Summary: Haknyeon comes home to find you a shaking mess of tears.
Drabble
Fluff/Comfort, Established Relationship au
TW: Deals with anxiety/the negative thoughts associated with said feeling/briefly mentions what caused the flare up
Word Count: 551
Haknyeon X Reader
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You find yourself shaking after grocery shopping, barely able to put away the groceries, when you feel arms wrap around you. You hear Haknyeon whisper, “What’s wrong, dove?” You shake your head, barely able to lift the milk, and he takes it out of your hands. Still holding you, he moves it into the fridge before closing it, “Why don’t you let me take care of this?” You give him a meager nod and refuse to leave his side, holding onto his shirt, and he looks back at you, “That bad, huh?” You nod, giving him a sniffle. And he grabs your hand in his, “Is this better?” You give him another nod, holding his hand tightly as he handles the rest of the groceries. When he puts the last can of corn away, he goes, “What happened?” You wrinkle up your nose and whisper, “I just felt useless. I was picking out groceries and trying to help someone, and it backfired. And I just… I don’t know… Well, I do. But…” He pulls you into his chest as you whisper, “Please don’t let me go.” You beg into his arms, tears falling from your eyes as Haknyeon wraps himself tighter around you.
When your cries turn to sniffles, he moves both of you over to sit down. He sits you on top of his lap, letting you bury yourself into his chest as you calm down. “Why… Why isn’t it easy?” He hums and waits for you to continue, “Why can’t I just be like everyone else? And be able to go on adventures and see things without worry. Without fearing every second of my life outside of these four walls… Outside of your arms.” He runs his hand over your arm, slowly tracing it, “You’re not like everyone else. And it’s not a bad thing. You just have a different way of navigating the world.” You sniffle, “But why?” And he sighs, “I’m not sure. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have adventures.” You groan, “Yes, it does.” He lifts your chin up with the hand he was stroking your arm with, “No, it doesn’t. And y’know why?” You shake your head, not knowing why. And he gently tells you, “Because in a way you said I bring you safety. So, if I’m with you on your adventures, you can turn to me. And I promise to keep you safe.” You search his eyes and ask, “You mean it?” He hums, “For you? Always.” You sniffle, “Okay.”
He smiles and kisses your cheeks, “I got you. I won’t let you fall between the cracks when I’m beside you. And even when we’re apart, okay?” You nod, and he wraps his arms tightly around your waist, keeping you grounded. While you focus on calming your heartrate by lying on his chest, he finds his phone ordering something as he softly sings you a song, “I ordered your favorite for later.” You hum, and he realizes you’re starting to fall asleep in his arms. He picks you up and takes you to your king-sized mattress, wrapping himself around you so you feel safe in his arms while you sleep. You two can safely tackle your adventures together sometime later. For now, a good rest and a delicious meal after would suffice.
note: they're not final, but i wanted to save the ideas. they may not be done or written soon 😔 this contains both fluff (to be posted on @coboftea) and nsfw contents, reader discretion is advised, all of these are tbz fics (because they're literally my only ult rn ;-;) and summaries focus on the "you" in the stories hehe (to avoid major spoilers)
lee sangyeon
-untitled-
being a single parent, you always wanted to give the kids only the best and be a good role model to them as well all on your own. not until you got tangled up in a top secret mission after bumping into an undercover police named sangyeon lee. now, not only did he suddenly become a colleague, he also... babysits the kids?
jacob bae
clouds will send my lullabies for you
summary: anonymous letters kept appearing inside your locker. those poems make your heart race and ache a little. later on, you embarked on a search to find out who sends you these letters after finding the same words from your late composer dad's stash of old written lyrics.
our closing scene
summary: after quitting the brilliant world of film industry, one last story needs a proper ending. and it involves you, and a person who was there even before you started your career.
when the dark blooms on a moonless night
genre and warnings: kingdom au, revenge, knight!jacob, crown prince!hyunjae, mentions of suicide and abuse, will include nsfw scenes, divided into chapters, there are dark and fluff scenes too :›
summary: you're starting to believe that your own existence is a mistake. your hell of a family only uses you to gain power over the kingdom, your first love betrothed you to his right-hand man, and your husband, who only follows his master's commands, is always away from home. on a dark melancholic night, when you decided to end your life, the hands of your savior held onto your hopeless existence, unintentionally planting a revengeful flower in your heart.
winter ends tonight
genre: smut, angst, broker!jacob, short chapters
summary: when you accidentally killed your fiancee because of him abusing you, his well-off family is determined to get rid of you. with the last of your means of escape, you planned an escape to another country. but with the winter hindering your journey, you're stuck in the refuge your broker provided, and in the middle of a forest where all you could do was wait, eat, and share a bed.
lee hyunjae
never not love you
genre: enemies to lovers, high school, dilemma, delinquent!hyunjae, setting in the early 2000s, coming of age, angst, a bit humorous, ft. sangyeon, chanhee, changmin, divided into chapters
summary: lee hyunjae is the most unexpected person to ever enter your life and change it poignantly. and you do the same to his once purposeless and frivolous life. but high school doesn't last forever and you won't always be 18. when bad boy hyunjae changes his reputation and decides to study in seoul with you, a heart-rending event stops your plans and leaves you with a dilemma to lie, or to tell him the truth and leave.
kim sunwoo
frxxnds
genre: friends to lovers, family dilemma, marriage of convenience, gonna be chaotic and humorous, thinking if this will be divided in chapters or just a one long story, inspired by big naughty's masterpiece 'frxxnds'
summary: being the eldest daughter in your family has never been easy, and worst part is that you felt like you were never allowed to rest or feel tired. you're on the verge of an outburst and you're barely holding on. an opportunity to get away from your shackles arises when your mom finds your friend's pregnancy test in your belongings, a light bulb lights up in your head and you admit that it was yours. thinking your mom will kick you out without second thoughts. but what's worse, your childhood best friend, sunwoo, supported your claims and admits he's the father.
dal: that will be all for now! i do reallyyy hope that i could finish even just ONE from these prompts 😭 ciao for now!
𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚!⭒bf!haknyeon x reader 𖦹 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘! ⭒fluff <3 𖦹 𝗪𝗖!⭒0.4k 𖦹 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦! ⭒none :) 𖦹 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦!⭒first post in a while! its been so difficult trying to write while also juggling school work, but i finally have a lil free time (bc im sick so!!) anyways, happy hak day >_< ♡
[7:27 p.m.] a soft ray of golden sunlight bleeds into your bedroom, brightening the otherwise dimly lit space. your drooping eyes wander over the expanse of your boyfriend's face, taking in how the orange glow of the sun makes his skin shimmer almost.
haknyeon's head is placed on your thigh, an arm strewn over your lap lazily while your back is resting against the headboard of your bed, the show playing on the t.v. long forgotten and only serving to be a form of background noise.
"baby?", his voice sounds muffled as his lips are somewhat mushed against the flesh of your thigh, tilting his head in your direction ever so slightly. "hmm?", you hum in response, leaning your head back and against the headboard, rolling and stretching your neck a little.
"could you please play with my hair?", haknyeon mumbles shyly into your skin, the way in which he murmurs it so lazily and innocently causing the corners of your lips to lift upwards into a small smile.
"of course i can, love."
with that, you pick up your hand and place it atop his head, carding your fingers through his soft, brown hair as gently as you could manage. he lets out a hum of content, nuzzling his face further into your lap and tightening the grip his arm has around you.
"that okay?", you question, scraping his scalp softly with your nails, smiling when he sighs happily with a slight nod, leaning into your touch.
"thanks, 's perfect", he basically purrs in reply to your ministrations, and you almost miss his words with how softly they are spoken, breathing evening out slowly the more you played with his hair.
you allow your fingers to travel down the nape of his neck and back up, scratching the skin tenderly as he melts further into your gentle touch. you know it's only a matter of time until your boyfriend falls asleep again, and you don't mind at all, but you still eventually slow down your hand as you refocus on the television screen.
when your hand finally halts, you hear a soft whine of something unintelligible, haknyeon's hand coming up to enclose around your wrist in order to try and get it to move again, making you scoff lightheartedly.
"don't stop, please", he whispers meekly, pressing his lips against the skin of your thigh almost unintentionally, an action that causes your heart to swell up with love.
"sorry, baby", you reply quietly, leaning down to press an apologetic, chaste kiss to his temple before resuming the movements of your hand, untangling the small knots in his hair as you go along.
"feels so nice", his lips curve into a smile as he speaks, your own following suit.
when haknyeon does finally fall asleep, you don't stop playing with his hair, instead you just leave soft kisses on it, along with the soft whispers of "i love you" and "i'm here".
member: haknyeon
genre: fluff (requested)
word count: 1,277
synopsis: torn between his friendship with jaehyun and his love for you, haknyeon finds himself in a predicament.
Haknyeon had secretly been crushing on you ever since he first met you back in freshman year of high school. But you were Jaehyun’s little sister and he was Jaehyun’s best friend. He was too afraid to confess because on top of being shy, Jaehyun made it very clear that he absolutely hated the idea of having any of his friends romantically involved with his sister.
Like that, high school flew by and he graduated without ever pursuing you. By the time college came around, Kevin had already been aware of his feelings for years. Yet the Lee siblings still had no clue.
“Now that you and Y/n are both adults, what’s stopping you from confessing?” Kevin asked as he sipped on his americano.
“Jaehyun,” Haknyeon sighed. “He still sees her as a little kid. Which doesn’t make any sense because she’s literally the same age as me and I’m friends with him. But I can’t betray his trust and go behind his back.”
“So don’t,” Kevin shrugged. “Just tell him straight up that you like her and that you want to ask her out.”
“Yeah, like he’d ever give his blessing,” Haknyeon snorted. Wary of the time, he glanced at his watch and got up. “Anyway, I’m meeting up with Y/n to study together so I’ll see you later.”
And with that, he left the cafe to meet you at the library. You both had an exam coming up next week and were cramming to memorize a semester’s worth of information.
After 3 hours of studying, you let out a sigh and laid your head on the desk with a bang.
“We’ve been going at this nonstop and there’s still so much left,” you whined.
In an attempt to lift your mood, a mischievous grin spread across Haknyeon’s lips as he began to sing Oh My Girl’s “Nonstop”. Half embarrassed and half amused, you held back a laugh as you shushed him.
“This is a library!” you whispered while giggling.
“So? This doesn’t cheer you up?” he teased, now singing Twice’s “Cheer Up”.
This time, you exploded in laughter, warranting glares from other students. Quietly apologizing, you slapped Haknyeon’s arm.
“I think our focus is long gone now. Wanna get out of here and go for some ice cream?” he whispered.
You gave into the temptation and decided to reward yourself for working hard. After paying for your favorite flavor at Baskin Robbins, you happily walked out with your cone stacked with scoops.
After taking a bite of the ice cream, you were too busy eating to realize a bit of it smudged on the edge of your lips. Chuckling, Haknyeon wiped it away with a napkin he grabbed from the store.
“So messy,” he joked. “What would you do without me, Y/n?”
“Well, I’ll always have you so I don’t have to worry about that,” you stuck out your tongue.
Your words struck him harder than you could ever imagine. For years, it was a given that he would remain by your side. But he always feared the day you would find another guy and fall in love. It was only a matter of time before it happened if he never acted on his feelings.
It suddenly hit him that if he continued to do nothing, he would eventually have to watch someone else take his place next to you. That was enough to fill him with determination. He decided to finally step up and be honest for once. With Jaehyun and with you.
So the next day, he nervously asked Jaehyun to meet. The older male was completely unassuming as he ordered a coffee, oblivious to Haknyeon’s fingers that fiddled with the cup of juice in front of him.
Taking a deep breath, Haknyeon chose to avoid beating around the bush.
“I like Y/n,” he blurted. “Not just as a friend but as a girl.”
Jaehyun blinked. Once, then twice, and then a third time.
“Dude, she’s my baby sister. She’s off limits.”
“She’s only 2 years younger than you. She’s not a baby. We’re the same age but you don’t see me as a baby.”
Awkward silence filled the air until Jaehyun finally spoke up.
“Why Y/n? Why her out of all girls?” he quietly asked.
“There’s no specific reason why. I just do. I have since the day I met her. I spent all of high school hiding my feelings because I wanted to respect yours.”
The two of them fell into silence once again as Jaehyun processed everything Haknyeon said.
“If you lose Y/n, you’ll lose me too,” Jaehyun warned. It took a second for his words to register in Haknyeon’s head. When he realized what it meant, he beamed.
“Does that mean you’re okay with me going for her?” Haknyeon excitedly asked.
Hesitantly, Jaehyun nodded. Haknyeon jumped out of his seat and hugged the male in front of him. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest and was elated.
Eager to share the news, he quickly texted Kevin, who congratulated him. Now all that was left was confessing to you.
With adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he sent a message to you as well. After you agreed to meet him, however, he was stuped. He hadn’t thought this far yet. He had no idea how to confess.
Flowers? Chocolate? Panicking, he racked his brain for ideas.
Then, as if a lightbulb turned on, he came up with a brilliant plan. Smiling, he asked you to come to your apartment’s rooftop at 9. Though puzzled at the specific request, you shrugged it off and went along with it.
When you arrived at the designated time, you were surprised to see Haknyeon waiting with a blanket spread out on the floor.
“Care for some star-gazing?” he patted the empty seat next to him.
Giggling, you joined him on the blanket. The sky was unusually clear, allowing you to admire the stars.
“Do you remember the day we met?” he suddenly asked. “It was actually right here. I stopped by your place to drop off a game for Jaehyun and he told me about this eclipse that was happening that night. So I headed up to the rooftop first and saw you with this ridiculously large telescope.”
He chuckled at the fond memory, bringing a smile to your lips as well.
“I was really into astronomy back then,” you nodded.
“Yeah, you rambled on about the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse. And the difference between an occultation and a transit,” he reminisced.
“I can’t believe you still remember that,” you laughed.
“Of course I do. That’s the day I fell for you,” he suddenly confessed, turning to meet your eyes. “The image of you excitedly sharing your passion with a complete stranger is forever ingrained in my mind. And since that day, my feelings for you have only grown deeper and stronger.”
You were shocked to say the least. Your friendship with Haknyeon had always been different from your friendship with your other guy friends. A tiny part of you knew that you liked him in a way that was different from the way you liked Kevin.
You had only ever dreamed of a moment like this. But now that it was actually happening, you were drawing a blank.
“It took me too long to ask this but would you please be my girlfriend, Y/n?” he sheepishly asked.
Still stunned, you couldn’t bring yourself to speak. Instead, you closed your eyes and pressed your lips against his. Taking that as your answer, Haknyeon smiled into the kiss.
member: haknyeon
genre: fluff
word count: 2,238
synopsis: on a healing trip to jeju island, you meet a guesthouse owner who goes the extra step to make sure you enjoy your stay.
a/n: happy birthday to our jeju boy, juhaknyeon ! 🍊
After impulsively quitting your job, you packed a suitcase and booked a last minute flight to Jeju Island. You wanted to escape but unfortunately didn’t have enough money for an international flight. So you found yourself flying over on a domestic plane.
Everything about this journey was spontaneous. The money you saved up on the side from your tedious 9-5 job was all spent on this healing trip. With nothing but a camera in your hands, you were determined to finally rest and have fun for once. You hadn’t had the luxury to do so in years.
Before you left Incheon Airport, you reserved a room at a random bed and breakfast you found online. “Tangerine Guesthouse”. It had a cute name.
The taxi dropped you off in front of the place and you cautiously walked in with your bag rolling behind you. You peaked inside the building, unsure if you were supposed to just enter.
“Hello!” a chirpy voice greeted you. Startled, you jumped as you turned around to face the person who nearly gave you a heart attack. Seeing him only made your heart beat faster. He was cute. Extremely cute.
“Are you here to rent a room?” he asked.
“Y-Yes, I made a reservation a couple of hours ago,” you pulled out your phone to show him the details.
“Ah, Y/n! Yes, welcome,” he beamed. “My name is Juhaknyeon but please call me Haknyeon.”
You reached out to shake his hand and were surprised to feel how soft they were.
“Allow me to show you to your room,” he said before guiding you upstairs.
The room was fairly small but cozy. It had everything you needed and made a cute space for photos. After Haknyeon left, you began to unpack.
You heard a knock on the door and mindlessly told your guest to come in. You looked up when they entered, surprised to see another male.
“Hello! I’m Sunwoo and I’m staying in the room next to yours,” he introduced himself. “I just wanted to stop by to say hi and get friendly.”
“Nice to meet you, Sunwoo. I’m Y/n,” you smiled.
“The other guests and I are gathering this evening to just chat over beer. Would you like to join us as well? We’d love to have you,” he said.
On a normal occasion, the introvert in you would have declined. However, you were on a healing trip and resolute about trying new things. So you happily accepted the invitation and promised to meet them in the yard at 7.
You had about four hours until then and decided to kill time by exploring the neighborhood. You enjoyed the change in scenery and the fresh air that Seoul could not offer.
You found yourself alone at a nearby beach and embraced the solitude. There were no managers yelling at you about deadlines or coworkers passive aggressively criticizing your work here. It was just you and the roaring waves. Grabbing your camera, you took a few shots of the salty sea. Perhaps you would return to your hobby and pursue photography.
You allowed yourself to consider it as an option as you headed back to the streets to look for a restaurant. You settled for the closest one and were satisfied with your choice when you took a bite of their seafood ramen.
You roamed around a bit more after the meal. You came across a souvenir shop and ended up spending a lot of time—and money—there. You certainly had a thing for cliche souvenirs. Keychains, magnets, mugs. You loved them all.
You came back to the lodging with a bag full of trinkets you knew you would keep instead of gifting. The retail therapy added a bounce in your walk as you climbed up the stairs. You organized them accordingly as you happily hummed.
You looked at the clock and saw that it was time to convene with the rest of the boarders. You threw on a cardigan before going back outside.
Haknyeon was by the grill flipping meat and Sunwoo was busy taking out the drinks from the fridge. You awkwardly stood around, not knowing where to go.
“Take a seat wherever you want,” Sunwoo called out.
Finding an empty spot, you sat down and looked around. The yard was decorated nicely to bring a nice ambiance.
“Hi, I’m Eric and this is Hyunjoon,” the guy next to you grinned.
You exchanged greetings with the two and introduced yourself. You had to admit it was nice to meet such amiable people.
The night went by with the five of you conversing over black pig samgyupsal and alcohol. Haknyeon was a big foodie, Sunwoo was a big tease, Eric was a big dork, and Hyunjoon was a big sports enthusiast. Hyunjoon came to Jeju to enjoy horseback riding and planned on dragging Sunwoo and Eric along.
“If you guys are down for some physical activity, I can destroy you in badminton,” Haknyeon suggested.
“Loser has to down a bottle of soju. Each,” Eric laughed evilly.
To make the teams fair, you were paired up with Haknyeon to play against the other three. He definitely proved his worth as the ace, easily winning 21-12. Sunwoo let out a scream, blaming Eric for his punishment suggestion. The latter tried to run away but was caught by Hyunjoon who handed him a bottle.
They all retreated to their rooms after fulfilling their penalty, leaving you and Haknyeon to clean up. The work was done relatively quickly and you made it back to your bed before midnight.
The next morning, you came out of your room clutching your Ryan doll that doubled as a pillow. You mumbled a “good morning” to Haknyeon who was preparing breakfast and chuckled at your appearance.
“Cute,” he commented on your tastes. You replied with a yawn, still not fully awake.
“The guys are probably gonna be hungover so I’m making some soup. I hope that’s okay with you,” he said.
He rolled up his sleeves before washing his hands. He then grabbed a knife and began cutting the vegetables. Your nose wrinkled at the sight of onions. You had forgotten to mention how picky you were. It was an embarrassing conversation to have as an adult. You had to explain how your childish tastebuds never matured while people let out an incredulous gasp. It was something you had to disclose every time you ate with someone new and it was honestly pretty tiring. People didn’t understand that you didn’t choose to be picky. Your tongue just refused the tastes of a lot of foods. It was more inconvenient for you than anyone else.
Nevertheless, you were excited to try the food made by the self proclaimed food connoisseur. You would just have to pick out the vegetables later.
The two of you decided to just eat together after the guys refused to wake up before noon. Haknyeon took a seat in front of you after he set the table and you thanked him.
To your relief, he didn’t seem so shocked by your childlike palate. He let the conversation end by saying something about respecting other people’s preferences.
Noticing your hair falling in front of your face, he got up to go look for something. He returned with a hair tie which he offered to you. It was just a courteous gesture but it still made you giddy regardless. The hair tie was probably just a spare left by previous guests but to you, it was a token. Something to remember him by.
“So, Y/n, what brings you to Jeju?” he questioned.
You’ve heard your name before many times in your life. Obviously. But hearing it from his voice felt different. The way your name rolled off his tongue made your heart skip a beat.
“Oh you know, just the typical “I wanted to get away from the city” trope,” you hummed.
“Classic,” he nodded.
After breakfast, Haknyeon volunteered to be your tour guide for the day. He showed you his favorite places in town and even drove further out to take you to the photo exhibition you wanted to see. You had a blast, taking a bunch of pictures to commemorate your trip.
When he asked why you used such a fancy camera and why you took photos of everything, you simply shrugged in response. Truthfully, you didn’t know why either.
For lunch, he brought you to a sashimi place where you bonded over a large platter of raw fish. Both the view and quality of the restaurant were amazing. And your company too, of course.
“Do your guests always get such personalized treatment?” you asked, raising a brow.
“Honestly? No,” he laughed. “I’m not that great of a host. Nor do I have the time and money to.”
“Then what’s all this? Today?”
“Hmm… I’m not quite sure.”
You left it at that and let him take you to an aquarium. Haknyeon had more fun watching you than looking at the animals. You were like a little kid in a candy store. Everything was fascinating to you.
The last time you visited an aquarium was for a field trip when you were in elementary school. It felt like you were going back to your childhood roots.
You made it back to the guesthouse in time for dinner. This time, you insisted on cooking. With the ingredients left in the fridge, you made kimchi fried rice. The smell lured the others down to join you two in the kitchen.
The rest of the night was rather uneventful, which you appreciated. You got to relish time just passing by. It was exactly what you came to Jeju for.
Back in your room, you connected your camera to your laptop to browse through the photos. Looking at them, you noticed that Haknyeon was in half of them.
“Maybe it was him I wanted to save in my memory,” you whispered under your breath.
Another week went by and you wished time would flow slower. Hyunjoon was the first to leave the guesthouse and it already felt a lot emptier without him. You hated goodbyes. You hated how all good things had to eventually come to an end.
The feeling made you cherish the remaining time you had left on the island. You spent your evenings with the guys and frequently chatted in the group chat with all five of you in it. You never expected to grow so fond of strangers you barely got to know. Haknyeon, in particular, had a special place in your heart.
He often took you out on what you liked to believe were dates. Under the guise of being your tour guide, he showed you the hidden parts of his hometown. Though he was slightly disappointed that your favorite thing from all the menus you’ve tried was the black sesame frappuccino from Starbucks.
“Really? Of all the things you’ve eaten and drank, you choose something from a chain store?” he had whined.
“Hey, they only have it here. I can’t get it anywhere else,” you defended.
He made it his mission to find you something local that would triumph over your love for the Starbucks drink. A close second was the makgeolli made and sold only in Jeju.
By the time Sunwoo and Eric left, you and Haknyeon had gotten extremely close. With him, it was so easy to open up and just be you. You practically lived in his room. You slept over after late night movies and cuddles.
Neither of you ever verbally defined your relationship. You were both somewhat afraid to ask what exactly you two were. Instead, you focused on each other.
“So you’re picking up photography again?” he asked with your head resting on his chest. The two of you were lazing around on the couch with a random show on for background noise.
“Possibly. It was always an interest of mine. I thought I’d get to have it as a side-job once I started working full time but I never got around to it. Trying to make a living was a lot harder than I thought it’d be,” you revealed.
“You definitely have the talent. I think you should take the opportunity and go for it,” he encouraged.
The idea lingered on your mind as the second week flew by. Your passion for photography had been pushed to the side as you struggled as a paycheck worker. You missed taking up odd gigs for extra cash in college.
On your last night at the guesthouse, you paused in the middle of dinner to stare at Haknyeon. The more time you spent with him, the more you didn’t want to leave. Changing your career path because of a guy was crazy. Moving to an island because of said guy that you only met two weeks ago was even crazier. But he inspired you to do what your heart desires. And that included being with him.
“What if I moved here to start freelancing? Publish that photography book I always dreamed of. Maybe set up my own studio one day,” you pondered aloud.
That proposition had many implications about the relationship between you two. He took a moment to carefully contemplate over it. Your heart pounded waiting for his response.
“If that’s what you truly want to do, I think that’d be nice,” he smiled, making your own face light up.
a/n: wow i was reminiscing my own time at jeju while writing this 🥺
and now, with this fic, i have officially written for all tbz members! :)
summary: Eric likes your kindness, but Haknyeon loves you even when you're wrong and spoiled and rotten.
tags: artstudent!au, unrequited love, jealousy, y/n has all kinds of issues and is all around not a nice person, nothing too healthy going on here, hurt/comfort in a twisted way
wc: 2k
a/n: yn is so awful and i love them just as much as haknyeon does ((also what is it with me writing yet another hak fic featuring eric like that lol))
masterlist
You smeared and splattered the paint onto the canvas, harsh red against the delicate scenery beneath. Wow, it’s so pretty. Eric’s words kept playing in your head, you’re so talented. His smile had been so sweet and radiant, looking at her with so much adoration it made you sick. Why did he like this painting so much? Why did he like her so much? It didn’t make sense—she was so plain and boring. Sure, she was nice, but so were you. Maybe not now, when jealousy was craning its ugly head, biting at your skin and bones with sharp fangs, eating you up alive and taking her painting down with you. But she deserved this, because she didn’t deserve him. No one did, except for you. With panting breath you destroyed her work, drowning the hours she had poured into this beneath unforgiving acryl. She’d never be able to fix this and the painting Eric had loved so much would forever be gone.
Once you were finished, satisfied with the destruction you’d caused, you were overcome with a serene calmness. You cleared away all the utensils. You washed the red paint like blood off your hands, tinted water running down your fingers and into the drain. You took a last look at your work. It’s so pretty, you thought. You’re so talented. And then you covered it up with the protective cloth it’d been hidden beneath, as if nothing had ever happened. You couldn’t wait for the curtain to fall.
You arrived early at the atelier, not wanting to miss out on the big scene. You weren’t worried about making yourself look suspicious, because who would ever think it was you? You were a good person.
Since no one of importance was there yet, you fully focused on your own painting, not interested in engaging in small talk with any of the NPC’s that were filling up the atelier already.
Your painting was different from hers, in every way possible. Where she liked light and watery colors, you preferred them vibrant; where she liked soft, delicate touches, you went for strong lines. Something like this suited Eric so much better, you suited him so much better, and the thought of that circled your mind with every brushstroke. You got so absorbed in painting, you almost didn’t notice when she and Eric arrived. It irked you that they came together, they weren’t even dating yet, so why did she have to hang around him like a moth to the light?
You gave them your sweetest smile. “Eric,” you said and he returned your smile with one of his own, bright and honest and beautiful.
“Y/n! You’re so early today!” He stepped behind you to take a look at your work, “Damn, this is so cool!”
You wanted to be happy but you were too aware of the difference between this compliment and the one she had gotten before. This was cool but hers was so pretty, she was so talented, it wasn’t the same.
“Thank you,” you replied sweetly.
Eric moved on then, walking over to her. She wasn’t at her canvas yet, instead opting to put on her apron first. It was easy to wear those by yourself, but of course she had to be clumsy about it until Eric volunteered to tie it for her, and then she did the same for him. You pressed your lips together, as if to physically stop your ugly feelings from spilling out.
“Aren’t they cute?” you suddenly heard a voice over your shoulder. You startled, too engrossed in watching them to notice Haknyeon walking up to you from behind. It took you a second to fix your expression.
“Yes,” you agreed, your voice just a little too high, “they really are.”
You thought you heard him huff a small laugh. Then his eyes landed on your canvas.
“You’re good. I like your use of color.”
“Thank you.”
“Especially the red.”
You stared at your painting and then glanced back at him. You forced out a sweet airy laugh. “There is no red?”
“Right. There isn’t.”
Before you could ask anything else, you were interrupted by a high pitched screech. She had finally moved to uncover her painting, her face contorted in horror and her knees giving out as she saw all her hard work destroyed. A sob escaped her throat.
“My painting,” she whimpered, “Who—why would anyone—?”
Eric was immediately by her side, catching her fall as she sank to the floor. Other students flocked to the scene as well.
“I don’t know, I kinda like it better like this,” Haknyeon whispered close to your ear, for no one else to hear, “It was so boring before. I’ve always preferred bolder colors anyway.”
You shook off the uncomfortable feeling his words were leaving in your guts. You didn’t have time for this, you needed to play your role well. With drawn together eyebrows you rushed over, kneeling at her side.
“This is awful, I can’t believe anyone would do this to you,” you comfortingly touched her shoulder. “And so close to the deadline too.”
Another sob broke out of her. “I-I won’t make it, I will fail.”
“No,” Eric immediately assured, “I’ll help you repaint it, we’ll finish in time.”
“But you have baseball too, Eric,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“It’s okay, I—uh—I will make it work somehow.”
“Don’t worry, Eric. I can help instead,” you offered sweetly, “so you just focus on baseball, and we will ace this, right?” You turned to her and her gaze was so full of gratitude, you almost felt sorry for her.
“Really? You would help me?”
“Of course, that’s what friends are for, right?”
She fell into your arms, sobbing a dozen thank you's as you awkwardly patted her hair. It was uncomfortable, but it was worth it.
“You’re truly the best, y/n,” Eric said and he looked at you like you’d hung the stars in the sky.
“No, no, I’m just doing what any decent person would do.”
“You really are such a decent person. Kind even,” Haknyeon’s voice echoed through the otherwise empty atelier. “Offering to help with her painting and now even cleaning up all by yourself.”
You looked up at him from where you’d been focused on cleansing the brushes, rinsing off all the remaining paint. He was standing in front of the new painting, eyeing it with a serious expression, index finger tapping against his chin. He almost looked like an art critic.
“Of course,” you said, your voice humble and sweet, “I’m her friend.”
Haknyeon raised an eyebrow. “And what a friend you are.”
“Excuse me?”
“Doesn’t it get tiring?” He raised his gaze, looking at you from across the room. His eyes were dark and they almost scared you.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You tried to push the feeling aside, leaving the brushes in a rack to dry before walking over to the new painting to cover it up. But Haknyeon didn’t step aside.
“I won’t lie, you’re good at acting,” he said with a grin, coming a little closer, “almost had me fooled. But we both know you aren’t pretty like that.” What he meant was pretty like her.
“You’re weird today, Hak,” you pressed out and it took you all your self-restraint to keep up your facade, a sweet voice and a sweet expression. His face fell when he took another step forward, his breath fanning over your skin and his hand coming up to cup your jaw.
“I hate that smile of yours the most,” he whispered, “it makes me want to vomit.” You stood there frozen as his thumb brushed over your lips, wiping your smile right off. And it worked, your mask fell just like that, every trace of sweetness gone from your face. Instead there was confusion and insecurity, that you quickly translated into anger.
“What do you want from me?!”
“Nothing much. You just intrigue me, is all,” he backed off, his attention back on the painting. “Honestly she should have just handed the other one in. It was so much more expressive.”
With that he waltzed out, leaving you alone with your thoughts in the silence of the atelier.
“I wanted to thank you again,” she said with the prettiest smile you’d ever seen, “For your help with my painting. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
“Oh, don’t mind it. It was fun to work on it together, too,” you returned her smile.
“Still, thank you,” she said before lowering her head and looking at her fidgety fingers, “and there is something else too.”
“Something else?” you asked, but right then Eric interrupted the two of you, casually wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Are you ready to go?”
She blushed up to her ears. “I-I was just thanking y/n,” she stuttered.
“You’re so cute,” Eric said, hugging her a little tighter, before turning to you. “She is right though, we really have to thank you.”
You felt sick. “What for?”
“Well, you’re our cupid, in some way,” he showed his bright and beautiful laugh, “somehow when we were talking about you and the painting the conversation strayed a little further and—I don’t really know how it came to be—but we’re dating now. And somehow it feels like it’s thanks to you.”
She nodded bashfully, her cheeks even redder than before if it was possible.
“You’re really our lucky charm,” Eric said.
“I must be.” You felt the porcelain crack, the undesirable parts of you threatening to seep out of the crevices that formed around your smile. But you kept it together just long enough to say "I’m happy for you," with sweet and sparkling eyes that had never been your own.
Haknyeon found you in the empty atelier, shards of a person held together only by string and tears. You were so close to falling into a thousand pieces, like the remains of your torn up canvas that were scattered around you. Your hair was a mess, sticking up in various directions and your cheeks were red and puffy from crying. You looked disastrous and ugly and so, so beautiful.
“Didn’t you know it would end up like this?” Haknyeon asked as he walked over, his voice calm. “They were always going to be together. It was just a matter of time.”
You let out a sob. “It’s not fair. Why couldn’t it be me? Why couldn’t he love me instead?”
“How could he?” Haknyeon knelt down in front of you, cradling your face with an unexpected gentleness and you just let him, too exhausted to pull back. “He never even got to see you. Who could fall in love with an empty shell like that?”
“I just wanted him to love me,” you whimpered, “I just wanted to be loved.”
“I know,” he replied, his thumbs wiping away your tears. “I know that.”
“I was so sweet and kind. I tried so hard to be perfect for him.”
“But you’re not. You’re not that sweet and kind, are you? That isn’t you.”
“But who would ever love me if I'm not?" you pressed out, your heart aching with the truth of it, “No one wants someone ugly like me.”
“I don’t mind,” Haknyeon whispered, pressing a chaste kiss onto your forehead, “You can be ugly with me. I’ll love every rotten inch of you.”
All you could do was stare at him, who was holding you so kindly, even though you were so unworthy of it all. “You will?”
“Unless you don’t want me to?”
“No, I do,” you replied too quickly, your hands clinging to the sleeves of his sweatshirt in desperation, “Love me. Love me so much that I forget what hating myself feels like.”
“Of course.” He smiled. “I’ll love you enough for the both of us.”
summary: haknyeon is a good friend, so of course he wants eric to listen to his heart and be happy. that's the only reason he tells him not to get back together with you—or is it?
tags: friends (?) to ?, suggestive, hooking up, (light) manipulation, alcohol consumption, rich kid au, unrequited love, non-linear story telling
wc: 2.5k
a/n: you could consider this a gossip girl au--iykyk lol anway this is kind of a mess but i had to get it out of my system so here we are
Masterlist
Haknyeon watched you with hawk eyes as you came through the door of the hotel bar, your steps sharp and your make-up just the tiniest bit smudged. His instincts told him something must have happened with Eric—or maybe it was the fact that he remembered you were supposed to be having a very special date with him tonight, planning to take things a step further. You pulled up the stool next to him to sit down and immediately looked for the bartender, who seemed busy chatting with some girls at the other end of the counter.
“What brings you here?” Haknyeon asked, propping up his chin on the palm of his hand, “Weren’t you supposed to spend the night elsewhere?”
“Shut up, Hak,” you scoffed, still trying to get the bartender’s attention.
“Don’t be like that, sunshine,” he said with a smile, pushing his drink in your direction. “Tell me what happened, I’ll lend you an ear.”
You didn’t hesitate to take the glass and down it in one go. “As if I still need to tell you. I’m sure Eric told you he was going to dump me, and you watched me run into this disaster of a night, probably laughing behind my back that I thought I could save this relationship if I—,” you interrupted yourself before putting the words out there, opting to wave for the bartender instead, who finally noticed you and moved to refill your—Haknyeon’s—glass. Meanwhile Haknyeon was just staring at you in disbelief.
“He dumped you?” He felt genuinely surprised. He did know that Eric had been acting a little weird these days, but he never thought he would actually consider breaking up with you, not when Eric’s family was so keen on your relationship.
“Don’t even pretend to care.”
You tried so hard to look composed, your pride keeping you from breaking down, but Haknyeon saw the way your hands trembled when you lifted the refilled glass to your lips.
“But I do,” he whispered, “I do care.”
Haknyeon’s mind was stuck elsewhere, cold and empty bed sheets mainly, so he was barely able to pay attention to what his friend was saying—at least until your name suddenly got mentioned.
“I think I’ll get back together with y/n.” Eric said it so casually, as if that weren’t the worst news Haknyeon had ever heard. He stopped in his tracks, feet rooted to the park’s pebbled path.
“What?”
“Maybe the break up was kinda rash.”
“Was it really? You said it was for the best when you broke up with her. Why suddenly change your mind? Realized you love her after all?”
Eric bit his lower lip. “It’s not that,” he mumbled. “It's just—it's really important to my family that I stay with her. They even brought up Grandma's engagement ring.”
“The ring, huh?” Haknyeon tried to play it cool, huffing a weak laugh, “It’s that serious?”
“They need that deal with her mom and she might not invest because of the break up…”
Haknyeon could tell from the way his shoulders slumped that Eric wasn’t happy about this. He didn’t want to get back together with you, he didn’t want to toy with your feelings like that, but he didn’t want to disappoint his family either.
“Still,” Haknyeon looked at his friend with concern, “Shouldn’t you listen to your heart on this? Think it through before you do anything. Don’t be a pushover, don’t make yourself miserable.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Eric kicked a pebble with his foot, “But I’ve already texted her to meet up tonight. Talk things through, you know?
“You—what?”
He shrugged and it looked truly pitiful. “They really put pressure on me, you know?”
Haknyeon sighed, running his hand through his hair. He’d been convinced things between the two of you were over, for good. “But you don’t love her,” he reasoned.
“I’m sure I could, if I just try hard enough.”
“It's not about trying, Eric. And even then, are you sure you can make her love you?"
“What do you mean?” Eric looked genuinely confused at his words, perhaps even hurt. “She loves me—she said she did?”
“You broke up with her. She moved on.”
“How do you know?” There was a frown etched onto his features.
Haknyeon pressed his lips together, a show of how painful it was to be the harbinger of bad news to his good friend. “I didn't want to tell you, but she hooked up with someone else after your break up.”
“Who is it? And who told you that?”
“Does it matter? She doesn’t want you anymore, Eric."
It was a lie. You would always want him, Haknyeon knew that very well. He just wished it was different.
Haknyeon hadn’t met with you since the night of your break up with Eric, but god, how he’d longed to see you again. You looked pretty, all dolled up, and Haknyeon hated that it wasn’t for him.
“What’s up, sunshine?” He put on a smile, sitting down next to you at the very same counter where you’d shared drinks just a week ago.
“What do you want, Hak?”
“Is that any way to greet a friend?” With a small wave of his hand the bartender poured him a drink and sat it down in front of him.
“Whatever, just don’t get too comfortable. I’m waiting for someone.”
“Eric?” He took a sip of his drink, “are you sure he’ll come?”
“He’s just running late,” you insisted, nursing your own glass, but Haknyeon could see the insecurity in your eyes.
“Wanna bet, if you’re so confident?”
“Sure, bring it on.”
A smile spread on Haknyeon’s lips. “Alright. If you win, I’ll owe you a favor.”
“Anything goes?”
“Anything.”
“And if I lose?”
“You’ll be mine.” He held out his hand, “Deal?”
You frowned. “What kind of bet is that?”
“Where did your confidence go? There is nothing to worry about, unless of course, you don’t think he’ll show up after all?” Haknyeon knew you were too prideful to back down from the challenge, and you proved him right when you took his hand.
“Fine. Deal. But now leave, he'll come any second and I don't want you to be here."
"As you wish." He took his glass and sat down in one of the corner booths instead, with a good view of the door. He knew Eric wouldn’t come, he knew, and yet there was still this underlying fear that his friend would come waltzing in here, as if today's conversation had never happened. Maybe Haknyeon hadn’t been able to convince him, maybe he'd changed his mind, maybe he'd realized in the face of losing you that he was in love with you after all—there were too many variables for Haknyeon to feel truly calm. Not that he would ever let it show, though. No, Haknyeon nursed his drink with class and confidence, indulging whoever came to start a conversation with him and pretending not to grow more nervous with every second. That was, until you appeared at the booth, not meeting his gaze when you laid your phone onto the table in front of him.
“Let’s just go,” you said, already strutting towards the elevator.
Haknyeon’s eyes dropped to your phone screen, Eric’s chat open for him to see with the newest message being mere minutes old.
i’m sorry, y/n.
He pressed his lips together. Of course, he’d known it would be like this, hoped for it too, but he still felt sorry for you. You didn’t deserve this, but neither did you deserve to stay in a relationship that was only held up out of a sense of duty. You deserved to be loved.
Haknyeon scrambled to his feet, emptying his glass and pocketing your phone before hurrying after you. The elevator arrived with a ping the second he caught up, and he followed you into the small, mirrored space. You didn’t look up, nor did you press any buttons, so Haknyeon did it in your stead, going up to his penthouse suite.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered when the doors closed, handing you back your phone. You just let out a scoff. “Don’t bother. You must be so happy about this, you love winning.”
“Yeah,” he stepped a little closer, his hands ghosting over your upper arm, “but I love you more. I love you.” He meant it, but he knew you didn’t believe him. Or maybe you just needed it to be untrue, because it made things easier for you. He couldn’t blame you.
“Sure,” your voice was lifeless as you wrapped your arms around his neck, still not meeting his gaze as you walked him back until he bumped into the handrail on the wall of the elevator, “I love you too.”
“No, you don’t,” his hands found your lower back and his nose lightly nuzzled your neck.
“No,” you agreed before you tilted your head and brushed your lips against his, “but just for tonight I can pretend.”
He kissed you back, only pulling away when the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. You pulled him out into the small hallway to the door of his suite waiting for him to unlock it, but he hesitated.
“Are you sure?”
You raised an eyebrow, “This was your bet.”
“Yeah. But that doesn’t matter if you don’t want this.”
“Where are these qualms coming from suddenly, Hak?” You leaned into him, your lips ghosting over his, “It’s too late for reservations. Did you forget that we already crossed the line once?”
As if he could ever forget about it, as if he hadn’t spent every waking moment thinking about it since it happened. “Doesn’t mean we have to cross it again.”
You reached into his jacket, fishing out the key card from the inner pocket. “But I want to.”
“Fine,” he pulled you into a kiss before he let go, giving you the room to unlock the door, “but don’t complain later.”
“What brings you here?” Haknyeon asked, propping up his chin on the palm of his hand, “Weren’t you supposed to spend the night elsewhere?”
“Shut up, Haknyeon,” you scoffed, still trying to get the bartender’s attention.
“Don’t be like that, sunshine,” he said with a smile, pushing his drink in your direction. “Tell me what happened, I’ll lend you an ear.”
“As if I still need to tell you. I’m sure Eric told you he was going to dump me, and you watched me run into this disaster of a night, probably laughing behind my back because I thought maybe I could save this relationship if I—”
“He dumped you?”
“Don’t even pretend to care.”
“But I do,” he whispered into his glass, too quiet for you to hear over the noise of the bar, “I do care.”
“Just do what you do best: distract me,” you added with another sip from your drink.
A grin played on Haknyeon’s lips. If that was what you wanted, he could do that. “I know just the place,” he said, getting up from his stool and holding out his hand for you to take.
“Lead the way,” you replied, taking the offer and letting him guide you out of the hotel bar and into the city’s nightlife.
As the night went on, a few drinks too many on either side, you started to loosen up, forgetting about your pain and heartbreak. Haknyeon loved seeing you like that, smiling and dancing without inhibition. He hadn’t seen you laugh so wild and free in a long time, not since things with Eric had started to go downhill, and even though he hated that you’d been hurt, he loved to see this side of you.
“Thanks,” you mumbled, once you were in the back of his car, Haknyeon’s driver taking you back, “For the ride. And for the distraction.” You turned your head to look at him, red lips and flushed cheeks, and Haknyeon couldn’t help gazing at you, the alcohol clouding his brain too much to be subtle in his admiration.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, knowing it didn’t match the flow of the conversation.
You let out a chuckle. “What are you saying?”
“It’s true.”
“Eric’s your friend,” you reasoned, but Haknyeon didn’t miss the way your eyes dropped to his lips.
“Aren’t you my friend too?” he tilted his head, looking at you through hooded eyes.
“Right,” you inched closer, until Haknyeon felt your breath fanning over his lips, “you have a point there.”
“I do,” he whispered, before he closed the gap and kissed you.
Haknyeon was aware that morally this wasn’t the soundest choice he’d ever made. You’d only just gotten dumped by your boyfriend, who also happened to be his friend. He shouldn’t have kissed you, nor should he pull you into his lap. But how could he resist, when you returned the kiss so sweetly? How could he push you away, when your hands wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer? There was no way he would pass up this chance just to meet some sort of moral standard and, frankly, while this wasn't the best he’d still made way more questionable choices before. He’d deal with the repercussions later. Tomorrow, maybe.
Except, tomorrow didn’t exactly start the way he’d imagined. Because instead of finding your sleeping figure next to him, the other half of his bed was empty, the messy sheets the only trace you’d left behind before rushing out. It seemed, while he didn’t regret the choices made and actions taken, you must have felt a little different about it. Of course you did. After all, you were still in love with Eric. Still, it felt lonely to wake up alone.
Haknyeon somewhat expected to wake up by himself again. It wasn’t that he didn’t hope for you to stay, it was just that he’d already prepared himself for disappointment the moment you’d kissed him in the elevator. But when he opened his eyes, the morning sun on his face tickling him awake, he found you were still there, sound asleep and wrapped up in his arms. You looked peaceful with your face tucked into his chest, your breathing calm and steady. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of your forehead, watching fondly as your nose scrunched up a bit at the ticklish feeling, before you snuggled closer. How someone could not be in love with you was a miracle to him, but he should probably be grateful that it was possible. Because now that he knew what it felt like to have you, not just for a night but in the morning too, there was no way he was going to hand you back to Eric again. He’d win you over, so that the next time you’d tell him you loved him, you would actually mean it.
