She’d been sipping cranberry fizz near the floral arch, avoiding eye contact with a finance bro who kept circling back to talk about "cultural fusion weddings,” when her gaze caught a black suit—nothing remarkable—until she followed the neckline to a soft jaw, pierced ear, and the kind of posture that didn’t try to look confident.
Bang Chan.
Kath froze.
He was standing just a few feet away, listening intently to a grandma describing her arthritis. Of course he was.
Her throat went dry. She looked away too fast. Then forced herself to look back, casual, like she hadn’t just internally choked.
He wasn’t looking. Thank god.
Her heart said run. Her pride said walk. Her legs? Stuck.
Ariya, ever the demon, appeared behind her like karma.
“Dance with him.”
Kath turned. “What?”
“You’re the only one not dancing, and he’s the only one I trust with your waist.”
“I am going to kill you.”
“You’re welcome.”
---
Three Inches Too Close
Chan extended a hand. “May I?”
Kath took it. Why? No clue. She hated dancing. But she hated losing even more.
They stepped onto the floor. Ariya pushed the DJ toward something slow and dramatic in both languages. Kath rolled her eyes.
Chan held her at a respectable distance—one hand on her waist, the other gently guiding her hand up. He didn’t say anything, just smiled slightly.
Kath tried to focus on the beat. One-two, one-two.
She couldn’t meet his eyes for more than five seconds.
Not because she was shy. She wasn’t.
But this man? This man had lived in her playlists for years. In her midnight journals. In the “no one’s good enough” conversations.
And now she was inches from him, and he was real.
Chan noticed it, of course. The flickering gaze. The stiff shoulders. The way she kept clearing her throat like she needed to swallow a secret.
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. “You okay?”
“Yep.”
Lie.
“You sure?”
Her eyes flicked up to his—big, bold, and soaked in embarrassment—and then back down to his collarbone.
Chan smiled.
It wasn’t arrogance. It wasn’t smug.
It was soft. Pleased. A little curious.
He liked it. He liked seeing her composed and chaotic at the same time. He liked knowing she wasn’t unaffected.
He leaned in just enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath near her ear. “You’ve held eye contact for three seconds now.”
She jerked her gaze up.
Mistake.
Their eyes locked.
He counted silently.
One…
Two…
Three…
Four…
“Okay I’m done,” she muttered, looking away, cheeks pink.
Chan laughed under his breath.
“Kath?”
“Hm?”
“…You’re nothing like I expected.”
She met his eyes again, slower this time. “You’re exactly what I feared.”
The music swelled with soft classical strings, giving the venue that warm, dreamy glow weddings always seem to have in theory but rarely deliver in real life.
This one delivered.
The engagement was over, and the after-party had just begun. Seoul’s late summer air hung sweetly around the glass-domed rooftop, buzzing with polished conversations in multiple languages, expensive laughter, and the clinking of champagne glasses. It was a Korean–Indian fusion wedding, and the crowd was as vibrant as the decor.
Kath hadn’t been late. She was intentional.
She entered alone, black and white lehenga sweeping dramatically behind her like smoke. Her waist curved in just right, the fabric cinched at the smallest part of her. The backless blouse shimmered under the fairy lights, and her silver jewelry kissed her collarbone like a secret. She walked like she had nowhere to be, but the room turned towards her like it suddenly knew where it was supposed to be.
Bang Chan saw her before she saw him.
Of course he did. Everyone did.
He was tucked to the side with his glass of something clear, probably just sparkling water (he never really drank at events), half-listening to Ariya’s husband talk about something to do with a failed proposal prank.
And then Ariya appeared beside him like a ghost with good timing.
“You see her?” she asked, chin tilted at the vision of Kath greeting her parents with a quick respectful bow and then hugging Ariya’s mom like they were sisters. “That’s my best friend.”
Chan raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Ariya sipped her wine and sighed, full of drama. “She’s still single because of you, by the way.”
He blinked. “Sorry?”
“She used to be a fan. Of your group. Of you. Then she grew up, healed her issues, got hotter and smarter, and now she won’t settle for anyone unless they feel like you. So yeah. If she dies single, it’s your fault.”
Chan chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s not how that works.”
“I’m dead serious, ” she said teasingly, using Kath’s nickname for him without realizing. “She has standards. She doesn’t do situationships. She doesn’t even flirt for fun. It’s either someone who sees her deeply… or no one.”
He looked at Kath again. She was mid-conversation with an older couple now, smiling with those full, expressive eyes that held softness and sharpness in the same blink. She nodded with sincerity and warmth, the kind that made people open up instantly. But then someone tried to cut in—some guy from the groom’s side—and she subtly turned her shoulder, made the man feel acknowledged but not invited. Effortless boundary.
Chan suddenly found himself adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. “She doesn’t recognize me?”
“She didn’t even know you were coming.”
Chan tilted his head. “Then maybe I should introduce myself.”
Ariya grinned and hooked her arm through his. “Absolutely not. You’re not allowed to fall for her unless you mean it.”
He glanced sideways at her. “What makes you think I’d fall?”
“Because,” Ariya said smugly, “you look at her like you already did.”
CW: y/n in Food Tech industry, from a small town but dreams big ,han as his idol self, fluent english speaker
Synopsis : He never believed love at first sight in real life,until he falls in one. She never knew love could be this pure and unconditional, until she loved like one.
. . . . .
***PART ONE :***
I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you.
It was going to be your first seminar at the international conference, and despite your usual composure with public speaking, an unfamiliar wave of nervousness washed over you. Though you had given numerous presentations before, something about this particular occasion felt different - more significant, more challenging. You found yourself obsessively reviewing your notes, each pass through the carefully prepared materials doing little to quell the butterflies in your stomach. In your peripheral vision, you could see Jane, your ever-cheerful colleague, contentedly sprawled on the edge of your shared hotel bed, completely absorbed in her phone, seemingly without a care in the world.
A heavy sigh escaped your lips as you pressed your hands against your temples in frustration, the gesture catching Jane's attention. "Don't stress too much, babe," she offered with her characteristic relaxed grin, her words floating across the room with practiced ease. You couldn't help but cast a sideways glance at her, noting how she too would be presenting that same day, yet the stark contrast in your confidence levels only served to heighten your anxiety. The weight of the opportunity pressed heavily on your shoulders - this presentation could be the defining moment that propelled your career forward.
The differences between you two were stark - she studied in the States, you came from a small state.
This seminar represented more than just a presentation; it was your chance to prove yourself in the academic world.
"Let's go for a coffee break," Jane suddenly announced, smoothing down her elegant dress as she rose. "The cafe at this hotel is absolutely top notch." Before you could protest, she had already pulled you up from your spot on the couch. As she practically dragged you along, you couldn't help but marvel at everything she embodied - her unwavering confidence, her carefree spirit, and her natural beauty that turned heads wherever she went.
"What do you mean, it's closed? I can clearly see the cafe right there," you found yourself attempting to mediate as Jane's voice rose in volume, confronting the security guard who stood firmly between us and our desired caffeine fix.
"Ma'am, I apologize, but the facility is occupied for the day," the guard maintained his position, holding up his hand in a gesture that bordered between professional and defensive.
In that moment, you discovered a side of Jane you had never witnessed before - her absolute refusal to accept rejection.
Without hesitation, she began demanding to speak with management, her raised voice drawing curious stares from everyone within earshot. Despite your natural inclination toward extroversion and comfort with attention, this particular type of spotlight made you uncomfortable. A warm flush crept up your neck and into your cheeks as you made futile attempts to calm her down. Eventually, the manager arrived, assessed the situation, and in an effort to restore peace, made an exception to allow you entry.
As you passed through the entrance, Jane threw a triumphant scoff in the guard's direction, while you could only offer him an embarrassed, apologetic smile.
The cafe's interior was a scene of controlled chaos. Staff members in casual attire moved purposefully through the space, their identification badges swinging with each step. An elaborate buffet spread dominated one side of the room, and every corner seemed to buzz with activity and purpose.
Jane returned to your side, carefully balancing two steaming cups of coffee. "There's a kpop group staying here for Lollapalooza," she explained, her voice tinged with mild annoyance. "That's why they've closed off the cafe. But honestly, it's not really fair to regular guests like us."
You responded with a noncommittal nod, taking a careful sip of your coffee when suddenly, you felt the unmistakable sensation of being watched. Following your instincts, you lifted your gaze, and there he was, his eyes fixed intently on you.
Han Jisung.
Recognition hit you like a bolt of lightning. Time seemed to stand still as you found yourself locked in an impromptu staring contest with the very person who had captured your heart through screens and performances - your ultimate bias, as fellow K-pop enthusiasts would say.
Unaware of the tense energy between the two of you, Jane pulled you away as you felt his lingering gaze on you.
Did you just get noticed by your bias?
You used to be a passionate and dedicated K-pop enthusiast during your early twenties, immersing yourself completely in the culture. Your days were filled with marathon viewing sessions of their variety shows, music programs, and behind-the-scenes content. Every new song release was an event you anticipated with excitement, and your collection of merchandise grew steadily with each comeback. Though financial constraints and geographical distance prevented you from attending their live concerts, you never missed a single performance broadcast, watching and rewatching their stages with unwavering dedication.
Among all the talented idols, Han Jisung held a special place in your heart. His unique charm, remarkable talent, and genuine personality had captured your attention in a way no other artist had managed to do.
During those dreamy nights of your early twenties, you would often find yourself gazing at the stars, making silent wishes about meeting him someday. It became almost a nightly ritual, a private moment between you and the twinkling sky above.
Now, standing here years later, you couldn't help but smile wistfully at the twist of fate that had brought you to this moment. The reality of seeing him in person felt surreal, like a forgotten wish suddenly manifesting itself. Yet, your mature self quickly tempered these thoughts with pragmatism. "Life rarely aligns with our fantasies," you reminded yourself softly, "no matter how desperately we might wish it to be otherwise."
Back in your room, you deliberately immersed yourself in your work, trying to push away thoughts of those intense brown eyes that seemed to peer straight into your soul. The seminar's approaching deadline provided a welcome distraction - after all, you had just two hours to perfect your presentation.
Meanwhile, in the cafe you'd just left, a heart was experiencing its own moment of destiny. Unknown to you, your brief encounter had left an indelible impression on someone else.
"Bruh, I'm so excited for tonight!" Felix exclaimed enthusiastically, his cheerful clapping pulling Han from his deep contemplation.
"Yeah..." Han's response came distantly, his mind clearly elsewhere.
"What? What's up?" Felix inquired, immediately picking up on his friend's unusual distraction.
"Nothing, actually..." Han mused dreamily, running his fingers through his hair as his eyes took on a faraway look, "I just have this feeling that today might be the day everything changes."
As headliners for the upcoming show, they had spent countless hours perfecting their performance, pouring their hearts and souls into every rehearsal to ensure they would deliver their absolute best that evening.
In an attempt to shake off their pre-show jitters, Felix convinced Han to take a leisurely walk following their exhaustive soundcheck.
As they wandered through the hotel's elegant lobby, passing numerous conference rooms, Han's attention was suddenly captured by an unexpected sight. Through the grand doors of one of the halls, amidst the bustling atmosphere of an ongoing conference, there you stood. Your presence commanded attention on the stage, dressed impeccably in crisp white attire - tailored pants that accentuated your natural grace, paired with a perfectly fitted waistcoat that highlighted your professional poise.
Han couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face as he watched you masterfully control the room with your presence.
Your voice carried confidently through the hall as you began your presentation, completely unaware of the particular pair of eyes that watched you with growing fascination.
"Bro, what's caught your attention?" Felix questioned, tugging at Han's sleeve.
"Lix, we should sit in on this seminar - it looks interesting," Han suggested with an eager smile.
"You want to attend a seminar about 'Food Technology and its advances'?" Felix couldn't help but laugh, "You do realize it's going to be entirely in English, right?"
"I happen to love English," Han declared confidently, already pulling Felix toward the back row seats.
It didn't take long for Felix to notice the real reason for Han's sudden academic interest as his gaze followed his friend's transfixed stare to your commanding presence on stage.
"Ah, now I understand," Felix teased, playfully nudging Han's ribs.
But Han was too captivated by your entire being - your eloquence, your confidence, your natural grace - to even register his friend's good-natured teasing.
As your presentation concluded, you graciously thanked your audience. Making your way through the applauding crowd, you acknowledged each table with a polite bow, your professional demeanor unwavering until you reached the final row.
Time seemed to stand still as your eyes met his, your composure momentarily wavering. The spell was only broken by Jane's voice calling out to you.
"It was amazing, babe... oh, I see you've drawn quite an audience."
Grateful for the chance to break the mounting tension, you offered them both a courteous bow, accompanied by a warm smile.
The two men rose from their seats, carefully removing their protective masks to properly greet you.
"Oh, you're Felix, aren't you?" Jane observed, recognition lighting up her features.
Felix acknowledged her with a graceful nod, offering sincere compliments about your presentation. You returned his kindness with genuine gratitude and a firm handshake, all while acutely aware of the intensity of his companion's unwavering gaze.
The warmth of his attention seemed to envelope you completely. When your eyes met his, it felt as though an entire conversation passed between you in complete silence. This unspoken connection didn't go unnoticed by your observant companions.
With a knowing smile, Felix subtly prompted his friend to step forward. As your hands met in a formal handshake, an unmistakable spark of electricity seemed to pass between you.
Your mind raced with questions - had he felt that same inexplicable connection?
The moment was cut short by their manager's urgent gesturing. Before departing, he graced you with a smile so genuine it sent butterflies racing through your stomach.
**Part 2:**
And I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you (Things will never be the same).
You find your mind drifting back to the last encounter repeatedly, each memory more vivid than the last. The way his eyes had met you - it all played on an endless loop in your thoughts.
Is fate orchestrating an elaborate game of chance, or are those countless wishes you made upon distant stars finally materializing into reality?
The confines of your room suddenly felt too restricting. Despite the undeniable success of your seminar and the flood of praise that followed, you needed space to breathe, to process. You tried to rationalize the situation, repeatedly telling yourself to accept things at face value and not read too deeply into every interaction. But how could you possibly maintain such emotional distance? After all, he had been your anchor through countless difficult moments, your source of comfort when life seemed overwhelming, even if only through a screen.
Seeking solace in the night air, you made your way to the rooftop. The sprawling skyline stretched before you, and above, the stars twinkled invitingly - your constant companions through years of silent wishes.
With your headphones nestled comfortably in your ears, you allowed music to enhance the peaceful atmosphere. As if the universe itself was orchestrating events, **Volcano** began playing - his voice filling your ears with familiar comfort.
A soft laugh escaped your lips at the coincidence, but your amusement was interrupted by the distinct sensation of someone's presence beside you.
Your initial instinct was to retreat, but a voice - one that had lived in your dreams for so long - stopped you in your tracks.
"Hey"
That voice - you would recognize it anywhere, even among a thousand others.
You remained motionless, your back still turned to him, as his words filled the space between you. "You were really good today."
"Thanks, glad you liked it," you managed to reply, slowly turning to face him.
The physical distance between you was minimal now, closer than any previous encounter, and your heart responded accordingly - its rhythm quickening to an almost uncomfortable pace. Your gaze found refuge in the ground, unable to meet those captivating eyes that seemed to see right through you.
"Would you like some coffee?" he offered, his voice gentle in the night air.
You couldn't help but laugh softly at the suggestion of caffeine at this hour, but found yourself nodding anyway. His slightly flustered demeanor was endearing, making your own nervousness feel more manageable.
The journey to the cafe involved sharing an elevator - a moment that should have been awkward but instead felt naturally comfortable. The silence between you carried its own kind of peaceful conversation.
You found the cafe deserted, its self-service station the only sign of activity. He carefully prepared two cups and selected a table nearby.
"I'm Han Jisung, by the way," he introduced himself with charming formality, as though you hadn't spent years following his career.
"I know," you responded with a warm smile that caused him to shyly look down.
"I was into kpop for a long time," you shared, opening up slightly.
"Really? Who did you like?" His attention focused entirely on you, encouraging you to enthusiastically discuss your love for kpop. You carefully navigated around mentioning your particular admiration for him, keeping that detail safely guarded.
While you spoke, he seemed transfixed, though not entirely by your words. His gaze traced the animation in your eyes, the movement of your lips as you spoke, the expressive gestures of your hands as you described your favorite moments.
In that moment of genuine connection, he realized he wanted to know everything about you - every story, every laugh, every dream.
Hours slipped by as you shared stories about Stray Kids and their various adventures. Han offered exclusive behind-the-scenes anecdotes that had you hanging on every word, treasuring each new detail.
But when you felt your heart beginning to fall into familiar patterns, recognizing the dangerous territory of developing feelings once again, you made your exit, leaving him behind with unspoken words and growing emotions.
The night air felt heavier somehow, thick with the kind of quiet that only comes after everything is said and done. You stood by the curb, suitcase by your side, watching as the city’s glow blurred into soft streaks in your tired eyes. The conference was over. Your cab was on its way. And the memory of him — the rooftop, the coffee, his voice saying your name — clung to you like the faint scent of his cologne on your jacket.
You told yourself it was enough.A beautiful memory. A fleeting what-if. That was all it could be.
But then —
“y/n!!”
Your name, carried across the night like a prayer. Breathless. Hopeful.
You turned, heart lurching into your throat, and there he was — Han Jisung, in a hoodie and jeans, mask half-pulled down, hair messy like he’d run the whole way. His chest rose and fell with every deep breath, but his eyes never left yours.
“I thought I missed you,” he said, voice rough from running, from nerves.
You could only stare, too stunned to speak.
He took a step closer. Then another. The city noise melted into nothing.
“I don’t want this to just be a memory,” he said, quieter now, like the words were fragile. “I know it’s crazy. I know we’re from two different worlds. But... can we try? Can I see you again? For real?”
He fumbled something from his pocket — a small piece of hotel stationery, creased and smudged from his hand. His handwriting filled the page, neat but hurried. His number. A note that simply said:
If you ever think of me — call.
You took it, fingers brushing his.The air between you felt charged, like the universe itself was holding its breath.
“I’ll call,” you said, voice steady despite the wild beating of your heart.
And that smile — that smile that had lived in your dreams — broke across his face like sunlight after rain.
“Good,” he said. “I’ll be waiting.”
The cab pulled up, the driver popping the trunk. Han helped with your suitcase without asking, his hand lingering on the handle for just a second longer than necessary.
You got in, window rolled down, watching as he stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets, gaze soft but steady.
As the car pulled away, you looked back one last time.He was still there, standing under the city lights, watching you go — but not like it was goodbye.
Better Than Any Drama: L.F
Lee Felix x fem!reader (College AU)
WC: 15.6K
CWs: Parental Substance Abuse, Parental Neglect & Emotional Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Mental Health Struggles, Animal Injuries, Vomiting, the rest of the frat meddling, soft!Felix, simp!Felix
General Masterlist SKZ Masterlist
You hum under your breath as you shuffle through the Alpha Phi frat house's front door, your heels clicking quietly against the hardwood as you step fully inside, the bundle in your arms clutched tightly against your chest. The morning sun casts a soft glow across the messy living room.
Hyunjin lounges across the couch like he owns the entire fucking universe. "Why do you always look like you just fucking fell out of the seventies?"
You glance down at yourself instinctively, the cream halter top, the high-waisted flared trousers, the white heels that click delicately with every step. A matching cream headband neatly tucks your pastel blue hair back, your tiny shoulder bag swinging from your elbow. Gold hoops dangle from your ears, catching the sunlight as you tilt your head in confusion.
"The seventies was a good decade,"
"Don't you have a fucking illustration and storyboarding lecture right now?"
You blink at him, feigning innocence, and shrug, shifting your weight from one heel to another.
Hyunjin’s eyes narrow suspiciously. "Oh, for fuck's sake, what the hell is bundled in your arms this time?"
He lunges forward, grabbing at the coat bundled tightly in your arms. You hold it protectively for a second, but you know it's no use. Hyunjin’s too fast, and you're too gentle to really fight him. He peels back the coat clumsily, fingers fumbling at the fabric, and reveals the small, trembling creature hidden beneath it.
There, curled up against your chest with a blood-matted tail and wide, terrified eyes, is an injured squirrel.
Hyunjin’s mouth drops open. Then, with a long, loud sigh of pure exasperation, he slumps back onto the couch, throwing an arm dramatically over his forehead.
"Another fucking squirrel?" he groans. "Seriously, Y/N? We already have seven of the little fuckers that never leave the garden anymore! And holy shit, look at your coat! That’s two coats this fucking month you’ve ruined with blood."
You shuffle your foot against the floor, gaze dropping sheepishly to the ground. "He was injured in the road. I couldn't just leave him there. I brought him here for Minho to look at."
Hyunjin drags his hand down his face and mumbles, "Why the fuck did I make friends with a fucking Disney princess?"
You open your mouth to argue, but he cuts you off with a wild gesture. "I'm serious! I'm half expecting you to walk in with a fucking entourage of birds and shit perched on your shoulders. One of these days, I’m gonna open the front door and see you leading a fucking parade like Snow White."
You smile as Hyunjin tips his head back dramatically, taking a deep, shuddering breath before he bellows at the top of his lungs, "DOCTOR DOFUCKALL! Y/N HAS PICKED UP ANOTHER FUCKING STRAY!"
From somewhere upstairs, there’s a loud thud, followed by the frantic thumping of feet pounding down the hallway. It only takes a few seconds before Minho appears at the top of the stairs. Carefully perched in his hands is Hannie the Hedgehog, Minho and Jisung’s very beloved spiky child.
Minho's face lights up when he sees you. His entire demeanour changes, the cool, slightly aloof front he keeps with the rest of the world melts into something warm and genuine as he hurries down the stairs, cradling Hannie protectively against his chest. Minho is famously nice to four things in his life: animals, Jisung, you, and Felix. Everyone else can fuck off as far as he’s concerned.
You step forward immediately, gently holding out the injured squirrel as Minho approaches. Hannie scrambles a little and Minho murmurs soothing nonsense under his breath before adjusting his little spiky body onto his shoulder.
Minho leans in, inspecting the squirrel with sharp eyes. Before he can say anything, the sound of more thudding feet fills the air. One by one, the rest of the Alpha Phi boys pour into the living room like a goddamn stampede.
Chan is first, shirtless and wearing nothing but grey sweatpants and a backwards baseball cap. He looks like he hasn’t slept in a year but still grins widely when he sees you.
Changbin barrels in after him, catching sight of you and the squirrel and just groans loudly.
Jisung is right behind him, and Felix trails in after, yawning and stretching, the hem of his oversized black t-shirt riding up to expose a sliver of his stomach. He perks up immediately when he sees you.
Seungmin and Jeongin bring up the rear, both looking slightly more put together but still very much in lazy morning mode, Seungmin sipping a mug of black coffee like it personally offended him.
"Alright, what the fuck did you bring this time?" Chan teases, ruffling your hair as he passes.
Minho doesn’t even glance up. "She brought a squirrel. Broken leg. Probably a few weeks of healing. Ji, take our spike baby."
Jisung immediately steps forward with a bright, eager smile, hands outstretched like he’s catching a prized possession. Minho carefully transfers Hannie into Jisung’s hands, and Jisung cradles him against his chest, stroking his little nose with a fingertip.
"Look at him, he’s so fucking cute," Jisung coos.
"You’re disgusting," Seungmin deadpans.
"I’m nurturing," Jisung corrects primly.
Minho returns his focus to the squirrel, hands moving efficiently. "Leg’s definitely broken. I’ll wrap it, but he’s gonna need a few weeks to heal. He’ll probably stick around after that"
"They always fucking do," Changbin sighs.
"I’m honestly starting to think we should apply for government funding," Jisung says, stroking Hannie’s nose. "Like, seriously. Seungmin feeds that raccoon better than he feeds any of us. He gave me a fucking mouldy piece of bread once”
"It wasn’t mouldy, it was just aged,"
"Aged my ass. Meanwhile, Nuri gets premium scraps, like, Wagyu fucking beef or some shit."
"Nuri is my child now. He deserves the best."
"I swear to god," Jisung grumbles, cradling Hannie tighter. "Y/N and Minho basically have a cult following of wildlife. Minho and I have our spiky son. We deserve fucking funding."
Jeongin leans in close to the coffee table. "He looks like a Haru," he says decisively. "It’s a he, right?"
With clinical efficiency, Minho reaches down, gently lifts the little squirrel’s tail, and peers underneath like he’s checking under the hood of a car. He hums thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. "Yep, definitely a he."
Chan immediately leans over the coffee table, eyebrows raising high into his hairline. "Look at the fucking balls on him! They're fucking huge!"
At Chan’s loud declaration, the rest of the boys jostle and push to get a better look, crowding around the coffee table like it's the most fascinating exhibit they’ve ever seen.
Changbin squints and his mouth curls into a wicked grin. "He must have broke his fucking leg falling outta a tree. Those balls are so heavy, gravity just said ‘fuck you’ and yanked him down."
"Poor guy. Defeated by gravity. Pulled down by heavy-ass balls. He didn't stand a fucking chance."
Felix shakes his head with a mournful look. "I bet he can’t even run properly. They probably drag along the fucking tree bark whenever he tries. Just-" he gestures wildly, "-balls scraping along like sandpaper."
Every single guy in the room collectively winces at the mental image, groaning and immediately clutching their own crotches in sympathy. Hyunjin lets out an exaggerated scream and collapses backwards on the couch, limbs splaying out dramatically.
"Jesus fucking Christ, why would you say that out loud?" Chan howls, still laughing.
"I can feel it in my soul," Jeongin gasps, still cradling himself. "The bark burn! Oh my fucking god."
"His name is Haru Titanballs now," Hyunjin declares grandly, like he’s announcing the birth of royalty. "It’s canon."
You shake your head fondly, smiling to yourself as you turn away and head toward the kitchen. You set your bag on the counter, roll up your trousers a little to avoid water splashes, and start scrubbing your hands under the lukewarm tap.
Behind you, you can still hear them going at it, their voices carrying easily from the living room.
"I’m telling you, those balls have gotta be giving him some kind of fucking superpowers,"
"Like what? Teleportation? He just swings ‘em hard enough and propels himself through space?"
"Nut-powered flight. Fucking Iron Man, but it’s just ball propulsion."
"Fucking gross," Minho mutters, but you can hear the smirk in his voice even from here.
You scrub your hands until your fingers start to wrinkle, letting their ridiculous voices wash over you like background noise. Your phone buzzes against the counter. Once. Twice. Three times.
You glance over at it, the screen lighting up with a name you know too well.
Eomma
You don’t answer. You don’t even hesitate. You just pick up the phone, thumb hovering over the Decline button for a moment before flipping it face-down on the counter, hiding the bright, insistent glow from view.
Your stomach twists slightly, a familiar, sick weight settling into your chest. You flex your fingers against the edge of the sink, trying to focus on the water instead of the guilt crawling up your spine.
Only Hyunjin and Changbin know. Only they know the real reason why you always flinch a little when your phone rings unexpectedly. Why sometimes your smile feels just a little too forced. Why you work too many late nights at the bar and stretch your student budget until it’s practically screaming.
You’re so lost in thought you don’t hear Changbin approach until he’s right next to you, reaching out to pluck your phone off the counter. He studies the screen for a moment, then glances over at you with soft, dark eyes.
"You okay?" he asks, voice low and careful.
You nod stiffly, shutting off the tap and grabbing a paper towel to dry your hands. "I don’t get paid from work till next week," you murmur. "I need to figure out a budget for my rent and groceries and then figure out what I can spare to give her."
Changbin frowns, setting your phone back down carefully. "You know I can help you out if you need it," he says quietly. "My parents give me stupid amounts of allowance every month. Perk of being rich, I guess."
You manage a small smile, heart aching with gratitude. "I know, Binnie. But I don't need it. I did a lot of overtime at the bar last month. I should be able to send her the usual amount and still have enough left over for myself. Chip in for groceries here, considering how much I'm here, pay my bills, maybe even treat myself to a nice new pair of heels."
"You shouldn’t have to do all this shit by yourself,"
You shrug helplessly. "It's just how it is."
Your phone buzzes again, rattling slightly against the counter. You glance at it, then back at Changbin.
"I have some cash put aside I can give her now," you say softly, rubbing your temple.
"Your emergency fund?"
You nod slowly. "It’s for her emergencies. So she doesn’t end up in debt again like last year. I had to fork out nearly one and a half million won to clear it. I still have the money from my appa’s life insurance. And the insurance payout from his company after the accident. It’s been collecting a lot of interest too. That’s how I get nice clothes and stuff."
Changbin listens intently, his hand warm and solid on your shoulder.
"He left it all to me in his will," you continue, voice almost too soft to hear. "It’s a big sum. Most of it’s stashed away for a place to live once I graduate. Maybe even... I don’t know. Learn how to drive." You laugh weakly. "But I think I’d just end up crying if someone cut me off."
You trace invisible patterns against the counter, voice dropping lower. “Sometimes I feel bad buying stuff with his money. Like it should only be for serious stuff.”
“He left it to you to fucking use however you want. You wanna look like a seventies goddess? Do it. You wanna wear ABBA heels and strut around campus like a fucking disco queen? Fucking buy them and rock them.”
You huff out a quiet laugh, the knot in your chest loosening just slightly. You nudge him gently with your elbow. “Thanks, Binnie.”
“Anytime.”
From the living room, you can still hear the others, still knee-deep in their discussion about Haru Titanballs.
“I bet he can fucking hypnotize other animals with his balls,”
“Or maybe they’re like...weighted training. Like Goku’s clothes in Dragon Ball! Once he’s free, he’ll be fucking unstoppable!”
“I still can’t believe you assholes are sitting around talking about a squirrel’s nuts like it’s fucking scientific discovery,” Seungmin says.
“We are scholars, you disrespectful fuck,” Chan retorts, fake offended. “Show some respect to Haru Titanballs!”
You and Changbin glance at each other and both burst out laughing, the tension in the kitchen fading under the ridiculous, familiar comfort of it all.
A week later, you step into the Alpha Phi frat house, your platform heels making a dull thud against the floor as you close the door behind you with a quiet click. It’s early evening, but it feels like midnight, the day’s weight pulling heavy on your limbs.
Felix is sprawled on the living room floor, a controller in his hands, his attention locked on the flat screen TV mounted crookedly on the wall. You cross the room slowly, your dark blue flared jeans swishing with each step, your flowy ivory blouse fluttering softly. The tied knot under your breasts leaves your midriff exposed to the cool air, your pastel blue hair held back by a dark blue headband.
You drop down next to Felix, letting out a soft huff of breath. His game character immediately gets shot in the face with a rocket launcher because he turns his full attention to you. He tosses the controller onto the rug without a second thought, twisting to face you fully, concern written all over his freckled face.
"Hey, love," he says, voice soft. He reaches out instinctively, brushing a stray strand of your hair behind your ear. His fingers linger against your skin as he runs his thumb carefully along your cheekbone.
"You okay?" he asks, his voice dropping even softer.
You nod, your movements slow, your head tipping slightly to the side as if it’s too heavy to hold up properly. Felix’s frown deepens.
"Want a latte?" he offers, flashing you that soft, crooked grin that never fails to make your chest ache a little. "I can make you one."
"If you don't mind, I know you don't like the smell of coffee."
"I’ve been experimenting with some coffee-based recipes for my pastry course," he says proudly. "So I’m better with it now! I don’t dry heave at the smell anymore!"
You giggle, the sound light and tired. "But do you still retch if you drink it?"
Felix places a hand dramatically over his heart. "Listen, sweetheart, I suffer for my art."
You snort softly, your body already moving sluggishly to follow him as he hops up and offers you a hand. His grip is firm and warm as he helps you to your feet, steadying you when you wobble slightly in your white platform heels. Together, you make your way into the kitchen, the sound of your steps echoing in the high-ceilinged room.
Felix immediately moves to the coffee station set up on the counter next to an array of syrups lined up like little soldiers, pods and mugs scattered everywhere in organised chaos. He gestures grandly toward the syrups like he’s unveiling a masterpiece.
"What coffee syrup would you like, angel? We’ve got literally every fucking flavor under the sun."
You lean your elbows on the kitchen island, resting your chin in your hands as you think. "Honeycomb, please,"
Felix’s eyes sparkle with something soft as he nods, grabbing the bottle without hesitation. As the machine grumbles to life, Felix glances over his shoulder at you. "Long day?"
You fiddle idly with the hem of your blouse, your mouth twisting slightly. "Uh, yeah. Had some errands this morning. Then I was working on my newest animation characters this afternoon."
The truth is heavier. You spent the morning standing outside a run-down apartment complex on the far edge of Seoul, pressing a fat envelope of one million won into your mother's shaking hands. But you don’t say that. You just smile weakly and pull your iPad out of your bag, needing to shift the conversation to something lighter before the weight of it crushes you.
"I brought them to show you," you say, unlocking the screen and flipping it toward him.
Felix abandons the coffee machine for a second, padding over in his socks to peer over your shoulder. You swipe through the folders, revealing page after page of character designs, fierce warriors, graceful goddesses, creatures woven from myth and legend, all rendered in your soft, intricate style.
"We had to pick a country’s mythology to base it on. I chose Greek mythology."
Felix flips through the designs with growing excitement, his mouth falling open in a series of increasingly dramatic gasps.
"Y/N, holy shit," he breathes. "These are so fucking cool! Look at Athena! Bad bitch energy all the way. And Aphrodite? Hot, but not all tits and no substance, you know? Like, she looks like she could fucking destroy you emotionally and then walk away in Gucci heels."
You laugh quietly, the sound making Felix’s heart do stupid fucking things in his chest.
"You really think they’re good?"
"Angel, they’re fucking incredible," Felix says fiercely, slinging an arm around your shoulders and pulling you close for a second. You go without protest, leaning into his warmth. "Seriously, you’re gonna fucking take over the world one day. I’m gonna be telling people ‘yeah, I knew her before she got famous and left me behind for some Hollywood douchebag.’"
You giggle again, hiding your face in his chest for a second before pulling away.
The coffee machine beeps, and Felix scrambles to finish your latte. He adds four generous spoonfuls of sugar because he knows you like your coffee so sweet it could induce a diabetic coma. Finally, he adds a few pumps of the honeycomb syrup, stirring it all together with a little flourish before sliding the mug across the counter toward you.
"Your sugar honeycomb milk with a side of coffee, madam,"
You laugh properly this time, the sound ringing clear through the kitchen as you accept the mug with both hands. "You’re a lifesaver"
Felix watches you sip at your coffee like you’re tasting something precious, and he swears he could fucking die right there and then, happy. You sit perched on the kitchen stool, back slightly hunched with how exhausted you are, and without really thinking about it, he steps behind you and places his hands gently on your shoulders. He kneads his fingers into the tight muscles there, working carefully at the knots, and the soft, breathy sound you make nearly sends him into cardiac arrest.
You melt under his touch almost instantly, your whole body slumping forward like the tension has been holding you upright all this time. Felix doesn’t even realise he’s grinning like an idiot, too focused on you, the way you hum under your breath, the way your body leans back just a little into his hands, the way your pastel blue hair brushes softly against his forearms.
Neither of you notice the heads peeking around the doorway, four sets of mischievous eyes watching like it’s prime fucking entertainment.
Jisung, Minho, Changbin, and Hyunjin have somehow managed to cram themselves just barely out of sight, a massive shared bowl of popcorn being passed between them.
"This is like watching fucking porn," Jisung whispers around a mouthful of food, earning an elbow to the ribs from Minho. "You know, the kind where the massage starts and then it's tentacles everywhere."
"Not everyone is a hentai enthusiast, jagi."
"They fucking should be. I converted you."
Minho hums noncommittally, but there’s a small, fond smile tugging at his lips that gives him away.
Changbin tears his eyes away from the scene in the kitchen just long enough to mutter, "If they start fucking on the counter, I'm out."
"They won't," Hyunjin says confidently, eyes glued to Felix’s hands still working at your shoulders. "They're both convinced the other doesn't like them that way. Felix thinks it's one-sided on his part and Y/N thinks it's one-sided on hers, so they just do weird shit like this."
Jisung licks salt off his fingers, grinning wickedly. "I'm convinced this is gonna end with Y/N stuck in the fucking washing machine."
Hyunjin blinks at him, confused. "What?"
"You know!" Jisung says eagerly, eyes wide. "All 'Felix, I'm stuck!' and he'll be like, 'Let me help you, Y/N... with my monster cock!"
Hyunjin splutters, Minho buries his face in Jisung’s shoulder to muffle his snickering, and even Changbin has to press his fist to his mouth to stop himself from cackling like a hyena.
"Felix does have a massive dick though. Remember the first time we saw it in the locker room?"
Minho shudders dramatically. "Jeongin was fucking terrified. Poor boy nearly cried."
"Jisung asked to fucking hold it!"
"And Felix let me!" Jisung says proudly, puffing out his chest. "I was offended there wasn’t even a twitch! He's pansexual and I am a sexy fucking man! His dick stayed soft in my hand!"
Minho wheezes, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. He nearly doubles over, grabbing Jisung for support.
"I told him it was okay if he did get hard!" Jisung adds, grinning. "Homiesexuality is cool! Bros supporting bros through boners! But nope! It just remained like a big floppy fucking noodle."
The four of them collapse into each other, barely able to breathe as they struggle to keep quiet, their laughter bouncing off each other like a goddamn pinball machine. Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the absolute shitshow happening just out of sight, you and Felix remain in your own little bubble.
Felix finishes the shoulder massage, not wanting to overstep, but you seem so boneless and relaxed now that he can't help but feel a little proud. Feeling bold, he snatches the mug gently from your hands, flashing you a cheeky grin before taking a sip. The second the coffee touches his tongue, he immediately starts gagging dramatically, eyes watering.
"I can still taste a fucking trace of coffee," he gasps between retches, his face twisted in horror as he stumbles to the sink and sticks his mouth under the tap like he's trying to cleanse himself of the evil.
You hop off the stool and follow him, reaching out to rub soothing circles on his back as he desperately gargles water from the faucet. "You tried," you say gently, giggling as you pat his back like he's a wounded soldier returning from battle. "A for effort."
Behind you, the peanut gallery falls silent again, watching the scene unfold with wide, rapt eyes.
Minho pops another piece of popcorn into his mouth, chewing slowly. "This is better than any fucking drama I've watched in the past year," he mutters, shaking his head in disbelief. "The slow burn is better than half the books I’ve read."
Hyunjin hums in agreement, resting his chin on Changbin’s shoulder. "It’s sickening. But like...cutely sickening. Like, I wanna puke, but also, I wanna throw rice at them and bless their marriage."
Jisung snickers quietly. "We should make bets. See how long it takes for one of them to fucking snap and climb the other like a tree."
"Put me down for next month," Changbin says, smirking.
"I’m giving it two more weeks," Jisung says, squinting as he studies you and Felix carefully. "Maybe even sooner if they keep having moments like this."
Minho leans in, eyes glinting. "Three weeks. Final answer."
Hyunjin smiles slyly. "One week. I have faith in chaos."
As the four of them exchange quiet, gleeful bets, you and Felix remain blissfully unaware, standing by the kitchen sink, shoulders brushing, laughter soft and warm between you like the easiest thing in the world.
The living room of the Alpha Phi frat house is a chaotic sprawl of bodies and animals and snacks. You’re curled up at one end of the couch, your Apple Pencil tapping lightly against your iPad as you sketch in steady, deliberate strokes. Your fitted black turtleneck clings comfortably to your frame, the flared cuffs fluttering a little every time you move. Your high-waisted white mini skirt brushes your thighs, your glossy knee-high white boots glinting slightly in the soft light. Black oversized sunglasses are shoved up into your pastel blue hair, forgotten but giving you a sort of unbothered, movie star aura.
Next to you, Minho lounges with Haru Titanballs resting comfortably in his lap and Jisung is sprawled on the floor, legs kicked out in front of him, Hannie the Hedgehog tucked neatly into the crook of his arm. He munches on a box of Pocky sticks, occasionally snapping off the chocolate-free ends to share with Hannie.
Seungmin is wedged into the loveseat as he scratches behind the ears of Nuri the raccoon. Nuri lounges shamelessly across Seungmin’s thighs like a king receiving tribute, his little hands clutching at Seungmin’s sleeve whenever he tries to move too much. Every once in a while, Nuri lets out a soft chitter of contentment, making Seungmin’s mouth twitch into a smile.
The Arcane soundtrack hums through the house speakers, the haunting melodies of season one blending into the harder, more aggressive tracks from season two. The low bass vibrates through the wooden floors, setting a comfortable hum under the lazy afternoon vibe. When Renegade kicks on, the beat sharp and fast, Changbin immediately jumps to his feet with a triumphant grin.
Without missing a beat, he starts rapping along, spitting the lines with such sharp precision that even Seungmin looks mildly impressed. Changbin moves around the room like a hype man at a one-man concert, his protein shake in one hand, gesturing wildly with the other.
"You know," Hyunjin says suddenly, dragging out the words in a slow, lazy drawl, "Y/N always looks like she should be having a horny meltdown at an Elvis concert."
You don't look up, just roll your eyes, flicking the stylus against the screen with a little more force than necessary.
"I'm serious," Hyunjin insists, sitting up from where he’s sprawled half-off the couch, his golden hair mussed and his t-shirt sliding off one shoulder. "You look like you just discovered the concept of sexuality because Elvis fucking hip-thrusted at you."
"Cumming down her leg," Jisung says with a straight face. "Like, dripping through the panties, a creamy little tear rolling down the leg."
You grimace. "Oh my god, that's so fucking gross."
Felix groans too, rubbing a hand down his face in exasperation. "You’re both absolutely foul."
"You’re such a pabo, Hyunjin," you say, not looking up from your iPad. "The leader of all pabos."
Hyunjin gasps, clutching his chest like you've physically wounded him. Seungmin, without missing a beat, says, "She’s right."
Hyunjin throws himself backwards onto the couch with a theatrical sob, earning a chorus of unimpressed snickers.
Your phone buzzes sharply against the coffee table for the fourth time in as many minutes and Minho leans over casually, raising an eyebrow. "You gonna get that?"
You shake your head, voice light. "Spam calls," you say easily, flicking your gaze quickly to Hyunjin and Changbin. Both of them clock it immediately, tension tightening their shoulders, but neither says a word. They just exchange a quick, almost imperceptible glance, silently agreeing to play along.
"They really want your money, huh?" Felix says with a chuckle, nudging your foot playfully with his own.
You hum, your eyes glued to the screen as you shade Hecate’s face with soft, confident strokes.
"Maybe they hacked her phone," Hyunjin says, desperate to change the subject. "They probably know she’s hot and want to jerk it to her voice."
Instant outrage explodes around the room. Couch cushions fly like missiles as everyone pelts Hyunjin with whatever’s within reach. Seungmin lobs a pillow with frightening precision, smacking Hyunjin square in the face.
"Boo! Disgusting! Poor Y/N! She’s too pure for this shit!"
"Yeah right," Hyunjin wheezes, batting away another cushion. "I've seen the fucking fugly monsters she smuggles out of her apartment at shameful hours."
Minho turns to you with wide eyes. "No, not you. You don’t do one-night stands, right? You’re a pure, innocent angel, right?"
You tap your chin with your stylus, pretending to think hard. "Uh, of course. What even is sex?"
"Good. Stay pure, dear one."
Jisung props Hannie onto his shoulder like a tiny, spiky parrot and claps his hands together. "Okay, so who is who for our Arcane characters?"
Minho raises a hand immediately. "I’m the goth gang leader. The depressed Harley Quinn one."
"Madame Margot," Jisung says, nodding seriously. "Okay, so Minho is Madame Margot. I’m Heimerdinger. Or like, AU Powder. Changbin is Sevika, badass, angry, swole."
Changbin flexes dramatically, kissing his bicep with an exaggerated smack.
"Hyunjin," Jisung continues, grinning wickedly, "is that twink guy that bathes Ambessa and is basically her prostitute boy toy."
Hyunjin clutches his heart proudly. "An honour, honestly."
"Felix is Ekko, obviously," Jisung says, grinning. "Cool and badass but soft for his people."
Felix shrugs modestly, but he’s smiling wide, dimples popping.
"Y/N," Jisung says, turning to you with a solemn look, "is like how Isha would be if she didn't die."
A collective, exaggerated sob echoes through the living room. "Too soon," Changbin mumbles, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
"Seungmin is so fucking Silco-coded," Jisung adds, nudging Seungmin with his foot. "Cold exterior, will literally murder someone for the people he loves."
Seungmin grunts, clearly not disagreeing.
"And Jeongin is either Caitlyn or Viktor," Jisung finishes thoughtfully. "Maybe both. A little baby genius."
"And Chan is obviously Vander," Felix says, and everyone nods in immediate agreement.
The chatter fades as you and Felix naturally fall into your own little world, the familiar magnetic pull wrapping around the two of you like an invisible cocoon. He leans in, peering over your shoulder at your Hecate sketch.
"Maybe add more tattered edges to her cloak," Felix suggests softly, brushing a fingertip lightly over your iPad screen, careful not to actually touch it. "Make it look like the magic is eating away at her."
You nod, biting your bottom lip as you immediately start adjusting the sketch. "Maybe some runes woven into the hem," you murmur, your voice low and focused.
Felix hums, eyes lighting up. "Yeah. Like, ancient shit that predates language."
You two go back and forth like that, tossing ideas easily, finishing each other's thoughts without hesitation. The rest of the boys glance at each other, grinning and rolling their eyes affectionately. They all know the second you and Felix lock into your little creative zone, the whole world could burn down around you and neither of you would fucking notice.
"Bet you a thousand won we could tell them aliens landed on the roof and they wouldn’t even blink," Jisung whispers, smirking.
Minho snickers. "Make it two thousand and I’m in."
But no one says anything else. They just watch, letting you and Felix spin your little world of gods and myths and quiet touches, oblivious to the chaos around you, perfectly content in the tiny universe you’ve built, one where it’s just you and him, and nothing else matters.
You’re curled up in the living room of the frat house, half-asleep against a mountain of mismatched pillows, a soft beige blanket tangled around your legs. The TV plays quietly, flashing scenes of The Business Proposal across the screen. Minho lounges at the other end of the couch, Hannie tucked into the nest of his dark hair, looking like a spiky crown. Jisung sits cross-legged on the floor, arms loosely around a throw pillow.
A sudden knock at the door shatters the soft peace of the evening.
"I'll get it!" Felix calls from somewhere deeper in the house, his voice light and easy.
You barely stir, just snuggling deeper into your blanket. You can hear Felix’s footsteps thumping lazily down the hallway, the soft creak of the floorboards beneath him. Then, the front door clicks open.
There's a long, strange silence.
Felix stands frozen in the doorway, his hand still on the knob. A woman stands in front of him, thin to the point of frailty, her skin a sickly greyish hue, her hair stringy and matted, hanging around her sunken face in limp strands. Her clothes hang off her like loose rags, barely concealing the shaking in her hands. She smells faintly of smoke and something chemical. Her eyes, wide and glassy, dart around frantically before landing on Felix.
"Is my Y/N-ah here? I have her phone location."
Felix blinks, his mouth opening and closing uselessly. The woman looks like a ghost, a funhouse mirror distortion of the face he adores, your face, twisted by time and addiction into something hollow and broken. It's like seeing an older, cursed version of you, and it hits him square in the chest, knocking the breath out of him. He doesn't know what the fuck to say. He doesn't know what the fuck to do.
Changbin steps into the hallway behind him, drawn by the weird energy radiating off the doorway. The second he sees the woman, his entire body stiffens.
"Oh shit," Changbin mutters under his breath, his hand shooting out to grab Felix's shoulder. "Y/N! Come out here a sec, please! Just you!"
You shuffle out of the living room, rubbing at your face. But the second your gaze lifts and you see who's standing at the door, you freeze, shrinking instinctively back against Changbin.
"Y/N-ah! Baby!" your mother cries, stumbling forward a half step.
Felix's head whips between the two of you, confusion carving deep lines across his face. He still doesn’t fully get it, but the way you flinch into Changbin tells him everything he needs to know.
From the living room, Minho and Jisung poke their heads around the corner. Jisung squints, blinking hard like he’s not sure what he’s looking at.
"What’s wrong with her?" Jisung whispers, voice cutting through the tense air.
Minho stares hard for a long moment, his mouth a tight line. "She's a drug addict, Jagi,"
Jisung’s eyes widen in understanding. He glances back at you, then at the woman swaying in the doorway. "She looks a lot like Y/N- Oh, oh! OH! "
From the stairs, more noise echoes as Chan, Seungmin, and Jeongin crowd together, craning their necks to see what the fuck is going on. Hyunjin materialises at your side without a word, sliding in next to you and Changbin.
You move stiffly to the coat rack, digging into the little handbag you’d tossed there earlier. Your fingers close around your purse and you pull it out. You flip it open, fingers nimble, and withdraw a fat wad of cash.
You step forward and hand the cash to your mother without a word. She takes it eagerly, pressing a sloppy kiss to your cheek. You stiffen at the contact, your whole body recoiling inward, but you don't pull away.
"Baby, do you have more? Just a little more, please?"
Felix’s hand closes gently around your wrist, pulling you back before you can even think about responding. He steers you toward the stairs, guiding you carefully, shielding you with his body. You let him, too tired and too broken to fight it.
Behind you, your mother's voice rises, shrill and ugly.
"Fucking ungrateful little bitch! You think you’re better than me, don’t you? You think you’re some fancy fucking princess now?! You’re just like your father, selfish fucking-"
The door slams shut, cutting off the spew of bile mid-sentence. Minho locks it with calm, mechanical precision, his face carved from stone. His hand lingers on the deadbolt for a moment longer than necessary, knuckles white with pressure.
Jisung exhales a low breath, wide-eyed. "Holy shit."
Meanwhile, Felix leads you upstairs, neither of you speaking. He tugs you gently into his room, kicking the door shut behind you. His room is dimly lit by the soft glow of his computer monitors, the three screens looping a slow, colourful screensaver.
Without a word, he digs into the fridge and pulls out two juice boxes, tossing one lightly toward you. You catch it instinctively, clutching it like a lifeline.
"So," Felix says, leaning against the edge of his desk, fiddling with the straw of his own juice box.
"So," you echo, voice small and hollow.
"Your eomma?" he asks, gentle, giving you an out.
You nod, sinking down onto his bed and curling your legs up underneath you. "It’s methamphetamines."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not yet," you say, shaking your head. You sip your juice box slowly, savouring the stupid, sugary sweetness.
Your eyes flick toward his three-monitor setup, the swirling colours hypnotic.
Felix catches the glance and immediately shifts gears. "Okay," he says easily. "No heavy shit. Got it."
He pops the straw into his mouth and plops into his gaming chair, spinning once before he leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.
"So get this," he says, already grinning. "I played fucking League of Legends again last night like a fucking idiot, because I hate myself, clearly, and holy shit, it was the worst fucking game of my life."
You giggle around the straw of your juice box, the sound small but real.
"I got fucking autofilled as support, right?" Felix says, gesturing wildly. "Which is already fucked because I don’t know how to babysit these fucking brain-dead ADCs. So I'm playing fucking Yuumi, which is a literal magical fucking cat that has to ride on people, and I swear to god, the guy I attached myself to just ran into every fucking tower like it was a goddamn buffet."
"Wait, wait, what's a support?"
"Okay, so in League, there’s five people per team, right? And the support’s job is basically to babysit the ADC, attack damage carry, who is like, supposed to do big damage later in the game. But early on, they’re squishy as fuck and die if you sneeze on them."
You nod slowly, sipping your juice. "And the cat?"
"Yuumi," Felix says, rolling his eyes. "She's a support that literally fucking jumps onto teammates and can’t get hit by anything unless the teammate dies. Which would be fucking great if my ADC didn’t have the survival instincts of a fucking paper bag."
You snort juice out your nose laughing, and Felix beams at you like he’s won a fucking medal.
"So you just ride around on people?" you ask between giggles.
"Yup," Felix says proudly. "Like a useless fucking barnacle. I just sit there, heal them, shield them, throw a little book at people."
"And you still lost?" you ask, teasing.
Felix sighs dramatically. "Fucking bronze for life, baby. Twelve years and I still suck. It's a goddamn art form at this point."
You laugh again, your body relaxing by degrees as he continues to rant about dumb teammates, toxic players, and his cursed League career. You’re okay.
At least for a little while longer.
Downstairs, the living room has shifted into a heavy, tense kind of silence. Changbin and Hyunjin stand together in front of the others, their arms crossed, backs straight, like they’re bracing for impact. Jisung cradles Hannie against his chest protectively, his fingers absentmindedly stroking the little hedgehog’s spines. Jeongin has Haru Titanballs nestled against his hoodie, the squirrel’s tail twitching every so often in his sleep.
Chan sits on the couch, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled under his chin. Minho leans back against the wall, arms crossed tightly, his expression unreadable. Seungmin slouches in the armchair, one hand loosely petting Nuri the raccoon where he sleeps across his lap.
Hyunjin clears his throat, drawing every pair of eyes toward him. "Alright, ask your questions now. We’re only telling you because Y/N told us we could if you guys ever found out. She doesn't like talking about it herself. After this, you will all treat her the same. That's what she wants."
Everyone nods slowly, the seriousness of his tone sinking in deep.
"How did you two find out?"
Hyunjin lifts a hand slightly. "She told me. Voluntarily. About a year ago. We were drinking at her place after finals, and she just... let it all out. I think she needed someone to know."
Changbin shifts beside him, his hand clenching at his side. "I found out by accident. A few months ago. I went out for ramen late at night, but I wanted a specific fucking store on the other side of town. I saw her trying to drag her eomma off the sidewalk outside this run-down building. She could barely carry her. I helped her get her eomma home."
Jeongin’s hands tighten around Haru unconsciously, his mouth twisting with a mix of anger and heartbreak.
"So how long has this been going on? Her eomma being an addict?"
Hyunjin sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since before any of us met her. Her appa died when she was ten. Some freak work accident. Left everything to her. Her eomma got hooked on meth not long after. Never got clean. Y/N’s been parenting herself for the last ten fucking years."
Seungmin’s mouth opens, then closes again like he doesn’t know what to say. His grip on Nuri tightens.
"And from what Y/N told me," Hyunjin adds, his voice soft, "her eomma was already an alcoholic by the time Y/N was two. That’s why her appa left everything to Y/N in his will. He knew."
Jeongin looks like he’s going to cry. His voice is tiny when he asks, "Is she okay?"
Changbin doesn’t sugarcoat it. "She’s managing. Like she always has. Giving her eomma money out of guilt and somehow managing to stay afloat herself. She tries not to touch her appa’s money. She’s got it stashed in an account that her eomma doesn’t even know exists. She’s saving it to buy a place to live. A place her eomma can’t find."
Hyunjin nods, picking up smoothly. "She wants a clean break. Right now, her eomma knows where she lives. Anytime her eomma gets into debt, which is fucking often, she sends dealers to Y/N’s door. Last year, I was there. Three guys showed up demanding one and a half million won. It was terrifying. I had to go with her to withdraw it while they waited in her fucking apartment."
Chan’s jaw tightens visibly, the vein in his temple throbbing.
Jisung speaks up, his voice cracking. "Does her eomma... hurt her?"
Hyunjin’s eyes darken. "Yeah. Meth addicts get violent. Y/N’s eomma is no different. Usually, Y/N can spot the switch and get out before it happens, but she’s not always lucky."
Minho’s knuckles turn white where his arms are crossed. Jeongin’s mouth is a tight, angry line.
"Does she have anyone else? Family?" Seungmin asks.
"No," Changbin says, shaking his head. "No grandparents. No aunts or uncles that care. It’s just been her for as long as she can remember."
"Why doesn’t she cut her off?"
"Because she’s Y/N," Hyunjin says simply. "She feels responsible. She feels guilty. She still loves her eomma, even after everything."
"Has she tried getting her help?"
"Rehab," Changbin says grimly. "Multiple times. She gets clean for a few weeks, maybe a month, then falls right back into it."
"Has she ever... I don’t know... called the cops?"
Hyunjin shakes his head. "She doesn’t want her eomma in jail."
Jeongin swallows hard, his eyes glossy. He buries his face in Haru's fur for a second, grounding himself.
Seungmin asks, "Does she need more money? Should we-"
"No," Changbin cuts in firmly. "She works her ass off. Bartending. Selling her art commissions on the side. She doesn’t want our charity. She just wants a chance to make it on her own."
Jisung finally pipes up again, cradling Hannie like a fragile glass figurine. "I have a very serious question. If I put on a skirt on a day I’m feeling more femboy than gym bro, can I fly kick her eomma?"
Hyunjin doesn’t even hesitate. "Yes."
Chan leans back against the couch, rubbing a hand down his face. "Jesus fucking Christ. No wonder she’s so tired all the time."
Minho speaks quietly. "We didn’t even know."
Hyunjin lifts his chin slightly. "That’s why we’re telling you now. So you know. So you can be better. She doesn't want special treatment. She just wants normal."
"And we give her that," Chan says, voice hard. "Normal. Like always."
They all nod, a silent promise rippling through the room.
Above them, in the safety of Felix’s room, you sip your juice box and giggle at Felix’s dramatic rants about League of Legends, blissfully unaware of the fierce loyalty being cemented downstairs in your name.
Morning creeps slowly into the Alpha Phi house, a soft golden haze bleeding through the kitchen windows. You sit at the island, your knees pulled up onto the stool, a steaming maple latte cupped carefully between your hands. You’re wearing a pair of Felix’s dark grey sweatpants that are a little too long and keep pooling around your ankles, one of Minho’s oversized cream sweaters, and Minho’s fluffy cat socks. You only ever steal clothes from Felix or Minho because you only trust those two not to do the sniff test laundry method.
The kitchen smells fucking incredible. Butter and sugar caramelising, a hint of cinnamon, and the yeasty warmth of rising dough. Felix moves between the stove and counter, humming under his breath, frying batches of hotteok on a large skillet. The backdoor is wide open, letting in a gentle breeze and an endless stream of little furry bodies. The garden is alive with movement as birds, rabbits, the occasional lizard, and even a couple of lazy squirrels wander in and out.
You sip your latte, Haru Titanballs perched contentedly in your lap, nibbling at a piece of cut-up apple. Felix is playing music from his phone, old tracks from the late sixties, seventies, and eighties that pour into the room like a warm river. You recognise almost all of them, songs you grew up loving, songs that feel like the backbone of every soft, golden memory you have. You don’t know it, but Felix spent two hours making a playlist just for you, combing through his own favourite old songs to build something he thought would make you smile.
He slides another plate of steaming hotteok onto the counter and glances over his shoulder at you. "Taste test?" he asks, holding out a piece between his fingers, grinning.
You take the offered bite, the pastry warm and chewy, the filling gooey and sweet on your tongue. You hum thoughtfully, chewing slowly as Felix watches you like you’re the only thing in the universe worth paying attention to.
You swallow and tilt your head. "Maybe a bit more cinnamon."
Felix immediately pops a piece into his own mouth, chewing with a furrowed brow. "You’re right. Some more cinnamon, some more sugar, maybe a tiny dash of maple syrup?"
You nod approvingly and scoop Haru a little closer, scratching his tiny head with your pinky finger. "It’s already amazing though."
Felix beams like you just handed him a Michelin star.
Neither of you notices the seven pairs of eyes peeking around the kitchen doorway. They’re stacked practically on top of each other, Chan on the bottom, glaring fiercely at everyone to stay still, Changbin, Hyunjin and Minho squashed above him, Jisung half-draped over Minho's shoulder, Seungmin trying to act casual but failing miserably, and Jeongin balanced at the very top, gripping the wall like a wide-eyed koala.
"It’s so fucking domestic. This is literally soft porn build-up. They need to kiss or something."
"I think we should lock them in a room together."
A silent agreement ripples through the group, everyone nodding with varying degrees of seriousness.
Changbin shifts slightly, nearly toppling the precarious human totem pole. "I swear to god, if they don’t get together by the end of the semester, I’m writing a fucking fanfic about them and mailing it anonymously."
Seungmin smirks, barely suppressing his laughter. "I’ll proofread it. Make sure it’s spicy enough."
Minho grins lazily. "Jisung and I already wrote fanfiction about them."
Jisung nods proudly. "We wrote smut too. Felix all dommy and hot, Y/N all ‘yes please, sir.’"
Jeongin pipes up from the top of the pile, whispering fiercely. "Later today. We lock them in a fucking room. We can’t let this tragedy continue."
Another wave of nods follows, serious and deadly quiet.
Meanwhile, you swirl your latte gently, Haru munching happily on another piece of apple as Felix adjusts the heat on the skillet, carefully flipping another pancake.
He glances over at you, a playful glint in his eye. "How's Haru doing, angel?"
You look down at the squirrel curled into your lap, his tiny body relaxed and happy. "Spoiled, but good."
"Good," Felix says, scooping another hotteok onto the plate with exaggerated care. "He deserves the high life. Little Titanballs king."
The human totem pole still watches, holding their breath as Felix leans closer to you to offer another bite of hotteok, their hearts pounding like they’re the ones about to confess. But you just smile and take the bite from his fingers.
The boys groan silently in collective frustration.
"This is fucking torture,"
"I feel like I’m losing brain cells,"
"Just fucking kiss already,"
"We need to act fast. This is a code red situation."
"I’m getting rope. We’re locking them in a closet."
Still oblivious, you giggle at something Felix says, your whole face lighting up in a way that makes the kitchen feel too small and too full of something none of them can name. Felix laughs too, scratching the back of his neck, the tips of his ears pink.
That afternoon, everything feels normal, which is probably why you don't question a thing. You're curled up on the couch with Haru nestled against your chest when Jisung bounces over, grinning way too innocently for your liking.
"Hey, Chan needs Felix to grab some shit from the basement. Can you go grab some bird feed, too?"
"Uh, sure?" you say, glancing down at Haru.
Seungmin materialises out of nowhere, already holding out his hands. "I'll take Haru. Go be useful, Picasso."
You snort and carefully transfer the sleepy squirrel into Seungmin’s arms. You push yourself off the couch, smoothing down your high-waisted, flared pants, the blue and white stripes bold and a little obnoxious, just the way you like them, and adjusting your crisp, oversized white blouse. The wide neckline slips off one shoulder slightly, and you nudge it back into place absently. Your pastel blue hair is pushed back neatly with a white headband, your sun earrings swinging lightly as you move, your matching sunburst necklace and bracelet catching the light.
Felix meets you at the top of the basement stairs, grinning brightly, completely unsuspecting. His fluffy socks make almost no sound as he pads next to you.
The two of you descend the stairs without a second thought. The second both your feet hit the basement floor, the door slams shut behind you with a loud BANG, followed immediately by the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking into place.
"You’re not getting out until we hear kissing!" Minho’s voice calls down gleefully.
"And maybe even sex!" Jisung’s voice adds, absolutely delighted.
You can hear the others laughing their asses off somewhere behind the door.
Chan’s voice is next, calm but firm like he’s issuing fucking mission orders. "We all know the two of you like each other. Do something about it."
Changbin chimes in, the unmistakable sound of him slurping on a protein shake making it sound even more casual. "Also, we want to hear date plans! No leaving until we hear date plans!"
You blink up at Felix, your heart thundering in your chest. He looks just as stunned as you feel, his mouth slightly open in pure disbelief.
"We’ve all been tiptoeing around this shit!" Hyunjin yells. "Kiss, fuck, date! DO SOMETHING!"
You clap a hand over your mouth to stop the laugh threatening to burst out. Felix just runs a hand through his messy brown mullet, looking like he’s two seconds from short-circuiting.
The basement is mostly clean, Chan made it a storage and mini gym area months ago, so there’s a few scattered boxes, some random shelves, and a dusty old treadmill in the corner. It’s dim but not dark, warm and weirdly cosy.
Felix lets out a breathless laugh, running both hands through his hair now. He stares at you for a second longer, and then all at once, like a dam breaking, the words pour out of him.
"Okay, fuck it," he says, voice rough around the edges. "I like you, Y/N. Like, really fucking like you. And not in a ‘you’re my friend’ way, or in a ‘you're cute sometimes’ way. I mean every-fucking-second-I-wanna-be-around-you, you're-the-best-part-of-my-day, holy-shit-you’re-so-fucking-beautiful-it-physically-hurts way."
Your eyes widen, your mouth opening in shock.
Felix barrels on, a nervous, crooked grin spreading across his face. "You make everything better. You make me better. And I'm so fucking scared of ruining what we have, but I'm even more scared of not telling you anymore."
You’re pretty sure your heart has stopped. Your fingers tremble slightly as you fiddle with the hem of your blouse.
"You- You mean it?"
"Of course I fucking mean it," Felix says, stepping closer, crowding your space in the best possible way. "I’m fucking obsessed with you, angel."
You let out a soft, shaky laugh, covering your face with both hands for a second before peeking through your fingers. "Do you want to, like, go out?" you ask, your voice small and tentative. "I mean... I know a painting place. They have private studios. We’ll probably both suck at it."
Felix throws his head back and groans dramatically. "That’s the worst fucking idea I’ve ever heard."
You bite your lip, half-laughing. "You in?"
Felix drops his hands to his hips and grins at you like you hung the fucking moon. "Oh, fuck yeah I’m in. I need to see you artistically fail. You’re too talented at digital art, I need to see you make a fucking horror show on canvas."
"WE STILL HAVEN'T HEARD ANY KISSING!"
"OR FUCKING! WE NEED TO HEAR SOMETHING! WE’VE BEEN WATCHING THIS SHIT FOR OVER A YEAR!"
You look at Felix, and Felix looks at you, and then he’s moving. He cups your face with both hands, tilting your chin up gently, and presses his mouth against yours.
The kiss is slow at first, careful, testing, like he’s afraid you’ll disappear if he moves too fast. You melt into it immediately, your hands curling into the fabric of his shirt, tugging him closer. Felix lets out a low, broken noise deep in his throat and deepens the kiss, tilting his head and pressing you back against the nearest wall. It’s not perfect. It’s messy and a little desperate, your noses bumping, teeth clacking once as you both laugh breathlessly into each other’s mouths. But it’s perfect for you.
It’s everything you didn’t even realize you were fucking starving for. Somewhere in the distance, you can hear the guys losing their minds.
"FUCK YEAH!"
"GET IT!"
"FINALLY!"
"MINHO AND I NEED MATERIAL FOR OUR Y/N X FELIX FANFIC!"
You and Felix break apart, panting and blinking at each other.
"Your WHAT?!" you both shout in unison.
"We’ll send you the draft!" Jisung promises gleefully. "I wrote the smut and didn’t use ‘velvet walls’ or ‘wet mound’ even once! Now fuck so my story can be factually accurate!"
Felix groans and buries his face in your neck, laughing so hard his whole body shakes. You lean your head back against the wall, giggling helplessly, feeling lighter than you have in what feels like forever.
"Welcome to Alpha Phi," you mutter.
Felix lifts his head just enough to kiss you again, quick and soft and full of promise.
"Wouldn’t fucking be anywhere else," he murmurs against your lips.
It’s noon when Hyunjin, Minho, and Jisung burst into your apartment like they own the place, ABBA blaring from the Bluetooth speaker sitting crookedly on your kitchen counter. Dancing Queen is currently flooding the small space, the bass thumping against the floors as they march straight for your bedroom with terrifying determination. You trail after them half-heartedly, clutching a mug of lukewarm tea in your hands as you watch them ransack your closet.
"We want ethereal seventies goddess," Hyunjin says. "Bright. Timeless. Untouchable. I'm thinking oranges, golds, creams. Summer goddess. Jeju orange goddess. She’s gotta look like if someone breathes near her, she’ll disappear into the fucking sunset."
"It’s a good thing her closet is like a fucking seventies thrift store," Minho says, squinting into the mess of fabrics. "If she owned one more paisley print, I would’ve called an intervention."
Hyunjin pulls out one option after another, critiquing each one with the critical eye of a runway coach. "Too pink. Too green. Too modest. Too ‘I raise goats in rural France and make my own soap.’ Not enough ‘I am the sun incarnate, bask in my glow and suffer.’"
Minho finally lets out a victorious grunt and yanks a bright orange halter top from the depths of your wardrobe. It’s vibrant and slinky, featuring a circular metal ring detail right at the chest and a tie-back design that would leave most of your back bare.
"This," Minho announces proudly, holding it up like he’s discovered a holy relic. "This is it."
Jisung, not to be outdone, emerges from the closet holding a pair of deep blue, high-waisted flared jeans that you had thrifted for cheap last summer. "Her ass will look illegal in these."
Hyunjin finds your favourite orange platform heels tucked in the shoe rack and immediately claims them, holding them up to the light like Simba in The Lion King. "Yes. Power shoes. Crush-men-underfoot shoes. But-then apologise-because-I’m-too-nice shoes"
Jisung scurries over to the accessories box and yanks out a cream and orange chain-handle shoulder bag, tossing it to Hyunjin like a quarterback passing a football. Minho pulls out an oversized cream and orange patterned neck scarf and a pair of retro, oversized square sunglasses.
"This is turning into a fucking cinematic masterpiece," Minho says smugly as he stacks everything neatly on your bed.
As they work, Jisung keeps digging through your jewellery until he finds the perfect touches, gold hoop earrings, chunky embellished rings, stacked vintage-style watches, and a beaded bracelet in warm sunset tones.
"Alright," Hyunjin says, clapping his hands once. "Bathroom. Now. Change. We need the full effect."
You shuffle toward the bathroom without argument, your heart hammering slightly. They’re taking this very seriously. You wriggle out of your house clothes and into the outfit piece by piece, first the halter top, tying it securely behind your neck and back, then tugging on the flared jeans which fit perfectly, cinching you at the waist and giving you those exaggerated seventies hips. You slip on the heels carefully, adjusting the bag strap over your shoulder, then wrap the neck scarf around your throat loosely and perch the sunglasses on top of your head.
You step out of the bathroom and immediately three pairs of eyes land on you, all nodding approvingly like proud stage moms.
"Holy shit," Jisung says first, wide-eyed. "You look like you’re about to steal my husband and my wallet."
Minho hums, circling you slowly like a shark. "Fucking breathtaking."
Hyunjin fans himself dramatically with one hand. "I’m not saying I'd worship you if you descended from the sky on a golden chariot, but I’m also not not saying it."
"Hair," Jisung declares. "I’m thinking big curls. Like, bigger than my student debt."
Minho nods in agreement and grabs your makeup bag from the dresser, immediately sorting through it with clinical efficiency. "You," he says, pointing at Jisung, "are doing hair. You," he points at Hyunjin, "are picking perfume."
"And you’re doing what?"
"Contouring her face, not that she needs it,"
You sit back on the stool they drag over from your desk, surrendering yourself to their eager hands.
"We're going for if Diana Ross was Korean and about to fuck up a man’s whole life," Jisung says, twirling a lock into a bouncy curl.
Minho leans in close, his hands gentle as he dusts shimmering gold across your eyelids, blending expertly until it looks like the light is catching your eyes themselves. He adds a touch of bronzer, a soft peachy blush, and a sheer gloss to your lips.
Meanwhile, Hyunjin rifles through your small collection of perfumes until he finds a slim, glass bottle with a citrusy, sun-drenched scent. He holds it up triumphantly. "This one. This smells like she bathes in Jeju orange trees,"
The three of them move like a well-oiled machine, chatting animatedly over the songs blaring through the speakers as they finish crafting you into their vision.
"There," Jisung says, stepping back to admire their work. "Fucking masterpiece."
Hyunjin hums under his breath as he adjusts your neck scarf slightly. "I wonder how the frat house wonder squad is doing with Felix"
Chaos reigns supreme in Felix’s bedroom. Chan, Seungmin, Jeongin, and Changbin are packed into the tiny space as NewJeans blasts from Felix’s speakers, shaking the walls. The beat is bouncing off every hard surface, the bassline vibrating through the floorboards like a fucking earthquake, all thanks to Changbin, who insisted that they needed hype music to make sure Felix didn’t look like a "half-assed disappointment" for his first real date with you.
Felix stands in the centre of the room, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, hands limp at his sides as Seungmin and Jeongin dive into the closet, flinging hoodies and dress shirts over their shoulders without a second glance, muttering under their breath like two old women bitching at a market stall.
"We have waited too fucking long for you to show up looking like a half-assed bum," Seungmin says, voice muffled as he tosses yet another hoodie behind him.
Jeongin nods seriously, popping his head out from behind a pile of sweaters. "This is the girl you’ve been heart-eyeing for what? Like two fucking years?"
Felix just blinks at them, his mouth opening and closing like he wants to protest but knows he won’t win. Changbin is at Felix’s side, taming Felix’s unruly brown mullet with a comb and some leave-in conditioner he dug out of Minho’s bathroom stash.
Chan stands directly in front of Felix, a small makeup pouch in one hand, dabbing a tiny amount of concealer under Felix’s tired eyes from the late-night League session that nearly cost him his soul.
"I cannot believe this, Lee Felix Yongbok," Chan mutters, shaking his head like a disappointed father.
Felix blinks innocently at him, shoulders scrunching up slightly as Chan blends the concealer with expert fingers. "I slept for like four hours!"
"And whose fucking fault is that, huh?" Chan fires back immediately. "It’s League of Legends, Felix. It’s always League. I should ban your account."
Felix pouts but stays still as Chan finishes blending, tapping lightly at his cheeks with a makeup sponge.
Meanwhile, Jeongin groans loudly from the closet. "There is no middle ground in your closet, man! It’s either hoodies and sweatpants or shit that’s way too fancy to get ruined with paint!"
Seungmin snorts, yanking out a bright Louis Vuitton jacket and holding it up like it personally offended him. "So much Louis Vuitton. Jesus Christ."
"I like the brand!" Felix defends again, this time a little more petulant.
"You’re not wearing a LV jacket to paint shit in, you absolute goblin," Seungmin says, tossing it aside without remorse.
Jeongin, who has been unofficially banned from picking shoes after too many traumatic fashion choices involving weird loafers, stays safely in the clothing zone, pulling out a white sleeveless graphic tee with black lettering that reads The Eclipse Of You.
Seungmin immediately pulls out a pair of light-wash denim jeans with black abstract patchwork and distressed detailing, holding them up against Felix’s body with a critical eye. He nods once, satisfied. "Pants. Perfect amount of slutty."
The final piece, a black sleeveless leather biker vest adorned with silver hardware and shoulder epaulettes, is yanked from the depths of Felix’s wardrobe by Jeongin with a little victorious yell.
Felix stares at the outfit being constructed like Frankenstein’s monster on his bed and swallows nervously.
"Shoes," Seungmin says, tossing a pair of well-worn black combat boots onto the bed.
Jeongin dives into the accessory pile, quickly yanking out a chunky chain belt, a handful of silver rings, layered bracelets, and necklaces that glint dangerously under the bedroom lights.
"You need to look like a fucking problem," Jeongin says as he stacks the accessories in Felix’s hands.
"We know Y/N’s gonna show up looking like a seventies fucking icon," Jeongin continues seriously. "So you need to look like a seventies rockstar who will fuck her six ways to Sunday while also making her pancakes afterward."
Seungmin nods sagely. "You need to look slutty. But not boring, straight, frat-boy-slutty. Pansexual slutty king vibes. Radiate that energy. Channel it. Live it."
Changbin slaps Felix on the back. "We believe in you, slut king."
Felix stares down at the pile of clothes and jewellery in his arms, then looks up at his brothers, who are all watching him with the manic energy of stage moms at a toddler pageant.
"Don’t fuck this up," Chan says, voice serious. "You are our collective reputation."
Felix takes a deep breath, steels himself, and nods once. He is not going to let them down. He’s going to show up looking like the pansexual rockstar slut king they believe he can be.
At exactly 3:15 pm, Felix pulls Chan's ridiculously expensive, stupidly shiny car to a smooth stop outside your apartment building, his fingers drumming anxiously against the steering wheel. He swallows hard, trying to ignore the vivid memories of Chan’s very detailed, very violent threats ringing in his ears the entire drive over.
"If you crash this fucking car," Chan had said, poking Felix sharply in the chest, "I will personally deport your ass back to Australia with nothing but a forehead tattoo that says dumb cunt who killed my car. You understand me?"
Felix had nodded rapidly, eyes wide.
"And if you crash this car with Y/N inside," Chan continued, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper, "I will fucking murder you, bury the body, and then resurrect you so I can murder you again. Then I’ll end your entire fucking bloodline by castrating you with a fucking spoon. No kids. No legacy. You’ll just be a cautionary fucking tale."
"And!" Chan added, holding up a stern finger, "no eating in the car. No drinks. No speeding. No slamming the brakes unless it’s absolutely necessary. No aggressive turns. No parking too close to another car. No playing shitty music. And if you even think about fucking in my backseat, I will set the whole vehicle on fire with you inside it."
Felix had mumbled, "Yes, hyung," under his breath, thinking that maybe he should have just borrowed Jeongin's clapped-out scooter instead.
"But Y/N can do whatever she wants," Chan had added casually. "If she wants to eat, drink, draw on the windows, take the steering wheel and drive the car herself? You fucking let her."
Now, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles are white, Felix watches the building entrance like a man awaiting his fate.
And then he sees you.
You step out of the building like a scene out of a fucking movie. Your hair is curled into soft, bouncy waves, catching the light like a goddamn halo. You look like you’ve walked straight out of the seventies, an untouchable goddess radiating heat and joy and pure, unfiltered power.
Behind you, Minho, Jisung, and Hyunjin peek out from the doorway like nosy little gremlins, barely able to contain their excitement. Felix slams the door shut behind him a little too hard, wincing at the echo, but then you’re walking toward him, and he forgets how to breathe properly.
"You look amazing,"
You smile, pushing your sunglasses up onto your head and blinking up at him through thick lashes. "You look... uh, wow," you say, a little breathless.
Felix grins, wide and boyish, his dimples deep enough to drown in.
He rushes around to open the car door for you like a proper fucking gentleman, giving a little awkward bow as he does, which makes you laugh quietly. You slide gracefully into the passenger seat, smoothing your jeans as you settle in. Felix jogs back around to the driver’s side, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste, and slides into the seat, heart hammering against his ribs.
He presses the button to open the roof of Chan’s convertible, the mechanical whir filling the silence as the top folds back, letting the warm Seoul air flood into the car.
"I only passed my driving test like, two months ago," Felix says sheepishly, adjusting his sunglasses as he glances at you. "So uh, buckle up. Maybe brace the whole time."
You laugh softly, clicking your seatbelt into place. "I trust you."
Felix groans dramatically, dragging a hand down his face. "Bold choice. Very bold. Chan literally threatened my fucking life when he handed me the keys."
"What’d he say?" you ask, curious, sipping from the water bottle you tucked into your bag earlier.
"Uh," Felix starts, counting on his fingers, "deportation back to Australia, forehead tattoo calling me a dumb cunt, resurrection murder, castration with a spoon, arson, and also a full banishment from the friend group if I so much as thought about speeding."
You giggle uncontrollably, covering your mouth with your hand. Felix glances at you sideways, heart flipping at the sound.
"But he said you could do whatever the fuck you wanted," Felix adds. "Draw on the windows. Steal the car. Crash it into a fucking lake. Whatever. As long as you’re happy."
You shake your head in disbelief. "Chan’s terrifying."
"You’re telling me," Felix mutters, throwing the car into drive.
You lean over, tapping the destination into the car’s GPS. The screen lights up, plotting the course, and Felix sets off, nerves giving way to something lighter, something giddy.
The drive is smooth, the convertible slicing through the light city traffic easily. The sun shines bright overhead, warm but not oppressive, the wind teasing through your hair as you tip your head back and close your eyes, soaking it all in.
Felix sneaks glances at you every few seconds, his hand tight on the wheel, his heart doing fucking backflips. You look so at peace, so beautiful it physically aches. Your earrings catch the sunlight like little firebursts, your neck scarf fluttering gently in the breeze.
Every time Felix’s eyes stray from the road for a second too long, he hears Chan’s voice in his head, threatening castration, and immediately snaps his gaze forward again. But it’s really fucking hard when you’re sitting there looking like something out of a dream he hasn’t dared to believe could come true.
He doesn’t know what he did in a past life to deserve this. To deserve you.
But fuck if he’s not going to make the most of it.
Felix pulls smoothly into a small lot beside the art studio, the tires crunching over loose gravel as he eases Chan’s beloved car into a parking space. He double-checks the lines twice, making sure he’s perfectly between them because if he so much as scratches this fucking car, Chan’s threats will become a vivid, horrific reality. Satisfied that the car is safe, Felix throws it into park and cuts the engine, the sudden silence making the world feel brighter, sharper.
You stretch a little as you unbuckle your seatbelt, your body moving with lazy grace that makes Felix’s stomach twist itself into knots. You catch his eye and smile, that soft, easy smile that always knocks the breath right out of his chest. Without a word, he’s out of the car, jogging around to open your door for you again, offering a hand to help you down even though you absolutely don’t need it. You take it anyway, your fingers curling around his, warm and solid and real.
The two of you head toward the studio, the sign above the door is hand-painted, chipped around the edges but charming, reading: ART HAVEN. The glass door jingles softly as Felix pushes it open, holding it for you as you step inside.
The air inside the studio smells like paint and fresh pastries, a weird but not unpleasant mix that immediately makes the place feel warm and alive. The walls are lined with colourful canvases, some abstract, some beautifully detailed landscapes, others weird and experimental.
A cheerful woman with bright purple hair greets you at the counter, checking your reservation with a wide grin before leading you down a small hallway to your private studio space. The room is a decent size, big enough for a couple of easels, a table covered in paints and brushes, and two comfy stools. There’s even a little corner set up with drinks along with a tray of snacks.
Felix beams when he sees the snacks. "Fuck yes, free food."
You laugh, setting your bag down on one of the chairs and grabbing a cookie to nibble on as you both pick up aprons from the wall hooks. You tie yours around your waist, careful not to mess up your outfit, while Felix somehow manages to get his tangled and backwards in about five seconds.
"I swear to god, this apron is fighting me," he mutters, spinning around in circles trying to fix it.
You giggle, stepping closer to help him untangle the strings. Your fingers brush over his hands, and he freezes for a second, eyes flickering up to yours. Neither of you says anything, just smiling a little too wide as you finally get the apron tied properly.
Once you're both geared up, you pick your easels, facing each other dramatically like it's a showdown.
"Okay," you say, grabbing a thick brush and a palette. "The goal is to paint each other. Best portrait wins."
Felix snorts. "There’s gonna be no fucking winners here, angel."
Twenty minutes in, it’s clear he’s right.
You’re both absolute shit at painting. Not just bad. Catastrophic. Felix’s portrait of you looks like it was done by a drunk toddler with a grudge. The proportions are all wrong, your face weirdly lopsided, one eye way bigger than the other. He’s somehow made your nose look like a potato and your mouth a jagged line of confusion.
Yours isn’t much better. You tried to be serious at first, carefully outlining his sharp features, the soft curve of his mouth, the messy flop of his hair. But the second you tried to add colour, everything went to shit.
You both sit there, staring at your respective disasters, and then you just burst into laughter at the exact same time, doubling over in your chairs, helpless and wheezing.
Felix wipes a tear from his eye, still laughing so hard his sides hurt. "How are you so fucking good at digital art but so fucking ass at this?"
You’re giggling uncontrollably, clutching your stomach. "I don’t know! I think I rely too much on the undo button! I can't control paint! It just goes wherever the fuck it wants!"
Felix leans back in his chair, shaking his head in disbelief, staring at his portrait of you like it personally betrayed him. "I made you look like a Picasso nightmare."
You gasp, still laughing. "You made me look like I have a peanut allergy and you just handed me a jar of Skippy."
Felix snorts so hard he nearly falls off his stool. He rights himself just in time, reaching over to grab a juice box from the table and stabbing the straw into it with unnecessary aggression. He takes a long, dramatic slurp, glaring playfully at his painting.
You wipe your eyes, still chuckling. "We are fucking terrible at this."
Felix raises his juice box like he’s making a toast. "To being absolutely fucking terrible."
You clink your own juice box against his, the two of you grinning like idiots.
An hour later, the lighthearted haze between you and Felix is shattered by the sharp vibration of your phone across the table. You glance down at it, your stomach sinking the moment you see the caller ID flashing across the screen. Your eomma. You hesitate, your hand frozen above the phone, but you know if you don’t answer, she’ll just keep calling and calling and calling until your battery dies or your sanity does.
You swipe to answer, lifting the phone to your ear as you shift in your seat, your voice soft. "Hello?"
"Baby, baby, you have to come. Please, I’m at the hospital, they won't let me leave, I need you to come pay. Please, Y/N-ah, I can’t stay here, you have to get me. You have to-"
You squeeze your eyes shut, pressing a hand to your forehead. You catch Felix’s eyes across the table, see the worry knitting his brows together as he watches you carefully. You nod once, helplessly, and he immediately grabs the car keys off the table.
"Come on, angel," he says, no hesitation at all in his voice. "I'll drive."
You hang up without another word, stuffing your phone back into your bag as you rise from your seat, grabbing your scarf and slinging your bag over your shoulder. Felix is already holding the door open for you, and you step out into the early evening air together, moving quickly toward Chan’s car.
The drive to the hospital is quiet but not heavy. Felix hums along to the music playing low through the speakers, offering you a quiet sense of normalcy even though your chest feels like it’s caving in. You fiddle with your rings, twisting them around and around your fingers as the city blurs past outside the windows.
When you arrive, Felix pulls up to the entrance, leaving the car idling. "I’ll be right here," he says firmly.
You nod and slip out of the car, moving quickly up the steps and into the building. It doesn’t take long to find your eomma in the lobby, sitting slumped on a battered plastic chair, looking even more frail and broken than the last time you saw her. You settle the bill quickly, handing over a wad of cash you can’t really spare, then help her up, draping one of her arms over your shoulder to guide her to the car.
Felix jumps out the moment he sees you struggling, jogging over to help without a word. Together, you pile your eomma into the backseat. She mumbles something incoherent, her head lolling against the seat.
You climb into the passenger seat just as Felix slides behind the wheel again, sending you a small, reassuring smile.
And then, as soon as Felix shifts the car into reverse, the disaster strikes. Your eomma lurches forward with a horrifying retching noise, and then she pukes. Everywhere.
It splatters across the pristine leather seats, dripping onto the floor mats, the smell immediately filling the enclosed space like a physical assault. Felix and you both freeze in horror, staring straight ahead, not daring to look at the carnage in the rearview mirror.
"Fuck," Felix says faintly.
You slowly turn to look at him, your eyes wide with pure horror. He turns his head just slightly, and your eyes meet, both of you caught in the same silent scream.
"Okay," you say finally, your voice shaky but determined. "New plan. We get her home. Then we find a car wash. A really good car wash. Maybe an exorcist too. Chan can’t find out. He'll fucking kill you."
Felix nods rapidly, one hand clamping over his nose. "You're so safe. Chan will just hug you and cry. But me? I don't want to be fucking deported. I don't wanna end up on a one-way flight back to Australia with a forehead tattoo that says dumb cunt."
You press a hand over your mouth to muffle the hysterical laughter bubbling up. You peel a tissue from the glove box and offer it to him, both of you pressing tissues to your noses like makeshift gas masks against the smell.
"And," Felix says, a little muffled, "maybe a car wash could be romantic? Right? Like a meet-cute but with trauma?"
You can’t help but grin at him, even though you want to cry at the situation. "Only you would try to make this shitshow romantic."
"You love it," he says, winking exaggeratedly behind his sunglasses.
Felix drives carefully as he navigates the route to your eomma’s apartment building. When he pulls up in front of the cracked steps and stained concrete, you hesitate, your hand on the door handle.
"I’ll take her in," you say quietly.
"No fucking way," Felix says, already unbuckling his seatbelt. "I'm not letting you go in there alone."
You glance at him, biting your lip. "It's not... It's not nice."
Felix meets your eyes steadily, his voice unwavering. "That’s not a reflection on you. None of this changes anything, okay? We had a good date. Everyone has shit. I want to help."
You nod, your throat tight, and together you wrestle your eomma out of the car, half-carrying her up the stairs and through the door of her apartment. The inside is worse than you remember, filthy dishes stacked in the sink, the air heavy with the cloying, bitter tang of meth smoke, empty bottles littering the floor, broken furniture and stained carpets and the suffocating sense of decay.
You and Felix don’t say a word. You get her to her bed, tucking a ratty blanket around her thin frame. She mumbles something again, half-asleep or half-aware, you’re not sure. Without waiting, Felix steers you back out of the apartment, the door slamming shut behind you with a final, sickening thud.
Back at the car, Felix hands you a wet wipe from the emergency kit in the trunk, and you both scrub your hands furiously before climbing back inside, trying to breathe through your mouths to avoid the lingering stench.
"Nearest car wash?" he asks.
"Two blocks away," you croak, voice thick.
He floors it and pulls into the car wash, immediately signing up for the most expensive deep-clean option without hesitation, slapping his own credit card down on the counter like he’s saving a life.
While the car is being disinfected and scrubbed within an inch of its life, you and Felix sit on a rickety plastic bench outside the little waiting shack, sipping shitty tea offered to you by the car wash staff. It tastes like disappointment and sadness, but it’s warm, and the way Felix makes exaggerated faces after every sip has you giggling against your will.
"This," Felix says grandly, holding up his cracked foam cup, "is still romantic."
You roll your eyes affectionately, bumping your shoulder against his. "You’re insane."
"True," he agrees cheerfully. "But think about it. Trauma bonding. Shared suffering. It’s like... love story seasoning."
You laugh, resting your head against his shoulder.
Felix tips his head against yours, his voice softer now. "Okay, the date cannot end like this. No way. So here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna drive. Just drive. All night if you want. Phones off. Windows down. Music up. Just you and me. How does that sound?"
You lift your head to look at him. "Perfect," you whisper.
And you mean it.
Four months later, the Alpha Phi frat house is as chaotic as ever, and you’re right in the centre of it, curled up on the massive, overstuffed couch with Jeongin and Jisung flanking you, Hyunjin sprawled out lazily on your other side. The air is thick with the smell of Seungmin’s homemade pizza rolls, the constant screeching from the TV, and the low bass of a playlist someone left running in the background. It’s warm and messy and alive, exactly the way this house always is, and you’re so fucking grateful you could cry.
You’re wearing one of Felix’s favorite outfits—a sleeveless, deep-v, denim halterneck jumpsuit with flared legs that makes you feel like you’ve stepped straight out of 1975. Your hair is pushed back with a simple white headband, keeping the curls out of your face, gold hoop earrings catching the light every time you tilt your head. Felix has been sneaking glances at you all afternoon, his focus completely shot as he tries to play Overcooked with Minho, Chan, and Changbin.
It’s a goddamn disaster.
Death threats are flying left and right, Changbin screeching about how Minho needs to "chop the fucking tomatoes, not fucking stand there like a dickhead," while Minho cackles his evil, gleeful laugh and deliberately throws chopped onions into the trash can. Chan is trying to hold the team together like a desperate kindergarten teacher, barking orders that everyone ignores, while Felix is just mashing buttons in sheer panic, occasionally shrieking when the kitchen catches fire.
You’re not even trying to hide your laughter at this point, your head tipping back against the couch as Aussie, your fluffy silver Korat cat, purrs happily in your lap. You found him with Felix near a GS25 on one of your late-night strolls, the tiny, scared kitten mewling pitifully under a bench. Felix had immediately scooped him up, nuzzled him against his chest, and said, "You’re Aussie now," like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Jisung had immediately declared that this made Aussie your and Felix’s fur baby, the same way Hannie, Soonie, Doongie, and Dori were considered Jisung and Minho’s children.
Speaking of, Soonie, Doongie, and Dori are currently wreaking absolute havoc in the living room, little grey and orange blurs of energy tumbling over each other, chasing a laser pointer that Jeongin is half-heartedly flicking across the floor. Haru is perched proudly on Jeongin’s shoulders, nibbling on a piece of apple, completely unbothered by the chaos unfolding around him.
On Jisung’s lap, Hannie the Hedgehog is curled up happily, nose twitching as Jisung gently feeds him tiny bites of apple from a paper plate. Seungmin lounges on the loveseat nearby, cradling Nuri the raccoon like an overgrown, slightly evil baby, feeding him scraps from his plate while muttering about how Nuri eats better than any of them.
Hyunjin, meanwhile, is stretched out like a painting of hedonistic laziness, three tiny bunny babies snoozing contentedly on his stomach and chest. He and Changbin had found the abandoned bunnies a few weeks back and immediately declared them their love children, much to everyone’s horror and amusement. Hyunjin is softly humming some old disco tune as he strokes the baby bunnies’ soft fur, looking like the picture of smug satisfaction.
The couch is crowded and cozy, bodies pressed together, legs tangled, laughter bouncing off the walls. It’s loud and messy and real, and for the first time in your life, you don’t feel like you’re just surviving—you’re living.
A month ago, everything changed.
You had handed your mother the last wad of cash you would ever give her, Felix standing steady and silent at your side, his hand firm on the small of your back. You barely heard the slurred insults and screaming as you turned and walked away, Felix leading you like a shield, his body between you and every piece of ugly she tried to throw at you.
The guys had rallied around you without hesitation. They helped you pack your shit from your tiny apartment in a single frantic weekend, rented a truck, and moved you into a new place that only they knew the address to. They made the Alpha Phi frat house your official forwarding address for everything—mail, packages, school forms—so your eomma couldn’t track you down again.
She showed up once, slamming her fists on the frat house door and screaming threats. Jisung had come barrelling down the stairs in a pink plaid skirt and a crop top, shrieking about a "femboy flykick," before it took Minho, Chan, and Seungmin physically grabbing him mid-air to stop him from launching himself feet-first at your mother. The memory still makes you snort into your drink when you think about it, the sheer chaotic violence of it.
Now, you look around the living room and it feels... peaceful. Home.
Felix catches your eye from across the room and grins, the sunlight from the window catching on the little silver rings decorating his fingers. You grin back, your heart squeezing painfully in your chest, so full of love it almost fucking hurts.
"Fucking hell, Minho!" Felix yells a second later, smashing the controller buttons with enough force to probably break them. "You just threw the fucking soup out again!"
Minho throws his head back and laughs, the sound pure evil. "Sabotage, bitches! You’ll never defeat me!"
Chan lets out a groan so loud it could shatter glass. "This is why we can’t fucking have nice things!"
"YOU'RE ALL FUCKING FIRED," Changbin howls, practically foaming at the mouth.
Soonie, Doongie, and Dori pile into each other trying to chase one of the bunny babies, tumbling across the floor and knocking over a stack of empty soda cans. Hyunjin squawks indignantly, gathering the startled bunny babies back into his lap and scolding the kittens like they’re his misbehaving toddlers.
"You little menaces!" Hyunjin cries, trying and failing to sound stern as the kittens mewl innocently at him. "No attacking your cousins! Bad children!"
Jeongin lets out a snort, adjusting Haru lazily around his shoulders like a fashion accessory. "Pretty sure they don’t speak human, Hyunjin."
"They understand tone, Innie!" Hyunjin retorts dramatically. "They can feel the disapproval vibrating off me!"
Seungmin mutters from the loveseat, barely glancing up from Nuri who is busy trying to steal his hoodie strings, "They can probably feel the dumbass vibrations too."
Felix groans dramatically when Minho continues his reign of absolute fucking terror on Overcooked, deliberately throwing fully cooked meals straight into the virtual trash can while cackling like a Disney villain. Felix slumps even further against you, letting his head drop back onto your knee with a heavy, theatrical sigh like the weight of Minho’s betrayal is simply too much to bear. You giggle, reaching down to brush his bangs out of his eyes, your fingers gentle as they card through his soft brown hair. He tilts his head back slightly, giving you that stupid, sweet, lopsided grin that never fails to make your heart skip several beats.
Without thinking, you lean down, meeting him halfway, pressing a quick, soft kiss to his lips. It’s warm and easy and familiar, the kind of kiss that feels more like breathing, more like coming home. Felix hums contentedly against your mouth, his hands coming up instinctively to rest on your thighs, squeezing lightly.
The second your lips touch, the room erupts.
"AWWWW!"
Chan clutches his chest dramatically, staggering back like he’s been shot. "My babies!"
Jisung is making obnoxious kissing noises from his spot on the floor, pretending to cry into Hannie’s little hedgehog paws. Seungmin just smirks into his cup of tea, while Jeongin lets out a piercing wolf-whistle that makes Haru jump and scamper to the back of the couch.
You pull back, laughing as you bury your face against Felix’s shoulder. Felix just groans again, louder this time, like the universe itself is conspiring against him.
"It’s been four fucking months," Felix grumbles, tossing an arm dramatically over his eyes like a man who’s seen too much. "Can you all please stop doing that every time we kiss?"
Jisung immediately points an accusatory finger at both of you, his face a perfect picture of betrayal. "We waited so fucking long for you two to get your shit together!"
"You slow burn edged us," Hyunjin adds, throwing his arms up in frustration, causing one of the baby bunnies to squeak indignantly and wriggle further into the crook of his arm.
"You emotionally blue balled all of us!"
"You’re lucky you’re cute," Seungmin mutters, jabbing his finger at the two of you before going back to feeding Nuri, who is now trying to climb onto his head to steal the entire plate of food.
"I genuinely thought I was gonna fucking die," Jeongin says, cradling Haru closer to his chest. "Like actually die. Heart exploded. Just fucking boom, dead."
"And the worst part, was that you two were so fucking obvious about it."
"So obvious. Like, painfully obvious."
"I was ready to buy plane tickets and send you both to fucking Paris or some shit," Changbin says, throwing his hands up. "Lock you in the fucking Louvre until you kissed."
Felix peeks out from under his arm, eyes glinting with mischief. "Wouldn’t have worked. I would’ve gotten distracted by the food."
The noise level picks up again, everyone yelling over each other, arguing about who suffered the most, who deserves the most compensation for their emotional blue balls, and who gets to name the next rescued animal that inevitably shows up in the backyard.
Felix tilts his head back again, grinning up at you, his eyes crinkling at the corners. You lean down once more, pressing your forehead against his, closing your eyes and breathing him in.
You don’t have to say it out loud. He knows. They all know.
You're happy. You're home.
And for the first time in your life, you’re not looking back. You're only moving forward, messy and beautiful and free, with Felix’s hand in yours and a whole chaotic, loving family at your back, ready to fight, cry, and laugh with you through it all.
You’re exactly where you’re meant to be. And you’re never letting go.
CW: Chan falls for reader at first sight, simp Chan, reader is a stay and a confident flirt, reader is not a korean but loves Korea, a typical soulmates meet soulmates plot.
Prologue :
The sky was painted in a magnificent golden hue, casting a warm glow across the landscape as onlookers eagerly captured this fleeting moment through their camera lenses, trying to preserve the ethereal beauty of the afternoon. In the gentle, solemn breeze that swept through the area, carrying away the accumulated stress and worries of the day's earlier tribulations, there were undoubtedly those who gazed ahead with hope and anticipation for what tomorrow might bring. Among these contemplative souls was him.
He occupied a weathered park bench, his watchful eyes moving from person to person as they passed by, while he remained partially hidden beneath the protective shield of his well-worn baseball cap and familiar black face mask.
Nestled in his slightly trembling hand was a perfectly prepared cup of iced latte, its condensation slowly dripping down the sides, yet not a single sip had passed his lips. His constant, anxious glances between his phone and the untouched beverage spoke volumes about his anticipation, suggesting he was waiting for someone's arrival.
The minutes stretched into hours until finally, with a heavy sigh, he rose from his seat and made his way to the nearest garbage can, reluctantly disposing of the drink that had been his companion through the wait. For a long moment, he remained motionless before the bin, his eyes fixed on the slowly spreading puddle of spilled coffee as if searching for answers in its caramel-colored depths.
Eventually, shoulders slumped in resignation, he turned and walked away, each step weighted with disappointment.
It was his sanctuary, his cherished retreat, primarily because in this particular corner of the city, he could blend seamlessly into the crowd without drawing attention. The anonymity of the place wrapped around him like a comfortable blanket, allowing him to shed the weight of public recognition, if only for a few precious moments. Everyone within these walls remained absorbed in their own worlds - some furiously typing away at laptops, others engaged in hushed conversations over steaming cups, and a few simply lost in thought while gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows. The beverages served here weren't just good; they were crafted with genuine care and attention to detail that made each sip worth savoring. Over time, his consistent visits had fostered a quiet understanding with the staff members, who came to know him by his distinctive appearance and unwavering order preference. They affectionately dubbed him the "hoodie smoothie" - a nod to his perpetual ensemble of a black hoodie, well-worn baseball cap, and face mask, paired with his invariable order of a smoothie. Not once had they glimpsed the face concealed beneath that black mask, and he preferred to maintain that mystery, almost always requesting his order to go.
On this particular day, which had started like any other, he found himself seeking refuge from the demanding atmosphere of the studio. His feet carried him automatically toward the café, his attention fixed on his phone screen as he navigated the familiar path without conscious thought. His mind was completely immersed in crafting lyrics for his latest musical endeavor, mentally arranging words and rhythms. Then, without warning, it happened..
BAM!
The unexpected impact sent him stumbling backward, forcing him to take two unsteady steps to regain his balance. Instinctively rubbing the spot on his chest where the collision occurred, he lifted his gaze to meet hers.
…..
Your third day in Seoul, and the surreal nature of your situation hadn't diminished in the slightest. Here you were, walking the very streets that had populated your dreams every night since turning eighteen. Everything around you seemed to align with perfect precision, almost suspiciously so.
The words escaped your lips in a quiet murmur as you made your way down the street, having just spent several delightful hours in a café that seemed tailored to your exact preferences. "I swear to God if something goes wrong," you whispered, your voice tinged with both excitement and apprehension. The café had captured your heart instantly, matching your aesthetic sensibilities and atmosphere preferences to an almost uncanny degree. Yet that very perfection made you increasingly wary, wondering when the other shoe would drop.
BAM!
Your forward momentum was abruptly halted by something. Or rather, someone.
A soft groan escaped your lips as you tenderly touched your head, gradually raising your eyes to encounter what appeared at first to be just a dark silhouette. Squinting slightly, you found yourself unconsciously conducting a careful inspection of the stranger's form, your gaze traveling upward until it finally met his eyes. In that moment, an inexplicable warmth bloomed within you as those eyes transformed into gentle crescents - he was smiling.
…
The smile that crossed his face was entirely spontaneous, catching him off guard. As he continued his journey toward the café, he mentally chastised himself for the involuntary reaction. While smiling was certainly the polite response in such situations, and something he did regularly, he couldn't explain why this particular stranger - who had been studying him with such obvious curiosity that it should have made him uncomfortable - struck him as endearing.
She possessed a youthful energy, her outfit a carefully curated combination of acid-washed baggy jeans paired with a sophisticated grey cropped cardigan layered over a crisp white tank. Her foreign status was immediately apparent in her bearing and expression. Making a rough estimate, he placed her age somewhere in her early twenties at most. His thoughts circled in conflicting directions: 'The audacity of her to examine me so openly,' he mused, immediately followed by, 'and why does she manage to look so charming while doing it?' He forced himself to mentally shake off these thoughts, concluding that perhaps this was a sign he needed to resume dating, if random encounters with strangers were affecting him this strongly.
"One pineapple smoothie?"
The familiar voice effectively derailed his meandering train of thought as the staff member greeted him with his standard order. He acknowledged the greeting with a grateful nod and smiled beneath his protective mask.
Among the staff, Hye-in held the distinction of being the first to recognize him as a regular customer. He had memorized not only his preferred order but also his typical visiting schedule. Their interactions had never ventured beyond courteous greetings, and Hye-in had never seen his complete face or engaged in extended conversation. However, he had intuited that his customer held some celebrity status and respectfully maintained his distance. Chan, in turn, would specifically ask after Hye-in whenever he wasn't present. Their relationship evolved one quiet night during a late shift when they finally conversed beyond simple pleasantries. Chan revealed his identity, and Hye-in solemnly promised to maintain his secret. This understanding formed the foundation of their unique dynamic.
As he handed over the freshly prepared smoothie, Hye-in leaned slightly across the counter and spoke in hushed tones, "You know, hyung, the more I observe, the more I notice that your eyes are quite distinctive - you might want to be more careful about that. Some fans have incredibly sharp attention to detail."
…..
And when it came to attention to detail, you certainly qualified.
When you both had prepared to go your separate ways, he had offered an apology - the sound muffled by his mask but crystal clear to your ears, trained by countless hours of watching his content. Your fan account hadn't been maintained just for show; you knew his voice intimately. Your heart performed an elaborate gymnastics routine in your chest as you watched his retreating figure.
Your already perfect life had just ascended to an entirely new level of perfection.
You were 20 when you discovered the band, each member leaving an indelible mark on your heart. They weren't just performers - they were a harmonious blend of raw talent, infectious energy, and otherworldly charm that seemed to transcend ordinary boundaries. As you immersed yourself deeper into their world through countless videos, interviews, and performances, you found yourself forming an inexplicable connection not just with the members, but with their hometown and culture. In your moments of solitude and uncertainty, they emerged as a beacon of light, transforming into more than just artists - they became your sanctuary, your source of joy, your escape from reality's mundane challenges.
Through countless nights, you channeled your inspiration into writing stories that captured their essence, crafting intricate narratives that brought your imagination to life. Every new photo shoot became an event to celebrate, sharing your excitement with a vibrant community of fellow fans who understood exactly how you felt. Those precious moments of connection and shared enthusiasm became the foundation of lasting friendships.
That chapter of your life had led you here, standing in the heart of Seoul, where your dreams had taken tangible form.
Though your once-active fan account now lay dormant, years of cherished memories remained safely tucked away in your heart. The magic of those days felt distant yet familiar - until fate decided to orchestrate an encounter that would bring your past rushing back to life, materializing one of your treasured idols right before your eyes on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
....
The pre-dawn hours stretched endlessly as he reclined in his chair, searching for elusive inspiration. Songwriting had always come naturally to him, but this assignment felt different. The challenge from his members echoed in his mind - create lyrics about pure, unfiltered love, something deeper than his usual themes of Connection or Railways
Exhaustion weighing heavily on his eyelids, he surrendered himself to the possibility that inspiration would hit him.
Hit him.
Hit him.
His thoughts drifted involuntarily to those captivating brown eyes that had scanned him with such intense curiosity. He recalled every detail with startling clarity - the way two rebellious strands of black hair had escaped her bun, framing her face like an artistic composition. The delicate pink tint of her lips formed a perfect contrast against her skin. Her figure was striking, the white tank top accentuating her curves in a way that made his breath catch. Her waist appeared so delicate that his arms ached to encircle it, while her strong thighs-he would readily be crushed by them.
His eyes flew open in sudden awareness.
The realization struck him - how had every minute detail of her appearance imprinted itself so vividly in his memory?
Fighting against the direction of his thoughts, he forced himself to begin his morning routine, determined not to let his imagination run wild about someone who would surely remain just a fleeting encounter. Yet a small voice in his mind whispered - or would she?
..
While waiting for his order, he found himself scanning the café's interior. His gaze wandered aimlessly until it locked with a familiar pair of brown eyes that were already studying him intently.
Her smile illuminated her entire face as she gestured questioningly about his to-go order. He nodded in confirmation, only to be surprised when she responded with their group's signature greeting. The realization dawned on him with crystal clarity.
She knows.
Yet instead of making a scene, she simply offered another warm smile before returning her attention to her laptop screen.
As he prepared to depart, he lingered by the doorway, stealing one final glance in her direction. She remained completely absorbed in her work, occasionally catching her lower lip between her teeth in concentration. Something about that simple gesture stirred emotions he hadn't experienced in what felt like forever.
Though he should have left fifteen minutes ago, he found himself settled in one of the outdoor café chairs, waiting for... something. Through the glass doors, he continued watching her table, while she remained blissfully unaware of his attention. That is, until she stepped outside to answer a phone call.
He observed, mesmerized, as she conversed in an unfamiliar language, her entire being animated with expression. The way she rested one hand on her hip, the animated gestures that accompanied her words, and the breathtaking moment when she removed the pin from her bun, releasing a cascade of silk-like hair that flowed down to her hips. The glossy black strands caught the light perfectly, appearing impossibly smooth and straight. He couldn't tear his gaze away - not until she finally turned and caught him staring.
With measured, confident steps, she approached him, a smile playing at her lips. He rose to his full height as she drew near, finding himself enveloped in the subtle scent of her baby powder shampoo as she invaded his personal space. Looking up at him through long lashes, she smirked before murmuring, "Just because you dress like a ninja doesn't mean you are one, Mr. Bang. Quit staring," before turning to leave.
He managed to find his voice, though it came out shakier than intended. "Your name?"
Pausing with one hand on the door, she glanced back over her shoulder. She answered with a playful wink, leaving behind a very flustered Chan.
Synopsis: When Minho is hired as the head chef of Farfalle, a prestigious Italian restaurant, expectations are high for him to elevate its reputation and bring it to new heights. However, no one anticipates the drastic changes he implements in the kitchen—including his strict rule that that there'll be no women and no romance in his kitchen.
For mature (+18) audiences ONLY. Reader-insert work incorporates f!Reader unless otherwise stated. Reader discretion always advised. See full disclaimer here.
This post is a more simplified version of my full library, which I maintain here. May not be fully updated.
Thank you for your support and enjoy your stay!
LEGEND
🎟 Early access content: Optional fast pass to latest updates. If you're willing to wait, you can still follow all the updates several chapters behind until an ongoing book/collection is completed. Full access is subject to change to subscriber-only upon completion.
🧧 Exclusive content: Subscriber access only. Publicly available in the case of a rerun. First chapters/installments are publicly available for you to check out [More info]
📽️ SERIALS
Work on hiatus and older complete work in need of extensive rewrites no longer appear below.
🍿 CURRENTLY PLAYING
· GROUPIE ⋮ 3RACHA 🎟
· INFERNO ⋮ HHJ
· KNIGHT CLUB ⋮ BC
· SINFUL RENDEZVOUS ⋮ OT8 🧧
🎬 INTERMISSION
· BOW DOWN ⋮ BC
· DON'T LET ME LOVE YOU ⋮ BC
· KINTSUGI ⋮ BC
· THE RED LIGHTS CHRONICLES feat. @straywrds ⋮ BC, HHJ
📼 COMPLETED
· DAECHWITA RELOADED ⋮ BC, HHJ
· HELL'S KITCHEN ⋮ BC 🧧
· APHRODISIACS ⋮ LMH
· UNPROFESSIONAL ⋮ BC 🧧
· CHARCOAL BLUES IN C MINOR ⋮ HHJ 🧧
· ONE NIGHT AT BACK DOOR ⋮ OT8 🧧
· UNDERTONES ⋮ HHJ
· REFLECTION ⋮ HHJ
· YOU AND THE STREETS ⋮ BC, HHJ
· MOONSHINE ⋮ BC
· HOMEBOUND CONTRAIL ⋮ BC
· FURTHER THAN FOREVER ⋮ LMH
· I LOVE YOU, MAN ⋮ HJS
· 22 STROKES ⋮ HHJ
· DRESS REHEARSAL ⋮ HHJ
· OFF THE RECORD ⋮ LMH
· HIDE THE SCISSORS ⋮ HHJ
· VERSACE ON THE FLOOR ⋮ HHJ
· THIRD WHEEL ⋮ fem!HHJ, BC
· APARTMENT 31 ⋮ KSM, YJI
· FIND ME (INSIDE EVERY HEARTBEAT) ⋮ LMH
· BETWEEN US ⋮ KSM, LMH
· HORIZONTAL HIERARCHY ⋮ LMH
· EVERYTHINGOES ⋮ LMH
· PUDDING ⋮ LMH
· TKO ⋮ LMH
· BUBBLEGUM ⋮ LMH, BC
· A CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTIST ⋮ HHJ
Synopsis: Han is a photographer who just moved into a new apartment and he couldn’t tell if it was accidental or fate that he saw you through the window of your apartment with his camera. And the next thing he knows, he spends most of his days watching you through his camera lens. (10,5k words)
Author’s note: Just Jisung being a pervy neighbor :)
part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | tba | ao3 link
pairing: han jisung/reader
summary: You are a queen. He is a kingsguard - a member of a holy order that vows to defend the king in the name of the gods. They forsake all earthly goods and swear a vow of chastity to avoid all worldly temptation. When he stands in as proxy for the royal wedding, all those vows are tested.
content info: later chapters get smutty. reader has some physical description: mentions of her having very curly hair and a more curvy body.
content warnings: a royal affair between queen reader and guard jisung. the king is a violently abusive man. this chapter contains a scene of physical violence and attempted sexual assault against the reader who later has a panicked reaction. reader also believes sex is not pleasurable (but learns different to say the least).
please proceed at your own discretion.
chapter word count: 5100 words.
-
There is no groom at your wedding. Your betrothed is too hungover to attend the ceremony.
You are disappointed but not surprised. Last night, your father hosted a welcome banquet but your husband-to-be ignored the lavish festivities in favour of drinking himself into a stupor. It did not matter that banners were hung in the great hall, that a feast was prepared, that the palace glittered in anticipation of his arrival. It did not matter that you were made a vision, resplendent in ivory and pearl, prepared and perfected just for him.
The house, the money, the bride. It did not matter at all.
Such insult would not have been tolerated in a man, but he is a king. Only the heavens can issue him orders, just as he commands common blood like yours.
Your family is wealthy but your father’s land sits at the border. Many at court consider you foreigners in all but paperwork. Regardless of that status, your family owns the most prosperous land in the kingdom – a kingdom with coffers long since drained from an overseas war that reaped nothing but blood.
This arrangement will save the kingdom and your betrothed knows that, but he is not happy to marry for money when his bloodline is better. The king holds nothing but disdain for your union and last night it moved like a poisonous mist through your home.
There was nothing you could do. You sat and watched your royal betrothed make a crude mockery of your arranged marriage. He travelled to your lands with a contingency of courtiers and they filled your house with his contempt. He spent the night belittling your family name, sneering at you, and pawing at the servant girls between drinks.
The king drank. The courtiers laughed.
Only one group extended any civility towards you at all.
“His Majesty sends his regards,” the leader speaks to you now.
He is in black robes, a sword at his hip. Bang Chan is captain of the holy kingsguard, an ancient order sworn to defend heaven’s earthly sovereign. There is nothing holy about the degenerate king but his kingsguard is an ordained ministry nonetheless. They surrender all earthly goods and fortunes, devoting themselves to service and soldiership. That includes a vow of total chastity so they are the only men permitted to perceive the future queen prior to the ceremony.
What little remains of the ceremony.
The soldier informs you the ceremony will now be conducted by proxy. The king is bedridden today, but the wedding cannot be delayed as he is needed back at court and the return journey is long.
Chan is polite and respectful. He does not mention that the marriage cannot be delayed because the king wants money now. You are certain your betrothed’s condemnation of his otherwise worthless bride was rather more unkind.
You remember the cold eyes of his courtiers, his even crueler sneer, and you blink back tears.
“I understand,” you say. You are practiced at maintaining grace in the greatest adversity. “Thank you, soldier.”
Chan wears a pitying expression. It looks like he wants to say more but he knows his place. The kingsguard is the strictest order in the kingdom. Only the most devout are granted the black cloth and silver sword.
“Your Majesty,” he says with a bow.
You are not a majesty yet. You have weddings vows to swear to a stranger first.
Until then, you are just another woman.
-
You made the wedding dress yourself. You have always enjoyed the craft of needlework, even where certain jobs could be passed along to a seamstress. Growing up, you spent more hours alongside the working women than at your mother’s table, a behaviour that was indulged until the war.
You run your fingers along every familiar stitch, tracing the embroidered floral patterns down your forearm. You always wanted a spring wedding but it was not meant to be. You enter the hall with the hot summer sun pouring over the crystal and marble.
It is an ostentatious ceremony. The king could not afford such a spectacle. It makes you think he absconded on purpose. What better way to wrestle back his dignity than to disregard the expensive ceremony? He kept decorum and travelled to collect his bride only to snub the household in the end.
The king’s absence is felt more than your presence. It turns the grandeur of the hall into a theatrical farce. Courtiers giggle behind their hands, the traditionalists casting you looks of disapproval.
Your own family smiles and you smile weakly back.
For all their faults, you love your family. They thought they were doing something good by arranging this marriage. A small, childish part of you even hoped they were right, but that hope is gone now. You have resigned yourself to the sad reality of the world. Life is a dreary grey save what small bits of colour one dares sew into its seams.
There are flashes of black cloth around the hall. Chan is not among the present kingsguards as the leader stays close to the king, but a handful of the regiment has been spared to witness the proxy vows.
You recognize a soldier named Hyunjin, standing apart for his beauty as much as position. Several of the ladies tittered about him last night, lamenting that such a handsome form was sworn to a chaste life.
You do not recognize the other two. One is shorter and stocky. The other has silver hair and a freckled face, smiling at you from the far corner. You stare back at him, taking the proffered comfort of that open sweetness.
You finally reach the front of the hall. You step onto the dais. The minister rises and a hush cascades down the congregation.
You worry your pounding heart can be heard in the highest arches of the hall.
The first words of the ceremony are a name.
“Han Jisung,” the minister says. It echoes with a swinging reverberation. “As an ordained soldier of the kingsguard, you have been called upon by His Holy Majesty to stand in proxy for the swearing of the vows.”
Footsteps break the silence, beat by beat. Someone ascends the dais.
You do not look at him. You cast your eyes up to the arches of the great hall, tracing the grandiose architecture. It carries cultural traces of the borderlands. The art of this place is home to you, though it draws ire from the courtiers behind you.
You think that you may never feel so at home again, that you will never gaze upon such beauty, then you turn and catch the warmth of deep brown eyes. You see the man who will receive your vows on behalf of the king.
Your racing heart stumbles over itself.
Han Jisung. You did not know his name until now. You recognize this soldier from the banquet last night.
The stranger stands beside you. His nails are painted black, stark where he rests his hand on the silver hilt of his sword. His hair is as black as his midnight robes, his brown eyes darkly lined, but his intimidating shadows are softened by the gentler, roundish shape of his face. There is a raw and open tenderness, even where he tries to stifle it with appropriate solemnity.
Your eyes are drawn to his lips and you remember his smile last night. Jisung strode into the banquet with a sword at his hip and a guitar on his back. It is not unusual for the kingsguard to have a bard, someone who can conjure a flattering song at a whim, who can perform as if the gods speak through his guitar strings. That is Han Jisung.
Last night, while people danced and drank, you sank further and further into yourself. You smiled prettily but all the spring blossoms in your heart rotted as the summer sunset turned to a miserable black gloaming. Torches were lit and the cackling faces on spinning bodies looked like demons in the lamplight. The king ignored you so everyone else did the same.
Jisung, armed with a guitar, was enchanting a crowd of courtiers and some local palace residents. You watched from a distant seat. You could not help but stare, captivated by this stranger, this combination of soldier and musician and holy man. His glowing face in the torchlight was a solitary beacon, his smile more intoxicating than the ever-flowing wine. His laughter rang out like a symphonic chord, travelling the air to touch your ears where you sat alone.
The man was no one to you, just another stranger in your home, but there was such a simple, honest delight to him.
He just seemed so alive.
You were not prepared for the moment he met your gaze. His black robes swished as he jumped, his dark hair bouncing. His eyes seemed to flash gold in the firelight. He stood on a chair above the crowd and said, “A song for the future queen!”
He sang about the springtime, not even knowing you cherished it so much. Perhaps the gods truly spoke through his guitar strings. He sang of new beginnings and hopeful seasons and cherry blossoms.
You smiled.
It was your first real smile all day.
He looks at you now, a flicker of something kind in his dark eyes. You see that twinkle only briefly because he dips into a respectful bow.
You unravel at the sight.
You imagine truly marrying this man, swearing oaths to him and not some wretched figment he serves. You imagine the promise of laughter. You imagine those warm eyes seeking you across the room. You imagine a song every spring.
You know it is a fantasy. This man is a stranger and that version of him is a fabrication. Your heart breaks because that version of you – the girl who is happy for the rest of her life – is just as much an impossible fantasy.
Jisung looks up while bowing. He meets your gaze as a tear trickles down your cheek. No one else notices, just like one else noticed you last night.
As he straightens, his polite smile falters, his brow furrowing with thought.
You jump when he flicks his wrist as if batting a fly. The discreet sweep of his thumb across your cheek is so fast that you only know it happened because the tear track dries.
“In the name of the gods,” the minister speaks, “the ancient and the almighty, we gather here today to unite in matrimony the holiest of subjects. This couple has been brought together through heaven’s all-knowing divine intervention.”
You bow your head. There is nothing else you can do. You listen to the recitations and make your oaths when prompted. You swear before gods and men to serve your husband, to obey him, to always be pure and faithful to him.
“The gods grant you to speak on behalf of the divine blood,” the minister says to Jisung.
You look at Jisung. He is already looking at you. His gaze darts down your dress, across the floral embroidery, and lands at your feet.
Your breath catches when he slowly gets down on one knee, keeping his head bowed and eyes down. A gentle murmur disturbs the congregation but there is no outrage. The king would not have bowed before the queen but the genuflection of a proxy is arguably appropriate.
“I swear,” Jisung says, his theatrical voice replaced with a gentler rasp that tingles up your spine, “I will honour you as a wife and a queen. I will revere you as the gods’ chosen consort.” He looks up, his lashes long and dark, his brown eyes so big and warm. You think he is so beautiful and it makes your heart pang. That ache deepens when he smiles and says, “I will be your protector. Until the day I die, no harm will ever come to you.”
He stands. Blessings are made. The minister pronounces the union has been sanctified by the gods. The congregation kneels in genuflection, respectful of the rituals even if they do not like you. You stand on the dais above them all, maintaining a stoic expression.
You are a wife and a queen, though your husband is nowhere in sight. Your eyes stray to a head of dark hair, bowed with the rest of them.
Jisung looks up, a bit of that hair falling over his eyes. He flashes a smile.
Your heart picks itself up and starts running again.
You cannot do this.
You thought you could try for the sake of your family. You thought you could try for the sake of the gods. You thought you could try for the sake of the kingdom and all the innocent people within it.
Then the king came to your chamber. He did not attend the wedding feast, just as he did not attend the ceremony. It was a fair excuse to make an early departure so you returned to your room while the music played and wine flowed. You were exhausted, emotionally weary, and your face was sore from so many false smiles.
You discarded your elaborate gown. You were in a shift, sitting at your vanity and removing jewelry, when the king arrived. He did not announce himself or knock. He threw open the door and marched inside like a conquering force. He looked over your room with a scrunched face of displeasure, grimacing as if he was standing in a barnyard. He looked at you with the same hateful distaste.
Your throat closed up as if you inhaled poison.
You stood on shaking legs. You had practiced a speech for this moment. You thought perhaps you could convince the king to regard you as a decent friend if not a cherished wife. You were willing to compromise on happiness.
He backhanded you without hesitation. No one had ever hit you so hard. It felt as though he struck you with hot iron, your cheek a stinging welt. Bells seemed to drown out the music downstairs.
“Sire,” you said, your voice shaking worse than your legs.
You found you could not look at him directly. Your eyes burned just turning towards him.
“Get on the bed,” he said. “Wife.” He might as well have said whore as the word was spat.
You never expected to enjoy your wedding night. Women know there is no pleasure in acts of copulation. This was something worse. You approached the bed like a deer skirts the edge of the woods. One wrong step and you knew you this hunter would attack.
He grabbed you from behind before you could sit. You slammed your eyes shut, curled your fists tighter.
In the darkness, you heard music, a distant voice belting some sweeter tune. You recognized Jisung, his crystalline voice soaring above the bells. Your heart chased the sound, a desperate stampede up your body. It seized control.
Before the king could do more harm, you blurted, “I’ve started my monthly bleeding.”
He stopped, the hem of your shift in his fists.
“Just – just so you know,” you said.
It was a lie. You braced yourself for the worst. If he chose to disregard it, if he chose to take you anyway, he would quickly see there was no blood and you were trying to deceive him. He had rights as a husband and it was sinful to deny him.
He made a sound like gagging. He shoved you forward.
You collapsed in a heap on the bed. You are not sure if he looked at you again because you hid your face in the blankets. Hiding like a child hides, as if the world could disappear by not seeing it.
“I will not have you on the road,” he said. “You’re filthy enough as is. When we reach civilized society, you will be made as appropriate as you can be. You will be cleaned, you will lose weight, you will be made to look halfway respectable, not like some borderland animal laying in its own filth. I will have you then without exception. Wife.”
You shuddered when the door slammed shut.
The sun was still setting when he left. It has long since vanished from the sky but you have not moved. You fear if you lift your head, he will be there, waiting to strike.
After a long, long time, you surface. Your room is empty. The lavender light of sunset is gone, leaving behind a puddle of moonlight. It trickles between the curtains, pours down your back. You shiver. You touch your cheek and find it is still tender.
You try to pray but there is no answer. Even the music has ended.
In the ringing silence, you stand. Your body is sore from curling up for so long. It takes some pacing to straighten fully. Back and forth, across your room. Back and forth, in the silence.
I cannot do this. Back and forth, the same thought, again and again.
Disobeying the king is unlawful. Abandoning him when you have sworn an oath is treasonous. Even the kingsguards are bound to their vows for life. If a soldier breaks his oath, he is put to death, swift and sure. The punishment for a disobedient wife is the same.
The silence is agonizing.
You know what you have to do. It will not be easy. The risks are great but you would rather die a swift death than suffer the slow poisoning of contempt.
You have to try for sake of yourself.
-
Your adrenaline pounds. You pack all your jewelry in a sack to sell. You bring some clean clothes.
There are servant clothes in a stack by the unlit fireplace because you mend their worn garments during the busy seasons. They are always appreciative and you like helping people.
You don a pageboy’s garb and tuck your hair into a hat. The king commented on your build and you grant it gives you away, built with your mother’s curves with a cascade of your father’s curly black hair. You hide all your prominent features as best you can. You will be more inconspicuous as a roaming servant boy.
You tip-toe into the corridor, uncertain if the hallway is guarded. The palace is usually safe but you are a queen now, so maybe the king sent guards. Protecting you was in his oath, after all. The king is beholden to oaths sworn to the gods.
At least, he should be held to his oaths.
The hallway is empty but you are hardly aggrieved. You seize the opportunity and let your racing heart carry you away.
Down the hall, down the winding stairs, through the kitchen, past the door. You slow to a nonchalant canter when passing other servants, making sure to turn your face down and keep to the shadows. Everyone is either busy, drunk, or tired, so you manage to slip past without notice.
Once you are alone outside, you break into a run. You do not leave yourself a moment to think. If you begin to doubt, you will falter, and this will all be over.
You are panting and sweating by the time you reach the stables. You are not exactly in the habit of great exertion. You take a moment to catch your breath while scanning for guards because there must be some. The courtiers have their animals in camps around the palace but the king’s horses are stabled. The kingsguards have alternated shifts to keep an eye on the king’s property.
There are no guards to be found. You approach the stable with cautious steps and slip inside when no one appears. A lit lamp is swinging near the door as though it was recently bumped, but no one is there. The horses shuffle and sweep their tails but it is otherwise silent.
You step to the first stall. Your heartbeat is erratic and it pounds harder when you find a horse already bridled. Did they forget to remove the saddle? This is one of your father’s horses and that is unusual, but you do not question it.
You lead the horse out of the stall and into the middle of the stable. You speak gentle nothings to him. You have not often ridden this horse as he is one of the faster animals, but you will need that speed tonight.
Perhaps the gods are on your side after all.
You take hold of the saddle. You are about to hoist yourself onto the mount when a zing of metal slashes through the silent night. The tip of a sword touches your shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
You recognize that voice.
Of all the kingsguards to find you, of course it would be Han Jisung.
You are so startled that your adrenaline turns from fire to ice. You freeze solid.
“Hey! Little boy!” He lightly jabs you with the sword, just enough to scratch the material of your stolen shirt. “A kingsguard asked you something. Answer me! Now!”
Your hands are still raised when you turn around. It is a slow, begrudging reveal. Your eyes are on the hay-spattered stable floor. You look at his black boots, the silver sheath hanging at his hip. Up, up, up, your eyes slowly lift.
You meet his gaze. His brow is furrowed with frustration but it smooths when he recognizes you. Shock replaces irritation. The sword wobbles and he takes a startled step back.
“You—” he says. He looks at you, slack-jawed, then rubs his eyes as if he cannot believe what he is seeing.
Finally, the sword lowers to his side. His long black robes swish with the movement. His shock gives way to panic.
“What are you doing?” he demands, his voice breaking on a harsh whisper. He swiftly sheaths the sword and takes several determined steps closer to you. “Are you crazy? Where are you going? And what are you wearing?”
“I’m leaving,” you snap back. The burgeoning panic in your chest begins to putter, making you indignant in your desperation. “And I’m obviously in disguise.”
“Oh. A disguise,” he says dryly. His face is theatrical by nature, brows jumping and eyes widening. “Yeah, no one could recognize you like this. Except for, oh, I don’t know—”
Audaciously, Jisung snatches the hat off your head. You yelp, throwing your hands up to grab it, but he pulls it away faster than a blink.
Your hair tumbles free, curls even messier than before. You slap your hands over your head, frantically smoothing them down. Your arms start to shake, all that panic and adrenaline bubbling, needing somewhere to go. You feel as though you are going to burst, a screaming firework shooting through the roof of this stable.
“I would have been fine with the hat,” you snap. “I made it this far.”
“Only because half this house is drunk,” he replies with equal verve. “Look at you, your hair, your face, your – your body.” He stumbles over that one, eyes flicking down your form and up again. He clears his throat and shakes his head. “You would have been caught immediately. You were caught immediately.”
“I’ll be fine,” you say. “I know my way.”
“There’s no way a girl like you has ever ridden anywhere past your family’s land,” he says.
You are flushed with heat and aggravation. You want to argue but he is not wrong. You know the general direction to town but you have never ridden there alone.
“I know my way,” you say again.
“Do you?” He takes a step closer. “You go north – I assume you know which trails are occupied by bandits? And the east – you know which path to take to avoid the mountain lions? Or the west – if you go over the border and the men who live in those woods discover you alone—”
“Stop it!” You throw your hands up over your ears. All that panicked heat simmers and spills. It turns to tears.
You sob.
He’s right. You know he’s right. You let your desperation and your adrenaline carry you this far, but you are not prepared for an arduous journey. You have a sack of jewels that are a greater liability than asset on dangerous roads. What would you have done if they were stolen? What would you have done if someone hurt you? You have nothing. No map, no direction, and no hope.
Jisung’s shoulders drop. His own passion tempers itself, his frustration cooling in the face of your tears. He was also carried away but you don’t blame him. He is a kingsguard. He is duty-bound to protect the king and the king’s property, which you are.
He found you committing treason. You are lucky he did not hold a sword to your throat and drag you to the king.
His sword stays sheathed. He looks at you, expression morose.
“I’m sorry,” he says in a soft voice. “You know I can’t let you go.”
“I know,” you whisper, gasping through your tears.
If you were not so miserable, you might have laughed at the look on his face. You are certain this man has encountered many adversaries, but never a sobbing woman. He would have been happier dealing with a real thief.
His hand lifts and falls as he wars with himself, evidently debating whether he should touch you or not. You stand there, sobbing into your hands while he watches helplessly.
When he does touch you, it is careful. His fingertips are light on your shoulder, then the slow curving touch of his palm as he gently squeezes. It is the first kind touch in days and it sends a shiver down your spine. You look at him, eyes wet with tears, imploring with no words.
His mouth opens but he doesn’t speak. A breath stutters past his lips. Slowly, he takes back his hand and curls his fingers into his palm. He swallows.
You stare at each other in the dim lamplight. You are not sure how long you would have stood there but you are interrupted before you can find out.
There is a soft knock at the stable door and Jisung jumps as if it was thunder. His head whips around, looking between you and the door.
“Fuck,” he says. His brows leap and he covers his mouth. “You didn’t hear that. Quick.”
You have no opportunity to ask questions. He swiftly ushers you into the empty stall, closing the door behind you. He races to the stable entrance to greet whoever is there.
You hold your breath, hiding in the shadows as someone enters the stable. Jisung and the intruder speak in hushed tones that you cannot decipher. You inch closer to the door, peeking through the slats of wood.
It is another kingsguard. He was not at the festivities but you recognize him from the ceremony. He is the silver-haired one with the face full of freckles, the one who smiled at you so kindly. You would recognize such a unique face anywhere. For some reason, he is dressed in civilian garb even though the kingsguard is not allowed to wear anything but their black robes.
You can hear better as they step further inside.
“Thank you again,” the silver-haired man says.
“Don’t thank me yet, Felix,” Jisung replies. “I still think you’re crazy, man.”
“Still,” the man, Felix, replies. “Not everyone would have helped. You didn’t have any problems?”
Jisung is adjusting the saddle on the horse. His eyes lift and meet yours through the slats. You duck further into shadow.
Jisung sighs and shakes his head. He tightens the reigns then hands them to Felix.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Jisung says.
Another figure steps into view, one who has been silent this whole time. You watch as the person draws back their hood, revealing a woman around your age. By the style of her gown, you can tell she is a courtier from the capital. She smiles at Jisung.
“Thank you, Han Jisung,” she says. “The gods will reward your courageous heart.”
“Ah-ha-ha.” He giggles nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “I already have everything I need. Some of us—” He casts a withering look at Felix, though his tone is light and teasing, “—can keep our chastity vows. I don’t need anything more than service.”
Felix chuckles. He holds out his hand to the woman and she hurries into his arms.
“If that’s your path, I hope it will make you happy,” Felix says.
You watch as they help the woman onto the horse. Felix swings up behind her. They both pull hoods over their heads.
Jisung reaches up, offering Felix his hand. Felix clasps it.
“Brother,” Felix says.
“Crazy man,” Jisung replies.
Felix smiles. They drop hands and Felix takes the reigns. With an expert click, he marches the horse into a swift canter and rides out the open stable door. Jisung strides forward to watch them leave, craning his neck to see further.
Now you know why there were no guards and a horse was prepared. Felix and Jisung must have been posted as guards and took the opportunity to sneak Felix away. Felix, who has evidently committed treason, breaking his vow as a kingsguard to ride off with a woman.
You doubt this was a whim. You wonder how long the trio has been planning this. If there was ever a time for a guard to steal a horse and sneak away, it would be in the busy chaos of a wedding week. Like Jisung said, most of the household is drunk. Others are tired and resting. A long journey back to the capital begins tomorrow and it cannot be diverted.
It is a journey you will have to make.
You nudge the door open. Jisung’s shoulders jump as if he forgot you were there. He regards you warily as you step forward.
“So,” you say. “It’s okay for some people to commit treason.”
“It’s not the same thing,” Jisung answers quickly. “Felix can handle himself out there.”
You have both witnessed the other commit a treasonous act. You could rat him out to the king, just as he could drag you back and do the same. Instead, you stare at each other, your gazes measuring. You meet in the middle.
“Do you think we understand each other?” he asks.
He holds out his hand in offering. You remember his quick but substantial touch at the ceremony, the moment he wiped the tear from your cheek. For all that darkness circles the periphery of him, there is something warm at the centre of his character. It compels you to trust him.
Finally putting this out there so everything is in one spot. All of my stories are written with a gender neutral reader, unless otherwise specified. You can find more fics at the link below:
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Stray Kids X reader:
Falling in love with Skz [fluff]
Skz finds out you're not eating [hurt/comfort with some angst]
Skz finds you struggling with self harm [hurt/comfort with some angst]
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_ _ _
Seungmin x reader:
Passionate kisser, unlimited trickster [fluff]
Time, love, effort, and cooties [fluff & comfort/hurt]
This is me trying [comfort/hurt]
Ice, ice, baby [fluff]
Waiting for us [comfort/hurt]
Mess is mine [comfort/hurt]
Birds of a feather [fluff]
Somewhere only we know [fluff]
And if I could give you the moon, I would give you the moon [fluff]
I've tried to describe just how carefully I would carry you [comfort/hurt]
_ _ _
Jeongin x reader:
My baby [fluff]
We'll keep this love in a photograph [right person, wrong time angst]
Duck, duck, goose [angst & comfort]
Already gone [comfort/hurt]
Drowning [comfort/hurt with angst]
All of this turbulence wasn't forecasted [comfort/hurt with angst]
Let the ultraviolet cover me up [comfort/hurt]
꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎
Full length fanfics on Wattpad/Ao3:
Taste | Changbin | Slow burn enemies to lovers
N0 B0DY, N0 CRIM3 | Chan | Mafia/crime AU with a slow burn forbidden romance
Forget-me-not | Seungmin | Memory loss trope with a slow-building romance
He's got the whole world in his hands | Jeongin | Priest psychological horror AU with demonic possession and some forbidden romance
Pandemonium | Hyunjin | Dark circus AU with a cute cheesy romance and a mystery that changes everything
Hiiii!!! First I wanna say how much I really like your work! Also, I stumbled upon our Seventeen and Enhypen as Hogwarts students, but saw you didn’t have it for Stray Kids 😭 I know they’ve mentioned in 2019 what house they think they are, but you seem to have a much better understanding of the houses and I’m very curious to see what you would think their houses would be.
I was wondering if I could request a similar sort of headcannon for them 🥹 Thank you!
Heck yeah! Can't believe I didn't do this sooner tbh but I love this so here we are 😌 I agree, not necessarily that I'm the best at the job, lol, but that people just go for very generic ideas of the houses (Gryffindor is cool, Slytherin is evil, Hufflepuff is nice/silly, Ravenclaw is smart) rather than the true reflection of where they'd be hehe! Like Ravenclaw is actually also known for being artistic and eccentric, Slytherin for strong determination, Hufflepuff for acceptance and breaking tradition, Gryffindor for being the other self-sacrificing house. So sometimes people just say "I'm a Gryffindor because I'm a good guy!!!" anyway rant over here's the actual content we want🤣
🏰 Stray Kids as Hogwarts Students🔮
Bang Chan
☆ Some kids got sorted instantly, but with one Christopher Bang the Hat took longer. Muttered to itself a lot as it waffled between his qualities, dubbing him hardworking and courageous and ambitious and loving. He couldn't help but flush under the hat's words, almost not hearing when its voice finally bellowed "Gryffindor!”
☆ Being Pure-Blood was only ever a phrase on a family tree for Chris. Who one’s ancestors were, what they looked like, or how much money they had said nothing for their value- only their choices and character did that.
☆ It’s only a formal class for one year, but he adores Flying. The feeling of freedom and getting to have some time outside is heaven for him. Defense Against the Dark Arts is another favorite for the similar reason of being able to get active and challenge himself, even literally facing his fears.
☆ Astronomy is very cool to him, but he finds having to fill in the same charts week after week a bit repetitive and not the best use of his time, frankly.
☆ Gryffindor’s Quidditch captain! He plays Keeper, working with great patience and synergy with the rest of the team to keep the goals clear.
☆ Blessed is the only word Chris can think of when he realizes how many happy memories he can pull from- not everyone can say that. As the word comes to mind, his wand lights up, producing a shining silver wolf standing majestically, protectively, before him.
Lee Know
☆ "You're an interesting one," came the Hat's comment upon touching Minho's head, "you've certainly got your priorities...whatever those are. A unique mind for sure. Better be Ravenclaw!" Some of Minho's friends had teased him as a Slytherin, so he was a bit surprised. Not that he would let his house define him entirely.
☆ He hates the reputation and unnecessary pressure that comes with being a Pure-Blood. It’s stupid and not worth debating in Minho’s mind. The only benefit is just the resources and opportunities he might get, and it’s tempting to turn those down on principle. Money and status don’t matter to him at all and there’s a part of him that wants to ‘sully the bloodline’ just for the hell of it! Luckily his parents don’t care either.
☆ Potions whiz. One of the few who actually get it and enjoy the calm, precise art and its beautiful results and wants to go N.E.W.T. with it. He’s also great at Care of Magical Creatures, naturally focused on the well-being of animals and other living things over his own excitement or whims.
☆ Having a fear of heights, Flying is not it for him. No thanks. He passes, but barely, and in his mind it’s not a skill he plans to use.
☆ Naturally, Minho opts out of Quidditch signups, but instead joins the Gobstones club because he thinks spraying the losers with stone juice is funny. Also gets invited to the Slug Club for his Potions skills and influence.
☆ No one is surprised when Minho closes his eyes, focuses, and boom! Produces a little glowing cat bursting from his wand with a few swipes of its paw to groom its nonexistent striped fur.
Changbin
☆ "Quite a softie underneath it all, eh?" Beneath the weight of the tattered Hat, Changbin strikes a bit of a pose. "Got a lot of ambition, but you've also got a lot of...that. Hmmm..." The Hat muses for a few more moments. "At the end of the day, this one’s a Slytherin!” Pride flows through Changbin’s veins- he doesn’t care for the reputation of producing dark wizards, the potential snobbery. All he cares about is showing his ambition to be the best if he puts his mind to it.
☆ He’s a Half-Blood, but both of his parents are wizards so his familiarity is much more with the Wizarding World. He wants to understand Muggles better to connect with them, too, as well as Muggleborns.
☆ Taking Muggle Studies helps with this and learning about another culture is quite fascinating to him- technology especially is amazing, like that’s what people do instead of magic? Wires of captured lightning? Sounds pretty magical to Changbin. He gets into tinkering with technology because of this. Another class he enjoys is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Changbin loves feeling ready to protect himself and others, so that’s the class he spends the most time practicing and taking notes in. He always thinks of his friends and his sister as he does so.
☆ History of Magic is boring, though, Changbin wants to cast some spells! At the end of the day, where certain spells come from don’t matter to him as long as he can use them. However, the idea of showing up in a ‘great wizards’ history highlight one day is appealing to him…
☆ His strength comes in handy serving as one of Slytherin’s two Beaters. The other teams are lowkey afraid of the Bludgers Changbin sends their way because they know how hard he hits!
☆ Bets are flying on what his Patronus animal would be, a pig or a rabbit. Pig is the most popular choice, mostly in jest, but shushing them all Changbin focuses all the great joy he’s expressing…and out leaps a rabbit! Not just any rabbit, though, but the massive, fluffy form of a Flemish giant rabbit that has everyone laughing and Changbin grinning, reaching out to it.
Hyunjin
☆ Nearly the second the Sorting Hat rests atop his head, it's shouting 'Ravenclaw!' Hyunjin himself can't be surprised, really, not when he's heard talk of the great artists in that house. In fact, pride glows in his chest as he joins his table that the Hat could see that in him.
☆ The Hwangs are an old wizarding family. Hyunjin has a lot of opportunities because of this, but fights against the idea that he could be any better than anyone else because of a name. Rather, he is often seen lifting up Muggleborn classmates and highlighting struggled of other magical people.
☆ Ancient Runes comes naturally to Hyunjin, something about his eye for detail, symbols, and decoding. Language is an area of interest for him so that class is like a beautiful puzzle. Astronomy grants Hyunjin so much art inspiration as well as time to relax and appreciate the gifts of nature and their inherent magic.
☆ There's no one class he hates, but like a lot of students Hyunjin has a harder time focusing on all the information getting dumped on him in History of Magic.
☆ Hyunjin’s extracurriculars include the Muggle Art club where he hones his painting skills and the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, where he plays as the team’s Seeker.
☆ Expectations fly as everyone wonders what the next Hwang’s Patronus will be. Will he get a stag, the majestic animal associated with famous wizards? An eagle, symbolizing his house? Not at all, in fact what Hyunjin summons is a beautiful, delicate silver dove that lights upon his shoulder.
Han
☆ “Don’t be so shy, kid, you’ve got heart.” “Really? Thanks bro.” “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about,” the Hat chuckles, “this one’s a Hufflepuff!” Jisung’s eyes go wide. He wasn’t expecting to get Hufflepuff, but if the hat says so, well, who is he to fight it? It’s nice getting the kindest house, too- maybe he’ll make a lot of friends.
☆ As a Half-Blood, the heavy weight of prejudice never really fell on Jisung. Half-Bloods tended to fall between the cracks as having already been sullied, just middle ground. As he witnesses bullying more and more, though, his passion grows to somehow help others and remind people that nobody can help who their ancestors married.
☆ Charms are quick, snappy, spur-of-the-moment but effective in a pinch, and Jisung likes that. It's fun and he can cast charms as quickly as he cracks a joke or comeback! Ancient Runes brings him a lot of inspiration from history and other languages that he loves to bring to his songwriting.
☆ Flying, thank goodness, isn't enforced every year! It scares him, frankly, and he'd much rather stay on the ground where he belongs.
☆ Because flying isn’t his favorite, no way in hell is he doing it with giant leather and metal things trying to smash him. Nope. However he’ll happily watch and commentate, hence him taking the mic and giving very entertaining descriptions of everything that happens. He’s also in the Frog Choir, always trying to get them to perform one of his compositions.
☆ Jokes around that he’s going to get a massive Patronus animal like a bear or a lion, but once he sees the embodiment of his joy skipping from his wand as a little quokka, he can’t even be embarrassed, just smile!
Felix
☆ "Well, you're just a delight, aren't you?" Felix couldn't tell if the Hat was being sarcastic, but still he chose to respond in kind. "I try!" At that, the Sorting Hat chuckled. "Yes, this one's a Hufflepuff for sure!" His sister had told him as much, but Felix couldn't complain- he liked the idea of being a Hufflepuff!
☆ Felix is a Muggleborn, so he takes in every step of starting school with wonder…though it is a bit overwhelming feeling like everyone’s speaking another language sometimes. But then again, magic candy! Brewing potions!
☆ Absolute wonder at Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. Felix is so gentle and good with every living thing, they practically request he be the one to handle them and that makes his heart burst with joy and honor! He also loves Potions, thinking the idea is so classic and cool, plus despite what most students say it’s kind of relaxing to him.
☆ Transfiguration dropped lower on his list when they started using living subjects. Sure, the idea that anyone and anything can grow and change and exist in many forms is really inspiring, but those poor mice and birds!
☆ Slug Club inductee part two! Even though he’s a Muggleborn with no direct influence, Felix is such a good student and avid potioneer that he’s a shoo-in. He also plays Quidditch as Hufflepuff’s Seeker.
☆ Felix isn’t sure what animal he’ll get, but he certainly isn’t expecting multiple! The entire class is shocked when a whole brood of chicks tumbles forth from his wand, eliciting shock and charmed coos alike.
Seungmin
☆ "This one's a bit of a surprise now," the Hat commented upon being set atop Seungmin's head. Seungmin couldn't help wondering what that meant and if it was bad, how to prove the Hat wrong. "No, lad, all you just did was prove my point. Looks can be deceiving, after all. Slytherin!" He wasn't sure what he expected, but that might not have been it. Sort of made sense, though- he could have fun with that!
☆ He can’t help wondering if the Hat chose as it did because he’s a Pure-Blood, taking Salazar’s old favors into account. Then again, he did just throw a cheating Gryffindor under the bus in class…
☆ Thinking logically is no trouble for Seungmin, so Arithmancy isn’t a bad choice for him. Connecting relationships between numbers and their power just makes sense to him- eight is his lucky number, after all. He also frequents the Potions dungeon, but that’s mostly just to brew the photo solution that grants his personal art projects motion!
☆ Defense Against the Dark Arts is a fun and active class, but it's boisterous and people take the duels too far sometimes.
☆ Frankly, he didn’t have time to join the Quidditch team due to his other extracurriculars, being an avid Frog Choir singer and the Hogwarts paper’s photographer.
☆ Everyone is sure the student everyone sees as a puppy will get a dog for his Patronus. Imagine their surprise when he casts a tanuki! Cute and cunning, no one can deny it matches him perfectly in the end.
I.N
☆ He forgot the Hat could read his thoughts. “So you want a house where you can show your talents and look out for people, huh?” Flushing, Jeongin just nods with a faint, bashful smile. “Well, better be Gryffindor, then!” He’s surprised, thinking maybe he’d have gotten Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff- he isn’t particularly brave, is he? “Trust me, kid, you’ll find your way,” the Hat promises, and do its eyelike folds wink?
☆ As a Half-Blood, he has knowledge of the Wizarding World, but also life outside of magic. Having one Muggle parent means one person getting yanked into the world of wonder, after all! Jeongin is proud to understand both sides of his world and guide his friends on how Muggles really live.
☆ Details don’t escape Jeongin, so he loves drawing star charts for Astronomy. Transfiguration is another favorite of his for similar reasons: he enjoys the focus, the idea that he can reshape objects into something greater or something new. It feels symbolic, poetic.
☆ Potions stresses him out because it's so easy to burn things or measure wrong; even if little details usually fascinate him, he can be a bit clumsy with the required finesse.
☆ Joins the wizard chess club, art club, and plays Quidditch- what can’t our baby bread do? Jeongin becomes Gryffindor’s Seeker, one especially known for turning the tides of the game for his team completely!
☆ He can barely contain his excitement that day in Defense Against the Dark Arts when it comes time to cast Patronus charms! He wonders if his animal will look like him and he certainly gets his wish when a charming little desert fox pops forth.
synopsis: lee felix is your 89% match. please proceed to the house assigned to you where your relationship will be subjected to various tests. if you manage to complete all objectives and get your match to 100% you may proceed to leave. sex is strictly prohibited. remember, they're always watching.
wc: 13.4k
warnings: desc. of drowning, illness, drugging, tripping (psychedelics/stimulants), mention of needles, paralysis, gutting a fish (yes that's a warning), some blood
a/n: felix always inspires me for these kinds of concepts. i hope you enjoy💜
~ divider by @anitalenia
~ masterlist
Lee Felix. 89% match. Congratulations!
You stared at the device in your hand, your heartbeat picking up speed. Finally. Finally you had someone you matched with. The last time you tried a similar, underdeveloped program like this, it only led you to more disappointment and heartbreak.
But, everyone you knew was raving about Cupid Corp. and how they found the love of their life after participating in their program. You asked questions, curious about why they stayed so long in the Cupid Corp. village, what they had to do to get their match to a 100, to walk out with them hand in hand.
Their faces would change from the happy expressions and shiny eyes into something dull, drained of color.
"We signed a document that prohibits us from revealing anything." they'd answer.
It all sounded so mysterious and a little alarming but you were so damn tired of being lonely and seeing all these people walking out of Cupid Corp. with big dumb smiles on their faces.
So, after doing some thinking, you applied.
It was a long process, to say the least. There were tests you had to take, all of them online. Starting with a psychological test, then an IQ test, then a personality test. It took them a month as they asked for everything, from your family disease history to your hopes and dreams for the future.
The more data they gathered, the more detailed your profile became. You even had a few online interviews with a woman named 'Cherry' whose face you couldn't see as she was wearing some sort of mask, only her cherry red lips were visible to you.
"We will take your data into consideration and calculate the best match. Thank you for applying at Cupid Corp. We hope you find your dream lover." the woman talked in a monotone voice.
You didn't wait for too long. Only four days later, you got a package from them, inside it a round device with a screen and one button. You pressed it and when it came to life you were greeted with your match. Just his name and the percentage.
With it, you got a document that stated the location of the village as well as your house number, 14B and a ton of rules, most of them prohibiting you from talking about the activities and 'tests' inside the village as well as a 'no cellphone' rule. You thought it was kind of weird, but you didn't want to back out now. Not when you had a match with such a high number.
It can't be so hard to get it up to 100, right?
You read through all the rules, coming up to the last one.
'You and your partner are not allowed to engage in sexual activites during your stay in the village. Kissing and physical touch is fine unless it is erotic or stimulating in that sort of way. After you sign this paper, you have agreed to all the rules above and are aware that you will be filmed and monitored 24/7.'
You gulped, some kind of unease washing over you as you stared at the document. The little cupid drawing that was the company's logo looked so sweet and innocent but it didn't help the churning of your stomach. Taking a deep breath in, you grabbed you pen and signed the paper.
There is no going back now.
As soon as you entered the village through the gate, it felt like you walked right into a fairytale. The houses were all pretty pastel colors with white picked fences and gardens full of all sorts of beautiful flowers. Everything looked perfect.
The only weird thing was that you didn't see another person anywhere as you walked. It was eerily quiet, only your footsteps were echoing on the pavement and the sounds of your suitcase being dragged behind you. The village was far away from the bustling city so you couldn't hear any sound for miles.
Then you saw it, 14B, a pretty pastel blue house and you smiled to yourself, it looked so cute and cozy. Your heart suddenly skipped a beat when you noticed someone standing outside by the fence.
It was a guy close to your age, and as soon as he noticed you coming towards him, a big smile spread on his face. He waved awkwardly and you waved back as you neared him, your heart hammering in your chest. When you got closer to him, your stomach did a little flip.
He is so beautiful!, you thought as you observed his smiling face, his warm chocolate eyes, his plump heart shaped lips and all the pretty freckles adorning his skin.
"I'm Felix. Nice to meet you." he said, pleasantly shocking you with his deep voice.
"Y/n. Nice to meet you too." you smiled, your face burning up. You hoped you didn't look like an awkward tomato in front of this beautiful man, who was your match! You were already swooning over him as he helped you get your suitcase inside, dragging both of your luggage together while you looked around the garden.
"I guess this is our house." he said as the two of you walked in. You noticed right away that it was decorated in the way you wanted to decorate your dream house, a question you had to answer in one of the tests they gave you. You also noticed some knick knacks you didn't recognize, they were probably something Felix wanted to have in his house.
"They really went all out with the decorations." you said as the two of you made your way to the kitchen and Felix chuckled.
"They did." he nodded, the air between you a little awkward.
"Oh. What's this?" you noticed an envelope adressed to the both of you on the kitchen table.
You picked it up and opened it as Felix peered over your shoulder.
"Dear Felix and Y/n. Welcome to our Village of Love! We hope you enjoy your stay, no matter how short or long it is. You'll find everything you need inside your house, we hope you find it cozy and that you settle in well. Take your time to get used to your surroundings and learn a little about each other before you move onto the next phase. Tests will begin shortly. Have fun!" you read out loud before looking up and seeing a camera staring right at you, the red dot blinking.
"Tests, huh? Doesn't sound too fun." Felix said and you nodded.
"No, it doesn't." you shook your head. "Do you know anything about what happens here?"
"I have no idea. I asked a few of my friends and no one would tell me."
"Isn't that kind of suspicious?" you asked and Felix chuckled nervously, looking up at the camera.
"Aren't they like listening to us right now?" he whispered.
"I'm sure everyone who came here wondered about the program." you shrugged.
"I guess we will find out." Felix said, still being somewhat quiet as he kept eyeing the camera.
You walked over to the fridge and opened it, finding all sorts of groceries inside it, mostly your favorite food and probably Felix's.
"Hungry?" you looked back at him and as if on que, his stomach growled.
You giggled and he laughed, the sound filling up your ears and tugging at your heart.
"I'll take that as a yes. Do you wanna cook together?" you asked and he nodded eagerly.
"I'd love that." Felix answered with a sweet smile so the two of you pulled your sleeves up and washed your hands, getting ready to tackle dinner together as you maneuvered the unknown space.
"What made you decide to apply to this program? You don't seem like you'd have a problem finding a partner." you started the conversation and his cheeks became rosy as he chuckled.
"Well, I tend to fall for the wrong people. The ones who use my kindness against me. And I really don't wanna hurt anymore or just experiment and 'try' again. I want to know that I have the real deal, you know? To be sure that the person is my ride or die."
The honesty in his answer took you by surprise.
'I want my partner to always be honest with me, to tell me the truth even if it is painful.'
You remembered the line you wrote when you were asked to put down on paper everything you wanted in a partner. They had probably looked at Felix's personality test as well as yours, and the things you had written down as your dream partner, putting the two of you together that way.
Your cheeks burned as you remembered how high your percentage is. He must really be the man from your dreams which would make you the woman of his. Butterflies swarmed your stomach.
"What about you?" Felix snapped you out of your thoughts as you continued cleaning the meat.
"Oh, same. I was disappointed many times before. I just want to find someone that will feel like home." you smiled at him.
"Exactly." he agreed. "So, what do you think the tests will look like? Do you think they'll be similar to the ones we had to do while applying?"
"My guess is as good as yours. Though, I must admit I do feel a bit uneasy with all the people not being allowed to say what happened while they were here..." you trailed off, before sighing.
"Then again, they all looked so happy with their partners." you finished. "And I want that."
"Yeah, I feel a bit uneasy myself but we'll go through this together, right?" Felix gave you a shy smile and you nodded as your cheeks warmed up.
After cooking dinner and eating, you had learned a bit more about each other, finding it incredibly easy to keep the conversation going like you've already talked many times before, sharing similar viewpoints and interests. It seemed too easy and you knew that you didn't have to necessarily agree on everything or love all the same things to be a match.
There was definitely something deeper there than the superficial stuff like hobbies and favorite colors when you've already gotten to 89% without even interacting with each other.
"Should we do a tour of the house?" Felix asked when you finished cleaning up.
"Sure, let's do it." you smiled and one by one, you visited all of the rooms starting with the living room that was next to the kitchen.
"Oh, we have a tv." you pursed your lips. "I thought we weren't allowed any kind of electronics."
"I guess they thought having movie nights at home is a date we'd both enjoy." Felix pointed to all the dvds on the shelves around the tv. "We have a good collection of every genre. Skipping horror though, I'm not a fan of scary things." he visibly shivered and you chuckled a little.
"I'm fine with those." you said and Felix gasped a little.
"Well if you want us to watch horror movies together just be prepared that I will be hiding behind like five blankets and probably crying my eyes out."
"Aw, it's okay, we don't have to watch them if they scare you so much." you smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat.
"I'll watch them for you. Well, kinda watch them since I'll be under all those protective blankets."
You chuckled together before you made your way upstairs. Your heart immediately skipped a beat and a shiver ran through your entire body when you saw the bed. Of course, you were meant to sleep together in it.
Felix noticed you staring at it, both of your faces red.
"I can sleep downstairs on the couch." he said, as if reading your mind.
"No!" you said a little too quickly. "I mean, I'd feel a lot safer if you were here with me." you admitted sheepishly.
"Oh." his smile was shy. "Then I'll be here with you."
Gosh, he is so sweet!, you thought, feeling overwhelmed that such a sweet person was your very own match. Not even a day with him and he already checked so many of your boxes. You hoped he felt the same for you.
"We have separate bathrooms." Felix noted and you looked to the right to see a door labeled with your name and on the left his name.
"I think there are no cameras in there, so that's why..." he trailed off and immediately you felt your stomach doing flips. They were really making sure you don't do any funny business which was kind of understandable since everything was being filmed. But then again, why wouldn't they make a special room for the two of you? You had so many questions and any possible answer created even more questions.
The two of you then decided to unpack, the sounds of opening and closing drawers filling up the space.
"We have a backyard." Felix said as he stood by the window in your room. "And a pool."
"It looks cozy except the pool. I don't know how to swim." you confessed, shivering a little.
"Really?" Felix looked a bit surprised. "Well, I love swimming so you can sunbathe while I swim?" he added with a giggle.
"I can." you nodded. "The entire house and the neighborhood looks so nice. Which brings me to this, have you seen another person since you got here?" you asked and Felix shook his head no.
"Neither have I. Weird, huh?" you said.
Felix opened his mouth to answer but the sound the doorbell ringing frightened you both.
"Is that... someone at the door?" he lifted one eyebrow.
"Let's go check together." you stood by his side as your heart hammered in your chest.
Felix walked first and you followed behind him, peering over his shoulders as he slowly opened the door.
You were greeted by a smiling woman and man, standing somewhat similarly to you and Felix.
"Hello, sorry to bother you. I'm Gina and this is Ethan. We were paired up today and noticed we were neighbours so we just wanted to say hi."
"Oh." Felix chuckled and you visibly relaxed, now standing beside him.
"This is y/n, and I'm Felix. Nice to meet you." you all shook hands, deciding to meet up tomorrow for breakfast since the program encouraged couples who were paired up at the same time to become friends.
"You okay?" Felix asked after closing the door.
"I just can't shake off this weird feeling." you shook your head.
Felix bit on his lip, his eyes raking all over your form gently as you hugged yourself. Tentatively, he reach out and brushed his knuckles on your cheek.
"I'm sure you just need time to adjust." he smiled, and you shivered from his gentle touch, your eyes fluttering.
"Yeah. Maybe a good night's sleep is all I need."
"There you go. Positive thoughts." Felix smiled brightly, warming you up instantly.
You got ready in your separate bathrooms and you came out first, claiming your side of the bed as you sat, leaning your back against the headboard and fidgeting with your fingers. Felix came in after a minute or so, smiling at you slightly as he hesitantly lifted up the covers and slid in.
"You sure you're okay with this?" he turned to you, his deep brown eyes looking big and doe like.
"Yes, I'm comfortable." you nodded. "You?"
"Of course. Just making sure you feel okay." Felix then smiled sweetly, making your stomach flip again.
"I am." you whispered. "Um, it's just weird not to have my phone to play with before sleeping." you looked around, noticing a stack of books on a shelf.
"Tell me about it. I'm like chronically online, it's a problem." Felix shook his head with a chuckle. "Or like playing videogames. My computer will be so dusty when we get out of here."
You giggled at him as he scrunched up his face and made a cute whiny sound.
"I like videogames too. We should play together soon."
"Wow, you really are the girl of my dreams." Felix looked at you, wiggling his eyebrows and you laughed, your entire body on fire from the giddiness he made you feel.
He slid down then, getting comfy on his side and you followed suit, relaxing between the clean sheets and melting into the soft pillow.
"How long do you think it will take us to get out of here?" you whispered after a few moments of silence.
"I hope not too long." Felix whispered back. "Sweet dreams, y/n." he added after another pause.
"Night, Felix." you smiled before turning on your side and closing your eyes.
You were nervous for what's to come but Felix's presence gave you a sense of comfort and safety you didn't know you needed. Just the sound of his breathing calmed you down and slowly lulled you to sleep.
Your eyes fluttered open and for a moment you were completely confused. You blinked a few times, rubbing the sleepiness from your eyes as you took in your surroundings.
Right. You had come to the Village of Love yesterday, with your match. Which made you turn around quickly and gasp when you noticed the other side of the bed was empty.
"F-Felix?" you said, your voice a little raspy from sleeping. For a moment, you felt the dread creeping in but then you heard clinking, followed by a few curses coming from downstairs.
Upon arriving to the kitchen you were greeted by a frantic and disheveled Felix. You had to supress in a laugh, but it still seeped out in small giggles.
"Oh, y/n!" he exclaimed, turning around with his eyes slightly widened and his pink lips parted. "I barely slept last night so I got up like at 6am? I wanted to make myself useful so I tried making pancakes? I swear they taste better than they look! It's just that I'm usually not a morning person so-"
"Felix." you stopped his rambling, coming closer to him as you chuckled into your palm, your other hand gently placed on his arm to soothe him.
"Felix, it's okay. I'm sure the pancakes are delicious." you looked down at the half burned scraps of pancakes. "It's the thought that counts." you added with a giggle. "Aren't we meeting our neighbors for breakfast anyways?"
"Oh. That's right, we are. I'm silly." he sighed, turning the stove off with a defeated pout.
"You're cute." you said without thinking, your cheeks warming up as soon as those words left your mouth.
"You think so?" Felix chuckled, a little smirk forming on his lips and you nodded as he stared at you intently. "You're cuter." he leaned in, his breath hitting your face and you almost dissolved right then and there.
"Oh, shut up." you chuckled, making him laugh. "Let's go get dressed."
You got ready in your separate bathrooms, wondering how everything will play out for however long you'll be here. You decided to wear a dress with a floral pattern, something comfy and flowy. You hoped Felix would like it as much as you did.
And he seemed to be stunned the moment you walked out of the bathroom, giving you elevator eyes as he gulped visibly, his cheeks becoming rosy. You stood there nervously as he seemed to be lost in a trance.
"Felix?"
"Oh." he looked up at your face, the redness creeping up on his neck. "You look really pretty."
"Thank you." you giggled, your heart rate picking up while he smiled at you.
"Shall we?" he asked, reaching his hand towards you. You nodded, sliding your hand into his, your palms pressed together and fingers entwined.
They fit perfectly together, like two pieces of a puzzle that were waiting to be completed forever.
You met up with Gina and Ethan who were also holding hands, waving at you enthusiastically.
"Morning, neighbors!" Ethan smiled at the two of you.
"Good morning." you smiled back as everyone greeted each other.
"Did you get the map of the village?" Gina asked and Felix nodded.
"Found it in the living room this morning."
"Us too. Isn't it crazy having all these cameras around?" Gina chuckled and you looked around, noticing that all over the neighborhood there were cameras on every lamp post, every driveway, every front door.
The uneasiness settled in your chest again and you squeezed Felix's hand. He looked at you, squeezing back and giving you a small, reassuring smile. The restaurant wasn't too far away, it was a garden with lots of big trees giving shade to the tables, the sweet smell of colorful flowers mixed with the nice smell of food being cooked, making you even more hungry than you were. Finally, you saw other couples, chatting at different tables and you felt much more at ease. It felt normal.
There was soft music playing from the little building where you presumed the kitchen and servers were situated. The four of you found a table near a koi pond, excitement taking over you as you looked at the pretty fishes swimming around.
"I was about to reach for my phone and take a picture." Felix chuckled and Ethan nodded.
"Same." he said and you shook your head, thinking about how you'd probably do the same thing.
You stared at the koi fishes, who seemed to be mindlessly floating back and forth, confined in such a small pond. You wondered if they ever wanted more freedom, a bigger pond or was this all they knew so they could never think about having more space. Maybe they felt safe in a familiar, tiny enviroment.
One of the servers came to your table with a pen and notepad, writing down your orders and snapping you out of your thoughts.
The four of you made small talk before your food arrived.
"At least these pancakes look better than mine." Felix noted when the plate was placed before him and you chuckled.
"So, what do you guys think the tests will look like?" Gina asked suddenly while you ate. You looked up at the camera above your table and swallowed nervously.
"Isn't it kinda like a video game? We got a map of the place, we will have objectives or tests, we got our 'safe room', like our house where we have supplies..." Felix started and Ethan chuckled.
"I just hope there are no zombies or such. Or like damage." he added and the four of you laughed.
"I'm sure it can't be that bad." you said.
"How high is your percentage?" Gina asked.
"89%." you answered and she gasped a little.
"Ours is 74%. I guess we'll be here longer than y'all." she pouted.
"Well, we can't know that. When we have no idea what awaits us." Ethan said. He was right, you had no idea what Cupid Corp. planned out to put your connection to the test. Your eyes fell on the pond again, the koi fishes spinning around and around in circles, the repetitive motion almost making you dizzy.
~
"Do you wanna take a walk around the village?" Felix asked after you parted ways with the friendly couple next door.
"Yeah, sounds good. I need to get some blood flowing in my legs, we sat for so long."
"We did, I think we clicked with them too. Could it be they put us close to each other so we could become friends?" Felix asked when the two of you started walking, your hands entwined again, making your heart beat faster.
"Probably. I have a feeling nothing is random here." you pursed your lips.
"Me too." he agreed.
The village was really something out of a fairytale book. Not only were the houses cute but there was a cute bakery, a gallery, a flower shop, a cafe and a few other stores for groceries and such scattered around. There was even a little park for picnics and a forest to ride your bike or take a walk there. You saw other people working in all the buildings and couples walking around or sitting in the cafe or riding their bikes. It looked different than yesterday, when everything seemed eerily quiet and abandoned.
You and Felix talked about your families and job, getting to know some random facts about each other as you walked around, the sun warming your bodies up. It felt like you knew each other forever.
That evening, you decided to have your first movie night date. After a short debate since you were both indecisive, you settled on Clueless, a classic, and prepared some snacks and blankets to make the viewing more cozy.
Felix seemed a little nervous and fidgety as you got comfy on the couch, some distance created between you. He played with his fingers and the blanket, picking on it as you clicked play on the tv.
"You okay?" you asked and he nodded quickly, grabbing the bowl of popcorn.
"It's just... I like to cuddle while watching movies. Or um, I like to cuddle whenever, a lot. Physical touch is definitely one of my biggest love languages. I hope you're okay with that." Felix confessed, redness covering his freckled cheeks.
You sighed in relief, a giggle escaping your lips as you scooted closer to him, making his breath hitch.
"Okay? I'm estatic. I'm a big cuddler, it's one of my top love languages too." you nodded and Felix smiled sweetly at you.
"Right. I keep forgetting we matched so well and start feeling nervous. I don't wanna do something wrong, you know? And with the cameras watching, it adds to the awkwardness." he explained.
"I'll tell you if I'm uncomfortable with anything, okay? And you tell me too. Open communication is important." you said and Felix nodded, agreeing. "And forget about the cameras for now. I'm trying not to think about them supervising us the entire time. Let's just enjoy the movie."
"You're really sweet, y/n." Felix smiled cutely, his eyes shining as he stared at you, tongue darting out to wet his plump lips.
You followed the movement for a second, your heart fluttering.
"Says you." you chuckled, poking his cheek and he giggled, relaxing next to you and scooting even closer so that your legs and shoulders touched.
Pretty soon, both of you were relaxed, forgetting that you were being filmed as you enjoyed the movie, laughing and repeating the iconic lines. Your head ended up on Felix's shoulder at one point and his heart started beating fast instantly, his hand reaching for yours. He caressed your skin with his thumb as you giggled at the tv. You've never felt this comfortable with someone you just met.
The entire day was filled with positive experiences that you almost forgot about the weird dread gathering in the pit of your stomach.
You felt a huge attraction towards Felix, your body craved to be in his warmth and when you laid in bed next to him that night, you wanted nothing more than to roll over and hold him. But maybe it was too early for that, you thought as nervousness washed over you.
"Good night, y/n." his warm voice was quiet in the darkness of the room.
"Good night, Felix."
~
The man in the chair leaned over his computer, typing in the log of the day. The two of you were perfect subjects for this village, both of you sweet and kind, ready to welcome each other into your lives. He looked at all the screens that filmed your quiet house, eyes lingering on your calm, sleeping forms. Soon, everything will change.
A whole week has passed by perfectly. It was a little too quiet, too perfect for your liking. You wondered when the actual tests would start, when you were gonna get an envelope with some objective you have to fulfill. It made you feel uneasy the entire time and you had always trusted your intuition so you knew your gut feeling was right.
You had expressed this to Felix and even though he was nervous about the whole experience too, he tried to reassure you that it can't be that bad. That maybe the test had already started by just watching the two of you interact with each other.
It sounded plausible so it calmed you down just a little bit.
At the same time, you couldn't deny the connection building between you and your match. Felix was everything you ever wanted and more, kind and thoughtful, funny and sweet, he listened to you with interest, happy to know every little detail about you; his heart was pure and full of love, not just for you but for everyone. He made you melt on the spot with just one look and smile.
Every time you cuddled while watching movies, you got a little closer, the warmth of his body enveloping you, messing with your senses. You loved being close to him like that and he loved being held or holding you, it didn't matter as long as you were embracing each other in any way.
"It's such a beautiful sunny day. We could have a date by the pool?" Felix suggested one morning, batting his eyelashes at you and pouting cutely.
"Oh, sure. But I'll be watching you as I sunbathe because well, you know." you shrugged.
"Are you scared of the water? I could help you, teach you how to swim. It's good to face your fears." he smiled encouragingly and you chuckled, grabbing his hand.
"Maybe it is. I'll think about it." you smiled.
"Great! That's progress." Felix leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss on your cheek and it was enough to make your heart burst.
For some reason, you didn't think about how the two of you will be almost naked by the pool and that thought crossed your mind only after you put your bathing suit on in the bathroom. A little gasp escaped your lips as your cheeks became completely red.
You decided to throw a little dress over your frame before you walked into the room. Felix was already waiting for you, dressed in swim trunks and a t-shirt. You blushed at the sight of his legs, mentally scolding yourself and trying to calm down your heart.
Felix didn't hesitate to throw his shirt off as soon as you got to the pool. Your eyes immediately went to his abs and chest, a warmness spreading within you as you shifted. He noticed your look, his face and ears warming up. He smirked a little, enjoying the fact that he made you squirm.
"Ugh, I- I left my sunscreen upstairs." you whined.
"I'll go get it for you." Felix said. "Is it in the bathroom?"
You nodded and thanked him as he made his way into the house. After you took your dress off, your attention was grabbed by a sloshing sound of water inside the pool. Your brows furrowed, there was no wind. You gulped, coming closer to the edge of the pool, staring at your distorted reflection as the water kept sloshing.
It was just a milisecond, you couldn't react or realize what was happening, it was as if something invisible had pulled you into the water. With a loud splash your body was submerged under the surface as you started flailing your arms and legs, bubbles coming up where you were desperately trying to breathe. You managed to pull your head above water for a second, panicking as you tried to grab onto the edge of the pool, turning around just in time to see Felix running towards the pool with a terrified expression on his face. You couldn't keep yourself above water but just before you were completely submerged again, a pair of arms wrapped around you, pulling you up to the surface.
You gasped, trying to catch your breath as you clutched onto Felix and he pulled you close, pressing your body into his.
"You're okay, love. I got you. I got you." he kept repeating as he caressed you, holding you tightly as he led you to the shallow part of the pool.
Tears spilled out of your eyes as you sobbed, wrapping your arms around Felix's body, your face buried in his neck.
"It's okay. I'm here. Shh." he tried to soothe you as your body shook against him.
Neither of you noticed the shadow moving away from the window inside your kitchen.
"Let's get you out." Felix led you towards one of the chairs and you sat down as he wrapped a towel around you. He caressed your hair shortly as he grabbed another chair, pulling it closer so it was facing you. He sat down and grabbed your face gently.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I- I don't know." your lips trembled.
"I was just standing there and next thing I know, I'm underwater."
"Maybe you slipped?" Felix wondered, his brows furrowed.
"No, it was like something pulled me in." you swallowed and Felix looked back at the calm water.
"Well, whatever it was I am not leaving you alone by the pool anymore. I won't let this happen to you again." he promised, pulling you into a hug, your cheek pressed against his chest. You shivered as you held onto him, but this time it was because you felt his skin against yours. Sure, you held onto him in the pool but you were in such a state of panic that you didn't even feel your body let alone his.
You leaned back a little and looked up at Felix. His eyes travelled down to your lips and he licked at his. Your stomach swarmed with butterflies as your face neared his. Felix held you tighter as your hot breaths mingled, before he pressed his plump lips on yours. You melted instantly as you started moving together, kissing gently and savoring every second of your lips touching like that.
It felt like it was meant to be, like you were made to kiss his lips and he was made to be yours. Felix licked at your bottom lip and you parted them, letting his tongue touch and play with yours. Pressing your body against his even more, you almost forgot about Cupid Corp., the cameras, the pool. But when he bit on your bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth, his hands squeezing your waist, you had a moment of clarity and pulled away with a gasp.
"We can't get carried away." you panted and Felix nodded, swallowing as his dark eyes lingered on your lips. His cheeks were red, his hair messy and his lips looked even more pink after kissing you.
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself, love. I'm really attracted to you." Felix said, pressing his forehead against yours.
"Me too. I like you a lot, Lixie." you smiled and he chuckled sweetly, pressing a few kisses on your lips and cheeks.
"I like you a lot too. I'm so glad I signed up for this program." he said, pulling you into another hug.
"I'm glad to be here too." you tangled your hands in his hair, caressing him and he sighed happily.
"Do you still wanna stay by the pool or you wanna do something else?" he asked and you looked at the water.
"I'll sit here and you go swim." you smiled.
"Are you sure?"
"100%." you nodded and with that, he pecked your lips again and practically skipped towards the pool. You giggled to yourself, knowing he really wanted to swim so you were content with sitting by the pool and just watching his beautiful form in the water.
Goosebumps rose on your neck and you turned to look at the house, feeling like there was some kind of presence there. You tried shrugging it off as you turned back to Felix, watching him having fun and waving at you cutely.
When he got out of the water, you couldn't help the admiration in your eyes as they raked all over his naked wet body, the droplets of water sliding from his chest to his abs and disappearing under the waistband of his swim trunks. Your throat was very much dry in that moment, but your panties were not. Felix smirked at you as he walked slowly, probably trying to seduce you even though you already folded.
He leaned over you, his hands on the armrests of the chair, the water from his body dripping onto yours.
"Enjoyed the view?" he asked as you looked up at him.
"Very much so." you smirked back and he leaned in to kiss you.
"I'm glad you did." he kissed you again. "Let's get inside, it's getting dark." Felix added and the two of you made your way into your house.
As soon as you walked in, a loud beeping noise scared the both of you. You covered your ears as Felix looked around.
"What is that?!" you asked.
"I don't know." Felix yelled over the piercing noise. He followed it with you trailing behind him and holding onto his back.
"Oh. Look!" he exclaimed, grabbing the round device you had gotten in the mail.
As soon as he clicked the button, the loud sound stopped, the screen lighting up.
90%. Congratulations, Felix and Y/n!
"D-did we get a point because of me drowning in the pool?" you shivered.
"I think we got a point 'cause I saved you." Felix bit on his lip, his expression turning into one of worry. You looked up at the camera in the kitchen, your eyes wide. Just what kind of sick game were Cupid Corp. playing? And what did they have in store for you?
~
"You think they really tried to drown me on purpose?" you asked Felix when the two of you got under the covers.
"It seems so." he said as he chewed on his lip.
"I think they could escalate things." you gulped and Felix looked at you, scooting closer to your side.
"What kind of test is that? Who wouldn't jump in to save someone they love? And even someone they don't know. I'd jump in anyways." Felix got upset.
"I know, I don't understand either."
"At least we are closer to 100%." Felix said, reaching out for you. You got closer to him and he smiled sweetly, his arm wrapping around your waist.
"Will you let me hold you like this?" he whispered, rubbing the tip of his nose against yours.
"Yeah, of course." you whispered back, kissing his sweet lips.
"I'll keep you safe, love." he smiled.
"I hope they don't hurt you."
"They can try. I'm stronger than I seem."
"I belive that." you nuzzled into him as you wrapped around each other. It felt so good to be in his embrace, like nothing bad could ever happen to you.
When Felix opened his eyes the next morning and saw you sleeping so soundly in his arms, he almost melted into a puddle. He gently tucked your hair behind your ear, caressing your face as his sleepy eyes observed you.
It didn't take long for you to wake up too, seeing that Felix was already looking at you made you whine and shut your eyes tightly.
"Don't look at me." you said.
"Why?" Felix chuckled as you tried hiding your face with your hands.
"Because I don't look the best when I wake up."
"What are you talking about?" Felix gently moved your hands away. "You're beautiful." he added and leaned in to kiss you but you blocked him quickly with your hand.
"Morning breath."
"Do I look like I care?" he giggled against your palm, grabbing your hand in his and kissing you despite your protests.
"So beautiful." he rasped.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a sweet talker?" you smirked.
"No, but I'll take that as a compliment." Felix giggled. "Mm. Let's stay like this." he pulled you closer, his chin resting on the top of your head.
"I'd love to. But don't we have a brunch with Gina and Ethan?"
"Ugh. We do. Five more minutes." Felix said and you giggled, pressing your lips into his pulse. You heard his breath hitch and felt him tremble as your lips brushed against his skin.
"Don't make it harder for me to resist you, love." he whispered and kissed your head, making your cheeks warm up instantly.
"Sorry." you leaned back and he gave you a lazy smirk as he played with your hair.
~
"Ethan is sick." Gina whispered to the two of you after you rang the doorbell.
"Sick?" your brows furrowed as you noticed her eyes being shifty, darting left to right like she was on high alert, looking around to spot danger.
"Yes. High fever. Tremors. Headache." she craned her neck to look behind the two of you and you followed her eyesight, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.
"I have to go. I have to go. They're watching, you know? They're watching." she murmured before disappearing into the darkness of her house and closing the door, the clicking sound indicating she had locked it.
"T-that was weird." you swallowed.
"Very weird." Felix backed away, pulling you with him. "You wanna go to brunch still?"
"Yeah." you nodded as the two of you walked away from your neighbor's house.
You kept throwing glances back, noticing the curtain on one of the windows moving as a figure disappeared behind it.
You couldn't stop thinking about the state Gina was in and what the hell was happening inside her house?
Sitting by the koi pond, you couldn't help but think that all of you were just koi fishes and the village was just one small pond that was being observed by a bigger creature.
"You okay?" Felix put his arm around your shoulder, his other hand placed on your knee.
"Just worried about Gina and Ethan. And... us."
"Us?"
"What if the same happens to us. Or worse." you swallowed, your eyes becoming big as you looked at Felix, fear bubbling up inside you.
"It won't."
"How do you know that?" you asked, your eyes filling up with tears.
"I'll keep us safe, I promise." Felix pressed a lingering kiss on your forehead.
Your heart was still hammering in your chest, your stomach churning.
Something was wrong.
~
"Y/n, do you trust me?" Felix held you as the two of you stood in the shallow part of the pool.
"I do. It's just-"
"You're scared, I know. If it becomes too much, we'll get out immediately. But I'd love it if you at least tried. I'll hold you the entire time, okay? I won't let you out of my sight."
His reassuring words chipped away at your fear, replacing it with warmness and safety. You've never met someone like Felix, someone who was so invested in helping you get over your phobia.
"Okay, we'll start walking first." he pulled you in, holding you against him as you clutched at him.
"Relax." he tried soothing you as his hands caressed you and slowly but surely you started feeling relaxed.
"I'll hold you and swim. You try to move your legs like I told you, okay?" Felix guided you and you struggled a little at the beginning but the more he smiled at you and reassured you, the more confident you felt.
"Just stay close." you said.
"Of course, sweetheart." he smiled and your heart leaped out of your chest as your face warmed up.
Soon, you didn't even realize you were moving on your own, with Felix hovering next to you.
"You did it, y/n!" he laughed, his arms wrapping around your waist as he pulled you into his body.
"All thanks to you, Lixie." you giggled, turning around in his arms so you could look at him.
"Well, you had the will to try so it's on you too." he said, pecking your lips. His kisses were addictive, whenever he'd press his lips on yours, it was hard to stop as the two of you clung onto each other like you've been glued together.
The kisses escalated as your tongues massaged each other, your hands roaming on his freckled back. Your legs wrapped around him and he pulled you in closer, chest against chest, his hands on your butt.
"F-Felix." you stuttered, nails digging into his shoulders when you felt his erection brushing against your core.
"I'm sorry." his arms wrapped around your waist as he buried his face in your neck, lapping at the droplets of water dripping down your skin. "I can't help it. You're so delicious, sweetheart." he nipped at your sensitive neck.
"T-the cameras." you looked around at the five different cameras in the backyard.
"I know. I know." Felix kissed your lips with a huff before he swam you both back to the shallow part.
"You can get out if you want. And give me a second to calm down." he looked at you sheepishly.
"Okay." you giggled, wrapping your body up with a towel.
Felix swam a little more while you made some lemonade, keeping an eye on him from the kitchen window.
He got out just in time as you brought the refreshing drink outside. He wiped his body with the towel quickly, throwing it aside as he pulled you closer, making you squeal, the two of you losing balance. You ended up in his lap as he sat in the chair and you chuckled as he squeezed you tightly, rubbing his cheek against your back.
"Are you sure this is a smart position right now?" you asked and he smirked at you.
Before he could answer, the familiar beeping sound blasted next to the two of you. Your heads snapped towards the device you brought everywhere, hoping the percentage would go up.
"Felix! 92%!" you gasped when you grabbed it.
"92? How did we get two points?" he stared at it.
"I have no idea! But we should celebrate. Just 8 more. And then we can leave together." you smiled as you turned you body towards him.
"I can't wait, my love." Felix smiled, leaving kisses on your arm.
You wondered why you got two points. And if it was really that easy.
~
That night, Felix was clingier than usual, completely wrapped around you as he spooned you. His lips kept pressing gentle kisses on your neck and shoulder, making goosebumps rise on your skin, heat erupting inside you.
Felix couldn't help it anymore, his own body betrayed him as he got excited again, being so close to you, feeling you pressed against him, he craved nothing more than to be even closer to you.
"L-Lix." you felt him against your backside.
"Fuck, I'm sorry. Don't worry about it, it'll go away." Felix whimpered quietly, and you squeezed his wrist as he pressed into you tighter, unable to contain himself.
"It's okay." you guided his hand down to your panties, feeling desperate for his touch too.
"Y/n." he whispered. "What about the camera?"
"It's dark. And they can't see under the covers. As long as we stay quiet and don't move too much, we should be fine." you whispered back, pushing his hand beneath the waistband of your underwear.
"That's a test within itself." Felix joked and you giggled.
"Please, Felix." you begged as he hesitated.
"Fuck, baby. You don't have to beg for me. You have me always." he bit on your shoulder, his fingers exploring until they pressed into your clit when you spread your legs just a little so he can have more access. Felix started drawing slow figure eights on your sensitive clit, dipping his fingertips into your heat to gather some wetness and smear it around.
Your breath hitched and you gripped onto the cover, bringing it closer to your lips so you could muffle the little sighs coming out. His tongue darted out to lick at you neck as he played with your clit, moving slower but pressing hard. Felix sunk his teeth into your neck, sucking on it and creating a purple bruise marking you as his. You moaned quietly and he shushed you, teasing your little clit and making you clench around nothing.
"Felix." you said quietly.
"Yes, baby?" he whispered between kisses.
"I wanna touch you too." you said, so quiet so that only he could hear it. Felix's cock twitched against the back of your thigh.
"Okay." he said and you turned around, sliding your panties off and pushing them aside. Felix did the same with his underwear and grabbed your leg, putting it over his so he could spread you a little.
His hand was back between your legs, now without any tight obstacles and you had to bite back a moan as your eyes flitted towards the red dot blinking in the corner. You gripped the cover and pulled it up, only leaving some space for air and so you and Felix can kind of see each other.
You sneaked your hand down his chest and abs, fingers playing with his happy trail leading down to his leaky cock. The tip was already wet with pre cum and Felix almost groaned when you touched him, smearing it around as your fingers massaged him.
"B-baby." the tip of his nose touched yours and he leaned in to kiss you as your hand wrapped around his length. He sighed into your mouth and you swallowed it, breathing in his air while he slowly pushed his finger inside your welcoming heat.
You bit on his lower lip when he pushed in deep, your pussy clenching and begging for more. Felix groaned quietly, pushing into your hand while you moved it slowly, giving him gentle pleasure. Both of you moved in sync with each other, keeping the slow and torturous pace that was somehow sweet. You were both lingering on edge, wanting more.
Felix pulled his finger out and before you could protest, he started pushing two fingers in. The entire time you were making out, swallowing each other's moans and breaths.
"God, faster please." Felix whispered and you looked at the direction of the camera again, excitement rushing through you at the thought of getting caught. You sped up, pumping his cock as he fucked your pussy harder.
"Shh, quiet down love." he said when you started moaning silently.
"Sorry." you whispered and leaned in to kiss his neck. Felix immediately threw his head back, a quiet grunt escaping his lips as you attacked his skin with bites and kisses, flicking your wrist.
"I- I- can't." Felix groaned quietly. "Y/n." his fingers stilled inside you as he came, spilling his hot cum on your thigh, hand and the sheets. You helped him ride his high, kissing his lips and whispering quiet praises against them.
"Bring your legs up." he said, pressing your legs together, sliding his arm under your knees and lifting them towards him.
"Wh-what..."
"Shh. Trust me, sweetheart." he said as he leaned over you a little, his fingers sliding on your wet slit. He slowly pushed them back in, the position of your legs lifted up and pressed together like you were in a fetal position added to the pressure between your legs, his fingertips pressing right into your sweet spot.
"F-Felix!" you whimpered and he pressed his free hand against your lips, shushing you as he started fucking his fingers in and out of you.
You feared that this was definitely visible on the camera, the movement of his hand was too frantic under the sheets. Your muffled whines made Felix lean in and leave sweet kisses on your face.
"Shh, it's okay, just relax and let go, sweetheart." he cooed at you, his tongue licking at your ear.
Your eyes fluttered closed as he removed his hand from your face and pressed his lips on yours, his fingers ramming into your sweet spot repeatedly.
"Lix." you whined against his lips as he licked at them.
"Cum for me love." he encouraged and your pussy clenched around his fingers, your heart beating out of your chest as you let go, spilling your release on his fingers, some of it ending up on the mattress below you.
"Shit." he cursed quietly, caressing your wet pussy.
You clutched onto him, kissing him again like you needed it to breathe.
"You okay?" he asked, his hand searching around for his boxers.
"Y-yeah." you answered. "You?"
"More than okay." he smiled as he grabbed the boxers and cleaned both of you up as much as he could. "Um. We can't really change the sheets now, it would look suspicious." he added, throwing both of your underwear sneakily on the floor next to his side, where the camera wouldn't see.
"We can sleep on your side?"
Felix smiled and pulled you over, making you giggle quietly as the two of you settled against each other. He buried his face in your neck, his hand gently caressing your figure as you played with his hair, running your fingers through his soft locks.
The man in the chair smirked. Bingo.
When your eyes fluttered open the next morning, you were greeted with the cutest sight. Felix was still sleeping, his face smushed against the pillow as he drooled a little. Overwhelmed with your growing feelings for him, you leaned in and bit at his cheek.
Felix groaned quietly and you giggled, kissing where you had bitten him before you went lower, biting his neck and then his shoulder.
"Y/n." his deep voice made you shiver and you giggled against his soft skin again before sinking your teeth into his arm. His eyes fluttered open as he smacked his lips and looked at you.
"Interesting way to wake me up, not gonna lie." he smirked a little before grabbing you and making you squeal as he suddenly flipped the two of you, him being on top.
"Felix!" you chuckled when his fingers ghosted on your sides, tickling you slightly.
"Yes, sweetheart?" he smirked, burying his face in your neck and teasing you with little licks and kisses.
"D-don't. It's daytime, the camera-"
"I'm just gonna bite you a little. Return the favor." he blew on your neck before biting into your skin and sucking. You had to bite on your lip to stop yourself from moaning. Isn't this prohibited too?
"F-Felix, you have to stop." you whined.
"You're lucky the cameras are here. Otherwise, nothing would be able to save you from me." he wiggled his eyebrows and you chuckled, playfully pushing him away.
The morning started beautifully and you completely forgot about the rules whenever Felix smiled at you. You were both walking on cloud 9 and you couldn't wait to get out of this place so you can go anywhere with him by your side.
"Do you think they saw us last night?" Felix asked while the two of you munched on your food.
"I hope not." you said, your cheeks becoming red as you looked away from him.
"Getting shy on me, sweetheart?" Felix smirked, fingers brushing against your cheek.
"A little." you confessed, biting on your lip as your heart sped up.
"Don't be." he smiled wide as he leaned in, pecking your face with kisses. You started chuckling before you grabbed his face and kissed his lips.
"There. Better?" you asked and he nodded.
"Much better." Felix said and stood up to put his plate away. You took another sip of your coffee before a loud crash made you jump.
You turned around instantly to see the plate broken into pieces and Felix grabbing at his stomach.
"F-Felix?" you stood up abruptly, your chair flying on the floor.
Felix struggled to open his mouth and speak, he struggled to breathe as he clutched at both his stomach and chest.
"Oh my god! Felix!" you cried, grabbing at him as his face got red and his eyes watered.
"W-what is happening?!" you panicked, not having any kind of phone or knowing what to do in that moment. You turned to the camera in the corner.
"Help us, you fucking assholes!" you yelled at the camera as Felix shook and heaved in your arms.
A moment passed and his breathing started getting more normal, his face becoming paler in contrast to the redness that appeared before. His eyes were glassy, hands shaking as he slumped against you, falling to his knees. You quickly wrapped your arms around him as he gripped at you, seeking comfort from you. Heat radiated from his body and you touched his forehead, realizing he was burning up with a fever.
"Oh, Felix. Can you hear me?" you held his face in your hands as he looked through you.
His lips opened and closed a few times and he blinked before focusing on your eyes.
"I-it hurts." he rasped, his fingers desperately digging into your arms.
"What hurts, baby?" your body filled up with fear and anger. They did this.
"Everything." Felix sniffled and you helped him get up as he leaned on you.
"Let's get you to the couch." you led him to the living room before making him sit down. He looked horrible, a 180 from just a few moments ago when everything was normal. He was sweating profusely, his skin pale, his breathing heavy.
The doorbell suddenly rang, making you jolt.
"I'll be right back." you said, covering Felix up with a blanket as he was shivering even though he was burning up.
You had no idea who to expect at the door, maybe a paramedic, maybe a savior, maybe an explanation.
But you didn't expect Gina.
"G-Gina?" you eyes widened.
"Here." she shoved a box in your arms.
"W-what is this?" you asked.
"Medicine. They said... I had to deliver it to you. He'll be okay like Ethan. Just be careful. Be careful. They watch, you know? They know everything. They know." she looked a little panicked before she turned around, murmuring to herself and repeating how they watch and they know.
You opened up the box and sure enough there were different vitamins, medicine and bags of tea inside it.
You turned to look at the camera with a scowl on your face before you rushed off to Felix.
"Y/n." Felix whimpered, his bottom lip trembling as he looked up at you with teary eyes.
"It's okay, baby. You'll be okay." you tried to calm him down even though you were panicking too. You quickly fluffed up the pillows and helped him lie down.
"Are you comfy?" you asked.
"C-cold." he shivered, clutching onto the blanket.
"I'll bring another blanket for you." you said.
"Don't leave me!" Felix looked panicked as he gripped at your wrist.
"I won't, I'll be right back, I promise." you leaned down to kiss his burning forehead. He made a little noise but still let you go, albeit reluctantly. After finding another blanket, you tucked him in, taking it upon you to make him some tea, give him medicine and try to get his fever down however you could. You say next to his legs and placed a wet cloth on his forehead making him whine as he threw his arm around your thighs.
It was weird. The way he suddenly developed a high fever was unnatural. He wasn't sneezing or coughing, just shaking and sweating. You racked your brain, spinning different scenarios in your head and ways of how they could make him sick.
Then it clicked. The food.
But, how did you not get sick, just Felix? You couldn't understand how it was possible for these faceless and nameless individuals to play god with your health and safety. And what the hell did that have to do with you being a good match?
You wondered if the two of you could leave before you get to 100. You've never heard of such cases but surely there was a way? Maybe you could run away? Who could stop you, right? You have free will and you can leave whenever you want, you're not a prisoner.
"Y/n." Felix said weakly, his eyes fluttering open.
"Lixie. How do you feel? Any better?" you asked and he nodded.
"A bit." he said.
"I'll make you some soup." you said, knowing you have no other choice than to trust that not all your groceries were laced with some kind of virus.
"Okay." he said and you caressed his face shortly before standing up.
"Call me if you need anything. I won't be long." you said and he nodded again.
As the soup boiled, so did your anger. First they try to drown you then they make Felix sick? What's next on the menu? You looked up at the camera for the nth time.
"Hurt him again and I'll find you." you said quietly but the man behind the screen heard you, typing away on his laptop. He felt a bit bad for you but there was nothing he could do, he was just tasked to watch and report the progress.
"Can you sit up?" you asked Felix after you brought the warm soup to the living room.
"Ugh. Help me." Felix whimpered and you wrapped your arms around him as he held onto you, pulling him into a sitting position.
"I feel weakness in my arms and legs." he muttered.
"You'll be back on your feet in no time." you tried to soothe him as you sat next to him. "If they don't lace more of our food with a virus."
"How are you so sure?" Felix gulped.
"Because I'm taking care of you. And if they try something again I will burn this fucking village down." you made sure the camera picked up what you said and Felix let out a pained chuckle, grabbing at his side.
"Feeling protective over me?" he asked and your cheeks reddened instantly.
"I- I mean... Yes." you nodded and he smiled.
"If I wasn't in so much pain, I'd be really turned on right now." he said and you giggled, rolling your eyes playfully.
"Shut up and eat your soup."
"Feed me?" he pouted.
"Sure." you chuckled, shaking your head a little as he acted cute. Well cuter than usually.
"Will you cuddle me?" he asked after you managed to feed him the soup without making too much of a mess and you nodded, scooting closer to him and covering yourself up with the blanket too.
"Come here." you whispered and Felix leaned in, pressing his forehead into your neck. He was still warm but less than before and you hoped that the worst had passed.
"I don't think it was the food." he whispered suddenly, making goosebumps rise on your skin. The tv was loud enough to not let the camera hear what you were whispering about and after glancing at it you glanced down at Felix's sleepy face pressed against your chest.
"What do you mean?" you whispered into his hair.
"Look at my arm. Very carefully." he whispered back and you pretended to caress him until you uncovered his sleeve, acting nonchalant for the camera. Your brows furrowed as you stared.
"Is that a needle mark?" you asked.
"I think so." he looked up at you and you covered him up and held him tighter against you.
"You think they snuck in while we were sleeping and put some kind of virus into your body?" you asked and he nodded against you.
"That's sick. That's really sick. I- I think we should leave."
"We can't, not until we get to a 100." Felix said, rubbing his cheek against you and squeezing you tighter.
"B-but what if they do something worse?"
"It'll be okay." he muttered as he drifted off.
You sighed, running your hand through his hair soothingly as you stared at the tv absentmindedly, a random movie from the dvd collection playing on it.
You looked at him occasionally, admiring his cute sleeping face. Did you really have to wait until 100 to start your life with Felix?
Over the course of the next two days, you had been by Felix's side the entire time. The medicine worked perfectly and pretty soon Felix was back to his old self, healthy and full of energy.
"Y/n. Love." he held you tightly. "Thank you for taking care of me." he stared at you with sparkly eyes before he kissed you like his life depended on it, stealing your breath away.
"Of course." you smiled as you parted.
The loud sound of the device startled you both. Felix neared it, picking it up and looking at the screen.
"95." he scoffed.
"For what? Almost killing you." you said. "This is some sick game to you, isn't it?" you turned to the camera then, furious.
"Sweetheart, don't. We're almost done." Felix pulled you into him. "I have a plan." he whispered into your hair and you nodded.
You were going to escape the village.
~
That night, you got ready for bed as usual, your hands reaching to open the covers so you could get in. Before you could even touch the blanket, you were grabbed as Felix wrapped his arms around you and lifted you up, almost making you scream.
"Come with me." he pulled you into his bathroom.
"Felix we can't-"
"We're leaving anyways." he said, closing the door before pinning you against it. His hands held your wrists gently but firmly as he pressed his body against yours, nudging your legs apart with his knee.
"Felix." you let out a little gasp when his thigh pressed against your warmth.
He couldn't wait anymore, one hand still pinning your wrists and the other gently holding your chin as he crashed his lips into yours. Both of you whimpered quietly into each other's mouth as your tongues collided. Your mind became fuzzy instantly and Felix was becoming impatient, his hand wrapping around your neck and squeezing ever so slightly as his other hand slid down towards your chest.
"It's hard to keep my cool around you. I just want you so much." Felix talked lowly, both of his hands grabbing your breasts and massaging them. You whimpered, grinding against his thigh on instict.
"I want you too, Lixie. I can't wait anymore."
"Yeah? You want me to take you right here, against the door?" he smirked and you gasped as he leaned back with a smirk, pushing your panties aside and touching your clit.
"Y-yes." you whispered and he chuckled, hands on your waist as he swiftly turned you around to face the door. Your palms slapped against it and you dug your nails in as he slid fingers over your wet pussy.
"I think she's ready to take me." he leaned over you, lips brushing your ear as he pulled his boxers down. You swallowed when you felt the tip of his cock pressing against you. Warmness washed over you and you clenched in anticipation.
"Tell me if it's okay. Or do you want me to prep you?" he asked, his hand sliding down your back.
"J-just fuck me, Felix." you begged and he chuckled darkly.
"My baby has a dirty mouth, hm?" he slid his tip between your folds, back and forth, slowly, teasing you and torturing you.
"Please." you whimpered again and his own desperation got the best of him, he couldn't tease you and himself anymore so he slowly pushed in.
You moaned while he filled you up, your eyes fluttering shut as your knees buckled.
"Fuck. So tight." he groaned, bottoming out.
"L-Lix." you whimpered and he gripped your hips, moving slowly at first, letting you adjust.
You pushed back into him, meeting his thrusts as you let out moans of pleasure, your voice getting more high pitched every time his tip pressed into your sweet spot.
"You take me so well, baby. You really were made just for me." Felix moaned, fucking harder into you, his hips smacking against you.
You were a mess, not even able to answer as he got you drunk on his cock instantly.
"Fuck." Felix groaned as he looked at your ass, his hand coming down on your flesh, spanking you and making you whine out loud.
"You like that, sweetheart?" he smirked behind you and spanked you again.
"Y-yes!" you moaned and he sped up, his hips unforgiving as he shook your body, his hands gropping and slapping. He felt you clenching around him, his arms wrapping around you, hands on your breasts as he pulled on your nipples and played with them.
"Are you gonna cum for me, baby? Make a mess on my cock?" Felix fucked into you harder.
"Yes, ah!" you whimpered, your legs shaking as you spasmed and came all over his length.
"Good girl. You make me so proud." he groaned, chasing his high.
"Y-you have to pull out, I didn't take the pill... Since I got here." you moaned, feeling overstimulated.
"S-shit!" Felix whimpered, pulling out of your pussy and giving himself a few tugs, exploding behind you, his cum landing on your ass and back.
"So pretty." he gripped at your ass. "Mine."
"Yours." you whined back when he spanked you again.
He let out a low chuckle and wrapped his arms around you, turning you so you were facing him.
"That was absolutely not how I imagined our first time." Felix said, pecking your lips.
"How did you imagine it?" you held onto him with a smile on your face.
"Dinner, flowers, you know the whole thing. You put on some pretty lingerie for me and then we make love the entire night." he pressed his forehead against yours.
"Aren't you romantic?" you giggled, kissing him gently.
"I am. A lot." he grinned, pulling you into a hug.
"We can do all that when we get out of here. Which is what we should be doing right now."
"Yeah. You got your bag ready?" he asked and you nodded.
"Let's clean up then."
~
The streets were dark and empty, the only light that was coming from the lamp posts was dim and barely illuminated your path. It must've been around 3am. Dead silence filled up the space, every house was dark and quiet. No one was awake. The two of you stalked towards the gate, knowing the cameras are watching you.
There was no blind spots, they thought of everything. You didn't give a damn anymore. They can come and stop you themselves instead of playing these sick games.
Of course, the gate was locked.
"Felix?" you swallowed and his head snapped towards you. "That wasn't there when we got here, right?" you pointed and he gasped.
Electric fence.
Everywhere you turned to look, there it was.
"What the hell?" Felix frowned. "Are they crazy?"
"Obviously they are." you stated. "What should we do now?"
"How about the forest? Could be connected to like a main road? There's no way they put this electric fence all around." Felix looked frustrated.
"We could try." you nodded, your hand reaching out for his. With fingers entwined you hurried the other way.
Suddenly, a loud alarm pierced through the calm night air, making you both scream out as you grabbed at your ears, the sound pounding inside your head, making you want to pull your hair out.
Your vision became blurry and you tried to stay close to Felix as the sound became even louder and in the corner of your eye, you saw shadows moving.
Everything went black.
~
You woke up in your room, drenched in sweat. It was still dark out and you looked around, noticing Felix was still sleeping and the device on his night stand was blinking.
"Lix." you shook him gently.
"Hm."
"Lix." you repeated, leaning over him to look at the little screen.
"98?" you frowned. "Why?"
"What?" Felix sat up slowly. "What is it?"
"We're up to 98. Because we tried to escape?"
"I- I don't know. Ugh, I feel weird." Felix said and as soon as those words left his lips, you felt lightheaded yourself.
"I can't feel my legs." he gasped.
"What's happening to us? What did they do?" your eyes watered as you felt the same paralyzing feeling.
"T-they drugged us." Felix tried to grab at you but his arms weren't listening to him no matter how much he willed them to move.
"Felix." you whimpered, feeling some kind of tiredness washing over you. "I love you."
"I love you." he whispered back before everything went black again, neither of you noticing the device was now blinking with 99.
The light was barely coming in through the branches, the sun not being completely up yet. The air was damp and smelled of the earth, rain and trees. You took in a deep breath, wiggling your fingers against the ground, feeling the texture of moss under your fingertips.
You felt as if you were floating even though you were very clearly touching the ground. Your eyes slowly fluttered open and you gasped. Everything seemed distorted, like you couldn't focus your eyes on what's in front of you. Weird sounds filled up your ears, ones you couldn't recognize or understand. One moment they seemed like distant shouts and the other it was as if someone was talking gibberish right into your ear.
You lifted your shaky hands towards your face as you felt hot tears sliding down your cheek and into your hair splayed on the earth. Your hands. You were looking at them but it was as if they were separated from your body, like you weren't in control of them. You stared for however long, not being able to conceptualize if it was 10 seconds or an hour.
When you finally sat up, your head started spinning and you saw shadows moving in the corner of your eye, hiding behind the trees and melting into the ground. You blinked a couple of times but your sight remained blurry even when you got up. Your legs buckled for a second and you almost fell, grabbing at a tree next to you.
Find him. Find him.
Something whispered and you felt a buzzing sensation spreading all over your body. You grabbed at your ears as the whispers kept getting louder until-
FIND HIM!
A yell, a dark screeching voice echoed inside your brain.
Felix. You have to find him.
You had no idea how you even ended up in the forest and what was wrong with you while you were walking, your limbs felt like they were disconnected, your head pounded with a headache and your forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
You heard a smacking sound on your right, like something hit the wet ground and you turned to look but couldn't see anything there.
"Felix?!" your voice came out weak, your throat burning. "Felix!" you whimpered, more tears spilling out your eyes.
The whispers and the smacking sounds became louder, closer, more of them surrounding you. You started freaking out, panic building up within you. The sound of cracking caught your attention and you screamed out when the trees started growing in towards you, their branches becoming longer and reaching out to grab you. You kept screaming as you squatted down, covering your head up and crying.
"Please, stop!" you cried. It was silent. You lifted your head up slowly and the trees were exactly how they were before. No menacing branches hovering over you, reaching to take you.
You quickly stood up, your sight a little less blurry as adrenaline from the fear kicked in. Your legs reacted faster than you could anticipate as you started running, small twigs snapping under the weight of your feet.
The smacking sounds were back and now you could see what they were. All around you, koi fishes wiggled and smacked against the floor, trying to breathe in the dry air. You gasped, wondering how the hell was this happening.
You must be tripping.
The rational part of your mind reminded you that whoever was behind Cupid Corp. didn't hesitate to use all sorts of methods to execute their 'tests'.
They probably drugged you and everything you were seeing right now was a hallucination.
With that realization in mind, you carried on through the forest as it got thicker, ignoring all the voices around you and the fishes seemingly falling from the sky.
Things lurked in the bushes and behind trees, shivers running up your spine as it got darker. You thought you heard Felix calling for you among all those distorted voices.
"Felix?!"
"Y/n!" you heard a distant sound.
"Felix? Where are you?" you hurried up, almost slipping on the moss.
"I'm here!" the voice was clearer now, to your left and you ran and ran until you were stopped in your tracks. A huge koi wish wriggled on the ground where Felix should've been.
"Felix?" you were perplexed as you stared at the sight before you.
"Get me out of here."
Is he... inside the fish?
You noticed a knife on the floor next to it. You blinked and the next thing you knew you were standing in front of the fish with the knife in your hand. You stabbed into the flesh, blood oozing out as you started cutting up the fish like a maniac, guts spilling from the inside until Felix emerged, covered up in all of the fish goo, the stench of it making you nauseous.
"What the fuck?" you swallowed and then everything disappeared, pulling you into the darkness again.
~
The loud piercing sound of the device you prayed to every single day shook your entire body. You jolted up, realizing you were in bed and Felix was waking up next to you.
No fishes, no guts, no forest, no whispers.
100%! Congratulations and have a safe departure from our Village of Love!
"Village of love? More like village of horror." you said as Felix leaned in to look at the screen. A loud sound scared you again, a masked voice following after it.
"Thank you for participating in our program. You've proved your love to each other, built up devotion and trust in just a month. You are now the perfect match. We apologize for any discomfort you felt here and offer you The Juice of Oblivion so you may forget about the... less fun experiences you had here. You can choose not to drink the juice, but remember after you leave through the gate, you're obligated by law to not talk about our tests here. Enjoy the rest of your life together!"
You glanced at the night stand, seeing the suspicious blue liquid inside a bottle.
Felix suddenly started laughing next to you and you looked at him. Laughter bubbled up from your throat too and the two of you cackled for a good minute, until you were heaving for breath and wiping tears away.
"This was fucking insane." he said.
"Were you really stuck inside a fish?" you asked and Felix looked at you like you were insane.
"Was I what?"
"I had to gut a koi fish to get you out, in the forest." you explained and he shook his head.
"You were tripping. We both were, I figured that the moment I stepped foot on the pool. Like on the water. And you were under it, trying to get out but it was as if there was some kind of barrier keeping me from you. I had to find a spot to pull you out. The amount of anguish it gave me..." Felix licked at his dry lips and you reached out to grab his hand.
"Do you wanna drink the juice?" you asked.
"I just wanna get the hell out of here." he said and you agreed.
You were pretty sure this was illegal, all of the stuff happening here; them not disclosing the use of psychedelic stimulants or whatever the drugs were in the contract was also illegal.
But at the same time, if you never participated, maybe you would've never met Felix.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked as you approached the gate with a few other couples, including Gina and Ethan.
"How I'm glad I met you. But I'm gonna need therapy." you said and Felix laughed.
"We'll go together. This is just the first day of the rest of our life." he smiled, kissing your forehead and squeezing your hand.
The man in the chair watched all the couples leave. His lips turned upwards into a smirk as he saw new cars approaching the village.
He wondered what kind of sick tests they had in store for the new inhabitants of the Village of Love?
