Within The Void

crawling fighting bleeding losing fighting bleeding losing rn sjdbshsvsb I JUST LOVE ITTO SO...SO MUCH??? PLS HE'S MY COMFORT CHARACTER SO HERE'S SOME SAGAU BRAINROT W HIM ALDHSJDBSB Itto is so baby, that I literally made him baby here jsdkfhsdj

tagging @nicebonescomrade cause she said she would love some itto content :>

in terms of warnings, there's a bit of discrimination against Oni at the very start, so please take note! But regardless, i can only write fluff so I won't be going too deep into it

also, i wanna take this time to say asks are open and everyone can send any reqs or brain rots !! however, i still have a life outside of tumblr so if i get bombarded, asks will be closed. I'll also be making an intro post soon sdhfkdf

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"Nuh-uh! I was just trying to help the fox! Its leg got caught under a big rock!"

"Yeah, mom! Itto was just helping the poor fox!"

The little boy's mother huffed in frustration, grabbing her son's wrist and pulling him along with her, "Onis are onis, no matter what! Stay away from them, young man!"

The young oni could only pout as his newfound friend was taken away. He resented being an oni sometimes, the horns that weighed heavy on his head serving as a reminder that he was not human, he does not fit in, he does not belong.

Vision becoming cloudy with tears, the young oni bit his lip.

"I don't want to cry, crying's for nerds...!"

The young Arataki states, his tiny form shaking as the tears started to stream down. Wiping them off, the cry of the fox he saved caught his attention.

"Huh? What is it, little guy? Need some water?"

Itto carefully picks up the fox carrying it to the river for a drink. The fox eagerly drank from the river, Itto patting its little head as he stared into his own reflection on the water.

His white hair was muddied, knots and tangles everywhere as well as a few twigs and leaves. His face covered in dirt from falling down while running away from humans who wanted nothing to do with him.

And to top it off, his auburn gaze turned to his reflection's horns.

Arataki Itto hated his horns.

Arataki Itto didn't like being an Oni.

'If I didn't have my horns, then my friend's parents would let me play with them!'

'I didn't mean to push Renren too hard, I didn't think I could be that strong! I'll be careful from now on, please let me keep playing with Renren!'

'I'm not scary! I just want to play with all of you...'

The fox that was drifting off to sleep next to Itto was startled when the young oni slapped his reflection on the water again and again, getting both himself and the fox wet. Itto continued until he wasn't sure if his face was wet from his incessant attack at his reflection in the river, or from the tears that never seemed to cease their flow.

In a moment of impulse, the little oni wrapped his hands around one of his horns, pulling as hard as he could to get rid of them.

"Come...on...! I don't...need...my horns...! Get off...of me...! AH—"

Losing his balance, the young Arataki fell face-first into the ground. Groaning, he let go of his horns in defeat before feeling a warmth against his skin. Curious, he lifted himself off of the ground, dusting off most of the dirt and soil that got on his face. Following the source of the warmth, his eyes turned to you.

You were beautiful— holy, even. Itto had never seen such a divine being such as yourself. He watches as your hand gently floats over the injured fox he saved, its wound healing instantly. His gaze reaches behind you, you had the most beautiful wings he had ever seen.

Scratch that, you were the only person he's seen with wings! Itto was ecstatic, he called out to you without thinking. After all, no one else had wings like you do, much like how he had horns no one else had. Maybe you two shared similar sentiments.

"Hey! Are those wings of yours the same pain as mine!?"

Your attention was immediately caught, such a joyful voice saying such heartbreaking words. His eyes were glowing with curiousity, yet they also looked hollow. Scanning his small frame, your heart sinks as you think about what the young oni has been through.

You motion for him to come towards you, inviting him to sit next to you on the grass. He does so eagerly, wanting to hear your answer. You dip your hands into the river's cold water and gently clean his face, Itto let you.

"Well little one, they're not..."

Itto pouted, his mood sinking once more.

"Of course they're not...everyone probably thinks you're really cool! You can grab the biggest onikabuto on top of trees, right? Man, I wanna do that too!! All I have are these stupid horns..."

You clicked your tongue, who would dare to say such rude words to a child? Oni or not, Itto was still a kid, trying to get by with his day to day life by himself.

"Now who told you that? Your horns look beautiful, they fit you very well."

Itto was confused, he had never heard anyone tell him that.

"Hey, uh...you're not like, blind, are you?"

You chuckle, carefully removing the leaves and twigs stuck in the young oni's hair.

"I'm not, it's the truth. I'm sure you'll be a very handsome oni when you grow up."

He huffs at you, "I don't wanna be an oni! Humans don't play with oni! You're not human, right? You can play with me!"

"I'm afraid I'm very busy, little one. But one day, I'll make it up to you. We'll fly around high places, run around and help people, and we'll eat all kinds of delicious foods!"

The stars were in Itto's eyes, he failed to notice your wet hands trying to detangle through the bird's nest he called hair— that or he didn't mind you accidentally tugging at his hair while you tried to comb through it.

"Really!? You promise!?"

"Well, only in one condition."

Itto pouted but waited for your deal.

"I want you to take care of yourself while I'm gone, and don't try to pull out your horns, okay?"

"But I hate my horns! People say they're ugly and that I'm a monster! It's not like they're wrong...stupid, ugly horns..."

Itto looks down at his clenched fists, tears pricking at his eyes once more. But this time, he feels your gentle touch under his chin, making him look up at you.

"Listen here, little one."

Itto bit his lip, not used to such intense eye contact, despite your eyes holding nothing but a warmth that felt like home to him, even if he's never really had one.

"I don't know what they said to you, but you're brilliant the way you are. I don't see those ugly horns you're talking about, I see a beautiful crimson crown. A symbol of pride, a testament to what you are; the one and oni."

"...Was that a pun?"

You laugh lightly, Itto pouted once more before laughing with you.

Once laughter died down, you lead Itto to the river, encouraging him to look at his reflection.

Clean and fresh, hair neatly brushed and horns at full display. Itto takes in how different he looked, how his horns seemed to shine proudly against his white locks of hair.

"See? And I'm sure you're a wonderful person too, little one. Horns and all."

For once, Itto was quiet.

Thoughts went through his head, comprehending everything that had just happened. He used his brain so much, he fell asleep.

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You carry the little sleeping oni in your arms, taking him to a nearby village where one of your most dedicated followers lived, she was peculiar woman, and you were certain she'd take the little oni in and raise him with the love and care he deserved.

You knock on her door.

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Itto wakes up in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar woman offering him a bowl of porridge, it took a little bit of back and forth before Itto gave in. Looking around, he sees something on the desk next to the bed.

It was a comb, and a note.

"Take care of yourself, my one and oni. We can play together when time allows it.

~ Your Winged Friend"

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"And after that, Granny Oni told me all about our creator, and that's when I decided I'd make sure my hair's always perfect!"

Itto's boisterous laugh fills the teapot as Aether hums.

"Wow...Teyvat's creator really is something, huh?" Paimon comments, but Itto disappeared. Looks like their creator has logged in.

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Itto looks down at the ground below him, soon feeling the warmth that told him his creator was ready to go exploring with him once more. Jumping off, the wind glider opens.

Flying in the skies, helping people, and eating good food. He owed it all to you.

Arataki Itto loves being an oni.

Arataki Itto loves his horns.

Arataki Itto loves you.

---

Ya'll remember that casita domain for SAGAU i had in mind??

here you guys go lol

sorry it took a while but here it is skdhsj it's kinda short tbh...

oh and ah impostor au

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Your feet finally gave in, falling face first onto a soft patch of grass that wasn't there before. It's strange; there should be nothing but dirt and debris below you, yet there was grass to cushion your fall somewhat instead.

You look back, the Archons seemed so much farther away now, but you still wanted to run despite your body begging for rest. You manage to sit up, looking down at the grass as a flower had bloomed from where your head landed.

'Was the flower always there?' You wondered, to which Teyvat answered your question by blooming yet another flower next to it, and another one, and another, and another. The flowers kept going in a line; all of the blooms in your favourite colors and comforting scents.

Nowhere else to go, you follow the flower trail. The closer you got to where they were leading you, the more flowers sprouted from the ground; each one seemingly trying to best the one before it, until a garden itself formed as you crossed a river.

Deciding to take a short break to rinse off, Teyvat hurriedly redecorates your old domain; a domain you were most familiar with and missed the most, your home.

Teyvat listens to the wishes of its creator; replacing all the luxurious architecture to the simple establishment you once sought comfort in. Sculptures of your divine being replaced by old trinkets you once bought when out with friends– or anything similar Teyvat had to offer.

Any trace of your divinity was gone, all that was left was the place you longed to return to the most.

You were home.

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It took a while, getting used to your somewhat new surroundings. Everything was familiar yet off; such as Teyvat substituting the electronics of your old house back in your world with electro slimes that wanted to be pet and played with; airconditioning replaced by mist flowers that were placed strategically by the windows to circulate the cool air.

(Alternatively, flaming flowers for heaters lmao)

Trying to sleep at night was terrible, though. You would wake up in tears, shaking and sweating all over as you recall the abuse you had endured. Teyvat had to remind you you were safe, the bed shaking ever so slightly to try and get the blanket on you again, or a basket of sunsettias and apples being brought to your desk by a small anemo slime.

You refused to step outside your new domain, and Teyvat knew this. After one particularly terrible nightmare, Teyvat had one more gift for you.

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"I'm going, I'm going!" You chuckle as the floor below you urged you to the front door. You shake slightly as the door opened to reveal the outside. It was so deceptively beautiful, it scared you.

"Teyvat..."

The ground shakes, mountains forming to seal off any entry to get to you. You were safe now.

"Thank you."

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The Taste of Deceit: Hyungline Part 2 (Finale- Hoseok)

Masterlist

Taste of Deceit Masterlist

Hyungline- Part 1, Part 2(Jin and Yoongi, Namjoon)

Warnings- Gore, Violence, Grey Characters, Dead Dove Do Not Eat

Word Count: No idea.

Tumblr was having problems uploading the whole 37k post. So, here it is, divided.

Unedited. Kindly excuse my errors. if you find anything significantly wrong, please let me know.

“What do you do?”

The question had been bouncing in her mind for a while. Jung Hoseok was perhaps the sweetest, kindest man she had ever met. She had some professions in mind already.

A vet?

Animal behaviourist?

A pet shop owner?

A chocolatier?

A florist?

He was no layman, so whatever he was doing, he ought to be the best of the best. But he was graceful, humble and funny– the definition of a bright, beaming spring day!

Hoseok smiled at her before sipping his wine. He insisted that he needed someone to accompany him to the newly inaugurated restaurant and pub so that he could taste and check on everything.

Had he been the sole owner of it, Hoseok would have no problem managing things. However, since he had a business partner here, he had no other option but to wait for post-inauguration improvements. But he wanted an objective opinion on the place– the food, the ambience, the drinks and according to him, her name was the first one that popped into his mind.

“Any guesses?”

He was playful like that.

She had not planned or even expected a new addition to her friend circle, but Jung Hoseok somehow found her. Ever since that evening, when he swooped in and pulled her out of the odd situation with ease, they had exchanged numbers. He was charming, to simplify it.

“You…” She trailed off, thinking of an appropriate guess, but ended up with anything random that came up in her mind “You are a chocolatier!”

She knew it was an incorrect guess, even before Hoseok burst out laughing, she knew that she was wrong. The amused glint in his eyes said it all. He laughed with his whole form– head thrown back, body quivering, hand running through his hair. The terrace allowed them to bask in the pleasant sunlight, and the rays seemed to make him gleam and dance with him as he moved.

“No, I’m not. Not yet at least.” His laughter sobered up to a smile “But I can be, for you.”

Such words would not have made her blush– they were cliché. But if Jung Hoseok would look at someone like they were the only person in the whole world and finish it off with a wink, nobody stood a chance– she was just a simple girl.

Letting out a playful scoff, she began to cut through her steak.

“Let me, please.”

Within a moment, Hoseok was leaning in, her cutlery now in his grasp as he expertly cut the meat into perfect pieces.

“Thank you.” (Y/N) would be lying if she said that she was not caught off guard at his speed and precision, he was already cutting the steak even before she could respond.

“A hotelier.”

“Huh?”

Hoseok smiled at her before glancing at his plate and putting a piece of steak in his mouth.

“I own chains of hotels, even clubs, some of them are co-owned but most of them, they are all my own.”

(Y/N) stopped chewing. She had friends who could be considered ‘elites’ but Jung Hoseok seemed completely out of her league. 

No, she was not looking for a partner in him, he was a fun person to hang around– a friend who made her blush. If that made sense?

She liked his company, she liked his friendship, but obviously, she did not know much about him. But the new discovery only made her realise that they were worlds apart.

If he noticed the shift in her demeanour, he did not comment on it, instead, he breezed through his talks and actions. 

“Rate the place, (Y/N), and be honest, because it is an expensive investment I have made.” He asked once they were finished with the food, now waiting for some more wine.

She smiled with warmed cheeks, blaming the wine, but under his scrutiny, it was hard to not melt  “The staff behaviour is pleasant.”

“Of course, they will be on their toes, I am the co-owner of this place, the food. What do you think?” He breezed past her reply, pushing for more

“I loved the steak, it was tender and delicious.” 

Hoseok smiled, but his eyes remained the same “You are stiff (Y/N), anything bothering you?”

She felt her cheeks heating further, this time with her ears and neck.

“No, everything is fine!”

He hummed before refilling her glass “That was an awfully fast denial, but I would buy it, for now.” He finished with a wink “Relax,”

On second thought, she knew that his status did not affect the person that he was, she still enjoyed his company and he was clearly a kind and humble man, at least, she could try to shove her doubts at the back of her mind for the moment.

“Well, Hoseok, I believe that if this place is charging a little more than a Michelin star place, they ought to provide something more. At least until this place earns a name in the market.”

Hoseok nodded “And that’s why you are now my professional restaurant reviewer. You are right, I was considering the same, you see.”

“Unfortunately, good Sir, I would have to decline, I already have a job.”

And amused chuckles filled the air.

It was an idyllic place. Stretch of mountains and cliffs in view and a clear beach at arm’s length. The resort, as it had turned out, was owned by Hoseok himself. 

In retrospect, (Y/N) wondered what would have happened had she kept her distance from Hoseok. Declined his friendship, kept him at an arm’s length— never bumped into him at all?

Her life would be different. Totally different. With a wistful glance at the mountain peaks, (Y/N) turned to arrange their luggage. The tiny phone peaking out from the folded clothes reminded her of her harsh reality.

 She was thankful that Hoseok was in the shower. Quickly sending their location through the phone, she tucked it safely in one of the many eyewear cases she had brought on the trip. 

Keeping the box away, she resumed unpacking, when the shrill ring of the doorbell pierced through the momentary relief. (Y/N) jumped but regained her composure. Fanning herself, she licked her lips and walked towards the door.

She was only a few feet away from the door when she stumbled, before registering the firm grip around her waist and the breathing wall she was pulled against— no it was not a wall, it was her husband behind her.

“How many times have I told you not to answer the door in my absence?” 

She looked up, to find his hardened gaze through his dripping strands. He was still in his bathing robe.

“You were in the bathroom so—”

“There are a few rules you must abide, Honey.” Despite the pet name, there was no tenderness in his tone.

“I’m sorry Hoseok.” She looked down. 

The doorbell rang in the background again, but her thoughts muffled away her environment. She did not even hear him coming. What if he found out what sat in her luggage?

“Go back to the bedroom.” 

She did not need to be told twice.

Life had been hectic, to say the least. Added to it were her bedroom’s air conditioner breaking down, the fridge making noises and her boss highlighting her underperformance for the month. In short, it was not a great month for her. 

With the oncoming of October, the city had burst with tourists and trees, with bright foliage. The weather, at least, was pleasant. Her phone came alive with multiple notifications but she had no time to look, one minute late and she would miss the bus.

She could use her car, but it needed regular maintenance and what she needed was—

She had not paid attention to the speeding car, and she would not have, had it not been for a slick four-wheeler stopping right beside her with an ear-piercing screech. She was startled, to put it lightly.

The all-too-familiar black car made her frown, but her suspicions were only confirmed after Hoseok emerged from it, eyes shaded with sunglasses, hair perfectly done, complementing his white shirt and black trousers. He was a treat for the eyes.

“There you are,” 

She subconsciously stepped back as he approached, more like marched towards her– even with the smile he had, his voice had an unfamiliar edge.

But she smiled anyway.

“Hi…” Whatever greeting she had thought of faded away when he took off his sunglasses.

“You have not been answering my texts, is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes, I mean just—It has been a crazy month so far and–I’m sorry I have not even been able to reply to my best friend and parents.”

She felt the rush of guilt replacing the initial nerves.

“Oh, honey, you don’t need to be sorry, I was just so worried. Let me drop you off to my workplace at least.”

She was shaking her head even before he finished the sentence, but Jung Hoseok seemed to be determined, 

“There is no room for a no, it's a rush in the public transports anyway, at least grant yourself some relief, come on.” He took away her laptop bag and began to walk back into the car, leaving her with no option but to follow him into his car.

Muffled voices, one of which she recognised as that of her husband, seeped into the bedroom as she waited with wringing fingers for Hoseok to return. She had clearly upset him, and that was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

Hoseok entered the bedroom after a few prolonged, painful minutes. She noticed the stark difference in his expression and the air surrounding him first before taking notice of the breakfast trolley that he was pushing into the room with him.

“Look, all your favourites! Now, that is how a vacation should look like, don’t you think?”

She blinked in silence– he never failed to give her a whiplash.

Hoseok’s smile dimmed at the silence “Oh, I’m so sorry, Jagiya. You know how worried I get about your safety. I can never guess when my enemies attack. If they get to know about you…You understand my point, don’t you?”

He was already on his knees, emphasising each word like he was explaining to a child, cupping her cheeks to hold her attention. She nodded, despite not believing a word that came out of his mouth.

“Let’s get you to eat something, hmm?”

“Yes, here’s my office.”

“This one?” Hoseok ducked his head to assess the looming building in front of them, 

“Yes. I work here.”  Picking up her bag, (Y/N) turned to thank him, but his firm hold on her bag kept her from moving out.

“Let me drop you.”

“Huh? I mean, my office is just—”

“I insist. Come on, we are getting late.” Her bag slipped from her grip once again as Hoseok stepped out of the car, quickly sprinting around the front to make sure he opened the door for her.

“T-Thanks.”

“Let's go. Why don’t you show me your office today?” He smiled—the same charming smile that made a ‘No’ impossible to pronounce.

“Would you like to take a nap before we go? It's a hot morning., and you barely slept through the flight.”

“It would be far worse in the afternoon.” (Y/N) picked out a one-piece for the beach.

He hummed absent-mindedly as he strolled towards her. The soft material was perfect for a beach vacation. His fingers ran through her slightly tangled hair.

 “Let me do your hair.”

“I intend to leave it be.” She tried to step away, but he did not let go of her hair..

“I insist.” He asserted as he led her towards the dressing table.

His hand was gentle as he untangled the tresses before beginning to comb them properly. “You have been distant, love.” She stilled, suddenly feeling parched.

“W-what?”

Hoseok only chuckled at that. “I guess I tend to think too much.” 

He sprayed some water and hair serum on her hair, but his gaze remained locked with hers.

 “Are you upset that I left for so long? I know it must have been suffocating to not be able to step out of the mansion. But it is the safest option (Y/N), trust me. One day, you will understand, and there will be no emotional distance between us.”

Suppressing a scoff, she forced out a small smile and nodded as he put on a hairpin matching the colour of her dress.

“Here you go. You want a lip tint?”

Hoseok had a bounce in his strides as he walked into the office as if he owned it. (Y/N) immediately knew how stupid and ignorant she had been when people began to murmur, and some even stood up in his presence.

She was probably the only idiot in the room who had not even made a close guess regarding his affluence. She thought that she needed to guide him, but he was perfectly fine, manoeuvring all over the place on his own.

“Which floor?” He finally turned to her

 “Second.” 

“And your boss’s floor?” 

"The top. Why?”

Hoseok only smiled and shrugged. “Nothing, just curious.”

“Hi, have you completed the report for last week?” One of her colleagues approached her once she was settled at her desk, shortly after Hoseok left.

“Uh, about the ongoing project? I completed and submitted it yesterday. You did not receive an email?" Being on the same team meant that they shared one network. “I even messaged the team.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot.” With a small smile, she turned around to leave but paused, only to turn back again “Also, I wanted to ask about the changes I was supposed to make to my report?”

(Y/N) smiled with uncertainty. "That will be handled by the project head, I guess?”

The woman nodded. “Right, my bad, so I should get going.” With that, she turned around to leave.

"Wait! Um, I might be overthinking, but is there something you want to tell me or ask me?”

The woman was no more than her colleague; they did not share friendship with anyone outside the office. They were polite with each other and knew how to work together, and that was it. So random chit-chats were not common in their case.

“Um…I don’t mean to intrude, but... Who was the man who came with you? Who just left?”

(Y/N) smiled, confused. “You mean Hoseok?”

“Yeah, Jung Hoseok.” 

It was not in her interest, but looking at her colleague, (Y/N) had more questions springing up in her mind.

“You know him?” 

At her question, the woman blinked, and her eyes widened for a flash before she made a scrambling attempt to mask it with something more subtle. (Y/N) frowned, growing intensely curious.

“You don’t know who Jung Hoseok is?”

"Yeah, he is a hotelier; there are a few articles here and there.” 

The woman bit her lip at her answer, and her ears turned a bright shade of pink as she nodded. (Y/N) thought that she heard her sigh, “Y-yeah, right. I will see you at lunch; I have a lot to do.”

Something was wrong. It felt so wrong that (Y/N) refused to sit in suspicion for another extra moment.

“Ms. Lee,” she called out, walking to her. “Ms. Lee, if there is something that I am missing, then please tell me. Is...Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is amiss, Ms. (L/N).” She shook her head. “I will not keep you from your work anymore; the project head has sent us deadlines already. Have a good day.” 

With that, the woman rushed off, leaving her with itching questions.

“You don’t like the food?”

“Huh?” (Y/N) tore her gaze away from the tranquil ocean visible from the restaurants they were currently sitting in; they chose the side with an unrestricted view of the sea.

Hoseok’s gaze, however, had been on her, as always “You haven’t taken a single bite since it was served.”

“I was waiting for it to cool down.”

“Its a cold dish, Jagi.” He pointed out, his eyes narrowing as he assessed her.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” (Y/N) gulped down some wine before diving in to eat.

It had been a day of sightseeing, and as the sun began to dip behind the golden sea, they both decided to have an early dinner before returning to the resort.

“We can order something else if you want." Hoseok offered, but she shook her head, digging into her plate.

“I like these.”

He smiled at her reply, “I know; that's why I ordered these for you.” However, it died down as soon as it came, “Then what is the matter, love?”

“Nothing, why?” She could hear the muffled beats of her heart, and she could feel the increased thrum as she fought the urge to gulp. He would notice. 

The silence stretched between them; it was almost like waiting for a ticking bomb to explode 

“Can I..." she finally gulped and took a deep breath “Can I see my mother?”

Silence.

Hoseok’s gaze held the edge of sharp scrutiny before he moved, and she lauded herself mentally for not flinching. 

Taking a sip of his wine, Hoseok shifted his focus back to his plate. This time, though, everything light disappeared from the air around him.

“The doctor keeps me updated. She is doing well.” He broke the silence, only to fuel the tension.

“But when can I see her?”

He looked up again and smiled.

“I know you are worried, Jagi, but now is not the time. We will meet her soon, okay?”

She knew better than to push it.

“What are you doing? Its lunch.”

Her friend’s voice startled her. “Tch, you go; I will join you later.” (Y/N) turned around to face Yumi briefly before resuming her research.

“Why are you searching for the Amethyst Era?”

“This hotel belongs to the Amethyst Era too." This time, (Y/N) turned her chair around completely to look at her friend.

Yumi shrugged. “Weren’t you doing the research? And this hotel is one of the most coveted in the country; people who keep up with such news know.”

 She dragged a nearby empty chair and made herself comfortable beside (Y/N).

“How many hotels does Amethyst Era own?”

“Pfft, hotels? Pubs, nightclubs, office buildings, and resorts—and not just luxury Some three to four star places as well.”

“Oh, you know quite well; you are into these?" 

“People are gossiping, (Y/N). Did Jung Hoseok really come to drop you off at work this morning?”

(Y/N) was surprised by her question, "Yeah, he did, but it was just a friendly gesture. Is he that famous?”

Yumi stared at her for a good, long moment before licking her lips and focusing on the screen. 

“You know he owns Amethyst Era, right?” 

She nodded at the screen showing pictures of a grand hotel.

"Yeah, I just looked it up this morning. What’s with that? Even Ms. Lee was being weird about me knowing Hoseok.”

“He’s a big name, (Y/N), a big, shady name.” Yumi replied grimly.

“Shady name? Why?”

“You remember my cousin Eun?”

Eun was Yumi’s cousin, who had mysteriously disappeared a year ago. Though Yumi did not share much about it, (Y/N) knew that her family and she were still disturbed and that his disappearance was a cold case.

(Y/N) nodded, now more interested in the conversation than ever before. “Well, the last place he was seen was completely different from what we have been told.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Yumi sighed and nodded. “I am so sure because I have been researching this myself; my friend is a private detective, and over the years, we have found many oddities with the case.” 

Her voice lowered as she leaned closer. “We were told that he was last seen near the Han River, implying that he jumped to end his life. But I never believed that, you know? I knew Eun; he was not too close with his parents, but we grew up together.” Her voice cracked in the end.

(Y/N) held her friend’s hand to comfort her; she could see Yumi’s eyes turning glassy. It must have been a storm for her and her family.

“He could not have done this, (Y/N), he possessed a zeal for life. He wanted to live more than himself for anyone.” 

She steadied herself with another deep breath before continuing, 

“I tried to push the police to look into the matter. I even tried to convince his parents that something was wrong. But they were adamant about believing what was being served to them. So I took matters into my own hands.”

(Y/N) nodded. “I can only imagine what you were going through.”

"I found out that he was last seen at a motel on the outskirts of Seoul. It was a fairly isolated place. There were a few witnesses. Plus, the investigator checked the CCTV near the river and found no sign of Eun. He was not there; he never went there. The police lied to us.”

“They were covering this up?” Yumi nodded confidently.

“Our trail took us to a remote motel.” Turning to the PC, she typed a name.

A few specifics later, a motel name and address showed up, with only one picture.

“This is the one.” She pointed at a rather blurry picture of a motel that seemed to be situated in the middle of nowhere.

“What was he doing here?” (Y/N) asked the obvious.

“That’s what we are trying to get into. But I think it is something not right, like we would come under radar. Jung Hoseok’s radar.”

Yumi’s words made her turn away from the screen 

“Jung Hoseok? What do you mean?”

“This motel is owned by Flare, a company that renovates and fixes places like old houses and hotels—you know, the one you would call if you were moving into an old house? Something like that. Now, this is a fairly small company. Nothing fishy, right?”

(Y/N) hummed and nodded her head in agreement.

“This is where it turns fishy. Turns out that Amethyst Era is the parent company of Flare.”

“What?”

Yumi nodded and tuned to type again in the search engine, “Look, Flare is no elite. In fact, it is not even in the top five companies that Amethyst Era owns.”

“Amethyst Era has more than five companies under it?”

 (Y/N) realised that she had indeed been living under a rock!

How come she had never heard of Amethyst Era if it is such a big name in the market?”

“Apparently, twelve.”

Yumi’s estimate raised (Y/N)’s eyebrows. “Twelve companies? What is he?”

“An immensely powerful hand in Eun’s disappearance, apparently. At least, that is what the investigator concludes. I have done some research on him and his Amethyst Era. Despite being such a giant in the market, most of the companies under its name stay lowkey. Pandora’s Box is usually the one in the spotlight. Closet Call is another glittery name in the market.”

“Pandora’s Box? I think I’ve heard of it.”

“Best in accessories and jewellery. It is not an exclusively luxurious brand–it has a few luxurious collections, and since most people can afford it, it is more profitable.”

“How did you manage to dig up so much?”

“Thanks to my friend.”

“Closet Calls has a showroom in every mall I have been to.” (Y/N) commented.

“That’s why people are talking. Jung Hoseok was seen with you. Just pray that they have not taken any pictures of you together.”

“Yumi, whatever you have revealed to me...  This makes him sound dangerous.”

“Every powerful company is dangerous (Y/N), but we still have no confirmation if he was directly involved in the disappearance of Eun or if he had anything to do with his disappearance. Everything is based on suspicion and probability (Y/N). In reality, we have no evidence, no real lead.”

Deleting the pages and the search history, Yumi turned to (Y/N).

“I cannot say anything with assurance right now, but you now know that he is no ordinary man. And in this world, power and money define everything. I cannot dictate your life, but I can advise you. My advice to you is not to get involved with anything that you cannot assess.”

(Y/N) nodded, her mind wandering off to all those times when Hoseok took her to restaurants, pubs, and banquet halls for ‘neutral and honest reviews’, which ranged from grand to sleek. She had suspicions that he was the one hosting the party where she had met him for the first time, but he had never confirmed anything, and the question had slipped out of her mind eventually.

Now every little conversation, every passing piece of information, and every quirk seemed to ring a bell—she knew that she was perhaps overthinking, mildly panicking even, but Yumi was right. People of Jung Hoseok’s strata were no saints, and people like her were nothing more than numbers for such people.

“Aren’t we going back to our suite?” (Y/N) was confused when Hoseok drove to the beach instead

“We are within walking distance from our resort. Besides, its peaceful here, don’t you like it?” 

Hoseok smiled as he continued to walk, his eyes staring at the gentle waves in the distance.

She would admit that it was pleasant to be the only two people roaming around the beach. The sun had set and left behind traces of rapidly darkening blues. Everything in the atmosphere was perfect to lull anyone into a sense of peace. 

But with Hoseok, she could feel anything but peaceful. Under the darkening sky, her senses turned more alert in his presence. The silence did not help either. It was like a waiting game, at least on her part, because Hoseok seemed completely relaxed. In fact, it was the most relaxed she had seen him ever since.

They stood where the waves chased their feet, shoes left behind, and the wet sand initially felt odd under her skin, but soon she grew used to it.  Just like how she had begun to grow used to being Jung Hoseok’s little wife—or his little pet, she could say. Had it not been that woman—

Fingers wrapping around the back of her neck broke her from her spiralling thoughts. (Y/N) gasped, startled back into reality, but before she could respond, her face was gently but firmly turned to her side, and his lips greeted her. It was gentle for only a moment before it turned passionate, almost frenzied with lust. Her knees turned boneless. The air was charged between them. She shut her eyes, trying not to look into the very eyes that would haunt her for a lifetime.

“There was not a single day when I had not wished to have you by my side, ever since I met you.” He confessed between the heated kisses.

It would have been a sweet expression of love, had it not taken her back to the moment when everything went downhill for her.

As if the conversation with Yumi had not been enough, the very next day, her boss had invited her into his cabin and apologised for his ‘rude and unacceptable behaviour towards a company asset such as her’. 

Company Asset?

(Y/N) was self-aware enough to know that she was easily replaceable. That man would rather fire his best employee than apologise. The jittery body language did not help either. That was not him apologising to her; he was being compelled to do so.

All she could think of was how Hoseok had casually asked her about her boss’ cabin. She had no other spot for the needles of suspicion to point at.

Everything was pointing towards Hoseok. But what she could not fathom was the reason behind a man such as him being invested in an ordinary woman such as her.

After that day, she began to evade him. Excuses, silence, diversion—whatever she could, she did to keep him at an arm’s length.

But such ways could only sustain her for so long. 

It had been a relatively enjoyable evening for an office party. She met a new employee who was funny, friendly, and flirtatious. No, she was not looking for any serious relationships, but some casual flirting would not hurt, right?

It had been a while since she felt her cheeks hurt from laughter; the last time she laughed so hard was when she had lunch with Hoseok. She had the ghost of her previously full-blown smile as she entered the elevator. Pressing on the number of her floor, she yawned, feeling the day’s toil catching up. 

But before the doors could close completely, they opened another ding.  Her previously slumped shoulders jerked up, alert, as the doors opened wide once more, and Jung Hoseok walked in, and she sucked in a breath.

He smiled—the usual friendly smile he would reserve for her—but under the light, his smile failed to brighten up the space this time.

In silence, he stepped inside the elevator and waited for the doors to close. This time, they did, but she wished that they did not. 

The silence was oppressive.

That was the only way she could describe it since she had not yet realised that she felt cornered.

“How was the party?”

She blinked. Despite it being just the two of them, the space felt crowded. The doors opened once more with the usual ‘ding’ before Hoseok walked out and turned to her, expecting her to follow him.

She yielded.

“You did not answer. That’s alright, let's talk over coffee.” He stood by her flat’s entrance, smiling.

Realising that she had no way out of the situation, she hurriedly unblocked her apartment door and invited him in.

“Sorry, its a bit messy right now, I did not know you were coming.”

By the time she finished, he was already making himself comfortable on her sofa. 

“That’s alright, (Y/N), makes you all too likeable." He smiled. But there was something cold and steely about that. “Why are you standing there? Have a seat. Its your home, after all.”

She managed to put up a smile and sit a good distance away from him. He did not comment on it but it would be foolish to assume that he did not notice, especially when his eyes remained on her—a cynical amusement playing in those orbs that made her sit still and taut.

“You have been quite busy these days, love. I hope your boss is not giving you a hard time.”

“No, he already apologised.” This time, she stared right back at him, trying to gauge out a reaction, desperately hoping that he had nothing to do with this.

Hoseok smiled and tilted his head. “Glad to hear that.”

And she needed no more confirmation. Taking a deep breath, she arranged the words in her head before beginning to speak.

“Hoseok, y-you are a kind and beautiful friend, and I really enjoy your company. Anyone would be glad to have you as a friend…”

“Really? I feel special.” 

Ignoring his comment, she continued—

“But unfortunately, I do not think that we should see each other anymore, as often. I do not fit into your world. It’s too vast, too glitzy, and over all—I mean–yeah you get it. I just feel that maybe we can tone down the meetings. My office colleagues took it the wrong way. Everybody knows you.”

That was not exactly what she wanted to say, but that would do. If he was not offended,

He chuckled and looked away for a moment, observing the wall on his side as if contemplating something. He mumbled.

“Sorry?”

“I guess you are tired. I will pick you up tomorrow, hmm?” His gaze found hers again.

“I just—”

I planned a whole weekend getaway. Be ready by eight in the morning tomorrow.” 

To say that she was stunned was a grave understatement. She blinked, dumbfounded by his blatant ignorance of her previous words. But here was where she would draw the line.

“Hoseok.” 

Her voice was firm. He was on his way out of her apartment, but he paused and turned around.

“I think you did not hear me earlier. I don’t want to see you so often. I am not going anywhere with you. Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow.” 

She paused before finally making up her mind 

“Not ever.”

Yumi was right. The more she minded her own business, the better. She did not want to be embroiled in anything dangerous or even scandalous. She needed herself. Not Jung Hoseok or any other storm.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Hoseok put his hands inside his pockets and titled his head—his stance relaxed and his eyes amused.

“What was your friend’s name again? Right, Lee Yumi, and her private detective friend, Kanyun. I will do them a favour.” 

He took a step closer to her while she remained frozen in fear.

“Since he has been running around with half-assed clues and crack-head witnesses for over a year now, I will give her one– the motel owner runs an illegal drug business. And now she and her little detective run to the police and find out how many of them work for me.”

He raised his hand, and she flinched and closed her eyes, almost certain that a hit was coming. 

Some scars took time to heal after all.

When nothing happened for a long moment, she opened her eyes, only to find his hand frozen in mid-air and all the air of amusement gone.

He clenched his jaws before gently brushing away the strands of hair from her face. 

“Never even in my dreams, love. Not even in my dreams.”  

His voice had no sharpness or amusement this time.

But she could not understand why.

She knew of his reality; he knew that she knew. Then why was she so soft with her? Like he was just playing. Maybe it was all a game for him after all.

“Its okay if you don’t want to come. You need to save your energy for the future anyway. Goodnight, love, sleep well.” 

Planting a quick, soft kiss on her forehead, he left.

He walked away as if he had had the most casual conversation with someone. Then perhaps she was that irrelevant. 

What harm could people like her or Yumi do to a person as powerful as Jung Hoseok?

The night went by with her warning Yumi about the fact that Hoseok knew what she was up to, checking all doors, windows, and locks, and keeping an eye on the street to see if there was someone watching over her.

Hoseok had known that Yumi had been trying to find out about her cousin all the while, and he also somehow knew that she was coming back from an office party. If that was not chilling enough, the very fact that he had confidently given away such important information hit the nail.

Jung Hoseok was a man she ought to avoid at all costs.

The sand sticking to her had felt odd a while before. But at the moment, she was overwhelmed with the feeling of his finger entering her. The pace was slow but calculated, leaving her gasping for breath. The dress he had chosen for her allowed the ease of his hands finding their way between her legs.

At the back of her mind, she knew that they would both need a shower once they were back in their suite. At the back of her mind, she was scared. But all she could express was how good his fingers felt—one curved inside her, rubbing on all the sweet, hard spots that made her gasp and shudder, the other playing with her pearl to make her senses fill with ecstasy.

“There you go, Baby~” he cooed at her, his fiery gaze meeting her hazy one as she was finally pushed over the edge.

She felt the second finger entering the very next moment, dragging her orgasm before she felt the delightful tiredness seeping in. But he knew that it was not over. He waited for a moment to let her catch her breath before his fingers inside her parted, stretching her walls. His lips attached themselves to her neck as his fingers continued to move in a steady, almost hypnotic motion, making her hips rise and her back arch.

“I love you so much…you have no fucking idea.”

His words made her eyes flutter open. Although still dazed, she managed to voice out her concern “Aren’t p-people here? Someone–oh–”

“Shh, no one will see us; we are the only ones here, love. I cleared it out all for us.”

 There was nothing surprising about it, though. The last time he caught someone staring at her chest, it ended with blood sprinkling all over the wall and the ceiling. Of course, he would not allow another soul to step inside the premises; he had planned to take her to the beach all along.

Her thoughts, though, were not steady, not with his fingers stretching her out like that while his lips assaulted her sweet spot, making her perfectly pedicured toes curl.

She came once more with a short but sharp scream, feeling her whole form buzz with pleasure. 

But the feeling did not last long enough to be relished, as she felt his hand between her warm legs. The bottom of her dress was already flung up carelessly, exposing her to him. 

Under the gentle moonlight and the distant lit-up torches, she could see his eyes gleam. He smirked before crashing his lips on hers. The kiss was passionate but gentle, pushing her towards another edge. 

But he pulled away abruptly, leaving her hanging. He smiled as he unzipped himself before nestling between her legs. Her inner thighs already felt damp with anticipation and arousal, but feeling his length rubbing against them, along with the texture of his pants, she felt her womanhood clench. Pulling her into a sitting position, he let out a quiet groan.

She blinked, slightly disoriented, but did not question him. She could feel hands around her waist even though the material of the dress.

 It was a surreal feeling.

 No matter how many times she slept with him, she would oscillate between being somewhere else mentally and having all her senses overwhelmed with pleasure.

Finally, she felt his length entering her before he pulled her over his lap. The movement of his manhood inside her made her gasp loudly and hold on to him for her dear life. Hoseok growled into her ear while she felt him unzipping her dress, loosening the sleeves so that he could pull them down in a quick, rough movement, along with her bra, leaving her breasts exposed.

His lips found hers again, and she squeaked into his mouth as he began to move. It was something she had never felt before. He truly never failed to surprise her.

Her eyes opened to find his fiery gaze on her before he moved her roughly once, eliciting a scream from her lips as her eyes rolled back again. His tongue devoured her mouth, and hers lolled, surrendering to the intense pleasure.

Her screams were met with his quickening breath and curses following a deep, sensual laughter. For a moment, it was easier to forget everything—the scars of the past, the uncertainty of the future—and just let the pleasure consume her. 

And she did just that. She gripped him tighter and moved with him, taking in all he gave her and in turn surrendering to him, just for the moment, and even in that moment, she felt how he claimed her. Like he always wanted to.

-----

She excused herself to the bathroom the moment they returned to their suits. The dress she wore did next to nothing to cover the blooms of red, pink and purple over her neck and beyond, at least those on her thighs were not visible.

Her legs were still wobbly, and the feeling of dampness between her legs did not help, it felt weird to walk normally. Under the sense of privacy provided by a shut bathroom door, she assessed her reflection in the mirror. 

There was no way of denying that she enjoyed it– she was glowing, but her eyes. They fell like they were foreign. 

Did she always have those empty eyes?

She knew she did not. But it was hard to remember the times she felt truly happy.

But there was hope now. Finally, she could see the glimmering end of the tunnel in the form of the opportunity thrown at her(literally). Remembering the phone tucked safely between her cloths, she composed herself as she began to wash away the remains of dubious passion from between her legs. She knew that scrubbing would not fade the marks all over her, but she scrubbed them anyway, resentful of herself for falling weak at the moment.

After a rather long bath, she felt slightly lighter, wanting nothing more than to crash on the bed and sleep the night away. With a sigh, she opened the bathroom door and stepped in the bedroom. 

Hoseok was not in the room when she stepped in. It was an eerie silence that impregnated the place. Sighing, she turned to get into the bed, only to be startled by Hoseok’ still form leaning against the closed closet. 

How come she had not noticed him before?

But that soon became least of her concerns when she saw the gleaming device h was playing with.

The phone.

She paled at the realisation.

He had found that fucking phone.

“So that’s why you were so lost? I wonder where you got this toy of yours, Love?”

She felt her stomach twisting as her eyes watered. But there was no time to think. With her reflexes kicking in, she turned and ran towards the bathroom, knowing that he had probably already locked the door.

She registered his grip a moment later than the feeling of vanished gravity. His grip was rough around her waist as he heaved her up in the air, eliciting a broken scream from her lips. 

He was everywhere.

Outside her work, he would be waiting for her with his car.

He would there outside her house on weekends.

He would be there whenever she would be somewhere out.

Jung Hoseok was everywhere. He was creeping into her life like a disease.

“How was work?”

That was the first thing he heard when she stepped in her dark apartment. All the tiredness hanging her shoulder down dissipated and pure adrenaline pumped in while she stumbled to switch on the lights.

Her hands were still shaking and her heart kept thumping against her ribs as light flooded the apartment, revealing the man she swore she would never meet again. 

“I had a cup of coffee due.” 

Her gaze dropped at he still-steaming cup of coffee in his hold, fingers with rings curled around the handle. His eyes were focused on the brown liquid though.

“Wh–what are you doing in my house?” 

At that, Hoseok looked up. It was like she was looking at a stranger– there was nothing airy, or light about him. Everything in her wanted her to back away slowly while maintaining an eye contact. But she stood her ground.

 It was her fucking house. 

He had already planted himself everywhere she went– regularly or not. She would not lose the sense of security in her house as well.

 She stood stiff and alert, ready to run if she needed to. 

“Come in, I prepared a cup for you too.” He patted the cushioned seat beside him lightly.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

At that, he tilted his head.

“I thought we were friends (Y/N), very good friends…” The words felt corrupted from his lips. 

He knew that she was scared, he knew that she was tired, he knew exactly what he was doing.

She shut her eyes tightly and took in a breath, bracing herself.

“But I don’t want to be your friend anymore!”

“Aww, that hurt. But that’s okay…” 

He paused for a few moments, doubling the tension 

“You can be my lover.”

“Wh-hat?”

Hoseok smirked– slow and sinuous 

“I simply happen to be unusually fond of you…love.”

—-

He left after that and for a good whole week. But he did leave her spooked. 

Yumi was worried and unsurprisingly paranoid. If Jung Hoseok could give away clues without fear, and casually guess Yumi’s next move, it was better to just abandon the investigation, (Y/N) had suggested.

“I think you should rewind a bit, you look pale.” Yumi commented, observing her friend while she took a sip of her coffee. 

The days were turning colder and shorter, and a good, piping hot cup of beverage was always appreciated between breaks at work.

“I’m okay. Haven’t seen him for a week though.” (Y/N) shrugged. 

Hoseok was like a spider– it was scary when she could see him, but even scarier when she could not.

“Tch, you have to take a stand (Y.N), this can’t go on like that. You need to make a statement. People like him jump from one woman to another like they are clothes.”

Yumi did have a point. If she made a clear, good statement, maybe then he would leave her alone? She had, unlike Yumi, nothing to do with him at all. Nothing persona. Nothing profession. No connection at all.

But his words still rang like a warning bell in her mind.

“By the way…” Yumi began, clearing her throat “The new guy was asking about you.”

“The one at the party? What was his name again?”

“Hyunjae.”

Hyungjae was a decent man in every sense. He would help the old clerks, would buy coffee for his co-workers and even help them complete their pending tasks. Men like Hyunjae were rare to find, but they did exist.

“What about him?”

“I think he has a crush on you.”

“Yumi, men like Hyunjae don’t have crush on women like me– who does not even remember the meeting schedules.”

Yumi rolled her eyes at that comment “I think one friendly date would not hurt?”

“Yumi, no. “

“Why?”

(Y/N) sighed, “Just no.”

—-

The very next week, she was starring back at the menu card at a cafe Yumi had suggested for a date. While (Y/N) did not believe in stereotypes, but it had already been half an hour with no sign of Hyunjae and with a rumbling stomach, she was bound to get a tad bit annoyed.

Maybe if she could order one quick snack and—

“I’m sorry for being late.”

(Y/N) froze– her movements, her breathing, her thoughts– everything stood still.

This was….

She looked up from the menu, only to find Hoseok starring back at her with a sharp smile. 

“Quite a date.”

She looked around, only to catch a few faces quickly turning away. She needed to leave.

The sound of his chuckle broke her rushing train of thoughts.

“I have been so patient with you, thought you would get the point. Tch, but you are a sorry, naïve, lonely little lady…”

Somehow, the fake sympathy stung, because everything he said, was somewhere true. Everything she did, boiled down to two core purposes– her dedication to her ailing mother and to just survive. 

Maybe that’s why it had been so easy for a man like Hoseok to lure her in. She had dragged on a corpse of a relationship for years only because she was afraid to be left alone, she had accepted Hoseok’s friendship because with him, she did not feel alone. 

She did have friends. Good, helpful, understanding friends.

But they had their own lives and their own circles. She never had a best friend after school.

It was only her diary she confided in, freely expressed herself. Other than that, there was only a sense of loneliness. Even if she did want to reach out, it did not feel as easy or simple as it seemed to be. 

She did not want to be bother. 

But maybe, she was not a bother. Maybe she should have chosen her old friends over Jung Hoseok.

Because as she watched him light up a cigarette with his knuckles turning white. She knew that she was not getting out of this mess anytime soon. She should have been firm. But she did not want to be rude, or upset her only office friend- Yumi.

He checked his phone and smiled. 

“Oh, I have a very good news for you by the way…” He began.

His smile stretched into a malicious grin. A happy face had never been so terrifying to her before. 

“Your mother is being shifted to hospital owned by me. Poor lady, at her condition, she needs the best care. But now she would not have to worry, I shall provide that to her.”

How could she underestimate his reach?

She was stupid. Absolutely the dumbest idiot in the whole world.

And Hoseok was cruel. His snigger told it all.

Why did he even bother to try to stifle his laugh? 

“Aww, honey, there is no need to cry. Your mother is safe. She is having the best care provided to her…But the rest…” he paused, to smile– and (Y/N) understood what it was like to hate someone smile “...the rest depends on you.”

Now she understood what that creep had scurried away quietly the night she met Hoseok for the first time.

She flinched when he leaned in to wipe away her incessant tears. With her lips quivering, breathing shortened and vision blurring. She felt cold all over.

“Breath, its alright. Here, try to take some deep breaths.” 

He was by her side at once, his hand rubbing her back. There was an unending ringing in her ears.

“What have I ver–ever done to you?” 

She was tired. Tired, angry, afraid.

“Nothing, love. You have done nothing.”

“And yet you—why are you doing this?”

He simply smiled. 

“You can do a lot too, love…like marry me.”

The next thing she knew, she was slammed on the bed. It did not hurt, but it did leave her breathless. Her heart thundered against her chest as her vision blurred with unshed tears. Under the lighting, Hoseok seemed far more sinister than he had been a few hours ago under the night sky.

“What’s the hurry, (Y/N)?” He sounded like a python coaxing its prey right before crushing it.

He was the python.

He realised it when she felt his fingers wrapped around her neck, holding her in place. She gasped for air, mouth wide opened and tears freely running down from the corner of her eyes.

“Tch, tch, tch. And I thought you had some fucking brains left in that empty head of yours!.” He snarled. 

His words hurt because deep down, they were true– she was dumb, she was too stupid. She wouldn’t be where she was had she not been an utter idiot. 

She attempted to gasp, turning desperate when his hold around her neck tightened. She grasped his wrist with shaking hands, clawing with futility.

“It's a pity…she goes whoring around for government agencies while I plan a holiday for her.” He grinned, squeezing her neck tighter for a long moment before loosening his hold.

(Y/N) gasped and wheezed, taking all the air into her lungs even when it hurt. She rolled over and fell on the floor, feeling her knees turn boneless and her vision partially darkening. Holding her neck, she turned to look at him with wide eyes and quivering lips, the only reflex left was to escape. To run far away, but she was frozen.

Hoseok ran his fingers through his hair, storm ranging in now glassy eyes. His jaws ticked and with every breath he took, it looked like he was committing homicide in his mind.

“I have been too lenient, haven’t I?”

She had been terrified of him before, but this time, she was petrified. Hoseok had never physically hurt her before, but her throbbing neck lit a new fear in her, while her hatred for him reached a new height. She was still wheezing when he grabbed her hair, forcing her to look up.

“You think they are here to help you? You think they will treat you like a fucking victim? Oh no honey, they are going to treat you like a fucking mob wife that you are. Once they have everything they need against me, they will throw you away to the wolves. You are just as tainted in everyone’s eyes to them!”

“You are a l-liar!” Despite her struggle, she managed to cry out loud, expressing her anguish.

“A fucking liar! You made them drug me every day!” She screamed, not bothering about her highly disadvantageous position. The worst was already starring down at her.

Surprise laced Hoseok’s face for the first time in the night the cruel glint returned soon after.

“I see…Is this their fucking game plan? You are such an easy target.” He let out a callous chuckle and let go of her hair, 

“I don’t tolerate betrayal, love.” There was a glint in his eyes as he reached out for something on his back.

She saw the gleam first before realizing what it was. But it was too late. The muzzle of the gun was already pressed against her forehead. She froze with pure fear. 

She wanted freedom, not death!

“I don’t forgive them, I don’t forget them…You know what I do to them, don’t you?” The cold metal trailed south, booping her nose “I make them scream, and writhe and cry until their soul trembles.”

With sinious half smile, he lowered the gun further, probing it against her quivering lips. The fear in her eyes made him shiver– it was both thrilling and satisfying. She had betrayed him. No one dared to betray Jung Hoseok and live to tell the tale.

“But you…” 

He began, purposefully dragging his words as he watched her frightful eyes widening as he pushed the gun further, the metal tapped heavily against her teeth, making her gasp. But that was enough a slip-up for Hoseok. 

“I can forgive you darling.”

With that, he pushed the barrel of his gun into her mouth. The metal scrapped agaisnt her teeth as it slid in. Her eyes closed before flashing with utter terror.

Good.

He thought to himself, keeping his emotions and tears at bay. He would never admit it to anyone, not even her. But her betrayal hurt. It burned and cut through him. But he would admit, it was not surprising. 

Hoseok was no fool. He knew that she was not in love with him, but he believed that with time, she would settle– she was settling.

Until some fucking dogs came sniffling behind.

He did everything for her, for them. But she betrayed him.

“What do you think they would do? Give you a crown?” 

He could not help but chuckle at her naivety. Her eyes did not help it either. Large, fearful orbs starring back at him–he lived for that. He liked to say to himself that he did not like the fear in her eyes. But that would be a lie. 

“They would use you for defaming me, trying to destroy me, using you as a key and then, throw you away like a used ragdoll.”

He pushed the barrel further in with venegenance, making her choke into it and gasp.

“You are nothing but a pawn to them– a useless, stupid pawn. You think they can save your mother? You dead mother?”

He watched as more tears escaped her eyes, his words denting her confidence. No, breaking it completely. 

Her mother had passed away month ago a in peace. He made sure that everything was taken care of, she was given a simple but dignified funeral, and buried in the graveyard only people close to him were to be buried. He had been a good son-in-law. 

He was being a good fucking husband, keeping the news from (Y/N) because he knew that it could break her.

The words just slipped out, but it slipped out just at the right moment 

“Had it been anyone else, I would have just fired” He hissed, pulling the barrel a little before pushing it again, watching her shaking form.

Finally, he pulled away the gun, the thin string of saliva connecting the barrel and her lips made him smirk. He would teach her a lesson she would never forget. They would have plenty of time for that.

“Stay put.” 

He warned, dropping his mocking smile. He motioned with his gun, not letting his eyes flicker off her form as he dialled his most trusted man.

“Is the helicopter ready? Hmm, keep low.”

Hanging up, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She whimpered pathetically, but not an ounce of regret flashed in her eyes.

But she soon will. She would regret even considering betraying him.

He would make sure of it.

“You are going to be fucking sorry, love.”

He dropped all pretentious, sugarcoating and veils altogether. If she saw him as a monster. Fine, he would show her what a monster he was and how a monster loved.

She remembered that they had promised to brig her mother to safety. But she had no real time update. Her mother was her only family left. 

And she was dead now. 

The only hope, the only string that Hoseok would pull now and then was gone.

He kept the news from her.

A month.

Her mother had been dead for a month.

And he kept it from her.

(Y/N) forced down a whimper. Her legs were almost numb, her whole body felt stiff and frozen. But her heart won’t stop thundering.

Was this all a mistake? Where were they?

Why had they not ambushed Hoseok yet? She had blindly jumped into the dark after hearing a hopeful voice and—

Hoseok froze before she registered the distant gunshots. Hope flared within her at that. But it was short-lived as Hoseok began to drag her towards the closet.

“No! I will not go with you! I had ENOUGH!”

Her throat was raw with screaming. She did not care that she as hysterical. She finally had the chance to be free, she would take it, no matter what!

“Don’t be foolish, they can never win against me. You are just making things difficult for yourself. Don’t make it worse for you!” He hissed, the veins on his side popping to indicate that despite his low tone, he was boiling inside.

(Y/N) shook her head, attempting to pull away from him. But she was of no match against a trained killer.

“NO! YOU ARE A MONSTER!”

Hoseok’s eyes burned into hers when he glanced back briefly. But he was silent for now, focusing on dragging her with him, not even paying attention to her nails digging into and stretching against his skin. He did not even bat an eye at the blood flowing out. 

She looked at the entrance of the suite expectantly.

Please hurry up!

“No one is going to come here and make it out alive, darling.” 

His voice dripped with venom as he continued to drag her further away from the door. Uncaring if she bumped into things in order to resist.

Despite the fog of fear and uncertainty, she managed to grasp a bottle of wine put in the ‘gift basket’-- one Hoseok was supposed to open at night. Grasping the bottle, she swung it right at the back of his head.

“ARGH! Fuck!” 

His hold loosened immediately, but she did not wait, she jerked away from him, not even turning to look at his staggering form, she made a run for it.

The door as open, thankfully. But she knew that she needed to be careful. She stumbled, realising that she had left the phone in Hoseok’s grasp. Cursing, she kept running forward.

It was now or never. 

The gun shots echoed after slight pauses. 

“Madam! Madam! Why are you outside?”

The fucking dog of his!

Hoseok’s men were loyal to him, and their loyalty was tested by their respect for his wife and the only woman whom he had allowed the reign of his estate– under his watch, of course. 

The man grasped her body, eyes searching for potential injury. 

“Madam we are under attack! A rival group.”

A rival group! Wasn’t the police there?

“I was on my way to warn—”

The shattering of a window beside them had them both ducking for cover.

“Madame! Where is Sir?”

His question did not register for a few moments. The police were supposed to reach here. Who were those people?

“Madame?” The urgency of his voice made her spill out the necessary part.

“He-he’s in the room.”

He frowned, gaze flickering between the wide-open door and the her. But with some twisted miracle, he did not get much of the time to think, the gunshots grew louder and another windows shattered.

“Madame! Listen carefully. Please, run straight and turn right. 3368 is the code to the staircase exclusively used by staff. It’s also an emergency route. When you turn right, you will find a room on the left, beside the elevator. Get into the room, then the closet. Push the shoe rack away and you will find the emergency staircase. Just don't forget to shut it down. Keep running and at the end, you will find a way to the helipad. Our men will reach there with Master Jung.”

He handed her a mastercard to the room before ushering her out, telling her to be fast.

He did not need to tell her. She needed to be quick. She needed to reach there before he found Hoseok. She rushed out of the hallway.

“GET HER!” Her heart leapt to her throat when she heard Hoseok’s yell. 

At least now she knew that she was not a murderer. 

Glancing back, caught a brief glance of her deranged husband rushing towards her with his trusted bodyguard, his one hand clutching his bleeding head. But before they could close the distance, a series of gunshots filled the room, compelling them to duck and take cover while she got the chance to slip out. 

His rivals were there. 

With wobbly feet, she reached the suite room and opened it, not even daring to turn back, only hoping that she had not caught their eye. Locking the door, she quickly rushed to the dimly lit closet. The shoe rack stood with the pretence of being heavy and unmovable, but she could slide it with some effort. 

A short breath of relief escaped her lips at the sight of the locked door to the staircase. Not wasting another moment, she put on the code and opened the heavy door. The sound of nearing gunshots quickened her movement. It would be a matter of minutes before she would be discovered if she delayed any further.

Sliding the shoerack back into place, she shut the door, and it locked immediately.

The staircase reminded her of the escape games she would play in her freetime. It was spiralling, long, lit but void of another soul. She suspected it would be soundproof too– there was no disturbance of gunshots or attacks. Just silence and the echo of her quick steps.

As promised by Hoseok’s bodyguard, the route did take her into an opening that had a helipad near a cliff, overlooking the vast and ranging ocean. 

It was dark, but the helipad was lit.

And yet, there was not a soul in the place. Only the sould of the crashing waves underneath reminded her that she was outside the radar of Hoseok’s rivals.

Her only hope was to find an escape from there. Nearing the cliff, she looked around. There was a ferry station beyond the resort premises. She could see the light clearly. She just had to—

“(Y/N)!”  

Hoseok’s voice thundered as he burst out of another opening, expertly hidden behind a small watertank.

Perhaps it was a quicker escape route.

She watched as he rushed towards her, his gun in his hold and the collar of his shirt bloodied, likely from his own blood. But looking at the blood on his torso, she doubted the theory.

(Y/N)! Come back here now!”

She glanced at the ferry station wistfully.

Even if she tried, she would never reach there. Her way to freedom was so close yet so far. She did not know if the girl was a part of the State Authorities, or had been a spy for the rival all along?

Why would life be so cruel to her? Dangling freedom before her, only to snatch it up just as she touched it?

Looking at a an enraged Hoseok, she knew that she could never go back. He would make her life a living hell. He was not one to forgive easily. And she betrayed him. Hit him when his back was turned, quite literally.

(Y/N).Stop.Now.!” He warned, waving his gun at her, as she continued to back into the edge of the cliff.

He stopped a few feet away from her, cautiously glancing at the her feet. One step back and she would fall. 

“(Y/N), come back. I will forget this night, I promise you.” Hoseok offered, composing himself and tucking his gun away, motioning the guard with him to step back.

But she would not fall for his lies anymore. She had enough.

“NO! I know you never would. You already made my life a living hell!” She cried, letting tears flow freely.

“I gave you everything anyone would ever want!”

“Everything anyone would ever want? What do you know of it? All you have ever known, all you ever did was to snatch, seize and possess! This is not love Jung Hoseok! This is not lo–ve. Its a vile thing!” She burst out

“But I love you, I have always loved you!”

“THEN YOUR LOVE IS VILE! VILE AND ROTTEN LIKE YOU. YOU MADE ME INTO YOUR FUCKING TOY, A PET, BLOODY PET!”

She spat out, with anguish and venom rousing in her blood. Everything was deloslate and hopeless for her now. There was no sign of the police, there was no hope of an escape.

“But it is true. I am vile, (Y/N), the vilest thing from hell but I love you! I will forget about this transgression and—”

Her cold laughter caught him off guard. It was a rare and always cherished sight for him, yet this time, the sound and view of it made him break into cold sweat.

“T–ransg–transgression you say?” 

Her shoulders shook almost vilotently as her neck was thrown back. Her laughter grew louder, but her tears never ceased. 

“Transgression? This?” She hissed and pointed wher forefinger towards herself. 

Her face reflected pure range and anguish. Everything he had ever done, he had snatched away from her flashed before her eyes. And after all that, seeing him in pain, she realised that a part of her was delighted. 

“Do you know what truly transgression is? It is uprooting someone from their life, invading someone’s life and privacy. It is every.Fucking.Thing you did to me!” She snarled, all her suppressed emotions and resentment came flooding in with vengeance.

Hoseok raised his hand and took a slow step forward. One step back and she would be falling into the unforgiving ocean.

“We can start afresh, Love. I will try, we can be better. I am willing to forget everything. But please…” He begged. 

No, he could not afford to lose her. Even if it was wicked and twisted, he did love her. He knew that it was something far beyond ‘love’, something raised from the depths of hell. He would forget her betrayal, he understood where it came from. 

But he was not ready to lose her.

“Please come back to me!”

Come back to my arms, I will be better. 

He would giver more freedom, take her to vacations every other month, maybe even allow her to work– he had many companies under his name, after all. Yes, that would suit both of them.

Hope flared in his eyes as he watched the range on her face soften. But it broke him to watch her expression turn painful. He knew he was the cause of it. A good man would have let her go at this point.

But Hoseok was not a good amn, he had not a single good bone in him, no, he was selfish, wicked, obsessive, smothering. He was everything a woman would run away from. 

She would not fall for his lies.

Jung Hoseok would forget nothing, he would not forgive this betrayal.

He was the python who crushed her soul slowly and painfully. She let out a shuddering breath.

She had almost tasted freedom, she could never go back into her cage without strangling a part of her. She looked back at the ferry station, the lights seemed to mock her. The wind, the ocean, those mountains, the sleeping birds, the chirping crickets and the happy people who might not be able to afford a suite at a luxury resort like Hoseok— they all had one thing she could never have.

And her mother? She wished her mother could forgive her. She wished things were different, she wished she were better.

Oh, she could only do that…wish

She took a shuddering breath and felt cold breath washing over her. There was nothing comforting left. She looked at him through her tears. He took one tentative step forwards.

“(Y/N), come back?”

And she turned around and jumped into the the darkness of the ocean, responding to the crashing waves’ siren calls.

“NO!NO!”

Hoseok’s legs were moving even before he screamed. He could hear the muffled voice of his bodyguard but his eyes were following her.

And he jumped right after.

***

Here is Hoseok's part. Only Namjoon's remain. The last and the longest.

---

killing time

scaramouche x gn!reader | short fic.

warnings: swearing, blood, implied murder attempt and fighting, mentions of death, injuries, weapons

author's note: in this, reader is basically taking signora's place in the battle with the traveler (obviously) except they win. also this is a rly short fic so different format! hope it's fine!!! also x2 yeah more scaramouche sorry my inspo isn't rly there LMFAO

Scaramouche opened the doors to Tenshukaku with panting breaths. His eyes were wide-- Even more when he saw the scene before him.

The Traveler was on the ground, bleeding out. Kujou Sara was passed out elsewhere, and... He'd seen tons of guards on the ground as he ran to the building. There was blood and traces of your elemental energy everywhere he looked-- It was almost suffocating. In the back of the room, the Raiden Shogun sat quietly, watching over the scene-- Waiting for the Traveler to show that they were completely incapable of fighting.

And in the midst of it all, you stood there.

Your head was hanging low, hair slightly covering your eyes-- But not the smile on your lips. There was blood all over your weapon and your clothes. You were breathing heavily, foot slightly pushing the Traveler's weak figure on the floor. They tried their best to even grab their sword back, but it was way out of reach, and you were much stronger than them. From what the boy could tell, you hadn't even used your delusion yet. Despite that, you'd almost completely overpowered them.

"You..." he hissed, gaze sharpening as his fingers tightened around the door's edge.

You slowly looked up, huffing as you turned to look at him.

"Scara." you greeted casually, waving. He stood there, eye twitching as he smiled in frustration. You were even worse than Tartaglia. Goodness fuck. What was the battle even for? He had the Gnosis already. It was like... You were just killing time until you'd have to go back to Snezhnaya. He sighed.

What an annoyingly strong addition to the Harbingers.

---

— ɢᴏᴅꜰᴀʟʟ

✧ notes ; The Tsaritsa, Childe / Foul Legacy, Zhongli, Ei, Venti | Fatui / Villain AU ✧ warnings ; blood, physical violence, eye trauma [ implied ] ✧ taglist ; @ognenniyvolk​

Keep reading

---

— don't follow me

gyeong-su x gn!reader | 682 words

genre: angst, established relationship

warnings: swearing, major character death, blood, zombies and aouad stuff.

synopsis: it hurt to get bitten by a zombie, but not nearly as much as it hurt to see the person you loved most turn into one.

author's note: to all the people who requested for gyeongsu! <3 (on a real note i have less angsty stuff for him alright pls don't be angry)

“If there was a zombie apocalypse and I turned into a zombie,” Gyeongsu started, and you were already sighing and pinching the bridge of your nose, “would you still love me?”

“Are you that stupid?” you asked, slapping his shoulder gently, “Obviously.”

“Aww.” he cooed, then proceeded to fake a judgemental look, “You’d love a zombie. What a fucking idiot. Why am I dating you?”

“If you turned into a zombie I’d go down with you.”

He turned and looked at you with a quizzical look. You stared at him and laughed silently. “I’d die with you. Think 'd want to leave in a world filled with zombies without you? You idiot.”

“Gyeongsu, it’s okay, calm down, just–”

“Get away from me!”

He held the edge of the window, hands shaking and lip trembling on a sob. “I’ll just– I’ll just leave.” he paused to swallow thickly and nod, as if trying to reassure himself. “It’s okay. It’s fine. Thank you for– Thank you for everything.”

Cheongsan stared at him, hands balled into fists at his sides as he tried not to cry. He felt powerless. He couldn’t do a thing to help him. Everyone stood in a corner of the room, most of them crying or tearing up as they watched Gyeongsu struggle to reach the door.

Once he did, he looked up. You’d been standing there, arms crossed and leaning against it, waiting for him to come. He managed to get on his feet and gulped. “[name]--”

“It was really nice spending all this time with you, Gyeongsu-ya.”

“Don’t– Wait. No, don’t. You know that was just… A dumb joke. I just asked as a joke, it was months ago. Okay? Move. I need to leave.”

He looked so desperate for you to move and let him go alone that you almost reconsidered. Maybe this was selfish. Maybe it was selfless. Maybe it was no such thing. But you knew you didn't want to live knowing you'd watched Gyeongsu die and turn into a zombie, without having been able to help him in any way.

“You’ll leave, don’t worry.” you said, smiling. You moved aside to let him open the door and looked at everyone. “Thank you for everything.”

And you walked out. The moment it clicked that you were following Gyeongsu, Cheongsan along with everyone else ran to the door. They tried to stop you but you shut the door and held it tightly shut.

“[name], wait!” “Come back! “What the fuck are you doing? Open the door!”

You closed your eyes tightly and backed up against the door, putting all of your weight on it to prevent your friends from opening it. You didn’t mind, really. You told yourself this was fine. You weren’t lying when you told Gyeongsu you’d die with him. You really preferred it this way. But when you opened your eyes and saw his body contort painfully, blood pouring from his nose and red eyes, you choked on a silent sob. Then you coughed, finding it hard to breathe properly. It was time.

You let go of the door and grabbed his wrist, before running towards somewhere– anywhere. You weren’t far from the staircase, so you went there. You ran down the stairs, and tried to ignore the incoherent noises Gyeongsu was starting to make behind you. How limp his arm felt in your arm, before it started twitching forcefully. You managed to make it to the front of the school before he jumped on you and bit your shoulder. Your hand was still around his wrist, and you managed to move it towards his. Your fingers closed around his lifeless hand and you let your head fall back on the grass. The sky was dark, and it wasn’t very starry. You had tears in your eyes, and everything was blurry, and you laughed. You laughed because none of this made sense, and there wasn’t anything else you could do.

“Gyeongsu.” you said, swallowing thickly, “I really love you.”

And your hands started to twitch. It was the end, but it was okay.

---

“Childe! Give it back!” /// Scaramouche x reader

Thank you to Alyssia or @scaramunch for this headcanon and I do hope the bruise you have get's better darling! Also brought to you by my own scara plushie!

enjoy darlings! <3

༻Scaramouche༺

Cursing yourself for allowing yourself to sleep in and leaving your door open you chased after Tartarglia like your life depended on it, which it didn’t but your pride did. Screaming at him to give the plush he stole from your room back, it would be fine if it looked like a normal plush but no, it resembled the sixth harbinger, Scaramouche. You had a bit of a crush on him and you both exchanged teasing comments and flirts occasionally, never verbally confessing anything. “Childe! If you don’t stop then I swear to Celestia-“ He stopped briefly and turned back to you with a smirk, racing off to the foyer, standing there were a few agents and none other than the balladeer. The reasoning for this plush was simple and embarrassing, but it helped you sleep and it looked cute by your account but now your whole private life was going to be exposed to the one person you never wanted.

“Scara-'' Sighing as he rolled his eyes and dismissed whoever he was talking to, turning to face the ginger. “It is still early so shut up or I’ll shut it for you.” The violet-haired harbinger warned and then saw you running behind the male, throwing you a confused gaze. You couldn’t care less as you jumped and tried to tackle him, climbing his body to try and get back what he stole. Hearing Scaramouche murmur something along the lines of “what the fuck are you both doing?” and looked up to what you were fighting over. “Childe! Y/N! Why are you fighting over something that resembles me?!” Small sparks of electricity cracked off his figure signaling he was done with whatever game we were playing around with.

Childe shrugged you off and proudly smiled, “I don’t know but it looks like a plush of you. I found it in Y/N’s room while she was still sleeping and cuddling with it.” Your face lit up bright red and punched Childe in the arm, adamantly denying it. “You bastard! You snuck into my room and stole it! I found it-“ The balladeer cleared his throat and gathered your attention, wearing a smirk and teasingly gazing at you while holding the plushie version of him. “So it is yours~” At this point, the damage had already been done so you could only hope that he thought it was a joke. “No! It’s not-“ “But if it’s not yours then why did I find you hugging with a smile while you were sleeping. You looked so cute all curled up and being all lovey-dovey with it, I would even go as far as to say you purposely wanted me to find it. Huh, Y/N?”

Now all eyes were on your very flustered expression and the only thought that came to your mind was to run, so you abandoned the plush and ran off in the direction of your room, pleading to the archons that you would make and could just wait it out. “Oh-ho, uh-uh you’re not getting away that easily!” Now the person who you were desperately trying to get away from was chasing you, all it came down to was stamina and who could outrun the other. With the adrenaline coursing through your body you thought you had a pretty good shot, getting tackled just a few feet from your door.

Two hands landed on either side of your head, trapping you against the cold flooring. “You can’t run away now, so tell me why did you have this stupid doll?” His cold violet eyes piercing into yours, averting yours to the side and stammering, desperately trying to come up with an explanation that would get you out of the situation. “I- it’s not stupid. I have it because…” His fingers gripped your chin and turned your face so it was inches away from his, curiosity piqued his interest more than anything.

“What? Cat got your tongue~” Teasing you and eliciting a harsh blush on your cheeks, thinking that you might as well get the hard part over with. “It’s because I love you a lot… and you are so hard to approach. I didn’t know what else I could do, so I did this.” Pouting and looking sideways, not looking at his expression that no doubt had hatred or disgust. “Oh. Is that it?”

Scaramouche huffed and pulled you up, hurrying you into your room and shutting behind you. This was it, he was going to reject you and laugh in your face at how pathetic and stupid it all was, maybe you should’ve just stayed in your room and locked it. To your surprise he pinned you against the wall, “Wha-” Kissing you and effectively shutting you up, you were very confused but returned the kiss happily. His hands cupped your face and tilted your face so he could deepen it, smirking into the kiss.

Eventually tapping his shoulder to signal you couldn’t breathe and breathing in air gratefully, shyly smiling. “Guess Childe isn’t so idiotic after all.” You shook yourself out of the haze you were in and met his gaze, asking for an explanation of what the hell happened. “What? So-” “If you would’ve told me sooner then I wouldn’t have had to chase after you. But I don’t regret this and I get to tell you that I return your feelings.” Smiling at you and pecking your cheek, checking the time and guiding you towards your bed, still unmade and messy from the chase. “We still have some time and you don’t have to use that stupid plushie when you have the real thing.”

---

BTS Reaction || You Get Into An Accident After A Fight [Mafia Edition]

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - February 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

SEOKJIN:

Jin knew that letting you walk out of that door was a mistake this morning, he should have forced you to stay in even though you were mad at him and then none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have found himself rushing to the hospital to make sure his girlfriend was okay and he wouldn't find himself asking some of his men to kill the bastard that had slammed into your car.

"Where is she? Is she okay!?" The colour was completely drained from Jin's face as he stared at Yoongi, one of the most trusted men in his whole family.

"Hyung, she's okay. She's in here," Yoongi pointed to the room behind him but Jin only looked through the small window of the door to look at you and he swallowed the lump in his throat. If it wasn't for him you wouldn't be in this mess right now, instead, you'd be at home where it was safe and you wouldn't look like you'd done about ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

"She's just a little sore from the impact," Yoongi explained, there'd been no broken bones or cracked heads but it still hurt you a lot to get hit by a car. Luckily for you, Yoongi had been following close behind to make sure you were okay after the fight you'd gotten into with Jin. Jin turned around ready to walk away, he wasn't going to be able to face you when he thought all of his was your fault, for now he was going to go home and prep the house for you,

"Okay...Good, I'll go home and make sure-" He was cut short by the sound of a door creaking and padded footsteps on the floor,

"Jin?" Your voice came out frail and shaky making him spin around instantly. You were standing there in a hospital gown shivering a little, he grabbed his jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders not wanting you to get cold.

"What are you doing? You should be in bed." He lightly scolded trying to urge you back into the room but you didn't budge. After your accident all you could think about was Jin and how you didn't want to fight with him anymore, you couldn't even remember what the two of you had fought for,

"I heard you and I wanted t-to see you." You smiled weakly and it looked so wrong, you were supposed to beam with a smile when you saw one another,

"Go back to bed, I'm going home to make sure-"

"Stay...Please," You begged, reaching for his hands and pulling him into the room as he nodded at you, if you wanted the moon Jin would somehow obtain the rights to it and give it to you. You got whatever you wanted when it came to him,

"Sure baby, whatever you want." He whispered, wrapping an arm around your waist and carefully leading you back into the hospital room and helping you into the bed.

YOONGI:

You couldn't remember what happened, all you could remember was getting into an argument with Yoongi and now you were waking up to the smell of bleach and a really annoying beeping sound to the right side of your head making you groan a little.

"I don't care who he is or who his father is, I said kill. him." Yoongi's voice seethed and you squeezed your eyes a little, opening them and looking over in the direction of where his voice had come from. Yoongi sat there in the chair looking as though he hadn't slept in days, his hair was a mess and he was still in the suit he'd worn when you got into a fight.

"Who are you killing?" You coughed out, making him jump a little.

"The doctor said you'd be out a little longer, I need to call-" He went to reach for the nurse button but you stopped him and shook your head.

"Don't, I wanna sit with you a little longer. No doctors." You whined, attempting to sit up but hissing when your left hand caused you pain. 

"It's broken," Yoongi explained, as he hooked his hands under your armpits and carefully helped you sit up in the bed, you stared at him and smiled sadly.

"You want to sit in bed with me?" You made room on the bed but Yoongi shook his head at you, 

"I shouldn't, they said you need to rest." You were a little taken aback by it, Yoongi never listened to anyone when they told him what to do and why should he? He was one of the most powerful men in Seoul,

"Since when did the great Min Yoongi ever listen to anyone else?" You teased a little but Yoongi shook his head at you,

"Since he saw how broken you looked when he got here,"

"I'm fine. Please? I just...I need you to hold me." You pleaded with him and you could see the cogs working inside of his brain before he nodded and carefully got onto the bed with you.

"I hired the best of the best, I also found the scumbag that jumped you," Yoongi explained as you rested your head on his shoulder, half listening to him and half trying not to fall asleep on him.

"His dad is some politician but I don't care. It doesn't give him the right to just-" Yoongi's voice trailed off when he heard soft snoring coming from you and he chuckled a little, kissing the top of your head.

"Goodnight, angel." He whispered before reaching for his phone to make sure everything was being taken care of.

HOSEOK:

"I don't care who you think you are, that's my girlfriend and if you try and stop me again, I'll have you killed!" Hoseok yelled at the police officer who was stopping him from coming onto the scene, your heart thumped as you looked at him. When Hoseok had gotten your call he dropped everything and came speeding to where you said you'd been,

"Hobi!" You yelled before rushing away from the paramedic who'd been making sure you were okay for what felt like an hour now. As soon as the accident happened you called Hoseok, you didn't tell him anything you just told him where you were before hanging up the phone. You'd been so scared and he was the only person you thought about after the car had crashed, it didn't matter that the two of you were fighting all you cared about was seeing him again.

"Where did you go? You said you were going to your sisters but she said you never showed up and then I called around and-" He stopped when he saw the cut above your eye and that your lip was busted up pretty badly.

"I was on my way when the taxi I was in-" You didn't even know what happened, one second you were on the road and the next you were on your side and the car was smashed to bits.

"Was it the driver's fault?" He was seething with anger, ready to kill anyone that had somehow been the cause of the accident but you whimpered,

"No, someone ran a red." You explained, grabbing onto your boyfriend's shirt to stop him from going after the old man who had been driving the taxi. Hoseok's eyes softened as he looked down at you, his anger melting away once he saw that you were okay for the most part,

"I'm clear, can you take me home?" You questioned, looking over at the ambulance team who had cleared you a while ago now,

"Home? Our Home or-"

"Our Home, I don't care about our fight anymore." You whispered, linking your hand with his and pulling him toward the direction of the crowd of people that had gathered after the accident had happened.

NAMJOON:

"She's got two broken ribs, and a broken leg and she'll be in and out of sleep for a while," Someone explained as you groaned a little, opening your eyes and looking over the room you were in. Everything was white and smelt of bleach and you sighed a little, you knew you must have been in a hospital and after the way you'd flown down the staircase you knew whoever the doctor was talking about was you.

"How long until I can take her home?" Namjoon? Namjoon was here? You thought for sure he would have left you to rot after the way you'd been screaming at him during your fight.

The two of you had gotten into a huge argument about god knows what now, it didn't matter anymore, but you'd just started a screaming match with him letting all of your anger out on him and he just stood there and took it.

"I'd say after tonight, we want to monitor her a little while longer and then she's all yours Mr Kim. I'll have a nurse bring by a cot for you," The door shut and you stared at Namjoon who was making his way back over to you with a small smile on his face.

"Hey, I ordered food but if you're not hungry I can get you something warm to drink." He whispered as he sat on the chair beside your bed and carefully took your hand in his.

"You're staying?" You whispered in shock, you thought for sure he would have left after the doctor did.

"Where else would I go, baby?" There was a small chuckle behind his voice and tears welled up in your eyes at the thought of him staying after everything that had happened.

"But I was awful...I-I screamed at you, and I yelled and I just-"

"Baby, I almost lost you after you walked off. You think one silly little fight is going to push me away?" He scoffed at you, he wouldn't have gotten where he was in life now if he walked away at the first sign of trouble.

"I don't know." You whispered as he squeezed your hand a little,

"You'll have to do a lot more than scream at me to make me walk away, love. I love you." He whispered, placing a small and gentle kiss on our hand.

"I love you too," You whispered back, your eyes getting heavier the longer you kept them open before you finally fell back to sleep holding Namjoon's hand.

JIMIN:

When Jimin got a call from your personal bodyguard saying you'd been in an accident he flew to the scene. He didn't care that the two of you were in a fight and that you hadn't spoken to him in a few days he was coming to see that you were okay since your guard - Koyla - hadn't given him much information on what happened.

  "Jimin," You shivered, your teeth chattering as you sat inside of the ambulance. They'd wrapped you in a silver blanket and were trying to naturally bring your temperature back up to normal before they took you into the hospital.

"What happened? Did you fall into the lake?" He questioned as he stared down at you, his hands resting on your cheeks and you cuddled into his touch missing the way he held you. 

"Someone pushed me, I wasn't looking and all of a sudden I was in the water." Which wasn't good since it was the middle of winter and below-freezing outside, Jimin instantly began spouting out orders to his men who were with him to find out who had done this and to bring them directly to him and the paramedics looked worried as they added another blanket to you.

"How did you find me?" Your phone was trashed after being thrown into the water and you hadn't told the paramedics your name yet so you doubt they'd been the ones to call you.

"Your guard told me you'd gotten into an accident," You both turned to face Koyla who stared at anything but the two of you, he'd been wanting the two of you to make up for a while now and now it was finally happening but you had no idea he was with you since he'd been the reason for your fight with Jimin in the first place. You'd told him you didn't need a guard to babysit you all of the time but it turned out you might have been wrong since if it wasn't for Koyla you probably would have been freezing at the side of the road.

"You were right...I-I do need him," You shivered before Jimin wrapped himself around you, he didn't care about that right now all he cared about was making sure you were okay.

"Let's go to the hospital and get you sorted," He whispered as the paramedics rushed to the front of the ambulance putting on the siren despite there being no emergency rush.

TAEHYUNG:

After Taehyung had stood you up on yet another date you'd walked home in the dark, declining the need for his chauffeured car that had been sent for you and heading to your friend's place. Only that had proven to be a massive mistake when you'd gotten hit by a car that had swerved onto the road.

"Where is she?!" Taehyung's voice carried over the mass of reporters and police that were on the scene and you cringed a little, you knew if Taehyung found out about the driver he'd end up having him killed which was why you'd neglected to call him.

"Yn? What happened?" You ignored him and turned to look down at your arm which was covered in tiny cuts and scrapes from where you'd hit the floor.

"Nothing, I'm fine," You grumbled at him, still pissed he'd stood you up on your date and started a fight with you over the phone about it.

"What happened?" Taehyung turned his attention to the paramedic who was cleaning up the cuts on your arms,

"A car hit her on the path, but he's been arrested already but another ambulance has taken him to the hospital." The paramedic's voice shook meaning he knew who Taehyung was and who didn't? He was huge in Seoul which meant everyone who was watching the scene was waiting for Taehyung to do something out of pocket which was what he was known for.

"I'll take care of him my own way." He grumbled but you grabbed onto his wrist before he could move away from you and you glared up at him.

"He's old, you won't touch him. It was an accident, he had a fucking heart attack at the wheel." You explained watching as Taehyung's mood changed and he slowly nodded his head.

"You'll take me home, you'll make it up to me for standing me up and yelling at me over the phone and we will go to bed." You told him plainly as he nodded once again, there was only one person in the world who told him what to do and it was you. No one else had the right or they'd more than likely get shot in the face for trying.

"Okay baby, I'll get the car." He whispered before kissing you softly and rushing off to grab his car.

JUNGKOOK:

It had been a week of radio silence from you, a week of Jungkook having no idea where you were or if you were okay and he'd finally found you in a hospital in a completely different city. The hospital had no idea who you were, only that you were a mugging victim who had been badly injured after a stabbing.

"She'll be okay, she's been in and out of it lately but not enough to tell us who she is." The doctor explained as Jungkook took in the sight of you, his heart breaking as he made his way closer to you. If it wasn't for him you wouldn't be in this mess right now but the two of you had gotten into an argument over him working too much and you'd walked out. You'd not taken your phone and you just went without explanation.

"Thanks, I'll sit with her if you don't mind." He told the doctor before sitting own and taking your hand in his softly.

"Fuck, this is my fault. If I'd just listened instead of yelling," He groaned to you, mumbling away to himself as he continued to beat himself up for letting this happen to you.

"You know, I dreamt this was going to happen, only you were dressed in a hot dog costume," Your voice was like music to his ears as he lifted his head to see you staring at him.

"Should I go and buy a costume? I'm sure I can make the dream happen." He teased as he rang for the nurse to come in.

"Nah, this is way better." Your voice was groggy from being out for so long but you squeezed Jungkook's hand and stared at him, tears rushing to your eyes.

"Please don't leave me...I'm sorry we fought,"

"Don't, it's my fault. I'm sorry," He whined out before kissing away the tears that were now free-falling down your face.

@chiisaiblog @sw33tnight @kaitieskidmore97 @laylasbunbunny @tinyoonsblog @whitefoxgirl @katnisspeetaprim @acciocriativity @choisoorin @heyjiminnie @btsiguess-kpop @halesandy @gothic4under4lord @soulphoenix1618 @aerastus @jin-from-the-block @lenfilms @elizaschuyler18 @piratequeen-impact @Namgiswifey @delulu18 @xyahrinx @katsukis1wife @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan @blairscott @4-chan-inpadella @swga-ficrecs @niktwazny303 @armystay89 @myyouthdonut @xakx @kittymaryam-thebrowniefairy @kpopmenace143 @loveforred @b1nn1e-1s-cut3 @elissasimp

---

— don’t care just missed you

cheong-san x gn!reader | 3.4k words

genre: horror, angst, comfort, then fluff

warnings: swearing, canon-divergence, blood, injury (eye injury), implied cannibalism (technically, he’s half human and half zombie), mentions of death, suicidal ideation, and anxiety. aouad stuff basically.

synopsis: being a shut-in introvert with no interest in spending time with people or going outside was something people weren’t exactly fond of. it turned out to be the best thing in your life when a virus broke out in the school near your house. OR you love cheongsan and don’t care that he barges into your house with a zombie bite on his arm.

a/n: so i just finished all of us are dead and. i’m upset LMFAO i know i said i was taking a break but the end with cheongsan’s implied death(?) made me so upset i wanted to write for him also i. cant find gifs for him

The living room was dark. As was the rest of the world. Or well, maybe saying the world in its entirety would be an exaggeration. The world was dark for the people of Hyosan.

You stared at your laptop screen— the only source of light in your house, currently—, clicking your tongue rhythmically as you stared at your wallpaper. On your toolbar, several old internet browser tabs were open. Social medias and such, platforms with information on what was going on. All refreshed and now gone.

The word was everywhere: zombies. A zombie apocalypse that had started spreading so fast one could compare the city’s situation to the famous movie Train to Busan. Before you could get any more useful information, networks had shut down entirely.

Of course. A classic move. “So misinformation won’t spread” was what the higher-ups of the military had told on TV. But you knew what this meant. Cutting off communications was dangerous, even more so in a city that slowly started to break down under the pressure of some unknown virus that turned people into literal zombies. Not only that, but their means of stopping the spreading of misinformation meant that they stopped the spreading of information in general. Without being in direct contact with what was going on… You couldn’t know anything.

Like, genuinely.

You lived in a small, humble house lodged in the middle of the forest. Your parents owned it and were always on trips. They’d told you you could live there if you wanted since they were almost never home, saying that the house was supposed to be yours when you’d be an adult, but that it worked either way. You’d taken up on the offer with joy, around the end of middle school. No one but your family and close friends knew you lived there. Needless to day you were a bit cut off from everyone else. You liked being alone, and having an entire house (even if a bit small) to yourself. It was nice.

You’d dropped out of school mid-year, leaving your close friends surprised and pleading you to stay. But you’d told yourself that social life wasn’t really for you, and much less the restrictions of the educational system when you were forced to attend school five days out of seven in a week. So you’d shut yourself in your house. You were fine with it, really. You liked it more than going out every other day. You had food stored for months, and you weren’t that far from the city. So if you needed more you could just go to the nearest road, take a taxi, and take a trip to the grocery store to stock up. So you were fine.

Nevertheless, it seemed people naturally craved for the presence of other people. Recently, watching slice-of-life animes during your breaks from homeschool had got you craving for the thrill of a typical “normal teenage life”. And you missed your friends. You wanted to run out school laughing with them, you wanted to go out for ice-cream on sunny, hot days. You wanted to pass notes with them during classes and get detention afterwards. You wanted to buy stuff at the vending machine as you spoke with your classmates.

But you’d chosen the life of someone who stayed inside.

And this choice had turned out to be the best one you’d made in your life when the news of a virus outbreak in your city, and in your former high school especially, had broke out. You were happy. Gleeful, really. You’d just escaped what could’ve been hell on Earth, while simply sitting peacefully at home. And with the ongoing crisis, you’d be excused for any homework and assignments you’d miss. So this was fine. It was even good!

Until you’d look away from your laptop screen and face reality again. You’d swallow thickly, frowning. The old name tag on your desk was something that usually brought you comfort, yet lately it did nothing but worry you.

Lee Cheongsan.

If the school was the epicenter of the virus, then he was in danger. Who knows, maybe he’d even turned already. The thought of your best friend… No, the person you loved turning into a zombie was unpleasant, to say the least. So much that every time it crossed your mind, you had to fight the impulsive urge to run out of your house and to the school. You didn’t live far from the school, so it would be fine. But still. It was careless and impulsive, so you always refrained.

But you were scared. And you missed him.

You missed the texts he would send you saying your empty seat in class made his heart ache in a dramatic way, before insulting you for saying he was dramatic. You missed his smile when you’d open the door every time he’d come to see you. You missed his hugs. The way he held your hand when you were anxious. You missed your childhood days with him, you missed the teenage ones that you’d barely had the chance to experience. You missed going to his family’s restaurant when he managed to get you to leave the house. You missed studying with him. You missed taking pictures with him that he’d purposefully try to make blurry. You missed him.

And after several days of zoning out entirely, loud knocking brought you out of that daze you were in. You were scared shitless, to say the least. Just a while ago you’d heard announcements about explosions that would happen around the city, and in the school in particular. You’d sat there, unmoving as the image of Cheongsan and your friends drenched in blood and dead on the ground plagued your anxious mind. You didn’t want to leave for the safe-place the military kept talking about. When they’d come to your house, you’d grabbed every belonging you’d used recently and ran straight to the basement, hiding there and staying as quiet as possible in hopes that they’d deem this house abandoned. Your safe place was obviously your house. So you would stay. You were almost certain the explosions wouldn’t reach it. And even if they did, so what?

You didn’t really… feel like living that much anymore. While you knew Cheongsan was someone who was strong and smart, you were still almost certain he could be dead. And you loved him. And he loved you. You both knew. So why would you want to live if the one you loved was dead?

The point was that irritatingly loud knocking brought you out of that train of thoughts. You picked up the knife on your table and carefully walked over to the door.

The military again? Maybe this time you should answer, you thought. But you couldn’t be sure. And you didn’t have a view on who was outside. You had to at least walk over there and—

“[name]!” a familiar voice yelled outside. And you froze, and dropped the knife. Because what else could you do? — “It’s me. It’s Cheongsan. Are you there?”

Then you ran and opened the door.

There he was. He looked exhausted. His features were painted with red, and one of his eyes was… weirdly bloody. The veins around it were prominent and visible, almost zombie-like. He was panting, a hand holding the side of your doorframe. You noticed that, besides the blood all over his clothes, a part of his sleeve was torn— Like someone, or something, had bit his arm.

You grabbed his collar and yanked him inside your house. You closed the door and locked it back to the way it was before, before turning around abruptly. “Cheongsan.”

“I’m… I can’t stay here.” he said, before opening his mouth but hesitating. He took a deep breath. “I was bitten by… Someone who’s kind of a zombie. But not really. I think I’ll turn soon.”

Then why did you come? you thought. You didn’t care. You didn’t care if he would turn while locked in the same room as you. Honestly, you’d prefer it if he turned with you around. So you could die together. But Cheongsan cared. He would never want to put you in this kind of danger. So why was he here?

Oh. You understood.

“I just wanted to say goodbye.” he said, and you knew. You felt your throat burn and noticed with how much difficulty he gulped. His eye was red, like he wanted to cry. You both wanted to cry. He didn’t wanna say goodbye. You wouldn’t let him say goodbye.

Before you could say anything, he grabbed the sides of your arms and pulled you towards him. He planted his lips on yours in a short, desperate kiss. You wanted it to last, you wanted it to last so long you’d die. You didn’t want him to speak. You didn’t want him to say that he was sorry and he should leave. You didn’t want him to say he loved you like it was the last time he’d be able to. But he pulled away and looked at you, sad.

“I should leave. I’m sorry. I love you.”

It was Cheongsan. Of course he’d say it. You grabbed his wrist and held it tight. It was warm, his skin. Not much like a zombie, much more like him. You’d missed the feel of it. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

He looked away.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m leaving, now.”

“No, you’re not.”

You suddenly moved towards the living room, pulling him along, before pulling him in front of you and holding him in place. “You’re not leaving this damn place, Lee Cheongsan.”

“No, I have to. [name], I’m gonna turn—”

“Does it look like I give a fuck? Look me in my eye and tell me if it looks like I fucking care, Cheongsan.” you said sternly, before coughing out a bitter laugh. “I’m selfish, so you’re staying. I haven’t seen you in way too long. I spent hours worrying about wether or not you were alive. Now that I know you are, I’ll spend all the time we have left with you. Zombie or not. You’re staying here.”

He must’ve felt there was no point in arguing, because he frowned, then sighed, and lowered his arms. He bit his lip and slowly nodded. There were tears at the corner of his eye. You glanced at the injured one and instinctively moved your gaze away.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Kind of.”

You couldn’t help how upset your expression was in this moment. You didn’t like seeing him in pain. You were certain he’d gone through far worse pains during the time you weren’t in contact but it still made you worry. His hands twitched at his sides.

“I’m gonna turn.” he said quietly. You nodded, only bringing him closer. You wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Yeah.”

“I might kill you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I don’t want to kill you.”

“Then you won’t.”

You weren’t pretending. You weren’t scared. You’d sort of given up on the idea of being scared of zombies, at this point. People themselves could be considered scarier, anyway. And this was the person closest to you. The person you’d put above everyone else. This was Lee Cheongsan. And maybe it was wishful thinking, but you strongly believed he wouldn’t hurt you. Or that at least, he wouldn’t kill you. You didn’t know how the virus worked, considering how little information you had access to, but if there was a way for him not to turn completely, it would happen. After all, he hadn’t told you he was bitten by an actual zombie. From what he said, it seemed like your theory was plausible, and that the boy could very well stay at least half human.

You felt his muscles twitch under your embrace, his back stretching and him wincing. His jaw was tense, as was every muscle in his body. He groaned in pain and you felt his hands grab the hem of your shirt and tighten around the fabric. He wanted to get away from you— You wouldn’t let him. His body contorted to the best of its ability while stuck in your arms, before falling completely limp against your hold. You lost balance due to the sudden shift in weight and fell on the floor with a yell.

It hurt your head and for a moment your attention was elsewhere, as you winced in pain. You huffed and looked up. The ceiling. Then you looked down. Under your chin, Cheongsan’s head. And… All over you… Well, Cheongsan. He was completely unmoving. His chest was on yours, yet you couldn’t feel his heartbeat. Your fingers touched the side of his neck.

His pulse was there. It was faint, but it was there. That was odd. From what you’d understood, the zombies invading your city were basically dead and the virus was what kept them on their feet. So why… Was he alive?

You stayed like this for a while. Maybe it was a minute, maybe ten. You couldn’t be sure, you’d kind of zoned out. But eventually, you felt him move. He groaned in pain, and then slowly pushed himself off the floor— and, well, you. He was breathing heavily. He was breathing. He looked down at you like he was confused. Otherwise… He looked perfectly fine.

“…[name].”

You didn’t reply. You didn’t need to. He was Cheongsan. There was no doubting it. He wasn’t some undead human-turned-zombie. He wasn’t like the ones you’d seen running in the forest while staring out the window before. He was Cheongsan, with the same gaze you knew.

Except he looked …Hungry. He gulped and panted a little.

“I really want to bite you.”

“Are you certain you haven’t seen anyone walk around there? Someone who looks human? There’s a group of zombies with… Human behavior. We’re looking for them.”

You sighed and leaned against your doorframe. “Listen, Officer. As it happens, I don’t spend my days staring out the window to check if zombies are crawling around. That’s your fucking job to do, not mine. I have studying to do, actually. Exams are coming up. And this is the third time you ask me. Could you tell your team to leave me the fuck alone when you go back? Thanks.”

The cop hesitated before closing his mouth and nodding. “Sorry. Thank you. Have a good day. And if you decide you want to come to the camp, you can contact us—”

“You as well!”

You closed the door with a slam and locked it (out of habit) before heaving a sigh. You were really annoyed, quite frankly. You did have to study, that was right. Since it had been a few months since the explosions in Hyosan, it was not surprising that you’d eventually received an email telling you school had resumed. So the incessant visits from police officers and the military weren’t exactly ideal. It seemed living in a remote area near a place that was literally bombed down, and not having done any effort to leave it or go to the safe zone was considered a bit odd, if not straight-up suspicious. It was understandable, if you were honest. But it didn’t make it any less irritating.

“It’s like you get less and less polite each time they come to ask you questions.” someone said behind you. You sighed and turned around, walking over to your desk and sitting down on the chair.

“Well, obviously.” you exhaled, stretching your arms in front of you. “I’m not exactly free.”

You looked over your shoulder to see Cheongsan leaning on the wall next to the hallway and smiling. You grinned and spun in your chair. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy.”

“You’re an idiot.”

You turned back to your desk with a smile as Cheongsan cursed back at you. You heard him laugh and walk over to you, before wrapping his arms around your neck. He set his chin on top of your head and sighed in content.

“I’m gonna go out tonight. Namra told me the fixed dates for “that” were on the last fridays of each month.” he said quietly. You moved your head up right as he did and stared up at him, smiling. You pet the side of his face and he leaned into your palm, a gentle smile on his lips.

“Okay. Take care when you go out.” you said. He nodded.

“I will.”

You stared at him. He was pretty. He was happy. He was better, now. His wounds had healed, and he looked healthier and more well-rested. You stared at him long, and long enough for you to frown. You spun around in your chair to face him and extended your hand towards him. He instinctively leaned down towards you.

You fixed his eyepatch and tutted, shaking your head. “You look like Kaneki Ken, like this.”

He laughed and tilted his head. “Really? I must look pretty cool, then.”

“Yeah.” you sighed, scoffing a little as you leaned back on your chair. “You look like an idiot who selflessly puts others before himself and somehow pulls off cool shit without getting killed. You are pretty similar.”

He lightly hit your arm and laughed, while you smiled. You also have to eat the way he does, is something you both thought but didn’t say. Turns out, he never did bite you. He said he wanted to when he turned, but never did. He always managed not to. Even when you told him it was fine, that you didn’t mind if it helped him stay alive. But he never did. And eventually, he found alternatives— Thanks to Namra, partially. So it was okay.

Now you lived a life as odd as anyone else’s after this crisis. You lived in your remote little house in the forest, hiding your boyfriend-turned-half-zombie while studying for university entrance exams online. Things were weird, but things were good. You preferred them that way. During the past few months, Cheongsan had told you all about what happened at the school. He’d told you about how he wanted to text you the moment everything went down but he was in the cafeteria and his phone wasn’t with him. He told you about everytime he almost died, and every time one of your friends did. He told you he saw him mom. He told you about Onjo’s dad. He told you why he was injured. He told you, because he needed to tell you. He told you because he needed you to know the reason he wanted to cry. And he cried, and so did you. It felt as painful as it felt relieving. Now you knew about what had went down, but you also knew about the deaths of people you loved and cared about. That was a harsh and cold reality that made you cry despite your preparation for it. Nothing could make you emotionless enough not to react to that. Maybe that was a good thing, but it hurt.

During all that time, you got him new clothes. The bloody uniform was getting a little old. Despite the memories it held, he refused to throw it away. You understood. Maybe it was because it held that many memories that he wanted to keep it. So it sat quietly in the middle of his clothes.

He got an eyepatch, too, to cover the scar. He kept going on about how cool he looked and you’d always insult him in return. He couldn’t even put it right, this idiot. It got you smiling.

You and Cheongsan had always loved each other. He’d finally told you when your last day at school came around, giving you his nametag as he cleared his throat and tried to confess. So you gave him yours and only grinned as you left the school. You texted a lot before everything happened. You’d only then realized how lonely you felt without his texts and calls. Your friend texted you too, before. But… Things happened.

Cheongsan asked you out, too. You thought it was dumb, and that you two were practically already dating at this point, anyway. He insisted. So you said yes. It was nice to think about. Cheongsan’s my boyfriend, you’d think, then smile like an idiot. It wasn’t so bad to make it official.

Cheongsan was alright, and so were you. That was all that mattered. Things were okay.

---

Oooh, fluff you say 👀👀 I think I have one fluffy scenario if you don't mind it hehehe 💚 how about some hcs with scara, childe, albedo, zhongli and xiao (i love this men sm 😭😭💕) when they overheard their crush gushing to others about how amazing they are? 🤭 thank you so much and please take care 💚💚💚

- 🐦 anon

— ❛ 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇'𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 ! ♡

pairing. . . . . . scaramouche, childe, albedo, zhongli, xiao x gn! reader.

warnings. . . . a bit manipulative scaramouche (forgive meee i can't see him any other way but he loves you i swear)

genre. . . . . . . fluff.

notes. . . . . . . i hope you like this!! <3 please take care you too, is always nice seeing your requests jsjsj.

⩩ SCARAMOUCHE

when luckily he hears you say all those things about him, he literally stops to listen to everything you think of him. this boy will hide somewhere where you don't see him but he can hear you perfectly, and at the same time he'll act totally disinterested.

the only thing that scara thinks now is… “i'll use everything you say in my favor. yeah, i'll gain your trust more easily. you'll be in my hands in no time, y/n.”

oh, do you say you like the way he occasionally looks at you from afar? well then, his eyes will be following your figure almost whenever he has the chance. he'll even give you a smug smile, just for you, capable of accelerate your heart beats with a single grin. oh man, this little brat knows very well what he is doing.

do you like the way he expresses himself, or when he starts teasing his comrades for his own amusement? he will do it again, but making sure that you are in front of the scene.

and when you talk with him, expect a lot, lot of teasing on his part as well. you speak wonders of him, that just means you're crazy about him, aren't you? that's what his narcissism says at least.

if you want him to be softer with you, he will be. scara will act like a good boy, but only with you. his true intentions will remain hidden, but the longer he keeps them inside, the higher his desire to corrupt you is.

he wants you so, so bad. and this situation has only caused him to want you to himself even more.

⩩ CHILDE

he'll be at first like... “wait, who is y/n talking about? do i have competition?” but when his name comes out from your lips, he opened his eyes in surprise. man couldn't be happier.

don't doubt that childe will show himself in the middle of your passionate talk about him. has nothing in mind, just let you know that he has heard it all. to tease a little bit.

“did y'all hear that? y/n is talking about me!” he'll say without any shame, impossible for him hide his pride.

then, ignoring the presence of other people in front of you both, he'll address only you. “i didn't know you thought all that about me. you shouldn't keep those things to yourself, you know?” childe's voice is now softer. he's being serious about that. you're his soft spot, can't help it!

that only makes you blush. he really caught you at the worst time. you don't usually talk about him, and just now that you're dedicating the best words to this boy, he appears!

but that gave childe a great boost of motivation. your words were worth more than anyone else's, sometimes more than his own.

so next time, say it directly to him. you don't know the impact you have on him, positively speaking, of course. a praise from you, and childe can find himself smiling for the rest of the day.

⩩ ALBEDO

oh, so are you talking about albedo? what a coincidence that he just unintentionally overheard it all.

a mix of various emotions disconcert this boy, he's quite confused by how he really feels about your words.

shame, joy, satisfaction... although all this was expressed with a small smile, while pretending to do something else and that he wasn't listening.

what you were saying was much more interesting to him. hence from time to time he could find himself static, simply using his sense of hearing. when he realizes it, he shakes his head to focus again and get on with his stuff.

he doesn't plan to tell you anything about what he heard. at least not if it's not necessary, but he may drop little clues during your talk, to make you think a bit or leave you wondering if he really caught you talking about him or not.

“if you want, you can come and do some research with me. i think you could be of help to me in the future, also... i'm pretty sure you are quite interested in the way i work, correct?”

so he can spend more time with you and enjoy your company. you don't know, but he's thanking all the archons for having heard everything you said about him. now he's more confident while having you around. so just stay by his side, alright?

⩩ ZHONGLI

zhongli heard everything he had to heard. a smile appeared on his face as he watched you silently, just paying attention to your words as the other sounds around him became secondary.

then one of the people accompanying you whispered something in your ear, and you immediately turned around, making eye contact with zhongli for a few seconds, before turning back flustered and flushed.

the man chuckled, also somewhat blushed and left without saying a word. maybe if he wasn't there anymore, you'd calm down faster, or so he thought.

but no way zhongli's gonna leave that matter unfinished! he also has several things to tell you and will find some time to invite you to go somewhere — he won't care too much which place, he just wants to enjoy your presence alone.

“you always manage to pleasantly surprise me when i least expect it. maybe i should start doing the same with you...”

expect a lot of nice words from this man, and all of course, 100% honest from his point of view. you are perfect to him and the fact that you think so highly of him as well will only make him want to declare his love for you a lot sooner than expected. he can't wait to tell you his feelings and show you the affection you deserve.

⩩ XIAO

xiao will disappear as soon as he realizes that you are talking about him. i mean, you're not even going to have time to know that he has heard everything.

xiao will be so embarrassed and will think TOO MUCH about what you said. do you really think that of me? how can you see all that in someone like... me?

the next time you make eye contact, he will blush and look away as fast as he can, releasing a slight “tsk”, and mentally scolding himself. “i should stop looking at you. why can't i? control yourself, damn it. it was just a few simple words.”

as much as he tries to downplay it, those 'simple words' of yours hit differently for him. the only thing he can feel is helplessness for not being able to do anything about it.

it's possible that he won't speak to you in a while and you have to be the one who speaks to him first. the only thing he will say to you is “call my name if you ever need me.”

nothing out of the ordinary, he doesn't want you to know that you have such a great effect on him. he'd feel so vulnerable in your presence if you knew how he feels about you.

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