#yoonchae

[calixco-bby]

જ⁀➴ God bless the sweet girls ❀ᡣ𐭩

[double22]

3:15 Part 1 - Manon Bannerman

bsf! Manon Bannerman x fem!reader

Synopsis- You're effortlessly charming heartbreaker of their high school, never settling for anyone, while Manon is her magnetic best friend and loyal wingwoman who secretly harbors feelings for you. As you thrive on fleeting flings, Manon hides her love behind smiles, afraid to risk the friendship they’ve built. But when you finally settle down, something ticks within Manon.

Warning/tags- angst, bad grammar and spelling mistakes, alcohol, weed, bad mistakes, toxic relationship, Medications, cheating, swearing, suggestive themes, reader being a dick and player, love triangle

AN* Thank you for trying my other fics, if you haven't check it out! recently started writing fics, trying to improve and be better. Enjoy it! Its honeslty really long and I wrote in late night so might be a lot of mistake but def try it

You and Manon had been inseparable since the first day of Primary school. You knew you found your best friend, your ride or die when you guys pulled the fire alarm at the primary school dance. Secret laughters as you guys got scolded together.

You guys were the kind of best friends who spoke in half-sentences, stole each other’s fries, and somehow always ended up at the center of every party without even trying. People gravitating towards the dynamic duo. Looks dangerous as the rumors that spread throughout the hallways. Rumors that drew you as a player and Manon as a untouchable princess.

You guys went everywhere and anywhere together and that included silent friday night under the lights that spilled from football field across the parking lot. While the two of you were killing time before the party, the real party was laughter echoing off car doors. Music blasting from speakers, the air sharp with the scent of cheap perfume and gasoline.

You leaned against the hood of her car, all easy with confidence and trouble, twirling someone’s number around your finger like it meant nothing. You were the kind of girl everyone wanted but no one ever kept, the one who flirted with the cheer captain at lunch, winked at the new girl in math, and left behind nothing but rumors and heartbeats that ran too fast.

Manon sat perched on the hood beside you, the picture-perfect best friend, radiant, magnetic, and effortlessly likable. People gravitated to her like she was sunlight, and she played her part well; laughing at the right jokes, nudging the right people toward you, always the perfect wingwoman. But while you collected glances and numbers like trophies, Manon’s gaze never strayed. She’d rather watch you light up a crowd than admit that, deep down, she wanted to be the only one you ever looked at that way.

But you weren't the type to settle down.

And Manon wasn’t the type to ruin what they already had.

You smiled towards her, throwing the number at Manon "Maybe this girl is more your speed, heard she a party girl, really sweet"

"Easy there, Cassie seemed so eager for a second date, You wouldn't want to hurt little Cass feeling, right" Manon says pouting and testing you with sarcastic smile. If Manon was being honest she couldn't two shits about Cass, She knew you could do way better than whatever that is. But Manon knows whatever you're looking for in life, it surely isn't a relationship.

You leaned back with a cocky grin, tilting your head just slightly like you're amused. Raising an eyebrow, lips curling into that playful smirk you always wore when someone challenged you. With a light shrug, and hands slipping into your pockets as you replied “Cassie will be fine. She knew what this was.”

Your body language screamed confidence, a relaxed posture, eyes glinting with mischief but there is always a flash of something softer when you looked at Manon, like you enjoyed the attention from HER more than you ever admit.

Manon chuckles "Of course, now lets go" she says slipping off the hood your car, making her way to the passenger seat.

You give her a nod making your way to the driver seat but trip on your way down. You give a grin trying to play off the embarasing accident. But Manon doesn't miss it, questions your ability to drive. With a low teasing and playful tone "You alright there clutz, I'm I going to be safe in this car"

You brush off the dust, starting the car. As you start to drive you glance at Manon briefly then back to the road, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. One hand on the wheel, the other casually draped over the armrest, You say, “Don’t worry sweetheart, It’s easy to drive when I’ve got a view like this.”

Your eyes would flick back to Manon for just a second, eyebrows raised slightly, before looking ahead again like you wanted Manon to know you meant it, even if Manon played it off as just another one of your lines.

Your car was Chevrolet Camaro 1996 was more than just a car, it was your statement piece. Midnight black with tinted windows and an engine that purred like it knew it was better than everything else in the student lot, it turned heads before you even stepped out.

The leather seats carried the ghosts of too many late-night drives, flirty hand touches over the center console, and kisses that never made it past the parking brake. Everyone knew that if they ended up in your Camaro, they were either headed to a party, a date, or a story you probably wouldn’t tell in detail the next day.

It was heartbreaker on wheels in every sense, your charm and that car was an unbeatable combo that made girls line up for a chance to ride shotgun. Manon never said it out loud, but every time she heard someone brag about “their night in Y/N’s car,” her stomach twisted.

She hated that stupid car not because it was flashy, but because it was the one place she could never be just your girl.

The drive to the party in the Camaro feels like the pregame itself, windows cracked just enough to let the night air in, the low hum of the engine blending with smooth R&B pouring through the speakers.

Streetlights streaked across the windshield in gold flashes as you drive drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, mouthing the lyrics with that effortless confidence that makes you look like you belong in a music video.

Manon just sits in the passenger seat, legs crossed casually, the bass vibrating beneath her feet as she watches you more than the road, because you look too good in your element, one hand loose on the wheel, lips curling into a smirk every time you caught her stare.

The car felt like its own little world, the kind of ride that made you forget the party even mattered, because with the windows down and R&B in the background, it already felt like something was happening between them that neither of them would dare say out loud.

The car slowly stops at the driveway of Jefferson's driveway, putting Manon out of her trance, focusing her gaze on the house that is blaring with party music and strobe lights.

The two of you head inside Jefferson end of summer break party showing up fashionably late. Heads turning as the two of you stepped out like you owned the night. Music and chatter spilled out from the open front door, but it quieted for just a second as people clocked your arrival. You walked in with that trademark smirk, hands shoved in her pockets, already catching the attention of a group of girls by the stairs.

“Hey, you made it,” one of them said, brushing her hand against your arm as she passed. You leaned down just enough to murmur something flirty back, earning a giggle before disappearing into the crowd.

Meanwhile, Manon was her usual radiant self, guys lining up with drinks and hopeful smiles, each one trying to get her attention. She turned them down effortlessly, polite but firm, flashing that practiced smile that never quite reached her eyes whenever you weren't looking.

The two of you were the pair everyone wanted a piece of the heartbreaker and the golden girl yet you always ended up drifting back to each other, side by side, like no one else really stood a chance.

You walk into the kitchen picking up a drink for yourself and Manon, but even a drink run is no easy job. You feel someone whisper into your ear from behind "Ghosting me or just too busy for other girls"

You turn around to see Amy... no Amber, at this point you can't even remember the girls names, thinking you'll never see them again. But some like her are persistent, thinking they can tie you down, the I can change her mentality. Well news flash, they're no different to the rest.

You smirk upping your charm, telling yourself that charity work is important "Maybe I’ve just been a little… distracted lately." Your eyes lingering at hers for a second then drifting away, letting her know that other had your attentions, making her wonder exactly had your attention.

You lean into her ear whispering "Your hot and all but I'm not into clingy girls, it's a turn off" pulling back with a straight face just letting her know your business. You see her shocked face, hiding and masking the defeat as her mouth parts a little not knowing how to respond back.

You smirk walking away from that mess, trying to find Manon in the herd of party animals. When you finally step into the living room, there it was happening again. Manon at the center of it all, laughing politely while three different guys tried to impress her at once. One leaned a little too close, another offered her his jacket even though it wasn’t cold. You stopped for half a second, taking in the sight, your grip tightening slightly around the cups.

You tell yourself you had no right to feel this way. Manon wasn’t yours. You weren’t the type to settle, to get jealous, to be that girl. And yet, something hot and sour burned in your chest as you watch one of the guys make Manon laugh, her laugh, the one you secretly lived for.

By the time you reach Manon, you put your usual smirk back on, handing her the drink like nothing was wrong. “Your fan club’s getting a little out of hand,” you teased lightly, masking the tightness in your voice with that practiced charm.

But as Manon’s fingers brushed yours when she took the cup, you reminded just how much you hated that you never be the one Manon was supposed to end up with, that your lifestyle wasn't enough for her, even if some part of her wished you could be.

The guys are back at it, talking over you trying there best to win her attention.

Something in you snapped, not angry, not jealous, just done. You just stared at them, your presence cutting through the noise like a knife.

“Alright, boys,” you said smoothly, a grin tugging at your lips “thanks for keeping her company, but I think she’s good now.” standing in front of Manons shielding her from the boring stories of their greatness; 'My BMW nice you should ride it sometime' , You could gag from their awkward conversations, Manon was clearly out of their league.

The guys hesitated, glancing at each other, but you stepped in closer, subtly shifting herself between Manon and the group, shoulders squared just enough to make her point. “Run along, yeah?”you added, still smiling but with an edge that made it clear you weren't asking.

One by one, they backed off, muttering excuses as they scattered.

Manon tilted her head, amused. “What was that about?” she asked softly.

You just shrugged, taking a sip of her drink and refusing to meet her eyes. “Didn’t like the view,” you say casually but your jaw tightened just enough to betray what you really felt.

You silently take a deep breath trying to regain your charming self, while Manon collects her thoughts seeing you overprotective of her.

“So...Beer pong or shots first?” you ask, leaning down close so Manon could hear her over the music.

“Neither,” Manon said with that teasing smile, “you always start trouble too early.”

“Trouble’s my thing,” You shot back with a teasing smirk, already grabbing Manon to the kitchen counter.

Within minutes, You had taken over a beer pong table, playing with that cocky grin that made everyone cheer you on. You'd wink at the girls on the other team, throwing out playful lines, “Careful, I always sink my shots and my chances.” As Manon watched from the edge, sipping her drink, laughing every time you nailed a cup.

Of course, Manon had her own circle of admirers forming, guys drifting closer, trying to make small talk, offer her drinks, or just bask in her glow. She was polite, friendly even, but every attempt at flirting bounced right off her.

You noticed, you always did. Between shots, your eyes flicked to Manon, jaw tightening just slightly as you saw some guy lean in too close, trying to get her attention. You forced herself to look away, tossing the ball in and earning cheers, but you couldn’t stop glancing back.

When you finally won the game, strutting back over, still wearing that victorious grin. But the second you saw two more guys hovering around Manon, she didn’t even think.

“Hey,” You said smoothly, slipping right between them and handing Manon a fresh drink. “she’s with me tonight. Maybe leave your pick up line for someone thats not out of your league”

This was the second time you had to push guys away from Manon, honestly it is not fair of you to push her chances away considering you do worst but Manon could do way better than these guys.

Manon raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Jealous much?” she teased.

You leaned in, that trademark smirk returning, but your eyes softened just a bit. “Nah,” she said casually. “Just figured I’d save them the time. You’ve already got the best company here.”

And even though she played it off like a joke, the way your eyes soften, the way you leaned into her touch felt like everything you guys never said out loud.

As the party swirled around them, Manon caught sight of a cluster of girls gravitating toward you, their eyes sparkling with obvious interest. One girl laughed a little too loudly at you joke, brushing a hand teasingly over her arm, while another tried to catch your gaze with a bold smile.

Manon’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. Normally, she was the one surrounded, the one people fought over but right now, it was you were soaking up all the attention, all the flirtation, and Manon couldn’t shake the sharp pinch in her chest.

She swallowed the jealousy like a bitter pill, masking it with a casual laugh as she nudged you playfully. “Looks like you’re the star of the show tonight.”

You caught the flicker in Manon’s eyes but just grinned wider, leaning closer with a teasing whisper. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Manon’s smile faltered for the briefest second, and her voice dropped low, almost vulnerable. “Maybe a little.”

Your smirk softened, her usual confident mask slipping just enough to reveal something real beneath. “Good,” she said quietly. “Because honestly? I don’t think anyone else’s got a chance.”

Manon’s heart skipped, and for a moment, the noise of the party faded away, leaving just the two of them in that crowded room, tangled in something neither dared say out loud.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

First day as Seniors, the last first day the both of you will ever experience as a high schooler.

The crisp Swiss morning air bit at Manon’s cheeks as she stepped through the school gates, as relief swelling in her chest finally, her last year of this place. She barely had time to savor the feeling before colliding with a wide‑eyed girl clutching a crumpled schedule.

Manon looked up at this girl who bump into her at a hundred miles, She had this 'girl-next door' vibe to her, with straight light‑brown hair that brushed her shoulders, clear green eyes, and a fair complexion touched by a natural flush. This girl had lean, athletic build, she dressed in practical layers: a soft knit sweater under a neutral jacket, worn jeans, and scuffed white sneakers.

The girl quickly collects her things that are now sprawled all over the floor saying "Oh my gosh, sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going!"

Manon smiles her eyebrow perched up, "clearly, You alright there, Rookie" lightly teaser her as she leans down to collect her schedules, "Hey Room 301, look at that, we’re classmates. You basically got yourself tour guide at this point... um"

"Lena, Lena Fisher" Lena says collecting her schedules to one hand to shake Manon other hand. her bright smile beaming from ear to ear as she finds a sense of relief and comfort talking to Manon.

"I'm Manon Bannerman, It was a pleasure bumping into you" she said to the girl with a cheeky smile.

Manon couldn't place this feeling but she felt uneasy with this girl, like she was like walking on thin ice, every step made her more aware of how close she was to falling. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot as she took the girl around the school explaining the building and taking her to the classroom. Manon usually never got this feeling, it was like a nagging thought in her mind, creeping behind her whispering warning she couldn't shake. Manon just took a deep breath pushing her weird thoughts in the bottom of her mind giving you the benefit of the doubt.

As Manon mind was spiralling, the usual boys came flocking toward her desk. The usual swarm of boys buzzed around Manon like bees to honey, their eyes locked on her effortless charm as she laughed and tossed a playful smile. But today, something shifted glances started drifting sideways, caught by the new girl seated just beside her. Ginny’s shy smile and fresh face sparked a ripple of curiosity among the boys, pulling attention away from Manon’s usual spotlight.

Manon caught it immediately and smirked, elbowing Lena lightly. “Looks like you’re stealing some of my fans already,” she teased.

Just then, you strode into the room with that cocky grin, the kind that made everyone notice, even the boys who had just started to crowd Lena. With a casual wave and a flash of a smirk, you step in between the boys and the girls, scattering them like leaves in a breeze.

“Alright, gentlemen,” you drawl out, voice dripping with amusement and sarcasm, “back off before you scare the new girl, she clearly not looking for your attention”

The boys sigh, not even trying to fight back with you, walking away as some give fleeting glance at Lena and Manon.

Manon rolled her eyes, laughing. “Big shot as always, huh?” she said, nudging Lena. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”

Lena blushed but smiled, glancing up at you with a mix of awe and gratitude.

You just smirk "Whats up newbie, I’m Y/N. And you must be the mysterious new girl shaking up the usual game.” Your voice teasing her.

Lena flushed, caught off guard "Yah.. I'm Lena" She says slowly looking away as her face is blushing heavily.

"You're cute" You say bluntly smirking as Lena is trying her best to keep her emotions in check.

Your attention stayed firmly on Lena, flashing those effortless smiles and throwing playful teasing her way every chance they got. She caught your attention, a shy girl that wouldn't open up, a part of you wanted to pursue that pushing the boundaries to the limit. Lena, started shy and a little reserved, began to blossom under your bold charm, her cheeks flushed, her laughter ringing out more freely, and her eyes constantly seeking yours.

Manon watched it all from the sidelines, a knot tightening in her chest. The boys still glanced her way, but her usual effortless hold on the room felt challenged by Lena’s growing presence and worse, by your clear interest in the new girl.

One afternoon, as the three sat in the courtyard, You draped an arm casually over Lena’s shoulder, whispering something that made Lena’s face light up like a spark in the snow. Manon’s smile tightened, her teasing edge sharper than before.

“Hey, don’t hog all the fun, Y/N,” Manon said with a mock glare. “Remember who your oldest fan is.”

Your grin widened. “Relax, Manon. There’s enough charm to go around. But right now, I'm trying to learn more about the new girl"

Lena’s eyes flicked to Manon, sensing the undercurrent but unsure how to respond. Manon, meanwhile, fought the sting of jealousy, torn between wanting to keep her friendship intact and the raw ache of wanting to be the one catching your eye.

Tension grows as Manon’s jealousy simmers beneath the surface, Lena falls deeper for you, and you play the charismatic heartbreaker, hiding your true vulnerable feelings, putting this mask on.

You hated that your ruining your friendship for a chance with a girl who isn't her. Lena attractive, cute, sweet, but she wasn't Manon, she didn't challenge you, tease you. But if you don't set boundaries with Manon now you know the outcome. She doesn't want you like that so you just need to move on. so if it means saving the friendship for the future you would hurt both your feelings now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two months later…

The school was still buzzing with disbelief. Y/N the infamous heartbreaker who never stayed with anyone longer than a week was officially dating Lena. For the first time, you weren't flirting around, wasn’t chasing fleeting flings. Instead, walking down withLena to class, saving her a seat at lunch, and kissing her openly in the hallways.

Girls whispered in tight circles, half‑devastated, half‑confused. “Why her?” was the constant question, but no one dared to ask it out loud.

Manon, at first, smiled through it all. She laughed with Lena, congratulated you in her usual teasing way, and pretended nothing had changed. But every time she saw your arm slung casually around Lena’s shoulders, or heard Lena’s giggle when you whispered something in her ear, the knot in Manon’s chest pulled tighter.

This used to be them, she knew you guys weren't dating but she hated how you used to be the one that she would whisper sweet nothing to, that would always be hip to hip. But now she could only watch for a distance as Lena took her spot.

Slowly, almost without noticing, Manon and you drifted apart. The jokes they used to exchange so easily now felt strained. You were always busy with Lena, and Manon found herself walking home alone more often than not.

Manon never said a word about it, respecting your relationship. But it felt like a storm was brewing in her masking the forced smiles and teasing.

Although you were dating Lena, you stilled wanted Manon in your life, she is your best friend, your ride or die.

So you caught up to Manon after class, flashing that familiar grin. “Hey, we’re heading to Jefferson's party, me and Lena. You should come with us.”

Manon adjusted her bag on her shoulder, her smile automatic but tight. “Third‑wheeling doesn’t really sound like my thing.” She teases but the tension is evident, just lingering.

You bumped her shoulder playfully. “Come on, since when do you care about that? It’ll be fun. Besides, Lena really likes you, she keeps saying how cool you are.”

Manon’s laugh was light but hollow. “Oh, great. Glad I’m cool enough to be your sidekick.”

You tilted your head, frowning slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Manon said quickly, already turning away. “Text me when your going, I'll meet you at jefferson's, okay?”

You stood there for a moment, watching her walk off, the grin fading just slightly like for the first time, they realized something between them wasn’t the same anymore. You got what you wanted your feelings for Manon was pushed down, Lena is perfect, but everything Manon now feels wrong, off.

You sigh turning back to Lena, who had been waiting a few steps away.

Lena shifted uncomfortably, biting her lip. “She… didn’t look too happy.”

You shrugged it off with a lopsided grin, trying to brush it off. “She’s just being dramatic. She’ll come around.”

But Lena didn’t smile. Her brows knit together as she watched Manon disappear down the hall. “I don’t know… I feel like she doesn’t really like being around us anymore.”

There was a flicker of guilt in Lena’s voice soft, unsure. She liked Manon, admired her even, but she couldn’t ignore the tension building every time you pulled her closer while Manon stood just out of reach.

“Maybe we should give her some space?” Lena suggested hesitantly.

You chuckled lightly, slinging an arm around her. “Relax. She’s my best friend, nothing’s gonna change that.”

Still, Lena couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling settling in her chest as they left together.

You tapped the steering wheel to the beat of some old rnb song blasting from the speakers, sunglasses perched carelessly on their nose.

Lena sat in the passenger seat, quiet, her hands folded in her lap. Her gaze was fixed on the blur of pines rushing past the window, her usual bright smile nowhere to be seen.

You glanced at her, noticing her usual self gone, you smirked trying to lighten the mood. “You know, most people would kill to be riding shotgun in this beauty. Both of us are limited editions, you know classic models.”

Lena gave a small laugh but it sounded forced. “Yeah… guess I’m lucky.”

“You guess?” You feigned offense, drumming their fingers dramatically on the wheel. “Come on, you’re supposed to say, ‘Wow, Y/N, you’re so cool, this car is amazing, you’re amazing-’”

“Y/N,” Lena cut in softly, finally looking at them. “Manon’s upset. You know that, right?”

The teasing grin faltered for a second, but You quickly hid it behind a chuckle. “She’ll get over it. She always does.”

Lena chuckled sarcastically " You can be a real jackass sometimes , you know that, SHE is your best friend and you don't acknowledge her feeling" Her voice raised at you, and your smirk disappears, the Camaro filled with the low growl of the engine and the radio’s fading guitar riff.

"Then what do you want me to say..." You hesitate trying to stay calm but your voice breaking a little bit. "That liking someone is destroying friendship of 10 years, that dating you ruins everything, that I can't chose you and not chose her too" For once the usual smirk and charm is replaced with a fear and regret.

The road ahead stretched endlessly, but for once, the ride didn’t feel free. Lena hesitates looking at you "Do you like her?" Lena always knew you were close, hell she knew that Manon harbored feeling for you, at first she respected it but after 10 years of knowing you and Manon didn't make a move, Lena sure as hell wasn't going to wait any longer.

You stayed silent hesitating to tell her, You swallow your thoughts in as you spoke "I did, but after I met you, I never felt that way, I only care about you now, and if she can't support me as my best friend thats her loss" You say firmly, as if you are telling yourself that.

Lena satisfied with your answer gives a low hum and leans into your shoulder "I really care about us too" giving a curt smile, "and for the record you're a cute jackass"

You smile "I'm your cute jackass"

The Jefferson house pulsed with music, lights spilling out onto the driveway where the black Camaro had just pulled up. You killed the engine, shot Lena a playful grin, and opened her door with a mock bow.

“Ready to party, m'lady” You teased.

Inside, the air buzzed with energy, red solo cups, loud laughter, and the thrum of bass shaking the floor. You were immediately swept away by a group of boys, clapping them on the back, cracking jokes, and already blending back into the chaos.

“Don’t wait up, beautiful!” You called over their shoulder with a wink before disappearing into the crowd.

Lena smiled faintly, then found herself gravitating toward a group of girls lounging on the couch. They welcomed her in, handing her a drink and striking up easy conversation.

But as the chatter flowed, the topic inevitably shifted about you.

“Wow, so you’re the one,” Amy said with a teasing grin. “Didn’t think Y/N would ever actually date someone.”

“Yeah, seriously,” another chimed in. “Last semester, they were with what~Camille? For like two days?”

“Don’t forget Elise,” a third added with a laugh. “And that one time at Bastien’s party- oh my god, iconic.”

Each name was followed by knowing giggles and wild stories, every one painting you as exactly who they had always been, the charming heartbreaker who never stayed.

Lena forced a smile, sipping her drink to hide how her stomach had started to knot. She knew you were no gentlemen and had a habit of flirting but, she didn’t want to believe it not when you looked at her like she was the only girl in the room.

But as the girls kept talking, laughing about your legendary flings, Lena felt the spark of doubt creeping in, cold and sharp, until even the music couldn’t drown it out.

This version of you wasn't the version she saw, but maybe... but maybe it's the version that hides it from her. Lena’s gaze drifted across the room, searching for you, as if she trying to find evidence about your past. She spots you near the kitchen with a group of boys, laughing loudly, leaning back with that easy confidence that drew people in like gravity.

Almost as if sensing her, you looked up. Your eyes locked from across the room, and just like that, Lena felt her chest loosen. That cocky grin softened into something gentler, almost protective, and for a moment she felt safe, your was only hers.

But the feeling broke as Amy leaned in, voice sugar‑sweet but laced with envy. “So… Lena. What’s it like being the one Y/N finally settles for? Think you’ll be the first to keep them?”

Another chimed in with a smirk. “Yeah, wonder how long before they get bored. I mean, don’t you ever worry you’re just… another phase?”

Lena’s cheeks burned, and she forced out a small laugh. “I-I don’t really think about it.”

“Oh, really?” Amy tilted her head, eyes glinting. “Guess you’re braver than the rest of us.”

Lena’s grip tightened on her cup, her stomach twisting. The giggles around her felt sharp, cruel, even though their words were wrapped in fake sweetness.

Then a voice cut through the noise, low, firm, and unmistakable.

“Is there a problem here?”

The girls stiffened. You stood behind them now, jaw set, that usual playful edge replaced with something darker.

“No, we were just talking,” Amy said innocently.

“Right,” Y/N replied flatly, sliding an arm around Lena’s shoulders. “Talking. right... I really hate it when people can't get it through their tough skull... clingy is a turn off”

The weight in their tone made the group fall silent. You guided Lena away, their hand resting protectively at her waist.

“You okay?” they asked quietly, looking at her with that softened gaze again.

Lena nodded slowly, but the unease lingered because part of her couldn’t tell if she was safe from the girls’ jealousy, or from the doubt growing inside her.

You walked away for a second needing to go to the bathroom leaving Lena alone. She was a little roughed up from the conversation with Cass and her minions but felt a little relief when she spotted Manon slipping into the party, her familiar confident stride cutting through the crowd. For a moment, Lena hesitated, as she stepped toward her with a small smile.

“Hey,” Lena said softly.

Manon turned, her grin polite but tired. “Hey, Lena. Having fun?”

Lena shrugged. “I guess. It’s… a lot.”

There was a pause, and Lena finally asked, “Are you… okay? You seem… different lately.”

Manon looked down for a second, exhaling slowly. “Yeah. I’m just… sad, I guess. Y/N and I-” She stopped, her voice tight. “We used to be inseparable. And now… I barely see them. It’s like I lost my best friend.”

Lena’s chest tightened. “I didn’t mean to-"

“No,” Manon said quickly, shaking her head. “This isn’t your fault. I’m happy for you. I just… miss her, you know?”

Lena gave her a small, understanding smile. “Then tell her. Y/N still cares about you-you know that.”

Just then, You returned,“What’d I miss?”

Manon met their eyes, managing a real smile for the first time in weeks. “Just telling Lena how much I miss hanging out with you. Think you can make some time for your actual best friend?”

You blinked, then laughed, pulling her into a hug “You’re an idiot. Of course I can.”

Lena laughed softly as You slung an arm around each of them. For the first time in weeks, the three of them stood together again, the tension easing into something familiar like maybe, just maybe, things would work out, but obviously god had other plans.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was warm over the school’s outdoor quad, the mountains hazy in the distance. Students sat scattered around on benches and low stone walls, laughing.

You lounged back on the grass, hands behind their head, sunglasses tipped down just enough to peek at Manon and Lena. “So, are we just gonna ignore the fact that my sandwich is objectively the best looking one here?”

Manon snorted, stealing a chip from Your bag. “It’s literally just ham and cheese. Try harder.”

“Please,” You said, mock‑offended. “This is a classic. Like me.”

Lena laughed, shaking her head as she unwrapped her salad. “You two are ridiculous.”

“Yeah,” Manon said with a teasing grin. “And you’re learning fast.”

You reached over, plucking a crouton from Lena’s bowl and popping it in their mouth before she could stop them.

“Hey!” Lena protested, half laughing.

“what?” You said with a smug grin. “Sharing is caring. We’re bonding.”

Manon leaned back on her elbows, squinting at you. “So, are you ever gonna make lunch that doesn’t look like it came straight out of a vending machine?”

You grinned. “Why would I? Girls love it low standards, makes me relatable and helpless.”

Lena rolled her eyes, smiling. “Right, because nothing says charming like day‑old ham and cheese.”

You pointed at her with mock offense. “Hey, you said you liked me for my personality.”

Manon smirked, stealing another chip. “Personality? Girl Please. It’s just the car.”

You gasped dramatically, clutching their chest. “How dare you. I’m a multi‑layered individual. I have depth. I have mystery. I-” You say leaning into Lena.

Lena interrupted, laughing. “-steal my croutons when you think I’m not looking?”

You winked. “Exactly. Keeps things interesting.” Throwing the croutons up as you catch it with your mouth.

Manon shook her head, smiling despite herself. “God, I missed this. Just… us. No drama. No gossip.”

You sat up, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Yeah, well, you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.”

Manon heart skipped a beat at the small gesture. You never did stuff like this after dating Lena. She felt like there is a thin line between playful banter and flirting and you used that line like a jump rope.

Lena looked between them, warmth spreading through her chest as You leaned back again, sun on their face, Manon crunching on stolen chips. For the first time in weeks, it felt normal like the three of them finally belonged in the same place again.

You glanced at your phone, the easy grin faltering for just a second before snapping back into place.

“Hey, I’ve gotta dip early,” you say, pushing yourself up off the grass. “Mom needs me to run an errand real quick.”

Manon tilts her head. “Everything good?”

“Yeah, yeah, just boring family stuff. I’ll see you guys later tonight?” you flash a smile, brushing it off effortlessly.

Lena nodded. “Text us when you get home.”

“You got it.” You winked, giving a casual salute before heading toward the parking lot, the familiar rumble of the black Camaro following moments later.

To Manon and Lena, it just seemed like another normal afternoon. But as You drove off, that grin faded, their knuckles tightening on the steering wheel as the reality of home crept back in.

The Camaro’s engine rumbled low as you pulled into the driveway, the last glow of sunset fading behind the mountains. Your house looked quiet, but the second you stepped inside, you heard it a soft, broken sobs coming from the kitchen.

Your mom sat at the table, shoulders hunched, face buried in her hands. A half‑empty wine glass sat beside her, the bottle still uncorked.

“Mom…” Your voice softened as you stepped closer.

Your mom looked up, mascara streaked under her eyes. “He’s with her again. I saw the messages, God, why do I even try anymore?”

Your chest tightened. you'd lost count of how many nights had looked like this, how many times you'd had to be the strong one while your dad’s betrayals tore their family apart. You sat next to your mom, wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders. “You don’t deserve this. You never did.”

Your mom leaned into you, crying quietly. “I just… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why wasn’t I enough?”

You closed her eyes, jaw clenched. It was the same question she’d asked herself for years, except not about your mom. About yourself.

Everyone saw you as a confident player, a womanizer, Fboy. But what they don't know was that it all started at home.

Your father had been cheating for as long as you could remember, late‑night disappearances, whispered phone calls, and a smile that lied as easily as it charmed. You had grown up watching your mom fall apart piece by piece, believing she wasn’t enough, that she had somehow failed.

Somewhere along you understood love was a lie, it was something that could be broken easily. You decided you’d never let yourself be that vulnerable. Love became a game something to win, not something to trust. If you were the one leaving first, if you kept it casual, then no one could hurt you the way your dad had hurt your mom.

It was that simple. So she built the perfect mask: the confident flirt, the effortless tease, the one everyone wanted but no one could keep. It was easier that way. Safer.

The truth was, you always felt something for Manon, something deeper than the teasing and the easy friendship they shared. But feelings like that terrified you. Loving Manon meant risking everything, and you had seen firsthand how dangerous it was to give someone that kind of power.

When Lena showed up sweet, shy, and instantly smitten, you thought she could be a distraction. Someone safe. Someone who wouldn’t scare you the way Manon did.

But then Lena surprised you. Beneath the shyness, Lena had a warmth that cut straight through your defenses, a way of looking at you that made you feel seen truly seen in a way you didn’t expect.

Dating Lena had started as a way to run from her feelings for Manon, but somewhere along the line, it became real too. You cared for Lena more than she wanted to admit but that didn’t make the feelings for Manon disappear.

And that was the worst part. No matter how much you loved being with Lena, a piece of you still belonged to Manon, and you hated herself for it. Scared of becoming the monster you grew up with, the one your destine to be.

Your mom breath slowed down, calming down as the alcohol runs through her system. She looks at with those heartbroken eyes, shinning with regret and despair. Holding your face she says the words that always cuts deep within you. "You look exactly like him" Her hand palming your face as she confirms your greatest fears. Soothing you as she breaks your heart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, you strolled through the school gates with the same easy swagger as always, that trademark smirk back in place like nothing had happened. Leaning against lockers, teasing your classmates, and cracking jokes in the hallway as if you hadn’t spent the night holding her crying mother together.

To everyone else, you looked unchanged, untouchable, confident, perfectly fine.

But Lena and Manon knew better.

Lena watched from across the courtyard, the way your laugh didn’t quite reach her eyes. She’d learned to read the tiny tells, the moments where your shoulders tensed, or your gaze dropped too quickly when no one was looking.

Manon noticed it too. She’d known you the longest; she’d seen the cracks behind the mask before anyone else. The playful grin looked just a little too forced. The careless flirting sounded just a little too hollow.

Walking into class, you continue your act.

“Morning, ladies,” you say, dropping your bag onto the table where Lena and Manon sat. “Miss me?”

Manon raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah, couldn’t sleep all night without your constant bragging.”

You grinned, plopping down beside her. “See? Admit it, I’m the highlight of your day.”

Lena smiled faintly but studied her face closely. “Rough night?” she asked softly.

You waved it off with a laugh. “Nah, just crashed late. You know me, night owl.”

Manon leaned back, crossing her arms. “Yeah, sure. Totally explains why you look like you haven’t slept in a week.”

You shot her a playful glare. “Wow, thanks. Love the support.”

But when you turned away to grab something from her bag, Lena and Manon exchanged a quick look, one that said they both knew you were lying.

Manon leaned in slightly, voice low. “You can tell us, you know.”

You forced another grin. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m fine. Really.”

Neither Lena nor Manon believed you, but neither pushed it. Not yet. Instead, they sat with you, each silently vowing they wouldn’t let you keep hiding forever.

Its been weeks and you been the same, hollow smiles, lifeless jokes, and today was no different.

The bell rang, echoing through the classroom as students packed up their things. You shoved your notebook into her bag, moving fast, too fast. “Gotta go. See you guys tomorrow,” you say quickly, heading straight for the door.

But Manon was faster. She stepped in front of you, blocking the way out. “Hold up.”

You froze, forcing a casual grin. “What? I’m just heading home. Big plans with my Camaro.”

“Cut the act,” Manon said sharply. Her voice wasn’t playful this time. “You’ve been pretending everything’s fine, but it’s not. What’s going on with you?”

“I said I’m fine,” You snapped, brushing past her.

Manon grabbed her arm. “No, you’re not! I’m not stupid, Y/N. You don’t talk to me anymore, you shut everyone out, and now you just run off every day like-like I don’t even matter to you anymore!”

The words hit hard. Y/N spun around, eyes blazing. “You think this is about you? You have no idea what my life is like when I go home, Manon!” You shake her hand off your arm as you run off the campus. Afraid that if she gets too close, you won't shut up about your family issues.

But Manon doesn't give up, chasing after you, weaving through the other students following you to the back alley of the school campus.

Manon faltered. “Then tell me! Let me in for once instead of acting like nothing can touch you!” She shouts cornering you.

Your chest tightened, your breath coming shorter and faster. “You wanna know? Fine. My dad’s a cheater. My mom cries herself to sleep every night. And every time I see them, I feel like I’m just… broken too. So yeah I flirt, I mess around, I pretend I don’t care. Because if I let anyone get close enough, they’ll just leave. Like he did.”

Your voice cracked, the mask finally shattering as panic surged through your. Your breaths came shallow and uneven, your hands trembling violently.

“Y/N—hey, hey, look at me,” Manon said quickly, her anger gone in an instant. She stepped closer, hands on your shoulders. “Breathe, okay? In… out… I’m here. You’re not alone.”

You squeeze her eyes shut, trying to follow her lead, gasping in shaky breaths as tears blurred her vision.

Manon stayed there, grounding you, whispering softly until your breathing finally slowed.

When you finally opened her eyes, your walls were gone, and so was the distance between them.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, voice raw.

Manon shook her head gently. “Don’t be. Just… don’t shut me out anymore.”

For the first time in years, you didn’t try to joke or hide. You just nodded, letting yourself lean on the one person who had always stayed.

You slid into the driver’s seat of the Camaro, Manon beside you in the passenger seat. The engine rumbled to life, and you pulled away from the school, the world around them slowly fading as the sun dipped lower behind the mountains.

You guys didn’t talk much at first, the weight of the day settling heavily between the two of you. The headlights cut through the growing dusk as they drove along winding roads, the silence only broken by the occasional sigh or the soft hum of the radio.

As the streetlights flickered on, You glanced sideways at Manon, your heart pounding. There was something unspoken in the air, something electric and raw.

Manon met your gaze, lips slightly parted, and you felt the pull the urge to bridge the space between them. Slowly, the two of leaned in, breath mingling.

But then, as your lips almost touched, both froze.

Manon pulled back first, her eyes clouded with doubt. “We can’t,” she whispered.

You swallowed hard, guilt crashing over you like a wave. “I know.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, heavy with the tension they refused to break.

When they reached Manon’s house, You hesitated before opening the door. Manon gave a small, sad smile and slipped out into the night.

Once alone, You slammed the door shut and sank into the driver’s seat, hands trembling on the wheel. The tears came without warning, spilling freely as the guilt and heartbreak overwhelmed you. You look into the front mirror to see your fathers eyes, the cold eyes that hurt your mother.

You whispered to the empty car, “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to lose you.”

The Camaro’s engine hummed beneath you, but for the first time, you felt utterly alone

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You stayed holed up inside. She didn’t answer texts, didn’t return calls, just spent the days drifting between long drives nowhere and lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

On the seventh day, there was a knock at the door. You dragged yourself up, hair messy, hoodie wrinkled, and opened it, only to see Lena standing there, clutching a small bag in her hands.

“You’ve been gone all week,” she said softly. “I… I got worried.”

You looked at her for a long moment before stepping aside. “Come in.”

Lena stepped into the living room, glancing around the quiet house. “Your mom home?”

“She’s… in the kitchen,” You muttered.

When Lena walked in, she found your mom sitting at the table, her face tired but smiling warmly despite the exhaustion in her eyes.

“You must be Lena,” she said gently. “Y/N’s told me about you.”

Lena smiled back softly, sitting across from her.

A moment later, you sank into the chair beside Lena, staring at the table. “She’s been through hell because of him,” you said quietly. “I’ve seen her try to hide it, but… she’s the strongest person I know. And every time she breaks down, I hate him more for doing this to her.”

Your voice faltered. “I think that’s why I became… like this. If I don’t get too close, if I’m the one leaving first, I can’t end up like her—completely destroyed by someone she loves.”

Lena reached for her hand, her thumb brushing across your knuckles. “You’re not him,” she whispered. “And you never will be.” You hated how wrong this girl could be, if she knew what almost happened last week she wouldn't be saying this.

You looked at your mom, who gave you a tired but tender smile, and for the first time in days, the mask you always wore felt just a little lighter.

"Do you want to stay for dinner, I'm making pasta" You said, standing up.

"I would love that" she replied, her bright smile shinning back at you.

You stood at the stove, sleeves rolled up, stirring a pot of boiling pasta. The smell of garlic and tomato sauce filled the small kitchen, mixing with the soft hum of a radio playing an old pop song.

Lena leaned against the counter, watching with an amused smile. “Didn’t take you for the domestic type,” she teased.

You shot her a grin over her shoulder. “Careful, Keep talking like that and I’ll make this a regular thing… just for you”

Your mom sat at the table, chin resting on her hand as she watched them with a faint, tired smile. “Haven’t seen you cook like this in a while,” she said gently.

You shrugged, draining the pasta before tossing it with the sauce in a pan. “Figured you both deserved a break from the sad takeout dinners.”

A few minutes later, You set three steaming bowls on the table. “Voilà. Probably edible,” you said with mock pride.

Lena twirled her fork through the pasta and took a bite, her eyes widening. “Wait… this is actually good.”

“See?” You smirked. “I contain multitudes.”

Her mom laughed softly, the sound warm despite the heaviness that usually lingered in the house. For a while, the three of them just ate together in quiet comfort, the atmosphere lighter than it had been in weeks.

And as You watched Lena chatting gently with her mom, she felt something she hadn’t in a long time like maybe she could have this kind of life someday. Something steady. Something real.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a while you slowly started showing up to classes, trying to repair your attendance so you could attend the annual ski trip at mount Zermatt.

The bus rumbled up the winding Alpine road, snow‑capped peaks glowing gold in the late‑afternoon sun. Laughter and chatter filled the aisles as students pressed their faces to the windows, pointing out chalets and ski lifts in the distance.

You sat sprawled across the back seat, arm lazily draped around Lena’s shoulders, sunglasses perched on their head like they owned the world. Manon sat across from them, earbuds in, scrolling on her phone but her eyes flicked up every so often, catching Lena’s bright smile every time You whispered something into her ear.

Its been a while since the two of you almost kissed, and Manon has been thinking about it everyday since.

“Two nights, zero rules,” You murmured with a grin, tapping their boot against Lena’s. “This trip’s gonna be legendary.”

Lena laughed softly. “Just… don’t get too legendary, alright?”

You smirked. “Come on, you don’t trust me?”

The bus jolted to a stop, the driver shouting that they’d arrived. Students piled out into the snow, breath fogging in the icy air as they dragged their bags toward the rustic ski lodge glowing warm against the mountain backdrop.

You slung their duffel over one shoulder, glancing back at Lena. “It’s just a trip. What could go wrong?”

The next morning, the slopes were alive with color, bright ski jackets weaving down the mountain, laughter and shouts echoing against the snow. A small crowd had gathered near one of the halfpipes, cheering as someone in all‑black gear launched off the edge, spinning through the air before landing flawlessly in a spray of powder.

“Who is that?” someone asked, craning their neck.

Another voice answered, “Are you kidding? Only Y/N would try something that insane.”

Sure enough, the figure carved smoothly to a stop at the bottom, unbuckling their helmet with a cocky grin. Shaking out their hair, You cooly ran a hand through it and flashed a wink at the cheering group of girls nearby.

Lena stood a few meters away, her heart swelling as she watched the crowd practically flock to you. They tossed their helmet under one arm and shot her a look, playful, like Did you see that?

Manon, standing beside Lena, rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “Show‑off,” she muttered.

You just grinned wider, basking in the attention, the golden darling of the slopes, completely at home in the spotlight.

As you unstrapped her board, a group of girls from another school skied over, cheeks flushed from the cold and eyes bright with excitement.

“That was insane!” one of them gushed. “Can we get your number? We’re all going to the lodge party tonight.”

You flashed her trademark grin, tucking your helmet under your arm. “Tempting,”you say, leaning against your board. “But I’m taken.”

The girls groaned in unison, exchanging disappointed looks.

“Seriously?” another asked. “Figures you’d already be off the market.”

You just smirked, tilting her head toward where Lena stood watching. “Yeah. I’m kind of a one‑girl type these days.”

The girls laughed, shaking their heads as they skied off, still stealing glances back at You.

You strolled up to Lena, giving her a wink. “See? I can behave.”

Lena smiled, cheeks warm despite the cold, though she couldn’t quite ignore the way Manon looked away, her expression unreadable.

The Jefferson lodge room was packed, music thumping through the walls as students crammed together with red cups in hand. Outside, snow kept falling, but inside it was hot, loud, and wild exactly your kind of night.

You were already tipsy, lounging on the couch with a bottle in hand, laughing too loudly at some joke one of the boys told. Lena had left an hour ago, exhausted from the slopes and parties, kissing you goodnight before heading to the shared dorms.

Manon hovered near the wall, nursing her drink, watching you from a distance. She hated how easy it was to still be drawn to them, even after everything.

“Hey,” you called out when they finally noticed her, grinning crookedly. “Why’re you all the way over there? Come sit.”

Manon hesitated, then stepped closer, telling herself it was harmless.

But as the night dragged on, the drinks kept coming, the laughter got louder, and that old familiar ease crept back between them. You leaned closer, their shoulder brushing hers, eyes soft but unfocused.

“You know…” you slurred slightly, a grin tugging at their lips. “I missed this. Just you and me. Like old times.”

Manon’s heart pounded. She knew she should pull away but she didn’t. And when your lips crashed into hers, the world blurred, the music, the party, the guilt, all of it drowned in the heat of a moment they both knew they’d regret.

You pulled Manon into a random room in Jefferson's lodge, as hushed giggles came out of the both of you.

The cold morning light slipped through the curtains, casting pale stripes across the room. Your eyes fluttered open to the quiet stillness and an ache deep in her chest.

Your phone glowed 3:15 AM. you blinked, the memories crashing over you in a dizzying flood: the way Manon’s lips had felt, the heat of their bodies pressed together, the reckless laugh that followed the moment.

Regret tangled with something far more complicated. What were you thinking? The guilt gnawed at you, Lena, the trust you’d broken, the mess you’d made, how she believed you weren't your dad, well now you really are the monster. Hurting sweet Lena and Manon, You're the monster that destroyed the happiness everyone had.

Lena was perfect beneath it all, undeniable and raw, there was a truth you couldn’t ignore. You love Manon.

The thought hit you like a lightning bolt, sudden and impossible to shake.

You slightly grab your clothes, running away and hiding because its the only thing you're good at. You turn back for the last time seeing Manon sleeping figure. Her peaceful sleep

You hate herself for the careless choices that tore everything apart, the betrayal sharper than any pain you’d ever known. And in that bitter moment, You knew you are becoming just like her father, haunted by mistakes, trapped in a cycle you desperately wanted to break.

Knowing first-hand how this can ruin someone, you still did it. And you fucking hate yourself for it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lodge’s common room was warm and packed, a stark contrast to the biting cold outside. Students clustered around, sharing drinks and stories after a long day on the slopes.

You pulled Lena aside near the fireplace, your breath visible in the chilly air. “I need to tell you something...something I should’ve never done it but I did.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed, already sensing the weight behind your tone. “What is it?”

You took a shaky breath. “I hooked up with Manon. It happened last night. But it’s not just a mistake... I think I love her. I’m sorry, Lena. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Before You could say more, Lena’s hand shot out, slapping them hard across the face. The sharp smack echoed through the room, drawing gasps and wide eyes.

“How could you?” Lena whispered, voice trembling. “You promised me…”

Your face stung, but you held your gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry... I know promised, it's all my fault”

The crowd around them murmured, some offering fake sympathy, others exchanging skeptical glances. Whispers spread like wildfire—Y/N’s at it again—while Lena’s glare burned like ice.

The warmth of the lodge couldn’t thaw the chill settling in your chest. The trip was supposed to be legendary, but for all three of them, everything had just changed.

Word had already spread through the trip like wildfire. Whispered conversations stopped when you entered the dining hall, eyes flicking with judgment or pity.

Lena sat at a corner table, arms crossed, her glare a quiet storm. Manon was nowhere to be seen.

You swallowed the lump in their throat and took a deep breath. They knew there was no going back not here, not now.

The snow outside glittered, bright and untouched, mocking the mess they’d made inside.

The morning sun cast long shadows over the icy driveway as students loaded their bags onto the bus, the air thick with unspoken words and heavy silence. You lingered near the lodge’s entrance, watching Lena pack her things with sharp, deliberate movements, Manon nowhere in sight.

The usual playful energy of the trip was gone replaced by cold glances and whispered rumors that clung to you like frost.

As the bus rumbled to life, You found a seat by the window, hands clenched tightly in their lap. They caught one last glance of Lena standing alone outside, the wind tugging at her hair, her expression unreadable.

The mountains faded behind them, but the weight of what they’d broken traveled every mile, settling deep inside. The trip was over, but the fallout was just beginning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at school, the familiar rhythms had shattered. The trio’s easy laughter no longer echoed through the quad during lunch breaks.

Manon kept her distance, her usual teasing smirk replaced by tight-lipped silence. Lena moved through the halls like a ghost, avoiding your gaze whenever their paths crossed.

You tried reaching out, but every message went unanswered, every invitation declined. The warmth that once surrounded their friendship had turned icy fractured by betrayal and unspoken hurt.

Where once they had been inseparable, now there were only empty spaces between them.

You wait outside the classroom, trying to get Manon attention, just a second to talk but every single time she finds a way to get away from your grasp.

You would chase after her in hallways, find her in dance studios, but she wouldn't give you the time of the day.

One day, you spotted Manon leaning against the lockers, her arms crossed and eyes fixed on the floor. Taking a deep breath, you approached her, heart pounding but determination steady.

“Manon,” You called softly, stopping just a step away.

She glanced up, surprised but guarded. already walking away, bit you firmly grab her wrist bringing her back into the conversation. “What do you want?”

“I know I messed up,” Y/N said, voice low. “I know I hurt you. But I need to talk. Please.”

“No, honestly, fuck you,” Manon snapped, voice icy and raw. Her eyes locked onto yours, burning with betrayal. “First, I wake up alone in your bed, and now I’m the damn home wrecker? Meanwhile, your sorry ass is too busy playing bodyguard for Lena. Like, what the fuck? Just leave me the hellalone.”

She folded her arms tighter, took a step back then turned to walk away.

You stood frozen, the weight of silence crashing over them like a tidal wave. For the first time in a long while, there was no laughter, no teasing just the hollow ache of being truly alone.

The crowded school felt emptier than ever.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day of the early graduation ceremony was bittersweet, bright sunlight pouring through the tall windows of the auditorium, mingling with the quiet tension in the air.

You sat in the front row, cap and gown perfectly in place, but your eyes scanned the crowd for familiar faces that weren’t there anymore. Manon and Lena had made their peace with distance, but the spaces between them felt wider than ever.

When your name was called, you stood and walked across the stage with a tight smile, diploma in hand, heart heavy with what was left behind.

You never got your final goodbyes with Lena, never resolved things with Manon.

Later, at the airport, the cold Swiss morning bit through their jacket as they hugged their few remaining friends goodbye.

As the plane took off toward the United States, You stared out the window part hopeful, part haunted, knowing this was both an ending and a chance at a new beginning far from everything they’d lost.

Meanwhile, Manon was with her family taking photos as she said goodbye to Switzerland heading toward a new chapter of her life, Dream academy. This never was the way she thought high school would end heartbreaks and regret but she had to move on.

Then her mom at out nowhere hands her a note, she hesistates to open it as she see's your handwriting scribbled down her name.

Dear Manon,

There’s so much I wish I could say to you in person, but maybe some things are too heavy for words spoken face-to-face. So here I am, trying to put into writing what my heart has carried for years—the truth I’ve been too afraid to admit, even to myself.

I remember the first time I knew I loved you? It was freshmen year, when I fell off my skateboard and broke my arm. You were the one who stayed with me, who cleaned my wounds and stayed by my side long after everyone else had left. I didn’t realize then that it was more than just kindness, it was the beginning of something that would change me forever.

You brought light into a life that often felt dark and broken. Your strength, your unwavering hope, even when your own world felt shattered, especially with my dad, you gave me something I thought I’d lost. You showed me that even in the messiest, most painful moments, there is hope. Hope that love can heal, that people can change, that I could be more than the mistakes I kept repeating.

Everyone saw me as a mis-fit, a heartbreaker that didn't care, but you, you say the truth in me and believe that I could change, stayed with me when I pushed you away. You made me want to be better. Not because you asked for it, but because your presence made me believe I was worth it. You taught me what it meant to care deeply, to hold on when everything else wanted to fall apart.

I’m sorry for all the times I hurt you, for the moments I let my fear and selfishness win. But please believe me when I say that my love for you never faded. It’s a quiet, stubborn flame that’s stayed alive even when I couldn’t find the courage to admit it.

I need you to hear this, all of it, everything that went wrong, every broken promise, every hurt-its on me, it my fault. None of it is your fault. You don’t have to carry that weight or blame yourself for my mistakes. I was the one who lost my way. Its me who allowed the monster in me to let that happen, and if I got a second chance I would have had the guts to tell you face to face that I love you and I would make it right.

As I leave now, to chase new dreams and find myself far from here, I want you to know one thing, I will always love you. I think I will never stop loving you. Not just as a memory or a regret, but as a force that shaped who I am. I carry you with me in every step, every breath.

Thank you for being my light, my hope, my better self. Maybe one day, when the world is kinder, we’ll find each other again.

Until then, know this is not goodbye—not really.

With all that I am, Y/N

Manon’s hands trembled as she unfolded the letter, the familiar handwriting hitting her like a punch to the chest. Each word sliced through the walls she’d built, pain, regret, love laid bare on the page.

Maybe one day it will all be better.

[tokyicons]

[sophialafortezaz]

emmyhartman: I’m honored to get beat up by katseye

[aijunbi]

hiii sooo can i req yoonchae x f!reader where katseye goes on their asia tour and while they’re in korea the girls find out that yoonchae has a gf and interrogate reader bc yoonchae is basically their daughter and they wanna make sure she’s in good hands!!

funny cuz yoonchae's literally my gf

"WHO ARE YOU?"

jeong yoonchae x fem!reader

{ synopsis } : while in korea for one their asia promo trip, yoonchae randomly goes out, coming up with random excuses as to why she is. the kats gets suspicious but ultimately concluded it was messing around with friends. until one night, they see her with a random girl in front of a convenience store.

{ tags/extra } : fluff, secret relationship, established relationship, yoonchae is a flirt, reader is korean for the plot, pacing is iffy i apologize

{ a/n } : yall alr know this is sooo rushed cuz i delayed the publishing of this by a lot 😭 plus tumblr didn't save it 😒

now playing : pink by wave to earth

@lararajjj @ohmyhaely @ninguitar

═══════════════════════════

═══════════════════════════

"SHE'S BEEN ACTING WEIRD LATELY," megan says out of the blue, confusing the members for a moment. manon glances at the television, seeing nothing playing on the screen, then looked around at the rest of the girls.

"who?" she questions. she has an idea of who, but she won't admit it until everybody else brings it up. how is she so confident in this person? well, maybe it's because the person in question isn't even there with them. the youngest has been a bit distant lately, always having excuses about going out early in the morning and not coming back until late at night, sometimes even coming back the next day.

"you know who."

nobody dared to say anything else but it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room. sophia finally spoke first, the perks of being the closest to yoonchae finally being useful. "it's been a long while since she's back in korea. she told me she's hanging out with friends."

"i don't think friends keep each other out for the long," lara lazily voiced her opinion, not sparing any of them a glance as she's busy playing block blast. daniela clicked her tongue before reaching out and turning off lara's phone, which resulted in the younger letting out a loud 'hey!'

"uh, yes, they do. you should know since you're always dragging me to go out." megan rebutted. lara rolled her eyes and turned her phone back on, backing out of the conversation. daniela pondered some more, trying to figure out what to say before deciding to test the waters. she wanted to see how the girls would react to what she has to say.

"what if yoonchae's seeing someone?" she asks.

sophia immediately snapped her head to daniela, a mix of disbelief and annoyance on her face. "if yoonchae says she's out with friends, then she's out with friends. don't jump to conclusions." even so, there's a small part of her that is convinced the youngest might have a partner that neither her or the others know about. "plus, yoonchae never lies."

"right.. okay."

═══════════════════════════

yoonchae does, in fact, lie. she keeps secrets about a lot of things. like this, for example:

"hi, beautiful," she greets in korean as soon as you opened the door, leaning down to kiss the lips that she missed oh so dearly. "god, i missed seeing this eleven outta ten face."

"stop lying, you didn't miss me that much." as you hit her arm lightly, your scolding demeanor changed into one of giddy highschooler. yoonchae only chuckled before holding your waist to pull you closer, her fingers resting on the small of your back. your hands cradled her face, your thumb grazing the curve of her jaw.

"i'm telling the truth," she confessed. "i'd kill myself if i ever said i didn't miss my gorgeous girl."

"flattery sure gets you anywhere." you rolled your eyes, tiptoeing up to give her cheek a gentle peck. yoonchae swerved her head to the side, just enough to capture your lips in a slow, longing kiss. you swore you felt her fingers practically digging into your hips like she never wants to let go.

"i-" a kiss on your lips, "missed-" a kiss on your forehead, "you-" a kiss on your nose, "so-" a kiss on your left cheek, "much." and finally, a kiss on your right cheek. "like, a lot."

"oh shut up." you fully wrapped your arms around her shoulders to bury your red, flustered face into the crook of her neck. to say you also missed her was an understatement. you longed for the days you two would finally be physically together again instead of on facetime calls that get cut short because she has a busy schedule. and now that it's happening, you just wanna pinch yourself, convinced it's a dream.

after a few moments of comfortable silence that yoonchae let you have to collect your thoughts, she finally spoke up. "snack run?"

"of course."

it takes a while to get to the 7/11 despite it being only a three minute walk from your apartment. yoonchae was just so warm for the cool evening that you didn't want to pull away from the hug. but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

~

"pringles or kimbap?" yoonchae asked, holding up the two options in your face. you already know she wants the kimbap, but you also know that there's a small part of her that wants the pringles.

"how about both? you want both of them right?"

"yeah... but–" you cut her off by taking both of the items and putting it into the basket with a proud smile on your face. you didn't give her time to protest, already making your way to the checkout. "y/n.."

"it's no big deal, baby. you can get whatever you want." you handed the cashier the money. "even if it's just snacks." yoonchae subtly pouted and wrapped her arms around your waist from the side, resting her head on your shoulder.

"you're so sweet," she mumbled. "i love you so much."

"mm, i love you more." you thanked the chasier as he handed you the change, stuffing it in your hoodie pocket. well, it wasn't yours, but nobody really cares. you held yoonchae's hand to go to tables outside, but she quickly stopped upon seeing the girls. she let go of your hand while you set some space between you two, making it seem like it was just a friendly snack run. "wait, your hoodie–"

"just keep it," she whispered.

soon enough, they all spotted yoonchae nervously standing next to you. sophia rushed over to yoonchae, asking why she's out so late before looking your way. you turned around and pretended you had no idea who they were. "do you know her?"

"uh, yeah. this is my friend, y/n." she nudged you with her elbow. "say hi to them."

"it's so awkward, yoon... i'm literally your girlfriend."

"yeah, but they don't know that." she gave a smug smile, grabbing your forearm and pulling you closer. "y/n is my really close friend. i've known her since elementary." her hand slipped from your arm and around your waist, squeezing your hips as a way of comforting you in this stressful situation.

"are you trying to make us public?" you jabbed her side, twisting your hand to make it extra painful.

"baby, if i had five seconds to say anything to the whole world, i'd most definitely shout that you're my girlfriend." she winked– which was horribly cute. you clicked your tongue in annoyance, ignoring the blush creeping up to your face. the girls watched the interaction with partially stunned looks. you two looked awfully a lot like a couple and it was concerning.

yoonchae sat you down on one of the chairs and began walking back to the store, claiming she's going to buy more snacks. you rushed to get up and follow her but lara got in front of you, her hands clasped together with a sickeningly sweet smile. "let's talk."

~

"when did you two start dating?" lara was the first to ask after moments of silence at the table. everybody was either too busy staring at you– ahem, sophia –or too busy eating the snacks you and yoonchae bought.

"better question, are you two dating?" sophia intervened. at least she was decent enough to ask. words bubbled in a throat but it refused to escape your mouth, so you only gave a weak nod. sophia nodded as well, more in understanding than anything else. lara and daniela high-fived each other while manon and megan groaned

"so.. can you answer my question then?" lara questioned. "with some background too?"

"we started dating in our second year of middle school," you began. "honestly, we had no idea what we were doing, but, y'know, she was soo in love with me." you chuckled at the last part, remembering how head over heels yoonchae was.

("wait, what's second year of middle school in korea?" megan whispered to manon, in which the older replied, "eighth grade")

"so you're saying yoonchae, possibly one of the most logical people ever, had no idea what she was doing?" sophia raised a seemingly interested eyebrow. before you answered, you took the pringles and kimbap, putting it on your lap for yoonchae to eat when she comes back.

"she was thinking with her heart, if i'm gonna be honest." you nervously laughed, rubbing the back of your neck. "her whole head was empty like her brain took a vacation."

"that has to be so funny," daniela sneered. "imagine yoonchae walking into a pole because she was too busy thinking of how pretty y/n is."

"what if that's why she did that when we were in new york," sophia commented, her stern demeanor finally cracking. yoonchae finally came back after an eternity with two full bags of snacks. she sets down a bag in front of you after giving the girls the other, plopping down on the seat next to you.

"you said you like pepero right?" after a full conversation in english, you were grateful yoonchae was here to switch back to korean. yoonchae rummaged through the bag, quickly finding the box of chocolate sticks and gave it to you.

"mhm. the chocolate one?"

"they just restocked on it."

"y'all are so cute." lara appeared between you both, the smile from earlier back on her face. you audibly gulped when she looked at you, your body sinking into the chair. "say, how much do you love yoonchae?"

"..." you stayed quiet for a minute which made yoonchae a little nervous. though, she has no reason to be. it was evident on how much you love her. "i think i'd go insane if she's more than five minutes away."

"that's such a basic answer." manon teased. sophia was looking at you expectantly. she wants to know if you're good enough for yoonchae (despite the fact you two have been dating possibly three years).

"she's the girl of my dreams. she fell first, but as always, i fell harder. every time i look at her i just get reminded of how lucky i am to have such an amazing girlfriend like her." your hand found its way to yoonchae, intertwining your fingers and pulling it up to your lips, leaving a soft kiss on her knuckles. "i'd choose her over my own life."

through a series of 'aw's and 'how cute', all you were focused on was yoonchae and how her eyes gazed into yours, how her hand squeezed yours just a little tighter. most importantly, how pretty she looked just right underneath a street light. "you're so gorgeous, baby."

yoonchae suddenly stood up from her seat, the action startling everyone. she got down on one knee, and holding a singular pepero in her hand, she said, "i wanna marry you. be mrs. jeong."

"what?!" the girls, including you, all exclaimed in shock.

[mharingo]

[dreammynet]

you could have anyone else you wanted to 　 ˚̩̩　

[hanavbara]

everything’s GNARLY 💚 #KATSEYE

[samiramohans]

KATSEYE — Monster High Fright Song

[nyugore]

‧ ₊˚ ⋅ ✧ 𓆞 𓆝 HER ‧ ₊˚ ⋅ 𓐐𓎩 . ‧₊˚ ⋅

[rosachae]

idol | megan skiendiel x reader

⁍ song: radar - lil hero ⁍ requested: yes! thank you anon ⁍ genre: idol!megan x actor!reader. slowburn fluff, jealous megan, loser!megan ⁍ a/n: thank you for requesting this, anon! sorry for the delay in getting this out. i hope this is what you were looking for. ⁍ w.c: 17k ⁍ warnings: curt language, a little bit nsfw(?), more so just suggestive. ⁍ synopsis:

y/n, an up-and-coming actor in korea, casually let slip on a variety show that she might have the *tiniest* crush on a particular girl group member, megan skiendiel. lucky for her, she was already on megan's radar.

“it was only a matter of time before you did something to make your pr team cry,” yunjin said, her voice thick with amusement as she leaned forward in her chair. “but god, y/n. i didn’t think you had it in you to be that bold.”

you didn’t bother to look at her. instead, you kept your focus on the half-empty iced americano in your hands, the straw poking at the lid like it had something to say too. “yeah yeah,” you muttered, tone dry. “keep it coming. get it all out.”

yunjin’s laughter filled the small recording studio, bouncing off the walls like an echo that didn’t know when to quit.

the first time you met her, you were rushing to a meeting at the hybe building, five minutes late and in no mood to reschedule. the elevator was almost closed when a hand slipped between the panels, smooth and effortless, like it was something out of a k-drama. yunjin stepped in a moment later, casual as anything, earbuds in, hoodie half-zipped, eyes flicking toward you.

she didn’t register who you were right away. not until she caught the outline of your face in the elevator mirror and did the most obvious quadruple take known to man. she grinned like she’d just won a bet. you raised an eyebrow. the doors shut.

your name had been climbing headlines at the time, especially after that marvel debut. you were still adjusting to the spotlight, to the way people started speaking about you like you were a headline first and a human being second. they called you the face of the next generation, a once-in-a-decade talent. you still weren’t sure what to do with that.

to her credit, yunjin didn’t immediately spiral. she told you later she’d nearly recited your entire filmography then and there but had somehow restrained herself. instead, she said, “you’re taller than i thought,” with a sort of breezy charm that made you laugh before you could stop yourself.

the novelty wore off quickly. by your third hangout, she was yelling at her flat iron over facetime and blaming you for jinxing her hair before mcountdown. the pedestal had crumbled, and in its place was something much better.

you adored her, truly. but right now? right now you wanted to strangle her.

“you do realize the internet’s having a meltdown, right?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder while fiddling with the dials on the studio mixer. “megan’s stans are going full detective mode. they’re gonna find the exact thread count of your bedsheets if you’re not careful.”

of course you knew. how could you not?

‎ 

‎it had all started at weekly idol. you and your costar, eunwoo, were the guests that day. minhyuk and hyeongjun were hosting. bright-eyed, energetic, and way too charismatic for nine in the morning. the moment you stepped on set, they bowed with exaggerated reverence and gasped like they’d seen ghosts.

“wow… everyone, protect the cameras,” minhyuk said, turning to the staff with mock urgency. “no way this equipment survives the visuals of both our guests at once.”

you laughed, cheeks heating despite yourself. the nerves hadn’t gone away even after a hundred interviews. your knee had bounced nonstop in the makeup chair. your hands wouldn’t sit still in your lap. you didn’t know why you were this on edge. it wasn’t like this was your first time.

eunwoo had noticed. he always noticed. he didn’t say much, but before your cue to enter, he gave you a quiet nod, a calm smile. just enough to settle the buzz in your chest.

the shoot went smoothly. laughter came easy. there was a moment you and eunwoo broke into an absurd duet of the show’s theme song, something so horrifically off-key that it ended up trending for twelve hours. and yet, what really caught fire was that one particular question.

“…so, y/n,” hyeongjun had said, reading off a laminated card with all the flair of a seasoned variety host. “you’ve caught the eye of the entire country. but has anyone caught your eye?”

you paused. of course you did. your manager’s disapproving face flashed through your brain like a warning siren, but you could already feel the words rising. the answer had been sitting with you for months now, quiet and patient.

you thought of coachella. of watching a failed backflip send some poor guy crashing to the ground mid-performance, which made you laugh for far too long. and how somehow, down that spiral of linked videos and fuzzy 420p livestreams, you ended up watching three girls play roblox with him. that’s when you saw her. megan skiendiel. orange wig, infectious laugh, that strange but graceful way she moved that made you look twice.

she was stunning. but it wasn’t just that. it was the way she felt. vibrant. sincere. like she wasn’t trying to be anyone but herself.

you could still remember the way your cheeks felt warm when you finally answered.

“uh, well, i don’t usually think about stuff like that,” you said carefully, then smiled despite yourself. “but i think katseye’s megan is absolutely gorgeous. i mean, i’d love to meet her. she seems fun. like the kind of person you’d want to be friends with.”

innocent enough. 

‎ 

or so you thought.

now, here you were, spinning idly on a swivel chair in yunjin’s recording booth, trying not to meet her smug eyes.

“you should’ve said nothing,” she said, clearly enjoying herself. “or lied. something. anything. instead, you went full disney channel crush monologue.”

“i thought it was harmless,” you argued, voice climbing in pitch. “i didn’t think the entire internet would spiral into an fbi task force over a throwaway comment. seriously, doesn’t anyone have jobs?”

“you’re y/n,” yunjin shot back, twirling a pencil between her fingers. “you know people hang onto your words like they’re stock tips. you practically lit a flare above her name with that answer.”

“i didn’t even say anything that bad! i called her pretty and said she seemed fun. i said the same thing about you last week on dex’s fridge.”

“right, but you didn’t look like you were about to pass out from heart palpitations when you said it about me. you didn’t blush. you didn’t pause like you were imagining your wedding vows. babe, you looked like you were one blink away from writing her poetry.”

“you’re being so dramatic.”

“am i?” she raised an eyebrow. “because you may as well have held a ‘simp’ sign and worn a megan skiendiel stan shirt. even sungchan has more chill than that. sungchan, y/n.”

you groaned at the mention of your tall, hopelessly clumsy mutual. “low blow.”

“i’m just saying.” she shrugged, biting back a grin. “even you know i’m right.”

and unfortunately, you kind of did.

“okay, but for real,” yunjin said, dragging her chair over with a squeak that made you wince. she rested her elbows on her knees, chin in her hands, looking at you like she was about to stage an intervention. “what are you gonna do if she actually reaches out?”

you blinked, caught off guard by the shift in her tone. “what do you mean?”

“i mean, say she dms you. or tags you in some story. or, i don’t know, shows up at your next premiere with a bouquet of roses and a sign that says ‘hi crush.’ what then?” she asked. “you gonna freak out and melt into the floor? you gonna invite her to karaoke and try to play it cool while secretly dying inside?”

you turned away and took a long, pointed sip of your coffee.

“no, but seriously,” she pressed, clearly not letting it go. “you like her, don’t you?”

you snorted. “i’ve never even met her.”

“not what i asked.”

you sighed, letting your head fall back against the wall with a soft thud. “i don’t know. maybe.”

yunjin tilted her head. “that’s a yes.”

“it’s not a yes,” you said, but your voice was too quiet to sound convincing. “i just think she’s… interesting.”

“gorgeous, fun, interesting,” she ticked off on her fingers. “mmhmm. yeah. sounds like someone’s caught feelings off vibes and roblox streams alone. that’s powerful.”

you groaned again and rolled your eyes, but the sound that left your throat was somewhere between embarrassment and reluctant laughter. “you make it sound so unhinged.”

“it is unhinged,” she said without missing a beat. “but it’s also kind of cute. in a really stupid, romcom kind of way. you, falling for a girl you’ve never met because she made you laugh through a pixelated camera while dressed like a traffic cone.”

you narrowed your eyes. “it was a very good orange wig.”

“never said it wasn’t,” she said with a shrug. “you’re just proving my point.”

you exhaled slowly, running a hand down your face. “look, i didn’t mean for any of this to happen. i just answered the question honestly. i wasn’t trying to stir up some whole thing.”

“but you did,” she said gently. ”and maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world.”

you looked at her, unsure how to respond.

“she could be into it,” yunjin said, her voice lighter again. “she should be into it. if i was her, i’d be clearing my schedule and calling my stylist for a camera-ready fit. do you even know how many people would kill to be publicly flirted with by you?”

“i wasn’t flirting.”

“girl, you might as well have asked for her ring size.”

you groaned again and flopped forward, burying your face in your arms as yunjin broke into another fit of laughter. somewhere beneath the teasing and the noise, though, was something quieter. something you didn’t say out loud.

you kind of hoped she did reach out.

even just to say hi.

__

the dorm was quiet, save for the low hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of pipes behind the walls. manhua pages rustled faintly in the room next door, probably sophia flipping through her latest haul before bed, but otherwise the place had settled into a kind of hush that only came after midnight. the rest of the girls had turned in after rehearsals, legs sore, voices hoarse, the kind of tired that sank into the bones. megan had stayed behind in the living room, half-sprawled across the floor with a pillow hugged to her chest and a cold bottle of pocari pressed under her jaw.

she was still in her practice clothes, oversized hoodie and bike shorts, skin sticky with the last remnants of sweat she hadn’t bothered to wipe off properly. her hair was clipped up haphazardly, strands falling into her face as she stared down at her phone, blue light painting her features in a soft, ghostly glow.

she wasn’t really expecting anything when she opened twitter. just a quick scroll before bed, a way to shut her brain off after a day of hitting choreography until her ankles burned. but then she saw the video. saw her name. and froze.

“Y/N CONFIRMS SHE’S A FAN OF KATSEYE’S MEGAN 🫢🫢🫢”

she clicked it.

the clip wasn’t long. maybe thirty seconds, a little more. it was some variety show. she recognized eunwoo immediately, bright-eyed and relaxed in the way only he ever seemed to be on camera. y/n sat beside him, posture a little straighter than usual, nerves twitching under the surface despite the easy smile on her face.

megan watched the moment unfold. the way the question was asked. the pause. the sheepish smile. 

“i think katseye’s megan is absolutely gorgeous.”

the words shouldn’t have done anything. people said things like that all the time. fans. hosts. stylists brushing out her hair before a shoot. it wasn’t new. but the way y/n said it, quiet, thoughtful, almost like she was holding back something bigger… it sat heavy in megan’s chest as the clip ended and replayed itself automatically.

she watched it again. and then a third time.

her notifications were already a mess. katseye’s name trending alongside y/n’s, clips being reposted with fan captions and edits, screenshots of the moment paired with captions like “megan better WAKE UP” and “y/n join the line babe”. she should’ve laughed. part of her did. but underneath it, something shifted. something warm and unsure and a little bit dizzy.

y/n had been on her radar for a while, if she was being honest. megan wasn’t the type to crush easily, but there was something about her. it started with a film. some sci-fi action thing that megan only half paid attention to until y/n showed up on screen and suddenly everything was more interesting. after that, it was interviews. behind the scenes clips. a fan edit that popped up on her for you page one morning and made her miss a whole subway stop because she got too caught up in it.

and now this.

megan opened y/n’s instagram without really thinking. her thumb hovered over the follow button. she stared at it for a long second, teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

she didn’t press it.

not yet.

instead, she set her phone down on the floor beside her and let her eyes drift to the ceiling. her heart was beating faster than it had any right to.

“gorgeous,” she murmured under her breath, voice barely audible. “fun. wants to be friends.”

maybe she could work with that.

‎ 

sleep didn’t come easy to her that night.  before she knew it, the night shifted to morning and she had to get up. the studio called her name, as it seemed to relentlessly the past month and some change. 

sophia, daniela, and yoonchae were already mid-run-through when megan walked into the practice room, the tail end of the “gnarly” chorus echoing faintly from the speakers. sophia’s voice cut clean through the track, daniela’s movements sharp and deliberate. yoonchae was quiet, as usual, but every step she made was crisp, clockwork precise.

megan had barely stepped into the center of the room when she heard it.

“so.” lara didn’t even look up from where she was sitting, stretching her legs out and leaning back on her palms. “anything you wanna share with the class?”

megan blinked. “what?”

manon turned her head slowly from where she was sitting several notches away, a teasing gleam in her eyes. she answers as if it’s obvious. honestly, it really was. “y/n.”

megan tensed immediately. “oh god.”

“yup,” lara said, like she had been waiting all morning for this. “you’ve been blowing up on stan twitter since seven a.m. and don’t think we didn’t notice how fast you saved that clip on the shared account”

“i didn’t save it,” megan muttered, grabbing her water bottle a little too fast. “i just… happened to see it. once.”

“megan,” manon said, eyes narrowing just slightly. “you’ve been quiet all morning. the last time you shut the fuck up was when you saw scarlett johanson do the splits in that one captain america movie. don’t lie to us.”

lara laughed under her breath. “she said you were gorgeous, wanted to be friends. oh, how romantic. i bet you probably watched it ten times over.”

“i did not,” megan said, practically choking on her water. “i just didn’t expect it, okay? i wasn’t mentally prepared.”

“mentally prepared for what?” manon said, raising a brow. “a compliment? you’ve been in magazines. people compliment you all the time.”

“not her,” megan said, before immediately realizing what she’d just admitted out loud. she froze. “i mean. not like. you know. never mind.”

lara clapped once, too loud. “that’s it. someone get her phone. we’re crafting a dm.”

“absolutely not,” megan said, panic already bubbling in her chest. “i’ll die.”

“what are you gonna do?” manon said. “wait until she magically appears in the dorms living room?”

megan buried her face in her hoodie. “maybe.”

“this is tragic,” lara said. “you have the golden opportunity of a lifetime and you’re out here acting like she’s a tax bill.”

“can we please change the subject,” megan mumbled, voice muffled in fabric.

“nope,” manon said, standing up and walking towards her. “group vote says you’re dming her.”

lara held out a hand. “seconded.”

from across the room, daniela raised a hand mid-step. “thirded.”

megan didn’t even look up. “yoonchae. please. save me.”

yoonchae just gave a small shrug, barely breaking from the choreo. megan groaned into her sleeve.

yep. she was on her own. not even sophia batted an eyelash, the filippinas glossy lips tilting up into a small grin where she was by the mirrors. 

megan sat down cross-legged on the floor with her phone clutched in both hands like it might explode. her back was hunched, eyes glued to the screen, and the expression on her face hovered somewhere between total focus and a full-blown identity crisis.

“you haven’t even opened instagram yet,” manon pointed out, sitting behind her and peering over her shoulder.

“i’m getting to it,” megan muttered.

lara flopped down next to her with a dramatic sigh. “this is painful to watch. if you go any slower, we’ll be here until yoonchae turns twenty-seven.”

megan unlocked her phone with a resigned swipe. “what do i even say? like. what do people say when they’re trying not to sound weird?”

lara took a breath. “okay. let’s start simple. ‘hi y/n, thanks for saying i’m pretty on tv—”

“i’m not saying that.”

“‘you have great taste in women’—”

“lara.”

“‘let’s be friends (or more if you’re free saturday night)’—”

megan covered her face with both hands. “why did i think listening to you was a good idea.”

manon leaned her chin on megan’s shoulder. “fine. try this. ‘hi, this is super random but i saw the clip from weekly idol and just wanted to say thank you. that was really sweet of you. hope we can meet someday!’ short, polite, friendly. not scary.”

megan peeked at her. “…that’s not terrible.”

lara squinted. “it’s boring.”

“it’s safe,” manon said, grabbing megan’s phone and typing it out with quick thumbs. “she’s not asking her to elope, she’s just acknowledging it.”

megan took the phone back and read it over like it was a contract. “…what if she doesn’t reply?”

“then you delete your account and we pretend this never happened,” lara said. “easy.”

“lara,” manon sighed.

megan stared at the message for a long moment. her thumb hovered. then tapped. then hovered again.

“just hit send,” daniela called from across the room, not even looking up from her stretching. “we can feel your hesitation from over here.”

“seriously,” sophia added, “you’re vibrating.”

megan sucked in a breath through her teeth. and then, with her eyes closed and her stomach in her shoes, she hit send.

silence.

lara let out the longest, slowest gasp. “it’s done.”

manon patted her back. “you’re very brave.”

megan immediately flopped backward onto the floor like she’d just run a marathon. “i need to lie here forever. let me perish in peace.”

lara just grinned and offered her a thumbs up. “she’s gonna love it.”

megan covered her eyes. “i hate everything.”

never in a million years would she have expected that one simple action to change everything. 

__

the cafe was warm in that familiar, lived-in kind of way. wood-paneled walls framed by climbing ivy, soft light filtering through dusty windows, and the scent of espresso baked into the air like it had nowhere else to go. outside, a quiet drizzle tapped at the glass, slow and steady, painting the sidewalk in watercolor streaks. inside, the soft clatter of dishes and hum of conversation made everything feel just far enough from the noise of your schedule to breathe.

you were at a small table near the back, the kind that rocked a little if you leaned on it wrong. yunjin sat across from you, one leg thrown over the other, straw bent at an aggressive angle in her lemonade. beside her, sungchan had his jacket slung over his chair and a look of mild betrayal on his face as he stared down at the salad yunjin had goaded him into ordering.

“i’m just saying,” she said, picking a piece of arugula off his plate like it belonged to her, “you can’t order a burger four days in a row and then complain about your skin breaking out.”

“it’s called balance,” sungchan muttered, dragging his fork through the greens with the resigned air of someone deeply offended by roughage. “i had a banana this morning.”

“oh wow,” she deadpanned. “one whole banana. call the olympic committee, this man is the pinnacle of health.”

he gave her a flat look. “didn’t you eat instant tteokbokki at two in the morning and then text me about your stomach cramps like it was my fault?”

“okay, first of all, you’re my emotional support contact when i make poor life choices. second of all, i still looked hot while doing it.”

you blinked slowly, chin in your hand, eyes fixed on the screen of your phone where the message sat.

hi, this is super random but i saw the clip from weekly idol and just wanted to say thank you. that was really sweet of you. hope we can meet someday!

megan had sent it two nights ago. you’d seen it the moment it came in, heart tripping over itself in the dark quiet of your bedroom. you didn’t answer. not right away. you told yourself you were busy, that you had scripts to review, meetings lined up. you told yourself it wasn’t ghosting if you intended to respond eventually.

but even now, hours and hours later, you were still here. still staring. still unsure what to say.

you had never been this nervous to talk to someone before.

“okay, this is depressing,” yunjin said, snapping her fingers in your direction. “hey. eyes up. you look like someone just broke up with you via powerPoint.”

sungchan leaned in a little, squinting at you. “are you sick? you’re weirdly quiet. usually you’d be insulting us by now.”

“i’m not sick,” you said quickly, locking your phone and setting it face down on the table. “just… thinking.”

“thinking about what?” yunjin asked, tone tilting toward nosy in that way only close friends could get away with.

you hesitated.

“oh my god,” she gasped. “you’re in love.”

“i’m not in love,” you said, too fast, which only made sungchan snort into his water.

“that’s what people say right before they confess they’re in love,” he said, dabbing at his chin with a napkin like he hadn’t just inhaled half a slice of garlic bread. “who is it?”

“nobody,” you said.

yunjin leaned forward with the exact expression of someone who knew they were right. “it’s megan, isn’t it?”

you didn’t answer. you didn’t have to. the look on your face gave you away.

sungchan let out a low whistle. “oh. that megan. the ‘gorgeous, fun, would love to be friends’ megan.”

you groaned, resting your forehead on your palm. “do you all memorize everything i say or are you just stalking my interviews for sport?”

“yes,” they said at the same time.

“okay but seriously,” yunjin said, nudging your phone with one perfectly manicured finger. “she messaged you, right?”

you nodded.

“and you didn’t reply because…?”

you sighed. “i don’t know. because it’s her. because i don’t want to mess it up. because what if she’s just being nice and this whole thing is way more casual to her than it is to me?”

sungchan tilted his head. “you mean what if she’s cool and normal and not secretly writing fanfiction about you the way you’re doing about her?”

yunjin grinned. “do you want us to help you write back? or are you planning to keep having an existential crisis over a very cute dm?”

you glanced at the screen again. your reflection looked back at you in the black glass, soft and unsure.

“i’ll write back,” you said quietly.

“good,” yunjin said, leaning back in her chair with a pleased expression. “because if you didn’t, i was gonna pretend to be you and do it myself.”

“you’re terrifying,” sungchan said, which she accepted as a compliment.

you looked back at the message one more time. your heart was still beating a little too fast, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. maybe it meant you actually cared. that it mattered.

you took a breath. opened the keyboard.

and started to type.

your fingers hovered for a second too long over the keyboard. the blinking cursor stared back at you like it knew you were stalling. you could feel yunjin’s eyes on you, sharp and expectant, like she might actually snatch the phone from your hands if you hesitated any longer. sungchan, mercifully, had gone back to his salad, occasionally picking at it like it was an alien lifeform.

hi megan! sorry for the slow reply, things have been a little hectic lately. i saw your message and honestly it kind of made my whole week lol. thank you for reaching out :)

you paused. read it again. deleted the smiley. retyped it. added a second sentence.

i’d really love to meet too if you’re ever free.

then you stared at it some more.

“this is painful,” yunjin muttered. “just hit send. what’s the worst that could happen?”

“she leaves me on read and i spontaneously combust from shame,” you said flatly.

“dramatic,” sungchan mumbled, chewing like a cow. “but valid.”

“she won’t leave you on read,” yunjin said, more gently this time. “she messaged you first. that counts for something.”

you looked down at the screen one last time. your thumb hovered over the send button. your stomach turned a slow, clumsy flip. and then, before you could second guess yourself again, you pressed it.

message sent.

you didn’t breathe for a full five seconds.

“there,” yunjin said, smug now. “look at you. being brave.”

“i already regret this,” you mumbled, locking your phone again and pushing it away like it might explode.

“do you want a cookie?” sungchan asked, peering at the dessert menu. “i feel like this moment deserves a cookie.”

you blinked at him. “why do you always want to eat after stressful emotional events?”

“because i am a man of simple needs,” he said, deadpan. “and also because cookies are comforting.”

“he’s not wrong,” yunjin said, flagging down the waiter with the kind of unearned confidence that came from growing up with three older siblings and no shame. except, she didn’t. “three chocolate chip, please. and a round of iced americanos. she’s going to need the caffeine.”

you sank back into your seat, still feeling the rush of adrenaline buzzing under your skin. outside, the rain had picked up a little, streaking the windows like silver threads. inside, everything smelled like sugar and espresso and something warm baking in the oven.

you didn’t know if megan would reply. maybe she’d be busy. maybe she’d forget. but for now, you’d done the hardest part.

you’d answered, and that felt like enough for today.

that was, at least, until your phone chimed.

the sound sliced through the moment like a needle popping a balloon. all three of you froze. your eyes shot to the screen where the notification banner was still lingering like a ghost.

megan skiendiel: that sounds perfect :) when are you free?

yunjin let out an actual gasp, loud and dramatic enough to make the table behind you glance over. sungchan dropped his fork.

“no way,” yunjin hissed, already leaning across the table to see. “no actual way. she replied that fast? is she a robot?”

you didn’t say anything. you just stared. your heart had lodged itself somewhere in your throat, beating so hard it made your ears ring. megan had replied. not just replied but enthusiastically. and with a smiley. the exact one you had almost deleted from your own message.

“hello?” sungchan waved a hand in front of your face. “earth to y/n. what did she say? is it something scandalous? are we finally getting to live vicariously through your love life?”

you shoved your phone toward them without speaking.

yunjin read the message out loud like it was a line from a sacred text. “‘that sounds perfect. when are you free.’” then she looked up at you with her mouth already forming a wicked grin. “she wants to hang out. like, actually hang out. she’s asking you out.”

“not asking me out,” you said quickly, the heat creeping up the back of your neck. “just… asking when i’m free.”

“same thing,” sungchan said, picking his fork back up and pointing it at you like it was a weapon. “in celebrity speak that is basically a confession of love. i’ve seen the charts.”

“you made those charts,” you reminded him.

“and they’re scientifically sound.”

“okay but seriously,” yunjin cut in, phone still in hand, “when are you free? do you have a day off coming up?”

you blinked, trying to force your brain back into scheduling mode. “uh… friday afternoon? maybe?”

“perfect,” she said, already typing something. “tell her friday. tell her you’re free after lunch. keep it casual. breezy. like you’re not obsessively analyzing every possible outcome of this conversation.”

you shot her a look. “i am obsessively analyzing every possible outcome of this conversation.”

“which is why you need us,” sungchan said with his mouth full of cookie. “we’re here to keep you from imploding.”

your phone buzzed again.

megan skiendiel: i’m free friday after seven. wanna grab coffee? i can send you a spot i like

you didn’t even get a chance to reply before yunjin squealed.

sungchan raised both hands to the sky. “oh my god. it’s happening. it’s actually happening.”

you stared at the message, barely breathing, heart thudding like a drum inside your chest.

coffee. with megan.

you were either about to make a new friend or absolutely ruin your entire life trying.

weirdly… you couldn’t wait to find out which.

__

friday showed up before you were ready for it.

“i feel like a dad on prom night,” sungchan said, flopped across your couch like a man waiting for judgment day. he hugged a pillow to his stomach like it might shield him from the chaos. “except hotter. and younger. and not emotionally repressed.

“you’re eating chips with your shirt inside out,”chaewon deadpanned, looking sungchan up and down judgmentally.. “you look like a walking identity crisis.”  

then she turned, peering around the corner into your bedroom.

“y/n, i can’t believe you’re finally going on a date. talk about a breakthrough.”

yunjin sat cross legged on the floor, scrolling through her phone like she wasn’t the one who casually mentioned your date in front of everyone. the very second chaewon heard, she practically chomped at the bit, begging yunjin to bring her along to watch it all unfold. to say your love life was a spectacle among your friends would be an understatement.

“for the record,” you called from your room, still getting ready, “i said no to bringing chaewon.”

“for the record,” chaewon shouted back, “we overruled you. this is a democracy.”

“it’s so not.”

you stepped out, halfway dressed, holding up two completely different tops.

“black or white?”

“ooh,” yunjin said, squinting like she was inspecting a rare museum artifact. “black is hot. white is sweet. depends on the vibe you’re going for.”

“the vibe is ‘i want to look cute but not like i tried too hard because if i think about this too long i will throw myself into traffic’.”

“black,” chaewon and sungchan said in unison.

you sighed and nodded, disappearing back into the room. the air buzzed with the sound of sungchan crunching loudly and chaewon whispering to yunjin like they were spies on a mission.

“lets make a bet. ten dollars says she has a breakdown before she even leaves the house.” chaewon whispered.

“twenty says she embarrasses herself throwing up in megan’s car.” yunjin whispered back.

“guys,” you said, poking your head out again. “i can hear you.”

“we know,” they all said at the same time.

your phone dinged again.

megan skiendiel: on my way. i’ll be at your door in a minute. also, did you know your bellhop likes our music? he almost fainted when he let me up lol

you stared at the message for two full seconds before the others caught the change in your face like wolves spotting weakness. you barely had time to blink before the room exploded.

“oh my god,” sungchan shot up from the couch like someone yelled ‘fire!’. the chip bag in his hands crinkled louder than a car alarm. “was that her? is she outside? do we hide? do we have a code word if things go sideways?”

“wait, she’s coming up here?” chaewon gasped, already rising with a dramatic flair. “this place is a disaster zone!”

“i cleaned for you people,” you hissed, throwing a pointed look at the water bottles on the coffee table and the lone sock draped suspiciously over the lamp.

“yeah, and we immediately undid all of it,” yunjin said, waving a hand at the chaos like it was a museum exhibit. “you’re welcome.”

sungchan grabbed his phone, replacing the cushion he clutched. “this is it. our little baby’s first date.”

“shut up,” you muttered, cheeks heating like you’d just been called out in front of the world. “and put that damn phone down. if i see you take even one photo, i’ll beat your ass. besides, it’s not a date.”

three pairs of eyes locked onto you in unison.

“coffee with the girl you’ve been thinking about nonstop for two weeks,” chaewon said, crossing her arms with the confidence of a daytime talk show host.

“wearing the ‘hot top’, nervous enough to sweat through your socks,” yunjin added, giving you an appraising look.

“with three unpaid emotional support staff waiting at home,” sungchan finished, voice thick with mock solemnity.

your gaze snapped back and forth between the three of them, and you cringed inwardly. okay, they were right. this was definitely a date.

then, knock knock knock.

you froze for a second, heart thudding so loud you were sure they could hear it in the next room. you opened the door, and there she was.

megan stood on the other side like a vision in the hallway light, hair catching the glow just right, a smile that was equal parts warm and mischievous.

behind you, the trio froze mid-move like they’d just been caught doing something they definitely shouldn’t. they exchanged shiteating grins that barely hid how badly they were eavesdropping. yunjin quickly pulled out her phone like she was suddenly very interested in something, but her eyes kept darting toward the door. chaewon leaned against the wall, looking way too relaxed for someone who was clearly dying to say something, and sungchan sprawled on the couch with the kind of lazy cool that screamed i’m totally innocent. when megan’s eyes flicked over to them, they all waved with big, overly casual smiles like innocent bystanders who just happened to be hanging out, except no one was buying it.

but then megan’s eyes locked onto yours and suddenly everything else around you faded into the background. your breath hitched without warning and your brain scrambled like it was trying to process a beautiful glitch in reality.

you’d only ever seen her through a screen before. live streams where she smiled like the sun was just for her, short clips where she moved with effortless grace, and that one quick instagram deep dive you’d done when she messaged you. but now, here she was in real life, and she was something else entirely.

her skin caught the soft light of your penthouse, glowing like it had its own quiet radiance. her eyes were bigger and deeper than you expected, dark and shimmering like they held a secret you wanted to know. the way her hair fell in loose waves around her face softened her sharp cheekbones and made her look both fierce and kind at the same time.

she wasn’t just pretty. she was the kind of stunning that made you forget words and wish you could rewind the moment just to stare a little longer. standing there, frozen with your mouth slightly open, you realized this was the first time you were seeing her. not a filtered version, not a quick snapshot. but the real her. and it was breathtaking.

“hi,” megan said, and the word came out with a lopsided grin that cracked through the tension in your chest like sunlight through a fogged-up window. her voice was warm, lilting, a little too casual for someone who had just walked in looking like a daydream in denim baggy jeans and a bomber jacket. she rocked slightly on her heels and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, like she was fighting the urge to do a small nervous dance.

“hi,” you replied, except it sounded more like a squeak than anything human. your throat betrayed you. of course it did.

then her eyes flicked over your shoulder, and that grin stretched even wider.

“hey guys!” she waved, cheerful like she’d just walked into a party of old friends instead of three people very poorly pretending to mind their own business. “love the casual surveillance vibe you’ve got going on in here.”

“we’re chill,” sungchan said, lounging so awkwardly on the couch he almost slid off it. 

“so chill,” chaewon added, nodding solemnly from her place at the wall, where she’d become one with a houseplant.

“this is how we always sit,” yunjin said, phone upside down in her hand, gaze glued directly to megan’s face. “completely normal. zero eavesdropping. you can’t prove otherwise.”

megan let out a laugh, scrunching her nose as she looked back at you. “your friends are amazing.”

“they’re something,” you muttered, grabbing your bag before your legs could decide to walk without you.

“so,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck and bouncing slightly on her toes. “you ready? or do you need a few more minutes to, like, peel them off the furniture?”

you gave a quiet laugh, trying not to show that your hands were already clammy. “nope. ready.”

megan smiled again. softer this time. like she was seeing you for real. “cool. let’s go, then.”

and with that, you stepped out into whatever this was going to be, your heart doing cartwheels the entire way.

‎ 

truthfully, megan’s car wasn’t what you’d expected. some part of you, the part still convinced the universe had a twisted sense of humor, had pictured something absurd. maybe a crop duster or even the rusty tow truck from cars. something loud. chaotic. entirely un-date-like. instead, it was a sleek black suv. understated but sharp, just like her.

from the passenger seat, you couldn’t help sneaking glances. megan’s focus was fixed on the road, her jaw tense, her hands gripping the wheel like she was bracing for impact.

“you look nervous,” you said, a little too gently.

“o-oh, well. you know.” her voice cracked slightly as she coughed into her shoulder, eyes flicking toward you before immediately darting back to the windshield. she gave you a crooked grin, brief and almost sheepish. “i am. honestly, i feel like i’m going to vomit.”

you laughed before you could help it. light, surprised. “vomit? that’s dramatic.”

“i mean, maybe,” she said, her eyes narrowing playfully for half a second before softening again. “it’s just… i didn’t expect to actually be here. with you. not in a bad way. in a surreal way.”

you felt the flush creep across your cheeks before you even registered it, a warmth that pooled somewhere in your chest. still, you tilted your head toward her, teasing. “i can’t tell if you mean that as a compliment or not.”

megan practically panicked. “no! no, no no, not at all. god, please, that’s the silliest thing i’ve ever heard.” her words came out too fast, tripping over themselves. she shook her head like it would help untangle the knot in her thoughts. “i’m just nervous, okay? i keep overthinking it. like, what if i say something dumb, or do something weird, or—”

her voice dropped slightly, and she added, almost under her breath, “you’re so pretty i can’t think straight.”

then she froze, eyes widening as if realizing she’d said it out loud. her face goes red, a grimace pulling across her lips. she lifts a hand off the wheel to gently facepalm herself, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. “please ignore me. i’m begging,”

you could only watch. you don’t know when the fond grin crossed your lips. when your heart skipped a beat, when her endearing clumsiness had you relaxing in your seat. perhaps knowing that she was just as, if not more, nervous as you made you feel relieved. after a beat, you laughed. soft. her eyes lit up as she glanced at you from her peripheral, the short noise drawing her from her thoughts.

“you’re fine,” you said, quiet but real. “i’ve been looking forward to tonight too.”

“really?”

“yeah. do you think i’d let my friends invade my house all week just for fun? they’ve been insufferable, harassing me all week. i guess i maybe haven’t made it all that secret that i’ve been interested in you for a while.” then you shake your head. “interested in meeting, that is.”

this time it was megan’s turn to crack a stupid grin.

whatever nerves you felt immediately disappeared the longer you talked to each other. truth be told, you were worried whether you’d get along as well as you hoped you would. part of you worried that once you saw each other, it’d be awkward. quiet. instead megan somehow managed to fill the silence with conversation. she asked about your family, about your day, about your friends. in turn you asked about hers.

she laughed at something you said. not even something that funny, really, just a small comment about the gas station snacks you liked. but the way she laughed, like she meant it, like she wasn’t just being polite, made your chest feel lighter. her voice filled the car, soft but certain, and the road hummed under the tires like it was part of the conversation.

you glanced over at her. she was driving with one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gear shift. her thumb tapped along to the music playing low through the speakers. some indie band neither of you had heard before but had both agreed sounded “pretty good.” it was easy. easier than you expected.

you didn’t have to think too hard before speaking. there was no second guessing. no awkward pauses that made you reach for your phone or pretend to check the map. she asked about the book in your bag and you told her it was something you started three times but never finished. she admitted she did that too, more often than she’d like to admit. you both laughed again.

the sky outside started to shift, the blue softening into a hazy gold. you weren’t sure how long you’d been driving, only that time felt different in the car with her. stretched out. slowed down. kinder.

it didn’t take long for her to park outside a cafe, but neither of you moved to get out. instead, you agreed to order to go. that’s how you ended up here. still in her car, windows slightly cracked, the warm scent of coffee filling the space between you. your drink sat snug in the cupholder, hands curled around it for warmth, and a half-eaten bagel rested in your lap. just outside the windshield, the lights of seoul shimmered across the han river, soft and golden against the night.

she didn’t seem in any rush to leave, and neither were you.

after a long sip of coffee, the next question came out without much thought.

“how long are you in korea for this time?”

“another week, give or take,” she said, eyes flicking to the skyline, like she was already counting down.

“do you miss home?”

“i do. yeah. i miss my car, mostly. it’s my baby. a bmw m3.”

you looked at her, eyebrows raised. “whoever handed you the keys to a sports car must have had a serious lapse in judgment. you drive this suv like you’ve got a personal vendetta against the speed limit.”

she let out a laugh, head tipping back slightly. “what can i say? i like to go fast.”

“sure. until we’re airborne.”

“oh, come on,” she grinned. “you weren’t complaining when you were riding shotgun, all cozy and content, full-on passenger princess mode.”

you rolled your eyes, but your smile gave you away. “i was holding onto the door for dear life.”

“you were vibing,” she said.

“i was surviving,” you shot back, but it was playful, light.

the silence that followed wasn’t awkward. it was the kind that settled easy between two people who’d already found a rhythm.

megan reached for her own cup, nearly knocking over the paper bag between you in the process. the bagel inside gave a sad little flop onto the console. she froze.

“whoops. that was... not smooth.”

you laughed, nudging the bag gently back toward her. “you’re a menace behind the wheel and a danger to pastries. noted.”

she gave you a sheepish smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “yeah, i’m really killing it tonight, huh?”

“actually,” you said, voice a little softer, “i’ve had a really nice time.”

she blinked at you, surprised. “yeah?”

you nodded, looking out toward the river before meeting her eyes again. “i was kinda nervous. not because of you, just... sometimes people are different in person. it doesn’t always click.”

megan was quiet for a second, then gave a small, crooked smile. “i was worried about that too. i overthink everything. i even tried to pick a good playlist just in case the conversation died and we needed... filler noise or something.”

you laughed. “is that why i’ve been listening to three hours of sad indie girls?”

“they’re emotionally articulate,” she said, pretending to be offended, but her grin gave her away. “besides, it worked, didn’t it?”

you leaned back against the seat, stretching your legs out a bit. “yeah. it really did.”

the city lights danced in her eyes when she looked at you, soft and a little uncertain, but there was warmth there too. the kind that made the car feel smaller, safer.

“you’re easy to talk to,” she said after a moment, quieter than before.

you smiled, heart tugging just slightly at her honesty. “so are you.”

a comfortable silence settled again, the kind where neither of you felt the need to fill it. the engine ticked softly as it cooled, and in the background, another melancholic song hummed through the speakers.

“i was gonna try and act all chill and collected,” megan said eventually, gaze fixed on the skyline. “but then i fumbled, almost crashed into that curb, and now my bagel is probably in pieces.”

“you’re doing great,” you said, trying not to smile too much. “like, truly elite first impression.”

she turned to face you, eyes bright despite the dim light. “yeah?”

“yeah.”

and just like that, the nerves that had once lingered in the corners of your chest felt like a distant memory.

__

after that night in the car, things shifted. not in a big, dramatic way. no sudden declarations, no fireworks. just small things. steadier things.

your conversations moved from instagram dms to real texts. it felt natural. seamless. one day she asked for your number like it wasn’t a big deal, like she hadn’t already been in your head more than you cared to admit. and you gave it without hesitation, like it wasn’t a risk. like you already knew she’d treat it right.

when she left korea, it was quiet. no big goodbye, no emotional scene. she texted you from the airport, a blurry photo of her and a coffee she swore was going to keep her awake through the flight. from there, the messages kept going. even with the time difference, she found time to talk. random updates. sleepy selfies. voice notes with a little static in the background because she always seemed to be walking somewhere, or in a van, or waiting backstage. sometimes she’d send a song with no context. sometimes just a “this reminded me of you” followed by a meme that made absolutely no sense.

you talked about everything and nothing. the shows she was doing. the tiny hotel rooms she was crashing in. how much she missed sophia’s dog, chanel. how lara had started sleep talking again. how yoonchae had near cried when she had to say goodbye to her parents again when they returned to california.

you told her about your week, the upcoming film you’re wrapping up shooting, your friends, the late-night ramen run that ended in rain and ruined shoes.

some nights, the conversations lasted until one of you fell asleep mid-text. other nights, it was just a good morning or goodnight, quick but never careless.

somehow, she made the space between you feel smaller.

it didn’t take long for others to start noticing your budding friendship, either. 

if there was one thing you should know about megan skiendiel, it’s that she’s stubborn. fiercely so. once she feels something, she clings to it with both hands. no disguises, no apologies. she doesn’t know how to be subtle and doesn’t try to be. her heart shows up before she even walks into the room.

and lately, her heart had a habit of mentioning you. probably more than it should have.

the first time was during a casual sit-down with a popular youtuber. the question had been harmless enough.  “did you meet anyone interesting in korea?” 

megan didn’t even blink before your name tumbled out of her mouth.

behind her, manon practically doubled over laughing while lara muttered something about “bad timing” and “inside jokes.” the clip went viral within the hour.

eyekons weren’t buying the act. they knew.

especially after that solo live.

‎ 

megan sank into the couch with a sigh, stretching her legs over the coffee table as she adjusted her phone. It’d been a long day. dance practice ran overtime, vocal lessons left her voice raw, and all she wanted was to collapse into bed. but she had promised her fans a live, and the guilt of leaving them waiting weighed heavily on her.

she brushed  her hair back as the screen flickered to life. a wave of comments flooded in immediately, the chat scrolling too fast to keep up.

she smiled, a familiar warmth settling into her voice. "hi, everyone. It's been a while, huh?"

the dorm was quieter than usual. yoonchae and daniela were still at the studio, finishing up some recording. lara, sophia and manon were off doing who knows what. 

megan answered questions between sips of water, laughing as fans teased her. she talked about her love for food, and her habit of getting lost in airports. the conversation was easy, natural. she talked about practice, her favorite songs lately, and the games she'd been playing. it felt comfortable, like a casual late night talk with friends.

then, suddenly, the energy shifted. the comments exploded into chaos. fans were spamming messages faster than she had ever seen before.

"wait, what's happening?" she mumbled, eyes flicking over the chat, trying to make sense of the flood of messages.

then she saw it. a single line of text that had a dumb grin permanently etching itself across her face. 

y/n:  have you ate today? you look so cute with those glasses on! 

her eyes scanned the screen again just to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. but no. it was still there. your name. your message.

she dropped her hands into her lap and beamed, full teeth, no restraint. her cheeks were already tinged pink, and now they burned. she didn’t care.

“hi, y/n,” she said, voice soft but electric. “you’re really here, huh?”

the chat lost its mind. it was like someone had thrown gasoline on a bonfire. hearts, exclamation marks. 

megan didn’t even try to hide it.

“i wasn’t expecting that,” she said, practically bouncing in place now. “like, i thought maybe you’d be busy or… i don’t know, being famous and cool and doing actor things.”

she laughed a short, nervous little burst,  then leaned closer to the screen, like it might bring her to you.

“i did eat, by the way. i wasn’t gonna wear the glasses, but my eyes were tired and they help with the light. but… i’m glad you think they look nice.”

it wasn’t subtle. none of it was subtle.

she was glowing. lit from the inside out with the kind of joy that couldn’t be faked. and even though thousands of fans were watching, even though the chat was an overwhelming blur of reactions and chaos.  for that brief moment, it was like no one else existed. no one but you. 

‎ 

the third, perhaps most notorious time, was two weeks later.

‎ 

it was meant to be a harmless segment. a fluff piece for some new cosmopolitan youtube show. the kind with silly games and awkward dares and an entire soundboard dedicated to exaggerated gasps. katseye had been invited to promote their upcoming showcase, and the host had them lined up in pairs, facing each other in a game of “who knows who better.”

megan had been paired with sophia, which was dangerous from the start. the two had a history of throwing each other under the bus for the sake of comedy, and neither had a filter to speak of.

“okay, last round,” the host grinned, holding up a cue card. “this one’s just for fun. megan, sophia — name one person your partner talks about way too much.”

“oh no,” sophia said instantly, already grinning like the cat who got the cream.

megan groaned, head falling back dramatically. “don’t do this to me.”

“i have no choice,” sophia replied solemnly. “i’m under oath.”

the buzzer sounded and both girls scribbled their answers down on whiteboards. megan wrote slowly, trying to be clever, trying to think of a joke that would dodge the obvious. but when the timer buzzed again, she sighed and held it up.

so did sophia.

your name. in big, bold letters. twice.

the studio burst into laughter, and the host clutched his chest like he’d just witnessed the reveal of the century.

“wow,” he said, eyes flicking between the two of them. “not even a hesitation.”

“because it’s true,” sophia said, smug. “she’s in her ‘y/n era.’ we’re just living in it.”

megan was pink from ear to ear, trying — and failing — to hide behind her board. “that’s not true. okay, maybe a little true.”

“a little?” manon called from off-camera. “girl, you made us watch one of her movies three nights in a row.”

“it was for the plot,” megan shot back.

“uh-huh,” daniela deadpanned. “plot named y/n.”

the clip made the rounds before the show even finished airing. fancams popped up with captions like “megan being the president of y/n’s fan club for six minutes straight” and the internet did what it does best. spiral.

‎ 

through it all, megan didn’t deny a thing.

she couldn’t. not when her whole face lit up like a summer skyline every time your name came up. not when her bandmates had stopped teasing and started treating your existence as something inevitable, like the rising sun or the way manon always stole everyone’s chargers.

 by then, you weren’t just someone she mentioned.

in an industry known for silence, for secrecy and statements about “valuing privacy,” hybe was practically rolling out a red carpet. in korea, relationships in the spotlight were often treated like scandals waiting to happen. but the western fans? they were eating it up. every clipped interview, every suspiciously timed instagram like, every passing mention of your name on a live. it was all free press, and hybe knew it.

so they leaned in. quietly, strategically. no denials. no damage control. just subtle nudges that said, yeah, keep watching.

and it was driving her crazy. 

__

you weren’t exactly sure when it happened. when the feeling settled in your chest and decided to stay. maybe it had been there all along, hiding underneath the comfort of familiarity and the ease of your friendship. or maybe it grew slowly, in the quiet moments you never thought to mark.

it could’ve been during the weeks she was gone, promoting outside of korea. the distance was supposed to make things simpler. safer. but instead, it just made her absence louder. knowing you were still the first person she messaged in the morning and the last one she talked to before sleep made your chest ache in a way you didn’t have a name for yet.

or maybe it was that one night, the one where you called her just to vent about a costar who had spent the entire day getting under your skin. you were halfway through a breathless rant when you noticed it. the way she was watching you through the screen. how she wasn’t just nodding politely or checking her phone or letting her attention drift. she was listening. really listening. her eyes softened when you got frustrated, lit up when you said something funny. when your voice cracked just a little from tiredness, she didn’t interrupt. she just stayed with you. present and still. like holding space for you was the most natural thing in the world.

and somewhere in all of that, it hit you.

you were in love with megan skiendiel. painfully. undeniably. fully.

at first, you were terrified. quietly, achingly scared. because what were you supposed to do with a feeling like this? loving megan had crept up on you, soft and slow, the way a sunset slips past the horizon before you even realize it’s gone. and now that it was here, fully formed and impossible to ignore, you didn’t know how to carry it.

megan had become a constant. someone who felt less like a friend and more like a fixture. someone you could turn to at any hour, knowing she’d listen without judgment, laugh at your bad jokes, sit in silence if that’s what you needed. she never made you feel like too much or not enough. she just saw you. and the last thing you wanted was to ruin something that good with feelings you didn’t know how to manage.

so you kept it quiet. buried it under casual texts and late-night calls. told yourself it wasn’t the right time. told yourself maybe it didn’t need to be said at all.

but then the girls were coming back to korea. six months had passed since their last visit, and the moment megan found out they’d be landing soon, she called you. not texted. not waited. called.

you’d picked up on the first ring.

and now, you were standing at your front door, fingers still curled around the handle, staring at the very girl who had been living rent-free in your head for months.

before you could even speak, megan threw her arms around you. the force of it almost knocked you back a step. her dark brown hair smelled like travel and lavender shampoo and something unmistakably her. she held you like she’d been counting down the days to this moment. like she’d been holding her breath all the way across oceans and could finally breathe again now that she was here.

her arms were warm and tight around you, her face tucked into the crook of your neck. for a few seconds, neither of you said anything. and for the first time in weeks, your heart didn’t feel so loud.

“you smell different,” megan mumbled, voice muffled against your shoulder.

you blinked, startled. “um. thanks?”

she pulled back just enough to look at you, her hands still resting on your waist. “not bad different. just… like laundry detergent and success.”

you snorted. “you’ve been on korean air for fifteen hours and that’s what you open with?”

“i missed you too,” she said, and there was no hesitation in it. no theatrics. just honesty, plain and easy, like it was the most natural thing in the world to say.

you felt the corners of your mouth twitch, trying hard not to smile like a complete idiot. “i figured. what with the fifteen missed calls.”

“okay, first of all,” she said, stepping fully into the apartment now, shrugging off her jacket, “ten of those were because i forgot the time difference and thought you were ghosting me.”

“you forgot the time difference?” you repeated, crossing your arms with a skeptical look.

megan turned around, eyes wide and unconvincing. “yes?”

you stared.

she caved. “no. i panicked. sue me.”

you closed the door behind her, shaking your head. “you’re ridiculous.”

“you like it,” she said without missing a beat, flopping dramatically onto your couch.

you didn’t deny it. instead, you walked over and stood behind the couch, arms draped loosely over the back as you looked down at her.

“so what’s the plan now that you’re back?” you asked.

megan grinned, tossing her head back to look up at you. “coffee. your favorite ramen place. a movie i’ll definitely talk through. and if you’re really lucky, maybe i’ll even let you win at mario kart.”

“bold of you to assume you’d be letting me win,” you said.

“bold of you to think you could beat me,” she fired back, eyes sparkling.

you met her gaze, heart stuttering, voice softer now. “i’m really glad you’re here.”

her grin faltered just a bit, and something gentler settled into her expression. “me too,” she said. “more than you know.”

for a moment you just stared at her, the moment truly settling in. you really did miss her. texting and phone calls were one thing, but seeing her in person was another. her goofy smile, the way she locked in like she didn’t just drop the funniest bomb known to mankind, the way she laughed as if she didn’t care who was watching. she was just one girl and yet, she consumed the space so beautifully without even knowing. 

you almost did it then. almost opened your mouth and let the words tumble out. but you didn’t. instead you settled on a small smile. 

you were about to ask megan if she wanted water when your phone buzzed against the counter. you didn’t need to look to know who it was. you’d spent the entire night before (and entire day honestly) lighting up your text chain with yunjin. sure enough, when you unlocked your screen and peered down, there she was. 

yunjin [7:13pm]: is she there yet or did she ghost you after all that build-up

yunjin [7:13pm]: respond right now or else i’ll think you confessed and blacked out from emotional overload. 

you rolled your eyes and typed back quickly with one hand while grabbing two glasses with the other.

you [7:14pm]: she’s here. no blackouts. yet.

yunjin [7:14pm]: yet???  i’m counting the minutes. btw u should ask her to come to the party tn. i think sungchan wanted to introduce u to someone too, so ur contractually obligated to show up. 

the idea of sungchan wanting to introduce you to someone made your blood run cold. the last time that happened, you ended up stuck in a corner with shindong rambling about crypto, diet tips, and the “glory days” of SM for thirty painfully long minutes.

still, you swallowed the groan bubbling up in your throat and slipped your phone into your pocket before yunjin could fire off something even more unhinged. when you turned back toward the living room, megan had curled herself sideways into the couch, one leg dangling off the edge, her head tilted back like she was trying to make sense of the ceiling tiles.

“was that yunjin?” she asked, grinning like she already knew the answer.

“unfortunately.”

“what’d she say? wait, don’t tell me. something dramatic, slightly invasive, and definitely teasing.”

you handed her a glass of water with a dry look. “spot on. she wants to know if you’re real or just a figment of my imagination.”

megan raised an eyebrow. “and what did you tell her?”

“that you’re here.” you smirked. “look at miss nosey over here.”

she raised both hands in mock surrender, barely hiding her smile. “hey, what can I say? i’m working on a phd for not being able to mind my own damn business.”

you laughed, shaking your head. the kind of laugh that came easily around her. and then, remembering the rest of yunjin’s message, you leaned your weight against the back of the couch, fingers tapping idly on the cushions.

“she’s throwing a party tonight,” you said. “something about celebrating a new album drop. you should come. bring the girls.”

megan sat up a little straighter, sipping her water with the kind of dramatic flair that made you snort. “a party? are there going to be snacks?”

“probably.”

“alright, i’m in. but only if there are snacks and minimal small talk. and maybe karaoke.”

“so you want snacks, bad lighting, and a mic. noted.”

“see, you get me.” she beamed, already reaching for her phone. “i’ll text the girls. we’ll make it a proper entrance.”

you rolled your eyes, but the smile tugging at your lips betrayed you. your heart was too full for your own good. “god help us all.”

__

the drive over was chaotic in the way only megan’s presence could make it. she’d managed to wrangle sophia and daniela into coming, predictably the two most likely to say yes to the word “party” before even hearing the rest of the sentence. manon and lara had tapped out almost immediately. yoonchae hadn’t even bothered pretending she was considering it.

megan drove, one hand lazily on the wheel, the other dancing over the radio dial every five seconds. you sat in the front passenger seat, watching her in the glow of passing streetlights.

sophia leaned forward from the back. “so, y/n,” she started, voice thick with mischief, “how’s it feel being megan’s favorite girl?”

“sophia,” megan warned without looking away from the road.

daniela snorted, flinging a gummy at the back of megan’s head. “what? it’s true. we’ve heard more about y/n in the last six months than we have about anyone else.” then she turned to you, leaning forward besides sophia. “i was starting to think she made you up.”

“my god, you guys are worse than lara and manon.” megan muttered, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. she glanced at you, caught the smile playing on your lips, and groaned. “you’re both so annoying.”

“say you love her and we’ll shut up,” daniela sang from the backseat.

“i will crash this car,” megan said flatly, but her ears were pink.

you turned in your seat, raising an eyebrow at the two girls behind you. “this what you do on every drive?”

“only when the company’s good,” sophia grinned.

by the time you walked up to the le sserafim dorm, the music could already be heard before you even reached the front door. the air outside buzzed with voices and laughter. 

you barely had time to step over the threshold before you heard it. 

“there she is!”

yunjin materialized out of the crowd like she owned the place. which, sure, she basically did. it was her party afterall.  she practically skipped the last few steps toward you. before you could get a word in, she grabbed your hand, pulled you into a hug that was half tackle, half dance spin, and leaned back to look you over. “hi, hello, love you, you look disgustingly hot—don’t even try to run, i’ve got plans for us tonight.”

you barely had time to laugh before she clocked the girls behind you. “megan!” she called, eyes lighting up as she pulled you into the house. “and you brought the fun ones! hi, sophia. hi, daniela.”

“you act like we don’t always show up,” sophia said with a grin, accepting the hug yunjin offered.

“it’s not a real party unless daniela’s threatening to outdrink everyone,” yunjin replied.

“not a threat if it’s true,” daniela said, winking.

megan held up her hands in mock surrender. “i told them to behave.”

“why would you do that?” yunjin laughed. “no, i want full chaos tonight. come find me later, i’m kidnapping y/n for a minute.”

you looked back at megan just as yunjin tugged you into the crowd, her hand firm in yours. megan simply grinned, the light catching her face just enough to make your heart skip.

and then the music swallowed you whole.

some part of you couldn’t help but feel a little bit annoyed. truth be told, you’d have rathered been home with megan. caught up on lost time and put on a movie. maybe stepbrothers, because you know it’s one of her favorites from one of your many late night conversations. 

instead, you were here. loud music, dim lights, and the kind of packed crowd that made it hard to think. it wasn’t awful. yunjin’s parties never were. her friends were warm and welcoming, even if chaewon had greeted you with a smug “so where’s megan?” the second you walked in. but still, your eyes kept drifting.

you caught sight of her across the room, laughing at something sophia said, a hand tucked into the pocket of her baggy jeans. daniela was already halfway into a dance battle with some guy in a bucket hat. megan wasn’t doing anything extraordinary. she was just… being. but somehow, that was enough to pull your gaze every time.

you tried to focus on the conversation happening around you. tried to lean into the easy rhythm of old friends and new music. but your mind had already wandered. back to the idea of megan beside you on the couch. back to her laugh. back to the quiet. back to her. always her.

eventually you took a step back when the cup yunjin shoved into your hands was getting empty. 

“gonna get a refill.” you shouted lamely over the music. you didn’t wait for her to respond before you were stalking your way to the kitchen. 

it was in that space you were able to truly look around. you didn’t miss the curious glances shot your way, no, that would’ve been impossible. it felt incredibly vain to acknowledge that you were an idols idol, but you knew. 

you were halfway refilling your cup with some kind of soju concoction when a voice cut through the air. 

“y/n!”

you looked up and immediately locked eyes with a familiar pair of browns. a tall, handsome figure weaved through the crowd toward you, his shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes just enough to make him look like he hadn’t planned a single part of his night. sungchan grinned, all coy charm and childish mischief. you groaned the second he pulled you into a rough side hug, the unmistakable scent of alcohol clinging to his clothes like cologne. still, your arms came up automatically, returning the hug without a second thought. for all his nonsense, sungchan had always been a good friend.

“i want to introduce you to someone.”

you turned just as sungchan stepped aside, and there she was. karina.

you had never met her in person before, but you might as well have. her face was everywhere. it lit up across high-rise billboards in gangnam, looping through luxury brand ads on the subway monitors, popping up on your explore page whenever you so much as breathed near the fashion or idol tag. you remembered the way jaewook had bragged about her back on set a year ago when the dispatch article dropped. he had shown his phone to his costar like it was breaking news, grinning like he had just won something. you had rolled your eyes, walked off to get coffee, and told yourself it wasn’t your business. it wasn’t, until now.

karina was even more stunning in person. her beauty wasn’t the kind that made a scene or demanded attention. it just existed, like it belonged there. her gaze met yours and stayed, unwavering.

it wasn’t rude, or even intense in a threatening way. just… focused. present. like she wasn’t just seeing you but actually registering you.

you were suddenly very aware of your posture, your hands, your everything.

“it’s so nice to meet you!” she called over the music, her voice warm and clear even with the bass thudding through the walls. she stepped just a little closer, enough that you could hear her without leaning in. “i love your stuff. seriously. i’ve been asking sungchan to introduce us for ages, but he’s always chickened out at the last second.”

sungchan made a wounded noise, hand over his chest like she’d just stabbed him, but before he could fire back, wonbin came stumbling past, arm slung around his neck with all the grace of a wrecking ball. they disappeared into the crowd in a tangle of laughter and chaos.

you rolled your eyes and turned back to karina, only to find that her gaze hadn’t left you once. her eyes held yours with that same calm, curious steadiness, like she wasn’t in a packed party but somewhere quieter. somewhere smaller.

you offered a small smile. “likewise. though to be fair, i think he just gets intimidated around pretty girls.”

her lips curved. “pretty, huh?”

you blinked, brain catching up three seconds too late. “oh god, sorry. i don’t know why i said that. yunjin handed me a cup earlier and i don’t even know what was in it. she could’ve poisoned me for all i know.”

karina laughed, the sound easy and low. “knowing her, it’s probably something criminal. you’ll wake up with a hangover and a new life philosophy.”

you laughed too, but it faltered slightly when she leaned in, just enough for her shoulder to brush against yours. it was nothing, a light touch, but it grounded you instantly.

“don’t worry,” she said, voice softer now, “i think you’re pretty too.”

your heart stuttered.

you opened your mouth, but whatever you meant to say vanished the second her smile deepened.

“not to be dramatic or anything,” karina said, lifting her cup for a slow, nonchalant sip, “but i think we’re being watched.”

you blinked. “watched?”

“mhm. i can feel her eyes burning holes into the back of my head. like a laser pointer. i’m actually a little afraid to turn around.”

you tilted your head, letting your eyes scan the room until you found her. megan, standing across the floor. at some point sophia had shoved her cup into megan’s hands and joined daniela on the dance floor. the chinese girl clutched the cup in both hands like it might leap out of them if she didn’t keep a death grip on it. her expression was neutral, but her stare? not subtle.

you cleared your throat. “who, megan? no, no, she’s—”

“look at the way she’s holding that cup,” karina cut in, a grin already pulling at her lips. “you’d think she just watched the most annoying man on earth walk in and ruin everyone’s mood.”

you huffed. “reminds me of a certain six-foot-something actor with a god complex.”

karina snorted, her eyes flashing with recognition before she laughed for real this time, head tipping back for just a second. she knew who you were talking about almost immediately. the one man you had in common besides sungchan happened to be her very tall (very annoying) ex. 

“right. i forgot you know jaewook.”

you raised an eyebrow. “unfortunately.”

“hey,” she said, still grinning. “he’s not that bad. underneath all the bravado he’s actually kind of sweet.”

“sure, you don’t need to convince me.”  you shrugged, completely deadpan. “if the dick’s bomb, it’s bomb.”

karina choked, hand flying to your shoulder as she doubled over in disbelief. she was laughing harder than before, and you felt a little thrill run down your spine at the sound of it.

when she straightened up again, she wiped at her eye and shook her head. “you’re going to wake up tomorrow and regret ever opening your mouth.”

“without a doubt,” you said, already sipping to forget.

“i think i want some of what you’re having,” karina said, eyes glittering with mischief as she swirled the liquid in her cup. “it’s my cue to go find the woman of the hour. but before i do…”

she leaned in, slower this time. you thought she was going to say something else right away, but then her mouth dipped lower, her breath warm as it ghosted the curve of your jaw. you stiffened in surprise, the proximity making your pulse stumble. her lips came dangerously close to your ear, just barely brushing your skin when she spoke.

“that girl. megan.” her voice dropped to something sly and sweet. “she wants you. it’s written all over her face. she hasn’t stopped staring since i walked over. so how about you use some of that liquid courage and do something about it?”

your breath caught, cheeks burning with the kind of heat no drink could explain. karina pulled away just as slowly, and her smile was soft but wicked. it said a hundred things at once. 

 i’m glad we met, good luck out there, don’t screw this up.

then she was gone, slipping into the crowd like she had always belonged to it. her red solo cup bobbed above the sea of people as she drifted toward the corner where yunjin and chaewon were doubled over in laughter.

you didn’t even have time to process it before someone else stepped into her place.

megan.

her arm brushed yours, then stayed there, her hand wrapping gently around the bend of your elbow. she was close. so close. close enough that you could smell the perfume on her skin,  something cool and soft, mint layered with warm vanilla. it hit you all at once that it was yours. a bottle that had disappeared from your vanity six months ago before katseye left korea. and now here it was, clinging to her in the most dizzying way.

your body flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the music or the alcohol. your eyes traveled up, taking in the sheen of sweat along her collarbones and the way her skin glowed under the lights. her crop top clung to her in all the right places, her stomach taut from dancing. you could still see the echo of her movement in the way her breath rose and fell, chest barely brushing yours.

you finally looked at her face again. she was already staring.

her eyes were darker than you remembered, shadowed and unreadable, fixed on you with something that felt like pressure and want and restraint all tangled up into one look. her lips were drawn in a line, neither smiling nor frowning, but firm with intent.

the air between you thinned.

you weren’t sure who would speak first. or if either of you had to. not with the way the tension folded in and around you like the bass from the speakers. not with the way her fingers curled just slightly against your arm, like she wasn’t ready to let go.

“oh. hey. you doing okay?” you asked, voice raised slightly over the music pulsing around you.

megan didn’t answer right away. her eyes stayed locked on yours for a beat too long, and just when you thought she might finally say something, her gaze dropped. slow and deliberate. it traced the line of your jaw and landed just beneath your ear. her expression shifted. something flickered across her face, subtle but sharp. a furrow of her brow that sent a wave of nerves crashing down your spine.

before you could speak again, she brought her thumb to her lips and wet it. then, without hesitation, she reached forward and pressed that same thumb to your neck. her touch was warm, careful. a soft swipe against your skin.

your breath caught.

“she left lipstick on you,” she murmured, quiet but clear enough to cut through the noise.

your hand shot up on instinct, palm flattening over the spot just beneath your ear. you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks, blood rushing too fast under your skin.

“o-oh. yeah. was an accident,” you stammered, the words clumsy as they left your mouth.

megan didn’t respond right away. she just hummed.  low, unreadable. then her hand slid down from your elbow, fingers grazing your forearm like she couldn’t quite decide if she wanted to hold on or let go. eventually she settled, her grip tightening just enough that you felt the weight of it. like an anchor. like a warning. like something unspoken passing between the two of you that neither of you had the guts to name.

not yet, anyway.

for a long second, she just stood there, saying nothing. she didn’t blink, didn’t move. only stared.

you shifted on your feet. “did… did i do something wrong?”

her voice was steady, but low. “let me drive you home.”

you blinked. “oh. okay.” it came out softer than you meant, a whisper carried easily between you. she heard it all the same.

‎ 

you weren’t sure how much time passed between then and now. one moment you were alone in the kitchen of yunjin’s dorm, the next megan was muttering something to sophia and daniela under her breath,  a rushed string of syllables that made them blink once, twice, and nod. she grabbed your hand without waiting for an answer and pulled you toward the door. you felt the weight of every pair of eyes that followed you on your way out. yunjin’s brow arched with thinly veiled amusement. sungchan mouthed something that looked suspiciously like “what did you do.” and karina… she didn’t say a word. she just winked.

now you were in the passenger seat of megan’s car, the inside dim and quiet save for the faint hum of the engine and the soft patter of rain beginning to hit the windshield. your buzz had all but faded, replaced by something heavier, something laced with nerves. megan’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles had gone pale. the jaw that was so often relaxed with laughter and teasing was now set and stiff.

you turned to face her fully. “megan. what’s going on with you?”

she didn’t look at you. her gaze stayed fixed on the road ahead as if it held all the answers she couldn’t bring herself to say aloud.

“when did you and karina get so close?” she asked, too casual to be convincing.

you tilted your head, eyes narrowing. “are you jealous?”

there was a beat of silence. then she scoffed. 

“no!…. yes. fuck, y/n, i don’t know. i don’t know what i feel. all i know is that seeing her in your space like that just— it just drives me crazy.”

the car hummed beneath you, megan’s hands gripping the wheel like she was holding onto something more fragile than the leather beneath her fingers. she floored it the moment she pulled onto the main road. fast, reckless as always. the first time you rode passenger princess in her car, you practically grabbed onto the seat for dear life. except tonight, you didn’t even mind. you couldn’t look away. her jaw clenched tight, the faint pulse at her temple a rhythm you felt in your own chest.

the car sped down the dimly lit road of your penthouse’s underground parking, tires echoing against concrete walls. megan didn’t slow until she pulled into a quiet corner, the only sound the engine’s low hum. just the two of you now.

her jaw was tight, eyes sharp. “karina,” she spat, voice low and rough. “she was all in your space like she owns it.”

you met her glare, feeling the heat rising between you. “megan, i just met her.”

 her hand clenched the steering wheel so hard her knuckles went white.

“yeah, well, she sure didn’t act like it,” megan bit out. “in your ear, touching your arm like you’ve been hers for years. you think i didn’t see the way she looked at you?”

you blinked at her, pulse quickening. “why does it even matter?”

megan turned to you then, full body, her eyes blazing. “because it does. because you’re not just some friend i joke around with anymore, y/n.”

the silence that followed was thick, pressing. you stared at her, at the curve of her jaw clenched in frustration, at the way her chest rose and fell like she’d just run a sprint. her brows were furrowed, but beneath the frustration was something else. something that made your stomach twist and your fingers curl tight around your seatbelt.

“megan…”

she exhaled hard, dropping her head back against the headrest for a second like she was trying to force the words out. then her voice came, rough and low. “i can’t stand seeing someone else touch you like that. it makes me feel like i’m gonna lose my mind.”

you reached out, hand hovering before it found hers on the console between you. her fingers twitched under yours, like she was deciding whether to pull away or pull you closer.

“you’re not gonna lose your mind,” you said quietly. “you’re just finally saying what we’ve both been thinking.”

she didn’t reply. didn’t need to. you swallowed, heart hammering. this wasn’t the easy conversation you’d expected. it was raw, jagged, real. her eyes locked onto yours, wild and fierce. for a moment, you could almost feel the weight of everything she hadn’t said hanging between you.

without warning, she leaned in, closing the space with a fierce urgency. her lips crashed against yours, rough and demanding, like she needed to prove something. your breath hitched, caught off guard but all in.

it was messy, desperate, the kind of kiss that didn’t ask for permission. your hands found her hair, pulling her closer. she growled low, the tension snapping as the lines between friends and something more shattered.

it was a blur after that. megan barely killed the engine before the two of you were out of the car, walking fast and too close as you made your way through the quiet underground garage. her hand hovered at your back, not quite touching, but you could feel the heat of it through your shirt. the elevator ride was silent, charged, her reflection burning holes into yours through the metal walls.

the second your door swung open, you were on her again. the lock clicked behind you as you pressed her up against the door, mouths crashing together like you’d both run out of time. your hands slipped under the hem of her shirt, greedy for skin. she kissed you like she needed you to breathe.

“y/n,” she breathed out, but whatever she was going to say got lost in the next kiss, your name drowned out by the low thud of her back hitting the hallway wall.

you didn’t even think, just grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward the bedroom, feet stumbling, laughter breaking through the tension for a split second. she followed without hesitation, eyes locked on you like she was trying to memorize the way you looked at her now. 

as soon as you hit the threshold of the room, your mouths found each other again. she kicked the door shut behind her without looking, hands already tugging at the hem of your shirt like she’d waited too long for this. 

she pulled away after a moment to simply stare. 

megan looked at you. the kind of stare that could melt ice. her gaze traces the lines of your body like she was hungry, yet still she said nothing. she swallowed, her lips pursing together as she weighed her own thoughts in her mind. her eyes trailed up and down before finally they settle themselves again on yours. it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what she was thinking in this very moment. you could practically read her through her silence. the way she practically itched to say something funny, to break the tension with a lighthearted joke in true megan fashion. but she couldn’t. her body was reacting as much as yours was. she trembled slightly, her chest rising up and down as if she was struggling to take in air. but it was pure anticipation. when she talks her voice is careful, hesitant, like she was afraid that one wrong word would break the quiet you slipped into. 

“how do i tell you that i want you without making a fool of myself?”

your breath hitched when suddenly she moved. she took a step closer, and instinctively you take a step back. the backs of your knees hit the edge of the bed and you’re falling back. the only thing you can do is sit stupidly and stare up at her as she stares down. she was already tall, but now she loomed over you. 

she was so unlike herself. just ten minutes ago she was fumbling over her own feet, giggling between kisses as her fingers clumsily trailed up and down the warm skin on your back. now, she was confident. like she was looking at you through the lens of someone who realized in the span of a quick ten minutes that they were standing before something holy. 

you hum. “you say it. tell me, megan.”

she doesn’t hesitate. she nudges your legs apart so she’s standing between them now, your legs trapping her in. her hands instinctively raise to the back of your head, one idly playing with the baby hairs on the nape of your neck while the other gently grabbed your chin. she didn’t ask, just simply gripped your chin between her thumb and index finger and tugged. she leaned down slightly , so close that you could feel her hot breath hitting you. when she talks, her voice is quiet. 

“i want you, y/n.”

she moved one inch closer, and her lips brush yours. it was faint. a feather light touch, but it sent shivers down your spine all the same. her eyes dropped back and forth between your eyes and your lips, the grip she had on your chin tightening momentarily before she let go. her hand lazily drifted down from your face and to your chest, fingertips just lightly grazing your skin. and then, she moved the other hand. the hand that once played with the hairs on the back of your neck now moved to the front, fingertips dancing along your throat. she hums. her voice dripped like venom, tantalizing and dangerous all in the same breath. 

“you have no idea how bad.”

you swallow, and megan feels it against the hand she held to your neck when her fingers gently reach out and clasp. nothing tight. but she doesn’t say anything. she simply stares. her eyes dark, her face unreadable save for only the pure want clear in her words. through the grip on your throat, you reply. your voice fell to a whisper, though just as confident as her own. 

“then show me.”

she didn’t need to be told twice. the grip she held on your neck tightened just slightly before she relented. her lips which once grazed yours finally surged the small distance. she kissed you, every emotion she pushed to the back of her mind finally coming out in full force. she tilted her head, a soft sigh of relief escaping her when you met her kiss with equal fervor. 

this was it. the moment where finally, she’d let herself cave. the moment where megan would lose her inhibitions and finally be true to both herself, and to you. being so close to you in this moment made her full body vibrate. you were intoxicating, and she was addicted.

 megan deepened the kiss, her tongue gently swiping across your bottom lip. when you don’t open your mouth, she bites your lip. taking advantage of the gasp you let out, her tongue darts in. without words, her intentions were clearer than daylight. 

she wanted you, and she wanted bad. 

the grip on your neck only tightened until eventually you needed to pull back for air. a string of saliva coated your lips when she pulled back, her grip on your throat relaxing. but she doesn’t mind. she lets you breathe, feels your chest rise and fall beneath her full hand as she trails open mouthed kisses down from your swollen lips to your jaw, and then your neck. she littered kisses around the area her hand clasped around only moments ago, soothing the dull feeling of a phantom grip. 

through your haze and a short gasp, you couldn’t help but tease her. 

“who knew you had that in you, huh, skiendiel?”

megan answered with a simple bite to your neck. a nibble, soothed over with a faint swipe of her tongue immediately after. it was enough to shut you up, if even for a moment. she hummed. 

“can’t help myself. you’ve no idea how long i’ve been waiting for this.”

this time it was your turn to raise a hand and gently play with her hair, her mouth still working at your jaw and throat. you sigh, your fingers clasping around a clump of her dark hair. you shake your head. 

“what, are you trying to tell me this is the only reason you asked for my number all those months ago?”

she knew you were joking, that you were being facetious. still she couldn’t help but frown. she dropped fully to her knees now between your legs, still fully trapped by your legs on either side of her. from this angle as she pulled away from your neck, she looked up at you through her sleepy eyes and pink bangs. 

“maybe this part was wishful thinking. but no, not the only reason.” her hands trailed down again, finding your skin beneath your shirt. her hands were so numbingly cold despite the warmth in her gaze. her hand pressed against your lower stomach, feeling the way your abdomen clenched slightly against her cold palm. she looked at you with her half lidded eyes and all you saw was sincerity. she continues. 

“you’ve no idea how hard it is to keep my hands to myself when you’re you. but fuck, look at you now.” her other hand reaches for the hem of your shirt and now she tugs, her touch gentle despite the bite in her words when she says her next words. “you’re mine, baby.”

the words set something off in you. something that lit a fire in the deepest pits of your stomach, begging to be addressed. and megan knew it. 

and so, she did. 

__

you weren’t sure at what point you fell asleep. all you knew was that when you woke up, you were in your own bed. the blankets were pulled up beneath your chin but it wasn’t their warmth that clung to you like it was moulded for your body, and yours only. 

your eyes trailed over to the sleeping girl besides you. megan’s arm wrapped around your torso, holding you close. her bare body pressed against yours had a chill running down your spine. you could already feel the hickeys forming on your neck, the bruises on your thighs. you could feel the phantom feeling of her nails scratching down your back and her coaxing whispers lingering in your ears. 

megan had practically transformed into a completely different person. the memory of her eyes, dark and dangerous, had you inadvertently shifting closer to her. the slight movement was enough to wake her. a deep, sleepy groan pulled from her lips as she subconsciously nuzzled herself closer into you. when her eyes fluttered open and they landed on you, the difference was night and day. 

she was nervous. shy. she practically hid her face in your neck only to turn red in embarrassment when she was met face to face with the marks she left on your throat. when she speaks her voice is low, awkward. 

“i-i, uh, you know. i’m so sorry. too much? probably. oops.”

despite the situation, you couldn’t help but laugh. the sound alone made her groan, her head digging even deeper into you as if the action alone would hide her from your teasing. a classic ‘if i can’t see you, you can’t see me’ kind of thing. 

“it’s okay, megan.”

she looked up at that, her cheeks still flushed red. but there was no mistaking the way her shoulders relaxed. she looked back at you and it’s then the events from the night before seemed to finally settle in. it’s in this lighting that you realized, again, just how gorgeous she is. the way her hair framed her face even when she was ridden with bedhead. the way her soft lips pouted involuntarily, the way her sleepy eyes looked up at you through her lashes. she was so, unbelievably beautiful without even needing to try. you couldn't help but wonder if she knew this as well as you could see it. 

with a newfound sense of confidence, she suddenly leaned forward. her lips found yours and unlike the fit of messy kisses she gave you the night before, now she takes her time.  when she pulls away, pink dusts her cheeks. 

“i can’t believe we did… that.”

you raise a brow. “oh? pray tell why you’re so surprised.”

megan’s eyes practically blow wide. “seriously? you’re not even the slightest bit shocked and overwhelmed and- a-and, i don’t know, lowkey kinda freaking the fuck out? i mean jeez. you’re you!”

before you can reply she’s already continuing. her arm around your torso tightens, a look of pure shock and elation cemented across her face. 

“do you have any idea how scared it makes me knowing that you’re practically in a league of your own? i mean, shit, you walk into a room and everyone stares. i walk in and everyone waits for me to break my own leg! you’re you. and i’m me. and this just doesn’t make any sense, a-and-“

you turn slightly so you’re facing her fully, her arm around you not slipping but loosening just enough. you shake your head, a hand reaching up gently to swipe her hair from her vision. her pink bangs covered her eyes just slightly, hiding the state of pure frazzle in their depths. you can’t help but chuckle softly. 

when your lips tilt up at the corners, a small grin gracing your face, megan stopped rambling. she was so, completely, irrevocably enamored by you in a way that it hurt her brain. 

when you leaned forward just enough to seal her lips with your own, her breath catches in her throat, silenced. for a moment you both lay there. her arm around your torso now moving to lightly grip your waist, her fingers digging in just barely as if she was grounding herself in the moment. your hand cupped her jaw, the kiss deepening just a second longer. when you pull away, her eyes are blown wide. she stares back at you in equal parts awe, and fear. she was completely undone by you. 

“relax.”

the simple word was all she needed. she nodded her head stupidly and obediently, her lips pursing so tight together as if you’d given her a command she’d follow til her last breath. 

your grin softens into a small smile. “you’re such a loser, megan.”

megan grimaced. the kind of look that was half part an awkward smile, and half part an embarrassment pout.  she burrows her head into your chest with a drawn out groan. she feels the way your body vibrates when you chuckle, hears the way your heart skipped a beat with her ear pressed to your bare chest. and in that moment, she decided. 

no amount of embarrassment would ever outweigh the pride she felt in knowing that it was her you were holding that very morning. 

__

a month passed. 

megan hadn’t planned on going live. it was one of those quiet nights that felt heavier than it should have. the dorm was calm. daniela had vanished into her room with a face mask and a bowl of cereal. sophia had crashed early. the silence made everything feel louder.

so she pulled on an oversized hoodie (your hoodie) and went live from her bed. nothing fancy. just her and her phone, legs tucked under her, the soft yellow light from her nightstand casting a warm glow across the screen.

“hi,” she said, voice soft with that slight rasp it always had when she was winding down. “i couldn’t sleep.”

the chat exploded immediately. hearts, greetings, inside jokes, fans asking about everything from what she had for dinner to her favorite stage outfit from the last comeback. she answered a few, laughed quietly when someone asked if lara still sleep-talked. her fingers toyed absentmindedly with the sleeve of her hoodie as she scrolled.

“what’s the weirdest dream you’ve had recently?” she read aloud, smiling. “okay, so i had this one where i was back in high school, but for some reason all the desks were made of jello, and sophia was my teacher? yeah, no idea. my brain is a strange place.”

another wave of hearts. more laughing emojis. the mood stayed easy, casual, soft around the edges.

then came the question. fast, buried in a sea of others, but megan’s eyes caught it and held.

“who’s that in the background?”

she blinked.

then turned, just slightly, to glance behind her.

there, on the edge of the bed, barely in frame, was you. hoodie half-zipped, face makeup-free, curled against a pillow and blinking slow from the comfort of just having woken up from a nap you hadn’t even meant to take.

megan looked back at the camera, lips tugging into a smile that was both shy and completely unbothered.

“guess the secret’s out,” she said, voice low but steady.

the chat exploded again, this time in full-blown chaos. some fans caught on immediately. others were in denial. a few begged her to clarify, but she didn’t.

instead, she leaned back against the headboard, reached over, and laced her fingers with yours. you blinked blearily, took a second to realize what was happening, then gave a soft laugh.

“hi,” you murmured, just loud enough to be heard. “sorry, i kind of knocked out.”

“it’s okay,” megan said, thumb brushing against the back of your hand. “you’re cute when you sleep.”

the live didn’t last much longer after that. she answered one or two more questions, gave the usual love you guys and get some rest, then signed off.

but the clip stayed. it spread fast, faster than either of you expected. screen recordings, gifs, screenshots, fan theories shifting into confirmed realities. by morning, your names were trending side by side.

and just like that, it wasn’t speculation anymore.

it was real. it was official.

it was you and her. finally.

[get-well-soon-shine]

ʟᴏᴠɪɴ' ʏᴏᴜ'ꜱ ᴀ ɢᴀᴍᴇ, ʙᴏʏ

[sillymommy6969]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ BREAKIN' BONES ᝰ! S.L.

trying to be subtle and secret with sophia!

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ ❪ 𝑦𝑡 𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜. ❫ ｡ sophia laforteza x f!r 𖥔 fluff ── disclaimers: katseye 7th member au (read in dark mode!) / pt. one, two / ℭatalogue

N/NFIZ NOT BOTHERING TO HIDE THEIR RELATIONSHIP ANYMORE FOR 14 MINUTES GAY (p.s. happy n/nfiz anny!)

100.2k likes | 580k views | 13th Feb, 25

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ Clip one: [ YT VIDEO ] Halloween w/ KATSEYE!

Sophia, you, Daniela, Lara and Yoonchae (in that order) sat along the table of decorated ornaments. Five pumpkins sat before you, carving tools laid around it. Quickly, the five of you got to work designing personalized jack-o-lanterns, but being the middle children you were, you and Daniela seemed to have declared a war on pumpkin guts.

“Oh--Dani, stop!” you squealed, dodging another handful of guts hurled your way. “They’re gonna have to clean this up!”

It didn’t stop you from scooping a new chunk of pumpkin to slap on Daniela’s hand. The Latina’s dancer reflexes kicked in, jerking her hand away, along with her pumpkin. She screamed, her shrill shriek ringing and blowing out the microphones taped to her back. Lara, who sat on Daniela’s other side, leaning back into her chair to avoid Daniela’s swinging arms.

[ oml you can’t take these two anywhere- ]

Yoonchae eyed Sophia on your end of the table, the editor for Katseye emphasized how fearful Lara and Yoonchae seemed, before editing a fake knight’s armour on Sophia.

“Okay, okay, Dani, that’s enough!” Sophia stretched an arm out, keeping the latter from slamming anymore pumpkin guts into you. You stuck your tongue out when the Latina scoffed in disbelief, gesturing towards you as Sophia gave her a stern look. The blonde narrowed her eyes, clenching her jaw as she sat back down. You shot her a taunting smirk, as Sophia helps clean whatever leftover pumpkin was on you.

“Why am I the one getting yelled at, she literally started it!” Daniela whined, pursing her lips. “That’s not fair!”

“Dani, if I hear another word from you, I’m putting you on Megan duty the next week.” Megan duty was the rotation Lara explained on live a few days ago, where each member helps take care of Megan and anything she needed because of her back. The redhead could be a real piece of work though, especially since the injury had not dimmed her big personality. “No more messing around, Avanzini, I’m warning you.”

[ mommy? sorry. mommy? sorry. mommy? sor-- *gunshots* ]

Sophia brushed your arm of anything else, before holding out a bag for you to dump your guts into. Daniela sulked the rest of that video, in a sour mood because she got in trouble with the leader for something you had obviously started.

“You know better than to mess with y/n when Sophia’s around, Dani, that’s on you.” Lara snorted, earning a harsh swat to the arm from the girl. “Hey--! I’m just saying, she’s untouchable.”

“Hey, you’re exaggerating,” Sophia groaned, “I was just tryna stop the two of them from fighting.”

You looped your arm under the Filipina’s, laying your head on her shoulder as you carved a face into your pumpkin. You chuckled along at the older’s attempts to defend herself, but all five of you (and eyekons too) knew better than that.

“Oh, yeah? Then why am I always stuck getting in trouble when y/n threw the first punch?” The blonde loudly protested, “Last night, y/n and I were making a late night snack at like three am, and when y/n accidentally dropped a pot and woke up the whole dorm, I got banned from the kitchen for the next week because Sophia found some food on the counter when she came downstairs.” Before Sophia could defend herself, Daniela held a finger up to her face to silence her. “y/n did not get punished for waking everybody up, but I can’t make toast on the kitchen now cuz there were crumbs on the table.”

“You made the kitchen super messy! It was horrid.”

“No it wasn’t! There were crumbs, that was it, at least I wasn’t the one who woke up Yoonchae.” If you couldn’t tell, Daniela was still quite bitter for Sophia getting you out of trouble with the dorm’s drill sergeant. “Yoonchae wouldn’t talk to me all day after, but y/n got off scotch free ‘cuz Sophia was there.”

“Dani, you’re so dramatic. It was not that deep,” she scoffed.

Daniela stood, pointing and swinging her carving knife at the cameras, “Eyekons, if you guys are watching this, find every single time y/n and I have messed around and only I get in with Sophia for it. I swear, there has to be a million out there, so please feel free to send it to me on Weverse.”

[ the war dani started with this is insane eyekonville really went to work for this (there was a 16 minute video of it on weverse) ]

“You’re just salty ‘cuz you’re a loser,” you bit back.

“n/n, I swear to God, I’m going to jab this into your ear,” the blonde threatened, holding the knife towards your head. She was quickly stopped by Sophia, who clicked her tongue and instructed for her to sit with a harsh glare. Lara began laughing hysterically at the Filipina proving Daniela right. “Man--screw this, Chip, switch seats with me right neow.”

[ poor dani… best be known y/n has her own bodyguard ]

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ Clip two: [ VLOG ] y/n day w/ Katseye! (09:16)

“Hey, guys, it’s seven in the morning of y/n day!” She cheered and hollered under her breath, clapping her hands softly. “The girls are up and getting ready right now, but y/n’s still sleeping. We have a whole day planned for her today, so we need to stay quiet and make sure we don’t ruin the surprise.”

The members each occupied a section of the vlog, individually tasked to do different errands to make for a smooth transition into the surprise party they had planned for your birthday.

Manon and Daniela were sent to grab decorations, Megan and Yoonchae were asked to prepare the food and Sophia put it upon herself to get you the gifts alone. Lara volunteered to distract you for the morning whilst the girls got ready for the party, her planning a whole trip to the spa and then a massage place as a “birthday treat”, and you, of course, agreed.

“Okay, last month, y/n and I were out walking around this exact mall, and she saw these ugg sliders that she really wanted.” Sophia held the camera, looking past the lens at where she was going. She was strolling through a mall alone, people seen walking past and behind her. “So, I’m gonna go get them so she can keep her feet warm this winter.”

[ when she remembers small things >>>>>>>>> ]

She greets the worker standing by the door, quickly going to the section the two of you frequented the last time you were there. The shoes you wanted were still there, she picked a pair up, asking one of the staff for your size.

Once she had paid for them, not even bothering to check what the price was. She bid the employees goodbye, before smiling into the camera at a successful start.

[ where’s my sophia laforteza… it’s not fair y/n gets her ]

“They were almost out of stock, I’m so lucky… Okay, guys, we’re now moving to Sephora. I noticed n/n’s running out of her favourite perfume, it’s a gift she got from her mom so I’m going to get her another so she can refill that bottle,” Sophia announced, her voice peppy with excitement, “Bear with me here, I’m about to leave this place with so many bags.”

The vlog cuts to Sophia setting the camera down on a makeup table, she had a tiny Sephora basket in hand.

“I’m back, and I’m gonna give you guys a haul of what I got for y/n, okay?” She started rummaging through the basket of products, before pulling out a makeup palette. “So, Lara told me this new palette was good, she’s been trying out new brands and stuff so she wanted me to get this for y/n. Megan and Yoonchae already got y/n this self-care basket, so I’m getting the face masks they wanted to put in. I know Manon and Dani definitely have more of an ‘experiential’ gift planned, but--Oh! Here’s the perfume y/n loves.”

She held a beautiful box up, opening it to reveal the bottle within. It looked expensive, just based off the packaging.

[ that thing is half my rent >:0)) sophia really don’t play when it comes to spoiling her girl ]

“I called up mama l/n last night just to make sure this was the right one. I can’t wait to see y/n’s face when she gets this, she’s gonna be so happy,” Sophia gazed down at the perfume bottle in her hand, smiling sheepishly. “I can’t believe she’s turning XX, it feels like I’ve seen this beautiful, sweet woman grow up and into herself. I’m so happy to apart of it.”

[ only y/n has sophia giddy like that in the middle of sephora ]

“Anyways, I think we’re good here. I just need to pick up one more package--it’s gonna be a surprise for when y/n opens it later, even you guys aren’t allowed to see it yet.”

Later in the video, we see Daniela and Manon set things up in the dorm’s backyard. They set up an arch with your age on it, tables of food Megan and Yoonchae almost burnt down the house whilst preparing, and Sophia had set the wrapped and bagged gifts on another table. The mystery gift sat front and centre amidst the pile, a purple and (your colour) bow on it. It was almost golden hour, and the lights around the garden dimly lit the area perfectly. It looked perfect, and Sophia was beyond excited to welcome you--her birthday girl--home.

“Remind me to get Lara mad snacks later, she’s done such a good job keeping y/n busy all day, like, ‘phew’!” Manon sighed, dragging the back of her hand down her forehead.

“Yeah, she rocks at this. n/n gets a nice little spa day before coming home to all this.” Daniela cooed, “We spoil her.”

“Our girl deserves it,” Sophia replied softly, “It’s been a year.”

[ it’s actually pulsing her name in morse code im so single ]

Yoonchae hummed, “y/n has worked so hard this year.” She turned to the camera set on the girls just lounging around, “She loves Katseye and she loves Eyekons, so I’m sure she will love spending this special birthday with you all as well!”

When you finally came home, you walked into the yard per Lara’s guidance. You immediately gasped, the girls tackling you in a hug with a loud, unanimous, “Surprise!”

“Oh my--So this is ‘work’, huh?” You eyed Lara, who shrugged.

You gave each of them a hug, and when it came to Sophia, she wrapped her arms tightly around your neck, swaying you as you chuckled at her refusal to let you go. “Fia, I can’t breathe.”

She pulled away, cupping your cheeks. She gave you a beam as your hands dropped to her waist. “Come on!”

[ they are in love your honour, cade closed ]

As you soaked in the set up of everything the girls had prepared, the video dragged on with celebrations, fun activities, a little heartfelt moment of you thanking everybody before you got a little video message from your parents. The video brought you to tears, and Sophia immediately hopped out of her seat on the end of the couch to engulf you in a big hug, shielding you from the cameras as you composed yourself. She brushed your hair out of your face. “Come on, y/n, don’t cry--Let’s go open some gifts!”

You started unwrapping each gift, thanking each individual member for their respective presents. Sophia watches, a small, genuine smile paired with a soft gaze as she watched you happily unveil your gifts. The moment didn’t escape eyekons.

[ this single-handedly proved how down bad sophia was ]

It wasn’t until it came down to the mysterious gift, it wasn’t big, but just a tiny box with a bow of your colours on it. You immediately looked up at Sophia, getting an encouraging grin back as you pulled apart the paper. You popped open the box, and the camera zooms in on whatever is in hand.

A black key fob, with a small golden mustang at the bottom.

All five girls gasped, immediately crowding around you with looks of disbelief as the room fell silent for a moment. You looked up at Sophia, who just flashed you that innocent, wide smile. “Sophia, what the fuck.”

“Happy birthday, mahal.” she stated casually.

“You got me my dream car?” you scoffed, immediately throwing yourself onto the Filipina. You wrap your arms around her, practically suffocating her in a tight hug. “Sophia, holy shit, you should not have done this!”

[ get you a millionaire girlfriend who loves you huh ]

“I know you’ve been saving for it, but I figured I’d use the money I’ve saved to sponsor you instead. My parents helped a bit. They say ‘happy birthday’, by the way.” Sophia brushed some tears, now of joy, out of your eyes.

[ the in laws are in love with y/n as well they’re so fairy tale couple JUST COME OUT ALREADY ]

“We can finally match like fast and furious!” Daniela squealed.

You sniffled, unwilling to let a chuckling Sophia go. She rubbed your back, running a hand through your hair as you gave her a tight squeeze. “I can’t believe it, that’s too much!”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy.” Sophia stated.

“Happy? Fia, I can’t even begin to describe how grateful to you I feel right now,” you stayed stuck to Sophia, front pressed against hers as the other girls cooed. Finally, Manon clasped her hands together, “Okay, are we taking this baby out for a joyride, or are we leaving it to rust in the garage?”

You held the keys up, grabbing Sophia’s hand. “Say no more.”

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ Clip three: [ ELLE ] Phoning it in w/ y/n of Katseye!

“Hello, I’m y/n l/n from Katseye, and today I’m going to be prank calling my friends, family and team. This is Phoning It In with ELLE.” you introduced yourself, smiling from ear-to-ear as the series intro sounded. First came the screen of you with your bandmates at your recent MAMA performance, the words, “Katseye members” appeared onscreen.

“Okay, I need to figure out who to call--If I call Manon or Dani, they probably won’t pick up, so… I think I’ll call Sophia. Sophia will answer.” you tapped on her contact name, holding the phone out, ringing for “Laffy <3”.

[ the nickname and the heart?? y/n you’re sick for this ]

The line rings for a second before, “Hey, mahal.”

[ mahal???????? sophia laforteza the woman you are ]

“Hey, Fia, I’m not distracting you from anything important right now, am I?” After a quick denial from Sophia, you continued, “Okay, so, I know I’m in the middle of media day, but I really, really, really need to ask a big favour from you.”

Sophia hummed, “Okay… whatever you need, lay it on me.”

You catch the staff swooning at Sophia’s sweet tone, biting your lip. You tried not to giggle, as to not give the prank away, but the way the women in the corner of the room were cooing at the Filipina’s words was all you could see.

“So basically, I’m in the bathroom at ELLE’s warehouse right now, and I kind of need you to bring me some pants.”

Sophia paused for a moment, and you squeezed your eyes shut as you held in laughter. Bless her heart, she must be so confused. “You need me to bring you… pants? Why, honey, did you sit on something? Did you lose them somehow?”

You couldn’t hold back the single chuckle leaving your lips, “No, I was eating this big thing of chocolate before I got on set, so I left it on my chair when I went to work. The heat was cranked up high and the chocolate was open. When I came back, I forgot I put it there and kinda sat on it… Now I just look like a little kid who couldn’t hold it in, so I really need you to bring me some fresh pants before somebody sees.”

Sophia was never one to laugh at another’s misfortune, especially not yours. You knew she would be a fun person to prank because she’d be oh so eager to help little old you.

“Okay, I’m just at lunch with Dani right now, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Which pair do you want me to bring?”

[ the way she immediately drops everything… im folding ]

You hummed, pretending to be in thought, “I don’t know.”

You could hear her getting up from sitting and packing up her things, before her keys jingled. Her phone was quickly snatched from her hands, as given away by the loud, “Hey!”, she let out. A familiar cackle sounded from the line, putting a big, amused grin on your face.

“Oh my God, you stoopid! There’s no way you’re trapped looking like you [bleep] yourself at ELLE. Take a pic, this is going on our wall of iconic moments.”

You rolled your eyes, “Absolutely not, Avanzini. Now, give the phone back to Sophia, I’m on a mission here.”

“No--! I want to see a pic, please!” she whined.

“Dani--Give me that!” A brief struggle could be heard from the other end, you buried your face in your free hand as the two bickered childishly for Sophia’s phone. You were glad this was at least the kind of entertaining ELLE was looking for, but you couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed at the humorous unprofessionalism your twenty year old bandmates were showing. “Eat your food, I’m gonna go get y/n her pants. You better not go crazy at the ice cream shop when I’m gone.”

You snorted out loud, knowing Daniela, she was definitely planning on it. “Fia, honey, I need to tell you one more thing.”

Sophia hummed, “Anything, mahal. What is it?”

[ the pet name, my knees bucked… MY KNEES BUCKED ]

“This is a prank, I’m sitting with ELLE right now, this is Phone It In.” You hear Daniela’s faint groan of disappoint, before Sophia shushed her. “I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to ruin your lunch plans, but I figured you’d be most likely to pick up between the six of you.”

[ mahal? honey? they’re so domestic coded please-- ]

Daniela scoffed, “Hey! I definitely would’ve picked up.”

“It’s okay, y/n. If you were anybody else, I’d be mad at you for taking advantage of my kindness,” she teased, “But I’m just glad you didn’t actually sit on chocolate and look like you crapped your pants on a media day.”

“I know, I’m sorry. You guys enjoy lunch though, I’ll make it up to you soon.” You held the phone away from your face, looking down in anticipation of the leader’s response.

“Sounds good. I love you. Have fun pranking other people, mahal, I’ll see you at home.” Sophia made kissy noises.

“I love you too. See you guys.” You smiled, before hanging up.

[ felt like i was interrupting something while i was editing ]

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ Clip four: [ WEVERSE LIVE ] 14/01/25 Sophia (13:05)

“Yes, I’ve seen Wicked. y/n and I went together last week, it changed my life.” Sophia commented, digging into the snacks laid out before her. She tilted her black Katseye hat up, her hood draped over the front. “y/n looked at me like i was crazy ‘cuz I was full on sobbing at the end. She still gave me hugs and bought me ice cream, so I forgive her.”

[ she looks so content talking about their date i can’t ]

“Speaking of, I’m pretty sure our girl’s on her way here… she just texted me she’s off work.” Sophia smiled, doing a little dance as she glanced back at the chat. “Yeah, looks like you guys are just as excited to see her as I am.”

user01 she’s immediately in a good mood when her wife’s otw

user02 she’s so real for giggling like this

user03 it’s y/n so i completely get it sophia

user04 MY PARENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER??

“Oh, yes, I’m pretty sure y/n and I are gonna see Gladiator 2 later tonight. She’s really into that one actor… Pedro Pascal?” Sophia mentioned, “She loves star wars and stuff, so when she heard the guy in The Mandalorian is gonna be in Gladiator, she’s making me go. Haven’t seen the first one, but guess I’ll find out what happens along the way.”

[ A WOMAN A WOMAN A WOMA-A-A-A-AN ]

As Sophia conversed and entertained the fans, you would eventually arrive at Geffen. In one of the many meeting rooms Sophia seemed to be occupying then, you knocked, hearing a soft gasp from the other side of the door.

Sophia glanced at the phone, “y/n’s here!”

She wheeled her chair out of frame, pulling the door open. Standing in your outfit with two cups of coffee, you greeted her. “Well, hello, stranger. I got you a little treat.”

The two of you come back into frame, you handed Sophia one of the cups. She held it up to her nose for a sniff.

She gasped, “Oh my God, is this a--?”

“Hazel nut latte? Absolutely. I made sure they put whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top,” you answered. You waved at the phone, “Anyway, I thought I’d come and keep you and the chat company before we leave for Gladiator.”

user05 Y/N COME HOME THE KIDS MISS YOU

user06 i’m no longer a child of divorce

user07 why is nobody talking abt y/n knowing sophia’s order?

“We were just talking about Gladiator. The eyekons are wondering what we’re doing for dinner after,” Sophia read, casually grabbing at your hips to sit you on her lap as the two of you scanned the screen. “Also they’re asking about your Pedro Pascal obsession.”

user08 omg the way sophia grabbed her waist

user09 SEDATE ME THAT WAS MUSCLE MEMORY

user10 idk who i want to be more rn

The two of you didn’t seem bothered by the comments flooding into the chat, especially those about your close proximity. Eventually, it was time for the two of you to leave for your plans, though the fans were sad to part with you.

On Weverse, Sophia posted lots of photos of you posing with Pedro Pascal on Gladiator 2 posters. Even some of the two of you standing in line for food, with your arms around her and your cheeks pressed together.

[ i can make so many of these videos #n/nfiz is definitely real ]

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ ❪ 𝖈alliope 𝖘peaks! ❫ 。 succumbing to popular demand once again, so here’s breakin’ dishes pt. 3! i do enjoy making these a lot and knowing you guys love them is fantastic. let me know what else you wanna see. happy reading! xx

@sillymommy6969 © ──────────── Feb 2025

[korean-dreams-girls]

YoonChae (KATSEYE) - Selcas

[imaxdead]

texting your exs “i miss you”

(a thread 🧵)

—★ katseye members x fem! reader

synopsis: texting all your exes “i miss you” out of boredom (and unemployment)

genre: funny, humor, a thread, kats r ur exs

warnings: help idk, strong language, suggestive jokes, religious stuff

a/n: helpppp i cant birth😭😭 im nawt funny i fear

[rajdiel]

— , SECRET4U | MEGAN SKIENDIEL ᯓ★

↡

being sophia’s, the KATSEYE leader, sister wasn’t the worst thing. you did all you could to remain away from her spotlight, to avoid how your guys’ brother was trended by ‘eyekons’ not long after their debut. none of the other girls had met you, didn’t even know what you looked like, badgering sophia to show them pictures. but she had respect for you and your privacy, never giving in to their repetitive pleas.

you thought all of the girls were pretty, but there was always a ginger head with the prettiest glow of skin you’d ever seen that always caught your eye. the problem? sophia refused to let any of the girls date any of her relatives.

warnings?: laforteza!reader, i miss my chinese ginger meg so pretend that she's still ginger in this present time, fluff.

wc: 6100+

a/n: a part 2 will be made to this.

...

being inducted into KATSEYE was sophia’s dream amplified ten times over. she grew to love and trust the girls with more than just her life. however, she knew of an audience, and she knew of her fellow girls’ orientations. that’s simply why she made only one thing clear—nobody dates her sister. it seemed simple enough to her; none of them had ever even met you. but sophia knew you, and she knew you were as captivating as the glossy look that beamed over your eyes as you stood in the sun and your toned figure from years of playing volleyball.

while the media thirsted over yours and sophia’s brother (weirdly enough), you remained anonymous for the most part. no instagram posts or highlights, a private twitter account, and a hand covering your face for every photo taken with sophia that you knew was going to be publicly posted. you were always considerably quieter in the family, and you planned to keep it that way for as long as you could.

the KATSEYE girls were all equally acquainted with the laforteza family, seeing your brothers on facetimes with smiles and jokes to be made, so much so that they would regularly forget that sophia had a sister, barely a year in age difference, until she would bring you up. the excuses were always the same: “she lives at home, but she's always on her college campus,” and “she’s never liked being in the public eye.”

“so much for frightening us with ‘my sister is off limits!’ if we’ll never get to meet her, it seems.” manon sat at your family table, chewing on snacks that your mom had prepared for the girls. The KATSEYE girls were in the philippines for promotions, and it didn’t even have to conclude with sophia’s badgering that they’d be in the infamous laforteza home.

“nanay, nasaan si y/n?” sophia caught her mom’s attention, to which her mom spoke a brief reply before returning to the food that was on the stove. “she could swing by today, for your information, manon. she’s at some open gym.”

lara sat across from sophia, quipping up, “open gym? she plays sports?” to which sophia nodded, becoming occupied in conversation as her dad sat at the table. the girls had a small break for the day, with a couple of other break days spread out around their philippines visit while they worked on promotions.

conversations continued smoothly until the opening of the front door sounded, noticeable by the door's small creak before it closed shut, and a quick, "home!" sounded throughout the house. sophia immediately darted up and ran out of the kitchen to where you stood, slinging your duffel bag full of equipment off your shoulder and setting it by the stairs. "aww, fi."

watching your older sister run toward you, you embraced her in your arms, chin resting on the side of her head from your small height difference. you had become blissfully unaware that you reeked of sweat and hints of vanilla bean until sophia pulled away, rubbing her hand on your shirt. "your back is sweaty."

"what else can you expect when i've been hitting a ball for three hours?" you laughed, combing baby hairs out of your face before sophia cocked her head up, as if a light bulb had just gone off in her head. "come to the kitchen so you can finally meet the girls!"

she grabbed your arm, beginning to pull you forward before you lunged back, pulling sophia in the process. "oh, absolutely not, fi. look at me." and looking at you, she did.

you wore tennis shoes with long socks rolled halfway, black shorts ending just above your knee, and a fitted black shirt with a couple dark patches alongside your back from your sweat. "i also smell like a dog. i'll say my greetings when i'm... proper."

"you smell fineeeeuh," sophia groaned, having waited what felt like years to finally introduce you. her facial expression then changed, raising an eyebrow up while she spoke in an accusatory tone, "now who exactly are you trying to get proper for?"

you clicked your tongue, eyes darting up at the ceiling as if you were in a train of thought. "i dunno... the ginger's got some pretty doe eyes." you winked, knowing about sophia's "no dating" policy, and ran up the stairs to evade her arm swinging at you like a maniac. "absolutely not, y/n!"

you ran up the stairs, laughing to yourself as you passed by your younger brother's room, eyes narrowing at the sight of him on his xbox. "hey, you."

he looked up to see you pointing at him from the doorway, head slanted like you had just seen him doing something bad. "you've got five pretty girls downstairs, and you're up here playing valorant?" the disbelief in your voice was evident, shaking your head in a "no" motion, to which he shooed you away, saying, "you know sophia's got them on lockdown. good luck trying to get with one of them."

you stuck your tongue out at him before venturing down the hall into your room, quick on your feet to get changed while sophia sat back down at the table downstairs, earning gazes from the other girls. "soooo..?"

sophia looked at lara, the indian girl giving her a questionable look, "y/n's here, but she's getting ready upstairs. she'll be down in no time... i hope." sophia trailed off, taking opportunity of the girls' attention on her to set a reminder. "she is absolutely off limits. if i find any of you so much as flirting, you're dead, and KATSEYE is becoming OT5."

the girls pushed themselves back into their chairs, putting their hands up and pretending they were scared, mimicking sophia's apparent overprotectiveness of her siblings. "well, no offense sophia, but uh..." megan finally spoke, the ginger off in her own world ever since she sat down, "i can't see myself trying to chase after someone that looks like you."

the other girls hummed in agreement at megan's words, to which sophia gave a fake-shocked look before swatting megan's arm. "well, you see, that's the problem. she looks like me... but she also doesn't. i don't know how to explain it properly; she's just different. plus, she's an actual good flirt—i can't name how many of my friends became like... captivated by her just because she wanted to mess with them."

and different you were, soon enough walking down the stairs slowly. it had only just hit you that you were going to be introduced to five gorgeous idols at once, and although you weren't shy, you still found yourself with a rather embarrassing track record when it came to girls. blue-light glasses rimmed your nose, pushing them up as you mustered your remaining courage and headed for the kitchen.

you had seen the girls everywhere, lurking on their media accounts and unintentionally coming across them on sophia's posts. they were all beautiful, just about drop-dead gorgeous, but none of them were exactly your type... except for one girl that crossed your search bar every now and then, the girl that had you in a trance as you once watched dream academy missions.

pretty doe eyes with hips that swayed like butter and a sultry, alluring dancing style that captivated you. she had light skin that glowed in the sun, and her laugh, which you'd hear in tiktoks the girls would make, was contagious. if you weren't rooting for your own sister, she was your number one pick. you could only brush it off as an on-screen crush, but as she debuted alongside your sister, you were aware that it was bound to change.

"finally." sophia groaned, standing up as you entered the kitchen area, quick to avoid eye contact with any of the girls who first came into your vision. "i took maybe 15 minutes, fi. you take 15 minutes just to do a lip combo."

sophia's mouth opened in offense, plunging her fist into your left arm as snickers erupted from the girls still seated. you took a look around, eyes first locking with the same ginger you joked about before—she was hard to miss. she's even prettier in person, you thought. large eyes looked up at you from where she sat, looking almost entranced by you at first glance.

you panicked on the spot and could only send her a small smile, unsure of how to act. megan didn't react properly, putting her head down as she felt heat creeping up in her cheeks. oh, sophia would kill her. why was she getting flustered all of a sudden?

was it the way she could tell you were fit even under your shirt—how broad your shoulders were—or how your eyes shone even under the fluorescent lighting as they bore into hers? sophia was right; you looked like her, but you didn't. your aura was different, and so was your style, not to mention the eyebrow piercing that sat on your face that almost amplified your look times ten.

with a notice in megan's shift, you immediately jerked your head away from her, trying your hardest to ignore how uncomfortable you had suddenly become at her reaction. you could only be thankful for daniela coming up to you first, pushing aside your outstretched hand to give you a warm hug, entrapped by a stronger vanilla scent compared to yours, to which she complimented you on your "good scent."

"wow, sophia was not lying." manon spoke a little louder than intended, earning a jab to her side from lara who was the next girl to come up to you. "sooooo nice to meet you; you don't understand how long we've waited to meet this mysterious younger sister." she teased you, not expecting for you to send her a sly wink that only she caught, "it's my pleasure to finally see you gorgeous girls in person."

sophia pushed you away, jabbing you in your arm whilst protruding a stern look on her face, to which you backed up, hands up in surrender. after that, manon and yoonchae arrived. manon's bear embrace smothered you, causing sophia to pull the girl away from you. you then gave yoonchae a side hug to make the shy girl feel more at ease.

then megan, the renowned socially awkward one of the group, was desperate to bury herself in your arms if it meant avoiding sophia's furrowed gaze at her sudden shyness, eyes darting everywhere but at you. the girl smelled sweet to you, a broad floral and woody scent filling your nose with a hint of vanilla (though you couldn't distinguish if it was her or you). her body was warm despite the cold air conditioning filling the house, and her head fitting snug in the crook of your neck felt perfect.

just as quick as the feeling came, it went away when she pulled back. sophia gave megan a look that she didn't catch, eyes glued to the floor, before sending one to you as well, which you shrugged at. the girls sat you down before you could look megan's way again, poking and prodding at you for details on your life that sophia refused to share. "off limits." the girl mumbed, almost a reminder to herself and a mental facepalm at how the words she spoke earlier dramatically came back to bite her in the ass.

small talk conversation with the girls, talkative and unintentionally funny, turned into hours of conversation, gaming, and eventual lounging in sophia's childhood bedroom as the sun began to fade away.

a loud growl sounded in the comfortable silence that was sophia's room. yoonchae and sophia were on their phones, playing multiplayer on some game they had downloaded. lara and daniela were in the connected bathroom, door wide open as they took mirror selfies with a life-size cardboard cutout of an SB19 member they found shoved in the back of sophia's closet. manon sat on the carpet floor, texting god knows who, and megan simply lay on the bed, her phone unable to cure any boredom she was feeling.

the girls all collectively turned their heads to the origin point of the clear stomach growl, the culprit none other than megan. "no way you're still hungry even after sophia's mom forced us to each have like three plates of food."

megan mumbled, rubbing her stomach. " i don't feel hungry... probably just a snack hunger." she picked her head up, looking at her members with a knowing glint in her eyes. lara and daniela immediately looked away, while the other three girls shared quick laughs before returning to their activities. "come on guys! please!"

"the sun's coming down, meg, and we have no car until tomorrow. there's a gas station close to here, but i don't need any of you girls walking out at night without any protection." sophia spoke motherly, annoying megan, who whined at her. getting filipino snacks was megan's favorite part of the trip every time they came, and with their busy upcoming schedule, she was afraid she wouldn't get the chance to buy them.

"if you need protection, then take stell!" daniela held up the cardboard cutout of the member, using it to dodge sophia's slipper that then came flying her way while one hand remained on the filipina's phone as yoonchae was urging her to "kill him, kill him!" the girls laughed, manon joining before abruptly stopping and looking up at megan with an unreadable look.

the last time manon gave anyone that look, it ended with daniela chasing her around the house after the girl had stolen her phone and texted brent faiyaz "luvvvv ur music <3 when are we getting married?" only realizing what manon had done after she had earned a reply from the artist.

"what if you just... ask y/n to accompany you?" manon finished her sentence and immediately ducked her head down, avoiding the look her leader sent her. sophia went as far as ignoring yoonchae's whines as she had set her phone down completely, obviously unamused at the idea.

"hmph, not an entirely bad idea." daniela emerged from the bathroom, setting the cutout aside as sophia directed her gaze to the curlyhead. "whaaaat? doesn't take someone with 20/20 vision to see that your sister is visibly lean. plus, she knows the area."

as if someone had a magician's hat and wand and said "poof!" you emerged in sophia's doorway, eyebrow raised as you looked between all of the girls. "get out of here nosy!"

"oh, god forbid i hear my name and get a little curious." you faked offense, looking around the girls that you had talked to with ease not long ago, quick for your original anxiety to disappear. megan shot up immediately when she registered that you had came into the room, pleading eyes darting to all of her members, almost saying "do NOT!!!!"

manon was quick on her feet, slipping out of megan's grip after the ginger had lunged forward to try and hold her back. "y/n! long time no see- listen, you busy right now?" manon slung an arm over your shoulder, quick to then retract it when she watched sophia's eyes narrow at the sight. you meekly nodded your head 'no' and gave an almost concerned look when manon beamed at the answer.

manon continued, "megan wants snacks, but your sister is denying her proper nourishment because nobody wants to go with her." she shook her head with a sad expression, trying to stifle a laugh at the thought of sophia's face. "i am not! all I'm saying is that there's nobody to go with her."

"and that's where you come in, y/n! interested in going with her?" manon looked at you like she was expecting you to say yes, causing you to drag out a long, "uhhhhhhhh," before sophia stepped in. "you're not gonna force my sister to go somewh-"

"i'll go."

"y/n!" sophia hissed, giving you the same shocked look that she had on her face for a minute at that point. you never really understood why sophia was so adamant about a "no dating" policy, if that was even the reason she opposed the situation, or if it had to do with the welfare of her friend. "what? you're acting like I'm gonna mug her myself."

"i... ugh! both of you, come here." sophia urged, megan wasting no time than to be right at her side as you reluctantly went over, bending down to meet eye-to-eye. "gas station, then come right back. no side quests, no dilly dallying, and if she comes back with so much as a scratch-" sophia turned to you and leaned forward, causing you to push yourself back, "you are never seeing the light of day again."

"so much positivity for your sister that you see every 3-6 business months." lara mumbled from the bathroom, causing manon to bend over the sink to stifle a laugh. sophia paid no mind to them, awaiting your answer, to which you responded, "fine by me. if she comes back with even a lick of hair gone, i'll buy you ten choc nut's."

...

the wind was breezy against your body, flushing your face from the slight cold that made the tips of your ears twinge slightly. you were prepared for the most part, your favorite black leather jacket on with semi-baggy jeans to help you combat the sudden cold. the same couldn't be said for megan, sporting a short-sleeved black shirt with linen-made pants that didn't protect her legs at all.

well... that was a mere couple of minutes ago. now, with some reluctance for your wellbeing, megan sported your leather jacket that you offered her while you remained in a plain t-shirt, wind blowing goosebumps onto your exposed arms as you two walked along the sidewalk, but that was the last of your thoughts.

"you're not this quiet in your interviews, you know." you spoke softly, the air tinging the tip of your nose a small shade of pink as you looked around the familiar area before you. megan's ears immediately perked up, shooting you a glance like she hadn't just been mindlessly wandering off into another dimension—mentally. "my interviews?"

"mhm," you hummed softly, careful to not make eye contact with the girl that way you could make sure she wasn't going to slam into anything up ahead, with those light brown eyes of hers boring into the side of your face. "you know, where you act all jittery like you just consumed three red bull's beforehand, and all... well..." you briefly turned to face her, pulling your hands up to the sides of your face before twisting them slightly whilst mimicking a face she knew all too well, the burden of one of her livestreams.

megan couldn't hold it back, "oh my goddd," and let out a true laugh at your knowledge of that moment. her hands were stuffed in the pockets of your jacket, formally entranced by your vanilla scent that surrounded her, filling up her nostrils as if you were indirectly hugging her. she couldn't pinpoint it—what it was about you that made her so fluttery. she never thought she'd have a type, really, but it was almost an awakening that if she did, you were exactly it.

it wasn't just your style and the way you looked, although they were key factors. it was the small gestures that you did, figuring the girl wouldn't pick up on, but just because she was quiet didn't mean she wasn't observant.

the way your hand hovered over her head as she bent down to pick up something earlier at the dinner table, careful as to not let her bump into anything. the quick offering of a blanket as you noticed her small shivers while you all sat on your living room couch, megan having sat where the air conditioning was hitting her directly—you then got up to turn it off. the way you had clothes in your hand, pajamas that you were likely ready to change into, as you entered sophia's room, and how quick you were to put them away to be at megan's service.

the patience you held as megan scoured the house for her shoes, unsure as to where she left them. how you redirected your walking stance, keeping megan on the inside of the sidewalk while you walked along the outer part. it only took her the lighest shiver for you to be stuffing your jacket in her hands, assuring her you wouldn't be cold while clear goosebumps began to litter your skin. all this, and you hadn't even known the girl for 12 hours. she couldn't decipher whether it was all an act to stay on your sister's good side or if you actually meant it, and she hoped the latter.

the apologies the ginger sent you as she found her shoes, putting them on while grabbing- did she grab it? did she... "oh, fuck!"

you whipped your head around, startled by the sudden yelp of the girl beside you. she put your hands in her hair, tugging slightly in a form of distress, and you could only step in front of her to pull her hands away as to not hurt herself. "what's wrong?"

"i fucking- oh, i'm so sorry, y/n! stupid... stupid..." she groaned louder this time, her body finding movement of its own in her frustration as her hands balled into fists and lightly hit your chest, hands remaining there before leaning forward and resting her forehead on her balled fists. "i completely forgot to grab my wallet that was on the table near my shoes, and i just got a new phone and i haven't added any of my cards onto it yet..."

she expected you to get upset, mad even, that you had to walk back to the house to retrieve the item—if you even wanted to go anymore. instead, you just laughed, megan feeling the way your chest lightly heaved while a hand came up to rub megan's back soothingly. "god, megan, you had me thinking you killed yoonchae or something."

frowning, she pulled away. "the cat," you clarified, but that wasn't what she needed clarification about. "you're not mad, even the slightest?"

"'course not, if anything it gives me an excuse to pay for your stuff. come on," you nudged her along, already seeing the faint tall sign of the gas station as you looked ahead. she swore up and down she could kiss you right there and then if the looming thought of sophia digging her grave didn't play in her mind. "i'll pay you back, i swear."

"hm, no need. i promise i've got enough." you eventually made it up to the gas station, holding open the door for megan who thanked you and went inside. you waved at the same cashier you saw nearly every day; if you didn't get along with the guy so well, you'd probably be embarrassed at the amount of times he saw you walk in and leave, paying with a filled basket.

while megan ventured toward the fridges, you stayed up front to scan the front bar for the choco nut's that your sister would die for. "hoy, may girlfriend ka?" [hey, you got a girlfriend?]

you smiled, nodding your head no, but your cheeks blushed at the thought. "isa sa mga kaibigan ni sophia, pero maganda siya, huh?" [one of sophia's friends, but she's pretty, huh?]

he nodded, chatting with you further until you eventually found megan in the chips aisle, deciding on what bag she could get despite unable to read the labels. "just get both." you shrugged, turning the corner slightly toward a freezer, grabbing a couple gatorades and energy drinks for your club game the next day. "i don't want to drain your bank account."

"you're acting like i don't have the most generous sister ever who will literally send me $500 'just because.' i promise, you're fine." it wasn't a shy thing to admit that you came from some wealth to begin with, whether it was from your parents' success or the simple acts from your sister to send you unnecessary, absurd amounts of money to make sure you were "well off."

"the same sister that looked like she wanted to murder me for coming out here with you? yeaaaahh, such a sweetheart, that girl." megan joked, laughing with you as she stuffed both the chip bags into her basket. if you were anything like sophia, you weren't taking no for an answer, so why fight it?

the more she stood around you, light chats filling the air as you guys continued to look for snacks, the more megan became more comfortable around you. it were as if she was seeing you in a brand new light, almost like you were more than just someone's sibling.

you noticed the whisker dimples whenever she laughed and how full her cheeks got, and she noticed the dotted dimples on your cheeks and the way your eyes crinked behind your glasses.

"this is weird." megan mumbled to herself, originally supposed to be an internal thought, but her small dissociations tend to betray her sometimes. you turned your head, watching her analyzing the cold aisle for whatever else may have attracted her. "what's weird?"

you heard that?

"i- well," megan stumbled over her words, scratching the back of her neck while walking past you, your eyes continuing to trail her. "i've known luke for almost two years now, since dream academy, and yet i can never see him as any more than 'sophia's older brother'." your eyebrows raised at the mention of your elder brother, unsure of where she was going with her words.

"but i've known you for maybe seven hours max, and i've only just now actually started talking to you and- you feel comfortable, as if i've known you forever." megan's eyes shot wide as she finished her sentence, already regretting the words as they left her mouth. "now, wait! i don't mean that to seem too overly heartfelt or anything, i just-"

megan turned around to face you, words jumbling in her throat as she saw you with a grin on your face, silently laughing at her quick flushness, and it made her want to shrink inside. "wo- i'm not bullying you by laughing, by the way." you helped clarify once more upon seeing the exasperated look the girl held. "it's cute how you rant, and i'm rather flattered at your indirect comment that you already like me more than my brother."

you teased her, sending over a wink that you mentally shamed yourself for once it happened, walking past the girl to grab a mango pack off the shelf. "plus, if you promise not to snitch..." you tossed the pack in the basket, turning to face megan now, "then i'll tell you that the conversations we've been having are my favorite compared to the past conversations i had with your group mates, but shh.." you put a finger up to your lips, shushing her with a light twitch at the corner of your lips, like you wanted to smile.

you turned away, starting toward the next aisle, and megan was paled as if she had just seen a ghost. "is she flirting with me?" the girl thought once more, feet pulling to catch up with you only to watch you turn around slightly, and she had already knew her body had betrayed her once more by making her internal thoughts verbal.

"if i were, would you snitch on me?"

the walk back home was exasperating, given that she had remained visibly flushed with tinted cheeks that she blamed on the cold air, but you knew better. she was so entranced by the time the two of you arrived home, thanking you for the snacks once more before walking back into sophia's room, which she would share with the girl herself and yoonchae while the others girl crashed in the guest bedroom.

"welcome back, me-" sophia looked up, halting her words immediately when she saw the new clothing accessory around megan's body along with the girl's rosy cheeks. she gave the younger girl a look that was hard to decipher. "is that y/n's jacket?"

with a small commotion later of sophia trying to force information out of megan and yoonchae trying to calm her elder down, megan abandoned her snacks for the night and trailed off to the guest bedroom in fear for her life.

she burst into the room, closing the door with a quick click and catching the immediate attention of lara, daniela, and manon who were on live. seeing megan's flushed state along with the muffled commotion they heard previously, lara muted the live as the ginger plopped down on the carpet floor. "please, if any of you love me... switch rooms with me."

"oh keep the live muted guys, i need to hear whatever information megan's about to rant out." manon got up from the bed and left the camera's view, plopping down on the carpet besides a drained megan.

"guys... hypothetically- and i mean hypothetically!" the girl practically yelled, startling daniela who was trying to read the chat's comment, confusion of the viewers on what was happening. "hypothetically... if you felt a mix of never-felt before emotions toward someone that you couldn't have, hypothetically, what would that mean?"

daniela yelped out a laugh, quick to cover her mouth as she spoke, "it hasn't even been a day and y/n's already got you on a hook. i knew something was up."

"hey, you only knew something was up when i proposed the idea of it earlier!" manon pointed at her roommate, who only held her hands up in a sarcastic manner, and lara opted to leave the camera's view completely, only adding fuel to the chat's confusion.

"oh, megan, honey." lara knelt down, pushing manon aside to be by the girl, circling the ginger's head onto her shoulder. "it means that, one, you're gay, and two, you're gay for y/n."

"i think that we've already covered that megan skiendiel likes girls." manon spoke matter-of-factly, giving lara a jab to the thigh for pushing her, "what i want to know is what happened."

megan only groaned again, body slumping into lara as daniela stared at her amused. it wasn't everyday that megan was a puddle of water over someone, the girl normally finding every male and female that came her way too absurd to be with. "well, we were walking and then wind came out of nowhere so it got cold, and she noticed i was shivering so she lent me her jacket."

the girls 'ooh'ed, leaning in close to hear megan's disgruntled voice better. "and then i had realized i had forgotten my wallet, and every normal person would've gotten mad, right? but she was so nice and understanding and calmed me down and ughhhhhh," the girl was rambling, hands rubbing down her face to try and clear the blush that never left her cheeks. "then we were in the store and i thought she was being flirty so in my head i was like, "is she flirting with me?" and i didn't know i said it out loud and she responded and basically said that she was."

the girls cheered, manon and daniela high-fiving while lara let out a high-pitched squeal. "then what?"

"well..." megan dozed off for a second before putting her hands on her face again and groaning, seemingly agitated. "we walked home and i forgot to return her jacket, so when i went into sophia's room she noticed it immediately and started badgering non-stop about it."

"so what i'm hearing and assuming is..." manon leaned by the table, grabbing her drink before taking a sip and handing it to lara who was making grabby hands, "you had the chance to flirt back and connect even further, but instead you chose to be a chalant dork that was geeking out the entire time."

lara almost choked on the drink, putting it aside while silently laughing like a maniac. daniela had left the room with the live, entertaining the viewers with whatever story time she had going on, but the live had caught a glimpse of a distressed megan on the floor as she was leaving and became a frenzy in the chat log. "i didn't come here to get bullied! and for your information, manon, watch your back 'cause this was your fault."

megan pressed her pointer finger into manon's chest, and the girl meekly rolled her eyes and batted megan's hand away. "oh, blame me for wanting to connect you with your fine shit."

"megan, i understand that we're half-joking and half-serious right now, but genuinely," lara pushed herself up toward megan, hand coming to pat down the girl's dishelved hair as curiosity laced her voice. "why exactly are you going crazy over her? it can't be just 'cause she's pretty—you've seen plenty of pretty people around—although i do admit that she's more fine than i anticipated, but i literally called manon crazy earlier for suggesting something between you two."

"it's just the way i feel around her, like her aura throws me off completely in a good way." megan was starting to calm down, despite remaining sprawled on the floor as if she had just ran a marathon. "you guys know me. i flirt either as a joke or maybe to get attention, and i always deflect whenever i get shy, but being around her makes me want to be honest- i was honest!"

"and i- no!" megan cut herself off with her own shriek, a knock sounding at the door that locked behind daniela when she originally left. "do not open it!"

"you don't know who it is," lara whisper-yelled, meeting megan's tone. "it could just be dani coming back."

"or it could be sophia coming to take me up to heaven herself! don't open it." megan urged, holding onto manon's arm with a life-dependent grip when she tried to get up, attempting to keep her in place. she sent a look to lara, who sprang up to open the door without looking back.

"hi," a familiar voice rang from the creaked-open door, and megan could shrink down into a ball if she wanted to. "y/n, what a nice surprise!"

lara opened the door wider, and you walked in, making eye contact with the sprawled out figure on the floor that scrambled to get up. manon and lara shared a look, lips pursing together to stifle their laughs while megan attempted a quick fixing of her hair.

"err... yoonchae—human yoonchae—told me that you were probably gonna stay in here, so i figure i'd bring these to you in case you were too scared to come get them." you set down the bags of snacks on an emptied table, stepping back just in time to avoid lara and manon who dove for the bags at first glance. you turned to see megan tearing off your jacket, instinctively putting your hand out to stop her.

"er, it's still cold in here, i don't know why my dad likes the house to be absolutely freezing, but you should keep it." you urged, and megan meekly nodded and closed the jacket around her once more.

"what time do you guys leave tomorrow?" you asked, scratching the back of your neck like you were guilty of some ploy, which you were. you initially came into the room to not only drop off the snacks, but also to ask your way into getting megan's number, expecting the other girls to be asleep or at least minding their own business.

"eight in the morning," manon spoke muffled, mouth full of some flour dessert that megan you bought. you nodded your head, "i'll make sure to see you guys out, then. hm?"

as you headed for the door, opening it with a slight creak, you slanted your head back to see megan burning her eyes into the back of your head. "for the record, you can keep the jacket entirely if you like," you paused, biting the inside of your lip, as if you were almost hesitating, "it looks better on you." then you shut the door.