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dark-night-insomniac · 1 year

Text

| Dreamcatcher jiu x reader

Genre: medevial au, fluff and angst

| Word count: 6.1k~ Part 1

Warning: fighting, blood, injury, angst, cursing, threats, physical&mental abuse, historical inaccuracy~ switch from first person to third at some point

| Cast: Minji, Sua, Yoohyeon, Gahyeon and You

A/n: some of the other characters in this might get their own story ;)

Sua’s spinoff - Gahyeon’s spinoff coming soon

—————/———————/————

I’ve seen her a few times around the village

Even from a distance, the mysterious aura seeping through her gaze always seemed to catch my attention

I knew better than to mess with witches

But to say my not-so royal life was getting boring was an understatement

My family sent me to live in the rural edges of our kingdom, with the purpose of teaching me life the hard way, before becoming the head of the palace

So here I was, a prince, trying to stay undercover, living as a farmer under someone’s uncle’s roof

That women I keep seeing, i've never quite seen a beauty so surreal, ‘’maybe it was a spell’’ i chuckled to myself, or maybe it was something far more than what i expected it to be

——-

I struggle to remember the color of the walls inside the palace. Maybe they changed it now.

My father and mother had agreed on it, before being suited to lead the kingdom, I had to live the hard way. Living with a friend of a friend, a farmer that is, and for approximately 12 months.

Every descendant of the Crimson family that was in line for the throne had to prove themselves by doing so. But the way my father had thrown me out without a notice still left me hurt.

I felt the bitterness come back to the surface as I bit down on my already bleeding lip.The feeling was exactly what I needed for this instance.I picked myself back up, pushing away the stray hairs from my vision. My left side stung again as I received another blow to my ribs.

The small crowd cheered.

I wasn’t going to let that scoundrel make a fool out of me again. I targeted his leg, first grabbing his shoulders, then kicking his leg to be able to swipe my feet underneath his, making him fall successfully

The crowd cheered again

Seeing my enemy on the ground, I stomped my feet down to his throat.

I had enough…

I kept pressing down even after he tapped on my leg for mercy. It's only when one of my friends pulled me back that I came back to my senses. The crowd quickly gathered around me, celebrating another worthless win. ‘’Yea yea, i won, the show’s now over every one’’ i made a gesture for them to disperse.

The moment I could feel the breeze again, I looked around at the disappearing crowd.

We had this event between friends every week or so. The crowd was always changing, new faces every time. But one face seemed familiar through it all.

A slender figure, dark hair, and always that dark cape looming over her. My friends told me she was only around when I was the one fighting.

Villagers, farmers, foreigners, anyone could enter our fighting matches as long as they placed a bet. The crowd could place bets as well, delivering the money before being permitted to watch the show. It wasn’t anything professional, far from it, but it was a way for us to distract ourselves and get some money out of it.

I walked back to my older friend, looking down at the amount we had gathered

‘’How much did we get?’’ I asked

‘’Weird question for a royal like you y/n, shouldn't you already have all the riches in the land?’’ he quirked his eyebrow. I quicked some dirt his way.

‘’Hey! Do that again and you’re never getting your share’’

I huffed before sitting down by his side to help him count

——

After all, life outside the castle wasn’t too hard. Harsh but freeing in many ways that the 4 walls of that palace could never provide me.

I walked back home at dawn, walking a bit further away from the village. I stepped inside, noticing my adoptive family, each sitting around the table.

‘’Good evening’’ I announced myself before taking off my worn out jacket

‘’Did you feed the lambs and the chickens?’’ A stern voice asked me

I cursed under my breath

‘’Go outside to feed them and do not come back in until it's done. You'll sleep outside if you are too lazy for such minimal tasks. You might be royal blood, but from what i have seen of you, you'll never be as good as your father’’ he spitted at me

I felt both my fists clenching, breathe y/n, only a few more months…

‘’It's not because your a descendant of the Crimson’s family that you're any better than us, now go before I teach you a lesson’’

I exited the house, slamming the door behind me.

This is ridiculous, no one restocked the food for the chickens. I grabbed my satchel and made my way out further, nearing the woods.

I still wasn’t quite sure what these animals were supposed to eat to grow. I would usually steal from our neighbors gardens, gathering what I could so uncle could get off my back.

Like the usual routine, I sneaked past the small cabin, kneeling down before the small garden. I started filling my bag with anything I could grab.

I believed myself to be safe. That until I heard wood cracking agonizingly under someone's weight. I immediately ducked, laying on the ground as flat as possible. Footsteps grew louder and closer, that’s when I heard a shout and decided it was my time to run. I stood up and saw the old man pointing his gun at me, I ducked and started running towards the woods. Hearing cursing and gunshots following. I ran through bushes and trees, not looking back

I stopped a minute later, trying to catch my breath.

That's when I heard a voice humming. I hid behind a tree. I heard of these fables, the ones who were stupid enough to wander around the woods alone would often encounter what people called witches. Seemingly human, but with monstrous powers.

I tried listening to the humming. I felt warm, almost comforted by the sound. I racked my brain, trying to remember witches powers and their effects on the common mortal. That song she was humming, it must be some sort of spell or enchantment

I plugged my ears with my fingers. How was I going to get out of this?

‘’Running, like you always do y/n’’

Right, I looked around before stepping out from my hiding spot, ready to run once again

Unfortunately for me, grace wasn’t one of my fortee, nor was my vision so it seems, has i had failed to notice a small root sticking out from the ground, making me trip and fall down

The humming stopped.

I cursed under my breath. I looked up to be met with an oddly familiar face. She simply giggled, looking down at me.

I stood up before taking a step back, cautious to who or what i had encountered.

‘’You’re hurt’’ she almost whispered while looking at me

Her voice sounded like pure silk, something bringing me almost as much comfort as it had for fear a few seconds prior.

I knew better than to fall under a witches charm. Yet, I stood frozen as she approached me, unable to look away from her delicate features and her chocolate eyes. Her hand made contact with my face, making me slightly jump. Her gaze met mine again, this time seemingly worried.

‘’S-sorry’’ I mumbled. She smiled before letting go of my face.

‘’Make sure to clean that cut and put pomade on it, if you want it to heal’’ she looked down with a shy smile

‘’Oh..I will’’ I replied before shaking myself out of this trance like state

‘’I'll be on my way’’ she excused herself before walking away

I ran back to the cottage, feeding the chickens with what I had gathered before finally settling down inside. I looked at my reflection, a cut was present where the women had touched my face. I gathered water from the kitchen, taking a small bowl to bring some over to my room.

I sat down before plunging face first into the bowl. At least I could clean up the wound.

Satisfied, I undressed and laid down. I stared at the rotting ceiling, wood really couldn't last long against the rain I thought. I turned to lay on my side, staring out the window.

Images of earlier came to mind. I wasn't sure if I liked the woman I encountered or if it was only the spell of a witch, either way, I was probably only touch deprived.

She was just one of many faces I would come across and never see again.

——

Yet another crack of dawn fell upon the village.

I unwillingly opened my eyes to be blinded by the waking sun.

If I were to wake up early enough, maybe uncle wouldn't catch me leaving for the day. I wasn’t willing to fulfill my duties per usual, so I opted on escaping to the village for another of our fighting tournaments. I quickly dressed up in my red cardigan father had given me, before exiting by the room’s window. I walked through the field before joining the main path. After a few minutes, I knocked on my friend’s front door.

Only a few seconds passed before she opened the door.

‘’Y/n!’’ she exclaimed

‘’Ready for another successful day Yooh?’’

She nodded with a grin before following me outside. She left to gather any possible fighters while I set up the scene, simply marking a line in the dirt behind one of the houses in the village.

I then settled down Yooh’s bet’s hat, anyone agreeing to fight or to watch had to place a bet against us, thus making us quite the coin after each fight.

When Yooh came back with a crowd, we decided on an order. A few foreigners in town would be fighting a few locals, then, the winner would go against me for the final.

We collected the bets and let the fights start after explaining a few base rules.

——

The crowd started getting bigger after a few rounds. More and more familiar faces stacked up around the circle. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to be faced with none other than Lee Gahyeon.

‘’Well if it isn’t the princess herself’’ I teased, slightly bowing.

She grinned from ear to ear, making me do the same.

‘’Y/n, you know not to address me as such around here” she lightly scolded.

‘’How is the farm life treating you dear friend’’ I asked, a bit concerned.

‘’Better than you it seems” she teased, pointing out my rough figure.

‘’The difference between you and me Gahyeon, is that i'm letting myself have fun while away from the castle’’

‘’And I only have a month left before returning to my family, so who is really the winner here y/n?’’ she grinned

Gahyeon was a princess sent here for the same purpose as I was. Only difference being her coming from a different kingdom, one adjacent to mine. Our families were allies. Once they heard about our family’s famous tradition, they decided on sending Gahyeon out into the world as well.

‘’Well i suppose i'll be lonely then’’ I playfully winked at her, making her giggle

Our attention was brought back to the fight when Yooh announced a winner, it was then that I turned around and saw the hooded girl again.There was this insatiable feeling inside of me, I needed to know her name. But as I started walking towards her, Gahyeon pulled me back.

‘’Don’t think you're escaping from me so easily prince charming’’ she grinned

Although I would have joined Gahyeon's stories, I was still distracted by the stranger. I turned the other way again, meeting the mysterious eyes through the crowd.

Those eyes, I could recognize them anywhere, an object of fascination against my own will. I was taken aback once I realized it was the same woman I had encountered in the woods. But before I could do anything, she ducked with a seemingly disappointed expression on her face.

I tried following after her, but Gahyeon was there to stop me again as well as Yoohyeon this time. She called me in for the final fight. I stepped into the circle, looking up to see my opponent. I frowned, I had never seen this type of attire, probably a foreigner.

Yoohyeon announced the rules again, the winner would win it all. Enticing amount of money for anyone that wasn’t royal. The fight started and I was able to immediately put my opponent to the ground. He managed to pull me off a few times but I was not going to let him take the win.

I pushed him once again to the ground, he groaned before shouting some words I could not understand. I heard some commotion in the crowd and immediately turned around to yoohyeon, seeing the girl fighting the friend of my rival. They were trying to steal the prize from her.

I was about to run to Yoohyeon but my opponent pulled me back.

I felt a stinging pain in my left leg. I looked down to see the man pulling out his dagger out my leg. I let myself fall onto the ground, now clutching at the wound.

I screamed to Yoohyeon to warn her, to let them go so she wouldn't get hurt. The crowd had already corwarded away, leaving the 2 men against me and Yoohyeon.

She let them go after being thrown to the ground.

I got back on my two feet and approached her

‘’I'm so sorry about this situation, are you okay dear?’’ I asked worried

I helped her pull herself off the ground, it's then that I saw a tear running down her face.

‘’yooh’’ I wiped away the tears, turning her face towards me.

‘’Its my fault, i couldn't fight him off, and now he's gone with the money’’ she muttered out

‘’Yooh, no one could of predicted this, it’s my fault if anything, i told you to stop fighting them, i didn't want you to get hurt’’ I reassured

‘’why-’’ she stopped her sentenced when she looked down at my bloodied leg

‘’Y/n! what happened’’ she crouched, touching around the wound.

‘’That bastard had a dagger on him, but i'll be fine’’

She seemed to disagree with me and retrieved her hand from the wound, looking at the substance now on her fingers.

‘’I think he had poison on that dagger, look’’ she showed me the green substance that she retrieved from the wound.

She then stood up before pulling on my arm ‘’Follow me, we need to get some medicine for you’’

I stopped her ‘’Yoohyeon you also have injuries, please go rest back home, i'll fix myself later’’ She was about to fight my decision but I glared at her.

‘’Fine’’ she pouted

‘’I’ll bring you back home now’’ i left her no choice

‘’right, prince charming’’ she joked

‘’I do this because I care about you, not because I was raised this way’’

—--

You led yoohyeon back to the safety of her home before going your own way.

You looked down at your leg. ‘’I have to fix this now’’

You weren’t knowledgeable in medicine and even less poisonous substances. But you did know a friend that could help you on that matter. You didn't like him much, but it was better than letting that substance simmer inside your flesh.

You made your way to his house and knocked.

Quickly your eyes were met with a cocky grin from the tall boy.

‘’Well, well, how could I help my dear Y/n today?’’

You scoffed at him ‘’Well, one of the fighter decided it was a good idea to wound me with poison today’’

He frowned, now serious ‘’I see, let me take a look at it’’ he made sign for you to enter.

You sat down on one of the chairs in his cabin. He kneeled before looking at the wound, He seemed fascinated by it, letting out some noises of excitement

‘’Anything?’’ you asked

‘’Y/n, a master needs time to complete his work’’ he smiled

He stood up before going towards his bed, picking up a book from it. ‘’From the color, texture, that wound…I don't think that's going to kill you, not yet anyway. Only thing, I dont have the plant you need here for your remedy’’ he seemed pensive

‘’Can you help me or i am wasting my time here?’’

‘’I sure can, although the plant I need is a bit far from here. I do have a brief sketch of it that should help you find it’’ he explained, ripping a page from his book.

You took the page out of his hands before walking towards the exit. ‘’Your welcome!’’ he screamed towards you before you disappeared from his view.

——

‘’This shouldn't be too hard’’ you repeated to yourself while walking further into the forest.

You approached a small water stream, stopping there to refresh yourself after the long and painful walk. As you stopped there, you heard shouting in the distance

You stood up and walked towards the source, curiosity getting the best of you.

You quickly hid when you noticed a man pointing his gun at a hooded figure. Intelligible words were exchanged between the two before the man threw the person to the ground. In a matter of seconds he then aggressively stepped on their ankle before stealing their belongings.

You came out of hiding to confront the man but he was already running away. You ran to the women that was on the ground

‘’Miss, may I help you? Why did that men attack you?’’ You asked

You waited for her response but only heard her sniffle. It was when she turned her face to meet your gaze that you recognized her face. ‘’A witch’’ you accidentally blurted out ‘’Is that why he attacked you?’’ she nodded at the question

‘’I won't hurt you’’ you quickly jutted out

‘’I believe you, I have seen you quite a few times around y/n’’ she inquired.

You were shocked at the mention of your name. She seemed to notice your confusion and tittle her head with a smile

‘’May I know your name?’’

‘’Of course, I'm Minji, or Jiu for short’’ she smiled through the pain.

She tried standing up but failed due to her injury. You offered her your hand and helped her stand. She tried putting weight on her feet but groaned at the feeling, gripping onto your hand for support.

‘’Oh your ankle, I can help you back home’’ you reassured but her smile dropped.

‘’I dont think its a good idea to bring me back home seeing as though you have a lover waiting for you back there’’

You frowned, confused.

‘’The princess?’’ she quirked her eyebrow

‘’Oh, that is not my lover. We are friends’’ you replied. She simply nodded

‘’Wait, how do you know she's a princess?’’ you asked curiously

‘’She isn't exactly trying to hide it with her gold brooch’’ she replied, making you laugh

‘’I also have noticed your embroidery dear prince’’ she seemingly teased, making you blush

She let go of your hand and tried walking on her own but to no avail. You grabbed onto her again. ‘’Let me help?’’

‘’You know what i am don't you?’’

You slowly nodded, trying to understand what she was trying to say.

‘’Then you shouldn't be here, even less at my house, which is near the coven’’ she explained.

‘’Minji, you can't walk on your own, I promise i'll be quick and of no disturbance’’ you slightly bowed, long forgetting your own injury to help the women in front of you. She sighted, knowing she had no other choices but to accept.

‘’Fine, but you should wear this, so as to not be recognized as an intruder’’ She gently took off her hooded cape and gave it to you. She helped you put it on properly, tying the front and placing the hood above your head.

You noticed a small frown on her features before she gently touched your cheek

‘’You didn’t put pomade on it, did you?’’ she asked with a teasing smile

‘’Oh, I must of forgotten, i’m sorry’’

she simply replied with a nod and a grin

You gave your hand to Jiu, holding onto it firmly to help her walk back home.

——

After what felt like an eternity, you could see the edge of wooden roofs starting to peek through the foliage.

As you walked closer to the village with Jiu, you observed the magnificent sight. A witch’s village was nothing short of breathtaking, unlike the horrible descriptions in those fables. Although the sight was to cherish, with all its greenery and uncommon forms, the sight that was to your right couldn't be beaten. It would be a lie to say you hadn’t peeked at Jiu’s profile throughout the long walk. You grew fonder of her soft chocolate eyes and her inviting smile. Although you had been too shy or preoccupied by her state to talk, the silence seemed to be comfortable. The both of you enjoying each other's company while admiring the surrounding nature.

The exterior of the small cabins were painted of eccentric colors and flowers were surrounding each and every building.

You both walked closer to what seemed to be her house. She opened the door before you helped her in. She then sat down onto her bed before looking back at you.

‘’Thank you y/n’’

You simply nodded, watching her uncomfortable figure trying to chase away the pain.

‘’Could you please bring my pain medicine? It's in my underground storage behind my house, you should be able to find it by the wooden trap there’’

You weren’t sure about wandering in such a place, but if it was to help Jiu feel better, then you would do so.

‘’What does the medicine resemble? you asked, unsure

‘’It a red glass bottle with a leather cap’’ she smiled

Having all the information you needed, you hesitantly stepped out of her cabin. You walked towards the back side of the building. A few meters away from its back wall, you noticed the wooden trap. To your surprise it was left open, making it easier for you to climb down in.

The place was quite dark, with only a faint flame lighting the room. You approached the light to start searching for Jiu’s medicine.

You heard a faint noise behind you, but before you could turn to the source, you were pinned against the harsh textured wall.

‘’Who are you and why are you here?’’ a smaller women asked, her knife to your throat

You gulped, ‘’I'm here for Jiu’’

‘’How do you know any of ours name’’

‘’I'm a friend of Jiu’’ you tried explaining but to no avail.

‘’I don’t believe strangers’’ she mentioned before pushing you to the ground. She let her weight pin you down to be able to tie your hands with some rope.

She commanded you to get up before asking more questions

‘’Jiu has been gone for hours now, why should I believe you when you could be the reason of her disappearance?’’

‘’Listen, your friend was attacked and I simply helped her get back home’’

The smaller women didn't reply, but simply approached you, now curiously looking at the embroidery on your chest.

‘’The Crimson palace…what is royalty even doing here?’’ she asked herself. She then walked a few steps around the dark room, seemingly in thought.

She looked at you after pondering, ‘’Who are you?’’

‘’It's not important, we need to go help Jiu’’ you replied, impatient to get back to the injured woman.

she harshly grabbed your face ‘’It is important if you want your pretty face to get out of here unmarked’’ she snarled.

You hesitated, blowing your cover wasn’t exactly meant to happen during this ‘learning session’ away from the palace. Especially not to witches.

Her hand started clenching harder around your face.

‘’I'm the prince’’ you finally jutted out, making her let go of your face

‘’There you go, was that so hard?’’ she giggled mischievously before pushing you out the room and up the stairs

‘’Where are we going?’’ you asked, unsure of what she planned on doing with vulnerable royalty.

‘’You’ll see soon, won't you?’’ she teased. She seemed unbothered by your sligh panic, enjoying the effect she had on you. To your relief, she walked you back to Jiu’s front door. She opened the door before pushing you in, making you fall to the floor.

‘’Is this someone you know?’’ she asked after putting her feet down on your back.

‘’Sua, be careful would you?’’ Jiu snarled at her

‘’Yes I do know them, they helped me get back here’’ she confirmed before letting herself to the ground to untie your hands from the harsh rope.

She looked over you like looking over porcelain, looking for any marks that would predict future shattering.

‘’i'm fine’’ you whispered to her with a reassuring smile

She looked back to Sua ‘’Do you at least have any medicine for me?’’

‘’Here’’ Sua took out a bottle from her satchel and threw it towards the bed

‘’If they do anything, just alert us with a scream’’ she explained before leaving the both of you alone.

Jiu painfully pulled herself back up to bed, ‘’I'm sorry about that y/n, Sua is…very protective’’

‘’I can tell’’ you smiled ‘’It only means you’ll be safe here, makes my heart a bit lighter’’ you admitted. You weren’t sure if it was the product of your imagination, but you swore in that moment you saw blush spread across her face.

She opened the bottle Sua had given to her and took out some of the medication to chew on.

‘’Is that all?’’ you asked, unsure if the medication alone would help her ankle. She giggled at your question before taking out something from under her bed.

She revealed a small wooden box. She pulled some bandages out from it before starting to twist the material around her ankle. You quickly kneeled before her, offering to help her. She smiled before letting you take the material to finish surrounding her ankle. You gently secured her ankle with the material before letting her foot down.

A few seconds passed. Waiting for any response, you looked up to catch her staring at you with a fond smile. You immediately looked back down, a bit embarrassed.

‘’Thank you y/n’’ she grinned

‘’It's nothing’’ you smiled back before getting up

But Minji frowned, looking down at your leg. ‘’Did Sua really cut your pants?’’

You looked down as well, now remembering your own injury ‘’It is not Sua’s doing, it is from a fight’’

‘’Can I have a look at it, I may be able to help you in return for your services’’ she pleaded

Without a word you simply sat down next to her. Her hands wandered around the wound on your thigh. She gently raised the material off your skin. Her expression seemed pained as she traced the cut. ‘’Do you know why the blood seems greenish?’’ she looked back at you

‘’I believe my opponent had poison on his dagger, which he was not suppose to use regardless’’ you huffed

‘’I see’’ Jiu helped herself up and made her way to a cabinet, grabbing a small jar from it. She came back and gave it to you. You noticed the symbol on it, it was the plant you were looking for earlier. ‘’How did you know this was the right antidote?’’ you looked a Jiu, surprised

‘’Well witches do have a few tricks up their sleeves’’ she winked, making you smile

You looked back down at the wound, ‘’Do I just apply it directly?’’ you questioned

Jiu giggled ‘’No we have to clean it first’’ She grabbed a small bottle from one of her shelf

‘’Here is some alcohol’’ she smiled. You watched dreadfully as she opened the bottle

‘’Maybe we do not have t-’’ she cut off your sentence by pouring some of the liquid on the cut. All that could be heard was your muffled groans as you harshly pressed your lips together.

Jiu watched the liquid fizzle, like some kind of potion she would be working on. She was about to pour more but you stopped her, pleading her to not do so.

‘’Oh, I'm sorry, I didn’t realize it hurt bad’’ she apologetically smiled before replacing the alcohol bottle with the small jar. She opened it before placing a generous amount of ointment on your wound. She gently spread it so as to not hurt you.

It's only now that you realized how close she was to you. Her body almost colliding with yours, you could feel the warmth radiating from her skin. A feeling you hoped would become familiar.

She gave you some bandages to finish treating the wound. ‘’Here, you should be able to recover now’’.

You stood up to properly wrap the material around your leg. Once secured, you noticed how the lighting seemed to have faded from earlier. You looked outside only to confirm that night was indeed approaching.

‘’Well, I will be on my way now, thank you for everything Minji’’ you bowed

‘’No need y/n, thank you for rescuing me today’’ she smiled

You felt that leaving her was causing your heart to ache. After finally meeting the mysterious woman, would you simply return home and never see her again? At last, you knew these questions wouldn't be answered by staying in her home, so you opted on wishing her a good night before exiting her house.

You made sure the wooden door was safely closed and locked before turning around. You stopped in your steps, met with none other than Sua and one taller girl. Her eyes went wide before turning into a teasing look

‘’Ah Sua, I will be heading home now’’ you explained

‘’Curious, with how long the two of you were in there, I believed you were staying the night’’ Her words surprised you, making you blush.

The other girl eyed you curiously before speaking. ‘’If you aren’t interested in Minji, we could spend some time together as well’’ she smirked. Sua elbowed the taller girl ‘’Dong, this is not the time to court’’ ‘’Fine, my excuses’’ she replied before sending you a wink as she made her way back towards what you assumed to be her house.

Sua turned back towards you ‘’Leave’’ she sternly directed to you

‘’Yes miss’’ you replied before making your way out of the village.

—---

A week has passed since you last saw Minji. Although she would usually present herself during the fighting tournaments, you assumed she couldn't make her usual errands in town with her ankle.

It didn't stop you from wondering if she was well, if someone was taking care of her or if she was recovered

You had been busy with tasks at home, but you planned to visit her. So when the next morning came, you quickly exited the house to make your way to her, hoping you wouldn't be ambushed by her friends again.

—--

Making your way through the woods. you seemed to recognize the surroundings. The small stream, the flowers. Wasn’t this the place you first encountered Minji?

A sudden idea came to your mind. You approached the flowers, gently picking some of them. You place them in your bag, making sure to not fumble any of the petals before resuming your travels

—---

You saw the wooden roofs appear once again in the distance. You remembered the way, to your relief.

You carefully stepped foot into the village, looking around for signs of any of Jiu’s friends. When you judged the cost to be clear, you let yourself walk further into the small town. That's when you saw her, tending to some flowers near a cabin. She looked just as beautiful as the last time you had seen her. She was sitting on a small bench, her ankle still surrounded for protection.

You let yourself admire her for a bit, enjoying the scenery of it all. Although you felt peaceful at that moment, your heart started singing a song of its own. Its pace quickening at the mere sight of her.

Suddenly, Sua appeared behind her, bringing what looked like to be more flowers to tend too. And although Jiu hadn’t noticed you, Sua immediately did and took her dagger out before calling to you. She seemed to not remember you.She hastily made her way to you but Jiu finally turned around and made eye contact with you. She immediately smiled and called back the smaller woman, explaining to her you were the stranger who helped her a few days before.

Sua retreated before teasingly smiling at you once again. This time she let no word out, simply making a gesture for you to join Jiu.

You walked to where Jiu was sitting

‘’Y/n. How are you’’ she smiled brightly

‘’I am well, I hope you have recovered since our last meeting’’

‘’I do feel better, especially now that you are here’’ she teased before giggling at your shy expression

You reached into your bag, carefully pulling out the flowers you picked earlier. You looked down at them, breathing in before having enough courage to look back up at her. You placed the flowers in front of her, still holding onto them ‘’I wanted to give these to you’’ you shyly expressed.

You didn’t quite understand what was happening to you. You never felt much. You always passed as the cold hearted person who had no time to spare for any strangers. But here you were, feeling your chest fill with butterflies as you looked into this woman's eyes.

She gently took them into her own hands. Looking gleefully over them, smelling the different flowers you had brought to her.

She looked back at you with a grateful smile ‘’Thank you y/n’’

‘’They reminded me of you’’ you blurted out

She giggled, looking back at them ‘’Is that so?’’

For once in your life, you decided to act on your feelings instead of the logic your brain was trying so hard to push onto you.

‘’I like you..Minji’’ you looked at her, only to see her shocked.

Scared, you looked back down to your feet. That was until you felt her warmth close to you once again. You could recognize that feeling anywhere, her presence was one you could never forget, intoxicating yet a blessing.

You felt her fingers hook themselves under your chin, encouraging your gaze to meet hers. Her gaze looked sincere and loving. ‘’I admire you a lot y/n’’ she said in almost a whispers

‘’I'm sorry about what I said’’ You tried explaining yourself.

What you failed to notice all this time was that Jiu felt attracted to you as well, wondering at night where you were, if you also thought about her and missed her.

At the simple mention of her being a witch, people would either attack her or run, no one had been considerate enough to talk to her, let alone help her. You made her feel loved in a way no one before had been able too. Even when she had romantic interests, she would have to hide who she was. But with you, she let herself hope that things could be different.

Noticing the silence, you tried speaking up again ‘’I should of not sai-’’

Jiu wasn’t gonna let you finish that sentence, she wanted to let you know just how much she appreciated your existence. She pulled you in for the softest yet most passionate kiss. Her lips weren't rough nor distant, a perfect amount of pressure accompanied by a slow and loving rhythm.

You felt hypnotized, her lips casting a spell on you, her body pressing against you like she was the puzzle piece you were missing. Her hand gently grazed against the back of your neck while you held onto her waist.

for the first in a while, you felt happy. Like life had a meaning, like the world was given back its colors.

You once believed love was a curse, but if she was the one casting it, then it was well worth it.

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strawberryhmilk · 2 years

Text

peach scented shampoo ♡ sua

anon said: “Hello! so I saw that you write for dream catcher and I was wondering if you could do Sua x female reader imagine? Like like Sua comes home to find out her girlfriend is in the Shower and just casually joins them. On the other hand the reader was so shy because this was their first time having a couple shower. Maybe a little smutty and fluffy? If it's OK with you .Thank you 🤘”

synopsis : your girlfriend comes over and joins you in the shower. this leads to a talk you’ve been dreading for a while.

warnings : causal mentions of sex , asexual!reader , sex repulsed!reader — i dont write smut but this was the perfect request for pride month <3 sua referred to as sua and bora interchangibly!!

—— ♥︎ ——

The purple candle you were burning sent off a fruity, sweet scent that encompassed you entirely. You were indulging yourself in a drama you'd been meaning to watch — eyes focused on the screen and hand mindlessly picking at the snack in your lap. A text tone went off right as the episode ended, dragging your attention away from the fictional world and back to reality.

def not dreamcatcher sua: on my way home lovely <3

You grinned, replying before pausing the drama and sitting up properly with a stretch. Taking your snack back to the kitchen, you decided to take a quick shower before your girlfriend made her way to your place.

Steam gathered around you as you stepped into the warmth of the shower, letting out a content hum. Sua's text made you think of her — it always did — and the continuous relationship between the two of you. You started as friends — laughter used to be polite; hugs used to be quick; meeting up consisted of multiple people.

And then it delved into something more — something intimate and tender and a little more than casual.

Bora made her feelings for you known quite quickly, not hesitating to blurt out non-platonic thoughts. Hugs turned into shy kisses on the cheeks that lingered into full blown kisses on the mouth, giggles erupting as you couldn't contain your happiness. Dates were weekly — sometimes daily if her schedule allowed it — and considered every time you were both alone.

You wondered how long it would take her to ask. How long it would take her to question your relationship and say it's alright only to leave eventually. She would leave, wouldn't she? Because that's how other people thought and reacted when you told them the truth.

After all, sex was viewed as the most intimate thing that could happen between people. It was considered to be the one true way you could show someone you loved them; the only way they'd know how deep those feelings went. It was the way to erase and get over arguments; the way couples expressed themselves fully.

So, when sex wasn't a big part of someone's life, it was weird. Unknown. Inhumane, in a way. What human didn't have sexual feelings or attraction?

You and multiple others, actually.

"...join you?" So lost in your thoughts, you didn't even realize your girlfriend had finally arrived. Yet, there she was, silhouetted behind the shower curtain. Her shadow's head tilted, "Y/N?"

"Sorry, I didn't hear you!" You called back, only slightly louder than the shower head. Quickly lathering shampoo into your hair, you watched as Sua idled, swaying lightly.

She cleared her throat shyly, "I said — do you mind if I join you?"

"Oh! Um—" you turned to rinse the shampoo out of your hair. Biting your lip, you decided why not? She'd find out about your sexuality sooner or later. And, if Bora was the type of person to leave your longstanding relationship because you weren't interested in sex—. Well, you didn't need those types of people in your life anyways. "If you want."

It was funny — how quick Sua shuffled out of her clothes and enthusiastically slung the shower curtain open to join you. She greeted you with a wide grin as she hopped in behind you. "My shy baby, didn't think you'd say yes!"

You pursed your lips, hoping the funny face would distract her from your body and heated cheeks. Crossing your arms over your chest casually, you switched places so that Sua was under the water now. "...Thought about saying no."

"Why didn't you?" Nothing about her tone was harsh or judgemental. She was asking out of pure curiosity as she leaned her head back to get her hair wet. Letting out a content hum — the same way you did — Bora leaned beside you to grab the shampoo. "You usually wouldn't."

You shrugged casually, hands still crossed over your chest, "it's nice, isn't it? And normal. To shower with your significant other."

Bora let out a snort at that. "You're dating a famous person, doll. Don't think we're considered normal!"

"As normal as we can get, then," you returned her smile. It faltered slightly as Sua stood straighter, eyes on you and suddenly you felt so much more bare. She titled her head at you and you could only hope your smile wasn't as wobbly as it felt. "What?"

"You," she shrugged. Her hands planted themselves on your shoulders, turning so that you were under the shower head now. "You've always been... uncomfortable with stuff like this."

"Stuff like this?" You repeated quietly.

Sua smiled, a bashful tilt of her lips as her hands drifted from your shoulders until they latched onto your own hands. "Sex stuff, I guess. If you count just being naked together as sexual."

"I don't," your voice grew meek. "I don't think it's inherently sexual." You took a deep breath, allowing the warm water to help you think about what you wanted to say. "I'm asexual, you know? I think I lean more on the not interested in sex side of the spectrum."

The only noise in the bathroom is the running water as silence surounds you. She's staring — you can feel Bora's gaze on you as your eyes stay on the ground. She tightens her grip on your hands, wiggling them when you still stare at the floor. Finally, Sua leans down until she's in your eye sight, a teasing grin on her face as her eyes meet yours. "I'm not going to leave you because of your sexuality, Y/N. Sex isn't everything in a relationship."

Reassurance was something you didn't realize you needed. Shuffling you closer, Sua gathered you in her arms and squeezed you lovingly. "Just wanna be with you, love. Doesn't matter what you like or don't like."

"Thank you," you sighed against her neck before placing a scatter of kisses there. Bora giggles, returning the gesture to the top of your head before she pulls away. "Love you, popstar."

"Love you, doll!" Sua grins before turning so you're under the shower head again. "Now, let's condition your pretty hair, hm?"

—— ♥︎ —— this feels less lovey-dovey n more robotic lmao apologies for that <3 i hope you enjoyed this, thank you for reading! strawberryhmilk © 2022 do not copy, plagiarize, repost, or translate my content on any platform.

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ot7stan4life · 7 months

Text

“It’s Not Wrong”

Dreamcatcher (OT7) x Female Reader

Word Count: 8,980

Summary: As the 8th member of Dreamcatcher, you struggle with your growing attraction towards your members, because, in your mind, loving seven different people isn’t natural and couldn’t possibly be considered acceptable by any normal human being… so why would they be okay with it?

“It’s- it’s wrong.”

“You love us, how is there anything wrong with that?”

Warnings: angst, brief mentions of homophobia, mild sexual content

The audience's excited screams echoed around the arena as we all waved our goodbyes, fading only when the lift lowered us beneath the stage, yet never leaving my mind completely. Even when our managers herded us into two separate black vans that would be taking us to a nearby hotel, the adrenaline pumping through my veins and the dull roar of what sounded like waves rushing in my ears from a night of being stimulated by loud music were permanent reminders of the performance we had just put on.

Kcon LA. It was a big deal for a group of our scale. And, after singing in front of a crowd of that size (one bigger than we had ever seen before), I could tell the members were feeling as elated as I was. If the way Bora pulled me down the hall when we arrived at the hotel and shoved me into our shared room with Minji and Siyeon following closely behind was anything to go off of, I'd guess I was about to experience what being on the receiving end of the dancer's excited energy entailed. I didn't know whether to be excited myself or utterly terrified.

Luckily I was able to convince them to let me have the first shower—which they only agreed upon under the promise that I would stay up to entertain them (not sure what that meant exactly, but I was honestly too afraid to ask)—and immediately took the first chance I got to slip into the bathroom before any chaos ensued. Just fifteen minutes later, my sore muscles had been soothed by the warm water and I was drying off, finally allowing myself to wind down for the night. My conflicting feelings for the members had really been getting to me lately, but I was thankful our busy schedule helped keep my mind off of it.

Though, I had a feeling those emotions would become unavoidable sooner rather than later when I realized I forgot to grab a change of clothes from my suitcase. Even more unfortunately, the only towels in the bathroom were borderline too small to cover all of my... assets. Fantastic. I wasn't exactly as inclined to show off my naked body as several of the other members seemed to be, so this certainly wasn't ideal.

Wrapping the towel around me as best as I could, I crossed my fingers hoping the members occupying the hotel room had left to get some food or weren't paying attention before I opened the door. Though, my luck ran short not even two steps out of the bathroom when Siyeon began cat-calling me.

"Yah, sexy," she shouted. I froze, looking over at her timidly. "Come over here. Don't be shy." The singer was clearly joking around, but that didn't stop me from blushing at her words.

"What?" Bora laughed at Siyeon's weird behavior. Seconds later, her curious head popped out from behind the wall where she had been sitting to see what the older woman was looking at. I wanted to strangle Siyeon the moment Bora's eyes widened at the sight of me. "Ooooh," she exclaimed, her eyes shamelessly raking over the bare skin my towel failed to cover while a smirk creeped onto her lips.

Attempting to ignore them, I walked further into the room in search of my suitcase. That only made things worse when Minji was finally able to see me and they all started making shocked and impressed noises. "Ooh, so sexy," Minji doted. My cheeks burned being the center of attention and feeling incredibly exposed.

"Omo, jagi," Bora started, "did you come to give us a show?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"Yah!" I shouted in surprise, stopping to look back at her. Actually seeing all of their eyes on me, confirming that they really had been staring this whole time, made my knees go weak. "I forgot to grab a change of clothes, alright?" My voice came out angry, but they caught the hint of a smile on my lips before I could hide it.

Bora started giggling. "Look at how embarrassed she is." Her finger pointed up at me as if they weren't all already looking.

Siyeon laughed, but Minji scolded, "Yah, leave her alone." I nearly fell for how caring the leader sounded, but then I noticed her eyes lingering for a second too long on my bare thighs. She was just as bad as them.

"Oh c'mon, you like it too, unnie," Siyeon said, "don't kill the fun."

"Yeah, the best part's just starting," Bora scooted to the edge of the bed. "I haven't even gotten to touch her yet." My eyes blew wide and I only had a split second to guard myself before the small woman launched from the bed and ran over to start groping me.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled. With one hand holding up my towel, I only had one left to try and block her attacks. This allowed the main dancer to get a few quick squeezes of my thighs and one of my ass over the towel before I ran to the other side of the room, out of her reach. "Stop it," I squealed as she chased after me.

Bora was all giggles while I was full on panicking—for several reasons. Before I could seek safety in the bathroom, the small woman stopped me halfway with a shove. Minji was yelling at us to not get hurt and Siyeon was just laughing as they watched the whole thing pan out. The atmosphere changed quickly though when Bora pinned me against the wall. Even with her being a head shorter than me, I still felt trapped. My pulse throbbed in my ears as I breathed heavily from both the running and the way Bora's small hands had felt against my bare skin.

Miraculously, I had managed to keep the towel on with one hand while the other held cautiously onto Bora as she stood on her tippy toes so that we were nearly face-to-face. Her hands were not as innocent, one at the base of my neck, teasingly traveling downwards while the other lay flat against my stomach, pushing my back into the wall. We were so close that her nose nearly brushed mine when she looked down, not-so-subtly admiring the curve of my breasts revealed by the towel. Her other hand traveled lower, getting a feel for the skin on the back of my thigh.

"You're not even going to give me a little peek?" She whispered just for us to hear, her fingertips dragging closer to what she really wanted to feel. I found my mind fixated on that word: me. It was no longer an us. She didn't care about playing it up for the others. No, it was just her who wanted it now.

Her eyes flicked up to mine, showing me the want deep within them as her fingers gripped the curve if my butt. "Unnie," I gasped, feeling at a loss for words. She had done this stuff plenty of times. The teasing, the flirting, even the ass-grabbing. She was Kim Bora after all. It was to be expected. What was not expected though was the hint of desperation I caught from her in that moment. If she happened to be feeling any fraction of what I had felt for her in the past two years, I knew she was searching for any sort of confirmation or reciprocation of her own feelings from me. And this felt like a confession.

I found myself involuntarily glancing down at her lips. So many countless nights I had spent imagining what they might feel like against mine, overwhelmed by an excited thrill wondering if she'd be just as aggressive in intimate moments as she was normally or if she'd break character, acting more calm and submissive. All these possibilities made my stomach burn and I knew I should stop before my arousal became evident on my thighs, but it was so hard to when she was looking at me like that.

The fact that her and I were not alone was a rude awakening the moment Minji appeared next to us, pulling Bora away just before either of us could lean in and do something we might regret later. Had I not known any better, I might've considered Minji's stern gaze and cocked jaw a sign of jealousy as she berated the younger member for touching me in such a way. But I did know better, brushing it off as merely her protectiveness required as our leader. With no shortage of fussing, the dancer eventually let in, giving me one final once-over before allowing me to grab my clothes and retreat to the bathroom.

When I was successfully clothed, I returned to the room to find the unnie line carrying on as if nothing had ever happened. It had me debating if it was all a dream, but the sting of Bora's firm grip on my sensitive skin still lingered, evidence enough of the encounter. After something like that, they normally wouldn't shut up about it, finding joy in teasing me for days on end. The unusual silence seemed strange. Still, it meant less embarrassment for me, so I gladly ignored it, settling down on the bed Bora was currently on the edge of.

About half an hour of casual conversation had passed between the four of us without anything eventful occurring. It wasn't until Bora started getting loopy from her increasing tiredness that things began to ramp up once more. I made the mistake of joking about her loud voice surely sending everyone in the audience home with hearing problems, resulting in her initiating a wrestling match between us on the bed. She griped at me for being such a 'brat,' grabbing and violently shaking any body part of mine that she could get ahold of.

I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably at the sensation of her tiny hands pinching at my skin and how easy she was to offend, and now I was beginning to understand why Yoohyeon found it so fun to toy with her. Well, that is... until Bora landed on top of me, straddling my hips with a suddenly very different goal in mind. The abrupt change in mood had my body stilling completely under her. When I dared to meet her stare, I caught a glint of mischief in it that surely couldn't be leading anywhere good.

Like before, her hands pressed down on my stomach to keep my back flat against the bed. Tilting her head to the side, she looked down at me, raising her eyebrows up once before lowering them again. "Your move," she smirked, already conducting another one of her games that would surely end in chaos.

Looking to my left, I noticed Minji and Siyeon watching us with cautious eyes. There was this sort of rush it gave me, just like the concert, that dared me to continue. They had so often tested the boundaries of our relationships, so why couldn't I do the same? Knowing that it would surprise them made it seem that much more tempting. Now that I wasn't exposed and had been handed back the control, I wanted to give them a show.

So, without even considering the repercussions of my actions, I grabbed Bora's hips and pushed her over. She squealed in shock when I ended up on top of her, my body resting between her legs. "Your move." A satisfied smile formed on my lips when I heard the other two members let out mumbles of surprise. Bora didn't allow me to bask in my victory much longer, always insistent on one-uping me. She liked when I got like this more than she'd ever care to admit and was eager to take it a step further.

Her arms previously resting on my shoulders slithered up to my neck and with one firm tug, I was leaning over her, so close that I could feel her breath on my lips. Now I knew I was in over my head. Her beautiful features and her fingers intertwined around the back of my neck locking me into place made it difficult to breathe. Every spark, every chill, every heart flutter that she had ever made me feel resurfaced all at once and seared itself permanently into my chest. There was never any denying that I was attracted to her—I mean, look at her. Who wouldn't be?—but now, as I lost myself in the inescapable pull of her soft, brown eyes, there was absolutely no denying that I was in love with her.

"Your move," she whispered the softest whisper I had ever heard leave her mouth, never once looking away. Her eyes seemed to be communicating in ways that her words couldn't and the expectant, even hopeful look in them had me convinced this is exactly what she wanted.

So, I gave it to her.

The moment my lips met hers, time seemed to stand still. I felt her inhale, forcing her to press further up into me as her fingers tightened at the nape of my neck. My mind went completely blank finally feeling how silky and warm her lips were against mine. They were impossibly softer and her kiss gentler than I could've ever imagined. And I certainly wasn't counting on the fact that she wouldn't want to pull away, holding me there a few precious seconds longer than what I assumed normal.

After what felt like hours, she loosened her grip on my neck, letting me release her lips slowly. The loss of pressure elicited the sound of a light smack, sending an unexpected sensation of pleasure through my body. Her eyes fluttered open to meet mine, appearing dazed and intoxicated by the kiss. Within those few seconds, she granted me a look at the real Bora: the one beyond all the playful, unserious facades she put up. The one that was really as soft and vulnerable and desperate for love as the rest of us were. And knowing that she trusted me enough to give me a glimpse into her heart had me bearing my own for her to take claim of.

However, doubt was quick to take hold of my thoughts when Bora's eyes widened, concealing her initial reaction with an over-dramatic expression of shock. As she laughed incredulously before glancing to her left, I became all too aware of my surroundings. "Jinjja," she yelled, a smile of disbelief painting her lips. I followed her eyes, spotting Minji and Siyeon both mirroring her surprise, mouths drawn open and eyes blown wide.

The weight of my actions came crashing down, suffocating me with unavoidable feelings of regret and embarrassment. How did I really expect this to turn out anyways? Desperate to find an escape from their stares, I hid my face in Bora's neck, clutching her sides as if I could disappear into her.

"Can you believe her?" Bora played it up, pretending like she didn't kiss me back with just as much—if not more—conviction.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled ashamedly, but her neck muffled my voice. God, why didn't I think this through? Reluctantly pushing myself up, I looked down at her shyly. "I'm sorry," I repeated.

Bora paused, her smile faltering as she took in my humiliated expression. I almost thought she was going to reassure me, until a look of uncertainty crossed her own eyes. "Yah," she covered it up, her smile only growing, "look at how red her face is." She raised her hand to point a finger at me like she had done before and laughed. Though she didn't have much room to talk, a pink blush tinting her own cheeks.

"Unnie," I whined, rolling off of her to lay on my back and hide my face in my hands. When would this night ever end?

Following a few more jokes, Bora eventually stopped pestering me about it for the moment. Still, I couldn't ignore the knot that settled in my stomach with the uneasiness lingering in the air between us. Their reaction had been both expected and unexpected. Obviously I knew they'd be shocked, but the three oldest members struck me as the type that would encourage this sort of behavior. In the past I even caught myself wondering if any of them had shared a kiss in the privacy of the dorms out of genuine physical attraction or just pure curiosity. In my mind, it seemed more than probable given the fact that pursuing romantic relationships outside of the group wasn't exactly allowed as well as the inkling I had about at least a couple of the members having a preference for women. Yet, now with all of them appearing avoidant and standoffish after the kiss, I wasn't so sure.

Did I read them all wrong? Did I completely fabricate the concept of them being accepting of that sort of thing because of their touchy and flirtatious tendencies? Most of all though, did I entirely misjudge Bora's reactions to the entire thing?

After all this, I was beginning to think I didn't know anything at all.

—

It was just a few days after we'd traveled back to Korea and I couldn't seem to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind replayed the kiss with Bora over and over again, encouraging me to over-analyze every single little detail. The prospect that I had crossed a major line was stressing me out, to say the least. Strangely, the whole thing also made me feel sad. That part confused me the most. Maybe I wanted her to tell me it was okay. Or maybe I wanted her to even admit that she liked it. But really, what could I expect her to say with the other two members watching? I wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that she wanted it, but even then, how could I be sure that it meant anything real to her? That it wasn't just playful?

Deciding that overthinking was doing me no good, I left my room and went into the kitchen. It was dark and quiet, the other members having gone to bed a couple hours ago. The dim lights on the bottom of the cabinets illuminated the area enough for me to find the handle of the fridge. When I opened it, bright, blue, artificial light came pouring out, forcing my eyes to squint as they adjusted. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but I needed something to satiate my mind. A bottle of water would surely suffice.

As I reached out for one, I felt a whoosh of air and the sensation of hands sliding across my hips from behind. My entire body went rigid as my mind instantly assumed the worst. Even though I had slowly grown used to the abundance of physical affection my members gave me, the timing and scenario had me in a momentary panic.

Before I was able to do anything drastic, arms snaked all the way around my waist and I felt a warm, feminine figure press against my back. "It's just me," the familiar voice of our group's main vocalist said softly near my ear as she rested her chin on my shoulder. I let out a breath of relief, resting my hands on top of hers that had found their way beneath the hem of my t-shirt. Though, it was less calming and more nerve-wracking given my growing attraction to the older woman.

Having her this close allowed more opportunities for embarrassment, or, in her case, teasing. Though, the feeling of her lips pressing gently to my cheek elicited less of a flustered feeling and more of a depressed one. The memory of Bora's response to my kiss suspended permanently in the forefront of my mind, preventing me the luxury of indulging in the idea that little touches like these were glimpses into a deeper truth.

I should've known all along that I'd never be able to have what I truly wanted—never be able to fulfill my heart's deepest desire—but that reality hurt too much now that it had finally revealed itself. Obviously I knew I couldn't have all of them. Giving your heart to two different people with the promise of sharing it equally was arguably unrealistic, so offering it up to seven with that same promise was absolutely absurd. Still, I tried to hold out hope for as long as possible. And the way they all seemed to reinforce their feelings for me on a daily basis only made that hope grow at an alarming rate. How was I supposed to stop my wishful thinking when every thing they did confirmed that it could be a possibility?

"Couldn't sleep?" Siyeon asked, grounding me.

I sighed, feeling exhausted by my emotions, and finally allowed myself to lean back into her welcoming embrace, ignoring the way my heart fluttered at her warmth. "Yeah."

Siyeon unraveled one of her arms from around me to close the fridge door. Missing my opportunity to grab a water didn't bother me as much as it might've had I not gotten a little nauseous from the sickening pain my thoughts brought on. Even though she seemed to be enjoying this quiet moment between us, Siyeon slowly spun me around in her arms. I didn't meet her eyes, anticipating the questioning that would surely follow my admission.

"Jagi," her fingers reached up to brush a hair out of my eyes. "What's wrong?" she said in such a way that had me believing for a split second that she might know what I was going through, but the thought fleeted almost instantly. There's no way she could've.

"Nothing," I replied simply, though even I knew it didn't sound convincing. Clearly it wasn't nothing, but I had already made up my mind that talking to her about it (or any of them, for that matter) would do no good. It's not like she could fix everything and magically make the members fall for me like I'd fallen for them.

Her hand rested on my cheek and she spoke carefully, "I can tell it's not nothing." The tone of her voice compelled me to finally glance up at her.

The look in her eyes was all-too-familiar to me. She worried for her members, sometimes too much, because she cared for us so deeply. And this look told me she knew something was wrong and wouldn't be leaving until it was made right again. It truly was one of the things I loved most about her—her undying protectiveness for her loved ones—but now I was growing to dread it. Fear it, even. Because she had me dangling off the edge of admitting it all to her right there, one slip away from slinging my arms over her shoulders and letting her hold me as I shed every last tear I had stored inside of me.

"It's nothing serious, really." I looked down with a forced smile, hoping she'd just let it go. Though, deep down, there was this desperate cry inside of me, begging for her to continue prodding until I had no other option but to spill everything. All I needed was that one final shove off the cliff to get these unbearable secrets off my chest.

"Y/NN," she said sadly, rubbing her thumb across my cheek. "Is this about the kiss?" Her question made my heart grow ten times heavier in my chest and my eyes darted up to meet hers in surprise. How did she know?

"What, no! Of course not," I rushed out, feeling much too exposed for my own liking. If anything, I was preparing to explain the entire situation to her myself—if I did end up caving. I never could've expected her to know precisely what was bothering me. It made me feel ridiculous. Did I really make it that obvious? But Siyeon wasn't looking at me in a degrading or amused way. In fact, the look in her eyes was so frighteningly sympathetic and understanding that I was almost totally convinced she might even be struggling with the same sort of dilemma. At the thought that I wasn't alone in my suffering, my nose started burning, warning of oncoming tears threatening to fall and expose everything I've tried so tirelessly to conceal. Did she really understand?

"Oh, jagi," Siyeon frowned when she noticed my eyes turn glassy and my bottom lip quiver. The reality that the kiss I was crying over probably meant nothing to anyone else but me made me feel pathetic, yet Siyeon never once seemed to judge me. "Come here," she said, giving me no possible option to refuse her offer of consolation. I obeyed anyways as she gently guided me over to the couch, losing all strength to refuse once the onset of my breakdown approached.

The back of my thighs barely touched the cushions before the older member was pulling me into her chest. That was enough to crack through the dam stifling my endless pool of tears, and now there was nothing to keep them from flowing freely. "It's okay," Siyeon cooed softly, rubbing my back in soothing circles as I cried into her shirt. "I know. It's okay," she reassured and repeated the same phrase over again for the next few minutes, allowing me plenty of time to get everything out.

When the tears began to subside, sobs dwelling to quiet sniffles, Siyeon turned to grab something. I sat up and watched as she pulled a tissue from a box on the coffee table. Without saying anything, she turned to hold my chin and started wiping the tears off my cheeks. As I watched her face, the noticeable shiny glint in her eyes and the way her jaw clenched while she took in my (probably pitiful) appearance hinted that she was likely fighting back tears of her own. Guilt twisted in my gut knowing that I was being selfish burdening her with my pain and not even considering the hurt it might have caused her to see me in such a state.

"I'm sorry," I croaked out, grabbing her wrist.

Siyeon halted her actions, eyes flicking up to mine. "Don't apologize." Her voice was firm, but not angry. "Especially for this."

I shook my head. Why did she have to be so selfless? "You should be sleeping right now, not having to deal with this," I motioned to myself.

She put the tissue down and grabbed my hands, pulling me closer to her. "If you really think I could sleep peacefully right now knowing how you feel, then you must not know me that well." A gentle smile pulled at her lips and her voice softened, "I'd do this every night in a heartbeat if that's what you needed." The sincerity in her words had me on the brink of tears once more. There was no doubt in my mind that she meant every word she said.

I pouted. "Quit it," I mumbled, letting go of her hand to shove her shoulder. "You're gonna make me cry again." My words had her laughing. Feeling a bit more relieved after shedding some of the tears I had bottled up, I was able to laugh with her.

As our laughter died down, Siyeon leaned into me, showing off her beautiful smile. I admired it, feeling a swell of pride in my heart knowing I was the cause of it. It was honestly kind of unbelievable. Here I was, interrupting her sleep and ruining her shirt, yet I was also somehow the one making her laugh and bringing her joy. How could I be so lucky to find myself on the receiving end of such unconditional love? And how could I possibly consider myself deserving after feeling like such a burden?

Siyeon's forehead met mine, drawing me from my thoughts. As if the contact allowed her to hear my thoughts, she caressed my cheek and washed my worries away with three simple words. "I love you." It came out as a whisper, almost like she was telling me a secret. That stubborn spark of hope that I had tried so hard to stomp out the past few days ignited while we shared a moment staring into each other's eyes. The absolute last thing I needed right now was another intimate moment that I'd spend hours on end reading too much into—considering how that ended up with the whole Bora thing—but I could already feel my heart clutching onto those words and savoring the loving look in her eyes as if they were the blood that kept it pumping.

A breath unevenly slipped past my lips when Siyeon finally pulled away, giving me space. I relaxed back into the couch, straightening myself out and staring down at my hands in my lap to avoid her gaze. She shifted, angling her body and propping her head up with her elbow on the back of the couch to look at me.

"So," she trailed off, "do you want to talk about it?" Her voice was delicate, like she was afraid she'd speak too loud or say the wrong thing that would send me into another breakdown or scare me off entirely.

I hummed in indecision while I distracted myself, playing with the two adjustable strings dangling from the waistband of my sweatpants. The longer I debated it, the more I started to doubt how Siyeon would actually react. What if she just assumed I liked Bora? Or what if she doesn't think it's that at all? How would she really feel if I told her I was in love with seven different people? Any normal person would think I was insane.

Her right hand cut my thoughts short, laying on top of both of mine to stop my fidgeting. "What if I start?" she offered when I made eye contact with her.

I couldn't be sure what she possibly had to say, but, in my mind, it seemed like a better option than going first. So I agreed. "Okay," I swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling the nerves creeping back in. Now I was regretting not grabbing that bottle of water.

Siyeon released her head from her left hand and sat up straight, using both hands to grab one of mine and started softly pinching the back of it. I just hoped she didn't notice how cold my fingertips had gotten or the goosebumps that riddled my skin. "I think I have an idea of what you're going through, and I don't ever want you to feel like you have to hide this from us."

The words hit me all at once and the racing thoughts that followed were overwhelming. I was so busy trying to figure out what she thought she knew, I couldn't even appreciate how sweet her words were. She seemed to hit the nail on the head, but what she said could've applied to almost anything. There was still no way she could've known I was in love with all of them, let alone one of them.

I found myself struggling to respond. "But, this is..." my eyebrows furrowed as I focused my attention on the couch under us, face flushing at the idea of giving away too much. "This is different."

"I know," she responded immediately, as if she expected that exact reply out of me, drawing my eyes up to her. "I see the way you look at us," her voice was cautious but it didn't stop my pulse from racing, "and how you react when we touch you." Oh god, I was so obvious.

I couldn't help but feel embarrassed and panicked all at the same time. "Unnie-"

"It's okay," she cut me off, placing her hand on my waistband. "You don't have to be shy," she whispered, scooting closer. The proximity had me burning up. I had to turn my head away from her in order to focus my thoughts.

Alarm bells were ringing in my mind, alerting me that my secret had been found out. But which one? She couldn't know the whole truth, could she? No. She had to be talking about my attraction to women. "It's-" I hesitated. Was I really ready to tell her? "It's not just that." An unsteady breath left my mouth.

"Jagi, I know. We know," she emphasized. "Maybe the younger members haven't made it as obvious, but surely you've seen the way we look at you, too."

...there's no way. I must've misheard...

"I thought our flirting made it pretty obvious," Siyeon said lowly, slipping her hand under my shirt to rub her fingers against my stomach, but I was unable to react to any of it.

"You flirt with everyone," I mumbled subconsciously, my brain slowly breaking down in its spastic attempt to process everything hitting me at once. She knew.

Her warm laugh filled the room, momentarily startling me out of my mental breakdown, "okay, fair point." Right about now, I was ready to wake up in bed and realize this entire thing was a dream. It even felt like one when I started to get lightheaded. Siyeon leaned in even closer, fingers dipping dangerously below my waistband, inches away from turning this moment into something exponentially more intimate. "But it's different with you," she whispered, making the skin under her hand burn as a fire began to flare up between my legs.

My mind wouldn't give in, refusing to let me accept this as reality and bask in it like I'd wanted to for so long. It all felt wrong. She shouldn't even know, let alone be okay with it, let alone confirm my delusions??? This wasn't right. Where was the lack of acceptance, the judgement, the disgust? No normal person reacted this way. She couldn't actually mean it.

I tilted my head up, searching her eyes frantically for any sign of dishonesty. "How are you so okay with this?" I asked in disbelief. "It's unnatural. Y-you should be freaked out by it!" I stuttered as I felt the emotion choking me up again.

"It's not unnatural at all," Siyeon said, voice laced with sadness once she started to realize how I felt. "And why would I be freaked out by it?" How could you not be? How is it not unnatural?

How could you be so accepting of something that I've hated myself for feeling for the last two years?

"It's- it's wrong, Siyeon," I whispered, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

In the blink of an eye, she was grabbing my chin and wiping the sadness away. "You love us," she emphasized softly, staring into my eyes, "how is there anything wrong with that?"

Those words made my heart clench painfully in my chest. They were ones that I needed to hear all along, ones that I should've been telling myself this whole time, but they were also ones that my mind still rejected, over and over again. I looked down. "But what would someone think if they found out?"

"No one has to know except for us. And it wouldn't matter anyways." Siyeon shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment as if looking for the right words to say. When she opened them again, I saw a universe of stars in them as specs of light bounced off their now teary exterior and I felt an equally limitless amount of love radiating from them. "All that matters is that you're happy. That we're happy. And I won’t let anything get in the way of that."

I stayed silent, really, truly allowing myself to soak in her words. She was right. Even my mind couldn't argue with that one. The ultimate goal was to be happy. To make them happy. Why would I possibly refuse when that happiness was right at the tip of my fingers?

Choking back my tears, I tried to keep my hopes low and remain realistic. "How do you even know it's really what the other members want?" I whispered weakly, no longer caring if I sounded insecure. All my cards were out on the table now, there was no point in trying to hide from her any longer.

"Honestly, I don't for sure. That's something you'll have to figure out on your own." She frowned sympathetically. Regret was already starting to sneak in and the idea of being rejected or having to choose between any of them had my heart aching. "But, you know, Bora hasn't stopped talking about you since that night," Siyeon's lips turned up in amusement.

"What?" I blurted out.

"She's been acting like it didn't affect her, but I know it did. She just won't admit it out loud." Everything that came out of her mouth was sounding less and less believable by the second. Had Bora really been thinking about the kiss as much as I had? "And Minji," Siyeon let out a short chuckle, "Minji is so clearly jealous. It's funny how they try to act indifferent. It's pointless, really. They're so painfully obvious." Minji... was actually jealous?

For the sake of my rapidly and unrightfully inflating ego, I hoped Siyeon wasn't making all of this up. Although, the thought of Bora and Minji fighting over me had me feeling overwhelmingly hot and I was beginning to think this was gonna be way more than I could actually handle. I never prepared for this, because it so surely seemed like a massively far-fetched fantasy... yet here it was, very quickly becoming a reality.

Even faster than I realized when I dared to ask, "And you?"

"Me?" Siyeon smiled, leaning in again. I kept eye contact, heart beating unusually fast as her finger traced my jawline. "Honestly, I'm a little disappointed you gave Bora your first kiss." Her low tone of voice left me feeling dizzy. I couldn't even say anything, frozen like a deer in headlights. Taking advantage of my stillness, she scooted even closer, making it hard to breathe. "Mm," she hummed, her lips ghosting over mine, "you really do get nervous around me, don't you?" She smirked and I subconsciously squeezed my thighs together, clenching my jaw in an attempt to distract my mind from the way she was making me feel.

My silence was enough confirmation for her, giving her the last final push to lean in. All the oxygen was sucked out of my lungs at the sensation of her lips meeting mine. I had been waiting for this moment for so long and somehow I still wasn't prepared for it to actually happened. With Bora, it was short-lived and I had been the one to initiate it. But with Siyeon, her own control and choices were variables that I could've never even considered. And the concept that she started this and that she was kissing me out of her own want made this feel so much better than I ever thought it could. The way she kissed me slowly, savoring every single second, and cherishing the taste and feeling of my lips against hers.

I could tell she was feeling the same when I backed away for a second to catch my breath and she was quick to chase my lips. I held onto her shirt as her hands clutched the sides of my face possessively, her thumbs resting on my jawline. I could feel her staggered breathing against my skin—telling me her heart was racing—while her lips captured mine over and over again in a mind-numbing rhythm. Now I was beginning to think her description of Minji more accurately suited herself. It seemed like Siyeon was jealous of Bora and couldn't wait until she finally got her turn to claim me as her own.

Eventually though, air became a problem, causing her to release my lips. I grabbed her hands that were holding my face while we both fought to catch our breath. She looked down at me, instantly smiling when she saw how affected I was. I felt shy under her gaze and released her hands to plunge into her embrace. She held me tightly as I clutched the back of her shirt, laying my head on her shoulder. A small laugh escaped her mouth, "you're cute."

I whined into her shoulder, "I'm not cute."

"Oh, really?" She teased, the hint of a smile still evident in her voice.

I lifted my head to look at her, hoping it was dark enough so that she couldn't see the blush on my face. "Yeah really," I reciprocated her smile, staring her down and probably failing miserably at looking intimidating.

I watched as she dropped her hands to my waist and moved to rest mine around her neck. "Then prove it," she whispered, cocking her eyebrow in the most attractive way possible.

My stomach bubbled with nervous-excitement once I realized where this was probably leading. Trying to fight a smile, I bit my lip as my eyes darted down to her mouth. From my actions, her tongue swiped out over her own lips to wet them. Before she ever even gave me a chance to act, she was pushing me down onto the couch and taking her place on top of me. Her hand reached out to grab my chin and her thumb moved my bottom lip from my teeth.

"Don't do that," she said lowly in a way that made the pit of my stomach burn. "Unless you want me to do this." One of her hands made its way to the inside of my thigh and she squeezed down, making me gasp in surprise. She seized her opportunity to lean in and slip her tongue past my parted lips. The sensation of it swiping boldly across my own tongue had me clutching her neck for support, feeling myself growing slick just inches above where her hand was placed. I was so shocked that I couldn't do anything in return. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do anyways.

She could probably feel my hesitance because she finished with a kiss and pulled back to look at me. I immediately felt the need to explain my tenseness, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to-"

"It's okay," she let out a small laugh and smiled at me. I avoided her eyes, a bit ashamed by my inexperience since she clearly seemed to know what she was doing. "Hey," she whispered gently, releasing my thigh and using her hand to turn my head to face her, "there's no reason to be embarrassed." Her eyes looked so caring in that moment and I wondered how someone could be so perfect.

I smiled, feeling more shy by the second. "I know, I've just never done this before and you clearly have, so I felt the need to-"

She cut off my rambling, "Hey, hey. I know, it's okay," she laughed, finding my nervousness endearing. Her hand started combing through my hair while she waited for me to relax again. "I have to admit, I'm regretting dating that girl in high school right now because the idea of experiencing all of your firsts with you sounds really fucking romantic," she let out a laugh again, and I couldn't stop the massive grin on my face. Now I was convinced she was actually perfect... or a mind-reader, because she knew exactly what to say to make me fall even harder for her. Before she could continue, I pulled her down to steal a kiss. That seemed like a better way to express how I felt about what she said anyways. Plus, it made her laugh happily and steal another kiss back.

Once she was satisfied, she released my lips to finish what she wanted to say. "But now I'm starting to think the idea of me teaching you is way hotter," she said seriously. I laughed lightly, grateful she could so easily make my nerves go away.

"You want to be my teacher?" I teased, raising my hand to brush my thumb against her thick, bottom lip. She leaned into my touch, her lips parting and her nose grazing mine as she struggled to restrain herself. My throat went dry when an intimidating look flashed across her eyes. It was way more satisfying than I expected seeing her have such a visceral reaction to me. Now I was beginning to understand exactly why they enjoyed teasing me so much. If I knew Siyeon was really this affected by every little thing I did to her, I would've been doing it for years.

"Yes," she breathed out against my lips with such desperation that I couldn't help but smirk. "You have no idea how much I want you."

With no time to even process what she just said, her lips crashed back into mine. Now I knew I was reaping the rewards for my teasing when her kisses were no longer slow and gentle. My hands threaded through her hair while she made out with me, and her own found their way under my shirt. With the stimulating feeling of her fingers traveling teasingly up my abs, I made the mistake of parting my lips once more, granting Siyeon's tongue access to my mouth. Still not knowing what to do, I instinctively pushed her away.

"Unnie-" I mumbled.

"It's okay, baby," she said, breathless, "just relax and follow my lead, okay?"

She kissed me again before letting me reply, "Okay." And then she was back at it, swiping her tongue across my bottom lip, silently asking me for permission. So I let her have it and gripped her neck tightly at the way her warm, slick tongue was making all the blood in my body rush to my core.

She kept going, her tongue exploring a different part of my mouth every time it entered before retreating out to be replaced by her lips. After just a couple times, I felt more comfortable, and allowed my tongue to meet hers. Siyeon rewarded me with a hum of pleasure and handed off the control. She let me experiment, practicing exactly what she did to me on her. I quickly learned that the addicting sensation of my tongue inside of her mouth gave me a sickeningly intense feeling of power and had me turned on to such a degree that it was borderline embarrassing. After that, getting to be the one in charge evolved from really terrifying to way too enjoyable. Something about someone as experienced as Siyeon letting me do whatever I wanted to her was so undeniably hot.

When I finally seemed to get the hang of it, we both pulled back, panting heavily. Though, Siyeon wasn't quite finished yet, trading my lips for my jawline. She slowly planted kisses from the edge of my chin all the way to my ear and I could feel her sporadic breaths bouncing off my skin the entire way. It was like she wasn't satisfied unless her lips were on me. She couldn't get enough of me and it had me wondering if she had imagined this moment a million times before just like I had.

"You're being such a good girl for me," she praised suddenly, sending a shockwave of pleasure through my body.

"Fuck, Siyeon," I whimpered quietly out of instinct, though I knew there was no way she wasn't going to hear it with my mouth just a few inches away from her ear.

"Mm, you like when I call you that, baby?" Her voice came out husky as she gripped my thigh, biting down on my earlobe.

I inhaled sharply, instinctively arching my back off the couch, pressing our chests together. "Oh my god," I breathed out, dripping with arousal.

Siyeon groaned quietly at my reaction. "You sound so fucking sexy, babygirl," she mumbled against my skin.

"This can't be real," I said, making Siyeon chuckle lowly as she started kissing down my neck. "I have to be dreaming right now."

She finally stopped what she was doing and leaned back over my face, "Are you saying you often dream of me doing things like this to you?" The smirk on her face made my stomach twist.

"Unnie, please," I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to calm my heartbeat. If I ever wanted it to resume it's normal rhythm, there's no way I could look at Siyeon's face ever again after hearing those words leave her lips.

She laughed lightly, "you're overwhelmed."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," I replied uneasily, only making Siyeon let out a few more quiet laughs before running her fingers through my hair again and kissing my cheek, probably hoping it might help calm me down. "How are you not?" I tried to open my eyes but the second I saw her unrealistically attractive features, I had to close them again. "God, this is way too fucking much for any normal human being to handle."

"I think this is the most I've heard you curse in your entire life," she laughed. I just pulled her down into me, wrapping my legs around her waist. She adjusted her head to answer my question. "And I am overwhelmed, my reaction is just less in the form of almost passing out and more in the form of wanting to kiss you." That finally made me laugh and I turned my head to rest it on hers.

It was quiet for a moment while we stayed locked in each other's embrace and I was sure she could feel my heart pounding like a sledgehammer against my rib cage. Her hands now at the small of my back felt like fire against my skin and I remembered back to what she said a few seconds ago.

"Yes," I answered out of the blue.

She tilted her head back to look at me, "what?"

I finally opened my eyes and scooted to the side so that I could turn my head to look at her face-to-face. The image of her in that moment almost made me turn away. Somehow her slightly messy hair and flushed face made her look a million times sexier than I ever thought possible. It definitely didn't help when I remembered everything she had previously whispered in my ear. I took a deep breath, focusing on my fingers resting against her jawline rather than her eyes so I wouldn't forget how to speak. "You asked if that meant I often dream of you doing things like this to me... and the answer is yes," I explained, the nerves now more evident in my voice.

Without even looking at her entire face, the pull of a smile on her cheek reassured me that I hadn't admitted too much. "Good to know I'm not the only one," she mumbled, pulling my gaze to her eyes. She didn't appear to be lying, maybe a bit timid, but definitely not untruthful. Her eyes stayed on mine as we both started to realize how real this was. It was a relief finally knowing I wasn't completely crazy for feeling the way that I did and that she felt the same. Although, the thought of her picturing me in certain situations suddenly hit me and I felt incredibly shy again, reaching out to grab the collar of her shirt so I could pull her into me.

"What?" She giggled as I hid my face in her neck.

"You're going to be the death of me, Lee Siyeon," I groaned.

"Man, and you haven't even made it to the other six yet," she said seriously.

"Jesus Christ," I spoke in English, eliciting the loudest laugh from Siyeon yet.

The concept of having to go through all of this again with six other members was driving me insane. In that moment, I nearly concluded that it'd be better for my sanity if I just stuck with Siyeon (even though that alone was still detrimental to my sanity).

"Come here," she grabbed my neck loosely and gently pushed me back. "You know, you never said it back to me," she pouted. It took me a minute to understand what she meant, but I eventually remembered.

I looked deep into her eyes, finally letting all of the feelings soak in. And, after tonight, there was no doubt in my mind that my next statement was true, "I love you."

Siyeon beamed, looking over at me like I was the most precious thing in the world to her, and pulled me in for another kiss. This one was unlike the others. It was delicate and sweet and I knew it meant so much more than just a kiss. It conveyed everything she was feeling for me in ways that words couldn't. So I cherished it as if it were my last.

The sentimental moment didn't last long though, a less shocked and more disappointed voice breaking through the silence, "I should've known this is what you were up to." We drew apart, both looking up in surprise, unable to conceal our obvious guilt, finding Minji standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips. Even with the lack of lighting in the room, I could make out the expression of disapproval on the leader's face, like a mother who just caught her teenage daughter in bed with a boy. Realizing her eyes were on Siyeon, I felt somewhat relieved that I wasn't the victim of her scolding... until her gaze shifted to me and hardened in a way that sent chills up my spine.

She really was jealous and I had a good feeling I was just seconds away from reaping the consequences of making out with someone who wasn't her.

—

A/N: I might post more parts to this with the other members eventually if I ever find the time to write for it.

**This oneshot was converted over from my Wattpad account OT5Stan4Life**

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hwapetals · 6 months

Text

i don't care!

pairing - best friend turned lover!yoohyeon x gn!reader genre - fluff warning(s) - just swearing! summary - yoohyeon's first date with you! author's note - not proofread, whoops. idk about anyone else but nervous yoohyeon is really cute to me word count - 626 words

well, you could argue that she cared. a lot.

yoohyeon had been standing in front of her closet for at LEAST an hour, trying on outfits and making a mess of her room, as she tried her absolute best not to have a meltdown.

“this? no, too casual,” yoohyeon whined to herself, dropping another set of clothes to the floor. she was this close to just, flopping onto the floor and kicking her legs like a child, having a tantrum.

it wasn’t like she hadn't seen you in different situations before, but this was different — this was a fucking date. yoohyeon was head over heels for you.

you both had known each other for ages now, ever since you both ended up in the same class in the first year of high school. things happened, and suddenly, it was like you had a conjoined twin, which was yoohyeon.

you two stuck together most of the time, even your parents and hers were well acquainted at that point. and she just.. kind of fell for you. she wouldn’t be able to explain it even if she could get her thoughts in order for once in her life. you also just had a special power, to reduce her to a melting, blushing mess by just, well, existing.

she just wanted to impress you so bad, even though knowing you, yoohyeon knew you would be happy if she turned up in just a hoodie and sweatpants. but you deserved more than half-assery, in her own words.

“ah, fuck, i’m going to be late. that’s even worse than me looking awful while i meet them,” yoohyeon monologued to herself as she got to cleaning her room and fishing out something that would make her look presentable.

“this will do,” she mumbled, less than pleased by the mediocre outfit that she had paired together in a rush. yoohyeon hurriedly tugged on the long sleeved black crop top, and a black high waisted skirt, that reached down to the middle of her thighs. a squeak escaped her lips as she stumbled over, her phone alarm going off to signal to her that she only had five more minutes.

“okay, okay, ugh, fuck, accesories,” yoohyeon said, successfully buttoning up her skirt as she scrambled over to her drawer, picking out a bracelet (specifically, the matching bracelet you had bought her years before) as well as some hairties in case you needed it.

she moved over to grab her small backpack, dumping some things into it and grabbing her phone, rushing downstairs to grab some socks to pull on and a pair of sneakers. the doorbell rang, making her pause for a moment as she panicked, before she shook her head. “get it together, yoohyeon!” she scolded herself internally.

“yooh, are you ready?” yoohyeon could hear you call out, and she replied with a ‘yeah’, her voice almost cracking.

yoohyeon groaned softly, stretching her legs slightly as she wobbled over to the door, opening it quickly.

there you were, looking all cute in your casual outfit, lips glossy from the lip gloss that you had put on and a pretty shade of pink on your cheeks. oh, how she just wanted to kiss you right there and then.

“hey. you look cute,” you mumbled, making yoohyeon’s ears turn red. it was safe to say that you liked her outfit, and her face of slight shock and happiness.

“aha, no, you look cuter,” yoohyeon replied, trying to sound more confident, still recovering from her mini panic session as you complimented her. “shall we, ahem, go now?” she said, shuffling on the spot slightly as she looked over at you, a small grin on her lips.

she just couldn’t help but like you this much.

#yoohyeon x reader #yoohyeon fics #yoohyeon fluff #yoohyeon imagines #dreamcatcher x reader #dreamcatcher fics #dreamcatcher imagines #dreamcatcher scenarios #kpop x reader #girl group x reader #yoohyeon #kim yoohyeon #dreamcatcher oneshot #yoohyeon fanfic #dreamcatcher fanfic #girl group fluff #dude i haven't written in so long this fic is literally 3 months old #jia writes

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insomniakisses · 9 months

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Reader trying to distract yoohyeon while she’s doing the dishes by teasing her and then just ends up bending her over and eating her out from behind

Yoohyeon Smut Drabble

18+ MINORS DNI // CIS HETS DNI

You cant help but smirk when you see her at the sink, her pyjama shorts riding up slightly as she washes up.

Sneaking over to her you kiss her ass cheek, smirking at the yelp she lets out. You shush her as you pull her shorts aside smirking when you see shes wearing no underwear.

“Y/N! What are you doing!” You can hear the embarrassment in her voice and the worry of being caught.

“Relaxxxxx baby” you coo leaning to kiss around her cunt avoiding exactly where she wants you. Waiting for her to beg.

“Please baby..” And there it is you smirk. Pushing her down further, as she spreads for you. Leaning in you give a soft lick to her folds reviling in the moan she lets out as she pushes back against you.

“God your so wet baby,” you tease lapping at her cunt eagerly and reaching to rub her clit. Smirking against her when she clenches around your tongue.

Just as shes about to cum you pull back fixing her shorts and slapping her ass as you go to watch the tv and laugh to yourself when she gapes at you from the sink

#yoohyeon x reader #yoohyeon imagine #yoohyeon #yoohyeon smut #yoohyeon oneshot #dreamcatcher x reader #dreamcatcher #dreamcatcher imagines #dreamcatcher smut #kim yoohyeon #kim yoohyeon x reader #kim yoohyeon imagines #kpop smut #kpop x reader #kpop imagines

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luc1ferx0 · 5 months

Text

The Melody Meant For Me

Siyeon x GN! Reader | Yandere | Warnings: Obsessive Behaviour

Oh, how beautiful this melody was.

It was played by none other than Y/N. The musician Siyeon had a special love for.

Every day, Siyeon would visit the young musician, and listen to them come up with melodies that Siyeon had always wanted to hear. For the past 4 years, this had always been Siyeon's routine. Until, the young musician went on a trip, without her knowledge.

For the past 3 months, Siyeon was not herself. She yelled at all those around her and was not willing to sing a single note, even when that was her source of income. She wanted Y/N. She wanted to hear Y/N's melody again.

2 days before Y/N's arrival, Siyeon had a plan. A plan to ensure she would hear Y/N's melodies forever, without Y/N disappearing on her. She didn't care if Y/N repeated the same melody, she just wanted to hear Y/N play.

She had only 1 shot at doing this plan right. In the end, she now had the musician in her arms, for her to hold, and to never let go.

However, this day was special, as she would let Y/N go out for the first time in 9 years, to play a show that had constantly been asking for their presence.

Siyeon wasn't dumb, she wouldn't let the young musician out of her sight. Everywhere Y/N went, Siyeon was there, holding tightly onto their arm.

It didn't matter if Y/N had to be alone, Siyeon would always find a way to be near Y/N. She couldn't risk her young musician running away on an impromptu trip, and leaving her to suffer. Why would Y/N want to run away, anyway? Siyeon had treated them well.

"S-Siyeon…?" Siyeon glared at her lover. "D-Darling!" There, that was the right way to call her. Siyeon's glare changed to a sweet smile as she caressed their face.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Siyeon loved how Y/N knew what she wanted. Just one glare is enough for Y/N to fix their act and start acting the way she wants. As Y/N struggled to utter the words they had intended, Siyeon placed a soft kiss on her lover's cheek.

"M-Must you be here, even when I'm practicing for the show? Th-There's very little space, you know…" Siyeon frowned at Y/N's comment. Of course, she had to be there! She should be the first to listen to whatever melody Y/N would make.

"Of course I have to be! The melodies you create are for my ears to hear, as they are so wonderful, they have touched my soul, and now, have touched my heart," Siyeon smiled before placing a soft kiss on Y/N's nose.

Y/N nodded, then went back to playing the piano. Siyeon leaned her head on their shoulder as the melody began to engulf her.

The melody was pleasant, reminding you of a time when the sun shined brightly upon you, and you were running through the fields with your beloved. Y/N and her hadn't done that yet, but soon, they will. As the melody continued, Siyeon closed her eyes to fully savor the feeling of their music.

She felt the music touch her soul. Words came together in her head as if the melody was for a song she'd sing, while her beloved played the piano. Beautiful. The melody was beautiful.

It was then Siyeon woke up, and she was laying there alone, on the piano, with Y/N not in sight. She got up and looked around in a hurry. Where was her beloved? Why was she all alone in the room that was supposed to be filled with the music of her beloved? Where was Y/N?!

Siyeon hurriedly opened the door and made her way out.

She went to Y/N's dressing room. Not there.

Their hotel room. Not there.

The meeting room. Not there

The entire building. NOT THERE.

She was panicking now. Where had her beloved gone? She felt like she was going mad. She ran out of the hotel, got in her car, and started driving.

She didn't care if she was breaking certain driving laws, her beloved was missing. She drove through the busy streets, looking everywhere for Y/N.

Y/N would return to her no matter what.

"Is your mask on, L/N?" Said the manager, Mr. Kim.

"Yes," Y/N responded.

"Good. I'm glad you told us of how she acted. We'll get you out of here safely and make sure she never finds you again." Mr. Kim assured.

Y/N was in a car that had tinted windows, just in case Siyeon would be out there, looking for them.

Y/N had desperately wanted to escape Siyeon. They missed the sun. They missed the crowd. They missed the joy on people's faces whenever they played.

How could Y/N have thought that Siyeon was just a simple fan? Wanting to listen in on whatever they were creating? Why did Y/N let her get close?

"Don't worry too much, Y/N. We'll get you away from her." Mr. Kim reassured. Although, Y/N did not feel reassured. Y/N still felt as if Siyeon could appear at any second, ready to do anything just to get them back. And the thought of having to go back to her, after they had done something to enrage her, frightened Y/N to no end.

What would she do if she found Y/N? Would she hurt them? Would she do something worse? Y/N didn't know. But Y/N would take their chances and run as far away as they can from Siyeon.

"We're almost at the airport, Y/N. You don't have to worry." Y/N was so lost in thought, that they didn't even notice that. Y/N started to relax. They were one step closer to freedom. One would be arriving at the airport, then freedom is getting on the plane.

Y/N took a minute to compose themself.

Everything would be fine in a few minutes. They would be away from Siyeon, and Siyeon would have no idea they were gone. Sure, they cannot ever show themself on camera, or even go on tour, but that was okay. Y/N could always be anonymous. At this point, could Siyeon tell it's them just by hearing their music? She was with them for 9 whole years, surely she'd know when it was their music or not. Does that mean Y/N couldn't make music anymore?

What a shame. Because of this woman, Y/N would potentially have to give up their love for music. It isn't fair. But Y/N prioritized their safety more than anything. They could always play music in the comfort of their new home, and in their new home, they would be safe. So all they have to do is wait,

"WATCH OUT!"

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

"Sweetheart?! Sweetheart, can you hear me?!"

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

"WAKE UP!"

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

Y/N's eyes slowly began to open.

Siyeon smiled at Y/N as they laid eyes on her.

"Sweetheart! You're awake!" Y/N looked around, and they were in a dark room.

Siyeon giggled and stood up.

She sat on Y/N's lap as she caressed their cheek.

"That wasn't nice. Leaving me all alone? I missed you, you know?" Siyeon pouted at the terrified musician.

"Why so tense? You're finally home with me. Relax, sweetheart." Siyeon proceeded to play with their hair before harshly pulling on it.

"Since those 9 years meant nothing to you, I guess I have to teach you a lesson." Siyeon suddenly stood up and made her way to a dark corner of a room, where she opened a box.

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

"What are you doing?"

Siyeon smiled.

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

"Don't come any closer!"

"Oh, sweetheart..."

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

"You should've never ran away."

"STOP!!"

………

"NO!!!!"

………

……..

…….

……

…..

….

…

I love Siyeon.

I'd do anything for Siyeon.

I'll do whatever Siyeon tells me to do.

I love Siyeon.

Y/N loves Siyeon.

Siyeon loves Y/N.

Every melody is for Siyeon.

Only Siyeon can hear what I play.

"Sweetheart, can you play that piece again? It's beautiful! Please?" Siyeon said.

…

"Of course, darling."

…

"Anything for you."

#dreamcatcher #dreamcatcher yandere #dreamcatcher x reader #dreamcatcher siyeon #siyeon x reader #yandere #dreamcatcher scenarios #dreamcatcher oneshot #dreamcatcher imagines #gn! reader

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hollywrite · 15 days

Text

˚୨୧ W.I.P. LIST ୨୧˚

unnie pleaser - g!p seulgi x reader x g!p karina (s,f, a.p) 20%

bad maknae - g!p ot5 itzy x reader (s, a.p) 10%

just like aniamals - hybrid!siyeon x reader (s, f, a.p) 0%

backstabbed - momo x reader; sana x reader (s, a, a.p) 0%

celibate - g!p dahyun x reader (s, a.p) 3%

monster lives forever - irene x reader x seulgi (sp, s, a.p) 20%

ice cream cake - g!p seulgi x reader (s, a.p) 5%

petals - rosé x reader (a, s, a.p) 0%

dead inside - irene x reader (sp, s, a.p) 3%

bad girls go backstage - g!p ryujin x reader (s, a.p) 20%

overneath the court eyes - sana x reader (s, a.p) 0%

all the things she said - kazuha x reader (a, a.p) 15%

teacher's pet - taeyeon x reader (s, a, a.p) 10%

last update: 04/27/24

- holly.🍒

#current wip #kpop smut #kpop oneshots #girl group #aespa #red velvet #twice #blackpink #gidle #le sserafim #itzy #dreamcatcher #kiss of life #loona

16 notes · View notes

hwabyul4wheesun · 2 months

Text

-----------------Masterlist------------------

Mamamoo

Twice

(G)I-dle

Aespa

Dreamcatcher

Purple Kiss

Itzy

Le Sserafim

NewJeans

Red Velvet

Viviz

KARD

Nmixx

Tomorrow by Together

#oneshots #twice #newjeans #red velvet #viviz #kard #nmixx #tomorrow x together #le sserafim #itzy #purple kiss #dreamcatcher #aespa #gidle #mamamoo

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kingmaker-a · 1 year

Text

Ecdysis | Yoohyeon

Hogwarts AU

Slytherin!Reader x Slytherin!Yoohyeon

Main Cast: Yoohyeon, Yoongi, Ryujin, Jackson, Yeji, Olivia Hye

Warnings: Implications of reader not being a good person when they first met Yoohyeon, reader still isn't a good person technically, violence both mundane and magical.

Word Count: 14.6K

Genre: Fluff, slight hint of angst and slice of life

Premise: An exploration of a friendship built on a rocky foundation as it slowly blossoms into something more.

A/N: I was supposed to take a break after Minutes Before, but somehow @sanccharine and @foolish-sparrow managed to infect me with a heavy amount of hogwarts brain rot. This was only supposed to be a drabble at best, yet here we are. Also Happy Yoohyeon Day! Even if I only managed to slide this in on the last hour for me. Half of this was written in the last 36 hours, don't mistake that for a symbol of pride, but a warning label.

You do it almost without thinking, hands soft and gentle. There’s a cunningness to your ruse, a pressed almost genuine smile.

The sound of music echoes distantly so, muffled and restrained in the alcoves

“Come now, there’s plenty of time to bully the muggle snake later,” arms wrapped over foreign shoulders. “We should be enjoying the festivities.”

You offer a hidden wink, to your dear muggle

You huddle closer to the troublemakers, a hushed whisper. “I heard there’s a stash of alcohol hidden in the boy’s dormitory.”

You hear the giggle of excitement, a step ever closer to a trap. You make your way through the Slytherin common room, a melting pot of elation and disregard. The music slowly bounces with the tide of dancing snakes.

A snake den by any other name.

Off key singing rings through your ears as you guide the flies to the trap.

Yoongi catches your gaze, a subtle nod is all it takes to ensure his silence and his protection, there’s a glimmer of a smirk on his lips as he mouths his room number.

Still there’s a slight tremble in their shoulders, a hesitancy.

A little more honey to sweeten the pot.

“Rumour has it our lovely prefect Yoongi is the one who snuck it in,” a smile lined with poison.

A carrot to hide the stick.

You watch as the gears turn, mumbles trail between the two of them.

There’s the glimmer of cunning caught in their teeth, “-that way he gets in the real trouble.”

You roll your eyes, cresting the border of Yoongi’s dorm room. Their eyes linger on you expectantly.

A faked laugh, “it’d seem I forgot my wand in the heat of the moment,” your hands pat idly at your pockets.

“You’d truly be a godsend if you could get this door open,” a honeyed smile.

You watch as they fumble quickly with their wands, twisted and rushed chants of “alohomora,” unlock the door.

Two wands, you note.

Easy enough.

Still your brain tosses with the idea of less harm, tossing them into the boys dorm and simply locking the door.

But then the message wouldn’t be sent.

You peer into the dark abyss, this was their last chance to escape your wrath.

Though you doubted they realised how much danger they were in.

Light pools on the tip of each of their wands.

“Where did you hear he hid it?” One of them asks.

“On the far end over there,” you gesture, wand hidden but at the ready. They skulk slowly to their prized location, you can’t help the smile that dances across your lips.

Redeemed though you might be, there was pleasure to be had in punishing the unsavoury.

“Colloportus,” you whisper aided with the swish of your wand.

The door slams suddenly and violently, there’s a startled snap of each of their necks.

“Expelliarmus.”

Blood crusts your knuckles, compounding on each strike, yours or theirs you didn’t care, there was something satisfyingly personal about using your hands.

Every witch or wizard worth their salt was decent at wand work… Well not as good as you.

That was beside the point.

A wild swing brings you back to the present, clipping you square in the jaw. Pain radiates as a trickle of blood lingers on your lips.

Your hand brushes away such distractions, a real genuine smile etches itself on your lips. “Huh, here I was thinking all purebloods sucked without their wands.”

There’s a flash of fear in the dimly lit room, muffled groans from their accomplice.

There was no student among the populace that could match you, wand or fists.

At least among Slytherin, after all pride comes before the fall.

“What do you even want, Sly?” There’s a wince as you approach their hands nursing various bruises.

Your hand grips tightly against their locks tugging ever so tautly. There’s a glimmer of anger as you peer down at them. “Kim Yoohyeon?”

There’s a hint of lingering confusion, “the mudblood snake?”

Your hand grips your wand, a scowl lingers on your lips.

A piercing red light slowly flutters through the air, held aloft by your wand, you speak barely through clenched teeth. “I will curse you within an inch of your life, if you ever call her that again.”

Your teeth flare at the thought as your grip tightens, “or if you’re anything less than cordial… Do I make myself clear?”

There’s a weak, almost whimpering nod.

“Then you only get one more for the road,” your fist collides with their stomach, a soft muffled groan is all the release as your grip loosens as they crumble to the floor.

“Leave in about five to ten minutes, can’t have anyone thinking we got up to anything illicit,” there’s a crumb of laughter at the edge of your lips.

It almost feels like a different dimension when you leave Yoongi’s dorm room, assailed suddenly by a sudden heat and echoes of music.

The acts you committed seemed foreign and distant, enacted by hands that weren’t your own.

You truly wonder how a younger you would react.

Your father would just be glad you finally had a passion, even if it was in a direction that he’d consider less than ideal.

The old wand pusher could up and croak for all you care.

Actually that would be a little far, you wished the old bastard nothing but good health.

Lest you be saddled with actual responsibility.

You part through a sea of jubilant youth, eyes burn into you with each, a shrug is all you can afford for such a common occurrence.

Still there's a subtle difference you can't quite place your finger on.

You needed a drink, well not that kind of drink.

Violence is a tiring affair after all.

You're able to find a smattering of your dear friends, the quidditch team.

“How’s my favourite beater?” Jackson Wang, team captain and keeper.

A roll of your eyes, as your eyes linger on Ryujin tugging at Yoongi’s sleeve. “You say that to both of us I’m sure of it.”

A smirk lines his teeth, an offered wink as he pats your shoulder. “But only my favourite notices.”

You watch a flash of concern knit his eyebrows, yet he’s pulled into the sea of merriment before he can voice any of his concerns.

The sea parts with a wide berth for a brief moment, a scowl hangs thick on Yoongi’s otherwise neutral face.

Yeji hangs behind him this time, your eyes glimmering across her prefect badge, a matching pair with Yoongi’s own.

The pair of chasers were often welcomed in your company.

“No Ryujin?” You taunt.

There’s a roll of his eyes, a look of can we please have this conversation later. You were always one to push the envelope, though for the sake of merriment you’d cut him some slack.

“As long as you get it sorted before finals,” you shrug, still there’s a glimmer of a smile on your lips.

He shuffles on his feet, switching from foot to foot. His fingers drum along his chin, a twisted smirk.

“You know,” his smirk deepens, “I wouldn’t mind having you protect me instead of Ryujin. Being best buds and all.”

The drawl of his voice is suddenly irritating in its low cadence. “I think I’ll stick to Seeker protection duty thank you~ As tempting as your offer is.”

His smile sours ever so slightly as Yeji taps his shoulder, thumb pointed to the throngs of Slytherin behind her.

“Speaking of our dear Seeker, why don’t you keep her company? I’m busy with…” his eyes dance over the ceiling. “Prefect duties.”

You knew a lie when you heard one, however, lucky for Yoongi, Yoohyeon was your priority.

Still his hands work quickly, a hidden language known only between the two of you. A relic from a shared youth.

His eyes linger in the directions of the dorms.

“Trash taken out?”

“For now? It always piles up.”

A brief but sharp chuckle, as he’s pulled towards his duties.

You dance ever so slightly through rough seas, making your way over to your favourite snake.

A stray drink manages to find its way into your hand, probably by Jackson’s will.

Her smile is deep and warm as you catch her eye, her arms raised for a hug before her arms falter and crumble. There’s a concern clouds her features, her fingers point to her lips.

Oh, how you wish it was here asking for a kiss.

“What happened to your lip?”

You laugh a soft chuckle, “got into a fight.”

You couldn’t lie to her. Eyes narrowing as she moves closer, inspecting every detail of your face.

Even someone as cold-blooded as you struggle under a microscope. A smile bristles across her lips.

“Trip down the stairs again?” Her fingers gently graze across your lips, focus furrows her brow as she draws her wand.

Normally unease would crawl across your skin, battle hardened nerves reduced to mush at her gentle caress.

Her wand moves with defined grace, a subtle whisper shared between the two of you, “episkey.”

A cold-hot sensation bubbles through your bottom lip as it slowly stitches together. Her thumb traces over your repaired wound.

You have to fight the urge to press a kiss into her hand.

A pleased smile dances across her lips, “Good as new,” she beams, “don’t go fighting any stairs again though~”

“I fall down one flight of stairs in my first year,” you pinch your nose, the tiniest lick of a frown.

Her smile deepens before shifting over the crowd, “Where’d Yoongs go?”

A chuckle bubbles across your lips, “He’d be less than pleased hearing you call him that,” your head lists to the side, a bored expression and a shrug, “where do you think?”

She leans back, taking a swig of your drink. Worries linger at the edge of your breath.

“Duties.”

“Duties,” the bite of a familiar voice, Olivia. There’s the briefest flicker of a smile as she settles opposite the two of you.

Yoohyeon places your drink against the counter, you notice a familiar inkling of worry on Olivia’s face, “Butterbeer?” A hushed whisper.

She swipes the mug before you can even answer, a pleased hum as she imbibes.

“Sure,” a sigh and a roll of your eyes. “Everybody help yourself to my drink.”

She quickly returns the vessel to the counter, eyes wide in a hint of panic.

A rare look for your junior, “sorry…” Her eyes flicker to Yoohyeon, busy entertaining Jackson, hands keeping him grounded in his hype.

“Didn’t realise it was a you and Yoohyeon thing.” she gulps back, hand wiping back a stray trail of amber liquid, her tongue flicks over the liquid.

A frown, though you suppose it was more of a neutral expression for her. Her eyes bounce back towards your dear Seeker, “looks like we don’t have to worry about her getting drunk at least.”

You release a held breath, not to say Yoohyeon was a particularly bad drunk. It was just easier to protect her when she was sober, she was as manic as a pixie otherwise.

Fun nonetheless.

A scoff lines your throat, “it’s not a me and Yoohyeon thing,” you quickly point out, a twitch of a smirk on Olivia’s lips.

Her eyes narrow as you pull out your wand, a flick of your wand refills your cup, a soft sip against your lips.

“Help yourself,” your lips smack with your own wry smirk. “Not that it stopped you earlier~”

You feel the grip of a bear clasp over your hand, was she always this strong?

Your brain instantly runs through the scenarios of a fight, old gears begin to work. Normally, you’d win any fight under the sun and moon, with or without a wand. But as her grip tightens, her free hand slowly draws her own wand. You’re left to consider some potential exceptions.

Your free hand teases your own wand, if she disarmed you there was a small chance you’d actually lose.

Her eyes however aren’t focused on you in the slightest, they’re embedded deep in Jackson’s and Yoohyeon’s conversation. His smile dances much like it had with you.

You roll your eyes, still his eyes shift over to Olivia for the briefest moment, her hand stiffens against her wand, hidden out of view.

Your survival instincts instantly silence, she was certainly up to something to say the least.

As soon as Jackson’s gaze returns to Yoohyeon, Olivia’s wand moves in a hushed flurry.

“Muffliato.”

Not what you expected, she was hardly the one to have a hushed conversation, still her eyes snap to you in the instance she’s sure it’s worked.

Your eyes knit together, there’s a thrum of frustration that dances in her eyes.

A soft cough pushes her words forward, “Sly?”

She winces slightly at the sound of her own voice, “What do you do on a date?”

Your brows bubble with surprise, a hand pressed to your chest. You weren’t particularly close to Olivia, your focus mostly held by a combination of Yoongi, Ryujin and Yoohyeon.

Yoohyeon had climbed to the top of that pyramid in recent years.

You choke on your own breath, sputtering ever so desperately for each breath.

Still you remain focused even in spite of the surprise, you quickly clear your throat.

“You’re asking me?” Your eyes shift to Yoohyeon. “Yoongi’s pretty popular and so is Jackson. Hell Ryujin is a good bet.”

She rolls her eyes, teeth grazing against her tongue. She huffs ever so softly.

“I’m asking you for a reason Sly,” her arms cross vehemently, there’s a stickle of a frown, deeper than her usual expression. “I care about this person a lot and I don’t wanna screw it up.”

Ah, your tongue clicks with the realisation, her eyes shift over Yoohyeon, a knowing glance at you.

Well that definitely removed Jackson and Ryujin from the forum of advice.

“Still, I haven’t made any progress with her,” you already spy the laughter at the edge of her lips as the words leave your lips. “I’m sure Yoongi would be a good confidant.”

An annoyed scowl settles across her lips, pitched with a roll of her eyes, “and get the protective older brother routine as an only child? No thanks.”

“Right, right.” You nod, pushing the cup towards her. Your brain flutters with ideas, alight with the grace of the night sky. “Did you ask them or?”

There’s a soft shake of her head as she takes a swig. “No, they asked me.”

“Then, I don’t know what the problem is?” your head tilts to the side, “it’s their job to impress you.”

She pushes the drink back to you, still anxiety dances in her eyes. Maybe there was something you were missing.

Your fingers dance along the edge of the cup, “when’s the date?”

“We agreed to sometime after finals.”

Sensible, you didn’t want her brain clouded or upset before the game.

“What house?” An innocent question, a deep swig of your drink.

She frowns, softly and cute. A rare look for sure. “...Gryffindor.”

You choke once again, liquid spilling past your lips and out of your nose.

Far from a good look, you were just glad Yoohyeon hadn’t caught sight of the incident.

“I can see why you didn’t want Jackson to know?” You wheeze between coughs, “Aren’t you worried more about the outcome of finals affecting the date?”

She shrugs, taking another drink.

Your eyebrows knit together, there’s the slight wince of utter confusion laced underneath, “do you not understand the gravity of the situation?”

She cocks an eyebrow.

“Have you been on a date before?” The question is a simple one, soft and supple.

Her features dance at a slow pace, you catch the very moment she considers lying before it slowly glimmers into dust, “...no,” her features deepen akin to a cobra before they strike. “But I doubt you’ve been on one.”

The bite belies vulnerability, still there was that one date with Karina at Hogsmeade.

You needed to focus, bile fills your throat. It was to go against your nature to be soft, vulnerable and kind.

Even Olivia is surprised by the way your fingers dust her knuckles. “I don’t matter in this equation, any ravenclaw would tell you that.”

Your words drift slowly through the air. “But just be yourself and if they have a problem with that I’ll sort them out.”

There’s a slow soft drag to the roll of her eyes, delicate like snowflakes, her tongue teases the glimmer of a smirk hidden also barely to all except for you.

The charm fades as Yoohyeon’s attention returns to the two of you, there’s almost a knowing glint in her eyes, knuckles pressed to your knee, her thumb tracing circles.

Still, she keeps up the ruse. “We were talking about Yoongi weren’t we?”

Olivia’s finger traces the rim of your cup, “are we still stuck on the Ryujin vs Yeji debate?”

“I’m personally on team Ryujin, maybe she’s turning over a new leaf?” you offer, but Olivia is having none of it. “I mean she’s also been my homegirl since we were kids.”

She gives you a reluctantly understanding nod, “they’ll make a hufflepuff out of you yet,” her eyes flicker over to Yoohyeon. “You?’

A frown dances slowly across Yoohyeon's lips, “I’m sorry, I’m with Sly on this one.”

Her fingers drum along her temples, “why am I not surprised?”

There’s an exasperation to her tone, “still a cop out.”

“Then why is your side of the coin so much shinier?”

“Well I’m glad you asked,” a smile saunters across her lips, a dancing glimmer of mischief lingers in her eyes.

You half expect her to pull out a highly detailed journal of notes or you suppose a muggle powerpoint as Yoohyeon would say.

Yoohyeon’s eyes tell you, you’ve opened a can of worms.

Still, she notices the silent exchange between you and Yoohyeon, a frown settles once again. “Friends to lovers is good but what about opposites attract?”

Yoohyeon’s eyes narrow for the tiniest microsecond, before a smile flares across her lips. “Opposites?”

“Quiet nerdy person and the popular jock, cats and dogs,” she muses, her eyes drifting like clouds in the sky.

A wry smirk lines your lips.

“Slytherin and Gryffindor.”

Her eyes snap to you instantly, knife-like with their edge, eyes narrowing with focused precision.

“Violent troublemaker and the golden retriever,” she bites back.

You weren’t one to back down from a fight, your own eyes narrowing against Olivia’s like cowboys at noon.

“Chaser and Keeper.”

Her tongue clicks with the slightest tinge of frustration, yet a smirk still dances across her lips.

“Pureblood and Muggle.”

Touche.

Yoohyeon pouts in thought, the slightest hum trickles through her lips, “wouldn’t that encompass Ryujin and Yoongi too then?”

“Wel-”

“Flirtatious and Aloof,” her hands clap together, the flurry of an epiphany a light by a gasp. “Wouldn’t that make them the best of both?”

“I guess?” Trailed by a defeated sigh.

Her lips drum up a warm, gummy smile, her eyes soften over Olivia, “Any particular reason you like opposites attract so much?”

It's in these rare moments that you realise why Yoohyeon is a Slytherin, her warmth pulls the truth with questions crafted with her smarts.

You attract more flies with honey rather than vinegar.

“Well, uh,” she hesitates, eyes dancing over the crowded common room. Her head cocks to the head slightly.

“I think Jackson is calling me,” she mumbles departing from the table.

There’s a pleased smirk on Yoohyeon’s lips as she settles into her seat, “crush on a Gryffindor kid?”

“Date actually,” her features dance the briefest flicker of surprise, a slow impressed nod.

She smiles, “I’m excited for her.”

Still your eyebrows knit together,curiosity takes the wheel. “How’d you know it was a Gryffindor kid?”

An all too pleased smirk lines her lips, if it was anyone else you’d enjoy the prospect of knocking it off, instead there’s a brief flutter in your heart.

“There’s a muggle spell called lip reading,” she mocks with a radiant chuckle, her lips running over the edge of your cup. A pleased hum as liquid touches her palate.

There’s a glimmer of a frown as she places it back on the table, thinly-veiled annoyance. “I’ll go grab some mo-”

A flick of your wand and the cup bubbles and fizzes with more liquid.

Joy hums through her throat, you had no doubt that her tail would be wagging if she had one.

She imbibes once again, a refreshed ahh, crests her lips. “You really gotta teach me that charm.”

“You teach me something, I’ll teach you something,” normally you’d try to skew things more in your favour, but Yoohyeon was an obvious exception.

Actually the entire quidditch team you mused.

She nods slowly before her gaze twitches suddenly caught on a hook by a stray thought. “How’d you know it was the keeper?”

Your eyes narrow, “Lucky guess? How’d you know?”

Her own eyes narrow against yours, a smile curves the edges of her lips. A chuckle.

“Lucky guess? More intuition I guess,” she muses, there’s a twinkle of a story in the edges of her eyes.

“You haven’t seen how frustrated she gets whenever we play against Gryffindor?”

“What?” A twist of your neck. “No?”

Too focused on your job, too focused on her in general.

“Well you know Olivia… She’s usually so on to it, but something about the Keeper would always unravel her,” her fingers caress her chin. “I don’t think she scored a single point in our last game against Gryffindor?”

Well at least you both knew the course.

“Huh,” you slump deeper into your chair, a resigned sigh. “I’m surprised she came to me for advice.”

Her eyebrows knit together, a dash of something more lingers in her eyes. “Why?”

Your mouth opens but nothing follows suit, nothing but a tensed breath.

Her hand trails across your hand, a gentle reassuring caress, it's a tender comfort.

Her thumb skirts dangerously close to your knuckles, lingering spots of pain remind you of your earlier deeds.

Your violent tendencies made you a bad choice, the thought that echoes as you slowly, reluctantly remove your hand.

"I'm just sure there's a better role model,” your words were hardly self-deprecating, more an announcement of fact.

Your own pained knuckles were a fact of that.

Her lips falter into the briefest hint of a frown, “you’re not a bad person, Sly”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Her hand tugs at your fingers, narrowly avoiding your knuckles, a wide smile plastered on her face as the music picks up slowly.

Her favourite song.

“Come on, let’s dance.”

“Am I a good person Professor Kwon?” His quill stops instantly at the utterance, lit only by a single lamp.

He removes his reading glasses, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose, a resigned sigh lingers in the air. “Sly, what on earth brings this up?”

Lingering shades and snapshots of sleepless nights linger at the tip of your tongue.

He takes another deep breath, slowly striding to you, at your desk. A safe spot from the hustle and bustle of the other students.

It had also allowed you on occasion the rare treat of one on one lessons from the ex-auror.

Something Jiyong didn’t usually indulge in.

His glasses clatter against the wood of your desk as he peers softly. “Because I could tell you, that I wouldn’t teach you otherwise.”

There’s a soft melted ice cream of a smile, “even given some of your rumoured personal activities.”

Still it lingers tickling at the edge of your heart, she deserved someone good.

The door to the classroom creaks and groans with a hurried shuffle, “there you are Sly!”

You feel a spark of joy as her hands rub over your shoulders, a giggle plays on her lips. “-Psy was about to do a love reading for Yo-”

Her eyes snap to the professor lingering at the edge of your desk, a feigned cough. “-Professor Park, I mean.”

Jiyong shrugs, a swaying sea of nonchalance as long as he was revered with respect.

“What were you two talking about?” She quickly shifts gears, more focused on the mystery in front of her.

Jiyong’s eyes quickly shift from you to her, “the Patronus charm,” he smiles, gaze flickering back to you. “Believed to only be capable by Witches and Wizards with a pure heart.”

An invitation to test your luck.

Yoohyeon’s eyes quickly narrow across you as she shuffles into a seat next to you, “is this how you randomly got so talented?”

You were always talented.

There’s a tickle of a smile on Jiyong’s lips, a chuckle as Yoohyeon scoots closer to you peering deep into your eyes.

It’s been years since your arrangement started.

Duelling club in your second year, he’d seen the unfocused edge of anger, muddled spells and lazy wandwork.

Countless visits to the hospital wing biting off more than you could chew.

Your pursuit of strength was unrefined, lazy at best.

It had been him who had guided you to Professor Byun, for charm mentorship. Even if Baekhyun disliked your preference towards violence.

You roll your eyes, “what do you mean randomly?” a chuckle ruffles past your lips. “As if I wasn’t from the outset?”

She smiles, pleased with ruffling you ever so slightly. “So how do we do it Professor Kwon?”

“I didn’t realise Miss Kim would be joining us,” he teases, placing his glasses into his coat pocket.

“I didn-”

He hushes her with a wave his hand, mockery a form of fondness.

“Now,” he draws his wand. “I can teach incantation, the wand movement and the theory but it’s truly up to you to grasp it.”

His wand dances under his command, “you need to focus on a happy memory, the happier the better.”

There’s a subtle grumble in the back of your mind, happy memories were few and far between.

“Expecto Patronum,” wisps of trailing glowing mist echo from the tip of his wand, dancing as it drifts through the air, it coalesces brimming with life.

A dragon.

Regal and powerful, soars, glimmering wisps of silvery-white dancing through the air.

One thought lingers through your head, otherworldly even for an act of magic it brims with majesty and power.

Still Jiyong dismisses it with a flourished bow.

His eyes flicker between you and Yoohyeon who is still lost in awe. You'd gotten so used to her presence that you forgot what being a muggle entailed.

Complete wonder and enthrallment when it came to the Wizarding World.

Truly you wished to see everything through her lense.

"Who would like to try first?" Jiyong smiles, yet it's Yoohyeon's hand that shoots up.

"Me!" She beams.

Still Jiyong's eyes linger on you, "Sly?"

Echoes of your father drift in your ear, "A skilled wizard needs nothing but the dark arts."

Your fingers thrum over your temples, he tried to transfer you to Durmstang.

"I'll just watch," Jiyong’s eyes narrow against your own, even you had to admit it was uncharacteristic of you. "I have the slightest hint of a headache."

A bold faced lie.

Still the charm flickers on the briefest edge of fine mist, incorporeal.

Frustration scowls at the edge of your finger tips, digging deep into the wood of your wand, even the mist falters under the weight of your mental collapse.

“Fuck,” soft, muffled against your own sleeve as you scream out into the night, your grip weakens amidst your lingering feelings.

Your wand slips and falls into knots of grass and tangled roots.

A deep breath echoes past your lips, the ghost of Jiyong’s instruction.

"Anger and frustration leads to the dark arts," you feel like he was referencing a muggle movie.

The dark arts weren’t inherently bad, even if your father employed them where he could.

You crouch down amidst the dirt and grass, searching for your wand.

A soft clatter echoes beside you, a disc with three smaller discs linked to the centre.

A fidget spinner is what Yoohyeon called it.

“Lumos,” light blooms to life behind you, stretching your shadow across the nearby lake.

Boots crunch across dried leaves, the gait balanced yet cautious not to trip on anything.

Familiar to you like the fidget spinner in your hand.

A memento of her.

“It’s not like you to stay up past curfew,” you tease, the dance of a wry smirk.

She grumbles at your voice, “I was sneaking out long before you.”

You turn to her, your fingers dancing across your lips, “Why was that again?”

She’s as beautiful as ever, worn knit sweater, holes torn by early misadventures. Magic would fix it, but she enjoyed the reminders.

There’s a fleck of a smile on her lips, “Because someone wanted to practise Quidditch.”

You roll your eyes playfully, each footfall a playful dance number before prodding ever so softly at her collarbone. “Gotta say you have to be the first Slytherin, that snuck out for the equivalent of studying.”

Her smile falters for the briefest of moments, a fragment of a frown. There’s the glimmer of some hidden burden in her eyes.

If only you were a legilimens.

She shivers slightly, no doubt a result of her attire. Shorts and stockings were no shield against the cold nip of a Hogwarts night.

“It wasn’t all bad, at least it was Jiyong who snapped you,” the first domino to fall in the chain reaction that had you joining the Quidditch team.

Though there were worse deals for silence, let alone cooperation.

“Most people don’t avoid detention, let alone become Seeker for it,” you add, as you remove your jacket, offering to her in a lone hand.

Your wand was somewhere, you dread the thought of it landing in the lake.

Though you don’t recall hearing it drown.

Still, you feel the weight of your jacket in your hand, your eyes peer back to her, cold like steel.

“Take the jacket.”

It wasn’t often you spoke to her like that.

Her hands are tentative and cautiously, even still the weight leaves your grip, “what about you?”

A smile dots your lips, “don’t worry about me, I’m cold blooded.”

Confusion etches itself onto her features, there’s the slightest tilt of her head. “But don’t cold-blooded animals need heat from an outside source?”

Huh, probably?

You shake your head, “that’s besides the point Yooh.”

She bristles with a tender smile, “I’m trying to be cool here.”

Where the fuck was your wand?

Her arms loop around you, pressing a hug into your back, “you’re always cool to me Sly.”

You have to fight every urge not to melt right in her grasp, when did physical contact with her start to elicit such a reaction from you?

“Hate to ruin the moment and all, but do you maybe want to help me find my wand?” A grumble from your own lips.

The light glimmers against the fidget spinner in your hand.

You hear the hum of a pleased smile grace her lips, “you kept it.”

A small subtle whisper, you doubt she meant for you to hear.

“Of course.” Just loud enough for her to hear, you remain focused on the task at hand.

Thunder booms through the night air as you grasp your wand, a job made easy thanks to Yoohyeon’s appearance.

“Thanks Yooh,” an offered smile.

Her head cocks to the side, a lingering gaze and a cocked eyebrow. A habit when she was trying to work something out.

Her hand tugs at yours, you feel a brief shard of panic settle in your chest.

Your eyes flicker over your knuckles, fine and healed.

“You were practising the patronus charm,” her eyes narrow with a blemished pout. “Without me.”

You couldn’t lie to her.

A resigned sigh, “yeah.”

Soft like a mouse.

Her eyes flutter like she’s been hit with a flashbang, unsettled.

Her grip tightens, “...Why?”

You’re surprised at her brashness, worry lingers in her eyes like rain drops after a storm.

A deep, slow breath, “I’ve never struggled with a spell this much.”

An incorporeal patronus wasn’t good enough, it only helped to heighten the lingering dread of being an imposter.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Yoohyeon’s eyes twist and dance over you, a soft ballet. “Is this about your dad?”

A frown plays and tugs at the edge of your lips, “kind of?”

He wasn’t the same after your mother.

Her lips bounce under the pressure of her teeth, she pulls you to the edge of the lake, “I’m sure you can-we can do it.”

You follow her lead lackadaisically, still your mind is primed and ready.

The Quidditch pitch, the sweet rush of the cool evening air.

Family.

“You’re not too bad when you finally stop complaining and get on a broom," Yoongi chides, hand patting your shoulder.

The roll of familiar eyes, "You're the reason the last beater quit especially since you need my full attention to even be a halfway decent chaser."

"Yeah, yeah," he relents, yet a smile lingers on his lips. "How do you want me to make it up to you huh?"

Ryujin stretches tired stiff muscles, rolling her shoulders from side to side. "A massage would be great."

Her eyes linger with the glimmer of mischief, "but a date would be even better~"

His eyes roll before dancing over Jackson giving tips to Yeji, "What was that Jackson?" He feigns.

A wisp of a frown lingers on her lips, a feigned smile. "It's good to have you on team Sly, it's been awhile since the three of us hungout," a flicker of a scowl as she gestures towards Yoongi.

"What with him being a prefect, me being on the quidditch team and you being leader of the duelling club," her head cocks to the side. "You don't get any benefits from that do you?"

A shake of your head, "no just responsibility and having to deal with the first years."

She winces in pain at the idea. "Fuck that noise."

You hear it before you see it, you're moving before you can even think about it.

Your fingers steal Ryujin’s beater bat in a split second.

You catch the briefest glimmer of surprise in Ryujin’s eyes as a bludger screams through the air, focused on Olivia, entranced in her own practice with Jackson.

You tear through the air as fast you can, pure adrenaline bouncing in your veins.

Not even a fragment of doubt lingered in your brain if you’d make it in time.

Even if time slows to a crawl, panic whips across Olivia’s face, mixed with wisps of annoyance.

The bat crackles like steel meeting thunder, your muscles flex as your anxiety dances with the idea of it being Yoohyeon in danger.

Suddenly the wind ripples and it’s gone.

Gone gone.

Ryujin comes to a halt next to you, like she watched a fly use one of the unforgivable curses.

“Nice… reflexes?” Her words are soft and genuine, too busy inspecting her bat. She turns to you as you pass her bat.

Worry sears deep into her brow, you’d never seen her make such an expression, she tests the weight of her bat. Only now did you notice some almost microscopic splinters in the back.

“You didn’t happen to disenchant my bat… or the Bludger did you?”

She shakes her head, focused on the smallest critique she can, “Regardless of how nice that was, putting that much power into a swing will leave you or worse yet.” Her eyes shift over your potential teammates. “Leave them wide open.”

Perhaps it’s the brief look of fear that causes your patronus to sputter and stay incorporeal, wisps of silvery-white fold out of your wand, forming a misty shield.

There’s a dance of emotion in Yoohyeon caught in a briefest window.

First, a sense of relief, a heart warming smile as rain slowly begins to drizzle. Rain dances down her picturesque skin.

Second, the briefest glimmer of melancholy and worry for a reason you can quite decipher, until it falters, broken by her words.

You almost can’t make it out in the slight pitter patter of rain.

“What memory?”

“The day I tried out for the Quidditch team.”

A surprised smile, “I’d never seen Olivia become… so trusting of a new person before. I was almost jealous.”

Almost.

Still even if a sense of bittersweet relief dances in her eyes, they soften noticing the lingering weight on your shoulders.

“Professor Kwon said most wizards were lucky if they could even produce an incorporeal form of the charm.”

It still wasn’t good enough for you, what if a Dementor or a Lethifold came for her? Even under the face of good intentions your core ached.

What if you weren’t good enough for her, would she still look at you the same on top of your throne violence?

Just because it was for her, doesn’t make it justifiable.

Worse yet would be to wear off on her in all the wrong ways.

“Well Jiyong sai-” Maybe you were wearing off on her. “That the memory helps determine the strength…”

Her eyes coyly linger on the fidget spinner in your hand. Her lips open and close, mulling over her choice of words.

Her jaw clenches tensely.

Her hands toy with her hair before finally pulling it into a ponytail, a determined look. “I almost forgot about that christmas.”

Thunder booms once again, calling forth a heavier downpour.

Her voice falters, “but…” A frown, lost in thought. “It’s my happiest memory and…”

Her eyes snap to yours, serene and piercing like moonlight. You’d fall for her a second time if it were possible.

“Since you kept the fidget spinner, maybe it’s a happy memory for you."

You smile, "on the count of three?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Expecto-" your eyes linger on Yoohyeon, a trailed smile and focused eyes.

Your grip tightens on the fidget spinner.

Ecdysis, a noun used in Zoology, the process of shedding old skin.

Your first year at Hogwarts, well your first four months to be precise.

You'd delved on various classes long enough to know your favourites… And the ones you abhorred.

Despite Ryujin and Yoongi's predilection for flying lessons, they were something you truly despised.

As a result you naturally drifted away from childhood friends ever so slightly.

Enough so to enjoy a new pass time.

Though it mattered not, originally you had plans to return to the estate and hopefully spend time with Ryujin and Yoongi.

However, by some truly cruel twist of fate, the Min and Shin families had become preoccupied with their own familial activities.

Yoongi was charged with looking after younger relatives, while Ryujin was happily brought along on one of her father's business trips.

You didn’t even have the luxury of your own father fulfilling a promise he had laid.

He too was busy with one thing or another.

The Slytherin common was devoid of any life in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Disgruntled, Christmas was a joyous occasion when your mother was around. You didn’t even bother checking the foot of your bed for presents.

The only gift you’d receive would be disappointment.

Unfocused, your heart leaps into your throat as your feet miss a step.

Your ankle folds painfully inward, a surge of white hot pain before your face even meets a step.

Let alone multiple, each collision dazes you slightly with the force of each impact.

Before you meet the cold hard floor.

You swear you hear the smallest echo of a chuckle bounce through the common room.

You probably had a concussion you reasoned.

However unlikely.

You groan against the floor, mortification sears through your veins.

Still, you're thankful no one was around to witness it.

Bruised pain lingers in your ankle as your hands push against the ground, you’re unsteady at best but you manage with the slightest yelp of pain.

You’re greeted by hurried footsteps, a flush of worry etched into distantly familiar eyes. Her hand traces your tender ankle, a flare of pain.

You grimace, venom ready to spell from your mouth.

“Episkey.”

The pain folds away into an eerie cold-hot sensation, before slowly fading away altogether.

So too does the venom.

A pleased smile teases the edge of her lips, until her eyes catch yours.

There’s a molten mixture of panic, surprise and the slightest hint of fear. Her words tumbled out of her mouth in a flurry as she moved in a haunted gust.

“Sorr-I mean you’re welcome-sorry?” She lingers for the briefest of moments, awkward and unsure. “Bye.”

She was surprisingly quick on her feet, scampering out of the common room, you're left alone in the tender warmth of lit braziers and the cool dancing lights of the lake.

You stand with a new found ease, pain no longer licks through your veins.

It would seem the muggle had a proficiency in healing magic.

An odd fit for a Slytherin, though in this rare instance you were thankful.

What would your father think?

Consorting with muggles? Perish the thought.

You’re surprised when Headmistress Boa stops you before the Great Hall, her eyes sharp and pointed, yet her voice is soft and delicate.

“You and Miss Kim are the only students who have chosen to remain at Hogwarts this winter,” her lips pursed and her eyes narrow. “I expect you to be on your best behaviour… at least for today, it is Christmas.”

Her eyes pin you to the spot despite her soft words, "very well Headmistress."

As if you were the one offering her a concession.

There's the slightest tug of a smirk, "I hope to see you in my office less in the coming year or at the very least for differing reasons."

Your footfalls echo through the mostly empty halls, festive decorations dance through the air, alight with joy.

You spy Professor Kwon dancing with another member of the staff, someone who had yet to teach you, or you were far too distracted by the bonnet on his head.

Still, you hesitate on the boundary, even as your stomach grumbles.

Your eyes settle on the muggle, happily stuffing her face.

Surely, you could get away with sitting as far away from her as possible?

Professor Kwon's humming pulls you out of your machinations, the bright pink bonnet clashed terribly with his professional attire and his 'cool guy' vibe.

A stain on the Auror name.

He offers a Christmas cracker, as he nods towards the object of your avoidance.

"Come on, it's Christmas."

You roll your eyes as you accept the cracker.

"Fine," you grumble.

Everything moves in a stir, you hardly remember what happened when you sat down opposite her aside from the brief smouldering embers of awkwardness.

An offer, or a suggestion on what food was best.

Ironic considering you were the wizard, however she was faultless in her approach. The Christmas cracker lay forgotten in the wake of your shared hatred of flying lessons.

“But why does she have to be so… intense,” a nicer word than you intended to use.

Still her head sways side to side in thought, “I heard Instructor Gong used to play a wizard sport, that’s why.”

“Quidditch.”

An eyebrow arcs, like she expects the sharp edge of another word.

It doesn’t come.

Shadows stretch in the Great Hall, surprise twinkles in her eyes as the cracker rewards you both with a chess set.

“Wait… so they move by themselves?” You bite back the urge to point out the obvious, it stings like bile in your throat.

Strategy was never your forte, often left to the realm of Yoongi. Still, you’re surprised at her eye for openings and gaps, even then you can tell she’s stalling her victory.

Giving you a chance.

There’s a weird lull, eerie and silent as her eyes tremble over yours. “Why are you being so nice?”

Your eyes avoid hers, choosing to move your pieces by hand, you’re surprised when your brain flickers over your brief encounter in the common room.

She was cute.

“Consider it,” your lips scrunch, lost in thought. “A thank you, a gift or a Christmas miracle. You decide.”

She smiles, dorky and all teeth but it’s endearing all the same.

Only now do you catch the vomit green sweater that hangs loosely against her shoulders, an ugly colour, a couple sizes too big and an overall visual travesty.

Still there’s a loving glitter hand stitched in each strand that even your dull eyes can’t miss, the sweltering warmth of Yoohyeon’s family even if they weren’t here.

“How come you didn’t go home for the holidays,” off-handed small talk. Still she notices your lingering gaze.

There’s the slightest pout to her lips, crested with the dew of kindness.

“To save money.”

Oh.

There’s a hint of worry in her eye, a subtle frown nested in your silence.

Her eyes jitter over you, the anxious tick of her mind. “Ah,” rancid with hesitation. “What’d you get for Christmas? Anything cool?”

You can’t help the scowl that settles on your lips, the tip of an iceberg of disappointment. Her eyes wide with panic, another misstep in what you hoped wasn’t a long dance number.

Maybe it's the Christmas spirit, maybe muggles aren’t as bad as your father says, your words are soft, vulnerable even.

“Forgotten like always.”

You remain focused on the game despite her floundering, even if you know it’s a losing battle, brief vulnerability was one thing.

Prolonged conversations on your personal wounds was another thing entirely.

Your gaze lifts, from the board and your opponent is nowhere to be found, perhaps she’d grown bored of your predictable stratagems.

Though, if she left surely that means you won by default?

While you loathed the idea of winning in such a way, it was better than the alternative, which was losing to a muggle.

Moments trace by without even a whisper.

That’s when you hear it, heavy foot falls and haggard breath. An exhaustion akin to prey on their last legs, an oddly shaped item in her hand.

“Here,” she mutters between desperate clutched breaths, your knotted eyebrows remind her of her place.

An awkward gulp for air, her eyes dodge yours but still she speaks with a cradled weak voice, “I know it isn’t much.”

Her hands clasp over yours with a hidden strength, “please take it, as a thank you, if you must.”

“Just because I’m a pureblood, doesn’t mean I’m above accepting a gift from a m-... from you.”

She smiles, a deep well of warmth despite your tentative hands.

You toy with the odd object as it rests in your palm, “it’s a fidget spinner, it’s for… well, fidgeting.”

It was also the first present you’d gotten in years, a foreign bloom of warmth gathers in your chest.

It’s nice, if a bit unsettling.

Still, a question lingers on the tip of your tongue. “What’s it thanks for?”

There’s a glimmer of frosted sadness at the edges of her lips, a despondent glass sheen to her eyes.

A lingering sheet of bittersweet melancholy, “For being my friend.”

She forces a smile despite the knife that twists in your gut, a paper cut compared to her pain. Her eyes dance coyly away from yours, lingering on the chess game.

A soft, sweet chuckle lines her lips, “you’re probably my first friend here,” still she smiles.

It dawns on you, the drawn out game wasn’t to appease your ego, a soft sadder truth.

To delay what she believed was inevitable, “It was nice, even if it was only for today.”

Perhaps that was the first moment that started it all, your own ecdysis.

“Come on now, you have to annoy me at least until everyone comes back.”

“Patronum,” your voice calls silvery-white light blooms from your wand much like it had before, your eyes dance over Yoohyeon, as she struggles

The boom of thunder and the crackle of lightning, a warning, a timer.

The rain grows heavy with each passing moment, your hand clenches tight against the fidget spinner, even as the rain threatens to tear it from your grasp.

Slowly but sure, through gritted teeth, Yoohyeon’s blooming light slowly knits together into strands.

You weren’t one to be outdone.

Your jaw clenches tight as you focus on the days following Christmas, filled with nothing but mischief at the staff’s expense.

The bounce of her laughter fills your ears, you catch a fractured glimpse as her strands slowly knit together.

She was on the precipice.

Yet, you hear it in the way her breath hitches, so close, yet so far.

The building blocks of a mammal, four legs and an excited tail, a dog of some sorts? It almost fades and whimpers back into a shield, still you feel power in it despite it’s small size.

A puppy.

It was fitting for her.

Your own strands slowly circle around hers, dancing in their own way, strands pull, tug and knit together before devolving into a ghostly semblance.

You're so close, it's almost like tasting fresh air for the first time, or feeling the warmth of the sun after years in the cold.

A single hand that reaches out, an escape from your family's dark legacy.

You catch Yoohyeon's pained frown as slowly her Patronous melts away into nothing but mist.

Suddenly your heart races, sinking with each moment. Your own Patronous begins to melt away, dark thoughts ambush your weakened mind.

Your brain scattered under the weight, that maybe regret lingered in her.

Your brain cracks like a whip, as the downpour deepens. Rain pelts your skin harshly and soaks through your clothes in seconds.

Yet her frown lingers in your mind, sobbed whimpers echo and leak bouncing dangerously in your mind.

"Mudblood," trickles easily past your younger, more ignorant lips.

The smattering of laughter as you hid her wand during charms class, the tear stained panic and mortification grips and haunts you.

You were her first friend and bully.

Blood caked, bruised fists and that still wasn't enough. You remember claw-like hands tearing into your dress shirt.

The trembling terror in her eyes, fighting desperately to pull you off Kris.

"Sectumsemp-"

No amount of blood spilled by or from you would be enough.

A snake is still a snake even if it sheds its skin.

Your hand claws deep into your wand, as if some hidden fortitude would reveal itself.

You feel a soft comfort roll over your knuckles, a tender kindness that could only be Yoohyeon.

Torrential rain batters you both, the flicker embers of each of your patronus the only light.

A single weak candle in a storm.

Even as the rain soaks through the both of you, she smiles that soft dorky smile.

The flag you'd follow to the ends of the earth.

Even the howling wind grows silent under her soft velvet gaze.

You feel a desperate pang in your chest, still in these little moments your patronus lingers in a state in between.

Silvery-white wisp like embers dance around the both of you, beautiful and iridescent.

Your heart leaps in your throat as she pulls you, the briefest caress of her hand against your cheek.

Every fibre of longing blooms tenderly accompanied by silvery wisps.

A forceful tug brings your lips crashing into hers, a smile pressed against your lips.

The deep caress of her lips, soothes every heart-wrenching ache of longing.

Still, she pulls tighter.

Scared you'll fade away with the howling winds, muffled under the heat of her tender warmth.

You feel it like a mirror onto yourself, the deep-seated hunger and want as she melts against you in the surging rain.

You could be washed away now and you'd have no regrets.

Her hands cling desperately to you, rolling through your hair, peppering your skin wherever she can.

The boom of thunder and the crackle of lightning is what finally separates the two of you.

A silvery-white serpentine shape dances gracefully around Yoohyeon, you command it instinctively with the flick of your wand.

It doesn't obey, instead it moves at Yoohyeon's beck and call.

An Occamy.

Swaddled in its embrace, a silvery-white pomeranian.

Your patronus.

There's a rare child-like happiness that settles in your chest, it's a soothing comfort to have something so innocent despite your violent nature.

You watch as Yoohyeon tries to command the pomeranian charm, a twist of lingering confusion as her eyes follow the silvery trail to your wand.

The Occamy evaporates in an instant, as pure unbridled panic settles in her eyes.

Wide eyed like an owl, there's a tremble in her wand hand.

A look you're not quite used to.

"Yoo-" An unspoken spell hits you like a slug, your breath is torn from your throat as you collapse to the floor.

Your head throbs and dazzles with stars.

Stupefy.

You were thankful it was non-verbal, even as you fought to stay conscious.

She's already gone by the time you get to your feet.

Yoongi is the only one that visits you while you're in the hospital wing, Olivia only offers you pointed glares and the threat of death from the hallway.

You'd been so caught up with your own stuff you forgot about her whole date conundrum.

"I told you I'm fine Madam Lee," you groan, annoyed by her over concern. "It was a non-verbal Stupefy."

Her eyes narrow, "well until you tell me who did it, I believe it's within our best interests to keep you under observation."

You roll your eyes, "fine, fine. Yoohyeon told me there's no point in arguing with you."

Her lips pursed, focused on a great multitude of things. "You wouldn't happen to know where Miss Kim is, would you?"

You click your tongue, "in case you haven't noticed I've been here for the last day and a half."

You shake your head, "so no, I haven't."

"Odd, I thought she'd at least visit you, she's seemed strangely distant as of late."

You really hoped it wasn't a you thing.

You shrug, "finals is coming up, so maybe that's taking up all her attention?"

You couldn't tell if you were trying to convince her, or yourself.

As long as someone felt better you suppose.

"Maybe," her words drift off upon noticing Yoongi, "Ah, Mr Min keeping out of trouble I hope?"

"That's what the badge is for right?" Emblazoned by his signature gummy smile.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," her eyes patrol the wing, "I'll leave you two to it."

You notice a familiar glint of metal dancing in his hand.

"Geez, I stay in the hospital wing for longer than an afternoon and you're already helping yourself to my stuff."

A flick of his fingers conjures a non-magical flame.

A muggle zippo lighter, one of Yoohyeon's many Christmas gifts over the years.

"Still no Yoohyeon?"

"Nope, I'm getting more love from Olivia than her at the moment," you offer her a wave.

She scowls back with a simple gesture, I have my eyes on you.

A smirk teases across Yoongi's teeth, "Geez what did you do?"

"What did I do?” Why does he assume it’s you? “It was all her.”

“We are talking about Yoohyeon right?”

“Well we’re certainly not talking about you, even if your lovelife is far more glamorous.”

He quickly pockets the lighter. Still his fingers poke and prod, an anxious tick, a hankering for a cigarette.

He seethes ever so slightly, with bubbled stress. Fingers, still ticking aways as his eyes dart from side to side.

His tongue rolls over his teeth, lost in thought.

“Fine.”

“Fine, what?”

You can’t help but notice the strained scowl akin to a wet cat. Still underneath it all you can tell he's troubled.

“We’ll talk about me and my… issues.” You fight the absolute primal urge to clap like a seal, or any sort of hoopla.

After all, you didn’t want to ruin such a rare experience.

“Alright.”

He grabs a nearby chair, placing it with the back to you. Still he ticks nervously as he sits, arms crossed on the backrest.

The silence is all consuming, like a hungry void.

“So…”

He rolls his eyes, “I’m sorry did you wanna do the muggle thing, and paint our nails and twirl our hair?”

A chuckle rumbles through your lips, “honestly maybe?”

His words catch at the edge of his lips, ‘tch.”

You roll your eyes, “fine, how about I help you. Yeji or Ryujin?”

He muses to himself ever so slightly, it’s like every other time you’ve seen him do smart guy shit.

Though, love shouldn’t be a formula or an algorithm to solve.

There’s a glimmer in his eyes, almost like the beep of a microwave. “My personal preferences aside, don’t you think they’d suit each other better?”

Not what you expected.

Still, you lean forward, “why?”

“Well I remember Olivia’s obsession with opposites attract,” his lips scrunch together. “Which is honestly vaguely close to enemies/rivals to lovers?”

Olivia’s interest in a certain Keeper definitely comes to mind, though you bite your tongue.

You hush the calculations with a wave of your hand, “who cares about semantics? Get to your point already.”

“Well, Ryujin has known Yeji for nearly as long as she’s known us,” he adds, fingers padding his chin. “They’re also distinctly different.”

You roll your eyes, “same thing applies to you dumbass… or me for that matter.”

“I’m surprised Ryujin hasn’t tried hitting on you act-”

“She has, she only stopped after the fight I had with Kris,” you quickly point out.

“Ah, right, right.”

“So?”

“So? What?” There’s an expression of lingering confusion.

“Ryujin or Yeji?”

He sighs, “I mean I had a crush on Ryujin when we were kids.”

You’re not surprised, most people did… Most people still do.

Still, you were banking 50 Galleons on Team Ryujin.

As long as he didn’t say both of them, someone from the Quidditch team was winning a decent pot.

“But Yeji’s a comfortable person to be around, it’s calm an-”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be a loser Icarus.” Plus that’d mean Jiyong would win the whole goddamn thing.

He rolls his eyes, “we both know I’m not like that.” Territory solely of one Mr Jackson Wang.

“There’s just pros and cons for both,” you had to admit he had a point.

“Fine, list them off… but make it quick.”

He rolls his eyes, a flare of a grin.

“Well, instead of reducing people to pros and cons, I’m just gonna limit it to my potential problems.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever Prince Charming.”

“I don’t know Yeji as well as Ryujin, so I don’t know if we’ll clash.”

“Right, right. What about Ryujin?”

“Well, I’m not sure if she’s actually into me or not?” Your eyebrows knot together.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe I’m just overthinking it. But what if she’s only interested in me because I’ve denied her so far?”

“Ah, I getcha,” a soft nod, until eventually you shake your head. “Why don’t you just talk to her about it?”

“Well, I mean there’s another issue,” surely Jackson’s hail mary bet wasn’t gonna work.

Your face meets your palm ever so ungracefully. “Don’t tell me.”

“Don’t tell you what?” Wood carved confusion lingers on his features, a true curiosity dances in his eyes.

You take a deep breath, “I’m Yoongi-bear, but I sadly have to let you down gently.”

His response, a solid punch to the shoulder.

“Ouch, that almost hurt.”

Despite the punch, a smile lingers on his lips. “First of all, don’t you dare call me that, second of all I have to fight the urge to vomit everytime I look at you and finally this is serious.”

You wave him off once again, “fine, fine.” You were just glad Jackson was out of the running.

As far as you could tell.

Your eyes narrow.

“I’m not like everyone el-”

“You’re werewolf?”

“What n-”

“Vegan?”

“What the hell does tha-”

“Oh you’re a Jonas bro-”

He does his best to scowl at you, even if he’s a bumbling mess of laughter, “would you fuck up?”

“Fine, fine whatever you say Mr Jonas.”

“I don’t know if I’m able to…” His tongue struggles against his teeth, there’s the briefest flicker of torment in his eyes and almost self-disdain. “Be intimate with anyone.”

Your brain struggles ever so slightly, not on the topic but rather… on what to say. “I can see why you’d worry about Ryujin in that case.”

“Yeah.” There’s a deep billow of a sigh, like a tire slowly letting out all of its air. Still you feel like some amount of pressure has fallen off his shoulders.

Your brain lingers on what his family would say… He’s been through enough today.

“Still, I think it’s worth talking to her about,” he grimaces slightly at the idea. “You gotta remember that despite her nature, she does have very real feelings, if anything I’m surprised she didn’t get sorted into Hufflepuff with how tenacious she’s been.”

His lips purse in thought, “what I’m trying to say is even Ryujin will give up one day. So you should at least talk things out and that’s not my 50 Galleons bet talking.”

He scoffs at the mention of Galleons, “You’re a scoundrel.”

You give him a wink, “now did you wanna hear about my end of the stick?”

He instantly peeps up, “completely forgot about that.”

He shuffles desperately close, like you’re about to tell him about a secret entrance into Gringotts. “So spill.”

Suddenly he holds up a hand, “wait, let me guess.”

You roll your eyes, always a guessing game with him. “Fine.”

He places two fingers on his temple and one hand out in front of you, “You guys were out past curfew… I’m seeing pictures of the lake… or the forest?”

“Anyone could’ve guessed that moron.”

His hand tenses at your words, “a dark wi-”

“Already wron-”

“Let me finish at least.” Still he continues with the act. “He launched an attack at your dearly beloved, and you dove in front taking that attack, now she can’t bear to look at you because it’s a reminder of pain she put you through.”

You scoff, a smirk tickles your lips.

“Honestly I would’ve preferred your version, but also not at all.” You smile, “Can I talk now?”

“Oh, yeah of course.”

“I was out late practising the Patronus Charm, when Yoohyeon found me.”

You watch as Yoongi’s eyes slowly glaze over as if he’s working on Arithmancy homework. “So you started practising together.”

“Yeah, it still didn’t go too well until we both remembered that first Christmas,” he leans closer, inspecting every inch of you like the twitch of a smile could predict the lotto numbers.

His eyebrows knit together, “how’d that go?”

“I can show you if you’d like.”

He shakes his head. Though you hear the briefest mumble, “so they know the Patronus Charm now.”

It seems he was already picking apart the strands. Hoping to spoil the outcome.

“So how’d you do it?”

You let the silence slowly sink in around him, drowning him in anticipation.

“She kissed me.”

“Shut up,” you’ve seen feigned surprise on Yoongi before, that’s why it’s all the more surprising watching his eyes bulge out of their socket.

“Not able to deduce that, were you Sherlock?” You can’t help the simmering grin on your lips,to give Yoongi credit he gives a slow clap.

“Didn’t think she had it in her,” there’s almost the smile of a pleased older sibling on his lips. However, slowly the smile fades, gears clicking into place with a haunted look. “Wait a minute.”

“What?”

There’s a cocky smirk on his lips. “That means your Patronus is a fucking pomeranian.”

It’s your turn for your eyeballs to bulge, as Yoongi laughs a hideous cackle. You hear sobs slowly begin to emanate from him.

“Oh my god… the best duelist in our school has a pomeranian as a Patronus,” he wheezes between desperate laughter-riddled breaths.”Fuck, you can’t make that up.”

You seeth at his laughter, a friendly scowl is all you can offer as he slowly recovers.

“How’d you know?”

He smiles that irritating gummy smile, “because that would’ve been Yoohyeon’s obviously.”

Well you couldn’t argue with that.

It made sense.

“But then why is mine the pomeranian?”

His smile still taunts you, though you all had a field of strengths.

Yoongi’s just happened to come up more often than everyone else’s

“Same reason her Patronus is an Occamy. Do the maths.”

The Patronus is meant to represent your hidden strength, a faucet of yourself hidden, unknown but necessary.

Did that mean you were both necessary for each other? Like yin and yan-

“Judging from the way your face is scrunching, you’re thinking too hard,” he jibes, a trickle of laughter. “Not that I need to explain this to you on your end at least. But she’s in love with you, too moron.”

Still he hums with a thought, “though you two have been rubbing off on each other too… So I guess they also represent the faucets of yourself you don’t often bring forth.”

“But that’s the boring part,” he continues.

Part of you hates to admit that your penchant for violence might just be due to the simplicity of it all, because a question lingers at the tip of your tongue.

“Wait? If she’s supposedly in love with me, why is she avoiding me? Riddle me that Sherlock?”

He shrugs, “I dunno… Probably something muggle-related? Give her time, maybe she’s going through her own Ecdysis.”

You can’t help but roll your eyes, “way to go Yoongs, you know how to read a dictionary.”

“At least I know how to read unlike a certain duelist~”

“Fuck you,” still there’s a glimmer of a smile underneath the venom.

“That’s what I thought.”

Days stretch into weeks as seasons take their time in the limelight, a dance with spring in the eves of march before an easter intermission.

Yet you’ve seen hide nor hair outside of Quidditch practice, she’s been accommodating for the most part, yet any attempt at a prolonged conversation fumbles and sputters like muggle technology on school grounds.

Still you catch her escaping past curfew most nights.

There’s an uneasy edge to you even without the nerves of ‘finals’.

Slytherin’s last game of the year, though you suppose it’s also Gryffindor’s as well.

Quidditch wasn’t really your circus, flying in general wasn’t your thing.

Though as your eyes scan over your team, you realise they are certainly your monkeys. Excitement hangs thick in the air for most of the team.

Only Olivia seems to share the same harsh edge, a mounting dread.

Though your reasons differed, there was a unique solidarity.

“You wouldn’t happen to have your lighter on you?” There’s a slight tremble in her hands.

“How would your Keeper feel about that?” A smirk tugs at your lips, if only to hide your own worries.

She scoffs, “I’m not a loser like Yoongi… plus Jackson always keeps his eye on me.”

A frown tugs at her lips, she chews anxiously at the bottom lip. A scowl settles in its place.

“If you must know, I want to light some scented candles… to relax or some bullshit,” she paces ever so slightly despite her efforts.

“You don’t have your wand on you?” Your eyebrows crease, “wait when were you into scented candles?”

There’s the slightest grumble in her throat, like a cat ready to pounce. “Well, Professor Kwon and Jackson seemed to agree that I’m prone to violent outbursts, before, during and after a game.”

She attempts to prod at you with a glare, an attempt at intimidation that is sub-par at best, instead she was more akin to a grumpy cat.

More adorable than threatening, though you wouldn’t say it to her face.

“Have you considered being sneaky? It’s kind of Slytherin’s thing.”

She just rolls her eyes, as her nervous pacing only intensifies.

“As for the scented candles thing? It was suggested by a… friend.”

“Your dearly beloved Gryffindork? Gotcha,” you tease, you watch as her muscles wind up to hit you. However she stops when notices the shimmer of your lighter. “Take care of it.”

“Of course,” her words are surprisingly soft, as she takes it into her grasp. A soft treasured touch that you didn’t expect from her.

You feel Jackson’s palm crest your shoulder, the glimmer of his confident smile nearly blinds you. “Speech in five-ten minutes, then game time alright?”

“Yeah, sure, sure.” His eyes soften over you, almost able to sense your anxiety.

His grip tightens, massaging all the good vibes he can into you. “There’s nothing to worry about chief, you wouldn’t be on this team if I thought you’d screw up.”

He wrestles himself into almost a baseball stance. “You have a good arm on you, so just channel the bad vibes and go for broke.” His invisible bat connects with what you assume is a ball, you can almost see how far he hits it. “Plus I think you’d be able to pull off the legendary two for one special.”

A smile bristles past your anxiety and onto your lips, “thanks Jackson.”

There’s a flash of a sudden idea on his face, “Oh, could you gather the team? I have to sort some things with Professor K.”

It was a rare thing for Jackson to thrust any semblance of responsibility on you. “Yeah, sure Cap… But Olivia is,” you poke a thumb behind you as the smell of jasmine and lavender saunters through the tent.

He shrugs, “leave her it’s hard being Romeo or Juliet when your families have to fight… I dunno, I've never read it.”

“Wait, you know?”

“It’s my job to know things,” he smiles, flourished by his devil-may-care attitude. “Though if you’re wondering who found out first, that honour is yours alone. Pom-pom.”

He gives you a wink punctuated with the click of his tongue.

The click, Jackson’s true mark of favouritism.

Not an honour you were actively looking for, especially if it meant being called Pom-pom.

There’s a soft tender almost tentative tug at your sleeve.

Yoohyeon.

She waves awkwardly, eyes avoiding yours.

“Hey.” It’s almost like speaking to a mouse. She chews anxiously against her bottom lip.

Hey stranger, is your first thought, a joke to ease the strained atmosphere. But as you watch her almost shrink in your presence, you decide against it.

You muster what warmth you can, “what’s up?”

Her mouth opens for the briefest moment, words on the tip of her tongue. “She raises a clenched hand revealing a familiar broom.

A coy smile.

“Uh, thanks for the broom by the way…” Her eyes still dance away from yours, you're almost tempted to kiss if it would get rid of the awkward tension.

Too bad it was game day, you didn’t want to rattle her.

Still Christmas had long since passed, you remember her almost unending thanks.

One of the few times she’d managed to actually get on your nerves.

“I’m sorry all I got you was an electric guitar you can’t even use.”

“I appreciate every gift you get me, it’s just enough to be thought about by you.” You swear she almost halves in size despite her reasonably tall stature.

Her cheeks a slightly rosy pink, still her eyes finally bore into you like cold steel.

“...We’re still friends right?”

Sadly.

“Of course.”

Her mouth pretends to work again before failing to make any noise. “Jackson told you to gather the team right?... I could do that if you want.”

“Uh yeah sure?” Having extra time to centre yourself before game time would be invaluable.

She takes a couple of steps before pausing, there’s another gentle tug of your sleeve. “We need to talk after the game.”

Great.

Any confidence Jackson managed to instil in you is thrown and torn asunder in the wake of Hurricane Yoohyeon.

Maybe Olivia had the right idea with scented candles?

Deep breaths.

Your lungs burn with each deep breath, the only consolation was they didn’t hurt as much as your arms.

Your arms weigh heavy at your side.

You knew Quidditch games could go on for a prolonged period of time, it was truly different to play for that amount of time.

Amber embers stretch over the field, shadows towering at their highest before sunset, it’s beautiful, almost picturesque like a family outing before the holiday.

Well, if there wasn’t a trophy and bragging rights on the line.

Olivia’s broom shakes and sways under her exhaustion, she was a beast in her own right. But stamina was her greatest weakness.

If anything you’re surprised she’s still flying. She fights desperately even soaked in sweat and sapped by exhaustion.

You remember when the game started it exploded like crashing thunder and lightning. Every minute an exciting uproar of cheers and chants.

You still remember the smile plastered on Olivia’s face when managed to score three times in a row.

That meant mocking her sucking during practice was on the table.

Still despite her stellar performance at the beginning of the game, exhaustion quickly sapped her strength.

Even Yoongi’s broom trembles ever so slightly, a symptom of a larger problem.

His pride.

Ever since you were kids he’d push himself past his limits, it’s thanks to the trifecta of Ryujin, Yeji and Him that you guys were still deadlocked.

Ironic really.

320-320

For how much longer you wouldn’t be able to tell, your strength as a team were the quicker games.

All you can think of is how cosy your bed would be right now, soft and comfy.

Your own broom begins to shake even as you conserve your energy. You’re just thankful the teams are evenly matched for the most part.

Even still you notice Yoongi’s scowl aimed at Jihyo, a begrudging respect. Even with her own haggard breath she offers a soft radiant smile.

No doubt she considered him an equal to some degree.

You watch as Yeji and Lisa zip and dance almost like fireflies. You hated to admit it but Lisa was a decent amount faster than Yeji, even if the latter was craftier.

It’s hard to be sneaky when someone finally notices you.

You hear a whistle from Jackson to Jihyo, “Time out?”

She nods softly as he flies over, a hushed conversation that you can’t quite make out, perhaps it was the tiredness leaking into your bones?

Their mini-meeting is quick and succinct.

There’s an oddly serious edge to Jackson, “Olivia.”

Her broom shakes and stirs like she’s been woken from a nap, her eyes glazed over. “Hm? What?”

“Go to the changing room and have a rest?”

There’s the flicker of a defiant ember in her eyes at those words, “bu-”

“Please,” his face softens. “You’ve done well, you don’t need to worry they’re also benching one of their players alright?”

The ember is snuffed out with his gentle entreatment.

She slowly makes her way to the changing room. “Yoongs?”

“Yeah, boss?” You can hear the dry crack of his throat.

“We’re going on the defensive,” he returns a soft nod.

His eyes shift to Ryujin, “guard me and Yoongi, if you can aim the bludgers away from the seekers alright?”

She wipes a sweat soaked brow, “Are you sure, because if a nail the seek-”

“What if they redirect to Yoohyeon? She’s our ticket out of this soaked hellhole and to the party of my dreams,” you’d never seen Jackson force a smile before, but there was a first time for everything.

“Alright, no guarantees. “

He turns to Yeji, “I trust you to help out where you can alright? If you think you can score some points to keep us in the game, go for it.”

“Alright, chief.”

He turns to you and Yoohyeon last. “My dynamic duo, I need you to kick things into overdrive alright?”

You raise your fist as high as you can, still you feel your muscles slowly descending into the muck of lethargy and pain.

Yoohyeon turns to you, “we got this.” Her fist collides with yours.

Still you notice she’s still springing with energy.

Probably all those late night training sessions.

Slowly everybody assumes their positions as Instructor Gong readies her whistle. Still you feel the bristle of Jackson, “Protect her with your life, you got me, Pom-pom?”

You roll your eyes.

“It’s what I always do.”

As the whistle’s wail pierces through it awakens something almost primal in you, the last of your reserves.

You cling desperately to Yoohyeon’s side, as close as you can manage. She’s a blur just out of your reach.

How she managed with one of the school’s brooms was beyond you.

Each second at top speed stretches and feels like a minute, each minute feels like an hour.

Still you hear the roar of the Slytherin crowd, either a successful defence effort or a sneaky goal by Yeji.

Your muscles ache and beg for you to stop, you’d hate to imagine the pain of hitting a bludger right.

Bile builds in your throat as your head whips around, keeping track of Yoohyeon and any bludgers, a dangerous strain on your neck.

You can’t even see the snitch.

Still, you fight the burn the builds in your throat, your eyes catch the shadow of another person, J.Seph one half of Gryffindor’s beater duo.

He lingers not too far behind you, laboured sweat-soaked breaths. There’s a glimmer of surprise creased in his brow.

Yoohyeon must been on the right track, Jungkook probably wasn’t too fa-

That’s when you see him, Gryffindor golden boy and seeker supreme. Sweat soaks his hair as he pushes his broom slowly inching ahead of Yoohyeon.

That’s when you see it, the fluttering golden wing, almost like a hummingbird, it’s hard to make out the finer details.

Then you hear it, the sound of a beater bat crash like thunder against a bludger. You almost snap your neck, unsettled panic rattles through your bones like chimes on the wind.

Your eyes lock with J.seph’s, the flurry of worry in his eyes mirror your own.

You hear it tear through the air with a ravenous hunger, howling for Yoohyeon.

Yet her eyes don’t tear from the snitch, you can’t tell if it’s a lack of awareness or complete and utter trust in you.

You’ll shortly see if it’s unfounded.

Your body shakes as you slowly try to stand on your broom.

A risky manoeuvre for sure.

Your legs shake like jelly at the briefest of the ground, you’d probably just become a pancake from this hei-You see it, you truly do as everything comes to a crawl.

The legendary two for one.

Jihyo and Lisa.

It’s almost like you’re safely on the ground, steady and solid as your hands grip strong against familiar wood and leather.

The game was as good as over so long as Jungkook didn’t get the snitch.

Your eyes don’t falter, they don’t linger on Yoohyeon.

An almost serene calm comes over you, like an undisturbed lake.

That’s why it’s all the more disturbing when something feels off, you almost can’t place your finger on it.

The bludger makes a sound a fraction of a second before you hit it, your eyes widened. Still everything is tranquil and slow, despite the panic in your heart.

No one else hits your bludger, it sails straight and true, pain ripples through every muscle fibre as your arm swings wide.

Your grip falters for a second and a second is all it takes for it to flutter out of your hands, you curse through gritted teeth.

A mistake, yet the unease still lingers even as you watch your bludger connect first into Jihyo and then Lisa.

Really putting the L in Lisa huh?

The other bludger.

Your eyes snap to Ryujin as she watches in horror.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, a saying by some muggle.

Still you hear it before you see it, the crack of J.seph’s bat against cold bludger metal, you react almost without thinking.

Your eyes snap to her for the briefest microsecond, her fingertips mere millimetres from the snitch, unaware of the danger she was in.

You could give up the snitch and the game.

No danger would come to her, you’d be the last person who hurt her.

A simple promise to yourself.

You couldn’t deflect it, your bat was gone. Hopefully she won't get too mad at you.

You were too slow on your broom to take the hit.

You draw your wand, fluttering memories linger, mostly lectures from Yoohyeon, what was and what wasn’t considered a foul.

Wand usage was considered fair game on your team and on your brooms.

J.Seph looks at you like you’re insane.

All you can offer is a toothy smile… while you still had them

“Flipendo.” Your broom splinters against the sudden force, for the briefest moment you feel like a bird, sailing through the air.

Too bad falling was very much on the menu.

J.Seph moves in a panicked frenzy, attempting to strike the bludger again to alter its course, but it’s far too late.

It hits you like a steel wall, launching the wind out of you. Still, it keeps pushing, crushing your ribs slowly but surely.

There’s an apologetic worry in J.seph’s eyes that mounts with each strike, it rings deep in your skull like a bell.

Slowly your vision darkens at the fringes as you fall.

Muffled distant sounds as your consciousness fades.

“Rennervate.”

You awake suddenly and violently on the pitch, somehow not worse for wear, you catch a brief glimpse of Sunny running to various players healing what she can.

Your hands clutch a nearby person, you almost expect it to be Yoohyeon by the tremble. However it’s Yoongi’s tired, lethargic eyes.

The smell of martial magic hangs thick in the air, who the fuck was dueling on the pitch?

You groan involuntarily, pain grips at every vestige of your being, still you move.

Only now do you hear the… arguing?

Was that Yoohyeon?

“Sectumsemp-”

Where the fuck did sh-“Expelliarmus” you cast with a practiced graceful ease.

Her wand flitters through the air, discarded in the grass, you can feel the smouldering anger from here.

Her eyes burn a hole in her hand, her eyes snap to you and for a moment even without her wand fear for your life.

Her eyes soften, even as your legs give out beneath you, still the grass is soft and bouncy.

An odd comfort.

Her panicked run, a sweet reminder of where you began as she slides next to you, checking you over.

“You think you’d never seen someone get hit by a bludger before?” You give her an almost disappointed look. “Seriously? Sectumsempra over a scratch?”

“One minute you were right behind me and the-” Her voice cracks, only now do you notice the tears that well the edges.

“Tch, next you’re gonna hit people with an unforgivable for looking at me funny,” you tease, maybe an Occamy wasn’t too far off for her?

“I was worried oka-” her fist slams against your chest.

You do your best to muffle a grunt of pain, as you take a deep breath in.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologies quickly.

“I mean I had it coming, shouldn’t have been a dick.”

A pout lingers on her lips.

“Where’d you learn Sectum anyway?”

Her eyebrows crease as if it’s obvious. “From you, duh.”

“Hold up,” you wave your hands in front of yourself, “I did not teach you that.”

She rolls her eyes as her hand pats your cheek, “Geez you purebloods act like magic is hard or something.”

You feel her smile as she presses a kiss into your forehead.

She smiles that sweet dorky smile and you’d wish for nothing else in the world.

“-Oh,” suddenly she freezes, “ah.”

Your wand is already in your hand, a rushed “Protego.” Glimmers to life in front of you.

She looks at you with a heavy weight of confusion.

“Hey!” Your eyebrows knit together, “you hit me with a Stupefy last time.”

“...You know I completely forgot about that,” she laughs awkwardly, her hand caressing the back of her neck.

You watch as she contemplates laying down on you before she tugs you softly into her embrace.

Even still there’s a tender shyness she has under your focused gaze, you’d easily forget that nearly maimed poor J.Seph.

Her fingers play absently with the grass, her eyes never quite meeting yours.

You poke her nose softly. “What was the freeze about?”

“Oh,” her face blooms with a cheeky smile. “Close your eyes.”

“Fine,” you roll your eyes, still a smile lingers on your lips.

“Hold out your hand,” you offer an open palm.

You feel a soft almost magical warmth, finely detailed grooves and a metallic sturdiness.

“You can open your eyes now,” you can hear the small pleased hum of a smile.

The golden snitch, you hadn’t really bothered to look at one up close before.

“Oh, shit that means we won!” A smile tugs at your lips as you balance it between your fingers.

Before you finally offer it back.

“It’s yours.” Her fingers trail through your hair. “A real present instead of a re-gift or a hand me down.”

You smile softly, as you fight the tears that well up. “Are you sure?”

Just her comforting presence was enough. “Of course, I just wanted you to know you’re worth all the effort I can muster.”

“Even if you’re fine with less.”

Your fingers dance along her cheek as she stares lovingly at you, you fight through the lingering aches and pains to press a kiss into her velvet soft cheeks.

She feel her basically melt against your touch.

“I’m surprised you caught it and still had time to cause a commotion.”

“Well…” her gaze diverted away from you, her tongue dancing along her teeth. “I didn’t know I had it.”

“God damn it Yooh,”

A cheesy smile bubbles across her lips.

Still a question lingers in the back of your skull, you lean up gazing directly at her. “What was the thing you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Well,” she starts and never quite finishes.

Her eyebrows crease followed by a deep breath. “What are you doing over Easter?”

“You already know the answer to that, Yooh.”

“Well… I was,” her eyes hesitate even if her mouth doesn't. “...wonder ifyou’dliketocometomyplace.”

There’s the slightest scoff that parts your lips, an act of surprise. “I didn’t realise muggles were so forward.”

She rolls her eyes, “It can’t be helped when Purebloods don’t make a move, you and Yoongi are as bad as each other.”

“I get it, I get it.”

“You’ll get to meet my mum,” she beams at the thought.

“Should I be worried?”

“...No? I mean I’ve told her all about you,” still, her gaze avoids your ever so slightly.

Your eyes narrow, “....wait, is that why you were being so… confident.”

She shrinks ever so slightly at your words, “...Maybe?”

A chuckle tickles past your teeth.

“Hell, if we have the chance you could even meet my Dad.”

Her expression falls ever so slightly, replaced with pointed surprise. “Really?”

“...Yeah?”

“Damn you must really like me,” you feel the ever so soft nudge of Yoohyeon’s elbow against your ribs, a cheeky smile on her lips.

It’s cute and endearing.

It doesn’t stop it from hurting, a grimace tightens across your face.

Still you wouldn’t have it any other way.

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dreamwithlost · 9 months

Text

𝐔𝐦𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚, 𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚

⋆.*✧ 𝐍𝐀𝐎 𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐄𝐌 𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐎 𝐐𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐀

⋆ Capinha feita para a minha oneshot de terror (clique aqui para ler e de muito amor e carinho para ela)

⋆ Em caso de inspiração, lembre-se de dar os créditos.

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let-them-read-fics · 1 year

Text

You Again?

Pairing: Jiu x Fem!Reader

AU: Non-Idol

Warnings / Misc. -- Some Angst, Smut, Fluff, Happy Ending :)

Word Count: 9,955

Summary: Y/N and Jiu have history. Unresolved tension, unanswered questions, lingering desire: the inconvenient kind. But when they both unwittingly agree to attend a mutual friend's vacation trip, they're forced to confront their feelings head on and learn to live with one another again.

Why, exactly?

Because they just so happen to be rooming together.

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Hi everyone! I apologize for my absence, but I hope you enjoy this piece :) I have more stories coming, so stay tuned! 💖 Make sure to eat something good today and drink plenty of water.

💖 Happy Reading 🌹

◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚

This has got to be a day for the record books. One of the worst, most unfair in all of human history.

Well, let’s be realistic: one of the worst in your life. Maybe “human history” is a bit of a stretch – though you can’t exactly blame yourself for giving into the dramatics at a time like this.

The sound of your best friend sighing in frustration brings you out of your annoyed daze, pulling your attention back to her.

“Y/N, you’re acting like a child. It’s only for one night.”

“Exactly, Y/BFFs/N; one night is far too long for the two of us to be around each other.”

She scoffs, but you don't budge. There's no way you're accepting this without a fight.

"Why don't we have somebody else switch?" You suggest.

She shakes her head, dismissing you. "Most of the girls already went up," she explains, motioning behind herself to the cabin. Sure enough, you can see shadows moving within the rooms – forms hidden behind pulled curtains, almost taunting as they shift around in the visible lamplight.

“And I’ve already told Jiu about it.”

You roll your eyes.

"Plus we all sorted this out beforehand." She shrugs. "Since you both joined at the last minute, it only makes sense to put you together."

Now it's your turn to sigh. Suddenly, an idea pops into your head.

"How about I sleep in the car?" You brighten at the thought of your own scheme; quite literally anything would be better than being trapped between four walls with Jiu.

"Ha ha, very funny," Y/BFFs/N mocks, clearly not amused. "You can't stay out here. You'll either freeze to death or waste all of our gas trying not to, and I don't think you really wanna do that."

A disappointed tut leaves you; your warm breath turns to a puff of white air before dissipating into the night.

Alright, maybe it's colder than you thought. Maybe.

"I'll talk to the others tomorrow morning and see what I can do, okay?" She offers, bringing a hand up to rub the back of her neck. She looks tired, and a pang of guilt washes over you when you notice it.

"Okay. I'm sorry." Regret shines in your eyes, but it's quickly eased by the growing, sleepy smile on her face.

"Don't worry about it," she reassures you, looping an arm with yours. The two of you fall in step together, heading back to the cabin.

"I know it's difficult, after everything. But it's just a few hours. I'm sure you can survive that, no?"

You shake your head, though you're grinning.

"We'll have to see. I'm sure she'll make it hard."

Y/BFFs/N slides her free hand along the polished oak handle of the porch's glass door, opening it for the two of you.

"Just be civil and it'll all be fine. You don't even have to talk."

The resulting glare you send her makes her laugh.

Tonight will definitely be the death of you.

–

Across the first floor, tucked away in the kitchen, Jiu is hard at work. She stands in a pair of shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, cleaning the grill she helped prepare dinner on earlier. A few strands of her hair have evaded the grasp of her ponytail holder, coming down to frame her face as she scrubs away.

“Why don’t you just save that for the morning?” Someone unseen inquires, sounding half asleep.

She turns around to find one of your friend’s other invites moseying over to the center island, bottle of water in hand. Her face is scrunched up some, and the small bags under her eyes immediately remind Jiu of who she is.

It’s Sua, the person who pre-gamed too early and overexerted herself when the group first arrived at the cabin earlier this morning. She’s been nursing a headache for the past few hours as a result.

The low groan that she lets out as she hauls herself onto the high-top chair makes Jiu giggle, but she stifles it to the best of her ability. The younger girl has managed to brighten everybody’s moods all day long despite feeling how she does; she's truly a gift.

“I want to get it done so I can rest easy,” Jiu finally answers.

Sua rolls her eyes. “Sleep now, clean later. This is a vacation for a reason, you know? We deserve to procrastinate.” She raises her bottle to her lips, taking a long drink.

“You do that, I’ll clean,” Jiu resolves, nodding to herself.

“Suit yourself, pabo.”

Sua folds her arms on the countertop and lays her head down, yawning as she nuzzles her cheek against the soft material of her sweater. Jiu glances at her and smiles, amused. She appreciates her nonchalance likely more than anyone else on this trip; it’s distracted her from her worries.

Namely, you: her biggest inconvenience.

When news reached her of Y/BFFs/N’s plans for a week-long getaway, she was intrigued. Work had been a hassle, she was stressed, and all in all she just needed a break. So, she pulled some strings, got her shifts covered, and took the time off.

All was well for the first few hours, when everyone was at Y/BFFs/N’s house, readying up to make the long drive to the forest resort; but then you made a surprise appearance there, busting in and looking just as good as you did the last time Jiu saw you.

Effectively, it ruined her mood.

You’d glanced at her, then, when you first walked through the door. She was the one closest to you, having been on her way to get a refill of the drink she had in hand. Truthfully, it felt like slow motion; for a second, it was like the two of you were back to where you had been all that time ago.

When you were still together.

You crossed the threshold with an eager smile, luggage bags weighing heavy in your hands before you allowed them to slip off your fingertips and land on the ground with a soft noise of impact. She met your eye for a fleeting moment, and she unconsciously took a small step toward you. Her lips began to pull back in the soft grin that you always told her you loved, mimicking the happy expression on your face. For that foolish second, she was transfixed. Foolish.

It was as if you were looking through her; you hadn’t actually perceived her at all, really. She was a passing face as you searched for Y/BFFs/N’s, only caring to register hers.

Just before Jiu could utter a word or reach you, a loud cheer rang out from behind her. The entirety of the group had picked up on your arrival, word spreading fast throughout the living room once one of them caught a glimpse of you.

She cursed quietly and retreated a few steps, allowing the excited crowd to gather around you and visit.

You happily shared the story of how your boss – who’s always regarded you with a distant indifference – finally showed her humanity and adjusted the schedules so that you could have some time off. Not the entire week, of course, but a few days to go and be with your friends. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see you; even the ones who barely knew you, having only heard of your existence through the stories that Y/BFFs/N had told them. It all made Jiu feel like the odd one out.

But she could remember a time when just hearing your name made her heart flutter, too, so she couldn’t exactly fault them.

From a distance, she watched you. How you moved. How your hands danced around as you explained your stories. The way your lips pouted and pursed with every syllable, almost taunting her.

She thought she had gotten over you months ago, after things ended. She thought she was stronger than this; but clearly, moving on would be impossible with you around. That was to be done separate, no more strings attached. The idea of having to look at you, to hear your laugh, to be near you in such a way and pretend like everything was fine seemed unfathomable. With every trace of you gone, maybe, maybe then she could move on.

Anything less destroyed even the chance of closure for her. But, she supposed, closure would just have to wait a week or so.

—

25 Minutes Later

Put lightly, Jiu is avoiding you.

After washing the grill and dishes, she took her time with leading a groggy Sua back to her room and making sure she got settled fine. She made some small talk with some of the other girls in passing, but nothing as serious as she was looking for.

She’d be happy to debate the meaning of life right now if it kept the two of you apart for a little longer.

But with lights out rapidly approaching and everyone dragging themselves to their respective rooms, she knows the chances of that are nearing zero. So, begrudgingly, she makes her way up to the suite.

With every step she takes, she wonders what you’re doing in there. Are you already asleep? Reading? Watching television? Maybe you’re scrolling mindlessly on your phone. Maybe you’re not even in there at all.

The questions pile up in her mind until she eventually gets fed up and decides to be unaffected for once. Or, at least, to appear that way. She shouldn’t care regardless, and she reminds herself of that fact. All the two of you have to do is make it through the night, and then something can be arranged so that you can stay far, far away from one another. Not so hard, right?

Wrong. Certifiably, absolutely, unequivocally wrong.

When Jiu opens the bedroom door, she finds you fresh out of the shower. A lacy bra adorns your upper half, while a towel is wrapped around your waist; you’re bent over your suitcase in search of some shorts to wear.

She looks away quickly, but it’s too little too late; even as she shuts the door and turns around, pressing her forehead to the wooden surface, she can picture your body.

She mentally curses the water droplets that run their paths down your chest and abdomen, free as they edge closer and closer to where the towel meets your waist. They touch you in a way that she never can again, and she hates that.

More specifically, she hates the fact that she wants to.

Your eyes land on her as you stand up, shorts in hand. A heavy feeling of embarrassment settles over you.

“Uh, sorry,” you mumble, not knowing what to do.

She turns back around to face you after a moment, but she refuses to meet your gaze. If she does, her resolve will surely falter and crumble.

“There should still be plenty of hot water left if you’d like to take a shower,” you offer, extending an olive branch of sorts. From the angle you have of her face, you can see relief spread across it.

She wastes no time in sending you a quick thank you and slipping off to the safety of the bathroom, leaving you to question what the hell just happened.

Most of the time, she’s engaging and bold; her liveliness is one of the things that made you fall in love with her. Even at the end of your relationship, when things were falling apart, it was never like this; she never refused to look at you as many times as she had today, or been so weary anytime you entered a room. She never used to despise you so much, and as that sinks in you realize just how much it hurts.

Despite everything, you hate how unbothered she is.

While you’ve watched her from afar all day, agonizing over the curl of her lip when someone said something witty or the sound of her easy banter with the other girls, she’s clearly been fine. Paying you no mind doesn’t seem to be a challenge for her anymore, and you dislike that more than you thought you would.

Truth be told, you hadn’t prepared yourself for that. With the scope of your relationship and the lack of closure you received, it only made sense for you to assume she’d miss you as much as you miss her. To be just as affected now, by it all, as you have been.

But that’s clearly not the case.

—

Once she’s alone, Jiu takes the opportunity to steady herself. Her hands find their way to the cool marble countertop of the sink, and she draws in a deep breath.

She can’t stand you.

Now, from just that small interaction, all she can think about is you. The subdued lighting of the room only brought out your features more, leaving shadows to fall across the parts of you that were untouched by it. Your muscles pulled and strained as you sifted through your bag, parting clothes left and right in search of your shorts. She could see your face, too, looking just as kissable as always.

She really can’t stand you.

Defeatedly, she turns the water on. The cold streams down, unaccompanied by any real heat whatsoever; this will be a freezing shower, she’s decided. She doesn’t trust what she might do otherwise, alone in here with her thoughts of you and steam clouding her judgement.

The subtle throb between her legs is enough to warn her; she knows she’ll do something stupid if she doesn’t stop herself now, before it has the chance to start.

When she strips out of her clothes, she does her best to think of anything other than the way you used to undress her. How you sat on your knees before her, slowly inching her pants down as your warm lips left kisses in their wake. How you’d take your time with her panties afterward, holding eye contact with her and stopping your motions anytime she looked away.

Even now, goosebumps rise to her skin at the memory. It was torture then, but for entirely different reasons.

She was promised sweet release then, no matter how much you may have edged or tested her. Now she'd consider herself lucky to even be rewarded with a conversation.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she steps into the tub. The frigid water makes contact with her back, and she has to sink her teeth into her lower lip to keep from shouting. But if this is what it takes to keep you out of her mind, then so be it.

–

The muscles of your neck and shoulders ache as you sit at the mahogany desk on the far side of the room, half-heartedly working on the report your boss asked you to start. It was what you had to give in order to take the time off, which is only reasonable. Even still, you're having a hard time staying focused.

The desk faces one of the large bay windows of the room, overlooking the forest and mountains that surround you. Darkness completely envelops the land, save for the occasional house light far off in the distance. Moonbeams hit the treetops, coating them in a sparkle that contrasts with the midnight sky.

Nearby, an electric fireplace crackles, reminding you of its presence. It's situated as the centerpiece of the lounge area of the suite, providing the room with some additional warmth and light from its place beneath the television. Faux flames waver within it, vibrant as they mingle with one another. Some burn brightly while others glow dimly; the wild versus the tamed.

Despite everything, maybe this trip will do you some good. Escaping the hustle and bustle of your life back home is always a plus, and being in nature never fails to ground you again. Some circumstances might be unsatisfactory, sure, but you're determined to not let that stop you from enjoying this time away. You deserve it, after all.

Just as you find the inspiration to start your reporting again, another one of your distractions makes herself known.

From the bathroom, a pleasant humming fades in; it's Jiu, reciting the chorus to one of her favorite songs. She breaks into vocals occasionally, switching between the two.

No matter how much you wish you could, you can't deny that it sounds perfect, coupled with the atmosphere that surrounds you. Given its range and ease, her voice has always been a comfort; getting sick of it is simply impossible. That fact annoys you, but at the same time you give up trying to fight it; you know there's no use.

It takes you back in more ways than you know how to handle, but you don’t complain. For now, you’ll bottle up this feeling and store it away for later, when you part ways and return to the chaos of your own lives.

Maybe then you could open such a Pandora’s Box.

A few minutes later, she finally emerges from the bathroom; you attempt to ignore the urge to perk up. It's difficult, no doubt, after being left to your own devices for so long. Knowing she's so close and yet so unattainable doesn't help either.

You don't turn around, just in case she isn't fully clothed.

It isn't anything you haven't seen before, but you're afraid you don't have that kind of permission anymore. The last thing you want to do is overstep.

Jiu wishes you'd look at her.

One thing she misses the most about you is your attention. You always paid it so freely – so willingly – rarely taking it off of her. It was ready for her anytime she wanted it, mainly because she had you so enraptured.

Just the same as you’d always watched her, she watched you. She lived for the way your eyes lit up whenever she smiled or laughed, shining beautifully in a way they never did otherwise. She ached over how they darkened when she'd strip, parting her legs for you and putting herself on display.

She was the art and you were the beholder. The only one she ever wanted to share herself with.

But now is a totally different time. You don't even so much as glance in her direction when she comes out, with her towel draped precariously around her body in a way that she was sure would drive you crazy.

It’s disheartening, but it doesn't make her want you any less. As she opens her bag and retrieves her clothes, slipping them on, she keeps an eye on you through the standing mirror in the corner of the room.

Your legs spread as you readjust in the chair, making an attempt to rid your muscles of the tension within them. They're tight with the culmination of all the stress you've felt lately.

When you allow your head to loll back, rolling from one side to the other, Jiu has to stop her wandering hands. The angle of the mirror allows her to see the way your brows knit together, pain and pleasure intermingling. She doesn't know how much longer she can stand this.

One of your hands finds its way to your shoulder, rubbing a knot there, and Jiu gets an idea. Is it wise? Not in the slightest. But is she going to give in and go with it? Absolutely.

What was it that Sua said earlier? This is a vacation for a reason. She can escape sound judgement and reason for now. Surely they'll return in full once you're out of the equation again, anyway.

She deserves to be a little reckless for once.

"Y/N," she calls, getting your attention. You wordlessly turn to look at her.

A bottle of lotion rests in her hands; she nervously toys with it.

"You can use some of this for your shoulders, if you want. It works pretty well."

You consider her offer. "Thanks, but I'm alright," you declare, turning her down. "I can't reach what really hurts anyway."

A beat passes before her eyebrows gently raise. "I can help you," she says, trying to keep the eager tone of her voice at bay.

You pull a face. "Are you sure? You don't have to do that."

I want to, she thinks to herself.

"It's not a problem." She shakes her head, cementing her decision. "Just come here and lay down."

You stand and relent with a soft noise of acceptance, almost imperceptibly. She takes notice of the way your eyes track down her body before dropping to the floor, lingering just a second too long for innocence.

She dismisses the thought at once, not wanting to give herself hope.

When you cross in front of her and pause, though, slipping your shirt over your head with a subtle glance at her, it’s all she can do to restrain herself. The fading sunburn that you received earlier in the day, stretching across your nose and cheeks, looks like a natural blush from this close.

She wants to kiss it.

“Thank you in advance,” you say over your shoulder, carefully laying down on your stomach. The fluffy comforter welcomes you in full, partially distracting and preventing you from overthinking what you’re about to experience.

She takes a steadying breath and releases it, glancing up at the ceiling like she’s pleading with a higher power.

"Don't mention it," she dismisses, getting on the bed after you.

In her mind, she debates the best way to go about this. Where should she sit? Overstepping the unspoken boundaries you've established isn't something she wants to do.

Her fingertips play with the hook of your bra, sliding over the material. "Can I…" she trails off, both of you aware of what she's asking.

"Go ahead," you permit.

She unclips the fastener and watches as the two sides fall down, fully exposing your back to her. Once you slip it off of your arms and toss it towards your suitcase, her fingertips ghost over your skin, tracing the gentle curve of your spine.

She dons a musing smile when she notices goosebumps appearing in their wake.

Perhaps she was wrong. Maybe all along, you've been the art and she the beholder.

Her knees go to either side of your waist as she moves to straddle you, settling down onto you. Once she's sure you're comfortable, she retrieves the bottle of lotion from its place on the bed and squeezes some out onto her fingertips.

It's smooth as it slides against them, medicated and cool. Her favorite brand makes it, and she never leaves the house without it. She'll be thanking her lucky stars endlessly for that habit after tonight.

Something crossed between a hiss and sigh fights past your lips when she makes contact for the first time, spreading the chilly cream across your shoulders. The attempt she made to warm it beforehand clearly didn't work as well as she thought, and she has to stifle a laugh at your reaction.

Beneath her fingers, your muscles tense and jump; you do your best to relax them as she pushes harder, kneading them with care. She does so with a steady rhythm, using the base of her hands to loosen you up first before focusing her fingers on the more persistent knots. Every circle of her hands against you warms the lotion up more, convincing you to relax and give into the relief she’s able to provide.

You close your eyes, wanting to focus on her motions.

What you failed to prepare yourself for, though, is the notion that she’s closer to you than ever. Only separated by the material of your shorts and hers, she sits atop you, her warm thighs trembling slightly with effort anytime she has to push herself up to reach you better.

When she steadies herself on your lower back, splaying a hand across it, you can feel the subtle way her hips rut against your ass as she readjusts her position.

Maybe you're just imagining it.

Serious work is put into leaving that idea behind, but at every opportunity she gets, Jiu seems to enjoy feeding your delusion.

When she accidentally gets too much lotion at once, her solution comes in the form of leaning down and running her hands up your outstretched arms, reaching as far as she can to further spread it. In the process, her front presses against the length of your body; her breathing is shuddered, too, just like yours.

Did she do that to show you it’s mutual?

If only you knew.

Her eager eyes rake over your body, pleased to have you like this in front of her. At her mercy, reacting to the faintest of touches. Possessing this kind of power again makes her feel brave in a dangerous way; should things continue like this unchecked, she might do something impulsive.

But, is she to be blamed? No; she rejects that.

The subtle rock of your hips is far guiltier than her, adding fuel to the fire of her imagination. The way your hands fist in the sheets, fingers twisting in a show of pain and pleasure whenever she hits a particularly sensitive spot, are in the wrong; the sight makes her wonder, for a desperate second, how they would feel in her hair.

Her motions – now more wanton, unafraid of touching you – grow a little more rough, shying away from demurity. They’ve arrived at your waist now; a risky place to be.

She can tell that the appropriate amount of time for two exes to spend doing something like this is dwindling fast; the window of propriety will be closing soon, leaving any further contact between the two of you up for suspicion. She’s aware of that, and yet she has no desire to stop.

In this game of yours, she’s merely a pawn; that’s something she realizes when the sound of a guttural, appreciative moan from you makes her heart flutter wildly.

She freezes in place, taking a cautious breath; she shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as she did.

A few beats pass… one…. another…. before you ultimately take her stunned reaction as a sign of discomfort.

“Uh, thanks again,” you say quietly, suddenly feeling ten times too exposed and five hundred degrees too hot. A couple taps to her leg gives her the memo, and she climbs off of you.

Embarrassed and upset with yourself for doing such a thing, you refuse to even so much as make eye contact with her again.

An apology from you fizzles into the air, but she’s still too overwhelmed to fully process what just transpired. It all happened too fast; she wants to go back and relive it, but it’s too late. You’re already slipping your shirt back on and burying yourself under the covers, humiliated. When you cover your face with the pillow, debating on smothering yourself, she spares you by reaching over and turning the lamp off.

She lifts her side of the covers afterward, getting in beside you. You face away from one another, back to back, establishing distance once again.

This night is proving to be anything but predictable.

—

2:07 AM

Insects perform their songs outside, languidly calling to one another from high above – nestled in the leaves of the tree tops – and far below, amid the grassy trails and branching networks of hills. All is calm… until it isn’t.

Suddenly, the stillness of the night is interrupted by a recurring, unintelligible noise.

The first time you hear it, you ignore it, opting instead to bury your head a little deeper into your pillow. It's probably just the house settling or something outside, you reason.

The second time, you're annoyed enough to pause your attempt at restful sleep with the hopes of discovering its source and stopping it.

It comes again a little later, but from somewhere you never would've expected. Rather, you suppose, someone.

Your name takes the shape of a mumble as it slips through Jiu's lips, altered slightly from how her cheek is pressed to her pillow. Any other time you might find it exciting to hear her say it, but here and now, you can't say you do.

Warmth spreads to your cheeks as your sleepy mind recalls what happened just a few hours ago, making you relive your embarrassment.

The noise comes again, and a little louder this time; an irritated groan leaves you as you take one of the throw pillows and nudge her, attempting to quiet her. It seems to work for a minute, but just as you settle back down to rest again, something even worse happens.

"Y/N… ah," she moans, her voice breathy and ragged.

Is she...?

Your eyes open wide when you realize what's taking place right beside you.

Jiu is totally having a sex dream about you.

What a revelation to have.

She writhes in search of relief, causing the covers to fall down her body and expose more of it. Her pajama top, too, has ridden up and ruffled in her pursuit of friction.

She looks an absolute mess, you realize, as you roll over to look at her. Her hair splays across the pillow in every which way, her chest rises and falls at a faster rate than normal, and her thighs push together to lessen the throbbing between them. Your blood runs cold when you notice that she isn’t wearing her shorts anymore. Only a pair of lacy, white panties conceal her, gleaming in the moonlight with a softness that begs to be touched.

Hot and bothered is the only way to describe her.

"Please," she whines, desperation hanging heavy on the tones of her voice.

Selfishly, you don’t wake her right away. Seeing her like this, so close and beautiful, is something you don’t want to give up again. At least not yet.

Her full lips part as her head pushes into the pillow, exposing her neck. Her muscles are pulled taut as she squirms; her hands fisted in the sheets at her sides. A thin sheen of sweat is visible on her forehead, showing just how affected she is.

Maybe you should play nice and put an end to her suffering…

Her hips begin to rock, slowly at first; the motion draws a soft sigh from her as she finally gets some relief. Your body begs you to touch her in some way, feeling your own desire grow at the sight of her.

Unconsciously – and to prevent you from reaching out to her – your fingers thread themselves in the cover that's thrown haphazardly over you. You bite your lip to keep it busy; otherwise you'd be tempted to wake her up with your mouth, as she's asked you to before.

Only when your own arousal becomes too much to bear do you decide to end this little game.

She whimpers when you move in closer, still a world away. Her hand falls on your thigh, however, making you falter for a moment. It's warm and dangerously close to your center, trembling slightly against you. Her nails threaten to leave indentations, should she flex her fingers the right way.

Unable to deny yourself such a simple pleasure, you allow it to stay where it is.

"Jiu."

She doesn't stir. If anything, the sound of your voice only drags her further under. Her breath hitches in time with another stutter of her hips.

You'll have to try harder.

“Jiu, wake up,” you whisper, leaving a kiss on her cheek. Your lips hover nearby to utter her name again, should they need to.

Gently, you bring a hand to her shoulder and shake it, hoping to coax her out of her dream and back to reality. After a moment, your plan works; her eyes open gingerly, blinking a few times to adjust from her daze.

“Y/N?” Confusion is prevalent in her voice, coupled with her drowsiness. It’s cute, really, and it takes you back to all the mornings you would wake up by her side.

“It’s me; I'm here,” you reassure her, moving your hand to her hip. Now with your arm stretched across her body, you can feel the warmth radiating from her. It starkly contrasts with the chilly air of the room, making you want to hide away under the covers and pull her in close.

But, of course, you refrain. That’s not something you can do anymore.

Her dark eyes shine in what little light the room has to offer, gazing up at you with a sweet innocence that you find endearing. She's vulnerable in this state, and yet by the way she shifts closer in your arms, she makes it known that she trusts you.

You watch as her gaze travels down your arm, towards where your hand still rests against her hip. Momentarily, she looks as if she's questioning something within her mind – attempting to piece something together.

"Y/N, did we…?" She trails off, unsure.

"Did we what?" You push, testing the waters. You have an idea of what she wants to know, but hearing her say it would be so much better.

Surprisingly, she puts her hand over yours, keeping it in place.

"Did we have sex?" The question comes out in a husky whisper as she makes an effort to be quiet.

You shake your head in reply as a slightly humored smile works its way onto your lips.

The movement draws her attention to them; they're a beautiful shade, with the moonlight hitting them just right. She can't find it in herself to look away.

A few seconds pass before you speak again; her hand grips yours a little tighter.

"It was just a dream. You–"

Your explanation is cut short by her lips as they press to your own in a swift kiss.

Reckless.

You pull away at once, almost like you've been burned. Why would she do that?

Both of you pause, regarding one another. Your eyes work hard to decipher her intentions – what she wants – through the darkness of the room, as if they have such a gift. Hers do the same, searching your face for the answer she wants.

She gets it in another form, however, as your hand slides higher on her waist. Her heart lurches in her chest, its rate increasing somehow. Part of her is afraid you can feel it; but, truthfully, that's exactly what she wants. If you could feel how badly she needs you in this moment, maybe you'd show some mercy and help her.

Maybe.

Tension hangs heavy in the air of the room as she slips her hand higher, too, moving it between your thighs. The heat that's come to pool there encourages her, compelling her to cup you through your clothes.

You gasp, earning a smile from her. You clearly aren't as over her as you pretend to be.

Empowered, she rolls you over, trading your positions. Now she hovers over you as you lie on your back, waiting with bated breath to see what she'll do.

Her hand slides up and over the waistband of your shorts slowly, edging closer and closer to your center with only your panties separating her from you. Your eyes flutter closed in response.

"I'm going to kiss you again," she whispers, sounding more confident than ever. "If you want me to stop, tell me. Okay?"

You nod, trying to stay still. Fighting the urge to rock your hips into her hand is easier said than done.

She leans into you, letting her body mold into yours as she shuffles closer. She replaces the hand between your thighs with a leg, giving you something to grind against. You thank her by slipping your hands beneath her top and pulling it over her head.

"Beautiful," you whisper against her lips, as she presses them to yours again. You take her into your arms in a safe embrace, sighing into her mouth when her bare chest rubs against you. The thin material of your shirt does little to obstruct the feeling.

Though the shadows hide it, a deep, crimson blush warms her cheeks. She can taste the cinnamon toothpaste that you used earlier and smell the familiar scent of your hair products. You still use the same ones, she realizes.

Her leg flexes instinctively as you cup her cheek and deepen the kiss, tilting your head to the side. As you raise your hips to meet hers, she slides a hand up to your chest to offer it some attention. A pitiful noise leaves you when she makes contact, cupping your breasts. She pulls away from your lips to admire you, wanting to see the effect she has.

“Such a pretty thing,” she compliments, feeling arrogant when you bite your lip to stifle a moan. She toys with you like a plaything, switching her movements every so often to garner different reactions. You’re restoring her confidence without even trying; such sweet oblivion.

What she doesn’t fully grasp in the moment, though, is that your arrangement is very much so a two way street. You demonstrate the power you still have over her as you take hold of her hips, pulling them down as you thrust up to meet them.

Just as her thigh is between your legs, so is yours between hers; the mutual relief you receive at the motion entices you, making you repeat it.

She curses into your ear, the sound so full of raw desire that you nearly lose all sense of reason right then and there. Her head falls against your shoulder in ecstasy as she revels a little longer, enjoying the heat that spreads throughout her body the more you touch her.

It’s just like it used to be in so many ways, but somehow new. Still exciting. Still everything she hoped for.

Her lips find their way to your cheek in the darkness, leaving a trail of kisses downward, along your jawline and neck. They’re desperate and needy, accompanied by her shuddered breaths as she attempts to convey everything you’re making her feel. She can only cross her fingers and hope that it’s mutual.

“Come here,” you instruct, tapping her leg. She understands in an instant, wordlessly repositioning herself so that she’s straddling your waist now. The new angle is even more comfortable, and she sits back to give you a better look at her body as a way of expressing her gratitude. Her perky breasts are on full display, looking absolutely divine above the lines of her abs. You run a finger over the latter, tracing the hard-earned muscles in admiration.

Subtly, her hips begin to gyrate. She wants the movement to be tortuous, starting slow and building up until you can’t take it anymore. It’s only fair to give you a taste of your own medicine after all this time.

“Shit, Jiu,” you exhale, glancing down to where you’re joined. Her panties glisten as she writhes, displaying the wet spot that you’ve caused; when her grinding becomes a little sloppier, you can feel her slick spread to your abdomen.

"You like that, baby?" She muses, breathing heavy. You nod vehemently, not quite trusting your voice enough to speak yet.

You splay a hand across her pelvis, using your thumb to tease her clit.

She shakes as a surprised, broken moan slips out of her mouth. It’s louder than either of you expected it to be, and you find yourselves wanting to laugh for a moment.

“Play fair,” she warns, glaring at you. “...unless you want to wake everyone in the house up?” It’s posed as a question rather than a statement.

“I wouldn’t be–” you pause, exhaling when she presses into you a little harder, cocking a brow, “...opposed to that, necessarily.”

A sexy smile plays on her lips, making them look more kissable than ever. “No?” Something dangerous shines in her eyes.

“Try me.”

She bites her lip, weighing her options. You asked for it.

Her voice is whiny when she speaks again, and about five times louder than necessary at that. “I need you, Y/N. Please…” her hands thread into her hair exaggeratedly, playing into the show she’s giving. “Fuck me–”

You sit up at once, clasping a hand over her mouth and using the length of your body to push her backwards and pin her down against the bed. Adrenaline surges through your veins as you remain deathly still for a few tense seconds, trying to make sure her little stunt didn’t actually wake anybody up.

You didn’t really think she’d do it.

The sound of distant footsteps fills the hall, a series of padding and waiting, before the latch of a bedroom door clicks. The floorboards creak… someone's weight shifting from one foot to the other as they peek into the hall.

Jiu smiles against your palm, feeling every thump of your nervous heart.

When she wraps her legs around your waist and slips a hand between your bodies, your eyes screw tightly shut.

"Stop," you whisper, the noise like harsh wind on a calm night.

Her wanting eyes peer up at you, observing. The situation is delicate, so that's exactly how she'll treat it.

Slowly, she places her free hand beside her head on the bed and glances at it, inviting you to hold it. Upon hesitantly removing your own from her mouth, you thread your fingers with hers as you pin it down.

Innocently, she kisses your neck again, just above your pulse point. Her warm breath tickles your skin, only further stirring the fire within you.

"Do you really want me to?" She asks, voice sinful and rich. Her lips still, full and tempting, awaiting your answer.

Another door opens somewhere else in the house, followed by heavy footsteps. Someone trekking to the kitchen, it seems. Your mouth runs dry.

Her fingers toy with the hem of your shorts, edging them down little by little. "Say it again and I will," she promises. "Tell me you don't want me and I'll stop."

You sigh as she pulls your panties to the side, finally slipping her hand past the material. She finds your clit easily, with no real effort necessary; she knows your body now just the same as she did before.

"I…" you start, fighting back a stutter. Two of her fingers dip down to your entrance, gathering up some of your wetness. "...I can't."

"You can't what, Y/N?" She moves her fingers left and right, teasing.

"I can't say I don't want you," you groan, annoyance bubbling up within you.

"Why not?" You can tell she's smirking just by the sound of her voice.

"Because I'm sick of lying," you admit. "I've always wanted you."

Her cocky attitude falters.

A beat passes.

All footsteps outside retreat back into their respective rooms, and closing doors resound shortly after.

Effectively, the two of you are alone again.

Silence prevails following your confession – an eternal moment unbroken by any words of reciprocation from her. It lends your mind to chaos, filling it with worry.

You shouldn't have said anything. This was a mistake.

Embarrassed, you sit up and remove yourself from Jiu, moving towards the edge of the bed. She reaches out for you, though you don't see it.

"I'm sorry," your head shakes, discontent. "I shouldn't have–"

"Shush," she commands, surprising you. She refuses to let this end like before, with you retreating and shutting her out.

Your eyebrows raise as you turn to look at her; she still lays where you left her, only now she's propped up on her elbows.

"Don't say you regret it. Please." Her voice sounds small.

"But I thought…"

Her eyes remain on you as she sits up, carefully moving to sit next to you on her knees.

"I never stopped either, Y/N. I just couldn't believe you've felt the same all this time." She explains, not wanting you to misinterpret her silence any longer.

Your fingers toy at your thighs, still jittery with nerves. She notices, and lays a comforting hand on top of them.

"I've missed you," she adds. Softly, quietly. So as to not disturb this process. Together, you're beginning to pick up the pieces of what you let slip through your fingers before.

"Me too," you reassure her, bringing a hand up to caress her cheek. She leans into your touch, letting her eyes fall shut.

The walls she so adamantly built around her heart are lowering, little by little, and the notion scares her. If she gives herself to you tonight and you end up walking away, she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to recover.

“I’ve got you." The phrase sounds like a promise from your heart to hers; it’s as if you read her mind. “I won’t let things get in the way like before.”

She looks at you again, peeking her eyes open. The earnest look on your face is sincere enough to convince her of anything. “I’ll spend however long it takes proving it to you, Jiu.”

Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “I believe that.”

“Good,” you say, releasing a small breath of anticipation you hadn’t realized you were holding in.

She squeezes your hand three times, reminding you of the past.

Nostalgia befalls you, both in good ways and bad. So much regret exists between the two of you, centering around the breakup that neither of you really wanted in the first place. Life got in the way, then, and you were both too naive to fight against what you thought were fate’s currents.

It was decided that if you couldn’t be together, you’d have to settle for the ghost of one another.

Jiu found you in midnight moonlight, shining brightly amid the darkest of hours. You ruled from high above, with your impact spanning further than you ever realized.

She found you in the sound of laughter – the kind that starts by surprise, bubbling up from within and spilling out in a way that couldn’t not be contagious. The kind that everyone appreciates when they tell a joke with their fingers crossed, hoping it lands.

In warm tea and fireside reading you resided; a comforting hug on winter’s coldest day.

But traces of you were left behind in unwanted places, too, like fingerprints on a window. No matter how many cycles of washing and drying her sheets went through, they still smelled like you.

Her skin still remembered the way you touched her, igniting a fire that only you could put out. Her lips remembered your taste, knowing nothing could compare. She tried, for a time, to replace the imprints you left behind; but her efforts were in vain.

You were her mirage in the desert; a distant, elusive dream. Glimmering with untapped potential, waiting to be caught. She ebbed, you flowed. That’s how you would be, then and forever.

Or so she thought.

Had she known that she was the Sun to you, perhaps her hope would’ve been restored.

Or maybe she would have laughed, knowing that you found her in the strangest of places. Like seatbelts, for instance, and napkins; always necessary, and always staving off the bad that the world had to offer.

She was the chilly blast of air provided by the AC on summer’s most humid day, greeting you at the door of every shop you entered.

She was the sleepy delirium you slipped into on your days off, all pleasant dreams and comfortable positions.

The flowers and blossoms of the world were all her kisses, like a goddess’s gift to the Earth. Elegant, sweet, perfect. Being showered in them was a good luck charm; they rode the air currents on spring days, fluttering greetings on their way.

Coming home. To you, that was her. The familiarity of the floorboards, knowing where to step to avoid them creaking; the refrigerator light against a pitch-black kitchen, its crescent shape holding the darkness at bay; the support of your bed, offering relief to the parts of you that needed it most.

Truth be told, both of you found each other in everything. Bits and pieces, all fragments far too small to equate to the immensity of what you shared. Glimpses would never do in the long run, and you knew that. But what else were you to do?

Perhaps that silent hope that you held out, all daydreams and utterances of what if, swayed the universe into this. Into giving you an in; an opportunity to right your wrongs. A chance to hold tighter, this time, and accept trials and tribulations as signs of growth to be handled together – not reasons to give up.

You feel yourself smiling before you realize you’re even doing it. Her presence has a whole new meaning now, a whole slew of possible outcomes. Wherever the two of you decide to take things is up to you again; there’s nothing holding you back anymore.

She brings a hand up to your cheek, brushing her thumb across your soft skin. Even just holding you like this, so simply, is something she’s been longing for. Since the day you walked into her life, you’ve ruled her world without even knowing it. Sweet oblivion, yet again.

“Kiss me,” she says, after a moment. It draws you from the hold of her spell, bringing you back down to Earth.

You obey with a smile, but just before your lips meet hers, she stops you. She didn’t mean there.

“Here,” she corrects, as her hand guides yours back between her thighs. She’s wetter now than she was before, somehow, and you moan against her at the feeling. She muffles the noise with a kiss of her own, knowing how badly you need it.

She bites your lip as she pulls away. “We’re not leaving this bed until you’ve made up for every night we’ve been apart. Do you understand me?”

You sigh, half-amused. “I’m fairly certain that the group is going hiking in the morning,” you inform, “...so I think it’s important that you’re still able to walk for that.”

“Who says we have to join them?” She raises a brow, pushing you down onto the bed and moving to straddle you again.

You pull a face, feigning concern. “You wouldn’t want to be improper, now would you?”

Her shoulders rise and fall in a shrug, accepting no blame. “What happens is up to you. Take me now or forever hold your peace.” She declares it proudly, posing herself before you.

The view of her on top of you – nearly naked, her body humming with want, waiting for your touch – dispels any and all remnants of humor. Your shared desire wins out, filling the air of the room; she’s aware of her power over you, but she’d be a liar to act as if watching your eyes darken didn’t make her stomach flip just like it did the first time you ever took her.

With a hushed curse, you capture her lips in a searing kiss. She gasps into it when you roughly pull her panties down, showing little care in being gentle now. Her response comes in a similar form, with her hastily tugging your shirt over your head; once you’re exposed to her, she can’t help but stare. She admires every curve like it’s the first time she’s seen it; every line like it’s her last. It’s adoration and desperation, all at once; appreciating it all is important to her, but so too is relearning it.

Luckily for you, she happens to be best at a hands-on approach.

Her nails drag across your abdomen on their way downward, leaving faint marks on your sensitive skin; she can’t wait to see how many she can leave on you. It’s always been one of her favorite things to do.

In one fluid motion you flip her over, cradling her close in the process. Her hands cup your cheeks as she kisses you, and you hurriedly remove any remaining clothes from your bodies.

She spreads her legs for you as you begin to slide down her body, leaving one final kiss to her lips.

Her hands hold your hair up as you explore her abdomen, painting her fair skin with an array of love bites. Her nails dig into your scalp when her impatience hits a high, making you smile against her despite the sting.

She hums appreciatively when you finally slide your hand down, ready to prepare her for what she wants most. She’s absolutely soaked, and by the whine that she lets out when you press your palm to her clit, it’s safe to say that she’ll only get worse. The bed sheets below her have already received some of her slick, proudly displaying a wet spot for you to bear witness to.

“Enough teasing, jagi,” she groans, breathless and tired of your games. With shut eyes and furrowed brows, she pushes her head back into her pillow and takes up the writhing again that she had become so good at earlier. Her hands fall to your shoulders, pushing you down further.

You settle her thighs on your shoulders, basking in how smooth and warm they are around you. She’s perfection in human form; divinity personified.

“Keep it down, Jiu,” you command, taking control. “If you pull another stunt like earlier, I’m stopping altogether.”

She nods feverishly, lacking the desire to be a brat anymore. If playing nice is what it takes to have you, then so be it. That promise of release is finally back again, after all this time, and she can let herself get lost in you.

These four walls – what she once loathed – are creating an oasis.

Her personal utopia.

—

The Next Morning

Overzealous birds work as your alarm clock of sorts, claiming the prize of waking you up. You blink the sleep from your eyes and stretch, feeling a pleasant soreness in parts of your body it hadn’t been before last night. The ache reminds you of everything you did just a few hours ago, and you find yourself smiling like an idiot as you roll over to greet the resident sadist next to you.

When your hand meets the cold, empty expanse of the bed instead, your expression sours.

The bedside table is void of any note or message, too, you discover, though your phone sits atop it, charging. At some point this morning she must’ve plugged it in for you. Sweet, but not enough. You wanted to wake up in her arms, or at the very least next to her.

Grumbling, you sit up and head to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

You have no idea what the day will hold for the two of you.

–

Clean and dressed, you take a seat on the bed. Your fingertips mindlessly press to the hickey on your neck – one of the many, many that you discovered as you got ready – rubbing patterns against the abused skin there.

You unplug your phone and turn it on, mentally crossing your fingers as you scan through your message notifications for her name.

Your pursuit proves fruitless. Not even a text.

You huff like a child, rolling your eyes. So much for a vacation; now you’re stressed all over again.

When staring a hole into your phone doesn’t result in her notification magically popping up, you decide to give it a rest.

Standing up, you slip it into your back pocket and head for the door, ready to track Y/BFFs/N down and tell her everything.

However those plans, too, come to a screeching halt right before your eyes as you swing the door open to reveal a shocked Jiu. Your timing truly is impeccable.

“AHHH!” She shrieks, frightened.

She hastily scrambles to keep the large tray in her hands upright and off of the floor.

Spilling the spread of foods she just finished preparing for the two of you doesn’t sound too appealing to her, after all.

Immediately, you spring into action and successfully help steady it. Some fruits fell out of their separate containers and a bit of milk spilled over the side of its jar, but all of that is easily fixable. Jiu releases a tense breath as she realizes that the worst case scenario was avoided, but she glares at you as she pushes her way into the room.

“Pabo,” she mutters, striding over to the bed. The slight limp in her step makes you smile inwardly, proud of yourself.

Once the food is safely laid down and she cleans up what spilled, she turns to look at you.

“Sorry,” you mitigate, grimacing. When you approach her and look at everything she put together, your annoyance from before gives way to guilt. A plethora of your favorite foods decorates the tray, assembled with love.

She regards you for a moment, pretending to be angry. When her eyes land on one of the darkening marks on your neck, pleased mischief comes to gleam in them.

“You’re lucky I like you,” she threatens, pointing a finger at you.

Playfully, you bite the tip of it.

“I’m aware, jagi.”

Cautiously, you ease your arms around her waist, ready to pull away if need be. Although her lips still rest in an unamused pout, she doesn’t stop you.

The jackhammering of her heart has eased now, and you can feel its pace returning to normal as you draw her into your arms. She loops hers around your neck and sweetly presses her cheek to yours, content with staying like that for a bit.

You sway gently, rocking from side to side. This definitely makes up for the rude awakening you received earlier.

Once you’re satisfied, you pull away enough to look at her. Your fingertips brush a few stray strands of hair out of her face, tucking them behind her ear. She leans in, finally kissing you good morning.

“Ready to eat?”

Your lips purse in mock contemplation as you scan the food again.

"Mmm, five more minutes?" You suggest, leaning forward to kiss her again. She laughs into the embrace lightly, returning the gesture.

Her lips taste of the strawberries and cherries that she stole bites of earlier, as she cooked. It's addicting, you find, when she deepens the kiss and wraps herself around you, melting into your arms. You hold her close, just like she wants.

"Does this mean…" she mumbles between kisses, "we're still gonna room together?"

You pause to laugh. "Yeah, jagi. We're still roommates. No getting rid of me now."

She replaces her lips on yours, kissing them again and again as you attempt to control the growing smile on your face. She sweetly cups your cheeks, rubbing her thumbs across them as you continue.

Abruptly, jarring clapping resounds from the doorway. Fake sniffling can also be heard, and so the two of you look up to investigate.

It's none other than Sua and Y/BFFs/N, standing side by side with their hands clasped tightly together like proud parents.

"I told you it would happen," Sua wails, dabbing fake tears from the corner of her eye. Y/BFFs/N agrees, nodding enthusiastically.

“Mission accomplished,” she quips, looking straight at you.

It seems as though they had been playing Cupid all along…

Sneaky.

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