#lee donghyuk x reader

[neogotmycookie]

same page | l.dh

summary: you don’t necessarily mind admiring lee haechan from afar, but when the opportunity for you to get closer presents itself, you grasp it, and eventually you come to the realisation that whilst you’ve been too busy admiring, you’ve failed to notice that he’s been doing exactly the same. pairing: student!haechan x f!reader. mdni! adults only. genre: university!au, fluff, strangers to acquaintances to lovers, smut! word count: 32k (i am sorry) tags/warnings: alcohol consumption, smoking/vaping, swearing, talks of fetishes, explicit sexual content, kissing (a lot), making out, semi-public shenanigans(not sex), spitting (yum), fingering, dry humping, oral (both receiving), multiple orgasms, multiple smut scenes, dirty talk, praise, light chocking, lots of teasing, protected sex, overstimulation, haechan is cocky but also pathetic, haechan being bf material without even being her bf, he calls her a brat like once, petnames (baby, pretty, baby girl, good girl), she calls him “hae”, they’re both down bad, soft dom!haechan, sub!reader, switch!haechan, cumshot oops, aftercare, he’s just a good guy, both are mature but can be too in their head at times, there’s no toxicity or angst in this fic, ✨communication✨, pls let me know if i missed anything! other characters: the whole dream gang, chenle & ningning as oc’s besties a/n: hi all! this is my first ever fic (that I'm posting lol) and I've poured my heart and soul into it so i hope you show some love. it's definitely not perfect and i could keep rereading and finding things that I'd change but I've kept my writing in the dark for long enough and if i don’t post this now i know i never will, so please take it! I do have a part 2 in the works, which will be diving into their feelings and more angsty themes, but for now I hope you lovely people enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it xoxo ps. the idea for this fic blossomed while i was listening to eye candy by justin bieber, so might be worth giving it a listen whilst reading → Part 2

It's not like you’re obsessed with Lee Haechan. You just enjoy looking at him. You barely even know the guy, but, annoyingly, he's difficult to ignore. Difficult not to notice. And it’s not like you’ve spoken much to each other either, apart from the rare exchange of a few words here and there or the odd nod of acknowledgement in corridors.  

There was this one time where he sat next to you in class, but that was only because he was late and the seat next to yours was the only empty one that was close to the entrance of the classroom. That was the first time he smiled at you. Nothing more than casual and polite but it still made your heart race.

Then, of course, there was the time where you bumped into him on the street, while you were on your way to a date, which ended up being disastrous, but that didn’t really bother you. What bothered you was the fact that he was also on his way to a date. With a girl. A girl he chose to go on a date with. A girl that he probably found pretty. A girl that wasn't you. Regardless, that didn’t negate the fact that, that night you had your first ever conversation with him. It was brief, but it happened, and it certainly left you with a bittersweet taste in your mouth, which was probably why you later couldn’t focus on the boy you matched with on that godforsaken dating app. And as mean as it sounded in your head, you hoped Haechan’s date went as badly as yours. 

Next time you saw him, was at a campus party you got dragged to by Chenle and Ningning. Mark convinced Chenle, who convinced Ningning, who forced you and it’s not like you don’t enjoy a fun night out with friends and alcohol, you just weren’t in the right mood that night and you were convinced that being in your luteal phase had definitely something to do with it.   

You remember instantly spotting him in the kitchen, leaning lazily against the counter as he was speaking to a girl you didn’t recognise and you could tell just from her side profile that she was nothing but attractive. You watched as she reached and took the drink he was holding, bringing it up to her lips, tasting the contents of the cup but also him, and you decided to look elsewhere before witnessing anything that would (but definitely shouldn’t) ruin your night.   

You were determined to spend the rest of the party as far away from him as possible, forcing poor Chenle to go and refill your drink in the kitchen every time you ran out. You were more than aware it might have sounded silly to anyone else, but you didn’t want to go down the rabbit hole of trying to get someone’s attention, when they were clearly not interested. You’d been that person in the past, and you refused to make the same mistakes again. At the end of the day, it was just a crush. It would go away eventually. Right?  

When the party started to die down, you found yourself in the back garden with no one else other than the lovely Na Jaemin, after you stumbled upon him being sick in a fake plant pot. You could have left him in his own fate, but knowing yourself, you would definitely feel guilty for the rest of the night, if you didn’t make sure he was safe. You started to regret your decision about 10 minutes later, when he had already fallen asleep with his head in your lap and you were sure he was drooling on you, but that was the least of your concerns in that moment. Thankfully, Chenle picked up on the first ring and when you asked him to come outside with reinforcements, he immediately said, “I’ll be there in a sec.”

The reinforcements, of course, being Jeno and Haechan, wasn’t exactly what you had in mind, but you weren’t in a position to be picky. You found out shortly after that Haechan had only stepped outside for a smoke and got dragged into ‘helping’, which he refused to do since, according to him, Jaemin had put him in that position countless of times and he’s sick of looking after a grown ass man who’s got the alcohol tolerance of a twelve year-old. You found his point more than valid, but you didn’t say anything.   

When Chenle and Jeno disappeared back inside, carrying a whiny and barely coherent Jaemin, you found yourself alone with the boy you had initially tried to steer clear of at all costs. Your mission miserably failed that night and at the end of it all you realised one thing; whatever it was that you felt for Lee Haechan, wasn’t just a harmless crush.   

“I gotta admit, that was slightly entertaining.” He said as he took the seat that Jaemin had previously been occupying next to you on the wooden bench.   

You must have sat there with him for about an hour, talking about everything and nothing, while enjoying the early summer breeze and the freedom that came with the end of finals. He insisted on getting you an uber home when you announced that you were going to walk because your phone had died and when you asked if you could pay him back somehow, he said, “Just don't be a stranger next year.”  

Autumn  

You were aware Zhong Chenle was an evil little thing, but you hadn’t pegged him for a traitor. And betrayed is what you felt as you read the message on your screen over and over again.   

@kh1000le: greetings folks, party at my new place this saturday @8 – I'll add the deets later but feel free to invite more people. ps. don’t forget to bring extra booze.  

You look up from your phone, remembering you're still in class and the professor is still talking stats. Your eyes instantly land on Haechan, still sitting two rows ahead of you, between Jeno and Jaemin and you can tell he’s looking down, probably reading the message you were reading just seconds ago. Jaemin shifts closer to whisper something in his ear and Haechan leans in to hear better. He quickly nods his head agreeing to whatever Jaemin says. 

You turn your attention back to your phone again as more notifications flood your screen. Other people in the group chat responding and reacting to messages. Haechan is still silent. No reactions or responses. You wonder what he's thinking. But most of all, you wonder if he's noticed you're also in that group chat. Would he recognise your username? You only started following each other the day after that party before summer, but it’s been almost four months now and there has certainly been no exchange of messages.   

Suddenly, you notice people have started packing up their belongings and you quickly start doing the same, hoping you can flee the scene as fast as possible, before Jaemin comes up to you with questions about the party.   

The second you step outside the doors and into the corridor, you exhale, relieved to have succeeded and as you start walking towards the main building exit you realise you spoke too soon.   

"Y/n, wait up!"

You close your eyes muttering a quiet “shit” to yourself. You put on a smile and turn around, Jaemin quickly approaching you. Haechan, who's trailing a few steps behind him, isn’t really paying attention, already in a conversation with Jeno.   

“Jeez woman, you sure walk fast. You got somewhere to be?” He speaks fast as he tries to catch his breath.  

“Hey Jaemin, yeah, sorry, I'm in a rush, how can I help?" You try and respond as nonchalantly as possible.   

"I just saw you're in that group chat and I'm assuming you'll be there on Saturday?" He asks with eyes full of hope.   

"Yes sir. I'm actually meeting up with Chenle now to talk logistics." You explain quickly, seeing Haechan getting closer from your peripheral.

"Ahhh that makes sense, I just wanted to ask if we should bring anything else other than alcohol?"   

"Just your drink of choice will be enough for you I reckon, don't want you ruining any of his new plants." You say with a teasing tone. 

"Yah!" He complains with a pout that is nothing but laughable. 

"Hey Y/N." Jeno approaches with a smile and joins your conversation. “Is this man bothering you?”   

“Not really, just making sure he doesn't die of alcohol poisoning on Saturday.” You try to keep your eyes on Jeno, avoiding the handsome boy who's also joined your little group. 

”I thought you were a nice one.” Jaemin whines like a little child while a frown adorns his face.   

“You’ve been fooled my friend,” Jeno comes to stand next to you, throwing an arm around your shoulders, shaking you playfully. “She’s evil.”   

You're mid eye roll when Haechan’s voice cuts through. “Seems pretty harmless to me.” He’s standing next to Jaemin now. One hand in his pocket, the other holding the strap of his bag. You notice the two rings adorning his middle fingers. Such a pretty hand, you think, the veins prominent, running down his smooth arm, disappearing underneath an oversized check shirt he's wearing over a white t-shirt. You then notice he's got a pair of jorts on and you can't help but wonder who can even pull off jorts that effortlessly nowadays.   

Your attention drifts back up to his face, the most adorable boba eyes are twinkling as he looks at you and his captivating mouth offers you a cheeky smile. A small dimple appears, barely there for you to see and you think you're on the verge of throwing up. His lips move again and you watch him carefully like he’s moving in slow motion. "Hi." His hand leaving his pocket and raising in the air to offer you a quick wave. It's annoying how such a small and casual gesture makes your heartbeat faster and your cheeks feel warmer. You're pretty sure your eyes are giving you away, showing how affected you are behind the stoic expression you’re struggling to maintain. You never thought you'd be here, but you have Chenle to thank. Or maybe strangle. You haven't decided yet.   

"Hi." You return the smile as calmly as you can, foregoing the wave. You don't think your limbs are working properly right now and you're pretty sure your fingers are slightly shaking by your sides. And you’re now thankful for Jeno’s arm still draped around you, the weight grounding and necessary. You feel your phone vibrate a few times in your back pocket, assuming it's either Chenle or Ning checking if you're alive and that pulls you out of your trance. “Evil is a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”   

”That’s funny, remember when you told me to go fuck myself and read a book whilst I’m at it?"   

“Oh, I’m sorry,” You shove his arm off you in fake annoyance. “Did I offend you?” You feign concern dramatically. “Remember when you asked me if I’ve got any friends who need, and I quote, an unforgettable dicking down session and then proceeded to say, and I quote again, ‘is Murakami the fella who wrote that book about some Norwegian guy’s dick?’” You get slightly irritated just at the memory. 

"Ahhh that explains it! This guy came back home a few months ago asking if anyone’s got a copy of Norwegian Wood." Jaemin looks at you as he explains, whilst pointing a mocking finger at Jeno. 

"Oh? You actually read it then?" You ask with a hopeful smile and Jeno offers you a shy nod. Maybe there's hope for him after all. 

“Read it? He actually cried when he got to the part where Naoko kills herself.” Haechan snorts at Jeno’s sour expression and reaches out to lightly pinch his cheek. He instantly gets shoved away. “Aw come on, I thought it was endearing.” Haechan turns to look at you now. “I was wondering who made him read that.” He holds your gaze while you hold your breath, and you wish someone could hold your heart as it’s about to beat out of your chest. “I love that book.” He admits with a smile, and you celebrate internally, because you knew he wasn’t just a pretty face, and you feel giddy knowing that you’ve both loved the same thing, even if it’s just a book. 

You picture him sitting in a pink cafe, wearing a cozy sweater, looking all warm and comfy while turning page after page. You find yourself wanting to ask if he’s read it more than once, like you have and what his thoughts are on the ending. But you don’t. Not yet. 

“Well maybe you two nerds should join a book club.” Jeno bitterly says.   

“I mean, I’d be down?” Haechan raises his eyebrows suggestively at you. Mothefucker.   

“I would, but unfortunately I have somewhere to be right now.” Your response causing his tongue to poke in his cheek, trying to fight off a smile. The gesture making him look incredibly handsome and boyish at the same time and if you were a cartoon character, pink heart eyes would be bulging out of your eye sockets. You force yourself to look away from Haechan's face, opting to divert your gaze between the other two boys instead. They're both carrying amused expressions, looking between you and Haechan and you feel like you’re missing something.   

“Ouch.” Jaemin says with a laugh, now mocking Haechan.   

“See?” Jeno looks at both of his friends, crossing his arms over his chest as if proving a point. “Told you she’s evil.” He smiles like he’s proud of you.   

And that’s your queue to escape. ”Right, well, as lovely as this has been, I actually have to go.”   

“Okay, busy queen.” Jaemin snaps his fingers and you can instantly picture him getting along with Chenle. “We’ll see you Saturday then.” He smiles sweetly.   

”You will indeed. Don’t be too late.” You say with a warning, pointing a finger between all three of them.  

”Yes, mam.” Jeno nods in agreement.   

You look at Haechan one last time. His expression contemplative, almost like he's torn between saying something else and keeping quiet. The way he's observing you makes you feel like he's already got you all figured out. Like there's no way he doesn't know you’re having trouble breathing, all because of him.

“See you Saturday.” He says in the sweetest tone, smiling at you like he's done it a million times before.  

You give him a small nod goodbye and when you start to walk away you try your best to do so at a normal speed, not wanting to give away the fact that you're practically running away.   

You hear Jaemin's loud voice again. “Bye Y/N!”   

”Bye Jaemin!” You respond, mimicking his cheerful tone without looking back.   

As you head towards the exit, you've already decided you're going to go with the option of strangling Chenle. Because there’s no way you’re surviving Saturday night without going clinically insane. Not if Haechan holds your gaze the way he did just a few moments ago. Not if he talks the way he talks and certainly not if he looks as good as he always does. 

You’re done for.   

_

You’re baffled as to how and why Chenle knows this many people. You assume majority are friend of friends and acquaintances, because you’ve known the boy for three years now and never has he mentioned more than five names. You’re also starting to get worried he might get a noise complaint from the people occupying the flat downstairs, but you assume he has already warned them about tonight.   

Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud exclaim and you feel like laughing when you hear Chenle’s screechy voice shouting Mark’s name excitedly, announcing his drunkenness along with the older boy’s arrival.   

"Lover boy still not here?" Ningning teases you as you check the time on your phone for the umpteenth time that night. She takes a sip from her drink and looks over your shoulder. "Relax, it only 9pm." 

"I'm relaxed." You defend quickly. She takes in your stressed expression and pauses to think for a second. "What?"  

"Nothing, I just realised I haven't seen you so excited about a boy before. It's refreshing." She smiles while trapping the straw between her pearly whites. "Speak of the devil." She jerks her chin towards the direction of the door and you instantly know who she’s referring to, but you don't dare to turn around and look yet. You feel like your heart is going to beat out of your chest and Ningning sets her drink down on the kitchen counter before taking hold of both your shoulders. "Y/N, we talked about this. There's literally no reason to freak out. If he flirts, flirt back. Let it happen naturally yeah?" Her tone serious, as if you're both on a mission. 

You widen your eyes comically to match hers, nodding your head quickly while trying not to laugh at her expression. It’s almost as though she’s more anxious than you are. "Ning, I'm good. I got it."  

"Just saying, he'd be a dimwit not to like you." One of her hands pushes a strand of hair behind your ear and the comforting act gives you the reassurance you didn’t know you needed. "Plus, this dress makes your tiddies look yummy." She smirks and you wack her hand away with a laugh when she reaches out to poke into the bit of cleavage that spills from the top of your dress. You can tell she's entered the realms of tipsiness, and you wish you were there with her too, but the tequila shot from earlier definitely didn't do its job. 

"Fuck me, didn’t think this many people would turn up." Jaemin's loud voice startles both of you, making you turn around and you're met with the three boys from your stats class. "Good thing we brought reinforcements, huh?" He says excitedly, shaking a Jack Daniels bottle.   

"Are you a middle aged man by any chance?" Ningning's face scrunched up in disgust as she inspects the whiskey bottle in Jaemin's hands. "What happened to just drinking plain old vodka at parties?"

"Ah, Jeno is your guy." Jaemin points his thumb behind him and Jeno raises the hand holding a vodka bottle.   

Jeno's face lights up when he spots the unused cups and heads over to start making drinks for him and Ningning. "Lemonade?" He asks, looking at her and she nods excitedly. "Same for you Y/N?" His eyes on you now.  

"Nah, I'm on gin tonight, thanks though." You smile appreciatively at him.  

"Guess I'm your guy then."   

Fuck.  

Your eyes instantly meet. He's already smiling down at you, and he looks so good. Too good for your respiratory system to function properly. His dark hair is messily styled, fringe almost covering his eyes. He's got a black button-down shirt on, top three buttons undone, collarbones on display and sleeves rolled up revealing his veiny forearms, all effortlessly combined with dark blue jeans and black converse. Pretty. Perfect.   

Without permission, his hand engulfs yours, wrapping around your drink, bringing the cup to his lips, your own hand slipping down as he downs the liquid in one big gulp. The cooling feeling of his rings lingers, and you can’t help but stare at his neck as he swallows and then his eyes are on you again, his tongue slightly darting out to lick his bottom lip where there's a drop of liquid. His eyebrows furrow and he nods in approval. 

"Lemonade it is." He casually says, like he didn’t almost just cause your heart to fail. He takes your now empty cup with him, joining Jeno at the counter.   

"Well then," Jaemin feigns disappointment, eyebrows furrowing dramatically. "I guess I'm having this whole whiskey bottle to myself."  

"I'm sure Chenle would help you out." Ningning half jokes. "Good luck finding him though." 

"Yeah, what the hell, this place is so crowded." Jeno returns with two drinks and hands one of them to Ningning. "It might be a bit strong, sorry." He warns her.   

Her face grimaces slightly when she takes a reluctant sip, proving Jeno right, making you both laugh. "Eh, it'll do." She says carelessly, "I've had a stressful week."  

"Here to help." Jeno raises his cup, and they do a quick cheers. They start conversing comfortably about why her week was stressful and you're pretty sure they've never met before but that's Ningning. Top yapper, never awkward.   

"Yours might be a bit on the strong side too." Haechan says apologetically as he stands in front of you, handing you back your now full cup. You smile at the sparkly straw he's added. Cute. "Try it."  

And you do. It feels too intense, almost intimate, drinking while holding eye contact with someone, let alone this fine man, so you don't. But you feel his eyes on you as you take a sip. And you really do hope the drink is strong, because if you're going to survive tonight, alcohol will be your savior. He's looking at you, carefully taking in your expression as you taste the drink, almost as if he's sat on the edge of his seat waiting for your reaction.   

"It's good. Thank you." You smile appreciatively as you welcome the slight burn in the back of your throat and he mirrors you excitedly. 

"Good." He nods with a satisfied expression. Then he lets his eyes wander downwards. He takes in your dress in a not-so-subtle way, and you could swear he’s checking you out. You watch his eyes move on you and you love how he's still holding his cup close to his lips, touching the bottom one. You fight against the urge to reach out and drag it down with your thumb. Would he mind if you did that? You reach behind you instead, resting one hand against the counter to somewhat ground yourself, and the action seems to bring him back to reality. Is he always this obvious? 

"Did you also have a stressful week?" He asks casually, like he wasn't just staring at your boobs a second ago. His eyes on yours now.  

"Huh?"  

"Your friend said she's had a stressful week," He explains, chuckling at your confusion. "Was just asking if it was the same for you."  

"Oh right. Umm, I dunno." You shrug. "A little, I guess." 

"How come?" His head tilts to the side slightly.  

"It's always fine until Thursday to be honest." Your admission holds a double meaning and he seems to catch on as the sides of his lips slightly lift amusedly.   

"Really? I thought Thursday was our day, no?" He playfully pouts and you’re trying your best not to let his smooth words affect you. Our day? What a little shit. You notice the silver chain around his neck and you can't help but feel a tinge of shame at the inappropriate thoughts that flood your mind. 

"Just not a big fan of stats." You make up an excuse with a slight delay, hoping that he can't tell you're practically ogling him. 

He nods understandingly. "You and me both. I've been seriously thinking about dropping it next semester."  

"What would you choose instead?" You ask curiously, trying to cover the frown that takes over your face at the thought of not sharing any classes with him. 

"Why, you interested in joining me?" Is he flirting or have you already gone insane?   

"Depends." You shrug, twirling the sparkly straw, eyes not leaving his. 

"I think I'd go for creative writing." He studies your face for a reaction.   

“Oh?” Your eyebrows raise in surprise. “So you really did mean it when you said you wanted to join a book club.” You tease with newfound confidence and he lets out an airy chuckle. 

“That offer's gone now, you turned me down.” He says with a smirk.   

"I'm sure I could convince you to reconsider." You say with a suggestive tone, catching him off guard and before he can retort with a witty response, you return to your initial subject. “So, you wanna be a writer or...?”  

"Well, no, not exactly.” His voice is hesitant, eyes lowering to look at his drink, almost as if he’s embarrassed. Does he think you’ll judge him? You suddenly get the feeling that you might have overstepped.   

“Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. You don’t have to-”  

“No, no, you’re good.” His words are rushed, his head shaking quickly, hand reaching to touch your arm reassuringly. It’s light, quick, barely there but his fingers feel hot against your skin. Before you have time to react, he continues. “I just- I don’t really go around talking about personal goals and what not, don’t want you to think I’m flaunting.”  

“Why would I think you’re flaunting?” Your perplexed tone causing him to smile. 

“I wanna make music.” Eyes carefully watch you as he waits for a reaction. When you just nod for him to continue, he almost looks surprised but quickly recovers, clearing his throat. ”So, I thought creative writing would help.”  

"So, you wanna write songs." You state as if to make sure that you heard him correctly and he nods, still watching your face. "Or have you already?" You ask carefully and he chuckles at your attempt to keep your nosiness to a minimum but failing.   

He moves to stand next to you, leaning against the counter. You feel like you can breathe again, now that his eyes aren't on you, but his arm brushes against your shoulder and you almost shiver when you feel the warmth radiating off him. You get a whiff of his scent, subtly inhaling, cologne and detergent mixing into an intoxicating potion that clouds your senses. He's too close but you somehow want him closer. You suddenly wonder where Chenle is and instantly feel bad for threatening to cut his air circulation. This is good. This feels good.   

He looks down at his drink, in thought. "I play the piano, so creating a melody is relatively simple if I really put my mind to it." Oh? He looks at you again and you feel scrutinised under his gaze. Suddenly, your shoes are very interesting to look at. "It's just the words I struggle with." He admits.   

"Maybe you need to find some sort of inspiration?" You suggest.  

"Maybe." He puts his drink down and leans against the counter, crossing his hands on his chest. "Got anything in mind? 

"I mean, it could be a person." You say nonchalantly, without really thinking. "Unless you’ve already got that covered?" The bold question comes out before your brain can process the thought and you internally scream.   

He smiles wide now. Pearly whites on display. His eyes back on yours. "I thought you didn’t mean to pry." He teases and laughs when your eyes widen. “I’m joking.” He elbows your side softly and you almost gasp as the touch. Why does he keep touching you?   

“I tend to get nosy after a couple of drinks, sorry.” You huff a quick laugh before taking another sip of your drink, trying to distract yourself.  

“You can be nosy, I don’t mind.” He says in a more serious tone now and you feel his gaze on you. Choosing to keep your eyes on your drink seems like a wise choice, watching as you swirl the liquid in your cup. "To answer your question though, I currently have no clue what or who I'd write about." He responds indirectly, but the implication is clear. He reaches for his drink again in thought. "Maybe ask me in a year's time? Hopefully I’ve found a source of inspiration by then."   

“That’s fair.” You pick up your phone from the counter and after unlocking it you click on your calendar app. You scroll until you find next year’s October and select today's date. He looks over your shoulder and laughs when he reads 'Ask Haechan about his songwriting' as the reminder's title. You show him your screen and smile when you see the approval on his face.   

"Yeah, that works." He nods.  

You look around and notice that all your friends are now gone. "We should probably mingle." You suggest.   

"Right, yeah." He agrees with a nod, looking around just like you did a second ago. 

When you spot Ningning in the crowd, she's laughing with Jeno and Jaemin. Their attention on Chenle and the girl who's got her tongue down his throat. You and Haechan find the situation just as comical.   

The rest of the night flows smoothly. You get to meet a few more people as well as the other two boys Haechan, Jeno and Jaemin live with and you wonder how all these insanely attractive boys came to be friends. Renjun and Jisung are both equally as lovely. You find Renjun’s mother figure hilarious and Jisung’s shyness endearing. You don't fail to notice that Haechan always hovers close. Not necessarily standing or sitting next to you, but always close enough that you can see him from your peripheral and you can't help but wonder if it's intentional or just a coincidence. 

You’re mid conversation with Mark when you feel a hand on your lower back. You easily recognise the now familiar scent of his cologne, and you instantly turn your head and look at him. You don’t know if it’s the alcohol deceiving you, but he looks even more irresistible than he did before. His hair slightly stuck to his forehead from the heat surrounding the crowded living room, cheeks and lips a deeper shade of pink now that he’s had his fair share of alcohol. You wonder if his lips taste the same as yours since you’ve been having the same drink all night.

“Shots?” Haechan shouts over the music and you and Mark follow him into the kitchen, where Jaemin and Jeno are preparing tequila shots and you wonder who assigned these two clowns with bartender duties. Chenle is now gulping down a glass of water and you’re thankful to whoever made that decision for him. 

As soon as you’ve downed your shot, you take a sip of your drink as a chaser to minimise the burning sensation in your esophagus. “Wanna go get some air?” Haechan leans in and you almost shiver as his warm breath fans against your naked shoulder and you internally thank Ningning for prompting you to wear a strapless dress.   

You respond with a quick nod and he smiles. “I got you.” He mumbles as he takes hold of your hand and leads you to the big balcony doors. On the way, he grabs a hoodie you assume he dumped earlier on the couch and the second you’re outside and he shuts the door, you feel the ringing in your ears. You’re thankful for the fresh air infiltrating your lungs and brain, feeling a little less intoxicated now. “Maybe that shot was a bad call,” Haechan laughs quietly at your dazed expression. “Didn’t take you for a lightweight.” He teases.  

“Yah!” You elbow him, your voice louder than you intended it to be and he giggles softly, clearly also affected by the drinks he’s had all night. “I’ve had the same amount as you.” You pout drunkenly.   

“I’m just teasing.” His smile soft now.   

“Yeah, you seem to keep doing that.” You say with a complaint in your tone, eyes narrowing.   

“Maybe I wouldn’t if you didn’t keep getting all flustered every single time.” His words take you aback; a surprised laugh escaping your throat at his boldness.   

Before you have time to speak, he notices your arms coming up to conceal a shiver and without a word, he’s closer than he’s ever been before. His arms circle around you, hands hovering just above your shoulders as he holds up the hoodie, waiting for you to slot your arms through the sleeves. You look up at him before you obey, his intense stare not giving much room for any objection.   

Once it’s on you, his hands come to your front to fix the neckline that connects to the hood and when you think he’s about to zip you up, he reaches behind you again, playfully dragging the hood up, over your head, covering most of your face with the thick fabric and you whine loudly, causing him to laugh. You push the hood back down, with a frown.

“Aww, cute.” He coos as he gently tames the mess he created on your head, fingers untangling and smoothing down the strands and he smiles endearingly when he’s happy with his work. "There you go, all done." 

“Thanks.” You say in a bashful tone.   

“For keeping you warm or calling you cute?” He asks with a smirk and you can’t help but scoff, feigning annoyance as you swat away the hand still playing with a strand of your hair.   

Desperately needing to escape his daring eyes, you walk past him and towards the railing as you take in the view of the twinkling city lights and you withhold a smile when you feel him follow after you.  

You feel his stare on you as he leans against the railing, taking a vape out of his pocket. He takes a puff and exhales the smoke through his nose, as he takes in the view himself, before turning to meet your eyes again. The action shouldn’t feel this intimate and it definitely shouldn’t make him look even more attractive than he already is. 

You instinctively reach out and fix the chain that’s somewhat tangled around his neck. He doesn’t flinch, just moves his head to the side to make room for your hand and the sides of his lips twitch, fighting a grin. “What flavour is it?” You drop your hand from his collar and step a little closer to take a look at the fruit-flavoured stick in his hand.   

“Cherry ice.” He holds it out for you. “Wanna try it?”   

When you do, you can't help but scrunch your nose at the sugary taste. “Hmm.” Your uncertainty obvious as you exhale the smoke. “It’s too sweet.” You cringe at the aftertaste, your funny expression making him laugh. And you feel your heartbeat fastening at the sound. Because you're right. It's too sweet. 

“I like sweet things.” He says in a hushed voice, as if he's letting you in on a secret. The dual meaning of his words causes a blush to creep up from your neck to your cheeks. You can tell he notices, but this time he holds back on teasing you and turns to look at the view again, taking another puff.  

You gawk at how handsome he looks from this angle. His long lashes, the slope of his perfect nose, his incredibly kissable heart-shaped lips, his sharp jawline, his neck. Pretty. Everything about him. 

“Yeah, I bet you do.” You mutter in a daze. He looks at you again and you don’t look away this time. His brown eyes sparkle, reflecting the city lights below. You realise that you’ve never actually been around him in a setting like this. It’s always been daytime with him. Always crowded. Always surrounded by noise that you had to block out. But now it’s all new.   

Nighttime. Just you two. Quiet.   

“That dress looks good on you, I like it.” His eyes trail down your form again, a lot quicker this time, but still noticeable and at this point you're convinced he's not even trying to hide it. 

Your face feels warmer than before as you look down at your dress, your hand instinctively smoothing down the material. You can see the smoke he exhales from your peripheral and then you choose your words boldly again. “I know you do.”   

“Really?” He steps closer and his hand comes up, thumb delicately tracing the tiny bow at the centre of your cleavage. “What gave me away?” Your heartbeat increases when his fingers trail upwards, pushing your hair behind your shoulder and settling on the base of your neck, his thumb on your jaw, giving you no option but to look up at him.   

“You’re just-” You pause to inhale sharply when you realise how close he is. Your noses almost bumping into each other. You tip your head back slightly, to look at him properly.  

“I’m what?” He urges you to go on.  

“Not very subtle.” You finally finish your sentence.   

“Y/N-” He says with a breathy laugh and you don’t think you’ve ever liked the sound of your name so much before. The tip of his nose rubs against your own just once and the sweetest smile takes over his features. You feel yourself leaning into him even more. His thumb still caressing your jaw and you know he wants to kiss you, but you wait. You let him take the lead. Because you need him to. “I don’t think I ever intended to be subtle with you.”   

Your gaze drifts down to his lips and you so desperately want them on yours now, you think you might cave and close the gap yourself. One of your hands travels up and your pointer finger curls around his chain, pulling just a tiny bit.  And the second he closes the gap you think you’re going through an out-of-body experience. His lips feel soft, and you can instantly tell he’s a good kisser.   

His mouth slots perfectly against yours, slow at first. But he doesn’t waste time when your lips eagerly part against his. He licks at your bottom lip teasingly before briefly sucking, tongue easily finding its way in and the second it glides against your own, hot and wet, you moan. Both your hands find their way in his hair, slightly pulling, and you feel him sigh against your mouth. The hand on your jaw drags slowly to the back of your neck and into your hair, tilting your head to get the angle he wants. It's filthy, the perfect amount of sloppy and careful. A thousand times better than what you’ve imagined. He sucks on your tongue, forcing another moan out of you.   

You try to pull away for a second to catch your breath but the hand in your hair silently instructs you to stay put. “Mmh-mm.” He protests with a whine and the vibration against your mouth feels delicious. Arousing. And you feel pathetic at how wet you already are just from kissing him. He licks into your mouth one more time before pulling back, allowing you to catch your breath, a string of saliva still connecting your lips as you both breathe heavily and your fingers tighten around the collar of his shirt in desperation.   

“Fuck.” He exhales against your lips, sounding beautifully wrecked, chest moving up and down rapidly against your own and your erect nipples feel so sensitive rubbing on his shirt. Even with your eyes still closed, you can sense him looking at you, making you feel exposed and incredibly turned on at the same time.    

You fully come back to your senses when he starts walking you backwards until you’re eventually backed up against the wall next to the balcony door, suddenly reminding you of your surroundings. You don’t have much time to think before his lips are on yours again and you immediately turn into mush in his arms, mouth pliantly giving him access. The only things audible are your heavy breathing and the wet sounds of your lips smacking. The faint music coming from inside, barely noticeable now.

Haechan wraps a hand around your throat, gentle but possessive and you love the weight of it on your sweaty skin, just resting there with intend. His other hand grabs the side of your thigh, raising your leg to rest on his hip. And that’s when you feel the hardness, grinding slowly against your tummy, testing the waters, and you can’t help but gasp in response. 

His mouth leaves yours, trailing gentle kisses down your jaw and the side of your neck, leaving wet patches of your combined spit on your skin, and when he reaches the dip of your collarbone, he bites gently, soothing the skin with his tongue afterwards. You can’t help but clench around nothing.   

He angles your head to the side, giving himself more space to suck and lick where he pleases as his other hand trails from your thigh to the curve of your ass, squeezing the flesh and bunching up your dress in the process. You whimper at the feeling of his rough hand, your eyes rolling back when he grinds into your front again, with more urgency this time.  

"Fuck." You whisper breathlessly, feeling lightheaded.   

“Yeah?” He mumbles against your sensitive skin, and you cup his face in your hands, guiding him to look at you again. “What do you want?” He gives you a sweet peck and you instantly melt, your insides turning into mush as you hold him there, kissing him deeply again, squishing his cheeks between your hands and he smiles into the kiss, biting your bottom lip playfully, letting lets it snap back into place, making you whine softly. “Talk to me baby.” It’s barely audible, and he says it with ease, like he’s been calling you that for a long time and your eyes almost roll back at the pet name. A few hours ago, you were high on nerves because of him and now you’re just high on him, touching you and kissing you and calling you ‘baby’, like he owns you.   

Your thumbs caress his cheekbones before you trail your hands back up into his hair, nails gently scratching his scalp and he closes his eyes, humming in satisfaction. “Want you,” You murmur and kiss the side of his mouth as you drag a hand down his arm, giving his bicep a squeeze, before sneaking down to his hand that’s casually resting on your ass like it belongs there. You interlock your fingers with his, bringing both your hands between your bodies, guiding him under the front of your short dress, pressing his fingers against the seat of your lacy underwear. “Here.” You whisper against his lips and he inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring and you almost laugh at his reaction. Your leg wraps securely around him urging him closer by pushing the calf into his ass.   

“Jesus Christ.” He whispers and his eyes are on his hand as his fingers now start rubbing slowly against your sensitive clit, the delicate lace somewhat helping with the much-needed friction, but you desperately want to feel his skin on yours with no barrier.   

You kiss him again and he pliantly parts his lips for your tongue to invade, allowing you to taste the remnants of cherry ice. Your wet muscle glides against his slowly, and you moan when he pushes the flimsy material of your panties aside, like he’s read your mind. The moan turns into a whine when his middle and ring fingers make direct contact with your swollen clit, rubbing slow circles around the nub with precision, like he knows exactly what you like and you kiss him harder trying to distract yourself from the sensitivity, because there’s no way you’re cumming just from a few touches like a horny teenager.

You both moan in the kiss the moment his fingers dip lower and drag through your wet slit and he doesn’t waste a second, rubbing up and down slowly, spreading the wetness messily.   

“You're soaked, fuck.” he mumbles in awe and you bask in the feeling of him finally knowing how much you want him; how much you need him to do something about it. “Messy baby.” His filthy words cloud your brain as your head lulls back against the wall to watch his face. He looks so pretty, his bottom lip trapped in his mouth, his glazed eyes focused on his hand still working between your legs. 

He must feel your eyes on him because he looks up at you and watches your reaction with a satisfied expression as the tip of his middle finger catches at your entrance before coming back up to your clit, spreading more of your wetness. He smirks when your jaw drops and your eyes roll back as he starts rubbing the bundle of nerves in firm and quick side-to-side motions with three of his fingers. 

"You're so pretty." He mutters against your lips and your stomach flutters at the words, along with your pussy.

“Fuck.” You whine when you feel him delicately suckle on your bottom lip, his tongue playfully dipping out to lick before he starts kissing down to your neck again and your arms wrap around his shoulders, holding him close, tugging at the fabric of his shirt in desperation. “So good.” You breathe into the night air, relishing in the intense pleasure the pads of his digits are giving you, flicking with just the right amount of pressure, exactly how yours would.   

“Wanna make you cum.” He breathes heavily into your neck, dragging his lips up until he gently bites your earlobe. His fingers move faster now, abusing your poor clit, circling and massaging harder, and you feel a bead of sweat rolling down the back of your bent knee.   

“Yeah, want it.” You nod eagerly, your hips jolting forward and he inhales sharply.   

“Yeah, baby?” His eyes on you now. “Think you can take it?” His fingers now slowing down, teasing.  

“Uh-huh.” You manage to get out in urgency as his fingers dip down again. “Please.” You stare into his eyes, and you feel yours starting to water when his middle and ring fingers slowly slide into you with ease. Your jaw drops, the stretch delicious and so needed, so welcome. Your vision blurs when he slowly starts pumping them in and out, testing the waters first and your eyes roll back in relief. A squeal escapes you when he curls his fingers just the right amount and starts fucking in and out of your pussy at a rapid pace, like he’s on a mission.   

“Oh fuck!” You exclaim in shock, your hand flying to his bicep as you look down at his hand, the veins protruding on his tan arm, the sight so sinful you have to close your eyes again. The heel of his palm rubbing against your clit each time he fucks into you, creates a deliciously warm vibration. The sounds are obscene, your wetness making every thrust loud. 

Another pornographic moan breaks out of you when his pace gets a little rougher and Haechan has to shut you up with a hand on your mouth. Your shaky fingers are clawing at his chest, over his shirt, and he lets out a low grunt against the hand he’s got pressed on your mouth, his forehead resting on yours and his eyes closing when you clench around his fingers. Your legs start shaking from the intense pleasure and he opts to wrapping his arm securely around your waist in order to help you maintain your compromised balance. He doesn’t hesitate to replace his hand with his lips, silencing you with a wet, tongue-filled kiss, swallowing all your noises. You’re not really kissing him back, your lips parted against his at a pathetic attempt of reciprocating, just panting and whining, completely lost in pleasure. 

“I’m so close.” You whisper and you feel like you’re on the verge of crying.   

“I’ve got you, baby, c'mon.” He murmurs into the messy kiss breathlessly, saliva coating both your chins and you love every second of it. The pads of his fingers now abusing the spongy spot at the front of your walls at an intense speed, hitting it just perfectly and you think you might pass out. Your walls flutter around his fingers, sucking him in and you're sure he can tell you're right there. Slick is dripping down his wrist, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all. “Fuck yeah, there it is.”  

“Haechan, I'm-“ Your eyes slightly widen, and you can’t even finish your sentence as you stumble over the edge. “Oh my god.” Your voice strained, your lungs struggling to keep up. The heat from where his fingers are burying repeatedly, starts spreading and your stomach clenches. Your walls clamp down on his hand, kneading his fingers and for a second, his eyes close, seeming to enjoy the constricting feeling. Your own eyes roll back at the pleasure, eyebrows creased, jaw dropping in a silent moan, breaths coming out quick and you're sure he can feel your leg shaking uncontrollably against his hip.   

“Fuck, you feel so good.” His words make you smile in your daze, and you bite on your bottom lip knowing he finds pleasure in your own. He doesn’t stop moving his fingers, letting you ride out your high for as long as possible and when your eyes open, you see him watching your face in awe, and ironically, you feel shy.

His fingers slow down when you whine from overstimulation, until he completely halts and buries them inside to enjoy the feeling of your sensitive walls for a little longer. He kisses your cheek sweetly as he carefully pulls out of you, his fingers bumping lightly against your clit, causing you to flinch. He buries his face in your neck to conceal his laugh, hot breath fanning against your damp skin as he scatters little kisses.

You sigh and relax contently when his warm hand cups your soaked centre and he keeps it there in a comforting manner.   

"Good?” He whispers, nose delicately rubbing against your flushed skin and you almost don’t hear him due to the ringing in your ears still lingering after the intense high.  

"Yeah." Your forehead is sweaty; you feel baby hairs sticking to the damp skin and you lazily smile at how fast his heart is beating against your palm. Your eyes are staring dreamily at his face and you rub your nose against his, your hand coming up to stroke his cheek affectionately. Your thumb drags across his bottom lip and he bites on it playfully, his nose scrunching cutely, making you swoon. It scares you how comfortable you already feel around him.   

Your leg drops from his hip, and you wince at the soreness. His hand now trapped between your legs, still cupping your heat. An idea pops into your head, making you smirk and he watches your expression with an inquisitive look, eyebrows raising slightly in question. 

"What?" He asks, eyes innocent, seemingly lost. 

You firmly wrap a hand around his wrist, trying not to whimper when you feel his fingers drag against your sensitive clit and your hold tightens. He lets you lift his hand between both your faces, his eyes inspecting the strings of wetness stretching between his long digits. Without warning you lean forward, wrapping your swollen lips around the two fingers that were inside you just a few minutes ago and Haechan whimpers at the sinful gesture. It’s erotic, filthy and you don’t even know what took over you but you certainly relish in his reaction. Your eyes watching him carefully, his pupils dilated as he watches you hungrily, cheeks flushed, swollen lips parted prettily.   

“Shit, baby.” His voice on the whiny side now, and you feel his other hand tightening on your hip. He’s very clearly turned on and you almost feel bad for torturing him, considering he’s done nothing but please you. He pushes his fingers deeper inside your mouth wanting you to taste yourself and you swirl your tongue around them, harshly sucking, making a mess on purpose. You let a satisfied hum around his digits, closing your eyes as you pull them out with a wet pop.   

“You’re being unfair now.” He grunts and grabs the back of your neck, crashing his lips against yours in an open-mouthed kiss. Teeth clashing and tongues tangling messily as he licks into your mouth obscenely, moaning at the taste of you. You let out a surprised yelp when his fingers find your oversensitive cunt again and he dips them between your puffy lips, rubbing them up and down, like he did before, unforgivingly ignoring your protesting sounds. “Still so wet.” He mutters into the kiss and you whine pathetically.   

“Mmf-, too much.” You force the words out against his mouth and grab his wrist in urgency this time. He laughs meanly but obliges anyway. He brings his soaked fingers up to his own lips this time and you can’t seem to be able to break eye contact as he slowly sucks on them, making a spectacle, the act much more intimate when he’s the one doing it.   

Once he’s done, he drops his hand on your waist, wiping the wetness on the material of his hoodie and kisses you again, this time slow, languidly, wanting to savour your taste and he moans when your hands start unbuckling his belt. “Can I make you cum?” You murmur into the kiss and he’s contemplating but just as he's about to kiss you again, the moment is ruined by a wandering Jaemin, who rolls the doors open and lets out a shocked sound when he steps out.   

“Oh shit, sorry.” His eyes widen when he realises it’s you and Haechan he’s walked in on and not a couple of strangers. “Oh shit.” He says again, with more emphasis this time and you bury your face in Haechan’s shoulder to hide your embarrassment. His arm around your waist tightens in reassurance, sensing your unease and you smile against his neck in silent gratitude. “Yo!” Jaemin says loudly and points an accusatory finger at both of you. "What the fuck? We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”   

“Jaem, read the fucking room.” Haechan’s tone is slightly harsh but his touch feels delicate where his hand strokes gently on your waist. “Go back inside, we’ll join you in a bit.”   

Jaemin grins mischievously. “Well, most people have gone home now, I just came out to have a smoke, but I’ll leave you to it.” He moves to head back inside but before shutting the big glass door he pokes his head out again. “Oh, just fyi, Chenle is passed out on the sofa and Mark is still in there somewhere, just in case you’re planning on fucking out here.” His expression then changes, eyes narrowing as he inspects both of you from head to toe, a look of realisation taking over his face. 

“Unless you already have?” He poses quizzically. 

“You’ll go back inside now, unless you want Jeno finding out about last-“   

”Kay bye!” Jaemin quickly shuts the door, fleeing the scene before Haechan can finish his sentence.  

“Sorry about him.” Haechan mutters, burying his face into your shoulder and lets out a sigh. “Half his brain cells appear to be dead.” You snort at his jokey comment but you can sense the irritation in his voice. You run your fingers through his hair, scratching on the back of his neck and smile to yourself when you feel him shiver against you, his cheek resting on your shoulder.   

He lifts his head, looking down your figure as his hands slide down your hips and onto the tops of your thighs, dipping under the hem of your dress and before you can protest, he slips your underwear back into place. His knuckles drag against the sensitive skin of your inner thighs and your breath hitches when you feel him tap his fingers against your core lightly. He laughs when you slap his hand away and you narrow your eyes at him scoldingly. You relax when he smooths over the fabric of your dress to make it look less wrinkled and you find yourself fighting a smile at the sweet gesture. It feels domestic almost. 

“Thanks.” You say softly, eyes locking with his. He smiles and leans down to quickly peck you on the lips. His hands caress your sides one last time and then they slide up, squeezing your tits softly in the process, the pads of his fingers lightly dipping into the flesh that spills over the top of your tight dress.  

”Pretty.” He mumbles almost to himself and if you were under the impression he was an ass man, now you're thinking you might have been wrong. He continues his journey upwards, taming your messy hair, gently combing stray strands behind your ears. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”   

When you step back inside, you both quietly laugh at the sight of poor Chenle sprawled face first on his new sofa and you’re pretty sure he’s drooling on it. Haechan heads into the kitchen and comes back with a glass of water, which he places on the coffee table next to Chenle’s unmoving body. He then maneuvers him carefully, turning him on his side so he doesn’t choke to death in his sleep with his face buried in the cushions. You smile at the thoughtful gesture, and you move to grab your bag from the coffee table to distract yourself from the fluttering in your stomach.   

“’Will he be okay on his own?” A tinge of concern in his eyes.   

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. He always passes out like this when he gets too drunk.” You lean down and leave a small kiss on Chenle’s temple, brushing the hair away from his forehead. “I’d say he looks angelic but he’s actually the devil incarnate.” You whisper, observing Chenle’s cute face, and you can confirm he’s actually drooling on his sofa. 

_

The walk back to your place is mostly quiet but comfortable. Haechan swings your interlocked hands distractedly as you’re both walking at a slow pace, trying to prolong the night for as long as possible. 

“What’s Jaemin’s dirty laundry then? You threatened him you’d tell Jeno earlier.” You break the silence and he chuckles at your question. 

“He had sex in Jeno’s bed last year.” He chuckles as he spills the secret and looks at you, gauging your reaction. 

“Sounds like someone needs to teach that boy a lesson.” You say, and before you can stop the words tumbling out of your mouth, “Maybe we should fuck in his bed.” Your eyes widen at your own words and Haechan’s head snaps up to look you, mirroring your shocked expression. And then he laughs loudly. A kind of laugh you’ve never heard from him. His hand rests on his abdomen as if his stomach is in pain.   

“Alright it’s not that funny.” You pout in embarrassment. “In my head it sounded kind of sexy.”   

His laugh gradually dies down until there’s just amusement written on his face. “I mean, we can do that if you actually want to, but I have other priorities.”   

“Meaning?” 

“Well..” He trails in thought. “Ideally, I'd like to take you out first,” You feel like exploding but you maintain a stoic expression, gesturing him to continue. “And I'd rather fuck you in my own bed before moving on to Jaemin’s or anyone else’s.”   

Your breath catches at his forwardness and you’re suddenly struggling to find the right words. “Umm,” you think carefully. “What about my bed?” You ask innocently.   

"Don't worry, it's up there." His smirk makes you feel weak and you feel him squeeze your hand in his, running his thumb over the back of it.   

“You sound awfully confident.” You say calmly, fighting a smile.  

He pulls you closer by your hand. “What, you think I’m playing?” He almost sounds offended.   

“I dunno, don’t really know much about you.” You shrug. 

“Do you want to?” He asks and for the first time he sounds nervous.   

You squeeze his hand the same way he did with yours, hoping to reassure him. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I do.” You halt your movements when you reach your building and look up into his eyes. “A lot.” His fingers stay intertwined with yours lazily. A relieved smile takes over his expression, and you really feel like kissing him again. He looks shy all of a sudden and a giggle escapes your throat. “Cute.”   

He clicks his tongue to show annoyance, and you can see him poking the muscle against the inside of his cheek, trying to hold back a smile when he looks away for a second. Then he steps closer, invading your space again. “You wanna give me your number? I don’t really use instagram.”   

“Okay, green flag.” You say playfully and he snorts. You hold your hand out for him to pass you his phone and when you’ve saved your contact, you text yourself a “hi” so you can save his number too.   

“Cool.” He says casually as he shoves his phone in his back pocket.   

“Cool.” You say back and step closer to him, wanting to feel his warmth one more time before parting ways. He smiles in understanding and pulls you closer, wrapping both arms around your waist to hold your body flush against his. You wrap your arms around his middle and rest your head on his chest. “I had fun tonight.” You murmur.  

He rests his chin at the top of your head. One of his hands sneaks up and holds the back of your neck gently while the other strokes the small of your back. “I did too.” His fingers bury in your hair, gently pulling to make you look at him but you don’t get the chance, because his lips are on yours instantly, dragging slowly, carefully. Both his hands cup your face as he licks your bottom lip for access, which you give without a second thought and his tongue sneaks in to play with yours, letting you taste him. Your body completely relaxes against his, enjoying the warm feeling of his chest against yours.  

You whine when he pulls back to look at you and he smiles when your lips trail after his. He gives in with a smile, chastely kissing you again. No tongue this time, but he playfully sucks your bottom lip into his mouth, and you love how safe you feel in his arms. He trails up, kissing the tip of your nose and back down again as he gives you another wet smooch before creating a tiny bit of distance between your lips while still maintaining the closeness between your bodies.  

You smile against his jaw as you slip your hand into his empty back pocket, lightly squeezing his ass cheek and he laughs at your playfulness.

“Okay, you better go now before I drag you upstairs with me.” You give him a little kiss on the cheek before slipping away from his warmth. You take off his hoodie and hand it back to him.   

"Mmm okay." He moves away reluctantly. “I’ll text you yeah?” He says with a cute smile.  

“I’ll try and text you back.” You tease and he rolls his eyes, his smile not faltering.   

“Night, Y/N.” He quietly says in the night air and you melt at the way your name rolls off his tongue.  

“Night, Haechan.” You give him a small wave goodbye and watch him walk away.   

_

The next morning, you're quietly munching on your cereal, lost in thought, reminiscing last night like it’s a distant memory, when you see a hungover Jeno messily stumbling out of Ningning's room, carrying his shoes in one hand and his jacket in the other. "Didn't care to take off your shoes at the door?" Your voice seems to startle him in the quiet of the morning.   

"Shit!" His reaction making you laugh. "Fuck, Y/N, you scared me."  

"Sorry." You're really not. "Are you pulling a French exit on my friend?" Your serious tone seems to intimidate him.  

"No, she's awake, just snoozing." He says quickly. "I swear." You try not to laugh at the nervousness written all over his face. "Nothing happened, we just cuddled."   

"Relax, I'm just fucking with you." You chuckle at his disheveled state. "Want some breakfast? I can offer three kinds of cereal." You point at your selection of boxes.  

His eyes widen eagerly at that. "Sure, thanks." He walks towards where you're sitting at the kitchen table, dropping his shoes on the floor and his jacket on the back of his chair, before taking a seat across from you. "I'll just have what you're having." He says with a sweet smile, eyes almost disappearing and you realise he sort of looks like a Samoyed puppy but refrain from making a comment. You’re not that close after all.  

You nod and get up to grab him a bowl. He's looking at his phone when he speaks up again. "So, you and Haechan?" You hold back a smile as you pass him a bowl with a spoon and the milk. He looks at you again and he explains when he sees your questioning stare. "Jaemin messaged the group chat."  

"Ah," You nod in understanding. "Of course."  

"So?" He asks expectantly, chewing loudly after he's poured the milk in his cheerios.   

"What, you can't wait until he tells you himself?" You ask sarcastically.  

"Girls' perspectives are always better." He pauses mid munch. "Plus, Haechan is the most private dude when it comes to stuff like that." For some reason that doesn't surprise you.   

"Good for him." You get up to wash your bowl after finishing. "Maybe you're just too nosy."   

"Oh c'mon, it's not that big of a deal, is it?" Your silence seems to intrigue him. "Or maybe it is?"  

You turn to look at him when you're done washing up, leaning next to the sink and you see he's already devoured the contents of his bowl. "Feel free to go for seconds." You say pointing at the box in front of him and his face lights up before he starts pouring more cereal.   

"Do you like him then?" He asks casually as he starts munching again and the question makes you falter. "Because, if you do," He swallows. "I can confirm it's reciprocated." Your eyebrows lift at his confession and Jeno smirks at your shocked expression. "Just spill, I won't tell him." And you trust his words, but you suddenly feel shy, thinking about your intimate moments with Haechan.   

"I'll tell you if you tell me about you and Ning." You like knowing boys' perspectives too.  

"Sounds fair." He nods with his mouth full.   

"You want the TMI or PG-13 version?" You appreciate he's still eating so you don't want to ruin his breakfast.

"TMI, always." He says casually.  

"He fingered me on Chenle's balcony and then said he wants to take me out." Jeno chokes at your confession.  

"Jesus woman!" He coughs lightly and clears his throat before continuing. "No tact whatsoever."  

You snort at his reaction. "You said 'TMI always' no?"  

"Was it good?" He asks in a quieter and more serious tone now. Like he's asking you to share one of your deepest secrets. And here you were thinking you weren’t that close. You can’t help but laugh because that sounds like what Ningning would have asked in a situation like this. Maybe they are a good match after all.   

"The fingering?" He nods at your question, eyes not leaving yours, having paused his eating, spoon still in hand hovering over his bowl. "I mean, I thought I was gonna pass out at some point so, yeah, pretty good."  

An eyebrow raised in fascination. "Damn, go Haechan." Then he asks carefully. "So, I take it you'd go out with him?"  

You shrug. "Maybe, but I don’t think I want a situationship or anything like that."  

"You're in luck, he's not into that shit either." 

"We'll see, he hasn't texted yet." You try to sound casual but you know Jeno can see right through you.   

"Don't worry, he will."   

"Who says I'm worried?" You huff a humorless laugh.   

He rolls his eyes and gets up to walk over to the sink, taking his bowl with him. "If he said he wants to take you out, he meant it. And trust me when I say, that boy has had enough of casual flings. He might be going about it a bit backwards, but he’s definitely interested." He states like it's a fact and you're thankful he's trying to reassure you even though he doesn't owe you anything.   

"How do you know it's reciprocated?" You ask carefully, referring to what Jeno said earlier and he smiles cheekily.   

"I thought you weren't worried." He teases, moving his eyebrows up and down and you flick the back of his head. "Ow! Okay okay, jeez." He rubs the sore spot with the inside of his wrist to prevent his soapy fingers from touching his hair. He then proceeds to dry the clean bowl with the kitchen towel he spots on the counter and hands it to you with a sweet smile on his face.   

"Thanks, you didn't have to wash up." You say, putting the bowl back on its shelf. He waves his hand, gesturing that there's no need to thank him for something so small.  

"He said he thought you were ‘pretty cool’ after we hounded you on Thursday and for the first time in, like, forever, he was stressing about his outfit before a party."  

You give him a pointed look. "How’s that an indication of anything?"  

"Trust me, that's enough indication for Haechan. He's probably already planning your wedding as we speak." You roll your eyes at his exaggeration. "Y/N, he likes you. It was so obvious that both me and Jaem knew he was gonna make a move last night." He sits down again and starts putting his shoes on. "Obviously, I didn't think he was gonna finger you in a public space and what not but-"  

"To be fair, I initiated that." You interrupt him and he snorts.  

"I'm sure he didn't mind." Jeno jokes with a smirk, and you cover your face in embarrassment, earning a chuckle from him. He must be enjoying this because he proceeds to tease even more. "If anything, he probably found that incredibly hot." You groan at his words. "Seriously, there's nothing hotter than a woman who knows what she wants."   

You look at him through your fingers still covering your face, a teasing comment pops in your head. Two can certainly play this game.   

"That explains why you didn't sleep in your own bed last night." You notice the blush that creeps up on his cheeks and you can help but cross your arms over your chest proudly.  

"Yeah, something like that." He says sheepishly, his hand awkwardly scratching the back of his neck and you suddenly can't wait for your debrief with Ningning later. "Anyway, my point is, I think you should give him a chance." He finishes putting his shoes on, both feet on the floor now and he looks at you, his back leaning against the chair and his arms crossing over his chest. "He's a great guy." 

"Alright, enough about me, your turn now."   

_

Haechan likes to think he's a decent guy. He's got his life together; he's on top of his coursework, he gets decent grades, he's got good friends and he's got a part-time job at a record store that pays relatively well. At least well enough to cover his own personal expenses. His parents help him out with rent, but they do appreciate his efforts and he does his best to not feel like a burden. He's a good son and a good big brother to all three of his siblings. 

He's polite to old people and even helps them cross the street when he needs to, he loves his friends and always looks out for them, even if he gets grumpy sometimes, he never holds grudges and is upfront about things that bother him. He likes buying his loved ones presents and not just for special occasions. Not because he's a people pleaser, but because he just likes making them happy whenever he can. He tries not to lie except for the odd white lie here and there.

He doesn't fuck around or date aimlessly. At least not anymore. He went through a phase during his first year of uni but it's been two years since then and he's currently embracing single life. Yes, he sometimes does cave into the temptation of bringing a girl back after a party, but it's a rare occurrence and he's always honest about what he wants. He hates leading people on. It's not that he's afraid of commitment, he often finds himself wanting a girlfriend but he's not actively searching for one either.   

He knows he doesn't lack in the looks department, or in any other department really. Yeah, he's got his silly insecurities like everyone else but he's a confident guy overall. Although, he does admit that he can sometimes be cocky, that's because he knows he's the most mature out of his friends. Yes, Renjun mostly looks after everyone and has a motherly figure, but Haechan gives the best advice when it comes to most serious life dilemmas, and he's aware of that. He might not be the brightest when it comes to academics but he's confident when it comes to navigating life sensibly and responsibly. That's why he was completely and utterly flabbergasted when you came into the picture. His picture.   

He's always noticed you before, yes, and he's always thought you were good looking, but that's about it. He doesn't just go around hitting on every girl he finds attractive. He's more of a 'personality above all else' type of man, so when he first saw you, even though he thought to himself 'wow, pretty', he didn't think it would be appropriate to just come up to you and ask for your number. Plus, you seemed somewhat reserved from the few times you had exchanged words. Not that he didn't like that, because he did, he did find you intriguing, he would get to know you if the opportunity posed itself to him, but he also didn't feel like chasing after you would be something you'd like or even welcome. You didn't seem cold, just indifferent. And so, he kind of just opted to observing you from afar.

Sometimes you were alone, other times you were with a girl whose name he didn't know, others with a boy whose name he couldn't remember. He was sure they'd met before though, maybe at a party around campus or maybe through a friend? He couldn't quite place him. Other times you were with them both, laughing your heart out at whatever you three were talking about and he found himself wondering what makes you laugh that hard.   

He knew you always sat two rows behind him in his stats class every Thursday afternoon, his last class of that day. However, he rarely got to see you on Thursdays, even though you were both in the same room for an hour and a half. You always arrived after him and left before him, so, whenever he turned his head at the end of the lecture to look for you, you were already gone. The times he did get to see you, were the times he would turn up a little later than normal, which was exactly one minute before the professor started speaking. Even then, he wasn't really able to observe you for as long as he'd ideally like. He would just get to see the back of your head for a few seconds before reaching his usual seat. He sometimes would pretend to crack his back, just to turn around twice and look at your pretty face for a few seconds. Your attention was always on the notes in front of you though. One time he did catch you already staring at him. You looked away the second his eyes met yours, almost shy. He found it cute and thought to himself; 'maybe she's not that indifferent after all'.   

He knew you and Jeno were somewhat friendly because you shared a few classes and he was sure he'd caught you speaking with Jaemin a couple times in corridors. He wasn't jealous or anything, but he definitely wouldn't mind being on first name basis with you too. And it's not like he was obsessed with you. He didn't really think about you that much, but his intrigue definitely intensified when he got to speak to you properly for the first time at that party just before summer. He can’t clearly remember what you two exactly talked about, but he does remember not wanting to leave, he remembers thinking you looked unreal and he certainly remembers wishing he could relive that moment sober so he could memorise every word that came out of your mouth.   

Things have changed now though. Drastically and unexpectedly. Because just two days ago he got to speak to you again and his curiosity morphed into excitement.

You pleasantly surprised him. From the way you handled yourself around Jaemin's obnoxiously loud personality to the way you put Jeno in his place like no girl ever has before. You were witty and smart and sweet. Too sweet. And he knows that, because he's quite literally tasted you now. Just a few hours ago he had you pinned against the wall of your friend's new apartment. Just a few hours ago he had you gasping and writhing and pathetically whining his name, simply because his fingers were too much for you. And he loved every second of it.   

Haechan didn't really go to Chenle's party thinking he'd get some. He was just excited to get to know you and speak to you one on one. He went into the situation hoping he could maybe flirt with you and end up with your number in his contact list at the end of the night, which he did. And maybe he was hoping he could get to walk you home and get a kiss from you, which again, he did. But he didn't expect you'd reciprocate his flirting like you were prepared for it. He definitely didn't expect you'd ask him who and what he wants to write songs about and he definitely didn't expect you to kiss him back the way you did.

He's kissed many people before. He's had good kisses, bad ones, a few memorable ones and certainly a lot of forgettable ones. He's never kissed anyone the way he kissed you, though. And he's equally never had anyone kiss him the way you kissed him. Not even ex-girlfriends. Not that he's had many, but the two he's had don't even come close. And that scares him. Because if Haechan thought he wasn't obsessed with you before, he really doesn't know what to think now. But what he does know is that it’s incredibly unfair of you to make him feel and think this much, this soon.

It's still early, the sun barely out. He's maybe managed to get four hours of sleep before getting woken up by the sound of someone retching in the bathroom down the hall. Most likely Jaemin. He almost fell asleep again after that but the sound of a door slamming, completely ruined his slumber. So, now he's just staring at his ceiling, one arm supporting his head on the pillow and the other resting lazily on his naked stomach. He feels tired but he knows he won't be able to go back to sleep now. And that's fine, because he can at least think about you. He can think about your voice and your scent and he can think about how you touched him and how you let him touch you. He can think about how you tried to keep quiet in the midst of pleasure but miserably failed repeatedly. And he's definitely going to think about how good you felt around his fingers. Perfect. There are so many things he can think about when it comes to you and there's not a single bad one. Everything related to you is good.   

You said you wanted to get to know him 'a lot', and that was exactly what he wanted to hear, but he can't help but wonder when you started to feel this way. Not that it matters that much, because, regardless of the timeline, he's going to make it happen. He's going to take you out and he's going to get to know you. He's almost worried that he's going about this in the wrong order, because, ideally, he would have wanted to take you out before any kissing and sexual activities took place. Not because he's old fashioned or some kind of prude, but because he doesn't want you getting the wrong impression. He doesn't want you thinking he's only into you because of the sexual chemistry you share. Of course, he thinks physical intimacy is important, but he's always found that emotional intimacy beats all. And he wants to see if he can get to that level with you. He knows you're compatible sexually, he could tell last night you were on the same wavelength. There was no awkwardness, no uncertainty. 

He could tell you knew your body well, that you knew what you wanted and he liked that you weren't shy about it. And he'd be lying if he said that wasn't one of his favourite parts of the night; the moment you guided his hand where you wanted it. He found that so attractive that he actually thought about it when he got in his bed last night and finally managed to relieve the hardness in his boxers. He loved that you weren't shy about how much you wanted him to touch you. You were the perfect amount of vocal, and your body reacted to his words the way he hoped it would. So, yes, he is positive sexual chemistry isn’t something you two would struggle with, but he also doesn't want it to be the main thing that you connect on. He wants a lot more than that.   

Haechan is self-aware. He's a horny guy and he's not shy about it. He likes what he likes and there's not much he doesn't like when it comes to sex. He's very much open to exploring and what not, but he knows that he's always struggled connecting with people on an emotional level before. Especially people he's dated. He's had flings and he's had casual sexual partners. He's been in a couple of serious relationships, and he's been infatuated with his ex-girlfriends or ex flings, but he knows he’s never been in love with any of them. He remembers thinking he loved his first girlfriend, but he was only 16 back then and when he thinks back to that relationship, he barely sees it as a relationship. All they ever did was go on walks, watch movies, cuddle and make out. Eventually it just fizzled out. 

His second relationship was serious, but toxic. He remembers enjoying the push-and-pull situation initially but when it all became so unbearably exhausting, it put him off relationships for a long time. Now that he's had time to be alone and process his own feelings, he knows he's capable of commitment, but he wants it to be with the right person, and he wants it to be with someone who will accept him for who he is. Haechan knows that if he found the one now, he would commit. And he doesn't know if you're the one, but he wouldn't mind exploring if you would stick around for the long run.   

And so, later in the day, when he's lazily sprawled on the sofa, next to a hungover Jeno, who apparently saw you this morning and reassured him that you're definitely interested, Haechan decides to finally text you like he promised. When he opens your chat, he sees you've already texted yourself to save his number and added a little sunflower emoji next to your name and he smiles to himself. He wonders if you've added an emoji next to his name too and if so, which one?  

20:03 Hae☀️: hey pretty   

20:03 Hae☀️: have any free periods tomorrow?   

20:09 y/n🌻: hii :)  

20:09 y/n🌻: i do 

20:10 y/n🌻: I am free between 1pm-3pm   

20:11 Hae☀️: wanna grab a coffee with me? 

20:12 y/n🌻: i'd love to 

20:13 Hae☀️: woop! 

20:13 Hae☀️: where shall I meet you?  

20:18 y/n🌻: how about the café by the architecture building?  

20:21 Hae☀️: i know the one  

20:21 Hae☀️: i'll be there there at 1pm sharp  

20:22 Hae☀️: don't stand me up 👉🏻👈🏻  

20:24 y/n🌻: i would never 🥺  

20:25 Hae☀️: thought about you a lot today  

20:26 y/n🌻: really?  

20:26 y/n🌻: what did you think about?  

20:28 Hae☀️: yes really  

20:28 Hae☀️: just...things   

20:29 Hae☀️: can't say much more than that   

20:29 Hae☀️: did you not think about me? :( 

20:31 y/n🌻: nah   

20:31 y/n🌻: not really :(  

20:32 Hae☀️: 🙄  

20:32 Hae☀️: ur rude  

20:32 Hae☀️: and a liar    

20:34 y/n🌻: oops  

20:34 y/n🌻: why ask a question you already know the answer to?   

20:35 Hae☀️: smooth   

20:35 Hae☀️: i guess i needed some reassurance  

20:36 y/n🌻: Hae?  

20:36 Hae☀️: yea?  

20:37 y/n🌻: I thought about you  

20:37 y/n🌻: a lot   

20:37 y/n🌻: like an unhealthy amount  

20:38 Hae☀️: fuck   

20:38 Hae☀️: didn't think you'd actually say it  

20:40 y/n🌻: happy?  

20:40 y/n🌻: it appears I can't say no to you  

20:41 Hae☀️: very :)  

20:41 Hae☀️: it appears the feeling is mutual  

The rest of Haechan's evening consists of him pretending he's paying attention to the Netflix show Jeno picked out for them to watch after dinner, when the only thing he's actually interested in are the messages he's exchanging with you. You told him you're also chilling on your couch with Ningning, watching a crime documentary with a bowl of instant ramen.  

"Bruh, you're astronomically whipped." Jeno laughs to himself, the constant buzzing coming from  Haechan's phone making it obvious that he's been messaging you.   

"Yeah, so? Deal with it." Haechan doesn't even lift his head to look at Jeno, just keeps smiling distractedly at his screen.   

Jeno snorts. "At least you're not denying it." He turns his attention back to the show he's practically been watching on his own for the past hour. "I respect that."  

Haechan looks up at Jeno and shrugs. "I'm no fraud, Lee Jeno. You, of all people, should know that." And that earns him laugh with a nod of approval.   

“You asked her out yet?” The question casual. No teasing tone detected, just curiosity.   

"I'm seeing her tomorrow between classes." Haechan's attention back on your chat.   

“Like a coffee date?” Jeno asks cutely and Haechan just responds with a nod, his thumbs hovering over his keyboard as he looks up at Jeno, waiting for some sort of comment.  

“That's a good first date.” Jeno's words of approval offer Haechan a sense of relief he didn't know he needed. "Just good quality time, no pressure."  

“Yeah, that's what I was thinking.” Haechan's eyes are on the tv now, but he isn't really paying attention to the programme.  

Jeno sees right through him. "You nervous?"  

Haechan thinks about his response. Is he nervous? “More excited than nervous, I'd say.” Haechan looks up at him when he's met with silence. "What?" He asks confused when he notices his friend's amused expression.   

“Nothing, just trying to think when you turned into an absolute sap.” And he laughs loudly when Haechan hits him in the face with one of the cushions scattered on the sofa. “Relaaaaax you big baby, I'm just messing with you.” Jeno throws the cushion back at Haechan and he catches is with a grunt. “I actually think this is good. You haven't dated anyone half decent in a long time.”   

Haechan snorts, because Jeno's words hold nothing but the truth. “True.” He states with a purse of his lips.   

“If your first date is casual vibes, you should do something fancy for the second one.” Jeno says in a skeptical tone.  

“Since when are you a dating expert?”  

“Shut up, you've been dying to ask for advice and you know it.” He's right, but Haechan would never admit that. “It should also be on a Friday or Saturday so you don't have to worry about being hungover in class.” Jeno points a finger at Haechan. “Karaoke could be fun!”  

“Where are you taking Ningning?” Jeno's eyes widen at the question and Haechan chuckles triumphantly. "You ever gonna tell me about that or nah?"  

“Your new girlfriend can tell you all about it tomorrow.” Jeno crosses his arms over his chest after pulling the hood of his jumper over his head.   

“Yeah, we're gonna spend the entirety of our first date talking about your sexcapades.” Haechan responds sarcastically.   

“No sexcapades, she said she's not currently dating.” Jeno says quickly with a frown.   

“And that's a problem for you, because..?” Haechan gestures with his hand for Jeno to explain. “Is your ego hurt or something?”  

Jeno shrugs his shoulders like a toddler. “Just a bit disappointing, you know?”  

“Shit.” Haechan says with a tone of fascination. “So, you're into her then.”  

Jeno shrugs with a huff and Haechan almost feels bad.   

“Did you sleep with her or nah?”  

“Nah, just cuddled.” Jeno admits, voice laced with disappointment.   

“Jeno,” Haechan pinches the bridge of his nose to show exasperation. “You're an idiot.”  

“Wha- why?” Jeno's eyes widen at his friend's insult.   

“Are you being daft on purpose? She would've fucked you and chucked you out if she wasn't interested.” Haechan is putting the facts out on the table as if it's going to help Jeno realise what is happening, but to no avail. “She's clearly aware of your reputation.”   

Jeno perks up at that. "What about my reputation?" His eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.   

Haechan kisses his teeth. "You're a certified slut."  

“Yeah and? What am I meant to do?”  

“Well, if you want her, you're gonna have to work for it.” Haechan says like it's self-explanatory.  

"I don't chase." Jeno mumbles stubbornly.   

"No Ningning then." And Jeno scoffs at Haechan's patronising tone. "Sounds like you're in need of advice more than I am."  

_

You can't really wrap your head around the fact that you're currently walking to your favourite café in campus, only this time you're not meeting up with your two best friends, you’re meeting with Haechan instead. Fuck. You're meeting up with Haechan.  

You don't even know if you're supposed to call this a date. He said he wanted to hang out with you and that he can't wait to see you, but people say all sorts of things, and you don't want to get ahead of yourself. You wonder if he's nervous like you are, or if he sees this as a casual coffee break in between his routine. But then again, if it's just that, why ask you and not one of his friends? You told yourself this morning that you wouldn't overthink, but you're now realising that you're miserably failing. Ningning would not be proud.  

You check the time on your phone and that instant it buzzes in your hand. Your heart beats a little quicker.   

12:55 Hae☀️: what do you want?   

12:55 y/n🌻: in life or..?  

12:56 Hae☀️: lmao  

12:56 Hae☀️: to drink silly  

12:56 Hae☀️: we can talk about what you want in life when you get here  

12:57 y/n🌻: caramel iced latte pls and thank you :)  

12:57 y/n🌻: im 2 mins away btw  

12:57 Hae☀️: thought you didn't like sweet things   

12:58 Hae☀️: no rush, just ordering now  

12:58 y/n🌻: i like my coffee sweet  

12:58 y/n🌻: among other things  

12:59 Hae☀️: cheeky   

12:59 y/n🌻: im here   

13:00 y/n🌻: where you at?   

13:00 Hae☀️: you look cute   

13:00 Hae☀️: to your left   

And there he is, sitting at a table by the window, already looking at you, head tilted, eyes pretty, smile saccharine sweet. His phone is still in his hand, thumb hovering over the screen and you notice there's a new ring adorning the digit. His other hand raises and his fingers wiggle, playfully waving at you. You already feel flustered and you think that it should be illegal for a man to be this handsome.  

When you walk over, he stands up and casually lifts an arm for you to slot under. "Hey you." He says quietly and you smile. Your arms instinctively wrap around his middle, and your face buries in his shoulder, taking in his familiar scent. It immediately brings you comfort, your overthinking long forgotten. You feel his arms squeezing around your figure and he playfully rocks you from side to side. You giggle and pull back slightly to look at him.   

“Hey you.” You repeat his words back at him and his smile is nothing short of mesmerising. His lovely doe eyes hold warmth and tiny stars that you feel could burn you if you stare into them for too long, so you decide to look at the table instead. You spot your iced latte, placed opposite what you assume is an iced americano. “Thanks for getting my coffee, you didn't have to.”   

“I wanted to.” He states plainly and unwraps his arms from you, allowing you to sit down before taking his own seat opposite you. It almost feels strange sitting with him like this, seeing him in this light. Not in a lecture hall and not at a party surrounded by your friends. Just the two of you, on a Monday, sitting at your favourite café, in the middle of the day. It’s real. It’s mundane. “Are you hungry? We can get something to eat if you want.” He speaks so fast, one would think he’s trying to cover up nerves.   

You smile at his attentiveness and shake your head. “I’m good for now, thanks.”   

“Okay.” He doesn’t press and you can’t help but think he looks so boyfriend coded. His big forest green jumper makes him look extra cuddly and you want to bury your face in his neck again. “Heard you bumped into Jeno yesterday.” He says, filling the silence before taking a sip of his coffee.   

“Yeah, I interrupted his walk of shame.” You chuckle at the memory. “He looked quite embarrassed, bless him.” You twirl your straw, staring at the condensation dripping down your cup. “Didn’t realise he was that nosy though.” You say with a grin and your eyes move to look at Haechan who’s mirroring you.   

His lips curl into a smirk. “Why, did he ask about-” He pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words. “About Saturday night.” His eyebrow raises inquisitively.   

Your chin rests on your hand. “Mm-hm, apparently Jaemin messaged your group chat.”   

Haechan snorts and you assume he knows which message you’re referring to. “Yeah, if you found Jeno nosy, good luck tolerating Jaemin.”   

“I’m just hoping we didn’t scar him for life.”   

“I mean,” he shrugs, gently tapping his fingers on the table surface. “He didn’t actually see anything.” His tone suggestive, eyes watching you, trying to gauge a reaction. “Had he walked out a few minutes earlier-”   

“Shut up.” You warn and cover your eyes with both hands in embarrassment, smiling against your palms at the sound of his pretty laugh.  

“C’monnnn,” he reaches across the table and takes hold of your wrists, pulling your hands away from your face so he’s able to look at you properly, while holding your hands in his, in the most delicate way. You stubbornly look away, trying to hide the blush that has taken over your face. “Aww don't be embarrassed.” He coos and squeezes your wrists in his hands, his thumbs sneaking under your sweater paws, rubbing gently against your pulse points, causing goosebumps to raise on your arms. “Okay, I’m sorry, I won’t tease anymore today, I promise.” He says in a playful tone but you still don’t look at him and maintain the pout on your face. A quick kiss on the inside of your wrist earns him your attention and then another on the opposite one makes you break your resolve completely, your eyes now on his. “Yay, there she is.”   

“You’re annoying.” You huff and he chuckles again.   

“And you’re still blushing.”   

You retract your hand from his hold and attempt to flick at his forehead, but he grasps it again before you’re able to. He interlocks his fingers with yours and gives you a toothy grin. His perfect teeth showing and his eyes wrinkling at the corners. “How do you expect me to not feel embarrassed when you act like-” You stop yourself from saying what's on your mind and he perks up at your hesitation, eyebrows raised.   

“Like what?” He asks, his voice laced with intrigue.  

“The way you do.” Your gaze moves to your connected hands, taking in the way his fingers look slotted between yours. Perfect. Like they belong there.   

“You don’t like the way I act?” His bottom lip jutting out in a fake pout, gently stroking the back of your thumb with his own.   

“No, I do but-” You observe how his palm opens against your own, fingers extending and yours instinctively mirror the action, elbows pressed on the table and your heart flutters at how big his hand looks compared to yours.   

“But?” He’s also looking at your hands now and slots his fingers between yours again, his grip tight, his palm warm and you worry he can feel how clammy yours is.   

“You’re just too forward.”   

“Is that a bad thing?” His tone more serious now, his eyes observing you. “I told you; I never intended to be subtle with you.” His hold on your hand loosening. “But I can stop if you’re uncomfortable.”  

“No.” Your hand tightening its hold, quietly indicating you don’t want him to let go and he sports a cheeky smile, like he expected you to react that way. “I’m just not used to this.”   

His eyes are curious now. “Used to people being forward?” You nod at his question. He thinks about it for a moment. “You were pretty forward yourself the other night.” 

“That’s different.” You say calmly.   

“How come?”   

“Nights like that don’t happen all the time.” You explain with a shrug, without giving away too much. 

His expression softens, and his nods in understanding. “So, you knew you wanted me before the party then.” He says it like a statement but you know he’s asking as he watches you with expectant eyes. His hand leaves yours momentarily, dropping on the table, palm facing up, waiting for your own hand to drop back into his. And it does. You trace your fingertips from his wrist to the middle of his palm, drawing along the lines there. His own fingers raising slightly to tickle against your palm, tracing patterns and you feel giddy. He’s emitting this softness you’ve never encountered in a romantic partner before and you’re not sure if you can handle it. But you want to be able to.  

“I did, yeah.” You admit with a smile, eyes finding his wide ones. “Why are you so surprised?”   

“I just- I did too.” He bites the inside of his bottom lip in thought. “Just wasn’t sure how to approach you before.” Your own surprise evident. “Why are you so surprised?” He mimics your question with a playful tone.  

“Since when?” You ask, wanting to know more.  

He hums skeptically, and you feel his knee bumping into yours under the small table, “I mean, I’ve always been intrigued.” He moves again and you feel both his knees rubbing against yours now. “But I knew I was into you after we spoke at that party in June.” Both your knees are trapped between his now and you can’t help but feel flustered, your fingers limp in his palm while his index is still tracing the inside of your wrist. It slightly tickles but it’s welcome. “You?”   

You could lie and say it was the same for you. That you realised you were interested when you finally spoke for the first time. But you don’t really want to, and you don’t see the point. “I think- I can’t really place it, but I was definitely interested before June.” You expect him to tease, but he just nods in understanding, gesturing you to continue. “And I could tell you were kind of flirting, when we briefly spoke last week, so, I thought Chenle's party was the perfect time to act on it.”   

“So, you’ve had a crush on me?” He smirks and his knees squeeze yours between them, finally teasing you. "Cute.” He says under his breath, eyes move to your lips for a second and then up to your eyes again. “You should’ve said something sooner.” He raises his drink and his lips wrap around the straw and you can’t help but look, remembering what they felt like on yours, on your skin, what they looked like wrapped around his fingers when he wanted a taste of you.   

“I didn’t think you would’ve reciprocated.” You say bashfully and he looks at you, like he finds your words absurd.  

He puts his drink down again. “I'd be clinically insane.”   

His words emit a small laugh from you. "Well, I'm glad you're somewhat sane."  

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" The question unexpected and your eyebrows raise in surprise. "Sun's out again." He points his chin towards the window and you turn your head to look outside. The autumn leaves are still falling but he's right. The sun is out for the first time in a few days. "Promise I'll have you back by three." He says in a playful tone and you look back at him, pretending to consider his suggestion, even though, you know you won’t decline.

_ 

Haechan isn't really a big fan of autumn. He doesn't hate it, but he certainly likes summertime the most. He likes being able to walk down the beach with no layers on and no worry that it'll get cold late at night. He likes the way the sun feels on his skin and he definitely prefers the way he looks when he's sun kissed. He finds that everyone looks good in the sun.  

He's always associated the idea of falling in love with a nice refreshing summer breeze; not necessary, because he's content in the heat, but definitely not unwanted.   

The thought of summer always makes him miss home and look forward to the next time he's able to visit. If he's completely honest, Haechan always misses home a little bit, it's always occupying the back of his mind. The city; as fun as it is living here, has always felt too different. Too chaotic. Now that you're walking next to him though, he's not missing anything and he thinks it's the first time since he moved here, that he feels absolutely and utterly content. At peace even. Even in the chilly autumn air as you two walk through the park near your campus, surrounded by brown leaf covered trees.   

"What's your favourite time of the year?" He can't help but ask the question when it pops into his head.   

"Hmm I think this one." You lift a finger, gesturing to your surroundings and you pause for a moment skeptically. "I think it’s mostly because I prefer autumn fashion." He chuckles at your reasoning. "Hey, don't laugh," You protest. "I'd like summer more if I could lounge by a pool in a bikini whenever I wanted." You inhale deeply, your eyes briefly closing and he can tell you're enjoying the autumn air. "Autumn is just easier, plus, I love the smell of rain." You turn to look at him before looking ahead of you again. "What's yours? You give off major summer vibes."  

He exhales a laugh through his nose. "Really? What gave it away?" He looks at your side profile as he waits for a response. He thinks you look so pretty in this gloomy setting and wonders if you’d look even prettier during his favourite season.   

"Dunno." You seem to be in deep thought, your lips pursing and your eyes narrowing as you inspect his face carefully. "Maybe your tan?" And he mimics your expression, scrunching his nose too and you gently elbow him. "Did I get it right?" You ask hopefully.  

"You sure did." He confirms, nodding proudly and a cheeky smile makes its way to your lips.   

"Why summer then?" You ask with a curious lilt in your tone.   

"I guess I associate summer with my childhood." He explains with a fond smile. "It reminds me of being-"  

"Carefree?" You finish his sentence and he smiles, nodding slowly in agreement. "That makes sense." You validate his thought process in the sweetest voice and he can't help but feel a certain way that leads him to slip his hand into yours. He senses your hesitation and worries he's overstepped a boundary but instantly relaxes when he feels your fingers take their place between his. You're not looking at him, but he can sense you trying to conceal your flustered state by nonchalantly keeping your eyes on the pavement.

He suddenly remembers you've got a class to attend at 3pm and slips his phone out of his back pocket to check the time. "It's half two, we should probably start heading back." He reminds you, not wanting to be the reason you mess up your schedule for the day.   

"Oh shit." Your eyes slightly widen at the realisation. "That was quick." You admit absentmindedly and he laughs softly.   

"Hmmmm what can I say, time flies when you're with me." He says with a suggestive pointed grin.   

"Didn't realise you were this deluded." You scoff, eyes rolling playfully. 

"Hey now." He warns with a nudge against your shoulder and can't hide the amused grin on his face when you giggle. "You had fun, admit it."  

"Mmmmaybe." You say with a cheeky smile, and he feels his pulse increasing. His chest constricts inevitably at how cute and soft you look. Your chin brushing your shoulder as you turn your head to look at him, batting your lashes seductively. He wonders if you know the effect you have on him.   

“You act all brave now, but -” He stops walking, making you halt, and you turn to look at him. “I bet I could easily make you skip class, if I really wanted to.” He says suggestively, a cocky eyebrow raising when he takes in your surprised expression. He pulls you closer, pulling lightly at your hand that's still in his and you stumble, putting a hand on his chest to regain your balance. You look up at him, and he thinks 'there it is', there's that not-so-innocent look from Saturday night. You don't shy away or get flustered this time, you stand your ground, and he suddenly wants to ruin you. But he knows this is not the time and place and he curses internally for choosing to go on a stupid coffee date. He's definitely taking you out somewhere more intimate and romantic next time, like Jeno suggested.   

"And how exactly would you do that?" You ask, testing his resolve, which, apparently, runs very thin when it comes to you.   

He leans down so his lips are by your ear, the hand that's not holding yours, taking purchase on your waist. "I'd show you but you'd probably get all shy on me." He murmurs and relishes in the way your hand tightens its hold on the fabric of his jumper. He feels your breathing quicken and can't help but laugh at your reaction.   

He moves to pull away and the second his eyes land on yours, your hand grabs the back of his neck and your lips crash on his. His breath hitches and his eyes widen at the impact, before he relaxes against you and kisses you back. He relishes in the feel of your soft lips sliding against his, and the warmth your body radiates when he pulls you closer with his arm around your waist and when he feels you sigh, body pliantly slotting into his, he wonders if someone if playing a prank on him, because there’s no way you’re this perfect for him. You wrap both your arms around his neck securely and he moves a hand to your hip, gently squeezing, his fingers dangerously close to your ass. You whimper when his tongue makes contact with your bottom lip and he feels you tilt your head to the side silently asking him to deepen the kiss, but he decides that the next time he has a full on make out session with you is going to be somewhere private. He bites your bottom lip lightly and gives you a quick peck before breaking the kiss completely and you whine at the sudden loss of contact, making him laugh. The hand on your hip sneakily slides itself into your back pocket, giving your bum a playful squeeze, before letting it rest there lazily, simply because he can't help himself. "You're trouble, Y/N." He mumbles against your lips.  

Your eyes open at that, finding his and your hand caresses the back of his neck while you suck your bottom lip into your mouth and his jeans start to feel constricting at the thought of you doing that so you can taste him again, now that he's no longer kissing you. "I'm trouble?" You ask in disbelief.

"You kissed me." He states in an accusatory tone as if he wouldn't have done it himself anyway.  

"I know." You whisper, your eyes dropping to his lips again. "I wanted to." You mumble and your tone makes his brain overflow with thoughts that revolve around you and his bed, because it doesn't matter that it's Monday afternoon and you're walking around the park. In Haechan’s head, nothing matters in this moment other than the fact that he desperately wants you in ways he hasn’t wanted anyone before and that scares him. Not because he doesn’t want to. But simply because he does. Haechan wants to want you.

_ 

"And with five minutes to spare." Haechan says with a proud smile when you reach the entrance of the building your class is in, still hand in hand and you can't help but smile back.   

“You know you're definitely gonna be late, right?” You say in a scolding tone and he scoffs rolling his eyes.  

“And whose fault is that?” He says playfully, pulling you closer.   

“You should've said you were meeting Jaemin at three, how am I supposed to- mmmf.” He interrupts you with a kiss against your lips, cupping your face in his hands. He pulls away quicker than you'd prefer but you still can't help the surprised laugh that escapes you.   

"I know I’ll see you on Thursday, but can I take you out Friday night?" He asks, eyes wide and hopeful and you smile.   

"You can." You say with a dreamy tone, taking in his pretty brown eyes and the way his smile widens when you accept to go on a second date with him.   

"Good." He kisses you chastely again and rubs his nose against yours before dropping a wet smooch on your cheek, laughing at your reaction.  

"Yah!" You complain cringing at the wet sensation against your skin. "Ewww, you slobbered on meeee." You whine, wiping the wetness off your face with the back of your hand, your nose scrunching in fake disgust but your heart flutters at the sound of his laugh. "Fucking weirdo." You huff, torn between laughter and exasperation.  

"Be a good girl and get to class." He turns you around, putting his hands on your shoulders and guiding you towards the entrance of the building, arms hugging you from behind and the butterflies in your stomach go ballistic. "Also, sit with me on Thursday." He whispers in your ear and you shiver at the feeling of his warm breath on your neck. You turn your head sideways to look at his face and you can't stop your lips from curling into a grin.   

"Be a good boy and don't tell me what to do." You whisper against his jaw, where you press a quick kiss that surprises him, his arms loosening around your shoulders in shock and you take the opportunity to turn around and loosely wrap your arms around his waist. You raise on your tippy toes so you can bring your lips to his ear. “I’ll see you soon, Lee Haechan.” You say with a low tone and to anyone else it might seem like you're just hugging, but you can feel his chest moving shallowly against your own when you give him another gentle kiss, on the cheek this time.  

"What the f-" You walk away with a sweet smile, before he can react or finish his sentence and you couldn't be more satisfied with yourself. You know he's still standing there, looking at you while you walk away from him and you smile to yourself.   

When you take your usual seat next to Chenle, in the back of the big lecture hall, he looks at you with a smirk, arms crossed over his chest. "So? How was it?" He asks and a giggle escapes him when you sigh with a dreamy smile on your face. "That good?"   

“You have no idea.” You feel you phone buzz in your pocket and you already have an idea what to expect.   

15:01 Hae☀️: that was fucked up...  

15:01 Hae☀️️: you're in for a treat next time i see you

_

Thursday rolls around slower than normal this week and you know why it feels that way. You can’t wait to see him.   

It’s the first time you’re running late to class though, and you’re cursing yourself for deciding to take a nap earlier. The bus that would have gotten you there on time is long gone, so your only option was to walk and be ten minutes late. You know it’s not the end of the world, students run late all the time, and it’s not like you’re anal about punctuality. It’s just that you hate being the centre of attention.   

And when you walk in the lecture hall, everything pans out exactly how you had predicted; some people turn their heads to look when you enter the hall as quietly as possible and some couldn’t care less. When you skip past your usual row of seats though, taking a seat two rows ahead instead, next to the handsome boy who’s been lately occupying your thoughts nonstop, more people’s eyes drift to your direction and you’re thankful to your professor, who continues speaking, without batting an eyelid at your tardiness.   

“You okay? I texted you.” Haechan leans into whisper in your ear, voice as quiet as possible. An arm extends behind you, resting on the back of your seat casually and you feel the warmth radiating on your shoulder blades, through the material of your top.   

You look at him for a moment before starting to take out your notes and iPad. “I know, I took a nap and overslept.” You whisper back maintaining the decibels of your voice as low as possible and you can tell he’s holding back a laugh.   

You look past him and you see Jaemin and Jeno both looking at you and waving. You mouth ‘hi’ to both of them offering a smile and your eyes land on Haechan again who’s smiling at you like he’s up to something. He relaxes in his seat, comfortably sinking into it while spreading his legs, his knee now touching yours and you know what he’s trying to do.  

You also lean back and relax in your seat, pretending to finally pay attention to whatever example is being demonstrated on the board. Your knee playfully nudges his.

“Stop manspreading.” Your eyes still on the board but your attention on him.   

“I’d say sorry, but it was intentional.” He states and you hold in your exasperation as well as your laugh. Your amused expression falters when he reaches to take your hand in his and rests them on his thigh. He’s too casual for your liking and too soft for your poor heart.   

When he said that you’re in for a treat he really did mean it.  

He walks you home that day.   

-

“What the actual fuck?” Your voice is high-pitched; eyes so wide, they resemble a cartoon’s.   

“What?” He laughs at your comical expression and places the mic down on the table in the centre of the noraebang room.  

“You made me go first so you could embarrass me!” You loudly accuse with your finger pointing at him.   

“You weren’t bad!” He can’t help the laughter that won’t stop. You’re frowning still and you look so adorable and believably annoyed. He knows it’s all pretend though.   

“You were so good though.” Your frown slowly turns into a pout. “And it was all in Japanese.” Your wide eyes looking up at him from when you’re still sat cross legged on the leather sofa seat. He feels weak. You make him feel weak.   

“I took singing lessons when I was younger.” He explains with a smile. “And that’s my favourite song so I’ve had practice.” He approaches slowly and takes a seat next to you, huffing and spreading his legs slightly to get comfortable while his head rests on the back of the sofa. He’s the one looking up at you now. You look so pretty in the purple and blue hues that light up the room. He definitely made the right choice bringing you here after dinner. He wanted to keep your second date PG but the way you’re looking at him right now makes him contemplate.   

“Ah right. He’s an artist.” A teasing smile takes over your face as you hold his gaze. He groans and you giggle when his hands come up to cover his face in embarrassment. He feels you shift next to him and when he looks at you through the gaps of his fingers you’ve turned your body towards him, still crossing your legs. “You have a pretty voice, Lee Haechan.”   

He knows he’s blushing, but he snorts, trying to feign nonchalance. “Thanks.” his hands drop and rest on his thighs.   

“Did you bring me here to show off then?” Your tone still ever so teasing.  

“No, but I was hoping to impress you maybe.” He admits without realising. Your effect on him frustrates him.   

“By serenading me in a language I can’t understand?” Your smile is so sweet, tooth ache inducing. So sweet it’s contagious. You move a little closer and he can smell your sweet perfume. His eyes drop to your exposed neck and then to the collarbones he’s dying to press soft kisses on. “Consider me impressed.” You say and his eyes come back up to your face. You seem to be fighting your smile now and he’s obsessed with the fact that you don’t want to give away how affected you also are by him.   

“What’s your favourite song?” He asks in a low voice, sitting up a bit and extending an arm along the back of the sofa. Your eyes instantly drop there, and your hand comes up to trace a vein absentmindedly. He manages to contain the shiver that creeps up on him, but he can’t control the goosebumps raising on his skin.   

“Japanese Denim by Daniel Caesar.” You respond, copying his low tone. Your eyes not leaving your fingers gingerly trailing up and down his skin. “You know it?” you look at him in question.   

Haechan is thankful he does. “Myyy blueee jeaaansss.” He sings the start of the chorus playfully and you giggle, pushing his shoulder lightly.   

“Okay r&b king.” You joke with a laugh. He pokes your side and you flinch with a half whine half giggle. He can’t help but smile at the sound.   

“I just think his lyrics are like poetry, you know?” You shrug, explaining why you see the appeal. Your hand is now resting in his arm, no longer tracing and he enjoys the weight of it. The warmth. He wants to reach out and touch you too, but he doesn’t move. The moment feels too precious to ruin.   

“They really are.” He agrees with a small nod. He likes to think that maybe he’ll be able to write lyrics like those one day, but he doesn’t say it. He doesn’t want to talk about himself now. He’s too busy admiring you. “You’re so pretty.” He says softly and he doesn’t even register the words leaving his mouth until he gets the cutest reaction from you. You look away, smiling big and your hands come up to press against your cheeks, attempting to cover what he assumes is a blush. A soft chuckle escapes him and he reaches up with both hands to remove yours from your face. “Blush away, no need to hide.” He teases you. He finds that he’s good at it. He wonders if it’s because you generally get flustered so easily or if it’s just the effect he has on you. He hopes it’s the latter.   

When your hands aren’t in the way, he taps a finger under your chin gently encouraging you to turn your head so he can look at you again. He then instinctively moves closer, craving to feel your warmth better and when your eyes find his again, his chest constricts. He sometimes doesn’t understand how it’s possible that he’s come to feel so attached to you in such a short amount of time, how he so easily gravitates towards you. But then you look at him and he understands. You speak and he understands. You laugh and he understands. You touch him and he understands. It almost feels foreign but never unwelcome. Never forced. And that scares him.   

Haechan trails his fingers from your chin down to your collarbone, tracing softly and he slowly moves the fallen strands of hair behind your shoulder. He feels your gasp when he leans forward to leave a kiss on the curve of it. Then a little lower. And a little lower until his nose nuzzles against the dip of your collarbone. Another kiss. And another. This time his tongue makes contact first, tasting the skin, before his lips pucker on the sensitive surface again. Your breathing has turned shallow and he smiles at the sight of your chest moving up and down. Your fingers thread into his hair, slightly pulling and he sighs against your wet skin. You catch him off guard when your other hand pushes him by the shoulder and he’s about to apologise for crossing a line but then you quickly straddle him and his mind goes blank. This is definitely not PG.   

“Someone could see us, you know.” You whisper against his lips and he almost moans. The hand in his hair pulls again and his head drops against the back of the seat pliantly, eyes closing at the feeling of your lips on his jawline. You scatter small kisses until you reach his ear and lightly bite on his lobe, his breathing quickens and the moan he’s been holding in eventually escapes at your next words. “Bet that turns you on though.” His hands instantly come up to hold onto something, anything. One grabs onto your waist, the other lands on your thigh, just below the hem of your skirt. “Talk to me.” You whisper sweetly in his ear before starting to trail kisses down the column of neck. The further down you travel, the wetter they get and he feels himself getting hard, his hips slightly raising to get some friction, but you don’t budge. “Behave.” You laugh against his neck in a hot puff of air and his voice comes out in a soft whine.   

“Baby,” he breathes out weakly and you coo softly against his neck while gingerly sucking on the delicate flesh. He feels you place a hand on his chest, above where his heart is beating uncontrollably and he knows you can feel it too, your thumb stroking soothingly to comfort him. “Wanna kiss you.” He pleads pathetically and he feels like he might come in his pants when you suddenly grind your hips down. His breath catches in his throat and he trails a hand up your back, between your shoulder blades, to wrap around the base of your neck, pressing you down as he thrusts up into you. He smiles stupidly when you bring up your face, unburying from his neck, to look at him with wide eyes. He thinks you might scold him but instead you just wrap a hand around his neck, pressing your fingers against his pulse points in a possessive manner and he groans. His eyes shut at the dizzying sensation and when he feels your lips press on his, he relishes. His head tilts automatically to deepen the kiss and he sighs into your mouth when your tongue finds its way in. It’s intoxicating and he swears he feels high. Your hand around his neck definitely playing a part but it’s mostly your taste and the way you kiss him exactly how he likes to be kissed. Wet and filthy but still slow, sucking on his tongue to tease him. He feels his heartbeat going wild without permission when you grind down again, just the right way, the perfect amount of pressure to drive him insane.  

His hands trail down to messily bunch up the fabric of your corduroy skirt so he can squeeze the flesh of your ass in his palms, fingers digging into the skin. He’s not gentle with you this time but your moans against his lips encourage him not to hold back.

You’re now grinding down with determined force and he moans into your mouth when his fully hard dick slots between your pussy lips, the only thing separating you, his layers and your underwear. He matches your pace, hips coming up when yours drop down and he realises that you’re no longer teasing him. “Think you can cum like this?” You ask against his lips, the scratch in your voice driving him insane, breathing ragged, hips quickening their eager ministrations. He nods, staring into your eyes. “You want to?” You ask again, keeping your eyes on his as your arms wrap around his shoulders to gain more support and he responds with another nod and a shaky breath. His head dips forward, eyes dropping down to where you’re connected and his hand pushes your skirt up even further, to get a better look. He groans at the sight. Your panties almost trapped between your folds, your pussy leaving a trail of wetness on the front of his jeans whenever you drag your body back and he feels himself twitch in his pants. It’s sinful. It’s perfect. You're perfect.  

“Fuck, hang on.” He whispers suddenly, arm wrapping around your middle to halt your movements and he quickly unbuttons his jeans with one hand. His hips raise a little bit as he clumsily pushes the fabric down, leaving his boxers still on. “Okay.” He exhales and his hands find your hips again, guiding you to resume your work. The friction so much better now that he can properly feel your wetness seeping through the cotton and he loves that he can see the way his fat cock drags between your lace clad pussy lips.

Your whining doesn’t go unnoticed, and he looks up at your face only to find you also looking down dazedly. He relishes in the idea that you can get as dirty as he can and he takes in the sight of you now; lips parted, gasping audibly, your nipples hard and visible through your thin blouse and he’s suspecting that you’ve foregone wearing a bra. 

His hands drag upwards, leaving your hips, trusting you to keep grinding down with no guidance and when he squeezes the flesh of your breasts through the fabric, his suspicions are confirmed. You moan when his thumbs rub on your already sensitive nipples, leaning into his touch and he repeats the action, enjoying the desperate little sounds you let out.

“I’m close.” He announces in a gasp, his balls feel heavy and he knows he’s leaking precum, adding to the wet patch you’ve created on the front of his boxers.   

“Yeah?” Your eyes search his, hands cupping his face and kissing him again, soft this time. “You gonna cum for me, pretty boy?” He feels his eyes roll back at your words and all he can do is nod again. He anchors himself by squeezing your ass in his hands again and he loves the whimpers you let out when his hands get a little rougher, making the flesh ripple. He decides to take matters into his own hands when he feels your thighs shaking around his hips, suspecting the soreness in your muscles and his hold on you gives you no option but to quicken the pace

“Fuck, you feel so fuckin good, baby, please don’t stop.” He exasperatedly begs, his breath shaky and he feels like he’s losing it. Pathetic.   

“Yes, god, m’cumming.” His voice comes out ruined, words muffled against your lips, vision blurring and his jaw drops when he reaches his peak, soaking his boxers like a teenage boy. Your hands slide into his hair when he starts shaking and he basks in the comforting touch. His head drops back on the seat again and he feels dizzy, your hips are still moving, dragging out his high and when it gets too much, he gently taps his fingers on your ass cheek, smiling dumbly. “Mmh, just give me a second.” He sighs as you take a seat, directly on his cock, softly cooing at him and kissing his cheek as you push his fringe back, revealing his damp forehead and he purrs at the gentleness.

“Good?” You ask sweetly and he almost scoffs, because there’s no way you don’t know you’ve just ruined him when he’s pathetically drenched his underwear like a horny teenage boy.

“Intense.” He hums and he feels himself shiver when you let out a breathy laugh against his skin, nuzzling into his temple. He slowly turns his head and catches your lips in a slow kiss. “Wanna make you feel good too.” He murmurs in the kiss and when he notices the conflicted expression on your face, he doubles down. “I’ll be quick.”

“Confident?” You tease with a smile that he can’t help but return. Your teeth sink on your bottom lip when he cups your pussy and he moans at the feeling of soaked lace.   

“Not like I haven’t done it before.” He teases back and he laughs when you swat at his chest. “Please?” He tries again, tone needy this time and he uses his puppy eyes, smiling when he breaks through your resolve. The second you nod, he wraps an arm around you securely and his other hand grabs at the fleshy bit where your ass meets your thigh. “Lie down for me.” He whispers and helps maneuver you onto your back swiftly.

He can’t help but smirk when your legs instinctively part for him to slot in between, and he does exactly that, coming to position himself above you, supporting his weight on one arm by the side of your head. His lips find yours again, in a hungry kiss and this time it’s his tongue that dominates yours, sliding into your mouth, tasting you just like you did to him earlier. He loves the sigh you let out through your nose when his hand slips into your underwear slowly, sliding his middle finger between your folds but what he loves the most is how wet you are.   

“Can I use my mouth?” He questions mid kiss and you must like the sound of that, because he feels you grind against his palm.   

“You can do anything you want, just no sex.” You say shyly. “Not here.”

“Told you, baby,” He gives your lips another peck before kissing down your neck, giving your tit a tentative squeeze as he moves downwards. “Wanna do that in my bed first.” Your moan at the promise brings a smile to his face as his hands slip into the top of your panties and drag them down your legs hastily, feeling the goosebumps on your skin. He stuffs the flimsy material into his back pocket, earning a questioning look from you and he grins. “Don’t worry, you’ll get them back.” He starts kissing from the inside of your knee to your inner thigh, wet and full of tongue.   

“Stop teasing.” You whine, raising your hips impatiently when he reaches closer to where you want him. And he chuckles against your folds, watching as your legs spread even more for him.   

His head rests on your inner thigh, comfortably and he looks up at your face, gauging your reaction. “What do you say?”   

“Please.” You whisper and he feels his dick harden again at your submissive tone.   

“Good girl.” He mutters and his hands slide up your inner thighs, thumbs pulling your pussy lips apart, revealing your cute swollen nub, all pretty and in need of attention. He can see you’re clenching around nothing, clear pearls of slick dripping from the tiny hole that he can’t wait to lap up. 

You’re more than wet enough but Haechan doesn’t think twice before letting a fat glob of spit slowly drip from his mouth and he feels his dick twitch at the sight. You moan when you feel the extra wetness land on your cunt and he does it again, watching his spit drip down to your asshole, making a mess of you. Nothing but sensual. “Yeah? You like it messy?” He breathes out in admiration and he doesn’t even need an answer, he knows you do.

His hand comes up again, fingers spreading the mixed wetness through your folds. His middle and ring fingers create a v shape around your clit, isolating the nub between them and the tip of his tongue comes out to make contact, flicking gently up and down. You both moan in unison, your hands burying in his hair to keep him where you need him and he loves how ruined you already sound, how your legs part completely, how addictive you taste on his tongue. And he loves that he can’t get enough of you.

“Mmh, fuck.” You moan when his arm wraps around your thigh, bringing his hand to separate your folds from the top, palm pressing against your pubic bone, fingers delicately pulling the hood of your clit up, revealing more of the little nub. His flat tongue licks from your hole to your clit and he repeats the action when he feels your fingers pull at his hair harder. The pink muscle then settles back to delivering quick flicks on your nub, the direct contact making you squeal and he smiles at the adorable sound. “Yes, like that.” You encourage him, the praise making his chest swell with pride. His other hand joins and his middle finger teases your leaking entrance, circling before slowly sliding in until it’s fully buried inside, your soaked walls making the glide so easy, that he’s certain one digit won’t be enough.

When his jaw gets tired, he switches to sucking harshly on your clit, making you groan and he slowly starts to move his finger in and out, curling up slightly, following the curve of your pussy. He knows you want more, your hole dripping even more slick around his finger, so he slows down as he adds a second one. You sigh when you feel the extra stretch and he knows he’s got you where he wants you when you start clenching.   

“Fuck, baby, you’re creaming.” He points out in disbelief when he sees the white substance coating his digits every time they pull out of you and you whine in embarrassment. “I swear to god, I’m gonna fuck you stupid one day.” He promises against your cunt and goes back to sucking, more determined this time. His fingers start pumping quicker into you, the squelching sounds nothing but melodic in his ears and your tight walls nothing but heaven around his fingers. Your whines get louder when his speed increases and he knows he’s hitting your sweet spot every time he thrusts in, the pads of his fingers dragging against your walls. “Right there, hm?” His pace quickens even more and he looks up when he feels your eyes on him. You’re on your elbows now, jaw agape, eyes on his lips, watching him ruin you and his tongue comes out to flick quickly from side to side, his head moving with it, making a spectacle without breaking eye contact.   

“I’m gonna cum.” You warn in a whisper, burying a hand in his hair again and your elbows give out, allowing your body to drop back down. He hums against your cunt, letting you know he’s got you and he feels your legs trembling around his head. “Fuck, yes yes yes.” Your voice sounds broken, your walls are kneading his fingers and he has to put extra effort into sliding in and out due to the restricting tightness.

He doesn’t stop though, even when he knows you’re coming down from your high, he keeps pushing your boundaries. He wants more. “Haechan!” You squeal when he suckles on your clit again and he laughs darkly at the cute sound. Your hand tries to push him away, legs attempting to close around his head but he’s not quite done yet, his hold around your thigh tight enough to keep you open for him.   

He pulls his fingers out slowly and you whine. “Sorry, pretty.” He whispers mockingly against your clit before dipping down to lick at your pulsing entrance, smiling at the mewl you let out. He licks from bottom to top again, gently flicking at your clit when he comes up and he knows it’s too much when your body convulses and you sound like you’re crying. You’re not pushing him away though, which gives him hope. He opts to circling instead of flicking, tongue relaxed now; languid and he feels your legs spread again. “Yeah? Want more gentle?” He coos as his eyes look up and he can see your perky tits moving up and down with your breathing. He trails a hand up your body, squeezing greedily around the flesh and he moans at the feeling of your stiff nipple against his palm.   

“I’m too sensitive.” You sigh and bring a hand above his, squeezing around your own tit with him as you raise on your elbows again. 

“You can give me one more, though, right?” His eyes staring into yours, hopeful.   

“I think so.” You nod tiredly, eyebrows furrowing slightly at the overstimulation, breathing coming out harsh. “I’m still turned on.” You admit shyly, biting down on your bottom lip as you push his fringe away from his damp forehead.   

“Such a good girl.” He says dreamily and his tongue gently circles your clit again, wet hand pressing against the back of your thigh to keep you spread out for him.   

Only after you come again on his tongue, does he stop, moving to kiss on your inner thigh, sucking on the supple skin there, leaving a wet patch behind along with a subtle mark. He leans over you again, taking in the sight under him. Your breathing slowing down as you look up at him, your hair fanned around you and your eyes blinking slowly. You look beautifully and utterly fucked out and so angelic. His heart swells when you reach up, pulling him close to you and he gives in right away, dropping down, resting his weight on you carefully. He kisses you slowly, pushing his tongue past your parted lips, moaning with you, knowing you can taste yourself.   

“You’re hard again.” You whisper against his lips and he laughs, because of course he is.   

“You are not making me cum in my pants again.” He scolds and kisses softly on your cheek as you snort a laugh, your arms wrapping around his shoulders, holding him close.   

“Okay, I won’t.” You say with a smile, leaning in to kiss him again. He lets you.   

—

“Do you guys have any, like, weird fetishes?” Jaemin asks randomly, interrupting your conversation with Ningning and almost causing you to choke on a fry.   

“The fuck is wrong with you?” Haechan pipes up next to you, genuine concern laced in his tone, his hand stroking your back whilst you cough.   

“Yeah, changing the subject from ‘I’m broke’, to that, is slightly worrying to say the least.” Ningning agrees but that doesn’t stop her from laughing. “Look, even Jeno is speechless.” She points at Jeno’s shocked expression and he snaps out of it, taking a sip from his coffee.   

“I was just curious.” Jaemin shrugs as he explains. “I’ve been texting this girl and the other night it turned into sexting and she asked me if I’d be down to piss on her?”   

“Oh wow,” Ningning is suddenly interested. “What did you say?” She asks and he eyes widen as she awaits his response. All eyes around the table are on Jaemin now and he’s clearly thrown off, struggling to find the right words.   

“Wellllll-“   

“Oh my god!” Renjun exclaims and covers his mouth with both hands. “Please tell me you didn’t actually do it.”  

“No, of course not.” Jaemin defends himself quickly. “I haven’t even slept with her.” He steals a fry from your plate. “Yet.” He concludes with a smug smile.   

“Okay, but, let’s say you do sleep with her and she asks you to piss on her.” Haechan interferes. “Would you?” He asks with an amused expression and Jaemin seems to be in deep thought.   

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to it but I’m pretty sure I’d get stage fright.” Says casually and stuffs a few more fries in his mouth. “Also, I don’t think I can pee when I’m hard.”   

”Yeah, I was thinking that.” Jeno says with narrowed eyes. “It’s also a bit weird if you don’t know them that well or if it’s just a one-time thing, no?” He looks around, asking everyone.  

“Yeah, true.” Renjun agrees. “Not that I’ve done it before, but, surely you do those kinds of things with someone you’re in a relationship with or at least someone you’ve been seeing and agreed to experiment with.” He looks at Jaemin. “But then again, you’re a different kind of breed.” Everyone laughs at that.   

“That I am my friend.” Jaemin laughs darkly and leans over to kiss Renjun on the cheek. The latter pushes him away by shoving a hand against his face with a disgusted expression and you snort at the scene.   

“The question is, where did you even meet this girl?” You ask with a wiggle of your eyebrows, not because you care, but because you find it amusing when Jaemin gets flustered.   

His eyes meet yours now and he seems taken aback before he puts on his cheeky grin again. “Oh, I have a better question, miss thing.” His voice laced with nothing but mischief and you’re now scared. “Would you let Haechan piss on you if he asked?” There it is.   

“And I ask again.” Haechan saves you momentarily. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” His voice is calm but there’s definitely an edge to it, a warning even. He doesn’t move from his position next to you. An arm lazily resting on the back of your chair, the warmth certainly comforting on your shoulders. You instinctively lean into him, resting a hand on his thigh and his knuckles rub against your arm soothingly. Your eyes meet Ningning’s who’s watching the whole interaction smiling and you try to contain your own smile.   

“What? It’s a good question, no?” Jaemin says with a shrug and you roll your eyes.   

“Jaemin, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really talk about golden showers at least until after the fifth date.” You say sarcastically and Jeno snorts trying to hold in a laugh. “And that’s besides the point. You asked if we have any fetishes so I think we should all share one.”   

Jaemin smirks and points a finger at you playfully. “I knew you could match my freak.” He says, giggling like a schoolgirl and Haechan’s arm around your shoulders tightens, the act unnoticeable to everyone else but not to you. Your fingers resting on his thigh, tense slightly trying to get his attention as you turn to look at his face and you can’t help but notice the frown on his face while he’s looking at Jaemin. He’s jealous and it’s obvious and you can’t help the warm fuzzy feeling spreading in your belly. When he looks down at you, his expression softens and you feel his arm relax around you. You give him a smile, which he instantly returns. You’re definitely bringing this up later.

“Take your freak elsewhere please.” Renjun says with sass, earning a few laughs around the table.   

“Ugh fine, I’ll start.” Ningning says and all eyes snap towards her. “I’m not opposed to some toe sucking. There you go. Thank you. Let’s move on.” Your laugh is loud and you wish Chenle didn’t have basketball training so he could witness this shit show.   

”Alright, I like sucking on toes.” Jeno confesses and you bury your face in your hand leaning into Haechan’s shoulder to conceal your laugh. You feel him chuckle in your hair as he wraps his arm around you properly and you love the heat radiating off him so much that you wish you could stay there for the rest of the day.   

“Next!” Ningning says exasperatedly, sending Jeno daggers across the table. It wasn’t even his turn but you respect his efforts. Not a lot of men have managed to get Ningning this flustered before and it actually makes you wonder if any toe sucking took place that night they supposedly only cuddled. You make a mental note that this might also be worth bringing up earlier.  

It’s Renjun’s turn and he seems to be in deep thought. “I honestly can’t think of anything, I think I’m pretty vanilla.”   

“Surely there’s something, it doesn’t have to be hardcore.” Haechan butts in. 

“I guess choking?” Renjun’s ears have turned red now and you almost feel bad, because out of everyone around this table, he’s the one that deserves to be embarrassed the least.   

“Ooooh erotic asphyxiation!” Jaemin says feigning a seductive tone. “Okay, so, I may or may not like butt stuff.”   

Everyone’s eyes widen at the confession.   

“As in your butt or the other person’s?” Jeno asks curiously. Jaemin only responds by wiggling his eyebrows and Jeno gasps dramatically. 

“As in you’ve had a finger up y-“   

“Moving on!” Jaemin exclaims loudly, interruptinh Ningning. "Your turn, lover boy." He gestures at Haechan to continue as Jeno’s mouth is still open in shock.   

“Hmm.’ Haechan ponders, his fingers tapping on your shoulder absentmindedly as he thinks. For some reason, even though it’s not your turn to answer, you feel exposed, as though all your friends are watching you both, trying to gauge your reaction at his response. You try to maintain as neutral an expression as possible and you hope he says something you might have already guessed by the times you’ve been intimidate with him. “Maybe the risk of getting caught.” He finally admits and you’re definitely not shocked.   

“That’s boring, everyone likes that.” Jaemin complains.  

“Speak for yourself, sicko.” Renjun defends. “Some of us like total privacy.”   

“Aww you really are vanilla.” Ningning pouts cutely and Renjun scoffs.    

“Y/N?” Renjun says to divert the attention from him and you fear your ears might be as red as his now. Everyone is watching you, including Haechan and you’re starting to regret suggesting this in the first place.   

“Just say it, no one is going to judge.” Jeno encourages and you want to bury your face in Haechan’s shoulder again.   

“Maybe Haechan should try and guess.” Renjun suggests and now you feel like you've underestimated him.  

“Oh yes!” Jaemin quickly agrees excitedly, clapping his hands. “Okay, how about he whispers it to you and if he gets it right, he then has to say it out loud.”   

“What if he gets it wrong?” You ask and Haechan scoffs next to you.   

“He seems pretty confident.” Ningning says, pointing at Haechan’s face and when you look up at him, he’s got a cocky smile plastered on his stupidly pretty face.   

“Alright, Haechanie, make us proud.” Jaemin says while holding a hand to his chest and Haechan rolls his eyes at his friend.   

“Okay,” He leans closer, cupping his hand around your ear to conceal his mouth from the group. “Spitting.” He whispers so that only you can hear and you feel lightheaded for a moment. When he retracts, he gently moves your hair behind your ear and when your eyes find his, he smirks. He’s got you all figured out and he knows it. Bastard. “So?” He asks patiently.   

“Correct.” You say in defeat and everyone cheers a little too loudly around the table.

“So, what is it?” Jaemin asks excitedly.

“Can I?” Haechan asks, eyes still on you, ignoring his friend and you appreciate that he prioritises your comfort. You nod with a smile, giving him permission to say it out loud.

“Spitting.” He says again, out loud this time for all your friends to hear.   

“That’s quite vague, no?” Jeno says. “Who’s spitting and where?”   

You turn in his direction, throwing daggers at him, because there’s no way he’s trying to be a brat. “Oh, would you perhaps like a demonstration? I’ll happily spit in your cute little boba tea right now.” Your sweet tone, insincere and Haechan bursts out laughing, head thrown back, pretty neck on display but you push that thought to the back of your mind.

“Relax woman!” Jeno says with his hands raised in surrender. “No saliva in my drink please.” He takes his drink from the table and covers the top with a hand protectively.   

“You can spit in mine.” Jaemin offers with hopeful eyes, holding up his drink in your direction and you groan at his crassness.   

“Dude, you’re sick.” Renjun says with a shake of his head, judging his friend.   

“No, I’m just versatile.” Jaemin defends with a pout. “No one’s spat in my drink before.”   

“That you know of.” Haechan says with a feigned smile, voice laced with mild irritation.

“Right, well, I hate to ruin the fun, but I have class in fifteen minutes.” Ningning gets up, grabbing her bag and drink. “Bye losers.” She says with a sweet smile and starts walking towards the exit of the cafeteria.   

“Wait!” Jeno’s voice is loud. “I’ll walk with you.” He gets up quickly, clumsily gathering his stuff before following after her like a puppy following his owner, without even looking back at the rest of you. You look at them walk away, already discussing something. You think they look cute together and you wonder what you and Haechan look like to other people.   

“Someone’s toes are definitely getting sucked later.” Jaemin says and you can’t help but laugh at his silly joke.   

Haechan turns to you with a sweet smile. “Are you done with classes for the day?” He asks quietly, leaning his body closer to you and you smile at how comfortable he already acts around you, not caring that his friends are still there.   

“Mm-hmm.” You confirm with a nod, sitting up to stretch your limbs and once the stiffness is somewhat relieved, you sink back into your chair, leaning into his warmth as he wraps his arm around your shoulders again, like it belongs there. “You working this evening?”   

“Nah, I only need to go in on Sunday this weekend.” He says happily as his other hand takes hold of yours, resting limply on his lap. “Wanna come over for dinner?” He asks carefully and your eyes fall on Jaemin and Renjun who are deep in conversation about what jobs Jaemin could look for to earn some extra cash. They’re paying no attention to you and Haechan.   

“Dinner?” You ask with a hopeful smile and turn your head to look up at him, his pretty boba eyes already on you and he nods.   

“Yeah, I could make us something, or we could get takeout.” His cheeks are now pink and you feel giddy at his flustered look. He looks so unbelievably cute and you get the urge to give him kiss, but you don’t. Not here.   

“Sure, I’d like that, but-” Then you look at the two boys sat across the table again, posing a silent question.   

“They’re all out tonight, don’t worry.” He reassures you quietly, reading your mind.   

It’s not that you don’t like being around Haechan’s friends, they’re all lovely and have been nothing but nice to you, but you would appreciate some one-on-one time with him. It’s been exactly a week since your second date and even though you’ve seen him around campus since then, it’s always been with his or your friends around. On the other hand, you’re now realising that neither of you have been over at each other’s places and you feel the nerves as well as the excitement brewing in your stomach.   

You’re aware that both you and Haechan are still navigating the nature of your relationship and even though you know that it’s too soon to tell where it’s going, you’re more than happy to see it through with him. 

You’re also aware that so far, you’ve both made very clear that when you’re left alone, it’s almost impossible to keep your hands off each other. And although, the last thing you want is to keep things between you at a superficial level, you can’t help but wonder what sex with him would feel like. And although, you want things to progress naturally, you have a feeling that if you go over for dinner, you might find out.  

“You sure you don’t wanna go out with them?” You ask, checking that he’s not cancelling any important plans for you.   

“I can’t think of anything worse than going to a frat house filled with a bunch of people I barely know, trust me.” He says with a laugh, his thumb stroking the back of your hand gently. “Plus, I feel like I haven’t properly seen you this week.”   

“Missed me?” You tease him, laughing at his reaction. His eyes roll and he tongues his cheek, trying to conceal his smile.   

“Yeah, and what if I did?” He challenges, his eyes widening, his lips forming a cute pout.   

“If you did,” You trail, leaning closer as you lower your voice, squeezing his hand in yours. “Then that’s great. Because the feeling might be mutual.” You reach up with your free hand to pinch one round cheek and before he has time to react, you lean in, dropping a quick kiss on the other one. “I’d love to come over.” You say with a smile and poke the tiny dimple that’s appeared where you’ve just kissed him.   

“Oh great, so you guys are fucking on our couch.” Jaemin ruins yet another moment and Haechan closes his eyes trying to compose himself. A thought pops into your head and you’re already internally laughing at your own joke.   

”Now, why would we do that, when your bed is available tonight?” You say with a toothy grin and you’re sure Renjun’s loud laugh makes some heads turn, Haechan mimics his reaction, head thrown, hands clapping. “Do not test me Na Jaemin, I will break you.” You point a finger at him with a serious look.   

“You two make a great match, it’s actually scary.” He says in what could be described as amazement or fear, gesturing between you and Haechan.  

_

You wake up confused, looking around and seeing you’re not in the familiar space of your apartment and when you inhale deeply you realise you’re safe. Haechan’s familiar scent helps you relax again and when you move to stretch your legs, you feel a comforting weight on your back, stroking slowly. You nuzzle your face into Haechan’s neck, humming in delight as he pulls the fluffy blanket, which you assume he threw over your figures whilst you were asleep, up to your chin.

“Hey, pretty.” He whispers in your ear, not wanting to startle you, his hand now in your hair, gently scratching your scalp and you purr in delight. “We fell asleep.” His tone still low, voice a little groggy, laced with sleep still.   

”Mmm, what time is it?” You mumble sleepily in his neck and he shuffles around, careful not to move you from where you’re lying comfortably on him, grabbing his phone from the coffee table near the couch you’re both currently cocooned in. Your blink your eyes slowly, thankful that the only thing producing light in the living room area, is the tv screen. Shin-chan still playing on the screen from earlier but the volume is lowered. You assume you must’ve fallen asleep mid cuddling, after dinner. You remember telling him about this crime documentary you watched with Ningning a few nights ago and how you couldn’t sleep after. You also remember him saying that you should’ve called him so he could take your mind off it, and you remember wondering if he really meant that or if he was just being nice.   

“It’s almost nine.” He says quietly after unlocking his phone. “We slept for like two hours.” He yawns cutely while checking any missed notifications and you can see from the corner of your eye, he quickly replies to a message from Jeno. “Seems like Jen convinced Ningning to come out.” He announces with a snort and your ears perk at that, your head slightly raising to look at him in question and he shows you the selfie he’s received from a visibly drunk Jeno, who’s got an arm wrapped around your friend’s shoulders, who’s sticking her tongue out, also visibly drunk.   

“Fuck's sake.” Your head drops on his shoulder again, groaning. “She’s gonna be hungover tomorrow.” You whine and Haechan lets out a laugh, holding you tightly against him, his arm wrapping around your middle. Your hand rests on his chest and you close your eyes, allowing the cosiness to engulf you.  

“It’s fine, I’m sure he’ll look after her.” He places his phone back on the coffee table and wraps his other arm around you, squeezing you like a teddy bear, with a sigh. “Bet my left nut, he’s staying at yours again tonight.” He jokes and you snort at his choice of words.   

“Why the left one specifically?”   

“I’m right-handed so I thought I’d keep the right one.”   

“I’m sure you’ll get to keep both anyway; he’s definitely going home with her.” You agree with his point and tap your hand lightly on his chest, while resting your chin on it to look up at his pretty face. His eyes are closed now and he looks so relaxed, you can’t help but wonder if he’s enjoying the cuddling session as much as you are, but you also don’t want to assume he wants you to stay over. “I can go home, if you wanna go to bed. It’s getting late.”   

His eyes open the moment he seems to have registered your words and he looks down at you. “Or you could stay?” He suggests with hopeful eyes, gauging your reaction. “I have a spare toothbrush, and you can wear something of mine.” He can definitely tell you’re contemplating. “No pressure of course, I get if you wanna be in your own bed.” His fingers comb through your hair soothingly and you close your eyes momentarily.  

"Hmm." You ponder with a smile, letting your hand trail up his chest, fingers absentmindedly stroking along his jaw, feeling the scratch of the light stubble adorning his chin and he tilts his head, leaning into the touch. “I'm sure I won't miss my bed that much.”  

_

After you’ve both brushed your teeth and he’s given you a comfortable big t-shirt of his to change into, you’re ready for bed and when you walk into his room, he’s already turned the main light off and left the bedside lamp on.

He’s lying comfortably under the white covers, back against the headboard while he’s lazily scrolling through his phone. You feel giddy at how soft and warm he looks. Just like a teddy bear you wouldn’t be able to sleep without.

You place your clothes on his desk chair and walk over to the side he’s not occupying, noticing your own phone is placed on the bedside table next to him, plugged in and screen down. You smile at the thoughtful gesture and slowly lift the duvet to get under, instinctively shuffling closer to his side of the bed when he stretches his arm out for you and you place your head on his chest, resembling the position you were in earlier on the couch. His bedsheets are cold and you tangle a leg with his, wiggling your toes against his skin to warm them up, making him flinch and you giggle quietly. “Sorry.”   

He places his phone down, next to yours and moves to get comfortable against the pillows while holding onto your shoulders, bringing you down with him. He maneuvers you so you’re both on your sides facing each other and his arm is still slotted under you, between your head and your shoulder, while yours lazily drapes over his waist. He cups your jaw, gently rubbing his thumb against your skin and when he kisses your forehead gingerly, your eyes close momentarily while your arm tightens around his middle, pulling yourself closer so your chest is touching his. It feels domestic and so comfortable, like you’ve shared a bed with him a million times before.

“You comfy?” He whispers and you nod, the tip of your nose rubbing against his in the process. You see the corners of his lips lifting into a smile that probably mirrors yours. “Are you sleepy?” He murmurs against your lips and you smirk, knowing he’s testing the waters now. His fingers are in your hair and his thigh is resting between your legs, so close to your aching centre that you’re worried he can feel you throbbing through your underwear.   

“Not really.” You breathe against his lips, your hand on his back slipping under the hem of his t-shirt and you feel him shiver when you trail your fingers up, your nails lightly scratching, feeling the goosebumps on his warm skin. “You?” Your breath hitches when his thumb traces your bottom lip, dragging it down and your eyes travel to his heart shaped lips. You instantly wish they were on yours, but you want to let him go at his own pace.   

“What do you think?” He asks rhetorically and you breathe out a laugh, biting down on your bottom lip when his thumb moves to stroke the apple of your cheek.   

“I think,” you pause, lightly dragging your nails down his back, earning a whimper from him. “I’m not really thinking actually.” You confess as your hand travels to his front, fiddling with the strings of his shorts, your fingers catching the elastic band of his shorts and letting it snap against his lower abdomen, earning a gasp from him, which hits your eager lips.   

“Dumb already?” He attempts to tease and the smile dies on his lips, jaw dropping when your hand dips into his slacks and past his underwear, to wrap firmly around him. His eyes close when your thumb rubs under the head and you relish in the fact that he’s almost fully hard. He feels velvet smooth against your palm, thick enough to make you think it will probably sting when he enters you for the first time, slightly curved upwards, length perfect for hitting that sweet spot in your walls. You feel yourself getting wet at the thought and your breathing stutters when his thigh makes contact with your pussy, your hips instantly pushing forward, chasing the stimulating feeling. “Mm fu-“   

His lips are finally on yours, interrupting you and you moan against his mouth in relief, kissing him back like you were made for it. You can’t help but think of that night in the noraebang room; how these very lips completely and utterly ruined you for anyone else. How they devoured you like no one else has before and probably like no one ever will.   

Without breaking the kiss, you push him gently and he rolls onto his back dragging you with him so you can straddle him. He buries his fingers into your hair, deepening the kiss, his tongue gliding against yours and you moan at the taste of him; toothpaste and something uniquely him. Your hands take hold of his, dragging them down your figure and you stop to rest them on your ass, smiling in the kiss when he instantly kneads and pulls at the plush skin. You allow him to lick into your mouth one more time, before breaking the kiss to sit up and take in his dazed expression. Eyes hooded, lips wet and swollen and so irresistible, you feel helpless. Before he can complain, you drop your hands to the hem of the shirt that he let you borrow and slowly start dragging it up your skin, until it’s off you and on the floor.   

“Fuck.” He exhales heavily, the second your tits are free and his hand comes up caressing from your hip up to your ribs until he reaches the underside of your boob and he gently cups, feeling the weight of it in his hand. “You’re fucking unreal.” He whispers and licks his lips before sitting up and wrapping his other arm securely around your waist.

His forehead rests against your chest for a moment, inhaling deeply, almost as if he needs a minute to compose himself while still squeezing your boob in his hand and you let him, threading your fingers through his hair to offer some comfort. His warm breath caresses your nipple and your shiver, the skin around the nub pebbling against his palm. You whine at the sensitivity, pulling at his hair to guide him closer to where you want him.

He gets the message and he kisses across your sternum, his tongue coming out to make contact with your skin before it circles around your areola slowly, teasing you. The pads of his fingers digging into the skin of your boob, squeezing as he sucks the nipple into his mouth and he moans when you whine. He starts flicking his tongue, driving you close to insanity and the wetness in your underwear feels almost unbearable now, but you have other priorities.   

“Hae?” You call out into his hair as he’s still sucking and licking and he hums, indicating that he’s listening, as he scatters more kisses across your chest, moving to wrap his lips around your other nipple. “I wanna suck you off.” You say quickly, before allowing the shyness to infiltrate your brain and he instantly releases the nub, with a wet pop, so he can look up at your face with wide eyes. His mouth is ajar and his lips swollen and wet with his spit. He looks fucked out like this, hair messy and you love it, because you’re the sole reason. You cup his face and he absentmindedly squeezes both your tits in his hands, pushing them together, his eyes not leaving yours.   

“Yeah, baby?” He leans up and kisses you softly. “Wanna make me feel good?” He mumbles seductively against your mouth, and you don’t even think before quickly nodding.   

“Mm please.” You say in a whiny voice, playing along with him, as you pull at the fabric of his top and his hands move to pull at the collar, swiftly removing it. Your hands drag down his naked chest, pushing him to lie against the headboard, continuing their journey down his body, until they reach his shorts. You don’t waste any time, pulling his boxers along with them and he spreads his legs when he’s completely naked, for you to kneel in between them. His hand wraps around his hard cock, resting on his tummy and he whimpers at the needed friction while his eyes are on yours.   

“Tongue out, keep your eyes on me.” He says softly and you clench around nothing, your panties a mess by now, you have to refrain from cringing at the feeling. You instantly obey, leaning closer and sticking your tongue out, millimetres away from where he wants it. He gently taps the head against the centre of your awaiting wet muscle and you moan, fighting to keep your eyes on his, the act feeling intensely intimate. “Suck, baby.” He says, his voice still gentle but more authoritative than before. You wrap your lips around the head and suck softly, tasting his precum and you can’t help but let your eyes close at the taste and weight of him in your mouth. You pull back slightly, swirling your tongue around him and flicking at the underside, causing him to grunt. “Fuck, pretty girl, you’re so good to me, aren’t you.” He says, with a shaky voice in his state of vulnerability, and you moan at the praise as you slap his hand away, replacing it with your own, wrapping your smaller fingers around his thick length and he lets you. You start to move your hand up and down, pumping him at a quick pace while sucking around the tip again, tongue dipping gently in his slit and when his hips buck up, wanting you to take him deeper, you place a hand on his hip as a warning and he grunts. "Fuck baby, please."   

You gather a good amount of saliva in your mouth and when you look up to make sure he's watching you, you let it drip down slowly, watching as it coats his cock and travels down to his balls. You smile when his eyes roll back and you lick from base to top teasingly, surprising him when you take him as deep as you can, with your hand wrapped tightly around the base.

You moan when he reaches the back of your throat, swallowing around him with purpose and you pull back up when you start to gag. Your hand follows your mouth as you slowly start to move your head up and down, trying to give him as much pleasure as you can and you know you're doing a good job when his hands curl in your hair, gathering the strands into a messy ponytail and his moans turn into whines. This time, when his hips start moving, you allow him to fuck up into you, having gotten used to the feeling of him in your throat.

You slacken your jaw, moving your hand from the base to his thigh, and he moans louder when you allow him to go deeper than before. You feel your eyes water and you know you're slobbering around him, making a complete mess as saliva drips from the corners of your mouth, gathering at the base of his cock and balls. Your hand comes up to cup them, rolling gently and he abruptly pulls your mouth off him with a loud groan.

You look at the thick string of spit mixed with precum that’s connecting your lips to his tip, as you gasp for air and then your teary eyes travel up to meet his wild ones. He looks conflicted and his grip on your hair feels tight. "What's wrong?" You ask, your voice comes out hoarse and you feel like coughing to clear your throat, but you just swallow carefully.  

He manages to laugh breathlessly at your confused expression, his breathing shallow and his lips bright pink from all the biting. "I was about to cum." He explains and grabs you by the arms to pull you up.   

"Ain't that the point?" You say as you straddle him again and wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, some of the drool smearing on your chin and you internally cringe at the wetness, but his eyes on your mouth tell you he thinks otherwise.   

"Not if you want me to fuck you, no." Your heart jumps at his words and the look on your face must betray you, because he’s smirking. "Unless you don't." He teases, caressing your thighs as you place both hands on his naked chest, your pinky rubbing against his nipple and you giggle when he shudders.   

"No, I do." You confess as you lean down to kiss him but he quickly sits up, meeting you halfway as he wraps his arms around you, maneuvering you onto your back swiftly and you feel yourself bounce on the mattress when he plops you down. He kneels between your legs and without warning, he starts pulling your panties off you. You eagerly raise your hips to help him, bringing your bent legs together, so the fabric doesn't stretch.   

Once the lace is somewhere on the floor, you see his lips curling into a smile as he bites on the bottom one when you mindlessly spread your legs for him again, inviting him to settle between them. He moves closer, dragging his knees on the mattress as his hands take purchase on your hips.   

"Scoot up a bit for me?" He asks sweetly and he helps you move up the bed, so your head rests comfortably on the fluffy pillows, and you feel the butterflies in your stomach causing havoc with no permission, your heart thudding like crazy as your eyes find his and fuck holding back now. You just want him to ruin you.   

You pull at his silver chain, your other hand grabbing the back of his neck and he grunts the second your lips crash, all tongue and teeth with no coordination. You tilt your head to the side to get better access and the wet sound of kissing fills the room. Your clit is throbbing and you desperately need him to do something. Anything. "Please, I'm so wet." You whine against his lips and he moans at your neediness, grinding into your centre. His cock sliding between your folds, the head bumping into your neglected clit and your hips raise searching for more friction.

He leans back on his heels and hunches over you, one hand splayed on your tummy, the other wrapping around his dick as he taps the head against your clit and your legs spread completely, giving him full access as you squeeze around your own tits, needing to hold onto something. Your eyes roll back when he starts firmly rubbing the swollen nub, flicking from side to side and you feel like you're  about to combust, your back arching off the bed as you moan loudly.   

You open your eyes the second the friction comes to a halt, and the complaint dies in your mouth when you're met with the sinful sight of him coating two of his fingers in spit before they disappear between your legs and into your needy hole. "Shit, baby." He says in awe when they easily slide into you and your jaw drops at the fullness, your eyes threatening to shut from the pleasure, but you refuse to stop looking at him. His arm muscles are flexing when he starts fucking you open, instantly finding that sensitive spot that drives you insane, his other hand still, possessively pressing down on your lower abdomen to hold you in place, his hair matted on his damp forehead, his eyes focused on your dripping centre, bottom lip trapped between his teeth in concentration. He looks so hot, you could come just from looking at him and when his thumb comes into the equation, rubbing merciless circles around your clit, you feel yourself getting tighter.   

“You gonna cum?” He asks in a whisper, his eyes meeting yours momentarily and you nod quickly, eyebrows creasing at the intense pressure in your belly.   

"Uh-huh, don’t stop." You respond in a high pitched plea and his pace quickens, creating the filthiest squelching noises around his hand and your eyes close, half in ecstasy half in embarrassment. "Oh my god." Your fingers knead your tits harder when you're on the edge and a moan from him is what topples you over. "Fuck, I'm cumming." Your pussy feels like it's on fire as your walls spasm, your clit throbs like it's about to fall off and your legs can't stop shaking. His fingers are pistoning into you so hard and fast, that it feels like it slightly hurts but it feels so good at the same time. Too good. You sense that you're on the verge of peeing and your voice comes out in a broken squeal. "Shit, ah, stop stop stop!" Your hand grabs his wrist in a desperate state and he looks up at your face with widened eyes, like he's come out of a trance. He stops his ministrations but keeps his fingers buried inside you.   

"Fuck, baby, I'm sorry." The hand on your stomach, moving to your ribs, caressing gently. "Did I hurt you? You- shit, I thought you were gonna squirt for a second so I kept going, I'm really sorry." His pupils are shaking as he explains quickly, taking in your sweaty, disheveled form and you feel so exposed that you make grabby hands at him, wanting him close. He instantly moves, supporting his weight on one arm, careful not to crash you and you sigh when you feel his chest flush against yours, warm and damp.   

"It didn't hurt." You assure him, cupping his cheeks in your hands and he closes his eyes, sighing in relief. "I just felt like I was gonna pee." You confess bashfully and he chuckles, burying his face in your neck, inhaling deeply as you run your fingers through his hair. "I've never squirted before, so I freaked out a bit." You explain quietly. "Plus, I don't wanna ruin your bed sheets before we even get to the sex part."   

He snorts and raises his head to look at you again. "Pretty sure they're already ruined." He says giving you a kiss on the cheek and you move to playfully push him off you, but a gasp escapes you when you feel his fingers slightly move, reminding you they're still buried inside your sensitive walls. "Unclench a little, you're squeezing." He whispers and when he kisses you, you slowly relax your walls around his digits, allowing him to carefully pull out and you whine at the loss, making him smile in the kiss. His hand cups your sensitive core, making you mewl at the comforting warmth. "You sure you still wanna keep going? We don't have to if you're feeling sore."  

"I'm fine." You wrap your legs around his waist, holding him close. “Want you.” You whisper, hands sliding up his chest, coming up to bury in his hair again, as you bring his lips down to yours, urging him to kiss you stupid. And he does. 

It’s slow, steady, passionate and you feel like mush in his arms, numb to the core, your lips moving in sync with his, taking what he’s giving you. You inhale and exhale heavily through your nose, refusing to break the kiss and you moan when he obscenely shoves his tongue into your mouth, licking messily and the conversation from earlier enters your mind suddenly. “Mm- I want mmf-” He interrupts you with another messy kiss before pulling away, allowing you to speak.  

“You want what?” He asks quietly, lips still grazing yours as he catches his breath. Your eyes are on his glistening mouth, and he must sense your hesitation, because he presses again, hand caressing up and down your thigh in encouragement. “Tell me, baby, I’ll give you anything you want.”   

“Remember what we talked about earlier?” You try, too embarrassed to actually say the words.  

“Earlier?” His eyebrows furrow in thought, not catching on straight away.  

“At the café.” You whisper, your eyes drop to his mouth again, slightly hinting and when they find his again, you know he’s caught on.   

“You- fuck.” He falters when your hips raise, the tip of his cock catching at your entrance momentarily before sliding between your folds. “You want me to spit in your mouth?” He asks carefully, after having somewhat collected himself, both arms coming up, trapping your head between them as he rests his weight on them. You nod, holding eye contact, hands traveling down his abdomen, fingers tracing his sides before trailing up his spine, bracing once having reached his shoulders, palms resting on the blades. “You fucking minx.” His hand cups your chin, fingers lightly squishing your cheeks, forcing your lips to pucker as he leans in to press a chaste kiss on them. 

His index taps against your cheek gently, as his hold on your face loosens. “Open up.” He instructs, his voice low, eyes darkening and you feel your cunt fluttering around nothing. “Tongue out.” His fingers lightly shake your face from side to side possessively and your brain stops functioning, tongue sticking out as if on demand and you whine when you watch him gather saliva in his mouth, cheeks hollowing a little, before slowly letting it dribble down your awaiting muscle. Your eyes rolls back when you feel it and your fingernails instinctively dig into his shoulders. “Swallow.” He instructs again, and you obey with a desperate moan, revelling in his dominant demeanour. His hand wraps around your throat, feeling the movement and he kisses you again, grunting against your lips, as you struggle to keep up with him, mouth widening to take his tongue in and you feel the wetness smearing on your chin messily.   

You realise no one has ever kissed you like Haechan, and you wonder if he’s always kissing his sexual partners like this. Has anyone else experienced this level of intimacy with him before? You instantly feel the jealousy brewing at the thought of someone receiving this kind of affection; this kind of pleasure from him and you surprise yourself, never having felt this possessive over someone before. Something switches in you.

“Fuck me.” You breathlessly mumble, not recognising your own voice and he moans in your mouth as your hand reaches down, wrapping around his cock, smearing the shiny drops of precum adorning his tip. His hips thrust forward into your touch and you pump him steadily a couple more times, offering some sort of relief.   

He pulls away slightly, to look at you. “Let me grab a condom.” He says quickly before grabbing your ankles, unwrapping them from his waist.   

“Right, yes.” You nod dumbly, feeling a little silly for having lost all sensibility because of him.   

You watch him as he reaches blindly in the bedside table drawer; his eyebrows furrowing in concentration and his face lights up the second he finds one. You watch him as he sits back on his heels, ripping the foil with his teeth. You watch him as he rolls the latex carefully onto his hard cock, teeth sinking in his bottom lip as he pumps himself a few times, ensuring the condom is on properly, chest moving as he breathes heavily. You watch him as he moves closer, coating two fingers in saliva, before bringing them down to your slit again, rubbing up and down slowly before dipping them in and quickly pumping into you to prep you, even if you really don’t need it. You let him though, because you want to keep watching him for a little longer. 

He looks ethereal, skin glistening in a sheen layer of sweat, his shoulders wide, his chest and arm muscles lean, bicep flexing subtly as he expertly slides his fingers in and out, scissoring them to stretch you for him. He looks like the epitome of sex and you can’t even bring yourself to moan as his palm rubs against your sensitive clit, your jaw dropping with a quiet, trembling breath when he starts jabbing at your already abused g-spot and your hands release the sheets in favour of holding your legs open, when they threaten to close.

“Think I’m gonna cum again.” You mumble in awe, eyes staying on him still.   

“You think?” He asks, voice laced with sarcasm, pace quickening, urging you to unravel around his fingers for the second time tonight. “Go on, baby.” His free hand, presses against the back of your thigh, pushing your leg close to your chest, testing your flexibility and the second his eyes meet yours, you cum. Hard. “Yeah, good girl.” He praises softly and you let out a whine, allowing your eyes to finally shut, not being able to handle his intense stare, your back arching as your fingers dig into the backs of your thighs, legs uncontrollably shaking, walls clenching repeatedly around his hand, clit pulsing against the heel of his palm as he helps you ride out your orgasm.   

He starts kissing up your trembling body, lips wet, tongue lapping up your sweaty skin and he doesn’t even give you the chance to catch your breath when he harshly sucks your nipple in his warm mouth as his fingers leave your heat to wrap around his hard cock, rubbing the head up and down your soaked cunt. Your hands come up to grab onto his hair, as you attempt to anchor yourself and you can’t help but moan loudly when he pushes in. And even though it’s only the tip, it’s enough to drive you close to insanity.   

“Fuck!” You exclaim, forcing his head up so you can kiss him as he slowly bottoms out, distracting yourself from the stinging sensation.   

You both moan when his pelvis meets yours, his pubic bone flush against your hypersensitive clit as he gives you a second to adjust. He slowly pulls out to the tip and thrusts back in, maintaining a slow, careful pace to make sure you’re feeling comfortable.

“Relax for me.” He exhales a shaky laugh against your lips and you squeeze even harder to tease him. “Fuck! Baby, what the f- don’t.” He warns with a grunt as he wraps an authoritative hand around your neck and draws his hips back a little, before slamming in with force, not a second later. 

The loud noise that escapes your throat resembles a scream and your eyes roll back when he starts fucking into you hard and fast, wet slapping sounds echoing and you don’t even feel embarrassed at hearing how wet you are, the intense pleasure taking over your senses, completely clouding any coherent thought.

“Not so bratty now, are we?” He grunts against your jaw as the hand around your neck tightens slightly, causing your ears to start ringing and your eyes to water. He releases you just when you start feeling dizzy, allowing you to catch your breath. He lets out a dark laugh at your loud gasps and buries his hand in your hair instead, pulling at the roots, so your head lolls back on the pillows, giving him access to your neck. 

“So fucking wet, fffuck, so good.” He slurs between sloppy kisses against your sensitive skin as his hips slow down, fucking you nice and deep at a lazy pace, torturing you. “You take me so well, baby.” His crude words causing you to clench around him as his tongue laps from the base of your neck, up to your ear, flicking the lobe playfully.

“Look.” He whispers, moist breath tickling your ear as the hand fisting you hair, forces your head forward and off the pillow, making you look down between your bodies and you obediently open you eyes. You take in the unholy visual of his cock slowly dragging out to the tip, coated in your shiny slick essence, a white ring forming at the base and your eyes threaten to roll back when he so easily slides back in, at the same torturous pace. “See how perfect you are?”

Your nails drag down his back, leaving scratch marks behind and he hums against your neck when they dig into the flesh of his ass. “Faster, please.” You breathe out and he loosens his hold, allowing your head to tip back down, his eyes finding yours as he maintains the slow pace. 

"You sure, baby?" His tone mocking as he sits back up on his knees, looking down at your messy cunt practically sucking him back in every time he slowly pulls out. You reel at the sight of his feral expression, his eyes unfocused as they trail up and down your naked body, like he can’t decide what to focus on. You feel exposed to the core but your arousal wins and you moan loudly, back arching when his thumb slowly circles around your clit twice, stimulating the stiff nub. 

"Hae, please." You're on the verge of tears and he must like the sound of your begging, because he doesn’t hesitate this time.

He leans down again, bringing his lips to yours, thrusts increasing in pace and force significantly but never losing preciseness, giving you exactly what you want. “Yeah, you want it hard? Fuckin take it.” He grunts, kisses turning sloppy, all tongue and teeth and you can’t stop moaning, mouth hanging open against his as he relentlessly slams his hips against yours.

“Yes, oh my god.” You exhale against his mouth, as he changes the angle slightly and starts fucking directly into your g-spot, barely pulling out before thrusting back in, his balls slapping against your ass and you’re pretty sure you’ve never been fucked this good before. “Fuck, Haechan, baby, please please please, don’t stop.” You blabber, completely lost in mind-numbing bliss, your legs spreading as far as they can go, allowing him to thrust as deep as he pleases. 

“Fuck, Y/N, I need you to cum.” He whispers, tone laced with urgency, almost sounding like he’s in pain and he wastes no time; a hand slotting between your bodies, resuming the stimulation on your clit, as he supports his weight on one arm, thrusts unfaltering, unforgiving and just perfect. His fingers start rubbing rough, tight circles around the nub and your toes curl against his sides, arms securely wrapping around his shoulders, as your walls squeeze around him, indicating another orgasm approaching, and when his fingers along with the head of his cock rub against the right spot, you’re gone.

Your moan comes out broken, walls clamping down on him, legs pathetically attempting to close around him but failing as your thighs shake violently and you feel dizzy, a tear rolling down your temple from the intensity of your high.   

He keeps fucking you into the mattress, thrusts turning a little sloppy now that you're squeezing around him, hips losing their steady rhythm and when the pleasure borders overstimulation, causing you to mewl, he abruptly pulls out, kneeling between your legs and over your spent body. He pulls the condom off quickly with trembling fingers and he moans as he starts jerking himself off, aiming for your abdomen as his free hand curls around your ribs, holding you exactly where he wants you.  

“You look so good.” You exhale in awe as you observe him in the midst of his pleasure, his eyes shut, head thrown back, his pretty neck on display as he moans loudly and his hooded eyes find yours again for a second before they roll back into his head. 

“Shit, gonna cum.” He shakily announces, your praise seeming to have worked wonders, as you feel the first spurts of hot liquid landing on your skin. You take in the beautiful sight of his shaking form, chest and neck flushed, drenched in sweat, eyebrows creasing in between, eyes still shut, jaw slack as he releases short breaths.

He’s milking himself when you look down and you can’t help but ogle at the sight of your skin covered in the sticky white mess he’s created, illuminated by the bedside lamp. You notice some of it has landed on your tits, some on your tummy and you’re pretty sure some of it is pooling in the dip of your belly button, causing you to bite back a smile. 

“Fuck.” He breathes in relief as his eyes slowly open to look at you and he looks dazed, fucked out. His tan skin flushed, making him look delicious. Sweat drips down his temple, hands shaking as they rest on your thighs limply. “I think I blacked out for a second there.” He mutters in awe and you giggle at his crazy eyes, while he tries to regulate his breathing.

His cheeky smile has returned, and he leans in, taking a closer look at his work. “Damn, I did a number on you.” He teases, eyes narrowing slightly as he takes in the sinful sight. “Pretty.” He whispers and takes your limp hand in his, lips kissing gently on the back of it, eyes looking up at you innocently, like he didn’t just fuck you stupid.   

When he drops your hand, he leans down with no warning and you panic at his mischievous expression, as his head disappears between your legs.

“What are you doing?” You ask in confusion and he chuckles softly.   

“Shhh.” He breathes against your folds as his hands hold your legs open and the second his tongue swipes against your heat, you squirm, trying to move further up the bed, but he tightens his arms around your thighs, holding you still. “Relax, just take it.” He whispers calmly before gently sucking on your clit. His tongue slides down to lap at your entrance, slightly dipping in, tasting you directly, before flattening and licking up to the bundle of nerves, making you mewl when he swirls around it languidly. He keeps going, alternating between sucking, licking and gently circling until your legs are shaking again. Your hands release the sheets, moving to desperately hold onto his hair, fingers pulling, not knowing whether to push him away or pull him closer and his moan vibrates against your clit, pushing you over the edge once more. You cry out pathetically, not able to form any words, cumming uncontrollably on his tongue as he refuses to let up until your whole body shakes from overstimulation.  

“Please, I- I can’t- can't cum again.” You stumble over your words, as he licks against your entrance, slurping up your juices, the sounds incriminating and you don’t even have the energy to push him away anymore. You just accept that if he tries to make you come again, you’ll probably pass out. To your relief, he thankfully stops once he’s cleaned you up with his tongue.

You blink up at him when you feel his weight on you, his skin feels hot on yours, his cum smearing between you, and he doesn’t seem have a care in the world. The only thing he does seem to care about is shoving his tongue in your mouth, forcing you to taste yourself, kissing you like he owns you and at this point, he might as well spell out his name on your body with his cum, because he has completely and utterly destroyed you and you know you’re irrevocably ruined for anyone else.   

“So good for me, baby girl.” He mutters wetly, mouth open against yours, breathing heavy. “So fucking sweet.” He whispers almost inaudibly and you cup his chin in your hand, squishing his cheeks between your fingers, pecking him on his puckered lips.   

“You’re fucking insane, Lee Haechan.” You weakly chuckle as he tries to kiss you again, his whine childish as your firm hold on his face prevents him from doing so. “Get off me, before I piss myself in your bed, you freak. You’re pressing against my bladder.”  

_

After having gently cleaned you up with a warm hand towel and carried you to the bathroom so you can sort yourself out, he’s got you back in his bed, safely cocooned in his arms and under the covers. His front is comfortably pressed against your back and you’re basking in the warmth and the nakedness.   

“Now I’m definitely sleepy.” You mumble with a content smile and he quietly chuckles in your hair, tightening his arms around you, holding you as close as possible, sighing in delight.  

“Mm same.” He mumbles sleepily against your neck. “You comfortable like this?” He checks, and you feel giddy at his attentiveness.   

“Mm-hmm, more than.” You nuzzle back into him, lazily stroking your fingers up and down the arm that’s wrapped around your middle, his palm casually cupping your boob; not squeezing, just gently holding. You feel him smile as he presses a sweet kiss on your shoulder.

A few moments of comfortable silence pass, and just when you think his breathing has started to slow down, he quietly speaks again.  

“Y/N?” He asks tentatively and his serious tone worries you.   

“Yeah?” You attempt to turn your head to look at him, but his tight embrace holds you in place and you presume he needs to not be looking at you when he says his next words.   

“I think-” He pauses, collecting his thoughts and you have a feeling you know what he’s trying to get at, so you give him time, hand still gently stroking his arm. “Are we on the same page here?”  

“Well,” You sigh, feigning uncertainty and the tensing in his arm almost makes you regret dragging this. “That depends Lee Haechan.” The teasing smile evident in your voice. “What page are you on?”  

© neogotmycookie 2025

[yvesette]

ACROSS THE HALL. | ── [ l.dh ]

── ⭒ staring .ᐟ ౨ৎ  HAECHAN x afab!reader

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀　 　₊　˙　🗝 ⋆　 𔘓 ⠀₊ -

SUMMARY: ── when your hot, infuriating next-door neighbor haechan steals your parking spot, teasing quickly turns into messy, undeniable yearning.

GENRE: enemies to lovers, SMUT (18+, mdni), bickering, fluff, idol!haechan, neighbor!haechan CW/TAGS: oral (f & m receiving), piv sex, spanking, hair pulling, choking, munch! haechan WORDS | 5.1k A/N | love me some hyuck, enjoy!

‪　 ゛ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ♡˚♬ ﾟ. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ₊ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ 𓈒 ◌ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎♪  

── the white lines in the parking lot are crooked. you’ve noticed it before—the one between your space and the next curves ever so slightly, like the painter had grown careless toward the end of the job. you’ve learned to angle your car to match it. haechan hasn’t.

it’s a thursday night when you find his black sedan sprawled over both spaces, the hood angled like it’s posing for a photo no one asked for. he’s taken yours—your number painted in neat white digits on the asphalt—without hesitation, without apology.

you stand there in the still, cold air, keys heavy in your hand. somewhere above, muffled by concrete, you hear his laugh. it’s the kind of sound that feels like someone has tapped you on the shoulder without warning—light, but irritating in a way you can’t shake. by the time you drag yourself upstairs, the laughter has moved into the hallway. he’s there, outside his door, hood up, scrolling on his phone like the building belongs to him.

“you’re in my spot,” you say. he looks up, one eyebrow lifting. “pretty sure asphalt isn’t personal property.” “it’s numbered,” you point out, holding up your key fob like it’s proof of something meaningful. “yeah, well,” he slips his phone into his hoodie pocket, “you weren’t using it.”

it’s still strange sometimes, living across the hall from him. you’d known who he was before you moved in—not personally, but in the way everyone vaguely knows an idol. you’d seen his face in subway ads, grinning under flawless lighting, and in those hyper-edited music videos your younger cousin wouldn’t stop replaying. now he’s just haechan from across the hall, the one who leaves his laundry in the communal dryer too long, who forgets to take in his packages until they pile up like building blocks, who sings under his breath while checking his mailbox. he’s almost normal until you remember he isn’t.

the hallway smells faintly of burnt toast—probably from his kitchen. you imagine him leaving bread in too long just to annoy you. he smirks like he can tell you’re thinking something unpleasant about him.

“i’ll move it tomorrow,” he says, already turning his key. “tonight,” you correct. he glances over his shoulder, grin widening. “i like you better when you’re mad.”

the door shuts. the faint click of his lock lingers in the quiet, leaving you with a dozen things you could have said but didn’t.

ִ ་ ، ˖ ࣪ ་ ˖ ʿ

the elevator dies on a monday morning. no warning, no apologetic email from management—just a limp, handwritten sign taped crookedly over the buttons that says out of order in smudged marker. you stare at it for a while, as if the sheer force of your glare might coax it back to life. twelve floors suddenly feels like a punishment rather than a home.

“guess we’re walking,” a voice says behind you.

you don’t need to turn around to know who it is. that voice has a particular way of wrapping itself around a sentence, casual but smug, like he’s already certain you’re going to disagree.

haechan steps up beside you, hands in his hoodie pocket, eyeing the sign. “what’s the matter? afraid of a little exercise?”

“afraid of having to listen to you for twelve floors,” you say, pressing the stairwell door open.

he follows, his sneakers squeaking faintly on the concrete steps. “don’t worry, i’ll slow down so you can catch your breath. you can thank me later.”

“i won’t,” you reply, but you already know he’s smiling without looking at him. the stairwell smells faintly of dust and something metallic. your footsteps echo in an odd, hollow rhythm that his somehow syncs with, even though you’re both pretending not to notice. by the third flight, he’s humming under his breath—a melody you recognize from one of those overproduced comeback teasers—and you hate that you know it.

when you reach your floor, he holds the door open for you with an exaggerated bow. “ladies first. can’t have my favorite neighbor collapsing right outside her apartment.”

you step through without looking at him, but your pulse is a little too quick for the climb alone.

it’s nearly midnight when you push through the glass doors of the lobby, the air outside still clinging to you—warm, heavy, and faintly carrying the smell of grilled meat from the restaurant you just left. you’re not drunk exactly, but your balance has softened, and the world seems slower than it was an hour ago. the elevator is still out, the crooked out of order sign hanging stubbornly in place. you’re about to open the stairwell door when it swings toward you, and there he is—haechan, or 'hyuck' - you've learned —blinking like you’ve just woken him from a dream.

“evening,” he says, drawing the word out. there’s a pink flush high on his cheeks, and his grin looks lazy, loosened. “you’ve been drinking,” you say. “so have you,” he points out, leaning on the doorframe. “you’re holding your shoes.” you glance down. you are. the straps had been digging into your feet all night, so you’d given up on dignity three blocks ago. “i didn’t feel like suffering for fashion.” he chuckles, low and warm. “that’s a shame. i was going to say you looked nice tonight.” “you’ve never said anything nice to me before.” “i complimented your hair once.” “you said it looked less terrible than usual.” “still a compliment.”

you push past him into the stairwell, the smell of his cologne trailing after you—something sharp but not unpleasant, like citrus just before it’s cut. he follows, his steps falling in time with yours even though you speed up just a little.

“i’ll walk you up,” he says. “i don’t need an escort.” “i know. but it’s late. and you live in the apartment right across from mine, so really, this is just me walking home.”

the stairwell feels narrower than usual, and the fluorescent lights overhead make shadows bloom in the corners of his face. by the eighth floor, your conversation has drifted into the kind of nonsense that’s only funny when you’re both a little buzzed—arguing about whether cereal counts as soup, who’d win in a fight between a pigeon and a rat. you laugh without meaning to, and it hangs in the air between you, light and dangerous.

at your door, you pause, keys in hand. he leans against the wall, watching you with that same easy, half-asleep smile.

“you sure you don’t need me to inspect the place for intruders?” he asks, tilting his head toward your door. “i think the only intruder here is you,” you say, sliding the key into the lock. he grins. “then i’m already inside your head. rent-free.”

you roll your eyes but don’t give him the satisfaction of a reply. the door swings open, and you step through. he stays leaning against the wall for a moment longer, gaze lingering like he’s waiting for something. only when you close the door do you hear him head to his own, whistling that same tune from the stairs, faint through the wood.

the doorknob had been loose for weeks—wobbling in your hand like a tooth ready to fall out. you’d been meaning to fix it, but meaning to do something isn’t the same as doing it. this morning, it’s suddenly solid again. the screws are tight, the turn smooth. you test it twice, then a third time, like you’re trying to catch it in the act of failing. when you open the door, haechan is just stepping out of his apartment. hoodie, ball cap, a paper bag swinging from his hand.

“you break into all your neighbors’ places,” you say, “or am i just special?” he doesn’t slow his pace. “if you’re asking if i fixed your doorknob, you’re welcome.” “i didn’t say thank you.” “you were about to,” he says, glancing over his shoulder with that quick, infuriating smile. later that afternoon, you walk back from the café down the street with two coffees in hand. you tell yourself you only bought the second because they got your order wrong and you don’t like caramel. you knock on his door. when he opens it, he looks suspicious. “i don’t drink caramel,” he says. “i know,” you reply, handing it over. “so this is…?” “a bribe,” you say. “for future illegal home repairs.” he takes it, still watching you. “i could get used to this.”

“don’t,” you tell him, turning to head back across the hall. but you hear the click of his tongue, and somehow you know he’s still smiling when you shut your door.

ִ ་ ، ˖ ࣪ ་ ˖ ʿ

the storm hits without warning. rain hammers the windows like a drummer gone mad, and the building lights flicker once, twice, then die altogether. darkness fills your apartment, thick and heavy, smelling of wet concrete and ozone. you fumble for a flashlight and curse under your breath when it slips from your hand. that’s when you hear it—soft thumping from the hallway. hesitation. footsteps that are familiar, too familiar.

“you’re awake,” haechan says, voice low, carrying through the dark like it belongs there. “i could say the same,” you answer, gripping the flashlight like a weapon. he’s leaning against the wall outside your door, the hood of his sweatshirt half fallen back. his hair is damp, curling slightly at the edges, and for a second you catch yourself staring longer than necessary. “want to come upstairs?” he asks. the words are casual, but his eyes are something else entirely. “candles, a better view of the storm. you can keep your flashlight.” you hesitate, then follow him, letting the familiar banter ease the tension. on his couch, the room is small and warm, lit by the trembling glow of scattered candles. shadows dance across his face, making him look like someone you’ve only ever half-known in photographs and social media clips.

for a while, you don’t speak. the rain drums against the windows, and the air smells faintly of coffee he brewed hours ago, forgotten. then he hums a low tune, one you recognize from the stairs the night the elevator broke.

“you hum inappropriately loud when you think no one hears,” you say. “i hum inappropriately loud when someone does hear,” he replies, leaning closer. the shadow of his smile stretches across the candlelight. “it’s… more fun that way.” you try to turn your attention back to the window, to the storm, to anything that isn’t him, but the words stick in your chest. the warmth of the room, the closeness, the teasing edge in his voice—it all presses against your nerves like static.

“why are you like this?” you ask quietly, not really expecting an answer. “like what?” “like… everything. annoying, impossible, way too charming.” his eyes soften, then glint with mischief. “maybe i just like you noticing.”

the pause lingers, heavier than the storm outside. and for the first time, you realize the elevator, the stolen parking spots, the petty arguments—they were all just prelude.

ִ ་ ، ˖ ࣪ ་ ˖ ʿ

the elevator is still broken. again. you curse under your breath as you push open the stairwell door, half-expecting him to be there. he is. of course he is.

“late again,” he says, smirking, as if punctuality is a personal affront. “you could say the same,” you snap, stepping past him. “i could,” he replies, stepping closer. the space between you narrows, the walls echoing with the hollow rhythm of your steps. “but i like to keep things interesting.” you spin on your heel, toe catching the edge of the step. he catches your arm—lightly, but enough to make your pulse skip. “careful,” he teases, voice low. “wouldn’t want you to fall before we reach the top.” “i don’t need saving,” you say, tugging your arm free, though your hands are shaking just a little. “you might,” he murmurs, leaning closer. the air between you tightens. you can feel the heat radiating off him, smell the faint tang of his cologne, something sharp that makes your chest flutter. the argument dissolves into something smaller, softer, more dangerous. words falter. you both stop mid-step, too aware of the other’s proximity. “you know,” he whispers, almost a question, “we could just… skip the rest of the stairs.”

you bite your lip, trying to focus on the concrete beneath your feet, but it’s impossible. his hand hovers near yours, not touching, and your stomach knots in a way that’s equal parts annoyance and want.

for a moment, you both stand there, suspended between irritation and something unspoken. the air thrums with it, and you can’t tell if it’s the storm outside or him that’s making your heart race.

then the stairwell door swings open above, and someone else’s footsteps echo down. he steps back, just enough to break the tension, grin teasing and infuriating. “later,” he says, and his voice leaves a trail down the empty steps, warm and promising.

you watch him go, and when your hand finally lowers from where it had been hovering, you realize—somewhere in the middle of all the fights, all the teasing, something has shifted.

you knock on his door because you have to. you tell yourself it’s only to complain—loud music again, the bass rattling the walls like it’s trying to break something in you—but the moment he opens the door, the air between you feels heavier, electric.

“you again,” he says, voice low, one eyebrow quirking. his hoodie is half on, hair mussed, eyes sharper than the hallway light lets on. “i came to ask you to turn it down,” you snap, though your chest hitches when he smirks. “you could’ve just texted,” he replies, leaning in just enough that you smell the faint tang of coffee and something sharper, like citrus. “i wanted to see if you’d actually listen,” you fire back, stepping inside. he doesn’t move, doesn’t close the door, just tilts his head, letting the silence grow heavy between you. you can feel the weight of him, the warmth radiating off his body. “why are you like this?” you whisper, half exasperated, half unsure if you’re asking him or yourself. “like what?” he murmurs, taking a step closer, the corner of his mouth twitching in that impossible, teasing way. “like… impossible. always… everywhere. annoying,” you falter, voice trembling without meaning to, “and somehow—” “somehow what?” “somehow i can’t stop noticing,” you admit, your heart thudding too loudly.

he smirks, but it’s gone softer, too. he closes the gap, hand brushing a stray lock of hair from your face. “maybe you just needed an excuse to see me,” he says, low and deliberate. your rebuttal dies on your lips when he leans in, pressing against you just enough that your knees threaten to buckle. the first kiss is messy, urgent, a collision of weeks—months—of pent-up tension. hands grab, tug, explore. he’s warm and insistent, teasing between kisses.

“so all this time, you hated how much you wanted me?” you grab him harder, matching him, words lost to gasps and murmurs. clothes tangle, and the floor beneath your feet disappears, leaving only the heat and friction of skin, teeth, lips, and whispered curses.

when you finally pull back, breathless, your forehead resting against his, both of you are laughing quietly, incredulous.

“you’re impossible,” you manage. “so are you,” he says, grinning like it’s the only truth that matters, “and yet here you are.”

before you can slap his shoulder out of annoyance, his lips crash into yours again, hungry and insistent. you gasp, fingers digging into his shoulders as he backs you against the doorframe. his hands slide down your sides, leaving trails of fire in their wake. you arch into him, relishing the friction. months of tension unraveled with each touch, each breathless moment.

"took you long enough," he murmurs against your neck, nipping at the sensitive skin. you tug at his hair, drawing a low groan from him. "you're one to talk. all those times you 'accidentally' bumped into me in the hallway."

he chuckles, the sound vibrating through you. "just trying to get your attention."

"by being insufferable?" your breath catches as he pushes you through the doorway. you both stumble into his apartment, knocking into the coffee table - him catching your fall by your waist. candles from the earlier power outage still glowed faintly, casting dancing shadows across the walls.

your shirt catches on the edge of the couch as he tugs it over your head. haechan's fingers tangle in your hair, tugging gently as he deepens another kiss between you two. he sits up from above you on the couch as you nudge the bottom of the fabric on his shirt - he gets the hint, freeing the clothe from his torso.

as he returns his attention back to you, cupping your breast with one hand he murmurs against your neck, voice low and teasing, "still want me to turn the music down?”

your jaw tremors open as his teeth graze your pulse. "shut up," you growl and embarrassingly half-moan, raking your nails down his back.

he lets out a throaty chuckle. "make me.” you nip at his lower lip in response, drawing a sharp inhale from him while you palm the growing bulge from his sweatpants. "bossy," he breathed, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. his hand slides lower, fingers dipping beneath the waistband of your pants. he props himself up on one elbow, middle two fingers in motion over the fabric of your panties. your hips arch into the sensation and you whine, pleasure blooming through your body as he stroked and circled. you moved your hand from over his sweats to grab the edge of the couch as he found your clit.

“not fair,” you gasp, nails digging into the couch, hips pressing into him without meaning to.

“fair isn’t interesting,” he murmurs, lips brushing your jaw, warm breath sending shivers down your spine. his fingers curl expertly, circling, dipping, coaxing every reaction from you.

you tilt your head back, letting out a shuddering moan, “hyuck… stop teasing.”

“i’m not teasing,” he whispers against your ear, voice low, almost a growl. “i’m making you feel… exactly what you’ve been wanting.” your hands clench at the cushions, hips rolling involuntarily into his touch. every stroke, every circle sends sparks up your spine, down your legs, until it feels like fire pooling between you.

and then he stops.

your body jerks, surprised, and his lips brush against your cheek—soft, teasing, impossibly close. “what are you—?” you gasp, voice trembling. he smirks, low and dangerous. “i’m apologizing,” he murmurs, moving down the couch with deliberate slowness, heat radiating from every step, “for my poor neighborly conduct.”

before you can react, his hands grab the waistband of your jeans, tugging them down with swift precision. your legs part as he positions himself between them, eyes dark with intent.

“you’re fucking unreal,” he growls, voice low, “driving me insane.” you whimper, hips shifting instinctively, trying not to—but it’s useless. he leans in, lips brushing the sensitive skin at the apex of your thighs. one teasing lick, and your back arches. his hands grip your hips, steadying you as his tongue slides against you, exploring, tasting, coaxing every whimper and moan from your lips.

you gasp, nails digging into his shoulders as he alternates slow, deliberate flicks of his tongue with firmer, deeper strokes, hitting every sensitive patch with precision. he hums low and possessive, sending shocks of pleasure straight through your spine. “look at you,” he mutters, voice sharp and commanding, “losing it for me already. fucking perfect.”

every word, every movement drives you higher, your hips rocking against him even though he’s holding you steady, teasing, testing, making sure you feel every inch of his tongue without mercy.

your nails rake through his hair, tugging lightly, testing how far you can push him. he whines—soft, breathy, impossibly needy—into your skin, letting out a sound that makes your pulse spike.

“you like that?” you murmur, fingers gripping tighter. “fuck… yeah,” he groans, voice rough, and the whine turns into a low hum of satisfaction. he leans closer, practically devouring you, teeth and tongue moving in tandem, hot and demanding. every flick, every press, every teasing nibble drives you higher, your hips instinctively pressing down, desperate for more. “god… hyuck—” you gasp, nails digging into him, pulling, tugging, needing.

he moans against you, almost obnoxiously loud, but it’s perfect, messy, exactly what you want. his hands grip your thighs, keeping you open and vulnerable, tongue darting with precision.

“you feel… so good,” he murmurs between licks, biting lightly, humming low. “i could do this forever.”

every sound he makes, every hungry flick of his tongue, makes your chest rise and fall faster. he’s utterly lost in you, fully in the moment—the messy, shameless, munch-like way he devours, completely unashamed.

your nails leave marks in his hair, your hips roll without control, and you can’t stop gasping, moaning, letting him take every bit of attention, because right now, you don’t want to.

your hips jerk uncontrollably, nails still tangled in his hair, breath catching in ragged gasps. every flick of his tongue, every press of his lips, every sharp hum against your skin pushes you higher and higher.

“fuck—oh my god!” you cry following his name, voice breaking as pleasure crashes through you in waves. your body shudders, your legs trembling, hips rolling into him even as he holds you steady, relentless, perfect.

he groans low, a deep, satisfied sound, as you come undone beneath him, shaking, quivering, lost in the sensation.

your chest heaves, heat still pooling between your legs, and with one swift motion, you shrug off your bra. the cool air against your bare skin makes you shiver, and he notices immediately.

he shuffles closer, eyes dark and predatory, and without a word, he pulls at the waistband of his sweatpants, sliding them down in one swift motion. you bite your lip, heart hammering, watching him cock his head to the side, a low hum escaping him as he starts pumping himself slowly, teasingly.

you lay back against the couch, legs parting slightly, breath catching as your hands graze over your own skin. the sight of him—focused, needy, just for you—makes a shiver run down your spine.

“god… you’re driving me fucking crazy,” he groans, voice rough, gripping himself tighter for just a moment before leaning down.

without another pause, he lines himself up, sliding inside you in one smooth, deliberate thrust. your back arches instinctively, nails digging into the cushions as heat and pleasure bloom between your bodies.

you dig your nails into the cushions as he starts moving inside you, slow at first, just enough to make your hips roll against him. every thrust sends sparks straight through you, and your breath hitches in ragged gasps.

“you’re… so good,” you murmur, voice trembling, chest heaving. his hips stutter, a low whine escaping him. “say it again,” he whines, voice needy and desperate, eyes dark and fixed on yours. “g-good boy,” you breathe, teasing, and the way his lips curl into a feral, almost worshipful grin makes your stomach clench. “fuck… i love that,” he murmurs, almost whining as he grabs your hips, pulling you flush against him. “on your knees—no, come on.”

before you can protest, he shifts you onto all fours on the couch, pressing himself into you from behind. the sudden angle makes your breath hitch again, nails scraping the cushions as he starts thrusting harder, faster, chasing the way you squirm beneath him.

“you like that, baby?” he groans, voice thick, teeth catching your shoulder. “taking me in that tight, perfect pussy of yours?”

you arch against him, and he slaps your ass sharply, low and hard, making a gasp escape your lips. the sound only seems to fuel him further, and he leans closer, hips snapping into a steady, urgent rhythm.

every hit, every groan, every whiny, desperate sound he makes presses deeper into your senses, and your body trembles with a mix of heat and pleasure, riding every inch of him as he switches the rhythm, keeping you both on edge, messy and lost in each other.

you push back against him, taking the reins, sliding down onto him with a sharp, controlled motion. he groans low, hips stuttering as he watches you, face flushed and eyes dark with need.

hands grip his shoulders, then drift to his throat, fingers curling just enough to tease, to claim. “fuck… you’re crazy,” he groans, a whine escaping him, but there’s no resistance—only trust, lust, and obsession.

“like this?” you murmur, bouncing slightly, testing him, the pressure of your hands on his neck making him shiver beneath you. “yes… god, yes,” he pants, voice ragged, a mix of whine and groan, “don’t stop… don’t you ever stop.”

you ride him harder, your hips snapping in rhythm with his, teasing and pressing, every motion driving him wild. his hands grip your hips, guiding you, but his head tips back slightly at the subtle choke, mouth open, groans spilling out uncontrollably. “s-so tight,” he pants, voice thick and needy, “and you… you know exactly what you’re doing to me.”

every movement, every gasp, every sharp intake of breath fuels the fire between you, and the sound of him whining, desperate and obsessed beneath you, makes your own pleasure spike even higher.

you ride him harder, hips snapping, hands gripping his shoulders and throat with control. every movement, every gasp, every whine spilling from him fuels the fire burning between you.

your chest rises and falls, heat pooling, and suddenly it hits—the sharp, overwhelming wave of pleasure building deep in your core. you shiver, cry out his name, and come over him, trembling, body quaking as your orgasm crashes through you.

he groans low at the sound, voice thick and needy, but it’s sharp, urgent, almost desperate. “i’m gonna… i’m gonna come,” he pants, hips jerking, hands gripping your hips to steady himself.

you mutter something about your mouth in your high and he reluctantly slides out. you kneel in front of him on the floor as he rises up to sit, lips brushing the tip of his cock, and he whines immediately, high-pitched and desperate, hips twitching against your mouth. “fuck… yes—just like that—shit, yes,” he pants, voice breaking into that needy, whiny sound that makes your heart palpitate.

you take him in, slow at first, letting him adjust, teasing him with the way you suck and lick, fingers curling around the base. his hands thread through your hair, gripping gently, guiding you, voice cracking with every small gasp as your doe eyes remain on watching his every reaction.

“ah—fuck! right there, yes, oh god—” he groans, hips snapping, voice high and needy, whines mixing with grunts as his release spills into your mouth. you hold him through it, swallowing every pulse, teasing just enough to make him shiver, until he’s trembling, spent, and utterly obsessed with you.

you pull back, brushing a sticky strand of hair from your face, and he’s still catching his breath, chest rising and falling fast. his eyes flick to yours, sharp, amused, and dangerous in that way you know too well. his thumbs wipes the remainder of his orgasm past your lips, he’s dazed.

“you good?” you ask, voice low, teasing. he smirks, pressing closer, letting out a soft groan. “i’m alive… barely,” he mutters, voice high and whiny from just having been wrecked. “not that i’d ever admit it.” “you’re a mess,” you tease, thumb brushing along his cheek. “i could’ve stopped anytime.” “yeah? try me,” he shoots back, a crooked grin tugging at his lips. “i don’t think you could.”

you laugh, shaking your head, letting him drape an arm around you as you search for your underwear on the living room floor. he leans back on the couch, eyes glinting, that familiar mischievous smirk tugging at his lips.

“looking for something?” he asks, voice low and teasing, tilting his head as he watches you fumble. you glance up, biting your lip, and he doesn’t miss the pause. “oh… wow,” he says, eyes flicking down, then back to your face, mock-serious. “you’re… completely drenched. did i do that?” you groan, cheeks heating, and scramble faster across the floor. “shut up,” you mutter, grabbing at your soaked panties.

“nope,” he cuts in immediately, grin widening. “absolutely not. this is too good. i mean, come on—you look like a disaster… a very wet, very perfect disaster.” his voice dips lower, teasing, almost growling, and the words make a shiver run down your spine. finally finding your underwear, you hold them up, and he leans closer, eyes glinting with mischief. “wow,” he murmurs, half-whining, “you really know how to make a mess. lucky for me, i get to watch.”

“you’re terrible,” you mutter, tugging the fabric back on, cheeks flushed. “and you love it,” he replies, smirk widening, eyes glittering with that playful, hungry light. “admit it.” you roll your eyes but can’t stop the quiet laugh escaping you. “maybe a little,” you concede.

he chuckles, low and satisfied, before leaning down to press a light kiss to your temple. “good. that’s all i need to know,” he murmurs, letting the teasing linger. then his grin twists sly. “by the way… don’t think i’ve forgotten about our feud. stealing your parking spot? not sorry.”

you snort, shaking your head. “you’re such an asshole.”

“maybe,” he says, tugging you closer so your shoulder rests against his chest. the apartment feels warm and intimate now, messy and sticky from earlier chaos, yet somehow calm. tangled together on the couch, playful and charged, the teasing settles into a quiet closeness that leaves both of you grinning and breathless.

ִ ་ ، ˖ ࣪ ་ ˖ ʿ the next morning, sunlight cuts across the floor as you’re dragging yourself out of bed, still groggy, when you hear a rumble outside. peeking through the blinds, you spot haechan sliding his car out of the spot he’d stolen yesterday, finally giving you the space you were owed. you can’t help the small, satisfied smirk that tugs at your lips.

then something catches your eye: a sticky note, bright yellow, taped to your door. you pull it off and read, your breath hitching slightly:

"hey neighbor, come knock on my door and tell me to turn this music down… or don’t. i kind of want to hear you complain while i watch. —h"

from next door, the bass vibrates through the walls, low and teasing, and you roll your eyes with a laugh. of course he’d leave a note like this—provocative, cheeky, and entirely him, daring you to respond while making it impossible not to. you trace the words with a finger, already imagining the exchange when you go knock—knowing full well you’ll be grinning like an idiot the entire time.

　　 　˳ 　 　౨౿　　⁺　　༄　　　༝　 　 end.

copywrite @yvesette 2024

[winnietheboos]

choose your fighter | nct dream series

in the depths of the city’s hidden fight scene, seven boys rise as kings of the underground. their fists speak louder than their fears, and their hearts get them into more trouble than their enemies ever could. step inside the circle if you dare, because every punch has a story, and every champion has a girl worth bleeding for. pick your fighter, keep your secrets, and whatever you do… don’t look away.

i. rookie fighter [in progress]

synopsis ⌲ mark lee is an up-and-coming boxer with a strict rule: no distractions before a fight. but when you slip past the ropes in hopes to finish an already decided match, you realize a tad too late that you're now in a ring… with him. when unwanted eyes begin to get a glimpse of the girl who is slowing him down, you step back into the ring, this time not to stop a fight, but to knowingly fight him.

ii. maze of alleys [in progress]

synopsis ⌲ you’re wandering through the city, trying to track down the speakeasy your friend swore was the best spot in town. instead, you push open the wrong door, and the sharp smell of iron and the roar of a cheering crowd hits you all at once. your eyes lock on the center of the room… and is that huang renjun? don't let his doll like face fool you! because he grew up fighting - first on the streets, then in the ring.

iii. probability and risk [in progress]

synopsis ⌲ on the rise, cocky, and the face of every white collar fighter who avoids his gaze—fight club's favorite prodigy. when you watch two men fight at the gym, you don't notice how loudly you declare that based on his patterns, the boy with the blonde hair has a 73% chance of losing the upcoming round. now lee jeno is making his way to you, demanding how the hell you're breaking down his career in numbers.

iv. please no questions [in progress]

synopsis ⌲ no celebration, no locker-room talk, no attachments. he's the underground fighter with a reputation for vanishing the second the match ends. no one knows where he goes, and he likes it that way. you're the night-shift student worker at the campus library, the only place open late enough for lee haechan to slip in unnoticed. you're not supposed to ask questions; and he’s not supposed to answer them. but one night, when he collapses between the shelves, you become the only person he physically can’t push away.

v. i'll fix it myself [in progress]

synopsis ⌲ na jaemin is an underground boxer with a reputation for physically never going down. one night you find him at a campus party, bloodied and bruised from a fight no one else knows about. he’s tried to patch himself up, but his self-stitching is messy and dangerous. hesitant at first, you carefully redo his wounds, and for the first time, he lets someone touch him gently, and you realize he’s the first patient whose blood doesn't make you flinch when you see it.

vi. guinea pig [in progress]

synopsis ⌲ the undergrounds championship fighter with a spotless record- zhong chenle is the daredevil that knows no limits. you're just someone who is never satisfied with the taste of your creations and can't seem to pinpoint what's missing. you're worlds collide—literally—when he crashes his body into you one night trying to outrun an officer. he hates people, hates fussing, hates slowing down, but something about the flour on your hands and the way you don't treat him like a criminal throws him off balance.

vii. obsession [completed]

synopsis ⌲ park jisung is the nation’s (secret) newest boxing obsession. hushed whispers, feared stares and his forgotten bloodied bandages left in the ring after every match. you're the girl living in the apartment next door because you can barely afford anything better while finishing your degree, and you can't help but notice the boy who comes home bloody and bruised every night. so what do you do? you follow him.

a/n: aaa first series (and first fic that im posting), im excited to share this considering how stoked i am with the comeback. i've listened to the entire album and tricky alone was going platinum in my room. i hope those who do end up reading this, you guys enjoy and do let me know what u think!!

im going to do my best to be uploading this on a weekly basis starting next week, so this series list will be updating as i write. if theres a title that you guys want to be tagged for specifically, lmk! enjoy! ᕦ( ◡̀﹏◡́)ᕤ

[195mg]

distraction

ꪆৎ summary: haechan wants to get your attention whilst you’re playing on your computer and he does, you just have to keep a little quiet.

ꪆৎ pairing: haechan x afab!reader

ꪆৎ warnings: smut, established relationship au, content warning: smut, cunnilingus, fingering, biting, mention of blood once but nothing graphic (reader bites their lip), swearing, mdni.

ꪆৎ word count: 1.7k

ꪆৎ authors note: this is a repost!! enjoy reading <3

ꪆৎ

“One left.” 

“M’kay.” Mumbling as your fingers furiously tap on the keys of your keyboard, eyes glued on your computer. You’re so focused on the monitor screen that you don’t even hear your room door opening. 

In enters your boyfriend, tiredness engulfing his body like a blanket as he drops his bag on the floor with a loud thud. His eyes wandered over to your figure hunched over in the chair, still facing your game. Your chair hadn’t moved in his direction in even the slightest, to acknowledge his presence and this has his lips in a frown. 

Instead of dramatically draping his arms over your shoulders and whining, like he usually would; Haechan chooses to flop down, face first into your bed. Ruining your rather-poorly made bed but he was a little too tired to care about that. 

“He’s right behind you, behind you!” Your shouts are followed by a cheer of victory as you recline back in your chair and your teammate lets out his yells of success too. A big smile paints your face and Haechan raises his head, thinking you’re finally finished gaming for the day but-

“Another round?” You cheerfully pipe up, hopeful for a similar success and Haechan finds himself pouting like a puppy as he looks at you. All the while, you remain clueless about the boy messing up your bedsheets. 

A few clicks later, you’ve begun the next round and whilst you’re talking to your teammate, an idea pops up in your boyfriend’s head. It was rather… risky and Haechan hadn’t done something like this before, but it seemed like a great way to get your attention. 

So the boy rises to his feet, a mischievous smirk planted on his face as he approaches your desk. Grabbing your chair, swivelling it just enough so your screen was still in your view and falling to his knees. 

“Oh, Haechan, hi-” Your greeting is quickly silenced with a light shush and you give him a strange look, confused as to why he hushed you instead of not returning it. 

Haechan’s hands come up to your shorts, fingers hooking over the soft material as your teammates ask. 

“Is Haechan there?” 

“Uh…” You continue to stare at the boy in question and he shakes his head. “No? I, just… received a message from him… right now.” The lie escapes your mouth without a second thought but your teammate doesn’t pry further. 

“Stand up.” Haechan mouths, gesturing upwards with his finger once he’s realised that he isn’t able to remove your shorts like this. 

“What? Why?” You knit your eyebrows, speaking in a low tone, unsure of what business he had with removing your shorts but the voice coming through your headphones thinks you’re speaking to him.

“Please.”

“Oh, nothin- don’t worry about it…” You reply, following Haechan’s instructions all the whilst you maintain your hands on the keyboard. Your eyes wander back to the screen but when Haechan yanks both your shorts and underwear down, a loud gasp leaves your mouth. Audible to not just Haechan but your teammate too and his concerned voice coming from your headphones, only makes you feel embarrassed. 

“You okay?” 

“Ye-yeah, I just-” 

Haechan urges your back into your seat with a single push and that earns him a rather foul gaze but the boy brushes it off. Pushing apart your legs, Haechan goes to bury his face in between them until he is stopped.

“What are you doing?” You whisper-yell at him, a hand slammed on his forehead that prevented him from coming closer and you tug your hoodie to cover your naked lower half. Your voice is high enough for Haechan’s ears but falls deafen on your teammate’s ears, fortunately. 

“Getting your attention.” Haechan is straight forward with his reply and the smug look on his face is enough to get your riled up. The clothing he’s taken off your lower half is dropped in his lap and you press your thighs together, partially out of embarrassment. You hadn’t done something like this whilst you were on a call.

“Wha-Ah!” Both your legs are pushed up on the armrest and now partly cramped underneath your desk, Haechan tugs the chair closer. Heat rushes to your face as you look down at him but he’s looking elsewhere… 

Back to your headphones, your teammate’s call of your name draws your attention back to the game. “Uh, yeah- sorry, I just…” Your hands reach over to your mouse and keyboard, albeit in a hesitant manner as you try to ignore the hot breath Haechan was blowing at your naked core.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” His voice was laced with even more concern than the previous time. Surely your teammate would figure out if you weren’t quiet?

“Mhm…” You respond with a slightly shaky tone as Haechan places a kiss on your inner thigh. One kiss, then another even closer to your core and then another, until he places one right on your clit. A few more kisses are placed on your thighs and as Haechan wraps his arms around them, moving both thighs onto his shoulders as he buries his face in between. 

Then with his hands resting over your lower torso, he licks a strip from your hole to your clit and smiles against your clit when you shudder under his touch. His wet tongue begins to make a mess as he moves it up and down your slit, making your twitch with pleasure. Haechan isn't worried about the mess it’ll leave on your chair, you could clean it afterwards. Maybe, he’ll get you to clean it with your tongue…

You had managed to keep yourself on the quiet side so far, but when Haechan decides to push his tongue into you, you let out a shaky gasp. Unfortunately, your mic picks up and your teammate chuckles. 

Unaware of whatever was taking place under your desk, he makes a comment about the players of the other team which falls on your deaf ears. 

You’re too focused on trying to keep quiet, your teeth sinking into your lower lip with such force that you’re surprised you hadn’t drawn out blood yet. Your face seems to get hotter by the second or maybe it just feels like that too you. 

Haechan hums against your centre, making your thighs tighten around his head but Haechan pushes them apart, just for his comfort. Moving his head back until he was able to place his mouth on the middle of your inner thigh and sink his teeth into your skin. 

You flinch, a squeak falls from your lips and beneath the desk Haechan laughs to himself. 

“Sorry, sorry,” You rush to apologise, but not to Haechan. “I just remembered something… I needed to do earlier.” 

“Liar.” Haechan mouths as he places a kiss over the area he’d bitten and you press your thighs together once again, with the intention to annoy your boyfriend.

It’s only afterwards, when Haechan slides a hand over your core and begins using his palm, do you realise it was a bad idea to mess with him in this position. 

You’re doubled over, eyes closed and your hand over the keyboard becomes idle. On the other hand, Haechan is aumsed with his doings, a little surprised at how well you had kept quiet but that was something he could change. 

Moving the palm of his hand to push two fingers inside of you, but he doesn’t neglect your clit. His other hand resting on his lower torso comes even lower so that his thumb could draw circles over your clit. 

A trembling whimper falls from your mouth and the mic manages to pick it up. Only after, do you shove your lower face in your arm, eyes glazing over to the monitor screen as you attempt to continue the game. If you were idle for too long, surely your teammate would notice?

Spreading apart his fingers inside of you before you feel Haechan add a third and this has you biting onto the fabric of your hoodie. Though the noises from your mouth are muffled, the low squelching coming from under the desk seemed to be getting louder. Not loud enough to be picked up by your mic yet and now you can only hope your teammate is clueless as to what’s got you distracted this round.

To your luck, he starts talking again and fortunately it’s not a question that comes from his mouth this time, asking if you were okay. His voice drowns out the wet noises as he speaks about the positioning of the other team and you can’t believe you’re quietly listening to him whilst getting fingered by your boyfriend. The embarrassment of getting caught keeps you silent for the most part and you just want the round to be over, whether you two won or not. 

The feeling of an orgasm builds up, the knot tightens in your stomach and you can feel your eyes get teary. For whatever reason, you’re holding your breath but that only heightens the pleasure you’re feeling. 

“Focus on your game.” Haechan sings in a small voice and you try to do that but proves difficult when he’s gone back to using his tongue again.

“I’m down-” Your teammate’s voice draws your attention back to the computer screen, this time for more than five seconds as your fingers resume the keyboard.

“I got it.” Your tone sounded confident, whilst you were falling apart on Haechan’s fingers and tongue. You manage to revive your teammate with success, albeit that being the only helpful progress you had made in the game. However, luck did not seem to be on his side and in less than a moment his character falls once again, bringing you down too.

“Oh fuck! Fuck, I’m down and- ah…” 

Your monitor displayed the words ‘DEFEAT’ across the top and you take this as a chance to tend to the situation unfolding under your desk. 

“Be right back.” You speak so quickly, you doubt he’d actually processed the words as you disconnect from the call. You practically throw your headphones off before grabbing the boy from the hair and pushing your core into his mouth, chasing your climax with such desperation. “I hate you… so much.” You mindlessly moan in a low voice as you reach your climax. 

© 195mg, 2026 - all rights reserved. please do not repost, plagiarise, translate, feed into ai or share my work on other platforms.

[pohyuck]

where pretend becomes real

lee donghyuck x reader — a variety show marriage. a fake spouse. cameras in your face every day. (5.9k)

• in celebration of our fullsun’s birthday!! this story is inspired by the show we got married, though please note that it may contain some inaccuracies, as it’s not strictly based on the show’s actual format or segments

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

you almost didn’t sign the contract.

the offer had come out of nowhere. an email from your manager, phrased with cautious excitement. 'we got married' was being rebooted after years off air. you’d be one of the main couples, if you agreed.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

you reread the email several times before closing your laptop and calling your best friend. “do i look like i have time to fake a marriage right now?” “you’ve literally been single for two years,” she said flatly. “yeah, but at least that’s authentic.”

the truth was, your agency thought it would be good exposure. and part of you, deep down, was curious. about what it would feel like. to pretend to fall in love. about whether pretending might start to feel real.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

donghyuck said yes because he thought it’d be funny. the managers barely got the words out. “they want you for we got married” he started laughing before they finished. “you’re joking. that’s the show where idols act in love for strangers, right?”

but later that night, lying in bed, he scrolled through old clips of the show. something about the way those couples looked at each other in the last episodes stuck with him.

he could fake chemistry. easy. he’d been doing that for stages and fan signs since he was fifteen.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the camera lens captured everything.

your nervous fidgeting, the way your eyes darted around the unfamiliar set, the tiny puff of breath you let out when the PD said, “action.”

you weren’t a stranger to the industry, but this was different. this wasn’t acting. this was you, paired with someone you’d never met, pretending to be newlyweds on national television.

and then he walked in.

lee donghyuck. better known to most as haechan—nct’s infamous sunshine with a mischievous streak and a smile that could disarm even the toughest senior idol.

you have seen clips of him before: teasing his members and turning charm into a weapon. and now, he stood in front of you, grinning like he already knew all your secrets.

“oh?” he said, head tilting slightly. “they really blessed me with a pretty wife.” you blinked. “they told me my husband would be cute, but i didn’t expect him to flirt five seconds in.”

he laughed, hand coming up to hide his mouth. “gotta give the fans what they want. don’t worry, i’m not always like this.”

“…actually, i am”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the first few shoots were awkward, as expected.

you learned quickly that haechan had no shame in front of the camera. he was a professional flirt, tossing out compliments and jokes with effortless precision. every time you thought you had the upper hand, he’d flip the script.

"you’re not wearing your ring," he pointed out during episode two, eyes flicking to your bare finger as the two of you sat across from each other in a café.

"i forgot," you said, deadpan. "i left it next to the dignity i lost when they made us do couple yoga yesterday." he cracked up, but you caught the flicker of something behind his smile. maybe he hadn’t expected you to match his energy.

after that, it became a rhythm. witty back-and-forths. glances that lingered a second too long. moments that should’ve been harmless, like sharing an umbrella, decorating your "married" apartment, brushing flour off his cheek during a baking segment, but somehow weren’t.

you told yourself it was the cameras. the setting. the editing. they were supposed to make it look romantic.

still, you couldn’t help but notice the way haechan’s teasing softened when the staff weren’t around. how he started remembering the smallest things about you. how, during the fourth shoot, when your heel broke and you stumbled slightly, he caught you with an ease that felt too natural.

he blinked down at you. you blinked up at him.

then someone yelled "cut" and the moment disappeared like smoke.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

it was around episode six when things started to shift.

you were filming a camping trip. just the two of you, a tent, a rented suv, and several production crew members pretending not to exist.

after the marshmallow roasting and scripted couple games, you found yourselves sitting by the fire, wrapped in matching blankets. it was one of those rare lulls where neither of you felt like performing.

"are you always like this?" you asked. he glanced at you. "like what?"

“like you’re constantly trying to win some imaginary flirting competition."

haechan smirked. "would it kill you to admit i’m charming?" "i think the entire population already knows that," you said flatly.

his smile widened. "so you do think i’m charming." you groaned, pulling the blanket over your face. "regret. immediate regret."

but he didn’t tease you further.

instead, he sat in quiet beside you. the fire crackled. you could hear distant rustling, maybe a staff member adjusting the camera angle, but the world felt oddly still.

you peeked out from under the blanket. haechan was watching the flames, his expression unusually unreadable.

"you know," he said after a moment, voice low, "i thought this would be easier."

you turned to him. "what do you mean?"

he didn’t look at you. "i thought i’d be better at pretending."

you didn’t answer. you weren’t sure you could.

because the truth was, you were struggling too.

not because you didn’t like him.

but because maybe you did.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the next few shoots blurred together.

the couple trip to busan. the matching outfits. the accidental hand-holding that neither of you pulled away from. the unscripted glances. the too-long hugs. the inside jokes that the cameras didn’t catch.

you still called it acting. he still called it fan service.

but the way his hand always found the small of your back? the way you leaned into his shoulder when you were tired between takes?

that wasn’t in the script.

neither was the night he texted you after filming, a message that simply said:

"are you okay? you seemed quiet today."

you stared at it for too long before replying:

"yeah. just tired. thanks."

he didn’t say anything else.

but the next shoot, he brought you your favorite coffee order without asking.

you didn’t thank him. he didn’t mention it. the moment passed quietly, like all the others.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

it happened on an off day. no cameras. no script. just the two of you, killing time between schedules.

your manager had dropped you off early at the company building. haechan’s studio was just a floor above, and somehow you ended up in the practice room together. music played low from the speakers, nothing specific, just some playlist on shuffle. you were stretched out on the wooden floor with a water bottle pressed to your cheek, eyes closed.

"you know you’re allowed to sit on the couch," haechan said, voice light.

"i’m cooling off," you mumbled. "this floor has healing properties. don’t question them."

he laughed, sitting cross-legged beside you, watching as the sunlight through the window caught the edge of your hair.

for a while, neither of you said anything. it was easy, being quiet with you. easier than it should’ve been.

he leaned back on his hands, eyes tracing the outline of your face.

you were still in your casual clothes, makeup faded from earlier, a faint sheen of sweat on your skin from dance practice. there was nothing particularly special about the moment.

you opened one eye, looking at him sideways.

"what?"

"nothing," he said, too quickly.

you sat up a little. not fully, just enough to look at him properly.

"do i have something on my face?"

"no," he said again, quieter this time. "you just... look different when you’re not acting."

you blinked. "we’re not acting most of the time."

"aren’t we?" he asked. and then smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "sometimes i forget what’s real."

you watched him carefully, the air going still between you.

"i don’t think it matters anymore," you said eventually, voice soft. "real or fake. you’re still here."

he looked at you like you’d said something too big. like he hadn’t expected you to cut through him so cleanly.

you turned away after a second, brushing your hair out of your face. he didn’t move.

and that’s when it hit him.

not with fireworks. not with a romantic soundtrack or some grand emotional monologue. just a quiet, breathless awareness that settled into his chest like gravity.

he liked you.

he thought about you even when he didn’t have to. texted you jokes late at night, rehearsed conversations he wanted to have with you while waiting in traffic. his mood shifted depending on whether you smiled at him that day. he’d started looking forward to filming, not because of the exposure or the paycheck, but because it meant he got to stand next to you for a few hours and pretend you were his.

and it wasn’t pretend anymore.

haechan looked down at his hands. his palms were a little sweaty.

he was in trouble.

he stayed quiet after that, afraid that if he opened his mouth, the truth might spill out too fast.

you didn’t notice the way he looked at you after that.

but he did. and he didn’t stop.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

he didn’t flirt as much anymore.

at least, not in the same way.

it was subtle, the way things shifted. haechan still joked, still teased, but his words started landing softer. less edge, more care. the things he used to say to get a reaction out of you—calling you pretty just to see you roll your eyes, leaning too close just to fluster you— were all starting to feel real.

you didn’t notice.

or maybe you did, but refused to mind it.

when you got a sore throat from overworking and showed up to set with a raspy voice, he handed you a warm honey drink without a word. you assumed a staff member gave it to him.

when you forgot your phone charger during an overnight shoot and muttered about your battery dying, he offered you his without hesitation.

"don’t you need it?"

"i can live without my phone for one night," he said, smiling.

when your hands were cold in the middle of winter filming, he tucked one of them into his coat pocket with his.

you laughed. "you’re just doing this for the cameras." "yeah," he said. but he wasn’t looking at the cameras.

you brushed it off. he was haechan. playful, dramatic, full of unnecessary skinship. you’d seen him flirt with microphones, charm auntie fans, do aegyo on command like it was second nature.

so when he started waiting for you after your other schedules, just to walk you out, when he started sending you good morning texts before call time, and good night ones after wrap, when he got weirdly quiet whenever someone on set joked about you two being a real couple, you didn’t think too hard about it.

because thinking too hard would mean acknowledging that it felt different now. that he felt different now.

you told yourself it was still fake. that he was just that good at his job.

you didn’t notice the way his gaze lingered on you when you weren’t looking.

didn’t catch how he started memorizing your moods, your habits, your silences. how he stopped filling every silence with jokes and started letting you be.

you stayed blissfully, stubbornly unaware.

and haechan let you.

because even though he wanted you to see it—even though his feelings were starting to rise up like a tide, impossible to hold back—he was still scared.

scared that if he said it out loud, the spell would break. scared that you didn’t feel it too. scared that you’d laugh, like it was just another punchline.

so instead, he kept showing you in all the quiet ways.

and you, heart fluttering in ways you still refused to name, kept calling it coincidence.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

episode thirteen.

you weren’t nervous, exactly. but you did reapply your lip tint twice in the van on the way over.

the producers had teased a surprise guest for today’s shoot, and variety shows loved nothing more than forced love triangles. you braced for awkward. but you didn’t brace for him.

cha sungwoo.

tall. handsome. charming in that effortless, trained-for-this way. you’d filmed a drama together almost two years ago, and for a brief moment, fans thought the on-screen chemistry might have spilled off-camera. it hadn’t. but the rumors stuck anyway.

"look who it is," sungwoo said as you stepped onto set, voice warm. "didn’t think i’d get to see you again on a fake honeymoon."

you smiled automatically. "long time no see."

beside you, haechan shifted his weight.

he didn’t say anything at first. just watched. his expression was unreadable, but his silence was louder than anything.

finally, he spoke.

"should i be worried?" he asked, light tone cutting sharp beneath the surface. "or is this just good tv?"

"depends," sungwoo said, amused. "are you the jealous type?"

haechan smiled. not the usual, teasing kind—the one that reached his eyes. this one was smaller. flatter.

"only when i have a reason to be."

you laughed, trying to brush it off, but your fingers tightened slightly around the sleeve of your jacket.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the shoot moved on. it was supposed to be funny and competitive—three of you cooking dinner together like a sitcom setup.

you were chopping vegetables when sungwoo leaned in behind you, his hands brushing yours.

"still bad with a knife?" he said, voice low near your ear.

you didn’t even flinch. "i’ve improved."

but behind you, haechan dropped the spatula he was holding.

you turned. "you okay?"

he bent to pick it up, muttering, "yeah. slipped."

but when he stood again, his eyes didn’t meet yours.

they were still on sungwoo.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

later, the three of you sat at the low table, eating what barely passed as a meal. the cameras were still rolling, but things had turned quiet.

sungwoo was telling a story—something about a late-night shoot and a prank. you were laughing, loose and warm in a way you hadn’t noticed before.

and haechan was watching you.

his chopsticks hung in mid-air. his shoulders tense. his jaw set like he was biting back words.

you looked at him. "what?"

he blinked. "nothing."

you tilted your head. "you’re acting weird."

"just tired."

"you sure?"

he didn’t answer right away. then he leaned in, low voice meant only for you.

"you act like none of this matters," he said quietly.

you stared at him. "what?"

"this." he gestured, vague. "the show. the pretending. him."

you searched his face, unsure if this was part of the bit or something else entirely.

"we’re just filming, haechan."

his eyes didn’t leave yours.

"maybe you are."

the words hung there. suspended between you, fragile and real.

you opened your mouth to respond—but the PD clapped, announcing a break, and the spell broke with it.

haechan stood up without another word and walked off set.

you sat there, blinking, unsure why your chest felt so tight.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

you didn’t call haechan after the shoot.

you almost did. twice.

once, when you got home and dropped your bag on the floor like something was missing.

once more, in the middle of the night, when you were staring at your ceiling and couldn’t stop replaying the way he looked at you before he walked off set.

you didn’t call. you couldn’t.

so instead, you called her. your best friend. the one who knew the before version of you, before the show, before the cameras, before him.

"hey, everything alright?" chiya asked, her voice quiet over the line. soft with sleep but already worried.

"can i come over?"

"always."

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

her apartment was warm. messy in the way homes should be. you sat on the floor wrapped in an old hoodie you’d left there months ago, your fingers curled around a mug of tea neither of you remembered making.

you told her everything. not just about today, but about all of it.

the way filming used to feel like a joke, like a role you could slip into and out of without thinking.

how that changed.

how he changed.

how you changed.

"today… he looked at me like he didn’t recognize me," you said. "like he was hurt, and trying really hard not to be."

she didn’t speak, letting the silence hold space for you.

"and when sungwoo showed up, it felt like the air shifted. like i’d stepped into a room i didn’t belong in anymore."

"because of haechan?" she asked gently.

you nodded.

"he didn’t say much. just… one thing."

"what’d he say?"

you swallowed.

"he said, ‘you act like none of this matters.’"

the words still echoed in your head. they’d been soft, almost careful. like he wasn’t trying to pick a fight. like he was asking you to see him.

"and i didn’t know what to say. because i didn’t know how to tell him that i think it does matter. more than it should. more than i want it to."

your voice shook.

"and i’m scared. i’m scared that maybe this isn’t just acting anymore. not for me."

your best friend moved closer, resting her chin on your shoulder like she used to when you were both teenagers, crying over things that felt too big for your hearts to hold.

"have you ever been in love before?" she asked quietly.

"not like this."

you weren’t even sure it was love. but it was something. something that blossomed slowly, and then all at once, when you weren’t looking.

"he makes me feel like i’m being seen. not the version of me that the cameras want. just... me. and when he looks at me, sometimes i feel like he’s about to say something he doesn’t know how to say."

"and what do you want him to say?"

you paused. the answer hurt to admit.

"that i’m not just imagining it."

your friend reached over, squeezing your hand.

"you’re not," she said. "i don’t even need to meet him to know. you’re not the kind of person who gets confused about this stuff. you’d never fall for someone unless it was real. and it sounds like you already have."

your eyes stung.

"i didn’t mean to."

"you never do."

she pulled you into a hug, and for the first time since you wrapped that scene, you let the weight of it press down on you. not the confusion. not the fear. just the feeling.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

episode fourteen

you weren’t sure how to act around him now.

you told yourself you’d just play it cool. do what you always did: slip into character, smile when you were supposed to, laugh when the producers gave you a cue, go home.

but when you saw haechan waiting on set, leaning against the kitchen counter in the little “home” you’d built together over the past months, sleeves pushed up, hair still damp from styling, something inside you stilled.

he looked up when you walked in.

and then he smiled.

small. real. tired, maybe. but his eyes softened the way they always did when he looked at you.

"hey," he said, voice gentle.

"hey," you replied, and the word felt different in your mouth. too small for how much you’d missed him in just a few days.

he opened his mouth like he was going to say more, but the PD clapped loudly and called for standby.

you both moved into position like professionals.

but you couldn’t stop glancing at him.

and he didn’t look away when you did.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the day’s concept was domestic bliss.

folding laundry. grocery shopping. making dinner together. things that looked boring on paper but, somehow, felt like the most intimate parts of the fake marriage.

just pretend it’s real, the writer joked before you started rolling.

you wanted to say, it’s getting harder to pretend it’s not.

you were standing beside haechan at the sink, rinsing vegetables, when your fingers brushed under the running water. you flinched slightly.

he didn’t.

his hand stayed against yours just for a second too long.

your heart skipped, and you hated how noticeable it felt. how loud it became in your own chest.

"you okay?" he asked, voice low.

you nodded too quickly. "just cold water."

he didn’t call you out on it. but his eyes didn’t leave yours for a long time.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

after filming, you stayed behind for a bit. the cameras were off, the crew busy packing up equipment. haechan was still in the kitchen, stacking plates to be returned to props.

you didn’t know why you lingered. only that you didn’t want to leave yet.

he looked up, sensing you there.

"you didn’t call," he said quietly.

you froze. "what?"

"after the last shoot. i thought maybe you would. or… maybe i hoped you would."

you opened your mouth. closed it again.

"i didn’t know what to say," you said eventually.

he nodded, like he understood. like he’d expected that.

then, after a long pause

"you don’t have to say anything," he murmured. "but i need you to know… i wasn’t acting. not with that."

you met his eyes. for once, there was no smirk. no sarcasm. nothing playful to hide behind.

just him.

just the truth.

your breath caught in your throat.

but before you could speak, a crew member popped their head in.

"you guys done? we need to lock up soon."

haechan glanced away. the moment passed like a held breath.

he nodded slowly. "yeah. we’re done."

but as you walked out of that little house, your fingers still tingling from the brush of his, you knew something had shifted for good.

you weren’t just playing pretend anymore.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

it was the last shoot before the final week.

the set felt more quiet than usual, like the whole crew was holding their breath. maybe because everyone knew this was the last stretch—the end of the show, the end of pretending.

you and haechan moved through the day’s scenes with practiced ease, but the easy rhythm from before was gone. now, everything between you felt heavy, like invisible strings tugging tighter with every look and every touch.

you were sitting on the couch, pretending to scroll through your phone, but you weren’t really looking at the screen. your eyes kept flicking to haechan, who was sitting beside you, hands folded awkwardly on his lap.

he glanced at you once, then quickly looked away, face unreadable.

the silence between you stretched longer than usual, thick and uncomfortable.

finally, you broke it, voice barely above a whisper.

“are you okay?”

he didn’t answer right away. then, without meeting your eyes, he said, “i’m fine.”

you didn’t believe him.

he shifted in his seat, fingers twitching like he wanted to say more but couldn’t.

the director called “cut,” and the crew buzzed quietly as they reset the next scene, but you and haechan stayed still, caught in a space where neither wanted to cross the line first.

he looked over, voice low, almost rough.

“this… all of this. it’s harder than i thought.”

you swallowed, heart racing.

“yeah.”

“i don’t want it to end,” he said, eyes finally locking with yours.

you felt your breath hitch. everything inside you was screaming to reach out, to tell him you felt the same, but the words stuck.

“me neither,” you whispered.

he gave a small, sad smile.

“what do we do now?”

you looked down, fingers fiddling with the hem of your shirt.

“i don’t know.”

but maybe that was okay.

maybe the not knowing was the start of something real.

the cameras might have been off for the moment, but the space between you was alive with everything you couldn’t say—and everything you both desperately wanted to feel.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the last day of filming felt like the end of something you weren’t ready to lose.

the set was buzzing with energy, but for you and haechan, it was heavy. heavier than before. the playful teasing, the easy smiles—they were all there, but beneath them was a current you could no longer ignore.

during a break, you found yourselves alone in the quiet corner of the studio. the noise of crew and cameras faded, and suddenly the space between you felt too small.

haechan looked at you. his usual grin gone, replaced by something softer, vulnerable.

“i’ve been a coward,” he said, voice low, almost breaking.

you blinked, heart pounding.

“me too,” you whispered back.

he took a slow breath, stepping closer, hands trembling slightly at his sides.

“i was supposed to be the one who didn’t fall,” he said, “but it’s me. it’s always been me.”

you swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in.

“why didn’t you say anything?” you asked, voice barely audible.

“because i was scared,” he admitted. “scared you wouldn’t feel the same. scared it was just me.”

your eyes stung. “it’s not just you.”

the silence stretched, thick and full of everything you hadn’t said before.

finally, he reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from your face. “can i.. hold you?”

your breath hitched, but you nodded.

as he pulled you close, the world outside the studio ceased to exist.

for the first time, pretending wasn’t enough. this was real.

and somehow, it left you feeling both lucky and appalled.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the studio emptied quickly, the usual noise fading until you and haechan were left alone. the silence between you felt thick, heavy with everything neither of you had dared to say.

he led you to the rooftop garden, the soft glow of string lights wrapping around the space like a secret only the two of you shared.

you sat close, shoulders brushing, every tiny movement sending sparks you could feel deep under your skin.

his fingers found yours, slow and deliberate, thumb tracing lazy circles on your palm. the warmth of his touch spread, setting fire to nerves you didn’t know you had.

he tilted his head, eyes dark and searching. “you feel it too, right?”

your breath hitched, heart pounding. “i do.”

his hand slid from your palm, fingers grazing your wrist, then up your arm, light as a whisper.

“this,” he murmured, voice low and rough, “this isn’t just for show.”

you swallowed hard, the heat in your chest rising. his gaze dropped to your lips, then back to your eyes, daring you to say no.

instead, you leaned in, letting your breath mingle, the space between you crackling with anticipation.

when he finally closed the gap, his kiss was slow, teasing—like he was savoring every second.

his hand cupped your neck, thumb stroking softly, sending shivers down your spine.

you curled into him, the world narrowing to the press of skin on skin, the heat of his breath, the ache building in your chest.

he pulled back just enough to murmur against your lips, “i’ve wanted this for so long.”

your voice barely a whisper, “me too.”

the night wrapped around you, every touch, every glance loaded with a promise neither of you was ready to say out loud.

but both of you knew.

this was only the beginning.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

soft light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room.

you stirred slowly, the weight of haechan’s arm draped over your waist anchoring you in place.

for a moment, everything was still, the world outside paused, and there was just this—the steady rise and fall of his chest against your back, the quiet rhythm of breath and heartbeat.

you turned your head slightly, catching his profile in the morning light. his eyes were closed, lashes resting softly against his cheeks, peaceful and completely unguarded.

a gentle smile tugged at your lips.

careful not to wake him, you traced lazy circles on his arm, memorizing the feeling of skin beneath your fingertips.

he shifted slightly, murmuring something unintelligible, but didn’t open his eyes.

you let yourself soak in the quiet intimacy, the kind of closeness you hadn’t dared imagine before.

finally, haechan blinked open his eyes, meeting yours with a soft, sleepy smile.

“good morning,” he whispered, voice rough but warm.

“good morning,” you replied, heart fluttering.

he tightened his arm around you just a little, as if afraid you might disappear.

“last night was… real,” he said, voice low, full of something like awe.

you nodded, feeling the same weight of it.

“yeah,” you said softly. “it was.”

for a moment, neither of you spoke, just held onto the fragile newness of what had started between you.

and in the quiet of that morning, everything felt possible.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the studio was buzzing again, crew rushing, cameras rolling, but for you and haechan, the world felt different.

you caught each other’s eyes across the set more times than you could count, every look loaded with a secret neither dared say out loud.

during a break, haechan slipped beside you, voice low enough that only you could hear.

“you okay?” he asked, thumb brushing lightly over your hand.

you nodded, heart pounding. “yeah. just… tired.”

he gave a small, knowing smile. “me too.”

the silence between you felt full, like an unspoken understanding.

filming felt harder now. not because the scenes were difficult, but because the line between acting and feeling was thinner than ever.

when the director called cut, you both lingered, reluctant to step back into the roles you’d played for so long.

haechan caught your gaze, eyes searching.

“we need to talk,” he said quietly.

your breath hitched.

“about us,” he added, voice softer now.

you nodded, the weight of it settling in your chest.

“after this is over,” you whispered.

“of course,” he agreed.

the cameras might have been rolling again soon, but in that moment, the world outside could wait.

because finally, you were ready to stop pretending.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the days after filming ended felt like a strange in-between.

you and haechan were no longer pretending, but everything else still felt like uncharted territory.

text messages came more often now, sometimes just a good morning or a meme that made you laugh, other times long, quiet conversations about fears and hopes.

you met up after practice one evening, somewhere quiet—a small café off the main streets where no one knew your names.

he was a little awkward, fumbling with his words like he was nervous all over again.

“i’m not great at this,” he admitted, stirring his coffee.

“neither am i,” you said, smiling softly.

he reached across the table, taking your hand. “guess we’re both beginners.”

some days were easier than others. sometimes, a glance or a touch spoke louder than any words.

other times, the weight of schedules, the constant eyes watching, made it hard to find space just for the two of you.

but slowly, you learned to navigate the new rhythm—stealing moments between rehearsals, quiet calls in the middle of the night, little jokes shared just between you.

there were missteps, too—missed calls, misunderstandings, moments where the fear of losing what you had made you both pull away.

but every time, you found your way back.

because beneath it all was something real, something neither of you wanted to let go.

and as the days turned into weeks, you realized that maybe, just maybe, this was more than just a story.

it was your story.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

it started with a headline.

nothing scandalous, but enough to stir the internet—a fan account posted a blurry photo of you and haechan leaving a café, the caption dripping with speculation.

are they dating for real?

fake marriage turned real?

what does this mean for their agencies?

the messages flooded your phone—some from friends, some from fans, some from strangers.

you stared at the screen, heart pounding.

haechan was beside you, phone in hand, face tight.

“they’re going to spin this into a mess,” he muttered.

you nodded, biting your lip.

it was the first time your private feelings had become public territory, and neither of you knew how to navigate it.

that evening, you met at haechan’s dorm, wanting to face it together.

“what do we do?” you asked, voice trembling.

he took your hands in his, eyes steady and fierce.

“we don’t let rumors define us,” he said. “we keep being honest. with each other, and when we’re ready, with everyone else.”

you swallowed the lump in your throat, feeling the weight of the moment.

“i’m scared,” you admitted. “of losing what we have.”

he pulled you close, forehead resting against yours.

“me too,” he said. “but whatever happens, i’m not walking away.”

in that quiet room, surrounded by the noise of the world outside, you found a promise that felt stronger than any headline.

you weren’t just partners on a show anymore.

you were something real.

and you would face whatever came next—together.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

the room was tense as you and haechan sat across from your agencies. the conversation was careful, cautious, filled with questions you’d both anticipated but dreaded.

“are you sure this isn’t just for publicity?” one manager asked.

“this is real,” haechan said quietly, eyes locked on yours. “we want to take this seriously.”

your own manager nodded slowly, “then we’ll support you. but you need to be prepared for everything.”

the words hung heavy in the air, a mix of relief and new pressure settling over you.

once the meetings ended, you didn’t speak much on the way back. the city lights blurred past the windows, your hands finally finding each other’s in the quiet.

as soon as you stepped inside haechan’s apartment, the tension broke.

he pulled you close, fingers threading through your hair, lips pressing soft and sure against yours.

“no matter what they say,” he murmured between kisses, “this is ours.”

you traced his jawline, heart pounding in your chest.

“ours,” you echoed.

the night wrapped around you, a sanctuary from the world.

in the quiet between heartbeats, you’ve found a place—a fragile world where pretend becomes real.

[ohmytyong]

endgame

for @neocity-net event #2: neo tech games

PAIRING: game creator!haechan x game creator!reader (female!reader)

GENRE: strangers to lovers au, rivals to lovers au, angst, fluff, suggestive, Black Mirror inspired, humor

WARNINGS: explicit language, semi-graphic scenes (part of a video game), smoking, mention of drugs and (inaccurate depiction of) drug use, suggestive scenes, pet names, far too many elevator scenes, poor attempt at humorous scenes, plot twist, dark twist

WC: 21,8k

‣[PLAYLIST]: formula by labrinth, control by halsey, mount everst by labrinth, genesis by grimes, pink matter by frank ocean

SUMMARY: an ambitious young game creator seeks recognition of her work in one of the largest gaming companies in the world. meeting the senior game creator of the company,  a series of decisions and events will determine her journey.

A/N: This is heavily inspired by a mix of a bunch of different Black Mirror episodes, mainly Bandersnatch. Even if you're not familiar with the series, I hope you enjoy this fic regardless!

“Have a seat here Ms L/n, I’ll inform Mr Suh about your arrival,” the secretary gestures towards the small white couch by the wall, as she picked up the phone from her desk to press a few numbers before bringing it to her ear. You sat down with a huff, the couch cushions around you engulfing you as your body sank deeper into the soft material.

The atmosphere inside the Neo Tech Games building was similar to that of a hospital; awkwardly quiet, extremely clean, eerie and bland, with an essence of uneasiness and spookyness about it. You weren’t expecting anything else from a worldwide famous game developing company. When you called to ask for a business proposal to this place, you weren’t exactly expecting the workers to welcome you with open arms and a warm hug.

You tapped your fingers on your knees, watching attentively the secretary, paying detailed attention to her body language. Sitting behind a tall large wooden desk, you could only see her head and the top of her shoulders, wrapped around a very expensive looking blazer. You shivered at the formality of the place, anxiety hitting you suddenly as your meeting with the company’s CEO was approaching. It wasn’t too late to back up and leave. They won’t listen to you anyway, a humble indie game creator in desperate need of a job and some recognition.

The wheels of a chair rolling on glassy tiles brought you out of your obsessive thoughts. The secretary approached you and you jolted up from the comfortable sofa, looking more nervous and desperate than what you intended to show. The lady must have sensed how tense you were by the pathetic smile she gave you. “Mr Suh is ready to see you, follow me, Ms L/n,” she gestured towards the elevator. Picking up your bag and slinging it over your shoulder, you followed behind her, her heels clicking on the tiles with an echo inside the deafeningly silent room. You wouldn’t want to admit it, but if the secretary made you feel this uptight and estranged, you can’t imagine how the CEO and the Heads of the company’s departments are going to be.

Entering the elevator, the secretary pressed the button to the top floor of the building and scanned her employee’s ID card which was hanging around her neck. You noticed that her name was Joohyun and noted it mentally for future reference. A beep was heard from inside the elevator’s speaker before the doors closed and your stomach dropped at the sudden lift. Everything was uneasily quiet.

Joohyun noticed your intense gaze fixated on every single one of her moves. She cleared her throat and you immediately looked at your feet. “The elevator doors open directly to Mr Suh’s office. Scanning is for security purposes, it informs him about who is coming up,” she clarified and you gulped, nodding in understanding with a tight-lipped smile flashed her way. Your fingers were trembling around your shoulder bag and your feet were starting to melt in nervousness.

The elevator stopped with a thud and the signature beep was heard again before the doors slid open. Taking a deep breath, you tried to steady your heartbeat. You’ve done worse things than this. It’s not the first time you present one of your ideas to game companies. You could handle rejection for one more time.

Joohyun stepped out of the elevator to the spacious room in front of you. You took this as a sign to follow, the elevator doors closing automatically behind you once you were fully standing inside the office.

Looking around you, the CEO’s office incorporated the same design idea as the reception hall down at the ground floor. Same bland white walls, glass tiles, eerie lighting and that weird silence. In front of you, Neo Tech Games’s reputable CEO, Johnny Suh, was typing away something on the keyboard, attention fixed on the huge desktop screen in front of him. He looked focused, determined, and successful, which was everything you aspired to become in your future career.

“Mr Suh, your appointment is here,” Joohyun broke the silence with a soft voice, bringing the CEO’s attention from his screen to her. He glanced briefly at you and nodded, standing up from his leather chair. His heels clicked on the tiles too and you instantly regretted your more casual appearance as opposed to the formal business attire that everyone else in this building seemed to be wearing.

“Ah, thank you, dear. You can head downstairs to carry on with your duties,” Mr Suh smiled as he approached you, and Joohyun nodded curtly before walking back to the elevator.

And now you were all alone. Mr Suh turned to you, extending his palm towards you. “You must be Ms L/n, am I right? I’m Johnny Suh, CEO of Neo Tech Games,” he introduced himself and you returned the handshake, the firm grip of his hand adding to your admiration.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mr Suh. I’m so honored to be here, thank you for taking the time to review my product. It’s seriously such an honor,” you said a bit more excitedly as you wanted, but he didn’t seem to mind. Despite the cold environment in his office, the renown CEO radiated a certain warmth around him.

With a throaty, rich-sounding giggle, he let go of your hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Ms L/n. It’s always so interesting meeting ambitious young creators. Over here, let’s head to the conference room and get started with your presentation, shall we?” he said and you agreed, following him down the room towards the automatic sliding glass doors.

Your nerves had significantly calmed down after the brief interaction with Mr Suh. Turns out the secretary was scarier than him, who would’ve thought? The presentation couldn’t go that badly. You had done it a million times before, you had made all the necessary changes from the feedback you received from other companies, you had rehearsed the words so many times you could even recite them in your sleep. Nothing could go wrong at this point.

Except for the figures of three more men sitting at the conference table behind the sliding doors.

The two of them seemed to be around Mr Suh’s age, they were dressed in similar business casual outfits and were chatting about something you couldn’t figure out from outside the room. The doors must be soundproof, you thought. The third man, however, was familiar to you. Dressed more casually, much like yourself, he was looking outside the floor-length windows, tapping his fingers on the table. Even though he was your age, he had achieved levels of success you wouldn’t even imagine you could achieve yourself.

Your calm heartbeating sped up at the sight of the game developer you looked up to the most.

The doors opened as the motion detector lit up with Mr Suh’s presence, and you entered the conference room with hesitant steps behind him. “Before we begin, I think it’s fair for you to meet my business associates, Ms L/n. This is Kim Doyoung, Executive Leader of all our projects,” you extend your hand to greet him as he gave you a warm gummy smile in acknowledgment. “Then this is our artist Ten, Head of the Creative and Design Team,” you repeated the action as you received a soft greeting and a fleeting wink from the man. And then your eyes landed on the celebrity of the gaming world.

“And this is our most acclaimed game creator, Lee Donghyuck, you may know him by his signing name, Haechan. I guess as a fellow game creator yourself, Ms L/n, you are familiar with him,” Mr Suh said you gave Haechan the most firm handshake you could master, trying to hide your enthusiasm. “Yes of course I know him, he’s the youngest game creator to achieve such worldwide success in the video game world! It’s such a pleasure to meet you Haech- excuse me, Mr Lee. I have finished both USS Chiller and USS Chiller:Into the Dream more times than I can even remember. The gameplay is just unreal, you really are a genius-”

“Not a very professional way to introduce yourself, Ms L/n, don’t you think?” he said sternly and you gulped, saving your praise for another time. His age and casual appearance fooled you into speaking more informally to him, forgetting that his attitude would be in tune with the company he’s working at.

Mr Suh’s voice brought you back to reality, addressing you. “Well, now that you’ve met my most trusting associates, you can begin with your presentation, Ms L/n,” he urged you, sitting at the head of the conference table. Fishing out your flash drive from your bag, you plugged it in the laptop connected to the video wall screen. Sighing, you grabbed the remote control and began your presentation.

You straightened your shirt, fixing your standing posture and cleared your throat. “Before I begin, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Y/n, I am an independent game creator and developer. The project I’m about to show you is called Username:Nellie, a story-driven, interactive simulation game catered for adolescents and young adults, with a greater emphasis on the female gender within this age group,” you gulped, moving on to the next slide of your presentation.

“The game is set into a high-tech fantasy world, a genre that Neo Tech Games is mostly popular for, and it blends different types of gameplays into one: there is a prominent plot line the player follows which can be altered by the decisions they make along the way, hence the interactive aspect of the game. There are escape rooms, puzzles and riddles the player needs to solve which require complex thinking as opposed to passive consumption of the product,” you said carefully, watching the men in front of you nod and hum with great neutrality. Their lack of showing any positive or negative reaction to your words was making you nervous, yet you tried not to worry your head about it.

You click onto the next slide. “The game can also fall under the RPG category. It's third-person gameplay so every player experiences the game as Nellie, our character. 

The player can add their own personal touch to the character by customizing her appearance in clothes, mostly armory, and weapons,” upon the mention of weapons, you noticed the men’s faces twist in different forms. Doyoung narrowed his eyes, Johnny tilted his head to the side, Ten crossed his arms furrowing his eyebrows while Haechan raised his. You had caught their attention. 

“You heard it right, gentlemen,” you showed the next slideshow, “Nellie’s journey requires engaging in combat with magical monsters and unnatural enemies,” you said but their facial expressions didn’t relax.

“You seem quite confused,” you muttered and Haechan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. 

“See, Ms L/n, you keep on talking on and on about all the random features of the game without explaining how these combinations can work,” Haechan said with a slight annoyance and irony laced in his tone, interrupting your thought process.

With the side of your eye, you caught Doyoung nodding and you straightened your posture once again. “See, Mr Lee, it’s because you interrupted me as I was about to explain the storyline of my game,” your answer matched his attitude and he scoffed. The other men remained quiet.

“My bad then, Ms L/n,” Haechan said as he leaned back to his chair, “you can move on”.

“Thank you,” you said out of typical formality and not because you meant it. Did this guy have a bone to pick with you for no reason? And to think you admired his work a few minutes ago.

“So the story goes like this. Nellie wakes up in a small dark room, pretty normal-looking, very mundane, but she has no idea where she is. She gets up from her bed and notices a riddle and a map with an X mark on it attached to the door. That’s where the escape room comes; the player has to solve puzzles and riddles to get Nellie out of the mysterious room,” you start but no one in the room is moved by your answer yet.

“When Nellie opens the door, she is magically transferred into a fantasy world in which she embarks on a journey to find the mystery spot on the map. The map depicts the place she is at. During her journey, Nellie meets the magical creatures who help her, she battles with the evil ones, and through random small quests she earns crystals and XP which allow her to buy and upgrade armory, weapons and her fighting skills. With every creature she converses, Nellie is met with dilemmas, and the player can help her choose with the interaction feature. The decisions will alter the storyline, however the ending will always be the same. Nellie discovers a forsaken village of which she is destined to become the ruler and restore it back to its civilized form,” you finish and the game experts in front of you seem to think of…a lot of different things at once.

“It’s the journey that counts, not the destination,” Mr Suh mumbled and you nodded with a smile. “Exactly. I didn’t want to make one of many town developing games. There are plenty of those on the market. And don’t get me wrong, they’re adorable, but this one combines all of these interesting things. I wanted to come up with something unique,” you smiled at them, certain with the quality of your product.

Haechan shifted on his seat and you prepared yourself for more contradictions. Was he planted here today to play devil’s advocate?

“And what makes you think your product will have success in such a competitive market, Ms L/n?” he challenged you and fought so hard not to roll your eyes. You were prepared for this question.

“As you noticed Mr Lee, and as a game creator yourself, I strive to create something that will catch the target audience’s attention by bridging something familiar with something novel. I didn’t want to reproduce something that has been done before, but I also took inspiration from multiple components of already existing games that would guarantee a successful result, always keeping in mind the target audience,” you answered, keeping strong eye contact with him, watching him clench his jawline.

Haechan rested his elbows on the sides of his chair, interlacing his fingers with one another. “Well, I don’t think it’s gonna work. It’s too cluttered. Too much going on. Personally, I would never play such a game and I doubt other people would,” he said smugly.

“Are you perhaps a teenage girl, Mr Lee?” you challenged him and the other men tried to suppress their laughter. Haechan’s eyes widened. “Because if you’re not, then you’re not the right person to judge the appeal of my game but you’re here to judge other things regarding it. And help improve it,” you pressed and he fixed his gaze onto you. You swore there were fumes coming out of his nostrils.

A few agonizing seconds passed of you and Haechan maintaining eye contact, his irritated eyes piercing yours. You fought so hard not to blink and break eye contact, as if you were caught in a staring contest. The brims of your eyes started to water and keeping them open started to physically hurt you. The other men in the room remained silent, as if they weren’t even there.

Haechan finally broke eye contact, poking his tongue inside his cheek. “Alright then,” he smacked his lips, “is that all you got for us, Ms L/n?” he asked with a hint of boredom in his voice but you were quick to dismiss him.

“Actually no, I have a short demo of the game in case you want to test it and experience it a little bit. It will only take 20 minutes, if you have some extra time to spare,” you said looking at all the experts in the room.

Ten, the creative designer as you recalled, shifted in his seat. “Well, I guess we could spend some more time. I’m intrigued by the game, but I also need to see the art style graphics to form a complete opinion,” he urged and everyone else agreed, except Haechan who rolled his eyes but eventually mumbled something like ‘sure’ under his breath.

You fish out the USB stick with the game demo out of your bag with ease. You had put it in the front pocket for easy access, always prepared for this turn of events. Other companies didn’t even want to see the demo, they had already rejected your product before you even mentioned it. This was a great difference already, you might actually stand a chance here.

You insert the USB stick into the laptop and wait for the game to load. Once the setup is ready, you turn the laptop screen towards the men and they gather closely to watch you demonstrate the demo.

While playing, you tried to take glimpses of their reactions. It’s safe to say that they were well-trained at keeping a poker face. You explained the game functions, gave them little fun facts about certain design details, you let them take liberty in taking decisions on behalf of Nellie, letting them experience the interactive element. You let them experience the game. Unlike other companies which immediately dismissed you based on a poor presentation of your game, the Neo Tech Games associates knew that in order to actually test a game, you have to play it.

The demo gameplay came to an end and you saw Doyoung pout and then sigh. “I quite enjoyed this. I see the potential here, Ms L/n, you’ve done a great job so far. I can already envision the marketing techniques we could follow for the promotions. This is very promising, actually,” he said and you almost shed tears of happiness. Not yet, Y/n.

The CEO and the Head of the Creative and Design Team nodded in agreement. “This is an interesting videogame you have here, Ms L/n. I think it’s worth taking the risk, am I right, Haechan?” Mr Suh averted his gaze towards Haechan who rolled his eyes subtly enough for you to notice. He sighed, “I mean, yeah, I guess,” he finally said and you smiled at his positive answer, although it wasn’t entirely his opinion.

“So, here’s my offer, Ms L/n,” Mr Suh looked at you, suddenly wearing the poker face he had on while playing the game. “I’lll give you two options: You could finish the development of your game working from home, given a three-month deadline from now. The game will be released under Neo Tech Games, but all profit goes to your name,” he started and the offer already sounded like a dream. “Or, you could start working at the company and receive help in developing your game by working with our team. In this case, the game will be credited as ‘designed by committee’, but you’ll have the chance to work with some of the best professionals in the industry. It’s a guaranteed success, and the game will be released by the end of the year” he finished, stoic and serious.

You had to weigh your options and you had to do it quickly. You bit your lip in thought. “So if I release the game independently, it could completely flop?” you asked and they giggled at your choice of words.

“Not exactly, but the chances of an unsuccessful release are much greater,” Mr Suh mentioned, suppressing a smile.

“But if I work with you, all the profits are distributed across everybody who worked on the game’s development,” you concluded and Mr Suh hummed in agreement.

“Exactly, Ms L/n. So, what do you say? I presented you two different offers, now the call is all yours. The decision is solely based on you,” he said and you felt like a video game character yourself, Mr Suh’s waiting face in front of you, the two options flashing in boxes on either side of the screen and a timer bar ticking, giving you just enough time pressure to decide before the system makes a default decision for you. However, you’re not a character in any game; you’re the player in your game, and you were responsible for the turn of events.

Clearing your throat, you stretched your arm towards Mr Suh and gave him a smile. “So, when can I start coming to the office, boss?” you asked and he smirked, eyes blinking. “8 a.m. tomorrow, come over to my office first to walk you through some of the company’s policies,” he said, meeting your hand in a handshake. “I’m excited to do business with you, Ms L/n,” he said and you bowed softly. “Likewise, Mr Suh,” you said.

You shook hands with the other men too before packing your things to leave. “I’ll assign you your own desk office at the Development & Tech Team Department. Haechan over here will be your right man in command, you can always ask him anything you want,” Mr Suh said, getting up from his chair.

Both you and Haechan moved in sync, heads turning towards Mr Suh with wide eyes. “What?” Haechan practically growled. 

“You heard me, Haechan,” Mr Suh places emphasis on his name, “you’re the best in what you do. Y/n over here will be something like your intern. She’s new in the industry, she came over here with a genius game idea, all she needs is the right guidance to learn new things and develop as a game creator. You’re the only one who can train her,” Mr Suh said, leaving the conference room towards his office.

You and Haechan followed behind him, the other two men already back to their respective offices. “Look, Johnny, I didn’t agree to this. You made me agree to giving a chance to this stupid game of hers, but that’s it! Don’t make me have to do anything with it,” Haechan was mad, the aggravation in his voice echoing in the sickly quiet room.

“The offer includes teamwork, Haechan,” Mr Suh said plopping down on his chair, eyes locked on his computer screen, “so you, as the Head of the Development & Tech Team, as well as the rest of the department members will help Y/n with her game. In fact, let’s prioritize this project starting tomorrow. Put everything else on hold,” he said and Haechan ran his hands through his hair. He was so obviously frustrated. He muttered something under his breath before storming off the office into the open elevator doors.

You stood there for a while, replaying the events in your head. You don’t know what made him react like this. You had just met but he had already decided that he didn’t like you. At all. You were such a big fan of Haechan and his work before your encounter with him, but now your view of him changed drastically. Did he feel threatened by you or something?

You called the elevator after a while. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr Suh. Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” you said, turning to leave.

“You made the right decision, Yn,” you heard his voice echo behind you.

You made the right choice.

Walking into the Neo Tech Games building for the second time was relatively easier than the first. The atmosphere wasn’t as unsettling anymore, the clicking of your shoes on the tiled floor didn’t echo as much and the staff smiled slightly more at you. You would either get used to their cold professionalism or you would adapt to become one of them. Only time will tell. 

Earlier in the morning, you greeted Joohyun, the familiar secretary at the hall’s front desk, before heading towards the elevator for your meeting with Mr Suh, who actually asked you to call him ‘just Johnny’. During your conversation with Johnny, you reviewed your contract once again before he gave you instructions regarding the company’s policy, your rights and obligations as an employee at Neo Tech Games, and then took you to your desk at the offices of the Development & Tech Department. Your very own desk in the office.

You were the only person in the office at the moment. You came to work an hour earlier than the other employees for your appointment with Johnny, so now you had an extra half an hour to spend trying to acclimate yourself in the new working environment. The offices of the  Development & Tech Department were surprisingly a little more lively than the rest of the building; the floors were carpeted and the walls were decorated with posters of the games developed by the company. Upon exiting the elevator to the offices, a ginormous promo poster of Haechan’s USS Chiller, the most popular and successful game of Neo Tech, covered almost the entire left wall of the small hallway. The right side was decorated with a vending machine and a few fake plants, which brought the place to life. Entering the offices, each employee had decorated their own offices, adding personal touches to their workspaces which gave the place a homely essence, and smaller promo posters of games covered multiple spots on the walls. The only thing that reminded you of the high-tech architecture of the building were the floor-length windows which spread all over the left side of the room.

Placing your things on your desk, you roamed all over the room looking at the posters. One day, Username:Nellie would have a poster like this on its own. Perhaps a big one, not as big as Haechan’s, but large enough to catch the eyes of people walking inside. You couldn’t believe your once flight of fancy was one tiny step closer to becoming real.

It was ten minutes to 9 a.m. now and the rest of the employees would start arriving in any minute. The air conditioning in the room was drying out the atmosphere, and you desperately needed a refreshment to soothe the dryness in your throat. You walked out of the offices to the hall outside, inserting a coin to the vending machine to grab a soda. Turning around, your eyes fell on the USS Chiller poster. It required superhuman strength not to notice such an enormous thing. The Chiller spaceship was depicted in all its glory on a solid black background, reminiscent of outer space. The characters of the game were placed on different spots all over the spaceship like stickers, adding a three dimensional effect. On the top of the poster, the catchphrase of the game ‘Cool out, don’t panic!’ was written in a retro-futuristic font. You were staring at it, thinking that one day, everything would be possible. Your game deserved to have a poster of its own, just like this one.

You were lost in your thoughts to the point you didn’t hear the elevator arriving. “Don’t stare too much, I might think you want to plagiarize me,” a voice startled you and you turned to witness the culprit. Speak of the devil.

Haechan looked at you with a pathetic gaze, as if he felt sorry for you. This guy couldn’t even hide his dislike for you at all, his face gave away everything he felt for you and you just wished he was one of those all smiley people who mask every ill-intended emotion for the sake of good teamwork. Unfortunately, Haechan’s case wasn’t like this.

But you wouldn't give into his disdainful comments. You would play it cool and not panic about it, the words of reassurance were literally plastered in front of you in letters bigger than your own head. “The Creative and Design Team did a great job with this. The graphics look amazing,” you said, justifying the reason for your staring at the big poster.

Haechan seemed to be delighted by your comment. Smirking, an annoyingly smug expression on his face, he took a few steps closer to you and leaned towards your ear, his body so close to yours you could feel his coffee-smelling hot breath on your neck. “Actually,” he lowered his voice, “I designed the poster,” he said, leaning back to look at your, expectantly, shocked face. You gulped and looked at him, your eyes twitching in annoyance. “The rest of the team will be here in a minute, don’t you think it’s better you set your computer up now?” he told you and turned his heel, opening the door to the offices and closing it behind him, not waiting for you to join him. 

You let out a deep sigh, closing your eyes. You knew that you shouldn't idolize people, no matter what they have done. You knew it wasn’t right. You knew that even if Haechan was a role model to you, a person who you always looked up to, you shouldn't be surprised he was such a jerk in real life. He was the most successful self-made game creator and he was only in his mid 20s. You wanted to be like him, you wanted to learn from him, work with him, you wanted to be a cocreator to him, not a rival. But you guess all the fame and success that comes at an early age automatically makes you an arrogant selfish prick. If you wanted your game to be released, you needed to destroy the perfect image of Haechan you had created in your head and learn how to cooperate with the real-life bitch version.

The elevator doors opened again and a group of people came out, rushing to open the office door. This was your signal to go inside too, walking carefully to your desk to start working.

Everyone seemed very disciplined. As if they were programmed robots, everyone sat down on their desk chairs, turned on their computers and placed their coffee cups on their desks. This was a routine for them. They came here every day and immediately took on their tasks of the day without any enthusiasm. They viewed the office purely as work.

You, on the other hand, held immense excitement about your working experience at Neo Tech. Maybe it was because you were a freelancer working there under a contract, or because as a game creator you were heavily involved in your own work, but either way this new opportunity at such an environment didn’t seem boring or monotonous to you at all. Would you get bored of this routine after a while too?

A loud huff was heard on your left and you turned to see Haechan plopping down on the leather chair next to you. “What are you doing here?” you asked and he rolled his eyes at you.

“I’m supposed to be helping you, remember? Johnny assigned you the desk right next to mine,” Haechan sighed and shifted his attention to his computer screen, grabbing his mouse to start working on something.

Absolutely no way.

You stared at him completely baffled. You knew you were supposed to work with him, it was stated in the contract. But you weren’t expecting such close proximity. And you hated being this close to Haechan, especially at that moment.

You tried to convince yourself that you would get used to him over time. You only hoped this would happen rather soon, or else you would be one step closer to ending it all.

Haechan started typing things in his computer, you would assume it was code, and only took breaks to sip from his coffee cup. You watched him work attentively, eyes narrowing at the screen, slender fingers typing fast on the keyboard. He stopped typing for a moment, hand moving the grab the mouse, scrolling with furrowed eyebrows as he was probably reviewing what he had just typed. He paused his scrolling for a second, his whole body leaning towards the screen and his other hand moving to rest under his chin, same expression on his face. If you didn’t know any better, you would say he looked quite sexy with a concentrated expression like this. He had smooth tan skin, dark brown eyes and the same dark brown hair. Despite having soft round features, his attitude was too aggressive in comparison to his face. If he behaved and talked better, you would say he looked rather cute.

“Take a picture, will you? Make it a poster even, for all I care. I can help you with it if you want, you saw how good I am with graphics,” Haechan said, not looking away from his screen.

Shit, he noticed you staring at him. But you wouldn't allow him to also notice your flushed cheeks. Rolling your eyes with a click of your tongue, you averted your gaze to your own screen. You wouldn’t give Haechan the satisfaction of knowing he made you feel flustered.

A gust of air flew next to you and a whiff of cologne made you turn your head to witness the owner of the scent. Your reaction wasn’t fast enough though; you looked around seeing no unfamiliar face enter the room, everyone was already seated at their desks without even lifting their fingers from the keyboards. Weird.

Haechan cleared his throat and your attention turned to him. Without saying a word, he gestured with his thumb to the desk in front of yours. You stood up from your seat to peek above your computer, only to see the top of a boy’s head.

Sitting back down, you turned to Haechan, expecting him to give you an answer. Luckily, he caught onto it.

“He’s in our team. The guy is a genius,” was all he said which left you even more baffled than before.

Haechan chuckled at your overt confusion. A real, genuine chuckle. “Go on, introduce yourself. You’re new here,” he said and you actually listened to him. You stood up and walked to the boy’s desk, who was already immersed in coding something.

Clearing your throat, you extended your arm for a handshake. “Hi, I’m Y/n, I’m new here at the company. Haechan over here told me we’ll work together,” you said and Haechan gave the boy a finger wave behind the computer screens.

The boy stood up in a flash, returning the handshake. Firm but shaky. Black thin-rimmed glasses framed his face, bangs falling on his forehead. He looked very young. “I’m so sorry about this. My name is Kim Daeyoung, although no one calls me that. Joh- uhm, Mr Suh called me Jaehee by accident one day and then everyone else ran with it. I’m rambling. It’s nice to meet you. I’ll be your coder as far as I’m informed,” the boy you now knew as Jaehee said and you pressed your lips into a grimace that resembled a smile throughout the whole interaction.

“The kid’s a prodigy, our best coder here. You’ll see. Johnny assembled the Avengers of Neo Tech for the development of your game. Don’t know why though, he sees so much potential in you for some reason,” Haechan snickered and you noticed his lips forming a tiny smirk. Did he really have to be so malicious all the time?

“And which Avenger are you supposed to be? Hawkeye?” you snickered.

Haechan rolled his eyes. “More like Iron Man just so you know, Black Widow,” he said.

You gasped at his comment. “On top of being annoying you’re also a misogynist. I should’ve known with the way you’re so scared I’m gonna outshine you with my game. Also, I prefer Scarlet Witch just so you know,” you said.

“Ugh relax, it was a joke. You’re scaring poor Jaehee away,” Haechan defended himself but Jaehee was quick to dismiss him. “No, no, she’s not scaring me away. She’s cool,” he said and you flashed him a thankful smile. This boy was barely 20 years old, how could he land a job at one of the best game developing companies out there and also be a top coder at this age? If anything, you should be the one scared of him.

“Anyway,” you sighed and sat back down at your desk, “it was nice to meet you Jaehee. Let our collaboration go smoothly,” you told him and gave Haechan a side-eye, which was received by, once again, an eye roll and a click of his tongue.

Thankfully, Haechan didn’t bother you for the rest of the day; the two of you worked on different things, keeping a mental distance between you despite sitting next to him. He was focused on coding something, probably a new game he thought of, and you were busy brainstorming ideas that could make your game better. This was your strategy when working. Brainstorm, share the ideas, test these ideas and if they work then you keep them, if not, you revise them. At this stage, you were working on redesigning Nellie’s character. You would make a rough sketch of what you had in mind and then talk about it with your partner from the Creative and Design Team, who you haven’t even met yet.

Packing your things at the end of your shift, you greeted some of your coworkers goodbye, wishing them a good rest of the day. Jaehee invited you for coffee with him and a couple of his friends from the Game Testing Department which you kindly declined, saying you needed to sleep after the long day at work. It wasn’t an excuse actually; you would love to meet and befriend some coworkers, but your social batteries were really running low.

Pressing the elevator button, you tapped your heel on the carpeted floor, waiting for it to arrive at your floor. Soft steps followed after you, stopping right next to you across the elevator doors. The clearing of this person’s throat betrayed his identity.

“Just so you know,” Haechan started, keeping his head hanging low and his eyes fixed on his shoes, “I’m not jealous of you, or afraid of you being a better game creator than me,” he said and you scoffed, clutching the straps of your bag a little tighter.

“But I never got to work with other people before, it was always just me creating and developing my own games. I’m sorry, I promise I’ll start treating you better from now on. I want your game to succeed, we have a whole company’s reputation to preserve,” Haechan said and the elevator doors opened with the signature ‘ding’. He walked inside the elevator but you remained frozen, processing his words. He was a lone wolf, just like you. The main difference, though, was that you were willing to collaborate for a better result. Haechan was used to not asking for help easily.

You didn’t enter the elevator with him. As the doors were closing, you heard Haechan speak to you, just in time for you to hear him. “Good night, Y/n.”

You sighed. He promised to be better from now on.

“Why does your character look like me as a girl?” Haechan blurted out as soon as you showed him the redesign of Nellie.

“No she doesn’t. Don’t be so full of yourself,” you snorted and Haechan’s eyes practically fell out of his face.

“Are you kidding me?” he screeched. “She even has the same mole pattern on her cheek as me!”

“Oh come on now,” you sighed in annoyance, plopping down on your chair. “This design wasn’t completely my idea. Blame Renjun for it”.

And really, it wasn’t the initial design you were going for. A few days after you started redesigning your game character, you scheduled a meeting with the graphic designer of your team, Renjun. You had met him over lunch not too long ago at the company’s cafeteria, and you had briefly discussed your ideas. You greatly trusted his judgement, after you found out how respected he was among all the other graphic designers at the Creative and Design Team; Ten himself hired him because of how talented he was. Maybe Haechan was right, Johnny really assembled the Avengers of this company just to make sure your game development goes according to plan.

So after spending a couple of days over at the Creative and Design Team offices, you and Renjun came up with the final version of Nellie. Vastly different and significantly more high quality than your own initial design, you started seeing some actual potential in your game, the kind of potential that was guaranteed by the eye-catching design on your character. With Renjun on your team, you would slowly start redesigning the whole game aesthetic until it reached the best result possible.

So after finalizing Nellie’s appearance, you came down to your office at the Development & Tech Team Department to show Haechan and Jaehee the character you would be working with. Jaehee’s reaction was wholesome, he kept praising you for thinking about this design and Renjun for bringing it to life in the best way possible. Haechan on the other hand…

He kept seeing himself as a girl in Nellie. Which could be justified because of Nellie’s honey tan skin, her brown eyes and brown wavy pigtails. Sure the moles too. But it was a far-fetched comparison. Why would you want the character of your precious first game to resemble the person you used to idolize but once you met you found out was a jerk? Only an idiot would want that.

But the more you kept looking at Nellie, the more Haechan made sense. She kinda looked like him. Perhaps his annoying ass occupied your subconsciousness more than what you’d like to admit. Great. Now you’re gonna have to think of Haechan every time you talk about your game, your very own creation.

“I swear this wasn’t the intention,” you told Haechan as you ran your hand over your face. “It is purely a coincidence, believe me”.

Haechan was still shocked but significantly calmer than before. “This is ridiculous. I mean, even her name, Nellie, means light, doesn't it? Like my nickname means fullsun, this is identity theft! That Nellie bitch is me!” Haechan yelled.

“You’re so full of yourself, did you know that? And please, you’re taking it too far,” you said, turning to your computer screen.

Haechan paced around the small space around your desks, hands on his waist. “I should’ve known you were one of those crazy fans. Right from the very moment you walked into that job interview. I’m gonna tell Johnny-”

“Johnny has already approved of the design. We’re running with it, there’s no time to make any more changes on that,” you interrupted him and he paused, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

You sighed and twirled your chair around to face Haechan. “Look, Haechan,” you started, catching his attention. He opened his eyes, keeping his hands on his waist and tapping his foot rhythmically. “I am aware of the similarities between you and the character and I see why you might think she looks like you,” you continued with soft voice speaking slowly, so the words would register well in his, despite his gaming genius, pea-sized brain. “But please believe me, it is simply a funny coincidence. I see your stupid face everyday, and Renjun does too. Maybe we have stored your features in our designing brains and used them from our idea banks. Plus I think you have really pretty features. You know, for a girl,” you said and Haechan stiffened, while you heard Jaehee try to suppress his laughter from the other desk.

“Very funny,” Haechan deadpanned and sat down on his chair. “Next time you have such an incredible idea, you should get my permission first before pitching it to Johnny for approval,” he mumbled, attention fixed on his computer screen.

“Maybe you also need to act like my consultant, you know, my mentor, and help me with the game development like you’re supposed to do, but you seem to forget this role and never ask me about the process of my game,” you countered and Haechan didn’t have any reaction at all.

On your first day at Neo Tech, Haechan promised to treat you nicely and actually try to cooperate in a team; both are things he had never done before. He partially kept his word, greeting you every morning and bringing you a soda on your desk, just how you liked it. This only lasted a couple of days, he probably thought that was enough of treating you decently to get you on his good side. But then, you were mostly working with Renjun at his own office, so you didn’t really see Haechan to have any interaction at all. Today, after this incident, all the progress the two of you had made with each other went back to zero.

You had confronted Haechan about this from the very first day you stepped foot into the company. Johnny had assigned him as your partner and that’s what he was supposed to be. He did everything but act like a partner, he more so tried to dismiss your work and criticize it when he was supposed to be helping you improve. You didn’t buy his confession of him being a lone wolf, you liked the narrative that he just hated people. 

You really wanted to paint him as the bad guy but his confession also seemed genuine. He made those video games entirely on his own, completely from scratch. He mentioned making the graphics himself, he definitely designed and coded the entire thing, hell, maybe he even had a say in how the company would market and promote his games. Receiving help from the other departments of the company might have been minimal to zero.

You wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was still a little early to form a complete opinion of him. If he didn’t want to collaborate properly, you would make him do it, one way or another. If he enjoyed getting on your nerves this much, you should find a way to get a little laugh out of all these encounters with him too.

Haechan sat down on his chair, huffing. You glanced at him from the side briefly, not bothering to continue the conversation. You would stay focused on your work and nothing else. Interacting with anything around you would be a great distraction and no one wants distractions when they’re working on something big.

“She’s kinda cute though, I have to admit,” Haechan muttered, breaking the silence.

“Hm, what was that?” you asked him, not because you didn’t hear him the first time, but because you wanted him to repeat it.

“I said she’s cute. Nellie. I mean, obviously, she looks like me,” Haechan said with a playful eye-roll, as if he stated the most obvious thing.

You half smiled at him. “Now that’s a better reaction, partner,” you emphasized the last word and he gave you a nod before going back to his computer.

He gave you a compliment. He gave your work a compliment. He finally made a positive comment about something. Maybe you’re breaking him slowly, bit by bit, until he breaks out of his shell and becomes a trusting partner and helpful mentor for his less experienced peers. It would take a long way to go, but he had just taken his first step of improvement.

“Good morning, partner! Not a likely place for you to be,” Haechan chirped beside you, as you were standing in line. Your whole body jolted to the sound of his voice, which was particularly cheerful for this early in the morning. 

As winter was approaching and the temperatures outside were dropping, you switched your regular cool fizzy drinks for cups of sweet hot cocoa. The vending machine wasn’t famous for having good quality drinks other than the regular sodas, so the Neo Tech cafeteria was the next best option you had.

“Why are you here?” you wanted to know why Haechan had to approach you first thing in the morning, the only morning you decide to change your routine.

“I saw you coming into the company, I was actually right behind you but you didn’t notice me. Or you pretended you didn’t, I guess I’ll never know,” he said.

“Creep!” you half-whispered with a side eye at Haechan. He rolled his eyes at the remark. “Let me finish!” he pressed.

Narrowing your eyes at him, you gave him a small nod. “Go on,” you urged him.

“Well, as you see, I know you always go straight up to your office, every single day. That’s what you do. But today, you stopped at the cafeteria floor. I saw where the elevator stopped. I wasn’t fast enough to get it with you, so when I went to press the call button, I noticed it,” Haechan explained.

You took half a step away from him. “You’re suspicious, you know that? You tried to explain but you sound like a weirdo,” you nudged him.

The line moved and you walked forward towards the counter. “You changed your routine, I had to see what you were up to. I always buy you a soda in the morning, that’s part of my routine too. So, you changing your routine changes my routine,” Haechan defended himself.

“You’re a stalker,” you deadpanned.

“I’m observant,” Haechan countered.

“Fine,” you ended the conversation, averting your gaze to the cashier ringing an employee up before handing him his coffee cup.

“Look, I’m making an effort here. I told you, I’m not used to this. I always worked alone. Me and my computer. I want to develop a relationship with you but I have to do it within the context of work. And I can’t work with others. I don’t like it. But I’m trying. So please, don’t be mean to me. I know we didn’t start on the best terms and it is my fault, but I want to change that. I know you admire my work and instead of being a figure to look up to, I decided to act all entitled. I’m sorry,” Haechan bombarded you with all this information and glanced at him.

“It’s still so early, please, those were too many things for me to process,” you told him and he lifted his arms up in surrender, muttering a soft ‘sorry’.

Walking up to the cash register, you placed your order to the cashier and took your card out to pay for your drink. Haechan shoved your arm to the side right before you placed your card on top of the POS machine. He was quick enough to place his card instead, paying for your drink.

As you waited for the barista to make your hot cocoa, you looked at Haechan and offered him a small smile. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to”.

Haechan shrugged. “We shouldn’t deviate much from the routine, right?” he smirked, giving you a playful glance with his chocolate brown eyes. Looking at him, you noticed how cute he looked at the moment, like a little teddy bear.

You took a moment to really look at him. You had noticed his features before, but he was wearing that particularly sweet expression you always seemed to like in boys. It was like he was drinking you all up, not in a hungry, lustful way, but in a precious, charming way. Oh shit.

“So,” you sighed, breaking eye contact, “you want to develop a relationship with me?” you flirted your nervousness away, continuing your previous conversation. Although it was probably a very bad move. Catching feelings for a coworker should be the least of your concerns. You were here for your career, not for romance.

Haechan scoffed at your question. “You know what I mean,” he trailed off, keeping his head low to hide his smile. The cashier handed you your drink and you quickly thanked him, turning to the elevator with Haechan tailing right behind you like a lost puppy.

“Don’t you want anything to eat or drink?” you asked him, looking back at him. He caught up with you, walking right beside you. “No, I’m fine,” he said and called the elevator.

After a few seconds, the elevator doors open and you both enter. Haechan pressed the button to your floor and stood next to you, shifting in his feet. You noticed his nervousness and you couldn’t help but pry a little.

“I don’t bite, you know. Why are you fidgeting? If anything, I should be the fidgety one. You actually look like you bite. No offence,” you told him.

Haechan put his hands inside the pockets of his pants. “Actually I…” he started and the elevator dinged, doors sliding open. You step out, heading to your offices. “Yeah?” you urged him.

As you were walking to your desks, Haechan spoke to you through the keyboard clicking sounds. “I kinda have- I want- I have an idea. F-For your game. I want to suggest something,” he said and you stopped at your track, thankful that you didn’t drop your drink on the carpeted floor.

Shaking your head, you placed the drink and your bag on your desk, before looking at Haechan, who had quietly sat on his desk, turning on his computer.

“I’m sorry, what? What was that?” you asked.

Haechan saw your profound confusion. “I told you I wanna help, I’m gonna try to, at least. I mean, that’s what I should do anyway…” he trailed off again, twiddling his thumbs.

“I can’t believe this!” you cheered. Jaehee walked past you, nodding as a greeting before setting his own things at his desk. “Jaehee, do you hear this? Haechan has an idea to suggest. For my game!” you filled him in with the newly shared information.

Jaehee rolled his eyes. “Finally! It’s been so boring working on my own without sharing a single word with you guys. We should act like a team, like we’re supposed to be,” he said, putting on his glasses.

Haechan locked eyes with you again, holding eye contact with you for the second time within an hour, giving you the same teddy bear eyes and a grimace that seemed like a smile. “Exactly. It took me some time to realize it but fuck it. We are a team,” he said.

You held eye contact with him again. Haechan’s skin glimmered under the artificial lighting of the office and his eyes shined as the light from the computer screen reflected on them. His bangs were falling on his forehead, and you really got the urge to fluff his hair just to tease him. Oh no.

Sighing, you stored all your probable surfacing feelings about Haechan to the back of your mind. You were slowly getting to him. All your nagging and complaining about his behavior must have altered something in his brain and he snapped into reason. He finally decided to act like the genius he is. That’s probably why you thought you liked him, right? It was a defense, a response to a man being reasonable for once. You shook every thought away and managed to form a smile, as genuine as you could, before shooting Haechan with a question. “So tell us, partner, what is your idea?”

“This game is fucking sick!” Chenle exclaimed, swinging Nellie’s sword to slash the neck of a furry ogre. The ogre’s blood, blue with silver glitter, splashed all over itself before the monster disappeared into thin air. Chenle moved Nellie with his console to hide behind a bush, originally green but due to the dim lighting of the night it appeared dark purple. Switching the sword for a bow and arrow, he aimed at a flying dragon approaching Nellie.

“See, that looks way better. If we used your initial plan of coloring the monster blood red it would be way too violent. It’s cooler if they bleed a glittery substance,” Haechan commented.

“You’re right. Although at first I thought you suggested it because you wanted to make it more “girly”. But it does look pretty cool,” you replied to him and caught Haechan grinning at your compliment towards him.

“BOOM!” Chenle screamed as he hit the dragon with the bow, the mythical creature exploding in a purple mist. “I know your demographic for this game is teenage girls but holy shit! I’m having way too much of a good time now. I really have the dream job,” Chenle quipped.

“Chenle, don’t get too excited, you always act like this. You’re a beta tester, you’re supposed to write a detailed report after the first game trial to give us feedback on what things we need to improve,” you reminded the boy and he scowled.

Chenle was the last member added to your team; the beta tester, the person who posed as the target audience, the possible future player of the games. You had met him before, when you gave him the opening stage of the game and the next story-driven scenes to review. Today he was assigned to test the first battle stage. You didn’t know if it was good or not, but so far Chenle has not written a single bad review about the game. Not even the slightest feedback for improvement. For other people, this would be a total miracle. For you, it felt quite off. You can’t have done everything right, something must need improvement.

Maybe it’s because Haechan finally started getting involved in creating the game. He made great effort in talking with you in order to establish a relationship beyond the coworker status. He actually didn’t enjoy being your mentor and you being his intern, so he tried his best to befriend you in a way and make Johnny and the Development & Tech Team Department see the two of you as equals.

You weren’t gonna lie, but you liked the idea of Haechan becoming your friend. You had completely gotten over your fangirl phase when you were met with his selfish and judging self. After that, you were just neutral towards him. You confronted him about his behavior and, even though you didn’t believe his words at first, he started showing you with his actions how much effort he was putting into doing himself credit. Perhaps, he did see you as a thread initially, no matter how much he denies it. Not as a threat to his fame or talent, but as a threat to his individuality. You preferred it so much more being on good terms with him rather than wanting to avoid him in the company corridors.

“I think I made the first battle stage quite manageable to play. It might be a little challenging for beginner players, but I hope they don’t get discouraged from continuing playing the game if they get stuck here,” Jaehee made an observation.

“I think the graphics will make them stay. I mean, look at it. It’s a battlefield but it looks so pretty,” Renjun added, alluding to his touch in the magical essence of the design.

“Suck my ass, creepy bird!” Chenle shouted, shooting a mutant eagle with his last arrow. 

“Hey, language,” Haechan deadpanned but Chenle dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

You didn’t realise how close to you Haechan was now standing until he spoke. His breath fanned the nape of your neck and the scent of his cologne entered your nostrils, a mix of sandalwood and freshness. Has he always smelled that good?

Your heart flattered at the proximity of his body to yours, and you shivered when you actually grasped how close to you he really was.

“Why are you standing so close to me?” you asked him, trying to sound slightly annoyed. Although, you kinda liked the smell of him.

“I wanna see Chenle play the game. If I stand back, I won’t be able to see the screen,” he countered.

“Hello? Personal space? Go stand somewhere else,” you rolled your eyes and he tilted his head back with a click of his tongue, his neck in full exposure, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed.

“See, I can’t stand behind Jaehee because he’s too tall. And Renjun will kill me if I go near him. So I’ve run out of options,” he explained.

“I will kill you too if you don’t move,” you tried to threaten him, but Haechan gave you a smug smile.

“You would never do that, honey. You and I both know that,” he said and focused back on the computer screen to see Chenle finish off the battle.

He called you honey. It was ironic, certainly, but why did the pet name make your breath catch in your throat? Why did he even say that? Despite getting closer to him, Haechan became more and more mysterious day by day.

The pet name caught you off guard, but deep inside your brain there was a small part that liked it.

“Wait, that’s it? Damn, I cleared those bastards so bad,” Chenle sighed, leaning back into his gaming chair. 

Haechan and Renjun now both seemed annoyed at Chenle’s vulgar language, but you beat them before they started to scold the boy. Jaehee just laughed at their reactions. “That was the first battle, we haven’t continued on from here. The next few scenes are gonna be story-driven with riddles, and we need to incorporate more of the interactive aspect by giving Nellie, well, the player, the power of making a decision,” you said and everyone in the room nodded.

“You got it, boss,” Jaehee saluted you and you giggled.

“We can leave Chenle now to write his review while we go back to our office to brainstorm the next stages,” you suggested and they nodded again.

“Alright, I have another project to work on now. When you’re done, come over to me to discuss the designs,” Renjun said before leaving, greeting him goodbye.

“Okay, let’s get going then,” Haechan said, folding his arms. “Chenle, we’ll be waiting for your review. An actual one,” he pressed but Chenle was ignorant to Haechan’s reprimand.

You waved Chenle goodbye and you left the room with Haechan and Jaehee, heading back to your office. Walking with Haechan side by side and Jaehee way ahead of both of you, you decided to take the stairs two floors down to your office.

“So the first battle trial was a success!” you breathed out. “I can’t believe we’re one step closer to completing the game. I mean, we still have a long way to go, but the game doesn’t need any changes up to this point. And it’s thanks to you, honestly, ever since you got involved we’ve had great progress. So now I’m thinking we should discuss the plot a little bit, we need the story to make sense. Or, we can talk about the armory and weapon upgrades. As the battles progress, Nellie needs to become stronger in order to be able to beat the stronger monst- I’m sorry, are you even listening?” you stopped your rambling to address Haechan who seemed absentminded. 

You stopped right outside the office door. You looked at Haechan who was looking right back at you, no thoughts in his brain and no emotion behind his eyes. His gaze was drilling you, his lips tugging into a grimace. “Are you okay? Do I have food on my teeth or something?” you asked him frustrated.

“What? Sorry, I-I was a little distracted,” he stammered and you gave him a death glare. “And no, your teeth are fine,” he added. Was he looking at you? Is that why he seemed so off?

Sighing, you placed your hand on the doorknob. “Stay focused, Haechan. We have a video game to make,” you warned him, opening the door. You couldn’t afford catching feelings for Haechan now, but you can’t get his stupid face and his blank chocolate eyes staring at you out of your head.

“You can always count on me, partner. You’re welcome,” he said.

It took you a few seconds to realize he was referring to you thanking him earlier for his contribution. So he was listening, he just chose to mess with you. And it was working.

Shaking the image of him looking at you with that dumb expression, you tried your hardest to focus on your work. And now you were starting to think that urging Haechan to become involved with you wasn’t your brightest idea.

“We need to release the game now. It needs to be done within the next two months. The sooner the better,” Johnny deadpanned.

You stilled in your seat. He couldn’t possibly be serious.

When Johnny called you to his office to discuss the progress of your game, the last thing you expected was for him to shorten the deadline to two months.

“But our contract says we have until the end of the year to put it out. We’re not even halfway done yet! How is it gonna be finished in just two months? And, honestly, why?” your frustration was evident in the tone of your voice, but Johnny tried to remain as composed as he could.

“My biggest competitor is releasing a game in two months and we need to draw attention from it. The Marketing Team is already working on how to promote Username:Nellie. The first promotional poster is scheduled to be released next week,” Johnny explained.

You huffed, leaning back in your seat. You felt defeated. It was like all the time you spent and all the effort you gave went in vain. Your team wouldn’t like the sound of a ridiculously shortened deadline. This was the universe speaking to you, telling you that no matter what you do, you will never be able to have a career in this field.

“I don’t understand…” you trailed off after taking a few seconds to think. “Why? Why of all games did they have to target mine? The developing process was going so smoothly, we had planned almost everything out and we were scheduled for an October release. It would give the Marketing Team enough time to promote the game as the perfect Christmas gift, then sales would skyrocket,” you thought out loud and Johnny shrugged.

“Let’s pretend that Christmas came sooner,” he said.

“But I can’t! Do you want me to deliver you a rushed game? Doesn’t sound like a good marketing move to me,” your frustration was growing and it became evident in your face and tone of voice, but Johnny’s temper was now rather short.

“Listen, kid. I know you’re mad but that’s business, baby! I’m not happy either but we have to do this! I have gathered the most talented people of each field to come work with you in a team, that’s a huge investment right here. So this is up to you, we either drop the release of the game entirely and you go back to working independently, or you gather with your team and make a fucking great video game,” Johnny glared at you and you took a deep breath in thought.

Your first time coming into Neo Tech flashed right behind your eyes. You were again met with a decision you needed to make, just like when Johnny gave you the options and the possible outcomes of your collaboration. The imaginary two flashing boxes on either side of Johnny’s face were screaming at you, the timer ticking inside your brain. You couldn’t let the system make a default decision. You had to think and make up your mind quickly.

Johnny was tapping his fingers on his desk. You guessed time was running out. He had faith in you. He trusted you enough to invest in your video game and make or break his company's reputation with it. You were in no position to let him down now.

You wanted to release your game, no matter what.

Letting out a big sigh, you straightened up. “Alright then,” the certainty in your voice had Johnny’s attention. “Tell the Creative and Design Team to do their best with the promotional poster. We have a video game to make,” you said and Johnny smiled, nodding.

“I was hoping you would say that,” he said.

Gulping, you thought about your team. They definitely weren’t gonna like this.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Haechan blurted out with a completely expressionless face. Jaehee’s eyes widened so much to the point they reached the rim of his glasses. Renjun shook his head in denial and Chenle had a complete crashout.

“Two months?” he screeched. It was totally understandable.

“That was my honest reaction too. Apparently we need to compete with Johnny’s nemesis and we have to do it quickly,” you explained and recalled your conversation with Johnny, telling them all the details.

You had kindly asked your team to meet you for lunch at the cafeteria, saying that you had something very important to tell them. When they were making scenarios in their heads about what that could be, they probably didn’t even try to think about something like that.

“But that’s so little time. We’ve been only working on this game for three months, we can’t possibly be finished in 60 more days,” Renjun reasoned.

You nodded. “I know, but Johnny said-”

“I’m about to beat down that motherfucker,” Haechan got up from his seat but you pulled him back down, tugging at his shirt. He tried to yank your hand away but you kept your hold onto him, keeping him down on his seat. “Sit back down, you’re not beating up anyone. We have to think of a strategy,” you scolded him and he scoffed, resting his elbows on the table, head hanging low.

“Who does he think he is? He wants us to work 24/7 just so his greedy ass can get as much money as he can by exploiting our work and our ideas? We had planned everything for Christmas for God’s sake! This is ridiculous,” Haechan whined and this time when he got up, you let him go away. He needed time to think, this wasn’t easy news to take in.

The conversation paused, all of you watching Haechan leaving the cafeteria. Chenle picked up the conversation again, with a hesitant voice. “I think Y/n is right, we need a strategy. And I know I shouldn’t complain too much because my job is the easiest out of all around here but I believe in you guys. I believe in us. I won’t like seeing you spending days and nights working but it’s gonna be over soon. In two months, we’ll have our game out,” he said and everyone nodded.

Chenle was right. In the midst of chaos, you failed to think properly. It would be two very hard months for all of you, but that would be it. The satisfaction of seeing your work being released to the public and receiving, hopefully, the love it deserved filled you with so much happiness already. You didn’t want to do it for yourself, or for Johnny. You wanted to do it for the team. For all the effort each and every one of you put there.

“Let’s not waste any time, right? I’m finished with lunch, so I’m heading back to finish coding the stage I’m working on. We can do this guys,” Jaehee said with a smile, urging you all to go back to work.

“Good luck with everything, guys. We’re going to need it,” Renjun patted everyone on the back, receiving smiles and side hugs by all of you.

“Yes, of course, go back to your offices guys. Jaehee, I’ll meet you there in a little. I need to go find Haechan and get his ass to help us,” you explained and they nodded, turning their heels to leave.

As the boys were walking out, Jaehee grabbed your shoulder gently. “Please go talk to Haechan. You’re the only one he listens to. I don’t know what makes him afraid of you but he hasn’t been this friendly and cooperative around here until you joined our team. So please, for the sake of us all,” he spoke very softly so that no one else could hear. You pressed your lips into a thin line and he squeezed your shoulder.

Haechan was scared of you? That was new.

“I didn’t know you were smoking,” you said, sliding the glass door to the terrace shut behind you.

Haechan whipped his head to the sound of your voice, tapping his cigarette with his finger to shake off the excess ashes.

“Among other things,” he said, turning his head to gaze at the cityscape stretching below him, bringing the cigarette to his lips.

You walked next to him, resting your elbows on the glass railing. You squinted your eyes at the sun hitting your face. Despite the crispiness of the air, the sun was still rising at this time at noon.

“How did you find me? This is a secret area,” Haechan asked, blowing the smoke out.

“I asked around,” you hummed and he shook his head, smirking.

“Chenle can’t keep his mouth shut, can he?” Haechan stated and you giggled.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think of going to him to ask about you. I sent him to his office so that I could come look for you and that little bitch didn’t say anything. I had to go look for him and when I found him he said ‘Oh, I thought you would never ask me!’” you said and Haechan laughed, putting out his cigarette with the heel of his boot.

“Johnny always does this. He starts talking to you about all the great things he will help you accomplish and all the opportunities you will have in the future and a ton of other bullshit only to exploit you in the end. He sees us as puppets, when things get rough for him and he wants to protect his reputation, he uses our games as cover. This time, a rival company is releasing a game. He can’t let them have the spotlight. He wants to draw all of the attention on him, by making something even better. This is how the company stays relevant and it has the reputation it has,” Haechan muttered.

“I don’t wanna finish the game for Johnny. We are a team, Haechan, we have worked so hard up to this point. You started getting involved and we have such a cool project in our hands so far, so don’t let Johnny ruin it. He set an extreme deadline for sure, but we have to deal with it. It’s because we want to, not because we have to,” you tried to reason with him.

“Did you know the main villain in the USS:Chiller franchise is inspired by Johnny? I needed a way to fight him so badly I had to do it virtually, otherwise I would be dead by now,” Haechan gritted his teeth in annoyance, but his features were too soft to express such a deep level of anger, his expression almost made him look constipated. You hated yourself for thinking that.

You giggled. “That’s quite a creative way to express your feelings. Do you want us to add a Johnny-inspired monster in Username:Nellie?” you asked him.

“Hell yeah,” Haechan breathed out, his face beaming. “That bastard has ‘final boss’ energy all over him. We have to make that battle 1v1, it has to be the hardest stage to beat,” Haechan said with determination. He wanted to assert dominance so much, but all you saw in your eyes was a cute boy talking enthusiastically about video games.

You laughed with him, seeing him being so passionately hateful towards someone. He had every reason to be angry with Johnny, though. The expectations he had of you and the team were too high for you to meet, but you couldn’t risk the fate of your game and your career. No matter how many obstacles you had to face, you needed to make sure that the ending of this whole thing would be the same, no matter what; you got to release your game. You came to this company with a purpose, and you had to fulfil it.

Haechan kept on describing ways he would destroy the made-up Johnny monster if we were to actually use it as a battle stage in Username:Nellie. It was times like this where you were reminded of why you admired him so much in the first place. He was passionate about his work and incredibly creative.

Catching your breath in the midst of your laughter, you asked Haechan a question. “If you really want us to add the monster version of Johnny, I can go tell Renjun about it and he’ll come up with the perfect representation. But is this really how you deal with people or situations? You transform them into games or characters you want to beat to death?”

Haechan sighed, leaning his elbows on the railing. He turned his head just enough to catch your eye. “We are the characters in our own game, honey. We are the ones who decide what to do with the things we face, good or bad,” he said, turning his head to the buzzing city below.

You remained silent. You had nothing smart or witty enough to respond to that. He was right. You were the player of your own game. Sure, life brings stuff along your way, but these are just the challenges you have to clear out. Some quests here and there to keep you on your toes, to remind you that you have the ability to face any difficulty that comes your way. The darkest moments are always rewarded with the brightest days.

Haechan leaned back, turning his full body towards you. Searching for your eyes, he spoke loudly. “Okay, I’m gonna do it. We’ll finish the game and we’ll guarantee that you have a major breakthrough in your career,” he smiled.

Your entire face beamed and you screeched in happiness, clasping your hands together. “You are truly amazing, Haechan,” your eyes glimmered with joy and your smile was so wide your face started to hurt. You had the extreme urge to open your arms and throw yourself at him to squeeze him into a tight hug, but you knew better to restrain yourself from doing an action that could possibly humiliate you and cast a veil of awkwardness between you.

Haechan dismissed your comment with a wave of his hand, his head hanging low to hide the smirk creeping up his face. “No, you’re amazing, Y/n. I know I was hard on you at first and saw no potential in your game but you were right all along. This game needs to be released to the public. You deserve to see how much people will love it. And I’m gonna help, for real. I’m doing all of this only for you,” his face grew a serious expression, his eyes locked with yours. Haechan’s gaze held such sincerity behind it, and his words sounded so genuine when spoken in a warm tone. He truly meant what he just said.

You deserve this. I’m doing it only for you.

You cleared your throat, looking at your shoes. Holding eye contact with Haechan became harder and harder each passing day, especially when he said praising words about you. Your heart was beating quite fast and your body was feeling hot despite the chilly breeze.

“So, we should probably head back inside to start working. It’s got quite cold too,” you said and made a move to slide the door open behind you. Reaching for the door, Haechan beat you to it, his hand resting on top of yours to slide the door. You froze, unable to look at him. His hand felt soft and warm on top of your dry cold one, and it was big enough to cover yours completely.

You mumbled a small ‘thanks’ and quickly stepped inside the building with trembling legs. You didn’t wait for Haechan to come in, instead you walked straight to the elevator so you could gain some time away from him. That was enough proximity with Haechan for today, and you had to be with him back to your office for a few more hours before you got to go home. You hoped that with the strict deadline you had to follow now, your mind would be too occupied with work to have time or room to think about Haechan.

Just as you eased your breathing for a bit, his soft voice echoed in the small empty hallway. “Tonight, you and me, my place. We will plan out the entire game, we show it to the guys tomorrow first thing in the morning and we start working. No breaks,” he announced and you widened your eyes.

Haechan stood beside you now. You opened your mouth to protest, but he held up his hand to shush you. “No excuses, I’ll text you my address later,” he said, entering the elevator.

There was no escaping him, was it?

“You’re on time. Annoyingly so,” Haechan narrowed his eyes at you, stepping aside to grant you some space to enter his apartment. 

“I want us to finish as soon as possible. I’m already tired after everything today,” you said and Haechan closed the door behind you.

Haechan asked you to meet him at his apartment two hours after you finished work. It gave you enough time to have a shower and freshen yourself up, eat an early dinner and mentally prepare yourself for spending the next God-knows-how-many hours trapped inside four walls with just Haechan.

It was easy to find his apartment location, only a 20-minute walk from the Neo Tech building. Walking around his living room, the only source of lighting came from a lava lamp standing beside his balcony window, which allowed the street lights of the city to illuminate the dark room too. His apartment was a typical gamer’s mancave; his computer setup took up half the living room, while the rest of the space was filled with two small black couches placed across from each other with a short coffee table between them. Decoration was very minimal, and it was so evident that Haechan had cleared up the mess of this place just before you arrived by how all of his laundry was piling up on his gaming chair and the empty pizza boxes he forgot to throw away were hidden behind the kitchen counter.

“Please, sit over there. I have already brought my laptop and a notebook to get us started. Do you want anything to drink? I made some tea earlier,” Haechan motioned you towards one of the couches and you dragged your feet immediately. “Tea sounds great, thanks,” you said, sitting on the empty couch. You realized the one with the laptop on it must be Haechan’s spot.

Haechan roamed around the small kitchen area, grabbing two mugs from a top cabinet, placing them on the countertop. From your position, you had a perfect view of his back, watching his every move. He had apparently showered too, his bangs still a little damp falling on his forehead. He had switched his regular business casual attire for a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, and it would be a lie not to admit that he looked extremely cuddly like this. You watched him as he put two teabags inside the cups, and you licked your lips instinctively when he lifted the kettle to fill the mugs with the boiled water, his forearms flexing due to the weight of the kettle. You were not going to survive this night.

Haechan turned around holding both mugs and dragged his feet to come sit across from you on the other couch. You shifted your attention to his gaming setup instead to cover the fact that you were thirsting over him just seconds ago.

Haechan sat down, placing the mugs on the table. You thanked him and yanked the mug out of his hand just as he set it down. You took a large sip of tea, ignoring the hotness of the liquid on your tongue. This was awkward.

“What were you looking at, honey,” his question was so innocent, but the use of that damn nickname and the evil smirk adorning his face gave away his intentions.

You set down the mug. “You have an impressive setup over there. A true gamer, indeed,” you said with a nod, and Haechan’s smirk grew, his eyes holding something sinister. He wanted to push you further, but he chose not to do it so early on. He leaned back instead, glancing at his setup. “Oh that, I bought it after my first paycheck. I had just released USS Chiller,” he explained and you hummed.

A few deafening silent seconds passed, with the two of you looking at anywhere but each other. You ran out of small talk topics, but you didn’t want to be the one to initiate the conversation about work. Hopefully Haechan would get the clue and start instead.

“So, should we start?” Haechan said, lifting open his laptop screen, the bright light hitting his face, giving him a ghostly appearance. That man was a mind reader.

Taking out your notebook from your bag, you flipped over to the pages you filled earlier today. You gave Haechan a brief review of what you had decided on so far. “So, Renjun will work on all the graphics. The settings, the weapons, the armory, the monsters, everything is up to him. We’re giving him all the creative freedom he wants, he knows what he’s doing. So we don’t need to worry about that,” Haechan hummed in agreement.

Flipping the page, you continued. “Then Jaehee will work on the development of the battle scenes, and he suggested that we add different difficulty levels to the gameplay. So the player will have the option to choose among easy, medium and hard depending on their skills. The storyline will be the same, but the battles and quests will be adapted to the skill level the player chooses. Now I don’t know how he’s going to do all of that on his own but he’s the genius here, not me,” Haechan giggled at that and agreed. Jaehee was indeed a mastermind.

“And Chenle, well, he can’t do much other than test the demos we give him. His feedback will be very useful once we start giving him stuff to review, so right now he doesn’t have anything assigned to do. He did ask, though, what the reason behind the name choice of the game was. To be honest, I didn’t think much of it when I decided on it, but Chenle made my gears shift a little with his question,” you noted and Haechan remained quiet.

“So that leaves me and you. We are in charge of finishing the storyline and code all the story-driven scenes. We have to keep in mind the interactive aspect, so we need to see where we could add the player’s decision and figure out the outcome of each choice. Keep in mind that the ending is the same,” you reminded Haechan.

You closed your notebook shut, pressing your lips together. Haechan hadn’t uttered a word, too busy looking at something on his computer screen.

“A penny for your thoughts?” you were hesitant to talk to Haechan. He seemed too immersed into whatever it was he was looking at, you were afraid of distracting him.

Haechan set his laptop aside, leaning in to rest his elbows on his knees, locking eyes with you. He seemed intimidating under the eerie atmosphere casted around the living space and his face carried a challenging aura about it. “So if your gears shifted, tell me, what is the reason for choosing Username:Nellie as the name of your game?” he asked you.

Opening and closing your mouth, you tried to form a cohesive answer. You hadn’t thought about it, even after Chenle brought it to your attention. You shifted in your seat. “Well, it sounds fun, intriguing, it’s eye-catching and easy to remember,” you tried to reason but Haechan smirked.

“What?” you raised your eyebrow but Haechan didn’t say anything. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and took out something that looked like a piece of paper. He placed it onto the table between your mugs and leaned back into his seat.

Squinting your eyes, you took a closer look at the table to see what the mystery thing was. You took it in your hand, inspecting it as much as you could in the dim lit room. Upon touching, it didn’t feel much like paper but more like a gelatin sheet. Fuck.

You dropped it on the table again, heartbeat racing. “Are you seriously passing me LSD? You’re insane,” you grabbed your bag with trembling hands and made a move to leave.

Haechan had quick reflexes, catching your wrist to stop you. Looking up at you with his pleading chocolate eyes, your breath caught in your throat. “I’m not gonna hurt you Y/n, please trust me on that. I would never want to do that,” he said.

You didn’t say anything. Your silence prompted Haechan to lick his lips before speaking. “I use it all the time. I’m not trying to drug you, this is literally how I get all these cool ideas for my games. It’s a stimulant for my creativity,” he explained.

You scrunched your nose and knitted your eyebrows, Haechan’s hand still wrapped around your wrist. “What are you even talking about? You’re a regular user?”

“No-Yes-Well, not exactly,” Haechan stood up, letting go of your hand. “Working at Neo Tech has always been very stressful. I told you about all of it, how Johnny acts and treats his employees, the deadlines, the constant pressure to make something greater than the others,” he paused to take a breath. He stood too close to you, a little too close for your liking. His skin looked so smooth, you wanted to just stretch your arm and feel it yourself.

“So I have a friend who knows about this stuff. It’s totally safe to take it, as long as you stay inside. I don’t use it regularly, only under times of extreme stress, when I have to think of something no one ever thought of before. How do you think I came up with the USS Chiller franchise?” Haechan explained further and your features softened.

“So now, we are in an extremely stressful situation. We need to think quickly and innovatively. I don’t wanna take advantage of you or anything. Sorry I scared you, I gave you the wrong idea,” Haechan spoke in almost a whisper, as if he shared his most sacred secret with you and the walls had ears.

“But how can you think clearly if you’re stoned?” you asked confused.

Haechan smiled. “It’s a stimulant, honey. It helps you see things and think of things you would never see or think when sober. It gives you clarity, you just become more aware of things and get a different perspective,” he said.

“You sound like a dealer,” you deadpanned and Haechan threw his head back in laughter.

“I swear I’m not,” he said in between giggles. “Now, do you trust me? We’re gonna make something great,” he said, pleading you with his sparkly brown eyes.

With a lot of hesitation, you nodded and walked with slow steps back to the couch. “That’s my girl,” Haechan said, sitting down as well. Your stomach turned. If he kept on calling you things like this, you wouldn’t need drugs to become all trippy and delusional.

Cutting a piece off the gelatin sheet, Haechan passed it towards you. You picked it up and inspected it under the city lights reflecting in the window. It’s just a piece of paper, what could possibly go so wrong?

You saw Haechan place the little piece on his tongue, washing it down his throat with a sip from his tea. Swallowing, he let out a grunt. “And now we wait,” he said.

You brought the gelatin to your tongue with a trembling hand, mimicking the way Haechan did it. Grabbing your mug, you gulped down all of your tea, the liquid feeling lukewarm now in your mouth. You then set it down again, clasping your hands together on top of your thighs.

“That was it?” you asked, not feeling any effects yet.

Haechan shook his head. “It usually takes a few minutes before you feel it. No matter what happens, you know I’m here. I’m used to it, so I know how to snap out of it if needed. You, however, use it for the first time. So the effects might be a little stronger for you,” he said. Well, what was done was done now.

Haechan shifted again, grabbing his notebook and pen. “About the name,’ he started, “you have specifically used the word ‘username’. To me it seems like you need a username to crack a code, to enter the game or something. And then the name ‘Nellie’, which means light, like, she’s the light to something, an insight, an answer.”

You listened carefully. Haechan noted down in key words his train of thought. You squinted your eyes in thought for a while. “It could be explained as something like this: Nellie is not real, obviously, but she is a cyborg. An identity only existing online. So the player enters her world through her, she is the username with which we can have access to the world she discovers at the end. That’s why we have the choice to make decisions. The player is her consciousness!” you exclaimed when everything hit you.

“Wow, slow down there, little genius. See, the answer was always hidden within you. We can have this be explained in the end or leave clues for the player to find out themselves,” Haechan kept notes of your theory in his notebook.

You laughed, eyes beaming. “Of course I had it in me. Or is it the LSD kicking?” you asked, tilting your head.

Haechan sighed. “I don’t know. But what I know is that the letters in front of me just became 3-dimensional and this pen wasn’t that heavy a few seconds ago,” he mumbled.

“Hey Haechan, why is the room purple?” you wondered. Haechan dropped the pen and notebook, arms falling numb around him, his head lolling back. “Because we’re entering full bliss, honey,” he said with a rasp in his voice.

Your eyes roamed around the previously dark room, which now was coloured neon purple. Haechan gasped. “I see it too! You’re purple! And there’s pink all around you!” he looked like an overly excited kid seeing his new toys. You felt slightly dizzy, and when you blinked again the tea mugs on the table started levitating.

“Haechan look at that! The mugs are floating!” you laughed. Haechan tried to lift his head but he couldn’t. “Cant do that, honey. My head feels so heavy. Come lift it for me?” he whined and you rolled your eyes, which was a bad move because it triggered a soft headache.

You got up, your legs feeling wobbly. You tried to walk but the room was all purple, the walls were spinning very slowly and the table became afloat too. “I’ll try,” you said and Haechan smirked.

“Is it the effect of the LSD or do you just look really good in this lighting?” Haechan muttered and you stilled. He made a great effort to lift his arms, inviting you into an embrace. “Come here, I wanna take a closer look at you,” he said.

Your feet seemed to have a brain of their own, as you started walking towards where Haechan was supposed to be sitting. “Wait, wait, are you coming? I see you walking away from me,” he muttered. You shook your head. Bad move again. “I am, stay where you are,” you said.

After a lot of effort, your foot touched the couch with a thud, forcing a cry of pain out of you. “Be careful, honey,” Haechan smiled. “Our senses are stimulated a lot right now,” he said.

You sighed. Holding onto the back of the couch, you tried to climb up, lifting your leg to sit right on top of Haechan’s lap. Your thighs were wrapped around his waist, and he let out a soft growl at your touch, closing his eyes. “You look so far away from me right now but I can definitely feel you on me,” he whispered.

The truth is, your sense of touch was extremely sensitive too right now. You moved your hands to feel Haechan’s arms, fingers running up and down his skin. He felt a lot smoother than you thought, and you sighed in euphoria.

“Come closer to me, please. I wanna feel you more,” Haechan opened his eyes, lips falling heavy on his droopy expression. Your hands followed along the lines of his arms, finding his fingers. Wrapping your fingers around his wrists, you lifted his arms to bring them around your waist, dropping them on the side of your hips. Haechan closed his eyes again and smirked. “You feel so warm,” he noted.

Looking at him in the purple and pink hues around him, his hair and skin looked darker than usual. His eyes were heavy and locked into your weary ones, his plump bottom lip falling open, he looked like a doll.

You instinctively wrapped your hands around his neck, Haechan’s pulse loud and fast. You blinked, trying to shake away the image of him looking hot and numb under your touch. Opening your eyes, he was still there, looking at what seemed like to be your lips. Curiosity got the best of you, and you closed the gap between you to get a taste of his plumpy lips.

Haechan’s sense of space was distorted, but he tried very hard to move his lips in sync with yours. He couldn’t move his arms, but he squeezed the flesh of your waist right where you had put his hands earlier. Your fingers grazed the hair on the nape of his neck and he growled inside your mouth, your thighs wrapping tighter around his core.

You couldn’t tell how long you stayed like this. The drug’s influence was strong on you, the whole room was coloured in hues of purple, pink and orange, the furniture were floating and your sense of touch was highly stimulated. Haechan wasn’t that immune to the trippiness either, feeling his body heavy, losing sense of space. And apparently his emotions were out of the line too, not correlating with his brain.

“I never realized how much I wanted this Y/n,” he said in between kisses. He dragged his lips down to your chin until he reached the side of your neck. “I probably like you a lot when I’m sober,” he confessed and you froze, suddenly gaining clarity.

You tried to wiggle your way out of his hold, but a subtle sucking of your skin behind your ear had you gasping, the words taken away from your mouth. You blinked and the colored haze started flickering, your head throbbing in a piercing pain. Your body felt weak and numb, and your eyelids couldn't stay open for too long.

“H-Haechan,” you tried to warn him of your vulnerable state, but you weren’t fast enough in doing so. Your eyes were fully closed and your grip on Haechan’s hair softened. The next thing you knew, everything turned from color to total blackness.

“What time is it?” your sleepy voice echoed in the completely silent room. Haechan turned around from his gaming chair, removing his headphones and leaving them on the desk. The bright light of his computer screen washed his features out, but the yellow lava lamp brought back the warmth in him.

“Go back to sleep, I called Johnny and told him we’re sick today,” he whispered but his voice rang inside your head. You sat up, realizing you were still at Haechan’s apartment, currently lying on one of the living room couches with a fuzzy blanket draped all over you. You rubbed your eyes so hard you started to see colors, and you thought that the LSD influence was still strong.

“You’re probably all sobered up now,” Haechan got up, slippers flapping on the tiled floor of his apartment until he reached the rug under the couch on which you were lying. He bent down to the table to take a glass full of water and handed it to you. “You’ve been asleep for 12 hours now. The influence has worn off entirely,” he said. He brought the glass to your lips and you took it with both of your hands, gulping down the cool liquid to ease your thirst. Haechan took it from you and placed it back on the table, sitting on the edge of the couch next to you.

“How are you feeling? Do you remember anything from last night?” he asked you, giving you a lopsided smile.

You shook your head, pouting. “We were talking about the meaning behind Username:Nellie and then the furniture was in the air, the room was purple and you were being a bitch, as usual. I remember you saying how heavy your whole body was and you wanted me to help you lift your head for a reason I can’t remember right now, and then you thought I was far away from you and then- OH MY GOD!” you screamed, lifting the blanket off of you. You pushed Haechan and stood up, pacing around his living room.

It can’t be real. You had kissed Haechan. It felt like a dream last night but it really happened. You were sitting on his lap, wrapped around his arms and kissing him. You should never trust yourself with drugs again. Haechan couldn’t know you – very probably – had feelings for him, especially now that you had to work together every single hour of the day for the next two months. Dating a coworker was off limits now.

Haechan went after you, standing close to you with a hand on your shoulder to steady you. “Hey, hey, Y/n, calm down. It’s okay. It was nothing. I am the one you should blame, I shouldn’t have forced you into taking LSD with me and I am responsible for what I made you do while we were high. I’m sorry,” you looked at him for the first time after your major realization. His eyes were sad, his lips fell into a pout and his hand on your shoulder was too warm for your liking.

“It’s not your fault, Haechan. I agreed to this. C-Can we just forget about it? At least for now. We’ll take the day off today but tomorrow we’re going back to work. We need to rush,” you said and grabbed your things off the floor to leave.

Haechan opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. You stood by the door, putting your shoes on. Haechan followed you and rested his hand on the wall behind you, his arm stretched above you. “It’s all about work for you, isn’t it? The thing is Y/n, I don’t think I want to forget about last night,” he said, his hot breath fanning the top of your head.

You stood up, slinging your bag on your shoulders. You sighed and looked at him with sorry eyes. “If we talk about this now I won’t be able to concentrate on work which is very important to me right now. As soon as the game is released, I promise I’ll stay and listen to you. But right now, I can’t be thinking about you, okay?” you said, turning the doorknob of his apartment.

Haechan huffed, trying to catch your hand but you opened the door before he could reach you, stepping outside.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Haechan. I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said and climbed down the stairs, leaving Haechan standing at the door, sighing and shaking his head.

“According to my calculations, we’re about 90,6% done,” Jaehee announced, adjusting his reading glasses that slipped down the slope of his nose. He shuffled through the papers in his hands, searching for his notes. From a third person’s point of view, it looked like a bunch of random unorganized papers, but Jaehee had his own way of storing things, to the point he could find anything you asked him for in seconds.

“That’s a weirdly precise number,” you noticed. Chenle sighed. “I’m gonna miss you guys when all of this is over. I can’t believe I only have 9,4% more game content to review,” he said, spinning around his chair.

Haechan looked at you at that moment. You had learned how to read him after observing him so much. His lips were slightly parted, eyes scanning your face and if you had x-ray vision, you would be able to see the gears turning inside his head. You leaned closer to him, speaking in a low voice in his ear. “Whatever you want to say, keep it,” you said and he smirked, turning his attention back to Chenle.

Johnny had given your team access to his conference room so that you could discuss the last details of the game, while he and Doyoung were at the Marketing Team’s offices, reviewing the final game trailers and posters before the game’s official release. One month had already passed and there was only one more month to go before your dream came true.

But the release of the game also meant that your contract with Neo Tech Games would be over. You would stop working at the company and you would go back to being an independent creator. Apart from that, this also meant that your team would split up. You could still keep in touch with the people you grew so close with during your limited time at the company, but it wouldn’t be exactly the same.

It all came crushing down on you like a wave. This would all be over very soon. Who knows when another opportunity like this would come to you. And who knows if the people you meet in different working environments will be as nice as the people you have met here? Even the cold and vast interior of this building started to grow on you. You were going to miss the awkwardly deafening silence of the hallways and the annoying clicking of your shoes on the glassy tiled floors.

You would miss everybody you had met here. You blinked and the face of a certain person appeared in front of your eyes. You tried to shake it away, quickly looking at the huge screen behind Jaehee. The image of Nellie was frowning right at you, her freckles splattered across her tan rosy cheeks, glitter scattered all over her pigtails, a glassy light pink sword in her hands. You hated that Haechan was right, but the resemblance between him and the character was uncanny. This was a failed attempt of shaking him out of your mind.

“Y/n, are you okay?” Jaehee’s voice brought you back to reality. You mumbled something like ‘yeah, I’m here’ and he went back on reviewing each of your tasks. Haechan was supposed to be in charge of this role, filling you all in on which tasks were completed, which ones needed reviewing and which ones were scrapped. But Jaehee had already finished most of his work, so Haechan bombarded him with all the organization stuff. The boy didn’t even have time to complain.

“So we only have the last 1v1 battle, as Haechan suggested,” Jaehee said, flipping the pages in his hands. You and Haechan exchanged a glance at that, lips pressed shut to suppress your laughter. Renjun looked at you confused, but he knew better than to ask.

“This is something I’m in charge of, maybe I’ll need Renjun with me to review how the designs respond to the action, so-” 

“There’s no need to, Ten has approved of everything. You won’t have any problems with them,” Renjun interrupted Jaehee but he fought back. “Still, I need to make sure there are no issues before we send them to Chenle for the final review.” Renjun rolled his eyes at that but still grunted an ‘okay’ under his breath.

“Come on guys,” you sighed, “don’t argue now. Let’s keep the group spirit up for one more month and then we’ll all go back to working alone from our cubicles. Well, I’m gonna go home but that’s the same thing,” you said.

Haechan whipped his head at you. “You’ll go home?” he asked, eyes searching for an answer. You licked your lips before explaining. “Well, yeah. My contract with the company ends as soon as the game comes out,” you said.

Haechan’s body tensed and you noticed. He turned his attention back to Jaehee who had just finished packing his papers in his briefcase. You tried to ignore his reaction but it made you curious. Why would he bother so much if you left the company? Even though you two grew much closer, he still didn’t even want you there from the start.

“So that leaves Haechan and Y/n to finalize the ending of the game. You guys are gonna code this together, right?” Jaehee asked.

Haechan stood up from his seat very abruptly, adjusting his blazer. “We will. Are you finished?” he said sharply, turning his heel to leave the conference room. Jaehee gulped, searching your eyes for help. “Uh- Yeah, class dismissed,” he mumbled and Haechan went through the automatic sliding glass doors, leaving the rest of the group still inside.

Renjun and Chenle looked at you questioningly, as if you had mastered the understanding of Haechan’s behavior and sudden attitude bursts. You raised your shoulders and everyone sighed.

“Look, guys, I’ll go talk to him. I don’t know what’s wrong with him now, he was literally fine five minutes ago,” you said and everyone nodded. “Be quick, please. We don’t have time for his moodiness right now,” Jaehee said and you nodded, excusing yourself to go find Haechan after he stormed off your group meetings once again.

You caught Haechan right outside the elevator, a sight too familiar to you. You’ve had most of your encounters with Haechan outside those very same elevator doors, it became boring constantly meeting him there. You called for him but he didn’t bother turning to look at you. “What is it? I’m going for a smoke,” he said, pressing the elevator button to call it.

“Please, Haechan, don’t act all difficult now. What happened to you back there?” you asked him but he ignored you. “Come on, Haechan, please,” you whispered, grabbing his arm to catch his attention. Haechan turned his gaze to you, his eyes glossy. You let go of him, eyebrows knitting. “Are you okay?” you asked and he shook his head.

“I’m not, actually,” he said with a nervous smirk across his lips, running his hand through his perfectly styled hair. “All this talking about things coming to an end…I don’t like it. I don’t like to admit it, but I got kinda used to all this,” Haechan said.

The elevator doors dinged open but neither of you paid them any attention. “I thought you wanted to go back to working on your own after forcing yourself to work with me and the guys,” you muttered but Haechan pinched the bridge of his nose.

“That was before I realized I had feelings for you!” he said and immediately regretted it once he saw your frozen body staring at him in utter confusion.

You opened your mouth to speak but all the words were stuck in your throat. Haechan turned around, pressing the button again to open the elevator doors, as they were closed now. So he was honest when he confessed to you that night in his house, under the LSD influence.

“Forget I said that, you were right. That night I invited you over to my place, the drugs, everything was a mistake. Let’s forget about it and finish with this fucking game once and for all,” he took a step but you stopped him again, holding onto his arm.

“No, stay here until we solve this,” you deadpanned and Haechan closed his eyes, huffing. “I thought I could keep it together and wait until we stopped being coworkers before I started this conversation with you but-,” Haechan stopped himself, taking a deep breath. His voice became softer now. “All this talking back inside about us splitting up and you not working here anymore, I- I don’t- I know I treated you terribly at first but I can’t let go now. I shouldn’t be feeling this way and I wish I could stop it but I can’t,” he strummered upon his words but Haechan managed to get his message across. He liked you. And he liked you a lot.

It would be a lie if you said you didn’t feel the same way about him, but you kept suppressing these feelings for the sake of work. Haechan’s upfront confession wasn’t on your bingo list and you weren’t expecting him to act upon his feelings.

That night at his house, the two of you definitely shared a moment in heat with each other, despite being under the influence. Everything felt so real, so genuine. You both wanted it. Your subconsciousness led you to it. You couldn’t deny the connection you and Haechan had built over all these months, but you kept on ignoring your growing feelings for him just so you could concentrate on the sole thing you came to do at Neo Tech. 

You didn’t know what to say to him. It was all too much for you to take in at the moment, so you stood there staring at him, the pools of honey in his eyes filled with agony and anticipation. But this time, you couldn’t find any choice options popping up on either side of Haechan’s face for you to decide on. The timer was clicking, urging you to do something, but this something was completely up to you.

The timer stopped. Haechan shook his head. “I said I’m going for a smoke,” he mumbled.

You didn’t want to stop him again. This time you let him go, walking inside the elevator. He stood there looking at you with that pained expression that made your heart weigh heavy. You couldn’t see him hurt like this, you couldn’t let him think that you didn’t see him the same way.

And that’s all it took for you to finally act. As the elevator doors were closing and Haechan’s figure slowly disappeared behind them, you jolted forward, keeping the doors from closing completely. Entering the elevator, you clasped his cheeks together, pressing your lips on his. Haechan reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around your waist, his lips moving rhythmically with yours. Your hands moved to rest on either side of his neck, head tilting to give him more access to your mouth. After a few seconds, you let him go with a final smooch, both of you breathing heavily.

“This is my promise to you. After all of this is over, we can talk about everything,” you breathed out and Haechan rested his forehead on yours, a small smile on his plump lips.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but this felt so much better now that I’m sober,” he giggled and you pressed another peck on his lips. The elevator doors dinged and Haechan let go of you, walking out. You let out a whine at the lack of his touch but he didn’t seem to notice.

As he walked towards the terrace with the cigarette packet in his hands, he turned to you one last time. “What are you doing? Go, you have a video game to finish, honey,” he smirked at you and laughed, waving at his beaming face.

“5 minutes left,” Johnny announced and your heart was beating so fast it was about to explode.

You, your team and everyone else involved in the making of Username:Nellie were gathered in the entrance hallway of the building to watch the live countdown before the game’s official release. After all the work, the effort, the obstacles you faced, the crying and laughter you shared with your coworkers, everything came to this rewarding end.

You took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, Chenle patting you on the back. His smile was so big. That boy was so excited about the release of the game ever since he finished with his work. When you were all nervous about it, he just kept on reassuring you with kind words.

Renjun was tapping his foot on the floor, eyes never leaving the big TV screen displaying the countdown. Jaehee was as nervous as you were, droplets of sweat wetting his sideburns. The whole room was staring at the countdown, as if you were about to welcome the New Year.

Among all these people, Haechan was standing by your side this whole time. His eyes were focused on the screen but his attention was entirely on you. He altered from whispering encouraging words in your ear to squeezing your hand, caressing your hair and nudging your shoulder. This was his game as much as it was yours. Without his help, you wouldn’t be here right now.

“2 more minutes, people. Our new child is gonna be here in 2 minutes,” Johnny announced again, smiling.

You let out a nervous laugh and Haechan came even closer to you. “Your dream is coming true, honey. You’re a game creator now,” he whispered, this time searching for your eyes.

You sighed and smiled at him. “I’m not a game creator yet, I’ll be one in 1 minute and 42 seconds,” you said and he rolled his eyes playfully.

The entire hallway was decorated with Username:Nellie posters all over the walls. A Nellie standee was placed at the building entrance, there were balloons in the game’s main colors all over the room and the game’s theme song was playing through the speakers. Everyone was ready to celebrate the company’s new success and you were the person responsible for it. Although you wouldn’t get any personal recognition out of it, you were proud of yourself for achieving such a huge step in your career, especially when you had such great and talented people guiding you in the process.

The countdown came down to single-digit numbers and everyone was counting out loud. Your heart was beating fast and your vision became blurry. When everyone shouted ‘one’, Johnny and Doyoung popped confetti and everyone erupted in screams and cheers. Your ears buzzed at the loud noise and the boys from your team threw themselves at you for a group hug, screaming all kinds of praises. In the midst of this frenzy, you spotted Ten shaking hands with Johnny and then immediately you saw him popping a bottle of champagne open.

Chenle was too loud. He kept screaming in your ear and you normally would be barking at him to stop hurting your eardrums but this was an exception. Renjun ruffled your hair and Jaehee squeezed you into a tight hug. This was your achievement as much as it was theirs.

“Congratulations to us! We did it!” you yelled and they erupted in screams again.

Haechan was looking at you with his brightest smile and the most loving eyes. When the guys’ cheers came to a halt, they took the message to take some steps away from you, allowing Haechan to personally congratulate you. A few teasing glances were thrown at each other before they completely left you two alone and went to grab some snacks at the buffet instead.

Haechan approached you, his smile intact. You wiped a teardrop of happiness that had fallen down your cheek and gave him a tight-lipped smile. He stretched out his arm, aiming for a handshake but he drew it back. “Sorry, it’s not time for jokes. Congratulations Y/n!” he beamed and pulled you into his embrace. You didn’t need time to respond to his touch, wrapping your arms around him. You rested your head in the crook of his neck, taking in his scent. The warmth of his body transmitted to yours and your tears couldn’t stop flowing now.

“We did it, Haechan,” you whispered into his ear. The music became louder now and there were so many conversations going on at the same time among people. Haechan squeezed you closer to him. “You did it, honey. This is all you. We just happened to be there with you. No matter the difficulties you had, you still managed to do what you always wanted to do,” he said.

You drew your head back. Haechan was still smiling, a tight-lipped smile now and his eyes held the same adoration. You closed the distance between you by pressing your lips on his. Haechan smiled into the kiss, moving his lips with yours, his tongue aiming to enter inside your mouth but you stopped him by pulling back. “You know, we could have been like this way sooner if you weren’t such a bitch in the beginning,” you reminded him.

Haechan rolled his eyes. “Come on, you’re still holding a grudge over this? You know what, I wasn’t even supposed to tell you this before Johnny but you made me do this,” he said.

You furrowed your eyebrows, licking your lips. “What aren’t you supposed to tell me?” you asked him.

Haechan sighed and removed one hand from your waist to caress your cheek. “We have an event about the game’s release next week. It’s gonna give enough time to people to play the game before they come to the event and have their games signed by its creator, meaning you,” he said.

You stilled, processing his words. “Wait, so you’re telling me that I will sign the games? But this wasn’t part of the deal, this is a release credited under the company, not my name. It was group work,” you tried to give an explanation.

Haechan shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right, but,” he inhaled, a wicked smile threatening to appear on his lips. “I kinda pressured Johnny into giving you some credit, implicitly. The whole team is gonna be in the event but you get to sign the games. This way your name is gonna be there. Besides, you created it, honey,” he explained.

A nervous laugh escaped your mouth and you hugged him again, Haechan laughing too. “I can’t believe you did this for me, Haechan,” you exclaimed and he whispered into your ear. “Anything for you, honey. You deserve it,” he said and nudged you out of the hug. He grabbed your chin and leaned in, initiating the kiss himself this time.

After a few seconds, you pulled back. “So do you know if Johnny has any intention of keeping me in the company?” you were curious about your future in Neo Tech, especially now that you brought such successful results in the company’s reputation and sales. You were used to being independent, but working here in the past few months has opened up so many opportunities for you. Haechan looked genuinely confused now, the gears inside his head turning. “I don’t remember him mentioning anything about it, but I’m sure he’ll have that talk with you privately. But if you’re gonna be working here we need to figure out how we’re gonna get away with dating as coworkers,” Haechan said.

Your breath caught in your throat. “Dating?” you muttered, cheeks flushing.

Haechan smirked. “The game is out, and you promised we would talk about it. But I don’t wanna talk about it. I’m sure of it. I love you, Y/n. I wanna take you out, I wanna treat you good, I want to be able to hug you and kiss you whenever I want. You’re beautiful, kind, talented and I want to share my life with you. You made me see things differently and you’re a person worth having in my life-”

“Stop it, idiot, I love you too,” you said and kissed him. This time, the kiss shared between you wasn’t flirty, lazy or lustful. It was filled with love. You felt your heart warm up, your lips moved slowly and held a promise between them, a promise that what you and Haechan shared for each other was real.

As you and Haechan were kissing, the music and people’s voices were slowly fading out, the noise getting lost in the far distance. Everyone else around you had stopped moving; the people stood still, the confetti falling stopped mid-air, the clock didn’t tick anymore. You and Haechan were the only ones in motion.

When you felt that something was odd, you stopped kissing the boy you loved to observe your surroundings. With mouth agape and eyes wide, you couldn’t believe what you were seeing. Everything was frozen and steadily was turning into pixels. Haechan rested his arms in his waist, brows furrowed. “What the…” he trailed off.

Soon enough, the entire room became pixelated and one after the other, the pixels were disappearing into the air, slowly leaving you and Haechan standing in a black vastness. An angry whirlwind began out of nowhere, spinning you and Haechan around the void. You looked at each other, not knowing what was going on in the atmosphere.

“No matter what happens, remember I love you!” Haechan shouted in the black void. Even though you were standing in front of each other, he couldn’t tell how far away from him you actually were due to the wind. “I love you too!” you yelled back, the wind taking you away from him.

“Subject51 and Subject52, experiment #127, done,” a man with onyx black hair declared and typed the results in his computer.

Another man with short brown hair, leaned back into his chair, arms resting behind his head. He sighed. “Thank you Doyoung. Ten, can you please disconnect the subjects out of the alternate universe?” the man asked another guy in the room. “On it, Johnny,” Ten said.

Adjusting his lab coat, Ten opened with a touch pad the glass doors, entering the experiment room. The room was completely white and nothing decorated it except for two booths, the so-called simulation access points. On top of the booths, the bodies of an unconscious man and an unconscious woman were lying. Ten went close to the bodies, removing the small circular device attached to each of their temples. As soon as the device was turned off, the lighting in the experiment room dimmed.

Ten left the experiment room, going back to the report lab where the other two men, Johnny and Doyoung were sitting in front of their computers and monitors. “Their vitals are fine and I didn’t notice any visible alterations to their bodies,” Ten noted and Doyoung typed this information into his computer.

“This is the 127th try of this experiment. In every single alternate reality we place them in, Subect51, Lee Donghyuck, and Subject52, Y/N, fall in love with each other. Every single time. I think our research is done here. We have tried all these different alternate universes, different roles, social statuses, historical periods, obstacles and difficulties. These people defy everything,” Doyoung summed up.

“You’re right, but are two subjects enough proof of our research? We have put the same people under different alternate realities but maybe we need to test more subjects in those alternate realities to compare and contrast results. We can’t just prove that true love between two people exists among every alternate universe without enough evidence,” Johnny said.

Ten stepped in closer to the other two men. “We have tested 26 couples for 127 experiments each. I think Doyoung is right. We have proved our research question, true love exists in every alternate universe. The same people who fall in love in this timeline are bound to be endgame in every other timeline and universe. These last two subjects proved it the most out of every other couple,” he said.

Johnny closed his eyes in thought, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. Ten and Doyoung exchanged a glance, waiting for the research’s leader to declare his decision. Johnny opened his eyes again after a few seconds and clapped his hands, standing up.

“Then we did it, guys! Our assumption was true! We proved it!” he exclaimed and all three men cheered, hugging each other. “Let’s go celebrate tonight. Right now, actually. Drinks are on me. Tomorrow, we’ll head back here at the lab to sum up the research,” Johnny said and the other two men nodded, removing their lab coats to reveal their day clothes underneath. Grabbing their things, the men left the lab, locking the door behind them to go celebrate their success.

Walking towards the door, the men patted each other on their backs as a form of giving each other a silent congratulations. Locking the door behind him, Doyoung giggled. “I gotta say Johnny, the role of company CEO really suits you, it works in every single experiment,” he noted and they laughed, their voices inaudible as they were walking further away from the lab.

In the midst of their excitement, the three men forgot to check back on the test subjects. Even though they were removed out of every alternate universe, the human beings inside them weren’t brought back into this reality. So both of them were stuck in the void, waiting patiently for someone to bring them back to the real world.

The researchers were too rushed to leave the lab and failed to document this incident. The two subjects, still lying on each of the booths, were trying to find solace while they were staying inside the void. The monotonous beeping sound of the monitor showcasing the subjects’ vitals was echoing in the empty room. The subjects, with a steady breathing and heartbeat, moved their arms agonizingly slowly towards each other. Their moving only stopped when they managed to touch the edges of each other’s pinky finger, feeling just a pinch of each other’s love and warmth. They were drawn so much to each other, to the point they managed to find their lover even in the most barren state of the mind and the body.

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[angelhyun]

you keep looking at me — ldh

a/n: going back to my roots with this one (my first ever fic on here took place in a jazz bar too LOL) ALSO stream TASTE. 11/10 ALBUM. HAECHAN NEVER DISAPPOINTS.

pairing: lee donghyuck x reader ft. wingman!bartender!jaehyun (bc i miss him)

wc: 1.1k

cw: mention of alcohol consumption, mostly fluff, meet cute!!!

“just an espresso martini, please.” you requested, the bartender giving you a quick nod as he gets to work on your drink. you’ve had a long week and decided a night out was what you needed—perhaps a distraction too. you look over your shoulder, scouting the bar for anyone who could fill that spot tonight. unfortunately for you, tonight was karaoke night, specifically with the theme of classic love songs. the classy jazz bar was mostly filled with couples, gushing at each other and professing their love for one another through sappy lyrics.

you almost rolled your eyes, smiling in relief when you turn back to see your drink placed in front of you. the bartender was stealthy, not even making a sound when he returned with your drink. you take the first sip, the frothy concoction sliding down your throat as your finger tips drum along on the bartop to the current instrumental—hannah william’s “late nights and heartbreak”. looks like some rebels were straying from the lovestruck theme tonight. it was one of your favorite songs, but luckily for you, the singer seemed too be one too many drinks in and had mastered imperfect pitch.

burning. you felt it on the back of the head, turning around to catch a handsome young man’s eyes now boring into yours. caught off guard, you quickly turn away. he wasn’t there when you first looked around. maybe he was in the restroom or— gone. you look back once more to see him no longer sitting at his table, the candlestick atop it now releasing small fumes of smoke from being recently put out. why is everyone so sneaky here? you wondered. you look up to see the bartender now chatting with the man, eyes still focused on you despite him being deep in conversation.

you furrow your brows slightly, feeling slightly turned off from the interaction. were they talking about you? picking up your glass, you busy yourself with finishing it. being too nosey, you look up once more to see the man had disappeared yet again, the bartender standing there alone, only now pocketing some bills. you sigh, the inner turmoil you felt from the earlier exchange messing with you. you weren’t usually like this, often basking in any attention, but tonight you were tired and not in the mood for any mind games. beckoning the bartender over, you start to take our your card when he shakes his head. “it’s paid for, miss.” he smiles, dimples on display, likely amused by the look of confusion on your face. “by who?”

the bartender points over towards the stage behind you, and you turn to be met with him. the man that’s practically had your attention the moment you felt the weight of his stare. as if on cue, the soft, familiar cords of chet baker’s “time after time” begin filling the air. he stands there at the mic stand, holding its stem with one hand, the other in the pocket of his dark slacks. aside from his looks blowing you away, his voice really took the cake. breathy, melodious and oh, so captivating. you wish you had his voice captured on records of him covering your favorite songs to listen to at home on repeat.

the bartender let’s out a small laugh, seeing the astonishment on your face. “his name’s donghyuck. he’s a local, frequents the bar. good guy. great voice…and single. never seen him in here with anyone.” he smirks, walking away after giving you the rundown as if it was nothing. what a great wingman. you held donghyuck’s gaze as he practically serenades you from the stage. everyone’s watching him but his only focus is, was you.

after his performance he casually strides up to the bar, taking a seat one stool down from you, downing a glass of what you presumed to be whiskey in one swift motion that the bartender had strategically left for him—as if a routine. donghyuck’s gaze met yours once again.

“you keep looking at me.” he says, voice raspy, almost taunting. vindictive. “i’m sorry?,” you question, utterly surprised. “pretty sure it’s the other way around.” you protest, sounding more accusing than you intended. he only smirks, still holding onto his empty glass. “just messing with you,” he smiles, less playful and more genuine. “what’s your name?”

he nods when you tell him, holding up two fingers to the bartender, signalling for another round of drinks as he gets up to switch to the stool beside you. “you probably can already tell, given how much i’ve been caught lacking, but you really are such a sight for sore eyes.” he compliments, leaving you smiling into your second martini of the night, laughing his attempt at humour off. the two of you continue your conversation, the endless banter reeling you in with the mix of alcohol in your system, not to mention his attractiveness on top of all that.

“you’re a really talented singer. you should seriously consider going professional, donghyuck.” you insist, hand resting on his forearm as if to show how serious you are. “can i be honest with you for a second? it might get a bit cheesy, just warning you.” he questions, breaking eye contact as you nod enthusiastically. “i’ve always wanted to get into music, but if i did, i wanted to make sure i’d be the one writing my own songs. like, everything would come directly from myself and my lived experiences, but i just,” he pauses. “i’ve never really had that inspiration, until tonight.” he finally looks back up at you, appearing more vulnerable.

“i’m not even trying to weird you out or love bomb you, i swear, but seeing you—your face, your demeanour, it just sparked life into me. did you see how fast i got up onto that stage?” he asks, as you nod, feeling flattered and slightly bashful, as if you were the one confessing something so significant to a near stranger. your active listening urged him to continue. “you know, jaehyun doesn’t even let me go up on stage on busy nights like this,” he points over his shoulder to the familiar dimpled bartender. “he says no one ever wants to sing after me because i set the standard too high! i had to practically beg him to let me on.” he boasts earnestly, the two of you laughing over the shared sentiment.

“so, what, i’m like your muse now?” you tease, genuine curiosity laced in your voice. “i guess so,” he smiles, extending a hand. “you got stage freight?” he asks almost out of the blue. “i usually do, but i think i got enough liquid courage in my system tonight. are you about to ask me to sing a duet with you?” you grin, letting his larger hand take yours as he stands, gently pulling you up. “you read my mind.”

a/n: whoooops posting this a week later than i intended. i've had so many readings to do that the mere idea of staring at my device to write even more hurt my head (i have eye strain as i'm typing this). will try my best to write when i can during the semester. i forgot how nice of a break from reality it can be :) thank u for ur patience and thank u for helping me reach a follower goal i didn't really think i could reach so quickly ♡ stay healthy and stream taste!!! so proud of haechan.

[gabzsun]

E com leitinho também! | lee haechan

— Toma açaí comigo — você começou, balançando Haechan de um lado pro outro. Ele continuava mexendo no celular, completamente tranquilo, como se você não estivesse perturbando — o que era irônico, já que ele fazia o mesmo com você o tempo todo.

— Tô sem grana.

— Ai, que saco… só tenho amigo duro.

— Sou teu amigo por acaso? — ele questionou, finalmente largando o celular pra te encarar.

Você revirou os olhos, segurou o rostinho dele e beijou seus lábios, que automaticamente fizeram um biquinho, como se já esperassem por aquilo.

— Namorado. Só tenho um namorado. E ele é duro.

— Vou te mostrar o que é duro.

Você riu — e riu ainda mais quando ele começou a cutucar suas costelas, fazendo cosquinhas enquanto te deitava no sofá do apê dele. Haechan só parou quando lágrimas se acumularam no cantinho dos seus olhos de tanto rir.

— Quer que eu peça pelo iFood ou cê quer sair?

— Quero sair. Quero te expor pra todo mundo, mostrar que você é meu namoradinho — você fez um beicinho.

Dessa vez, foi ele quem te beijou, a franja roçando de leve na sua testa.

— Tem certeza? Aqui em casa a gente pode tomar açaí e depois… cê sabe.

Você deu um tapinha nele, sorrindo.

— Safado.

— Só com você. E, só pra avisar… tem leite condensado aqui em casa.

A mão dele deslizou pela sua coxa, te puxando pra mais perto, ajeitando seus corpos até você envolver a cintura dele com as pernas.

— É? Combina com açaí, né? — você murmurou, mordendo o lábio inferior, o olhar cheio de intenção.

Haechan deixou um beijinho na pontinha do seu nariz arrebitado.

— E com leitinho também.