Nct Au - Tumblr Posts - Page 2

02 : Definitely Not A Coincidence

GENRE ― nct as mafia, txt as mafia, college!au

SUMMARY ― There were many possibilities on why he came back, but Natalie is sure that this isn’t a coincidence at all.

AUTHOR’S NOTE/WARNINGS ― mention of killing someone, links of the moodboards would be put below for the mentions of NCT's soulmates (for those who are lost on who is who)

previous chapter (chapter 1)

It's been nearly two weeks, and even when she is editing 40% of her project, her mind would always go back to the scene where she shot her shot twice.

She remembered those brown eyes.

‘He didn’t even look hesitant to even shoot me,’

‘Was he there to kill me?’

‘After all the times we spent together….’

Even after 5 years – even though it was just 5 years, she still remembers.

That's because deep down she still cares.

The students entering the lecture hall made her wake up from her own trance – and the last group to enter the hall are of course, the well-known Dream boys.

Different greetings were being said to Natalie as the boys took their seats, some sat behind and some sat at the front.

Her eyes naturally fell towards Mark, as soon as he sat beside her.

He always sat beside her whenever they had a last minute class in the lecture hall.

"Hey, the boys and I stopped by the cafeteria and I bought sandwiches." Mark stated at the same time taking out two sandwiches. "For you," He smiled slightly and Natalie sighed in relief.

"You always save me, Mark. I was starving...." Natalie muttered at the end, not minding how funny she looked as soon as she had the sandwich on her hands. She didn't even wait for Mark's reply of thanks, proceeding to unwrap the sandwich.

"Your welcome," Mark coolly said, he knows whenever she is with him, he can't hide the smile on his face. Not when she is happily devouring onto the sandwich he bought for her.

"How's your parents?" Mark asked while deciding to have his sandwich, at the same time his eyes didn't leave Natalie's.

"They are fine, you know them. Dad is as sharp as Taeyong," Natalie shrugs slightly, "Oh and they are still checking on who disrupted Taeyong's party. He is furious. I'm sure you know," Natalie gave Mark a knowing look, seeing the boy nodding in agreement.

Natalie was lucky that she isn't living in 127's residence.

The day when the incident happened, Natalie was instructed to stay in Dream's residence together with Sylvia. Once Mark was summoned in 127's meeting room along with the other 127 members, Taeyong was filled with red and anger.

He literally told all of the members to find out who invaded his party – Mark had a different job though.

"Mark, wait." He was about to leave as soon as Taeyong dismissed them.

Mark turned towards his leader, smiling slightly. "Yeah?“

Taeyong stares at Mark for a while, sighing as he tells him to sit beside him. “What is it hyung? Other than the invaders, everything okay? Did you inform Yelena?”

Taeyong chuckled slightly, “Of course, she was the first one to know. You know how protective she is with Natalie. She keeps on asking me if my sister is safe… Sometimes she forgets to ask about me,” Taeyong whispered at the end, seeing the little pout on his lips — Mark of course heard and saw him clearly, causing the younger one to laugh.

“Anyways, speaking of Natalie, I need you to do something for me. Regarding Natalie — Actually not just you, you will probably need the whole Dream members.” Taeyong’s voice turned serious in a second, and that made Mark switch to his serious mode too.

The young one just nodded.

“I kind of figured who invaded my party but I asked the others to look more through it,” Taeyong paused before turning towards Mark looking him in the eye.

“I need you to keep an eye on Natalie’s every move. I don’t know if she already figured out who is the enemy — but if she knew, she would try to step in.” Taeyong sighed, knowing his sister very well that sometimes she drives him mad sometimes.

But at the end of the day, she is smart and he knows her — and Taeyong knows her really well.

“Okay, Mark? She will definitely try to involve herself in — she will find him, and you have to stop her. If this man is the man I assumed, we can’t let her deal with him alone. This is your task.” Taeyong instructed, strict yet he is calm.

Mark looks calm but he is fighting by himself.

This wasn’t the first for Mark, he would always keep an eye on Natalie without Taeyong’s instructions.

There were days when he was Natalie’s companion in school. Like most of the time they were always together – except for the free classes where Mark would leave Natalie alone in the open lecture theatre since she wasn’t alone.

It’s just Mark caring for his leader’s little sister.

Other students thought they were together, Mark knew they were talking about them sometimes and Natalie definitely heard them – but she didn’t say anything.

Mark is scared that he will lose his trust of Natalie, at the same time he doesn’t want to get lectured by his leader.

“Okay. I’ll stop her,”

“Yeah, he is scary when angry,” Mark whispered and Natalie scoffed, “Not me. I’m not scared of him. He looks like an angry bubble tea,”

Natalie’s comment made Mark choke on his sandwich and she immediately tapped his back. “Mark, you good? Don’t tell me you are angry too for making fun of your leader,”

Mark began to cough and he was lucky Natalie had her own water bottle. She quickly gave him, and he chugged the water quickly.

“..No… I was about to laugh but I choked,” Mark commented, “But it’s true— Oh he sometimes looks like the spicy ramen sauce. Like he was so angry one point of time and his face legit turned red,”

This was Natalie’s turn to laugh – the fact that they are making fun of NCT's leader, the ruthless leader that everyone feared.

But not for Natalie, he is just angry at failed tasks or failed missions. It’s normal but sometimes, he can be blinded with anger – and they have frequent arguments too, and sometimes, it can turn physical.

Regardless, she still loves Taeyong – he is her brother.

The both of them continued their everyday conversation until Kun, who is the dean of the school they were attending – entered along with some of the professors and some students, which Natalie didn’t pay attention to.

She could see their shadows, through where she is and the way her laptop is placed.

Everyone began to quieten down, while some were still on their laptops – Kun knew some of them were either playing games or just doing their own assignments, so he didn’t bother to stop all of them.

“Everyone, I would like you to introduce some new students that would be joining the school.” One of the professors greeted.

“We welcomed five students to Neo Mafia School – Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai!”

Claps, whistles and giggles were heard at the same time and Natalie was sure she heard his name.

Or maybe she was daydreaming again – which was ridiculous.

The moment when she looked away from her laptop and her eyes turned to the front, Natalie made eye contact with him.

She made eye contact with the familiar brown eyes – and that’s when her surroundings slowed down.

‘This is certainly not a coincidence,’

She just made eye contact with Choi Soobin, her used-to be best friend.

At the same time, when Natalie broke eye contact — Mark’s eyes landed to where Natalie was looking at, and he saw her looking at the newest student who was now talking to a professor.

Mark’s focus then changed towards Natalie.

Her focus was on her own laptop, except she looks way too serious.

Just like what Natalie said to him the first day of school, Mark knows about her past.

He knows, Mark just knows.

“This is definitely planned, it was very obvious.”

“We get it, Nat. Can you please just sit down before you are giving me a migraine right now. I’m trying to answer this questionnaire,” Sylvia groaned to Natalie who was walking back and forth.

Irina, who is Jaemin’s friend – for now, they have their own story to tell but Irina is considered part of the Dream team, but not an official member.

She is the only official assassin out of the ‘Dream Protectors’ who is still working at night for Taeyong – only for light tasks though, she has her own role to play.

Natalie turned towards Irina and Sylvia, seeing they were chilling on the sofa of Dream’s residence living room.

“Okay.. But the question is, why are they here? Why did they enroll in Kun’s mafia school? There are other schools out there somewhere,” Irina reasoned out and Natalie stopped at her tracks.

She was thinking of many possibilities – some made sense, and some she was trying not to think that it could be a possibility.

“..There’s no way they are here to kill Kun right?” Natalie nervously chuckled, “Like c’mon, this is Kun we are talking about. The ‘No. 1 Top Mafia Leader of China’.”

Sylvia shakes her head before turning towards Natalie, “Nah, actually he was known for being an angel. ‘The Angel Mafia Leader’,”

The two girls turned towards Sylvia with a very confused look – Sylvia puts down her papers, looking at the both of them innocently.

“I’m serious. You should look it up, Wayv was known for that thanks to Kun…..” Sylvia trailed off, “Okay fine, continue your theories,”

Irina chuckled slightly before turning towards Natalie.

“Maybe, he was trying to reconnect with you…?” Irina offers a thought and Natalie shakes her head.

Natalie couldn’t help but scoff out loud, “..He could have called. I know he has ways to get someones’ number.”

Irina could see Natalie’s expression softened, yet she looked tense – seeing Natalie’s jaw clenched a few times.

Irina sighed loudly – gaining Sylvia’s attention, she turned towards the assassin and Sylvia read Irina’s face.

Although Sylvia isn’t involved in the mafia businesses that much compared to how Irina is, she still has that assassin skill – the one where Sylvia was taught in the programme along with Irina.

“Hell no..” Sylvia muttered, the voice in her sounded like she didn’t want to believe it hence that gained Natalie’s attention.

“What?”

Irina sat up, straightly then turning towards Sylvia then towards Natalie who was still standing, looking at her two friends.

“I think,” Irina said aloud, eyes making contact with Natalie’s.

“...Choi Soobin came, to kill you.”

Sylvia was watching her, and she couldn’t stand seeing her friend making a frowning face – even when she was putting her stuffs’ into her own locker.

“You know, even with make-up,” Sylvia closes her own locker, then turning towards Natalie, “You are going to have a hard time to conceal those wrinkles and frowns— Oh, you might need to put extra foundation and—

Natalie smacked Sylvia’s arm with a thick book, earning a dramatic gasp from Sylvia herself. “W-what is that for?!”

“..That sounded like it hurts,”

The two girls turned towards the knowing voice and Sylvia who was joking around, had her expression changed a second. She eyed him, before eyeing towards Natalie – giving him a slight smile.

“Yeah, it's supposed to hurt, Mark. She was being mean,” Natalie pointed out, and Sylvia just shrugs. “I was just joking— Oh c'mon! You know me!” Sylvia pouted towards Natalie who can only give her a cheeky glare, before chuckling while muttering a ‘sorry’ to the girl.

“Well since, your prince-charming is here… I’ll go find Irina or the boys.. See you guys later,” Sylvia waved – not daring to turn towards Natalie as she ran away from them.

‘Prince-charming….’

“So, ready to go?” Mark leaned against the locker, as he watched her basically storing books. “..Give me a sec, I’m actually trying— Here! Catch!” Natalie out of nowhere threw a packet drink to him, and as always, he caught it with one hand.

Natalie finally closes the locker door, “I’m ready, let’s go!”

“You kind of forget your packet drink, Nat.”

Natalie turned towards him then to the packet, then to him. “Oh, that was actually for you. I have my own,” Natalie showed her own packet drink and Mark flusteredly mutter an ‘oh’.

“Thanks,” Mark shyly said, and both of them were about to walk away when Mark slightly slowed down his pace,

“By the way, Aurora noona will come over to make us her special pie… Do you wanna... come over..?” Mark asked, he sounded normal but he was definitely nervous.

Natalie’s face instantly lit up and she was about to answer him.

“Natalie!”

Both Mark and Natalie turned towards the voice – seeing a professor and someone she knows approaching her.

‘Oh no…’

She was a professor who taught Natalie about self-defenses theoretically. “Natalie!... I’m sorry Mark, but can I steal Natalie away from you just for a minute please?” She sweetly asked Mark and he immediately nodded.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mark smiled tightly towards Natalie, and before she could say anything, he already walked away.

‘Tomorrow? But he asked me to come over,’

Natalie frowned at his back who was already turning a corner – but her attention quickly turned towards the professor and a student standing a step away from them.

“I know I am disrupting your lunch but I hope you could do me a favour.” The professor sheepishly asked and Natalie forced a smile.

“It’s okay, I missed a few times just to complete my work. So… what’s wrong, professor?” Natalie hesitantly questioned, trying not to look at the professors’ back.

“Oh, nothing is wrong, Natalie. But could you show Soobin around the campus? Well, we didn’t show him around – maybe a little but it wasn’t as proper, since they quickly started their first lessons yesterday.” The professor explained,

“So could you please show him around? Maybe you could do a quick one, I mean it isn’t a huge campus after-all,” he professor continued, her eyes’ pleading towards Natalie.

Natalie again, forcing a smile. “Okay.”

“Thank you, Natalie! I know you would help me!” The professor beamed, before turning towards the student at the back – asking him to come towards where they were.

He stood beside her.

“Okay.. Soobin, this is Natalie Hansen. One of our A+ students, among ten of them.” The professor introduced – instead of looking him in the eye, she looked in the middle of his brows area.

“I'll leave the two of you then!! I have to go, I have a meeting with the dean!” The professor pats both the students’ on the back before leaving the two alone.

‘...Choi Soobin came to kill you,’

Irina’s words echoed in her mind, and Natalie swore she could feel her face muscles tensed – but she managed to conceal it with an awkward smile.

In return, Soobin smiled – the tall boy smiled sincerely, putting out his hand for a handshake.

This definitely caught her off guard, because Natalie could see he was being nice and he wasn’t being fake.

She could see him directly in his eyes.

“Hi Natalie. Nice to meet you, My name is Soobin.”

This brings back to the time when Soobin introduced himself to her, 9 years ago – when Natalie was a stuck-up 'princess' and Soobin was a nice, polite and innocent boy.

"Hi," Natalie said with a small smile, before accepting his handshake.

Not knowing that someone was watching the both of them secretly.

previous chapter (chapter 1) ⇋ next chapter (chapter 3)

[ Hero for Heart : Natalie’s Series, Base On Her Sorrowed Past ]

[ N-DREAM MOODBOARDS ] - [ N-DREAM’S SOULMATES ]

[ 127’S SOULMATES ]

[ MASTERLIST ]

[10:47 pm]

“kiss me like you love me,” you breathe as you lean into johnny, his warm breath brushing over your lips as his hands gently take hold on your waist.

johnny’s eyes seem to kiss your eyes just as passionately as his lips kiss your lips - until your eyelids flutter shut under his insatiable dark brown gaze. his hands have made their way up your torso and are entangled in your hair, his long fingers softly holding your head as he leans down to meet his lips with yours. johnny’s mind pleads with him to savor this moment with slow, tender kisses upon your lips, but his heart races so fast that he can barely think.

johnny has been dreaming about this very moment since sophomore year of high school: the year he realized he did love his best friend. he had dreamt about this very moment every time you tucked your hair behind your ear; every time your mutual friends teased the two of you for bickering like an old married couple; every time you introduced johnny to your new boyfriend with a cute giggle and a peck johnny always wished was for himself; every time you wore his oversized light blue hoodie for heartbreak sleepovers, wrapped in his arms and crying over a movie and your breakup as he ran his hands over your hair comfortingly.

johnny has dreamt about this moment so often that he doesn’t understand how you can tell him to kiss you like he loves you - how you can be so oblivious to the fact that he’s loved you and your endearing, pink-cheeked smile for years on end.

johnny swallows back the three words clawing at his throat - begging to be let free just to be shattered into pieces - as he pulls you closer. “kiss me like you love me,” he repeats in a breath, and hopes you didn’t hear his voice cracking ever so slightly.

never have i ever - pt.1

warnings: cursing, drinking, brief mentions of sex in dialogue, fluff??, angst (nothing explicit)

word count: 2k

summary: you play never have i ever with four friends - jaehyun, who sulks because he’s just thrown a party for a boy who doesn’t seem to have any interest in him; doyoung, who has an alcohol tolerance as (surprisingly) strong as his tendency to tease johnny; johnny, your best friend since high school who apparently wants to kiss someone in the room; and mark, the sweet boy who blushes when you smile at him.

pairings: college!best friend!johnny x reader x college!mark -> choose your own adventure! (two parts total)

---

you feel so giddily drunk that you can ignore how the bass of the loud music downstairs thumps against your eardrums. johnny has an arm wrapped around your shoulder, sitting on the mini couch as you lean back into him. both of you are clearly drunk and clearly too big for the small sofa, his side squished beneath your back and your legs entangled. johnny mumbles something inaudible and you nod, your mind too clouded to ask your best friend to repeat what he’d said. your attention is more focused on the game between you, johnny, and the three boys in the friend group he’d inserted you into five months ago. you’d known all of them since high school, but hadn’t really talked until the five of you happened to go to the same college. you start to think you regret not befriending them sooner, but immediately scratch out the thought when you remember the time you’d seen freshman jaehyun eat his booger during class.

“never have i ever hosted a big ass party just to stay in my room,” mark giggles from the rug, snapping you from your own thoughts. mark hasn’t had much alcohol tonight, but his cheeks are bright pink and he already seems slightly drunk. “drink up, jaehyun.”

“you can’t do that,” jaehyun protests, glaring at his friend. “this game is stupid.” he jokingly kicks mark’s leg from his spot on the rug next to mark.

“you wouldn’t be playing this stupid game if you were still downstairs trying to impress that boy you threw this party for,” doyoung grins. he’s laying on his stomach on jaehyun’s bed, his red cup set on the floor. “what was his name? taehoon?”

“taeyong,” jaehyun corrects, his ears reddening. he rolls his eyes. “and i didn’t throw the party for him.”

“whatever you say,” doyoung laughs as jaehyun throws the pillow he’s hugging at him. “come on, mark. do another one.”

“never have i ever had sex in a car,” mark blurts, and giggles when jaehyun drinks again. “shit, really? you don’t even have a car.”

"wasn’t mine,” jaehyun mumbles. it’s barely audible, but johnny certainly hears - and notices the way jaehyun looks at him warily.

“shit, don’t tell me it’s mine,” johnny says, his eyes widening.

“ ‘m sorry,” jaehyun groans, and johnny throws his now-empty cup at jaehyun. jaehyun lets it hit him on the shoulder out of guilt, silently refilling it and setting it next to the sofa.

"that’s so fucking gross,” johnny wrinkles his nose. “i’m never lending you my car keys again.”

“it’s not like you didn’t do the same thing on jaehyun’s bed,” you giggle. johnny gasps and practically shoves you off the sofa as you laugh, clinging onto his shoulder to stay on.

“are you serious?” jaehyun’s mouth drops open. “dude!”

doyoung slowly climbs off jaehyun’s bed, taking his seat next to jaehyun on the rug. 

“sorry,” johnny bites his lip, cringing as he remembers. “it was, like, years ago. let’s call it even?” he offers, and jaehyun’s about to say something but he shuts his mouth and nods instead. johnny glares at you and slaps your back for good measure, to which you yelp and glare back at your best friend. “never have i ever not had my first kiss,” he smirks.

“is that even allowed?” mark furrows his eyebrows.

“i don’t give a fuck if i don’t have to drink,” jaehyun shrugs. doyoung nods, tracing his finger over the rim of his cup absentmindedly.

“i hate you so fucking much,” you mumble into johnny’s ear as you sip from your cup. 

johnny grins.

“holy shit, are you for real?” jaehyun blurts. “i thought you dated jungwoo in high school.”

you wrinkle your nose at the mention of your high school ex of three years. “he was sweet, though we never really did anything more than hold hands and kiss each other’s cheeks. he said he was being careful, but i don’t think he actually ever liked me.”

“pretty sure he’s gay,” doyoung quips in. his eyes dart around the room as everyone turns to him, confused. “what? i thought everyone knew.”

“i mean, that explains a lot,” you sigh. johnny chuckles.

“you know, i could help with, um, that,” mark says playfully, but the way his cheeks blush darker pink gives evidence to the fact that he’s not really joking.

“i’d like it,” you joke, to which mark’s cheeks flush an even brighter red. you shift to a more comfortable position as you feel johnny tense up beneath you. “never have i ever had a wet dream about a celebrity.”

no one drinks.

you shrug. “worth a try.”

doyoung’s eyes flash with amusement at an idea that pops to his mind. “what about - never have i ever had a wet dream about one of my friends.”

johnny shoots doyoung a murderous look, to which the latter teasingly returns an innocent smile. he leans over to grab his cup next to jaehyun, who has already drank from his cup. 

“seriously?” you say, furrowing your eyebrows as johnny ignores you. “who was it?” you can’t imagine which of your mutual friends it might be - or maybe it isn’t one of your mutual friends.

“i’m not telling,” he grumbles, “i’m never telling doyoung anything again.”

“don’t be petty, john,” jaehyun cooes, but it sounds more like a drawl with the amount of alcohol he’s been consuming. “it happens to the best of us.”

“doesn’t happen to me,” doyoung hums playfully and winks at you before passing the beer so that jaehyun and mark can refill their cups. you don’t notice that mark had emptied his cup until he fans his extremely red face with a cough.

it’s jaehyun’s turn. jaehyun taps his fingers against his cup in thought before he practically laughs at his own idea. “never have i - never have i ever thought of kissing someone in this room,” jaehyun stifles drunk giggles as doyoung grins, as if he knows something the others don’t.

you blush, knowing what jaehyun had intended from the previous questions. you and mark simultaneously drink from your cups, cheeks flaming.

“i think you have to drink too, jae,” doyoung smiles, and jaehyun’s brows cross in thought before he nods.

“shit, you’re right,” jaehyun laughs. “johnny, you too, come on.”

johnny looks like he would break jaehyun’s precious game console if he’d been given the chance. he groans. “i don’t know why i agreed to this game.”

jaehyun giggles. “i love you,” he mockingly bats his eyelashes up at his friend.

“no,” johnny deadpans, throwing his empty cup at him again. jaehyun catches it this time with another giggle, doing the favor of filling it up to compensate for leaking his secret.

“you never told me you were bi,” you say, feeling slightly left out of the joke. johnny had never mentioned being attracted to a boy, much less mentioned being attracted to jaehyun. you’d thought you were johnny’s best friend, but maybe he didn’t trust you with everything. “when did you and jaehyun kiss?”

jaehyun chokes on his drink, sputtering as his eyes meet yours. “what? we didn’t-” he coughs, and clears his throat. jaehyun suppresses another drunk giggle as a realization comes to mind. “we didn’t.”

“just shut up,” johnny rolls his eyes. “you’re so fucking dumb.” you pout in mock hurt. johnny ignores it, glaring at jaehyun and doyoung. “and seriously, you guys. drop it.”

doyoung purses his lips to contain his laughter, and jaehyun giggles. you’re rather confused at the silent interaction between the three boys - and mark is too, from the confused look in his eyes. 

you feel slightly nauseous. perhaps it’s partly because of the alcohol, but you suspect it’s because of the idea that you seem to know much less about johnny than two people he’d only befriended a few years ago. 

you tap your fingers against the arm of the sofa, subconsciously shifting a bit away from johnny. it’s a wary habit of yours that johnny immediately notices.

“it’s nothing, (y/n), i promise,” he sighs. “i... i need a break.” johnny gets up from his seat, dislodging you in the process. your eyebrows knit together in confusion when johnny leaves the room, the door slamming behind him as if to release his repressed frustration.

“shit, he’s mad,” jaehyun mutters, “did we go too far?”

doyoung nods, getting up from his spot on the rug. “we should go talk to him.” he eyes you and mark before nodding at jaehyun to follow him. “let’s go.”

the door shuts behind jaehyun and doyoung, and you and mark make eye contact in both confusion and nervousness. you stare at mark and he stares at you for what seems like an eternity but is probably only a moment - and the two of you break out into giggles at the awkward situation. 

"that was kinda crazy,” you say with a grin. you’re still worried about johnny, but the lighter mood seems to replace the tension buzzing in the room. “i honestly don’t know what’s happening.”

mark nods, humming in agreement. “i feel like i’m missing out on something. i didn’t know the three of them were that close, you know?”

“right?” you say, heart racing at the fact that mark agreed. “it feels like- like i don’t really know anything about johnny.”

mark suddenly takes an interest in the blue zig-zags of jaehyun’s carpet, tracing the patterns with his finger. “um,” he starts, “are you and johnny um - i mean, do you, like,” he gulps. your eyes dart from his fingers to his face, perplexed. “do you like johnny?”

your mouth forms an ‘o’ shape as you wave your hands. “no!” you exclaim, louder than you mean to. you cringe. “i mean, no. we’re just friends - best friends since high school.” you frown. “at least i think so.”

“good,” mark blurts, and blushes immediately as a smile carves its way on your face. “i-i mean, that’s good.”

you think it’s cute - or rather, you think he’s cute. it’s not as if you’d been completely oblivious to the way mark snuck glances at you in the library during group study sessions, or the way mark would always remember your favorite strawberry drink without asking whenever he brought food, or the way his cheeks blushed whenever you told him he looked cute today. if you had a type, it would probably be adorable, bright, giggly mark lee - not tall, handsome, sensible johnny suh. wait, what?

you shake the thought from your mind, smiling at mark. “why do you ask?” you say. you both know the answer already, and the words hang between you in jaehyun’s dimly-lit bedroom, waiting to be plucked out of thin air.

“do you want to go out for coffee sometime?” mark smiles, the corners of his pretty pink lips pursing into his cheeks. it’s a shy smile that accompanies wide, sparkling eyes that look up at you from the rug in anticipation. “this time, not as, well, friends.”

“yes,” you say - it comes out as more of a breath than a statement, and it makes you wonder if you mirror the same anticipation in mark’s eyes. “i’d love to.”

the door suddenly bangs open, and both of you whip your heads to see johnny stumbling from the doorway - as if he’d been leaning on it. he quickly regains his balance, but is frozen in place, eyes flickering between you and mark. “i,” johnny starts. he can’t seem to continue. the loud music that had been muffled by the door is now beating in your ears, only adding to your prior headache.

“h-have you been there for...?” you lick your lips, which suddenly feel parched. 

johnny clears his throat. “no,” he says, but can’t look you in the eyes, staring at the floor instead. 

you know he’s lying - how could you not, after all the years you’d known him? but why would he lie? your mind nags you, and you push the thought to the back of your mind. johnny obviously doesn’t feel comfortable telling you about whatever’s happening to him. your eyes sting, and you swallow thickly to prevent yourself from crying. 

“i need a breath,” you mutter, getting up from the sofa to make your way down jaehyun’s stairs. you think you see something like regret in johnny’s dark brown eyes, but you’re so upset that you intentionally shove past him on your way out the door and storm outside. 

it’s dark and cold. jaehyun’s house is rather big - especially compared to the dorms most students live in - and rather far from any of the dorms. the chilly night air brushes up against your cheeks, and you don’t feel the strength to walk back to your dorm in the endless darkness right now. you groan and make your way to the side of jaehyun’s house, right next to a window in the living room that provides a dim light on the asphalt ground. your legs buckle as you lean against the wall besides the window, head between your legs as you try to calm your headache. you want to scream - and cry - and laugh. “shit,” you blurt, finally, and almost laugh at the word.

“hey,” a quiet voice interrupts your thoughts, a soothing breeze in midst of the storm. “let’s go, i’ll walk you home.”

it’s time to choose.

who is the person who follows you outside? is it

mark: the cute boy who blushes when you smile at him but has successfully asked you out on a coffee date?

or

johnny: your best friend who has been acting strange recently but who still holds a special place in your heart?

voting has ended! part 2 here

never have i ever - pt. 2 (johnny)

part one here, read for leadup :)

warnings: cursing, nerf gun??

word count: 2.8 k

[you chose:]

johnny, your best friend who has been acting strange recently but who still holds a special place in your heart.

“hey,” a quiet voice interrupts your thoughts, a soothing breeze in midst of the storm. “let’s go, i’ll walk you home.”

you raise your head to see johnny, who smiles softly when he meets your eyes. you swallow thickly again, really not wanting to cry. “johnny, i just need a few minutes alone,” you tell him, placing your head back on your folded legs. 

johnny sighs, and shuffling noises make you look up to come directly face-to-face with your best friend. “boo?” he offers. johnny’s crouching on the asphalt ground across from you. 

you let out a small smile and short breath at his joking attempt to scare you, and johnny returns your smile.

you know you’re being dramatic - johnny obviously has many friends besides you, and you can’t expect to be his closest friend forever. he’ll have secrets that he keeps from you and not from other friends.

but johnny knows everything about you, from the smallest things that can brighten your day to your deepest secret that digs its way up your throat and tries to suffocate you every now and then. johnny’s always there for you when you cry, whether it’s over the phone or him running down the street to your dorm to calm you as you shake. he’s been there since high school, and you’d like to think you’d been there for him, too.

you know johnny could do so much better than a shitty best friend like you with nothing much to offer. you need him more than he needs you, and perhaps that’s why you feel terrified at the prospect that maybe you’re not johnny’s best friend anymore. a tear drips down your cheek at the realization, and you quickly reach up to wipe it, hoping johnny didn’t see.

johnny sucks in a breath. he definitely saw. “is it something i did?” he says softly. you shake your head. his jaw clenches, “did-did something happen with mark?”

“no!” you say, a little too fast for the second time tonight. johnny raises an eyebrow. “no, really. he didn’t make me sad or anything. he made me happy, actually.” did he? you think he did, at least.

johnny stares at the asphalt. “that’s good. why are you upset, then?”

“i’m just being overdramatic,” you shrug, and fib, “i’m on my period.”

johnny almost rolls his eyes. “don’t lie about your period, you had it last week.” 

you flush, suddenly remembering that you’d asked johnny to bring you some pads in an emergency last week. “shit, i did.” you grin sheepishly. “well, maybe it’s a post-period mood swing? it’s nothing, don’t worry.”

“your emotions aren’t irrelevant,” johnny says. you’re silent. he stands, brushing his jeans off. “come on, let’s get ice cream for your post-period mood swing,” he jokes and holds a hand out for you to take.

you smile and grab his hand, pulling yourself up. “only if you pay.”

johnny laughs, a deep, soothing, happy sound that rings through the empty street. “i’ll pay if you get there first.” johnny starts off running, and your eyes widen.

“hey!” you whisper-shout, cautious not to wake any of the neighbors who are still sleeping through the bass of the music vibrating through jaehyun’s walls. you run after your best friend, who’s already gotten a head start down the street. as you grab onto the back of johnny’s jean jacket and lightly yank him back - johnny laughing and latching his hands around your waist to prevent you from running ahead - you feel like you’re the two high school juniors who snuck out of their houses at ten for boba again.

you and johnny eventually run out of breath, and johnny promises to pay for ice cream since neither of you can run another block. he keeps his promise, paying for your rainbow sherbet and his chocolate ice cream cone at the counter. 

“out with your girlfriend?” asks the cashier, a middle-aged man who smiles at the two of you like you’re his own children.

you expect johnny to tell him you’re not dating, but johnny simply smiles at the cashier. “thank you for the ice cream.” 

you frown in confusion as you trail after johnny, who’s walking ahead of you. “why didn’t you tell him?” you say when you catch up.

“tell him what?” johnny says. maybe it’s your imagination, but his cheeks seem redder than usual - it’s probably the cold air nipping at his skin.

“you know what,” you say, your eyes narrowed.

johnny blushes. “i don’t know,” he says bluntly. when you open your mouth again, he suddenly points to a few blocks ahead. “look, the carnival’s here already!”

it’s a small pop-up, traveling carnival with questionable rides and almost certainly rigged games that comes to the town every year at about this time for a week. a few students and many kids attend the carnival like a religious ceremony. you haven’t been to the carnival with johnny, but you also haven’t seen johnny ever this excited about something like the carnival before - you strongly suspect he’s just trying to distract you from whatever you were going to say. you oblige him, though, as he pulls your hand like a puppy on a leash.

“let’s go, hm?” he says when you’re by the entrance, and you’re reminded of a large puppy as he looks at you with those wide pleading eyes. 

you laugh. “okay, let’s go.”

johnny beams and leads you inside. “i’ve never been here.”

you’re not quite sure why johnny’s not letting go of your hand even after you’re inside, but you tell yourself it’s the alcohol getting to him. “i came here with mina last year,” you say, remembering how your friend almost strangled a booth manager when he said her prize was ‘unavailable at the moment.’ you can’t seem to tell johnny with his enthusiastic expression that it sucked, though. “it was cool.” you aren’t completely lying; you did have a good time with mina.

“i haven’t been to a carnival since i was twelve,” johnny smiles, cheerfully swinging your interlocked hands as you walk together. you feel like you’re dating johnny for a second - johnny with his pretty smile and his gentle hands and his soft voice. butterflies swirl inside your stomach at the thought of dating your best friend.

“really?” you say, swallowing your emotions down for the umpteenth time that night. “who’d you go with?”

“i think it was my dad,” johnny says after thought. as you look at him, you can’t help but think he looks handsome even under the dim red and yellow lights of the carnival. “do you have something you want to do?”

you shrug. “i’m not particularly good at anything.”

“me neither,” johnny grins. “wanna try that?” he juts his chin out to a shooting booth. 

“that’s so cliché,” you wrinkle your nose playfully. “you choose a shooting booth out of all of these?”

“come on,” johnny laughs and pulls at your hand. “you have to give me a chance to impress you at something.”

you know he’s joking, but you can’t help but blush as he tugs you along. the booth manager - an extremely bored-looking man in his late twenties - mutters something about stupid couples. “five dollars per ten shots,” he gestures to a target with gold, red, and blue rings that is placed a few meters behind him. “blue is a keychain, red is a plushie, and gold is a jumbo doll.”

it’s expensive, the target is almost impossibly minuscule, and the game is probably rigged. “maybe we should do something else,” you tell johnny, who pouts with earnest eyes that seem to beg please. you purse your lips. “fine, but don’t blame me if you lose all your money.”

johnny grins, handing the man a five dollar bill. “you know, i was lying when i said i’m not particularly good at anything.” he’s rather arrogant as he holds the toy shotgun with one hand - even going as far to wink at you before his first shot. he misses the target completely.

you giggle. “you’re right. you’re particularly bad at this.”

johnny pouts once more, grinning. “i’ll do better next time.” the next eight shots don’t hit anywhere near the target either, though, and he groans. “this has to be rigged.”

“let me try,” you say, curious. you aim the toy gun and pull the trigger as the nerf dart shoots out, the recoil pushing you back slightly. 

“oh, shit,” johnny says, his eyes sparkling as he wraps you in a big quick hug in his excitement. “that was awesome!”

you’re confused until you look over johnny’s shoulder to see that your nerf dart had landed on the edge of the blue ring. “oh, shit!” you say, a bit dumbfounded. “i got it!”

“pick one,” the booth manager passively pushes a rather dusty box of keychains towards you and johnny. 

johnny peers over your shoulder as you turn towards the box - an assortment of colorful, cheap-looking plastic keychains. you’re just happy you got the target, though. “wanna choose, johnny?” you coo at the tall boy as if he’s a child.

johnny blushes. “what?”

“pick one,” you say, pulling him closer to the box by his hand. “it’s your money anyways.”

“you won it,” johnny says. “pick one for me. it’ll mean more, then.”

your heart skips. had johnny’s dark eyes always been so pretty, his voice always been so pleasant, his hand in yours always been so large and soft? it must be the carnival lights and the endless night sky making you insanely sentimental. you shake yourself from your thoughts as johnny smiles at you in eager anticipation, turning your eyes towards the keychains. “hm,” you hum as you trace your fingers over the plastic keychains. “what about this one?” you hold up a keychain with a plastic teddy bear attached to it. something about it reminds you of johnny - it might be because johnny’s always there for a hug whenever you need him, or it might simply be because johnny’s sweater under his jacket is the same shade of brown as the keychain.

johnny grins. “cute.”

your heart skips again. “g-good,” you stumble over your words, trying to repair the mistake with a confident smile at the booth manager. “thanks.”

the man rolls his eyes and pushes the keychain box back into its original spot. you and johnny take that as a cue to leave. johnny tucks the keychain into his pocket as the two of you stroll through the carnival, eyeing other sketchy booths. johnny asks if you want to go on one of the thriller rides - your eyes widen as you shake your head, telling him you think you read a news article about someone who broke a bone on one of them. johnny ruffles your hair - to which you glare at him - and tells you he’s very skeptical.

“i don’t think we’ve ever been to an amusement park together,” you say as johnny reaches for the cotton candy the two of you are sharing. you’re sitting on a stone bench as you watch one of the rides swing dangerously high. 

“we haven’t,” johnny munches on the cotton candy, humming absentmindedly as his eyes follow the bright lights of the swinging ride. you can hear the muffled screams of people on the ride from far away. “i don’t think there were any amusement parks near our neighborhood in high school.”

“i feel like almost every time we intentionally see each other, it’s in a classroom, one of our dorms, or at a café,” you smile, a sweet aftertaste of the cotton candy on your tongue. you lick your lips. “we should do something else, maybe invite some of our other high school friends to do something together.”

“that would be fun,” johnny smiles, remembering the high school friend group the two of you used to be close with. “i miss them.” you nod in agreement, taking another bite of cotton candy. “by the way, are you really going out with mark for coffee?”

your tongue suddenly feels bitter, as if you already feel the taste of coffee on the tip of your tongue. “i told him i was,” you say. “i think he might like me?” it’s more of a question than a statement. 

johnny’s staring at the ride, but his eyes seem to be unfocused. “do you like him?”

you don’t know how to respond. it’s true that you appreciate the cute boy’s lovable blush and caring demeanor, and it’s true that he’s objectively attractive with his masculine cheekbones and wide eyes - but you’re not quite sure if you actually like mark. “i don’t know,” you say honestly. “but i want to see if it works out.”

“i-i don’t want you to go,” johnny says.

you blink, head whipping towards johnny. “what?” you’re not sure if you heard that right.

johnny bites his lip, still staring at the ride as if he’s afraid of looking you in the eyes. “i don’t want you to go.” 

it feels like the butterflies you’d swallowed down are making their way back up your throat. “i- what?” you feel utterly stupid, but you can’t seem to comprehend what’s happening. he’s silent. “johnny?”

johnny finally turns towards you, his eyes meeting your own. his breath hitches, but he chokes the words out. “i like you, you know,”

no, you definitely didn’t know. the words are at the tip of your tongue, but you bite them back because they don’t seem quite appropriate. besides, you don’t think your brain would let you say anything coherent right now with your heart jumping out of your chest.

johnny’s heart races with adrenaline. maybe it’s the spur of the moment, the dim red and yellow carnival lights, and the endless night that drives him crazy at this moment - or maybe it’s just the cheap alcohol at jaehyun’s place finally getting to his head. “i like you a lot.” his eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips and back, and he can’t help but notice your shocked expression. “fuck, i can’t believe you didn’t know.” he laughs, running a hand through his hair. “i thought it was really obvious - and jaehyun and doyoung kept throwing those really obvious signals.”

you almost sputter. “t-that was about me?” you say, your face heating up as you remember the questions jaehyun and doyoung had asked during the game.

“oh - i shouldn’t have said that,” johnny mutters, his own cheeks a scarlet red as he remembers the questions they’d asked. he ruffles his hair again. “now it’s gonna be really awkward, isn’t it?”

you giggle, but a thousand thoughts storm your mind and a million butterflies storm your stomach. 

“let’s get home,” johnny smiles. this time, you know it’s not the dim carnival lights or the infinite night that makes your heart skip. you nod. 

the two of you walk home in comfortable silence, johnny coming to terms with an answer you never gave and you letting your thoughts run wild inside your head. you’ve always known johnny was handsome, sensible, caring. as you think about johnny’s pretty smile, johnny’s gentle hands, and johnny’s gentle voice, you realize that every time he’d wrap you in a hug, you’d stop crying; every time he looked upset, you’d be bothered for the rest of your own day; and every time he smiled at you, your heart would skip a beat. you realize that if you had a type, it would be tall, handsome, sensible johnny with his pretty smile, endearing bear hugs, and a heart even larger than himself - and you do have a type.

johnny’s steps slow as the two of you arrive at your dorm - johnny’s dorm is a few more blocks down. “goodnight,” johnny says, showing you his pretty smile another time. his eyes dart from your eyes to the sidewalk nervously, as if you might tell him you don’t want to be best friends anymore. 

“johnny,” you start, and his eyes meet yours again. you can see a mixture of regret and anticipation in them, but you choose to ignore it because the butterflies are already threatening to burst out of your stomach. you’ve never been good with words, no matter how simple they need to be. you take a deep breath before tugging johnny down by the collar of his jean jacket and pressing a kiss to his lips. johnny tastes like cotton candy and his soft hair that brushes against your forehead smells like the same lavender shampoo he’s used ever since you can remember. as you pull apart, you wonder if your face is as flustered as johnny’s is.

“i,” johnny says, the smile you adore spreading across his face along with the blush. “i- you like me?”

“i like you,” you repeat, finally finding the words you’d been looking for. you beam. “i like you, johnny.”

johnny laughs, and it’s the happiest laugh you’ve ever heard escape your best friend’s lips. his hands wrap around your waist as he lifts and spins you quickly, and you squeal in surprise. he laughs again, pressing another soft cotton candy kiss to your lips. “i like you, (y/n).”

smashing the six | nct series (M)

there’s a notorious tradition at nct university - hookup with a player from each of the six athletic programs. bonus points awarded if you get any of them to fall in love with you. but don’t forget about neonet, nctu’s infamous social media app, where rumors get passed around like candy and no one is safe from having their business aired out for all to see.

notes: do not read if you are uncomfortable with rated scenarios. this series is for adults only. each chapter contains strong language, alcohol or marijuana use, and explicit sexual content.

disclaimer: the members are just my muses. I don’t know any of them personally and would never say that they would actually act or behave in the ways portrayed in this story.

⚾ the short stop (M)

stats: jeno lee; #23; freshman; engineering major

neonet says: given that he’s new to the area and has yet to make friends, this mystery boy seems to spend most of his time either in class or practicing on the field, but he is always on his phone.

⚽ the center forward (M)

stats: yuta nakamoto; #10; senior; kinesiology major

neonet says: rarely will you find this grade A fuck boy in class, but you are almost always guaranteed to find him vaping behind the library or hooking up with a cheerleader in the locker room.

🏐 the middle blocker (M)

stats: johnny suh; #00; senior; business major

neonet says: fresh off a very bitter breakup from a long-term relationship, you will probably find this lover boy blowing off frustration in the gym or chatting up girls at the plaza, looking for a rebound.

🏒 the left wing (M)

stats: mark lee; #02; sophomore; journalism major

neonet says: the mama’s boy can always be found in his natural habitat, doing exactly what he’s supposed to do and never stepping out of line, but he will follow the girl he loves into danger without hesitation.

🏈 the tight end (M)

stats: jaehyun jeong; #14; junior; education major

neonet says: the golden boy is typically found in his dorm room, listening to melodramatic music and getting buzzed off wine, but occasionally he comes out of hibernation to let loose like everyone else.

🏀 the point guard (M)

stats: haechan lee; #66; freshman; psychology major

neonet says: this pain in the ass can usually be found hanging around the food court, because his two favorite things in life are spicy rice cakes and being up in everybody’s business.

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