( 사랑 ) martin x f!reader ╱ bestfriends to lovers | school au
contains. lighthearted, slight angst, fluff, crack, skinship, kissing, attempted humor, mentions of illit & cortis mems.
When Martin asked you to meet him behind the gym after school, you assumed one of three things was about to happen.
One: he needed help with homework because he definitely procrastinated again.
Two: his bimbo friends had dared him to do something stupid.
Three: he was about to complain about some pointless things for an absurd amount of time for no reason at all.
You were not prepared for option four.
“Okay, so—hypothetically,” Martin started, pacing like he was about to confess to a crime, “if someone needed a pretend girlfriend. Like. Temporarily.”
“…Hypothetically for who?” you asked.
Your brain short-circuited so hard it almost hurt.
Behind him, the sun dipped low, lighting his stupid face in that soft golden way that made your chest ache on instinct. You’d known Martin since middle school. You knew the mole on his cheek, the way he chewed his lip when nervous, the way he hugged people like he was scared they’d disappear if he let go too soon.
You also knew you were terribly in love with him.
And he was asking you to be his pretend girlfriend.
“For what reason,” you said carefully, “would you need that?”
He stopped pacing. Scratched the back of his neck. Groaned.
“My ex won’t let it go,” he said. “She keeps saying we’re ‘meant to find our way back’ and it’s starting to freak me out. Seonghyeon said if I showed up with someone else, she’d finally move on.”
“And you chose me,” you said flatly.
“Well, yeah,” he replied immediately, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re my best friend. It’d be weird with anyone else.”
Your heart did a very unhelpful thing and squeezed painfully in your chest.
“And,” he added, grinning, “you won’t catch feelings or anything. You’re chill.”
You laughed instead, because if you didn’t, you might actually combust. “Wow. I love being emotionally safe and unthreatening.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. “I just—look, please? I’ll owe you. Like, forever.”
You really, really should have.
But then he stepped closer, hands clasped together like he was praying, eyes big and hopeful in that annoying way that always worked on you.
“…Fine,” you sighed. “But if this ruins my life, I’m haunting you.”
He lit up instantly and threw his arms around you.
Not a casual hug. Not a friendly pat.
A full-on, squeeze-you-like-a-human-stress-ball hug.
You froze for exactly half a second before melting into him, your face pressed into his hoodie, his stupidly familiar scent wrapping around you.
“Holy shit, you’re the best,” he said into your hair. “I knew I could count on you.”
By Monday, everyone knew.
Martin had an arm slung around your shoulders in the hallway like he’d been doing it his entire life, pulling you close whenever his ex walked by, grinning like an idiot.
“Babe,” he said loudly, “are you coming over later?”
He leaned in, whispering, “Sell it.”
“Oh. Right,” you said, forcing a smile. “Yeah. Babe.”
You hoped your friends couldn’t hear how fake that sounded.
At lunch, you sat with them, who stared at Martin like he was a poorly written plot twist.
“So,” one of them said slowly, “you and Martin.”
“Yep,” you said. “Us. Together. Totally.”
Martin dropped into the seat beside you, immediately resting his head on your shoulder.
Your entire body went rigid.
“This is my girlfriend,” he announced proudly. “She’s hot and funny and way out of my league.”
“Wow,” you said. “Setting expectations low, huh?”
He laughed and bumped his forehead against yours. “Relax, you’re doing great.”
Your heart was trying to claw its way out of your ribcage.
Your friends exchanged looks. Concerned. Amused. But mostly Suspicious.
“Does he have to do…that?” Minju asked.
You smiled weakly. “He’s very…hands-on.”
Martin, oblivious menace that he was, tightened his arm around your waist.
The thing was, Martin was too good at this.
Holding your hand. Hugging you from behind. Kissing your cheek without hesitation. Pulling you into his lap during movie night like it was nothing.
“Dude,” james said one afternoon, watching Martin absentmindedly play with your fingers, “you sure this is fake?”
“Yeah,” Martin said easily. “Why?”
Keonho snorted. “Because you’re acting like you’re in love.”
You nearly inhaled your water.
Martin laughed. “Nah. I just like physical affection.”
It all came crashing down after school one day when you were sitting on the bleachers, legs swinging, watching Martin joke around with Cortis on the field.
He jogged over, sweaty and smiling, and dropped down beside you.
He frowned, then gently pulled you into his chest, chin resting on your head.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said softly.
“Martin,” you said, voice small despite yourself, “what happens when your ex finally moves on?”
He shrugged. “We stop pretending.”
He pulled back to look at you. Really look at you.
“…You know,” he said slowly, “we don’t have to stop immediately.”
“Like,” he continued, completely missing your internal meltdown, “we could ease out of it. So it’s not weird.”
You laughed, a little broken. “You’re unbelievable.”
He smiled back, warm and familiar. “But you love me.”
And as he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, completely unaware of how much it meant to you, you wondered how long you could keep pretending this didn’t feel real—
When it already felt like everything. but friends dont just kiss.
The problem with pretending to date Martin was that he never stopped.
If anything, he got worse. It’s like the whole situation wasnt even about his ex anymore.
By the time Friday rolled around, he was basically acting like you’d been married for ten years and owned a joint Costco membership.
He waited for you outside your class, leaning against the lockers like he belonged there. When you spotted him, he smiled and immediately opened his arms.
You looked around. “Why.”
“So I can hug my girlfriend before she abandons me for her friends.” He said dramatically with a pout making you chuckle.
“That is not what happens,” you muttered, but you still stepped into his arms.
He hugged you tight, rocking slightly side to side, cheek pressed into your hair. Way too comfortable.
You sighed. “Martin, people are staring.”
“Good,” he said. “Let them.”
God, he was going to kill you.
Later that day, your friends cornered you in the bathroom like an intervention was about to take place.
“Be honest,” one of them said, arms crossed. “Are you actually dating him?”
“Yes,” you said. “No. I don’t know. I’m tired.”
Yunah groaned. “He kissed your neck yesterday.”
“He leaned in and whispered something and kissed your neck. That is not pretend dating behavior.”
You stared at the tiled floor, cheeks burning. “He does stuff like that without thinking.”
“That man is either in love with you,” iroha said flatly, “or a crazy jerk.”
You sighed. “Both can be true and no way we are just friends!” But your mind said otherwise.
It was movie night at martins place. Seonghyeon, Iroha, Moka and Keonho were sprawled on the floor, half asleep. The movie was something loud and stupid, so Martin changed it to a horror movie.
The movie started, and it took exactly ten minutes for regret to set in.
You hated scary movies. Always had. The kind where the silence stretches too long, where your body braces for something awful you know is coming.
It didn’t help that You were tucked against his chest, his arm wrapped securely around you, fingers tracing idle patterns along your arm.
The movie was genuinely terrifying, which was unfair.
A sudden jump scare hit, loud and sharp, and you yelped before you could stop yourself, instinctively grabbing onto Martin’s shirt.
He froze for half a second.
Then his arm came around you fully, pulling you against his chest.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, voice low and warm against your ear. “I got you.”
Your heart was pounding for an entirely different reason.
You tried to pull back. Failed. He was holding you too comfortably, like this was natural, like this was allowed.
You buried your face into his shoulder without thinking.
Martin laughed softly. “You’re really scared, huh?”
“Shut up,” you mumbled. “Speaking of which did you choose this move to provo-AH!”
He shifted, turning slightly, and suddenly your faces were… close. Too close. His breath hitched just barely, like he noticed it too.
The movie faded into background noise.
For one dangerous second, neither of you moved.
It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t rushed. It was hesitant, unsure, like he was asking without words if this was okay.
You kissed him back anyway.
His hand came up to your cheek, thumb brushing your skin, and the kiss deepened just a little—enough to make your chest ache, enough to make your head spin.
When you pulled away, breathless, the silence was unbearable.
Martin blinked, like he’d just woken up.
“Oh,” he said. “I-im so sorry y/n , I didn’t meant to-“
It was like your heart was being ripped out. Why? Was it really nothing more than an accident to him?
You slightly shake your head and offer a small smile before getting up and going to one of the rooms to cool off.
“Seriously dude?” Keonho said , startling Martin. “You weren’t asleep?”
“No WE weren’t asleep and because WE weren’t asleep we had to witness your stupidity.”
Martin had confusion written all over his face until he looked over to see the rest looking back at him with a disappointed look.
“Can you like go do something? Gosh why does she like someone like you.” Iroha stated, dramatically shaking her head.
Martin finally caught the memo and immediately got up and into the room you went in.
“Y/n listen-“ . “Martin,” you whispered, “you don’t have to hold on to me like this.”
“Hm?” he murmured, eyes locked on you. “Why not?”
“Because,” you said carefully, “this is very…boyfriendy.”
He looked down at you, confused. “That’s the point.”
“That was the point,” you corrected. “Your ex hasn’t talked to you in weeks. Mission accomplished.”
“So we should probably stop.”
Then Martin laughed—short, forced. “Yeah. Right. Of course.”
It felt like something hollowed out inside your chest.
“I’m gonna head home.” “Already?” he asked, too quickly.
You nodded. “Yeah.” You were about to walk past him until a hand grabbed you and pulled you in for a hug. “Im sorry. Y/n Dont leave me i was being stupid.”
He said hurrying his face into your neck. “I meant everything, from when I asked you to date me and when we kissed—I..I meant every part of it. Im sorry for acting like a dumbass, Y/n please..”
You were taken aback not expecting this at all. You couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not but it didn’t matter as you found yourself embracing him back.
“I….i forgive you.” You mumble.
Martin squeezed you tighter like he was afraid of you slipping away. “Does that mean we can date for real now?”
You shyly smiled and nodded, “yea”.
Martin looked back up at you with that stupidly beautiful smile of his before pressing his lips on yours again.
His hand cupped your jaw instinctively, thumb brushing your cheek as the kiss deepened, slow and careful and devastatingly tender. No rush. No joke. Just warmth and lips and the quiet realization that this wasn’t pretending anymore.
Cheers erupted instantly.
You look over to see the rest piled up around the door looking back at yall. “Were you guys watching us the whole time?”
“Maybe” Seonghyeon replied with a cheeky smile which made your cheek turn a rosy hue. You burries your face in martins chest out of embarrassment whike he simply laughed it off.