Summary: Tonight is the day of the blood moon. A very rare and highly anticipated phenomenon that occurs around the world after several years. When the news broadcast a prediction of the moon being fully visible in Korea, the group invited me for a little fun night out to experience the event. However, this transpired into something more than a regular day and into something far worse.
Warnings: , Chasing, transformation sequences, body horror?, Han is unhinged, licking, non consensual touching, Hyunjin nearly grazes the reader (Just to scare her), Chan acting really creepy, Minho and Seungmin growling and hissing, Felix almost bites the reader, Blend of some comedy
Visuals of their demon forms are here
You shouldâve never looked back.
I ran as fast as my legs could take me.
Exhaustion wasnât an option in this case.
My legs were on fire from sprinting and it made my heart beat like war drum against my ribs as I sped through the dense forest. My mind was on haywire attempting to map out the different directions of where to run to next, where to hide, and how to escape from this madness.
But, there was one thing I do know.
When they all began to turn into those horrible beastly forms I felt a rush of adrenaline and chills running down my spine and thatâs when I knew fleeing was the only option.
The trees and foliage were casted with an ominous red glow from the moon.
It gave the forest a rather haunting and sinister appearance.
The blood moon.
I knew I just couldnât stop no matter how exhausted I was.
How could something like this happen? Just how?!
The thoughts running through my head were already overwhelming enough, but I couldn't stop now because I have to find a way to hide fromâŚ
Them..
My boys.
My most precious friends in the whole world that I always supported, needed, cheered for, cared for, loved.
It was supposed to be a fun day for all of us. But then out of nowhere, they began to change just like that?
Are they even the same anymore?
What even are they?
Weâre they like this the whole time?
Did they hide this?
It just doesn't make any sense at all! How could a natural phenomenon cause them to change just like that!?
Why?
What's going on?!
I made another sharp turn in the woods and thatâs when I heard the unmistakable sound of wings flapping.
It was getting closer and closer by the second. I then turned my head to glance behind me and saw a large bat-like figure approaching me from the skies.
The figure had large bat wings that stretched across his back, the membranes of the wings were a vibrant red while the skeleton was a midnight black that reflected embers in the dark. His arms and legs were covered in dense black fur streaked with red. He has metallic red claws at the ends of his fingers and toes that looked more than capable of tearing through flesh. He had two large black and red bat like ears on the top of his head, and a puff of red fur on his chest.
He looked like a creature that came straight out of a romantic horror novel.
However, the most distinguishing trait about him wasn't his wings, his claws, or his fur. It was his face, the face of one of the most fiercest dancers I know.
Hyunjin.
His eyes were glowing a bright scarlet red and he had a rather amused expression on his face. He grinned and revealed his sharp canines as I moved closer to me.
âHy-hyunjin!â
"There you are my beautiful muse. Tell me, why did you get so scared and ran from us after the dinner? You shouldn't have ran from the people that love you this much, it really hurts our feelings." He said those words in such a flirtatious tone coated in honey that made him chuckle in delight.
He swooped downward in a blur of black and red.
I screamed and moved forward as his talons raked the air where my shoulders have been.
You felt the wind of his near capture, heard his talons snap closed with a sound that belonged to metal.
It was as if he missed intentionally.
Hyunjin cackled and backed upward "Aww I almost had you!" He says in a sing-song voice, so sweet and mocking.
"Youâre making this so much more fun!"
He continued to glide behind me and backed away so that I could be at a further distance away from him.
I huffed with fear as I kept running and nearly stumbled on a tree root in the process.
Apart from deafening sound of hyunjin's wings, more sounds echoed deep into the forest.
I can hear distinctive sounds of laughter, growls, and hissing.
The others.
They were getting closer.
There's no time for me to rest.
I have to make my escape from them.
And yet...
Just a few moments ago, everything was normal.
~ (Many hours ago) ~
Heartfelt laughter and joyful giggles were heard outside.
It was night and we were having a fun dinner outside it was a small little outing that Chan and the others called the blood moon dinner since it was scheduled to appear today.
Felix sent an invite for me to join them at this dinner a few weeks ago and I just couldnât say no to him. Especially when he makes his world famous brownies!
Han and changbin yelled in excitement when Felix told everyone I was coming.
I was a staff member for Jyp headquarters and I helped with coordination, editing of the stray kids YouTube channel, and I assisted in managing the group during choreography. It's a pretty busy job and I get little too no free time with it. Luckily, I had nothing scheduled at jyp headquarters for a few days and some staff members filled in for me, so I get a mini vacation.
Yippie!
It may be an overwhelming job at times, but Iâd never change it for the world.
Me and Chris were childhood friends and grew up together in Australia. He took the role of being my big brother even though I was younger than him by 2 years, he always wanted to protect me.
We were both inseparable. When the day came were Chris wanted to pursue his dreams of becoming a musician, I knew I couldn't let him go alone like that and especially in the unforgiving world of the music industry.
So from that day forward me and him were trainees for jyp. I struggled quite a lot as a trainee and it didn't work out for me. However, because of that I was able to get a position as a staff member so that I could always check on Chris so he wouldn't feel alone. And that's when I met all the members one by one when Chan began to form stray kids.
I was wearing a cute purple sweater with a floral heart design on it. I also had on a black choker and two silver errands on with a heart shape. I also had on some skinny jeans with black sneakers.
The table was set up with so many delicious foods and snacks that made our mouths water.
Han was laughing hysterically at a joke Changbin said to Minho and this caused him to spit out some of the rice he was chewing on.
"Pffft what?!! What do you mean he purposely left his computer on for his girlfriend to see all that?!"
Changbin grinned and Seugmin shook his head from the story he told for the hundredth time.
" I told you me and Chan hyung were doing our usual workouts at the gym and then we heard this new guy talking with his friend about not being good in the bedroom. And then when he got home yesterday evening, he browsed on the computer looking for those fake ass penis enlargement pills and bought them from the web. Then when he took the pills, it gave him permanent erectile dysfunction!"
"Oh for God's sake!" I chuckled.
Although when I said that phrase, I failed to see the smirk Seungmin gave to Chan.
Jeongin and Felix snorted.
"Wait so it's like I'm gonna buy some weird pills off a sketchy website and act all shocked that it gave me a side effect!" Han said with a mocking voice and he banged the table.
" What in the world? Are men really that desperate these days?" I shook my head while laughing.
" Alright! Alright! This isn't an appropriate dinner time conversation you know? Youâre tainting the food with this story and our guest" Hyunjin eyed Changbin and he stuck his tongue out at him.
Changbin rolled his eyes â Oh please! Youâre acting like this is out of the ordinary when just last week you caught a random guy buying a dildo off a website in the coffee shop.â
Hyunjin groaned â Well itâs a public place after all so of course Iâm gonna be uncomfortable with it when I'm sitting down to relax after a long stressful day to unwind and have my americano.â He said while eating.
The others laughed and shook their heads at Hyunjin's usual pettiness.
I ate some of my salmon â Donât worry Hyunjin, I heard much worse stories at the headquarters and when I was in Australia.â
"Oh yeah? What kind (Y/n)? They can't be any worse than the stories these two stooges have" Hyunjin pointed at Changbin and Han.
Han gasped dramatically while Changbin made a face that read I know your not talking.
âWell there is one that's forever burned into my memory. It happened when me and Chris visited Australia a few years ago. Chris, do you remember that story of the guy that hoarded boxes full of-â
Bangchan then nearly spit out his chicken â No!! Donât finish that sentence!!â He slammed his hand on the table.
I laughed at his reaction.
â Wait! Boxes full of what?! I want to know!â Jeongin said curiously.
âYeah just tell us!â Han said as his cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel hoarding nuts for hibernation. Except this time it was full of vegetables.
Chan made an annoyed face at Hyunjin âUmm youâre the one that said this isnât an appropriate dinner time conversation Mr. Entitled Drama Queenâ he mocked him in his voice.
Gasps of oohs and chuckles echoed around the table.
â He got you good Jinnie!â Han exclaimed
Hyunjin smirked and playfully bundled a fist up at Chan.
â Your becoming more like Lee know every day Chrisâ I smirked and Felix gave me a high five.
" Ew! I hope not!" Chan said disgusted.
Lee know turned to him with that Asian mother stare that made Chan lower his head in shame.
" Yeah you better get his ass hyung!" Seungmin chuckled.
Everyone laughed at the scene
I looked at the sky and it was still cloudy.
I read the time on my phone and it was about 7:50 pm.
The blood was scheduled to appear at around 8:30 pm.
There's a lot of people making a huge deal out of this phenomenon online since it never occurred before in Korea and some were creating bizarre stories about it just for clicks and views.
If anything, it was just mass hysteria and nonsense at best.
âSo, how do you yâall think this whole blood moon phenomenon is gonna work out? I honestly canât wait for it since it's my first ever seeing one.â I asked them with curiously with a smile.
âWell I personally think itâs just going to show up and we all admire the beauty of it, then the next day everything is back to normal. I think people are over-analyzing a natural astronomical occurrence. However, that's only because an event like this hasn't happened in Korea for many years.â Minho explained to me.
"Yeah. People on social media are claiming the blood moon is an bad omen or a sign of change. A metamorphosis. "Changbin says as he looks at me directly.
The others were silent after he said that.
Felix narrowed his eyes at him and then Changbin blinked in understanding.
I tilted my head "Really? I've never heard of those meanings about the blood moon before. But I do know that it holds a spiritual significance in certain cultures and religions."
I stopped eating for a moment and explained the knowledge I knew to them further.
"Especially if it relates to the deep hidden layers of the human subconscious and how it intertwines with your hidden emotions."
Hanâs eyes gleamed at my words.
" In a more specific sense, It's basically a way of embracing your darkness."
This made everyoneâs eyes at the table widen and for a small moment no one exchanged words and just stared at you as if youâve given them an unintentional invitation to a seed thatâs ready to sprout itâs roots at any moment.
I noticed how silent they all got.
Well there goes the mood.
â Haha, i'm really sorry you guys. Here I am explaining the complexities of the spiritual significance of the blood moon and I ended up making the mood all sour .â
Chan turned to me and chuckled â Oh no donât worry (Y/n)! Itâs perfectly fine. Iâve never heard of the spiritual meanings of the blood moon before. Youâve always been knowledgeable when it came to things like that.â He smiled at me with a toothy grin.
I laughed at his comment.
âWell Iâm sure the moon is going to be a very beautiful sight and I canât wait to see it soon.â Hyunjin smiled while looking at me with hooded eyes.
I blushed when he said those words.
âOh? Are you feeling okay? your blushing (y/n).â Felix teased and poked my cheeks.
I giggled âDonât worry, Iâm fine.â
I got up âIâm gonna go and get some more water okay?â
âOkay but be back shortly because it might start soon!â Jeongin said.
âI will!â
As I went to the back door to retrieve some water, the group was silent once more.
Chan swallowed the rest of his food and then looked at the others around the table. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and looked directly at him.
He looked at their eyes and nodded as if they were anticipating for something thatâs about to occur.
Chan looked at the cloudy night sky and saw some clouds slowly moving to reveal the moon.
He grinned.
I then got a water bottle out from the fridge when I heard a loud voice.
"(Y/n)! Come on! It's about to start!"
"Coming felix!"
I then arrived back and closed the backdoor.
The group was waiting for me and we all looked at the sky.
The clouds had a faint reddish glow and when they moved, it finally revealed what we were all waiting for.
The blood moon was here in all it's glory.
Everyone was astonished by the sight.
"Woah!" Han says.
"It's gorgeous!" Hyunjin said.
"I've never seen anything like it" I said amazed at the moon.
We were all enamored by the beauty of the moon.
But that all changed when I began to hear some whimpering noises.
Jeongin put a hand to his head grunting in pain.
"Innie? are you okay?" I went up to him and put a hand on his back.
"I just feel like something is-ahh!" he fell to the ground from the pain and grunted from the intense headache.
"Jeongin!"
But then one by one, a chorus of pained gasped and groans where heard throughout the area.
Felix gasped and fell to the ground.
Changbin yelled from the sharp sensation running through his body and let out a low snarl.
Hyunjin let out a broken version of a whine and lost his balance.
Han groaned and and gritted his teeth from the burning sensation in his head.
Minho grunted lowly and arched his back as if he felt needles stabbing his body.
Seungmin groaned and put a hand to his chest.
And then, Chan shrieked and sucked in a sharp breathe through his teeth as he dropped to his knees.
"Guys!! What's the matter?! What's going on?! Are you all okay?!"
I was alarmed and panicked as everyone seemed to be in pain out of nowhere.
But then,
Just like that, their bodies began to change.
Felix eyes began to glow a bright red with black vertical slits as the pupils. His shirt and pants began to tear off and white iridescent patches of scales materialized on his arms and a few tiny ones were scattered on his face like glittering freckles. His legs began to fuse together and the lower part of his body become elongated and thick like a serpent's tail with pearly scales. His ears grew longer and elf like. Then his teeth became sharper like razor blades, his tongue grew longer and he flickered it hissing.
Seungmin rolled on the ground in pain and then he sprang up as fur began to grow on his limbs. Light brown fur streaked with sharp black markings grew on his arms and legs. His shoes grew as his feet began to expand into sturdy dog like paws with black pads at the bottom. Two light brown floppy dog ears grew on the top of his head along with two curved black ram like horns curling from both sides of his skull. His nails sharpened into long sturdy black claws that looked like it could dig someone's grave. He opened his eyes revealing a bright golden color, he snarled and made a biting motion like a starving hound.
Han dropped to the ground on all fours with a sharp cry. Black fur consumed his arms and legs, golden swirl markings began to from on his fur like lighting strikes mid air. His nails grew into long golden claws, fine and sharp. Two black squirrel like ears sprouted on the top of his head and flickered. A massive and fluffy black tail emerged from his lower back that was nearly half the size of his body, it also had golden swirl patterns on it. His canines were sharp and his eyes changed from a warm caramel brown to a harsh yellow.
Minho clenched his teeth as sleek and glossy black fur began to crawl on both of his limbs. The fur was accompanied by striped markings that glowed in a violet sheen. Two black cat ears grew on the top his head. His feet were reshaped into cat-like paws with shiny violet padding underneath, he flexed his toes and sharp purple claws unsheathed from them. A long black tail uncurled from his lower back accompanied with a large razor sharp moon shaped blade that glowed like a violet neon crescent. His nails grew into long sharp violet claws and he opened his pupils narrowed into perfect slits as his eyes shifted into a bright violet color.
Jeongin groaned from the ground as his hands sank into the grass. A blur of black, orange, and white fur swept over his arms and legs, his clothes teared from the seams. Two orange fox ears with black and white tips sprang upward from the top of his head. His hair changed from a midnight black to a fierce ginger. One tail sprouted from his lower back, than another and a few more until there were seven fox tails fanning out from behind him, they were all fluffy with white tips. Orange streaks appeared under his eyes like permanent mascara. His feet were also reshaped into canine-like paws.
Changbin panted and groaned as his skin began to erupt with patches of white scales edged with sharp black outlines trailed down his arms, legs, and back like armor plating. His hands ended with vicious pink claws. Pink spikes burst along his spine and it trailed downward on his back, glowing with heat. His feet reshaped into draconic-like feet with metallic pink talons. A long, thick dragon tail whipped appeared behind him and whipped once leaving a dent on the ground. His teeth sharpened into fangs that looked strong enough to break bones. He growled and his eyes glowed a molten pink.
Hyunjin gasped sharply as black fur streaked with red began to run down his arms. The nails on his fingers extended and shifted into a metallic red. He sat up from the ground and his legs became more muscular, black fur wrapped up his thighs and calves as it then ended in bat like feet with long dangerous red talons. Bat like ears rose from the top of his head pointing upward. He hunched his back and a loud crunching sound was heard, he screamed as two large bat wings exploded outward from his back spreading his wingspan. When he opened his eyes they gleamed like fresh blood in a dark room.
And finally.
Chan heaved on the ground, it felt like his entire body was being ripped apart from the inside. He clenched his teeth as they morphed into jagged fangs that were sharp enough to tear through flesh. His arms began shaking and thick black fur with light blue icicle markings grew on both of his arms which led to his hands morphing into werewolf like paws with icy blue claws on his fingertips. Both of his legs erupted with black fur trailing down to his feet which shifted into wolf paws with the same blue nails as his hands. A large black fluffy tail burst from the back of his pants. Then on his head wolf like ears grew on the top of it along with two dark blue horns. He opened his eyes which revealed a striking blue that glowed like a shining glacier.
Chan then looked towards the sky and howled like a real actual wolf ready to go on a hunt.
I was on the ground shaking in fear over what just occurred right in front of me.
However my time to be astounded was cut short once changbin took notice of my presence and peered straight at me with his hot pink eyes dilating into slits.
He roared at me.
Like literally.
He roared like a fearsome dragon that just spotted its prey which made me screech and fall on the ground in shock by his action.
This is when the others began to follow him and they all hissed, growled, and snarled at my direction.
Some of them grinning with their newly grown sharp fangs and licking their lips as if they just caught a delicious meal right in front of them.
Han crawled up to me on all fours with a terrifying grin that had too many teeth and almost bit my neck.
"Ahhh!!"
The action made me jump back and I began to run away from them and back into the penthouse.
Chan and the others began to follow me like a pack of hungry wolves ready to catch their prey.
~(End of flashback)~
I continued on with my escape through the forest.
My legs ached, my chest burned, and my throat was getting dry from the exhaustion.
I had to find a place to hide, atleast to regain my energy back.
I came across a large bush that looked taller than the others in the forest and I dropped down behind it.
I placed a hand on my chest and panted over and over. My heart was beating like I just ran a marathon across the world.
The small sounds in the forest at night wouldâve almost been peaceful if it wasnât for this unexpected twist of a day.
Up near the trees, sounds of branches and twigs breaking were heard from above.
A large figure with gleaming yellow eyes that could paralyze you from gazing at them moved at an inhumane speed from tree to tree.
His large fluffy tail emitted sparks as he moved through the foliage.
âOh princess! Câmon out now! You canât hide from us forever you know?â
Oh fuck itâs Han.
I ducked down lower behind the bush and pushed myself back so I couldnât be seen from him.
Han looked down and examined the place, he began to sniff the air like a squirrel trying to find a secret stash of food.
But he couldnât quite make out a peculiar scent.
Luckily he jumped past my area, with a huff.
I sighed in relief and remained behind the bush.
It felt like a while has passed and I couldnât hear them at all.
With the remaining courage left inside of me, I slowly got up from the bush and looked in front of me and saw nothing but trees and plants.
No glowing eyes peering from the trees.
No footsteps on the ground.
No heavy breathing.
Just nothing at all.
What?
I looked on both of my sides and they were nowhere to be found.
It felt almost wrong.
Too quiet.
But once I turned around to look behind me, my blood ran cold.
The figure that towered over me was none other than Felix.
His pearly white serpentine lower body gleamed under the rays of the blood moon. His eyes gleamed brightly like red rubies, and his slit pupils narrowed as he stared me down.
But the most terrifying feature of him was his wicked smile that held a playful edge to it.
âHi angelâ
I screamed and Felix opened his jaw to bite me, but I jumped out of the way in time and he chomped into the tree bark instead.
He spat a chunk of tree bark out of his mouth watched as I took off running once again.
He grinned and flicked his tongue out tasting my scent and fear.
âClever girlâ
He slithered away following my scent.
I took off with a burst of adrenaline. It seems I still havenât made my escape from them yet.
I kept running down a random path in the forest. Thatâs when I heard running noises on both of my left and right sides.
I could make out a figure with cat ears and purple eyes on the left and another with floppy dog ears and ram horns on the right.
Minho and Seungmin.
They both looked at me in amusement and smirked at each other.
âAw kitten you look like youâre getting so tired from all this running.â Minho purred while running on all fours like a panther.
âYeah. So why donât you take a break huh puppy?â Seungmin says with a mocking voice as he chases you trying to get closer.
âGuys! Please just stop this! Iâm not your prey or anything!â
âOh?â Minho grinned.
I gulped.
âWho said you ever were prey (Y/n)? Why would you even think of something like that? Unless you want to play hard to get with us.â
Seungmin growled and then made a far leap right in front of me which caused me to loose my balance.
I fell right down on my bottom.
I gasped as I felt two furry hands latch on to both of my arms behind me.
He put his lips near my ear and whispered in a low tone.
âIn fact kitten, why donât we let you get a good head-start? After-all your the one who decided to run away from us in the first place.â
He gave my ear a small lick which made me whimper from the warm sensation of his tongue.
His tail wrapped around the side of my waist, however I can't help but be unnerved by his sharp crescent shaped moon blade that could easily slice me up if he wanted too.
Seungmin chuckled âAlright kitty man thatâs enough, if you frighten her any more sheâll definitely faint from fear.â
Minho rolled his eyes at him but obeyed his words. He released me and wasn't surprised that I took off running like a rocket engine.
They both looked at me amused once more and grinned at each other.
I continued on with my escape and thatâs when I felt the forest getting slightly colder.
It was already chilly at night but this felt like an arctic breeze just swept through the air.
I didnât feel right and I donât like it one bit.
But then I heard a growl near the trees.
Oh no.
Did Seungmin and Minho already catch up to me?
And then the footsteps came, padding of pawed feet rumbled on the ground and a low growling noise that sounded similar to a wolf sent shivers down my spine.
The horned figure revealed himself from the woods and illuminated by the harsh red rays of the moon which made him look like a ceremonial beast.
Chris.
I was still for a second and moved back slowly, but I bumped into something hard from behind.
I turned around and shrieked.
It was both Changbin and Jeongin baring sinister smiles upon their faces.
âHey there little bunny.â
Changbin licked his lips at the sight of me.
âAre you finished with your little chase game now noona?.â
Jeongin fox ears flickered in curiosity and his eyes looked at me in what was both amusement and lust.
They both hooked their arms on both of my sides to prevent me from escaping. I tried to pry them off of me but their grips were far too strong.
"C'mon now. Don't be like this, your making it more difficult then it has to be"
I looked at Changbin in confusion.
"What? What are you talking about?!"
Chan walked towards us with slow footsteps. The markings on his black furred arms and legs glowed a light blue similar to glaciers in the tundra.
He stopped right in front of me and bent down to reach my level. His blue eyes held an intense but loving stare. He placed his clawed hand carefully on my left cheek and rubbed it softly.
The gesture made me confused and when he slowly smiled it made feel even more uneasy.
Chan then got up and howled loudly like an alpha wolf calling his pack.
When he finished, the faint echos of paws padding the ground, a large body slithering on the grass, the flapping of wings, and the sound of a large form leaping at the trees where getting closer.
Then eventually the rest of the group arrived from Chan's howl that worked like a navigation system in finding a location easily.
Hyunjin was the first to arrive. His wings carried him throughout the air and he dived down to land on the ground. His eyes lit up and he grinned once he saw me "About time you gave in. I was about to carry you all by myself muse."
Felix emerged from the left side of the trees and slithered up right beside hyunjin, his tongue flickered out tasting my fear.
" Your really fast you know angel? You surprised me when I was playing with you" He grinned.
Hyunjin laughed softly at his statement.
Both Minho and Seungmin arrived together and they both stopped in front of me with smirks decorating their faces.
"Uh oh. It looks like your escape plan didn't go the way wanted it too huh (Y/n)?"
Seungmin chuckled lowly and wagged his tail at the sight of me being manhandled.
"We even gave you a good head-start and that wasn't enough for you? Poor kitten." Minho purred and flicked his right ear.
Why are they talking to me like this? It's almost like their mocking me for running from them.
But who wouldn't?
And finally the last one to arrive was non other than Han.
Well if it even was him anymore.
He ran down the tree like a real squirrel that had far too much energy with a grinning expression on his face. He then jumped from a branch and landed right in front of me and the others.
"You really thought that you could escape from us that easily? Back at the trees I already picked up your scent you know. I just wanted to test you and see how far you would make it out of the forest."
Han walked up closer to me and his tail moved with every step.
"But it looks like your not leaving anytime soon sweetheart" He said that with the widest grin Iâve ever seen him make.
The crazed look in his eyes made me feel nervous as I trembled in the grips of changbin and Jeongin.
Chan, who did not utter one word finally began to speak.
âAh youâre shaking. Thereâs no need to be so scared right now (Y/n).â
I stuttered â Ch-Chan I..I donât understand whatâs going on here?â
He grinned.
âOh donât worry youâll know very soon enoughâ
He turned to Felix.
âFelix?â
Felix then slithered up to me which made changbin and Jeongin release me.
He then coiled his body around me which made me whimper and squirm in his hold.
âNow now, relax youâre going to be okayâ He said in a gentle tone and he held my chin up.
I looked into his eyes and they glowed a deep red.
After that I was completely knocked out.
The last thing I felt was being carried by someone.
~
Note: Stay tuned for part 2 because itâs gonna get spicy from here đ
ot8 reactions | bf!skz x reader au
genre: crack | light smut
warnings: language | suggestive content
a/n : (testing new posts layout, it will probably change again idk) i always try to not write clichĂŠ gym rat changbin... but it has jokes potential so yeah lol.
⧠hyung line | maknae line
bang chan
âCâmereâ Chan growls flipping you onto your stomach.
You gasp, already dizzy âHoly shit-okay-aggressive!â
âI said Iâd make you feel itâ he grunts, pressing into you, âso shut up and-â
CRRREAK.
SNAP.
Silence.
Youâre on the floor. The mattress is sideways. A piece of the frame bounced. Chanâs still inside you ââŚDid the bed just die?â you whisper, stunned.
Heâs frozen. Still holding your hips. âI-I think I just alphaâd the IKEA out of it.â
You collapse face first into the blanket, wheezing your ass off.
Chan pulls out gently like heâs scared touching you will trigger another collapse. âIâm so sorryâ he says, horrified. âAre you hurt??â
You look up with tears in your eyes...from laughing âYou fucked us into povertyâ
He starts pacing. Still naked âI JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU SEE STARSâ
âYou did! But the bed saw heaven!â
---
Five minutes later, youâre both wrapped in the blanket on the floor, drinking water and staring at the broken frame aka the crime scene. Chan sighs. âThat was expensive.â
You snort. âtell me about itâ
He looks at you, grins. âYou still wanna finish?â
You raise a brow. âOn what the rug?â
He shrugs. âBet it wonât break.â
lee know
Youâre clinging to the headboard. Heâs behind you, low growling, full feral mode, hips snapping.
âDonât even try to runâ he pants. âYou wanted this.â
You gasp âMin- the bedâs creaking-â
He grips your hips tighter. âSo are you. Guess which one I care about more.â
CRRREEAAAK.
SNAP.
THUD.
You drop. Flat on the mattress, now tilted at a cursed 45 degrees. Minho flops on top of you, sweaty and breathless.
Silence.
ââŚDid we just fall?â
âTHE BED BROKE YOU PSYCHO.â
He slowly lifts himself off you, glancing around checking the crime scene. Then calmly :
ââŚIt was probably loose before we started.â
You sit up, wild eyed. âI literally heard you say âI wanna break you tonight.ââ
âI meant emotionally. That bed just had bad build quality.â
â...Minho, one of the legs is across the room.â
He shrugs. âThatâs not my fault. Thatâs gravity. And weak screws.â
You glare at him, tangled in sheets and shame.
He wipes sweat off his chest with a smug little annoying smirk. âYouâre welcome by the way.â
âFor WHAT?!?â
âFor the experience. Youâre glowing.â
"Oh my god"
---
Later, you lie together on the mattress, which is on the floor now, panting and sore. You mutter âwe need a new bed.â
He hums, already falling asleep â...and it better be able to handle meâ
changbin
Sweat is dripping, youâre moaning, heâs muttering things like
âYouâre so tight,â
âI love this angleâ
and
âThis is why I do leg day" (??)
The bed is screaming.
You clutch the headboard âItâs creaking-â
âIâM CREAKING TOO BABY STAY FOCUSEDâ
CREEAAACKK.
SNAP.
BOOM.
The bed dies. You both collapse mid thrust.
You gasp. âWHAT JUST HAPPENED?!â
Changbin is hovering above you, wide eyed ââŚDid I break the bed?â
You stare. âAre you asking me while youâre still inside me?!â
He slowly pulls out, rolls to the side, and looks around at the hurricane damage. One bed leg is completely gone. A bolt rolled under the dresser.
He exhales. âThatâs kinda hot though.â
You blink. âYou BROKE our BED Binnie!â
âI told you I was strongâ
You smack his arm. âThis isnât ninja warrior! This was my peaceful coochie session!â
He giggles.
---
He grabs his phone. âWait. Wait. I need a pic. I gotta show the guys.â
âDONâT YOU DAREâ
He grins. âIâm putting âbroke the bed during sexâ on my gym progress tracker.â
hyunjin
Youâre on top, breathless, hair sticking to your forehead, hands planted on his chest. Hyunjinâs gripping your thighs, eyes rolling back as you ride him.
âFuck-yes...just like that, baby...â
CREAAKK.
SNAP.
THE WHOLE RIGHT SIDE DROPS.
You scream as the mattress collapses, pitching sideways. Hyunjin yelps, legs flailing as you both go crashing down mid thrust. A full thud echoes across the room.
Silence.
Then his voice :
ââŚWHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!â
Youâre tangled in blankets, still half on top of him. âDID YOU JUST ASK ME LIKE I PLANNED THAT?!â
He stares at you with wide, scandalized eyes. âYOU WERE ON TOP THIS IS YOUR FAULT.â
You sit up, offended. âI was riding you into heaven and the bed flopped.â
He throws a hand up dramatically. âEXACTLY I WAS LITERALLY JUST LYING THERE BEING SEXY AND SUPPORTIVE.â
You glare âsupportive?? You kept yelling FASTER like I was a fucking engine!â
He rolls off the broken half of the bed and flops onto the floor âThe bed wasnât ready for that kind of passion. I wasnât ready. My ass hit the wood slatsâ
You cover your face. âI think I bruised my knee.â
---
10 minutes later, Hyunjin is sprawled across the mattress on the floor âwe need a new bed. And... knees.â
You open one eye âYou still came though.â
He chucks a pillow at you.
⤡ main m.list â
DISCLAIMER : This blog and all related content (fics, fake texts, headcanons, imagines, etc.) are entirely fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. I do not know Stray Kids personally, nor do I claim any of this reflects their real personalities, actions, or relationships. All characters and their personalitiesâincluding Meena Kingâare original creations.Please enjoy responsibly and remember : real people = real boundaries.
ot8 reactions | bf!skz x reader au
genre: crack | light smut
warnings: language | suggestive content
hyung line | ⧠maknae line
han
He had you face down, ass up, back arched perfectly.
Youâre screaming. Heâs moaning. The mattress is fighting for its life.
âFuckfuck-youâre so good,â he gasps, hair sticking to his forehead. He grabs your hips and snaps his hips forward. âYou feel like-like-ugh, fuck, baby-â
CREAACKK.
SNAP.
THUD.
The entire bottom half of the bed collapses. Your stomach hits the mattress, knees slide off the edge, and Jisung goes down dramatically.
Silence.
Then:
ââŚBABE?!â
You gasp âDID WE JUST-â
He flails from behind you. âOH MY GOD I THINK WE BROKE THE FUCKING BED!"
"YOU THINK ?!"
He scrambles off you, tripping over a pillow "are you okay?! Did I kill your knee?! Did I paralyze you?!"
You rub your bruised hip but also youâre laughing so hard you canât breathe. âI think my spine just spoke Latin.â
He sighs and sits up, sheets tangled around his waist.
âTHIS BED HAS JEALOUSY ENERGY. SHE COULDNâT HANDLE OUR LOVE.â
â...I canât believe we just broke a bed mid sex.â
âI can. We were too powerful. It was me. I did that. With dick.â
"Please shut up forever"
---
You crawl off the wreckage. He flops back down.
âYou good?â you ask
âI just need to lie here. Think about what I had. What I lost. What I couldâve finished.â
âBabe. Weâre naked on a diagonal mattress.â
âIâM A CASUALTY OF PASSIONâ
felix
Youâre on top, hips rolling slow, breath warm against his neck.
Felix is gripping your waist, voice already wrecked.
âJust like that, angel... fuck, you feel so goodâ he breathes, lips brushing your collarbone.
You moan softly, head spinning, thighs starting to shake.
He pants, âYouâre making me crazy... keep going, donât stopâ
CREEEAAKK.
CRACK.
SNAP.
The mattress tilts. You both slide still fully connected into the corner of the bed frame.
Felix lets out the most Australian panic gasp of his life âOH-OH MY GODâ
âWHAT JUST-â
The bedâs gone. Itâs gone. The legâs bent inward.
A screw rolls past your hand rudely. Felix blinks up at you, still pinned underneath. Wide eyed. Dazed. ââŚDid we just... break the bed?â
You nod slowly, dazed. âYeah. Yeah we did.â
He covers his face with both hands. âI WAS JUST TRYING TO BE ROMANTIC.â
You laugh. âWe were LITERALLY just grinding. How did we collapse it?!â
âI DONâT KNOW BABY, IâM SMALL. I DIDNâT THINK I HAD THAT IN ME.â
He sits up carefully, looking around at the wreckage.. Then he immediately cups your face. âAre you okay?? Did I squish you?? Do you need ice?? Or a hug?? Or like⌠a new mattress??â
Youâre cry laughing. âFelix your face-â
âI THOUGHT I WAS BEING SOFT.â
âYou were being something.â
He buries his face in your chest. âIâm going to cry.â
---
Later, youâre lying on the now floor mattress, still tangled.
He looks at you, blushing âDo we⌠tell the others?â
âNo. We lie.â
Felix sighs. âOkay. But if they find screws, Iâm blaming your thighs.â
You raise a brow. âMy thighs?!â
âYES. You were squeezing. You were strong. I was just an innocent man in love.â
seungmin
âYouâre moving too much.â
âIâm literally on top of you.â
âI know. But Youâre riding me like you hate me and this bed was made in 2018.â
You roll your eyes and grind harder. Seungmin groans, arms behind his head, jaw clenched.
âShit- okay fine -do what you want. just donât blame me when we die.â
The mattress creaks. Wobbles. Youâre bouncing now, thighs burning, hair clinging to your forehead. Seungminâs watching you with that look... half lidded, breathless by how much he's enjoying this.
âGod youâre insaneâ he mutters.
âShut up and takââ
CREEAAKK
SNAP.
FULL. BED. COLLAPSE.
The right side caves in like karma. The mattress slants violently. You fall forward. He slides sideways. He grunts. You shriek.
THUD.
Silence.
Then Seungmin blinks up at the ceiling, deadpan ââŚDid we just break the bed?â
You groan into his chest. âTechnically, the bed broke itself...â
âOh my god. Oh my god. I told you!â
You roll off of him, breathless and âYouâre fine.â
âI told you it was weak.â
âYou were also moaning!â
He points at you, still half buried in the sheets. âI can multitask.â
Later, youâre both lying on the sideways mattress . Seungmin sips water, glaring at the broken frame.
âThis is why we canât have nice things.â
You grin. âYou mean why you canât handle this ass.â
He snorts. âThis ass took us to home depot levels of damage.â
I.N
Heâs beneath you, cheeks flushed, biting his lip as he moans under his breath.
âShit youâre gonna make me black outâ
Youâre riding him like crazy. Hands on his chest, pace unforgiving. âDonât be dramaticâ you pant.
âIâm seeing the edge of the universe. Thatâs not dramatic. Thatâs spiritual!â
You lean back, bouncing harder.
He whimpers. âOkay-okay-youâre doing too much-!â
âYou like it.â
âI like living, too!â
CREAK.
SNAP.
CRASH.
You drop like a ragdoll. He slides down with you, legs flailing, head smacking the headboard lightly as the bed frame gives the fuck up. You land on top of him in a pile of limbs.
He gasps, completely stunned. ââŚDid you just break the bed?â
You blink. âME?! I was literally doing what you begged for.â
âI said slower. Like three times. You were riding like we had a time limit!â
You sit up, scandalized. âYou were moaning!â
âBecause I was terrified. You were ruthless. I thought I was being punished!â
You shove his shoulder. âYou were gripping my hips!â
He covers his chest dramatically. âI was hanging on for dear life! You were galloping!â
---
Ten minutes later, you glance at the crooked frame. âThe bedâs dead.â
He sighs, stroking your thigh heâs comforting you through your mess. âI mean⌠it had a good life. But yeah. You finished it off.â
âStop gaslighting me!â
He smirks. âIâm just a poor innocent boy. You, on the other hand... thighs of destruction.â
⤡ main m.list â
DISCLAIMER : This blog and all related content (fics, fake texts, headcanons, imagines, etc.) are entirely fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. I do not know Stray Kids personally, nor do I claim any of this reflects their real personalities, actions, or relationships. All characters and their personalitiesâincluding Meena Kingâare original creations.Please enjoy responsibly and remember : real people = real boundaries.
Okay so for my upcoming fic I had to do some big changes with it and especially the plot. So for now on the Blood moon chase skz fanfic is going to be a stand alone story with an alternate timeline concerning the reader and her backstory. I came to this decision because Iâm in the process of writing a story centered around the blood moon and skzâs history with the reader! I know itâs been quite long since Iâve posted the snippet but I promise u itâs coming this week so stay tuned!đĽ°
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Horror Romance | Folklore Fantasy | Monster AU
Warnings: ritual sacrifice, drowning, possessive love, fear-based tension, moral ambiguity.
Summary: The village prayed for mercy, but the sea answered with himâand when you were offered to the waves, the Drowned God decided you belonged at his side.
The sea had been angry long before the village existed.
Before the docks, before the church bell, before the salt-stained homes clung desperately to the cliffs, the water had already been claiming bodies. It swallowed ships whole, split storms open with thunder, and dragged the living beneath its surface without mercy.
The villagers learned quickly.
The sea demanded reverence.
And so, when the nets came back empty and the waves began to roar at night, they knew what had to be done.
They chose you because you were quiet. Because you did not scream when the elders spoke of appeasement. Because you did not fight when they dressed you in white and threaded iron charms into your hair to weigh you down.
âA gift,â the priest murmured, pressing salt to your lips. âSo the god may sleep again.â
No one said his name out loud.
They only called him the Drowned God.
The shore was slick with black stone and rotting kelp when they brought you there at dusk. The tide was high, the waves restless, crashing against the cliffs like fists against bone. The villagers tied stones to your ankles, hands tremblingânot with sorrow, but with fear.
âForgive us,â someone whispered.
They pushed.
The cold stole your breath instantly.
Water flooded your lungs as the sea dragged you down, dress billowing like a shroud. Darkness pressed in from all sides. You kicked onceâtwiceâthen the weight pulled you deeper, deeper, until the world narrowed to pain and panic and salt.
And thenâ
Hands.
Strong. Unyielding. Not human.
They wrapped around your waist and pulled you farther down, not up. Panic flared anew, but your body betrayed you, strength draining as the cold seeped into your bones.
You should have died.
Instead, the pressure eased.
You coughed violently as air filled your lungsâair that should not exist this far beneath the surface. Your eyes fluttered open.
He hovered before you.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Hair dark and weightless, drifting like ink in water. His skin bore faint markings that glowed dimly, like bioluminescence along drowned ruins. His eyesâGod, his eyesâwere an endless, stormy blue, deep enough to drown in.
Bang Chan watched you with something like curiosity.
Something like hunger.
âYou werenât meant to breathe,â he said, voice resonating through the water without sound. âAnd yet⌠here you are.â
You tried to speak, but fear locked your throat. His fingers lifted your chin, tilting your face toward him. The touch burned cold, searing and intimate all at once.
âThey throw so many of you to me,â he murmured. âMost break. Most sink. Most feed the depths.â
His thumb brushed your cheek, wiping away a tear that floated uselessly between you. âBut you⌠you fought.â
The sea around you shifted, currents bending to his will. Ruins emerged from the darknessâstone pillars, broken altars, the skeletal remains of ships tangled together like offerings long forgotten.
This was his domain.
âYou are afraid,â Chan said gently. âGood. Fear keeps the heart beating.â
A sharp pain bloomed in your chest. You gaspedâand realized, horrified, that gills had split along your neck, burning as they opened.
âYou will survive,â he said. âI do not give gifts lightly.â
He drew you closer, your body pressed against his, his presence overwhelming. You could feel the pull of himânot just the water, but something deeper. Ancient. Commanding.
âThey worship me because they fear the sea,â Chan continued. âBut fear alone does not satisfy me anymore.â
His lips brushed your ear. âLoneliness is far more dangerous.â
The current dragged you with him as he descended, deeper than light, deeper than reason. Bodies drifted pastâsailors, villagers, offerings claimed too late or too cruelly. Some stared with hollow eyes. Others had been reduced to bone.
âThis is what happens when I am denied,â he said softly. âWhen they forget.â
You shuddered.
He stopped before a massive stone throne encrusted with coral and bone. He seated himselfâand pulled you onto his lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
âStay,â he whispered.
The word was not a request.
The sea stilled around you, listening.
âThey gave you to me to spare themselves,â Chan said, brushing your damp hair back. âBut I do not share what is mine.â
Your heart thundered in your ears.
âMine,â he repeated, more firmly now.
His mouth met yoursâcold, crushing, inescapable. You tasted salt and iron and something old, something that had never known mercy. When he pulled away, his eyes glowed brighter, pleased.
âYou will walk the depths with me,â he said. âYou will hear the prayers they whisper in terror. And you will remind them what happens when they forget their god.â
Above, the village would wake to calm waters and full nets.
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Horror Romance | Folklore Fantasy | Monster AU
Warnings: human sacrifice, possessive love, moral ambiguity, feeding / blood consumption.
Summary: The villagers prayed to survive the cruel winter, but the ancient thing that dwells in the frozen woods chose you instead, marking you as its own in a hunger older than the mountains.
Winter does not arrive in your village the way it should.
There is no warning snowfall, no playful frost on windowpanes, no gradual shortening of days. One morning, the river is frozen solid, thick enough to walk across. The cattle refuse to leave their pens. Birds vanish overnight. And when a hunter goes missing at the forestâs edge, his body is found three days laterâemptied.
Not torn.
Not mauled.
Consumed.
The elders do not ask what did it. They already know.
The Winter Eater has woken.
He has lived in the northern woods longer than memory. Older than the chapel. Older than the graves behind it. When the cold grows too cruel, when hunger sharpens the forest into a blade, the village does what it has always done.
They feed him.
It is not called a sacrifice anymore. They call it balance.
You are chosen because you have no family left to argue. Because you are young and healthy and will last longer. Because you spoke too loudly at the gathering when the elders debated who would go.
Because winter must be appeased.
They wash you in salt water. Dress you in pale linen. Tie your wrists looselyâhe prefers them able to walk. No one meets your eyes as they lead you to the tree line.
âYouâll feel him before you see him,â the elder tells you, voice shaking. âWhen the cold stops biting⌠when it starts holding.â
They leave you with a lantern and a path already half-buried in snow.
You walk.
The forest swallows sound first. Then warmth. Your breath turns ragged, each inhale scraping your lungs raw. Snow deepens, dragging at your steps, until your legs tremble and your hands go numb.
Thenâ
The cold changes.
It stops attacking.
It waits.
You feel it at your back. Around your throat. Sliding beneath your skin like a promise.
âYouâre early.â
The voice is calm. Almost bored.
You turn.
A man stands a few paces away, dark hair loose around his shoulders, dressed in black fur and leather dusted with snow. His face is sharp, beautiful in a way that feels unfinished, like something carved from ice and never warmed.
His eyes are wrong.
Not glowing. Not monstrous.
Just⌠empty. Winter-sky hollow.
âThey used to cry,â he continues, eyes sweeping over you. âOr pray. Sometimes both.â
Your lantern slips from your fingers. âAre youââ
âThe thing that eats them?â He tilts his head. âYes.â
Your knees give out.
He catches you easily, fingers digging into your arms. His touch is unbearableâburning cold, pain blooming instantly, stealing your breath.
He inhales.
Slow. Deep.
âAlive,â he murmurs. âStill afraid.â
His mouth curves, sharp and pleased. âGood.â
You notice it thenâthe way the snow beneath his feet does not compress. The way his breath does not fog. The way his shadow stretches too long, branching and jagged, crowned with something like antlers.
âYouâre not human,â you whisper.
âI wear one,â he replies. âIt keeps the meat calmer.â
Before you can scream, he pulls you closer. His body radiates cold so intense it borders on heat. You sob as his mouth lowers to your shoulderâ
And opens.
His jaw splits wider than it should, teeth unfolding like frostbitten flowers, too many, too precise. He bites.
Pain explodes through you, white and blinding. Your blood spills hot against the snow, steam curling into the air. He groansâa broken, starving soundâand tightens his grip, holding you upright as he feeds.
Not fast.
Never fast.
When he pulls away, your vision swims. You expect to see bone.
Instead, frost creeps over the wound, sealing it shut, skin pale and numb but intact.
You stare at him in horror. âYou didnât kill me.â
âNo,â he agrees, breath finally misting. His pupils are blown wide now, dark with hunger. âThat would be wasteful.â
He presses his forehead to yours, voice dropping, intimate and cold. âI eat slowly. Through winter.â
Your legs barely hold you. âHow longâŚ?â
His fingers slide to your chin, tilting your face up. There is something possessive in the touch. Something claiming.
âUntil the cold releases me,â he says. âOr until you stop being warm.â
You choke on a sob. âThe villageââ
âThey live,â he interrupts. âYou stay.â
Snow begins to fallâthick, heavy, endless.
He lifts you into his arms as if you weigh nothing, your body already numbing against his chest.
âYouâll bleed when I need it,â he murmurs, carrying you deeper into the woods. âYouâll sleep beside me so the hunger doesnât sharpen too fast. And when you beg, I might listen.â
Title: "Chosen by the Devourer": Stray Kids fanfiction
Pairing: Felix x Reader Female
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Horror Romance | Folklore Fantasy | Monster AU
Warnings: Human sacrifice, possessive love, manipulation, dark themes, moral ambiguity.
Summary: In a forgotten village at the edge of an ancient forest, a young woman is offered as sacrifice to a monster who wears human skin. But the creature in the woods does not want her bloodâhe wants her devotion.
The village bells rang only for death.
You learned that earlyâhow their sound scraped against the sky like a warning rather than a prayer. When they rang for you, slow and deliberate, no one wept. No one protested. The women shut their shutters. The men avoided your eyes.
The monster in the woods demanded blood.
And you had been deemed suitable.
They dressed you in white so the blood would show. A thin shift, old and fraying, meant for burial rather than survival.
âYou brought this upon us,â the elder hissed as they dragged you toward the woods. âThe monster has grown restless.â
You knew what that meant.
For weeks, livestock had been torn apart and left half-eaten. Deep claw marks had been found on the church doors. Shapes moved between trees at nightâtoo tall, too fast. The Devourer was awake again.
And you were the price.
At the forestâs edge, they forced you to your knees. Mud soaked into the hem of your shift.
âMay he be satisfied,â they whispered.
Then they fled.
The woods swallowed them whole.
You stayed there long after the echoes of their footsteps vanished, chest tight, breath uneven. The forest felt awareânot watching, but waiting. As though something ancient had already circled your fate long before the villagers tied the rope.
âYou smell like fear.â
The voice came from behind you.
Low. Smooth. Intimate.
You twisted around.
He stood impossibly close, crouched like a predator examining prey that hadnât realized it was caught yet. Golden hair fell loose around his face, pale freckles dusting skin too flawless to belong to a mortal man. His eyes glowed faintly in the dimâwarm, almost kind.
Almost.
âYouâre early,â he murmured. âThey usually run farther before leaving them.â
You tried to crawl back, but roots rose from the ground, curling around your ankles, pinning you in place.
âPlease,â you choked. âJust kill me quickly.â
Felix smiled.
âOh, little offering,â he said softly. âIf I wanted you dead, you wouldnât still be breathing.â
His fingers brushed your throatâlight, testing. You flinched, heart hammering beneath his touch.
âSo fragile,â he whispered. âAnd yet they thought you would appease me.â
âWhat are you?â you asked, tears slipping free.
He tilted his head, studying the way your fear trembled through your body. The forest leaned in. For a moment, his human shape flickeredâsomething vast and monstrous pressing against skin not meant to contain it. Horns ghosted into existence before vanishing. Claws brushed your jaw without breaking skin.
âI am hunger,â Felix said. âI am the promise they made and never intended to keep.â
His hand slid down to the rope binding your wrists. With a flex of his fingers, it snapped like rotten thread.
Freedom should have felt like hope.
Instead, dread pooled in your stomach.
âYouâre not sending me back,â you realized.
âNo,â he agreed. âIâm keeping you.â
The forest opened for him, roots and branches parting as though bowing. He lifted you effortlessly, cradling you against his chest. You could feel his heartbeatâslow, powerful, not quite human.
âI donât take sacrifices,â he whispered against your ear. âI take what is mine.â
You struggled weakly, but his grip tightenedâpossessive, unyielding.
âDonât fight me,â he warned, voice darkening. âI would hate to hurt you before you understand.â
His home lay deep within the woodsâa den of stone and bone, lit by unnatural fire. Skins and trinkets hung from the walls. Old things. Human things.
You trembled as he set you down on a bed of moss and fur.
âYou should hate me,â Felix said, kneeling before you. âYou should beg. You should scream.â
He leaned closer, breath brushing your lips.
âBut you wonât.â
Your body betrayed youâheart racing, breath hitching, fear twisting into something dangerously close to longing.
He smiled, slow and knowing.
âThey left you to die,â he whispered. âI chose you to live. To belong.â
His thumb brushed beneath your eye, catching a tear.
âMine,â he said.
The word settled into your bones like a curseâand a vow.
Outside, the forest roared softly, roots tightening around the village paths far beyond reach.
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Horror Romance | Folklore Fantasy | Monster AU
Warnings: human sacrifice / missing girls, fear-based tension, possessive love, moral ambiguity.
Summary: The village worships him as a saint, but the girls who pray too closely vanish. Only you survive⌠and belong to the monster beneath the halo.
The village was small, forgotten, and hemmed in by cliffs that rose like ancient walls. No one came through except traders who whispered warnings to passersbyâstrange things happened there, they said. Girls disappeared. Livestock went missing. Some claimed the stone chapel at the center of town glowed faintly at night, as if the walls themselves were alive.
And at the center of it all, they said, was a man.
Or something like one.
No one knew where he had come from. Some said he appeared centuries ago, walking through the mist with hair like molten ink and eyes that burned brighter than candles, offering healing, blessing, miracles. Others whispered that he had always been there, that the village had been built around him. Either way, he was worshiped. Revered. Feared.
They called him a saint.
But saints did not eat. Saints did not watch girls kneeling too long in devotion vanish without a trace. Saints did not leave the faint scent of iron and decay wherever they stepped.
You had heard the stories as a child. Girls who prayed to him too ferventlyâtoo closelyânever returned. They spoke of how they had been âblessed,â but if you asked the villagers, they only smiled politely and averted their eyes. âA saintâs work is mysterious,â they said.
And now, at sixteen, the priest had brought you to him.
The chapel doors groaned under the weight of centuries as you were pushed inside. Torches flickered along the walls, casting long, shivering shadows that twisted like crawling things. And there he was.
Hyunjin knelt at the altar, hands folded over silk robes that gleamed like molten silver in the torchlight. His head was bowed in apparent prayer, but when he lifted his gaze, his eyes glimmered goldenâhungry, infinite, and unhuman.
The priest stepped back, muttering blessings, lips quivering. âDo not resist, child. He is the saint who will protect you.â
You wanted to protest, but the weight of the villagersâ fear pressed on your chest. The stories clawed at your mind. Girls who went before you never returned.
He rose from the altar, moving toward you with the grace of a predator. Every step made the air pulse; the chapel felt smaller, suffocating. You felt itâthe pull, the ancient, unholy power that clung to him.
âYou came willingly, little one,â he murmured. His voice was smooth, a knife wrapped in silk. âThat is wise. Or foolish. Perhaps both. I prefer foolish.â
His hand brushed the back of your neck. Cold. Sharp. Almost⌠alive in ways no human flesh should feel. You shivered.
âThey call me a saint,â he said, tilting his head. âBut they do not know. They never know. Saints do not feed. Saints do not touch. Saints do not mark the girls who kneel too close. I do.â
Your stomach lurched. He was smilingâsoftlyâbut the corners of his mouth held something feral. Not human. Not saintly.
âYou are trembling,â he said, voice dropping, golden eyes glittering in the torchlight. âDo you know why?â
Because he was watching. Watching you. Waiting. Hungry.
âYes,â you whispered, though your lips quivered. âIâm afraid.â
âGood,â he breathed. âFear is honest. It tastes⌠better.â
And then the chapel seemed to shift. The walls pulsed with shadows, creeping along the stones. The torches flickered, casting the light on shapes you had not noticed before. The bodies of girls, or what remained, pressed into the corners, their features distorted, eyes hollow, smiles carved wide and unnatural. They stared at you, silent witnesses to your fate.
âDo not scream,â Hyunjin warned, stepping closer. His presence made your knees weak. âYou will not want to leave.â
He crouched, golden eyes level with yours. The scent hit you thenâiron, blood, something old and rotten beneath the surface of incense and candlewax. Hunger. It was not just in himâit was him.
âThey come to me,â he said, voice soft, almost intimate. âThey kneel. They pray. And then⌠they are mine. And now, so are you.â
You tried to step back, but the shadows pressed closer, holding you in place. His hand lifted, tracing your jaw with unnatural delicacy. He leaned forward, and you felt the pull of his essenceâsharp, sweet, predatory.
âYou will not become them,â he whispered. âYou will be⌠different. Chosen. Blessed. Loved.â
The word tasted wrong on his lips. And yet, part of your body responded anyway. Fear mixed with something darker, something dangerous you could not name.
His teeth glinted as he smiled. Not fully human teeth. Not fully human mouth. The chapel seemed to close around you, the air thick, the shadows crawling, the candlelight bending toward him.
âI feed on devotion,â he said, voice low, almost a growl. âI take what they offer⌠and leave nothing else. But youâŚâ
His hand fell to your chest, over your heart. You felt it beat against him, a rhythm that was somehow familiar, somehow his. âYou are mine. Not theirs. Not for the village to claim.â
The shadows shifted behind him, coiling, watching, hungry for what they could not take. His lips brushed yoursânot gentle, not sweet, not human. Sharp, claiming, marking. You tasted iron, fire, fear, and something intoxicating.
âI have waited,â he whispered, gold eyes boring into yours, âfor one who would kneel to me and not break. And you⌠you will not break.â
And then he withdrew, only slightly, just enough to show the fangs beneath his smile, the inhuman glint in his gaze. The chapel breathed with the weight of the vanished girls, the fear of the priest, the hunger in the shadows.
You were trembling. Wanting. Afraid. And still⌠alive.
âDo not call me saint,â he said softly. âI am not. I am the hunger you will never understand. The devotion you cannot escape. And I have chosen you.â
Outside, the village slept, ignorant. Inside, the walls of the chapel throbbed with dark life. You belonged nowânot to the village, not to anyone human. You belonged to the False Divinity who would teach you fear, love, and desire, all in one bite.
And as he leaned toward you again, you realized you would not want to leave.
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Horror Romance | Folklore Fantasy | Monster AU
Warnings: human sacrifice, feeding / blood consumption, possessive love.
Summary: The mountain demanded blood as it always had, but when you were laid upon its altar, the ancient thing beneath the stone chose to keep you instead.
The altar existed before the village had a name.
Before the first stone house was raised. Before the road was carved through the mountain pass. Before anyone thought to stay.
Travelers used to avoid the place entirelyâa jagged stretch of mountain where the earth shifted underfoot and avalanches swallowed entire caravans without warning. Those who passed through spoke of tremors that came without cause, of hearing something move beneath the stone when the ground should have been still.
Then the settlers came.
They were desperate people, fleeing famine and war, willing to risk cursed land for survival. They found the altar half-buried in the mountainside: a massive slab of black stone veined with something darker, slick to the touch even in the cold. There were markings carved into itâold, eroded symbols no one could read, spiraling inward like teeth.
Some wanted to destroy it.
The mountain answered that idea with a collapse that killed twelve people.
After that, no one suggested touching the altar again.
They built the village around it instead.
At first, the tremors were rare. Crops grew better in the mountainâs shadow. The river never dried. The stone beneath the soil was warm, even in winter. The elders called it a blessing. They left offerings at the altarâgrain, livestock, wine.
Then the mountain grew restless.
The first time the Devourer woke fully, the earth split open beneath a farmhouse and swallowed it whole. The second time, half the village was crushed when the ground heaved without warning. Only after the third did they understand.
The mountain did not want gifts.
It wanted blood.
The offering was not decided lightly. It never was.
You were chosen because the ground favored you.
You had always noticed it, even as a childâhow stones shifted beneath your feet, never tripping you, how you survived the rockslide that killed your mother, how you could feel the tremors before they came, a low ache in your bones like a warning.
The elders whispered that the mountain recognized you.
That terrified them.
They prepared you at dawn. Ash on your hands. Oil at your throat. No bindingsâhe preferred the offering alive when it reached the altar. They dressed you simply, hair unbound, skin bare where it mattered.
No one cried as they led you up the path.
They had learned that grief only angered the stone.
The closer you came, the warmer the ground grew beneath your feet. The altar waited, black and slick, humming faintly like a heartbeat pressed into the mountainâs chest.
They laid you upon it and stepped back.
Then they fled.
The silence afterward was immense.
For a long time, nothing happened. You lay still, heart pounding, the stone warm against your spine. You almost wondered if they had been wrongâif the stories had grown exaggerated over generations.
Then the mountain moved.
It began deep below you, a slow grinding sensation that traveled upward through the rock, vibrating into your bones. Dust fell from the cliffside. Cracks spidered across the stone around the altar.
A sound followedâlow, thunderous, alive.
The altar split.
Stone peeled away as something enormous forced itself upward, tearing free of the mountain like a tooth pulled from flesh. A body emergedâmassive, built of muscle and cracked granite, veins glowing faintly beneath stone skin as if magma flowed just under the surface.
Horns curled back from his head, jagged and ancient. His mouth was full of teeth meant for grinding bone, his jaw powerful and heavy.
When his eyes opened, they burned gold.
The Devourer Beneath the Stone had woken.
He looked at the altar. At the blood offerings carved into its surface over centuries. Then his gaze fell on you.
The mountain stilled.
He stepped closer, each movement accompanied by the sound of rock grinding against rock. Heat radiated from him, intense and suffocating.
âAgain,â he rumbled, voice echoing through the mountain itself. âThey feed me again.â
You couldnât breathe. Couldnât scream. His gaze pinned you in place, heavy with hunger and something olderârecognition.
He sniffed the air, nostrils flaring.
âYou,â he said. âYou have always walked gently.â
His massive hand closed around your ankle. Not crushing. Testing. Feeling the heat of you.
âYou are not afraid of the stone,â he continued, puzzled. âThe others always were.â
âIâI didnât have a choice,â you whispered.
His grip tightened slightly.
âNeither did I,â he replied.
He leaned down, lowering his face to your side. His breath washed over your skin, hot and mineral-rich. When his mouth opened, it was not rushed, not savage.
It was reverent.
His teeth sank into your flesh.
Pain exploded through you, white and blinding, as blood spilled hot against the cold stone. He groaned deeply, a sound that shook the mountain, one hand bracing against the altar as he fed.
He drank like the earth drinks rainâdeep, patient, controlled. When your strength faltered, he stopped.
Pulled back.
Your wound burned, then sealed with molten heat, skin knitting together as if the mountain itself refused to let you break.
He stared.
âYou endure,â he murmured.
The mountain rumbled, pleased.
Stone cracked and shifted as his body began to changeâsize reducing, shape altering, granite receding to reveal something closer to human beneath. When he stood again, he was still wrong, still heavy with power, but smaller. Closer.
Able to kneel before you.
âYou are not meat,â he decided slowly. âYou are a vein.â
He touched your side where the bite had been, fingers leaving warmth behind. âI will draw from you when the mountain aches. I will stop before I take too much.â
Your voice shook. âThe villageâŚ?â
âThey live,â he said simply. âBecause you stay.â
He lifted you easily, cradling you against his chest. The altar sank back into the mountain as stone closed around you, sealing you inside its depths.
Darkness swallowed the world.
âYou will learn the rhythm,â he murmured, carrying you deeper. âStone. Hunger. Rest.â
Above, the tremors ceased.
The village survived.
And deep within the mountainâs heart, the Devourer fed not on destructionâbut on something that could endure him.
Title: "The Laughing Hunger" : Stray Kids fanfiction
Pairing: Han x Reader Female
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Horror Romance | Folklore Fantasy | Monster AU
Warnings: violence and gore, village annihilation, possessive love.
Summary: Stories warned against crossroads and wandering spirits, but when the Trickster stirs, you discover that some legends are only quiet until they decide to claim.
The old stories never called him kind.
That was the first lie people told when they were afraid.
Before the village existed, before roads were straightened and borders named, there were spirits that lived between places â where paths crossed, where intentions wavered, where rules broke down. Tricksters. Not guides. Not protectors.
Correctors.
They punished arrogance. They devoured certainty. They twisted people who thought they understood the world.
When the settlers arrived, they found the crossroads already there.
Three paths intersecting at a crooked angle, the ground darker, softer, as if it remembered every footstep that had ever hesitated upon it. The elders warned against building too close, but hunger and winter pressed harder than superstition.
So the village grew.
And the crossroads watched.
At first, the punishments were small. A traveler would walk east and return from the west. A child would vanish for a night and come back laughing, unable to remember where they had been. Livestock went missing. Tools rusted overnight.
People laughed it off.
Then the laughter started answering back.
Low at first. A breathy sound carried on windless nights. Always from the crossroads. Always just out of sight.
The elders finally admitted what the old texts said:
The Trickster had noticed them.
He did not want offerings. He did not want prayer. He wanted recognition.
And recognition had a price.
You were born during a road collapse.
The night you entered the world, the western path folded inward like wet paper, swallowing three men whole. The ground closed afterward, smooth and unbroken.
You grew up hearing that story whispered behind your back.
Marked.
You felt it, too. Roads never behaved around you. You got lost easily â or found things you werenât looking for. Sometimes you heard laughter when no one else did, sharp and pleased, echoing just behind your thoughts.
The elders watched you closely.
When the Trickster finally came in full, they already knew who he would choose.
It happened on a moonless night.
The bells rang on their own.
Metal screamed as if struck by invisible hands. Windows shattered inward. Doors warped and twisted on their hinges. The crossroads split open, soil tearing like flesh.
Screams filled the streets.
Then the laughter rose â no longer distant.
It was everywhere.
The first house collapsed violently, walls folding inward, beams snapping like bone. Blood sprayed across the dirt road as a man was crushed beneath his own doorway.
Fire erupted where none had been lit.
You saw him then.
Standing barefoot at the center of the crossroads, coat hanging loose from his shoulders, hair dark and tangled, eyes bright with a hunger that made your stomach twist. He looked human in shape â but nothing about him felt human.
Reality leaned toward him.
âAh,â he said softly, voice carrying easily over the screams. âThere you are.â
Someone tried to run past him.
The road shifted.
The man slammed face-first into the ground as the earth rose like a wall. His neck snapped with a sound that made you gag. The Trickster laughed â sharp, delighted, clapping his hands once.
âWrong way,â he chimed.
The elders fell to their knees.
âItâs you,â one sobbed. âYouâve come to claimââ
âI came because you built,â Han interrupted mildly, eyes never leaving you. âOn my teeth.â
The ground split beneath the bell tower. Stone warped, folding inward as if chewed. People screamed as streets twisted into impossible spirals, trapping them in loops they couldnât escape.
You tried to run.
The path bent.
You stumbled straight into him.
His hand closed around your wrist.
Cold. Burning. Wrong.
âThere,â he said, smiling wide. âYou hear me.â
Your heart hammered. âPleaseâ stop thisââ
âOh, I will,â he replied pleasantly. âAfter.â
His shadow peeled away from his feet, stretching tall and thin, splitting into too many limbs. Faces formed briefly in it â screaming, laughing, sobbing â before melting back into black.
His grin widened impossibly, teeth sharpening, multiplying.
âYou want to know what I am?â he whispered, leaning close enough that you smelled blood and smoke on his breath. âI am the thing that happens when people forget why they fear crossroads.â
Behind him, a woman was dragged screaming into the ground as the road opened beneath her. Blood poured into the cracks, soaking the soil dark.
Han sighed contentedly.
âThey asked me to choose,â he continued softly. âFor generations. Begged me to take one instead of many.â
His eyes locked onto yours.
âSo I chose.â
The village screamed as if it understood.
Buildings collapsed in on themselves. Roads twisted into spirals. People ran only to reappear seconds later, sobbing, lost, skin splitting as reality bent them the wrong way.
Han pulled you against him as the world broke.
âYou are not a sacrifice,â he murmured. âYou are proof.â
His mouth brushed your ear. His voice dropped, reverent and cruel.
âThey will remember this.â
The ground opened beneath your feet.
You fell â not down, but sideways, into a space where directions meant nothing. The village folded in on itself above you, swallowed by paths that led nowhere.
When the laughter finally faded, there was no village left.
Only forest.
Only twisted roads.
And at the heart of it all, the crossroads remained â clean, dark, patient.
Han stood there with you in his arms, human shape settling back into place, eyes still glowing faintly.
âBride,â he said thoughtfully. âYes. That word will do.â
You shook, tears streaking your face.
He tilted your chin up, studying you like something fascinating and fragile.
âI break worlds when I choose,â he said gently. âYou should be proud.â
genre: crackfic, dark comedy, dark romance, thriller
summary: hyunjin invites you over to hang out with him and his friends. they try to kill you. you survive! aaaand now theyâre obsessed with you.
warnings: attempted murder of protagonist(reader), violence, blood, stalking, obsessive behavior, mentions of death/murder/dismemberment/(implied)rape(itâs just in a conversation, it didnât happen to anyone in the fic!!), cursing, homicidal behavior/psychopathy, dumb han and felix, people die, the love interests(skz) are the problem, nobody here is okay, english is obvi not my first language
word count: 13k
you almost got murdered.
by eight gorgeous men.
yea, y/n. you got yourself into that situation. but how?
you were walking home once, minding your own business, chewing on some thought. could have been anything. from dinner to what you need to do tomorrow, letâs not act like it matters. none of these little details matter, what does, is that a man was walking towards you. (an: guys iâll clarify it now that itâs hyunjin. i just hate when fanfics try to describe looks when we donât know names yet)
the man passed you. smelled great. nothing more.
âis this yours?â
that was him. his voice. he talked to you.
you stopped then and turned around. he was also standing still, looking at you. holding a single airpod.
no. it was not yours. at all. not your airpod.
âshit. yes, it is.â you smiled. a hundred percent aware that the single airpod was not yours.
hyunjin smiled, relieved in a way that suggested he had not planned beyond step one: talk to pretty girl. he asked your name. you asked his. he pretended he wasnât internally rehearsing how to introduce you to the worst decision of your life.
and thatâs exactly how you got yourself into the situation before your getting murdered one, where you kept seeing hyunjin, never really revealing that the airpod was not yours. you didnât want to, he was just so cute.
and also a serial killer, not like you knew that though.
hyunjin was always the best with the women. or with the people in general. the other seven guys were⌠doing alright with them, sure, some better and some worse, but hyunjin always got what he wanted. he was the one collecting the people, another person to kill.
which did not happen to you, duh itâs in the first line, but how? how, when the eight of them, eight little nobodies who only got through school and universities because of each other, are so good at killing? how, when itâs the main thing that bonds them together and gives them their sick little dosage of joy? how, when thatâs the thing they can do best? how, when theyâre fit? lucky? hot?
yea iâll just stop with all the questions. iâm boutta explain, obvi.
so. you two started meeting up. you not telling him that the airpod wasnât yours, him not telling you he was planning on sliming you out.
once, he invited you out. you two have been out hundreds and thousands of times(like five times), so it didnât seem like anything out of the ordinary to you. not a date, he said hang out. his place. âa few friends might be thereâ he added. you went. fucking idiot.
the place was so fucking cool. big. looked good. kinda place where you immediately lost cell service and your sense of direction.
âthatâs just the guys.â hyunjin had also said when you two got there, gesturing inside.
you met them all in under three minutes, which was about two minutes too many. chan was a gentleman. he smiled. he shook your hand. he had huge arms and was gorgeous.
minho and seungmin both looked like they hated you. looked you up and down. acted like bitches. acted like they didnât understand what you wanted when you said hi and introduced yourself. acted like you were beneath them. hm.
changbin saved the moment by immediately knocking over a chair and laughing at himself. he was sweet. he asked you if you wanted a drink. that was nice, because he meant that. he wanted to get you something to drink, even if he wanted to kill you after. wanting to absolutely murder you wasnât personal, so he wasnât going to make it personal.
felix and unfortunately han, two sunshine or whatever you heard the guys say about them(why were there two?) were sweet, but dumb. han tried to shake your hand and missed. felix complimented your shoes and then apologized to the floor.
jeongin bowed. he asked if you were real. he told chan you were out of his league. chan was about to smash his head into a wall. he seemed intelligent though, a little playful, a little flirty. sweet guy. (also a fucking psychopath y/n run run RUN)
through all of it, hyunjin, the liar, the asshole, stayed near you. calm. watching. soooo fucking hot, man. everyone else was loud or mean or deeply stupid, but hyunjin looked at you like he didnât quite know what to do with you.
which was funny, because the rest of them clearly knew exactly what they wanted to do with you.
they were bad at hiding it. terrible, actually. chan kept whispering. minho and seungmin stared too long. felix dropped something sharp and went âoopsâ. jeongin asked, loudly, if you were good at running, then immediately said he meant marathons.
you thought they were weird. intense. hot, unfortunately. you had no idea you were being sized up.
so. like two hours into the hang out. you didnât have your phone with you, it was in the living room somewhere. you were in the kitchen with hyunjin, leaning against a counter, listening to him explain, calmly, something about the cabinets.
âuhuh.â you said, opening three drawers and finding nothing but knives. so many knives. âoouukay.â
from the living room, something heavy scraped across the floor.
you frowned, no idea what he was referring to. yet. âthatâs a weird thing to say out loud.â
hyunjin hummed. then seungmin appeared in the doorway, posture lazy, swaying a lil, with a fire poker in his hand. i repeat, fire poker.
you had just enough time to think oh thatâs new, before he swung. clean. aimed at your head.
you ducked on instinct. the poker smashed into the cabinet behind you, splintering wood, sending a drawer of knives exploding onto the floor.
everyone froze for half a second.
âjesus.â changbin said from somewhere nearby. âwe just fixed that.â
you stared at seungmin. he stared back. you two stared at each other for a while.
ââŚhuh.â you said. âokay.â
then you ran.
the boys just⌠got into it immediately. switched. getting up. listening to your footsteps. laughing. jeongin whooped. they all obviously had done this before. they were so boyish, all of them. and so fucking evil.
you ran down a hallway, heart slamming in your ribs. a door on your left? locked. on your right, open.
you ran into a study and immediately regretted it. felix was there, sitting on a desk, holding a crossbow. WHERE. DID. HE. GET. THAT. FROM.
âoh!â he said, genuinely delighted. âhey.â
âmove.â you snapped.
he winced sympathetically. âcanât.â
the shit that he shot out of the bow that i donât know the name of thunked into the wall beside your head. close enough that you felt the vibration.
âfuck you.â you said, accepting it surprisingly quick that you were getting hunted down.
you burst back into the hall and nearly collided with changbin. he caught you by the shoulders automatically, steadying you.
âokay.â he said, quick and quiet. âleft stairâs blocked. right one buys you maybe twenty seconds.â
âwhy are you telling me?â you panted.
he shrugged. âi like you.â
then he leaned down, pressed a quick kiss into your hair, warm, apologetic, and shoved you forward by the middle of your back.
âgo.â he said. âbefore i change my mind.â
you went.
behind you, he called out cheerfully: âshe went right!â
âYOU FUCKING LIAR.â minho yelled immediately.
you ran up the stairs two at a time. at the top when you turned, han was waiting, holding a bat.
âoh shit.â he said. âhi.â
you grabbed the bat mid-swing, yanked it free, and cracked him across the shin. you fucking rock y/n.
he screamed, fell over, and immediately yelled: âtimeout! timeout!â
you ditched the bat(DUMB bitch) and ran into what looked like a⌠whatever room. it was big, too big, too open, too much of a bad choice.
chan stepped into your path. was this bitch there the whole time? no, he couldnât be. could he?
you spun, only to find minho closing in. you kicked him in the knee. hard. he lunged. you ducked, grabbed a chair again and swung blindly. the thing is, you were extremely weak tho. the chair could have been a fucking pillow at this point, because he just stepped away from it. and you⌠kinda went with the chair. but you stood up! luckily.
they loved this. they loved the way you fought. the way you adapted. the way you didnât scream, just swore and moved and made it harder than it was supposed to be. it made them better. sharper. meaner. more playful.
you ran out the door you came in thru and shut it behind you, jamming a heavy table against it. the boys could have prevented that, they just didnât. you were way too fun, and they knew that you were getting tired. they knew they were going to win this. again.
you waited a bit.
the door shuddered. once. twice.
then stopped.
silence.
your stomach dropped. that was never good.
âokay.â hyunjinâs calm voice came, suddenly close, from behind you. âiâm gonna need you to turn around.â
you spun.
for a moment, you just stared at each other.
âyeah.â you said breathlessly. âso. the airpod?â
he winced. âyeah.â
âfigures. sorry for lying about it.â
âitâs fine. i lied too.â he stepped aside, gesturing toward a side door. gentlemanly. insane. ârun.â he said. âiâll count to five.â
âwhy?â
he smiled, small. âbecause itâs more fun when you almost make it.â
you didnât wait for five. you ran again, heart in your throat.
âYOUâRE DOING GREAT!â felix shouted when he saw you run past him. âI MEANâSTOP!â
yeah. pfftt.
the house stopped making sense after a while. corridors doubled back on themselves, which was fucking brutal. there were rooms you swore youâd already crossed. you ducked into a side room and slammed the door, immediately realizing, too late, that it didnât lock.
âfuck.â you whispered, hands on your knees, trying to quiet your breathing. and you listened. footsteps walked past. someone laughed, a really⌠loud laugh. jeonginâs voice echoed from somewhere far off. you could hear how unserious his voice was, talking bout sum âsheâs still upright, folks, which is honestly impressiveâ genuinely just making fun of the situation.
âkeys.â you muttered. âi need keys.â because you clearly remembered hyunjin closing the front door after you.
from behind the curtain came a soft, confused, very close: ââŚhuh.â
you froze.
the curtain moved. it was han, holding a knife and a flashlight upside down, blinking at you.
âohâ he said. âhi.â
third hi he said tonight. hi to you too, han.
you stared at each other.
âuh.â he said.
âyeah.â you replied.
a beat passed.
another.
he frowned at the flashlight, turned it the right way up, immediately blinded himself, and yelped.
âsorry.â he said, rubbing his eyes. âdidnât mean to corner you.â serial killer btw.
âyou did.â you said. âthatâs literally what you did.â
âright.â he nodded. âyeah. so. iâm supposed to, uhââ he made a weak stabbing motion with his hand that held the knife. missed entirely. ââdo the thing.â
you glanced at the knife in his hand. them at him. then back at the knife. âyou donât look super confident about that.â you said.
he shrugged. âi get nervous.â he hesitated. then leaned in and whispered: âhyunjin gave his keys to chan, i saw it.â
your eyes widened. ââŚthanks.â
he smiled, shy. âokay.â he said, stepping aside. âiâm gonna count to⌠uh⌠whatâs fair?â
âten.â you said immediately.
he nodded seriously. âten.â
you bolted.
âONEââ he shouted, already losing count. âTHREEâWAITââ
you ran out. didnât get far though, you heard too many noises, so you did what made sense at the moment. hide again. and you did hide again, at least tried, you were soon interrupted by seeing felix, who was crouched behind a couch, chewing on a cereal bar.
he looked up mid-bite. âoh. hello again.â
âmove. again.â you said.
he scooted instantly. âyep.â
you walked past. paused. looked back. âwhy are you hiding?â
he swallowed. âi forgot what the plan was.â
âoh. iâm sorry.â
âitâs alright.â
from the hallway, heavy footsteps approached. chan, probably. he walks confident. you can just⌠hear his walk. felix heard it too. he grimaced.
âheâs gonna be mad.â felix whispered. âhe hates when i lose track.â
you looked at felix. then at the hallway. then back at felix. âyouâre fine. itâs not your fault. i think so, at least.â you looked around. âhe just feels like the fucking star of the show, having the keys and all thatâ
boom. that was your plan. sneak the keys into the conversation. get to know about it. youâll be out of there in no time, y/n.
you looked back at him. âcan you distract him?â
felix thought for a second, then shook his pretty head enthusiastically. âabsolutely not.â
ââŚfair.â
he stood anyway, squared his shoulders, and marched into the hallway yelling âHEY BRO I THINK SHE WENTââ
you didnât hear the rest. you ran. you climbed stairs, ducked under a railing, slipped through a door that led into a laundry room, and locked it. the blessed, beautiful click of a lock nearly made you cry. then you crouched between machines, shaking, trying not to laugh or scream or do both.
minutes passed. nothing. then, a knock. polite. gentle.
you stared at the door.
hyunjinâs voice followed, calm as ever. âiâm not coming in.â
âyeah?â you called. âpromise?â
âcross my heart.â
âdonât have one.â jeongin added from somewhere farther back.
hyunjin sighed.
the fact that jeongin heard you talk and didnât go to the laundry room says a lot about them though. tells you that theyâre doing this for fun. that theyâre not in a hurry at all.
you edged closer to the door, careful. âi need the keys.â
âi know.â
âgive them to me.â
a pause. you imagined him leaning against the wall, hands in pockets, watching the floor. âyou almost deserve them.â he said. âthatâs the problem.â from down the hall came a crash, followed by changbin yelling. hyunjin continued anyway, softer now. âif you get them, though⌠youâre really leaving.â
âyes.â
âshame.â
fucking manipulator. thatâs what he is. âyouâre really leavingâ oh boo fucking hoo. sappy asshole.
the doorknob jiggled once.
âfive minutes.â he said. âthatâs what I can give you.â
then footsteps retreated. you sagged against the dryer, adrenaline buzzing. five minutes. okay. you had to get out for sure, otherwise you would be so dead. so, next, run. you were going to run. open the door and⌠go⌠some⌠way. anyways, thatâs what you did after about one minute of sitting on the floor and thinking about how will you do that. you got out, and didnât stop running so much as you failed forward into the next hallway.
somewhere behind you, han shouted your name wrong, twice, then tripped over absolutely nothing and went down with a sound like a dropped bookshelf.
âFUCK.â he yelled. âiâm okay! IâM OKAY.â
you risked a glance back just in time to see him scramble up, only to immediately collide with minho, who had come around the corner too fast. they hit the wall together, tangled, swearing.
you burst through a door and nearly slammed straight into seungmin. both of you froze. like actually froze. inches apart. his breath was loud. yours was worse. he stared at you. you stared at him. his grip tightened on whatever sharp thing he had in his hand.
ââŚhi.â you said.
âsup.â he said. âyouâre shorter up close.â
âfuck you.â
âlater.â he agreed easily.
you looked at him, furrowing your pretty brows.
he glanced down at the knife in his hand, then back up at you. âthis is awkward.â
âyeah.â
he tilted his head. âyou okay?â
âno.â you said.
âhm.â
there was a beat where neither of you moved. somewhere far away, something crashed, probably han.
seungmin tilted his head. âyou gonna run, or are we doing this weird staring thing?â
you lunged left.
he lunged right.
you both smacked into the same doorframe and recoiled in pain.
âfuck.â you mumbled, rubbing your pretty head.
âshit, okay, that oneâs on me.â he admitted, rubbing his shoulder. his pretty shoulder. that sweater looked good on him, by the way. yeah. hm. really good. but that didnât fucking matter when he lunged again.
you screamed, slipped on a rug, and went down hard, only for minho to come in from the side and tackle seungmin directly into a glass table. the table shattered.
you stared.
they stared back.
ââŚgo.â seungmin shook his head, waving you off.
you did not need to be told twice. behind you, minho yelled smth like âWHY ARE YOU LETTING HER GO?â
a crash. a thud.
then seungmin, very calmly: âbecause youâre pissing me off.â
you ran straight into han and felix arguing at the end of the hall.
âi said left.â han insisted, holding a crowbar upside down.
âyou always say left.â felix argued, holding a taser and clearly forgetting how it worked.
you skidded to a stop.
all three of you froze.
you were panting. âcan you bothââ
felix lunged. han lunged. they lunged into each other. they crashed, arms everywhere, legs everywhere, clothes everywhere, the smell of men everywhere, tangled up, the taser going off uselessly into the air.
âSTOP STABBING MY JACKET.â felix yelled.
âI THOUGHT YOU WERE HER.â han yelled back.
you stepped over them. âthank you.â you said sincerely, and ran.
you rounded a corner and slammed straight into chan, full chest-to-chest. you both stumbled back a step. he held you automatically, hands on your arms. you stared up at him. he stared down at you.
he almost smiled.
then han came sprinting in, tripped over absolutely nothing, and took chan out at the knees.
âOH MY GOD IâM SO SORRY.â han yelled, tangled in chanâs limbs. âI DIDNâT SEE YOU.â
seungmin and minho found you again. jeongin leaned against a wall, wiping dust off his knees. han just got up and felix came in late, and they tripped over each other again. chan just sighed at this point.
you backed toward the door, hands up.
then while getting up, felix slipped. took han down with him. again. they crashed into minho, who slammed into seungmin.
jeongin smiled. âDOMINOES!â
that was your chance to do something. something to even just slow these guys down, anything, bro. so, you did. when chan stood up finally, you lunged for him.
but like⌠that asshole just laughed in your face and twisted away easily, shoving you past him. âgo.â he said. âyouâre warmer when you keep moving.â
weirdo. but you ran again anyway, down a side corridor, thru a door and immediately ate shit. your foot caught on absolutely nothing, and you slid, palms burning, your pretty little skin they want to cut so bad just gone like that.
behind you, there was a collective âOOHHHH.â
you rolled your eyes. sighed. thought about just lying there because they would probably still miss even if you were completely still. you decided maybe not. so you scrambled up and ran again, swearing, adrenaline making everything feel fucking crazy. unreal. is this really happening?
you didnât know how long you ran. time stopped somewhere around the third near death experience.
you went downstairs and upstairs and downstairs again, back and forth, hoping to find something that could save your life. when you were back at the stairs for the seventh time that night, you took the stairs three at a time, only to find han at the top, again, wheezing, holding a knife backwards.
âWAIT.â he said. âhold onâtimeoutâmy lungââ
you ran past him.
he immediately tripped over his own foot and tumbled down the stairs alone, screaming âIâM FINEâIâM NOT FINEâTELL MY MOMââ
you didnât look back. you burst into a bedroom and slammed the door, locking it just as something heavy hit the other side.
silence.
your chest heaved. sweat slicked your now skinless palms. you pressed your back to the door and slid down until you were sitting on the floor, brain finally catching up enough to think.
okay. door. big house. front door has keys. keys are on someone. they told you itâs at chan but he could have gave it to anyone since that.
that was bad.
you stood, looking through the room. window. too high. bathroom. connected. closet. tiny but usable. fuck yes. you hid in the closet just as the door opened.
footsteps. slow. unhurried. manly.
âyou know, i really thought we had something.â jeongin. sweet. acting, obviously.
you clapped a hand over your mouth.
he paced the room, dragging something metal lightly along furniture. an axe, maybe.
âlike, donât get me wrong.â he continued conversationally, âi love the chase. big fan. but the eye contact earlier? intimate.â
you heard him stop in front of the closet.
ââŚyou in there?â
you didnât move.
he sighed. then, dropped to his knees. you could see him through the slats now, sprawled on the floor.
ây/n.â
you could hear your breathing. you could also hear his. which meantâŚ
âcome out.â
âŚhe could hear yours too.
okay. fuck. your only option was to make a run for it. so, after taking a biiiiig big breath, you burst out of the closet and kicked him in the shoulder. was it successful? was it a good kick? who knows. it knocked him down, thatâs what matters, but it was a pretty lame kick after all. he only went down because he wanted to, not because you actually kicked him good.
anyways, you ran again. out the room. then immediately skidded to a stop when seungmin opened a door in front of you.
he stepped aside immediately. âafter you.â he said, gesturing inside.
you stared at him.
he stared back.
you could hear hyunjin make a noise, talking with changbin.
seungmin raised his brows. âi insist.â
he knew that you needed an escape route and this was your only option. you knew he knew.
you sighed. ran through it, and it slammed shut behind you. you could hear a snicker(his voice), then silence. maybe he left. maybe not.
the room you were in was darker. storage. boxes. is this place even owned by these guys? or do they just come here to⌠play?
you hid behind a shelf, crouching, heart in your ears.
okay. think.
front door. locked. too obvious. you needed keys. you needed a person.
but they were playing. this wasnât about killing you quickly. it was about the fun. about testing themselves. about proving, again, that they were smarter, faster, better. the teamwork thrilled them. having prey thrilled them.
footsteps approached. you tensed.
door opened. han stepped into the room, tripped over absolutely nothing, and face-planted into a stack of boxes. why always this guy?
âoh COME ON.â he groaned. âi wasnât even chasing her!â
neither of you moved.
ââŚyou okay?â you asked.
âyeah.â he said, looking up, nose bleeding. âyeah. you?â
âliving the dream.â
he nodded. then, very gently, he pointed back towards the door. âtheyâre coming.â he whispered.
in the doorway, felix appeared, pointing at han. âdude. again?â
you took the chance and got out of your hiding place, quick, and bolted past them both.
felix gasped. âoh shitâsorryâsorryââ
han tried to follow, slipped again, and yelled: âWAIT FOR ME!â
a crash. a curse. someone else falling over him.
you ran down the hall toward what you hoped was the front of the house. behind you, shouting, laughter, whooping, bodies colliding, someone yelling âWHO LEFT THIS CHAIR HERE?â you rounded a corner and skidded to a stop in front of the front door. you tried the door. locked. you didnât know where the keys are. your chest tightened. behind you, footsteps slowed. confident. chan, seungmin, minho, jeongin, closing in.
you turned around. the wall met your back hard enough to knock the air out of you.
âokay.â you said, breathless, palms flat against cold wood. âokay. this isâyeah. alright.â
the other four found you too. felix, panting. han, limping. hyunjin and changbin obviously not affected because they didnât really take part of the chase. blocking off every possible exit.
chan didnât take his eyes off you. âeveryone good?â he asked, calm. so fucking calm. knowing he won.
âpeachy.â jeongin said.
âbit winded.â felix added. âbut spiritually fulfilled.â
changbin gave you an apologetic little wave. âsorry.â
two seconds later, seungmin lunged.
you fought, harder than they expected, apparently, elbowing, kicking, swearing. but they were coordinated now, hands grabbing wrists, legs hooking yours, pressure applied. you went down. not slammed, though. controlled. that fucking pissed you off more.
seungmin had your arms pinned. minho had a knee near your thigh, firm. chan crouched in front of you, looking down at your pretty face.
the second you were fully restrained, jeongin shrieked. âoh my GOD we got her!â
he leapt into felixâs arms. felix caught him, squealing back.
âwe did it!â felix yelled.
they spun once. almost fell. han clapped wildly and then tripped into changbin, taking them both down.
you lay there, chest heaving, heart pounding, not knowing what the fuck was happening. because they didnât seem dangerous, but you knew they were.
chan tilted his head. âyou ran well.â
âthanks.â you said.
jeongin crouched low, level with your face. âso. how you feeling?â
âfuck off.â
hyunjin tilted his pretty head, hands in his pockets. âyou did really well.â he told you quietly.
you forced yourself to breathe slower. think. keys. chanâs jacket pocket. right side. youâd seen the outline earlier when he caught one of the boys mid fall.
jeongin tilted his head at you. âare you afraid? like, iâm actually asking, because i need to know what to do differently next time. are you afraid of death? did we make you feel like youâre going to die? how would you rate it out of ten?â
you sighed, looking down at the floor. âgetting killed is, like, the last thing on my list right now.â
they paused.
seungmin grimaced. âyeah, no.â
âoh, no.â felix said, shaking his head
âdude.â minho murmured.
âwe would never.â changbin whispered.
âew.â han blurted, horrified.
you narrowed your eyes. âew?â
ânoânoânot ew you.â he babbled. âi meanâfuckâyouâre hotâshitâsorryâwhat I meant wasââ
jeongin smacked the back of his head. âstop talking.â
seungmin grimaced. âweâre not⌠that evil.â
minho crossed his arms. âjesus.â
chen straightened slightly. âthatâs not our thing.â
you watched it all carefully. the discomfort. the immediate correction. the way the tone shifted. interesting.
ârelax.â you said, rolling your neck as much as the hold allowed. âi know.â
âthank you.â han said, sweating. âsorry. respectfully.â
âyouâre fine.â you murmured.
âyeah?â
âyeah.â
but something had shifted. you saw it. that weird line youâd dropped, half joke, half truth because itâs horrible that we have to live in a world like this, hit somewhere they didnât like. their version of evil had rules. sooo fucking weird ones, but still.
âokay.â you said suddenly. âwait. wait.â
they paused.
âwhat.â
âi think iâm gonna throw up.â
âfuckââ changbin recoiled.
ânot on me.â minho said, backing up.
âturn her head!â felix yelped.
jeongin scrambled backward on his hands and feet.
chan watched seungmin loosen his grip just a fraction, instinct overriding everything. âare you actually nauseous?â
âyeah.â you croaked, gagging for effect. âstress. adrenaline. it hit now that iâm still.â
hyunjin crouched beside you, studying your face. âyou might want to give her space.â
âTHANK you.â you gasped.
they got off you. you rolled to your side, clutching your stomach dramatically. and in that shuffle, arms moving, balance adjusting, you shoved your hand straight into chanâs jacket pocket. your fingers hit metal.
keys.
you grabbed them and curled them into your palm just as jeongin leaned back in. âyou good?â
you scrambled to your knees, pushing past them, one hand over your mouth, the other clenched tight around the keys.
âdonât run.â chan warned.
you made eye contact with him.
and ran.
âFUCK.â seungmin yelled.
âGO GO GO.â han screamed, even though he was on the wrong side.
you sprinted down the hallway, heart about to explode, keys biting into your palm. behind you, footsteps. but now⌠less playful. more oh shit.
han tripped immediately. felix ran into a wall. changbin yelled: âSTAIRSâCUT HER OFFââ and jeongin was just shouting around for fun. just hootin n hollerin.
you ran down the hall.
behind you, hyunjinâs calm voice said: âdonât panic.â which was funny. because they finally were.
you ran away from them. deep into the house again. you heard the footsteps disappear from behind you. good. good.
you slowed just enough to think. you couldnât outrun eight of them forever.
chan and hyunjin were walking together on the halls. hyunjin had a small, neat folding knife now resting loose between his fingers. chan had taken a syringe with him. already prepped. yes, he can do a lot with only one syringe. his other hand kept brushing the empty space where the keys used to be.
âif we lose her, we change locations.â chan said, ignoring that his earlier question didnât get an answer. he already knew it.
hyunjin nodded. but there was something under it. for the first time, the outcome wasnât certain. that was unusual for them, because they usually did really, really good at this. once someone was caught by them, there was no escape. you were the first one who lived to a second round. he found that interesting. and yeah, he might have started developing a tiny little crush on you, back when you two were just meeting up normally. so what? heâs allowed to!
jeongin moved alone. still with his axe that heâd twirled into familiarity. he swung it lightly as he walked. he checked corners, smiling. as if he was dancing.
ây/n.â he called, sing-song. âbe honest, was it the flirting? too much? i can dial it back. slightly.â
he stepped over a fallen chair.
âi just feel like we had chemistry.â
he grinned to himself. he loved this part, the story, the tension, the almost. he knew you were thinking now. they got a thinker. he loves that. he hates that.
he paused, listening. then grinned. âoh, you sneaky girl.â
seungmin had the fire poker again. reliable. brutal.
he liked the chase because it stripped people down to instinct. no masks. no pretending. no lying. just raw survival. thatâs what he respected.
âcâmon.â he murmured. âdonât go quiet on me.â
you were irritating him. he barely got irritated. ever.
changbin and minho moved together. changbin carried an injection case now, plus a heavy flashlight he could swing if needed. minho had a hunting knife.
they turned a corner. empty.
âsheâs doing something.â minho realized.
changbinâs smile(that came upon his face while he was thinking about you, hehehe) faded. âoh.â
they heard a noise and both spun, only to slam into each other again.
âFOR FUCKâS SAKE.â minho snapped.
âshit.â changbin said, steadying the other guy by his shoulders. âletâs just go.â
you moved through hallways. your lungs burned, but your head was clear now. you slipped into a side room and crouched low, listening.
footsteps passed. voices echoed elsewhere. theyâd spread too wide.
you waited. counted to twenty. then moved.
back at the hyunjin chan duo, hyunjin stopped in the hallway. âsheâs heading back.â he said quietly.
chan. followed his gaze toward the front of the house. âyou sure?â
âyes.â
âhow?â
âitâs what iâd do.â
meanwhile, at the front door han sat on the floor, back against the wall, holding a shovel. felix sat beside him on the other side of the door with a frying pan he absolutely did not need to be trusted with.
ââŚwe guarding?â han asked.
felix looked at the door. looked at the hallway. looked back at the door.
ââŚyeah.â he decided.
they both nodded, serious.
âyou think she thinks iâm cute?â han asked, adjusting his grip on the shovel.
âbro.â felix said immediately. âabsolutely.â
âreally?â
âyea, mate.â
they dapped each other up.
âif she makes it back here, i call saying something smooth.â felix said thoughtfully.
âwhatâs smooth?â
âi donât know yet.â
while they talked, you grabbed a metal⌠something from a side table. and started walking back toward the front door.
âshe definitely liked when i said she was hot.â han said.
ârespectfully.â felix said.
ârespectfully.â han looked away, then back at felix. âsheâs gonna be so impressed when we catch her.â
âdude. literally.â
they fist bumped.
then, a loud sound came from down the hallway, and a metal object rolling fast across the floor toward them.
they screamed, then scrambled to their feet, immediately abandoning the door.
âdude. weâre gonna fucking die.â han cried.
felix grabbed his arm. âif y/n was here right now, sheâd hold my hand.â
âyeah.â han said, terrified. âsheâd be so brave.â
âshould we check?â
âabsolutely not.â
ââŚwe should get the others.â
âyes.â
they ran away from the door, deeper back into the house, yelling for backup.
the front door stood unguarded.
you waited three full seconds after their footsteps faded. then you moved. silent. you didnât run, that was important. you didnât want to make noise.
behind you, distant voices.
âFRONT DOOR!â
âTHEY LEFT ITââ
you walked to the door quickly. put the key in. wrong key. tried another. wrong key. another. unlocked it. opened it.
now, you ran. you ran, and didnât stop. you didnât look back. already past the gate. past the trees. gone.
for the first time ever, theyâd lost.
the boys regrouped at the front door. empty. door slightly open.
silence.
chan looked at the door. then at hyunjin, who stared at the gap, face blank. he felt respect. and relief.
seungmin looked at the lock. then at chanâs empty pocket. then back at the lock.
for a second, nobody spoke.
âyouâve got to be fucking kidding me.â minho said, sneering.
behind them, han and felix jogged in, out of breath and pale.
âokay.â felix panted. âsoâupdateâthereâs a hallway demonââ
they stopped when they saw everyone standing still, all backs turned to them.
felix looked around. âanyone else feel a breeze?â
chan walked to the door in three steps and shoved it open the rest of the way. empty driveway. dark trees. no you.
jeongin blinked. ââŚno.â
seungmin made a sound like someone had just run over his foot. ânoooo.â
minho rubbed both hands down his face. âno no no noââ
jeongin looked at the ceiling. âoh thatâs embarrassing. thatâs so embarrassing for us.â
han gasped âshit, she did it!â
felix nodded. âi always believed in her.â
they high-fived.
every head turned.
âare you two serious right now?â seungmin snapped.
han immediately jumped into felix arms.
chan stepped back inside slowly and shut the door, quiet. too quiet. âno one moves.â he said.
seungmin was already halfway to the threshold, fire poker still in hand. âwe can still see the roadââ
chan grabbed his arm. hard. âi said no.â
seungmin yanked free. âsheâs on foot.â
âshe has a head start.â
jeongin crossed his arms, shifting his weight. âso we justâwhatâclap?â
âuse your brain for once.â chan, voice low. âyouâll make mistakes.â
âoh, iâm sorry.â seungmin snapped. âdid your pocket make a mistake?â
OHHHHH.
minho swore and kicked a chair across the room. it smashed into the wall. âTHIS is why we donât get cute.â he said. âthis is why we donât play with our food.â
chanbin winced. âokay, that phraseââ
ânot the time.â seungmin cut in.
hyunjin leaned against a table, arms crossed, watching the boys.
seungmin looked at him, suspicious. the level of angry where he gets suspicious at anything. âyouâre quiet.â
âthinking.â
âabout?â
hyunjin didnât answer.
âyou liked her.â minho accused.
hyunjinâs eyes flicked to him, calm and flat. âirrelevant.â
âbullshit.â
chan stepped between them before it turned physical. âenough.â
âno, not enough.â jeongin shot back. âshe got past eight of us. eight.â
âseven.â seungmin muttered. âi was close.â
âYOU HIT A CABINET.â changbin screeched.
felix, still holding han bridal style, raised a hand. âi think we should acknowledge that she was very good.â
everyone stared at him.
han nodded seriously. âand brave.â
minho looked like he might actually kill them. âput him down.â
felix gently set han on his feet.
han immediately pointed at minho. âyour energy is aggressive.â
minho grabbed a glass off a table and hurled it into the fireplace. it shattered. âTHIS is aggressive.â
âbilly badass over there.â changbin murmured, crossing his huge arms.
minho didnât hesitate to turn towards changbin and shove him. changbin shoved back automatically.
âdonât start.â chan warned.
too late. seungmin grabbed minhoâs shoulder and pulled him back. minho shook him off. jeongin stepped between them, not to help, just to watch. âgod, youâre all so emotional.â he muttered.
seungmin started toward the door again, fury radiating off him. âiâm going after her.â
now, chan didnât just stop him but actually pushed him away by the chest. a confident, violent push. manly. frustrated. âno.â
seungmin rounded on him. âsheâs RIGHT THERE.â
han raised his hand again. âi still think she likes me.â
everyone yelled at once: âSHUT UP.â âREAD THE ROOM.â âYOU WERE AFRAID OF THE DARK.â âSHE HIT YOU WITH A BAT.â âYOU LEFT THE DOOR.â
âwe were investigating a threat!â felix said defensively to the last one.
âyou are the threat, you idiot!â seungmin barked, then grabbed the front of his own shirt and screamed into it.
minho kicked the wall.
chan exhaled through his nose, centering himself. âno chasing into the dark.â he said. ânot like this.â
âsheâs getting farther.â jeongin argued.
seungmin made a noise like something dying. chan folded his arms. thinking. hyunjin stared into the night air like he could still see the path you took.
behind them, han whispered to felix: âwhen we catch her, iâm gonna ask if she thinks my eyes are pretty.â
felix nodded seriously. âthey are.â
eight dangerous men. outplayed. and every single one of them wanted you back.
so yeah. thatâs what happened, like⌠two weeks ago now? yeah. about two weeks. now youâre living your life. you hadnât told anyone. what would you even say? you decided to just leave it. process it. give yourself time to get over it.
now you are standing in line for coffee. lifeâs been fine since that after all, you deserve it. you slept. eventually. not well, but enough. you changed routines. new routes, new locks, pepper spray, therapy waitlist, the works. you tell yourself youâre fine.
your name gets called.
âhey.â
your stomach drops before your brain catches up. you donât turn around. because you know that voice. so you grab your coffee and walk. behind you, footsteps.
âokay, so donât freak out.â jeongin says.
you keep walking.
âthatâs actually a terrible opener, sorry, ignore that.â
you cross the street. he crosses too. you donât look at him. you donât run. at least you try.
âyou look good.â he adds.
âgo away.â you say calmly.
âworking on it.â he says, which is not how that phrase works.
you turn a corner toward a busier street. people. noise. couples. kids.
âno.â you say.
âi just want to talk.â
âno.â
âdid you get a haircut?â he tries.
you stop dead and turn. âhow long have you been following me?â
âtoday? orââ
âjeongin.â
he winces. âokay. today today? like twenty minutes. but not in a creepy way. i was building courage.â
you resume walking faster.
he matches it, breath puffing a little. âlisten, i know we didnât end on a great note.â
âyou chased me with an axe.â you cross the street without looking. a car honks. jeongin grabs your sleeve and yanks you back just enough to keep you from getting hit.
you stare at him.
âi didnât come to hurt you.â he says. âif that helps.â
you keep walking. he groans softly and follows. people passing by just see two hot twenty somethings having what looks like a mildly tense situationship talk. itâs kinda crazy that they have no idea what happened two weeks ago.
you walk faster. he matches it.
âyou dropped something.â he blurts. when you give no reaction, he tugs at your sleeve. âreally.â he says, pointing behind you.
âthat only worked once.â you say, yanking your hand out his grip.
âyeah.â he sighs. âworth a shot.â
a florist stand is set up on the corner. without stopping, jeongin leans sideways, grabs a small bouquet, tosses a crumpled bill onto the table, and keeps moving. he shoves the flowers toward you.
you stare at them. then at him. you donât take them. but you stop walking and finally look at him.
he looks⌠normal. hoodie. messy hair. no axe. no grin that clearly tells heâs in animal mode. just this pretty guy.
people move around you, annoyed at the sidewalk blockage.
âyou have five seconds.â you say.
he nods, serious now. âokay. weâre not going to hurt you.â
you stare. you start walking again.
he follows. âthe boys havenât shut up about you.â
âthatâs not flattering.â
âit kind of is.â
âi donât know what you want. iâm not coming back.â you say.
âi know.â
âyou canât follow me.â
âalready am.â
you reached your apartment building. this is bad. this is very bad. you stop again, turning to face him fully now. his eyes shine.
âwe donât want to kill you.â he says quietly.
you search for anything that could say heâs lying. you canât find it.
âthat doesnât make you better.â you say.
âi know.â
âyouâre stillââ
âyeah.â
ââŚif you come near my place again, i call the cops.â
he nods immediately.
âif i see any of you, i run.â
âmhm.â he holds the flowers out again, then seems to think better of it and just sets them on the sidewalk between you. âi just needed you to see that iâm not⌠only that.â
ââŚyou are that.â you say. youâre not even being mean, just honest. brutally honest.
âyeah.â he says.
you go inside without looking back. not caring about where will he go, when will he go, why will he go.
the next day, you change your route. different coffee shop. different street. hoodie up, headphones on, just really fucking trying to stay away from them in general. youâre in that coffee shop now. then you step out of the cafĂŠ with your drink, and nearly walk straight into a guy. you flinch back hard.
âwhoaâsorryâsorry.â a voice says quickly.
you look up. it takes your brain a second. glasses. plain black frames. simple gray t-shirt that does absolutely nothing to hide the fact that this man is fucking fit.
changbin.
he gives you a small, awkward wave like you ran into each other and not like he⌠he found you. âhi.â
you just stare.
âi come in peace.â he adds, lifting both hands.
you close your eyes. âyouâve got to be kidding me.â
âokay. before you walk awayâi deserve thatâbut justâhi.â
you glance around. public. morning rush. safe enough. âwhy are you here.â
he adjusts his glasses. âi just wanted to talk. like, normal talk. not chase talk.â
you sigh, and start walking. âyou have two minutes before i start screaming.â thatâs more time youâve given jeongin, though.
he falls into step beside you immediately. âyou couldâve called the cops.â he says after a moment. genuinely confused. âyou still could.â
you look at him. âyou donât think iâve thought about that?â
âi figured. but you didnât.â
you sip your coffee, buying time. âyouâd disappear before anyone got there.â
ââŚyeah.â he admits.
âand then what? i spend the rest of my life wondering if youâre gonna show up mad?â
he nods slowly. he canât argue that.
âalso, i donât want to tell that story out loud. figured it would be the best for me if i just lived through it and got over it. eventually.â you add, quieter.
changbin nods âokay. yeah. that makes sense.â
you study him. he looks the same as in the house, almost friendly. that makes a question pop up in your head. âhave you done that before?â you ask. âlike. killing people.â
âyeah.â
âhow many?â
he blows out a breath through his teeth. âi donât keep a number.â
âand why?â
he takes a breath, thinking. actually thinking. âitâs not the killing part.â he says slowly. ânot for me. thatâs just⌠the end of it. itâs the before. i dunno. i like the teamwork. but thatâs just me, ask the others if you want their version.â
youâre confused. ââŚdid something happen in your past?â
he shrugs. âno. grew up rich. had friends. i have a great job. my mom calls me on sundays.â
you stare at him.
âiâm serious.â he says. âiâm just⌠like this.â
you hate how calmly he says it. âwhen did you start?â
âearly twenties.â
âwhy didnât you stop?â
he gives you a small, almost embarrassed smile. âiâm good at it.â
you donât answer. a car horn blares down the street. someone laughs nearby. the world keeps going, oblivious. âyou scared me.â you say.
âi know.â
âyou still are.â
âi know.â
you swallow. you check the time on your phone. âi told jeongin iâd scream if any of you came close to me ever again.â
âi heard.â
âyou got lucky.â
âiâm glad.â
a bit of silence.
you meet his eyes. âi donât trust you.â
âyou shouldnât.â
âbut you still came now. why? why canât you leave me alone?â
he shrugs, small and helpless. âi liked talking to you in the kitchen. before we⌠started.â
ow. sounds bad. so bad that you take a step back. away from him. youâre scared.
âi donât feel things the way other people do.â he says finally. he wanted to spit that out for a while now, he just couldnât scrape the courage together. âitâs like everythingâs gray unless itâs intense.â
you sigh. ââŚat least youâre honest.â
he nods. âi just⌠i wanted one interaction with you that wasnât you running.â
you watch him. heâs still scary. âyou got it.â you say. ânow what.â
he shrugs. ânow i go away.â
you study him. glasses slightly crooked. trying very hard not to look threatening. failing, because he looks like he could lift a car.
you almost smile. almost. âdonât follow me.â you say.
âi wonât.â
âtell the others.â
âi will.â
you start to walk off.
âhey.â he calls.
you turn, tired.
âyou were really impressive.â he says. sincere. really.
you hold his gaze. âi know.â
then you leave him standing on the sidewalk, alone. alone with his horrible, evil soul. alone with this weird dumb crush he recently developed on you. alone with his biceps, flexing because he feels a lot and it just⌠happens when he feels a lot.
itâs the next day. normal day. sunâs out. people walking dogs. a delivery truck is parked. blablabla anything that says world goes on. you were paranoid this day, sure, but you survived so far. youâre currently locking your apartment building door after yourself so you could go grocery shopping when a voice behind you says:
âokay, donât be mad.â
you close your eyes. slow inhale. you turn.
itâs felix. and this guy literally tried to shoot you once, you remember clearly, but he looks⌠perfect. perfect hair. expensive jacket. shoes that cost more than your phone. holding⌠a container?
you stare.
he smiles, so sweet. âi made you muffins.â
ââŚyou what.â
âblueberry.â he says proudly.
you look at the container, suspicious. âiâm not eating that.â
he frowns a little. âthat hurt my feelings.â
âyou tried to kill me.â
âsorry.â
you rub your face. âwhy are you here.â
he shifts his weight. heâs nervous. itâs cute tho. âwe voted.â he says.
âyou VOTED.â
âyeah.â
âON WHAT.â
âon not killing you.â
you just stare at him.
he brightens. âit was almost unanimous.â
âWHO voted no?â
ââŚminho.â
yoy try to step around him toward the street. he mirrors you accidentally.
âfelix.â
he freezes. âyeah?â
âmove.â
âoh. right. sorry.â he sidesteps so fast he almost falls off the curb.
âyou cannot come here.â you say. calm. really hoping heâll understand. âyou cannot follow me. you cannot bake for me. do you understand how insane this is?â
he nods immediately. âyes.â
âthen why are you here.â
he looks at the muffins. then at you. âokay. so. weâ iâ baked.â yes baby, we know. you told us already.
âi see that.â
âfor you.â
âi gathered.â
he nods, satisfied that the point has been made.
you start walking. he starts walking. directly into a street sign. itâs loud.
he recoils. âow.â
you pinch the bridge of your nose.
âis it bleeding?â he asks, pointing at his face, but he immediately goes cross eyed as you push his face away instead. his skin is warm. feels nice tbh. he blinks at you, unbothered. âyou have strong hands.â
âgo away.â
âokay.â he says.
he does not go away.
you reach the crosswalk and the light changes. felix steps forward without looking. a car honks.
you grab his hand and yank him back.
he stumbles into you.
âjesus.â you mutter, still holding his hand as you cross. âyouâd be roadkill in five minutes.â
he looks down at your joined hands, his big eyes shining, absolutely taken aback by the fact that you would do this for him. well, all that until you drop his hand on the other side of the street.
âthanks.â he says cheerfully.
a man wearing a watch worth a monthâs rent, carrying something he made for you that you wonât eat, who could absolutely overpower you, and instead just almost died to a car.
âdonât follow me.â you say.
âokay.â he says, still following.
you glance at him. âyouâre unbelievably stupid.â
âthank you.â he says.
âthat wasnâtââ
âiâve been working on self-acceptance.â
pffft.
you stop. âfelix, listen. i donât want you guys here.â
he looks at you, tilting his pretty head in confusion.
âyou scare me.â you clarify.
âoh.â he says quietly. that, he understood.
you point at the muffins. âthose could be drugged.â
âtheyâre not!â
âi donât know that.â
silence hangs between you. street noise fills it. someone laughs across the road. life just keeps going.
âi liked talking to you.â he says finally.
âyou didnât talk to me.â you reply. âyou hunted me.â
âyeah. iâm sorry.â
you watch him. disappointed that something this beautiful can be this cruel. âyou need to leave.â
he nods. but he doesnât move yet. âdo youâŚâ he starts, then stops. tries again. âdo you hate us?â
you donât hesitate. âyes?â of fucking course bro???
his little brain absorbs that. shoulders drop a little. âokay.â
he holds out the muffins one last time, hopeful in the dumbest way possible.
you just look at him.
he lowers them.
âjust go, felix. bye.â
âyeah. bye.â
he turns the wrong direction.
you grab his hood and spin him around. âthat way.â
âright.â he says, walking off.
he makes it three steps. turns back. holds up the muffin container. âdo you wantââ
âno.â
âokay.â
he walks into a bike rack.
you watch him go. he looks beautiful.
you hate him.
you check to make sure he crosses the next street safely before you turn away.
that passed too. a few days later you are leaving a pharmacy in the afternoon, receipt crumpled in your fist, focusing on your surroundings now.
and across the street, leaning against a lamppost, is chan. he raised a hand, giving you a little wave, mouthing: you good?
you mouth back go away.
he nods once, then pushes off the pole and walks in the opposite direction. not chasing now. actually walking away.
then youâre in a grocery store, looking at pastas, deciding which one you want to eat tonight. a hand reaches past you and places the more expensive one in your cart.
you turn. itâs seungmin. black hoodie. baseball cap.
you immediately pull it back out. âno.â
he takes it. puts it back into the cart.
âno.â
back in.
âstop.â
it went on for a good five minutes.
at checkout, you unload your stuff, and when youâre about to pay, seungmin comes up behind you and wordlessly uses his card. do you process that in the head? no, only when he is already at the exit, hands in his pockets, not looking back.
he walks straight into the automatic door before it finishes opening. you hear the thud.
you rub your temples.
then youâre walking through the park because thatâs the shorter way home. peaceful. sunlight. children playing. then the bush next to the sidewalk starts shaking.
you stop. you kick the bush. han tumbles out directly at your feet. face in dirt.
ââŚhi.â he says into the grass.
you look down at him. âwere you hiding?â
he looks up at you, leaves in his hair, expression hopeful. âno.â
you start walking again. he scrambles up and follows, then trips on the sidewalk edge.
you catch his sleeve before he eats pavement. âuse your brain.â
he nods seriously. âi keep meaning to.â
next time about days later, you see felix before he sees you. heâs staring into a store window, clearly confused by mannequins.
you walk past.
noticing that, he turns and his pretty little face lights up. âhi!â
âhi. donât.â
âokay.â
he walks into a mailbox.
you only see hyunjin once, at a distance. not close enough to speak. just standing outside a train station, hands in his coat pockets, watching the crowd, not just you.
when your eyes meet, he doesnât smile, just gives a small nod. then he leaves.
days after that itâs seungmin again. at night. parking lot. you only came with car because it was too far. youâre unlocking your car and a shadow leans against the hood.
âyouâve been avoiding me.â seungmin says, casual as hell, like he didnât once swing a fire poker at your skull. âman.â he continues âsmall world, right?â
you turn, pepper spray in hand, and spray it directly into his eyes.
he screams, drops to his knees, clawing at his face. âOH MY GOD ITâS LIKE SATAN PISSED IN MY EYESââ
âstop finding me!â you yell.
heâs laughing through the pain. laughing. âyou look good today.â
you drive off while heâs still swearing.
the next time minho follows you through a bookstore. keeps pretending to browse. picks up a book upside down. so you turn a corner and wait. he walks right into it. he also gets a taste of your pepper spray.
âSON OF A BITCH.â he chokes, doubling over between romance and self help. âyou fuckingââ
âYOUâRE STALKING ME.â
they find you in different places. weeks apart. or days apart. but they always come back.
something is clearly wrong with them. like, all eight are sick in the head. but it doesnât seem like theyâre following you around to kill you. they talk too long. they get distracted. they bring you things. they absolutely eat shit every time you fight back. and you do fight back. diva.
minho and seungmin have been pepper sprayed so many times they flinch when you reach into your bag. jeongin tries every possible pickup line on you. han once tried to sneak up on you and got hit in the face with your tote bag and apologized.
itâs ike theyâre still in hunting mode. after you. into you. but now theyâre⌠unsure. they donât seem to want you dead anymore. they just⌠want you around now. or to just be around you, at least.
itâs the middle of the night right now. youâre in old sweatpants, hair a mess, waiting for the food you ordered. and soon enough, the doorbell rings. you shuffle over and look through the peephole for a second. delivery uniform. cap. bag. seems normal. so you open the door.
itâs felix. smiling ear to ear, holding your takeout, wearing the uniform jacket and cap. âhi!â
âabsolutely not.â you say, already closing the door.
he sticks his foot in. âwait, waitâdonât slam it, the soupâll spillââ
thatâs when you see it, behind him, in the hallway. a man on the floor. the delivery uniform pants still on him, only his jacket gone, the one on felix right now. thereâs blood under the man.
your stomach drops. your organs drop. after staring for about a minute, you slowly look back at felix. ââŚis thatââ
âokay.â he says quickly. âbefore you freak outââ
âBEFORE I FREAK OUT?? YOU KILLED THE DELIVERY GUY?!â
jeongin leans into view, coming next to felix, hands in pockets. âit wasnât him who killed the guy.â
you point wildly, not even concerned about the fact that thereâs two of them now. âTHAT IS A PERSON ON THE FLOOR.â
âyeah but likeâŚâ minho says, stepping into the doorframe, arm around felixâs shoulders now. âheâs not using the uniform anymore.â
your mouth opens. nothing comes out.
and then, without a word, chan walks past you. into your home. into your fucking home. felix shrugs and follows him. the other six too, actually taking their shoes off.
YOU ARE STILL HOLDING THE DOOR. THEY JUST WALK AROUND YOU.
âwhatânoânoânoââ you manage, backing up as they enter.
han closes the door gently behind them. âheatâs nice in here.â he says.
hyunjin looks at you and mutters a quiet but confident âhiâ before going further into your living room.
changbin walks past you and spins slowly, taking in the room. âoh this is cute. this is very you.â
âYOU BROUGHT A CORPSE TO MY DOOR.â you choke.
felix is still holding the food bag. âyour noodles are getting cold.â he says softly.
you make a noise that doesnât exist in human language. (imagine something close to a windows crash sound)
seungmin tosses his jacket over a chair. thereâs a smear of blood on his sleeve.
you gag.
he notices. âoh, relax. itâs mostly the delivery guyâs.â
âOH MY GOD.â
âhey, whereâs the hand soap?â han asks, already at your kitchen sink, washing blood off his fingers.
you stare at the red swirling down your drain.
jeongin flops onto your couch. âi like what you did with the lighting in here. mood.â
âGET OUT.â you say, voice coming back in bursts. âGETâOUTâOFâMYâAPARTMENT.â
they all look at you. itâs obvious that they donât really understand whatâs your problem.
chan gestures toward the takeout bag. âeat first.â
âI DONâT WANT THE FOOD.â
felix looks devastated. âyou picked the combo mealâŚâ
changbin is by your bookshelf now. âyou alphabetized? thatâs hot.â
âaâ iâ eughâ what is HAPPENING.â
minho leans against the wall. âokay, in our defenseââ
âthere is NO DEFENSE.â
ââwe didnât come to kill you.â
âYOUâRE TRACKING BLOOD ON MY FLOOR.â
they all look down.
han lifts his foot. ââŚshit.â
jeongin points at him. âmop boy.â
han salutes and grabs paper towels.
âlisten.â chan says, turning to be in front of you. âwe just wanted to see you.â
you stare at him. then at the door. ââŚyou couldnât text?â you ask hoarsely.
eight grown ass serial killer men exchange glances.
jeongin shrugs. âdidnât have your number.â thatâs alright sweetie, not like you canât find a phone number when you can find an address perfectly. not like you canât ask for it from HYUNJIN.
you make another sound.
changbin steps closer, hands up, gentle. âokay, hey. we know this looks bad.â
âLOOKSââ
âbad phrasing.â he admits.
seungmin rubs the back of his neck. âwe didnât plan the delivery guy part.â
âthatâs WORSE.â you sag against the wall. âyou have got to be shitting me.â you whisper to yourself. then you look at them. all of them. in your apartment. on your couch. at your sink. in your life. âout.â
they donât move.
jeongin tilts his head. âwe just got hereââ
âOUT.â
changbin actually flinches.
seungmin raises his hands. âokay, volumeââ
âyou killed someone. again, i assume. and brought it to my DOOR. do you understand how fucking insane that is?â
silence.
âi canât sleep normally. i check reflections everywhere. i donât walk with headphones anymore. do you get that? do you get what you did to my brain? i couldnât function for weeks. every sound was footsteps. every guy walking behind me was one of you. i have three different hiding spots in my own apartment.â
han raises a hand slightly. âthis oneâs not great.â
âNO IT IS NOT GREAT.â
felix looks genuinely confused. âwe didnât think about⌠after.â
âYEAH. THATâS THE PROBLEM. you donât think about after. you donât think about people being PEOPLE. you think about adrenaline and teamwork and your little murder club hangouts.â
changbin crosses his arms. âokay when you say it like thatââ
âhow else is there to say it??â you gesture wildly at the room.
they donât look guilty. they look⌠attentive. theyâre paying attention. trying to understand you.
you swallow. âno, seriously. i want to know. when you followed me for weeks? when you showed up at my job? when i thought every man walking behind me was about to grab me? that was fun for you?â
seungmin shrugs. âengaging.â
you grab the nearest thing, a throw pillow, and launch it at his face. then relax your shoulders and sigh. âi am a person. with a nervous system. i had a normal life before you guys.â
thereâs a long pause.
felix raises a hand slightly. âyour food is still warm.â
âREAD THE ROOM.â
he lowers it.
han whispers to him: âsheâs upset-upset.â
âno shit.â you snap.
chan has his hands on his hips. âyouâre saying we made you paranoid and ruined your life.â
you stare. ââŚare you fucking for real right now.â
âtrying to understand the damage.â
âDAMAGE???â
jeongin leans forward on the couch, elbows on knees. âwe donât feel fear like that, or guilt the way you do.â
âyeah, i noticed.â
âbut weâre not dumb.â hyunjin says quietly.
your eyes flick to him.
he meets them. calm. honest in a deeply unsettling way. âwe know we changed your life. we can see the behavioral shifts. we know what we did. we just donât care.â
you blink. does this fucking asshole hear himself.
he continues. âand what youâre saying is that our continued presence equals harm.â
you blink âyes.â
âeven without immediate violence.â
âYES.â
he nods once. processing. filing it somewhere in his terrifyingly organized brain.
chan takes over. âweâre saying, we understand the outcome. even if we donât experience the emotion attached.â
changbin rubs his neck. âwe didnât think about the after. usually there isnât one.â
you let that sit. âyeah.â you say. âbecause people die.â
quiet.
han finally says, softly: âyou didnât.â
you look at him. âno. i didnât. and now i have to live with what you did.â
thereâs a long silence.
then jeongin claps his hands once. âso. solution. anyone? ideas?â
you point at him without looking. âyou are on thin fucking ice.â
he mimes zipping his mouth.
seungmin rubs his face. âokay, but question.â
you glare.
âwhen we stopped trying to actually kill you⌠that didnât help?â
you just stare at him. ââŚyou hear yourself, right?â
he thinks about it. ââŚyeah.â
felix looks like heâs actually using his brain for once. âwe thought⌠not finishing the job was growth.â
âthat is the lowest bar i have ever heard in my LIFE.â
but you see, the thing is, this is a system error for them. youâre not prey right now. youâre not running. youâre furious, first of all. human. loud. hurt. they donât know this game. they only know the killing and manipulating one, but they want to have you. they just⌠donât know how to get you.
chan clears his throat. âso the correct action would be⌠removal of our presence.â
âyes.â
âimmediately.â
âso fucking immediately.â
âwe donât want to kill you.â minho cuts in, hoping that this saves their situation a bit.
âyeah, you told me a hundred times already. your point?â you ask
âwe like you.â
you make a face like you bit into soap. âthat is not how liking works.â
âfor you.â he agrees.
chan exhales. decisive. âwe adjust behavior.â
you cross your arms. âinto WHAT?â
silence.
felix brightens. âdinner?â
you stare at him.
han nods eagerly.
you look around the room at eight serial killers in your living space, one of them holding a roll of paper towels covered in someone elseâs blood. ââŚdinner.â
changbin shrugs. âlow pressure environment. public. you feel safer. we practice acting normal.â
minho adds: âexposure therapy. for all parties.â
âi just gave a speech about how you ruined my sense of safety.â you whisper, voice defeated.
hyunjin nods. âwe heard you.â
âand you want to take me to DINNER.â
âyes.â
âwhy.â
he doesnât hesitate. âbecause harming you is now counterproductive to the thing we want.â
you are actually taken aback by the words this guy uses. ââŚwhich is?â
he holds your gaze.
âyou.â
the room goes quiet.
then han whispers to felix, way too loud: âis this flirting?â
âyeah.â felix whispers back. âi think this is the good kind.â
you drag a hand down your face. ââŚget the fuck out of my apartment.â
they stand, immediately obedient. getting their shoes on and whatnot.
changbin gives you a small wave. âweâll text?â
âyou do not have my number.â
jeongin points at hyunjin. âheâll give it to us.â
âI WILL CALL THE POLICE.â
they walk out.
han pauses at the door. âsorry about the sink.â
door closes. silence. your apartment is a disaster. your life is worse.
but⌠they looked weirdly sincere, actually. and they were.
soon, they stopped showing up unannounced. mostly. they also stopped bringing weapons into your line of sight. mostly. and they stopped treating you like prey. completely.
how were they about you, comes the question.
obsessed.
and they did not process attachment normally. if they processed it. they did not understand love. but they understood preference, and if you told them enough times, then eventually they understood your emotions too. well, not understood, but they processed the fact that you feel the way you feel and they can do something about it if they actually try.
han once fell down an entire staircase because someone said your name and he turned too fast. chan pretended he wasnât competitive about board games and then absolutely lost his mind over monopoly. hyunjin brought you flowers all the time. you learned that seungmin always had to sleep on his stomach.
you started to understand the function of them. not excuse, no. absolutely not. just understand and process the fact that theyâre how they are. and you couldnât do shit about it, and you couldnât get rid of them now. so you lived with it.
they still killed, of course. that was one of the few things that brought them happiness in life, so you couldnât expect them to stop doing it. they didnât kill around you, though.
but you knew they still did it. and you could feel when the tension built when they havenât hurt anybody in a long time.
it also⌠whatâs the right word, scared? impressed? took you aback? could be either, what matters is that when you saw that all of them had it in them, even han and felix who behaved like total angels throughout the day, it⌠upset you. or just moved something in you, seeing that each of them has that empty place where fear or guilt or empathy should go.
they didnât kill out of anger. it was release. their brains were wired wrong. thrill, control, mastery, stimulation, those hit the reward centers. violence scratched an itch they couldnât reach any other way.
and after, they were calmer. lighter, like theyâd gone for a run. when they were satisfied with themselves, they tried to tell you about it. you always stopped them, because you did NOT need to hear the horrible things they did. no matter how much they wanted to brag about it, how much they wanted to make you proud.
you werenât safe in the world, but you were weirdly safe with them. and they would have died for you.
but you had to set rules. actual rules. âdo not follow me into bathrooms.â âdo not threaten my coworkers.â âdo not kill anyone within a five-mile emotional radius of me.â the basics. and they tried. god, they tried. but they didnât really⌠do well.
once you opened your door to seungmin at one in the morning, and he stood there, breathing a little heavy, COVERED in blood.
you just stared.
he stared back.
ââŚyou good?â he asked.
âare you good??â
âoh. yeah. not mine.â
you almost slammed the door. he stopped it with a hand, but gently. always that now.
âdidnât come here for that.â he said.
âfor what, seungmin, WHAT possible reason makes this a normal social call.â
he shrugged. âadrenaline crash. didnât wanna be alone.â
that did something weird to your chest. not forgiving, just⌠information. because you realized that now they wanted you. your company, your voice, your hands. and it felt good.
anyways, you told him to take a shower, then you let him hang out with you.
they also fought each other more than they ever fought you.
once minho and jeongin, two extremely capable men mind you, actually went for each otherâs throats in your kitchen while hyunjin and chan tried to separate them.
you yelled at them then. they paused and looked at you.
jeongin, bleeding from the lip, grinned. but like in that hot way. âsorry.â
âtake it outside if youâre gonna be like this.â you told them.
âfair.â chan said, dragging minho back by the collar.
you werenât scared of them like prey anymore. you were scared of the capacity. the strength. the speed. the way the air changed when something in them flipped.
youâd seen what they could do, you just werenât the target now.
they were on your dick constantly, though. emotionally. socially. existentially. texting wasnât their thing, but presence was. which meant they showed up unannounced a lot. but the reason for that was that they didnât want to lose access to you, to be honest. didnât like the thought of that.
one night you opened the door to changbin. he told you he was going to come over later. well, it was late. around midnight.
when he saw you, his eyes lit up, and wrapped you in the warmest, most affectionate, full-body hug of your life.
you froze.
because he was sticky.
wet sleeve. iron smell. your cheek against his skin. your hands touching the back of his shirt.
he squeezed tighter, cheek against your hair. âmissed you.â
you pulled back.
looked down.
this boy was covered in blood.
he smiled, soft, relieved. âhi.â
you shoved back, stumbling, hand over your mouth, already shaking your head like that would stop it. you barely made it to the sink before you threw up in it.
from the hallway, jeongin yelled: âdid you forget again??â
âI GOT EXCITED.â
hyunjin was the only one who followed you then, already grabbing a towel, turning on the sink. he didnât look at changbin, and he didnât look at the blood. he looked at you. âiâve got you. youâre okay. breathe.â
they kept forgetting what you were. alive. normal. human. that for you it was a body, a person, a life.
it wasnât the only time, of fucking course. theyâd be loose, relaxed, calm. youâd be staring at hands that had done something irreversible two hours ago. there were a few nights like that, a sleeve not changed, a stain not noticed, you throwing up in your own kitchen while eight men who could disassemble a human being panicked because theyâd upset you.
not because they felt guilt like you did. because theyâd hurt something important in the environment. you. you, who sometimes made it to the sink, sometimes didnât.
they did learn, though. slowly. painfully. they didnât feel what you felt, but they learned it mattered. which, for them, was the closest thing to empathy available in the system.
you fell asleep on the couch once while they were over. you didnât mean to. how could you mean to, when you knew what they were capable of?
and you woke up pinned. well, luckily not trapped, just surrounded. han was hugging your ankle. felix was using your shoulder as a pillow. changbin had an arm across your middle. jeongin was half off the couch but anyways. seungmin pretended he wasnât involved but his foot was hooked under your leg.
they didnât experience comfort like most people did. but proximity? pressure? familiar scent? that, they liked.
they were really, really glad that you survived them. and because of that, somewhere in their broken little predator brains, you became home. and what do predators do? bring things home.
once han showed up beaming, holding something behind his back.
âi got you flowers.â he said.
you blinked. that was⌠new.
he revealed it.
you stared.
it was technically arranged like a bouquet. the only problem was that⌠they were human lower arms. a lot of them. like flowers. just⌠arms.
you made a noise. you looked away, then back at it, then had to look away again.
âi thought it was romantic.â he said, crushed.
âhoney, i appreciate that, butââ you gagged. held the doorframe. teared up.
he watched you throw up then. patted your back after.
felix once brought you a wallet because âyouâre always losing yours.â
you opened it. immediately closed it. âfelix.â
âyeah?â
âreturn that.â
chan was⌠fucking brutal. he didnât bring objects. he brought information.
âfound a guy whoâd been stalking women in your area.â he said once.
you went cold. ââŚwhat did you do.â
he met your eyes calmly. âtook care of him, of course.â
you didnât know whether to scream or say thank you. this one wasnât bad, actually. you just had to sit down for a minute.
they were not house trained though, not even a little. one time you caught seungmin about to piss in your giant houseplant.
âseungmin.â you sighed.
he froze mid-zip. ââŚyeah?â
âif you water that plant with your BODY i will end you.â
âokay, okay.â he said, offended. âgod. boundaries.â
felix once wiped his hands on your curtains. han sat on your coffee table. minho had to be told three separate times that knives did not belong âwherever feels right.â changbin once tried to âair outâ your apartment by opening every window during winter.
and jeongin was just really spontaneous in general. if a guy talked to you, he would insert himself into the conversation, no matter what. âbro.â heâd say, arm slung over the strangerâs shoulders. âi love your confidence. truly. quick question, how attached are you to having kneecaps?â
you hit him. heâd grin. the stranger would evaporate.
hyunjin was the only one who got you normal gifts. they were⌠brutally expensive, yeah, and you had no idea where he had that kind of money from, but you appreciated every gift from him.
and oh my fucking god, the mailman. felix hated the mailman. for no reason. the man was fifty something and friendly. still, every time the mail arrived, felix would appear at your window, talking bout sum âheâs back.â ???
âfelix, thatâs his job.â
âyeah but why is he always here?â
âbecause i live here. thatâs how mail works.â
the suspicion remained.
but beneath all the insanity, the red flags, the daily reminder that they could bring a corpse to your doorstep any day, they were sincere. they never played with your feelings. never lied about what they were. never pretended.
they just⌠adjusted their behavior around one central rule, which was not to lose you. to keep you safe, even if they didnât understand why they wanted to keep you so safe. or why did you find so many things they did wrong.
you had, at one point, physically grabbed felix by the hair and yanked him backward because he was halfway out your front door, whispering âi just wanna talk to him.â about the mailman.
âNO.â you barked, fist in his hair.
âheâs BEEN HERE THREE TIMES THIS WEEK.â felix insisted.
âTHAT IS HOW MAIL WORKS.â
he did not agree with you.
changbin loved cheek kisses. loved them. unfortunately, changbin also had a chronic issue where he just⌠forgot he was holding things. knife. wrench. crowbar. gun.
youâd feel a gentle kiss on your cheek and open your eyes to see cold steel six inches from your face.
âbaby.â youâd say.
âoh, shit.â weapon would go on the table like car keys. âsorry.â heâd say, and kiss your other cheek, now technically unarmed.
then once you mentioned to hyunjin that you were cold and he wordlessly took off his jacket. it had a suspicious stain. he saw you notice.
ââŚiâll get another one.â he said immediately.
because he really didnât want you to be cold. not like he understood what your problem was with a little blood, but alright. anything for you.
now that iâm getting carried away with the stories, iâll tell you that han did not understand personal space.
for an example, if you scolded him? immediate cling. youâd finish saying âyou cannot threaten the barista for writing my name wrongâ and suddenly heâd be attached to your side, rubbing his face into you, arms around your shoulders, chin on your head.
âokay, but weâre good though, right?â
âsweetie, iâm trying to pay.â
heâd nod against your hair, not moving. that went on for twelve minutes until a woman asked if he was concussed.
they clung like that a lot, they didnât understand a lot, they acted up a lot, they hated a lot, but they loved one thing.
you.
they didnât understand jealousy as an emotion. they understood it as something wrong with their insticts, and you in danger. how did that make sense? it didnât. it just sounded horrible. because it was. but it was also the most sincere attachment they were capable of.
you were still scared sometimes. still human. still deeply aware of what they were, and reminded of it a lot of times, of course.
but theyâd learned one thing with absolute certainty:
you were not prey.
you were home.
and they were trying, badly, incorrectly, concerningly, to deserve to be there.
 ۍ  ŕŠĚ˛ SOMMARiE Valentineâs week is always a marathon for you, but you wouldnât want it any other way
×âđoly!ot7 đ¸N- x f!reader × ŕą¨ŕ§ đŚc 6.1k ! & đw kissing, suggestive in Sunghoonâs & Heeseungâs part, YN accidentally burns herself, overall sleepiness, me guessing stuff about being an idol, not proofread ! ŕż â Ë BiBLiOTHĂQUE
đ happy valentineâs day my loves! âĄď¸âĄď¸
Šall4aoki, 2025
Youâd always loved Valentineâs Day. It never mattered if you hadnât had a valentine, or had no plans surrounding the holiday, because the concept of the celebration of love was precious to you. Everything about the holiday was perfect in your opinion: the colors, the decorations, the foodâall of it. And as the years went on and you finally had the privilege of celebrating with not just one, but seven of your soulmates, Valentineâs Day got even better. However, Valentineâs week was a bit of a marathon for you.
Jungwon had never understood why you never let any of them past the threshold of your room while you were getting ready, but as he stood in the door frame now, he knew. Because watching you get yourself dolled up to go on a date with him had him wanting to burst into your room and ruin the lip gloss you were smearing over your full lips. The warm lights of your vanity reflected onto your skin beautifully, and the flattering neckline of your white dress made your neck look extremely kissableâ
âDonât even think about it.â Your soft voice snaps him out of his thoughts instantly. Your shining eyes meet his as you begin putting in your earrings, and Jungwon feels his heart melt a little.
He grins, âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
The way you tilt your head and how your neck flushes a deeper shade than your usual skin tone reminds Jungwon of why he loves teasing you so much. Seeing you flustered was so utterly adorable. But the small sigh that escapes you as you look back at your appearance in the mirror has him furrowing his eyebrows. Jungwon pushes off the door frame, crossing his arms as he enters your bedroom. This time, you donât make any protests, which only makes his concern grow.
Jungwon leans down, carefully wrapping his arms around your waist from behind as his chin comes to rest on your shoulder. Heâs careful to not mess up your hair that youâd spent so long curling. âWhatâs wrong?â The smell of your perfume, the same vanilla one youâd been using for years now, is comforting, and Jungwon has to stop himself from pressing his nose against your skin. Instead, he keeps eye contact with you in the mirror.
Your hands come up to hold onto his forearms, the texture of the beige sweater heâs wearing soft under your fingers. âNothing,â you reassure as you shake your head a little, âI just spaced out for a second.â Jungwon doesnât seem to buy it though, the slight scrunching of his nose cluing you in.
âI know this week is gonna be busy for you⌠since youâre spending time with all of us. Individuallyââ
âItâs fine, Won, I wouldnât have it any other way,â you say as one of your hands moves to cup his cheek. âIt might be tiring, but I want to give each of you the love you deserve.â That seems to do it, though, and you can see the way he visibly relaxes at your words.
âYouâll tell us if you need a break?â
You nod, but a part of you knows that even if you do get tired, the excitement and love would overpower that. This week and Valentineâs Day was about love, and you wanted to give all of your love and energy to your favorite people in the world.
âGood.â Jungwon smiles as he slowly stands up straight again. He offers you his hand, and you quickly turn off the lights on your vanity before you take it. His much larger palm closes around yours and a small rush of electricity goes through you from the contact. âLetâs get going then. Donât want to be late for our reservation.â
Straightening out your skirt, you get to your feet. âAll ready. Mâexcited,â you say with a grin. But when you raise yourself on your toes a little to kiss his cheek, your lips meet the back of his other hand.
âCanât mess up your lip gloss, doll.â
The date with Jungwon is nothing but perfect and both of you return to the dorms with adorable pieces of pottery. Well, Jungwonâs is a little questionable, but heâd themed it around you and he was the one who made it, so it was flawless in your eyes. And you wondered, why had you been so worried about this week being draining? After spending the night with Jungwon, youâd felt refreshed and your heart was full of happiness. Just as the holiday intended it to be.
So, you were carrying an air of confidence with you as you sat across from Sunghoon at a restaurant the both of you frequented. It was on the fancier side, but when you both were in the mood for something a little more romantic, this place was always your first choice. The dim lighting and warm glow of candles on tables reminded you of how romantic your boyfriend could be. It was a side Sunghoon didnât show often, but it was always there.
âDid you like the flowers?â he asks as you sip at the red Chateau Margaux wine youâd decided to indulge in that evening. Neither of you were big drinkers, but it felt fitting with the intimate atmosphere. Sunghoon was referencing the large bouquet of pink roses currently sitting in the car that was parked in the parking lot. At the thought of them, you feel your cheeks warm and your heart stutters with giddiness.
You nod, âRoses are the most Valentineâs flower you could get.â He lets out a small scoff thatâs definitely a laugh in disguise. As he smiles, you can see his little fangs and the urge to kiss him comes over you.
âI know theyâre not your favorite, but I thought they were fitting.â
âI love them,â you reassure as you twirl your fork around in the pasta youâd ordered. Sunghoon had gotten some kind of steak and you could smell it from across the table. His chocolate-colored eyes notice the way your own eyes linger on his dinner and he laughs softly.
Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as you watch him cut off a small piece of his steak before offering the fork to you. When you donât move, he tilts his head in a gesture for you to take it. âHave a bite. I can practically see you drooling.â
âI am not drooling,â you protest, but you take the fork anyway. The steak is as divine as it smells. Much better than your pasta.
âMaybe not over the foodâŚâ With the way he trails off, you can tell what heâs implying and you resist the urge to throw the silverware youâre holding at him. Sunghoon grins cheekily at the angry expression on your face and how you canât respond as you finish eating your bite. âYou want to switch dishes, donât you?â
You tried to school your facial expressions, but in truth, you did kind of want to. âThatâs your food, Hoon, Iâm not gonna take it from youââ Before you can finish your sentence, his pale, large hands are already swapping your plates. You swallow harshly, stomach doing flips at how caring he is. âYou donât mind?â
Sunghoon shakes his head, âTonight is all about you.â
And he made that clear in more ways than one.
A sharp breath leaves you as your back meets the wall beside the door to Sangmi and your dorm. She was out with Intak. They probably hadnât begun their own Valentineâs celebrations yet, but if you could remember correctly, he was asking her to be his Valentine tonight. But you couldnât exactly think clearly thanks to Sunghoonâs lips on your neck.
The light drag of his teeth against the delicate skin sends a shiver through your body, and your hands grip his biceps over the blazer heâs wearing tightly. When he lightly bites down on a sensitive spot heâs well acquainted with, you yelp quietly, pressing your body to his. Sunghoonâs nose nudges under your jaw as he pulls away. No doubt his eyes are lingering on the red mark sitting on your neck now. Once he deems it good enough, his lips are on yours.
His movements are passionate and desperate, clearly not patient enough to wait to get you to your bedroom. Instead, his tongue slides past your lips. He deepens the kiss, one of his hands on your face tilting your head back to give him better access. His other hand grips the skirt of your dress, beginning to pull it up your thighs.
âBedroom,â Sunghoon mumbles against your lips as he hikes your dress over your hips. Thankfully, you make it to your bed before your panties hit the floor.
The next morning, itâs hard for you to get out of bed. At first, you wake up slowly, the mid-morning sunlight filtering in through the curtains and caressing where your and Sunghoonâs bodies are tangled together in bed. Youâd only gotten a few hours of sleep that night for⌠certain reasons, but when your eyes finally fluttered open, you didnât expect it to be past noon.
âShoot,â you mumble, fully sitting up in your bed as you notice all of the text messages from Riki. You were supposed to meet up with him an hour ago for his Valentineâs date. Sunghoon shifts next to you, wrapping his arms around your waist as he buries his face in your lap. Halfheartedly, you run your fingers through his hair to try and keep him asleep while you text Riki back.
Riki Iâm outside your dorm. Let me in
You sigh softly as your fingers slow in Sunghoonâs hair. âHoon,â you whisper as you set your phone down, turning your full attention to the man still asleep in your lap. âHoon,â you repeat a bit louder. You just get a small hum in response. âLet go, baby, Iâve gotta go see Riki.â This time, Sunghoon lets out a hesitant grumble before loosening his arms around your waist. You smile softly and lean down to press a gentle kiss to his hair. âStay in bed as long as you wantâŚâ
Ignoring your soreness and the heaviness in your eyes, you slip out of bed and quickly shrug on a random sweater and some jeans after replacing your undergarments from the night before. It was probably best to let Riki into your dorm first⌠then fix the rest of the mess Sunghoon had made you from the previous evening. Wincing a little, you did your best to exit your bedroom without making a sound, and your steps moved faster once you reached the door.
Rikiâs tall frame appears as you swing the door open and as he opens his mouth to speak, you hastily press a finger to his lips. He tilts his head in confusion before his eyes find your neck and a look of realization fills his expression. Your face flushes from embarrassment.
âSit on the couch. Iâll be quick,â you whisper to him as you let him into your dorm. Sluggishly, you go through your morning routine and apply a hefty amount of concealer. Both to the red bruises on your neck and to the dark circles under your eyes. After about another twenty minutes, you and Riki finally leave the dorm building.
You hold onto his arm tightly as the two of you walk through the streets of Cheongdam. âIâm sorry I slept late, Ki⌠I swear I had an alarm set.â
A laugh leaves him. âMustâve slipped your mind from all of the fun you were having last nightââ
âNishimura Riki!â you exclaim, cheeks and neck warm from his teasing. Letting out a small huff, you still keep a firm grip on his arm. âDonât say stuff like that in publicâŚâ
âSorry, princess, you just look so funny when you get all embarrassedââ You cut him off with a soft smack to his arm. âHey!â Riki whines. âIâm taking you shopping and in return I get hit?â
âPlease, I didnât even hit you that hard.â
The first store he takes you to is Chanel. While Riki isnât a huge fan of the brand himself, he knows that you like a lot of their pieces. Maybe he could justify picking out and buying you a few things since you liked Chanel. He thought youâd be more excited about looking around, especially since heâd booked a VIP experience, but you still hadnât moved from his side.
It was almost like you were leaning on him for support, like you were too tired to stand up by yourself.
âOoh, Riki-chan, look at this dress,â you breathe, andâmaybe heâd just been overthinking the way you were clinging to him. After all, you were often very touchy with him. And if something was wrong youâd tell him, right?
He looks at the dress youâre talking about, a rather simple and pretty black one. Strapless with a flowy skirt and a white rose on the center of the neckline. It would fall to about mid-thigh on you. âYou should try it on. I want to get you some things today,â he says and, as expected, your wide eyes find his.
âYou donât have to buy me anything! Iâm just glad I get to spend time with you.â
Riki tilts his head as his full lips raise into a small smirk. The sight has your heart racing. âIf I want to buy you something, Iâm buying you something.â He moves away from you, leaving you standing next to the dress. Heâs probably going to look for more articles of clothing to make you try on. âConsider it payment for ditching me for Sunghoon-hyung this morning.â
âYouâ!â
Your youngest boyfriend ends up buying you quite a bit that day, most of them his selections of what you looked best in after modeling each piece heâd picked out for you. By the time you get back to the dorms, your feet hurt and your lack of sleep from the night before is catching up to you.
As you lay in Rikiâs bed with him, cuddled closely to his side as a random movie plays in the background, your mind goes back to how many more dates you would have to go on this week. Excluding Valentineâs Day itself. You felt guilty for dreading the number of activities you would participate in, after all, you were an idol. You should be used to having so many energy-draining things to do in a day, much less a week. But the combination of your schedules and the time you were dedicating to your boyfriends, you were already feeling exhausted.
You drift off to sleep before the movieâs even a quarter of the way through.
Part of you is thankful, though, since you have to get up early the next morning for a schedule. With much-needed sleep and cuddles from Riki, you thought youâd be up and bursting with energy the next day, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. He had to practically drag you out of bed and to the bathroom for you to try and put yourself together a little. You werenât sure why you were so tired, but you refused to let your body be the reason you werenât able to follow through with all of your plans for the week.
It was Valentineâs Day week for goodness sake.
You had to keep reminding yourself that as Jake showed up just as you finished changing out of your clothes from the photoshoot youâd wrapped up. His big smile and excited eyes only make your guilt grow, and in turn, you push the thought of staying in for the night away.
âIf only I was two seconds earlier,â he says as he enters your dressing room. He had knocked, and Jake was only teasing about seeing you indecent.
You playfully roll your eyes as you grab your bag from the table itâs sat on. âNot today, Sim.â
âI know, I know,â Jake laughs as he offers his hand for you to take. You quickly grab onto it and he squeezes your hand in his softly. âHow was the shoot?â
Tiring. âIt was good. They had me sit in water at one point and it was cold.â
He leads you out of the dressing room and towards the exit of the building. âWell, I canât wait to see the results. Iâm sure theyâll be amazing as always.â It was so sweet the way Jake always knew how to cheer you up. If you were feeling down, even for the stupidest of reasons, he made sure that you knew your feelings were valid and then followed up by distracting you in some way.
And while you werenât feeling down today, you definitely werenât feeling your best. But Jake was there like always, and this time for your Valentineâs date, he brought you to an arcade.
His eyes light up almost as bright as the neon lights from the various screens when he sees the variety of games, only for you to drag him over to the claw machines.
âThink you can win me a plushie today?â Jakeâs track record wasnât great. There were only two stuffed animals in your room from claw machines. He hadnât won either of them. His lips press together in a determined expression and you giggle at the sight.
âLaugh all you want, angel, but youâre gonna be leaving with an armful of the goods.â
âDonât call them that.â So while spending an obscene amount of money on tokens wasnât Jakeâs first idea for a date with you, he was still overjoyed to do it.
You walk ahead of him with the bowl filled with tokens heâd just purchased, taking him back over to the claw machines. âOkay⌠Which one dâyou want?â You hand him the tokens before turning to the many options of plushies. A polar bear, some kind of snowman, a duck⌠When your eyes land on an orange cat your finger presses up against the glass.
âThat one. The orange tabby.â
Jake scoffs. âIf you wanted a cat, you shouldâve brought Jungwon.â He pushes two of the tokens into the slot and the machine blares to life. The loud music and glaring lights immediately attack your senses, but you do your best to shake it off.
Your boyfriend steers the toggle with precision. Jakeâs aim was good, but it depended if the claw machine wanted to cooperate today or not. And as the dog plushie is dropped one, two, three, four times, you figure that the machines arenât in the mood to comply. You reach to pull at Jakeâs sleeve. âLetâs go do something else.â
He shakes his head, his brown eyes locked on the treasures inside the glass as his fingers work over the joystick again. âNo. Iâm gonna win you something this time.â
âThatâs sweet Jake, but donât you want to go play some gamesââ
âI want to win you something.â His mouth presses into a thin line as he barely misses the dog plushie. âWanna put two more tokens in for me?â You sigh, but you push the two coins into the machine, the lights and music roaring to life again.
The neon colors were beginning to make your head hurt as you leaned against the glass, the coolness doing little to wake you up as you made sure to stay out of the way so Jake could see what he was doing. Your eyes flutter. Maybe you could close them for a second to give them some relief? Jake was very focused on earning this stuffed animal for you anyway. You donât even realize it when your eyes fully close, and the loud music and other sounds from the arcade do little to keep you present.
Only when Jake cheers victoriously, are you snapped out of the half-conscious state you're in. Your vision is blurry with sleep as your boyfriend squats down to retrieve the plushie before he holds it up for you to see. The excited smile on his face makes you feel guilty, considering it does little to push your exhaustion away.
Despite your attempts to match his enthusiastic smile, Jake notices your weary expression. His eyebrows furrow in concern and the grin drops from his lips as he lowers the plushie. Jakeâs free hand comes up to rub your arm in a comforting manner. âYou okay?â
You were most definitely not okay. You had never fallen asleep while doing an activity before, much less going on a date. And since Jake cared for you, he shared this information with the rest of your boyfriends, much to your dismay.
âAre you sure youâre up for this?â Heeseung asks you as he kills the engine of his car in the parkâs parking lot. Itâs hard to not be a little annoyed with the constant questions if you were okay. You knew that they were coming from a good place, that your boyfriends were just worried about you, but you had promised them youâd tell them if something was wrong. That thought is bitter to you as well, but you didnât see getting small amounts of sleep as something that was concerning. What would be concerning is if you werenât able to celebrate the literal holiday of love with them.
You reach across the center console to hold his hand. âIâm okay. If anything, Iâm ready to watch this movie with you.â Heeseungâs doe eyes narrow at your words and you were hoping that heâd believe you. âIâve always wanted to watch a movie from a projector.â
He sighs softly, his free hand coming up to rub at his face a little before he gives in. âFine. But youâre not carrying anything. And Iâm setting it all up.â Like that was a threat.
âThat works for me,â you giggle as you let go of his hand and undo your seatbelt to hop out of the passengerâs seat.
True to his word, Heeseung somehow managed to carry the picnic basket the two of you had packed along with the box for the screen and the portable projector all at the same time. Youâd teased him about his scrawny arms. Heâd threatened to drive you back home. But you both had found a free spot in the grass to set up.
âIs it still crooked?â he asks as he sits next to you on the pink blanket youâd laid out. You had busied yourself with eating some of the chocolate strawberries Heeseung had bought while he had set up the movie.
You shake your head. âJust leave it. It looks good. Besides, I want to cuddle.â Heeseung laughs.
âWeâre in public.â True, yes, but it was nighttime and there was hardly anyone in the area youâd picked. âDonât want someone thinking weâre a weird PDA couple.â
âOh please,â you scoff softly as Heeseung still moves to let you rest your head on his shoulder. Neither of you are paying attention to the movie, but the speaker on the projector sucks, so you can barely hear it anyway. âIf either of us is a fan of PDA itâs you.â
âMaybe, but at least Iâm taking other peopleâs eyes into considerationâŚâ he trails off as you look up at him. A small shudder goes through you as his thumb comes up to wipe at the corner of your mouth. âYouâre a messy eater.â
Your face warms at both the action and his words as you look back at the projector screen. âThe strawberries are good.â
âMaybe I would know if youâd left some for me.â
Movies this week were apparently your worst enemy. Apart from sleep, of course, but each time that you watched one, you felt yourself lulling into a state of unconsciousness. This time though, you were determined to not fall asleep. But itâs easier said than done as you feel your eyelids begin to droop maybe halfway through.
Heeseungâs a small help, whispering in your ear and sending shivers through your nerves as he comments on the main characterâs choices, but itâs still difficult for you to follow along with the storyline when you simply donât care. Your breath hitches when he tucks his face into your neck, his nose pressing against your skin as you hear him inhale softly.
And when his lips brush against your pulse point, the kisses have the opposite effect that he intends them to have. Itâs relaxing, the soft tickling sensation, and when Heeseung pulls away to have his lips find yours, your sleeping face greets him instead. It would be funny if he wasnât so worried about you.
âI really am fine,â you try to convince your boyfriends as you all sit in the living room on the second floor of the dorms.
Jake gives you a look. âIf that were true, you wouldnât fall asleep while Heeseung-hyungâs trying to make out with youââ
âThatâs beside the point,â you interrupt him, a small sense of embarrassment rushing through you. Last night hadnât been your greatest moment, and while you felt horrible about it, Heeseung had assured you that it was okay. Only after saying âI told you soâ, though. âThe point is that thereâs no difference from this week and every other week in my life. Iâm always busy.â
âBut youâve never been this tired before,â Sunoo points out as next to you, Jungwon wraps an arm around your shoulders.
âSunoo-ie has a point. Maybe you should just stay in tonight,â Sunghoon suggests and you shake your head frantically.
âNo! Iâm not letting a little bit of tiredness ruin my Valentineâs week with you all.â You sigh softly as you watch Riki lean against one of the decorative tables next to the couch. âI want to give you all the love you deserveâŚâ
Jay shakes his head from where heâs standing. âWe donât want you to be putting yourself at risk for us though. Even if it is just sleep, your body needs rest, YN-ie.â You huff. Heâs right, of course. âThereâs nothing wrong with staying in.â
âBut Iâve been looking forward to my baking class with you all week,â you complain, feeling frustrated with yourself. âEunchae-ssi said that the teacher weâre supposed to go see is really nice.â Each of the boys smiles a little at your whining.
âWe can always reschedule, angel,â Jay reminds you, but you shake your head again.
âNo, this place is popular⌠Please, Oppa, I want to go.â
You watch as Jay exchanges a look with Heeseung and you hate how it feels like youâre asking if itâs okay for you to go out and do something with them. You understand why, but you still donât like it. After a moment, Jay meets your eyes again. âAlright. Letâs go. But weâre gonna go to bed early tonight, okay?â
Your heart races with relief as you nod excitedly, squeezing Jungwon beside you in a small hug before you stand. âOkay!â
The baking class starts fine. Jay and you had decided on making molten lava cookies, to satisfy both of your cravings for chocolate, and Eunchae had been right about how sweet the teacher was. She was able to instruct you both while giving you enough space to still have a bit of time just with each other. Problems only begin to surface again while you wait for the cookies to bake.
The teacher had stepped away for a moment to get you all some water, leaving you and Jay alone in the kitchen. You watched him fondly with half-open eyes as he began to wipe down the counter.
âYou donât have to do that, you know. Itâs not your job to clean up the workspace.â The corners of his lips tilt up at your statement. The rag in his hands is dropped onto the counter as he glances at you and your sleepy expression.
âI donât mind doing it. Figured it would help her out considering how messy we got.â
âThat was all your doing, by the way.â
Jay laughs, âSure angel. You totally werenât the one to spill the flour because you couldnât keep your eyes open.â
âHey!â Your giggles are cut off when the timer on the oven goes off. Both of you look over to the oven and Jay moves to shut the timer off. âWe should probably take them out so they donât burn. Our teacher wouldnât mind, right?â you ask as you shuffle over to lean against Jayâs side.
âShe shouldnât. Most people donât enjoy eating burnt cookies,â he chuckles as he reaches for the oven mitts. You blink slowly, mind a little fuzzy as you grab them before he can.
âLet me. I feel like I havenât been any help at all.â Jay lifts his hands in mock surrender as he moves to the side a little, giving you the room you need to get the sheets out of the oven. Carefully, you open the door of the oven and remove the two pans full of chocolate cookies. With the pans safely placed on the top of the counter, you remove the oven mitts and Jay turns off the oven.
The door to the kitchen swings open as the teacher enters again. âOh, it smells so good in here!â In her hands are three glasses of water, and your boyfriend being the gentleman he is, rushes over to help her set them down. Your heart softens at how kind he is, but as you move to lean against the counter, your hand seeking the surface, a red-hot pain shoots up through your nerves, making you cry out softly.
Jayâs by your side in an instant, and you would almost feel bad for how heâs running back and forth in the kitchen if it wasnât for the stinging your skin was feeling. He coos gently as one of his hands finds the small of your back, steadying you.
âLet me see, angel.â Hesitantly, you hand him the palm youâd burned on the still-hot cookie sheet. Jay tuts softly and you know youâre in for a scolding later. âYou need to be more careful.â Or right now.
Thankfully, the teacher has aloe for even minor burns like these, and Jay helps you run your hand under cool water from the sink, caring as ever. âI am careful,â you protest quietly to Jay as the teacher retrieves the medicine for the barely there burn. âIâm just⌠tired.â
An immense weight was lifted off your shoulders as you finally admitted it, and the confession received the reaction you were expecting. Because the next day, Valentineâs Day itself, your boys had decided that instead of your one-on-one date with Sunoo, you would be spending the evening at the dorms, resting.
At least you were able to spend some time alone with Sunoo, though.
âI canât believe Iâve been put on house arrest,â you mumble as he stands between your legs while you sit on the counter. Heâs trying a new serum on you tonight, part of his Valentineâs present for you. Sunooâs fingers gently massage the skin of your cheeks as he works the product into your pores.
âShould put you on house arrest more often. Seems like you canât figure out whatâs best for youââ
You smack his shoulder playfully, making Sunoo laugh. âIâve learned my lesson.â You suck in a breath between your teeth. âI forget how much burns can hurt.â Sunooâs laugh fades and is replaced with a look of worry.
âDoes it still hurt a lot?â With a tight-lipped smile, you shake your head. The counter is cool under your legs and goosebumps rise on your thighs since youâre wearing pajama shorts instead of pants.
âJust a little. Itâs still red. See?â You offer him your injured hand and Sunoo carefully takes it.
âLetâs put some more lotion on it. Itâll help it cool down.â He lets go of your hand, but you keep it raised as he moves to grab the cooling lotion Jay had purchased for you on your way home from the baking class yesterday. Itâs like heâs handling a porcelain doll as your raven-haired boyfriend massages the lotion into your hand. His eyes never leave the red mark on your palm as your eyes never leave his face.
âThank you for putting up with me,â you say softly. âI should say that to all of you⌠Iâm sorry for not telling you all how tired I was, I justââ A heavy sigh escapes you as Sunooâs eyes meet yours. âI just wanted this week to be perfect. You all do so much for me and I wanted to give you all of my time and love in return.â
Sunooâs thumb brushes over your palm again. âYou already do that every day. We all know how much love and care you put into your relationship with each of us⌠And weâre so grateful, princess.â He carefully lifts your hand to his lips, kissing the burn mark gently. âThis weekâ this Valentineâs Day is perfect because weâre all together. No amount of missed dates could ever affect that.â
Itâs hard not to feel like crying from his words, and your heart is touched by how Sunoo soothed you. Just like the cooling lotion on your burn. âThank you, Sun.â
âOf course, princess,â he says as he helps you remove the pink skincare headband and then helps you off the counter. âLetâs join the others before they start getting crabby, hmm?â You laugh softly as you nod. Sunoo guides you out of the bathroom and back into the living room.
Theyâd gone all out in terms of decorating the second floorâs dorm. Cushions and blankets covered the ground in front of the couch, and theyâd pushed the coffee table off to the side. From where the coffee table was, just in front of the TV, itâd been stocked with snacks and other little treats for you all to enjoy throughout the night. Fairy lights had been draped along the walls and set to a light pink color, enhancing the Valentineâs Day ambiance. Other than the fairy lights, there was only one other lamp on. From the ceiling were little pink and red heart-hanging decorations that sparkled when they caught the light from the fairy lights. In the corner of the living room were all of the gifts you've received from them. Having just opened them, you didnât have the time to move them to your room yet.
But that didnât bother you too much. Not when all of your boys were already lounging on the couch and the other cushions theyâd placed on the floor. It was like your own little heaven and it made you sad to think about how itâd have to be cleaned up eventually.
âDid you guys have to be in there for five hours?â Riki asks, setting his phone down as you and Sunoo enter the living room. Thereâs a clear spot left for you in the center of the couch.
âIt was only one hour,â Sunoo corrects as you bound over to the couch, practically jumping between Jake and Sunghoon. âRiki-ah, if you want me to do your skincare, all you have to do is ask.â
Rikiâs quick to shake his head. Instead, he leans over Jake to kiss your cheek. âDo I look as refreshed as I feel?â you teasingly ask your boyfriends. As expected, a flood of compliments is fast to follow.
âYou look beautifulâ âYou're glowing, Dollâ âYour bare face is my favoriteâ
You canât help the way your heart races at their words, and you cuddle further between Jake and Sunghoon as Sunoo sits on the floor in front of you with Heeseung, Jay, and Jungwon. There are seven sets of eyes on you as you laugh softly.
âThank you all for this. I donât know what I would do without each of you,â you say with a small smile on your face. âI love you all so very much.â
With the way theyâre looking at you, you donât need to hear them say the same words back to know they feel the exact same way. Still, you canât help but feel your eyes water as each of your loves tells you how much they love you.
âHappy Valentineâs Day, Doll,â Jungwon whispers to you as he reaches up to squeeze your hand. You return the gesture before settling back down. Jay and Heeseung were trying to decide which movie to put on, but you couldn't care less when you were with the people you loved the most.
