Nu Kappa Tau - Love
Synopsis: Sometimes the most obvious thing to say is the hardest.
Member: Doyoung/Reader
Word Count: 8,116
Notes: a fic that’s been sitting around collecting dust for ages... it corresponds with THIS as well, so, read together?? or one before the other?? it doesn’t matter. enjoy ^^
“Oh my fucking god…” You stare down at your grades in horror, seeing the eleven out of twenty staring back at you, as if mocking you. You weren’t angry at the grade necessarily, you were angry at the person who gave you it. The name staring back at you telling you who graded it is mocking you even worse than the numbers.
Of course Kim Doyoung graded it. He was the worst TA in the history of TA’s (even though he wasn’t actually a TA) because he always singled you out when he was grading. He gave you bad grades for no reason even on things you know deserved a perfect score, all because he could. You challenged it every time, but, even so, it was tiring to always have to go to him to convince him to change your grade.
You just wanted to go one assignment without having to see his stupid face and his stupid, cute smile looking at you as he told you after arguing for a good minute that he’ll review your grade.
“…Y/N, you okay?” You look over at the voice speaking to you, seeing Yuta, one of yours and Doyoung’s mutual friends. He was smiling like he knew something with that stupid smirk on his face, and you glare at him.
“The fuck are you looking at?” You ask. He points down at the paper in your hands, making you look down at the score and Doyoung’s name again. It was still mocking you.
“What’d you get?” Yuta asks. You look back up at him, and his stupid smirk was mocking you just as much as Doyoung’s name and your grade.
“…what’d you get?” You question back. You swear if he got a higher grade than you, you were going to kill Doyoung.
Because while Doyoung gave you bad grades for no reason, he gave Yuta bad grades because he just wasn’t good at school. Which, was fine, he wasn’t here for school he was here on an athletic scholarship.
But, even so. If you got worse than Yuta, then Doyoung was dead.
“Fifteen out of twenty,” Yuta says.
You feel a tinge of disrespect and your blood boils at Yuta’s words. Fifteen out of twenty. Fifteen out of twenty was a passing grade. Yuta barely ever got passing grades. Fifteen out of twenty was better than your pathetic grade of eleven. Fifteen out of twenty is what you should’ve gotten at least.
You scrunch up your assignment in your hands and stand up, slamming your hands on the table.
“Where the fuck is Doyoung?”
-
Right off of campus there’s a bookstore and café that lots of college students frequent when the library was full, one that you frequented as well because you knew you’d get peace and quiet there no matter what.
Not to mention Doyoung worked there, and you always liked watching him work in his cute apron while you studied.
It was kind of ironic that even though Doyoung managed to piss you off to no end with his grading, you still managed to have a crush on him. It’s not like he was a bad guy by any means, because every time you talked you’d have a fun and interesting conversation. And sometimes he’d give you free muffins too, and sometimes he helped you out with homework you didn’t understand. He was an awfully sweet guy, really.
Not to mention he was cute, and tall, and made the best chocolate chip muffins you’ve ever eaten in your life. Everything about him screamed your type.
You blame your freshmen self too, because freshmen you got one ridiculously big smile from Doyoung during your first class together and you’ve been keeping your eye on him ever since. In case maybe there came a chance in which you could ask him out for coffee or a late-night snack.
But, as you stomped your away across campus, you didn’t want to do anything with Doyoung besides punch his stupid, pretty face to a pulp. This bad grading shit had gone one too long, and the fact that Yuta had somehow gotten a better grade than you was the icing on the shitty cake that was Doyoung.
Your stupid crush had kept you from killing him before, but no more. It was time to put Doyoung in his place.
You shove open the door to the bookstore, ignoring the looks you were getting from the few customers and Johnny, one of Doyoung’s friends and coworkers. Your eyes search the place until they land on a head of bright, orange hair walking out of the backroom, surprised filling his face when he spots you.
“Kim. Fucking. Doyoung.” You stomp your way over to him and shove at him, making him stumble back. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Huh? You think you’re so high and mighty because you grade papers for fucking professors like the suck-up you are, right?! You’re not even a real fucking TA-”
“Y/N, what-
You throw the crumpled-up assignment you’d been squeezing in your fist at Doyoung, shoving him again. “You can’t just give me bad grades because you feel like it, you fucking asshole! You make me feel like such a fucking idiot every time I get my assignment back because I know I did fine on it and then you just-
“Y/N- can we-
“No, shut up!” You can feel tears welling up from being so upset with Doyoung, and he genuinely looks concerned about you. If he was so concerned, he shouldn’t have graded you so poorly in the first place, especially when you knew you deserved a better grade than fucking eleven out of twenty.
“You gave Yuta a fucking better grade than me- And Yuta never gets better grades than me- are you fucking trying to piss me off, Doyoung?! Huh?!”
Doyoung opens his mouth to speak, but you shake your head, taking a step a back and interrupting him before he can say anything. “You must get like some weird fucking kick out of seeing me pissed off and crying- fuck, I hate you so much, Doyoung, you stupid fucking asshole!”
You turn around and stomp back out the way you came, shoving past some customers that had walked in and ignoring any calls of your name from Doyoung. You were going to go back to your dorm and cry there and avoid anyone else for the rest of the day. You deserved that.
And while you were at it, you were going to crush any feelings you had for Doyoung, because he didn’t deserve you liking him. Not that asshole.
-
Nakamoto Yuta, 10:11 A.M
hey you left your backpack in the classroom yesterday
Nakamoto Yuta, 10:11 A.M
if you swing by the frat house I can give it to you
You stare at your phone, your eyes stinging from the light and from being so puffy from crying yourself to sleep last night. You felt pathetic and like shit, and Yuta’s texts didn’t help.
Going to the frat house, the Nu Kappa Tau frat house, the one that Doyoung was president for seemed like the dumbest idea. There was a huge chance that he’d end up answering the door, and if that happened, you don’t know if you could keep yourself from crying or worse, yelling at him again. Your throat hurt from yelling at him before, and you didn’t feel like making it worse.
You move your hand out from your blanket and text Yuta back.
You, 10:13 A.M
meet me at the library or on the soccer field or something
You, 10:13 A.M
I’m not going to the frat
You have no time to set your phone down because a few seconds later, Yuta has already texted you back.
Nakamoto Yuta, 10:13 A.M
I refuse to put on pants today just to meet you and give you your backpack back
Nakamoto Yuta, 10:13 A.M
meet me at the frat or I’m telling ten when he gets back from Thailand that your new best friend is jaehyun
You whine at Yuta’s texts and throw the covers off of you, texting him back as you move around to gather fresh clothes to wear after you showered.
You, 10:15 A.M
I fucking hate you
Nakamoto Yuta, 10:15 A.M
<3 see you soon
-
The frat house is located down the street from campus, a fifteen minute walk if you felt like it but you wanted to spend the least amount of time getting there and getting back to the safety of your bed, so you end up driving. Luckily, morning traffic isn’t bad at all so you make it there in record time and park behind the house.
You text Yuta that you’ve arrived and don’t even bother knocking on the door, hoping he’ll just come down from his room and give you your backpack. Then you could leave and be on your way. Maybe you could stop at one of the convenience stores and pick up a snack on your way back. Yeah. That sounded nice.
The door opens while you’re in thought wondering what to get on your way home, and immediately your eyes trail up a tall, lean body and end on a face that you didn’t want to see. This is why you didn’t want to go in the first place.
“Y/N- hey-
“I’m not talking to you. Where’s Yuta? I told him I was here.”
“Uh, yeah, about that…” Doyoung steps back and gestures for you to come inside. “I’m the only one here. I asked him to text-
You stop listening to Doyoung and turn around, stepping back down the small staircase of the frat house and back towards your car. You should’ve known better than to trust Yuta of all people. He always pulled shit like this.
“Y/N!” You’re halfway to your car when you feel Doyoung’s hand around your wrist, tugging you back. “Y/N, please don’t leave. I wanted to apologize- I made muffins.”
That stops you from trying to break free from Doyoung’s grasp. Doyoung’s muffins were so good, and if they were chocolate chip, how could you deny them? They were there for the taking.
You curse yourself for being so easily swayed by Doyoung’s stupid fucking muffins.
He releases your arm when you turn back around and start back towards the house, following after you until you’re in the kitchen. You take a seat at the island and watch him pull out two trays of muffins from the oven. He sets them on the counter in front of you.
“Give it a minute they’re-
“Ow!”
“-hot.” You wave your hand back and forth and glare at Doyoung. It wasn’t his fault that your hand was now stinging, but, you were still going to glare at him.
He sighs and moves around the kitchen, grabbing a bowl, filling up the bowl with water, dropping a few ice cubes it in, and then placing it in front of you.
“Just soak your finger in the water for a bit. It’ll feel better,” he tells you. You grumble but do as he says, the relief coming almost instantly. You weren’t going to thank Doyoung, because you were still pissed at him so you two enter an awkward silence.
Doyoung busies himself with pulling out the muffins and putting them on a tray with some tongs, which is the weirdest way you’ve ever seen someone handle muffins before. He doesn’t seem to notice your judgement, clearly preoccupied with whatever might be on his mind. You hoped it was an apology. You were already waiting around longer than you wanted, and if he didn’t apologize soon you weren’t going to be happy.
When the muffins have cooled enough, you pick one off the plate, the one that definitely had the most chocolate chips, and start picking at it, still waiting for Doyoung’s apology.
You kind of hate yourself for still sticking around. You swear it was because of the muffins, but, you knew it was more than that. You knew your stupid crush had you sticking around, waiting for Doyoung to apologize so then you could go back to whatever weird, not entirely a friendship, thing you had with him.
You’re halfway through your muffin when Doyoung finally speaks up.
“…I’m sorry.” You look up at him, cocking an eyebrow to let him know you were listening. “About… this entire grading thing.”
“I don’t know why you’re such a jerk about it. Like, you know I got a good grade, just give me a good grade,” you tell him. Doyoung nods his head and pulls a muffin off the plate, beginning to pick at it.
“I know, Y/N. It’s just…” You roll your eyes at Doyoung.
“You better have the best excuse for why you’ve been giving me shitty grades or else I’m gonna throw all these muffins at you.”
Doyoung is silent again for a long moment. He shoves pieces of muffins into his mouth, and you notice his ears turning red. Was he embarrassed about his reasoning? You stay silent, waiting for Doyoung to talk when he was ready.
“Well, uh, Yuta…” You groan at hearing Yuta’s name. What the fuck did Yuta tell Doyoung so that he’d give you bad grades?
“Oh my god, Doyoung-
“He told me,” Doyoung starts, interrupting you. “He was telling me about how he got laid for like, the third time in one week and I… I asked him how he got girls to like him so easily because I… wanted to know if maybe I could use some of his tips to…”
Doyoung pauses, looking down at his muffin. “To get you to like me and he said “make her hate you” because apparently all girls love that? He was… really convincing when I questioned him.”
“…Doyoung-
“Okay, see, I thought it was going great, you know? Because you always had to come to me when I gave you the wrong grade and you clearly weren’t happy about it. He was telling me it was working so I believed him- and then he told me to give you a worse grade than him because that’d definitely work but…”
“It didn’t. Do you know you’re an idiot?” Doyoung nods his head.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Doyoung, first of all, Yuta hypes himself up all the time. He doesn’t get laid for the exact reasons he told you. He’s a fucking jerk and he pulls shit like this and just pisses girls off. Second of all, why would you ever listen to Yuta about relationship advice? You’d be better off asking Johnny because at least Johnny is nice.”
“I know- I’m sorry, I really am-
“You don’t know how bad I want to throw all those muffins at you,” you say. Doyoung actually looks like he’s about to cry, and you’re not sure it’s because he’s genuinely upset with himself or because he might’ve ruined whatever you could’ve had together. Either way, it makes you want to forgive him.
“I’ll stop giving you shitty grades, Y/N. I’m sorry. I really am.”
You pick up a muffin off the muffin plate and set it in front of you, staring at it. You were going to forgive Doyoung, you know you were, but he needed to make it up to you before you could. You sit there quietly, thinking of all the ways he could before leaning forward and hitting his shoulder to get his attention.
“I’m going to forgive you,” you say. Doyoung’s face brightens up instantly.
“Really?”
“Mmhmm. Not yet though. You need to make it up to me.” Doyoung agrees, nodding his head and leaning forward waiting for what he had to do. “I want you to make me dinner every day this week. And I want it to be so good that I can shove it in Yuta’s face because he can’t eat it.”
“Done.”
“And I want free muffins for the rest of my life.”
“Okay.”
“And on our first date you’re buying everything-
“First date?” Doyoung looks hopeful, a small smile on his face. You have to stop yourself from smiling back.
“Yeah, first date. Because I like you, loser. Without the help of Yuta and his stupid tricks. You should’ve just given me a muffin and asked me out on a date.”
“…Yuta said that was lame and you wouldn’t like that,” Doyoung says. You can’t help the eyeroll.
“No more listening to Yuta about relationship advice, either. If you do, I’m going to break up with you.” Doyoung laughs at that and with the smile he has on his face now you can’t help the smile that appears on your own face.
“Deal.”
“And I want 1000 kisses by the end of the year. Once I get all 1000, you’ll have my forgiveness.” Doyoung leans closer to you, and for a spilt second you think he might actually kiss you.
“That means I have to kiss you almost three times a day.”
You stare at him, your eyes flickering down to his lips and for another spilt second, you think you might actually kiss Doyoung.
“I’m okay with that.”
“Okay. Done deal then?”
You nod. “Done deal.”
-
“What are you smiling about?” You look away from your phone and to Doyoung who was sitting next to you, his own smile on his face.
“I was just thinking back on how we got together. You were so stupid back then for listening to Yuta,” you tell him. Doyoung frowns and crosses his arms.
“I wasn’t that stupid,” he tries. You roll your eyes at him.
“You were the stupidest,” you say. You lean forward and press a kiss to Doyoung’s cheek. “But it’s okay, because I fixed it.”
“I thought my muffins kind of helped,” Doyoung says.
“I mean, they helped me from not beating you up for being an asshole.”
Suddenly, you’re being pinned to the couch, Doyoung on top of you and his hands pinning your arms to your side. “They must’ve not helped that much since you were still mad at me for another week-
“You really made upset me! I had every right to be mad at you-
“Uh-huh. You totally didn’t just pretend to still be mad at me so that I’d end up making lunch for you too, right?”
You bite your lip, trying to keep yourself from smiling. Doyoung was always so perceptive. “…Nope. I totally didn’t do that.”
Doyoung rolls his eyes this time and his hands release yours, only for them to go to your sides. He starts tickling you, making you squirm underneath him because tickling was always a weakness. He knew how to exploit it at the best moments too.
“Doyoungie- stop it!” He doesn’t listen, only continues until you’re both out of breath from laughing so hard. And then he’s kissing you, his hands trailing up your shirt until it’s being thrown to the floor. His lips move down your jaw, to your neck, leaving kisses on every inch of skin Doyoung can.
“Doyoung- I have to get going soon-
“You have five minutes,” he says. You feel his hips grind against yours and you give in immediately. You did have five minutes to spare.
By the time you’re done fooling around, you’re well past the time you were supposed to be somewhere. Doyoung doesn’t seem to care, because even as you’re trying to put clothes back on he clings to you, making it take longer than needed.
“You’re so clingy today,” you tell him. He nuzzles his nose into the back of your neck, humming out a noise of agreement. “Any reason for that?”
“I just like you a lot,” Doyoung says. You smile and shove on one of your shoes, fixing it as best you can while having a clingy boyfriend hugging you before turning around in Doyoung’s arms.
“I like you a lot too, but I really do have to go. I was supposed to meet up with Mark twenty minutes ago.” Doyoung steps away from you and lets you put on your other shoe, and then your backpack. When you’re done he wraps his arms around you again and pulls you close for one last kiss.
It lasts longer than a goodbye kiss, not that you mind because you loved kissing Doyoung, but you really did have to get to Mark. You pull away after a while and smile at Doyoung. He smiles back with this soft smile, and you’re about to tell him goodbye but he opens his mouth first.
“I love you.”
You blink a few times at Doyoung and laugh.
You don’t mean to laugh, it just comes out. You quickly cover your mouth and step back, his expression falling from his face. You reach behind you to open the door, stepping out of the way so it can open up.
“I-I gotta go- I’ll text you later, okay?” You step outside, ready to run away but Doyoung stops you from closing the door.
“Y/N-
“Sorry! Mark’s waiting! I’ll see you later!” You don’t even bother closing the door, instead just rushing down the steps of the frat house and to your car. You don’t bother to look back, nor do you look at the door when you’re about to drive away. You needed to get away as quick as possible. The faster you did, the faster you could stop thinking about what just happened.
-
“Y/N, are you okay?” You look up from the assignment you were reviewing for Mark, seeing the obvious concern on his face.
“…Yeah, I’m good, why?”
“You’ve been looking at the same question for the last half hour... Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t have to help me study today…”
You shake your head and tell Mark you’re fine again, but you knew you weren’t. You had tried focusing on his assignment, but all you could think about were the words Doyoung told you before you left.
I love you
You feel like an idiot, because you should’ve just said you loved him too. Because it’s not like you didn’t. You and Doyoung had been dating for a year already, and there had been multiple times when you wanted to tell him how much you loved him. He was your first good boyfriend, the one who matched the best with you and the one that had made you happier than anyone before. Even after the whole Yuta crap in the beginning, he was still the best.
But you know why you laughed instead of saying it back. Your last boyfriend who said that wasn’t exactly the best guy, a total asshole even worse than Yuta. It was in high school, and, being as vulnerable as you were as a teenager, it didn’t exactly help you for future relationships.
Doyoung had said he loved you and you freaked out because you were terrified.
“Y/N.”
You’re snapped out of your thoughts to see Mark looking even more concerned than earlier, and you sigh, realizing you needed to say something to make him feel better.
“Mark, can I give you a hypothetical situation?” You ask. He nods his head. “Okay, so, let’s say Johnny has a girlfriend, right?”
“Right…”
“And said girlfriend got hurt in the past, right? She had a shitty boyfriend who made her lose trust in lots of guys but then she met Johnny and trusted him, you know? And after being together for a while, Johnny says he loves her.”
“She said I love you back, right?” Mark asks, his eyes widening in hope. You laugh a little, because Mark was cute getting wrapped up in your sort of hypothetical situation.
“Mark, it’s hypothetical.” He seems to remember that and rubs the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly.
“I totally forgot, oh my god. Okay, go on.”
“So, let’s say she didn’t say she loved him back. Not because she doesn’t, but because she’s scared of being hurt. Do you think… Johnny would understand if she… didn’t say it until she was ready?”
Mark thinks for a moment, and you look down at his assignment, thinking for yourself.
You’re not sure if Doyoung would necessarily understand, because Doyoung kind of had a fragile heart. If you said you couldn’t say you loved him back, he might think it’s because you didn’t and then let it get to his head. You definitely didn’t want that, and, you’re pretty sure Doyoung was freaking out anyways on his own back at the frat house. Either way, this whole situation was already a mess.
“I think he’d understand if she couldn’t say it back,” Mark speaks up, gaining your attention back. “I mean, it’s not like she doesn’t love him but she just can’t say it. He’d totally understand.”
“Okay…”
“But, if she’s afraid of getting hurt, why did she trust Johnny long enough for him to be able to say it? Was she expecting to break up with him before he said that? I mean, it kind of seems like she doesn’t trust him not to hurt her, but at the same time she does trust him not to hurt her?”
You stare at Mark, frowning. “She’s a very confused girl, Mark.”
“…Y/N, this doesn’t seem all that hypothetical.” Mark stares back at you, and then leans forward, his voice turning into a whisper. “Did… this happen between you and Doyoung?”
Even if Mark was kind of a clutz and sometimes too innocent for his own good, he could be just as perceptive as Doyoung when he wanted to be.
“…Doyoung said he loved me before I came here and I kind of… ran away.”
“Did you say anything to him? Before you ran away?” You shake your head. “…Y/N, I think that’s worse than explaining why you… can’t say it.”
“I know- I just- I freaked out. I freaked out so bad.” You feel tears pricking the corner of your eyes and you hang your head in your hands. Mark is quick to move next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders for comfort like the sweetheart he was.
“Y/N, you should talk to Doyoung,” Mark mumbles to you. You sniffle and nod, knowing he was right. If you didn’t, it was just going to get worse.
“I’ll- I’ll do it later I need to help with your assignment. I said I’d look it over for you so-
“You should take a minute to yourself first. I don’t mind.” You pull away from Mark and stand up, ruffling his hair. He really was a sweetheart.
“Thanks for listening, Mark. I’ll be right back.”
Mark smiles at you. “No problem, Y/N.”
-
It’s two days after the whole incident with Doyoung, and you finally have the courage to answer his texts. You had been ignoring the frat chat and Ten as well, not wanting to say anything to him. As much as you loved your best friend, you knew damn well he’d say something to everyone else. So, you kept quiet from him and Doyoung and everyone else.
Until now, of course, because Doyoung needed some sort of reply from you.
You, 2:03 P.M
passed that quiz with a perfect score
You stare at your reply, knowing you had completely ignored any of his previous texts but that was the first thing that came to mind. Doyoung would be happy you got a perfect score anyways.
Within seconds, a text is sent back to you.
Doyoung <3, 2:03 P.M
perfect as always
You, 2:03 P.M
:)
Your fingers hover over the letters on the keyboard, not sure what to say next. You hadn’t exactly thought that far; you just wanted to talk to Doyoung.
The messages moving up the screen distracts you and you read what Doyoung has sent.
Doyoung <3, 2:04 P.M
if you want to ignore what happened the other day we can
Well. You weren’t expecting that. You think for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to Doyoung. You definitely didn’t want to talk about this over text, but you also didn’t want to leave him completely in the dark.
You, 2:06 P.M
I don’t want to ignore it
You, 2:06 P.M
but I don’t want to talk about this over text
You, 2:06 P.M
I just kind of need some time to think about it?
You, 2:06 P.M
we can still act like normal and talk but I just need some time
You, 2:06 P.M
is that okay?
That seemed good enough for now. Hopefully.
Doyoung <3, 2:06 P.M
how much time do you think?
You, 2:06 P.M
not long I promise
You, 2:06 P.M
just a little bit and then we’ll talk about it
You, 2:07 P.M
okay?
Doyoung <3, 2:07 P.M
okay
Doyoung <3, 2:07 P.M
just keep me updated
You, 2:07 P.M
<3
-
The thing about college is that sometimes you can just get ridiculously busy for no reason. Which happens to you while in the middle of your problems with Doyoung.
You still think about the whole thing of course, but really, it’s on the backburner while you focus on other things. You had a test to study for, your job gets busy while you cover someone’s shift for three days, a problem comes about between two of your friends, assignments start piling up, and then you hear that Epsilon Chi Omicron is having a frat party that you have to attend because Nu Kappa Tau is attending and you were practically an honorary member.
Not to mention you were dating the president, so, if you didn’t show up, then someone was going to ask questions.
The two weeks leading up to that is rough, and you barely have time to talk to Doyoung or visit the frat house. He gets worried at first, because you’re stressed and just wanted to help you relax, and then he gets frustrated because you still haven’t talked. Two days before the party, you tell him that you were sorry for being busy and that you’d talk at the party, and he agrees and leaves you alone.
Even though you had left your relationship with Doyoung on the backburner for those two weeks, you figured it was now or never to talk about it at the party. You knew what you needed to tell him and what to talk about, so it’d be fine.
And, hopefully, he’d understand and maybe when he told you he loved you, you’d be able to say it back this time.
-
You’re nervous. You’re so fucking nervous. After the mess in the group chat that happened earlier with everyone figuring out that you and Doyoung were kind of having problems, you had a terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach.
And it worsened the second Doyoung walked into the Epsilon Chi Omicron house, his eyes locking onto you. He points upstairs and then heads up, repeating his texts in physical form, and you look away to make eye contact with Taeyong. He gives you a thumbs up for support and you smile, leaving Mark with him and then heading upstairs yourself.
Doyoung is standing at the end of the hallway, and the closer you get the more nervous he looks. At least you weren’t alone.
You shouldn’t be nervous though. It was going to be fine. Doyoung and you were going to be fine.
You hoped.
“Hey,” Doyoung looks up at you and when you’re close enough he pulls you into the room he’s selected for you two and after closing the door, wraps you up in his arms.
After not seeing Doyoung for two weeks, after only talking over text and once over the phone, after not feeling his hands on you or feeling his breath tickle your ear, a wave of relief washes over you. Doyoung made you feel so safe and good and with just one touch he made you feel like nothing was wrong in the world because you were with him. That feeling in your gut was gone just by Doyoung holding you.
You feel like crying because how could you just walk out on such a good thing when he said I love you.
“I’m sorry,” you choke out, wrapping your arms around Doyoung. He squeezes you tightly and you feel a kiss being pressed to the top of your head.
“It’s okay. We’ll talk. Don’t apologize.”
Doyoung and you stay like that, in each other’s embrace for a while, with Doyoung eventually beginning to rock you back and forth to the music that was playing downstairs. It’s not at all a slow song, but it makes you laugh that he was trying to slow dance anyways.
“You’re such a dork,” you tell Doyoung.
“I’m your dork,” he replies. It makes you smile hearing him acting like normal. And, you feel like this entire talk was going to go alright. If not better than alright.
You eventually move to the middle of the bedroom you were in, sitting down on the floor (because no way were you touching that bed) across from each other. You cross your legs underneath you, with Doyoung doing the same and you smile when your knees touch. Even the smallest, innocent touch like that made you happy.
“I missed you,” he says. You look up at him and reach out for his hand. You wanted to hold it while you talked.
“I missed you too.”
Doyoung squeezes your hand when you entwine yours with his, and then you’re sitting there quietly, thinking about what to talk about first. You move your foot to the rhythm of the music downstairs, the movement helping you gather your thoughts. At least this party was good for something.
You take a deep breath, look at Doyoung, and start talking.
“So, back in high school, I had this boyfriend, right?” Doyoung nods, his eyes focused on you, listening intently. You’re glad you had his full attention.
“I thought he was great, you know? Because I was naïve and he was like, my first real boyfriend. He took me on dates and bought me gifts, I mean, he seemed great on the surface. Really. And then like, this was our last year of high school, so we were applying for colleges and crap.
“And he found out we weren’t going to go to the same university. Which seemed like whatever because that happens. I thought it was totally fine but he didn’t like it. He got so upset because he wanted me to go to the same school as him and then from then on he just started being really… shitty. He’d question me on everything and if I said I was hanging out with people he just accused me of all this shit.
“And I probably should’ve figured something was wrong when he told me he loved me like… really soon. I mean, within the first month or something. He just started to get so controlling over all this shit and I eventually couldn’t take it anymore so I tried breaking up with him.
“But he just wouldn’t let me go? I mean, it’s fine to be heartbroken over a break up but he got obsessive and he’d follow me home and he was just being creepy and all this shit. And he’d tell me over and over again that he loved me and I was the only one for him and it was just way too much. I never told him what university I got accepted into so luckily all that stopped after we graduated but like, that shit kind of fucks with you, you know?”
Doyoung nods, clearly still listening, and he squeezes your hand again, letting you continue.
“Like, this probably really wasn’t obvious at all when we first started dating, but… like, sometimes I questioned everything you did and I compared you to him. Because I didn’t want to date another guy like him. I was so afraid you’d tell me you loved me within the first month of us dating and I wouldn’t tell you where I was going sometimes because I just… I was so scared you might be just like him.
“And, I mean, clearly you aren’t, because I’m still with you after a year but there was all that initial fear and then… you said you loved me. And, this is so stupid, because it’s been a year and we’ve known each other for a while and done so much together so I can see why you said it but…”
You feel Doyoung’s other hand reach up to wipe at the tears that had started falling. You hadn’t even noticed you had started crying.
“I just got so scared, Doyoung. All that shit that happened back in high school just came back and- it was so stupid because you’re nothing like him and you’re so sweet and great and I like you so fucking much- but- I don’t know I just got scared and I feel like shit because of it because you were probably expecting me to say it back and everything and I didn’t-
“And it’s not like I don’t, you know, I just- my first boyfriend just fucked it up so bad for me. I didn’t even tell my friends I loved them for so long like, it’s just hard for me. I don’t mean for it to be, it just is.”
Doyoung wipes some more tears that had fallen, and you pause yourself, taking a breath. Doyoung decides to speak up while you’ve stopped talking.
“I was scared too,” he starts. He doesn’t continue at first, clearly not confident in what he was saying. It was kind of funny, because Doyoung was always so confident in his words, but this was different. You’d never had such a deep talk like this.
“Because I dated this girl in high school and she just… she was so mean to me even though I tried so hard to please her and it was an awful relationship and when we broke up I thought I’d just feel like shit and never like anyone ever again.
“And then- then I met you freshmen year and I thought “oh, it won’t be so bad to try again” and when I fucked up with that whole Yuta shit I was so pissed at myself. But then you gave me a chance and I tried my best to be so good for you- and- this is… hard to say, but, when I realized I loved you I kept thinking about her because if she was there she’d tell me “she doesn’t care” and “she doesn’t want to hear it” and I ended up deciding I wouldn’t tell you until you told me.
“But that day I just kept looking at you and kept thinking about it and when you stuck around even though you had to see Mark it made me think maybe it’d be fine to tell you, and then you said you liked me a lot too- so, I figured- you know?”
You and Doyoung must be in sync, because tears are falling from his eyes too. You reach up your hand to wipe at them and he smiles at you.
“I think we’re both scared, Y/N. And, we’re learning things together, right? I think we’re really good for each other and… we’ll just help each other get past this kind of stuff. Yeah?” You nod your head and move your hand behind Doyoung’s head, pushing it closer to yours until your foreheads are touching.
“Right. We’re good for each other. So good.”
“So fucking good,” Doyoung agrees. “It’s okay if you can’t say you love me right away. I understand why you can’t. I just… don’t run away again, please? That… hurt more than you not saying it.”
“Mark said that too,” you giggle. “I won’t run away again. Promise.”
Doyoung leans forward just that little bit more until your lips are touching, and for a while, you sit there in the middle of that room and kiss each other. At some point you even climb into Doyoung’s lap to get a better angle, and you stay like that, kissing Doyoung. It makes you happy and feel relaxed, like you didn’t have to worry about anything at all as long as you were with Doyoung.
Of course, that bliss could only last so long, because you had to go downstairs and join the party and release Taeyong of Mark duty.
Which you definitely regret considering Mark wasn’t even at the party anymore. The stress had only been gone for that hour you spent with Doyoung and now it was back, worse than ever. Most of your friends were drunk (except Yuta, but fuck knows you weren’t talking to him) and then Doyoung suggested you go talk to the Sigma Mu Epsilon girls, which, honestly, was worse than talking to your drunk friends.
You only did it for Mark Lee, that was for sure. All of Doyoung’s intense stares from across the dance floor while he texted you to talk to them definitely wasn’t what made you do it. You just had to find Mark Lee.
You drag one ridiculously drunk Jaehyun over to the group of girls standing off to the side of the dance floor, because if they didn’t give you answers, they’d give you answers when you passed out Jaehyun’s phone number to all of them.
Which, in retrospect, was probably such a shitty thing to do as a friend, but you needed to find Mark. The last time someone got lost at a frat party, it was Jaehyun and he ended up breaking his arm after falling out of a tree into his own throw up. That wasn’t pleasant to deal with at all, so, before something like that happened to Mark, you needed to find him.
And if that meant giving away Jaehyun’s phone number, so be it.
“Y/N, I told you I never wanted to see your face-
“Yeah, that’s great and all. Don’t really care. You guys know Mark, right? Cute, about this tall, was probably hanging around one of your freshmen girls…”
“He’s my soul! No- soulmate!” Jaehyun pipes up next to you, laughing at his own words. You ignore him, keeping on with the conversation at hand.
“Why should I tell you that?”
“Because he’s not here anymore, and I’m supposed to keep my eye on him-
“I don’t have to tell you anything-
“Oh my god- I will give you Jaehyun’s phone number- honestly, I’ll give you all his phone number if you really want it, if you just tell me if Mark wandered off somewhere outside of the party with one of your girls. Right Jaehyun?”
Jaehyun laughs and nods his head. “Yesssss.”
“See? So, please. Did you see Mark?”
The sorority president, the one you know doesn’t like you, rolls her eyes and points to the door. “He left earlier with one of our freshmen girls, yeah. Not sure where they went, but your best bet is probably somewhere by the lake.”
“Lake, great. Got it!” You shove Jaehyun into the group of girls before they can keep you there any longer and rush off to get Doyoung, taking his hand and dragging him out of the house with you.
Doyoung tries asking questions, but you know if you answer any, he’ll just keep asking more and more so you just drag him down the street of frat houses and sororities, ignoring any other drunk college students that were giggling and stumbling as you passed by.
It only takes a few minutes for you to reach the lake that sits at the end of the street, and surprisingly, there’s only a few people wandering around. You pass by the couple making out at the edge of the water, the three boys stumbling back towards the street, and head straight to the dock. You know Mark is sitting there with whatever girl he decided to drag along, because his bright neon hoodie with “NKT” and “Mark” printed on the back sticks out like a sore thumb.
Doyoung calls out his name first, and then you right after, and he looks over, pulling away from the girl and standing up. You and Doyoung rush over to him, your footsteps echoing loudly as you go.
“Mark Lee, what the hell were you thinking?!” You stop in front of him and grab at his shoulders, shaking him roughly.
“Y/N- I just-
“Don’t make excuses! I was so worried- next time don’t turn off your phone you little punk! I don’t care that you left but you didn’t say anything-
“I told Taeyong-
You move your arms to wrap around Mark’s neck, putting him in a headlock. You rub your fist across the top of his head, and he starts complaining, trying to get you off. “You told Taeyong when he was drunk off his ass you fucking little punk. Little punk who turns off his phone and makes me fucking worry. Little punk who’s going to get grounded for sneaking off-
“AH, Y/N!” Mark manages to get you off of him and pushes you away, making you fumble back into Doyoung. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you, holding you there as you flail at Mark.
“Ah, you’re so embarrassing…” Mark whines. He turns to his girl and apologizes to her, but she just giggles and shakes her head, finding the whole thing quite entertaining. That was good at least. You didn’t want Mark crushing on some rude girl.
“We’re just glad you’re safe, Mark, right Y/N?” Doyoung asks. You quit your flailing knowing fully well you weren’t getting out of Doyoung’s grasp and stare at Mark.
“Yeah, we’re glad you’re safe, Marker. You’re just lucky you didn’t end up like Jaehyun his freshmen year… I would’ve killed you.” Mark laughs awkwardly at you.
“You’re such a mom, Y/N…”
Doyoung must sense how awkward the situation was at this point, because he starts dragging you away from Mark and his girl, telling Mark that you’ll see him back at the frat house. He hugs you from behind until you’re a safe distance away from the lake, knowing that you won’t run back to Mark this far away.
“You should’ve let me push him into the lake,” you tell Doyoung, looking back at the lake. You can’t see Mark anymore, which was probably the best for the both of you.
“We’ll scold him later, Y/N. I didn’t want to embarrass him anymore in front of that girl.” You look up at Doyoung, smiling.
“We’ll scold him later? Like, together?” Doyoung looks at you and nods.
“That’s what we do best, don’t we?” You laugh and stop Doyoung in the street, turning him so you’re facing each other. Your hands reach up to caress his face and you pull him down to press your lips together in a sweet kiss.
“We should go back to the house,” Doyoung says when you pull away. “Haven’t heard you scream my name in a while.”
You immediately shove Doyoung. “You’re so nasty, oh my fuck.”
You start walking away from Doyoung, but, just as quick as you had pushed him away, he’s back on you, hugging you from behind again. “You love it.” He won’t let go, so you end up staying like that, waddling back towards the NKT frat house.
Not that you really mind that much.
-
“Do you think it’s really necessary to wake them up like this?” Mark asks. You, Hansol, and Doyoung were standing in the kitchen, pots and pans in your hands, ready to start banging after you counted down. The drunk assholes that lost Mark last night deserved to wake up in an asshole way.
“Mark, when you become president of the frat house, you’ll understand that sometimes these things are needed,” Doyoung explains. Mark only laughs a little before going back to his breakfast.
“Whenever you’re ready, babe.” You look at Doyoung and smile, because the way he looks at you is so fond and nice. It warms your heart to no end. It almost makes you want to tell him you love him.
Almost.
“Did you know I like you a lot?” You ask him.
“I do. I like you a lot too,” he replies. Hansol groans next to you and count offs instead of letting you do it because clearly you were preoccupied with making heart eyes at Doyoung.
The second he says zero though, you and Doyoung don’t hesitate to join in on the noise together, in sync as always.
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