Hi lovelies! We are half way through the summer (or at least I am as I'm in grad school), and I wanted to share a glimpse into what I'll be posting in these coming couple months.
Baby, I'm Jealous
☆ Inspired by Chxrry - Call Security
Summary: bratty reader is jealous at seeing Chanyeol with another girl. Keywords: smut, fwb.
Walking on Wires
☆ Inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen - On Wires
Summary: reader's world feels like its crashing down and a weekend getaway with bestfriend!Yeol is needed for her wellbeing. Keywords: fluff to smut, friends with a past. Potentially multiple parts.
Sweet Ambrosia
☆ Inspired by the greek story of Eros and Psyche
Summary: reader is blessed to know and live the kindest of loves, but cursed to not be allowed to see her lover's face nor know his name. Keywords: loose retelling of the original story, smut to fluff to smut to fluff.
A/N: I want to focus on really improving my writing which means I want to really slow down and tackle these with intent and care. I always get too excited to post which leads to some errors slipping into the posted stories! In the mean time, my inbox is open for drabble requests so I'm not MIA :) Sweet Ambrosia will likely be the last to be posted. Hope you all are well! Oh, I'm also doing some general cleaning up on the blog to make it more cute hehe- Libby 🐞
“You’re really cute and it’s ruining my life because I think about kissing you all the time.“
Exo Fanfic
Chanyeol x Reader
Fluff
Word Count: 970
You were in the middle of writing some lyrics - scratch that, in the middle of procrastinating writing some lyrics when the world suddenly went dark.
Warm hands had reached around and covered your eyes. “Guess who” a deep voice sing-whispered into your ear causing you to laugh. You knew who it was. You knew from the moment you smelled his cologne and heard him practically stumble into the room but sure, you’d play his game.
“Uhhhh, is it Brad Pitt?” you asked coyly, laughing as you heard him huff dejectedly behind you and the light of the room flooded back. You glanced over your shoulder to see him stood in front of you with his arms crossed and his brow raised.
“Oh! Chanyeol, it’s you?” you feigned surprise with a hint of sarcasm. “Never would have guessed.”
He shot you a glare as he shrugged off his oversized parka and smoothed a hand through his recently dyed silver locks to fluff them back into place from the wind outside. God, he was cute.
“So, what brings you to my office?” you smiled up at him.
Chanyeol pulled out the chair opposite to you and flopped down. He looked at you like you were crazy “I asked you to meet me here..and since when is Costa your office?” he asked incredulously.
He had a point, he had instant messaged you with the promise of free lunch.
“The world is a lyricists office!” you exclaimed as you waved your pen at him which caused him to chuckle his deep throaty laugh.
You had liked Park Chanyeol for the longest time and you knew he liked you back. The problem was he refused to admit that. He had pretty much confessed his crush on you to everyone at the record label you both worked at, everyone except you.
You had tried to ask him out, it was a few months back when you had first heard about his feelings. He never even gave you an answer and instead had walked straight out of the room. It bruised your ego until a coworker had told you that your forwardness had flustered him so much his ears had turned bright red.
You never spoke about it after that, but today you were determined to change your situation.
Things were different now and you were friends, but it frustrated you to be around him because flustered you just as much. You were never one to not be upfront about your feelings so it boggled your mind that he was sat opposite you and in denial.
“Are you spacing out?” he asked nudging your shoulder to snap you back to the present.
“Sorry” you mumble embarrassedly.
Chanyeol leaned his elbow on the table to rest his chin on top of his palm. He stared at you, his dark chocolate eyes piercing the depth of your soul as you stared back, it looked like he was deep in thought.
“I don’t want to be friends anymore” he finally announced his expression unreadable.
Now you were very confused. It stung even as those words slipped from his beautiful mouth. Why didn’t he want to be your friend? Had you done something wrong? You decided to find out.
“Why?” the pain evident in your voice as your brows drooped down in disappointment and hurt.
“Oh shit, that’s not what I meant…” he blurted out “that came out all wrong”.
He was sat upright now, tugging at the cuffs of his oversized sweater and eyes wide in panic.
“What I meant was…” he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair frustratedly, you were even more confused now.
“Just spit it out Chanyeol! If you want me to leave you alone then just man up and say it” you snap irritated that he couldn’t even tell you he doesn't like you properly.
“If that’s all you came to say?” you pushed as you hid any further emotion. You grabbed your stuff to leave as fast as possible.
You felt humiliated.
“Wait!” A hand grasped out for your wrist to stop you from moving from the table. You gathered your strength and looked back at him. His ears were red.
“Yourereallycuteanditsruiningmylifeandsdkd…..“ you strained to hear his words as he mumbled lowly, his eyes were fixed on his own hand as it grasped your wrist.
“What are you saying?” you demanded, growing more impatient and annoyed.
“You’re really cute and it’s ruining my life because I think about kissing you all the time!” he yelled out this time, startled people turned to watch the spectacle as it unfolded.
Oh. That was unexpected.
Your legs gave out as you sat back on your seat in shock. Chanyeol released your wrist. You hear him take a deep breath and then he laced his fingers with yours.
You tried to find a comeback or response but you're speechless. You hadn’t expected him to confess like that, or at all.
“Soooo” Chanyeol mumbled with a bashful smile, the tips of his ears were still tinged pink and you remembered this only happened when he’s flustered.
“Park Chanyeol...you’re unbelievable” you sighed, “I thought that maybe you’d changed your mind about me”
He looked up surprised “You mean you knew that I liked you?”
“I ASKED YOU OUT FIRST, DUMMY” you gasped outraged. He nodded his head slowly, one hand held up in defence while the other was still laced with yours.
“I’m sorry... I’m an idiot. Can we start over...how about a lunch date?”
His eyes were filled with emotion.
Embarrassment, hope, playfulness and something else you couldn’t quite figure out.
Stagnant. That was how you felt: as if you were wading in thick, mossy water, green in hue against the color of your toes as they wiggled impatiently beneath it.
You could taste it on your tongue- bitter, the smell of rot- sour, the decomposition of your marriage mocking your senses as it lay at your feet, clawing desperately at your legs to gain your attention.
Neglect hissed and spurted as it made contact with your ego, the sound rippling in your ears and you closed your eyes until it lessened, faded away like a background noise; like a song you couldn’t knock out of your head. Only, the song wasn’t catchy, or like a broken track on your brain because you enjoyed it. No, instead it was branded into your thoughts because it burrowed itself into every corner of them.
A constant reminder of things you had done, and the things you had failed to do.
But, regardless, things had managed to improve, even if you held the term in its simplest sense. The neglect was there, evident as ever, gnawing at you and Chanyeol no matter how fervently you swatted it away- like a bug, but it was fading. It was being washed out, rinsed out of your subconscious like you had finally found the sense to hose down your life and let your problems drain into the gutter alongside the dirty water.
You would wake up, him not in your arms but sleeping just beside you, and it was a feeling you’d grown accustomed to- one you learned to appreciate. You would not feel suffocated, not claustrophobic in your own bed as if your entire word would crumble at his skin touching yours, or the lack thereof. You and Chanyeol had found a simple melody, a place in time where you two existed together, but apart; with him and without him, with you and without you.
No longer did he sleep with his spine digging into the couch, and no longer did he sleep with his cheek pressed into the skin of your stomach, but he slept next to you. And it was this warmth that radiated off of his body that lingered onto your own and lulled you to sleep despite the cold whistling outside.
Your days existed separately, coming together only when they had finished themselves to completion, and you found a beautiful solace in the comfort of your apartment, of your home. You had work, and though he had just lost his, it did nothing to deter him. And so you were together, but apart.
Two people, two souls, learning to live alongside each other rather than as one.
It was what you both needed, the comfort lying in the distance, but the solidarity of knowing you two would be there, unwavering and consistent, if need be.
Inherently, you could never deny the truth: the fact that you yearned to feel him despite the way you were glad he wasn’t trying. You knew it in the way your touch lingered across his clothing as you folded it into your dresser, the way you would lay in bed scrolling through your camera roll, disregarding the fact that he laid inches beside you, asleep. It was a force you hadn’t learned to ease, a draw to him that you couldn’t, even after so many years of trying, control.
And so, when Baekhyun called, inviting you and Chanyeol out to a ‘lunch date, yannow, like a normal couple,’ with him and Sumi, you accepted, despite the growing discomfort manifesting at the base of your chest, or the anxieties of sitting next to Chanyeol in public for the first time in months lingering in your fingertips. You accepted only because you knew you’d have to fall into normalcy eventually, that you and Chanyeol would have to start picking up the pieces of your marriage and gluing it together, even if one shard at a time, slowly.
The wind howling in the trees made them sing, their bare branches whipping against the air as if they were quarreling, pushing the balance between the two and swaying back and forth. It was almost metaphoric, the way you could see the branches struggling against the force, the way they nearly snapped in two under the weight they couldn’t control- similar to the way you’d let yourself bend backwards under the pressure of your dwindling marriage.
Chanyeol had nothing to do with it, after a certain amount of time, slowly detaching from the situation. It turned into a battle with yourself, into a plea bargain between your mind and your heart- your heart being the one who was lovesick for forgiveness. Your mind, however, was a stoic wall, unwavering and unforgiving. Your mind remembered everything: every word, every look, every inhale of breath you struggled for when he would throw knives into your chest. Your heart was forgiving, the burn of want blowing smoke straight into your mind and making it impossible to fight is pull.
And so, it was a battle, one that would go on for weeks, a war that was unwilling to come to a close.
You could see the way the snow fell to the ground, melting into puddles of slush as it touched the concrete below, fading away into a dark grey color and becoming mixed with the dirt in between the cracks in the cement. It wasn’t snowing enough to cover anything, not enough to create a blanket of white across the streets, only a small freckle daring to hit the pavement as time prolonged. But still it was cold, and outside it was dark, and the porcelain mug resting between your fingers did little to alleviate the numbness growing into their tips.
The conversations lingering around you were only a buzz in your brain, a mere whisper against the shell of your ear as you watched the people bustling outside of the cafe as they walked along, noses tipped in red and cheeks left dry and bitten from the wind. You tried to ignore everything, tried to submerge yourself into anything besides the way his arm twitched beside you- as if it were fighting itself not to latch onto your thigh. You allowed your eyes to flutter shut, zeroing in on the soft hum of the music echoing across the room and falling into your own world- the world where you were unapologetically and unregrettably happy.
Your fingers lingered against the rim of the cup, swiveling, tense, uncomfortable as you took steady breaths in a weak attempt to calm the sporadic beating in your chest. You could feel him, the way you always did, radiating anxiety, as if his presence in the cafe was turning his insides to push and shooting adrenaline up his arm like heroin.
In the back of your brain laid the memory of his hands- more specifically the way they felt on your hips the night he got back, how they felt as they pushed themselves up your clothing and pressed themselves into your flesh. It made you feel calm, made your eyes flutter open and a smile threaten to tug at the corners of your lips as you focused on the steam that radiated from the tea in your mug.
His voice knocked you out of your trance, brought you back to reality like it always did- the way it reverberated through your nerves like a chorus singing in your bloodstream. Your eyes focused on his, on the way his eyebrows furrowed onto slightly, drawn into his forehead, gaze lingering on you and the way you stared at him blankly. His hair was disheveled, like he had been carding his hands through it all day to release the pounds of tension and pressure from their follicles. You focused especially on his lips, on the way his tongue darted out to soothe their cracks and moved in harmony with the sound of his voice.
“They’re here.”
And so you let your eyes leisure towards the entrance, and they fixated on the way Baekhyun held the door open, Sumi brushing past him with a nod, a blush on her cheeks and a smile glued to her features like it had been there since the moment she woke up.
You remembered when you were like that, too.
You watched them, the way they interacted- how their hands gravitated towards each other like two magnets with polar ends. You envied them, felt a tinge of jealousy in the way they walked over, the way Baekhyun’s nose scrunched as Sumi caringly, gently used her thumb to swipe something from the corner of his lips.
Their greeting was thin, breathless, as if the journey from the car to your table had taken the wind from their lungs and let it evaporate into the atmosphere. You could feel them, their energy, the way they omitted happiness and radiance- almost blinding as they slid into the booth across from you.
“Sorry we’re late, you know how Baekhyun gets.”
She said it with a laugh, and you could see his pout, see the way her smile swallowed her face as she shrugged her coat off of her shoulders and into her lap beneath the table. Only out of the corner of your eye could you see the way Baek’s arm crawled towards her lap, likely ghosting her fingers with his own in secret. It was warm, the atmosphere that radiated from their bodies, the aura that surrounded them- yellow, fiery orange and deep red. It made your hands twitch against your mug, made you fight yourself to keep them at the porcelain instead of retreating into your lap, the fog looming over your brain making you want to curl into a ball forever.
It burned, seeming them, though it definitely shouldn’t have. You and Chanyeol had made progress, the doubt not lingering in the well being of your marriage but rather the well being of your heart. You’d become weary, unsure of how deep you could submerge into Chanyeol again, untrusting of yourself simply of how fully trusting you were of him. You’d come to realise you would cross a busy street if he told you he would be there on the other side. It was this, the undeniable gravitation towards him that had the tips of your fingers numb and your body pulled in as close to the wall as possible.
“We’ve all had to deal with Hyun forcing us to be late at one time or another.”
Chanyeol’s voice, again, radiated across your core, sending a spark of heat to flash across your body, the lump in your throat dissolving like sugar. Air could reach your lungs, simply because he spoke, simply because his words had lingered in the space above your head and seeped deep into your skin.
Baekhyun’s whine is what drew your eyes away from the window, where they had drifted in passing, the sound comforting as it wisped across the table and onto you. He looked at home, his arm draw tight around Sumi’s shoulders like there was no other place it belonged, his back pressed against the booth. You noticed the way he glanced at the side of her face as she studied the menu, the way he kept his eyes locked on her lips and her profile whenever she spoke, gleaming and bright despite their dark color.
You’d missed it. The familiarity of sitting across from Baekhyun, Chanyeol at your side- the normalcy settling deep into your bones and causing a wave of comfort to soothe into your muscles. You let yourself lean into him, into his side as you listened in on Sumi talking about her day, feeling him tense slightly beneath you, like your presence on his skin had jolted him awake out a slumber he was unaware of.
But he melted out of it, and pooled into you like honey, into your touch, grabbing at your flesh like he was trying to make a home of it. You welcome his hand where it rested on your thigh, let your eyes flutter shut as his side pressed into yours and the way you could feel his chest move with laughter as he clapped his free hand against the table- sending a boisterous sound through the vacant diner as it echoed against the walls.
“So, how is it having Chanyeol back?”
The question directed at you was innocent, Sumi likely not being clued in on the way you had been clawing desperately out of the lingering situation, but it made Chanyeol’s hand flinch off of your thigh nonetheless, his arm around you staying, but stiffening all the same. He spoke up beside you, keeping you from having to grit through your teeth as you lied.
“It’s good,” he started, glancing at Baek as if he feared if he looked Sumi in the eye she would read the way he was lying directly to her face, “better than ever.”
You nodded in agreement, the smile on your face feeling as if you’d forced knives into your cheeks to peel them into place. “Much better.”
“Oh perfect, then I won’t feel guilty rambling some more,” Sumi said, reaching for Baekhyun’s hand and grasping it tightly in her own. Your eyes caught the way he rubbed the back of her palm with his thumb, almost comfortingly, his body leaning into hers and his presence becoming more evident at the small booth. “Baekhyun and I actually have some amazing news. Well, at least I think it’s amazing.”
The last bit was teasing, playful as she eyed Baekhyun carefully, scrunching her nose slightly at the way he grinned back at he. You’d almost felt invasive watching them, like you’d been recording a moment designed only for them, like you should be slapped on the wrist for indecency.
The second the words left her tongue, you crashed. All at once, your body convulsed, like every nerve had been asleep and was suddenly jolted awake as her voice ricocheted into your body. Chanyeol went limp beside you, his air stuck in his throat as he glanced between the two of them. You managed your eyes onto Baekhyun, watching as he read the situation, tongue swiping along the inside of his cheek and eyes whirling with an emotion you couldn’t manage to read.
“I’m pregnant!”
You opened your mouth to speak, but you failed. The words got caught on your tongue, burning like acid as they lodged deep in your throat and cut off the circulation to your brain. You could see the world tilting on its axis, your hand subconsciously dropping to your lower stomach as you clenched your jaw to keep the tears from welling in your sockets. Chanyeol was the first to speak up beside you, wrapping his arm around you tighter and pulling you further into his chest, almost like he was attempting to shield you, trying to keep you hidden so you could experience your emotions in full. Only you couldn’t, because the pair was watching you on bated breath, waiting for a congratulations of some kind as you fought yourself to stay put together.
“That really is amazing news, Sumi,” he began, nodding along with his words as if to make them sound more viable, more concrete in theory, “you and Hyun will make amazing parents. I just know it.”
And at that, it became harder to breathe as you nodded alongside him, your cheeks burning as you forced them into a smile wider and your hands dug into the flesh of your thigh.
It was you that was supposed to be receiving these words, you and Chanyeol who should be across from them announcing news to start your family.
You wished it was you.
It should’ve been you.
“Of course,” you started, using every ounce of concentration to force the words out, to make sure they didn’t break and splinter as they slipped off of your tongue, “I’m happy for the both of you.”
From the relief that washed over Baekhyun’s face, your body relaxed, only slightly, that you had managed to pull off the happiness- managed to hide the way your heart was breaking in half beneath your ribs. Chanyeol, beside you, knew better, and you could tell in the way he tightened his grip on your arm and tried his best to soothe you with circles into your shoulder.
The wind outside was still howling, untouched, the snow still falling in spurts, not managing to conceal the floor anymore than before, especially now that everything had turned so dark. You wished, desperately as you clung to your own leg to keep from collapsing in on yourself, that the flurries would take you with them. You watched as they fell, breath coming out in heavy, shallow bursts as the flakes melted into the ground, not strong enough to stay whole. You felt a lot like the snow that dissipated into the concrete, like you were too weak, too fragile to remain complete- as if you would, too, melt into the ground if Chanyeol let you.
After a long time, seconds, even minutes of conversation continuing, numbing responses leaving your mouth without the acknowledgement of their meaning, your hands grasped the mug, now cold from neglect, and pulled it closer to you. The ring on your left finger felt hot, like it was charring through your flesh and threatening grey ash onto your bones as it lingered. It felt mocking, like the glint of light it reflected from the soft lamps above you had purpose: to shine into you and make you burn from the inside out. Sumi had no ring, no binding of her life to Baekhyun’s, and yet she got what you’d always wanted- got a life growing inside her despite how little she had worked for it.
You knew, in your mind, that you were being selfish. You should have been happy for Baekhyun and Sumi, the happiness oozing off of them seemingly being enough to seep into you and consume your otherwise negative thoughts, but it only spurred you on farther, deeper into the pit of your anxieties and neglect.
You were drowning, and again, it was because of yourself.
The sun began to hide behind the horizon when Baekhyun and Sumi excused themselves, your eyes feeling dry and stinging as you blinked up at them. You didn’t know how long you’d zoned out- clearly long enough for the sky to fall, and you apologized to them for it, though you weren’t sorry. You couldn’t help the bitterness that washed over you as you hugged her, knowing there was a life inside of her that you felt you deserved more.
Baekhyun’s body held you closer than usual, his arms tightening around you firmer and longer than he would’ve any other day, because he could see that you were lost. He could see in the way you watched people through the window, as you twisted the ring on your finger absent-mindedly, that you were everywhere but in that cafe. Anywhere but sitting across from the people that had taken something from you that you’d been wanting for months, years even. He knew, and that’s why he hugged you longer, hoping it would cauterize the wound that had been slashed open, bleeding onto the floor in a puddle.
Your eyes glued to your fingers as you slid back in the booth, Chanyeol sitting across from you now and taking your hands in his. You fought yourself not to flinch away, not to put up the walls you so gruelingly took down to let him back in, to let him hold you and comfort you and help you when you needed him the most.
The warmth radiated off of him, like he was a beacon and you were the sea he projected into, vast, dark, cold. He watched you shut down, watched as your body went catatonic against the words running behind your eyes as they stared blankly at where your bodies connected. He wanted to help you, wanted to pull you out from the water before you drowned, but he knew he couldn’t. He could try, but it was only you that could save yourself, only you that could allow yourself to swim to the top, to take in the air you needed to survive.
Because he was only a lifeboat, and you had to want to float to board it.
“I can’t breathe.”
Your voice came out, but barely, broken, like it was cutting your vocal chords as it lingered into the air. He held your hands tighter, smoothing over them with the pads of his fingers as he nodded, watching you.
“I know, baby. I know. I’m sorry I can’t-”
“No, Chanyeol. It hurts to breathe. I need to get out of here.” Your voice was thick, reverberating from deep within your chest as you tried to swallow down the lump in your throat, failing. “Please take me home.”
He stared at you, eyes blown and concern drawing his eyebrows together, scanning your face as if he was looking for a scratch on the side of a car. And then he was nodding, and on his feet, and swallowing thickly and carding his fingers through his hair as if he’d just been told he had seconds to escape before the walls caved in on him. His arm was around your shoulder, leading you out of the diner and walking you to where he parked your car, trying his best to shield your body from the biting winds as silent tears spilled down your cheeks and blew into your hair with force.
He was silent, you were silent, as he tucked you into his side and waited for the light to turn red and signal you across the street. He could feel your body shake, with tears or because of the low temperatures he couldn’t tell, though he hoped it was the latter for the sake of your well being- even if he knew it wasn’t.
The tears burned as they streamed, hot and bitter against the chapped skin of your cheeks, your face pressing into his body and nuzzling deep there, legs nearly on top of his own as you pushed further and further into his chest. You wished, in that moment, that everything would cease to exist. That you, Chanyeol, and everything else would vanish into thin air- that the heartbreak would be something that you never had to think about again. Standing there, heart beating so heavily in your chest it felt as if it were cracking your ribs in half, you’d wished you plainly didn’t exist.
At least that way you wouldn’t have to think about the almosts, and the could’ve beens.
And he could sense this. He knew you, knew the way your hands lay limp at your sides that you’d been overcome with a sense of nothingness. The way you cried silently, not broken, not splintered, but silent, sullen, vacant. Had he not known better he would think you’d been paralyzed, the way the liquid poured down your cheeks and into his clothing as you did nothing to wipe it away.
All he could do was pull you with him as he crossed the street, keep his arm wrapped tightly around your shoulder, and guide you home.
You stayed silent. In the car, on the way home, even as Chanyeol tried talking to you, you had no words. Nothing you felt the need to say, no construction of letters that you deemed fit to let mock you in the air around your head. Drawing your legs up to your chest, you leaned yourself against the window, curled as tightly as possible into the door and let your eyes shut, squeezed together so tight you could see the galaxies swirling beneath them, wanting nothing more to become a star, a part of the cosmos and away from the pain.
At a red light, he turned to you, and reached out for you, but you stayed away. You kept your eyes shut and your arms wrapped firmly around your knees. You could hear him sigh, feel the way he tensed beside you as he leaned back into the chair and gripped the steering wheel, but you couldn’t help but stay mute.
“Please don’t shut me out.”
He had pulled into the parking garage of your apartment and shut the car off, the only sounds filling your ears being his breathing and the hum of the engine as it purred to sleep. Your words clawed at your throat as they came up, like a creature living at the base of your ribs and filling your lungs with air as they expanded. You looked at him, for the first time since you left the diner, and your heart dropped in your chest. He looked tired. No, not tired, exhausted, like you had sucked the last bit of life out of him and left him alone to wither away into dust. Your legs straightened out beneath you and you turned into him, pulling your hand up and pressing it to his cheek.
Watching at the way his eyes fluttered shut and the way his face nudged into your palm, you felt overwhelmed with guilt. You’d neglected him, ignored him, shut him out even though he was doing everything he could to help you. You were like a leech, one that would keep sucking him dry until he finally squashed you beneath his shoe and found someone else.
“I don’t deserve you.”
His eyes shot open, and his hand grasped at yours and he pulled you closer to him, as close as he could get with the console in between you two.
“God, no,” he started, taking your hand and pressing it against his chest, using his free one to push your hair behind your ear and cup your cheek, “you are everything I want in life. You. Only you. Please,” his voice was breaking, cracking with strain as he let his thumb ghost across your lips, “please know that I love you.”
You stared at him. For as long as you could recall, you watched, breathed him in, let your forehead rest against his and inhaled everything. You could have stayed like that forever, in his touch, with his body so close to yours it was as if you were one, his breath fanning across your lips and reminding you of the reasons you were with him in the first place. He was everything to you, and more, and you’d learned your lesson the last time you lost him to never let him go again.
And so you didn’t.
You pressed your lips to his, and let yourself melt into his touch, savoring the way his lips molded perfectly into yours and sent shocks of electricity across your body. It was something you would never get used to- the way you reacted so fervently to him. Keening, clawing, prying, you groped at his body for more, yearned for his skin against yours as you opened yourself up to him, pulled him deeper into you, and tasted him longer on your tongue.
It hurt, and you were in pain, and the tears still threatened the back of your eyes, and the creature still clawed at your chest as he clawed at your hips, but you held it back. Held it back because you were willing to put it all behind you if it meant starting over, if it meant finally being happy again, finally having him again.
In the elevator you were feverish, tugging at the bottom of his shirt like your life depended on it, heart cracking beneath the pressure of his hands but being glued back together by the pressure of his lips on your skin. You were overwhelmed, with both pain and passion, and you’d decided it was time the pain faded away, that it was time for you to finally submerge yourself back into your marriage and to stop letting the past control everything.
You couldn’t help it anymore, couldn’t stop the way you felt as if your world was going to implode on itself if you weren’t on him, if you weren’t latched so tightly onto him you would fly away without him as your tether. Because even after everything, after the way you’d been ripped apart piece by piece until you were nothing but snowflakes melting into the concrete, you forced yourself whole. You decided to swim to the top of the ocean, decided to cling onto him as he kept you afloat.
Synopsis: Sehun dares you to kiss 5 people by the end of the night. You're up for the challenge and end the night winning for sure for suuure
Content and warnings: it's all consensual and always assume my characters are on BC; p in v; cream pieeeee; drinking mentioned, car sex car sex!; a dare turned sexyyyy; mdni!!!
A/N: So I was listening to this song and I got 2 ideas and I when I started writing the raunchy idea started to take shapeeee. I actually started this blog bc I found my ancient and defunct 1d blog. I would always write one shots inspired by songs. So, send me song requests!! I'll listen and see if I cook something up.
Cream Soda PCY when are you coming home honey.............
"There's no way," Sehun said.
"Okay, so? No need to be dramatic," you reply, returning a stare with the same level of intensity as his.
"I mean, it's just, that's a bit of a long time without having sex, let alone kissing someone," your best friend replies.
"You think I don't know that?" You haven't had the best luck as of late, "Plus, the dating pool is limited. No one has necessarily caught my attention long term."
"Who's talking about long term? I'm saying you need to be getting touched more often. Any type of touch."
You scoff. "Stop being mean to me. No one has shown interest."
"And, I bet you haven't been putting in the effort either."
"Listen, I can start putting in the effort whenever."
"I don't want to chat someone up. I don't have the energy for that."
"Okay fine, how about…" He looks around the room. "Okay. I dare you-" You choke. "I dare you to finish the night kissing 5 people. No expectations on long-term chatting, just kissing."
"What are we, in high school?"
"You're avoiding it." He challenges
"No, I am not." You retort
"Okay so, prove me wrong." He outstretches his hand. "Deal?"
This is silly. "Deal."
5 people by the end of the night.
It was weird in the beginning, and you decided you definitely needed another drink for this. Everyone at the bar was a friend or an acquaintance of Sehun's and you knew no one would care too much. You decided to lay out ground rules and define with Sehun what a kiss was. Was he talking lips, or tongue, or a peck? He said anything goes. So, you were off your feet and approached a table.
"Hi guys." The table with 3 girls stops their chatter and they all smile brightly at you. You've seen them at previous hangouts. "Look, Sehun is daring me to kiss 5 people by the end of tonight. Is anyone open for a kiss?"
"What a prick," one of them says with a laugh.
"He's always scheming shit." Another one chimes in.
"I'll do it though," the first one replies. "How many do you have by now?" she asks.
"None… I'm starting now."
"Alright! Let's get to it!" She stands up and walks over to you and plants a peck on your lips. "One down, sweetheart! Knock them out!"
You turn around and see Sehun giving you a thumbs up with one hand and holding up the number four with the other. You can't believe he's going to keep count.
You look around. Baekhyun and Kai are seated at a booth towards the back of the bar. You point in their direction and Sehun's eyes follow. He responds with a nod.
You proudly make your way to the booth, preparing the script in your head. These two probably your friends. Many hang outs would end with you talking and joking with them.
"Hi! Welcome!" Baekhyun greets cheerily with a bright smile. "Come, sit!" he invites, but you just place your drink on the table.
"I come to you guys with a request."
"Oooh, what's up," Baekhyun says.
"Sehun has dared me to kiss 5 people by the end of the night. I'm one down, four to go. Would either of you be willing and interested?"
Kai bursts into a cackling laugh. "What an asshole. Why did he dare you?"
"Don't worry about the details," you dismiss him. "So, are you in or out?"
They both look at each other and Kai shrugs. "I'm down."
"Great." You relax and sit next to him. "How do you wan-" before the sentence ended, he had a hand under your chin and was pulling you in for the world's most gentle and romantic kiss. He went in for a second, deeper kiss, which you welcomed. Then he stopped.
"My turn, my turn," Baekhyun said, getting up from his seat and moving to your side so you were now in between the two men.
"Alright, let's get you to three," he says as you turn your head to him. Immediately your lips were together. He wasn't slow and romantic like Kai, but direct and fun. After pulling away, he held your hand and brought it up to his lips. "Best of luck on the rest of your journey," he said, giving your rings a kiss. You laugh and scooted off the booth after he settled back in his seat. They both watched you walk back to Sehun, and he signaled the number three with his finger.
"Three down, fucker. I told you this wasn't going to be a big deal."
"Aw, don't be mean, I'm just trying to help you."
"No, you just want to have a good time at my expense."
"You know I hear a lot of words coming out of your mouth but not enough planning of who's next."
"Give me a break. We said end of the night, not within the hour. Let me enjoy my time too."
The door opened and in came a group of people. Suho accompanied by Chanyeol and a few more girls.
"More people to pick from." He says in a singsong tone.
"What about you, huh? You're talking big game, but how is your dating life?" In part you needed a break from the pressure of continuing to kiss more people, despite your outstanding luck. In part, he always had the craziest escapades, and he did not disappoint with his story this time around.
The bar was continuing to get louder by the minute. Now you were barely able to hear Sehun over the music and the patrons.
"Okay, enough chatting. You are stalling. You've got 2 more."
"Fine." You spin around and analyze the crowd. Baekhyun and Kai were at their same table, but now Chanyeol sat with them. Suho was at the side of the bar with a girl on his arm. Chanyeol has always been a character in the crowd of Sehun’s friends that you haven’t exchanged more than pleasantries with. He was also painfully handsome, which was probably the reason you never felt brave enough to approach. Suho, while more approachable, was already occupied. A mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces flooded the establishment. "How about that table there?" You point to the table where Johnny sat with a few other people.
"Good choice."
"Okay, I'll approach after a bathroom break."
You leave your now empty drink on the table and walk towards the stairs where the restroom sign glowed fluorescently.
The drinks had settled in, and you had the liquid courage to finish this silly bet. You look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a quick hype. At a later night, Sehun will get a dare of his own. One last look in the mirror and you were out. Swinging the door open, you almost hit a person on the other side of it.
"Sorry!" You exclaim and look to see who you nearly shoved out of the way with your forceful exit.
"It's okay!" It was Chanyeol. "I was too close to the door."
This was probably the first time you have talked since the last two hangouts.
"Ah, still sorry," you begin to walk back towards the stairs leading down when his voice calls your name.
"Yeah?"
"I was talking to Baekhyun and Kai. They told me Sehun has you on some type of bet."
"Oh, they told you.” For some reason, your hearts does a little jump. Maybe a mix of how much they shared, or how he took the information. “Yeah, I've got 2 people left."
He shortens the distance between you. "Could I help you reach your goal?" he says with a sideways smirk. Despite never having shared a conversation, he's always struck you as a charismatic guy who always has the right words to say. At times some would say he was a little too cocky for his own good.
You reply trying to stay nonchalant and hide your surprise, "If you're interested, of course. No pressure."
"I'm interested," he says, taking another step closer and snaking a hand to your lower back. "What type of kiss are we talking about?"
Not sure if it was the drinks, or his expensive cologne, or the fact that you were at the top of the steep stairs, but you suddenly felt dizzy, with only his hand as an anchor.
"Um… any kiss is fine. I'm fine with anything." Your eyes were now locked on his lips as he was painfully close to you, but far enough that you couldn't begin until he gave the okay. One hand remained on your hip, and the other held your face. He pulled both his arms toward him, drawing you in as close as possible. He began kissing you slowly, almost tenderly. Lips locking. You felt completely lost in the kiss. He switched his head from left to right to reset it. You hadn't noticed that your hands had found his hips, fingers linked on his belt loops pulling him a little closer.
"I'm glad I finally have an excuse to kiss you."
Finally? No time to ponder on that. You moved your hands from his belt loops to resting your arms behind his head, fully sinking into the kiss. Maybe Sehun was right, that you hadn't been touched in too long. Or Chanyeol was just that good of a kisser that you felt warmth build at your core. He pulled away right as your tongues were starting to touch, only to give your lip a gentle nip, then pulled back fully, leaving you breathless and aching…
You stared at him, almost blankly, for a couple of seconds. You weren't sure what your next words should be.
He noticed the lack of words on your end and let out a chuckle. Leaning close to your ear, a shiver traveling up your arms, he spoke softly. "I've been wanting to kiss you and… get to know you a little better. I'll be back at the party. If you'd like to count me twice, come find me."
With that, he walked back downstairs as you stared. On the last step he turned around and gave you a wink before disappearing back into the crowd.
--
"Four!" you said to Sehun. "Got one more at the staircase."
"Nice! Who?"
"Johnny's friend. Yuta? I think that’s his name?" You lied, hoping Sehun wasn't tracking the locations of all the guests.
"So that leaves one more."
"What do you think of Chanyeol?" you ask.
"Good looking, cocky, fun to hang out with. Probably a good kisser." Oh yes, he was. "Why? Last target?" he inquires.
"Maybe… I always see him around but have never talked to him."
"Well, the goal is to kiss and not talk. You ready?" He hands you his glass. You sip his nasty drink but are thankful for the boost. Your knees were still jelly from whatever happened at the stairs.
"Um… Don't wait for me," you say.
He cocked his head. "Find me when you're ready."
--
Chanyeol was standing in a crowd surrounded by a few people. You approached confidently, not paying attention to the fact that this was a group you barely knew. He saw you approach, and a devilish look sparked in his eyes.
"Can I offer you a drink?" he asked as you joined the circle.
"Sure," you reply.
"We'll be back, everyone." And smoothly like that, he had separated you from the crowd. "Let's have this conversation in my car." He placed a hand on the small of your back and, instead of walking you to the bar, he walked you out to the front. Your heart was pounding hard in your chest, and your mind was drowning with only one thought-- getting his lips back on yours. The mention of his car made the warmth between your legs return.
A short distance away was his black, tinted car. He opened the back door, and you readily obliged, sliding in. He followed right behind, taking his place on the back seat.
"So, are you counting me twice?"
"Kiss me," is all you could say.
The devilish look appeared again and he leaned in, once again holding your face with one hand. Your lips resumed the dance they had started a few minutes ago. He tastes of whiskey and his cologne filled your nose again. He is a devastatingly good kisser. A small groan escaped his lips, unfortunately making you more wet.
Screw it.
Your mouth leaves his lips and travels down to kiss his jaw and close to his ear. Another groan. "Get on top of me," he commanded, and you happily obliged.
Sitting on him, he had both hands all over you. Without breaking the kiss, his hands travel from your ass, to your shoulders, to your breasts. He slipped a strap off your shoulder, leaving you fully exposed given the lack of undergarments. "Shit…" he muttered.
He instantly pulled a nipple into his mouth. His tongue grazing you made you sharply inhale while pulling at his hair. This was all getting too hot.
"Chanyeol. I want… Can we…" Broken thoughts crossed your mind as he moved to the other nipple.
"Are you asking me to fuck you?" he asks, and all you can manage is a pathetic whimper of a please. He instantly hikes up your dress to leave your bottom completely bare except for the thin undergarments. You were essentially entirely exposed to him. His hands grasp each cheek with an almost painful grip.
"You really want us to get to know each other, huh?" So, he is a little too cocky at times.
"Stop talking and keep kissing me."
You resume, your hips start to grind on his lap, seeking any type of touch. His hands leave your ass to unbuckle his belt. Lifting you both slightly, he lowers his pants just enough so his member is out and pressed against your soaked panties.
"Shit… you're so wet. Grind on me." One of his hands has slipped your underwear to the side, leaving you skin to skin with him. With every grind his cock hardened more, teasing at your entrance. Every time the grind would reach your clit, you were so close to losing your inhibitions. Until you finally did.
"Fuck me, please," you choke out, your heart beating hard in your chest.
"Say it again," he says, grabbing himself and stroking slowly.
"Fuck me. Please. Fuck me." You hovered over him as he finally aligned his tip to your entrance. You were so turned on and so wet that he fit perfectly inside. You both let out what sounded like a mix of a groan and a moan.
He shifted slightly down so he could have more control. He began fucking into you, thrusting his hips upward. One of your hands rested on his chest, lifting his shirt so it wouldn't get entirely soaked by you. The other hand pressed to the car's roof, keeping you steady as he kept pounding into you.
Your lips found his again, wanting all types of stimulation from the gorgeous man beneath you. You felt so slutty, and the car was getting so steamy. You didn't care that anyone walking outside could probably see the rocking of the car. You actually liked the idea of someone seeing Chanyeol's car move and wondering who he's in there with.
"You're so wet," he kept muttering over and over, like it was an answered prayer.
His lips land on your nipple again, his fingers playing with the other one. The stimulation from all sides starts to undo you. A swirling sensation builds in your abdomen, seeking release.
"Don't stop. Please, don't stop," you beg. He follows the command just right, keeping the achingly satisfying thrusts while stimulating both your nipples. As your release hits, you latch your lips to his. His hands fall to your hips, and he keeps fucking you through the orgasm.
"Shit, I'm about to come," he mutters against your mouth.
"Fucking do it." Your approval undoes him. His thrusts lose their rhythm and become jagged as he fills you completely. Your foreheads remain pressed together, both your eyes closed, trying to calm down.
Despite your internal wishes of staying like this as long as you could, he pulls out of you, leaving you feeling hollow. You get off him and adjust the top of your dress to regain some decency.
"So, is that four or five?" he asks, your brain needing a second to remember how and why you got yourself into this situation.
"I'm counting it as winning the bet," you reply.
He laughs. Reaching over for some napkins, he passes you a few and cleans himself as well. "How about we get back in there and get to know each other like normal people do?"
You happily take the offer. Walking back inside, you feel Sehun's eyes instantly find you. All you do is hold up five fingers and wave them in a assertive greet as you walk past him and keep following Chanyeol to the bar. He raises his glass in your direction with a wink.
Long Day | 18+| Synopsis: Chanyeol has been keeping busy at the gym while you've been working late. Turns out all that training was good for something.
Kissin My Friends | 18+| Synopsis: Sehun dares you to kiss 5 people by the end of the night. You're up for the challenge and end the night winning.
Online Love | 18+| Synopsis: Chanyeol is away for work. Your goodnight call turns into more as he can't bare to be away from you.
────୨ৎ────
Fics
At Your Service Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 (18+)
Series Completed | Synopsis: Chanyeol, a regular at the music store you work at, develops a small crush on you. He uses every opportunity he has to get closer to you. A slight miscommunication on his intentions of friendly hang out or date leaves you confused, until he finally realizes where he went wrong and is fully transparent.
Synopsis: following the festival, Chanyeol asks reader out... but... does it happen?
A/N: Hello! Sorry this took a bit to post. I'm back with usual updates :p
You stay up sharing all the details of the day to your roommate who was glaring at you under her brows, confident that he was blatantly crushing on you.
“Maybe he’s just nice like this?” You fight back, not too sure who you were trying to convince.
“Sure,” she rolls her eyes, “just a guy who walks around calling you pretty, giving you his hoodie to keep because it looks good on you, and finding every excuse to get you to hang out with him.”
A groan escapes your throat. “I don’t want to think too into it and make a fool of myself.”
“You don’t gotta make a fool of yourself. Just, keep going with the flow. You like hanging out with him, right?” You nod. “There’s nothing to be a fool about.”
You slump further into the couch. “He said he’ll text me.”
“Maybe he will tomorrow. Go to sleep and don’t overthink yourself awake.” She advices as she gets up from the couch.
She leaves you alone for what feels like the first time you were alone with your thoughts today. Glimpses of the day would cross your mind as you stared into space. Chanyeol on stage solely focused on his performance, the look in his eyes after complimenting you, the hum of his car while he drove you. It’s not that you didn’t trust yourself or his intentions, it’s just not often people get an almost-picture-perfect-day with a handsome man.
But your roommate was right on one thing. You’re overthinking. So, you get up intent on showering all the thoughts away from the night. You grab his hoodie and place it on the edge of your bed. You stare at your exchange of good night texts and a shy flutter of butterflies crosses your stomach.
----
Morning came with the sun shining through your window. Chanyeol’s hoodie was the first thing to catch your attention as you got out of bed. It wouldn’t be too weird if I wear it again, right…
Your roommate rummaging outside your bedroom keeps you out of your head. You hear her unlock the front door, and then a yelp. A few seconds later she was rapidly knocking at your door.
You open it and are greeted with a brown bag and a coffee right at your face level. “Breakfast delivery for you, missy”.
You look at her puzzled. “I just woke up. I didn’t order any-”
“Oh my god.” She says.
Your eyes widen at the realization, “You think he ordered me breakfast?”
She hands you both items with a wide smile, “That is for you to figure out”, she winks, “I’ll leave you to it. I can’t be late to work. Text me updates!” She waves a final goodbye before leaving.
You place the items on the counter and inspect the bag. That is in fact your name on the receipt. Inside was a croissant sandwich, a fruit bowl, and a biscotti. The coffee was still a bit warm.
It would make sense for this to be a delivery from Chanyeol, it tracks with his personality. But you didn't want to assume so quickly. But the food is in your apartment already, and that is your name on the receipt. So what else is there to than enjoy it. Sipping on the coffee, you make your way to your room to fetch your phone.
The black hoodie catches your eyes again.
Ah, screw it.
Your place it over your head and a slight smell of laundry mixed with cologned fills your nose. You reach for your phone. Chanyeol hadn’t texted you, but you decide to begin the conversation.
"Good morning!"
You walk back to the kitchen and begin opening the edibles. Your phone vibrates.
"Good morninggg"
You weren’t sure how to begin asking if these were his treats. And he didn’t send a follow up text. So, you stared at the screen for a few seconds after taking a bite of the sandwich. Your phone vibrates again.
"Hey, you should open your door 🥐"
Ah, an admission.
"Oh, you mean to get this?" You reply sending him a picture of the spread in front of you.
He replied with a picture of his coffee. However, his was in a mug, maybe he was still at home.
"Cheers!"
You allow yourself to overanalyze the picture. Zooming into as many details as you could. Only gathering as much as the color of his table, the size of his mug, and that his coffee was dark brown in color.
"What are you up to today?" He follows up
"Just errands in the morning, you?"
"I’m meeting with a client in the afternoon. Would you be free to join me for dinner?"
The butterflies return.
"Yes :) When and where?"
"I would prefer to pick you up, but I’ll be really far out. I’ll send a ride to get you at 6 and we can meet up at this restaurant."
He sends you a screenshot of the place. Cozy dim light establishment.
"Okay, sounds good. Thanks for the treat and the ride."
"No need to thank me. I’m excited to see you again."
"Me too." You reply earnestly.
----
The day goes on without a hitch. Errands are completed, chores are done, you already showered and your clothes for the night are planned. Chanyeol had bid goodbye via text once he left to meet with his client. But he did confirm the ride would get you at 6pm, so you had some time to kill.
After almost an hour of watching mindless TV, your phone buzzes.
"Can I call you?"
An uncomfortable feeling in your stomach replaces the butterflies you felt in the morning.
"Yes"
Almost instantly his name was on your screen, dialing in.
“Hi, is everything okay?” You ask.
“Please don’t think I’m a jack ass”
“What happened?”
“I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight”
“Oh…”
“I am so sorry. This is unlike me. My client is being a bit difficult… they want to finish today and I cannot be done in the next hour.”
“No, I… I understand”
“It’s embarrassing to ask you on a date and then cancel. I’m very sorry.” There was frustration on his tone.
Did he say a date? He did. Was tonight a date?
“Things happen. Work is important.” Was it or not a date, now you're trying to not get too upset or too excited.
“Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I have no appointments. Could we reschedule for lunch?”
“Sure, that’s okay. Tomorrow lunch. Where do I meet you?”
“No. I’ll pick you up. Is 1pm okay?”
“That should work”
“Again, I am so sorry. I’ll text you once I’m finished.”
“Okay, maybe I’ll text you back.” You joke, hoping to alleviate the pressure of expectations.
He lets out a little chuckle and a little sigh of relief. “I have to get back in. Again, I am so sorry. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Synopsis: It's the night of the festival. Reader and Chanyeol spend more time getting to know each other, exploring if this is flirting or just friendly support.
Content: this is turning into a slow burn! Did my best describing his music and the sound. Still no NSFW content, I'm letting the story follow its natural beats. W.C. 3K
A/N: I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN WITH THESE TWO! Can you imagine.... Ugh, musician Chanyeol ily. Hyperlinked are the songs he plays in this scene! They are Back Again, Upside Down, and Zuruiyo (my favorite Chanyeol song hands down). Have fun reading! Where should these two go next? ;)
You’ll be off in thirty minutes. Just a few more transactions between you and 3 days off.
Your eyes keep scanning the crowd, hoping to spot Chanyeol. Your mind had been doing that since you last saw each other. Just randomly thinking of him at random points in the day. He hadn’t come to the store since you last saw each other, though he did send you a couple of texts with songs he thought you’d like. You also sent him a good luck text this morning, it felt appropiate.
However, you knew he had asked to see you at the festival but you never got the details sorted. You weren’t sure where this feeling of caring too much came from… It’s not like you knew him well or talked regularly. Well, who’s to say he even wants to see you today he’s probably busy and doesn’t remem—
Your phone buzzes in your back pocket.
Meet up once ur off? 7:30pm right?
He remembered.
Sure :) I’m by the tents at the west entrance; you type quickly before your boss notices as he was an arm’s length away.
Got it. I’ll come find you. See you soon :)
See ya
Phone back in your pocket. You only now realize your heartbeat was noticeable at your chest. Okay, so, just a few more transactions between now and Chanyeol.
--
At 7:35pm your bag is already on your shoulder, and you were saying goodbye the your boss.
Done, you text him as you approach the larger area with other festival goers. You had so many missed notifications that came in during the long shift. You keep your eyes down, thumbs moving across the screen, clearing apps and messages. Unfocused on your surroundings.
“Found ya,” a voice says from right beside you making you stop and jolt.
“Oh, goodness!” You exclaim, clutching your phone to your chest. “Hey, you scared me!” You say swatting at his arm.
Chanyeol’s eyes crinkle in that endearing way as his face breaks into a wide, toothy smile. “Ah, sorry-- just joking. Good to see you. How was work?”
He seems taller somehow, dressed more intentionally than the relaxed outfits you’re used to seeing when he goes to the store. “Well, it was work,” you shrug, “but now I can actually check out the event.”
“Have you eaten? I got a couple of food and drink tickets since I’m performing. I was waiting to use them with you”
He was? “No. I haven’t eaten. That’s nice of you”
“Mmm-- nice, or just holding back from drinking my weight in beer before going on stage” He jokes, which is a new side you hadn’t seen before.
“A drink and food is a drink and food. Where to, front man?”
“Follow me.”
He leads you through the open space, weaving through the crowd. The sun had started to set, leaving the space lit up mainly by the surrounding vendors and stages. He takes you to a stand selling overpriced, mediocre tacos and beer. At least only mediocre now, thanks to his tickets.
Settling into a tall standing table, you catch up on the past week. His studio is close to opening, he just had a few remaining details to finish. You learn that music isn’t just something he likes, it’s closer to a hyper fixation. Once he finished working on the studio, he worked on a few contracted mixing jobs, then stayed up into the early morning hours practicing for tonight. “So, sorry I couldn’t text too much and stay in touch.”
“No need to worry. You’re a busy guy. My week wasn’t anything extraordinary that required updates.” Between work, house upkeep, and TV, there wasn’t much to share.
“Well… maybe I just feel bad. I wanted to talk to you more, and I couldn’t” He has his forearms resting on the table, both hands cupping his beer. His eyes stay on yours, steady and unhurried. You feel zeroed in on, and a sudden warmth rises in your cheeks. You don’t want him to see how flustered his gaze is making you, so you take a swig of your beer to give yourself something to do. He notices the sudden movements and lets out a quiet laugh while shaking his head.
“I need to head backstage soon. Will you be in the crowd?”
“Yeah,” you say something finally, “yeah I’m staying.” You clear your throat slightly. “You owe me hearing the full piece, remember?”
“Yup, of course I do. I’ll find you again once I’m off. You see those trailers?” He points to the utility trailers behind the stage. “Be near those after. I’ll find you there.”
“Got it.”
“And, hey. Thanks for sticking around.” He says with the same genuineness he always carries. So gentle toned and sincere.
“You’re welcome,” is all you can manage. “Any friends of yours here?”
“All my friends were busy. I got my music buddies here, but--” a beat, “that’s different than having a pretty face on the crowd.” His first upfront compliment.
The warmth creeps back up your cheeks. Your hearts picks up again and you shift on your feet, the unexpected compliment throwing you off for a second too long.
He chuckles again, “I really am glad you’re here,” he says nudging you slightly with his shoulder.
“I can’t wait to see you up there. Break a leg,” you reply, inviting him in to cheers your cups together.
--
Not long after, you part ways and find yourself standing in the crowd. The band before Chanyeol wasn’t your style, and the longer you stand there the more you wonder why you’re putting up with the discomfort of being surrounded by sweaty bodies for a guy you recently met. But here you were, surrounded by sweaty bodies after a 5-hour shift that ended 2 hours ago, excited to see him get on stage.
You truly don’t know what to expect. Beyond the snippet he showed you by the river, you have no idea what his music actually sounds like. The backdrop projectors shift, swapping out the previous logo for the now familiar Hibi name. A few people around you clap and cheer.
“Wooo! Let’s go!” Someone shouts from behind you. You turn to find the voice. A few spots over, you catch the tail end of the conversation. “I saw him perform at an open mic last month. He is so hot and makes great music.”
Well, you could agree with at least the first half of that sentence.
The stagehands were setting up a pedal board in the middle of the stage, one you recognized as selling it to him some time ago. They clear the stage and the lights drop. In the dark, you can make a tall figure moving towards center stage, guitar in hand. The crowd begins to stir and cheer.
The back lights shine behind him, leaving him silhouetted with no discernible features. Just a man and his instrument. His foot comes down on the pedal, and a loop of bouncy, propulsive beats begin to build. The guitar joins, and after an 8-count, the lights flood in, and he’s off.
Suit up, I'm diving in | In a world full of villains | I knew I was crazy | Counter and strike, punch it up | Stop for a minute, minute, minute | I win them all |The confined world is too small for me
He’s rapping. The pure giddiness of realizing he not only produces and writes his own music, but that he opened his set with a rap-- it fills you with an unexpected joy. Who was this man? What couldn’t he do?
The song carries forward. He transitions seamlessly from delivering his lines, picking up his guitar for the chorus, all while expertly working the pedals to loop, stop, and cue in new segments of sound
After a perfect action | A sweet kiss ending | In a ruined dream | I'm falling, I'm just falling | Believe me (Believe me), this evening | Something I never even dreamed of |I reshoot the last scene (Reshoot) | Then I'm back again, I'm back again
The song ends. The crowd is alive with energy. You cheer along, not just out of support anymore but as an audience member genuinely caught up in the music.
He performs one more upbeat rock song. He handles the crowd with ease, and for this one, people around you actually sing along. So, the local scene really does know him.
Everything is upside down, I just want a life
The chorus kicks in, the stage lights shift to red, and the kind, charming man you’ve been getting to know is entirely replaced by someone else. A performer that was assured and electric while showcasing his craft.
At the end of the song, he takes a breather.
“Thank you all for coming.” His voice is deep and full through the speakers. His eyes scan the crowd. “I prepared new music for tonight.” His eyes find you, and holds, “hope you enjoy it.”
He steps back to his spot. Pedal is hit. A vibrant sound begins forming. This was softer and brighter, jazz-leaning against the rock sounds he’s already shown.
No matter how much you smile | It doesn't matter | If it's not directed at me | I bet saying that will make you hate me | Still I'm sure | When an unexpected smile is directed at me | I'll forget everything | And stand before you | Smiling back at you
Despite the different language, the lyrics feel deliberate. He seems more focused on this one, something intangible coming through in every beat. At the chorus you realize this is the song he had shown you by the river.
Even as a new song, the crowd cheers it on. The story told by the music, closes out with a melodic sax. The composition leaves you almost speechless. Watching him up there, you know with certainty that is where he belongs.
He continues with his set. Song after song, you begin to understand his sound. Rock with pop influences, some songs had that J-Rock flare he’s been practicing. He balanced singing and rapping with an expertise that left the crowd excited. The set ends with everyone, including yourself, clapping and cheering him on.
“Thank you all, it’s been a pleasure”. His face is flushed, hair damp, but his eyes were filled with a spark.
The moment he turns toward the wings you push back through the mass of people and start making your way to the agreed-upon spot.
The event was dying down, with the remaining goers drifting toward the other stages to see the remaining artists. You wait by the fence surrounding the trailers, debating whether to text Chanyeol or just wait.
You hear your name be called. He is walking toward you, guitar case in one hand, bag on his shoulder.
Something close to euphoria takes over you when you see him. "You were amazing!" The words are out before you've thought them through, and your feet carry you into a hug before you've thought that through either. The suddenness of it makes him stumble back a step, catching himself with a hand on your back.
He laughs, a little surprised at the act. “I’m glad you liked it.”
You pull back, still feeling like you were buzzing. “You definitely sold yourself short. You’re amazing at what you do.”
“I don’t know about amazing, but I do love performing. It’s my favorite part about making music.”
“How often do you perform?”
“Not as often as I’d like. It’s hard keeping track of shows to apply for when I’m managing other people’s projects.” He readjusts the bag on his shoulder.
“Can I help you carry something?” You nod at the guitar case and the bag.
“Sure, let’s take these to my car”. He unshoulders his bag and hands it over. “Careful. The store I buy my stuff from has a strict return policy.”
You laugh. “Maybe I can call in a favor if something breaks.” You sling his truly heavy bag on your shoulder.
“Follow me. Let’s go to my car.” You fall into step with him, heading toward the parking lot.
“Well,” You turn to face him better as you walk, “I think you belong up there. I’m glad I stuck around to see you.”
“I liked seeing you in the crowd.” He says with a wink.
His music had left you feeling energized, and that energy was turning into bravery. “I liked seeing you perform.”
Your body wanted to get just a step closer to him. But you had to restrain that instinct.
A short distance away was his car. He fishes the keys from his pocket and the car chirps.
You help load everything into the back seat. He reaches into the bag you were holding and pulls out a fresh tee. Without much warning, he peels off the shirt he's been wearing and swaps it out. Logically, it was probably damp and uncomfortable. You, on the other hand, find a very interesting spot on the roof of the car to stare at.
He glances up and catches you looking away. A smirk forms on the side of his lips as he puts away the sweaty shirt. “Can I give you a ride home?”
Returning your eyes to him, you see him be lit by the the soft moonlight. "I was just going to get an Uber. I didn't bring my car."
“So?… Come on, I’ll give you a ride.” He nods his head to his car.
You agree and move toward the passenger side. “You keep doing favors for me.” You say after you’re both in.
“Maybe I like doing favors for you” He says, starting the car. “Where to?” You type your address into your text thread and send it to him. He opens it on the map. “Ah, I know the area.”
“You do?” You ask as he begins to back out.
“"Nope." He says so matter-of-factly you let out a laugh.
“You’re not like… a weirdo that’s going to stalk me now that you have my address, right?”
“Hell no. Stalking isn’t really my style.” You’re already moving toward the exit. “What about you? Are you some kind of weirdo?” He asks.
“Mmm. Probably not. Pretty normal person.”
“School?”
“Graduated. Couldn’t find a job in my field, so I've just been picking up jobs in the meantime. Hoping time helps takes the pressure off. How about you. School?”
“No school. I started getting contracted to mix for other people pretty early. Been working independently for over a decade.”
“You’re a hard worker.” You say, beyond an observation and state the fact.
“That, I am. Do you like your current job?”
“I do. The boss can be annoying, but yeah-- I do like it. You know, we actually got compliments on our vinyl display.” You say with a smile towards him.
“I’ll take my commission cash, please.” He jokes putting out an opened palm.
You laugh, “Next paycheck, I promise.”
He glances over, holding your eyes for a second before turning his eyes to the road with a soft smile. “When’s your next day off?”
“Now, actually, I got the next three days off.”
“Any plans?”
“Mmm, season two of this show I just started.”
He laughs. The conversation keeps moving like that-- easy and unhurried. At some point he reaches for his phone briefly and puts something on. Soft bossa nova fills the car, and outside the windows the city is dark and quiet. A small shiver runs through you.
“You’re cold?” He turns the AC down without waiting for an answer.
“A little.”
“Reach back. There’s a hoodie there. You can wear it.” He offers.
You reach behind you and find a large black hoodie. You pull it on and toy with the hem of the sleeves. Through the window, city lights blink past. The car reaches a red light and he stops. The car goes quiet for a few seconds. He was tapping softly on the steering wheel to the beat. Your feet were matching the beat. The car felt smaller than it did before. You look over to him to find him already with his head turned in your direction.
You don’t shy away. You hold his gaze and return a smile.
The light turns green and he begins to take the familiar turns near your place.
“Shit, it’s almost 1am.” You note finally realizing the time.
“Time flies in good company” he says, rounding the last corner before your building. He pulls up to the front. "Is here okay?"
“It’s perfect. Thanks”
You unbuckle your seatbelt. He stays where he is, left arm resting on the steering wheel, turned slightly toward you.
“Thanks for asking me to stay and hang out with you tonight.” You say.
“Thank you for saying yes.” A soft smile appears on his lips. Your eyes travel to them and you don’t care that they stayed there for a second more than they should.
Your heart is picking up again, but this time you weren’t going to let it win. “I’ll see you around?”
“You will. How about I text you?”
“Yeah.” Relieve calms your speedy heart. “Oh, here,” you move to pull his hoodie off.
“Keep it. Give it back next time I see you.” His eyes stay on you, “it looks good on you.”
You chuckle softly. “Okay, sounds good. Goodnight, thanks for the ride.”
You exit the car, and he waits until you're through the gate before pulling away. You head upstairs, the fabric loose and warm around you.
Your roommate is still on the couch when you open the door. “Hey, party girl. How was work?”
Synopsis: Chanyeol has a bit of a crush on you, the local music store worker. He uses every opportunity to talk to you.
Content: soft friendly kind chanyeol, world building, just characters chatting and writer having fun with plot. Is this fluff? Probably. Getting to know each other.
A/N: I had fun creating this story line :) There will probably be a few parts to this while, admittedly, I don't have a concrete end in sight. So, suggestions welcomed? No nsfw here just world building (I got carried away). It will probably happen next part muahahaha
Bored. So bored. No one has come into the store for 45 minutes, and you've caught up on your tasks so there's nothing left to occupy your time with. Inventory updated. Cash and purchases accounted for. Using cellphones is strongly discouraged by the boss, and the camera above your head that is directly pointed at the checkout counter reminds you of that. So, you occupy your fingers by tapping on the counter, waiting for the next customer. Ten minutes go by without a sound or movement in the small music store. Exasperated, you decide to flip through the new CD shipments to make better use of your time. You could change the playlist, yet again, selecting to play from some of the new releases.
Your fingers flip through the hard CD cases, eyes skimming the names. You stop at a pretty pale blue cover: Essence of Reverie by Baekhyun. You don’t recognize the artist, so you flip it over to read the track list and acknowledgments, trying to see if any familiar names are listed.
"I like how he leaned into a dreamy R&B sound for this record." A voice behind you makes you jump.
"Shit, wha -- Oh! Sorry, you startled me." You didn't hear the customer walk in. "Sorry. Hi, welcome. How can I help you?" You put on your work smile, swiftly return the CD to the box, and make your way back to the checkout counter, where costumers are supposed to be serviced from, as your boss would remind you. You recognize him. He’s one of the store’s frequent costumers. He comes often enough that you’ve been able to learn his face in the couple of months you’ve worked here. He's usually in for equipment.
"No, you're good. I snuck up on you," he says with a kind smile. "I'm looking for a new cable adapter for my pedal." He takes said pedal out of his bag.
"Ah, you know we get returns of that model pretty often.” You walk over to the wall of cables and plugs and all of the sort. “You might want to think about upgrading soon." You say without turning around, crouching to grab the correct piece.
"Soon, maybe. I've grown to love this one. And I don't want to switch equipment in the middle of a project."
"What are you working on?" You ask, setting the cable on the counter between you. "Anything else?"
"No, that's it. Thanks. And, I've been working on an EP for longer than I want to admit." He replies.
"I’m sure you’ll have it done soon enough! That'll be $23.99." The register chimes.
He takes out his wallet and retrieves his card. "I’m trying” he replies, tapping his card on the reader.
"You ever perform live? There's a festival we've been invited to set up a tent at. It’s all local musicians. You might enjoy it, may get the creative juices flowing.” You slide a flyer across the counter.
"I'm already signed up for it, actually." He grins, tapping his finger on the word Hibi.
"Hibi? That's you?"
"That's the project name. It means something like 'every day' in Japanese."
"Japanese?"
"I speak a little, yeah. Nothing too impressive."
"Appropriately impressive.” He’s completed the payment, taken the bag, and is now just standing, making eye contact with you. “Looking forward to seeing you there, Hibi." You offer.
"You can call me Chanyeol."
"Chanyeol… got it." You introduce yourself.
"Nice to meet you." Another second, "well, thanks again for the cable. I'll see you around?"
"You know where to find me. Behind this desk whenever I'm on shift."
He laughs. The doorbell doesn't open again for another thirty minutes.
--
Opening shifts sucked the most. Too early. Too sleepy. Too much time watching TV the night before instead of sleeping. The door isn't even opening correctly. You jiggle the key, wiggle the handle, to no avail. The only option left is shoving your shoulder against it until it finally gives. "Fuck," you whisper once it finally swings open.
The boss usually sends a morning text with any special tasks for the day. You check your phone: scheduled delivery for guitar accessories and don't forget to rearrange vinyls. You roll your eyes. The usual distributor is a prick who requires an almost two-factor authentication process: sign, then call the boss for approval and verbally confirm. What a hassle for allegedly “high-end” accessories. Who buys them anyway? Any piece of plastic can serve as a guitar pick. Actually, if someone grows their nails long enough they might not even need--
You hear the door open.
"Just opened," you say curtly, barely turning so your voice properly travels.
"Oh, sorry. Should I come back later?"
You look up. What was his name? Chanyeol?
"Oh, hey! Sorry. It's been a morning. Please, come in… I'm still setting up, but come in. Let me know when you need me."
You hurry to get the remaining lights on and the background music going softly, too preoccupied with getting your brain into work mode to notice Chanyeol watching you with a curious look on his face.
Warily, he approaches the counter display while you went to the back hallway to retrieve materials. "Hey… do you happen to have the Cat Claw guitar picks in stock?"
"If they're not out on display, then probably not."
"Nope. None."
"Ah, actually--” of course, “we have a delivery for them today. They'll probably be in sometime after noon." You walk back toward the front and clip your hip on the counter's edge. "Fuck--” you mutter and keep moving.
"That's alright. I'll come back later."
"Yep." He eyes you, one brow slightly raised, head tilting to the side.
"Alright. I'll get going. Thanks."
"Bye." Gosh, where are your customer service manners.
Okay. Focus. Sweep the back room. Boss wants the vinyl shelf re-sorted to showcase older albums. Start with the vinyls. But you need the stepping stool. It should be in the back somewhere. The stream of thoughts flows.
The stool takes a few minutes to locate; it isn't in its usual spot. You're hauling it back toward the front when the door opens again.
It's Chanyeol. Two coffees in hand.
"Hey, did you forget something?" You ask, walking past him toward the wall by the entrance.
"Uhm… sorry if this is overstepping. But I went to grab a coffee and it's so early I thought I'd get you one too."
Huh?
"That is… very kind of you. You really didn't have to." You set the stool down. "But... thank you." You close the distance and a quiet smile spreads across his lips. He extends his arm and offers the cup.
"Latte. Figured it was a safe bet."
"It is. Thank you." The warmth bleeds into your hands the moment you take it.
"Do you need help reaching something?" He nods toward the stool.
"Not really reaching. More like, moving everything around. Getting the vinyls down from the top and putting others up."
"I can help." Now that you're in front of him with no counter between you, you notice he's quite tall. Your energy is still buzzing and restless, but he's being so patient. You take a slow breath, hoping to slow down the blood rushing on your neck.
"Sure. That'd be great." You accept.
"So, what's coming down, and what goes up?" he asks.
The next stretch of time is too easy. You and Chanyeol talk music while he helps you. After explaining the task, you learn most of his collection is 80s alt rock music while you lean contemporary. It's a natural enough segue into pulling out boxes of vinyls and debating which five go on display. He tells you he started learning drums after listening to the old stuff, as he called it. Then found his way to pretty much every other instrument. He's been making music since his teens, his most recent project a fully self-produced Japanese EP.
"Hibi, right? That's what you're performing as at the festival?" You say passing over a vinyl.
"Yeah, you remember." A shy smile.
"Of course! It's really cool to have something you're good at." By now you were back to your usual self, the grumpiness of the morning long gone.
"I don't know about good," he says, sliding the last vinyl into place. "More like, I stay with it until it feels right. But I'm not sure that means good."
"I'm sure it does. I can't wait to hear how the festival goes."
"Will you be there?" A little twinge in the way back of your head chimes. There’s no way you’re misreading the interaction as cautious flirting.
"Well, I’m working, so sort of. I’m tending our tent for a bit, but then I'm off. I wasn’t planning on staying. What time do you play?"
"Probably around ten."
"Maybe I'll stick around." You smile, so what if he was flirting, he’s being nice and was easy on the eyes. He had gotten off the stool, that he ultimately did need despite his height, and is now standing empty handed in front of you. Well. Now what. "I really don't want to keep taking up your time. Thank you, for the coffee and for helping with all this."
"No problem at all." He says, small wrinkles frame his eyes as he smiles.
"Still no Cat Claws, though. You'll have to come back later for those."
"Yeah… hey, actually, I have a practice session tomorrow. Any chance you'd want to come? And, maybe you could bring some picks?"
"Are you asking me to be an audience, or a delivery service for the picks?" You joke.
"Mmm. Both, maybe." There is it again, the chime at the back of your head.
You laugh. "Alright. When and where?"
You exchange details before he leaves. Tomorrow, 5pm, by the river. Bring the picks he's prepaying for today and watch him practice.
--
Your roommate calls you crazy for agreeing to meet up with basically a stranger. You aren’t all too sure why you so easily agreed to hang out. You're fairly certain more people would be there, there had to be. Maybe some of his friends. It doesn't feel too strange.
I'm here, you text the number he gave you.
Come toward the water, he replies, the typing bubble only showing for a few seconds.
You start walking in his general direction, not entirely sure what you're looking for. A stage? A crowd? Tall speakers?
Oh.
You spot him.
He's on the ground, cables and pedals spread around him. A small speaker. A laptop propped open facing him. And he's completely alone.
You truly hadn't imagined it would be just the two of you. Your heart does something. Not fear exactly, more like nerves.
When you get close enough, he looks up and pulls off his headphones. Bright eyes meet yours from under the brim of his hat. "Hey! You made it, thanks for coming." He pushes some things aside to clear a seating space for you. Was he always this considerate?
"Special delivery," you say, fishing the box of picks out of your bag. "I charge after the first complimentary delivery." You set your bag down and sit in the spot he opened. "So… this is the whole setup?"
"Travel setup. I'll have the bigger rig at the show. This is mostly what I practice on."
"Makes sense. How's it going?"
"Just ironing out the last details. Want to hear?"
"Only if you're okay sharing."
"I want your opinion, actually." He passes you his headphones. You put them on, and he leans over to pull one side slightly away from your ear. The sudden closeness makes your pulse jump. Your eyes flicker quickly between both his eyes and the hand near your head. "Listen to the transition here. I'm deciding between two notes."
He types something on his laptop. You let your eyes continue to wander. The equipment is all high quality; you even recognize a few of the pieces you’ve sold him. Your gaze drifts to his hands, strong with prominent veins.
"Okay, listen." He says, snapping you out of ogling and redirecting your attention to the music.
You don't know the technical ins and outs of music. You just know what you like. So, after hearing the ten-second snippet twice, you make your call. "The first one. It builds into the next section better."
"Hmm… Yeah…I think so too." He clicks a few things, types a few others, entirely entranced by his screen. The concentration on his face is quiet endearing, with his brows drawn slightly together. He's looking away, so you let yourself look at him for a moment. Out here, outside the store, you notice it properly -- he's handsome. He’s really really handsome. Jet black hair. Soft skin covering a bit of muscle. His ears poke out of his hat in a way that adds to his charm.
He closes the laptop. "Alright. Done." The focus drains from his face all at once.
"But, I just got here." You say bit puzzled.
"I want you to hear the finished piece at the festival."
"So… no more practice?"
"Correct. Now we hang out."
Oh, was this planned?
Probably. But you don't push back on it at all. You were enjoying getting to know about him, and he did not give off any worrisome vibes.
“I packed us something to drink” He says fishing two cans of soda from his bag. His attention has fully shifted from his work to you. He was so easy to talk to. He asks about your life outside the store, and you ask the same back. You learn he's opening his own recording studio. He talks about the EP, the way he's threading Japanese rock influences through it. At some point the sun starts to set. You're both still talking, him stretched out on his side, you sitting cross-legged across from him, a little bit too close to be two strangers.
The time had passed by so smoothly, and you felt brave in asking. "Did you… mean to ask me out today?" You finally say.
He sits up and scratches the back of his head. "Yeah. I wasn't sure how to do it. Hope I wasn’t weird about it." He says, looking slightly away from your eyes. Showing a bit a shyness for the first time all afternoon.
"Next time," you say, a mix of nerve and bravery forming in your throat, "just tell me you want to see me."
