synopsis: niki catches u practicing japanese on duolingo just for him while he’s asleep
wc: 777 words
pairing: nishimura riki x reader
genre: fluff
warnings: niki teases, y/n throws a pillow, cliché, very cringey I must admit
“translate: a vegetable”
you quickly typed “やさい” into your keyboard, earning a little ding meaning you were correct.
moving onto the next question you were determined to finish the lesson under 30 seconds, even though your speed did not matter in the slightest.
“translate: どうもありがとう!”
“this is way too easy.” you whispered, swiftly typing “thank you very much!” into the space provided. duo blinked at you, then cheered.
“どうもありがとう duo!” you said, giggling as you prepared to answer the next question.
“translate: 先生, おはようございます”
as you were typing the correct english translation, a voice suddenly interrupted.
“what the actual fuck are you doing.”
you jumped, dropping your phone onto the floor and holding your chest, gasping for breath.
“YOU WERE MEANT TO BE SLEEPING!” you declared to your boyfriend as if he was somehow in the wrong for waking up to your extremely loud duolingo practice.
niki laughed and shook his head.
“HELLO why are you learning Japanese from a BIRD when you have me?” he asked, eyes wide and eyebrows raised, now propped up on his elbows.
“because! you were ASLEEP!” you were determined to blame him but only so you could mask your embarrassment.
niki just rolled his eyes, muttering something in japanese that you tried your absolute hardest to understand. but that was merely impossible considering you were still on level one of “greetings” according to Duo’s lesson plan.
“what was that?” you asked accusingly.
“did you not understand? i thought you were a japanese master…” he teased, a smug look on his face.
you just threw a pillow at him in return. this brought about the most dramatic gasp that you had ever heard from niki, which was not easy to beat considering he did this all the time.
you watched as he contemplated picking up the nearest pillow and chucking it at your head in the name of revenge, but paused and composed himself.
“y/n, why are you learning japanese? especially while I’m asleep?” there was a slight smirk on his lips that let you know that he already knew the answers to his own questions, he just wanted to tease you.
“you know, I know, we all know- let’s move on haha go back to sleep goodnightnikisweetdreams!” you rambled, quickly diving under the covers, hiding your face and turning your body away from him.
this didn’t really do anything. you were only met with loud shuffling and breaths until your boyfriend was now laying next to you, also underneath the covers.
“this is nice.” he whispered sarcastically, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the duvet above him.
“now what do you want.” you turned your body now to face him, only to be met with the same mischievous smirk as before.
“tell me why you were learning japanese as a secret.”
“no.”
“yes!”
“no?”
“YES???”
“FINE. fine fine fine fine you win- alright- whatever- yes I was learning japanese because I wanted to surprise you and your family to make them feel more comfortable at dinner tomorrow and to make you happy.” you whispered the last part, letting out a deep sigh. “can we go to sleep now?”
even in the dark underneath your blankets, you could still pick out the rose colored tint that dusted niki’s cheeks, paired with an equally as flustered grin.
“thank you.” was all he could manage to say without getting too lovey-dovey. slowly, you began to smile back, finding his reaction to be quite sweet, a complete contrast to his sass from moments prior.
niki then grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer to him so that your head was now resting against his chest with your arms around his waist.
you breathed in his warmth, eyes peacefully closing.
“do you want to stay under the covers because I’m starting to sweat…” he whispered, suddenly breaking the comfortable silence. you just laughed, jokingly rolling your eyes. your laugh instantly made him chuckle as well, chin rested on the top of your head.
“yeah I’m overheating as well.” you slowly released your hands from around his waist and shoved the blanket away, the cool air of your apartment rushing in.
“better?” you asked, fanning his face.
“much.” he grabbed your wrists again and put your arms back to the way they were, wrapped around his waist.
“goodnight riki.” you whispered, titling your head up to lightly press a kiss to his chin.
“goodnight, sneaky japanese prodigy.” he whispered back, smiling as he kissed the top of your head.
and the two of you fell into a comfortable silence, the same way you did each night. and as always, you wished that you could stay this way forever.
a/n: 🫠😅💃🏼🩰😚😊☺️😳 guys I wrote this like last summer bc I was trying to beat my gf in our friends quest on duolingo LOLLLL yes freja this is inspired by u. Guys also I gave up learning Japanese on duolingo bc it made absolutely no sense ??? n e ways
synopsis: out for a walk along the pier, niki spots an interesting creature out on the bay
wc: 1.1k
pairing: nishimura riki x fem mermaid reader 🙈
genre: fluff, mer-meet cute <3
warnings: swearing
author’s note: truly don’t know that there is an audience for this besides myself. i apologize everyone this is entirely inspired by erik and ondina in mako mermaids lol
with the sun shining bright making the ocean waves glisten, y/n chose to go for a quick swim along the bay. she was always careful when she swam around this area because there were almost always people either on boats or swimming about. luckily, y/n was careful to scope out the area beforehand making for a very peaceful swim.
As she swam around the coral reefs picking out different seashells to add to her collection, an unsuspecting boy happened to be taking a stroll down the pier.
nishimura riki had just finished his shift at the café nearby and so he decided to take a nice walk around and maybe dangle his legs over the cool water. just as he was making his way down to the water, y/n came up out of the water for a quick break.
as she lifted her head above water she quickly took notice of the blond boy in a café uniform sitting on the edge of the pier and looking out at the sea. she immediately sank back underneath the water, looking for a place to hide.
riki remained completely oblivious to the mermaid swimming all over the marina who was doing her very best to hide from him. she eventually opted to hide behind a boat close to the boy so that she could still keep an eye on him.
riki stayed still, occasionally swinging his feet back and forth over the water.
after a few minutes of silence had passed, y/n figured it was safe to get away because of how blissfully unaware the boy was.
diving back underneath the water, y/n quickly began to swim away, but her tail was caught by a net attached to the boat. she tried her very best to push forward and maneuver her tail out of the net but it was no use.
as y/n remained underwater trapped, riki began to notice sounds of splashing coming from a boat nearby. he glanced over to the source of the splashes but saw nothing. worried that he was losing his mind, he carefully stood up and began walking over to the boat. glancing over the water he could see something underneath and as he leaned closer he realized it was a person.
just as riki was about to call out to the mysterious swimmer, y/n’s head popped out above the water clearly panicking.
“are you alright?” riki asked the girl.
quickly turning her head to face him, panic rushed over y/n but she said nothing.
“hey swim chick, are you alright?” riki asked again.
“yes everything’s fine!!!” she quickly said, praying he couldn’t see her tail underneath the water.
“are you sure? I heard loads of splashing.”
“yes! I’m completely fine I just got tangled in some kind of net-“
“oh lemme help you then!”
“NO! I mean- no it’s alright you really don’t have to!” she said, trying to sound casual.
“really it’s no trouble. here let me grab hold of the net.” he reached out to the net attached the boat and began to pull it upwards, out of the water.
y/n’s mind was running a million miles a minute trying to come up with a way out before the boy caught a glimpse of her tail.
as riki yanked on the net, y/n yelped in pain.
“I’m so sorry! are you okay?” he asked, quickly softening his grip on the net.
“yes it’s fine I just-“
“oh holy shit.”
in that moment y/n’s heart fell. he had seen her tail. she squeezed her eyes shut, begging that this was all just a dream.
the silence between the two was extremely loud, and y/n didn’t dare to open her eyes to see his reaction.
“you’ve got a tail, swim chick.” riki suddenly said, pointing and smirking.
slowly opening her eyes to meet his, she let out a large sigh.
“yes.” she whispered. there was no way out of this. “I have a tail, land boy.”
he let out a small chuckle.
“here let me help you with that-“ he offered, reaching back out to the net.
“NO!” she yelled, making him immediately back off. “look. you need to promise me you won’t tell a single soul about this. I know you’re confused and shocked and all over the place, but I really need you to promise me you’ll keep this a secret. please.”
riki wore a small smile on his face as he stared out at the girl before him. he looked back under the water and examined her tail. it was a muted pink and orange ombré, her fins flipping around as they remained trapped.
now wearing a sneaky grin, he suddenly ran towards the edge of the pier and dove in with zero hesitation.
“oh god.” y/n whispered, rolling her eyes as she desperately tugged on the net trying to free herself. as she did so, the mysterious land boy suddenly appeared underwater next to her tail, now carefully attempting to pull off the net.
her eyes glanced over at the boy as he remained focused on freeing her tail. as she stared, her eyes slowly took a glimpse at the rest of him.
instead of the café uniform he wore prior, his clothes were replaced by a green and blue scaly tail.
for the second time in the last five minutes, she felt her heart drop. her tail began frantically flipping about, she couldn’t believe her own eyes. alarmed by her movement, riki turned to look at her.
her eyes remained fixated on his tail. noticing this, he winked and shamelessly shrugged his shoulders, going back to work on the net.
“you’ve got a tail, land boy.” y/n slowly said.
“that I do.” he replied. “and now you have one too swim chick. well you always did- but I gave it back- cause it was trapped in the net- yeah.”
y/n smiled at his awkward rambling.
“thank you, land boy.”
“I feel like you can stop calling me land boy now- I mean you’ve literally seen my tail.” he laughed and spun around, showing it off.
“so you’re a merman?” she observed.
“and you’re a mermaid.” he smiled.
the two sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both equally as mesmerized by each other.
“I bet I’m faster than you.” she suddenly challenged, mimicking his spin.
“oh yeah?” he smirked.
“yup.”
“you’re on swim chick.”
the two then shot off as quickly as possible, both giggling as they glanced at each other speeding through the water.
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
“this round was a terrible idea.” y/n whispered, her hand placed fearfully on her forehead.
“relax! it’ll be funny!!” Sakura said elbowing y/n and giggling.
“no it’s going to give me the ick.” y/n declared, making the other girls burst into laughter.
“you know y/n… if all else fails I’m still single!” joonie announced, earning a jab to the side from y/n.
“oh I don’t know if I can watch.” y/n whispered, peeking between her fingers as the first group of suitors began posing.
“oh please don’t make us suffer alone!” isa interjected, prying y/n’s hands away from her eyes.
the purple team composed of heeseung, sunghoon, jay, jungwon, hueningkai, and soobin went first.
as the 6 suitors stood in dramatic poses, jungwon signaled towards a guard, cueing him to play the music.
the music in question, was super shy by new jeans. upon hearing the first note, the girls all gasped.
“oh god this is…” youngeun whispered, laughing.
the five girls sat there with their jaws dropped, giggling as the boys started dancing.
“I’m super shy, super shy, but wait a minute while I make you mine, make you mine, y/n ur so cool!” heeseung sang, pointing to her and clutching his heart.
“man I forgot he could sing…is there anything this man doesn’t do?” isa whispered, defeated and shocked.
“I’m not really sure how to react to this.” y/n whispered, lips pressed into a thin line as the boys all shot her finger hearts.
“come on y/n! aren’t you swooning? aren’t they seducing you!!!” sakura teased.
“oh shut up.” y/n laughed, shifting her focus back to the performance.
the suitors had stopped singing along to the music and instead all broke into their own dramatic monologue.
“ah princess. you are so pretty!” jungwon yelled, dancing around the field.
“this has to be some form of medieval torture.” y/n mumbled, making the girls giggle.
“Ah but it’s so cute!!” isa leaned forward grinning.
“princess, your smile lights up the room!” soobin yelled, making a heart with his hands three different ways, earning an embarrassed chuckle from the princess.
after each suitor had their mini declaration of love they sang the chorus of super shy again, except this time they freestyle danced all over the field in circles, making the girls fall over laughing.
once they finished, Sakura stood up and clapped.
“well purple team, you definitely weren’t shy about your admiration for our princess! we will take that into consideration when judging. thank you for such a wonderful performance! now please welcome the blue team composed of jake, sunoo, riki, beomgyu, yeonjun, and taehyun!!” sakura cheered into her mic and then sat back down with the girls.
“do we think it will get worse from here?” joonie whispered, giggling.
“are we sure that’s possible?” youngeun replied, trying to mask her giggles.
“the sooner you two shut up the sooner it ends!” isa giggled, glaring at the two.
as the five girls quieted down, the second team signaled for the guards to click play on the speaker, twice’s “what is love?” bursting through the speakers.
“NO WAY??” sakura cackled.
“oh this is deranged.” y/n snorted.
“BUT I LOVE THIS SONG!!” joonie whined.
extremely excited for the performance, the girls leaned forward in their seats and eagerly watched the boys.
instead of singing “TWICE!” as the intro of the song usually sings, the boys all shouted y/n’s name instead, earning laughter from all girls.
“this is like your favorite song ever???” joonie announced, shocked.
“OH THATS RIGHT!!” isa agreed, now enjoying the performance even more.
“It won’t be for much longer…” y/n whispered, causing the girls to burst into laughter.
the suitors began to strike different “cute” poses around the grass, even choosing to make hearts with each other. then they all ran around in a circle and instead of singing the beginning verses of the song, each started talking about y/n similarly to how the first team did.
“our princess y/n, have I mentioned you look stunning today? you’re making my cheeks blush as pink as your outfit!” sunoo declared, making the girls gasp.
“princess, I need sunglasses to shield myself from the brightness of your smile! truly mesmerizing!” beomgyu, stated, pretending to be blinded by the sight of y/n.
“THAT WAS HORRENDOUS-“ sakura said through laughter.
“it was so silly it’s cute!” youngeun defended.
four declarations of love later, the chorus of the song arrived and all six suitors began dancing to the song’s chorus in a heart formation with riki at the center. this was because the other suitors had voted him “best center” upon seeing his dance moves during practice.
the girls sang along, isa and joonie even stood up and began dancing along with them, mainly to make y/n laugh.
as cringey as y/n thought the challenge was, she couldn’t hide the bright smile painted across her face as she watched the suitors dance. it was comical and also unironically good at some points.
once the song finished the boys all ran together and formed a heart with their arms, all doing their best out-of-breath ending fairy pose.
the princess couldn’t help but stand up and clap for the boys for dancing to her favorite song so elegantly and humorously.
“oh my goodness… blue team you gave us the answer to the grand question ‘what is love?’. your stage presence did not go unnoticed. now if you will excuse us, we must now fulfill our duty as judges and decide on a winning team!” sakura gleefully announced into her microphone. “reminder: the current score is 1-0, blue team, BUT! this round is worth double points meaning it’s anybody’s game. once again, the winning team will be invited to a special party tonight at the castle with our lovely princess while the losing team will have to return to their rooms alone. good luck!”
sakura handed her mic off to one of the guards on the stage and the girls all stood up and made their way to the benches behind the stage to discuss.
“I feel like we have a clear winner here…” isa confidently stated.
“I agree!” joonie announced, smirking at isa.
“y/n, what do you think?” sakura asked.
“i want to hear your guys’ thoughts first!!” y/n laughed.
“okay on three we will all say what team we think deserves to win…” youngeun suggested, earning nods from the rest of the girls.
“three… two… one… BLUE TEAM!”
“BLUE TEAM!”
“PURPLE TEAM!”
“PURPLE TEAM!”
the girls all yelled at the same time creating a jumble of words.
“wow we really never agree on anything.” joonie giggled.
“blue team IS the obvious winner!!!” isa replied, defensively.
“you’re only saying that because you love twice!!!” youngeun argued.
“who doesn’t??” sakura countered.
y/n couldn’t help but laugh.
“I was the only one who didn’t vote!!” she revealed through laughs.
“come on y/n!!! who in your heart deserves to win!!” isa encouraged.
“I mean both teams picked very good songs…” y/n thought.
“yes but who performed their song the best?” joonie interjected.
“I guess… if i HAD to choose..”
“which you do.” sakura laughed.
“be quiet!!!! SINCE I have to choose… the better team was… blue!” y/n declared.
isa and sakura cheered, while youngeun and joonie jokingly shook their heads.
“alright well we better go tell them!” sakura grinned.
the five girls stood up and made their way back to the stage, y/n in front of course. sakura once again picked up her microphone and cleared her throat.
while the girls were judging the boys began playing around and talking to the opposite team, complimenting and also teasing each other. now that the princess had returned they all quieted down and pretended as if they weren’t just running around and giggling with each other.
y/n caught a glimmer of mischief in heeseung’s eyes and sent him a small smirk, used to his antics. he of course returned a very shameless smile.
“hello again everyone!” sakura began. “now after a heated discussion over which team had the best performance… we have come to a consensus. it was a close call! the losing team only lost by ONE person’s vote!!” sakura turned and teasingly stared directly at y/n. “with that being said… DRUMROLL PLEASE! the winning team is…”
the suitors were all quite nervous and excited. some were confident in the fact that they won and others were a little nervous, not wanting to lose time with the princess. as the drumroll intensely increased, sakura raised her hand as a signal for it to stop.
“congratulations to the BLUE TEAM!” sakura yelled, grinning from ear to ear.
those in blue jerseys immediately began cheering and high fiving each other while the purple team looked slightly disappointed but also understanding.
“good job to both teams, you worked incredibly hard and your efforts have not gone unnoticed! do not fret purple team, there are many fun activities planned for tomorrow! but as for tonight… those on the blue team better get a move on if they want to be ready for this party! dismissed!” sakura announced, almost too gleefully.
as the suitors made their way off the field and into the castle followed by guards, the girls turned to each other smiling.
“you enjoy being an MC way too much for my liking…” y/n giggled.
“she thought she was dumbledore during the sorting hat ceremony…” isa teased.
“its called CHARISMA!” sakura defended herself, earning more laughter.
“cmon y/nnie, we need to get ready for the party!” joonie winked, linking arms with y/n, the other girls doing the same.
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author’s note: hey guys… I KNOW ITS BEEN A WHILE!!! my bad yawl. please I’m sorry I’m terrible at updating bye. I just rlly wanted to post this so here <3 love ya !! Also since I haven’t updated in FOREVER my taglist has gotten saur messy bro idek what happened … plz my apologies if ur not there and ur meant to be just comment and lmk if u wanna be readded 😭
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
ROSE — chapter 10: kingdom sports day (get it cause…)
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
“A GROUP DATE???” sunoo exclaimed, his jaw dropped. In his hand he held a white card wrapped with a tiny pink bow that previously laid atop the coffee table in the suitors’ living room.
every suitor shared an intrigued gasp.
“does it say how we should dress?” sunghoon piped up.
sunoo flipped the card over and reread it.
“no it just says ‘don’t worry about staying clean as you play out on the green’…. whatever that means…”
“oh so wear stuff we’re prepared to get dirty?” heeseung suggested.
“isn’t the kingdom supplying us with outfits?” yeonjun wondered.
everyone shrugged their shoulders.
“I guess we should just go see.” soobin proposed.
the suitors shared nods of agreement and stood up, heading to their rooms.
an hour later all twelve suitors stood in a line in the back garden of the castle. they each wore variations of tank tops and t-shirts paired with running shorts in the blaring sun.
through the glass double doors located in front of the fountain, two guards walked out followed by the princess. she had changed her outfit and now wore a pink floral silk skirt that stopped at her ankles, paired with a pink silk top and golden earrings. her hair was now in two pigtails, each tied with a white bow.
each suitor seemed to light up at her appearance.
“good afternoon!” she announced walking towards them.
“good afternoon princess y/n!” they repeated back.
“thank you for joining me in the garden for our first group date! today you guys will be placed into two teams and compete in fun sports games! the winning team will get invited to a party in the castle tonight with yours truly, while the losing team will have to return to their rooms for the rest of the night.” princess y/n revealed.
each of the suitors exchanged glances, some nervous, some excited.
“so without further ado! let me announce the teams. team one will be the purple team. the members are as follows: heeseung, sunghoon, jay, jungwon, hueningkai, and soobin. team two will be the blue team. the members are once again, as follows: jake, sunoo, niki, beomgyu, yeonjun, and taehyun. Please come collect your jerseys of your team’s color!”
the boys ran towards a clothing rack that held their jerseys, high-fiving and cheering as they met with their members. once they were dressed, multiple guards suddenly spawned holding different sports equipment and laying it across the grass.
“the first game will be an obstacle course relay!” the princess declared. “first you will spin in a circle ten times. then you will dribble a soccer ball through a zig-zag pattern of cones and shoot the ball into the goal. after that you must jump over the hurdle and then crawl underneath the next hurdle. once you arrive at the fountain you will jump up and grab hold of the rope above and climb along it over the fountain, sort of like monkey bars except it’s just a rope. be careful not to fall in! once you reach the other side of the fountain you’re done! each member of your team must complete this obstacle course. any failure during the course will result in the player going back to the beginning and starting over. the first team to have all of their members make it to the end will win this game. sound good?” the princess explained.
the suitors were appalled as they watched the guards set up the equipment.
“alright let’s get ready!!” she said as both teams participated in a group huddle before starting.
“one… two…three… purple team!!!”
“one… two…three… blue team!!!”
Each team shouted out as they formed a line before the obstacle course.
the princess sat on a stage with a microphone at the end of the course so that she could watch. a whistle blew, and the teams immediately sprinted to the marker that indicated their place to spin. the first competitors were heeseung and jake. after spinning, they dizzily ran forward to the soccer ball and began dribbling. both were nearly falling over and desperately trying to keep focused. they each kicked the ball at the goal and surprisingly both made it in. it was a very tight race! they were moving almost in sync over and under the hurdles. now came the most daunting part, the rope climb. The two jumped up and grabbed hold of the rope, quickly advancing forward. they were careful not to look down at the fountain because let’s face it, the water was probably freezing and not the most sanitary. from the start of the course, each team was yelling all kinds of cheers and encouragement. y/n watched intently.
shockingly, the two made it to the end of the course at about the same time, maybe a milliseconds difference.
the next competitors advanced immediately. representing the purple team, soobin looked as if he could double over at any second as he dribbled the ball. representing the blue team however, yeonjun was perfectly focused. as they both kicked the ball, soobin missed the goal by about a foot while yeonjun made it in.
the purple team cried out in disappointment while the blue team jumped up in down in excitement. soobin rushed back to the start, and yeonjun advanced without a hitch.
the rest of the relay went about the same, each team having to restart here and there until they were down to the final two.
jungwon of the purple team had a few seconds on niki of the blue team. however, niki held the soccer skill. as the two dribbled the ball between the cones, niki didn’t miss a beat. he effortlessly dribbled and perfectly kicked the ball forward into the goal while jungwon missed. as jungwon retreated back to the start, the blue team members jumped up and down all over the place at the finish line.
smiling from ear to ear, niki jumped over the hurdle and slid underneath the next. but, jungwon was quickly catching up. missing the goal seemed to have flipped a switch in his brain, now he sped through the cones and scored! towards the end of the course, niki rubbed his sweaty palms on his blue jersey and easily jumped up to the rope thanks to his height. he slowly advanced forward, cautiously avoiding the fountain. behind him however, it seemed as if jungwon had gained super speed. he leapt and dove around the hurdles, now meeting niki at the rope segment. niki began to worry, choosing to speed up as he furrowed his brows, staring up at his hands that were clenched around the rope.
each team watched biting their nails and peeking through their fingers, appalled at the tight race. the princess had her hands on her face, nervously watching the two try to cross the fountain.
jungwon was almost gliding along the rope, as if it were a zip line. niki could see him out of his peripheral, nervously advancing as fast as possible.
the race was tight. as the two came to the end of the rope, it seemed as if it would be a tie.
until niki decided to take a big risk, stopping with about two feet of rope left and instead swinging his legs forward, launching himself at the finish line.
he didn’t entirely think this through, he just hoped it would work, and as jungwon watched with his jaw dropped, his hands still glued to the rope, niki seemed to float in the air for a second before landing just barely across the finish line.
the garden erupted in chaos as the blue team jumped up and down congratulating niki, even going as far as to chant his name. the purple team still congratulated jungwon and cheered for his efforts, but were still disappointed.
“it seems as though the blue team has won!” the princess announced through the cheers. “congratulations to the blue team and also congratulations to the purple team for their efforts. five minute water break while we set up the next game!” she announced.
the suitors, walked towards the sidelines where a butler held a tray of glasses of water. the same guards as before immediately began disassembling the course and brought out a large tarp, placing it on the grass. the tarp had an empty grid across it, and all of the suitors looked at it with confusion.
once the water break finished, the princess blew her whistle once again and raised her microphone.
“I can tell none of you know what this next game is, but it’s a classic! it is of course, HUMAN TIC TAC TOE!”
the suitors burst into laughter and shock.
“in order to make the grid even and the game fair, each team will receive an extra player so that it makes a four by four grid. guards!” she gleefully called out to the guards, one in a purple jersey and the other in a blue one.
the suitors laughed again and welcomed their guard teammates to their side.
“the goal is to get four in a row! diagonal, vertical, across, whatever. since blue team won the last round, the purple team will get to go first.” the princess blew her whistle again and the purple team began plotting.
hueningkai moved first, picking the upper left corner.
it was now the blue team’s turn, sunoo picking the upper right corner.
jay picked the spot below hueningkai’s, aiming for a vertical four-in-a-row.
taehyun then continued the plan for the diagonal win, selecting the spot diagonal to sunoo’s.
the game continued on like this for some time, until the purple team wound up cutting off the blue team’s diagonal plan, leading them to cut off the purple team’s vertical plan.
for such an intense gameplay, it had an anticlimactic ending: neither team won.
“wow guys. you would think a human tic tac toe game would have a more interesting ending… well. it is time for the final game! since nobody won the last game, this game will be worth DOUBLE POINTS! so both teams still have a shot at winning.” the princess announced.
the purple team felt relief, as they still had a chance at victory.
“now I did not plan this final game… I enlisted the help of my dearest friends! so please welcome joonie, youngeun, sakura, and isa!”
the suitors clapped as y/n’s best friends joined her on the stage. they each waved at the suitors and whispered to each other, pointing at who they thought looked the best in their jerseys.
“as I said I did not plan this nor do I have any knowledge of what the game is! I will be just as shocked as you guys are!” The princess laughed, handing Sakura her microphone.
“hello gentlemen! my name is Sakura and I will now become the official MC of this sports day!!! so our final game is less of a game and more of a challenge. joonie, would you like to explain?” sakura announced, passing the mic to joonie.
“hello! I’m joonie! so as sakura said, this will be a challenge for each of you and it actually has really nothing to do with sports. this is about showing your creativity, teamwork, and admiration for our beautiful princess of adora.” joonie beamed, motioning towards y/n.
“hi my name is isa! this challenge’s official name is “cheer for your dear”! I named this one because I like rhymes. yes I’m also the person who wrote on your challenge card earlier!”
the suitors nodded, remembering the ominous “don’t worry about staying clean as you play out on the green” part of the card.
“hello cuties. I’m youngeun!!! in this final challenge, each team will create a cheer for our beloved princess y/n showcasing your love for her! we are looking for it to be entertaining, eye catching, and of course, lovey-dovey!!!” youngeun declared, giggling at how embarrassed y/n looked at the idea of the challenge.
“you will have ten minutes to put together a mini performance. there is no set time length, just do your best!” sakura declared, now holding y/n’s whistle. “ready? LET THE GAMES BEGIN!” She yelled, blowing the whistle.
the teams erupted in yelling and aggressive hand motions. the girls moved to another area of the garden as to avoid spoilers for the performances.
while the boys prepared their mini-showcases, the girls sat down by the daisy display and began talking.
“alright so which man is number one???” youngeun immediately questioned.
“I don’t know!!! it’s too soon to tell.” Y/n honestly responded.
“ok well who has stood out today?” isa asked.
“well if you must know. The person who has stood out most today is…”
the girls were on the edge of their seats.
“niki. he pulled the craziest move during the obstacle course. it was like he became a totally different person. when we first met he was very shy and nervous, it was so cute. but today he was so energetic! like he somehow scored a perfect goal even after getting so dizzy… it was so fun to watch.” y/n recounted the day’s events, blushing off into the distance.
the girls all watched her, giggling and smiling.
“he really is cute…” Sakura whispered, making the girls laugh.
“he really is. but then there’s heeseung. it’s just so unbelievable that he’s here to begin with… I mean has he liked me since we were kids? or is he just here because he needed an excuse to see me again… like as friends…” y/n wondered.
“y/n I highly doubt that this man entered a competition that ends in MARRIAGE, just because he wanted to catch up with an old friend.” joonie interjected.
“I’m definitely going to regret saying this aloud… but I agree with joonie.” isa stated.
joonie pretended to be offended, but then playfully pushed isa’s shoulder and smiled.
“this is all so crazy. but I mean i still barely know these guys. aside from heeseung of course. god I really hope I don’t screw this up somehow. I mean what if I pick the wrong guy??”
“since when did you become so corny and cliché… love really is making you crazy…” youngeun whispered.
y/n rolled her eyes.
“you’re right. let’s go watch the silly men sing and dance!” y/n giggled.
“i would be honored.” Sakura declared.
the girls linked arms and took a lap around the flower gardens before returning to the main garden turned performance space for the final round of the group date.
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author’s note: THIS CHAPTER IS LONG. guys do u get the title tho do u get it. kingdom sports day… as in mnet competition show kingdom… they have a sports day… kingdom sports day… in this chapter they’re having a sports day… in a kingdom… kingdom sports day. ARENT I SO FUNNY AND CLEVER??? “yes chaewandz ur so funny and we love u” awww stop it guys. Guys I’m sorry that was actually deranged of me. My apologies. i have finally regained all my inspiration!! I love this chapter and it’s so fun to write.
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
At 9:30 am sharp, the twelve suitors gathered around the breakfast table, the guest of honor missing from her own event. the silence that filled every corner and crevice of the great dining hall on that late summer morning was unbearably loud.
not one man in the room could find any words to fill the space in the air. even the guards who stood what felt like every few feet apart seemed uncomfortable. there was no explanation, nor was there any person in charge supervising. no butler or assistant; someone high up on the castle’s totem pole to make sure the day was running smoothly.
there were simply twelve men in overpriced pastel dress as if they were on their way to a golf retreat, staring blankly at one another, taking pauses only to admire the same stitch on their khaki shorts for the umpteenth time that hour.
the light within the golden chandelier that adorned the ceiling was becoming all too yellow and the sound of throats being cleared became all too overbearing. It was to the point where the thundering opening of the grand double doors located at the back of the dining hall almost went unnoticed.
all of the suitors jumped slightly and all heads shot toward the source of the sound. as the oak doors swung open, two guards in white uniform adorned with golden buttons stepped aside.
what happened next could only be described as the sudden appearance of a glittering rainbow shining through your bedroom window, this was of course the entrance of the princess.
her hair was pinned in a braid crown with a few curled strands to frame her face along with miniature flowers carefully placed all around the top of her head. she wore a strapless baby pink gown that stopped at her knees with small pink flowers laid out all across the bodice and skirt. her neck was decorated with a small pearl necklace and she wore white lace gloves with matching white babydoll heels.
she looked like a painting. her bright smile bounced off of the walls and carried on for miles. it felt like every single being in the room was holding their breath at her presence.
“good morning, gentlemen!” she announced, strutting towards her place at the dining table. a butler suddenly appeared at her side and pulled her chair out for her, placing a napkin beside her plate. more and more butlers appeared doing the same for all of the suitors accompanied by a dozen chefs carrying plates of food.
in seconds the table was decorated with plates of tea cakes, macarons, pancakes, waffles, orange juice, and basically any and every breakfast dish you could ever imagine.
riki glanced around the room at the others. they all wore the same nervously excited smirk, their eyes sparkling at the sight of her. as if the food wasn’t even there.
“so…” she started awkwardly. “…i hope you guys enjoy todays breakfast! i selected the menu based on your food preferences from your applications and i hope you like it! or that your preferences haven’t changed since then…but we have so much food that there should definitely be something for you. but if there isn’t just let me know! i can figure something out.” she rambled on nervously. it was ironic that she was the nervous one when she had all power in this competition.
the suitors exchanged glances with the princess and each other then quickly nodded as to put her worries to an end. eventually, she slowly picked up her fork and began serving herself a muffin and some pumpkin bread. at this motion the table erupted into movement, each boy reaching for something different to eat. even with the commotion of the boys gathering food, the room was still quiet. no one spoke and nothing could be heard except the shuffling of chairs and movement of cutlery. noticing the awkwardness, the princess quickly put her fork down and dabbed her mouth with a napkin before making an announcement.
“guys… feel free to talk amongst yourselves by the way! or to me, i mean truly im not that scary.” she laughed and picked up a glass of apple cider and took a sip. riki locked eyes with her at this statement, flashing her a brief smile while sunghoon turned to sunoo to begin gossiping.
“the macarons are so good… sunghoon please i am in heaven.” sunoo exclaimed, grabbing more to add to his plate.
“dude. look at the fruit platter.” sunghoon tapped sunoo’s side, motioning towards something at the end of the table.
the fruit platter in question was a three tier masterpiece decorated in finely cut fruits in the shapes of flowers. the blend of the strawberries, oranges, pineapple, grapes, and watermelon created some sort of garden diorama that stood towering over the end of the table.
“rich people are crazy.” sunoo whispered, unable to take his eyes off of the display.
“sunoo, you are rich people.” sunghoon replied, staring at him intensely.
meanwhile, on the other side of the table taehyun sat still, rolling his eyes at the sight of beomgyu going back and forth between the muffins and the macarons. his plate was so covered with different foods that you couldn’t even tell there was a plate beneath all of it.
hueningkai sat oblivious while gingerly spreading some strawberry jam on his toast and taking a sip of orange juice.
“ooh i haven’t tried one of those yet!” beomgyu declared, glancing towards the corner of toast that hueningkai dropped next to his plate.
“you’ve never tried TOAST?” hueningkai questioned, absolutely baffled.
“well duh I’ve tried toast. i mean i havent tried fancy and rich kingdom toast.” beomgyu smiled as if it was obvious. “i’m sorry it’s just that i want to try everything!!!”
hueningkai and taehyun rolled their eyes with a smile, going back to their own food.
down the far end of the table, heeseung casually engaged in conversation with princess y/n.
“so…dining hall looks about the same since i last saw it.” he whispered, looking around the room. y/n smiled.
“yeah. i mean apart from that corner over there that had to be repainted and covered with spackle because somebody decided to skateboard through here in the dark.” she teasingly replied.
“oh that was one time. and you know it was funny!!!” heeseung fought back. cutting through their laughter, riki decided to engage in his own conversation with the princess.
“princess y/n?” he formally asked.
“yes riki?” she looked up from her plate. riki’s face softened at the sound of his name from her lips.
she remembered my name. he thought.
“how are you today?” he smiled.
“i’m great! how about you riki?” she grinned back at him.
“im great as well. any plans for today?” he questioned. she laughed, brushing her hair behind her ear.
“yes but it’s a surprise!” she whispered, leaning in closer to him. he teasingly rolled his eyes at her.
“i know you want to tell me.” he said, giggling.
she rolled her eyes back at him.
“oh relax you’ll know soon. like after breakfast.” she gave him a quick wink and went back to her food.
smiling to himself, riki turned back to his plate and took a bite of his chocolate chip pancakes. (they were his personal request on his application).
“so guys… since we’re all snacking now, i think it’s the perfect time for my questionnaire to get to know you all better! i’ll just ask random questions which were all written by my lovely friends sakura, isa, joonie, and youngeun. okay?” princess y/n looked around and smiled.
riki thought it was cute how she was just as nervous as they all were.
“okay first question. what is your passion in life?” she asked putting down a cue card she pulled from her lap.
sim jaeyun cleared his throat and adjusted his posture, clearly nervous to speak.
“well my passion is my friendship. my best friend and i chose to open up a cafe a few years ago and it’s the most fun i’ve ever had. i know it may not seem like much, but getting to work with my best friend and serve people great coffee really makes me happy.” he had a small smile on his face and his eyes lit up while talking about it. it was sweet to watch.
knowing his best friend in question was none other than lee heeseung, y/n couldn’t help but smile.
sunoo’s eyes lit up the moment y/n asked the question, already having a perfect answer. waiting diligently until jake finished speaking, he cleared his throat.
“I love makeup and skincare, so much so that I designed and launched my very own makeup brand about a year ago. i have loved getting to design my own products and packaging and hearing other people tell me how fresh my brand is. it’s so rewarding watching something you’ve only dreamt of come to life before your own eyes.” sunoo explained, his face glowing. whether that was because of his skincare brand or just his natural glow is unknown.
nervously tapping his foot on the carpeted hall, riki exchanged glances with each of the suitors as they began sharing their answers. eventually, sunoo nodded towards him encouraging him to answer.
awkwardly clearing his throat, riki prepared his answer.
“I’m not sure if this counts as my passion in life because I mean, I love a lot of stuff but I guess what I do most is photography. I love trying to capture the world’s most naturally beautiful moments. I try my best to find ways to keep record of life through a human’s perspective because I think it’s just so cool. I mean how do cameras even work? I have no idea. but it’s fun pretending I do. I guess that’s it.”
as riki spoke, his eyes nervously darted around the room, failing to settle on a singular subject. but y/n found this particular habit of his to be quite endearing.
once the questionnaire segment came to a close, the princess clasped her hands together wearing a bright smile.
“I really enjoyed hearing about you guys and I look forward to learning even more about you over the next few weeks! but, for today we have a very fun activity planned. so please, head back to your rooms and your assignment will be waiting for you.” The princess ominously announced, still wearing a mischievous grin as she stood and curtsied before leaving the dining hall followed by the same two guards she entered with.
as she exited, the twelve suitors all shared glances of confusion and excitement as they speculated what today could hold.
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author’s note: HELLO!!! hi my dears. I know it’s been like a year or something. Yk this chapter has been in my drafts since September but I just got around to polishing and finishing. I love this au. i am going to finish it!!! ty for reading and sticking around. I <3 you.
*also!! small note on the taglist. since it’s been so long, some of u have changed users and I may have also lost track!! so I’m terribly sorry if you aren’t included just send me an ask abt it and I’ll fix!!
send an ask to be added to taglist :)
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
when heeseung left y/n’s space on the dance floor she found herself mimicking his iconic mischievous grin. it felt like everything in that moment was humorous. being in the presence of heeseung again? heeseung was here with the end goal of marrying her? she’s danced with eleven men so far tonight? flirting with all of them? it was laughable. ridiculous almost. all she could do was shake her head and return to her state of denial, the only thing that kept her calm throughout this entire night. sure, pretending like the biggest moment of your life is simply not happening isnt what you should do in the slightest. but, y/n couldnt handle it any other way.
switching her focus back to the task at hand, she took in the appearance of the final suitor. he was much taller than her with jet black hair, creating somewhat of an intimidating persona. but the moment she locked eyes with him, his lips slowly curved upward in a playful smirk. she couldn’t help the fact that her face mimicked the same expression just by seeing his.
noticing the way she copied him, he let out a quiet laugh and scratched the back of his neck.
“you seem nervous?” y/n observed, but it came out more like a question.
“a little.” he admitted, not breaking eye contact. “oh wait- I’m nishimura riki. I completely forgot.” he bowed before her and reached out his hand for her to take.
“grateful to be meeting you, riki.” she carefully took his hand in hers as he stood up and they began to dance.
“can I tell you a secret?” he whispered, barely even three seconds after they started swaying.
“yes?” she whispered back, an amused grin on her lips.
“the outfit’s itchy.” he raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips.
“oh really?” she raised her eyebrows equally as high, tipping her head to the side. she wasn’t surprised though, the prince-like suit did seem like it had taken hours to put on.
riki liked the way she went along with his banter, causing him to look down at their feet to avoid revealing his blushing cheeks. she joined him and watched the way their feet moved in sync to the music.
“you’re good at dancing.” he whispered, almost like he didn’t want her to hear.
instead of replying, she redirected her gaze at the floor to riki’s concentrated face. now grinning from ear to ear, she softly looked at him and how focused he was at trying not to make a mistake. she secretly hoped he’d feel her glance on him and lift his head to look at her too. but instead he kept watching their feet as they executed all of the dance steps with ease.
“I’m really nervous.” he mumbled, breaking the silence.
still watching him intently, she frowned slightly. she could tell he really was telling the truth based on how his voice slightly quivered each time he spoke.
“since we’re dancing, you don’t really have to speak.” she shrugged her shoulders, instantly making his head shoot up to look at her.
when he looked up, he realized she’d been looking at him this entire time. feeling the blood rush to his cheeks, he quickly thought of a response.
“but aren’t we supposed to be getting to know each other? Shouldnt I be telling you how great I am?” he furrowed his eyebrows.
she laughed and watched as his face softened, like her laugh was a stamp of approval that let him know he was doing a good job.
“you have plenty of time to do that.” she declared, gently squeezing his hand.
and with that, a genuine smile spread across riki’s face.
“I feel calmer when I dance with you.” he whispered, still maintaining eye contact despite the fact that he so desperately wanted to bury his face in his hands and never be seen again.
now, y/n was the one who became flustered. her confident facade faded with ease and she was left speechless at his seemingly simple comment.
sensing the silence between them that felt pulsating, riki’s mouth hung open slightly, taken aback at the reaction he’d created.
“ah- no- I’m sorry- no- forget I said anything.” he quickly spoke, eyes searching for a place other than y/n to focus on.
y/n was brought back to reality after hearing his nervous reaction and almost automatically squeezed his hand again and laughed lightly.
“riki.” she firmly stated. “remember what I said before? speaking isn’t required if you’re dancing? yeah. let’s go back to that maybe??”
he nodded and brought his gaze back to the polished hardwood floors beneath them.
“RIKI LOOK AT ME AND DANCE.” she interrupted, an amused smile on her face.
his head shot up once again, suddenly terrified he’d done something wrong.
“NO- I didn’t mean to scare you-“ she laughed, grinning from ear to ear.
“are you sure?!?!?!! i am beginning to see why you’re in line for the throne…”
thankful his playful energy returned, she jokingly rolled her eyes before staring into his own.
“you are so…” she mumbled under her breath.
“entertaining? perfect? wonderful? delightful? charming?” riki went on and on trying to fill in the blank.
“something like that.” she pursed her lips, letting a laugh escape as she saw riki break into laughter as well.
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author’s note: CHAEWANDZ’S BIRTHDAY POST! it’s 9 mins past midnight here I tried so hard to post before the day ended but I got distracted GN so here’s y/n and niki meeting for the first time in honor of my bday <3 since it’s still technically my bday in some timezones
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
“so who’s on the bottom of the pyramid?” sakura deadpanned, sketching a pyramid design in her diary.
“BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID? WE’RE MAKING A PYRAMID NOW?” y/n replied, completely appalled as she glanced at the paper.
“well how else are we supposed to rank them…” sakura whispered, briefly lifting her pencil from the book.
the five friends sat crowded together on the floor of y/n’s bedroom, hours after the ball finished trying to piece together whatever had just happened.
“I think it’s fair personally.” isa interjected, earning a laugh from y/n as the rest of the girls slowly nodded their heads and shrugged their shoulders.
“absolutely not.” y/n shook her head. it wasn’t even that she necessarily felt bad about ranking them, it was more that it was impossible. at least at this stage it felt that way.
plopping backwards onto his neatly made bed, niki let out a large sigh. since he was the last contestant, his interaction with the princess remained clear as day in his mind. he kept replaying it over an over, face palming when recalling how embarrassing he’d acted.
it was now about 12 in the morning. once the ball had finished, the princess said her final goodbyes and the suitors were escorted out of the hall and into their own bedrooms where they would be spending the rest of their stay, however long it may be.
it felt awkward sleeping alone, the lack of sunoo’s white noise machine in his new royal bedroom made for a sense of relief, but also made niki homesick. he wasn’t sure what he’d gotten himself into exactly. sure, he did feel drawn to y/n in those moments they had shared but the fact that she’d shared similar maybe even more romantic moments with eleven others left him severely lacking confidence. a situation the self employed, unpaid photographer often found himself in.
but nonetheless, niki tried his absolute best to convince himself they had something different. that although the other suitors had shared their own versions of chemistry with her, particularly one with pink hair by the name of heeseung-
weirdo. WHY was he so close to her.. YOU DONT KNOW HER!!! WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOU PLEASE RELAX…
niki had to slap his own face to get him out of that selfish trance. as he was saying, he believed his feelings towards her in that moment were the most genuine. in that moment he didn’t want anything except for her. he almost wished this wasn’t so complicated and that she was just someone he’d met at a coffee shop. not future queen of adora. but alas, he couldn’t change what was already destined to happen. he frowned at the thought and fell asleep in seconds because of course the kingdom’s beds were just that comfortable.
but, his resentful slumber was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. groggily, he reached over to his bedside table and lazily moved his hand around trying to find the switch for the bedroom’s chandelier.
“fucking ridiculous…” he whispered to himself as he stared at the diamond chandelier that was probably worth more than every contestant combined. after pushing his hair back and quickly glancing in the mirror, he opened the door with a relaxed smile.
he wasn’t sure who he was expecting, but a butler the same height as riki himself left his smile drooping slightly. tilting his head to the side, riki searched for some kind of an answer.
“for you sir.” the butler announced, placing a white silk pillow atop a leather chest in riki’s hands. he then bowed and was gone in the blink of an eye, like he was never there to begin with.
examining the ‘gift’, riki noticed a carefully folded note placed neatly at the center of the pillow. placing the pillow/chest on his bed, he began to unfold the note.
“welcome to the castle of adora! we hope you are enjoying your stay so far and that everything is precisely what you’d imagined from the most prestigious royals. tomorrow morning at 9:30 am sharp, your presence is requested in the breakfast hall for a delightful meal with none other than the Princess. in the leather chest you will find your outfit for tomorrow’s event. thank you!
p.s. there is more to come!”
niki stood staring intensely at the note, rereading each line over and over again. once he snapped back into reality, he tossed the card to the side of his bed. as softly as possible, niki unlatched the locks keeping the contents of the leather chest concealed. just as described in the letter, (which felt more like an aggressive notice from a landlord), his breakfast outfit laid there alongside a classy perfume. he took note of the fact that the interior of the chest was made of velvet. truly how much money did this family have? shaking his head, niki sighed and messily closed the chest and placed it on the vanity that sat below the large windows of the castle.
practically leaping onto his bed, niki scrambled underneath the covers and fell asleep in seconds yet again, except this time there was no mysterious butler to interrupt him.
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author’s note: CHAEWANDZ COMEBACK! Sorry this is truly just a filler but I really wanted to upload SOMETHING. I’m very sick rn like bed ridden so I’ll be able to write a lot tomorrow and whatnot. I’m so excited for this story Omg. I SAW ENHA IN NYC??? I must announce that enhypen is even prettier irl. NIKI WALKED NEXT TO MY SECTION IT WAS ACTUALLY UNREAL. the video is so funny gn maybe I’ll post pics from the concert later if anyone wants them. anyways. I love enhypen.
taglist: (open!! italicized + bold means unable to tag 😕) @cwsana @emoworu @strwberrydinosaur @justbored48 @flwrsforriki @deafeningballoonnacho @faiirybread @captivq @1lovestrawberrymilk @bigtoewinwin @mingyuswrld @yeletbz @palajae @sd211 @shinsou-rii @nomurahayami
send an ask to be added!!
synopsis: after she turns 18, y/n’s parents arrange a competition for young suitors in her town to compete for her love, a family tradition that brought about her parents’ marriage. twelve men are selected, but who will win her heart?
