THE FUCKBOY NEXT DOOR.

THE FUCKBOY NEXT DOOR.

Bangchan x reader. (s,a)

Synopsis: Having issues to break up with your boyfriend, you seek help from the boy next door and the number one fuckboy in the area, Chan. (10k words)

Author's note: I went through a nasty break up a few weeks ago and this is basically just me trying to cope by being delulu about having a fuckboy Chan as a neighbor. Enjoy x

It becomes a habit now that Chan doesn't know where he is when he wakes up in the morning.

The first thing that he'll do is retrace everything to last night. He was DJ-ing at a club, had a few drinks in between, met a girl who was eyeing him the whole night, had a few more drinks, there was a little touching and a quick makeout session in the dark alley and people can guess what happens after that

So this is where he is right now, the girl's bedroom and he can recall everything that happened last night except the girl's name.

"Fuck!" Chan mutters under his breath.

Judging from how bright the sun is outside, he knows he only has a little window to make his escape so he quickly gets off the bed as calmly as possible. He then tiptoes around to gather his clothes and put them on without making any noise.

However, he fails at it as the head from his belt hits the bed frame and the clanging of metal meets metal echoing in the room.

The girl steers on her sleep and rolls over to the side, she brushes her hair away from her face, catching Chan putting his belt on.

The plan to make a quick getaway has come to a failure but he keeps his cool, continuing to buckle his belt and then plants his hands on each side of his waist.

"Morning," He awkwardly says with a forced smile.

"Morning," the girl replies with a smile then props an elbow against the mattress, sending the duvet sliding down her body and exposing her bare chest to him.

Chan might have been a little drunk when he met her but damn, his fuckboy radar works well even under the influence of alcohol.

"You're leaving already?" She asks, flipping her hair to the back to expose more of those beautiful mounds to him.

Chan has to tell his pervy brain to focus actively, he looks away and picks up his jacket from the floor.

"I promised a friend to help him move out today," He lies, then pretends to check the time on his phone, "And I'm kind of late."

The girl nods then twirls her hair around her finger, "Well then... when can I see you again?"

"I hope soon," Chan says with his charming grin that disguises the insincerity in his answer.

The girl smiles at that which confirms that the grin works, "But seriously, I can't wait to see you again," she says.

"I'll call you," he says because that's what he can promise her at the moment but whether he'll do it or not is uncertain.

"But you don't have my numbers yet," she says with her eyebrows wrinkled in suspicion.

"No, I'm sure you already did," he says, convincing her by scrolling the contacts on his phone.

"Yup. I have your numbers already," he lies again, showing her a random contact on his phone for a quick second.

"But my name is Thalia," she says, cleverly catching the name on the contact.

"Yes, of course, you're Thalia," he says with utmost confidence and his ultimate weapon of a dimpled smile.

The girl seems alarmed though. She sits up on the bed and clutches the duvet close to her chest, "We're going to see each other again, right Chris?"

"Yes," he answers without a beat, and at this point, lying is as easy as breathing to him.

"Can I get a kiss before you leave?"

"Sure," he says, coming around the bed to give her a quick peck on the lips.

The girl smiles when he lets go and watches as he walks to the doorway, "I'll call you, Tanya."

"It's Thalia," she corrects him with an apparent displeasure on her face.

Chan shoves his phone into the pocket of his jeans and takes the time to properly bid her goodbye. Nothing a girl likes more than a sweet mouth and a little assurance, he'll give her exactly that.

"I'll see you soon, Thalia," Chan says with a smile.

"See you soon, Chris," and the girl naively believes him, if only she knew that this will be the last time they're seeing each other.

Yet again, Chan makes another successful getaway.

-

The warm weather of spring makes it a pleasant walk from the bus stop to his apartment building. He wants to stop somewhere for breakfast but his head feels heavy from the hangover, he just wants to go home as soon as possible, have a bowl of cereal then take an aspirin for the pounding headache.

In the lobby, he makes a quick stop to collect his mail and takes a quick check at it, sorting them out on the spot so he knows which ones he should bring upstairs.

From the corner of his eyes, Chan catches his neighbor, you with your boyfriend chatting by the elevator. He notices the gestures, the expression, and the whole interaction, it doesn't take a genius to know that something is going on there that the naked eyes can't see.

Chan throws the unnecessary mail into the trash bin nearby and walks to the elevator, hearing the little conversation going on between you and your boyfriend.

"...the waffles were delicious. We should have breakfast there again," the boyfriend says as he looks at you, "What do you think?"

"Yeah," you meekly answer while looking at the little screen that shows the floor the elevator is stopping in.

Chan tries to remain invisible but his eyes accidentally make contact with your boyfriend so he may as well make his presence known.

"Hi, neighbor," he greets, he knows your name but you seem to prefer to be called that way.

You do what you always do whenever you meet each other in the building, give him a quick judging look and a courteous smile.

"And hi neighbor's boyfriend," he greets your boyfriend next.

"Hi," your boyfriend greets back, "Chris, isn't it?"

"Yes and you are Lee," Chan responds.

"Right. So how was your Friday night?" Lee initiates a small talk.

"I believe it wasn't as good as yours," Chan playfully answers.

"Oh, we just stayed in and watched a movie, right baby?" Lee says, putting his arm around your shoulder.

All of a sudden, you take a step forward and say, "It's here."

The elevator doesn't chime until a moment later but you seem to be more than eager to get in. You turn around to give your boyfriend a quick hug.

"I'll try to leave early so we can have dinner together," Lee says with a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It's okay. Take your time," you say with a faint smile.

Chan quietly gets into the elevator and holds the door open for you, he tries not to look at what's happening in front of him not out of politeness but it's just painful to watch.

"I'll call you," Lee adds, catching your hand as you enter the elevator and kissing it.

"Okay," you say then wave your hand at him.

To help you get out of it, Chan releases his finger off the buttons and sends the doors sliding shut.

"Bye, baby," Lee says for the last time before the doors completely close.

It's just another awkward elevator ride with you and he'll usually try to endure it but after watching all that and trying not to say anything is hard, he can't help but impose.

He glances at you to check whether you're ready to hear about what he has to say but you always have the same stoic expression. Then it occurs to him that he has never seen you smile impolitely or out of joy, or even hear your laugh, but maybe after you hear what he's about to say, he'll get to see a different facial expression on you.

"Oh, man! That was painful to watch," he sighs as he keeps looking straight ahead at his reflection in the shiny furnace of the elevator.

There's no one else in the elevator so you're fully aware that he's talking to you but you don't respond until a while later.

There you go, with your judging look and stoic expression, looking at him as you say, "Excuse me?"

Chan doesn't want to sound rude but beating around the bush isn't his thing, he prefers to be straightforward. He knows it's all based on assumptions but he's pretty sure his judgements are pretty accurate.

He's going to just do it and lay out the facts, he turns to the side, then leans his back against the cold surface of the elevator.

"Your shoulder tightens when he called you baby and the fact you lied about the breakfast tells me that you didn't actually like his choice of restaurant," he pauses to let out a cynical chuckle, "the waffles weren't that good, I guess?"

When he wants to see a different facial expression on you, he doesn't mean seeing your angry one, but oh well, the damage has been done.

"Because I'm a good girlfriend that's why I let him choose the restaurant," you become defensive all of a sudden but that's an unconvincing answer.

"No, you let him choose out of pity," he simply remarks, "And just now, your nostrils flared when I pointed it out."

With all of these signs combined with his personal experiences, Chan narrows it out to one conclusion. He looks at you in the eyes and says, "You're about to break up with him, don't you?"

It looks like you've been slapped right on the face except that the slap doesn't come from someone, it's from the truth that comes out of Chan's unfiltered mouth and he instantly regrets it for meddling in in someone else's business.

"I'm sorry, but why are we having this conversation?" You ask, crossing your arms together in front of you.

"It's not like you're any better. You slept around, you're scared of commitment and now, sticking your nose at my business. You are the kind of person that I deeply despise!" You angrily say with your chest heaving.

It seems like you're saying all of those things about him out of anger because he sees right through you but now he knows why you always give him that judging look. He's the one who started it so yeah, okay, maybe he deserves that but that doesn't change the truth. The problem is what he said and your response, they're heading in the opposite direction.

"I think someone has her panties in a twist," Chan coyly responds.

"Look, there's nothing wrong with wanting to break up. That doesn't make you a bad person," he adds and decides to end the talk right there.

It gets quiet in this enclosed space and it's already suffocating as it is but how lucky that he has to patiently wait for the elevator to ride through three more floors to get out of here.

When the elevator finally dings open, Chan lets out a breath he doesn't know he's been holding but he's not the one in a hurry to exit both this space and the situation. He stays where he is and lets you out first.

When he thinks you don't have anything else to say, you stop right outside the elevator and look at him with a piercing gaze.

"Don't, for one second, think that you had any effect whatsoever on my panties!" You emphasize every word in anger, then storm off.

Know what? Maybe Chan should skip the bowl of cereal and take two aspirin instead. As for you, maybe you need to chill the fuck out.

-

Just because you've been neighbors with Chan for the past three years doesn't mean that you know each other on a personal level.

All you know about him is that he's a DJ which explains why there's always music playing in his apartment, he always wears a sleeveless top to showcase his muscles, and he always has a stupid grin on to show off the stupid dimples on his stupid face, an annoying Australian accent and from how many times you caught different girls taking a walk of shame out of his apartment, it's safe to say that he's the number one fuckboy in the area

So how dare he say all of that stuff in the elevator when he doesn't know anything about you at all? Moreover, what does a fuckboy like him know about relationships?

It shouldn't be hard to ignore because it's something you usually do but gosh, the memory of the conversation still vexed you a few days later.

Then it hits you that it bothers you so much because deep down, you know what he said is true. You've been wanting to break up with your boyfriend and hearing that comes from someone outside that relationship only solidified that thought.

There's nothing wrong with your boyfriend, Lee is nice, too nice even, and when you think about it, maybe that is the problem, he is too nice and that leads you to another problem, you don't know how to break up with him without hurting his feelings.

But you know who can help you with that? Someone who has a lot of experience in breaking up with people.

Oh, what a joy that you find the answer right across your door!

Before you get to ask for his help though, you're fully aware that there's another thing to do and there's no other way to do it but walk up to his apartment, knock on his door, and apologize.

As you're standing there in front of his apartment door, you're dreading it. All sorts of thoughts crossed your head like why did you have to be so riled up that time in the elevator? Why did you have to say that thing about the panties? Just why? Ugh!

Let's just get it over with, you mutter inside your head.

With hesitant hand, you knock on his door and then hold the urge to turn around and run back to your apartment. You let yourself take a step back as you wait for him to come for the door.

Do not open the door, do not open the door, you chant inside your head while tapping your foot against the floor. However, things are not always going the way you want.

The door swings inward and a second later, Chan appears with disheveled hair and he only has one arm in the sleeve of his t-shirt, then you spot a girl's shoes next to his feet.

Oh no, please don't say you're coming at the wrong time.

You reflexively take another step back but he grabs your forearm and then opens the door wider, showing you that there's a girl there.

"It's my neighbor, she's here to remind me about the tenant meeting," he says to her.

The girl looks at you rather suspiciously and crosses her arms together in front of her as she glares at Chan.

"No. Don't you dare try to get out of this, Chris!"

"But it's true. We have to leave now," Chan says, then gives you a look that tells you to lie along with him, "Right?"

Running a quick assessment of the situation, you're certain that Chan is trying to get himself out of it to avoid having a difficult conversation with the beautiful lady. You hate to be the accessory to his crime but if this means that it would help you earn his forgiveness...

"The pigeons!" You make up a lie on the spot.

"The pigeons are ruining our rooftop garden so we held this urgent tenant meeting," you add with what you hope is a convincing smile.

"Oh, those damn pigeons!" Chan heavily sighs with a phony expression.

The lie makes your throat dry and your cheeks hurt from forcing a smile, you have to keep it going as the lady considers whether to believe that the tenant meeting is true or not.

Chan grabs his jacket from the clothes hook and puts it on, "We'll continue this later, okay?" He says to her.

Without waiting for her answer, he gets out of the door and drags you with him to go to your apartment. Once both of you get inside, he immediately closes the door behind him and lets out a long sigh.

"Oh, wow!" He exclaims once he realizes that he's inside your apartment.

He allows himself further inside and leisurely walks around your apartment, checking your kitchen, trailing his fingers on your book collection on the shelf, and observing the potted plants lining up on the window sill.

He walks back to the middle of the room and takes another 360-degree look around the apartment, then nods in approval.

"So, this is what the inside of your apartment looks like," he says in a cryptic tone.

Not sure if he wants you to respond to that or if should respond at all. You choose to remain silent and only respond when his intentions are intelligible.

Chan then sits on the sofa, making himself comfortable, and looks at you, then at what you're holding in both hands.

"Is that for me?"

The jar of cookies you've been unknowingly holding in your hands is a token of apology and it is for him.

"Yes, it is for you," you say, handing it to him with both hands.

"I'm sorry about the other day," you sincerely apologize, but you know you have to let him know what you're apologizing for, "for what I've said to you. I'm terribly sorry."

"Well, since you're helping me with the uh... situation," he coyly says as he scratches his eyebrow, "consider us even."

See? That wasn't so hard. You feel bad for lying to the girl but at least, you've been forgiven.

"Thank you," you add with a smile.

Chan doesn't say anything else but opens the lid and takes a cookie out of the jar. He gets comfortable on the sofa, sitting slumped with his legs spreading wide, and then he takes a big bite of the cookie.

It doesn't take long for him to notice that you have something else to say to him other than an apology.

Before he gets to it, you force yourself to start speaking.

"So, Chris..." you call, then abruptly stop talking. You suddenly have a second thought about asking for his help.

"What's up?" He asks while chewing on his cookie.

It's at the tip of your tongue but your mouth feels like they're sewn shut. You clasp your hands together and muster up the courage to just blurt it out.

"Do you want something to have with the cookies?"

You swear you plan on asking for his help but somehow, your mouth saying a different thing.

"Milk would be nice," he answers.

"Milk. Yes, I have milk," you awkwardly say, slowly making your way to the kitchen like a walking dead.

You take a carton of milk from the fridge and while pouring it into a glass, you're scolding yourself for being so cowardly.

After taking a moment to take a deep breath and muster up the courage to ask, you walk back to the sofa with the glass of milk in hand. With a smile, you hand it to him.

"Thank you," he says, his eyes catching something in your eyes.

You immediately break the eye contact and take another step back, standing and watching him finish his third cookie then wash it down with a sip of milk.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm going to stay here until the girl leaves my apartment," he informs.

"Oh?" You meekly gasp.

"But I can leave if you're uncomfortable," he says as he sits straight on the sofa.

"No, it's fine," you shortly reply, "Take your time."

"Okay, thanks," he says, reclining back on the sofa and continues munching on the cookies.

You can't decide if he stays longer than you expected is a good thing or not. You use the opportunity to reconsider it and walk to the kitchen to get out of his sight.

"Do you need help or not?" You quietly ask yourself as you pour yourself a glass of water.

Why is it so hard? He's right there. All you need is to go and ask for his help.

The water sloshes out of the glass as you fill it too full and you reflexively back away to avoid getting water all over the front of your dress.

"Everything good there?" Chan asks in a slight panic.

That's it! Enough time has passed from overthinking it! You walk up to him and just do it.

"You're right," you blurt out, "I've been wanting to break up with my boyfriend."

Sensing that it turns serious, Chan slows down his chewing and puts away the cookie jar. You expect the I-told-you-so grin on his face but no, he looks saddened instead.

"Things aren't working out," you openly share with a sad sigh.

You take a seat on the ottoman facing the sofa and sadly sigh, "I've been wanting to break up with him for a week now but I just don't know how."

"How long you've been dating each other?"

"Three years," you answer.

"Wow," Chan lowly gasps in awe.

Three years is not a short time, he understands why you hesitate to break up and it isn't an easy decision either.

"I need your help," you hopelessly say, unintentionally becoming vulnerable in front of him.

"My help?"

"Help me how to break up with him," you further explain.

"Of all people, why me?" He asks in utter confusion.

It's hard to answer that without being rude, you decide to let him process the question until it leads him to the answer. After a while, he lets out a dry chuckle and nods, "Okay, yeah. Make sense."

Chan takes another minute to accept the fact that his help is needed because he knows how to break up with someone without feeling awful about it afterward.

"I guess you want to let him down gently?"

"Yes," you answer.

"Well..." he inflates his cheeks then lets the air out through his pursed lips, "You can break up with him through a text."

Which part of 'let him down gently' did he not understand? How is it a good idea to break up through a text? But okay, it's just one suggestion, you give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Who knows he'll come up with better suggestions.

"I'm sorry. No, I can't do that," you kindly refuse his suggestion.

"You can send it when he's sleeping," he adds.

Oh, God! He gives you an even worse suggestion instead of better ones. You know what? This is a bad idea and you regret asking for his help.

"I don't—" You stop yourself from talking and get up from your seat.

"I'll just check if the lady is still..." Your words trail off as you walk towards the door and check through the peephole first, then you get out of the door to check his apartment next.

"Hello? Excuse me?" You shout from the doorway but no one is answering you.

You take it the lady has left and walk back to your apartment to deliver the news to the rightful owner of the apartment.

"She already left," you tell him.

Chan lets out a sigh and closes the cookie jar, he finishes the milk to its last drop and then gets up from the sofa.

"Thank you for the cookies and the milk," he says with his signature grin.

"No worries," you reply, trying so hard to hide the disappointment in your voice.

Chan holds the cookie jar in one arm and takes a step closer to you, "if you need help on how to write breakup texts, I'm just across the hall," he says.

You don't respond to that but keep a smile on for him as to seem polite.

"And good luck!" He says with gentle pats on your shoulder.

The second he walks out the door, you collapse onto the sofa and dread it even more than before. Turns out, asking for his help is not helping at all.

The next day, you meet him as you collect your mail in the lobby and it's hard to ignore him when his mailbox is next to yours.

"G'day!" Chan greets you as he leans the side of his body against the wall while sorting his mail.

"Good day!" You respond and hurriedly walk toward the elevator. You push the button to summon it to the lobby and hope it comes soon enough for you to avoid talking to Chan.

Of course, things don't go as you want it. He comes just in time for the elevator about to arrive, he crumples a few letters in his hand into a ball and then tosses it into the trash bin.

"How did it go?" He asks.

"Pardon?" You nonchalantly respond.

Good thing that the elevator chimes open and you can pretend to forget about what he asked you a while ago. You get inside while clutching your mails in hands in front of you but it's not safe yet as you have to share the elevator ride with him.

"So... the break-up texts? Did you do it?" He asks again, going to the corner of the elevator and leaning his back against it.

"Chris, I think you can't just end a three-year relationship with a text," you put it as nicely as you can.

"Yeah, I reckon," he innocently answers.

It seems like Chan can't tell the difference between what is easy and what is right. It isn't a good idea in the first place to ask for help from someone like him who doesn't consider other people's feelings except his own.

"What are you going to do then?" He asks, shifting his weight on one leg.

Since his help is not helping at all, you have no answer to that yet. This should be something you have to figure out on your own in the first place.

"I'll figure it out," you not-very-convincingly answer.

Chan crosses his arms in front of him, making the muscles and veins on his arms more evident under the fluorescent light of the elevator.

"Lee seems like a nice guy," he remarks with a deep inhale of air.

Well, if you have to compare your boyfriend to Chan, then yes, Lee is a really nice guy. Lee excels in a lot of things, including how to treat a person with feelings.

"Yes," you settle with a simple answer.

"A drawn-out break up is only going to end in a big scene," he says, "Just saying."

Chan has a point. It's worse to prolong the pain for both you and Lee, you can't keep pretending that the relationship works and it's unfair that you keep Lee oblivious about all this.

"We can practice, you know," he offers.

"Practice?"

"On how you're going to break up with him," he explains.

He comes up with a better suggestion this time and is almost endearing even but again, he wouldn't know how a person with real feelings reacts to a break-up which makes you unsure if the practice would be any help.

The elevator is about to arrive anyway so you decide to skip on responding to his offer. Once it chimes, the doors part open and you take the first turn to get out with Chan getting off after you. You turn to the left to your apartment while he turns right. You take the key out of your pocket to unlock the door and push your way in while clutching your mail close to your chest.

"You know where to find me if you need help," Chan says just before you close the door to your apartment.

Hard pass, you answer in your head but you put on a smile for his kind offer, then close the door

-

Okay, you admit it. You were too haste when you said that you didn't need his help. You were doing fine for these past few days, you've been avoiding meeting your boyfriend to give you some more time to think of the best way to break the news to him until he calls you.

The phone rings and you just stare at it, considering whether to pick it up or not. If you pick it up, that means you have to lie to him and if you don't, it'll alert him that things are, in fact, not okay.

The latter seems like a better idea so you pick it up after taking a long, deep breath.

"Hi, baby. Am I calling you at the wrong time?"

Not entirely wrong but it would be nice if he didn't call you, you answer in your head.

"Yeah, sorry, I was in the bathroom," you lie.

"Coconut shrimp for dinner. What do you think?" he asks out of the blue.

"That sounds nice," you easily respond.

"I know you'll like it but, babe, do you mind getting us a bottle of wine on the way?

"I'm sorry?" You ask in confusion.

"For our dinner, remember?" he answers, "I'll cook tonight we'll be having dinner at mine."

You hardly paid attention to him because your mind was always elsewhere, you couldn't remember saying yes to the dinner but you did and it must be out of pity.

"No, of course, I remember, I'm just..." you rake your brain to think of something to say.

"I thought it was next week," you lie again with an awkward chuckle.

"You silly!" Lee says, "Aren't you glad that I called, huh?"

"So glad," you lie, again and again.

"I should start prepping the ingredients so they'll be ready when you get here," he says, his voice exuding enthusiasm.

"Okay."

"Don't forget the wine!"

"I won't."

"I can't wait to see you, baby," he sweetly says.

The lies are piling up so may as well add another one to the pile, "Me too."

"I love you, bye."

Don't think you can lie your answer to that, you gulp air, "Bye," you say to the phone, then quickly hang up.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and you don't know your desperate measure means knocking on your neighbor's door. Probably because you hate to admit that you need his help.

Not long after, Chan opens the door and his head pops out from the gap, "What's up?"

"My boyfriend just called and tonight, we'll be having dinner in his place," you blabber in panic.

It takes a second for him to process it then his face turns a little surprised, "What are we going to do then?" He asks in confusion.

You may be in dread but you catch the error in his question, "We? Now, you got your panties in a twist," you tell him.

"Shame on you!" He responds with a sly grin then opens the door wider and shows himself dressed in nothing but a white towel hanging low around his hips.

He puts one arm against the doorframe and leans close to you as he says, "Cause I'm not wearing any panties right now."

You should have noticed it from his wet hair and the beads of water rolling down his neck, and now that you're seeing the whole of it, your eyes immediately following where the beads of water going, they're going down the outline of his abs and eventually, to where they're all gathered as his pelvic bones leading down to one way: down south.

However, your instinctive reaction goes against what you're actually feeling inside.

"Ugh!" You groan and turn to the side, "Put some clothes on and I'll see you at my place!"

Without waiting for his answer, you rush back to your apartment and close the door behind you as fast as possible, then you rest your back against it.

The images of his naked body flashing through your head, his glistening wet pale skin, and how some parts of his body are blotchy red around the neck and chest. You get flustered all of a sudden, you immediately press the back of your hand to your cheek and you can feel them heating.

"Get it together!" You scold yourself.

After waiting for almost fifteen minutes, Chan finally comes knocking on your door like it's a musical instrument.

"Are you dressed?" You ask with your hand on the doorknob.

"Hardly," he jokes.

You peek through the peephole and see that he's already dressed to what you can say is his usual attire of dark short pants with a matching sleeveless top, showing off his bulging biceps. You open the door to let him in and he coyly walks in, treating your place like it's his own, sitting on your sofa with his legs spreading wide.

"Okay, so, why am I here?"

You stand in front of him with your hands clasped in front of you, "I've been lying to him the whole phone call and honestly, I've been doing it since the moment I decided that I want to break up with him, and I... I don't think I can lie to him again."

It's easy to admit your mistakes to him because he barely knows you and his opinions about you won't matter that much to you.

"I need to do it tonight," you hopelessly say.

"I take it you need my help to practice your break-up speech?"

You hate that he guesses it right but it's also convenient that you don't have to beat around the bush to ask for it. But first, you try to explain the situation as much as possible so he has ideas on what you're facing here.

"Lee is a man of many emotions and I'm not exaggerating when I say he'll likely cry," you inform.

Chan's forehead wrinkles as he processes this piece of information then stifles a nod. It seems like he still has no idea what you want him to do about it.

"I think it's less painful if you acknowledge the dumpee feelings," you blatantly explain.

"Okay, I got you. Let's practice!' He says, sitting up straighter on the sofa and then putting his hands on his knees.

It's just a practice but your anxiety takes over you not just mentally but also physically as your palms get sweaty. You wipe them down your jeans and take a breath.

"Lee," you call him by your boyfriend's name, and even though it's weird that you're roleplaying, you continue, "I want to break up with you."

Chan looks at you and gets quiet for a moment, "Wow. I'm in utter shock and it makes me very sad to hear that," he says with a rather serious tone.

Not the kind of reaction Lee would likely pull off but that will do if you decide to continue with it.

"I'm fully aware that this is so sudden but I've been thinking hard about it for some time and I think this is a decision that I should take," you say and you know it's a practice but you feel something caught in your throat.

"I'm sad and I need time to process it, but I'll be okay," he calmly says.

Chan gets the tone right but you believe breaking up wouldn't be this easy in real life, especially when there are real feelings to protect. To be honest, you're not ready to face the truth that you may hurt those feelings tonight.

"I think that went very well," Chan says, returning to his default settings.

"Yeah, I think that's it," you meekly say.

The worries and sadness are drawn on your face that Chan can easily see through your veiled expression, "If Lee is as nice as you said he is, then you shouldn't worry much," he says.

He waits until your eyes meet his to continue, "He may get surprised or shocked even, but he'll come around and respect your decision."

You can't believe that those words are coming out of his mouth or that he even tries to comfort you, but you appreciate it. Maybe his heart is still there, he just doesn't let it control him most of the time.

He gets up from the sofa and walks up to you, he takes your hands, ignoring how cold and sweaty they feel in his, "You got this," he assures you.

"Thank you, Chris," you sincerely say with a sad smile.

It is time to stop torturing both you and Lee with lies and forcing yourself to believe that the love is still there. It's time to accept the truth that if you can fall in love, you can also fall out of love.

-

It's a surprise that Chan worries about things that aren't his business. He's been playing some music to distract him from his head but he keeps the volume low because he doesn't want to miss hearing the sound of the elevator that will tell him any signs that you're back from the dinner.

Eventually, he tires himself out from worrying and falls asleep on the sofa. He startles always close to midnight after hearing the knocking on his doors.

Half disoriented, he trudges his way to open the door and finds you there, surprisingly, looking nice in a white cotton dress and your eyes dry.

But from the way you let yourself into his apartment, forgetting your impeccable manners and walking with shoulders slumped and carrying your shoes in your hands, he takes it that you did it.

"So... how did it go?" He carefully asks, following you as you're making your way to the sofa and then sitting on it.

You let a heavy sigh and your shoulders slumped even more, "At least, there's no crying," you answer with a sad smile.

Chan is unsure of how to react to that, is that a good thing or a bad thing? He just stands there with his arms crossed on his chest, thinking out loud.

"And even though it was ending... it was incredibly meaningful to me and I'm going to miss him," you say with your lips trembling.

Oh, no, Chan knows when a girl is about to cry, he quickly finds a remedy to it, one that he knows always works wonders for him. He runs to the kitchen and brings a bottle out of his alcohol stash, then hands it to you.

"Let's have a drink!" He says, realizing that he forgot the glass.

"Wait another second, I'll get the glass," he says, sprinting to retrieve two glasses from his kitchen cabinet.

When he returns, he sees that you're chugging the alcohol straight from the bottle. You gasp and then wince from the bitter aftertaste of it.

"Okay, straight from the bottle it is," he says, popping onto the sofa next to you.

You wipe your mouth with the back of your hand and then hand the bottle to him in which he wastes not another second to take a sip of it.

"The thing is... I really care about him but he wanted to get married, and I'm just not ready for that," you share with your eyes blank and looking at the void.

You take a deep breath but it seems like it only sends your heart sinking deeper and deeper, and making it harder for you to breathe.

"And if I'm not ready with a guy as great as him then what if I'm never ready?" You say, turning your head his way with your eyes glassy, pooling with tears.

"What if that was it..." you lift your shoulders then drop them as you let out a low sigh, "my one chance at love?"

The tears start streaming down your face like a bursting dam and Chan knows he can't do anything about it but let them out.

Hearing your words makes him think about what his idea of love is. He used to think that it was something he could get whenever he wanted it but now he knows that he's wrong, because that's just a short-lived infatuation, just some sort of meaningless connection.

From you, he learns that love is a privilege that not everyone can experience.

"What if I never get a second chance?" You ask him the question that he doesn't know the answer to.

"I don't know. I'm just sad," your voice cracks, then you break into tears.

Chan is quick to catch you into his arms and offers you his embrace. He knows he can't do anything about this sadness but he can try to soothe the pain, he's placing gentle rubs on your back as you cry into his chest.

The cry is resounding in this space, echoing the sadness back to you and it makes him inexplicably sad too, and he gets the urge to make it stop.

"It's going to be alright," he murmurs at the top of your head.

You look up with your eyes wet and red with tears caught in your lashes, "Is it?" You croak.

He doesn't know when but he knows for sure that time heals everything.

"It will be," he answers with a gentle caress of his knuckle on your wet cheek, "eventually."

Your eyes tell some more assurance for him and he doesn't know what drives him to do it, but he leans in, then kisses you.

To his surprise, you kiss him back and he knows you're doing it because you seek his comfort and he wants to give you exactly that. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you close, giving you that closeness you seek. He kisses you ever so softly because he knows he's kissing a broken heart and he wants to mend it. He can taste your sadness and the bitterness of it, and also the relief underlying all of it. As he kisses you, he lets his heart open just enough to take some of that sadness away from yours.

As the kiss deepens, the sadness withers, and something else emerges. Chan loses in it for a bit until he realizes what you're trying to do with your hand that reaches for the front of his jeans.

He abruptly detaches his lips from yours and shakes his head, "No, we can't do this," he says.

As much as he fancies you enough to have sex with you, he knows better not to do it when you're not in your right mind and your judgments are clouded with sadness. The last thing he wants is you waking up in the morning full of regrets.

"I want this, Chris," you croak.

"No, we can't," he adamantly says and takes your hand away from him.

"You're sad. You do want this," he says in an effort to put some sense into you.

You roughly crumple the front of his t-shirt and pull him close, "I want– No, I need this, Chris," you say to him with your eyes dark like two bottomless pits.

"Please?" You plead as a tear rolls down from the corner of your eye.

This is the most hopeless he ever heard of you and it breaks his heart. You said it yourself, you need this and he knows what you mean by that. You need the distraction, you need him to take this pain away even just for a fleeting moment, moreover, he can't break what's already broken.

He takes your hand off of his clothes and puts it in his, he leans in until his forehead is pressed against yours.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks once again.

"Yes," you answer without a beat.

That's all Chan needed to hear, he inhales air and puts an inch between your faces. He then tenderly holds your face with both hands and looks at you, unsure where to start but maybe, he can start by making those tears coming out of your eyes.

Chan dabs the tears pooling in the corner of your eyes with his knuckle and without the slightest of hesitancy, he places a gentle kiss on each of your closed eyelids and before you can open them, he captures your lips in a kiss.

Sex is not something new to him but Chan knows that this time is not about physical fulfillment, but a way to offer comfort and hopefully, to also mend your broken heart.

He takes his time to strip away every piece of clothing on you until you're bare, lying on the bed with nothing but sadness that fills your heart.

He touches you with utmost gentleness, using just his fingertips to feel the softness of your skin and you're so pliant, sensitive to his touch.

To make it fair, Chan takes his clothes off as well before joining you on the bed, caging you in between his arms and hovering only inches away above you.

"Touch me," he says to you, taking your hand and placing it on his shoulder.

He then glides your hand down his neck and chest, he makes you feel every inch of his pale skin with him. However, when he looks at you, your eyes remain on his.

"You feel so warm, Chris," you lowly mutter.

He brings your hand close to his mouth and kisses it, then crashes his lips on yours.

The gap between your bodies becomes non-existent as you keep pulling him close, he relents by lowering himself on top of you and props an elbow against the mattress to not put his whole weight on you.

Lips locked, hands around each other, bodies pressed together and the temperature keeps on rising in the room. Chan makes you feel every part of his lips brushing and gliding over yours. He skillfully parts your mouth open with his tongue so he can kiss you deep and hard, yet slow until you run out of breath.

At the same time, his hand makes its way down until his fingers land on your delicate flesh. He touches it tenderly, running his fingers between the folds, and drags them upward to rub on your bundle of nerves.

"Ah..." you moan against his lips as you curve your hand around his neck and pull him incredibly closer.

Judging from it, he knows he's doing it right and he should continue, he applies gentle pressures on your clit, making you drenched and that way, he can slowly put a digit inside of you.

You let go of his kiss to let out a moan and your head falls onto the pillow as he puts another digit into you, two fingers pumping in and out of you.

Chan intently watches as your face contorted along to the pleasure, how your jaws slack open and breathless moans keep spilling out of your parted mouth.

The way you clench around his fingers makes him impatient to feel you and how tight you feel around him, and the noises you make oh, they're his new favorite tune that he wants to keep listening to until his eardrums burst.

He glances down as he pulls his fingers out of you and finds them thickly coated with your essence, it doesn't stop him from shoving them into his mouth and lick them clean.

Chan holds you by the chin to keep you still as he kisses you, "Give me a second to get a condom, yeah?" He says to you and you nod in answer.

He makes his to the bathroom and pulls the drawer open to take a condom. To save time, he decides to put it on right away, he tears through the foil packet with his teeth and rolls the rubber down his hard length.

On the way out, he catches his reflection in the mirror and gets reminded that this is not about him. Tonight, it's all about you.

He returns to the bedroom, finding you still lying in bed naked and hugging yourself. He climbs onto the bed and lowers himself on you, letting you absorb his body heat to warm you.

Craving for another taste of it, he goes down and plants his mouth on your cunt next, tasting you right on his tongue.

You're squirming as his tongue laps over your wetness, drinking in on your essence and then using it to circle on your clit.

He's not the only one getting impatient and asking more of it, you both want it and there's no wasting time anymore. Just before he takes it to the next part, he places a long, tender kiss on your clit and immediately brings his mouth to yours again so you can taste yourself on him.

"I'm going in, mmh?" He says as he endearingly brushes your hair away from your face.

You hold on to his shoulder as he settles himself between your legs, aligning his cock with your entrance but before that, he rubs his length between your folds, lubricating it with your essence.

Your hands fly to your chest, hugging yourself again as you lowly moan to his hard length rubbing over your clit and then, pushing its way into you.

"Goodness fu—" he can't even finish his sentence without breaking into a satisfied groan.

It's just the tip but he can already feel how tight you are around him, he's scared yet excited to push more of him into you. He reorganizes his breathing and rests his hand on your abdomen to do it.

Chan looks down to check and he still has a little more of him that needs to be inside you, he sharply inhales air through his nostrils and pushes the remaining length in one quick push.

"Oh..." you breathlessly moan as you're squeezing on your breasts.

Chan allows himself to take a moment to adjust himself to being inside you and you seem to also need time to adjust to his size because you feel so incredibly tight around him. It makes him wonder how this little thing can take him so well.

He takes your hands away from your chest and puts them around his shoulders, that way he can put his body on top of you, lips locked with yours again in no time as you wrap your legs around his waist, sending him deeper inside you.

As he takes a breath in between kisses, you hold his face and look at him with a different kind of sadness in your eyes which only reminds him that his initial plan is to make it go away.

He starts thrusting into you, wanting to fuck this sadness out of you. He wants to make you think of nothing but how his cock fills you full and how good he is fucking you right now, and soon, he's going to make you feel nothing but immense pleasure.

"Ah... ah... ah..." you moan for every thrust going into you and the skin-slapping sounds echo along with it in the room.

Chan plants his mouth on your breasts to contain his grunts and groans while keeping the steady motion of his hips pulsating against you.

A hand reaches for his chin and forces him to look at you, instantly engaged in eye contact with you. He continues thrusting into you with eyes looking deep into you, they're no longer looking like bottomless pits, they look like deep oases that he wants to dive into.

The next thing he knows, Chan finds himself deep in you, not just physically but also connected with you in a way that he's never experienced with anyone else until now. He feels barer than he already is and instead of shutting himself off, he embraces it and lets you in.

Soon enough, he finds himself lost in it and fully connects himself to you in a way that lets him know how it feels to love without fears or insecurities holding him back, without worrying if it's being reciprocated or not, to love wholly and completely.

"Oh," you let out a broken moan and that's when he notices that you break into tears again.

Chan abruptly stops moving, afraid that something he does is hurting you without realizing it.

"No, keep going, keep going," you tell him with your voice hoarse.

He needs to make sure to continue, he cups your jaw and asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, please, keep going, please," You repeatedly nod and plead with your teary eyes.

He wants you to stop crying, he wants you to stop thinking about what hurts you and start to see him as he tries to take this pain away from you. His body picks up the pace, going impossibly fast and also taking himself close to his high.

Your eyes are screwed shut, your breath is ragged and your hands are gripping onto his shoulders, overwhelmed by the pleasure that he brought on you.

The moment he's sure that you already come to your climax, he allows himself to let go and uses all of his strength to give you a few more thrusts until there's nothing left in him but waves of pleasure that wash over him.

"Chris..." you softly call and then pull him for a chaste kiss on his lips, "Thank you."

Chan's face hovers only inches above you as he softly gazes into your eyes, you look so fragile and open like a wound and he's just glad that he can make your heartache gone even just for a while.

"Shh..." he stops you from talking by running his thumb over your lips and then kisses you with his heart wide open. He lets this beautiful feeling pour out of him and into you.

"No, thank you," he mutters his gratitude between kisses.

Thanks to you, he experiences something he's never felt before with someone else, something new, something pure and real, something that feels a lot like love.

When he wakes up in the morning and finds you're not there, it hits him that maybe it is love but Chan is not ready to admit it yet.

-

A week passes and Chan hasn't seen you ever since that night.

He can't tell if you're avoiding him or needing the space and time to piece yourself back from the break-up, he hopes it's the latter. Gosh! Let him be right.

Regardless of what happened, he can live with the fact that you despise him but it would be sad to know if you choose to go down the path of believing that you're not going to find love again.

Chan just needs to know if you're doing okay, that's what matters for now.

Fortunately, the two of you have been neighbors for quite a long time to learn your routine and knockabouts. He knows what you like to do on a Saturday morning, he goes to the lobby and chats with the concierge as he waits.

At the first sight of you entering the apartment building, his heart palpation, and in all honesty, he's just so happy to finally see you after a while.

Are you not seeing him there? Or you're just pretending which only confirms his initial thought that you've been, in fact, avoiding him.

You're walking through the lobby carrying a bag of groceries in your arm, you skip checking on the mailbox and go straight to the elevator. It just happens that the elevator is vacant and the doors slide open after you push the button.

Chan decides to take the risk, sprinting to get into the elevator before the doors close. You already despise him so a little more hate shouldn't be a problem to him.

"Morning, sunshine," He greets you with his dimpled grin.

"Good morning," you politely reply without looking at him.

Things are going back to normal and he should be glad, right? At least, you're back to your usual settings of looking stoic and acting polite, and the best thing about it is you're still talking to him.

"I should learn to avoid people from you. You're good at it," he pushes it a bit just to see if he can crack through this facade.

"Excuse me?" Your head turns his way and with your eyes widen, "I have not been avoiding anyone."

Chan holds the urge to smile for successfully getting your attention and rests his back against the cold, metal furnace of the elevator, "Are you sure?"

"Well, we're seeing each other now," you tell him.

"That's because I know you like to go to the farmer's market every Saturday morning," he says at the same time, admitting that he knows about your routine.

You slowly turn your body facing him and squint your eyes at him, "You've been keeping tabs on me?"

"It's my favorite pastime activity," he shamelessly answers then pokes his cheek with his tongue.

"It's better than watching porn," he playfully adds, something that he knows will annoy you the right way.

"Ugh!" You groan as you look straight ahead.

Oddly enough, that's what he misses the most about it, interacting with you and seeing your reaction to his antics, but you, especially.

"Don't be so uptight," he coyly says.

He takes a step closer to you and puts his hand on the handlebar, "it's not like we haven't slept together or anything."

You let out a scoff and hoist the strap of your grocery bag higher on your shoulder, "I'm shocked you even remember," you say.

You turn your head next and your eyes immediately lock in a gaze with him, "I figure I'm just a low notch on a very long bedpost," you add.

"Are you calling me a man whore?" Chan says, feeling offended.

You take a step closer to him and daringly stare back into his eyes, "I didn't call you a man," you answer with a sly smirk.

There's a few seconds of silence until Chan realizes what you just said to him but you know what? He's going to give it to you, for now.

He looks at you and smiles, "Touche!"

You both look at each other and at the same time, burst into laughter, and it keeps going until the hilarity subsides with each passing second.

Is this real? Did you just poke fun at him with a beautiful smile on your face? Did you really laugh and the sound of not only echoing in this enclosed space but also in the back of his mind? Did he just see a different facial expression on you? Either way, he likes it and he likes how it makes him feel.

The elevator chimes open and soon, the doors part open. He lets you get off first and then takes his turn after, he gets a little disappointed as you both are going in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Chris," you call as he's only a couple of steps away from the door of his apartment.

His heart palpation again but he keeps his calm and then slowly, turns on his feet to face you, "Yes?"

"I'm cooking curry for dinner and I know it'll be not as good as the one you always ordered but you can come and..." your hand is fiddling with the strap of your grocery bag as you speak but your eyes remain steady on him, "see if it suits your taste."

And did you just invite him for dinner? Him, the neighbor you despise so much?

Chan acts coy and scratches the back of his head, he holds the urge to answer right away. He has a reputation to uphold and he reckons, you have to at least wait a minute for his answer.

"Yeah, okay, let's see," he nonchalantly answers but his smile tells otherwise.

You crack a laugh and nod, walking to your door with the keys jangling as you're unlocking it.

Chan thinks that's the end of it until you call his name again, his heart leaps this time and he almost flies his way to you.

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you what are we," you say with a smile then get inside of your apartment.

That's funny because, after that night, he was hoping that you would ask him that as most girls do but that's where he is wrong, you're not most girls, you are his neighbor whom Chan is secretly in love with.

-

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Wild & Free (Teaser)

Min Yoongi x Reader

Summary: Everybody says they want to marry Min Yoongi. But what if he only wants to say 'yes' to you.

Alternatively: While on the last leg of their PTD tour, Yoongi discovers there was such a thing as drive-thru weddings in Vegas, something that his pretty little brain can't seem to process having lived the last decade of every second of his life being planned by his management team, which includes you. When he goes down a rabbit hole of Youtube videos about The Little White Chapel (Omo! Michael Jordan got married there!), he starts getting all sorts of ideas - all of it starring him and you.

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut, Childhood friends to lovers, Idol!au, Coworkers to lovers (reader is a HYBE employee)

Notes: What can I say? We got all the tropes in this bad boy, because I don’t know when I can write again, so let’s put everything in this sucker and call it a day! This is canon-ish. I included some real-life events during this period, but it may or may not be loosely rearranged to fit the narrative - just go with it. Ginger Yoongi, because this is the LOOK I don’t give a damn what haters say. I have not written in a decade and this is me attempting to pick things back up, I hope you like it xo

BTW, the teaser scene is inspired by that leaked video of the BTS tour crew’s  private party in Vegas. It’s here if you want to see it. Enjoy! xo

Read the teaser under the cut!

P.S. Leave a comment to be part of the taglist 🙂

***

"Yoongi, marry me!" You shout at the top of your lungs, earning laughs from the people around you. On the other side of the room, a couple of other people shout the same catchphrase, including Taehyung, who seems to get the most kick out of it out of all the members.

Coerced to do one of those Tik Tok dance challenges, Yoongi stands in front of the room, hides his face behind his hands and you watch in delight as he awkwardly sways his hips side to side. More cheers erupt and two seconds after he decides he was done.

"Hajimaaaa!" Your friend says to no one and everyone, cheeks burning as he stalks back to the chair he was occupying across yours.

You push his beer bottle towards him, "Good job, gramps."

"Fuck off," he says with no real bite, taking a long swig off his drink to cool off his reddened cheeks.

It's great to finally get some down time with the crew. After such a fast-paced, high production tour, everybody needed to blow off some steam. This Korean BBQ restaurant off the Strip was the perfect venue to get the team together for samgyupsal and drinks. The vibes were, as the kids say, immaculate.

You are already sufficiently buzzed so you sit down as Seokjin takes his turn to do the challenge. He really seems to be more into it than the man currently giving you a look.

"I heard you." He narrows his eyes at you, a small smile playing on his lips.

"What? It's the new viral catchphrase," you shrugged. "Everybody and their grandma is saying it these days."

"Not their grandma."

"You should be flattered."

Stop, you thought he would say. But his response catches you off guard.

"Only ‘cause you said it."

And he has the audacity to lick his bottom lip, a ghost of a smirk forming.

Fuck. Your throat dries up. When did it get so hot here?

“And in case you were wondering…” he leans forward, a dopey-ass grin now on his face. “The answer is yes.”

***

WHAT DO WE THINK? Join the taglist by leaving a comment so I can let you know when this story drops.

Tag: @jajabro @yooglefics

Heck yes! This is an awesome start! 💜💜💜

Ever Lovely - 1

Pairing~ Fae Prince!Bangchan x reader (afab/fem) x Fae Prince!Lee Know

Warnings~ Angst, cursing, crying, drinking, fae tricks, arranged marriage

WC~ 10k

Listen while you read: Runaway - Aurora

Masterlist // series masterlist

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Clink

Stomp

Slosh

Minho swore under his breath as he maneuvered through the crowded tavern. He was reminded of how much he hated humans. They were loud, brutish and they smelled god awful.That’s not to say he enjoyed the company of other fae folk much either, yet he would choose the members of the seelie and unseelie courts way before he would choose the companionship of humans. 

The fae prince settled into a booth in the corner, offering a sneer to the drunkard that bumped into his table, the beer the oaf was drinking splashing onto the table. Another thing Minho would never sully himself with is the vile swill that was the liquor of mortals.

But the man was not here of his own volitions. No- he was here to find his dear friend; the heir to the Court he resided in. His cat-like eyes scoured the room (one of the things his glamor could not hide), as he visually hunted for the crown prince. If there was one thing about Minho is that he had good eyes.

 The tavern was small and cramped, and full of people. There appeared to be some sort of celebration tonight that was rousing the towns folk but honestly Minho couldn’t care less what the occasion was, he just knew this was the type of place that he would likely find Chris. The elder had been gone for too long and some people were starting to ask questions. 

With one more glance over at the crowd he spotted him, the messy mop of curls being a dead giveaway. Well, that, and the light pointed tips at the end of his ears that he didn’t glamor away. Minho noticed that Chris seemed utterly entranced by something, his eyes shining brighter than the stars of his court and mouth curled up in a toothy grin, showing off his dimples. He followed his line of sight and was absolutely blown away by the sight in front of him. 

“Your highness, it’s time to awaken. Your presence is being requested in the main dining room.” 

The curtains that enveloped your room in darkness were yanked away, the shadows now being replaced by bright beams of sunlight. You groaned and pulled a pillow over your head, but that too was stolen from you by your maids. You were never much of a morning person but unfortunately your position demands you be up bright and early most days. 

“Your highness, I understand it is quite early, but his royal majesty will not remain patent for long.” Mara, your head maid who had raised you, pulled the blankets from your body swiftly. “So it is imperative that you make haste.” 

That woke you right up, sitting up in a hurry and your eyes wide. “My father has requested me? For what reason?” 

“I know not.” Mara answered, scuttling around gathering your corsage and silks. From her body language and the way she didn’t meet your gaze showed you she did know more than she let on. Mara was notorious for knowing all the gossip and information that flitted around the palace grounds- a trait she denied having. 

You narrowed your eyes slightly at the elder woman, rolling out of bed with a hearty ‘hmph’. You were quickly ushered around as the dressing team made you presentable, no matter how many times you insisted you would rather do it yourself. 

Your mind was running through all of the scenarios that could be the reason for your summons and it was making you grow anxious. You knew if you were being summoned like this then it must be something serious, and that thought made you grow anxious. The maids stood you in front of the  large standing mirror and Mara began to tightly lace up your basquine. She appeared troubled, with a furrow in her brow and an almost sad glimmer in her eyes. 

“Mara.” You began, keeping your voice low and sincere, “You can share your turmoils with me. What troubles you?” 

The elder woman chewed her bottom lip- another habit of hers and one you had taken on yourself- and breathed in deeply as she thought. Eventually she settled on denial. “The only thing that troubles me, your highness, is that you are clearly feeling finicky this morning and it will not end in your favor should you choose to bring it in front of his Majesty.” She finished tying your laces and then slipped your corsage on you. “There, all finished. Now you look most presentable.” 

You rolled your eyes dramatically, “Mara, you know I detest the title, especially from you.” The maid only huffed and shooed you out the door. 

You stepped out into the hall with a laugh and began to walk to the main hall, but Mara's voice stopped you. “Your highness,” You turned back around expecting another scolding but instead you were met with her wringing her hands in her apron and worry etched across her face. You had never seen her look so thrown. “Please, don’t say anything rash to your parents.”

 By parents you knew she meant your mother. The Queen. Or as you affectionately deemed her in your head, the royal bitch. You gave Mara a serious nod as a sign you understood and she waved you off once more. While her warning did nothing to calm your nerves, it did offer you a sliver of insight. Whatever this was about was your mothers idea. 

You took your time as you strolled through the castle, not in a hurry for what you were sure was about to be an uncomfortable chat. The walls of the castle were adorned with paintings of your ancestors, the past rulers of the kingdom scrutinizing you as you passed. Even though you had seen them a thousand times, as you grew up here, the marble statues and glistening crystal of the chandeliers never ceased to catch your eye with their beauty. As much as you hated being royalty, it was a magnificent place to live. 

You approached the large doors to the dining hall and the servants that were stationed there opened them for you. You thanked them with a light nod and entered to see your parents sitting at one end of the long dining table. Arranged before them were platters full of various pastries and meats and, of course, your father already had a goblet in hand filled with what you knew was wine… at half eight in the morning. Both of their heads turned to you as you entered the hall. 

“Y/n, how nice of you to finally join us, late as expected. Come sit. We have much to discuss this morning.” Right to the point as usual with your mother. 

Your father smiled at you, “Good morning, sweetheart.” 

You smiled back as you sat at the table beside him. “Good morning, father. Are you well this morning?” 

His grin turned nervous and his eyes flickered back to your mother- quick enough that you almost missed it- and he hummed. “As well as I can be, my dear.” 

“Enough chatter,” Mother put her bejeweled hand up to silence you before you could respond. You definitely understood why your father drank so much. It’s so he can put up with her. “Y/n, I am afraid I cannot sugarcoat this matter,” Since when has she ever sugar coated anything.. “But you are getting old.” 

That certainly was not where you thought this would go, “I beg your pardon?” 

“And because of your age our options are now limited,” She continued, “at your request we have delayed putting you on the marriage market, but we no longer have that luxury.” 

No. No, please don’t say what I think you’re going to say. 

You could feel your heartbeat quicken and the tremble in your fingers. 

“We thought that surely no one would want a woman at the age of five and twenty, practically a spinster, but luck seemed to be on our side.” Your mother had a pleased grin on her face. “You have received a marriage proposal. Prince Jungkook from the Southern Isle has requested your hand in marriage.” She clapped joyously, the sound filling the silence of the room. 

Your mouth was wide in shock and you had so many thoughts, too many to keep one coherent one, and your first reaction was to stand abruptly. Your chair fell backwards and to the floor as you stood, clattering to the polished marble. “I will not!” 

“Y/n” Mother lowered her voice in warning but you wouldn’t be deterred. 

“No! I do not even know Prince Jungkook! I cannot marry a man I do not love, let alone do not know. I refuse!” You stared now at your father. “Father, please do not let her do this.” You pleaded, eyes starting to fill with tears. 

He looked crestfallen and he cast his gaze down, “I’m sorry, love bug. For the good of the kingdom we must accept the proposal.” 

Now that absolutely broke your heart in two. The liquid that had been building on your lash line finally fell down your cheeks. Father had always been your favorite, the only blood parent to actually love you, and the only one who had ever been in your corner. It was his decree that you waited to marry until you had chosen your own suiter. It seemed like you had taken too long.

Your mother appeared smug as she tapped her long nails on the table. “Exactly. You should consider yourself lucky that such an esteemed Prince such as Jungkook has chosen you as the sow to produce his heir. And not just his heir, but the heir to this kingdom. In case you have forgotten you are an only child, and someone will need to rule once we are gone.Plus his kingdom is rich and yields much profit. Jungkook will be here by this evening. Tomorrow we shall begin the wedding preparations. If all goes to plan you will be wed in one week's time.” 

You dabbed your tears with the sleeves of your dress, caring not for decorum. “You are a vile, horrid woman. I will never forgive you for this, mother. And I will not marry him!” You did not wait for her reply before you stormed away back to the large doors. You could hear her behind you yelling your name and when you did not respond she started calling you an insolate brat. 

You ran all the way back to your chambers, ignoring any attendant who greeted you as you went. You yanked the door open and came face to face with Mara, who had been waiting for your return. Her own eyes had a sheen of crystalline tears, as she had known what was about to happen. 

“Oh Y/n.” Her voice broke and you threw yourself into her embrace, sobbing into her shoulder. The elder rubbed soothing circles on your back with one hand and used the other to stroke your hair. “My sweet girl, I am so so sorry.” 

“Mara,” You bawled, holding her as tightly as you could but she did not mind, holding you just as tightly to her. Mara had never had any children on her own, instead as your nanny since birth she cared for you and taught you and raised you as one of her own. Throughout your childhood you would stay awake at night, staring up at the night sky watching for shooting stars, wishing with every fiber of your being that you would wake up and your real mom would be Mara. Each morning you were disappointed to find your wish did not come true. “Mara, I cannot marry him. I cannot.” 

“Shhh, my dear, it’s alright. Everything will be alright. The stars shall align as they need too, and it will all work out just as it should.” She was holding back her own sniffles and she comforted you. As comforting as it was, you both knew there was no telling what events were about to unfold. 

You hadn’t uttered a word the rest of the time you sat in your chambers. Even as the maids bustled around you and dressed you in one of your finest gowns you remained silent. Thankfully the tears had stopped flowing by now but they almost began again as you could hear the whispers of the junior maids, talking about your upcoming engagement and squealing like children. They only stopped when they were scolded by Mara, the elder striking fear into them when she threatened them with chamber pot duty for the next month. 

You felt numb when you looked at yourself in the full length mirror for the second time today. Had it been any other occasion you would gush about how pretty you looked dawned in the sky blue gown with white trim (your kingdom's royal colors), but you couldn’t bring yourself to comment on it. A clopping of hooves could be heard from your open window that overlooked the grounds, a carriage was approaching. By the way the maids swarmed to the window and let out girlish squeals you could only assume that the Prince had arrived. 

It was no longer than ten minutes before there was a prompt knock at your door. “Your highness, I am here to escort you to the parlor promptly.” A slightly muffled voice called to you. It sounded like the main officer of the grounds, a man named Mingyu. Once upon a time you had been best friends, back in your teens when he was training for the royal guard. But as he climbed the ranks and became responsible for guarding the crown you had drifted apart. Now it has been years since you held a real conversation. You knew that he was sent to ‘escort’ you to the Prince to make sure you did not try to run away.

Mara squeezed your shoulders from behind in reassurance, “Remember dear, smile and nod. Do not give anyone the satisfaction of weakness.” You nodded and chewed on your lip. “It’s just a meeting and the announcement, easy enough.” 

“You are right, Mara.” You took a deep breath as she went and opened your door, showing you out. As you had guessed, it was indeed Mingyu who awaited you. He offered you a gentle smile and motioned for you to go ahead of him. “Hello, Mingyu. I trust you are well?” 

He nodded, “Yes, your highness. I am thankful to find myself in good health. And you, your grace?” 

“That is good. I am much the same.” There was an air of awkwardness as you walked, neither of you sure what to say- if you should even exchange words at all. All too soon you were standing outside the parlor room. “Thank you for escorting me, Mingyu.” 

 Before you could reach for the door handle his voice called to you, “Y/n,” You were startled to hear your name from his mouth, as he hadn’t said it to you in a long time. It had usually been your title and nothing else. You blinked up at him and could see the sullen look on your face. “I understand my word may mean nothing in this instance, but the prince seems like a good man. His officers speak highly of him.” 

You didn’t know what to say, so you gave him a tight lipped smile, “thank you, Mingyu.” He nodded and pulled the door open for you. You waited for the doors to be opened before you stepped into the room. Mingyu announced you officially as you entered. “Announcing the royal highness, Y/n, crown princess of Azura.” He bowed and closed the door behind you. 

You scanned the room quickly, seeing both of your parents speaking to another older looking couple who were dressed regally. You could assume they were the King and Queen of the Southern Isle. Standing beside them was a handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes. Prince Jungkook. You had only seen him in passing at balls in your youth, but never held a discussion with him. He looks older; his baby face had become a little more defined and his build was stockier.  

Your father was the first to greet you, standing at attention and coming to lead you further into the room. “Hi love bug, come meet our guests.” You nodded and followed him over.  You quickly wiped your sweaty hands on your dress as inconspicuous as possible but the glare from your mother told you that you were not as slick as you thought. “ King Junghyun, Queen Jeonywon and Prince Jungkook,  this is my daughter Y/n.” 

You curtsied low and lifted your hems from the ground, “It is an honor to meet you, your majesties.” 

“Such a polite girl.” The queen commented, eyeing you up and down. “Stand tall, let me get a good look at you my dear.”

 You straightened up and dropped your hems, plastering a smile on your face even though you felt like scowling. From a young age mother had instilled in you the biggest lesson a royal has to know- fake it until you make it. Don’t show weakness, and always keep a kind face. You looked only at the King and Queen, choosing to ignore the roaming gaze of the man standing beside them. 

The Queen strutted around you, taking mental note of your features. You jumped slightly at the sudden pinch she gave you on your hip, but otherwise remained still and silent as she poked and prodded. “Yes, she will do. Nice lower structure. Much suitable for birthing many babies.” You almost choked on your spit, eyes widening ever so slightly at her blatant conjecture. “Though her age leaves much to be desired.” 

As badly as you wanted to retort you knew better, instead choosing to bite your tongue. Hopefully this charade will be over soon. Your mother interjected instead, “ We understand her age is not ideal, but we can assure you our daughter is of utmost health, in both body and mind.” 

The other queen hummed, “Come, “She grabbed your arm and pulled you over to a small table that had a few cups of tea sitting there. “Let us chat whilst the men work out the details of the arrangement.” You nodded, allowing her to pull you and still making no attempt to look over to the man that was to be your betrothed. The two kings and crown prince went over to a desk and began to look over some official documents. 

Mother came and sat beside you, gesturing for a member of staff to pour some tea for the three of you. “My daughter is most accomplished, she has had the best tutors from all over the world come to teach her.” 

The other queen hummed again, taking a sip of her tea. “Tell me dear, can you read and write?” 

“Yes, your majesty.” You answered. 

“How many languages do you currently speak?” 

“Four, your majesty.” 

“And do you play any instruments?” 

“Yes, your majesty. I am most proficient in piano, violin, guitar and the harp.” 

“Excellent.” She clapped in joy. “My Kookie does love himself a good song on the harp.” Kookie..? “ In fact he is most fond of music, so in order to win his favor I suggest learning even more instruments. Can you sing?” 

Now this is where your passion lies. Your eyes visibly brightened and you nodded, “Yes your majesty. In fact I would say it is a great passion of mine, as well as danc-” 

She cut you off, “Wonderful. That will come in handy when it comes to soothing the children. Babies do love a soothing voice.” 

“Babies, your majesty?” You gulped, hiding your fear behind your tea cup.

“Of course. As many as possible. And as quickly as possible. We expect a new addition to the family to be born within the first year of marriage.” 

This time you actually choked, your tea coming back up and making you cough. Your mother handed you a handkerchief. “You must be more careful, Y/n.” She gave you a tight lipped smile and a death glare, then she turned to the other queen. “Please forgive her, her allergies are most bothersome this time of year.” 

She waved her hand, “It is no bother, I myself suffer from hayfever. Though we will have to get a handle on that before the wedding. We want it to be decorated bright and lovely, so there will be many flowers. We do not want her highness to be mucking up the event with sneezing.” 

“Yes of course, I will have the royal physician whip something up for her most hastily.” Your mother agreed, nudging you harshly with her foot, making you bite back a wince. “As for colors, I believe a fuchsia would be most agreeable with…” 

It was at this point you had tuned out the rest of the conversation. Instead your eyes were locked in on what was happening across the room. You watched as your father picked up the brand new quill from his desk, dipped it into a caveat of dark, murky ink and then dragged it across the parchment of a legal binding; sealing your fate. 

You watched as the King of the Southern Isle shook hands with your father, then clapped his son on the back in a congratulatory way. It was pitiful, really, the way everyone was in great spirits yet you have never felt more dread in your entire life. The pit in your stomach was heavy and for a moment you thought you might be sick. 

Both kings came up to where you were sitting, your father rested a hand on your shoulder, using his thumb to try to calm you down before a scene was made. “A date has been set. In seven days our kingdoms will be untied forever.” 

The two women you sat with cheered in delight, launching back into preparation talk. Another figure came and stood beside you, and this time you couldn’t help but to look. It was Jungkook. He offered you a gentle smile, but the happiness did not entirely meet his eyes. 

Before you could internally dissect that look on his face, you were interrupted by your father. “What do we all say for a spot of dinner? You three must be famished from your long journey here.” 

Your mother agreed, standing from her place and smoothing out her gown. “Indeed, we must all be well fed and rested for the royal announcement tonight.” 

Ah yes, of course. The royal announcement. Where you will have to stand before the people of the kingdom and declare your betrothal. Then everyone would know. Then there would be nothing else you could do to get out of it.  

Jungkook stuck his arm out for you to take, as you are now engaged and it is customary that he escorts you. “It would be my honor to escort you to dinner, your highness.” If you had known him better you would have said he seemed nervous. 

“Thank you, your highness.” You accepted his arm, and together with your families you went down to the dining room. 

There was a crowd of people as far as your eye could see. It appeared as though the whole kingdom had come to hear the announcement. As you stood together on a tall balcony overlooking the royal promenade you could only focus on the smiling faces of your subjects, how excited they seemed at the prospect of joining your two nations. Oh how you wished to be down there with them, being a part of your people instead of up here looking down at them. 

You and the Prince were locked arm and arm as you overlooked the crowd. It was still rather awkward, as you had not spoken more than a few words to each other since dinner. Not that you were paying much attention to him, or to the speech that the Kings were making. Instead you were daydreaming about what it would be like to be a normal person. No royal responsibilities, no imprisoning castle walls, no arranged marriages.. It was a dream you visited often. 

If you weren’t a royal then you may have been able to pursue your true passion. Performing. There was nothing you loved more than singing and dancing, putting on a show and making people smile. That was your calling, it was what you were born to do. That is why you often sneak out of the castle at night and into local establishments, singing songs of heroine tales and dancing the nights away with your subjects. It is the only thing that keeps you sane. 

A sudden burst of applause brought you out of your daydream and back to the scene at hand. The people were cheering and sending hearts up to you with their hands, showing their support for the upcoming nuptials. It made your heart sink even further when you thought of how happy they seemed, while you were miserable. The crown that sat upon your head had never felt heavier.

The two kings ended their speech by thanking the townspeople and wishing them a wonderful night. You were escorted back into the estate and you quickly let go of the prince's arm. His mother bounded over to you and wrapped you in a hug. 

“That went perfectly! You were excellent my dear, simple excellent. It seems like your people are very fond of you. That is good, it makes the transition easier.” She patted your cheeks and smiled at you. You could only nod, but even that was sluggish. “Oh poor thing, you must be exhausted. It is not everyday a lady gets engaged.” 

“Yes I quite think it is time for us all to retire for the night.” Your father agreed, “there is much to do tomorrow. Some sleep will be just what she needs. I will have my footman escort you three to your rooms.” The Jeon family bid you goodnight and you walked back to your chambers. 

The second you were alone behind closed doors you broke back into quiet sobs. Your hand covered your mouth so as to not let any sound escape and your back slid down the door until you were met with the floor. Thankfully you had requested no servants tonight. 

This was all too much. This restriction was too much, this objectification was too much, the expectation was too much. And so was this godforsaken gown. With angry and nimble fingers you tore the offending heavy fabric off of your body and threw it across the room. Your corset proved to be a more difficult task. As hard as you pulled you could not get it off and you let out a cry of frustration, your tears clouding your view and making it even harder to get the strings undone. 

After another minute of struggling you resorted to drastic measures and found a rogue pair of shears that one of your dressmakers must have left here, snipping away at the expensive fabric until it too fell to the floor. Finally you felt like you could breathe, the air filling your lungs as you threw the shears away from you. 

You put your hands on your chest and felt the harsh beating of your heart. You tried to take calming breaths and steady yourself. You knew all too well the signs of an oncoming panic attack and knew that that is the last thing you need right now. No, what you need is to get out of here. To get out of the castle and to be with your people, where you belonged. 

You wiped your eyes and began to search through your wardrobe for your simplest dress and cloak. You had stuffed them as far as you could the last time you had needed them, a mere four days ago. With quick efficiency you dawned the outfit, feeling more at home in the simple attire than your own usable wardrobe. It was a cute dark blue milkmaids dress that had light poofy shoulder sleeves and you paired it with a cloak of a similar color. 

Now all you had to do was wait. You knew that the servants would be heading to their quarters soon and that the castle would be still, that was when you would make your exit. Thankfully you did not have to wait long as within the hour the estate had fallen into silence and you could see from your window the changing of the guard. Perfect. The night guards were incredibly laxed with their job, often not paying attention or falling asleep on duty. That made them easy to squeak past. 

You took off your shoes and held them in your hand as you carefully and slowly opened your door, peering out into the hall and seeing no one. After closing the door you began to make your way through the halls, keeping your steps light and quiet as you stuck to the shadows. At this point you had done this so many times you knew how to get out of here like the back of your hand, and you had made it out with ease once again, slipping out a back entrance undetected. 

When you were far enough out the door you put your flats back on and began your journey into town. 

The whole town was alight with revelry. The streets were filled with merriment and everywhere you looked you saw people laughing and dancing. It seemed like they were more excited than even you had anticipated for the news of your upcoming nuptials. It both broke your heart and warmed it all at once. 

You made your way down the cobblestone streets and to your favorite place to visit; Tavern le belle. It was a quaint little establishment but it was usually filled with the kindest people, and also served the best honey mead in the whole kingdom. 

Tonight it was especially packed, each corner was filled with your subjects cheersing and bobbing along to the exuberant fiddle player that played upon the makeshift stage. You recognised the musician as the owner's young son, Vernon. It was like he knew you had entered as his beaming smile immediately beckoned you over, “Ann! Get on up here girl!” 

You returned his smile and bounded for the stage, climbing up and unceremoniously dropping your cloak to the floor. Ann was the name you used when you visited the townsfolk, easy to remember and common enough that you slipped under the radar. 

As soon as you stood upon the wooden stage you felt more at home, like you had never left in the first place and your feet started to move almost on their own. You began to twirl and dance along with the high energy song that Vernon was playing, feeling more free than you had all day. You pranced and stepped and moved like you were born to do, keeping up with the fast pace of the song as if you had done it a thousand times. 

Just as quick as it started the song eventually came to an end, the people cheering and clapping for you both. You were breathing hard and couldn’t wipe the smile from your face. 

“Ain’t she a great dancer, folks?” Vernon yelled out for everyone, and in return they cheered again. You felt your face heat up and you glared over at him. He snickered and continued. “ Well she’s also a great singer! How bout a song for the people, Ann? It’s a joyous occasion afterall!” 

He gave you no chance to respond before launching into another song, this time it was a little slower and one you instantly recognized. It was the first song you had ever sung here, those few years ago when you came here for the very first time. 

“I was listenin' to the ocean

I saw a face in the sand

But when I picked it up

Then it vanished away from my hands, dah” 

You began to sing, the soft first words catching the crowd's attention. 

“I had a dream, I was seven

Climbin' my way in a tree

I saw a piece of Heaven

Waitin' in patience for me, dah”

You closed your eyes, swaying with the music as you sang, before opening them again and going into the chorus. 

“And I was runnin' far away

Would I run off the world someday?

Nobody knows, nobody knows

And I was dancing in the rain

I felt alive and I can't complain 

But no, take me home

Take me home where I belong

I can't take it anymore” 

You danced around the stage, gliding on your toes gracefully already getting lost in the song. All eyes were on you as you moved. But you didn’t know exactly whose eyes were on you also.

There was nothing Chris liked more than human festivities. He found them much more fun than the dreary parties the fae threw. Chris had been itching to get away from the fae wild for a while, his court becoming too stuffy in the last few centuries- especially now that he had reigned over it. The prince hadn’t gotten out as much as he would have liked, really it’s been ever since his mother, the past ruler of the Court of stars, had died that he had come to the mortal plane to mess with the humans. Life had been too busy but he decided he deserved a night off. 

And how fortunate was he that he came on a day when the entire kingdom was celebrating. 

The sun was shining high in the sky when he crept out of the tunnel that led to the portal to his court, his pale skin feeling the pleasant warmth of its rays.  Another reason he loved coming here was to feel the sun- to bask in the fruits of his court's labor- as the sun is a much beloved star. 

Chris took in everything as he moved throughout the town, mingling with the people and ignoring the looks he received from his pointed ears. Chris never much cared to use a glamor, he found it wasted too much of his energy and he was not about to leave the celebration early due to his exhaustion. And he never gave two shits if a human were to suss him out, in fact he found it more amusing when they did. As he spent time galavanting around he learned that a major announcement was to come from the Royal family this evening and that is why the whole kingdom was abuzz. 

The fae prince thought about causing mischief but thought better of it, there was no reason to ruin anyone's fun on such an exciting day. He spent a few hours trying foods from stalls, taking in current human fashion and learning about the gossip that spread throughout the kingdom. Eventually his beloved sun had begun to set and the common people made their way to the royal promenade. He followed them in sheer curiosity and gathered amongst the crowd at the back. 

Even though he was furthest away from the announcement he could still see  and hear everything. His fae senses made it easy to see right up on that balcony. And what awaited his eyes was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The princess of the kingdom of Azura. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you as you stood up there locking arms with a prince from another kingdom. As he listened to the speech that the rulers made he understood exactly what was happening here; this was your engagement announcement. 

Even from his place so far away he could see how fake the smile you had on was, it did not meet your eyes for even a second. Interesting. It must be an arranged marriage. He clicks his tongue as the event ends and he watches you turn and walk back into the castle. 

Chris wanted to see more of you and had debated making his way up there to meet you. It would be easy enough for him to climb that balcony,  but ultimately decided he would save that for another day. He was known for his impulsivity and here during a massive gathering of people was not the time for it. 

As he strutted through town he couldn’t get the image of you out of his head, his mind running over how he could see you again or if it was even a good idea to seek you out. One thing he never stopped to consider was why he wanted to see you again so badly. The prince shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He needed a distraction- some fae fuckery and a drink was in order. 

He saw he was approaching a young child and his mother. The boy was maybe about three years old. Chris gave the young boy a small wave and a smile, then out of thin air he made a small lollipop. The small boy reached up and took the candy from Chris, his mother not paying close enough attention to see her son take the candy from a stranger. Chris ruffled his hair and kept on walking with a devilish smirk on his face as he counted down. 

3..2..1

“Hot! Too hot!” The child screamed, throwing the sucker to the ground and starting to cry. 

The fae snickered as he listened to the chaos the child was causing behind him. For a fae trick it was pretty tame, but having not messed with humans in centuries it scratched the itch he felt in his blood. 

There was a crowded little tavern that looked inviting, the low light from the fireplace and the jaunty music pulling him in. He went up to the bar and ordered a drink from the kind old woman behind the bar. The fae prince illusioned a few gold pieces and set them on the counter, then grabbed his drink and went to find a spot near the stage. 

The mead was sweet as it ran down his throat, decent for human made but still not as good as mead from the fae wild- though he figured the mortal realm didn’t have honey goblins. And everyone knew you can’t have good alcohol without honey goblins. 

He was enjoying people watching when his ears twitched with the sound of someone climbing up onto the wooden stage. He casually peered over and the sight made him freeze. It was you. The girl he couldn’t stop thinking about. The princess.

 Chris watched as you started dancing, now sporting the lively smile you were missing the last time he laid eyes on you. He sat there for a second just observing how different you appeared. You were no longer wearing the fancy gown you wore for the royal announcement, instead you were wearing a modest commoners dress, but it didn’t make you any less beautiful. In fact, he thought you looked even more radiant. You looked free. 

“Ain’t she a great dancer, folks?” the fiddler called out, making the tavern cheer. Chris himself clapped and hollered along with them. “Well she’s also a great singer! How bout a song for the people, Ann? It’s a joyous occasion afterall!” 

Ann? Was he mistaken and this wasn’t the princess? No. It was you, he was sure of it. You must be using a fake name so you could remain undetected. Clever girl. Using fake names was definitely something he understood. 

The musician started playing another song, this time it was a slower piece. He watched as you began to hum and sway before you began to sing the words. He found your song haunting and enchanting, the pure emotion pulsing through him as you sang. Chris felt himself smiling as you danced, seemingly caught in a trance as he couldn’t take his eyes off of you once again. A prick in the back of his mind went off and his senses told him he was not the only one to be caught by you. 

Chris let his eyes flick over to the other side of the tavern and sure enough there was Minho, gazing up at you in awe just as he had. The elder knew that Minho had probably come here to find him. 

Minho had never thought a human could be this gorgeous. He usually found them plain and unappealing. But you.. You were something special. One look at you on that makeshift stage and he was hooked. He took in everything, the way you moved, the twinkle in your eyes and especially the sway of your hips. Though he would never admit it to anyone- especially Chris, who as far as Minho could tell was also under your spell. 

“ But I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall

And I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall

And I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall

And I kept runnin' for a soft place to fall”

Your voice quieted only slightly as the tune transitioned into a softer tone, then it picked up again and you leaped from the stage onto a nearby table.

“And I was runnin' far away

Would I run off the world someday?

But no, take me home

Take me home where I belong

I got no other place to go

No, take me home

Take me home where I belong

I got no other place to go” 

By now you had the whole tavern singing along with you, each patron belting out the lyrics and stomping to the beat. It was truly a sight to behold as your singing touched every person in there. Both boys couldn’t help but be proud of you. 

“No, take me home, home where I belong, no, no

No, take me home, home where I belong, oh, oh, oh

No, take me home, home where I belong, no, no

No, take me home, home where I belong

I can't take it anymore” 

You were breathing heavily as you finished the song, still standing on a table with the brightest smile on your face that you just could not wipe away. You had not felt genuinely happy in what feels like years. There really was no better feeling in the world than being here with your subjects and sharing in their joy. 

The crowd was cheering for you and you made a show of doing a dramatic bow, crossing your ankles and sticking your arms out wide. 

“Another song, Ann?” Vernon called out to you but you hastily shook your head. 

“Maybe a little later, Vern. I need a minute to catch my breath. Plus some of that mead is calling my name.” You replied as a man helped you down from the table. You thanked the man as Vernon began to play another solo song. Your mouth was dry so you scurried through the crowd, thanking everyone who praised your performance. 

Chris moved to follow you but there was a sudden hand on his shoulder that stopped him from going any further. Chris rolled his eyes as he turned around. “Hello Min. To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

Minho let his hand fall from the elders shoulder and he crossed his arms. “Spare me the pleasantries, Chris. You haven’t been home in a while.” 

Chris huffed, “I’ve only been here for five hours.” 

“Exactly. Five hours here. Which you know as well as I do that means five weeks in our realm. Far too long for the prince to be gone.” Minho responded, seemingly exhausted by this conversation already. 

“I am not the only prince now am I? There’s you and the others. I know you all are perfectly capable of managing without me for a while.” Chris was starting to get snarky. 

Minho hummed, “Yes, but we’re not the ones that other courts call upon when they require a meeting.” 

That had gotten Chris’ attention. “Who wants to meet with me?” 

“The Court of Wonder.” Minho grumbled, clearly not happy about it. 

“Ah, Pricilla.” Chris wanted to roll his eyes again, tired of the same song and dance with the Seelie queen. “She’ll never quit. How long did it take you to get her to leave?” 

“Four days.” They both grimaced. “The fit she threw was deafening. But you know she will come back and will not take no as an answer again. You must return with me now.”

The elder prince groaned, “Ohhh come on! Let’s stay just a little bit longer.” Then he smirked at Minho. “Don’t act like you don’t want to stay here, either. Not when there's a pretty little princess that caught your attention.” 

Minho looked away for a second then narrowed them at Chris. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Of course. I just could have sworn I saw the enchanted glaze over your eyes as you watched her. My mistake. I guess I shall just go talk to her by myself.” Chris turned away and took a single step when he felt the hand back on his shoulder as his movements were halted. 

There was a brief second of silence between them, then Minho spoke up with a quiet tone. 

“A princess you say?” 

You got to the bar and ordered. Just before you could put down some money for the drink a pale hand reached out and stuck a few gold pieces on the counter. 

“It’s on me.” 

You turned to face a very handsome man that stood on the left side of you now. His hair was dark brown and a mess of wavy curls and his voice was husky. There was a glimmer in his eyes and he looked you right in your own orbs, you could see a faint flicker of what seemed to be.. Purple? A small purple shine. No it must just be a trick of the light. You turned back to the bar to hide the shy expression on your face.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly let you pay for me.” You tried to wave him off as you put your own money down but a hand stopped you, grabbing your wrist before you could. Your eyes widened in slight shock that someone had put their hand on you and you were about to tell them off but as you turned to the side you saw that it was another man. Another beautiful man. 

“Do not fret, we have you covered.” The new one practically purred. His features were sharp and borderline catlike. His gaze was raking you over and it felt like he was looking into your soul. When he came back up to meet your eyes you could see a flicker of a deep glow. But just as quick as it came, it was gone. 

An almost erie feeling came over you with these two near you, but for some reason the warning bells in your mind weren’t going off even though you knew they should be. 

“That is very kind of you, thank you gentlemen.” You chose your words carefully and accepted the offer. A glass was put down in front of you. The barkeep, Donna, winked at you as she put it down. You immediately put the glass to your mouth to hide your embarrassment. A snicker from each man made you want to bury yourself underground. 

They were definitely the best looking men you had ever encountered (and that’s saying something because you were friends with Mingyu) and you honestly did not know what to do under their stares.

 Although something about their appearance was slightly unsettling. You couldn’t put your finger on it but something was.. Off. Maybe it was that their eyes were too big or that their cheekbones were too sharp. Or maybe it was even the first ones lightly pointed ears.  Perhaps it was best that you got out of here before you brought more shame to yourself. “If you would please excuse me.” You went to take your drink and go but a quip from the man to your left stopped you. 

“Leaving so soon, Princess?” 

A chill went down you as you looked at the man. “I- I’m sorry I think you may have me confused with someone else.” 

The other man chuckled, stepping closer to you. “I don’t think so, our eyes aren’t easily fooled my dear Y/n.” 

So there was something wrong with these two. It wasn’t just a trick of the light. 

You slowly set back down your drink and took a small step back as your mind ran wild with thoughts and ultimate doom. Mara used to tell you stories when you were a child. Stories of monsters, stories of mysterious deities who acted as tricksters, stories of faeries.

 You clutched the hems of your dress as you debated running and seeing how far you could go but your thoughts were interrupted. “You are a smart girl, aren’t you? You’ve already realized something about us.” 

You vehemently shook your head, trying to deny the truth that they already knew. The one with the catlike eyes hummed quietly, “Calm down, we only want to chat with you. You owe us since we bought you that drink.” 

That’s right. One of the things Mara told you was that never accept anything from a faerie or you will owe them something in return, of their own choosing. There was no way to get out of a fae deal, lest you suffer a terrible fate. 

“What would you gentlemen like to discuss?” You asked, trying to remain calm. 

“Not here, too many ears and eyes here. Let’s head outside.” The man with the pointed ears grabbed your hand and began to lead you outside. Your whole body was aflame and his skin touched yours. You had never held hands with a man before. If anyone were to see you then there would be a major scandal that you may never recover from. You were able to breathe a sigh of relief when you exited the pub and turned the corner of the building to see no one there. “Here we are, much better.” 

“Now what is it I can do for you?” You questioned and took your hand out of his, albeit reluctantly. 

“I want to know why an elegant princess such as yourself is out here mingling with the commoners and going under an alias.” Catlike man said.

“I-” You stuttered, clearly haven been found out. “I just.. Needed to get out.” 

“Does it have anything to do with your recent engagement?” The other one asked. 

“That’s not fair.” Your own voice surprised you, “You asked me something now I get to ask you something, right?” 

The two men exchanged looks then grinned at you, “Of course, ask your question.” 

“Who are you?” 

“My name is Chris, this is my good friend Minho.” 

The catlike man waved his fingers at you as he was introduced. “Nice to meet you, princess.” 

“Nice to meet you too.” You felt shyer after learning their names, but you still had a burning question. “What are you?” 

Chris tsked, “Nuh uh, our turn. Are you upset about your engagement?” 

You chewed your lip and looked down, biting back the painful truth. “Yes..” You eventually mumbled. 

“Ask your question now, princess. We shall be truthful.” Minho promised and offered you a smile. Another thing you had been told about supernatural beings is that they cannot lie- at least not directly. Though who knows how much of what you were told was the truth and what was hearsay. 

“What are you?” You asked again, feeling no ease when they each offered you devious toothy grins. 

Chris took one step closer to you and slowly brought his hand up to play with your hair. Your breath was caught in your throat and your body froze as he ran his fingers through the locks. He leaned in closer until his mouth was mere inches from your ear, and he let his eyes flare with a purple haze, “Faeries.” 

Your eyes widened with the information that you had already suspected and a gasp was stuck in your throat. The word kept replaying over and over in your head. 

Faeries

Faeries

Faeries

Even though you should be scared, you did not feel fear. Instead it was more like gentle unease at the fact that creatures other than the basic lifeforms you had grown to know were lurking and you had no idea. Why are they here? Do they wish to harm me? How many are there? Do they ha-

“Are you scared, princess?” Minho asked, also taking a step closer to you, so close you could feel this warm breath on your neck. 

You took a pause before answering. “No.” 

“Hm. I believe you.” Chris let go of your hair but did not make a move to give you space. “A princess as regal as you would never tell a lie.” 

You jumped right into your next question, “Are there more of you?” 

Minho looked around, “Here right now? No. But back in the wilds there are many of us.” At your confused face he continued, “The fae wilds, princess. Our realm, where we have our own court.” Minho looked pointedly at Chris. “Which we really should be getting back to.” 

It was then that you noticed how late it had become. “Oh my goodness, it is getting too late. I must return home before anyone notices I’m gone.” 

Chris grabbed your arm gently, “But we are not done talking. I wish to know more about you.” 

You shook your head, “I apologize but I must make haste back to my chambers. It would be ruinous if I were to be found out of bed in the morning.” 

“Come back to our realm with us.” Ever the impulsive Chris blurted out. 

“Chris..” Minho tried to warn but the elder would have none of it. 

“Come to our court, time works differently there and we will have all the time in the world to talk.”

“I-” You stuttered, giving him an incredulous look. “I do not think that to be wise, I must go to bed-” 

“Please. As I have said we would have all the time to talk. We-” Minho sent him a glare. “I would be happy to tell you anything you want to know about me and our world. I know you're dying with curiosity.” 

He was right, you were dying to know more about them. “What do you mean time works differently there?”

“Our world moves much quicker than yours does. An hour here is a week there. That is why we must also get back to our own court, Chris has been gone for far too long and needs to return to his business.” Minho flicked the elder. 

“That is incredible. What business do you have over there?” You asked but he shook his head. 

“Nuh uh, if you want answers you're going to have to follow us back to the wilds.” He smirked and stuck out his hand for you to take. “So what do you say, princess? Wanna live on the wild side? You did sing a song about running away. Now’s your chance.” 

You eyed his hand, weighing your options. You knew that you should go home- that you should leave what would surely become a mess and forget this ever happened. That would be the smart thing to do. 

But.. 

Your heart yearned for adventure, yearned to escape for a while even if it were temporary. “Will you bring me home whenever I request it?” 

“I promise. Should you utter the words that you would like to return we shall bring you. You have my word.” 

Minho was still watching the exchange. He wouldn’t pretend he did not also want to spend more time with you - you had already proved yourself to be the most interesting human he had ever met- but he was worried about the repercussions. He knew how dangerous his realm could be and how masochistic his own court could be at times. It would be a recipe for disaster. But technically even though he too was a prince he could not deny Chris’s wishes.  So he kept his mouth shut. 

He watched as you mulled over your options, and then gently placed your hand in Chris's hand.

“Deal. Lead the way.” You said, looking between the two of them. 

Chris started to lead you away, his hand still in yours as Minho trailed behind, your cloak clutched in his hold. He sped up and handed it to you, “Put this on, princess. Our court is a little cold.” 

“Thank you.” You slipped it on and continued to follow them. “You guys keep mentioning a court, do you mean a royal one?” 

“Oh yes, there are many courts within the fae wild. Each has their own monarchy and sets of rules. Some are better than others.” Minho answered, his eyes seemed to glow brighter the closer you got to the portal. 

“Which court do you come from?” 

Now they both looked a little excited, both sets of orbs shimmering and glowing. “The best one of course. The Court of Stars.” 

“Wow. Stars, like the ones in the sky?” 

“Indeed. You’ll love it there, it is the most beautiful place in all of the wilds. You’ll fit right in.” Chris winked at you and you felt your ears heat up. 

“I cannot wait to see it.” You ignored his comment. While walking you noticed you were getting closer and closer to the castle grounds. “I thought you were taking me to your realm, why are we going to my home?” 

“The entrance to our home lies beneath yours.” Then they veered off the path to the side of the grounds and into the surrounding woods. You still diligently followed them, after another minute or so they led you to a mysterious set of stairs that seemed to lead to nowhere. 

“Where did this come from? I’ve been around the grounds a thousand times and have never seen this staircase before.” You looked around confused, eyeing it suspiciously. 

Minho snickered, “Humans can’t see the entrance unless we want them too. I think your people call it a ‘fae trap’.” 

They took your hands and led you down the bizarre steps. The steps went down further than you could have expected, and after about three minutes of walking down the steps you entered a room. No, not a room. An indoor garden. 

Vines that were littered with small pink flowers covered the gray brick walls and arches, and the flowers seemingly got brighter and bigger the farther you ventured into the space. Many candles with a violet flame littered the ground. A light purple haze covered the air, the swirling air was moving through the garden as if beckoning you further in. Subconsciously you gripped tighter onto the two fae’s hands. At the very center was a tree- a  dark gray birch tree. It had no leaves on it but it still looked full and healthy somehow. But the most defining part was how it glittered. The bark shined like diamonds. 

Chris stepped up to the tree and put his other hand up, stopping only a mear inch away from touching it, and turning to look at you. “Are you ready?” 

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You felt Minho lightly squeeze your hand and it helped calm you for some reason. 

You slowly opened them and gave both boys a smile. 

“I’m ready for adventure.” 

Chris nodded and with one last look into your eyes, he pressed his palm against the bark of the glittering tree. 

It's here! yall i am so excited to share this series with you i have had this idea in my head for months

as always comments and reblogs are encouraged and appreciated 💖 please share your thoughts i love to hear them

beta read by my loves @jehhskz and @athforskz 💜

©doitforbangchan 2024

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if your tag is not working i am sorry! i tried 🥲

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𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞

dragon shifter!park seonghwa x f!reader

just because you're both dragon shifters doesn't mean this courtship thing is easy.

▷ 6.1k words, pg-13, f2l, dragon shifters au, urban fantasy, swearing, mentions of a big roach/insect, shoulder kiss, seonghwa goes shirtless once (1), mentions of courtship/mating traditions, the boys are implicit in shenanigans ofc, love in the form of jewelry, very mild jealousy, pining

a/n: this au idea was like ,,, 3 months in the making but i reopened the draft yesterday cuz i was tired of rotting 😭 anyways... i think shy, romantic seonghwa is cute ! (also very much hoping this isn't too boring jsfnkdnf)

Park Seonghwa was pretty sure he fell in love with you the day you met. 

It wasn't something he openly admitted to, especially since his attraction had come first when he saw you across the dormitory common room, and was struck dumb by the curve of your smile and the way the sunlight hit your irises to make them glint like jewels. While it was stereotypical to think that dragons only cared about appearances, it didn't come from nothing. It was part of the reason why Seonghwa didn't like saying it was love at first sight; it technically wasn't, by all definitions. He just thought you were beautiful. 

It wasn't until he finally worked up the courage (thanks to his best friend Hongjoong's encouragement (shoving)) to introduce himself to you that he realized what you were—a dragon shifter, just like him. It was no wonder he felt a pull toward you; dragon shifters were a dime a dozen, especially in the city where you both attended university. He told himself his fast friendship and bonding with you came from his excitement of being the same species, as well as learning each other's cultures and traditions, as you came from different clans. 

Though, that didn't account for the amount of times he daydreamed about adorning you in his family's jewels, as it was customary in courtship traditions to wear one's mate's gems. Neither did it account for the way his heart beat faster whenever you were around, the purring from his chest after that one time you fell asleep on his shoulder… It was complicated. 

“Everyone, let's load up the cars! Quick—off your asses. Let's move, people!” Hongjoong hollered like a drill sergeant, his hands cupped around his mouth before clapping too loud for six in the morning on a Saturday. 

Who in their right mind would be crazy enough to wake up so early on the Saturday of their last spring break? Only one demon in particular, and his name was Kim Hongjoong. 

Seonghwa was still half asleep, his eyelids droopy and his limbs even droopier. He nearly flopped face-first onto the pavement outside the apartment complex. He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and slumped over to the passenger side of the SUV. It had taken all of his willpower to not trudge out in his Lego Movie pajama set.

“—and for goddess's sake, where is Yn?”

He jolted upright. “Yn?” He blubbered, head going on a swivel. 

Hongjoong peered at him weirdly with his hands on his hips, and Wooyoung snorted, then scurried past to avoid Seonghwa's scowl. “Yes, Yn,” Hongjoong said. “Are you awake, Hwa? We literally talked about Yn coming on the trip with us last night.”

Oh. Right. 

Seonghwa blinked his bleary eyes open and nodded sheepishly. Thank goodness he wasn't in his Lego Movie pajamas. “Y-yep, of course I remember!” 

He glanced away, nostrils flaring as he caught onto a familiar scent coming down the street. He could pick out the smell of apple blossoms, tangerines, and your particular musk from a mile away if he was more awake.

“Sorry, I'm late!” Then there came the voice. Your voice simultaneously jump-started his heart and made his heart swoon. If he was about to faint, it probably wasn't going to be from sleep deprivation. 

He couldn't believe he nearly forgot you were coming to the lake with them. 

Your form came into view, your hair a windswept mess and a sheepish sort of smile on your face as you wrestled with the duffle on one shoulder, your backpack on the other, and a paper grocery bag. 

Seonghwa practically fell over himself in order to drop his own bag on the sidewalk and rush over to you. “Here, I got it,” he murmured, taking the grocery bag and duffle bag away from you so he could hold them. 

Your smile widened at him, and he swore the soft morning light was purposefully making your eyes glow right now. “Thanks, Hwa. Very sweet of you.”

“Of course,” he said with a humble nod, pointedly ignoring all of the looks he was getting from his friends. 

“You're just on time,” Hongjoong greeted you with a small smile. “How were exams for you?”

You brushed a hand through your hair, a tired laugh falling from your lips. “They were… alright,” you opted to say. “Glad they're over now, and I'm so ready for this trip.” You gestured to the grocery bag Seonghwa held. “Oh! I brought snacks, by the way.”

Mingi stuck his entire upper body out of the passenger seat of Yunho's sedan. “Yn-ah! You're riding in our car, right?” 

Seonghwa's expression molded into something sour. “Where did you get that idea from?”

“Mingi, you should just give up now,” San chuckled. He sent a wink over to Seonghwa, then glanced back at the naiad who's head Seonghwa was currently trying to glare a hole through. “We’ve already claimed Yn for our car.”

You looked on in confused amusement. “I'll split the snacks between the cars, guys. And plus, the SUV will have more room than the sedan.”

“Exactly,” Seonghwa piped up. He marched over to the back doors of the SUV to safely deposit your things within. There was no need for you to be squished between Yeosang and Jongho in Yunho's comically tiny car, when you could be in the same car as him—no, wait. That wasn't what he meant—

“Well, this is just favoritism,” Yunho jested as he slammed his trunk shut. He shot you a sunny grin that made Seonghwa glance over at you for your reaction. Yunho's being half-siren always made his voice and gestures a little more silken and sweet than the rest of them. “Are you sure it's 'cause of the extra room and not because Wooyoung's cat is gonna be in that car?”

You chuckled, shrugging. As if on cue, a lithe feline in silky black fur trotted out from the bushes. She strutted over to you, purring as she wrapped her tail around your calf. “Okay, maybe you caught me,” you said, crouching down to pet Wooyoung's cat familiar. 

Seonghwa was not going to be jealous over a cat. He was absolutely not. Some sleep would screw his head on straight—yes, sleep did sound nice. He didn't know what was up with himself this morning. 

“Pretty sure she loves you more than she loves me,” Wooyoung pouted as he stuck his head out of the SUV's back window. 

You picked the feline up with your hands, and she gave a crooning meow as you held her up to her witch through the window. “I wouldn't mind adopting her if she wasn't permanently bound to you.”

Seonghwa's eye twitched at the same time he and Hongjoong made eye contact. 

The demon's mouth curled into a knowing, teasing smile—I see you. Seonghwa could feel the heat lift to the surface of his skin as he ducked into the car. He really needed a nap.  

The remainder of the time was used swiftly as everyone finished packing things into your respective cars, including your bodies. About an hour later, you were well on your way out of the city. 

As this was all nine of yours last year of university, this spring break needed to be a memorable one. Yeosang had heard talk through the grapevine of a collection of interlinking caves overlooking a small lake. It was located a few hours out of the city proper, but it would pose as a peaceful getaway for the week. Each of the small caverns were open facing, peering over the water's surface, and each was designed to be like rooms in a house. There would be enough for the boys to sleep two to a bed, with you getting your own. 

The drive out of the city was an easy one. Seonghwa slept nearly the entire time, only waking up to a near-quiet car, save for Hongjoong's choice of music playing softly from the radio. 

“'Morning,” Hongjoong murmured, taking his eyes off the road for a brief moment. 

Seonghwa yawned and turned his eyes up and outward at the world around him. Concrete jungle had become emerald green trees speared with beams of buttery sunshine. He bet it smelled glorious. “Morning,” he said back quietly. “Are they still…” 

His voice trailed off as he twisted around in his seat and took in the middle row behind him. You, San, and Wooyoung were squished arm to arm, thigh to thigh; Wooyoung's black cat familiar laid fast asleep in Wooyoung's lap, with Wooyoung's head against San, San's head against you, and your head against the car window. Seonghwa cooed to himself at the sight, carefully snapping a picture with his phone, before returning to face the front. 

The remainder of the drive was swift, and as you approached the site of your home for the next several days, you all slowly began to wake up. Seonghwa rolled his window down and braced his arm over the open sill, a smile breaking onto his lips as he greedily inhaled the clean, crisp air. 

His eyes flickered to the side mirror, locking gazes with you. For a moment, he held your eye contact. He watched your mouth curve into that pretty smile of yours that made his insides flutter, before you looked out at the forest again. 

When Hongjoong's and Yunho's cars broke out of the trees and into the next clearing, everyone's breaths stole away. 

“No way we scored this good,” San whispered in giddy excitement as he shoved his body between Hongjoong and Seonghwa to peer out the front windshield. 

Before you stood a wide lake, its waters so clear that one could see straight to the bottom. The caverns that you would all bunker up in were on the far shore, stacked atop one another in two layers with four openings on the bottom and three on the top. A waterfall curtained off two of the cavern rooms as it flowed from the rocky outcropping that loomed over the lake, and into the lake itself; the sound was not thunderous, but a dull sort of roar that was almost muffled. 

With the sun rising higher into the sky, its beams reflected off the cascading spray of water to create a small rainbow in the mist. Suffice to say, the view in front of you deserved its own magazine. 

“Let's get our spring break on!” Wooyoung hooted as Hongjoong pulled the car around the shore of the lake to reach the base of the caverns. 

As the day sank from late morning to early afternoon, you and your friends transferred all of your belongings from the cars and into the caverns. Rooms were decided by an efficient round of Rock Paper Scissors—you luckily scored first, and chose the most private room behind the waterfall for yourself. 

Once everyone was settled, it became a race of who could get into the water—

“WAAAAHOOOO!” SPLASH!

—first. 

Seonghwa peered out from the living room cavern on the second floor to see the bodies below take a running start into the lake. He chuckled to himself, leaning his hip against the wall with a can of soda in his hand as he watched his friends break the surface of the lake, one by one. 

“You're not swimming?”

Seonghwa nearly fell forward and out of the open cave, down into the water. His hand slapped against the wall to catch himself, his heart practically tumbling out of his chest anyway. 

To your credit, you looked apologetic, grimacing through a smile as you came to stand next to him. “Sorry. You didn't hear me come in?” 

You had changed out of your T-shirt and shorts from earlier into a cropped tank top and loose skirt, a silver waist chain winking up at him from where it linked around your belly. 

The thought shoved itself into his brain—that you would look terribly divine in his jewelry.

He swallowed, dragging his eyes up back to yours. “I didn't,” he admitted sheepishly. “Guess I was too focused on watching everyone else. Have you settled in alright?”

You had chosen the cavern bedroom right next to the living room, but it was the only bedroom on this level. 

With a nod, you turned your gaze outward at the ocean of emerald green trees surrounding this little oasis. “I have,” you said pleasantly. “You?”

“Same here.” He carded a hand through his hair. “It's really quite beautiful here.” But not as beautiful as you. 

You glanced over at him again, and he wondered if he could concoct enough things to say to keep your attention on him. “Oh, I definitely agree; it's a perfect paradise, really. The waterfall” — you inclined your chin to your left — “I think it'll be most beautiful at sunset.”

He lifted one of his brows and pushed off the cavern wall. “Oh? Why do you think so?”

“If the sunset faces us,” you explained, gesturing your hand out to the eastern horizon in the distance, “then it'll reflect its light against the waterfall. As the sun sinks down and lights the sky on fire, so too will it set the water aflame.”

Seonghwa could envision your words in his mind's eye as he took in the waterfall careening into the lake below. Its crystal blue waters were so clear that it undoubtedly would reflect the shades of the sunset, and become illuminated as you said—where water turned to flame. 

A soft smile came to his face. What a gorgeous image. 

“I bet it'd look incredible from the skies.” Your words drew him back to your face. You were already looking over at him, and his heart gave a loving lurch. 

Seonghwa cleared his throat. “I agree. Have you been able to stretch your wings recently?”

You hummed, tilting your head from side to side. “Not super recently because I was locked inside to study for the last week or two. You?”

“Same,” he chuckled and reached behind his back to scratch at the nape of his neck. Usually, he tried to shift into dragon form at least twice a week to keep his wings strong, but when life got busy, it was difficult to find enough time to take to the skies. “Would—would you like to take a flight with me sometime?” He stammered, fumbling over his words. “Just, y'know, like a casual thing.”

Excellent, Hwa. The spitting image of confidence. 

He sipped on his soda, already hearing Hongjoong's exasperated sigh in his ear. 

Your smile softened at the corners. “I'd love to. After dinner, maybe?”

His shoulders loosened in relief. “Sounds like a plan.”

“This is your chance! It's a sign!” 

Seonghwa frowned at his reflection in the vanity mirror as he played around with his dark curls. Tied up? Kept down? It really didn't matter; he was literally going to be a dragon for the majority of the time, but it never hurt to appear well-groomed before a potential… ahem, friend. A friend. 

Hongjoong slumped down on the foot of their shared bed, a deadpan on his face when Seonghwa continued to ignore him. “Park Seonghwa, so help me, I will plant one of your anklets in her jewelry box—”

“And if you do that,” Seonghwa drawled as he gave up on his hair and reached for the tube of lip gloss on the vanity top, “I will tell that elven girl you've become so fond of about how you—”

“Okay, I got it,” Hongjoong cut in with a scowl. “Aish, so touchy. I'm just saying that this trip is the perfect opportunity to let her know how you feel, and to court her.”

Seonghwa knew that; of course, he fucking knew that. The thing was that if anything went poorly, you would practically be stuck here with him until the end of the trip. He cringed to himself at the mere awkwardness of that potential outcome. “It's just a wing stretch,” he reasoned aloud to himself. He grabbed one of the bottles of cologne on the table to spritz around his scent glands. “It's not like I'm going to offer her a necklace.”

“Yes, because you need to smell nice for a wing stretch.” Hongjoong fell back onto the bed with a grumble under his breath at Seonghwa's stubbornness. 

Dinner had finished up about fifteen minutes ago, and while everyone departed to do their own activities, you and Seonghwa agreed to reconvene at the tops of the caves in five minutes for your planned flight together. The days were growing longer as spring waltzed toward summer, and thus, the sun reigned the skies for a lengthier period of time. The two of you would ideally circle back in time to watch the sunset hit the waterfall.

Seonghwa left Hongjoong to their quarters as he made his way up to the rocky outcropping at the top of the waterfall. 

You were already waiting for him, your bare feet standing in the shallow end of the river leading down to the waterfall. You still had on the top and skirt from earlier, and as a light breeze wafted past, it blew through your hair and your clothes like a dream. 

You glanced up at him. “Ready?”

“Whenever you are.” He grinned as the anticipation and excitement of breaking his wings free slowly bubbled up into his chest. It wasn't only being able to spend time with you, but simply the thoughts of being his dragon self that made him so giddy. 

You hopped out of the river and padded across the soil toward him. 

Once you were in line with him, Seonghwa flashed you a wide smile and sprinted toward the cliff edge. Your laughter followed him as he dove off toward the water below, eyes falling closed as he relished in the wind whipping past his skin. 

When he opened his eyes, he skimmed the water's surface with the edge of a veiny, membranous wing, before swooping back up toward the ripening sky above. His humanoid features had fully transformed into that of a creature nearly five times his human height. Scales of obsidian, gleaming a dark blue in the light, rippled across his back, his skin. He huffed steam from his nostrils and searched for you. 

A body of iridescent white, so pearly that you appeared a shade of light purple in the burning gold light, blurred in his periphery. 

He whipped his head in your direction, watching you soar around him in a loose circle. You wrapped around him and grazed the end of your tail against his, a caress. 

He didn't want to think too much about that. 

And then your irises, blue-purple in this form, were blinking at him. Northward? Your snout gestured in that vague direction. 

Seonghwa huffed his agreement, and the pair of you took off into the skies. 

A dragon shifter's courtship traditions were different from other shifters’ cultures. For one, the value of wearing a potential mate's jewelry was equivalent to acceptance of courtship; additionally, wearing one another's jewels essentially spelled out a long-term partnership. It was similar to humans’ exchanging of rings. 

Dragons dressed their mates in their own jewels as dragons were ruthlessly protective of their hoards of treasures, and a mate was even more precious than any jewel one could acquire. There were other rituals, too—such as dousing one another in dragonfire, performing a certain mating dance, consuming meals made by their mate—but the jewels had always been emphasized in Seonghwa's clan. 

It was why he stiffened when he saw a slim, silver chain wrapped around your ankle this morning. 

The piece of jewelry looked awfully similar to something he owned, except the one you wore was studded with an amethyst on the tail, whereas the one he owned was studded with sapphire. He struggled to swallow as he stepped into the kitchen, eyes pinned to your ankle. 

The way the light refracted off the gem made the article appear so much like his own jewelry; his heart could not take a scare like that so early. Perhaps scare wasn't such an accurate word—he simply hadn't had the time to mentally prepare. 

It didn't matter how long he'd fantasized about it. Seeing the real thing would likely bring him to his knees regardless. 

“Hwa,” your amused chuckle greeted his ears as you peered at him from over the rim of your coffee cup. “Good morning.”

He tried for a smile and forced himself to look at something, anything, other than your ankle. “Hi. Good morning.” Seonghwa grabbed a cup of his own to pour a helping of the brew into. “Sleep well?”

You rolled your shoulders back, followed by your neck. But as he blew on the hot coffee, he failed to notice the way your eyes watched his movements regarding the coffee. “Mhm, way better after we flew last night.”

Seonghwa hummed warmly. “Yes, same here.” Last night was a blissful night of deep sleep. The tension between his shoulder blades had lessened considerably. 

He took a gentle sip of his beverage, and the rich bittersweetness hit him as an alluring wakeup call. You were still watching as he took a larger gulp. 

His eyes met yours. “Something wrong?” He asked, licking his lips. 

Your eyes widened. “Nope,” you squeaked out. You coughed, setting your mug on the table to lace your fingers together. “Uhm so… thoughts on kebabs for lunch? I was gonna go hunting later.”

“Mmh.” Seonghwa drained his cup of coffee. “That sounds good. I can go with you—if you'd like,” he added swiftly. Sometimes hunting could be a therapeutic solo trip and he hoped he wasn't encroaching. Though, going hunting just the two of you sounded nice, too. 

“I'd love the company,” you said. When you smiled, his own widened. 

The brief moment of peace the two of you shared shattered as two bodies barrelled into the room, followed by another set of thundering footsteps behind them. 

“YAH! Choi Jongho, I know this was all your idea!” Wooyoung appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, drenched from head to toe with dark and damp bangs hanging in his seething eyes. A puddle was beginning to form beneath him as he glared at the two giggling imps cowering behind the opposite end of the counter. 

You and Seonghwa connected gazes across the chaos. Good grief. 

From behind Wooyoung's calf, another creature poked her head out to hiss at the perpetrators. Wooyoung's cat familiar looked akin to a wet rat, the poor thing. 

“Seonghwa hyung, do something!”

Seonghwa's eyes drifted over to Jongho and Yeosang, who flashed him a pair of sheepish smiles. “Aye… both of you. Now.”

“We didn't get water on San,” was what Yeosang offered with a shrug. 

That seemed to not be the answer Wooyoung was looking for. If the witch was a dragon instead, Seonghwa was sure he would be blowing steam out of his ears. “Are you kidding me? I am going to hex you so badly, you will never know a day of peac—”

Jongho suddenly yelped, startling everyone as he leaped a couple feet in the air and ran to crouch beside you at the breakfast table. 

“What, what? What is it?” 

Yeosang's eyes had widened to the size of globes, too, as he scurried backward to the edge of the cavern. His stare was still pinned to something on the other side of the counter. 

Seonghwa peered over the ledge and swore sharply. “That is the biggest fucking bug I have ever seen in my life,” he said with his hand pressed to his face, stressed. 

Wooyoung had magically disappeared, and his cat had retreated alongside him. If even the cat didn't want anything to do with the big hunk of insect—

“AH-AH! HYUNG, IT'S MOVING!” Jongho screeched and grabbed the back of your chair to hide behind you. 

Seonghwa paused at that action, but snapped out of it when he saw the legs peek out from around the corner. “Can someone get Yunho?”

“Ohhhhh, I'm too young to die,” the youngest whispered toward the ceiling, his face contorted in fear and anguish; it was a rare thing to see from Jongho. “Yn, please, flame its ass or something!”

You sputtered, curling your feet up onto your chair with you in case the bug came scuttling toward the table. “Uh no. Yunho would literally flame me if I did!”

“Screw what he thinks. He's not here right now.”

Seonghwa clambered up onto the counter and peered over the edge again. He slapped a hand over his mouth after seeing the bug for another time. “Okay,” he said carefully, “on the count of three, we're all going to run for the edge and jump into the lake.”

Three nods from around the room. 

“One…” Everyone shifted an inch toward the cave opening. “Two…”

The fuckass bug moved. 

The countdown was abandoned—Jongho ran for the opening and tackled Yeosang into the water. Seonghwa leaped over the remainder of the countertop in time to swan dive into the lake beside you. His body sliced into the water like a hot knife through butter, and the lake's cool temperatures engulfed him in a refreshing embrace. 

Your head popped up right beside him and you shot him a laughing grin. “Well, that's definitely one way to start off the day.”

He laughed alongside you, slicking his wet hair back and out of his face. “I mean, we were gonna end up in the water at some point,” he mused. 

“True.” Your eyes zeroed in on something just below his jawline. You swam a little closer, and Seonghwa's heart catapulted into his throat. “You have a little, uhm, watercress…”

Your fingers brushed over his collarbone as you gently plucked the strand of watercress out from the links of the necklace sitting on his sternum. You lifted the plant up as if to say, 'Ta da,’ before pausing at your physical proximity. 

Seonghwa watched as a drop of water dripped down the middle of your face, down the slope of your nose, and slipped over your plush lips. Woah…

He had half the mind to reach out and thumb it away. 

“Two dragons, a fae prince, and a water mage couldn't handle a fucking roach?” 

You and Seonghwa jolted away from each other like similar poles of a magnet, heat rushing up to the surface of your skin. You both tilted your gazes up to the caves and saw Yunho appear at the mouth of the kitchen, a wide grin on his face as he held the bug up between his two fingers. 

“That sounds like a joke I've heard before,” San laughed as he walked up next to Yunho. He waved down at the lot of you in the water, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. 

Wooyoung peered out from behind San. “Instant karma!” He hollered. 

“Come down here, and we can talk about instant karma,” Jongho threw right back up at him. He flicked his wrist and sent a jet of lake water up to the cave mouth, hitting Wooyoung square between the eyes with scary accuracy. 

San howled in laughter as his friend hissed from the friendly fire. 

Seonghwa loosened a warm chuckle before turning toward you—wait. Where did you go? He twirled around in the water, eyes scanning the lake for where you'd gone. 

“Hwa!” You were by the far shore, raising your hand up to wave him over. 

He didn't hesitate to swim over toward you. The two of you swam over to the furthest edge of the lake, far from the others. The morning sun had not yet crested high enough to penetrate through the trees here, and that left you both in a patch of dreamy shade where long leaves dripped into the water like Mother Nature's curtains. 

Seonghwa clambered out onto the bank and yanked the hem of his shirt up and over his head. The material had stuck to his skin like glue, and he was a lot more comfortable without it on. 

Behind him though, he swore he heard your breath hitch. 

The corner of his lips curled upward in satisfaction. He continued to feign ignorance as he wrung his wet shirt out, arm muscles flexing as the water trickled out of the fabric. “You coming up, love?” He asked casually, peering over his shoulder at you lingering in the water. 

You cleared your throat as you pulled yourself onto land. “Y-yeah,” you said, covering your stammer with a breathy laugh. 

“Cold?” He teased, finally turning his body to face you in full. 

You passed him an expression of playful exasperation. “Freezing,” you jested back. It was difficult for dragon shifters to be cold; the amount of heat either of you generated on your own was enough to keep you warm all the time. After all, you did spew fire from your mouth on occasion. 

Seonghwa whipped his shirt out in front of him and blew a breath of steam through it. The fabric dried up fast, but instead of putting it back on, he slung it over his shoulder. 

An idea plunked itself into the forefront of his mind. “Shall we hunt?” He asked and extended a hand out to you. 

He saw the flicker of blue-purple in your irises—like lightning—as you brushed a lock of hair from your eyes. You took his hand, your fingers and palms slotting together like matching clasps of a chain. “We shall.”

Seonghwa sat at the vanity table in his and Hongjoong's room. The world beyond the mouth of this cavern was a dark sapphire, embroidered with small diamonds in its fabric—the night sky and its stars. The muffled rush of the waterfall nearby played in the background as he sifted through his traveler's chest of jewelry and gemstones. Hongjoong had half fallen asleep in the hot spring somewhere behind him, so Seonghwa was taking this time to pick out what he wanted to wear to… tomorrow…

His hand movements stilled as something caught his eyes in the chest of shiny stones. He held his breath, carefully withdrawing a silver chain out by its amethyst stone. There was no question about what it was and that it didn't belong to him. 

Your fragrance still lingered on the metal, though cool from being away from your body heat for a while. 

Seonghwa breathed out loudly through his nose as he stared at the article in his palm. 

He could hear Hongjoong emerging from the hot spring pool. “Something wrong, Hwa?”

“Did you” — Seonghwa's brows furrowed and he twisted around on the vanity stool — “steal her anklet?”

Hongjoong frowned, wrapping a towel around his waist before coming to stand beside his friend. He peered down at the article, reaching out to touch the anklet. 

Seonghwa moved his hand away and his chest rumbled with a low growl. 

A soft huff of amusement fell from Hongjoong's lips, and he settled his hand on Seonghwa's shoulder instead. “No, I wouldn't dare. I don't want to face a dragon's wrath for stealing from their hoard, thank you very much.”

“Hmph.” Seonghwa considered the article in his palm once more. If Hongjoong wasn't pulling his leg, then the logical answer was that you put your anklet in his jewelry chest. But why would you do that, and when did you? He would have smelled your scent lingering in this room if you had, and he couldn't pick up on any of his friends’ scents either. 

A flower of hope blossomed in his chest as he thought about the implications of this gesture further. Maybe it didn't matter how it got here, only what you thought about it being here in his possession.

“It's a sign,” Hongjoong giggled, squeezing his shoulder. He trudged away to go find his sweatpants to sleep in. “Your move, Park!”

Seonghwa slowly wrapped his fingers around the chain, a small smile flitting onto his face. In the mirror, his cheekbones burned the color of the rubies in his jewelry case. 

His move, indeed. 

In the morning, Seonghwa rose before day broke the dawn. 

It had come to him like a strike of lightning last night as he laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, weighing the option of wearing your anklet like a lovesick fool or returning it to you in the morning. What he'd remembered, instead, was something you told him about your clan's traditions. 

While his family held a lot more emphasis on adornment for mating traditions, your family clan put more importance on the act of making a meal for a potential partner. Consuming said meal was an acceptance of courtship and love. 

As he hunched over the kitchen countertop pouring over a recipe on his phone, he marinated on how to go about this. Presenting you with breakfast—that he only made for you, might he add—was not a subtle move in the slightest. Perhaps slipping your anklet into his things could be interpreted a couple ways, but it wasn't a glaring neon sign like this gesture was going to be. 

Nonetheless, Seonghwa got to work. He was counting on his friends to stay the fuck asleep. 

About an hour later, he was just finishing up when he picked up on the sound of your bare feet padding across the hallway toward the kitchen. Your perfume followed next, carrying into the room on an invisible breeze. Seonghwa drummed his fingers against the countertop as you strolled into the room, eyes wide and bright when you saw him there with food made. 

“Well, something smells yummy,” you said warmly. “Should I go wake the others?”

“No!” He laughed nervously, breaking into a bashful smile. “No need. This—this is just for you. I mean, I made breakfast for you.”

Your eyes seemed to grow even wider. “Break—breakfast for me? Just me?”

He nodded and wrung his hands in front of his body. “Just you… if that's okay.”

“Of course, that's okay. More than okay, really,” you murmured, eyes turning shy. The implications were too blatant not to miss or deny. 

Seonghwa gestured for you to take a seat at the breakfast table and presented you with the hot and fresh plate of breakfast he'd just made. He claimed the seat across from you with his own plate, but didn't touch it yet. His nerves made his hands shake beneath the table as he watched you take your utensil and fork a bite into your mouth. 

Something warm burst in his chest as you swallowed, then took another bite. 

“It's really good,” you said to him between bites. Your mouth was pursed into a wide smile, a tenderness swimming in your gemstone irises. “I think though,” you murmured after swallowing, “that we need to talk.”

Seonghwa's stomach tightened, but he nodded. “Agreed. I, uhm, I found this in my jewelry case last night.” He pulled out the strand of silver and amethyst from his pocket. The metal and jewel glistened in the soft morning sunlight pouring into the open cavern. 

“Oh, you didn't wear it?”

He went doe-eyed. “I wanted to—I just wanted to be clear about intentions first, just because if I wore this…” He stammered, “Then you'd be mine and I'd be yours.” 

The wording of it made your pulse skip, but it was exactly what you wanted. All of this stumbling around each other, falling over yourselves, was for this purpose. 

“Is that right, love?”

You nodded, as the two of you shared a smile in the glow of early morning. “That's right.”

He would be yours, and you would be his. 

Breakfast was dined upon in peace with quiet murmurings exchanged between the two of you, accompanied by light laughter and loving gazes. It was a marvel none of it was interrupted by the other occupants of the lakeside getaway. 

There was another thing that had to be done in order to seal the deal, however. 

When breakfast was finished and cleaned up after, Seonghwa barged back into his and Hongjoong's shared bedroom. His demon best friend was nowhere to be found, but it was no matter. Seonghwa went over to the vanity table and carefully picked up the necklace he had laid out last night. It was white gold studded in fat, glistening rubies—his prized possession, and one of the few pieces he had saved for only his future partner to wear.

That giddy excitement curled in his stomach again as he took the necklace with him up to your bedroom on the second floor. You were there waiting for him, your foot braced on the vanity stool to fix his sapphire chain onto your ankle, as your amethyst one laid around his. 

“This,” he murmured as he came up behind you in the mirror, “I've been saving for someone special.” He locked eyes with you in the looking glass, a sweet smile playing on his lips as he draped the heavy gems over your sternum. 

Blood rubies were precious and harder to come by these days, which was why Seonghwa coveted them. It only made sense that they should rest now on a person he would also come to value even more. They sat perfectly upon your collarbones, like a tiara upon your head… like it was made for you. You were yourself a treasure. 

Seonghwa could hardly contain his contentment at the sight. He wrapped his arms around your middle as he pressed a kiss to your shoulder, smiling against your skin. “Perfect.”

a/n: don't forget to reblog + comment if u enjoyed!

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