#but then one day his friend minho drags him to a dance class because hyunjin ''needs to get out in the real world''

[hyunjinspark]

only fools fall for you | hyunjin sm au | part 18

series: only fools fall for you

pairing: dancer! hyunjin x dancer! reader

fic type: social media au (with few written parts)

genre: college au, angst, enemies to lovers, smut and some fluff

word count: 9.6K

warnings: cursing, drinking, slight angst, making out, slight dirty talk, grinding, hickeys??, yn being frustrated, fingering, sexual frustration

a/n: super nervous for this chapter...i hope y'all like it. leave a comment/ask/reblog besties ahhh!

masterlist

Last Night

Yeji was long gone from your side. The last time you saw her was precisely when you entered Tate’s, before Jeongin dragged her and Minho to the dance floor because his favorite song had come on. You were currently standing by the bar, your drink in your hand as you tried to keep track of all your friends grooving to a song by Zico. The only reason you were here, and not with them was because you were firstly- far too sober as of now to dance in a club, and secondly, too tired from your showcase today.

Your and Hyunjin’s dance showcase had lasted only a mere five minutes, but you were mentally and emotionally exhausted, rather than physically. Dealing with him had been…tough. Despite years of practice as being the female lead next to him, you could never get used to his presence.

He was loud. Dramatic. Annoying. Sarcastic. Always on your nerves.

The only upside was that, he was a great dancer. You could never deny him that. That was a reason you hadn’t felt too nervous dancing in front of everyone, most of them still strangers. You were still thankful as ever that you didn’t have to dance with Kim Yunho, who chose to do a solo for this particular partner assignment.

Pursuing dance on a University level was a risky choice, not even 2% of dance majors make it big, you knew that but you risked it anyway. Simply because you couldn’t see yourself doing anything other than dance, even if you failed at it. You rather fail at it, than succeed in something you weren’t in love with.

That was the one thing common between you, and everybody else here. That’s why you were so nervous for the showcase, everyone else was here for one specific reason; to be the next greatest dancer the industry has seen, and you wanted them to take you seriously.

You took another sip of your drink, the liquid burning your throat, your eyes falling on your partner, Hyunjin at the booth, with another girl draped across him this time. She was from your common Literature class, you’d recognize her blonde curls anywhere, and she was currently sat on his lap, leaving sloppy kisses on his neck.

His eyes landed on yours, but it was too late for you to avert your gaze, and it would feel too obvious. So, you continued looking in his direction, taking another sip, unbothered.

You expected him to do something, with the way he was staring at you.

Smirk.

Raise his eyebrows.

But he didn’t. He didn’t react at all.

He just went back to the girl, pulling her into another deep kiss, his hand tangled in her hair. Perhaps he was more unbothered than even you.

You thought back to today morning, when you were sitting against the mirror, your knees pulled up to your chest as you watched Minho perform with his partner, a girl called Sana. They were so good, completely in sync with each other, and you could visibly see the trust flowing between them. You couldn’t help but feel envious of their unspoken bond, they hadn’t practiced as much as you, yet they were already much better. It was as if it came so easy to them. You, on the other hand, had spent all of your days and nights last week practicing and still weren’t as good as them.

The class erupted into an applause as Minho swept Sana up into their ending pose, the routine was so exhausting but they seemed relaxed, not panting heavily, but perfectly poised, as great dancers should be. You watched the satisfied smile on Sana’s face, and on Mrs. Choi’s face as she clapped, very impressed.

You felt a nudge in your side and turned to see Felix looking at you.

“You okay?” He asked.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around your knees “Just immersed in the performance”

Felix smiled “Okay, you seemed spaced out, is it cause you’re up next?”

“What?” You asked, panic flooding through you.

He laughed, wrapping an arm around you “I’m just kidding, Y/N. I don’t know who’s up next”

“Oh, thank god” You sighed, upset that he’d been able to get such a strong reaction from you. You weren’t supposed to be nervous. You wished you were better at hiding it.

“You’ll be great, you don’t have anything to worry about” He spoke and you nodded, watching Minho and Sana take their seats.

Mrs. Choi stepped up, clapping her hands again “Absolutely beautiful. That’s the kind of talent I wish to see when I step through those doors every morning. Take this performance as an example for how I expect you all to do, Mr. Lee and Miss Chou make it seem so effortless”

“Let’s have Mr. Hwang and Miss Y/N next”

You heard Felix let out a laugh as your stomach immediately sank and you nudged him, shutting him up. You stood up quickly, dusting your tights and watched Hyunjin stand up too. You two were the only partners not sitting together, and he made his way to you from across the room.

You turned to face the class, watching you and Hyunjin in the mirror. He adjusted his snapback, tucking his stray hair behind his ear and stood behind you.

You took in a deep breath as his hands came to rest on your waist.

Mrs. Choi cued the music, and you could feel everybody’s eyes on you, tensing you up. Why were you getting so anxious these days? You never got nervous when you used to perform. You spotted Yunho in the crowd of the twenty dancers, a blank look on his face. Felix was grinning at you, and just as you were about to begin, you heard the door creak, Yeji poking her head in.

You refrained from rolling your eyes at her late entry, she was definitely skipping class to be here and she shot you a smile, mouthing “Fighting!”

You felt so anxious, your hands getting clammy. They were all going to judge you based on this performance, and your chemistry with Hyunjin.

The music began and you clenched your fists, taking in a breath as Hyunjin tightened his grip on you, his eyes falling to your expression in the mirror.

Just before you went into the first step, he leaned into your ear, his hot breath brushing your neck and mumbled “You’ll be fine, Y/N”

Now here you were, hours later, watching Hyunjin completely ignore you, wondering whether you imagined it earlier. He was hard to understand. He’d changed partners, you were quite sure he’d done it for you, but you didn’t know why.

He’d been a dick to you the past week, but whispered encouragements in your ear when you were nervous? What was his deal?

“Why the hell are you all by yourself?” You hear a shrill voice as someone grabbed on your arm, making you jump up, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Oh my god, Yeji” You laughed, placing a hand over your heart “You really need to calm down”

“Why should I? You’re the one who wanted me to come out and get drunk” She yelled, Jeongin by her side “Now you aren’t even dancing with me and Minho”

She looked adorable, a denim jumpsuit on her, her red lips pulled in a cute pout, her arms on her waist. Minho joined her, coming to frown at your sober state. They were all tipsy, and you seemed like an oldie amongst them in your state.

“I…yeah you’re right. Let’s get drunk” You sighed, pulling yourself out of thoughts about today’s showcase and your heavily confusing partner “What’s the fastest way we can?”

“Tequila shots, of course” Minho said, smirking “As long as you ladies can handle it”

“Oh, you’ve got yourself a challenge, honey” You declared, turning to order eight shots for you guys.

»»————

Thirty minutes later, everybody was plastered, way past your original drinking plan. You’d only wanted to get tipsy, enough to let loose and enjoy the night. Now, you were past that point, your head spinning, all the people around you blurring into shapes and the lights too strong on your eyes. You felt great though. You felt as if you could sink into the couch, or disappear into the flashing lights.

Yeji struggled to maintain her balance, even while sitting, Minho was supporting her with a small hand on her back. They looked cute. God, you wish you looked that cute doing anything. Yeji was adorable, even now in her plastered state. You couldn’t miss the way Minho looked at her protectively, she just brought out that instinct in people, the feel to protect her. She was too pure for this world.

“Oh my god! You were so good today” Yeji suddenly sighed dramatically.

“What?” You asked, pulling yourself back into the conversation, trying to keep track.

“Your dance! You are so beautiful, Y/N. I’m so lucky to have you as my friend” Yeji spoke, with reverence in her eyes.

“You really were” Minho commented, smiling at you in a way that turned your insides. Minho looked so good too. Was he always this handsome?

Why hadn’t you kissed him on your date? You were really regretting it now, as you watched him laugh over a dumb joke made by Jeongin.

Why didn’t you kiss him?

You guessed you had never felt that pull or urge to him, until now. Or maybe, you just wanted to kiss somebody, anybody. Were you feeling like this because of him, or just because he was a cute boy? God knows there was a lack of nice, cute boys around you.

As you took in another sip of your drink watching your friends laugh around you, you couldn’t even remember why you were so stressed earlier. What was the point?

This was college. You were an adult now. You were supposed to let loose. Who even gave a fuck about a small showcase? You were being too uptight about it earlier, your friends were right. They told you to take it easy.

Well, you were going to take it easy. It felt so good to be relaxed, your body felt loose, your limbs weren’t tense anymore. Your head felt light, hearing grasps of conversation between your friends.

Yeji leaned into Minho, it was normal for her, she was always a touchy and affectionate but what was unexpected was the way he welcomed it. He wasn’t as drunk as the rest of you, but he smiled as she leaned into him, his arm wrapping gently around her.

“I have to thank you, Minho” Jeongin said “Yeji would never have come out if it wasn’t for your help”

“Yes!” Yeji exclaimed, then turned to you “Y/N. Did I mention he helped me in my stupiddd world history assignment?”

“Yes, Yeji. You’ve told me ten times” You laughed “Thank you Minho”

“Of course” He smiled, so simple, so charming. Ugh. Handsome boys were going to be the death of you.

“Thank god for him, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to come today” She sighed, glancing up at him in her loving fashion, her big eyes blown out in gratefulness.

He let out a chuckle “Don’t thank me. This was a celebration for all of us”

“Noo” She whined “You helped me. I had no idea boys could be that smart”

You laughed “Yeji...don’t be like that. Han is smart”

“Hey!” Jeongin said, pinching you and you laughed.

“I love you, baby. You’re the most intelligent out of all of us” You said to him, leaning in to kiss his cheek as an apology. He rolled his eyes at your gesture but smiled nonetheless.

“You didn’t really need my help though” Minho replied, and then turned to address you “She already had most of it done”

Yeji’s eyes lit up at the unexpected compliment and she showed off a toothy smile “I don’t know why you’re being so nice”

Minho laughed “I’m just being honest”

She smiled sleepily, tucking herself further into his embrace and you felt Jeongin glance at you.

What was going on? Despite how close they were obviously getting, you somehow didn’t seem to mind. After all, you’d only asked Minho out as a distraction from Hyunjin and Yeji was the one who spotted him first, pushing you to talk to him. Your last two dates had been fun, but they felt more friendly than they should. You wonder why you never felt that attachment to Minho…it had always been hard for you to date, and you still couldn’t understand why.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying, Y/N was great today” Minho suddenly said and Yeji’s eyes snapped open, as if she realized what was going on.

She sat up in a panic, letting out a squeak “Y/N. Yes, she was so amazing. You looked so beautiful”

You laughed, watching her switch back into wing woman mode, even though it was clear you didn’t need her help anymore.

“Don’t you think she looked so beautiful, Minho?” Yeji asked, turning to him, moving further away by the second and you didn’t miss the split-second disappointment on his face as she did.

He smiled brightly “Of course. Y/N always looks gorgeous though”

Jeongin’s hand landed on your thigh, raising his eyebrows at what was unfolding. Clearly, Minho and Yeji had taken a liking to each other, but they were both being their faithful selves, which made your heart warm.

“Yeji, can I talk to you?” You asked, standing up. You were clearly more drunk than you’d thought on, because as soon as you stood, the room around you spun. Jeongin reached out to grasp your wrist, steadying you and you shot him a grateful smile.

Yeji nodded, letting out a squeak as she stood up unsteadily and Minho seemed to have caught on, since he didn’t reach out to help her this time. His hand hovering over her waist, but not touching it. You stepped aside, Yeji following you.

“Y/N. Are you having fun?” She asked, her eyes looking up at you as if she was the embodiment of the cute emoji.

“Yes, are you?” You asked.

“Of course” She smiled “I – I always have fun with you”

“Yeji, is there something you wanna tell me?” You asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

“Like?” She squeaked.

“Likeee, maybe you have a teeny tiny crush on Minho?”

She blanked and then let out a loud, dramatic groan, covering her face with her hands “Ah, am I that obvious?”

You laughed, removing her pretty manicured nails away from her face “Don’t worry, babe and I’ve known you all my life, so yes you are”

“But…you’re into him, and he’s into you, I’m sorry for overstepping”

“Yeji. Shut up” You chuckled “I don’t have ownership of him, I already told you how I feel regarding him, remember?”

“Yeah…but-”

“No buts. Besides, he can’t take his eyes off you tonight”

Yeji gasped “No! That’s not true”

“It is verytrue” You smiled “Don’t worry about anything, okay?”

“Hmm” She nodded, biting her lip, god she was adorable “Let’s see what happens…”

“Let’s see” You smiled, pulling her into a soul crushing hug “Now, are you coming to dance with me, or not?”

»»————-

You laughed, spinning on your heel, trying hard to not fall over, not that it would matter now because you were past the point of caring. You’d probably been dancing for hours now. You had no idea what time it even was. Your legs felt wobbly but you were having too much fun. Yeji was back at the booth, and you were spinning around, hand in hand with Jeongin.

He was so cute. You always had so much fun with him and you hadn’t spent enough time together ever since you came to college. You wish Han was here too, since he was your best friend in the entire world but well, he had actual priorities to attend to.

“I love this song!” Jeongin grinned, as a song by Charlie Puth came on.

“Me too!” You yelled back, still spinning, doubling over in laughter.

“You just want attention!” You both screamed out, your eyes prickled with tears because of how much fun you were having. You felt like you could float away. The people around you were all beautiful blurs, in the prettiest outfits, all kinds of people from every major here, dancing to the same song.

Jeongin stopped your spinning, holding up an apologetic finger as he reached in his jeans for his phone. It was vibrating.

“What is it?” You asked, leaning in to make sure he could hear you.

“My dad” He rolled his eyes.

“But it’s like 2 am” You exclaimed.

“It’s Han” Jeongin clarified and you burst out laughing. Han surely was like a dad to Jeongin.

“I’ll be back in a minute, you’ll be fine on your own?” He asked.

“Of course!” You said “Tell Han I miss him”

Any other time, you would have hated being by yourself in the middle of a club, surrounded by unknown people. But not today. You were having the time of your life. You let the music overtake you, spinning around again, feeling like the eight-year-old who had just discovered her immense love for dancing, before you bumped into something. You let out a squeak as you stepped down hard on someone, almost tripping over until their arms came up to catch you.

“Whoa whoa whoa, I see you’re enjoying yourself” He said, in a voice that sent shivers down your spine. You looked up to see the most attractive boy, his hair falling in his face and his mouth pulled into a small grin.

“I’m sorry” You replied, stepping back but his arms were still holding you up.

“No worries, are you okay?” He asked, leaning in so you could hear him over the booming music. His breath fanned your cheek and he smelled so good. You hummed, moving back to look at his face properly.

You let your eyes roam over him. He had a sharp jawline and high cheekbones which reflected the lights off the club, his eyes had a twinkle in them. He seemed familiar, you didn’t know where you knew him from, all you knew was that you would really really love to see if his lips were as soft as they looked.

“I’m perfect now” You said, hoping it came off flirty enough.

“Yeah?” He asked, giving you a lopsided smile “I’m a bit hurt you don’t recognize me though”

He had his perfect lips in a pout and you didn’t even want to know his name, just feel them on you.

“You’re too beautiful for me to care” You said honestly and he let out a loud laugh, his eyes crinkling.

“I’m flattered, if not slightly wounded” He spoke “My name is Wooyoung, love”

“Woo-young” You repeated, enunciating his name and he laughed.

“Do you mind if I join you?” He asked.

“Of course not” You smiled, letting him pull you into the dance floor yet again. You instantly wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you.

You weren’t sure how long you were dancing with Wooyoung, but Jeongin wasn’t back yet. You didn’t care though, not with the way he was pushed up against you, leaving trails of kisses on your neck. You spun around, pulling Wooyoung into another kiss. You kissed him for what felt like hours. His breath smelled like alcohol but so did yours probably, and he didn’t seem to care, so why should you?

You were interrupted by a loud voice, and at first you barely heard it, not over the way Wooyoung was touching you and how his tongue was in your mouth, that is until you felt him pull away and you let out a groan, chasing his mouth with your own.

“Whoa, Y/N. One sec” He breathed, and you turned to see the cause of the interruption. It was a tall, light-haired man with his hair pulled back.

“Woo, we’re just about getting ready to leave” He said, his eyes glancing at you for a split second “Everyone’s outside waiting for you”

Leave? You didn’t want this boy to leave. You wanted to kiss him more. He was making you feel so good. You gripped onto his arm, your fingers digging into his leather jacket and he let out a laugh.

“Um, sorry, sweetheart” He said, with a sheepish groan and disappointment coursed through you.

He was going to leave you here? After getting you all hot and bothered?

“You’re just gonna go?” You asked, your voice whinier than intended but you didn’t care.

He rubbed the back of his neck “Um, we have a plan to go upto the Han river after this. It’s sort of tradition”

“Sorry” His blonde friend said.

“Oh” You said, leaving his grip and he must have noticed the way your face fell.

“Unless you wanna come along?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“To the Han river?” You asked.

“Yeah” He nodded “We’ll just be there for an hour or so, and we can um…pick up where we left off”

He sent you a knowing smile, his fingers dancing on your waist and his friend let out a sigh.

“Yes, you can continue grinding up on each other outside. Can we get going?”

You really weren’t in the mood to go to the river, but well, he was really hot and he was actually into you. You hadn’t been with a boy in over a year, and you just really really wanted to have a good time. God knows there weren’t any hot boys around you who were actually interested in you.

So you nodded.

Wooyoung instantly burst into a smile “Perfect. Let’s go sweetheart”

He grabbed your waist, and you walked with him, following his blonde friend, who you’d heard being called Seonghwa. You wouldn’t believe you were leaving with a random boy, but Yeji would definitely understand. She would want you to get yourself utterly fucked.

You made your way through the hounds of people, wondering whether you should let your friends know you were going, but they were all also probably too drunk to care. Anyways, you’d be spending the night with Wooyoung, probably at his dorm, so you’d just catch up with your friends in the morning.

You could feel excitement seeping through you, residual from your heated make out session with the boy, and you were so turned on by the thought of going home with him tonight. Your head was still spinning, so it felt like all time was slipping together and before you knew it, you were at the glowing neon exit sign.

“Where the hell are you going?” You heard an all too familiar voice from beside you.

You ignored it, clutching onto Wooyoung’s hand tighter as he led you out. But of course, a hand came onto your shoulder, stopping you from going ahead.

“Whoa” Wooyoung exclaimed, seeing that you had been stopped.

You groaned and turned around, coming face to face with the boy who had stopped you.

“What the fuck do you want?” You sighed.

“Where are you going?” Hyunjin asked, his eyes falling on the two boys behind you.

“None of your fucking business” You responded.

Hyunjin wasn’t with that Literature girl anymore, but with a few of his friends, a drink in his hand as he stared at you and the group surrounding you.

“Is there a problem, sweetheart?” Wooyoung asked, stepping closer to you.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes “What are you doing, Woo?”

“I’m not doing anything. We’re just headed to the Han River. Y/N wanted to come”

“Y/N can’t even walk by herself” Hyunjin responded, his lips stretched in a tight-lipped smile “You think she can accompany you guys all the way across town?”

“Oh my god, I can walk by myself” You responded, although you knew he was sort of right.

“You can’t be serious” Hyunjin said, turning to you “You’re going to walk off completely piss drunk with a group of guys you’ve never met before?”

“They’re in our Uni” You defended, although you didn’t owe him any answer.

“Well, so is everybody at this club, that doesn’t mean you’ll just go anywhere with them”

“Why the hell do you even care?”

“Dude, you’re not her boyfriend. If she wants to come with me, she can” Wooyoung said, pulling you in closer.

“Your friends will kill you” Hyunjin said to you, ignoring him “And then they’ll kill me for letting you go off. There’s no way I’m dying at 20 because of you”

“I hope you do” You responded “I’m going now, so maybe just go back to ignoring me like you were doing earlier”

“You’re such a pain in the ass”

“Don’t talk to her like that” Wooyoung said, then tugged you forward “We’re leaving now, Hwang”

You gave him the middle finger, petty and childish, but he was pissing you off. You stumbled out, seeing Wooyoung and his group of friends. They smiled at you.

“You’re finally here” Seonghwa said, he had missed the confrontation just now “I swear it took you an hour to leave”

“Some asshole was trying to stop us” Wooyoung said. Your eyes fell on the boys waiting for you. You could recognize a few from cafeteria, and some from dance. You were honestly too intoxicated to care about their names but because you were going to spend the night with them, you introduced yourself cheerfully nonetheless.

One of the boys laughed “She’s cute. Where did you find her?”

“She found me, Yeosang. She’s from my dance class” Wooyoung replied proudly.

“So we’re all here now?” A taller boy, Mingi, asked. Wooyoung nodded.

“How are we going?” You asked.

“We’re taking Yunho’s car” Wooyoung said and you nodded, following him onto the curb.

Wait, Yunho? Which Yunho was it? Hopefully not the one you thought it was.

“Who is he?” You asked.

“Yunho’s one of the guys in our group. He’s in dance too, I think you know him” Wooyoung said “He’s really nice”

“Ohh” you said.

Really nice?

Huh. Maybe you were mistaken about him?

Anyway, you could probably ignore him since there were four other guys to interact with. Maybe you could try to make amends too, since you two would have to be in the same class forever.

“Are you sure your friends will be fine with you coming with us?” Wooyoung asked, as you approached the parked car. The other boys got in, waiting for you.

“Hwang is not my friend” You laughed, sort of disgusted at even the thought of being associated with him.

“I know, I know, but Yeji and the others?” He asked, holding your hands together. You smiled at that, he was really sweet, and he seemed so genuine.

“They’ll be fine. I’ll just text her, okay?” You said, reaching into your bag.

“Of course, take your time” Wooyoung said.

“Oh god, the things he will do for a girl” You heard Seonghwa mutter in annoyance as they all waited.

You fumbled around in your bag, coming in contact with you lip gloss, your card, but not being able to find your phone.

“Fuck” You muttered “Do you have my phone?”

Woo’s eyes widened and he dug into his jeans, and the pockets of his leather jacket “No, are you sure you had it with you?”

God, of all the things, you really did not need to lose your phone like this.

What the fuckkk. Panic flooded through you, because even though you quickly wanted to leave and have a good time, your phone was the most important to you.

“Um” You stuttered “I must have left it at the bar”

“Oh, I’ll go look for it” Wooyoung said immediately.

“No, no” You stopped him, grabbing his jacket “I’ll get it. Your friends will hate me if I make us late. I’ll just quickly run in and get it”

“Y/N, are you sure you don’t want me to come with me?” He asked, concern laced in his voice. If only all boys could be this nice…

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’ll be back in five” You said, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“Okay, I’ll wait for you” He smiled, and you quickly turned around, running back to the curb and into the club.

You pushed open the door, the change of space and light so fast instantly disorienting you. You stumbled through the crowd, it must be at the bar, right? Maybe you shouldn’t have worn such uncomfortable shoes, but it’s not like you knew you were going to be running through drunk teenagers.

You reached the bar, looking around all the drinks, but you couldn’t see your phone.

What the fuck were going to do?

You groaned and sunk your head in your hands.

“You okay, lady?”

You looked up to see the bartender from earlier.

“Have you seen my phone?” You asked her “It’s pink in cover, and has a few stickers on the back”

“No, but you look plastered and like you’re going to be sick. You should have a glass of water” She said, sliding one over to you. You nodded, giving her a quick thumbs up at a lack of words, before you chugged the glass of water. She was right. You instantly felt better as it slid down your throat, you could feel the coldness of it in your chest. It felt like all your senses had been heightened now.

“Do you have any idea where you could have left it? Maybe one of your friends have it?” She asked.

You tried to think hard, but honestly you had no idea when the last time you had it was. You’d been on the dance floor for more than an hour with Jeongin and then Wooyoung.

Maybe you left it in the bathroom when you’d gone earlier…

»»————-

Hyunjin took another sip of his drink, savoring the fruity taste. Even though he’d originally wanted to get shit faced, he somehow couldn’t bring himself to. He watched as his friend, now on her fourth shot, looked like she was going to be sick. He didn’t know when he became the role of the sober friend, the one taking care of everybody else.

“Mina, you okay?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

She shook her head in response. Mina was in one of his minor classes and she’d broken up with her high school boyfriend today, which is why she was currently in this predicament. They were sat in a booth adjacent to the one where Minho, Yeji and Jeongin had been. They’d long gone by now, and he wondered if they knew that you’d left with Wooyoung and his friends. All Hyunjin had wanted tonight was to kick back, and relax after a grueling first few weeks of college. Usually he’d had sat with his friend, Minho and he definitely didn’t mind Yeji and Jeongin’s company, but you…He didn’t want to be in your presence more than he had to be already, as your partner. Sober you was annoying as fuck, but you when you were drunk and horny and willing to leave with Wooyoung and his friends was unbearably infuriating. He’d seen you on the dance floor before, grinding all up into Wooyoung without having ever even noticed him in dance class. It made him feel sick to the stomach and he didn’t know why.

Huh, maybe he just hated seeing you have fun.

“I feel like shit” Mina whined, and then Hyunjin could do nothing but watch as she managed to tip her drink all over the front of her shirt.

“Oh myyyyy god” She groaned, tears threatening to spill.

“Mina, you should really get home-” Felix pointed out “You’re a mess”

Hyunjin gave a look to Felix at his harsh words, who returned it with an innocent shrug.

“I’m just being honest” Felix responded, scrunching his nose.

“Hold on, I’ll get you some tissues” Hyunjin sighed, getting up to go to the closest washroom. The club was much more empty now, and he was glad to not see no couples making out in the washroom. He’d already seen enough with Wooyoung and you before, in the middle of the fucking club, no thoughts to all the people around you.

Disgusting.

He grabbed the tissues, heading out when he spotted a phone with a pink case tucked near the sink.

Of course.

You’d fucking forgotten your phone.

How could you be so dumb, he thought. He quickly grabbed it, before anyone got any bright ideas on trying to steal it. He clicked the power button, and the screen lit up with a direct message from jungwooyoung.

“Hey, Y/N. Where are you? It’s been more than ten minutes, although idk if this text makes any sense assuming you have lost your phone. Hope you’re okay, we’re still waiting outside”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. He quickly walked back to Mina, helping her clean up her shirt, when he saw you rush into the same washroom minutes later.

“Felix, I gotta go take care of something. You two will be fine?” He said, looking over at Mina and him.

Felix nodded “I’ll take her home, don’t worry”

»»————-

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, wanting to really slam your head against it. How could you be so stupid? You were sure it had been more than ten minutes since the boys were out waiting for you, if they hadn’t already left you by now. Your high had already worn off, and you weren’t sure if you had the social and mental capacity to hang out with five boys when sober. It didn’t matter anyway, since you couldn’t leave without locating your phone and surely somebody would have nicked it by now.

Han was going to kill you tomorrow.

“Looking for this?”

You jumped, shocked at someone else’s presence here, putting a hand over your heart.

And of course, there he was, with your phone in hand.

“What the fuck Hwang?” You exclaimed, turning to look at him. He seemed proud of himself, a smirk on his lips, his eyebrows raised at you.

“I thought you said you can take care of yourself” He spoke, crossing his arms.

“Just give me my phone back” You spoke, too frustrated to try to deal with this.

“Why should I?”

You scoffed “Because it’s not yours, asshole. Unlike you, I have places to go and people that are waiting for me”

“Right, right. Wooyoung and his boys” He said, distaste in his tone “You know he’s best friends with Kim Yunho, right?”

You raised your eyebrows; you didn’t know he knew that. Is that why he tried to stop you before? Anyway, it wouldn’t matter because he can’t control what you do or don’t.

You stayed silent at that, and he let out a chuckle “Wow, so you knew yet you wanted to leave with them? How desperate are you for some dick?”

“Shut up, Hyunjin” You said instantly, feeling the anger towards him boil inside you. How dare he call you out like that?

“You’re being really irresponsible tonight, Y/N” He said, and the condescending tone made you snap.

“Oh my god Hyunjin shut the fuck up. How does it matter to you? I can do what I want, and you’re nobody to judge, especially not when you’ve got a different girl’s tongue in your mouth every weekend. I’m leaving with Wooyoung and his friends, so give me my fucking phone back”

If he was even slightly surprised at your outburst, he didn’t show it. He stood there, unfazed, almost looking disappointed.

“There’s no point. Wooyoung already left” He said simply.

“What? How would you know?” You shot back.

“Because I told him to”

“And he would listen to you?”

“He wouldn’t listen to me, but he would to you”

“What?” You asked, confused at what he was getting at.

Hyunjin held up your phone, showing the last message he’d sent.

“hi, this is Y/N. im feeling really sick so you guys can go ahead!” it read.

You fumed at that, your pulse racing at this fucking boy’s audacity.

“You texted him to leave?!” You asked.

“You’re insane if you think I’m letting you go off with a bunch of drunk boys you don’t know, one of them being Kim Yunho who’s already shown you what a dick he is, or do you forget how we came to be partners?”

You felt so angry at him, even though sure, a part of you knew he was being right and logical. It just irked you that it was him, of all people. If it had been anybody else telling you this, you would have instantly agreed, realizing how dumb you were being.

But it was Hwang Hyunjin and that was enough reason for you to disagree with him.

“I hate you so much” You spoke “You had no right”

“Why are you upset? It’s not like you were in love with the boy”

“It’s not about that” You groaned, letting yourself lean back on the counter. You were far too annoyed and tired to argue with him.

“Then what is it? You’re upset Minho and Yeji are getting along better than you and him ever did?”

God, you hated this fucking boy. He knew how to hit every nerve within you.

“I don’t care about that. I never liked Minho in that way” You responded, crossing your arms and letting your gaze fall to the floor.

“Yeah…he’s not your type anyway” He let out a chuckle.

You looked at him at that “You don’t know my type”

“Course I do. Bad boys with leather jackets and any semblance of a jawline” He said, pulling off his beanie and you watched how his hair fell around him. It was so long now. He ran a hand through it, ruffling it once before slipping his beanie on once again.

You almost forget what he’d just said to you, too distracted by his simple action.

“That’s so…generic” You crooked an eyebrow, even though both Wooyoung, Minho and your ex were exactly like that.

“You didn’t deny that I’m right” He said and you rolled your eyes.

“You’re such a buzz kill, Hwang” You stated, crossing your arms “This conversation sobered me up, and all I wanted was to have a good time tonight”

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at that “You do know you can have a good time sober too? Oh, I forget. You’re too uptight for that”

“I’m not uptight” You sighed “I don’t even like clubs…or getting drunk. I just wanted to celebrate the showcase being over, and not be stressed after so long”

“If you don’t like clubs, why do you show up? I’m sure nobody would miss you”

You laughed at his petty jab at you “My friends…and also I don’t want to miss out on the college experience”

“I doubt Tate’s is going to be a defining experience in your life”

“What about you?” You shot back.

“What about me?”

“Why are you even here? To kiss random girls you don’t know?”

He laughed, biting his lip “And what were you doing tonight, with Wooyoung? You know, you’re quite bad at hiding your jealousy”

You scoffed “Jealous? Right. I can’t even stand being in the same room as you”

“Of course” He said, and you realized you’d been standing here, talking to Hwang Hyunjin, completely sobered up, for the past ten minutes. You hadn’t even talked to Wooyoung that long.

You let out another groan at the thought of Wooyoung. You really wanted to go home with him. He was so attractive, and he made you feel good. He’d got you all riled up and just left…you did not look forward to going home and getting yourself off. It was never as satisfactory as it was when another boy did it, an attractive one at that. You could only gauge how good Wooyoung would be in bed, he was a dancer after all.

You thought back to the way he was against you on the dance floor, your butt pushed into him, the feel of his leather jacket on your skin, as he trailed kisses all over your neck. Your thighs clenched at the memory.

You’d almost forgotten Hyunjin was here until he spoke up, in his annoying ass voice “What are you so worked up for anyway?”

“None of your business, Hwang” You said, and looked up at him. He had his arms crossed, leaning against the door as he looked at you.

“You really wanted to go home with him that badly?”

“So what if I did?”

“Maybe you’re expecting too much. He seems too much like a guy who would only care about his own needs”

You scoffed “As opposed to you, who would put other people before yourself?”

“I don’t know about that, but I know I would have made the girl cum first”

Your eyes instantly shot up to him, your heart kicking in your chest. Of all the things you expected him to say, that wasn’t it.

Hyunjin had the hint of a smirk on his face, and the room seemed way too small all of a sudden. You swallowed, staring up at him, what were you even to respond to something like that? You could smell his cologne now, it had a hint of cinnamon and you wonder if he knew that you hated cinnamon with a passion.

He was staring right back at you, and the worst part was it didn’t even seem like it affected him. The room was silent, save for the soft pounding music from outside. The lighting was dim, a neon lightbulb which someone must have installed for the aesthetic - now the only way you could see the annoying, but beautiful boy in front of you. God, did you just call Hyunjin beautiful? It must be Yeji’s influence.

You couldn’t help but notice how he looked in the lighting here. You hadn’t gotten a good look at him before, because you were so drunk, and so angry, and just lost in the chaos of the club. But now, you could see him clearly.

He had a black beanie pulled over his dark hair, which had gotten so long from the last time you saw it, almost reaching his shoulders, and a red bandana sticking out from underneath it. God, only he could pull off a look like that.

You moved your eyes away from his, landing on his plush, red lips for a second. They were slightly wet from how he kept licking them, glistening under the neon lighting. Did he keep doing that on purpose?

As he looked over at you, a calm look on his face, you decided that even if you hated him with every fiber of your being…Yeji was unbearably right.

He was beautiful.

Painfully so.

He didn’t look like a real person right now, with the way slight sweat glistened over his face, somehow not being gross, the way his stray hair framed his cheeks, the softness of his features and the sharpness of his chin.

The tension felt thick, and uncomfortable. You needed to leave.

You cleared your throat, trying to cut the tightness and bring yourself back into the real world “Well, it was nice talking to you”

“Hmm...” He said and you stepped away from the counter, maneuvering your way around him, wanting to leave as soon as possible. It was too hot in here. You felt too riled up. You were so worked up from before. You would need to go home, have a cold shower, wake yourself out of this daze and then get yourself off before sleeping for ten hours.

Yup, that’s what you were doing to do now. You were definitely not going to stand around and talk to Fucking Unfairly Gorgeous Hwang Hyunjin for another second. You couldn’t, not when he’d tortured you with his mere presence his whole life.

How ironic.

He was torturing you even now, with no words spoken.

You stepped up to the door, the silence in the room deafening, the only sound of your boots on the tiled floor as you reached up to the doorknob.

“Y/N”

You heard, his voice, low.

You breathed in, turning to look at him.

“Yeah?” You asked, wanting to come off aggressive but you just sounded nervous.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” He asked, and you raised your eyebrows.

You felt heat rush to your core at the way he was looking at you. His words ran in your head.

I would have made the girl come first.

“What?” You asked, warmth rising to your face, wondering what he wanted with the way he was staring at you. As if he was trying to figure you out…

He stepped closer and you instantaneously backed up, your back hitting the door. He reached his hand out, and you raised your eyebrows at his intense gaze.

“Your phone” He spoke, simply and your gaze trailed down to his hands, where he was holding it between his fingers.

“Oh” You said, a sort of relief flooding through you, along with a tinge of something else.

You reached out, taking it from him, your fingers brushing against his slightly, but the gesture was enough to make you take in a breath.

Holy fuck, you were far too worked up to be having this interaction.

“You know…” He started, his voice soft, his gaze flitting over you “All you have to do is ask”

And you knew this time he definitely wasn’t talking about your phone.

“Ask what?” You said, having an idea of what he meant, your voice completely dry.

God, he’d definitely seen you clenching your thighs earlier, and the frustration on your face at not being able to go home with the guy you had wanted to.

“You know what, Y/N” He said, his voice so calm that you thought you imagined him saying it, his fingers were still on yours, shooting chills down your spine. His voice was barely above a whisper, and you wonder if he could see in your eyes how much you wanted him.

You glanced up at him, at his gaze, how different it seemed from every other time he was looking at you. He was so close to you, you could see every feature on his face, the dark brown eyes shifting over you, the small mole under them, the fact that his lips were stretched into a soft smile, pulled between his teeth and not a smirk like every other time you’d seen it.

His fingers were still on yours, sending jolts of warmth through you.

Had his lips always been that plush? They looked so soft, like pillows...or clouds from heaven.

You can’t believe you were thinking about Hyunjin’s lips right now.

You shouldn’t think about them.

“Hyunjin…”

“Yeah?”

You didn’t know who moved first, all you knew was that your lips were on his and it was the finest you’d felt after so long. They were just as soft as they looked, and they moved so perfectly on your own. It was slow, and sensual, but rushed at the same time. Your back was to the door, you were pinned to it by his body, his hand snaking around your waist to pull you closer to him. His other hand cupped your jaw and trailed its way down into your hair, grazing your neck slightly. You let out a sigh at the feeling.

You wanted to be touched. You were craving this. It didn’t matter who it was, right?

Your own hands were fisted in the front of his shirt, clutching onto it for life so you could pull him down to your height to properly kiss him. Before you knew it, he was turning you around and you realized you hadn’t pulled away from him in a second, not even feeling the need to breathe.

You felt yourself hit the counter and Hyunjin pulled away. You let out a soft whine, chasing after him but he let out a small laugh at that, bending down to grab your thighs so he could hoist you on the counter.

Once you were seated on the counter, it was much easier to kiss him and you instantly pulled him back towards to you, your arms snaking around his neck. You let your hands roam through his long hair, your nails scratching against his scalp and he let out a soft groan.

God, he sounded so fucking hot. You wanted to hear him moan again, and again. You pulled him closer to you, if that was even possible, and he stood between your legs, pressed up against you, heat rushing throughout you, with the excitement of what comes next.

“Wait, wait Y/N” He breathed, before pulling back to look at you, your eyes hooded, your hair messed up from where he’d run his hands through it “You’re drunk”

“I’m not”

“Are you sure?” He asked, his breath soft on your lips, and you saw his chest relax at your answer.

Was he trying to make you admit that you wanted to kiss him without being absolutely plastered?

“I’m just…tipsy, Hyunjin” You replied, already missing the feeling of his mouth on yours. His bruised lips looked so inviting.

“I swear to god, Y/N. You better not be lying” He sighed, leaving a kiss on the corner of your mouth.

“Are you drunk?” You asked.

“No, just tipsy” He said, a cheeky smile on his face.

God he was so annoying. You snaked your arms around his neck, pulling him closer to you so you could kiss him. He let out a soft chuckle at your desperation.

“Hyunjin…” You sighed as he pulled away yet again, and tilted your head to have better access to your neck. Your eyes fluttered shut as he began leaving open-mouthed kisses on your neck, right under your ear. You tried to stifle your moans, because you couldn’t believe he could get such a reaction from just kissing you.

He suddenly stopped again, pulling back to look at you. His eyes were clouded with lust, but the words from his mouth surprised you “Prove it”

“Prove…what?”

“That you’re not drunk”

“Oh” You said, letting your hands fall back to your side “Okay”

“What’s 14 into six?”

“What?”

He raised his eyebrows “Well?”

“Hwang, you’re fucking crazy if you think I can do math in any state of being. Can you please just…kiss me before I realize what a big mistake this is and remember how much I absolutely hate you?”

He sighed, but stepped closer to you again, going down to your neck.

“It’s eighty-four, and the name is Hyunjin. Don’t call me Hwang” He mumbled, and you held back your laugh as he left kisses down your collarbone. He was so skilled, with just his mouth. You bit your lip to hold back your moans. You didn’t want to give him that satisfaction, of knowing how good he was making you feel. Although the way you were rutting your hips into him would have already given that away…

“Stop holding back” He whispered, sucking on a spot of your neck that had you reeling. His other hand slipped under your top, and his large, warm hands on your cold skin felt heavenly. It seemed like he’d made it clear he wanted to hear you moan, by the way he attacked your sweet spot with his mouth. You wished you hadn’t worn such a tight top because it was hard for his hands to explore you, and you could feel his frustration before he completely pulled his hand away.

He must have seen the disappointment on his face and he laughed “Don’t worry, Y/N. I’ve got something better for you”

His hand started trailing up your thigh, and you were silently glad you’d worn a skirt and fishnets. You felt his hand inch closer to where you wanted him most, slipping under your skirt, but he was being so slow, you wanted to scream. You inched forward on the counter, hoping he’d touch you sooner that way.

He laughed, his eyes crinkling into little crescents and despite the tension, he looked…adorable “Look at you, such a mess and I’ve barely touched you. You think Minho or Wooyoung could have got you so worked up?”

You couldn’t feel it in yourself to be embarrassed, you just wanted him to touch you.

“Please” You said, and he hooked his fingers around your panties, pushing them to the side and you pulled him into a kiss again. The more you kissed him, the more you could pretend this wasn’t actually happening. You would hate to ever admit to yourself that this boy could ever be this attractive as he was being now.

Before you could process it, his fingers circled around your bud, where you wanted him most, knowing exactly where to touch, and you were thankful he’d been with so many girls, to have such experience. You were far too turned on to need any more foreplay, and your little desperate whine was enough for him to finally slip a finger inside you.

“Hyunjin…” You spoke, faltering at your words as he explored you.

“You like that?” He asked, out of breath, leaning close to you “You like my fingers inside you?”

“Yeah…please don’t stop…” You moaned as he fucked in and out of you with his finger, before slipping in a second one. He began leaving small kisses on the side of your face, on your jaw, your ear and everything felt too much. He was scissoring you open and it felt so good, you threw your head back, trying to contain yourself. How was he so good at this?

“God, you’re so wet. Are you close already?” He mumbled, watching your state.

“Pleasedon’t tease” You breathed, out of frustration.

“I know, you’ve been teased enough for one night, haven’t you?” He chuckled and you groaned.

“Go faster, please” You pleaded, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his. He increased his pace, and you bit your lip hard enough to draw blood, to keep in your moans. It felt so good. He was curling them just right inside you, and the way he was looking at you only added to how pleasurable you felt. His dark gaze was on yours, and he looked so fucking hot, and determined.

“Please don’t stop” You said, intertwining your fingers in his hair, pulling hard at it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t, not until you come” He said, finding your mouth again with his own. You were far too fucked to kiss him back properly but that didn’t stop him. His fingers moved so fast inside you and his tongue explored your mouth at the same time. Honestly, you’d let him do anything to you at this point.

“You’re so tight, Y/N” He mumbled, making you clench around him “Do you have any idea?”

You shook your head, even though you know he wasn’t actually asking you. You could finally feel the pressure build up, you’d been so frustrated since hours, wanting nothing more than this and the knot inside you was uncoiling.

“M-More…”

“You’re such a brat, this isn’t enough for you, is it? What’s next, you want me to fuck you right here, where anybody can walk in?” He growled.

“Hyuunjin…” You moaned, at his teasing, at his words, at how badly you wanted him inside you. You tugged at his long strands of hair, pulling him closer and he let out a groan at the feeling.

“You’re so fucking needy” He spoke, kissing you, and you could hear how wet you were by how fast his fingers pulled in and out of you.

“Faster…I’m so close” You panted, feeling everything inside you build up and Hyunjin listened to you, increasing his pace, fingering you at an insane speed, his fingers curling inside you so well.

“Don’t stop… I’m so close fuck, don’t fucking stop” You mumbled, your eyes closing as his thumb rubbed against you simultaneously.

“Look at me” He said “Open your eyes Y/N, and look at me when you come”

You nodded, opening your eyes to look at him, at the way he was looking at you, and you felt your orgasm approaching so you instantly moved forward to kiss him. He kissed you back, and just then, you felt everything inside you explode, the knot uncoiling and you let out a loud moan, into his mouth. You came with repeated moans of his name and incorrigible words, and he helped you ride out your high, kissing your neck, his fingers still inside you as your thighs trembled.

You swore you were seeing stars. You felt like you could pass out.

Noticing the obvious bulge in his jeans, you weakly asked “What about you?”

He let out a laugh “I can take care of myself, Y/N”

»»————-

Today

You groaned, holding your head in your hands as you stared at Hyunjin’s message. Everything about last night had just come back to you, what happened with Yeji and Minho, Wooyoung and Hyunjin…of course.

You could remember every detail again…of how needy you were for him, of how amazing he’d made you feel…

Flashes of memories after what took place in the washroom ran through you. You remember grabbing a half empty bottle of vodka and challenging Hyunjin that you could finish it by yourself. You remembered how disappointed he was that you were drinking again, and how he kept mumbling that he needed to take you to Han’s place because he didn’t trust you to be by yourself.

Why did you do something so stupid?

Clearly that last bottle of vodka was one too many, and you’d given yourself a horrible blackout.

You stared at Hyunjin’s text again and again, the memories of last night searing through you, wondering what the fuck you would say to him now.

»»————-

⇐ masterlist ⇒

taglist: @caratinylyfe @peachy-maia @lemmonhood @born5sos @rawrrain @the7thcrow @annawolfhard19 @skzooo @velvetand-roses @rindomo @gothmingguk @thegracerammy @minaamhh @hyunjun-jpeg @unexceptional-h @danyxthirstae01 @super-btstrash-posts @iwanttobangchan @egzyste-ncja @ificouldhelpyouforget @404-incorrect @lauraneuuh @sunghoonied @mstarlight @jakesahi @goddessofdestructionbeast @inlovewithasa @cutendshort @exonations @kxxhanii @summikii @90s-belladonna @fuckunrequitedlove @imhyvnjin

[streetlight11]

Neighbour's Fate

Summary: He was your neighbour growing up but he has always been distant. You didn't know for what reasons he chose not to mingle with you or your younger brother. It's been 6 years since you saw him. One day, you best friend asks for a favour from you that would eventually lead you to meeting his close friends. Who would've thought your old neighbour was now one of your best friend's close friends.

Theme: university au, old neighbours to lovers

Genre: fluff, a tad bit of jealousy, a little suggestive

Warning: mentions of anxiety, one or two curse words, very mild harassment (grabbing of wrist, that's all)

WC: 6.5k

Pairing: Seo Changbin x Fem!Reader

a/n: This was just a spur of the moment kind of idea I had the other day, and so this was the work I created... Hope you guys like it :)

Growing up, you lived beside the Seo family. They were a family of four and so were you. Their oldest child was a girl and her name was Seo Jiwoo. Their youngest child was a boy and his name was Seo Changbin. You were pretty close to the girl, to the point where you would always go to school together but the boy had always avoided you for unknown reasons.

He wouldn’t even play with your younger brother. It used to upset you but as you grew up, you realized that you can never force anyone to like someone or do something they didn’t want to do. And for that reason, you ended up letting him be.

However, despite not talking to you as much as his sister did, he was very attentive on small little things and he noticed that you tend to get anxiety attacks whenever you are in front of a huge crowd or the centre of attraction. And he knows this.

You had just entered senior year when you heard news from your parents that the Seo family were moving.

You were sad considering you’re already so close to Jiwoo. But you couldn’t force them to stay there anyways. You accepted the fact that you probably wouldn’t see them anytime soon, maybe not ever. You bid them goodbye, not forgetting to glance at Changbin one last time before they drove off with their boxes loaded into a van.

Two years passed since they moved and you were finally going to college.

You decided to move to Seoul alone and your parents allowed it. Your heart was heavy to leave them behind but they understood that you were doing it because you wanted to further your studies. For that, they willingly let you go.

After graduation, you enrolled yourself into a college with your favourite course, not forgetting to find an affordable apartment for yourself. And that was the start to a new chapter in your life.

4 years passed by in a flash and you had managed to further your studies by going to university. You were currently a Computer Science major in Hankuk University, together with your best friend whom you met in college and have been friends ever since. He was two years younger than you but he was pretty mature for his age, and his name is Hwang Hyunjin.

It was a bright Thursday morning and you were just strolling to your lecture class when someone swung their arm over your shoulder. Right when you were about to curse, the familiar voice warned you.

“Relax, stop being too defensive will you?”

You clicked your tongue at him, seeing him shake his head a little to get his long beautiful blonde bangs away from his eyes.

“Then announce who you are first before putting your arm around me next time, will you?” You scoffed, earning a roll of his eyes. “You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that?” Hyunjin sighed.

“I appreciate that compliment.”

“Whatever…” Hyunjin could only laugh as the two of you continued to walk to class.

Hours went by, it was currently lunch hour. You made it to the cafeteria in time when there still weren’t many students yet. Hyunjin was walking beside you, telling you stories about his ex-girlfriend whom he caught cheating on him last month when you spotted an empty table a few rows down from you.

With that, you grabbed his shirt and began to drag him to the table before anyone else occupies it. A few minutes later, you were just munching on your smoked squid when someone came to give Hyunjin a handshake.

You looked up to see two guys whom you knew to be in Hyunjin’s dance crew team that represented the campus.

One of them had pretty freckles all over his face while the other one had a cute gummy smile with doe round eyes. They simply acknowledged you with a friendly smile and a nod before walking away.

You’ve never really met Hyunjin’s friends before properly because you were shy.

Even with those two guys, you knew they were part of Hyunjin’s close circle of friends that had other guys from other campuses but you’ve never met them before. You weren’t sure if you even wanted to, if they’re all just going to be as equally good looking as the two dancers from your campus.

A few days later, you were lounging in your living room on a Friday night watching your favourite TV show on Netflix. You were in nothing but panties and a big hoodie that you remembered to be Hyunjin’s but you stole it one night when you slept over at his place after he broke things off with his ex-girlfriend when he found her cheating on him with a friend of his but not from his circle.

You were just seated on your couch with a chocolate almond drink in your hand when you got a text from Hyunjin.

With that, he told you to pick him up at his apartment so that you could go meet his friends at the mall and discuss his plan. It sounds ridiculously dramatic to you but then again, it’s Hyunjin. Nothing’s ever not ridiculously dramatic when it comes to him.

You texted him you’ll pick him up at around 2, in which he said okay. You were scheming through your closet to see what you could wear. You didn’t want his friends to have a bad first impression on you so you opted to wear a little feminine. After rummaging your closet for a good few minutes, you ended up pulling out a baby blue off shoulder, floral print dress.

You’ve worn this out with Hyunjin before once but mostly with your girl friends. You kept your hair simple with a messy low bun, leaving your fringe to frame your face as it parts nicely in the centre.

Once it was time to pick him up, you left your apartment. Not forgetting to bring your purse along to keep your important belongings.

You wore your favourite white Nike air force 1s to pair it with your outfit.

After you’ve managed to pick him up from his apartment, he tells you which mall they promised to meet. The drive there was filled with him complaining to you saying his ex kept bothering him on kakao talk and also social media.

He said he’s had enough so he wants to get back at her to show her that he’s moved on. He told you that she invited him and his friends to her birthday party at her house next weekend.

So he wants to use this chance for his payback.

You simply listened to his plan as you focused on the road ahead of you. Once you’ve found yourself a parking space, you park your vehicle and leave.

He walked with you to the restaurant, all the while talking to you about your dreadful assignment. You arrived at the restaurant, only for a waiter to approach you two.

“Uhh, hi. My friends are here actually. Table reserved under Chan I think?” Hyunjin said as the waiter went ahead and checked the booking list, only for him to nod when his eyes met the name that was mentioned.

“Ah, yes. Right this way.” He led you deeper into the restaurant as you followed behind Hyunjin.

You were too busy focusing on the crying child across the room, not realizing you were already at the table until Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around your waist to stop you from walking. You whipped your head around to lock eyes with him as he chuckled at you for being clumsy.

Just then, you turned towards the table and you saw a whole table filled with really handsome guys. You also noticed that the two dancers from campus whom you recognized pretty well by now.

“Oh, hey!” The one with freckles said as he waved to you and so did the other one. You smiled shyly to them as you rested your right hand on your left elbow.

You schemed through the different pairs of eyes, smiling to them as a way of saying hello.

Just when you thought you were done, you didn’t notice the one who got blocked by Hyunjin’s tall and lean body. It wasn’t until Hyunjin turned around to call for the waiter, that you finally locked eyes with the individual seated at the edge of the bench.

He was absolutely breath-taking.

He was wearing a grey shirt that hugged his upper body a little too perfectly.

His muscles were in full view. His broad chest puffing out against the soft material of his shirt. The sleeves of his shirt doing the bare minimum in giving his muscular arms air to breath. His shirt tucked into his black cargo pants that had a chain attached to the belt hooks.

He wore a silver chain necklace as his accessory and a few chain bracelets as well. His hair was styled to show his forehead despite it not being slick back. However, his eyes were cold at first but the minute he looked at you, you could’ve sworn his eyes went wide for a split second before it softened.

Your smile slowly disappeared as Hyunjin spoke up to get your attention, “Noona? You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

With that, he chuckled as he turned to his friends and continued talking, “Friends, this is my best friend since college, Y/N. Noona, these are my friends, Felix, Minho hyung, Seungmin, Jeongin, Jisung, Chan hyung and Changbin hyung.”

At the mention of that last name, a sudden rush of adrenaline flowed through your veins as you turned to look at the said individual. Letting his name roll off your tongue.

“Chang… bin?”

The table fell quiet as your eyes diverted from his to the plate in front of him. The boys didn’t miss the frown that soon appeared on your face.

“Do you know him?” Hyunjin asked, genuinely intrigued by your reaction.

Why is the name making your heart flutter?

Just then, you looked back into Changbin’s soft eyes only to ask, “Seo… Changbin?” You heard a few light gasps from the guys but they weren’t your main focus right now.

You watched as Changbin shifted in his seat, making him ask, “How did you know my name?”

His question made you confused.

Was he not your neighbour? Was he not the same Seo Changbin you used to grow up next to? Was he a different Seo Changbin?

This made you feel slightly embarrassed thinking you mistook him for someone else. So you apologized, “I… sorry, maybe I mistook you for someone else.” With that being said, he didn’t say anything else as Hyunjin brought you to the empty space beside Jisung and Seungmin. During lunch, Hyunjin explains what his plan was to everyone.

You listened to him as well, occasionally giving him scoffs or a click of your tongue if you felt that he might be a bit too sassy about the things he wanted to do.

After lunch was over, they wanted to walk around the mall for a bit so you followed.

You had all just entered the lift to go down to level 1 from level 6. There were a few strangers who came in as well. You were the last to enter after the boys while the other shoppers came rushing in behind you.

You had just turned around when a rowdy bunch of people pushed you in further. You were about to lose balance when you felt a firm hold on your waist. What you also felt was your upper back accidentally crashing into a firm chest. You were secretly hoping your guess was wrong but it wasn’t.

“It’s okay. I got you.” His raspy voice said quietly in your ear over the noisy lift, making you turn your head slightly.

That was your first mistake.

The minute you turned, his lips accidentally brushed against your cheek as it was now inches away from your own lips. You were caught off guard by the close proximity so you softly gasped and were going to pull away from him when you accidentally bumped into the person in front of you.

That was your second mistake.

Because the minute you slightly bumped into them, the person turned around to give you a disapproving look, making you apologize quietly as you felt the hands on your waist wrap itself around you and tugged you against him as a way to comfort you.

Changbin simply hid his smile against your hair on his left where his face was between your head and the lift walls so none of his friends saw this.

Your heart was pounding against your chest as you unconsciously rested your hands on top of his forearms. After the crowd left the lift at level 3, you could finally breathe as Changbin let go of you before his friends saw him hold you.

You went home that day feeling lost and confused.

Does that mean he knows you, that he was simply acting as if he doesn’t remember you? Why else would he act that way, unless he’s that type of guy who knows his way around girls?

As far as you remember, Hyunjin has never mentioned being friends with fuckboys and that he says that his friends were all very sweet and humble guys.

Either way, you decided not to think much of Changbin and just carry out Hyunjin’s favour and you’d call it done with being around his friends. But of course luck wasn’t on your side and that it always has it’s way of turning things around in your life. This time, it was with Hyunjin’s friends.

More specifically, Changbin.

The day finally came, you were going to be Hyunjin’s fake girlfriend for the night. You weren’t really nervous considering you don’t have any special feelings for him. You were more anxious that you will be seeing his friends tonight. And that means you’ll be seeing Changbin too.

Hyunjin came to pick you up this time, coming earlier to pick out the perfect outfit for you to wear so that his ex would feel jealous when he sees you with him.

Hyunjin ended up choosing a pink satin dress with quite a deep neckline that essentially shows your cleavage. You were against wearing it at first but Hyunjin insists on you wearing it.

“Dude, you do realise I might get guys staring at me the whole night if I wore this right?” You asked, your tone was serious as he knows how you feel about being a centre of attraction. It gives you major anxiety. With that being said, Hyunjin gave in and chose a different dress that was also satin but with a decent neck line and a thin strap to rest on your shoulders.

It hugs your figure perfectly, with the hem stopping right on your mid thighs.

Hyunjin gave you the privacy to change as he waited for you in your living room. After you were done, you came back out with your purse and heels from your shoe closet.

Hyunjin almost choked on his own spit as he scanned you from head to toe.

“Woah! You are looking hot as hell!” He praised you, earning a roll of your eyes. You slapped his chest with your purse, telling him to get up so you can both leave.

The drive to his ex’s house took about 40 minutes, filling the drive with singing your favourite songs with Hyunjin and just laughing about random things. His friends were going to meet you two there, hence the reason why you were now leaning against Hyunjin’s car door with him towering over you.

He trapped you by resting both hands on top of his car roof on either side of your body.

“So, let me make myself clear. You can hold my hand, hold my waist, kiss my cheek, wherever you want up here…” You said as you pointed from your shoulder to your face before continuing your speech, “But, not my lips.”

Hyunjin pouted as he got a gentle slap from you to his chest, making him chuckle.

“Okay, but what if she wants proof of us dating and she asks us to kiss?” He asked, making you think through your potential actions.

“Fine, only if she asks. If not, don’t even think about tricking me into kissing you.” You warned as he scoffed, telling you that you were ‘no fun’. You rolled your eyes at him but the smile on your lips betrayed you.

Right when you wanted to look away from him, instead you saw a group of guys walking up to you and Hyunjin. Only to realize it was his friends.

Your eyes just naturally travelled over to the one walking near the curb.

Changbin wore a black skinny cargo pants, a black button down formal shirt tucked in, leaving the first few buttons undone. It definitely was low enough to expose a slight amount of his chest. He accessorized with his favourite silver necklace and a chain bracelet with a watch. He had a pair of black combat boots on to go with his outfit.

His hair was styled nicely to partially show his forehead and his undercut. You would be lying if you said he didn’t look good. But you decided to keep the comment to yourself as Chan smirked at you and Hyunjin.

“Damn, you’re not even inside and you guys already started the act?” Hyunjin wriggled his eyebrows as he pushed himself off his car only to snake one arm around your waist and pulled you against his side gently.

“By the way, you look really pretty Y/N.” Chan smiled at you genuinely, making you feel shy. But nonetheless thanked him for his compliment.

The rest of them agreed to their friend’s comment as well, saying that you look good with this dress.

The 9 of you soon walked to the house as Hyunjin slid his hands into yours swiftly when you were reaching the door. However, Changbin couldn’t help but feel jealous when he saw this. Yes he knows it was all an act. Yes he knows that it was only for a day. But why did he wish that was him instead of Hyunjin?

You arrived at the house, only for Hyunjin’s ex to open the door. Her smile immediately dropped when she looked down at your locked fingers with Hyunjin.

“Hey, you guys made it… And, with a friend…” She said through her clenched teeth.

“Oh my goodness, where’s my manners? This is Y/N, my girlfriend. Baby, this is my... friend, Yuna.” Hyunjin said as he slid his arm around your waist, making you smile at the girl and proceeded to shake her hand.

She was clearly uncomfortable but she just pressed on a smile as she welcomed the 9 of you in.

The birthday party was definitely leaning more towards a party which includes alcohol and random hooking ups with strangers. But since some of them drove, they made sure not to drink, including yourself because you don’t drink alcohol.

It has been almost an hour since you reached here and there were already a whole bunch of drunk university students everywhere in this house.

You were just seated on the couch next to Hyunjin and Minho with some of the guys. The only ones who were tipsy amongst the 9 of you were Jisung, Jeongin, Felix and Seungmin. You were just leaning your head against Hyunjin’s shoulder, feeling tired from having been surrounded by drunk students when you felt the need to get a refill of your non alcoholic drink.

You rested your hand on Hyunjin’s lap to gain his attention, who was busy talking to the other four guys, as all four pairs of eyes soon turned to you. “I’m gonna get a refill. I’ll be back.” You said as you got up after receiving a nod from him.

A few minutes later, you were just walking back to where the guys were sitting when a warm hand on your waist made you jump.

You turned around to see a guy whom you didn’t recognize, smiling down at you drunkenly.

“Wanna dance, baby girl?” He slurred over his words, making you excuse yourself. But when you turned to walk, he gripped your wrist so tightly that it made you drop your cup to the floor. You winced as he began tugging you towards the stairs.

But then a firm grip around your waist made you stop walking as someone ripped his hand away from yours only to throw a solid punch to his jaw.

“Fucking touch her again and I’ll break your nose.” Hyunjin growled as the guy began to stumble away. This has caught the eyes of those around you, making your anxiety grow. You didn’t realize this but you began to shake, something you always did when your anxiety was kicking in.

You were about to panic when the soft voice behind you managed to calm you down.

“Hey? Hey, calm down. Breathe. It’s okay.” Changbin whispered in your ear. It confused you on how he seemed to know that this was due to your anxiety but your mind couldn’t properly function right now.

So when Changbin called Hyunjin and told him you were shaking, the minute he passed you over to Hyunjin who immediately hugged you, that’s when it hit you.

This Changbin knows about your anxiety.

You allowed yourself to calm down in Hyunjin’s arms as he caressed your back soothingly and it worked.

A few minutes later, you finally stopped shaking as he pulled away from you only to cup your face gently. “Are you okay?” He asked, genuinely concerned for you. All you could do was smile at him and thank him, in which he told you it was fine and that he should’ve been more alert when leaving you alone in this kind of atmosphere.

You were just walking back to where his three friends were sitting, when a familiar voice called Hyunjin’s name behind you. The pair turned around as Yuna came to a stop behind Hyunjin.

She awkwardly glanced at you before focusing back at him.

“Hey, I need to talk to you… in private?” Yuna said.

“Why? We can just speak here.” Hyunjin said.

“I want to talk about something important… it’s about… us.” She paused. Hyunjin sighed as he stared at her with nothing but lingering pain in his eyes.

“There’s nothing else to talk about Yuna. You cheated on me when I told you I loved you. Was I not enough for you?”

“I’m sorry Hyunjin… I… I wasn’t thinking. Please… can we talk in private?” She said desperately, making you glance up to him who had an obvious frown on his face. You knew he wanted to talk to her to clear things between them. But you could also see that he was already tired of her bullshit and that he wanted nothing but to move on from her.

So you opted to give them space by holding his forearm gently and told him, “I think there’s some things you guys need to settle. Go. I’ll wait with the guys.”

You flashed him and Yuna a smile as you let go of his hand, turning around to walk towards where Minho, Changbin and Chan were sitting. The three of them were already looking at your direction, seeing the situation unravel in front of their eyes.

Hyunjin was at a cross road as he wasn’t sure if he should follow his heart or mind.

After what felt like forever, he decided to follow his heart and that was to completely end ties with Yuna. With that being said, he turned back to her only to speak up.

“I’m sorry Yuna. But all of that was in the past. I’ve already moved on and you should too.” Hyunjin said as he then turned on his heels and left.

He re-joined you and the guys, where you were sitting on the arm rest beside Minho since the other end of the couch was already occupied by drunk couples. Hyunjin was just standing beside you when Yuna placed her hand on his shoulder and roughly turned him around.

“That’s it? It was just that one time. You can’t tell me you’ve moved on that fast.” She scoffed as he raised his eyebrows at her in disbelief.

“With what you did to me, it only makes sense for me to move on this fast. Besides, I’m already dating someone now. You’re too late.” Hyunjin taunts but it seems like Yuna had a different plan as she scoffed at you.

“As if. I’ve noticed you two acting quite distant when I’m not near you. Just tell me you guys are friends and leave. I don’t need fakers at my party.” Yuna said, her tone visibly angered.

Hyunjin smirks, knowing that she was just trying to bite his tail.

“What do I need to do then to prove to you that I’ve really moved on from you?”

“Kiss her. If you’re really dating her and you guys aren’t just friends, then kiss her.”

There it is.

That was probably the last thing you’d wanna hear tonight. Especially not in front of Changbin. With that being said, Hyunjin smirks as he accepted the challenge easily. Since you both agreed on this before you entered the house just now, you knew you couldn’t really say no to it.

“Oh, sure thing sweetheart.” Hyunjin said as he turned to you and immediately leaned down to kiss you on the lips, hands reaching up to cup your face.

You swiftly moved your lips against his to make it seem legit. You could feel Hyunjin’s lips curving into a smile against your lips as you heard Yuna scoff and soon stormed off. Hyunjin pulled back the minute she left, only to apologize to you.

“I’m really sorry noona…”

“It’s okay.” You smiled as Minho and Chan began to tease you two for executing the perfect kiss, saying that it looks too legit. They even mentioned saying you two looked like a nice couple.

In which you responded with a fake gag, earning a soft punch to your arm by Hyunjin himself. You giggled but you completely missed the way Changbin’s eyes were burning with jealousy from seeing you kiss Hyunjin.

He knows this was just an act but why was he so pressed by the simple kiss?

A few days later, you were in class when Hyunjin told you he was meeting his friends this weekend and asked if you wanted to join them. You weren’t sure if you wanted to but you decided to go along with it. He said they planned to watch a movie and maybe go to the pier. You nodded, agreeing to tag along since he offered you to come.

Weekend finally came and you had just left your apartment. You wore your denim skinny ripped jeans, a white cropped fitted tank top and a black oversized jacket.

Hyunjin told you he was going to pick you up so you met him at the roadside in front of your apartment building.

You both made it to the mall to queue for the movie tickets. Chan was queueing with Hyunjin so you were left with the others. You were just scrolling through your Instagram when someone fed you popcorn. You looked up to see Changbin holding two popped kernels in front of your lips. You unconsciously blushed as you opened your mouth to let him feed you.

Changbin chuckled after feeding you, only to pop some in his own mouth. You stood in between Changbin and Jeongin against the wall while Seungmin, Jisung, Felix and Minho were standing in front of you three.

They were just talking amongst themselves when you glanced over to the full bucket filled with caramel popcorn that Changbin was hugging.

He saw you looking so he took some out and held it up to your mouth.

“Ahh, it’s okay, I can take myself.” You said softly, gently pushing his hand away but instead, he said something that made your stomach churn in a good way.

“Don’t worry, I like feeding people.”

You stared at him for a second as he teasingly tapped the popcorns on your lips, making you giggle. Changbin fed you a few times, even after you’ve entered the cinema theatre. After the movie ended, all of you made your way to the pier.

Once there, you were walking past the game booths which had some very cute prizes. Just then, your eyes caught a glimpse of your favourite cartoon character as a prize for one of the booths.

It was Stitch.

You gasped as you eagerly reached out for whoever’s arm that was nearest to you, only to grab both Changbin’s and Seungmin’s forearms on either side of you before pointing to the booth with the Stitch soft toy.

“Guys look! It’s stitch! It’s so cute! Omg!” You giggled, hearing both of them chuckle as you jogged over to the booth. It was a game of shooting which you clearly weren’t good at. Just as you were pondering over the game, a familiar voice spoke up from behind you causing you to turn.

“One round please.” Changbin said as he handed the man his bill before the man gave him a loaded nerf gun.

“What are you doing?” You asked as Changbin simply smiled at you.

“Playing the game?”

“Of course I know that… but why?”

“For fun…” He smiled as he began to aim for the targets. He was getting the shots perfect so far. Barely missing any target. After a stressful close round, you watched as he won a prize. You didn’t know why but you thought he was going to choose something that was for himself.

But instead, the next thing you see was the man reaching up to grab the exact one that you’ve been eyeing all these while.

Changbin smiled as he thanked the man for the prize. But when he turned away from the man, you expected him to walk back to his friends. You didn’t expect him to give you the Stitch soft toy and then proceed to say innocently, “Take it.”

You raised your eyebrows at him softly, clearly taken aback by his offer.

“W-What?”

“It’s for you… You looked like you wanted it so bad.” Changbin chuckled as he gently took your hands and wrapped it around the toy to make you hug it.

“Changbin… thank you…” You whispered as he could only smile, guiding you back to where the guys were. The minute you came back to where some of them were, you excitedly showed off your prize.

“Jin ah! Look!” You exclaimed as Hyunjin gasped at the size of the soft toy.

“Woah! Where did you get this?”

“From that shooting booth! Isn’t he cute!”

“You won the shooting game?!” Hyunjin asked in shock, making you blush as you turned to Changbin. He had a soft smile on his face before he spoke up for you.

“I did. So I gave the prize to her.”

The guys began to tease as Changbin rolled his eyes thickly at them.

“Oh? Was that a gift to her?” Minho smirked.

“Never thought I’d see the day Seo Changbin goes out of his way to win a prize for a girl…” Jisung teased. Changbin simply brushed all their comments off as you all continued walking. You have been hugging the soft toy for the past hour wherever you went, earning soft laughs from the guys. Just then, Hyunjin wanted to take pictures at the pier.

Felix was helping to take Hyunjin’s pictures while Chan was helping to take Minho, Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin’s picture.

You were just burying your face in the soft toy when Changbin’s voice softly spoke up from beside you, “Do you like it that much?” With that, you turned to him and a bright smile decorated your face, warming his heart even more.

“I’ve loved it since I was young! He’s so cute! Don’t you remember? I used to bring my small stuffed-” You were rambling excited until you stopped yourself when you realized what you were doing. “Oh! Sorry! Sorry… I got a little carried away there…” You apologized as you avoided his gaze but you missed the little smile growing on his face.

But what he said next made your heart stop for a split second, almost not believing your ears.

“I remember…” He whispered so softly, you could’ve missed it if you weren’t properly listening. You whipped your head around as you stared at him in shock.

“You… do?” Your voice was quiet as his eyes held the galaxy.

But your little moment gets cut when Felix calls you over to take a picture with Hyunjin who deliberately drags you away from Changbin. He could only smile as he nods at Hyunjin’s figure behind you, signalling you to just go follow him.

You frowned as you stood beside Hyunjin and proceeded to take a few memorable pictures with him. After everyone was almost done taking pictures, you didn’t want the memory to go to waste so you turned to Hyunjin and quietly asked when the rest of the guys were already walking away.

“Jinie, can you take one picture of me with Changbin?”

“Why?”

“Just for memories…” You smiled and you definitely saw the confused look on his face but nonetheless, he smiled and called the boy over. When Changbin was standing in front of you, Hyunjin told him what you wanted. Changbin looks at you and a smile creeps onto his face before he agrees to it.

You soon reached down to slide your hand in his and brought him to the edge of the pier. You stood beside him with the huge soft toy in your arms. Right when Hyunjin was just trying to find the right angle, you felt Changbin snake his arm around your waist and pulled you closer into his side.

Your heart was palpitating against your chest as he turned to you and whispered softly in your ear, “I’m sorry for being distant back then. I hope you can forgive me and we can start fresh? Properly this time?”

You turned to him, only to find his face just inches away from you. At this moment, neither of you dared to move an inch.

Just then, you heard Hyunjin’s voice counting down from 3.

You turned to Hyunjin and back to Changbin, wanting to ask what pose you two should do. But the moment you turned to Changbin, he gave you no warning whatsoever as he simply pressed his lips against yours sweetly. You closed your eyes in bliss, enjoying the feeling when you heard the click of the camera followed by Hyunjin screaming excitedly.

Changbin was the one to pull away as his lips lingered over your for a second. You struggled to look at him, feeling your cheeks burn from embarrassment. “Was that okay?” He whispered, making you nod.

“Hey! Since when are you two a thing?! And secretly behind my back too?! Pfft…” Hyunjin scoffed but his cheeky smirk didn’t go unnoticed.

“Yeah… about that, we still have a lot to clear between us…” Changbin said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously but you helped him clear the air before Hyunjin got more confused with the situation.

“Let’s just say we have an unfinished history between us and we’re going to settle it once and for all, okay?” With that, Hyunjin nods as he wished you and Changbin good luck. The 3 of you rejoined the group, only for them to ask where you three were. Hyunjin simply said taking pictures, completely hiding the fact that he just witnessed his best friend kiss his close friend.

On the way to all your vehicles, Hyunjin asks if you wanted to ride home with Changbin instead and that he could send Jisung home. You turned to Changbin who overheard your conversation with Hyunjin.

You saw him smile as he shrugged his shoulders, so you turned to Hyunjin and felt your lips curving upwards into a soft expression, “I’d love that.”

With that, Changbin told Jisung the plan and the younger could only nod happily despite not knowing the true intentions of the car swap. After all of you had said your goodbyes, you followed Changbin to his car and he soon drove off after you told him your address.

The car ride was filled with jokes and laughter, purposely avoiding the main talks first until you got to your apartment.

You let him in, telling him to take a seat while you went to make him a drink. After you came back with his iced chocolate, you sat down with him on the couch. He took a few sips of it before he finally spoke up.

“Is it okay if we start over? I know I wasn’t the warmest when I was young… I barely socialize with you and your brother… I guess I was just too shy and a little antisocial back then.”

You smiled as you reached up to cup his face gently in your hand. “It’s okay Binie. I didn’t understand why back then but now I know.” You whispered, feeling him lean into your touch.

You didn’t know who leaned in first but the next thing you knew, you were kissing him.

On the lips.

Changbin wraps his arms around your waist as he pulls you onto his lap. Your heart was racing rapidly in your chest. He kisses you passionately, rubbing soft circles into your skin. Just then, your breath hitched in your throat when his lips left yours only to make his way down your neck.

“Changbin…” You whispered breathily, making him smirk against your skin.

You swiftly took off his shirt, pulling it over his head before doing the same for you. Changbin took a second to admire your body, seeing this much skin on you for the first time.

“Wow…” His voice soft, feeling yourself get shy all of a sudden. He chuckled as he kissed your lips to distract you.

He took his time with you, making sure he wasn’t hurting you in any way. He brought you to your room after a good amount of time on the couch. He had been so respectful of you that he would always ask for your permission to touch you anywhere. He left you wanting more.

He made sure to clean you after spending your time together before pulling you against him to cuddle. You couldn’t help but prop yourself on your elbow as you rested one hand on his bare chest, softly caressing it before sliding your hand up to cup his face.

“I’m so happy I found you again.” You whispered as he giggled. His eyes crinkled into two crescent moons that disappeared as soon as he smiled.

“I could say the same for you too.” Changbin said as he kissed you sweetly. Both of you fell into a deep slumber a few minutes later, waking up the next day feeling so warm and full in your hearts. You were happy that you met him again after all these years. Who knew you would end up with the boy whom you used to live next door to.

~~~

[peaches-writes]

how to appease your asian aunties ch. 1 - christmas

description: in the immortal words of wine aunts and aunts you’re not even related to but forced to call your aunt at gatherings, ‘do you have a boyfriend?’ member: jisung / han genre: fluff, fake dating au, implied rich kids au, eventual childhood / best friends to lovers au, college au, implied fem reader (but i still used they/them pronouns) word count: 7.5k chapter warning: food, drinking, explicit language, one comment about weight note: insp by a twt meme + this is my first attempt at making a story with parents having a bigger role in them omg

ch. 2 // ch. 3 // series masterlist

Though you’re a semester away from graduating college, with your own circles of friends, clubmates, and close classmates, you still can’t understand why your mom and her sorority batchmates feel the need to have reunion parties every single year. Maybe it’s the product of growing connectivity in this modern age or just simply your wide age gap preventing you from having the same nostalgic feelings attending these dinners; nevertheless, ever since your mom started bringing you to these parties to socialize with her friends’ children when you were four, you've always personally found it a bit troublesome. 

They see each other at mall sales, weekend brunches, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries all the time—a lot of them even work closely with each other. For as long as you can remember, you can’t help but endlessly wonder in this time of year: will they ever get tired of each other?

As you adjust your coat over your semi-formal attire for this year’s dinner party, you sigh in front of the full-length mirror by your house’s front doors and mentally conclude that they probably never will. This is your 19th reunion dinner now and even from meters away in the kitchen, you can hear your mom fuss to your dad and the helpers either worriedly about the desserts that everyone in the house (and your nearest restaurant branch) was forced to bake two nights ago; or excitedly about seeing her college best friend, Mrs. Hwang, even if they literally just dragged their respective families to the monthly brunch last weekend—like she always does minutes before you leave. She always sounds like a crazed woman but you know deep inside that she’s excited to see her friends again and reminisce about the same old college memories you’ve even memorized by heart now.

It’s cute and all, maybe you’ll even end up the same in a decade or so but you swear at present on the dinner menu tonight that the more you spend your first day of Christmas break attending these dinners, the more you’ll slowly lose your mind over this unofficial holiday tradition: from your mom’s dramatic ramblings at the start of the night to the prospect of spending the rest of the evening laughing off your unofficial aunts and godmothers’ unnecessary backhanded comments and trying not to get caught in the trouble the younger children make.

It really just isn’t exactly your type of scene. It’s like family Christmas parties but with more passive-aggressive internalized drama since you’re not related to any of the guests by blood.

“Y/N, dear, come along now, we’re running late!” Your mom scolds you as she approaches your direction to the double doors, carrying cupcake caddies and cake boxes with your dad and your six house helpers. She’s wearing the dress you helped pick out last month, you observe, which is another tradition of hers. Rich people and not wanting to be seen wearing the same clothes twice, you guess. “Oh dear, I need to fix my hair in the car!”

You take one last look at yourself in the mirror before sprinting to the doors and helping your dad open them. You also take a couple of boxes from one of the helpers as you all pile outside, letting everyone pass through before closing the doors behind you. 

The nine of you then head to your dad’s Ford you parked outside the house gates earlier this afternoon, loading the everything in the back of the car without much difficulty before parting ways with the helpers for tonight with the same house instructions from your mom to not wait up for the three of you.

“Bye!” Your mom waves at your helpers through the rolled down windows on the front passenger seat as your dad begins to drive away from the house. 

Once your house begins growing smaller in the distance behind you, only then does your mom attend to her hair while your dad closes all the windows and locks the doors.

You, on the other hand, lean back in your own seat, taking out your phone to pass the ten minutes travel time to one of your godmothers, Mrs. Kim’s house in the adjacent subdivision.

“Y/M/N! Y/F/N! Welcome!” Mrs. Kim greets you at her house gates with her own mini army of house helpers, kindly helping you and your parents unload your party contributions and transfer them inside her recently renovated kitchen. “Oh, Y/N! Look at you, you look so beautiful tonight!”

You smile politely through the wave of compliments and ‘oh you gained a bit of weight’ comments that follow as you try your best to not to trip over the slippery marble steps leading to the house. Contrary to what your mom has been worrying about earlier at home, you eventually discover that you’re fairly early to the party for the 19th year in a row with only half of the families already in attendance to greet you when you entered the house.

“Y/N, all the teenagers are upstairs on the second floor, by the way.” Mrs. Kim informs you once your cupcakes have been neatly organized in the caddies at the very end of the buffet table, making you cringe internally at her preferred term for you and the other older kids in the house. “Dinner is at 7:30.”

“Thank you, auntie.” You smile one last time at her before excusing yourself to go upstairs, sighing internally in relief that her son, Seungmin, has smartly gathered everyone upstairs for the third year in a row to avoid the aunts and uncles for as much as possible.

You’re not completely fond of the parties, sure, but you can’t deny that there are little parts that have unconsciously grown on you—like your unlikely band of childhood friends and your shared hatred for this particular party.

Climbing up the slippery staircase as fast as you can with a death grip on the railings, you reach the second floor in no time to be greeted by six out of the eight people you’ve sort of grown up with in these parties occupying the common area: Felix and Hyunjin having a Wii dance battle in front of the television, Seungmin and Minho having a violent game of UNO on the coffee table, and Ryujin and Yeji scrolling through their phones on the sofa before abandoning them to approach you at noticing your presence by the staircase.

“Y/N!” Ryujin calls you in as she reaches you first for a brief hug and a short exchange of compliments on each other’s outfits, as if you didn’t just meet at one of your shared class’ Christmas parties yesterday. Though all of you attend the same university, you see Ryujin the most since you’re in the same college, just in different departments. “So nice to see you again!”

“Yeah, yeah, hello to you too again.” You chuckle, more genuinely now in the company of party guests you’re actually comfortable with, before waving hello at Yeji who trails behind. 

Yeji then naturally hugs you next, pulling you a few steps away from the staircase so the two of you don’t topple over when she leans her weight on you. “Y/N, took you long enough!” She says next to your ear. “Hyunjin and I were starting to make bets if the aunties suddenly trapped you downstairs like Chan and Miyoung.”

You hug her back with equal force, a little more than you did with Ryujin, pulling away after to playfully slap her arm for the teasing comment. “I’d sell my arm first before I let that happen.” You retort as the two of you laugh. “I just helped set up desserts—mom made us do an extra two boxes of brownies and cookies this year so you better get a lot later!” 

“Of course, but only if you eat a lot of the spaghetti my mom made!” She reminds, kindly fixing your hair for you. “I missed you! You look so pretty tonight!”

Behind the two girls, the boys also greet you in scattered casual ‘hi’s and ‘hello’s before going back to their own activities. You greet them back as they acknowledge you (and even reciprocate Felix’s long-distance high five mid-dance), crossing off everyone’s names in your mental attendance list as your gaze wanders around the room.

Since Chan is busy being a grown-up and showing off his fiance downstairs, you conclude that only one person is missing among your eight friends.

“Ya, Han Jisung!” As if on cue, the missing eighth person in your list emerges from the staircase behind you as Minho calls his name. “Welcome back!” 

Jisung greets everyone back in their second wave of scattered greetings as he walks to Minho and Seungmin’s direction, purposely acknowledging you last by suddenly turning around and walking backwards to send a wave and wink your way. He almost trips over the long ruffles of the big accent carpet as he does this, making you, Yeji, and Ryujin laugh as the only witnesses.

“Oh my God.” You place a hand to your forehead in secondhand embarrassment, stifling your laughs as your best friend regains his balance and looks behind him in case anyone else saw (which, unfortunately for you, they didn’t). You can’t believe that despite missing last year’s party because of his study abroad program’s strict schedule, he still manages to do his ritual clumsy carpet accident somehow. “This dumbass, I swear.”

In front of you, Jisung only laughs it off as well. “You didn’t see that!” He adjusts his coat with one hand and scratches the nape of his neck with the other in between laughs, walking forward to you properly after with his arms extended for a hug. “Stop laughing and come here, ugly. I missed you.” 

You feign a scowl but hug him back anyway, Yeji and Ryujin slyly stepping away with knowing smiles that only you can see with Jisung’s eyes turned away. You stick your tongue out at the two girls as they abandon you and walk back to the sofa before slapping Jisung’s back harshly for the familiar insult. “Speak for yourself, you ugly. I missed you too.” You reply to his latter comment with an amused chuckle of your own. “How are you?”

“Better now that I’m seeing you in person again.” He pulls away after with his signature flirty smirk, visibly eyeing you up and down now while his hands are still on your upper arms. Though he knows such gesture irks you, especially when it comes to the aunts and uncles downstairs, Jisung is the only one among your friends confident enough to tease you this way. Knowing each other a bit longer than everyone else has its perks, he’s come to realize over the years. “Look at you, all dressed up tonight. For me?” 

“Of course I’m all dressed up tonight, it’s Chan’s engagement announcement later.” You retort, swatting his hand away to adjust your now wrinkled clothes. “You’ve known me for twenty years, already; I think it’s time to stop assuming I’ll ever dress up for you now.” 

He only shakes his head, his teasing and lighthearted mood unwavering in front of you. “Nah, I really think you dressed up for me tonight.” He insists jokingly, a hand lingering over the fabric of your coat. “If I get welcome back parties like this from you in the end, should I just do more one-year study abroad programs?” 

“And leave me to fend off the aunties every other year? I don’t think so.” You’re quick to turn down, walking pass him to rejoin your group now. Jisung naturally follows along like a lost puppy, suddenly changing his mind on joining Minho and Seungmin to follow you around now that you’ve started conversation. “You owe me for leaving me to take all the ‘I can set you up on a blind date with my godchild’ and ‘are you dating anyone’ comments last year.”

The two of you sit next to Ryujin and Yeji who, without even looking up from their phones, quickly scoot away to the other end of the big sofa which makes you send pleading looks their way while Jisung laughs and gains enough confidence to sling an arm on the sofa behind your shoulders.

Another annoying thing from this yearly reunion party is how it’s an unspoken rule in your group to leave you and Jisung alone whenever you’re engaging in your usual banter. You and Jisung are the enemies type of best friend, for God’s sake. You don’t understand how everyone (yes, even Seungmin) thinks the two of you are being cute. 

“I keep telling you, you wouldn’t get all those comments if you just tell them you’re dating someone, dummy.” Jisung returns to your conversation once you’re settled, purposely placing a suggestive emphasis on the pet name. “That’s just the most natural thing to do in front of the aunties.” 

“And who would I show them if they ask who?”

“Try me.” Jisung answers smugly, earning him an eye roll from you.

“As if.” You deadpan, leaning to his arm anyway as you take out your phone and connect to the wifi. “Given your new fuckboy look to the aunties, I’m pretty sure they’ll see past that kind of bullshit, especially Yeji and Hyunjin’s mom and Minho’s mom. They’d be more convinced if I tell them I’m dating Seungmin instead and he’s already in a relationship.”

You don’t even have to look to your side to see Jisung pouting as he whines in complaint, his free hand going up to your side to shake your arm. “That hurts.” He dramatically points to his chest when you show the slightest hint of turning his way. “And having Bumble on your phone isn’t being a fuckboy, I don’t even use it to get dates.” 

“That’s not what the aunties think.” You point out, knowing just how much your aunts and uncles easily misunderstand concepts from your generation like social and dating apps. “I’m telling you, I prefer you swaying the conversation for me over you pretending to be my boyfriend.”

Jisung is quiet for a moment and you’re convinced that he’s decided on ending the conversation at this point until he suddenly twists his body towards you and challenges, "Do you wanna bet? Test out that theory?” He smirks again. “It’d really spice up this party, besides Chan’s announcement, of course.”

Only then do you look up at him since you sat down, deadpanning, “No.” 

“Come on, it’d be really interesting!” He taps you on your shoulders with a laugh, a combination of habits he always does whenever he’s trying to involve you in his usual trouble-making antics. “My mom will finally get off my back for always nagging me as a ‘fuckboy’ and our mom’s sorority friends will finally get off yours for not dating.” 

“You’re crazy.” You comment, crossing your arms in front of him. “I think I’ll just re-download Bumble too and bring someone to the party next year.” 

“You’re really taking too much jabs at my heart right now,” He sighs with a contrasting smirk. “and we’re not even past dinner yet.” 

“Because you deserve it,” You chuckle back at him, pretending to punch him on his stomach which he reacts to dramatically. “I’ve always known you’re a dumbass but that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard from you.” 

Stubborn, he shakes his head in disagreement as you speak. “Nah, nah, we’ll see about that.”

And as if on cue, Mrs. Kim emerges from the staircase and announces that dinner is ready, luring everyone out of the second floor before you can even ask Jisung what he means with his words. 

“Ya, Han Jisung!” You call for him when he sprints to Seungmin’s side when the latter begins leading everyone downstairs. 

You try catching up to him but the staircase becomes too narrow for you to squeeze past everyone, forcing you to walk with Minho and Ryujin at the back of the group. With this, Jisung then takes this as an opportunity to look up at you from the turn on the staircase and send you another wink, a more confident one this time since he doesn’t trip after. 

Your ‘age group,’ as the aunts differentiate you from the younger children, hogs the extensive buffet and steals the best table in the backyard, near the karaoke machine so you can stop the uncles from singing too much of ‘My Way’ once they get drunk later on and as far away from the children’s table as possible so you don’t have to be obligated to take care of them later on. Chan, the eldest among you now, joins your table with his fiance, Miyoung, after they’ve officially declared their engagement before the buffet opened, happily handing out their save the date cards for their May wedding.

“Just remember, Miyoung, that you can literally get all your wedding needs from us, okay?” Yeji comments amidst all the talk about the wedding, gesturing to everyone as you eat and drink champagne. “Like Y/N and Seungmin for catering, Ryujin for the attires, Felix for your honeymoon trip, me and Hyunjin for the flowers and documentation, and Jisung can dress up as a clown for your reception.” 

“Ya!” Jisung protests to your left, cheeks full of steak and spaghetti that makes the whole table erupt in laughter. “Chan’s and Minho’s studios can arrange the music and the decor; my mom will probably argue with Miyoung’s mom for the locations and hotels.” 

“I can just tell my dad to hire you as a clown, though.” Minho shrugs nonchalantly, further fueling your laughter. To your right, you can even see Miyoung giggling through her glass of champagne, having given up on stifling her laughs. “It’d make good entertainment.” 

Jisung then leans over to you to turn to Miyoung on your other side with a pout and a pleading look to her and Chan. “You two are just letting them drag me like this?” He whines dramatically before turning to you. “Y/N, back me up here.”

“No!” You press a finger up to his forehead and playfully push him back on his seat. “It’s a great idea, what are you talking about?” You tease as you do so, much to more whines from him. “There’s like five months before the wedding, think about it.”

Next to you, Miyoung forces herself to stop laughing, teasingly asking Chan, “Babe, what do you think? Should we just demote Jisung from groomsman to clown?” 

“I’d very much prefer being a groomsman, please.” Jisung asks over Chan, leaning over the table. “I can’t compete with Changbin for best man but as long as I’m not dressing up as a clown I’m good!” 

“Hey, how come Jisung’s a groomsman?” Seungmin complains from across you, frowning cutely at the couple. “Miyoung, I’m your cousin! I introduced you and Chan in university!” 

“You’re a groomsman too, Minnie, don’t worry.” Miyoung reassures with a warm smile before elbowing her fiance. “As long as you can get your parents to cater with Y/N’s family.” 

The offer makes Seungmin’s ear perk up in interest. “Okay, call!” 

“Can we all be in the wedding party at this point? I’m seriously pushing it now, I want to dress up really cute!” Yeji, who sits on Chan’s other side, pleads. 

“Me too! I second that!” Felix backs her up immediately, the two now leaning over the table expectantly in Chan’s direction. “Though I’m not so keen on designing things.”

“Ah, but we have to make more room for actual relatives.” The groom-to-be in question laughs sheepishly. “Though, knowing our parents, I’ll try to squeeze everyone in somewhere in the program. Just let us iron out everyone’s contributions first.” 

“Yeji, I’ll take note of your suggestion, though.” Miyoung points at the younger girl with an appreciative grin. “I’ll message the groupchat once Chan and I meet up again with the planner.” 

Meanwhile, Chan’s last comment gives you and Minho an idea and the two of you suggest in chorus, “Get Seungmin to sing!” 

“Jinx!” You and Minho exchange winks and long distance-high fives from Jisung’s two sides after while Chan and Miyoung ask Seungmin about said idea, making Jisung pout at you. 

The general table conversation then naturally flows to other matters, mostly about the famous names you might be expecting at the wedding, but Jisung doesn’t participate much anymore, turning to you instead and asking, “Ya, are you cheating on me with Minho now? You sacrifice me as entertainment then back Minho up but not me!” He rambles in between mouthfuls of food, making you and even Minho chuckle in amusement despite the latter being in another conversation with Ryujin and Seungmin. “I just left for one year and you’re already doing this to me!” 

“What are you on about again, dumbass?” You roll your eyes with a scoff, stealing a piece of steak from his plate for the third time this dinner. “Finish your food, everyone’s done and you’re so slow!” 

Jisung then belatedly swats your chopsticks away, “I’m almost done, dumbass, stop mooching off my plate!” 

"Then hurry up, you still have to accompany me to the dessert table.” You point out, referring to your least favorite part of this reunion parties: getting attacked by invasive questions on your return trip to the buffet table. “Remember, you owe me. I’m not going in there alone again.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He replies on his last two bites of food, eating one then handing the other one to you. “Have the other one, then.” 

He pokes your lips with the last piece of steak and you instinctively lean your head away, catching the food with your own chopsticks instead. “Thanks.” You bring the food to your mouth before carefully patting the oil he ended up smearing on your lips with your table napkin. 

Across the table and out of your earshot, Yeji elbows Hyunjin and points to the two of you. “They’re at it again.” 

Without you or Jisung looking, Hyunjin looks at the two of you in feign disgust. “I know, every damn year.” 

On Hyunjin’s other side, Seungmin nods frustratingly in agreement which makes Yeji laugh. “We shouldn’t have taken last year for granted, 'no?” He sighs. “Last year was so peaceful without them together.”

“Agreed.” The Hwang cousins agree in chorus before listening to the table’s general conversation again.

Meanwhile, Jisung finally finishes his food and excuses the two of you from the table to get dessert. Miyoung waves at you politely and Felix playfully orders that you two get him cupcakes but the rest only acknowledge you with simple nods as they’re completely engrossed in betting on whose dad will be singing My Way on the karaoke machine first (everyone’s in the middle of betting on Mr. Bang). With that, you and your best friend then take your leave, going back inside the house and making a beeline to the kitchen.

Unfortunately for you, you catch your mom, Mrs. Han, and Mrs. Hwang gossiping by the punch bowls once you reach the kitchen’s open doorway—literally the worst combination of sorority aunts to be bombarded with invasive questions.

“Shit.” You mutter under your breath loud enough for only Jisung to hear, the two of you still out of the three women’s sights. Looking up at Jisung with pleading eyes, you ask, “Should we just go back later?” 

Quickly seeing this as an opportunity to get back at you, Jisung only smiles evilly and links his hands with yours, dragging a hesitant you inside the kitchen and towards the direction of the dessert table. “No, let’s get dessert now, baby.” He dismisses your silent pleas teasingly, making sure his voice is loud enough to get your worst nightmare of trio’s attentions. “Felix also asked us to get cupcakes too, remember?”

And like vultures, the three women immediately turn to you and Jisung as you head in their line of vision, three different shades of questioning looks on their faces. You especially catch your mom’s face, a mixture of surprise, amusement, and genuine curiosity for some reason, which sets all the gears in your head into panic mode while Jisung only gains more confidence from this. 

You swear at that moment on Jisung’s sort of untied shoelaces that you just want Mrs. Kim’s new kitchen floor tiles to swallow you up right there and then.

“Hey, mom!” Jisung greets his own mom with a wave, coming off as sweet to her but mocking to you. He then bows politely to your mom and Mrs. Hwang and you’re forced to follow along for the sake of courtesy. “Mrs. Y/L/N, Mrs. Hwang.” 

The three women look at each other curiously, as if in a silent debate on what they’ve just heard, while Jisung pretends to be unfazed, passing you a dessert plate and examining tonight’s dessert options. 

“Jisung, I swear to God,” You hiss at him as you take a slice of chocolate cake for him. “I’m going to kill you after this party.” 

He leans close to your ear while gathering cupcakes on a separate dessert plate, whispering, “I think it’s too late for that, though.” before your mom, Mrs. Han, and Mrs. Hwang suddenly appear in front of the two of you on the other side of the buffet table with sickeningly sweet smiles, and a million questions. 

You especially fear Jisung’s mom. Mrs. Han and your mom often go to the mall together, especially when there’s an ongoing sale, and you’ve been forced to carry all their shopping bags over the years because Jisung and his older brother usually bail on you. Though she’s very sweet, you’ve always known her to be very picky on some things and it just makes you think that she’s picky on who Jisung dates too. 

“Mom,” You call for your mom with wide eyes. “Do you need anything?” 

But she waves her hand dismissively with a reassuring smile at your question. “Oh, nothing, Y/N dear,” She answers, eyes darting almost threateningly between you and Jisung. It makes your hand shaky as you now complete your tower of dessert plates. “your aunties and I were just talking and we didn’t mean to but we saw you and Jisung so we just got curious and thought we’d ask how the two of you are.” 

“Oh, just ask them already!” Mrs. Hwang exclaims excitedly, slapping your mom’s arm like a school girl. “If you won’t, I will.”

But Mrs. Han is already leaning over the table with a knowing smile, straightforwardly asking, “Are you two kids dating?” which immediately makes your mom and Mrs. Hwang erupt into fits of giggles. “Come on, the aunties want to know!” 

“Oh, um—” You stammer out before Jisung beats you to it. 

For the second time tonight, you feel Jisung’s arm on your shoulder as he speaks over you confidently, “Y-Yeah, we’ve been for a while now!” He then places his dessert plate back on the table and boyishly rubs the nape of his neck which only elicits swooning reactions from the three women, a complete contrast from your expectations a while back. “Just some time before my program ended so it’s been a bit long-distance for the most part.” 

“Oh? But how?” Mrs. Hwang asks curiously. “I didn’t hear of you going to Malaysia this year, Y/N, and Jisung, your mom told me you didn’t have time to go home!”

“You could’ve just told me, Sungie! Then, I would’ve had you sent home earlier if you wanted to see Y/N!” Mrs. Han adds as well, clasping her hands in satisfaction. “I knew this was coming! You two have always been so cute together!” 

Your mom agrees, “Luckily, I refused Mrs. Park’s offer to set Y/N up with another one of her nephews a while back. Had I known you two were dating, I wouldn’t have talked to her tonight at all!”

You open your mouth to try and speak but Jisung beats you to it again. “We’ve been in touch: message, calls, and video calls, you know.” He half-shrugs casually, as if he’s been rehearsing the line for a while now. “It’s our first time meeting since we started seeing each other so telling you guys just kind of flew past us.” 

You groan internally but you also can’t help but sigh in relief at the prospect that you avoided getting set up by Mrs. Park again because of Jisung. Though this doesn’t completely erase your annoyance over him for putting you in this situation, you still owe him a ‘thank you’ after somehow.

So, you conclude that you should just follow along. It’s fake dating your best friend over another pointless blind date at this point now, after all. “You’re okay with this, right?” You decide to ask in a follow-up, pretending to not know that they’ll agree anyway. Next to you, Jisung’s eyes visibly widen and, seeing it from the corner of your eyes, you quickly elbow him in response before giving your most innocent look to your mom. “I mean, Jisung won’t be studying abroad now and we’re graduating, anyway, so it’s cool, right?”

Judging by their softened reactions, you feel like you could challenge Hyunjin to acting now. 

“Of course we’re okay with it!” Your mom answers first, Mrs. Han nodding along happily. “I’m glad that it’s someone I know at least and I’m sure your dad wouldn’t mind.” 

You hear Jisung gulp nervously at the last comment. If you’re afraid of his mom, he’s afraid of your dad because of the one time he helped you practice for your driver’s license and the two of you almost ended up crashing the Ford on your subdivision’s club house. You allow yourself to relax and laugh at this, making him tighten his grip on your shoulder. 

“Me too, sis.” Mrs. Han agrees, gesturing over to her son. “My Jisung here’s been going on dates with strangers online before this so I’m glad he’s finally stopped and settled for your kid! Modern love, huh?” 

“Oh my God, mom!” Jisung whines, his free hand coming up to his face in embarrassment. “I’ve told you before, I use them to meet friends! Not in front of Mrs. Y/L/N and Y/N please!” 

“Ay, it’s the same thing!” His mom insists to him before turning to Mrs. Hwang and your mom. “Social apps, dating apps, they’re all the same. Why do you even use them if you’re just going to fall in love with the person right in front of you? I taught you better than that, Sungie.” 

“Mom!” Jisung hisses, cheeks tinted pink. “This is so embarrassing!” 

You snicker next to him, catching his attention. “Your mom’s right, you know. Tsk, dating people from miles away and you just end up confessing to me on FaceTime.” 

He scowls at you in a way that scolds you for suddenly turning this situation in your favor. You only smile triumphantly at him which the three aunties take as a really sweet moment. 

“Aw, look at them! So cute!” Mrs. Hwang gushes before turning to her two best friends. “Should we just leave them alone now? We’re intruding!” 

“Right! It’s especially embarrassing since we’re both here, Mrs. Han.” Your mom agrees, leading the three out now. She then turns to you and Jisung, “I guess we’ll be off now, then? Don’t want to intrude to you two lovebirds anymore!” 

You smile up to your mom, making sure Jisung does too. “It’s fine, mom, we’re going back to our table now too, anyway.”

But Mrs. Han waves her hand dismissively at you. “No, no, we’ll run along now first! See you later, okay?” 

You and Jisung bid your moms and Mrs. Hwang goodbye, overhearing your mom bragging that she’ll share this new information to Mrs. Park while Mrs. Han and Mrs. Hwang agree before the three completely exited the kitchen. 

Once they’re out of earshot, you sigh in relief and elbow Jisung harshly who responds by dramatically taking a step back and massaging his side. “Ow!” He winces, careful not to hit the dessert table. “What was that for?” 

“I told you to drop the fake dating thing a while back.” You protest, threatening to hit him with your plate of chocolate slices. “Now I have to have you at home more often. I’ve already had enough of you at campus, here, and when your mom visits at home.”

“Ya, but you played along!” 

“That’s because I was put on the spot! And they did mention another blind date from Mrs. Park’s army of nephews.” You explain. “It was between you and another blind date.”

“At least I got you out of another potential blind date, right?” He points out defensively, proceeding to put your hand with the chocolate slices down on the table with caution. “And more effectively now than before, too! So why’d you hit me?”

“Yeah, I know but still, that doesn’t cancel out how you got me out of that.” You frown in disappointment, taking both of your dessert plates now. When he holds his hand up defensively, as if expecting you to throw them to his face, you only roll your eyes and walk past him to the direction of the second kitchen exit. “Now, I have to fake date you for real either until Mrs. Park lays off the blind dates or until I actually date someone.” 

Jisung immediately follows you suit, genuinely rubbing the nape of his neck in a bashful way now. “We don’t have to, maybe they’ll forget about it.” But when you give him a pointed look, as if suggesting that what he just said seems unlikely, he ends up suggesting, “Okay, fine, should we break up after Chan’s wedding, then?”

He then glances over at you to see you contemplating and calming yourself down so he instinctively insists on carrying the dessert plates for you, walking a little bit ahead as well and opening the screen door leading back to the backyard. 

When you’ve made yourself calm down and think more rationally, you firstly point out, “That’s too far away and wouldn’t that be too scandalous? It’s a big event so it could become gossip.” 

Passing the entire length of the backyard now, you receive a few congratulations and questions confirming your relationship from some of your mom’s sorority friends and their husbands, forcing Jisung to hold his thought until you’re not being swarmed again. 

“But if we do it before, it’d be too suspicious since we’d only be dating for less than 6 months.” He counters once the adults have left you alone, glancing ahead and seeing your entire table looking at you with quirked up eyebrows and comically intimidating looks. “Remember when my older brother did that as a joke to the aunties and got caught because they only did it for 3 weeks? They smell fear and deceit, Y/N.”

You sigh in defeat, “Let’s just figure it out later.” With that, you reach your table, setting your plates down and asking, “What did we miss?”

Judging by the way they eye you, your mom has probably told Mrs. Kim who’s gone table to table. 

“It’s fake, isn’t it?” Ryujin speaks up once you’ve settled back in your seat, making the table break character and laugh. “It can’t be a coincidence since you two were just talking about that a while ago inside!” 

“Please be fake.” Seungmin adds, gesturing to you and Jisung. “It’d be more annoying for all of us next year if it’s true.” 

You and Jisung, having the same thought and trust for your friends, nod simultaneously at Ryujin’s question, eventually joining in on the laughter. 

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’d actually try that!” Ryujin cackles, a clear giveaway that she and Yeji were eavesdropping on you and Jisung a while back to a degree.

“To be clear, though, it’s his fault!” You add in between laughs for clarification, pointing to Jisung with your dessert spoon. “He started it!” 

“And they were about to get set up on a blind date by Mrs. Park again.” Jisung gestures to you back, completing the thought. “I was being a good Samaritan.”

“Ooh, and what did they say?” Felix asks curiously, one elbow propped up on the table as he listens intently. 

Jisung groans in exasperation as he eats his chocolate cake. “We bumped into my mom, Y/N’s mom, and Mrs. Hwang so you can imagine how they reacted.” 

“I can imagine, especially our mom.” Hyunjin sighs with his hands carding through his hair in secondhand embarrassment. 

“At least now we know where you inherited certain qualities from.” Chan teases, making the younger boy exclaim ‘ya!’ at him. 

“This is good, though isn’t it?” Yeji asks curiously over her iced tea. “I mean, Mrs. Park’s wouldn’t set you up on blind dates now.”

“Yeah, but that leaves me as Ms. Park’s only target!” Ryujin moans in frustration. “You know Mrs. Park doesn’t get convinced with dating people online!” 

You shake your head at Ryujin’s complaint. “Yeji can fake date you, though.” You point out, much to the girl’s annoyance. “Or ask out that girl from our lab.”

“So, does this mean we’re getting a dramatic break-up at Chan and Miyoung’s wedding?” Hyunjin interjects, having moved from playing with his now long hair to his glass of champagne. “Because if so, then you better tell us now so we won’t get too drunk at the reception until it happens!”

“I honestly want to see that happen too.” Seungmin agrees, the two high-fiving at the thought.

“That’d be interesting, breaking up at weddings.” Minho chuckles along now too. “People usually propose or hook-up so this is new.” 

“Hey, no stealing my spotlight on my wedding!” Miyoung complains playfully to you and Jisung this time. “We’re all supposed to have a good time there!”

Chan nods in agreement. “If you break up at our wedding, you’re getting kicked out.” 

So you shake your head reassuringly in between eating cupcakes. “We aren’t planning to.” 

“You’re going to date for real?” Felix asks teasingly, earning him a glare form you.

“Gross, no.” You and Jisung turn down the thought in chorus.

“Jinx.” Jisung adds, stealing a spoonful of cake from your plate.

“So when are you breaking up?” Chan asks, leading the whole round table to look back to you. 

“Whenever, I guess.” You shrug casually, belatedly swatting Jisung’s hand from your plate this time. “Until Mrs. Park gets off my back and Jisung actually stops fucking around on Bumble.” 

“I don’t fuck around on Bumble!” Jisung complains over a mouthful of chocolate cake.

“Well, that’s going to take a long time.” Chan dismisses. “At least let us all know so we can schedule faking a whole drama in this group.” 

“Anyway, it’ll die down soon, surely.” Jisung assures with a half-shrug. “Also, our parents only meet up constantly during this reunion party. If anything, we just have to fake date in front of our moms since they meet up more often.” 

“And Mrs. Hwang.” You point to Hyunjin and Yeji. “Since we all go to brunch once a month.” 

At the mention of the monthly brunch, Yeji’s eyes widen. “Does that mean Jisung has to be at our monthly brunch?!” 

“Oh, ew!” Hyunjin adds in disgust. “I’ve had enough seeing you at campus already!” 

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!” Jisung exclaims back in complain. “I doubt I’d get invited to that, we’re supposed to be dating not getting married!” 

Jisung turns to you expectantly, sighing in relief when you say, “That seems unlikely, it’s my mom and Mrs. Hwang’s thing, anyway. It’s not the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner brunch.” 

“It better be!” Hyunjin says with crossed arms. “Hopefully our moms don’t get that kind of idea.”

You quietly agree. Having Jisung on your monthly brunch with the Hwangs would just cause so much trouble and cement him in your mom’s good graces—but as your boyfriend, this time.

That’s probably not good. 

The party officially ends some time around 3 AM, when most of the parents with elementary school children have gone home hours earlier and, besides the Kims, it’s just your family, the Hwangs, the Hans, Chan, and Miyoung left at the front gates, bidding each other goodnight.  

“Thank you for having us again, Mrs. Kim.” You bid Seungmin’s family last since they’re the hosts, bowing politely to Seungmin’s parents before giving Seungmin a high-five. 

“See you after break.” Seungmin greets you after your high-five. “Have fun in Japan.” 

“And you enjoy your trip to New York.” You reply with an enthusiastic smile. “I do hope your mom reconsiders staying longer so you can spend the New Year there.” 

He nods with a sigh, “Yeah, I know. Still, I’ll try my best to convince her.” 

Your mom then approaches the two of you, bidding Seungmin and his parents goodnight before taking you away by the arm then turning you towards the direction of Jisung and his family. “Goodnight, Seungmin, Mr. and Mrs. Kim!” She smiles warmly to them before turning to you. “Y/N, aren’t you going to say goodnight to Jisung?” 

“I already did.” 

“Ah, but go to him anyway! Your dad still has to start the car.” 

You groan internally. After a whole night of drinking, singing, and gossiping with her friends, you’d think that she would’ve forgotten about earlier. 

Yet you oblige anyway, excusing yourself from your parents and approaching Jisung whose parents are busy having last-minute small talk with Chan and Miyoung, probably endorsing their chain of hotels as early as now for the wedding. 

“Hey, ugly.” You greet him casually as you approach, both your parents out of earshot so the old nickname naturally comes out. At this, Jisung immediately turns from scrolling through his phone to looking up at you with wide eyes. “My mom didn’t see us say goodnight a while ago so I’m here.” 

“Oh,” He muses, eyes flitting to your mom behind you once. When he sees her glancing expectantly, he turns to you and suggests, “Should we hug?” 

“Yeah, I guess.” You sigh, going straight into his extended arms. “‘Night.” 

“’Night, baby.” Jisung hums gently, too sleepy now to throw more witty comebacks besides the cheesy pet name that originally got you in trouble tonight. “See you after the break.” 

“No, see you on our moms’ next shopping spree.” You correct firmly, pulling away from his warmth before you could accidentally fall asleep on him. “Since we’re ‘dating’ now, you’re morally obligated to attend shopping bag duty now, too.” 

This makes Jisung sigh in defeat, “Fine, fair enough. See you on our moms’ next shopping spree, then.” He pauses for a moment then asks, “The day after New Year, right?”  

“Yeah.” You confirm with a nod when you catch him pouting, “You started this so don’t pout now.” 

“I know, I’m regretting it now.” He rolls his eyes with a scoff, only making you chuckle. “I suppose it’s different when we hang out as friends and when our moms think we’re dating.”

You continue laughing anyway until a thought crosses your mind and softens your gaze up at Jisung. “Anyway, thanks for saving me from another date—I almost forgot. The means is still annoying but I have to appreciate it somehow, right?” 

This time, it’s him chuckling, “Now you appreciate my efforts. See, I told you, something good comes up with this.” 

“Whatever.” You dismiss before you hear your mom calling for you as your dad pulls up in front of the Kim’s gates. “Okay, that’s me. Bye, ugly!” 

“Hm, bye!” With a final wave, Jisung then sees you off before joining his parents who he didn’t even realize have already gone to their car. 

Seating himself at the backseat of his mom’s car a moment later, Jisung accidentally glances over to his mom from the rear view mirror only to see her wiggling her eyebrows at him. 

“So,” Mrs. Han says. “you and Y/N.”

“Yeah?” Jisung response with a questioning tone. “Me and Y/N, what about it?” 

Mrs. Han only shrugs from the driver’s seat as she now drives away from the Kim’s house. “Nothing, you’re just both really cute.” She comments casually with a proud smile. “I like it. Though it is too bad we can’t invite them to dinner since they’re going to Japan for Christmas this year.” 

“How about next year?” Jisung’s dad suggests. “We can go on one of our hotels abroad.” 

“Ah, but—” Jisung stammers, only to be interrupted by his dad again.     

“Or, honey, when you and Mrs. Y/L/N go to the mall again.” Mr. Han quickly quips in to Mrs. Han before turning to their son in the back seat. “I expect you’d stop bailing on your mom when she goes to the mall now since Y/N’s always at these shopping trips.” 

At this, Jisung shakes his head, “I won’t. I’m ‘morally obligated’ now, apparently.”

“That’s good.” Mr. Han says, turning back to the road ahead and relaxing into the front passenger seat. “You better.”

Jisung sleepily props his elbow up by the window and sighs, letting his parents enjoy this new prospect of him seriously dating someone now. “Yup.” He ends the conversation, closing his eyes and getting a few minutes of sleep before arriving back home. 

Suddenly, this is probably not a good idea—lying to his already hyped parents. 

ch. 2 // ch. 3 // series masterlist

tag: @t-toodumbtocare​ @sandaigdigan-reads​ @pwarkhans​ @ruellelix @malai-barfi @mahalau​ @milkywayfelix @qweens-stuff​

[foolishlovebugbaby]

skz’s reaction to their s/o being a classical musician

requested by @wxnterlee​!! i hope you like it, sorry it took so long hkjdhfkhsg <33

bang chan

The first time he’s introduced to you is at a busking event at a christmas market

It’s the holiday season, so skz being skz they wanted to really feel that christmas spirit

But as they’re strolling, they reach this live band playing christmas tunes

And usually those mellow, low-key songs would play around this time of year but this band was anything but that

It was lively and every synonym for jolly

And as he scans the band, his eyes finally land on you

You’re playing the saxophone with so much energy and really feeling the music that his eyes are just so drawn to you

He can’t explain it, but he can’t take his eyes off of you

It doesn’t help that you’re extremely attractive either

His eyes never leave you through the entirety of the performance, and you definitely take notice

Mans is as subtle as a gun lmao

You make it a point to smile at him directly after the first set of performances because ure cheeky like that, and you immediately see him flush in the cold

So now he frequents the market and always makes sure to catch at least one performance of yours 

But then one day you approach him and chan internally yells because he’s in a hetero panic 

But then he chills out because you’re so warm and inviting and you both get to know each other slowly

Needless to say, the rest was history

As a boyfriend, chan is your number 1 hype man

And i mean Hype Man

He always makes it a point to watch your performances whenever he can

Esp whenever you have big recitals that get you all nervous, he’s always there no matter what to cheer you on and give you a pep talk and take you out for a celebration dinner afterwards

And he loves the way you light up when you play

The sheer passion in the way you perform and in everything you do in general makes him fall so deeply in love with you each time

He’s also a clown and never fails to try and attempt to play the saxophone whenever you have it with you

He fails miserably, but he’s cute and you love him more than anything else :’)

lee know

Knowing the crackhead he is, the only reason why he was able to meet you was because instead of booking a cinema ticket for frozen 2, he booked a musical titled Frozen II

The show had nothing to do with badass sisters and magical talking stones (it was some winter musical or sumn, minho wasn’t sure), and the moment he realised this, he was all pouty

But then he scanned over the orchestra and thought that for once his dumbass worked with him and not against him

Because there you sat, looking as ethereal as ever, playing the harp

He swore up and down you were a goddess

Like, hera or aphrodite’s reincarnate

The only magic he saw that night was you, and he was more than happy about that

He tried his hardest to meet you, to tell you what an amazing job you did, but alas, he couldn’t reach you because visitors weren’t allowed to go backstage

So he got all sulky and :(( as he exited the theatre

But by a miracle, as he was walking back to his car, he saw a certain someone struggling with bags and equipment of all sorts as they walked out of the back entrance, and minho’s heart skipped a beat when he realised it was you

Of course he rushes to help you bea=cause chivalry 

And he makes it a point to compliment you and make small talk as he helps you to your car

As fate would have it, the two of you become good acquaintances, then close friends, and even closer more-than-friends until you finally had the guts to just ask him to be your boyfriend and you don’t even take a breath before he says yes

Minho as a bf is minho as a bff but on lsd i swear to god

He already goes to majority of your performances, but when that boy is cuffed jesus christ he makes sure he’s in the front row for every damn performance no matter how small

You’re his harp-playing goddess who walked straight out of eden in his eyes, how could he not???

He’s also humorously afraid to go near your harp because he knows the moment he’s within arms length from it, something will go wrong

Being the weirdo he is he always finds a way of personifying your harp and whining about how you spend much more time with it than with him

And you’re like??? And he’s all like :((( 

So you just have to give him a cuddle and boop

Ugh what a cutie

changbin

Dark rapper meets classy cello player???? 

An aesthetic.

Because you both are polar opposites in the music world, the only reason you knew about him is because your mutual friend had dragged you to an underground rap battle (much to your dismay) as a way to “get you out of your shell”

As much as you thought you’d hate it, you really enjoyed yourself

Esp when you laid your eyes on Changbin

Just everything about his aura was so enthralling to you and you so desperately wanted to get to know him and asked your friend to introduce you, but to no avail :((

After that, you didn’t really see him again

But one fateful night, unbeknownst to you, your friend had dragged changbin all the way to your music studio because he was in desperate need of a recording booth as the ones in the company were all occupied 

When he entered, what he did not expect was to witness an absolute daydream right before his eyes

You sat inside the booth playing the cello, recording a snippet of a symphony you so desperately needed practice on, and hadn’t noticed them walked in, too concentrated on the music sheet in front of you

But oh god, to say changbin was impressed was an understatement

Dang he thought he produced good music, but the music that you made???? 

Absolutely magical.

When you ended the piece and looked up, you almost had a heart attack

Literally jumped out of your seat a lil bit because they both were just staring at you

But once you both introduced yourselves, it was like you both were two sides of the same coin

You both grow closer and realise that you really are opposites of each other

But in a good way??? like everything is so complimentary

So you shared your playlist of symphonies and he shared his playlist of lyrical masterpieces and these songs suddenly become the soundtrack to your love story 

Ugh he’s such an amazing boyfriend because he helps you with his recordings and vice versa

You’re both super critical of your own work so the pair of you make it a point to remind each other of how good you’re doing 

And just being with you opened up this whole new world of music for changbin 

He’s so grateful for it that he can’t describe it in words

He even asks you to record small pieces so that he can add them into his music

And you have a habit of turning skz’s and his own music into cello versions

Thank god opposites attract

hyunjin

Mister dancer over here loves going to dance workshops of different types

Hip-hop, contemporary- you name it

So when he signed up for a 2-week modern dance class, he definitely got more than he bargained for

He didn’t know what he was supposed to expect, but goddamnit he did not expect to have his limbs feel like they were falling apart

So after class, when everyone had left, he literally just laid on the floor all sweaty and tired wanting nothing more than to crash n sleep

But then !!

He heard a piano melody echo through the room, a mix of melancholic yet romantic notes floating through the air

And when he lifted his head up to look for the source of the sound, his eyes settled on your figure at the other end of the hall

As it turns out, you were the pianist for this specific studio and for all modern dance productions

You didn’t notice him at all- mostly because the lights were dimmed and mans was too busy dying on the floor to make his presence known

But dear lord did your music make him feel some typa way

He just wanted to dance to it, express himself through it

So once you finished, he just clapped from where he was on the floor without getting up

Think lazy seal on its back

Nevermind the fact that he literally almost made you scream

But you both introduced yourselves properly to one another, and let’s just say that hyunjin started to look forward to his bone-breaking classes a lot more than he would’ve thought

At first it was purely because he thought u were cute and he had a middle school crush on you

But then as the days progressed, he found himself more and more drawn to you and the way you played the piano

Always so concentrated and the expression on your face mimicked the piece you were playing

And agghfhf he loved being able to dance to your melodies

So when his lil 2-week excursion was over, he was all :(((((((((((((x10009283 because he knew he wouldn’t be able to see you as often

So he mustered up all his strength to ask you out on a proper date

Now, when you both become official, dear lord is this man always going to ask you to play something for him

Literally the ABC’s would suffice 

He’s just so smitten with you and your love for the piano that he always wants to see you play because it lights up your entire face

And when you compose pieces just for him to dance to, his heart m e l t s

He also always begs you to teach him, but he’s such a flirt that not much teaching goes on lol

It makes me feel loopy imagining hyunjin dance to the melody his s/o plays like do u feel me ohmygod idk what to do w myself

han

Han’s first encounter with you was purely accidental

Like a literal accident

As in, he was just walking down the sidewalk not really paying attention when he ran into you

You, a clumsy violinist who had just exited your apartment complex in a rush to get to your lesson that you were already late for, suddenly found yourself knocked over and on the sidewalk in a daze

Jisung was h o r r i f i e d

He rushed to your aid, helping your disoriented self stand up but

Your fall was the least of your worries

Because there, strewn across the sidewalk, was your life your love your baby

Your violin

You rushed to it and inspected it for any dents and scratches and phew

Thank god your hard case protected it for the most part, save for minor dents and scratches

So you let out a breath and finally face the culprit of your heart palpitations

And suddenly you’re given a different set of heart palpitations because big, round eyes of an extremely, unfairly handsome man looks at you with concern and guilt and you suddenly forget how you ended up there in the first place

Lots of apologies from han’s side and he offers to buy you a drink 

But you’re in a rush so you tell him nah

But he’s like pls pls and so you’re like but i have to go and he’s like i’ll wait for u and you’re like O-O o-ok,,,

So he sits awkwardly outside your practice studio, but the moment he hears and sees you play through the glass window, he feels the wind knocked out from his chest

So now he just makes it a point to get to know you by asking you out more and more 

Like changbin, when you both become a thing, your relationship revolves so much around your mutual love of music 

And he lovesss getting to help you improve and vice versa

And on your one year anniversary he bought you a replacement violin to make up for the one he scratched up during your first meeting and you’re just like :’)))) i would’ve destroyed my violin a thousand times if it meant getting to meet you :’)))))

felix

Like minho, it’s Felix’s sheer crackheadness that allows fate to cause the two of you to meet

Like one day he decides on a whim that he wants to learn the viola so he books classes on the first learning centre he sees on the internet

But when he got to the class,,,,

As it turns out, the one that he booked was for beginner kids, not beginner adults

Cue tiny heads plus yours snapping to the door and staring at a blushing felix

Not only did he just embarrass himself in general, but the moment he saw how attractive you were he just wanted the world to swallow him whole

But he paid a good amount of money for it so he sucks in his cheeks and decides to stay for the class

He’s so awkward when he comes into the room ksdfjs you find it so cute because even though he’s like more than twice the height of the kids, his face and expression are just as small

You introduce yourself and vice versa, and you begin teaching everyone the basics

Immediately felix has a crush on you

And he wonders whether there’s a big age gap because uhm you’re a teacher and he’s a student

But turns out you do this as a side job and are a performing arts school student with the same age as him and he’s just like :DDD 

So now he always makes sure to come to class on time

Actually, even earlier than on time because he wants to get some alone time with you before the rest of the class cockblocks intervenes

And slowly you both develop a strong bond

Even though he’s a crackhead and it’ll take you 2757264597 years to explain to him the difference between a viola and a violin, you don’t mind because at least with him being your boyfriend, you can give him a kiss to shut him up abt it :)

Even after his viola classes ended and you both became official, he still had a lot of interest in learning that instrument so you always teach him

And he offers to pay for lessons but you always reject it because duh hello you’re my bf shutup just give me a kiss and buy me ice cream instead??

And he teaches you a thing or two about dance, even though you look like those blow-up mascots in front of car dealerships whenever you do

He thanks the universe that he’s goofy and a crackhead, because at least he now has you :))

seungmin

So on a trip to a jazz house is when seungmin first met you

Yes, a jazz house

Don’t ask why but skz just wanted to go okay let them be

They watched multiple groups perform and were having the time of their lives

But something about you just caught seungmin’s eye

You were apart of the last group coming to perform and you played the double bass

He thought you looked so goddamn cool and slick whenever you played 

And he found it adorable the way the instrument was almost the exact same size as yourself

Like chan, he’s about as subtle as a gun with the way he looks at you

And he’s so enthusiastic during the performance, always hooting and clapping after each song 

And you take notice and find him so absolutely adobable because who wouldn’t

And after the performance he even yells encore so loudly and the rest of skz just laughs at his antics

But mans is so shy to approach you afterwards

He can barely move towards you 

It takes a jeongin a hyunjin and a whole ass changbin to mentally and physically push seungmin to say hi to you

And after a whole 10 minutes of convincing, he finally does

And you both talk and talk and talk that he doesn’t realize all the boiz left him

Traitors

So the two of you make plans to meet up another day

Another day becomes two

Then three

Then ten

And soon enough (after much pushing again from the entire skz) he asks you to be his officially

He always tries to show up to any and all of your gigs, big or small

And he’s sooooo boastful about it it’s so cute like he’ll have videos saved on his phone of you playing and send them to anyone and everyone

His parents, the skz gc

Almost sent it to jyp himself too lmao

You’re just so cool to him that he wants the rest of the world to know it as well

But, like minho, he won’t go near your instrument

He’s so intimidated by it it’s hilarious

So he sticks to watching it from afar and hfkjhkgjfh

Big smooch 

i.n

During a music event is when jeongin first laid eyes on you

But not because he saw you perform

Your performance group shared the same backstage lounge as skz and everyone was just getting to know each other

And you and jeongin really clicked well because you both were the youngest and the same age 

He had absolutely no clue who u were tho and he didn’t want to be rude so he didn’t ask what kpop group u were from

But as it turns out you weren’t apart of a kpop group at all

You were apart of an orchestra doing a special stage and you played the flute and jeongin was just like O_O when he found out 

You played the flute and damn did u play it well

Jeongin just stood in front of the screen astounded and seungmin did not and will not stop clowning him for it

After it ended, jeongin was quick to congratulate and compliment you 

And he rambles about how it was so unexpected and you blush so much because he’s so cute

And so you both exchange numbers and frequently text from then on, becoming really good friends

And then slowly developing feelings for each other

Cue cute highschool confession tingz

Jeongin as a bf is super adorable

He’s always asking you to send voice notes of you playing the flute

But not just to any song

He’ll request crackhead ones like the wii music, some trot song, into the unknown

And you’re just like????? Okay, my quirky king

And in return you force him to send voice notes of him singing more trot songs

He attempts to play your flute

But he always messes up but he’s so adorable that you tell him he’s doing great just so that he keeps playing cutely

:’))))))))))

choosing to do ot8 now,,, it’s difficult to imagine skz as ot9 in my head then be brought back to reality of ot8.. please understand :( but i will take separate woojin requests

[sparklydreamies]

Best Shot ~Ch 3

Group: Stray Kids

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 7900+

Summary: Han Jisung, certified quiet boy, has never really understood the hype about love and romance. That is until he has to step out of his comfort zone and onto the basketball court to impress that one person he can’t stop thinking about.

Main themes: highschool!AU, basketball!AU, internalized homophobia, friends-to-lovers

a/n: So much for this fic just being skz, I’m now making it skz featuring the whole JYP family lmao,, I’m so happy about this chapter, the story is finally kicking off ;) Y’all can expect a lot of internalized homophobia because who doesn’t experience that... anyways, thank you guys for taking the time to read this, I’m sorry it took so long, but I am very proud of this chapter!! :))

MASTERLIST

CHAPTER 3

Jisung often found it a little bit difficult to fall asleep, but for some reason, it was getting harder and harder. Countless nights that he should have spent in deep sleep were spent scrolling through Twitter and Youtube, simply because it was so hard for Jisung to find a way to shut his brain off. He didn’t know why he found his brain racing during the nighttime. He tried giving up the coffee that he normally drinks in the morning, but all that did was make him doze off during class. 

Not being able to fall asleep every single night causes a certain type of hopeless frustration in someone. Jisung felt himself getting more and more irritated with every passing day of not sleeping nearly enough for a teenage boy. 

Jisung had dozed off during his classes multiple times within the week that he couldn’t fall asleep. He often would find his eyelids getting heavier during important lectures and lessons. He couldn’t help it. 

Jisung’s class was given biology work to complete on their own one day, however Jisung found himself blacking out for seconds at a time. He kept telling himself in his head to wake up, slap yourself, open your eyes, do your work, but it was to no avail. He just kept drifting, and drifting, and drifting...

“Jisung?” Jisung snapped his head upright to the sound of his teacher, Mr. Kim’s voice. “Is everything alright?”

Jisung rubbed his eyes a little bit before straightening himself up in his chair. “Yeah, of course it is,” he said, picking up his pencil, “why?”

“Well,” Mr Kim started, “I’ve been noticing that you’ve been sort of... distant these past few days, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” 

Jisung nodded his head, “yeah I’m okay, I’ve just been having a bit of trouble sleeping is all,” 

Mr. Kim nodded his head. Jisung figured he understood that since he teaches all sorts of students in higher grades and levels. Jisung thought that almost none of them have good sleeping schedules. 

“Jisung, why don’t you take the rest of the class period to just lay down in the nurse’s office?” Mr. Kim suggested, and judging by the fact that the man was completely blurry to him, Jisung figured it was a half decent idea. That was one of the things Jisung loved about Mr. Kim. One could tell that he really cared about the students that sat in his classroom. Not like most teachers that would just scold Jisung for not sleeping when he should.

So, that is how he ended up on his way down to the school nurse’s office, dragging himself down the slightly dingy and empty hallways of his school. 

The nurse, Mrs. Lee was a nice lady. Jisung had only seen her once before, and that was when he fainted after doing suicides in gym class during his freshman year. 

Mrs. Lee was kind enough to let Jisung rest for a minute on the cot that was in the side room of her office. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, but since Jisung was practically turning into a nocturnal animal, he found it was like sleeping on a cloud. 

Jisung dozed off to the sound of Mrs. Lee scratching something down on her notepad and making quiet phone calls. 

He was woken up about half an hour later by the bell, indicating that it was lunch hour. He had half a mind to stay there and sleep some more since he was so comfortable, but he knew that Felix and Seungmin would be waiting for him. So, with heavy limbs, Jisung rose from the bed, thanked Mrs. Kim, and made his way into the crowded hallways towards his locker. 

“Jisung!” Jisung heard his name being shouted from behind him, and when he turned around, he was greeted with the bright, smiling face of Hwang Hyunjin. Jisung waited for Hyunjin to catch up to him before he continued walking to his locker. “Hey, what’s going on?” 

Jisung shrugged and chuckled a bit at him. “Nothing really, how about you?” 

“Same,” Hyunjin said. The two boys turned down the hallway where Jisung’s locker was. “You look rough today,” he said.

Jisung scoffed at him, “I look rough everyday,” he countered, giving a small giggle.

Hyunjin shoved Jisung a little bit, “you’re not supposed to agree with me,” they arrived at Jisung’s locker, and he began typing in the code to unlock it.

“Hyunjin, you look rough everyday, I just wanted to fit in with you,” Jisung mocked.

“That’s better,” the boys laughed at each other’s childish ways. Jisung thought about how it seemed like they never even had a falling out. “By the way Jisung,” Hyunjin continued, “my mom was really happy when I told her we started talking again,”

Jisung cooed at him, “you talk about me to your mom? That’s so cute,” he teased. 

“Hey, just be glad I didn’t tell her why we started talking again,” he warned. Jisung put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. Jisung really didn’t want the other boy’s mother to know that he had to get driven home from a party, blackout drunk. “Anyways, I wanted to talk to you because she wanted me to invite you guys over for dinner tonight. Are you free?” Hyunjin asked. 

“I mean my dad’s working, but yeah I think we’re free,” Jisung answered. Hyunjin gave him a smile. Jisung had missed Hyunjin’s smile. 

“Great!” he said, clapping his hands together, “I’ll see you guys at eight?” Jisung nodded his head. 

Just then, Jisung heard somebody calling Hyunjin’s name. Jisung looked over to see it was Bang Chan and Seo Changbin. They were both wearing the same red varsity jackets that Hyunjin was also wearing. 

“Hyunjin, you coming?” they called, and Hyunjin yelled a yes back to them. 

“Do you want to come get some lunch with us?” Hyunjin offered, pointing over to where his friends were standing. 

Jisung shook his head, “nah, Felix and Seungmin are probably wondering where I am,” Hyunjin nodded in understanding, “thanks though, maybe another time,” 

“Sure,” Hyunjin agreed, walking backwards towards his friends, “see you tonight!” 

Jisung gave him a little wave of his own. Not only were Felix and Seungmin waiting for him, but Jisung also was hesitant to go because he felt very awkward around most of the basketball team. To him, it was like social class distance. Of course he didn’t feel weird with Hyunjin or Minho now, but the thought of being an outcast in a social situation with boys like Chan, Changbin, Jeongin or any of the other members of the team made him feel nauseous. 

Jisung made his way to the table in the cafeteria where he, Felix and Seungmin always sat. He could see from a distance that the two boys were already there, and obviously in deep conversation. 

When Jisung got into earshot, he heard Seungmin say “Bullshit, Felix,”

“Dude no, I’m being serious!” Felix argued, leaning so far over the table that his chest was close to touching the questionably clean surface. 

“What’s happening?” Jisung asked as he sat down next to Seungmin. 

“Felix apparently got a date with Kim Dahyun,” Seungmin said, shrugging. “I’m calling bullshit,”

“It’s not bullshit!” Felix groaned, “okay so Jisung, picture this,” Felix started, “we’re in first period, right? History. Teacher pairs kids up for a critical thinking activity, and who am I paired with? Oh yeah, Kim Dahyun,” Felix said, emphasizing her name and staring intensely at Seungmin who is trying hard to keep a straight face. 

“So we’re working hard, right? And close to the end of class I tell her that I know this really nice ice cream parlor that’s run by my cousin, and I ask her if she wanted to go with me sometime, and she actually fucking says yes,” he finishes, hitting Seungmin in the side of the arm.

“Felix, Dahyun is a pretty, smart, funny girl, why the hell would she want to go out with you?” Seungmin argued, breaking into a smile closer to the end of the sentence. 

“Because I’m fucking whimsical, that’s why.” Felix answered. 

“If there’s anything I know, it’s that Felix is whimsical as hell,” Jisung agreed. Felix slammed his hand down on the table. 

“See?” he asked Seungmin. 

“Alright fine,” Seungmin gave up, “I guess I just don’t like the fact that Felix got an actual human girl to go out with him before I did, and he didn’t even have to use force,” Jisung laughed at him. Seungmin let out a yelp, “Felix stop goddamn kicking me!” he groaned, lowering himself to rub at his shin. 

“Anyways, Dahyun also told me something very interesting,” Felix said, wiggling his eyebrows at Jisung. 

Jisung waited a beat of awkward eyebrow dancing before asking “what is it, Felix?”

“She told me that her friend, Im Nayeon, got a little bit friendly with one of my good friends, Han Jisung,” he teased. Jisung felt himself blush at the comment. “Oh my god, you’re all red! How come you didn’t tell us?” Felix whined.

Seungmin turned himself a full ninety degrees and faced Jisung. “What the hell, you made out with Im Nayeon? I had a class with her last year!” he said, hitting Jisung in the chest. 

Jisung felt flustered at all of the commotion about this. He never even thought about telling them he kissed Nayeon, he was more focused on the whole situation with Minho and Hyunjin. 

“I didn’t know it was that big of a deal,” Jisung said, trying to shield himself away from Seungmin’s fists. 

“Not that big of a deal?” Felix accused. 

Jisung found it so confusing that Felix and Seungmin were this worked up about it. Jisung hadn’t even thought about the kiss since it happened. Maybe he was just too distracted to let it sink in that he made out with a girl. 

“I’m so disappointed in you,” Seungmin laughed at him. Jisung rolled his eyes. 

The bell to end lunch rang throughout the school, and the boys began to pack their things up. 

“We are not done talking about this,” Felix warned, wagging a small finger at Jisung. 

Jisung sighed. He knew they weren’t.

----

That night, Jisung told his family about what happened with Hyunjin and how they were invited for dinner. Jisung’s mom was very happy that Jisung made up with Hyunjin. She said she was happy that he was being more social, but Jisung knew she was just happy to have a charming and handsome boy like Hyunjin back in her life to fawn over. 

Chaeryeong on the other hand stared at Jisung dumbfounded for a second before racing up the stairs to get herself ready. 

“You know that it’s just casual, right?” Jisung yelled after her. 

She answered back a quick “doesn’t matter!” before closing her door on him. 

Jisung decided to shower and get changed before going over to Hyunjin’s place. He wanted to make a good impression on Hyunjin’s family again, since they haven’t really had a conversation together since Jisung and Hyunjin were freshmen. 

When 8:00 came, Jisung called out to his family members that it was time to leave. The walk over to Hyunjin’s house was filled with Jisung’s mom talking about how nice it would be to see Hyunjin again, and how she’d seen him around the town and he looked even more handsome than she remembered. Chaeryeong was agreeing with everything his mother said, especially with the part about Hyunjin being handsome. 

Hyunjin’s parents were just as welcoming as Jisung remembered them to be. Jisung had always thought of the Hwangs as his second family, and once he arrived, he felt the same level of comfort that he had always experienced when he was a kid. 

Before dinner, Hyunjin led Jisung and Chaeryeong into the living room while their parents talked and drank wine in the kitchen. Much like with Hyunjin’s car, Jisung could easily tell the Hwang family’s wealth from the way they decorate their house. The living room was spacious, with a large TV and a very modern design. Jisung enjoyed being over at the Hwangs. 

“So Chaeryeong, how’s your first year of high school?” Hyunjin asked once they got settled, and Chaeryeong gave him a massive smile. 

“Oh, it’s great,” she said, “I’m really happy that you two made up, I missed coming over here,” Chaeryeong said, and Hyunjin rubbed his neck awkwardly, looking at Jisung.

“Actually Chaeryeong, it’s not that we had a fight or anything, we technically didn’t make up...” Hyunjin trailed off, looking to Jisung for help explaining the situation. 

“Yeah, it was more like we just sort of drifted apart,” Jisung supplied. Chaeryeong nodded her head in understanding. 

“Do you guys want to go outside?” Hyunjin offered, changing the subject, “it’s boring in here,” 

Jisung and Chaeryeong agreed to going outside. The house was stuffy and warm, and it was such a nice night out anyways. 

When they got out into the backyard, Chaeryeong ran over to where she saw Hyunjin’s basketball and basketball hoop. She excitedly picked up the ball. “Hyunjin, you’re so good at basketball,” she complimented. Jisung rolled his eyes at her. “Can you teach me to shoot?” she asked, and Hyunjin smiled and agreed. 

She threw him the ball and he dribbled it on the cement of his backyard three times before raising it, bending his knees and shooting the ball straight into the hoop. Chaeryeong clapped for him. 

“You see, it’s all about balance and aim,” he said, chasing after the ball to show Chaeryeong. “Try this,” he said, and gave her the ball. He explained to her how she should stand, and how she should hold the ball. 

Jisung thought it looked like a scene out of a drama. If he was right, this would be the moment they would lock eyes and fall in love. However, in real life, the boy would let go of her hands and let her try and shoot, which Hyunjin did.

Chaeryeong released the ball, and it flew through the air, hitting the backboard of the net. It bounced back down to the ground and over to where Hyunjin was standing.

“That was really good!” He praised, “you have good aim, you just need to work on your form. There’s a certain technique that you learn over time that helps the ball get into the net instead of just hitting the backboard”.

Chaeryoung agreed with him, and tried again, this time hitting the rim of the net. She was closer this time, but still unsuccessful. 

“Jisung, why don’t you try?” Hyunjin offered, passing the ball to Jisung. 

Jisung took the ball, but was sort of hesitant to try. Jisung was not necessarily a sporty kid, and he knew he would look stupid if he didn’t even hit the backboard. 

“Come on, try it,” Hyunjin coaxed, and Jisung finally agreed to try. “You heard what I told Chaeryeong, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jisung answered, and Hyunjin told him how to stand properly. 

“Now for your hands,” Hyunjin moved Jisung’s hands so that one was supporting behind and one was supporting the side of the ball. “Perfect, that looks really good, Jisung” 

Hyunjin backed away from Jisung enough to give the boy room to shoot the ball. Jisung concentrated on watching the net, bent his knees, and jumped while releasing the ball like he saw Hyunjin do earlier. 

The ball floated through the air, hit the side of the rim, and bounced into the net. 

“You got it!” Hyunjin praised, patting Jisung in the back with the stupidest grin on his face. Jisung was also smiling. He may not be good at sports usually, but it was nice to feel like he was sometimes. 

“How the hell did Jisung do better than me?” Chaeryeong teased, jogging to go grab the ball from where it fell. 

“Hey you shoot like that, you might as well join the team,” Hyunjin joked, shaking Jisung’s shoulders. 

“Kids, dinner’s on the table!” Jisung heard Hyunjin’s mother yell from the window. Hyunjin yelled back a confirmation, and they began to head inside.

“You know Jisung,” Hyunjin started, “I’m not actually joking about you joining the team,”

Jisung choked on air. “You think that I could join the basketball team?” Jisung laughed at him. “Did you hit your head?”.

How on earth could Jisung play basketball? That shot was obviously beginners luck, he had no actual skill, he barely knew how to play the game.

“I’m serious! Dowoon is out for the rest of the season because he broke his leg, so there’s an open spot,” Hyunjin explained.

“Jesus, a guy from your team is out because he’s injured, and you think that would make me want to join?” Jisung said, disbelievingly. 

“It was an unrelated injury,” Jisung rolled his eyes, “I’m not kidding, it’s too late to have tryouts, and we need numbers to win the championship this year,” 

“Hyunjin, you realize I don’t know anything about basketball?” Jisung leaned against the side of the house and crossed his arms over his chest. “Besides, why do you want me instead of somebody else at school that might actually know how to dribble a ball properly?”

Hyunjin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, you don’t have to, but I want to be able to spend more time with you now that we’re friends again,” he said, “I can help you- sort of train you if you want, and I already know Minho’s going to like having you on the team,”

Jisung thought about it. For some reason, Jisung wanted to be closer to Minho. He wanted to be Minho’s friend. He also agreed with Hyunjin; he wanted to do more things together. Basketball didn’t seem like that difficult of a sport, you just had to get the ball into the net, how hard could it be? 

“Plus,” Hyunjin continued after a beat, “you don’t even really have to play that much, we really just need another body on our bench,”

Jisung couldn’t believe he was considering playing basketball. He saw the way Hyunjin’s eyes lit up when he was talking about the two of them on the team together. Jisung could see that he was happy. 

“Oh damnit,” Jisung sighed at Hyunjin, “I’ll consider it,” 

“Really?” Hyunjin asked. Jisung saw that his eyes were sparkly and bright. Jisung thought it almost gave Hyunjin an innocent glow. The positivity radiating off of Hyunjin made Jisung smile. 

“Yeah,” he admitted, “Now let’s go eat, I’m hungry,”

----

That night was the first time in a week that Jisung was able to sleep for more than two hours. 

Jisung didn’t know what changed, or why he suddenly was able to shut his brain off, but he was thankful he could. He figured that with Hyunjin trying to get him to join the basketball team it would be harder to sleep, but if anything, that night was the deepest he’s slept in weeks. Maybe it was the fact that Jisung’s brain wanted to fuck him up all week, only to give him the proper rest that he needs on the Friday night, when he knows he won’t be doing anything important on the Saturday.

Jisung knew what Felix and Seungmin would say if he asked them. They would want him to join the team. Not for the thrill of playing basketball, but for the popularity and the girls. All of them knew that the boys on the basketball team could get whatever girl they wanted, but Jisung didn’t want that sort of power. 

He knew what Chaeryeong would say. She would want him to join the team so that she could be known as the girl who’s brother is on the varsity boys basketball team.

He also knew that his mother would be against it. She knows what those basketball boys do. She still vividly remembers her son coming home at three in the morning, blackout drunk. She wouldn’t want that type of lifestyle to determine her son’s future. 

Oddly enough, the fact that his mom would want him not to is what makes Jisung want to join the team the most.

And of course, he knew what joining the team would mean to Hyunjin. Quite frankly, Jisung was touched that Hyunjin would want to spend more time with him so much that he would take it upon himself to teach Jisung how to play an entire sport. Not only just to teach him, but to make him good enough that their team has a chance at winning the championship again, even if he only played a few times all season.

Jisung knew how much this championship meant to Minho, thanks to their conversation the week prior. Jisung smiled while he thought back to that day. He liked the feeling of talking to Minho. He was kind, and he was sweet, and Jisung could tell that he wasn’t the same person that people believed through their little stereotypes. 

It sounded really weird and strange to Jisung, but all he wanted to do was to get closer to Minho. 

Jisung knew that there was no harm in at least trying to fit in with the team. Right?

----

Jisung was torn. On one hand, he didn’t know a single thing about basketball, and he was so afraid to make a fool out of himself and the team if he joined. But on the other hand, he wanted the opportunity to spend more time with Hyunjin and Minho. It was a dilemma. 

The last thing Jisung wanted was to take his focus away from studying. Jisung had always lived by the idea that nothing was more important than school. He had wanted to do a lot of things over the years, but he had never really had the motivation to try. He didn’t want to go through his life without experiencing things, because he was deathly afraid of waking up in ten years to realize that his life had no value. Maybe basketball could help with that. 

Jisung had always been told that the friendships, experiences and memories that were essential to a teenage life could be created by putting yourself out there, taking risks, getting involved and trying new things, but he had never bothered. Maybe he was always just satisfied with his friendships with Felix and Seungmin that he didn’t feel the need to try new things. 

Jisung thought about why he was so hung up on it. Part of him wondered if it was because he was worried that he was missing out on the amazing teenage life that he had always expected growing up. Thinking about it, most of the cheesy high school movies he used to watch glorified the athletes and social butterflies, and called the people that don’t have a lot of friends and don’t belong to clubs the “social outcasts”. 

Minho was a social butterfly. He had girls lined up down the block for him. He never went a weekend without doing something fun. Even though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why, Jisung wanted to be his friend. He wanted to make Minho laugh. Minho was such a desirable friend. 

Jisung thought that Minho was mysterious. Like there were layers to him that nobody could understand. The image that Jisung got about Minho a few weeks ago was so different from the image he got after the party, and then again after they had that conversation after school. Jisung wanted to tear down those fake images he gets about Minho. He wanted Minho to trust him. 

Jisung snapped out of those thoughts. He still had a dilemma. Should he join the basketball team? 

Life is full of risks and opportunities that you sometimes just have to take. 

Jisung sent Hyunjin a text. 

Me: If the offer is still up, I think I’d like to join the team

Me: THAT IS, if you’ll be willing to coach me :))

----

Of course, Hyunjin was ecstatic that Jisung agreed to join the team. The boys agreed to meet up every Tuesday and Saturday, which staggered nicely with the team’s official practices. 

When Jisung told Felix and Seungmin during lunch on the following Monday, they were Hyunjin’s ecstatic times one thousand. 

“You joined the basketball team?” Felix shouted in the middle of the cafeteria, causing a number of heads to turn in confusion. Jisung hid his face in his hands. 

“Yes,” was his small response, “but I’m not really going to be playing that much, so don’t get too excited,” 

Felix scoffed at him. He was grinning from ear to ear, beaming with the new found possibilities of what having a friend on the basketball team could be. “I don’t care if you play one game all season, you are going to be on the basketball team!”

Seungmin pinched Jisung in the arm. “Maybe once you get that nice ass varsity jacket, you can properly ask out Nayeon,” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously at Jisung. 

The latter choked on his lunch, “why do you assume I want to ask out Nayeon?” he asked.

Felix gave Jisung a look that was basically asking if he was the dumbest person ever, “because you sucked her face and last time I checked, you don’t have a girlfriend,” 

“That’s because I don’t want a girlfriend,” Jisung countered.

“That’s because you can’t get a girlfriend,” Seungmin teased, laughing and giving Felix a high five. Jisung just rolled his eyes. 

If there’s anything Jisung knew, it was that he could get a date solely based off his looks. He has always been asked out and adored by girls at their school, but no matter how much they tried to get his attention, it wouldn’t make him want a girlfriend any more than he already does. 

“Speaking of girlfriends,” Felix said, “I have my date with Dahyun on Friday,” 

Seungmin laughed as he ate. “Don’t screw it up,” he warned. 

As Felix was cursing out Seungmin, Jisung thought about how happy it makes him that somebody is appreciating Felix. 

The bell rang some time after that, and the boys left to get to class. 

Jisung spent the entire rest of the day worrying about what was to come after school. Hyunjin told him that he should come by and join the team for their practice after school, where Minho will hopefully agree to let Jisung join the team. 

Jisung was terrified, to say the least. He didn’t have any time to learn the basics with Hyunjin, he only knew general rules from elementary school gym classes. Now he’s kicking himself for not taking those pointless classes seriously.

When the bell rang after last period, Jisung felt a spike of anxiety. Thankfully, he had his last period class with Hyunjin, which meant he didn’t have to make his way to the gym change rooms himself. 

“Are you ready?” Hyunjin asked, packing up the last of his notes and shoving them messily into his school bag. 

Jisung was anything but ready. “Yeah,” he answered, feigning confidence. Hyunjin gave him a wide smile, and led him out the door. 

“Nervous?” Hyunjin asked over the sound of the crowded halls. 

“A little bit,” Jisung answered. Jisung grabbed onto Hyunjin’s backpack, trying to stay close to him while they walked through the school’s main hallway. It didn’t help that the walls were lined with lockers, all with students opening and loitering by them. 

“Don’t be,” Hyunjin said, once they turned down the gym hallway. “Remember one thing,” he commented as they walked down the less populated hallway, “these boys won’t bite. They aren’t here to try and push you down, I’ve talked you up really nicely, and I think they are all looking forward to you joining the team,” 

Jisung smiled at him. One of his biggest fears was that these boys would think he was a joke. Hyunjin had a nice way of making him feel calmer. Safer.

“Plus, Minho’s the only one who can make the final decision about whether or not you join, and he’s very non-judgmental,” Hyunjin added on as they arrived at a heavy door marked Changing Room 3.

Hyunjin swung open the door without a second thought, and Jisung followed him in, feeling the wave of anxiety freeze his blood and sink his stomach. 

The wooden bench along the walls of the change room were littered with boys that Jisung had seen around school often. They were all talking while stripping off their school uniforms, and replacing them with the usual basketball uniform. Jisung was surprised to find that nobody even batted an eye at the sight of a strange, skinny, new kid invading their changing space. 

Hyunjin nonchalantly took a seat in the back corner, beckoning for Jisung to follow him. Jisung took the cue, and dodged around the backpacks left on the floor to get to Hyunjin. 

"So we just,” Jisung paused, glancing quickly around the room of teenage boys, “get dressed here? In front of everyone?” he asked quietly, trying to avoid the attention of the unfamiliar boys. 

Hyunjin gave him a chuckle. “Yeah, unless you want to change in the hallway,” he answered. 

The thought of getting changed in front of these boys made Jisung blush. He took Hyunjin’s lead, and slowly tried to wiggle all of his clothes off, so he could change into the set of workout clothes he brought from home. 

“So, what do you think we’ll have to do today?”  Jisung asked Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin took a second to pull his shirt off of his head before answering “Minho is the one who runs the practices. He knows that you are coming though, so I told him not to make it too complicated today,” 

Jisung sighed in relief as he finished getting dressed by tying his running shoes. “You know Hyunjin, I am not even interested in playing that much, I really just want to be... a benchwarmer,” Jisung said. 

Hyunjin gave a little bit of a laugh. “I told him to make it simple for today, but after you begin your training with coach Hwang, I told him you’ll be improving and ready to play in no time,” 

Jisung was shocked at the other boy. “You told him what? Hyunjin, I told you that I didn’t want to really play, I just want to be a spare,”

“And you won’t really play! At least not until you develop the skills,”

Jisung was about to argue back when suddenly, the door to the changeroom swung open, and Jisung saw Lee Minho calling the team into the gym. 

“We’ll talk later,” Hyunjin promised, standing up to leave with the rest of the boys. 

Jisung hurried to catch up with him, “I thought we agreed I won’t be playing a lot! Hyunjin don’t undermine me,” he warned, following a giggling Hyunjin through the double doors and into the gym. 

All of the other boys began doing various warm-ups, stretching their muscles, and setting up the stands of basketballs. Jisung felt very out of place with them, but that was nothing unexpected. He suddenly got the thought that he didn’t belong there. He didn’t even know how to warm himself up.

He turned towards Hyunjin for reassurance, who just smiled and led him to one side of the court, where Chan and Changbin were talking amongst themselves. 

“Hey guys,” Hyunjin called, walking over to the two other boys. Hyunjin looked like he was calm and collected, whereas Jisung felt like his whole body was on fire. 

“I see you brought Dowoon’s replacement with you,” Bang Chan said, nodding at Jisung and smiling. Jisung calmed down slightly and felt the tension inside him ease when he realized Chan was joking around with him. 

Jisung gave a small, awkward wave and mumbled a small greeting. 

The four of them began talking a little bit about Jisung, filling him in on what usually happens during these practices. From what Jisung gathers, practices usually consist of a cardio warm up, a few drills, some positioning plays practice, and then finally some muscle training and a cool down. It didn’t seem too hard, except for the fact that Jisung wasn’t good at cardio, he didn’t have the majority of the skills required for the drills, he didn’t understand basketball plays and he didn’t have very much muscle. 

Nevertheless, Jisung made a vow to himself that he would do his best and try hard this practice. People always talk about how you can do anything that you work hard for, so why can’t Jisung play basketball? 

Jisung was snapped out of the conversation by a sharp whistle. He turned his head to see Lee Minho standing in the middle of the face-off circle, calling for the team to gather around him. 

Jisung and Hyunjin made their way towards the center. It was then that Jisung made eye contact with Minho, who gave him an encouraging smile. Jisung smiled back. He was happy that Minho didn’t seem like a harsh and mean leader. 

“Okay guys,” Minho called, grabbing the attention of the team, “we all know the unfortunate incident that happened with Dowoon, and though we will miss him for the remainder of the season, it still must go on,” he started, and Jisung heard some of the boys begin to whoop when Minho said that. “That means we have an open spot on this team, and since we already held try-outs this year, Hyunjin took the opportunity to invite a friend to help us. Everybody, this is Han Jisung,” Minho said, gesturing towards Jisung. 

One or two of the boys whooped for Jisung after that, which made him a little bit shy. Hyunjin bumped Jisung lightly on the shoulder. Minho gave Jisung a welcoming smile, which made Jisung’s heart flutter, for some reason. 

Practice started with running laps as a warm up, and then they moved onto skill developmental drills. Jisung fumbled the ball a few times, made some off shots, but overall he was genuinely not that bad. 

Throughout practice, Jisung got small words of encouragement from Hyunjin and Minho, as well as thumbs up from other members of the team, particularly Youngjae. Choi Youngjae was widely known to be a very nice and sweet kid, so it didn’t surprise Jisung. 

“Hey Jisung,” Minho called to him once practice finished. The rest of the boys all made their way back to the change room. 

Jisung walked over to Minho, feeling extra gross and sweaty. His hair felt like it was plastered to his forehead, and even though his body temperature is boiling, the sweat on his body gives him chills. 

“Welcome to the team,” Minho said, smiling as he extended his hand out for Jisung to shake. Jisung was very happy, and excitedly took Minho’s hand and shook it. 

Jisung never even processed how much the idea of being on the team grew on him until he heard those words coming from his new captain's mouth. 

“Are you serious?” Jisung beamed. Minho gave him a pat on the shoulder as he gave him a confirming head nod. 

“But, you’ll still have to work hard if you want playing time this year,” Minho told him, leading Jisung towards the change rooms. 

“Of course,” Jisung agreed. 

“I think this is going to be a great season, Jisung,” Minho predicted, “I’m glad you took the jump and joined the team, I know Hyunjin said you were hesitant...” he trailed off.

Jisung noticed the way that Minho’s eyes gleamed, and the sweat made his skin sparkle. It wasn’t the first time that Jisung marveled at the boy’s handsomeness, but it feels like it. Jisung could never get over how smooth and pretty Minho’s skin was, or how it looked like Minho’s dark eyes reflected the rich warmth of the sun. Jisung thought he felt warm. 

It was then that it hit Jisung. His mind was flicking from one thought to the next, and before he knew it, he was thinking about how soft Minho’s lips looked. 

He snapped out of that thought, and saw Minho give a confused look. Jisung must have jumped a little bit at the shocking thoughts about his friend. 

“Jisung, are you okay?” Minho asked, placing a comforting hand on Jisung’s bare arm. Jisung felt his skin burn where Minho touched it, and his arm muscles tensed up. 

“Yeah,” he assured as they got to the change room door, “just the chills,” he excused, pushing open the heavy door and making his way to where Hyunjin was. 

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows in expectation, and Jisung realized he was asking what Minho said. Jisung smiled at him and nodded his head. 

“Yes!” Hyunjin celebrated. Jisung really appreciated how happy Hyunjin was that they will be playing basketball together. 

Jisung tried to engage himself in conversation with Hyunjin about everybody's positions and the team’s plays they used in the games, but Jisung was still hung up on the thought of Minho. 

----

That night, Jisung had a tough time shutting his brain off. All he could think about was why he reacted so harshly when he thought about Minho’s lips. It was nothing that out of the ordinary, he was just thinking about Minho’s face. He thought about Minho’s eyes, his nose, his skin, his hair, his laugh, everything, but for some reason, he felt guilty while thinking about his lips. 

Jisung figured that thinking about another guy’s lips seemed wrong. It just seemed weird. Usually, when a guy thinks about lips, they usually think about wanting to kiss those lips. And, those lips usually belong to a girl. 

Jisung tested out a theory. He thought about Nayeon, the girl he kissed at the party. He remembered her starry eyes, smooth and pale skin, and her lips that were soft and pink, pressed against his. He remembered how it felt, and what she tasted like, and even the pressure of her body flush against his in the dark hallway, but he still felt nothing. He might as well have been thinking about his school work. 

Then, Jisung cautiously thought about Minho’s lips. He thought the same thing that he thought earlier that day. They are some of the softest and prettiest lips Jisung has seen on any boy. Immediately, he felt his cheeks heat up in a blush. He felt dizzy as he thought about Minho. He imagined how smooth his skin must be. He imagined touching it. Suddenly, without his permission, Jisung’s mind trailed to what Minho’s lips would feel like when he kissed him, and he shot up in bed. 

He didn’t know what type of emotion he was feeling, but it felt like adrenaline, guilt, excitement, and fear all wrapped up in one. He was panting hard, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, Jisung understood what people meant in all of those love songs and romance movies he used to watch. He feels a spark; he feels dizzy; he feels drunk. 

And it is terrifying.

Jisung snapped back to reality. He was having thoughts about kissing another boy. Not a girl, but a boy. Was he gay? He couldn’t be gay. He didn’t know why, but he just knew that he wasn’t gay. 

Jisung was confused and scared at this revelation. How could he face Minho again? Minho had been so kind and welcoming to him, and Jisung repays him by imagining gross scenarios filled with subconscious, perverted thoughts. 

There has to be someone he can go to for help. Someone that can help him figure out his feelings, because he can’t deal with them on his own. Jisung could never talk to Felix or Seungmin because he was too worried that they’d think he was weird, or gross, or something like that. Obviously he couldn’t tell Minho or Hyunjin. Chaeryeong would end his entire life if she found out her brother was having homosexual thoughts. His mother would disown him if he was anything other than straight. 

Then it hit him. Myoui Mina was a girl in his grade, and she was openly bisexual. Jisung had never really thought to talk to her or try and get close to her, not because he didn’t think that it was okay for her to like girls, but just because he was never really interested in making more friends. 

Jisung had a few classes with her over the years, and from what he could tell, she was a very kind person. Jisung also knows that after she came out freshman year, she suffered all kinds of bullying. Jisung had heard about the horror stories about her locker getting the D slur written on it in permanent marker, and the rumors that she hooked up with a thirteen year old girl. Of course Jisung never believed it, but people can be outright vicious when they want to be. 

Jisung assumed that if anyone would be trustworthy and possibly helpful to him, it would be Myoui Mina. 

So, he made up his mind to talk to her the next day, and ask her for advice. What did he have to lose?

----

When the bell rang for lunch, Jisung immediately doubted his plan to ask Mina for advice. He felt himself begin to shake as he saw her across the hall from where he was, talking to a girl he doesn’t know. 

Jisung thought about the night before, how gross it felt having those thoughts about Minho, which gave him the confidence he needed to catch up to Mina. 

When Jisung got to where she was walking, she bid her friend goodbye as she stopped and opened a locker, Jisung figures it probably belongs to her. Mina’s friend kept walking down the hall, which Jisung was thankful for. 

Now or never. 

“Uhm.. Hi Mina,” he greeted, leaning against the locker beside her in an attempt to look less awkward and panicked. 

She was a little bit startled from the sudden guy beside her, but her gaze softened when she saw it was Jisung. 

“Han Jisung? What’s going on?” she asked, grabbing her bag out of her locker and leaving her school books inside.

Jisung took a breath. He was scared to tell anybody about his situation, which he thought would be understandable. He doesn’t think that coming to terms with something like this would be easy for anybody. 

“Uhm..” he starts. Suddenly, he begins to shake slightly again, finding it hard to breathe.

“Are you okay?” She asks, closing her locker and giving him a concerned look. 

“Can we talk... in private?” he asked, and she gave him a confused nod. The two of them began to walk in silence, Mina leading him outside to the bleachers on the side of the running track. Nobody ever sat there, so Jisung saw that it was a perfect spot for this conversation. 

“Not gonna lie, you’re kind of freaking me out,” Mina says, sitting down on the metal bench. Jisung joins her and stares intently at the track in front of them. He likes sitting here because he didn’t have to look at her in the eyes while he told her his biggest secret. “I know we don’t really know each other, but something’s obviously wrong,” she said. 

“Mina...” he started. The air outside was cool, which was hardly unusual for early-mid October. There was a breeze that supplied Jisung with more oxygen. He took a deep inhale of the refreshing air, and bit his lip. “When did you realize... you liked girls?” he asked in a small voice. 

Mina smiled in understanding. Jisung sat in the question for a second, waiting for her to answer. He began to feel anxious, worried that she thought he was weird for asking. He was about to backtrack and find a way to leave when-

“I was thirteen, and I watched Harry Potter,” she answered. Jisung felt a massive weight lift off of his shoulders as he listened to her response. “It was Hermione, really. I don’t know why, but I had such a big crush on her. I didn’t even realize that it was a romantic thing until I was fourteen,” she let out a small, airy laugh. “everyone has their crushes...” 

Jisung smiled and nodded. 

“I assume that’s not the only think you wanted to talk to be about though, is it?” she said, resting her arm on his shoulder, “it’s okay, I won’t judge you,” 

Jisung almost felt himself tear up. He didn’t realize it would be this hard to come to terms with himself, but here he was. “I...” he started, and then stopped. 

“Jisung, do you think you might be interested in boys?” she asked cautiously, moving her hand to his back and rubbing consoling circles over the uniform. 

Jisung couldn’t find it in him to give her a verbal answer, so he just nodded his head. Mina gave him a smile, which he didn’t see since he was so focused on the track. 

“What makes you think that?” she asked, using a calming voice. Jisung felt safe with her. He almost felt like she was giving him motherly love, and it was intoxicating. 

He took a deep breath, and willed himself to explain it. “So...” he began, “I have this friend, I’m not going to say his name, and... I don’t know, I really wanted to be his friend, and he’s always so nice to me,” he mustered up the courage to look Mina in her eyes. He saw the genuine look she had on her face, and it made him feel less scared. “Anyways, I had.. a weird thought about him yesterday,” 

“What kind of a weird thought?” she asked. Jisung felt a whole new wave of nervousness engulf him when he realized he was about to tell her that he thought about kissing another boy, and he liked the idea. 

“It was..” he trailed off, but brought himself back, “His lips.. and I wanted to kiss them,” he finished. He hung his head in shame, hoping to hide his embarrassed cheeks from her. He felt his heart pound throughout his whole body, sounding like thunder in his ears. 

“I see,” Mina whispered. Jisung waited for her response, but there was none. 

“I just.. I don’t know, am I gay?” he asked her, turning to fully face her finally. 

Mina gave him an apologetic smile. “I can’t answer that for you, Jisung,” she moved both of her hands to grab both of his, “but I can tell you that whatever you are, it’s okay,” she confirmed, “liking boys is not a bad thing, okay?” she told him. 

Jisung felt his emotions get stronger again. He realized that what he really wanted was validation. He craved somebody to tell him his feelings for Minho weren’t disgusting. He needed that to help him become at peace with it. And he got it, in the form of Myoui Mina. 

The two of them exchanged numbers so that they could talk, and Jisung could keep her updated on what happens with him. 

When Jisung was walking back to his locker, he saw Minho, Jeongin and Sungjin all walking down the hall. As much as Jisung tried not to focus on the boy in the middle, his gaze automatically landed on Minho. 

He was wearing the red varsity jacket, his hair was slightly messy, but it looked attractive on him. Jisung met his eyes, and Minho gave him a wink and a smile as he walked. Jisung felt himself freeze in place when he noticed Minho’s lips curled into the most radiant smile Jisung had ever had the privilage of seeing. He felt his breath catch in his throat as Minho turned back to the other two boys, walking right past Jisung. 

He has absolutely no idea the damage he is doing. 

[jd-loves-everyone]

Who are these 9 boys?

Kim Woojin: The 3rd year, chicken enthusiast with an angelic voice and an adorable smile.We met when we got paired up for a school trip. I was so nervous about being next to a 3rd year (that I didn’t know) that I barely looked at him for at least the first 30 minutes of the trip. His age plus his broad shoulders and tall stature, only served to intimidate me more. Oh, how wrong I was to think he’d be any bit intimidating.

In truth, his body type only added to his personality in a way that made him resemble a giant, cuddly, teddy bear.

He was gentle and polite as he tried to get me to come out of my tightly sealed shell, with lame jokes and the cutest laugh.

We even shared my earphones, which was how I found out about his utterly divine voice. After complimenting him, he blushed a pretty pink, and asked about my own hobbies and talents. After much prying, he was able to figure out that I also loved singing, but had little to no confidence at all in my own voice (especially after hearing his).

So by the end of the trip, he promised to help me show my voice to the world. And he’s unknowingly succeeded, considering that when we’re alone, he’s my whole world.

Bang Chan: The 3rd year, Student Council President and an aspiring artist, who was too afraid to take a step in the direction of his dreams, so he is now stuck in a path that he doesn’t want to follow.

He is also my neighbor, who gives me a ride to and from school everyday, I’ve learned a lot about him during these rides (and I can only guess, that so has he), like the fact he has a puppy (from the dog hair in his backseat) and that he writes music (really good music). He’s seen all of me: he’s heard me sing more than once (sorry Woojin) and I’ve even broken down in his car (and he held me through it).

I’ve already followed his advice many times, so I hope he follows mine, just once, and goes after his dreams.

Lee Minho: My first crush and the one who made me fall in love with dancing (and him too, in the process). No wonder he’s the captain of the school’s dance club. He’s just mesmerizing to watch.

Despite his very flirty nature, he’s not a player, just very friendly (maybe too friendly). And in spite of this, he still likes to fiercely declare that cats are better than people (especially his 3 cats: Dori, Soon-ie and Doong-ie). The reason why his contact name on my phone is “Crazy Cat Minho”.

Considering that when we first met (at 12 years old) we only spoke briefly, I didn’t expect him to remember me (or for him to have such a… colorful personality, considering his cold demeanor upon first meeting me), let alone want to get as close to me as he has become recently. He even invited me to his house a few times (his little brother is adorable, but he always seems to be staring oddly at me. Is there something on my face?)

I hope my longtime-brewing feelings for ‘The school’s dancing gem’ don’t change how close we’ve gotten, because I’ve really come to value him as a friend, more than just a crush.

Seo Changbin: The 2nd year “bad boy”, who’s really just a softie. Despite him being known as such for being part of the boxing club (and doing pretty good on it) and owning a motorcycle, he also works part-time at the cafe (there, I discovered that he has the cutest smile).

Even the way we met goes against the way he’s been stereotyped. He showed me (on my first, nerve-filled, day) the way to my class (which I later found out was nowhere near his own class).

I refuse to admit that my increased number of trips to the small, cozy cafe is for me to catch a glimpse of that beautiful smile, the fondness in his eyes as he talks to his little sister when she visits him at work, but it is most definitely not because of how much I’ve come to enjoy the giggle-filled conversations we have during his breaks and slower days. I instead like to blame it on my borderline addiction on coffee and hot chocolate.

I hope that, as time goes by, we can talk more. I’d love to see that wonderful smile directed at me more often. I just wish that he never invites me to one of his fights, because I don’t think I’d be able to handle seeing the wounds beneath all those band-aids he always wears.

Hwang Hyunjin: The school’s certified pretty boy (and the most popular one). He sits next to me in most classes, so I got to know him for not just his looks, but his intelligence as well, and during dance club, I got to know his humorous side and the passion he holds for dance. I also found that he is a lot shier than most would expect him to be.

There are just a few problems with my growing interest for him: 1- his crazy fangirls (who drive me crazy for only appreciating his visuals), 2- my childhood friend, Jisung, hates him (and it seems to be mutual) which makes for some interesting classes, considering I sit between them and 3- my, infinitely more talented, best friend, Maia, has a crush on him (at least she did last time we talked about it, which we don’t do often, for obvious reasons, so maybe it’s passed?)

Despite all of this, I can’t help but feel attracted to the boy with the purest giggle and an eye-smile brighter than the sun itself.

Han Jisung: My childhood friend, we’ve basically been joined at the hip since we met. Despite this, even he doesn’t know some of my deepest secrets. I didn’t tell him about most boys in this ‘list’, but every time I spoke about any of them, he acted like an overprotective brother, talking about how they didn’t deserve me and things like that. I don't even want to imagine what he would have said or done if I told him about my interest in Hyunjin, considering they're basically mortal enemies.

He’s the one Maia keeps pushing me to reveal my feelings to (because apparently, he'd be the most likely to return them. Something I don't agree with). Although she'd also like our boyfriends to be able to at least look at each other without rolling their eyes.

And I can see why she does this, I mean, he's handsome, adorable, thoughtful, reliable and knows me like very few people do. But, as cliché as it sounds, I don't want to ruin our friendship because it really means a lot to me.I sometimes wonder if simply by being his friend, I'm only hurting myself more.

Both his sisters treat me like family and I see them as the sisters I never had, during broadcast club (which we have together) I not only get to listen to his soft voice for long periods of time, I also get to experience how truly thoughtful and attentive he is everyone around him as he solves all the problems sent in by students with a gentleness I sometimes wished was directed at me more often.

Lee Felix: The 2nd year, australian transfer student, with the cutest freckles. I never thought I had a thing for accents, but Felix proved that, in fact, I do, and don't get me started on his voice, deep enough to make basically anyone swoon, it has nothing to do with his cute face (and even cuter personality). Before meeting Felix, I had no doubts that Hyunjin was the most handsome boy in school, but now I'm questioning that fact. There’s just something about him, everything fits so perfectly.

I still remember how lost he looked on his first day. With barely any decent English speakers other than myself and a few others, I inevitably became his korean tutor and quite close to him. With his talent for dancing I doubt he'll have problems getting a job, but I hope I can help him become fluent in time for the exams.

Kim Seungmin: My mother’s best friend's son (confusing, I know). The 1st year from the photography club, who asked me to go with him when he went abroad to continue his studies in college (at the time I said I’d think about it but I know it wouldn't be possible).

We met at his mom's birthday party, where we kept each other company throughout the (screeching-filled) event, as the other kids were much younger than the both of us.

In that one afternoon (that dragged on to night), I found out a lot about him, like the fact that his dream is to become a world-known photographer, or the fact that he is incredibly shy (I had to start the conversation even after about 5 minutes of sitting in awkward silence) and because of this, he doesn't smile much, only giving me small, polite and tight smiles in the beginning of our conversation. I was only able to get a real smile out of him when I glanced at one of the pictures on the wall, complimenting him on it. He immediately got this light in his eyes, even if he (at first) tried to act bashful. After I praised his vision, his smile turned wide, broad and genuine as he went on and on about his passion.

On that night, I also found out something about myself, the fact that I'd do anything to keep that beautiful smile on his face, even if it took him away from me.

Yang Jeongin: My new, 1st year, neighbor and Seungmin’s best friend.We actually met once Seungmin told me how desperately in need of help he was in English. So, despite my already busy schedule, I offered to help him. And, after discovering that he had recently moved into the house across from mine, we walked home together (after cancelling my plans with Chan).

The boy was friendly from the start, lively, energetic, and all around an actual ball of sunshine.

With so much love to give and so little confidence in things like his wonderful voice, I suspect he hasn't received a lot of love back. I wish I could be the one to give it to him. I guess I should take Woojin’s advice and get him to come out of his shell too.But with how often he seems to blush around me, I doubt he has enough experience with girls to know what a crush even feels like and I'd hate to confuse him with my own feelings.

[multifandom-kpop-scenarios]

hello, i saw ur skz scenarios, which are very cute. i wanted to know if i can get one with hyunjin where ure both in college and ure crushing on him. if its not too much to ask can it be like the uni experiences u see on tv or in movies with lit parties and stuff? thank u!

Hello, anonie!!! I know this might be kinda late - I’ve been busy - but here it is! I really hope you enjoy it! It was a lot of fun to write this!

Admin Rex

(Word Count: 2977)

Listen: you came to this party because you knew two of the party hosts own the cutest dogs. Also maybe because Changbin insisted you go to socialize and have fun because you both haven’t seen some of your friends in so long, and he didn’t want to go without you. You had told him that it was okay, that he could go to see his friends. Still, Changbin can be very persuasive when he wants to - his puppy eyes always got you no matter how adamant you were to deny him something. You’d already begun relenting when Changbin pulled his phone out and scrolled through an Instagram feed full of pictures of the same two dogs, one of them being Chan’s dog Berry. At that point, you knew there was no refusing. Your best friend had ensured you that the dogs would be there, you could play with them when you went.

Currently, you were groaning internally at the loud music. Its bass thrummed constantly through your chest and the sound rattled in your skull. Normally, you’d enjoy the hectic atmosphere, but you were running on pure determination at this point. Maintaining passing marks in all of your classes and keeping in touch with your friends was draining, to say the least. That was also on top of your job. You’ve been at the party for an hour and a half, and you already managed to lose Changbin. Not to mention you hadn’t even seen the dogs. You were headed to the kitchen to find something to snack on when someone grabbed your shoulder. When you turned to face the person, your scowl transformed into a bright smile, “Chan! It’s so great to see you!” The blond grinned, dimples on full display, before pulling you along with him. He leaned closer so you could hear him, “Changbin said you came for the dogs.” You pulled away to give him the most hopeful look you could muster. He laughed and pulled you along towards the stairs you really couldn’t bring yourself to go up without permission.

When you entered the first room on the left, you were relieved. It was much more quiet in here, despite the thrumming that was ever present in the walls of the house. There were a few friends you knew - Changbin, Felix, Jisung, Woojin, and Minho - and two others you didn’t. You noted Jeongin wasn’t present, which your protective heart told you was for the best. After greeting everyone with a small smile, you couldn’t help but drop down to greet Berry and the other dog, who’d come over to sniff at you. You cooed quietly at Berry before turning to the other, “Who must you be?” You weren’t really expecting an answer. You were surprised when a soft voice replied, “That’s Kkami.” You look up at the speaker. He almost comes off as intimidating, but you catch the friendly gleam in his eyes and know that he’s probably incredibly nice. You grinned at him before turning back to Kkami, “Well, Kkami, you’re very cute. Almost cuter than Berry over there.” At that, Chan squawks a “Hey, don’t say that about my child!” from the bed you’re leaning against. You laugh, surprised once again to hear the boy from earlier joining you. 

He smiles softly before waving his hand in greeting, “I’m Hyunjin! Kkami’s proud parent.” You smile, opening your mouth to respond before being cut off, “Y/N! Save me!” Jisung practically jumps over you before crash landing on the bed behind you, gasping dramatically as he rolls and collides with the wall. Changbin follows him seconds later, grumbling about how his phone is not something to be tossed around. Chan is quick to scoop Berry away from the mess that is Jisung and Changbin. You grin sheepishly at Hyunjin’s wide eyes and stare at each other before breaking out in giggles. Hyunjin straightens up before gesturing to the person sitting beside him. The other boy was in a deep conversation with Felix and Minho, Hyunjin introduces him as his best friend Seungmin. You get a feeling that Jeongin would get along well with said boy, if his mischievous grin was anything to go by.

You spend the rest of the night cackling with your friends at stupid jokes and sad attempts at playing video games together. You would suggest playing a board game, but you’d hate to almost dissolve friendships. The music is still thumping loudly by the time you decide that you should probably return home. When you gather your belongings up, you’re joined by Changbin and Seungmin, who apparently lives near to you and your best friend. The three of you decide to split the cost of a ride. 

The next time you see Hyunjin, it was during a break you had between your classes. He had approached you with a warm smile and food in his hands. Eager to get your mind off of your math calculations, you waved him over. You ended up talking with him about your classes, and he told you about his. You learned that he’s majoring in dance, which you think is fitting because just seeing Hyunjin walk gives you the impression of a dancer. You told him about your major, but didn’t spend too much time on it as you just wanted a break from anything related to academics. 

Over the next few days, you had to turn in a total of 6 assignments, one of which was an essay. At this point, there was a slight lull in the workload for all of your classes and Changbin somehow knew. “(Y/N), please? Chan, Felix, and Jisung will be there! Even Minho and Woojin! Maybe Jeongin, too?” Changbin was currently trying to talk you into going to another party on Saturday. As if you both hadn’t attended the one two weeks prior. You were pretty set on staying home this time. Changbin couldn’t bribe you with Berry this time. Chan said you were welcome to visit Berry anytime.

You shook your head at him. You had a full day of classes and just wanted to sleep at this point. Changbin pouted at you. Before he could use his special power, you pushed his head down into his history textbook before gathering your notes into your arms and hopping out of the chair, dashing down the library stairs. Changbin texted you seconds later about how you’re so mean to him and that he was going to tell Woojin - a threat that scared you only a little. You weren’t really paying attention to where you were heading because you were texting Changbin back. Before you could even hit send, you rammed right into someone’s back. Changbin received a text that just said oh dont cry you big bafkjdskkldjs. You only had a few seconds to lament the message before hearing your name being exclaimed. “Oh, (Y/N), are you okay? I really hope your nose is fine, you were walking really fast!” You rubbed slightly at the end of your nose before absentmindedly nodding. You noticed you must have wandered to the nearest restaurant without paying much attention. Makes sense, you hadn’t eaten yet.

You ignored the burning in your cheeks, chalking it up to being embarrassed about running straight into another person. Your phone vibrated a few more times before ceasing all together, and you knew Changbin had given up on you while you were busy picking up a few loose papers that had slipped from your hands. Hyunjin smiled at you when you were finished hastily stuffing the notebook into your school bag. Hyunjin’s smile, you note, is incredibly cute. His smile really shows genuine glee at seeing his friends, and you’re suddenly glad Changbin dragged you to that party. You don’t stop spacing out until Hyunjin’s smile droops, “Hey, are you hurt?”At the concern lacing his voice, you quickly shake your head, “No, no, I’m fine. Just. Thinking.” You smile wide at him, grinning more when Hyunjin nods and returns your smile. You look down at your shoes, not really knowing what to do now. You’d just met Hyunjin, and you really didn’t know what to say. You’d barely had any time to get to know him, aside from the time you hung out between your classes, which wasn’t much time, to be honest. Hyunjin sighed, a little hum coming for him before he clapped, “You came to eat, right? Why don’t we eat together? Seungmin’s still in class, and I’m a little hungry. We haven’t really talked much, either, so now would be a good time!”

You’re a little surprised. You thought that maybe Hyunjin didn’t want to eat with you. You don’t share any classes with him, and you’re positive that you aren’t majoring in the same thing. You nod anyway, not wanting to miss a chance to talk to Hyunjin. He smiled, and you’re once again amazed by how genuinely happy he looks. He begins to walk and pauses to wait until you’re in stride next to him. You both choose some food to eat before settling yourselves in a booth that is tucked against a window. About half way through your meal, you glance out the window and scowl when you see Changbin looking at his phone while attempting to stuff his textbook into his bag. Seconds later, your own phone vibrates with a new text. You remember that you never checked the last texts from him and take a moment to do so.

big bafkjdskkldjs???

whats that?

are you ok?

(Y/N)??

youre a big bafkjdskkldjs you know that

fine ignore me

The next message is the one that he just sent, which just says “youre eating right now arent you im coming your way.” You should’ve known he was going to know where to check to find you, especially since he knows you normally eat here after your Thursday classes. You sigh before smiling at Hyunjin who smiles back. You tap out that you’re not eating and that you’re studying at home. You knew Changbin wouldn’t believe you, but there’s nothing wrong with hoping. A minute later, Changbin approaches the table you’re seated at with Hyunjin, who surprisingly doesn’t look surprised to see your best friend there. Changbin looks down at your food before swiping some of it, “I see you ditched and replaced me.”

You stifle a sigh, as Hyunjin protests, explaining that he just wanted to get to know everyone better, including Changbin. That is how you ended up sitting squished between the window and Changbin. Across from you, Hyunjin is smiling softly. Somehow, you’re not sure how or when, Minho ended up sitting with you as well. He brought news of the party that Changbin had been trying to convince you to go to with him. Minho declared he’d be going, and Changbin already wanted to go. He turned to Hyunjin, who shrugged in agreement to go. When Minho turned to you for an answer, you felt like you had to nod - you could hardly say no to Minho. The fact that Hyunjin was going didn’t help. “Jeongin better not be going this time around, either.” You mumbled, and Minho smiled and explained that he’s busy with his own classes and the like.

When Saturday finally decides to roll around, you’re feeling less tired. You’d been able to rest and relax. (You believe that texting Hyunjin as much as you had been contributed, but you wouldn’t tell Changbin this.) Honestly, you were looking forward to seeing your friends, but not the party. Sometimes, the music was a great distraction from your studies, but it was also hard to talk to anyone over the noise. You and Changbin arrived to the house hosting the party. Honestly, you didn’t even know the host. You wandered around a bit, after separating to search for your friends. You first ran into Felix who was playing darts with Minho. They had terrifying accuracy. The next person you encountered was Hyunjin who was mingling with a few others. You waved to Kang Chanhee and Heo Hyunjoon, some of the only other people you recognized, aside from your friend group. Hyunjin beamed at you, as you came to stand between him and Chanhee. You talked with them a bit before they decided to join the mass of other bodies for dancing. You easily agreed, not wanting to be showed up, as you were quite confident in dancing. You were finally feeling your body loosen up as you challenged Hyunjoon.

Eventually, you left the “dance floor” - if a section of uncarpeted living room could be called one - to find something to drink, hopefully something like soda. When you returned from your search, you couldn’t help but feel captivated by the way Hyunjin moved to the music. Saying he was a good dancer was a severe understatement. He looked like he loved and lived to dance, which made sense, given his major. You stared at him a little longer before your eyes locked onto someone else. You speedily walked, “Jeongin! What are you doing here?” He explained he finished studying early, and only dropped by to greet everyone. You offered to walk him back home, which he insisted you didn’t have to, that he wasn’t even that much younger than you, but you honestly wanted to leave the party and you’d love to just talk to the younger. As you walked out to the sidewalk, the front door swung open, and Hyunjin looked surprised to see you leaving, “Going home?”

You smiled at him. His cheeks were pink from dancing the way he was, which made him look cuter than he already did. You motion to Jeongin, who looked between you and Hyunjin, “Not really. I’m taking him back home, then I might head home.” Hyunjin’s eyes flickered to Jeongin, who stared back just as challengingly, before walking down to stand beside you, “Could I come along?” You agree easily. During the walk to Jeongin’s house, you introduced the two and felt proud to see how well they got along. They acted very similar to brothers, if you were being honest. It brought a wide smile to your face. When Mrs. Yang opened the door, her eyes lit up at the sight of her son. She thanked you and Hyunjin for walking with him, before offering to let you come in, which you refused. 

At this point, you felt awkward trying to head home and basically ditch Hyunjin, so you decided to ask him if he wanted ice cream from a nearby convenience store. He agreed ecstatically - which, cute - and you explained that you would be paying for the snacks, no buts. He laughed at you, eyes growing soft. You and Hyunjin chose a few different flavors before deciding to just sit at a table set up outside the door. It was quiet for a few seconds before Hyunjin spoke up, “You’re good at dancing, (Y/N).” You look up at him and nod slightly, mostly as a way to thank him for saying that. You wait for a few seconds, “And, you’re amazing at dancing. I figured that you were good, but - wow. I’ve known Chanhee for a long time, and you really gave him a run for his money.” Hyunjin smiles, almost shyly. You let the lull in the conversation drag on for a bit. You watched as Hyunjin looked like he wanted to say something, but was hesitating. “Hyunjin? Something on your mind?” 

He took a deep breath before exhaling slowly, “I’ve kind of got a bit on my mind. Nothing bad! Just.” He laughed a little. You could tell he really didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it, so you left it alone. You continued scooping little spoonfuls of your ice cream out of the small container. The silence was getting a bit stifling, but you really didn’t know what to say to Hyunjin. It’s not that you didn’t like him - in fact, you really liked him - but he just seemed preoccupied with his thoughts. He finally set down the little ice cream container and spoon. You raised a brow at him, “Hyunjin, are you sure you’re okay?”

He nodded before looking directly at you, “(Y/N), I think I really, really like you.” He looked so serious as he said it, but you could tell that he was really nervous about his confession. Honestly, you weren’t that surprised, but you were pretty stunned. You thought that this would be like all the other crushes you had that you didn’t act on. To say you were happy was an understatement. Unfortunately, all you could say with your brain freeze was a small “Thanks.” When you processed what you’d replied with and Hyunjin’s dazed - almost disappointed - expression, you scrambled to clarify. You quickly grabbed his hand, which was retreating from the table, “Wait, no, that’s not what I wanted to say! I had a brain freeze, like, wow, someone I really like just confessed to me! And, I really was going to say that I really, really like you, too, but - ” You stopped when Hyunjin started to laugh, the one that was thoroughly amused and so soft sounding at the same time. You paused, before pulling your hand away.

When he stopped laughing, Hyunjin smiled at you again, all kind and soft. You smiled back, despite the burning of your face. Neither of you said anything for a while. The only noise were leaves blowing in the Autumn breeze, occasional cars going by, and the sound of the few customers that visited the convenience store. “Are you free after class on Wednesday?” You asked tentatively. Hyunjin looked up, surprise showing a bit on his face. It took him a few seconds to nod, but when he did, he looked captivating with his small, shy smile.

[vminni]

No Touching

“I bet you a whole month of convenience store runs that you can’t go a week without touching Minho.”

Jisung scoffed, pushing his bangs off his forehead as he stared at Seungmin, “If you wanted to buy me food that bad, you could have just told me. No need for a stupid bet.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seungmin smirked. “Are we on or what?”

“Oh, it’s on,” Jisung extended his hand to Seungmin and his friend grasped it, pumping it twice. “I can’t wait for a month of free ramen.”

“You sure are cocky for someone who can’t seem to walk down the street without holding Minho’s hand.”

Jisung shrugged and dropped back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, “He’s touchy, I’m touchy, it works. But we don’t have to do it. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“I doubt you even last two days,” Seungmin settled onto his own bed across the room from Jisung. “Three days, max.”

“Can I tell him?” Jisung sat up, his fingers itching towards his phone. “Or is it a secret thing?”

“Tell him whatever you want, I don’t care. You’re still gonna lose.”

“Brat,” Jisung huffed, facetiming Minho as Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“Hey,” Minho was at the dance studio, leaning against the mirrored wall as he pushed his sweaty hair out of his face. “What’s up?”

“Seungmin bet I couldn’t go a week without touching you,” Jisung rolled over onto his stomach, placing his phone on his pillow. It wasn’t the most flattering angle, but it didn’t matter. Minho was his best friend, nothing more, despite what their other friends wanted to believe. “Just letting you know.”

“What do you get if you win?”

“He’ll buy me food from the convenience store for a month.”

“I get half of whatever he buys you,” Minho wiped at his forehead with the long sleeve of his shirt. “Since I’m involved.”

“Deal,” Jisung held up his pinky finger to the camera, grinning as Minho did the same. “We’re going to be eating so well.”

-

The next morning Minho met Jisung and Seungmin outside of their dorm building, just like he did every day, ready to walk to class. Jisung beamed when he saw him and skipped over, hand automatically reaching out to take Minho’s.

Minho snatched it back before Jisung could touch him and the younger boy frowned, slightly hurt by Minho’s reaction.

Minho rolled his eyes at the frown that marred Jisung’s face, “Did you forget about the bet already?”

“Oh, shit, I did.” Jisung laughed, relief flooding his body. He tamped the feeling down, not wanting to dwell on what it meant. Minho was his best friend, that was all, and he didn’t want his best friend being uncomfortable around him. That’s why he was relieved. It was a totally normal reaction.

Jisung shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted again and nodded for Seungmin to stand in between them as they took off across camps. He couldn’t trust himself not to bump shoulders with Minho, or jab him with his elbow, or mess with Minho’s slightly damp hair as they walked. He was silent as Minho and Seungmin chatted happily, discussing some tv show they were both watching that Jisung had never heard of. He was lost in his own thoughts, suddenly hyper aware of just how often he did touch Minho.

It was going to be a long week.

-

By the time lunch rolled around, Jisung felt like he’d aged ten years. He hadn’t been touched at all and it was rough. Rougher than he’d imagined.

“Felix!” he practically melted when he saw his friend standing outside the cafeteria, flinging himself into his arms. Felix shifted backwards at the unexpected contact, but his arms came up to circle Jisung anyway.

“Oh thank god,” Jisung pressed his face to the confused boy’s neck, nuzzling his cheek into the warmth. “I haven’t been touched all day!”

“Isn’t it Minho’s job to touch you?” Felix tried to untangle himself from Jisung’s grasp, but Jisung just clung to him tighter. “Are you guys fighting? Did you break up?”

“We aren’t dating,” Jisung huffed. He finally pulled out of the hug, but tangled his fingers with Felix’s short ones and dropped his head to his friend’s shoulder. Felix patted his hair awkwardly and Jisung could feel him looking around, probably hoping Minho would appear and save him from Jisung’s clinginess. “Seungmin bet I couldn’t go a whole week without touching Minho. So I’m replacing him with you.”

“I’m not around nearly enough to satisfy your skinship needs.”

“Well, then, we have to take advantage of what little time we have.” Jisung brought their entwined fingers up and stared at them, contemplating. Felix’s hand was a tiny bit smaller than Minho’s. Physically it didn’t feel that much different than holding Minho’s hand, though Felix’s was a bit rougher. Emotionally, well, Jisung pushed that thought away again. He didn’t like Minho like that. They were friends.

As if Jisung’s thoughts had summoned him, Minho suddenly appeared, laughing with Hyunjin as they made their way to where the two boys were standing. Jisung’s face lit up in a smile, one that Minho mirrored when he noticed them, and he began waving the hand he had tangled with Felix’s.

Jisung’s free hand itched to take Minho’s. Seungmin wasn’t around. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’m on touch duty,” Hyunjin eyed the hand that was creeping towards Minho. “My loyalties are with Seungmin.”

Jisung’s hand fell limply back to his side as Minho hooked his arm with Hyunjin and dragged him into the cafeteria. Dejectedly, Jisung followed behind, other hand still wrapped safely with Felix’s.

Felix patted him softly on the arm, compassion coloring his tone, “Good luck, mate. It’s gonna be hard.”

-

“You can’t come over.”

Minho pouted, already in the process of tugging open the door to Jisung’s dorm hall, “Why not?”

“You know why!” Jisung almost reached out to gently shove Minho away, but caught himself at the last second. “You need to go away for the rest of the week. Hang out with Woojin or something. Be anywhere but near me. I can’t have you around. Convenience store food is way too important.”

Minho scrunched up his nose and tilted his head, regarding Jisung for a few seconds. Then he shrugged and his hand fell away from the door, “Okay. Fine. See you next Monday.”

It hurt, for some reason, to watch him walk away, his shoulders slightly hunched and his hands clutching the straps of his backpack. Jisung thought about calling after him, about apologizing, even though he wasn’t entirely sure what for. All he knew was that he hated the way the light in Minho’s eyes had dimmed at the implication that food was more important than him.

-

It was lunchtime on Tuesday and Minho hadn’t shown up. He hadn’t been there to walk to class that morning either, and though Jisung knew he had said he couldn’t have Minho around, he didn’t think Minho would actually go away. He knew it was stupid, knew he had done this, knew Minho had told him he’d see him next week, but it still twisted Jisung’s heart a bit as he poked at his lunch.

The hand that wasn’t holding his chopsticks rested on Felix’s thigh and occasionally he swiped his thumb over the skin that peeked out from the edge of his shorts. Felix didn’t seem to notice and Jisung found himself wondering if the shiver that always worked its way through his best friend when he did that was purely a Minho thing.

“You’re quiet today,” Hyunjin pointed out. “You good?”

“Fine,” Jisung muttered, pushing his untouched lunch away. “Just tired.”

Felix and Hyunjin exchanged a look. Jisung knew exactly what that look meant.

“For the billionth time, Minho and I aren’t dating. And no, we aren’t fighting, and no, I am not sad because he’s not here.”

-

It was Wednesday and Felix had just pulled his hand away from Jisung’s for the fifth time in the last hour to wipe it on his pants.

“Sorry, mate,” Felix winced when he saw Jisung staring, slotting their fingers back together again under the library table. “You have really sweaty hands.”

Jisung was confused, “I do? Minho’s never said anything about my hands.”

“Well, yeah,” Felix tapped his pen against his textbook, “I wouldn’t say anything if I was holding hands with Changbin and his hands were sweaty.”

“That’s cause you have a crush on Changbin,” Jisung pointed out. “You’d just be happy to be holding his ha…”

Jisung trailed off, not liking the sympathetic smile on Felix’s face. He untangled their fingers and placed his hands in his own lap, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Minho doesn’t have a crush on me.”

He said it again, softer this time, more for himself than anything else, “Minho doesn’t have a crush on me.”

-

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

Seungmin blinked at Jisung, hand freezing where it was curled around the edge of his blanket, “With me?”

Jisung nodded and Seungmin hesitated, glancing between his small bed and his friend. Jisung wasn’t sure if it was the look on his face, or the way he was clutching his teddy bear too tightly, or the slight tremble to his bottom lip, but Seungmin pulled back the covers and slid in, gesturing for Jisung to join him.

Jisung climbed in silently, slotting himself against Seungmin’s side and resting his head on his friend’s chest. Seungmin seemed unsure on how to act, eventually slipping his arm around Jisung’s shoulder and patting him awkwardly.

“Felix thinks Minho has a crush on me,” Jisung finally whispered, voice catching in the quiet darkness of the dorm room. “B-but that’s crazy, right? He doesn’t. He’s my friend.”

“I’m your friend,” Seungmin’s voice was gentle, as if he was worried about breaking Jisung. “Hyunjin is your friend. Felix is your friend.”

“I know,” Jisung shifted his teddy bear in his grip, loosening one arm so he could wrap it around Seungmin’s waist.

“Think about the way we act with you. And the way you act with us. It’s different than you and Minho.”

“We’re both touchy, so what? It doesn’t mean anything.” Jisung squirmed a little, trying to get comfortable. Seungmin was taller than Minho and his body was a little bit softer, which wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t feel right. He also wasn’t playing with Jisung’s hair the way Minho always did when they cuddled and he wondered if he could bring up all the things that were wrong without proving Seungmin’s point.

“It’s more than you guys just being touchy, Sung. It’s the way you look at each other and the way you light up when he’s around and the way you’re always talking about him when he’s not around, waiting for the next time you’ll get to see him. It’s okay to admit you have feelings for him. He clearly feels the same.”

Jisung didn’t say anything.

“You once went an entire month without seeing Hyunjin. A month! And you were fine. You’ve been without Minho for what, two days? Two days and you’re clearly upset about it.”

“I’m not upset.”

“You’ve never asked to share a bed with me before, Jisung. Something is obviously wrong.”

“I just miss being touched, okay? Is that such a crime?” Jisung could feel the hot press of tears and he screwed his eyes shut, hoping none would leak out and stain Seungmin’s shirt. The truth was he missed being touched by Minho, but he couldn’t admit that. He couldn’t say it out loud and make it real, make everything his friends had been implying true.

Because once it was real, once it was out in the world, it could hurt him.

His feelings could hurt him.

Minho could hurt him.

-

It was Thursday afternoon and Woojin was waiting for Jisung outside of his class, which was strange. Woojin was Minho’s friend, not Jisung’s. They’d never spent any time together without Minho around.

Woojin didn’t waste any time, waving Jisung over the second he saw him, “Hey, what’s going on with you and Minho?”

Jisung hitched his bag higher on his back, “Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

“Why don’t you ask Minho then?” Jisung knew he was being rude, but he couldn’t keep the bitter bite out of his tone. This whole thing was so stupid. It was just supposed to be a dumb bet with Seungmin. It wasn’t supposed to tear his whole world apart. “You’re his friend, not mine.”

“He said you had a bet with Seungmin. That you couldn’t touch him for a week. And that you don’t want him around because of it.”

Jisung wrapped his hands around the straps of his bag and nodded, “If you already know, why are you asking me about it?”

“I just wanted to know if your side of the story was the same as his,” Woojin shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “He’s really upset.”

“He’s upset?”

Woojin rolled his eyes, “Seriously? Of course he’s upset. The person he cares about most doesn’t want him around.”

“It’s just for the bet,” Jisung said softly, eyes on the ground. “Not because I don’t want him around.”

“He knows that,” Woojin sighed lightly and pushed a hand through his dark hair. “But he’s still hurt. I guess he thought you could win the bet and still hang out with him like normal. I don’t think he expected to be banned from spending time with you.”

“It’s just for a week! It’s not a big deal!” Jisung was spiraling and his voice was growing higher with every word he spoke. “He’s overreacting!”

“He loves you, Jisung,” Woojin’s stare pierced right through Jisung’s heart. “And you hurt him.”

-

“This is so stupid!” Jisung was on Felix’s bed, his head cradled in his friend’s lap. Felix was carding his fingers through Jisung’s thick hair, listening as he ranted. “It’s just a dumb bet. Minho knows about the bet. He knows I’ll be tempted to touch him if he’s around. Why’s he acting like it’s something that it’s not?”

“You don’t get to decide what hurts him and what doesn’t,” Felix’s voice was soft. “How would you feel if he did the same thing to you?”

“I would understand,” Jisung answered promptly.

“Think about it, Sung,” Felix hummed lightly. “Honestly, just think about it for a few minutes. Being told that you’re less important than a dumb bet.”

“That’s not...I didn’t mean it like that! He knows I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Does he?”

-

It was Friday and Jisung was pacing the hallway outside of Minho’s apartment. He’d texted him that he was coming over, but had gotten no response to the message or the knock on his door.

It was possible he wasn’t home, that he was over at Woojin’s or working in the studio, but Friday nights were normally his stay at home in his pajama nights.

Jisung was stepping up to the door to knock again when the elevator dinged and someone stepped out. Even with his hood pulled up and his face down, Jisung knew who it was.

“Minho!”

His gaze snapped up, landing on Jisung, and for the first time that Jisung could remember, a smile didn’t spread across his best friend’s face at the sight of him.

“What are you doing here?” Minho didn’t make any move to come closer, hanging back by the elevator as he stared at Jisung.

“I came to see you.” Jisung shuffled his feet a bit and took a deep breath, “I’m really sorry.”

Minho made a decision, digging his keys out of his pocket and moving closer. He opened the door to his apartment and entered, holding it ajar so Jisung could follow him inside.

“I didn’t mean that you’re less important than the bet or the food or whatever. You know that, right? You know that you’re my best friend.”

“I’m tired of being your best friend.”

Jisung’s heart shattered. It was embarrassing just how quickly his eyes started leaking, and he brushed at them with the sleeve of his hoodie as he backed towards the door, “Oh. I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll leave.”

“No, Sungie, that’s not…” Minho reached out for him, stopping when his fingers were just centimeters away from Jisung’s wrist. His hand trembled for a second before he dropped it back to his side. “That’s not what I meant.”

Jisung wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold it all together when all he really wanted was to be held by the boy in front of him. He was done with all the denial. He had feelings for Minho. He’d always had.

“It hurt, seeing you with Felix,” Minho couldn’t meet Jisung’s eyes. “I think I did a good job of hiding it at lunch that day, but it was killing me. Seeing you holding hands with him like it was nothing. Like holding hands was just something you could do with anyone. It made me feel so unimportant. So replaceable. And then when you told me you didn’t want me around,” Minho’s hands clenched at his side, “I don’t know. I knew you were doing it because you wanted to win the bet, but it still sucked. It really, really sucked.”

Minho tipped his head back, blinking rapidly, but not before Jisung saw a few tears roll down his cheeks, “And the whole time I just kept thinking about how you are, how clingy and cuddly and touchy, and how there was no way you’d cut down on that just because I wasn’t around. I knew you’d be affectionate with someone else, with everyone else, and that, god, that broke me, Sungie. Because I’m only that way with you. I only ever want to touch you. But I knew you had no problem replacing me.”

“I can’t touch anyone else without my brain pointing out all the ways they’re different from you. Everything felt wrong,” Jisung shuffled closer, a few tears leaking out of his own eyes. “I swear, Minho. Everytime I touched anyone, all I could think about was you. And how much better it felt when it was your hand in mine.”

Minho was staring at him, hope starting to creep into his face as Jisung moved even closer.

“I, um, I don’t want to be your best friend anymore either.”

There was the smile Jisung loved so much and he pressed up onto his tiptoes, ready to kiss it off Minho’s face.

“Wait,” Minho stopped him, backing away with his hands up. “You’ll lose the bet.”

“I don’t care about the bet,” Jisung pouted. His eyes were red and his nose was leaking and he knew he looked ridiculous, but he didn’t want to put this moment off any longer. “I wanna kiss you.”

“You can kiss me later, when we’re eating the ramen that Seungmin is going to buy us.”

Jisung groaned, scrubbing at his face with his sleeve, “Seriously? Now you’re into the bet?”

“Well, yeah,” there was a sheepish curve to Minho’s smile, “you like me. Now I know you like me. I can deal with not touching you for a few more days.”

“I can’t,” Jisung whined, making grabby hands for Minho. “Come back.”

“Nope,” Minho shook his head. “I want free snacks.”

-

There were three plastic bags full of convenience store food spread out on Jisung’s bed, but he didn’t care about that. All he cared about was Minho, whose lap he was currently straddling. His hands were in the older boy’s hair and his tongue was in his mouth, and making out with him was so nice that Jisung could almost ignore Seungmin gagging at them in the background.

“Please spare me,” a pillow was thrown at his head and Jisung pulled himself away from Minho’s mouth for a second, turning to glare at Seungmin. “Please make out somewhere else.”

“We weren’t able to touch for a week thanks to you. If you think we’re being excessive, well, this is really on you.”

Minho’s hands snuck under Jisung’s shirt and he giggled at the sensation, leaning in to give his boyfriend another long, lazy kiss as Minho’s fingers worked their way up his back.

Seungmin covered his eyes and screamed.

[kim-seungmine]

i’ll hold your hand (don’t let me go) - part 2 /2

title: I’ll hold your hand (don’t let me go) – part 2  / 2

characters: (fem) reader x hwang hyunjin of stray kids (feat. kim seungmin, han jisung of stray kids, lee chaeyeon of iz*one, myoui mina of twice + other skz members)

genres: fluff, angst, slice-of-life, college au

warnings: language, mentions of bullying & death

word count: 7.5k words

synopsis: hyunjin is no longer fearless and you feel that he’s slipping away from you... or is it the other way around?

a/n: you can read this as a stand-alone but it’ll be much better if you read the first part first. you can find the masterlist in my bio because i can’t put links here!

CHAPTER 2: ... but I love you

It’s finally spring, your favorite season because walking down the street when it’s -19C is definitely not your thing. But it’s also Monday, everybody’s least favorite day ever, no matter what the season is. When Yang Jeongin, Hyunjin’s roommate, tells you that the latter hasn’t woken up yet (it’s past 12PM), you have no choice but to pay a visit to the boys’ dormitory.

The security isn’t too tight during the day, so you manage to slip into the building easily. You stop in front of room number 320, knocking on it softly. Jeongin opens the door, welcoming you with a dimpled smile you always melt at. “I think he’s got a class at 3,” he says, zipping his backpack as he walks past you. “I did everything you told me to do, but it’s been 2 years and nothing ever works unless you do it yourself.”

Jeongin waves you goodbye, leaving you alone with your sleeping boyfriend. “Hyunjin,” you begin, shaking his body with all your might. He doesn’t budge, so you decide to act as if it’s Saturday and he’s staying over at your dorm because you live in a single room (you don’t know how he manages to sneak in, but Hwang Hyunjin surely has his ways).

You lay down beside him before circling your arms around his torso, burying your head in the crook of his neck. “Jinjin,” you try again, using the nickname he loves so much. Hyunjin lives for nicknames, he’s given you so many he can’t even remember them, but you only have one for him. Jinjin. You don’t really use it, but everytime you do, Hyunjin turns into a clingy but obedient big baby.

His eyes flutter open, and you place feathery kisses on his neck. “Please wake up,” you whisper against his skin, looking up to see him smiling at you. Hyunjin nods, wrapping you into a tight hug. “Can Jinjin sleep for five more minutes?” he mumbles.

“What will you do if I tell Jisung that you’re referring to yourself as Jinjin… in third person?” you threaten, smoothing his bed hair. Hyunjin whines, and you’re trying not to chuckle because this is serious. “You can’t make Jeongin and me do this all the time.”

“I know,” he answers, rocking you in his arms. “But it’s just sooo hard to wake up.”

You sigh, pulling away to look at him in the eyes. “Next time I’ll just let you miss classes. This is going to be my last time doing this, okay?”

“Okay,” he replies, and you give him a peck on his lips. “Alright. Now can Jinjin start getting ready so he can walk his beautiful girlfriend to class?” you tease, earning a hard pinch on your cheek.

Hyunjin sits up with you still in his arms. He gives you one more kiss before getting out of bed. “Please let me live, Y/N!”

-

It only takes Hyunjin twenty minutes to get ready. He’s already dressed in the red checkered shirt you gifted him last month and a pair of faded jeans. “You’re trying to turn me into Jisung, aren’t you?” he asks while looking at his reflection in the mirror.

“I just think that you look good in checkered shirts, that’s all,” you reply, feeding him a piece of kimbap you bought from CU*. “Speaking of Jisung, are we still meeting his friend tonight? Do you still have dance practices with Minho?”

Hyunjin opens the door, taking your hand in his before stepping out. “What’s a dance practice?!” he asks dramatically. “I only know staying up all night to design a living room!”

“I’m serious. He’s been asking to meet us so many times this week but we barely responded,” you say. Hyunjin mutters a tired, “Aigoo,” but takes out his phone to call Seungmin.

“Wow, you answered,” he exclaims, putting his phone on loudspeaker so you can hear their conversation. “You better not bail on us tonight, asshole. I don’t want to hear Jisung weep about us not being supportive.”

Seungmin scoffs, you can hear him closing his book. “What the hell? You’re the one who keep canceling! Y/N, tell him!”

You jab at Hyunjin’s waist, causing him to yelp loudly. “I’ll drag his lazy ass, Seungmin. Don’t worry,” you promise him. Seungmin laughs, telling you to take care before ending the call. You turn to Hyunjin who’s busy massaging his waist. “Do you have something you want to tell me?” you ask.

“Like what?” he challenges, squinting at the bright sunlight as both of you exit the dormitory. You’re swinging your intertwined hands softly, pondering whether you should ruin the blissful moment right now. “Like what?” Hyunjin repeats, causing you to stop on your tracks.

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Nothing happened, baby. I’m just tired,” he reassures you, dropping a kiss on the top of your head. “Now let’s get Jinjin’s beautiful girlfriend to class, shall we?”

-

Jeongin has saved you a spot when you arrive in class. You two went to the same school, but you never actually met him although Seungmin used to be his tutor and talked about the younger boy quite a lot. Sometimes you regret not knowing Jeongin sooner; he’s a brat, but he’s a sweet brat and he’s taught you a thing or two about life.

“So, what method did you use? Scream in his ear? Play his ‘HWANG HYUNJIN WAKE UP!!!’ alarm for a whole ten minutes? Pretending there’s an earthquake and the whole world is falling apart?”

Plus he’s endured being Hyunjin’s roommate for 2 years and put up with his sleeping habits.

You smile sourly at him, cringing when you recall the whole Jinjin-please-wake-up scenario. “He loves me that much, I guess,” you mumble. Jeongin smirks at you, lowering his voice so only you can hear him. “You used ‘the girlfriend method,’ didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, the usual. Kissing the life out of him, calling him pet names, begging him to wake up. You went down the soft path, I bet.”

You just stare at him in disbelief, while he’s only giving you a smug smile. “Hyunjin sleep talks. I know a lot of things.”

The professor has entered the class, but you’re too distracted by Jeongin’s words to notice. “What do you know?” you ask, almost fearfully.

Jeongin points at the professor, signaling at you to start opening your book. “Well, let’s say that I know who Jinjin is,” he tells you in a sing-song tone.

You want to smash your head against the table. Dating Hwang Hyunjin is definitely not easy.

-

The café where Jisung wants to meet you isn’t far from your campus. You and Hyunjin are walking hand-in-hand, with Chaeyeon trailing behind you. “You kept hollering at us to meet you and your new friend and now you’re saying you’re going to be late?!” she yells at Jisung over the phone.

Jisung is now a—quoting Seungmin—somewhat superstar. He’s started a hiphop crew with a friend from his academy, and they’ve started to get attention from the public. You’ve only seen his friend on Instagram, so you’re really curious about him.

“He’ll be here soon,” Chaeyeon informs with a tired tone as you’re entering the café. “Is this why Jisung insisted we have to meet here?” Hyunjin asks, referring to the bright neon sign outside that reads “YOUNG WINGS.”

Chaeyeon stifles a laugh, nodding in agreement. “He deadass chose a café that has the same name as our group chat. Yep I guess he’s that sentimental.”

Hyunjin and Chaeyeon then get into an intense battle of recalling Jisung’s most “embarrassingly sentimental” moments. Just as you’re about to interrupt, Seungmin enters the café, huge eye bags under his eyes.

“Dude, are you okay?” Hyunjin panics, pulling up a chair for Seungmin to sit on. “When was the last time you slept?”

Seungmin looks even thinner compared to the last time you saw him, which was three months ago. He’s dyed his hair red at the start of the semester, now the color has washed away and his roots are showing. Red looks amazing on Seungmin, you swear to God, but now it just makes him look more tired.

“Let me order you a drink,” Chaeyeon says, making her way to the counter. Hyunjin scoots closer to his friend, offering his shoulder. “Here, sleep. I’ll wake you up when Jisung arrives,” he suggests as you slowly push Seungmin’s head to Hyunjin’s shoulder.

“Do you know any of his SNU friends?” you ask Hyunjin, who only shakes his head slightly. “No. Does he ever talk about them? It seems like he doesn’t do anything but study.”

Chaeyeon returns with a cup of jasmine tea, setting it down in front of a fast-asleep Seungmin. “Oh God, he’s dying,” she whispers, taking off his glasses. None of you says anything for a while, just listening to Seungmin’s soft snore while staring at the door.

“That’s them,” Hyunjin breaks the silence, waving his hand at Jisung and his pink-haired friend before turning to Seungmin. You almost want to stop him from waking the redhead up, but Jisung’s loud voice already makes him stir.

“What’s going on?” Jisung’s voice drops as his eyes land on Seungmin. Chaeyeon only sighs, politely telling Jisung’s friend to sit down. “Should we just let him sleep?” she wonders, asking for Jisung’s permission. The blue-haired boy nods, but Hyunjin grunts in protest. “Can we switch? My shoulder is aching already.”

“I’ll do it,” Jisung offers. “I’m gonna order first.”

Chaeyeon averts her attention to the man sitting beside her. “Jisung as talked about you a lot!” she chirps. He smiles, showcasing his dimples. “I’m Bang Chan. I bet Jisung has talked about you guys a lot more than he talked about me!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I even know your names already! You are,” he stops to point at Hyunjin. “Tall, goddamn handsome, pillowy lips. You must be Hwang Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin looks at him in awe. “How the fuck did you memorize all of that?” he mutters, earning a proud smirk from Chan. He darts his eyes to you, clapping his hands excitedly. “You! You’re Y/N, right? The one who made Jisung start doing all of this.”

You raised your eyebrows as Chaeyeon gasps. “What did he tell you about me?”

“Nothing, actually. Just the fact that Hyunjin gives you heart eyes all the time.”

“And me? How about me?!” Chaeyeon squeals a bit too loud, forgetting that Seungmin is still sleeping on Hyunjin’s shoulder. Chan laughs, pretending to think hard before flashing her a smile. “You’re Lee Chaeyeon, Jisung’s favorite girl.”

Chaeyeon’s cheeks turn pink at his statement, causing Hyunjin to whistle. “He won’t shut up about you,” Chan explains, nudging Chaeyeon playfully. “Although all you do is nag at him.”

“Jisung can’t survive without Chaeyeon’s nagging,” Seungmin suddenly quips. He pats Hyunjin’s back, mouthing a thank you before stretching his body. “And you’re the perfect, almighty Kim Seungmin,” Chan utters, almost starstruck.

“What’s with that look?” Seungmin asks him, sipping his lukewarm jasmine tea. “There’s literally nothing you can’t do. I kept asking Jisung if you were real,” he shares. Seungmin only laughs, reaching out to give Chaeyeon a pat on her head. “Thanks for the tea.”

“Jisung said you have a lot of idol friends!” Chaeyeon exclaims. Chan shakes his head bashfully. “Out of all things he told you that?” he chuckles. You and Chaeyeon are into idol groups thesedays, so you pester Chan to tell you who are the ones he’s friends with.

“Well, I’m friends with Wanna One’s Daehwi and Woojin. I know Pentagon’s Yuto too. Hmm, who else?” he muses while all of you are focusing on him. “Ah! I’m close with Stray Kids’ Lee Jungjin. He recently released a solo album, you guys know him, right?”

The whole table freezes, shooting Hyunjin a worried look. “I see,” Seungmin responds with an awkward laugh. “So are you guys preparing for the audition? Jisung said you two are going to Show Me the Money this year.”

Chan notices Seungmin’s lame attempt to change the topic, but brushes it off.

 “Yeah, we are. I think it’ll be a good experience for us,” he says, looking relieved when Jisung comes back.

“Man, the line is long,” he sighs, putting down his chocolate float on the table. Chaeyeon gives him a look that pretty much says, “Please save us,” and he complies, although you’re sure he doesn’t know what the hell is going on. You grab Hyunjin’s hand under the table, lacing your fingers with his.

Hyunjin squeezes your hand, turning to Chan with a hardened expression he’s trying so hard to hide. “I just remembered that I have something to do,” he announces. “It was nice meeting you, Chan. Good luck with the audition, and don’t hesitate to knock some senses into this stupid squirrel if he’s being annoying.” Jisung is about to retort, but Seungmin stops him.

“Call me when you finish, I’ll pick you up. Both of you,” Hyunjin tells you, pointing at Chaeyeon as well. Chaeyeon nods as Jisung stares at you in confusion. Hyunjin gives you a quick kiss on your temple before heading out of the café.

“Did I say something wrong?” Chan asks, looking guilty and confused at the same time. You, Seungmin, and Chaeyeon exchange glances, wondering whether Chan should know about what happened between Hyunjin and Jungjin.

Jisung is busy with his phone, his fingers typing impatiently and you instantly know that he’s texting Hyunjin. You wait until he gets a reply, while Seungmin and Chaeyeon try to dismiss the conversation.

“Chan I’m going to talk about this just once and you have to keep it a secret, okay?” Jisung instructs. You heave a sigh when Chan nods; you’ve always wanted to know more about Jungjin, but Hyunjin always refused to talk about him in details.

“Lee Jungjin was the one who bullied Hyunjin, along with some other trainees. And he was also the one chosen to replace Hyunjin in Stray Kids when his parents pulled him out of the group.”

-

Hyunjin is already waiting for you in front of the girls’ dormitory building when you arrive. Seungmin, Jisung and Chaeyeon bid you goodbye, but not without silently asking you to update them about your boyfriend.

“See you later, loverboy!” Jisung shouts as Chaeyeon drags him away. Hyunjin immediately wraps his arms around you the moment you get close enough to him. “Chaeyeon’s not going home?” he asks as Seungmin waves at him.

“They’re going for a drink,” you explain, booping his nose with yours. Jisung is going to concentrate on his audition and wants to spend some time with all of you before going M.I.A for a while. You wanted to join, but you knew Hyunjin was waiting for you and wouldn’t be in the mood for socializing. Today was the first time you saw Hyunjin incredibly upset after two years, and luckily your friends think it’s important to console him.

“When’s Mina coming back from New York?” he asks. Mina is currently on tour with her ballet company, and you know that affects Hyunjin more than he wants to admit. One of his best friends is cementing her position as a top dancer, something he desperately wants to pursue as well.

“Probably next month. Hopefully Jisung and Chan pass the preliminary round so Mina will get a chance to see them perform live,” you mutter, squishing his face with your hands when he starts to pout. “How are you feeling?”

Hyunjin sighs as you release your hold on his face. He seems hesitant to tell you; Jungjin is a topic you guys never talk about after high school ended. “I was just… mad. I thought I was doing okay. I no longer want to punch a wall everytime I see him on TV or billboards. I thought I forgave him.” He pulls at his hair in frustration. “But when Chan brought him up… I’m sorry. I ruined the night, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine. Forgiving someone who did something horrible to you isn’t easy. It needs time,” you reassure him. “But will you-”

“I will,” Hyunjin cuts you. “I’ll call Jisung later.”

“You have to stop doing that.”

“What?”

“Reading my mind. Only Seungmin can do that.”

Hyunjin laughs, giving you one last kiss on your cheek before pushing you towards the building. “Good night, Y/N,” he says. You smile at him, your heart feeling heavy as he turns around. This is the beginning of another break down, you can feel it. Hyunjin hasn’t been like himself lately, and what happened tonight only makes it worse.

“Jinjin!” you call out, running to catch up with him. You grab his hand, tiptoeing to capture his lips with yours. Hyunjin rests his hand on the small of your back, bending down so you don’t need to stretch your body. He sighs, trying to whisper how much he loves you in between the kiss. His eyes look slightly brighter when you pull away. “What is this? Usually I’m the one stealing kisses from you,” he asks in an amused tone. You place another kiss on the corner of his lips, hoping that your next few words will make a little difference.

“I’m here for you, Jinjin,” you whisper.

Hyunjin chuckles, light and happy and you’re praying that it will always sound like that.

“I know.”

-

Jisung and Chan turn out to be the biggest sensations on Show Me the Money, with the show constantly highlighting their friendly rivalry and sweet bromance. Tonight is the semifinal, and Jisung has invited all of you to watch him perform live. “If I get eliminated, at least I’ll have people to cry with later,” he said.

Hyunjin has gone full hip-hop for tonight, sporting a black shirt and ripped jeans with a metal lip ring adorning his bottom lip. He’s wearing his usual silver cross necklace along with some new ones, and also a white bucket hat. You don’t know whether you should be embarrassed, but you gotta admit that your boyfriend looks hot. “Will we get to see Zico? Will the producers come out?” He cranes his neck to see the stage better, his hand resting on your hips.

Chaeyeon, who’s also gone full hip-hop with her black leather jacket , stockings, and denim shorts, is pumped up with equal excitement. “I don’t think so but they’re supposed to be backstage? We’re basically breathing the same air!”

“There are a lot of hip-hop concerts and festivals you can go to, you don’t need to embarrass us like this,” Seungmin comments. You laugh, trying to ignore other girls (and boys) who keep checking Hyunjin out.

“Have you been to one?” you ask, waving at Mina when you spot her entering the venue. “I’ve been to hundreds,” Seungmin corrects you, causing Hyunjin and Chaeyeon to immediately whip their heads to him. “What? Day6 isn’t the only band I like.”

The conversation is cut short as the MC appears and Mina joins you. All of you scream on the top of your lungs throughout Jisung’s performance, in which he spits fire and exudes such a mindblowing charisma that everyone here will never even imagine that Han Jisung a.k.a J.One gets blasted by all of you (especially Chaeyeon) at least twice a day.

“If he keeps this up, he can really advance to final round, don’t you think?” you whisper to Hyunjin, who’s not bouncing up and down anymore. He’s focused on Jisung, following his every movement. The audience cheers as the song ends, shouting “J.One! J.One! J.One” so loudly you think you’re going deaf. Hyunjin keeps his eyes on the stage, watching Jisung saluting the crowd as the lights go out.

He’s looking at the stage with so much longing and sadness, and the familiar feeling of seeing someone you love falling into a limbo tugs at your heartstrings.

-

“There’s something wrong with Hyunjin.”

You look up from your book to see Jeongin standing in front of you with a worried face. “It started a while back, but I thought he was just stressed with assignments or something.”

“What happened?” you croak, wanting to hear everything while expecting Jeongin to say that he’s joking. You and Hyunjin haven’t really been talking these days, mainly because he constantly shuts you out while you feel like giving up.

You’re not giving up on Hyunjin. Not now, not ever!

Jeongin bites his lips, trying to relay the information as calmly as possible. “At first he was just mumbling nonsense in his sleep. Then he started shouting, I can’t describe it but it was really scary,” he says. “He does nothing but working on his assignments. Like, can you imagine Hyunjin being studious? He won’t even talk to me. When I asked him why he was all serious and gloomy, he said he’s trying not to get lost.”

Lost. This is it. The beginning of the end.

“I don’t want to be rude but, are you guys fighting?”

You shake your head. “He’s just… a bit stressed out, that’s all. I’m just giving him space.”

“I think Hyunjin needs you, Y/N.”

You know that. You fully understand how much Hyunjin needs you right now. It’s just, it’s hard. It’s hard for you to constantly trying to cheer him up, to make him know that everything’s going to okay.

“If Hyunjin makes you worried, if his behavior is stressing you out, you can ask to get a new roommate, Jeongin. It’s okay,” you tell him, but Jeongin scoffs. “I’m staying. This is our Hyunjin, Y/N. I’ll figure things out if you don’t want to.”

Jeongin doesn’t even look at you during the entire lecture. You, meanwhile, keep looking at his direction, hoping he’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. But do you even know how to explain your feelings to yourself? You’re never good at the whole “I’ll always be there for you” thing; you always want to run when things get hard. You avoid everything, as if nothing is more important than living without worries.

You’ve promised Hyunjin so many times that you’ll always hold his hand, to never let go. But now you’re not sure anymore.

-

felix: park jinyoung is back in korea

felix: i think you should know

felix: he just called me. asked for your number

You nearly drop your phone when you read Felix’s message. Jinyoung left Korea shortly before you moved to JYP High. Shortly after you broke up with him. You know he didn’t leave only because of you, but if you stayed by his side, maybe he wouldn’t have left.

y/n: did you give him to him

y/n: felix

felix: you know theres no way i’d tell him “y/n has a new bf now pls move on” right

felix: you cant avoid him forever

y/n: i know

Hyunjin is sitting in front of you, looking out of the window while sipping his Americano. “Baby?” he calls out, tapping your fingers. You look up, forcing yourself to smile when you meet his tired eyes. You decided to pay him a visit at his dorm while Jeongin is out of town with his friends.

“Yeah?”

“Something bothering you?” he asks.

“What? Nothing.”

“You sure?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” you say sternly. Hyunjin frowns, snatching your phone from you. He opens Felix’s messages, and his eyes become darker as he reads all the recent messages. You reach for his hand, trying to get your phone back. “Hyunjin.”

“Who’s Park Jinyoung?” he demands.

“No one.”

“Your ex-boyfriend? Or are you cheating on me?”

“Hyunjin, please.”

He stops, handing your phone back to you before crossing his arms. You never meant to keep Jinyoung a secret, but you’re not proud of what you did to him. It only reminds you of how selfish you are, how bad of a person you are.

“Jinyoung was my boyfriend in high school,” you explain. “During the 11th grade he and his brother got into a car accident. He survived, his brother didn’t.”

Hyunjin doesn’t say anything, but signals you to continue. “I cared about Jinyoung, I really did. I still do, but he wasn’t the same anymore after the accident.”

“Anyone wouldn’t be okay after such a tragedy, I know. It didn’t make me like him any less, but then he… refused to talk to anyone and kept throwing tantrums. I tried to help him, but after a few months I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave up.”

You finally have the nerve to look into Hyunjin’s eyes although what you’re going to say is going to break his heart. “I broke up with him. I told him I couldn’t stay anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Hyunjin. I know I shouldn’t have done that. I feel so, so sorry. You must be disappointed-”

“Is that why you’re with me now?” he cuts you off. “Because you feel sorry for me? Because you want to redeem yourself?”

He stands up, eyes brimming up with tears as he walks towards his door and opens it. “I knew it,” he mutters through gritted teeth. “Poor Hwang Hyunjin got bullied and now he’s all fucked!” he shouts.

“You’re not, Hyunjin. You can still dance again—”

“I don’t want to disappoint my parents, okay?! I’m all they have so I can’t do whatever I want just because I feel like it.”

Hyunjin is already crying at this point, and you’ve never felt this broken before. The past two years feel like a dream, a sweet dream you both refuse to wake up from. Reality bites, and it bites you hard.

“You didn’t even ask why I chose to go to college,” he quivers. “I told myself that I would stop dancing after high school. No more training. No more auditioning. I have to get myself together. For them. For you.”

Hyunjin takes a deep breath before gripping your shoulders. His next words feel like knives jabbing at your heart. “If you can’t handle me anymore, you can leave. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

You desperately want to tell him no. I love you, Hyunjin, you’re not a burden.

But nothing comes out.

-

“How have you been?”

You wish you can choose not to answer that question, but you smile, hoping that it will conceal the sorrow in your eyes. “I’ve been okay. How about you?”

Jinyoung clasps his hands together as if expecting your response. He only stares at you, like he’s rehearsing a scenario in his head. “I’m fine. Much better,” he answers, and you release the breath you didn’t know you’ve been holding.

“Look, Y/N. I just want to apologize for everything I did back in high school. It must’ve been tough for you.”

You shake your head while he’s smiling at you, as if knowing how you’ll react—once again. “No, Jinyoung. I’m sorry for leaving you when you needed me the most.”

The Jinyoung sitting in front of you right now is the extreme opposite of the Jinyoung you left. He’s no longer drowned. He’s no longer lost. He’s alive and well and whole, like the first love you cherished and treasured.

“I was angry at you for a long time,” Jinyoung confesses. “One day I found my old phone, the one I used before we broke up.”

“I read all the messages you sent me. You asked me whether I ate, whether I felt okay. You panicked when I skipped school. You apologized; damn you kept saying sorry although I was the one being an asshole.”

“It’s okay. You were grieving—”

“That’s not a reason,” Jinyoung says. “I thought I was the most miserable person on Earth. Maybe I was, to some extent. But then I realized that you were hurting too. You were close to my brother as well.”

“I wasn’t the only one who lost him. You did too. And then you lost me.”

Jinyoung chuckles when he sees you tearing up. “Don’t cry,” he coos, patting your head. “I thought I was alone, that nobody understood me. But you were there. Felix was there. Everybody was trying to understand me.”

“Felix told me you have a boyfriend now?” he asks.

You almost nod your head. “I don’t know anymore.”

Jinyoung smiles knowingly (now that you think about it, Jinyoung really reminds you of Seungmin), offering you tissues to wipe your tears. “You’ll figure it out, you’re not a bad person, Y/N. I’ll testify for you if you need me to!”

No matter what side you’re on—good or evil, love or hate, truth or lie—the choices will always be there, ready to attack you at the most unpredictable time. You won’t call yourself a good person; God you probably don’t deserve even half the things you have right now. But you’re going to fight for them. You’re going to fight for Hyunjin.

So you smile, and this time it’s a genuine one.

-

“When are you guys going home?” Seungmin nags, glaring at you and Chaeyeon who are sprawled on his bed, laughing at random Instagram videos. The two of you barged into his house two hours ago, completely sabotaging his study session… on purpose.

“Come on, Kim Seungmin, get a life!” Chaeyeon replies as you sit up, eyeing him from head to toe. “You seem totally out of it. You okay?”

“Why won’t I be okay?”

Seungmin doesn’t really bottle up his emotions anymore, but there are times when he scares you with how flatly he dismisses questions about his well-being. “You’re not going through the same crisis as Hyunjin, are you?”

Chaeyeon sits up at your question, and Seungmin laughs. “I’m fine. I work hard, but I also play hard.”

“By going to hundreds of hiphop concerts?” Chaeyeon teases.

He rolls his eyes at her. “I have other friends, for God’s sake. Didn’t you guys see all my Instagram updates?”

When neither of you responds, Seungmin grabs a notebook from his desk. He flips through the pages quickly before stopping on a page full of flowcharts and notes. “I’m starting a project. I hope I can somehow use this as my graduation project. If not, well then, I’m screwed.”

Chaeyeon takes the notebook from him, humming in approval as she reads all the details. “You’re starting a website? For kids like us? What do you mean?”

“I went through so much shit after I told my parents I wanted to become a baseball player,” Seungmin explains. “Then I got into singing, but I never want to go through that again. It was hard, but things got better eventually. I enjoy what I’m doing now.” He turns to you. “So, to answer your question, no. I’m not going through the same thing Hyunjin is dealing with now.”

You give him a playful smirk. “Although Seo Changbin signed with KIA Tigers?”

“Although Seo Changbin signed with KIA Tigers.”

Chaeyeon fakes a yawn while she, in fact, is hiding a smile. “Sooo… in conclusion?”

“There are kids like me, and then there are kids like Hyunjin, who will never be able to live peacefully before doing what they’re really passionate about,” he continues. “There are kids like Jisung who can be so confident and insecure all at once.”

“In conclusion, I want to create a space for everybody. To let them know that there will always be a place for them no matter what kind of shit they’re dealing with. That’s it. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk!”

Now Seungmin is exchanging looks with Chaeyeon, and you figure it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room.

“Let me get this clear. You and Hyunjin didn’t break up, right?” Chaeyeon asks, munching on the potato chips she’s sharing with Seungmin.

“None of us said that word, but I don’t think that’s important now.”

“How is that not important?” Chaeyeon presses, and suddenly you realize how weird the situation is. You’re talking about your relationship with Hyunjin with Chaeyeon—who had feelings for Hyunjin and Seungmin—who had feelings for you.

“Let’s talk about that later.”

“Y/N.”

Chaeyeon sighs, grabbing your slumped shoulder so she can look directly into your eyes. “I had a crush on Hyunjin. You love Hyunjin. That’s a whole different case. You can talk to me.”

“I didn’t sing in front of the whole school for you guys to break up like this,” Seungmin says, causing you to blush when you remember that he dedicated Day6’s First Time to you. You have to admit that you haven’t listened to the song ever since he did that.

“I let Hyunjin down.”

“Everyone lets somebody down,” Seungmin replies.

“Yeah. Thesedays Jisung always calls me in the wee hours in the morning and I never pick up. Now he’s sulking."

“Lee Chaeyeon, you and Jisung are practically dating.”

“We’re not!”

Seungmin mimics Chaeyeon’s expression before punching her shoulder playfully. “He’s just too scared to confess and you’re just too proud to admit that you like him.”

“Stop it!”

-

Jeongin has bombarded you with messages, but all of them can be summed up into one sentence: Hwang Hyunjin is a mess. You’ve been waiting for the right time to talk to him, but now you find it ironic.

You’re looking, searching, yearning for the right time while losing it at the same time.

After Seungmin and Chaeyeon convinced you to stop dragging this around, you finally texted Hyunjin. Now you’re alone in the middle of the night, reading Hyunjin’s simple “okay” after you asked him to meet you at a small playground near your dormitory where you often hang out together. A familiar shadow walks in your direction, and before you can stop yourself, you have run towards it.

Luckily, it does turn out to be Hyunjin.

“Hey.”

He stops, frowning when he notices that you’re not wearing any jacket. “It’s cold,” he comments in a disapproving tone, but you only shake your head. “I’m fine.”

“Y/N.”

“We have more important things to talk about than me not wearing jacket, Hwang Hyunjin.”

“Okay,” he replies, leading you to one of the benches. Hyunjin takes off his jacket and drapes it around your shoulders. You inhale, staring into his tired eyes and you want to kill yourself for making him even more miserable than he already is.

“I’m in love with you,” you mutter, using the exact same words he used when he first confessed to you. Hyunjin blinks before averting his gaze to a stray dog near the bushes. “How can you be in love with me? Not the one everyone knows, but me.”

“Because you’re my Hyunjin. I love the smiley, clingy, energetic, hard-working, brave, and somehow flirty Hyunjin. But then I realized that even if you’re struggling or stressing out or feeling lost… you’re still you. You’re still the one I’m in love with.”

“Who do you talk to when you feel sad?” he asks firmly. “Not me, right?”

Hyunjin’s eyes don’t seem tired anymore. They’re now burning with anger, and you have no idea how to respond to that. He then pulls you into his embrace, caressing your hair softly although you can feel how upset he is. “I wanted to be angry at you but this is happening because of me. You’re tired, sad, and confused because of me. I’m dragging you down.”

“You’re not,” you counter. “There are times when I’m lost too, Hyunjin. But no, I don’t want to leave.”

He pulls away, sighing as you smile at him. “I’m sorry,” he pleads. “Am I being selfish if I still want to start over? I want to take care of you, Y/N. I want to listen to your rambles, I want to eat ice cream at 1AM during winter with you, and I want to wake up to you calling me Jinjin. But I also want to hug you when you feel sad, I want to hear all your problems, I want to help you solve them. Just like what you’ve been doing for me all this time.”

He starts to smile as well when yours get wider. “No,” you answer, tucking your head in the crook of his neck. “That means you love me.”

“I do,” he quickly says, wrapping his arms around you again like he’s afraid that you will change your mind. “I don’t deserve you, but will you let me try?”

You hum, relishing the comfort of his body heat as he lifts you so that you’ll sit on his lap. “Do you want me to sneak you inside the dorm?” Hyunjin offers, trying to take out his phone from his back pocket.

“You have a ball of sass as your roommate,” you remind him. Jeongin will roast you for another fifty years if you end up sneaking in and kicking him out of his own room, even though you’re sure that Hyunjin will have to endure more than that.

After making exaggerated scenarios of how Jeongin will react if Hyunjin really ends up bringing you back, you spend the rest of the night curling up in Hyunjin’s arms, constantly checking if there are people around. Your boyfriend, meanwhile, makes it clear that he doesn’t give a damn. He kisses your cheeks every 2 minutes (you’re shamelessly counting and proud of it), listening to all sorts of stories you tell him.

“What are you going to do now? Are you going to drop out?”

“No. I haven’t told my parents anything,” Hyunjin states. “I’ll just start dancing again for now.”

He shifts under you, lifting your chin to look into your eyes. “Are you feeling better?” he whispers, his gaze mirroring his shaky voice.

“You’re here. How can I not feel better?”

Hyunjin beams at you as he leans closer to crash his lips on yours. “I’ve missed you,” he rasps, cupping your face to kiss you harder. You want to reply, but everytime his lips make contact with yours, you feel dizzy. Hyunjin whines when you’re pulling away, so you comply, letting him kiss you more slowly. He then trails open-mouthed kisses along your jawline and neck before nipping your collarbone. “Jinjin,” you call out breathlessly.

He looks up. “Hmm?”

“Just promise me one thing.” You reach for his hand, feeling his slender fingers wrap yours in an instant. “Don’t ever let me go.”

“I promise.”

-

“You’re friends with CB97 and never told me about it. I’m rioting!” Jeongin stomps his feet on the ground as he has his ticket checked. Jisung and Chan are Show Me the Money’s newest winner and runner-up respectively, and the two are inviting all of you to their first solo concert.

Felix is recording his surroundings with his phone, pushing Jeongin’s head out of his way as he’s shooting the empty stage. “Jisung will take photos with us, right Y/N?”

“Why are you so obsessed with taking photos with Jisung?” Hyunjin shudders. “I swear it’s nothing special.”

The freckled boy points at his phone. “Gotta do it for the ‘gram, man.”

Mina, who just arrived in Seoul this morning, waves her phone in front of you and Hyunjin. “I have a surprise for you, Hwang Hyunjin!” she squeals as Chaeyeon grabs her phone to read news from an entertainment website.

“Ballerina Myoui Mina has been added to the Dancing with the Stars lineup,” she reads loudly. Seungmin, Jeongin, and Felix clap at this while you and Chaeyeon are grinning, knowing what the news is about.

“When asked about whom her partner, she said,” Chaeyeon pauses, gesturing at Mina to deliver the good news herself.

Mina clears her throat. “She said, ‘This has never been done before but I begged the producers to cast a friend of mine.’ “

Hyunjin perks up at the word friend, but says nothing while Seungmin mutters a surprised, “Ah!”

“’And that friend is my best friend from high school, Hwang Hyunjin.’”

All of you gather around Hyunjin, giving him a tight group hug. Other people are eyeing you with annoyance but none of you cares. Seungmin and Jeongin are beyond ecstatic, trying to attack the tall boy with kisses.

“Myoui Mina!” Hyunjin exclaims as he shoves Jeongin off. “You’re the best!” he shouts, causing Mina to laugh. Everyone has realized that the graceful and famous Mina is here in the middle of audience; they’re now snapping photos of her while whispering to each other. 

“Oh anyways, I also have a surprise for you.” Hyunjin takes out his phone to show you a poster of Lee Jungjin. “He’s holding a concert. I’ve booked tickets for us.”

You squeal, smooching his cheek hard. “I’m proud of you. So proud.”

The music is getting louder and soon, Jisung appears on stage. He just stands there, looking at his fans with so much gratitude. “He’s looking at them like that but can you guys guess what he’s thinking about?” Chaeyeon asks.

“Hmm… he’s forgetting his lyrics?” Seungmin guesses.

Jeongin adds, “He forgot his lyrics and now writing the new one inside his head.”

“This is Han Jisung we’re talking about,” Chaeyeon scoffs. “Pay attention. He wants to pee.”

You snort, about to voice out a witty reply but Jisung has greeted the audience. “Chan and I originally wanted to start with a club banger. But then we decided to dedicate our first and last songs to our loved ones, especially to our friends and family who are here today.”

He points at your direction, waving back at Mina who can barely contain her excitement. “I started writing this song during high school, when I was insecure and unsure about what I wanted to do,” Jisung continues. “I just found out recently that I never finished writing it, so I did it and now I’m going to perform it for the first time.”

The crowd goes wild as the instrumental starts to play. “This is for my friends, my family; the ones who never leave no matter how many times I’ve made them worried.”

“Also, Lee Chaeyeon!”

Jisung stops to locate Chaeyeon, smiling when he finds his girlfriend fiddling with the hem of her blouse, feeling uncomfortable with the attention she’s getting. “Don’t worry, you’ll hear the song I wrote just for you later.”

He smirks, eyes glinting with mischief that always annoys Chaeyeon. “I’m breaking up with him,” she mutters through gritted teeth while glancing at her shoes. “I set my Instagram to private because of this bastard and his popularity and now he’s embarrassing me in public! He’s dead.”

Mina giggles, forcing her to look at the stage because Jisung continues to stare at her (and all of you). When Chaeyeon finally looks up, he gives her a different kind of smile you’ve never seen before. “This is ‘I See,’” he announces.

“Truthfully I’m very much weak-hearted

If the night is really dark, I’ll be too scared to sleep.”

Hyunjin glances at you, who’s burying your face in his chest because you’re crying. He chuckles, wrapping his arm around you. “Was this one of the songs you read on his notebook?” You nod, sobbing harder as Chaeyeon approaches you with teary eyes. She hugs you from the side, crying along with you.

“Eh eh thank you for worrying about me.

Thank you!”

Soon, all of you are huddled together, with the girls crying and the boys cursing at Jisung for making them cry too. “I can’t believe I’m tearing up at what Han Jisung is rapping,” Seungmin sniffles, smacking Hyunjin on his back when the latter laughs at him.

Jisung crouches down as he gets to the last few lines, wiping his own tears. “He’s already crying and it’s only the first song. Unbelievable,” Chaeyeon sobs.

“Just wait right there, I’ll reach it someday

Stop the clock for a while

The flower will blossom someday

This rocky fantasy

I’ll make sure that I’ll reach that mirage and catch you.”

“J.ONEEEEEEEEE!” you shout as the song comes to an end. You look at each of your friends; Felix who’s gone through everything with you, Mina who’s helped you to feel better about yourself, Seungmin who’s sacrificed a lot for everyone, Chaeyeon and Jeongin who have always been honest to you, and Jisung who’s made you feel loved and appreciated.

And then there’s Hyunjin.

He may not always be the dreamy, mesmerizing Hyunjin you fell in love with back in high school. But this Hyunjin—the one who’s facing his demons, the one who’s showering you with more and more love each day, the one who’s fighting for his dreams—is the Hyunjin whom you want to spend the rest of your life with.

“Mina, will you take a photo with me too?” Felix suddenly asks as Chan enters the stage.

“Lee Felix, stop being such a fanboy!” you protest.

Mina nods, flashing Felix her sweetest smile. “Sure! Who else wants a pic with me?”

Seungmin turns to Felix, wiggling his finger in front him. “Don’t do it,” he warns. “I did that once and my comment section was flooded with my friends asking me to introduce them to her.”

“Shut up!” Chaeyeon snaps. “Please appreciate my boyfriend who’s invited all of you to this holy concert.” 

“You want to break up with him, remember?” Hyunjin jokes.

Everyone bursts into a hearty laugh, and you realize how far all of you have come. You and your best friends have survived many obstacles together, and you’re sure there will be more hardships in the future. But you’ll be fine. You have each other, and it’s safe to say that all of you have made a silent promise to always hold each other’s hands. To never let go.

-

* a convenience store in Korea

AND THATS IT!!!! I’ve finished the most tiring project ever. I hope you can somehow relate to this and feel better about yourself. I really love our little group of friends, I love writing about them a lot. Oh, the translation for I See’s lyrics (this is one of Jisung’s solo mixtape anyways!) belongs to @/seungmnis on Twitter! 

[leejeongz]

Stray kids reaction to their s/o getting injured playing sports

😘thanks for the request!! I hope you like it. I only did the first part of your ask I’m super sorry!!! It’s just that’s where I could write more, I hope you don’t mind😘

😊FYI when I say football, I mean soccer!! It’s just I’m British and saying soccer makes me cry lol😊

Bang Chan:

It was your biggest match ever and things just kept going from bad to worse. First your doubles partner tells you they’re sick so they might not play to their best, then your parents call to tell you they can’t make it and finally and possible the most ridiculous of them all, you fell down the stairs this morning and really hurt your ankle.

The moment is here, the biggest match of your life so far, and you serve first. You jumped up from your crouched position, letting go of the ball as you did so. The serve was great, and ace in fact, however your landing from the jump... not so great. You fell to the ground in agony and the game stopped, a few medics at the tennis club rushing to you accompanied by your boyfriend Chris. The concern in his eyes made you feel guilty, after all it was just a twisted ankle nothing particularly major but Chris didn’t care what it was, he never wanted to see you hurt.

The game was called off and you were told you could go home after getting your foot wrapped. Chan carried you all the way home, apologising for not bringing his car. When you reached your house he took you to your bed and tucked you in even though it wasn’t even close to night time. He went to get you some pain killers and a glass of water and upon return decided to grab your favourite comfort food, ice cream! He couldn’t bare the thought of you in pain and tried to gather everything he could to make you happy, but little did he know all you wanted was him.

Woojin:

The clock struck 12 and you were all called into the studio, leaving friends and family in the waiting room. One of the biggest dance teams was holding auditions and Woojin had encouraged you to go. You were amazing at dancing after all. You never expected the audition to be in front of everyone, you thought maybe just the dance captain and a few other important people, but no, it was everyone.

You weren’t going to lie, not having Woojin there made you slightly more anxious but there was no way you were messing this up. You were called up to dance towards the end, a lot of the “audience” were becoming bored so they weren’t really paying attention, which you were thankful for when you tried to execute a one handed cartwheel but collapsed. You stood up and ran out of the studio to the best of your ability, holding your arm and trying not to cry. Woojin quickly stood up and went to hug you but he saw your arm and how you were protecting it. Without saying anything he grabbed your other arm and rushed you to A&E, only then asking you want happened.

You discovered it was a sprain and the nurses gave you strict instructions of what to do and what not to do, Woojin listening intently so he could look after you to the best of his ability. Upon returning home, he asked you if you wanted him to stay the night, but you didn’t really have a choice. He told you to sit down on the sofa while he made dinner for the two of you, even asking if you wanted him to feed you, half joking half not.

Lee Know:

You were extremely prone to injury, only yesterday walking into the side of the bed and stubbing your toe. This definitely wasn’t a good thing when it came to sport but you enjoyed it so much, field hockey being the one you were most passionate about. Today was the semi finals of a national competition and as much as he protested because “it was boring” you forced Minho to watch. He sat in the crowd the first half of the game, watching with a close eye making sure the other team weren’t playing dirty. The second half however, he sat back in his chair and watched you play, as ungraceful as hockey was, you still looked beautiful and he couldn’t take his eyes off you. Which is why he was the first to notice when someone on the opposing team tried to Ariel flick the ball and failed, hitting your chest with extreme force. Struggling to breathe you signalled to your manager that you wanted to come off. You walked straight into the tunnel, leaving your teammates on the bench in bewilderment. Minho had rushed down to you, somehow getting past all of security. He hugged you which he realised then wasn’t the greatest idea but it was the thought that mattered. Your manager broke up the meeting and told you to see the medical team so you did so, holding Minho’s hand the whole time hoping to forget the pain. In order to make you forget about it, Minho kept making jokes, but that only made your chest hurt more and made the nurse fall in love with Minho more, but who could blame them. When you were discharged, Minho didn’t let you out of his sight. Not that he’d admit it but he really did feel like crying for you. For you to be in so much pain and for it to draw you from your favourite sport he knew must have been bad and it hurt him to see that, after all he was your protector and he let something bad happen to the baby.

Changbin:

Your first day back training with your football team. You missed them all so much and you couldn’t wait to introduce them all to your boyfriend after the training session. You started off gently, simple penalties and a few passing drills. As stupid as it sounds, during one of these drills, you stopped the ball with the sole of your foot then unconsciously moved your foot forward causing you to fall back. At first it was funny, actually it never stopped being funny, but it didn’t half hurt your spine when you fell back.

Your coach told you to sit at the side until training was over, not wanting to hurt your back anymore. After a few more drill it was finally time to go, Changbin coming up to the side of the pitch looking for you. You stood up with pain shooting through you and walked as normally as you could over to Changbin who noticed something was off. He wrapped his arm around the middle of you back and told you that he had you, all your friends whooping in the background. Changbin smiles to himself then at you, but he noticed you were still wincing in pain. He walked a little quicker, practically carrying you this time. The dorms were closer than your house so you went there instead. The boys tried to talk to you which you obviously didn’t mind but Changbin fended they off, almost dragging you to his and Chan’s room and making you lay down in his bed. He joined you, careful not to hurt you even though the pain had pretty much gone now and made a fuss of you until you were asleep. No matter how many time you told him it no longer hurt, Changbin wasn’t having it and continued to give you back rubs while giving you little pecks on your lips occasionally.

(This gif is EVERYTHING I’m not a Changbin stan I s w e a r)

Hyunjin:

You and Hyunjin often went swimming together, it was like your thing. The pair of you were known there by many and you had lots of friends who also swam there. You never really classed it as sport or “working out” because it was just so fun. The pair of you would just swim around, sometimes racing against each other for fun. Back stroke with neither of yours strong points so that’s what you chose to focus on. After about half an hour, and after the few days of practicing beforehand, you hosted your weekly mini race. You were behind him slightly so you decided you try even harder. Not realising the wall was so close, you bashed the top of your head on it. Your jaws snapped together and your eyes shut, hoping it would dull the pain a little. You didn’t realised the sound was so loud. Since it was only you and Hyunjin in the pool it wasn’t too embarrassing. The life guard came over to check on you and to help you out of the pool, followed by Hyunjin who was trying his hardest to keep up with you after tiring himself out in the pool. You sat on the plastic chairs by the side of the pool and you thanked the life guard telling him you were okay now. Hyunjin knelt in front of you with sorry eyes. His hands rested on your thighs and after a while he stood up and kissed your soaking wet hair, right where you bumped your head. You stood up too, grabbing his hand and telling him to get changed and wait for you in the reception area. You were constantly on his mind while you changed. What if you’d fainted in there? What if no one was in there to look after you if anything bad happened? Just as he went to text you, you came out and smiled at him. He rushed over and hugged you asking if you felt okay, promising that if you didn’t he’d take great care of you, but he did that anyway.

Jisung:

Juxtaposing Jisung’s hatred for sport and physical activity, you loved sport! Your running team was your second family (Stray Kids being a close third) and you don’t know what you’d do without them. Your school entered you into a competition meaning you’d have to go against your running friends, but that didn’t stop you from giving it your all. You started on the inside lane, you didn’t really have a choice since you were the last to arrive. To your right you spotted 2 other members of your “squad” and you wished them luck, them doing the same back to you and then to each other. You then turned to see Jisung in the stalls with a massive sign, ready to cheer you on. The pistol went and every runner gathered to the inside lane pretty quickly, legging you up and leaving you face first on the track. You chin was cut open and your knees, elbows and hands all grazed. You hobbled of the track, assisted by one of the event staff who took you up to the “first aid station” where they wiped your chin and all the dirt from you and the staff took you up to Jisung who already has his jacket off, prepared to wrap you up in. With that now around your shoulder and Jisung’s arm around you, you felt immediately better, cheering on your team mates because of you can’t win then you hoped they could. Jisung looked at you with admiration and planted an unexpected kiss on your cheek. You were injured, yet that still didn’t stop you from being the best friend anyone could ever wish for, and also being the best s/o he could ever wish for. But that didn’t stop him teasing you about your chin.

Felix:

Badminton was such a vital part of your life. You played every day at the local sports centre and entered yourself into every competition, winning them all with Felix cheering from the side of the court after every point winning hit. You were friends with all the people who went to the same centre too, you often played against them and it was good practice.

One day, after school, you and a close friend, along with Felix who just went to watch, decided to go and play even though you’d already been there in the morning. They told you of the new racquet they’d purchased and how light it was compared to their old one. A few sets down and you were both beginning to get tired, your friend more than you. The shuttlecock came toward them and they swung their racquet in an unusual movement, it came straight out of their hand and hit you in the face. You held back the tears and forgave them straight away, knowing your friend didn’t mean it. They both rushed towards you and Felix politely told you friend to go home and get some rest. He held your face and checked for injuries, nothing visible, he confirmed.

You returned home and he gave you an ice pack with a towel wrapped around it to place on your face where ever it hurt. He sat next to you on the sofa and brushed his arm against yours. No matter what was happening, Felix always stayed playful and cheerful which you were super happy about. He challenged you to a game of mario kart which of course he let you win and later ordered your favourite take out as your prize.

Seungmin:

You never really played sport, preferring to stay at home where you couldn’t get hurt. Seungmin had bugged you since you guys had started dating that he was gonna teach you how to play cricket, once he learnt too. He’d been going to lessons with your dad, in hopes your father would like him more, even though he already loved him. Finally the day had come and you’d agreed to go to the park with him and all his “relevant” sports gear which seemed pretty excessive to you. He told you that you could bat first and showed you how to hold the bat like the real players do. You stood impatiently waiting for him to throw the two coloured ball at you while he teased you, pretending to throw the ball but not actually letting go. When he did throw it, you were ready, you swung the bat back and you felt something weird in your back. You’d pulled a muscle, great. You couldn’t face telling Seungmin, he wanted to do this for so long and you didn’t want to ruin it now. You continued in great pain, you hit the ball and returned to your normal stature letting out a little grunt in pain. He rushed over and you dropped the bat instinctively. He rubbed your back, knowing exactly what you had done, telling you how silly you were not to tell him. He picked the bat up and packed away all his equipment, keeping an eye on you as he did so. He walked you back to the dorms where you were sleeping that night and supplied you with a hot pack and some soup like his mother used to do after he hurt himself during a baseball game. Of course he’d tease you slightly, laughing at how you did it on your first swing, but you’d obviously give it back to him, bringing up all his injuries from his baseball career as a little boy.

I.N:

Cheerleading was your thing! You were cheer captain since you came to the school and rightly so, you were so talented and everyone knew it. But of course there was always someone on the team who was jealous. The start of a new year meant new comers, all of which thought they deserved your spot more than you. You were always at the top of the pyramid but just to please this one girl, you said she could be at the top, you joining your best friend on the next layer down. Practicing was fine, it all went really smoothly and the girl above you was super light.

The night finally came of the big game and you all prepared to do the pyramid after doing a little bit of the routine. The bottom few layers formed and you and your friend stretched slightly but you couldn’t concentrate on that when you saw your boyfriend in the audience with a huge smile on his face. This was the first time he’d ever seen you perform and he was not disappointed. You and your friends reached the top and the girl climbed on top of you. Something felt strange, a numb feeling making its way across your back as the girl above you dug her knee in harder. You couldn’t take it anymore. You collapsed under her and caused the whole pyramid to fall somehow. You ran off the pitch crying, you weren’t in too much pain but you knew that was your cheerleading career over. Jeongin rushed down, spotting you and sprinting towards you. He extended his arms and his hands gripped hold of your upper arms telling you that everything was going to be okay. He swung his back pack around and handed you a tissue before putting a hand on your back and accompanying you to the door of the changing rooms.

Gifs aren’t mine

[yeoshroom]

Chocolate Milk↬

I wonder what their lips taste like.

Synopsis: While chocolate milk stained your wrist, your hand stained his heart.

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: hhhh cussing??

Theme: soulmate au, fluff

Growing up, you were fascinated with the idea of soulmates. The entire basis, outline, and just the thought of having someone you were destined to be with was endearing and adorable in your seven-year-old mind.

But as you grew up, you lost faith. 

Your sign was different than others. You didn’t see your soulmate in dreams, you didn’t have a lack of color, you could only taste what you were eating, no red string was attached to you, no words were etched on your skin to show what the first thing they’d say was, no wacky drawing or words suddenly appeared on your skin whenever, it was none of that. Instead, you had a rare sign.

It was a tattoo. But not a regular tattoo.

It was a tattoo of the first object connected to them that would touch you.

For instance, say your soulmate tapped you with their pen on your hand to get your attention. There would be a tattoo of that pen on your hand.

You found it odd considering your tattoo was a chocolate milk carton, colored in and everything. The smallest details relevant in the drawing.

Often you’d find yourself tracing the image while you sat in class, bored out of your mind. 

Your friend Felix would always color it pink when at lunch because he thought Strawberry milk was much better than chocolate. He always joked around at lunch and would throw his empty cartons at you.

“hEY y/n LOOK! I’M YOUR SOULMATE! See! PiNk CaRTON!” he would screech out as you rolled your eyes playfully at him while your other friends scolded him.

“YAH! FELIX! YOU’RE MINE YOU IDIOT!” Changbin, your other friend, would yell. Engulfing Felix into a tight hug. If you couldn’t tell before, they’re soulmates.

Seungmin and Jisung were the other two who sat at lunch with the three of you.

Seungmin held weekly debates at the lunch table. He always got Changbin to join the debate and since he was so gullible, he did. But he always ended up losing and having to pay Seungmin.

Jisung was part of the art club. He spent his time drawing caricatures of everyone at the table and would always purposefully mess up on Changbin.

It was like a silent given rule that everyone, including Felix, picked on Changbin since he was a Senior who hung out with a group of Juniors.

Jisung liked drawing your tattoo in particular, always finding a way to make it new and creative.

Lunch was always the best part of the day, but it’d get even better soon.

“Why can’t Seungmin or Jisung just be my soulmate?” you cried out, as Jisung basically dragged you to the first period of the day.

“I’m very offended at the fact that I’m not even a choice to be your soul— YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND FELIX!” The three of you shouted in unison at the Austrailian boy, as he nodded his head with a smile, probably thinking back to when Changbin gave him a goodbye kiss just minutes ago.

Finally plopping you down into your seat, Jisung pulled his chair out between you and Seungmin, following your actions. “Wake me up when class is over.” he huffed out, burying his head into his arms.

You pouted at Jisung’s tired figure and patted his hair softly. “Let’s sell him to a tribe for money.” Seungmin whispered earning a muffled ‘i heard that’ from Jisung.

“Isn’t that like a human sacrifice?” You asked and Seungmin just shrugged.

“Depends on if we’re sacrificing Han Jisung the human or Han Jisung the squirrel.” he said, causing Felix to choke on his water.

“Take that back if you wanna live.” Jisung threatened, sitting up and looking at Seungmin.

The younger cocked an eyebrow and faced the front to where the teacher was standing.

“Bold of you to assume I wanna live.” 

“SEUNGMIN WHAT THE FUCK!” Felix wheezed, while you started laughing as well, leaving Jisung just looking at Seungmin in awe.

“Seungmin scares the shit out of me sometimes.” Jisung said with a mesmerized faltered smile.

“Okay class listen up!” The teacher called out, everyone’s attention turning to the front.

“We have a new student today. He’s come all the way from the states, but he is very fluent in korean— ooh another debate victim.” Seungmin whispered to himself, but loud enough for the three of you to hear.

“Please welcome, Hwang Hyunjin!” the teacher exclaimed and as you looked up from scribbling in your notebook, you saw a whole ass art piece.

The boy in front of you radiated some type of aura that you just couldn’t identify, but you loved every once of sunlight that just seemed to bounce off of him.

He bit down on his bottom lip, probably nervous of all the eyes on him. He looked down at his shoelaces, paying extra attention to how white the new laces were compared to his old ones.

“Choose where you’d like to sit, Hyunjin! Don’t be shy, no one bites. Choose wisely though, some are stranger than others.” She said the last part a little quietly, making everyone stifle a laugh, knowing who she was referring to.

“Mrs. Kim! It was one time! It was cat day and you really thought I WASN’T about to show off my precious cats?” Minho said, but I laughed harder as I saw him stuffing the same glitter covered photo album back into his backpack.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin scanned the room and his eyes gravitated to you.

The way you smiled and laughed at Minho instead of fangirling over Hyunjin made the boy sigh in relief, knowing he’d be able to sit somewhere safe. At least he hoped. 

“I’ll sit back there.” He said softly, pointing to the empty seat beside you.

The other girls pouted and sent glares your way, not really knowing why he’d choose to sit with you instead of them.

Tightening his sweaty palms around his bookbag straps, he huffed out some air and made his way down the aisle, making sure not to trip or do anything stupid.

As he pulled out the chair, the four of you turned to face him with gleaming smiles, causing him to smile in return.

“Hi, my name’s y/n. This is Jisung, Seungmin, and Felix!” you said softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

“My name’s Hyunjin.” he said back and you could basically hear the smile in his voice.

“Don’t worry about having trouble with finding a group of friends. We definitely need a new addition to the group considering some are getting more weird as life goes on.” you breathed out with a chuckle, glancing at Felix as he tried his very best to balance an eraser on top of a standing pencil.

You heard Hyunjin’s wholehearted laugh and it was like music to your ears. Like you really just wanted to put that on a record player and listen to it forever.

“I hope we can become really good friends.”

“FOR FUCKSAKE CALM DOWN!” Seungmin yelled at Felix, as Felix danced around the halls like a ballerina, with the four of you trailing behind, one of them being Hyunjin.

“Why is he so hyper?” Hyunjin asked, tugging his books closer to his chest.

“Well It’s probably because lunch is where we’re heading to and he’s either really happy to go eat, really happy to see his boyfriend or both.” you guessed, noting that those were the only reasonable options.

“Boyfriend like?...y’know?” Hyunjin asked, causing you to smile a bit. When you smiled he could feel his heart beating against his chest and he knew this wasn’t healthy.

“They’re soulmates.” you clarified, and Hyunjin leaned his head back while letting out an ‘ahh’ in understanding.

“sO Hyunjin. Wanna have a debate with me at lunch?” 

“SAY NO!”

“whomst the fuck are you?” was the first thing Changbin said to Hyunjin.

“What’s your problem Binnie? He’s new, let him be.” Jisung clarified and Changbin shook his head, as we all took our seats.

“No, it’s just that like. wow. like. WOW. You’re good looking. Like I need you to leave please.” Changbin said, and if you looked past him you could see Felix sitting there, his fry halfway in his mouth with the bitchiest face you’ve ever seen.

Trying to hold in your laugh, you turn to Hyunjin.

“That’s Changbin. He’s a loser. He’s also a senior and is in this SoundCloud group with his friend Chan and this other loser— hEY I’M NOT A LOSER!” Jisung yelled, cutting your explanation off.

“YOU’RE J.ONE?!” You screamed across the table, causing Seungmin and Felix’s eyes to widen.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!” Seungmin yelled, “WHAT THE FUCK! I COULD BE MAKING A PROFIT OFF YOU!”

“W-Wait. You’re the J.ONE? From 3RACHA?” Hyunjin stuttered and then he turned towards Changbin. “A-And you’re SpearB?” Hyunjin continued.

The two nodded slowly as a huge smile crept up on Hyunjin’s face.

“Wow, that’s so cool! I really look up to you guys and I really wanna be good at rapping just like you both!” He exclaimed, making the two and even you, smile.

“I can give you some pointers someday?” Jisung offered and Hyunjin smiled even more.

“COOL!” he yelled out, happy to know his favorite rapper said he’d give him pointers.

Hyunjin fanboy mode: ON

Lunch continued as usual and you all got to know Hyunjin and he got to know all of you.

You two had hit it off the best and had already exchanged numbers with each other. 

“We should hang out soon! I could show you around town!” You exclaimed while closing the cap on your water bottle.

He nodded with a smile as to say that he definitely would love that.

“So what do you think is more effective. Glade or Febreze?”

“SEUNGMIN!”

Two months had gone by and Hyunjin had adjusted just fine. You all went out together, had movie nights, went shopping, held birthday parties, you name it, you all most likely did it.

Hyunjin and you also grew closer. Skinship never happened mostly because he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable and let’s be honest, you had the hots for him. But of course, no one could know that.

You don’t know when it happened but one day you saw him laughing at Felix and how Seungmin tried to drop kick him during break. His smile grew wider and as he laughed, the pitch went an octave higher. His eyes squinted close and he just radiated perfection. Everything good.

Love, happiness, hope, light, comfort, safety. He felt like all of these things. He felt like home, and you hated it.

Because some nights you stayed up, crying to yourself, wishing that you were his soulmate and that he was yours. You felt such a magnetic pull to him that you thought the universe was taunting you too.

Of course, you could always go against fate and destiny and date him anyway. No one was stopping you. But who ever said he even felt the same?

“Hyunjin do you ever wonder where your soulmate is? Like who are they? What do they look like, what their voice sounds like.” you asked, trailing off as you looked at the ceiling from his bed, that you were sprawled out on.

“Yea I do, but I try not to dwell on it just in case maybe that person found someone else or just doesn’t wanna be with me.” he replied, not turning around from his desk and instead, doing his work.

You focused on the older’s back as you wondered why he would think such a thing. I mean like, if his soulmate was that dumb to not want him, you’d sweep in and love him unconditionally in a heartbeat.

“oh.” you airly let out, plopping back onto the bed.

“I wonder how my soulmate is gonna take a whole ass milk carton and touch my wrist with it. Like how does that even happen.” You said with a giggle, thinking of the many possible ways.

Hyunjin turned around and eyed the chocolate milk carton drawn on your wrist. and as you sat up a bit he looked at you, raising his eyebrow in question.

“I wonder what their lips taste like. Maybe they drink chocolate milk so much that it just leaves a taste, like as easy as strawberry lip balm does, y’know?” you rambled on, yet again plopping yourself down onto the bed.

Hyunjin stared at your figure and his eyes flickered from your wrists and to your lips.

“I wonder what your lips taste like.” he whispered softly.

“You say something jinnie?” You called out, making him nervous that you heard him.

“Oh all I said was, what if it happened like this!” he made up on the spot and he turned his chair around, grabbing his carton of chocolate milk and walking over to the bed.

He didn’t know where his sudden change in confidence came from but he knew he’d take advantage of it.

He leaned over you, and as he slowly and dramatically brought his hand down to your wrist, he made the sound of a falling object that you’d hear in cartoons.

As the carton hit right where the tattoo was he made a “SPLOOSH!” sound effect making you laugh, as his other hand held him up and steady, keeping him from falling on you.

“You’re such a dork!” You said while laughing, putting your right hand on his chest to try and push him off you.

“AHH!” You both suddenly screamed, him jumping off you while you sat up from the tiny shock.

“Did you feel that too?” you asked Hyunjin as he stared with wide eyes at the ground.

“Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Give me a second.” he huffed out, running into his bathroom, leaving you on his bed still very confused as to what just happened.

A few seconds later he bursted back into his room, pushing his hair back and when he spoke his voice was filled with hope and hesitation.

“Y/N. On your right hand. Is there a small little mole on your pinky finger right before your nail starts?” he asked and you sat up fully with a questioning look but nonetheless looked down at your hand.

“Yea, why?” you asked slowly and in that moment he seemed as if he was about to cry.

In a matter of seconds, he rushed over to you and tackled you in a hug, bringing both of you down on the bed as he buried his face into the crook of your neck.

“What’s wrong Hyunjin?” you asked still not understanding what was happening.

He pulled away and sat up and brought you with him. 

“I found you.” he said, brushing his thumb over your cheek slightly as if you could break if he pressed too hard.

“You mean...” you trailed off, already knowing the answer when he smiled and nodded his head.

Pulling you into his lap, you embraced each other with the greatest amount of joy and love. Anyone who walked into the room could feel the happiness you two radiated.

“God I’m so glad it’s you.” he said, his hold on you tightening as if you could fly away at any given moment.

“I wanted it to be you so badly.” you whispered, making the older smile, as he played with your hair.

As you two sat there in each other's arms for a moment, something popped into Hyunjin’s mind.

“You still wanna know what my lips taste like?” he asked, pulling away from your embrace, to see your beautiful face better.

Your cheeks turned a hue of pink and you looked down at your lap and then back up into his eyes.

Wrapping your hands around his neck, you admired his eyes for a quick second.

He watched you intently, noticing your every move, waiting to see if you still wanted to kiss your soulmate.

He watched how you cutely bit your lip and stared down at your lap one more time before making eye contact with him. You nodded as a smile spread across your face making Hyunjin smile.

The boy wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer as your lips connected, fireworks bursting in the both of you.

It was like kissing a cloud, but his lips were rough enough to let you know that this was reality and your reality was with Hwang Hyunjin.

The imperfect, yet perfect boy.

And yes. 

His lips did taste like chocolate milk.

[streetlight11]

Nets and Bandaids | pt 3 (final)

Summary: They were the strongest members in their respective teams and everyone looked up to them. Except, they could never seem to get along. One day when an incident happened during the seasonal championship, that changed everything between them.

Theme: University au, volleyball players au, enemies to lovers

Genre: fluff

WC: 2.6k

Pairing: Lee Minho x Reader

~~~

Part 1 || Part 2

The next day came and it was a Thursday morning. Y/N entered her morning class in which she happened to share with Seungmin. She took a seat beside him and had just taken out her laptop when both her phone and his, dinged at the same time. It was their group chat.

Just as she was about to reply in the group chat, she received a text from Minho privately. She opened his chat only to see him ask if she was going to the said party. With that being said, she texted him a response.

And then 5 seconds later, the group chat started sounding again.

With that, you couldn’t help but smile as you closed the chat when your lecturer walked in.

That weekend came in a flash as Chan, Changbin, Jisung, Mina and Yeri had met up earlier in the day to prepare the pool party at Chan’s family home. Mina and Jisung went to buy a lot of buffet cuisines while Yeri went to get snacks with Changbin.

Chan tidied the house and prepared some games they could play in the pool and also in the house such as water volleyball, board games, card games etc.

The rest of them either came on their own or together in a bunch. Y/N needed to run errands before heading off to Chan’s house so she was alone. When she arrived at the house, 12 out of 15 people were already there excluding herself. Those who still have yet to arrive were Jihyo, Hyunjin and Minho.

Y/N was still in her sweatpants and crop top as she stood by the snacks counter only to grab herself the big bottle of green tea and a plastic cup. However, she realized there were no ice cubes so she turned around just in time for Chan to top up the chips right beside her.

“Chan ah, do you have ice?” She asked.

“Oh, yeah. They’re in the freezer. The kitchen is down the hall to the left.” He said, pointing towards the right side of the house where there was a hallway.

She thanked him, proceeding to excuse herself. She entered his beautiful house, mindlessly admiring the interior of his family home only to make it in the big kitchen. She went over to the fridge only to open the freezer.

She was just letting the ice cubes plop into the cup when she flinched upon hearing a familiar voice coming from behind the freezer door.

“Hoarding the ice?” A soft chuckle accompanied his speech as she peeked past the door, only to see Minho walking closer to her with a very soft smile on his face.

“Was planning to until you mentioned it. Want some?” She asked, seeing him nod while stretching his hand out where he was holding a cup of lemon tea in his hand. After they were done, she was about to go back to join the others when Minho grabbed a hold of her wrist gently.

“How’s your lower abdomen? Does it still hurt?” He asked genuinely concerned.

“Occasionally it still does but it’s not a terrible pain.”

Minho slowly nodded as the room fell silent, both suddenly shy from the small little cuddle they had that night in the bus. Ever since that day, neither of them really acknowledged it properly even though the rest of them already knew about it since the 5 kids couldn’t keep their mouth shut. 

But even so, both of them weren’t bothered by the fact that their friends saw it. They just didn't know how to acknowledge the situation to each other. With that being said, he decided to break the ice first.

“We should probably head back before those minions start to have weird ass thoughts.” 

“Yeah, we really should…” She said with a light giggle. They both made their way back to the backyard. Jihyo, Mina, Jisoo and Jennie unfortunately couldn’t join them in the pool due to their monthly mother nature calls. Yeri, Lisa and Chungha were already in the pool along with the rest of the guys while Y/N was still seated with the rest of the girls.

“Y/N! Are you on your red light?” Yeri asked with a small pout. The others were now focused on her.

“Umm, n-no?”

“Then what are you doing there? Come here with us!”

Mina beckoned from the other side of the pool as Y/N told her she would join them in a minute. Just then, before she could resume talking to the rest of the girls, she saw Changbin quickly get out of the pool only for Y/N to start running away.

“Seo Changbin! Wait! Let me change at least for God's sake!” Y/N yelled, desperately running around the pool. Changbin however was a tad bit faster as he wrapped his arms around her waist, making her all wet. A shriek left her lips when he lifted her bridal style and soon walked towards the pool.

“Bin ah! Bin ah, wait! Put me down!” She screamed, slapping his chest repeatedly only for the boy to smirk as he stuck his tongue out at her.

“Too late.”

With that, he plunged into the pool with her in his arms, soaking her from head to toe. They resurfaced to gasp for air as she pushed her hair out of her face. She splashed a good amount of water on him in annoyance.

“Seo Changbin! I’m gonna kill you!”

“Hey, I got you in here, noona.”

“I didn’t bring any extra clothes with me, you idiot!”

That’s when his face fell when he realised he fucked up, only for him to apologize as she sighed, knowing she could never be mad at them for too long.

“Oh shit, noona I’m so sorry…” Changbin apologized. She shook her head and told him it was fine before she left the pool.

Minho was silently watching her walk to her bag. She quietly took out her towel and wrapped it around her lower body before she asked Chan where his bathroom was. She took off her sweatpants and squeezed it to get rid of the excess water before hanging it over one of the chairs.

About 15 minutes later, she came back out with a two piece swimsuit and a white see through shirt over it to cover her body since she wasn’t really comfortable with showing her skin openly and a pair of thin shorts.

She hung her wet shirt and towel on the chair before walking over to the pool while tying her hair in a low bun.

“Y/N! Whose team do you wanna join?” Jisung asked as she stared at both sides of the pool.

“Are you guys in your teams already?”

“Not yet but Changbin and Lisa are the captains.” Jisung giggled, making her turn to Lisa with a smile.

“Lalisa? Captain? Wow. I’m impressed.” Y/N teased, earning a laugh from Lisa.

“You can be the captain if you want.” Lisa said, only for Y/N to shake her head.

“No thanks, I’d love to take a break for once.” Y/N said.

Just then, she glanced over only to lock eyes with Minho who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the pool from where she was standing. He had his arms resting on the edge of the pool as he gave her a soft smile, which made her heart pound against her chest. 

This feeling was still foreign to her because she would definitely not feel this way if it was a few months back.

“So, have you made up your mind or should we drag you to one side?” Hyunjin asked with a smirk while Changbin spoke up.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’m taking noona and Minho hyung first.” A smirk appeared on his face as Jisung grabbed Y/N’s hands who was just squatting down on the edge of the pool, dragging her in.

Once she was standing up straight, she couldn’t help but slap Jisung’s chest out of annoyance.

“Can you people stop pulling me in like that? Geez.” She scoffed as she swam past him to go towards the middle while  they started to divide into two teams of 6. Lisa, Mina, Yeri, Jeongin, Chan and Seungmin on one side and Changbin, Minho, Jisung, Hyunjin, Felix and Y/N on the other side.

The game started with them trying their best to move around but the water was making it impossible for them. Y/N’s team was leading with 5 points.

Minho passed the ball to Hyunjin who then passed it behind him where Y/N was and with one swift motion, she launched herself in the air only to dump the ball on their side, earning a solid win.

Her team cheered as Hyunjin and Jisung attacked her with hugs, causing her to submerge underwater. They resurfaced only for Changbin to dive under and soon slot his head in between her legs before he stood up, lifting her on his shoulders. 

A scream escaped her lips as she desperately cling onto Changbin’s hands that were on her thighs.

“Seo Changbin! Put me down!” She screamed. She watched as he tilted his head up with a playful smile dancing on his lips.

“Not yet.” Changbin said.

With that being said, he began to walk around the pool with her on his shoulder before he suggested a game of wrestling.

“Changbin ah, I’m scared…” Y/N whined as he reassured her saying that she’ll be fine and that he won’t make her injured. The game soon started with Yeri on Chan’s shoulder.

“Unnie… I’m sorry.” Yeri said in between laughs as she began to violently push Y/N off Changbin’s shoulders.

“Kim Yerim!” Y/N squeaked when the younger girl pushed her. In less than 5 minutes, Y/N was down. For what she thought would be a harsh impact, a strong pair of arms wrapped itself around her waist as she crashed into someone’s chest. Because of this, her head didn’t get submerged in the water.

Changbin turned around after Yeri’s team was cheering excitedly for winning, only for Changbin to ask.

“Noona, are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Y/N giggled while Changbin and the other guys got ready for another round of competition. However, she realized that the arms around her waist were still there so she carefully turned her head only to be met with Minho’s.

They got quiet for a bit as he couldn’t help but glance down at her lips. Just then, Minho whispered teasingly to avoid the others from hearing.

“Should we give them something to talk about?” A smirk danced on his lips. She glanced back to see them still focused on the game. With that being said, she turned back to Minho with a giggle.

He was already leaning against the wall as she pressed her body against his in the water for support before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She gently leaned forward to let her lips brush his own before she whispered.

“Are you sure that’s all you want?” Her eyes travelled back to his only for him to shake his head.

“Definitely not.” He said with a smile tugged on his lips. Soon enough, he gently pressed his lips on hers, earning a soft gasp. His hands tightened around her waist as she tangled her fingers in his damp hair, only to hear the rest of them get excited in the back.

“Oh God bless! Fucking finally!” Changbin yelled in excitement while the rest yelled happily.

She couldn’t help but pull away from Minho, hiding her face in his neck while he smiled proudly to his friends.

“Just how long had y’all been waiting for this?” Minho asked curiously as some of them responded in unison.

“Ever since the beginning of your fights!” 

With that, Y/N whipped her head around only to raise her eyebrows at them. She couldn’t believe what she heard. They shrugged, saying they could tell that this day would come sooner or later. Just then, she turned back to Minho, making him steal a quick kiss. This was enough to make her blush.

“Yeah, I started liking you a few months back to be honest. I just didn’t know why at that time so I just continued sort of ‘hating’ you…” He suddenly confessed, making her flustered.

“Oh wow. And you still continued to act like a total jerk? Smooth move Captain.” She teased as he chuckled, sliding his hands up her sides underneath her shirt underwater only to stop just below her swimsuit line.

“Don’t you think you’re being a bit brave now?” She asked. He smirked smugly, feeling him snake his arms around her frame. He kissed her jaw as the noises behind them from their friends busy playing games seemed to be muffled in their ears.

“You can tell me to stop if this weirds you out. I don’t mind.” His voice low in her ear as he kissed the skin beneath her earlobe.

“I’d tell you to keep going but our friends are here.” With that, he pulled away from her neck only to cup her face in one hand before he spoke up.

“Then come over to my place later and we can spend the night all to ourselves.” He whispered as he brushed his lips against hers. “What made you like me?” She suddenly asked, seeing him stare at her with such a soft look.

“I respect the way you lead your teammates. You’re such a good volleyball player and to be honest, I really look up to you.” His voice was laced with nothing but honesty.

“Wait… Really?” She asked, slightly confused.

“Yeah. I know I might seem like I always think I’m better than everyone else. But I actually get really scared that people might compare me to you so I hated it. And I guess I made a mistake of hating you for it. I’m sorry.” He apologized.

With that, she smiled as she cupped both sides of his face before he locked eyes with her very soft gentle ones.

“We’re all human and we have every right to feel however we want to. So I don’t blame you for feeling like that towards me.” She reassured him by kissing him again, only for him to deepen the kiss. He pulled her against him, softly caressing her wet skin making her pull away with a giggle.

“We should probably join them cause I can foresee that they won’t let us live after today.” She said. Minho could only nod in response knowing that was true.

As expected, their friends didn’t have an end to teasing their team captains as they literally teased them almost every 5 seconds. After the pool party, Y/N ended up going over to Minho’s apartment to hang out with him in which they eventually ended up cuddling in each other’s arms in which she fell asleep at his place.

A few days later, Y/N and Seungmin were running late yet again for their volleyball training as she texted in the group chat again for them to tell the coach. But the response she got was slightly unexpected.

They got through training without a single fight between Minho and Y/N, which definitely shocked their coach but Jisung was witty with his reply.

“Let’s just say, the championship changed them Coach.”

With that being said, Coach Kwon simply smiled as he asked them to gather around so that he could give them some new tips and pointers. Ever since then, the two Team Captains had stopped whatever fights they always had during training and Minho even changed the way he supervised his teammates.

[missinghan]

give it a chance ⤖ lee minho

❖ genre : college au; roommates au; friends to lovers au

❖ word count : 9,6k.

❖ warning : explicit language, slightly suggestive & mentions of alcohol

❖ summary : you convinced yourself to attend a party in order to prevent Lee Minho from doing stupid things; however it’s not so stupid anymore when your roommate said he needed to tell you something important.

❖ a/n : the continuation of what if we is dedicated to @chaninfused, so *clears throat* this is where I hereby declare that she deserves more than what the entire universe can possibly give her; oh hi furat, this is why I’ve been so cryptic all this time. I know this isn’t much but I want to thank you for tolerating me and letting me be mean to you even though we only started talking for a few months; you’re an incredibly great friend and an amazing writer, don’t ever forget that 🖤

one.

It’s been almost a week since Jisung last talked to Minho (albeit texts and FaceTime) and he wakes up to his best friend roaming around his crusty kitchen, struggling to find a bottle of honey. Seungmin’s mom has been constantly sending them thirty packets of rib soup per week. And Minho thinks the sight of Han Jisung slurping on nothing but distorted rice with pork ribs while stressing over his paper for seven days straight is more tragic than his non-existent love life.

“It’s like you’re trying to turn us into gym rats,” Hyunjin snickers lazily, flinging his bangs away from his face. “You even brought us Tupperwares, are you really expecting us not to order tacos impulsively on study nights?” He’s a little dubious about stuff like this because he can feel the actual horror of only eating chicken breast and string beans just by seeing Chan cooking them up. 

Seungmin chucks a piece of lettuce towards his direction, “Don’t you have anything else to do other than complaining?” He knows that when Jisung and Hyunjin decide to order food on study nights, they’re gonna do anything but study.

“Uhm, I actually do,” he replies nonchalantly. “I’m going through Minho’s phone.”

Jisung takes a seat next to him by the counter, propping his head onto his hands, “What’s the point? There’s nothing but cat photos and cat memes...and also Y/N as his background.”

“That angle is hideous, by the way,” Hyunjin comments like the true photography geek he is, which is completely ignored by Minho because he’s too cranky to start a fight at ten in the morning. “But it’s kinda cute for you to do that, so I’m gonna turn a blind eye.”

Jisung asks out of the blue, “Who’s going to BamBam’s party this Sunday? Well, besides the other two-thirds of 3RACHA.” 

“I have a midterm on Monday, dumbass,” Seungmin mumbles while washing his vegetables at the sink. 

“And I’m sleeping over at Lix’s for a project,” Hyunjin informs him lamely, having no intention to attend another single frat party. At least not BamBam’s frat parties—that guy has the weirdest friends; a chick was so drunk that she thought Hyunjin was her boyfriend and almost tried to make out with him on the dance floor. 

Jisung secretly hates going to parties without his friends- no, actually, he never goes to parties without people from his social circle because he dreads the whole introduction part that requires formalities and inevitable awkwardness. But it’s not like that with Minho, ten minutes into their very first conversation and he feels like he’s known him for years. 

In short, he will die if Minho doesn’t come to the party. Chan can only chat with him for so long until his DJ duty occurs and Changbin’s probably gonna be too busy doing keg stands to care about his antisocial friend. 

“Fine, I’ll go,” Minho gives in while chopping up the chicken breasts and this prompts Jisung to clap happily like a seal for the next twenty seconds as he skips over to the fridge to fetch a water bottle. “But we’re gonna need a ride, I’m not taking my motorbike for some crackhead to puke on it. Ask Chan later when you crash at his place.”

Jisung tosses his head back to take a peek at the clock hanging by the bookshelf, and it reads 10:07 AM. He really should be getting for his class at eleven because traffic sucks but he’s not feeling like sitting through two hours of Park ranting about marketing strategies. “Can’t Y/N just drive us? I don’t think she’d let anyone else take you home when you’re not sober,” he ponders, earning a nod of agreement from both of his roommates. 

Just when Minho opens his mouth to brush it off, he stops himself to process the information again and holds back a ‘you’re right’ because he hates letting people know that they’re not wrong. He wouldn’t let anyone drive you home when you’re drunk either. “Her car’s with her dad right now,” he tries to sound casual when three pairs of curious eyes are glued onto his back. “I, uh, sorta had it run into a tree last week.”

“You what? How are you still alive?” Hyunjin’s jaw is on the floor and Seungmin accidentally dumps too much vinegar into his salad while Jisung’s choking on the iced cold water, coughing furiously after into the sleeve of his hoodie. Guess Chan’s gonna have to drive them both. After all, he can never say ‘no’ to J.One. 

Minho murmurs, “A dude rear-ended me, fucking idiot.” He finishes marinating the chicken breasts and arranges them nicely onto a tray with aluminum foil on top, pushing it into the preheated oven. “And basically she’s never letting me touch her car again,” he sighs while staring into midair dreamily, flashbacking to last Friday when you immediately Ubered yourself all the way from campus to downtown after picking up his call. All he got was thirty seconds of affection; you made sure that he’s not hurt and the rest was just a monstrous tantrum. He ended up sleeping on the couch that night. 

“My my, you two are just like an old married couple,” Hyunjin chuckles lightheartedly and shakes his head, scrolling through the series of texts in amusement, “What even is this? I swear your conversation consists of 60% ‘when are you going home?’, 40% ‘your lunch is here’ and 20% terrible cat memes.”

“We’re roommates,” Minho drags the word through gritted teeth, holding back all the murderous thoughts inside his head because he feels like Hyunjin’s just asking for a death wish. It’s too early for this. 

Unexpectedly, Seungmin decides he’s in a pretty good mood today since he aced his OChem pop quiz yesterday; meaning, he’s gonna stick his nose into his friend’s business whenever there’s a chance. “Don’t you guys share a bed too?” he pretends to play dumb only to receive a kick in the shin from the older boy. 

“We’re also broke,” Minho cranes his neck tiredly, washing the dirty knife under the tap. “Besides, the heater in the living room sucks.”

“You both even smell the same, it’s getting kinda creepy. Please don’t tell me you guys also share showers to have a light water bill,” Jisung makes a gagging noise and Minho thinks he’s already said too much. His grip on the knife tightens for a split second before letting it drop into the sink. He doesn’t trust himself with anything sharp the moment Hyunjin started this unwanted conversation. He also regrets stealing Changbin’s meal prep recipes to feed his trash friends. 

Minho questions callously, “We just use the same shampoo and shower gel, what’s the big deal?” His hands go for the box of oatmeal that Felix left here last time in the cabinet full of random food. He doesn’t get why Seungmin would buy so much groceries like he’s in a pandemic knowing damn well that his idiotic roommates can’t cook for shit. 

Hyunjin purses his lips, trying to prove his point, “Don’t you think that it’s weird? You don’t do those things with us.”

“Because none of you would fucking house me when I was on the verge of being homeless!”

“And why is she yelling at you through texts anyway? Bro, there’s like ten missed calls here with at least a hundred ‘where are you?’. Why is she terrorizing you this early in the morning?” Minho immediately snaps out of his semi-angry trance, chest heaving up and down. 

“Oh shit,” he facepalms himself. “I promised to pick her up at ten from class, what time is it again?”

“You’re fifteen minutes late, my friend,” Jisung supplies unhelpfully. “It’ll take another ten to arrive at campus, without traffic that is. You’re so dead. D-E-A-D.” It feels weird to hear something correct coming out of Jisung’s mouth (twice in a row) and now Minho wishes he could just whack his friend unconscious on the floor with the new set of microphones that Chan gave him last year for Secret Santa. 

“Oh, I left your rice sitting at ‘warm’, by the way,” Minho makes a grab for his biker jacket and helmet on the counter before fleeing out of the apartment with his sneakers half-way tucked in. It’s not even been thirty minutes since they’ve seen each other for the past week and Jisung’s already choked on water, not once, but twice because of Lee Minho. Sometimes he wonders if the universe is telling him that he needs new friends. 

two. 

“Your boyfriend is late.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you hiss at Yeji while staring at Minho’s contact on your phone anxiously. There’s no reason for you to be; worst-case scenario, you can just take the 0325 home and lock him outside for the night so that he’ll have no choice but to endure Chan’s embarrassing sleeping habits. He wouldn’t even notice either way because he’d be too busy swearing in his sleep to be annoyed. 

Yeji puts her hair up into a ponytail after stretching her limbs tiredly. She only has one class today and no choice but to stay on campus for her shift at the café before lunch break. Too bad Woojin can’t cover her today because of midterms. “I’m only speaking facts,” she tells you with a yawn and notices the slight pout on your face. “Hey, don’t be sad just because your stupid boyfriend can’t pick you up. I can call Chaeryeong if you need a ride here and there, she wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m not fucking sad!”

“Y/N, you look more depressed than Ryujin when she got a B+ in calc.” That’s irrelevant, Shin Ryujin already has a GPA booster after signing up for Kim’s stats class, one B+ won’t make it any less sparkly.

You only let out a prolonged sigh after checking your phone for the tenth time in the past half an hour. He isn’t picking up any of your calls, your messages probably can’t even reach him and now you’re sitting at M.I.A Cafe with a cup of plain water after standing outside at the front gate for so long like an idiot. An idiot, who’s hopelessly in love with her roommate- wait what? 

Listen, you already know that this is going to happen. It’s awfully inevitable and it’s getting harder and harder as the days pass by because summer is almost here. Meaning, Minho’s gonna move out soon, according to the contract. 

Are you sad about that? 

Yeah, kinda.

The more you think about it the more you regret your decision that day to let him stay with you. Because now you don’t think you’d be able to sleep without him next to you, hogging the blanket all to himself; you get angsty when he’s not home even if he’s just at dance practice; you’re definitely getting way too used to sharing an earphone with him while you both are dreading your assignments silently at the kitchen counter. And now you’re getting nervous just because he’s thirty minutes late. He’s never late, not even to your Monday Movie Night where you both can pig out and binge-watch the Avatar: The Last Airbender series until you’re sick of it. 

Maybe you’re relying on him too much. Hypothetically speaking, it’s not his fault for the damage of your car but you’re just making excuses to be with him. You even set him as your emergency contact. It’s kinda tedious to be your roommate, you realize. All of those things aren’t mandatory and he can simply mind his own business without having to feel obligated because of the ‘roommates’ label yet he’d still choose you, over everything else. Perhaps he’s dealing with his own first world problems and forgot to leave you a message this time. 

Yeji inquires breezily, wiping a cup dry with a towel, “Also, are you going to BamBam’s party this weekend?”

“For me to carry your ass home after getting shitfaced and sit through another two-hour lecture from Lia? I’ll pass thank you very much.”

She indicates with a quirk of her perfectly dark brow, “What if I tell you that Minho’s gonna be there?” Now she sounds like she’s the one who’s crushing on Lee Minho and not you. Never knew that your friends can be this creepy but the more you learn… “Jisung just told me he found a plus one aka Mister Celebrity to attend that frat party with, you wouldn’t have the heart to let me be the loner right?” she pouts with her nose scrunched and it reminds you too much of Light Fury so you look away, knowing that you wouldn’t stand a goddamn chance if she kept this up.

“How is that my problem?” you merely roll your eyes, slightly annoyed. “And also, isn’t Jisung supposed to have his marketing class now?”

Yeji doesn’t give a damn about what on Earth Han Jisung is doing with his life so she just brushes your question off. “Would you let Minho drink irresponsibly?”

You nod without hesitation, though it feels wrong coming out of your mouth, “He can do whatever he wants...as long as my carpet remains clean after his hangover.”

“Would you let me drink irresponsibly?”

“The same goes for you,” you tell her monotonously. “And I only picked you up because Lia sounded like she was hyperventilating when you attended that one law brat’s birthday party. Na Jaemin, wasn’t it? Hate that guy, by the way.”

Yeji thinks it’s time for you to open up even more and not despise people that much. Having Lee Minho as your roommate is already a huge step-up but it’s not like there have been any modifications to your routine except the fact that another human being is simply enduring your bitchy ass of a loner. She wants you to be really out there, just not messing with shit like doing keg stands because Seo Changbin is a terrible influence. Woojin once had to drop his shift at the sushi place to drive Jeongin home because Changbin left him hanging on the beanbag chair for a game of beer pong. Jeongin has never gone to another single party since. 

“You hate literally everyone!” Yeji’s getting impatient, you can feel it.

“Are you telling me it’s my fault that people are shitty?” you bark, massaging the sides of your temple tiredly. You wish you could just drop the entirety of your current presentation to Yeji because your brain cells are already evaporating one by one into thin air.

She barks back, merely sneering, “C’mon! Y/N, it’s not like you ever have plans for the weekend.”

“But I’m having midterms on Monday, I didn’t spend my time on those notes for nothing.”

She shakes her head at you almost in disapproval. Sure, you’re a coward for backing out on this because BamBam’s no stranger to you. That Thai kid has been hanging out with Chan since middle school and he always offers to buy you coffee whenever you happen to drop by as they’re working on a project together. He’s a nice guy, but you don’t know him that well. Something in your gut is telling you that he has weird friends (he totally does). And you’re not about to overdrink only to blurt out an awful confession to Minho while being surrounded by a bunch of crackheads that aren’t in your social sphere.

“I heard kids are vapi-” Yeji stops herself, thinking she should just give up, and get ready for the next batch of sleep-deprived customers coming in at lunch break before Jeongin chucks an avocado at her direction for chit-chatting too much about your gigantic crush on Minho. “Nevermind, it’s not like you’d care anyway, have fun with reviewing I guess.” And with that, she leaves you alone with the cup of plain water to dump the used coffee grounds in the trash.

It takes you at least ten seconds to comprehend what she just said. And you’ve come up with a new yet very last-minute decision: screw midterm because you’re making sure that Lee Minho’s going home in one piece. 

Very timely, your phone buzzes on the wooden counter.

[10:38 AM]

lino | hey you still on campus?

three.

The blush scattered across your cheekbones just grows ten shades darker when you see Minho at the front gate leaning against his black Kawasaki; disheveled hair, hands stuffed inside his pockets, occasional puffs of smoke escaping his lips, and unbothered gaze. You’ve never told him this, you’re not telling him this now, and you’re never gonna tell him; but he looks stupidly good in that biker jacket. Again, you don’t get how someone can look this good early in the morning. 

“What are you doing here?” you murmur grimly, approaching him from behind. It feels like he’s doing this to your heart on purpose, without even trying. And those girls over there are making you very uncomfortable by eyeing your roommate up and down like he’s an expensive piece of steak with a gold leaf sticking to it.

Minho turns sideways and flashes you a smile; your little heart just did a perfect cartwheel because of that, it can only take so much. “Sorry, I kinda lost track of time, but I still promised to pick you up, didn’t I?” he says casually as your face morphs into a deep frown because you’re basically confused. The only problem is: you don’t even know why you’re confused. There’s this fluttering feeling at the pit of your stomach and now you feel as though someone just gives you a blow to the head when Minho looks straight into your eyes, brows slightly knitted together.

This is not healthy. 

“You didn’t answer my calls or my texts.”

Minho thinks you look cuter than usual when you’re silently fuming because you’re not the type to lash out on people. But it’s not so cute anymore when you threatened to flush his AirPods down the toilet that one time when he spilled ketchup on your carpet. He just hopes he doesn’t end up sleeping on the couch tonight like last time. 

“I put my phone on silent, as always,” he reminds you of how much of a pain in the ass it is to receive a call-back or a simple reply from him. 

You make a face, “Whatever, didn’t I tell you not to make a scene? Have you seen those chicks back there? They’re watching me as if I’m sabotaging their dreams of eating you alive.” Well, you can’t exactly blame your roommate for having girls gushing over him wherever he goes because...it’s his fault for looking like a snack all the time. 

Minho quickly detects how you’re not overly fond of his admirers and needless to say, he’s fairly amused. “Then let them,” he puts an arm over your shoulders and pulls you flushed against him, ruffling your hair. Moments later, you’re already hearing scandalous gasps along with hushed whispers going through your eardrums like a never-ending train. It’s really setting your nerves on fire. 

“Don’t you think that this is weird?”

“What?” Now it’s Minho who’s confused here. 

You slightly push him away and avert your gaze elsewhere to avoid eye contact. “We’re roommates, right?” you mumble, slightly unsure about...all of this. 

“Hmm, what about it?”

“Well, I don’t know…” you fiddle with the hem of your jacket and sigh. “What if people keep getting the wrong idea about us?” You sound somewhat regretful as if your decision of taking him in as your roommate was a mistake, as if you feel like it’s better off if he wasn’t in your life at all, as if the past month was completely meaningless. Since when did things become this complicated? It started with a harmless one-month contract and now Minho’s not sure of what he should do next. But that’s not it, is it? Maybe he’s just overthinking too much. 

He looks hesitant for a moment there, very not-Lee-Minho of him. “We’re still cool right?” Minho tilts his head to the side, the afternoon sunlight slips through fluffs of white clouds and brings the constellations in his warm brown eyes to life. Though he looks like a scolded child, you can’t help but want to put this moment into a frame and simply cherish it for the rest of your life. 

“Beats me,” you breathe out, silently hating yourself for not being able to get angry at him. It’s harder than you thought, really, and it doesn’t help when his eyes keep doing that thing to your poor little heart. “Make me pasta and we’re good,” you end up chuckling when Minho’s expression turns a solid three hundred and sixty at the offer.

“That’s not a very smart move for a business major, your loss,” he replies with a goofy smile, tossing the helmet that he got you yesterday in your direction. And if you pay attention enough, you can almost see Minho exhaling out of relief. But you’re too busy staring at the ground to douse yourself in your own giddiness to notice. “Oh crap, I think I left my wallet at Hyunjin’s,” he tells you after swinging a leg over on his shiny vehicle. 

You narrow your eyes at him, “You don’t need your wallet to make me pasta now do you?”

“By the way, are you going to BamBam’s party?”

“Only if you’re going,” you scratch the bridge of your nose with your ring finger, a little embarrassed to admit that he’s the only reason why you’re ditching midterms. 

Minho’s hearty laugh fills your eardrums, shit-eating grin and all. “If it makes you feel better, Chan’s driving us,” he voices without looking at you, but your chest still swells either way. 

You fucking hate how you have the softest spot for him. 

four.

You’re already regretting this although you’ve only been sitting in Chan’s back seats for less than twenty minutes. Crankiness takes over your body as a result of reviewing for the whole afternoon, your eyelids are getting droopy, and your head seems to be all too big for your neck at this rate. More reasons for you to not drink tonight. 

“Ugh, why am I even here?” you groan, and Jisung scrunches his nose, slightly alarmed because you’re not usually this loud unless you’re high on caffeine. 

Minho tells you in the most lighthearted way possible, “Because you love me.” 

You wish you could just put his head through a wall because everything and anything coming out of his mouth are never healthy for your mind, or heart. “Uhm, no I don’t.”

“But you did confess your love to me,” he singsongs as if he just hit a jackpot with his lottery ticket, angling his head to toss you a wink. “I have receipts, ma’am. They’re right here, in my heart.” Minho’s never seen you so giddy before so he recorded everything, but he’s not planning on putting himself on a chopping block by telling you that. 

You shove his arm and purse your lips, flaming cheeks but the car’s too dark for him to see it. “I was sick, asshole, I talk shit more when I have a fever than when I’m drunk,” you defend yourself helplessly, not enjoying the fact that he had to bring it up when you’re in a confined space with Seo Changbin and Han Jisung. 

“Minho doesn’t like it when Y/N raises her voice.” Great, now he’s talking in third person. 

“What are you even? Four?”

He winks at you, “Baby me, baby.”

“Oh my god shut the fuck up and get away from me!”

“You’ll never get rid of me, baby.” Eventually, you give up because you’re too mentally exhausted and there’s still a long night ahead of you. You’re not wasting your energy in pointless arguments with him because you both yell at each other on a daily basis anyway. 

“Maybe he’ll zip it if you tell him that you love him,” Jisung suggests innocently with a not-so-innocent look on his face. He’s already acting dumb when he’s this fucking sober so you’re not looking forward to two hours later when vodka’s practically replaced his own blood. 

“I’d rather chew off my own foot.” Changbin snorts involuntarily at your stiff remark, Chan mutters a small ‘ouch’ while Jisung’s too busy laughing his ass off. And a demeaning silence descends after that. 

Minho’s right next to you, oddly unresponsive to the situation, his head leaning against your shoulder as he gazes dejectedly out the window. You don’t see how stormy his eyes are. He also misses his motorcycle tremendously because Chan’s the safest (slowest) driver to ever exist. No joke, if he keeps going at the pace of thirty miles per hour then you should just skip the party and watch a movie while getting drunk at his place altogether. 

“Can you go any fucking slower?”

“Excuse me?” Chan laughs in disbelief, he’s a little offended because he personally thinks he’s a good driver, maybe a little bit too obedient when it comes to the law. Hey, at least you know you’re in good hands. “I’m not trying to get us all killed before BamBam could poison one of you guys.” 

Jisung purses his lips as he’s reminded of the last party where he ran into that Thai dude. He gave him a plastic cup, telling him that it’s merely a harmless fruity vodka only for Jisung to get kicked out by an Uber driver after throwing up in the back seats. Turns out, the lemons and oranges in the cocktail were relatively spoilt. 

“I’m gonna die from boredom before we could even get into a car accident,” Minho informs him unconstructively, staring at some random notifications from Instagram of people commenting on his cats’ photos, text messages from his mom and swipes them all away. Mostly to chuckle to himself like a moron because of his lock screen. Yes, your stupid face is still on there after three weeks and you don’t know if you should be crying or laughing.

Chan narrows his eyes at the rear-view mirror, “It seems like you’re entertaining yourself just fine by looking at Y/N’s face.” 

“This photo does make me laugh because it’s priceless,” the younger boy states without turning his head to look at you. “But still, bored.” 

The car grows silent again soon after because Chan’s already been stressed out enough from traffic since clearly, people can’t drive to save their own lives. But it’s not like your friends can keep their mouths shut for the rest of the trip anyway. 

“Boreddd,” Minho voices randomly while a J.One’s song is blasting through the speaker. It’s a terribly soft song and it doesn’t help when Minho feels like he can downright sleep through an earthquake, potentially falling into an enormous crack on the Earth’s surface and still being able to nap like there’s no tomorrow. He’s just glad that Jisung grew out of ‘Wow’ and embraces his awkward self through his own music. It’s..sentimental but what’s a J.One song without that element?

Changbin looks up from his phone for half a second, wholly uninterested. “Then shut up and sleep,” he says expressionlessly. Very timely, his most recent track comes up next on the playlist and he starts rapping along with it. Minho thinks he can really use a good eye shut as SpearB is performing live right behind him because Changbin can only stay sober like this for so long until he gets his hands on one of BamBam’s sketchy-looking concoctions. 

You’re starting to get bored too at this rate because usually, during times like this when the car is filled with nothing but music and everyone (except for the driver) feels like they’re falling into a food coma, a certain idiot will—

“Y/N, don’t you have a midterm on Monday?” Ah, there it is. 

Jisung bends himself forward and drapes an arm over the leather seat, scrunching his nose at the sight of Minho sleeping soundly against your shoulder. He’s still bitter about the fact that Minho refuses to drive anyone other than you with his motorcycle for some reason. Exclusive things are always so annoying. 

You exhale deeply because Jisung reminds you of that one kid who always asks questions that stress the hell out of the teachers back in high school. Would it kill for him to just shut up once in a while? 

“I do, and I haven’t got a wink of sleep since yesterday afternoon,” you tell him rather lazily, shifting when Minho snuggles himself closer to you, his hair tickling your jawline. You pray he doesn’t know how fast your heart is beating. “A little alcohol might spare me a night of crying myself to sleep.” 

Jisung lets his bottom lip stuck out like he’s a fucking five-year-old not allowed to get his favorite ice-cream flavor. “Aww, you should have asked Minho for cuddles then, pretty sure he’d be more than happy to—,” he remarks sarcastically and you wish you could just throw him in the middle of an intersection. He’s lucky because Minho’s a heavy sleeper or he would have been knocked senseless or something. The last thing Chan needs is being forced to pull over for having wild animals wrestle the shit out of each other in his vehicle. 

“Hey, fuck off,” you snarl at him, knowing you should have chosen the passenger seat instead. That way, you wouldn’t be fuming inside because you can’t physically strangle Han Jisung to his imminent death. He has already tattooed that image into the back of your brain and you swear you’ve never heard a creepier chuckle from your friend. 

Jisung notices the coral tint on your cheeks and sneers, leaning back against his seat. “Yeah right, as if you’re actually gonna get drunk,” he says snarkily. “You’re just gonna be there to prevent Lee Minho from making bad decisions.” 

“I decided to come because Yeji wanted me-“

“Yeji who? In what world will you have time for her when you’re too busy staring at Minho like a total creep? Wanna bet ten bucks?” 

That’s bullshit because Lee Minho is already your entire world. 

Chan butts in, “Make that fifty.”

Changbin raises his hand, “I’d bet my Tesla.” Your friends really spelled out ‘a bunch of fucking clowns’ in bold, gigantic capital letters and you’re this close to facepalm yourself against Chan’s steering wheel. This is why you don’t go to parties with them that often because you’re stuck with cleanup duties with Seungmin until these crackheads grow out of their amateur drinking habits. 

“You’re just jealous because he would rather call you an Uber than give you a lift himself,” you say pointedly and Jisung lets out the loudest, most scandalous gasp. So dramatic. 

“You,” he jabs a finger at you, eyes wide in accusation. “Need a nap.”

You laugh dryly, ignoring the urge to snap a picture of his flabbergasted expression and turn it into a new meme for your group chat. “You don’t say, Han, you don’t say.”

And Changbin rolls his eyes over the moon, vividly picturing where this disastrous conversation is gonna go. Basically, he wants you to get shitfaced as soon as you step foot into BamBam’s house so he’ll have a sappy, drunk confession video to toss on Twitter tonight because Woojin just posted a picture of him with a drumstick dipped inside a glass of what looks like a watered-down Margarita. He’s highly concerned since there hasn’t been anything juicy on his feed other than his friends creeping people out with their questionable content. 

“If you two don’t end up getting drunk and kiss, I’m gonna be pissed,” Changbin says casually as if it’s just an afterthought. This prompts you to chuck your phone in his direction—you can care less about your screen protector at this point if it means stopping him from taunting you further. 

He asserts like a snake, “Hey, remember that time where you tripped over Kkami and totally crushed Minho under your weight?”

“I blame gravity for that.”

“But Albert Einstein said you can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”

“Who cares about Albert Einstein?!” you whisper-shout harshly, cautiously eyeing Minho’s sleeping figure. He scrunches his nose and murmurs something that you can’t quite hear before turning over to face you completely. His arms unexpectedly slip underneath yours like second nature. He furrows his eyebrows occasionally, other times he’d be grinning like an idiot and his lips are slightly agape, full eyelashes framing his eyes beautifully. Sometimes you wonder how weird his dreams are whenever you caught him talking (and cursing) in his slumber. 

Changbin wants to pry aloud when you start staring at Minho for too long; he might as well be tossed on the freeway at this point before exasperation squeezes the little amount of oxygen left out of his chest. This is worse than Hyunjin’s terrible rom coms. He props his head onto his hand in boredom as Chan pulls over and turns off the engine. “Hey we’re here, why not wake your prince up with a kiss—”

“I’m gonna kick your ass,” you threaten. 

Now there are two distasteful tattoos at the back of your head. And you will not hesitate for a heartbeat sacrificing the entirety of your bank account to get them removed. To get Lee Minho removed from your mind.

If only it were that easy.  

“Mhmm,” the figure beside you lets out a low grunt and hugs your arm closer instinctively. His warmth seeps through the fabric of your denim jacket and sets your heart on fire. You’re ready to flick his forehead any second now to interrupt his slumber but before you could even do anything, Seo Changbin aggressively opens the door and you widen your eyes in horror. Where the fuck did he get a megaphone? And what for?

“Bitch wake up! Those drinks aren’t gonna finish themselves!”

It’d be a miracle if you ended up finding him alive by dawn. 

five.

“Y/N you ass, give it back!

“No, we’ve only been here for three hours and this is your fifth cup already,” you tell her in a mildly serious tone before dumping her cup of whatever the fuck of a yellow substance that Ryujin gave her ten minutes ago into the sink. 

Yeji plops herself onto the sofa in the living room after you drag her out of the kitchen where people are making out on the marble counter. Glad to see nothing’s changed...idiots. “God, you’re such a party pooper, I shouldn’t have told you to come,” she complains in between small hiccups, alcohol tinting her cheeks beet red. 

“I’m here to save your ass and this is how you’re repaying me?” Your question didn’t come out as coherent and threatening as you imagined and every single cell inside your body is shaking for no specific reason. 

Your friend narrows her eyes down into a mere glare like a detective in those crimes shows that you spend way too much time on and you’re debating whether you should be laughing or pissing yourself. She fucking knows that you’re lying. She fucking knows the sole reason for you to be here. “Give me a break, it’s not like you’re doing anything besides staring at your boyfriend from afar,” Yeji scoffs dejectedly. 

“God forbids ‘Lee Minho’ and ‘my boyfriend’ go in the same sentence,” you grit, subconsciously averting your gaze around the living room to spot your roommate. All he’s been doing is being held back by Chan when he tried to murder Changbin once, catching up with his old friends from high school and hanging out with some of his classmates, ranting about how much he dreads Kim’s eight AM, gushing with Hyunjin over some senior’s choreography set. By the looks of it, Jisung must have handed him at least seven of those red party cups from the bar—thanks to BamBam who keeps restocking them every hour. 

Yeji chuckles creepily when the alcohol finally hits her hard, you think you just got chills by the way that she’s leaning closer. “Of course not,” she hiccups into your ear, words slurred, “Lee Minho’s not my boyfriend, he’s your boyfriend.” You look at her in the eye, and mentally regret your life choices. How insufferable. 

“I mean, seriously,” she slams her body back onto the couch and groans; you can’t tell if it’s out of frustration or the cushion is too soft for her back. “It’s like you’re living the life of the main protagonist in a Harry Styles fanfiction! Do you know how many girls and boys would kill to live in the same apartment as that?” Her index finger is pointed directly at the person you’ve been watching and avoiding all night, across the room with a dart in his hand as he stands in front of the dartboard. 

“Were you aiming for the board or were you plotting to kill me? Because I can’t tell! I-can’t-fucking-tell!” Changbin shouts over the music and you momentarily cringe at the crack in his voice; it’s never a college party without one of your friends riling each other up over the dumbest things. And also, who thinks it’s a good idea to lend an unstable Lee Minho a sharp object of any kind?

You look away as heat flares through your nostrils when Minho accidentally glances at you after laughing at some corny joke that Chan made. He’s more than mildly hammered right now, you suppose, because, well, Chan can only make people laugh when they’re exceptionally drunk. 

A stupid question then slips out of your lips. “With what?” It sounds like you only have one brain cell and are perpetually dumb. It makes you feel even dumber when there’s nothing but a can of Coke inside your body. 

“A hottie who dances, cooks, has a good sense of humor, lowkey a genius, highkey a tsundere, shares a name with a famous actor. Far more handsome than the actor himself, if I dare.” Yeji has no hesitation whatsoever naming every reason as to why people on campus shamelessly throw themselves at your roommate on a daily basis. And now your head grows ten times fuzzier, floating mundanely in the clouds above. Basically, you feel like you’re drunk—except your confidence isn’t sky high enough to do something stupid—which makes no absolute sense. 

The silver-haired girl next to you puts an arm around your neck and giggles, you’re highly perturbed that her vocal cords are gonna give in tomorrow when she convinces you through FaceTime that you should be extra careful with your notes since she won’t be showing up to class. “Oh! And he has three cats, right? Cat people are said to be more intuitive and thoughtful, that’s a bonus,” Yeji asserts and your jaw is on the floor at this rate. She doesn’t even spare him a second glance during lunch break and she already knows this much?

No wonder Minho never talked about his cats with Felix and Seungmin again.

“I bet you read that off a Buzzfeed article.” 

“Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong!”

You inhale and exhale deeply, linking your fingers together, “Yeah, but that’s all people will ever see.”

“Well, what else can they like about him?”

“I don’t know,” you say bluntly, but the rouge on your cheeks is anything but ‘blunt’. “They don’t see how stuck-up he is, how he loves hogging the blanket all to himself, how he secretly stocks up a stash of trashy snacks. They don’t see the way his eyes sparkle when he looks into their eyes during a conversation because he’s actually a very attentive listener.”

Yeji pats your back without turning her head, slightly amused, “I think you meant how he looks into your eyes during a conversation.”

Your eyes scan the room one more time to find Minho hugging his stomach from laughing too much, there are actual tears in his eyes because Changbin just lost a bet and apparently he has to belly flop himself into the pool as a punishment. You haven’t seen him this happy in a while, even when he’s potentially dying from a really bad stomachache but it still puts your heart at ease knowing he’s having fun tonight. 

Needless to say, he always knocks the breath right out of your lungs without much effort. Even when he’s ditched the leather jacket and ripped jeans, you still think no one looks better than him in a large t-shirt and sweatpants. 

“But I don’t get it,” Yeji looks over at you this time, real carefully because your tone just grows firmer and more serious. “How can he just stand there, laugh...and look so beautiful?”

“I told you—”

“Yeah that’s exactly what I need to hear right now, Yeji,” you facepalm almost immediately, highly disappointed in yourself. 

Jisung’s getting his ten dollars on Monday when you surprise him with two slices of cheesecake from his favorite dessert place. Changbin can keep his Tesla and Chan...Chan isn’t getting anything.

You push yourself off the blue velvet couch and groan, you’re getting sore quickly because the cushions are far too soft. “Let me get some fresh air, I feel like I’m gonna to lose my mind,” you tell your friend but you doubt that she caught it since the music is all too loud for students to communicate properly. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why fistfights during parties are a thing. 

“Uhm, wait,” Yeji tugs onto your sleeve and jerks her head towards the direction of Minho. “I’m sorry but what the hell does your boyfriend want now?”

“Huh where—“

Like..three feet away. Or a whole lot closer. 

“Why didn’t you answer my texts?” And you find Minho standing in front of you with his arms crossed stubbornly, eyebrows knitted together and tinted pink cheeks. He looks a little pissed off, and you don’t think you’re both on the same page here. 

When you give him a ‘what do you mean’ look, your roommate feels the need to unlock his phone and jab his index finger against his poor crusty screen as he shows you at least fifty messages that he’s been spamming in the last half an hour. This reminds you of the yellow Post-It note that Minho violently smacked onto your fridge the very night when he first moved in. 

‘I hereby fucking declare that if we did end up going to the same party (doubt btw), we would keep our phones with us 25/8 so one can save the other’s ass from stupid decisions— lee minho’ he wrote. Minho knows all too well the only ass that needs to be saved is his. And you’ve thought about taking the note down several times but you don’t think you’d have the heart to. 

“Oh,” your head draws a blank canvas and you look for your phone in your pocket. But then, “I left my phone in Chan’s car.”

Minho rolls his eyes at you and decides that he’s too impatient to wait for Chan to sober up and remember where he left his keys. “Whatever,” he manages to crack a small smile, one that shines through the dimmed LED light on the ceiling and makes your heart stuck in your throat. “Let’s get out of here, I have something to tell you.” 

“Hey hey hey,” Yeji tries to get up from the couch but her limbs are too wobbly. “You can’t just tap out all of a sudden and steal her from me like that. Don’t even think for a minute you second rate—”

“Yeah, no, she’s mine.”

You’re downright baffled. But you’re not sure if it’s because of what he said ten seconds ago and your heart is going haywire, your brain cells are giving in on you or it’s because he’s tugging you by the wrist and piloting you through the impending chaos of sloppy college students. 

You’re not sure if you want to know. You’re not sure if you’re ready. 

six.

Fall arrives sooner than you thought and it almost makes you miss summer. Though you didn’t really have anything exciting besides an internship that refrained you from living on YouTube for too long. 

The evening is oddly cold, but you’ve never had a problem with the tips of your fingers growing chilly. It’s different tonight—it’s the kind of coldness that slips through your flesh and into your bones, coming in contact with the thumping force of your heart, causing it to shiver. There’s nothing to do but keep your gaze straight forward, your feet moving on their own with the one and only goal of heading home. Clouds with the murky color of wet ashes pass by, and the ground as its dank reflection—a reminder of how humanity is ruining the planet. 

The streets are so quiet and tranquil; you’re afraid that Minho might be able to hear your heartbeat. Now you’re pointing a finger at society in accusation because it’s the weekend yet no elder couples are taking their night strolls, no middle-aged ladies in fluffy jackets are walking their spoiled teacups dogs and no wasted college students are roaming the streets with ‘trouble’ spelled out on their forehead. Really, you’d rather stare at people in a creepy way and zone out than constantly thinking about Lee Minho when he’s right beside you. 

This is terribly suffocating and you don’t think if you can keep this up in the next thirty minutes until both of you get home and melt into the comfort of your bed. 

“Sober up, Mister Celebrity, that’s too much fun for tonight.” Minho winces slightly when you press a can of cold green tea against his cheeks as he’s about to doze off on the wooden bench next to the vending machine. While he’s taking a swig, you feel a silent obligation to take a seat but your eyes are determinedly fixed on the curb. 

The bench suddenly feels far too big and the night breeze is far too cold for Minho’s liking, so he shifts his body closer, fingers brushing over yours and sending electricity down your spine. “What do you mean?” he scoffs, finding it hard to not look at you so his gaze is temporarily glued onto the can of green tea in his palms. “Tonight was nothing compared to Jisung’s birthday.” He can still feel the remaining warmth from your hands, it makes him wonder how it’d feel to actually hold them. 

“Ugh, god,” you shake your head in disbelief, internally cringing. “Don’t even remind me.”

You still don’t know what Hyunjin fed him that day to the point he couldn’t remember what happened. All hell broke loose Felix posted a video of him pretending to be a stupid ostrich and trying to do a mating dance towards Jisung on Twitter. No one dares to talk about that scarred video since. Now that he’s reminded you of it, you wish you didn’t own brain cells in the first place. This is why the internet is scary. 

“What is it that you wanted to tell me anyway?” 

Minho stops for a second at your question and places his beverage down on the bench. He stares distantly at the space ahead as if he’s fighting with himself inside his own head, seriously contemplating something. It’s come to your attention that this isn’t very like his usual self. Minho never hesitates for a second when he has something in mind. Even when he knows that you might rip his head off.

He exhales deeply, turns his head, and makes direct eye contact with you for what seems like an eternity. His eyes are as wide open and honest as a child’s, they possess something so much more the longer you stare at them. A warmth, safety. Your heart is gonna combust if he doesn’t get this over with soon. 

Then, “I think I forgot to put yeast in the batter.” Wait what?

“Minho!” you punch his arm, earning a low grunt from the blond-haired boy. “Don’t fucking scare me like that!” He’s looking at you as though your eyes are turning red with rage and smoke is coming out of your ears, scared for his own life but truthfully, you’re just relieved. Surprisingly. 

“Wait, so you’re not mad?” he asks you with a wide-eyed expression, trying way too hard to keep a straight face. “Aren’t we supposed to bring homemade bread for the get together at the nursing home tomorrow?”

“Old people still enjoy Bingo for some reason, they can have that instead of bread.” His mouth forms a small ‘o’ as he scoots closer to you and you can tell that he reeks off alcohol, which is making you a little dizzy. When your gaze falls elsewhere but Lee Minho, you attempt to appear casual, “But if you wanna bake so badly, I can still pull an all-nighter and start over with you.” That was doable, but you could have done better—should have sounded like you didn’t really care. 

Minho flings his bangs away from his face and tosses his head back, chuckling breathlessly. “Don’t you have a midterm to stress over instead of me? I don’t want you to pick out every single strand of hair on your head after baking with me.” He finally said something nice once in a while, you sorta appreciate it. “It’d be embarrassing when my parents FaceTime me and see you as bald as my great grandfather.” Nevermind, he’s still the same old jerk. 

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, you’ll be moving out in two weeks, either way, right?” Your tone sounds sad and grim all of a sudden; it really dampens the atmosphere because Minho is now looking at you with concern laced in his brown eyes. “Look, I get that it’s bothersome to be my roommate so there’s no need to feel bad. I’ll be fine going back to my old life where my feet don’t get cold in the middle of the night because no one would be there to hog the blanket anymore.”

Minho feels the need to clear things up here. “I never said anything about moving out,” he grabs you by the shoulders and hopes you could just look at him when he’s being serious for once. “Y/N, who even said anything about moving out? Was it the landlord?”

“No,“ you say, still not willing to face him directly. You’re such a coward. 

“If so, why would I move out? Did I do something wrong? Did I piss you off or something?”

You’re trying so hard not to snap at this point. “No!”

“Then why can’t you just fucking look at me?!”

“You’re still drunk, let me buy you another—“

Minho shakes you forcefully, hoping to knock some common sense into that brain of yours. “For fuck’s sake, I’m not drunk!” he cries helplessly, not caring about the fact that he’s waking up every cat possible in the neighborhood. “Just- just look at me, will you?”

You stubbornly keep your eyes anywhere but him. “Why would I look at your stupid face?”

“Don’t bullshit me, Y/N. You’re not usually like this.”

Every single cell inside your body quivers simultaneously when he says so—good god, no, he’s testing you. Minho knows something’s off. Now to think about it again, you’d rather let him dirty your carpet than being put on trial like this.

“You wanna know why I’m acting like this? It’s because of you! You’re making me nervous! It’s your fault for making me feel this way!”

“What?” he blurts, eyes blinking numerous times in disbelief. “What did I ever do to you?”

“God, Minho, you can’t possibly be this dense. Tell me, that you’ve never, not even once, seen me turning beet red when you simply look at me in the eye. Or when you’re just sitting there, laughing your ass off about something stupid. It makes my heart flutter, okay? You make my heart flutter. Do you know how much of an effect you can have on me? You don’t go around juggling with others’ feelings like that,” your voice grows smaller and smaller towards the end until there’s nothing but an oddly comfortable silene floating midair. A sense of relief washes over you; you unknowingly exhale.

Minho stares at you in awe for a moment there, until he also speaks up for himself. “Maybe you should take your own advice,” he almost snickers, and this causes you to peel your gaze away from a random bush to gawk at his response. “You’re telling me to not go around juggling with others’ feelings? If anything, you’re the one who keeps messing with my heart. What am I supposed to do? Not get drunk so that I won’t be able to get away for doing dumb things?”

“What dumb things?”

“I don’t know, kiss you?”

“Fuck, you can’t get away with it this time now, can you?”

You’re already regretting this and there’s no turning back. Because when Minho subconsciously runs his tongue over his bottom lips, you’re already fighting the rouge spreading on your cheekbones. He shortens the distance between your heads until your lips are practically a breath away from his. Impatient, you grab a fistful of his shirt to smash your lips against his. Minho stays frozen for a nanosecond, taken aback by your boldness before pulling you closer by the waist. You’re hesitant at first, but he guides you through it, telling you that it’s okay by embracing you more tightly. Dear god, Minho’s kissing you and the world just falls away. It’s slow, comforting in ways that words can never be. He slackens his jaw to deepen the kiss, smiling into it when giddiness bubbles up inside his stomach. 

The world still feels like it’s spinning when he parts away, an alcoholic taste mixed with the green tea ghosts your lips, and your face grows ten times hotter. Even in this cracked darkness, Minho sees you blush hard and is fully aware that his cheeks are mirroring yours—he doesn’t even bother to convince himself that it’s from the alcohol, because it isn’t. 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Minho questions though his breath is still a bit shaky from the kiss. He really didn’t lie when he said that he could never stop bothering you. 

You can’t help but smile at him brightly; this causes his heartbeat to spike inside his chest. “Well, do I have to?” He shakes his head and stares down at your hands until he musters up every strand of courage left to finally intertwine them with his own. Fits like a glove. 

“Come on, let’s go home,” he tells you softly, eyes crinkling into a pretty crescent moon shape. But you stop him right there when he attempts to stand up and wordlessly lean your forehead against his. Minho understands that you simply need a moment so you both hover right there, simply melting into each other’s touch. But what you say next just makes the ignited passion inside his heart flare-up. He’s at a loss for words, utterly speechless. 

“I am home.”

“Welcome home then, Y/N,” Minho whispers.

Everything feels like a dream that you’d never want to wake up from. His hands are clasped on either side of your face, resting just below the lobes of your ears. His thumbs gently caress your cheeks so that you won’t drift away, your breaths mingling. Never before has your own name made your heart flutter. But you guess it’s only because Minho said it. You do know that it’s not an afterthought, nor out of impulse. It’s a promise, for whatever’s coming your way on this path, he’s never gonna leave you behind. And the moment he feels that thing beating inside his chest is in sync with yours, he slowly leans in again.

Albert Einstein once said you can’t blame gravity for falling in love. And you have every right to argue with him in the afterlife because you’ve confirmed that Minho is your gravity. Gravity keeps you grounded, always get a hold of you so that you won’t ever have to wander off too far away. It’s there for you but it doesn’t have to act like it cares. Minho’s kinda like that too—he picked you up every time you said you’re good walking home, he only stocked up the stash of candies to secretly feed your midnight cravings. They only differ so much where his heartbeat for you is loud, undaunted and he loves you fearlessly; nothing shall meddle with his feelings for you as long as the way your eyes light up when they meet his doesn’t change. 

Before you met Minho, you didn’t know that it was possible to just look at someone and smile for no reason. The way his lips curl up when he smiles, his sarcastic remarks, his kindhearted nature though he’s awfully good at hiding it. That’s what people do when they’re in love, they say—to fawn over the littlest things but they’re what makes you fall so hard for him. But as time passes by, you’ve learned that it’s actually quite nice to be in love with someone. Because then, you get to spend your time and effort on their happiness as well, not just your own. In exchange, that person is capable of bringing colors to your dull world, tearing down your walls, and showing you just how beautiful life can be. Surely, Minho might not stay by your side forever in this crazy game of Monopoly but you’d risk it all for him even if the sky comes crashing and the universe turns upside down. 

After all, you can’t love alone. 

[hellevator-mp3]

you’re my wish (maybe it came true) || Part 7 (End)

Pairing(s): Changlix, Woochan, Seungjin, Minsung, Jeongdam

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2,700+

Warnings: None

Author Note: and so...it ends ㅠㅠ uhhh this has been a fun ride, and i am so thankful for the support i got?? it may not seem like a lot to others but it was a lot to me so yeah thank you?? i’m starting another series soon, for monsta x this time so please be on the lookout for that!! 

felix has made many wishes in his lifetime.  the one that he least expected to come true is the one that stands out the most when it comes true, and he can’t find anything to be more thankful for.  

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felix’s week with changbin flew by quickly.  chan had gone to stay with woojin, to allow the two to get to know one another better, leaving changbin and felix alone in the apartment.  they - changbin and felix, that is - grew more and more domestic as the days went by.  every morning, changbin would be up and out of bed before felix would even consider it, and the elder would make breakfast for the two of them.  the smell of cooking food would rouse felix, who would make his way into the kitchen to find his soulmate hunched over the stove, flipping pancakes or bacon or whatever he had fancied that morning.  felix would either a: sit quietly at the dining table and wait patiently for food, or b: walk up behind changbin, wrapping his arms around the other and startling him out of his quiet trance.  

more often than not, felix chose the latter.  

today, however, was not part of the more often than not.  he fixed himself a mug of hot chocolate to combat the cold outside that seemed to filter in through the windows, sipping on it thoughtfully as he watched changbin cook.  within a few minutes, breakfast was served and they were eating across from each other.  when they got done, felix took their plates and washed them, before sliding back to his seat on sock covered feet, leaning towards changbin excitedly.  “so, when are we decorating for christmas?” he chirped, and changbin wanted to say no, say never, but he couldn't say no to the twinkle in felix's eye.  he sighed and replied with a small 'today, i guess’ which had felix jumping from his seat and near sprinting to their - changbin's - room to change.  the room's owner followed at a slower pace, digging through his closet to find warmer clothes.  

truth be told, changbin had no decorations, meaning that they would spend the whole day shopping and setting up for one day, and by the time the holiday was over in about 3 days, felix would be headed back to australia on a plane, alongside chan, so that he could finish his last semester of classes, and so could chan.  however, the group had the rest of his stay planned out - they would meet up at the mall to find decorations, and would split up into their respective couples to go home and decorate.  then, the next day, they would be going to lotte world together as a group, and then christmas eve was going to be spent at their respective apartments, to get prepared for christmas.  they were all gathering at changbin's place, since he had the most free space out of all of them.  

once the couple was dressed, they headed out the door into the bitter cold to embark on their decorating mission.  changbin was less than enthusiastic as felix filled their arms with bags full of ornaments, tinsel, lights, a wreath, and even fairy lights just because, amongst many other things.  their tree was set to be delivered later in the day, giving them an opportunity to get home and set up for it.  after hours upon hours of shopping and emptying his wallet for his soulmate, changbin finally put his foot down and said that it was time to get home.  

upon arrival, felix was quick to begin stringing up fairy lights all over the place, a string finding themselves nestled behind where the tree was going to go, and another string over changbin's bed.  the wreath was hung on the outside of the bedroom door, and wobbled dangerously every time someone so much as glanced at the door.  but it was fine, at lwast in changbin's opinion.  seeing the other flitting around the room with hands full of decorations was endearing, especially as he began to belt out christmas carols at the top of his lungs, deep voice resonating around the apartment as he sang along to the radio that changbin had set up.  

changbin swayed lightly to the music, until he was abruptly pulled to his feet by felix and they began to sway in sync to the slow beat of a song.  felix hummed softly, eyes closed and a content smile on his lips as they swayed.  soon enough, it turned into a proper slow dance, and felix laid a kiss on his cheek when the younger dipped him.  that's when changbin finally tried to pull away, not managing to get far before felix was pulling him back in - for a proper kiss, this time.  

neither of them with describe it as fireworks exploding or sparks flying, not like their first meeting.  it was soft, gentle, sweet.  it was the relief of coming home after a long time away.  it was the happiness of seeing an old friend.  it was the content of coming home to a warm bed and a nice meal.  

it was, most of all, theirs.  

the moment was ever so rudely interrupted by the delivery man knocking on the door, both of them breaking apart and racing to the door to let him in.  it wasn't long before they had the tree where it was meant to be, covered in ornaments and tinsel and lights shining softly in the corner.  they ate a quick meal that changbin had ordered while felix decorated, a movie playing in the background as they drifted off to sleep on one another.  

when they awoke the next morning, neither of them got up to cook, instead opting to get dressed and go on a hunt for a good meal.  

after they ate, they began the journey to lotte world, where half of the group was already waiting.  felix waved in greeting when they saw the rest, jisung immediately sprinting over to his other ‘00 liner friend, complaining that hyunjin and seungmin were teasing him.  felix was instantly in defense mode, especially when the aforementioned couple came over and continued teasing jisung over something that had clearly happened before changbin and felix arrived.  changbin watched in silence as his soulmate argued with his friends, taking in the delighted looks on all of their faces when somebody said something particularly witty or amusing.  changbin couldn’t make out exactly what was said, all he knew was that suddenly felix was calling out ‘right, binnie?’ and changbin (obviously) had no choice but to agree.  the others cooed, and it turned into a barrage of dumb puns on the nickname, but he simply glared at them (jokingly, of course) before striding over to join chan and woojin.  the two were talking quietly, welcoming changbin into their little circle soon enough, and passing over the tickets that they got for him and felix.  he thanked them, stuffing the papers into his back pocket that was soon invaded by a certain aussie’s hand.  he swatted at felix, cheeks burning a bright red as the other came up next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, his hand buried in changbin’s back pocket.  after a minute of the younger not relenting, changbin finally wrapped his arm around the boy’s waist and allowed him to silently join their conversation on whether or not wasps had necks - courtesy of chan.  

finally, with all the group gathered, they walked into the gates of the amusement park together and almost immediately split up as quickly as they had gathered.  first was jeongin and yedam, who were on the hunt for cotton candy.  then, as they passed by the highest roller coaster in the park, minho dragged jisung away, “for shits and giggles”, he had said.  the sounds of their screams that followed the remaining six’s retreating forms told of their fate.  then, hyunjin and seungmin split off to ride the carousel, or so seungmin could take pictures of hyunjin and vice versa.  that left just changbin, chris, felix, and woojin.  when jisung and minho finally hunted them down, minho dragged woojin off, claiming that it was for some super secret plan, leaving jisung to latch onto felix, telling of the horrors he had seen on the roller coaster.  

changbin mostly tuned them out, until he couldn’t anymore - aka, when felix began to chant ‘tea cups’ over and over, until the words lost all meaning and he was just slurring out nonsense.  the elder two led the way to the tea cups, where they got in one and jisung and felix in another.  their tea cup was going at a relaxing pace, occasionally twisting as one of them gave the wheel a turn.  however...felix and jisung flew past them more than once, whooping and hollering as they worked in tandem to spin the wheel as fast as possible.  

that was the end of that, changbin had decided as he drug a dizzy felix off the ride, chan supporting a nearly sick jisung who suffered from the same fate.  

they spent a few more hours wandering around the park, occasionally splitting off to do their own thing and occasionally finding other members of the group.  they watched yedam, jeongin, felix, and hyunjin get onto the gyro swing - changbin and seungmin made jokes that they may never see their soulmates again.  the whole group went onto the swinging pirate ship at once, screaming their heads off as it got higher and higher.  changbin wouldn’t admit that he stumbled getting off that ride, even though the laughter behind him proved that he did.  they saw minho stubbornly trying to win jisung a stuffed bear at one of the shooting booths, and watched jisung utterly annihilate him and win the bear for himself.  changbin got dragged into one of the dual bumper cars, facing off against woojin and chan, laughing every time felix steered them the wrong way.  

all in all, the two of them said it was a good day, and an even better night, as they fell into bed and passed out without even changing from their clothes.  

(changbin rushed into the bathroom to shower as soon as he woke up, claiming that he smelled of cheap fried foods and the other smells that filled the park)

they spent christmas with their friends, and video chatting with their family back home.  it was a very quiet occasion, spending most of their time curled up in the nest of blankets and pillows that accumulated in changbin’s living room, christmas movies playing in front of blind eyes as they slept.  

the next day passed in a blur, and soon enough, felix was packing his things to leave.  every few clothing items, he had to stop and kiss changbin gently, promising that he would be back, that they would be together soon enough, and they’d spend the summer together and felix would work so changbin could meet his family.  he didn’t want to use all of his soulmate fund just yet, instead wanting to put it towards rent and things when he finally moved in with changbin.  soon enough, he was boarding the plane, after having shared a few tear stained kisses with changbin.  soon enough, he was landing in his home country, running into the arms of his mom who murmured sweet reassurances into his hair.  

summer arrived in a hurry, classes finishing quickly and felix’s mother video calling changbin so he could see his soulmate walk across the stage to retrieve his diploma.  the second they got home that day, before his graduation party commenced, felix pulled down his suitcase once more and began to throw his belongings into it, having already booked his flight back to korea that morning.  he and chan would be flying back separately, since chan also had to put in his two weeks notice, letting his school know that he would be giving up his coach position and moving out of the country.  the two of them had already gone through the necessary visa procedures, and chan even got certified to teach - miracuously - english in the same school that woojin worked at.  

after a ten hour flight, felix was nearly dead on his feet - but the thought of seeing his soulmate for the first time in a whole semester had all his energy buzzing.  he waited until the plane was nearly clear before getting off, figuring that it would be easier to get his bag without the crowd around him, and also getting through the terminal would be quicker.  he went through customs quickly, anxious to get to the arrival area and see changbin.  soon enough, he was striding through the electric doors and scanning the area for changbin, seeing neither hide nor hair of him.  his shoulders slumped slightly as he pulled out his phone to check and make sure that he had actually showed up, seeing a text to come to the baggage claim, that changbin already had his bag.  a bright smile blessed his lips as he jogged to the baggage claim, looking for changbin.  standing just a few feet away from the belt was changbin, holding a gigantic sign, a bouquet of roses and a bunch of balloons.  the sign had been decorated brightly, green glittery letters spelling out ‘welcome home, felix’ and felix could feel the tears welling up behind his eyes.  changbin had told him not to switch for the whole week before he arrived, and now he knew why.  changbin passed the balloons and sign off to someone else - who felix realized was seungmin - before catching the smaller boy in his arms, twirling the two of them around in their excitement.  

seungmin loudly gagged when felix pressed his hands to changbin’s cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss, and then another, and then one more before finally getting down.  and then pulling him back for yet another kiss.  

changbin could only watch in awe over the next few months as his apartment morphed into theirs.  it was felix’s sweater draped over the arm of the couch, it was felix’s albums and cd’s taking up space on his shelves, it was felix’s clothing filling half of his closet, it was felix’s favorite cereals sitting next to his on top of the fridge, it was felix lying next to him in bed, wearing changbin’s clothes and smelling of changbin’s body wash, but it was both of them that made up the love that filled the space, the two of them that slowly but surely made a life for themselves.  

over the following years, felix became a fairly esteemed producer who taught dance classes at minho’s studio occasionally.  chan stopped coaching soccer in australia and instead taught english in korea, sneaking kisses from woojin in the break room when they thought no one was looking, before woojin had to rush back to his vocal students.  jisung often joined felix and changbin in changbin’s tattoo parlor, and quietly sat in the back room humming a tune and jotting down lyrics.  they were often joined by minho, as well, who liked to sit next to his fiance - after finally working up the nerve and proposing - and critiquing lines of his work.  changbin and felix joined the newly married hyunjin and seungmin for dinner one night, and the next day, found themselves exploring the depths of the animal shelter with yedam and jeongin, each of them sporting promise rings.  both couples came away with a new pet - yedam and jeongin with a small dog that they couldn’t decide on a name for, and changbin and felix with a furry cat named ash.  the two were joined by the others on the summer night that changbin finally proposed, dropping to one knee in front of felix and popping open the velvet box.  felix burst out laughing, mirroring changbin’s position on the ground as he pulled out his own velvet ring box and showed changbin.  the two of them nearly cried as they realized how in sync they really were.  

felix has made many wishes in his lifetime.  the one that he least expected to come true is the one that stands out the most when it comes true, and he can’t find anything to be more thankful for.  

[straykidsscribbles]

Lectionum Patrocinium

Happiest of birthdays to the brightest star in the sky, Felix Lee. Hope he had a happy birthday!

Summary: Felix Lee had just offered to teach you taekwondo. Maybe he’d end up teaching you something about love as well? 

Word count: 4766, Felix x neutral reader, College AU

This is lowkey inspired by my own experiences learning taekwondo! The title is “Defense Lessons” in Latin. See my masterlist for more.

“Come on _____, let’s go! I want to see how the dance team recruitment is going!” Minho yelled, dragging you behind him as he rushed towards the crowd of tables arranged outside your college’s gym.

You followed, barely avoiding tripping over your feet. Why does this kid have so much energy? I swear I'm never letting him drink coke again.

“Hey Hyunjin! Has anyone new signed up yet?” Minho asked the boy behind the table. Sometimes you wondered just how many people Minho met at through his dance performances; it seemed like he knew everyone who'd even thought of performing.

Hyunjin nodded from behind the table. “A couple of girls came by earlier, and there was this group of freshmen that seemed pretty interested too. Who's your friend?”

Minho grinned happily. “This is _____, my cousin. I'm just showing them around!”

“Nice to meet you _____!” Hyunjin smiled politely, no doubt used to Minho’s wild energy.

“Nice to meet you too, Hyunjin wasn’t it?” you replied. Minho has so many friends; I don’t think I’ll ever keep them all straight.

Minho turned back to the two of you, done distracting whoever else he had been talking to. “Hyunjinnie do you know where Felix is?”

“Yup, he’s at the taekwondo booth. He’s going to take over from me in about an hour, so you could wait or you could go meet him there, it’s near the pizza stand.” Hyunjin pointed out a small red canopy just visible over the sea of students milling around. As he was speaking, three new people came up to the other side of the booth, looking like they were waiting to ask about the dance club. “You guys will have to excuse me, bye!” Hyunjin waved you two away, turning to speak with the newcomers. After all, it was a club recruitment event and he did have a job to do.

“Okie dokie _____, we’ll go see Felix next, and then you have to pick one thing at least to sign up for before I let you go back to your dorm.” Minho instructed. You jogged a little to catch up with him as he pushed through the crowd, a little afraid of losing sight of him.

Finally, you two stopped at a neatly decorated booth with Taekwondo written across the table. Taking the brief reprieve to catch your breath, you looked around, taking in the sights. An older girl was leaning against one corner of the table, playing with the padded gloves on her hands as she spoke to some of the others. Another girl was standing near the back, passing out candy to people who signed up.

“Felix!” You jumped at Minho’s yell, startled by the loud noise. I swear I’m never going anywhere with this idiot again. He is so loud and peppy it’s ridiculous.

“Minho-hyung! You found me!” A boy wearing a padded blue vest over a martial arts uniform sauntered over to you both. A “Kick Me!” sign adorned the front of his vest, which was clearly some sort of protective gear. His hair was lightly mussed and a bright shade of orange, clashing with the black collar of his uniform.

“Hyunjin told me where you were. This is my cousin, _____, and this is Felix!” Minho introduced.

“Hi Felix,” you greeted, smiling at him.

“Hi ____!” Oh wow, he has a really deep voice. Not at all what you’d expect from his face. “Are you interested in trying out taekwondo?”  

“Actually, that’s a great idea. It’ll be something new for you and self-defense is always something you should learn,” lectured Minho, a bit of a smirk spreading across his lips.

“I don’t know… I mean I’ve never done something like this before. I might not be very good at it at all,” you wavered, a little unsure of getting pushed into doing something so unfamiliar to you.

“Well, you could try something quick now? I mean, I have this Kick Me sign for a reason, go for it!” Felix encouraged, turning to face you fully. “I promise, you won’t hurt me.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, still not totally okay with the idea of just kicking someone you’d only just met three minutes ago. What if he’s wrong and I actually do hurt him?

“Come on, he has a Kick Me sign! Just go for it you dork, you think too much.” Minho was, as usual, being his typically unhelpful, highly irritating self.

“You can kick me, don’t worry about it! I’ve already gotten kicked a few times anyways.” Felix backed up a little, giving you some space. “Come on then.”

And with that, you swung your leg, your toes connecting with the thick vest, making a loud thump. Your toes caught on the edge of the padding, bending a little inside your sneakers. Ouch, that hurt. I hope my toes are okay… that was not a good idea.

Felix let out a breath. “Oof, that was pretty hard. Are you sure you haven’t done taekwondo before, or any other martial arts?”

“No…” you trailed off, noticing that his breathing was actually quite heavy and he looked a little winded. “That was a total fluke.”

“You have a lot of power then, you just need better technique,” Felix began explaining. “You know how your toes got caught on the edge of the sparring gear? If you hadn’t been wearing shoes, you could have broken a toe.”

“Oh. Lucky me I guess?” Well, that would have been fun. Walking all over this ridiculous campus with a broken toe.

“You know, if you want to come by during one of my practices, I could give you a few pointers. That would be better than just throwing kicks and potentially injuring yourself.” Felix’s eyes looked earnest, and he had a bright smile playing on his lips.

That’s really sweet of him. “If you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, then I’d love to take you up on it.”

“Of course! Let me give you my number, that way we can set up a time that works for both of us.” You pulled your phone out of your pocket and passed it to Felix, who typed in a number and sent off a quick text to his own phone. “There. All done.”

“Thanks Felix! I’ll see you later!”

“Bye _____,” he waved to your retreating figure.

As you walked away from the booth, Minho popped up next to you. “Soooooo. That was pretty cute. He’s going to give you lessons, isn’t he?” He waggled his eyebrows up and down comically at you, smirking at the flush that rose in your cheeks.

“Stop waggling your eyebrows and shut up you brat! Otherwise I’ll tell Auntie that you didn’t actually finish all the soup she sent you because you forgot about it and it went bad.” The advantage of spending way too much time with my cousin. I get to know all his secrets.

“You wouldn’t.” Minho’s eyes widened in mock horror as he nudged you with his elbow. “I’m an innocent man; I did nothing to deserve this.”

“Innocent? Yeah right. If you’re innocent then I’m the Queen of England!”

“And you go around calling me a brat?”

Laughing, the two of you wandered back to your dorm, where Minho said his goodbyes.

Still, your mind kept running over your conversation with Felix. Your last thought that night was of the boy you’d met that day, and his sweet, almost angelic smile when he’d offered to teach you.

---

About a week later (and after exchanging quite a few texts with Felix), you’d managed to find a time that would work out for both of your schedules. Felix had to schedule around dance as well as his regular classes, but you’d managed eventually, after postponing a few study sessions to make time for it.

That was why, at about five in the afternoon, you were walking over to the martial arts gym, dressed in plain black clothing and carrying a water bottle. Felix had been strangely insistent upon that point, reminding you at least four times to bring water.

I wonder just how much he’s planning on doing today. It’s not like we can do much. I mean, I am just a beginner and this is my first time trying taekwondo, you mused as you pushed open the glass door and entered the gym.

There were rubber mats lining the floor, presumably to prevent injury should someone fall on it. A shoe rack stood along one wall, and you pulled off your shoes, leaving them on the shelf. You made to step onto the mats, only to be stopped by an older boy practicing in one corner of the large room.

“Make sure you take your socks off too please,” he requested, lowering the bamboo sword in his hands. “Are you here for Felix? He stepped out for a second, he said you’d be coming.”

You turned back to the shoe shelf, pulling off your socks and shoving them inside your shoes. “Yup, I’m here to see Felix. Should I just go wait over there? I don’t want to bother you.”

“Oh, it’s fine, I need a break anyways. Besides, it’s nice to finally meet Felix’s s/o!” He put the sword down on a rack and padded over to you.

You took in a sharp breath, a little surprised. “Oh, I’m not— Felix and I aren’t— we aren’t dating or anything. We met a few days ago and he said he’d show me how to kick without hurting myself so here I am!” Great. Now I’m tripping over my own words, this is fantastic.

“_____, there you are!” came Felix’s voice from behind you. “I see you met Woojin-hyung, he’s our resident kendo expert.”

“Hi Felix,” you greeted, a little breathless. Felix’s hair was pushed back from his forehead and the uniform he wore fitted his shoulders just perfectly, emphasizing their broadness. Get a grip _____, he’s literally being nice and teaching you and you go and act like some shallow trashcan.

“I’m glad you came, should we get started?” He gestured towards another area of the mats, and you followed him, waving goodbye too Woojin, who was already engrossed in his exercises once more.

“Woojin seems pretty cool,” you said brightly, trying to make a little small talk. “Have you been friends long?”

Felix seemed to be pouting as he heard your praise of the older boy. I’m just imagining things, it’s not like he would actually be pouting over me commenting on his friend. “We met through the gym and we have a few other friends in common actually. He and I are roommates in our flat, which works out well since we both spend a lot of time in here and in the music building.”

“That must be pretty nice. I’m in a dorm but I don’t actually know my roommate that well. She’s pretty nice though.”

“Anyways,” Felix turned to face you, seemingly ready to start the lesson. “Let’s start small shall we? Maybe punching first, then kicking?”

“You’re the teacher,” you replied, a little nervous. What if I end up falling or I break something or some other ridiculous horror happens?

Felix nodded to himself, going over some sort of plan in his head. “Okay, so how about we start off with something similar to our last encounter. Try and punch me?”

What. “Are you sure?”

“I told you didn’t I? Now go ahead, punch away. I won’t let you hurt either of us, don’t worry.” Well, if he’s sure…

You balled up your fingers into a fist, and then tried to punch the boy standing relaxed in front of you, seemingly without a care in the world.

Only to find your fist sliding through the air past his cheek, not even making contact with his skin.

“Go on, try again,” he encouraged, patting his cheek. “Aim here.”

You tried again, this time putting more force behind your hand so that it would move faster.

The same thing. Your fist just would not make contact with his face, no matter how carefully you tried to aim.

“Okay, so I’m clearly missing something here. What’s the trick Felix?” you questioned, crossing your arms over your chest.

Felix laughed a little, the sound oddly adorable. “See, the whole point is to move just enough, so that you don’t get hit. Then you can be in the perfect position to strike back, while the other person is off balance from their own attack.”

Understanding dawned on you. “So basically you let them overextend themselves to make your life easier?”

“Exactly. Now show me how you’re making a fist,” He instructed, stepping back from you. You held up a hand awkwardly, folding your fingers over your thumb and tightening them.

Felix groaned, grabbing your hand and pulling your thumb out from under your fingers. He lingered for a second, warm hands on yours, before shaking his head slightly. “Okay, so this is definitely a problem. If you keep your thumb inside your fist, you’ll end up breaking it love.”

“How? Isn’t it more protected this way?”

“If you hit something really hard, then the force crushes your fingers into your thumb. Then it makes it really easy for your thumb or fingers to break. The best way is to do it like this.” He shifted your fingers, moving them so that your thumb folded under your curled fingers. “There. Like that.”

You folded your fingers experimentally, trying to get used to the position. “This feels kind of weird,” you muttered under your breath.

“It might feel weird now, but trust me, you’ll get used to it soon enough. Now then, let me show you how to punch, then maybe we can try a front kick to start you off?”

The lesson continued for about an hour, Felix patiently explaining how to move and shift your weight so that you wouldn’t fall while kicking. He was careful to avoid pushing you too far, making sure you understood the logic behind everything instead of expecting you to blindly follow everything he told you to do.

He’s really sweet. And cute. And the way his hair keeps flopping over his eyes… _____, you’re just about dead gone on him aren’t you? Get your act together, you’ve only known him for a week!

No matter how much you told yourself not to, you couldn’t help it. You now had a ridiculous, obvious crush on your taekwondo tutor.

---

Felix unlocked the door of the apartment he shared with Woojin, Chan, and Changbin, exhausted after dance practice. He entered, only to find all three boys staring right at him.

“Look whose home! It’s lover boy!” smirked Chan as he leaned casually against the kitchen counter. “Had fun on your date earlier?”

Felix blushed, cheeks feeling as warm as the sun. “It wasn’t a dateeeee.”

“You were waiting for them, got all scowl-y once they left, and you were all cranky about them talking to me. It might not have been a date but you wanted it to be one.” Woojin had a gigantic grin on his face.

Changbin was frowning. “What are they like? Are they nice?  And what happened to your rule of not starting new projects this quarter, especially before dance competitions?”

“I… made an exception? Since they were really sweet?” Felix seemed to be asking them rather than telling them. He flopped onto the sofa with a thump, face buried in a throw pillow. “I don’t know okay, they were really cute when Minho brought them over and I saw my chance and took it! It’s just a chance to get to know _____ anyways.”

Chan patted Felix’s head roughly, messing up his hair. “You got game Lix. I taught you well, my son,” he intoned, making his voice deeper just to try and bring a smile to Felix’s somewhat woebegone face.

Changbin hurled a pillow at Chan’s head, clearly amused. “You have the least game of anyone on campus Channie-hyung, fuck off.”

“Language, Changbin! Now come on, we ordered take out and it’s getting cold.” Woojin intervened before the other two could start bickering, and gestured the bags sitting next to the stove. Felix rolled off the couch into a heap on the floor before struggling to his feet and opening a container of rice.

“It’s not like anything even happened, it was an actual lesson,” he mumbled defensively into his food, chopsticks shoveling rice into his mouth. Nothing got between these four hungry boys and their food, even romantic drama.

Changbin just snorted derisively. “Sure it was an actual lesson. ‘Oh Felix, is this how I kick?’ and then they fall into your arms.”

“They were cute Felix, I can see why you’re trying to do this,” Woojin smiled encouragingly at the younger boy. “For what it’s worth, I think they like you too. And it’s a great way to get to know them.”

“I doubt it hyung.” Felix hung his head morosely. “They probably are going to hate me once I start actually teaching them and making them spend hours doing squats and kicks.”

Chan and Changbin snickered in the background, even as Felix sighed into food once more. Maybe trying to give _____ private lessons wasn’t the brightest idea I’ve had.

---

“Felix, show me something cool!” you flopped back onto the mats, exhausted after about half an hour of kicking. Felix may have become a very close friend of yours, but he was also a grueling teacher and made sure every single technique you learned was as close to perfect as possible. Hence the constant repetition and practice; at this point you were a little afraid you could maybe do these kicks in your sleep.

Felix laughed, the sound filling the room. “What do you mean, cool?”

“Something new, something I don’t know how to do! Surprise me!” You sat up, excited to see what he would show you. After all, Felix was a black belt; he probably had hundreds of cool kicks and hand techniques mastered.

“Hmmm…” Felix paused for a moment, then stepped back. “How about this?” He spun for a second, leg snapping out in a hook kick before going back to his original stance. “Cool enough for you?”

“How did you do that so fast? Don’t you lose your balance?” you asked, a little confused. Felix had done a full 360 degree turn at top speed without even wobbling, while you could barely manage to kick a side kick even somewhat fast.

He grinned at you, the smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “I have been doing this for a while _____, it’s not that hard. The trick is to let the momentum of your turn get transferred into your strike. I’ll show you.” He held out a hand to help you up and you took it.

He yanked you up, pulling hard on your arm. A little too hard.

You almost crashed right into him, catching yourself with your hands on his chest. You’d never seen his face from such close quarters, his nose wavering barely an inch or so away from yours.

“I didn’t know you had freckles,” you whispered, unconsciously reaching out to trace his cheek with your fingertips.

He leaned towards you, and your fingers were just brushing his cheek when—

“Wow, _____, Felix, watch the PDA!” hooted Minho from the doorway where he had been talking to Woojin.

The two of you sprang apart, blushing furiously. “He’s not— we were just—” You were so embarrassed you could barely finish your sentence. What do both of them think of me now? That was awful! I don’t think I can ever look Woojin in the face again. And Minho’s never going to let me live this down.

What if he tells my mother? She’s been hounding me to get a boyfriend for ages, the usual “Oh, honey, you aren’t getting any younger, you know your father and I met in college too.” This is going to be bad… and it doesn’t help that my crush hasn’t lessened one bit since these lessons started.

Felix seemed to have given some sort of explanation while you were busy freaking out in the privacy of your mind, and the two older boys had accepted whatever he had said and gone back to their own conversation. You could still feel Minho’s eyes on you though.

He’s telling my mom. And his mom. And they’re going to corner me the next time I go home. Fantastic.

“Hey, _____?” Felix’s voice broke into your thoughts. “You know, you’re getting pretty good at this. You should come to one of our team meetings, I think you can handle it now. We’re having a small tournament to practice for the big one coming up next month.”

“Do you really think I’m ready? It hasn’t been that long yet,” you mused, going over to the bench to grab your water bottle.

“You’re definitely ready! You could probably spar a yellow belt even though you’re just a white belt. After all your practice with me, a yellow belt would seem easy for you.”

You rolled your eyes at Felix. “You. Go. Easy. On. Me.”

“Maybe, but you’re still good enough, trust me! At least try one of the meetings, it could be fun!” He bounced up and down, looking at you with the biggest, softest puppy dog eyes you’d ever seen anyone make. “Please _____?”

“If you’re sure… I’ll come.” Welp. Time to leave the baby pond and go out into the real world. I mean it was sweet of Felix to tutor me privately but I guess it would be a lot of fun to learn in a bigger group too.

---

You arrived at the gym, a little surprised by the small crowd of shoes filling the shoe rack. Whenever you and Felix met up the racks were pretty empty, only a few people using the rooms at that time. You pulled off your shoes and socks and entered, carrying your water bottle and phone with you. Glancing around, you took in the 30 or so odd students standing and stretching, looking for the familiar orange hair of one Felix Lee.

“Oh hey, are you Felix’s s/o?” A short haired girl came up to you, smiling. She had a red belt around her waist and red streaks to match in her hair. She looks scary… I bet she’s really good. “He’s over there, in the corner.”

“I’m not his s/o or anything,” you explained hurriedly. “He’s just been teaching me for a while and today was supposed to be my first time practicing with the team.”

“Oh. With the amount he talks about you I would have thought you were dating. My bad, sorry.” she wandered away, yelling at a couple of blue belts to “Get your act together and stretch before you spar!”

You walked up to Felix, tapping him gently on the shoulder. “Hey Felix!”

“Hey _____, you made it! Come on, let’s stretch and then you can try sparring.” He grabbed your hand and pulled you over to a clear spot on the mats before beginning his stretching routine. The two of you worked in silence, a little unsure of your dynamic now that there were so many people around.

Finally, a couple of the higher belts started pairing people off, sending you off to spar with this yellow belt, who looked like he’d guzzled two or three energy drinks before coming. He was bouncing everywhere, ready to start at the drop of a hat.

Felix gave you a thumbs up, and then counted off. “Three, two, one, go.”

You immediately struck out with a front kick, stepping quickly backwards to avoid the roundhouse aimed at your ribs. This kid was not going easy on you at all, but Felix was right. You had learned quite a lot, and you could keep your distance enough to land a few solid kicks as well.

Then, disaster struck. You tried kicking a back kick, only to lose your balance as you turned to face your opponent once more. He took advantage of the opening and snapped his foot out, catching you right in the face.

“Ow!” you yelped, clutching your nose.

“Attacks on the face aren’t allowed until green belt!” Felix told the other boy, who looked sheepish.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize how far my foot went! I think I got overexcited! Are you okay?” the boy asked, stepping closer to you.

“I’m fine,” you mumbled, patting your nose gently. “My nose isn’t though… does anyone have ice?”

“I’ll get you some Love, you go and sit on the bench okay?” Felix gently patted your shoulder and walked towards the closet with the first aid chest. “You should sit down and calm down, getting this excited in a fight can hurt you as well,” he said to the other boy, sending him to go sit on the other side of the room.

He came back, ice pack and towel clutched in his hands. “Let me see?” he asked, kneeling at your feet.

You moved your hands away from your red, throbbing nose and flinched as the cold plastic touched your face. “It’s freezing.”

“It’s an ice pack Love, that’s the point. Now hold this in place, yeah?” He sat down on the bench next to you once you had a firm grip on the ice pack.

“This is great, my mom’s going to kill me. I’ll never get a boyfriend now that my face is broken,” you mumbled. Minho probably already informed her about Felix, the little snake.  Now when she seems my nose she’s going to lament my lack of romantic prospects for the next month.

“You’re wrong you know.” Felix’s deep voice was quiet, only just audible over the hubbub in the gym.

You frowned, then winced as the movement jarred your nose. “What do you mean Felix?”

“Ummm…” he wavered for a moment, unsure of whether or not to continue. Could he really be hinting…?

“Spit it out.”

“WillyougooutwithmeIreallylikeyou?”

“What?” You had absolutely no idea what he’d just said.

“Will you go out with me? I really like you a lot _____, I even gave you private lessons because I wanted to get to know you better. You had potential but you could have just joined the club from the start… I kind of wanted to have a little time with just you.” His expression was earnest, drawing you in with those bright, twinkling eyes of his.

He’s so cute… how on earth could I say no?

“Of course! I like you too Felix!” You smiled happily at him, then groaned again as the movement of your lips hurt your nose.

“Don’t move your face! You’ll hurt yourself!” Felix fussed, patting your cheek gently. “Besides, I’m never letting you get hurt again. I’m the only one allowed to spar you now; that way no one can hurt you.”

“Don’t be silly Felix!” you elbowed him softly, amused by his over the top declaration.

Does this mean I have to thank Minho for introducing us?

---

“You got this Felix! You’re two points up, you can win this!” you yelled from the sidelines, watching your boyfriend spar. It was your first tournament, and you’d already gotten your new yellow belt and a shiny silver medal to boot.

Felix, almost as though he had heard you over the noise, struck out again, this time landing two solid kicks on his opponent one after the other. The referee blew his whistle not three seconds after that, and Felix backed off, grinning.

“You won!” you mouthed at him, catching his eye.

“I had my lucky charm,” he mouthed back, grinning wildly. He shook hands with his opponent after bowing to them and walked over to you, pulling off his helmet.

“Congratulations Felix, you won gold!” you hugged him tightly, ignoring the sweat that was dampening his uniform.

“Congratulations to you too Love, you did so well for your first tournament!” He wrapped an arm around you, the smile on his face just growing with each passing second.

“Smile you two!” Minho held up his phone, snapping a photo of the two of you laughing and holding up your medals with your arms around each other. “This is sickeningly cute; I should never have introduced you two!”

“Send it to me hyung, I need a new lock screen.” Felix winked at you as he pulled out his phone. “I need my lucky charm with me after all.”

[miraclejune]

HERO’S SOUP: Chapter 5

School Life

With the gates wide-open, waves of students came rushing into the campus, waving their hands to their friends. Soon enough, groups of bickering teens crowd the empty grounds. The harsh winter wind has been weighing on their skin since this morning. It was the start of the ‘ber’ months, and winter in Seoul is nothing to brag about. It was fucking freezing, and this was just the beginning of the harsh winter.

Jeongin’s feet stopped right in front of the thin line separating him from the inside of his university. His grip tightened on the straps of his backpack. Jeongin wasn’t sure if he would get repelled back because no one invited him in. He had no close friends within his class and it would be strange to ask a random student to invite him in. He sighed and trailing his eyes to the students who were walking towards their respective classes.

“Jeongin.” Seungmin stood behind the boy, putting his hand on his shoulder. Jeongin, who was now getting used to people just appearing out of nowhere, turned around meeting the eyes of the witch.

He tiptoed towards the older man and gave him a brief hug. Pulling away as he saw the curious looks given to them by the students. Panic-stricken; the boy bowed. Jeongin forgot Seungmin was his upper-class man and also the student council president. “Sorry.” Seungmin hummed in response, noticing how the boy acted. He observed his surroundings and made out their current disposition.

He returned his attention to Jeongin’s whose head hung low. “It’s okay. Why are you just standing here, don’t you have class?” Jeongin played with his fingers, embarrassed of admitting his doubts to the witch. Seungmin’s eyes briefly grew wide in realization.

“Let’s go.” he grasped Jeongin’s hand. Dragging him inside the campus. Jeongin shut his eyes shut and prepared for the worst. He might rollback, or maybe even fly away a few feet. Different scenarios in his head played, and it was not helping at all. However, he didn’t feel the weird barrier preventing him from going in.

“Open your eyes, kid. Invitations don’t work in schools or any public establishments.” Seungmin knew Jeongin would be pondering over his ‘current status’ a lot. Especially the ‘you have to be invited in’ situation.

What he said was true, a vampire can enter any public establishment freely, without invitation. In spite of that, they cannot enter a private place or in simple words, a person’s home, without being invited in. However, centuries ago, vampires would try to gain entrance by tricking a person into believing they are someone else. Like a close relative or a friend of the owner.

Seungmin’s eyes trailed to Jeongin who was now calmly walking beside him, ‘he was a different case’ the witch thought. Is it even possible for a ‘bond-mate’ to have the same situation as a full vampire? It's just so weird. But at least he didn't get all the other similarities, it'll be a pain in the ass to handle another blood sucker.

He continued to eye the boy curiously, the constant stream of memories from yesterday’s ‘sleepover’ playing inside his head.

Seungmin couldn’t go to sleep. He doesn’t really need that much sleep also, but after what happened earlier, he was tired.

Unfortunately, not that tired of falling asleep. He was aware of the boy beside him tossing and turning from time to time. Jeongin couldn’t sleep either. At around 3am, he felt the bed shifting because of weight being lifted from it. He bolted upright once the door was closed with a soft thud. Slowly and softly, he followed him. 

Halfway through the hall, he felt guilt. What the hell is he doing stalking him? This isn’t right. But, he was worried. Maybe some scary ass being was there waiting for someone to appear?

He noticed he was holding his breath for a while. He shook his head and continued. There’s no harm in peeking. Jeongin wouldn’t know he was following him. ‘

Taking careful steps, Seungmin peered through the wall separating the living room and the kitchen. He saw how Jeongin stopped dead in his tracks, he heard the boy call out to the other presence in the kitchen. ‘Chan?’ voice soft and low. Seungmin knitted his eyebrows.

What is that blood-sucking idiot doing here? Seungmin knows he doesn’t need sleep but, out of all the places inside that ginormous house, why the kitchen?

Did Chan plan this? Did he lure the boy? Or maybe it was just a coincidence? When he was about to make his presence known, Jeongin welcomed Chan into an embrace. The doubt inside Seungmin’s head vanished, as he turned his back heading upstairs with a small smile on his face, he knew he had just lost to his own head. He finally knew he was worrying for nothing at all. How could he be so blind? Sure, Chan was scary and powerful, that vampire is not easy to deal with.

Contrary to his ‘intent to kill’ earlier that day, Chan will never hurt a human being.

And :Jeongin was no exception to that.

A few hours later, the sun seeped through the curtains in their room. Jeongin stirred awake, rubbing his eyes as they slowly adjusted to the sunlight. He sat upright and yawned, stretching both his arms in the air. His jaw was caught as his eyes noticed the ‘figures’ staring at him with googly eyes. “Isn’t he just so adorable!” Hyunjin’s voice was a few octaves higher, during that time he smacked Jisung and Changbin because he couldn’t contain his excitement.

The noise making Seungmin, who was really annoyed because he couldn’t get any sleep at all, threw a pillow hitting Hyunjin square in the face. The wolf stumbled, recovering after, while he whined about the witch enchanting the pillow (he didn't though but he was definitely tempted in doing so). Changbin and Jisung’s laughter can be heard in the background.

Seungmin really thought they could go home as soon as they woke up. But there he was, sitting on the couch, dumbfounded. Eyes traveling from Felix who was doing the fortnite dance because he won the game, to Jisung and Changbin groaning in frustration because they lost, to Woojin and Chan watching them with fatherly smiles, to Hyunjin drying Jeongin’s hair, and well, Minho who was throwing praises at himself as he checks his reflection on the small mirror in his hand. Seungmin scoffed out loud, making the rest look at him.

His pupils dilated and only a loud “NO!” was heard, as Minho pulled him into a human/non human pile on the floor.

“Seungmin!” The familiar figure running towards them made Seungmin halt in place, his daydreaming scene vanishing at the back of his head. Jeongin stopped as well.

The pretty girl stops in front of Seungmin, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear. She gave the witch a big smile. But the boy beside him didn’t go unnoticed, her eyes shifted to Jeongin for a second before she turned her attention to Seungmin. “Let’s walk together to the office!

“Yuna, can’t you see I’m with someone?” the girl’s smile wavered. She peered over the boy, this time holding her gaze. Annoyed by the fact that Seungmin was more interested in him than the vice president of the student council and from what she claimed that she was his ‘best friend’.

Seungmin gave her a cold stare, “I will be there before the meeting with the school journalists after lunch. See you.” He nonchalantly passed by her. Jeongin, who was unaware of the eerie tension, bowed at the girl before catching up with Seungmin.

He matched his pace with the witch, moving his eyes to Seungmin’s face. A small smile forming on his lips, Jeongin couldn’t help but feel accomplished. It’s really something he could brag about, his friendship with Seungmin. Well, the witch didn’t confirm it yet but nonetheless, he felt happy.

“Why are you smiling like an idiot, Jeongin?” the boy pouted.

Those were the last words they exchanged before they continued walking towards Jeongin’s class. Out of instinct, Jeongin stopped right in front of the door. One of his classmates bumping into him, no apology given. “Manners, Mr. Kevin.'' The familiar voice startled the boy, bowing 90 degrees before forcing a low ‘sorry’, directing it to Seungmin instead of Jeongin. The boy sped off apologizing again and again as he did so.

Jeongin stuck his foot through the door, continuing into a step when he felt no such barrier. He proceeded on walking towards his seat near the window, clearly unaware of the witch ambling behind him. As he turns to sit down, he notices Seungmin taking the chair from the empty seat in front of his desk. “Seungmin? Why are you still here?” he watched as the witch placed the chair near his table, sitting down facing him. Seungmin signals him to sit down also.

“To kill some time. Your class doesn’t start in 20 minutes, right?” All Jeongin could do was nod in awe. The buzzing of voices around them grew louder.

Seungmin gave him a smile, “Ignore them.” he smiled back, eagerly nodding his head. This time, the witch started the conversation. “I don’t know why me coming here is a big deal? Honestly, they treat me like I’m a dean in this university.” Seungmin complained.

“I guess you’re some kind of figure of authority? That’s why they respect you.” Jeongin responded. Seungmin rolled his eyes and groaned. “Respect? They’re terrified of me. Not that that’s bad. I like being feared.”

A twisted grin appeared on the witch’s face. Jeongin shivered. He couldn’t tell if Seungmin was messing with him or being serious. Morally, he doesn’t want to know.

“I just want to be treated like everyone else.”

“But you don’t want friends.”

“Exactly.” The witch’s statement left him confused. This conversation makes no sense at all. 

Eventually they moved on with the topic. Seungmin asking the questions, of course.

He asked the boy about his major, and why he picked it. Seungmin forced himself to not break into a smile or even chuckle every once in a while. The glow on Jeongin’s face while he was talking about his love for his current program, made it a hard task to do so. He had to admit it was the shortest 20 minutes in his life.

And surviving for more than 500 years contained a lot of maddening long minutes, hours, and even days.

Seungmin wanted to hear more from the kid, weirdly enough, he embraced the term ‘friends’ very easily. His intentions were pure, as asked the boy if they were friends. Not letting Jeongin respond, he ended the conversation with somewhat a threat, “You will be my friend or else I’m gonna chuck you into the garbage shoot.” He had to admit he panicked just a little bit when Jeongin bit his lips, eyes turning glossy as the boy tried to hold back his tears. Seungmin swore he would kill everyone in the room, including himself, if they ever hurt the boy.

And in Chan's case… he would probably eliminate the country’s whole population.

“You have my number, right?” Fixing his wrinkled sweater, Seungmin stood up picking up his backpack in the process. “Text me when you’re done. Let’s get lunch outside.” and with that, he exited the room, after giving the boy a soft pat on the head.

He knew the consequences of his actions, but he couldn’t help himself. The sun shined through the windows; his eyes momentarily blinded by it. Seungmin shielded his face with his hand, a familiar insignia on his finger came to view. He smiled, running his thumb over the black ink. 

-

Wasting no time, Jeongin’s classmates circled his desk. Throwing questions at him like there’s no tomorrow. He was overwhelmed by the amount of attention, but he was mindful of their intentions. Jeongin meekly smiled, answering only with the right words.

The words ‘He’s my friend’ felt like an alien language to him, but weirdly enough it rolled naturally from his tongue. But the queries from his curious classmates grew a bit personal. Some even asked him to do some favors only the student council can do. He declined politely.

Jeongin was thankful for the heavens when the professor walked in 5 minutes after. He pushed back all his thoughts and decided to focus on the lecture. Smiling slightly when he remembered the witch’s words before he left.

Students scrambled to their feet as they sped off towards their respective classes. But with the irregular schedules of a university student, some of them enjoy their free time. Seungmin walked past a group of students, greeting him with a smile and a bow.

He bowed in return, not forgetting about his attitude as someone in ‘authority’ as Jeongin stated. It was a pain in the ass he grew accustomed to. And he had a way to avoid them. The campus may be huge but Seungmin knows the path where he would encounter fewer students. Typical.

The student council has its own 2-story building near the faculty building. He pushed the door open, tapping his I.D. on one of the turnstiles provided. It was an open space on the first floor. A small reception desk was located beside the turnstiles and beyond that were a variety of desks.

Seungmin greeted some of the officers who were working. “Updates?” he listened attentively to some reports from the team. The office has been chaotic for the past 2 weeks. The event for next month was near and they had to prepare for it. His university was enormous, so it takes a lot of resources to plan an event.

After brief presentations, one of the officers approached Seungmin and handed a paper for him to sign. They don’t really have any assigned tables or desks for each officer so they can freely choose where to sit.

Although, everyone within the council knows the president's favorite spot. They wanted to reserve it for him since he works harder than anyone else. Seungmin didn’t claim it but, he eventually noticed the lack of officers who attempted to sit there

Seungmin sat down, fishing out a pen from the neatly arranged table.

He began to read the paper thoroughly. When he understood the contents and deemed them as okay to sign, he handed it back to the officer. Giving him a few pointers before he twirled his chair and skimmed through the finished paperwork neatly piled on his desk.

Abruptly, his back suddenly went stiff, hands coming to a halt. ‘This presence’. He stayed seated but turned his head towards the entrance. A familiar face approaching him, hands inside his pockets. Blazing red hair that seems to be too ‘natural-looking’.

Piercing brown eyes vanished through half-crescent lids when he smiled at one of the students. The small ‘representative’ badge on his left chest reflected the light outside. A few officers greeted him, asking for updates. Seungmin turned his head back to his desktop monitor, inputting his password.

“I still can’t believe you’re the Department of Fine Arts representative. Agreeably, you’re really good at your job.” said an officer.

Seungmin scoffed. That guy deceiving all of you. After a brief moment, he descended the stairs, mindful of the presence following him.

“Kazuo. How’s your father?” he turned to see the guy plopped onto one of the bean bags, munching on the snacks provided. The second floor was made into a place where they can either work or relax. There are places where you can doze off, gather creative juices and solo cubicles whenever you don't feel like socializing. Shelves of books are given. And also, an arcade room was separated by a glass wall.

“Unfortunately, the old man’s still breathing.” Seungmin chuckled, how is that unfortunate? Ah, right. Kazuo’s father.

Seungmin knew his father, well not personally but he has heard of him. His father was an old man, minding a small candy shop in Japan. Kazuo shifted awkwardly from his seat, earning a glance from Seungmin. “It’s weird to hear you laugh. What’s wrong with you?” the witch frowned. Was he really that conservative and cold from other people’s perspectives?

“Woah, I’m sorry man. Didn’t mean to make you upset. It’s just… weird.” the guy shrugged trying to find a comfortable position on the sunken bean bag.

“It’s fine. When will you go back?” Kazuo pouted, throwing a chip towards the witch’s direction. Halfway through the air, it lit up in flames. Stopping right in front of the witch's face, ashes dropping onto the carpeted floor. Seungmin's eyebrows twitched, he's very serious when it comes to cleanliness.

“Fucker, you already want me gone. I have a ‘job’. You know.” Seungmin scowled at the guy’s ‘quote and unquote’ gesture. He turned to his heel, facing the all-glass wall behind him. His eyes scanned through the vicinity of the campus. He heard shuffling behind him, and soon enough Kazuo stood beside him, sucking on a lollipop.

The expanse of green grass covered the ground. Seungmin sighed, soon enough it would be covered by oceans of white snow. And those distant figures walking through different paths, will all be shivering underneath their thick padded coats.

To be honest, it was an ordinary everyday sight for Seungmin. The weather taking a sudden turn was no stranger to him. But he just couldn’t understand why he was always mesmerized by it.

“You know...” he spared the guy beside him a glance. The sudden suffocating air around them didn’t go unnoticed. “You could easily take over this school if you liked.” the corners of his lips tugged upward forming into a smirk. Seungmin snickered and returned his gaze towards the view before him. He has no intention in doing so. He doesn’t crave power.

He did not bother looking at Kazuo, who was walking towards the stairs. His last words etched inside Seungmin’s mind.

-

As soon as the professor’s back was turned, Jeongin darted towards the door. Avoiding all the unnecessary attention before the bell rings. The words ‘early dismissal’ was his cue. The always crowded halls buzzed with voices. Students hailing from the Music Department, shuffling through. He pulled his sweater over his hands, suddenly aware of the cold weather.

“Seungmin? Walking with someone?”

“He didn’t just walk with him; he took him to his class and even stayed there before it started!” Jeongin’s fast paced steps slowly nimble. “Wait, it was a guy? Were they friends? Seungmin has friends? Thought that guy was anti-social.” his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Maybe it was a council officer? They always walk around together.” the student shook his head. “Nope. I know everyone in the council but this guy was a freshman, I think!”

“Well, anyway, I’m glad Seungmin has friends. He’s a great dude.”

News already spread out like that fast? Jeongin questioned. But he was pleased to know that students cared for Seungmin even though he’s a bitch.

But Seungmin was a great guy. He was amazing at his job. Seniors from all programs made him a laughing stock once he stepped behind the podium. Imagine, a first-year photography major, running for council president?

Pathetic. He was clearly trying to get himself into some trouble. However, as soon as he spoke, each word coming from his mouth, somehow put them into a trance. It was like they were put under a spell, his spell. Seungmin won. And this year, even though he wasn’t a candidate. He was, according to the witch, forced into the position again.

“Well, he seems close with Kazuo.'' Kazuo?

Fishing out his phone from his pocket, he easily found Seungmins number among the small number of contacts he had, which by the way contains; his mom, dad, older brother and grandmother. He typed in a message, sliding the phone back in his pocket after he pressed send.

Jeongin scurried towards the main gate, rubbing his hands to achieve some sort of warmth.

“Jeongin.” he lifted his head up and saw Seungmin. The witch approached him, Jeongin gave him a smile before they turned and walked out of the gates. “How was class?” the boy fidgeted, earning a curious glance from Seungmin.

“What’s wrong?” the boy stopped in his tracks. Running his fingers through his hair before it gripped the straps of his backpack. Jeongin hesitated, but he knew Seungmin probably heard about it. They were the talk of the town.

Soon enough, they sat in front of each other in a restaurant. After the lady bowed, placing their orders in front of them, Jeongin broke the ice. He told the issue to Seungmin, who as he predicted, knew about it. The witch told the boy to ignore them, but upon consideration, he offered a proposal. “How about we don’t interact in school if that’s what makes you comfortable.” Jeongin has never said he disagreed so fast in his life.

Pretending not to know each other was a last resort, and he was not that desperate to do that. “It’s fine. It probably just surprised them.” Seungmin just nodded, but he was still bothered by it.

They finished lunch, Jeongin apologizing to Seungmin because he got held up by him. “How about a hug then?'' Before Jeongin could react, Seungmin pulled him into a hug. Letting go quickly. The witch turned to his heel and waved with his back facing the boy. Jeongin smiled, he stood there gazing at Seungmin’s diminishing figure.

“Mom! Dad!” Jeongin set down his backpack on the couch. Roaming his eyes around the living room. He called out once more for his brother but to no luck, he was alone. The empty house was a rare sight. His brother would usually be screaming across the halls, while his dad watched TV and his mom in the kitchen.

A few moments later, he received a call from his mom. Telling him they were at his grandparents’ house, she left some food in the fridge and if he wanted to takeout, there was money on his desk. Jeongin let out an exasperated sigh. When will his mom stop worrying about him?

Jeongin knew even his dad won’t be able to help him. But… he had one idea to make her stop. “Mom, I’ll be fine. I’ll just sleepover again at Chan—” the plan worked. He pulled away his phone from his ear when his mom shouted ‘YES DO THAT SWEETIE, LOVE U BYE’ she ended the call even before he could say he loves her back. He stared at his phone in astonishment.

His own mother has abandoned him for the sake of him having friends. He sighed and shook his head.

Closing the door behind him, he stood at the entrance tucking a few strands of hair into the beret that he put on. Jeongin was satisfied with his current outfit change, it wasn’t that cold yet, but a simple hat and warm coat made a difference. After checking his appearance on his phone, he started heading out. The atmosphere at night was his favorite, especially in summer where it’s blazing hot during the day. His feet navigated him to a familiar place.

The lack of light coming from the antique shop didn’t shock him. Jeongin got home late. He only had one class, but he tends to wait for the students lurking around the music studios to leave so that he can use them by himself. Seungmin was right. Jeongin was a shy boy. He knows how to play the piano and is a good singer. But his talent won’t be noticed if he lacks confidence. They should work on that.

Nothing went wrong when he grew up. Jeongin had a great family, everyone was supportive of him. Although he went through grade school to high school without friends to keep, he wasn’t bullied by anyone. Jeongin just wasn’t really interested in making friends. And he also lacked the confidence to do so.

“Chan?” Before his closed fist could tap the glass, Chan materialized behind it. I guess Jeongin getting used to people appearing out of nowhere was a lie. He stumbled back a few steps before regaining himself. Chan unlocked the door apologizing as he helped him up and ushered him in.

No words were exchanged as they, out of instinct, walked towards the table behind the counter. Finding their usual spots.

“Tea?” Jeongin shook his head, motioning Chan to sit down. Jeongin took his time to roam his eyes around the familiar shop. Oddly enough, this place felt like home. It was also sort of like a job to him, although Chan didn’t pay him. His eyes landed on the floor; a sudden flash of the past incident flickered in front of him.

A small smile creeped on his face. Jeongin was kinda thankful for making that mistake, even though he almost got killed. It was a rickety bridge that led him towards Chan and the rest of the guys.

“So,” his eyes moved back to Chan. He just noticed the vampire’s hair was styled, his curly locks remained but it was neatly parted on one side, a few strands falling into his forehead. Surprisingly, he also had makeup on. A sultry smokey eye made his soft eyes look more prominent. He was also wearing a black leather jacket over a dirty white hoodie. Lastly, his gaze fell onto his lips. He was always so curious about how plump and soft looking the vampire’s lips are. Given that he’s practically dead.

“What brings you here at this hour? It’s dangerous outside.”

“By the way, I’m going home to the puppies tonight.” Jeongin briefly reflected Chan's words. Puppies? Oh! The werewolves. That’s such a cute endearment. However, that wasn’t the issue here. Jeongin had planned to sleep over here since it’s close to his house.

"Oh. Okay, sorry for the hold up.”

“It’s okay.” Jeongin stayed quiet. Chan itched to ask him what was wrong. Jeongin followed his eyes to Chan as he lifted up his seat and slowly settled in beside him. He was not overwhelmingly close but Jeongin was still flustered, he could feel his ears heat up. Ah, it was the wrong choice to wear that beret hat because his ears were exposed.

“You didn’t answer my question. What brings you here?”

Chan had to confess; he was flustered by the boy suddenly appearing at this time of the night. He thought something bad had happened. He wanted to scold him for walking in the dark, it was not safe. Especially now that Jeongin is his bond mate.

But his adorable appearance makes up for it. For the 2 weeks Jeongin has visited/worked at his shop, he never saw the boy wear a hat.

Especially a beret.

Chan took his time taking it all in. He never noticed it before but Jeongin's facial features were so chiseled for a 17-year-old. The vampire also notices how the boy looks very different whenever he has a blank face, contrary to his always smiling face. Jeongin has an RBF. He looks very scary when he’s not smiling. Oh… maybe that’s why no one approaches him? And kids tend to get scared when he looks at them.

Contrary to that, the pack and the rest of the guys find him unbearably adorable.

Hyunjin always giggles out of nowhere and when Changbin asks him why he laughed, Hyunjin would reply ‘Jeongin is really cute, I want to put him in my pocket and protect him.’ even when the said boy wasn’t there. 

Surprisingly, the whole pack agrees. Woojin, who has a soft spot for cute things, continued to gush over the boy with Hyunjin. And when Jisung mentioned something about Jeongin planning on removing his braces, the mansion was left in utter chaos.

“Well, my family’s not home. And I kinda told mom I’m sleeping over.” Chan was surprised. Jeongin wanted to sleepover at his place? He can’t help but stifle a chuckle. He offered that they sleep at the mansion.

Woojin and the rest of the pack would be so happy. Eventually, Jeongin accepted the offer upon seeing the pout on Chan's lips. It was weird, but he was not complaining.

As they step outside, Chan approaches him with a helmet on his hand. “Safety first, sweetie.” Jeongin blushed at the pet name. His face grew redder when Chan's hand grazed his ears as he removed his hat, replacing it with the helmet. Seriously, he was always so sensitive to the lightest form of physical touch.

“Stop staring...” Chan chuckled at the boy’s whines. He hands him his hat back, proceeding to start up his bike.

‘That bike’ Jeongin thought. He always admired it for a minute or two every time he went to the shop. He constantly imagined Chan riding that bike, how cool he would look. Chan wore his helmet, flicking his head to his right to tell the boy to hop on.

Jeongin flailed his arms around, finding a place to hold on. His panicked eyes followed Chan's large hands gripping each of his wrists. Chan guided the boy's arms around his waist, forcing his fingers to interlock with each other. “Hold on.” Jeongin was a crimson red as they sped off, the cold night breeze was chilly but, ‘Chan is warm’.

Was he supposed to be warm?

According to Jeongin’s very ‘extensive’ research which involves his face buried in front of his laptop’s monitor at 5am on a school day—Vampires aren’t supposed to be warm. Their bodies are dead. The flask on the desk earlier might have answered his question. Chan might be warm because he just drank some blood.

Not long enough, they arrive in front of the mansion. Jeongin squinted his eyes, making out the figure who was…

running towards them?

“H-Hyunjin! Let me down please!” Chan watched how the wolf lifted the boy up from his seat and carried the boy like a sack, sprinting towards the mansion. Chan didn’t even get to turn off his engine and that happened.

He shook his head in disbelief. “Wait a goddamn second, Hyunjin.” Changbin gripped his shirt, halting him. He circled the boy and carefully removed Jeongin’s helmet. Tossing it back to Chan who was walking up to them. “Okay go, you dingus.” and with that, Hyunjin disappeared inside.

Jeongin’s voice boomed inside the house, “WAIT WHAT THE FUCK. HOW THE FUCK DID I GET IN?” the four of them looked at each other with wide eyes, breaking into a fit of laughter. “Can’t believe that kid can curse like that."

Jeongin was still confused on why he easily went in. He was sure Woojin did not invite him because he was also outside. The answer to his question was given by a not-even-huffing Hyunjin, telling him that once he’s invited to that house, he can freely access it in the future, but if that person doesn’t visit for quite a while or the owner either changes or cancels the invitation he cannot enter the house.

He bounced on Hyunjin’s shoulder, still mind fucked. “Jeongin is here?” a familiar voice came from the stairs. Hyunjin carefully placed Jeongin on the couch, attaching himself to the boy right away. Jeongin’s eyes traveled to the source of the voice.

“Felix! Minho!” Felix and Minho appeared from the stairs. The fox scurried towards the boy, engulfing him into a tight hug and at the same time squishing Hyunjin between them. Minho silently trailed behind Felix, giving him a smile and a pat on the head before heading towards the kitchen.

Felix and Minho moved in with Chan and the werewolves yesterday. Originally, only Felix wanted to move in. But Minho was acting like a bitch, saying he’s alone at the apartment and that Felix abandoned him. So, they both end up moving together with the rest of the pack.

“Why are you guys here?” Hyunjin shoved Felix off them, sitting up while trying to catch his breath. Felix chuckled and apologized, sitting beside Jeongin telling him they moved in. Jeongin was ecstatic, the 2 days he spent with them was memorable. And now that they’re all here together, it’ll be much easier to hang out.

Woojin trailed behind Jisung and Changbin, Chan was behind him the whole time. He stopped and looked back, waiting for the vampire to discard the helmet he was holding. Chan settled them on the cabinet near the entrance, removing his shoes right after. “Is Jeongin gonna stay the night?” Chan hummed in response, nodding his head as they walked towards the living room. He shrugged his jacket off his shoulders, tossing it to the coat rack 3 meters away from him. It flew in the air with great speed, halting in before the coat rack. It hung itself like someone did it.

Woojin shook his head before following Chan. He stopped midway, admiring the view. Jeongin was crimson red as Hyunjin and Felix praised him for looking so cute in a beret hat. Minho was plopped beside Jisung, immersed in their own world. Changbin popped out of the kitchen carrying snacks. Slowly, they all settled down on the couch, laughing with each other.

Woojin can’t help but smile. It used to be just the 5 of them—Jisung, Changbin, Hyunjin, Chan and himself. They had a lot of fun, but Chan was rather a non-chaotic person, he didn’t mind the noise, but he rarely joined in. He himself, on the other hand, was not far from Chan. He’s just smiling on one side, laughing when the puppies make a joke.

Who would have thought that they would grow this big? 9 of them talking and laughing with each other, just having a good time without caring for anything else. Including that witch, Woojin was a bit cautious of him at first. He seemed to be a bit cold and strict. But after he helped them find Jisung, he slowly opened his heart to the witch.

“Seungmin may act like that, but... He’s a good person.” the sincerity inside Chan's eyes removed all Woojin’s doubts.

Speaking of the devil. Seungmin appeared in the blink of an eye in the middle of the living room, causing Felix and Jisung to stumble behind the couch as they headed to the kitchen to get more snacks. Seungmin declared that he was Jeongin’s officially best friend, threatening to kill anyone if they ever hurt the boy.

Soon enough, Seungmin settled in. Sitting in front of Chan as they play one on one in UNO.

Woojin stood in the distance the whole time. Taking it all in. He clenched his fists. The thought of one of them getting harmed lit up a fire inside his heart. Before he pranced towards the chaos, his voice echoed inside the rest of the wolves' heads, each of them simultaneously looking at the alpha’s direction, nodding their heads to his request.

“Protect them. At all costs.”