Absent Caryatid

looking at the starlit night sky, i want to lean on you for @cordiallyfuturedwight ♥︎

+ bonus:

An ATEEZ fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

Perhaps it was the jewelry identifying you as a fan that drew the man to your table. He likes ATEEZ too, more than you could have suspected at first glance.

628 words, Content note: mildly suggestive but safe for all tumblr using ages, gender neutral reader, celebrity encounter with no romance, food

~

“Is this seat taken?” The voice that interrupted your writing was deep and came as a surprise as you typed away in the coffee shop.

“Oh no, please have it. I’ve been taking up too much shared space.” You were so busy raking books, notepads, and sparkly gel pens into your backpack that by the time you looked up you finally took in a tall young man sliding into the seat across the table.

“Nice ring,” he commented, nodding to the black and silver band on your finger. ‘Fix On’ was written in several columns along the jewelry. Twisting it as you smiled, you noted it was a memento of one of your favorite singers. The man laughed, hidden behind his mask as he waited for the rest of his order to be completed. Lifting a hand with fingers splayed over the coffee cup, you saw he too wore one of the rings KQ Entertainment had offered in honor of Mingi’s birthday.

It seemed for the first time you were finally meeting another fan in person, you had never expected the ring to bring you such luck. Even merch as showy as the Fellowship tour shirt bearing all eight members of ATEEZ had only gotten notice by a receptionist who asked if you were ARMY, so this was a welcome change of experience.

It should have been embarrassing how quickly you wondered if the guy was single after a glance at his still covered face. Behind fashionable glasses, there was something about the eyes that seemed so kind, yet reminded you of someone too. At this point you noticed how familiar both the laughter and voice were. And not too proudly you admitted to yourself, maybe even his hands.

An ATEEZ Mingi x Gender Neutral Reader fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

Mingi is trying out bows as an accessory for several performances of “Eternal Sunshine” and feeling a little unsure of himself. Luckily his partner the reader and some of his members can help reassure him.

882 words and the only content note is a hint of innuendo.

~

When your boyfriend stopped by your apartment after the latest appearance while promoting “Eternal Sunshine” he had a large orange-red bow secured in his silver hair. Greeting you with a kiss on the cheek Mingi stood there a little awkwardly after removing his shoes and seemed to be watching you expectantly for a reaction.

You had seen his choice of a small yarn hair ornament tied like a shoelace the week before and had wondered if the accessory had been a trial run to gauge how it went over. Knowing you were so supportive of your partner, Hongjoong had clued you in afterward that Mingi had removed the little bow from his head the moment he got off stage leaving Hongjoong to ask about it in the V Log footage shot afterward. “It was cute,” the leader had reassured, but Mingi was still uncertain.

Concerned at the time that bows were too girly, you had reminded Mingi of your view that everything was available for anyone when it came to gender rules about clothing, which came as a relief. He had always appreciated the way you spoke positively of Hongjoong’s partial skirts and the sometime feminine leaning jewelry the group was placed in by the wardrobe staff. You had even emphasized that if Mingi deliberately wanted to look like a girl you loved him in whatever form he chose to take.

So, this time the ribbon was made into a far larger attraction at Wooyoung’s supportive request for the ATEEZ performance. You made a mental note to thank Wooyoung for giving his friend permission to experiment with the style he seemed to enjoy. Seeing Mingi’s doubt now though, you made sure your boyfriend knew you liked the accessory. “I think it suits you to wear a bow as large as your personality.”

An ATEEZ fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

1K words, Content note: food, unelaborated mention of harassment

This demon AU was on my mind after a delightful conversation with @smileysuh yesterday in which she commented that Mingi would not make a good demon. Thank you so much for the laugh and idea.

~

It was a rare day off and Mingi did not know what to do with himself, partly because demons never got the day off. After the latest incident reuniting a dog with their tearful owner, Mingi was about to lose his job but it was difficult to feel bad about that. Although born into a very well respected and devilish demon family he had always been a misfit and grown to be a sweet young man no matter how much they tried to change his nature.

He was tall but never intimidating about it. The deep voice which could have been so effective literally damning people was always cheerful and his face made to sneer menacingly was often found with a grin breaking into frequent laughter.

Getting fired would probably improve his life even if he had no idea what demons could do to be self-supporting. Perhaps an ice cream cart in the park bringing people pleasure would be something he would like to do. He had grown up around them when practicing the dark arts making the ice cream fall right off the cone at the first lick. Even that taste of the power to menace the lives of humans had left him empty save for the few times he judged the person deserved it for yelling at their child or being rough with their pet. Along these lines he had developed a flair for getting birds to deposit on the heads of street harassers interrupting their frightening behavior.

So, Mingi had skills, just not ones most demons would think bragworthy. He tried, he really did, but his heart was not cut out to be a demon. His older brother was great at it, making it hard to follow in his cloven footsteps no matter what, but it made Mingi’s pathetic attempts look even sadder. During the job’s trial period the worst Mingi could come up with to torment humanity was paper cuts and the occasional lemon juice afterward for those who truly deserved it, but more often he was found running over to provide welcome comfort in the form of a Hello Kitty band-aid.

There are so many reasons a person may choose not to come out and there is no reason a person would owe the public or a stranger that information. Certainly it's not owed simply because someone is famous.