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stainandscribble · 1 year

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Our Love is a Tempest

Pairing: Junmyeon X OC(female)

Genre: Junmyeon God AU; Soulmate AU; angst; fluff; one shot; junmyeon-centric?

Summary: Junmyeon was the God of the Sea, in charge of water, the god of storms and earthquakes. He was prone to anger, like the rest of his creed, and he could be cruel too, but Junmyeon was also a Guardian, who protected his brothers, who knew love towards his family. He also knew guilt, and maybe it was a mortal who would teach him forgiveness and moving on. Fate could be cruel, he knew that, but he would also learn that fate could be kind.

Warning: Mentions of death/drowning (OC is a mortician/undertaker)

A/N: This is inspired in part by Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. In the same universe as HONEY (EXO Yixing) and Flower (SVT Wonwoo). It had been a while, but I’m back! :) Let me know if you want a part 2

Word Count: 13.8k

Aeons had passed since Junmyeon and his ten brothers came into being. Their predecessors were ancient Gods, jealous, violent and unforgiving. On Earth, they had been named the Titans by the ancient Greeks, and that was as close to the truth as they got. Yixing never revealed the full truth of their reign and their demise to his poets and his oracles. As the God of Oracles and the Arts he was tasked with keeping Junmyeon and the rest a mystery so that the full extent of their powers remained unknown. They never wanted to be worshipped, not the way the Titans had been, with blood and violence and fear in the hearts of mortals. Gods were often cruel, but they were not evil. Humans had named him Poseidon, Neptune, Morskoi, Aegir. All false names, ones they could comprehend and understand. His brothers hailed him Suho, The Guardian, one who watched over them and protected them. He was the strongest God among the eleven, but the mortals didn’t know that, and they would never find out.

It had been centuries since Junmyeon stepped onto Earth or muddled personally in human affairs, and he wished his brothers would follow suit. Fate, it seemed, had different plans for them. Gods needed love, the Fates had told him as they tied knots into the golden thread of life that belonged to Jongdae, the God of Thunder. His brother, although smaller in stature than some of the others, was quick to anger like the rest of them. Gods took time to learn, and it was time that Jongdae learned what love was.

Junmyeon remembered coming from the Sea to Olympus, to find the sky black and loud, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed above him. He could feel Jongdae’s fury, one that was unrivalled by any other God. He felt the same fury in his heart. How dare the Fates choose for them, how dare they tie their life lines as if they were mortal?

The three Fates had called them to Olympus as witnesses.

“Gods take time to learn.” The youngest of the three had spoken, looking directly into Junmyeon’s dark eyes, filled with fury, deep like the oceans over which he resided.

“Learn to love.” The middle Fate spoke, her gentle motherly hand grasped Jongdae’s. In slow motion, Junmyeon watched his brother fall to his knees, the King of the Sky reduced to a kneeling terrified man. Junmyeon would never forget the look in Jongdae’s eyes, the terror that fell over him and silenced the sky and quietened the rage was etched into his memory forever.

“Your time has started.” The oldest crone had croaked out, her hands pulling the knot tight, so that it would never be undone.

That was how their fate was sealed, starting with their most volatile brother.

Now, hundreds of years later, he was handing a golden ring, almost the same he had given Jongdae, to Yixing. His brothers watched, surprise filled their gazes as Yixing curled his hand around the little golden band, forged down below in the depths of the Sea. Yixing had learned too. Warmth had replaced rage, and the sun shone a little brighter over Olympus. None of his brothers could tell, but Junmyeon felt lighter, as if a weight lifted off his shoulders, as if he could breathe a little more air. His brother was happy, and Junmyeon could never fault him for that.

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Olympus was a fortress built of white marble, a castle hidden from mortal eyes within the clouds, often shrouded in storms. Above it the vastness of the universe spread into infinities as an intricate dance of light and colour, a composition more beautiful than anything on earth, incomprehensible even to the Gods that called Olympus their home.

Baekhyun and Jongdae stood on top of the fortress walls, gazing at the sky as it turned dark with nightfall. Although Jongdae saw nothing but the sky, he waited patiently for his brother. Baekhyun was entranced, unable to keep his eyes away from whatever scenario he was currently witnessing in his mind. The God of Love often stood gazing at nothing, his presence far away from his form, looking down at the fates of mortals, overseeing falling in love as was his duty.

“Who do you see?” Jongdae asked, leaning against the white marble edge as his eyes scanned the sky, watching as moonlight broke through the thick blankets of clouds that surrounded them. His fingers played with his wedding ring, the one that Junmyeon gave to him when he received their blessing and married his wife.

“Junmyeon.” Baekhyun’s voice was a whisper, but it was loud enough for Jongdae to hear and the name had sent a chill up his spine. He recognised that feeling as fear. His hands ceased their motions and he turned to look at the God of Love.

“What?” Jongdae’s eyes were filled with fear, the same fear that Junmyeon had witnessed in his own centuries ago, when the Fates had made them all watch as they tied knots in the golden string of his fate.

“Junmyeon will learn.” Baekhyun spoke, his voice sure now, steady. His gaze had locked with his brother’s and when their dark eyes met, thunder began raging on Olympus, the same kind that raged during the first Tying.

“He will love a mortal? Give up his rage?” The God of Thunder and Lightning had seemed unconvinced by the latter. He knew Junmyeon would love. No one could deny fate, not even them, but the image of his elder, the one who ruled over them and protected them, giving up his rage and letting go of the storm was absurd. Junmyeon didn’t know how to do that.

“The sea rages regardless, so does the sky.” Baekhyun responded, pointing an accusing finger at Jongdae, and then at the clouds around them when another flash of lightning passed right by his nose.

“Will he love her?” Jongdae looked over at his brother, his fingers still twirling the golden band on his ring finger.

“I doubt the Fates have seen anything akin to this.” Baekhyun answered. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes. The God of Love was fortunate to witness the greatest love stories as they happened and the displeasure of watching the greatest tragedies too. This twinkle, not quite jovial, and not quite the shine of unshed tears, was simply content. There was a light at the end of this story, and that gave Jongdae enough assurance to put trust in his elder.

“What is she like?” Jongdae prodded.

“She is a mortician.” Baekhyun spoke, playing with the hem of his sleeve.

“She’s like Zitao then?” Jongdae tried to joke, his voice surprisingly light-hearted compared to the look in his chocolate eyes. Baekhyun laughed weakly, the sound hollow in his chest. Zitao was the God of the Underworld, the one in charge of death. He was tall, imposing, but also often the most understanding and merciful. He saw more death than all his other brothers and that made him gentler than some. Baekhyun knew Zitao was reasonable and kind, and he hoped the woman his brother would love would also be accepting.

“Water is a deceitful thing, it gives life, it shapes the earth,” Jongdae sighed, looking out into the dark clouds, feeling the electricity in the air, but before he could finish his thought Baekhyun cut in. His sombre eyes gazed into his brothers as his lips formed into a thin line and lightning flashed behind him.

“It drowns its victims.”

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Down below the water, deep within the Sea, Junmyeon ruled as King, as one of three brothers who ruled their own realms. His Sea was not the same as mortal oceans. It was an ancient realm between Olympus and the Underworld, deep and unforgiving, where everything answered to him. His realm existed just as he existed; as an in-between; a mediator. In a bubble of air at the very centre of this ancient depths, Junmyeon had built his palace, and in the deep trenches of the sea, he placed his forge. Marble halls filled with green plants, both those that grew on land and those that filled the floors of the endless ocean. Thanks to Junmyeon’s powers the kelps, seagrass and waterwheels that decorated the halls moved as if submerged in water. They danced along to the currents outside. The God of the Sea had a peaceful home, and an empty one too. Children had not graced these halls since the early days of Jongdae’s marriage centuries ago, and all his workers busied about not really paying him much attention. Everyone had their own life. Junmyeon liked it that way. This was also why he was currently pacing the main hall, stormy eyes mimicking sea currents as they gazed pointedly at the Fates that decided to visit him.

“Your time has come.” The youngest one said, twirling his golden thread between her fingers. She looked him right in the eyes, but her youthful amusement did not match his expression. He was angry, ready to create floods, ready to drown.

“My time will never come.” He had said, his eyes not meeting the three women. Although his voice carried anger, he was afraid that the ancient beings would be able to see beyond the rage. The idea that they could see his bitterness and somewhere even deeper than that, his longing, was a frightening thought.

“You cannot deny Fate. You cannot deceive us.” The oldest spoke, her croaky voice bouncing off his ears unpleasantly as it raised the hairs at the back of his neck.

“She will be miserable without you.” The middle one spoke, her voice calm and gentle, it would have reminded Junmyeon of a mother if he had one. Her voice was soothing, like a balm over a wound. Maybe, if she had continued speaking Junmyeon would have lost his will, maybe he would allow his walls and reservations come crashing down. He did not. His wounds were too deep and his walls built too high. There was no gate in them either. No Trojan horse could break him from the inside.

“Not for long.” His curt reply was icy like the blue waters of antarctica, and as he spat out his response, he could see the currents of the sea pick up ferocity in the way his plants swayed and rippled. Mortal lives were short. Even if Junmyeon never stepped foot on earth, her misery would not last long.

“You will forget how to live without her.” The youngest Fate chastised, pointing an accusatory finger with her free hand.

“You will forget how to love without her.” She added when Junmyeon did not move.

“Even your brothers.” She spoke, and although that shook him a little, Junmyeon was the Leader of the Gods, a King among them, he would not break the façade of calm fury he had assumed.

“You are already starting to.” The oldest Fate accused, her eyes falling on to the Guardian, but even her gaze could not break him.

He clenched his jaw and put his hands behind his back. Out of the scrutiny of the Fates, he let his hands shake a little, their faint trembling was a chip in his honour, a sign that they were right, that he was breaking. More than that, it was a sign that Junmyeon, the Guardian of the Gods, was breakable. Heavens forbid anyone, mortal or otherwise, found out.

“I am not.” He continued, staring right at the oldest Fate, his eyes black like a storm.

“You cannot deceive us.” She spoke and the middle Fate twisted the golden thread in her fingers and with that small movement, she sent Junmyeon to his knees.

He clutched at his heart, eyes falling shut as the pain in his heart spread through his ribcage. The knot that twined around his heart pulled, twisting the muscle, bending it out of shape. Behind his closed eyelids, Junmyeon watched his life, the empty halls of his palace, the fear and dejection in Jongdae’s eyes when he didn’t approve of his wife, the same look that graced Yixing’s face as it appeared before him. He knew his brothers had held their breath when he gave Yixing his wedding ring, he didn’t think it bothered him that much. Until now. Slowly, by denying their fate and their happiness, he was being unfair. His shortcoming and his burdens were not theirs to bare. His guilt was his alone.

They had stopped their frequent visits, reduced them to merely a few times a year. He knew Baekhyun was giving him the cold shoulder since he refused to bend to Fate, refused to accept it, and inadvertently refused his brothers greatest gift, the gift of Love. He was hurting them, just as he was hurting himself, and now, as his life twisted in the Fate’s fingertips, he was painfully aware of that. Even that though, no matter how hard it was to know, could not erase the image of tsunamis devouring the land, nor make him forget of sinking ships and the screams of those drowning under the force of the waves.

Once the pain subsided and he could open his eyes, Junmyeon saw the wrinkled face of the oldest Fate staring down at him, her eyes dark like the death she spun into their threads.

“As Gods can be cruel, so can we.” She spoke and for a brief moment the sea fell silent, all tides ceased their courses, and Junmyeon could hear the echoes of his own heart as it beat against the confines of his ribs.

“So I’ve been learning.” He grunted, rising onto his feet on wobbling legs, trying to dust off his dark blue suit.

“Where do I go?” He asked, his voice hoarse in his throat. He licked his lips in an attempt to moisten them, but to no avail as the cracks burned from his saliva.

“Forward. Your legs know where to find her, it is your destiny.” The middle Fate spoke, but just as before, it was not enough to calm his nerves. Before he could compose himself properly they were gone.

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Jongdae had kept repeating one phrase over the last few centuries.

“You cannot fight Fate.” He would always say, mostly as he looked out into the sky around Olympus while twirling the unbreakable golden band on his ring finger. He said it to his wife on their wedding day, he told his children that when he was putting them to bed. Jongdae whispered those words to Junmyeon when he was stubborn. Now, Junmyeon was muttering them to himself in anger as he cut flowers and put them in the right buckets of the flower shop he was working at. Pretending to be mortal was not a favourite past time of his and although he was grateful that Kyungsoo provided him with a human life and a job, he would rather not have ever set foot here. He did his job flawlessly, out of respect for the nature that Kyungsoo was the God of, and out of respect for Baekhyun, to whom he promised to try and find love. His usually mischievous brother ended up crying into his shoulder as he gave Junmyeon his blessings, but he didn’t mind. A few drops of water would never harm him, but they did make this decision easier.

The bell at the door chimed, rousing Junmyeon from his task. He peaked out from behind the stand, his eyes landing on a mortal woman. She wore a black dress with sheer back tights, black heels and her hair in a tight bun at the back of her head. A single silver hairpin gleamed in her hair in the shape of a water lily. Her eyes, blue and deep like ocean depths fell onto Junmyeon. She gave him a small smile, trying to be polite as she walked through the shop and to where he was standing, currently tending to a bucket of white chrysanthemums.

“How may I help?” Junmyeon asked, putting the pair of scissors he was holding away onto the counter behind him. His heart, which had been still during the last few centuries, was currently beating faster than it had ever beaten before, his blood, red and hot, pumped through his arteries with a force he could feel beneath his skin.

“Hello, I’m here to collect an order for Haven Family Funeral Home.” Her voice was even, unwavering. She gazed straight into his eyes, her deep blue a match for his deep brown, both filled with the force of a storm.

“The wreaths, and the white lilies?” He asked, remembering that there was only one delivery today, and that it was for a local funeral home. Kyungsoo had told him to be respectful to their workers as the community respected them.

“Yes.” The woman nodded, and Junmyeon’s breath caught in his throat, the oxygen not reaching his lungs as they burned for air. Even Gods had to breathe, but she was making it extremely hard for him right now. She smelled like fresh linen and dust, a strange mixture, but one he could understand. Zitao smelled of dust too, there was something about being in a place that meant endings that made it feel stagnant, as if no one and no thing wanted to move, because moving on was hard. No one wanted to do the hard things, no one wanted to say goodbye, but fate and life didn’t care what one wanted. Death came for all and Fate was inescapable.

“I’ll be right back.” He said, before disappearing at the back of the shop. There, once he was away from the eyes of the mortal woman, he fell. Onto his knees, onto the wooden floor, a God reduced to a man in pain. His heart banged against his ribs like an animal in a cage way too small for its size. It wanted to grow, extend beyond Junmyeon’s understanding. The muscle that stayed silent for millennia was now breaking free and his mind was reeling. It was on that very floor, somewhere on Earth, surrounded by gardening equipment, that the King of the Sea, the God of Water started the hardest lesson of his life.

After a moment, reluctantly, Junmyeon picked himself off the floor, dusting his black suit trousers, to pick up the wreaths and lilies the woman was waiting for. When he came out from the back room, Junmyeon was pale as a sheet, but his cheeks coloured a vibrant red as his heart continued its pounding.

“I’ll take them to your car.” He told her, trying to be nice, trying to make a good first impression. It took him only one look to know you were the one he was destined for. The golden thread of his life had twisted around his heart, locking it in place, forcing warmth to bloom in the cold cavity of his chest.

“Thank you,” She replied, looking into his eyes before they fell down onto the nametag attached to his shirt. “Junmyeon.”

The way her tongue twisted around the syllables and the way the sound resonated through him made his heart skip a beat and he wondered, when Baekhyun named his cherubs, did they too, feel such warmth when their names fell from his lips?

He walked behind her as she led him to her car and opened the boot for him. Once he placed the green wreaths and while lilies into the car, laying them flat so that they wouldn’t get squashed during the ride, he straightened and his eyes caught the black mark on the mortal’s wrist. The black ink spelled out the Chinese character for water, shui. His symbol, unbeknownst to her, stained her skin out of her own will. Fates apparently did have a sense of humour, or maybe they truly picked out the perfect person for him. Junmyeon shook his head, reminding himself she wasn’t his. She was mortal, she would live here and die here, and Junmyeon could not bring himself to take her away. Mortals had lives here, people they loved, people that loved them. They had pets and plants and dreams, and none of them involved him. They shouldn’t. He didn’t want to take her away from a life, her life, one she seemed content with, even if it was just on the surface. Junmyeon wasn’t that cruel.

“Shui?” He asked, the word falling from his lips, familiar like the back of his hand, like the very essence of his being.

“It means water.” She said, for lack of better response. They were both aware he knew the meaning but allowed her to say it anyway.

“I know.” He nodded, his eyes now scanning her face, subtly falling onto the curves of her lips, red like the blood pumping in her arteries. Red like the blood that was made up of water, water that called to him, that knew him.

“May I ask why?” He asked, no longer trying to keep his distance. Curiosity killed the cat, or so the tale went and Junmyeon was not impervious to its allure. Curiosity was what got him here, along with Baekhyun’s tears that soaked his shirt.

“Water is the beginning of life, the very possibility of living. It’s a good thing.” The woman answered, her hand rubbing along the strokes of the character, the black ink made more vivid under her fingertips.

“Is it?” Junmyeon asked. Was water truly this wonderful, worthy of tattooing the word onto your skin? Was it truly this life-giving, when it could also take it away, when it could destroy? Junmyeon was well acquainted with its darker side, familiar with the rage boiling under his skin.

“Living?” She asked, her incredulous eyes boring into his. A kind smile stretched her lips gently, without quite reaching her eyes.

He nodded, his eyes falling onto the pavement. He didn’t want her to see the storm that raged in his irises, the brown mixing with black, crashing against each other like waves. His inner turmoil was not meant for mortal eyes.

“I think so.” She replied, and although she never reached out and touched him, he felt comforted. The mortals didn’t hate him, because they didn’t know of him, didn’t know he was the one responsible for sinking ships and raging hurricanes.

“Are you a regular?” He asked. He promised Baekhyun he would try his best, and Junmyeon kept his promises.

“I am.”

“See you soon then.” He smiled, and she smiled back, her hands holding onto her car keys, reminding him he couldn’t keep her waiting.

“Same time next week.” She told him, swaying on the balls of her feet.

“I’m Evangeline by the way.” She introduced herself, sticking a hand out for him to shake. Kyungsoo had told him it was a greeting, so he extended his own hand, clasping her small one in his larger one, allowing her to shake it twice, a smile decorated her lips. This time it reached her eyes, and he though they were like still water, reflecting the storm in his.

“I’m Junmyeon, but you already know that.” He smiled, his own smile was weak, but Junmyeon had meant it, and he hoped she would understand. Her hand was warm in his, making his heart skip a beat in its attempt to escape his ribs to be closer to her. He watched her leave and once she did, Junmyeon could not help the rain that fell onto his cheeks like hot tears. As she left, the God of Water began his first lesson in love; falling.

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Exactly a week had passed. Seven days, Junmyeon had waited for the mortal woman to return to the florist, where Kyungsoo had given him a mortal life, all so that he could appease the Fates, all so that he wouldn’t break the promises he made to Baekhyun. All seven days were wasted on looking after the flowers. He cut the stems to equal lengths and he changed the water in the buckets. Junmyeon wondered what the mortal woman was doing. Evangeline was a mortician. He looked at death the same way Zitao did. Every day, he faced what all his other brothers were reluctant to. Every day Zitao did the gruelling work of judging souls, bringing peace to the suffering, easing the pains of the sick and hungry, bringing those whose strings had been cut into his realm, giving their souls a new home. Zitao did it all without complaint, did it all because he was kind, because he understood death, was familiar with endings. He wondered whether Evangeline was like that too. Was she kind? Did she know death like the back of her hand, looking it in the eyes day after day, unfaltering, with the same kind eyes she offered Junmyeon when they met? He knew she was strong. Not even Gods could look at death and carry on living.

Seven days Suho, the King of Sea, waited for a mortal woman who lived with death, and finally on the seventh day, just as he cut the last of the roses to equal length, the bell at the door chimed and she entered, clad in all black with her hair in a tight bun with a silver water lily pin keeping it together. This time, black leather gloves adorned her hands hiding the tattoo of water away from Junmyeon’s prying eyes. She had given him the same small smile as before, but her eyes shone like precious stones in the shop lights, tiredness danced in them like gentle currents. Junmyeon smiled back, his smile brighter than before, as he left all he was doing and grabbed the order of white lilies from behind the counter.

“More white lilies.” He informed her, watching as Evangeline walked over to where he was standing. Today, she was wearing a black coat over a white button up with a slim black tie. It was evident she had acted as a funeral attendant today. Her shoulders slumped lightly, and Junmyeon could see she was tired.

“Thank you.” She responded, giving him a small smile as she took the flowers from him. Her fingers brushed against his, sending a shock of electrifying warmth up his arm. The hair on her arms rose, her heart beating a little faster at their proximity. It was no secret Junmyeon was handsome, but more than that, Junmyeon seemed serious, and she had never thought that was a bad trait. Serious often went hand in hand with honest, and she wanted honesty above all else. Real love could not be built on lies.

“Would you like to get coffee later?” He asked, trying his best to be brave, trying to keep his promises.

“Sure.” Evangeline answered, her eyes gazing into his, “I finish at five.”

“So do I. I know a good coffee place.” He smiled.

“I’ll take your word for it.” She answered, the lilies in her hands were a stark contrast against her dark clothes as she held them closer to her chest, trying to keep her heart steady.

“See you later, Evangeline.” His voice was barely above a whisper, and despite the sudden chill that travelled up her spine, she could hear the fear in his voice, see the uncertainty brewing like a storm in his eyes as they darkened.

“Goodbye Junmyeon.” She whispered, unafraid. She had no reason to be.

He watched her retreating figure leave the store, and once she was out of his sight, Junmyeon slumped against the counter, his hand clutching his chest, where his heart resided.

As soon as the door closed, as soon as she was out of his sight, Junmyeon ran. He ran to the back of the shop, straight into Kyungsoo’s office, where he was currently playing with the leaves of a spider plant. When he noticed his brother at the door, he stopped, motioning for Junmyeon to sit. Suho’s wide eyes brewed with a storm, his shoulders rolling like a hurricane across land. With wild eyes, the Guardian of the Gods asked for his help, turning to the God of Harvest and the Earth for guidance. Junmyeon had always considered Kyungsoo as reasonable, someone who could provide solutions.

“So you are going for coffee?” His brother asked, his large owl-like eyes gazed at him gleaming with mirth.

“Is that bad?” Junmyeon asked. He had never been on a mortal date. At least not a modern one. All of his brothers had once taken human lovers, ones they lusted over, ones they toyed with. Never ones they loved. Love was not a feeling they felt towards humanity, love was reserved for the bonds of family and loyalty between them. That was all.

“No, that’s actually very good.” Kyungsoo spoke, his hands fiddling again with the green narrow leaves of the spider plant.

“How do you know?” Junmyeon narrowed his eyes at his younger brother.

“Baekhyun’s little messengers come to me too often.” He sighed, eyes distant as he thought about all the times Baekhyun’s love messengers forced their way into his office, trying to appease him with cups of herbal tea.

“They like you because you don’t tease them.” Junmyeon patted him on his back, fully aware that the younger gods teased them endlessly.

“Never mind that. Think about what you should do after this coffee.” Kyungsoo straightened up, his plush lips now set in a straight line, his bright eyes darkened into a serious expression.

“Like what?”

“Like a real mortal date.” Kyungsoo clarified, looking pointedly at his elder.

“I’m not a mortal.” Junmyeon’s eyes darkened, the hurricane in them picked up ferocity.

“You don’t want another date?” Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, disbelief painting his usually stoic features.

“I don’t want to muddle in mortal lives.” Now, with the Fates muddling into the affairs of gods and mortals, love was something else, something more. Junmyeon did not appreciate the Fates trying to make him mellow, he had given up enough rage, he had taken on responsibilities that made his shoulders bow with their weight. Why could it not be carefree Chanyeol who caused fires, or Baekhyun who had dreamed of it since the birth of humanity? Why could it not be Kyungsoo, with his big eyes and earth-stained fingers, who had spent more time among mortals than the rest of them? Why did it have to Suho?

“As Gods can be cruel, so can we.” He recalled the Fates’ words, remembered the chill that went up his spine, the ghost of which was now crawling the ladder of his vertebrae so it could settle against his skull, ring like a bell in his ears.

“Our pasts are long gone, mortals don’t believe in them anymore. Or in us.” Kyungsoo’s wistful voice rumbled in baritone through the room, and Junmyeon could have sworn that his brother made the room shake.

“It’s time Junmyeon.” He spoke, his voice deep like the earth and warm as his eyes looked at his brother. His hand went to hold Junmyeon’s, and that gesture, bold in comparison to the gentle affection Kyungsoo usually preferred, was reassuring. Maybe that was what a mother’s embrace felt like, Junmyeon wondered. He allowed himself the liberty to squeeze back. Finally, Junmyeon had found the rock upon which his waves could crash, and he was glad it had been Kyungsoo who caught him, who was steady so that he could break.

“What should I do?” He asked, and Kyungsoo didn’t waste many words, for it was not his nature. His answer was short, but it was enough.

“Fall.”

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The coffee shop in front of which they met looked more like a greenhouse than a place serving food. Green areca palms were tall, spreading their thin leaves wide. Ficus plants stood like little trees beside the expensive brown leather couches in front of low dark wood tables. Small potted plants stood on windowsills and on plant stands in white ceramic pots. It was a pretty shop, one that Evangeline could see herself sitting in for hours.

Junmyeon smiled at the woman sitting in front of him. He could feel the strings around his heart pull and tug, trying to force him closer in an attempt to break the distance between them. The tugging was futile, as Junmyeon decided to keep his distance, watching as Evangeline’s red painted lips pressed against the white cup filled with espresso. Her black blouse was untied, the silk ribbons that would have been a bow before, now hung loosely exposing her collarbones and the expanse of her neck.

“This is a nice coffee shop.” She spoke, looking around at the plants surrounding their table.

“I didn’t lie.” Junmyeon smiled, his storm filled eyes never left her face, and his heart calmed when she caught his eyes. If he was filled with a storm, she was the opposite. Like calm waters, her eyes washed over him, surveying his relaxed form, watching as his fingers tapped ancient rhythms into his thigh.

“You didn’t.” She admitted. Her smile was bright, her eyes did not weaver from his as she held his gaze.

Junmyeon had ordered himself a cappuccino. He knew about coffee thanks to his brother’s Minseok’s love for the human beverage. It only took Minseok one trip to Venice, sometime in the 17th century, before he was in love and Jongdae’s wife once told Junmyeon that Minseok looked at a cup of coffee the same way Jongdae looked at her. Junmyeon wondered if the Fates would pair Minseok with the heir of Lavazza.

“How long have you worked at the funeral home?” He asked, wanting to know more about the mortal. If Fate wanted this, who was he to fight? If Fate dictated his, could Junmyeon truly resist? Jongdae and Yixing couldn’t escape, and he had a feeling neither could he.

“I’ve worked as an embalmer for three years now. I spent a year at the crematory.” She took a sip out of her cup.

“All for the same funeral home?” Junmyeon was intrigued. He had tried to avoid death, spent the last three thousand years as far away as possible. He kept his rage simmering, or at least tried to. Gods were volatile, and when they burst mortals suffered.

“Yeah. I like my co-workers and their values.” Evangeline nodded, eyes staring at him as he relaxed into the couch.

“Have you been a florist for a long time?” She asked in return, and Junmyeon had to remember that this was an exchange, ironically a one-sided exchange. Every word that came out of his mouth was a half-truth, a white lie to not give away much about himself.

He felt his heart constrict and the air leave his lungs, the familiar discomfort of guilt crawled its way languidly out of his stomach where he had buried it.

“A fair bit. I stopped counting how long.” He answered. Looking nonchalant and confident, he smiled at the woman in front of him. His arm rested on the plush leather armrest whilst his other hand played with the white ceramic of his coffee cup.

“Well, you must either love it or hate it then.” Evangeline laughed. Junmyeon had looked so serious, his eyes lost somewhere far away. She reasoned that if she had loved doing something, she would stop counting too. In the case that she hated every day of work, no longer counting would have been a reprieve. How could you continue living a life you hated if you knew how long you still have left? She didn’t want to even consider such a life. Evangeline was fortunate.

“How so?” Junmyeon asked, focusing on her, watching as she leaned closer towards the table, closer towards him. Among the warm tones of roasted coffee he could smell jasmine flowers, sweet and fragrant as they hung in the air. He wanted to continue breathing it in, wondering what he smelled like to mortals.

“You don’t strike me as someone old enough to stop counting years spent in industry.�� Evangeline smiled, allowing Junmyeon to catch her eyes. He held her in his stare. The dark in his eyes was endless, and she felt herself tip over the edge of this unknown abyss.

“Why not?” Junmyeon’s voice was low and she felt the low rumble course through her.

“I believe I have lived long enough for numbers to be arbitrary.” He tilted his head, not breaking eye contact. He found he like the way she looked at him, her eyes swimming with questions and her lips trying to curl around unspoken words as she contemplated which ones should be voiced.

“How old are you?”

“How old do I look?” He smiled. Junmyeon could not guess how old he looked to mortals. Many things had changed since he came down to Earth. Civilisations rose and fell, people changed too, they changed clothes, the way they cut their hair, the way they spoke. Everything was different.

“You look about my age.” Evangeline answered, her eyes falling onto Junmyeon’s face. His strong brows and serious eyes told her he was mature, but his gentle features and golden skin didn’t show the effects of time on his complexion. She thought he was handsome, but she would not date to say it out loud.

“I’m thirty-one.” Junmyeon lied, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. He and Kyungsoo worked out a suitable mortal age for him before he came down to Earth, something old enough to allow for maturity and young enough to not attract scrutiny.

“I’m twenty-eight.” Evangeline answered, and Junmyeon could hardly comprehend how young she was compared to him. She was so young, she had seen so little compared to his brothers.

Twenty-eight years was a spec of dust in the lives of the Gods. He had lived four thousand years and half of that he spent living in chaos.

“I think I would like to know you better.” He told her sincerely. It was one of the only whole truths that passed his lips this evening and it felt good not lying to her.

“I like that too.”

Hours later, when it was time to finally part, they had looked once more in each other’s eyes, his a dark raging tempest; hers a brewing storm. Slowly, as if not to frighten him, Evangeline approached his towering figure, and pressed her lips into Junmyeon’s. The kiss was warm, and Junmyeon stood there as if carved out of marble, unmoving. Before he could react, reciprocate the small gesture, Evangeline had pulled away. Her bright red lips curved into a little smile and she waved him goodbye before disappearing into the crowd of mortals mingling about the street. Junmyeon watched her go, like a splash of black ink rolling through clear water until it diffused into nothing.

As Evangeline walked, she could not help but breathe deeply, not able to get the smell of sea breeze out of her nose, like the seaside after a storm. She turned her head to look back, catching Junmyeon’s eyes for one more second. Her blood rushed through her ears, imitating the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

-----------

Days passed in pleasant monotone. The new routine Junmyeon had built was broken only by occasional messages from Evangeline. The moment Junmyeon set foot on Earth Kyungsoo handed him a mobile phone and told him to figure it out. It had taken three of Baekhyun’s love messengers and a storm rolling towards the country and crushing against the southern shore for Junmyeon to learn to call and text. He still had no idea about what the Cherubs, as Baekhyun had decided to affectionately call them, referred to as Internet and he was not keen on learning either. Kyungsoo had mentioned that he does not use it either and since then Junmyeon refused help with it.

Evangeline soon learnt that Junmyeon was a lot more confident answering calls than texting. He had even taken the initiative to ask her on a date. He never mentioned where they were going, so just in case she had eaten before she left. They met in city centre, just outside the main government administrative building.

“What are we doing today?” She asked, looking up at the man as he led her through the streets.

“We are going to an Aquarium.” He answered and Evangeline could not help but feel relief at the idea.

“Right.” She nodded, falling in step with him as he lead the way to the large modern structure across the bridge.

“Do you like marine animals?” Evangeline asked, wondering why he would suggest such a unorthodox place. She was not complaining though, she had not been to the aquarium since she was little. It would be nice to visit it again.

“I love all marine life.” Junmyeon smiled, looking over at her. His eyes held a warmth in them that she hadn’t seen before. The serious, heavy atmosphere that usually surrounded Junmyeon and all of their conversations was gone. Evangeline could have sworn the man was practically gliding across the pavement, his legs light and his spirits lifted.

Once they had made it inside, Junmyeon had taken the liberty to hold her hand. Sometime after purchasing tickets he managed to slip his fingers through hers, intertwining their hands. His large hand was warm and comforting against her palm. A part of Junmyeon wanted to break all the glass here and let these fish and marine mammals and other creatures, all equally dear to him, all necessary, back to where they belonged. He knew it was unfeasible. Humans had an aptitude for destroying things, one that could rival the Gods, one that did affect the reals which they ruled. Humans had destroyed the habitats these living creatures belonged in, or they were in the process of destroying them. Humans knew like no other creature on Earth how to lay waste to ruin. They were masters of the craft. Some cared. Some looked at these creatures and felt the same rage simmer in their blood as him, some did all they could to preserve these creatures. Some of these humans even worked here. Junmyeon wanted to burst at the seams with rage, but the small hand clutching onto his was an anchor. It kept him in place, it reminded him why he didn’t meddle despite his desires, even the righteous ones.

Evangeline watched him from the corner of her eyes. When she saw another deep breath find a home in Junmyeon’s lungs she let her thumb caress the back of his hand, rubbing soothing circles over the smooth skin. Her eyes fell onto the brightly coloured fish in their tanks and she watched with awe as they swam between the vegetation.

“What is this?” She asked, pointing at the yellow fish, coloured like sunflower petals.

“Who.” Junmyeon corrected her, forgetting for a moment that he was pretending to be mortal. He had become comfortable by her side, Evangeline still rubbed circles at the back of his hand and each one was sending currents of electricity through his nerves, casing his blood to rush faster through his veins.

“That’s a Yellow Tang.” He pointed at the same small yellow fish she had.

“That’s a butterfly fish.” He pointed at another one as it swam to the front. It had stayed in front of Evangeline and Junmyeon had to remember to blink as he peered at the little fellow. She’s mine. He scrunched up his nose and the Yellow Tang swam away to hide behind some growing seaweed. There were benefits to being the God of the Sea and one of them was stopping marine life from ogling your girlfriend. What a life he was living.

“And this one is a Gobie.” He pointed at another fish as it swam towards them, passing Junmyeon to once more stay in Evangeline’s line of sight. Junmyeon shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s a clown fish, and the other one is Royal Blue Tang.” They passed onto another tank now and Junmyeon’s heart skipped a beat when Evangeline jumped excitedly as she peered into the green vegetation. From between the greenery swaying lightly in the currents generated by the water filter peeked a few little orange fish, their white stripes lined with black. Three deep blue fish, slightly bigger than them swam in front of the glass, waving their yellow fins and swaying their yellow tails.

“It’s Nemo and Dory.” Evangeline pointed at the Clown fish and then at the Royal Blue Tang. Junmyeon watched her, not understanding what she meant.

“Who?” He asked, eyebrows raised and wondering how she could possibly know their names.

“Have you never seen Finding Nemo?” She had looked at him with wide eyes, not believing what she heard. Junmyeon was tuck like a deer in the headlines. This was one these mortal things he didn’t understand and doubted he ever would.

“Finding who?” He repeated, still as confused as before. Evangeline straightened up, looking him in the eyes she smiled.

“I know what we are doing next.” She announced, before moving to the next tank.

Two hours passed in complete comfort as Junmyeon wondered the aquarium, Evangeline’s hand leaving his only in the small giftshop at the end of their trip. She had went and bought something small when he wasn’t looking, before taking his hand again.

“I got this for you.” She opened the little gift envelope, before taking out something small and shiny.

“Thank you.” Junmyeon took it from her. It seemed so small between his fingers. A small enamel badge gleamed in his hand, it was a little Royal Blue Tang.

“May I?” Evangeline asked, taking the little pin from between his fingers. Her fingers brushed against his and a current shot through their fingers, making their hearts beat faster. The golden thread keeping his heart prisoner tightened around the muscle, reminding him of the fate that bound them together.

“Of course.” He managed to tell her, his eyes creasing into half moons as he smiled, his cheeks rounding. She smiled back, fingers threading through his navy suit jacket to attach the little fish to the collar. Evangeline smoothed out the non-existent creases with her hands. Before she could retreat them, Junmyeon caught one of her hands in his, threading his fingers through hers. Joined this way, the continued walking.

-----------

The few days between their meetings had given Junmyeon time to resume his duties as a god. He allowed the tides to bash against the shores with new strength, waves beating against sand and rock and land, carving out new shapes and paths in their wake, creating and destroying all at once. Suho spun the typhoons and derechos away from the sea and towards the land, letting rain and sea water carve into the islands and continents. Nature had to run its course, whether people liked it or not, whether Junmyeon wanted it or not. Balance was essential. Balance was their friend and foe and duty. Junmyeon relished in the sound of waves crashing against the shore, he breathed in the fresh air, filled with storms and violence. His deep eyes, matching the dark waters crashing into land, scanned the horizon, his hair was tussled by the winds as he took in the force of his power, finally feeling what mortals knew since the beginning of their creed.

Electrifying, that was the way she would have described him had she been present. Magnetic and terrifying would also work if Evangeline could look into his eyes right now. Their softness was gone, replaced with something hard and serious. Duty or power, or maybe both, had made him harsh again, and it was this harshness, like a typhoon, that welcomed her when she visited the flower shop.

"Is everything alright?" The words flew out of her mouth faster than she could think, and her hands had reached for him out of their own volition, gentle in the way they cradled his cheek.

"I suppose so." Junmyeon spoke, his voice thunderous and cacophonous like crashing tides. He let his arms fall around Evangeline's waist, firm and sure in their hold. Junmyeon was meant to be the secure brother, the one sure of his standing, the one whose decisions are always executed, his words final. He had made his decision among the crashing hurricanes. Love was a force equal to his own, and he would not fight it. Evangeline was kind and mortal, but she would endure his love. She had seen death and continued living, continued being kind. That was more than Junmyeon could say for himself. He would give up his rage. He would transform it.

"You look different." She whispered, eyes falling from his hardened eyes to pursed lips.

"How so?" He looked down, feeling his true form peak through the mortal disguise.

"Like you're angry." She whispered again. It was quieter than before, more unsure.

"I'm not angry." He told her, turning his head enough to lay a kiss on her open palm as it still pressed against his cheek. The smooth skin was warm against him, comforting.

"Let me buy you dinner." He offered. Evangeline nodded her head, her perfectly red lips stretching into a smile. Junmyeon thought she would make a beautiful bride, dressed in white instead of black, holding flowers meant for the living. Reluctantly, he gave her white lilies and watched her walk out of the shop. Duty called, and Junmyeon understood very well what it meant to answer it. Love was a duty too, he thought, and Junmyeon was no longer afraid.

Later in the week they ended up in Evangeline’s home, curled up on the sofa as Finding Nemo played from her tv.

“These fish talk?” Junmyeon asked, eyeing the screen as the two clownfish, a dad and his son, argued about swimming.

“It’s an animation.” Evangeline laughed, watching as Junmyeon refused to take his eyes off the screen, gaze trailing behind the bright orange little fish as Nemo made his way to school for the first time.

“They are not real?” Junmyeon sounded incredulous. She wondered if he was one of those weird types whose parents never allowed cartoons.

“Are humans really that evil? Why do they take these creatures from their homes?” Junmyeon had cuddled up to her as the film progressed, angry at the way humans had separated the family. He had always known humans were cruel like that, but watching it on screen as it unfolded, knowing that the mortals knew what they were doing, was unbearable.

“Humans tend to take the things they think are pretty for themselves.” Evangeline answered him, her fingers running through Junmyeon's dark hair. His head had fallen into her lap and she enjoyed the comfort they have settled into.

“I can’t say I don’t understand, but I think by now they should know better.” He spoke, and she nodded along.

“We should.”

The film passed in silence. Junmyeon ended up too invested in it to speak, and when Nemo and his dad finally reunited, Evangeline could feel something wet soak through her pyjama bottoms.

“He finally found him.” Junmyeon whispered. She could see him wipe away a stray tear from his eyes with his sleeve.

“Do you want a hug?” She asked, stopping the gentle movement of her fingers through his hair to allow him to sit up.

“Yes.” He said, but instead of falling into being the small spoon he cradled her in his arms trailing kisses through her hair. She let him, closing her eyes when his hands came to rub soothing circles over her back.

"There is also Finding Dory." She whispered, eyes twinkling in amusement as Junmyeon stilled.

"Maybe next time." His voice came out a little hoarse, and she laughed lightly, turning to press a kiss against his lips.

-----------

Mortified. The mortal word felt adequate in describing how Junmyeon was feeling right now. Baekhyun and some of his little love messengers sat at his table at the coffee shop down the street from Kyungsoo's shop. Sipping on his coffee, Baekhyun kept giving him mischievous smiles as he winked at him over the rim of his cup. The love messengers laughed at his predicament, finding his powerlessness amusing.

“You cried watching a children animation?” Baekhyun asked when Junmyeon finished telling his story.

“It was about fish! What could I have done?” The God of Sea tried defending himself. The wellbeing of those who live in the sea was always a touchy subject for him. It was no wonder then, why he had allowed his emotions to show.

“You could have tried to look cool.” One of the love messengers supplemented as he drank his coffee.

“I think it is good he cried.” Another one chimed in. Honestly, Junmyeon didn't know their names that well. A new one was born when Baekhyun felt like it, and Baekhyun expressed his feelings more than any other brother of his did.

“He seems more human that way.” Baekhyun nodded along, his eyes surveying Junmyeon as he allowed some of his godly power to seep through. Rage lit in his eyes. Baekhyun could swear he saw a hurricane swirl in his irises and could hear waves crash when he spoke again.

"I'm not human."

“She’ll like you more now.” Baekhyun chastised. It wasn't like him to scold Junmyeon like that, but sometimes his brothers needed reminders. Love was a gift. A gift from him, and he took his gift giving very seriously.

“She’d like him anyway, its destiny.” Kyungsoo's voice rang out behind them, and the messengers scrambled off their couch to offer space to the Earth God.

“You should kiss her next time.” He said when he sat down, his brown eyes soft but his expression was firm.

“Yeah, snog her.” Baekhyun cheered, sitting up straighter in his chair.

“Feel some eros for her, show her some eros.” The god of love raised his eyebrows at him, sending a cheeky wink Suho's way.

“I thought I should be feeling a different type of love.” He spoke, raising his cup to his lips, allowing the hot bitter liquid to slide down his throat. He preferred godly nectar, but down on Earth coffee was sufficient.

“Don’t lecture me about love.” Baekhyun spoke, and the ground beneath them shook with the force of his power. Junmyeon's heart skipped a beat as he was reminded just how much power his brother possessed, even over them- those both angry and immortal.

-----------

Evangeline was kind. He knew that early on. Evangeline was brave and she endured, he knew that too. Evangeline was only mortal, fragile and flawed and empathetic. She was vulnerable. He was witnessing this first hand now.

He found her weeping on the kitchen floor. She had called him twenty minutes prior asking him to come see her. Junmyeon heard the break in her voice and wasted no time. She was still wearing her black coat, her loafers were still on her feet. She had decided to curl into a ball beside the kitchen cabinets.

With slow, deliberate steps, Junmyeon walked across the kitchen, he sunk to his knees beside her and waited.

"Thank you." She whispered when Evangeline looked up. Junmyeon's breath caught in his throat before he moved to sit beside her on the tiled floor. Evangeline rested her head on his shoulder. He took the opportunity to intertwine their fingers, placing her hand in his lap. With slow, deliberate movements he turned his head, and placed a gentle kiss in her hairline, allowing her to burrow into the crook of his neck. Her tears begun to flow again, warm and wet against his skin as they seeped through his shirt. He didn't mind. Water was his domain, water was him; and yet his heart broke that it flowed from her eyes, rendered her small and broken.

"Do you want to tell me what is wrong?" Suho asked, his voice small as he held Evangeline in his arms.

"They drowned." The words came out as a whisper. For a moment, Suho's heart stopped. He knew by now that some days this job was harder than others. He knew that there were days when Evangeline broke down at the smallest thing; completely overwhelmed. This would pass, she knew this too.

"In the sea?" He asked, afraid of looking down at her. He felt her nod. They lived in a seaside town. It was not unusual this time of year, it didn't make it any less tragic.

Guilt ate at him. He had stayed far away from humans for so long, commanded the seas and waters of the Earth from far away. He made his rule impersonal. Now, with her in his arms he was faced once more with the consequences of his powers. Old ghosts came out to haunt him, blame him for tragedies long forgotten. It ate away at him, dulling the hurricanes in his soul, slowing the waves in their path. Was this what the Fates wanted? Was it his turn to confront his ghosts? Fate is cruel, he thought. Fate is cruel, he breathed, and placed a tender kiss in Evangeline's hair, smoothing down the strands with his hand, letting her warm up in his embrace. Like a gentle summer stream, Junmyeon flowed, enveloping her in safety, tenderly.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"I'm so, so sorry." He looked into her eyes, glossy with tears, as his blurred with the images of old ghosts. For a moment he remembered every ship that sunk in his rage, every lover who took their last breath in the murky waters of his kingdom, every echo of prayers sent his way to bring those lost back to shore prayed too late.

"It's not your fault." Evangeline rose from his shoulder, cradling his face in her hands. Junmyeon grabbed onto them like a lifeline, like an anchor he was afraid would rise too fast.

"It is." His tone was serious, darker. Godliness shone through him, waves crashed in his irises.

"I am the god of Water, King of Seas."

"Poseidon." He punctuated every letter.

"Neptune."

"Aegir." his voice was not loud, but it crashed through the space between them like waves against cliff faces. Forceful and final.

"Call me by any name, I have created them all." He whispered, almost ashamed.

"I am water." He spoke. Not once did he waver. He did not smile, his eyes didn't twinkle. His brows set over his features unmoving, his lips were like stone, features unmoving.

"And water drowns its victims." His eyes darkened, and he could no longer hold her hand.

Evangeline pulled away, her head shaking lightly as she searched Junmyeon's eyes for any hint of jest. She couldn't find any.

"No, Junmyeon." Breath caught in her throat and her voice cracked when she said his name.

"I'm sorry." He reached his hand out towards the kitchen sink above them, and with a flick of his wrist the water flowed from the pipes. With another twist of his hand it flew through the air, a thousand droplets filled the air, suspended and still. Light passed through them like through a chandelier. The room filled with golden rays. In any other circumstance Evangeline would have thought the sight to be magical, beautiful. Now she found it horrid, frightening.

The man she loved wasn't a man at all. He was something else, something unknown.

"Get out." The words punctured the air. Junmyeon forgot how to breathe.

"Get out." Evangeline repeated, pushing him away. The sudden touch caught him off guard. He lost all concentration. Thousand droplets fell around them, crashing against tiles and furniture as rain does against pavements.

Soaked, Evangeline shook, her whole body trembling as she made her way to her feet.

Slowly, Junmyeon rose from his seat on the floor. Not wanting to cause her further distress, he avoided her eyes as he walked out of the apartment. The only sound that carried through the air were his shoes against the wet floor.

Once he was in the corridor, out from Evangeline's line of sight, he heard a muffled crash. Silence. Then the sobs.

He took a deep breath, tears clouded his vision, and for the first time in over a thousand years, the God of Water, King of Seas, let himself cry.

With one last step he collapsed outside of his underwater halls, right by the throne surrounded by channels of sea water and crashing waves. Power had carried him to the safely of his home.

"We told you, Raging Tide." The Fates echoed through the Halls.

"To love is to hurt." Their voice rung out, thunderous and eternal as Junmyeon knelt at their feet.

-----------

A day passed by. Then another. Junmyeon had gained a new companion in that time. Fear was a new friend, or maybe a fiend as it stole his sleep and took his will.

He remembered what the Fates had predicted the first time they came to his Halls under the Oceans.

"You will forget how to live without her."

Their words seemed truer now than ever.

Junmyeon's thoughts were broken when his name rung out, bright and clear through the air.

"Suho!" His brother paced through the hall towards him.

"Baekhyun." He greeted, allowing the God of Love to hold him at arms length as he spoke. Baekhyun's usual light smile and twinkling eyes were replaced with worry. His coat was soaked by the roaring tides that crashed through Junmyeon's palace every once in a while. He must have gone down the wrong corridor when he went searching for him.

"Go to her." Baekhyun wasted no time in getting to the point. Junmyeon had promised his brother that he would not reject his greatest gift, but right now, more than ever Junmyeon wanted nothing to do with Love, nor with Fate.

"She does not want me to come." He spoke plainly, placing his hands behind his back as he tried to turn away.

"If you don't go now, you will truly lose her." Baekhyun admonished, making Junmyeon face him properly and look into his eyes.

"I made a mistake." The God of Water spoke. Behind him, Baekhyun could hear another wave crash through the marble halls.

"Then apologise." It was simple, a mortal solution that could remedy everything. Even to gods such as them it was hard. Apologise were difficult, no matter how many aeons one lived.

"There are no words adequate for her." Junmyeon turned his eyes way from the scrutiny of his brother. How could he apoligise? What words should he use. All languages of the Earth, alive or dead, did not have the vocabulary to describe his deep sorrow, to put his guilt into something tangible and explainable.

"You can't know until you try." Baekhyun pressed further, his hands no longer resting on his brother's shoulders. He gripped Junmyeon by the elbow, preventing him from moving away, from fleeing.

"Love hurts." Junmyeon muttered, allowing a new darkness to settle over him.

"Love heals too." Baekhyun spoke, sure of the fact that if his brother tried, he could find the right words. Happiness was so close, Baekhyun could taste it on the tip of his tongue. All Junmyeon needed to do was reach out.

"Go." He nudged Junmyeon one more time. A moment passed, and then Junmyeon's hard eyes settled on his. Junmyeon nodded, wordless and encompassing.

In a blink of an eye, he was gone and Baekhyun gripped empty air where he once stood.

-----------

Evangeline had spent the last two night crying, trying to dry her kitchen and her tears. Still, she found spots of dampness that reminded her that Junmyeon was a god. Junmyeon whom she loved, who she sought out in the night, who slept beside her and who smiled at her over bouquets of white lilies as if they were not meant for funerals.

She stood at the sink, watching water drip from the tap, remembering the way Junmyeon moved, the way he commanded it, the way it fell like torrential rain around them. She hung her head, trying not to think about him. Maybe if she forgot him she could live on. Maybe she could pretend he never existed in the first place.

A knock on the kitchen door startled her out of her thoughts. Evangeline turned, afraid that someone had gotten in without her permission.

Instead of a stranger, her eyes landed on a stoic man, his brows dark and heavy over his eyes. For the first time she noticed the way Junmyeon's eyes swirled like hurricanes. Despite the distance between them, she could see the crashing of tides over his face.

"I'm sorry." He spoke first. She stood still, afraid that if she moves away he will disappear like an apparition and if she moves closer she will never be able to let go.

"It wasn't the right time to unleash this on you." He continued, his voice deep and heavy as it crashed against her.

"You were having a hard time and it was unfair of me."

"Unfair of you?" She finally spoke. Despite her broken tone her words rang out clearly. For a moment Junmyeon looked away.

"I allowed my own guilt to take precedence." He clarified. Slowly, like he did that night, he walked towards her, giving her time to move away or to stop him. Evangeline did neither. her hands crossed over in front of her, but she didn't stop him.

"I am the one who controls tides and currents. I should take blame for when people die in my domain." Junmyeon spoke. He had been responsible for a long time, guilt ridden and detached all at the same time. People blamed him whether he was at fault or not, and he didn't doubt Evangeline would too. She knew the truth of what he was now.

"Just because you control water does not mean everything that happens in it is your fault." Her voice was quiet, but she looked into his eyes regardless.

"Did you know they drowned?" She asked after a moment.

"No." Junmyeon told the truth. He could control the tides, he could crash waves and aid migrations and lost ships but Junmyeon was not omniscient.

"Then how can you blame yourself?" It was so simple. So mortal. He didn't know it happened, he didn't cause it. So why would he feel guilty?

Slowly, as if not to scare him, Evangeline reached out, her palm cradled his face, stroking gently along his cheek bone. Her touch was warm, reassuring.

Something slipped off of Junmyeon, the hurricanes in his eyes changed into the glistening waters of calm cerulean seas.

He placed his hand over hers, before lowering his face to hers. Gently, slowly, they closed the gap between them. His lips were warm against hers, moving in careful, practised tandem as they drew the breath from her lungs, filling her with something hotter. Junmyeon's hands traversed the planes of her back, firm and solid against her. He pulled her closer, until no space between them remained. Evangeline's hands found their way around his waist. Their lips parted ways only for a moment.

"I love you." Junmyeon whispered against the skin of her cheek, before finding his way to her lips again. He didn't need an answer. The flutters of her heart against his were enough.

-----------

Since Evangeline found out Junmyeon was the God of Water, Junmyeon had become more keen in taking her out by the sea. Today he had taken her to the cliffs. They had strolled the lush green hills, covered in wild grass and purple flowers that somehow resisted the sea breeze and the salt in the air. They had walked hand in hand along the rocky beaches, watching waves crash and break against the shore. Now, they stood shoeless on a rock jutting out into the sea, a part of the low side of the cliff face as it joined the sea.

She truly had not meant to do that. In fact, she had wanted to do anything but that. She wasn’t much of a swimmer, and she had never dived in her life so slipping and falling off the rock and into the sea below was unnatural. She hit the waves, her whole body felt like it was covered in pins and needles. The coldness bit at her skin in the form of thousands of tiny teeth and her lungs burned as she tried her best to not breathe in the water. The salt burned her eyes, turning her vision skewed and blurry. Down here, there was no sound. No noise penetrated the wall of water all around her, and it was as if the sea had decided to drag her down, further and further into it’s depths, slowly.

Junmyeon’s reaction was almost instant. He let go of their shoes and jumped in after her, commanding the sea to let her go. The sea didn’t listen. Water was Junmyeon, and Junmyeon was water, and the sea desired her the same way he did. It’s desire was deadlier, it’s hold on her was the very opposite of Junmyeon’s. Cold fingers dug into her, clawing at her to stay, to be one with the sea bed. Junmyeon disapproved. He followed her trail, watching in the darkness as his love thrashed about and then slowly lost the will to fight as the current dragged her. The water whispered, pleaded for her to stay.

Junmyeon knew she was still human, mortal and fragile. Humans could not breathe underwater, could not survive the temperatures of the depths. Not without aid, not in normal clothes and without apparatuses that allowed them to breathe.

With one final command, Junmyeon called for the sea to leave her. This time it listened. The current around her stilled, keeping her in place, before pushing her towards him and towards the surface. It was arduous. Time seemed to slow down and seconds turned into whole eternities and lifetimes as he waited for her to be back in his arms.

Junmyeon gripped her, in the darkness of the sea, he fought the currents, bringing their mouths together, breathing air into her lungs as the tides carried them to shore, against nature but not against their master.

“I thought the Sea would never let you go." He spoke finally when Evangeline stopped coughing. She was still shaking from the cold and the ordeal, but she was alive, and her lungs were full of air. Crisp, sweet air.

"I thought so too." She whispered, falling into Junmyeon's waiting arms. He held her closed, warming her up with his body as he tried to ease her trembling.

"How can the soulmate to the God of Water not know how to swim?" He asked her, eyes incredulous and brows furrowed.

"Call it Fate." Evangeline managed to joke, but Junmyeon pulled her in closer, peppering kisses along her wet hair. The sun began shining again, its warm rays falling on their tangled bodies as they lay on the rocky beach.

"Fate indeed." Junmyeon whispered, looking up at the sky, wondering if his brothers were looking down at him now, whether it was Jongdae pulling the clouds apart to make space for Yixing's sun.

-----------

They left the beach soaked and trembling, but the whole ordeal had left Junmyeon with an idea. He didn't bother taking Evangeline back to her car. He didn't take her to the nearest village inn or grocery store. Instead, he pulled power, and in one step Evangeline found herself in his Halls under the primordial Oceans.

Evangeline's eyes roamed the marble halls, the flowers engraved in the walls that glistened from their mother-of-pearl linings. The rays of Olympus sun that reached them regardless of depths broke into rainbow shards on the walls and floors as they hit the crystal chandeliers with opal embellishments. Seaweeds swayed as if underwater and other sea plants lined the halls. the soft sound of flowing water came from the channels that turned the floors into an unending maze. Every once in a while Evangeline heard the great crashing of tides as they swept through distant rooms.

"Welcome to my home." Junmyeon spoke, leading her through the grandeur into his private rooms. There, he handed her clean dry clothes. One of his old tunics and a pair of soft cotton trousers. He handed her a towel as well.

Evangeline smiled and went to change behind a screen in the corner of the room.

"It's beautiful here, Myeon." She said once was dressed.

"Thank you. It's all yours." He watched her from his bed, the huge four-poster was covered in deep blue fabrics. Here in the depths Evangeline could see Junmyeon's godliness better. He seemed to glow with power, eyes shining and hair askew as if ruffled by sea breeze.

"My home is your home. Remember that." He told her, and she came closer to sit beside him. All this time they would meet in her home. Being here was foreign, strange. Only now she truly understood the scope of his power, the seriousness of their predicament. He was ancient, powerful and responsible for things she could not begin to understand. She was a mortal. her life a speck of dust compared to his, her responsibilities paled in comparison. She wondered, for the first time, whether this could even work.

"Will you tell me more," She finally asked, taking Junmyeon's hand in hers, she looked into his eyes and took a deep breath "About yourself and your family."

Junmyeon watched Evangeline with piercing eyes. He nodded, intertwining her fingers with his.

“ Gods feel lust, but we don’t fall in love. At least not the way humans do. The Fates saw that as a flaw, and my brother Baekhyun, the God of Love, agreed. He wanted to give his brothers what he gave to mortals, a type of happiness I suppose.”

He gave Evangeline a tight-lipped smile and she squeezed his hand.

"So the Fates and Baekhyun made a deal. They would tie soulmate knots into our lifelines, knots that cannot be undone. There was a caveat. The Fates wanted us to submit to their judgement, so there is no way to untie the knot without killing us."

"So you just accept Fate?" Evangeline was bewildered, her eyes Searched Junmyeon's face for any hint of hesitation or anger.

"Everyone accepts fate. We just happen to know about it. There are no exceptions in this universe. We just happen to be aware of it." Junmyeon let out a laugh, his lips falling into Evangeline's hairline. She still smelled like the sea, like him.

“So the myths?” She enquired, thinking back to high school, to learning about their marriages and conquests and romances.

“What myths? Of all the demigods? Of all of our lovers?” Junmyeon laughed again, smile bright and shoulders shaking gleefully, his eyes fell on Evangeline, his fingers smoothing over the furrow in her brows.

“Partially true. The time between ancient Greeks and the Crusades was a bit of a wild ride. We were ruled by chaos before I decided to be the responsible brother. Our children didn’t live long, they were volatile, unstable. They all died young. ” There was a small hint of regret in his voice, although he was never a proper parent before he felt hurt and grief for his children. Some things were inevitable if you lived this long.

“As my brothers run amok, Minseok and I looked at the death and destruction we caused and felt guilt, promised to never set foot on Earth again. I stayed clear of mortal affairs since.” He spoke, leaning back to take a good look at his soulmate. He felt the golden rope tied around his heart twist and tighten, reminding him of who they were and their destiny.

“Why me?” She asked, her voice small and unsure, and Junmyeon said the phrase he had heard over and over.

“Fates can be cruel.”

"Cruel?" He realised too late that this might have been the wrong choice of wording. Hurt flashed across Evangeline's face, marring her brows, twisting her lips. Her eyes flashed with sadness, but Junmyeon was quick to remedy that.

"Meddlesome." He corrected himself.

"Fate meddles, churns and spins our lives in ways we don't want." Junmyeon twisted their intertwined hands, pressed her palm to where his heart was, beating for her, twisting and churning as fate intended.

"It teaches us, that maybe the things we don't want, our fears and our rage, are only temporary. They harms us rather than protects us." He remembered his rage and his guilt, and the way she eased it, made it bearable.

“Do you really love me?” Evangeline asked, her eyes looking at him, waiting for him to look away, expecting him to do so.

“Yes.” Junmyeon was not a man who wavered or swayed. He would not turn away.

“It’s not lust I’m feeling. Eros is different. Eros is shallow, fleeting.” He remembered that kind of love. The gods had been hungry, left wanting more; never satiated. Junmyeon remembered the way it settled into his stomach like a monster in its pit. The lair had been shallow, and it did not make a home of it for long. This was different. It was terrifying and exhilarating and full of contradictions. This was the kind of love that would last, one that would never starve and never waver and never fade. It was a love that would require devotion and compromise and he was ready for both.

"This love is Pragma. A love built on duty and compromise and growth. This is a love that we had not been bestowed before."

“I feel like I’m drowning without you.” Junmyeon's breath fanned over Evangeline's face like a warm breeze.

“You can’t drown.” She whispered, remembering what had transpired earlier. He smiled lightly, but his eyes followed her with inhuman gravity.

“Without you, my lungs don’t feel like breathing.”

“Without you, nothing matters. Not the sea, not Olympus, not immortality.” Junmyeon took her other hand, holding both to where his heart thrummed and breath made home in his lungs.

“Fate is cruel, I know that. But Fate is absolute, and you cannot run from it. I tried.” He continued, watching as Evangeline gazed up at him, her breath in sync with his.

“You love me?” She asked again. Disbelief coloured her voice, as if she could not fathom the fact that a being such as him could feel such passion for her. Junmyeon put her musings to rest.

“I love you.” He repeated. He would repeat it as many time as he needed to, until those words made a home in his mouth, until they were engraved in the tissues and sinew of her heart; until her mortal red thread turned golden and godly.

“I love you too.” Evangeline's voice was clear as crystal when it rung through the halls, through the Seas and through him, tugging at his heart, pulling at his lifeline, twisting the knots in it until they were shapeless and impossible to untangle.

“What now?” She asked, and Junmyeon wasted no time to kiss her.

“Whatever you want.” He whispered against her lips.

“I don’t want to take you away from your life. I don’t want you to have to choose between me or the ones you love.” He confessed. Mortals had families, lives they needed to live. They were not made for immortality.

“You’re the one I love.” She looked hi in the eyes, falling into the hurricane that swirled there, now slow and careful rather than destructing.

“Marry me.” Junmyeon stated. With gleeful eyes he watched as Evangeline moved her face away from his, completely taken aback.

“Excuse me?” She asked, knowing full well that even at their age, marriage after nine months of knowing each other was not the best idea. It was quite a terrible idea actually.

“Not now, when you're ready.” Junmyeon clarified, eyes still sparkling as he resumed peppering kisses all over her face.

“You said I’m mortal.” She looked at him confused again, and he caressed her cheek.

“Not if you marry me. Once our threads become tied, yours will turn to gold, you will become a goddess.” Junmyeon remembered Yixing and Idalia. It was a grand wedding. Olympus was decked in gold, flowers bloomed in every crevice and the sun shone so bright, so perfectly that Junmyeon himself could not believe his eyes. He remembered Jongdae and his bride, their wedding brightened by lightning and decked in diamonds and silver and plants so emerald he thought they were jewels. He remembered the unbreakable golden bands created in his forge for these occasions. Who would forge his wedding rings? Kyungsoo who would pull them from the earth? Yixing who would weave them from sunlight? Chanyeol, who would craft them in a supernova or the heart of a volcano? Either way they would be eternal and final and binding.

“Goddess of what?” Evangeline kissed one corner of his mouth, and then the other.

“Seaweed? Clown fish? Does it matter?” He muttered, not really knowing what would happen. It was the Fates, after all that made these kind of decisions. In this, he was powerless.

“Junmyeon!” She smacked his chest lightly and he laughed. The noise carried, cacophonous and full through the water as pure joy bubbled in his chest.

“ Calm seas. The Goddess of calm seas.” He proposed, his smile never faltering. If he had his way she would rule the world, but balance was hard to break and calmness easy to seek.

Evangeline kissed his lips, hands now threading through his hair. He caressed her cheeks, fitting his mouth to hers.

Just this once, Junmyeon thought, just this once; Fate had been kind.

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exodusmc · 2 years

Text

Golden, like the snitch

Genre: Hogwarts au, fluff, some angst

Words: 3092

Paring: slytherin Sehun x hufflepuff reader

Warning!: Injury, bad relationship with parents

a/n: This ones a part in my hogwarts series, I’m solwly working one the other guys as well. But schools hard man, but maybe it will clam down a little now and I’ll get some motivation back! I will try to update Insider more and I hope everyones well!

Gif is not mine

You were always sitting by the window facing whomping willow, a book in your hands that flipped pages with a soft sound. Sehun would lean his head against one of the many book shelves, eyes closed as he just listened. The title could be about animals or herbs, even the universe was in your rotations of books. But it was your time to relax, his too, and he really needed it right now. There was a quidditch match right around the corner, looming over his shoulders like his bloodline.

Sehun was a pureblood and he remembered the day he got sorted to slytherin, the happiness and relief he felt made him almost feel like he was drowning. But that was a long time ago, he was young back then, believing in blood and pride. Things were different now when he was sitting on the floor just breathing. The wish for everything to always be like this was growing like weed in his soul.

Cheering echoed like a white noise in his head. Chanyeol swished around in his red clothing with grins on his lips. Sure, they were friends with each other but he was competitive and Sehun knew he actually had to try, if he wanted to avoid the disappointment of his father.

Sweat dropped down his forehead as the Quaffel was thrown up.

“Game on” someone screamed as Sehun focused everything on the snitch. He had to get it.

Wind ripped around him as he flew towards the golden ball, seeing the other seeker in the corner of his eye. Sehun barely managed to avoid the gryffindor coming at him.

Diving down, he slipped between wooden poles, only accompanied by the drumming of his heart. He was lean which meant he could move fast and it made him a great seeker, but he was also foolish.

Coming up from the tunnel like graves around the arena, he was so focused on the snitch he missed the other seeker. Swirling around and around, pain shot up his side. Sehun could feel his vision blurr but he had to ignore it and all the gasps from the public. He couldn't even hear what the announcer said, only try to steer his broom right.

“Shit shit…”his mumble was lost to the wind, adrenaline making the pain forgettable. The snitch was so close now, he could almost feel it with his fingers tips. Cheering broke out around him and Sehun exhaled one last time.

Lifting his gaze from the golden ball, time stopped, because there was another golden thing right before him. His obsidian eyes met yours as you were standing with the other hufflepuffs, right in the direction he was flying towards. It was you and only you, until there was nothing.

Gaps broke through the crowd and you put your hands over your mouth. Someone was screaming at the slytherin beaters but you could only stare at the green and black pile on the ground. Both bludgers had hit him in the side.

Teachers rushed towards him, Hagrid lifting the limp body and ignoring Mcgonagall's warnings to wait for a gurney.

You hadn't spoken much with Sehun but you knew about the Oh family since they had an interesting history but rumors spread like wildfires in Hogwarts so you knew more than just history too. Searching through the crowd, you found the man who had similar features to Sehun but he didn't even look concerned. No, he only stood up and left the stand.

“Did he die?” someone to your right asked but you could only hope it was not the case, besides Madame Pomfrey was excellent with what she was doing, the best. You knew since you had studied a little under her and she was almost a miracle worker.

Sehun groaned as he seemingly came back to life, the grogginess and headache making him turn to the side and hope for a bucket or something to catch his last lunch. But nothing came up, only liquid since he hadn't eaten for five days.

Coughing, he managed to focus on the tall windows. It wasn't something new, being in the hospital wing, but the figure standing to his right, holding a bucket, was something new.

You looked concerned at his pale face, even if you had watched it turn green, blue and red. He had some nasty bruises still but they had started to fade, all thanks to…

“Madame Pomfrey, he’s awake!” you called for the peculiar woman, watching as she came out from her room.

She had a tendency to not like when the wing was crowded but ever since you expressed interest in healing magic, had she helped you and taken a liking to you. Madame Pomfrey would smile at you and say that she felt safe leaving her wing to you when her time had come. It made you feel both warm and weird, how could she not be in the hospital wing? Folding sheets or making sure that all the supplies were stocked?

“Now now mister Oh, please stay down..” she pushed Sehun down gently, making him still as she checked to see how he had healed.

You remember coming later the same day he had fallen, just before curfew. The scary bandages and hollowness of his eyes. It got worse when Madame Pomfrey told you about the broken ribs and arm and dislocated shoulder and twisted ankle and…yeah, you were surprised he was as whole as he was.

“Everything seems to be healing right but I want you to rest for this day…”the Madame stood up, mumbling to herself a little as she thought about what she had to write down, you guessed.”I’ll get you some food…and Y/n, please don't stay too long, our patient needs his sleep..”

She said everything with a smile but you knew she meant it too, besides why were you here? You didn't know Sehun..maybe you should tell his friends instead.

Madame Pomfrey left with the closing of the privacy screens and you were alone with Sehun. It got awkward fast, you wondered why you were still there and he thought about how you had seen him take fall from the sky and throw up. He was so cool..yeah right, all he had to do now was say something stupid.

“How..how are you feeling?” the question hung in the air, your voice soft like the turning of pages.

Sehun closed his eyes, floating back to all the times in the library, the peace and calm. He hadn't realised until now but you were a safe space just as much as the window nook.

“I’m sore but that’s about it…have a little bit of a headache, maybe..”your smile was too pretty, almost unfair. He knew why you belonged to hufflepuff.

“That’s good…since you took quite a fall..”his slightly reddening cheeks made you giggle. Gazing at him up close was so different from seeing him in the corridors, the boy was not as scary as you thought.

The ruffle of fabric made the both of you tense as Madame Pomfrey arrived with food, her blue eyes having something knowing in them.

“Here you go mister Oh…eat carefully now so it stays down..”she left as soon as she came but you knew it was time for you to go as well.

“Well I should leave you now…”it actually made him disappointed, seeing you stand up from the chair. It felt empty now. “By the way…you caught it, the snitch..”

“Dude! You can't scare us like that!” Chanyeol’s loud voice made Madame Pomfrey almost throw her tray, glaring at the giant who pulled the privacy screens with one goal in mind. Junmeyon had the decency to look embarrassed and apologetic at the older woman before he to piled into the almost room.”I really thought you were dead!”

Sehun smiled a little, the feeling of warmness spreading through his cold chest when he watched Junmyeon, Chanyeol and Baekhyun standing before him. The others would be here too if it weren't for school and Madame Pomfrey. But they were family and the best thing that could have ever happened to him. They were what made him take the right way, his own way.

“Yea! I mean, we couldn't have let you go in that way! It would have been too embarrassing for you!” Baekhyun teased but Junmyeon would later tell him that the other slytherin boy had cried for days and been red eyed due to it. Chaewon had told them about how scared he was, even after it was declared that Sehun would survive.

“How did you miss the bludgers!?”Chanyeol leaned forward, staring his friend down. Sehun was usually one of the best players and missing those goddamn iron balls was one hell of a rookie mistake, especially since it was so they were coming towards him.

Something clicked in Baekhyun's brain and he got that grin on his face, accompanied with that look that only meant hell was about to go down. Junmyeon swallowed because he also knew why and it was spelt hufflepuff.

“Maybe he was looking for something else..just as gold as the snitch..”the smirk widened, his tone crawling over Sehun’s skin. Baekhyun leaned forward, excitement in his brown eyes.”A little bird whispered that she had been here everyday since the fall…hmm, you wouldn't know, would ya?”

Sehun’s cheeks reddened and that was that, his crush confirmed for his loud mouthed friend. Chanyeol’s eyes widened as realisation hit him like the Hogwarts express.

“Is it her you have been going to all this time? When you just disappear?” Chanyeol’s question made Sehun even hotter in the face and Baekhyun made some delighted noise.

“My my..have our little Sehunnie fallen in love? I never thought I would see the day!” Baekhyun could tease anyone to death but he was quickly remiended with his own pining after Chaewon and actually kept his mouth shut after that.

“Well..I’m happy you’re fine..”Junmyeon smiled, his hair perfectly laid.”Rest some more now..”

With that was Sehun left alone again and Chanyeol hurried out when he felt the daggers Madame Pomfrey's eyes threw after him.

You didn't dare come back for three days after Sehun had woken up, too embarrassed and filled with butterflies. But the Madame asked for your help so one morning, when the double doors closed, were you standing in the room and alone with the black haired slytherin again.

“Good morning.”Sehun had started to love the sounds of your voice, carving to hear the tones.

“Morning..”it became quiet again, you two just studying each other.” Why are you here?”

Maybe it sounded rude, he hoped it didn't, but he sure knew what he wished you would say.

“I’m helping Madame Pomfrey…and she shows me some…stuff.”

“Oh…”disappointing but not surprising, stupid of him to hope you came to see him.

Quiet again, so heavy that it felt like something pressed down on his chest. Sehun’s hair shone in morning light filtering through half opened white curtains. It looked soft when it had no gel in, like you wanted to pull your fingers through it. Some colour had returned to his face as well but the tone was still contracting to those were dark eyes. Green sure fit him but this not so perfect look made him less hard.

“How’s everything going? Are you well now?” you kept your distance, watching like you always did. He was pure blood and you were half, it would never be okay or even an option.

“I’m okay now, getting out tomorrow..”

“Oh…”you wanted to say more, wanted to ask about him..the real him, but nothing left your lips, nothing left his.”That’s great to hear…”

Sehun didn't have a chance to say something more, he could only watch as you slipped into Madame Pomfrey’s room.

Sehun watched you from afar, gaze following as he guessed you were picking out a book to read at your nook…One week had passed since he left the hospital wing and he felt like the two of you were catching each other's eyes more but you would look away, every time. And Baekhyun noticed, he noticed it too much.

“You know..ogling at her won't make her come talk to you…” Sehun glared at his house mate, hating the heat he felt covering his cheeks.

“You forced Chanyeol to come when you wanted to talk to Chaewon…about dragons too..”Kyungsoo didn't look up from his book when he spoke, missing the offended look Baekhyun had.

“Yeah…and you were pale because you were so stressed.”Chanyeol smiled but Sehun had noticed that his giant of a friend was looking for someone and that he had been a little off since he ran into that ravenclaw.

“Maybe I can get Chaewon to talk to her!..”Baekhyun’s voice was loud again, earning glares from a table filled with students.”...but I don't really know if they are friends…”

Sehun stopped listening because you were gone and it took most of his willpower to not go after you or at least where he thought you went.

Autumn had turned to winter and Sehun started to dread the holiday break, even if there were weeks left. He hadn't heard from his father since he fell and it probably meant he was mad. It clouded his mind and Chanyeol was worried for his friend, seeing him fall deeper and deeper in that dark void.

“Hey..are you staying over the holidays?” Sehun looked at the giant, scarf covering most of his lower face but letting his ears point out.”I was thinking about it anyway…”

Sehun sighed. He knew that Chanyeol really wanted to go home, see his family and the creature he called a dog.

“No…I’m going home…” but it wasn't home, not like Hogwarts.”I think you should too.”

Chanyeol smiled sadly, throwing his arm over his friend's shoulders.

“Well then, we better celebrate before everyone leaves!” yea, before everyone leaves…” Butterbeers on me!”

Sehun laughed lightly, nodding his head, black hair laid perfectly just like his uniform. He would miss his friends but he couldn't keep them here, not when they already did so much for him. However, there was one more place he had to go to before leaving, one more person to see.

The bookshelves were the same, spines in all colours and with all titles. Sehun walked quietly, following his usual path towards the window. But you weren't there, no he was just staring out the glass at a grey world which would probably soon be covered in white snow. The whomping willow bare and almost lonely.

“Oh…uhm…”he turned fast as lightning, wide eyed and blushing. You stood there, book in hand and robes falling over your form.”Sorry…are using this…uhm place?”

Sehun just stared. There you were, busting him. Shit.

“No no…eh..”Sehun scratched his neck, wondering what he should say. You had already seen him and it would be weird if he just ran away.”You can…read here, if you want..”

But he didn't move, glancing up and down from your book to your eyes. You too felt like disappearing. No one had ever come close the million times you had been here and now was Oh Sehun standing there, looking dumbfounded.

“O..okay..?”Shit, he should really leave, like now but he didn't want to. The next time he could be in forever and anything could happen.

“Maybe we can…use it together?” Sehun grabbed a random book from the shelf, smiling slightly. It made his face completely different, soft and with arched brows instead of straight.

“Sure…but I didn't know you were interested in the frog choir…” Sehun looked down at the book he had taken, hearing you giggle softly under your breath. He blushed, putting it back before actually looking at the titles.

You kept laughing as quietly as you could, hopping up to sit by the window you always sat, back pressed against the wooden frame. It was actually spaceus up there and had a nice view of the outside, something which made you calm, for the most part. But now, now was a slytherin distracting you.

Sehun looked and looked, taking a book called “History of frogs and the magic world” and putting it back. It made you laugh again, the clueless look he had as he searched for something bearable to read. He didn't know that this was the “frog corner” and that you had chosen it because almost no one came back here.

“You won't find anything here…If you don't want to read about frogs…”your smile was wide as Sehun turned to look at you, this weird feeling floating through him. Most of the time, he was hiding behind one of the shelfs but was now right before you.

“Ah…Yeah not really..”

“Do..Do you want me to read for you?” you lifted the book in your hands, heat slowly creeping up your face.” I’m a couple pages in but maybe that’s okay?”

Sehun nodded, swallowing a little too hard. It was everything he had dreamed of for a long time but it felt..not scary but not okay either. Like this could break a fragile picture of something he cherished.

He hopped onto the window sill, leaning against the cool glass as you started to read. It was pleasant to listen to, made his heart beat calmly. Your voice was really like the turning of pages, soft and full in a sense that only emotions made vowles.

With closed eyes, he let the whole world be only you and your voice. There was nothing more, no problem and no need. Only you and him. Everything made you hope a little, glancing at the slytherin boy with polished hair and no part of his uniform tilted. Maybe one day, you’ll read for him but those words will be your own and said to him as a promise of forever…hopefully he’ll have his own too.

“Shhhhh…”Baekhyun waved his hand up and down, a camera pointing towards a window. He was leaning as much as he could around the bookshelf, holding his tongue between his teeth.

You and Sehun were blissfully unaware of the jokester, who was Sehun’s housemate. But he was too unaware of the gryffindor taking his own picture. Those two pictures would later become your favorite when your Hogwarts years were done. Sehun would blush but secretly feel the same

#hogwarts au #exo hogwarts #sehun #oh sehun #sehun x reader #slytherpuff #slytherin sehun #exo #sehun au #sehun fluff #exo senarios #exo sehun #kpop fanfic #exo fanfic #sehun fanfic #EXO baekhyun #exo chanyeol #EXO junmyeon #exo kyungsoo

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wolveswithblackpearls · 1 month

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Werewolf AU!Suho

A howl ripped through the air. The hair on the back of your neck stood up and your first instinct was to run. But that was a wolf’s howl, calling out to the moon. So, instead, you walked slowly towards the direction it came from, like an idiot. And you couldn’t even say that you lived a full life.

Once again, a moodboard for the lovely @marshmallow-phd ! This time for part 5 of her “The Untamed”-series: “Charming Instruction”.

~Admin C

Original date of publishing: Feb 7th, 2019

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mymoodwriting · 7 months

Text

Beyond The Stars

F!Reader x EXO

Genre: Amnesia AU, EXO Universe/Planet

Warning: Amnesia, Manipulation, Lies, Interdimensional Travel, Betrayal

Words: 4.8K

Chapter Seventeen

(Prev//Next)

Prompt: You’re the most important thing to EXO, you’ve been with them for years, and when you wind up missing, it greatly upsets them. Their journey to find you and bring you home starts a chain of events that leads to facing their own greatest fears, making unlikely allies, traveling to other worlds again and finally gathering the strength to take down their greatest enemy. Along the way you get to see their true colors and fall in love all over again, although you might come to realize you don’t like what you see in the mirror.

@suhappysuho @starillusion13

“Destiny? What do you mean?”

“This is a safe haven.” Suho explained. “I’ll show you, but you all have to be calm.”

“You’re not exactly making me feel any better here.” Taeyong commented.

“Just follow me.”

Others were hesitant to follow, but they did so. Lay took your hand and led you along with the group. You looked around, realizing this was some kind of ship, and that brought up so many more questions. At least now it made sense what Suho had said earlier, the ship’s name was Destiny. You came to some steps, although Suho told everyone to give him a moment and went up.

“Captain!”

From below you heard some happy cheers, followed by running. Soon enough you saw someone with Suho and then they noticed you.

“Wow… that’s a lot of stowaways.”

“It’s a long story, but the new faces won’t be staying. They just needed a safe place to stop, hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. You wouldn’t bring enemies on my ship. Welcome aboard everyone.”

You went up onto the main deck, taking in your surroundings again and being amazed. You weren’t out on the ocean where you would find such a ship, but sailing through the sky. You ran over to the edge to look overboard.

“This is amazing.”

“Careful now, don’t want to lose anyone.”

Xiumin came over and pulled you back, reminding you to behave yourself. You apologized and promised to stay close. You were brought over back to the crowd and over to the gentleman you had seen talking with Suho before.

“We should probably introduce you. Y/n, this is the captain of the ship.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” The gentleman bowed. “I’m Hongjoong, captain of the Ateez crew, and this is our lovely ship Destiny.”

“It’s wonderful.”

You got to meet the rest of the crew as well and struck up a conversation as the leaders stepped away to talk among themselves.

“I’m Taeyong, leader of NCT. Thanks for allowing us to remain on your ship.”

“A friend of Suho’s is a friend of mine.”

“I want to ask though… how did you meet Suho?”

“He helped us long ago to save our world, and thanks to them we now roam free, always ready to help others. Destiny is our safe place, and for you as well. You’re always welcomed on my ship.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we cross paths again under better circumstances.”

“I’m sure we will.”

“Do you think you and your people are good to travel?” Suho asked. “Or do you need to rest. I’m sure-”

“No, no, we’re alright.” Taeyong assured. “We should return home and fully rest.”

“Okay then.”

You all gathered to see the Neos off, and you hoped to see them again some time in the future. With the third party gone there was a shift in the atmosphere.

“So what really brought you by?” Hongjoong asked. “You are not one to show up unannounced.”

“I’m here to collect on the favor we’ve asked of you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Wait.” You asked. “What favor?”

You didn’t answer, but a look was exchanged between Hongjoong and Wooyoung. The other boy went off to the captain’s quarters and returned with an hourglass moments later.

“What is that? It looks so cool.”

“It’s called the Cromer.” Wooyoung explained, handing it over to you. “We don’t use it as much anymore, but it serves another purpose now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

You only pondered on that for a moment before the Cromer floated up into the air and away from you. DO had stepped away from the group, and the Cromer flew over to him. In the blink of an eye the hourglass had shattered, but all the pieces remained in the air. All the glass was separated and you could tell DO was focused on it. One moment there was glass and then it turned to sand. You had no idea what was going on, let alone as Kai stepped forward and allowed the sand to pour down onto his hand.

“What are you doing…” You mumbled.

“Remembering something long forgotten.”

“Why are you going there?” Hongjoong asked.

“We can’t keep running.” Suho stated. “We have to face our enemies head on.”

“What does that mean?” You questioned.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Chen assured. “Promise.”

“Kai?” Suho said.

“I got it.”

You didn’t know what that meant, but you watched as DO put the Cromer back together as if nothing had ever happened. It returned to your hands and you looked it over in awe.

“You could stay a while.” Hongjoong suggested. “Get some rest and prepare.”

“Can’t keep pushing things off.” Lay said. “But thank you.”

“If you guys need any help, you know where to find us.”

It was sad to be saying goodbye to new friends so soon, but you went wherever EXO went without hesitation. You hoped to see them again and get to know them more when the time comes. You gave the Cromer back to Yeosang, and they all wished you well. Sehun and Chanyeol took your hands, and you all said one last goodbye before you closed your eyes, ready for the next adventure. The quiet and calm of the open sky faded into the sounds of nature, and you opened your eyes to find yourself surrounded by trees.

“Woah… where are we…”

“Some place we never thought we’d return to.” Baekhyun mumbled. “Come on, we have some place to go.”

“You guys really need to stop being so cryptic.”

“I know, sorry. We’re still processing everything too.”

You followed the boys through the words, quite intrigued by the fact they knew exactly where they were going. After a while you came to this cabin. It seemed abandoned with nature having taken it back, but it all retreated as Lay waved his hand. You went with the boys inside, seeing all the dust that’s been collecting. Sehun was quick to blow that all away, but a silent stillness remained.

“So… what is this place?”

“An old home.” Xiumin said.

“Are we staying?”

“For the foreseeable future, yes.”

“Then we should start cleaning up.”

Your bright spirit was a bit of a contrast with the rest of the atmosphere, but the others agreed with you. The others helped you clean up, making this place feel more like a home. While cleaning you found an interesting picture. It was a group photo of the boys with a handful of unfamiliar faces. There was something strange about this whole place you couldn’t quite put your finger on, and this picture added to that uneasiness. Before you could dwell on it more you heard Lay calling out to you, and you made your way to the back of the cabin, finding a greenhouse. You stepped into a garden you had never seen before, amazed by its beauty.

“Wow…”

“This is an old garden of mine, and you can see the plants have taken very good care of each other.”

“They must have missed you.”

“I missed them too.”

“What happened here? I saw a picture of you and some other people. Was this home before you met me?”

“For a long time it was, but we had to flee.”

“So why are you back now?”

“Cause we need to fix things.”

“Fix things?” You thought for a moment. “Is RF the reason you left this world?”

“Yes. This place was home, and then we wound up being held captive. When we escaped, we left this world in their hands. We have to correct that mistake.”

“That’s dangerous… facing RF head on… especially if the two of you have history here.” “I know, but it has to be done. For starters we need to check in with old friends.”

“Old friends?”

“You can meet them later.” Kai said as he entered the garden. “We have to find them first.”

“And how are you gonna do that?”

“A lot of remembering.”

Kai stepped forward, going into the garden and sitting himself down. Some vines crept over, wrapping around his arms and waist. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, making you wonder what he was doing. You had never seen Kai in the garden like this before.

“Are you picking anything up?”

“I can sense them… but it’s faint…”

“It’s been years at this point. Will that be enough or should I look for them?”

“No. This should be enough.”

After a while longer Kai opened his eyes, the vines moving away and releasing him. He gave you a big smile and came over to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Suho, Sehun, and I will be going out for a bit. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“What? Can’t I go?”

“This place is unknown, and it’s best if you stay here where it’s safe.”

“Then why not bring our house here?”

“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Besides this place was the blueprint of the home we have now. Stay and be good.”

“Alright… don’t be gone too long.”

“Hopefully we won’t.”

The trio went off, and you focused on making this old place feel new. Kai scouted ahead first to make sure no one would get hurt and that they could lay low. Alleys always worked in their favor.

“Where are we?” Sehun asked.

“No idea.” Kai admitted. “Since the frequency is so faint I can’t get an exact location, but they have to be around here somewhere.”

“So like a needle in a haystack.”

“At least I narrowed down the search, didn’t I?”

“Don’t fight.” Suho reminded. “We have no idea what they’re like anymore after all this time. We might not be welcomed. Just lay low and don’t draw attention.”

The area they were in wasn’t that popular, but there were still plenty of people around going about their day. They seamlessly blended in, walking down the street and looking around. Nothing much had seemed to change about the world, but that wasn’t entirely a good thing. While walking Sehun had gotten a strange feeling, stopping before a building.

“Sehun?”

“There’s something about this place.”

“What place? A dojo?”

“I can’t explain it.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

The three went inside, seeing that the place was empty, except for one gentleman. They were cleaning the weapons rack. They began their welcome speech and turned around, only to cut themselves short.

“Suho… Kai… Sehun… is that really you?”

“Surprised to see us. Shownu?”

“I thought I’d never see you again.”

Shownu ran over to embrace the three in a hug, still processing that they were really there. So much had happened since they last spoke. There was a lot to catch up on, but something else was more important.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d return.”

“We have to right our wrongs.” Suho explained. “We’re sorry we took so long.”

“It’s just incredible to see you now.”

“What about the others?” Kai asked. “How are they?”

“I’m not so sure. We don’t keep in touch. It was better if we remained separate. Although for a while I was in contact with Wonho, but he hasn’t been around in months. I’m worried something happened to him but I have no way of finding out.”

“That’s alright. We plan to reunite everyone. If you don’t have any pressing business, we could go now.”

“Absolutely. It’d be so good to see everyone’s face again.”

Once again Kai relied on a faded feeling, going ahead to make sure everything was safe before returning for the others. Shownu did need a moment to recover from the nauseating feeling of teleportation before they could continue. It was another small town, but nothing vastly unfamiliar to Shownu. Neither of them knew where to look so it was back to walking the streets. Although this time around they had someone with a slightly better eye than them.

“Have you been avoiding me?”

“Huh… Shownu!”

Wonho ran over to hug his hyung, embracing them tightly with disbelief clear on his face. This seemed like a dream, more so when he realized his friend was not alone.

“You… is it really you?”

“Long time no see, right?”

“I can’t believe this.” Wonho stated. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll explain later, right now we’re just trying to find everyone.” Suho said. “Did you keep in touch with anyone?”

“No. Only Shownu, but that didn’t last long.”

“How did you find me anyway?”

“It’s a bit complicated… I received a watch in the mail with some instructions and a location… I was hesitant to use it but when I did, I found my way to you.”

“That must be what I sensed.” Sehun said. “The energy from you traveling back and forth. Without it we might not have found Shownu so easily.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Wonho teased. “So who are we looking for next?”

“No idea.” Suho admitted. “We’re just going to the nearest signal.”

“Got it. Ready when you are.”

“You’re very eager.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“I know.”

The five of them made the journey to their next location. Another town, and another needle in a haystack. Still, the more of them they found, the better they all felt. This time around everyone was surprised to find Minhyuk with Changkyun in a cafe. The reunion there was far bigger than the last.

“Have you two been in touch this whole time?” Wonho asked.

“Not consistently.” Minhyuk admitted. “Changkyun would stop by once in a while to check up on me, nothing more.”

“I have incredible timing don’t you think?” Changkyun teased. “I’m so happy to see you all, but also surprised.”

“When we get back to the cabin we can talk.”

“That place is still standing? I would have thought for sure RF would have destroyed it or something.”

“They’d never be able to get close.”

It was great to see each other, but they still had others to find. With the next jump some had gotten used to the nausea, and others not so much.

“Gosh, that always feels weird.” Changkyun commented. “So, who’s here?”

“We don’t know.” Kai said. “Just following a feeling.”

The group walked around for a while. They weren’t sure who to be looking for but once again Sehun had a strange feeling. He led the group inside a building, finding Jooheon behind a glass in the middle of work.

“Jooheon.”

“Hm?” The boy got up. “You… oh my gosh.”

Jooheon rushed out to embrace his brothers, tears stinging his eyes. Suho and the others let them have their reunion, aware they hadn’t seen much of each other in a long time too.

“What’s the reason behind all this?” Jooheon asked. “I thought we’d never see each other again.”

“It’s a long story.” Kai said. “But we’ll get to it. We just need to find the others first.”

“About that…”

“What?”

“I… I wish I could have told you all this sooner… but Kihyun… he was in a car accident… he’s…”

“I’m so sorry.” Suho mentioned.

The news took everyone by surprise, although Sehun had been looking around. Once again he felt something was off, except it was different this time around. He stepped away from the group, and Kai noticed, following him.

“Sehun, what is it?”

“I’m not sure… but I feel like someone else is here…”

“Someone else?”

Kai wasn’t sure what Sehun meant, but he had his own way of figuring things out. He closed his eyes and took a moment, then disappeared. Moments later he returned and threw someone to the ground. This person had a visor covering their eyes like some VR headset, and seemed to be wearing some kind of armor. The others had noticed this as well.

“What the heck?”

“This person’s been spying on us. Any ideas?”

“RF let us go.” Minhyuk said.

“That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t keep an eye on you.”

“They weren’t following us.” Sehun added. “So they must have been here keeping an eye on Jooheon.”

“Me?”

That’s when the spy decided to move, making an attempt to run but Kai was quick to follow. The two engaged in some quick combat. This person was skilled, but Kai’s powers gave him an advantage. He managed to land a hard kick to the face, causing the other to slam to the ground. There was the audible crack of the visor and then all movement ceased. Shownu and Suho flipped over the spy, realizing a familiar face was under the mask.

“Kihyun…”

Everyone was confused and shocked. The news they had just been told suddenly became a lie, and this brought up so many questions. They all agreed that they couldn’t stay here for much longer so Suho made the call to go back home, taking everyone with them.

“Clear the table.”

Shownu called out orders as he carried Kihyun inside, Jooheon quickly wiped everything off the nearest table. Everyone gathered around as Kihyun was laid out on the table, helping to get the gear off of him. Others that had heard the commotion came to see what was going on, although there were no time for greetings. Things were taken off Kihyun to make him more comfortable, but the visor wouldn’t come off.

“So…” Minhyuck spoke. “How do we get that off him? Seems attached to his face and I don’t wanna… what if I hurt him?”

“You won’t.”

Another voice caught everyone’s attention. They all looked over at the door, seeing a tall figure hidden under an umbrella walk in. Once the group had gotten to the old house Suho made it rain to cover their tracks and it was pretty bad outside. This person seemed pretty clean, barely a drop of water on their umbrella, and not a speck of mud on them despite the surrounding woods. The umbrella was lowered, Hyungwon revealing his face.

“There’s a button on the left side of the visor. Press it and it will come off without issue.”

No one moved but Minhyuck, feeling around and finding the button. When he got the visor off he tossed it to Chen. Kihyun didn’t react, the other boy starting to shake him.

“Kihyun… Kihyun, wake up.”

“He won’t.” Hyungwon said. “And I suggest you don’t fry the visor.”

“What do you mean he won’t wak-” Shownu said but was cut off.

“It was supposed to be me!”

Jooheon yelled, storming over to Hyungwon. The older boy didn’t move, not at all afraid of the other. It was clear Jooheon wanted to fight, but Wonho was quick to run over and step in front of Hyungwon, holding his arm out. Shownu and Changkyun had moved as well, grabbing Jooheon and pulling him back despite his protests.

“It was supposed to be me!”

“Jooheon, what are you talking about?” Changkyun asked. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I was supposed to be in the accident! Not Kihyun! I saw you there, Hyungwon, I saw you there at the crash site!”

“What?” Shownu’s grip got tighter. “Jooheon, stop this and explain yourself.”

Jooheon kept glaring at Hyungwon, wanting to punch him, but he stopped fighting when Shownu asked. The two holding him waited a moment, making sure he was calm before letting him go. Wonho stayed with Hyungwon, but wasn’t sure what was going on.

“I’ve always felt that something was off about the accident.” Jooheon began. “I’ve had dreams of it, where I’m the one in the driver’s seat, it felt so real, too real, to just be a dream. I remember seeing you there when the ambulance took Kihyun, and then you disappeared. It was supposed to be me right? You changed that somehow. Why? It should be me on that table!”

“I couldn’t let RF get to you, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, you’re saying that Jooheon’s dreams are real?” Minhyuk asked.

“Those aren’t dreams, but memories of another timeline. I’m surprised you retain fragments of the accident.”

“So this…” Changkyun was mumbling. “This was what you needed to change?”

“What?” Shownu questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“Hyungwon came to me once, long before the accident, he asked me for a favor, said it was important. He needed to change something in the timeline, told me when and where Minhyuck would be, asked me to look after him, keep him safe for as long as possible.”

“Wait, you’ve been in contact with Hyungwon this whole time?”

“Yes… yes, I have.”

“So, that’s how you found me? I found that watch, a customer left it. I was just messing with it, I didn’t know it…” Minhyuk trailed off as he came to a realization, looking at Hyungwon. “You left that for me! You wanted me to use it!”

“Yes. It’s why I left one at Wonho’s place too.”

“It was you? You… you set us up?” Wonho seemed hurt. “Why? WHY!?”

“I needed a distraction. You’re all on RF’s radar, if you were found to be time traveling they’d focus on you since you were messing with the timeline.”

“You gave one to Kihyun too!” Jooheon questioned. “Didn’t you! You knew he would feel guilty over what happened and would want to change it! Why didn’t you just stop the accident!”

“You don’t think I tried to stop it, despite knowing better. There are things that are fated to happen, that accident was one of them. It was going to happen, one way or the other, if not at that moment, then later. Every attempt I made to change it ended the same, Jooheon was severely hurt and taken by RF. I couldn’t stop it, but I could change who was taken.”

“Why! WHY!”

“What did you do?” Changkyun growled. “Kihyun didn’t just get into the driver’s seat…”

“I did what I just did here. I showed him the truth, the accident can’t be stopped, and I gave him the opportunity to save Jooheon.”

“No you manipulated him!” Jooheon spat. “I see no reason why it shouldn’t be me on the table.”

“It’s because of me.” Lay spoke up. “Isn’t?”

“Yes.” Hyungwon nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Wait, what? What does Lay have to do with this.”

“Everything.” Xiumin added. “Jooheon, you know more about Lay’s plants than any of your friends. If RF got to you, they would learn that and… well I suppose Hyungwon knows what the outcome of that is.”

“You’re seriously defending him? He’s the one who betrayed us, who turned Baekhyun in, when you asked us to look after him.”

“We did.” Sehun got up. “But not Tao, right Hyungwon?”

“Yes. Tao asked me to bring Baekhyun in, he knew it wouldn’t end well if he was kept from the group any longer. I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Shownu asked.

“Cause he told me not to.”

“So you just betrayed us?” Wonho said. “You picked him over us?”

“That’s not it.”

“That’s exactly what you did!” Minhyuk yelled. “You betrayed us! And stayed with RF when they gave us an out!”

“He made a promise.” Kai added. “Isn’t that right? Tao could see the future if he focused with Luhan at his side. He knew what would happen if Baekhyun stayed away from us. He knew what would happen to him, to the others, and that we’d escape, but he knew we’d be back too. So, he needed someone to look after this world in our absence.”

“Yes.” Hyungwon admitted. “I made a promise, and that meant gaining RF’s trust, even if it meant losing you guys. I’m-”

“Don’t.” Wonho interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it, just wake Kihyun up and go.”

“I… I can’t… he’s comatose.”

“What!”

“The visor… it controls him, he’s lifeless without it.”

“So that’s what my fate was.” Jooheon said. “Comatose.”

“No… no it wasn’t. Messing with the timeline has a price, even when you find a loophole.”

“You… you killed him!” Changkyun shouted. “You killed Kihyun!”

“I’m sorry.”

Changkyun charged at Hyungwon, but he disappeared before he was grabbed. The boy fell to his knees distraught. He felt partially guilty for having helped Hyungwon in his plan, not knowing what the outcome would be. Shownu went over to comfort him, Wonho screaming as well and punching the wall. Minhyuk had fallen to his knees as well, holding Kihyun’s hand, his own silent tears falling.

“Fix this.” Jooheon looked at Lay. “You can heal him.”

“The mind is a far more complex thing to heal.”

“But you can do it.”

“I… I don’t know.”

“No, the answer is yes, you can fix him!”

“Jooheon, I don’t-”

“Don’t give me that crap, you can!”

“I don-”

“Maybe we can.” Baekhyun interrupted. “When Haechan and the others were stuck in the inbetween they were pretty much comatose. You woke them up, so you could-”

“We knew where their minds were, knew where to go and get them out. We have no idea where Kihyun is, he could be brain dead for all we know.”

“Then take him there.” Shownu spoke.

“What?”

“Take Kihyun’s mind to the inbetween, if he’s truly alive then you’ll find him there, right? And you can bring him back.”

“Do it.” Jooheon said. “Whatever that is, do it.”

“We can’t just do that.” Suho said. “The inbetween isn’t our place. We didn’t wake the others up, we helped one of their own go in and get them out. We can’t-”

“Then call your friends! Get them to do this!”

“Jooheon-”

“What do we have to lose?” Minhyuk added. “We didn’t know what had become of Kihyun until now, but this isn’t living.”

“The inbetween becomes a personal hell if you stay there.” DO said. “It’s not-”

“Kihyun put himself in a car accident.” Wonho cut in. “He knew the consequences then, he’d understand them now. So whoever you need to call, call them and try to save him, that’s all we’re asking.”

It got quiet. Suho looked around at everyone, the decision had fallen to him. He took a breath then looked at Lay, nodding his head.

“Lay, DO, with me. Xiumin, you and Chen know what to make, the garden here is like the one back home, so you should have what you need. The rest of you look after y/n.”

You had heard the commotions from before, but Baekhyun had you stay hidden just to be safe. Nothing that was spoken made sense to you, not until the end and talking about the inbetween. You peeked your head around the corner, seeing this person unconscious on the table. Everyone seemed busy with things so you carefully approached them. You looked at them for a while before someone else approached. They looked you over and then pulled you into a hug.

“Y/n!”

You didn't react, confused as to who was hugging you and why. He had such a huge smile on his face, but it faltered when he saw your confusion.

“Y/n, it’s me, Wonho, we grew up together, remember?”

“What?”

“We went to elementary and high school together. You disappeared a few years ago, we thought you were dead.”

“Wait, what? You’re saying we know each other?”

“Yes.” Wonho pulled up a picture of you and him together. “What happened to you?”

You were quiet, staring at the picture, then you looked over at Chanyeol who was in the room. The sad look on their face told you everything you needed to know.

“I’m... I’m from here, this world is my home… why don’t I remember that! Why don’t I remember my past!”

You started to panic, drawing a blank on your childhood, on everything before knowing them. Cahnyeol took a step towards you but you backed away.

“No… what’s going on… why don’t I-”

“A lot happened when we met.” Suho added, having overheard things and coming over. “We met by chance and you helped us but RF caught up to us, we couldn’t just leave you for them to do who knows what so we took you with us. We never planned to come back here and we couldn’t return you either. We didn’t want you to feel home sick… so we made you forget your past…”

“I…”

You had tears in your eyes, the lack of memories making you feel so lost. Your past had always been a fuzzy thing, and when you thought back on it something else always came up to distract you. This wasn’t how you thought you’d get answers. Even if you did know Wonho you felt nothing familiar about him.

“It’s our fault. We got you involved, we never meant to, I swear, but we had to keep you safe.”

“Did you?” You spat, eyes flashing black for a moment. “What you did… was it really for my own good… or for yours.”

You stormed out, not wanting to hear anything anymore, having some new information to deal with. Once you were gone the others looked at each other, then Wonho.

“You knew y/n?” Suho questioned.

“Yes, and I thought I knew you too.”

17 notes · View notes

marshmallow-phd · 16 days

Text

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won’t let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3

The wind whistled against the windows like a hallowing scream. You tossed and turned, desperate to fall asleep. The first few nights had been somewhat peaceful, due to the fever having a complete hold over you. To fight it off, your body had kept you in a deep sleep, only broken by bouts of blurry consciousness.

But now… every noise made your eyelids snap open and your heart jump in pace. This unfamiliar place was full of shadows and secrets. Secrets that revolved around the men keeping you here.

Releasing a long sigh, you stared up at the canopy, the newly formed indentions in the knife floating in your mind. They weren’t there before, you were sure of that. You had used that knife to cut the chicken and it was in perfect condition. No human could bend the metal like that.

And then there was the speed at which Yixing caught your wrist.

You sat up with haste. Sleep was not going to come to you tonight. You groaned and rubbed your face with your fingers. The room slowly came into view as your eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. You had opened the curtain before slipping into bed so you could watch the moon rise into the sky. Looking around the room, you searched for an answer on how to get yourself to sleep. There wasn’t much in this grand room. Simply a bed, a wardrobe, a dresser, the chair–

Wait.

Pushing the blanket off of your legs, you crawled across the mattress towards the chair. The shape didn’t seem right. Six legs instead of four. An extra shape in the outline.

“You should go to sleep.”

A high pitched scream ripped at your throat until a cold hand covered your mouth, cutting off the sound. Now fully bathed in the blue moonlight, you could make out the sharp features of Yixing’s face.

You shoved his arm away to free your lips. “What do you think you are doing in my room?” No gentleman would dare enter a lady’s room like this. Unless– gumption gone, you swallowed thickly. Was the reason you were trapped here finally coming to fruition?

The corner of Yixing’s mouth twitched upwards. He slinked forward like a cat cornering a mouse until his arms trapped you against the mattress, a hand on either side of your hip. Only your elbows kept you from being flat on your back, even more vulnerable.

“You’re a noisy sleeper,” he purred, his eyes flashing. “It's… distracting.”

You scoffed. None of their rooms were near yours. You were sure that all the ones around you were empty. He shouldn’t have been able to hear your tossing and turning. “Distracting?”

He hummed. His right hand lifted from the bed and reached out towards your face. You flinched at the motion, making him freeze.

But only for a moment.

The hovering fingers soon resumed their path. He didn’t make contact with your cheek, however. Instead, his fingers traced the outline of your collarbone. Down one slope and up the other. You trembled at the contact. His smirked only deepend. His fingers moved on to your shoulder, the too loose neckline of the nightgown nearly falling off.

You should slap him away, scream at him to leave, but you were too petrified to do so.

At least, you thought that was what stopped you. The coldness of his fingers moved up the curve of your neck, the tips pausing on the pulsing vein. His thumb caressed the edge of your jaw.

“Go to sleep.”

And like that, he disappeared into the night like smoke from a dying ember.

You didn’t hear or see the door open or close, but you knew you were alone now.

And you were furious.

How dare he come here! How dare he–

Your feet hit the floor, heavy and without a care of being heard. Sleep, in protest of that madman’s orders, would now be impossible. Anger and frustration at your situation fueled something new within you.

You weren’t sure what it was or what it would lead to, but you followed it without question. Donning soft slippers and a thicker slip dress, you found a candle in the top drawer, along with a few matches and a holder. You lit the candle and left your room.

Out. You needed to find a way out. Perhaps if you could get ahold of a piece of paper and a pen then you could write–

But how would you get it to someone who could take it to your family?

This place–somewhere in its halls or dusty room–had to hold the key. Something here had to be your savior, something to make this hope not without merit.

You pinched the candleholder tightly in your hand. The tiny flame danced before your eyes, occasionally catching your attention away from where you were going. All of your senses were heightened, on the lookout for the next corner’s surprise. If one of them was awake at this hour, then more could be as well. Running into one of them could be detrimental–or a possibility for answers. Perhaps if you could get one of the others, one of the less… frightful ones, you might be able to plead for help. One surely would take pity on you.

Or they would simply take advantage of the isolation.

Though that fear lingered in the back of your mind, you kept on your quiet steps.

There wasn’t much you could see with the light of the candle. The floors, like your room, were of wood boards somewhat taken care of. Portraits and landscapes hung on the walls, but their colors had faded, no longer holding the joy of life they once had captured.

Taking a left at a fork in the hall, you came to a large door that didn’t open like the others. It slid sideways on wheels like a ladder against tall bookshelves. As carefully as you could, you pushed the door open and glanced inside.

The room was just a simple parlor, with an unlit fireplace and several stuffed chairs accompanied by small side tables. Most likely an unused smoke room for the gentlemen to disappear to after dinner.

Across the room was another door, though this one seemed to be the normal kind that swung on hinges. On the other side was probably another hallway. A connecting room like this could be useful as a quick getaway, should the need arise. You mentally noted its existence and stepped inside, slowly sliding the door closed behind you. With a deep breath, you started for the other door.

“I don’t recall you being given free reign of the manor.”

You nearly dropped the candle from the unexpected voice. Careless! You should have inspected the room closer and then you would have seen Sehun clearly leaning back in one of the chairs, fully facing you. His expression was a friendly one, but rather one of deep irritation. It would seem you interrupted… something. Or maybe your mere existence was enough to annoy him.

“I wasn’t explicitly told to stay in my room,” you argued, though not in a particularly strong voice. “Is there something wrong with me walking about?”

Sehun stood from the chair with inhuman grace. You had never seen someone move so smoothly, without fault or twitch. He had complete control of his lithe limbs and tall stature. Gangly would never apply to him. His steps were noiseless as he sauntered closer, stopping a foot or two away.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he snarled. “It’s stupid to roam where you shouldn’t be.”

“Stupid?” It was one thing for you to scold yourself in your private thoughts, but you would not be insulted this way. “If I am so unwelcomed in this room then you can simply ask for me to leave.” You raised an eyebrow in challenge, hoping that would cover the pounding of your fearful heart.

He didn’t appear to notice. His jaw shifted left to right, but no words left his lips.

“Well, then.” You took your eyes away from him and started for the other door, holding on to that tiny bit of triumph.

An arm as strong as an iron bar flashed before you, blocking your way and refusing to move. Sehun’s palm was spread along the faded green pain of the wall. You shoved and pushed at the barrier, but nothing even made him flinch. He encroached, leaving behind any sense of personal space, much like Yixing just an hour before. He loomed over you, his upper lip curling into a mixture of a snarl and smirk.

“That bravery is a mistake,” he hissed. You pressed your back against the wall and brought the candle close to you as if that tiny flame was enough to keep him at bay.

Which was exactly the reaction he wanted. A sly, wicked smirk fully took over.

Pursing his lips, he blew once, snuffing out the flame. For a few seconds, you were absolutely blind in the sudden darkness. Sehun was invisible to you, despite his closeness. However, you could feel his breath against your chin. It was cold, like a winter’s breeze. It should have been warm. Human breathes were warm.

That chilling breath grew closer. It traveled from your nose to your cheek and then to your hair, ruffling the strands against your ear. Something nudged against your temple. He took a long, deep breath. His nose. Was he… smelling you?

Your eyes began to adjust to the darkness, absorbing any bits of moonlight that broke through the heavy curtains hanging from the short windows above your head. All you could see of Sehun was the slope of his shoulder and the outline of his hair.

His head snapped up, making you squeak. But he didn’t acknowledge the jump, his eyes turned towards the hallway you had entered from. A low hiss vibrated in his chest. You could nearly feel it in your own. He glanced at you once, his eyes shining unnaturally in the dark. Then, he ran from the room at a speed no man should possess.

You ran back to your room, the candle still gripped tightly by your side. Panic gripped you so completely that you passed the door to your sanctuary the first time. Once inside, you desperately searched for a way to lock the door. There was none. Alright. Fine. You would barricade the door then.

Huffing shallow breaths, you pulled and pushed the armchair so it acted like a weight against the door. It might not be heavy enough to keep it shut forever, but at least entering would be a struggle. You had tried the more fortifying dresser first, but it had refused to shift even a centimeter. The chair was the best you could do.

Ripping the blanket off of the bed, you draped the heavy fabric over your shoulders and sat down on the floor under the window. Your gaze stayed trained on the door, ears straining for the slightest sound to alert you for whoever came for you next. Sehun's cold breath still lingered against your skin. You rubbed at your cheek to try and make it go away. So close. He'd been so close.

And Yixing. That was why you couldn't be on the bed. Not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow. Or even the night after that. It was tainted. You shivered at the memory of his closeness and pulled the blanket in closer. That one long cloth was now your shield, your protection. The object that kept you safe. In your mind, at least. In truth, it would be ripped away from you as easily as water slipping through your fingers. But the thought was enough.

You tucked your chin in between the folds and kept watching the door. Soon, the night would get lighter. Already, the darkness didn't seem as strong.

How long until one of them came? Until someone tried to push their way inside? You hoped it would be a long time. Even hoped that they would forget about you and you could find a way to make it out, survive the forest, and see your family again. The odds weren't in your favor, but that hope was a life line.

As the moonlight shifted, your eyes grew heavy. It was a battle to keep them open. Each time they fluttered closed, you lost ground. Sleep that had eluded you so easily before now came back to reclaim its time. The door blurred before you and then sleep claimed its victory.

Tap, tap, tap.

Your eyes blinked open. It was still night. Or, perhaps, it was night again. This darkness felt new. The beginning of a fresh night.

Tap, tap.

You looked up at the window above your head.

Tap, tap, tap.

Little black dots hit the window before disappearing out of view. You frowned and pushed up off the floor, the protective blanket falling to the floor. Still emerging from sleep, your eyes took a moment to bring the scene into focus. At first, you merely saw a blur amongst the grass.

Then, it took shape.

You groaned. Jongdae was waving at you to come down.

You shook your head furiously. Safety was in here. And... though he didn’t feel quite as dangerous as the others, he still made you weary. The memories of Sehun and Yixing were still burnt freshly into your mind.

At your refusal, he visibly sighed. In his other hand hung a small cloth bag. He pulled a small bun from the bag and held it up to you. Your stomach grumbled and gurgled in response. It looked… nice. You could almost smell the bread's delectable scent. Were you really going to give in to food?

You needed an ally, you told yourself. He was different from the others. How much you weren't sure, but perhaps you could use that. If you could make him sympathetic to you–

Mind made up, you turned from the wind and changed into more appropriate clothing. This time, you heeded Jongdae's advice and kept your hair down to cover your neck. It felt highly improper, like a hundred governesses would appear from nowhere to scold you for being so scandalous. But you shoved the invisible tsking women away and moved the chair just enough to exit into the hallway.

It took some time to find your way outside. Jongdae now waited for you with his back against a lone tree that looked to be one more winter away from death.

"I'll note that food is a way to entice you out."

You glared at him. "Did you have a reason for standing under my window instead of knocking on the door like a normal person?"

"Junmyeon had tried to bring you breakfast around sunrise," he said as he inspected the perfectly browned bun still in his hand. "He couldn't get in, though."

"I blocked the door," you explained casually.

Jongdae raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by some measure. “Quick learner."

"After some… events last night, precaution was necessary."

"Yixing has restraint." He pushed off the tree and held the bun out to you. "You were lucky that Sehun was called off of you, though. His self-control is... lacking."

You gaped at him, heat rising fiercely in your cheeks. "How did you–”

“Know?" he smirked. "Secrets don't exist here. Best you learn that quickly."

You narrowed your gaze at him. "No secrets?"

Seeing right through you, he laughed, leaning forward and close to your face. "From us. Not for you."

The pure arrogance in that reply. "That hardly seems fair."

"That's life,” He shrugged. Looking around for nothing in particular, he said, “Let's take a walk."

The roll broke easily against your teeth. You chewed on the bite, resisting the urge to moan at its delicious flavor. The inside was still soft and fresh. Finally swallowing, you refused him a single step. "Why?"

"You've been sleeping on a hard floor all day,” he said pointedly. You didn’t want to think about how he possibly knew that. "You need to move." For an extra enticement, he held up the linen bag. More where that came from, he said without speaking.

The bun in your hand, though all of its warmth was gone, was like heaven in your stomach. But it certainly wouldn't be enough. "Fine."

You followed him alongside the house, not bothering to speak so you could continue eating. The last of the orange glow of day disappeared into the horizon far ahead of you. Yes, you had really slept for all those sunlit hours. Once again, night, it would seem, was to be your day. Chewing on the last bit of bun, you held your hand for the next morsel.

"We’re greedy this evening," Jongdae chuckled.

"Did you think I came for your company?" You couldn’t help but give a spiteful response.

Not offended in the slightest, he threw you a rather despicable smile. "Better my company then one of the others."

Though you agreed, you refused to do so aloud. "Are you that different from them?"

He didn't answer. Staring ahead, he reached into the bag and pulled out another bun, holding it out for you.

"Is this to keep me from asking more questions?"

You managed to make him chuckle. "No. Just to keep you occupied while I answer the last one."

Too curious, you accepted the bun and took a bite. Jongdae sighed and clasped his hands behind his back, the now nearly empty bag dangling from his fingertips. "We're all different from each other. I'm not more different from them. Though I am better than the others at controlling myself."

Your steps faltered. "Controlling yourself?"

He nodded. As you passed under another tree, he reached out and swing up into the branches without exerting effort, sitting on a branch well out of your own reach.

"What are you? All of you,” you asked in a breathy gasp. All they were capable of doing was adding up, but logic told you repeatedly it was impossible. You wanted to try and rationalize it, even try to convince yourself that you were still sick with fever. But this was all too real to be a mere hallucination. What it all meant, however, you couldn’t understand.

Hands grasped around two of the branches, he leaned forward and closed the gap between you. "You seem moderately intelligent. I'm sure you can discover the answer on your own."

"As flattering as that is," you huffed through clenched teeth, "if the answer means danger then you should be the man to tell me."

"If?" Jongdae laughed, as if he had read your mind. He jumped from the tree, flattening the bits of hair that had fallen out of place with his fingers. Despite playing in the tree like a child, he looked ever so the gentleman.

"’If' is a fantasy.” He glanced behind you. Scared, you followed his gaze, but there was no one there. When you turned back around, you gasped. His nose was mere centimeters from yours. "It does mean danger. You need to keep your eyes and ears open. Happy or not, you are here for a long while and no one is coming for you.''

You swallowed back tears as his words planted firmly in your heart. Now, you truly accepted it. No running, no escape. You were at their mercy. Whatever they were. And though Jongdae gave the impression that he was on your side, his help was firmly limited. Food and company, that was all he was good for.

Walking once again, you solemnly finished the last bit of bun as Jongdae kept pace. When the second helping of bread ran out, you chewed on your next few words. If you were here for the foreseeable future, you might as well know this land’s history.

"Who’s house is this?"

"Hm?" Jongdae had been lost in thoughts of his own, it appeared. He blinked himself back to the present conversation. "Oh. The manor is Kyungsoo's."

"Kyungsoo's?" you repeated. Odd. The answer you had been expecting was the obvious: Junmyeon. He seemed to be the one everyone looked to for answers or leadership. His word was law, yet this land did not fall to him. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, felt too... isolated, cut away to be the rightful owner of this grand place. The few lords you had met before all possessed the same self-awareness and high opinion of themselves. Kyungsoo didn’t give the appearance that he cared about either.

"Yes,” Jongdae nodded, his previous teasing gone now. “He inherited it from his father. The family used to own as much land as the eye could see. But his father was a gambler. Terrible at cards, wonderful at losing. They had to sell the land to keep the debtors at bay. Now, all that is left is this manor and a bit of the surrounding land, but no tenants. The glory of the family is now reduced to this.”

You listened to the story with careful respect. It was one sadly more common among the nobility then they wished to admit. Land was constantly switching family names, sometimes it was difficult to keep track. A small fear you had was accidentally reminding a high nobility of their careless ancestor. "What's his family name?"

"Jongdae! Here's where you disappeared off to."

Your stroll in the moonlight stuttered to a halt.

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chanyeolsbiggestfangirl · 10 months

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Synopsis:- Born and raised in a seafaring community inhabiting a small island away from mainland, you’ve always heard legends whispered on those starry nights around the housefires, legends about the formidable creatures out there in the world. You always passed them on as mere stories told to the children by their law abiding parents, fearful of the wrath of the beings shrouded in myth and mystery. When your ship is tossed by the vengeful waves of the sea and you’re on the verge of dying, the myth you never bothered to believe in, saves you. But you’re almost sure that there’s more to the mysterious, handsome male and the more you spend your time with him, the more you want to push away those doubts. Sparks turn into flame, all the while a sinister shadow gathers at the horizon. What happens now?

Pairing:- Merman! Suho X Female Reader

Type:- Oneshot?

Genre:- Smut, Fantasy, EXO Planet AU, World Building AU.

COMING SOON

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kpoptrashlord-007 · 2 years

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♡ Main Masterlist || Rules || Current Requests || Prompts Lists || Main Account ♡

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jongbross · 7 months

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lotto. (mafia!kim junmyeon x f!reader)

pairing: mafia!kim junmyeon x f!reader

word count: i have no idea

genre: smut

warnings: description of sexual activities, thigh riding, swearing, mentions of crime, lust, junmyeon has such a soft spot for reader

a/n: i wrote this some time ago as a birthday gift to my friend with another idol but i think it suits junmyeon so muchhh 🥺 anyway, this is not part of kinktober but it's definitely a good way to kick it off! 🤗

the loud music wasn’t actually enough to overlap the sound of cheering, talking, and laughing coming from the whole place. hundreds of people were smiling, although you didn’t believe any of them were truly happy. you could see money, alcohol, drugs, and lust everywhere you looked, but never truly happiness.

well, fuck it. they were all grown up adults afterall, they knew what they were doing. it’s not like someone forced them into that warehouse, into that world. you knew way too well how inviting and exciting the whole thing was, so you couldn’t blame them - although your addiction wasn’t gambling, drinking or doing drugs; although you had actually found love within those walls.

a man screaming after winning what seemed like a lot of money caught your attention. the blonde man threw herself on any guy next to him, suddenly kissing him. it didn’t go unnoticed to you the ring shining on his left hand’s finger though.

“enjoying the show?”, a very well-known voice spoke behind you, making you instantly smile.

“just seeing by myself what hell must look like.”

“wow, hell…”, he said, holding your waist and placing himself beside you now. “that’s a new nickname.”

you laughed, eyes trying to find again the couple of dudes you just saw kissing, but couldn’t find them anywhere. well, that only meant one thing…

“why do you keep coming if you don’t like it here?”

you looked at him, seeing his perfect side profile as he admired what he had built mostly by himself. the loudness, the lust, the illegal actions taking place inside that warehouse didn’t bother him - if anything, he liked it.

“because i like you and i wanna be a supportive girlfriend”, you said like it was obvious.

“okay, two things: first, you were already supportive from the moment you didn’t leave me when you found out about this. secondly, you keep calling yourself my girlfriend, but, baby, i thought we were past that a long time ago.”

if god truly existed, you prayed she didn't let junmyeon see how you blushed at that.

“yeah, well…”, you tried to come up with a reply, but after a few seconds when your brain still didn’t process anything good to say, you just trailed off and let the conversation die.

junmyeon laughed beside you, pulling you close and caressing your body. from the moment he got involved in “bad things”, he accepted that he would never find someone who he could love. he accepted the fact that, to make his name big in those kind of business, he needed to let go of any normal shit people do - like going out on dates, maybe getting married, maybe having children. he was okay with that. he knew what he got himself into when he was around 15 years old.

but that was until he met you.

that was until he saw you fighting back one of his guards at the door of one of his clubs - well, it wasn’t actually a club but you didn’t know that, he found out later. the girl in a burgundy top, pointing a finger at a huge guard caught his attention that night, and he just couldn’t ever let you go after that.

junmyeon didn’t know exactly how you turned into friends, and then into a couple, and then into whatever you two were right now. he just knew how he fell in love with you and, to be honest, how couldn’t he? what was there not to love about you?

“i like when you get shy”, he said only for you to hear, chin resting on top of your shoulder.

“i don’t”, you replied, still looking straight ahead. junmyeon didn’t miss the tiny grin on your lips though.

he kissed your shoulder, lost in a moment with you but in a lifetime of thoughts inside his head - all the thoughts about you. he closed his eyes for a bit, turning down all of his senses and just focusing on your smell and the way his lips felt against your skin. he couldn’t feel any other thing, couldn’t see any other thing, he couldn’t listen to any other thing…

or that was what he thought.

“sir?”, someone called behind you, making you both turn around. you looked curious at one of junmyeon's many guys, dressed in a suit, while junmyeon himself couldn’t look more annoyed. actually, scratch that, he couldn’t look more pissed. “there is a-”

“is someone dying?”, junmyeon asked, cutting the guy off.

“n-no, sir.”

“then why are you interrupting me and my girl?”

the dude went silent. he looked from junmyeon to you and then back to junmyeon, completely lost.

“i’m… i’m sorry, sir. i-i just thought you would like to know that-”

“well, i wouldn’t. so turn around and go fix it yourselves whatever happened. i don’t wanna know, and don’t fucking interrupt me again.”

“yes, sir”, the guy immediately said, bowing to junmyeon before going back to wherever he came.

you looked at junmyeon, staring down at him and noticing so closely how his expression changed the moment he looked at you and you two locked eyes. he went soft, all of a sudden.

“that was hot”, you joked, smirking when you felt his arm wrapping around your hips and pulling you close.

“yeah?”, he raised an eyebrow at you, what you knew was one of his ways to try to be sexy. little did he know… “i can show you hotter if you let me.”

“such a gentleman-”

the way he grabbed your wrist and pulled you away with him made you shut up though.

(...)

you watched as junmyeon closed the door of his big ass office behind him, locking it and checking it twice just to be sure. he knew no one would be crazy enough to walk in without knocking, but he liked his privacy secured.

when he turned around to watch you - his girl - he smirked. you looked breath taken, as always. his feet worked on their own and started to walk towards you without a warning. they only stopped when you were at junmyeon's reach, watching every move he made, every expression. you watched as he rested his hands on your hips again, one of his favorite parts of your body. you watched as he pulled you close, close enough to feel your breathing against his face. you watched as he closed the gap between you two, kissing you with everything he got, like he always did.

and then, you stopped taking track of his every move and started to focus on what you were feeling. you felt his tongue slipping into your mouth, you felt his hands traveling up your body to hold your neck as he kissed you, and you felt, overall, that familiar sensation between your legs.

“come here”, he whispered, leading you to the chair behind his desk.

he sat down first, unbuttoning your jeans and taking them down. you groaned when he kissed your stomach, hands resting on your thighs as you finished the job of taking off those goddamn jeans. junmyeon's looked up at you, watching your face as his kisses became openmouthed, his tongue feeling warm against your skin.

“will you take it off for me, baby?”, he asked, one of his hands tugging on your panties.

you obeyed, taking it off and letting him pull you onto his lap. junmyeon placed you on his left thigh, flexing his muscles the moment your bare skin hit his trousers.

“you’re going to ride my thigh here in my office like the good girl you are, okay?”

“you can’t tell me what to do”, you smirked at him, but the smirk was quickly wiped off your face the moment he flexed his thigh again.

“i’m sorry, you were saying…?”

you cursed a “fucker” under your breathe as you started doing what he said. your movements were lighty at first, enjoying the feeling little by little. you could both feel each other to the extent you loved the most, grabbing at each other whenever something felt too good. his hands on your waist, your hands on his shoulders now.

you moaned out loud for the first time, and that’s how junmyeon knew you were on the right track. he held your waist a little bit harder, helping the way you moved your hips down onto his thigh. he could feel his trousers getting wetter with your every move, and no words in this world could explain how he loved that.

fuck, no words in this world could explain how he loved you.

when you moaned again, junmyeon couldn’t help but moan too. he took a moment to look at you, at your expression, at the way your body was moving on top of his before going in for a kiss. he took your lips on his own, savoring you and swallowing your noises, his trousers feeling so tight now all of a sudden - but he couldn’t care less, he just wanted to make you feel good, as good as you always made him feel.

“fuck, myeon”, you groaned when he broke the kiss. your fingers were tightly tangled on his shirt, holding for dear life as if he could disappear if you let him go.

your hips started to move faster, harder, that familiar sensation building up inside you. you lost your goddamn mind when junmyeon decided to lick at your jaw, whispering sweet nothings to you in between the kisses, the sucks he’d leave on you; he poured his heart into those words though, promising himself at that very moment that he would do anything he could to always remember you how much you meant for him.

another loud moan echoed through the office, and he knew what that meant.

“come on, baby”, he whispered to you.

he didn’t have to say it twice. you finished with a call of his name, coming all over his thigh, his hands guiding your hips to help you ride through your high. junmyeon happily sighed when, at the peak of your intimacy - the moment right after the sex -, you let yourself collapse on top of him. you rested your forehead on his shoulder, trying to catch your breath as his hands traveled down to your thighs, caressing them.

seconds went by, minutes went by. nothing could touch the two of you, nothing could make him leave you, and nothing could make you walk away from him.

junmyeon smiled at the thought of always having you like that, of always being with you. but, at the same time that thought warmed his heart, it also made it ache. what if you ever got tired of him? what if you decided you no longer loved him? what if you realized he’s no good for you because of what he does for a living?

what if he had to go away someday and you didn’t wait for him?

“marry me”, he said, realizing that the words had truly left his mouth only after they did.

“what?”, you groaned.

“marry me. be with me forever. i want you forever.”

you smiled, looking up at him and holding his face in both your hands. you had the great junmyeon, the guy who built his own gang and his own way into the crime, wrapped around your finger.

“i’m with you. i always will be, a ring won’t change that”, you said, kissing his lips. “i promise i’m yours. isn’t that enough?”

junmyeon immediately nodded. anything you decided to give him was enough.

“it is for now. i love you."

“i love you too.”

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mgg-81 · 11 months

Text

Tossed [K.JM]

(CREDITS TO THE OWNER OF THIS GIF)

A/N’s NOTE: I've been on a halt for many months now due to the busy life, applying jobs here and there. I've tried to write during my stop but motivations sometimes come and go and I couldn't even finish what I started. Hopefully, writing enthusiastically will come to me again. Dedicated to @cxsmicmyeon, who loves Junmyeon so much!

NOTE 2: The Chanyeol fanfic requested is on the way!

NOTE 3: This was supposed to be written with Lee Know of Stray Kids as the lead, but our bunny leader fits it more.

Genre: Small fluff, Small angst, Adventure, Fantasy Pirate!AU, Merman!AU

Ratings and Warnings: Be careful with swords y'all.

Characters: Kim Junmyeon X Female!Reader

Word Count: 1,715

Date of Publication: 17-06-2023

Junmyeon shouldn’t have thought of going up and seeking the presence of humans.

In spite of that, he had no choice.

Yet here he was, breathing heavily while being pinned down by two women with their swords, his neck feeling the sharpness that if he ever moves more, blood will be surely drawn out of his skin. His legs…no…he meant, tail, ever glistened in the noon sun, him gently flapping it from time to time as if he was reminding himself he needs water. More specifically, ocean water.

Junmyeon’s head was hung low and his arms were stuck on his sides. His pulse vibrated more the longer he was lying on the wooden surface. He could only make the shape of the boots of women coming here and there as his head was still down. But he could make out their voices.

“Captain!” he heard one say, with a tone that felt like the woman was willing to bend everything for their leader on the ship. He sensed the rest of the boots following the lead.

“Well, well, well, look at what we have here,” a heavier sound of boots came about and echoed along the wood. He knew already that the owner of those boots held a strong authority around. He watched it walk with a hint of confident mockery as if the pirates themselves have caught a hidden treasure.

Once the boots stopped in front of him, Junmyeon held his breath, which was followed by the sudden disappearance of the swords that were far away from his reach. He took a deep inhale, but it made his chest ache, for he was still longing to be one with the waters below, though Junmyeon stayed still rather than looking like a wailing fish or risk being sliced into tuna sushi.

It didn’t stop there.

Junmyeon’s senses were on high alert once he felt the figure of the heavier boots slowly kneeling as if they were about to pray. A slow but amused grunt came from their lips as they continued to kneel until Junmyeon was face to face with your regal features.

You are beautiful.

Dangerously beautiful.

From hearing his fellow merpeople, most stories of pirates were made of men. He would listen to rumors about ships full of nasty and smelly men; with big egos, violent attitudes, and always having the life of the party for rum. Men, who thought they could have it all. Men, who thought they could rule the seas. Men, who were nothing but traveling meaninglessly and seeking something that probably wasn’t even there in the first place.

Junmyeon had also heard that bringing a woman to a ship brings bad luck. However, with this certain large vessel, he was sure women aren’t bringers of bad luck.

This was different.

It was the other way around, at the moment his eyes looked at you. A woman. But the familiarity of your face sent chills down his spine.

You weren’t just a captain.

You are the commander of the highly revered and feared ship of all, The Exodus of the High Seas.

Junmyeon knew about the vessel and its crew. Myths and stories revolved so much around the notorious ship, never steering away from the mouths of every land and even creatures of the sea. More so, people were more curious about who runs the ship no man could ever attempt to sink or take advantage of. It was as if a veil would cover the ship and be hidden from the view of every person who would look at the white and gold-painted ship. While the ship was painted in merry colors, the insides were blood-stained, with treasures and victories no man could ever attain.

All because of your leadership. The notorious and legendary Y/N.

Yet Junmyeon couldn’t look away.

He was supposed to cower in fear, scream for help, and try to swerve his body toward the ocean, yet his face remained frozen upon you.

For a captain who brought many stories to tell among people, you look so young. Junmyeon seemed to look at you as if you were just around his age. Obsidian eyes that sparkled with mischief, milky skin that lies underneath a signature puffed white sleeve, and your hair…hair that flows like the waves of the ocean he was longing for.

While you were youthful, Junmyeon could look upon your eyes the weight of your life being in the seas and being on the run. More so, the little faint white scars that designed your arms and neck were visible to him, telling him of victories of you that came with a price. A pirate’s life isn’t all just adventures.

“What brings you here, merman?” you asked without hesitation. Junmyeon blinked. You were talking to him. No formal introductions, none whatsoever. Just straight to the point.

“Well?” You raised an eyebrow. Junmyeon looked away from your eyes down to your left hand, fingers caressing the hilt of a sword attached to your waist. Silent or not, either way, he’d end up dead by your hands. He slowly raised his eyes back to yours and sensed you were out for the kill, body looking weary.

Junmyeon lifted himself slightly. “Curiosity got the best of me,” he answered.

You scoffed. “From what I’ve heard, folks of the sea don’t even try to come out just because they’re curious so,” you sheathed your sword out and aligned it with Junmyeon’s neck. “Try to mock me again.”

This time, Junmyeon felt the blade tear open a little on the side of his neck, drawing drops of blood. His eyes widened at your actions and glared at you as he tried to maneuver his head away from your sword.

“You know it’s bad to injure a merfolk,” he gritted his teeth.

You further pressed the sword. “I don’t care,” you sneered. “Try to fool me now. Drawing a merman’s blood won’t get in my way of knowing you’re lying.”

“Captain,” Junmyeon heard from behind you one of your comrades, hesitatingly moving forward and trying to stop you from further hurting him. “We shouldn’t—“

Unfortunately, you were on deaf ears. Junmyeon didn’t know which was more painful; the blade of your sword against his now bleeding neck or the lack of water he needed so much. While he struggled, he looked once more into your eyes; while your eyes were full of rage, there was a hidden hesitance Junmyeon could see. It wasn’t out of fear because you might injure him and be cursed, but because you might feel guilty upon taking his life, curious or not, Junmyeon could see you didn’t want to hurt him.

It was the right opportunity for him to bring about his request.

“I’m here to find someone with a pure heart,” Junmyeon blurted, and that made your movements halt.

“A pure---what?” you frowned, reducing lightly the pressure of your sword against Junmyeon’s neck much to his relief.

“I’ve come to ask for help,” Junmyeon insisted. “I’ve encountered a lot of ships, met people, and tried to ask but to no avail.”

Junmyeon looked down and contemplated even revealing why he was searching for a human being with the purest of intentions. Surely in all of reality, every person has a bad and good side, but it’s on them whether they let good or evil prevail in their minds and hearts. Junmyeon knew you were a criminal on the run, but deep down, he knew.

He just knew.

He could not waste anymore.

“Something…was stolen...precious in the ocean that is one of the pillars of the waters,” Junmyeon explained as he was slowly feeling the dryness of the wooden floor and the sun. “That’s why…the oceans and the seas are always roaring and not letting any ship land to safety. Only a human…with a pure heart can be able to find what’s ours…and be brought back.”

“Why aren’t you the one bringing it back?” you placed your sword back on your belt and crossed your arms in a questioning manner.

Junmyeon was slowly starting to get aggravated. He was starting to feel the effects of being out of the water. His breathing became more and more ragged much to your alarm.

“A-A hum-man…stole it, a-a…human m-must b-bring…it back,” Junmyeon said with difficulty, his mind was slowly turning into mush as if a heavy anchor was pressed down on him. From his vision, you didn’t stop and waited if he would wither and die on the spot. You quickly rose and turned to face your crew, barking orders here and there like a madwoman.

Soon enough, Junmyeon felt hands carry his body. More voices echoed and rang around his ears and into his skull. He wanted to move, wanted to fight, but your crew’s grip on him was strong. Maybe you weren’t convinced enough that’s why he’s being carried right now to be tossed away in a land that would immediately kill him.

But alas, his expectations of you were wrong.

Water engulfed him and embraced him as if he and the liquid were one. Little bubbles rose on his fingers like little friends welcoming him. Soaking himself in the water, Junmyeon felt his strength going back. He’d soon realized he was brought up and laid down in a very large wooden tub enough to accumulate his size in the middle of the ship. Feeling a little of his worries go away, he rushed to the surface of the tub, to be met with your face once again.

“Here,” you said as something cold was pressed to Junmyeon’s neck, him slightly flinching from the texture.

“It’s an herb,” you added. “I…didn’t mean to injure you.”

Solace was shared between the two of you, not knowing what to say. The awkwardness was evident in your features after what you’d just done to him, and Junmyeon’s eyes softened.

“Trust me, you are,” he insisted.

Your head shot up. “What?”

“You’re a person with a pure heart,” Junmyeon clarified. “A person I’m looking for to bring back what was stolen.”

You let out a ‘tch’ before leaning your face closer to him, eyes now back to shooting daggers. “I’m a pirate…and I’m no saint.”

Junmyeon shook his head. “Trust me, you are,” he repeated.

He felt hope.

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quokkacore · 2 years

Text

king and lionheart II [k.jm]

summary: joy has come to your kingdom of oceansforte. your prince, junmyeon, is betrothed to the princess of avilux, and the wedding is quickly approaching. while the kingdom rejoices, you, his knight, are secretly in shambles; your dedication to your prince is not simply out of duty, but out of love as well. but as you begin to unravel secrets of the royal court—hidden alliances, forbidden romances, and a deadly plot against your kingdom—you steel your resolve: you must keep junmyeon safe no matter what, even at the cost of being ripped away from his side forever.

pairing: prince!junmyeon x knight!reader

warnings: fem pronouns for reader, language, “period typical” sexism (even though this isnt rlly historical but yall know what i mean—sebastian is the in-world equivalent of an andrew tate fanboy), toxic masculinity, so much jealousy, junmyeon (and all of the kim bros) has/have daddy issues, the exos are younger than they are irl, implied underage drinking in a flashback, classism, y/n has impostor syndrome, handling of weapons, mentions of food

genre: fantasy!au, royalty!au, childhood friends to lovers, angst, a mix of unrequited love and mutual pining

word count: 17.2k

chapter playlist: red velvet - in my dreams // abba - when you danced with me // the oh hellos - soldier, poet, king // abba - fernando // series playlist

a/n: OH BOY did this take me a hot minute. i’m not the biggest fan of this chapter, but please trust the process—although i do love the way the members interact with y/n and each other when they’re not yelling at each other. also happy chanyeol came-home-yesterday-day <3

fic masterlist / main masterlist

CHAPTER TWO: ANDANTE

The blooming patch of rose bushes they were currently in front of reminded you of them. You seemed to be more the single lotus floating in the garden pond, which was wilting. It seemed to be mocking you.

While they had been walking through the royal garden for almost an hour, they’d been standing in front of those bushes for a few minutes now. As much as you wanted to distract yourself and think of something else, somewhere else, you knew that focusing on them and your surroundings was paramount.

“So… all of this will become mine once we’re married?” She sounded awestruck, breathless almost. “And I could change whatever I’d like?”

Your eyes trailed across the garden, but you could still hear the smile in Junmyeon’s voice. “It’s royal tradition, dating back to Queen Boram of House Do—first queen of Oceansforte. She gifted this space to her husband as a wedding gift, and their son did the same when he married his wife. Every heir to the throne has since gifted the garden to their spouse as a wedding gift ever since. When we marry, you’ll be able to do whatever you’d like with this space.”

“It’s beautiful as it is,” Mariana murmured, “I don’t know what I’d do with it.”

Your eyes landed on them as Junmyeon sighed wistfully, not taking his eyes off of her. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

As his friend, you almost wanted to laugh, to playfully gag and poke fun at him. He looked like a lovestruck moron. As his knight, you hated to admit it, but you were happy for him. He had been so angry and worried that this union would be painful and awkward, and the two of them had clicked into place immediately, like gears with grooves cut perfectly to fit each other.

As far as these past few days had gone, Mariana had given you no reason to hate her. You felt bad for your feelings toward her when she seemed to think you were amazing, if her behavior towards you were any indication.

When she spoke to you, she seemed kind enough, soft-spoken. She was a bit shocked when Junmyeon had introduced you as his knight, the member of the royal guard assigned to him. She’d seemed to regard you with wonder.

“Forgive my gawking,” She’d said after a curtsy, “In Avilux, women are not allowed into the military, much less the royal guard. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Y/N.”

“No offense taken, your royal highness,” You’d told her, “And believe me, I can assure you I am more than honored to serve.”

But still, as someone in love? You couldn’t find it in you to hate her, but you did resent her. Jealousy bubbled in your stomach whenever he offered her his arm, even more so when she linked hers around his. Every laugh, hushed whisper, prolonged stare seemed to build up an invisible wall between him and you, and you weren’t sure how to break through it—you were hesitant to even try.

It wouldn’t bode well to meddle in their affairs.

“Still, you could do whatever you’d wish. Say, I don’t know…” Junmyeon turned his head to you. “Y/N, what would you add to the garden if you could?”

You blinked, unsure of what to say. Doing your best to ignore the implication of the question, you offered the princess a small smile. “In truth, my prince, I have so many fond memories in this garden, there’s practically nothing I’d change.”

“Fond memories?” Mariana’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, do tell, Lady Y/N! You must.”

You managed a small smile. “Oh, they’re mostly of me and the other members of the noble houses play fighting when we were children. I believe I was exceptionally skilled when it came to knocking your betrothed off his feet with toy swords.”

Junmyeon’s ears grew red at the reminder, and Mariana’s head tilted curiously. “So you both grew up together?”

“I lived in the castle from a young age.”

Junmyeon nodded. “Y/N is nobility as well. Our mothers were very close. And Y/N’s father was also a member of the royal guard, so his family was allowed to move into the castle.”

She seemed quite impressed. “Continuing on your father’s legacy, I presume?”

Your smile grew. “I would hope so. My father served as the king’s ward, and captain of the royal guard until he retired last year. His highness’s brother has taken the helm, but I would still hope to serve as Junmyeon’s personal guard when he becomes king.”

Mariana nodded. “Lady Y/N, my admiration for you seems to grow by the day. Are you as good with an iron sword as you were with the toy sword?”

Junmyeon stepped toward you, and she followed. “I’d say she’s even better. Y/N has always been the best at dueling amongst our friends. She’s a pro.”

“Amazing. You must teach me once I’ve moved in. Oh, Father never allowed me to learn—”

“And with good reason,” Another voice said from across the garden. The three of you turned to face Prince Sebastian, who was walking toward your trio.

While you didn’t dislike Mariana, you detested her brother. Sebastian was haughty, entitled, clearly spoiled as the heir to the Aviluxian throne. Still, out of duty and respect, you managed a bow when he got close enough.

He raised an eyebrow at your gesture. It was clear he didn’t like you, either. “Father was right. Women should not handle such objects.”

Junmyeon cleared his throat awkwardly. “Your highness. What brings you here?”

“I was in this wing of the castle when a servant informed me it was time for dinner. I decided to tell the both of you since I was so close already.”

“Thank you, brother,” Mariana said, “But it would do you well to respect the customs of this nation. Just because Lady Y/N would be deemed unfit back home does not mean she’s unfit everywhere. She’s a perfectly capable fighter. Dare I say, an extremely skilled one.”

Your chest warmed at Mariana’s defense, but it waned when Sebastian bit back a scoff. “Honestly, with a woman holding the weapon it’s a miracle His Royal Highness has not been killed yet. Still, I would love to see her try to convince me.”

You looked at the other two, wondering if they would say something. Mariana was red in the face, as though she were holding back a few colorful insults for her brother. Junmyeon was looking simply at the ground, not meeting yours or Sebastian’s eyes. You let out a soft tsk, before letting out a quick sigh.

“I would love to convince you, your royal highness.” You flashed him a smile that was cordial enough, but likely didn’t reach your eyes. “It’s a shame you and your family are leaving in the morning. I would have loved to invite you to spar with me.”

The prince’s smile grew, but you didn’t find it comforting. “During our next visit to the kingdom, then. I accept, Lady Y/N.”

You bit down on your tongue to avoid saying anything snarky, and maintained your smile. “Very well, then. Thank you.” Your eyes turned to Junmyeon and Mariana. “I shall take my leave then, your highnesses. I hope the rest of your evening is as lovely as this past day has been.”

The princess offered a curtsy in respect, and Junmyeon nodded. “Thank you, Y/N. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

You wordlessly watched them leave the garden, discussing something you didn’t quite pick up. When they were gone, you heaved a deep sigh, shoulders slumping, before heading off in the opposite direction, towards your own quarters.

Throughout the past week, as always, you were tasked with guarding Junmyeon. This was, of course, not as enjoyable with Princess Mariana around.

The three of you had gone for a stroll in the Common, a large public space filled with gardens, fountains and swaths of land for all to enjoy. You watched them from behind, a member of Mariana’s royal guard in front.

The people that passed by all seemed to do the same thing: they would spot Junmyeon, their eyes would widen, and as he and Mariana passed by, they would offer bows and curtsies, and give pleasantries to the prince and princess. And when they saw you, they would grin and greet you as well.

Of course, the kingdom knew that the royal family of Avilux was visiting. They still didn’t know the pretense of the visit, as it had only been publicly announced that it was a diplomatic visit and not the initial planning stages of a royal wedding.

You watched as the two of them spoke softly to each other, occasionally laughing. You were grateful you had to focus more on your surroundings than them. It gave you the ability to push away your questions. What was so funny? Why were they acting like they’d known each other their entire lives?

“Your highness!” A voice called out to Junmyeon and immediately your head snapped to the direction of the sound. A woman was walking slowly towards your small cohort, a little girl in tow. The both of them had their heads perched down, and while you didn’t register them as an immediate threat, you didn’t lower your guard completely. They could be in disguise, they could be a distraction.

“Good afternoon, Miss,” Junmyeon said, giving a friendly smile. He looked down at the little girl, who was hiding behind the woman’s skirts.

“Hello,” He murmured gently. Her eyes widened and she gasped when he acknowledged her, burying her face into the fabric. She couldn’t have been older than five.

“Brigitte,” The woman chastised softly, “Don’t be rude. One day, this man will be king. Be kind and greet him.”

He laughed gently. “It’s no problem, Miss…?”

“Treegrove,” The girl’s mother said, “My name is Elisa Treegrove. This is my daughter, Brigitte.”

“Miss Treegrove. There’s no need for all of that! Not with me. I would, however, ask that you extend such a pleasantry to the Princess.”

Elisa Treegrove curtsied deeply, and Brigitte copied her with the clumsiness of a five year old. Watching the interaction, you thought the little girl seemed quite sweet. The girl and her mother introduced themselves to Mariana and she smiled, kneeling to shake little Brigitte’s hand.

“Hello, Brigitte,” She said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Brigitte murmured, “...You’re very pretty.”

“I think you’re even prettier,” Mariana answered, “Your hair looks very nice today.”

Brigitte smiled bashfully, reaching up to tug at one of her braids. She seemed to not know what to say next, eyes looking at Mariana, then Mariana’s guard, Junmyeon, her mother.

And then her eyes landed on you, and her smile turned into the widest grin you’d ever seen on a child.

“Lady Y/N!” She exclaimed, letting go of her mother’s hand to run up to you. Your eyes widened. You hadn’t been expecting her reaction. You looked up at the people in front of you, who obviously felt the same way. Mariana’s eyes were wide. Junmyeon looked very amused. Miss Treegrove was openly gawking.

“I’m going to be just like you when I’m big!” Brigitte proclaimed, jumping up and down. “I’m going to be strong and brave and I’ll protect the kingdom, just like you!”

That made you smile, and you kneeled. You bristled at the thought of speaking, but smiled nonetheless. “Going to be?”

She nodded, and you shook your head. “If you’re ready to protect your home, you already are.”

Brigitte smiled, big eyes sparkling. “Th-thank you,” She said finally. You flashed one final smile at her, before nodding at Miss Treegrove.

“I think your mother needs to get going,” You told her, before offering her a small bow, “I’ll see you again someday, Lady Brigitte. Hopefully, it’ll be the day you go into training.”

She nodded, seemingly mystified, before walking back to her mother. Miss Treegrove gave a final goodbye, saying she had to leave to visit a sick relative, and both Junmyeon and Mariana bid her farewell.

Mariana looked surprised once they were gone. “I had… no idea you were so popular, Lady Y/N,” She said genuinely. You shrugged.

“The people love Y/N,” Junmyeon explained, “Her father as well. He wasn’t born into nobility but was knighted by my grandfather, so he’s seen as a sort of bridge between the common people and the crown.”

“I wouldn’t say they love me,” You muttered, “That’s a bit much.”

“You’re very admirable.” Mariana straightened her posture. “I have no trouble believing that the people of Oceansforte… care for you so much.”

Junmyeon put his hand on her upper back, trying to get her to keep walking again. He’d already turned his back to you when he began to speak again. “And I have no trouble believing that my people will grow to care for you just as much.”

Heading up to your quarters now, you rolled your head on your shoulders. Yes, standing up all day left your lower back stiff as all hell. However, this particular week you seemed to have been tenser than usual.

When you awoke in the mornings, your jaw would hurt. You only realized one day after sitting down and forcing your body to relax that you’d been clenching your jaw the entire time. Which meant you had to have been grinding your teeth in your sleep. When you’d asked Minseok, he’d answered with another question.

“Well, are you particularly stressed?”

You’d gnawed on the inside of your cheek. “Having to protect Junmyeon along with a member of a foreign royal family is not exactly the most stress-free of tasks.”

He nodded, but didn’t ask whether it was due to the responsibility or the emotional taxation. Either way, he knew it was both.

Junmyeon hadn’t made it easy, either. To a degree, you were slightly frustrated at him. Within the palace grounds, him and Mariana had made several attempts to ditch you, be it by slowly drifting away when you crossed with another member of the royal guard and stopped to chat, or tiptoeing quietly away from you in the castle library, or even riding a bit too fast when he showed her the palace’s private beach.

You knew you’d have to speak to him on it once you managed to get some alone time. The whole week had been hectic. Between visits to the Aviluxian consulate, private meetings planning for the wedding, or even things as simple as Junmyeon showing Mariana the Common, you felt like you’d barely had time to breathe during the past week.

Once you’d trudged up the stairs and had found yourself within your quarters, you began the long and grueling task of taking off your armor.

This was nowhere near as formal as the armor worn for major ceremonies, like military events or royal weddings. Even before you’d realized your feelings for Junmyeon you’d dreaded the idea of his wedding—the silver armor was large, clunky, and much too flashy, paired with excessive fabric and a ridiculous red cape. You hated the idea.

You much preferred the slightly less formal version, like you’d worn the day the Salazares had arrived, as well as all week in their company. Even better was the middle ground between the two, worn very, very rarely, on the nights where members of the royal guard were invited to take a night off and enjoy the company of the royal family and other noblemen. You’d be wearing that on the night of the engagement.

Removing the pieces on your own was hard. Your arms reached for the clasps of the armor, fumbling and eventually flaring in discomfort when you held them in place for too long.

Each clasp served as a reminder: you are alone. Completely and utterly alone.

“So he challenged you to a duel?” The tall man’s voice wavered as his sword clashed with yours, two days after your agreement with Sebastian.

“Precisely.” You sidestepped, thrusting your sword in the direction of his torso. He barely dodged, letting out a rough, “oomph,” as he did.

“Is he a fool?” Called another voice, leaning back in his chair while watching you and Chanyeol spar. “You’ll chop his balls off with your sword before he can even whip it out.”

“‘Before he can even whip it out’ sounds so very wrong, Baekhyun,” Sehun muttered, not looking up from his book.

You stepped back from Chanyeol, but stumbled on your final step. You tumbled onto the ground, landing on your butt and somehow still managing to hold onto your sword. He grinned down at you, walking towards you at an almost leisurely pace. The air of the small courtyard was hot, leaving your chest heaving.

“I’m not sure, Y/N. I mean, if you can’t beat me, maybe Prince Sebastian does have a ch—agh!”

You caught him off guard, using your feet to kick at the side of his shin. He lost his balance, tumbling to the ground with you. You took the time of him falling to pull yourself up onto your knees, effectively straddling his chest as you knocked his sword out of his hand. You held your own up to his throat.

“If Sebastian Salazar is anywhere near as prideful as you, Park Chanyeol, then I can assure you he doesn’t.”

Chanyeol scowled, before tapping the floor twice—the sign that he was conceding. You’d won this round, and now you could gloat and watch him pout all day. You stood, offering out your hand for him. Apparently, he wasn’t that prideful. Although his scowl deepened at the sight of your hand, he still took it anyway.

When you both stood, you were met with applause. And if it were just Baekhyun, some guffawing as well.

“That was lovely,” He said, “Do it again!”

“Do what?” You stretched, moving your neck back and forth to loosen the joints. “Spar, or humble our good friend even further?”

“He could use some humbling,” Jongin muttered, “Bedding all of the women in Boram’s Bay fawning over him hasn’t done his ego many favors.”

"I do not bed all of the women in Boram's Bay!" Chanyeol cried in protest.

"That's true," Yixing agreed, "Give him some credit."

Chanyeol's face brightened. "Thank you, Yi—"

"He doesn't bed the married ones, right, Chanyeol?"

Something in Yixing’s tone didn’t sound quite right.

Chanyeol crossed his arms in indignation, rolling his eyes. But you couldn’t deny the redness of his ears. Before you could ask any questions, Jongdae spoke.

“You know who else could use some humbling?” He huffed, crossing his arms. “Prince Sebastian.”

You nodded, wagging your finger in agreement at the suggestion. “He’s an ass, that one.”

“Junmyeon,” Baekhyun muttered, taking a sip of water, “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

You wiped the sweat off of your brow, turning your gaze towards your prince. He was sitting in the seat across from Sehun, next to Jongdae and Yixing. His arms were crossed as he flashed Sehun a disapproving look.

“I cannot simply speak ill of my future brother-in-law, much less the future leader of an allied nation,” He said uncomfortably.

“Oh, please,” Jongdae scoffed, “We know you can’t stand him! Especially not when you know what he thinks of Y/N!”

Junmyeon huffed. “I disagree with him deeply, yes. But for propriety’s sake, I can’t bring myself to offend him. Father would skin me alive if I did.”

You let out an internal sigh. Yes, Junmyeon was the future king. But would it have been so bad if he’d just slapped Sebastian around a little? Even better, give you his approval as future king and let you slap Sebastian around a little?

But in all seriousness, it hurt. Even disregarding your affections toward him. The fact that he didn't see fit to defend a childhood friend, when it was quite literally your life's work to defend him, felt like a slap to the face.

“How lovely of you to defend me, Myeon,” You muttered pointedly. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows and gave you a sideways glance. Jongin let out an awkward cough. Sehun finally looked up from his book, glasses glinting in the sun. He looked expectantly at Junmyeon, who flashed you a quizzical look.

“Y/N, I—”

“I can understand you not wanting to curse the man or anything of the sort. But you were there when he made those comments. Every time I was in a room with him, he’d say something, and where were you but burying your head in the sand? You wouldn’t even look at me—”

“It would be inappropriate to intervene. If you were to—”

“Has anyone been to the new tavern down in Fairview?” Baekhyun said, trying and failing miserably to diffuse the situation, “I've heard their chicken is lovely—”

“If this is how you’ll practice diplomacy as king, then you’d concede everything to everyone else and leave nothing for us. He disrespected not only me, but also you and your father by implying that your judgment is wrong, and our entire country for letting a woman take the oath of knighthood. Quite frankly, my prince, I find it infuriating that you would stand aside and let a foreign prince do all of that, simply for the sake of propriety.”

You spat out the last word, crossing your arms. When you finished your rant, it was as if all of the air was sucked out of the room. Everyone was staring either at you or Junmyeon, whose face was unreadable.

You realized almost immediately you’d spoken a bit too harshly. You shouldn’t have said anything about him being king or how he’d rule the country. That simply made everything after your point moot.

You looked around the table, everyone's faces now awkward. No one dared to challenge you, but no one dared to say anything to your prince. Scoffing, you turned away.

"Y/N," Chanyeol said, "Wait—"

You tossed the wooden practice sword into the storage bucket, and promptly left the courtyard.

When you were gone, everyone turned to Junmyeon. He refused to meet anyone’s eyes.

"Well, you can't blame her." Jongin elbowed Jongdae at his words, but the older prince flashed him a nasty look. "What!? She does have a point, Junmyeon."

"Even if she was a bit crass," Yixing agreed, "Y/N made a fair point. Him insulting our way of living is undermining the sovereignty of what will soon be your own kingdom."

Junmyeon heaved a sigh. "I can't just—"

"Can't just tell a foreign prince to fuck off, we get it,” Sehun muttered, “But you should have found a way to put a stop to it the second it started.”

“Sehun!” Kyungsoo frowned at him. “Don’t say it like that.”

“I’m right,” Sehun insisted, “And all of you know it.”

Junmyeon got up from the table. “I’ll see you all some other time,” He said emotionlessly, “I have other matters to attend to.”

And then there were seven left sitting around the table, one standing a few feet away.

“So…” Chanyeol coughed, trying desperately to change the subject, “Baekhyun, you said there was a new tavern in Fairview?”

You were undoing the clasps in your armor again when you heard a knock on your bedroom door. With a huff, you turned your head. “Who’s there?”

“A jackass,” Junmyeon’s voice said, muffled from behind the door, “That’s who.”

You sighed, standing. Your armor was hanging haphazardly off of your chest, half of it still clasped together. Swinging the door open, you met his eyes with a glare. “What? If you want me to apologize—”

“No.” He shook his head. “May I come in?”

You stepped to the side, silently answering his question. When you closed the door, you turned to face him.

“I should be the one apologizing to you,” Junmyeon mumbled quietly. “You’re right. He’s disrespecting our customs and our way of life. The next time he does that, I’ll put a stop to it. If our families are to merge, he should learn to respect my culture as I respect his. A-and even worse—he’s disrespecting one of my closest friends, and one of the greatest warriors this kingdom has ever seen.”

You huffed, trying to reach for another one of the clasps. “Now you’re pushing it.”

“I’m right on this one. You simply refuse to admit it.”

Smiling sadly, you shook your head. “Fine. Apology accepted... I should apologize as well. I shouldn’t have said that thing about how you’ll be king. I know how worried you are about it and I just… let it slip. I didn’t really mean it. I’m sorry.”

He nodded in acceptance, before tilting his head as he noticed your leather breastplate. His lips quirked up timidly. “Do you want help?”

You slumped with a pout. “Yes, please.”

You held your hair out of the way as he undid the remaining clasps. Here, standing so close to you, in the hidden air of your bedroom, was Junmyeon. In this proximity, you could feel his breath against your neck. You just knew that if you were to turn and look at his face, you’d see his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and lips pursed into a small frown.

You swallowed, wondering what would happen in any other lifetime. Where neither of you were bound by royal duty or sworn fealty to the crown. Where social ladders and caste laws didn’t exist, and arranged marriages were not something in store for either of you.

Would things have been different? Would you still have been as devoted to Junmyeon as you were now?

You knew the answer to the second question was yes. In every life, every death, every universe, every breath and promise, it was all for Junmyeon.

But you weren’t so sure if he felt the same.

When all of the clasps were undone, you opened your wardrobe and stored it carefully inside. Once you were done, you turned to him.

“You’re my closest friend,” You admitted, “If I’m quite honest, I’m scared things will change once you’re married and you’ve become king.”

He looked down, before sitting on your bed. “Things will change,” He said, “It would be improper of me as a wedded man to be so close and informal with you, an unmarried woman. Besides… I—you’ve heard the whispers.”

The whispers. The royal court loved a good story, whether it was real or not. Rumors that you and Junmyeon had fallen into bed together at least once, because of how close the two of you were. That you were secret lovers, that any second now despite the laws, Junmyeon would publicly proclaim his love for you.

And if all of those were fake… most of them at least believed that the two of you were deeply, madly in love, but simply too afraid to admit it to each other.

“Yes,” You mumbled, not meeting his eyes. “...All completely ridiculous.”

He laughed nervously. “Precisely. You understand. So… Daresay, our relationship will have to become more formal.”

“I understand. We’re grown now. No more… no more playing around.”

He nodded sadly. “Y/N, no matter what happens, I’ll always cherish you as my close friend. Everything you do for me and for my family, for the crown… don’t think it goes unnoticed. I was born with the privilege that I would always have someone willing to give their life to keep me safe. Every day, I’m grateful that it’s you.”

“I took an oath, Myeon. For king and country. I intend to keep it.”

You sat down next to him and leaned your head against his shoulder. Your eyes fluttered shut, and you sighed. Knowing that soon, it wouldn’t be appropriate to be in such proximity to him.

The two of you sat there quietly, for god knows how long. You wondered if the silence said everything you wanted to say.

The week before the Salazares returned to Boram’s Bay, the 12 Nights Festival began. The weeks prior to that were filled with Junmyeon and Mariana exchanging letters as fast as the messenger birds could deliver them. You escorting Junmyeon around the city so that he could attend preparations for the festival. And at least twice a week, crying yourself to sleep.

The idea of everything changing so quickly was daunting. Already, Junmyeon was beginning to distance himself from you. He joked less, and seemed more serious. When you were with your friends, things felt more or less the same. With them, you caught him acting more genuinely. He allowed all of you to make fun of him and of each other.

He seemed relaxed. He seemed himself.

Other times, he was stern. Serious. The times you cracked jokes he would let out one of those exhales through the nose that let you know he found it amusing, but not enough to actually laugh.

Already, more pressure was being placed on his shoulders. You would stand by when Junmyeon sat in on audiences between the king and his subjects, listening to their requests and issues and how King Ilseong would negotiate to facilitate a solution.

By the time the first day of the festival rolled around, he seemed exhausted, dead on his feet. You wondered how he managed.

“How do you do it?” You asked him the day before the festival began, while you were walking him back to his quarters after one of these audiences. “You look like the next strong breeze will knock you down.”

He smiled, face turning warm. “If I’m being honest, it’s the thought that by this time next week, Mariana will be back. She said she’s bringing even more people for us to meet. Her cousin Cesar and her ladies-in-waiting. I’m excited—I can’t wait to see her.”

You gave him a tight lipped smile that likely didn’t quite reach your eyes. “That’s very sweet. You seem quite taken with her.”

Junmyeon nodded, grinning. “She is… exceptionally charming. You don’t understand, Y/N… One night, after you were dismissed, we stayed up for hours, just speaking. She’s brilliant. Easily one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met. I-if we could talk about it, we did. It felt as if—as if—”

You watched him fumble with his words. The so elegant, composed crown prince of Oceansforte, left speechless by one woman. You couldn’t believe it. Oh, how the mighty fall.

The 12 Nights Festival rolled around, and you welcomed it with open arms. It was easily your favorite time of the year. Summer was hitting its peak, the streets were lively and bustling. The festival made it just that much better.

The Festival included parades around the country, parties and speeches, all at night, to commemorate the 12 Nights Siege which the founders of Oceansforte had survived some 406 years ago.

Every night a new celebration was held. Speeches were held at different places throughout the country, parties were thrown, every night the streets of Boram’s Bay were lit up with dancing, singing and street markets. Everything around you was lit up beautifully, and was a huge reminder as to why you did what you did.

You loved your home. Nothing could beat it, and although it had its flaws, it was ingrained in you. Always had been, always would be.

The night before Mariana returned, two days before the end of the festival, three people planned to address the people of Boram’s Bay from a balcony while the rest of the royal family watched from the side. You were to stand guard the entire time, pointedly watching the crowd piled into the Queensquare.

A few minutes before the door was set to be opened, everyone stood in front of the door, speaking with each other. You were stood with Jongin and Junmyeon.

“Are you nervous?” Jongin said, to which Junmyeon shrugged.

“It’s nothing I haven’t done before. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

You looked him up and down. He was clad in the colors of House Kim: a black, ceremonial military suit, with a red sash over his shoulder and chest. Gold tassels decorated his shoulders, the buttons on the coat embellished with House Kim’s coat of arms. All very nice, except for one detail.

“Your crest is upside down,” You murmured, stepping closer to adjust it.

He chuckled, studying your face. The proximity made your face feel hot. “It’s so heavy. It does that sometimes. Drives me mad.”

Jongin bit back a smile. “Are you sure that’s the only thing?”

You sent Jongin a vicious glare, but he simply smiled in return. Another painfully obvious reminder that everyone you were close to just knew—but somehow, Junmyeon was none the wiser.

You knew this, because then Junmyeon said, “Well, this coat does feel a bit loose. Maybe I’ll have Cora tighten it around the waist.”

Now that the pin was straightened, you pushed it slightly against his chest to ensure it was pinned properly, before smiling. Out of the corner of your eye, you noted King Ilseong approaching your small group, Minseok following behind him.

You cleared your throat, stepping away. “There you go, Junmyeon. Hopefully that should be all set.”

“Thank you, Y/N. I d—”

“It would do both of you good to keep your distance,” The King interrupted, sending you a particularly nasty glance. You took another step back, shame pooling in your gut. “Especially you, Lady Y/N. An unmarried woman of your stature—”

Your head ducked to look at the ground. Suddenly, the room was dead silent.

“Father.” Minseok’s voice was gentle. “I think that’s enough. There’s no need to be so—”

“I don’t think it is, Minseok. Junmyeon hardly knows the meaning of enough.” He faced both you and Junmyeon. “You two are to stand within an arms’ distance. L/N, remember your place. Junmyeon will be your king. Not your little—”

“Minseok was right, that is enough. You will address Lady Y/N with the respect she deserves and the title she earned fairly,” Junmyeon hissed, stepping in front of you. “After everything her and her father have done for you and this kingdom, I believe she’s entitled to it.”

King Ilseong took a deep breath, and took a step towards his son. “You are my son, and I am the King. If there is anyone who deserves respect, it is m—”

You sidestepped Junmyeon to place yourself between them both and faced the King. “My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”

Dropping to one knee, you looked at his shoes, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I have overstepped. It will not happen again.”

“Y/N,” Junmyeon said, “You don’t have to—”

“If the King feels I am out of turn, then I have acted out of turn,” You insisted, looking up at him. You turned back to the king. “It will not happen again, my King.”

The King looked down at you. He hummed in approval. “I care about you, Lady Y/N. Junmyeon is correct, both you and your father have served the kingdom greatly. But the law is the law—your House remains Unvalidated, and Junmyeon’s engagement is soon to be announced. Be very, very careful with your behavior. Your House’s reputation depends on it.”

You clenched your jaw at the mention of your House. Your father had worked hard to get your House instated, and you weren’t about to ruin all of his hard work.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” You answered, voice small. “I will do what is right.”

When you stood again, you moved to join the ranks of the Royal Guard. You were hyper aware of everyone’s eyes on you, the King’s outburst having drawn their attention to you.

Minseok stood next to you. You focused on taking a few deep breaths, hoping to calm your nerves. During that time, everyone else lined up into their positions, and a few moments later, the servants opened the doors, and you poured out before the Royal Family did.

The Queensquare was relatively small—but it was beautiful. Tonight, it was decorated with banners and triangular flags along the lampposts, flower arrangements placed in windows and above doorways.

The first to speak was Kyungsoo. Although not a direct descendant of Queen Boram, he was still the heir to House Do, and his house still received tribute during the festival. He was dressed in the colors of his house, a white and gold military uniform with the crest of his house, a dragon holding a sword embroidered into his chest. His hair was slicked back, and his eyes glittered with pride.

“I thank the people of Oceansforte for holding my family in such high regard, even if the reign of the Do dynasty ended 212 years ago. That you still place your trust in us. We are a people strong in courage. I believe if she were alive today, Queen Boram would be greatly proud of the nation we have grown to become.”

He smiled at the applause, the cheering. “Our nation celebrates over 400 years of independence after over 800 years of Aviluxian rule, and some 88 years of rule under Paimonsvale. Here’s to double that, triple that, many dynasties more!”

The crowd in the Queensquare below erupted into even more applause and cheers of agreement. He waved at a few of the people, before stepping to the side. Junmyeon took his place at the center of the balcony.

He looked breathtaking, and there was only so much you could do to let loose the quietest heartfelt sigh. Next to you, another guard, Jaehyun, raised one of his eyebrows at you.

“My people! People of my father, and of my grandfather, and of his father before him. We live in an ever-changing nation,” He said, somehow managing to project his voice over the crowd. “Customs change, people change. In the past year, our kingdom has lost much. The difficult harvest season, flooding in Grathport and its surrounding area… the loss of our queen.”

The air turned melancholy, and Junmyeon’s eyes turned downcast for a second. It wasn’t every day that anyone in the royal family mentioned the passing of Queen Yerin. The illness that took her had been sudden, and within less than two weeks she was gone.

“Kings and queens… they come and go. One day I shall rise to the throne. I shall remain there for as long as I am physically and mentally capable, and as long as the people will have me. But this kingdom…”

He spread his arms, smiling as he gestured back at the Queensquare. “This kingdom will, if the gods have it, stand forever. Even if the gods disagree, we will fight until the end! We have carved out our destiny for as long as this kingdom has been an independent, sovereign nation. Let us continue to do so, and let us prosper!”

Everyone in the Queensquare cheered, and his smile grew even bigger.

“Long live the nation!” He declared.

Long live the nation!”

You raised an eyebrow. You knew this speech in and out—you’d watched him practice, day in and day out. This was new.

“Long live the people!”

Where was this going? Or so you thought for the next few seconds, until Junmyeon roared, so loudly even you could hear the strain in his voice;

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Even after all your training to keep your face still, you found it incredibly hard to hold back the gasp in the back of your throat. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched Jongin and Minseok’s eyes snap in their brother’s direction.

For most, this would be a show of loyalty and love to his father. To those who knew, especially when this was unplanned?

Long live the king—the longer his father lived, the longer he could put off his duty as heir. The sarcasm couldn’t be missed.

And yet… was this because of what had just happened? You forced the thought away. It was too much to think of everything and ignore the crowd in front of you.

The Queensquare’s reply was so loud it was deafening even from atop the balcony. Junmyeon grinned, expression nothing short of ecstatic at the response—sarcastic in intention. Your heart skipped a beat, but your gut felt like it was made of lead. When he stepped away a moment later, you noticed the sweat on his brow.

This isn’t going to end well, you thought.

He stepped to the side, his father stalking up to the center of the balcony. Junmyeon exchanged a glance with his father, whose thin-lipped smile gave you no pause that he was secretly fuming.

“My father wishes to address his subjects,” Junmyeon declared, “Thank you, my people. Let us all rejoice!”

He stepped to the side, and King Ilseong stood at the center. He held out his hands, quieting the crowd. Once the silence had died down, he began to speak again.

The king’s speech was a bit longer than Junmyeon’s. He went on about his duty to the kingdom, the people’s duty to their nation. You zoned out, eyes scanning over the courtyard. There in the distance, towards the back of the crowd, you saw a familiar face.

Or at least, you were rather sure it was a familiar face—from here, it was a bit hard to tell. Your memory was a bit fuzzy, but the blonde mop of curls was distinctive of little Brigitte Treegrove.

She’d climbed up onto an oil lamppost, and was watching the king speak with wide eyes. Every few seconds she’d turn to say something to a man you hadn’t seen before.

He didn’t look like the girl’s father, but you tried to pay it no mind—maybe he was, maybe he was a close family friend, maybe it was none of your business. But you didn’t like the way his eyes would change every time he looked up at the balcony. When he looked at Brigitte, his eyes were warm and kind. But the second he turned, eyes settling on Junmyeon, his gaze turned smug… hungry.

You didn’t know how you knew he was looking at Junmyeon at this distance. But you just knew.

It alarmed you so much you kept your eyes trained on him the entire time. Towards the end of the speech, he looked over Junmyeon one last time, and then… his eyes landed on you.

For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, you locked eyes. His gaze didn’t falter, and from here, his smirk seemed to grow. Your face remained stoic, and he broke away a few seconds later.

As the king concluded his speech, the man gently tapped on Brigitte’s shoulder. She looked at him and jumped off of her place on the lamppost into his arms. The Queensquare erupted into cheers and applause, but the two of them headed down the dark street behind them.

You forced yourself to focus. There had to be some logical explanation to it. But you couldn’t shake the strange feeling brewing in your gut.

Next to you, Jaehyun straightened. You mirrored his movements, recognizing this as the sign to escort the royal family back inside. The guards entered last, and the doors shut with a final boom.

“Everyone who is not a personal guard to members of the royal family, you are dismissed.” King Ilseong’s voice was dripping with disdain. His eyes softened when his eyes landed on Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo, my boy,” He said, voice softer, “Thank you. Tell your mother I bid her well.”

“Of course, your highness. Thank you for having me.”

When everyone else had been ushered out of the room, King Ilseong snapped his head at Junmyeon’s direction.

“You fool of a prince,” He seethed, “Why would you even—“

“Is it such a crime to wish my father a long life?” Junmyeon asked, “Especially after so soon after losing my mother?”

The King’s eyes flashed in anger. “How dare you. You know what you said, you know what you meant by it.”

Jongdae huffed. “Could both of you calm down and stop being such—”

Jongin crossed his arms. “Jongdae—”

“Yes,” Junmyeon answered, glaring at his father, “I know what I said. So do you, and so does everyone else in this room, now. The people outside, down in the Queensquare do not. And they likely never will. What they see is completely different from what you or I would, father. I don’t know why you can’t recognize that.”

The king scowled, before glancing around the room. He took a deep breath, before looking back at his second oldest son. “Perhaps it is good that I live long. Then your disgraceful rule will be a smaller stain on our nation’s history. Your disrespect tonight tells me everything I need to know about how you will rule once I am gone.”

He stormed out of the room, Minseok following after him. He was staring at his father with great disdain.

The doors slammed shut, and Junmyeon shook his head. “Horrible old man,” He muttered, gnawing on his cheek.

“I don’t know what Mother ever saw in him,” Jongdae grumbled.

“Enough,” Jongin snapped. “This is supposed to be a happy night, but no. Apparently no one in this family knows how to behave. Not him, prideful bastard,” He jabbed a finger at the door, “Not you, you nosy buffoon,” He pointed at Jongdae, “And certainly not you,” He scowled as he pointed at Junmyeon, “With your—your theatrics. And you all call me the childish one.”

There was a beat of silence, and then suddenly both Jongdae and Junmyeon were in his face, cussing him out. This had happened before—House Kim was a prideful one, and none of the men in the Royal Family were good at knowing when to back down.

So you did what you usually did when this happened: You, Jaehyun and Sicheng placed yourselves in between the siblings, each of you hoping to separate your assigned sibling from the fray. Your eyes met Junmyeon as you stepped in front of him, and you felt terrible; his voice was angry, but his eyes were misty. Once you got closer, you could tell his lip was wobbling slightly.

You looked at Jaehyun, who raised an eyebrow in question. With Minseok gone, you were in charge. You nodded, silently answering his question. With difficulty, you maneuvered the brothers away from each other. Sicheng pulled Jongin out into the hallway, Jaehyun pulled Jongdae into a room adjacent to the one you were in, and you kept Junmyeon inside of the room.

Once the other two were gone, all of the fight seemed to leave him. He crossed his arms, shaking his head.

“Don’t listen to him,” You said.

“Who?” He asked, giving you a sad smile, “My father or my brothers?”

You shrugged. “Whoever bothered you the most. Come, I’ll take you to your quarters.”

He agreed wordlessly, letting you pull him out of the room. Sicheng and Jongin were gone, hopefully in the other direction.

“I… would like to ask,” You said a few moments later, “Why did you say it?”

Junmyeon was silent, before sighing. “I’m… not quite sure. I think I just… wanted to make him angry. It was immature of me, I know.”

“Is it because of what he said about me?”

He said nothing, but his silence told you everything you needed to know

You looked at him. “Junmyeon…”

“I know, I know.” He shook his head. “I’m turning 24 soon. I’m grown. But all of this, it—it’s stressful. It’s bad enough that his ego takes up the entire space in the room… I don’t need him insulting the people I care about.”

With a soft tsk, you huffed. “I can take him reminding me of my ‘place’. People did it all the time when I was still an active member of the court.”

“Still,” He grumbled. “It’s humiliating. He did it in front of everyone to shame you.”

You didn’t tell him you didn’t disagree.

The two of you walked in silence for a few minutes. You tried to focus not stepping on the cracks in the stones beneath you to try and avoid telling him that he was right. There was no need to possibly fuel any drama between the King and the Crown Prince.

“Remember when we were younger?” You asked, voice quieter. “When everything didn’t seem as… set in stone?”

You thought of all of the times you chased each other with wooden swords through his mother’s garden, of running away from parties to look for rooms with enough couches for all of you to sleep on because Yixing was tired and he was too afraid to sleep alone and insisted all of you come with him. You were all so young, so naïve.

All of that was gone now.

He laughed softly, nodding. “I do. I definitely do. I… there are so many things I would have done differently, knowing now.”

“Like what?”

His smile grew sad, before glancing at you. “I would have… hugged my mother more. She used to nag, saying that once I got older I stopped hugging her or kissing her like I did when I was a boy. A-and she was right. I stopped because Father would… say things. You know how he is.”

You hummed. Junmyeon’s father was a good king. But he wasn’t a good father. He tried to keep up the appearances in front of the greater courts. But in smaller, more personal circles… He was less than inclined.

“I… I don’t think it’ll do you well to continue dwelling on what-ifs, my prince.”

“What-ifs are all I’ve been thinking about as of late, my lady.”

You swallowed at the title. You knew he was just poking fun at how you addressed him, but… the sound of him calling you his lady. You liked it, a little too much.

You smiled at him, hoping the heat of your cheeks wasn’t too evident in the dimly lit corridor.

“What other what-ifs have been plaguing you, then?”

“Do you remember when we snuck out to that tavern in Allunya?”

Your eyes widened. Yes, you remembered Allunya.

You and Junmyeon were 19. It was late summer. On a trip for some Allunyan duke’s wedding, the ten of you had snuck out of the keep and into a village tavern. You’d drank common ale for the first time, and you’d all danced until your feet cramped. It was one of the best nights of your life… and the same night you realized your feelings for Junmyeon.

“How could I forget? Baekhyun drank so much he threw up on the horse on the way back.”

Junmyeon threw his head back, letting out a laugh—a real laugh, not one that felt forced or fake entirely. “Well, it was his first time—I don’t blame him. But… that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. I would have asked you all to do it more often if I’d known we wouldn’t get caught.”

“We were two day’s travel away from Boram’s Bay,” You countered, “I feel we would have gotten recognized if we did that here.”

“Maybe,” He said with a nod, “But I remember dancing with you and never wanting it to end.”

You froze for a second, before swallowing the lump in your throat.

“...Oh? Is that so?”

He laughed, shrugging. “For the first time ever, I’d never felt so free. I felt lighter than a feather. I—just for a moment, I had no… responsibilities. I didn’t know Minseok didn’t want to be king yet. Hell, I didn’t even feel like a prince at all. I felt like… well, like a boy, who was out having fun with his friends.”

The swirling in your stomach came to an abrupt stop. Of course that was why.

“Oh. Yes, I can imagine.”

His eyes were warm as he recalled the memory. You wondered how he’d have reacted that night if…

“Junmyeon.” Your voice was shaky, and not because of the staircase you were going up.

He raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”

“I—” You thought of the implications of it all. If he didn’t reciprocate, he’d treat you differently. You’d lose him even sooner than you were bracing for.

But if he did…

Then what? You had three months until the wedding. Mariana was likely already in Oceansforte, set to arrive in the morning. When you reached the top of the stairs, you gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“I just think… Tonight, you don’t feel that good. But by this time tomorrow, you’ll be with Mariana and I think you’ll feel a lot better. Don’t dwell on the past, my prince. The future will come before you know it, and… I think it’ll suit you.”

He was silent until you reached his door. “I… Thank you, Y/N. I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for you.”

“You’d probably be in the infirmary,” You joked, “Jongdae packs a pretty punch.”

He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I mean it. You’re the greatest friend I could ask for.”

You smiled, ignoring the small stab in your chest at the word friend. “You would do the same. Now, go get some rest. Your beloved will be here in a few hours.”

He grinned. “I intend to. I’m exhausted.”

You watched him enter his chambers, eyes warm. But your face fell the second he was gone, and you turned away without looking back.

That night, you dreamed of Allunya.

The music from the live band—which consisted of a fiddler, a drummer and two singers playing a mandolin and a fiddle respectively—was heartful and cheery, with just a touch of melancholy. They sang of winning battles with friends, spotting former lovers with their new lovers, and old lovers reuniting after years of being apart.

The ale was going to everyone’s head. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were play-fighting, Kyungsoo watching and drunkenly laughing as they did. Jongin was dozing off at the table. Everyone else was either drinking or dancing, but you and Junmyeon were dancing together.

You were drunk, so by no means were you two the most graceful couple dancing. But despite being so unaware of your surroundings and everything else going on around you, you seemed so fixated on Junmyeon’s face. He was laughing along with you as you got every step wrong and stepped on each other’s feet.

“Mother would be distraught if she—” He hiccupped, “—saw me now. All those years of ballroom dancing classes done away with a few pints…”

“I’d like to see her try to do the Allunyan Four-Step after three pints of ale, Myeonnie,” You slurred, “I d-don’t think it’d go too well for her—ah!”

You stepped back, slipping on something someone had spilled onto the floor. Your eyes clenched shut, hoping any bruises you’d get wouldn’t be visible to your parents. But a moment later, a hand caught your waist and another the back of your neck.

When he caught you, you were met face to face with him. Your lips parted. Under the warm lights of the tavern’s fireplace and lanterns, you could make out a bright shade of pink spread across his cheeks. The ale had clearly gotten to him. He looked so…

“Pretty,” You mumbled as he helped you stand.

“What?” He asked, “I didn’t hear you. ‘S too loud.”

“I said, ‘that scared me’,” You answered, a little too quickly.

He stepped even closer, gripping your waist. You swallowed at the proximity—your chests were touching now.

“I-I don’t think the Allunyan Four-Step is danced so close.”

He shook his head, eyes hooded. “I don’t care about the Allunyan Four-Step.”

You gasped when he led you through the crowd, dancing as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Your boots were sticky with spilled ale and other mystery substances spilled on the floor, and you had to lift your skirts with one hand to ensure they wouldn’t get dirtied or that you wouldn’t trip over them. Your free hand fastened itself around his neck for leverage, and the two of you went about skipping—stomping?—about the dance floor.

Some of the older couples stopped to watch and laugh, but not maliciously. You could tell they were happy to see two young persons, so cheerful and carefree and in love—

You stumbled again, but you caught your balance before anything could happen. In love? Where had that come from?

Junmyeon simply laughed, tossing his head back. Your face softened at his expression. He looked so… beautiful.

You dropped your skirts, reaching to cup Junmyeon’s cheek. He seemed a bit startled, but relaxed into your touch a few moments later. He grinned at you, and you matched his expression. Just a pair of young, drunken fools, laughing and dancing, holding each other tighter… faces leaning forward…

Your eyes fluttered shut. You almost felt alarmed at how right it felt. At this proximity, you could feel his breath fanning your cheek.

Until a split second later, when Chanyeol drunkenly yelled, loud enough for it to echo across the tavern, “That’s not true, you stump-sized bastard!”

You both jumped in each other’s grips, and when you opened your eyes, an alarmed gaze met yours.

“Time to go?” Suddenly, Junmyeon sounded a lot more sober.

“I think so,” You said without hesitating. A moment later, Baekhyun slurred, “I’m just—calling it as I see it!”

He tugged you toward the table by the hand. You ripped your hand out of his. Not just to hold Baekhyun back from Chanyeol. Suddenly, your hand felt like it was on fire.

You jolted awake in your bed. Swallowing dryly, your eyes fluttered shut again. Your hand came up to your forehead, rubbing away the cold sweat that had accumulated while you slept.

“Fuck,” You croaked.

As the envoy of three carriages and three wagons rolled up to the main entrance of the castle, you stood at attention. Parallel to you stood Minseok, who was eyeing the rest of his family nervously. You weren’t sure what had happened in the hours after you left. All you knew was that Jongin seemed to have calmed down, now eyeing Junmyeon, Jongdae and his father nervously.

There was no time for the dramatics—now was the time to concentrate on the task at hand. One of the carriages opened, a guard stepping out and announcing the Aviluxian royal family and their company.

From the first carriage emerged King Adriano. When the other two opened, Sebastian and another young man emerged from one, and Mariana and three young women emerged from another.

The servants took to unloading the carriage, and the Aviluxian guests walked up the castle steps to meet the royal family. They greeted each other with bows and curtsies, King Adriano and King Ilseong embracing briefly.

“Adriano, welcome back.”

“A pleasure to return,” The King said, “I bring more company.”

“Yes, I see,” King Ilseong answered, “Come, enter, let’s force the pleasantries out of the heat.”

Prince Sebastian laughed softly. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, this is nothing in comparison to summer in the Aviluxian desert.”

He nodded, “Yes, I suppose you’re correct. Still, you’ve traveled far, I assume you’re all tired.”

Your group of guards escorted the large group inside. Mariana turned her head to look at the guards, and when she saw you, she grinned in greeting. You acknowledged her with a small smile and quick nod of the head.

Once the gates were shut, she could no longer contain herself. She practically threw herself at Junmyeon with a quaint laugh, who embraced her with a face that looked like he was in heaven.

“I’ve missed you,” She said.

Junmyeon pulled away. “As h-have I.”

“You’ve grown so fond of each other,” King Adriano said, “It warms the heart.”

The two nodded, but said nothing further. You took a deep breath—this is going to be a long, long week.

“I was saying.” King Adriano turned back to King Ilseong. “You remember Mariana and Sebastian. This is my nephew, Cesar. He is second-in-line for the throne after Sebastian.”

Sebastian looked proud at the statement, but Cesar’s face remained passive. “The greatest honor, King Ilseong,” Cesar murmured, bowing again.

“The pleasure is mine,” King Ilseong replied. “Is it your first time in Oceansforte?”

“No, Your Majesty. I’ve been once before but as a boy, to visit a friend of my mother’s on Magpie Island.”

“Magpie Island, yes. A lovely place.”

Prince Cesar nodded in agreement, and then King Adriano introduced Mariana’s ladies-in-waiting and closest friends, Montserrat of the House Cipriano, Isadora of the House Leon and Lisette of the House Peralta. They spoke less, seeming to be the most timid of the Aviluxians.

They were all served lunch, you watching from behind them as you stood guard. Your lower back was beginning to ache from standing up straight for so long. You were forced to watch Junmyeon and Mariana’s every interaction from feet away, and it killed you. They sat next to each other at lunch. Every now and then, one of them would lean over and whisper to each other, then laugh quietly to themselves as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

And oh, how you burned. How you ached to push yourself between the two and demand they let you in on their little jokes. It felt like a stab to the heart every single time.

You forced yourself to focus on the servants instead, and the Aviluxian guards the family had brought along with them.

When that was done, you were dismissed to allow for them to discuss entrances in the ballroom for the celebration tomorrow night.

Minseok caught up to you as you exited the room. He nudged you gently with his shoulder.

“How have you been?”

“As alright as one can be,” You answered. He started to open his mouth and you held up a finger. “I don’t want to talk about it, Min. There are more important things than whatever I have going on in my personal life to think about.”

“Alright,” He conceded. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you. Now, who’s coming today?”

“The usual rascals,” Minseok said. “I think everyone wants to meet the only girl that makes Jun nervous.”

You chuckled. “No one’s ever rattled him quite like she does,” You agreed. “The great Prince Junmyeon of House Kim, stuttering because of a girl.”

The two of you waited at the steps of the main entrance, waiting in the meantime.

“You know more than I do,” You murmured, “What happened after the fight last night?”

“I know Jongin and Jun made up,” Minseok answered, crossing his arms. “I doubt anything of the sort happened between the rest of them. Father is… well. You know how he is.”

You nodded, face burning. His words from last night still felt like scratches on your skin.

“Jongdae is just as proud as father is. Junmyeon definitely doesn’t want to bend with either of them. Jongin is more forgiving, at least. More willing to compromise for the sake of the family.”

“And you?” You raised an eyebrow. “I know you were angry last night.”

“You’re my best friend and my second in command. Hearing Father treat you that way made me see red, and reminded me of another reason why I didn’t want to be king. It goes to your head if you’re not the right person. Father was the right person to be king, yes, but not the right person to… be anything else, I suppose. It’s gone to his head and he thinks himself better than anyone in the nation. And because he is king, there’s not much we can do to convince him otherwise.”

You nodded, but didn’t answer. Minseok frowned. “I think you’re the person who’s shown the least amount of emotion regarding the whole thing, even though he was cruel to you. How are you?”

A deep breath left your chest. “I… Sometimes I think I’m used to it. The whispers, the fact that some people think that my House isn’t ever going to actually be Validated. And most of the time I am. But when it’s said to my face like that, and by the king, no less…”

You bit your lip, blinking a few times and trying to ignore the sudden burning in your eyes. With a huff, you faced away from Minseok.

“It hurts. I hate to admit it, but I—it makes me feel so small.”

“You can cry if you want,” He said softly, “I’m not gonna judge you for it.”

You shook your head. “No,” You insisted, voice watery, “I don’t want to.”

Minseok sighed. “Y/N—”

“Please don’t.” You wiped your eyes, leaning against the wall. “I’ll be fine.”

He said nothing, but looked upset at your denial of him. A few moments later, the gates opened, and a carriage rolled past it.

When Baekhyun exited, he strolled towards you both with a grin. It faded when he saw your expressions.

“What’d I do?” He asked with a pout, “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Nothing, my friend.” Minseok forced a smile onto his face. “Y/N just has an issue with her emotions.”

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows. “Is this about Junmyeon again? Gods, woman, I don’t know why you don’t just—”

“Keep your voice down!” You hissed, “Do you want the whole kingdom to know!?”

“Oh, they already do,” Chanyeol said, popping his head out of the carriage. “Junmyeon’s the only idiot who doesn’t.”

You scowled. “All of you vex me so,” You grumbled, “You idiots.”

“What brings the two of you together?”

“I invited Chanyeol for lunch to have a… conversation about some choices he’s been making,” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Do—not—tell them.” Chanyeol made his way to your little trio, staring Baekhyun down.

“Is this about the Allunyan duchess you’re bedding? The married one?” Minseok asked, picking at some dirt underneath his fingernail. He sounded very uninterested in the whole thing.

Your jaw dropped open. “You’re sleeping with a married duchess?”

Chanyeol looked at Minseok as if he was planning on stomping on him. His ears were a bright red. “How did you know?”

Minseok rolled his eyes, before lowering his voice to mimic Chanyeol’s, “The whole kingdom already knows.”

“Not me,” You mumbled, confused at the whole situation. Evidently in your time away from court, it had been very eventful.

“Nor does her husband,” Baekhyun said, as if it were any consolation, “Just… most of the court.”

“Why?” You asked Chanyeol, still in disbelief, “Chanyeol, of all the women to stick your c—”

“It’s complicated,” He insisted, before grumbling, “Her husband’s an ass.”

Another carriage entered the gate, and Chanyeol held up his hand. “Not a word of this to anyone else. Understood?”

“I suppose,” Minseok answered, “Doubt they don’t already know.”

Chanyeol huffed, but said nothing.

As this carriage rolled up to the steps, another entered as well, which was followed by a third. Out came Yixing, Sehun and Kyungsoo, respectively.

When the three of them greeted the group, Yixing looked around all of you. “Everyone looks like they swallowed a lemon.”

“Chanyeol’s just told us all a terrible joke,” You said, glaring at him, “Not funny in the slightest.”

Sehun raised an eyebrow. “Is it the one about the Allunyan du—“

“Oh Sehun.” Chanyeol looked just about ready to strangle him. “Not another word out of you.”

“Gods, you’re right,” Kyungsoo groaned, rolling his eyes, “He’s not funny at all.”

Chanyeol looked as if he wanted to burst into flames then and there, but you all chose to ignore it. You and Minseok led the men to the courtyard, where you’d all agreed to wait for the members of the Royal Families until they were done.

Baekhyun strode next to you as you did, and he offered a sympathetic smile. “You should tell him.”

“I should not tell him,” You said, side-eyeing him, “Not when he’s getting married.”

“You’re thinking of this all wrong.” He shook his head. “You’re thinking that if you tell him he’ll be forced to reject you or accept you—which realistically, isn’t going to happen. Not because he doesn’t like you, but… You know. Because he’s getting married and the law wouldn’t allow you two to be together anyway.”

You gave a deadpan stare. “Thank you Baekhyun. You are so helpful.”

“I don’t mean it like that. I’m willing to bet my money that Jun does love you. But because of the circumstances he can’t give you what you want. Listen, what I’m trying to say is don’t tell him with the intention of giving him your love. Tell him with the intention of letting go of it.”

When you didn’t answer, he took that as his cue to continue. His eyes turned overly wistful, and he put a hand on his chest. Ever the thespian, he began to speak in a bad impression of your voice.

“Junmyeon, I care for you more than a knight should care for the prince she’s been assigned, and more than a best friend should care for their best friend. I’m not expecting anything—you’re engaged, and it wouldn’t be allowed anyway. I simply need to get it off my chest, so that I can heal faster.”

Ignoring his theatrics, you mulled over his words. Did you really even want to heal? You loved Junmyeon and you loved loving him, it was what kept you so dedicated to him. And you weren’t sure what you would do with his rejection, which was inevitable.

“I… I’ll think about it. It doesn’t sound like such a terrible idea.”

You all sat at the long table you’d sat at the last time—when you’d snapped at Junmyeon. That seemed to have been forgotten as you all sat. Minseok leaned against the table, crossing his arms.

“This is a foreign royal family. Not just Princess Mariana, your future queen, and not just Prince Sebastian, the future king of an allied nation—”

“The jackass?” Kyungsoo asked.

“The jackass,” You confirmed.

“—I’d better not hear that word once he’s around,” Minseok snapped, sending both of you a stern glance, “This is also their cousin Prince Cesar and Mariana’s ladies-in-waiting. Those four have nothing to do with any slights we might have against the two. We’re all adults here. We’ve all been brought up properly, no? Please just play nice. Mariana and her ladies will be apart of our circle and the royal court from here on out. Please be welcoming.”

Nodding, you looked around the circle. You sighed upon seeing everyone staring at you, waiting for a response. “Everyone here… knows about how I feel. Do not hold that against her. It is my problem alone and not anyone else’s. She is kind and treats Junmyeon well. I do not want her feeling unwelcome here.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“We wouldn’t dream of it.” Sehun patted your back.

“Well, we did dream of it, but now that you’ve asked us not to, we will not,” Baekhyun said, beaming proudly.

“You’re terrible,” You mumbled, laughing.

“What makes them so terrible now?”

Everyone turned their attention to see Junmyeon arriving with his brothers and the younger members of the Aviluxian envoy. He had his arm around Mariana’s waist.

“Nothing in particular,” You said, standing out of respect, “I just asked them not to embarrass me in front of our guests.”

Your friends around the table stood, offering bows and respect to the newcomers. They offered their seats, opting to stand around the guests. When you stood next to Baekhyun, you noted his shocked face. His eyes were wide, lips parted in awe. You followed his gaze, eyes landing on Montserrat, who was speaking quietly to Mariana, Caterina and Lisette.

Apparently all Oceansforte men look at Aviluxian women like that, you thought, remembering how similar Junmyeon’s face looked to Baekhyun’s. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. Instead, you rolled your shoulders back and stood up straight.

“Esteemed guests,” You began, smiling, “Today, apart from the brothers of House Kim, my friends and I join you. We are all close friends of the princes and the Royal Family. For those of you who have not met me, my name is Lady Y/N, of House L/N. I am Prince Minseok’s second in command for the Royal Guard, and Prince Junmyeon’s personal knight. It is an honor.”

After a bow, you went around introducing your friends. Each one of them offered the same pleasantries: a brief greeting and a bow. When Baekhyun gave his, he kept his eyes trained on Montserrat the entire time. And when she met his eyes, she bloomed a shade of red and looked down to her lap.

When you were all done, Sebastian leaned back in his seat—the one you’d just been sitting in. He smiled smugly, before looking at his sister.

“So, Junmyeon, you’ve invited us to spend the afternoon with your friends. Shall we be partaking in any activities?”

“Oh, I hadn’t had time to actually consider what we’d be doing,” Junmyeon admitted, “I left that mostly to them.”

Kyungsoo raised a finger, smiling at the guests. “Jongin and I were thinking of what to do a few days ago, actually. He made a wonderful suggestion. Since we’re in such a large group, we thought that playing Boram’s Triad would take up the entire afternoon and show the guests a side of our customs.”

You grinned at the idea, and saw Chanyeol and Minseok nodding in approval.

Mariana nodded. “I think we’d love to learn. How do you play—what did you say it was called?”

“It’s called Boram’s Triad. Most people call it S.W.S—Skill-Wits-Strength,” Jongin said.

“Skill-wits-strength?” Cesar asked.

“It’s a set of three games that’s played by eight different teams,” Kyungsoo explained, “The first round eliminates four teams, the second two, and the final round determines the winner. It’s always the same three games in the same order. Archery, to test skill, chess, to test wit, and finally, a sword fight, to test strength. Whichever team wins all three wins the Triad.”

“Isn’t it usually played in teams of three? Each person in the team participates in a different activity?” Junmyeon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “We figured it would be better to play in pairs for the first round and then choose who would play each round better.”

Cesar grinned, nodding. “It sounds like good fun,” He said. “Shall we team up now?”

Jongin nodded. “It’s customary for guests to choose first. Please, choose whomever you’d like.”

Immediately, Mariana stood. She looked excited, which you found endearing. “Junmyeon?”

The prince grinned in agreement. You tried to ignore the clenching in your chest as she strode towards him.

“Well, sister,” Sebastian said, standing from his chair, “All well and good for choosing your beloved, but if you wish to win you must choose strategically. Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s head snapped into his direction. He seemed caught off guard, almost surprised that the prince was addressing him. You did your best to resist cackling at his wide eyes.

“Yes?” He asked, voice teetering on uneasiness.

“I’ll play with you. We both seem to be strong, smart men—“

“Strong, maybe,” Baekhyun mumbled next to you, “Smart, I could tell you otherwise.”

You didn’t know what would’ve happened if Chanyeol or Sebastian had heard him, but thankfully that didn’t happen. Instead, Sebastian continued to speak.

“—So I hope we shall win together.”

Chanyeol hesitated. He glanced at Minseok, who raised an eyebrow in a manner that could only be described as threatening. Less than a second later, Chanyeol had put on the fakest smile you’d ever seen him wear, walking towards Sebastian.

“Of course, your royal highness. It’s an honor.”

Cesar opened his mouth, but Montserrat beat him to it. She pointed at—

“Baekhun, that was your name, yes?”

“Baekhyun,” He said gently, “Me, my lady?”

Montserrat nodded happily. “Yes, please.”

He grinned, and the two stood to the side, speaking in hushed tones to each other.

Lisette and Isadora exchanged glances, and Lisette chose first. Her eyes landed on Kyungsoo, who seemed indifferent—but you knew he probably would have preferred to be with Jongin. Isadora chose Yixing. Ever the gentleman, Yixing gave a bow when he was chosen and expressed how flattered he was.

Cesar was the last to choose. He was silent for a moment, but you didn’t have to think too hard on who he’d choose. Not if he was anything like Sebastian, at least.

His eyes landed on Minseok, and you resisted frowning. You would have loved to be able to choose Minseok, but then—

“Lady Y/N?”

All heads snapped in his direction. You blinked.

“Your highness?”

“Mariana has spoken well of you. You seem pragmatic and capable, may I please join you?”

“Why listen to Mariana?” Sebastian scoffed, “Oh, cousin, you should know by now—“

“I’d rather listen to Mariana than to you, cousin.” The fake smile on Cesar’s face did little to hide the disdain for his cousin, and you slapped yourself mentally for holding prejudice against him. Sebastian’s jaw dropped open, as if no one had ever spoken to him like that before. Given that he was the heir to the throne, that was likely true.

Cesar turned back to you, paying Sebastian’s gaping mouth no mind. “If you wish to choose someone else, my lady, I’d take no offense—“

“No,” You insisted, “Not at all. Please, I’d be honored.”

Cesar’s shoulders relaxed, and you heard Sebastian scoff as you stood next to his cousin.

The rest of the selections went by with a breeze. Sehun chose Jongin and Minseok and Jongdae were left with each other.

Jongin was nice enough to ask the servants to prepare a set of four targets, plus bows and arrows for each pair. The targets had ten circles, each circle representing a set of points. They were set up in the field between the castle and the castle’s private beach, where you and your friends would chase each other when you were all children.

“So the way we’ve planned it is every two teams get a target, each team gets four shots total—in turns of two,” Kyungsoo explained once you’d left the courtyard and were in front of the arrows.

“How will we decide turns and who plays against who?” Sehun asked.

“I wrote everyone’s teams down on the way here,” Jongin said, “I’ll just draw them from a cup.”

First up, were Minseok and Jongdae against Yixing and Isadora. Minseok and Jongdae made a formidable pair—Jongdae was fairly skilled, and while Minseok as captain of the Royal Guard was more skilled at close combat, he was decent enough when it came to archery. In the first round, Jongdae scored an 8 and Minseok a 7. In the next one, Jongdae scored a 9, much to Minseok’s delight.

“That’s it!” He said, slapping his younger brother on the back. You laughed from where you were watching, clapping for the loudest prince.

“I take it you and Minseok are close?” Cesar asked curiously.

“I’m his second-in-command, and I’ve been friends with the princes since I was a girl. He’s a good friend.” You nodded, watching Minseok take up the bow. This time, he had a little less luck. He scored a 6—their total added up to 30. He pursed his lips, evidently slightly disappointed.

You cupped your hands around your mouth, so that you’d be heard over the wind and the small distance. “Don’t fret, Min. It was a good shot, it’s just a bit windy.”

He shrugged you off. “It’s fine.”

Next up were Yixing and Isadora. The two of them were evidently a bit awkward around each other, and the minute she picked up the bow, you knew she’d likely never picked one up before. As you watched curiously, Yixing gave her a brief explanation on how to use it, and she was able to score a 3.

You nodded in approval. Without much experience plus the slight wind, it was impressive.

“Is it common for women in Oceansforte to train with weapons like you, Lady Y/N?” Cesar spoke again, leaning towards you. “Please forgive me if I’m intruding. I don’t mean to pry.”

“Not at all, your highness. I’d say it’s a bit more common now, but it wasn’t very commonplace when my father started training me. And please, just Y/N is fine.”

“Likewise—please just call me Cesar. How old were you?”

You thought for a moment, clapping gently when Yixing scored a 5. “I was about 8. When he wasn’t looking after the king and I wasn’t in class or off with my friends, he was teaching me the basics of close combat and the honor code of the Royal Guard.”

“That’s quite admirable,” He said with a nod, “I take it Mariana has told you of our customs back home in Avilux?”

You bristled. “Yes, but I ask that you respect my country’s customs if we do disagree—”

“Disagree? Nonsense. I think it’s perfectly sensible for everyone to at least have a slight idea how to defend themselves.”

You smiled. “There’s a bit more to it than simply self-defense.”

“What do you mean?”

You thought of the looks you got at court when it was announced you’d be joining the Royal Guard, the judging stares, the probing questions. “Plenty of things that frankly, I’m not looking to debate at the moment. Too much of a migraine. If you wish to read on it yourself, there’s a lovely book in the castle library that—”

“Oh! Isadora, do be careful,” Sebastian exclaimed as Isadora misfired, her arrow landing in the grass just below the target, “You’ll take someone’s eye out.”

She said nothing, staring at him expressionlessly. And despite not knowing her at all, you could just tell on the inside she was fuming.

Call it women’s intuition.

Yixing scored a 5, making their score a total of 13. Still, they took it with ease. “I don’t think either of us wanted to sword fight anyway,” He said softly. Isadora laughed, nodding.

“Quite true, my lord.”

The next time Jongin drew names, Baekhyun and Montserrat were placed against Junmyeon and Mariana. It was very apparent that both pairings enjoyed their respective pairs quite well.

Montserrat raised her bow, but instead pointed one of the tips of it towards Mariana, who raised an amused eyebrow.

“With all due respect, your highnesses,” Montserrat said, scrunching her eyes shut in a dramatic manner, “Baekhyun and I are simply much too skilled for either of you to best us.”

“Watch how it’s done, princey.” Baekhyun grinned cheekily at the prince, and suddenly you understood why they liked each other so much.

“I won’t watch then,” Junmyeon said teasingly, “Because whatever you do, I’ll do it better.”

You bit back a laugh. Junmyeon was loads better than Baekhyun had ever been at archery.

“He’s so obnoxious,” You mumbled, softly.

“She’s a menace,” Cesar said at the same time. You both met eyes, before laughing softly together.

You liked Cesar, you decided. He wasn’t rude, nor was he overbearing in order to gain your approval. Plus, he’d told Sebastian off earlier, which had Junmyeon and everyone else here beat in that category so far.

Montserrat fumbled with the bow, which caused Mariana to laugh quietly.

“Your mind games will not work on me this time, my princess,” Montserrat hummed happily. You blinked.

“Mind games?” You asked quietly, glancing at your partner.

Cesar tsked. “Oh, Aviluxian women—especially at court—are exceptionally good at getting into your head. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that being expected to simply sit still and look pretty grows rather boring eventually. My cousin is quite good at it,” He murmured. You raised an eyebrow as he lowered his voice.

“...Sometimes, you don’t even realize she’s there.”

When Montserrat let the arrow fly, you all watched it fly into the 1-point circle. Still, her and Baekhyun squealed as if they’d just struck gold. It was amusing to watch, but it did little to dissuade the sudden uneasiness in your stomach.

A minute later when Baekhyun fired his first shot, his arrow embedded itself into the 7-point circle. He nodded approvingly.

Montserrat, again with Baekhyun’s help, lifted her bow and aimed towards the arrow, arm shaking slightly with exertion. She took a deep breath, and Baekhyun leaned in to whisper something into her ear. She glanced at him, smiled, and the next thing you knew, the arrow landed in the 3-point circle.

They both celebrated accordingly, making you smile. As much as Baekhyun—and by extension, the rest of your friends—could get on your nerves, you really did care about them. Seeing him happy made you happy, even more so when he was playing up his antics.

Baekhyun scored a 9 this time, causing him to flex his muscles, despite them being covered by his several layers of linen. When you looked around the group, you saw your friends laughing at his dramatics. Mariana and her other ladies-in-waiting seemed amused, but Sebastian looked to be rather unamused by the display.

Their final number of points was 19. Neither of them really seemed to care.

“At the end of the day,” Montserrat said happily, “I’m content to just learn new customs and meet the members of Mariana’s future court. All good fun.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, Montserrat,” Mariana answered as she and Junmyeon stepped up to their spot, “But as much as you love fun, I love to win.”

Everyone chuckled. You thought back to what Cesar said, wondering how much of it was true.

He’s second-in-line for the throne, you thought, probably just resentful that his cousins are more likely to rule nations than he is.

Junmyeon was up first, and my, what an impressive archer he was. He rolled his head on his neck, before holding his bow up in a way that showed: he knew what he was doing. From his stance, to his steady breathing, to the unadulterated confidence rolling off of him in that moment. He nocked an arrow against the bow, and aimed, before letting go.

You watched as the arrow, almost effortlessly, landed in the center of the target. A seemingly perfect bullseye—the first 10 of the game. A stunned silence engulfed the Aviluxians for a brief moment, while the rest of you erupted into applause. To your small circle, it was nothing new. A second later, your guests joined you in applause.

“Perfect as always, Jun!” Yixing spoke loudly over the wind. “I’m glad Isadora and I weren’t up against you, it would have made our loss look even worse. Good thing it was just Jongdae and Minseok.”

“Hey!” Jongdae’s head snapped to glare at Yixing, but Yixing paid him no mind.

Junmyeon shook his head, laughing as he did so.

He handed the bow off to Mariana. When he approached her to help her into her stance, she shook her head. “I think I know how to do it, I want to try on my own.”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon asked, to which Mariana nodded.

She straightened her posture, grabbing an arrow before nocking it into the bow. She furrowed her brows in concentration, and you leaned your head forward to watch in concentration. While you weren’t the best, you knew the basics. Just from simple observation, Mariana seemed to have learned them all. Her stance was right, she was holding the bow correctly.

And when the arrow landed in the 7-point ring, dangerously close to the border of the 8-point, you realized she might have learned even more than the basics.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. She seemed equally as stunned, but proud nonetheless. When she turned to Junmyeon, he was beaming. The group erupted into applause.

“Lovely, milady!” Isadora exclaimed.

“You’re a natural, princess,” Montserrat said.

Your eyes spared Sebastian a glance. He was applauding, but he seemed disinterested. He was probably thinking something along the lines of beginner’s luck.

Junmyeon took his turn again, and to no one’s surprise, he shot a 9. Everyone applauded politely, but you’d be lying if you didn’t acknowledge the slight disappointment in your prince’s eyes.

When Mariana took the bow from his hands, she took her stance again. Cesar seemed to share your curiosity.

“Now we find out,” He murmured in a deep raspy tone, leaning closer towards you, “Is she a natural, or is she just lucky?”

You raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. This was the first time you actually took his appearance in. He was about the same height as Junmyeon. His dark hair was on the longer side. He had a complexion similar to that of his cousins, but his eyes were a piercing hazel green. And unlike Sebastian, who kept a closely shaven face, Cesar sported well-maintained stubble.

Suddenly, he felt too close, and you took a step back with an uneasy chuckle. “Your cousin is smart,” You said, voice resolute. “I don’t doubt her talents.”

Your eyes shifted back to the couple, and you stiffened when you realized Junmyeon had been carefully studying your interaction. You locked eyes with him, expression unreadable.

A second later, when the arrow landed, it scored Mariana an 8. Junmyeon’s eyes snapped to his betrothed, and he plastered a smile onto his face as she grew excited.

Your shoulders relaxed. “The princess is a natural,” You mused, smiling nonchalantly at Cesar, “I expected nothing less.”

Together, the pair had 34 points, easily leaving Baekhyun and Montserrat in the dust. This meant that they’d advance onto the next round, and that left four more teams to compete.

The next names that Jongin drew were Chanyeol and Sebastian, up against Kyungsoo and Lisette. Mariana and Junmyeon made their way next to you. Montserrat and Baekhyun stood further behind, murmuring excitedly to each other about anything and everything.

Kyungsoo and Lisette’s turn was slightly embarrassing to watch. While it was evident that none of the Aviluxian ladies had ever handled weaponry, Lisette was much more anxious about the idea of handling sharp objects, which made you want to look away from the interaction as Kyungsoo, who was by no means the warmest person ever, did his best to reassure her.

“Cesar,” Mariana murmured, leaning her head past Junmyeon, “Can I speak to you?”

The prince blinked, before nodding and standing next to his cousin. You nudged Junmyeon. “She was amazing,” You said quietly with a smile. He grinned.

“A total natural. Even I was shocked.”

There was a quick lull in your conversation as Lisette shot, her arrow landing not even halfway to the target. She didn’t seem to be enjoying herself at all, practically tossing it to Kyungsoo as if it were burning her.

Kyungsoo sighed, before looking at Lisette and saying something too quiet for anyone else to hear. He turned to Jongin after she answered.

“I’ll be shooting for her ladyship,” He declared. No one seemed to protest.

Until he fired once—ten points. Twice—ten points.

Sebastian raised a hand, “I don’t think this is completely fair—”

“Sebastian, be quiet!” Mariana hissed.

“Just let him do it,” Chanyeol groaned, causing Sebastian to glare.

Kyungsoo let the arrow fly a third time, and to no one’s surprise, he landed the arrow into the already crowded bullseye a final time. 30 total. The group was left in stunned silence, but it was moreso the Aviluxians.

He turned to Lisette with a smug smile. “I do hope you’re good at chess. I don’t think you’d be the best in a sword fight.”

Lisette, who evidently hadn’t been expecting Kyungsoo to be so good, was silent. A moment later, her mouth fell open, before beginning to laugh.

“I-I am not the best,” She said eventually, “But I will do what I can.”

And when the pair stepped to the side, the two whose turn it was meant to be were left. One looked incredibly bored, the other was red in the face.

“Would you like to take the first shot, your highness?” Chanyeol asked, sounding ready to end it all.

“I…” Sebastian bit back a scoff. But after a moment, his glare faded and was replaced with his signature smirk. “Yes. Of course.”

The prince immediately rolled his shoulders back before taking his position. From the get-go, it was evident that the prince had been trained well. He seemed even more confident than Junmyeon, but that didn’t surprise you one bit.

He kept his eyes trained on the target, furrowing his eyebrows in focus. His fingers tightened around the bow, before…

thwap!

A perfect 10. If his head weren’t so far up his ass, you’d have commended him. But since it was, your compliment would have been muffled and he probably wouldn’t have heard you at all.

Still, his expression grew even more smug. “That is how that’s done.”

He traded off with Chanyeol, who took his stance calmly. Nothing to prove and his desire for competition seemed rather dim, which was strange for Chanyeol. You wondered if he thought Sebastian was bad enough. He probably did.

Chanyeol lifted his bow towards the target, and you watched him take a deep breath, correcting his posture. The initial discomfort in his stance and gaze cleared into an expression of focus, stretching the hand holding the arrow, pulling the arrow taut, until…

“Ah-choo!”

The loudest, fakest sneeze you’d ever heard Sehun sneeze seemed to echo across the open field, causing Chanyeol to gasp in surprise, body jolting. He let the arrow fly—although probably not on purpose—and it landed dangerously close to the 5-point circle, but still in the 6-point range.

Next to you, Junmyeon stiffened, and you pursed your lips, but it was futile. Both of you erupted into giggles. You hid your laughter by hiding your face behind Junmyeon’s shoulder, and he leaned closer to you to do something similar.

Chanyeol’s eyes grew wide, and he turned to Sehun. “You little—”

“What?” Sehun asked, trying and failing to hold back a grin, “It’s allergy season. Do forgive me, Lord Park.”

Chanyeol sighed, and briefly looked as if he was considering murder. Both you and Junmyeon took deep breaths, trying to hold back another round of laughter. But before he could say anything, Sebastian broke out into raucous laughter.

“Sehun, my friend,” He said, causing Sehun’s smug grin to fade, “You are too funny for your own good. You’ll make Chanyeol’s head explode, I fear.”

Sebastian took the arrow, and managed to score another ten—his smug grin was just as unbearable at the death glare Chanyeol was giving Sehun. A few moments later Chanyeol scored a 9, but not before mouthing something in Sehun’s direction. You couldn’t make out exactly what he’d said, but it was safe to assume that it was something vulgar, because Sehun rolled his eyes mockingly.

With totals of 35 against 30, Sebastian and Chanyeol advanced onto the next round.

That left Sehun and Jongin, against you and Cesar.

Jongin and Sehun went first, for which you were grateful. As much as you loved the two youngest of the group, they could be a bit of a bumbling pair—which was exactly what you needed to calm your nerves before your turn.

“Nervous?” Junmyeon asked, sensing your anxiousness. You shrugged.

“I’ve never been the best at archery,” You mumbled, “You know that very well.”

“I do.” He nodded, watching Sehun splutter as he missed his first shot, arrow lodging itself several feet behind the target.

Behind him, Chanyeol roared with laughter. Kyungsoo sidestepped him to avoid being his during his flailing laugh. Sebastian didn’t, jumping in alarm when the taller man slapped his shoulder. He looked at your friend as if he had gone mad.

“Do you want tips so you don’t end up like that?” Junmyeon asked, and you nodded urgently.

“Yes, please.” You watched as Jongin aimed, fired, and scored a 5. “I’ll probably end up more like that, but as long as I’m not making a fool of myself like Sehun.”

Junmyeon hummed in response. “Alright. What I’d recommend—”

“Junmyeon, my darling,” Mariana called. Junmyeon whipped his head in her direction. She and Cesar were walking back towards you.

“Yes, my angel?” He asked once she was by his side, and you let out a quiet sigh at how quickly she had his attention. As she pulled him slowly away from you, Sehun scored a 4, much to Chanyeol’s amusement.

“How are you at chess?” She asked, and Junmyeon shrugged.

“I’m not the best. I was going to suggest that you play.”

Cesar’s arm brushed against yours, and you turned your head in his direction. “Are you ready?”

You sighed gently. “I mean—”

Thwap! Your heads snapped in the direction of the target. You felt your hands suddenly grow clammy when you saw it embedded in the 7-point mark.

It’s not that you were afraid you wouldn’t beat Sehun and Jongin. Cesar seemed calm enough, which gave you the impression he was better than both of them. You were mostly just nervous about making yourself look bad. If you looked bad, maybe they’d think you weren’t worthy. Maybe you’d be cast aside, and then what?

“Lady Y/N,” Cesar said, snapping you out of your thoughts. Your eyes widened at the realization that Sehun was holding the bow in your direction. There were several eyes on you. Sehun looked like he was gearing up to snap his fingers in your face just to be annoying.

“My apologies.” You smiled nervously, shaking your head. “I was thinking about something I needed to talk to Minseok about later.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, and in that moment you remembered the man you’d seen last night. In the spur of the moment, you’d pulled that out of your ass. But you were right. Even if it was nothing, you wanted to at least let him know you’d seen something strange.

“I’ll speak to you later. It can wait.”

Cesar took the bow from Sehun, and you watched him take his stance. He puffed his chest out, stretching his shoulders. Pulling an arrow out from the quiver, he took a different stance from the rest of those that had stood before him. He stood with his back facing away from you as he nocked the arrow.

“You’re left handed?” You asked.

Cesar glanced at you for a moment, before giving a single nod. “Yes, milady. My father tried to have it corrected, my mother insisted I be left alone.”

He didn’t seem bothered by your interruption, and a second later he let the arrow fly. You stood in shocked silence as it landed perfectly at 10. When he handed you the bow, you felt a bead of sweat forming on your forehead.

“Oh, your highness, how am I supposed to follow that?” You chuckled nervously.

He shook his head. “Oh, you’ll be fine.”

You gripped the bow the best way you remembered, and put an arrow into the groove of the wood. Clearing your throat, you did your best to stand the way you knew. Your hand was definitely sweatier than it should have been. You were breathing through your mouth—gods, why did you have to think about breathing? Now you were thinking about breathing instead of the proper way to pull the string back. How many fingers? Were you supporting it right?

In your peripheral vision, you saw Mariana whisper something to Junmyeon, lifting her hand to cover his ear. Junmyeon bit back a smile, but did exhale through his nostrils and look down.

They’re talking about you, you know, a little voice said in your mind.

It couldn’t be true. You knew Junmyeon would never laugh at you, never allow anyone to disrespect you so blatantly… right? Right? Your hand trembled, and the arrow flew. You frowned watching it land in the 3-point circle. 13 points so far, in comparison to Sehun and Jongin’s 20. With Cesar’s help, you would easily pass them. But it wasn’t about that.

Your heart sank, and you sighed. Behind you, a deep voice laughed.

“Prince Junmyeon,” Sebastian gasped between laughter, “You let that defend you!?”

“It’s the wind,” You muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Oh, come on, now, cousin,” Cesar said as you handed him the bow. “Don’t be that way.”

You looked down, ashamed. Rubbing your palms against your pants to dry them, Sebastian began to speak again before he was interrupted by Junmyeon.

“With all due respect, your royal highness, I must agree. Lady Y/N is my friend. I would appreciate it if you did not treat her so callously.”

Your head snapped up to look at Junmyeon, who flashed you a sympathetic smile. Mariana nodded furiously in agreement. “Quite right, Junmyeon. Sebastian, it would do our family well if you did not treat my future husband’s closest guard and friend the way you do.”

Sebastian scoffed, but said nothing further.

“And besides, Sebastian.” Cesar drew the bowstring back. “Just because you are the better archer, absolutely does not mean…”

He let the arrow fly, once more landing in the 10-point circle. Cesar smiled, before turning to his cousin. “...That her ladyship will not best you when you duel later.”

Cesar handed you the bow. “Would you like help?”

You offered a small smile. “A few tips would be nice, Cesar. Thank you.”

He watched you stand, and handed you an arrow. A few moments later, he stepped behind you. You took a deep breath. Mariana and Junmyeon weren’t talking about you, you thought, now that you were calmer, otherwise they would have laughed with Sebastian. You can do this. No one’s laughing at you. No one that matters, anyway.

“Here, your posture should be a bit straighter,” Cesar murmured into your ear, correcting the curve of your back by putting his hand on your lower back and pushing gently. His deep voice and accent along with his touch left goosebumps wherever he went. “Draw the bowstring back to your lip. Raise your elbow a little. No, no, not that high. Like this…”

He took your elbow, lowering it gently. Cesar stepped back, before crossing his arms and smiling proudly. “There. Go ahead.”

You took one last deep breath, before letting the arrow fly. The second it flew, you closed your eyes out of fear. What if you messed it up again? What if you embarrassed yourself even further, what if this time your friends didn’t defend you—

“That’s it!” Chanyeol roared.

“I told you!” Cesar exclaimed.

“Amazing, Y/N!” Minseok yelled.

“Dammit, why did we have to go up against them,” Sehun grumbled.

Your eyes flew open at the applause erupting around you. Everyone except Sebastian was clapping. After looking around, your eyes landed on the target. There, just below Cesar’s two bullseye shots, was your own arrow. Yes, a 3 followed by a 9 was by no means as impressive as the two consecutive 10s your partner had pulled off. But after the rush of emotions…

“I knew she could do it,” You heard Junmyeon say. A smile bloomed on your face. When you glanced at him, he didn’t meet your gaze. He was too busy staring at Cesar, at your proximity.

You turned to the prince who had helped you. He was grinning.

“I hope you’re good at chess.”

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