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MDNI (18+) 20 year old Atiny from France 🇫🇷 Enjoy your visit!

[frflyavenue]

Under Your Touch - Chapter 1

Pairing: poly!Ateez x makeup artist!Reader (Fem!Reader)

Warnings: Implied childhood trauma/parental issues

Summary: Down on your luck, you pack up your things and move to Korea on an impulse. With no job and no money, you have no clue what your future could hold—until you’re scouted by two employees from a company you’ve never heard of, KQ Entertainment, looking for a new makeup artist. With the opportunity of a lifetime and the offer to work with a group named Ateez, maybe there’s hope for you after all. But what your future holds may be even more exciting than you expect.

Author’s Note: Hello everybody, and welcome to my new series, Under Your Touch! This is my first fic EVER, so please tell me what you think! I already have so much in store for you guys ;) —Planning to update with a new chapter every Sunday! Leave a note if you want to be added to the taglist for UYT~

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue <3

WC: 5.1k

Without further ado~

Chapter 1: The Beginning

The chill of the Seoul winter air hits you immediately as you step out of your apartment, sending a chill down your spine as you turn to lock the door. It’s your first winter in Korea, and while you’ve loved the moderate weather of the summer and fall, the winter chill alone is making you reconsider your choice to pack up and live here. Or maybe it would, if you hadn’t finally scored a job.

You smile lightly to yourself at the thought. You moved here 8 months ago, just toward the end of spring, wanting to get far away from your home country to start afresh. On an impulse, you packed up two suitcases, the most you could carry on your own, and booked a flight to Korea. You found a reasonably priced studio apartment during your first night at a hotel in Seoul, and with the small amount of money you had, you signed the lease the next day. It really all happened too fast for your own good. You were panicked—you didn’t really think ahead. For a month you stayed in your apartment with basically no money and no job, desperately studying Korean and looking for jobs. And for a while, your only source of comfort was your art.

You’ve always loved art. You grew up with nothing much to do except go to school, come home, and draw, not the type to stay around your parents too long. You always stayed away from them, in fact. That’s the reason you’re here in the first place. But regardless, drawing got you through it all. It was your first love, the first time you felt that you could forget about everything else and immerse yourself in a different world entirely. And even when your parents and teachers scolded you for doodling on your papers instead of doing your schoolwork, you continued. It was everything to you, why care about school? Not that you were a bad kid—you did everything you possibly could to make your parents and teachers happy. But you drew the line at abandoning your art, no pun intended.

As you got older, that passion carried into makeup. Considering your artistic background, it came as no surprise to you that you had a knack for makeup, and in that month trying your best to survive in Korea, that’s all you did. Makeup, different styles and different techniques, over and over, just to pass the time.

Mastering the Korean idol makeup style was easy. As was mastering pretty much any style, all around the world, you name it. But particularly, maybe because you now live in Korea, you loved the modern Korean idol makeup styles. Truthfully, you knew nothing about Kpop aside from the music you had heard in passing through the streets of Seoul. Your knowledge ended there. But that didn’t stop you from practicing and mastering the makeup, putting your own spin on it based on techniques you had learned from practicing other styles.

Regardless, you weren’t any less surprised when two women approached you during your weekly trip to the grocery store, speaking in rapid Korean and smiling excitedly, pointing to your face. With your limited knowledge of Korean, you managed to pick up a few things: “Your makeup—I like it!” Unsure of what to do, you smiled politely and thanked them, turning to leave. But they quickly shook their heads, stopping you and typing something into a translating app.

‘Are you a makeup artist?’

You shook your head and smiled awkwardly. “No, sorry.” You responded in what you hoped was an understandable Korean accent. They continued typing, seeming more excited now.

‘We work for a K-pop entertainment company called KQ Entertainment. We would like you to train with us and show the company your skills so we could hire you as a makeup artist.’

It seemed too good to be true. You accepted their business cards, typed back to them in whatever app they had that you would give them a call, and went home. It took you a while to confirm that the whole thing wasn’t a scam, but when you did, you were ecstatic. You had just received the opportunity of a lifetime.

The next few months went by fast. You were given what you compared to a scholarship—a free pass to attend a small class on makeup techniques. All for free under their eyes, you learned how to adjust different styles to different face shapes, how to do hair, learned what products to use on different skin types, how to utilize colors to make features pop. You studied Korean and were immersed enough in the language to be able to communicate effectively, which was a plus. You studied color theory, something you knew from experience but were interested to learn technically. And you had fun. So much fun. You didn’t think it could get any better, even if you weren’t getting paid.

But six months later, during an observation from one of the higher ups in the stylist and makeup department, it did get better. They complimented you on your hard work and your abilities, saying that your work was some of the best they had ever seen. And on the spot, they gave you a job offer to work at KQ Entertainment as a personal makeup artist for one of their boy groups, Ateez. It seemed too good to be true. You? Really? You accepted the offer without hesitation, thanking them profusely for their opportunity, and you were sent home. That was two weeks ago. In the meantime, you researched as much as you could about this group, Ateez.

You learned that there are eight members: Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho, Song Mingi, Choi San, Jung Wooyoung, and Choi Jongho. And all eight of them are possibly the most stunning men you have ever laid our eyes on. The perfect canvases. You were giddy at the thought. Your job description noted that you would be the personal makeup artist for Jung Wooyoung and Choi Jongho, the two youngest members. Jung Wooyoung is an incredible dancer, apparently known to be more energetic and lighthearted in nature. He has the visuals of a black cat, incredibly elegant and colder in appearance, though his personality is anything but. Choi Jongho is the youngest member and the lead singer of the group, and his voice is the most beautiful thing you have ever heard. You silently wished to yourself that you would get to hear him sing in person. He’s visually like a teddy bear, an adorable face with the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen. But it seems that his style is cool and simple, which you kept in mind.

Over the two weeks waiting for your paperwork to go through and finishing up interviews with their managers, you spent your time practicing. You drew models of their face shapes, testing out different styles on your drawing tablet and getting to know the curves and geometry of their faces while keeping in mind personal style and their group concept. All things considered, you would think that now, as you walk down the street in the freezing cold toward their makeup studio, that you would feel at least a little bit prepared.

False.

You’ve never been more nervous in your life.

While maybe you didn’t fangirl over the members like much of their fan base, this was your first proper job ever. Your Korean is nothing better than understandable at best, and while you’ve practiced with drawings, you’ve never actually done makeup on these two before. So even though what you’re doing today is nothing more than just a consultation with the two, you can’t stop the shaking in your hands, glad that you will be able to blame it on the cold. You need to do well today. Whether or not you really get the job depends on it.

No pressure.

It’s still dark out when you make it to the address the company sent you, an obscure studio in Seoul supposedly nearby to the Ateez dorms but still hidden from the public’s prying eyes. You check your phone. 6:45am. Perfect, 15 minutes early. You go to your contacts, calling Bae Hyerin, the agent you had been working with during this whole process.

“Good morning Hyerin-unnie! I’ve just arrived at the studio.” You call out into the phone, hoping your usually cheery tone overrides the shakiness in your voice.

“Ah, you’re early! One moment, I’ll let you in!” She hangs up, and you smile to yourself. Hyerin has been a lifeline since this whole ordeal began, possibly one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. She’s two years older than you, and even though you haven’t known her long, she’s helped you like an older sister, standing up for you when others undermined your abilities or made snarky comments about your Korean, and always praising you for your hard work. You can’t help but feel some of your nervousness dissipate when she greets you at the door with an excited smile.

“Y/N-ah! Welcome!” She says happily, gently pulling you inside. “It’s freezing out, please come in!”

You obey, familiarly holding her arm while she gives you a brief tour of the studio. There’s a large space inside past the entrance with two spaces—one with a couch, some seating, a small fridge, and a TV, presumably an area for the members to relax or sleep while they wait. But you’re more interested in the other side, a slightly smaller space with clean tile floors and four neat stations, three of which are clearly occupied with various products and tools. The fourth is completely empty, with nothing but the vanity, a chair, one staple hair tools, and a large lit mirror. You nearly drool at the sight. Assuming all goes well, this station would be all yours. Hyerin seems to notice, and she ruffles your hair lovingly with a laugh. She lets you set your large makeup bag on the empty vanity, getting a few things set up before they arrive for their consultation.

You blow hot air onto your freezing hands, relieved to finally have a bit of time to yourself to prepare. Unpacking a few things onto the vanity, you count once again to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Their respective foundations and concealers—check. Clean brushes for each of them—check. Palettes—check. Respective lip products—check. Everything is still unopened.

Phew.

Ater reassuring yourself that, yes, you brought all of their hair products too, you relax a bit, taking a seat on the couch in the other side of the studio. Now there’s nothing to do but wait.

——————

It’s still quiet in the Ateez dorms when Wooyoung begrudgingly wakes up to his alarm. 6:00am. Gross. He sighs and manages to get himself out of bed, cringing as the cold air hits his torso while he desperately searches for a hoodie. He struggles to get it on as he trudges over to find Jongho, knowing the younger member probably snoozed his alarm.

Entering his room, he smiles affectionately at the younger man still laying comfortable in bed, his squishy face pressed against the pillow and his blankets pulled all of way up to his chin. The serene moment is interrupted quickly, however, as Wooyoung climbs onto Jongho’s bed, effectively laying on top of him and wriggling around in an affectionate attempt to wake him up. Jongho groans and turns onto his back, sending Wooyoung rolling of to the other side of the bed. Puffing his lips out in a pout, Wooyoung shakes Jongho’s shoulders in another attempt to wake him up, making him grumble outa string of curses before opening his eyes. “What?” He asks, annoyed.

Wooyoung sighs. “We have to get ready to leave. Another makeup artist consultation.” Jongho reciprocates a sigh. Last month, the makeup artist responsible for taking care of the two men’s hair and makeup quit unexpectedly, leaving the company in a desperate search for somebody to fill the position. Over the last few weeks, Jongho and Wooyoung had to wake up early countless times in order to meet with potential candidates for consultations, the company wanting only the best for their prized members. Unfortunately for the two men, their company is picky. Jongho has lost count of how many artists they’ve consulted with over the last few weeks, and he’s tired of waking up earlier than everybody else everyday just to meet with another candidate that ultimately gets rejected. He has no doubt that today wont be any different.

Wooyoung seems to be thinking the same thing, because he nods sympathetically while he slides off of the younger members bed. “I know. But we have no other choice. Get up and get ready, we have to leave in 45 minutes. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a good candidate soon and we won’t have to do this shit anymore.”

Jongho sighs, but complies, forcing himself awake.

Now showered and clean shaven, the two men meet with their manager outside of the dorms, greeting him and climbing in the back of his car with less than eager expressions.

“Who’s the candidate this time?” Wooyoung asks, not doing much to hide the bitterness in his tone.

Manager-nim buckles up and starts the familiar drive to the makeup studio, looking at the tired men in his rear-view mirror with a sympathetic expression. “It’s somebody new, no experience. She’s foreign, moved here less than a year ago from what I gathered, so she speaks little Korean.”

The two men sigh, tired. Out of respect they say nothing, but their thoughts are clear. Why are we wasting our time doing this again? Manager-nim seems to take notice, and he adds quietly, “Hyerin-ssi recommended her.”

Jongho’s eyebrows raise slightly, though his face is still skeptical. Hyerin is known for being rather harsh when it comes to perfecting makeup—its part of what makes her such a good leader. So if she were to recommend somebody so unqualified to even consult with the members… she must see potential there. Still skeptical, the two opt for saying nothing.

Wooyoung nudges Jongho’s shoulder, waking the poor, tired boy as the car pulls into the lot of the studio. Wooyoung, deciding to be optimistic, smiles as he exits the car, hissing through his teeth at the cold but giggling regardless. No point in making yourself any more miserable, is there? Jongho couldn’t care less about looking towards the bright side of things. He’s tired, cold, and pissed off, and quite frankly he doesn’t want to be here. His face only prolongs Wooyoung’s fit of giggles.

Entering the studio, Bae Hyerin greets the three at the door, taking their coats.

“Good morning! Thank you two for coming in so early.”

Wooyoung nods, less grumpy now that he’s woken up a bit. “Of course! We’re excited~” It isn’t a complete lie, he justifies to himself. Jongho says nothing.

Hyerin isn’t blind to the air of annoyance eminating from the two youngest members, but she decides not to mention it. “I’m excited for you guys to meet her, too! She worked as a student under the studio for a few months, but honestly there wasn’t much we could teach her that she didn’t know already. She’s amazing.”

The two blink, a bit surprised. It’s the first time they’ve ever heard Hyerin speak so highly about anybody. Wooyoung smiles, looking forward to this visit a little more now. “What’s her name?”

Hyerin smiles fondly. “Y/N. She’s foreign, but I’ve had no difficulty communicating with her. She’s really cute, I hope you guys like her. I sincerely want her on our team.”

Wooyoung laughs softly, a bit entertained by how fondly their usually strict coworker is speaking about this new candidate. “Are you sure you don’t just have a crush on her?” He asks teasingly, making Hyerin roll her eyes and playfully smack his shoulder.

”Hush.”

Jongho opens his mouth to speak, but is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a new voice calling out from the doorway.

“Unnie, I’m sorry but is there any water I can- …uhm…” You blink with your wide doe eyes as you meet the gaze of two stunning men standing in the entrance speaking with Hyerin, confused. Hyerin turns around and smiles sweetly at you, walking over and gently pulling you toward the two men. Unable to do anything else, you let her.

“Good timing, Y/N, our members just got here! Wooyoung, Jongho, this is Y/N, the makeup artist you will be consulting with today.”

——————

A bit flustered to be meeting them so unexpectedly, you just blink for a second with your pretty, flustered eyes, before remembering yourself. You bow deeply.

“I’m sorry, you surprised me. My name’s Y/N, I’ll be taking care of you two today.”

Wooyoung giggles softly, finding the whole situation rather endearing, and Jongho can’t help himself as he, too, smiles at the scene. You’re nothing short of adorable, with deer-like features and a welcoming closed-lipped smile. Your hair falls short around your shoulders, fluffy as it frames your face, though it doesn’t appear to be particularly styled. Your face is adorned in a subtle, natural makeup, not appearing to be much more than a simply base, natural eye makeup, and some pretty pink lip gloss, but Jongho notes to himself that it suits your face perfectly. Your outfit is also simple, a cream colored, tight-fit turtleneck sweater tucked into light-wash baggy jeans topped off with a simple brown leather belt. Nothing about your appearance is necessarily astounding, but your girl-nextdoor vibe leaves the two finding themselves admiring how pretty you are.

Nervous as you feel their eyes on you, you instinctively reach to hold Hyerin’s hand, making Wooyoung press his lips tight together in an attempt to suppress his sudden cuteness aggression. Jongho smiles after only a few seconds since your introduction, bowing in return. “Good morning, Y/N, my name is Jongho Choi.” He responds in English. You blush from the cute gesture, giggling in slight surprise. Picking up on it, Wooyoung does the same. “I’m Jung Wooyung. Or… Wooyoung Jung. Nice to meet you!”

You laugh softly, giving the two the opportunity to admire your smile, which they find equally as endearing as the rest of you. “Nice to meet you too. Jongho, Wooyoung.” You nod in each of their directions, making them laugh. You feel Hyerin squeeze your hand happily, and you return the squeeze. “Which of you would like to work with me first? I can give you two some time to relax before we start while I get set up. I know it’s early.” You say politely, this time in Korean. You take your time with each sentence, wanting to pronounce everything correctly.

“Me first!” Wooyoung replies eagerly, interrupting Jongho snaps his head to look at Wooyoung in protest. Wooyoung shut him down quickly, stating simply, “I’m older.”

You laugh lightheartedly, enjoying the scene. “Alright then, Wooyoung-ssi first. I’ll give you a few minutes to eat something and get settled in while I set up, yeah? Just let me know whenever you’re ready.” Both men nod and thank you politely as you turn to leave, silent for a moment.

As soon as you’re out of sight, Wooyoung whispers excitedly, laughing in spite of himself. “She is cute!’

Hyerin laughs. “I know, right?”

——————

You hum to yourself as you get Wooyoung’s makeup ready on the vacant vanity, looking over your drawings one more time for good measure while Wooyoung and Jongho laugh over a small breakfast in the other room. Convincing yourself that you know his daily makeup by heart, you turn to rehearsing different hairstyles in your head, knowing it’s your weak spot. Wooyoung usually uses this mouse… or was it the other one? No, he likes the coconut one, right. And he recently got his hair bleached, so use an extra strength heat protectant for good measure. You jump as Wooyoung suddenly appears behind you, tapping your shoulder with a bottle of water. You wince as your jaw clamps down and you bite the inside of your cheek, but smile as you turn around.

“You okay?” Wooyoung laughs, sorry to have scared you. “Here, you were asking for water earlier.”

“Ah, thank you!” You feel a bit relieved, suddenly remembering how dry your mouth is. “Sorry, I was in my own world for a moment. Ready?”

Wooyoung nods, and you smile up at him, pulling the chair out for him and gesturing for him to take a seat. He obliges, sitting down and letting you drape a light cape over his front to protect his clothes. You pump the chair up a few inches, steeling yourself with a few breaths. God, I’m dramatic. You think, exhaling in slight annoyance at how nervous you are. It’s really not that serious.

“Any specific styles you want for today?” You ask, unable to bear staying alone with your thoughts any longer.

Wooyoung thinks, blinking. “Mmm… cool… sexy style.” He replies with a hint of bravado, making you smile. He lifts his hands, pushing one side of his hair back. ”Maybe half slicked back hair like vintage American TV actors, you know? And for makeup just… simple. Handsome..”

You nod, relieved to know exactly the style he’s referring to. You smile, and, unable to handle feeling awkward, you mock a salute. “Aye aye, captain.”

Wooyoung laughs, his eyes a bit surprised, but he quickly shakes his head through fits of giggles. “No, I’m not the captain! That title is only for Hongjoong-hyung.”

You blink, a bit confused for a moment. Hongjoong. As in Kim Hongjoong, the leader of Ateez? Probably. Thank goodness you did at least a little research. “Ah, your leader is the captain? Apologies.” You reply smoothly, your doe eyes sparkling with humor.

Wooyoung nods, clasping his hands in his lap and smiling with intrigue. “Do you know anything about Ateez?” He asks, watching as you squeeze some sun cream onto the back of your hand.

You laugh awkwardly. “Only what I researched when I found out I would be consulting with you two today.” You admit, gently applying some of the sun cream onto his face with the pad of your ring finger. “Eight handsome members with a pirate concept working hard to bring badass stages all around the world.” You say simply, summing up what you know.

Wooyoung laughs, endeared by your description. “You think we’re handsome?” He finds himself asking, wanting to tease you.

You nod, humming affirmatively without hesitation as you blend the cream on his face. You make brief eye contact and smile cheekily before refocusing on his makeup, making him blush.

Well, that backfired, he thinks, cursing himself internally for his failed attempt at flustering you. “How old are you?” He asks suddenly, almost without thinking.

You smile. “I was born 1999.”

He blinks, suddenly excited. “Oh, we’re the same age! Shall we drop the honorifics?”

You meet eyes with him, equally surprised, before nodding eagerly. “Ah, I would like that.”

Conversation comes easy with Wooyoung from that moment onward, as you introduce yourselves and get more comfortable with joking around. Jongho observes with slight surprise from the lounge portion of the large space, taking note of every laugh and blush from Wooyoung at your occasional remarks. He smirks, capturing a picture of the moment and sending it in the Ateez group chat, wanting to tease his hyung. But as he looks closer at the photo, he gasps slightly, catching a glimpse of his completed makeup while you finish up his hair. It’s nothing special, just what appears to Wooyoung’s normal, daily makeup. But something about the harmony of his features looked different… it was the closest thing to perfection he’d ever seen. He looks up from his phone, squinting to try and see him from across the room as if to confirm what he’s seeing. Unfortunately for him, you turn the chair around almost as soon as he does so, done with Wooyoung’s hair and eagerly showing him the finished look in the mirror.

Wooyoung’s reaction is equally as surprised.

He gasps as he sees the job you’ve done, taken aback as he leans forward to look closer at his makeup. The base is so flawless it may as well be his skin, and he reaches up to poke his cheek as if to make sure it isn’t a filter. His eye makeup is minimal, but the product is placed perfectly to accentuate the sharpness of his eyes rather than change the shape, something makeup artists have done commonly in the past. His lips are done in a perfect color for his skin tone, with gloss placed subtly in places where it can only be seen when the light hits it at certain angles, sculpting his plump lips beautifully. Even his nose, one of his proudest features, is perfectly carved out, again accentuating the feature just enough for it to harmonize with everything else. It’s shocking, frankly.

You knot your hands together, fidgeting nervously. Mistakenly taking his silence for dissatisfaction, you bite the inside of your cheek and shuffle on your feet.] “Ah.. is there anything you would like me to change…?” You ask tentatively, worried you might cry if he doesn’t say something soon. He seems to notice, because he pries his eyes away from the mirror and turns to face you, excitedly grasping your hands.

“No… this is amazing. How did you even do this?” He asks, no sign of his usual teasing smile on his face—only sincere shock.

You blush, suddenly looking away, feeling shy and…relieved. “Ah, really? I’m glad you like it.” You say quietly, hoping he can’t feel the nervous tremble of your hands. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything.

He lets go, turning back to look at the makeup in the mirror again. “Jongho-yah, come here. Look.”

Jongho stands up, also eager to get a closer look. He gasps in the same way as Wooyoung, gripping Wooyoung’s chin and tilting his head side to side in admiration. “Handsome…”

Wooyoung nods, meeting Jongho’s gaze with wide eyes as he communicates silently what he’s thinking. Jongho’s eyes say the same thing.

You clear your throat nervously, checking the time. “I’m sorry, if you don’t mind, can I get started with Jongho-ssi? We only have 45 minutes before you have to leave to get ready for your next schedule.”

“Ah, sorry.” Wooyoung says, removing his cape and handing it to Jongho while he swaps positions with the younger man. “Go ahead~”

You nod in thanks, and get to work with Jongho, starting the process all over again.

By the time you’ve finished up with his makeup, turning him around to style his hair, he’s already as energetic as Wooyoung, laughing at almost every silly remark you make and rebutting with ease. Wooyoung notices, noting to himself how easily you manage to adjust to different member’s humor. For reasons unbeknownst to him, that thought makes his cheeks feel warm. You speak comfortably as you style his hair, this styling a bit cuter than Wooyoung’s, per Jongho’s request. It doesn’t take long before you’re done with his hair as well, and you gently pat his shoulder before turning the chair around so he can see the final result.

The two men’s reactions are no different this time. Again, his features are balanced perfectly, with lips a perfect shade of pink, super soft nose contour, and puppy eyes accentuated with bits of subtle sparkles Jongho has never worn before, though he can’t help but like them. It’s perfect.

Wooyoung is quick to run over and admire the work as well, unable to close his jaw as he looks it over. “Jongho-yah, I don’t think you’ve ever looked so good.” He says, a hint of teasing in his tone.

You shake your head, laughing. “His bare face is my favorite. Both of you are perfect canvases to work on, seriously. So handsome. All I do is make that handsomeness pop for the cameras.” You explain, wiping excess makeup off your hands with a wet wipe. “But I’m glad you both like it.”

Both of them blush, unable to say anything in response as you excuse yourself to go wash your hands, struggling with just the wipes. Now along, the boys can finally speak in private.

“Hyung…” Jongho says softly, his voice carrying a tone Wooyoung’s maybe heard only once or twice before. “She’s perfect, seriously.”

Wooyoung nods, agreeing with a hushed, but still undeniably excited tone. “And also she’s so-“

“Cute, right?” Hyerin interjects, walking in the room. The two nods unashamedly. Hyerin steps closer, admiring your work on their faces. “Perfect, as usual. To think she was so nervous she would mess up today…” She shakes her head, smiling proudly as you return. You chirp happily at seeing her and rush over, quick to hug her arm.

“You did a good job, Y/N. You managed to make these two sleepy fools look like idols.” She praises sweetly, making Jongho scoff playfully.

You laugh nervously, shaking your head. “Thank you, Unnie. I’m glad you like it.” You turn as you hear the chime of the front door’s bell, presumably their manager re-enter the building to pick the two members up. You let Hyerin go so she can bring them in, and you’re surprised to see a few new faces instead of their manager. Hyerin clears her throat.

“Y/N, these are the people I was telling you about that would observe your work. No need to be nervous, they’re just going to talk with the members for a bit and make some final decisions.” She winks, but your shoulders still tense slightly at her unspoken words.

They’re going to determine whether or not you get the job.

You feel a sudden poke on your hip and look down to see Jongho smiling. You let out a breath at his sweet thumbs up, smiling slightly in return and bowing your head in silent thanks.

“Y/N, why don’t you go ahead and head out for the day? You did well.” Hyerin interjects, her face sympathetic. You nod, quickly moving to clean up the vanity and pack everything back into your compactable makeup bag. You give a quick bow to Wooyoung and Jongho, grinning sweetly before turning around, quick to leave the building.

Wooyoung and Jongho look at each other and smile, silently crossing their fingers while their hair and makeup is being observed.

They like you.

…

Yeah, they like you a lot.

This fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 2

[ateezfanficawards]

Hiii!! I'm nominating @frflyavenue fic 'Under Your Touch' for the best Ongoing series of 2025! Thank you <3

Thank you so much for your submission! 🖤

[frflyavenue]

Omg?? Thank you so much @cloudserenity for the nomination! It’s such a pleasure to see you all get so much enjoyment out of my little fic ⭐️🩷

Love you all so much!!

[frflyavenue]

Under Your Touch - Chapter 6

Pairing: poly!Ateez x makeup artist!Reader (fem!Reader)

Warnings: (romantic?) tension, casual swearing, tooth-rotting fluff, PTSD, minor PTSD episode, platonic affection, work (eww), food/eating, exhaustion/overworking

Author's Note: Hello there my loves! I'm back! I took a long break due to a lot going on in my personal life. That said, my resolution for the New Years is to allocate more time to my hobbies and taking breaks. This chapter has been planned out for a while, but honestly I think writing it helped me realize just how much I've been working myself recently. So, the goal is to continue with a more consistent upload schedule for you all. Much love to everyone supporting me here! Enjoy an extra long chapter. I need to feed you all well after starving you for so long~ Happy Holidays!!

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

WC: 7.0k

Chapter 6: Tired.

The upcoming Ateez comeback is incredible.

Ara-nim got permission to hear the new tracks, which you promptly listened to on your walk home from work this afternoon… and you haven’t stopped listening to them. Even if you aren’t a true fan, you feel a bit giddy at the exclusive experience of hearing this masterpiece before everyone else. But you can’t sit and feel special for too long—you need to get to work.

You sit on your bed, scrolling through images of the members on Pinterest. For work, of course—you need to understand the members’ usual styles and body types before you can design anything for them. Each of them has a unique style: Seonghwa with a regal androgyny, Mingi with his strong silhouette, Wooyoung’s perfect asymmetry. Hongjoong’s swagger, Yunho’s domestic beauty, Jongho’s modest sexiness. Yeosang with his hidden intensity, and San with his protective strength. You sketch out a quick outline of their body types on your tablet and note their apparent style preferences before scrolling to the side to take a few notes on the style of the music.

The new tracks are some of Eden’s and Hongjoong’s best works, filled to the brim with a beautiful stack of strings and horns within their usual smooth hip-hop style, accompanied by the members smooth vocals. It’s a new sound for them, but just like everything they do, it suits them. “A shame this is only an EP,” you mumble to yourself. It’s album quality.

You jot a few notes of what comes to mind. The 808s have a domestic bedroom pop sound. ‘Yunho boyfriend aesthetic. Soft fabrics. knit?’ The smooth score of violins brings out something lighter and more regal. ‘Sheer/flowy fabrics. Should catch the light of the stage. Tulips, pastels, cream colors. Jewels. Silk.’

You hum, looking it over. There are just too many ideas that come to mind to be able to start with one. You roll onto your back, letting out a frustrated huff. This is something you love to do in your free time, but now that it’s for work… you can’t help but feel nerves creeping in. It really isn’t that serious, but it’s still something that you’re going to show to Ara-nim and everyone else on the team. It’s your art. You never were very good at showing other people your art.

You sigh, rolling back over onto your stomach and looking down at the dim light of your tablet. That’s tomorrow’s problem, you decide, taking your first sip of coffee and wincing as you realize it’s now cold. You can’t be nervous about showing off your work when you don’t even have anything to show yet. You pick up your stylus, twirling it between your fingers. You need to start somewhere. So, scrolling back to your templates of the members, you decide to start with Seonghwa.

—---------

Seonghwa is always the first awake in the Ateez dorms. Usually he wakes up early to shower and enjoy his quiet time before his members, as much as he loves them, wake up and cause chaos. This morning should have been no different. Today, Seonghwa and Hongjoong have a sub-unit photoshoot for a brand deal, while the rest of the members are given the grace of a clear schedule. This is great for Seonghwa too, since the photoshoot will only take a few hours and he has six less grumpy members to wake up this morning. The only problem is that Hongjoong is absolutely refusing to get out of bed.

“Hongjoong-ah, it’s an early morning. You don’t have time to sleep in today.”

“Mmf… I’m awake. Just let me lay here for a minute…”

Seonghwa sighs, hearing his voice drift off. “I’m sorry, but you don’t have time. Our schedule is thirty minutes earlier than usual. We need to be out of the dorms in twenty to get to the studio.”

“Twenty minutes? That’s plenty of time,” he mumbles.

“You need to shower, I let you off the hook last night so you could go to sleep but you desperately need to wash off.”

Hongjoong groans. “You’re so mean, Seonghwa-yah.”

Seonghwa huffs a laugh of disbelief. “Mean? How am I mean?”

Hongjoong frowns, peeking an eye open and pouting, moving the covers of Seonghwa’s bed down so they aren’t covering his face anymore. “You were rough on me last night and now you’re rushing me out of bed even though my muscles hurt.”

Seonghwa blushes, not expecting the bluntness, and lifts his hand to rub the crease between his eyebrows. “I wasn’t rough on you, you’re just tiny. And I was very gentlemanly, thank you very much. I cleaned you up and everything, and then let you sleep in my bed. But you still need a shower.” Seonghwa reaches down and gently pulls the covers down, moving to lightly massage Hongjoong's lower back. “And if your back is sore, the warm water won't hurt. Come on. It’s time to get up.” Hongjoong sighs, glancing up at him with a light blush from the attention. “...You’re going to be the death of me, Hwa.”

Seonghwa smiles softly, ruffling his hair. “Mhm. You coming?”

Hongjoong nods, sitting up with a groan. “Only because I don’t want to leave Y/N waiting.”

Seonghwa chuckles, nodding. “Right. Go get yourself presentable for your girlfriend.”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes, still mumbling to himself as Seonghwa steps out of the room.

Seonghwa believes that Y/N has been a pleasant addition to the KQ staff. He hasn’t talked to her much, sure. But his members all adore her, and she’s proven herself to be incredibly talented. Wooyoung and Yunho have been especially outspoken about their adoration for her, but Seonghwa has been keeping a watchful eye over everybody. Especially over Hongjoong.

Hongjoong has had it rough lately. The comeback is only a few weeks away, and their captain still has about a million things to do; between photoshoots, dance practice, production, and attending meetings on behalf of the members, he is thoroughly booked. He’s reaching his limit. Though Hongjoong would never admit it, Seonghwa has certainly noticed. The man has been looking more exhausted by the day, hardly sleeping at night to finish his work and struggling to find time to eat. And Seonghwa… he’s worried.

Seonghwa has tried helping any way he can. He makes double portions of meals so he can give the “extras” to Hongjoong without making him feel burdensome. He checks in on the man when he doesn’t come home at night to make sure that he’s wrapping up. He gives him physical relief on nights he’s particularly frustrated in hopes of reducing the poor man’s stress a little bit. But at the end of the day, that’s all he can do.

And even though Hongjoong is still overworking himself, the addition of Y/N to the team has changed something. While he isn’t any less tired, he seems to have some sort of motivation to get to the studio every morning. If he’s refusing to take a break for a shower, all Seonghwa has to say is “You don’t want to be unhygienic around Y/N, do you?” and his friend will reluctantly take a break. So while he knows very little about her, he’s decided to take good care of her, because even if she doesn’t know it, she’s taking care of his best friend.

Thank you, Y/N, he thinks, packing him and Hongjoong a small breakfast for the morning, alongside an extra portion. And he decided then that he would take care of her too.

—---------

You’re nearly sprinting on your way to the studio this morning.

You ended up working late into the night finishing up sketches for three different group designs with outfits for each member… so 24 different outfits and notes to accompany each. What you failed to remember in your creative burst was that today’s schedule was going to begin thirty minutes early. You had every intention of getting there on time in spite of not having anybody’s makeup to do today, but, in failing to set your alarm, you woke up thirty minutes before you needed to be there. You managed to throw on a sweatshirt and some jeans, grabbed your things, made yourself a bottle of water, and rushed out the door.

Now you’re here, heart racing as you rush to work in the freezing cold. You glance down to check your phone for the time, nearly tripping on a curb as you round the corner to get to the secluded studio. Sweet, only two minutes late. Not ideal for someone who likes to get to work early, but not as bad as it could have been. You slow down, out of breath as you scan your keycard and let yourself into the back entrance, hurrying in and removing your (Yunho’s) coat.

There’s already light chatter as you make your way in, and you offer a wave when you see Ara-nim and Hyerin-unnie talking with Seonghwa in the lounge. Still catching your breath, you set your bag down and walk over to join them, apologetic. 

“I’m so, so sorry. I overslept.”

Seonghwa smiles, kindly waving off your concern. “It’s no trouble. Hongjoong-ah slept in too. He’s in the bathroom washing his face.”

You hum, sitting down on the couch next to a lounging Yeosang. “Good morning, Yeosang-ssi.”

Yeosang opens his eyes, bowing his head. “Good morning, Y/N-ssi. Did you run here?”

You nod, offering an embarrassed chuckle. “Yeah, sorry if I look like a mess.”

Yeosang shakes his head. “No, you look good.”

You smile, a bit relieved. You don’t leave the house without makeup, usually. You’re sure your hair is mussed from running, too. But for some reason, you trust Yeosang not to lie to you.

Seonghwa suddenly sits down between the two of you, smiling as he hands you a cloth bag. Confused, you take it, blinking.

Seonghwa chuckles. “I had extras when I made breakfast bentos this morning,” he explains matter-of-factly. “You usually don’t eat breakfast if Jongho doesn’t feed you.”

Your eyes widen as you open the bag, peeking in at the carefully sealed bento. “Oh, Seonghwa-ssi! You really didn’t have to…”

Seonghwa shakes his head, smiling. “I wanted to. Please, eat.”

Too touched to speak, you just look down at the bento, before gathering your thoughts and grinning in return, eyes twinkling. “Thank you so much, Seonghwa-ssi.”

The pretty man shakes his head softly, eyes caring. “Of course. And please, don’t be afraid to use less formal language with me. We’re all family here.”

You nod, unable to hold back your grin. “Thank you, Oppa.”

Seonghwa seems content with that, and he leaves to go “make sure Hongjoong didn’t fall asleep in the bathroom.” You carefully take the bento out of the cloth bag, opening it and gasping at the arrangement of fruits and carefully prepared eggs and sausages. Grinning, you pop a grape into your mouth.

“Unnie, can you go over the plan for today again?”

Hyerin smiles, sitting down in the reclining chair. “Of course. Hongjoong and Seonghwa are gonna get ready here, and then they’re gonna leave here in about two hours. You and I need to work on sketches for a little while, because Ara-yah is gonna get here in a few minutes and I have no doubt she’ll ask to see our progress. And Yeosang has some computer work he needs to do, so he decided to hang out here.”

You nod, immersed in your breakfast. You take a moment to swallow before speaking again. “Perfect. I have three group sketches made, so that should suffice for now. I’ll try to have three more done for the meeting tomorrow.”

Hyerin hums, standing up with a grunt. She makes her way to the backroom, ruffling your hair on the way past, sending you into a fit of giggles. “Good job, kiddo.”

The back door opens again with a creak, followed by the familiar click of heels on tile. You turn, smiling in recognition. “Ara-nim!”

She turns, face softening. “Good morning, sweet girl. Sorry I’m late.”

Yeosang suddenly chuckles. “You’re always late.”

Ara just shrugs, taking off her shoes and plopping down between the two of you. “By fifteen minutes. It’s worth it, I need to get coffee in the morning.”

You laugh, scooting closer to her. “But you don’t need coffee, Unnie. You have so much energy.”

She smiles, winking. “Well I have to keep it that way, don’t I?” Yeosang chuckles. “Still, I apologize. Do you have any sketches, Y/N-ah?”

You nod, reaching over the ledge of the couch into your bag to grab your tablet. “I only have a few,” you explain, opening up the drawing program and handing it over to her. “I like the third the most, but the first one might adhere best to the style of the album…” She hums, eyebrows raised as she looks over them. It’s a lot of work, really. Three group styles, with each member having a unique outfit. It's a total of 24 drawings, each in immaculate detail.

“You made these?” She asks, scrolling through. You nod, and Ara tilts the tablet to show Yeosang, watching as his expression slowly matches her own. “These are incredible, Y/N.”

Yeosang nods, eyes glued to the screen. “I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like this, at least not for boy groups.”

You nod. “I was thinking about Seonghwa’s fashion, from what I’ve seen. A lot of your faces can be styled to be more androgynous. I wasn’t sure about how you’d feel about it since you have a more masculine style, but-”

“No, I really like it,” Yeosang interjects. “At least for my designs. You used more feminine clothing, but you still found a way to show off my muscles instead of trying to hide them, which is nice.”

You hum. “Do you prefer more masculine clothing, Yeosang-ssi?”

Yeosang shakes his head. “I like to have balance.” He offers a smile. “You did well.”

Ara nods, agreeing.

“I’m glad I thought to get the makeup team in on this,” Ara murmurs.

You nervously laugh, shaking your head humbly. “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the stylists, of course.”

Ara laughs, shaking her head. “Honey, I haven’t even started. My brain is empty. Stylists tend to think too much. I think it helps that you don’t have the mind of a stylist, it makes for something we could’ve never thought of.”

You glance down, shy. “I’m glad you like them.”

She stands up, handing you your tablet. “Show these in the meeting tomorrow. If you have extra time today you can clean them up into defined layers, that usually helps the style team visualize. Try to keep it to as few layers as you can so they don’t overheat.”

You nod. “Alright. I don’t have anything scheduled today, so I’ll either be working on sketching or checking inventory, if you need me.”

She smiles, thanking you before ducking into the meeting room. 

You sigh, standing with a stretch to pack up your breakfast and setting it next to your bag before making your way over to your vanity. You slide open Wooyoung’s drawer, looking over everything with a sigh. These boys use a lot of beauty products, as it turns out. And now that you’ve been working with them every day for the last few weeks, you’re starting to run low. Even worse, since you started working with hardly any money to afford to eat, you didn’t buy any backups, so now the situation is desperate. Sure, you certainly have more money than before now that you actually have a steady income. But still, it’ll take a while to get to a comfortable position.

You sigh, scribbling on your memo pad. ‘Wooyoung foundation – shade #22. Wooyoung contour stick, cool tone #1. Wooyoung primer. Wooyoung sun cream. Setting spray.’ You move over to Jongho’s side of the vanity. ‘Jongho foundation – shade #24. Jongho primer. Jongho lip colors – peach gloss and matte natural.’ You sit up, digging through your hair products too for good measure. ‘Heat protectant. Jongho mousse.’

You stand, staring down at your list and moseying your way back over to the lounge. It’s so much, surely at least $300 worth, you consider with dismay, trying to decide whether or not you have the savings for it. The members each have nice products–the best, of course, for the prettiest faces in Korea. But it does come at the expense of your wallet.

Your thoughts are cut short at the sensation of an unfamiliar hand gripping your shoulder, and you yelp. Whipping your head around with panicked eyes, you turn to face the cold face of Yoon Sohee.

Sohee-nim looks surprised, and she huffs out a laugh. “Woah, are you good?”

You blink, heart thundering in your chest as you try to steady your breaths, panic gripping at your chest. You clear your throat, swallowing. “Yeah, sorry.”

She shrugs. “You need to send me an email verifying your shifts for the next few weeks. Also, you never told me if you wanted to join the travel team.” You nod, offering a small smile. “I see. I’ll get that sent to you in a few minutes.”

She nods, turning around and walking away without another word. You watch as she sits next to Yeosang, whose concerned eyes are trained on you. She smiles at him, sweetening her voice. “Good morning, Yeosang-ssi.”

Yeosang meets her eyes. “...Good morning.”

You swallow, still struggling to collect yourself. Taking a breath, you turn to escape to the breakroom.

She hums, leaning closer and showing him her planner. “Could you let me know your shifts for next week? I just wanna make sure nothing has changed-”

“I’ll send you an email,” Yeosang replies shortly, watching you go.

You slip behind the door, relaxing just a bit from the privacy. You look around for something to do, stopping at the electric kettle and pressing the button. May as well make tea. Sohee startled you, sure. But you’re feigning much better than yesterday’s little incident, somehow. It doesn’t make you feel any less pathetic.

The door creaks open and Yeosang silently lets himself in, face hardened. “Y/N-ssi, are you alright?” 

You wince at his worried tone, embarrassed. Having to walk out twice in a row isn’t at all ideal, especially considering you’re so new. You’re still proving your position here, and losing your mind over what? A friendly tap on the shoulder? “I’m alright, Yeosang-ah,” you reply, smiling softly, not even realizing your comfortable drop in honorifics. “Sorry, you don’t have to worry.”

Yeosang shakes his head, his expression a bit sad. “Y/N-ah, please, don’t worry. I just want to make sure you’re alright. Sohee-nim shouldn’t have-... whatever. Are you feeling okay?”

You nod, blushing slightly as the tea kettle whistles and pouring yourself a cup. “I’m okay, I promise. She just startled me a little bit.”

He pauses, looking bitter.

“...Is something wrong, Yeosang-ah?”

Yeosang looks up, sighing. “I don’t want this to sound weird, but we had a kind of... unofficial meeting about you? Sannie told us about everything last night and warned us to not touch you without permission. He debriefed it to the staff, not just the members, because he didn’t want any more incidents happening if they didn’t have to.”

You nod. “It’s not weird, I asked him to.”

Yeosang looks relieved. “Good. I’m not a fan of talking behind people’s backs.” He pauses. “But I mean to tell you… Sohee-nim knows she shouldn’t touch you unexpectedly, but she did it anyway.”

You smile softly. “It’s alright, it was just an accident. I’m touchy around the other unnies too, so she may have thought she could be affectionate.”

Yeosang frowns. “But Sohee-nim…” He looks conflicted. “I really don’t like to talk behind people's backs. But she isn’t the touchy type with the other girls.” He pauses, something flickering in his eyes, leaving just as fast as it appeared. “Just tell me if she ever bothers you, please.”

You nod, a little lost. It feels like you’re missing information, but Yeosang moves on before you can dwell on it. 

“Yunho said you liked playing with his jacket.”

You blink. Yeosang has such a blunt and unexpected way of talking, but it’s refreshing.

“Uh, yeah, I guess so. It felt nice.”

Yeosang nods. “When I don’t know what to do with my hands, I play with this.” He pulls a small keychain out of his pocket, a tiny dog plush dangling from the chain. “Seonghwa-hyung bought it for me because my fidgeting drove him crazy. Do you want to hold it?”

After staring for a moment, you look up from the toy to see Yeosang's aloof expression. “You’re so strange.”

He looks caught off guard, but you’re quick to raise your hands in apology.

“N-not in a bad way! Just… you talk in a very particular way. You know, in a way that’s... great… and not bad...”

He seems confused, but just holds up the little keychain. “I think it might help you relax,” he explains, and you blush. Great, he thinks you’re crazy. At least he doesn’t seem offended.

You gently take the plush, surprised by the unexpected softness of it. You run your fingers over it, quieting down. Yeosang clears his throat, turning around.

“I’ll be outside. You can hold onto it for as long as you’d like.”

You swear you can see his ears tinted pink, but he leaves before you can take a good look.

——————

The rest of the day slips by without much resistance. 

You send Sohee the email she asked for, your availability neatly typed out, the decision to transition into working on the travel team made with a steady hand. You finish the last of Seonghwa’s breakfast bento sometime after lunch, refill your coffee (again), help Yeosang hunt down the tea that he swears someone hid from him, and then… well, there isn’t really much else to do. So, you head back to the lounge, tablet tucked under your arm.

Adjusting layers turns out to be a huge pain in the ass. You made your designs based on instinct of what would look good, not bothering with the logic of how a stylist could actually make detailed outfits. Now that you have to put yourself in their shoes, admiration sets in alongside your annoyance. Without much of a choice, you lean back against the side of the couch and get back to work.

Slowly, the studio empties.

Conversations taper off, making the hum of the building sound louder in the absence of voices. You don’t pay it much mind, until the studio lights dim, seemingly on some sort of automatic sensor. Now unable to see much, you sit up straight, zoning back in on your surroundings.

It’s lonely in the studio. There aren’t any windows out back, but the comforting sound of crickets and the hum of the fluorescent lighting betrays the outside’s darkness. Standing up, you stretch your arms up over your head, wincing at the stiffness in your wrists. How long has it been? You roll out your wrists and go to take a sip of your coffee, but it’s cold from being left forgotten. Sputtering, you set the cup down to rub your temples, taking note of a headache setting in.

You’re probably dehydrated, something nags at you, and you walk to the back with your old coffee. You pour a glass of water, gulping it down and refilling it again, before deciding to steep some green tea instead of coffee. You lean back against the counter while you wait, blinking exhaustion out of your eyes. It’s difficult to tell whether it’s from spending hours on one monotonous task or from actual sleepiness. You check your phone for the time.

10:00 pm

…Oh. So probably both.

You run a hand through your hair, willing your headache to go away. Oh, wait, you remember suddenly. We have medicine. You rummage through a few cabinets before finding the headache medicine, and you take one gratefully. By now, your tea must be done steeping, but it looks suspiciously light in color. You take a small sip, only to set it immediately back down, huffing a disbelieving laugh aloud. Shit. Forgot to boil the water first. You dump it out, setting the steeper aside and trying again.

The electric kettle clicks softly as it finishes heating, and you reach for the steeper again, only to freeze.

The door to the lounge opens.

You straighten, your heart giving a small jump as it shuts again with a muted thud. Frowning, you wait, listening for the soft patter of footsteps to stop before peeking your head out of the backroom, just in time to see a familiar figure shrugging a bag off his shoulder. It hits the floor with a thump, the sound echoing too loudly in the quiet studio. He panics for a moment, reaching for it as if he can undo the damage, then sighs, relief washing over him when he guarantees his laptop survived the fall without harm.

You giggle, unable to help it.

He whips around, clearly startled, hand flying to his chest and eyes widening.

“Y/N-ah, you scared me!”

You laugh harder at that. “Good evening, Hongjoong-ssi.”

He exhales, shaking his head and setting his laptop on the side table, wandering to join you in the backroom. “What are you doing here so late, Y/N-ah?”

You stir your tea, tapping your spoon lightly on the side of the mug. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“...Touche.” His gaze lingers on you then, observant. “You look tired.”

You turn to meet his eyes, only to see the same reflected right back.

Tired isn’t even the right word for it—truthfully, the Captain looks exhausted. His shoulders sag beneath the weight of his jacket, which he seemingly doesn’t bother taking off. His undereyes are dark and stained with black tightlined eyeshadow, brows knitting together subconsciously. His hair is mussed now, fallen out of place, fringe clumping awkwardly from where gel holds it stiff. 

He’s handsome, undeniably so. But right now, he looks worn thin.

Your expression must give away your thoughts, because he sighs, running his finger through his hair just to get them caught in the hardened gel. He winces, frustration flickering in his eyes.

You decide to let it be.

“I thought everyone left already,” you point out. “I didn’t see you get back.”

He shakes his head, offering a small smile. “I just got back. I went straight to the studio after my shoot, but then I realized I lost my hard drive.” He leans back against the counter, letting his eyes lazily fall to the floor. “Manager-nim found it here and put it in a safe spot for me to pick up. It’s too dark to walk, so I had to find a ride and the whole ordeal took me like an hour and a half to get back here.”

You coo sympathetically, feeling sorry for the guy. “It’s already so late… are you going back to the studio?”

He shakes his head. “No, that would waste too much time. I figured I would work here for an hour or so and then spend the night in the lounge.”

Your eyebrow twitches upward in surprise. “You aren’t going home?”

He laughs softly, though nothing was really funny. “No. I don’t do this often, but when it comes to comeback preparation…”

You nod quietly, understanding. You join him in leaning against the counter, and he turns his head to face you. “What about you, hm?” His eyes twinkle. “What’s your excuse?”

Your lips quirk up in a smile. “Everyone’s working their asses off to get styling in order after last week’s incident. Ara-nim and a few members looked over my sketches this morning and really liked them, so I’m cleaning them up to make them presentable for tomorrow’s meeting. If all goes well, they’ll like mine and won’t need to wait on a finalized sketch before getting to work.”

Hongjoong nods, impressed. “You work hard,” he praises. “Just don’t overwork yourself. You’re still pretty new, and this little project isn’t even in your job description.”

You laugh at his hypocrisy. “Maybe you should scold me when I’m not watching you actively overwork yourself, mister.”

He rolls his eyes, but a smile graces his features, lightening up his tired face. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

“Take your own advice,” you quip, eye sparkling.

He sighs, deciding to drop it.

You hum, pushing off the counter. “Well,” you say lightly, lifting your mug. “I was only planning to stay another hour or so.”

Hongjoong watches you for a moment, then nods. “Mind if I work here too? You smile. “Not at all.”

You wander back to the lounge together in silence, the quiet settling in again. It’s less lonely now, you realize, finding your spot against the side of the couch. He settles at the opposite end, laptop balanced on his thighs, headphones placed over his ears as his fingers begin to move. 

You glance up at him periodically while you work. He works fast. He knows exactly what he wants and exactly how to get it. You’ve always believed his lack of hesitation to be a product of immense confidence. As you watch him now, you realize it may be closer to a symptom of his impatience. 

He knows how to get what he wants, and he’s going to get it now.

But at what cost?

He slides his headphones down to hang around his neck, sighing and rubbing his face as he looks at the screen. Unable to settle your concern, you tentatively clear your throat.

“...I tend to stay up late for things like this because I’m always worried the work I do won’t be good enough,” you say softly, breaking the silence. His eyes dart up to watch you, but your eyes remain on your tablet, hands working on autopilot. “I know rationally that I should sleep, but somehow I manage to convince myself that work is more important than sleep is. I’ve always done that, even when I was a student.”

Hongjoong blinks, caught off guard by the sudden vulnerability. You continue.

“Back then, I would study so, so hard to do well on my assignments. I wanted nothing more than to prove myself. But I slept so little, I felt sick. I was exhausted, truly. My presentations would go poorly because I couldn’t remember anything, and I wasn’t doing well on tests no matter how much I studied because I was half asleep.” You laugh softly, recalling the memory. “I like to look back and think of myself as so naive, but here I am now, doing the exact same thing.”

Hongjoong swallows, words dying in his throat. You don’t say anything else, though. You don’t even look at him. You don’t need a response. And so you continue to work, relaxing into the silence as it drags out, seconds turning into minutes.

“...I would do anything for them,” his honeyed voice speaks up, soft so as not to feel jarring in the quiet room. 

You look up, admiring the side of his face. He keeps his eyes trained on his screen, but he doesn’t really seem to be seeing it.

“I mean, I do a lot of this for me,” he admits. “I have a lot that I want to do, and I know my youth won’t last forever. But even when I want to take a break, I keep going because I want to give it to them.”

You sit in contemplative silence for a moment, before deciding that what Hongjoong needs more than advice right now, is…

“Sleep.”

He looks up in surprise, only to find you patiently smiling over at him.

“You’re a smart man—you know they would want you to sleep more than they would want you to get this song done overnight. If you won’t sleep for you, then at least sleep for them.”

He stares at you for a long moment.

Not defensive.

Not amused.

Just… very, very tired.

His fingers rest lightly on the keyboard, unmoving.

“Just—” he starts, then stops himself, lips pressing together. He exhales through his nose, a quiet sound that borders on a laugh. “I keep telling myself that I’m almost done.”

You tilt your head slightly. “Are you?”

He glances back at the screen, eyes scanning over the half empty track, notes stacked on notes detailing what needs to be done in production. His shoulders sag slightly as truth settles in.

“...No.”

The word comes out softer than he probably means it to.

To his relief, you don’t say I told you so. You don’t scold him. You just nod, accepting the answer like it’s enough.

“That’s okay,” you say. “You can save it.”

Hongjoong hesitates, thumb tapping against the edge of his laptop. “I hate stopping in the middle.”

“I know.” You offer a small smile. “But you don’t actually stop thinking when you sleep. Sometimes things make more sense when we wake up.”

He watches you for a second, then finally, slowly, his hand moves.

Click.

Save.

The laptop lid lowers, and then shuts. He sets it aside, leaning back into the couch with a long exhale, head tipping back against the cushion. His eyes flutter shut for a second before opening again, unfocused.

“God,” he mutters. “I don’t think I realized how tired I was.”

You stand, grabbing a small container of makeup wipes from your bag. “Sit still.”

He blinks up at you, confused but compliant. “What are you—?”

“Helping,” you reply simply, already kneeling in front of him. “Unless you want to sleep with makeup on.”

A corner of his mouth lifts. “You’re very bossy for someone younger than me.”

“You’re very compliant for a captain,” you shoot back gently, and he can’t help but laugh, endeared.

You’re careful as you reach up with a wipe in hand, gently brushing it over his cheek, swiping foundation off with it. “Sorry, it’s cold,” you apologize a little too late, face focused. He laughs, but stays still.

“I thought makeup wipes were bad at getting makeup off,” he says softly, filling the silence.

You nod. “You’re right, it doesn’t compare to double cleansing.. But it’s better than nothing, especially if you can’t find the motivation to wash your face.”

He hums, accepting the simple explanation. Then, he speaks again.

“They’re my happiness,” he whispers, unable to keep the tightness from his voice. “If they aren’t happy, I can’t be happy either. So… I do it for them, but selfishly, I do it for myself, too.”

“But you’re their happiness too, Hongjoong-ssi,” you insist, pausing your ministrations to meet his eyes, black liner smudged down his cheeks. “If you burn out, they’ll all feel it. And if it gets to be too much, I bet you they’d feel more hurt by you keeping it to yourself than they would if you relied on them to help.” You gently boop his nose, lightening your tone. “Trusting them isn’t selfish. I may not know you all too well yet, but I do know that offering your trust will give them far more than whatever you can give them through work.”

He’s stunned silent at that, and you gently remove the makeup from his eyes and lips, offering him some moisturizer and patting it into his cheeks to keep him from lifting a tired finger. You finish up with a content hum, putting everything back in your bag.

“You ought to get some sleep,” you say softly, watching his eyes struggle to stay open.

“Mmkay..”

You smile, laying out a blanket and patting the cushions, prompting him to lay down. He does without putting up a fight, letting you slide a pillow under his head. You tuck him in with two other blankets, not wanting him to get cold overnight. “There we go, all done.”

He smiles, eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Y/N-ah.”

You hum, willing yourself not to coo at the precious sight of him wrapped up and cozy. “I’ll leave you to get some sleep, Hongjoong-ssi.”

“Please… Oppa is fine.”

You laugh softly, patting his shoulder. “Goodnight, Oppa.”

He seems to relax at that, and his eyes drift closed. It only takes a second before they snap open again. You raise an eyebrow.

“Y/N-ah… I thought you didn’t have a car. Isn’t public transport closed at this hour?”

Your heart warms at his consideration. “It’s not too far, so I usually just walk. I don’t mind.”

He blinks, genuinely dumbfounded at that. You’re sure if he wasn’t on the verge of falling asleep he would scold you. “Y/N-ah.”

You swallow. “Uh.. yes?”

He sighs. “That’s so unsafe, and you know it.”

You open your mouth to reassure him, but he shakes his head.

“It’s literally freezing outside. And it’s dark. And dangerous.”

You exhale, tucking your hair back. “I can call an uber…?” It’s expensive and therefore not your first choice, but he still shakes his head.

“Just stay, Y/N-ah. There’s plenty of room. And blankets. You can sleep on the other couch.”

You think it over for a moment, and decide that it won’t be worth the trouble to argue with him over it. Plus, you’re tired, and the thought of curling up just a few feet away is undeniably enticing.

“Alright. I’ll work for another hour and then I’ll get to sleep, okay?”

Hongjoong seems satisfied at that, and rolls over to lay on his stomach, getting comfortable. You situate yourself on the other couch, propping up your tablet, before realizing Hongjoong is still watching you. You tilt your head.

“What’s on your mind, hm?”

He seems surprised you noticed, and takes a few moments to think. Tentatively, he permits himself to voice his thoughts, voice not much louder than a whisper. “Sannie… he said that you’re okay with cuddling.”

You smile, feeling your heart pick up pace. “He’s correct. Do you want me to cuddle with you, Hongjoong-oppa?”

He blushes, incredibly shy. “M-maybe not that. But could…” he hesitates, then shakes his head. “Nevermind.”

You shake your head, standing up and moving closer, sitting on his couch near to wear his head is resting. “It’s alright, silly. Tell me what you’d like. The worst I can say is no.”

He bites his lip, ears bright pink. It takes him a moment, but he manages to get his voice working. “C-could you just… rub my back for a little while?”

You think you could die happy right there. His face, bare, squished up against a pillow, and just so adorable, is impossible to resist. You release the slight aggression you got from his cuteness with a breathy chuckle, keeping your voice gentle, not wanting to interrupt his moment of vulnerability.

“Of course, honey.”

You kneel on the floor beside him, gently sliding your hand up his back over the blankets, then back down again. The movement is repetitive, soothing you and most certainly him too. He lets out a breath, some of the tension seeping out from his shoulders.

“S-sorry…” he whispers after a moment. “I don’t usually like physical touch very much. But my mom used to do this when I was younger to put me to sleep. I feel too old to ask her now, but it still feels really nice.”

You shake your head, tutting under your breath. “Don’t ever apologize for something like this, hm? I’m happy to help.”

He hums as you softly drag your dull nails down his back, eyes drooping. “Thank you, Y/N-ah…”

You don’t stop the coo from coming this time, letting it slip out under your breath. You’ve only known these boys for a few weeks, and you don’t get to speak to them too often. And yet, such an intimate gesture feels so natural with him. Maybe it would be scary, if it didn’t feel so nice.

“Anytime,” you whisper back, and you mean it.

EXTRA —

Seonghwa wakes with a groan, rolling over to block out the blaring of his alarm. He takes a moment and tries—really tries—to gather up some sort of motivation to get up. Finding none, he turns his head to Hongjoong’s side of the room, calling out for him, voice raspy from disuse. “Hongjoong-ah~”

He waits, and hearing no reply, sighs and calls for him again. “Hongjoooong~”

Still hearing nothing, he sighs, sitting up and turning the alarm off himself. He slips out of bed and moves over to Hongjoong’s, rubbing his eyes awake. He frowns at the sight of an empty bed, concern panging in his chest.

It’s not the first time Hongjoong hasn’t come home at night. Whenever he is particularly tied up at work, he’ll find a way to just… keep going. It’s frustrating, to say the least. He tries so hard to take care of Hongjoong, but he can’t do anything about Hongjoong not taking care of himself.

To Seonghwa, there’s nothing more upsetting.

He frowns, deciding to give Hongjoong a call, at the very least. He sits on the edge of Hongjoong’s bed, lifting his phone. He opens up his messages, and to his surprise, he has one from Y/N. It’s rare for her to private message anyone. Curiosity piqued, he opens her message—and freezes.

A picture of Hongjoong is sent, enlarged in the chat. He’s fast asleep, wrapped in blankets, a pillow comfortably propping up his neck and supporting his head. A small smile graces his features, no sign of stress tensing his face. Beneath it is a message, sent the night before.

‘Don’t worry too much, Seonghwa-ssi. I got him to sleep at a good time. Rest well! >u<’

Seonghwa laughs, glancing over a few spelling mistakes, knowing your Korean isn’t yet perfect. “Cute,” he murmurs to himself, something warm settling in his chest. He saves the photo to his phone before shutting it off, deciding to let Hongjoong sleep rather than call him.

Seonghwa still doesn’t like when Hongjoong doesn’t come home at night. But if you’re there to take care of him, he supposes it can’t be so bad.

UYT Taglist: @herpoetryprincess  @obsessed-withthe-stressed  @nkryuki  @psychosupernatural @ateezswonderland  @thuyting  @rosegracewood09 @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @queenofdumbfuckery @bbokarismeow @vtyb23 @soso59love-blog @mira-inlove @lover-ofallthingspretty @thegingerthatwaited @juicyjaxxy @ateez-atiny380 @ldysmfrst @chatsgotmytongue @satsuri3su @persassyismysecrettwin @cloudserenity @bellaptv @beljakovina @spenceatiny18 @kieraareik-266 @puppyminnnie @jenniesetter @majaaxx @ffenjoyerdazme @holykstan

This Fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 7: In progress ;)

The Taglist is still open! Just comment or message me if you would like to be added. Thank you for reading!!

[frflyavenue]

Hi!!! Im really loving your writing for Under your touch and cant wait to read the next chapter! Its so good 🩷 I hope youre having a great day/night.

Hello, my sweet things~

It’s been a chaotic couple of months and this series unfortunately had to take a backseat. I’m the only one working on this series, and this on top of a job, university, and family is a lot to manage. That said, this is one of my favorite hobbies, and I’m working on carving out more time for myself to sit and write for you lovely Atiny and for myself (woohoo time management!!)

Im sure many of you will be excited to know that I currently have a few chapters cooking up behind the scenes for you all. No spoilers for now, but I plan to have the chapter up in 2 days ;)

I miss you guys, and thank you so much for all of your support both here and on AO3.

Happy Holidays!! ⭐️❄️

[frflyavenue]

Under Your Touch - Chapter 5

Pairing: poly!Ateez x makeup artist!Reader (fem!Reader)

Warnings: (romantic?) tension, casual swearing, tooth-rotting fluff, PTSD, minor PTSD episode, platonic affection, work (eww), food/eating

Author’s Note: Hope you guys enjoy! Our y/n is getting (literally) closer to her coworkers~

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

WC: 3.8k

Chapter 5: Catnaps

It’s been three weeks since you started working among the Ateez staff. 

Wooyoung is equally, if not moreso, difficult to wake up every morning. It seems that now, when he wakes up and realizes it’s you, he decides to be stubborn for the sake of pushing your buttons. It’s all in good fun, of course, but Hongjoong has strongly advised you to stop being so lenient on the younger man, else he’ll “just keep being a pain in the ass”. You kept it in mind.

Jongho has gotten into the habit of bringing you snacks nearly every morning, explaining that he was concerned about you not eating breakfast before starting work. At first you felt bad and decided to bring your own food, not wanting him to waste his energy worrying over you. But he still continued bringing you snacks, claiming that he has too many at home anyways. Wooyoung told you that it was the maknae’s version of a sort of peace offering, so you decided not to question it.

You still aren’t a part of the travel team, but you’ve been spending more time than not at the studio recently. It’s a simple routine. In the mornings, you carry out your normal duties of getting Wooyoung and Jongho ready for the day, and you clean up after everybody when they leave. You usually grab lunch at home and return to the studio with your drawing tablet. You spend time after that lounging around on the comfortable couch and sketching various designs while you wait for Hyerin to return.

You’ve taken to designing makeup looks on more members than just Wooyoung and Jongho, for fun. It’s a good idea to study the other members' faces, you decide–you never know when an opportunity will present itself. Plus, it’s never unpleasant to scroll through reference photos.

The makeup staff usually return a few hours into the afternoon, and it’s become a habit to curl up on the couch while you wait for the members to arrive. Two weeks ago, when you mentioned to Hyerin your affinity for cat napping, she insisted on inviting you to join her for her afternoon naps. Since then, each morning you find yourself looking forward to your half-hour cuddle sessions with your very warm unnie and the occasional Ara-nim who joins when she gets the chance.

The members have also started spending more time at the studio. Hyerin explained that the studio is in a convenient place in the city to crash for a few hours in between schedules, so you spend plenty of time carefully maneuvering around sleeping members every afternoon. Usually, this is the time the makeup and stylist teams hold meetings in the backroom of the studio, discussing upcoming comeback plans, updating shifts and schedules, and collaborating on how to doll up the members. You tend to take a backseat during these meetings since you’re still earning your place on the team, but it feels nice to be included regardless.

That’s where you find yourself now, sat between Hyerin-unnie and Yoon Sohee-nim, who’s furiously scribbling on her notebook to maneuver schedules and manage shifts for the whole team. What a difficult job, you surmise with a sympathetic wince, respectfully scooting away from her to give her space.

The upcoming comeback is approaching rapidly, and stress is high. There are three weeks left for preparation–finalizing outfits, hair and makeup, filming music videos, promotion interviews, dress rehearsals, and god knows what else–before Ateez gets a one-week break while staff tailors outfits and MVs get edited. After that… 6 weeks of tour. You wonder how everyone manages.

“One thing at a time,” you hear Hyerin-unnie butt in, diffusing a stressed ramble from a veteran stylist. “For now, we need to focus on the issue at hand. Concept design.” 

You purse your lips bitterly. The stylist and makeup teams spent weeks designing stage and MV outfits for the upcoming comeback, perfecting them and getting everything approved. It looked fantastic… until someone higher up on the KQ ladder pointed out how similar it was to another group's comeback a few years ago. It only took a day of investigation before a stylist was fired for plagiarism, and the whole team was left to start from scratch.

It seems you aren’t the only one thinking about last week's drama. “It sucks,” Hyerin sighs. “But it’s doable if we all pitch in.”

Ara-nim agrees with a serious nod. “Agreed. I was thinking over this yesterday, and I think the best course of action here is good old-fashioned brainstorming. I’ve already discussed this with my team, and we all plan to individually come up with as many concept sketches as possible before our meeting on Wednesday. Hyerin-nim, would it be reasonable to ask your team to do the same?”

Hyerin raises an eyebrow. “You want the makeup team to sketch outfit design?”

“Yeah, if you would. You all have creative and artistic ability to some extent, and any help is appreciated. We’ve got the art department in on it too.”

Hyerin ponders for a moment before giving a thoughtful nod. “I can agree to that. We can’t really start hair and makeup until outfits are done, anyways.”

Ara smiles gratefully, turning to address the whole table. “It’s decided then. Everybody here is capable of coming up with ideas for this. There aren’t any rules, just read over the concept descriptions and sketch whatever comes to mind. It doesn’t need to be high quality drawing, we’ll worry about that later. Just pump out as many as possible. Sohee-nim, can you extend Wednesday’s meeting by a few hours so we have time to look everything over?”

 Sohee gives a curt nod in response, scribbling on her notepad. 

“Perfect. I’ll talk with Eden and management to see if we’re allowed to listen to the tracks. If so, I'll forward them to you as soon as possible. Understood?”

There’s a tired chorus of affirmation and the meeting is dismissed.

Two days. You have two days to produce as many concept sketches as possible before your meeting on Wednesday. You all just have to pray that at least a few of them are good enough to use by then.

With a sigh, you run your hand through your hair, flopping down onto the couch. The meeting went a little over today–the members should all be back from whatever schedule they’re having in twenty minutes or so. Hyerin takes a seat next to you, releasing a similar tense breath.

“This whole thing is ridiculous,” Hyerin expresses now that the two of you are alone. You nod in agreement. “Everything was looking so good, too. Goddammit.” 

“Yeah, this is less than ideal,” you murmur. “Do you think we’ll really have anything  by Wednesday?”

Hyerin just purses her lips, and you know that she’s wondering the same.

You stretch your neck from side to side, feeling tension creep up your spine. 

“Nap time?” you propose innocently, deciding to leave worrying for future Y/N. Hyerin offers a small smile, leaning against the side of the couch and reaching an inviting arm toward you. You don’t hesitate to curl up into her side, happily resting your head on the plushness of her breast. It only takes a minute for you to drift off in the safe arms of your favorite unnie.

—---------

You awake to the feeling of fingers carding through your hair, the low buzz of gentle conversation surrounding you. You’ve been moved to lay fully down on your side with your head resting on Hyerin’s warm thighs, and while it’s not quite as comfortable as before, the rhythmic scritching at your scalp very well makes up for it. The corners of your mouth twitch up contentedly, eyes slowly blinking awake.

“Oh, there she is~” you hear Ara-nim coo somewhere in the room, and you smile bashfully. She chuckles fondly. “Everybody got back a few minutes ago. Turns out the schedule for later today got cancelled, so we’re all just hanging out here at the studio.”

Your face must portray your excitement, because she lets out a fond laugh.

“I know, right? It’s a blessing.” She leans on one hip. “It gives us more time to sketch~”

Your face now portrays disdain. She laughs again.

“Okay,” you comply, though your voice is clipped with a small groan. “...Can I sleep for ten more minutes, then?”

Ara raises an eyebrow. “Oh? That sounds awfully familiar to another certain coworker I know.” There's an offended scoff from where Wooyoung is sprawled out playing mobile games with Yunho, and you roll your eyes with a small grin.

“Please?” you try again, pouting. You’ve gotten quite close with Ara-nim recently, but this is the first time you’ve flashed her your puppy eyes. The poor woman can’t resist it.

“Oh, you precious little thing! Of course you can nap a little while longer, baby. You’ve worked so hard~”

You grin in victory as the stylist turns to join back with her group, simply closing your eyes and nuzzling into the warmth of Hyerin’s lap. Noticing the severe lack of fingers playing with your hair, you reach up to grab Hyerin’s hand and tug it back to its place on your scalp.

But the hand you grab isn’t the soft, delicate hand of your unnie.

It’s too warm, and too strong. It’s larger, rougher, with calloused palms from work–definitely not Hyerin’s hand. Definitely, definitely not a woman’s hand, at the very least.

You freeze.

Oh god.

He’s here. 

He’s here and you’re lying in his lap, and you just pulled his hand and bossed him around and-

He clears his throat, and you’re quick to sit up, eyes blown wide with fear as you meet his eyes. 

Except it isn’t him. He’s far younger, far handsomer, and he’s blushing like a madman, and he’s… San.

San offers a small flustered smile, hand still hovering. “Ah, h-hey Y/N-ah.”

You blink, at a loss for words. When you do speak, all you manage to get out is a small “Where’s Unnie?”

He rubs the back of his neck, eyebrows twitching at your expression. “Hyerin-ssi had to go to a surprise meeting when we got here, and she asked me to take over. I’m sorry to surprise you.”

Your heart is racing embarrassingly fast, and you feel suddenly dizzy as the moths in your stomach stir. “I, uh, thank you, San-ah,” you manage, standing up. “I’m gonna go make myself some coffee.” 

You flash him a small, forced smile before slipping into the quiet backroom, closing the door behind you and immediately finding a spot to slide to the floor, too dizzy to stand. 

You lean back against the cool wood of the cabinets behind you, letting your head tilt back and lean against it as you tuck your knees closer to your chest. Taking notice of your stuttering breath, you close your eyes. In 4 seconds. Hold 4 seconds. Out 4 seconds. It comes with ease, a practiced pattern that never fails to do the trick. Fingers twitching with the need to fidget, you reach to play with the hem of your sweater, relaxing with the feeling of the soft woven fabric under your fingertips.

Goddammit. You groan, embarrassed. Not this again. What the hell is wrong with you, Y/N? Now San-ah thinks you’re a weirdo.

The door to the backroom slowly cracks open, and a muscular frame slips in with surprising grace before closing the door again, careful to make sure it doesn’t make noise.

Speaking of.

He approaches and quietly sits along the same wall as you, keeping a respectful distance. “..Y/N-ah?”

You sit up straight and turn to face him, thinking clearer now that your heart isn’t palpitating. “Hey, San-ah.”

He looks worried, the poor guy. It makes sense, you suppose, considering your sudden escape just moments ago. You offer a more genuine smile, but he frowns deeper.

“Y/N-ah, I’m sorry for… that. Having you nap on me and playing with your hair, and everything. Hyerin-noona said that you don’t mind cuddling up with anyone, but I still shouldn’t have just assumed that it would be okay, and I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable around me. I’m really, really sorry.”

Your face softens. His eyes are so kind, slightly glossy from guilt and soft with worry as he looks over at you. So different from the eyes of the man you thought he was. How could you have ever thought it was him? You swallow, your smile turning watery.

“Oh, Sannie-ah, it wasn’t your fault,” you explain softly, not able to bear his look of guilt for a moment longer. You offer him a gentle hand, and he tentatively checks your eyes before taking it, just holding it in his palm.

“Are you sure?” He confirms softly, and you realize with a pang in your chest that he’s holding back tears.

You immediately nod, squeezing his slightly trembling hand. “I promise. I… I’m just kind of weird with touch, sometimes,” you explain, calm. “It has nothing to do with you, really. Hyerin-unnie was right, I don’t mind cuddling at all. I only panicked a little bit because I wasn’t expecting it to be you when I woke up.”

San nods, still not seeming convinced. His pretty eyes are still all watery, and the lingering moths fluttering in your stomach are chased out by a protective warmth. You scoot closer to him until your thighs are touching, wanting to share it.

“Regardless of if you’re okay with it, I should’ve asked first,” he explains, genuine. “I’m sorry.”

You sigh, reaching up and suddenly pinching his cheek. The action takes him by surprise, a small noise escaping his throat as he stares at you with wide eyes. “I swear, San-ah, if you apologize one more time there won't be any more cuddling.”

San shuts up at that, clearly at a loss for words. You continue.

“Maybe it would have been a good idea to ask me first, but Hyerin-unnie told you that I was okay with it and you had every reason to trust her. I did tell her that. It was a small mistake, and I’m not upset. You’ve been nothing but a gentleman since I met you, and there was no way you could’ve known I would get startled.”

San nods, clearly listening, but his eyes flicker downward to watch over your conjoined hands. You brush your thumb over the back of his hand reassuringly, eyes firm and honest. “I promise you it’s okay. I’d be happy to cuddle with you–or any of the members–any time. Just be sure to ask me first next time.”

San smiles softly now, the corners of his eyes crinkling just a little even as they shimmer..

“Okay,” he says finally, shoulders relaxing fully now. “Should I tell the other members, too?”

You nearly coo at his consideration, nodding. “I would appreciate that very much. Make sure to tell them that I’m open for cuddling anytime.”

San raises an eyebrow, smiling playfully. “Are you sure you want to do that? I don’t think you’ll ever get them off of you.”

You laugh heartily at that, eyes twinkling. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”

After a moment, San’s playful smile turns bashful, pink dusting his cheeks as he squeezes your hand in his much warmer one. You both fall quiet for a moment, letting the silence linger like wisps of fog around you. It’s broken only when San builds up his courage with a shy clear of his throat.

“In that case, can we go back to the couch for another nap?”

You giggle, finding him way too precious for his own good. It’s a good thing he’s not a dongsaeng–if he was, you think you would suffocate him with how much affection you would give him. Instead, you opt for squeezing his hand. “I would love to.”

He beams, shuffling to his feet and tugging your hand to get you to do the same, before leading you out of the backroom. Back in the lounge, the studio has calmed to a cozy rest, looking more like a lived-in home than a workplace. The stylist and makeup teams are working diligently in the meeting room, using the table to prop up their tablets and sketchbooks while they work. Jongho, Mingi, and Yeosang have settled down with lunch and are chattering quietly amongst themselves, while Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho and Wooyoung are stretched out in the lounge.

Hongjoong sits alone on a plush chair with headphones in, zoned in on his laptop to work. Seonghwa has cuddled up with Yunho on a beanbag, and Wooyoung sprawls out horizontally on the couch. It seems that Yunho and Wooyoung are still playing games together, but Seonghwa is now passed out against Yunho, phone still clutched in hand. Your chest warms at the settled atmosphere, and you let San pull you to the couch. He stops, standing with his hands on his hips and looking down at Wooyoung.

“Oh no,” you groan in mock exasperation. “He’s claimed the couch.”

“Only half of it!” Wooyoung protests, barely lifting his head. “I’m just keeping it warm for you. I’m doing you a favor.” You raise an eyebrow. “You’re even lying on my tablet. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

He turns his head, seeming to only just now notice it halfway under his shoulder. He offers a shameless grin. “I’m just protecting it. Thieves could be anywhere. Have you seen Jongho-yah when he’s hungry yet?”

San snorts beside you, and Yunho grumbles something about losing because Wooyoung wasn’t paying attention.

“Alright, scooch,” San says, nudging Wooyoung with his knee. He groans dramatically, but obliges, sitting upright and giving just enough space for the two of you to sit beside him. San sits at the edge, slipping his shoes off and swinging his legs up onto the couch, bending his knees so he's lying against the side of the couch and just barely touching Wooyoung with his feet. He pats his stomach invitingly, confident despite the blushed coloring of his ears.

You smile, finding your own cheeks warming at the unexpectedly intimate offer, before enthusiastically climbing to settle between his legs. You sit, leaning against him with your back to his front, letting your head fall back snugly against his chest. He’s strong and well-built, so it makes for good cushioning. You slightly nudge Wooyoung's thigh with your foot.

“Can I borrow your lap?”

Wooyoung looks confused for a moment, but then he beams, immediately patting the backs of your calves and letting you drape your legs over his thighs. Effectively laying on two different members, you’re just about ready to pass out from warmth and content.

“Hey,” Yunho says suddenly, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. “Were you two… hiding in the backroom?” He waggles his eyebrows, and Wooyoung chokes on a cackle.

“Yah, we were just talking!” San argues, clearly flustered.

You laugh, amused by their arguing. Yunho’s head tilts back in a silent cackle at San’s expression, but he lets him be, resting his chin on the crown of Seonghwa’s head and closing his eyes for a rest.

You’re the coziest you’ve ever been. You almost feel bad for everyone else, knowing there’s no way they could be half as content as you are at the moment. San interrupts your thoughts with the gentle rumble of his voice in his chest, hovering his hands near your sides. “Y/N-ah, can I put my hands here?” he asks gently, and your heart stutters at his consideration.

You gently tug his wrists down, and his arms wrap securely around your waist, wrapping you up in a warm embrace. And you thought you couldn't get any more comfortable. Oh how wrong you were.

You sigh happily, turning your head to adjust your position. You catch a glimpse of the meeting room, and you remember with remorse that you are, in fact, still at work. And you have sketches to do.

“Sannie-ah?” you call out softly, quiet so as not to disturb the napping members around you.

“Hm?”

“Will you wake me up in… fifteen minutes or so?” You request, suddenly feeling a bit bad for being this at ease while your coworkers work so hard.

San seems to understand. “Yea, I won’t let you sleep too long. Don’t worry about it.”

That settles you enough, and you close your eyes with a grateful hum. Wooyoung rubs small circles into your ankles with his thumbs, drifting off himself now that he doesn’t have anyone to play with. San’s own hands absentmindedly pat your tummy, his breathing slow. Their repetitive motions, combined warmth, and the concern of oversleeping taken off of you are more than enough to have you drifting off, deeper and deeper into the dark embrace of sleep.

—Extra:

Hongjoong sits up straight with a stretch, deciding he’s made enough progress to earn a break. He stands from the plush chair, wincing at the stiffness in his legs and shutting his laptop with a small pop. He checks the time. He couldn’t have been working for more than an hour, but the stress was enough to make his muscles tense. He rolls his shoulders, turning toward the backroom to fetch a coffee, but he freezes. There, on the couch, are two of his members… and the new makeup artist they’ve slowly been befriending.

She’s wrapped up snugly, San’s arms and wide shoulders nearly swallowing her up from view. Wooyoung has propped a pillow up behind his neck, sitting up straight with her legs in his lap, a blanket draped delicately over the both of them. Hongjoong’s lips part in surprise, the tense pinching of his eyebrows lessening at the sight.

“Aren’t they precious?”

Hongjoong jumps slightly, eyes flicking up to a smiley Kim Ara.

“I told her she could sleep for ten more minutes, but it’s been well over 45 minutes now,” she chides softly, though with no real disdain. “I couldn’t bring myself to wake them, though.”

Hongjoong huffs out a small laugh, eyes pulled down to them again. “They look comfortable.”

She hums, grinning fondly. “She was a good hire. I hope you treat her well,” she says offhandedly, dipping back into the meeting room.

Hongjoong watches her go with slight confusion, not entirely sure what she meant but shrugging it off as his Noona’s strange attempt at workplace etiquette. He turns his attention right back to the three of you, eyes skimming over the calm in each of your expressions.

And sure, maybe he takes the chance to snap a quick photo of the three of you, just for good measure.

His smile lingers, probably longer than it should. Eventually he shakes his head and starts his search for coffee, finding himself glancing back just once more before the door swings shut behind him.

UYT Taglist: @obsessed-withthe-stressed @psychosupernatural @ateezswonderland @herpoetryprincess @nkryuki @thuyting @rosegracewood09 @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @queenofdumbfuckery @bbokarismeow @vtyb23 @soso59love-blog @mira-inlove @lover-ofallthingspretty @thegingerthatwaited @juicyjaxxy @ateez-atiny380 @ldysmfrst @chatsgotmytongue @satsuri3su @persassyismysecrettwin @cloudserenity @bellaptv @beljakovina

This Fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 6

[frflyavenue]

Under Your Touch - Chapter 4

Pairing: poly!Ateez x makeup artist!Reader (fem!Reader)

Warnings: (romantic?) tension, casual swearing, tooth-rotting fluff

Author’s Note: I'm not as proud of this one guys, it was really hard to write :< --Back from a month-long hiatus with Chapter 4 of UYT! Warning that this chapter doesn't have as much action as previous chapters, but it's really important to progress the story and I kept it short and sweet for you! I have a few chapters backlogged so I'm posting those within 24 hours of each other to make up for my absence and for this chapter not being the most interesting.

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

WC: 3.5k

Chapter 4: A New Kind of Day

You’re in a particularly good mood today as you walk down to the makeup studio. It’s early—far earlier than you typically enjoy—but you can’t find any reason to complain. The darkness of the morning wraps around you in a comfortable embrace, shielding you from the chill of the soft winter breeze. The wind doesn’t cut nearly as harshly through you now, though. You clutch Yunho’s coat tighter in silent gratitude. All things considered, it’s a beautiful morning.

Plus, your favorite cafe, the one just across from your house, opens earlier than you realized. Somehow, the owner, bless her, manages to get the shop up and running at 4:00 on weekdays to assist the early workers in the area. When you stepped out of your humble apartment and saw the sign on the door flipped to “Open”, you thought you might just kiss the sweet woman on the mouth.

And atop it all… you have a job. It’s not new news, yes. But now, as you walk with warm coffee in your gloved hand towards the studio, it feels real.

Nobody should be this excited for their first day at work, you internally scold yourself, though with no genuine disdain. 

You get to the studio just as it reaches 5:00, letting yourself into the little studio with your copy of the key, removing your jacket, and bowing your head to the receptionist before letting yourself into the back. It’s quiet, save the sounds of Hyerin and two unfamiliar workers setting up their respective stations. You bow your head to both in greeting, a man at the second vanity and a woman in the third, and they reciprocate. Nobody says anything, visibly too tired to make the effort to speak.

Ateez has an interview today at 8:00 in downtown Seoul. While seemingly a manageable time, the members need at least two hours to get ready. Management allotted the makeup and styling teams 2.5 hours just in case. Such is how you find yourself readying your vanity with Ateez on the way at this ungodly hour.

It doesn’t take long before the bell at the entrance dings and Dohyun-nim greets you, guiding a half-asleep Wooyoung into the room with a hand on his back. The other seven file in soon after them, sluggishly dropping their bags and curling up on the couch to get a few more minutes of sleep.

While you do feel bad for the poor guys, you smile at the sight of them dozing off in puppy piles around the lounge. How could you not? The other three artists, each with two members assigned to them, seem more despaired than anything though, most likely anticipating the struggle to get the boys to cooperate in this state.

Jongho, rather than joining them on the couch, approaches your station, taking a seat in the spinning chair in front of you. You smile down at his silent obedience, appreciative that you have one less person’s sleep to disturb. While he certainly isn’t very awake, he’s far better off than Wooyoung, at least. You place a friendly hand on his shoulder, leaning down just barely to whisper to him.

“Good morning, Jongho-yah. Did you sleep well?”

He gives a small sleepy smile, shaking his head just barely. You briefly wonder if he knows the effect he has, his messy bed-hair bouncing with any slight head movement and his squishy cheeks seemingly even puffier. “No… we were all up late last night for a concept meeting for the next comeback,” he explains, and you frown sympathetically.

“Then why don’t you go ahead and finish up your skincare so I can let you sleep while I do your makeup?” You propose, your voice soft so as not to disturb the quiet mood in the building.

He nods gratefully, and you leave him to finish up while you wash your hands. He’s done by the time you return, and you pump the chair up so he’s in better reach. “What style would you like today, Jongho-yah?”

He hums in thought. “Mm… I want to look cool today. The halfway slicked back hairstyle, you know?”

You hum affirmatively at his explanation, careful to keep your voice down. “As you wish.”

Unsurprisingly, you can’t help but feel giddy as you do his makeup. You’ve been waiting your whole life to find some way to put your artistic interests and abilities to use, and now, finally, you are. You wonder what your family back home would say if they could see.

You're proving them wrong. You grin in spite of yourself, patting a soft blush onto Jongho’s plump cheeks. 

You can’t help but notice that Jongho hasn't, in fact, gone back to sleep. He keeps his eyes half open and trained on your face, observing the focused twitch of your brow and the way you purse your own lips when painting his with gloss. He can’t help but find you so interesting, for reasons he himself can’t come up with.

Maybe it’s something to do with the fact that you don’t seem at all flustered by the fact that you’re working with idols. Many new staff, especially younger employees, carry an air of excitement, or at least nervousness, when working with idols like Ateez for the first time. And while he does sense your constant air of nerves—it's impossible not to, when it's practically radiating off of you—he gets the feeling it isn’t because of them.

Or maybe it has something to do with the way you always look so well put together, even now. He wonders how that’s even possible, considering how adorably clumsy you are. Today you’re dressed in simple baggy blue jeans and a skin-tight black turtleneck cropped just at the waist of pants, and he can’t help but notice your matching set of jewelry. Your hair is neatly tied back and you’re wearing simple, subtle makeup, and you look so good. It should be illegal to look this well put together at such an hour, he believes. 

But there’s something else reeling in his attention. It’s something so you, he can’t quite pin it yet. There’s something hidden behind your polite, innocent, adorably clumsy character that he can’t see, and he knows it. That’s all it took for him to decide.

He’s not sure what it is about you that’s fascinating him so deeply, but he’s sure as hell going to find out.

——————

It only takes a half hour before Jongho’s makeup is done. By now, a few of the members have woken up, and there’s a comfortable buzz of chatter between stylists and members throughout the room. The four members not being tended to are still passed out on the couch: Wooyoung lays sprawled out on his back across the cushions where San left him; Yeosang and Seonghwa are leaning against each other on the opposite side of Wooyoung; Mingi remains leaned back in a chair off to the side, snoring softly by himself. But they don’t seem to mind the noise. In fact, you doubt they even notice it at all.

You turn Jongho’s chair so he’s facing the mirror, giving him a chance to check your work. “Good?”

Jongho, blinking away some of his half-asleep haze and refocusing his attention on the real world, shakes his head slowly. You nearly panic, thinking he doesn’t like it, but he lets out a small chuckle of disbelief before you have time to. “Damn. You’re crazy.” You blink, trying to figure out if that’s a good or a bad thing. He smiles reassuringly. “I love it.”

Heat fills your cheeks at his approval, and you exhale in relief. “I’m glad.” Quickly, you slide his products to the side, clearing a space on the vanity to put various hair styling products. This is the part of your job you feel less confident in, and while you managed to do well last time, you still need to be attentive.

You pick up a small brush, gently running it through his messy hair and combing it out of his face. He exhales calmly when you do, his eyes drooping shut and his lips parted just slightly in relaxation. Selfishly, you give his fluffy hair one more run through than necessary, wanting to admire the relaxed look on his face for a minute longer. He really is just too cute.

You swap the brush out for a comb, tucking it into your fingers to turn his chair to the side, facing you. You hum to yourself thoughtfully before placing your fingertip on an off-centered point on his scalp, meeting his eyes. In your focus, you didn’t notice his eyes already looking up at you, patiently watching. Seeing them from this angle, you can’t help but think his pupils resemble tapioca pearls—a deep, dark honey brown and shiny as they look up at you. You swallow, ignoring the persistent thump of your heart as you speak to him. “D-do you want your hair parted on this side?”

He simply nods, those gorgeous eyes still trained on your face. Not sure how much more your heart can take, you set your sight back on his hair. Tilting your chin down in focus, you part his hair with the comb. To your relief, it’s perfect, and you move to separate the hair on either side of the comb. But Jongho, perhaps a bit too relaxed at the feeling of you playing with his hair, keeps his pretty gaze on you, his voice coming out quietly and sleepily.

”Noona, do I look pretty?”

You blink, your breath catching in your throat. Your fingers twitch, and the comb slips.

With a yelp, you reflexively reach forward, thankfully catching it before it can hit Jongho’s face or clamber on the floor. “Sorry! Sorry..” you mutter, biting the inside of your cheek as your heart stutters against your ribs. You avoid his gaze now, focusing instead on redoing the part—though your fingers feel clumsier than they did a minute ago. “Sorry. Yes Jongho-yah, you look so pretty.”

He grins shyly, pressing his lips together so he doesn’t flash his teeth. “Thank you.” 

While he was the one to bring it up in the first place, it seems he himself doesn’t know what to do now that he has. It’s endearing, sure, but now the two of you are both lost on what to say. You just focus your attention back to your task, settling with a comfortable silence.

You don’t look up from his hair, afraid that if you do, your hands will tremble too much to handle a hair straightener. The last thing you want to do is burn the poor guy.

Once the part is redefined, you move on to tame the rest of his hair, doing your best to calm your racing heart. He doesn’t say anything else—mercifully—but you can still feel his eyes on you.

It doesn’t help at all when he smiles again at your look of concentration, and you wonder if he knows exactly what kind of effect he has.

Fortunately, you manage to finish styling his hair without any other slip-ups, no thanks to his unrelenting gaze. You wonder what could possibly be so interesting on your face to make him watch for that long without saying a word, and if it weren’t for the fact that very stare was making your knees feel weak, you might’ve felt the slightest bit annoyed.

“All done!” You exclaim softly, half in relief. You smile at him in the mirror. “Does everything look okay?”

Jongho’s eyes flick to his face and hair for a moment before returning right back to meeting your eyes. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Noona.”

You smile and nod your head in reply, lowering his chair down and letting the stylist team take over in the other room.

You sigh in slight relief, finally able to give your heart a break. What's wrong with you, Y/N? You're acting so strange.

After a quick tidy up of the vanity, you make your way over to the lounge, needing to get to work on the poor, sleep-deprived man sprawled out there. You lean over the couch where he’s laying, lighting tapping his shoulder. “Wooyoung-ah.”

His eyes peek open to look at you, blinking to figure out where he is before, without saying anything, he closes them again.

You blink in surprise, letting out a small, breathy laugh of disbelief before tapping him again. “I’m sorry, but it’s your turn. We don’t have too much time to spare.”

A low groan vibrates from Wooyoung’s chest, and he turns to hide his face in the couch cushions with a dramatic huff, arms flopping to the side. “Five more minutes?” 

“Wooyoung,” Hongjoong chides in stern warning, watching from across the room.

You check your phone for the time again, sighing. “Five more minutes isn’t an option, I’m afraid.”

No response–just another small groan, more exasperated this time.

You hum sympathetically and walk around to the front of the couch, crouching down next to him. “Come on, Hyerin just started brewing coffee.” You gently pat his arm, trying to wake him without waking the rest of the members on the couch.

His eyes peek open hopefully. “Is it iced?” he rasps.

“...No?”

He groans again. “You’re bribing me with lies.”

Out of all the possibilities you came up with for how your first day would go, this wasn’t one of them. You blink, momentarily stunned.

Hongjoong, thankfully, was watching the whole interaction. Sensing your predicament, he stands up from his seat with a grunt and walks over to where you’re crouched by Wooyoung. The leader unceremoniously wacks Wooyoung’s forehead, mumbling apologetically to you. He sounds just as tired.

“Wooyoung-ah. You’re being rude. Listen to your new friend.”

Wooyoung sticks a lip out in a pout, but listens to his leader. He sits up, bowing his head to you in apology. “Sorry, Y/N-ah.”

You shake your head with a smile, reaching forward to pat his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll make you some coffee.”

By the time you return with a steaming paper cup of coffee, (Hyerin informed you that he drinks it black), he’s already settled in your chair. You smile in greeting. “Good morning, Wooyoung-ah.”

He smiles sleepily in return. “Good morning. I’m sorry for being stubborn, I honestly thought you were one of the members or something.”

You laugh softly, touched that he’s still worried about it at all. “Oh, it’s no big deal. You must be exhausted,” you reply sympathetically. You set his coffee on your vanity in front of him. “Sorry, it seems you don’t like hot coffee very much, but it’s better than nothing.”

His brows pinch slightly at that, his face unable to hide his confusion. “...Did I say that?”

You laugh genuinely at that, nodding. “Yeah. You really must’ve really still been asleep,” you express in feigned disbelief. Thankfully, it seems to have lightened the mood a bit, as Wooyoung joins you in giggling.

Mindful of the schedule, you’re quick to start his makeup after once again washing your hands and leaving him to do his skincare. Unlike Jongho, who was content letting you work in the silence of the early morning, Wooyoung has been talking to you since he fully woke up with a few sips of coffee. 

You aren’t complaining–he’s really fun to talk to, it turns out. While Jongho has a thoughtful and somewhat shy way of talking, Wooyoung seems to harbor no shyness in his body. He’s open, honest, and easygoing, sneaking in questions about you as he goes and easily showing all of his reactions on his face. It’s entertaining, and you find yourself laughing easier than you have in a long while.

Once Wooyoung leaves your station with a satisfied smile and a friendly bow, you’re officially done for the day. You check your watch–just 10 minutes ahead of schedule. You exhale a breath you didn't even know you were holding. Bless Hyerin for giving you a super short first day to get you warmed up.

The other makeup artists and stylists begin wrapping up too, calling out reminders and finishing up final details before the members have to leave. It’s truly astounding how quickly the studio woke up in the two hours it took to get everyone ready. A small joke about getting ready to sleep through the interview breaks the illusion of awakeness, though, and you realize with a small pang in your chest that their energy is artificial, a stubborn quality of hard-work that each of the members holds despite their exhaustion. While slightly worrying, you can’t help but feel proud.

You step back, wiping down your station and disinfecting your brushes. As you begin packing everything away in your neatly organized drawers, you feel a soft warmth spread through your chest.

You did it.

No major hiccups, no disasters. No last minute panic. For your first official day, it went well. Great, even. You’ve been on the job for two hours, and you feel like you belong here.

You peek behind your shoulder, watching the members shuffle up into a line by the exit, bags slung over their shoulders and faces camera-ready. Dohyun-nim is already fussing over the time, gently corralling the members out the door. Hyerin gives you a quick thumbs up before joining the other artists to go travel with the group to the interview location, and you bow your head in return. Eventually you’ll travel with them, but she insisted that your first week be low-key to get you adjusted to the schedule. At first you protested, but now that you’re here you feel grateful.

As they file out of the room, a few offer small waves or enthusiastic smiles in your direction.

“Thank you, Noona,” Jongho murmurs, almost seeming as if he didn’t want his members to hear. Their little snickers toward him tell you that he’s in for teasing on the ride there.

Wooyoung is in the front of the line being pushed out the door, but he hops up with a happy wave to you over multiple heads of staff before skipping over to the van.

You bow politely to nobody in particular, waving in return. “Good luck, everyone!”

Hongjoong is the last to leave, and he stops at the threshold at the sound of your well wishes, giving you a grateful smile. “Thank you, Y/N-ah. You fit in well.”

The words take a second to land, but when they do you have to press your lips together to stop yourself from beaming. You instead give a demure grin, nodding your thanks before the door closes behind them. 

The second the door shuts, it seems that the chaos leaves with them. 

You’re alone in the studio, now silent aside from the occasional gurgling of the coffee machine and the steady hum of the heater. Empty chairs, scattered coffee cups, and shuffled pillows are the only sign that anyone was there to begin with.

You pause, standing in the middle of it all, letting the quiet settle around you like a blanket. The sun is barely up, but it already feels like you’ve lived a full, new day.

You return to your vanity, finishing your cleanup more slowly now. The motions are automatic–brushes in jars, palettes back in drawers–but your thoughts are anything but tranquil.

You think about Jongho and his quiet curiosity. His shiny black eyes as they looked up at you. His quiet, bold search for your praise.

You think about Wooyoung’s silliness. His subtle warmth and unfiltered honesty. His easy words and bright energy, pushing right past his fatigue. 

You think about the way your hands didn’t shake as much as you anticipated and feared they would. The way it felt to finally put your skills to use, and be a part of something that matters.

You used to dream about this feeling, even when it felt so far away it hurt. 

You think about how you’re feeling it now.

By the time the last paper cup is tossed in the trash and your station is spotless, your body is starting to catch up to the early hour and come down from the adrenaline. You’re quick to gather your things and shrug Yunho’s coat over your shoulders once again, the familiar texture grounding you as you lock the door and step back out into the chill of the late dawn.

The sun has finally risen, but the sky is still a pale, lazy blue. Your breath fogs gently in the air as you traverse the distance back home, the city waking up around you. A school bell chimes distantly and you cringe, feeling bad for whoever’s there right now. It’s such a lovely morning, it would be a shame to waste it at school.

On second thought… today might be the coldest day of the year. It’s easily below zero, with everybody’s noses turned pink and cheeks tingling numbly.

But today, you can’t bring yourself to mind the cold.

It bites at your nose, brushes over your cheeks, and nips at your fingertips, but it only makes the warmth in your chest feel more real. You smile at nothing in particular as you walk, shoulders tucked securely into Yunho’s coat, the city slowly stretching its limbs around you.

Yeah, maybe the weather hasn’t changed at all.

Maybe you have.

UYT Taglist: @obsessed-withthe-stressed @psychosupernatural @ateezswonderland @herpoetryprincess @nkryuki @thuyting @rosegracewood09 @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @queenofdumbfuckery @bbokarismeow @vtyb23 @soso59love-blog @mira-inlove @lover-ofallthingspretty @thegingerthatwaited @juicyjaxxy @ateez-atiny380 @ldysmfrst @chatsgotmytongue @satsuri3su @persassyismysecrettwin @cloudserenity

This Fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 5

[frflyavenue]

Under Your Touch - Chapter 3

Pairing: poly!Ateez x makeup artist!Reader (fem!Reader)

Warnings: Eating and appetite, money is tight, (romantic?) tension, alcohol consumption, getting tipsy/drunk, reader gets overwhelmed, hints at trauma (reader), anxiety, casual swearing, flinching >>This chapter introduces some of Y/N’s traumatic responses, but doesn’t go into any specific trauma for now. All important to the story, I assure you :)

Author’s Note: LONG overdue update of Under Your Touch! Quick note I wanna make on this chapter—first, be aware that my knowledge of Korean is like… not good. That said, I’m a French woman who moved to America permanently to study, and for one year of my University program I studied abroad in the Mapo-gu district in South Korea. My Korean isn’t at all fluent, but I know enough to accurately use honorifics, add cultural details, and some vocab as I see it fit for the story. Also, I have NO CLUE how to romanize Korean, so feel free to correct me lol. Love you guys lots!!

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

WC: 6.3k

Chapter 3: Coats and Soju

“Shit-” You whimper, immediately putting the pricked pad of your thumb in your mouth, carefully setting the traitorous sewing needle down on the table in front of you.

There’s really no reason you should be so stressed about this stupid dinner party. Part of you knows that, of course. But the other part of you knows that this party is in celebration for the team hiring a new makeup artist (you) and that it’s purpose is to introduce her to the rest of the team (Ateez and their managers and also everybody else).

So yeah, you’re freaking out.

Your first thought when Hyerin called you this morning to inform you about the dinner party was what to wear. It’s Wednesday, meaning your first day is tomorrow. Cool, you still have no money. And subsequently, nothing to wear. You aren’t the type to go partying, and the only potential party outfits you could think of aren’t exactly formal enough for a work dinner. You could show up in jeans, but you aren’t sure if that’s a good idea for your first professional impression on the team. So, panicked, you went first thing in the morning to a nearby thrift store. On your desperate search to find something decent amongst the mostly ugly options, you managed to find a plain black turtleneck shirt, a cute black alternative style belt, and some men’s cargo shorts you hoped you could do something with.

At home, you began the desperate preparation to put something together. You grabbed your sewing kit, thankful to your past self for bringing your sewing machine with you to Korea, some craft scissors, your jewelry making stuff, and crossed fingers. You put on an Ateez ultimate playlist, deciding to listen to it just in case somebody asked you about their music at the party (you’re definitely going to be prepared, if nothing else), and you got to work.

It’s now an hour before you have to leave, and you’ve finally put together a presentable outfit. You cut the odd turtleneck into an off the shoulder top you managed to adjust to be skin-tight, but still modest. That part was easy. The hard part was the pants. You cut the legs of the cargo pants and sewed them together to resemble a skirt, before trimming the length to look nice on your figure. It was a painstaking process, but the result was a cute cargo skirt that went well with the black belt and the top. To top it off you quickly threw together some silver drop earrings and made a necklace charm to match, lazily disassembling one of your previous necklaces to make the process faster.

Now, you just need to get ready. You take potentially the fastest shower of your life and pull your hair half-up into a cute spiky style in a silver claw clip, braiding thin face-framing pieces to pull to the front. You spend a little more time on your makeup, deciding it should be good enough to prove to the team that you know what you’re doing. You end up with a cute smoky cat-eye liner, a dusty pink blush, and a very minimal base, deciding to let your skin breathe for the evening. You realize that, subconsciously, you went with a more alternative style to match the outfit, and you internally thank whoever gave you the strength to pull it together so last minute.

The outfit really pulled it together, and looking at yourself one last time in the body mirror before you left, you sigh in relief. You look at least half decent—better than what you had hoped, at least. Modest but still cute, and while your look was slightly more alternative style, you still looked cute and unintimidating, thankfully. You grab your purse, throwing on your one pair of boots and running out the door.

——————

By the time you get to the restaurant, you’re absolutely freezing.

God, Y/N, you really are stupid.

You try your hardest to stop the chattering of your teeth as you open your phone to call Hyerin.

In your panic to get out the door with a nice outfit, you completely forgot to grab a jacket. Wearing a skirt was stupid to begin with, but to not even bring a jacket…did you want to get sick?

You push the thought aside, ringing Hyerin’s number. “Unnie? I’m outside of the restaurant!”

Hyerin lets out an excited noise and hangs up, and you only have a few moments to feel confused before she emerges from the door.

Seeing her, your face lights up in a smile, and you rush to hug her. She squeezes you tight, holding onto your shoulders as she greets you.

“Y/N-ah, you’re early!” She exclaims, smiling bright. You nod excitedly up at her.

”Yeah! I wanted to get here before everybody else did so I could settle in a bit.” You admit, and she pinches your cheek affectionately.

The two of you head inside, and she brings you to the private, sectioned off room in the back of the pub that has been reserved for your party. Hyerin sits with you in a booth in the corner, pulling up her phone and clearing her throat.

“Okay, we have a party of 13. All eight of the Ateez members, whom I’m sure you know of?” You nod affirmatively. “Good. There’s the main manager for the members, Li Dohyun-nim. He’s really friendly, but kind of shy, so don’t be intimidated if he keeps to himself. Then there’s Kim Ara-nim, the manager and main stylist in the Ateez stylist team. She’s also really sweet. You actually remind me a lot of her. The only other person that will be here besides you and I is Yoon Sohee-nim, the KQ planner that takes care of everybody’s scheduling. She’s really good at her job, but she isn’t too social, so don’t feel hurt if she doesn’t really talk to you outside of work.” You hum, repeating their names to commit them to memory.

After a while of just chatting with Hyerin and sipping on beer, you check the time. It’s 18:30, meaning the rest of the group should join you and Hyerin any minute now. You bounce your leg nervously.

While it’s comforting knowing that Hyerin, Wooyoung, Jongho, and Hongjoong would all be there as familiar faces, you still feel as if your heart is in your throat. To your surprise, you hardly feel worried about meeting the managers. It’s the thought of meeting the remaining members that’s currently making your stomach turn. Five new men roughly your age… why are you so nervous? Your mind wanders. It’s just a bunch of… guys. Men. Plus, the other three will be there too. You like them. You smile in spite of yourself, pursing your lips together as you take another sip of beer. Wooyoung’s hands… Jongho’s little deer… Hongjoong’s eyes…

You choke suddenly, feeling your face go red. Hyerin, alarmed, pats your back, but you brush off her concern and catch your breath.

What the hell were you just thinking about, Y/N?

You press your cold beer to your cheek, hoping to cool down the raging blush there, when suddenly the door to your private room creaks open.

The Ateez manager you saw during your initial consultation, Li Dohyun-nim, you realize, enters first. You quickly stand up, bowing politely in greeting, which he reciprocates. Then enters a string of new faces—two women and a few unfamiliar, handsome men. You respectively greet them each as they file in, hoping your blush from before isn’t noticeable. When Jongho comes into view, smiling at you, you feel yourself relax a bit, giving him a more casual hello. Just behind him, Wooyoung enters holding the hand of an unfamiliar, muscular man with a stony expression, though you don’t have time to feel intimidated as Wooyoung lets go of him and rushes towards you, making you flinch in surprise. Noticing your discomfort, he opts for excitedly grabbing your hands instead of hugging you, a huge grin plastered on his face. The stone-faced man he was with suddenly giggles, his smile immediately warming up his face into an adorable one as he tugs Wooyoung off of you, shaking his head.

”Wooyoung-ah, control yourself!” He scolds through giggles, playfully hitting Wooyoung’s back. He turns to you, bowing in greeting with a smile still on his face. “Hi, I’m Choi San. I hear we’re the same age, so please refer to me casually.”

You smile sweetly at him, finding him adorable from this impression alone. “Nice to meet you, San-ah. I’m Y/N.” He nods and casually pats your shoulder before moving to take a seat.

The last two to enter the room are Hongjoong and a taller man with a face prettier than most women’s. You clench your jaw to keep it from dropping, not sure if you’re attracted to him or jealous. He smiles elegantly, bowing and offering you his hand to shake. “Hello! I’m Park Seonghwa. Hongjoong-ah has told me a lot about you.” You feel your cheeks warm up slightly at that, glancing in surprise over at Hongjoong who also seems a bit flustered to be called out.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Park Seonghwa-ssi.” You turn to address Hongjoong, smiling. “It’s nice to see you again, Hongjoong-oppa.”

All thirteen of you settle down, finding your seats around the barbecue. You end up sitting between Wooyoung and Hyerin, both of which you begged with your eyes to join you, while a waitress brings your table a few meats to grill. Barbecue. It’s been too long since you’ve had it. Your mouth waters.

“…Y/N?”

“Huh?” You come back to, snapping your head over to Hyerin, realizing you must have zoned out.

She smiles, tilting her head in concern. “I was asking if you wanted to introduce yourself?”

You gasp, suddenly embarrassed as you clumsily stand up and give them all a bow. “I apologize. Good evening everybody, my name is Y/LN Y/N, and I’m going to be working as the new permanent artist on the Ateez makeup team. I’ve already spoken with a few of your members, and I thank you all for being so welcoming to me so far. I look forward to getting to know you all!”

You jump as they all suddenly cheer out their own welcomes, their excitement far more than you expected. While most coworkers may welcome you and pretend to really care, it seems that the eight men all sitting together are genuinely excited. You smile, taking it as a good sign.

Taking your seat back next to Wooyoung, you frown as Hyerin stands up and walks over to speak with another woman pouring drinks at the other end of the table. She’s rather tall, with cateye liner and probably the coolest alternative style you’ve ever seen. You’re almost intimidated, but her smile as Hyerin-unnie greets her, and the way she tucks her hair—dyed orange—back behind her ear they talk helps you connect the dots. Kim Ara-nim.

You look away in time to see the tallest man in the room approach you, and you stand up to bow politely.

“I’m Jeong Yunho,” he offers, his voice enthusiastic but calm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

You look up at him, not sure whether to be more intimidated by the fact that he’s almost a foot taller than you or by the fact that he’s one of the most handsome men you’ve ever laid your eyes on. You clear your throat, offering him a shy smile. “Nice to meet you,” you manage to squeak out, keeping your voice steady.

Wooyoung laughs amusedly beside you, but Yunho just crinkles his eyes in understanding. He gestures to the now empty spot beside you on the booth. “Mind if I sit?”

You clear your throat, smiling affirmatively and sitting with him, scooting over to give him room. Wooyoung playfully nudges your arm with his elbow, and you simply flash him a playful eye roll. All the while, Hongjoong watches from across the table with fond eyes, and while you feel them on you, you consciously avoid them for the sake of your pounding heart. Instead, you focus on the quickly settling party.

The members are all sitting close together around the table, joking casually and bumping shoulders. They’re all remarkably close, you notice, leaning against each other or draping arms over each other's shoulders. You’re surprised at how casual everyone seems for a work dinner, but you actually find the group dynamic reassuring. Hyerin has settled next to Ara-nim, interlocking arms with her and seeming more at ease and playful than you’ve ever seen her. Noting the light blush dusting your historically tough friend’s cheeks, you make a mental note to ask her about their relationship on a later date. Dohyun-nim, Ateez’s main manager, stays relaxed with the members, laying an arm around Hongjoong and ordering some meats to start off the table. The only outlier among the group is Yoon Sohee-nim, who remains stiff with a perfectly straight posture and an unreadable expression. Her eyes are trained on you from where she sits on the other end of the table, and unlike the warm feeling you got from the Captain’s, her eyes cut through you as cold as ice.

You shift uncomfortably under her stare, another shiver shooting up your bare legs. You run your hands over your goosebump-riddled thighs, but give up when you find your fingers just as cold.

In hopes of keeping your mind off of your discomfort, you glance to your left over at Wooyoung, discreetly trying to decipher his dynamic with the built man he’s clinging onto—San-ssi. They’re practically on top of each other, interlocking hands and so close their thighs are overlapping. Wooyoung giggles at one of San’s comments you can’t quite decipher, and leans forward to kiss his cheek. …Are they dating? You’ll have to ask Hyerin about it later.

The sensation of fabric draping over your thighs brings you back to the present, and you glance down in confusion before following the responsible large hands up to the man to your right. “You should’ve said something if you were cold.” He whispers, and you realize it's his coat that he’s tucking around your legs, still warm from his body heat. You meet his gaze again with wide eyes, unable to mask your surprise.

“Oh my- You didn’t have to! Are you sure?”

He shakes his head definitively. “No, I’m wearing a sweater under this anyway.” You try to refute, but he’s quick to stop you. “Please. I’d feel worse knowing my hoobae was uncomfortable all night.”

Touched by his thoughtfulness, a genuine smile graces your expression. In the midst of bustling conversations and nerve-wracking introductions, it’s the most relaxed smile you’ve given since arriving. “Thank you, Yunho-ssi.”

He returns a shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck and silently offering a nod in return. You almost think you see his ears turn pink, but with the dim atmosphere of the room, it could easily be a trick of the light.

You don’t have time to dwell on the sudden bashfulness of the man beside you, as Wooyoung is quick to grab your attention again.

“Y/N, you should tell us all a little bit about yourself!” He calls out, and conversations around the table die down. Feeling everybody’s eyes on you, you feel your heart quicken, suppressing your discomfort with a swallow.

You let out a slow breath to calm your nerves, giving the room a shy smile. “Ah, I suppose I should. Uhm…” You meet Jongho’s eyes, and he doesn’t hesitate to give you an encouraging nod. “Well, my name’s Y/N, and I moved to Korea about eight months ago. I’m still trying to learn Korean, so forgive me if I’m difficult to understand.” There’s a collective shaking of heads from around the table, and you bow your head gratefully. After that, you’re stuck, unsure of what else to say.

Hyerin, noticing your nerves, speaks up. “How’d you get into makeup, Y/N?”

Ah, right. Hyerin-Unnie to the rescue.

“Oh, apologies! Well, I grew up loving to draw. I’ve always been the artistic type, so ever since I was young I would find crafty things to do to pass the time. Doodling, painting, sewing… you name it. I may not have been a spectacular student, but art was the only thing that mattered to me. My first love.” You smile to yourself, reminiscing. “When I became a teenager, I started doing my own makeup. It was one of the only forms of art I hadn’t tried yet, and I loved it. While I mostly just followed tutorials and made up random designs in my bedroom every night, I still loved it, and I got pretty good at doing it on myself after a while. When I moved to Korea, it was still just a hobby to me, something I just did for fun. I found them really pretty, so I experimented with Korean makeup styles, found what I liked, and integrated it into my own style.” You gesture to your face as a simple demonstration.

“One day I went to the market near my apartment, not bothering to take of my makeup since I went for a more natural style earlier that day. That’s when I bumped into Hyerin-unnie.” You smile and look over at her. “And the rest is history.”

Yeosang, who had been relatively quiet throughout the evening thus far, clears his throat. “Can we see your art?”

Your smile falters for a moment with the tightening in your stomach, but you’re quick to recover. You mentally curse out your thundering heart and force yourself to sound peppy. “Sorry, I don’t have any on me at the moment. Another time.”

Yeosang shrugs, seeming only slightly disappointed.

Wooyoung tilts his head at you, but thankfully Seonghwa interrupts him before he can question you.

“It makes sense that you’re an artist,” the elegant man remarks. “It explains why you have such good style.”

You give a shy laugh, shaking your head humbly. “As do you. I’ve wanted to compliment you on your outfit since you got here.” You reply honestly. Conversations around the table have resumed, so you feel more comfortable now that you aren’t put on the spot.

He chuckles, his smile a beautiful sight. You can’t help but stare, purely out of admiration. “Ah, thank you! But seriously, I really do like your outfit. Where’d you get your jewelry from, I would love to get a pair of similar earrings.”

You let out a breathy laugh, bashful. “Ah, sorry, but I actually made these myself earlier today. I’m happy to hear that you like them though—I’d be glad to make you a pair!”

Seonghwa’s eyebrows shoot up in genuine surprise, leaning forward to try to see them better from his position on the other side of Yunho. “You made these?”

Yunho turns his head as well, and you feel your cheeks warm up when he gently tucks your hair back, wanting to get a clearer view.

The two of them both let out a long, drawn out exclamation of surprise, and Seonghwa compliments you again in genuine appreciation.

“Phew, I’m glad you like it. Honestly, I was worried the outfit wouldn’t come together. I didn’t have much time to finish up the skirt, but I think the length turned out oka-“

”Wait, you made the skirt too?” Seonghwa exclaims, his voice a bit louder.

You pause and shift uncomfortably at the attention, suddenly wishing you hadn’t said anything in the first place. You never were very good at showing other people your art.

“Ah.. yeah. Honestly, I had to make the whole outfit from whatever I could find at the thrift store earlier today, since I couldn’t find anything appropriate to wear for tonight.” You glance around. “Though I’m glad to learn that everyone is a bit more casual than I anticipated. Next time I won’t stress so much.”

Yunho lets out a low whistle of appreciation, and you feel warm from both sets of eyes skimming over your body, even if you know it’s just to observe your clothes.

“Are you sure you’re a makeup artist and not a stylist?” Seonghwa teases lightheartedly, drawing a surprised sound from your lips while you defensively shake your head.

Yunho smiles at your expression, finding it endearing. He casually leans closer so you can hear him better, his voice friendly. “Seonghwa-hyung is really into fashion," he explains. “You should ask him about it sometime, I’m sure he’d love to exchange ideas.”

You flash him a grateful grin, still a bit tentative but gradually feeling the tension in your shoulders dissipate.

From the sparkle in his eyes, you get the suspicion that he notices. “We’re the same age, right? Shall we drop the honorifics?” He suddenly requests, his voice smooth like honey.

You nod comfortably, your sweet expression sending warmth to his cheeks. “Thank you for your kindness, Yunho-yah.”

——————

By the time drinks come around, you’ve eaten your fill of countless different kinds of grilled meats. You aren’t sure why, but the members kept putting meat on your plate without you asking, simply saying they didn’t want your plate to be empty. San even airplane-fed you some pork from his own chopsticks, and while you were confused, you happily accepted, not the type to deny good food. Too absorbed in the yummy meal, you missed the admiring eyes from everyone at the table, not even hearing their coos and the chorus of “cute”s anytime your cheeks were full.

Now you’re leaning comfortably against the back of the booth while you fondly watch Jongho and Mingi bicker back and forth across the table. Hongjoong sighs and shakes his head in disappointment, and you can’t help but giggle when he pleads with his eyes to Seonghwa for the pretty man to put an end to it. Tipsy on a few shots of soju, Seonghwa simply sends him a silly wink and pours himself another.

You still haven’t finished a single beer, nursing the same bottle with small sips as you converse casually with Wooyoung and San to your left. The two of them really do bounce off of each other well. San is half way through telling you about a story from the Ateez dorms, already pretty tipsy, when Jongho clears his throat, raising his voice for the table to hear.

“I think it’s about time for a drinking game, yeah?”

Ateez’s maknae, you’ve learned, is an excellent drinker. An alcoholic, Wooyoung had jokingly dubbed him, watching him crack open his third beer of the night. You, on the other hand, hate getting drunk; you haven’t told this to your puppy-like coworkers, of course, but the idea of a drinking game makes your stomach tighten for the second time this evening. So, in spite of yourself, you agree, earning a cheer from around the table.

You take a quick trip to the restroom, returning to find soju shots lined up around each person’s place at the table. Now wearing Yunho’s coat around your shoulders, he glances at you from across the table, but quickly looks away to avoid your eyes. Before you get the chance to ask him about it, Jongho calls you over to sit beside him. Since the table order shuffled around, you squeeze between Jongho and Hongjoong, thanking the younger man when he slides an empty shot glass over to you.

“Okay, everyone’s here?”

The members all grunt affirmatively, and the captain smiles. “Okay—what should we play?”

A few different names are thrown around, and you swallow, leaning over to whisper to Hongjoong. “Oppa? I don’t know any of these games..”

His eyes widen just slightly. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t even think about that!” He admits, laughing awkwardly. He hums thoughtfully.

Sensing the opportunity, you clear your throat. “Ah, I’ll just watch you guys, don’t worry about it!”

Surprisingly, Mingi, who you haven’t even spoken with yet, pouts. “We would be happy to teach you an easy one~”

You shake your head. “I don’t want to drink too much anyways, I have work tomorrow.”

Mingi nearly argues, too tipsy to pick up on your cues, but Seonghwa is quick to hush him. “No, we’ll just play a game between the rest of us. If our Y/N doesn’t want to play, she doesn’t have to play.”

You exhale a breath of relief, smiling gratefully over at the older man.

San, bright red and drunk off his ass, pouts. “Aww, that’s no fair! You guys made me drink~” He whines, clumsily leaning onto Mingi.

You sigh. The poor guy had been peer pressured a little bit, it seems… though the first couple of shots were completely his own doing. Decidedly, you suddenly reach for an opened bottle of soju, pouring yourself a shot and tossing it back. Hyerin lets out a surprised squeak, and a few of the members cheer.

Yup. Definitely just men.

You cough, managing to choke it down. “There,” you rasp out, throat burning. “Compensation.”

Hyerin looks like she’s having a crisis, staring at you with genuine shock while Ara laughs next to her, patting her back. Jongho is laughing so hard you think he might piss himself, a sound you haven’t heard before but one you happen to find quite pleasant. You can’t help but grin, proud.

“Alright, Y/N-ah proved herself well,” Hongjoong laughs, hitting your back supportively while you cough on the scratchiness in your throat.

“Cute,” Yunho whispers, suddenly sliding you another full shot. “One more and I’ll accept your compensation.”

You shoot him a look of betrayal before glancing nervously down at the shot. While you managed to gather up the courage to take one shot, the thought of another makes your heart quicken.

If you get drunk, you could turn into him.

Bile rises up in the back of your throat, and you’re quick to swallow it back down.

What if you end up like him?

You snap out of your thoughts as Jongho nonchalantly slides the shot towards himself before tipping his head back and downing it, not saying a word. “Yah, be nice.” He scolds, his voice completely unaffected by the burn of alcohol.

“Pfft, what a tank,” somebody teases, but nobody protests his gentlemanly gesture.

You can only blink at him with wide doe eyes, completely caught off guard and undoubtedly relieved. He just casually shoots you a quick close-lipped smile before turning back to the table and starting up a chant, presumably the start of a drinking game.

——————

Korean drinking games are really fun, you’ve decided. You’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching everybody, even the stiff-postured Yoon Sohee, slowly unwind with each shot of alcohol, the sounds of giggling increasing every round of whatever game they’re playing.

Now it’s getting later, roughly 21:00, and while the managers all decided to opt out of the game (along with San, though the poor guy was forcibly removed from the game for his own sake), the members are all still competing. Your stomach happily digesting the good food and your mind buzzing from alcohol, you’ve quietly brought our knees to your chest, curled up in the booth with Yunho’s jacket draped back over your legs.

Jongho lets out a particularly loud shout of defeat, and you jump from the noise. Suddenly brought back to where you are, you glance around at everyone around the table—how members double over in unrestrained laughter and shouts of victory or defeat; how Hyerin is asleep next to Ara, who is somehow seemingly sober despite drinking more than most of the boys; how Dohyun-nim is smiling fondly at the sight of his boys having fun; how San is cuddling comfortably with Yeosang, who subtly plays with his hair to keep him calm.

But amidst the warmth, you also can’t help but notice everything else—the sharp clink of glasses on the table; how the booth sticks uncomfortably to your bare thighs whenever you try to shift in your seat; the air conditioning trained directly onto you, occasionally blowing your hair into your lipgloss; Yoon Sohee’s eyes unwavering as they bare into you from her seat with the other managers, unreadable. Even the giggles and playful banter between the members, the same ones which had been warming your chest all evening, suddenly feel too loud.

You jump yet again when Jongho rests a firm hand on your shoulder, flinching from the unexpected contact.

“Ah, sorry Y/N-ssi,” he whispers, dropping his hand back down to his lap. “Are you alright?”

You shake your head at his apology, plastering on a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a little hot in here…I think I’m gonna go step out to get some fresh air.”

He nods, not calling you out on the fact that you’re literally right under the air conditioning and obviously using Yunho’s coat for warmth. “Okay. Do you want me to come with you?”

He’s too precious. “That’s alright, Jongho-yah,” you reassure him, not even realizing you switched to informal speaking. “I’ll be right back.”

He nods, letting you out of the booth and gesturing toward the back door to the secluded patio. “Let me know if you need anything, Noona.”

——————

The chill of the winter night cuts through you like a knife, and you welcome the feeling, taking a deep inhale of the fresh air. You take a seat on the edge of the downward staircase, taking in the view of the city lights. You push your hair back out of your face, failing to suppress your frustration when it disobediently falls back down. You groan, unnecessarily peeved.

God, Y/N. You really are stupid.

It’s the second time today you’ve thought that very thing, and you sigh bitterly, deciding it must be true.

You squeeze your eyes shut, curling up forward into yourself and clinging onto the thick borrowed coat. You run your fingers over the fabric, breathing deeply to steady your poor heart.

You don’t move at the soft thumps of footsteps approaching. Nor do you sit up when a tall, warm presence settles beside you on the top step, letting out a short hum to tell you that he’s there.

“…Hey, Yunho-yah.”

“Hey.”

You finally sit up, your expression failing to hide your tiredness. “…Sorry for leaving you guys without saying anything. I just got a bit warm.”

He shakes his head, his eyes understanding. “No need to be sorry. It’s understandable to get overwhelmed—we’re a chaotic bunch.”

Your gaze flicks between his warm eyes and easy smile, surprised he could read you so easily. You swallow and glance down, eyes landing on his coat. “Oh—I should probably return this, huh?”

He laughs quietly. “We’ll be working together for a long time, so return it another day.” You part your lips to protest, but he shakes his head. “No. Right now you need it more than I do. Keep it.”

You’re temporarily stunned, but hesitantly nod, hugging it to your chest again. “Thank you.” He simply hums, and the two of you fall into a temporary silence.

After a moment, he glances back over at you, eyes training on the way you’re hugging the jacket instead of using it to cover your shivering legs. “Y/N-ah, why…” He stops himself. “Are you cold?”

You bite your lip. “Yeah. But I really like the feeling of this jacket.” His eyes flick to your fingers, which are slowly stroking the soft, tactile fabric.

He nods slowly, thinking to himself. He isn’t sure if it’s the alcohol buzzing through his system that’s making him bold or his quiet concern overturning his logic, but he lowers his voice to a quiet murmur. “Hm… then would you let me warm your legs a little bit?”

You tilt your head at him, and he rubs his hands together, warming them in silent explanation. You can’t stop your cheeks from flushing, stumbling over your words. “Y-you would do that?”

He nods, his face innocent and genuine, though not overbearingly so. Experimentally, he lowers his hand to rest on your knee, slow as if petting a scared puppy. It’s exactly what you needed, though, as you don’t flinch at the touch, relaxing at how predictable he is. He watches you closely for any signs of discomfort, and, sensing none, he begins rubbing slow patterns up and down your thigh, careful to keep his placement respectful. You shiver pleasantly at the warmth, closing your eyes and releasing a content sigh.

If you were to look over at him, you would’ve seen the pink blush staining his own cheeks, gentle eyes darting around to look anywhere but you.

The silence lingers, but it’s not uncomfortable—just the kind that lingers between two people who don’t feel the need to fill it. The warmth of Yunho’s hand, the muffled laughter through the door, the pleasing texture of the coat held tight to your chest—it’s enough to bring you back to where you are.

But then he exhales, slow and soft. “We should probably head back soon. I think they’re wrapping up.”

You nod, pouting when he removes his hand and stands up, instead reaching it out to you to help you up. You take it gratefully, groaning from your achy knees.

He chuckles. “You okay now, saseum?”

You nod, smiling warmly up at him. “Yeah, much better.” You pause. “Saseum?”

His neck, warm from alcohol, gets impossibly redder. “Ah, sorry. I must be drunk.” He laughs. “That’s what Jongho-yah has been calling you—he said you look like an amsaseum."

You don’t know what the word means—a new one to add to your vocabulary—but you nod your head anyway. “Thank you for your company, Yunho-yah.” You flash a pretty, wobbly smile up to him. “You’re very sweet.”

He swallows, too flustered to dwell on it as he starts walking you back to the glowing door. “Anytime.”

——————

As Yunho suspected, the dinner wrapped up pretty quickly after you returned. Too tired to stay, you wished them all well, thanked them for the dinner, and left before them.

Now halfway through your walk home, you thank the universe that you weren’t forced to drink a lot—that would’ve made this trek way more difficult. Between general tiredness, the sleepiness that comes par for the course with pleasant tipsiness, the dimly lit streets, and the icy chill of the night air, you don’t think the added handicap of drunkenness would be a good sign.

Wrapped in Yunho’s coat, (which you’ve noticed now that you’re away from alcohol, smells like a pleasant combination of spices from whatever cologne he must wear), you hurry home, paranoid from the darkness and too cold to savor the walk. It only takes you ten minutes to get back inside your apartment, kicking off your shoes and shrugging off the comically oversized jacket, hanging it by the door.

It takes you less than fifteen minutes to hop in the shower, take off your makeup, brush your teeth, and plop onto the bed in fresh pajamas (which is really just a baggy t-shirt, because who the hell can afford pajamas?). It’s only then when the events of the night hit you.

Despite your little moment towards the end of the night, you had a fantastic couple of hours. You ate good food, talked and laughed with a bunch of ridiculously good-looking men, exchanged numbers with a few of your new coworkers (most of which also happen to fall under the category of ridiculously good-looking men), and all the while managed to stay mostly sober.

Even during your little break outside, it wasn’t all too bad. It could’ve been, of course—most of the time, your episodes of overwhelmedness last much longer and leave you much worse off—but this time you had Yunho there with you.

Yunho.

You turn your head, finally able to let out a little squeal. Is he even real? Tall, handsome, AND one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met?

And is he fucking insane? Who in their right mind lends their jacket and sensually rubs their hands over a girl's thighs knowing they look like THAT? How could a girl NOT panic?

You huff into your pillow. It’s been a while since a man has been able to make you feel like a teenager with a crush.

Saseum.

Oh right, that word.

You roll over onto your side and open your phone, pulling up your translating app. “Damn my language skills…” you sigh, trying to type it in with your poor knowledge of Korean characters.

‘사슴’

Reading the translation once again, your ears turn red.

‘Deer.’

——————

EXTRA—

The quiet rush of the road is the loudest sound in Dohyun-nim’s car, half of the Ateez members whispering amongst themselves in the backseat, the other four hitching a ride with Ara-nim. Hongjoong sits in the passenger seat, busy doing something on his phone. Meanwhile, Yunho and Wooyoung sit in the back with a passed-out San, who sleeps with his mouth agape between the two. It’s quiet for a while, all of the most riled-up members of the evening exiled to the ‘loud car’—until Yunho, a little drunk, breaks the silence.

“I really like her.”

Hongjoong chokes suddenly, whipping his head around to look at him with shock. Wooyoung shakes his head.

“No, no, Joongie-hyung. Don’t act like you weren’t also crushing over her after you first met.”

Hongjoong immediately shuts his mouth, effectively silenced. He turns back around in his seat.

Wooyoung giggles proudly, turning his attention back to the big puppy of a man next to him. “I like her too. She’s adorable, isn’t she?”

“She is.” He pauses. “You should’ve seen the way she smiled at me.”

UYT Taglist: @obsessed-withthe-stressed @psychosupernatural @ateezswonderland @herpoetryprincess @nkryuki @thuyting @rosegracewood09 @latisthegenderfluidwannabealone @queenofdumbfuckery @bbokarismeow @vtyb23 @soso59love-blog @mira-inlove @lover-ofallthingspretty

This Fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 4

[frflyavenue]

Exam Stress - Yungi Ver.

Pairing: stressed!fem!reader x boyfriend!Yungi

Warnings: MDNI (18+), stressed afab reader, sleep deprived and frustrated reader, university student reader, poly relationship, fingering, oral (f receiving), double penetration (both holes), anal, vaginal penetration, kissing, swearing, needy reader, tears, lap riding, praise, pet names (sweetheart, baby, princess), unprotected sex (please be safe), cuddling, soft doms Yungi

Authors note: Hey guys, I’m back after a brief hiatus! Honestly I had no plans of taking a break, but between work, school, and getting sick twice in the last few weeks, I didn’t really have much of a choice. Under Your Touch chapter 3 is currently almost finished, and I have plans to upload that on time tomorrow to get back with my normal schedule. Sorry again for the unexpected break, I promise I have a lot in store for you all now that I’m back! Much love! Bisous~

WC: 5.2k

You sit at your desk, biting the inside of your cheek and twirling your pen between your fingers as you stare down at your textbook. Exams are in only a few weeks, and you’ve spent so many days staring at this stupid textbook that you think you’re about to lose your mind. You’re low on sleep, which definitely doesn’t help, and your back hurts from sitting rigid in the same stupid desk chair for days straight with very few breaks. And you’re hungry, which you know is likely contributing heavily to your current frustration, but you don’t feel like getting up to make something to eat, so you make no effort to go cook.

You’re kind of doing this to yourself.

Maybe it’s this part that’s frustrating you the most.

You don’t have to study this hard just to stay top of your class. Getting a B grade is still passing, after all. Now that you’re an adult, your parents aren’t on your ass about your grades, but you’ve taken their place on being hard on yourself. You are the one paying for your own schooling. Wait, why are you spending so much money to get an education? To make the world a better place? Please, what is staring at this textbook gonna do? Why are you so stupid? Why can’t you just be a prodigy that doesn’t have to study, just like some of the other students in your major? What the fuck is the point of all this?

You slam your textbook shut, sighing in frustration and standing up from your chair, not caring to be graceful as you swinging your office door open and walk toward your living room with heavy feet.

Yunho and Mingi have been working half days all week, meaning they’ve been getting home just after lunch and hang out at your shared apartment. Usually, it would be a blessing, meaning you could spend time with your boyfriends, go on little dates, and go to bed with them next to you. But this week, you’ve been the one they’ve been waiting on. They understand, of course, being workaholics themselves. But you can’t deny that it’s been driving you crazy hearing them laugh or even fuck in the room next to you, all without you.

Normally you wouldn’t care, of course. You’re always happy that your boyfriends can feel good together, encouraging them to help each other out whenever they need, especially since they’re away from you at work so often. But this week… maybe it's just boredom, or maybe just the stress, but you’ve wanted nothing more than to just forget your responsibilities and join them.

Not seeing them in the living room, you turn around and march over to your shared bedroom, swinging the door open impatiently. Mingi and Yunho are propped up next to each other in bed, covered by blankets and watching a movie on a laptop placed on both of their laps. They look up at you in surprise, Yunho pressing the spacebar to pause the movie. Mingi’s eyes are wide as he unintentionally flashes you his puppy eyes, and while your heart skips a beat, you don’t fold for him like you usually would.

You walk over to Yunho’s side of the bed, picking up the laptop and snapping it shut before clumsily putting it on his nightstand. You crawl onto the bed, caging Yunho in between your limbs and blinking down at him with intense eyes.

He blinks up at you in confusion for a second, but before he’s able to question you, you’re crashing your lips against his.

He lets out a surprised yelp, and Mingi gives a shocked, breathy laugh from next to you. You groan impatiently, poking your tongue out and pushing it into his lips, begging for entrance. Finally regaining his composure, Yunho cups your face in his hands, pulling you back.

“Woah, woah, calm down baby!” Yunho laughs out, shocked and now red in the face. “What’s gotten into you?”

You clench your jaw, swallowing and sitting back on your heels letting your butt plop down on his thighs. You run a frustrated hand through your hair, huffing and pursing your lips. “Dammit… I’m… I’m upset.” You admit, trying to calm down.

They just blink for a second, and you see genuine confusion on their faces, though it quickly molds into concern. Mingi reaches out his hand and places it gently on your thigh, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. “Why are you upset, princess?”

You pause, surprised at how gentle he’s being despite your outburst, and you take a deep breath. “I’ve been doing school work all week, and I’ve done every single possible review I could think of, yet I’m still performing poorly on practice tests. So then I don’t get much sleep so I can keep studying, but now I’m just tired and still doing bad. I have no time to sleep, eat, even take a proper shower… so now I’m exhausted, hungry, my hair is greasy, and I’m so frustrated.”

The two men swallow, their eyes concerned but their soothing hands calm on your thighs and your sides. Mingi, usually the better of the two at assessing emotions in situations like this, speaks up. “Okay baby. Why don’t we get something to eat, and then we can talk this out, hm?”

You immediately shake your head, huffing again and nearly going off on another tangent. Yunho cups your jaw and clicks his tongue, trying to hide the fact that he’s smiling at how cute you look when you’re pouting. “No, don’t get mad now. Tell us what you want, Y/N.”

You swallow, blushing slightly. In spite of your frustration, you can’t help but feel embarrassed at how irrational you’re acting. Mingi seems to notice, and he shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. What do you need, princess?”

You look down at your lap, squeezing Mingi’s hand that’s still resting on your thigh and fidgeting with his fingers. “I’m really frustrated… can you help me?”

Yunho tilts his head, confused but trying hard to understand. Mingi, however, snickers. “Of course, baby! Do you want some help studying? Or would you like us to make you some food…?” Mingi starts laughing harder at Yunho’s innocent confusion, shaking his head. You blush, lightly smacking his hand. He tuts, calming his giggles and leaning forward, lowering his voice.

“It’s ok, Y/N. Tell your boyfriends what you want. Use your words.”

You shiver, shyly tilting your head down. His fingers immediately move to tilt your head back up, forcing you to look at them. Yunho’s face tells you that he’s already caught on, but he says nothing aloud, letting it all play out. You whimper.

“P-please… f-fuck me? I need you…”

Their eyes immediately darken, and you feel your heart start to race. You know that look.

Yunho leans forward, pulling you forward so you’re straddling his waist with your groins pressed together. “Oh, I see. Our princess is needy?” His voice is deeper, sweet like honey and soft like silk.

Mingi chuckles. “No need to be shy, baby. Your boys will pound that stress right out of you.”

Yunho doesn’t move right away—just watches you with those deep, unreadable eyes, like he’s trying to decide whether to scold you or devour you. His hand brushes your hair back gently, fingers grazing your temple, and you melt into the touch in spite of yourself.

“You really let yourself get this stressed out baby?” He scolds, tucking your hair back. “Silly girl, stressing yourself out when we’ve been right here for you the whole time.”

You glance down again, cheeks warm.

“You could have told us, princess.” Mingi interjects, his voice low and gravelly. He rests his hand on the bare skin of your waist, just under the hem of your shirt. “You know we’ll do anything for you. Even if that’s just working off some frustration for a while.”

You whine softly, torn between frustration and need. Mingi tilts his head, his lustful eyes never losing a drop of love. “Use your words, sweetheart.” He purrs, his rough voice soothing the itch of your arousal just right. “Tell us what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

You meet his eyes and then Yunho’s, biting your lip. “I’m overwhelmed.” You admit, your voice no louder than a whisper. “I don’t want to think anymore.”

“Then don’t,” Yunho replies simply. “Let us handle all the thinking for now, hm? Your job is just to lay back and take it.”

You feel a chill crawl down your spine at his words, his words suddenly feeling more dominant. Mingi’s lips twitch up at the familiar tone of voice, his gaze loving and heavy on yours.

You nod, your breath catching in your throat, and Mingi shifts to sit on his knees, leaning closer to you and pressing a soft kiss just below your ear. He nips at the soft lobe, and you just barely flinch at the sensitive feeling.

“Gentle,” Yunho suddenly murmurs, stern yet still soft as he addresses Mingi. “She’s not feeling too well right now.”

“You don’t need to be gentle,” you interject, whispery voice cracking. “I just need you to touch me.”

They both briefly glance at your face, seeing without a doubt that you’re absolutely serious. That’s all it takes.

Yunho exhales slowly, as if attempting to regain his composure. He sits up straighter so your chests are pressed together, one of his steady hands resting on the back of your neck. “We’ll take care of you, but only if you’re good for us.” He whispers out, his breath hot and gentle as it tickles your lips from the proximity. “Understand?”

Your head bobs automatically. Mingi leans in to kiss your shoulder, and you’ve never wished your shirt was off so bad.

You whimper, shifting in Yunho’s lap, and he chuckles, velvety and dangerous. “God, you’re so needy already, aren’t you?” He remarks, his tone laced with desire. He pokes his lip out, baby talking. “That’s what stress does to our pretty girl, huh? You’re already soaked, aren’t you babe?”

Mingi nips at your neck, then licks the sting away. The cool sensation of his breath on the wet skin makes you shiver. “I told you she was touch-starved. Our poor baby.”

Yunho tsks softly and grips your chin, solidifying your gaze on him. “You want to stop thinking for a little while? Let us do it for you?”

You nod again, only slightly due to the restrictive hold on your chin. Yunho smiles, and while you can’t see Mingi, you feel him smirk against your neck.

”Good girl.”

Yunho leans forward just enough to close the distance between you, letting his lips brush against yours—barely there, teasing—before he finally presses in and kisses you properly, slow but firm as he savors the way you melt into his touch. His hand moves to stroke your jaw as you moan into his mouth, keeping you grounded.

Mingi shifts behind you, his warm hands slipping just under the hem of your shirt again. He gently teases there for a moment while he watches Yunho work his magic, before reverently lifting the fabric inch by inch, peeling it over your head. He leans forward and kisses your neck softly, trailing down your shoulder and smiling against your skin as he leaves goosebumps in his wake.

“God, Yunho, look at her,” he murmurs, voice scratchy and laced with love. “Beautiful.”

Yunho pulls back just enough to let his eyes wander, dragging his gaze over your flushed face, the outline of your breasts through your bra, your thighs beginning to tremble. “Mhm. Beautiful. And all ours.”

Your shorts are next, and they come off more quickly, Mingi’s patience thinning as he pulls you off of Yunho’s lap and lays you back against the pillows. His hands run down the length of your legs, eyes raking over every inch of exposed skin.

Yunho watches you, towering next to you and still fully clothed as he kneels at your side to press a kiss to your temple. His hand snakes around to your back to unhook your bra, gently easing it off of you, his fingertips brushing over your bare shoulders. Mingi takes the liberty of sliding your panties down your thighs, tossing it next to the bed without any regard for neatness.

Letting his kisses trail down behind your ear and towards your collarbone, Yunho breathes hotly against your skin. “There you are, princess. Stay still for us hon, we’ll take care of you.”

You feel your ears warm up at the sudden warmth in his tone, but have no time to relish in it as Mingi settles between your legs, palms spreading your thighs apart. You whimper at the feeling of his breath hot against your core—close, but not yet touching. Mingi chuckles.

“Let me warm you up, baby,” he whispers, breathy voice dripping with anticipation. He turns his head to press a kiss to your thigh, sucking on the soft flesh there he adores so much. Content with the mark he left there, he turns his head to look at you. He gently spreads your lips apart with his fingers, groaning at the sight. “You’re already this wet for me? Damn, princess… I haven’t even started.”

You whimper at the feeling of the cold air hitting your slick folds, tensing your thighs. Yunho continues kissing your collarbone, giving you barely visible marks there as Mingi gets you worked up.

Without warning, he gently licks up your folds, slow and methodical as he tongues your entrance and hums at the taste. You gasp and reach up to tangle your fingers in Yunho’s hair for support, arching your back. Mingi chuckles and splays his strong hand out flat on your tummy, gently holding you down to keep your hips from lifting from the bed. He slurps up your dripping love juices like a man starved, until he eventually has to pull away for breath. “Fuck, you taste so good, Y/N.” He groans, panting.

Yunho smiles against your skin in agreement, trailing his kisses down to your chest while Mingi catches his breath. He gently rests his lips over one of your soft nipples, reaching up to sensually palm the other one in his large hand. He hums at the sensation, his tongue licking flat strips over the peaks of your breasts as he deeply sucks on the flesh there. You sigh contentedly, comforted by the nice sensation.

Mingi takes the opportunity to return to your pussy, the tip of his tongue brushing over your clit. You gasp, sparks of pleasure shooting up through your core as he circles his tongue around the bud without any pressure, simply ghosting his tongue around you in spirals. Too needy to handle the teasing, you let out an involuntary whine, squirming under the palm still resting on your belly.

”Look at you… squirming like that,” he moans, swallowing the taste of you on his tongue. “What do you need, baby?”

Yunho gently rolls your nipple between his teeth, and you gasp, struggling to form coherent thoughts. “M-more, sir, p-please.”

Mingi can’t help himself from involuntarily twitching, bucking his hips into the mattress at the nickname. Yunho chuckles, pulling back just for a moment to praise you. “Such a good girl.”

You get impossibly warmer and squeeze your thighs together in response, earning a light slap on the thigh from Mingi. “Keep those pretty legs open, yeah? Let me take care of this messy little pussy.”

You spread your thighs obediently, humming as Mingi’s hands return to your body—one back to rest over your uterus, the other hooking up under your thigh and gripping it tight. The latter pulls you to grind up into his face, pressing your sensitive clit onto his flattened tongue, pulling a moan out of you. Mingi smiles, leaning forward to gently suck your clit, lips wrapped tight around the bundle of nerves as he continues to help you grind against him. All the while, Yunho continues kissing the soft flesh of your breasts, almost more in an attempt to keep you grounded than to tease you as he runs his hands up and down your sides.

It doesn’t take long before Mingi releases his grip on your thigh, coating his middle finger in your body’s natural lubricant. Tongue still flicking against your clit in slow, rhythmic motions, he slides his long thick finger inside of you, curling it upward just right. That alone is enough to bring you to the edge. You throw your head back, mouth hung open as Yunho flicks his tongue against your now erect nipples, your back arching into Mingi’s tongue. .

“Mingi, feel how she’s shaking?” Yunho purrs, leaning down to pat his head. “You got her so close already.”

Mingi doesn’t relent, too turned on by the way you’re writhing under them. “Mhm…”

Yunho slips one hand down to rest over your mound, fingers sliding down to feel Mingi’s mouth at work on you. He bites his lip at the sensation of the other man’s tongue accidentally licking his fingers with his sloppy tongue on your pussy, finding the whole thing erotic. “Come for us, baby,” he whispers, his own voice slightly strained. “Let us see how much you need this.”

They don’t need to ask you twice. You let your body tense up, desperately bucking your hips downward into Mingi’s tongue and moaning at each curl of his fingers inside you. Yunho praises you erotically while you let it build, and although you can’t hear what he’s saying, the tone of his once is exactly what you need to get over the edge.

The sudden warmth in your core peaks, forcing you to gasp, lifting your hips and throwing your head back into the pillows. “Mingi! A-ah~/!”

His tongue doesn’t stop, just lapping up your juices and sucking on your clit to help you ride it out, prolonging your orgasm as long as he can. By the time you finally come down, Mingi has sat up, licking his lips to savor your taste. Lips still glistening, he turns to Yunho with a dazed look. “She’s ready,” he proclaims, his voice low and hoarse. “But I’m not gonna last if I don’t calm down first.”

Yunho grins at him, dark and knowing, before turning to gently brush your hair out of your face, kissing your cheek. “You take a second to calm down while Mingi and I get prepped, okay princess?”

You nod.

“Good girl. You have permission to stretch yourself out with your fingers if you feel empty.”

With that, he turns to face Mingi, sitting on his knees in front of him and cupping his cheek. “Your lips are so swollen, Mingi.” He teases, though his tone is gentle. Mingi smirks.

“Wanna taste?”

Yunho huffs out a laugh, leaning forward and capturing Mingi’s lips in a deep, slow kiss, tasting you on his tongue like it’s the best thing he’s ever tried. Mingi lets out a low sound, hands sliding up Yunho’s chest as they kiss.

Yunho, slightly more composed, leans forward, trailing a teasing hand down his side before firmly grabbing Mingi’s erection through his pants. Mingi hisses through his teeth, but Yunho just smiles into his lips, stroking him slow and letting him roll his hips into it while they kiss.

“Breathe, Mingi,” Yunho murmurs into his mouth. “You’re too worked up.”

Mingi nods unashamedly, his eyes dark and hazy. “She’s too fucking delicious, Yun.” He thrusts up against Yunho’s palm. “Our baby’s so good.”

Yunho nods, agreeing with him as he tastes you on Mingi’s lips. He pulls away, unbuttoning Mingi’s pants and pulling his underwear down, letting the pretty, hard cock spring free from the waistband. He spits into his palm before wrapping it gently around Mingi, stroking him properly now—slow and controlled. Mingi leans forward and braces his forehead on Yunho’s shoulder, his hand rubbing Yunho’s chest through his t-shirt.

It takes a while, but once Yunho has gotten Mingi to calm down enough to stop trembling, he glances back at you. He smiles at the sight of you with three of your fingers swallowed up as far as you can reach into your pussy, eagerly stretching yourself out while you watch your boys pleasure each other. Mingi licks his lips at the pornographic way your fingers scissor your entrance open, your flushed face tense in concentration.

“You ready, baby?” Yunho asks, voice thick and sweet like honey.

Mingi, flushed and breathless but steady again, moves to kneel behind you, his hands gliding up your sides. “You’ll take Yunho in the front,” he explains, tone soft but scratchy. “And then, if you’re up for it, I can stretch you out in the back?

You nod, wanting desperately for any thoughts to be fucked right out of your head.

Yunho sits up with his back against the headboard, taking his cock out of his pants and letting Mingi helpfully set you on his lap. You straddle your legs around his waist, your dripping core just centimeters away from his length. Yunho is probably the biggest man you’ve ever seen. While Mingi rather big in size and particularly thick—perfect to fuck you fast and hard—Yunho is long and slightly more slender, helping him to make love to you slow and deep. It’s a perfect combination, truly, and the thought of both of them stuffing your holes all at once after so long of being apart…you’re about to lose your mind.

You don’t even attempt to hide your staring, poking down at the angry pink tip of Yunho’s beautiful dick as it springs up between the two of you, grinding on Yunho’s thighs. Yunho chuckles, pulling you in closer to him, with your entrance hovering just above his length.

“You’ve got it baby, slide yourself down onto it…that—ah—that’s it…”

You moan as you ease yourself down onto him, only managing to take half of him at first and whimpering each time he pushes a little deeper. Mingi rubs gentle circles against your back, watching with wonder as you sink all the way back down into Yunho’s lap, this time full with him inside you.

“Yunho..” you whimper, gripping his shoulders tight as he finally bottoms out. “F-feels so good.”

Yunho pants from the pleasure and chuckles fondly, finding your expression adorable. The two of them give you a moment to adjust, gifting you reassuring touches every second, not wanting their hands to be anywhere but on you. Reluctantly, Mingi eventually pulls away, though only to grab the bottle of lube from his bedside table. He squeezes it onto the tip of his middle finger before positioning himself to sit comfortably behind your just able to lean forward and kiss your shoulders if he needs to.

You try your best to relax your body as Mingi lifts your ass up a bit to see your pretty little hole, having done this enough times by now to know the procedure. You lift your hips to give him access, wincing at the coldness of the lube as he rubs it over your entrance.

Yunho catches the way your brows pinch together as Mingi rubs slow, deliberate circles around your hole. Noticing your discomfort, he slides his hand down to helpfully rub circles into your clit with his thumb, watching Mingi’s fingers at work.

“There you go baby… let him in slowly,” he murmurs, his thumb providing a slow, firm rhythm against you. “You’re doing so well already.”

Mingi’s voice hums low behind you, breathless with restraint. “God, you’re so soft. You always take me so good, baby. Just relax for me…”

You let out a small gasp when his finger slips in, coated thick with lube, his other hand steady on your hip as he works you open. He’s careful, attentive—massaging the tight muscle while Yunho coaxes your arousal forward. One finger becomes two, then a subtle twist of his wrist, stretching you slowly. The tension in your thighs trembles, but you feel your body beginning to yield.

“She’s getting there,” Mingi mutters, awe in his voice. “So fuckin’ tight.”

Yunho watches your face for every flicker of discomfort or pleasure, brushing a kiss to your forehead. “Tell us when you’re ready, love.”

You immediately give a desperate nod, gripping Yunho’s shoulders tight. “I-I need it now… please…”

Mingi doesn’t hesitate to gently slide his fingers out of you, his ears and neck red with anticipation as he sits up and lubes up his now desperately needy cock.

Yunho chuckles at his eagerness and leans in to kiss your jaw, gently cupping your cheek with one hand. “Deep breaths, sweetheart. You’re about to be so full.”

You nod, bracing yourself with both hands on Yunho’s reliable shoulders as Mingi lines himself up at your entrance. You hold your breath, trying your best to relax your muscles as he applies a bit of pressure, fighting with your stubborn hole for entry. You whimper at the extent of the burn, before suddenly the thick, bulbous head of his cock slips inside.

Tears immediately fill your eyes at the stretch, the feeling of two cocks at once only making it sting more for the moment. Your lip quivers, and Yunho leans forward to softly kiss the corner of your mouth.

“That’s it… you’ve got it baby.” Yunho purrs, reassuring you to keep you grounded. “You’re such a good girl, taking your two big boys at once, hm?”

You nod for him, tears falling as Mingi pushes in deeper. Yunho easily brushes them away with his thumbs, cupping both cheeks in his hands and keeping your eyes on his loving face to keep you from panicking. You’re eternally grateful that these two men know you so well—you really have no doubt in your mind that they love you so, SO much.

The second the tip of Mingi’s length brushes against your prostate, you clench around them both, drawing moans out of all three of you. Almost all of the stinging pain from before is gone now that he’s reached that magical spot, and you collapse forward onto Yunho’s chest at the overwhelming pleasure.

“Oh my- god, that feels good,” you cry out, your voice strained with the sensation. “M-more? Please?”

Yunho and Mingi glimpse at each other with knowing smiles, each rubbing their hands up and down different areas of your soft, bare skin.

“Not yet, princess,” Mingi murmurs, careful. “We don’t wanna accidentally hurt you, okay?”

You nearly argue that they could literally do nothing to hurt you at the moment, but the pleasure is so overwhelming that you can’t even get the words out.

Yunho gently grips your hips, rocking you slowly forward on both of them. You let out a pleasured whimper, continuing to grind in gradual rocking motions while Mingi carefully begins to thrust into you, matching your pace.

“Hnn… F-faster please..?”

“Listen to you…” Mingi grunts out, unable to control himself. “Filled to the fucking brim and still begging for more…”

You lean forward, wrapping your arms around Yunho’s neck and resting your forehead on his shoulder, panting heavily now. He reaches a comforting hand up to rub your back, turning his head to kiss your temple.

“You’re doing so well, Y/N.” He whispers, combing his fingers through your hair with gentle strokes. “Such a good girl.”

You hug him tighter, the praise raising goosebumps along your skin. Mingi leans forward, moving just slightly faster and resting his nose in the crook of your neck, hugging your from behind. It’s intense having the both of them inside you, of course. But when you’re resting on both of their laps, two pairs of strong arms wrapped around you while they take care of you, it’s just so warm.

Yunho and Mingi are SAFE.

You sniffle, hiccuping and letting your tears fall onto Yunho’s bare shoulder. He simply cups your cheeks, making you look him in the eyes while he wipes your cheeks free of tears, his eyes looking at you with so much love. You lean forward, your voice cracking from pleasure and the overwhelming feeling of desire in your belly. “I love you…”

Yunho’s face gets impossibly softer, his hands brushing your hair back out of your face. Mingi lets his hands rest on your waist, gently dragging your hips back and forth still.

“We love you too, sweetheart,” Mingi murmurs into your shoulder, his voice low and rough.

Yunho’s smooth voice provides a pleasing contrast. “Our baby…”

You simply whimper in response, your hips twitching. It just feels so good to be here with them… it’s the most fulfilled you’ve felt in months.

Mingi, unable to stop himself, bucks his hips suddenly, eliciting a moan from you at the sudden intensity. Yunho’s eyes dart up and he opens his mouth to scold the other man, but your pleas interrupt him.

“Oh, baby…”

Mingi smirks at Yunho proudly, beginning to move more consistently now. Yunho, while a bit more patient than Mingi, does still have a limit, and he finds himself beginning to do the same.

With the two of them, there’s literally no end to the stimulation. Mingi thrusts into you, and as soon as he pulls back, Yunho pushes in, giving you no break before new sparks of pleasure reach your core. You have no more control over what sounds escape your parted lips, your nails digging into Yunho’s shoulders as he grunts from the sensation.

Mingi keep his grip on your hips steady as the two of them increase their pace together, and almost immediately Yunho slips his hand between your legs and rubs his thumb firmly against your throbbing clit. That’s all it takes to send you barreling over the edge, your holes clenching tight around both of theirs as you scream out a jumbled version of both of their names.

Mingi whispers praises into your shoulder while you ride it out, and Yunho simply groans and speeds up, no longer able to help himself as his whimpers grow into higher whines. Still panting as you come down from your climax, you rock faster on them, encouraging them to reach their own. It doesn’t take long before Mingi gives one final grunt as.he buries himself deep inside you, and only a few pumps later Yunho joins them. You continue your rocking, helping them through it and gasping at the sensation of two warm loads filling you up.

Mingi rests his head on your shoulder with his arms around your waist, his warm breath tickling your bare skin as he pants to catch his breath. Meanwhile, you use your position higher up on Yunho’s lap to your advantage, gently tucking the taller man’s head under your chin and holding him there, close to your chest. The three of you stay just like this for a while, not saying a word—the warmth of the embrace saying enough.

Right now exams don’t matter. Nor does the stress of life, of school, of work… all that matters is them. Them, them, them… and you.

That’s what’s important—and you promise yourself to never forget that again.

[frflyavenue]

Exam Stress - Matz ver.

Pairing: Boyfriend!Matz x Stressed!Uni student!Reader

Warnings: MDNI (18+) — Stressed reader, sleep deprived reader, university exam season, crying, eating, fluff and smut, fingering (f receiving), oral (f receiving, m receiving, f giving), vaginal sex, spit-roast, threesome smut, slight power dynamic, soft dom!Hongjoong, switch!Seonghwa, lots of praise

Author’s Note: Giving you guys this update early as compensation for not posting anything on Tuesday—First time writing smut, so let me know what you guys think! UYT chapter 3 still on track to be updated tomorrow <3

WC: 5.1k

School sucks. You’re a great student, one of the best performing in your major, and, according to your boyfriends, the hardest working person they’ve ever seen. You’re positive they’re just gassing you up because they love you, but you’re happy that your work is at least recognized. But it’s getting towards the end of the semester, meaning the whole University is filled with students working overtime. Exams are just around the corner, major essays and projects are being finalized and the party hubs of the city have died down as students rush to get their grades up enough to pass. You’re doing well in your classes, of course, but the end of the semester is always a rough time.

You’ve been working non-stop for the last few weeks, studying for your exams and trying desperately to finish your thesis paper for one of your classes. You lost count of how many hours you’ve worked in the library over the last few days, staying until they close around midnight and going home just to keep working. And while you’ve been able to handle the stress and exhaustion, today it all seemed to come to a head.

You haven’t slept more than a total of 10 hours the last four days, and you haven’t eaten nearly enough to sustain yourself. But honestly, the hormones from the stress were enough to suppress your hunger, so you didn’t pay it much attention. You’re exhausted, honestly, yearning to lay down in bed or even just curl up and sleep on the floor of the library, desperate for rest. But you don’t have time. You huff, slamming your laptop shut, earning a few glances from the other students working the library. You don’t dare look at them, stuffing your laptop in your bag with a sigh. You snatch it up and turn to leave, completely silent as you drive yourself to your apartment.

You fumble with your keys lazily as you try to open the door, finally sighing as it squeaks open. You slip into the apartment, taking off your shoes at the door and heading to the bedroom you share with your two boyfriends. Seonghwa, hearing you, turns around with a warm smile to greet you.

”Hey darling, welcome home. We missed you.”

You look up at him, but the second you see his warm expression, you feel your throat tighten, so you quickly look away. “Ah, yeah, I missed you guys too.” You clear your throat. “I have to work on my paper, so I’m gonna go work for a bit.” You don’t wait for him to respond to walk away to the solace of your bedroom.

Seonghwa walks with his mouth slightly agape as you turn your back to him, not able to say anything. Almost immediately after he gathers his thoughts, he rushes over to the living room, where Hongjoong is splayed out on the couch working on a song. He gently tap his shoulder, and Hongjoong removes one side of the headphones to hear.

”Joongie… I think something’s wrong with our Y/N.” He says worriedly, and Hongjoong snaps his eyes up from the screen to look at him.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Seonghwa runs his hand through his hair, clearly worried. “She came in so quiet, and her face seemed so tired… she hardly acknowledged me when she walked in.”

Hongjoong’s expression grows thoughtful, his eyebrows scrunching slightly. Your recent stress hasn’t gone unnoticed by your two boyfriends for the last few weeks. They’ve watched your eyes grow more and more tired every passing day, and while they’ve tried their best to bring you little snacks or cheer you up with little kisses to your temple when you’ve been working for a while, they’ve mostly let you to your work, not wanting to disturb you. But for Seonghwa to be this concerned now… Hongjoong trusts his boyfriend in thinking that something’s wrong. “Okay… why don’t you go talk to her, hm? I don’t want to overwhelm her with both of us, but I want to check on her.”

Seonghwa hesitantly nods, and Hongjoong presses a comforting kiss to his forehead before letting him go visit you.

You hardly register the knock at the door until it creaks open, and you freeze up, looking over at him with wide, guilty eyes. There are tears streaming down your face, your nose running and your sleeves wet from wiping your eyes. Seeing him, with his beautiful, elegant face twisted in concern taking in the sight of you, you only feel worse. You turn away, desperately attempting to dry your tears as he approaches. You hiccup helplessly as he turns the office chair around so you’re facing him, optnig to hide your face in your hands.

Seonghwa steps closer so he’s standing between your legs, gently pulling you into him. You let your face, still covered by your hands, lean into his stomach, feeling one hand resting protectively on your back while the other rests on the back of your head, his thumb rubbing comforting cicely into your hair. Almost immediately, you let go to wrap your arms around his waist, burying your face deeper into his tummy and sobbing against his hoodie.

Seonghwa feels himself tear up at the sound, his voice softly shushing you while he cradles your head against his body. He doesn’t move, holding you just like that, not planning to ever let you go.

Hongjoong, hearing the gut-wrenching sound from the other room, sneaks into the room, standing behind Seonghwa and rubbing his back. The taller man is blinking back tears, his hands holding you close to him as you let out pitiful sobs of frustration and exhaustion, sounds he’s never heard from you in the two years you all had been dating. Hongjoong, too, feels his throat tighten, distracting himself by silently comforting Seonghwa in the meantime. The three of you remain like until the sound of sobs dies down to sniffles, and Hongjoong moves to kneel next to your chair. He places a hand on your thigh, gently rubbing there.

”Hey, beautiful.” He whispers softly, gently easing your hands down for you to look at him. You do, your swollen eyes meeting his. “Hey… there she is…” His voice is soft and quiet, almost as if he’s talking to a kitten. You're grateful for it, the sound not overwhelming your mind.

You snuffle, leaning into his hand when he moves to cup your cheek. “I-I’m sorry…” you squeak out, and he immediately shakes his head, shushing you.

“No, no ‘sorry’. I can speak for both of us when I say that Seonghwa and I want you to be happy. But part of that means taking care of you when you’re sad, hm?” He just watches you for a moment, gently holding your face in his hands as he kneels in front of you. “…What’s the matter babydoll?”

You close your eyes and try to clear your blurry eyes, opening them again to look down at his loving face. “I… I just got frustrated.” You explain, your voice wobbling pitifully. “I’m so tired, and I have so much to do. But I feel stuck on this stupid paper, and I have to finish it, and…” You trail off, your throat burning as tears slip silently down your delicate cheeks and onto Hongjoong’s delicate hands.

Hongjoong nods, gently wiping the little drops of water away with his thumb, not breaking his gaze. “It’s okay, we’ve got you now. We’re going to go take a break, baby.”

You open your mouth to refuse, but Seonghwa shushes you before you can say anything. “No, no, he’s right Y/N. You need to eat and take a break, or you wont be able to get anything done anyways.” He pauses. “My mom always used to tell me that productivity is subjective. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is take a break, eat some good food, and get some sleep. Right now, that’s exactly what would be most productive to you, understand?” His voice is gentle but firm, and his tone gives you no choice but to tentatively agree.

Hongjoong smiles proudly up at Seonghwa, dropping his hands from your face and standing up, offering his hand to you. You take it, letting him pull you up. You sigh longingly as Hongjoong closes your laptop shut, and Seonghwa places a guiding hand on your back as he walks you three to the living room.

While it pains you to step away from your work, you immediately feel relieved as Seonghwa pulls you with him onto the couch, instinctively finding your position on his chest as he lay down with his head resting on the cushy armrest. His hand tangles in your hair, the other rubbing your back up and down in slow, repetitive motions. The steady thumping of heart under your cheek is enough to make you come undone, and your shoulders relax.

Smiling fondly at the sight, Hongjoong sits next to your tangled bodies, opening his phone. “We’re ordering in tonight. What are you feeling, pretty girl?”

The corners of your lips twitch up, though you don’t bother to open your blissfully closed eyes. “Pasta?” You respond, the thought of noodles making your mouth water.

Hongjoong laughs and pats your butt affectionately, ordering you guys a few of your favorite pasta dishes to share.

In the meantime, Seonghwa struggles with the remote, trying to put on a cute animated movie to cheer you up. Finally figuring out what buttons to press, he finds a selection of studio ghibli movies and let you take your pick. Hongjoong calls in to order the food while the two of your start the movie, and as soon as he’s done, he walks back over to the couch. You turn around so you’re laying on your back against Seonghwa’s chest, his arms wrapping around your waist while you reach your arms out to Hongjoong. He smiles brightly before climbing into your arms, laying with his head resting on the soft pillows on your chest and his arms joining Seonghwa’s around your waist. Content to be between both of them, you sigh.

It’s the best you’ve felt in weeks. Seonghwa’s chest rising and falling steadily against your back, Hongjoong snuggled up close to you, letting you tangle your fingers in his hair, the soft strings of the ghibli movie—it was perfect. When you drift off, hands resting limp and calm against Hongjoong’s back and hair and head resting comfortably back against Seonghwa’s happily beating heart… your boys can’t help but feel the same.

NSFW content following the cut ———

You awake groggily at the sudden loss of the comfortable weight on your chest, grumbling at the cold air hitting your front. You open your eyes, Seonghwa giggling lovingly at your state from behind you and Hongjoong nowhere to be seen. You pout, looking around.

”He’s getting our food.” Seonghwa explains softly, his voice hardly above a whisper. You nod, not bothering to move as you hear Hongjoong open the front door and thank the delivery person. He returns with a slight grin, holding up the bag of food victoriously.

You smile, sitting up and moving to get up off the couch. Seonghwa clicks his tongue in dissatisfaction, pulling you back to stay. “Where do you think you’re going?”

You giggle, wriggling weakly in his grasp. “To the table? To go eat dinner?” You respond, your voice already containing more of it’s usual happiness.

Hongjoong laughs and shakes his head, his eyes making pretty crescents. “No, silly, we’re gonna eat in the living room today. It’s treat.”

You gasp, turning to look at Seonghwa. Usually, he’s the one scolding you and Hongjoong about your cleaning and organizational habits, always keeping you both in check. So for him to be letting you eat in the living room…

Seonghwa rolls his eyes, but his grin never leaves his face as he gently lest go and helps Hongjoong unpack the food onto the coffee table. You gasp excitedly, sitting crisscrossed on the floor in front of the couch. Seonghwa ruffles your hair before going to making the three of you bowls of pasta.

The food is delicious, of course. You hum with satisfaction, not remembering the last time you ate a proper meal. Sure, pasta isn’t the healthiest meal, but it sure does hit the spot after not eating anything but protein snacks and the random fruits your concerned boyfriends brought you every once and a while. They seem to notice, not taking their eyes off you as you go silent to eat, eagerly slurping up pasta. Proud to see you feeling better, they also find that the food is especially good—maybe just because you look so happy eating it.

You listen intently as Hongjoong talks about the songs he’s working on, never having felt so happy just to hear him ramble as you are now. Seonghwa is silent, too focused on his food, but he occasionally bumps your shoulders with his legs, still sitting on the couch as you sit on the floor between his legs. It’s been so long since you’ve all gotten to just sit and eat together, between the weird schedule of your classes and studying for finals, Hongjoong’s production, and both of the boys' dance practices. Looking at Hongjoong’s happy face and gently rubbing Seonghwas calf as it cages protectively around your form, you feel yourself tearing up.

”I missed you guys.” You whisper in a beat of silence, taking another bite of pasta to counteract the sentimental tears forming. Hongjoong looks up at you, giving you a delicate smile. Seonghwa sets his bowl down, gently massaging your shoulders as he, also, tries not to cry, not wanting to make you upset.

”We missed you too, babydoll.” Hongjoong replies, and Seonghwa squeezes your shoulder as well in emphasis. He looks thoughtful for a moment, before clearing his throat and setting his bowl down. “Y/N?”

You look up, swallowing your big bite of pasta before responding. “Hm?”

Hongjoong laughs softly, before shaking his head and scooting closer to you, gently taking your hand and holding it in his lap. “Hwa and I love you so much. We never ever want to see you so stressed, yeah? We understand that you have a lot to do—we’re in a similar position a lot of the time. But… just like how you make sure to take care of us when we’re feeling overwhelmed, we want to take care of you too.”

You blink, taken off guard by his sudden seriousness. Senoghwa gently reaches around to tuck your hair back behind your ear. “He’s right. It’s okay to get frustrated, stressed, tired… even just sad. But it’s not okay to completely isolate yourself from everyone around you and push yourself past what your body and mind can handle.” He adds, gently combing through your hair with his fingers. He’s right, you realize. Unknowingly, you had been avoiding your friends and even your two beloved boyfriends, hiding in the library to avoid coming home and staying cooped up in your bedroom at every opportunity under the pretense of discipline. Seonghwa’s words from earlier echo in your mind. Productivity is subjective… Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is take a break…

You nod slowly, setting your own bowl down. “Yeah… you guys are right,” you admit with a slight look of guilt. “I’ve probably been stressing myself out more than necessary because I’ve been getting so frustrated.” You explain, earning a nod from Hongjoong. You continue. “And… I promise from now on, I’ll rely a little more on you guys. I’m sorry for worrying you.” You meet Hongjoong’s eyes and gently squeeze Seonghwa’s calf, and they coo.

”Such a sweet thing…” Seonghwa praises, squishing your cheek even from his odd position behind you. You blush, suddenly shy, and Hongjoong laughs, lightly hitting Seonghwa’s thigh. The three of you go quiet for a minute, the air lighter.

Interrupting the silence, Hongjoong clears his throat, looking up at you. “Y/N?”

You nod, giggling at his tone. “What? You’ve said my name like that twice already, it’s so cute~”

Hongjoong scoffs and nearly argues, but his blush creeps up his face before he can rebut. He shakes his head. “I’m being serious here!”

You and Seonghwa laugh, but you quickly shake your head and squeeze his shoulder. “Sorry, sorry. Go ahead, honey.”

He blushes at the nickname, his personal favorite from you, and clears his throat again. “Well, Hwa and I were talking while you napped, and we wanted to ask if you’d like to let us take care of your stress for you tonight? You know, help you relax a bit..?”

You smile, shaking your head innocently. “No, I’m sorry. There’s not really much you guys can do, my paper is built off of research I’ve been doing all semester. I appreciate the offer, of course, but I should really just write it on my own.”

Hongjoong blinks. He’s known you for a long time, but he will never not be astounded by how your sweet, dense brain works. He laughs in shock. “Hah… geez, Y/N… for somebody so smart, you sure are slow.” He says, and Seonghwa coughs back a laugh before pretending to scold him. You tilt your head.

”Uh… sorry?”

Hongjoong shakes your head, and Seonghwa moves to sit on the floor with you guys, feeling awkward not being able to see your face.

“No, not like that my dear.” He explains. He gently takes your hand and presses it to his lips. “We want to take you to bed, our love. It’s been a while since we could take care of you, hm?”

Your face heats up immediately. Seonghwa has always been the best of you three at initiating this kind of intimate affection, so it shouldn’t come at any surprise. But even after sleeping with your boyfriends hundreds of times… they only get sexier You subconsciously press your thighs together.

Seonghwa just chuckles at your cute reaction, standing up and grabbing the trash from your dinner. “Think it over while I clean dinner up, hm?”

You watch with your mouth slightly agape as he takes the trash to the bin in the kitchen, stunned silent. You turn to look at Hongjoong, who tucks your hair back affectionately.

”Kiss me?” You whisper suddenly, looking up at him shyly through your eyelashes.

Hongjoong smiles softly at your request, cupping your jaw and tilting your head up so he can access your lips. He kisses you softly, his plush lips molding naturally against yours. He turns his head to the side after just a moment, gently licking at your bottom lip, and you part your lips to grant him access. He eagerly intrudes your mouth, tangling his tongue with yours. His hand slowly comes up to rest on your waist, his thumb slipping under the hem of your shirt and rubbing easy circles over the smooth, delicate skin there. You hum into his mouth and rest your hands on his shoulders for support, desperate to taste more. It’s been a long time, you realize, since you’ve done anything like this with your boyfriends. You’ve missed it.

Seonghwa returns, raising an eyebrow at the sight and sitting on the side of the couch, opting to just watch for a little while. He knows he’ll get his turn.

Sure enough, Hongjoong pulls away just for a moment at seeing Seonghwa sit down, leaving you whining. He clicks his tongue.

”Tsk tsk… patience babydoll. Lie down on the couch for me, hm?”

You nod and quickly position yourself comfortably on the couch, happy when Hongjoong climbs over top of you and continues kissing you. To your dismay, he refuses giving you entrance back into his mouth, instead moving to press slow, open mouthed kisses down your jaw. You breathe heavier at the sensation, letting out shameless little gasps and whimpers when he nips sensitive parts of your neck. Almost too swift to notice, Hongjoong slides his hands up under your shirt, pulling it up over your head in one smooth motion before crawling downward to kiss your collarbone, lingering around the straps of your bra. Just before you feel yourself growing impatient, he unclips the fabric barrier as if reading your thoughts, gently sliding it down your shoulders to reveal your soft breasts.

He exhales in wonder at the beautiful sight, reaching one hand up to gently palm at the flesh there. “God, baby… how could I have ever forgotten how much I missed these pretty things, hm?”

You blush shyly at his praises, his tone of voice one that always gets you in a space ready and wanting to please. You arch your back impatiently, the cold air leaving you desperate for their touch. Hongjoong smiles, letting you get away with it for now and leaning down to gently take the soft flesh of your breast into his mouth.

You gasp slightly as his tongue caresses the bud of your breast, comforted with the feeling of his mouth tenderly kissing the plush skin there. You pet his hair in return, and Seonghwa reaches a hand up to rub Hongjoongs back encouragingly, fond of watching his lovers feeling good.

After a few minutes of getting you slowly more and more needy from Hongjoongs touches, Seonghwa finally moves to tug at the waist of your pants, easing them down your thighs and folding them neatly on the other side of the couch. He repositions himself to be propped on his elbows between your thighs, and you shiver when you recognize the position. His breath brushes against the heat between your thighs as he leans forward, turning his head to suck at the skin of you plush thighs. He gently kneads the soft flesh under his hands, slowly easing your thighs further apart as he inches up closer to where you need him. You roll your hips forward, desperate.

Seonghwa smiles, finally leaning forward and licking a fat stripe from your leaking entrance up to your clit, stopping there to suck on the bundle of nerves there. You gasp at the sudden stimulation, arching your back into his tongue and earning a delicious hum from him. “God, you taste so good…” Seonghwa moans into your dripping folds. He rolls his tongue expertly over the now erect bud while Hongjoong switches to sucking small marks into your collarbone, the combination sending you reeling.

When Seonghwa suddenly slides two fingers inside of you, you finally let out a full moan, earning a smile from both men. Hwa’s fingertips brush against the perfect spot inside, and combined with his tongue messily lapping up your juices and Hongjoongs attention back on your breasts, you nearly cum on the spot.

Hongjoong places a hand on Seonghwa’s head, signaling for him to stop.

You pant as you come down from the edge. “I want more,” you manage to get out in between breaths, looking up at Hongjoong.

He chuckles. “Such a needy little thing, hm?” You pout, and he giggles, finding you cute. “Bend over the side of the couch.” Seonghwa glances over at him with surprise at his suddenly domineering tone. Hongjoong just shrugs. “If our baby wants it so bad, then let’s give it to her. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how naughty our girl is, hm?”

Seonghwa glances over at you with concern, wanting to make sure it’s really what you want. He doesn’t have to worry for long, though, since you’re already scrambling to bend over with your elbows propped up on the armrest of the couch. He lets out a surprised laugh. “God, Joong. Maybe I did forget.”

Hongjoong smirks, his adoring eyes raking over your submissive position. “Seonghwa, tell me baby, do you want her pussy or her mouth? You get first pick today.”

The pretty man needs no time to decide. “Can I please get her pussy today, Joongie?”

Hongjoong nods and presses a sweet kiss to Seonghwa’s cheek. “Of course you can, love. Thank you for asking so nicely.”

While you can’t see them talking behind you in your current position, the way they talk to each other alone makes you blush. The three of you all love each other so much, there’s no doubt about it. And even when Hongjoong takes over a more dominant role, he’s never really mean, making sure his partners know that his priority is always taking care of them. You smile softly, in your thoughts, when you feel Seonghwa climb on the couch behind you.

You grip the arm of the couch in anticipation. Seonghwa presses the head of his dick against your folds, rubbing it along your clit and spreading your love juices around. You drop your head at the feeling, biting back a moan. When he finally slides in, though, you can’t help but groan out his name, pushing your hips back against him until he’s fully seated inside of you.

Hongjoong hums in satisfaction as he watches, reaching to rub comforting circles on the smooth skin of your back. “Deep breaths, baby. Does it feel good?”

You nod immediately, a little too eager. “Y-yes…” You hiss.

Hongjoong chuckles. “Good girl. Seonghwa, baby, don’t move until I tell you to.” Seonghwa groans but agrees nonetheless. Hongjoong walks around to the side of the couch where you’re facing, cupping your jaw. “Stick out your pretty tongue for me.”

You obey, parting your lips quickly and letting your tongue drop out for him, too far gone to be embarrassed about how much saliva you’re producing. He bites his lip, stroking his fully erect length in front of your face, giving you the most perfect view. When he finally rubs the bulbous head of his pretty cock against your tongue, you hum. He doesn’t do much more for a while, leaving both you and Seonghwa, who is essentially just being cockwarmed, impatient. But just before you lose your composure and ask hm outright to just fuck your throat, he finally slides his length into your mouth.

You eagerly wrap your lips around him, tightening them expertly and sliding your tongue over the underside of his pretty length, making him roll his eyes back.

“Hon- ah god… you’re so good, baby. So perfect-“ He pants, placing a hand on the back of your head and bottoming out in your throat. While he isn’t quite as long as Seonghwa, you’ve always thought that his dick fits perfectly in your mouth. Just enough to make you feel full without causing any painful gagging. You hum around him, and he finally breaks. “Oh god- Hwa, baby, move… I don’t know how long I can last…”

Seonghwa doesn’t have to be asked twice. Without warning, he starts thrusting in and out of you firmly, holding onto your waist for support. You gasp, not caring about volume anymore as he pounds into you, each thrust calculated and firm. Hongjoong can feel you rocking from Seonghwa’s relentless pace, and he lets out a low groan, holding tightly onto a fistful of your hair. “Babydoll, can I fuck your throat? P-please?”

You blink up at him expectantly in response, and he tilts his head back as he finally slides slowly in and out of your mouth.

Hongjoong slowly begins to fuck your mouth, savoring every inch as he watches your throat stretch around him. His hand remains steady on the back of your head, but he never pushes further than you can take—he knows your limits too well. Your eyes water slightly from the fullness, but the way both your boyfriends are moaning, praising you, touching you, has your arousal spiking all over again.

Behind you, Seonghwa is groaning softly under his breath, his thrusts now faster, deeper, his hips snapping into yours with growing desperation. “Fuck, you feel so good, love,” he pants, leaning forward to press kisses to your spine as he grinds into that sweet spot that makes your whole body shiver. His fingers tighten on your waist, and you can feel how close he is by the way his movements get a little sloppier.

“God, she’s dripping, Hwa,” Hongjoong murmurs with a breathless laugh, hips stuttering forward as you suck him harder, slurping around his cock like it’s the only thing you need. “Our baby’s soaking you.”

Seonghwa lets out a shaky whine, the sound sending heat straight to your core. “I—fuck, Joongie, I’m gonna—”

“Not yet,” Hongjoong growls through his teeth, voice tight with restraint. “Wait for her. Baby,” he coos down to you, pulling slowly out of your mouth with a wet pop. “Do you wanna cum?”

You nod frantically, voice hoarse with need. “P-please—I’m so close…”

“Then do it,” Seonghwa chokes out, slamming into you just right as he reaches around to rub quick circles on your clit. “Cum for us, baby. Let us feel you.”

It takes nothing more. Your orgasm crashes over you, thighs shaking as you scream out their names, walls clenching around Seonghwa’s cock in desperate pulses. He gasps, loud and broken, and finally lets go, spilling inside you with a deep, satisfied groan, hips grinding into you to ride it out. His head drops between your shoulder blades, breath hot and fast.

The sight of his two lovers feeling so good is enough for Hongjoong. He jerks himself off over your tongue, the pace of his fist desperate and sloppy. He jerks forward, trembling as he cums in front of you, thick spurts of release painting your tongue. You swallow up every drop on instinct, humming softly as he pants and wipes the corner of your lips with his thumb, utterly dazed.

For a long moment, all that fills the room is the sound of your shared, panting breaths. Seonghwa slowly pulls out, careful not to hurt you, and places a tender kiss to the curve of your lower back before helping you back onto the couch properly.

You collapse back onto Seonghwa chest, arms wide open for Hongjoong as he makes his way back around to the seat of the couch.

“Holy shit,” you mutter with a breathless laugh as Hongjoong climbs in next to the two of you, placing a loving hand on your thigh.

Hongjoong kisses your forehead, smiling contentedly. “We’ve really missed this.”

Seonghwa hums his agreement against your shoulder, holding you tighter.

You smile, eyes fluttering closed as exhaustion finally catches up with you. “Me too,” you whisper, yawning. Wrapped between your two lovers, bodies warm and sticky and pressed together, it’s hard not to feel sleepy.

The two men notice with fond expressions, glancing at each other.

Seonghwa kisss your cheek. “Alright, love, let’s go get you cleaned up. Something tells me it’s bedtime.”

You let out a breathy laugh, nodding.

“I love you guys.”

[frflyavenue]

Under Your Touch - Chapter 2

Pairing: poly!Ateez x fem!Reader

Warnings: Eating and appetite, money is tight, skipping meals, hand holding, mention of masturbation, (romantic?) tension

Author’s Note: Back with chapter 2! Thank you guys so much for the support on the first chapter, it means a lot! Message me or comment on this post to be added to the UYT taglist <3

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue

Chapter 1

WC: 5.9k

Chapter 2: Chicken

You don’t really know where the rest of your day went. You know you left the studio around 8:30, and you toughed out your 5 mile walk home in the freezing cold, again. But once you got home… who knows? Now it’s evening, and even though you should probably eat something, you can’t bring yourself to feel hungry. You sit on the floor, resting your back against the wall and opening your phone. You scroll mindlessly, clicking through random apps as if it will do anything to actually occupy your mind. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Now you know from your weather app that tomorrow it will still be just as cold and cloudy as today was, but you’re still still stressing about the consultation.

God, get a grip Y/N, you think, letting your hands dramatically fall to your sides. Like, go masturbate or something.

You consider it, but it sounds like too much work. You make no effort to move from your spot on the floor.

You huff and pick up your phone again, finding yourself opening Instagram. You pause at the home page for a moment, before searching for an account. ‘Choi Jongho’. A verified account with his face as the profile picture appears, and you visit the page.

As expected, his photos are gorgeous. His last post was only a few days ago, and you admire how pretty he looks with flakes of snow on his broad shoulders, a gummy smile on his face and sparkling black eyes.

You quickly pinch yourself when you catch yourself smiling, feeling your cheeks tingling with warmth. This could be your potential coworker in a few weeks. Chill. Regardless, you scroll through a few more posts, subconsciously smiling at each one.

In spite of yourself, you go back to the search bar. ‘Jung Wooyoung’. His most recent photo is from the same day, it seems, with his black hair wet from snow and his bangs falling damp over his eyes. You make a note to yourself to ask him if he models, assuming you even see him again.

You shake your head, reminding yourself that you are trying to not think about work right now, and you click on his story. You giggle at some cute reposted memes and admire the photo he took yesterday of a dinner he claims to have made, the sight almost enough to rekindle your appetite.

The final photo on his story is from this morning, a selfie of him laying down and winking, with the song “Love At First Sight” by The Brobecks added to the story. Bobbing your head to the cute little song, you look closer at the photo, gasping when you realize where he took it. He was laying on the couch of the studio, his makeup—the makeup that you did—proudly worn on his face.

You blush and immediately turn off your phone, hopping up and setting it down on the counter. Too tired to consider processing the photo, you grab a baggy, thrifted t-shirt and a clean pair of underwear and head to the bathroom.

Honestly, you think your bathroom is the nicest part of the whole apartment. It’s small, yes, but there’s a nice shower settled in the corner with glass sliding doors and pretty, rocky tiles. The few minutes you spend in your shower with hot water are a luxury. You’re quick to undress, not really caring where your dirty laundry ends up as you toss them to the side and hop in the shower. You sigh comfortably at the temperature of the water, scrubbing your scalp to rid yourself of any remaining stress from the day. The smell of pear and mint fills the room, and you relax at the familiar scent. Maybe for your birthday you would treat yourself to a restock of your favorite pear perfume, which is currently running low.

Leaning against the wall of the shower and indulging in the warm water for a moment, you halfway open your eyes, thinking. Come on, Y/N. Get it together. You won’t get news for at least a few days anyway. No use stressing. You swallow. Tomorrow you’ll go to the grocery store and pick up whatever’s on sale to have for dinners this week. Money's getting scarce, so you can skip lunch and just do breakfast, that way you can take your vitamins in the morning. Then you can spend the next few days searching for jobs as a backup. Even just a part-time…

Your thoughts are rudely interrupted by the abrupt sound of your phone ringing in the other room. You jump, panicking for a second before quickly turning off the shower and grabbing a towel, wrapping it around your body as you rush over to your phone, clumsily leaving wet footprints on the vinyl floor.

It’s Hyerin.

You answer on the last ring, water droplets dripping from your hair onto your screen as you clear your throat and try to sound casual. “Hello?”

Hyerin chuckles, sensing your panic. “Hey, silly girl.”

You blush, laughing awkwardly at being caught. “Hey, Unnie. I miss you.”

She can’t help but laugh, the type who finds everything you do adorable. “I miss you too, Y/N. You’ll get to see me tomorrow though, so you won’t have to miss me for long.”

You agree with a hum, sitting for a beat of silence before furrowing your eyebrows in confusion. “Wait, tomorrow? Did we have plans? I’m sorry, I must have forgotten.”

You can practically hear her roll her eyes. “No, you didn’t forget anything. I’m making plans for you right now. I’ll see you tomorrow at the studio.”

You don’t respond, genuinely lost. It’s not about the position, that call isn’t coming for a few more days. So does she want you to come visit her at work? That must be it. I mean, even if they are rejecting you, don’t they need time to consider?

“They didn’t need time to consider anything.” She says, as if reading your thoughts.

“You got the job, Y/N.”

——————

You’re practically glowing as you haul your bags back down to the studio. It’s 10:45, the sun peaking through the clouds and killing some of the bite from the cold. Not that you have room in your brain to even think about the weather because holy shit. You got the job. You hum to yourself, skipping down the sidewalk in spite of your heavy bags causing your shoulders to ache. Reminiscent, you think back to your call with Hyerin yesterday.

“You got the job, Y/N.”

”Wait, what? Like… officially?? You aren’t joking are you?” Her words rang in your ears, echoing even now. Official. You got the job.

“No, why would I joke about such a thing? Wooyoung-ah and Jongho-yah practically begged for you to be hired, and the company people LOVED your work. They didn’t even need to consider other options.”

“…”

“I love you, but I’ll just let you process that on your own time. For now, listen to the plan. Tomorrow, come to the studio with all of your equipment around 11:00 so I can help you get your vanity unpacked and organized. We can head to the store and use my company card to get anything else you’ll need to be ready for work. Assuming you agree to accept the position, your first day will be Thursday, since the members all have an interview in the morning that day. Understand?”

”Uh- yeah! I… think so.”

”Pfft. Alright, silly girl. I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

”Yeah, see you tomorrow!”

It feels like a dream. You just met the two men yesterday, and now today you are on your way back to the studio, about to get your own personal station set up to start your job as a makeup artist. It’s too much to process, really.

Finding your way to the studio, you take your time to actually admire the cute little shop this time. There are a few clear windows covered by sheer curtains, flower boxes adorning each one. While empty now, it’s easy to picture how pretty they’ll look in the spring. There are stone steps leading up the door instead of concrete, likely a result of its awkward location, but you think that they compliment the little shop. An evergreen wreath hangs on the cedar door, making it feel homey. You hope it’s a sign of good things to come.

You gently knock on the door, locked for security, and wait only a few seconds before the door swings open. You jump at how sudden it is, the action so unlike Hyerin, but quickly realize why.

Wooyoung stands on the other side of the door with a toothy grin, his eyes illuminated by the bright white light of remnant snow on the ground. “Y/N-ah!”

Your eyes widen in surprise, and you laugh suddenly at the welcome, bowing just slightly and smiling brightly in return. “Wooyoung-ah, hello!”

He excitedly reaches out to take your bags, not giving you time to refuse, and carries them inside, holding the door for you. You feel awkward without anything in your hands, so you slide them into the pockets of your coat and follow him inside with a nod of thanks.

“Noona, she’s here!” He calls out, not bothering to turn away from you. “Y/N-ah, we’re so glad you’re here! Thank you for joining the team~”

You laugh and shake your head, suddenly feeling shy. “No, thank you. I heard from Hyerin-unnie that you two recommended me to the company, so thank you. I’m really happy to be here.”

He smiles, an unapologetic grin on his face. “Of course, you were amazing! And Jongho-yah and I thought you were so-“

“Ah, Y/N-ssi, welcome,” you hear Jongho call out behind you, missing the look he shoots Wooyoung. “Let me take your coat for you.”

You smile and hand him your coat gratefully, turning to greet Hyerin who stands fondly by the doorframe. You smile as soon as you see her, practically skipping over to her and hugging her tight. She laughs and reciprocates the hug, patting your back lovingly. “Welcome to the team, Y/LN Y/N.”

You let go and nearly tear up at her sincerity, until you catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar frame entering the room. He’s slightly shorter than the other two, hair unstyled but combed neatly so his bangs nearly cover his eyes, which you notice are pretty and big. You turn to greet him, recognizing his bare features.

You make eye contact and he smiles, bowing to greet you. “Hello, I’m Kim Hongjoong, Ateez’s Captain.”

You reciprocate the greeting, feeling your heart flutter both from nerves of meeting the leader of the group and from how insanely beautiful his smile is. “I’m Y/LN Y/N, the new makeup artist for your two youngest members.” You reply with a smile, trying not to be intimidated. Similarly to how you felt meeting Wooyoung and Jongho, you can’t help yourself from admiring how perfect he is. It’s a shame you only do makeup for two out of eight members, because you’re starting to think that all of them would be perfect canvases.

“…I like it!” You hear in a casual tone, your thoughts interrupted.

“Ah, sorry?”

“Your outfit.” He reiterates sweetly, gesturing to you. “I like it.”

You look down, blushing slightly at the compliment. You decided to go all pink today, with faded hot pink denim jeans adorned with distressed, sewn on stars and a thrifted white leather belt with a belt buckle you painted pink a few months ago. Your top is an off the shoulder top in a lighter pink color, matching your usual pair of white shoes. You swapped out the laces for a pair you dyed pink to elevate your outfit for cheap. The different shades and hints of white are enough to balance everything out, making the outfit cohesive and not overwhelmingly pink. The only thing you wish you had was jewelry, but you’re too poor to consider that right now, lucky to have even a few cute outfits. You look back up at him with a smile, hoping your foundation covers the blush on your cheeks. “Thank you. You too! Since learning about Ateez, I’ve admired your style.”

He laughs, finding himself unusually tickled by the compliment. It sounds better coming from you, he thinks, but doesn’t dare admit. “Thank you, I’m glad to hear that.”

Wooyoung barrels over and bumps into Hongjoong’s side, forcing him out of the way to talk to you.

“Y/N-ah, I’m gonna order the five of us lunch. You choose!”

You take a breath, not sure whether to laugh at Hongjoong’s situation or not, though it’s hard to suppress a smile at Jongho’s cackle from the other side of the room. You open your mouth to speak, but Hyerin comes up behind you and places a hand on your shoulder.

“Give the poor girl a minute, boys. She just got here. At least let her go sit down.” She scolds playfully, to which Wooyoung bows in apology.

“Ah, sorry. Please, come sit.” He offers his arm to you, which you accept gratefully. The other three snicker teasingly at him, but you don’t pay it any mind.

As you walk with him into the familiar large space, he gasps in slight shock. “Y/N-ah, your hands are so cold!” You laugh, nodding. He’s wearing a cardigan, but the cold of your icy fingers wrapped around his arm must have seeped through the soft fabric.

“Yeah, it’s cold out today. Winter in Korea is no joke.” You remark. He pauses.

“Wait, did you walk here?” He asks suddenly, seeming a bit concerned.

You nod, slightly hesitant. “Yeah. But it’s okay, I live close by and I don’t mind the exercise,” you reassure him.

He shakes his head, sitting down next to you on the lounge-room’s couch. “The sidewalks are all icy today, and it’s so cold! Surely it’s dangerous to walk all the way here, even if you live close by.” He thinks, then adds with a pout. “Plus, those bags you were carrying were so heavy…”

You laugh, putting your hands up and shaking your head. You don’t admit that you did nearly slip a few times, but your leg bounces guiltily. “You don’t need to worry, really. I don’t live very far anyways, and I had no trouble getting here.” You note with a sweet smile.

He slightly tilts his head to the side. “Where do you live, if you don’t mind me asking?”

You contemplate for a moment. “I don’t remember the name, but it’s the apartment complex down the street across from the big supermarket.”

He gasps, his eyes widening. “Y/N-ah, that’s not close by!” He says worriedly. Suddenly he gestures for you to place your hands in his, giving you the choice. “No wonder your hands are so cold. At least let me warm them for you…”

Your cheeks flush, heart tripping unexpectedly as you slide your hands into his, to which he easily holds them between the two of you as you face each other on the couch. A sudden quiet settles over the room, and you can’t think about anything other than the quiet buzz of warmth emanating from his hands wrapped around yours. He covers them with a blanket, his thumbs rubbing slow, even circles over the backs of your hands.

You look up, half ready to laugh it off, but he was already watching you. Not teasing—just... watching. His grip tightens ever so slightly, as if he’d caught something in your expression.

“Why don’t you take the bus?” He whispers, concern etched into his features. “Or an Uber?”

You cringe at the thought, shaking your head. “I don’t like public transport. The bus just… doesn’t feel very safe.” You explain softly, unable to meet his eyes now. “And Ubers are too expensive. It’s better just to walk, since it’s free and gives me some good exercise anyways.”

Wooyoung frowns, his face thoughtful. “I don’t like the thought of you walking alone,” he said quietly. “Next time, tell me. I’ll come get you.”

You suddenly feel irrationally warm under the blanket, accidentally meeting his eyes with your own surprised ones. The room stills, silent except for the soft sound of his thumbs brushing over your skin. You part your lips to respond, but Hongjoong enters the room, voice cutting through the quiet tension and eliciting a little surprised jump from you.

”We’re ordering chicken, what do you guys want?”

Wooyoung lights up excitedly, calling out, “Ganjang Chicken!”

You contemplate for a moment, not having had good food since the first month of living here. “Dakgangjeong, please.”

Hongjoong nods and calls it out to Hyerin, sneaking a glance at your covered hands and raising an eyebrow at Wooyoung. Wooyoung shakes his head and mouths, ‘later’. Lost in your own world, you don’t even notice.

”Good choice.” Wooyoung says in passing, squeezing one of your hands and smiling.

You laugh softly, shaking your head. “Honestly, it’s the only kind of Korean chicken I’ve tried.” You admit. “But I like rice cakes, and usually Dakgangjeong has them.”

Wooyoung laughs, finding your innocent admission cute.

The three others can be heard approaching the room, and Wooyoung casually lets go of your hands, winking at you. Before you can question him, the others join you in the lounge room, talking amongst themselves. Hyerin unfolds a large blanket, laying it out flat on an open part of the space—a picnic blanket, it seems. You smile excitedly and look up at her.

“I haven’t had a picnic in so long!” You exclaim, hopping up from the couch and moving to help her straighten it out. “I love picnics,” you explain, your voice quieter.

The three members all stop and watch, a bit surprised by your innocent outburst. You avert your eyes self-consciously, but if you did turn to look, you would find them all smiling.

You follow Hyerin over to the other section of the couch, sitting next to her and comfortably snuggling into her arm while the conversation runs its course. You mostly just listen, observing how close the four seem to be and trying to figure out more about their characters.

So far, you’ve gathered that Wooyoung is more of the teasing type, playful and energetic when he’s around his members. His laugh is crazy and insanely contagious, you’ve learned from him playing around with his members, and he is a pro at bringing up energy. But when he’s with you alone, he’s sweet and respectful. And affectionate, you add mentally, watching as he lays against Hongjoong and remembering his little gesture from earlier. Your hands still tingle in recollection.

At first you found Jongho to be the quieter and more reserved and gentlemanly type, but now you’ve begun to realize that, while he is gentlemanly, he might be even more mischievous than Wooyoung. In a group he plays around well with the members, even if he’s teasing or laughing at something another man does, and his moments of quiet are never shy, just observant. Individually, he seems to be more inclined to have deep conversations rather than small talk, but he’s never completely serious, always throwing a few jokes in here and there, if nothing else just to make the person he’s talking to laugh. He’s less affectionate than Wooyoung, but he only pretends to hate it, you realize, seeing him occasionally initiate affection with his members.

Considering you haven’t really talked with the Captain, he’s still hard to read. But it’s hard not to smile as he interacts with his members. He’s silly, yes, but he seems to be doing it mostly to please his members. From just the conversations and playing around that you’ve watched between him and his two youngest boys, it seems he adjusts in whatever way he knows will please each member. So, while you haven’t had the chance to really meet him yet, you gather that he’s rather selfless. A perfect leader.

You smile as you watch, finding their healthy dynamic admirable. Hyerin, you’ve also learned, is not nearly as nice to the members as she is to you. Not that she’s mean—no not at all. But with you, where she’s usually taking care of you, happily letting you cling to her and dousing you in compliments at every opportunity, she’s completely the opposite with these three members. Anytime they tease her, she scoffs and rolls her eyes, shouting back some intelligent remark which usually ends up with the initial culprit (usually Wooyoung) sulking. When Hongjoong, who you learned is one year older than you and one year younger than Hyerin, asked her to grab him a drink, she practically laughed in his face. At some point, Wooyoung teasingly moved to poke her cheeks in a mock attempt to call her cute, and she smacked his hands away and dramatically gagged. It was all in good fun within their dynamic, you recognize, but it’s still surprising to see this side of her.

After thirty minutes of playing around, the food is delivered, and Jongho hops up to bring it to everybody. Actually hungry for the first time in ages, you hop up and take a spot on the edge of the picnic blanket. Hyerin and Wooyoung settle next to you, while Hongjoong goes to the entrance room to grab drinks for everybody. The two return with the meal, Hongjoong winking and showing off the five beers he brought with him, which makes Hyerin roll her eyes. But who cares if it’s only 13:00? You take one gratefully, struggling to open it while Jongho passes out the food. He hands you your chicken and, noticing your struggle, gently takes the beer from you and pops the cap off with his thumb. You stare with your mouth open, making sure he didn’t hurt himself, but he just smiles casually and hands it back to you.

“Showoff.” Wooyoung mutters teasingly, opening his own beer with a bottle opener. Jongho just shrugs, but his face is proud.

You open your food, waiting for Hyerin to take a bite before digging in. It’s absolutely delicious—maybe because its the first actual meal you’ve had in months. Recently you’ve been surviving off of pre-made protein smoothies and ramen packs, not exactly the best diet. Anybody who knew you before you moved to Korea could tell that you’ve lost weight, but at least you take your vitamins.

Sure, it’s the first meal you’ve had in months that wasn’t ramen or a protein shake. But maybe that wasn’t the only reason it tasted so good.

You look around, cheeks full of rice cakes and sweet fried chicken, at the four people sitting around and enjoying their food. They joke around comfortably with each other, Wooyoung occasionally bumping your knee when he keels over laughing and Hyerin feeding you chicken from her own chopsticks, and you can’t help but feel as if you’re included in the madness.

You are, you realize, shaking your head accusedly as Jongho teases you for not drinking your beer. “Noona,” he laughs, catching you off guard with the sudden honorific. “Are you too sweet to handle grown up drinks?” You defiantly take a big gulp of your beer, making you cough, at which the four all laugh hysterically while Hyerin pats your back.

Every meal you’ve eaten since moving to Korea eight months ago has been eaten alone. You’re their coworkers, yes. But right now, as you hang out and eat chicken and drink together, you’re friends. You wonder if that’s why the food tastes so good. Maybe it’s because for the first time since moving to Korea, you don’t feel like you're surviving alone. You tear up.

“Thank you for the food, Wooyoung.” You say in a small moment of content and silence, catching the members off guard with your sudden sincerity. “And the beer, Hongjoong.” You think for a moment, laughing softly. “…And the job, all of you.”

They all watch silently as you go to take another bite, too shy to meet eyes with any of them and honestly too immersed in your meal to care about looking awkward. Jongho clears his throat and raises his beer with a smile.

“Cheers to that, yeah?”

You laugh, grabbing your own beer and lifting it up cheerfully, watching as the other three follow.

“Cheers!”

——————

Full and happy, the five of you played around in the lounge for a little while, finishing off your beers and letting the food digest. Wooyoung and Jongho explain that they met you here to hang out and help you get everything set up, and Jongho smiles as he hands you a small bag with drawer organizers, cups for makeup brushes, some spare beauty blenders, and a few decorative plants and figures. Gasping suddenly in remembrance, he looks for the small backpack he brought with him, pulling out a small stuffed doll and handing it to you. It’s a soft little deer with a light brown coat and white spots along the back, little antlers popping up on the top of its head.

“I almost forgot,” he explains apologetically. “I saw this at the store and I thought it kind of looked like you, so…”

The little pink nose and ears make it too cute to take, and you quickly squeeze the doll to your chest. Jongho thinks that the smile you gave him instilled enough warmth in his heart to last a lifetime.

“Jongho-yah, thank you so much.” You say sincerely, your voice sweeter with gratefulness. Your expression suddenly becomes determined. “I promise I’ll take care of it.”

The four all chuckle at your innocent promise, believing whole-heartedly that you’ll keep it.

You hop up with the things Jongho bought you after a few more minutes, thanking him again before excusing yourself to go do what you came here for in the first place—setting up your station. You hum to yourself as you make your way over there, setting your bags on the vanity and glancing up at the clean mirror. I kind of do look like a deer, you think, looking back down at the cute stuffed animal again and holding it up next to your face. You jump when another figure joins you in the mirror, whipping your head around to find Hongjoong behind you.

“Oh no, I’m sorry!” He exclaims, gently placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you…”

You laugh, placing a hand over your thumping heart and shaking your head. “No, you’re fine. I didn’t mean to get so surprised.”

He lets his hand fall back down to his side and laughs with you. “Well, I’m sorry in any case. I wanted to come help you set up your little… makeup area thing.” He explains, and you light up a bit.

“Oh, thank you! I appreciate that!” You reply, your voice more steady now. “I think Hyerin already cleaned it, so I just need to get organized.” You explain, and he nods diligently, unpacking the grocery bag full of organizers and things Jongho bought for you.

You bring your heavy bags over to the station, setting them down on the ground and opening up the one full of hair tools first. There’s already a small cart with outlets and safe stations for each tool, so you task Hongjoong with putting it together while you organize your drawers. You slide the organizers in so they fit together, and calmly begin unpacking your products by person. You have six drawers total, three on either side. You dedicate the left side to Wooyoung and the right to Jongho. Beginning to organize Wooyoung’s basics into his top drawer, Hongjoong speaks up.

“I think the company made a good choice hiring you.” He says softly, just enough for you to hear while the other three keep playing in the lounge.

You blush, laughing nervously under your breath. “Thank you, Hongjoong-ssi. I hope to take care of your members well.”

Hongjoong smiles to himself, focused on figuring out how to wrap up the cord of a hair straightener. “I have a feeling you will.” He says earnestly. “And please, no need to be so formal with me.”

You look up at him, making sure he’s sincere, before returning to your task of organizing makeup brushes into Wooyoung’s pastel yellow cup and Jongho’s matching light pink one, smiling at the gifts from Jongho. “Thank you, Oppa.”

He feels his cheeks heat up at your innocent expression, silently returning to his task for a moment. He’s not the only flustered one, though; you lower your head shyly as you fidget with brushes, wondering if it’s the small amount of alcohol making you have weird thoughts or if it’s because Hongjoong is so pretty.

He swallows, waiting for a beat of silence before speaking up again, his voice softer than before. “Y/N-ah, why were you crying earlier?”

You look up, surprised. “I cried?”

He shakes his head, laughing awkwardly. “No, I guess not. But you got all teary-eyed during dinner. Unless I was imagining things…?”

You keep your eyes on the side of his face for a moment before looking back down at your brushes. “No, you didn’t imagine it.” You reply honestly. “I moved to Korea 8 months ago, almost 9, and I don’t have much money or any family here. So, I was thinking that the chicken was a really good meal, when I realized that it probably tasted better because I was eating it with other people.” You explain. “It’s the first meal I’ve had since moving here that I haven’t eaten alone.”

Hongjoong glances over at you, suddenly feeling his throat tighten. He stays quiet for a moment, thinking of how to respond, before gently reaching up to place a hand on your upper back. You turn to meet his eyes. “Well, you’ll be eating a lot less meals alone now.” He says simply, gently rubbing his thumb up and down over the bare skin of your back, and you silently thank the universe you wore an off-the-shoulder top today. He gently drops his hand when you nod in acknowledgement and smile sincerely at him.

The air feels a bit thicker when you two refocus, and you softly clear your throat to cut through it.

“Oppa, can I ask you a question?”

He clears his throat as well and nods, keeping his head down to hide the pink tint of his cheeks. “Of course.”

You think for a moment. “Why are you called the captain?” You ask, curious. “Wooyoung told me last time that the members called you that, so I’ve been curious.”

He laughs at the surprisingly innocent question. “Well, Ateez has a pirate concept. So since I’m the leader, they call me the captain of the crew.”

You gasp, smiling. “Woah, I like that! I kind of forgot that was your concept.” You admit, knocking over one of the cups and clumsily picking it back up, earning a small giggle from your right.

“Now you’re a part of our crew.” He says playfully, nudging your side with his elbow. “Who are you in the pirate concept?”

You look up thoughtfully at the question. “Me? Maybe like… a mermaid or something.” You shake your head excitedly. “No, no, a siren! Sirens are much cooler than mermaids.”

Hongjoong glances over at you with a grin. “Why a siren?”

You shrug. “I don’t know. They’re cool and they spend their lives singing on rocks in the middle of the ocean. I think I’m similar to a siren in that sense—that I’m kind of just floating around in the middle of nowhere and doing what I can to get fed at the end of the day.” You think for a second, before turning to him with a slightly panicked expression, raising your hands defensively. “Not that I want to eat your crew, Captain.” You say sincerely, your eyes playful. “A siren can have a favorite ship, can’t she?”

Hongjoong laughs heartily, keeling over at your sudden clarification. “Definitely.”

You laugh with him, happy to see his pretty smile again.

”I think I agree that you’re a siren.” He says casually, regaining his composure and finishing up his job with the hair-tools, now moving to organize various sprays and mouses.

You spare him a glance, still focused on your own task. “Why do you think so, oh mighty captain?” You inquire, wiggling your eyebrows.

He shrugs, smiling to himself. You’re quite the temptress… “I don’t know.” He says instead, deciding to let that thought stay just a thought. “But I’m happy to have you with us.”

—————

With his help, you finish up quickly, adding the final touches of decorative succulents from Jongho. You sigh proudly, admiring your work. Only one drawer for each person was properly filled, your collection only containing the basics for each member. You mentally note to go to the store and find some cool palettes and glitters to add to the list. Maybe you can’t afford them now, but you’re soon going to have a steady income, so may as well keep them in mind for the future. You turn to Hongjoong and reach your hand up, earning a high five.

“Thank you, Hongjoong-oppa. It looks perfect.”

He nods humbly and smiles sweetly at you. You can’t help but notice how deep his eyes are, the dark brown irises beautiful as he looks down at you. You nearly compliment him on it, just admiring the deep, swirling shades of brown for a beat and mentally noting how much you would love to compliment those eyes with certain eye shadows, but Wooyoung and Jongho come running over before you can. You laugh, realizing they must have been watching from afar while they nursed their beers.

“Wow, so pretty! Good call on the color scheme, Jongho-yah.” Wooyoung exclaims, approaching the station and gently bumping into Hongjoong.

Jongho grins at the praise, following suit calmly behind him. “There’s one more thing to add.” He says with a wink. He takes out a dry-erase marker from his pocket, uncapping it and leaning forward to draw a small heart on the upper corner of the mirror. Wooyoung takes the marker from him excitedly. He, too, leans forward and draws a small heart next to Jongho’s, making sure it’s just slightly bigger in competition. He then hands it to Hongjoong, who laughs at their antics before doing the same.

You don’t try to hide your cheesy smile as you look at their little hearts, your doe eyes curled into pretty crescents. “Thank you, guys. You’ve all been so sweet.”

Hongjoong shakes his head, smiling as well. “We only take care of you as much as you take care of us. I’ve got a feeling that pretty soon there will be five more hearts added to your mirror.”

You bow your head in thanks, not exactly sure what he means but happy to be accepted onto the team regardless.

Hyerin suddenly laughs from behind your little group, making all four of you turn around. “You boys are dorks.” She teases lovingly, shaking her head. “Absolute dorks.”

——————————

UYT Taglist: @obsessed-withthe-stressed @psychosupernatural @ateezswonderland @rosegracewood09 @herpoetryprincess @nkryuki @thuyting

This fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 3

[frflyavenue]

Ateez Imagines: Subtle Acts of Affection

Pairing: Boyfriend!Ateez x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None, pure fluff

Author’s Note: Feel free to leave any asks or requests for future posts! Fluffy posts every Tuesday.

Park Seonghwa

Seonghwa loves everything you do.

He admires you so much, from the way you look to everything you’ve accomplished, big and small.

He’s always so proud of you, and he wants you to know it.

So, Seonghwa has gotten into the habit of praising you whenever he gets the chance.

You finished a particularly difficult project?

“See? I knew you could do it. Let’s get you in bed now, hm? You’ve worked hard.”

You cooked for him with a new recipe?

“This is delicious baby, wow. You’re incredible, you know?”

You got home after a tough day at work?

“Hey honey… I know, today was tough. Why don’t we get you cleaned up so we can go watch a movie and eat some dinner, hm? You deserve it, love.”

Hell, he even praises you when you get out of bed in the morning.

“Hey sleepyhead… aw, you look absolutely adorable. Come cuddle up with me for a little while, hm? You’re too precious…”

He just loves you so much :(

Kim Hongjoong

Hongjoong has so much respect for you it’s not even funny.

So, naturally, he always wants to give you the comfort and respect you deserve.

You often find him adjusting your clothes, be it unfolding a flipped up part of your skirt or untangling a strap of your dress.

Also tends to check your outfits before leaving the house, but he goes about it in the least possessive way possible.

“Baby, that outfit is so cute! But do you think you could save it for a day we are just going to hang out with the members or something? There’s going to be a lot of people out there tonight and I don’t want any creeps trying anything.”

Looking at the little pout on his face, how could you disagree?

The type to cover your legs with a jacket if he notices you feeling uncomfortable with the length of your skirt.

Teasingly raises an eyebrow at how many buttons you have undone of your top, but doesn’t say anything if he isn’t actually concerned (he’s not complaining, lol)

Overall just such a gentleman for his princess.

Kang Yeosang

In public, Yeosang always tends to feel a bit lost.

With so many people around, there’s always so much commotion, and while he isn’t the type to get particularly anxious, he doesn’t like how chaotic his surroundings are.

Of course, he knows you feel the same way.

So whenever it’s possible, Yeosang has made it a habit to play with your hands under the table or behind your backs.

Traces circles on your palms, the backs of your hands, and over your knuckles.

Squeezes your hand three times to tell you he loves you.

Toys with your rings, if you’re wearing any.

You’re his favorite person.

Loves to get lost in his own little world with you amidst the chaos of his celebrity life.

Jeong Yunho

There’s nothing in this world that Jeong Yunho loves more than your smile.

Seriously, he would go to great lengths just to make you laugh, let alone just smile at him.

It’s breathtaking to him in a way he doesn’t dare try to explain.

So, whenever he sees you particularly stressed, with eyebrows furrowed and a permanent frown;

Or whenever he sees you a little bit overwhelmed from the chaos of his members or the celebrity world;

He finds a way to lightly poke your side.

The action is so simple, yet just enough to remind you that he’s there and still his usual, playful self.

Always smiles back twice as bright when the action elicits a smile from you, so happy to see his baby in a better mood because of him.

Willing to dodge your punches from being tickled however many times he has to if it means he gets to see you smile for the rest of his life

;-;

Song Mingi

Mingi has always been a gentleman.

You love him for it, always finding yourself bashful at his sweet gestures and innocent ways of helping you out.

One thing in particular that you love is when he places his hand on the small of your back in public.

Sometimes to guide you, sometimes just to rub his thumb back and forth over your back to remind you he’s there.

But almost always, his hand is there.

In reality, Mingi is proud of you.

Seriously.

He flaunts you at every opportunity, boring his members with sentimental rambles and the same stories about you over and over.

He wishes the whole world could see how much he loves you.

So what you thought was just a gentlemanly gesture

Is really his way of telling the world that you’re his.

And his way of telling you that he loves you, and he wont ever let go.

Choi San

Aw, this man… :(

He’s so whipped for you.

He does everything in his power to take care of you, because he really does just love you so much.

Not a day goes by that he doesn’t remind you how much he loves you.

Wants nothing more than for you to rely on him.

But equally as much as you need him, he needs you.

You’re his safe place.

Loves moments where he can just forget about all of his worries and bury himself into your chest while you hold him tight.

Because you’re his person.

You make him feel so safe.

So, whenever the two of you are out and about, whether just out with the members, on a date, or in public for some sort of event

If he finds himself getting overwhelmed, he leans over and rests his head on your shoulder.

It’s such a simple gesture, but it reminds both him and you that no matter where you are, you are always safe in the company of each other.

Please play with his hair and tell him everything is going to be okay, he’s just a baby :(

Jung Wooyoung

Believe it or not, I think Wooyoung is such a gentle romantic.

He definitely needs a partner he feels free to joke around with at any moment, of course

And the two of you do that frequently, always teasing or tackling each other

But when it comes to the moments between just the two of you, he’s so, so gentle with you.

You’re his princess, his beautiful girl that he has the responsibility of taking care of.

So whenever you find him lovingly admiring at your face, he reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

He does it seemingly all the time, but it never fails to make you blush.

It’s just so tender and quietly passionate, and you can’t help but lean into it.

If the two of you are alone, he’ll go the extra mile and cup your cheek, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth over the soft skin.

If you’re lucky, you might even get a little kiss from him.

Choi Jongho

Jongho is the type to prioritize acts of service over anything else.

He would rather die than admit it, but he loves to help you, seriously.

Like, if you asked him to lick your shoes clean, he would

If nothing else just to see that pretty smile on your face and your sweet little “thank you” you give whenever he does anything for you.

One of his favorite things to do is help adorn you in jewelry before you go out.

“Oh, that necklace would look beautiful on you, let me see.”

And he would take the necklace from you with almost too-gentle hands and clasp it behind your neck for you.

Makes sure to brush his fingertips subtly over the sensitive skin there for good measure.

Also loves to take showers with you so he can wash your hair.

Hums while he does it, though you can’t tell if he does it to serenade you or if he’s doing it purely because he’s happy to be with you.

Doesn’t forget to lotion your skin once you get out.

You captured his heart in ways nobody else ever could

So of course he’s going to worship you like the goddess he knows you are.