Summary - Mark Lee is just another college student who wishes that his Sunday goes according to plan, but what happens when he disappears in a cloud of blood red smoke?
Genre - Mythology
Warning - None, except bad jokes
Normal Sundays do not end up with you being in the midst of demons and wild creatures, but hey you're Mark Lee, normal is just not your cup of tea.
Sundays were Mark's favorite. Sundays were everything he was not - calm, collected, peaceful, stress-free. As usual he woke up at 4am, did his morning routine, almost slipped on Haechan's discarded clothes and left home to be done with his new song before the weekend gets over.
Humming his new song, Mark strolled the streets, on his way to the studio. He expected to do a lot of things today:
1. Finish the new song
2. Buy a new notebook (after Haechan spilt coffee on the last one)
3. Pick up his guitar from the shop (which Haechan should have payed for)
4. Submit his assignments
5. Actually get eight hours of sleep (probably not possible because someone keeps shouting and smashing keyboards at 3 in the morning!!!!!)
Wow, Haechan was a menace, but unfortunately there’s nobody else other than his childhood best friend to split the bills with. If there was something not included in his schedule, it was to be whisked away in smoke by a couple of teenagers.
In the middle of the streets of New York, Mark started turning into smoke. Not just regular, white, dustless smoke, but a blood red one.
He shouted, cried and screamed for help, but the pedestrians just walked through him, like he wasn't there.
Mark evaporated into the air and traveled as nothing more than just atoms and molecules into the depths of the earth. It was all too much for him. Like seriously? Does sleep deprivation really make you hallucinate this much? No, right? But, who knows? Maybe he should Google it.
After about what felt like a milli-second, Mark became human again, in the middle of a red, endless dessert.
Looking around, Mark slapped his face once, twice, thrice. Yet, he didn't wake up.
"Dude, why am I not waking up?" Mark questioned, slapping his face a couple more times.
"That's gonna bruise after some time," said a voice he didn't recognise.
Mark looked around, searching for the owner of that meek voice.
"You'll need to apply some ointment on that," said a short boy with impish features who emerged from the shadows.
"Hi, I'm Renjun, sorry for summoning you"
"Yeah, sorry for summoning you, we didn't know what else to do" said a taller boy with flaming orange hair and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, what the heck?"Mark questioned
"Where am I? Why am I here? Who are you? What do you mean summoned? And what is that foul smell?"
"Could you go slower, we're not fluent in human language, yet" said a tall, muscular guy with spotless white hair.
"Yeah, what he said" voiced two new boys, one who was tall, lean and had pink hair and a boyish charm and the other, who was shyer, taller and looked like he hadn't eaten for days.
"Excuse me, can you wake me up? I've got a lot to do and I'm not wasting my time hallucinating. Hellooo, God?" Mark called out, looking up, thinking that God was up there somewhere saying "This is what you get when you don't sleep"
"Is this a good time to tell you that God kind of went on vacation, he won't be back till the spring fest."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,VERY FUNNY!!" Mark laughed, "Now , if we could speed it up a bit, I would like to wake back up"
"I don't think he understands us,"said the shy one.
"You’re Mark, right?" asked the orange haired boy
"If you're going with my English name, then yeah..."
“Great, you just need to help us with this programming and then you'll be sent back“
"You're kidding, right? 'Cause computers and I don't go anywhere near each other, I don't even know how to shop online, bro!" Mark exclaimed.
"You are Mark from facebook, right"
"Excuse me? No, how would I be Mark Zuckerberg? I'm not even American, dude!"
"Huh?" they all collectively said together.
"Just a minute please" they said and disappeared into thin air.
What was with the obsession with disappearing into the air lately?
"Sooooo" they said, reappearing.
"So?" started Mark.
"We may or may not have accidentally mistaken you for someone else and we can't send you back."
"Sorry for the trouble, but hey we can be friends," said the shortest one.
"Yeah, I'm Chenle, son of Hermes," introduced the boy with green hair.
"Hi! Jaemin, son of Aphrodite. Welcome to the club, dude!" Said the pink-haired boy excitedly.
"Nice to meet you, I’m Jisung, son of Hermes," the shy one mumbled.
"I'm Renjun, son of Athena, Goddess of wisdom and warfare, and that's Jeno, son of Ares, God of War," said the shortest one.
"Well, I'm Mark Lee, a college student who survives on a lot of caffeine and watermelons. Nice to formally meet you, I guess?" Questioned Mark with raised eyebrows.
"So, is there any way you can teach us about programming?" asked Jeno, who Mark assumed must be their brawns.
"Yeah, if you have fulfilled the purpose we called you here for, then you're free to go, that's how the magic works" explained Renjun, who obviously was the brains.
"Well, I might know someone who's currently studying programming in college"
"Really? If he can help us out, then you both would probably be free to go"
"Let's summon him now, what's his name?"
"Lee Haechan," smirked Mark, knowing that this would be enough for all the times Haechan stabbed him in the back and annoyed the living daylights out of him.
▷ I don’t currently take requests, however suggestions, prompts are accepted!
jaehyun
♡ gold scapel | sugar daddy!au | a, f , s | 22k — read here
↳ synopsis: Officially a college dropout, Y/N seeks to find solace by finding a job in a hotel to fund up Medical School. However, bumping into multi-millionaire Jung Jaehyun and blabbering ‘find a daddy’ made the bachelor propose an idea which both of you will benefit; being a companion to his clandestine meetings and having you search for the gold scalpel.
♡ AI-04-97-JJH | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
7: 23 - serial killer!jaehyun (m)
taeyong
♡ cassanova’s wishes | elite bachelor!au | a, f , s | teaser | — read here
↳ synopsis: “Going once, going twice, Sold!”
♡ AI-01-95-LTY | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ summer | c | f, a | boxer!au | teaser | — read here
↳ synopsis: If two people are meant to be together, they will eventually find their way back.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
doyoung
♡ hades | greek god!au | a, f, s | teaser 1 | teaser 2 | — read here
↳ synopsis: Pray to the Gods, respect them, and your life will be rained fortune. The farms owned by your mother, Demeter is experiencing drought, due to what lies beneath the soil. Corpes and mourning souls.
♡ AI-09-96-KDY | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ coalition | hitman!au | c | a | teaser | — read here
↳ synopsis: kim doyoung or known by his alias ad-24 is a hitman for hire under the corporation umbrella. he knows every unique ways to kill, from subtle to excruciating. however, he finds himself being trapped in cat and mouse game by an unknown client where he was unknowingly tasked to kill a waitress in the continental hotel. he is more than determined to uncover the truth while trying to get out of it, alive.
↳ second synopsis: it was just an ordinary day at the continental. serving drinks, there were served luxury galore. but everything seems to change when you found yourself eye to eye with an unknown man that holds a smoldering gaze. little did you know, he was being paid to kill you off.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
5:13 - prince!doyoung (f)
taeil
♡ AI- 02-94-MTL | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
mark
♡ AI-06-99-LMK | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ maniac | greaser!au | a, f, s | teaser | — read here
↳ synopsis: After a sudden drink at the West side with your soc friends, alcohol kicked in your senses; showed up at your ex boyfriend’s home, alone, carrying a shovel and a rose.
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
10:49 - weeb!mark (f)
johnny
♡ bust your kneecaps | gang member!au | a, f, m | teaser— read here
↳ synopsis: “Johnny don’t leave me, you’d said you’d love me forever”
just a wild apartment hunting in the sketchiest part of your town followed by meeting a bloodied handsome stranger that is eventually being chased by his girlfriend’s family with their famous tag line, “we’ll bust your kneecaps.”
♡ AI-03-95-SJN | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
5:13 - skater!johnny (f)
jungwoo
♡ Good Morning, Stranger | painter!au | a, f | teaser | — read here
↳ synopsis: It is said that when you paint a portrait of someone you like with your blood mixed, the person will like you back.
♡ AI-05-98-KJW | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
yuta
♡ rocketeer | jaeger pilot!au | a, f, s | teaser 1 | teaser 2 | 15k — read here
↳ synopsis: It takes courage to ride a Jaeger
♡ AI-08-95-NYT | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
haehan
♡ AI-07-00-LDH | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ hands to myself | highschool!au | a, f, | 7k — read here
↳ synopsis: You swore to yourself that you wil stay devoted to the one and only Mark Lee, or not?
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
sicheng
♡ AI-10-97-DSC | android!au | s | a, f, s | — read here
↳ synopsis: Majority of your friends are already in a relationship. And in order to keep up with them, they urges you to get one. You stumbled across the website Neo Zone, ordered a soft AI boyfriend, and a whole different AI was sent to you.
⇢ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ neo zone: choose your boyfriend
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
11:16 - elite!winwin (m)
jeno
♡ ares | yandere!au | a, m | 2,341k | —read here
↳ synopsis: He’s not beautiful like how people see him. He’s wicked.
♡ ᴛɪᴍᴇsᴛᴀᴍᴘs
m i n i m a s t e r l i s t
neo zone: choose your boyfriend | android!au | one-shot series |
bingo collab | ot21 | one-shot | fratboy au | camboy au | badboy au |
▷ all edits are made by legendnct. photo credits to pinterest and sm. ent. resources are made by artists in deviantart
a/n: hi! this is my very first time posting or sharing. I figured I write a fic based on all of NCT song titles and here is what we got. This is short so I apologize in advance if this isn’t any good. There will be a part 2 to this and much longer. For now, here is interlude: past to present. I hope you enjoy (:
*any word italicize are the song titles.
-------
From the end to start of time, I just wanted you to let me love u. I wanted you to say it face to face that you love me now. I needed to hear you say this was not another daydream of mine, that this was reality, that dreams come true if you make a wish upon a star. I look up to you and touch your hand, oh what a good thing you cannot see my blush. Time stood still as I reach up to touch your lips, but the sensation never comes.
Once again, I wake up from dreaming about you. Everything is always all about you. I cannot listen to a love song because it makes me turn into a mad dog at the end of the day. It feels like a fire truck ran over my heart and you just kick it into the dirt. You are making this hard for me, because of you I cannot quiet down the riot that is in my heart.
You somehow find a way to trigger the fever in me and make me experience the “bad alive” effect. There is a loud boom in my heart and I know I need to tell you sooner rather than later.
So here, I am ridin’ in my van to meet you at our favorite spot next to the City 127 café. I spot you and my heart rate no longer has a regular pace. As I step forward, I see her with you on the swings as she says loudly “baby don’t stop,” while you push her forward. I know your baby don’t like it when I come around, but you are my only best friend in the world. As if the universe was telling me something, I take one last look at you and don’t say goodbye.
I want you to stay in my life, but I also know I need to let you go. Goodbyes are not always easy, but I know in due time I don’t need your love to feel like a misfit in a mad city. I am only human after all. I guess this is how it feels like to be your own heartbreaker.
In another world, you would have been mine. If I could turn back time to that moment we played, Simon says at the Welcome to My Playground Arcade, I would have told you I la la love you. I used to be the one who would make your day as we sit down and drink a juice from the Nectar Jungle, while playing paper plane.
I know if you asked me, I would still come back running 2 u. I also know I would look like a fool, while you knock on some random strangers’ house after midnight looking for a one-night fun. I keep telling myself we young and you will realize I am all you need, but I can no longer let this dream run longer than it intended to be.
You will always be my first and last love. So as I close my eyes and count 1, 2, 3, you will be faded in my last song.
❂ alerts: angst, fluff, mentions of blood, violence, death
3 years and 2 months that you’ve lived alone. 3 years and 2 months that you’ve survived without the help of your parents or any friends. Sometime ago, the world felt like it was truly ending. Disease and famine plagued the earth, it seemed as all hope was lost. Megacities were ruined from an onslaught of tsunamis, wildfires, and hurricanes. Your parents shielded you with the comfort of your small apartment, the warmth of their embraces to ease the anxiety. Yet, it wasn’t enough. You remember how your 15 year-old-self watched your mother slowly wither away, the disease could have infected her from anywhere: the grocery store, work, or from your own family. It felt unfair, the way people had to die when they had no choice to make money for the roof over their heads or to put food on the table. Your father held you close, his sobs shaking his entire body at the sight of your mother’s dying heart. Your whole world fell as silent as your mother’s heartline when your father whispered in your ear. He told you he was sorry, how he wished that he could tell you everything was going to be alright. He told you, “I don’t have much time left either.”
You could barely blink. You froze in place, your hands shaking at an uncontrollable rate. You eyed him incredulously, “What are you talking about?”
That night, you came home alone. You knew that the disease made adults more vulnerable yet you couldn’t believe that you had lost both of your parents in one day. All you could do was sit in your living room and cry until you couldn’t breathe. You screamed until your lungs heart, the weight of grief crushing your chest- it suffocated you. All that swirled in your head was memories of your mother cooking dinner while your father chased you around the dining table or the way you’d go to the city to explore, laughing in your family’s van as you drove. It was all too much. What were you going to do? Who would you call for help? Your family didn’t have many relatives in the area after your father decided to take a PR job in New York City. You felt all alone, the gloomy, steely skies looked especially lonely outside of your window. You couldn’t even see the sun.
You fell asleep on your living room couch, your muscles sore from the unmoving position of your legs and arms. Deciding to switch on the TV, you were sure that the government would send a social worker to come fetch you- that’s what they always said on the news. Surprisingly, headlines read, “New vaccine formulated by pharmaceutical team at New York Institute of Medicine.” Despite the fact being good news, you felt numb. It didn’t matter because you had lost your family. It was too late. Over the next two years, the government issued a world-wide administration of the vaccine, the diseases had almost disappeared entirely. People were able to go back to work, walk their dogs, and dine out with their friends. The UN had stated each nation would work together to rebuild the damage of what was lost, whole cities were torn down to restart again. Technology advanced just as quickly: the old, ruined world becoming a man-made virtual paradise. Engineers and infrastructure developers reached new heights by building jets that flew at 1,840 miles per hour to skyscrapers that seemed to pierce through heaven. Somehow, by mercy, you managed to see the world change. You survived.
Current time
Of course, there wasn’t a real opportunity to go back to school after the plague, it led you to look for other ways to contribute to the work force instead. In the old world, work consisted of becoming a doctor, a lawyer, even a neighborhood bee-keeper ; as a young kid, you never had a clear idea of who or what you wanted to be. When you started to stabilize yourself by taking small part-time jobs that didn’t require a degree or some form of formal education, you slowly started to accumulate savings. After a while, you had been eyeing a virtual game constructed by the Kynigos company that swept the world by storm. It was everywhere on social media, all of the sign boards that lined 2nd avenue to 7th. Almost every family on your block purchased these visionary headsets that allowed you to see life in a kaleidoscopic lense. When you tried yours on for the first time, it was utterly breathtaking. New York city mimicked that of rainbow road in your old mario kart game, the streets glowed hues of bubblegum pinks and electric blues. The skyscrapers were dripping with panels of evergreens and xanthous yellows as the sky sparkled as a net covered it, the tiny strands glittering with violet crystals. You continued to walk down the block, circles glowing over your eyes and floating signboards that advertised expensive desserts bobbed up and down. As you scanned your surroundings, every person on the street or drivers cruising down the road had their headset on. Cars projected virtual screens that were lined with data codes and numbers. Even the foliage on the trees changed a new color every morning and night, the clouds moved by glitching slightly. It was like you could sweep your fingertips across every color you could think of, the streetlamps dripping gold above your head.
Each time Kynigos uploaded a new software update, people would go ballistic over the installation of game mode. In place of a regular day job, you’d be able to make money by taking investors’ requests and errands. It ran on in-game currency that could be exchanged for real money in which you desperately needed to eat, to live. That’s where you were: you took requests for the smaller investors like fetching their meals or buying their groceries. Moving up, you honed your skills on clearing the game levels, earning access to a database of more promising, richer moguls. They were getting hungry, some of them crossing the law to conduct illegal activities in-game: Kynigos never really enforced the restrictions. No matter how much the government tried to take over the game, it would only gain more and more powerful. They always found their way around it. You had just cleared level 50, your reward was to establish a link with an anonymous client who offered 5 grand in exchange for a person’s identity. Not that you knew who the client or request was, you had become a bounty-hunter chasing for your next bankroll. You didn’t have time to pick and choose. At the corner of your headset screen, a pop-chat window appeared: “Hello. Please refer to me as Mr. C.”
You replied, “Hi. How may I help you?”
“I’m looking for someone who can track down a person that I’ve been trying to find. The request is to confirm their identity and bring them to me. I will raise the reward if need be.”
You continue, “I need that in writing. May I have this person’s file?”
“I will send it over shortly.”
The chat window expands into a link, a typed document of the request along with a signature. You had been cheated out once, you were sure to not let it happen again. When you enlarge the file, it’s a picture of a boy who was much younger than you. He wore a navy blue sweatshirt, his black hair curled on one side of his forehead. His eyes seemed incredibly innocent, his doe irises complimenting the smile that graced his lips ; the sharpness of his cheekbones accentuating his prepubescent face. His name read, “Mark/ Minhyung Lee.” and was last spotted not far from where you lived. You asked, “Mr. C, why are you looking for a kid?”
“I have no obligation to answer that question. Regardless, are you able to do it? If you can’t succeed, I will have to take measures into my own hands.”
With the amount of money that was being offered, you would be set for a while. Taking the request seemed extremely worth it.
“It’s a deal, Mr. C.”
You pulled up your virtual map with a click of a button, the map expanding into the space of your living room. It showed every alleyway, every nook and cranny in the city. You enlarged the floating map with your fingers, zooming in on a couple blocks away from your apartment. From your room, you grabbed your back-pack and changed into a black body-tight outfit (a skin you won as a reward on level 15), and your hair tied in a loose knot. Dashing out the door, you headed for where this Mark was last seen. You walked around the city, scanning the crowds of people as you walked. The street lamps illuminated the moving sidewalk as people talked into their headset by the cafe windows. Colorful lights blossomed on the tiny windows of the tall buildings. How were you supposed to find such a young kid wandering around by himself? Was Mr. C. his father? Maybe a disgruntled relative? You were unsure. You stopped inside a convenience store, the view of a black-haired boy turned around in one of the aisles. You couldn’t see his face, could that be Mark? The cashier sleepily greeted you, his headset sat crookedly on the rim of his forehead. Making your way to the small boy, you walked in front of him to get a better look- it was not him. He looked up at you confusedly, “hey lady, should I get a chocolate bar or a lollipop?”
Pointing at the chocolate bar you winked, “Chocolate for sure.”
The child walked away from you as he perused through the candy aisle more. You felt a hand grab your wrist from behind to be met with a scruffy man who wore tattered clothes and scratched at his dirtied beard. His eyes bulged with hysteria, “Pretty girl, give me that!”
He pointed at your polished headset, his grimy fingers reaching for it. You stumbled back as your heart beat furiously in your chest, “Sir, I don’t want trouble. Please step back from me.”
The man takes another step towards you instead, his rough hands flying to grip your waist, “Say, what’s your name? Want to come with me?”
You try wrenching out of his grip, you shouted for the cashier’s attention- he’s too busy paying attention to the game to even hear you. The man’s fingers make contact with the skin on your hip which causes you to jolt, you struggle to reach for the knife at the bottom of your backpack.
“Sir, kindly back off!”
The homeless man swivels around, facing a boy about the same age as you. Looking at him, you had not ever witnessed a more attractive boy in a while. His hair was a chestnut color, the crest of it gelled over, his face was slim and defined. Even his lips were the prettiest shade of sakura blossoms, his obsidian eyes stern with fury. He pushed up a pair of version 3 cyber-glasses on the bridge of his nose, “Sir, I said to back off!”
Just like that, the homeless man raised his hands in mock surrender as he scampered out of the convenience store- leaving you staring at the handsome boy in front of you.
You nervously adjust yourself, “Um-I- thank you for that.”
The boy gives you a warm smile, one of his hairs falling onto his forehead, “No need to thank me. That guy was being a total creep. Plus, that cashier should be fired for being distracted.”
You laugh, you catch yourself staring at the abundance of watermelon pops in the boy’s hands. He eyes you and then back to his pops, “Oh, would you like one?”
Stammering over your words you shake your head a bit too wildly, “N-no t-thanks! I-I prefer mango?”
Why did you say mango? You hate mango-flavored things. He gives you a hearty chuckle, “Fair enough, mango’s good too.”
It goes without saying anything, you both pay for the treats as you walk on to the sidewalk, a cold breeze making you shiver. The boy cards his fingers through his hair, the streetlamps casting a golden flow on his highlights, “I guess this is where we part. I hope you don’t run into any more creeps.”
You nod at him, “I sure hope not. By the way, what’s your name?”
There, you feel like you’ve messed up. This stranger saves you from some homeless guy and you ask him for his name, his eyes are widened with surprise. You silently sigh in relief when he breaks into a toothy smile, “Yeah, um, My name’s Jonathan.”
His voice comes out a little hesitant, as if he’s not sure. You eye him, “You sure about that, bud?”
“Of course. I was just deciding whether or not to tell you Jon or Jonathan is all.”
You say, “Well, goodbye Jonathan. Thank you for helping me out today.”
You swerve to walk back down the street in which you came, your headset blinking with the weather forecast in the corner of it. You feel a hand catch your shoulder gently, “Wait-t, d-do y-you think we can exchange handles?”
Turning back to the boy, you certainly weren’t expecting him to say that, “Yeah, sure!”
Together, you calibrate your headsets as a glowing icon appears above his head, “Accept Jonathan as a friend?”
You say, “Accept!”
Jonathan’s name adds to your friends list, not that you had any previous names added anyway. He finishes adding to you as well, your name hot on his tongue as he repeats it daintily. Giving you a final wave, you both go your separate ways. You decide to look for Mark in the morning.
Later that night, you find yourself staring at a message notification from Jonathan. Tapping in the air, you press on it- you bite your lip in anticipation. A bubble appears over his message, “You still up?”
You type on your virtual floating keyboard, “I am, wanna chat?”
Another bubble appears: “proceed with projection communication?”
You look yourself up and down, your outfit only consists of a pair of striped pajamas unlike your black suit earlier. You can’t imagine that Jonathan’s dressed up at this hour. Accepting the bubble, a scan of Jonathan’s virtual body appears in front of you as if he’s sitting in your desk chair. He looks different from earlier, he wears a thin t-shirt that reads ‘Vancouver’, his hair glimmers with wet drops from his shower and he holds an acoustic guitar in his hands. At first he doesn’t realize that you’ve accepted the projection call until he drops his guitar to the ground, fumbling in his chair, “Oh! hi-i, I didn’t see you there for a second..”
You laugh at his silliness, “you were the one who initiated the call in the first place!”
“Still! One second, I need to get something.”
When he finally returns, he holds a bowl of cereal in his hands, spooning sugary flakes into his mouth before toasting the bowl, “Cereal baby!”
“Who eats cereal at this hour?”
“Me- I do!”
You smile at him, leaning back into your pillows, it’s almost too surreal that it feels like Jonathan is staring right back at you from your room. It’s like he’s right there with you.
You continue, “So, what do you like to do in your free-time?”
He looks up from his bowl, “Hm, I uh- I guess I just listen to music or watching Netflix? Something like that?”
“I see you have a guitar by you, do you play well?”
He rubs the back of his neck nervously, “I wouldn’t say too good but I do enjoy playing? I write a bit too.”
“Can you play something for me?”
He gives you a playful smirk before breaking into a high-pitched laugh, “Put me on the spot now aren’t we?”
You reply, “You kind of set yourself up by bringing out a guitar. Of course I was going to ask.”
With a heavy sigh, he mumbles, “This is a song that I wrote when I started living on my own.”
You feel your heart swell at the sight of this stranger whispering soft words of song, the strums of his guitar filling the emptiness of your room. When he’s finished, you give him a standing ovation, “What do you mean not too good? You’ve got talent.”
He rubs his eyes tiredly, “Gotta stay humble, you know?”
Your memory plays back to Jonathan’s words: “I started living on my own.”
You tread into unknown waters, “Listen, let me know if this is too personal but when did you start living alone?”
Visibly, his frame becomes stiffened, his lips press into a thin line, “About three years ago? I think?”
He’s the same as you. You continue, “Do you still keep in touch with your parents?”
A flash of pain coats Jonathan’s face, his teeth sink into his lower lip anxiously, “You know-w, I-I think we should call it a night-t?”
You’ve pushed too far. “Oh, yes- sure. Right, good night.”
Like that, Jonathan’s projection disappears from your desk chair, the call ending with a beep. You throw your headset to your nightstand with a clang, throwing your head into your pillow. You doubt that Jonathan wants to talk to you after pressing into his private matters.
When morning comes, your heart jumps at the notification at the top of your messages bar. You click on it, Jonathan’s audio file plays, “Hey-y, I-I’m reallly sorry for uh- I-I kind of left you hanging last night? Can we meet up and talk? Possibly? Let me know when you get this.”
You respond back to him, “Hey, don’t apologize. It was my fault for pushing you where you weren’t comfortable. I’ll forward my address.”
Within the next hour or so, you find Jonathan standing in your doorway as he raises a bag of mango and watermelon pops from the convenience store in his hand. You usher him in, “You got here quite fast..”
He smiles at you, setting the bag on your table, “I’m pretty speedy. Also, you’ve got a nice pad.”
“Oh- yeah, technically it used to be my parents but they well- they passed away.”
His face turns somber, his features darkening with hurt, “I’m sorry for your loss y/n.”
Trying your best, you muster a small smile at him, “It’s okay. Can I get you anything? Water?”
“I-uh- no, I’m good.”
With a heavy sigh, Jonathan plops himself on your couch, his eyes shifting to the vibrant city view outside, “Anyway, I-I just wanted to apologize for leaving so abruptly last night.”
Shaking your head, you answer regretfully, “No, it was completely my fault, I should be sorry.”
The features on his face turn sharper. He stiffens again, his fists curl beside him on the couch, “I also haven’t been too honest about myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“My name isn’t Jonathan. That’s just an alias- my real name is Mark. Mark Lee.”
You feel your breath hitch in your throat. The boy that your client is after is sitting on your living room couch. How could you not recognize him? Your headset tab has his file bookmarked- he was a child then. Of course, he’s matured.
“Why would you lie about your name?”
Jonathan- now, Mark sighs, “Because, I have to. You asked me about my parents? They were murdered by some gang leaders because they owed them money so we could survive the plague. They did what they had to so we could live. They’re still after me.”
You hand flies to your mouth in shock, “Mark, I- I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I-”
Mark places a warm hand on yours, “It’s okay- don’t be sorry y/n. Just don’t tell anyone.”
“Not a word, I swear on it.”
Mark picks himself up to move closer to you, your knees almost touching, “When did you start living alone?”
The memories of you watching the doctors send your parents’ bodies to the morgue surface in your mind. You can’t stop the flood that breaks the dam. Digging your nails into your palm, you sniffle, “My parents passed away from the plague on the same day. Like yours, they had to work and go outside for us to survive. I was on the streets a bit before I could make money myself.”
It’s impossible. You can’t stop the tears that stream on your cheeks. You squeeze your eyes shut, “I miss them so much.”You feel a thumb swipe your tears away. You open your eyes to see a blurry vision of Mark’s concerned face, his fringe swept on one side of his forehead, “I’m here, it’s okay. I miss mine too.”
In a split second, you fall into the crook of Mark’s chest, snuggling into his arms. You hear the slow thrum of his heartbeat, the music that beats with his soul. It’s beautiful, the way his doe eyes gaze down at you and the way it feels when you reach up to sweep the hair out of his eyes, “Thank you, Mark.”
He doesn’t say anything, he continues to rub circles on your back comfortingly as he thumbs your hand in his lap. Afterwards, you and Mark decide to eat dinner with Mark in the city. With Mark beside you, everything seems ten times more vibrant. Musicians play on the streets, their instruments laced with colorful threads (bonus items that tune your instrument automatically). Robotic helpers roll around in the restaurants as they pick up tabs, refill waters, and do little things that could be cumbersome for humans. You and Mark sit on the second floor of your favorite ramen restaurant, one that your parents frequented often. Laughing at the way Mark slurped his noodles made you happier. For some odd reason, Mark reminded you of the comfort that your parents had- a warm glow that always brightened the room. He placed his chicken into your bowl, forcing you to eat his no matter how much you protested. When you were done, Mark led you to the third story of the restaurant, a rooftop garden that overlooked the city. The view was breathtaking: the skyline reflected an ocean of colors onto the water as the Brooklyn bridge allowed flying vehicles to soar across the sky. You both sat on the edge of the building, Mark pulling your body closer to his. He rested his head on your shoulder as he hummed some unrecognizable song, the honking of cars is the only thing that disrupts him. Steadily, you brought a hand to the scar on his cheekbone- causing him to raise his head at you. Mark leaned further into your touch, his hair fluttering in the wind slightly, “Can I um, kiss you?”
Smiling, you crash your lips onto yours, his lips feeling plush and soft at first. You move one hand to entwine Mark’s hairs in between your fingers, causing him to let out a moan. Your kiss grows more passionate as you part your mouth for him to move his tongue, your body temperatures rise- an alert pops on to your headsets. Ignoring it, Mark leans further into your lips while you arch your back on the roof. He pushes you flat against the concrete, his lips detach from yours with a sound. When you look at him, Mark’s half lidded eyes and swollen lips pop from the colorful netted sky that hangs above him, you say, “Wow, you’re good Mark Lee.”
He laughs into your shoulder, his giggle full of mirth. You don’t resist when he presses a kiss to your lips for the second time, you take harder control than he does. You roll onto your side so you can climb on top of him instead. Mark reaches up to place a hair behind your ear before you lean in to press a kiss to his nose. His eyes glimmer with adoration, “y/n, the things you’re doing to me right now-”
Mark starts to press a burning kiss to the hollow of your neck, you pause when a notification flashes on your messages bar. You open it, it’s from Mr. C. It reads, “Y/n. I’m afraid you’re out of time.”
You scramble off of Mark, causing him to yelp, “Oh god, y/n, I-I’m so sorry, I- did- I go too far? I shouldn’t have done that- oh my-”
You press your hand to Mark’s lips, “It’s not you. I have to tell you something, it’s-”
“What? What’s wrong?”
You both sit up, “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier I just forgot about it because we were talking and I-I just don’t-”
Mark’s expression turns firm, “What is it?”
“I just passed level 50 in-game. I got a request from a client and he told me he was after you and I took it because I thought I needed the money and now that I know you’re the person he wants, I don’t know what to do-he says we’re out of time!”
Mark looks down, his face morphing into slow pain, “Did you have that request since we met?”
You shout at him, “Yes! But, I was never going to sell you out, I swear! I started to like you and I wouldn’t have done that!”
Marks still casts his eyes down, “Y/n, I have to go right now- I can’t be outside-”
“You’re too late!”
You and Mark swivel your heads to see a skinny man dressed in a plaid suit hop off his emerald hoverboard, a pistol sits in the grip of his hand, “I’ve got you now Mark Lee! And y/n has led me straight to you!”
Mark practically leaps across you, forcing you to move behind him, “Just stay behind me.”
You place your hands on Mark’s shoulders, gripping him tightly. The man- Mr. C. looks hysterical when he flashes Mark a sinister grin, “Your parents still haven’t paid their debt. You’ll serve as compensation.”
He aims his gold-lined pistol at Mark, cackling before he sends a smoking bullet flying to Mark’s chest without a warning. You scream, Mark falling on his side as he clutches his wound. Mr. C. spits in your direction before zipping off on his hoverboard, leaving you to press your hands to Mark’s body. Already, your hands are covered in crimson blood, you smell the iron scent of it and it makes you sick. You don’t even realize that you’re screaming now, “Hold on! I’m going to get you to a hospital okay? Hold on!”
Mark lets out a weak cough, his eyes failing to stay open. You cradle his head, “Mark? Mark, stay awake! Stay with me, please!”
Once more, he reaches up a bloodied palm to your cheek, your tears falling onto his shirt, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
You whimper, “It’s not okay! Don’t leave me! I’ll be alone again!”
The hot tears blur your vision, it’s getting harder to not collapse. You see Mark smile at you, “you know, you’re the only person that’s made me feel less lonely since my parents died.”
Clutching his hand, you feel the calloused skin along his palm, wanting to savor every bit of him, “Mark, I’ve fallen for you.”
Nodding, “And I, you.”
With the last bit of strength he has, Mark kisses you with scarlet fire before letting out a bone-chilling groan. His lips fall away from yours, his body landing on the roof with a thump. You hold your breath, your head pounds with harsh pain. You can’t believe the sight of Mark’s once musical spirit so bereft of life. Finally, your breath hitches at a notification that appears in your message inbox at the top of your virtual screen, “hello, y/n.”
I don’t know about you, but Mark Lee radiates such pure, babie, first-love energy...
Mark Lee. Lee Min-Hyung.
He’s the type of guy who would get excited over everything
Every little thing, from funny jokes to a cool trick to a new hobby.
He’s plenty smart, and he studies and works hard as well.
Sometimes you may think he’s a little bit immature when he laughs at those dirty jokes...
...or maybe even the fact that he’s overreacting at times.
“Haji-maku!” War flashbacks.
But Mark Lee would give you the world if he were to fall in love with you.
He’s not really some cool, couldn’t-care-less dude
He’s wide-eyed and full of energy.
And he’s honestly just so pure.
As in. Mark Lee would capture the moon for you, if it meant he could spend the rest of his life by your side.
Sure, he may be a bit self-deprecating sometimes.
“I’m the least romantic member.” “I guess that’s me.”
And, well, for the most part, maybe you think he’s right.
But that’s not entirely true.
See, Mark falls in love with each thing he’s passionate about.
Just like how he worked all those years as a trainee, spending several hours a day on singing and dancing and rapping, and even leaving his home and family in Vancouver...even crying all the way from the plane to Korea...
Mark isn’t someone who falls in love easily, but when he does, he falls hard.
And he takes it seriously.
(Well, about as seriously as he can with his bright eyes and smiling face.)
When you met for the first time, you two hit it off instantly.
You’d never had a boyfriend before, and most of your friendships with guys in general were pretty short-lived.
But Mark and you just hit it off.
You guys could talk for hours about anything and everything.
You fell in love with the sparkle in his eyes whenever he described something he was passionate about.
And yes, you must admit, you grew to love his little sound effects, his little antics, and his humor.
Mark wouldn’t know it at first, but he would eventually develop such a crush on you.
He’d be grinning to himself when he remembers you at random times of the day.
And one day, he’ll finally ask himself why?
That’s when he’ll realize that he’s fallen head over heels in love with you.
See, Mark may be childlike, but he is in no way childish.
He’s grown enough to recognize that feeling in his heart when it skips a beat at the mere mention of your name.
He’ll think about it at night, so nervous.
He doesn’t want to ruin the friendship.
And oh God, you’ll be his first girlfriend if ever.
Mark is definitely that boy who’ll go to Church and pray for guidance.
He’s also that boy who’ll suddenly be very quiet around you, and when you ask, he’ll turn red and stutter completely.
You’ll miss his deep and crazy laugh at your jokes. You’ll miss him being his normal lovable self.
When you confront him about his weird behavior, he refuses to look you in the eye, until you tell him that if this is about a girl, then he’d better get his act together.
To which he replies, “That’s the thing...the girl is you.”
Well,
he could’ve knocked you out with a feather.
“Me? Me?”
Your heart is beating incredulously.
“Yes, you! Like, like, like I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time, and you’re so pretty, so sweet, God, ugh, no! Never mind! Forget it!” He looks down and makes a beeline for it.
But you stop him as he tries to run away. “Mark, no!” you say. “I have to admit that...that...I kinda have a huge crush on you, too.”
Mark Lee lifts his head, smiling in disbelief. “Aw man, you’re kidding.”
You shake your head. His eyes widen.
“You...you too? Really?”
“Really.”
And Mark Lee, in all his pure, innocent, baby energy, breaks out into a smile. “Can...can I hold your hand?”
You nod as he reaches out tenderly. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Me too.”
Mark’s eyes are shining. “So...is today our first day?”
You nod.
Mark smiles so sweetly as he says, “Then I guess...I guess this means that you’re my first—and last—love.”
best friend au! swearing, consumption of alcohol, suggestive(?), fluff(?) idk man. (1.2k words)
"Ohooooooo." Jaemin shouted looking at you up and down. "Wow! So SEXYYYYYY!" He screamed again.
"What the fuck is wrong with you Jaemin?" You said fixing your hair.
His hands went up in the air slowly, fists closing and he started to dance like an idiot.
"Y/N is gonna get some tonight! Ohooooooo! She won't annoy me! Ohooooooo." Jaemin continued saying in a weird tone.
"Who are you going out with though?"
"I told you."
"No you didn't." Jaemin stopped dancing, confusion clear on his face. Your mouth formed a small oh remembering that you told your female best friend and not Jaemin.
"I told Em-"
"You didn't tell me! SEE I TOLD YOU!" Jaemin stomped his foot and pouted.
"Mark. I'm going out with Mark."
"Looking that fancy for Mark Lee?"
You raised your eyebrows at him a small smirk forming on your lips. "Why you jealous?"
"Jealous? Me?" Jaemins eyes went wide and then he laughed. "What are you even thinking you chipmunk?" He rolled on your bed and you just stared at him.
"WHY WOULD I BE JEALOUS LMAOOO!" he screamed while laughing.
You turned around focusing on your lashes.
"But Mark hyung of all people?"
You snickered. "He's my wingman, why would i ever go out with him?"
"I dont know, he looks good."
"You look good, that doesn't mean I'll date you."
"Mark hyung is your type."
"Jeon Jungkook is my type."
"Jaehyun hyung did say he'd set you up."
"Wouldn't date someone that perfect." You smacked your lips together, letting the Lip balm and lipstick blend well.
"Date Jisung."
"No, thank you. Won't date a kid." You grabbed your bag and stuffed your essentials in it.
"Mark hyung is the worst person to be a wingman."
You put your lip balm in the purse and looked up at him, as he sat on the bed in his white t-shirt and black pajamas.
"I asked you, you said no."
"I wouldn't! EVER! say no to a place with free booze." He stood on the bed, dramatic actions an obvious.
"No free booze."
"No free Na Jaemin."
"You don't even drink that much."
"Free booze is still free."
"Fine. I'll buy you booze." You stared at him.
"Bad idea." Jaemin said and got up from the bed. "Do you have a pair of my clothes?"
"Yes, through the closet in the right, small blue bag." You smiled, you knew that if you said you'd buy him Everything he needed for a party, he'd come along and you already kind of knew that Mark wasn't the best wingman.
He couldn't even talk straight to you if you dressed up a little and he didn't like talking to people in general. The last time he was your wingman you ended up asking him to make out with you because he hadn't set you up with anyone, but on the other hand you didn't want to put him through emotional trauma so you let him be.
Jaemin walked out in a white t-shirt and Jeans on, searching for his spare leather jacket in your room. When he put it on he looked like an entirely different person, he combed through his hair with his hands and smiled at you, your heart skipping a beat. You stared at him and he winked at you making a silly face to get your attention. "How do I look?" Jaemin asked. "If you put in a little effort you arent that bad are you?" You said picking up random things from here and there so that your attention wasn't solely on him.
"Am I dreaming? Why did my heart skip a beat? It's probably because it's been ages since I've seen Jaemin with his hair pushed back." You thought to yourself. Jaemin did look good with his hair pushed back but when he was with you his hair usually covered his eyes slightly. You couldn't accept the fact that you found him attractive and made your thoughts fade slowly.
At the party, Mark gladly knew people and had introduced you to quite a few men that you hadn't met before but unconsciously your eyes would end up on Jaemin who sat alone in a corner with his rum and coke, slowly sipping it and looking around. He had a slight smile on his face when Mark approched him, the guy in front of you was uttering some bullshit about the flower fragrances and you couldn't care less.
"So i think the bees are important." The guy in front of you said, He was talking about bees, great. "Hey, um it was nice talking to you." You smiled at him and tapped on his shoulder. "Why dont you stay and we can talk more." The guy said. "Look, you're talking about bees and honestly, i dont know shit about them. I'm not interested in you." You walked away your heels clinking the floor of the rooftop as you reached the two men in the booth and sat down.
"Mark get me a drink." You said making yourself comfortable and snatching Mark's jacket to cover your legs.
"Why aren't you talking to that guy?"
"He's talking about bees and some save the earth, i dont know." You groaned, Jaemin let out a snort. You glared at him but he continued snorting.
"Bees? seriously?"
"Mark set me up! Don't laugh at me." You said and turned to Mark. "Oppa please get me a drink." You pouted at him and his face morphed into disgust as he got up with your glass.
When you were alone with Jaemin you found yourself staring at him and admiring his features. The slight curve where his eyes ended, his hair which was pushed back and then your eyes settled on his lips. You stared at them for a while before they curved into a slight smile, his hand caressing your head.
"Jaemin?"
"Hm?" His hands went back into their place, grabbing a hold of his glass once again, you carefully watched as the glass came in contact with his lips, slowly gulping the liquid. His neck tensed and relaxed, probably from the heat in the rum. "What?"
"I wanna find something out." He turned to you, eyes fixated on yours. "What do you wanna find out?"
"Earlier, when you were getting ready my heart skipped a beat. I thought it was because i hadn't seen you in pushed back hair in a while."
"And?"
"It's still skipping beats, so i wanna find out how close i can get to you to make me think you're my dumb best friend again."
"One way to find out." His hand slowly got rid of the jacket on your lap, hands slowly gliding on your thigh. You pulled his hand and he moved closer to you, his breath fanning your neck, the sweet smell of rum lingered near your nose as you moved even more closer to him, lips almost touching.
A smirk formed on Jaemin's face and he smashed his lips against yours, your hands found his hair and pulled at them, you climbed his lap and kissed him back with the same urgency.
He pulled back and looked at you, trying to catch his breath. "You think it was the pushed back hair then?"
You breathed in, "Yeah definitely." You chuckled.
"Guess I'm pushing my hair back everyday from now on then."
suggestive, making out, best friends to (?) 🤪 it's still sfw tho (?) 0.355k words
"Come on guys!" Jaehyun yelled.
"Are you seriously gonna put me and my best friend in a closet and do this shit?" You snarled.
"Absolutely." Jaehyun said, his hands pushed you and Mark into the room.
Mark's drowsy form entered the closet and he smiled at you. "Hey." he said and smirked. Your eyebrows danced a little and then your eyes met his. There was a glint of mischief in them. His hand grazed along your thigh and before you knew it he pulled you closer by yanking you towards him. His lips grazed your and his eyes turned dark. You looked away and then put your hands on his chest, slowly pushing him against the closet and then your eyes met his, he looked sad and his hands were off you, you suddenly missed the warmth of his hands and so you pulled him closer. Your hands searched for the collar of his round neck and you pulled him closer.
Your hands travelled across his shoulder and you shuddered when his hand glided across your thigh, you sighed and kissed him. The kiss was slow in the beginning and then it got sloppy as it went on.
Your feelings for him came rushing back in and your hands tugged at his hair as he softly bit your lip and smiled in between the kiss. His hand went to the back of your blouse slowly pulling at the strings when you heard knocks at the door.
"7 minutes are over dummies." Ten said and giggled, "Having too much fun in there are you?"
You sighed when Mark pulled away and slammed you against the cupboard to fix your blouse before Ten would enter. "Come out now! I know you guys probably just hugged or something." Ten said and knocked harder.
When the both of you came out of the closet everyone stared at you like you were clowns in a zoo. After everyone got settled, "Seven minutes in heaven and hours in hell sounds good to me." Mark whispered in your ear and pulled you to his room while the chatter amongst everyone else continued.
