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planetnini · 7 months

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im at work and i can’t stop thinking about going home to gojo and just riding him while he praises me in between pants and moans and calls me a good girl 😕

#nini goes incognito #bro what goes on in my mind #GUYS IM OVULATING I #I JUST CHECKED FLO #HELP ME #guys thoughts are. gonna be thunk until i get off my shift and go home #4/5 more hours #is this the first time im dead right saying my thirsty thoughts probably #gojo satoru

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suyacho · 1 year

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me omw annoying you guys about my boyfies

#snow; talks #im gonna go tobed now #ist almost 3am #nini besties

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flowerwept · 2 years

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RELATIONSHIPS — TALK ABOUT THE MUSE

NAME: i feel like this makes more sense to do it with hermes as opposed to fandaniel, so i’ll fill it out for him instead of the funny jester. sorry amon

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: bisexual biromantic PREFERRED PET NAMES: ugh he’d be that type of guy to come up with the worst most extravagant pet names like “morning dove” or whatever. probably animal related. immediately gets embarrassed about it and regrets it but still does it every so often.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: needs therapy

FAVOURITE CANON SHIP: n/a FAVOURITE NON-CANON SHIP: i don’t really ship him with anyone honestly. hermes/azem can be easily attainable depending on how someone writes them though, like they’re vague for a reason lol.

i could also see hermes/hyth and maybe like post-memory wipe even hermes/emet (although they’d have a LOT to work through given how emet sees his duty as the greatest gift one can have and hermes does............not. but since the memory wipe gets rid of a lot of that tension between them, i could see it in this scenario. oh could you imagine the potential for a fandaniel emet reunion with this though. that kinda rules)

OPINION ON TRUE LOVE: oh god does he want it to be real so bad but feels like a child for believing in it OPINION ON LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: another thing he wants to believe in really badly but is less inclined towards as opposed to the concept of true love. likes it in books and whatnot, but doesn’t think it’s something that can happen in real life.

HOW ROMANTIC ARE THEY?: he would get much too flustered to actually achieve anything of real “romantic” merit, i think. he’s much better with smaller yet meaningful gestures.

IDEAL PHYSICAL TRAITS: i don’t think hermes would have much of a preference. IDEAL PERSONALITY TRAITS: someone who can simply understand him. hermes spends so much of his time believing he is isolated in his feelings that being able to work through them with someone is probably the best thing someone can offer for him. i think he would also like to be pushed out of his comfort zone a little bit. but they would need to know when to back off as well

UNATTRACTIVE PHYSICAL TRAITS: SHRUG UNATTRACTIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS: an unwillingness to empathize. stubbornness in the way emet exemplifies it in elpis (nagging him to take on the title of fandaniel because it’s such an honor and returning to the star is so great etc etc)

IDEAL DATE: picnic amongst the flowers. or like a trip to a bird conservatory. cries a lil bit just thinking about it

DO THEY HAVE A TYPE?: unsure at the moment :]

AVERAGE RELATIONSHIP LENGTH: i think hermes would be extremely ride or die given how much he tries to hold himself back. so if you got him in a relationship it would be for the long haul PREFERRED NON-SEXUAL INTIMACY: just enjoying each other’s company; reading in a room, sharing music, making tea for one another. i could see hermes loving holding hands a lot. COMMITMENT LEVEL: like mentioned, ride or die OPINION OF PUBLIC AFFECTION: EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING DO NOT ENGAGE DO NOT ENGAGE PAST RELATIONSHIPS?: n/a

tagged by: stole it from @chaosleads tagging: @poppicede (pick !) @sunhalf (for soma if u want otherwise be free)

#study.#headcanons.#im gonna go to bed now nini #dash games.

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hannibals-favourite-meal · 11 months

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Rick Grimes with prompt no. 9 & 25!

.⋆｡The Cowboy Hat Rule｡⋆.

Rick Grimes x plus size reader

If you wear a cowboy’s hat, you have to ride the cowboy.

Warnings: smut, unprotected sex, teasing

WC: 505

Minors DNI

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

3000 Follower Celebration

It was supposed to be a joke. You had found the pristine Stetson in the back of the outlet mall an hour from Alexandra and thought it would be the absolutely funniest thing in the world if your husband donned the cap. He already had the accent, the look and the attitude of a cowboy, so all he needed was the hat!

Rick didn’t think it was as funny as you though. As soon as the hat was placed in his weathered hands, his dark eyebrows were half-way up his forehead in disbelief. “Really?” He had said simply, his tone laced with disappointment.

“I think I could convince you.” You purred, your hands running down his strong chest to his belt buckle. “Have you ever heard of the cowboy hat rule?”

The bed frame squeaked in time with your bounces, the sounds of your mewls and Rick’s grunts fill the sex-soaked air. Your nails dug into his hairy chest as his huge palms clamped down on your thick hips, keeping your momentum going.

Your legs trembled with the effort of riding your husband but the pleasure was too great for you to stop. “Slow down there darlin’, ya don’t want to know what happens if my hat falls off.” In a slight panic, your left hand shot up and held the brim of the Stetson, keeping it from slipping off your head. The slight change in the angle of your hips sent his thick cock even deeper inside you.

Your cunt clenched down on him so tightly that Rick hissed with pain, throwing his head back against the pillows with the overwhelming sensation. “Jesus, loosen up, you’re squeezing me so tight.” He snarled through gritted teeth yet never stopped bouncing you up and down on his cock.

“Rick!” You cried, desperately close to your end. Immediately, his calloused thumb met your overworked clit, thrumming you to a glorious orgasm that quickly consumed your already frayed nerves. As you went boneless above him, Rick began to snap his hips up at a violent pace, knocking the Stetson from your head.

“Fuck!” Quickly, he pulled out and spilled his seed on his stomach with a deep moan. You huffed out a laugh and rolled off of him, collapsing onto the hard mattress. Rick’s hand found its way to your thigh, holding you gently but not bothering to yank you any closer.

“I’ll keep the hat if we can do that again.” He said breathlessly.

“Damn right we’re keeping that hat, it’s not like you had a say in it anyway.” You yelped as suddenly, your husband was on top of you, his lean body forcing itself between your thighs, his cock hardening once more.

He kissed you, sinking his teeth into your already swollen bottom lip before pulling back. “You’re gonna regret that darlin, you were the one that let it fall.” Your eyes darted to the end of the bed, where the Stetson now lay, upside down. “Your cowboy has some work to do.” He smirked.

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p-oisn · 2 months

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spread some love 💗

talk about your favourite mutuals and why you like them

IM JS gonna do ppl who i interact w the most okay </3

@obrigados - real question here is why do you not likw them 😖😖 fav of favs LIKE cá blog is ARTT if user obrigados has a million fans im one of them if user obrigados has a thousand fans im one of them if user obrigados has 1 fan THAT IS ME if the world is agaisnt cá I AM AGAINST THE WORLD obrigados fan till the day i die 🔛🔝 no one can compare !

@yeritos - oh june just gets me !!!!!!!! my nctzen twin ilysm ... 😞 I always yap to june (thats my bad !) n she always listens ☹️💖💖 js such a silly person their comments make me giggle very much also thee most breathtaking blog ever like how can you not love june they always make my day #junefanclub4life

@minslune - literally the sweetest person ever how could you not love my angel 😞 js so supportive n amazing n she always asks ab my day like #?! how cute could she get ☹️☹️ also such an ethereal blog I adore it very much ! ALWAYS MAKING ME SMILE EAR TO EAR LIKE sotp pls ilysm 😞😞💞💞💞

@wiotas - idk i just love < leo 3 SO MUCH they have my entire heart how can you not love them 💖💖😞 they always make my day n they also have such a beautiful blog like !!!! leo is simply the definition of perfect idk what to tell you ☹️

@koosuvi - literally gave me sm motivation thru my exam szn like I love mar so much :( literally the most supportive person ever n js so fun to talk to n sweet n amazing n everything 😖

@jeonzio - tee is literally the silliest person i know !!!! can truly embrace my inner silliness around her n i js love talking to her ITS SO FUN ☹️ (i miss yoy already come back plz i can feel my chest collapsing ...💔)

@fairytopea - ILU literally the best mb creator EVER im literally so obsessed w vini's mbs i could talk abt them ALL DAAAAY ! js soo creative n amazing everyone needs to take notes from user fairytopea NOWW

@y2qi - literally always makes my day like ... her comments make me smile SMM they're so silly istg getting a comment from nini is like a blessing 😖 also such a beautiful blog EVERYONE FOLLOW NINI RN

@jaes1lvr - I LOVE MELY 💞💞 no bc her blog is so underrated like her creativity when it comes to mbs is OUT OF THIS WORLD istg they're the prettiest thing ive laid my eyes on . i love them wholeheartedly n she deserves all the love in the world what can i say ! ALSOOO a purin AND jaehyun enthusiast ?? go follow her rn .

@f-loqweres - KARAPAN PUCCHI 🥹 we've had ... interesting .... conversations ! but i literally love them sm n they have such a special place in my heart <3 n jen js makes such GORGEOUS mbs likeeeee i could look at them forever ..... ilu jen

@gigittamic - GIGII 😖 literally the sweetest person ever , always drops by n sends smth cute in my inbox omg !!! also such a cute person her moodboards and dividers are thee cutest ever 💞 js such a creative person , i love her mwah

other ppl who are my favs ♡ @iwonbin , @thsv , @haenxn , @vivrhan , @y2jiz BUT we haven't rly interacted a lot so idk how to whip up a paragraph sorry 😞 (your sign to interact more yes yes idk how to start conversations) BUT I love all my mutuals smm , they're all very special to me !

#ㅤ𝆬ㅤ ㅤ◌ㅤㅤׅㅤinboxㅤ₍ᐢ ᐢ₎

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cupoftaae · 7 months

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Life In Color - KTH drabble- The one with the pink dress ⋆｡°✩

summary- going wedding dress shopping with your future husband isn't typical, but you do it anyways.

pair- kth x female!reader

rating- 18+

A/N - hi guys! I hope you love these new drabbles, Tae and y/n are my favorite couple ive written and can't wait to deepen their story line. enjoy :) -Nini

"and who is this you've brought with you?"

"my fiancé"

The woman sitting front desk blankly looked at your large grin as you stood in a large puffer jacket, Taehyung behind you with the same smile plastered on his face.

"oh!" she finally spoke, "it's just most couples choose to wait for the dress reveal until the wedding"

You nod, you knew this was gonna be questioned.

You tried your best to explain that you wanted your husband to be the first to see it, instead of the last. You and him agreed that it would be better to surprise family. Was it conventional? no, but nothing you two did ever was.

Another woman came out from the back and led us into a try on room, mirrors surrounding the small couch that taehyung plopped down on, his own face slightly pink in anticipation to see you in a real wedding dress.

everything was becoming increasingly more real as the clock began to tic down to the wedding date.

"let me take your coat, baby" he whispered, pulling it off your shoulders as you stood.

"ok, im gonna go with her and pick out a few and i'll come back in once im ready" you giggled and kissed his nose, happily following the woman out to the room. The large isles of puffy dresses was slightly overwhelming to look at.

You were supposed to pick just one?

"so we will gather as many as you please, then eliminate them as we go until we find the dress that you feel most beautiful in"

You grinned and nodded, "sounds good"

Your eyes scanned, looking deeply at each unique design. you almost felt like an imposter standing here, this was a little too fancy.....and expensive.

Growing up on the poorer side meant now that you were 23, and had your own well earned money, you still had issues with spending it. Every item was a questionable "is it really that needed?" purchase. The fear of someday running out, all because you spent it on unnecessary items haunts you, even though that is far from realistic.

"so....tell me about your fiancé" the older woman spoke, her arms crossed as she followed you around the room, collecting anything that sparked your interest even in the slightest.

"well...." you blush, "we've known each other since we were little kids, and to be honest I think we were just meant for each other" you mentally cringe at the corny line that left your mouth. It was true though.

She grinned "how adorable, you both are rather young, I dont see a lot of kids in their early 20's getting married as much as before"

"yeahh..." you began, handing her a soft white gown to add to her small pile in her arms. "I guess we have spent so much time together that instead of waiting, we just knew what we wanted"

"that is very true, he seems as lovely as you and I'm positive it will work out. Whens the wedding?"

"February"

"3 months, that exciting. Most women have their dress a year before" she laughed softly

"yeah well we didn't have much time to plan, we are not super fancy and its just gonna be a small wedding with our parents and siblings, nothing super big"

"small weddings are always sweet too, of course you wont get as much money with that little guests" she teased, making you secretly scrunch your face up.

"eh...not too concerned"

You did not care if you weren't going to get many expensive gifts or cash at your wedding, it didn't matter.

thats not really the point of the ceremony.

After a bit, you gathered only 3 dresses and began trying them on.

The first dress was a white puffy one, the skirt similar to a princess gown like you've seen in movies.

"tae?" you whispered, opening the door and walking in to see him on the couch.

His eyes widened as he took you in, a faint blush powdering his cheeks. "i.....woah"

The woman laughed as she had you stand on the platform in front of the mirrors.

"do you like it?"

He lagged for a moment, in shock before nodding, "ye-yeah, yeah I do, baby you look gorgeous" he smiled widely, unable to take his eyes off.

"this one is part of the new collection in stock, no one has bought it yet, its one of a kind and original" the woman began speaking as she flattened the skirt.

"oh wow, thats cool" you mumbled, eyes stuck on yourself in the mirror. It was kinda freaky to imagine yourself in a wedding dress since you were little, and now seeing it in real life.

Taehyung watched in awe of your beauty, but he couldnt help but notice your uncomfortable body language. He chose to stay silent as the worker began speaking once more.

"you look absolutely stunning in it, the price is about $9,000 right now, but of course that would probably be more in the higher 9k or even closer to 10k considering this is a bit big on you and would need alterations"

You felt your face drain, 10k for a white dress made of fabric you could buy at the craft store? Sure, it was an incredibly beautiful gown, but you were not about to pay that much for a one time wear.

"God, ...okay" taehyung lifted his winter cap from his head to itch his scalp in thought, putting it back down as he watched your expression.

"yeah uh...not gonna get this one" you whispered, looking at the worker

"thats okay, lets go try the other ones you picked"

Taehyung sat back down, part of him loving the way you were putting on a little fashion show for him, the other, concerned that you were bothered by something.

You stepped out in another dress, however this white one was more fitted, there was no train behind it, instead it hugged your curves.

Your fiancé smirked, watching as you stepped up to the platform.

"now, how do you feel? this one is from the summer collection, but you did say you were having an indoor wedding in February so you'll still be warm"

You thought for a moment, turning to see your body in the mirror, taehyung stood behind you, "you look so beautiful baby" he smiled

You shrugged, offering an iffy smile "I dont know"

before you knew it, your eyes were tearing up for NO reason.

The worker noticed how concerned taehyung had gotten and she spoke up, "i'll be right back"

When the door shut, he gently took your hands and made you face him, he whispered "whats wrong, hm? why are you so sad, my love?"

"I dont know" you whispered, his fingers wiping your eyes. "I just dont feel as pretty as I thought I did in these, I feel like a fake to be honest"

"why is that?" he sounded angry, not at you, but at the thought you didnt see your own beauty.

"everything is just so expensive and I dont feel like it belongs on me" you sniff, his face softens.

"hey" he whispered, "my parents agreed to help the cost of your wedding dress, stop worrying"

"I know but its not fair to you guys, and besides, I just feel weird. I wish I could just wear whatever"

He smiles gently and brushes your hair. "what is it that you want?"

"see, I dont even know. I remember when I was a little girl I always wanted to wear a puffy baby pink gown" you laugh, "everything seemed so easy then huh"

He thought for a moment, "a pink dress hm? lets see if they have that here"

"are you serious? baby, I was just joking"

"so? try one on anyways my love"

"i dont know....I was like 10 when I said that and-"

"sh" he gently cupped your face, "these dresses arent doing it for you, and we wont stop until we find what makes you feel beautiful, ok? theres no harm in trying."

When the woman came back in, he softly explained the situation, and watched as she left to go find some options that fit the idea you wanted.

After a few moments, she returned with a dress she think you'd like/

"try this one, hun, I think its the closest to what you were telling me, its also the lightest shade of pink"

You glance at tae before nodding and going to change.

It fit on easily, only slightly big in the chest, but its nothing a quick sew job from your work friend couldnt fix.

You step out, watching Taehyungs expression widen at you "oh baby.....you are so beautiful, I love you"

You giggled as he kissed you, turning your body to look in the mirror. You teared up again, but this time not because you were sad.

The baby pink dress had laced long sleeves and a large flowing skirt, the waist sewn tight. It was just the right amount of sparkles added, and for some reason you knew that this is what 10 year old you would have wanted.

"i...I love it" you whispered

Taes eyes watered a bit, seeing the genuine reaction from you.

"how much is it?" you turned to the woman, she began to speak but taehyung stopped her,

"nope, doesnt matter"

"baby-"

"no, no, you love this dress"

You frowned and nodded

"im gonna take care of it, okay?" he kissed you gently, sharing a glance into your eyes through the mirror in front of you both.

"are you sure?"

"positive"

You waited a moment, holding his hand "I really do love it" you whispered

"so....is this the dress?" the worker smiled softly, watching you nod slowly as you wiped a tear "yeah...yeah this is the dress"

taglist-

@ohsweetmimosa

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts smut #kim taehyung fanfic #taehyung #kim taehyung #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fluff #taehyung smut #taehyung drabble #tae #bangtan sonyeondan #tae tae #tae series

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sugar-omi · 9 months

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okay, so i've been doing some thinking. i've been scrolling through your blog and i stepped upon these "cheating on cove with Baxter and the other way around" scenarios. (i'm sorry, i wasn't able to read them, my heart couldn't take it ;-;) but!

what if mc was like, in a normal relationship with Baxter. you know, a couple, maybe married later and stuff, while of course still being besties with Cove. later mc and Baxter have a kid together, maybe still a small baby but! plot twist! Baxter gets into an accident or something and dies. (i'm sorry, he's my favourite man but i had to kill him for that scenario:'))

mc is completely devastated and also a little panicked, because what about the baby? and then Cove stepps in, deciding to help his best friend take care of the little one and basically becomes its father. i recently watched a video of a dog "helping" a cat take care of her kittens, and there you have it.

this one may be boring, so feel free to ignore, but i can't stop thinking about it.

ITS OK<333 I figured some ppl didn't read it bc angst n pain</3 trust me I skip over angst all the time

(I even have the tag blocked😬 sorry angst writers but I will read it and not be the same for months, I read a kiribaku angst fic years ago, and was devesated for 4 months afterwards LMAO)

okay i... I cannot expand too much on this bc OUCH

(eta now that I've finished. who am I fooling? I rlly said that like I haven't wrote a whole novel 💀 anyway <3 this clearly made me pop off more than I thought I would bc I read this at first n was devastated!!! I had no words!!!! well clearly I found them LOL)

ALSO BORING??? ANON PLEASE.. BORING WHERE<///3

n im gonna fix the format later but for now here is the bare minimum. I'm going to bed rn so nini everyone enjoy a bit of angst I promise its fluffy as well<333

tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

p/n = parental name, since I wanted to leave flexibility for all the readers here <3

but anyway yeah cove would so step up for you

will follow you to the end of the earth and do whatever you need to help you work through this and to adapt to this sudden and unfortunate change

if/when your relationship starts becoming something romantic, cove would absolutely put the brakes on everything and you'd go so slow...

I imagine he'd probably move in with you or you with him, and he'd stay somewhere else (if you're living in his house he will leave anyway, he's a gentleman like that fr) so that way you can figure out if it's not just bc he's doing all these things n you're mistaking admiration for love

you'd spend the first year going super slow, as if you've never known each other before

which technically you haven't, since you've never dated before. but cove would go so far as to find out your favorite color, song, animal, food.. all over again, even though he has it memorized and knows your likes better than his own.

once cove is sure you're ready for this (after much talk between the two of you and even with your therapist that yes you've made enough progress and are emotionally ready for this) does he finally put a label on it

now if you get married...

I imagine cove won't propose at all

like I think you'd have to talk n almost beg him...

in that case he would do a small but grande gesture to propose. or he'd propose to you before you've even left the bed for the day... no inbetween

but like 8 times outta 10, you're gonna have to propose to him

he'd cry and hug you n say yes of course.

and unless you want to keep this outta your wedding, I think cove would include baxter in your wedding.

first, ofc you'd have the picture to honor his memory

but I think he'd even go so far as to have smth in his vows. but to start, he'd say smth like:

"I know the reason we became closer was unfortunate, but I'm so happy to be able to call you and [Child] my family. and I hope I can be a good father and husband"

and "baxter will always have a place in our hearts. even though he and I didn't get along at first (watery chuckle)... I'm glad he got to love you, and I hope he trusts me to love and cherish you the same way as well.."

also if you don't want to give up your wedding ring from baxter, I think cove would even go so far as to suggest combining it with his.

!!! omg I was gonna say your and baxter's wedding bands would be black, but I have another idea

okay now, for YOUR bands, I imagine they're either black or silver and yk those infinity(?) bands? that has the 2 types of metal or whatever

that's what cove would suggest doing. and if you are worried abt people asking why your bands are different, he'd get the same twisted band but silver with say a black diamond or smth. just smth to make it look like it's intentionally different colors but same design or smth

(im overthinking a bit but it's an idea right?! I'm not crazy??<////3)

or if you don't wanna do that, I imagine you can just slip it on a necklace or leave it as is, whatever you want. he wouldn't mind even if you kept wearing it, cove would never ask you to get rid of baxter's image or memory in any way, not unless it was a real problem and your attachment to him/his things was unhealthy anyway.

now for baxter's band... well if you didn't bury it with him, I imagine you'd give it to your child

another thing I think you could do w your wedding band as well, and give them both your bands to do whatever they want with. or if they don't want it of course you're not forcing them to keep it

even though they didn't get to know baxter, the way you and cove still cherish baxter's memory does help them feel something of a connection.

I also imagine baxter would take lots of photo n video w the kid, even though they're young n just a babe, theres so many videos of baxter looking n acting so loving w them

and even a couple where he's teary-eyed n all "imma do you right by you. I love you so much.."

of course, if the kid doesn't feel that connected to baxter since they were too young to know or rmbr anything, and they don't feel anything much other than sympathy and the occasional sting when they see how much baxter loved them, you don't force it.

you both know that baxter was basically a stranger to them and even though they still respect baxter and he has a place in their heart, they don't feel like they're lacking anything.

"I don't really know what to say.. or how to feel... I see how much [P/N] misses you sometimes, and we have pictures of you, and they talk about you and stuff...

but I don't feel like im missing a dad. I hope that doesn't hurt your feelings, I wish I knew you too. sometimes I wish you were still here, so I got to know you as well, even though I'm still happy to have dad cove for my dad.

I just wanna know what you were like. I wanna experience what you were like. I... I wanna miss you like everyone else misses you too...

anyway, just know that dad is great! he takes care of me and [P/N] really well! he makes breakfast in bed, and he does/used to do this thing where he lifts me in the air before bed! he's so cool. I see how he makes [P/N] happy as well, so don't worry. although, [P/N] said you always thought cove was reliable and a good guy so maybe you aren't worrying anyway.

well... that's it I guess. i hope ill get to know you one day, and maybe you can tell me you're glad to see dad took good care of us. goodbye,

baxter."

pa."

cove happily listens to anything they have to say on how they feel abt baxter btw. he accepts any of their feelings, be it that they don't feel anything at all, sympathy for others, or they feel sad abt losing him.

if they do say smth like how even though it's unfortunate and they feel bad for everyone who mourns baxter (for example/especially you), they see cove as their dad and don't feel like they're missing anything and they're happy to have cove for their dad.

ofc he cries n hugs them n tells them he loves em and he's happy n he comforts them if needed of course

I also think cove is very scared abt being a father

especially in this way... even if the kiddo doesn't remember anything, or it's hazy at best, he worries about replacing baxter.

he'd probably worry abt not living up to baxter

baxter was always much more mature, at least it seemed that way most times. cove just worries about if he has the backbone and the ability to parent the child well and be someone they can look up to and/or appreciate for being a good father

cries if they call him dad btw

if they do it before you start dating, I imagine it's one of the catalyst that cause you to talk abt your feelings for each other. or if it's in the early stage..

cove prbly freezes and runs away to the other room n freaks out, definitely cries. if you don't talk to him like right after he calls his dad n cries n shares his worries n fear

either way, when you do talk he's biting his nails n trying not to pace around the room and he's like "if you wanna distance yourselves so that they don't call me dad any more I totally understand, I mean idk it's prbly weird for you-"

n he just rambles. like none of it makes sense n u have to physically shut him up. kiss him, yell, throw a pillow, hit him w the child's stuffed animal, throw a single lego brick at his back and watch him fall to the floor like he just got a nuke thrown at him

if it's later on n theres nothing to worry abt bc youve talked abt this or saw it coming or its just the otherwise most natural step, he cries of course

but he doesn't fall apart from being his in the back w a single fucking Lego as if it hurt 🙄🙄🙄🙄 (I hate this man he's DRAMATIC)

well... actually no he does

hit him, kiss him, hug him, run him over w a hotel wheels truck.... he just cries harder

adopts them like immediately basically

I imagine you do it soon, like maybe before the wedding just so that way you can have a private moment (just to save him some embarrassment from ugly crying in front of your families. in fact he just might faint fr)

n you + the kiddo surprise him w adoption papers (depending on how old the babe is at this point, they have like no idea what's going on but they know that cove is now officially recognized by the whole world (even by the unicorns n wizards n warlocks) as their daddy))

imagine laying in bed w cove n the kid in between you two

and when you wake up, cove is alrdy awake and was watching you two. he was petting the kids wild hair and he had pulled the two of you in and kept you under his arm..

and the sunlight is coming in, the day is just perfect. n the look on cove's face is full of so much love but also a bit somber this time

(cove feels awkward being here like this sometimes. during times like this you have to remind him it's okay, and you pull him back in. of course he does the same for you on those days.)

"I love you two. so much..." he whispers, tears sticking to his lashes

the kid flips over, curling into cove and they stop their sleepy mumbling now that they're tucked into cove's chest, feeling warm, happy, and safe.

you whisper equally as tender. "we were meant to be like this too."

also!! smth I just thought of...

imagine the kid looks mostly/very much like baxter. they act very much like cove's kid

like you would think cove n baxter had a kid together LOL

(if the resemblance is too much, they ask if you're the step parent </3 pls Ik it may not make sm sense but I just think it'd be so fuckin funny)

#olba #our life: beginnings & always #cove holden #cove holden x reader #baxter ward #baxter ward x reader #angst #baxter ward angst #cove holden angst #angst with a happy ending

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rainforest-daisies · 1 year

Text

A Christmas party

Character: Ricky Bowen x reader

Synopsis: it seems like each time nini and Ricky are in the same room, its like they fall in love all over again.

TW: none? Maybe some angst, also me being biased about Gina being my favorite character<3

A/n: for @fbfh !! This took me ages, so sorry for the wait! But i hope you enjoy!

They were at it again.

This was the second year they had fought during the Christmas party. They seemed to have something against each other, but it got even worse after EJ and nini got together.

Even after you and Ricky started dating, you could tell it was tense between them. It was because of nini.

All of it was because of nini. You two got together because him and nini broke up. You said ‘I love you’ first because he didn’t want to hurt like nini did. He didn’t want you to move on like nini did. He hates EJ’s guts because of nini.

It always felt like a competition to win her. And Ricky still participated like it was a carnival game. A sick, misery filled, tormenting carnival game. But maybe you were reading your relationship wrong.

Going to every family event together, Staying the night at his place when he was having a rough day, holding hands and kissing each other like a young couple usually would. You even asked to be his date to prom for goodness sake. Is that not enough to show him how in love you are? You’ve been trying for months to let this go, yet every time she would be there, you felt insignificant to Ricky.

No matter how you touched him, comforted him, kissed him, no matter how much you loved him, He would never love you the way he loved her.

You were sat next to Gina on the floor, legs crisscrossed, with a Pepsi can sat between you both. You watched as ricky sang as loud as he could, ‘battling’ with EJ. Nini was right in front of them both, and you couldn’t see her face, but you were sure she was looking directly at ricky.

You were jealous, Gina could tell. Even if you told her you weren’t, she wouldn’t believe you. Ever since she came to salt lake, you got along better than you had with anyone. You were one of the few she actually trusted. And She knew you and Ricky weren’t destined, but you were her best friend. she would never tell you that. The days she would see your eyes slightly bloodshot from crying tested her patience, each time she got closer to screaming at him and nini.

You had enough of this, Watching them fall in love with each other all over again, being forgotten by your boyfriend once more.

“Im gonna go get a cupcake of something…wanna come with?” Gina had perfect timing, trying to pull you away from the scene everyone was looking at. You nodded, pushing yourself up from the floor. Rickys eyes met your back, quickly looking to your shoes clicking on the floor. He could see the slight slouch you held yourself with, your Pepsi can grasped in your hand.

Somehow, while being distracted, Ricky knocked over a table, which fell on the karaoke machine, which stopped the music. The machine cord creates sparks, which makes chaos ensue. You and Gina turned around, gasping when you saw someone pouring their drink over it, thinking it would stop the sparks. It most definitely didn’t stop them.

“Great! You ruined Christmas. Thanks a lot.” You looked directly at Ricky when those words came out of your mouth.

His skin was tinted slightly red, eyes wide from embarrassment. Did you just say what he thought you said? No. It couldn’t be his fault that you almost had tears running from your eyes. Because it never was. It never was his fault.

#ricky bowen #ricky bowen x reader #hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #x reader #angst #Ricky bowen Angst #shitpost #hsm the musical #joshua basset x reader #Olivia Rodrigo

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sungbeam · 2 years

Text

𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

nonidol!kim hongjoong x fem!reader

you and joong made a promise to each other. now the world wants to test that.

genre. strangers 2 lovers, fluff, angst, scene by scene

warnings. fast paced! (cuz it time-skips after the first part, but slows a little afterward), dorks™, angst, panicking (like actual anxiety attacks, happens twice), stress, fluff tho, swear words (as usual), emotional asf, bliss to pain, but comfort too, plot but not really, barely proofread

inspired by. lany’s (what i wish just one person would say to me)

word count. 12.1k

taglist. @yuufiles @rge-nini @bookishcalls / permanent taglist: @tayunji @im-a-big-mess @doodlewon @y3jiishot @crazywittysassy @seomisaho @stopeatread @enhacolor @yedammi @rnjfy @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @hoohoohope @kpop718

a/n: i love kim hongjoong, that is all. (also, this was gonna be a WHOLE lot sadder, so uh yw)

— part one: our hearts were set aflame

It had taken you about five seconds of crossing the threshold of the store entrance to realize that you were way in over your head. People buzzed about the floor of the clothing shop, paper bags with other store logos hanging from their arms and clashing against racks, shelves and rows upon more shelves and rows of clothing in colors that you could only imagine created a mass labyrinth. And there you were, standing at the glass doors gaping like a fish, a complete idiot.

There were many things you could research, but shopping was something much easier to do in theory than in practice. (Like writing, but you’d rather not speak on that.)

People were starting to stare at you and you caught someone with a headset glancing your way. You swallowed. It was just shopping… right?

You went first to your left, where all of the business formal wear seemed to all be located. This would be a good start, you thought, eyes skimming through the suit jackets, all blocked off based on color and coordinated as such. There were just so many—

A cough. “I think the taupe would look really good on you.”

You whirled around to see who had suddenly appeared at your side, and you found a young man standing slightly behind you. He had dark hair, slightly swept back in a neat yet charming sort of way; a pair of black headphones hung around his neck, the ears littered with colorful stickers. You could tell he knew how to dress with his black cargo pants and boots, silver chain hanging around his pretty neck, white graphic tee tucked beneath a dark bomber jacket.

Intimidating. Yeah, anyone who could dress well was automatically intimidating.

But then he smiled, flushing under the late morning light the color of light raspberry lemonade. He scratched his head as if suddenly embarrassed by your eyes on him. “Sor—sorry, I mean, uhm, I think taupe works really well with your, uh—your eyes.”

You almost laughed. He was cute. “My eyes?”

“Yeah, it uhm—” he licked his lips, beaming boyishly, “—brings out your eyes.”

“Is that so?” You turned to the rack of clothing once more, eyes narrowed while you rifled through to find what you thought your size was. (And according to the clothing you already had in your closet. You usually didn’t go shopping alone, but since everyone else was busy…)

“Like this?” You found a jacket that was tagged with your size and you held it against your front.

The man’s smile widened. “Yes, it’s perfect. Pair it with light colored slacks and that satin blouse over there and you’re golden.”

You followed his nod in the direction of said “slacks” and “satin blouse”. You only saw a sea of fabrics. “Would you mind, y'know…?”

“Showing you?” His eyes lit up and there was something about the bounce in his step as he gestured for you to follow him. “Of course!”

There was a sort of relief that filled your lungs when he understood you completely. He must have seen the anxiety in your smile or heard the nervousness in your voice. But the way he didn’t hesitate—that seemed to be the thing that had your heart racing. He was absolutely a-light.

He peered over his shoulder at you as he guided you through the labyrinth. “I’m Hongjoong, by the way.”

“I’m Yn. And thank you, Hongjoong. I’m helpless when it comes to this stuff,” you said, laughing awkwardly. Helpless was the understatement of the century.

He waited until you replied before breaking eye contact with you and turning back to the front. “Nice to meet you, Yn. And don’t worry about it; you’ve accidentally met the right person!”

You didn’t know it yet, but by the way your heart skipped a beat and a smile teased the corners of your lips with a semblance of hope—well, maybe you did know. In this moment, you knew you had met the right person.

— ✶

Two hours and eighteen minutes and three shops later, your hands gripped two paper bags each, all filled with clothing and accessories. Hongjoong himself carried just as many bags, perhaps one or two for himself, but all the rest were yours that he had offered to carry for you. He had dragged you into each store, carting you around the clothing labyrinths, piling articles and garments into both yours and his arms. He had been a kid in a candy shop—clapping his hands when you emerged in a piece he liked, or narrowing his eyes, tongue stuck out, as he fixed something wrong with the outfit he had put together on the spot.

You were convinced he had magical powers, and as always, your curiosity and thirst for research had you dragging him to the mall’s bistro for a cup of coffee. And maybe a sandwich or two.

Kim Hongjoong sat across from you, cheek resting against his fist while his other hand idly stirred the latte in a pretty, white porcelain saucer in front of him. He didn’t seem interested in the coffee, really. You could sense his gaze, at this point, from all the time you had spent together today. You could probably pick him out of a lecture hall if you stood at the podium.

“I like your headphones,” you blurted out suddenly while gesturing to the accessory hanging around his neck. “I didn’t say it earlier, but they’re really cool.”

Hongjoong unconsciously touched one of the ear pieces, chuckling. “Ah, thank you! I’ve had them since I was a kid and kinda just… revamped them.”

“You had those massive headphones when you were a kid?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Dad thought I’d just grow into them. They still work, so I’m not exactly complaining.”

You nodded and brushed your hands from the crumbs of your finished sandwich. “Do you revamp a lot of things?”

Hongjoong hummed and bobbed his head. “Yup. It’s, uhm, kinda my thing,” he laughed and clutched the back of his neck. You’d learned he did that when he got shy. And that was often. “I take the things no one wants and make them feel loved again.”

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” you mused. There was something about the way he had worded what he said that made your heart flutter. When you had asked him, spontaneously, for his help today, you had unintentionally opened the floodgates of his passions. It was one of the best decisions you had made in awhile. “You’re an upcycler then?”

“Is that what we’re called? Then yes, that’s me!” He finally lifted the coffee cup to his lips, but held your eye contact. He exhaled contentedly after taking a sip. “It’s just really cool to take an old, ratty T-shirt like this—” he pinched the shirt on his torso and snapped it against himself, “—and giving it a second life.”

Your eyebrows shot up and you leaned forward to take a closer look at the graffiti-esque designs on the garment. “Wow. You did that yourself?”

He lifted one shoulder in a modest, half-hearted shrug. The corners of his eyes crinkled in delight. “Yeah. Made the necklace, too.”

“That’s amazing, Hongjoong. Really,” you said. Sure, you could write. But could you create in the way he could? In no way, shape or form. “Have you ever thought about going into fashion or design?”

“That’s actually my major and, like, my goal in life.” His gaze flickered from his coffee to you. “I’ve always wanted to design clothes and become one of those household names in fashion. Y'know, like New York Fashion Week kind of thing. It’s always been a dream of mine.”

You nodded. “No, that’s great. Like your own company?”

“Yep, getting some help from my friends to start it up,” he chuckled. “They’ve been cool about all this…” His voice trailed off, but he suddenly shot up, waving his hands in almost a sheepish manner. “But enough about me!”

Never enough of you. “Oh—”

“Let’s talk about you!”

“How about no?” You laughed, teeth pressed in an awkward smile. It wasn’t that you were embarrassed by your ambitions, really. Hearing Hongjoong talk about his upcycling and fashion dreams made yours seem so… mundane? Yes, yours were so very mundane in comparison.

Hongjoong frowned, bottom lip jutting out. “Oh, come on, Yn. It’s only fair,” he prompted. “At least let me drink this coffee.”

With that, you caved. You couldn’t help the smile that found its way to your face, and while you had your head ducked slightly, you hadn’t noticed Hongjoong’s smile that had crept onto his lips while he lifted the cup to his mouth once more. “I'm… a writer,” you confessed. “Well, that’s my ultimate goal, y'know. I’m majoring in writing and all that jazz, and—I don’t know.” You pursed your lips. “Sorry, I’m not really that interesting.”

Hongjoong set the cup down. “That’s fucking nonsense—excuse my French.”

A giggle fell from your lips and his eyes shot to you, fondness softening his smile lines.

“How long have you been writing?”

You hummed. “Since I was a kid,” you replied. “I once found some of my writing assignments from primary school and I guess I always had an active imagination.” Those works were cute… to an extent. You had definitely cringed at not only your atrocious handwriting, but the pieces where you had included your current crush at the time of creation. Not your finest moments, but Hongjoong didn’t need to know those details.

Hongjoong’s hand flicked at the space between them. “Ah, so we’re both fulfilling our childhood dreams. You must read a lot then, Yn-ah.”

“I do, yeah. There’s something about reading that brings you a sort of satisfaction that real life doesn’t.” You could recall the days when your parents, who had always been fond of reading, had once tried to make you read a few classics when you were young. You had hated it then, but now, all you did was read. It was a miracle you hadn’t tucked a paperback into your purse today.

And while you rambled on and on about why reading was so important to you now, Hongjoong committed his full, undivided attention to you. There was something about how your eyes had grown wide, how your voice had become a little livelier, that made you glow. You gestured wildly with your hands as you spoke about the nuances of a certain work you were reading for your literature seminar. You couldn’t believe how elegantly this author could write about these monstrosities, and he couldn’t either.

He was all smiles, all nods, all eyes on you. Because there was just—it was unexplainable.

“You should meet my friends and get them to read like you do,” he half-joked to you at one point. His friends did not like to read; they’d much rather glue their eyeballs to their computer screens than ever make contact with a book.

He adored the way you seemed to perk up more. “Oh, of course! My friend San loves to read, too. And I think all of my friends would just love your style advice and pieces.” You quickly added, “Sorry, as long as you’re comfortable, of course!”

Hongjoong couldn’t have been more comfortable. “I’d love to meet your friends, Yn.”

Relief filled your eyes, loosened your shoulders. You picked up your own cup of half-drank coffee and he clinked his cup against it. “To new friendships then.”

He dipped his head to you, a twinkle in his beautiful eyes. “To new friendships.”

— part two: everything i’ve ever wanted, everything i need

It had taken about five seconds of crossing the threshold into your apartment that you knew something was different. Perhaps it was the curtains of your windows drawn closed, or the smell of burnt eggs. Or perhaps it was the fact that there were eight men scattered about your apartment, doing god knows what.

It had been a good six months since you had met Kim Hongjoong and his friends, and they had positively invaded your apartment once again. Your friends had always known the password to the apartment, but you had also given Hongjoong the code. He had then begun to come over more often than your other friends (Wooyoung and San had been way more choked up and butthurt about your new friends “stealing” you; Yeosang and Jongho couldn’t give two shits, which was practically par for the course). In the little nook where your desk sat by the far window, Hongjoong had even brought himself a mannequin to work on while you wrote. Sometimes you would come home from your classes or internship to find him at the window with your back to you, a measuring tape draped around his neck, as he worked on his newest project.

“Hi Yn!” The apartment chorused all at once as the front door shut behind you. You noted that one of the windows had been opened, and Yunho stood by it to fan the smell of the burnt food out. Seonghwa was stationed in the kitchen, most likely attempting to rescue dinner, a pot of ramen boiling away on the stove as he dug fresh eggs out of the fridge. Wooyoung had perched himself on the kitchen counter, “watching the ramen”. Everyone else was in the living room portion, where San and Yeosang were duking it out in Smash Bros (their game, not yours) on the TV screen.

It was no uncommon sight ever since your groups came together. Rather, it was quite welcomed.

You stepped over legs and answered hooted greetings from the boys, until you reached the corner of the couch where Hongjoong lounged. His dark hair hung relaxed over his forehead, and he wore a light colored hoodie that swallowed him up. “Hey.”

He lifted his eyes from his phone and sent you a smile, raising his arm for you to slip under. “Hi baby doll,” he murmured, lips ghosting over the side of your head.

Jongho made a guttural noise of disgust, but his eyes were still glued to the television screen. “Ew, get a room!”

“Aw, I think they’re cute,” Mingi said with a pout, nudging Jongho.

You chuckled, settling yourself against Hongjoong’s body to get comfortable. With a glance at the screen, you determined that Yeosang was winning. “How long have you guys been here?” You raised your voice so those in the kitchen could hear you over the TV and over the four boys sucked into the video game.

“About twenty minutes,” Seonghwa called back while he cracked the eggs into a new pot.

Wooyoung smirked. “But hyung’s been here longer—Hongjoong hyungie.”

You didn’t have to look to know that Hongjoong was glaring daggers at Wooyoung by the way the latter giggled nervously and began ducking his head to avoid his eyes. Hongjoong made a gruff noise from the back of his throat, one you recognized as exasperation. “Yah,” he scolded, “I wasn’t here that much longer.”

“You said you were here since four thirty,” San said suddenly without taking his eyes off the TV. A ghost of a smile played on his lips.

“You’ve been here an hour?” You teased, chuckling to yourself.

Hongjoong pouted, hiding his face in your neck and hair. “Yn-ie.”

Yunho glanced out the window where he stood, then sent a fond smile yours and Hongjoong’s way. “He practically lives here, Yn-ah. Me and Seonghwa hardly ever see him at the apartment anymore.”

Hongjoong began to protest, “That’s not true—”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes; scoffed. “Oh, cut the crap, Joong. Just move in with her already. You’re practically married.”

Everyone burst into either laughter or murmurs of agreement. Well, all except for you and Hongjoong. You shifted in his hold so you could see his face. As he was blushing a blatant cherry red, so too did your neck and face feel hot. And you had a feeling it was not from whatever Seonghwa was attempting to cook.

Hongjoong’s fingers danced along the nape of your neck, the dark irises of his eyes darting to and fro as he searched your expression for a sign—anything. But it had been six months, and you couldn’t deny the rapidity of your heart beat at the thought of waking up next to him .

“What do you say?” You asked him softly, volume low enough that only he could hear you. “Wanna be my roommate?”

A smile bloomed upon his mouth. “There’s nothing I’d love more, doll.”

— ✶

Moving in wasn’t so difficult to do, especially when Hongjoong was practically half-moved already. He had a section of the dresser in your bedroom already filled with his backup clothes for nights he slept over; one side of the bathroom counter had his toiletries and skincare and makeup; and of course, there was the makeshift workspace right next to yours. That left only the rest of Hongjoong’s extensive closet and shoes, his favorite blankets and gear and tech, and his second mannequin and tubs of materials. All of these, you would find a home for. Oddly enough, you kept your workspace a little messy (as your brain was), but you were able to keep the rest of your apartment tidy.

You had been walking into the apartment with another one of his boxes of clothes when you noticed the little chain that had fallen onto the floor. It wasn’t one that you had seen him wear before, and trust that you had seen quite a few of them by now. It was similar to the silver chain link choker you often saw him wear, but this one had a small cabochon in the shape of a key hanging from the center.

You were able to kneel down and sweep it off the ground. “Joong!” You called into the apartment, venturing deeper into the bedroom, where Hongjoong had gone to start organizing some of his things into drawers and the closet space.

“In here!” He replied from the closet. He poked his head out. “What’s up, doll?”

“I think you dropped this,” you chuckled, showing him the chain dangling from your fingers. “Probably fell out of a jewelry box or some—”

“Oh shit, you weren’t supposed to see that yet,” he swore. Hongjoong winced, hissing to himself, as he hustled over to you and took the chain. He raked a hand through his raven dark locks; why was he so stressed about this? There was that pout again. “It was supposed to be a surprise, like—like an apartment warming gift and a thank you for letting me move in with you.”

He slumped, sulking, and you imagined he was beating himself to a pulp on the inside.

“Oh, honey,” you murmured with a small smile. You set the box down on the ground and gathered him into your arms. He brought his arms up to wrap around your waist, chin settled on your shoulder. “You’re so sweet, but you didn’t have to get me anything. I think it was only a matter of time before we moved in together anyway.”

“It was gonna be a cute reveal, too,” he sulked some more, playing with the chain behind your back. “See?” He moved back slightly and withdrew his own chain link choker from beneath his shirt collar. Instead of a key, however, a silver lock hung from the center. “Because you’ve unlocked the key to my heart—something sappy like that.”

Your cheeks warmed. “Surprise or not, it’s beautiful. I love it a lot, Joong.”

Hongjoong brightened. “I’m glad.” He made a swirling motion with his fingers. “Alright, now turn around for me, babe. Let’s put this on, shall we?”

You turned your back to him and let him link the choker around your neck. The chain rested just above your collarbones, comfortably. There was a bit of weight to it, but it was a welcomed presence that didn’t really bother you much. You fiddled with the key charm, trying your hardest not to smile too big.

When you turned around to show him with a little “ta-da”, Hongjoong’s eyes flickered to your collar. He grinned, tongue darting out to lick his lips. He stepped closer, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek. “You’re stunning. Dear fucking god, you’re perfect.”

“Hongjoong, you can’t just say something like that!” You stammered helplessly. Oh Lord, you were a mess he was making you an utter mess with his words. That was supposed to be you, wasn’t it?

He cupped your cheek in his hand, lips parted in awe. “I need to kiss you. Let me kiss you.”

“Kiss me then,” you told him.

One arm wrapped around your waist and the other tilting your chin up toward him, he pressed his lips against yours, the seal on an old chapter and the beginning of a new one. Because there was no one else either of you would want to be with—could imagine yourselves with—for the rest of your lives.

— part three: the world is yours; i’ll hold it down at home

It had taken about five seconds of you crossing the threshold of the bathroom and into the bedroom for you to feel the weight of Hongjoong’s stare. There were different types of looks, you’d come to realize over time: the awe, the analyst, and so on. His narrowed eyes and tilted head signified his critic’s view. Oftentimes, Hongjoong liked to use you as his live mannequin rather than the canvas ones he had.

He had argued that “you make everything look ten times better”. Or something along those lines. But you knew he liked playing dress up with you (not that you complained).

The piece you were currently modeling for him was an evening gown made of dark gossamer, satin, and tulle. It was rather different from the silk slips you usually thought to wear; this was more like a Gothic wedding dress, almost. Hongjoong had said it was for a class project.

“What do we think?” You asked him, arms held out as you twirled for him—slowly.

Hongjoong bit the tip of his thumb. “There’s something wrong with the bodice,” he said. He stood from the bed, twirling his finger in the air. “Turn to the front again please.”

You did as he asked, chin ducked to take a peek at the bodice again. In your very humble opinion, you thought the chest was brilliant. The fabric was matte and layered with a black lace, its collar cleaved open just enough to leave something for the imagination. The sleeves attached were slightly puffed like flower petals. As was everything Hongjoong created, it was beautiful, brilliant—

“I have these black crystal beads we could try threading,” he muttered, chin propped on his fist as he swung from side to side in thought.

“We?” You mused. “But I think I know what you’re talking about. Just in moderation though, right?”

He smiled at you from over his clear glasses frames. “Of course, doll. You already shine like the sun, so we don’t wanna blind anyone.”

There went your heart again. “Hongjoong.”

“I love you,” he sang in reply. He whirled on the heel of his slippers and hurried out of the bedroom. You shuffled after him in the large skirts. You heard him rummaging through his work station drawers until he fished out a small container of black acrylic beads.

With a speed you were still in awe at (even after watching him do it thousands of times), Hongjoong whipped out a spool of black thread, then threaded and knotted a needle. You swore you only blinked and he was walking toward you with a threaded string of the black beads.

He glanced at your face, stark with awe and fondness, and you couldn’t believe how cute he looked with his safety pin earrings and dorky glasses. “What?” You spotted the brush of scarlet on his cheekbones while he got to work, attaching the string of beads to the front of the dress.

You chuckled. “You’re just… incredible. Why do you like me again?”

“You know why I love you.”

“Ah, but you better still love me when you’re rich and famous and sending models out down runways in Milan.”

He pouted, head ducking to try and hide his burning cheeks. Try. “Yn-ie,” he whined. “And you say I’m the flirt.”

“You are!”

“Ai,” he scolded lightly. You knew he couldn’t deny it—not completely, at least. “If I’m in Milan though, you know you’ll be there with me, right? You’d be my bright, shining star. The feature model—”

You shook your head. “You know I wouldn’t like that.”

“Okay, yeah.”

He stood up straight now, impaling the needle onto the pin cushion attached to his wrist. He considered the added beads draped like a little upward crescent… and nodded. Hongjoong stepped closer into the circumference of your poofy skirts, hands settling on your waist. His hands rubbed your sides as a sigh fell from his lips—your hands went to his shoulders. “You’d be by my side then? You’d be there when I’m panicking and screaming at people?”

“In sickness and in health,” you joked. “I’ll be your tangible conscience.”

Hongjoong bit his lip through a smile. “The only competent mind and body in that backstage area.”

“Not the only one.”

Before anything else could be said, your phone chirped loudly from inside the bedroom, audibly announcing the time. You realized that the sun had just begun to set through the window of your apartment. The two of you had spent nearly the entire day with Hongjoong’s dress project.

You removed your hands from his shoulders and hiked up the skirt fabric. “Alright, time to go! Yunho’s gonna kill us if we’re late again,” you said as you waddled back into the bedroom. Every week, yours and Hongjoong’s friends got together to have dinner together, whether that be at someone’s apartment or at a nearby restaurant. Tonight, it was at a restaurant again, but it was one that required all members of a party to be present to then be seated. You and Hongjoong had accidentally held them up once. It wasn’t like either of you to be tardy, but shit happened.

As predicted, Yunho hadn’t been pleased. (Hangry, tall man.)

Hongjoong trudged after you with an over exaggerated frown. “Oh, come on. It was one time!”

“And he’ll never let us live it down!” You exclaimed with a vague hand gesture. “Now come unzip me.”

“Dangerous words,” he whistled. You threw a glare at him from over your shoulder and he raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry!”

— ✶

For the most part, you were pretty good at meeting a deadline. For the most part. But for some reason, when it came to writing longer pieces, you were the absolute worst at meeting the deadline given to you. You could get copy edits back to your supervisor in half the time given to you, you could draft up possible theses and essay content paragraphs in an hour or less… but writing short stories? A collection of poetry? Your brain liked writer’s block.

It was a bit odd, since you were always able to write recreationally, but if it was for coursework, you literally could not function. (Not until the last minute, at least.)

The apartment was quiet except for the dull, calming sound of brown noise buzzing right next to you from your phone. The light from the kitchen had been left on, as well as the lamp on the desk beside your laptop, but the remainder of the space was left dim or dark. The clock in the bottom corner of your screen displayed something along the lines of 3:52am, but your fingers had been flying over the keyboard for the past three hours straight, and you were going to make this deadline.

The door to the bedroom creaked open, a yawning breath of air.

You barely registered the sound, but could feel Hongjoong’s presence as he slumped over to you and draped his upper body over the back of your chair. “Can’t sleep?” You murmured to him softly as your pointer finger stalled on the page by repeatedly tapping the “j” key until you decided on the appropriate word to continue your sentence.

He hummed into your hair. “Mm. Missed you.”

“I’m almost done,” you promised. A few more paragraphs of this description, and you would call it a night. Lord knew you needed a bit of sleep.

“Come to bed please,” he whispered. You could feel his breath tickle the hairs on your head; could feel his breathing already begin to even out.

“Go back to bed, Joongbug.” You reached up and gently scratched his head. “I’ll be there in five minutes, okay?”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

And in five minutes, you had closed the lid of your laptop, shut the lights off, and climbed into the warm covers on the bed. Hongjoong’s arms found you almost immediately, his limbs wrapping around your body to be cradled in his embrace. You shut your eyes with a tired sigh, nose snuggling into his chest.

— ✶

“Got you your favorite, doll.” The hot paper cup was pushed carefully across the table as you settled into your chair opposite to Hongjoong. He sipped his own little cup of well-espresso’d coffee. He wore his dark hair swept back as usual today, but had chosen a nutmeg colored trench coat and cream sweater to beat the winter weather beginning to blow through the city. There was a sparkle in his eyes this afternoon; you had a feeling you were about to hear good news.

You shivered as you cupped your hands around the drink, gingerly blowing cool air through the mouth of the lid. “Thank you. How was your day, love?”

As you brought the lid to your lips, he lowered his cup to reveal the full-blown grin on his face. “You know that designer I’ve been contacting about an internship?”

You nodded. He had been antsy about the whole thing for a couple of weeks now, always coming to you with drafts of his emails and correspondence, asking if what he said was too informal or if there was a better way to say “Oh, cool. Thanks.” (There was, but then again, it didn’t sound like Hongjoong.) “Mhm. Of course.”

“Well,” he giggled. “He offered me an apprenticeship! Like a full on, actually paid internship thing where I shadow him and work beside him and get to turn my fashion dreams into realities I didn’t even know existed!” He gushed with a small squeal, palms pressed together like a prayer.

You beamed at him, practically leaping across the table to wrap your arms around him and press a kiss to his mouth. “Congratulations, Joong! Oh my god—this… this is incredible. You’re incredible.”

When you’d both settled down a little, you stared at him with what you knew to be hearts in your eyes, cheek lying in your cupped hand. “I’m so proud of you.”

He reached for your hand over the table. “Thank you, Yn. I couldn’t have done it without you though.”

“You could’ve gotten here without me!” You insisted. “Don’t sell yourself short.” Because if you knew Hongjoong…

Hongjoong couldn’t stop smiling. “I just… I have you to thank for being my support system and my partner and my—my inspiration. I’m just… the luckiest man on this fucking planet.” And he lifted your hand to his lips in a kiss to your knuckles, eyes never leaving yours, the twinkle in his irises never fading.

“I love you,” you told him with an equally radiant expression. You were beaming, glowing—he got the position. He was going to do big things one day. “And I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me.”

You set your other hand palm up on the table, a silent question. Without hesitation, Hongjoong placed his hand over yours. Fingers intertwined, two pairs of hands held firmly and warmly.

You captured his gaze in yours, held it. “I’ll stand with you, stand by you… in all your endeavors, Hongjoong, now and forever.” As long as you’ll have me.

Silver pooled in his eyes, that smile wavering as his lip quivered. He scrambled for the perfect words to say back to you, to reassure you that he felt the exact same about you. All of his elegance had drained away and left only a mess of his emotions. “And I’ll be there for you every step of the way, too, Yn.” As long as you’ll have me.

— ✶

For the past several nights, you had been working late into the night on a major assignment of yours. It wasn’t for school, but rather, for your work this time. Your boss had recently offered you an opportunity to become fully employed at the publishing company, not as a regular editor, but to work directly under the Chief Editor. It was an opportunity you simply couldn’t pass up, but you had lately been so persistent on perfection that you often forgot to go to sleep.

Hongjoong would usually stay up with you because you were both workaholics, but his new internship packed on top of his course work had him drained from the moment he finished his dinner at ten o'clock. You would find him passed out on the bed, deep into sleep, after emerging from the shower.

Your place at the desk had grown old and uncomfortable, and so your new work space in the meantime was the couch and coffee table.

It felt like déjà vu when the bedroom door parted open and your sleepy lover shuffled out. He settled beside you on the couch and rested his head against your shoulder, mindlessly watching you type away and letting sleep tickle the corner of his eyes. You knew he would fall asleep there and you knew you would lose all feeling in your left arm, but you had learned how to type with one hand now.

Hongjoong inhaled the comforting scent of your shampoo, the smell lulling him to sleep like a babe in a crib. He wondered if you ever minded him staring at your screen, watching you string words together out of thin air like a magician. You could finagle a manuscript just as well as he could sew a hem. Probably better. He still drew blood sometimes.

But if you didn’t want him reading it, he wouldn’t be here. If you didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t be here.

Like all artists, the words you spilled onto paper held a piece of you. You bore your soul to him in moments like these, open and vulnerable. It was similar to whenever you let him dress you up, to tailor his pieces while on you, to ask your opinion. He trusted you to not take his heart and crush it into nothing.

Groggy, but not completely out of it, Hongjoong mumbled, “Can you work with me here like this?” Just to make sure.

Your reply surprised him. “It’s the only way I can work,” you said. It was unconscious, like instinct, like you didn’t even have to think about it—the words had been waiting on the tip of your tongue, ready to leap into his ears and make his heart quicken.

It gave a warm shock of electricity from his chest and down his spine and to his toes. It felt… good. It felt so, so good.

He smiled against your shoulder even with his cheek smooshed against it. He closed his eyes, arms wrapping loosely around yours. The pale light and dull clicking rocked him to sleep.

— part four: i’m here to stay, i’ll find a way, i know it hurts

It had taken less than five seconds of entering the bedroom that your nostrils burned with the smell of bleach. There was a heavy techno track thumping in the background originating from the speaker set on Hongjoong’s workstation out in the living space. Hongjoong himself was situated in the bathroom, the white light from the LED bulbs over the mirror illuminating the strands of his hair that had been smothered in a periwinkle mixture, the hair beneath already lightening to platinum blond.

Hongjoong caught your wide doe eyes in the mirror, tongue caught between his grinning teeth. “Hi, doll. What’d'ya think?”

You had left your book bag out by your desk and you now stepped back out into the bedroom to peel your jacket off and roll up the sleeves of your shirt. “What do I think?” You echoed. When you returned to the bathroom, you crouched down to tug out a pair of latex gloves from one of the drawers beneath the sink. “I think you need help with the back.”

“That’s my girl,” he mused.

You snapped on the gloves, leaning over to him. He turned his face—met your lips with his. You dipped your fingers into the little bleach concoction in the black plastic bowl on the counter and began carefully rubbing it into the dark bits at the back of his head. “You got a haircut today,” you said offhandedly, noting his shaved sides.

“Are you not gonna ask what sparked this sudden hair change?” He chuckled. “Are you not at all curious?”

“Are you not worried about me not liking it?” You raised your eyebrows at him in the mirror, a teasing smile on your lips.

He loosed a flippant sound from the back of his throat. “I wasn’t that worried about you not liking it.” He lost his gloves, tossing them in the trash, observing your movements in the mirror while you finished off the bleach job.

You threaded your fingers through the locks of hair at the top of his head, combing them back. “Not that you asked, but I think it looks very handsome.”

A smile curled at the corners of his lips, and you could never miss that brush of red on his cheekbones. “I’ll always ask what you think.” He sighed, tapping his phone screen to start a timer, “Woo Hyuckjae said he thought a hair change would suit me. Something like blond.”

When your gloves were disposed of, Hongjoong slung an arm around your shoulders and the both of you made your way out of the bathroom and into the main living space. “Is that right? I mean… as long as you wanted to change your hair, y'know?”

Woo Hyuckjae was the man Hongjoong had been interning and apprenticing under for the past month. Your partner looked up to Mr. Woo as if he was a star in the sky, and he believed that if he could prove himself to Woo Hyuckjae, he’d get to his goal in no time. You’d met Mr. Woo once when Hongjoong had asked if you could come to dinner with him and meet his boss.

Suffice to say, you were glad that Hyuckjae wasn’t your boss. (God, you had never faked a smile or a laugh so hard in your life. There was something in the way Woo Hyuckjae’s eyes had looked at you that made your skin crawl. He was a fashion genius… but if you only met and saw him once more in your life, that would be one time too many.)

You snuck a glance at Hongjoong, your hand reaching up to your collar where the chain link choker rested. Your fingers fiddled with the pendant. “As long as you did it out of your own accord, Joong,” you emphasized.

“Of course.”

“Okay,” you bobbed your head in acknowledgement. That was all you wished for. As long as it was Hongjoong’s decision, then you would stand by it. Plus, you had a feeling he’d look damn good as a blond.

— ✶

“This one.” Hongjoong’s low murmur blessed your ears as he came up behind you and rested a heavy, warm coat over your shoulders. It was a slightly oversized shacket made mainly of a muted taupe, striped with a plaid pattern of other shades of brown. He adjusted the collar of your white turtleneck so the collar could rest above the shirt fabric.

“Thanks,” you said back. You stuffed your hands into the pockets of your jacket, rocking on your heels. The two of you stood side by side in the frame of the full body mirror as finishing touches were applied to your outfits for this week’s outing with the friend group. Tonight, it was supposedly a rooftop bar a little ways from the university, so you and Hongjoong thought it best to dress warm.

Well, you thought it best to dress warm. Joong was simply trying to make sure you both looked good while doing so.

He had fitted a black beanie over his tuft of blond hair; you thought it matched with the leather jacket and dark pants. His silver collar gleamed like diamonds in the low light of the bedroom against his dark blue sweater. He met your eyes in the mirror. “Sorry, give me a couple minutes, doll. Gotta find something before we leave.”

“Sure, take your time, love.” In the meantime, you busied yourself with gathering things to throw into your purse for your night out. You stared at the new miniature first aid kit sitting on the kitchen counter, then tucked it into your bag. You’d learned that you could never be too careful when it came to yours and Hongjoong’s friends.

Once you’d deemed yourself prepared, you considered the rack of shoes by the door. Out of the time since you had met Hongjoong, you could say that your sense for fashion had improved… to an extent. As you stared at your options, you opted for a pair of neutral toned sneakers (a pair of chunky ones Hongjoong had encouraged you to purchase during a store’s massive online sale). You figured these would be fashionable enough, but comfortable. It wasn’t like you were going into the office anyway—

“Babe, have you seen my sketchbook?”

Your head perked up. “Isn’t it on your desk?”

“The new one, not the old one,” he clarified. Hongjoong poked his head out of the bedroom, and there was a frown on his face. “I wanted to show Hwa some of my new designs tonight, but I can’t find that damn thing anywhere.” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he came out of the bedroom and made his way toward you.

“Maybe you left it at the office,” you suggested, nudging his favorite pair of black boots toward him with your foot.

He hummed. “Yeah. You’re probably right.” He knelt down and began lacing up his shoe, to which you bent down with him to help him with the other one.

When you’d finished your little bow, you tapped the toe of his boot. “So you don’t fall for someone else.”

Hongjoong exploded into giggles and playfully hit your shoulder. “God, I love you. You’re stupid if you think I could ever fall for someone else, but I love you.”

“We share one brain cell now,” you mused as the two of you made your way out of the apartment, “so it’s not like you can get rid of me.”

“We share one?”

“Yeah, and I clearly have it today.”

His eyebrows flew up. “Oh, is that so?”

You saw the gleam in the dim light of the hallway, and your instincts had you backing up from him. Your heartbeat skipped. “Hongjoong, I can’t run in these shoes…” (As ironic as that was; you hated how heavy these clunky things were.)

“It’s a good thing I can run in these—yah! Get back here, Yn!”

Yours and Hongjoong’s laughter echoed loudly in the corridor as he chased you down the stairwell, out into the street, until you were caught in his arms. You squealed when you felt his toned arms cage you against him, wrestling you to a stop on the sidewalk.

The night was young, and though faint, stars glimmered like crystal beads sewn into the ebony silk of the sky. The cold nipped at your nose and your cheeks, but walking in Hongjoong’s embrace, his heat radiating from him, kept you warm.

Your phone’s ringtone sliced through the night air, and you tugged your phone out of your pocket. “Hello?”

Your coworker Minju’s voice raced at a million words a minute as she panicked into your ear, yet for some reason, you could comprehend every word of it. You’d stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk now, and Hongjoong had stopped with you, watching and waiting for news. His brow furrowed at the exasperation and the disbelief stark on your face. Your hand had even come up to fidget with that key charm.

“Okay,” you finally said, coming to a decision. You glanced at Joong, and he mouthed a question to you. Everything okay? You shook your head, lips pursed. “Okay, Minju, I’ll meet you at your place. I was on my way somewhere so I don’t have my laptop, but—yeah, thank you… okay, I’ll see you in fifteen. Bye, hon.”

You sighed as you ended the call. “So…”

Hongjoong looked at you expectantly. “Work emergency?”

With a wince, you nodded. “I’m sorry, Joong, but the CE literally just sprung this on us and we’re both kinda fucked if we don’t finish this tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it; really, doll.” Hongjoong held you by your arms, eyes and words sincere. “Plus, you’re only missing one gathering. There’ll be plenty after this.”

Your shoulders slumped. “Thank you,” you said. For understanding. For reassuring me. “You’ll have to apologize to the others for me.”

His chuckle rang warm down your spine and made a smile split your face. Hongjoong wrapped an arm around your shoulder, hand rubbing your arm as you both walked toward the nearby metro station. “Now that is something you’ll have to owe me for. D'you know how much of a fit Mingi’s gonna throw when he finds out you’re not gonna make it?”

You laughed, head resting against his shoulder. “I’ll figure out a way to pay you back.”

“I have some ideas,” Hongjoong sang with that familiar twinkle in his eyes.

You rolled your eyes, but you knew you’d hear him out later. For now, you focused on the task you had ahead of you, rather than a blissful night with friends. If only you’d known that tonight wouldn’t be so spectacular for either of you.

— part five: everything i’ve ever wanted, everything i need

It had taken about five seconds of you clambering into the darkness of your apartment—keys clinking against the key bowl, shoes thunking against the floor, sigh falling from your lips—for you to realize something was wrong. More wrong than the report you and Minju had bullshitted tonight that could cost both of you your jobs. More wrong than the headache pulsing in your temples like a construction site.

Your eyes flickered to the pair of black boots dumped onto the shoe rack as you tore your clunky shoes off. You could have sworn you heard something… “Joong?” You called out into the dark.

There was no answer, but you definitely weren’t dreaming when you heard the sniffling and the labored breathing.

Your heart leapt into your throat, mind running haywire as you practically dove into the bedroom, narrowly missing the doorjamb with your shoulder.

You found Hongjoong in the corner of the room, knees hugged tightly to his chest, tear tracks glistening down his face. He rocked himself back and forth, not in a calm, soothing manner, but rather, something equivalent to a knee bouncing up and down. His eyes were wide and red, staring at nothing at all. He sounded like he was choking on oxygen, like—like—

You fell to your knees before him. “Joong—Hongjoong—”

He shook his head. He opened his mouth, a sob tearing through his body so harshly that you thought he might break. “He—he—he,” he croaked, trying to find his voice, but ultimately struggling to breathe again. “I can’t breathe—”

“Hongjoong,” you said once more and moved your body so you were in his direct line of sight. You raised your hands, palms to him. “I need you to count to ten with me. Is that okay?”

His bottom lip quivered, but he nodded.

“One… two…” And the two of you made it all the way to ten together. His breathing had steadied only slightly, and it broke your heart to see him in such a state.

Before you could ask, Hongjoong rasped, “He stole them. He stole them all, Yn. He stole all—he stole all my work.”

Your heart fell into your stomach.

You didn’t want to ask for clarification, but “What?” slipped out of your mouth before you could stop yourself.

Hoongjoong stared at nothing again. “He stole my sketchbook. He stole my designs. He posted them as his own. I'm—I can’t do jack shit about it.” And he was choking again, dry gagging on the mere thought of never seeing his dreams realized, of seeing them crumpled up in the fist of a man he used to idolize.

Disgust had bile climbing up your throat and you swallowed harshly. Tears prickled at your vision, and you swiped at your eyes. “Oh fuck, I'm—” God, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I can’t do anything but be here for you. “What can I do to help you? What do you need, love?”

“I can’t breathe,” he sobbed, body quaking, trembling, falling to pieces. “Help me,” he begged, “hold me. Please.”

You settled yourself against the wall next to him and opened your arms, without question, without hesitating, without wasting a second. He collapsed against your body and drenched your clothes in his grief. You held him close and tight, wishing it would be enough to make everything better. Even if you knew it wasn’t.

— part six: i’ll go through hell to make it work

It had taken you about five seconds of walking into Park Seonghwa and Jeong Yunho’s apartment to know that shit was going down. Seonghwa greeted you at the door with a quiet, sad smile. He let you in and led you to the kitchen where he would explain to you what was happening in the living room.

You could even hear them: Yunho and San were helping Hongjoong wage war.

“How are you, Yn-ie?” Seonghwa asked lowly, leaning back against the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in his hands, facing you.

That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it? It had been about two or so weeks since Hongjoong had quit his internship after he discovered his boss and ex-idol stole the designs straight out of his sketchbook with no credit given. Woo Hyuckjae was just as slimy and sleazy as he seemed—part of you wished you had spoken your mind about him sooner. Could all of this have been prevented? All of the sleepless nights, the crying, the panic attacks? Could Hongjoong’s heartbreak have been prevented had you just told him you didn’t feel comfortable about his former boss?

It ate you up inside, twisted your guts, squeezed your heart in this vice-like grip. Was this partly your fault?

But even as you expressed these concerns to Seonghwa, he always gave you the same answer: that no, it wasn’t your fault. Not in the slightest. Because no one but Woo Hyuckjae was to blame for this.

“I could be better,” you answered with a half-hearted shrug. “Joong’s just been… I guess it’s better that he’s speaking now.”

And for the first week, he hadn’t spoken at all. He’d stayed in bed almost all day, every day. You’d try to coax him to get up and watch a movie with you in the living room, but would ultimately take your laptop to bed with you so he could hold your hand while he slept and you worked.

It absolutely swallowed you whole to see him like this.

“He’s in his anger stage,” Seonghwa said as if that explained it. “Like the stages of grief, kind of thing. He’s meticulous when he’s ticked off. Very rarely does he blow up at people.”

You could attest to that. You rarely saw Hongjoong pissed—annoyed, maybe—but never pissed. The last time you’d seen him remotely mad or ticked off was when this retail worker kept ignoring you when you were asking about a fitting room. He hadn’t blown up, but had been like a quiet storm—deadly calm, and terribly patient. He was like a tiger, crouched in the tall, leafy grass, stalking an unsuspecting antelope. He would only pounce when the time was right; he was dangerous, in that way, when he was mad.

You swallowed, then scratched the side of your neck. “Did they find a loophole yet?” You asked, hope squeezing through the cracks of your voice. It had been a rough few weeks.

Seonghwa shook his head. “When they do find one, they’ll exploit it as thoroughly as possible.”

Yunho and San were both English majors, both of whom also hoped to continue their education in law school. Yunho had offered to help Hongjoong in the way he best could—through his connections at the law firm he was currently interning at. San didn’t have an internship at a law firm, but he had sharp eyes and an even sharper mind. It would be good for finding a loophole in the contract Joong had signed with his former employer. They had been at it for almost a week, about the same amount of time it had been since Hongjoong emerged from his slump one day.

And you? Well, that last minute report had reverberated up the chain, and you and Minju were struggling to keep your footing and position in the company as possible head editors. One mistake of miscommunication, that hadn’t even been either of your faults in the first place, had rocked your chances at a career so hard that you were still reeling from it two weeks later. You were still in the running, but you liked to think it was only by a thread.

It had been a rough few weeks.

“Woosan just texted and let me know they’re grabbing pizza with the others,” you said with a vague gesture to the phone you just took out of your pocket. “Is it cool if they bring it here?”

Seonghwa nodded, yawning. “Yeah, of course.”

“I’ll probably just grab a slice and head out.”

His head perked up faster than the coffee could wake him up. “You’re gonna leave? Why don’t you stay—”

You shook your head, already itching to get back to the office. “I have a lot to make up.” My reputation, especially. “I’ll say hi to Joong and everyone and take a slice.”

“You’ve been working a lot too, Yn-ie.” Seonghwa’s voice was soft as he set his mug on the counter, folded his arms over his chest, and regarded you with a concerned frown. “As much as we’re worried about Hongjoong, we’ve been just as worried about you, too.”

And that sentiment in itself was enough to boost your spirits, if only for a moment of happiness. It was nice to know that they noticed. Your smile was small, but it was present through your eyes. “Thank you for worrying, but you don’t need to worry too much. I can take care of myself, Hwa.”

“You can lean on us, too. Even Hongjoong, no matter what state he’s in, he’s gonna be there for you.”

“I know,” you reassured him. You adjusted the bag on your shoulder, already turning to the doorway to the living area. “Thank you though, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa’s smile was soft, his nod barely noticeable. But you were already making your presence known to the conspirators in the living room, and as you leaned down to press a kiss to your lover’s cheek, it was impossible to miss the loving twinkle in his eyes.

— ✶

Rain pelted your hooded head as you made a mad dash for the apartment complex from the taxi car. The sky had up and opened its dark gray skies and let hell rain down upon the earth. If it had been a more mild downpour, you could have stomached the walk from the metro stop to the complex, but with the showers… no, there was no way.

You flung yourself into the apartment lobby, hand swiping your hood off and wiping the rainwater from your eyes. You reached for the elevator button and jammed it with your thumb a few times before reaching for your phone. You wondered if Hongjoong was home yet—he was definitely home, right? It was a Thursday, and he didn’t have afternoon classes on Thursdays. He usually didn’t go out on days like these either—

The elevator doors slid open and you nearly crashed into Hongjoong himself. Both yours and his eyes widened in surprise, and a laugh fell from your lips.

“Hey, I was just about to text you,” you said as he stepped out of the elevator. You noted the coat he had on and an umbrella tucked under his arm. There was a noticeable dropping feeling in your stomach that you recognized as disappointment.

He cupped your cheek and pressed a kiss to your mouth. “I was just about to call you and say I won’t be home for dinner. Yunho wanted to go over something with me and his superior. I’m headed to the firm now.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll start dinner later then.” You hoped that would entice him to come back early. Another few days had passed, adding onto Hongjoong’s running plan to take back his designs, or at least, expose his former boss. He had become much livelier lately, and you had begun to see a lot more of his older self shone through. No longer was there incredible amounts of melancholy or anger. There were still moments, obviously; it would take him some time, and you were willing to wait as long as it took.

Hongjoong shook his head, lips pursed. He was already walking away. “Don’t wait up, doll! You’ve worked hard today, so don’t worry about me. I’ll be back for bedtime.”

You watched as he left the way you had come in. He’d thrown the hood over his frazzled blond hair and braced for the gust of wind and rain firing down upon him. When the door smacked closed behind him, you sighed and jammed the up button one more time. You supposed a bit of quiet would do you some good.

— ✶

It wasn’t the first night that Hongjoong didn’t even come home. Another week had gone by, and you believed you’d forgotten what Hongjoong sounded like at this point. You hadn’t seen him in what felt like days, but the reality was that you and him only caught glimpses of each other: run-ins of you coming into the apartment and him hurrying out, those few moments you were both at the apartment together, feeling his body warmth leave your side in the early mornings. He would leave in the opposite direction you went toward the metro, since the law firm and his new, makeshift office was in the more high society end of downtown.

You were hunched over your laptop at your desk when you heard the distinct clicking of the apartment lock. You glanced over your shoulder briefly as the door yawned open, then took a peek at the time—Jesus, it was already two in the morning. You dug the heel of your hand into your eye to rub the sleep away; there still so much to do, especially with that fourth year thesis deadline approaching and looming over your shoulder.

The shadow currently looming over your shoulder, however, stole a peek at your computer screen. “You’ve been at that same paragraph for hours now, haven’t you?” Came Yeosang’s soft murmur. It was no longer teasing like he would on previous occasions, but rather exasperated, tired, or worried even.

Yeah, writer’s block was an ass. And you felt like one, too, for Yeosang’s being awake so late because of you.

“Mhm,” you hummed with a deep exhale. You anxiously reached for the key charm at your clavicle. “You can crash on my bed. I probably won’t go to sleep for a while.”

“The point of me checking up on you is to get you to sleep now, y'know,” he said with a yawn. He leaned over the back of your chair and propped his chin on top of your head. You swallowed; a wave of déjà vu washed over you. Your chest ached and your throat closed in on itself—you missed him so much.

You brought both of your hands to your face now as if you could scrub away the negative things in your life, or maybe just the drowsiness. “What am I doing, Yeo? Like, seriously. What am I doing?”

He straightened and his warm hands came to your shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. “You’re working too hard, just like your boyfriend. One of you has to have self-control, Yn-ie. And I think you have a little more sense than hyung right now.”

He gave your shoulder another squeeze, and he walked away toward the bedroom. “Come on! If I have to wait, your pillow’s gonna be warm.”

“You sadist, Kang Yeosang,” you huffed after him. You looked at your computer screen again—the blinking cursor, the blank page remaining. You shut the lid of the screen and padded after Yeosang.

Yeosang idly scratched his chest as he stood next to your bed, watching as you collapsed into the sea of cool blankets and sheets. He didn’t bother climbing in, but rather, sat down next to you on your side and leaving Hongjoong’s side untouched (as it had been). He set his palm on your forehead, then gently patted your head. “Feel better?”

You nodded. Your eyelids were already falling like rain. “Yeah. Thanks, Yeo.”

He hummed, and the room was quiet for a moment. You thought he was waiting for you to fall asleep before leaving, but you heard him say, “Just call him, Yn. Call him and tell him you miss him.”

“He’s busy.”

“He’s never too busy for you,” he countered. “Surprise him with lunch or something then.” You didn’t say anything, and he sighed like he knew what you were thinking. “You’re stupid if you think you’re a bother, and he’s stupid if he thinks you are a bother. If.”

The bed lifted as he stood up to turn off the lights. “Call him, Yn. Good night.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, pulling the covers up to your chin and wishing the bed next to you was filled. “Good night.”

— ✶

The high part of downtown was a windy place like the streets were made for a live runway show. You had tied your hair back in an attorney to beat the breeze, but the rest of your jacket was flying behind you. You’d luckily opted for your backpack today rather than your tote, so your belongings were strapped to your back.

You were presently on the way to Hongjoong’s little studio. Hongjoong had given you the address awhile ago, but with all of the chaos recently, you hadn’t found the time to go see it. According to San though, it was still a mess of boxes and plastic—he also had little time to decorate—but there was apparently a kitchenette and bathroom. He could live there if he wanted to… as he practically did at this point.

You dug your phone out of your pocket when you heard the ringtone go off. “Yunho, hey! I’m actually on my way over right now.”

“Oh, thank God, Yn.” He sounded frazzled, the way the words spilled from his mouth like alphabet soup. “How far out are you?”

“Uhm, a couple blocks,” you estimated and squinted up the road. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“It’s Hongjoong. He—”

Your mind flew to the worst possible scenarios. It had been several weeks since that night, but maybe you should have paid closer attention to him. He had been getting better, had been returning to his old self… but perhaps he was relapsing, and it was breaking your heart all over again. “Give me five minutes,” you said with resolution, then hung up and hightailed it all the way up the street.

There were probably people on the street looking at you strangely, but you could hardly care as the wind and your heartbeat thundered in your ears. Memories of that night echoed in your mind, and you could hear his heart wrenching sobs again.

When you arrived at the complex, San was stationed by the lobby door and escorted you up the elevator. You barely took in the lobby as you swiftly passed by the front desk, and ascended to the third floor. Even San was nervous—his finger tapping against his arm and his teeth chewing the inside of his cheek.

“He wanted to dye his hair back to black,” San explained to you quietly as you both stepped out of the elevator. “But he had, uhm, this meltdown. I don’t even know what triggered it, but—” he pushed out a rough exhale, “I don’t even know, Yn-ie. I really don’t know.”

One of the doors in the corridor exploded open as Yunho yanked it open and beckoned you inside. His shoulders visibly relaxed at the sight of you. “Yn, thank God. He’s not listening to either of us. I don't—I don’t know how to help him.”

“Where is he?” You asked, already scanning the surroundings for Hongjoong.

“The bathroom.”

You were directed to a small doorway to the side, and you set your bag on the ground against the wall. Slowly and quietly, you peered into the bathroom.

Hongjoong was hunched over the bathroom sink with his hands braced on the counter top. His hands were stained in ink black dye, coloring the white marble counter like blood. A discarded bottle of black hair dye sat next to his right hand, along with a pair of latex gloves that hadn’t even been used. It seemed he had been halfway through the dye job with half his head dyed black, when something had happened to trigger this—this quiet.

Unlike last time, he was not crying uncontrollably, but deadly silent. He stared into the negative space of the empty sink bowl, tear tracks dried on the slopes of his cheeks. But you saw the way his body shook underneath it all. He trembled, an earthquake of bottled emotional wreckage having bided its time long enough. The past few weeks… he had been hiding it all this time.

“Hongjoong-ah,” you murmured to test the waters.

He said nothing yet, but his bottom lip trembled.

You slowly and delicately wrapped your arms around his waist from behind, then pressed your cheek against his back. “Talk to me, my love.”

A sob broke from his mouth and your chest ached.

You gave him a reassuring squeeze when you felt your own eyes prickle with tears. “I love you,” you rasped. “I missed you a lot. I missed you so much.”

“I’m so sorry, Yn,” he croaked. “I’m so, so sorry. I—” He desperately sucked in a breath of air, “I should have gone home.”

“You had things you needed to do; I understand,” you told him. “You can come home when you’re ready.”

And as you held him in your arms once more, with those words echoing in the space about you both, Hongjoong cried and cried and cried.

— part seven: i’m happy for you

It took only about five seconds of blinking and squinting for Hongjoong to get accustomed to the warm light of the living room lamp. His eyes were red and dry and puffy from breaking down earlier again, but the brief bit of sleep had been nice, for once. Sleeping in his own bed felt like heaven, but he was still missing you.

It was probably around four in the morning by now, a number he wasn’t surprised to see. But you were there on the couch again, laptop propped on your lap and eyes zoned into the words you poured onto your canvas. Hongjoong rubbed his eyes, scratched his chest, waddled over toward you with grogginess contorting his face into a pouty frown.

You glanced up from your screen for a second and he saw the ghost of a smile on your lips.

He curled up next to you, and you scooped him under your arm. He felt your hand run through his hair as you set your laptop aside and gently guided his head to your warm lap. “Missed you,” he exhaled, voice barely audible.

“I’m sorry; I’ll be there soon,” you said back. “The hair looks good, bug.”

After you had helped clean him up at the office, it had become a silent decision between the two of you to keep his hair half black and half blond. There was something about the combination that struck you, but he couldn’t see it yet. All he could see were two halves of himself—one that had been blinded by naivety and ambition, and one scorned by those two very things. But perhaps those two halves were what made him whole. He just couldn’t see it yet.

“You look good,” he murmured back. His eyes were glazed and half lidded as he gazed up at you. He couldn’t imagine how he’d gone so long avoiding you and the apartment. How had he abstained from the allure of home for so long? He remembered the moment he had crossed the threshold of the apartment, weeping in your arms, and your scent was everywhere around him, embracing him even while you weren’t right next to him.

He felt safe here.

“I’m sorry for neglecting you,” he suddenly croaked. His eyes were already dampening again, stinging. “I’m sorry I was so far all the time.”

You leaned down to cradle him, and his nose went to your neck. His lungs were filling with you again, but he didn’t want to breathe in anything else. “Don’t apologize, Hongjoong. You don’t need to apologize to me; I wasn’t much better. You were doing it for you, and I just want you to be happy.”

His arms came around you and held on for dear life. “I’m not happy—I wasn’t happy, doll. I was so… I was so angry.”

“At him?”

“At myself,” he said, “for letting that happen, for not seeing it before it could happen. I’m just…” disappointed.

“You couldn’t have known, love,” you reassured him. He felt the featherweight of your lips on his head, a kiss from an angel. “You were just following your dreams.”

His heartbeat was rapid, but his breathing was steady for the first time in weeks. He wondered if he could immortalize this moment, so he would feel nothing but your love, all the time. No more pain, no more anger. “And now look at me. Huh.”

He closed his eyes for a moment in the silence. “How’d I get so lucky?”

“Don’t be like that, Joong.”

“No, I mean—” he felt your eyes on him again and he was back on the pillow of your lap, “—how’d I get so lucky with finding someone like you? Who decided to make me walk into that store that day? Who decided to give me the courage to give you fashion advice? Who decided to let me meet the woman of my dreams?”

His eyes fluttered open, and he saw the silver lining your eyes.

“We might never know, but I’m lucky to have met you, too,” you said.

“Even with all the trouble I am?” Hongjoong closed his eyes again as you pressed kisses to his eyelids.

“That’s the best part,” you mused. “But you’re no trouble, Joong. You are no burden, no problem, no ball and chain. You’re just—” Your mind went fuzzy and you couldn’t find the energy to be elegant at four in the morning, “—mine, y'know?”

He giggled. “I’m yours.”

You hummed. “You are mine to hold, cherish, love. I’m here to encourage you and help you and… I—well, I’m just going to support you. Because I want to, not that I’m obligated to or anything.”

Hongjoong peered up at you again, and he wished he could say all the things brewing in his mind, but he couldn’t find the right words to string together. You’d taken all that he had ever wanted and given it to him on a gold platter like it was nothing, as if it didn’t make his heart skip about five beats in a row or want to make him stay in this bubble with you forever.

How’d he get so lucky?

“I love you,” he rasped as he extended his arm up to cup your face in his hand. “And I’ll love you and stand by you in all your endeavors.”

You turned your face slightly to kiss his palm. “Forever?”

“Forever.”

a/n: might write an epilogue at some point, but hope you enjoyed <3 pls do rb, comment, and send asks !! tysm x

#ateez x reader #kim hongjoong x reader #hongjoong x reader #ateez hongjoong #ateez fluff #ateez angst #ateez oneshot #hongjoong oneshot #hongjoong fluff #hongjoong angst #hongjoong scenarios #hongjoong imagines #ateez imagines #ateez scenarios

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northstarco · 30 days

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niko vs smoothie 😖

❝ nikolas runs away! literally! ❞

"hi".

upon peaking his head in through the door, nikolas is met with the numerous eyes of nct dream. the first one to react to his appearance is kihyun, who gasps at the sight of the older. "nini!" he squeals, wrapping his arms around the others waist. the dancer gives a small smile, ruffling the younger's hair.

"you said you wouldn't be able to make it" mark's accusatory tone makes the other narrow his eyes, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he allows for kihyun to squeeze him to death. "i lied".

the look he receives from the lee makes him snort. "of course you did".

"you know me so well!"

the im lets go of the older, smiling up at him. nikolas then glances at the rest of the group, clapping his hands. "congratulations on the comeback! you all did so well on your stage!"

"but i did the best right?" lee donghyuck slides up right beside him, poking the taller in the shoulder. "right?" he urges again, and nikolas pretends to think about it.

"hmm, i think you did the worst actually— ow!"

the 96 liner rubs his arm as he reels from the hit the 00 liner landed on it. "didn't anyone tell you to respect your elders haechanie?"

upon hearing the words, nikolas turns to glare at mark, who only sports a grin of feigned innocence. "are you calling me old? you fucke—"

as soon as he tries to say the word, huang renjun is slaps a hand over his mouth, preventing him from cussing out his fellow member in english. "no swearing please, not while we're here with the door open".

the older scowls, gently removing renjun's hand from his mouth. "you're lucky, mark" he points down the canadian, who just smiles tauntingly.

"you aren't gonna do anything".

"bro i'll literally—"

"aren't we supposed to film the challenge with you?"

nikolas is once again cut off by the question from the maknae, and it dawns on him. oh, that. "we're supposed to?"

"what you don't wanna do it?"

"you have to!" donghyuck immediately exclaims, trying to shut down any arguments from the older. he clings onto the olders arm, giving his best pleading eyes. "please juni hyung?"

now usually, nikolas is always going to fall for those puppy dog eyes of donghyuck's, but today he seems to be doing everything in his body to resist them, so he lets out an awkward chuckle. "well i— i uh, i have a thing! i have to do!"

the leader immediately sees through his lie, raising an eyebrow. "a thing?"

"yeah i have to go uh, feed my cat!"

then, nikolas runs.

donghyuck can barely even keep up with his motions, as the older quickly let go of him and sprints out of the room.

"did he just run away?"

renjun can't help but laugh, humored by the situation, and mark just groans, now used to the older's shenanigans. "we should probably go catch him right?"

"jeno hyung should do it!"

"wait why?"

"because we have to capture him!"

what a totally non-mischievous plan.

"you can't do this! this is against my will!"

nikolas tries his best to get out of jeno's grip, the younger pulling him by the arm, but he is no match against him. yeah he's taller than jeno, but he can't compete with his seemingly superhuman strength, struggling as he's pulled back into the room with the rest of the nct dream members.

kihyun comes up from behind him, flicking his head. "why don't you wanna film the challenge with us?" the im crosses his arm, watching as the khornthon grimaces.

"i don't know the choreography.."

"liar!"

niko scoffs at chenle's rebuttal. "i'm not lying! i only know the chorus and stuff like tha— OW! JENO DON'T PULL MY ARM OFF!"

"it's just a ten second video" all mark's words receive is a glare from the older, who is very much still not into this. "seriously, just get it over with!"

nikolas drops down onto the floor, exhausted from trying to resist against the strong hold of the lee. "you guys can't make me do anything.." the members roll their eyes at his stubborn antics,

"you have to! do you want me to tell them about your situation with te—"

"fine! i'll do it, stupid chitta.." nikolas forces himself to stand up, dusting his pants free form any dirt. he hears the chuckles of the mischievous im. "you're lucky your adorable you little asshole".

"swearing".

"sorry" the dancer immediately responds, he watches as donghyuck and kihyun hop over to him so they can drag him out to go film their little tiktok.

nikolas wished for the ground to swallow him whole.

mentioned @kiiyunz

#. ✦ WRITING !#nct addition #fake kpop idol #fictional idol oc #fictional kpop oc #kpop addition #kpop oc #nct added member #nct 127 10th member #kpop male idol #kpop male oc

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skybristle · 3 months

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FINALLY I HAVE ALL OF THESE CUNTS NAMED. i made a like 10 iterator local group [Echoing Strife] with dear mutual @arti-cat !!!!!!! its crazy !! most of them were born like yesteday so no designs but im gonna dump about them. the whole theme of their group is they're based on the echoes /their monolouges. also some ancients that are important [more info under cut]. rb and comment on my ramblings boy

Metropolis: Clawing at the 'Clouds' [senior] [he/him] Sky Islands: A Second of 'Silence' [they/them] Wall/Silent Construct: Relentless Earthly Cacophony ['Rec'] [any/all] Chimney Canopy: Three Binding 'Feathers' [he/she/aer] Shoreline: A Precipice of a 'Promise' [she/it] Shaded Citadel: Seeing Past 'Ichor' [he/him] Subterranean: Solitude of Uncovered 'Omens' [they/it] Undergrowth: [Undisclosed] 'Vex'ing Desires [he/ve] Farm Arrays: Joyful Envision of Tranquility ['Jet'] [he/him] Bitter Aerie: From the 'Depths' to the Heavens [they/any] + Ancients: A Thousand Flakes of 'Dust', One Resolute Cause [she/her] Tangled 'Kestrel', Clawing Desperately [they/she] Cacophony's Caw, 'Crows' Descend [he/him] [child] 'Cardinal' Descending from Afar [he/him] [child] 'Wrens' Hopping, Blissful Eve [she/her] [BABY]

clouds: no talk him he angy. once again one of my seniors sucks at their fucking job. theres a fire in his heart filled with cancers and poppy tarts /ref hes gonna fuck everything up as soon as shit goes wrong. he gets therapy from a cat though. go shitty lesbians go. sometimes reffered to as claw demeaningly

silence: Old Man /silly . they are the mediator and are very concerned with their younger iterators. ends up really fucking things up with the constant fighting between vex and omens [ill get to that] and vex maybe explodes them [silence has a very weak structure to begin with]. oh also silence can overhear echos. hehehehe

rec: haha dumb IDIOT gave himself the rot!!!! she kind of did it when she was young and dumb and has come to really regret it, but chooses to use the remaining time he has building a better life for the creatures around him rather than concern himself with his infection and past mistakes, much to the dismay of its fellow iterators

feathers: silly little guy!!! had a crush on one of aer techs [kestrel] and grew very close to them. maybe cried like a little bitch when she managed to sneak her kids [crow & cardinal [wren probably wasnt born yet]] down there when she couldnt find someone to babysit. imagine having an iterator be ur nini to help you with your homework . its really silly to me. Sure Hope Mass Ascension Doesn't Ruin Everything! [feathers bioengineers scugs like them to Cope. it does not help]

promise: just kind of bitter and angry. it did so much work for its city, gave up everything, all for nothing at all. just for her to be abandoned in the chase for ascension. accidentally pingpongs vex's beliefs REALLY TERRIBLY while shes just kind of awkward about it because she doesnt like omens on principle but doesnt side with vir either

ichor: funny little guy . loved by his citizens. Knew about the mass ascension before it happened but didnt tell anyone so everyone [especially feathers] is really really fucking pissed at him. oops king.

omens: def the most devoted to ascension and the problem, while also studying past civilizations and Grand Cycles. viewed mass ascension as a good thing and is happy their creators moved on. watches vex spiral in Real Time and is kind of freaked out. theyre somewhat conjoined [not as much as moon&pebbs but they share a lot of systems particularly their comms arrays] which led to lots of fighting between them Constantly only driving them deeper into hatred and resentment. theres only a certain point when omens actually becomes Scared of him, however....

vex: ohhh you mentally ill little boy. fairly normal until Dust [the leader of a very violent and large anti-ascension movement] corrupted him as his mentor. uh. ve likes to believe it was beneficial and 'enlightened' vir but really it just turned him into an angry person, especially when mass ascension happened and dust got ascended which only cemented his beliefs. fights a fuckton with omens and believes in the holiness of the cycle. very unbecoming of an iterator. sure hope he doesnt do anything terrible!

jet: built at sea, collapsed due to a great flood/tsunami before mass ascension. believed to be dead and very distant from the group, they were a source of a lot of drama. hes actually alive though! he was built with Some waterproof measures in mind so hes functioning to an extent down there. in yuri we trust [with depths]

depths: originally built as spectacle + as a lighthouse to work alongside jet, but jet collapsed before they were completeted. oops. feels very hollow and purposeless, until a messenger from the sea shows up with a pearl . otherwise depths is very distant from the group [mainly distance and poor comms] and also when trying to learn about jets clouds found it insensitive with the wound being 'too fresh' and kind of exploded on them. woops.

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