Paper Rings
Idol: Aeri Uchinaga (aespa)
Word count: 3.3k
Warning: cursing, Ningning chaos gremlin, affectionate violence
☕buy me a coffee☕
It had been a casual day.
Aeri had no plans, just wanted to spend the day off to unwind and not think about the workload that was waiting for her once she got back home and checked her laptop.
A nice walk in the park, earbuds in, music in her ears, and the gentle breeze ruffling her hair.
But when she was scrolling through her playlist to pick out what song to listen to, her body was knocked back by someone colliding into her that nearly had her cursing.
“Hey! Watch where you-”
“I am so sorry!”
She spoke in time with the offender, who apparently seemed to have been too busy with their phone to notice Aeri walking in their path.
The words died in her throat when her eyes landed on your face, blinking rapidly while you scrambled to grab the dropped phone along with your own and handing it to her with another apology slipping past your lips.
“I’m really, really sorry. I was too busy trying to tell my friends that I was going to be late and wasn’t watching.” You explain, a faint blush already forming on your face at the sheer embarrassment of walking into someone.
A lamppost would have been less embarrassing.
“I- no! It’s okay!” She stammers out even though she had been seconds from cursing you out for ruining her morning walk not five seconds ago. “I wasn’t really paying attention either.” She says with a soft grin, the flush on your face too distracting for her to even be truly upset.
Though the smile you shoot her way, she realizes, is even more so.
“Still, I’m sorry for that. You even dropped your phone.” You look at the device now in her hands. “Is it cracked or anything?” You ask worriedly. “I can pay for the repair if it needs fixing.” You tell her and she takes a quick glance at her phone and sees the small crack on the corner, but she’s quick to shake her head. “It’s fine! No worries!”
Oh, Yizhuo was going to have a field day once she finds out that she was fumbling in front of a pretty girl.
You still look a little unconvinced, but she only grins while shoving her phone inside her pocket so you don’t catch a glimpse of the damage. It was a small crack. She could live.
Pressing your lips together, you finally let out a breath and nod your head just as your own phone makes another sound, indicating another message from your friends likely asking you of your whereabouts.
“I… should really get going.” You say as you take a step back from her, shooting another apologetic smile. “But, um… if your phone starts acting up, please don’t be afraid to message me.”
Aeri barely registers the suggestion until you’re grabbing a pen from your bag and pulling out a crumpled piece of tissue to write down your number and hand it to her. She takes it dumbly, even when she tries to tell you that her phone is fine and probably wouldn't need repairs (she hasn’t checked but she wasn’t going to make you pay).
Finally, the two of you bid each other goodbye, smiling one more time as you start walking in two different directions.
Aeri can only glance over her shoulder and she quickly turns her head when she sees the way you do the same, both of you smiling before you walk away from the park and where you both need to be.
..
“You got a girl’s number?”
Aeri winces when Yizhuo shoots out of her seat, only to be yanked down by Jimin, hissing at her to be quiet. “Are you trying to get us kicked out?” The older girl groaned while Minjeong hid a laugh behind her hand.
“How are you so calm about this? This is finally Aeri unnie’s chance to get herself a girlfriend!” The maknae all but gasped, squirming in Jimin’s hold as she stared at the Japanese woman. “Wait- is she pretty? What’s her name?”
Aeri rubbed her temples, already feeling the growing headache before she gave Yizhuo a dry look. “You’re talking as if I don’t have it in me.” She deadpanned, to which all three of her friends snorted.
“You’re a walking disaster, Gigi.” Jimin tells her when she finally releases Yizhuo’s collar. “And I mean that in the nicest way possible.” Minjeong playfully rolls her eyes. “She means you’re gay and can’t impress a girl for shit.” She adds helpfully, earning an offended gasp.
“See? My reaction was warranted.” Yizhuo huffs, a smug grin already on her face that could only mean trouble.
Aeri points a finger at her. “You literally set me up with a guy last time.” She reminded with the most tired look she could muster and Jimin raised both hands in defense. “I just want it on record that I had opposed the idea and had no part in it.”
“You literally said, and I quote, “maybe he can get her out of her funk”.” Minjeong shot back with a snort, even pulling her phone up to show a picture of the three of them sending Aeri a thumbs up in their group chat right before said date.
“That doesn’t mean anything.” Jimin said coolly and Aeri bumped her shoulder. “You are literally the worst.” She said with a fond shake of her head before Yizhuo was shifting the topic back. “You still haven’t answered my question, unnie.”
Aeri exhales through her nose, your face flashing in her mind again, and she smiles without meaning to. “She is pretty!” Yizhuo squeals, making Minjeong wince and cover her ears with a whine, shoving the younger girl a little.
“I didn’t say anything!” Aeri can feel the blush creeping up her cheeks even as she wills it down. Jimin can’t help but laugh while Minjeong is still rubbing her ears and Yizhuo is practically vibrating in her seat. “Your face said everything.” Her best friend says while giving her a small pat on the shoulder. “You managed to get a pretty girl’s phone number without trying. We’re proud of you.” Jimin tells her as if she had done the world a great service.
“You should text her.” Yizhuo said without missing a beat and Aeri gave her an incredulous look. “That would be weird.” She said before Minjeong, with her ears no longer ringing, shook her head. “You don’t have to text her that your phone’s broken - you’re a loser for that, by the way - just that you think she’s cute and then go from there.” The younger girl said casually, like it was that simple.
In all honesty, it was. But Aeri didn’t want to come off too strong.
“And if she’s already in a relationship?” She asks them before Jimin shrugs her shoulders. “Then play it off like you were just complimenting her, wanted to be friends.” She tells her with a fond roll of her eyes. “God, you sound like such an amateur.” She teased, earning herself a weak glare from Aeri and giggles from the two younger ones.
“I hate you.”
“You love us.”
“Just don’t replace us with pretty girl.”
“Yah!”
..
Okay, so maybe the girls weren't wrong.
Aeri cringed at the thought, but she had to admit, if they weren’t so persistent, she wouldn't have gotten the chance to shoot you a text and actually have a proper conversation. Hell, she even got your name!
She had smacked herself when you introduced yourself after she had given a very lame description of your encounter in the park. Thankfully, you didn’t seem to mind, or if you did, she wouldn’t have been able to tell through text.
She’s not sure which one she’d prefer.
But despite the awkward start, Aeri has managed to get to know you a little more over the course of a few weeks, even managing to ask if you were free once and she hoped you could spend some time together to actually get to know more about you in person instead of through text.
So now, here you both were, sitting on a picnic blanket and goofing around without a care in the world and acting like you two have been friends forever instead of just a few days.
“No! You have to play me something!” She cried out when she shoved the guitar into your hands after you told her you knew how to play too. “I told you, I’m not that good!” You giggle, fingers wrapping around the fretboard while she lays on her stomach to look at you, her feet kicking lazily behind her. “It’s fine, it’s not like there’s anyone else to watch you embarrass yourself.” She smirks and you shoot her a playful glare before letting out a defeated sigh.
“If you laugh, I’m never going to agree to another hang out with you.” You say jokingly and she raises a hand as if she’s under oath. “I promise not to laugh… just judge.” You snort. “You’re annoying ”
“You're still gonna play for me.”
She’s eager to listen when you actually start playing, testing the strings out and trying a few chords as if you’re trying to familiarize yourself with the instrument you’re holding.
“Any requests?”
“Impress me.”
You press your lips together before finally letting out a slow breath and start strumming, fingers gliding carefully over the strings as a soft melody greets both of your ears.
All I knew
This morning when I woke
Is I know something now
Know something now I didn't before
Aeri’s breath catches somewhere in her throat as she listens, watching intently as you quietly sang the song, a little shy, but when you lift your gaze long enough to look at her and smile, her heart skips a beat and she can’t fight her own smile that’s creeping up her lips while she rests her chin against the palm of her hand.
'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello"
And your eyes look like comin' home
All I know is a simple name
Everything has changed
As soon as you finish with a small smile, a blush prominent on your features, Aeri can’t help it when she sits up, looking at you like the world narrowed down to just the two of you and that moment, like you were singing the song just for her.
“That bad?” You ask when you set the guitar down carefully, but she was already shaking her head and sitting back up. “No, that was…”
She doesn’t even know what to say with her heart lodged in her throat.
“You have a really nice voice.” The way she says it, almost breathless, has you biting back a smile as you brush your hair behind your ear and she has to hold back the urge to do it herself when the wind tousles it again.
Yeah, she was in too deep, too quick.
But she didn’t mind.
Later, the two of you migrate to the pond because Aeri could not believe it when you told her that you didn't know how to skip rocks. So now, Aeri was laughing a little as she watched you try and fail to skip a few rocks after she showed you how it was done.
You looked at her with a pout, huffing as the rock you threw simply sank with a pitiful splash, and Aeri giggled when she walked over with a flat stone between her fingers. “Okay, okay. This is sad.” She teases while you shoot her a glare. “It’s called favoritism.”
“It’s called user error.” She quips before handing you the stone she was holding and then settling behind you, one hand on your hip while the other rests over the hand holding the stone. “You need to angle lower, not throw it like you’re playing fetch with a dog.”
Your heart skips a beat when you feel her warm breath brush against the back of your neck as she holds you. You make sure to face forward, only hoping that your ears aren’t as red as they feel as you avoid making eye contact with her.
If Aeri notices, she doesn’t comment. She only fixes her hold on your hand before guiding your arm on how to throw the stone. “You’re gonna wanna flick your wrist when you let go.” She says quietly, her breath tickling your ear and you try your hardest to focus on what she's actually saying and not the close proximity between the two of you
She guides you through the motions, making sure you understand before you finally let the rock go with a flick as instructed, and your face lights up when the rock actually skips twice over the water's surface. “I did it!” You squeal excitedly, turning in her arms to beam at her.
Aeri’s heart stutters, your face so close to hers that she feels your nose brush briefly against her own. Her eyes are wide and she sees the blush blooming across your face when you mimic her expression before taking a small step back, causing her hands to fall away from your waist and hang awkwardly at her sides.
You’re both a little stunned, faces equally red and hearts beating a little too loud in your ears. Aeri tries to clear her throat, grinning awkwardly, a little crooked, before she tries to find her voice again. “That was great.” She says evenly, praying that the redness in her face goes away, but you keep looking at her like you can’t quite believe she’s real or that moment actually happened.
That sticks to her until it was time to go home, up until she’s laying in bed, her brain too determined to let her relive that moment again and again.
“Oh my god…”
..
“OH MY GOD!”
Aeri buries her face into her arms as Jimin gives her an impressed look and Yizhuo is bouncing on the balls of her feet while shaking Minjeong’s arm. “Honestly, you should have kissed her.”
“Minjeong!”
“What?” Said girl shoots back. “I mean the way you’re saying it feels like you just missed out on a great opportunity.” She says with a shrug that has even Jimin agreeing. “Cute little picnic date skipping rocks, holding her like a drama lead…definitely should have gone for it.” The eldest says like she’s disappointed.
Yizhuo was nodding along to everything the two were saying. “Finally! Someone with sense!” She says with exasperation, throwing her arms in the air before Aeri elbowed her, making the maknae yelp. “I’m just being realistic. No need to be violent, woman!” Yizhuo pouted as she rubbed her side and Aeri pinched the bridge of her nose to stop the headache from growing.
“Honestly, I have to agree with dumb and dumber-”
“Hey!”
“Excuse me?”
Jimin promptly ignores them as she keeps talking. “You guys seem to have great chemistry based on everything you just said… not unless that's just you being a delusionally parched gay.” Aeri gave her a deadpan stare while Minjeong snickered and Yizhuo outright giggled.
“Are you with me or against me?” Aeri asked dryly, to which Jimin only smiled. “I'm on the side that's trying to get you a girlfriend.”
“Oh, bite me.”
“Maybe ask-”
“I will throw you out this window, Ning Yizhuo.”
..
Aeri pursed her lips as she waited inside the little diner, fiddling with her purse as she waited for you to arrive.
It's been two months since that fateful encounter at the park where she had bumped into you. Maybe a month and a half since she realized that she was beginning to feel something more than just a friendship especially after that little moment when you sang her that song and skipped rocks like teens in a high school romance drama.
The girls have been ruthless, more so when they finally got the chance to meet you. She remembers vividly how much she wanted the ground to swallow her whole when Yizhuo had practically squealed “She is pretty!”.
God, the look on your face when you asked her if she talked about you had her face turning a shade of red she didn't even know could exist on a person's face. But you didn't run, didn't treat her any differently than how you treated her since the beginning.
It was still soft, still warm, and so devastatingly adoring that Aeri struggled to hold herself back from dragging you away from her friends especially when Minjeong had playfully teased her about liking you.
The sound of the bell above the door chimed, snapping her out of the memory before she saw your face. A smile was quick to crawl on her lips before she was already waving a hand to call you over.
You grin when you walk over, shrugging your jacket off your shoulders and folding it next to you when you take the seat across from her. “I really hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” You tell her once you're settled in the booth with her and Aeri dismissively waves a hand. “I got here just a few minutes ago, don't worry.” She assures you with a gentle smile. “How have you been doing lately though?”
And somehow the world blurs around you when it's just the two of you, fries nearly gone and smoothies sitting just nearby.
“Honestly, I feel like unnie is trying to get me killed sometimes.” You say with a shake of your head and she laughs before giving your foot a little nudge from under the table. “Please don't die. You're like… my favorite person.” She says teasingly before your nose crinkles and you're both laughing again.
Though she does manage to sneakily swipe whipped cream on your nose, earning herself a soft gasp. “Gotcha.” Aeri smirks while you sputter, eyes wide before retaliating. “You're horrible!” You tell her as she dodges your hand, giggling all the while as she grabs you by the wrist to stop you from smearing some of the sticky topping on her face.
“Couldn't help it. You looked too calm.” She quips. “I was literally ranting!” You retort, eyes narrowed after you finally wiped your nose and Aeri’s grin softened when she leaned over to wipe the rest away with a tissue. “Sorry, sorry.”
She wasn’t. Not really, and you weren’t really that upset either if the way the corners of your lips twitched upward was anything to go by.
Aeri knew that there was always something there. But neither of you have ever really voiced anything out. She just felt it in the way you leaned into her every time she held you close, the way your head would nuzzle into her neck while she rested her cheek against your temple. Sometimes she swears she can feel the way your lips brush against her skin but always did her best not to focus on that.
Now, sitting on the floor of your bedroom apartment, pillows were scattered around, a few feathers scattered around after a playful pillow fight after you had smacked her in the face, she’s catching her breath while she watches you reach for a piece of paper on the nightstand.
Her brows quirk upward when you start folding and twisting the piece of paper. “What are you doing?” She asks with a fond smile and you don’t answer her until you finally secure the folds together and then grab her hand. “Hold still.”
Aeri holds her breath when you slip the delicate little paper ring on her finger, smiling a little to yourself when you manage to get it to fit just right before your gaze flickers to her face, somehow a little softer, shy, and Aeri can feel the way her chest tightens, her throat constricting as she inspects the ring like it was a precious artifact.
“I’ve been practicing.” Is all the explanation you give her and Aeri looks back at you with too many emotions in her eyes before she’s pulling you into her arms and burying her face into your hair. “You’re such a sap.” But there’s no heat in her words, her voice too thick with things she has yet to say.
But, god, if that wasn’t the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for her.