really respectful. He parked your car at the covered parking lot of the company.

The small sound of your sneakers pierced through the walls of the underground lot. You had Heeseung behind you, who wore a dark suit with a blue-patterned tie.

You walked right through the glass double doors that guided to the building offices, you checked yourself through the glass, making sure that your outfit was well arranged.

A satin primrose dress was adjusted to your body, but it kept itself away from your shoulders, a similar colored belt defined your waist, a pair of beige shorts hugged your thighs and a pair of platform sneakers covered your feet.

"Heeseung, please contact President Bae. We have a meeting with the council, do you think you can remind her of it?" The young man agreed, quickly taking out his phone to contact your sister.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Bae!"

"Good morning, Mrs." A pair of coworkers greeted you after they heard you walk through the doors.

You greeted back with a warm smile as you led yourself to your office. Heeseung opened the other set of glass doors for you, and then you left your bag on the desk to sit on the soft white leather chair.

It annoyed you that your mother had called just to tell you that she thought that your work could be better, that she was disappointed with your levels of work. Even though you slept late most of the time to make up for what your sister missed, and taking care of the arrivals of new clients.

Throughout the rest of your day, you checked the work of the staff and completed the work that your sister couldn't do at the time, you scheduled some meetings and at some point of the day you received a visit from a dear friend of yours.

"How's my Bellie doing?" Hoon was always occupied, ever since he took charge of The Northern Branch he was always taking care of something in the company building, not only that but, also overseas, it was like he lived farther away than before. He was always somewhere far, like the U.S, Europe, even other countries of Asia.

"Sunghoon, it's good to see you." You got up from your desk to hug him. He'd recently been in Los Angeles, to make a deal with a communication company for a further partnership. "I was just walking around the area, decided to pay you a visit." He ruffled your hair making it a small mess

You both sat down at one of the tables in your office, you offered an ice coffee with a dessert.

"I thought you would have a girlfriend already, you know, have settled down." "You know that I don't really want a relationship right now." Sunghoon had always been like that, he had always thought that he needed some time for himself before getting into a relationship. He felt bad for rejecting various girls, he wasn't capable of breaking their heart, but he wasn't gonna force himself into a partnership either.

"How's married life going?"

He bit down the glazed donut with strawberry jam filling, it reminded him of his childhood years and how much fun he had during those.

"Everything is going great, though I believe that we can improve some things."

You remembered how things were a few months ago, and how you had been feeling since.

The fact that your parents planned a honeymoon after your wedding was just perfect for you.

Jay was excited that day and you were more than him. After all, you were finally married, which sounded so weird to say out loud.

You spent a lot of time together, but back at home it wasn't any different. You stuck to each other for everything. If Jay was cooking, you were there, if you were working at the home office, he was there.

And the intimacy… was the way to compensate for the words that you feared to say.

But, you sometimes doubted if what you felt was lust, or if it was love. You knew there was love, but there was always some fear to express it. And that wasn't really healthy.

You thought that if you just kept it there, you would both be perfect as it was. You didn't want to ruin anything, because then…there was no turning back, there was no fixing anything.

And you didn't want to lose Jay, and he didn't want to lose you.

So, if that meant being inside each other's backburner, then you would do anything to keep him.

Sometimes it was sad, you wanted to hear Jay saying "I love you." You wanted to scream those words out loud.

A time later after having a conversation with Sunghoon, he left.

You got out of work, bring various documents with you. Waving goodbye to your co-workers, you got your phone out to contact Heeseung.

Your white nails clicked against the back of your cellphone. The fake gems in your fingernails shined because of the sun reflecting on them.

The phone rang a few times, but then it sent you to voicemail. You rang it a few more times, waiting for Heeseung to pick up, but he never did. So you called Haewon instead.

"Hey, Haewonie! Have you seen Heeseung? He isn't picking up my calls."

"Sorry dear, I haven't. He went out in a hurry a few hours ago, so I haven't seen him since." You then thanked her and hung up quickly.

A thought came into your mind.

Jay has picked you up before, but you didn't wanna bother him. It was wednesday, so I went out of work early that day.

You gave it a second thought before finally calling him.

You waited a few rings, before you finally heard his voice. "Hello?"

A sigh from relief came out of your throat. "Hey! How's everything going?" You asked, trying to be polite.

"I'm good, a little bit tired, but I'm heading back home. Are you there already?" A finger unconsciously rolled one of your locks, you continued playing with your hair as you enjoyed the sound of your husband's voice.

"About that… You think you can pick me up from the office? I don't know where Heeseung is, so I was wondering if-"

"I'll be there in a minute."

He interrupted you all of the sudden, making you smile warmly.

You waited a few minutes outside of the building, before seeing the characteristic car that was always parked in your house's driveway.

The windows lowered down, showing a Jay that was adjusting his blazer, unbuttoning his piece of clothing revealing his white shirt.

In your eyes, he looked handsome, like always, and you kept on wondering, how was it that you got married to such an attractive man. You forced yourself to get out of your mind maze, and then let your feet guide you to the car, straight up opening the door.

"Thanks for picking me up. Don't know what happened to Heeseung, he was supposed to be here." You murmured looking at your phone. "You don't need to thank me, I'm your husband after all, I'm supposed to take care of you." You shook your head in negation.

"You can't be taking care of me all the time. I can take care of myself." Jay squeezed your thigh and then proceeded to rub his hand against it, but you put your small hand on top of his and he took it as an opportunity to grab it and rub his thumb on the skin.

"I ordered some burgers, they come with cheeseballs if you were going to ask." He looks at you for a quick second before turning back to the street.

When you reached home, you got some comfy clothing and quickly sprinted into the kitchen to hunt down your food.

It wasn't surprising that Jay was there, he was taking out the plates from the pantry and he placed them on the aisle of the kitchen. You then sat on top of it, which was a common occurrence.

Jay turned back to the aisle to see you sitting on it. He liked the view, you were wearing his oversized t-shirt with a pair of shorts, it made you look cute, but he always thought you looked cute, he always thought you were beautiful.

"Alright, there's your food, young lady." He pointed at the plate. "Cheeseburger with extra cheese, french fries and with your favorite, cheeseballs."

"Thank you, young man." You bowed how you could with your position, but you then grabbed his hands and put them around your waist. "I should give you a kiss to repay you." You softly place your lips below his, all with the usual sweetness that you carried around with you.

"You should be careful, miss, or I will die from how cute you are." You felt your heart beat stronger than before, leaving a little blush in your cheeks. You turned away trying not to get disheartened.

Don't get too attached!

And when you and Jay acted as a couple, sometimes you wished that was your normal.

With that, the weeks passed and even though it seemed like you were newlywed, you soon turned one year of marriage, and obviously, Jay's family was already asking for a grandchild, his grandfather to be exact.

You visit often, with Jay or without him. You saw him as your own grandfather, he could be grumpy sometimes, but you quickly got why Jay was so sweet and caring towards you.

His grandfather was exactly the same.

You knew where he got it from.

"Shouldn't you be resting, papa?" You played your hands on his shoulders. "I have way too much energy to be in bed, darling."

"Shouldn't your husband be here with you, instead of you being here following me around." Jay chuckled, coming right to your side. "It's just that Y/N sneaks away from me, it doesn't mean that I don't want to be with her." Jay's fingers softly traced your neck, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

"She's so sneaky that she's cute at this point." You could feel his breath right at your neck, tingles spreading through your body. "So cute that you seem heavenly to me." A blush went across your cheeks and your ears. You looked at him right in the eyes, his gaze was penetrative but it shone when he saw you, like little sparkles that flew around his orbs.

"When are you two planning on giving me a grandchild?"

You felt a shock of electricity attack your heart, it hit so hard that it made your heart beat like crazy, and for Jay it wasn't any different.

"We are still not thinking about that, we are trying to enjoy what we have right now."

"Then enjoy it quickly, I'm pretty sure that you two will have a little one running around our family house in no time."

And with that, things became a little bit uncomfortable on the way back home, you both stayed quiet for a while.

That was until…

"Do you wish to have children, Belle?" The question took you out of your thoughts, but it didn't surprise you after what had happened but at the family house.

"I-I mean, if you don't want to have children it's fine, I'll be fine with whatever you want."

His words stroke your heart, he wasn't forcing you to have kids just for his family's sake. He was dealing to go with whatever you wanted to go with.

And that's what moved your heart.

"Jay… I do want children, it's just- we just got married, we just turned a year and maybe we just need more time just for us."

Jongseong nodded at your words, and his hand stroked your naked thigh, sometimes reaching the fabric of your dress, but with your finger you tickled his knuckles causing him to chuckle.

He pulled the car towards the sideway, the tigles that he provoked on your thighs were starting to go through your body, his hands moved from your thigh to the flesh of your neck, he softly shifted you towards him, being careful with your spine.

Jay's breath could be felt on top of your lips, he leaned closer finally closing the space between you, he moved his lips with a soft pace, until you fought with his to make the movement rougher and passionate. The butterflies that were accumulating inside your stomach were too much to bear, so parted your lips from his, just to move your legs in a way that you would be on top of him, both legs on his side.

After that, you kissed him again, your tasty lips being his temptation and his sweet dream. Jay's hand caressed your waist, making you fully sit down on top of him.

And with that you both started that night with a passionate fire.

Maybe something within you made things uncomfortable between the two of you, because after that, Jay started to realize that maybe you would never have a normal marriage, you both knew about it, but throughout this time, he just became more subconscious about the topic.

Your footsteps could be heard from downstairs, even though you were barefooted. A black blazer staring at you from the living room, resting at the sofa… Beside it were a few oversized sweatshirts that you wore all the time.

The smell of sweet honey and orange juice could be smelled around the house. Jay likes that smell, it was his second favorite, right after your scent and the taste of your lips, that cinnamon scent.

Even though he could feel the smell of his breakfast go through his nostrils, he was actually in a hurry, he'd actually been in a hurry since a month ago. You hadn't had the time to speak to him a lot like before and that saddened you, really deeply.

You heard the sound of his shoes through the stairs as you packed his lunch bag. It contained pancakes covered in honey and caramel, and his lunch, which was pasta salad.

Jay was already near the exit, with his bag already packed, so you sprinted with his lunch bag in your hands.

"Jay, here's your food." You said with a smile, but his face didn't express the same, it was as if he was bored, mad to say the least.

"Yeah, thanks." He grabbed the bag and opened the door in a hurry. "I'll see you at night." And with that, he left. You heard the sound of the car engine turning on, and then it drove through the streets.

"See you at night."

You whisper sounds depressive, it even caused you to feel dizzy.

He didn't even say goodbye, he didn't kiss your cheek as he always did… That's how it had been a few weeks ago.

And you wondered why you expected it to be different. You thought about that moment in the morning the whole day, even in the office, you couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Has Jay not answered your calls?" Your friend, Haewon was right behind you as you dialed your husband's number for the fourth time.

"No, he's being really busy these days." You rubbed your forehead in a little bit of stress. Recently, you felt really tired, dizzy, nauseous even. You knew that an upcoming deal with a foreign company was coming up, and you were stressed out, so that could be provoking your symptoms. "You've been busy and you still bother to call, you should talk to him. Didn't you say that he was really distant recently."

Actually, you were both distant, work had a lot to do, but also the fact that you couldn't take it anymore. Even when you acted like a couple, not being able to express the love you had for each other was a real deal breaker.

The days that you felt like telling him how much you missed him, you stayed away. The days he felt like telling you how beautiful you were, he looked away. The days where you felt like finally telling each other how much you loved the other, you both parted away.

You weren't ready to be fond of him, yet. Even though you already had strong feelings for him. What if something happened and you ended up heartbroken? You weren't a conventional couple, you were arranged married, and your fears were so big that you were incapable of getting too comfortable with him.

The sound of the telephone hanging was just the thing you needed. The way your mom called once again was not a surprise to you, but it was still tiring.

"How can you be so incompetent, so stupid?!"

"You are such a failure, I don't know how you still work here?"

"Such a high position in the company and you're still a fucking idiot!"

"You look really pale, Y/N. Do you need me to bring you something to eat, drink?" "Do you think you can bring me a peppermint lemonade, Haewonie?" She nodded as you muttered a 'thank you'.

The sound of your fingers touching the keyboard was enough to cause you a big headache. You knew you could continue at home, but things were too tense there for you to peacefully work at any space of the house.

"Here's your lemonade." "Thanks, Haewon." Your hand grabbed the lemonade, taking a quick sip, enjoying the flavor of sweet peppermint, but sour lemons.

"With Hanni and Isa we are going to a brand new restaurant that they opened last week. We heard that they have great caviar and side dishes. You should come with us, have a girl's night, get your mind free from work and from everything going on at home."

You thought about it, and it sounded really fun, but the least that you wanted was to go out and then remember that you had a lot of work to do.

"I would love to, but I have a lot of papers to check on, and I need to get everything ready for the next meeting. You know that I would go if I could." "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll make sure that next time you are completely free so we can all be together."

You nodded, thanking her for being understanding.

By the end of the day, you drove your car towards your home, with eyes heavy and a tremendous nausea that was also brought to you with dizziness.

You pulled the car away from the road as you felt a curious vile rise up your throat wanting to escape your mouth.

The car door was flung open with desperation, your feet touched the grass as you felt the vile free itself out of your mouth and go straight into the natural floor.

You gagged as you felt how the remains of your food choked you. You felt as if the air was being cut out for you and that you would stop breathing at any moment.

As you finished, you let out a sharp breath and wiped your mouth with the end of your sleeve.

A few tears fell down your cheeks and blurred your view. The thought of sitting right beside your car became true, you let your legs rest on the ground and the back of your head felt the cold material of the vehicle.

It was such a weird feeling, you'd never thrown up before ever since you were eight years old. You started to analyze how your health had deteriorated a few weeks ago, you thought it was just a bug, or maybe it was just the huge amount of work that was causing problems on your body.

You kept on saying that you needed to rest and that you would do it, but that never happened and you always postponed it.

With the little strength that you had, you managed to get to your car and let your head fall against the driver seat. You felt a little bit relieved as you felt the nausea wave get out of your body.

It took you about fifteen minutes to take a turn back home. You drove back slowly, trying your best to prevent your stomach from getting upset.

When you reached home, you noticed that Jay's car wasn't there yet, which meant that he wasn't back home.

You felt your muscles relaxed as you felt the water coming from the shower fall into your shoulders. You got into a comfy pink sweater and a pair of shorts that made your skin fuzzy. And you combed your wet hair feeling a sudden pressure at the side of your head.

The fingertips of your hands applied some weight into your head trying to stop the possible migraine that was bothering your tired body.

You went through the night trying to distract yourself from the discomfort that you felt the whole day. Even let your phone ring a few times trying to call Jay, but he never actually answered.

You didn't feel that much appetite, so you avoided making dinner for yourself and just focused on your husband's.

But you waited for him to get home, and even though the time passed he still wasn't there with you. And that was maddening, because the only thing that you wanted was him to be there.

The clock was pointing at 11:46, and just by then Jongseong was arriving. The sound of the door closing woke you up, you had fallen asleep on the couch.

At least my headache's gone.

Jay noticed that the lights were on, he knew that you were waiting for him. He didn't want you to do that, you had enough at work and you needed to rest. At least, one of you had to be well-rested.

You rubbed your eyes in an attempt to draw the sleepiness away from your body. The numb feeling, soon running away from your limbs.

He reached the living room, the first thing he saw was your exhausted figure. Jay wondered why you were still awake… Did you wait for him?

"Hey, why are you still up?" Jay put his bag down beside one of the sofas.

Even the question was maddening. He was back at home so late and you waited for him even though you had been so distant.

"I was waiting for you to arrive."

Jay sighed with disappointment. "You shouldn't be waiting for me." He blurted out, which kind of confused you. "Why?"

He smirked in annoyance, he wasn't annoyed at you, or maybe he was.

Jay wanted you to admit that you loved him, just as much as you wanted him to do the same for you. He wanted to break the cycle of lies, he wanted to stop pretending that he didn't love you. Why did you both have to lie to each other?

Because it was so obvious that you couldn't tolerate it anymore.

"Y/N, why are you acting like you actually care about me?"

You furrowed your brows in confusion, also in annoyance… How could he say that? And why would he believe that?

Hadn't you shown how much you cared for him?! Wasn't all you had done for him enough?

You couldn't believe what he was saying.

"What are you saying? Have I actually not shown how much I care about you?!" You kept your voice at a normal level, you tried not to raise your voice, you tried your best to take the situation away from the worst. "Stop lying, Belle! We know that we are both liars in this situation!"

"And that's what maddens me, because we fake every single thing as if our marriage came out of a normal situation."

Your breath shrieked in despair, as your heart continued to crumble as if it was a piece of paper that you could ruin. Why are you doing this to me? That was the only thought that could go through your mind.

Tears threatened to escape your eyes, you looked to the side trying to prevent them from going any further.

Jay just stepped up closer to you, his own heart breaking as well, just as it was beating against his chest.

He was nervous...

He was scared.

All because he felt that things were falling apart.

"You said that you didn't want to get married to me if I didn't love you… But you are still here."

Jay's hand was placed on your chin, his whispers were enough to break you, to tear you apart in a million pieces.

"I asked you if you loved me… you said no, but you never asked if I loved you." You tried to hold in your sobs, but your shaky breaths betrayed you.

Something inside you was falling apart in rage. Where was all of this coming from?

Why was he telling you all of this? Why now?

"You've already proven me why I shouldn't have asked…" You spat your words in fury. "You are asking me if I actually care about you, but…"

"Have you ever actually cared about me?"

You grabbed his hand and slowly got it away from your chin. If you ever feared about being heartbroken, now you are more afraid about what would happen next instead of what would happen in the moment.

"Y/N." Just hearing your name slip out of his tongue shattered your heart into pieces. He was heartbroken as well, he was hurt and he was more than afraid, he was terrified.

He was disappointed with himself.

"Get your shit together, Jay."

The remainder of the night was tense, it was quiet and a little bit disturbing. Jay couldn't sleep, he knew that he'd messed up and he fully understood why you were mad at the moment.

He completely let himself go because of the hardship that he was feeling. Jay hated it, he despised that he knew that you loved him, but you wouldn't say, and he also despised the fact that he knew how much he loved you but he wouldn't say anything.

Was this how it was going to be forever?

Pretending that you didn't have feelings for the other just because you didn't want to get hurt. For some reason, that decision was the best that you could ever take, at least that's what you both thought.

Nobody will get hurt if something happens.

That's just bullshit!

As he wrecked his head with thoughts, you laid on the sofa, with a navy blue blanket covering your body. The least that you wanted was to sleep in the same bed as Jay, you didn't need that at the moment.

Throughout the night, you thought about your relationship with Jay. You've known each other ever since you were kids, and you love him with your whole heart, he made you feel things that you never thought that you could feel, the thought of marrying him was far from your mind, but when your families engaged you, something inside of you thought that you could make things work, you wanted a future with him, but at the same time you feared that loving him would break you at some point, all because it wasn't at your own will and it wasn't that you married at each other because of love.

The problem was, that if you kept up pretending you didn't love him, you would just hurt each other, and it was already happening.

You didn't notice at what time the morning came, your body shut down the moment that those thoughts hit your head. The sound of the air conditioner going off got to your senses, you pulled the blanket off your body, and your neck was stiffened from the uncomfortable position that you slept on.

The cold floor sent shivers down your spine as your feet made contact with the tiles, you got up, walking immediately towards the bathroom near the living room. You walked quickly trying your best to avoid Jay, but also trying your best to keep the vile that was rising up your throat.

You reached the bathroom, hitting your knees with the cold tiles as you threw up inside the bowl, something that you found impossible because your stomach was empty.

A huff escaped your mouth, you cleaned your lips with the back of your forearm, getting up with weak legs to walk towards the sink. A sudden but quick ring consumed your ears, and it left as fast as it came, your senses were altered, almost distressed.

You didn't understand a single thing of what was happening with your body, but your mind always came up with the same answer.

It's just stress, you thought, you brushed your teeth. Your limbs were wobbly, almost numb… But you still made your way to the kitchen after you finished washing your mouth.

The feeling that somebody was close to you, came in. Your heart leaped when you saw Jay in the kitchen, his almost tan skin came across your mind, he always had that scent every time he was close.

He always smelled elegant, luxurious, even mysterious sometimes.

It felt like a temptation being so close to him. And the way you sat on the counter chair was not helping, you bounced your barefoot leg as you looked at the material of the kitchen aisle, not wanting to look at him.

But still, you could feel the heat of his skin near you.

"Drink some water, you need to stay hydrated if you are losing fluids." He left a glass of water beside your arm, on the counter. You didn't even dare to look at him, but by the sound of the furniture moving, you could see what he was going to do. "Do you have a stomach bug or something? Have you gotten that chec-"

"I don't know why you're asking me this? I thought you didn't care." You raised your head to look at him, his sharp eyes looking into yours, making you want to look away.

"Y/N, I didn't mean to make you feel that way. You know that I do care about you." He said trying to get a hold of your arm, but you pulled away from him.

Deep down you knew that he did, he cared and he cared more than what he showed you, but you couldn't be like this anymore, continuing a lie that would only hurt the both of you.

"Something inside of me tells me that you do. But you are so distant, and we keep on lying to each other as if that is going to solve anything, and we both know that isn't doing anything anymore." Jay sat straight after hearing your words.

"Jay… I, Why do I keep feeling like this isn't working out?." Jay stood up from his seat, he was impressed with your words, words that he didn't want to hear. "W-What do you mean?"

"We are hurting each other and that's the least that I want, and I know you feel the same… But we are so blinded by each others' company that we haven't noticed that we truly aren't doing anything for our relationship, and that says a lot." "I thought that maybe we could make it work, but I feel like I'm in the wrong, here."

Were you saying that you wanted to be away from him? Was he truly hurting you that bad?

Jay's mind was completely wrecked, he clenched his jaw trying to keep away his tears, just as you… he wanted to make things work, because he truly did see a future by your side.

You were all he wanted.

He was all you wanted.

But if that was what you wished, then he wasn't going to say otherwise, because that's how much he loved you.

"Maybe you are right, maybe this isn't working out, because I really don't wanna hurt you and I know that you don't want to hurt me."

Your heart broke, because you truly weren't expecting him to agree with you, you wanted him to fight for you and finally tell you how much he loved you, but your mind knew that he was going to agree with you.

"Being together just feels wrong at this point."

"But what if we make it work out." He said hopeful. "I don't know, Jay."

Your heart hit your chest with intensity, you were still hoping that things would get better, but at that point it just felt something completely impossible.

To be clear, you had to continue with your day as if nothing happened, pretending that your relationship wasn't crumbling down and your heart wasn't shattered into a million pieces.

Heeseung kept looking at your saddened expression, knowing that you were down, and he kept an eye on you throughout the ride to the office.

He asked a few times if you were okay, but you always responded with a smile, repeating that you were fine.

Even Juni noticed your state, you felt numb and confused, if you truly loved someone how could you suggest such thing. Maybe it was because you simply couldn't tolerate the fact that you were being lied to.

In comparison to you, Jay was stressed. He didn't want things to go this way, you were everything that he dreamed of, and ever since he was a kid, he imagined a future with you. Yes, he was in a relationship with you, but it wasn't what he had always wished for.

He wanted to be one of the reasons you smiled, not one of the reasons why you hurt. Jay couldn't concentrate on his work, and he couldn't stop thinking about how hungry he was. Shit, he truly did miss your cooking!

You placed a foot on your doorstep and you felt the need to throw up, it was becoming a normal occurrence, it had happened twice at work, and that was the second time you did it at home ever since the morning.

The sink water was heavy for your stomach, but really cool and nice for your face, you washed it a few times, before finally heading out of the bathroom and getting into some comfier clothes.

It felt so nice when you got off your pleaded skirt and your white shirt, your tennis shoes were also a little bit tight, but you didn't pay that much attention to it.

Just when you were rising up your shorts, the bedroom door opened, revealing a tired Jay, trying to take off his tie. He turned his head to the right out of impression, feeling a little bit nervous .

Embarrassed, you quickly pulled your shorts up, lowering your head in a timid manner, before heading towards the door. "Sorry, I shouldn't even be ashamed, but this is very uncomfortable."

"Don't be sorry, I should've knocked." You brushed his fingers in reassurance. "None of us should be sorry, we've seen each other naked, anyways." You mentioned the last thing, in an attempt to make things better.

Jay looked in your way, just as you started to let go of your shyness. You noticed how his tie was hanging lower, and some of the buttons of his shirt were open, showing a little bit of his chest and the marks of his clavicles. He saw your black hair covering some parts of your arms, tank top that showed a slight part of your abdomen, and the cotton gray shorts that covered your thighs.

His skin looked beautiful with the dim warm light of your bedroom, and his fingers slightly brushed with your skin. You didn't notice that you were so close to him, how his gaze softened when he looked into your eyes and you noticed the little line at the middle of his lower lip, you always liked it, he had it since he was in high school.

Jay felt the blood rushed through his veins as he felt you closer to him. You could only think that if those were going to be the last days that you spent together as a "normal" couple, you should at least be able to feel his skin a few more times.

"Why do I keep feeling that this is wrong?" He murmured, as you got so close that you could feel his warmth breath. "At least, if I'm going to hurt while we are together, I wanna do it right." You whispered in his ear, looking at him once again. "I don't want you to hurt, Belle." His hand caressed your cheek, pretty fingers lingering on your skin. "But I want you to love my body, as if you just hurt me."

There had always been a difference between lust and love, even though you both didn't express the love for the other, you always felt a feeling of lust towards him, just like he did for you.

Maybe your relationship wasn't working out, but you felt a magnetic reaction towards him, something that made you look his way even if things were going wrong.

That was the lustful feeling that consumed your body.

"...At least just tonight, Jay." You whispered, knowing deep down that if you had sex with him that night, it would become a cycle until you finally came to a conclusion of what you wanted to do with your relationship. Your breath was hitched, as the air going through your lungs was heavy and slow. "You sure that's what you want?"

You felt his lips brush against your forehead, his palm making contact with your wrist.

"Yes."

His lips kissed your forehead, just for him to go down and focus on your neck, he gave tender kisses on that area of your skin, sometimes he sucked the points that he knew were sensitive.

You could only grab the ends of his hair as you felt those nice sensations, and how some of your senses started to blur a little.

Sometimes, your tummy felt butterflies flying around as he kept a hand on your neck, now paying full attention to the soft flesh of your lips, kissing them hard, leaving them red and kinda swollen.

You leaned on a wall, letting all of the feelings come to you, his kisses, how his hand was grabbing your neck, while the other kept itself on your waist.

Your tricky hands grabbed his tie, looking into his eyes knowing very well that his heart had just skipped a beat just like yours already did. You somehow undid his tie, throwing it to the side, and then proceeded to unbutton the rest of his shirt, leaving the top of his chest uncovered, his pretty skin glowing because of the beads of sweat.

"You are going to be the end of me, Belle." Jay whispered, kissing you once again, keeping his hand in your neck, as you placed yours on his shoulders, slowly taking his blazer off, letting it fall on the floor.

That night, you knew that this was going to be a common occurrence until one of you had to break off the relationship.

Because the morning after that, Jay offered to take you to your office, just for you to hook up in the car before he finally drove you off to your workplace.

When you arrived back home, you would both make out as if it was the last time that you would see the other.

You hurt most of the time, feeling that this was the most that you could have with, sexual intimacy just to compensate for the hurt that you felt, and the sadness that would consume you.

For the next few weeks, this was your new normal, you would both have a few words before you finally had intimacy. And clearly, to be honest, Jay's heart ached with sorrow, but also passion.

How was it that you could make your intimacy work, but not your relationship?

That's what he always wondered for the past few weeks.

A few days before your family reunion, you arrived home late, and you noticed that Jay was there already, his car parked on the sideway.

When you entered the house, you took off your shoes at the entrance. You brushed your hands with your skirt, because of how could it was outside, you threw up on your way back to your house, so the air had definitely affected a little bit of your body

Then, you heard it.

"I really don't want to get a divorce, but I feel like this isn't working out."

Jay wanted to say how much it hurt him that he could feel your body with every single touch, but not your heart.

"Y/N said she knew things weren't working out, and I know she's hurting because of me, and that's the opposite that I want for her."

"I want her to be happy and to not stick to a relationship that will only burn us down."

You didn't know what was worse, the fact that your relationship was now based on just sex, because you wanted a part of him to be with you, or was it the fact that Jay wanted you away from his life completely.

What hurt more was the fact that he mostly was doing it because of you, and you weren't going to beg for him to stay, because you knew that you needed to be apart.

"You want a divorce?"

Jay heard your fragile voice coming from the living room, he knew there was no turning back now.

He hung up the phone, surprised by you and your sorrowful expression.

"Y/N…"

"You don't have to say anything, I understand." You would be lying if you said that your heart wasn't shattered, and that there weren't tears slipping down your cheeks.

Until then, you would love your bodies, as if you had just hurt the other.

That's what you thought it would be.

Because you both just did.

#enhypen imagines #enhypen oneshots #enhypen 02z #enhypen au #enhypen ot7 #jay enhypen #sunghoon enhypen #jake enhypen #enhypen jay fluff #enhypen jay imagines #enhypen jay angst #enhypen angst #enhypen fluff #enhypen headcanons #enhypen sunghoon fluff #enhypen sunghoon imagines #enhypen jake fluff #enhypen jake imagines #enhypen jake angst #enhypen heeseung imagines #enhypen hyung line #enhypen #enhypen smau #enhypen jay #enhypen sunghoon #enhypen jungwon #enhypen heeseung #enhypen jake #enhypen sunoo #enhypen niki

[bratzforchris]

helloooo :) could you write a dom!luke with fem!reader where luke gets the idea of recording your moans while fucking and trying to get them sampled into a song and it’s just like really hardcore sex and stuff??

Five Sauce

꒰ ⊹ ˚ Summary — What starts as goofing off with your bandmates ends in something much, much more (Kinktober Day 17)

Pairing — 5sos (dom!ash, dom!cal, switch!luke, sub!michael) x female and band member!reader

Word Count — 3.3k

Content Warnings — Smut, group hookup, strong language, doggy style with multiple members, missionary, oral (m and f receiving), spanking every so often, handjobs, overstimulation, sub punishment by dom, orgasm denial, overall filth :3

Note — Well, I definitely strayed from this prompt a bit, but I hope you love it anyways! Please request in my ask box if you'd like the same thing, but solo Luke centric. I figured this counted as some good ole' hardcore smut >:> Also, please note that my writing does not reflect 5 Seconds of Summer in real life in any shape or form. This is for entertainment only.

DNI under 18 please :)

♡

“You’ve actually never had a threesome, Y/N?” Calum asked you. “No offense, but you’re kinda a whore.” he laughed. 

“Shut up,” You said, throwing a pillow towards him. “Some of us aren’t kinky fucks.”

“I mean, he didn’t lie.” Luke shrugged. 

You chuckled, kissing Luke’s cheek. Luke was definitely your closest thing to a partner, but there was definitely some erotic tension within the band. You’d shared makeouts with all, and sometimes two of, the boys, but you hadn’t done anything further than that with anyone besides Luke. 

“Who here thinks Y/N should have a threesome or moresome?” Michael asked, ever the kinky one. 

The band was currently over at Ashton’s house, trading song ideas and lyrics for the upcoming album, CALM. Somehow, probably because of the talk over Wildflower, the topic of conversation had changed from the album to sex. You didn’t mind, if anything, you rather enjoyed it. You’d been in the kink scene for a while, and the talk of having a hookup with more than one person excited you. 

“Oh, I absolutely do,” Ashton said finally, gnawing on his lip. “She needs it.” 

“Says who?” You asked. “You?”

Luke snorted. “You know Ashton loves to be in control.” 

“I dunno, Luke. You weren’t saying that after the Youngblood release party,” Calum scooted closer to the blond. “I definitely wrote ‘I love the way you’re screaming my name’ about that.”

Luke flushed, burying his face in your side. You knew he hooked up with the other guys every now and then, and for some reason, the thought turned you on more than it annoyed you. The blond was more often your dom than your sub, and the idea of him submitting to someone else was a very pretty image. 

“Fine,” You said, cutting right to the chase. “I’ll do it. But you guys have to help.” You chuckled, watching as their faces dropped. 

“Are you actually serious right now?” Michael asked, his dick hardening at the scene that was practically dangling in front of his face. 

“I am,” You nodded solemnly. “What? You guys are hot. Just because you’re my bandmates doesn’t mean I can’t say that.”

Michael moaned, laying himself on top of you and Luke, placed perfectly so that you could both feel his raging hard-on. “That’s so fuckin’ hot.”

“You’re a slut, Michael.” Calum chuckled before leaning in to softly suckle on Michael’s pale, milky neck while using his right hand to slowly palm Luke’s lap. 

The scene in front of you was already making your pussy throb with excitement and you crossed your legs, watching it unfold. Before you knew it, Ashton had come to sit beside you on his large, L-shaped couch. 

“Not participating in the fun, Y/N?” he asked you. “This is about you, y’know.” he hummed in your ear, voice husky. 

“Oh,” You moaned softly as Ashton ran his hand up and down your thigh. “Um.”

Michael and Luke looked at you when they heard you moan. Being a bit more sublike than Ashton and Calum, they were eager to please you. Luke pulled slightly away from Calum, just enough to run his tongue across your jawline and lips, slowly inserting into your mouth and beginning to make out with you. By this point, all five of you were touching each other somehow; the whole scene was definitely leading to something more, hence why Ashton stood up suddenly, hands on hips. 

“Luke, Michael, Y/N. Bedroom, now. We’ll be with you in a minute.” he said, nodding towards Calum and asserting his “dom” voice that you’d heard stories about. 

Michael immediately scampered off, eager to have someone dom him and take control, but you and Luke hung back a bit, eyeing each other. 

“Are you two deaf?” Calum asked. “Go.”

“What if I wanna dom?” Luke asked as he licked his lips, ever the brat. 

“Gee, Luke,” Ash hummed nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t want to have to punish you in front of Y/N, now would I?”

Luke blushed a bright pink, looking over at you. “I promise I’m a switch.”

“Yeah, like 20% of the time,” Calum snorted. “Now go.”

You both looked at each other and giggled a bit. You took the blond’s hand and led him to Ashton’s large master bedroom. Your face was already flushed and your sex was throbbing at the thought of watching Luke get punished by either Ashton or Calum. Michael had already propped himself up with a few silken pillows, completely naked and panting heavily as he tried to refrain from touching himself. 

“You really are a pro at being a whore, aren’t you?” You asked him. 

Michael nodded his head, whining softly. “Mmmmm, Luke.” he moaned. 

Luke laid down on the bed, patting the spot next to him for you to sit down. “Awww, you want me to fuck you and have Y/N watch? Wanna get humiliated in front of the hot girl?” he asked, trailing his fingers up and down Michael’s bare thighs. 

The green eyed-boy nodded, looking up at Luke through his lashes. “Uh huh.”

You blushed, kissing Luke’s neck. “Go on. Do it. Humiliate him.” You smirked. 

Luke turned towards you, pausing his seducing of Mike. “You need to be a good girl first. Strip.” he commanded.

You bowed your head and slowly pulled off your shirt, making sure Luke and Michael were watching. After you had tugged your shirt off, you turned your back so that Luke could unclasp your bra. Once he had done so, Luke tugged off his own clothes, eyeing both you and Michael in a seductive way.

“Help please?” You asked him in a sultry voice, fluttering your lashes. 

Luke smirked, landing a smack to your ass before undoing your bra and tossing it onto Michael. “Good fuckin’ girl.”

You blushed and then slid your pants off, doing the same thing with your underwear. Within just a few seconds both your panties and your bra were draped across Michael. The whole scene was like something out of a porn, and you knew that Ashton and Calukm would definitely be mad, but that wasn’t stopping the three of you. 

“Kneel, Y/N.” Luke said, denying Michael of any attention that he was so desperately whining and moaning for. 

You immediately did as Luke asked, blushing. “Yes sir.”

Luke eyed you up and down one time before smirking. “Good girl. Now watch.”

He turned to Michael and began to palm his dick, leaving hickeys across the boy’s pale, milky tummy. You couldn’t help but to feel turned on by the scene, your stomach tightening as you watched Luke’s fingers work Michael’s dick. Michael began to moan, throwing his head back and wiggling against the sheets. 

“I know you can do it.” Luke told Michael as he pumped him harder.

You were practically ready to cum yourself as you watched Michael grip handfuls of the sheets in hands as he tried so desperately not to release. Luke wasn’t showing the green eyed boy any mercy and it was hot. 

“Oh god, Luke.” he whimpered. 

“Ah ah, be good for Y/N.” Luke told him. 

Michael whined, wriggling and thrusting his hips. You crossed your legs and bit your lips, knowing you would be next for Luke if you didn’t listen. Even if he was a switch, Luke always pushed you as a dom, but you loved it. Finally, Luke decided he’d had enough of torturing Michael. He gave him one last thrust of the hand before speaking. 

“Go ahead, honey. Show Y/N how pretty you are when you cum.” Luke taunted, running his pointer finger down Michael’s tear-stained cheek. 

He didn’t need to be told twice; Michael immediately let go, covering his tummy and thighs, as well as Luke’s chest in thick, white ropes of cum. The boy panted as he rode out his high, grasping onto Luke’s forearms. 

“Huh huh…” he panted. “Thank you.” he moaned tiredly, smiling up at Luke a sleepy, fucked out smile. 

“You’re welcome. Good boy.” Luke cooed, kissing his forehead. 

When you heard Luke talk like that, you immediately let out a moan, crawling across the mountain of sheets towards him. “Need you.” You whimpered. 

“Did I tell you you could move?” Luke asked, raising a brow. 

You shook your head, looking down at the bed. “No, I’m sorry.”

Luke lifted your chin in his hand, glaring down at you. “You will ask me for permission in the future.”

You nodded, a blush speckling your cheeks. “I understand.”

“I think you need a little punishment, honey.” Luke said, as he bent to reach into Ashton’s nightstand. 

Despite this not being his house, there had been many hookups in this room, and Luke knew exactly where Ashton kept his condoms. He retrieved one from the drawer, pulling it out of the wrapper and rolling it onto Michael’s still erect cock. The blond nodded between you two before sitting back and crossing his arms. 

“Well. Since you two wanted to be so naughty, go for it. I’ll join in when I feel like it.” Luke said with a sneer. 

You and Michael looked at each other, before the green-eyed boy eventually bounded across the king sized bed to you. 

“You’re so pretty, Y/N.” he whispered, dipping his head. 

“On top.” You commanded Michael, knowing that would leave a way for Luke to join in which you so desperately wanted. 

He slowly did as you asked, sliding himself between your wet folds and jerking back instantly, in an almost teasing way. “Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect.” You panted out, so beyond horny. 

Suddenly, Michael slammed into you in a way that you didn’t know he was capable of. He began to ride you, moaning loudly and throwing his head back. You quickly joined in, the tightness of your pussy and the way Michael looked so pretty looking down at you making you so much more sensitive than usual. 

Before long, you were already near orgasm. His hips continued to grind into yours, the sound of his balls hitting your ass echoing around the room. You wondered what Ashton and Calum were doing that they hadn’t heard what was going on, but right now, you didn’t care. 

“Oh,” You whimpered. “Oh Mike. Gonna cum.” 

“Not yet,” Luke said out of the blue, straddling Michael’s hips from behind. “You’re not cumming until I say so. Both of you.”

The blond immediately slammed into Michael’s pretty, pink hole with no lube or condom, making the boy cry out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. The scene was like something out of a pornographic film. Michsel was topping you, panting heavily as Luke edged him, all three of you letting out sensual, seductive moans, whimpers, and pants. 

“Gonna cum.” You and Michael cried at nearly the same time. 

Luke was also nearing his climax, but he was much more skilled at holding his in and being edged than you two were. 

“Go ahead, Y/N. Cum for…” Michael’s sentence was interrupted by the door flying open. 

“What is this?” Calum asked, surveying the scene. 

Luke immediately pulled out of Michael and kneeled, looking down at the bed. “‘M sorry…” he whispered. 

Michael did the same with, quickly covering himself with the sheets and hiding his face in a throw pillow. You straightened up, trying oh-so-desperately to clench your legs. The way the boys had interrupted you three was perhaps the cruelest form of edging there was. 

“Save it, Luke. You know what happens to naughty boys.” Ashton sneered, sitting down on the bed and giving Luke’s blond curls a slight tug. 

Luke whined, his head becoming fuzzy as he slipped into subspace. Michael was already in his headspace, but the way Calum, who was his regular dom, was looking at him made him sink further and further in.

“I think Luke and Michael need to watch,” Ash stated. “I know they’re the ones that started it. They’re just little sluts, right boys?”

Luke nodded his head slowly, blushing. “Yes, sir.”

Michael didn’t speak, but nodded his head, giggling softly.

“Good job,” Ash patted each of their knees before roughly grabbing your hips and pulling you closer to him. “As for you.”

He began to make out with you passionately, pinning you to the bed as Calum stroked your inner thighs, exciting your nerves. You had never gone further than a drunken makeout with either of the boys, but you were so horny and so close to cumming at the current moment that they were absolutely turning you on. 

“Look at her,” Calum said, placing kisses on your thighs. “So desperate for a cock.”

You moaned into Ashton's kisses, tugging on Calum’s curls. The entire scene was beyond hot. All five of you were spread out across Ashton’s large bed. Luke and Michael were sitting at the foot of it, completely naked and trying not to touch themselves as they watched the doms make out with you. Calum was caressing your thighs with both his hands and his lips, kissing along your slit ever so teasingly. 

Ashton had your arms pinned to the bed and was heatedly making out with you, every so often tugging on your hair. “You want me, baby? Want me cock inside your pretty little pussy?”

You whimpered and nodded, tensing and clenching your legs as Calum hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Oh…”

“I’ll save the best for last. Let Cal have his fun. You two,” he nodded over at Luke and Michael. “Get cleaned up and in pajamas. You’re going to bed without getting off, sweets. That’s what happens when you get Y/N in trouble.” Ashton’s tone was firm, but he did press a kiss to Luke and Michael’s forehead as they trudged into the bathroom. 

Ashton leaned back against the headboard and pulled his shirt off, smirking to himself as he watched Calum’s tongue edge closer and closer to your opening. The raven-haired boy crouched fully and slowly began to run his tongue along your folds, licking over your clit. 

If there was one thing Calum was famous for in the bedroom, it was not giving a warning. He began to eat out without a word, tongue thrusting in and out of your hole and going over your clit. You locked your legs around his head, crying out. 

“Cal. Feels so good.” You nearly hollered. 

He smirked, lifting his head up so he could speak. “Need to cum already, princess?”

You nodded your head, gripping the sheets and throwing your head back, deep, throaty moans eliciting from your mouth. 

“Not a chance.” he smirked, landing a smack to your ass as he ate you out faster and harder. 

By this point, tears were practically streaking down your cheeks. The lingering feeling of being edged earlier, combined with how good Calum’s tongue felt against your sensitive nerves was pushing you over the edge. 

“Please, need to cum.” You cried. 

“I know you can hold it, baby girl.” he moaned, the vibrations just feeding the feeling even more. 

You shoved your face into your hand as you cried, bucking your hips up. Calum was just making you feel so, so good that your brain was overloaded. “Please.”

Eventually, Calum decided he’d had his fun with you. You’d been such a good girl, and for that, you deserved to cum. “Go ahead, baby. Cum all over my face.” he hummed. 

You immediately did as told, thrusting closer to him as you let go, your cum coating his face. Calum lifted his head up and smirked, wiping the cream from his eyes. “Good fuckin’ girl. She’s a good one, Ash.” he said to his bandmate as he pulled off his shirt. 

You blushed, dipping your head as you caught your breath. “Thank you.”

Ashton smirked, practically ripping off his pants after seeing what a good sub you were. “I want you to watch while I have my fun, Cal. Enjoy yourself.” he chuckled. 

Although Calum was also a dom, Ashton had fallen into the role of lead dom for this particular scene. The brown-eyed boy removed his clothes when Ashton spoke, ready to get off on the scene unfolding before his eyes. 

The honey blond removed his pants before towering over your exhausted frame on his knees. You blushed as you eyed him up and down, staying a minute on his dick. He was much bigger than Luke and Michael and as you glanced over, bigger than Calum as well. 

“Suck.” Ashton demanded. 

You moved yourself to your knees, kneeling before Ashton and fluttering your lashes up at him. “Okay.” You smiled shyly. 

You put his tip in your mouth, running your tongue over the head. Slowly, you took more and more of Ashton’s cock into your mouth. You were bobbing your head and sucking him off rhythmically, giving him quite good head. Eventually, you reached the back of your throat and tried not to gag. The last bit of Ashton’s ten inch dick that you couldn’t fit in your mouth you began to pump with your right hand. 

“Good girl.” Ashton moaned, throwing his head back. 

You began to bob your head faster and harder, matching the erotic noises coming from Calum’s mouth beside you as he got himself off. By this point, Michael and Luke had returned from the bathroom where they had cleaned themselves up and were watching the current threesome with wide eyes. They were so used to being dommed by Ashton and Calum that although they weren’t getting fucked themselves, watching them fuck you was a treat in itself. 

“Oh baby, makin’ me feel so good.” Ash said, tugging on your hair and wiggling his hips.

You looked up at him and tried to smile, giving him one last suck as you felt his dick twitch, indicating his need to cum. 

“Gonna cum, Y/N.” he panted. 

Ashton pulled your hair tightly one more time before releasing, all of his cum shooting down your throat. You pulled off his dick, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand and smiling. You were absolutely exhausted and the feeling of Ashton’s cum coating your throat was making you feel beyond good. 

“Thank you.” You whispered. 

“You’re such a good girl,” Ashton cooed, kissing your forehead. 

Just as he said that, Calum reached his own climax and came in his hand, moaning loudly. He smirked as he realized the other four of you had just watched him get off and based by the lustful looks in all of your eyes, you had enjoyed it. 

“That’s so hot…” Luke whispered, blue eyes wide. 

Ashton pulled a pack of baby wipes out of his nightstand and pulled a few out before passing the pack to Luke. “Help with aftercare, sweet boy.”

The blond began to wipe down Calum’s chest and hand, leaving kisses along his tanned body as Michael wrapped him in a cuddle. Ashton did the same for you, wiping down your mouth and chest, making sure to praise you and leave kisses all over your body. He quickly wiped himself down before laying down and pulling you into his chest. 

You two scooted over to where Michael, Luke, and Calum were laying. “Band cuddle,” You giggled sleepily. “Thank you guys. For helping me have my first group hookup.” You chuckled. 

“We should get Y/N’s moans sampled into a song,” Luke suggested. “That would sell so many fuckin’ records.”

You giggled softly, leaning over and planting a kiss on his cheek. “I love you guys. All of you.” 

You got a chorus of “I love you, Y/N”’s back, which made you feel so warm inside. You and this band had had nothing but love for each other for the past nine years. Now, you were finally getting to show it in more ways than one, and you couldn’t be happier. 

#kinktober avery style #5sos #5sos smut #5 seconds of summer smut #ashton irwin #michael clifford #luke hemmings #calum hood #5 seconds of summer #fanfic #5sos fanfic #luke 5sos #calum 5sos #michael 5sos #ashton 5sos #michael 5 seconds of summer #the 5sos show tour #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings imagines #luke hemmings fanfiction #michael clifford x you #michael clifford x reader #michael clifford smut #michael clifford imagines #calum hood imagines #calum 5 seconds of summer #calum imagine #calum smut #calum hood smut

[bartxnhood]

teardrops on my guitar | l.h

luke hemmings x songwriter!fem!reader

summary: your feelings for your friend go unnoticed, but one night you finally told the world how you felt through your music.

warnings: unrequited love :’(, luke is one oblivious mf !, crying, angst.

a/n: 5sos stans and luke people this one is for you !!! everyone say thank you to the slaysos gc for this beautiful idea. AND YES THIS IS INSPIRED BY TAYLORS SONG. i hope i executed it to your desires. enjoy all my loves !! lyrics will be italicized. feedback is appreciated.

a/n pt2 ALSO this is in no way to hate on sierra, i just couldn’t think of anyone else SO PLS DONT THINK I HATE HER I LOVE HER SM.

read part two here !!

requests open

not proofread

Copyright © 2023 bartxnhood. All rights reserved. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format.

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(this feels kinda rushed but i still hope u guys like it.)

you and luke had been close since grade school, always attached at the hip. wherever he went, you were right there with him. so, when he introduced you to the members of his new band they were forming you made it your mission to be friends with all of them.

whoever luke is friends with, you had to be friends with. it was your law of nature. and by luck, you had to find out you were one hell of a songwriter so of course luke kept you close even as the band took off. often you’d help them with songs. and you grew even closer with the boys, especially calum, creating a very close bond with the boy. only to realize, you had some feelings growing up for your blond best friend.

you don’t know what made you realize that you were indeed falling in love with luke hemmings. maybe it was when he’d lean in too closely and your breath would hitch, taking in all of his beauty, or, it was all of the times he made you laugh without effort.

whatever it was, you were slowly falling for him.

and as you did, 5 seconds of summer took off and were now on tour. it was unreal to you how they gained success but you couldn’t be more proud of the people they were becoming.

while they were out chasing their dreams, you decided to dip your toes into the industry and started to write the songs for your debut album. most of the songs were ways to express your feelings, and once released you did pretty well. a couple of your songs even charged for a few weeks.

time was flying by, you were growing to success following behind your friends.

soon, it was time for their tour and they approached you with the idea that you could open for them. when you first heard of the idea, you declined it. but, calum eventually talked some sense into you

your friendship with calum was a bit unexpected, luke said you’d probably get along with ashton the best, but he was wrong. calum became your right-hand man (behind luke of course). so, after you declined the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity calum talked to you.

“you should reconsider” he started, and you just shook your head. “calum” “no, listen to me” he pointed at you, “you’re good at what you do, you’re talented so please just consider opening for us. they guys want you on your, i want you on tour, y/n.” you stood with your hands on your hips. “okay. fine, i’ll do it. but just for you.” calum grinned.

tour started. it was magical, you were going to places you had never imagined you’d be. it was wonderful, and you continued to thank calum for talking to you and reconsidering. you were able to spend months with your best friends and the boy you were head over heels with.

during soundcheck, the boys would always come to mess around while you sang, oftentimes acting out your songs or ashton would casually drum.

it was memories you’d never forget, from interviews across the world to sleeping in hotels you’d sworn you wouldn’t stay in again. but most importantly, it was fun. you and luke had been closer than ever, thick as thieves. and then, it was coming to an end.

the last stop of the tour, you prepared for your set. your outfit was extravagant compared to previous stops, you wanted to change it up and make it more special. you were about to go on, but luke stopped you. “y/n?” you turned around, and he smiled “you look beautiful. knock ‘em dead, gorgeous.” you felt your cheeks warm up, “thanks, lu. i’ll see you after”

after the show, you met with him and he grabbed you into his arms so quickly. “you did amazing! that was the best show i’ve ever seen!” he spun you around, and you laughed. “thank you so much! that was amazing. that crowd is wonderful. you guys will have an amazing show.”

then a week away become a month, a month into a few, and eventually it had been well over a year since all of you actually had time to be together.

it was hard, because not only did you miss you friends but you missed your best friend, the one you loved most.

later, all of you found yourselves living in los angeles and so naturally you all became close again. hanging out every other weekend, and going back to your regular antics. everything was going well for 5 seconds of summer and yourself. you had made a name for yourself in the industry, especially after opening for their tour. you always thanked calum for talking some sense into your thick skull.

but, the more you were around luke, the harder it was to hide your feelings for him.

“y/n?” you jumped, eyes wandering up, and found luke who was standing over you. “guys want coffee, wanna go with me?” you closed your journal, nodding “sure” you smiled.

so, you sat in the car with him in the usual traffic of los angeles, on your phone with light music playing from the radio. “i’ve missed you” he said, you looked up, raising your eyebrow “you saw me last week, lu” “no, like in all the time we were away. i missed you, a lot. it wasn’t the same without you” you smiled, “i missed you too. but hey, we’re together now and i don’t plan on leaving anytime soon”

the car fell silent after, you returned to your phone and luke focused his attention back on the road for some time. “how’s writing going?” he asked, you turned off your phone and let it rest in your lap. “good, i have about half of my songs written. just kinda going through a phase, no inspiration, yknow?” he hummed, “oh, yeah i do” he laughed, looking at you. you smiled back.

there it was, that beautiful smile.

“you’ll get there, it’ll come one day and you’ll be writing for hours. i know how you are” you laughed, luke raised an eyebrow. “you’d know, i learned from the best” luke laughed, shaking his head. “you are something, y/n/n” he teased, “whatever, you love it” you retorted.

“oh, i do love it, and you” luke replied.

for the rest of the day, it was all you could think about. it was such a small thing but you just couldn’t help but get butterflies whenever you thought about it. but then you noticed all the times he was slowly coming around more and how close he would be towards you.

at first, it was subtle. maybe his state would linger just a bit too long, or he’d sit unusually close to you when there was the whole rest of the couch open. then, he began to see you on days you weren’t working together or hanging out with your typical friend group.

then, he’d start to hold your lower back if the two of you were in a public place. you had a little too much to drink that night? he was the first to take you home and stayed with you until you were okay on your own. luke was always glued to your hip, always holding your hand while rubbing his thumb over your knuckles, or his hand resting on your back. it was such a 180 from his usual behavior

everyone around you was talking about how good of a couple you two would be. saying, ‘oh, my god, you guys are like perfect for each other!’

could he possibly like you back?

youngblood was charting number one, so what does one do when one reaches such an achievement? party. ashton decided to hold a party at his place and everyone he knew was invited, including you. luke was your ‘date’ so, he was by your side most of the night like any other get-together. but this night changed things, for the worse.

ashton approached you, luke, and calum with someone following him. “guys!” the man yelled over the loud music. “this is sierra, a new friend of mine. wanted to introduce her” calum shook her hand, saying hello, then she got to you.

she shook your hand smiling, “hi! i’m such a fan, your music is amazing. you’re also so pretty in person!” you smiled, returning her kindness. “thank you so much!” but, when she got to luke you saw his eyes light up.

sierra was a nice girl, very welcoming and sincere. plus, she was probably the prettiest woman you had ever seen. so, who wouldn’t want to know her better?

since that night, luke and sierra hit it off. she was at every gathering with the boys, eventually taking your place in luke’s heart. at first, it didn’t bother you. luke would still hang out with you on his own, he’d still check on you if you got too drunk. but it all started to disappear. luke got distant. but maybe it was you who was pushing him away, knowing you were no match for sierra.

then, it happened.

luke announced that he and sierra had made it official, they were dating now. the guys cheered and all congratulated him, you just stood there in silence. “y/n?” you blinked, coming back to reality. you flashed a smile, “congrats luke!” the blond grinned and hugged you but you didn’t return it.

it was only a matter of time before it just got worse. anytime you’d hang out with them luke was always bringing up sierra. “oh sierra this!” or “oh sierra does that too!” in the beginning, it didn’t bother you, you tried to suppress those feelings because he was now with someone else but it hurt. you couldn’t lie about that.

you wanted him to say that about you, you wanted luke to tell everyone how proud he was that you were his. you just wanted him to see you.

one day, luke asked if he could hang out with you just like the old days. you said yes, of course. so, the two of you sat on the sofa for hours talking about anything and everything.

“i’m proud of you, lu” he shook his head, “you should be proud of yourself too, you help us write it” you shrugged. “just happy to be apart of something as wonderful as that” you smiled.

“you seem happy” luke nodded, “happiest i’ve ever been, y/n/n” you were happy to hear that, his happiness was everything you wanted for him. “sierra..she’s just so amazing, y’know? like i finally got it right. i’m so in love with her.”

oh.

gathering at parties was even worse, he was always holding onto her like she was his most prized possession. so, you found yourself distancing yourself from the group.

calum was the first to notice this, and it worried his heart. you were his closest friend, what was going on in your mind to cause your sudden drift?

you huffed, throwing your pencil down and stood up from your seat, and headed to the door. the constant knocking was getting on your nerves. when you opened the door you saw calum. “cal? what are you doing here?” you asked. “we need to talk”

calum sat across from you on the sofa, his heart heavy with guilt. he said, “where have you been?” you shrugged, “well, calum, i have an album i need to finish so i’m sorry if i’ve been busy trying to wri-“ he cut you off, “no, it isn’t that. because if it was, you would want our help we always wrote as a team” he knew you were lying, calum knew you too well. maybe even better than luke knew you.

you knew it wouldn’t do any good to lie to him, you hesitated, picking at your fingernails. “it’s just..” you didn’t know how to word it properly and you didn’t want to sound crazy. “i love luke..” you finally said, calum laughed “we all love luke.” “no, calum i’m in love with luke” calum froze, his eyes going wide even though he probably knew it himself. “oh..” he whispered. it was all connecting now.

“so, i’m sorry if i’m a little distant now it just really fucking hurts to see someone i love with my entire heart with someone else, and yes i know i should’ve said something. but id rather have him in my life as a friend instead of losing him and never hearing from him.” you were getting a bit emotional now, so calum came closer and hugged you. “it’s okay” he said, rubbing your back. calum wasn’t the best at comforting people but he cared about you and he had hoped it was enough.

“it’ll be okay, just don’t shut me out, okay?” he pulled away to look at you. “you’re strong and you’ll figure this out, and i’ll be by your side for all of it” you nodded, wiping your eyes. “thank you, calum.” you smiled, he nodded. “of course”

after he leaves you sat there for a while, you were left with your emotions. you weren’t sure how long you were there just staring at the wall. you decided that the only way you could deal with your feelings was to write a song to help the feelings go away.

days passed, you went back and forth removing and adding lyrics to the song and eventually took out luke’s name, and inserted a mysterious ’drew’. you kept your songwriting journal close, especially when you were around calum. no one needed to see it, it was for your eyes only. it was just for you to cope with the pain.

eventually, you had finished the song but if you were going to add it to your album, you didn’t know. maybe it’s too personal, or maybe it just wasn’t good enough to be released. it was just for you.

you sat across from calum, tapping your finger against the leather couch of the recording studio and staring down at the book in your lap. “what’s on your mind?” calum proposed, you hummed looking up at him. “i finished a song, i think i’m gonna go to that open mic night and perform it. i haven’t been on stage in a while” you suggested. calum agreed, “i think that’ll be nice. i’ll be there” he grinned, which earned a laugh from you.

you entered the building with your guitar and looked around before finally spotting calum, he grinned walking to you and wrapping his arms around you. “you look great” you chuckled, “thanks, cal. and thank you for showin up” he nodded. “anything for you, i’m excited to see you perform again. it’s been a while” you hummed, “yeah, it has” you agreed, calum patted your back. “break a leg!”

you laughed, walking past him, and headed up the few steps to the small stage, opening the case and getting your guitar out.

“hi everyone” you smiled, sitting against the stool and looking at the small crowd in front of the stage and you saw calum smiling. “so, most of you guys know me, if not i’m y/n. i’ve been writing and performing music for some time now.” you lightly strummed some cords. “some of you may know i have an album coming out soon, but tonight i thought i’d share an unreleased song that i’ve just finished.” you smiled, meeting eyes of a couple of people. “so, yeah. i hope y’all enjoy”

drew looks at me i fake a smile, so he won't see that I want and I'm needing

everything that we should be.

i'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about and she's got everything that I have to live without

drew talks to me i laugh 'cause it's just so funny that i can't even see anyone when he's with me

he says he’s so in love, he’s finally got it right

i wonder if he knows he’s all i think about at night.

you take a breath, about to enter the chorus and then you spot him entering the room, with her. luke spots you, throwing a smile your way but you looked back at calum and continued singing even though you began to get choked up.

he's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar

the only thing that keeps me wishin' on a wishing star

he's the song in the car i keep singing, don't know why i do.

drew walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe?

and there he goes, so perfectly

the kind of flawless I wish I could be

she'd better hold him tight, give him all her love

look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky 'cause

your eyes find luke in the crowd again, his arm wrapped around sierras shoulder, who, was also enjoying your performance.

(pretend y/n sang the whole song lol i didn’t feel like writing it all sorry)

so, I'll drive home alone as I turn off the light

i'll put his picture down and maybe get some sleep tonight

'cause he's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar the only one who's got enough of me to break my heart

he's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do he's the time taken up, but there's never enough

and he's all that I need to fall into

drew looks at me I fake a smile, so he won't see

everyone can tell what you’re singing about is coming from the heart and they’re giving you sympathetic looks. after you finish you quickly excuse yourself outside to take a breather “thank y’all” you smiled, standing up from the stool and leaving the stage as the crowed continued to applaud for you.

luke, for the first time in a while, notices something is wrong so he follows you out. not before cal intercepts, he could see that calum was kinda frustrated. luke asks “what’s going on? is y/n okay? she’s never done that” calum nods. luke sighed and asks “we’ll tell me! what happened?” calum says “think about the song she just sang and then ask her yourself.”

you were behind the building, pacing back and forth trying to stop the overflow of tears pouring from your eyes. “y/n?” you stopped in your tracks hearing the voice, you turned around and met with luke.

upon seeing your disheveled face, his eyes softened. luke asked, “are you alright?” you sighed, chewing on your lip. should you answer him honestly? or continue to lie, which you had gotten pretty damn good at for some time now.

“not really.” you answered. luke took a few steps closer to you and asks, “is that song about someone?” you nodded, but luke still couldn’t figure out why you never told him. he was your best friend since the two of you were just little kids. “why haven’t you told me? who is drew?”

you take a deep breath contemplating telling him, this would be the moment that changed everything. luke sees the hesitation and touches your arm “you can tell me anything you know that, y/n/n” he looks so earnest so you answer “it is about someone and i couldnt tell you because, well, it’s about you.”

luke falls silent, a wave of emotions coursing through his body. he starts to speak a couple times but stops before he can get an actual word out. “i wish you would’ve told me sooner.” luke had always been in love with you way before sierra came into the picture, maybe he just didn’t know how to show it properly. plus, he thought for sure you just saw him as a friend.

at this point, you were crying. tears falling rapidly as he was talking. he says,“do you know how many songs i’ve written about you? hell, you’ve even helped me write some of them.” he took a few steps closer towards you. do you remember when we wrote meet you there? i thought for sure you’d see right through it and know the truth. but you didn’t, and now..now i’m with sierra..” now he was beginning to tear up. “and i—i don’t know. i just wish i’d known sooner”

“luke..i..” you wiped your eyes, it was so hard for you to hear that when you had spent all your life with him only to lose him in the end. “i’m sorry.”

luke shook his head, “no, i’m sorry.”

#luke headcanons #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings fluff #luke hemmings blurb #luke hemming imagines #luke hemmings fanfic #luke hemmings #5sos #5sos smut #5sos x reader #5sos blurb #luke hemmings x you #Spotify #calum imagine #calum hood x reader #calum hood blurbs #calum 5sos #5sos imagine #5sos fanfic #5 second of summer imagines

[daydadahlias]

who are some other fanfic authors you recommend?

ooo!! well in the 5sos fandom, I ofc have to recommend (i indicated the ships for people who I've just Read a bunch of that ship from them not bc it's the only ship they've written):

the court of cake: Molly @burstingsunrise (galacticsugar on ao3), Meg @kaleidoscopeminds (also kaleidoscopeminds on ao3!), Aria @calumthoodshands (also calumthoodshands on ao3), & Emma @crossedwiress (toddamyanderson on ao3)

the league of lashton: Amanda @lifewasradical (also lifewasradical on ao3), Anna @ashtcnirwin (elivigar on ao3), Bella @clumsyclifford (bellawritess on ao3), & Helen @calumcest (softirwin on ao3)

the cashton crew: Maya @calumsash (beecosmic on ao3), Monse @lukemichaelcalumashton (nothingliketherain on ao3), Ashley @ashtonarmpit (thesaltyspice on ao3), & Vicky @myfalsedevotion (FalseDevotion on ao3)

the members of the miscellaneous (people who write a multitude of ships): Hazel @allsassnoclass (also allsassnoclass on ao3), Ri @ryebreadloaf (riibread on ao3), & Megs @igarbagecannoteven (kingscrossinseptember)

and ofc the queen of x reader: Crystal @kindahoping4forever (also kindahoping4forever on ao3)

and these are the writers I've personally read the most from and enjoyed :) also if u go thru my bookmarks on ao3, you'll find some goodies that way too <3

#pigeon #anon #hope this helps pal #editing this !!! #bc I keep remembering people who have really good old fics even if they’re not actively writing for 5sos #thank u Bella for reminding me

[lveclouds]

↬ pairing/characters: joshua x film major reader, other members may make appearances/be mentioned 

↬ genre/aus: heavy fluff, slight angst (finally i know), slight college/university au, established relationship, song au, hurt/comfort 

↬ summary: in which joshua just wants his significant other to just be with him, cut off from the world.

↬ rating(s): pg15, nc17 (see warnings) 

↬ tw: heavy swearing, slight angst (listen y’all know i can’t not write a bit of angst slkjfjdjf), kinda cheesy and very fluffy, you’ve been warned <3 joshua is an absolute sweetheart wbk, brief mentions of stress (being a uni student is a constant struggle), reader is a bit of a workaholic

↬ wc: 2.9k

↬ note: hello loves! the title of this fic comes from the song ‘disconnected’ by 5sos, which is honestly one of my favorite songs from them (esp after seeing it live in concert recently) even to this day. it’s just so cute and evokes all the emotions in me okay :(( anyways this fic was another spur of the moment idea (are y’all even surprised at this point lmao) and i decided to write for joshua, as i haven’t written anything for him yet (i do have another joshua fic in my drafts rn hehe) also yes this fic will be cheesy, you have been warned <3

joshua eyed the macbook balanced on your lap with utter disdain, wishing he could pry the device from your hands, make you focus on him instead, but he knew his efforts would only be in vain. you had come home from a long day of classes, ranting incessantly about how cruel your professors were for assigning a shit ton of work over the course of three days no less, and he had listened attentively to every word, despite the exhaustation from comeback preparations weighing down on him. 

you had given him a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing into his room to take a quick shower, and had come out fifteen minutes later dressed in loose, black sweatpants and one of his shirts, the latter practically a dress on your small form. 

joshua’s heart had squeezed at the sight, for seeing you in his clothes was something he’d never get used to, even after three years of dating. that fluttering feeling quickly dissipated when you plopped down next to him on the living room couch with your macbook in hand. 

“you have homework?” he had asked, trying to keeping his voice as casual as possible, and you’d simply let out a noncommittal grunt in response. “my introduction to film studies professor wants a five page analysis on the great gatsby, and it’s due on friday, which means i only have a few days to finish it.” 

joshua had bit back a retort, refraining himself from reminding you that it was only monday, for heavens sake, but decided against it. “how long is it going to take you?” your expression had gone soft, and you’d leaned over to press a soft kiss on his cheek. “two or three hours, give or take, i’ll try and finish this paper soon, and then i’m all yours, okay? just give me two or three hours.”

and because joshua knew he couldn’t deny you anything, he’d conceded. so, here he was, trying his absolute hardest to focus on a movie that didn’t really interest him in the first place, silently counting down the hours in his head. 

five minutes had turned into ten, ten into fifteen, fifteen into twenty, and so on. time trickled on slowly, and joshua had become utterly convinced that watching paint dry was more entertaining than the movie currently playing on the tv. 

he wasn’t even sure what it was about, and nothing about piqued his interest, for all he could think about was you, wearing his t-shirt and balancing that fucking macbook on your lap, eyes practically glued to the screen. 

joshua hadn’t really thought of himself as a clingy person, in fact, even the other members thought so, with hoshi pointing out how, ever since he’d started dating you, he’d practically run out of the rehearsal room once the choreographer deemed practice over, eager to get home to you. 

you had taken up permanent residence in the dorms, and the members even had one of their managers make a key for you so that you could head straight there in between or after classes to rest. joshua was surprised that management had been okay with it, among all things. 

he and the rest of the members had been extremely busy with comeback preparations, and the past few weeks had a whirlwind of activity, with arduous dance practices, album photoshoots, recording sessions in woozi’s personal studio, and so on. 

the group finally had a few days off from comeback preparations, and joshua was determined to spend all of them with you, watching those cheesy romance films you loved and maybe spending all day in bed. alas, none of that had actually come true, for you were extremely busy with school, constantly working on assignments or projects, and joshua had spent most nights sleeping alone. 

your side of the bed was constantly empty, and joshua knew you were staying up at ungodly hours at night, curled up on the couch, working on another assignment that probably wasn’t due for another few weeks. he wished he could pull you away from work, even for a second, but knowing your stubborn nature, it would take a lot for you to take a break. 

joshua tried not to pout like a child who’d just been told they couldn’t have ice cream for breakfast. he was a twenty seven year old man, for fucks sake, and pouting because his girlfriend wouldn’t pay attention to him was not good for his character, and if the members found out, they’d tease him relentlessly for weeks. 

“are you almost done?” he found himself saying, mentally patting himself on the back for keeping his voice neutral as possible, “sort of, i finished the introduction and maybe, erm, half of the analysis? i’ve written..two pages so far.” you mumbled, and joshua felt his heart sink into his chest. 

“oh.” was all he managed to say, and went back to pretending to watch his movie, resisting the urge to scream in frustration. a long stretch of silence settled between them, and joshua wracked his mind for something to say, anything to break the awkward atmosphere. 

another long beat of silence, and then, “are you mad at me?” your voice was impossibly soft, and joshua knew you well enough to note the nervousness laced within your tone. at that, his head whipped towards you, heart aching at the unsure, almost fearful look on your face, tension lining your shoulders.

“no, love, of course not, you’ve done nothing wrong.” he reassured, and nearly sighed in relief when the tension in your shoulders loosened, ever so slightly. “then why did you sound so… upset earlier?” “i did?” you nodded, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. 

“y-yeah, a bit, i don’t think you realized though.” “i’m not upset, darling, just a bit… sad, i guess.” “sad? why? did something happen while you and the guys were preparing for the comeback?” you asked, concern furrowing your brow, and joshua felt a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. 

“no, nothing happened, don’t worry, the guys are fine, just resting from the crazy schedule we’ve had these last few weeks.” “oh, thank god, i thought something happened. then, why are you sad?” joshua hesitated, wondering if you would laugh in his face for admitting that he had felt lonely these past few days because you’d been so focused on work and not him. 

stop overthinking everything, you idiot, this is y/n. she’s not going to laugh at you or think you’re pathetic. well, here goes nothing. “this is going to sound pathetic of me, but you’ve been so focused on work these past few days and.. i don’t know, this is the longest break i’ve had during comeback preparations that management has given us in a long time, and i guess i thought we could spend them together. but you were so determined to get your work done, and i didn’t want to bother you.” 

joshua tried to keep his voice as cheerful as possible, but the small crack in his voice at the end betrayed him, and he felt color rise to his cheeks in embarrassment. to his relief, you didn’t laugh in his face or call him pathetic. 

instead, you were looking at him with guilt written all over your face, dark eyes glinting with unshed tears, and joshua felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. “why didn’t you tell me?” you asked, and you sounded so hurt, so devastated, that he immediately wished he could take his words from earlier back. 

“i didn’t want to bother you”, he replied softly, voice ever so gentle, as if he were afraid of scaring you off. “you’re never a bother! i’m the one who shouldn’t be bothering you. you’re an idol for fucks sake, you’re constantly rehearsing and preparing to put out an album and perform on stage for thousands and thousands of people, and i’m just a struggling university student who’s constantly complaining about something trivial like shitty professors-” joshua cut you off by pressing a soft kiss to your mouth. 

“i could say the same about you, you’re never a bother to me either. and yes, i do prepare to perform for tons of people, and while it’s a lot different from being a student, you shouldn’t think of yourself that way, it breaks my heart. never think just because you’re a university student, it doesn’t make your worries or stress any less significant or important. and shitty professors isn’t a trivial matter. they can either make or break your overall experience, and i’m sorry that they’ve been throwing all these things at you. but i know you. you can get through it, and if you ever need me, i’ll be here.” 

you were a sobbing mess at this point, and joshua gently pried the laptop from your hands and set it on the coffee table. “now come here.” he whispered, opening his arms ever so slightly, and you threw yourself into them, body wracking with uncontrollable sobs, burying your face in the crook of his shoulder. 

joshua held you flush against him, wrapping his arms around your body and rubbing comforting circles on your back, murmuring reassuring words under his breath. your soft sobs filled the room, and he swore he felt his heart cleave in two at how utterly shattered you sounded. 

after your tears had subsided, joshua pulled back enough to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear, caressing your cheek with the pad of his thumb. “i know this is a long shot, but would you be willing to spend the rest of the night with me? that is, no movies, no music, and definitely no five page papers. you can work all you want tomorrow, but i think maybe taking a break will benefit you.” 

your shoulders slumped in defeat, and joshua couldn’t help but smile fondly at the exasperated huff you let out as you gazed longingly at your macbook. “fine, but only because i can’t say no to you.” you murmured begrudgingly. joshua let out a soft, amused chuckle, leaning down to press a soft kiss atop your head. “likewise.” 

“do you mind if i put your laptop in my room? just so that you’re not distracted by it?” you shook your head. “go ahead, i don’t really want to write that fucking paper right now. my brain is fried.” joshua chuckled, reaching out and ruffling your hair affectionately. “ok, i’ll be back.” 

he took the laptop off the table and headed towards his room, humming softly to himself. when he opened the door, jeonghan was sprawled out on his bed, scrolling idly through his phone. he looked up when joshua entered. “i thought you were spending time with y/n. having a lover’s quarrel?” jeonghan asked, the corners of his mouth curving into a mischievous smile, and joshua rolled his eyes, used to the former’s cheekiness. 

“very funny. no, we are not having a lover’s quarrel.” jeonghan sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “shame, i thought something interesting was finally happening around here.” joshua snorted. “yeah, like the one time you and dokyeom went live at the same time and you practically begged carats to watch you instead of him?” 

jeonghan gave an elegant shrug, unfazed. “it’s not my fault i’m so lovable.” joshua fought the urge to throw a pillow at his friend’s head. “whatever helps you sleep at night.” he grumbled, placing your laptop on his bed before promptly exiting the room, shutting the door gently behind him. 

joshua found you right where he left you, curled up on the couch, except now, you were hugging a pillow to your chest, seemingly lost in thought. the sight made his heart ache and warm all the same. he gently kissed the top of your head as he plopped down unceremoniously next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. 

“penny for your thoughts?” he teased, which earned him a half-hearted glare. “what are you so lost in thought about, love?” he saw your cheeks heat at the way the endearment slipped easily off his tongue due to years of use, and fought the urge to coo at the sight. 

“nothing, just thinking about how i could’ve spent time you with you these past few days, you know, instead of brushing you off and doing work instead.” 

joshua shushed you, pulling you closer into his side. “it’s okay, i also was a little embarrassed. i mean, i didn’t want to come off as clingy.” that earned him a soft smack on the chest. “you are not clingy.” “tell that to hoshi, he thinks i’m utterly besotted, his words, not mine.” 

you glanced up at him, a teasing glint in your eyes. “well, you are, aren’t you?” joshua rolled his eyes half-heartedly. “sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, love.” you scrunched your nose at joshua in mock disgust, and he let out a soft chortle of amusement. 

a comfortable silence settled in the air, and you let out a soft sigh of contentment, resting your head on joshua’s shoulder, and he smiled, carding a hand gently through your hair, the strands like silk against his skin. joshua adored moments like these, when it was just you and him, and he could temporarily forget about any and all his worries. 

and even if the others teased him for being so besotted, then so be it. after all, joshua was used to their teasing, had been for eight years and counting. you were the first to break the silence, clearing your throat awkwardly. “not to sound like a broken record, but i really do feel guilty for completely ignoring you these past few days. if i had known you had-” 

“love,” joshua began, cutting you off gently but firmly, “like i said before, you have nothing to apologize for. your work was important, and i would’ve distracted you.” you let out a small sigh, small shoulders slumping in defeat. “still, you could’ve at least tried to take my laptop away. or something,”

joshua rolled his eyes half-heartedly. “i love you, but we both know that you would likely hiss at me if i did.” color rose to your cheeks. “n-not true.” “sure, love.” you wrinkled your nose at him in mock disgust, and joshua couldn’t help but press a gentle kiss atop your head. 

you mumbled something incoherent under your breath, but said nothing further, instead settling back into joshua’s embrace, and he allowed himself a small smile as you let your eyes flutter shut, letting out a small yawn. “tired?” he whispered, carding his hands through your soft hair, and you managed a small nod. 

“sleep, then, love. i’ll be here when you wake up.” at that ,color rose to your cheeks, and joshua bit back an amused laugh, knowing you were likely to scold him for it, and leaned back against the soft cushions of the couch, relishing in the comfortable silence that settled around the room. 

it was moments like these that joshua treasured the most, when there was nothing but you and him, just enjoying each other’s company. with you, he could let all his worries melt away, forget about concerts and comebacks, and just be himself. 

and, as much as you and him loved spending time with the other members, it was often loud and chaotic, and joshua needed the peace and quiet every now and then. he let out a content sigh, and felt exhaustation take over, and soon, his eyes fluttered shut and he entered dreamland, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

a/n: no bc wtf was that ending oh my god anyways this was my first shua fic, and i hope you all liked this regardless of how terrible it is lmao also i started school again :’) if you have also started school, i hope it’s going well <3 ! (i cannot believe i’m a junior in college now wtf) also i turn 21 in like a week so there’s that lsdkfjldjf and since school is starting again, i might not have a ton of time to post fics:(( but i will still try to <3 also seungkwan is back:(( i saw the pics and videos from the concert in japan and my heart is happy:(( also scoups was there :((( i hope he recovers soon and quickly <3 wishing him all the best <3333

tagging: @hong-jisoo , @drmflm, @playmetheclassics, and anyone else who wants to read this <333

#mine #fic: disconnected #joshua hong x reader #hong jisoo x reader #seventeen fluff #seventeen angst

[lipringlrh]

flash - lrh

summary: you try to take a picture of your boyfriend but forget the flash is on

an: feedback is appreciated. requests are open for anyone from 5sos :)

parings: luke hemmings x gender neutral!reader

word count: 546

warnings: none, just fluff & kissing:)

my masterlist

…

you were sat in luke’s dressing room on the corner couch admiring your boyfriend as was adding the final touches to his hair and makeup.

He was wearing a lilac suit, the one you chose for the night. It was one of your favourites. You were somewhere in Europe, you hadn’t had the chance to explore yet - that would be tomorrow’s task. Tonight, you were focused on Luke and another one of the amazing shows he was about to perform.

He was messing with his hair in the mirror, curling it around his fingers. He was much too focused on getting it in the perfect position to notice you taking your phone out of your pocket and point it in his direction. He just looked too pretty to leave the moment without any proof of it.

You opened the camera app and clicked on the white photo button right as a blinding light came out the back of it causing your boyfriend to turn around to face you.

You brought your phone down and clicked on the photo you’d just taken, ignoring the blonde boy staring at you. It was a little blurry - it’d captured the moment as Luke began to turn around. For once you were grateful for live photos, playing through the photo you managed to get the photo you wanted - Luke looking pretty, staring towards himself in the mirror - and a frame at the very end you didn’t know you needed, Luke staring towards the general direction of the camera with a sort of head empty look on his face.

Luke had managed to wonder across the room with you being unaware of it, leading you to get a little fright from feeling of two hands on your waist. You looked up, once again becoming entranced in the blue eyes you were so in love with. “What was that for, baby?”

“What? Can I not take a photo of my beautiful boyfriend?” As you spoke, a faint red began to appear on Luke’s cheeks. He huffed, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your lips, followed by a few more. You let a hand rest on his cheek as you tried to deepen the kiss. You felt an arm wrap around your waist pulling you almost impossibly closer.

You were both wrapped up in each other, trying to get as much of each other as possible. Too enamoured with each other to hear the first few sets of knocks on the door. The knocks were repeated with a shout, who you recognise as Ashton, to hurry up as it was time to get on stage.

Luke broke the kiss to shoot back a muffled “coming” before pressing three light pecks to your lips. “I’ll see you after?” he mumbled leaning in for another kiss.

“I’ll either be here or near the stage. I’ll find you.” He nodded, pressing one last kiss to your lips and mumbling a small, “bye baby.”

He walked out the room with a small wave as you shouted a last, “good luck!” You sat down with a smile before pulling out your phone to stare at the recent photo you took a few minutes prior, becoming more and more excited to watch Luke perform.

—-—-—-—-—-—-

feedback is welcome and appreciated. please send in any requests about any 5sos members :)

#my writing #i actually really like this #5sos fan fiction #5sos #5sos fluff #5sos imagine #5sos x reader #luke hemmings #luke hemmings x reader #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer x reader #5sos angst #luke 5 seconds of summer #Luke hemmings #luke hemmings fluff #luke hemmings imagines #luke hemming imagines #Luke hemmings imagine #5sos imagines #luke 5sauce #luke 5sos #luke hemmings angst

[zzoguri]

UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2023, 6:30PM (GMT+8)

requests status ➵ slots are closed!

how to request ➵ send an ask following the format: "tbz member + one song from the list + possible scenario you want (not required)" and you will receive! if you're looking for a certain scenario, please be as descriptive as possible! please keep in mind that the song you pick will have a determined genre linked to it.

ex. "jacob + must be love by laufey + possibly reader just doing their own thing and jacob is just admiring, only for this scene playing out to be his realization of him falling in love"

guidelines/reminders ➵ i have every right to deny a request if i believe i cannot fulfill it or if i'm uncomfortable writing it ➵ please don't expect me to be speedy with requests... there is a chance i may not fulfill it LMFAO so don't come into my asks fully expecting smth ➵ most requests will be <10k and will most likely be focused on a certain scenario or two ➵ i will not write yandere or majorly toxic themes! but i will write fluff, suggestive/smut, and angst depending on the song you choose teehee! if you're worried that i may deny your request, just send it and i'll let you know if something about it is something i'm not comfortable to write about ➵ only writing x readers! ➵ requests won't be done on a "first come; first serve" basis!

a/n ➵ happy to announce that i am officially opening requests! yup, i thought that to beat my silly writer's block, i can start doing some requests for the time being. it's also my way of celebrating 200 followers!! i'll be opening limited slots for the time being. however, if i decide that i want to keep doing more requests, i may accept more later on.

song list ➵ and july by heize & dean ➵ apple cider by beabadoobee ➵ apple pie by lizzy mcalpine ➵ arms unfolding by dodie ➵ as long as it takes you by keshi ➵ backburner by niki ➵ bad by wave to earth ➵ bawat piyesa by munimuni ➵ calla by wave to earth ➵ cheese & wine by dpr live ➵ cherry wine by grentperez ➵ chocolate by day6 ➵ clementine by grentperez ➵ cologne by beabadoobee ➵ disconnected by 5sos ➵ everything has changed by taylor swift ft. ed sheeran ➵ hall&oates by yerin baek ➵ i like you by day6 ➵ in what world by lizzy mcalpine ➵ intertwined by dodie ➵ laputa by dpr live ft. crush ➵ let you break my heart again by laufey ➵ loner by yerin baek ➵ lowkey by niki ➵ maps by raffaella & hippo campus ➵ ocean floor by wave to earth ➵ old with you by grentperez ➵ on the drive home by niki ➵ one last time, please by dodie ➵ only by day6 ➵ opposite by sabrina carpenter ➵ pancakes for dinner by lizzy mcalpine ➵ pasilyo by sunkissed lola ➵ paubaya by moira dela torre ➵ pour up by dean ft. zico ➵ put my hands on you by dean & anderson .paak ➵ pwede ba by lola amour ➵ right here by keshi ➵ san francisco by 5sos ➵ second best by laufey ➵ simple season by hippo campus ➵ somebody by keshi ➵ soren by beabadoobee ➵ take off all your cool by sabrina carpenter ➵ text me by dpr live ➵ the 1 by taylor swift ➵ tornado warnings by sabrina carpenter ➵ treacherous by taylor swift ➵ tuesday by hippo campus ➵ valentine by laufey ➵ waste the night by 5sos

#zzoguri works #the boyz #the boyz x reader #tbz #the boyz imagines #the boyz fluff #the boyz scenarios #the boyz angst #the boyz smut #the boyz suggestive #the boyz drabbles #the boyz drabble #the boyz oneshot #the boyz oneshots #the boyz scenario #the boyz imagine #lee sangyeon x reader #jacob bae x reader #kim younghoon x reader #lee hyunjae x reader #lee juyeon x reader #choi chanhee x reader #kevin moon x reader #ji changmin x reader #ju haknyeon x reader #kim sunwoo x reader #eric sohn x reader #sohn youngjae x reader #new x reader #q x reader

[satoruvt]

when we collided in the morning

pairing → yoon jeonghan x reader

word count → 678

genre → hmm fluff i think, slice of life, uh. Howl’s Moving Castle au ↳ tags: UMM HOWL JEONGHAN, this is literally just like my own personal epilogue to hmc except its jeonghan and you Are In Love, tender words, early morning cuddles, unfathomable fondness, mentions of other members, rainy days!!, a couple kisses

song inspo → the flower garden by joe hisaishi but the title comes from red line by 5sos <3

warnings → mentions of The War, but that’s it

a/n → can i be honest i saw howls in theaters the other night and its going to be my personality for the next couple days so i figured i should try to get the most out of it aka I Miss Jeonghan And He Is Howl Pendragon And I Don’t Know How To Deal With It. enjoy

It’s a rainy day in the Waste today.

It isn’t usually. Usually it’s bitter cold and wind, or somehow unbearably hot during the summers. You don’t mind, though – you seem to have gotten used to it all. The rain hits the window and you watch as the drops race down until you can’t see them anymore, falling towards an imaginary finish line. The castle rumbles on, and through the fog you can make out the vague silhouettes of hills and scarce trees.

The bedroom door opens behind you. “Hi,” you say without looking, already knowing who’s there. The door shuts again, and it’s followed by footsteps, until you feel the soft thump of something connecting with the bed.

Jeonghan warms the sheets the second he’s in them, and you sigh when you feel his fingers tangle with yours. Sparks of magic prickle your skin, a teaspoon of all the stardust inside of him. “Hi,” he finally responds, voice gentle.

He was gone most of the night. He doesn’t leave as often anymore, nor for as long – not since the war. But sorcery duties still call, and you know he’ll always come back.

You take a break from the rain, turning around and laying down again so you’re facing Jeonghan. His hair has started to get long again, bangs barely in his eyes. He lets out a deep breath when you run your free hand through it, pushing it away from his face.

“Do you want a bath?” You murmur, quiet in the early morning. “I can ask Seungcheol to heat up some water.”

Jeonghan shakes his head. “No,” he says. “Later. Just want to lay here with you.”

You remember the first day you met him, the weeks after filled with awkward professionalism because you didn’t know each other. You remember finally getting closer and practically begging him to tell you what he was feeling, pleading with him to let you into his mind. Into his heart.

(You remember the flower garden, during the war, and the way he held your hand then. The fields felt like thousands of beautiful violins playing their favorite song, all in harmony. Jeonghan felt like the composer, leading you over tiny streams and different colors, a practiced dance that neither of you knew. He was gentle, and kind, and so beautiful. You think it might have been then.)

Your hand falls from his hair to his chest, feeling for the rhythmic thump thump thump. It is strong and warm, never faltering. How wonderful that you ended up here with him, like this. The castle creaks with a particularly janky movement, the rain taps against the window. “Okay,” you say, pulling Jeonghan closer. He follows easily, face buried in the crook of your neck as you wrap your arms around him. “Won’t be for very long, though. They’ll be hungry soon.”

You seem to jinx yourself, because soon enough you hear Seungkwan and Chan’s padded footsteps as they wander downstairs, waking up and starting the day. Jeonghan groans and you giggle. “They can wait an extra five minutes,” he says into your skin. “I need my time with you.”

With a smile you know he can feel, you press a kiss to the top of his head. Yes, you think, five minutes is okay. The world is still asleep, the rain is still falling. Jeonghan is still warm and you are still in love with him, and five minutes is not nearly enough for you to cherish it all, but it’s a start.

After an unknown amount of time, you feel the castle stop moving. Seungcheol must have found a good place to rest for a while. The pitter pat of the rain stopped some time ago, and rays of sun light up sections of your shared bedroom. They catch on Jeonghan as he sleeps, lighting up a feather hidden in the collar of his shirt.

You pluck it tenderly from its place, setting it on the nightstand carefully. The sun is up now, and you have much to do for your family.

#caratwritersclub #kdiner #LIKE DO U GUYS GET IT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE PAIN I AM IN #svt x reader #seventeen x reader #svt imagine #seventeen imagine #yoon jeonghan x reader #yoon jeonghan imagine #jeonghan x reader #jeonghan imagine #svt jeonghan x reader #seventeen jeonghan x reader #svt jeonghan imagine #seventeen jeonghan imagine #kpop x reader #kpop imagine #reader insert

[byullielle]

Cocaine Colored Wedding Dress // Bang Chan x Fem!Reader

Older by 5SOS, Sierra Deaton. Today is your day. Both of yours. The day you get married to Christopher Bang.

Tags: Marriage, Fuff, Skz!Bestmen, Idol!Bang Chan, Wedding Shenanigans, you are skz's noona

Disclaimer: author doesn't know shit about weddings and ofc its song inspired lmao. your family members would remain nameless. (felix is part of your entourage your own bestman/maid of honor but a guy), i will keep wedding details and furnishings vague as to not kill the imagination but there WILL be a church. for my fatherless/motherless readers, I AM YOUR FATHER NOW ヽ( `д´*)ノ

a/n: i wrote this while travelling so im sorry it's sloppy

As Felix helps you tighten the bodice of your dress, your mind starts wandering at 100 miles an hour, thinking about the floral arrangements and whether or not they were finished on time because you nor Chan had enough time to check last night, hoping that everyone's dresses and suits are complete, praying to every possible deity out there that Chan slept well because you certainly couldn't out of pure excitement, the anxious thoughts now settling down your stomach. "Y/N-ah," Felix's voice snaps you out of it as you look up at him, met with a kind and loving smile from your best friend, "You can look now," he gently states before moving away from the mirror. You take a deep breath and shut your eyes, before turning around, dress moving along to the motion.

Slowly opening your eyes, you could feel unbridled joy with a healthy mix of anxiety spike through your veins like never before. You've tried it, three times even for fitting and alterations but now that it was happening, now that it was real; you felt so gorgeous. Your emotions well up at your throat, stopping yourself from crying before your destroy your make-up.

The veil hangs perfectly behind you, white textile hugging you correctly while it flows like water, your jewelry shines brighter it seems; and you look amazing. The confidence your entire bridal attire gives you is so exhilarating, only one thought of 'I can't wait until Chris sees this,' solid in your mind, pushing all the other worries away. You somewhat anticipated it when you started planning the wedding, but Chan was quite a traditionalist in a sense that he wanted to keep the wedding as sweet and as fun he saw it just as sacred. And he didn't want to see your dress until the day itself which makes you stand here now, your first look at both your outfits.

Felix peers over and smiles at the look on your face, making him approach you before handing you a box of tissue, "Always our crybaby," he jokes lightly with the most loving voice ever, "How do you feel,"

"Amazing," your voice quivers while wiping off the tears from their tear ducts before it could ever escape your eyes. "Oh my god,"

"Well," he laughs, "Let's go?"

You nod excitedly, making him nervous that you'd knock your properly groomed hair over. You hook your arms with him before you exit the bridal suite. The plan was to meet Chan by the place behind the reception which was close to the church you were going to get married in. Your heart was slamming against your ribcage like it was wanting escape, excitement pounding through you like a toddler on LSD. You'd bounce on your heels at every step if it wasn't for the fact that you wanted to be prim and proper for your future husband.

Husband. The prospect was enough to make you wanna squeeze Felix and squeal until someone's eardrums broke and at the same time break down crying at just how lucky you are to have Christopher Bang as your husband. An overworking perfectionist, never stops until satisfied and is rarely so, chronic insomniac—but a man fueled by hard work and passion, driven by his desire to do and give his best; his work and the people around him heavily influenced. A sweetheart through and through, boyish in charm and loving to a fault, gentlemanly and steadfast in his morals and principles. For better or for worse you will stick with him, because you love him for every once of his perfections along with every morsel of his flaws. Your husband, Christopher Bang.

And the most terrifying thing is—you wholeheartedly trust that he'd do the same for you.

"Okay stop!" Changbin calls out before you could even turn the corner, blocking the way. You almost hit him like you would a brick wall but Felix immediately stops you. "For the record, miss bride," he beams up at you before opening his arms for a hug which you wholeheartedly accept with joy. "You look amazing, sweet thing," he chuckles before pressing a slight kiss to your temple, "Congratulations, Y/N-ah. I'm so proud of you two,"

You have to look up to prevent the tears fro falling, slightly smacking him on the chest in order for you to laugh at his response before he beckons Felix to leave a bit, photographer for the moment on standby. Leaving both of you for the tender moment, it's like time is at a standstill, none of you talking much before Chan clears his throat. "Y/N?" he calls out, nervousness evident in his voice.

"Chris," you respond, a little bit choked up before you see his hand pop out from the corner, "Hold my hand please," he asks softly before you comply, feeling his slightly clammy hands, with a gentle tremble within.

"I'm so terrified I'd start crying like a baby when I see you," he half-heartedly jokes, partially meaning it as you laugh out a bit. "Well that makes both of us," you sigh before rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand, "Ready?"

"Yeah," he breathes out, "On three?"

"Mhm," you hum, "One," you start of and he finishes the third count. There's a pause before both of you move to see each other. Instantaneously all of the sparks you've lost, those that have dwindled away comes back to both of you. Unable to help yourself but cry and he remains breathless.

Handsome. You always thought he was but in a white suit, white tie, your favorite flower pinned by his breast, hair decorated with shiny flower pins that you suggested months ago, light make-up on him—he looked ethereal, like he was cut from the gods and you couldn't help but sob at that. "You're so handsome my love," you chuckle wetly, reaching your hand out on his cheek tenderly before he presses a kiss against your palm, "I love you," he simply states before pulling you into a hug, "So so much,"

"I love you too," you tighten your grip on his body reassuringly. "So so so much,"

You two stand there in silence, basking in each other's warmth while you keep the tears at bay. You know he's silently crying with the motions and ministrations behind your back but you let him. It was your wedding day after all. "Should we get a picture?" you whisper against his ear as he nods and detaches from you, "God, I'm already a mess,"

"You're perfect," you laugh before pressing a kiss on his cheek, prolonging the stay of your lips on his skin before producing a loud 'mwah,' "Perfect groom,"

"For the perfect bride," he chuckles before you both turn to the photographer, signaling him that he could finally take pictures and not take paparazzi shots—a running joke you and Chan made when asked if you wanted pictures of the intimate moment. You take a few more sweet and cute pictures before Seungmin comes barreling down the stairs with no reprieve, immediately worrying you and Chan whilst disrupting the photography process. "I am so so sorry I have to barge in like this," he huffs, only in his white button up and slacks, "But the officiant suddenly got the IBS. He's been stuck in the restroom for like, what, an hour?" he explains, "I think he needs to be taken to the hospital,"

"What?!" both you and Chan question in alarm. But before you could think of a response Seungmin clears his throat, "But PD-nim...turns out is a licensed and trained officiant,"

"PD-nim...?" Chan questions before you fill in the blanks, "As in the JYP PD-nim?,"

Seungmin mutely nods. "So long as he gets both your permissions he'll gladly do it for free,"

You look up at Chan who simply looks back at you, a silent conversation happening between the flitting and movement of eyes. "What do you think?" you verbalize as he nods, "Well, it's not like we have much of a choice do we," he sighs and holds your hands, "I'm sorry it has to be PD-nim,"

"Well it'll probably be a bit weird but I don't mind much," you squeeze, "I'd get married to you regardless of the officiant anyway,"

"I am," Hyunjin sighs out, exasperated as Minho and Jisung run around toppling the place over, "Gonna freak out,"

"Channie hyung is back!"

"Fuck!" all three of them simultaneously curse before Chan comes in with a very offended look on his face, Seungmin and Changbin looking at the men in the hotel room in confusion. "What is... happening?" Changbin trails off after seeing the pair peering at the back of the couches while Hyunjin holds his hair in his hand.

"Hyunjin is missing his fucking pants," Jackson exasperates. Chan's brows reach his hairline, "What? Since when?"

"Apparently it didn't come in the dress bag," Hyunjin explains with a tinge of desperation in his voice, "And please please don't tell Y/N noona," he takes Chan's hands and the groom doesn't know whether or not to smack him upside the head or laugh. "I can't promise that," he says a bit stiffly, "Are you sure you're checked everywhere? The floor, the hotel room you used last night?"

"Wait hyung you're such a genius!" Hyunjin vibrates with new hope before patting his pockets down before realizing he already returned the keycard to the room after checking out. "Oh shit," and Chan seems to realize this issue before sighing, "Let's go boys," he strips off his blazer for now before neatly hanging it up the door hooks. "Move out,"

Jackson and Brian stay behind to hold the fort while the 7 men accompany each other to the hotel clerk for moral support should Hyunjin and Chan start breaking down in front of the poor attendant. "God forbid any of her bridesmaids see us," Jisung crosses his fingers, "Or like, let her know a month after,"

"Yeah, like as a funny memory,"

"You guys do know I can't lie to my wife right?" Chan sweats, nervously tapping his leg on the elevator floor heading down. "Worse comes to worse only Hyunjin is gonna die,"

"Hey!" he whines, "Please, anyone but in the hands of noona,"

"I'll do it in her stead," Minho comments before the elevator door opens, offering a "kind" smile to Hyunjin that never fails to send shivers down his spine. Chan leads the barrage of 6 men, heading to the receptionist as he clears his throat. "Hi," he greets, before beckoning Hyunjin to his side, "What was your room?"

"801,"

"Has 801 been cleared yet?" he turns back to the receptionist who starts typing into the console, "Not yet sir. Would you want to re-check back in?" she inquires as Chan waves his hand in disapproval, "Oh, no no, I was just gonna ask if it was possible to check the room? This guy left something really important,"

"Oh, I'll see what I can do about it sir, please wait for a while,"

Hyunjin frowns and clamps on Chan's arm, "I'm really sorry hyung,". He chuckles and pats Hyunjin's head, "It happens. Not every wedding is perfect," he reassures, "I do have to tell Y/N,"

A despaired noise escapes Hyunjin, dramatics unending. He couldn't request Chan to keep it from you either, knowing that keeping something as crucial as this a secret quite possibly could put a wrench on your relationship, both as an affianced couple and in a few hours, spouses. The receptionist smiles pitifully at Hyunjin, and 5 minutes span on like an hour.

After one phone call, she smiles at both Chan and Hyunjin, along with the 4 others lined up behind them, "I'll give you the keycard. Fortunately, room service hasn't cleaned it yet,"

"Thank you so much ma'am!" Hyunjin bows as he accepts the keycard with his two hands, as if receiving his diploma.

And in record time, they make it to the room. They scramble to start looking, Chan in the bathroom, Minho and Jisung towards the closets, Changbin by the couches, Jeongin, Seungmin, and Hyunjin in the bedroom. "It's not here," Jisung mutters, disappointed but Minho gently pushes him out of the way and turns his phone flashlight on, and true enough the pants are nestled on the floor by the corner.

"It's here!" he announces before grabbing the pants, handing it to Hyunjin who was rushing towards him. "Hyung!"

A slap to the back of his head was delivered but Minho sighs in relief anyways, "You idiot," he mutters before cajoling Hyunjin out the door, "Making us nervous and shit,"

The veil falls over your face, white clouding your vision before Felix hands you your bouquet. "Ready?" he asks before you nod, and from your periphery, you see your father enter the room. Felix bows politely before leaving the room, simply just two of you. "You're getting married," he states in a factly tone, "That's the plan," you chuckle before holding your hand out for him to take.

"I can't believe I'm sending you off," he sighs and looks up and down at you, "My darling daughter,"

"Chan'll take care of me," you assure with a chuckle, trying to not cry in front of your father, not when he looks so proud yet so sad at the same time. "I know," he tucks his hands behind him, "It'll be a little bit quieter at home though," he sighs.

You swallow down, lump on your throat growing. "Dad..."

"I don't say it a lot, Y/Nnie," he sighs and places a hand on your shoulder, "But I am proud of you. Where you are now," he smiles, tears lining the edge of his eyes before your lower lip trembles and tenderly touch your father's cheeks, "Thank you," it escapes you as barely a whisper. "You'll always be welcome home," he assures, "Don't worry about the grandchildren for now. Your mother says so too,"

"Yeah," you giggle before taking his arm. "Thank you for everything Dad," you rub it lightly. It surprises you when he pulls you into a tender hug, rare and sweet as you burst into tears, sobbing like a little baby before your mother then enters. "Oh, you made our princess cry!" she scolds before reaching under your veil with a handkerchief and patting your tears away gently, making sure she doesn't rub onto the waterproof make-up. "You look so pretty,"

"Thank you Mom," you giggle when she presses a kiss on your cheeks, going through the veil, "Pretty bride genes run through your blood,"

"Now you're just flattering yourself," your father teases with a fond smile on his face directed to his wife, "Oh shut! You cried during our wedding day you old fool," she lightly pushes the back of his head before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'll go now, we'll all be waiting for you in the wedding hall," she waves and leaves. You could see her wipe her own tears but the door closes on her before you could say something else.

You fan your face and take a deep breath out, pacing around the room while your father patiently sits by the lounges. "Nervous?" he asks. You nod before he beckons you to sit down, easily complying as you face him, "Do you know," he says, "Your uncle tripped on the aisle when I and your mother got married," he starts narrating as you giggle. "He was a spectacle. Everyone was teasing him during the reception," he fondly recalls, "But honestly, I'm secretly glad it happened, I was super nervous to marry your mother," he congresses.

"Really?" you place a hand on your mouth, not really expecting it from your straight-laced father and his impenetrable force of patience and indifference. "Your mother is the most beautiful woman I've laid my eyes on. I'm glad I got to marry her," he sighs, "And I know Chan feels the same. I have never seen someone look so in love in years until I saw him,"

"Only reason you said yes to him asking your blessing,"

"Would you rather I let you marry a man who isn't happy to be with you?"

"Of course not,"

"Exactly," he nods, "I will put an axe through his skull if that look changes,"

"Dad!" you laugh and smack the side of his arm, "Don't say that on my wedding day!" you giggle as he rolls his eyes, "That's a promise!"

You were about to respond when the organizer knocks on the door and peers through the crack, "Miss bride, and mister father," they beckon, "It's time,"

You stand up with shaky hands, taking the bouquet before your father offers his arm up for you to take, hooking your hand against his. You both walk out of the room and head to the path leading to the church, doors nearly empty after the entourage walks in. You vaguely see Chan's figure enter the chapel and walk along before the curtains lining the entrance fall down and block your view after your mother follows afterwards.

"Why am I gonna throw up," you whisper to your father as he chuckles and squeezes your arm comfortingly, "At least not on the aisle,"

"Dad!"

"You'll do great," he genuinely assures, "This is your day, your groom is happily waiting for you at the end of the aisle," he pats your back before the organ starts to play the bridal march, curtains opening as people stand for you. A deep inhale is caught in your throat, nervousness spiking as your father cajoles you into walking.

And then you see Chan, although screened in white and obscured by the veil you couldn't help but be emotional. You don't know what triggered it, but the tears prick your eyes and then you see him reach over his' and pad a handkerchief along. He's crying too. But the smile is so prominent you could see the dimples against the veil, making you giggle quietly, tension in your body dissipating.

The march seems to stretch on longer than you or Chan wished for, but eventually, your father comes over and gives him a short hug before taking your hand and placing it in his'. "Do good," he notions to Chan as he nods. Shakily, you both step forward hand in hand–face to face with JYP, your emergency officiant.

The ceremony starts, people take their seats while Felix and your best friend keep a keen eye on your comfort and your dress. Chan can't stop squeezing your hand reassuringly, catching subtle glances like you were back in high school giggling about. You both sign the wedding papers once your officiant announces it, and when he cues Chan–he faces your parents and gets on his knees, forehead to the ground as you yourself bow, back parallel to the floor as they both nod.

And then you turn to Jessica and Jack, along with Hannah who were watching by Chan's side, and then while Felix takes the bouquet in your hand, you properly fix your dress, get on your knees, and press your forehead against the floor. It wasn't planned, the getting on the floor at least, it was expected you bow but not to the full extent, dress and all. A bit flabbergasted, Chan immediately helps you up after the 10 second stay, "Baby, you didn't have to," he whispers as his family bows back, "I wanted to," you reassure him, patting your dress and veil off as Felix hands back your bouquet.

Then, both of you bow to each other, 90 degrees and perfectly still and solemn.

A surrender of half of yourself to him, and taking half of his. A vow unbent by law and a promise unbroken by love.

The ceremony continues, a bunch more expletives and legalities before JYP senses your growing impatience as he clears his throat and starts with the vows. Your guide is tucked in the bouquet, in between the peonies and roses but you knew it wouldn't really matter much. Chan also has his in his breast pocket, pulling it out before taking the microphone and taking your shaky hand into his'.

"We met during my trainee days. You were working your way into being an intern while I was wallowing in a thin line between courage and impatience, waiting to debut," a pointed look to your officiant, "It was sorta unexpected. You gave me a free drink during your part time job and we suddenly got to talking for hours, I got your number and I headed back to the dorms. I never knew I sealed my fate back then, and looking back at it now, I will never trade a thing for it," he sighs out, looking up so that he doesn't start crying.

You smile lovingly at him, assuring him that if he cries you'll simply laugh it off as a fond memory, not like you'd fare any better than him anyway.

"When I debuted, you were one of the first people I told," he laughs, a bit airy, "I could never forget the squeal that nearly ruptured my eardrums, that was the day I realized I might've liked you," and then you giggle. "You got your dream job during our second comeback. I will never forget that because I was with you, we were watching a movie when you got your acceptance call. That was also the first time you hugged me. You were so happy and in turn it made me happy, that was the moment I thought 'What I'd give to always feel like this', so I sought after that. I sought after you,"

He takes a gulp down of his tears, "You are my hero. You make me happy, so happy. I'd give the moon and stars but you seem to always beat me to it, I always feel loved and cared for by you. And as we make our way to infinity, to a forever only we can create, I want to love and care for you until my lungs give out and I'm an old wrinkly grandpa,"

"I promise to forever cherish you—your laughter and smiles, and all the other things that make you do your happy dance," he tucks the paper away and takes your hand instead, "And I vow to forever protect the love that you give me. To hold it close and never betray that,"

And he starts holding back a wide, goofy smile, making you groan preemptively as he clears his throat, "And hey, I'm not our wedding photographer," he shrugs and takes a comedic look at his bestmen, "But I can picture us together. Forever."

Laughter choruses throughout the chapel while you lightly smack him on the arm, laughing as you roll your eyes at the corny pick-up line. Of course he fucking would.

Handing the microphone over to you, you pick off the paper nestled between the flowers before unfurling it open, "Chanathan," you start, making him throw his head back in laughter, "Was the name I used to tease you with when I asked for your name during that time we met at the cafe. I can't believe that our vows kinda match, but it its the testament if just how much we're soulmates," you look up at him, not reading off the paper.

"It was Chanathan, then Chan, then Channie, then Chris. Then my Christopher. It's like a stake of claim on you," you jokingly quip, "But throughout those times and those names, was also the evolution of our relationship. And I have never been more glad to open up this new era of calling you nothing but husband. My husband Chan, my husband Christopher, my husband Chanathan," you smile up at him, seeing his humored look despite the fond eyes he has for you.

"And I promise to honor every sense of your name, whether its carrying your's or speaking of you. I always have been and always will be proud of you, and not a day would go by where you wouldn't know that," you choke up a bit, voice getting trembly, "There will be nights and weeks and months when we'd be apart, but our souls, and my loyalty would always be unbreakable,"

You take his hand and press a kiss on it through your veil, feeling your heart squeeze in delight as a strangled cry escapes him, "I vow to love you, now and forevermore, and we can be cute little wrinkly old people together till the end of time. I will always be proud to be your wife, and will also make you constantly proud to call your home, I love you, Christopher,"

"I love you too," he whispers and squeezes your hand once more.

"Now," JYP beckons for the ring bearers, "For better or for worse, through sickness and health, and until death do you part," he starts before you slip a paper towards him which gives you quite the stern look, simply making Chan chuckle, "And as you drink from his cup, and he drinks from yours, the first and last sonata you'll sing, with the neverending dread of betrayal hung over the crux of your necks, take these rings," he then signals you to take each other's rings, shaky hands delicately holding them, "And swear,"

Chan goes first, sliding your wedding band on the yhe ring finger of your presented hand. After comes him, with you nervously taking his and slipping on the shiny gold band on his finger. And then you both hold hands, both of yours warmly enclosed in his' as your officiant gives a nod of approval. "You can remove her veil now," he covers the microphone and mutters to Chan who has to take a deep breath to brace himself.

Taking the hem of your veil, he carefully turns it and the white cast is finally gone, seeing his face so clearly you fall in love again. So easily, and so quickly. "Do you, Christopher Bahng, take Y/N L/N as your lawfully wedded wife?"

He smiles at you, "I do,"

"And do you, Y/N L/N, take Christopher Bahng as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do,"

"Then, you may now kiss your bride," he announces as Chan places a loving hand on your waist, one on your cheek before pulling you forward and you cup his cheeks, kissing him with fervent love and passion. It was a mere press to his lips, but the love overflowing was so much you both start crying.

The cheers and claps echo through the chapel before he departs and guides your hand to hook against his arm. "Hello wifey,"

"Mhm, husband," you giggle while wiping your tears with the pads of your fingers, pressing another kiss to his cheek, before moving forward and retreating out the aisle.

Your smile is so wide it hurts your cheeks, a hearty laugh escapes your husband as both of you run down the aisle, hand in hand.

Y/N Bang. You could get used to it.

let me know what you wanna come next; wedding night/honeymoon or reception/wedding after-party

#bang chan scenarios #husband bang chan #skz scenarios #skz bang chan #bang chan #bang chan x reader #stray kids bang chan #married to bang chan #elle✩marital

[saucymalum]

5th Member of 5SOS pt.18 (END)

(platonic) 5SOS x fem!reader / Eventual Calum x reader

Originally posted on my Instagram

Summary: Y/N is the 5th Member of 5SOS and these are the shenanigans that happen in the band groupchat.

pt.1, pt. 2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5, pt.6, pt.7, pt.8, pt.9, pt.10, pt.11, pt.12, pt.13, pt.14, pt.15, pt.16, pt.17

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Next

#5sos smau #5sos fanfic #5sos fic #luke hemming imagines #luke hemmings #luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings x y/n #luke hemmings x you #michael 5 seconds of summer #michael 5sos #michael clifford x y/n #michael clifford x reader #michael clifford #calum 5sos #calum hood x you #calum hood x y/n #calum hood x reader #calum hood #ashton 5 seconds of summer #ashton 5sos #ashton irwin x reader #ashton irwin #luke 5sos #luke 5 seconds of summer

[yeonnies]

꒰🖇꒱ masterlist !♡꙼̈ ࿐ ࿔

OT5

5sos songs as the txt members coming soon...!

mitski songs as the txt members coming soon...!

beabadobee songs as txt members coming soon...!

wave to earth songs as txt members coming soon...!

smau coming soon...!

if only you were mine coming soon...!

bite me! coming soon...!

CHOI SOOBIN [최수빈]

baby momma! — synopsis. unavailable! (smau and written. fluff. comedy. soobin x reader x yeonjun) coming soon!

CHOI YEONJUN [최연준]

1:12 am. angst. oneshot. exes au. alt ending to my ff the end of youth.

i don't date extroverts! fluff. romance. oneshot. coming soon!

baby momma! — synopsis. unavailable! (smau and written. fluff. comedy. soobin x reader x yeonjun) coming soon!

CHOI BEOMGYU [최범규]

wishlist. fluff. oneshot. more than friends but not lovers. birthday special for beoms!

i don't date choi beomgyus! fluff. romance. oneshot. enemies to lovers. coming soon!

smau in the works...!

KANG TAEHYUN [강태현]

forgive and forget! fluff. angst. exes to lovers. oneshot. coming soon!

HUENING KAI [휴닝카이]

the midnight mystery. fluff. comedy. romance. semi enemies to lovers. oneshot. coming soon!

do not repost my works elsewhere or i WILL go after you >:(

#✎ᝰ┆masterlist ! #yeonnies