( ❝ mingde university ━ ♡ ]

[serafim]

（ ✦ ）𝐒 𝐇 𝐀 𝐎 i 𝐘 𝐔 𝐀 𝐍 𝐉 𝐔 𝐍 ,,
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─ 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄. f4 memberindent𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓. 1393 !!indent𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃. ment. xiaoxing ,, charlene ,, dal-lae ─
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indentyuanjun for the most part wanted his day to go by smoothly, the rustling of the student body crowded into a rather small space with the occasional shouting from club presidents trying to coax them to their tables, the shouting, he had to admit, giving him an aching migraine.
if he were to be honest, he had already woken up that morning with a headache, not from the noise but simply from the lack of sleep── bundles of nerves keeping him tossing and turning for most of the night── and morning coffee while watching the sun rise through the windows didn't seem to help much either. he instead had turned on his heels after the sun rose and plopped himself back into bed, a part of him glad he was old enough and had his own place to not be nagged about going back to bed; but he was used to being by himself from a young age anyway, so it didn't make an ounce of difference.

indenthis feet would have been dragging if he didn't have some sort of appearance to keep up, yuanjun instead rolling his neck and rolling his shoulders back, readjusting himself in a subtle effort to also wake himself up in the process as he kept his bag slung over his shoulder. his eyes secretly scoured over the sea of faces, his height giving him some space to peer over a good group of them before dismissing them all, searching for a familiar pretty face that had amused him since the first time they met── and one he would tease on occasion just to rile up a reaction out of for his own enjoyment.
indentyuanjun could manage to hear her voice through the other shouts of club presidents and ambassadors, and as much as he would have enjoyed to go over and see her, a part of him also didn't want to get dragged into the bustle of papers practically flying through the air as clubs attempted to hand out their flyers and ads. he found his feet soon beginning to take him around the tables instead, rather than plowing straight through now going in a huge circle around them to get where he needed to be; with the notorious crew of friends that he could claim were lifelong, not only in his personal life, but strangely enough his business world as well.

indentbeing a member of the f4── as most of the student body seemed to call them besides 'pretentious assholes' and 'silver-spoon-fed brats'── was not as easy as it seemed to be. of course, being the heirs to some of the most successful businesses and families had it's perks, yuanjun couldn't deny the boon of having his family's name, but it had it's banes as well. the amount of pressure he felt growing up had practically melded him into the man he was today; aware of his own angelic and moral façade that was nothing more than a play for him to get the information and upper hand he needed in life, a little bit too stressed over the normal amount that most people felt in their lifetime, and admittedly alone as well.
yuanjun nearly audibly huffed at the thought of being alone, never giving the idea that he could have been deep down inside much thought, and in his tired state he didn't want to bother. he had other things to distract him, and the blare of a fire alarm seemed to ring in his ears and distract him enough to pull him from his thoughts.

indentyuanjun's full circle around the crowd of students and clubs was now being rerouted, turning on his heels and proceeding backwards to the 'safe zones' that the school had set up for them, letting the waves of students surround and pass him like a rock jutting out of a river── which he jokingly felt like at times being taller than a good chunk of the student body── until he found the familiar faces of his f4 members, well, at least one of them, and headed in the direction up the hill away from the rest of the crowds. he made a small, gentle nod to xiaoxing in greeting, a brief smile crossing his features before he heaved a heavy sigh, almost in an effort to rid himself of the tired ghost lingering in him.
indenthis eyes wandered over the crowds of students, biting the inside of his cheek in distant thought until he felt the warmth of an arm wrap around his waist, eyes immediately darting over and down to meet a pair of chocolate eyes staring right up at him.
"hey you- I didn't see you at the table, earlier so- take one? because of this stupid fire alarm, i got nothing done! ... do me a favor?" he felt a piece of paper being slipped into his hands── a flyer, as a pout formed on the girl's lips causing yuanjun to grin at the sight, "but don't think the rest of you won't get one either- the club is really quite interesting, just give it a chance! i give classes out on fridays-"

indentalmost instinctually, his arm wrapped itself around the girl's shoulder, stopping midway on her back to toy with her hair for a moment. yuanjun should have assumed that charlene was gonna eventually find him if he didn't find her first, if anything a little glad that she decided to show her face early as it was an easy distraction from the migraine pounding at his head that only worsened with the fire alarm blaring── but promoting her club while she was at it? a curveball, but something he would have expected too if he had any coherent thoughts through the aching pain in his head.
he quirked a brow in her general direction, smile slowly melting into a smirk as he waved the paper in his free hand, "just because you slip it in my hand doesn't mean i'm going to join," a devilish spark igniting in his eyes that was nothing short of playful, "but maybe i'll peek in if it means i don't get handed one every year."

indentyuanjun was temporarily distracted by xiaoxing's comment, eyes gazing over in the smaller man's direction as a hint of a smirk curled at the corner of his lips, but otherwise dismissing the short handed comment. he knew that xiaoxing had no interest in clubs, never had for as long as he could remember and knew that even trying to promote anything that had to do with gentle social interaction was not for him, nearly teasingly handing xiaoxing the flyer until another woman swung by to their group.
indenthe didn't recognize her, eyebrows furrowing for a moment as he tried to recall her face to no avail and about to simply introduce himself until she took her coffee cup and poured it over xiaoxing's shoes, cup soon following the sticky fluid. yuanjun kept his lips tightly pressed── not amused but not angered either── not willing to get involved when it simply didn't involve him to begin with; but did he think her reaction was a bit childish? just a bit, but what did he know, he was probably in her eyes another 'gremlin scum' too and no amount of convincing would seem to change the girl's mind in the moment, her switch-up as she concentrated on charlene only giving him whiplash to how fast the girl── dal-lae, he learned── could switch in a moment. if intimidation were her goal at least towards him, he was sorry to admit that he felt none.

indentsub-consciously his fingers continued to linger in charlene's hair, only stopping once he decided to turn his attention xiaoxing, once again glancing down at his shoes before a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, patting the younger man's back in a subtle way to ease him out of whatever emotion he was feeling, "you can always get them cleaned, don't worry," snickering and playfully winking as he teased the younger man, his hand finding it's way back to charlene and instead resting on the nape of her neck, "and maybe find a pair that were better than that one... cause i don't think in my personal opinion that it matched so much with what you were going for."

[kafka `]

𝑳𝑨𝑼 𝑴𝑬𝑰𝑿𝑰𝑨𝑵𝑮


🠒 she/her. twenty-three. mentioned; f4. tagged; ivan. wc; 1110.

xxxxxmeixiang all but purred at the hand on her head and the sound of ivan’s voice, the vibrations of it against her ear sent shivers down her spine. it felt nice, almost too nice. she let out a pleased sigh, almost missing completely what ivan was saying, her tiredness blurring the words together a little, but she managed to understand most of it. “so cruel,” she whined playfully, turning her head to look up at him, lips dangerously close, “unlike you, i’m actually trying not to fail my classes. if i’m to be tortured, then so be it.” she jabbed back at him, though watching him practice instead of doing homework did sound appealing. she made a point to attend all his games, and the occasional practice session of his as well, just to give him that sense of support from her. it even came to the point where she would skip out on finishing homework just to go watch him at one of his games. the sap.

xxxxxshe pushed the obvious call out on herself to the back of her mind, she didn’t need to be constantly reminded that she had feelings for the boy that she was too scared to voice, especially knowing their whole relationship was a lie, not that anyone apart from them knew this. but she liked moments like this; harsh, teasing words exchanged between them, moments of rare intimacy. if the lie between them continued, it would eventually become a truth, she told herself. anf though she was technically correct, there was also the possibility that ivan would break things off before the line between truth and lie had blurred, and meixiang knew she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. they both agreed that either one of them could break this… thing that they had off at any time. no hard feelings.

xxxxxeither way, she was completely screwed.

xxxxxthe fire alarm was still blaring in the background, a headache brewing at the back of her head, which didn’t bode well with how tired she was. she dropped her head to rest against ivan’s shoulder with a heavy sigh, her body screaming at her to either rest properly or get her fix of caffeine before she outright collapsed on herself. “i want coffee after this, by the way,” she muttered, “please.” she added quietly, more as an afterthought if anything.

xxxxxdid she even have the time to go on an impromptu coffee date with ivan right now? probably not. she had another day packed with classes starting in about an hour or so, hence she had gone into the club room this morning to grab her coffee, deeming the on-campus coffee shop and any other coffee shop near the campus unreliable. she didn’t like to wait in queues when she wanted coffee, the coffee machine in the journalism club room was a much faster and easier option. though, she only realised this now, she had a completely useable and reliable coffee machine back at her apartment. it had completely slipped her mind that morning, eagerly leaving the apartment in favour of the club room. you couldn’t blame her, the room had basically become her default residence now, it was your best bet at finding her if she wasn’t answering any of her calls or text messages. after four years (now the fifth) of using it, she’d grown attached to it, very clearly so.

xxxxxah, that reminded her. it was indeed her fifth year at the university. it was a little unsettling to say the least, she had grown so accustomed to this place and area, and wasn’t too sure which direction she was heading in after graduation. obviously, she wanted to go into journalism, that was the main plan, but where exactly did she want to go? she could stay in the local area, but she also wanted to aim a little bigger, land herself a good job internationally. she knew she could do it, with her knack for languages, and her skillset too, it wouldn’t be hard for her to acquire a job that she wanted. but did she want to leave behind the people here?

xxxxxof course, she would probably be able to escape the hell that was the f4, which was always a plus. the boys were always on her ass about something, mainly because of the fact that she always had something to say about them on her blog. it was fun to rile them up, and either way, she never posted anything too bad that would ruin their reputations completely. though she knew that she had that potential power, she knew that they had their dirty tactics too.

xxxxxher main concern was leaving ivan behind, she wasn’t completely sure of what their future held, but she didn’t want to lose contact with him. though their relationship is in fact fake, she didn’t deny that she considered him a close friend, closer than most of her friends (for obvious reasons) but also because she’s been more open with him than she had been with anyone else, for some reason. she held a solid trust in him, even though she knew that she probably shouldn’t, but it was still there all the same. but who knows? they had a future ahead of them, even if it’s a future just as friends rather than lovers, and she would be ok with that. she knew that they’d probably have busy lives after graduation, meixiang with journalism and ivan with hockey. it wasn’t looking too optimistic.

xxxxxshe had the urge to give up, but she also wanted to upkeep her reputation of always getting what she wants, the two ideas clashing in her head. but for now, she wanted to focus on the present, and the moment that she was in right now. even though she was beyond exhausted, the intimate, though she used that term loosely, moment was something that she craved and cherished, in a way not wanting to let go of ivan until her craving of intimacy was fulfilled, and god only knew when that would happen, because she constantly felt attention starved, despite the fact that she received attention and affection on the daily. and not just from ivan, but from her other close friends too. she was spoiled in that sense.

xxxxxanother current concern was the fire alarm, which as this point, she was convinced that some student had set off. who was it? she had a small idea, but she knew that one way or another her suspicions would be confirmed, even if she had to bribe innocent bystanders for answers, she was determined to find out.

[éros]

𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍

(xxf3 leaderxx)xx(xx23xx)xx(xxtag(s);xmei, gremlin, zales, yuanjunxx)xx(xxwc;x1026xx)

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.

As usual, Kingston struggled with the silver key in his hand, rattling it with such force he subconsciously wondered if it would bend out of shape again. He didn't have the time to get it repaired or buy a new one so, with a huff, he calmed himself and tried again. After several more failed attempts, he managed to get the heavy, white front door of his house open. Even now, Kingston was rarely ever home, spending far more time at his fathers company than he'd like to admit. He had yet to take over the family business but he was still being worked to the bone despite having other commitments at university, his father wouldn't hesitate to pull him out of a lecture if it meant being able to utilize Kingston's skills.

Another long night awake and working, not to mention unpaid, was dragging his mental and physical states, making him exhausted in every sense of the word. Kingston had never been one to mind his own wellbeing but the strain was wearing on him so he allowed himself a hot shower, as opposed to the short, cold showers he was used to. It was short-lived but it was also far more rewarding than what he was expecting, he felt a bit of the tension in his shoulders loosen up as he dragged a towel around his neck before wrapping it around his hips. He raised his head only to see his own sorry state, struggling to picture himself without dark circles under his eyes. Kingston rushed through his morning routine, getting changed and drinking a coffee before he was out the door. Taking his day car, he drove without noise aside from the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears, a headache reminding him of its presence every step of the way.

It briefly crossed his mind that he hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day, however, the thought arrived when it was too late and he had already began parking in the student carpark. Kingston had no interest in stomaching the raging school cafeteria first thing in the morning but he didn't have much choice. He'd rather die than experience the embarrassment that would follow his rumbling stomach if it spoke during his a lecture. As he locked his car and neared the Mingde university, a blaring siren stopped him in his tracks, be briefly wondered if it was all in his pained head until he saw students begin to swarm and head for the lower field.

The realization that it was inadvertently his own doing had only added to his current frustration. He had a strong feeling that today would be a particularly bad one. Shrugging to himself, he followed the crowd and the sense of forebodingness became even more prominent. It wasn't until he heard Xiaoxing's all too familiar voice that he started paying attention to his surroundings, the smaller man's upset tone stirred the ever-present rage within him as he got closer.

Like a bull rearing it's horns, Kingston began posturing subconsciously, rolling his shoulders back and straightening up. He immediately recognized his fellow f3 friends and the preppy club leader Charlene, however, their was another woman he hadn't seen before. Though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was the cause for all the noise due to the indignant look Xiaoxing was giving her. He cleared his throat as he rounded his friend, throwing an arm around his shoulders, "and why might you be bothering our little angel miss... Moon," he almost choked on his own words the moment he made eye contact with the familiar figure, speaking her family name as it instinctively came to mind.

She looked every bit disinterested in him as the last time he saw her and that bothered him more than he'd ever like to admit. A light frown was all he could manage, staring at her as if he were trying to decipher some ancient script, confused and a little frustrated. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" He said lowly, his headache beginning to feel a lot more like a migraine as his heart rate picked up. The more he stood their shell-shocked, the more his mind began racing to the point where it hurt to think. If he were all there, he would have cursed himself for the hint of vulnerability in his choice of words.

Kingston was never one for emotional availability but Azalea was definitely one of the only people he had ever opened up to, she knew his family and all of his secrets prior to the six years of radio silence. In all honesty, he was angry, not only because she disrespected one of his closest friends, but because she left and then had the audacity to show up in his life again without warning. He had already wasted enough time wondering if anything would've changed had he done things differently, he had no interest in revisiting those memories now.

An obvious scowl overtook the previously passive expression he had held, his rage slowly boiling over the more he watched her. His arm slipping from his friend to Kingston's own side as he took a step closer to the woman, ignoring the others around them. "Why-" he quickly cut himself off before he could say something that he'd regret, his own fear defeating the fury in his heart, leaving as quickly as it appeared. "Welcome back I guess," he managed to mumble through gritted teeth, schooling his expression into a more neutral one before taking a step back and returning to his previous position with an arm around Xiaoxing.

He managed to greet the three other people standing in that group, just a short hey, silently wishing for Charlene and her endless chatter to sweep Azalea away before he had no choice but to hold a proper conversation with her now that she was back. Kingston wanted nothing more than to exit the earth at this point. Kingston was hungry, tired and looked like absolute garbage, he was in no position to even approach whatever emotions he was feeling right now.

[_seo_]

XXX

X█║ χιασχιηg ωυ ║█X
male || twenty-two || F4 || tags(mentions); yuanjun, king (zales)

indentHis eyes stayed focused on the new girl as she poured coffee all of his shoes, in all honesty, he didn’t think what he had said to Charlene was all that terrible nor warranted coffee being poured on him. Xiaoxing tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed as he watched the girl’s behavior change, he wasn’t offended by what she had said, not even a little bit. However, he was extremely annoyed and didn’t particularly like the fact that she had wasted the effort of whoever had made her coffee. He also didn’t take her threat seriously, Xiaoxing hadn’t felt fear since he was a child. Today was the last day he had planned to wear them, Shuli had expressed to him on multiple occasions how much he liked this pair and couldn’t get his own as they had been limited edition. Xiaoxing had planned to send them in to be fixed up and then have them sent to his brother as a gift. There was no way to fix these properly now.

indentA snort escaped his lips as he heard her comment about misplacing her coffee before his attention was stolen by Yuanjun’s voice. His eyes traveled up to look at his friend in his eyes, trying to shrug off the annoyance he felt, “No point...Suede never goes back to normal after getting wet." His eyes darted down to his clothes and the shoes, “You’re right, I have a few pairs hidden around the school that would work better.”

indentJust as his eyes were moving back to stare at Dal-lae, he felt an arm go around his shoulder, an arm that could belong to only two people, and with Yuanjun standing beside him, he knew it had to be King. Xiaoxing’s eyebrows flew up at the word ‘angel’ coming out of the King's mouth. Even as a joke, calling him an angel was a massive stretch, though he appreciated the support and effort. His eyes darted over to Yuanjun when he heard the hint of frustration in King’s voice.

indentWhen King moved from his side and toward Dal-lae, he took the opportunity to reach down and slowly take off the soaked shoes, shifting them both to one hand before picking up the empty coffee cup. Xiaoxing glanced at King as he back to stand next to him again, “They haven’t turned off the alarm yet but there isn’t any fire so we could probably go back inside. Maybe get something to eat, I know I haven’t had anything today. Yuanjun, what about you?” The thrill of causing trouble had long worn off and there was no way that he was going to do anything else for the time being. Well, at least not at the school anyway, plus he needed to find one of the pairs of shoes he had hidden. He had a rough idea of where they could be, it had been a long time since he had needed any of them. On a full stomach, he would also be able to think of what to say to Shuli about the ruined shoes.

[mtuan,]

𝐌𝐞𝐢 𝐒𝐮 '𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞' 𝐉𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠
❝ 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳 ❞
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tagged, yuannie (!!), dal-lae, xiaoxing, king, lau (mentioned) |oc, how is everyone so whipped? Idk- also she's going a mile a minute which is a mood, 1,199 words

With her arms looped snugly around Yuanjun, Mei Su was feeling rather... blissful in the moment, happy when the gesture is returned in the form of a lazy arm slung around her shoulder as well. Her heart, as it always had a mind of it's own- not much of a surprise there, did it's own 'thing' in her chest as Mei Su leaned her weight in against Yuanjun's side. The girl very nearly beams- until Yuanjun just had to open his mouth as he always did and even dare to tease her about the... various club activities. Without a second thought, the club ambassador rolls her eyes and gives the boy a weak smack of her hand against his chest in retaliation, a pout evidently making it's way into her features, "Shush, you should give us a chance- fine, a peek in will show you, you'd love it there." She tries with as much conviction in her voice as possible.

Acutely, the Chinese girl is well aware of the way Yuanjun's fingers are currently toying with her hair, fiddling with her sable colored strands half-mindedly. Again, her heart does the 'thing' and thuds against her ribcage in a steady, staccato rhythm. Though Mei Su finds herself fighting to keep any rosy hued tones from reaching her cheeks, mildly reminding herself that no, there was nothing going on between the two of them, she couldn't stop the slight hiccup of her pulse every once in a while. They weren't together- no, they weren't even close; Mei Su couldn't even be sure an f4 would feel the same way- who knows, maybe it was all in her head and-- as they normally did, her thoughts begin to run into one another like a train with it's engines cut, but the cargo still chugging along at full speed (ahead!). It's not even as if... either of the pair had even confessed to one another yet (-if Yuanjun even felt the same, but- if we're being honest, Mei Su didn't want to think about the other possibilities); and yet, Yuanjun provided her with enough affection and warmth to feed her imagination.

Xiaoxing's voice pulls Mei Su back into reality, his snide comment coming as nothing less of what is expected from an f4. And although Mei Su almost wants to reach over and smack him (-harder than she'd playfully smacked Yuanjun) next, something keeps the ambassador from acting out. Mostly because as irritatingly smug as he was, Xiaoxing was also an f4, making it much more difficult to act out without... potentially being sued. Hypothetically speaking. Mei Su didn't want to take the chance though, not when she didn't have the extra cash for a lawyer just for something like this-.

"Well, if you just-" Mei Su's voice cuts when a fourth joins the conversation, voice sharp, but words even sharper. With wide eyes, the Chinese girl can't help but peer over from her place to stare. This 'newcomer'- she's gorgeous, with her auburn colored locks and beautiful waves. The ambassador was sure- this stranger could have just walked off a runway not long ago and Mei Su would not have been surprised in the slightest. Stunning. But even beyond her looks, the new girl dove straight into her tirade, taking the ambassador by a pleasant surprise-- perhaps a bit content knowing that she wouldn't have to confront Xiaoxing herself. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, the young woman digs through her memories, mildly wondering if she'd met... her before- perhaps even at a club meeting? Out promoting? Mei Su's pretty sure- if she did, she would have remembered the pretty newcomer's delicate features, though.

The Chinese girl can't help but wince when the coffee's poured onto the poor (-well, as poor as an f4 can get anyway) man's shoes, cup tossed at him not long after. The action causes the woman to cringe away even in the slightest, pressing herself closer to Yuanjun like a life line or anchor even without conscious decision.

Though she hadn't seen his face to know, Mei Su's expression likely mirrored that of her "partner's" (though it was rather... unjust to call him such); she wore a rather bewildered expression as soon as Dal-lae turned to her, a sweet demeanor replacing the venomous one from not a moment before. This face- it suited her better, Mei Su thinks. Though she doesn't judge, regardless.

Instead, the club ambassador pulls up a bright, eye-twinkling smile as soon as she's spoken to, "The name's Jiang Mei Su- but feel free to call me Mei Su or Charlene-" her English name rolls over her tongue in a rather foreign manner, her already accented mother-tongue most likely utterly butchering the pronunciation-- how embarrassing, if the poor girl- Dal-lae, had caught on. Sometimes, Mei Su wondered why she even gave her name out like so- (only to embarrass herself, evidently). Still, despite inwardly cringing at her lack in language proficiency, the young woman pushes onwards "- it's nice to meet you! Wow, Milan, huh? Must be amazing to travel from out there- I've never been out of country before." Somehow, Mei Su can't stop herself from rambling a bit- slightly anxious, perhaps. Though whether it was because of the chaos that just ensued or because of her slight mistake-- the young woman wasn't sure. Unknowingly, her fingers curl themselves tighter against the material of Yuanjun's shirt like an anchor for her nerves.

Feeling the need to introduce the man by her side, without thinking much, Mei Su continues without pause (oh, she's definitely rambling now- poor Dal-lae). "Oh- and this is Yuanjun- sure I'd love to, we could pick a time after the drill is over, if you'd like-" Your thoughts are running into each other again, Mei.

The young woman takes a deep breath to even out her slightly shaken up breathing a little bit- "Sorry, weird day, huh? Dunno where any of the nerves came from, maybe it's your doing for showing up looking like that- its like some turbulence just jumped out of nowhere. But either way, I'd love to have you in the club, just let me know when you're free." Without hesitation, Mei Su pulls one of the flyers from her arms and holds it out for Dal-lae to take.

Though neither of them look to be paying attention to one another- even Mei Su was sure the actions were subconscious their subtlety in nature, she's all too aware of the hand that travels from her hair to her nape, cupping the back of her neck with little hesitation. It's barely a gesture on its own- like a whisper of a breath. But the girl finds herself enjoying the affection anyway.

It, of course, doesn't take long for more company to join in on the conversation- the next arrival, King, makes himself known rather quickly. Though Mei Su doesn't comment, rather preoccupied with a number of... conversations (some full, half and honestly, even a quarter) surrounding her; So this girl isn't just a stranger. She mentally notes, anyway. Probably involved in the f4 in some way-

"Do I hear food?" The ambassador's head pops up at the mention of eating (oh, of course), "We should all grab something to eat after the drill is over- can we invite Lau too? I haven't seen her all morning!"

[honeycomb `]

────────（ 𝑴𝑶𝑶𝑵 𝑫𝑨𝑳-𝑳𝑨𝑬 ！！ ）

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: king, mei, xiaoxing, yuanjun ／／ 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒: theo ／／ 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 954
indentthis girl, mei su was enchanting in an adorable fashion. she was the type of girl who looked like she was completely normal, nothing special and azalea meant that in the best way possible. really, she would give anything to be normal and not have such a heavy weight on her shoulders. sadly, it was something that she was not going to be able to outrun forever, even though she would like to try. the club member’s rambling was charming, even if the girl seemed quite petrified in front for azalea, almost as if she were at the heiress’s complete mercy. “yes- well, it is was surely different from here.” her voice was virtuous, almost serene. she often had a captivating effect on those who crossed paths with her, well at least the girls and weak-minded males. oh, how the basic human man was so easy to entrap into her web that she was used to most of the men falling at her feet. one, because she was a foreigner in some way, and two she was unlike the girls that most of them came across.
indentas mei introduced her to the boy she was clearly clinging onto for security, azalea could not help but smirk and huff as she looked him up and down. not that she meant to have a bias against him, but she was a firm believer that men only wanted one thing from women, and that was too control them like stone age housewives who were loyal without question. even so, azalea smiled as she was reluctantly introduced to the man she now known as yuannie. she had to admit, he was tall and handsome, someone she may even like if she did not have her heart set on irradicating all men from the planet. before she had decided whether or not she wanted to introduce herself to the man in front of her, mei handed her a flyer. this type of club was not something her father would be a fan of, and all the more reason to join it.
indentshe did not have a chance to answer mei before a familiar face came into view. her heart stopped, and her mind froze in time. here he was. right in front of her. it was just her luck that she had to come face to face with her worst nightmare on her very first day. while azalea was quite aware that kingston and his sister theo attended this university, she thought that she would be able to keep a low profile to at least stay off of his radar. that being said, she did not exactly make a quiet entrance by pouring coffee all over one of the obviously prominent figures of the school. damn, this is why you need to keep your temper under control, she told herself. there was no clear exit path that she could take without pushing through the crowds of people that had gathers to see the spectacle. so, she really had two options, confront kingston or flee and look like a diagnosed mentally insane beauty who had just wandered on to an elite university campus and flung a hot beverage all over a student. neither one of them seemed to have very goo odds.
indentshe did not want to answer his question. truthfully, even he deserved to know why she was forced to leave and did not tell him or theo why she left. she could see the pain and frustration lingering in his eyes and she looked up from the floor. never in her lifetime has she felt so much same overtake her at once, not even when she became and utter disappointment to her father during their spring trip to paris where she had failed to seduce the opposing companies son into voting against his own father.
indentshe gritted her teeth. her whole body begging for a release, and way out. “thank you,” she said quietly, without making eye contact with him. azalea felt trapped, like there was no way out but to go head on to kingston. was there a reason that he just happened to be friends with both of the men in front of her? if not, it seemed like the gods where only setting the Korean heiress up for failure, or so that they could have a good laugh before she drove herself off of a cliff to escape all of his questions.
indentwhy was everyone so silent? the background voices, the whispers, sent chills down her spine. she already knew that there was going to be some scandal brewing that she had kingston where two past lovers, when in fact she hated to admit that it was true. while their romance was short and fleeting it was true that azalea had not fallen in love since leaving him six years ago without even a text or phone call to tell him that she was moving away. she knew that it had probably hurt him more than words could describe and that he would probably never forgive her for it. the chances of her being back in his good graces were little to none, and she was unable to shake his face out of her head and the look of anguish that sat upon it.
indentit seemed the only thing that was going to save her was the already formed friend group leaving to grab a bite to eat. maybe during that time, she would be able to sneak away from them without being missed. azalea just prayed to god that they did not come up with some reason to invite her along because then she would have to explain some of her history with king.

[mtuan,]

𝐙𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨 '𝐈𝐯𝐚𝐧' 𝐇𝐞
❝ 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 ❞
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tagged, Lau|oc, proofreading who?? 1,028 words

Ivan hums in agreement as the girl currently practically curled up in his arms whines- complains over his lack in sympathy over her current predicament. It only makes the man chuckle quietly and shrug his shoulders in amusement and he initially doesn't bother to muster much else in response. The only acknowledgement he provides her with the single rumble from deep within his chest. He pauses for a solid minute as she pulls away a little though- hand immediately moving away from the back of Lau's head in favor of cupping her cheek instead. His thumb caresses the soft skin there gently as the space between them seems to disappear once more, leaving nothing but each other's breaths washing over their faces from the proximity. "Me? Cruel? You flatter me too much." he mutters, a lazy, smug grin spreading across his features at the banter. For whatever reason- his confidence only seemed to ooze as the shorter between the two continued. "Unlike me? Hey- I don't fail my classes like that, I still pass with... semi-decent marks, at least!" Though mock indignation practically edges its into his voice, it doesn't stop Ivan from pulling Lau in, impossibly close, by the arm still wrapped around her torso.

"Besides, my games make up for those half-decent scores, don't they? I always win out in the rink and that's just a fact of matter." Humming, the hockey captain doesn't let up as he, himself, relaxes into their little swing of motion- as if it were just the two of them and no one else. The noise from the students, campus, the alarms still blaring off somewhere in the distance- they somehow fade out into white noise; the type that the Chinese man was far too used to blocking out of his thoughts already. Though still tired and somewhat sore from the days of rigorous work prior to today's... rush, Ivan surprisingly doesn't feel the repercussions as harshly as he did earlier that morning.

Was it because of the girl in his arms? Was it because she was suddenly within his vicinity (-too close, mind you)? Or was it simply because- Ivan wants to chuckle (and he does- inwardly) but shakes his head gently at even the idea of it. Too cheesy, too corny-- no feelings right? No strings attached? What happened to 'we can walk out at any time'? The Chinese boy vaguely wonders- a thought that's been repeating in his mind more times than he can count. Though Ivan would still argue, even now and with himself, that they still could- and that nothing's changed since their little... agreement had begun.

Okay- okay, fine. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud or to anyone, there were definitely nights where practice was cancelled with one excuse or another and it often lead to the poor hockey boy laying in bed staring at his ceiling-- not because he'd slept in till 4 pm the entire day (-that was another story, though), but because some stupid (-okay maybe not) girl wouldn't get out of his head and let him rest. Yeah, okay. Fine. Fine. Maybe he really was in too deep here. Not that it'd matter; someone like Lau-- someone with a nice future planned out and real passions to chase, would never truly be stuck tied down to sporty, half-failed college students like himself, right? (Yeah, normally Ivan doesn't think the whole self-deprecation image really suited him, either. Realistically, it wasn't his style. But a dude can't help it sometimes-.)

As soon as Lau's head lands against his chest one more, resting her weight against his frame, the hockey captain pulls his hand away from her cheek and let's it fall down to her shoulder instead, offering her a soft pat in reassurance. "Someone's really grumpy this morning, aren't they- I've never seen you any less energetic than you are now." he teases with a shrug.

There's a pause in his commentary at the way she asks for coffee and nearly snorts aloud. "Coffee isn't gonna solve your problems, you know that right, honey?" Again, Ivan can't help but tease her at least a little. He goes as far as to contemplate whether or not to lean down and simply peck her tired looking forehead (...whatever that meant) and simply coo at just how worn out his poor girl looks. But of course, Ivan He being Ivan He, he refrains. Slightly terrified of the consequences- not from her, but from himself.

"... But mhm, I suppose, I could make some time in my very busy schedule right now to take you for some coffee? I mean- I was going to head to the campus coffee shop for some right before the alarms went off- maybe I would have bought you a cup too, if I was even lucky enough to be up at the cash register." Ivan clicks his tongue in mock annoyance. Again, the hockey captain couldn't help himself but to pause for effects, before continuing on his way, "Since you're such a smartie, how much you wanna bet that someone set off the alarms for fun? Maybe there isn't even a real fire- let's go back now and be the first in line when the baristas come back." The boy doesn't stop himself from wiggling his brows slightly in suggestion, oddly proud of himself for even thinking ahead like so.

Without waiting for a reply, Ivan's already tugging Lau's body along with his as he makes his way towards the campus buildings. The sirens are about to become much louder (maybe they'll even go temporarily deaf), but for whatever reason, the thrill and incentive for coffee comes out top, above all other rationale.

And- Lau best be warned, if she wasn't going to come with him on her own, perhaps the hockey captain would have taken care of the problem himself; of course, by scooping her up into his arms. If she wasn't gonna walk, he'd be totally cool with carrying her anyway.

(...Not that he'd force her to come with him, but playfully as he could- he'd try; he's pretty sure she's fine with it though- Lau asked first.)

[serafim]

（ ✦ ）𝐒 𝐇 𝐀 𝐎 i 𝐘 𝐔 𝐀 𝐍 𝐉 𝐔 𝐍 ,,
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─── 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄. f4 memberindent𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓. 986 !!indent𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃. almost everyone at this point ,, ──
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indenta small quirk of his brow and a hum confirmed xiaoxing's words as his eyes connected back to the sopping suede shoes── a rather nice pair, he might add, only to be painted with burning coffee── until he caught something in the corner of his eyes. yuanjun's gaze momentarily lingered over to a man practically storming his way over to the group, a bright flash of curiosity crossing his eyes of who else could just manage to intrude and mingle themselves into the group until he processes the face. 'ah kingston, i should have known just from the way he stomped over' he lazily grinned in the man's direction, watching him wrap an arm around xiaoxing per usual and tamely confront the girl with no chains to bar her back from impulse actions.
his curiosity only peaked when he watched the interaction between kingston and the new girl.
indentyuanjun kept to himself as he watched temporary vulnerability and fluster cross the two parties, quietly observing as his touch along charlene's nape feathered up until kingston had wrapped itself around the smaller man's shoulder── anticipating unneeded and heated confrontation, dirty laundry that really didn't need to be aired in the field with a fire alarm being the only sound in the background to set the stage── breathing only a soft greeting in kingston's direction as a response to the one given to him. though it wasn't the appropriate time to be explaining the sudden tenseness in the air nor just what unfolded right in front of them, he knew eventually he would have to approach kingston about it later if it meant he could at least put him at ease and offer some seemingly needed comfort.

indentas he attempted to not only process but pay attention to the various conversations lingering within the group, his attention always being caught on the melodic yet rushed voice of charlene's── like a symphony playing a song two times the normal speed── and only managing a small nod in greeting to dal-lae until his head finally focused back onto one conversation. yuanjun's stomach nearly responded to the offer of getting food after the fire drill from xiaoxing, realizing he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, too preoccupied with the forthcoming day and business ventures he had to attend the day before. "i guess it wouldn't hurt to get something to eat, besides," turning his head to glance at charlene, hand slipping back around her shoulder and patting her arm, enjoying the warmth of her hand clutching the fabric of his shirt, "it'd give us all time to catch up, even if charlene seems to be in it mostly for the food" the tease slipping through his lips with ease, a grin soon following as he knew the girl would respond with another playful smack to his chest; though her feathery hits didn't even leave a sting of pain nor mark on his skin underneath his shirt, he knew that if there were some kind of pain associated with it, he would have became numb to it by now.
indentif he were to be honest, he didn't care much to indulge in pointless summer gossip of who did what and who went where that he knew was bound to come up, especially by those passing by who simply wanted to breathe the same air as the notorious little group── nor did he really care to divulge about his own summer movements. his days were the same melancholic chug of machinery, waking up only to work and prove to his father that he was capable of handling the company that would soon become his once a diploma was clearly clutched in-between his hands and signed with his name.

indentwhat yuanjun admittedly did care about, of course not out loud should anyone even try to ask him, was getting to spend some time with charlene.
indentthough any sort of romantic notions were close to none behind his reasoning to spend time with her── or so he kept reminding himself; surely charlene was capable of finding someone else with her gorgeous features and sable colored hair that framed her face, and he knew she had ambitions and goals that he wouldn't want to get in the way of ──her company was always welcomed to the young man whenever he could be graced with it, at times willing to seek it even if it meant he'd be met with a tidal wave of nervous and unending chatter until he could manage to silence her with a feathery touch or tease that would only leave her frustrated and him with a satisfied grin.

indentyuanjun brought himself out of his thoughts, taking a moment to look over at king to see if he would be joining them, a thoughtful hum escaping his lips before he decided to focus his gaze on dal-lae, brow quirking upon noticing her strained gaze, "you're more than welcome to join us if you like," hand slowly returning back to toy with subtly toy with charlene's hair all while coaxing her closer to his side and against his frame, sensing her unease and hoping he can set her back in place even if she seemed more concentrated on their food plan, "but i'm sure we all understand if you have plans that you'd want to attend to as well; there's always next time."
even if yuanjun in the business world was and at times, is openly a more cold and cruel man outside of that, he wasn't going to torture people for the fun of it knowing that he'd be hurting one of his closest friends and only making a bad impression of himself to the new student── besides if he wanted to play with his food, he'd need something to gain first, and an unending stream of awkward questions and confessions wasn't going to heal the headache of his still pounding at his head.

[kafka `]

𝑳𝑨𝑼 𝑴𝑬𝑰𝑿𝑰𝑨𝑵𝑮


🠒 she/her. twenty-three. mentioned; f4, yuanjun, ciro, charlene, theo. tagged; ivan. wc; 950.

xxxxxthe hand against her cheek was a pleasant feeling, causing meixiang to break out into a gentle smile as she listened to ivan’s words, humming along to what he was saying. “don’t jinx yourself, idiot,” the insult slipping out half-heartedly, used more in a fond manner more than anything else. though it was true that Ivan won every single one of his games (that meixiang was aware of, that is), she was a superstitious person at heart, and didn’t want his boasting to get in the way of his performance. though she also knew that Ivan was on top of his game most often than not, so she didn’t have much to worry about.

upon dropping her head to his shoulder, she lost of warmth of Ivan’s hand against her cheek. she knew it was her fault, because she couldn’t keep her head upright for more than a handful of moments (damn her tiredness), but this didn’t mean that she wasn’t upset, letting a soft whine escape her lips at his comment about being grumpy. yeah, thanks dumbass, as if i didn’t know that myself. she felt like saying, but bit her tongue to prevent herself. not the time.

she continued to listen to his words, almost letting out an offended gasp when he told her that coffee wouldn’t solve everything. the fool. the imbecile. how could he even say that? coffee was her lifeline and she believed that it can in fact solve all of her problems, whether she was feeling stressed because of assignments? sad because of whatever reason? mad at someone? coffee was her best friend in all those situations, she could rely on it at any given moment. well, except for that morning, curse the broken coffee machine in the club room. but upon hearing that ivan was in fact willing to take her to get some coffee, her mood and energy lifted instantly, raising her head yet again with a gleeful look in her eyes. she had the urge to laugh a little at his suffering, at least both of them didn’t manage to get their morning coffee, but the small comment about him considering to bring her coffee earlier made her cheeks bloom in a soft shade of pink. god, this was so stupid, how can the bare minimum make her so damn happy?

ivan started to drag them away before she could even reply to his next words, making meixiang let out a small noise of surprise. she opted to keep one of her arms around his middle, freeing her other hand and dropping it to her side, his arm resting on her shoulder. she shook her head slightly, getting her wits back after the sudden change, thinking back to what ivan had said before they moved, “well…” she started, lifting her free arm and tapping a finger against her chin in thought, “i do have my suspicions that this isn’t a real fire or a fire drill that i didn’t know of…” she turned to him, a mischievous smile playing at her lips, “but if you wanna bet on it, it depends on how much you’re willing to lose.” it wasn’t a secret that meixiang came from a well off family, and it was even more common knowledge that she had the habit of wasting her money on dumb bets like these. perhaps she’d turn into a gambler instead of a journalist.

if she gave it a little more thought though, she had a feeling, just an inkling of her intuition, that the fire alarm had something to do with the f4. this wouldn’t be the first time they had pulled off something so dumb, and meixiang knew that this wouldn’t be the last time either. she didn’t even want to think about all the things they could do without experiencing any consequences, it gave her a headache. though she had to admit that half of the members had a free pass from her anyway. yuanjun, solely because of charlene’s quite obvious affection towards the boy (not that yuanjun doesn’t reciprocate that affection, get a room!) and ciro, who’s gotten her coffee countless times, bless him. but the other two did not get a free pass, and she doubts they ever will, even the thought of them left a sour taste on her tongue.

at the thought of charlene, miexiang had wondered what the girl was doing. her first (and obvious) suspicion was that she was off promoting her club as per usual, but she couldn’t be sure with the fire alarm still going off in the background. she knew that she had to be outside nearby at least, but meixiang couldn’t be bothered to look around right now to see if she could find the other girl, especially since she was with ivan right now, still walking towards the campus coffee shop. she’d probably text her at some point after she had her coffee, just to check in on her. blame her doting nature. maybe she’d check in on theo too while she was at it, knowing the girl, she probably wasn’t even on campus right now, and was most likely lost somewhere in the city. nothing out of the ordinary. but for now she wanted to focus a little on ivan (and not just because he was taking her to get coffee), but because she liked spending her time with him, even if she didn’t admit it out loud, and with how busy she was with classes and how busy he was with practice, moments like these were annoyingly rare, so she wanted to savour it without thinking too much about anyone or anything else. well… maybe except her coffee.

[mtuan,]

𝐌𝐞𝐢 𝐒𝐮 '𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞' 𝐉𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠
❝ 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳 ❞
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tagged, yuannie (!!), dal-lae, xiaoxing, king, lau (mentioned), ciro (mentioned)|oc, 1,006 words

Mei Su practically beams as Dal-Lae takes her time to reply, seemingly not so... impatient to get on with her life (as it stands now) as she tells the Chinese girl that Milan is so different than what it's like here- in her home "town" (country?). For whatever reason, it soothed her to know that, though this girl had seemingly popped out of nowhere, she was like the rest of them- casual, (seemingly) sweet... loving? In a... not-so-romantic way, perhaps. Either way, the brief exchange causes Mei Su to beam- resisting the urge to wrap her arm around this 'new girl's shoulders like a sign of comrade-ship. "You know, I think we're going to get along just fine- if not better than 'just fine'." she murmurs; any previous hesitation lifts from her like fog lifting from a dewy morning.

Well- that is, until somehow the presence of King practically invades all of their spaces collectively- entering the group as if he's taken charge (-well, he sort of has, but that was beyond the point). Almost immediately, the tension spikes between 'new girl' and the f4 member, the two standing off in a way that had even someone like Mei Su (-who would have thought of herself as not-at-all-skittish) cowering softly into the side of Yuanjun; she was glad to have him beside her- to say the least. Not that she was afraid of either this new girl or King (she promises-- or at least tries to convince herself), but conflict, specifically conflict that called for long, loaded and deep conversations, were not her forte. Whether it directly involved herself or not.

Hell- who was she kidding. Mei Su couldn't even confront her own feelings with the man currently huddling her into his side (okay- maybe that was an exaggeration, she was practically burying herself into his but anyways-); there were many things a girl like her could face-- this was clearly not one of them. And boy was the tension (are those sparks flying, I see?) in the atmosphere thick now.

Oh god- now that it's been mentioned- no one mention (haha) her not-so-complicated-but-definitely-complicated relationship with Shao Yuanjun; something that's been probably going on for far too long. Friends? Confidants? ... Friends but with the lines blurred just the teeniest? They had an odd one here, ladies and gents. Or maybe it was simply 'odd' in the Chinese girl's head because she was making it out in that way-- totally plausible.

Glad for the distraction. That's what Mei Su was. Glad for the distraction separating the tension between King and Dal-lae from the rest of the group. Peering from around Yuanjun, she almost giggles a little at the idea of food and is quick to fish her phone out of her back pocket- only to pause and mock glare at the way her "partner" just had to drag her down with him in some way (or in this case, by herself). Annoying. "Food? I'm always down for- shush, I'm not that bad! If anything, you'd be the one between us to eat me broke- as if I wasn't already!" her whines are lighthearted in nature. And Yuanjun should have seen it coming- really, it was quite predictable; when her hand reaches over to smack him square against his chest once again- lightly tapping against his sternum for good measure. Her delicate fingers collide with what feels like a solid wall of muscle and bone, her efforts weak in nature and doing little damage against her victim's body. "For roasting me like that, I think you should treat me out this time, yeah? Just this once!" Except. Yuanjun should be warned that it's never simply 'once'- in fact, Mei Su could still remember the times they've gone out to eat together (--like classmates, of course!!) that ended only with the poor girl whining for her male companion to pay just once... was she a bit of a foodie? Perhaps. (Yes. Yes she was.)

"Anyway, if we're gonna eat together, let me text Lau and Ciro! The more the merrier, right?" Again, the Chinese girl beams giddily (to the idea of food, of course), asking no one in particular of their opinions as she fishes out her phone (for real this time) and taps away against the screen. It's a little awkward at first, with her using only one hand- her thumb- to type. But soon enough, with Yuanjun's own subtle affection, Mei Su ends up with her arms looped around him in the form of a hug, freeing both of her hands out for convenience. With her head pressed gently against the f4's chest idly (-she's not really paying attention, but it's comfy), she finds herself sending out two messages at nearly the speed of light.

@ciro(c), hey you, your buddies are grabbing a bite to eat- come join us? You wouldn't miss out on your fellow f4 wouldya?

One down.

@lau, hey girl! The f4 are grabbing a bite to eat, including probably this one new girl- you should tag along, maybe steal some of their food lol- bring your boyfriend along. Make him pay for you~

At the sound of Yuanjun's voice inviting Dal-Lae along, Mei Su can only bop her head in agreement, turning to meet Dal-Lae's attention once again. "Yeah! Come along with us? It's always more fun when there are more girls in the mix, I'm always stuck with dudes-- there'll be another girl joining us, hopefully! Her and her boyfriend are kinda stuck together, but you know- they're like a telenovela love story or something so you can't really blame 'em! It'll be fun- and I'd sure love to learn more about you and Milan and all-"

The thought of food and some good ol' socialization after quite the hectic morning makes Mei Su's stomach rumble in agreement, eager to finally put some sustenance into her system-- not that she hadn't eaten breakfast or anything like that, but excitement sure makes a girl hungry- well. Her. It makes her hungry.

(Hehe... oops?)