Kang Taehyun transfers to a new university. It's not surprising when his appearance immediately captures everyone's attention. It's easy for him to make friends. He gets invited to a party and he gladly accepts the invitation. Everything changes when the most beautiful boy he has ever seen stumbles upon him at the party he was invited to.
or
A friends with benefits au where the new hot transfer student and pretty boy on campus become highly addicted to each other.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
chapter 8 of my taegyu fic is out! for new readers, the synopsis of the story:
After his fall from grace, infamous actor Choi Beomgyu unwillingly takes on the role of lawyer Kang Taehyun's secretary for his last chance at a comeback.
And summary of chapter 8!
“Lee Chaeryeong?”
“Beomgyu-ssi?” She said, eyes widening. Clearly, she too hadn't expected his presence. Taehyun glanced between the two, surprised.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
chapter nine is now out! featuring a cameo from the lovely choi san :) light fluffy office hijinks with a bit of hurt/comfort in this update!
summary of chapter nine:
Ten minutes later, he watched covertly from his desk as the secretary returned, a tray of coffee in his hands. Beomgyu was placing his own mug on his desk when he happened to look up and spot the note. A bright grin crept across his face as he scanned the words, and Taehyun had to look away, clearing his throat.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
here's chapter ten!! the big case starts now. star cameo from my beloved bias felix from stray kids <3
summary of chapter ten!
He suddenly spoke, “Tomorrow, I’m going to meet a new client in jail. It's a big case. Do you want to come with me?”
“Huh?” Beomgyu put down his mug from where he’d been about to drink. “Really?”
Taehyun nodded. “I’m the only one who can meet him, but you can go to see the jail and discuss the case with me to help your law career. And you won’t have to sit in the office alone.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
chapter eleven is out! a few fluffy shenanigans with a damsel in distress gyu scene as well. enjoy!!
How could he say something like that so casually? And with such a straight face! Beomgyu blushed, gathering his stuff up in a hurry. He shoved the folder back at Taehyun and quickly got out of the door. “Ah, I should go now, Taehyun-ssi, thanks for the ride, goodnight!” He blurted out before rushing back to his apartment, thankful for the cover of the evening to hide the fierce red staining his cheeks.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
chapter twelve! in this update, we see a company dinner, a small update on felix's case and a whole bunch of angst!
quick summary:
“Everything ok, Beomgyu?” Yeonjun asked, eyeing him with concern as he re-entered the room. Beomgyu shrugged, dredging up a smile and slipping back into his chair.
“Yeah, it’s just my manager won’t be able to be with me for the next few days because of something. I miss him.”
The CEO gave him an empathetic smile, patting his back. “It must be hard being away from him. I’m sure you’ll be able to see him soon.” He grabbed the pile of folders and deposited them in front of Beomgyu with a teasing wink. “Until then, these case files can keep you company.”
┈ ❝ In the world of darkness, you’re the coolest color of mine ❞ ┈┈ ❝ Like how the winter passes by, you make me bloom you make this cold me thaw ❞ ┈
Beomgyu is warm as the sun
Taehyun is cold as antarctica
They are complete opposites
That's why it's even more special
───────── · · · ♡ · · · ─────────
summary:
Choi Beomgyu seems to be nocturnal when playing video games. When he goes to a convenient store to buy late night snacks and a caffeinated beverage, he runs into a group of boys that seem to be troublemakers. He tries to avoid them but when his eyes meet the very attractive, intimidating blonde boy... his heart stutters. He doesn't know if this means that he is scared his life will end here or that he fell in love at first sight. So he runs away.
Kang Taehyun as Harley Quinn has the handsomely detective, Choi Beomgyu, held captive against his will.
───────── · · · ♡ · · · ─────────
"I like you like this... all tied up for me," Taehyun said affectionately, admiring the detective as he gently caresses his soft cheek with delicate fingers. Fingers from a hand of a murderer.
Beomgyu tensed at the touch and condescending words. He feels apprehensive with his hands and legs tied firmly to the chair he's secured on.
There is no escape.
"Please," Beomgyu pleads with a shaky breath. "Let me go."
With a glint of mischief in Taehyun's eyes, he straddles the detective's lap. He sits himself down and adjusts his position until he's comfortable. Beomgyu almost groans at the sudden contact, inhaling sharply. Then Taehyun starts playing with the detective's hair. His dominant hand moves in gentle motions, disheveling the hair he's fondling like Beomgyu is some sort of pet. His right hand holds the knife in a threatening grip near the detective’s neck.
Beomgyu remains still as possible while this villain is straddled on top of his lap. He is afraid that if he squirms with even a slight movement, he's dead. His heart is racing and his blood is pulsing hot.
He's undeniably trapped.
Taehyun tsks, " I don't think so baby. In fact, I want you. I want you to heed my every command. How about that detective? Will you allow me to be your master?"
Ultimately, Taehyun not only wants more control than he already has on Gotham City but he also desires a pretty plaything, mostly for his entertainment. And having someone from the justice system, under his power who obeys to his every command? It would be an added bonus if this detective submits to him because his beautiful visuals will definitely have Taehyun achieve both goals.
Taehyun is enraptured with this feasible outcome.
However, Beomgyu thinks he will be nothing but a mere puppet for the villain.
Little did the detective know Taehyun thought of him as something more.
"What's in it for me?" Beomgyu boldly asked.
"I won't kill you darling," Taehyun giggled then leans closer until their lips are almost touching. "Be mine and you'll get to live." He places the knife's blade delicately on the detective's pretty neck. Sudden thoughts about marking the man appear in his sadistic mind.
Taehyun has a twisted imagination.
Then Taehyun starts to softly grind on the lap he’s planted on. Beomgyu attempts to suppress a moan from the pressure and friction but embarrassingly fails.
To Taehyun's surprise, Beomgyu doesn't tell him to stop. Instead the man underneath him slowly begins to surrender in his mercy.
The villain who is slightly moving his hips with purpose flashes a cunning smile and Beomgyu's heart clenched at the single dimple that appears. All of his unsettling thoughts suddenly dissipates.
Beomgyu has no choice but to take the torturous pleasure as he thought about how his life is on the line.
Or was it actually? Taehyun wouldn't ever kill him, unless he crosses him of course yet Beomgyu indeed doesn't know that. However, he would rather not be murdered by a dangerous villain so he decides to submit in utter defeat.
"Okay," Beomgyu whispered while panting heavily.
"Hmm? What was that?" Taehyun asked mockingly as he slowly tilts the detective's head so his mouth can latch on the delectably tempting neck. Beomgyu gasps as Taehyun licks and suckles sweetly.
"I-I'—."
It was difficult for Beomgyu to formulate words. Taehyun smiles as he doesn't falter his sweet torture, gradually grinding and sucking harder. He felt elated when he could feel the detective underneath him becoming hard.
Taehyun couldn’t be more thrilled that his scheme was working.
"Say it darling. What is it you want to say?"
After a moment of accepting the pleasure he was receiving, Beomgyu moans, "please."
Taehyun halts his actions and lifts his head from Beomgyu's neck to gaze at him, smiling fondly at his captive. He snakes an arm around Beomgyu’s shoulder and neck possessively, pressing himself impossibly closer to the body he’s engulfing. His hand continues to fondle the soft hair on the back of Beomgyu’s head.
"Please what darling?"
"M-More," Beomgyu rasped.
"More what?"
Although Taehyun already knew exactly what Beomgyu wanted, he enjoys teasing him.
"Don't stop."
The knife is still gripped in the villain’s right hand while he lightly traces it on the detective’s cheek, neck and exposed collarbone.
"Just tell me you're mine and I won't."
Beomgyu shudders at the knife on his skin and his heart races.
"I-I’m yours."
A smirk appears on Taehyun’s lips.
"That's right darling. You're mine."
Taehyun cups his face as he slowly leans forward and presses a gentle kiss on Beomgyu's lips, as if he was sealing the agreement like a contract. He continues to kiss Beomgyu with ease while Beomgyu forcibly kisses back. After a moment, Taehyun bites his bottom lip harshly and a sudden whine comes out of Beomgyu from the pain.
Taehyun slightly pulls away from Beomgyu’s lips with a unrestrained tug from his teeth and says, "The first thing that I want you to do for me is beg. Beg for me."
Beomgyu softly says with no hesitation, “Please."
"Please what?" Taehyun asked sternly.
The only answer Taehyun receives is a whimper which makes him change his demeanor.
"Do you want me to take care of this?" Taehyun asked softly as he caresses Beomgyu's hardness with a feather-like touch.
"Please."
Taehyun hums in satisfaction.
"I'm going to take care of myself first. You can watch."
Taehyun stands up and places the knife on Beomgyu’s lap. Then he disregards his shirt and plaid skirt while Beomgyu stares with anticipation, eyes widening the moment he sees Taehyun in lace panties. Beomgyu watches intently while Taehyun feels himself over the panties. Taehyun notices Beomgyu swallowed hard and giggles at the aroused detective. He knows the detective likes what he sees, it was obvious to him that Beomgyu was biting back a moan at the view. He strips out of the remaining undergarment seductively. He holds the panties in his right hand and picks the knife back up with the same hand before he plops his bare ass back onto Beomgyu's clothed lap, adjusting himself onto the perfect spot so he can feel Beomgyu's hardness. He smiles victoriously when Beomgyu made a strangled noise at his movements.
Momentarily, Taehyun brings his left hand to Beomgyu’s mouth and presses his thumb against the bottom lip, lightly swollen from the bite.
"Open."
Beomgyu obediently does what is he told then Taehyun slowly enters his fingers inside the wet cavern, biting his lip when he hears a soft moan that came from Beomgyu. Once satisfied with the amount of wetness coating his fingers, Taehyun pulls his fingers out and replaces them by shoving his panties inside instead.
"Hold onto these for me yeah?” Taehyun asked, patting Beomgyu’s cheek with his wet hand.
Doe-eyes blink at Taehyun before he receives a nod. He internally coos at the innocent look.
Taehyun starts to pleasure himself while Beomgyu has no choice but to watch. He thumbs his tip, smearing the precum then strokes himself. When he gradually picks up his pace, small whimpers and moans escape.
“I wish this was your hand doing this to me,” Taehyun quaked, knowing that Beomgyu’s hands are tied.
Taehyun purposely moves the knife in between their body as he releases, cum lands onto Beomgyu’s clothes and his knife.
After Taehyun calms down from his high he pouts, feigning innocence.
“You made me cum on my knife.”
He takes his panties out of Beomgyu's mouth, tossing it somewhere then lifts the knife closer to his face.
"Clean it for me darling."
Beomgyu obeys and opens his mouth, sticking his tongue out. Taehyun carefully presses the side of the knife on Beomgyu’s tongue, where the cum is glazed, yet making sure the blade doesn't slice Beomgyu. He willingly licks it clean with his eyes closed. The sinful scene makes Taehyun’s dick twitch.
After there is no cum left on the knife, Taehyun takes it away. He pecks a quick kiss on the detective’s lips adoringly.
There is a possibility he may be in love with this detective already.
“As much as I want to ride you until you’re squirming and whining underneath me, I unfortunately have a meeting to attend to. Sorry I can’t help you this time.” Then he leans closer to Beomgyu’s ear and whispers, “Just wait for me until I see you again.”
The disapproving sound Beomgyu makes has Taehyun slightly hard again yet he dismisses the detective that’s currently in denial. Taehyun leans back as his eyes darken. He says menacingly, "You belong to me now detective Choi Beomgyu and no one else."
Then instantly Taehyun’s expression softens before he stands up abruptly, picking up his clothing items that were discarded on the floor. He intentionally bends down where his exposed ass is facing the tied up detective. The action was deliberate, he knows Beomgyu is painfully hard and he tends to keep it that way until he leaves.
Taehyun informs nonchalantly as he dresses himself, “I will have someone untie you and escort you back to your place.”
Beomgyu cries out, “B-But..”
Before Taehyun exits the door, he turns around to stare at Beomgyu with such fondness it makes Beomgyu’s stomach twist in knots.
The pitiful detective, all tied up with a noticeable boner and a mark on his neck to let everyone know he belongs to someone. Except the person he belongs to isn’t just anyone.
The person Beomgyu belongs to now is the baddest supervillain in Gotham City.
~Enjoy the first 9.5k words of an a/b/o fic I started last year and never completed 😂
~It will be finished and posted on ao3 eventually, so don't worry!
As soon as you find your soulmate, you start to hear whispers of their thoughts sometimes. The mental bond between the pair will grow stronger the more they get along.
Unfortunately for Taehyun, he must have accidentally met his soulmate at the welcoming party his new pack threw for him. And he really can't afford to have a soulmate reading his thoughts right now or it will blow his cover.
"I don't know Kai, are you sure this is going to work?" Taehyun whispered nervously to his best friend. He glanced around them in wary, noting all of the other shifters slowly gathering in the clearing.
Too many. There's too many of them. Surely they will notice. Someone is going to notice-
"Of course it will!" Kai said cheerfully, rubbing Taehyun's back in reassurance. "Relax, I got this all handled. Nobody is going to find out. Once the alphas of the pack scent you, the coast is clear! Just a few more minutes, trust me."
Taehyun's face blanched at that. The alphas were definitely going to figure it out. How could they not? It was like, bred into their very biological makeup to sniff out a potential unmated ome-
"Do I smell?" Taehyun asked for the hundredth time that day, since the moment he stepped onto another pack's unfamiliar territory. Hopefully it will become his pack soon. Kai even put in a good word for him with the pack leader's son and second in command, Choi Soobin.
Kai sighed, but relented yet again. He bent down and gently nestled his nose into the side of Taehyun's neck. The gesture was very intimate, but Taehyun needed the reassurance only his best friend could give him in this life or death situation.
Well, he was being dramatic, but for good reason. The pack he's originally from, the Cozen Pack, was not a very pleasant one, and their pack leader was one of the worst. Which is why he requested a pack transfer, hoping to get accepted into his best friend's pack, the Matutine Pack. Only the pack leader could approve of the transfer, and it's hard getting accepted right away. If today went well, taehyun would be home free from his past.
If it didn't…well, let's just say taehyun's current pack leader, Shin Moonjo, is not going to be very happy to find out he went behind his back and applied for a transfer. Nobody is allowed to even think about leaving the Cozen pack without his permission. He was a controlling bastard.
Kai inhaled deeply into his neck near his scent gland, and Taehyun tried not to blush at the few stares they were now receiving.
No, there was no romantic attraction between the two friends. They don't act like this on a normal basis. Taehyun just really needed Kai to make sure he didn't smell, and the only way to do that was to get as close as a mate would.
Kai let Taehyun's scent linger in his lungs for a few seconds, and then he exhaled it all out. He nodded his head happily, which meant good news. "Hmm, you have a faint scent of your usual tangerines and mandarins, but for the most part it's hidden. I can only smell it because I know what I'm looking for. If anyone questions it, you can just say it's a new perfume you're trying out! Trust me tyun, it's working."
Taehyun let a shaky breath escape his lips and his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. He believes his friend, he really does, but it was hard not to feel like a cornered scared animal. What he was doing was really risky and could potentially get him banned from every pack out there. There's no way he would survive as a lone wolf if that happened.
Kai was a beta wolf and his best friend. All betas have an extraordinary ability to scent out other shifters. They could easily tell what kind of shifter you were, and which subgender you were born as. They could track scents way better than an alpha or omega, and once they got a whiff of a fragrance, they remember it for life.
A beta's olfactory senses were a thousand times better than everyone else, which makes them a vital part of any pack. If there was an invasion on pack territory, a beta is at the front scenting and locating the enemies so the alphas can then step in and take them out with their incredible strength and stamina. If an omega was about to go into heat, they can scent it days before even an alpha can and get them to a safe place to rest for the week.
So Taehyun trusted Kai's nose. If he says his scent is mostly masked, then he will believe him. The suppressants he took must be working wonders. Kai reassured him that not even a beta would notice his scent unless they really tried, so it would be safe around alphas. All Taehyun has to do is remember to take his scent-blocking suppressants every day, keep his emotions in check so other shifters won't catch a whiff, and refrain from doing a lot of strenuous activity so he doesn't sweat and make his fragrance more potent.
Simple. No big deal. This is fine, everything is going to be fine-
"Here comes the pack leader's alpha son," Kai whispered to Taehyun, his eyes snapping to the tall male approaching the growing crowd. "He will be the first to scent you, which is a good thing because he's pretty sharp and the sooner we get him out of the way the better. Don't let his soft features fool you."
Taehyun bit his bottom lip and tried not to look like a frightened animal. Usually he was confident and sure of himself. He's smart and snarky; he had to be to survive the Cozen Pack all on his own for the past two years. But now he's here at the Matutine Pack, with no allies except for Kai, and a huge secret weighing on his shoulders that could get him kicked out of here, thrown on the street, and black listed from all other packs.
He's not the beta wolf he's trying to pretend to be. He's an omega, and omegas are typically not allowed to work as Pack Empath. Moonjo refuses to let him take on the position, claiming it's because an omega can be easily forced into submission by more dominant wolves. There's no way he would entrust the emotional well-being of his pack to an omega empath.
But this was taehyun's birthright. He was gifted these abilities to help people, and that's what he was going to do. Nobody can stop him, especially not Moonjo and his shitty leadership.
Forcing himself to take a deep, calming breath and straighten his posture, taehyun's eyes followed the pack leader's son as he made his way to the front of the crowd. The sun was beating hard on all of their backs, causing sweat to gather at the temples and neck. Everyone around was fanning themselves, huddling under the shade from the trees, or slapping on sunblock to either keep cool or get a nice tan from the summer heat.
They all seemed like nice welcoming people. Using the training he received since he was young, taehyun scanned the new pack he hopefully will be accepted in. They came in all shapes and sizes, their emotions fluttering over his skin like a second wave of heat. Excitement, curiosity, boredom, anxiousness, even a tad bit of misery all swept over him. He sensed no extreme negativity, no wish to harm him. Not even disappointment or hatred for what he was.
So far so good, and his panic briefly started to dissipate.
The pack leader's son clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. Taehyun's eyes flicked to the male, studying him as much as he could in the few moments before he was introduced.
"Hi everyone!" He said in a deep but soft voice. It was soothing and nothing like Moonjo's son, who had a nasally and grating lilt to his voice that made taehyun rather listen to nails on a chalkboard.
"Hey!" He shouted again when people still chattered about. "Shut up or there won't be any food!" He threatened half-jokingly, giving the stink eye to a very talkative male off to the side. Immediately the gathering zipped their mouths, the chances of no food being served at this outdoor picnic more severe than the wrath of their future pack leader.
That was so…weird to taehyun. If they all talked over Moonjo when he demanded silence, they would be beaten publicly with the rest of the pack forced to watch.
Taehyun knew all packs weren't like that. He knew that it was up to the pack leader to lead and enforce rules and structure to the pack as a whole. If you get a nice and caring pack leader, you were lucky. If your pack leader was an asshole then…not so lucky. Shifters don't interfere with other shifters' packs. That was just how it was.
Taehyun wasn't born lucky.
Choi Soobin smiled at his packmates, nodding when everyone waited for him to finish speaking.
"I have some good news for everyone! My father finally approved of a Pack Empath! I know it's been a very long time since we last had an empath, may she rest in peace, so the transition might be a bit awkward. My father and I both reassure you that he would make a good addition to our pack, so everyone please welcome him with open arms."
Soobin flicked his gaze through the crowd, finally landing on taehyun. Taehyun resisted the urge to shrink behind Kai, shock still coursing through his system.
He was approved? He got the position? The pack was going to welcome him among their ranks, just like that?
"Kang Taehyun, would you please step forward and introduce yourself to us?" Soobin called out, holding his hand for taehyun to take.
Taehyun didn't move his feet right away, and kai had to give him a gentle push to get him going.
He swallowed. Right. He needs to appeal to the pack. He needs to get them to like him. He has to make sure they won't hate-
Curiosity, adoration, relief, and gratefulness all bled into him as he stood up front and took soobin's hand. Soobin engulfed both of his hands around taehyun's, giving him a kind pat before letting go. He didn't even seem to mind that taehyun's palm was probably gross and sweaty.
Wide eyes all stared back at him when he turned to the pack.
"Hello," he said a little shyly. "My name is Kang Taehyun, and I will be your new empath for as long as you will have me. Please don't hesitate to come to me for anything you might need." Then he bowed.
Soobin, bless his soul, didn't let a moment go to waste. It wasn't awkward in the slightest as he easily continued talking.
"An empath's job is to ensure the emotional stability of the pack. Taehyun is here to help, he's here to stay and strengthen the bonds of everyone who wants to continue living under my father's authority, and later my own authority. We are family, and family always looks out for each other. If you have any concerns, problems, or hardships you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to tell Taehyun. I trust he will handle the situations as he sees fit. Naturally, he will report back to me or Father on the welfare of the pack. He will be at the heart of our pack, and it's our job to make sure he's safe and comfortable. We protect our own. Any questions?"
Soobin looked back at the crowd, his face serious although he was still kind when he spoke.
Wow, what a speech. That's going to be some getting used to. Family doesn't exist in the Cozen pack. Everyone was separated and distrust was a common emotion swirling through the air.
Nobody had immediate questions, so soobin nodded and continued.
"To get taehyun acquainted with all of you, I am requiring an introductory session with him over the next few weeks. Everyone has to go, no exceptions. His official hours are Monday through Thursday, but he is on call in case of emergencies. Please be mindful and only call him after hours if it's super important. Being an empath is not easy, and I don't want him to feel bogged down and overworked. He will have a list of everyone's names and pertinent information about the pack, so no skipping out. He will report back to me if any of you decide to be a no-show, and I'll drag you there myself. By the ear."
His threat was genuine, but it was playful.
Taehyun could hear a few groans and grumbles, but overall the emotions seemed to be directed at soobin, not him. They were probably just lazy people who didn't want to go to a therapy session, feeling it's a waste of time.
"Just one session," soobin promised. "Taehyun has to get an emotional feel for all of you so he can keep the pack running smoothly. Afterwards, you are free to schedule appointments with him as you wish." He flicked his hand, dismissing the grumblers.
"Any questions before we move on?" Soobin asked one more time.
Someone in the crowd raised their hand.
"Yes?" He nodded to them.
"Will taehyun have access to all of our personal information, like doctor's records and stuff like that?"
Good question.
Taehyun decided to step in and answer it before soobin. He didn't want to seem meek and mousy next to the alpha, who was gigantic by the way.
"No," he told them confidently. "I will not disrespect your privacy like that. I'll only know what you are willing to share and discuss together. Everything said between us is completely confidential, unless I feel like you or someone else is in danger. You have my word."
Relief, approval, clarity, calm. All of the emotions seeped from a few of the packmates in the crowd. It was understandable. Not everyone wants their entire history laid out before a stranger. Taehyun needs to establish trust and rapport with the pack if he wants to know more personal things about them. He was a support for the pack, not a doctor. He is there to listen, to offer advice, to provide clarity of mind. He can even insert or take away emotions from a person if they wanted; but that was something he only did with consent.
Soobin smiled at everyone, and he fanned himself with his hand briefly to cool his face before addressing the next event on their agenda. The one taehyun has been secretly dreading since Kai told him it was a pack tradition and there was no way out of it.
The alphas need to scent him.
The Cozen pack would never in a million years do something like this, but taehyun found it was pretty common among more family oriented packs.
In order to ensure the safety of all pack members, the alphas gather around and scent their packmates. It's to make sure they have the scent of each person, being aware of who lives within the pack in case an enemy or someone sneaks in to harm them. If they come across a person they don't recognize, they would know it and be able to alert other members of a possible intruder. The shifter world was cruel, and there are always bad people out there who could potentially try to attack or take over a pack by force. Alphas usually guard their fellow members, most of them end up training under the pack leader in case of a pack war. Moonjo had plenty for his own personal use.
Taehyun was worried about the alphas. And definitely scared for the betas. Kai reassured him there were only two other betas in the pack besides himself, which was a relief. A beta might be able to figure out taehyun wasn't a fellow beta.
Luckily, the betas don't usually need to scent people in order to gather their unique scents. They can do that without getting up close and personal.
Only an alpha is required to get up close, so that when a pack member leaves pack grounds other outsiders will know they are accounted for and belong to a pack. Again, just another precautionary measure in case someone harmful approaches.
It was a one time thing, thankfully, so after today taehyun is home free. It will be quick: taehyun bares his neck for each alpha, stays still while they inhale his scent and commits it to memory, and then in return they take the inside of their wrist and brush it against his scent gland on his neck.
Him baring his neck slightly was not a form of submission, and everybody respects each other's intimate personal space by using the wrist to leave behind their scent. Getting your face close to someone's neck was an act of mating, which is why taehyun got a few funny stares earlier when Kai did it.
"There are twenty-one alphas in total, including myself," soobin told taehyun. "It might get a little annoying, but please bear with it until the end. It's important we have your scent and you have ours just in case."
Taehyun gulped, but nodded, keeping his outer expression calm. He gave a reassuring smile to soobin, who studied his face briefly.
"It's fine. I don't mind."
He's lying. But naturally soobin doesn't know that. Nobody has ever gotten this close to him before besides his family and Kai. Having twenty-one strangers basically sniff him and wipe their sweaty wrists on him is not an ideal thing for anyone, especially an omega.
No, they aren't strangers. They will be his new pack after today. His home, his family. He needs to get through this.
"All alphas, please line up!" Soobin ordered, his voice dominant and surprisingly strong. Taehyun's omega side shivered at the command ringing from him.
Yes, Kai was correct. Soobin might be kind and a little bit goofy, but he was no fool. He has to be careful around him and not let his guard down.
Taehyun licked his lips, tasting the sweat that beaded on his upper lip. He wiped his palms on his black dress slacks, hoping to cool himself off but knowing it was impossible in the heat.
Here goes nothing.
Soobin frowned briefly as he watched the alphas of his pack line up in front of him, and taehyun caught a glimpse of annoyance roll off him before the emotion was bottled up tight. What made soobin slightly agitated?
Soobin turned back to him and smiled shyly. "I'll go first, if you don't mind."
"Please," taehyun politely gestured for him to go on. His heart was thumping wildly in his rib cage, but he ignored it.
Inhaling and then exhaling, taehyun slightly moved his head so soobin had easy access to his scent gland on the side of his neck.
Soobin sheepishly bent down and got close enough to inhale but did not touch. Taehyun was internally freaking the hell out, but kept still.
"You smell good for a beta," soobin mumbled quietly. His breath hit taehyun's skin, the warmth adding to the heat already emanating off him. He clenched his fists at his sides, resisting the urge to back away.
"I-It's my favorite perfume," he lied, going with what Kai told him to say just in case.
"Ah," soobin easily accepted. "It suits you. I almost want to take another inhale," he chuckled, lightening the awkward mood. Then he backed his face away from taehyun's neck, and finished up. He respectfully and gently brushed the inside of his wrist against the side of taehyun's neck, and smiled again.
Calm, compassionate, accepting. All of those emotions surrounded soobin, and taehyun felt bad for lying to him.
"Welcome to the pack, taehyun. We're proud to have you." And he meant it. Then he stepped away for the next person.
On and on it went, every other person complimenting him and telling him how good he smelled for a beta. And each time he lied and said it was his perfume. They all accepted the excuse easily, and taehyun mentally relaxed when they were finally down to the last person.
And that makes twenty, he counted.
Wait, twenty? Weren't there twenty-one? Did soobin make a mistake?
But taehyun didn't have time to ponder that. The pack was throwing him a welcoming party outside for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Right now taehyun had to focus on interacting with everyone and building relationships. He was good at that, and it made him so happy when the pack members willingly came up to him and introduced themselves.
The first one to approach was a blonde haired omega wearing a crop top and denim jeans. He threw himself at taehyun into a bone crushing hug.
"Hi, I'm yeonjun!" The omega nuzzled his face into taehyun's chest, purring at the comfort. He was hot and sticky, and the sun was still relentless-
"Okay, enough. Don't overwhelm him. I'm sure our new empath is mentally cringing at all of the scents on him now," soobin pulled yeonjun off of taehyun, giving yeonjun a reprimanding stare. "He doesn't need yours too."
"But my omega likes him," yeonjun pouted. "He's all cute and squishy, I just want to-" he took taehyun's cheeks and pinched them, cooing at his chubby squashed face. Taehyun was dumbfounded, and yeah it kind of made his cheeks sore.
Soobin huffed. "Excuse him, he's like this to everyone. But he means no harm," the alpha apologized, his eyes softening at yeonjun.
"Alright, I'm coming to save the day," kai giggled, slapping yeonjun's hands away and freeing taehyun's cheeks. "You can squeeze my cheeks instead," he said in a flirty voice, puckering his lips for yeonjun.
Yeah, taehyun doesn't need to be an empath to see that going on.
Taehyun caught a flicker of possessiveness heading his way, and his eyes flew to soobin. Of course the alpha would feel threatened by kai and possessive over the omega he wanted-
Taehyun furrowed his brows in confusion.
Love, adoration, content. Those were the emotions coming from soobin as he watched kai and yeonjun goof around. Then who was…?
The more important observation was the way Kai flitted between yeonjun and soobin. He was eating up the attention. Taehyun never knew he was so close to an omega and alpha like this. As a beta, kai could take either one as a mate. But that was a discussion for later. Being in separate packs meant that taehyun and Kai often couldn't see each other. The only time they met up was when taehyun was permitted to go to the local coffee shop briefly once a week. Jinmook didn't like the omegas being gone off pack territory for long.
"Okay well, enjoy the rest of the picnic. I'll be back in a little while. I have to go get someone who thinks he can skip out on the welcoming party," soobin smiled. There was irritation, and the agitation returned. His face gave nothing away though, so yeonjun and Kai were oblivious to his true emotions.
"Hurry back!" Kai said easily, hugging soobin goodbye. Soobin returned the hug, burying his face briefly in the crook of kai's neck and inhaling. If taehyun wasn't watching so closely, he would've missed the intimate exchange.
Envy, longing, impatience. Taehyun glanced back over to yeonjun, who was watching the two exchange goodbyes with a blank expression. He seemed to snap out of it though, and quickly grinned. "Yeah, we aren't going to save you any food from the buffet!"
"Don't be mean," soobin warned. And then he was turning and heading out of the grass and onto the pavement towards the car parking lot.
Taehyun sucked in a huge breath of fresh air, and let it hold in his lungs for a few seconds. Ugh, he felt so gross. Everyone's scents were blending together and it was becoming too much for his omega. He needs to wash it off discreetly. Perhaps a bathroom-
"You must be all icky from having sweaty alphas rub up against you," yeonjun commented, studying him closely. He stood fashionably, with a hip jutted out and his arms crossed over his thin crop top t-shirt.
"Kind of yeah," taehyun smiled shyly. "Is there a restroom I can use?"
"Just the park outhouse down by the entrance," yeonjun nodded his head in the direction taehyun arrived in.
"I'll take him!" Kai jumped in, immediately knowing the truth. "We'll be right back yeonjun noona," he said cheekily, not giving yeonjun a chance to reply as he dragged taehyun towards the restroom.
Once they made it, Kai locked the door. It was a single bathroom and sink, so they wouldn't be disturbed.
"How are you holding up?" He whispered. The park outhouse was stuffy and smelled horrible. It had little ventilation, just a small window opening up at the ceiling letting in sunlight. Dust particles floated in the air, and taehyun tried not to breathe too much of the stink.
"I could be better, but it wasn't too bad. My omega is restless to get all these alpha scents off the both of us though," taehyun barely whispered. He doesn't want to risk someone hearing outside. "It's too much."
"Hear, let me help," Kai sprung into action, grabbing a bunch of paper towels from the dispenser and getting them wet with cool water from the sink. He let the water run while they talked so their voices could be muffled. They were both playing a dangerous game, and there was no going back now.
Taehyun took half the sopping wet paper towels and sighed in relief when he pressed them to his neck. Partly because it was a cool relieve against his sweltering skin, but mostly because he can feel the scents disappearing slightly as he rubbed.
Kai took up the other side of his neck near his scent gland, and pressed more cool paper towels to the back of his neck. Taehyun tossed the bunch he had, and got more for a second round.
Once that was finished, he splashed cool water all over his face and sighed in bliss.
It wasn't perfect like a shower would've been, but it was so much better than before. Most of the scents just lingered on his clothes. His omega could finally relax somewhat and enjoy the party. It was so thoughtful of the pack to throw him one even though it wasn't necessary, although Kai assures him that they would party for any excuse. The Matutine Pack likes food, beer, and a good time.
"Is the link still there?" Kai asked, referring to the metaphysical bond all packmates share when they are part of a pack. Up until an hour ago, taehyun could feel the Cozen Pack bond still attached to his psyche like a chain. Once Soobin accepted him into the Matutine Pack, that link disappeared and a new one took it's place. It wasn't strong yet, that will come with time and the longer taehyun is part of the pack, but it felt nice. Like a warm blanket covering the outskirts of his mind. The links reflect the personality of the pack leaders. There was a huge difference already with a link to Moonjo and Jinmook compared to a link with Soobin and his father.
"No, the link to the Cozen Pack is gone for good. I'm actually free," taehyun said with a small choked sob. Immediately Kai had his arms wrapped around him tight, hugging him and sending calming waves to soothe the omega. It's been a very hard time for taehyun, he's been through so much.
"Good. That's really good tyunnie. Moonjo is going to be pissed though. He no doubt felt the link break and you leave the pack."
"I don't care," Taehyun said, his voice muffled into Kai's T-shirt. He clung on for just a few seconds more, mustering the courage to keep moving forward.
"He's going to try and find you, then bring you back to punish you," Kai warned, a slight tremble of fear in his voice.
"Yeah, but he's going to be looking for an omega, not a beta," taehyun reminded him.
Yes, he was lying about his second gender because he has no choice. It was either pretend to be a beta and transfer to another pack, or get captured and possibly killed by Moonjo…or worse, be given to Jinmook as a 'gift'. Kai helped him plan for months, and then aided him in fleeing without being detected. Now he's going to take refuge in Kai's pack for the rest of his life, far across the country.
The Matutine Pack is relatively medium in size compared to other packs. They are quiet and peaceful to the point not many people know about them. They live in a small town near the southern border of the country, and they mind their own business. They own local stores, restaurants, and shops. The pack members live in houses all around. The entire town itself is no more than 50 miles in width, interspersed with forests, parks, and other normal landmarks. It was the complete opposite of taehyun's old pack, which made it a perfect hiding place.
"He won't get you tyun, don't worry. You're safe here. I would even argue that you don't have to pretend to be a beta, soobin will make sure nothing happens to you. But I agree, we can't risk anyone accidentally letting the word slip and news travelling back up north to moon-hoe and jin-shit.
Taehyun snorted at kai's nicknames for his old pack leader and second in command. Yeah, he can call them his old pack from now on. He will never willingly go back there.
"Thanks Kai. I owe you my life," taehyun muttered, backing away and giving Kai a quick kiss on the cheek.
Normally Kai would scoff and say he's being dramatic, but seriously…taehyun was in a bad place before. So he smiled and accepted the gesture of affection without a snarky retort.
"Now," taehyun brightened up, looking refreshed and determined to make a home for himself here. "Do I smell?"
Kai groaned in annoyance and huffed. "Seriously? Are we back at this?"
"Get used to it. I gotta make sure my cover isn't blown. So get sniffing," taehyun ordered, moving his jaw to bare his neck for Kai.
The beta grumbled as he bent down to give taehyun yet another whiff.
"A little fragrant from the heat and sweat, but no, you do not smell like an omega. Just a really nice smelling neutral scented beta. There, are you happy?"
"Yes, very," taehyun grinned. His face was flushed from how hot it was in the bathroom. They really needed to get out of there before he gagged. Plus everybody is going to be wondering where the empath was since it's his party after all.
They both walked out of the bathroom, ignoring the curious glances they received from a few people near the outhouse.
Taehyun smiled and made his way through the crowd, letting his new pack members clap him on the back and introduce themselves, already accepting he was one of their own. Kai stayed close just in case. Overall, it was a peaceful hot summer afternoon among the shifters.
~
Soobin marched up the drive and stomped into the huge garage, his nice shoes smacking the concrete. It was relatively cooler in the shop, but not by much.
Glancing around, he could hear cranking from a wrench and the soft indie music playing from the radio speakers. Surrounding him were metal parts and machines, and skeletons of cars in the process of being fixed. Huge tool boxes were tucked away in the corners, and the entire place smelled of oil, gas, and iron rust. His eyes narrowed on what he was looking for.
Bending down into the hood of an open car was the little gremlin himself, cranking away on some random car shit he has no hope of understanding.
"You're the only one not at the welcoming party," soobin called over to him as he marched to the car.
"Oh, was that today? I must have forgotten," came a sweet reply that was full of bullshit.
"The fuck you did. It was a direct order from my father that everyone had to attend, especially alphas," he growled out.
Choi Beomgyu scoffed, continuing to ignore soobin and fix the car instead. He's the best mechanic the town had, and ran his own shop. Naturally he would notice everyone, including the other mechanics who worked at his shop, taking the day off work because of the pack welcoming party.
"Rain check?" He asked cutely, which just made soobin want to slam the hood of the car down on his head.
"No, I don't think so. You're the only alpha who hasn't scented taehyun yet. So get your ass down there and say hello."
"No, I don't want to," beomgyu told him in a bratty voice, bending down farther into the hood so he wouldn't have to see soobin's annoyed face in his peripheral vision.
Soobin breathed in slowly, counting to five. And then he breathed out.
Inner peace. Inner peace. Inner peace-
Fuck it. He marched over to beomgyu and reached into the hood, gripping his earlobe. Then he harshly yanked, forcing beomgyu to stand up straight and face him.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Let go you sasquatch!" Beomgyu whined, trying to detach soobin from his ear. Good thing he didn't wear earrings today.
"It's hot outside, I've been talking to people all damn day, and I'm tired. Now listen to me because I'm only going to say it once," he hissed into beomgyu's face.
Beomgyu rolled his eyes, knowing that the super introverted alpha hated confrontation with large crowds of people, but being the second in command he's forced to go do what his father is too lazy to do. Messing with soobin when he's cranky is like signing your own death sentence.
"Today is a special day. We finally found an empath who is decent, nice, and yeah a little bit cute. He's also young enough to relate to the majority of the town, and will be able to stay and serve the pack for a long time. I'm not asking as a friend, but as your pack leader, to get your ass down there and scent him. He needs to know that everyone in this pack has his back, which includes you," he lectured, tugging on beomgyu's earlobe for good emphasis.
"But soobin!" Beomgyu whined. "Why do I have to stick my nose into everyone's neck?! Don't you know how gross that is? And then I have the scent stuck up in my nostrils for the whole damn day. I'm tired of this!" Beomgyu whined like a toddler.
Soobin's upper lip curled. "Get over it. All of us had to do it. And poor taehyun has to stand there as twenty-one alphas mark themselves all over him. If anyone should be complaining, it's him. Now you're coming with me."
"Ow, ow! Okay! Don't tug so hard, okay!" Beomgyu swatted at soobin's hand, sighing in relief when he let go. He glared at the alpha and rubbed his now red earlobe.
Soobin spun around and began walking out of the garage, expecting beomgyu to follow. When he didn't hear footsteps aligning with his own, he sighed, his shoulders drooping.
He was being harsh, he knows that. But it's time beomgyu moves on. This is for the good of the pack.
Turning back around, he studied beomgyu as he just stood there in the middle of his garage. He was wearing his work jumper, a denim looking full body outfit he puts on so he can crawl on the ground and get dirty without having to worry about ruining his clothes.
"Well? Are you coming?"
"Yeah, I just need to change," beomgyu said, staring at the floor. He quickly became oddly quiet, and soobin knows why.
"Kang Taehyun is not the same as your mother," soobin whispered. "Not all empaths are alike."
Beomgyu tensed at the mention of his mother. Her death happened so long ago, it will be almost twelve years this autumn, but it still left a nasty scar on his heart.
"He won't abuse his gifts like her. He even reassured me that he rarely uses the gift, and only if he receives consent. His approach to healing is modern and natural."
Beomgyu was stiff as a board, but he listened. Today was a rough day for him, and soobin understood that.
He too would be wary around empaths if his own mother abused him with her gifts.
Which is why he personally has been searching for a suitable empath to accept into the pack. He doesn't want to repeat history and subject his future pack to emotional and mental torture the same way beomgyu was forced to endure. By the time his father, the head alpha, found out about the abuse and headed over to take care of the matter, it was too late. Beomgyu's mother was already gone.
"If it's worth anything, he's Kai's best friend. Kai recommended him to me and I did a thorough background check on him. He's safe beomgyu, and he needs to know he has our protection," soobin told him softly. "It's unfair to hold prejudice against all empaths, and I'm sure you know that."
Soobin knows that beomgyu has a very kind heart, despite him trying so hard to hide it from everyone. He wouldn't want to be discriminatory against an empath just because his mother was a bad egg.
"Fine, quit it with the psychological bullshit," beomgyu grumped, clenching his fists. He glared up at soobin, not appreciating how right he was in everything he said. "I still hate shoving my nose into every new person's neck though," he complained some more.
Soobin smiled, rolling his eyes. "Normally I would agree with you, but this time it's different. Taehyun smells exceptionally good to us alphas today. I wonder why that is?" He tilted his head in thought.
"I'll be the judge of that," beomgyu told him, turning on his heel and going to the back room to change out of his jumper and into normal clothes. "Last time I shoved my nose into Hanse's neck, he reeked of jasmine!" He called out as he turned the corner.
"But jasmine is a lovely scent!" Soobin called back, arguing just to argue.
"Too flowery for me. I felt like I just snorted pollen like it was cocaine."
Soobin laughed out loud, never failing to smile whenever beomgyu was around.
"We can't help it that omegas have a strong scent, it's not their fault. Get over it," he said heartlessly.
"Whatever," beomgyu mumbled, emerging from the back room and running a hand through his sweaty bronze colored hair. He had on a black sleeveless shirt with a black and white flannel thrown over it, unbuttoned and flapping open all the way to allow airflow as he walked. It was a bitchin hot day today. Could he have mercifully showered and made himself more presentable for this new empath? Sure. But he had no plans of ever seeing the guy again after he dutifully sniffed him like a dog. Sue him.
He did however try to wash off most of the grime and grease from his hands, he wasn't a total asshole. It was somewhat unsuccessful though since his fingernails still looked blackened a bit, but whatever.
Soobin watched him lift up an arm and sniff, contemplating and then nodding his head as if it was manageable.
"You are so annoying," he told beomgyu.
Beomgyu stuck his tongue out at him and then followed him out of his garage. The pack all know each other very well, so he didn't even have to worry about locking up.
Soobin's fancy shoes clacked on the concrete as they walked across town towards where the picnic welcoming party was being held, in their largest park.
"So, if you actually attended the ceremony and listened to my introduction, I wouldn't have to repeat myself," he grumbled to beomgyu. "Kang Taehyun is a beta from a northern pack. He is best friends with Kai, and an Empath. He's had his gifts for as long as he could remember, and was properly trained since a young age to handle them. He did not acquire the gifts later in life, so we don't need to worry about him having a control problem. He's assured me his mental shields are as strong as ever. He doesn't like to use his gifts of forcing emotions into people, and will only use them in the case of self defense. He also asks for consent before he touches a person to read them or give them emotion. I have his word that he will not break those promises."
"So you believe him?" Beomgyu asked suspiciously.
"I have no reason not to," Soobin replied without hesitation. "Naturally if anyone has a problem with him, they can come to me to make a formal complaint. You know how it works around here."
"Yes, alpha," Beomgyu mocked. Everyone calls their pack leaders by rank, no matter what secondary gender they were.
Soobin just sighed, patting beomgyu's back with affection.
"I forgot to mention…everyone is required to see taehyun for one session, to introduce themselves to him. That includes you, and I expect you to go soon," he smiled devilishly when he heard a rumble of a growl from the alpha next to him.
"You're pushing it," beomgyu hissed.
They stepped up from the curb onto the grass and made their way through the crowd. Soobin used his height to his advantage to try and spot taehyun, or Kai.
"Quit being a baby and just suck it up. Taehyun isn't going to bite," Soobin continued to argue while glancing around.
Over there. With Kai under a tree. Luckily no one seemed to be around the empath, so it was a perfect opportunity to scent him before Beomgyu tries to make a break for it. Oh yes, he knows his friend very well.
Unfortunately, beomgyu didn't know what Taehyun looked like, so he continued to blab his big mouth without regard to the people around him as they walked closer to the tree.
"You know soobin, who needs an empath anyways? The pack is perfectly fine without that wannabe therapist. What's he gonna do? Pat everyone on the back and tell them to follow their hearts? Empaths were so last century-"
Beomgyu was on a roll, soobin will give him that. He didn't even notice they stopped a few feet away from Taehyun and Kai. He glanced nervously at the empath, praying he didn't hear. If Taehyun thought the pack wouldn't accept him, he might leave. They needed an empath. They needed someone to care for them, especially the people who are too prideful to talk about their problems with the alpha pack leaders. Wolf shifters are part animal, after all. Sometimes that animal side tends to get out of hand and take over. Empaths help control the urges before a wolf has the chance to go feral.
"I'm actually kind of disappointed," a nasally monotone voice said, cutting beomgyu's rant short. "You seriously couldn't come up with better excuses to convince Soobin the pack doesn't need an empath? Were they supposed to insult me?"
A laugh.
Beomgyu narrowed his eyes at the new voice, one he didn't recognize from his pack. So this was the empath.
Okay… maybe soobin might have been right. Taehyun was pretty cute, with dark hair, full lips, and wide eyes. And the whole glaring like he was gonna kill him thing was actually sexy rather than intimidating.
Beomgyu licked his lips, momentarily forgetting his previous outburst and distaste for empaths.
"I don't know, did it work?" Beomgyu asked, shrugging his shoulders like a brat.
"Take a guess," taehyun rolled his eyes. "All I see is a grown man with the mentality of a two year old. Clearly you have some sort of problem with empaths, so don't worry, I won't take it personal."
"Did you get that from your empathic superpowers?" Beomgyu said in a mocking tone, as if the gifts empaths use were a myth or something.
"No I didn't have to, it's called common sense. Something you clearly lack," Taehyun shot back.
Kai and Soobin both swayed their heads back and forth, watching the two argue with amused expressions on their faces.
"Well this is fun," Kai whispered to Soobin.
"Soobin! Aren't you going to yell at him for talking to me like that?!" Beomgyu whined, sending pouty lips his way.
"No, you started this shit. Get yourself out of it," Soobin snorted. Taehyun shot him a smile of thanks.
Deciding he really should break up whatever this was, Soobin stepped forward and placed a warning hand onto Beomgyu's shoulder.
"Taehyun, please forgive him. He's a wild little thing. This here is Choi Beomgyu, the garage gremlin. He's the pack's mechanic and owns his own shop down the block. He uhh, couldn't make it to the ceremony earlier and missed scenting you. He's the last alpha in the pack who hasn't met you. I apologize for bothering you."
Taehyun crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. "You do know I can tell you're lying, right? Obviously this alpha didn't want to be here."
Soobin smiled, liking how easily taehyun calls out the bullshit. It was refreshing not having to play politics or be sensitive around him.
"Lemme guess, another voodoo empath power?" Beomgyu scoffed, his body tense with how tight soobin was holding onto him. Ok, yes, he was a flight risk. But he was also having way too much fun pissing off the new pack shrink.
"Yes, lies come with emotions that I can detect, but I don't have to do that right now. It's just painfully obvious how much you adore me," taehyun said with sarcasm.
Soobin sighed, finally growing tired of this. "Beomgyu, just scent our empath and then you can go. I'm sure taehyun is really tired at this point. Being around all these emotions in one place can't be very comfortable."
Taehyun's heart warmed at the nice gesture from soobin. No one in his life has taken into consideration just how tough it is to be around emotions all the time. Yes, he has strong mental shields; shields he has perfected since he was young in order to block out the hurricane of feeling so many things at once. But sometimes even his shields aren't enough if he's around large crowds with lots of hyped up emotions.
Beomgyu watched as taehyun's shoulders deflated, suddenly his prideful face growing a little weary as he relaxed from mental exhaustion.
"Thank you," taehyun said quietly to soobin, his voice suddenly soft. "I hope you don't mind if I leave early?"
Soobin shook his head, removing his hand from beomgyu's shoulder, essentially freeing him.
"No, the pack will understand. Don't even worry about it."
Now Beomgyu felt a little bad. It's true, he's seen what could happen to an empath when they become bombarded with everyone's emotions around them. His mother's mental shields weren't strong enough, and she always curled up in a ball screaming at the pain. She once described it as all of her nerve endings frayed and open to the world. It was too much.
He eyed taehyun for a moment, studying his face, waiting for the same thing to happen to him like it did his mom. But this empath seemed to be well in control of his mental walls.
Beomgyu huffed. "Okay fine. Stay still," he demanded Taehyun.
Taehyun's spine went rigid at the order from an obnoxious alpha. It pissed him off. "Excuse me?" He said in a low and careful voice. His whole life has been spent taking orders and being a meek and docile omega. He wasn't going to repeat that in this new pack.
"Look, I don't want to be here as much as you, so let's get this over with quickly and then never have to speak to each other again," beomgyu huffed rudely while wiping some sweat off the side of his neck. Damn was it hot outside.
Taehyun had two choices: tell this annoying alpha a piece of his mind and cause a scene, or just be the mature one and ignore it so he could get out of here quickly.
Yeah, a nice shower and a comfy bed in the A/C sounded like a better option, so he grit his teeth and forced a wave of calm to spread through his body.
"Okay," he said, essentially giving the alpha permission to approach him.
Beomgyu watched as the empath forced himself to relax and then tilt his head to the side, giving complete access to the side of his neck, a slight glare still present in his piercing eyes.
Woah.
He blinked for a second.
Seeing this feisty beta give in and submit to him kind of threw him off balance. It confused the hell out of him.
No, this wasn't a true submission. He was just allowing beomgyu to scent him, as per pack protocol and the orders of their head alpha. There was no meaning behind it.
Beomgyu snapped out of his daze, blinking away the split second thoughts and images of having this beta underneath him with the exact same facial expression. Eyes so fierce, neck so slim and unmarked, tilted to the side slightly in complete submission and just waiting for beomgyu to bite down and mark, suck, claim-
What the hell was wrong with him? Beomgyu wasn't usually attracted to betas. No offense to the betas, they are all lovely, but his alpha clearly had a preference his whole life. He had crushes on cute and soft omegas throughout the years. Wanting to take care of them and coddle them-
His alpha certainly never wanted a stuck up, snarky, and annoying little beta before. Huh. It must be the summer heat messing with his mind.
"Well? Am I going to have to stand here like this all day?" The bitchy words broke through beomgyu's trance.
His eyes zeroed in on taehyun's neck, the pulse beating over his scent gland. He took a step forward so that they were impossibly close, and he bent down slightly.
Angling his nose, he took a soft deep inhale of the new beta. He smirked when he could sense taehyun stiffening his body and feeling uncomfortable at his proximity. Good, since this was unenjoyable for him, he hopes it was just as unenjoyable for the empath-
And then he let the scent settle in his lungs, finally paying attention to what he inhaled so he could commit taehyun's scent to memory and recognize him as a pack member, as per protocol-
And his mind turned to absolute turmoil.
His alpha went into a frenzy inside his head, pushing to the surface to try and take, take, take-
Beomgyu closed his eyes and didn't dare move a muscle. He tried to gain control of himself and his inner wolf.
Holy fuck, this beta smelled so good. So potent. Like mandarin oranges and tangerines. A spicy citrus that he wants to lick up. Suck on until his skin was bruised and red. Taste on his tongue.
And for once in his life, he lost control. He didn't even register his body moving until it was too late.
He lifted his hand up and softly cupped the other side of the beta's neck, angling it so he could get even closer. Then he dipped down and skimmed the tip of his nose against taehyun's skin, getting drunk on his scent, his eyes cloudy and hazy. He made skin contact without permission, it was supposed to only be his wrist. The wrist is a polite way, it's cordial, it's safe.
His lips however, are not polite, they are certainly not safe-
Beomgyu doesn't know how much time has passed. All he knows is that his hand is lovingly caressing the side of the beta's neck and his lips are about to trail up his scent gland, already making contact with soft silky skin. The hot summer day is not helping at all with the potency of taehyun's scent, the slight musky undertone from his sweat driving beomgyu absolutely crazy.
"Beomgyu?" Soobin called out, his eyebrows furrowed in worry and concern. He had a good view of beomgyu's back as he crowded their new beta empath. The stance was certainly protective. And then beomgyu's hand went up to cup taehyun's neck, his nose brushing his skin, his lips softly pressing against his throat-
This was getting very intimate.
"Beomgyu, what are you doing? You just have to scent him really quick with your wrist-"
It wasn't Soobin's voice that brought him back. It was the tiny gasp and whimper of pleasure into his ear that finally made beomgyu come back to his senses.
He opened his eyes (when did he even close them?) and aggressively jerked his entire body a foot away from the beta.
He stared with wide eyes at the beta, shock clearly on his face.
Taehyun was no better, his eyes also filled with confusion. The both of them panting like they just ran a marathon.
Beomgyu's lips still tingled from when they made contact with Taehyun's skin. He involuntarily licked them, almost moaning in public at the taste. His teeth ached to bite down into the small crevice of the beta's neck where he had his face buried just moments ago. His alpha was growling loudly in his mind, wanting to hunt and chase this beta down so that he could make him theirs.
He cleared his throat, sensing the awkward tension in the air.
"There, he's scented by every alpha in the pack. Happy now? Can I go back to my shop?" He flung the words to Soobin, but his eyes couldn't look away from taehyun.
"Uh, yeah. That was all I needed from you. You're free to go," soobin replied.
One second, two, three more passed by. And then finally, finally, beomgyu was able to get control of his body again and spin on his heel, heading back to his shop and hopefully far away from whatever that was.
Taehyun let out a slow breath, watching as the annoying alpha walked away.
His legs were shaking and felt like jelly, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his lower half throbbing and aching to be filled up. And he knows his face must look like a mess, cheeks all flushed and eyes dilated and fucked out.
What the hell was that?!
He remembers tilting his head for the alpha to scent him quickly, he remembers the alpha coming closer, almost pressing his slightly taller body into him, and then bending down to inhale his scent. He was prepared to say it was his perfume blahblah just like he did many times before with the other alphas, but then this alpha was different and the words got caught in his throat. He remembers the alpha's gentle caress on his neck, the way his eyes fluttered half closed at the feel of soft lips pressing to his throat, the sound of short breaths as he inhaled more of taehyun's scent into his lungs like he was drunk and intoxicated on his natural perfume.
Lust, possessiveness, shock, confusion. Taehyun felt it all, rolling off the alpha in waves. Normally he would've been extremely pissed having someone invade his personal space like that and intimately touch him without his permission. But he could tell it wasn't with malicious intent. He could feel beomgyu's confusion at his own actions.
And it's not like taehyun stopped him. No, instead he encouraged these actions by releasing a whimper of pleasure. He was totally embarrassed by his own body's response. If beomgyu didn't step away, he would've been moments from rubbing himself up against the alpha and begging him to stretch him wide and fill him up like a desperate omega in heat.
Soobin watched his friend leave, and then he raised a questioning brow at taehyun.
Yeah, there was no mistaking what just happened.
But until taehyun figures out why his omega almost submitted to a complete stranger, he refuses to speak of it and blatantly ignore it.
"I think I need to lie down for a bit. The heat and everyone's emotions have started to tire me out," he said.
It was partially true. But he was more hot and bothered by a sexy alpha mechanic than by his empath problems. He needs to take a cold shower, calm himself down, and cleanse himself of all the swirling energies that clung to him throughout the day.
And yes, he ignored his omega's heartbroken whine at the realization that he has to wash off the delicious alpha's scent from his body.
Typical. He just had to go and get horny for a jerk alpha.
Hiding his omega from the pack has just gotten five times harder.
~The first 2.5k words of the next chapter if you guys want a little snippet
~I know it's been so long since I last updated this story 😭
~Thank you everyone for being so patient. I'm still finishing up the chapter and will post as soon as I can 🙏
~Majorly unedited and sort of in snippets/pieces
~Read at your own discretion
Link:
(ao3 is still down for me 🤡)
I Can Hear It, The Drums of War
A whisper sounded in Beomgyu’s ear.
“Wake up,” it said.
Beomgyu scrunched his eyes and nose together, his eyelids fluttering and trying to open. The first thing he could register somewhere in his mind was the prickly feeling of being cold. It hurt everywhere and everything was numb and uncomfortable.
“Wake up.”
There was the whisper again, but this time from someone different. Then a soft gentle caress on his frozen cheek and across his forehead.
Another minute went by and Beomgyu was finally able to regulate his breathing, fully conscious. He cracked an eye open, wincing at the heavy feeling on his eyelashes. He couldn’t see it, but knew it was ice crystals that made it difficult to blink.
He breathed an exhale out, his breath fogging the air in a small puff. It felt like he hadn't properly used his lungs in a long time, so he took a few more easy breaths to get used to the feeling once more.
“We love you.” The whispers said again, this time more of them filling his head.
Now that he was fully conscious he recognized the language. He slowly moved his head to the side, the crunch of snow underneath his body crackling as he did so. Once his vision cleared he could finally see where the whispers were coming from.
Stems and vines covered him like a delicate blanket, sheltering him from the snow that piled up on the ground. Small beautiful yellow flowers bloomed sporadically along the stems, hugging his body and trying to keep him safe. The flowers swayed in the cold winter breeze, soft petals kissing his lips and skin. Beomgyu giggled, nuzzling the yellow flowers closest to his nose, warmth and love filling up his chest at seeing them.
Winter Jasmine flowers: ‘a gift from above; love and beauty in its purest form.’
“Thank you,” he said to them, one of the only few fae able to completely understand their whispers. He reached out a fingertip to caress the petals closest to him. “I love you too.”
They stood a little taller at his praise, relishing in his attention. They would gladly give their lives to protect the druid from harm.
Beomgyu slowly sat up, snow falling off his body at his movements. Ice crystals coated his dark hair and skin, leaving him shivering now that his blood was flowing through his veins once more.
What happened?
He looked around, noticing he was on the ground in a quiet forest. Fat snowflakes drifted softly from the sky creating a weird serene and peaceful atmosphere.
Suddenly realization dawned on him. The Yang clan, the forest, passing out, a weird dream that seemed so real, falling through the sky at sunset-
Taehyun and the others.
He looked around frantically for his mate and family, trying to locate them among the flowers and snow.
“It’s okay,” the flowers whispered to reassure him, swaying in the wind and fluttering their petals free from fresh snowflakes.
He trailed his gaze in the general area where the flowers were moving. It was a dense part, but if he looked closely he could just barely make out large lumps in the snow and vines only a few feet away from him.
He didn’t hesitate, half crawling half shuffling on his knees through the thick snow, not caring about how painful and stiff his joints were from lack of use. He dropped to the first bundle and began to dig, gently moving the flowers out of the way so he could get to the person buried underneath. His fingers were cold and red, possibly even frost bitten, but that didn’t matter.
After a solid minute of digging, he finally could see a face. He let out a soft sob, cradling the beautiful face between his palms with shaky fingertips. He brushed the fresh snowflakes off frozen eyelashes.
Bending down, Beomgyu gently kissed the frozen lips of his mate, healing him in the process to wake him up faster. He sniffled, silently thanking the flowers for protecting Taehyun as well.
“What’s precious to you is also precious to us,” they answered him, wrapping their leaves around his ankles and brushing along Taehyun’s hands in a protective gesture.
Beomgyu didn’t take his hands off of Taehyun’s face, continuously healing him until he could feel Taehyun return to consciousness. It only took another minute, but it was the most agonizing minute of his life.
Taehyun’s eyes rolled under his eyelids, and then he slowly opened them. His gaze immediately fixed onto Beomgyu, and it was a long moment of silence between them. So many things were being said without actually having to speak them.
Beomgyu smiled down at him, his eyes misty with unshed tears. He doesn’t know why he was so emotional. Maybe because he felt like it’s been forever since he last saw Taehyun, or maybe because they just managed to evade danger. Whatever the reason, he now feels huge relief.
“Wow,” Taehyun whispered, watching the snowflakes fall gently all around Beomgyu, the sight taking his breath away just like that first time he laid eyes on his druid mate all those years ago.
“What?” Beomgyu asked, smoothing the back of his hand across Taehyun’s cheek lovingly.
“You’re so beautiful,” Taehyun told him quietly. The flowers agreed with him. He reached up a hand and traced Beomgyu’s lips.
Beomgyu blushed at all of the love and affection he was receiving, color finally returning to his cold cheeks.
“I need help finding and waking up the rest of them,” he said, breaking the brief happy moment they created.
Taehyun nodded, his memory coming back sharp and clear. He was up in an instant, noticing the huge field of yellow flowers surrounding the immediate area of where Beomgyu was resting this whole time. He reached down and held out his hand for Beomgyu to take, hoisting him up effortlessly from the snow.
“Woah,” was all he said in the quiet morning.
Last he remembered, the forest was only covered in a light frost. But now it was buried under a few feet of snow, the tree branches drooping with the heaviness piled up on them.
“This snow is unnatural,” Beomgyu said, his eyes glimmering emerald green, a stark contrast of color against the neverending white. “We should be nearing spring, not plunging into an eternal winter.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Taehyun replied, bending down and quickly digging with his hands. “I found Yeonjun.”
Beomgyu trudged to his side, kneeling in the snow once more and placing his hand gently onto Yeonjun’s cold cheek. He smiled as he noted the pink hair. He can’t believe he’s so glad to see his pink hair once more. That other dimension was like waking up from a nightmare.
Taehyun got busy unburying Hueningkai next, and then Soobin. He left them while he continued looking for everyone else.
Then he heard a huge gasp, and a ton of cursing. He smiled while brushing snow off of Yeosang.
“That fucking bastard! The next time I see Juyeon, I’m going to burn his hair off-” Yeonjun continued to rant while laying in the snow. The more heated he got remembering everything that happened, the more his fire magic returned, melting everything around him.
“Careful of the flowers,” Beomgyu reprimanded him, swatting his arm playfully. Then he bent down and kissed his cheek, glad he had his cousin back.
“The flowers are fine, I would never harm them,” Yeonjun shooed his concerns away, his flames only blowing the blossoms around but not hurting them. He smiled when he felt Beomgyu’s warm lips against his cheek. Then he puckered out his lips obnoxiously, demanding a smooch.
He waited, but all he ended up getting was a snowball being thrown at his face with perfect aim.
“Lips are not allowed,” came a grumpy growl and a glint of a fang.
Beomgyu laughed, brushing the snow from Yeonjun’s face.
“Possessive bitch, I used to give my Gyugyu bear smooches all the time-” Yeonjun mumbled to Taehyun. A hiss came in reply.
Beomgyu continued to wake up Hyuka. He was met with a happy smile once the siren woke up. “I knew it would be you to help us out of the dark.”
“Of course you did,” Beomgyu laughed softly, brushing some of Hyuka’s dark hair out of his eyes and off his forehead. He leaned down and kissed his forehead before getting up and heading over to Soobin.
After a minute, Soobin’s teeth started chattering. “I’m cold,” he whispered, still not fully awake. His lips were blue, the cold a little harsher for him compared to the others.
“Don’t worry, we got you,” Beomgyu replied, holding Soobin’s hand closely while he finished waking him up.
“W-Where’s Yeonj-jun?” Was the next thing out of his mouth, blinking his eyes and squinting against the brightness.
“I’m here, love. Always here,” Yeonjun reassured his elf. He gripped Soobin’s other hand, sending a wave of warmth down his body. Soobin relaxed in the snow, breathing out a huge sigh of content as he warmed up and his teeth no longer clicked together.
Beomgyu smiled, happy now that they were all together again. He took a moment to sit back in the snow, allowing the flowers to brush up against his legs and thighs. They yearned for his touch, and he thanked them once more by touching as many as he could near him.
It was calm all around them, just the soft muttering of Soobin and Yeonjun talking with each other and the slight crunching of Taehyun unburying the other Kang members who were with them before.
And then their happy moment of relief ended the moment Hyuka stepped forward.
Hueningkai looked to the sky, his irises glinting a beautiful gold. His head was tilted to the side slightly, almost as if he was trying to hear better.
"What is it?" Soobin asked.
They all remained quiet, waiting for his reply.
"Do you hear that?" he declared to the others, his breath showing in the air from the cold.
Taehyun glanced around, prepared to fight if needed. But everything was silent except the crunching of their boots in the snow.
"Hear what?" He finally spoke, his own excellent hearing not catching what was clear as day to the siren.
Hueningkai smiled up to the gray clouds while little snowflakes drifted slowly down onto his dark eyelashes and rosy cheeks, the scene breathtaking if not for his next words.
"I can hear it, the drums of war."
“Does it have something to do with why we were unconscious and trapped inside that dream-like world?” Beomgyu guessed correctly.
The clouds grew unnaturally thicker, the snow picking up as the minutes ticked by. They were about to be covered by a full-blown winter storm. One of many already, if the deep snow surrounding them was any indication to go by.
“What do we do about them?” Yeonjun asked Taehyun, peering down at the now unburied Kang members.
Taehyun clenched his teeth, glancing at Beomgyu briefly before flicking his gaze back down at Yeosang, Daniel, and Chanhee still knocked out cold.
“We can’t leave them here. We need their help, but-” he began to say, torn up inside. The members needed Beomgyu’s gift to wake up, which means draining more of his energy and tiring him out-
Yeonjun patted Taehyun’s back, understanding his hesitation. “Let him wake them. You know he will just do whatever he wants anyways.” He chuckled at the glare Taehyun had on his face. “You are such a sap.”
It physically killed Taehyun to ask Beomgyu to heal these idiots and waste his druid’s precious energy on anyone other than who he considered close and like family-
Yeonjun cheekily beat Taehyun to it. “Gyugyu bear, we need you.” He grinned at Taehyun and then wisely left to go back to Hyuka and Soobin.
Beomgyu was kneeling on the ground next to Daniel, about to wake him up with his mental gifts when Taehyun stopped him.
“Don’t heal him too much,” Taehyun raised his upper lip in disgust down at Daniel. He was repulsed by the image of Beomgyu touching another vampire.
Beomgyu chuckled and ignored him, continuing to heal Daniel fully anyways.
The snow started to really fall down when they saw it:
A large shadow casting over them from the sky.
The golden scales glinted brightly despite the gray and black storm clouds around it. Large wings easily carried the beast through the wind.
“Holy shit, is that a member of the Park clan?!” Daniel yelled out, his eyes wider than they’ve ever been.
“No one from the Park clan is physically capable of getting that big,” Yeosang confirmed with a fact. He couldn’t take his eyes off the long tail that flowed past, bringing up the rear of the beast.
“If you ever call, we will come.”
“Hyung,” Taehyun said to Yeonjun while watching the golden and ancient dragon flying north in the sky. “They are calling us.”
“I know,” Yeonjun replied, his hands clenching into fists.
Chanhee glanced at the two, quiet this entire time. “What do you need from us?” He finally spoke.
An urgency filled the air. Time was set into motion once again.
Taehyun sucked in a breath. What they really need are answers. And it seems the only ones capable of giving them any are still asleep on their land.
“We need to wake the Yang clan up and get them out of their prison. Someone cursed them and trapped them inside their minds.”
“How are we going to break their curse?” Chanhee asked the most obvious question.
Taehyun glanced at Beomgyu, then scratched that idea real fast.
Beomgyu seemed to read his mind.
“I technically could try and break it. I’m a mentalist and a healer. But it would take a really long time and too much energy to save them all. Their minds aren’t broken or scarred, they are trapped by magic. There’s a big difference,” Beomgyu explained for everyone.
"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask. We'll come to your aid."
“How about the Kim clan? Namjoon might have a witch that deals with curses and forbidden magic,” Yeonjun suggested with a grin.
Taehyun glanced at his subordinates. “Go to the Kim clan and request for help. Tell the leaders I sent you.”
Chanhee and Yeosang nodded their heads, Daniel rolled his eyes, but all three followed Taehyun’s orders and were gone within a second.
“Where to?” Taehyun asked Hyuka, who had his eyes set in the direction of the golden dragon, now a tiny spec so far away.
Hueningkai smiled. “We follow the sounds of the drums. To the north.”
~This is just the beginning of the chapter I wrote
~I still need to finish it!! Don't worry I'll get around to doing that asap 💀
-Spoilers! Read at your own discretion
~It will be posted to ao3 officially once it is done
~Unedited and not finished!!
~Here is the link to the official fic on ao3:
(ao3 is down at the moment lmaooo)
They waited three days before they made their move. They had to be sure the witch and her entourage were far enough away so that they couldn't easily turn around and head back in case someone informed her of her crown missing.
Not that anybody would notice, because Kai was just that good.
Beomgyu clicked his sword slightly out of its shield, side eyeing the closed door where a patrol of guards were passing by on the other side.
"Should I kill them?" He whispered, noting how easy it would be to wipe out all five of them in 30 seconds maximum.
"No, you can't just kill anybody that walks by!" Kai hissed back to him, carefully balancing on one foot while reaching with his arms for the crown resting safely on a cushion. They were currently in the witch's treasure room, able to avoid all of the magical traps thanks to taehyun's map from last week. Yes, beomgyu followed the prince's orders and memorized it the first hour he was left alone with it. He even went a step further and scouted the place with Kai first just to make sure they had their route of escape covered.
"I was just kidding, cool it," he said, but pouted as he clicked his sheath shut again.
"Right," Kai snorted, not believing him at all. A trickle of sweat fell down the side of his face, and he carefully wrapped his fingers around the crown. Then he lifted up slowly. One leg was still in the air while he stood all his weight on the other foot. He was more lithe and agile than beomgyu first gave him credit for.
Just then, talking was heard from outside the door.
"We've got company," beomgyu muttered, clicking his sword out again with his thumb. He listened while watching the door, prepared for someone to barge in at a moment's notice.
Yeonjun's voice was clear among the others, saying something obnoxious and making them all laugh. He was the diversion, the lookout in case they got caught.
It would seem they were about to get caught.
"Hurry up," beomgyu whispered. "I think they want to come in."
"Why?" Kai grunted softly, tucking the crown under his arm and carefully making his way back through the treasure room towards beomgyu. He had to avoid every single piece of gold and jewel in case it activated a magical trap. Beomgyu would have never been able to step around every coin if it was up to him, not even with his vast training on stealth.
"Probably because Yeonjun's bogus story of how the queen wants a guard stationed at her treasure room at all hours while she was away is so obvious and lame. The queen never worried about someone getting into the castle and stealing her things before, so why would she now?" Beomgyu rolled his eyes, but still kept tense while yeonjun stalled.
Kai was just able to step out of the golden minefield when the door began to move. Yeonjun was smooth, saying he would gladly check inside with them.
Beomgyu gritted his teeth and reacted fast. He shoved Kai against a wall and behind a curtain, watching their steps and quickly calculating where the magical traps were before hiding.
Kai went easily, and soon they were pressed up against each other chest to chest and holding their breaths.
"See! I told you nobody is in here!" Yeonjun boomed, his voice echoing on the walls. "Now let's get out before the queen realizes we stepped foot inside."
"Yeah okay, you were right," one of the other guards said. "I swear I heard something though. Weird."
"There's lots of weird sounds in this place," yeonjun sympathized, clapping the guard on the shoulder and turning him towards the corridor. "I'm pretty sure it's haunted."
Another guard shivered at that. "Don't say that man!"
Yeonjun laughed and then the door was shut again. Their footsteps grew faint as they left the corridor, yeonjun forced to leave his post as their lookout.
Kai and beomgyu waited another safe minute before moving.
"You know, you're not really my type," Kai said teasingly, noting how Beomgyu had a hand on his waist and one near his head against the wall, caging their bodies together.
Beomgyu gave him a bored look that made the thief laugh.
"Please, don't look so interested in me," he giggled.
"Sorry, you're great looking and all, but not my type either," beomgyu rolled his eyes.
Kai smiled.
"Maybe if you were a foot shorter and had wide pretty eyes, I might consider you," beomgyu smirked.
Kai gasped and playfully hit beomgyu's butt. "You know how much the prince hates talking about his height," he chastised him. But there was a grin on his face.
"I like his height just fine. Makes it easier to kiss him up against things. You're too tall for me," beomgyu lightly hit him back and stepped away now that the coast was clear.
"Not too tall for Soobin," Kai sighed dreamily.
"And yeonjun?" Beomgyu questioned.
"Yeah, and yeonjun," Kai agreed easily.
"What happened to your competition? You guys all got together, just like that?"
Kai shrugged. "Me and yeonjun might have had some angry and passionate kisses a few times while fighting over soobin. Eventually we have decided, if we can't beat each other, we might as well join forces. Soobin doesn't seem to mind."
"You guys are so crazy," beomgyu shook his head. "I'm too possessive to share. Probably would kill the poor bastard if I had to."
This time Kai rolled his eyes. "Is that always your solution to everything?"
"It's always an effective one," beomgyu grinned.
Kai thinks he was joking. Well, maybe half joking.
use a font like comic sans -- trick your brain into thinking that it's not important, that the writing can be stupid, if it's in a stupid font (if you can't tell i despise comic sans)
time yourself to get to a goal
or give yourself a certain amount of time
quantity >> quality in the first draft(s)!
jot down what you want to happen in that chapter
try organizing your writing (nanowrimo, for example)
do *not* reread! it doesn't need to make sense, it just needs to be there
try not to stick yourself to something you saw on tumblr. what works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for you!
take breaks. time those breaks.
practice writing short stories / oneshots of your characters.
try getting all your writing done within a certain goal (as much as I can for 30 minutes) rather than writing 5 minutes on or off
write down every little wormy idea that comes into your brain! sure, it's probably for a different plot, but maybe you can work it in somehow?
on that note, mash elements of your plots together rather than starting a whole new story
see maybe what little writing competitions you can submit your work to
proclaim your goal to the wide web for some peer pressure
rewards yourself. cheer on every thousand-word milestone. brag to your friends that you've written something, anything.
don't think of the big goal—don't think of publishing, or posting, etc. think of the end of your chapter, the development of your character, where it goes.
switch your writing environment! where are you most productive?
make a playlist only for when you write. never for anything else.
getting off tumblr, probably.
have people remind you of your goals.
remember that it all comes with discipline, but also your mental health is the most important!! don't sacrifice half your sleep to meet your nanowrimo goals. try to recognize when it's taking you too long and close the document. do something else. come back later.
take care of yourself. <3 use this post as a breather (or reminder to start!)
it’s the way he watches beomgyu rip the piece as he waits and when beomgyu puts the other piece back taehyun INSTANTLY grabs that piece AND looks satisfied while chewing that piece. makes me feral everytime. they are in love your honor.
izzy806
dededos
discoholicmusic
