Hello Everyone! (or the few that follow me) It may not be much to you but I wanted to come on here and say I will be taking a little break from here and all my other platforms on social media etc. Quite Frankly, I really need the break. I want to finish my works in progress and take an indefinite break from writing until I feel at least a little bit better. There is no set timeline for when I finish these, so I may be uploading for the next week, or the next two months. Who knows. But, for now, It has been a pleasure writing for you.
Synopsis: You and Han become contestants in a reality dating show, Too Hot To Handle. (12,9k words)
Author's note: I hope you like this one too. Don't be shy to add your feedback :)
If you were in paradise with good company and had to resist sex, could you?
We found the hottest, horniest, commitment-phobic singles and gave them what they think is the most exotic and erotic summer of their lives.
Only to reveal that one thing is off the menu is sex.
At stake is a prize of $200,000 which will plummet if they get naughty. The question is, in a world without sex, will they form deeper and more meaningful connections?
Or will the temptation be too hot to handle?
-
"I'm here!" Han announces his arrival and shouts it toward the beach.
Instead of feeling nervous, he feels good to be the first one to enter the villa. At least this way, he wouldn't feel intimidated when he sees people who are more good-looking than him.
There's not much to do with no one to interact with, he grabs one of the cocktails served on the small round table and takes a sip.
He turns the other way, sipping his cocktail while looking at the beautiful view of the sea that goes as far as his eyes can see.
"Oh, it's so gorgeous here," he says with a delightful sigh.
Little did he know, that's not the only gorgeous thing he'll see today.
-
HAN: I'm charming 24/7, that's for sure [laughs] Girls often say they like my smile [brightly smiles] and I won't disagree with that [chuckles] I'm all about a good chat, I'm good listener. I gather pieces of information, I use them at the right time, and [makes shooting gesture] That's part of the secret.
-
Han has to squint his eyes against the blinding sunlight and see two girls coming his way. He sips his drink to fuel his confidence and prepares himself to make a good first impression.
"Wow. You girls look amazing!" Han says out of wonder, not hesitating to let his thoughts out.
He hates to see women objectively but it's hard not to. Not when they're dressed in something that leaves so little to the imagination.
"We can say the same about you," The taller one says, talking as if she's half moaning.
"I'm Mikaela," she introduces herself, not hesitating to pull him into a hug.
Mikaela has shiny dark hair, plump lips, and a height he doesn't have, yet it's not going to stop him from pursuing her.
But it's too early to settle down yet. He turns to the other girl who's more his height and gives her a quick hug.
"I'm Han," he introduces his name first.
"I'm Nya," she replies.
Nya's brown skin glows under the sun and when she smiles, she shows her perfect white teeth.
"Can we drink this?" She asks in a thick British accent.
Stunned by how attractive the girls are, Han forgets about making a good, first impression. He hurriedly hands the drinks over to the girls and proposes a toast.
They're clinking their glasses against each other and take a sip at the same time.
"So, Han, what is your type?" Mikaela asks.
It may seem like a harmless question but it's actually not, she wants him to choose between the two of them. He needs to be careful with what he says if he wants to please them.
"I don't really have a type... but uh... I like eyes, gorgeous eyes," he says.
They nod at you, not quite figuring out what he says by that. He comes up with something to amuse them both, "I like a gorgeous smile too and you both have that."
That works wonderfully as they're smiling and laughing at his answer.
"Cheers to that!" Mikaela says, clinking her glass with his.
"I think the three of us can do something while we wait for the others," Nya suggests an idea.
An idea that gives Han a glimpse of what her personality is. Don't get him wrong, he likes girls who know how to have fun, he just doesn't expect it coming from Nya.
"Yeah? What do you have in mind?" Han playfully dares her.
Nya sips her drink to avoid answering his question then breaks into a series of giggles.
Sadly, the threesome must end as the second male guest enters the villa.
Han would be lying if he said he was not the slightest bit intimidated. Not only he doesn't have his height, but he also doesn't have that Greek God-like body and facial hair that enhances his masculinity.
"How are you doing, man?" He asks Han who's gobsmacked by how tall he is as he stands next to him.
"Good, good," he answers, exchanging a quick hug with him.
He can see honey dripping from Nya's eyes as she looks at the new guy, "What is your name?"
"Rio," he answers.
"Where are you from, Rio?" Mikaela asks, holding her glass close to her lips.
"I'm from Brazil," he answers, taking a drink for himself.
Mikaela giggles even though there's nothing funny about what he says. She fixes her hair as she says, "Rio, you are so gorgeous."
It feels like Han has become invisible to everyone. He quietly sips his drink and tries not to despair. There are more to come and who knows? He'll find someone more suitable to him, more of his type.
Han has to be patient as two more male guests enter the villa, successfully making his confidence shrink.
He bursts into laughter as he's standing between Peyton and Finn like two gorgeous, white pillars of a Greek temple.
And as if that's not enough, the female guest who just entered is also tall.
"Fuck. I'm so small, it's a joke," he says, trying to lighten up his mood by making a fool out of himself.
The boys around him laugh at his joke and almost miss out on the new girl's introduction.
"I'm Sawyer," she says with a cute smile.
"So, Sawyer, what is your type?" Nya asks, going straight to the point.
Han stands up straight and funnily, the other guys are lining up so Sawyer can take a good look at them. He stands on his tiptoes to match the other's heights, earning good laughs from the girls.
"Well, let's say I'm looking more into their personality..." her answer gets cut off as the last male guest enters the scene.
He looks like a textbook bad boy with long, brown hair and tattoos on his body, he has that smoldering eyes that certainly does thing to the girls as he takes all of their attention away.
Confidently, he walks around introducing himself to the girls, kissing them on the cheeks, and keeps his introduction short by only telling his name, "Asher."
So far, no one has caught his eyes or struck his fancy, he doesn't find the sparks he usually gets when he sees someone he likes.
He can only hold onto the hope that he'll find what he's looking for on the last two female guests.
On the other hand, he can't help but expect disappointment and...
"Oh, they're too fit!" Sawyer cutely gasps.
Han glances up from his drink to see what she's fussing about and the boys are howling in reaction to girls walking into the villa.
-
HAN: Oh, we're so spoiled for choice [laughs]
-
It's kind of unfair that they make you enter the villa with someone as gorgeous as Avery.
Except for the dark brown, she looks like the Malibu Barbie. She has perfect skin, that hourglass body figure, and a nice smile. Meanwhile, you look like a long-forgotten, doodled-on Barbie with tattoos scattered across your body.
"Are you nervous?" She asks with an Australian accent.
She looks so cute as she nervously giggles, "Not really," you answer.
It's everyone there who should be nervous because they haven't seen her. You're not jealous, if anything, you want to date her for yourself.
"Should we hold hands?" She offers her hand to you.
You look around at the staff preparing your entrance to the villa, "I'm not sure..."
Your words are trailing off as the staff gives the cute for both of you to start walking into the villa.
To your surprise, you don't feel nervous at all. You feel excited to meet a lot more attractive people and can't wait to know them.
You turn your head and see Avery, looking not as nervous as she seemed to be earlier.
She looks gorgeous with the sun hits her eyes, showing off her beautiful green eyes with a tint of brown in the middle.
It's kind of expected that she's catching all the attention and the boys seem to be curious about Avery that they just can't take their eyes off of her.
"I'm Avery, hi," she introduces herself.
She makes eyes with everyone and Han returns the eye contact with a wide smile on his face.
"Do you fancy anyone, Avery?" Nya asks, being the one that leads the conversation again.
Avery looks at the boys with a smile dancing on her face, Sligh nodding when her eyes hover between Han and Asher.
"Yeah..." she answers then looks away to sip her drink.
"And how about you?" Nya asks.
Everyone turns their attention to you as you quietly grab a drink for yourself. You hold your drink in your hand as you answer, "Honestly, I fancy everyone here."
You look at Nya and continue talking, "I go both ways so bring 'em all in, I guess?" you say with a sly smirk.
Nya seems amused by your answer, "I like that, girl!" She says, clinking her glass with you after.
"Please, save some for us," Rio playfully says.
You nonchalantly shrug and say, "I don't mind sharing."
You secretly steal a few glances at the guy who's been eyeing Avery the second she came into the villa. He looks so cute and cute guys are your weaknesses.
-
YOU: Hi, nice to meet you. I'm— [holds up hand] that sounds so lame, let me do it again! [Laughs] Hey, what's up? It's your girl [blows kisses] I like to keep a low profile. When I see someone I like, I just give them the eyes and they'll get it [Winks] I have standards, of course. But at the end of the day, I have the worst criteria [laughs]
-
The girls are cheering in excitement as they're the first to enter the bedroom.
There are five beds and ten people in here which means everyone has to pair up. The options are still wide open even though he sees Avery sitting on the bed with Asher.
He's half-heartedly listening to the conversation happening in the room as everyone is asking each other about their profession.
He sits on the bed to engage in the conversation as Peyton just told everyone that he works as a model which explains his perfect figure.
"What about you?" Peyton turns to Avery.
She tips her head to the side and it's so adorable of her "Why don't you guess?"
"I think you model too," Finn guesses.
She surprisingly shakes her head, "No, I'm a singer," she says.
Han finds the opportunity to inject himself into the conversation.
"Oh, me too!" He says with such enthusiasm.
"Yeah?" Avery asks.
Han eagerly nods, especially now he has her attention, "What's your sign?"
"I'm a Pisces," she answers.
It's obvious that he can't match his star sign with hers but he won't let it get in his way, "My moon is in Pisces!" He says with a gasp.
"We have a lot of commons," he says, holding both his hands up for a double high-five with her.
"I think we should kiss," Han shamelessly adds.
Avery bursts into laughter hearing Han's proposition but to his surprise, she says, "Just a peck then."
She gets up from the bed and meets Han in the middle, their lips meet for a mere second until Avery breaks the kiss. There are various reactions from everyone but Han notices a few jealous eyes in a few of them. His way of flirting may seem random and a bit silly but hey, it works!
-
HAN: I'm feeling two or three of them but Avery... [whistles] Great body, great smile.
-
It seems like Han is not the only one who has the hots for Avery.
As he chats with Rio with his legs dipped in the swimming pool, he sees that Asher pulls her aside, talking on the wooden chair that overlooks the sea.
He turns at Rio and playfully asks, "What do you think he's saying?"
Rio lets out a chuckle and shrugs, "He's probably saying 'you're the most beautiful girl' and stuff like that," he replies.
Han chuckles at that as he keeps watching the two of them talking. He must admit that Asher wins on visual but it's not a guarantee that he'll be able to win her over with just his look.
Also, he already bagged a peck from Avery.
"How about you? Mikaela, huh?" Han says, guessing that Rio has his eyes on the beautiful, dark-haired girl.
Rio leans with his hands propped behind him and softly laughs, "She's got a banging, banging body," he says the word twice to emphasize how hot she is.
"I think I'll give it a shot, you know, and see what she's saying," Rio concludes.
Well, if he were Rio, he wouldn't worry about not getting a girl. He could only wish to have his sculpted body and he is indeed envious of him for it.
"Finn is going for Avery too," Rio informs.
"Yeah?" He asks with a painful laugh.
Rio laughs while brushing his dark curls to the back, "All I can say to you is best of luck," he says with a sly smile.
Well, the fact that he has competitions only means that Avery is that girl.
-
HAN: There's a competition going on for Avery [laughs] Well, I say let the games begin [rubs hands together]
-
This show is called Party in Paradise for a reason.
Everyone is so revved up and ready for the first party in the villa. The boys are already gathered at the beach, taking a glass of cocktail and making a toast.
"I saw my boy Peyton made his move earlier with Nya," Asher says.
"What?" Han asks in disbelief, completely clueless about it.
Peyton sips his drink with a bragging smirk plastered on his face, "It was nice, it was nice," he coyly responds to that.
"Are you trying to one me up or what?" Han jokes.
He swallows his drink before replying, "Something is going to happen tonight," he cryptically says.
Everyone raises their glasses in the air for another toast and Han wants to keep his focus sharp so he's only taking little sips of it.
Not long after, the girls are coming and dressed stunningly, carefully walking down the steps that lead to the beach. All of them look beautiful in their own way but Avery is exceptionally gorgeous to him.
-
HAN: I need to make a move on Avery. I need to make a progress.
-
The first round of drinks has been drained and everyone moved on to the next round right away. Music is blasting, sending everyone to start moving their bodies to the upbeat music.
Everyone is having fun and getting to know each other with every sip of drink, dancing with each other, not caring that the cameras are filming everything.
You've been instructed to take the lead on the first quest since everyone will take their turn anyway, you've been briefed on everything about the first quest.
When the music abruptly stops, you take it as your cue to take control of the show.
"You guys, I've been tasked to lead the first quest and..." you look at them to build anticipation.
"Don't worry, it's a fun quest!" You assure them, allowing them to stay loosen up.
You grab an eye mask that has been prepared by the staff and show it to everyone, "Each one of you will take turns to stand here," you pointed to the marked spot with a foam mat.
"And you'll put this on," you show them the eye mask again.
You take a few seconds of pause before letting them know the most fun part of it, "And any of you can come to kiss, lick, taste, bite, anything..."
You look at them and emphasize the word again, "Anything!"
Everyone is cheering in reaction, given the chance to do whatever they want to the person they fancy. You can expect a lot of lips locking and fondling in a few minutes.
"Don't get excited yet!" You put a halt to the pheromones you're spreading through your words.
You slyly smile, enjoying the little piece of authority you have over the show.
"The quest is, you have to guess who does what to you and whoever with the most correct answers," you turn around to show them the mysterious box behind you.
You step aside so everyone can look, "You'll get to open the mystery box!"
That earns a wave of applause from them, gets them wondering what's inside the box, and is determined to win the quest.
"Sadly, I don't know what's inside the box," you hurriedly tell them before they get suspicious that you know more than them.
You look around to spot any exciting person to kickstart the game. You notice that Mikaela seems eager to get something out of Rio.
"Mikaela, will you do the honor to be the first?"
She smiles brightly and confidently steps forward, squealing in excitement. You help put the eye mask on without ruining her styled hair and take a step back.
"You ready?" You ask her.
She wriggles her body, "I'm ready!"
Don't want to waste the chance, you steal a quick peck on her lips and earn a surprise gasp from some people.
"That's you!" Mikaela easily guesses.
You walk back to your seat while laughing and see that Rio is also taking his turn after you.
-
YOU: I got my make-up on, I did my hair and I'm... going to get a kiss from everyone [laughs]
-
Peyton stirs a little chaos as he kisses Sawyer and it's not hard to see a displease look on Nya's face after, probably for the rest of the night too.
The time finally comes to Avery's turn. She carefully covers her eyes with the eye mask and with a smile, she makes gestures with her hands.
"Come and get it," she says, swinging her hips side to side.
Han wastes not another second to sprint to her and lands the first kiss on her lips. He gives everything he has to offer, kissing her with the skill he honed from years of experience and putting all of himself into this one kiss.
A kiss that he hoped would be enough to enchant her and put her under his spell.
Han slowly pulls away as his lungs burn from the lack of oxygen, gasping as he looks at Avery's face.
"We share another common thing," he says.
"Huh? What?" Avery asks, still disoriented from the kiss.
"We're both great kissers," he answers.
Avery covers her mouth as she breaks into laughter and as soon as Han leaves his spot, Finn takes his turn to kiss her and he has to watch it.
"Oh, this is mad!" Rio comments while elbowing his sides next to him.
And right after that, Asher takes the next turn and kisses Avery, getting mixed reactions from everyone. That's probably because she gets the most kisses so far.
Avery takes off her eye mask and wipes her lips, trying to clean her smudged lipstick.
"Can you guess, Avery baby?" Nya asks.
She looks in his direction to get any clues on the person who kissed her.
"The first kiss is you," she easily guesses, using both hands to point at him.
Han is inexplicably proud of her for guessing right, he believes the peck helped her to identify his kiss.
"The second one is... uhm..." she bites her finger as she thinks.
She then scrunches her nose and doing it so adorably, "I think it's Finn?"
"And the last one?" You ask.
"That's Asher," she shortly answers, not having the slightest doubt in it.
Han looks at Asher who is nodding along, feeling cocky that Avery recognized his kiss. It seems like the competition has started for real.
-
HAN: The competition is... real mad! [laughs]
-
It's his turn now.
Han drains his drink that he's been sipping little by little and he needs every drop of courage to ready himself for it. When he looks at the other boys, they seem to have it easy because they're undeniably attractive and he feels slightly scared that the other will treat him differently because he's less attractive than the other.
Well, he should mainly focus on the keyword: attractive.
Han is attractive nonetheless.
The layer of anxiety is safely hidden behind his playful smirk as he takes his stand and covers his eyes with the eye mask. He licks his lips and slyly smiles as he says, "Come on! Daddy's home!"
Even though the possibility is close to zero percent, he badly wishes that he could get a kiss from Avery. He laughs as he remembers that he shouldn't take this too seriously, he's here to have fun, it's Party in Paradise.
He can hear the girls giggling and the boys cooing, he takes that as a sign that someone is approaching him. He swallows air as his heart is pitter-pattering and his chest filled with anticipation.
He's seen the other boys take their turn and everyone at least gets a smooch so he stands there expecting one as well.
Instead of that, he feels a kiss on his neck. He shouldn't feel disappointed but he can't help it. He focuses on trying to guess who it is.
Before getting his answer, he hears everyone cooing again and a few light claps.
He anticipates it and this time he believes that he'll get a kiss on the lips.
He indeed gets a kiss but not from one. He feels two pairs of lips kissing him at once and he doesn't mind it at all. It surprises him that he can only let them kiss him.
It's incredibly soft and warm, a little wet. He feels a few licks in here and there.
Too bad that he can't see it but it makes him visualize it in his head, him making out with these two girls, and fuck, it's so hot it gets him so horny.
He doesn't want to guess anymore, he keeps wanting to kiss them because they're both good at it, they know how to use their tongues, and makes him feel a bit lightheaded.
Someone pulls away first and he can hear her softly gasping while the other is still kissing him, taking a bit of his lower lip before letting it go.
Han hears another series of giggles but the sounds are fading, the girls are probably walking back to their seats. He takes a minute to compose himself, then takes off his eye mask.
The first thing he does to get his vision back is look at girls to scan any guilty faces. He can easily guess the one who kisses his neck.
"The one who kissed my neck is..." he points his finger at Sawyer and she reacts with blushed cheeks and a shy laugh, which proves that he's right.
This is where it gets tricky, he was enjoying every bit of that sexy makeout to try to guess who are they. He looks at the girls and they're giving him vague signs.
Sawyer is out of options and he knows Mikaela has no interest in him. That leaves you, Nya, and Avery.
As much as he wants to believe that it's Avery, he doesn't want to make it obvious to her. So he settles on you and Nya.
"Nah, you're wrong," Nya tells him.
His eyes widen in shock and he doesn't want to get over his head but is it possible that one of them is Avery?
He walks back to his seat with a dreading curiosity, "Who was it?"
Rio playfully punches his arm, "It's those girls!"
His eyes follow the direction of Rio's hand and he's even more surprised to know that he's right.
It's you and Avery.
-
HAN: I don't know what else to say [shrugs] I made out with the two hottest girls in the villa [smirks]
-
Not trying to compete with the other three boys but you're sure that the last person that kissed you is Avery.
"I know it's you," you point at her.
Avery may look like an angel, she walks and talks like an angel but she has the devil inside of her. You know that she's just like you, she's all about the vibe and having fun. You believe you would be good friends with her.
"I would be sad if you guessed it wrong," she says.
"I know," you coyly answer.
The game ends with you and it's time to announce the winner of the quest. It's an easy call because the one with the most correct guesses is none other than Avery.
"Come up here!" You order.
She gets up from her chair and walks up to you, leading her to the mystery box as she's the winner which earned her the chance to be the one opening it.
"I've been told that the content of this box will truly change this trip into an experience you won't forget," you inform everyone.
Avery gives you a nervous look as she grips the handle on the lid of the box.
"Are guys ready?" You ask everyone to keep the tension.
"Yeah!" They answer in unison.
You look at Avery and nod, "There's no turning back once you open it!"
You jokingly say that to scare her before walking back to your seat and joining everyone else as anticipation mounts in each passing second.
Avery looks at everyone and squints her eyes, "Count with me, please!"
Everyone agrees to start counting down together, "3..."
Avery decides to stand behind the box and holds the handle of the box again.
"2..."
You wonder what's inside the box, it looks small from where you're sitting but you have seen it up close, it could fit anything and it could be anything inside.
"1..."
Avery closes her eyes as she lifts the lid and the box unfolds on every side, exposing the content to everyone's watching.
You don't want to believe what you're seeing but then it chimes.
"Oh... fuck!" You curse out loud and you're not the only one doing so.
-
YOU: Are you joking?
-
"What is it?" Avery asks as she hasn't opened her eyes yet.
She then puts the lid away and sees what everyone is seeing, the cone that lights up in purple-hued colors.
"What is that?" She cluelessly asks.
"That's Lana!" Nya screams with a strained voice.
"That's fucking Lana!" She says again with a doomed expression.
Avery's eyes widen in horror and she drags herself back to sit, wedging herself between you and Mikaela.
You guess everyone is just in shock about the sudden turn of events and that everyone is trapped in her show. You hate that you know what's coming for you.
"This is Too Hot To Handle," Lana announces, telling everyone that she is running this show from the very beginning.
"You have been specially selected because you are all choosing meaningless sex over genuine relationships."
"Guilty!" Asher says with a hand raised like he's in a classroom.
"The purpose of this retreat is to help you gain deeper emotional connections in your personal relationships."
Avery drops her head on your shoulder and grumbles, "I don't want that, Lana."
You put your hand around her, feeling what she's feeling: betrayal and devastation.
"As always, there are conditions to your stay here. You must abstain from sexual practices for the entirety of your stay."
You close your eyes and try to take the first bitter pill, swallowing it dry, and pushing it as far down as you can.
"Are you jok—" Mikaela can't even finish her sentence.
"No kissing."
"What?" Avery gasps in disbelief.
"No heavy petting."
Mikaela sighs, running her hand to her hair and ruining her hairstyle altogether.
"And no sex of any kind."
That earns a lot of gasp from everyone and there goes down the biggest, most bitter pill you have to take.
"This also applies to self-gratification."
Mikaela sighs again while Nya squeals in both pain and amusement.
"What does it mean?" Sawyer innocently asks.
"You can't masturbate, babe," Avery answers her question with a pout.
"At all?" She asks again to confirm her fear.
So they threw a bunch of hot people into a villa and tricked them into thinking that they would be partying and having fun only to reveal that they're not allowed to have any physical contact? What in the 21st century way of torture is this?
-
YOU: There goes my plan to kiss everyone... I was planning to get a taste here and there and now it's like... No [sighs]
-
"As part of your social development, I have allocated a prize of $200,000."
Everyone's eyes turn green at the mention of money and the amount of it, also at the promise that they can win it.
"I'm a college student. I need that!" Finn comments from the end of the bench.
"Each time the rules are broken, money will be deducted from the prize fund."
Of course, it wouldn't be that easy to win that much money and now it looks like everyone would be leaving with nothing.
But with the rules are set and the prize is announced, the game gets serious now.
"Welcome to your long, hard, sexless summer," Lana finishes with the gloom casting on those words.
"Everyone gets ready now 'cause it's not Party in Paradise anymore," Nya reminds everyone with the harsh truth.
"It's hell now," Mikaela eggs in.
Han personally thinks this is worse than hell. Because at least in hell, he'd be allowed to get horny.
-
HAN: $200,000... That's a lot of money... to spend [smirks]
-
"Please, can we not?"
The last thing you want to hear is everyone complaining about the rules again and it's only dragging you down more than you allowed it to.
"I'm just upset..." Mikaela says as she takes off her earrings and puts them into a jewelry box.
"I know," you sigh, tossing your shoes into the bottom shelf of your closet.
It takes you a long time to get ready for bed but it's most likely because the girls are chatting and you can't help but join in. Trying to keep yourself away from sex is hard but being able to talk about it is what makes it bearable.
You and Avery walk to the bedroom with arms linked, you just know you'll be friends by how you identify a few traits of yours in her.
The boys are already taking their territory except for Finn, you know he's still in the dresser room. You're fine sharing a bed with anyone but you try not to make drama by getting on a bed with someone's person of interest.
Since Avery is the hot commodity, you make her choose where she'll sleep tonight.
"So, Avery, what's the bed situation?" You ask her.
A few pairs of ears perk up hearing the question and you notice that the three men competing are watching as Avery is making a decision.
She walks up to the bed in the middle, "I'll sleep here."
Asher triumphantly smiles as Avery climbs onto his bed and gets under the cover next to him.
Now that she has settled on a man, you can choose your bed partner at ease. Rio is off-limits unless you want to face Mikaela's wrath and Peyton is also out of the question, you don't want to mess with Nya.
You walk over to Han's bed and you kind of like the vibe he's giving you, you know he's into Avery but it's not like he has much of options, it's either you and Sawyer.
"Want to share a bed?" You ask.
Han glances at you and without answering, makes a space on the bed for you. He seems to take an interest in the tattoos inked your body and he notices that you're watching.
"How many tattoos do you have?" He asks.
You lean against the pillow stacked behind you, "Uhm... I never counted," you reply.
It's amusing to see the wonder in his eyes as he's looking at your tattoos, making you feel like teasing him.
"How about I get naked and you can count my tattoos for me?"
He blinks his eyes at you, "I can promise you I'll do well at that," he says.
You chuckle at his witty answer and outstretched your arms to showcase the small tattoos on both of your arms.
He turns on the bed to lay on his side facing you, "Which one is your favorite?"
You take a few seconds to think of an answer, "I think it's the one on my spine."
You take all of your hair to one shoulder before turning your back at him, to show him the tattoo you're talking about.
His finger pulls down the silk camisole you're wearing so he can take a better look at it.
"Yeah, that's nice," he agrees with you.
You lean back on your pillow again and look at him, "How about you? Do you have any favorite yet?" You playfully ask.
He slyly smiles even before he begins talking, "Well, I believe there are tattoos that I have not yet seen," he says with one eyebrow slightly raised higher than the other.
Han knows how to amuse you, he's attractive in a different way than the other guys. It makes you want to tease him more.
"You mean like this one?" You lift the front of your camisole to show him the tattoo you have under your left breast.
He almost chokes on air as he breaks into laughter, "That could be my favorite," he says.
You nod and laugh along with him, "I'll show you more but I'm afraid we have to wait for third base," you jokingly say.
That amuses him so much, he collapses on his side of the bed and covers his eyes as he laughs. He has that laugh that only enhances the hilarity and you can't help to laugh along.
-
YOU: Han is cute, yeah, I think we'll get on well.
-
The lights are on and Han would still be sleeping if you didn't shift on the bed to take your water tumbler from the bedside table.
As everyone is slowly getting up and dragging themselves out of slumber, Lana's chime startles everyone.
"Oh, it wasn't a dream," Nya groans from the next bed to his.
Yeah, right, Han forgot about the sex ban until that cone lights up on top of the small glass table in the middle of the room.
"Good morning, everyone!" Lana greets.
Han props a pillow behind his head and you take his arm out so you can rest your head on it.
"Morning, hon!" You sleepily reply.
"I'd like to remind you that you're in a retreat but I do hope you enjoy your summer of sun, sea, and no sex," Lana concludes her morning greeting, leaving everyone with the awakening truth that they're not allowed to touch each other.
Han looks over to Avery's bed and wonders how is he going to make a move on her with Lana cockblocking him?
"Right. I'm going back to sleep," you grumble, closing your eyes and nuzzling your head in his neck.
Han slips his hand in your hair, playing with it as he's listening to the talk happening in the room.
"Is anyone still pissed off?" Nya asks everyone how they feel.
Peyton is the first one to raise his hand and Mikaela adds her opinion on the matter, "I think it's impossible to connect with someone without touching them, don't you think?"
Han is too busy thinking of his game plan now that the competition is getting tough and Asher is a point ahead of him.
"I think we need to tell each other if someone is—" Sawyer's words got cut off by Asher.
"At the end of the day, just don't lie," Asher remarks.
Han turns his head to the side only to bury his nose in your hair, catching the scent of your shampoo.
"Your hair smells so good," he says to you.
You hum with your eyes still closed and splayed your hand on his chest, "And you have nice pecs."
You both softly laugh at the compliments you give each other.
Last night, you both fell asleep after having a chat about random things, getting to know each other with jokes slipped in between.
Han must say that he likes you, you're fun to be around and you don't take things seriously. But then again, his eyes are on Avery.
-
HAN: I woke up next to her and it was great, I like her but... I like Avery more.
-
After taking a quick dip in the beach, you're walking past the boys who are working out on the way back to the villa.
"Looking good wet," Asher teases you with a lopsided grin on his face.
Too bad you're immune to sweet nothings like that, you flash him a smile and keep climbing the stairs back to the villa.
The other girls are already done with their make-up and leaving the dressing room empty, allowing you to get ready in peace.
In the middle of doing your hair, Nya enters the room and takes a seat next to you.
"What's up, hottie?" You ask while looking in the mirror to make sure you don't burn your scalp with the straightening iron.
Nya grabs her make-up pouch from the other side of the vanity table and takes out a brush. She seems to have something to say to you but hesitates to tell you.
After a while, she finally confesses, "Peyton and I, we kissed last night."
You're more shocked by the fact that she shares this with you rather than the kiss itself. They're horny for each other, it's only about time that they rule break.
You softly chuckle and gently comb your hair with your fingers, "How many times?"
"Just once," she answers while applying makeup on her cheeks.
"I'm impressed!" You playfully respond.
Nya chuckles at that and swivels her chair to face you, "What do you think? Is it three grand? For a kiss?" She asks with a nervous smile.
You put down the straightening iron and lean back on your chair, "I think so, yeah."
Nya takes lipstick out of her pouch next, "I didn't give a fuck at that moment," she says.
From your observation, Nya indeed doesn't give a fuck about the rules. She broke them hours after Lana put on the sex ban and you believe she wouldn't stop there.
"You saw how he kissed me last night during the game and I was a bit horny that we're sharing the bed..." she stops talking as she breaks into breathless chuckles.
"So, Peyton, huh?"
"Well, yeah, once I set my eyes on someone, I will get them," Nya remarks, affirming her strong personality.
"Sorry not sorry, Sawyer," she adds and couldn't care less about anyone else.
Which reminds you to never get on her bad side. You continue styling your hair while keeping the conversation going.
"Yeah, I think you guys are so cute," you comment even though you're not sure that Peyton will make a loyal partner considering that he kissed another girl right in front of her.
"What about you? How are you feeling?" She asks.
This is a dating show and you're well aware that you should get a partner to make this work but no one really tugs at your heartstrings.
Well, there is Han but he's certainly not available to you.
"I came to meet people and have fun, that's what I'm here for," you settle on a simple answer because you have no idea what you can do without a partner in this show.
"Yeah, yeah," Nya half-heartedly responds, "but who are you feeling?"
You must take another pause on doing your hair, "I like Han, he's cute. I like cute guys," you honestly answer.
Nya smiles listening to you talking, "He is. He is cute."
"But I think he's into Avery," you add, not letting her encourage you to pursue him.
Nya nods, getting the gist of it since it's obvious that Avery is the most popular girl in the retreat. She swipes her full lips with nude-colored lipstick and smacks her lips together.
"Once they know about the kiss, we're going to get hated," Nya once again worries about what would happen when Lana announces the infraction they've done last night.
"I think you should just... own up to it," you suggest.
Honest is the best policy and also, you think people will be less upset if they admit their mistake right away.
-
YOU: Knowing that someone already broke the rules. It's only about time that someone else starts doing it too.
-
Han has just come out of the shower when Lana calls everyone to the cabana.
He combs his wet hair fast and walks with Finn to where everyone has gathered, sitting on the curved sofa facing the cone-shaped lady.
He squeezes himself between you and Sawyer, putting his arm on the headrest of the sofa as he waits for Lana to come online.
You look over your shoulder at him, "You smell nice."
"I showered," he simply answers with a sly grin on his face.
"That changes everything," you joke, then rest your head on his shoulder,
The cone lights up followed by the melodic chime that he should get used to hearing it. There must be a reason why everyone is called to the cabana, someone must have done something.
"Hello, everyone!" Lana begins.
"Hey, Lana," he replies, suddenly feeling nervous even though he hasn't done anything yet.
"The rules of my retreat have already been broken."
Everyone collectively gasps at that announcement and this is where they get suspicious of each other.
"Oh, no..." Sawyer sighs.
Finn sits on the edge of the sofa and clasps his hands together in front of him, "Anybody wants to come clean?" He asks.
Han gets the feeling that Finn would play the good cop here and he also senses that you know something, "Did we kiss in our sleep or what?"
"If that's the case, I wouldn't stop at kissing," you joke back at him with a gentle slap on his forearm.
Unexpectedly, what you said makes him flutter inside, he almost forgot that someone broke the rules and possibly, it involves Avery.
"I'm so confused," Sawyer says as if it's a math problem that she needs to solve.
No one wants to come forward and it creates animosity in the air. He doesn't like what this leads to, he hopes that someone comes forward so things won't get ugly.
"Who's guilty?" He throws the question in with his eyes uneasily glancing in Avery's direction.
"I thought we were going to be truthful with each other," Finn reminds everyone about the unwritten rules they made this morning.
The calm on Nya's face shatters as Rio says, "You're looking real guilty right now, Nya."
"Yeah, okay, it was me," she finally confesses.
Nya tips her head to the side then looks at Peyton, "Peyton and I kissed."
Han glares at Peyton, he expects that at least he would man up and own up to it. But Han feels a relief knowing that it wasn't Avery.
"This breach of rules has cost the group $3,000," Lana announces.
Oh? Three thousand dollars? For a kiss? That's a surprise but still, he would spend that much for a kiss with Avery.
"The prize fund now stands at $197,000," Lana updates.
"I'm so vexed, you know," Finn says, being the only one who is genuinely upset about losing money.
While the others... the others seem to have waited for someone to break the wave so they can start to rule break too.
And that includes him.
-
HAN: Best believe if anybody is going to rule break next, it's me [cackles]
-
"Hello, I'm Josh and I'm a professional tantric practitioner," the instructor for today's workshop introduces himself.
Your eyebrow raises in intrigue at the mention of the word 'tantric' and how it would help everyone to not think about sex.
"Tantric? What is that?" Sawyer naively asks next to you.
"Just listen to the instructor," you tell her with a pat on her shoulder.
"Usually, when we relate to other people, everything is fast, right?" Josh says.
You nod in agreement while shielding your eyes from the bright sun.
"Someone touches you, you touch them back. You kiss this person, they kiss you back but we don't feel it," he eloquently explains while walking around and making eye contact with everyone.
"That's what this workshop is for. For you to learn how to feel your body," he further explains.
He walks back to the middle and looks at everyone, "Pleasure is not in the other. Pleasure is in yourself."
Then Josh orders everyone to gather in the middle as he explains what we're going to do next. He holds a tray full of blindfolds for everyone.
"Usually, people relate tantra to sexuality. But that's just a really small part. Every aspect of you can benefit from increased awareness," Josh informs.
He then offers the tray to Asher who stands close to him, ordering him to get one.
"So we're going to broaden the awareness of our vision, of our breathing, our sounds, our movements..."
You put the blindfold on and tie it around your head, putting you in total blindness.
"We put the blindfolds on so the experience can just be your experience," he concludes before starting the session.
Josh instructs everyone to move their bodies, walk around, and eventually bump into each other's bodies. You get goosebumps when your body crashes with someone, you can feel their heat and feel them skin-to-skin.
Then Josh orders everyone to take a step back and blindly, get a partner to do the next session.
You catch the person that you inexplicably guess is standing in front of you and holding him.
"Oh, I found one!" You reflexively say.
Your partner chuckles at that and from the laugh, you can tell who it is.
"Got you," you tell him with a grin.
"Okay, now, breathe..." Josh instructed, "Breathe her in. Breathe him in."
You slip your hands under and around his waist while he places his hands on your back, also holding you back.
You lean your head forward and meet his head in the middle, ending up putting our heads together. This way you can feel his breath on you and every subtle sound he makes.
"It's time to reveal who your partner was," Josh finally allows everyone to take their blindfolds off.
You untie it on the back of your head and burst into laughs the moment your eyes meet.
-
YOU: I just can tell who it is the moment we touch [laughs]
-
"These emotional processes happen but they can only be experienced if you're present."
Now that everyone has partnered up, each pair takes a seat on the mat and sits facing each other. As Han puts his legs on each side of you, you decide to put your legs over his.
"You can get back to your connection through the eyes," Josh continues.
You both can't stop laughing at each other and the longer you maintain eye contact with him, the more you can't stop yourself from laughing.
"Don't lose her. Don't lose him."
"I think it would be better if we close our eyes," you suggest, holding his hands in substitute of that and pressing your heads together.
"Tantra is a way of connecting with your essence. With your feelings."
And you focus on doing what Josh told you to do, focusing on your breathing to be able to intensely feel things with your senses.
"Deep breathe, not deep penetration," Han reminds you.
Once again, you fail to keep your composure and break into a wave of laughter.
"Now, lie down. It's time for you to feel your whole body vibration."
You both lie down facing against each other with your legs still around him and he places his hand on your shin, softly rubbing the skin with his thumb.
"One must learn to connect deeply with oneself. That's tantra. A way through which you can truly connect with yourself."
Maybe because you let yourself open to it, you can feel that connection, it's as if your body is one with earth. You can feel the ground beneath, you can hear the waves crashing and the warmth of the afternoon sun on your skin.
"Now you can sit up," Josh orders.
You slowly open your eyes and sit up, meeting Han's eyes again but this time, you smile at him.
"That was good," you mutter to him.
"Right?" He agrees with you.
You rest your head on his shoulder and continue to sit close facing each other, feeling each other's bodies in a whole new way.
Josh finishes the workshop with one last instruction: a group hug.
-
YOU: I think I learned how to get to know myself better and to not hold in what I really feel [smiles]
-
"You all look so sexy!"
You compliment everyone who's getting ready in the dressing room while searching for someone. Avery gleefully smiles at your compliment.
"You look good in those sexy jeans!"
It sounds like she's making fun of it and you look down to check if you look okay in what you're wearing, "Am I underdressed?"
"No. Your butt looks cute in it," Avery assures you with a playful slap on your clothed ass.
To make room for everyone else who hasn't gotten ready yet, you move to the bedroom and find the one you're looking for. Han is sitting on the bed already dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt with the top three buttons left open.
After the workshop, you feel somehow closer to him and you get along really well, you wonder if it could be more.
"Hiya, sexy!" You greet him.
Han glances up and pats the space on the bed, gesturing for you to sit next to him.
"How are you?" He asks.
"Good. You?" You ask back while sitting down and propping a hand against the bed.
"I'm good, thanks," he answers with a smile.
There's no one else in the bedroom and you take it as an opportunity to ask him about something.
"So, where's your head at?" You ask.
Han puts his hand under his head and simply says, "It's right here."
You chuckle and tip your head to the side, "I mean... who do you like in here?"
He takes a moment to take a deep breath and you guess picking his words carefully before answering you, "I think I get on really well with you," he begins.
And it's good to know that he feels the same way about it.
"But I'm more attracted to Avery," he adds, not even hesitating to tell you about it.
Well, it's also good to know that he can openly and comfortably share things with you.
"Yeah," you say, expecting that answer already.
Yet you can't quite hide your disappointment, you look away and pretend to fix your hair. That's just him basically saying that you have a great personality but that's not enough to attract him.
"As you know the three of us are pursuing Avery and we don't know which one she likes..." he says while rubbing his chin.
Instead of being salty about it, you decide to be a friend to him and give him your opinion.
"I think if you like someone, you go for it. There's no time to waste, just go and get it," you encourage while mindlessly running your hand on the bedsheet.
"Yeah," Han's head bobbing in agreement.
"You should talk to Avery and see how she feels about you," you add.
It is obvious that Han likes Avery but he's playing the cool guy trick by thinking that he'll win her over by acting like he doesn't care.
-
YOU: Oh, well... [awkwardly chuckles] I kind of expected that answer.
-
After the workshop, Han realizes that you and he bounce off each other, you're tuned in to the same wave and he agrees that it has the potential to be something more than that.
However, Han feels like he should keep pursuing Avery. Mostly because he's attracted to her, almost magnetic, and the fact that he has competition makes him want her more.
He gets out of the bedroom after knowing that Avery is no longer in the dressing room.
Turns out, Finn is already making his move on her. He sees them talking in the firepit and having a laugh, but he can't hear what they're talking about. Finn shortly leaves after kissing her on the hand.
So he's playing the romantic guy, Han reckons.
Avery once said that he likes bad boys and so he'll be it. Bad boys don't make it obvious that he likes her, they wait until they come around.
So Han decides that should be his game plan, sitting on the sofa and you know, waiting for Avery to come around.
-
HAN: I'm not worried about Asher so my game plan is to play it cool and see where it goes. She'll come to the right man... eventually [laughs]
-
After hours of no significant result, Han walks back inside to get a new place to hang out.
He decides to go to the bedroom, pushing the door with both hands only to walk into Asher and Avery cuddling on the bed.
Now he sees the flaw in his game plan, he slowly walks back out of the room as everything backfired to him.
When it's time for bed, he couldn't be happier.
Han dives into his pillow and takes a deep breath, blowing some steam off.
A moment later, he feels the bed quaking as you get on and playfully, put your body on top of him.
"We're like the twin bar ice cream," He grumbles as your body presses onto him.
His body shakes along with yours as you're laughing on top of him, then rolling yourself to the side and onto the bed next to him.
"How was your night?" You ask, playing with his dark hair.
"Average," he shortly answers.
"I'm asking about your night, not your genital size," you joke.
He chuckles before answering, "Then it's below average."
If there's anyone that makes this retreat bearable to him then it's you. He can share everything with you and what he likes the most about it is that he can seek comfort from you too.
Han scoots closer and puts his hand across your chest which you nicely welcomed. You're caressing his forearm with only your fingertips and it's relaxing him.
When the lights are out, you pull his arm and put it around you as you lie on your side with your back against his chest.
"Goodnight," you murmur.
He hesitates but with his mouth pressed close to you, he decides to kiss you on the top of your head.
"Goodnight," he murmurs back, snuggling his head on the crook of your neck.
-
HAN: I guess nice guys do finish last [laughs]
-
The bathroom is pretty much occupied by the two tall lovebirds, Rio and Mikaela.
You almost walk in on them applying sunblock on each other's bodies and slowly, walking back out of there. Stepping into the dressing room, you find Nya there with Avery who's busy putting her hair into a ponytail.
"Hello, babes," you greet them as you take a seat in your usual spot and decide to put on your sunscreen there when you usually put it on in the bathroom because it can get messy.
Mikaela joins in not long after and sits next to you, fixing her hair with a brush.
"Has anything been going on late at night?" Nya asks her since Mikaela and Rio turned up to their bed late last night.
"We held off pretty well, I guess," Mikaela answers with her half-moaning voice.
"Yeah, but has he been getting hard?" Nya asks again, being nosy as she is.
"We're pretty close," Mikaela answers with a cryptic smile.
You look at her with a dollop of sunscreen on your cheek, "Pretty close? What's that even mean?" You tease.
Before Mikaela can answer that, Lana butts in with her familiar chime, and everyone's heads turn to the cone sitting on the shelf.
"Uh-oh!" You gasp in surprise and awkwardly continue dabbing your cheeks with sunscreen.
"Girls," Lana calls out to everyone in the dressing room.
"Yeah?" Nya replies with a shocked smile.
"Please gather everyone in the bedroom," Lana orders.
You sense that Mikaela did something last night from the horror drawn on her face with her round eyes widening in slight shock.
Nya gets up from her chair but you haven't finished with your sunscreen yet.
"I'll catch up," you tell her.
You put on a sheer top over your bikini before heading to the bedroom and see that everyone is already there including Han.
He holds his hand out for you to take, gesturing for you to sit close to him at the end of your shared bed.
-
YOU: This can't be good news [scrunches nose]
-
Other than Mikaela, you notice another pair of guilty faces. No surprise if Nya broke another rule but also, you kind of guessed that Avery did something too, she keeps shaking her leg uncomfortably.
Lana chimes and the tension is already rising in the room.
"There have been breaches of the rules," Lana goes straight to business.
"Breaches?" Finn focuses on the plural terms that could tell how much money he'll be losing today.
As someone without a partner, you can relax since no one will be suspicious of you. You put your legs over Han's and rest your hand on his shoulder.
Heads are turning against each other but no one is saying anything.
"Mmh..." Avery lets out a low sigh.
You bet she did something and if yes, who did she do it with? You look at Han and wonder if he did what you told him to just go and get her.
"I'll be honest with you guys..." Asher speaks up.
There goes your answer. Avery did kiss but it's with Asher and you don't know why you feel some sort of relief on knowing it.
"I definitely lost some money last night," he pauses to scratch his head, "I pulled Avery aside and kissed her."
Avery shyly smiles and sputters her apology, "I'm–I am sorry, you guys."
Your eyes silently shift at Han and notice that he's not pleased to hear his love interest got kissed by someone else.
"This is what I wanted and I felt a genuine connection there," Asher adds.
What a way to prove that he wants to delve further into this relationship but Avery doesn't seem to be happy to hear his man declare that she is what he wanted.
"So sorry, guys," Asher concludes.
It would be stupid of you to hope that that's the only kiss that happened last night.
"There was another breach of the rules," Lana says again and she won't stop until everyone comes clean.
You look at Nya and she's not looking at anyone. Peyton seems to have decided to keep denying it and staying quiet about it.
Mikaela sighs then closes her eyes, "Why don't you tell them, Rio," she says to the man next to her.
Rio licks his lips and opens his mouth, but words do not come out of it until a minute later.
"We kissed a couple of times last night," Rio confesses and pinches the bridge of his nose after.
"A couple?" Finn asks for confirmation.
You guess what he needs to know is how many kisses in numbers.
"Five times," Rio answers.
"Oh, my gosh!" Avery sighs while rubbing her temple.
That makes you sweat a little and you take your hand off of Han's shoulder to fiddle with the strap of your bikini, also because you sense that Han gets tensed beside you.
"I mean, I can tolerate one or two kisses but five?" You confront them and keep your tone calm to not trigger anyone.
It's not a genuine connection if you needed five kisses to convince you that you're emotionally connected so yeah, you doubt that Rio and Mikaela have it.
"If you had that genuine connection, what would you do?" Rio says in his defense.
"I don't know, maybe try a bit harder?" Han finally lets out an opinion with an insinuating tone, driven by the slight anger he gets from Avery and Asher's kiss.
"That's just a waste of money," Finn mutters from his bed and a deep sigh.
"Is that all, Lana?" You ask, wanting to get it over with.
"There was another breach of the rules," Lana shares.
You don't even hold yourself back from groaning and rolling your eyes. You didn't plan to get this mad but hearing these people kissing and spending money recklessly ticked you off.
"We'll have no money," Finn mutters again and collapses onto the bed.
"Why are you smiling, Peyton?" Asher asks.
Peyton is indeed smiling and looking calm for a guilty man, "I kissed Nya last night."
Sawyer raises her hand like she's in a classroom but that works to get everyone's attention, "Wait, I'm a little confused about it because you said you were going to pursue things with me," she drops a truth bomb out of nowhere.
Nya turns Peyton around to force him to look at her, "You said to me that you wanted me, not her," she spoils more rotten truth.
This whole thing turns into a she said, he said situation and you can only watch them, going back and forth, pointing fingers at each other.
"I hate being lied to," Sawyer mutters.
Peyton rubs his chin and concludes, "I never lied to you," he says to Sawyer.
Then he turns to Nya and tells her the same thing, "And I never lied to you."
Can't help it, you let out a stifled laugh because Peyton not only digging his own grave but also putting nails on his coffin.
The ones that benefited from this are Rio and Mikaela, the love triangle mess is taking the heat off of them.
"It's obviously not working," Nya ends things for good.
Thankfully, Lana takes control of the situation to deliver the bills.
"All of these rule breaks have made me decide to implement a stricter regime. The fines will now be doubled starting with these rule breaks."
Your jaw drops at the announcement and get dizzy thinking of how much those five kisses cost alone.
"These multiple rule breaks have cost the group $42,000," Lana updates.
You scoff at the amount of money spent on a few silly kisses and have to take a few deep breaths to calm yourself.
"The prize fund now stands at $155,000."
Everyone is just as gobsmacked by how much money has been lost from the prize and if everyone keeps doing it, all of you would likely go home with nothing.
-
YOU: We might as well pack our things now and go home [shrugs]
-
A week has passed and you start to feel that you're merely wasting time here.
Not much happened around here especially after Peyton and Nya's ship sank right after that messy fight. In the end, Peyton doesn't get either Nya or Sawyer and he deserves every bit of it.
The retreat is not only about couple growth but still... If only you had someone to try to make a connection with, you would enjoy this whole experience more.
You wake up in the morning, have a few cuddles with Han, and then everyone is moving on with their day. There's not much you can do here but you try to participate as much by not breaking the rules.
As if you have someone to do it with.
Avery joins you as you walk down to the beach to swim at the beach. With the low tide, you can sit on the beach with her to cool down after swimming.
"Avery baby, tell me, how are things with Asher?" You ask out of curiosity.
What Asher did that day, defending her and openly telling everyone how he feels about her, you expect her to be swooned if not smitten.
But from what you've been seeing, it seems like things have cooled down between them.
"To be honest, I don't know..." she is just as confused as you.
"But out of all the three boys, you like him right?" You try to make it simple for her.
"Yeah, I like Asher because he's great, he made the first move and got an edge to him..." she explains.
You nod and support your chin with the back of your hand, "What he did that day, I think that's very endearing of him," you give her your honest opinion just in case she needs an assurance from someone outside that relationship.
"Yeah, he was like... expressed his feelings and telling everyone how he feels about me," Her facial expression gradually turns sour as you sense a 'but' coming from her small mouth.
"But I just don't like when people are like that to me," she says with a repulsed expression.
"I get really..." she ends the sentence with a groan.
The problem with Avery is that she doesn't know what she wants. Other than that, now you know why Asher flirted with you this morning but knowing that he initially likes Avery makes you feel like you're his backup plan.
Here's the thing about you, you don't like being a second choice.
-
YOU: You know what, Lana? I think we need more dicks in the villa [laughs]
-
Han feels like his breakfast is about to come up as he hears the sound of that melodic chime. He hears it often enough yet he feels even more anxious the more he hears it.
"Please be good news," Han mutters next to you.
You put your hand on his thigh, playing with a lint of his swimming trunk.
"Hello, everyone!" Lana greets.
He turns his head at the same time you look at him, sending both of you burst into laughter.
"Here we go," Asher mutters with a nervous sigh.
"To further aid your personal growth, you must learn to resist your urges."
That catches his interest but also makes his heart start to beat faster. Lana is unpredictable and Han hates that.
"I have arranged two dates."
That makes some people relax, at least, it's not about losing more money from the prize fund. Han, personally, has not yet recovered from losing a quarter of the prize money.
"Both with new arrivals," Lana finishes her sentence.
Other than Rio and Mikaela, everyone else seems to be excited about this. New guests mean new chances to make a connection.
"I have allowed the new arrivals to select who they want to ask out on their date."
Han is having mixed feelings about this. He knows that Avery is no longer with Asher but he's slowly losing his interest in her. Maybe the new arrivals can help him move on.
"The first new arrival is... Gwen."
So it's a girl, well, Han can do something about this Gwen. He feels hopeful once again and maybe this time, triumph will be his.
"Gwen has chosen... Rio to be her date."
All eyes are on Mikaela as she tries so hard to remain calm about this but everyone knows that she's fuming inside.
"You seem happy, Rio," Asher teases him which Rio coyly responds with a shrug.
"And date number two will be with Fabian."
His head turns as he hears hears you cooing in wonder, "He sounds exotic," you mutter.
Nya is the most excited one and it's probably because she needs to show Peyton that he's got nothing on her anymore.
"Fabian has chosen... Nya to be his date."
Han doesn't know why he feels glad knowing that this new guy didn't choose you but does that make him the bad guy? He doesn't think so.
"Rio and Nya, you may leave to get ready for the date," Lana orders.
He hasn't seen the new arrivals yet but he can imagine the amount of drama he'll witness later with Rio going on a date with the new girl.
-
HAN: The new arrivals, uh... they can't be ugly, right Lana? [Snickers]
-
The first one to return from the date is Nya and she's bringing a man who's taller than Rio and talks in a French accent.
Han can see that Nya is already all over him and he glances at Peyton who ends up with no one but his own player ass. He just knew that Peyton had it coming for him since that game night when he boldly kissed two girls.
He grabs his first drink of the day with the staff only allowed every contest to take three drinks max and when he gets back to the terrace, he sees a gorgeous girl with blond hair.
Rio is introducing the girl around while Mikaela is intensely watching him from the cabana with furrowed brows and eyes filled with fiery glints like a hawk.
When it comes to his turn, he doesn't bother making a good first impression.
"Han," he simply tells her his name.
"I'm Gwen, hi," she introduces herself.
With the few inches he doesn't have, Gwen can easily put her arm around him for a quick hug, "Nice to meet you!"
Gwen is undeniably beautiful, anyone who looks at her would agree with him. Surprisingly, he's not as excited as he imagined he would be.
Well, the last thing he wants to do is compete to win a girl over and he doesn't want to entertain the idea that Gwen would take a liking to him.
Despite all that, Rio and Mikaela remain strong. Everyone is staying on the same bed and because Nya and Sawyer refuse to sleep with Peyton, he has to share the bed with Finn.
Han feels good knowing that he doesn't have to deal with such drama, he walks to his bed and does not hesitate to cuddle you.
"Hi, sexy bunny," he mutters close to your ear.
The two of you have this inside joke of calling each other silly, childish pet names and yesterday, you called him
'tater tot' and he laughs whenever he recalls it.
"Hi, bubble butt," you reply.
He laughs at that and playfully bites at your shoulder to get back at you. Somehow, the only one he can comfortably share his space with is you and he realizes how grateful he should be for your presence.
"Goodnight, everyone," Avery says while blowing kisses to everyone.
Han tickles your neck with his nose and purposely, breathes into your ear, "Goodnight!"
You giggle in reaction to his tickling breath, "Night!"
He presses a soft, lingering kiss on your head and that's how he ends his day on a sweet note.
-
HAN: I wasn't attracted to her but now I feel bad for not giving her any attention.
-
"It's like working out with Zeus, bro!" Han says, watching Rio working out non-stop while he's sitting on the mat, drenched in sweat for doing not even half of the workout Rio is doing.
Rio carefully lowers down the heavy dumbbells and reorganizes his breath as he takes a break.
"So, are you still chasing Avery?" Rio asks.
Han sucks water out of the bottle, then licks his lips before answering him, "Honestly speaking, I'm losing interest," he answers.
He knows that it'll be different to everyone but seeing what happened to her and Asher, there's a chance that things would likely end up the same.
He's tired of chasing and she keeps hanging up on him, "I think Avery enjoys the thrill, the chase..." he adds while running out of breath.
"Yeah, I think so too," Rio agrees with him.
He then lies down on his back and starts doing sit-ups as if his abs aren't as hard as rock already.
"What about that new girl then?"
"Gwen?"
"Yep, she's pretty," Rio says, being the one who went on a date with her.
"Are you going to make a move on her?"
Han caught Asher making the eyes with Gwen last night and he's not that interested to even try.
Looking at Rio tirelessly working out, he feels motivated to continue and picks up dumbbells.
"You know, I'm feeling it more with my bed partner," Han honestly says.
"I know you like her," Rio says with a glare at him.
He stops doing sit-ups and points at Han, "You just don't want to admit it."
Han has to pause on lifting his dumbbells to continue talking. He suddenly gets flustered because that's true, he keeps denying that there's something more between him and you.
"You two vibe really well," Rio says and he has never seen him being this earnest.
Han stops working out altogether and drops the dumbbells on the floor, "it's because Avery is so my type," he simply defends himself.
"But uh..." he pauses to catch a breath.
"But when I spend time with her, it's... natural," he explains and he doesn't care if that doesn't make sense to Rio, "It's so much fun."
Han breaks down on the floor and wipes the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, "I overlooked her because she doesn't look like my type."
Rio nods and intently listens to him speak.
"As soon as I saw Gwen last night, I was like... I still prefer her," he admits.
Han doesn't know why he can easily share his feelings with Rio, probably because he feels like a brother to him. Rio taps his shoulder hard enough that it launches him forward.
"You guys are cute together, and get along well, I don't see why you shouldn't try it, man!" He looks so annoyed and eager to see it happen.
Han laughs at that but he wishes he could easily share his feelings like this to you.
-
HAN: Maybe I should open up and accept how I'm feeling rather than keep seeking what's not there.
-
The mud is drying as you're walking back to the villa after having a girls-only workshop at the beach.
You share the shower with Sawyer to wash off the dried mud and waste no time getting ready for a party Lana throws to welcome the new arrivals.
The dressing room is crowded so you grab your make-up pouch to do it in the bathroom and you can do the hair later when it's less crowded in there.
For now, you're brushing your wet hair to the back while looking at your reflection in the mirror.
As you're about to apply moisturizer, you see Han walking into the bathroom and the first thing you see is that gummy smile of his.
"Hi, stud muffin," you playfully call him.
He would usually laugh at the pet names you called him but he only smiles in response, the kind that you've never seen on him.
"What's up?" You ask in wonder.
He doesn't say anything but leans against the sink facing you, looking at you with a cryptic smile dancing on his face.
He finally does something, walking up to you and placing his hands on each side of your waist. Slowly, he brings his mouth to your ear and whispers, "I missed you."
You reflexively burst into waves of laughter and think that he's just playing with you.
"I'm getting concerned," you tell him with a nervous laugh.
Han is also laughing and then he leans in to whisper again, "I miss you when you're not around."
You're giggling because the last thing you expect is to hear him saying that he missed you even though you've only been apart from each other for about three hours.
"Aww..." you coo at him, laughing the second your eyes meet in a gaze.
He cups your jaw then tilts your head, and you close your eyes in reflex. Instead of what you thought it would be, he softly whispers.
"I think I like you."
-
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“no!” you grab onto the electric buzzer and fight against him, holding gojo back. “wait, let’s think this through!”
“look at my hair, it’s horrible! i can’t go out like this!” your boyfriend whines and though he resists your pull, you know he isn’t putting force behind the gesture.
“you look…” you yank your eyes away from his head, suddenly struggling to look at him. “fine.”
“you paused!”
“it’s fine, gojo!”
“it’s not! if my lover can’t even look at me without laughing, what are my students going to think?” gojo checks himself out in the mirror of your apartment's bathroom, turning his head side to side to observe the lousy slash he had given himself.
“their opinion of you can’t go any lower.” you reassure him. “and it’s fine, really. just, put down that shaver, that’s it, put it down on the counter and i can fix your mess for you.”
gojo gives you a wary look but eventually relaxes his hold. you pick up the shaver and the handle is still warm from his touch. turning it on, you let the hum of the device fill the silence.
after gojo had decided to abandon his glasses for a blindfold, he realised simply letting his hair grow out in whatever direction would not cut it anymore, else he wanted to look ridiculous.
when he complained to you, you absentmindedly told him to get a haircut without thinking of the consequences of your actions. of course gojo wouldn’t just go to a barber, of course gojo would think he could style his own hair and of course gojo would pick the worst haircut, making the first move without another thought. and now, after running the shaver a few centimetres up from the nape of his neck, the both of you realised that he should never be allowed near a electric shaver ever again.
you exhale. "okay, i've got this."
gojo looks at you through the mirror. "don't stress. worst case scenario, i can just buzz everything off."
you stare at him. "i cannot love you if you're bald."
"seriously?"
"what's with the look? would you love me if i was bald?"
gojo doesn't even hesitate. "yes!"
that makes you feel guilty. you don't comment on the topic any more, instead channelling your attention to the shaver in your hands and the white hair above your boyfriend's head.
“hey, don’t ignore me. you wouldn’t love me if i was bald? what’s next, you wouldn’t love me if i was a worm?”
you bite your lip to stop your face from contorting into a grimace. “i’m trying to focus here.”
“and i’m trying to make sure there’s still love in our relationship.” he turns around and looks at you. “do you love me?”
looking at him, a small smile slips through your disgusted expression. your boyfriend was regularly annoying, but there were times when his childish behaviour was more endearing than irritating. this was one of those rare times.
“yeah, i do.” you admit.
“prove it.”
“huh?”
his hand closes around yours, the one holding the buzzer. “i’m going bald.”
“no you’re not!”
“this is my hair, i get to decide what to do with it!”
“gojo!” you quickly reach over and unplug the shaver. “let’s be rational!”
he looks at you with bleary eyes. “i love you.”
“me too, which is why i can’t let you go bald.”
“you’re lying. if you loved me, it wouldn’t matter how much hair i have on my scalp.”
you sigh, rubbing a hand over your face. when you peek through your fingers, gojo is still giving you a wounded look. “okay fine, i would still love you if you went bald. it honestly doesn't matter to me, but is this what you really want?”
“and if i was a worm?”
you look away, busying yourself with tidying your already tidy sink. “are you going bald or not?”
“answer my question.” his hand wraps around yours. “you can’t leave here until you give me a response i can accept.”
you try to shake him off. “i’m not backing down on this, i will not love you if you turned into a worm.”
“i would—”
“no you wouldn’t! how would you kiss me if i was small and slimy?”
he pauses. “i don’t need to kiss you to show my love, it’s just a side benefit.”
“okay, and what about our species difference? what if i find a handsome worm and fall in love with him? he would treat me better since we’re both worms.”
“i would keep you in a cage so that you'd never meet another worm.” he says, completely serious.
“is that what love means to you?”
“i’ll fill the cage with all your favourite things!” he brings your hand up to his cheek and presses against it, littering kisses onto your palm when you don’t react. "it's also to keep you safe! you'd be completely defenseless as a worm."
"well, if you were a worm i wouldn't be able to keep you safe. you're the strongest, if you can't protect yourself then how could i?"
"that's something different. i wouldn’t be the strongest, i would be a worm."
"an unlovable one."
he drops your hand and grabs the electric shaver before you can. "i'm going bald."
you don’t stop him this time. “fine, go ahead. but when you’re hairless i am not taking the blame for this. if you even start to complain to me i will plug both my ears and walk away. that means if your students take photos of you and spread it like the plague, i won't stop them.”
“i knew it.” gojo says after a moment’s silence. “you don’t love me anymore.”
“if there was ever a time that i did.”
“when did you start falling out of love?”
this was slowly getting out of hand. “gojo.”
“when i ate your chcolate? i apologised, what else do you want from me? want me to kneel?”
“gojo!”
“is it because i used your expensive skincare? i was curious because it came in a little pipette thing and i wanted to squeeze it real bad.”
you hiss. “i knew that was you.”
“you seriously believed me when i told you it wasn’t me? we live together and we live alone, who else would it be?”
a humourless chuckle escapes your lips. perhaps gojo detects your intentions before you can act on them with his six eyes, because he freezes, backing up against the edge of your sink.
in his fear, you yank the shaver out of his hand and flick the power switch back on. the buzz fills the air.
“you’re going bald.”
“i was just kidding! i don’t want to be bald!” gojo leaps out of his chair and heads for the door. unfortunately, you grab onto his shirt and pull him back.
when gojo walks out of your bathroom a few hours later, his head is lighter than when he first entered.
sped wrote this so i could post smth it’s so stupid i’m crying
Summary:Quite short, inspired by some prompts: leaning over you while looking at your lips, cuddling and nuzzling your face into their chest
A/N: See note at the end.
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
Songs: Song On the Beach by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett and Understand by Keshi
You felt thoroughly nestled into your blankets as you slowly drifted off to sleep. Your body heat radiated into your little nest of blankets and kept you cozy, even though you were only wearing shorts and a tank top. You nestled in a little further and tried to keep your eyes peeled open, knowing that your boyfriend would come any second now.
The warm, yellow, lamp light kept you awake as you tried to keep your eyes open. You could never fall asleep with the light on anyway. You felt like a cinnamon roll as you felt the blankets hug you to sleep. The blanket was just so warm. You closed your eyes.
-
The apartment was lit with the soft lamp lights as Jisung unlocked the door and quietly set his keys and bag down. He recognized the familiar array of books piled near the couch and your “reading lamp” still on from your evening chapter reading. Jisung smiled and glanced at the clock, reading 11:26pm. He grimaced and slowly shimmied out of his leather jacket and sweatshirt underneath. It was quite cold outside.
Jisung leaned down and untied his shoes, slowly taking in the scent of freshly warmed almond cookies and that one vanilla spice candle you liked to buy. The thought of you going back to Bath and Body Works just for a tiny, overpriced candle made Jisung’s heart happy. Sighing, Jisung picked up his bag again and padded over to the bedroom, careful to turn off all the lights on the way over. He knew you hated leaving lights on.
As he closed the bedroom door behind him, he heard some rustling from the bed. You were tossing in your sleep. Jisung pursed his lips, ready to be cozy in bed in your arms. He quickly tossed his equipment onto his desk chair and made way to the closet, careful not to knock anything over or make too much noise. Your bedside lamp light cast a soft glow through the room and enough light into the closet so Jisung didn’t have to turn the light on. He heard some ambient noise coming from your bluetooth speaker.
After half-hazardly changing into some random t-shirt, Jisung carefully walked over to the bed and studied which end of the blanket he would have to execute his entrance through. He smiled widely as he counted the amount of blankets you had.
You had nestled yourself under two duvets and a throw blanket that had a cat pattern on it. He immediately recognized you hugging the throw pillow he had gifted you after he came back from touring the States. He saw it when he was exploring L.A with Seungmin and Changbin. Jisung knew he had to buy it for you immediately as soon as he laid eyes on it.
Bringing his attention back to the beautiful person before him, he decided he would slowly slither into the spot next to you, but only after teasing you a bit.
Jisung carefully crawled into bed, consciously trying not to jostle you around. He crawled over to your sleeping figure and caged you under him, hovering just above you. You slept peacefully, not disturbed at all. He observed your closed eyelids, your long eyelashes, and your peaceful face as you slept. Your chest rose and fell with your long breaths, Jisung almost wanted to kiss your fluttering eyelids.
He didn’t stay like this for long before you took a long inhale and tried to flip over. You found a sturdy object blocking you from turning, however, and you cracked an eye open to frown at the object. You opened an eye and met the loving gaze of your boyfriend.
“Hi baby, sorry I’m late.” He whispered. You smiled and raised your chin up to signal for a kiss. He leaned down, shifting his weight from his hands to his elbows to oblige. You sighed into the long kiss, feeling the familiar weight of Jisung’s body on you. You ran your hands lightly over his back and he groaned.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Jagi.” He muttered into the kiss. You grinned and chuckled a little.
“You devil, you started it.” You laughed and he raised his face a little to see you better and jokingly frown at you.
“What? Me? Never.” His mouth made an O shape as he faked innocence. You took in a deep breath as you readjusted from your interrupted sleep. You yawned.
“Are you tired baby?” He whispered and studied your delicate but sleepy features. He wanted to devour you, but that could wait for another time. He adored holding you in his arms as you fell asleep.
“Mmmm- yea.” You mumbled and started to drift back asleep. The comforting weight of Jisung on top of you made you want to drift away. He noticed you falling back asleep right away.
Jisung reached over and turned off the lamp light before leaning back over and getting the blankets situated over the two of you. He turned you to your side before encasing you in his arms and nuzzling his face in the crevice of your neck and chest. He loved listening to your heart beat. The blankets radiated your body heat and slowly, he felt himself drift away too, just as you had. His tired, aching muscles relaxed as he took one final deep breath and let himself float into his dreams. Jisung fell asleep thinking of you, feeling your arms around his shoulders and still feeling the shadow of your lips on his. You sighed and hugged him tighter.
Author’s Note:
Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to post this week because I’ve been having such a mentally tough time. But then I realized how much writing helps me process my feelings and how much it helps to read comforting things in times like this. So I wrote this. I know it’s not my fandom and it’s not the group I listen to but I sincerely hope that everyone who is taking Moonbin’s passing hard knows that they have people to support them. I only really listened to a couple songs from Astro, but regardless, I felt so deeply hurt by the news of his passing. So this is me saying that for anyone who feels down right now, hurt, or is grieving something in their life (not just in death, but loss in any way), you are loved, and important, and thought of every day. I hope you know you’re important. No matter what. That’s all I have for now. I may or may not take a break after this post for the week, we’ll see. As always, thank you for reading, truly. It’s because of readers like you that I write. Thank you.
Summary: You meet a rather eccentric group of guys at the movie theater while trying to find your seat!
A/n: This one is such a guilty pleasure of mine lol, I LOVE Howl's moving castle. I just was watching it one day and thought of Hyunjin (for obvious reasons). Enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
You stepped in through the movie theater doors and breathed in the fresh smell of buttery popcorn. You smelled the faint scent of bubblegum and pizza slices. By all means, the different smells should have come together to create an odd scent, but strangely, it was comforting.
You had come with a high level of excitement, a feeling you hadn’t had since you were a kid. The studio ghibli fest was being held in theaters for today and tomorrow. When you heard, you jumped for your laptop, determined to get tickets to at least your favorite movie, Howl’s Moving Castle. Unfortunately, none of your friends could make it to both dates, so you opted for one singular ticket- which made the process of getting tickets much easier.
Howl’s Moving Castle has always been your favorite movie, ever since you could remember. You recalled watching the dvd so much that it would skip scenes, you had at least 6 copies of the movie by the time you were fifteen. It was your comfort movie. You watched it whenever you got sad, whenever you were bored, or whenever you felt like having a relaxing night in. Even through college, you kept the movie close, watching it with your roommate. Mayazaki really outdid himself with this one.
Everytime you would see Howl on the screen for the first time, you would internally squeal, his voice warming up your soul. The romantic gestures and whimsical spells only made you yearn for more than what real life could offer. Whenever you watched it, you wished you had a handsome wizard to conjure up a flower field for you. Sophie’s determination made you giggle, and you would imagine you were her whenever your mom told you to clean your room.
As you stood in line for a bucket of popcorn, you got giddy. You always did, no matter how many times you watched this movie. The theater was packed with people your age, probably feeling the same feelings you were. These feelings were amplified by the cool decorations the staff had put up. There were cardboard cutouts of the movie characters, even a full scale Turnip Head. There were some backdrops from the movie, cool shiny streamers, and special edition popcorn buckets in the shape of the moving castle.
Suddenly being there alone was starting to be to your benefit: you could act as excited as you wanted without judgment. As you paid for a popcorn bucket and cherry icee, you watched as several other couples and people with children were smiling and having fun looking at the decorations. Several couples were taking photos with the backdrops. You even saw a child dressed up as Markl. You sighed in happiness before the cashier handed you your bucket, snapping you out of your observations.
After getting your snacks, you had a bit of time to kill. You could have opted to stay in the lobby, but the open theater doors were just begging you to step inside. So you did.
The theater was brimming with people. You had to stop and assess the situation. Most of the theater was taken, but luckily you had pre-selected your seat. Unfortunately, it was quite close to the screen. You hoped you wouldn’t be seated next to rude strangers. Your seat was the last single seat you could find. You listened to people chatting and whispering as you walked down the aisle to find your spot.
14c. That was your seat. But 14c was preoccupied. Not your seat anymore.
You saw that a long line of guys were sitting in the row you had chosen your seat in. There were 6 of them. All of them were sitting smack dab in the middle of the aisle, completely encasing your (now taken) seat. You made a face to yourself, sighed in defeat and contemplated the situation. There were people behind you, walking in your direction, so you could either politely ask them to move or try finding a spot, risking the same situation these boys had put you in.
Thinking of the seating chart and how full it was when you saw it online, you opted for the former.
You got real close to the nearest guy you could see, and attempted to get his attention. He had really wide eyes and was talking to his buddy next to him really enthusiastically about the movie.
“Dude, I’m so excited to see this. It’s my first time going to a Ghibli Fest!” He whisper-screamed.
“Yah, but did you have to drag all of us out here for a cartoon?” The second guy complained. “I could be like at the gym or something. I don’t know, anything else. Also, why didn’t Chan and Jeongin come? Why am I here?” He pouted. The first guy smirked.
“Consider it bonding time. Team activities you know-” The first guy began saying, but was interrupted as his buddy nudged him and nodded his head in your direction. He flipped his body around to face you.
“Hey, excuse me, sorry if I interrupted.” You stammered. He smiled and shook his head.
“No worries. Just trying to get my friend to shut up here.” He laughed. The second guy looked offended and mumbled, “You can’t even shut up yourself,” under his breath. The first guy smiled widely and waved his hand behind him.
“Don’t mind him, he’s always grumpy.” You smiled and shyly pushed your hair behind your ear.
“I’m really sorry, but I think my seat is right in the middle of your group. I can move if you want, I just don’t want to cause other people to lose theirs too.” You tried to lean over to speak over the loudness of his friends talking. He nodded as you spoke and then his eyes widened even more as you mentioned your seat. His mouth made an O.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, let me move for you!” He scrambled to get his things up. You frantically waved your hands and tried to stop him.
“Oh no it’s okay! If you guys can just move one down, that’s fine with me!” You observed him dropping his candy bag. The guy next to him noticed the commotion.
“Yah, Han Jisung. Those are my sour patch kids! What-” The guy started to protest.
The guy next to him looked over.
“Bro, why did you drop Changbin’s candy? I was gonna steal from those!” ‘Changbin’ ( you assumed his name was) frowned and yelled, “hey!” ‘Jisung’ looked up at you before looking at his friends. You could visibly see the wheels in his head turn.
He suddenly looked back at you and asked, “Are you alone? What seat did you pick?”
You stammered with your words, startled by the totally normal question. There was just something about these guys that gave off chaotic vibes. You barely got to answering your seat number before the movie ads began to fade away and the usual rule ad came on. You visibly panicked and Jisung did too.
“Oh shit-”
“Um-”
“Hey! Hyunjin! Scoot your ass over a chair!” Jisung reached over Changbin and whisper-yelled to some blonde dude. Changbin was less than satisfied at Jisung, being as he was currently squished below him. The blonde guy looked over with bewilderment and a skinnier guy next to him started to shoo him away, sensing Jisung’s urgency.
“What- I just sat down-” Hyunjin complained, but he grumbled and moved over anyway. Jisung looked satisfied and motioned to your now empty spot.
“Ta-Da! The movie looks like it’s gonna start so you might want to hurry.” He laughed. You just stood there, dismayed at the prospect of having to sit in between 3 dudes on either side of you. But the credits began to play and you had to hurry, as Jisung had said. You sighed and mustered up some courage as you squeezed past 3 random dude’s knees, each one of them were careful not to stab you with them.
Just as you plopped down on your seat, the blonde dude: Hyunjin, started to whisper to his friend across from you on the other side.
“Yah, Felix, pass the Dr. Pepper.” You looked at Felix, who was in the process of taking a bite of his pretzel. He wordlessly nodded, and handed the soda to Hyunjin, right in front of your face.
You looked at both of them. Felix smiled at you and shrugged his shoulders in apology. Hyunjin happily took a sip of his soda and made eye contact with you, his eyes widening a bit in embarrassment.
“Woah, I thought you were Leeknow for a sec.” He said nervously. You could hear the title song start to play. Man, you just wanted to enjoy your movie.
“No, I’m Y/n.” You begrudgingly said. Felix loudly chewed on his pretzel. You could smell it.
Hyunjin took another sip before placing his Dr.Pepper down.
“I’m Hyunjin by the way. Sorry for taking your seat.” He apologetically said and reached his hand out. You stared at it. The train sound of the movie filled your ears. You reached out and lightly shook his hand before observing what Hyunjin really looked like (or as best as you could in the dark). Hyunjin’s blonde hair stood out in the dark. Although you could barely see, you could still make out his features in the movie. His face was soft, and his features were delicate. The soft movie light made his skin glow. You found yourself snapping out of it, realizing you were still shaking his hand. You nervously chucked and mumbled a “nice to meet you” before quickly turning back to the screen. Hyunjin chuckled and looked back at the screen too.
Before you knew it, you were engrossed in the movie. As always, Howl’s introduction in the beginning made you sigh and smile, his voice never failed to make you swoon. As you watched, you found yourself unconsciously thinking about the man next to you (not Felix). Howl’s blonde hair was vaguely the same as Hyunjin’s and that stuck with you. As the movie passed, Hyunjin and his friends mostly kept to themselves. Except when the movie began to ramp up.
As Sophie began to change and discover Howl’s true nature, you could hear Jisung mutter things about how it was “so unfair for Sophie, she has to be a hag while Howl gets to be pretty,” or you would hear Hyunjin pout about how sad a life Sophie had. You laughed at the occasional commentary and surprisingly rude remarks Felix had stored up for the Witch of the Waste.
When Howl sent Sophie to the Castle, Hyunjin and his other friends, Seungmin and Leeknow, were all on the edge of their seats. It was only after Sophie’s and Howl’s escape did they cheer and sit back. Felix cursed out the escape of the Witch of the Waste. You giggled. You felt the same about her too.
You easily ate your popcorn and Icee as you watched Howl slowly fall in love with Sophie. Their love story never failed to truly entrance you, and the soundtrack didn’t help with that. As the flower garden scene showed, Hyunjin accidentally touched your hand with his as he reached for his soda, which was on the same side as your Icee was.
You blushed and muttered “sorry.” He didn’t say a word. The flower garden seemed so enchanting and the music just really set the scene for love. You smiled, happy at your decision to book this ticket.
By the end of the movie, you lost count of how many times you heard one of the boys sniffle, laugh, cry, complain and curse out at characters of the movie. Felix even asked you if you were a Turnip Head stan after he tried to save them at the end. You nodded solemnly, jokingly wiping a tear and saying, “He’s their savior!” Felix just laughed. You smiled as the end neared, your favorite scene coming up.
Just as Howl woke up and proclaimed, “Sophie! Your hair looks just like starlight!” You got a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Hyunjin nudged at your arm with his. You looked over, still smiling from the scene.
“Your hair looks kinda like Sophie’s don’t you think?” He whispered at the quietest level. You blushed, and didn’t know what to say. The ending scene kept going as you quickly turned to avoid his gaze. This random stranger just compared your hair to Sophie’s. Was that a compliment?
You looked back at Hyunjin, but he was already joking with Leeknow, who was arguing that Sophie was the true hero of this movie. Seugnmin was arguing for Hiel, the dog. Hyunjin was gushing over the love story. You started to think you were imagining what just happened.
Sooner than you wanted it to, the lights to the theater slowly flickered on and people began chatting, creating a buzz of conversation. Some people exited the theater, others stayed to talk. You contemplated just leaving, but Felix began to talk to you about the Witch and what you thought of her. He seemed quite passionate about it, so you stayed.
Just as Changbin suggested they leave for dinner and everyone began to collect their things, Hyunjin called to you.
“Hey, Y/n?” He smiled and waited for you to finish putting your bag over your shoulder.
“Yes Hyunjin?” You teased with his name. He blushed and Leeknow pushed past him, complaining about rude, tall, blonde men always being in the way. You laughed and gestured that you would follow him out. Hyunjin nodded and waited for you at the end of the aisle as you picked your way past empty popcorn buckets and trays.
All the guys were chatting as they led the way out the door, but Hyunjin stayed behind. Right after you waved bye to Felix, you paid all your attention to the man in front of you.
“Did you need something?” You politely asked, curious as to why he waited.
“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come out to dinner with us?” He blurted out. Now it was your turn to blush. The theater was now completely empty and the lights were on. The feeling of having watched a good movie was still flowing through your brain.
“You don’t have to be with all the guys, if you feel uncomfortable we can just go together? Or maybe Felix can come too?” He stammered. You laughed.
“Sure, why not. You guys seem cool anyway.” You barely got to finish your sentence as Jisung came running back in, yelling, “Hyunjinnie!” You giggled and Hyunjin seemed really embarrassed, his ears turning red.
“I’ll be right there!” He yelled behind him. Jisung stopped dead in his tracks as he saw you standing in front of him.
“Oop, sorry if I interrupted your moment-”
“Go away Jisung!” Hyunjin snapped and hid his face behind his hands. Jisung smiled and winked at you. He mouthed and motioned with his phone, “get his number!” You smiled and nodded. Jisung sprinted off and you could hear his voice as he got further.
“Guys! I think Hyunjin has a girlfriend now!”
You could hear laughs and protests, presumably by Leeknow or Changbin. You looked back at Hyunjin who was groaning into his hands.
You pulled out your phone and peeled his hand from his face, placing your open phone on his palm.
“I’ll only go if you kindly give me your number.” You stated. He glanced at the phone in surprise before looking back at you smugly.
“I hope you’re hungry then.” He laughed and inputted his number and name. As he gave it back to you and you walked out of the theater with him to meet with the boys, you glanced at your new contact.
It read: “Knock off Howl ❤️”
You laughed and he continued talking about how wonderful it would be to be able to conjure your own moving house.
Summary: bang chan rot. I am sad and happy and everything in between because of this.
A/n: Highly inspired by The Flower Garden (sorry Im so obsessed with Howl’s moving castle, the music is just so vividly moving I can’t resist writing when I listen to these songs 😣) and the whole ep Strawberries by Vietra. Highly recommend listening to this album on repeat while reading it! Enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
You remember the exact moment you encountered Chan for the first time. He was just a boy, running to achieve a dream that he didn’t even know the certainty of. He was at the beginning of his trainee days. You were at the beginning of your life post-high school. The both of you were seeking perfection from an imperfect experience. When you reflect back on your meeting, sometimes you feel as if it were fate. That life brought you to this boy that would become something bigger than himself.
You remember that day clearly. The sun was shining and summer had just arrived. The heat was beating down on Seoul relentlessly. You picked the nearest park you could find and figured a park would fit better than your stuffy room, still unpacked from moving.
The cool air in the shade provided a sweet refuge from the stuffy hotness of the sun. The grass tickled your legs and you smelled the sweet flowery scent of a nearby flower bush as you sat to rest in the cool shade. The sounds of conversations floated in the air idly, existing as background noise to the calmness of your day. Children played with their dogs. Grandparents encouraged toddlers to walk. Parents cooed at their children after a tumble. The chatter was loud, but it faded to a comfortable white noise.
You thought about the taste of your favorite sweet ice cream melt in your mouth as you watched a child walk by with a popsicle in hand. That same ice cream had nurtured you throughout your childhood and the taste of vanilla never failed to make you remember the times you had bought the cone from the ice cream shop around the corner. That same cone that the worker handed to you in your youth nurtured your adulthood as you moved to an unfamiliar place. Your mouth watered as you laid in the grass, careful to place your arm behind your head and contemplate how familiar yet different the environment around you felt.
There was a wave of cool air as the breeze picked up. The sound of leaves rustling tempted you into closing your eyes, singing a lullaby that eased you into a trance. Birds sang and you closed your eyes to listen. You were tempted to fall asleep right there, but some nearby voices interrupted your tranquility. You cracked an eye open.
“Dude, I don’t know what to do, I lost all my progress on my track.”
“Everything?”
“Yea, everything. I’m so screwed.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad. Do you have the original file?”
“No, that’s gone too.”
“Oh.”
“Yea.”
“Maybe I can try and help you recreate it?”
“It took me literal hours to make. I think it’ll take longer to recreate it. There were so many track layers, and I’m so stupid too. There were original beats on there that only existed on that file. Good lord.”
“Ji, breathe. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll just tell Seungmin I can’t meet with him today and I’ll help you out.”
A moment of silence.
“Chan, I can’t make you do that. You’ve got so much to do already. And Seungmin won’t be happy either.”
“It’s okay. He can deal with it. Besides, I want to help. I feel bad, I know what it’s like to lose a whole track, near completion. It’s a shitty feeling.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Yeah man, what wouldn’t I do?” Some laughs. A soft smack.
“Thanks. I really really really appreciate that.”
“Of course. I just want to help.”
You peek around you, not moving your head to be more inconspicuous. Out of the corner of your eye, you see two boys sitting near the tree you were laying next to. They must not have seen you, considering you were behind them. The two boys seemed to be a bit lanky and awkward. One had blond-ish hair and was wearing all black, the other had chocolate brown hair and was fiddling around with his beanie in his hands. You quietly listened to their continuing conversation.
“I just feel like the songs I’m submitting are all being struck down. I’m not really sure what to change about them.”
The one with the beanie hugged his knees tightly to his chest. It seemed a bit hot to be wearing a beanie. But the same could be said for the one in black. You mentally rolled your eyes- boys. From their demeanor and way of talking, you assumed they were around the same age you were. Maybe the one in black was a little older.
“I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with them Ji. Everyone’s just gotta focus on improving right now. I mean, look at Felix. He’s trying really hard to learn a new language he’s gotta sing in. Or Seungmin. He’s tasked with working on his dance. But like I said- there’s nothing wrong with their skills, they just have room to improve.” The older boy spoke so eloquently. ‘Ji’ as he was called, just nodded solemnly and looked off in thought. Chan, whose name you gathered from their approaching conversation, nudged his friend.
“It’s just the beginning. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We haven’t even released a full album yet!” Chan giggled and you could hear the way his laugh trembled with excitement. It was contagious.
“I guess you’re right.” Chan’s friend smiled. Chan just replied, “I’ve been here for years Jisung. I know a thing or two.” You smiled as Chan smiled, but quickly caught yourself for being creepy and listening in on a private conversation. However much you told yourself it wasn’t right, you couldn’t stop listening and focusing on how Chan encouraged his friend.
Even in the uncomfortable summer heat, surrounded by too many people and feeling uncomfortable emotions, Chan managed to lift his friend up out of the dumps. You were fascinated with the way this random boy managed to match the happiness of a puppy.
The conversation went on for a little longer, but you tried not to listen in much, assuming a private conversation should stay that way. But for the rest of the day, the demeanor of ‘Chan’ left an impression on you. His smile and his ability to be a friend to lean on stuck to your memory. Even after the two boys had walked away, you replayed the way Chan had so wisely maneuvered his friend’s negative thoughts into ones seeking improvement.
That afternoon, you decided to walk away from that park and get yourself that ice cream. While eating it, you wondered if you could ever be that type of person for your friends. You resolved to be that friend, walked up to the counter, and paid for the next person after you. That summer afternoon would stick with you for a long time.
-
It wasn’t until you frequented that specific park that you noticed the same boy over and over again. As the summer heat died down and the leaves of the tree you sat by started to change colors and fall off, you began to notice Chan more and more. At first, it would be brief, in passing. He would walk by you as you sat on a nearby bench. Or he would be listening to some sort of music on a bench as you made your walk to your tree. But eventually, you saw him more and more, and he saw you.
One day, he even said hi as you walked by. That was a mistake. You had walked by with your ice cream in hand (even in 50 degree weather) and he was seated on a bench when you two made eye contact. At first, you resolved to just walk past, but as soon as you tried to, he looked directly in your eyes and smiled.
“Hi, how’s it going?”
You tripped on the sidewalk crack. Fortunately, you didn’t fall. Unfortunately, your ice cream did.
“Oh my gosh- I’m so sorry!”
You put your hand over your mouth and stared at the now dirty ice cream on the sidewalk. For a split second, you didn’t know whether to shake your head and say it’s okay or to be shocked that he said hi to you.
Chan had risen from the bench when you dropped your ice cream and was awkwardly sticking his hands out, prepared to catch you when you almost fell. You were standing with an empty ice cream cone. You realized that it was just silent and had to say something. You looked at Chan.
“Oh no, It’s all good, it’s cold anyway.” You awkwardly laughed and looked around, not sure what to do. Should you be picking up the ice cream with a napkin? Do you just leave it there? You were so absorbed with the sidewalk that Chan’s response startled you.
“I can get you another one, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. It’s just, I’ve seen you around before and wanted to say something but I didn’t realize the sidewalk-” Chan rambled on and you stared at him wide-eyed. You blinked. The wind picked up. The napkin in your hand (from your bag of course) flew away. Chan shut his mouth and watched it fly away. It all happened so fast.
The two of you ran after it, as it was the last one in your bag and he just wanted to help. The wind took the stupid napkin down a nearby hill and unfortunately as you reached for it, you lost your balance and fell forward. Chan, being the good guy he always was, reached for your waist as you fell in front of him and he lost his balance too. The two of you ended up in a heap at the bottom of the hill. It was a large hill.
“I am so sorry, oh my god!” Chan immediately got on his knees and checked that you weren’t seriously injured. You groaned and sat on your butt, trying to pick pieces of dry grass from your hair.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry, I’m super clumsy.” You huffed and rubbed your palms, which had scraped down on the way to the bottom. Chan reached for your elbow and hesitated.
“Can I?” He wanted to check your arm. You nodded. He carefully reached and gently grabbed your palms, checking them for dirt. He blew off the debris and carefully inspected them. You winced, your palms felt raw.
“They don’t look too bad, but some ointment and a bandaid should help. Are you okay? Do you need help getting up?” Chan looked at you. He was sitting on his knees and heels, leaning close to you. He must have crawled over to you after you fell. You shook your head, feeling your mouth go dry. This was super embarrassing.
“Thanks for helping. I think I can get up.” You smiled painfully, feeling the true shock of embarrassment. You totally just dragged this guy down a super tall hill with you. For a napkin. He nodded and smiled back, revealing two deep dimples on his cheeks. Your cheeks turned red, but you looked down at your palms before he could see.
He leaned back and stood up, reaching out to help in case you needed it. You attempted to get up, but the rawness of your palms burned so bad as soon as you put pressure to get up. You hissed.
“Here- grab my forearm. Carefully.” Chan reached out with his arms and instructed you. You complied and he grabbed your own forearms from below. With a count to three and a little grunt, he pulled you up quickly. You felt a bit dizzy from the fall and sudden pull. Chan firmly held onto your arms and steadied you.
“You okay?” He gently asked. You nodded and whispered a thank you.
“Can you walk?” You blushed and nodded.
“I can try?” You smelled his cologne. He was quite close. He looked you in the eyes with pure concern for a split second before breaking a wild grin. You smiled at his tousled hair and the dirt smear on his cheek.
Chan laughed and sighed in relief.
“Good. I thought I was going to have to cart you off this grass field with a stretcher.” He let go and you instantly missed the space where his hands had been grabbing you for support. You nervously laughed.
“At least we didn’t break anything right?” You lightly joked and brushed some grass off your pants. He chuckled, the novelty and the awkwardness of the whole situation already passing by.
“I’m really sorry about that by the way.” You tried to apologize again. He just shook his head and stuck his hands in his pocket.
“Nah, I should be the one apologizing. I was the catalyst for the events that just took place.” He groaned and it was your turn to laugh at him.
“It’s okay really.” You tried reassuring him. He suddenly got shy.
“Do you want to get another ice cream? My treat.” He shyly asked. You blushed and felt your ears get hot.
“As long as we don’t eat it by the hill, sure.” You joked. He smiled and laughed. You loved when he laughed like that. His dimples were eye-catching and his eyes sparkled. He motioned for you to lead the way and followed behind you up the hill, making sure if you fell again, that he’d be there to catch you.
-
And here you were, about 5 years later. You and Chan were sitting across from each other on the couch that you both owned. Sitting in the apartment you shared with him. Sitting in the home you made with him. 5 years of dating later, you now shared your life with him. No more falls, no more spilled ice cream. Just him as your pillar. But all of that seemed so far away from you now.
“Babe, I wanna fix this. I feel so bad, I really want to make it up to you.” Chan leaned forward to grab your hand, but you retracted it. Whether it was from anger, or from sadness, you didn’t care to be touching him right now. He had left you waiting on him, he had promised to take you out for a self-care day. But as usual, he ran late, and then late turned into not showing up at all. It was now the next day.
Chan had turned up at your door with a bouquet of flowers and the clothes on his back. You had slammed the door in his face.
“You forgot about me Chan.” You whispered and looked down, tears dripping off your chin.
“Y/n. I’ll do better. I want to always be there for you. I want to be there when you need me and be there when you don’t. I love you. Please.” He desperately pleaded. You stared at your palms. The open windows of the apartment invited the cool summer breeze. You stared at the smooth lines on your palm, remembering the cool air you had felt when you first met Chan. The sounds of the swaying tree branches and children playing echoed in your ears.
“Y/n?” Chan carefully studied you.
You looked up at him and studied his eyes. You took in his appearance. He looked tired. He looked like he needed to shower. Like he needed to be hugged and reassured. You remembered the conversation he had with Jisung. How he turned Jisung’s negativity into encouragement. How his strong presence anchored the fleeting fear of Jisung’s mind. Your eyes softened and you reached out to hold his hands in yours. He tightly grabbed them and kissed your knuckles.
“Chan? Remember when we fell down that hill after you made me drop my ice cream?”
You smiled. He looked startled, but then his tired eyes curved with his smile. He chuckled in embarrassment.
“Yea. I felt so bad. I was just trying to get your number.” He lovingly smiled at you, a twinge of embarrassment dusting his cheeks pink. You closed your eyes and held his hand, remembering the way he tightly gripped your arms that day. You remembered the soft smell of his cologne and the grassy smell of his jacket as he handed it to you on your walk to the ice cream shop. You rubbed his hand with your thumb and laughed. You truly remembered the tone of his voice as he comforted Jisung. You deeply remembered the concern in his words as he asked if you could walk on your own.
“It’s okay Chan.” You looked up and he searched your eyes for any sort of anger. You smiled at him, and thought of all the times he had comforted you, or comforted anyone in his life. You realized then that all he truly wanted was to take care of the people he loved, even though he drew from an empty cup himself. You got up and he got up too, sighing as you hugged him close. You wanted to be that person for him, whenever he needed it the most.
Feeling his hands, feeling the memories of your meeting in your palms, it made you remember the promise you made to yourself to be a pillar for anyone you knew. This wasn’t about you anymore. This was him too. So, instead of you, you chose the both of you. You chose him and you chose his well being.
“It’s okay Channie. I’m here for you. I’ll always be.” You whispered and you pulled away slightly to kiss his cheek.
Chan’s concerned face turned into one of deep relief and deep exhaustion. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and you wiped them for him as they fell.
“I love you so much Y/n. I just wanted to help.”
His words echoed those of the words he had spoken five years ago.
“Channie. Let me help you. You do so much for everyone, I think it’s time you get help too.” You gently told him and you held his face in your palms, glad that he had helped to heal them all those years ago.
He nodded and closed his eyes, accepting your love and patience. You kissed his lips and he melted into your embrace. You held his face in your hands, ready to always keep the memory of him in your palms.
Summary: Based on a lyric from Lost Me, “I want to be covered in all the love, I don’t want to feel lonely” (yea, I’m a sap) Seungmin comforts you after you have a rough day with feeling like you’re not enough in your love life. He’s always had a hard time admitting his emotions, but funnily enough, it’s easy to say what he feels to you.
A/N: Originally, I was going to write this for Chan because he’s a big softie, but Seungmin just fits the story idea here beautifully. I feel like even though he’s silly with his friends, he gives off emotionally constipated vibes (sorry!) so I wanted to take that idea and run the opposite way with it. Is it just me? Idk, anyway, enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ masterlist
As soon as you got off the bus, you texted your best friend. You had been down in the dumps all day, playing into your invalidated needs and pitying yourself because a stupid song made you overthink. Usually, you try not to get in your feelings at your workplace, but your coworker had suggested a new song to you. Why not take a listen while filing? That’s where everything went wrong. The song was all about not finding someone to love you how you wanted. Welp.
Considering this year hadn’t been a lucky one for you in that department, the song really brought you down. Those files could wait another day, you just needed to get out of there.
It was common knowledge to your coworkers that you were the only single one on the publication floor. Even your work bestie had tried to set you up with dates, but all of them ended with awkward handshakes and words that meant nothing. You deemed yourself hopeless after the last guy had admitted that he couldn’t see himself with someone like you. So who could?
You sighed and texted while you walked. You half expected to see any sort of notification on your homescreen, but was met with a picture of your cat in a totally ridiculous party hat. At least you had your baby, Rosie, to always be there for you.
Minnie -me
Yes -mong boy
Are you free right now I wanna come over -me
Yea let me just clean up I was cooking lunch -mong boy
Ok. -me
Are you good? -mong boy
Yea, just a little down tell you more about it when i get there -me
OK. -mong boy
You laugh half-heartedly, thinking back on the time you changed his contact name to “mong boy” because of that one day he only answered your questions with the word mong to be annoying. Ever since then, whenever you ask your best friend what he deemed to be a dumb question, he’d only answer with “Mong.” God, he’s insufferable.
You continue on your mopey walk home, sulking in the fact that if you had a boyfriend, he would be here comforting you when you were down. But you didn’t.
Seungmin’s apartment wasn’t too far from your workplace, so you headed straight over, not even bothering to change out of your business attire. You secretly hoped he made something good for lunch because some food could really cheer you up right now. You arrived quickly, taking the elevator up to the 4th floor and turning the familiar corners you had seen for a couple years already.
Thankfully, the apartment was silent as you knocked on the front door. You could never guess when it would be peaceful or not, with 8 guys living there after all. It was strangely even a little too silent as you waited patiently. Then you got impatient. You knocked again, harder this time. You heard some shuffling around and then a thud. You put your ear closer to the door to listen. Silence again.
“Seungmin?” You semi-yelled, careful not to cause a disturbance to any neighbors. You strained to listen to any sort of noise that would indicate life in the apartment. Then the door swung open.
The image of you leaning towards a door that wasn’t against your ear anymore must have been weird to look at. You instantly jumped back and your eyes widened. Seungmin stood in the doorway, his shirt drenched in water.
“Hey, you were quick.” Seungmin simply stated, as if you totally didn’t just lose your soul from being startled two seconds prior. “Yea, work is down the street.” You recomposed yourself and walked past your friend, beginning to shuck off your jacket and shoes. Suengmin closed the door and practically beelined to the kitchen after you moved slightly out of his way.
“Is everything good Seungmin?” You laughed and sat on the couch, relieved to be in a comfortable seat for once. You sighed deeply, losing yourself in the bliss that Seungmin’s couch had to offer. No matter how many times Seungmin threatened to sell it, you convinced him every single time to keep it, it was just too comfortable. Seungmin was muttering something to himself when you decided to peek behind you.
You could barely see the top of Seungmin’s head over the couch as you tried to see what he was doing.
“Seung?” You tried to catch his attention. You were way too tired to get up and look for yourself. All you wanted was some lunch and a blanket to shut the day away. Seungmin finally popped up and hurried over to his room, taking his shirt off right in plain view to change. You closed your eyes. Men.
Sure, Seungmin was only your best friend. But you also weren’t blind either. Anyone could see that he was incredibly attractive, especially in his casual state of attire. You sighed deeply, pushing that thought far away from your mind, instead going back to those lyrics you had heard. You had never let a song dig so deep before. Why did this one hurt so much to listen to?
Seungmin jogged out again. He seemed busy today.
You closed your eyes and laid down so that you were looking out the window. The odd silence (save for Seungmin rummaging around the kitchen) of the usually full apartment made you even more thoughtful and you eventually tuned out everything except your own thoughts. Only when Seungmin yelled at you did you snap out of it.
“Y/n!” He snapped.
“Huh? Oh sorry Seung.” You replied, not really bothered by his tone. You knew he wasn’t really mad at you. Seungmin walked over to you, two mugs in hand. He placed them down on the coffee table and lifted your legs to sit under them.
“You okay?” Seungmin settled and reached over to hold out a mug to you. It was tea. You graciously accepted and whispered a thank you before carefully sipping on it.
“I should be asking you if you’re all good. What was all that noise about?” You laughed. He sighed and chuckled a bit before running his hand through his messy hair. Oh lord.
“I was trying to finish making you some tea and lunch before you got here but you were a bit earlier than I expected. I ended up dropping the kettle.” He laughed. Your eyebrows shot up in concern. He quickly reassured you, “Don’t worry, I hadn’t turned on the kettle when I dropped the water on me.” You let go of your breath and laughed in response.
“Aw, you didn’t have to, Seungmin.” You set down the cup and snuggled into the back of the couch. Seungmin tapped on your legs rhythmically and muttered, “I wanted to though.” You smiled.
“Thanks Minnie.” You teased with his least favorite nickname. He scrunched his nose and huffed. All jokes of course. He then got serious.
“No but seriously, what’s up? You seemed a bit down when you texted me.” He focused all his attention on you. The bright afternoon sun streamed in from the window and cast a soft glow on his face, highlighting the beautiful curves of his nose. You shook your head, trying not to get lost in his presence.
“I just, I had a glum day. I heard this stupid song at work today.” You pouted. “It made me remember how terrible my love life is. It’s really pathetic, you know.” You laughed and hugged the couch pillow in front of you. Seungmin stayed silent, simply listening. You loved when he just listened. You felt like you could talk without being judged.
“And then the girl who recommended me the song, you know her right? Her name is Jannice.” Seungmin nodded, remembering you talk about her. You continued while staring at the ceiling.
“She said she doesn’t know how to help me anymore. I mean, the poor girl has set me up with everyone she knows and they all end terribly. It makes me feel like there’s something wrong with me.” You whispered the last sentence. It really did feel that way. Like there was just nothing appealing to you. Like you weren’t particularly special enough in any way to catch anyone’s attention, or at least hold it. You sighed and felt hot tears prickle your eyes. Seungmin instantly recognized those tears.
“Hey, don’t be so harsh on yourself.” He wiped a tear from your face. His fingers lingered a bit longer than usual on your cheek.
“Those guys just can’t recognize real beauty. Inside and out. You’re beautiful Y/n. The most beautiful person I know.” He gently reminded you and patted your leg. You sniffled.
“You’re just saying that because you’re my best friend. You feel bad don’t you.” Seungmin’s eyes widened.
“Hey! I really think you are. I think those guys are just some assholes looking for a quick one night thing. What a bunch of dickheads.” He muttered to himself. You smiled and wiped your face from tears.
“Thanks Seungmin. I just felt like, I don’t know. Like, I lost a part of me that could have been attractive. I just want someone to have me and hold me. That special someone.” Your words tapered off to a sigh.
“Y/n?” Seungmin looked at you hopefully. You stared back, waiting.
“I know you brush off my words all the time, but I genuinely think you are one of the most intriguing and wonderfully brilliant people out there. Your personality and looks are wonderful to experience in person.” He leaned a bit closer to you. You rolled your eyes and smirked.
“Since when have you gotten all sappy on me Kim Seungmin?” You laughed and punched his arm. He faked pain and laughed.
“I just want to always let you know that it’s not your fault Y/n.” He blushed and scratched his neck. You blushed too.
Seungmin turned a little more to you and you began to sit up, wanting to look at him better. Seungmin really was such a kind person to you. You wondered if you could ever have someone like him to love.
Seungmin awkwardly smiled. You didn’t know what to do with the silence you held. It felt like you were holding a moment in time, right here, right now, right in the palm of your hands. The soft glow of the sunlight as the sun set made him sparkle in your eyes.
You whispered, “I want someone to have me the way those couples do in the movies. You know the ones I like.” You slightly blushed and felt your ears get warm. Seungmin was slowly inching towards you, your legs in his embrace. You felt so close to him, yet like you were a million miles away.
“If you want someone to have you, then I will.” Seungmin whispered. The apartment was silent. The clock in the kitchen ticked at what seemed like the loudest volume. For a moment, all you could focus on was his beautiful chocolate brown eyes and his sparkly eyelashes. Seungmin literally glowed in the living room and yet here he was, saying he would have you.
“I hope you mean that, Kim Seungmin.” You teased him and grabbed his shirt to pull him closer. Your noses were touching now. His warm breath on your face didn’t deter you at all. He glanced at your lips and smacked his, like he was preparing to drink a gallon of water.
“I mean it Y/n. I mean it with all my heart.” He whispered and looked back at your eyes. His eyelashes fluttered as you blinked, drinking in the sight of your so-called best friend right in front of you. What were you doing? He looked at you for permission as you tugged his shirt. You nodded ever so faintly.
Seungmin’s lips touched yours first. Technically he initiated it. You simply followed. His lips tasted like honey and peanut butter from his lunch. They were soft and pillowy. Seungmin kissed you gently, and held you face lightly, tracing your jaw ever so slightly. You sighed and deepened the kiss as he settled into the kiss. Seungmin’s nose bumped against yours and you giggled in the kiss, making him chuckled. The reverberation of his voice sent shivers down your spine as you grinned cheekily and ran your fingers through his soft honey brown hair.
You finally parted from his lips, after a lack of air deemed it necessary. Seungmin searched your eyes, as if still wary of the feelings you both had left implied, but not spoken. His hand was still on your face as you whispered to him, even though no one was around to listen.
“Does this mean you like me?” You said, teasing him even further with the most obvious question known to man. Seungmin immediately made a sour face and replied back, “Mong.”
You laughed at the whole absurdity of the moment. You had just kissed your best friend and the first word he said after kissing you was mong. How on brand.
“I take that as a yes and that I now have girlfriend privileges?” You laughed and leaned your forehead against his. He scrunched his nose up for the millionth time and pretended to think about it while tapping his chin, forehead connected to yours.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
You gasped and pouted.
“You’re so stupid, of course you do.” Seungmin immediately countered and blushed. He motioned for you to sit on his lap, which you obliged.
You giggled like a little girl. “Does that mean you’ll have me forever?” You teased. He kissed your nose.
“How long is forever?” Another kiss on your cheek.
“I don’t know, 100 years?” You laughed. Another kiss on your eyelid.
“I don’t know if Lino Hyung will let me live that long.” Another kiss on your neck. You hugged his neck tightly.
“Well you better fight back, or else I’ll be sad again. Like today.”
Another kiss on your jaw.
“We can’t have that, now can we?” A kiss on your forehead.
“No, I suppose not.” A kiss on the corner of your lips.
“Since when did my Kim Seungmin become so sappy?” You said. His lips brushed against yours.
“Oh shut up.” He pressed his lips firmly on yours and you let him cover you in all the love he could possibly give.
Summary: You get horrendously sick, but Hyunjin is a horrendously useless cook for sick people. Poor baby :( he tries his best to make you some soup.
A/N: I have been battling a nasty little ear infection lately so I didn’t write for like 3 days but I’m here and alive. Lol. Here’s an indulgent little story but instead of Hyunjin being able to take care of you like most fics portray the boys, he kinda fails and is a classic man instead. Sometimes we just gotta remember the boys: they’re just men 😥Anyways it's been a long day for me so- Enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
You can feel the scratchiness of your throat even in your sleep. You don’t know how many hours of sleep you got last night, but it couldn’t have been more than three. You spent all of last night tossing and turning in a pool of sweat, feeling the headache oncoming. Unfortunately, you had taken the last cold and flu pill in your apartment and didn’t have anymore to spare.
You stayed completely still, laying like a dead person in a coffin, wrapped in all the blankets you could find. You seriously contemplated calling up your boyfriend just so he could buy you some severe cold medicine, but decided against it to not get him sick. Your throat felt so swollen, you could barely swallow and your head pounded so much, you couldn’t get up from bed.
Because of this, you failed to notice the several times your phone rang and vibrated. You were too engrossed in the disgusting feeling of being hot yet cold at the same time, that you failed to even notice the front door open. Luckily it wasn’t an intruder. Not that you would have noticed.
It was right around the point where you felt yourself finally dozing off to sleep that your bedroom door flung open as loud as possible.
“Y/N!!!” Hyunjin burst through the doorway and crossed his arm in a pout before stopping in his tracks.
“Y/n? Baby? You here?” You peeled open your eyes and could barely see the top of his head over your absolutely enormous mountain of blankets. Hyunjin’s head bobbed around for a bit, clearly looking for you before he walked up to your bed and peeled back one of your blankets to reveal your bare foot.
“Ew.” He threw the blanket back and you coughed, making him jump.
“Oh my god Y/n, you scared me.” He laughed and knelt down next to your bed to face you. He squinted at you and looked increasingly more concerned as he observed your sickly face. You felt as sick as he thought you were.
“Hi baby.” You croaked out.
“Jesus christ babe, you’re sick as hell.” Hyunjin’s eyes widened at hearing how dry your throat was.
“Thanks babe.” You chuckled and coughed some more into your blanket, attempting your best to shield him from the biohazard you presented as. You curled up more into a ball and winced as your head continued to pound. It was so warm in this ball of blankets.
“Did you get caught in the rain again? How’d you get so sick, oh my god.” Hyunjin looked around, trying to look for any sort of water or pain medication. He observed your face and deduced that the official prescription from Dr. Boyfriend would have to be soup and some good old fashioned Nyquil. He knew you had some somewhere. You just groaned in response and tried to fall back asleep. There was nothing you could do to get rid of him now.
“Okay, the first step of my responsible care is taking medicine.” He announced before nodding in confidence and getting up to search for anything that could help you. You tried to focus on sleeping, but could hear him rummaging around the kitchen cabinets.
“Baby! Where do you keep your cough medicine?” Hyunjin shouted. You winced. Obviously you couldn’t quite answer. You heard a loud groan of frustration before hearing his footsteps approach the room again.
Hyunjin popped his head in.
“I’ll be right back, I couldn’t find anything. Give me twenty minutes tops. Don’t die. Love you baby! Stay Alive!” Hyunjin rambled, smiled and quickly ran out of the apartment. As soon as the door shut, you rubbed your tired face and laughed a little before huddling back into a ball and finally falling asleep.
About fifteen minutes later, Hyunjin carefully walked into the apartment, breathless from speed walking to the corner grocery store and back. In his arms he held two giant brown bags filled with ingredients, medicines, juices and teas, and most importantly, a bouquet of flowers. What could he say, he was a lover boy.
After carefully unpacking everything onto the dining table, Hyunjin began his task of picking out the first round of medicines and drinks. Before he woke you, he assembled a makeshift medicine tray with a water bottle, a cup with your meds, tissues, and some tea. Hyunjin had to admit, he was being a great caretaker right now.
He creeped into your room and checked that you were asleep before carefully placing the tray on the nightstand.
He crouched down and loudly whisper-yelled, “Y/n!” to which you startled awake.
Oops.
“Mmm” You groaned and tried to flip over.
“Come on baby, you gotta take some medicine to make you feel better.” Hyunjin carefully shook you and held out your medicine pills and the water.
“Babyyyy.” He whined. You cracked open an eye and almost cried at how painful the light was.
“It’s so bright.” You gasped. He looked to the window and back at you.
“I’ll close it right now then. Here.” He held out the pills to you and made sure to hold the water bottle as you sipped from it, just in case you dropped it. After your second pill, he quickly placed the water nearest to you and jumped to close the curtains all the way.
“There we go. Sleep tight. Also, that’s way too many blankets babe.” Hyunjin was absolutely determined to help you based on how his members took care of him. You didn’t reply, simply groaning and huddling closer to your wad of blankets. He let out a “tsk” and put his hand on your forehead, making you recoil.
“Hyunjinnnn, your hands are freezing!” You snapped at him. He shook his head.
“No babe, you’re just burning up.” Hunjin immediately peeled the thickest blanket out from the hoard on top of you and you cried out in response.
“It’s so cold though!”
“Baby, you’re way too hot for this many blankets. How about some food to warm you up instead?”
You winced at the thought of having to eat anything with the state your throat was in.
“My throat hurts so bad.” You whispered and closed your eyes, sleep threatening to take over. You wanted to cry from the pain. Hyunjin observed you, his heart breaking to see you in such pain.
He placed a kiss on your head before resolving to hit the kitchen next. He was a man on a mission.
Hyunjin put on his favorite kitchen apron as he observed the objects before him. The first course of action was to set up the flowers of course. Right where you would see them. He had picked a set of pink Calla Lillies to fit in your prized pearlescent vase. He cut the stems, filled the vase and set them on the desk in front of your bed. He knew this would make you happy. Would it take your sickness away? No. But it would make you happy that’s for sure.
The final course of action was his favorite part. Soup.
At first, Hyunjin had debated on even trying to cook something for you. He had stared at the wall of soup stuff at the grocery store and really contemplated his skill level to even try. Hyunjin felt as if maybe he wasn’t qualified to do something like that, but with a quick phone call to Minho and some reassurance (and a list of course), he resolved to just go for it. How hard could it be anyway?
Yea, he could have gone for the cans, but he always felt like handmade soup tasted much better. So here he was, staring at an onion, some garlic, some chicken broth, some noodles, and some celery. Minho said it was so simple, even someone like him could do it. Really, how hard is it to make soup?
Right before resigning to the feeling that maybe it was a bad idea, Hyunjin decided to just go for it. That was his first mistake. Hyunjin almost never cooks. Even though he lives with some of the most incompetent gym bros in the world, he still doesn’t really cook for himself. He can maybe do some mediocre rice at best, but soup? Out of his league.
Minho had given him explicit instructions. Onions. Garlic. Celery. Cut. Cook. Broth. Noodles. Cook. Ready!
It was simple. Too simple.
First of all, Hyunjin failed to remember to cook the garlic-onion mixture in oil. That got a little toasty. He also forgot the celery. That would have to go in later.
Second, he accidentally bought the unsalted chicken broth, so it was up to Hyunjin to salt the soup. Second tragedy of the night. Too salty.
Lastly, he overcooked the noodles. How does one overcook noodles, you ask? Well, Hyunjin didn’t know, but he still managed to do it.
In the end, the celery was too crunchy, the onions made the broth a sickly shade of brown, it was slightlyyy too salty, and the noodles were a bit mushy. But Hyunjin saw it as this: you needed the sodium from sweating so much and the mushy noodles would go down easier for your throat. Right? Just for extra measure, Hyunjin made some honey and chamomile tea, and included some crackers. Maybe that would fix it.
All in all, the entire tragic process took him thirty minutes. You slept for those thirty minutes pretty good.
Hyunjin brought the soup on another makeshift tray with your sides into the bedroom as soon as it cooled down. He was confident that you wouldn’t notice the soup ailments. Some soup was better than no soup, he thought to himself. He smiled in satisfaction that at least he was taking care of you like the dutiful boyfriend he was.
Hyunjin’s second attempt to wake you up went a little tougher than planned. It took him around 3 times of calling your name to wake you. It was only when he placed his so-called “cold” hands on your face that you startled awake.
“Go awayyy.” You groaned. Geez, since when did you get so mean when you were sick? He pouted and caressed your hand that stuck out from the blanket mountain range.
“I made you soup baby. You should eat.” He gently tried to convince you to eat. You squinted at him.
“You made soup?” You questioned.
“Yea, for you.” He replied defensively.
“Since when do you know how to make soup?” He scoffed. You smiled.
“There’s my feisty girlfriend.” He giggled and smiled widely before turning around to reach for the soup tray. You carefully sat up and he watched you settle before setting the tray carefully on your lap. He giddily watched you take your first sip.
Your reaction was slow. You took a long sip and stared at your spoon before making a confused and slightly disgusted face. However, with your boyfriend watching, you didn’t want to hurt his feelings. You decided to take a second bite, this time with some noodles. That didn’t help your already discontent reaction.
“Hyunjin?”
“Yes honey?” Hyunjin chirped.
“How much salt did you put in this?” You tried to take another sip. It was just too salty.
“Enough.” His smile dropped. You placed the spoon down and leaned back.
“What’s wrong with it?” He pouted. Oh geez.
“Nothing?” You forced out.
“You don’t like it do you.”
“Maybe it’s just my throat.” You carefully suggested and drank some of the tea. Hyunjin groaned.
“I worked so hard on itttt.” He cried and let his head drop to the side of the bed.
“I know, baby. Thank you for trying.” You attempted to sooth your sulking boyfriend. This made him sulk more.
“It wasn’t supposed to be bad.” He lifted his face and leaned it on his palm.
“Baby, I know. It’s okay, I know you worked hard on it.” You placed your tea down and caressed his hair. He sulked and looked up at you.
“How are you gonna eat now?” He said. You took a sip and shrugged.
“I won’t?”
“What! That’s ridiculous.” He frowned and then got lost in his thoughts.
Suddenly he jumped a little and smiled widely again.
“What now?” You eyed him suspiciously.
He smiled innocently.
“I know, I’ll just ask Minho Hyung to bring some soup!” He clapped and immediately got up from his position to reach for his phone. You didn’t even have a chance to argue as he quickly dialed for Minho and was already speaking.
You heard his voice fade into the kitchen as you stared back into the dark liquid in front of you.
Hopefully Minho’s soup was much better than Hyunjin’s. You smiled and chuckled before drinking some more tea. You loved that goofball of yours.
Summary: Just a little angsty drabble (if one could call it that) based on some lyrics:
Wanna give myself to you
But can you promise me, you'll stay?
Don't wanna be here on my own
You know it's driving me insane
Let me tell you one thing for sure
You're the only one I want more of
'Cause every time you strip away my pride
Humble me down to my knees
You're exactly what I need, you're exactly
A/N: I listened to For Days and Aphrodite by RINI. Love these songs, love the vibes. It’s giving very: sensual, lovesick, adoring my partner and living for them vibes. I love it, I think it fits Chan very well 😉 But on a serious note, I really think he’d appreciate the artful production of these songs, I wish I could tell him to listen to them. Enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
Song Recs:
For Days, RINI
Aphrodite, RINI
Something to Feel, RINI
A Starry Night in Apollo Bay, RINI
Chan had never felt so blind sided in his life. He was always so sure of his surroundings, of his situations. Chan always felt secure in his choices. He always felt confident in his relationships.
Chan was notorious for being the stable one in any of his friendships. He was the advice giver. He was the shoulder lender. He was the hug provider. Chan was the anchor in anyone’s stormy sea. Naturally, Chan prided himself in being such a source of comfort for others. He was happy to let others use him that way.
All of this was to say that Chan couldn’t imagine a world where someone didn’t need him. He got so used to all the people in his life who needed that special someone. He loved to be that person. But, this time it was different.
Usually, when someone tells him they need comfort, Chan gets the usual phrases: hey, can we talk? Or hey Chan, can you be there for me? Sometimes he gets something else, depending on the person. If it’s Felix, it’ll be a shy request for a movie night. If it’s Jisung, usually he asks for feedback on a song he feels deeply about. Leeknow has his own (kinda weird ways) of asking. So on and so forth. Everyone’s got a way of asking. Who is he to judge?
But you stupefied him. You disoriented him in every way possible. You never needed help. You never needed anything. Hell, he couldn’t even get you water without you complaining. You dazzled him like no other. Since when has he been attracted to such stubbornness?
For the past 6 months, you’ve been running laps in Chan’s mind. You sprint sometimes, not allowing him to sleep. You jog sometimes, always on the forefront of his mind, even when he’s eating cereal for breakfast. You leap sometimes, making him giddy when he’s with you. Chan is completely head over heels for someone who refuses his help in anything at all.
Chan knows he can’t quantify his worth with how much he helps people, but he can’t help it. It’s completely ingrained into his brain. You take that concept and completely slam dunk it into the nearest trash can. He knows you aren’t doing it to be rude, you’re an adult, capable of making your own decisions. He knows that. Does he listen to it? No. He still offers to help. To comfort you. It’s the only way he knows how to connect with people.
Ever since you bumped into him at a bingsu shop and gave him your number, you’ve been a constant on his mind. The sweetness of the bingsu you recommended to him is etched onto his tongue, forever associated with the silkiness of your voice. The tenor of your words, scratched into the walls of his head. Chan constantly texted you since that fateful day. On days where you didn’t work till your brain turned off, you went out and got food with him. Sometimes his other team members joined you, but the constant was always you and Chan. He loved it that way.
Ever since you started confiding in him about your worries and concerns in life, Chan had tried so hard to help you. He always listened, always gave you all his attention. Chan always offered you his help. Whether it was emotional or physical support, he always stressed that he was there for you. That would never ever change. But you never took his help.
But tonight. Oh, tonight. One too many drinks, too many strangers around, too much of everything. Chan was overwhelmed. He definitely knew his friends were. This stupid party was a terrible idea. The only reason he was here was because you said you would be there. He dragged Jisung, Seungmin and Changbin along, for his own sake. He had to literally bribe them to come. But he should have never come himself. Now he was confronted with this situation. All of it was too much.
The blue lights hurt his eyes. You tipped back the cup and drained its contents in a second, tops. Chan eyed you, worried about your ability to be standing. Was there smoke coming from somewhere? Honestly, Chan wasn’t too sure, he was a couple drinks in too.
Jisung came sauntering up to the pair.
“Yoooo, I think someone brought a smoke machine!” Jisung laughed and hooked his arm around Chan’s neck. Chan’s drink sloshed around in his cup. Chan felt bad but didn’t know why. He could see you speaking into the ear of someone next to you. The music boomed through the room and all he could hear was the bass.
“I noticed.” Chan said without a second thought. He continued to watch people walk around and dance. Jisung frowned at his tone.
“Hey, are you not having fun? Here, you can have my drink instead.” Jisung swapped out Chan’s drink with his. Chan didn’t really care. Jisung frowned, unsatisfied with how his solution didn’t work. He poked Chan’s cheek.
“Channn, what’s on your mind?” Jisung playfully smiled, trying to light up the mood. Chan spotted you taking a deep breath and starting to fidget a bit in your place. He just wanted to lean over and whisper anything to you. Really, anything would satisfy him. This whole situation was awkward. He couldn’t tell if the lights were moving or not.
Without answering Jisung, and clearly distracted, his friend gave up and walked back to Changbin who was riling up Seungmin to rap to the song playing in a large group of strangers.
Finally, Chan caught your eye. You tilted your eyebrow before looking into your now empty cup. Chan wordlessly offered you his. You shook your head. Damn. Not even a drink. Awkwardness ensued. You were never one to talk to fill the space anyways. Chan couldn’t even hear you talk to your friend, even though you were right next to him. He racked his brain, trying to figure out how to talk to you. The lights slowly transitioned to purple and the smoke thickened. Chan felt uneasy, but he passed it off as being tipsy.
Just as quick as you had tipped back a shot, one of your guy friends appeared in front of you. Chan was now terribly uneasy. His stomach churned.
“Heyyyy, Y/n! You made it!” Chan could hear his obnoxious voice, even over the bass boosted club music. Why was a house party playing club music?
You shouted back a response. Chan didn’t catch your words, the air filling with laughter from the beer table. He strained to listen.
All Chan could hear were glimpses of your conversation. Sometimes he caught words, other times the music died down enough to allow him to hear full sentences. You were talking about your love life. How laughable. He wanted to scream. The music changed to another song. Another wave of laughter and screaming. Probably beer pong.
“Yea, I just feel stagnant. No one wants me I guess.” You laughed out loud. Chan caught that part all right. He sipped his stale mixer in annoyance.
He heard your friend laugh at this. He watched the conversation play out and then he walked away. The feeling in his stomach stayed. Just as he was about to reach over to you and say something, you quickly started walking towards the door. He hesitated, not knowing whether he should follow and potentially be branded a creep or stay in his spot. He chose to do the former.
Following you through the maze of hallways to the front door made him dizzy. He didn’t remember if this is how it looked when he first got here. His mind was hazy, like the fog obscuring the view of his own feet.
As soon as Chan pushed open the front door, a gust of fresh air filled his nose and lungs. Oh god, he needed that. The maze of fog and drinks had made his mind foggy. Chan stepped to the side after letting a couple of girls into the house, trying to look for any sign of you. He only stopped when he saw a figure by the curb, right next to where the trash cans were out by the street. Could that be you? Something about the emptiness of the lawn told him it was.
Chan followed the direction of your figure before stopping some yards away, hesitating at the sound of sniffles. The sounds didn’t quite register in his mind until he realized truly that you were crying.
“Y/n?” He called out carefully. He didn’t want to startle you, as if you were a deer or something. The very concept made him cringe, but he kept that face internal. He called out for you again.
“Y/n? It’s me, Channie.” He called out a little louder this time. The sobs went silent. A couple seconds of silence.
“Leave me alone, Chan.”
Chan barely heard your whisper. He heard pain in your voice. Chan remembered the first time he heard that sweet voice of yours. It was nothing like that right now. That honey dripped voice he knew was now cold, and dripping with heart aching pain. Chan took a step closer to the shadows, not sure whether to sit. His mind was still running slower than usual.
You stayed hunched over your knees as he carefully sat down, closer to you to feel your comfort more than anything.
“I said go away.” Your voice was laced with venom this time.
“What happened?” Chan tried to meet your harsh words with kindness. He could never take offense to anything you said, especially when you were hurt.
“How many times do I have to say that I’m fine!” You lashed out. Chan’s heart wavered, but his heart started to beat faster with courage. He was determined to help you.
“I just wanna help you Y/n. Clearly you’re hurt.” Chan gazed at you with concern. He could see the tears smudging your eye makeup and the glitter sliding down your cheeks. All he wanted to do was wipe them off for you and say everything was gonna be okay. Chan was exercising all the restraint he could.
“All you wanna do is help other people. When are you gonna help yourself Chan.” You spit out. You gazed at him coldly, remembering the amount of times he ignored his own needs, not acknowledging its importance. It made you shiver, you always questioned why he was so giving. Why couldn’t he give to himself? Why did he let so many people depend on him? Wasn’t that just an invitation for vulnerability? Chan blinked at your spiteful comment, not sure where to take it.
“Y/n, I-”
“No Chan. You aren’t listening. I don’t need help. I don’t want help. I’m not a baby, like your little friends inside that house. I can do it myself.”
Chan could hear you choke out the last few words and stammered. He really wanted to reach out to you, do anything, but he felt held back maybe by the alcohol or by his own body.
“Y/n, I don’t think you need help.” He finally spit out. You chuckled and gave him a painful look. He continued.
“I don’t think you need anyone’s help, let alone mine. I want to help you though. Y/n, you are the fiercest person I know. You do anything you set your mind to, on your own too. But sometimes, people need to accept the help they don’t want. So please, Y/n, tell me what’s bothering you. I want to give myself to you. Please.” He pleaded and turned towards you. Your knees both touched. You choked out a sob and fiercely shook your head, denying the truth from yourself.
You weren’t ready to accept this help. You didn’t want it, especially after your so-called best friend told you nobody would date you. His words echoed in your mind, saying you weren’t good enough, that you focused way too much on yourself and that you were selfish.
“You can’t help me Chan. Nobody can and nobody cares anyway. Nobody wants me.” You sobbed, hunching further over your knees. Chan instantly hugged your hunched figure and whispered into your hair.
“Y/n, I don’t care what that guy said, but I can’t live without you. You torture my mind every single day, without a care in the world.” Chan rubbed your back. You continued to sob heavily. He continued.
“There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think that you are the most important person in my life. I revolve around you like the earth does to the sun. You’re my sun, Y/n. You are the brightest star in my galaxy.” Chan’s voice cracked, and he genuinely felt that he had tried to express his feelings as best as he could, but he continued anyway.
You choked out a laugh at his cheekiness, completely interrupting your moment of sadness. He laughed with you. You shivered, cold from the brisk evening air. He held you tighter.
“I really can’t live without you Y/n. I don’t know how else to show you that. I’ve been trying for months.” Chan mumbled into your hair. You leaned up and hugged him back, trying to comprehend the words he was saying.
“I yearn for more. I want more from this. I just-”
“Kiss me Chan.” You interrupted him abruptly.
“What?”
“I said, Kiss. Me. Chan.” You spelled it out for him. He blinked. You pulled him towards you.
The moment your lips met his, you melted into his arms. His kiss felt like home, like the long lost moment that you could never quite grasp. His lips were pillowy and soft, always asking for more. You gave him everything you had. Chan held you tight, as if you might float away any second. The kiss sealed the feelings he had been suffering from for so long. He always yearned for more, but could never grasp it. Your stubbornness to keep him away kept him from telling you just how he felt about you.
Now that you accepted his help, putting your pride aside, Chan gave every last ounce of energy he had towards telling you that he would always be there by your side. To hold. To kiss. To hug. He conveyed this in the movement of his lips, warming up your face. He wanted to scream to you that he’d always be there, one step behind, to push you further and hold you when you fell. You sighed, breaking apart from the one kiss that told you that maybe you were meant for someone after all. That someone was staring back at you, with all the love in the world being held in his eyes.
“You’re so stubborn, you know that right?” Chan giggled. You rolled your eyes.
“So tell me again, about you not living without me.” You grinned at him cheekily and he blushed, still in your embrace.
“Hey, I just wanted to help you.” He sighed. You kissed his lips softly, leading his lips to follow you.
“Okay, so help me then.” You whispered against his lips. Chan felt the fogginess of his mind dissolve. And so he would.
this series (and this blog) are 18+ !! minors, please do not interact!!
• changbin x female reader; lee know is briefly featured.
• non idol au. workplace au. rivals to lovers (workplace rivalry). some physical description of mc, drinking, explicit language, explicit smut.
• smut warnings (spoilers ahead) — dom!changbin, switch! reader, unprotected sex, sex in an empty public space, angry sex, elevator sex, use of pet names, lingerie, praising kink, dirty talk, slight degradation kink, dumbification, throatfucking, creampie.
• word count: 10.5k
Seo Changbin. Every time you get an email from me, you feel your blood boil. What a conceited, terrible human being. You have to work together, but it doesn't mean you have to like him. In fact, you only feel hate towards him. So what if you have no idea what he looks like, so what if you have never met him? Nothing could change your mind about him. Right?
• author’s note: Just a silly little one shot to take our mind off things. I wrote this completely for fun so I hope you can have fun reading it as well! Thank you for being here, sending lots of love your way. ♡
You stare at your computer screen, hoping that if you do it long and hard enough, it will magically conjure up the word you’re looking for. It starts with a g, that much you’re sure of, and it’s an adverb. It’s not gradually. It’s not gaudily. You have right there, on the tip of your tongue, but frustratingly out of reach.
You close your eyes and take a deep breath. You’ll find it. You’ll find it.
“Y/N?”
Your eyes flutter open on your coworker, Gahyeon, who gives you an apologetic smile.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” you sigh. “Just can’t find my words today.”
“Hm,” she nods knowingly. “I hate days like that.”
You slide a hand through your hair and sit up in your chair.
“What’s up, Gahyeon?”
“I just wanted your advice on something…”
She circles your desk and puts a document on it, asking about the revision of a tricky sentence, offering you a welcome distraction. You discuss it for a few minutes before she heads back to her desk, long hair flowing down her back. You turn back to your screen, ready to get a good amount of work done before you head to lunch. Your fingers dance on your keyboard for a few minutes when you get an email notification.
Immediately, your blood grows hot and you stop typing. The notification shows you who the email is from: Seo Changbin, from marketing.
You haven’t even opened the email yet but you’re already angry. You know his email will be dripping with his usual passive aggressive tone, blaming you for this and that, asking you to make corrections to something that has already been done and approved. You just know it. The guy is never happy with anything, especially not your work. He’s the only one, though. You work well with your colleagues, and your team manager likes you. You always hand in your work on time. You’re always meticulous. You care about what you do, and you make sure it’s well done.
But this guy.
Not long ago, one of his emails angered you so much you almost punched your computer screen. You almost took the elevator to his floor to let him hear a piece of your mind. Luckily for him you have some self-control - and you know he is still your senior in the company. You don’t want to lose your job over some loser who clearly has nothing better to do with his time than bring you down to raise himself up.
It wasn’t always this way. You’ve worked at this company for years as a translator and never had any major issues with anyone, except for some classic bickering and gossip. Then this guy integrated the marketing department as a star talent and proceeded to make your life a living hell because he, too, spoke several languages and didn’t approve of your phrasing or your choice of words.
It’s not the tone we are aiming for is the sentence you’ve read the most from him. Sometimes you hear it in your nightmares.
You really don’t want to open the email, but you have to. Then you can treat yourself to a good lunch. You had planned on just grabbing something from the cafeteria, but you will definitely head out outside. A brie and spinach panini from the cafe next door, perhaps? Maybe even some sushi.
You inhale slowly and click on your inbox.
The email starts as usual. Dear Y/LN. It also ends as usual. Looking forward to your collaboration. You clench your fists, imagining they land on his nose and break it in a thousand pieces. The guy is polite - too polite. So polite you also want to break his teeth. You can just feel the arrogance oozing from his words.
You read the content of the email and take a deep breath. It’s not too bad today, considering, but it still puts you in a bad mood. There is something I would like to suggest, he writes.
Suggest it to my fist, you arrogant fuck.
You stare at your screen, your face frozen into an expression of disgust. You hate every single word he uses. You hate that he puts his font just a half a point bigger like he has something to compensate for. You hate the little gray icon next to his name at the top that indicates the jerk still hasn’t uploaded his picture like the company requires. Maybe it’s best you don’t know what he looks like, because then your hate would know absolutely no bounds.
You work for a big company. So big it occupies multiple floors of a sky-high building, and you’ve probably only met about 5% of the totality of your coworkers. That does not include the marketing team, except for a few faces you can recall from a Christmas party. That department is a floor above you, right on top of your head even, and the thought makes you rage.
I won’t let you step on me, Seo Changbin. You can burn in hell.
You imagine he’s a sixty-something year old guy with a fancy suit and a big watch, a family he does not know how to show affection for, and probably a mistress although his dick hasn’t worked properly in years. You just know he’s the sort of man to look down on women, to never say thank you to cashiers and to play golf with his buddies on the weekend. Hell, he’s probably a part of a country club of some kind.
You’re probably taking all of this too far but you don’t care.
You need to hate the guy. You want to hate him. It makes it easier.
With a sigh, you quickly reply to him, your tone cold and expeditive as always. You sign with your usual kind regards, words you’ve decided during a lonely night in your apartment after four glasses of wine. Just regards would be too easy, best did not convey your feeling and warm was just gross. Kind - that was perfect. Just the perfect amount of passive aggressiveness that could never be read as just that.
You close your inbox, inhaling slowly. You’re not going to let the guy ruin your day. You are not.
You get some more work done and ask Gahyeon if she wants to grab lunch with you. Minho yells from his desk that he’s coming too, so the three of you set off downstairs.
In the elevator, you complain about the email. Gahyeon shakes her head, although smiling amusingly, and Minho lets out a chuckle as you spit out your murderous intents.
“What are you laughing at?” you pout.
“I was just imagining the day you’ll come face to face with the guy,” he says, eyes gleaming mischievously. “I need to witness this moment.”
“Historical moment,” Gahyeon agrees.
“It would be best for you to be there,” you reply. “I’ll need help getting rid of the body.”
Once you’re sitting down with your platter of sushi not long later, you let out a sigh and plop one in your mouth.
“So, are you guys going to the cocktail party Friday night?” Gahyeon asks you both.
“You mean the thing with free food and booze?” you reply with a chuckle. “Why the hell would I miss it?”
Minho shakes his head. “I can’t that night, I’m cat-sitting for a friend.”
You glance at your friend, but then again, for such a sentence to escape his lips is nothing out of the ordinary.
“You could bring the cat to the cocktail party,” you suggest.
“And what, put the poor thing on a leash?” Minho glares.
You let out a laugh. “No leash. Just let it roam free. Hopefully my archnemesis will be there and the cat will scratch his face off.”
You all laugh over your plates, covering your mouths with your hands so as not to be too loud. It’s a tendency you have - you’ve been warned before about making too much noise in this very restaurant. You love their sushi too much to risk being banned, so you do your best to be discreet.
“Are you going, Gahyeon?” you ask your friend.
She nods. “Probably.”
Minho raises his eyebrows at her. “Hoping Mr Finance Department will be there?”
Gahyeon blushes slightly. “Well…”
You slap your hand on her arm, gasping loudly. “Oh my God, that’s still a thing?! I thought you were over him!”
Minho leans towards you. “It was, but he broke up with Sunglass Girl.”
“He did?!”
“And he got a haircut,” Gahyeon whimpers. “I didn’t think it would be possible but he looks even more fucking hot.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” you say.
You put a hand on your friend’s shoulder and look deep inside her hazel eyes.
“Don’t worry, Gahyeon. I’ll be your wingwoman Friday night.”
“That’s okay, Y/N…”
“I promise you to get you close enough to count the beauty marks on his face.”
“He has two.”
“I thought just one,” Minho frowns.
“No, two,” Gahyeon assures him.
“After Friday you can tell us how many he has on his entire body.”
“Y/N!” Gahyeon cries out, hiding her face.
She can’t stop giggling, though, and neither can you - and as Minho starts to make soft kissing sounds, you all burst out laughing.
When you settle at your desk for the afternoon, later that day, you’ve almost forgotten about your work nemesis. Almost.
Kind regards.
Changbin lets out a scoff, scrunching his nose in front of his screen. Kind regards. He’s not an idiot. He can read between the lines. He knows exactly what that means, and it’s kindly fuck off.
He’s not annoyed by it. Changbin knows better than to let things like that get to him. No, he’s definitely not annoyed.
He just hates your guts.
Before he closes your answer to his email, he catches a glimpse of your picture, right there, next to your name. It’s so small he can barely trace your features, but in a previous moment of weakness he opened the picture so it would be bigger and saw you almost too well.
Wide doe eyes. Full lips. Smiling almost cheekily to the camera, wearing a black turtleneck. Wispy bangs grazing your forehead. Simple gold loop earrings. A faint white scar on the right side of your nose, probably from your childhood.
Yeah. He might have looked at the picture a few times.
It was just to get to know his enemy better, he swore to himself. That way, he had an advantage over you - he knew what you looked like, but you had no idea who he was. You could meet him in the elevator or the cafeteria and you would have no idea - but he would. It happened once. He saw you in the main hall of the building one morning, holding a coffee and wearing headphones. You were bobbing your head to the music, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. He tried really hard not to stare, but it was beyond him - luckily, you didn’t even notice him.
Why would you, anyway? Thousands of people work in the company, hundreds of them wearing plain black suits like he does. Once Changbin understood that, he knew one day it would come to his advantage. He’s just waiting for the right moment. It will come. He just has to be patient - which has never been his strength, but for you, he trusts it will be worth it.
He takes the last bite out of his sandwich - homemade - and leans back on his chair. If only he could deal with someone else, if only you weren’t the translator assigned to his projects 90% of the time. At one point it started to feel like a joke, so much he wondered if someone was doing it on purpose. Your pettiness, your rude tone, it all rubbed off on him in all the wrong ways. He doesn’t do well with games and smugness, so you’re really testing his patience. Getting on his last nerve isn’t even covering it. Passive aggressive emails are starting to not be enough to convey his point. The fact that you’re pretty? It makes it even worse. You’re probably just a princess that thinks everything should be handed to her. He’s going to need to make himself very clear.
He just doesn’t know how.
Of course it’s on his mind all day, and it pisses him off even more that he can’t focus on work because of you. You might be pretty but right now, for Changbin, you’re the devil incarnate and he needs to exorcize you out of his mind. Luckily, he has his gym bag with him so he can head right there after work. Small blessings.
At six o’clock, Changbin stands from his desk, gets his things and heads to the elevator. Many people have already left, which is why he likes to finish his day at six - it’s much quieter in the building and the subway. His briefcase in a hand, his gym bag on his shoulder, he gets in the elevator and sighs. A part of him just wants to get home, and another dreads the silence of his apartment.
The elevator stops on the 11th floor - your floor.
The chances for you to step in the elevator are slim, but present, so Changbin tenses a little, just in case. Good thing he does, because there you appear. Wearing a skirt and knee-high boots, your jacket around your arm, clutching your phone. His heartbeat immediately accelerates, and he has to violently remind himself that while he knows exactly who you are, you don’t.
You step inside the elevator, giving him a small nod, and push the button for the main floor.
It’s very silent. Changbin can’t help but glance at you - but you do the same at the same time, so both of you quickly look away. Leaning against the back of the elevator, you are pinching your lips, and you keep glancing at him. Changbin is more tense than he has ever been, keeping a solid frown on his face, his joints getting white at how tight he’s holding his briefcase.
You pull out your phone and start texting frenetically. He keeps his eyes in front of him, hoping that the elevator would just stop to let somebody else in, but it’s well on its way to the main floor without interruption. He glares at you when you snicker at your phone. Are you talking about him? Are you making fun of him?
He breathes out. Calm the fuck down.
You have no idea who he is.
And maybe it’s exactly why you are smiling like you are, stealing a few more glances. You’re not flirting, but he can feel it off you - if the context was different, you might have been. He’s trying very hard not to think about the fact that you smell really good. That your eyeliner is perfectly curved at the corner of your eyes, that he has a soft spot for knee-high boots.
So as to set his mind right, Changbin recalls to his mind the email you sent him today, and all the ones before. All the arrogance and rudeness, all the times he wanted to punch a wall or yell at you. That makes it easier, just a little bit.
The elevator finally pings at the main floor and he briskly gestures for you to get out first. You give him a cute smile.
“Thanks,” you say, your voice dripping like honey. “Have a good evening.”
Changbin clenches his jaw and does not answer. You don’t seem bothered though, as you walk away with a spring in your step. Fortunately, you head towards the street, not the subway, and he lets out a sigh of relief. Truly, small blessings.
You stare at your closet and let out a long sigh. It’s not that you don’t have anything to wear, of course, but there’s just nothing you want to wear. You don’t care about impressing or seducing anyone, you just want to dress up for yourself, to feel good even just for a little while.
You hesitate but eventually settle on a simple black cocktail dress you adore because it’s extremely comfortable and has pockets. You slip it on, wearing only your golden hoops as your jewelry, and let your hair down. It would do just fine.
Gahyeon is waiting for you outside your building, which is only a few minutes walk away from the office. She looks insanely good in a red dress and matching lipstick, and you shower her in compliments. You make it to the building quickly, showing your identification to the security guard. The lobby is already quite busy with people from all departments, who are sipping champagne and catching up.
You and Gahyeon get a drink from the open bar, looking for Mr Finance Department in the crowd. Luckily, your friend has a radar for him and she spots him by the windows standing with his colleagues. He has gotten a haircut, and the short hair gives him an edgier look that really suits him.
“All right,” you say, holding your friend’s shoulders. “You remember the plan?”
Gahyeon nods. “Walk up to him, say hello, be myself.”
“And, what else?”
“Be direct.”
You hold up a palm so Gahyeon can high five you, and she sets off towards her crush, nervously playing with the strip of her handbag. You look at her go, trying not to squeal as you watch the guy turn to her and give her a sincere smile. From what you can see, although you can’t hear, they seem to be hitting it off. You feel a rush of pride, like your evening’s work has already been done. Now you can just let Gahyeon enjoy herself, have a few drinks, and go home in peace.
You head towards a quieter spot, considering going out to the terrace to enjoy the evening breeze when a familiar face stops you in your tracks.
“Oh, Y/N, long time no see.”
It’s your boss - not the boss boss, but high enough on the company hierarchy so that he is not the kind of person you can’t ignore. You give him a polite smile although you’re not really in the mood for small talk.
“How are you, sir? It’s good to see you.”
“Likewise, likewise. Now I wanted to mention to you the…”
He starts talking to you about a recent project that he wants to expand, and you nod at him, listening more or less intently - and that’s when you notice the guy standing next to him.
His black hair is slightly combed back, small strands falling back on his forehead. He’s dressed all in black, his shirt without a tie, and there’s an elegant, discreet watch on his wrist. He just emanates charisma.
Sexy Elevator Guy.
That’s the unoriginal nickname Minho gave him in your group chat when you told your friends about your encounter with a mysterious, brooding stranger in the elevator.
All week you hoped to see him again, although you never really counted on it. You didn’t even know if he worked at the company - maybe he was just a visitor. But from his attire and the fact that he is standing next to your boss, you can guess he’s your colleague.
How delightful.
Your boss seems to notice he hasn’t introduced you, and so he points at the guy, who has been staring at you since you appeared.
“Oh, but you two must know each other, right?” your boss says. “Don’t you work together?”
You frown. “Hm, I’m not sure..”
“Sure, we do,” the guy answers.
You look at him in surprise and confusion. This smile - it really does look like he knows you. Is it because of the elevator? You don’t understand.
“How delightful to finally meet you, Y/LN,” he continues, and your blood gets boiling hot. “Seo Changbin, from Marketing.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh, no.
Your heart drops at the bottom of your chest as you stare at him. Does he know who you are? He has to, smiling proudly as he is. You’re too shocked to feel angry, but you know it’s coming.
“I -” you stutter. “I’m not -”
“Can you believe this, sir?” he laughs. “We’ve been exchanging emails for months but we’ve never met.”
“Yes,” your boss nods, “well, that’s what happens with such big companies.”
The two of them keep talking but you completely lose track, your eyes fixated on him. Seo Changbin. He is your nemesis? He is looking forward to your collaboration guy? You can’t believe it.
Yet you have to face it.
That’s him. Seo Changbin.
The guy you’ve been hating and insulting and plotting to murder.
He’s standing in front of you - and he is also Sexy Elevator Guy.
No fucking way.
“Excuse me,” you mutter and walk away without another look.
You don’t care that you’ll come off as rude - you need some air. A lot of it, actually. You head directly to the terrace, stare up at the dark sky and inhale deeply. You feel dizzy, the wine coming up your throat.
You can’t believe what just happened. It’s one thing to discover his identity - but you can’t get over the fact that he clearly knew who you were. He is playing with you. He’s had the upper hand this entire time. Of course he does, you realize. His picture isn’t on his profile, but yours is. How dumb you are.
Your eyes fixated on the horizon, you let out a bitter laugh. What a fucking dick. What an enormous piece of shit. You clench your fists, ready to go back in and punch him in the balls for humiliating you like that. Your physical idea of him might’ve been completely wrong, but it clearly wasn’t in terms of personality.
“Here.”
At the sound of his voice, you spin on your heels, ready to spit venom - but he’s no longer smiling. His eyes are dark, his face serious, and he’s handing you a glass of white wine.
“Noticed that’s what you were drinking earlier,” he explains.
You squint your eyes at him.
“Get the fuck away from me,” you hiss.
He sighs, looking at you as if he is disappointed.
“C’mon, now. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, maybe we can be professional adults about this?”
“Excuse me?!”
“I’m talking about the attitude,” he says, raising an eyebrow nonchalantly. “We don’t like each other, and that’s fine. I don’t care, I don’t need to like you. But I’m tired of working with you feeling like a fight.”
It’s like you sober up all at once, fixating on him a dark glare.
“I don’t think I’m the problem here,” you spit out. “You came in and started criticizing my work like I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve been working here longer than you.”
“I’m still your superior,” he replies, taking a step towards you. “Whatever I say goes.”
“You don’t have to be a dick about it.”
“I’ve always been polite.”
“Polite, my ass. You’ve been looking down at me ever since your first email. I’m not stupid, don’t talk to me as if I am.”
“If only you did what is expected -”
You bark out a laugh, shaking your head. He stops.
“You did not just say that.”
He squints his eyes and exhales deeply. “All I mean is, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Just make the damn changes.”
“I do,” you hiss. “But you could ask for them a little bit more nicely.”
“What, do you want every single email to come with a bouquet of flowers and a serenade? I have better things to do.”
“You’re such a patronizing asshole.”
“And all you do is insult me. Why can’t you act like an adult for once?”
“You know nothing about me.”
“I know enough.”
You take a deep breath. It feels like arguing with a wall - clearly, there is nothing to be done, and really, nothing to say. You just don’t get along, and that will be the end of it. You suddenly feel tired. You take the glass of wine from his hand.
“Here’s one more insult for the road: fuck you.”
You just want to go back inside, finish your drink and get home, but Changbin grabs your upper arm as you’re starting to walk away. He doesn’t do it gently, but it’s not rough either - you look up at him with spite.
Or you try.
Because Changbin is so very terribly your type, smells wonderful, and has the kind of voice to get anyone weak in the knees.
Focus, woman.
“What?” you hiss.
“This conversation is not over.”
“Oh, I think it is,” you laugh with scorn.
“It isn’t,” he retorts, his eyes focused on you.
He’s standing a little too close for your liking - you can’t help but glance at his lips. Plump. Inviting.
“We have to figure out a way to work together. It’s not like we have a choice.”
You lift your chin slightly. “If you don’t let me go this second, I’ll scream and tell everyone you’re a pervert.”
He bites his lip, clearly holding back an insult, and you wish he would just say it. He doesn’t, though, and simply lets you go. You shake your hair out of your face.
“I’m sick of the games,” he chews. “Tell me what you want.”
You smile at him. “The games.”
He sighs and you chuckle.
“Don’t think for a second you’ll get away with this trick you just pulled. If you thought I was difficult before, you have no idea what’s coming for you now, Mr. Seo.”
He looks exhausted and slightly worried, but angry most of all. That delights you, and you finally walk away from him, finishing your glass of wine in one sip.
He can’t let you walk away like this.
This is all Changbin can think of as he watches you cross the terrace to go back inside. If it ends like this, then it will all be for the worst. You might follow up on your promise to make his life a living hell, or even worse, things might get awkward and even more tense. No, definitely, you and him need to continue this conversation and find some kind of agreement.
He licks his lips, turning away from the building in annoyance. He never signed up for this when he decided to leave his previous workplace for this one - yes, the salary was better, and so were the benefits, but it was never about that. It was about challenging himself, about growing and learning in his workplace environment, about finding his place. You couldn’t get in the way of that. Nobody could.
Changbin glances inside to make sure you haven’t left the building - he catches a glimpse of you near the bar, sulking. Good, he thinks, as he finishes his own glass. Let the both of you be miserable and angry, at least.
The world feels so quiet out on the terrace, but when he steps back inside, his ears are filled once more with the sounds of music and conversation. Since there are a lot of people around, maybe it won’t be as easy for you to start spitting venom at him - but he doesn’t really count on that. He takes a deep breath, tries to settle his anger. Just a conversation. Calm, polite, reasonable. You can do that.
However, as you lock eyes with him across the room, Changbin knows it won’t be that easy. Your eyes are full of fire, your mouth pinched in spite. It could be unattractive if only that black dress did not perfectly hug your curves and set his mind wandering against his will.
“For fuck’s sake, can’t you leave me alone?” you whine.
It would be so easy to fall back into the same energy as you, but Changbin holds on. He breathes in, leaning against the wall next to you. He’s not a difficult person. He doesn’t usually get into conflicts with people. Why he does with you is beyond him.
“Look,” he says. “I just want to be able to work in peace.”
“So do I,” you sigh. “But you never let that happen.”
“How about this,” he snaps, turning to face you. “I hold back on the passive aggressive, but so do you.”
To his despair, you only give him a smug smile.
“So you admit to the passive aggressiveness.”
“Is this what you pick up on?”
“Didn’t you hear me earlier?” you say, frowning. “You humiliated me. Made damn sure I’d feel like a fool not knowing your face. I’m not going to let you walk away from that.”
“What the hell do you want from me?”
You scoff. “You think I’m going to tell you now? No way. I want you to live in fear.”
It’s entirely against his will, but Changbin laughs. He quickly frowns afterwards, sliding a hand across his face. The look of surprise on your face quickly fades away, though, to a certain revolt.
“Are you laughing at me?” you ask.
“No,” he sighs, making sure his face no longer holds any kind of laughter. “You’re just getting on my last nerve.”
“Well you’ve been on mine for a certain time.”
“It’s useless to talk to you, isn’t it?”
“If you wanted to talk, why didn’t you just come and see me? Why did you have to do all that shit with the picture and the boss? Why did you have to mock me like you did?”
You are so full of fire, Changbin can’t believe his eyes and ears. You’re like a flame he can’t look away from - a flame he desperately wants to extinguish for his own preservation, and yet one he desperately wants to graze with his fingers, even knowing he’ll get burned.
Your conversation is going nowhere, Changbin is aware of it. Things have gone completely out of hand, so much it all feels like a fever dream. So confused between his different feelings for you, Changbin breathes out, pulling on his suit to replace it on his shoulders.
“I need another drink,” he mumbles.
Without him expecting it, tables turn - this time, it’s you grabbing his arm as he is turning away. He looks up at you in surprise.
“I have an idea,” you say.
It might be the booze, or it might just be the adrenaline, but you find yourself dragging Seo Changbin by the wrist across the lobby, all the way to the elevators. To your surprise, he doesn’t even try to shrug you off, and you don’t let him go.
You both get in the elevator and you push the button for the 12th floor. Changbin waits until the doors have closed and you stand in silence to ask.
“Where are we going?”
“Where do you think?” you sigh. “Your office.”
He turns towards you, eyes dark.
“Why?”
You do the same, turning to face him. Your index pushes against his chest.
“You’re going to do something for me,” you state. “Even if I have to endure your shit, I’ll make sure nobody else does.”
“I’m not going to - It’s not even - and how are you going to do that?”
“Simple,” you grin. “Upload a picture.”
The doors of the elevator open on this perfect timing, and you wave your hand.
“After you.”
He lets out a long sigh but he still leads you to his office. You’ve never been in this area of the building, but now is not the time for sightseeing. Besides, most floors look the same.
Changbin opens the door to his office, and you follow him inside. It’s not a very big room, but it’s still wide enough for a large desk and bookshelves. There are two large windows, and the walls facing the rest of the floor are made of glass. Not much for privacy, you think. But then again, your own desk stands in the middle of a wide room, which you share with ten other people.
You nod towards his chair. “Sit.”
He rolls his eyes, but he does. You stand next to him, arms crossed, thinking about the fact that this was probably the spot from where he sent most of his day-ruining emails to you. You bite your tongue a little.
“C’mon. Open the computer and upload the damn picture.”
“I don’t have one.”
“One what?”
“A picture,” he explains. “An official one, I mean.”
You groan. “I don’t give a shit. Find another one, it’ll have to do.”
“I was told it had to be -”
“Hey,” you snap. “You’re in no position to argue.”
He scoffs but he doesn’t answer, although he clearly disagrees. You don’t care you’re being petty, and that he’s being the bigger person - you’ve never had much of a reasonable nature. As Changbin searches through his computer, you walk around the office, staring at the window, staring at him, and then at his screen. You catch a glimpse of a group picture, of him with friends, smiling widely at the camera.
He shakes his head but reframes the picture and uploads it to his email profile. You squint your eyes.
“There. You happy?” he lets out.
“It’ll do for now,” you say.
He closes the windows on his screen, standing up. His shoulders are wide, his arms too. You remember that gym bag he was carrying.
“Let’s go, then,” he says.
You chuckle. “Oh, do you think this is over?”
He blinks at you, chuckling in disbelief. “Isn’t it?”
“Not even close.”
“All right, this is enough,” he growls, taking a step towards you. “I’ve done what you wanted, can’t you move on now?”
“No, I can’t,” you spit. “You’ve made my life difficult ever since you’ve started working here and -”
“What about my life?” Changbin hisses. “You think your fucking tone and attitude has made my days easier?”
“At least I’m not a self-righteous asshole!” you cry out.
“God, you’re fucking detestable,” he says.
He’s standing too close to you now. All you can see, all you can smell, is him, him, him. The tension is so tightly drawn between your two bodies you feel like it can only snap. You desperately hold on to your end, though, because you’re scared of what might happen if you do let go - but it’s out of your control.
Changbin breathes in, and his eyes linger for a second too long on your lips - and that makes the tightrope snap.
He doesn’t kiss you first, but neither do you - it just happens at the same time. Your lips crash halfway in a feverish dance, and you can’t understand what is happening to you. It feels like your entire body just caught on fire, like everything makes sense, like every step you’ve taken, every word you’ve uttered, has led you to this moment.
Changbin’s hand slides behind your head, holding the back of your neck, and your arms circle his waist to sprawl on his back. He kisses you deeply, breathing you in, and you can only collapse in his arms.
Your hands go against his chest, and then in his hair, as he keeps pushing your head against his lips, as if to deepen your kiss, more and more. Your back hits the desk behind you, but you barely notice. All you can feel are Changbin’s lips devouring yours, his arms holding you close. You open your mouth wider but he’s quicker, sliding his tongue inside before you can do the same.
A moan escapes your throat, vibrating against his lips, and he draws you in even closer. It seems like forever before you lean back, breathless, just in order to catch your breath. Your lips feel swollen already, but you don’t want to stop kissing him. Still, the slight distance gives you enough perspective to realize what is happening.
“What the fuck am I doing,” you whisper, shaking your head.
A part of you wants to slip away, just so you have time to put some order in your thoughts, but as you are about to do so, Changbin’s fingers, which had been resting on your waist, grab your chin tightly. You whimper.
“Is this a part of your little game?” he says in a low voice, breathing heavily.
“What?”
“Tell me the truth,” he hisses. “Are you playing with me now?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
You angrily grab his wrist, trying to pull his hand away - but he is stronger than you. You struggle against him, gritting your teeth.
“Answer me,” he insists.
“Fuck you,” you spit out.
He relaxes enough for you to push him away, squinting your eyes at him in anger.
“Way to ruin the moment, asshole.”
You do the only thing that makes sense for you in that instant - walk away. You’re ashamed and horribly angry at yourself for letting this happen. He’s attractive, yes, but he’s ruined so many of your days, made you feel miserable and worthless at your job. You have to hold on to your anger - and it has to be directed at him.
Your heels make no sound against the carpet and it’s infuriating. You don’t hear anyone behind you either, so you guess Changbin has decided not to follow you. It’s probably a good thing, although now you feel entirely at a loss as to how your workdays will go. Should you be quiet? You scoff. No - if anyone should, it’s him.
Your hand smashes the button for the elevator. It takes too long to arrive, but it does. You enter the elevator, push the button for the lobby and cross your arms.
Fuck, if only he wasn’t such a good kisser.
The doors are nearly closed when he comes in. He slides between them, stands in front of you. He’s not that much taller than you but someone in his demeanor makes you feel like he’s towering over you by several inches.
“Just leave me alone, will you?” you hiss.
He scoffs, shaking his head. There’s a wildness in his eyes, and you can’t look away from him.
“Can you really blame me for asking?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“About playing games,” he says, articulating each syllable. Each sounds angrier than the last. “You told me you’d make me regret what I did.”
You pout. “Aw, are you really that scared? It’s not my fault you made it your job to piss me off.”
“Look who’s talking.”
You stare at each other for a second. It’s like the tension has magically reappeared, unresolved. It’s clear you both want the same thing, but can’t bring yourselves to say or show it. You’re so angry at him.
He takes another step towards you. Your faces are inches from each other - just a nod and his lips would be on yours again.
“Fine. I’m sorry about the picture thing,” he says, his voice low and deep.
“Just that?” you ask, arching an eyebrow.
His smirk only curves half of his mouth, and it’s humorless. “Don’t push it.”
You are the one to tilt your head forward, just slightly.
“This does not mean I’m not angry at you,” you breathe in his mouth.
“And we still need to talk about this,” he adds.
“Later,” you nod.
He turns to slam the button to stop the elevator, and as his body comes back to face yours, you pull him in your arms and kiss him.
It’s even more desperate and angry than before, maybe because neither of you are held back by the surprise and doubt. It’s unsaid, but you hear it from his lips, it doesn’t mean anything. You’ve just both been tense and you need an outlet - what better than each other?
Changbin pushes you against the wall of the elevator, his hands discovering your body. His warmth and his weight are completely enveloping you, and you push his jacket away. He shrugs it off, and the fabric of his shirt is soft against your skin.
Changbin kisses you deep, like he’s been waiting to do it, like you’re not on top of each other inside a dark elevator outside of work hours, his tongue tasting of lemon and gin.
One of his hands traces your hips and slides on your ass, squeezing softly. In a swift move, he lifts one of your legs and wraps it around his. It elicits a moan from you, your nails scratch the back of his neck. He growls in your mouth, biting your lower lip in answer.
With his body pushed against yours, you can feel his hard cock, and he shifts you so it rubs directly against your wetness. You roll your hips, breathing heavily against his mouth.
“You like that, huh?” he tells you. “Rubbing yourself against me.”
“Easy, you’re so fucking hard already,” you retort.
“Like you aren’t all wet for my dick,” he sighs, kissing your neck.
You feel yourself clench at his words. When you don’t answer, only grab him tighter, Changbin chuckles.
“You are, aren’t you?” he whispers, his hands moving up your dress, lifting it slowly, warming your thighs.
“Shut the fuck up.”
He shakes his head, biting your earlobe hard. You let out a small whimper.
“I’m gonna fuck that tight little pussy of yours so good you won’t be able to come into work tomorrow.”
“You wish,” you answer, starting to unbutton his pants. “I’m not gonna let you go a day without getting an email from me. I’m going to fucking torture you.”
As you mutter the words, you take his cock out of his pants and start to rub your hand around it. Changbin hisses, slightly bucking his hips.
“You need a fucking lesson,” he sneers, pushing your underwear to the side to touch you. “I’m going to shut you up.”
He is right - you’re soaked, but it seems to please him. He takes a few seconds to caress you, spreading your wetness, and inserting a finger inside of you. You let out a choked moan, wrapping your arms around his neck for a better hold.
“That’s right,” he mutters. “That’s what I like to hear.”
He inserts another finger, stretching your walls, and moving his wrist in sharp motions. You breathe out erratically, grabbing onto his suit, his fingers curled inside your cunt.
“Fuck, you’re so tight. Making me lose my goddamn mind.”
You don’t want him to stop what he is doing, but you are craving the feel of his cock inside of you, so you tug at his hardness, kissing his jaw.
“Fuck me already.”
He doesn’t need you to ask twice, guiding himself against your entrance and penetrating you. You let out a choked moan, grabbing onto the wall of the elevator. He gives you time to adjust to his size, but he’s not being particularly careful either.
“Holy shit,” you mutter in his ear despite yourself.
“Fuck, I can feel my cock stretching you,” he grunts.
He thrusts his hips faster and faster, and in a matter of seconds he’s pounding into you. The elevator is silent except for the sounds of your heavy breathing and moans, and the lewd sounds of him fucking you, skin slapping against skin.
Your nails dig inside the back of his neck again, and he grips your waist so tight you’re sure it will leave a mark.
“Changbin, don’t stop,” you cry out.
“So impatient,” he sneers, but he still doesn’t stop, like he can’t, like he’s a man possessed.
He even accelerates, and you feel yourself coming. Your orgasm ripples through you like lightning. Your body shakes, your thoughts evaporate. Changbin fucks you deep, his breathing heavy in your hair.
“I can’t -” he hisses. “I’m not -”
“Come inside me,” you surprise yourself whispering.
You can feel his cock twitch at your words, and he comes inside you, hips bucking sharply, grunts escaping his throat like it’s hurting it.
You stay like that for a few minutes, panting, recovering your breath. After a few seconds he takes a step back, breathing out. You got back on both feet, feeling dizzy and already sore. You both look like a mess, hair tangled, lips raw from kissing.
You lean back against the wall, breathing slowly. He does the same on the wall next to you. You’re silent for a few seconds.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” you say softly.
Changbin nods.
“Let’s go back up. There won’t be anyone there.”
His voice is softer than you’ve ever heard - almost tender. You look at him, giving him a small nod, and he pushes the elevator button so it heads back upstairs.
He lets you go to the bathroom alone, where you clean up, but he’s waiting for you outside.
“All good?” he asks with a frown.
“Yes.”
You look down at the floor as he does, and then back at him - meeting his eyes in the process. The silence is awkward, but just like that, you find yourself smiling. Him, too.
And then you start laughing.
It’s not hysterical laughter, just chuckling. He looks almost shy, and you can’t stop giggling. You might even be blushing.
“I don’t know about you,” he says, scrunching his nose. “But I feel a lot better.”
You smirk. “Took the words right out of my mouth.”
He stretches a hand towards you. “Wanna go back to the party?”
You nod. “Hell yes. I need a drink.”
“So do I.”
You head back to the elevator, and you let it head downstairs this time. Smirking to yourselves, you feel like the whole thing is unreal.
But you do feel better. You don’t force your smile - it stretches on your face, plastered, almost annoyingly so. And Changbin. Fuck. You think he’s cute, with his cheeks still red and his neck a mess from the work of your nails.
“By the way,” you say. “You look fucking hot in that suit.”
“Right back at you. When I saw that little black dress I almost bit my fist off.”
You grin. Changbin turns to you, placing a strand of your hair behind your ear.
“Something’s not right, though,” he says.
You frown as he leans towards you, whispering in your ear.
“I didn’t get to do half of the things I want to do to you. So once we’ve had a couple of drinks, I’m taking you to my place, and I’m giving you another lesson. And this one will last.”
You bite your lip as the elevator doors open on the main hall, which is still filled with your chatting coworkers. Nothing has changed - the world has kept on spinning. Changbin gives you a smile, and extends his arm.
“Shall we?”
Changbin does not bring you to his place.
You bring him to yours.
Both of you started to get impatient after just one drink, eyefucking each other over your glasses although you had both just came hard in the elevator. It was like something finally snapped inside him, and he could let his thoughts roam free, unashamed, unbound.
The way your dress hugged your cleavage. The way your lips curled around the rim of your glass, begging to be kissed, begging to be fucked. All the things he wanted to do to you, that he had never let himself really think about, just proliferated in his mind. He could not stop thinking about how you moaned his name, how hot and humid you felt around him, how he wanted to slide his tongue on every inch of your skin. It made it difficult to focus on small talk with your colleagues. He kept feeling himself getting hard and he knew his pants were too tight for him to be able to hide it.
So he waited until you finished your drink and stole you away. Your place was just a short walk from the building. You made it there quickly, miraculously able to hold off making out and grinding against each other.
Now the front door is locked and you are alone.
Changbin stares at you in the darkness of the hallway. You look so fucking beautiful with your hair still a little dischelved from earlier, your lipstick tinting your lips a shade darker, your heels giving your legs the shape of heaven.
You take a step towards him and grab his hand, leading him to your bedroom. It’s small and cozy, most of the space occupied by a large bed - how perfect. It is unmade, the sheets tangled, a smell of lavender lingering in the air.
You aim for a kiss but Changbin shakes his head.
“Open a light,” he says. “I want to see you.”
You nod and turn on the lamp on your bedside table. It infuses the room in a soft yellow glow, and Changbin licks his lips. Perfect.
In a blur you find each other again, kissing passionately, feverishly. Changbin slides his tongue inside your mouth, toying with yours, drawing soft sighs from you. It’s a delightful sound he already likes too much. Eagerly, you remove his jacket, your hands palming his chest over the material of his shirt, and Changbin unbuttons it impatiently.
“Fuck, you look so fucking good,” you chuckle at the sight of his naked chest, immediately tracing the defined muscles with your finger tips.
His cock is already hard as a rock, pushing against his pants, but he barely thinks about it - he only sees you.
He takes a deep breath, because he wants to pace himself, because he wants to take his time with you this time. You made him impatient before, you clenched around his cock too tight, you sounded too good - but he won’t let it happen again. So he tilts your head to the left so he can kiss your neck, slowly unzipping your dress. His fingers brush the skin of your back at the same time, and he feels you shiver against him.
The dress falls on the ground, and Changbin takes a step back to admire your lingerie, simple black lace that makes the blood rush to his cock so hard he has no choice but to palm it, just to relieve it a little.
“You like?” you say cheekily.
“I’m trying to decide if I want to keep it on you or rip it off,” he answers, shaking his head.
You chuckle. “Want me to decide for you?”
Darkness flashes in Changbin’s eyes, and he closes the distance between you again, staring down at you.
“Listen, pet,” he growls. “Don’t think you have any control here. I make the decisions and you listen. If you don’t there will be consequences.”
The smile doesn’t disappear from your face, and Changbin can see that you like it when he speaks to you this way.
“A dom, huh?” you breathe. “How predictable.”
“Just as predictable that a brat like you is a sub.”
You pout. “Just for you tonight, sir.”
You slide a hand in his air and lean against his ear to whisper.
“One day you’ll find yourself handcuffed to the head of this bed and begging me to let you come. But let’s stick to tonight’s narrative.”
Changbin can’t help but chuckle at your words, feeling something swell in his chest. He likes you a little too much, and it makes no sense. Hours ago the only emotion you created in him was anger. But then again he hadn’t really met you.
“That’s right, pet,” he nods, taking a fistful of your hair. “Now you lay down on the bed like a good girl before I make you, huh?”
You nod, and Changbin follows you to the bed, when you lay down. He removes the rest of his clothes, letting his cock spring free, and catches you staring at it, licking your lips. He chuckles.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your taste. But I’m having mine first.”
He pulls your legs so you are laying on the edge of the bed, spreading your legs so can stand between them. He bends forward to kiss you, stroking your hair, and carefully removes your bra. You sigh as he circles his thumb over your sensitive nipples, massaging the other breast in his hand. Slowly, Changbin makes his way down your neck, his tongue drinking in your skin. He leaves a few kisses on your breasts, then on your stomach, and then hovers over your panties.
“Changbin…” you sigh.
“Still all wet and full of me, are you, pet? Is this sensitive?”
He pushes his index on the lace material, sending a shiver through your body.
“Y-yes. Fuck, Changbin, stop teasing me.”
“I don’t think so.”
He kisses you above the fabric, sliding his tongue over it. Even that way he can taste you, your wetness drenching your panties, and Changbin can feel his cock twitch. Fuck, he cannot wait to be inside of you again - but he has to be patient.
“So good to me, pet. So good. Let’s remove that.”
He takes off your panties and pushes your legs apart, taking in the sight of your soaked cunt, all throbbing and waiting for him. He hums appreciatively, unable to stop himself from stroking his cock at the same time.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous. Now you don’t come without me telling you so, right, pet? You understand the rules?”
“Yes, sir,” you breathe out.
From your voice and the way you are already heavily breathing, he can sense you are desperate for contact. Changbin finds himself unable to really torture you much longer, and sinks his lips into your cunt.
You immediately let out a whimper, arching your back against his mouth. Changbin holds your legs apart, swirling his tongue around your clit, slurping you in. Your taste instantly gets him drunk, the feel of your juices coating his chin making him want to possess you right this second. But it feels too good to feel you writhing against his caresses, moaning his name. You grab his hair, pulling it, and it hurts a little but it’s the best kind of pain.
“Look at that mess, pet,” he smiles against your pussy. “Has anyone ever eaten you out properly before?”
“Fuck,” you breathe, and he stares at the way your chest moves, your nipples hard. It’s such a beautiful sight he gives your clit a few licks to reward you. “Nothing like you, Changbin. You’re - fuck - you’re making out with my pussy so well…”
“Good, pet,” he chuckles. “Keep it up with the praise and I’ll let you come.”
“Changbin, please…”
He slides his tongue inside of you, teasing your entrance, and he can feel you clenching even this way - you must be close to coming, but you’re holding on, and he’s proud of you. He could edge you like this all night, if only his cock wasn’t starting to hurt him, aching for you.
“Fuck, your tongue, Changbin - keep licking me like that, please, don’t stop…”
“You want to come, pet?”
“Yes, please, c-can I?”
As he inserts two fingers inside of you and starts pumping them, his tongue pressed against your clit, you cry out in pleasure, pulling his hair.
“Changbin, fuck, I can’t - I can’t -”
“Come, pet, come all over my mouth.”
And just like that you do, your hips bucking under his touch, your pussy throbbing in his mouth. He can feel your walls tighten, your legs trembling, and he doesn’t stop his caresses throughout your orgasm, so you can ride it as long as you can.
Once you breathe out, your body sinking into the mattress, Changbin steps back, placing a kiss on the inside of your thigh. He wipes your juices off his chin and stands up to push your hair away from your face. You already look fucked out, your skin covered in a thin layer of sweat, your eyes glassy.
“Holy fuck, that was amazing,” you say softly.
“It’s not over, pet,” he replies, kissing your pretty lips.
“Can I suck your cock, now?”
“You’re asking so nicely, pet. How can I say no?”
You grin, looking down at his erect cock. Changbin takes a deep breath, letting you smear the pre-cum on the tip and giving it a few tentative strokes.
“I like your cock a lot, y’know?” you tell him. “So pretty and thick.”
Changbin slides a hand through his hair, easing his breathing, as you take him in your mouth. You suck him well, bobbing your head up and down, taking the time to wrap your tongue around him. Your hand accompanies your movements, stroking his base, and Changbin groans at the sensation. He would close his eyes and bask in the pleasure you’re giving him if only it wasn’t so intoxicating to keep looking at you. Such a beautiful sight, seeing you suck him off like that after having eaten your sweet cunt.
“Am I doing good, sir?” you ask, slapping his cock on your tongue.
Changbin grins. “Doing fantastic, pet. I knew you would look good wrapped around my cock, but it’s even better.”
“Did you think about it a lot?” you ask.
He frowns.
“You saw my picture,” you say, arching an eyebrow. “Did you imagine me with my cock in your mouth before, or did you just hate my guts?”
Changbin laughs, holding your hair. “I think I spent most of my energy hating you so I wouldn’t think about you sucking me off.”
“Hm,” you say with a satisfied smirk. “If I’d known what you looked like I would’ve come to give you a blowjob under your desk way before.”
“Never too late,” he grins. “If you do that for me I might bend you over my desk afterwards.”
You giggle, and Changbin feels that warmth in his chest again. He’s starting to like you a little too much, and it has nothing to do with the fact that his balls deep inside your mouth right now. You’re funny. Witty. Pretty. Even worse, you’re fun.
“For now let’s focus, pet, yeah?” he says. “This is good, but I want more from that pretty mouth.”
He guides you back, gesturing you to lay down on the bed upside down. Your head placed on the edge of it, he towers over you.
“You tell me if this is too much,” he whispers to you, and you nod - but you just open your mouth wide for him.
He guides his cock back in your mouth, able to move as much as he wants. You gag a little as he goes deep in your throat, but you’re taking him well - and so, Changbin accelerates. He fucks your mouth, perhaps a little too roughly, but it feels so fucking good he can’t stop.
“Fuck, look at how you swallow my cock, pet,” he says, breathing hard.
“It’s because you fuck my mouth so good, sir,” you answer.
He grins, bucking his hips, staring at your gorgeous body as he does. You’re touching yourself at the same time, your fingers pressed against your clit. Your eyes are watering, the saliva around your lips making his thrusts easier, and he’s dangerously close to exploding in your mouth.
“Such a good little pet,” he groans. “Do you remember when I filled that cunt of yours, earlier?”
You nod around his cock.
“This time I’ll make you choke on my cum,” he smiles.
You moan, the vibration sending him on the edge, and Changbin has to pull out from your mouth.
“Don’t move,” he grunts. “I need to fuck you.”
He climbs on top of you on the bed, making sure your head is against the mattress, and pushes into you without hesitation. It’s like it brings him clarity again, as much as the feel of you around his cock is making him more insane.
“God, this fucking cunt. I’m never getting tired of it,” he chuckles.
“Yes, fuck me deep,” you moan. “Make me feel that beautiful cock of yours.”
He thrusts his hips inside of you, stretching you deeper and deeper. You pant against him, your nails digging into the skin of his back, but Changbin doesn’t care. He pounds into you, feeling sweaty and drunk on the scent and taste of you.
“C-Changbin, fuck, yes…”
“Where’s that praise, pet? I need to hear it,” he grunts.
“I - I’m trying…”
“Am I fucking you dumb, or what? Keep talking.”
But he’s fucking so fast and sharp, and it’s difficult for you to find the words. Changbin can only stare at your face, your closed eyes, your parted mouth. Your lips are a little bruised, your hair a mess, your makeup smudged. You look like a dream.
“F-fucking me so good,” you breathe. “I love your cock inside of me. Please, k-keep fucking me…”
You’re clenching around him tightly, so close to your orgasm, and so is Changbin - he’s breathing fast, trying to hold off, but it’s getting more and more difficult. Once he’s inside of you he can’t think straight, and he’s getting impatient.
“Fuck, Y/N,” he slips out, your name feeling smooth on his lips. “I’m going to come. Let’s do it together, yeah?”
“Y-yes, please…”
How he wanted to come in your mouth - but his cock does not want to listen, and he explores inside of you instead for the second time tonight. You come as well, shaking around him as he fills you up, moaning his name loudly, the sound echoing in the room.
Changbin wipes his forehead, staying inside of you for another second. He tries to catch his breath, and opens his eyes to look at you. You are already staring at him, smiling softly.
“I thought you wanted to come in my mouth?” you tease him.
He chuckles, shaking his head. “You really get on my last nerve, you know that?”
You both laugh.
It’s yet another day at work.
You twirl on your deskchair, typing your translation on a fair rhythm. You’re not particularly fast today, but you’re not slow, either.
It’s just that your thoughts are a little elsewhere.
You take a break to take a sip of coffee, and an email notification appears on your screen.
Seo Changbin.
You push your tongue against your cheek, smirking devilishly to yourself. You sent him a particularly fiery email a few minutes ago, and you can’t wait to see his answer. You click a little too fast on your inbox.
Dear Y/LN,
Your email has come to my attention but I am in a meeting and unfortunately cannot attend to your request. Please rest assured it will be my top priority once I get back to my office. I will make sure to personally attend to these matters.
Ever yours,
Seo Changbin
You bite your lip, trying to be discreet as you chuckle. You scroll down to see the email you’d sent him. Just a few meaningless words about asking for clarification about the dress code, and a picture attached. A picture you’ve taken from under your desk, displaying your blatant lack of underwear.
You’re still playing a dangerous game - it’s just of another kind.
You send him a quick reply, your eyes shining.
Looking forward to your collaboration.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. If you had fun, please consider leaving a comment below or reblogging the one shot. Don't hesitate to use the tags. Big hugs and see you next time! ♡
Summary: You have a nightmare and Seungmin tries to comfort you but he’s impossibly half asleep.
A/N: AH, I’ve been trying to experiment with narrative and prose lately so bear with me. I know my stories kind of stray from the regular comfort fanfiction sometimes, but I really do love to tell stories that transport you to scenes while also giving you comfort! Lmk if it works haha. Anyways, here’s a short and sweet one. I feel like Seungmin is the type of guy who would be kinda hard to wake up all the way, but he tries anyway to be there for you. Enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
TW: Depiction of a nightmare, crying and anxiety. Suggest skipping some 10 paragraphs if you aren’t into that.
The night air was warm as you walked down the street. It was unusually warm as you listened to the sound of clicking, only to realize that clicking was the sound of your boots against the pavement. You hadn’t even realized you were being so loud.
The late November weather was supposed to be cold around this time of year. The shadows of the streetlamps stretched out before you, making ominous shapes on the pavement of the street. Nothing made a sound as you kept walking, even the frogs from the river were silent. You kept your hands in your pocket as you kept walking, not sure where you were going and why. You couldn’t stop walking, even though you wanted to. A nearby street light flickered.
You reached to take off your sweater due to the warm, stuffy air, but you found yourself unable to peel it off of you. It was stuck to your shirt like glue. The clicking of your boots on the pavement continued. The street stretched for miles.
As you tried to move your body in any other way possible, you began to feel a tightness in your chest, anxious to take control of the situation. This whole scene was ominous, seemingly unending and unsettling.
Right when you passed your tenth street light, you were able to stop walking. The significance of the tenth streetlight was unknown to you, but sweet relief filled your chest as you suddenly stopped in your tracks. You checked around your surroundings but noticed no difference.
The only thing that caught your eye was a car. Considering the street had been empty for so long, you eyed it, memorizing the color, the model, the windows, and every detail about it. But it was just some ordinary car. At least, that’s what it looked like to you.
The whole situation seemed strange, foggy, and unfamiliar. The street was one you frequently walked in order to get to your boyfriend’s dorm, but it seemed somewhat unfamiliar when you walked down it. As you observed at a standstill, a gust of wind picked up and your hair flew into your face. Leaves that weren’t there before seemed to shower you, hitting your face and body in one gust. A strange chill went down your spine after you spit out a leaf that had made its way into your mouth.
Using the momentary distraction, the car's high beams flicked on and suddenly the car was in front of you, or you were suddenly in front of the car?
The wind had pushed you forward and you looked around to find yourself scrambling to your feet, right in the middle of the street. The car lights flashed bright in your face and you held up your hands to block it. The wind gust was cold this time and that chill in your spine made you shiver.
You looked up and felt your chest tighten as you noticed the car hurtling right towards you.
-
You gasp and shoot straight up from bed, struggling to breathe deeply. Your breaths are shallow as you feel around you for the street, instead only finding warm sheets. You touch your face to make sure you were alive, finding wet tears on your cheeks.
The night was more or less quiet, save for the faint buzz of the cicadas through the slightly open sliding door. You hear some rustling and a groan.
“Jagi?” Seungmin’s voice startled you slightly, thick from being half asleep. You take a deep breath and lean your back and head against the headboard behind you.
One.
Suengmin rolls over to reach out to you.
Two.
You try to slow your breathing. Suengmin’s hand found your leg and he pats it like one would do to a dog.
Three.
Out of the corner of your slightly open eyes, you watch Suengmin lift his head from the pillow, displaying his bed hair.
Four.
“You okay baby?” Suengmin quietly calls out and drops his face into his pillow.
Five.
You scoot closer to him so he could wrap his arm around your waist. He was on his stomach, his face completely stuffed into his pillow.
Six.
Suengmin snakes his right arm around your waist and turns his head to cuddle into the side of your thigh.
Seven.
You rub your tired eyes, feeling the sleep leave your body.
Eight.
Suengmin calls out to you again. “Y/n?” You hear the grogginess in his voice. His voice sounds wonderful when he’s half asleep because it's deep and raw.
Nine.
“Just a nightmare.” You whisper. You stare at the ceiling, still remembering the feeling the nightmare left you with.
Ten. You made it to ten.
You stop counting in your head and already feel much better, that tightness slightly leaving as you take control of your breathing. Almost as if on cue, Suengmin startles himself awake, remembering that you had a nightmare. He pops one eye open. You wriggle so you are laying on your side next to him, his arm now around your shoulder.
“I’m sorry I woke you up Suengie.” You whisper. He shakes his head.
“Are you okay?” He mumbles back. You nod, feeling better now that Seungmin is talking to you, although you doubt he’ll remember anything. He seems too sleepy to comprehend he’s even awake right now. He begins to automatically migrate his entire body so he fits right next to you. The space between the two of you is completely diminished. You snuggle your face into his chest as he wraps both his arms around you and kisses your face lightly.
“I was so scared Seungmin. I almost died and it was scary.” You mumble into his chest. He tightens his arms around you and mumbles back incoherent words. You stifle a laugh and focus on feeling his heartbeat instead.
The warmth of the room and the warmth of Seungmin’s arms create a very warm sauna around you, but you desperately cling onto your boyfriend, trying to make his heartbeat a part of your own breath. The steady rise and fall of his chest as he dozes back into his deep slumber lull you into a dreamlike state, but this time a cozy one. The room is completely silent, but a comfortable silence. A silence that only 2 in the morning can bring. A silence that only exists in the confines of your home. You let go of a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.
Seungmin’s sudden incoherent babbling startles you out of your half asleep trance.
“Next time you ….” he babbles on.
“I’ll protect you..” Suengmin snuggles his face into the side of your head. You stay still, half afraid to wake him and half curious to see what else he says.
“You can’t die, what about me..” He goes silent.
“Love you baby.” He finishes up at last. His breathing and heartbeat even out again and this time, you’re sure he has fallen back asleep. You let out a chuckle and close your eyes, focusing on Seungmin’s constant heartbeat. You feel comforted by his presence and his attempts to make you feel better. You seem to forget all about your nightmare as you fall asleep in his embrace, warm and full of love to keep the nightmares away.
Summary: Soft Changbin hours. Lots of cuddles, night routine and the likes.
A/n: Just a quick little work I did to get my brain juices flowing. I imagine that when I write my brain feels like those clear looking PCs that have tubes with cool looking lava lamp liquid and a fan. I hope you know what I’m talking about LOL. Based on some prompts: “Do you think it would be helpful if we were cuddling?” and “Look at me in the eyes right now and tell me what time you went to bed last night, or if you even went to bed.” Enjoy this sweet and short piece!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
P.s. I just noticed all my Changbin pieces are about him coming home to you, don’t know why but he’s just such a homey person? Idk.
Usually, whenever Changbin got home from the studio, you were either making dinner or showering to get ready for bed. Usually.
Most days, you got home earlier than he did, owing to you being a college student and he, a performer and songwriter. Changbin tried not to make it too late, he knew he had to keep work boundaries, but sometimes he did run a little later than usual.
The routine was always as follows. You usually got home, got some work done and tried to finish before Changbin got off of work. While he rushed home, you made dinner or showered then made dinner with Changbin. Succeeding this, the two of you did dishes, a minor tidy up of the apartment and then your night routine of washing up and bed cuddles. Most nights, this took you up until almost 10:30 on a good day and past 11 on a bad one.
Changbin was used to this. He loved the structure. He could run to the gym after work if you had a heavy workload that week, or he could come home and relax with you on evenings which should have been this evening.
The time read 10:46pm. You were only on page 6 out of 10 and really wanted to rip your hair out for not doing this earlier, but you also had a lab report to write up earlier instead. It wasn’t the latest time ever, but you had been working all day and you felt like a zombie on its feet. Every once in a while, the soft lighting and ambience from your music would lull you to sleep before you snapped your eyes open again. The unfortunate event of Changbin coming home did not snap you out of your constant battle between filling in your outline and trying to stay awake.
As soon as Changbin entered the apartment, he could hear keyboard keys clicking. There was faint music coming from the bedroom, the living room lights were off and it was oddly silent, even though he could hear the music. Right away, Changbin felt a frown form on his face.
“Jagiya? You home?” Changbin called out, hoping you would come out and say sorry for not greeting him right away. No response. He could only hear the psychological echoes of his voice.
Changbin threw his bag down and took off his shoes in the doorway before heading to the bedroom right away. He swung open the door to find you hunched at your desk, completely focused on the screen in front of you. Or, at least that’s what he assumed. You laptop was open to a document, with the extra monitor opened on youtube. However, the youtube video displayed the “are you still watching?” sign. Changbin stood there for a few seconds, waiting to see if you were actually awake, but to no avail. He shuffled forward in hopes the noise might startle you, but it didn’t.
Hm. He walked over and peeked over your shoulder. You were hunched forward, leaning your cheek on your wrist. Your eyes were closed and your eyebrows scrunched together. You must have fallen asleep while writing. Changbin smiled, mildly entertained by the scene in front of him. He also didn’t want to scare you awake, so he lightly tapped your shoulder and whispered, “Y/n? Baby?” You stirred but didn’t open your eyes. Changbin held his breath. He then poked your cheek. You startled awake.
“Wha- Was I asleep? Oh. Hi baby.” You mumbled and rubbed your eyes open to see your boyfriend standing right by your side. He cheekily grinned and motioned towards the monitor with his head.
“What are you working on that has you falling asleep on your desk?” He chuckled and squeezed your shoulder as you readjusted in your seat.
“Oh, this is my research paper. I gotta get it done by tomorrow.”
Changbin nodded and gave a little, “Ah.” You nodded and tried to attempt to see where you left off before you fell asleep. Changbin looked at your face and studied how tired you looked. He had walked into a similar scene yesterday and fell asleep to it too.
“Babe, no offense, but how long has it been since you slept?” He carefully said. You turned your head to answer but kept your eyes on the screen. You non-committedly replied, “I took a nap earlier.” This reply irritated Changbin. He didn’t like when you didn’t rest enough, it only led to worse things for your body. The odd silence in the apartment further irritated him and led Changbin to drag your chair away from the desk, with you in it. This solicited a “Hey, I was working!” from you, but he just shook his head and firmly turned you towards him. He kneeled in front of you and settled his hands on your thighs. You frowned at him, but couldn’t stay mad at his soft looking face. You huffed in annoyance.
Changbin thought for a bit before asking again.
“Babe. Y/n. Look at me in the eyes right now and tell me what time you went to bed last night, if you even went to bed at all.” He taunted you with his eyes. You rolled your eyes and tried to look at him in his eyes. You shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He raised his eyebrows, expecting an answer.
“3.”
“Okay. What time did you wake up to finish that lab report? I know you didn’t finish it.”
Your boyfriend sure was cheeky sometimes. You blew some hair out of your face in annoyance.
“7.”
“Oh my gosh, Y/n-” He groaned and let his head drop to touch your knees. You kind of felt bad for worrying him so you hurriedly tried to defend yourself.
“Hey, Look, it’s not that bad. At least I got some sleep.” You sucked at this. He looked back up to you and rubbed his own tired eyes. “Babe. I just came home to you asleep at your desk. My yelling didn’t even wake you up. You can barely keep your eyes open.” He pointed out. You didn’t know what to say. He sighed and hopped back up to stand.
“Fine. If you won’t sleep, then I’ll make you go to sleep.” He said with a firm nod, proud of himself for taking some initiative. You started to protest but Changbin just leaned forward and pulled you over his shoulder, eliciting a shriek.
“Seo Changbin! What are you doing!”
“Baby, this is for your own good. I’m taking care of my baby, that’s what I’m doing.” He said and you could only prop yourself up on his back. He carried you to the bathroom before setting you down.
“Why are we here?” You puffed in annoyance.
Changbin just started getting out your face wash and other things related to your night routine. As soon as he set everything down in front of you he motioned to the mini display and crossed his arms.
“We are doing our night routine. Like we always do.” He just stood and waited. You scoffed and began to brush your teeth, occasionally looking back at your boyfriend. He really just waited until you started until he began to do it himself. While you two were brushing your teeth, he even tried to smile at you with his toothbrush in his mouth. Unfortunately a bunch of toothpaste foam fell out of his mouth and you laughed at him, almost choking on your own spit. The both of you giggled like kids as you moved on to face wash.
Changbin insisted on doing this step for you, so you let him put your face wash on your face (with clean hands of course!) and rub it in circles. He put a little too much pressure though, and he was moving your whole face in circles.
“Changbin!” You laughed and he smiled at the sight of you finally smiling for once. Man, he loved you so much.
“What?”
“You’re moving my entire face!”
“Yah, stop talking unless you want bubbles in your mouth.” He lessened his firmness and continued to emulsify the soap on your face until you tried to pull away.
“Hey, I’m not done!” He scolded you.
“Baby, it’s been 60 seconds. We’re done.” You laughed and proceeded to help him do his face. He sat patiently while you spread his face wash on his cheeks, forehead, chin and nose. You also gave him a forehead massage. He sighed and melted in your hands. Entirely focused, you moved on to his cheeks and then his nose. He stood as still as possible.
After you tapped his cheek, signaling your task was complete, you both rinsed your face and did the rest of your routine together. After that, you climbed into bed as he changed into his sleeping shorts.
“Yah, what are you staring at?” Changbin feigned to act all shy. You laughed and stared at his shoulders.
“Oh, I’m just admiring all the hard work my boyfriend puts in at the gym.” You snickered and pulled the blanket over you as Changbin picked up the pillow from the edge of the bed to throw at you. You both giggled.
Changbin climbed in as you let the cover fall from your face. He snuggled up close to you and you wrapped your arms around his torso as he fit himself into the shape of your body.
“Baby, I don’t know if I’m tired anymore.” You whispered just as he began to close his eyes. He snapped them open.
“What?” Changbin pouted.
You laughed. “I can’t stop thinking about my assignments.”
“Ah, would it help if I cuddled you how you like?” He pleaded with his doe eyes.
You nodded and made a sad face. He scrunched his nose in reply.
“Whatever makes my baby sleep better at night.” He then turned to flip off the lights and readjust you so you were the smaller spoon facing him.
“This better?”
“Mmm, yeah.” You sighed and relaxed in his arms.
“You’re so warm.” You whispered. He rubbed your back to lull you back into a tired state.
“Go to sleep baby. I’ll be right here to hold you all night.” He whispered back and kissed your head. You were too tired to reply, and before you knew it, his body warmth had lulled you to sleep. You didn’t even get to kiss him goodnight.
Changbin watched your eyes close and he could feel your breath even out, signaling you fell asleep. He watched your eyelashes flutter as you went off to dreamland.
“I love you Y/n.” He whispered before relaxing more himself and settling into a deep sleep for himself.
Hi Everyone, It's been a while since I properly introduced myself on here. My name is Brianna and I'm a 21 y/o college student that majors in history and creative writing. I just wanted to reintroduce myself because I feel like my evolution of writing is always changing and I'm at a point in my life where I wanna put it out there. I don't just write fanfic, I write other things too and I want to eventually write/publish a book! This is like a stepping stone for me. So I hope you all enjoy the things I put out there and I truly appreciate every single note, reblog, comment and message I get. It drives me to keep writing stories that touch other people's lives <3.
I'm also an avid reader and I love reading literature from all cultures. If anyone has any thoughts on book recs pls send them my way!
Otherwise, I plan to consistently post at least one or two complete works every Tuesday starting next week. Please look forward to it!! Again, thank you for any support and feel free to leave comments and ideas! Have a great day!!
Summary: Very soft Leeknow hours. Minho is a committed boyfriend, he’ll study what you study!
A.N: I know it’s unrelated to SKZ but Jimin’s Face album came out and it's honestly sooooo good. Y’all should listen to it 🫣ANYWAYS back to our regularly scheduled program. Hahaha, I listened to It's Not That Serious by ASTN, You by Vietra and other songs similar to these. It’s not related but the vibe is there. Also got inspired by lots of Renoir paintings and a particular Egon Schiele titled, The Embrace (1917). Enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
Minho felt strangely at ease. Here he was, reading, out of all people. Truth be told, Minho was never one to read. He always had something better to do, like practice his dance techniques or go out to eat with his friends. In fact, Minho would probably rather do anything else than read. He just wasn’t a reader. And that’s O.K. That’s what you always told him at least. Minho was never one to read, but for you, he’d do anything.
You owned hundreds of books. You loved to paint and you loved to talk about being creative. Minho thinks that most of your creativity comes from the books you read. Just thinking about you having fun made Minho relax. Whenever you painted, you loved to have him in your company. You would teasingly beg for him to be your muse, but he settled to be an observationist instead. He loved to just watch you paint, coming up with color combinations he could never have thought of himself. He loved when you got hit with inspiration and ran to your makeshift painting studio (really just the extra bedroom) in order to capture it.
These days, you were going to school for fine art and you were never really struck with spontaneous ideas. Minho could see this really bummed you out. The studio was always a mess, you never had enough time between assignments and class to clean everything up. Minho would have cleaned it for you, but he was afraid he’d disturb your method of madness. He knew what it was like to have a particular system to feed into your creativity. Every artist liked things a certain way. He thought of all the times he practiced by himself, having a carefully curated schedule of practice to keep his brain alert and ready to dance. To sing. To write. He knew that, out of all people, you’d be the most understanding of this and vice versa.
These past few weeks had been grueling and seriously draining for you. With critiques coming up, you were always frantically painting. The colors you chose seemed less vibrant to Minho. There was less spark to it. Less love in it. All he wanted to do was wrap you up in support and try anything to make you relaxed again.
He even forced you to go to the art museum with him to study other paintings, citing it was strictly for school purposes and not actually just to force you out of the studio. He had pushed you along the exhibits, pointing out the few paintings he did recognize. But he felt it wasn’t enough. His lack of knowledge didn’t bridge the gap between the two of you and Minho felt too far away from you to provide you the support you needed. The museum date was still fun, but it didn’t fulfill the goal for either of you two.
As soon as Minho opened the door after coming back from the museum, you hurried to the studio to survey your latest batch of portraits. Minho huffed in annoyance and got straight to work. Even though he couldn’t paint, at least he could still make the effort to know what went on in that brain of yours.
Without making a huge racket, Minho chose every book you had on art, art history, and art technique. Eyeing the pile, Minho decided it wasn’t enough. He set them aside in a hidden spot and ran to grab his keys and jacket.
With a quick kiss and goodbye, Minho feigned that he had to run to the store really quickly. You absentmindedly agreed and continued stressing over the lighting perspective in your portrait. He felt bad leaving you in such a dark place by yourself but he had to do it.
“Bye honey!” Minho yelled as he ran out the door.
For the next hour, Minho scoured the local library for books he could possibly gather intelligence from and he even bought some reading supplies, like a stupid cat bookmark with googly eyes and reading tabs that had llamas on them. Minho’s confidence was high as he carried his books in the tote bag that the local library gave him in through the front door. As expected, you were still in the studio, this time with a coffee. He peeked into the studio through the doorway and observed you for a second.
“Babe?” He called.
“Hm?” He heard you say, but you didn’t turn around.
“Are you okay?” Minho entered the room and padded over to you before eventually reaching for your shoulders and giving you a small massage. He kissed your shoulder and he felt you loosen up, relieving all the tension in your neck and shoulders. He heard you sigh in defeat.
“What’s wrong baby?” He whispered and kissed behind your ear. You closed your eyes.
“I can’t get this stupid painting right Minho. It’s driving me crazy. Batshit crazy!” You raised your voice a little and strained through your frustration. He massaged your shoulders deeply, thinking about how little help he provided.
“How about I make you dinner then? Let’s take a break.” He tried enticing you out of your chair and gently pushed you to lean back against him. “Sound good?” He kissed the top of your head. You looked up and he saw your glossy eyes, full of frustration, exhaustion, and anxiety. He gently smiled at you.
“Yea, let’s go.” You whispered as he petted your hair back.
A couple hours later, you were taking a hot shower and Minho was in bed, beginning to read from his pile of books. He had post-its and a pencil in hand as he flipped through the pages. He was currently studying the history of oil painting. Your favorite medium was oil, so he began with that.
While you showered, he read. While you painted, he read. While you took naps, he read. Whenever he wasn’t dancing and on tight schedules, with you or comforting you, and cooking, he was reading. Of course, you were so preoccupied with your deadlines, you thought he had just taken up reading as a hobby to wait out your lack of attention towards him. Minho was a sneaky one.
Luckily, Minho had a great attention span when applied. He could rotate through 3 books at the same time, which improved his reading efficiency. Minho felt like an old man, truth be told. Even the members noticed. He usually brought the smallest book in the pile with him to work and read while he was on breaks. Jisung and Changbin incessantly teased him, but he also had a lot of support from people like Hyunjin who often gave him tips from his own experience. Through this process, Minho rapidly expanded his knowledge of the world of art and its creative processes.
Although he primarily did this for you, he also gained inspiration for his own creative processes too, using the vivid imagery to evoke certain emotions in his dance and song repertoire. There was a noticeable difference in his demeanor now that he was so focused on his books. Everyone in the group was quite confused at first, but when he explained it to them, they were all gungho on the plan.
You finally began to become suspicious of Minho’s behavior after you got home one day and really looked at the books on his bedside table for once. You had just changed out of your class painting overalls when you happened to stroll by the bed and drop your hair clip. After picking it up, you made eye contact with his nightly stack of books that he usually read in bed as you got ready for bed. At first glance, the books seemed normal, but then you read the titles out loud.
Color and light techniques in Oil. Mary Cassatt in Practice. Renoir and Other Masters. Pencil, Pastel and Everything In Between? What?
You flipped through the pages, finding tabs on particular pages, marked with small post-its and even multiple bookmarks, all stupid looking animal bookmarks. You laughed out loud at first. You didn’t know Minho liked art. Usually he was so clueless about it that when you went to museums with him, you often had to explain to him the significance of basic paintings like Monets or Renoirs. What was he doing with advanced painting technique books?
Unfortunately, Minho was gone for the day, busy with press and recording sessions for his group’s upcoming comeback. You wouldn’t see him until at least 11 p.m. You put the last book down where you found it and began searching the apartment, convinced there was more. As you made your way through the living room, you found two large piles with museum catalogs, art magazines, books and more. You were astonished with the obviously large pile in front of you. Some had post-its on the front cover, marking them finished or for return. You were left with just as much confusion as when you began to look through the books. Was Minho learning this… for you?
You picked up a particularly interesting looking one called, “Toulouse-Lautrec in Color Study.” It had several chapters on the usage of color and lighting within his paintings. This book seemed to be bought, not borrowed, telling from the way Minho’s writing was scribbled all over the pages. Some were stupid comments, like her face looks gross and others were genuine observations such as the orange of the paper gives his skin a tone without using any extra color, suggest to Y/n? You continued reading through the comments, realizing he was marking these up for you. Almost all the comments were suggestions and notes to convey to you. You started to tear up, knowing that someone who hated to read and hated to study had willingly studied for weeks, gathering knowledge just to understand and help their partner. You gently placed the book back on its pile.
The sun began to set and you sat on the couch, feeling a headache come on. Not quite sure what to do with this newly acquired information, you ate a bagel and proceeded to take a nap. Your studio sessions at school had worn you out to the bone. Earlier today, your professor recommended a complete overhaul of your portfolio, citing it just lacked that special tonality of color and depth. It frustrated the hell out of you. You groaned and smashed your face into the pillow before slowly succumbing to the sleep you so well deserved.
-
Minho came home to a dark apartment. Usually it wasn’t loud, but it also wasn’t dark either. He set his stuff down at the doorway and carefully removed his shoes, trying to be quiet. Either you were gone, or asleep, he assumed. Minho walked through the apartment, scanning for any sign of life. When he finally got to the bedroom and peeked in, he found you face down on the bed, not even covered in a blanket. He laughed and carefully climbed into the bed, careful not to jostle you around. As you softly breathed, clearly in dreamland, he observed your fluttering eyelashes and your slightly parted lips. Your skin glowed in the soft lamp light. Your hair softly was pushed behind your ear. He adored when you looked relaxed, it made you look like an angel.
Recalling that you had class today, he carefully got off the bed and headed over to the kitchen to prepare a light dinner. As he fished the ingredients out of the fridge, Minho hummed a soft tune. He thought about how much he admired your tenacity to continue your art as he cut his veggies. Minho dreamily thought of you and him in the future, in a house, with cats and maybe a kid. He sighed, hoping he could relieve your stress.
When you opened your eyes, you blearily made eye contact with the stack of books on Minho’s side. As you blinked, you remembered your findings. The tears welled up in your eyes. You wiped them and sluggishly propped yourself up, still tired from the day’s work. Although most of the time, this was simply exhaustion from all the work you’ve been putting into your art. You heard some clinking from the kitchen and recognized Minho’s humming through the silence of the bedroom.
The apartment was warm as you trudged through the kitchen doorway. Minho immediately looked up at you and smiled. You gazed lovingly at him, in his kiss the cook apron and his teddy bear kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder.
“Good morning sleeping beauty.” Minho snickered.
“Oh stop it.” You felt the words coming thick out your throat, still not used to talking quite yet. “How was work?” You asked before sitting at the island. Minho grunted in response. You took that as not good.
“Choreo got changed for some performances and it didn’t go well. It was the first day of rehearsing these changes. Felix kicked my shin. Jisung bumped into Chan. Changbin is Changbin.” He scoffed. You giggled at the thought of Jisung running into Chan.
“What did Changbin do to you?” You laughed. Minho glared at you. You put your hands up in innocence. “I take it back.” Minho chuckled and turned back to his sizzling pan.
“How was your meeting today in the studio?” He asked behind his back. Now it was your turn to grunt. Minho raised his eyebrow even though you couldn’t see his face.
“Oh?”
“Yea, my portfolio basically got dumped in the trash.”
“Oh no, did Mr. Fuckface say that?”
“Yea, he said it didn’t have that ‘spark’ or ‘depth.’ ” You airquoted and chuckled bitterly. “I think it’s the colors. I just can’t get them right. The tones aren’t matching up or creating the depth of shadows I usually can do.” You sighed and leaned forward to rest your head on your hand. Minho poured the pan’s contents into a bowl and placed the pan down before turning around to look at you. He studied your posture and face.
“Maybe it’s the stress.” He suggested lightly. You looked up at him and gave him a face. He shrugged and wiped his hands on the towel. “Baby, you spend all day cooped up in that bedroom, trying to will out a painting that’s not there. I can see and feel the stress radiating off of you.”
“Minho, I have deadlines to meet.” You defended yourself.
“Y/n, you’re burnt out.” He countered and served two portions of the food he made. You grumbled a thank you when he set the plate in front of you and sat across from you. Minho reached out for your hand and you obliged. His thumb rubbed circles into your palm and you stared at his hand.
“I love you, you know that right?” Minho said. He continued to rub circles. Your mouth flattened to form a line.
“I love you too Minho.” You sighed and felt your throat close up with emotion.
“Baby, I think you should rest for a while. You’re clearly burnt out. Let’s do something fun, go somewhere cool. I just want you to relax.” Minho’s voice tightened. If you began to cry, he would too. It was a domino effect. Minho continued.
“You inspire me, you know. I love what you do. You work so hard, it makes me so proud to be called your boyfriend. It makes me want to create just like you do.” He lovingly gazed at you and you kept eye contact with him.
“You’re the idol here though.” You strained to talk. You felt defeated, honestly. By the lack of confidence in your work and by the mush of ideas in your brain. Then you remembered the books. This cheered you up considerably. You continued to listen to Minho speak.
“I know it’s hard right now, but I want to help you more. I want to pitch ideas to you and observe and help. I-” He hesitated with his words. “I just want to be there with you when you feel it’s too hard to keep going. I know I can do it.” His voice wavered. You wiped a tear from your eye.
“Hey, let’s not cry.” He laughed. You laughed in response.
“You’re actually the most angelic person ever Minho. You read all those books just to help me?” Minho’s eyes widened, caught in the spotlight. He blushed and his ears got red before he looked down at his plate. He shyly smiled at himself, nodding and looking up. “Yea, I just wanted to be able to help you more than I could have before. I felt limited. Dumb.” He rubbed his ears. Your eyes widened and you leaned forward to grab his other hand.
“Hey, Minho. You are not dumb. You are intelligent and kind and terribly creative. It drives me crazy how smart you are. Don’t say that.” You held both his hands in yours. “Baby. Seriously, you inspire me so much.” Minho giggled shyly. The apartment was silent.
“Did you seriously do all that for me?” You whispered, as if there were people around. He nodded. “Yeah.”
Your jaw dropped and he smiled widely.
“You’re crazy and I love you so much for it.” You kissed his knuckles. Minho’s neck got even more red than before.
“Come here.” You got up and he followed in suit. You wrapped his firm arms around your shoulders and yours snaked around his waist. Minho allowed you to do whatever you wanted with him, he was all yours to keep. He listened to your soft breathing as he gazed into your eyes and lips. He melted right into your arms and held you tight.
Not long after, he heard sniffles and felt your chest constrict sporadically. Minho gently rubbed your back and swayed, letting you cry your frustrations out. Little did he know, you weren’t just crying out of frustration, but out of so much love. You felt what it was to actually want to work harder, knowing that even though things were hard, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Minho kissed your head and you squeezed his shirt in your hands. His strong arms held you tight.
Nothing could compare to the ethereal feeling Minho felt in his heart, being held like this and feeling the warmth of the apartment you two had made a home together. He absolutely adored everything about you. He wasn’t ready to let you go quite yet.
“I love you Minho.” Your whispers were muffled by his chest. He sniffled. “I love you too Y/n. I always will.”
Summary: Jeongin is really just trying to have a peaceful morning at his favorite coffee shop. But then he meets you. Under weird circumstances.
A/N: Hello hello, I'm back with a sweet fic for my baby boy Jeongin! A good song to listen to is The Mercy of The Wind by Million Eyes. I hope you enjoy!
Masterlist!
SKZ Masterlist
Jeongin has been going to the same coffee shop for years. Even though the JYP building has its own café, he still prefers to make the ten minute walk to his favorite shop that makes a wonderful house latte. He’s not a latte kinda guy, but this coffee shop’s cup of joe is the best drink he’s ever tasted in his life. Every morning, Jeongin walks to work at around 7:30 (unless it's a special schedule) and stops at this shop for the same large house blend latte. Sometimes he comes earlier to have his latte in house. It really is a great way to start his mornings. Chan teases him for acting like an old man even though he’s supposed to be the maknae of the group.
For the time being, Jeongin has been grabbing one large latte and a large americano to go, due to Jisung’s latest craving for newer flavors (as if he doesn’t just get the same order at different places). He should really just try making it at home at this point, Jeongin thinks. But, he’s not the type to complain, it gives him an excuse to make the trip. Today’s trip is no different.
Jeongin walked in around 7:50 ish, ordered his usual latte for here, and waited in the same spot he always does: the corner both next to the streetside view, across the way from the counter. He took out his notebook, jotted down some songs he thinks he might want to cover soon before the tour starts, and patiently people-watched until his order number was called. Jeongin really did appreciate that names aren’t called, he could just sit here, with a mask and a beanie, not having to worry about being recognized. He is an idol after all. The good thing is that this coffee shop is also quite secluded from the busier side of the street.
Today’s weather was miserable, Jeongin had to admit. It was rainy, windy, and cold. Even he struggled to make the walk, and even considered not coming. But Jeongin had a routine to uphold, and that was coffee. He observed the small trickle of people that were coming in seeking shelter and a hot beverage to warm them up. It sounded creepy, but Jeongin just liked to listen to what people ordered. Even though he ordered the same drink every morning, he still considered trying a new order if it struck his fancy.
Aside from the weather, Jeongin also observed that the cashier card reader is down, and it’s cash only today (which he had no problem with because he always carries cash, a tip he picked up from Seungmin). This meant that many people didn’t get to order what they wanted to, but some eventually came back after a quick trip to the atm. The coffee from here was just that good. As Jeongin sipped on his coffee, he relished in the warmth of the shop and the smell of freshly grinded coffee beans. Nothing beats this. Suddenly, Jeongin remembered he forgot his napkins from the counter. He got up, strolled over, and minded his own business as he took a couple from the pick up counter. However, just as he was about to turn around, Jeongin felt a mild warm splash on his sweater. He cluelessly looked down and then up, not really knowing what to do. His eyes met those of a shy, very pretty girl who was holding a partially empty cup and was covering her mouth, completely wide eyed at the events that just took place.
Jeongin looked down again at the stain and calmly proceeded to try to wipe off the brown stain, which clearly didn’t work on his cream colored sweater.
He looked back up and awkwardly stared at the girl. He wasn’t quite sure what to do. She was quite small, but very delicate. He couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I didn’t see you there and that guy over there just kinda pushed me, I really am sorry. I could buy you a new sweater, I-”
“Oh no, it’s fine. You said some guy pushed you?” Jeongin felt more concerned for this random girl than his own sweater at the moment.
The girl blinked a couple times, reeling from the question Jeongin had just asked. “Oh- yeah… The guy in the blue raincoat over there. He was arguing with the barista and I just had to pick up my coffee but he jostled me a bit. He didn’t really push me per se, but yea, I’m really sorry. I could really buy you a new one.” The girl’s face flushed from embarrassment. Jeongin felt bad, partially because some asshat just pushed a girl and partially because it’s always embarrassing to spill something on a stranger.
“It’s okay, really. I have an extra shirt somewhere in my bag. Did the guy at least apologize?” Jeongin scanned the cafe and spotted the guy still standing a couple feet away from them, arguing with the manager. How could he not hear them arguing before? Jeongin looked back at the girl who was inspecting her half spilled coffee. Why did Jeongin feel so bad for her? He wasn’t even the one who spilled coffee. Jeongin pursed his lips in thought.
“Let me get you another one then.” Jeongin blurted out. Even he was surprised at this. The girl was just as startled. “Oh, you don’t have to, in fact I should be treating you to one.” She had a panicked look on her face. Jeongin just shook his head and walked over to Mr. Blue Raincoat and the manager. Was he really doing this? I guess he was. There goes his peaceful morning.
Completely forgetting about his stained sweater, Jeongin walked up to the counter and interrupted the argument.
“Excuse me? Can I get another coffee for…” He looked back at the terrified girl and she blurted out, “Y/n.” “For Ms. Y/n? This kind man just pushed her and made her accidentally spill some coffee. Clearly.” He motioned towards his sweater. The manager of the shop made an O with his mouth and the guy simply scoffed.
“I didn’t even push her! I just tapped her, she was in my way. She shouldn’t be in someone’s way when they’re talking.” The guy rolled his eyes, but Jeongin just glared at him.
“Sir, respectfully, I wasn’t talking to you. I just want to make sure Y/n gets a refill, since you so kindly wasted half of her coffee.” His words were sharp, as was his glare. Jeongin felt satisfied at telling the guy off. He turned towards the manager and kindly went back to his request.
“If you could be so kind, I think she deserves another one please.” Jeongin smiled and the manager immediately nodded before calling for another coffee from a nearby barista. The guy huffed and turned to Jeongin. Uh-oh. The girl hid behind Jeongin and he tried to look as calm as possible, even though his heart was beating at a ridiculous rate. He wished Chan or Changbin hyung were here to save him right now.
“So now I got another idiot interrupting me too? What’s your problem?” The guy got up real close in Jeongin’s face. Jeongin stared at the man, unsure about where he should take this. Luckily, the manager returned with Y/n’s coffee and noticed the commotion. Jeongin tried to take a step back but bumped slightly into Y/n, to which he automatically lifted his hands to keep her behind him. He wasn’t sure what Y/n was thinking, but he could take a wild guess and say that it was fear or embarrassment or both.
“Sir, if you don’t take a step and calm down, we are going to have to call the police. Please step away.” The manager raised his voice. The man just scoffed again and angrily snatched his bag from the floor, muttering something about this establishment being the worst he’s ever been in. He then proceeded to leave. Jeongin took a deep breath and closed his eyes before remembering where he was. Oh yea, Y/n. He turned and whispered, “You alright?” before being met with your wide eyes. You just nodded and kept apologizing profusely. Jeongin blushed before bowing a bit and stuttering out a bunch of “It’s okay” and “Don’t worry about me.” The manager cleared his throat and called the attention of the both of you. You kept bowing deeply and apologizing before taking the remade coffee.
Before you could walk away, Jeongin slipped off his mask and quickly called your name.
“Hey, Y/n?”
“Yeah?” You turned to him quickly.
Jeongin gulped, you were even more beautiful than he noticed the first time.
“I was just going to ask if you’d like to join me? If you have the time of course, if not that’s fine too-”
“Sure!” You blurted out. Your face reddened. Jeongin scratched his neck and his ears reddened too.
“I’m sitting over there. Let me just change really quick.” Jeongin pointed at the corner booth before leading you to it. He took out his spare gym shirt and excused himself before running to the bathroom. He checked the time just as he pulled the new shirt over his head.
8:15. His schedule for the day started at 8:45. He’d have enough time right? If he was late, he’d just cite that his alarm never went off. Chan would understand.
Jeongin quickly checked his hair before walking back out to you, who was now sipping your hot drink and staring at the rain fall. Jeongin took in the sight of you before clearing his throat and sliding into the booth. Just as he sat down and moved his notebook, his knees accidentally bumped into yours. You jumped a bit and blushed.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.” You voiced. Jeongin’s face burned. “I didn’t mean to- I mean-”
“I never asked you for your name.” You interrupted Jeongin’s babbling. He froze before remembering this was his cue to talk. You shyly smiled.
“It’s Jeongin.” Jeongin’s voice cracked and he laughed nervously. Y/n ignored it, thankfully.
“I like your jacket. You’re really pretty-” Jeongin paused before quickly correcting himself. “I mean your jacket is pretty. Not that you’re not pretty but-” He quickly spiraled. You covered your mouth and looked down before giggling.
“You look pretty too.” You blushed and knocked your knee against his. Jeongin tried to keep his composure. Damn, she was pretty.
“Thanks. I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable.” He apologized and glanced at the rain covered window.
“No it’s okay. I feel way more comfortable than before. Thanks by the way.” Jeongin smiled at you and quickly cleared his throat.
“So- what brings you here?” Jeongin immediately regretted that. He sounded like Chan when he said, ‘you come around here often?’ He mentally slapped himself for that. You laughed.
“I heard about this cafe from a friend and decided to try it before I headed off to the park. You?” You took a sip from your coffee. Jeongin almost forgot he had coffee at all. “I’m actually a regular here. I come here every morning before work for their house latte. It’s pretty good.” Jeongin rambled. He felt more like an idiot by the second. You gently nudged his arm and raised an eyebrow.
“Can I give you my number?”
Jeongin stopped talking. Your number?
“Yes?”
“Are you sure?” You laughed at his tone.
“Definitely.”
“Okay then.” You turned to your bag and took out a receipt and a pen before scribbling your number on it. “Here. Let’s get some coffee, in different circumstances of course, sometime.” You smiled and Jeongin’s brain ceased to work. He took the receipt and stared at the numbers. You started to get up before Jeongin raised his voice.
“Wait- I have to tell you something.” He panicked. You stopped and tipped your head in response.
“I’m an idol. I actually work at JYP.”
“I know.” You simply stated. Jeongin felt shook. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. What?
“Oh, sorry, not in a creepy way. I just meant, as soon as you told me your name I recognized you.” You stuttered, trying to explain yourself. Jeongin breathed a sigh of relief. Oh. He thought he had a crazy fan on his hands.
“Are you okay with that? You know, giving me your number and all.” Jeongin tried to speak. You simply snickered and kept collecting your things.
“Jeongin, if I wasn’t okay with it, I wouldn’t have given you my number. Text me later so we can meet again okay?” You tapped the receipt before getting up, smiling and waving goodbye. Jeongin’s head spun. “Okay,” he whispered as you sauntered out the door. Jeongin stared at the receipt. You had written your name with a heart next to it. He sighed before gulping down his coffee and carefully tucking the receipt into his phone case. He couldn’t wait to text you later and the thought of your confidence brought a silly smile to his face.
-
A bell jingled as you opened the door to the coffee shop you frequented with your boyfriend most mornings. The smell of fresh coffee beans never failed to make you stop and smell. Unfortunately, your boyfriend was not as patient and nudged you forward.
“Hey! I was appreciating the smell.” You pouted and crossed your arms. Jeongin just rolled his eyes and pushed you forward by your shoulders. “Babe, you can do that when I’m ordering. It’s called multitasking.” You scoffed and struggled to keep the two of you from walking forward. Eventually you gave up and stopped in front of the counter. The barista smiled and greeted the both of you.
“Good morning! The usual for today?” The barista smiled and Jeongin shook his head. You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion.
“Not today. I want to order two house lattes please. Large and for here.” Jeongin confidently said. You rolled your eyes. Usually you got a lavender mocha and he got an americano since they removed the house latte from the menu.
“Babe, that’s not even on the menu anymore.” You stated, as a matter of fact. Jeongin hugged your shoulder and squeezed you into his side before smiling.
“I know, but today is the 2 year anniversary of when I first met you. I’m sure they can make it again right?” He turned towards the barista. The barista happily nodded and scribbled the order on a blank note.
“That’ll be right up. On the house.” The barista smiled. Jeongin smugly smirked at you before bowing his head to the barista and saying a firm thank you. You shook your head and let Jeongin lead you to the corner booth.
As soon as you sat down, across from him, Jeongin leaned forward to place his chin on his palms. You eyed him suspiciously.
“What now?” You huffed. He smiled and the corners of his eyelids crinkled. You found this quite endearing but you also had a facade to uphold.
“Remember when we first met here?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Why?”
He laughed.
“You spilled coffee on my sweater and profusely couldn’t stop apologizing, but all I could think about was how gorgeous you were, and still are.” Jeongin grabbed your hand with his free hand and toyed with your rings. “I was a mess that morning. I’m also pretty sure Chan scolded me for being late too.” You smiled at the thought of his older member scolding Jeongin, such a sweet little boy.
“Babe, you couldn’t even think straight. I just had to give you my number to shut you up.” You endearingly laughed. You rubbed his hand with your thumb. Jeongin pouted and pretended to be offended.
“That’s all it was?” He faked cried.
Suddenly, the barista brought two piping hot lattes out to your table. When he set them down, you could see the latte art formed two halves of a heart. You blushed and thanked him. Jeongin didn’t even notice the heart.
“Baby, look! They drew a heart with cream.” You giggled. Jeongin looked over and formed an O with his mouth.
“Woah, they really do know us.”
You rolled your eyes.
“I would hope so, with how often you drag me here.”
“Hey, they have great coffee and a great atmosphere too. You should appreciate it a little more.” Jeongin stated before taking a sip of his latte. You took a small sip and tasted the perfectly roasted coffee bean flavor and milk. It was like heaven. Jeongin really did have taste after all, you thought.
Jeongin looked up from his cup and gazed at you softly, wondering how miraculous you came into his life. Now, he sat here, getting coffee every morning, but this time it was with you. There was no one else he’d rather do this with than with you.
warnings: non-idol!au, established relationship, mentions of food, mentions of death but it's lighthearted, just wholesome vibes for you to marinate in. enjoy.
"you know you don't have to come with me this early. i feel bad for waking you up." you mumble against the fabric of the scarf around your neck, fingers fiddling with the thermos in your hands.
"i want to be with you for as long as i can." minho answers simply. to him, it was only natural to join you almost every morning at the station even though you're the only one taking the train.
if you're awake, he's awake. if you're going, he's going. not to mention it's been dark in the early morning throughout winter, so he insisted on making sure you board safely.
you twirl around from his side to face him, leaning your body forward on his and nuzzling his nose. "stay for a lifetime, then." you breathe out warm air close to his lips.
he blinks slowly at you, "that's my plan."
minho's workplace wasn't that far from where you lived, exactly two bus stops away. it was close enough that when he was in the mood for a walk, he wouldn't even take the bus home. yours on the other hand required getting up and taking the 7:20am train. and only after a one hour and 20 minutes ride, then an extra few minutes walk that you get there. it was basically in another city, but your best option for now.
you couldn't have the best of both worlds– either live in seoul or work in it. rent was too expensive there, but job opportunities for your field were much higher than in gimpo, so it was a bullet you had to bite. on the bright side, you could get a lot of work done in that time; read, write, draw, anything that didn't require moving, really.
the salary made up for the long distance you had to cross every day, but not to the point where you could afford a car yet— not even the two of you could. and taking a lawn to pay off later wasn't currently on your list either. you had -what you judged- more important things to worry about.
like your wedding in a few months, and the new place you want to move in after that. having enough of the tiny apartment you've been living in for the past few years, you hoped to find a place that was a bit bigger and closer to seoul.
that being said, it's not like you didn't enjoy these little moments you get to share because of your dependency on public transportation. not to mention, it's better for the environment... right?
"babe, we're being sustainable!" you tell him with a smile, the fake enthusiasm apparent in your voice.
"babe, we're just broke." minho replies with the same tone and you both laugh.
"it's okay. as long as i have you."
he agrees with a hum, shooting you a proud smirk. "better than any car, i can carry you on my back to the venue."
you giggle, "please don't. i don't want you to hurt your back on our wedding day."
"are you saying i'm weak?" minho looks at you with wide eyes, pretending to be offended but the wide smile on his face says otherwise.
"no? i'm saying we can get a ride there if we ask nicely."
♡
upon hearing your arrival, minho leaves dinner cooking on low heat before walking to the doorway. your worn out figure stumbles almost instinctively into his arms.
"long day?" he asks in a soft voice against your hair.
"i want to die." is all you mutter with a deadpan tone.
he chuckles at your dramatics, "can't die on me, honey. i need you."
"then i want to quit." you say again. he knows you don't mean it, but it sucks and you're tired. today wasn't even that productive, just stressful as hell.
"you did well today. you always do." he speaks even softer than before, petting the back of your head.
"no i didn't even–"
"shh," the arm around your middle pulls you closer as he shushes you, "i'm proud of you, even if all you did today was breathe. you did so well."
you nod against his shoulder, blinking away the hot tears that start to form at his reassuring words.
minho helps you undress while the tub fills up with warm water. you raise your arms as he slips the knit vest over your head and discards it in the laundry bin. then he unbuttons the dress shirt under it, only to peel it off you as well, planting a kiss on your newly exposed shoulder.
"don't sleep in here." he ruffles your hair once you settle down in the tub, eyes are almost closed from exhaustion. you only hum in response and he leaves to finish up the meal in progress.
you didn't have a set rule on who handled the cooking, whoever got home first made dinner. although minho made breakfast most of the time because of your schedule.
"that was faster than expected." he comments once you join him in the kitchen, already dressed in warm lounge clothes.
"i'm starving." you reason. the bath was great but you haven't had anything to eat in hours so you had to get out.
that night, you snuggle closer to minho under the blankets on your shared bed, letting his sweet scent and warm touch lull you to sleep.
♡
minho could easily wake up an hour before nine, wash up and get ready. he can even take the time to make himself something for breakfast before leaving the house, taking the bus for a few minutes and arriving early to work.
but instead, he chooses to wake up with you at 6:30. you shower together, then he whips up a quick something to eat while you get ready. if you're in a rush like today, you just settle on two thermoses of coffee and some cookies to eat on the way instead.
you usually leave the apartment by seven, giving you a few minutes to walk to the station then a few more to wait for the train. it wasn't really much to wake up early for, just to spend those little moments with you. but minho does it anyway.
usually and after sending you off— making sure you didn't forget lunch, he would just go back home and sleep some more or read then go to work. but lately, he found a nearby gym that offered early morning sessions.
so on three days of the week, minho sends you off, stops by the gym to workout, showers and changes at home, then goes to work. it's the option that makes you feel better about him waking up early with you. now at least he has something to wake up for other than that.
especially in these freezing winter mornings, coddled up in your big coats and scarves, hands tucked deep in your pockets or seeking warmth in your matching coffee cups. you watch the sun kissing the sky good morning, slowly painting it a brighter color with its delicate rays. you breath out puffs of warm air, shivering at the cold morning breeze. he still chooses to join you even in this weather, no matter how cold, no matter how sleepy he is.
sometimes, minho would be too tired that he basically naps on your shoulder while you wait, the thick scarf around his neck together with your coat serving as a good enough pillow. your hand reaches up to gently rub his ear and wake him up when the train arrives.
"i'll see you later?" he kisses your forehead before you board.
"hm." you nod, "don't go to the gym today."
"why not?" he tilts his head at you, blinking with furrowed brows.
"you worked extra yesterday, remember? you need sleep." you remind him of how he worked overtime the previous day and came home exhausted.
"i'm fine, i can workout and even go for extra today too." minho shrugs, brushing away your worry about his health like he always does.
"don't." you reply firmly, maybe sounding a bit motherly but you don't care. for someone who claims he wants to die from natural causes, he sure was reckless at times when it came to his health. you know why, extra hours came with their benefits.
he's hesitant for a second, averting your eyes before sheepishly muttering, "we need the money."
"and i need you alive." you hold his face in your hands, both cold. "please."
minho's eyes flutter down again, and you know what he's thinking. "okay." he finally breathes, "go on, before you miss the train."
"promise." you insist. not that you don't believe him, but you just want to leave with a reassured heart.
your fiancé suppresses a sigh, "i promise." he whispers.
you smile in satisfaction, then kiss him goodbye. when you pull away from the short peck, minho looks at you; the fondness in your eyes draping a temporary veil over all the worries in his mind. at least for now, in this moment, nothing mattered as long as he had you.
"i love you."
"i love you more."
you get on the train, all while minho watches and makes sure you found a seat. when you settle down, you look out the window to see him still there.
"go," you motion with your hand.
he just shakes his head at you with a smile. it's only after the doors close and the train departs, zooming out of his field of vision, that a sleepy and tired minho walks back home, just like he promised.
