BECAUSE IT’S YOU — SHIN RYUJIN ONESHOT
pairing — bestfriend!ryujin x gn!reader
genre — slight angst, fluff, friends to lovers, ryujin is protective over reader.
wc — ≈2.1K
warnings — mentions of blood, fighting, there are two (2) arguments, shouldn’t be anything else?? lmk tho!
a/n — (repost) its 🍄 back again being an angsty teen! if you saw the first post of this, shhh… i had to redo. anyway, enjoy reading!!
shin ryujin had been attached to your hip ever since freshman year of highschool, partners for a chemistry project you both aced with ease. unknown to you, ryujin felt a bit more chemistry than you thought between you two. since then, all the way to senior year she had always been very clingy and protective of you, something her other friends noticed since she had never acted that way with them.
unfortunately, someone chose the wrong day to test that theory…
you had run up to ryujin, meeting her at her locker with a beaming smile on your face. “ryu! ryu! guess what!!” you almost squealed as ryujin closed her locker, gazing at you with a smile.
“hm, let me think. did you get the role you wanted in the school’s play?” ryujin asked, her signature smug looking smile painting her face as she watched you nod so fast, your head might fall off.
“i did i did! i worked so hard, i’m so glad it paid off, ugh i could die happy!!” you hop around ryujin as she laughs, placing a hand on your shoulder. you were too cute, what was she going to do with you? well, nothing! obviously…
did she hate the idea of you never liking her back? absolutely, the thought gnawed at her all night, every night. but would she do anything to keep you by her side for the rest of forever? absolutely! there wasnt just another you wandering around somewhere.
“i think we should celebrate. arcade? on me?” ryujin offers, her whisker dimples showing the moment she watches your face light up with excitement. “oh my gosh yes! ugh youre the best, after school today?” you ask and she nods. “i’ll pick you up.” she confirms. you hugged her without thinking, well you didnt have to, this was your bestfriend, what was so wrong with a hug? ryujin’s arms slowly envelop you back before you tug away, the bell bringing ryujin back to reality. “see you later!” you exclaim as she waves, watching you jog off to your next class.
at exactly 4:45 you spot ryujin leaning against her car as she mindlessly scrolls on her phone. she looked up as she felt a pair of eyes on her, her expression softening just at the mere sight of you. “sorry, hope you weren’t waiting too long.” you said as she waved her hand, dismissing the statement. “nah, barely got out here. let’s go!” she says as she unlocked her car, you taking your rightful spot as her passenger.
after about a 20 minute drive, your face lit up as you see her pull into the parking lot of the arcade you both love to go to (more like she loves taking you here to see you happy).
when you both enter, you glance around like this is your first time here ever, as ryujin goes over to pay for a game card, putting $50 worth of credits onto it, giving you both 300 to work with. ryujin liked to stand back and watch admire you as you play the claw games.
there you stood, attempting to get every plush inside the ‘Mario Bros.’ claw machine, only having 2 out of the 6 options. ryujin watched with her arms crossed, a smile plastered on her face, before something catches her eye. she glanced to the side to spot a group, 4 or 5 people standing in a circle and talking behind their hands, but staring dead set on you and ryujin.
ryujin’s eyes narrowed down on them before she turns back to you, drawn in by your happy exclamation of winning a new plush. “hey y/n, i want to go play that game, can we?” she asks, pointing at a guitar hero game. you look at sad game and nodded, laughing at the fact she even asked. “you can just take the card and go you kno-“ you were cut off as she did just that, but also took your wrist and dragged you both out of the group’s eyesight.
you tilted your head, following without question as ryujin sits at a stool and swipes the card. “do you know how to play?” she asked as she turned to you, as you shake your head. “no.. i tried once but i suck so bad.” you said as ryujin smiled. “sit.” she gestured to the stool next to her and swiped the card for you, as you reluctantly grabbed the guitar and put the strap around you. she slowly taught you her technique, watching as you copied her every move. then ryujin took control and chose a song, ‘Creep’ by Radiohead.
“is this still your favorite song?” you asked her out of the blue, causing her gaze to shift from the guitar to you, almost questioningly. “you remember my favorite song?” she asked, you responding with a nod immediately. “well duh! i remember a lot about people i love.” you stated as if this was a known fact to people around you two. “plus, youre my bestfriend!” you continued as the song started on the game, breaking eye contact. “right, duh. bestfriend.” ryujin repeated, almost dryly as she shifted gaze as well, you two playing the game in silence, beside ryujin’s low humming which you noticed the whole time.
after the game finished and ryujin beat you (as if nobody saw this coming) you both hung up the guitars in giggles. “yeah, maybe guitar hero isnt your cup of tea!” she joked as you roll your eyes. “ha ha ryu.” you say as you nudge her shoulder with your hand, her gaze on you something as if she was trying to telepathically confess her feelings to you but you just didnt notice. you never noticed. ryujin looked over your shoulder and spotted the same group of people, except they were closer and now talking loudly about you two as if they werent 3 feet ahead of you.
“they have been following her around like a dog since they walked in.” one of them said as ryujin finally raised an eyebrow, stepping past you and up to them. “ryujin what are you-“ you turned and saw ryujin clear her throat, grabbing the attention of the group. they all turned to her with confused and dirty looking expressions. “repeat what you just said?” ryujin said through clenched teeth.
“huh? oh, how your little partner is a lap dog? i think you heard me loud and clear.” the so proclaimed ‘leader’ of this group stepped up to ryujin, though being a few inches shorter than her. “and how you,” they continued, pushing ryujin back with their hand, the rest of the sentence going unheard by ryujin as her blood began to boil. you softly gasped as you tried to grab ryujin’s wrist, but missed as she acted quicker than you.
it happened so fast, ryujin had fell into auto pilot, and next time she blinked she had punched the person straight in the nose, knocking them backwards, blood gushing from their (basically broken) nose. “what the fuck?!” they cried. ryujin’s eyes widened a bit, and before she knew it you dragged her away and out the exit to escape the scene.
“ryu! what the hell were you thinking? oh my god we could get in so much trouble-“ you started before ryujin shushed you, quickly guiding you both back to her car. “just, shh. get in the car.” she said as she unlocked the car. when getting in, you noticed ryujin had a cut on one of her knuckles from a face piercing neither of you acknowledged when the fight happened. “ryu, you’re bleeding!” you say as she dismisses it for time being. “it’s fine y/n.” she said, almost like she was just trying to shut you up, which you did.
at your house, you ushered ryujin inside and sat her down at the kitchen table, grabbing the first aid kit from the top of the refrigerator. you sit in front of her, “give me your hand.” you say gently. “y/n it’s not that seri-“ ryujin starts before you cut her off. “i said give me your goddamn hand ryujin!” you said, your voice raised a bit which startled both you and ryujin, who reluctantly placed her hand into your outstretched ones. you turn it over, the cut had got a bit worse over the drive, making you sigh.
“i cant believe you.” you muttered as you shake your head and focused on caring for the cut. “what do you mean? i was protecting you.” ryujin started with a small scoff. “you werent gonna do anything, were you? you can never stand up for yourself anyway, y/n.” ryujin kept going, her eyes looking to her side. she felt a sting she probably shouldnt have from the alcohol wipe you were using, hissing as she turns back to see you with a face of disbelief. “excuse you?”
your eyebrows furrowed in anger, removing the wipe as it falls onto the table. “wait, that wasnt what i meant y/n-“ she tried to save herself but you held up her hand to stop her. “what, so you think i’m weak? you think i cant do things for myself ryujin? is that how small you think of your bestfriend? if you can even call me that anymore?” you stood up, your voice only raising, and earning a groan from ryujin, who copies and stood up.
“do you not get it? bestfriend this, bestfriend that, i’m tired y/n! i like you! you could even say i love you! no i dont think youre weak or small, i just wasnt going to let some bitch shit talk the only person i hold so close to my heart it fucking scares me! every night i lay in bed regretting why i dont just tell you my feelings, but then i remember if i did it would ruin everything i have worked so hard to gain with you!” she shouts back into your face, her cheeks red and her eyes slightly watery. through sniffles, she wipes her eyes with her sleeve and looked down at her knuckles again. “when i’m around, nobody will talk to you in such a way. ever.” she states quietly, looking back at you to find a dumbfounded expression on your face. “y/n say something, anything..?” she ushered, taking a step closer.
it was as if ryujin was magnetic, because you stepped towards her and engulfed her in your arms wordlessly, causing her to freeze in shock before she looked at you, her eyes searching yours as your head turned to face hers as well. you noticed the flush on her cheeks as you gazed at her features.
it wasnt until now you finally came to terms with yourself, winning the ‘she likes me, she likes me not’ battle you had been in with your own subconscious. ryujin’s eyes just keep staring at yours, her mind on shutdown at how close she was holding you. “i like you too, ryu. more than i want to admit, a pathetic amount.” you whisper as your eyes dropped to her lips for a split second, and ryujin swears she could pass out then and there.
your sweet, fruity perfume fills her nose as she slowly breaks out into a smile. her confidence spiked, her hands resting at the small of your back as she leaned in and pecked your lips, catching you off guard with a gasp. she immediately pulled back, looking worried. “sorry, too soon??” she questioned as you looked at her with wide eyes, before giggling uncontrollably.
“no, just warn me next time!” you said before you also leaned in and gave her more than a peck, finally kissing her. it was as if fireworks started going off in ryujin’s head. she melted into you, into your kiss that she had been dreaming of since she first met you. when you pulled away, both you and ryujin were breathless, just smiling at each other.
“how long have you liked me?” you suddenly ask, causing ryujin to clear her throat nervously as she pulled back from you. “um.. since we first met? freshman year..?” she said as she scratches the back of her neck, smiling shyly. “wah, really? you really waited huh.. you’re better than me. i would’ve lost my patience.” you say as ryujin laughs.
“i would never lose my patience with you.”
“why is that?”
“because, it’s you.”
owned by @evenmei ... ~ 🍄
