Fic: G.I.R.L.

Title: G.I.R.L.
Fandom: Exo
Focus: Sehun-centric, Chanyeol/Sehun
Genre: Gen
Rating: PG-13 (because of one innuendo and a furry mention smh)
Length: Oneshot, 2164 words
Summary: Pretending to be a girl gamer in order to hustle high-grade equipment out of creeps sounds like it'd be one of Jongin's worse ideas, but surprisingly, it works out pretty well for Sehun. MMORPG!AU. 

In retrospect, Jongin's ideas are always actually terrible. It's amazing how Sehun never actually catches on during the planning process, but for all his awkwardness Jongin has a way with words, has some quality to him that twists the completely fucked up reasoning process in his head and translates it into what sounds like actual working logic at the time. Buying their mothers two-for-the-price-of-one balloon bouquets stamped with fancy, cursive I Love You almost three months early because of the after Valentine's Day sales. Setting up his hyung with one of Jongin's noonas on a blind date so they could be actually related without having to marry each other. Untying the leash of a dog they pass on the way home from school every day because it looks so bored and would be much happier with them and I would know, Sehun, I understand dogs, I own three of them after all! 

 

The balloons had deflated -- as balloons are prone to do over time -- and neither he nor Jongin had bothered checking the closet they'd stashed them in for months as they used what money they saved on fried chicken deliveries and internet cafes. By the time Parents' Day came and went, both he and Jongin had been lacking presents for their disappointed mothers and money in their wallets, aborting any attempts to fix the situation.

 

His hyung had ended up slapped in the face. Not by Jongin's noona, who was as pretty and charming and lovely back then as she is even to this day, but by his own girlfriend who refused to believe their little brothers had conned them into a date and ditched them.

 

The dog bit hard. The owner possibly harder. Sehun still had a faint scar on his shoulder, Jongin had a matching one on his ass. 

 

Years of misadventures later and one would think Oh Sehun had learned the one true lesson of life: never actually go through with Kim Jongin's dumbass plans.

 

And yet.

 

"You think this could actually work?" he asks as they sit shoulder to shoulder in Jongin's room, their laptops on a makeshift table of cardboard boxes in front of them. Jongin's desk had been too clustered with greasy take-out boxes and piles of half-read manga and the occasional stray homework assignment to have enough room for both of them. 

 

Sehun's screen is on the final stages of a character customization page, while Jongin's is on a fanmade wikia. Jongin had talked him through the process of signing up for the free-to-play MMORPG that had been sweeping the nation -- "Only the nerdy part of the nation," Sehun had laughed, which, Jongin had reasoned, was basically still the whole nation anyway -- and had then spent the better part of an hour pointing out the best combo of characteristics and traits to get the optimal stats. 

 

"How am I supposed to be able to level up if my defense and HP are the equivalent of wet paper," he asks as Jongin tweaks the skin color of his character again. Any paler and he might as well be playing a ghost, honestly. "I won't even be able to party up with anyone if my character dies after one hit." 

 

"We need you to be as weak as possible," Jongin insists as he drags the cursor back and forth between the buttons that could change the race of Sehun's character from a classical elf to an alluring foxtail, "also as hot as possible, hey, which do you think is better?"

 

Sehun mulls over it for a moment. Either way he ends up playing someone with weird-ass ears, might as well go the whole way with the tail. It's a cute fluffy tail anyway, and they can make it match with his real-life hair color whenever he dyes it, he guesses.

 

"I think guys who are into furries would be more desperate."

 

Jongin nods sagely and clicks on the foxtail option, both of them watching in fascination as Sehun's character loses a perfectly good pair of pointy ears in exchange for furry ones and that tail and the unfortunate side effect of forgetting a character skill every time he levels up ten levels. It's perfect for the plan.

 

"I think we're all set," Jongin announces, sounding proud of himself as he always does after a scheme starts off as well as this one, "just a few more days and I can release you to the world wide web." 

 

Sehun leans back against Jongin's unmade bed, tilting his head as he takes in his character. Long and thin, just like he is in real life. Slightly bored ceiling eyes, courtesy of Jongin. Hair, ears, and tail currently a simple brown color just like his own hair color, although Jongin had promised that it could be adjusted in-game without a supposedly expensive and rare appearance reset potion as a special quality of the character's race. They also set it to be in the Summoner class just like Jongin's character, but instead of the Animal Trainer subclass, Jongin had chosen a special subclass just for their plan.

 

Courtesan. 

 

"I think the boobs are too big," Sehun mutters. At least the big ass kinda matches his own, so no complaints there. "Can we make them smaller? Just a bit?"

 

Jongin sighs wearily as he readjusts the settings, like he's doing Sehun a huge favor rather than the other way around. Like Sehun's not the one being talked into pretending to be a hot girl gamer and being thrown to the wolves, all in the name of hustling cash shop loot and baiting white knights.

 

 

 

 

Crossplaying requires a certain sensitivity that Sehun is proud to have. 

 

"You're just playing a girl, you don't actually have to cry all the time," Jongin says completely missing the point as usual, and whining only a little when his visiting noona slaps him upside the head for the casual sexism. He charges on with that familiar bull-headedness anyway, "I mean, just stick to crying emoticons. And hearts. Girls use those, right?" 

 

Sehun doesn't have the heart to tell him that emoticons and hearts are plastered all over his own Instagram too. It's not worth the teasing and Jongin laughing so hard that Sehun's back is the one hurting from all the slaps.

 

For the most part though, Sehun ignores Jongin's 'tips' and just plays the way he normally would. Summons whatever monsters or elements he has in his arsenal, grinds like crazy and beats as many mobs as he can into the ground, and collects all the loot he can get his hands on. He's still buying cool gear and outfits from the NPC shop owners when he's not getting Jongin's level appropriate hand-me-downs or being gifted with expensive cash shop goods from strangers.

 

There's only one real difference really: he plays completely on mute.

 

The muting isn't so bad. He can play his own music in the background instead of the game's BGM, and he doesn't have to deal with creeps cursing him and his parents out just because he doesn't -- can't -- send them nonexistent boob pics. There's no need to wear heavy headphones on his head or worry about the sound quality, and when his phone rings or someone knocks on his door, he can actually hear them unlike Jongin. 

 

It does make party raids harder, but Jongin is always there teaming up with him and telling him what the group is planning before anyone has time to type it out in the chatbox so generally things go pretty smoothly. 

 

[you're pretty good, sehee sshi :D], the tall elf bard they teamed up with that evening writes in the party chat, [and your cat summon was cute].

 

Sehun snorts, once again thankful there's no mic around to catch the sound and transmit it. A month into playing and this is the third guy this week. Jongin had been so happy with his new, limited edition summoner's staff after Sehun had charmed some Gangnamite gold mine the other day, but he's been eyeing some special, ridiculously expensive summoner-class only armor to match his shiny new toy.

 

[thnx oppa!!] he sends back shamelessly. His character's tail sways and her ears twitch cutely right on cue.

 

As expected, shortly after, a window pops up in the middle of his screen, stating that HappyVirus61 wants to start a private conversation. Sehun doesn't even bother nudging Jongin in the rib anymore -- if he did it every single time a interested player approached him, Jongin would be too bruised for dance lessons. Instead, he accepts the request and leans back against the head of his bed as the chat window pops up. 

 

[i'm kinda jealous, the cat really was cute u_u i'm allergic irl so i don't get to play w/ them :( ]

 

Sehun blinks. Not quite what he was expecting, but it's not an unsalvageable situation. If it was Jongin, he'd probably tell Sehun to start flirting hardcore. I've got another pussy you'd have no problem playing with or something neither of them would actually say in real life without wanted to curl up on the ground and die. 

 

[that's pretty sad :( ], Sehun writes instead because he has some dignity left and because it's true. He imagines how Jongin would be if he ended up allergic to any of his dogs and it's pitiful. [at least you can play with fictional cats here? when we're not killing them]. 

 

[LOLOLOLOL you're pretty funny, sehee sshi]. He wonders if HappyVirus61 is actually laughing, whether he looks as cute as his character when he laughs or if he's just some basement nerd loser with a beer belly chortling away, but posts a harmless lol as well anyway. 

 

The conversation actually stays pretty mild as they re-enter the dungeon. Neither of them are front-liners anyway -- that responsibility falls on HappyVirus61's three, tinier friends and Jongin -- so they're free to sit back and cast buff songs or summon small helpful creatures as they see fit and chat lightly. Once in a while, one of HappyVirus61's friends will tell them to actually pay attention to the battles, but no one's even come close to dying yet. No harm, no foul, no need for Sehun to take his attention off their private chat as HappyVirus61 talks about the rap music he likes and the instruments he plays when he's not playing the game. 

 

Sehun ignores how Jongin is glancing over at him from the other side of the room approvingly in favor of sending HappyVirus61 another smiling emoticon.

 

[can i call you something other than oppa?] he finally asks before they reach the dungeon boss again. The others are all taking potions and restoring their HP and MP, talking over strategy and things Sehun doesn't actually care about. Jongin can just shout orders at him in real life if it's urgent enough. 

 

[what if i like you calling me oppa?] 

 

It reads like flirting. Sehun is almost disappointed, because if this guy takes the bait now, he's probably gonna end up blocked tomorrow morning if Jongin hasn't found another way to lose him. He's already starting to mentally go through Jongin's wish list to figure out what HappyVirus61 would be most likely to get him when the chatbox lights up again.

 

[just kidding! or am i...? lol call me chanyeol \o/ now are you ready to finish this :DDDD? ]

 

Sehun's hands hesitate over the keyboard. "Chanyeol," he whispers, voice hoarse from hours of little use and less water, his tongue stumbling between the syllables. It's stupid, but he doesn't really want the raid to end, their conversation either.

 

[can i add you first?] he asks, thankful Jongin can't see his screen from here.

 

Chanyeol is silent, his player character motionless for several minutes. It gets to the point where his friends keep spamming AFK???? PCY R U AFK? gdi in the party's public chat. 

 

[HAPPYVIRUS61 HAS ADDED YOU TO HIS FRIENDS LIST], the system alerts Sehun, right as Chanyeol's character starts up again and runs to catch up to the rest of their party. This time it's Sehee who stays in place, her fox ears twitching as if she's as lost in thought as Sehun is. 

 

Sehun opens his menu window, selecting the Friends List tab so he can return the favor. 

 

It's the second name he adds ever.

 

 

 

 

"So any luck?" Jongin asks after they've put away their laptops for the night and are watching some drama his sister had recommended. Like the rare loot they'd gotten from the dungeon raid hadn't been enough to sate him. 

 

Sehun grunts instead of bothering to answer, stuffing his mouth full of pizza more as an excuse than because he's actually hungry. He can give Jongin all the gifts desperate lonely gamer guys keep sending him in exchange for flirty winks and rendered pantyshots, no problem. 

 

But this time he has something he wants to keep for himself.

Original Post: Here.
Author's Note: Written for Round 3 of WCAU. It's actually an idea I've had for a while, mainly because I used to read 1/2 Prince a long while back and because at the time of WCAU, I was really into Log Horizon. Both series are about MMORPG games, although the first is a virtual reality one where the main character plays as the other gender while the second is a "trapped in another world" type of story where the original gaming platform was just PC. The gaming mechanics (sub/classes, races, cash shop, etc) were based off of the Log Horizon mode, and the idea of Sehun just muting people so he wouldn't out himself just off of his voice is taken from how Akatsuki canonically hid her gender before the series startedl. The design for Sehun's character comes from Log Horizon's Nureha, and the name he chooses from a radio show where he acted out a skit with Chnayeol and Kyungsoo in the role of the girl. HappyVirus61 is pretty obviously Chanyeol, his name coming from his nickname + his jersey number, while the Gangnam boy Sehun and Kai conned previously was Suho lol. And finally, Kai coming up with Bad Ideas is based off of how on Showtime episode 3, it seemed Kai was the one to make all of the arguments for why they should get Chanyeol convenience store bullshit as his birthday present, while Sehun just accepted his completely ridiculous justifications and went along for the ride lol. Hm, I think that's it? I'd like to write a continuation one day, and maybe include Suho/Kai in it but we'll see if I ever get to that, I guess.

By the way, G.I.R.L. stands for "Guy in real life". Ha.

Fic: Tell Me Your Wish

Title: Tell Me Your Wish
Fandom: Exo
Focus: Xiumin-centric, platonic Suho/Xiumin
Genre: Gen, Mystery
Rating: G
Length: Oneshot (incomplete), 2136 words
Summary: Even if they're technically a master and his genie, that doesn't mean Minseok and Junmyeon can't be friends too. 

It takes a few accidents -- unintentional jostling more than anything, nothing permanent -- for Minseok to learn to treat the frayed backpack more gently than his previous ones. He even goes so far as to hold the bag in his lap whenever possible rather than risk setting it on the ground and surrendering it to the mercy of stray feet and unnoticed puddles. It's not always a feasible solution: this time around involved a two hour long round trip to Incheon and back, the three books he bought there on the history of architecture weighing down so heavily on his legs that they'd gone numb after the first twenty minutes. But Junmyeon is always grateful by the time they make it home, no worse for wear.

 

"Thanks," Junmyeon tells him as they sit in Minseok's room, nibbling delicately on the chips they managed to scavenge from the kitchen cupboards. He's barely a centimeter or two taller than Minseok, but the way he slouches on the floor with his skinny legs drawn up to his chest makes him look so much smaller, as compact as the grey backpack he's sitting next to protectively.

 

Minseok reaches past him, swiping a chip for himself as he flips the page of his book with his other hand. "It was nothing," he answers, pausing for a moment before adding, "and I told you before, call me hyung." 

 

He doesn't have to turn his head to know Junmyeon is rolling his eyes, lips puckered into a pout. Before Junmyeon can say anything, Minseok makes sure to clarify himself. "That wasn't a wish, by the way. Doesn't count." 

 

"Then it doesn't happen," Junmyeon replies, wiping his hands off on the pair of jeans hanging loosely off his hips. He crawls onto Minseok's bed and slumps facedown onto Minseok's favorite comforter, completely ignoring the way Minseok tsks with a cluck of his tongue. They both know Minseok would end up vacuuming crumbs off his bed whether or not Junmyeon happened to add to the mess. 

 

It's only been recently that Junmyeon would be so neglectful of his -- well, more Minseok's than his -- backpack, abandoning it for softer, more spacious pastures and their downy pillows. He still curls up into a tiny ball like he's not used to having so much space to stretch out in, nestling or burrowing himself into both the comforter and the fresh sheets underneath like the temperature outside isn't reaching record highs.

 

It's the tiny, almost pitiful sight of the guy that keeps Minseok from yanking the blankets out from underneath Junmyeon and pulling him to the floor.

 

"Want anything in particular for dinner?" Minseok makes sure to ask before Junmyeon can doze off. 

 

His only reply is muffled by fabric and slurred by sleep. Junmyeon grunts a little, but Minseok is pretty sure it isn't for him. Not that he has any problem with being left unanswered. He closes his book and turns down the lights, shutting the door so softly that it doesn't make a sound as he leaves his bedroom. 

 

The backpack stays by the bed, where Junmyeon can easily reach it when he wakes up. Junmyeon can thank him for that later too.

 

 

 

 

They end up eating out. Junmyeon barely goes out to explore on his own and he definitely hasn't been around long enough to know too many eateries, while Minseok tends to haunt the same familiar coffeeshops and Chinese restaurants, but simple jajangmyeon is good enough to satisfy both their stomachs. 

 

Minseok watches Junmyeon slurp the noodles, popping sauce-covered slices of pork and vegetable into his mouth with every other bite. Sitting across from each other in the tiny, vinyl-covered booth and underneath the restaurant's warm lighting reminds him of the rare weekends he'd go out with his little sister back home. He plucks a thick piece of meat from his own bowl and gently drops it on top of Junmyeon's gradually shrinking pile of food. 

 

"Are you sure there's nothing you want?" 

 

If Minseok didn't know any better, he would've assumed his new roommate was trying to trick him. There's no mischief on Junmyeon's face though, just gentle eyes that watch each move Minseok makes, just sincere curiosity dripping from each word. 

 

It's a question Junmyeon asks him almost every day, ever since Minseok had tripped after tangling his feet in the straps of that stupid backpack. It's the first thing out of Junmyeon's mouth after he wakes up, stumbling into the kitchen after Minseok, as well as the last thing he brings up each night before curling up into Minseok's spare futon. The repetition should be annoying, but Minseok figures he'd be anxious as well if he were in Junmyeon's position. 

 

"I'm sure, Junmyeon," he says, almost tempted to ruffle Junmyeon's blond hair. It's grown longer in the time since they met, hangs messily into his eyes sometimes like he's just another sloppy teenager. 

 

Junmyeon sighs deeply before returning his full attention to his bowl. Honestly, Minseok wasn't sure what he was expecting after days of the same response to the same answer.

 

"Besides," Minseok continues, keeping his eyes on Junmyeon's face even when he's denied actual eye contact, "the sooner I use up my wishes, the sooner you have to leave right? I know that I wake up too early and I'm a bit more strict about keeping the place clean--" Junmyeon snorts, almost choking on a noodle, "--compared to you. But there's no way I'm not that bad of a roommate."

 

"You're not my roommate, you're my..." Junmyeon trails off, his face scrunching up. Whether it's because he's struggling to find the right word or because he's reluctant to say the one he actually has, Minseok honestly wouldn't know. "You're my ma--"

 

"Friend," Minseok interrupts, "and I'm pretty sure I'm also not terrible at that either." 

 

He pretends he doesn't notice the flush on Junmyeon's face, the tiny pleased smile that he has to school back into a neutral expression.

 

 

 

 

Junmyeon decides to walk beside him when they leave the restaurant that night, rather than have Minseok lugging him around on his back. It wouldn't have been a problem either way -- wearing a slightly heavier backpack is far from the trial Junmyeon makes it out to be -- and the weather is clear and cloudless. Perfect for a peaceful, slow-paced walk as their stomachs settle. 

 

The peace only lasts as long as it takes to get back to the flat.

 

Minseok's front door is slightly open, light spilling out into the hallway. On the positive side, at least it's not irrepairably busted; upon closer inspection, only the electronic lock has been damaged. Fried, actually, from what Minseok can make out. 

 

"It's still warm," Junmyeon notes as he presses his finger down on it and slides it down along the side of the keypad. He pulls it back and wraps his fingers around one of the straps of Minseok's backpack, the cold from his skin spreading to Minseok's nearby ribs despite the clothing in-between them. "You think whoever did it is still inside?"

 

Minseok peeks his head in before he answers in the negative, taking note of the mess right behind the door. His shoes have been pulled from their neat rows in the cabinet, strewn about messily. There's are open drawers and wrinkled fabric everywhere he looks, but no other signs of life. 

 

"Pretty sure he'd have no reason to stick around considering he wouldn't have found anything valuable," he tells Junmyeon in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. 

 

He's telling the truth though -- the most valuable things in that apartment were probably his fridge and the bookshelf of ridiculously expensive textbooks required for his graduate classes. Any money is safely tucked away in a bank or in his mother's tightly-clenched fist, and even his laptop is a fossil like Junmyeon compared to whatever kids like his sister are using nowadays. 

 

"I can do something," Junmyeon tells him urgently before they step further into the apartment beyond the first few steps past the door, "just say the word, and I will." 

 

Minseok is almost tempted. I wish the intruder was caught so I could punch him in the face or something just as easy. He knows Junmyeon is completely capable of making it happen, having seen the other's small displays of magic since they started living together. Junmyeon's newly acquired laundry drying much faster, the wifi connection speeding up to impossible rates once Junmyeon discovers the world of free online anime streaming. It'd be so simple.

 

But he refuses to let the intruder take anything else from him. 

 

"I'm good," Minseok says calmly, "no point in wasting my first wish." 

 

He doesn't check to see how Junmyeon reacts, whether it's exasperation at his own stubbornness or something else. Instead, he reaches for the old kendo sword he keeps in the closet near the front door and holds it in front of him as he slowly advances. He doesn't even notice Junmyeon has retreated into the smaller pocket of the backpack until he's halfway done scoping his apartment out and he hears knocking on the still open front door.

 

"Not it," he hears Junmyeon's voice say from inside the backpack, the zipper open just enough that if Minseok squinted he'd be able to see the cramped quarters in which Junmyeon had been trapped for years before they met. 

 

Minseok rolls his eyes, keeping the sword in hand as he returns to the door and trying his best to not look like he was just ready to knock a stranger unconscious with it.

 

The person who greets him on the other side is a slightly taller, not-so familiar face. Familiar enough that Minseok could place him and those cheekbones around the apartment complex, but not so much that he can actually remember the guy's name from the bimonthly tenant meetings. He almost wishes Junmyeon was out and about. Despite his age, his memory's proven better than Minseok's and he's become rather friendly with the neighbors.

 

"Hey, sorry to disturb you," the guy says, the corner of his lips still curling up despite his concerned expression. His eyes flicker down to the sword briefly, but even after he brings them up, he doesn't bring it up. "I heard a racket and your door was open? Everything okay?"

 

Minseok nods, stepping out and closing the door behind him. "Yeah. Breaking and entering, but so far nothing's missing." It doesn't seem to do much to assauge the guy's worries though, if his furrowed brows are any indicator. "Thanks for checking on me though...?"

 

"Jongdae. Kim Jongdae. I live four doors down." He points at said door, the bronze 21 glinting underneath the hallway lights. Minseok doesn't remember when the last owners had moved out, when this one moved in.

 

Speaking of things he doesn't remember: Kim Jongdae. It doesn't ring a bell, if Minseok is perfectly honest, but then he feels frantic rustling in his backpack and thinks maybe he's wrong on that front. 

 

"Thanks, Jongdae sshi," he says, backing away so that Junmyeon's backpack is safely trapped between his back and his apartment door, "I'll be sure to call the super about this. I do appreciate you checking up on me though."

 

Jongdae nods innocently enough before heading back to his own apartment. After he keys in his passcode and has his hand on the door handle, instead of entering, he turns back to look at where Minseok is still leaning against his own door.

 

"You take care, hyung," he says kindly. Minseok's shoulders start to untense, until he sees Jongdae's fingers reflexively tighten around the door handle, sees Jongdae's eyes flicker down to the backpack before returning to Minseok's face. "You and your roommate."

 

Jongdae enters his apartment, the sound of the door shutting echoing in the otherwise empty hallway. There are goosebumps on Minseok's arms. 

 

"Junmyeon," he says quietly, hearing the zipper of his backpack undo itself. At least Junmyeon knows better than to stick his now smaller head out to peek, exposing himself. "I think he knows something." It comes out before he can stop himself. "I wish I knew what he wanted." 

 

He barely registers Junmyeon's quiet response. The almost silent "Your wish is my command."

 

Immediately, a voice much louder than either of theirs starts speaking in his head. New and unfamiliar, but fresh in his memory. Mine, it whispers to itself more than Minseok, I finally found him. Junmyeon hyung. I won't mess up this time. A mental image of the gray, ragged backpack he's wearing floats by, followed by the image of a Junmyeon with short black hair and a more childish face, and he can feel the Jongdae's desperate longing for both sinking down into his bones. 

 

Mine.

Original Post: Here.
Author's Note: This was an idea I had way before WCAU, but I ended up using it for Round 3 lol I wanted to write a different type of genie story than what I usually found which was either A) master and genie fall in love or B) the master wishes for the genie's freedom. I never actually got far enough while writing this for WCAU  to get to the point I was aiming for unfortunately :( Gonna spoiler it so that if I ever come back to this, I'll remember what I was aiming for:

Basically, Chen and Suho are brothers, or they were until Suho became a genie. The details of that, I haven't quite worked out, but since that time, Chen has been trying to take Suho from his owners because he wants to be with his brother, but every time he comes close, the third wish is granted and Suho gets whisked away to be found by a new owner. This also means that both Suho and Chen are a lot older than expected, which is one reason why Suho won't call Xiumin hyung lol. Either Suho's memories about Chen are partially sealed so he can't really help his brother out OR he really wants Chen to find him but isn't allowed to indicate this in any way. Regardless, this twist makes it so that the idea of the antagonist role has been switched around: rather than the person trying to steal the genie being a bad person, the master of the genie who is effectively keeping them apart is in the wrong, even without meaning to be. At some point, Xiumin and Chen would fall in love lol and that is all I've got. 

Anyway. Now for some notes, haha. The gray backpack that acts as Suho's "lamp" is based off of a backpack he used to carry around both predebut and early in their career because it was apparently the first fangift he ever received. Xiumin's major is based off of his "future dream" in the XOXO album photobook. Suho's eating habits is based off of the times I've seen him nibble at his food in gifs and his pitiful sleeping position is based off of Chen and Kai mentioning he sleeps in the fetal position and always looks pitiful when he does so. And, hm. I wanted to write very friendly Suho/Xiumin lol. They don't get a lot of love, as a pair or as individuals, so it was nice to focus on the friendship that could pop up between them despite their differences.