We hope to help us by donating or sharing to others.
Every donation makes a different even if it a small.
As you know, the war began on October 7 and lasted ten months. During this period, we were unable to obtain food, drink, or treatment because we did not have money.
There is no source of income for the family at the present time, so we are unable to buy food, clean water, and medicine, especially after we are afflicted with the ongoing infectious diseases spread in the north like Hepatitis C disease.
Our house has been damaged a lot since the beginning of the war. We are from the north of Gaza and we are still in the north and have not displaced to the south. We displaced 10 times from place to another seeking to safety .
We hope for your help and support, even if only a little.
This is the link if you would to read our story well 👇👇
https://gofund.me/4e896ac1
Thank you all
thank you for reaching out! i hope i can help in any way by reposting and sharing this story. you’re so incredibly brave and i hope from the bottom of my heart that palestine will see the end of the occupation and genocide in the near future!!
if you see this please do your best to also repost and continue speaking up and amplifying the voices of Palestinians!
Do you know anything i can donate to for palestine that's not the gofundmes because the idea of having to choose who needs my money more is just. scary to me they all need it 3: maybe there's a thing that splits/distributes money evenly???? idk but help would be appreciated
Gazafunds actually deals with this anxiety and makes a decision for you if you want. Their home page has a spotlighted fundraiser and the code consider things like how close the gfm is to finishing, when the most recent donation is, etc. So it's randomized to help as many people as possible.
There's also @helpgazachildren which if you donate, you can help multiple people at once since it's a whole mutual aid fund, or at least close to it. Hussam distributes money to people who need it when he's asked.
May I get a boosting for @essaq 's fundraiser? He is vetted by nabulsi. And needs only 5k euroes. Please if we can spread his fundraiser wide enough we might be able to raise the money.
Hi, anon. Sorry for not being able to answer you sooner. Yes, I can help share the gfm.
Issa's fundraiser has been vetted by @/nabulsi as anon says. Here is the post vetting them. Please help him reach his goal of €5,000. Right now he is only at €938
"My name is Essa Abu Alqumssan, I'm from Gaza. Currently, I'm residing i… Essa Qomsan needs your support for Help Essa and his family
With love and hope, I write you my letter and hope you are well. I am Amani, a Palestinian mother from Gaza.
I am 32 years old and a mother of three children. My family was exposed to great risks in light of the violent war on the Gaza Strip, as our house was damaged, we were displaced more than 5 times, and we currently live in poor, lifeless tents. Because we are in dire need due to the depletion of funds we have and the inability to provide for our needs, we created a campaign on the gofundme website.
Therefore, I ask you, my friend, with hope, to write a post on your page and ask your friends to support my campaign and share it.
Eman's fundraiser has almost reached 20,000 CHF! This is amazing news, and we want to keep the momentum going. Reaching 25,000 CHF will bring us even closer to the goal of evacuating Eman's family to safety!
Remember that this is an urgent fundraiser, as the area where Eman was displaced is very unsafe. Let's try to get to 25,000 CHF asap!
Hi, my name is Eman Abdel Rahman, I am a 25 years old from Sudan. My family are curr… Eman Abdelrahman needs your support for Our home bomba
I am a doctor working in the Gaza Strip, and I inform you that the situation here is extremely catastrophic😓, with the spread of diseases, epidemics, and catastrophic famines that exceed the capacity of the health sector currently.
If this genocidal war continues, there will be no way to live under these utterly inhuman conditions❤️🙏🏻🇵🇸🍉.
Help Us Escape the Ravages of War: Emergency Evacuation Fund … N ALDEEB needs your support for Help Us Escape the Ravages of War: Emergen
synopsis: when looking for something on his phone, you find an email you didn’t expect…
noteworthy: mention of marriage, this is so cute i’m sick to my stomach, if you recognise this premise from reddit no u don’t
word count: 1.1k
“what do you mean you can’t find the confirmation?”
“it means that i can’t find the stupid confirmation,” mingyu grumbles, continuously (and furiously) typing away on his phone, frantically looking for the reservation confirmation mail from that super exclusive, fancy restaurant you’re supposed to eat at tomorrow.
well, you’re convinced it’s tomorrow, mingyu says it’s today. which is why he was so utterly flabbergasted when he came home, new shiny suit and all, wanting to pick you up.
only for you to greet him in sweatpants and one of his old shirts. and as much as he loves seeing you all comfy, he couldn’t help freaking out on you a little bit.
“what the fuck are you wearing?” his hands are on your shoulders, eyes boring into yours. you cock your head to the side a little, brows furrowed, “a shirt? your shirt, i guess? gyu, what is—“
mingyu takes your hand and rushes into the bedroom with you in tow, yanking open your closet and expertly picking out some of your more formal attire and throwing them on the bed.
“okay, we can do this, absolutely no problem. you go and freshen up and i pick something for your to wear and then we’ll be out the door in less then ten minutes. sound good?” you blink at mingyu, his ramble only causing you more confusion.
walking over to him you take his hands, effectively ripping his attention away from the bundle of clothes he was sifting through on the bed. “babe, what the fuck is going on? are you okay?”
“am i okay? …are you okay? we’ve waited so long for this reservation, i’m not gonna let us miss it—“ he trails off while yanking his hands free from your hold, gently turning you and pushing you towards the bathroom, “go!”
“gyu, you are aware that the reservation is for tomorrow?” you let yourself be pushed into the bathroom, mingyu now staring at you, doubt evident in his eyes. “it’s today, y/n.”
“it’s tomorrow.”
“it’s today.”
which is what lead to mingyu frantically searching for the booking confirmation he got months ago, trying to figure out which of you was right - though you did start to freshen up just in case mingyu was actually right. just in case.
you let out an exasperated sigh and snatch mingyu’s phone out of his hands, “i love you, but let me look for a second,” you press a quick kiss to his jaw and start typing in the search bar of his mail app.
and there it was!
an order confirmation for a personalised engagement ring.
…a what?
both of you stare at his phone, utterly frozen. mingyu’s eyes drift from his phone screen to your face, trying to figure out if you’re seeing what he’s seeing. maybe you don’t? maybe—
god, who is he kidding.
he half expects you to freak out, to squeal and jump in his arms and pepper his face with kisses — though there also is that small part of him that’s nagging at his happy-go-lucky wishful thinking, insisting that he should be scared that you’re unhappy, that you think it’s too early, that you’ll distance yourself.
but nothing. you don’t look at him, you don’t say anything. you don’t even tap the e-mail to read it all in full.
you clear your throat and grin at mingyu triumphantly, “look! here it is, it’s tomorrow.” you point to the confirmation mail from the restaurant that just so happens to be right above the one for the ring.
“oh…,” mingyu drifts off and the two of you just stare at each other for a second. should you say anything? better not, you decide.
you can’t suppress a small giggle when you press a kiss to his cheek, “go get changed. i’m picking out a movie,” and with that you hand him back his phone, practically skipping back into the living room, leaving an utterly conflicted mingyu behind.
what now?
while you’re busy getting some snacks and drinks from the kitchen, mingyu takes his sweet time changing from his crisp suit into his pyjamas. his mind is racing, his hands are sweaty. should he stick to his plan to propose on your birthday? or should he do it tomorrow, after the dinner? what if you think that he changed his mind now that you know what he’s planning to do, if he doesn’t do it tomorrow? oh god, what if he waits too long and you think the ring is for someone else?!
you barely notice the somewhat tense look on his face when he joins you in the living room, you nuzzling up to him almost on instinct when he finds his place next to you on the couch.
he’s way too nervous to pick up on the hearts in your eyes when you look at him and you’re way too overjoyed to notice how tense he is.
for a while everything is fine, the two of you watching the movie though neither of you really absorb whatever is playing in front of you. you’re still snuggled into his side, fingers tracing little figured on his arm.
he sighs quietly and starts playing with your fingers, and the way he almost subconsciously starts to caress your ring finger makes you bite your lip to stifle the squeal that threatened to come out, opting to nuzzle into his neck to hide your face instead.
your adorable giggle against his neck is what finally makes him look down at you, lacing your fingers together, “what’s so funny?”
it’s a stupid question. you both know.
you can’t hide the dopey smile on your face and just shrug, head resting against his shoulder, “i don’t know.”
mingyu pulls you closer against him, pressing a gentle kiss to your temple, “you know, baby.”now you’re both giggling, and if someone were to see you they’d probably think you’re insane.
you just can’t bottle it all up anymore so you let out a little squeal, almost crushing him in a tight hug, face hidden in his neck.
“…is it here? at home?” you whisper, biting your lip when he nods. “is it hidden?,” he nods again, wrapping his arms around you a little tighter. for second it’s quiet between you two, mingyu pressing a small kiss to your forehead.
“can we play the hot or cold game? until i find it?” and he almost curses when you finally look up at him; the excited sparkles in your eyes, the pure adoration they hold almost makes him crumble but he stays strong.
as cute as you are, he already has it all planned out. you just have to wait a little linger.
he chuckles, a hand coming up to cup your face, the warmest and softest look on his face and for a second you’re sure he’s gonna say yes.
“absolutely not, baby,” he mumbles, pulling your face in for a kiss.
❝Because the greatest war Seungcheol had ever waged was against your heart.❞
historical! au | enemies to lovers! au | smut, fluff | 41k words
s u m m a r y : there was only one thing you hated more than your restricted life, and that was choi seungcheol—the greatest venetian general who has ever lived. when a marriage is arranged between the two of you, you were sure it would end in bloodshed. however, as you and seungcheol are forced to attend balls and share a few hard truths, you realise you have more in common with the mysterious general than you thought.
c o n t e n t : military commander! seungcheol, noblewoman! artist! mc, artist! minghao, artist! soonyoung who are both annoying (affectionate), cheol and mc absolutely hate each other because i need to see proper e2l, cheol has a scar on his lip (yes this needs a separate warning), this is set in renaissance venice so there will be many artist references, the doge = basically ruler of venice, themes of sexism, constant arguing between mc and cheol, there is fluff, also angst mature warnings -> tons of sexual tension, making out fuelled by hatred, cheol calls you carrissima (which personally i find very hot) fingering, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected sex (only because medieval contraception is horrendous), petnames cheol says some vile things during the deed, slight corruption kink
p l a y l i s t : dangerous woman by ariana grande || war of the hearts by sade || love is stronger than pride by sade || i don’t understand but i luv u by seventeen
t a g l i s t : at the bottom of the fic!
a u t h o r ’ s n o t e : hi hello thank you everyone for waiting for this monster fic!! thank you alice and addy for being the reason i finished this fic, thank you chia for creating a beautiful picture of general! cheol, and greatest thanks to choi seungcheol the man you are </3 i hope you all enjoy this fic as much as i enjoyed writing it <33
WHEN THE VENETIAN REPUBLIC DEFEATED THE OTTOMANS ONCE AND FOR ALL, EVERY CITIZEN—BE IT PEASANT OR THE RICHEST ARISTOCRAT—KNEW WHO WAS BEHIND THAT VICTORY.
His name sparked life into the deathly, cramped streets. Whispers and cheers carried along the murky lakes, the rushed streams underneath the city, lapping up to the cobblestoned shore—entering the ears of marketeers, patricians, nuns, prostitutes, everyone. Wherever one went, the commander’s name rang like the dozen church bells, scattered throughout the lake-locked lands.
The buzz in the air was more frantic this afternoon, though, because the victors’ party was finally returning to the state.
Finally returning home.
You, despite your family’s excitement, despite your connections to the man behind the success of it all, could not have cared less.
Description. Lifeguard Lee Chan is a pain in your ass, and you swear he's only picked up this job to ogle at girls in bikinis. Little did you know, the only girl he wants to look at is you — not that you'd ever let him tell you that though — Especially now that you're convinced he's in love with your co-worker.
Pairing. Lifeguard!Lee Chan x Lifeguard! Fem Reader
Warnings. Curse words, (Pretend) Drowning, Karina attempts to meddle, Fluff, Chan's so whipped, Swimming, E2L (One sided)
Word count. 9.2k (Oops?)
Note: Summer has been over but I couldn't help myself! Welcome to my first Seventeen fic! Not 100% sure if I like this one but feedback is always appreciated!
"Two weeks." You repeat to yourself, attempting to calm yourself by digging your fingers into the squishy material of the rescue tube you have strapped on. Only two weeks left until the local waterpark is closed for the year — and until you have to look for another job — but the point remains a positive one.
In exactly two weeks from now, you will be freed from your own personal hell in human form, otherwise known as Lee Chan. Even when he's not stationed at the same ride as you, he's always finding his way over in your general proximity, just like he is now.
He's chatting up a few girls who look gorgeous in their tight fighting bikini sets, and you just about scoff at how obvious he is. You and Karina are set at the wave pool right now, and you feel bad for whatever station Chan is supposed to be manning. Does he ever do his job?
Karina quirks her head, her long ponytail falling to her side. "I heard he was supposed to be with the flow rider."
Ah yes the flow rider, the stationary surfing machine that tiny children and older adults alike swear they can do. You've only had to operate it once, and let's just say you complained so much you never had to do it again. Just this once, you can understand why he wandered over to the other side of the park.
"Vernon probably took over and kicked him out." You shrug, knowing how serious the older male takes his job.
"I hope so." Your friend giggles, patting your shoulder as she walks away. You notice her hand on the whistle, she must've spotted a few kids running again, nothing out of the ordinary.
A few feet away, Chan is just about whining into these poor girls ears. He smirks at them. “Is she looking this way?”
The girl on his left — whose name Chan hasn't caught — glances over her shoulder and then turns back. “She’s not, she’s watching the pool.”
One of the other girls snorts. “Looks like she’s doing her job.”
"That makes one of us." Chan slumps dramatically before an idea pops into his head. (The girls swear they could see a lightbulb above his head in that moment).
Chan swivels into the water after he stood to his feet, the others awaiting his revelation. "Okay, I'm going to need one of you to pretend you're drowning."
"Drowning?!" The blonde girl's jaw drops. Chan doesn't see why he has to explain it though. They would simply pretend they were drowning, he'd jump in all heroic like, and save them. And in the process, you'd notice and commend him for being so cool.
Chan was a genius, he nodded to himself.
So after explaining the plan to girl's that he had just met today, well about twenty minutes ago, he's ready to get this show on the road. He's lucky the girls felt bad for him after he gave the typical sob story on how his crush hated him. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have agreed.
The blonde girl submerges herself into the water, on purpose, as Chan prepares to take action. But first, he had to take his shirt off. Oh don't act so shocked, he's literally trying to get your attention! He's not above showing a little skin!
You don't even notice though, too preoccupied with watching some children jump on each other. You approach them and politely tell them to not attempt to kill each other under the water. You didn't even think that needs to be said but, this job surprised you every day.
However, the minute you turn around, you notice some arm's flailing around in the water. It was the area where Chan was just standing, but he's nowhere to be found now. Shit! You were going to have to act, and fast!
So you dive into the water, peeling your eyes open in the chlorine to find the girl. You reach her in record time, using your rescue buoy to grab her and pull her out. You lay her on the concrete, shaking her shoulders and gaining no response.
"Someone get me an AED!" You shout, preparing to begin CPR. Karina rushes to your side, asking any bystanders if they knew what happened and trying to gain more information about the situation. Thank goodness for her.
A crowd begins to form around you as you recall the CPR process in your head, ready to begin when you're abruptly shoved out of the way.
"I got it!" Chan explains, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. You're too stunned to reply so you just let him take the lead, watching his next moves in silence.
He barely starts to push on her chest when her eyes shoot open, and she begins coughing up imaginary water. You're a bit suspicious, but this was your first time dealing with an unconscious victim, guess you'd just been lucky so far.
She sits up as she starts talking, waving her hands around. "Don't call 9-1-1 or anything! I'm fine!"
Karina leans forward. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" The girl replies, before easily standing to her feet as she rushes out, her friends following behind her. They didn't even have their shoes on?
Chan watches them in defeat as you and Karina silently gape at each other. The girl had run away steadily, no signs of being disoriented for someone who had just been unconscious. It did all happen so fast though, maybe you weren't seeing things right.
Karina is the first to stand. "What just happened?"
You shake your head, your now wet hair dripping on you. "I don't even know."
Chan doesn't look as confused as you two though, but never mind that, you had a bone to pick with him first.
"And where the hell were you?"
Chan barely registers you speaking to him, as he's mentally recounting how his plan went awry. "I was getting my CPR keychain."
You want to bang your head against the ground. "You didn't have it on you?"
Hey, give him a break. He's human too! He forgets things sometimes, it can't be that bad! However, if he was going to convincingly look like he was saving the girl earlier, he had to have his keychain on him. Which is why he ran off looking for it...
"I left it in my locker." He mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.
"God, just put a shirt on Lee." You stand to your feet. "And please do us all a favor and stay in your station."
"So you acknowledge that you checked me out?"
You deadpan. "I acknowledge that you make my job harder because an old woman almost slipped on the shirt you threw off!"
Had he really thrown his shirt? He didn't even notice, your wording had to be a bit exaggerated.
You cross your arms as you head back to the other side of the pool, back into your comfy life guard chair. And preferably, as far away from Lee Chan as possible.
..
"Then he shows up like some fucking hero and interferes with me doing my job!" You state sarcastically, slipping your sweatshirt on as you stand by your locker. Screwing the cap back onto your water bottle, you sigh.
Minghao, your close friend who you never managed to get stationed with, just listens in mild amusement. "But he saved the girl, right?"
You shake your head as you gather your things. "I don't know if you could call it saving. It was weird, she just up and ran off."
Minghao giggles. "Are you sure she was drowning?"
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say no." You admit, the jingling of a lanyard behind you catching your attention.
"Okay, I'm heading out." Karina says as she holds her bag over her shoulders. Your brain is too busy trying to configure how she looks so cute after a full day at work. You were sure you looked as worn-out as you felt.
"MIngyu's still around here somewhere. And Seungkwan and Chan are still in the back, I saw them fighting with the pool nets." Karina continues, referring to the long wands used to skim the pools for bugs and dirt. Or worse, fecal matter.
Thankfully, that's usually not the case. Nevertheless, you're grateful that wasn't your job today. You did have to lock up though, meaning that you had to get the aforementioned boys up and out.
"I'll get Minghao to yell at them." You nod, and Minghao just laughs.
Back at the pool, Chan is currently shuffling his brain for another plan, one that won't fail this time. Honestly, it probably made you more angry at him than anything. "I have two weeks Kwan."
Seungkwan rolls his eyes. "Oh God."
"Two weeks to make her mine." Chan repeats, rubbing his eyes.
"You're delusional." His friend replies, picking up his own pool stick and heading to the main area. "Why don't you start with something simple, like driving her home first."
Chan perks up at that. "Wait, that's actually a pretty good idea!"
"Actually?" Seungkwan starts, but Chan is already racing past him, pool cleaning long forgotten. Though the older male still shouts after him. "I always have great ideas!"
Chan mentally prepares himself on the way there, stopping by one of the outside mirrors in the kids splash area to check his hair. Looking good, he thought.
"Hey," Chan speaks, approaching you and Minghao as he tries not to give the latter a death stare. He could never figure out what kind of relationship the two of you had, and that made him uneasy. Not that you owed him an explanation or anything, but it'd be nice to get some clarification.
All he knew was that you and Minghao applied for this job together and you'd been friends for a while. Chan also knew you spent your lunch breaks together at the snack bar, courtesy of his friend Mingyu's spying, and he knew he took you home everyday.
But those could all just be friendly gestures, right?
You ignore Chan's presence as you turn to close up your locker, not bothering to acknowledge him. Minghao does though, "You heading home?"
"Yeah, actually." Chan responds, eyes never leaving your figure. He calls out your name, to which you roll your eyes to. "What?"
He stands up straight, slightly puffing his chest out in an attempt to appeal more to you. Was it working? Probably...Not. "Can I drive you home?"
"Not a chance." You shoot down immediately, not a hint of hesitance in your voice. Oh, that was fast. But Chan knew this wasn't gonna be easy after all.
"I'll buy you food on the way." He offers, clinging to his last ounce of self respect before he gets on the floor to start begging. He was not above that when it came to you.
You cross your arms. "Are you insinuating that I can't buy my own food?"
Of course things were going this way, "That's not what I-"
You put a hand up to stop him, smirking. "Because you're right, this stupid job doesn't pay me nearly as much as I'd like."
Chan stays quiet, unsure of what to say next. Luckily, you continue for him, all in a condescending tone though. "Whatever Lee. Even though you're probably doing this just to feel better about yourself for being such an asshole all the time, I'll bite."
Minghao grimaces, had you always been this harsh? Well, he knows the younger male did you piss you off more than usual today. He knows in his rational brain that he probably shouldn't let this happen. But will he? Yeah.
Minghao gently grabs your arm. "Call me when you get home, okay?"
"Of course." You reply, and Chan watches you flash a smile reserved for your friends only. He knows that because never once had you directed that smile at him. This was soon to change, or so help him.
"You can go ahead, I'll get 'Kwan and lock up." Minghao nods and you thank him.
Chan's just about losing his mind though, Minghao was on a nickname basis with Seungkwan? What the hell? Did Seungkwan not know that Minghao was enemy number one ?! He had some words for him later.
Right now though, his main focus was you. Even in the horrible florescent lighting of the locker room, he thought you looked beautiful.
You, on the other hand, were getting the ick from seeing Kim Mingyu walk around with flip flops. That was going to be hard to move on from.
Just to be clear, you really weren't interested in relationships right now. And yes, you and Minghao were just friends, strictly platonic. However, with on slow days, you liked to occupy yourself with staring at Mingyu's prominent muscles. And honestly, who could blame you?
Chan redirects your attention to him. "So, where to?"
You roll your eyes. "You were the one who invited me out, and you don't know where we're going?"
He looks down. "McDonalds?"
So that's how you two end up in the drive-thru of the famous golden arches. Chan has a million thoughts running through his head, the main one being how he managed to get you in his car, willingly!
In another universe, Chan imagined that this would be your first date. He'd make you laugh, hold your hand, and maybe even get a kiss at the end of the night.
"Should I get a Coke or a Sprite?" You speak to yourself, pulling Chan out of his thoughts.
He straightens his posture. "Oh you should-"
"I wasn't actually asking." You roll your eyes, already mentally having decided in your head.
Chan shuts his mouth.
"You know, I'm really interested in hearing why you invited me out of a sudden." You say, leaning your head against his car window.
Chan's scrambling for the words. "I just wanted to talk."
"About?"
Chan breathes in, here goes nothing. "Well, we only have a few weeks left working at the park, and I kind of.. like this girl."
You narrow your eyes, knowing where this was going. "Oh lord, did you really drag me all this way to try to get me to set you up with Karina?"
Chan's eyes widen. What?! How did you get to that conclusion. Chan barely knew the other girl, much less liked her. In all honesty, he barely even paid her any mind, always too preoccupied with staring at you by her side. He rushes to deny it. "No-"
"You don't have to lie." You speak, rolling your eyes. "You took me here on a bribe so I could put in a good word with you."
Chan's so confused right now.
"Sorry but I think Karina's worth more than whatever you're getting me on the dollar menu." You spout sarcastically. "And anyways, why would I help set her up with you?"
Now, Chan has to speak up, because really? Was he that bad that you couldn't even imagine setting him up with a friend ? He's mildly offended, even if he could care less about her. It's more so that he's utterly infatuated with you, and he can't believe you don't see him as possible boyfriend material. "Huh? What's wrong with me?"
You narrow your eyes. "Well, for starters you're broke, lazy, and irresponsible. Oh, and stupid, immature, full of yourself-"
You were really laying it on thick, and Chan doesn't think he can take anymore stabs at his character without possibly jumping out of his car window. He interrupts, "Anything else?"
"I wasn't even done yet." You stop counting on your fingers. "Point is, you're not good enough for Karina."
He doesn't even care about who you're talking about anymore, he throws his hands up. "You don't even know that, you've never seen me on a date." Because you've never given me a chance, but he only speaks that last part in his head.
"I've seen your everyday character, that says more than enough."
Chans on the verge of ramming the car in front of him in line. "So what kind of guy would be good enough?"
You shrug. "Probably someone like Joshua."
"The manager?" Chan draws back, because were you referring to Karina's taste or yours? He was so lost right now. "He's like way too old."
You click your tongue. "I said someone like him. He's smart, soft-spoke, responsible, and he knows how to deal with conflict."
Chan grips his steering wheel. Yes, Joshua had his life together, but that's because he was older! Was that really what you were into? Chan might as well throw in the towel now. "It sounds like you want someone like Joshua."
"Maybe, I don't know."" You cross your arms in thought. "Well, he's kind of boring, can't be much fun dating someone like that."
So there is a drawback to perfectly stunning men like Joshua, or was he just saying that to make himself feel better? He'd have to ask Seungkwan for advice tomorrow. "Well-"
"Whenever you're ready." A voice takes over through the intercom. Chan hadn't realized he had already pulled up this far.
He didn't even know what he wanted, in fact this whole conversation made his stomach turn. Was he even hungry anymore?
However, you knew exactly what you wanted. But Chan's silent by the intercom so you do the only feasible thing to do, you unbuckle your seatbelt and lean over him. Climbing past the center console, you throw your body halfway out of the window and start reciting your order.
Unbeknownst to you, the male in the car with you was losing his mind. Why were you so close to him? Why did you smell so good? Why was your body basically on top of his (You aren't touching at all)? And Why did this feel so intimate?
You turn to him, still in the same position. "What do you want?"
Chan's face is red, and he's trying his best to stay cool, avoiding eye contact. "A burger."
"Which one?"
Poor guy can't think straight. "The normal one?"
You sigh, turning back towards the speaker. "And a Big Mac."
"I think Chan likes you." You speak, seeking refuge from the scorching hot summer sun under the tiny roof peeking out from the food stand.
Karina sips on her slushie, that's halfway melted, and grimaces. "No way."
You offer a tight lipped smile before shooting her glare. "Don't give me that look! Who wouldn't like you?"
Karina laughs. "It's not that I don't think he'd like me, it's that he doesn't."
"And how are you so sure?" You ask, adjusting the straw on your own slushie.
"Um, okay one, he's never held a conversation with me for longer than two minutes." She starts, placing her cup on the counter. Trying her best to stop the syrup from getting her hands all sticky.
You digress though. "That's because you make him nervous!"
"Two, we barely know each other."
"You haven't given him a chance." You tease, unaware of prying ears listening to your conversation. Give you a break though, honestly, it was too hot for all of this.
"Where did you even get this idea from?" She inquires in disbelief.
"Last night when he took me to McDonalds."
Karina's jaw goes slack. "You voluntarily went somewhere with him outside of work?"
Guess you had forgotten to mention that, oops. "He bribed me with food."
She narrows her eyes, suspicious but moving on anyways. "And then he told you he liked me?"
"No," You answer truthfully. "But he didn't deny it."
Karina shakes her head. "I think you're just desperate for some cute lifeguard-love-story to shake things up around here, and it's not going to work on me."
You giggle. "Whatever you say."
"You could have your own story if you just asked out Minghao already." She suggests meekly, despite knowing your constant insistence that there was nothing going on between you two.
"That's gross, I think I just threw up in my mouth."
"Yeah, I know." She teases before lowering her voice so only you can hear, and her eyes dart over to Mingyu making a hot dog. "But you could finally strike something up with mister beef cake over here."
You roll your eyes. "He's too hot for me, half the park wants him."
"He gives you free food."
You hush your friend. "He gives everyone free food!"
"You win this battle." Karina says, trashing her finished cherry drink. "But the war is far from over."
"Get back to your post, Yoo." You sigh, cleaning up the mess your melting treats made with a few napkins and discarding them.
Mingyu comes back to the front where you are after noticing you were alone, "Going back?"
You groan. "Unfortunately my break is over."
He offers a small chuckle, and all you think about is how good he looks. Especially since he's donning a sleeveless red shirt, matching the parks general colors, and you can see his arms in their full glory. No wonder you'd heard girls in passing giggle about how they wanted to take a bite out of the food stand guy, you saw the appeal.
Why couldn't he be a lifeguard? Just saying, it would be nice to see him without a pesky shirt sometimes. Oh you were so embarrassing.
"Have you seen Hao? I wanted to talk to him about something?" The male inquires but you shake your head.
"He called in today," You stand. "Said he felt sick, or some other kind of lie."
"He's not sick?"
"Judging by his Instagram stories on a boat?" You quirk your head. "I'd say no."
MIngyu laughs at your humor, and you're flashing that pretty smile again, and Mingyu's feeding right into it. Are you two flirting?!
Chan hates it!
Not your smile, no he could never hate your smile. But he hates how he's never once gotten to see it aimed at him. Yet here you were, chatting it up with Mingyu? Did the nuggets he bought you last night mean nothing? He thought they were a great symbol of his undying love for you!
Vernon looks unimpressed. "Stare at him any longer and you might just burn a hole through him."
Chan narrows. "That's the plan"
Vernon's bored. "Okay, this is getting weird."
"I just don't get it, what does she even see in guys like Joshua? Or Mingyu?" Chan crosses his arms.
"Maybe because they do their job-" Vernon tries to get his station partners attention back.
But Chan's having none of it. "Yeah right, look at Mingyu! He's flirting on duty!"
"He just runs the food stand, in his defense. Half the time isn't he helping you spy on her and Minghao?"
"Well it seems like he's playing for the other team right now, standing there and talking to my girl!"
"Your girl." Vernon repeats, shaking his head in disbelief as he mocks the younger male. "You're ridiculous."
Chan stays rooted in his place. "I can't even believe-"
"Hey, Chan right?" A voice plucks him out of his plotting to kill Mingyu (Okay, maybe killing was extreme, but at the very least he was going to jump him. Eh, that might be a little too much as well, he was still technically Chan's friend. Maybe he could-)
Oh wait, someone was talking to him, and he should probably respond. "Yeah that's me."
"Oh, well I'm Karina." The girl introduces herself as Chan finally gets to take a look at her. He knew who she was, everyone did, but the two had rarely a few words to each other before now, if anything.
He adjusts his sunglasses, eyes barely moving from you and Mingyu. He had to make sure Mingyu didn't try anything. This was a matter of national security! "Nice to meet you, I guess"
"What's up Karina?" Vernon asks, trying to break up this weird tension as he saw how Chan effectively ignored you.
Karina places her hand on her hip. "I'll just be straight forward, someone told me that Chan had a little thing for me, but I know that's not the case, even though she's entirely convinced."
Chan's irritated. "What?"
"I'm not blind, Chan." Karina raises a brow. "I know you have a crush on her."
"Well yeah, could he be more obvious?" Vernon snidely remarks as Chan does his best to ignore his comment.
"So," Chan looks down, slightly dissapointed. "Did you come just to make fun of me?"
"No," She leans forward. "I've decided I'm gonna help you."
"Help?" Chan's taken back as he snaps his head up.
"Help?" Vernon parrots, though he sounds more confused.
She smiles. "Yup"
"Why?"
Karina stares at her perfectly manicured nails. "You're a decent guy. Good looking, nice enough, and I know you're trying your best."
Chan blinks, this was the complete opposite of what you had told him. Karina continues, "But mostly, it's because I can tell you really like her. And I think she deserves someone that'll treat her well for once."
"Well give it up," Chan sighs, wiping sweat from his brow. "Mingyu's about to propose to her anyways."
"Mingyu's not doing anything," Karina moves her hair. "He been standing there like a dweeb the whole time, completely oblivious to everyone around him."
"And she still likes him more than me."
Your friend glares at the male. "Well this isn't going to work if you're going to be so negative."
"Karina," He turns to her. "Honestly, what's the point? She wants nothing to do with me."
"Because she's blind, she can't see how much you like her."
"So, what should we do?" Vernon pipes in, surprisingly intently following the situation.
"We have to prove to her how much you like her!"
"And how can I do that?"
"Don't worry, I have that part covered."
...
"And then he threw up right next to the trashcan." Jeonghan — one of the new hires — finishes venting to you about one of the kids on the waterslide he was manning.
"Swear there should be some kind of law forbidding kids from eating four hotdogs and then getting on a ride that sends you spinning." You sympathize.
"Or people could just have more common sense." Jeonghan comments, before his eyes drift off somewhere else. "Is that Karina talking to Chan?"
Your eyes widen as you try to follow his line of sight. "What? Where?"
"Over there." Jeonghan points with his head, towards the bathrooms.
Sure enough, leaning on the bricks outside the bathrooms, was your friend talking to Lee Chan. Had he finally gained the courage to talk to her? And oh no, was she actually reciprocating?
"I didn't know they were friends." Jeonghan breaks the silence.
"They're not." You raise a brow. "I think he likes her."
Jeonghan looks at you like you've grown three heads. "You're joking right?"
You shrug, "Why would I be joking?"
"Everyone knows that he-" Your friend stops himself before waving you off. "Never mind, you wouldn't believe me anyways."
"Believe what?"
Jeonghan snickers. "Nothing."
You're eager to press on more about whatever he was talking about but the manager, Joshua, asks if you and Jeonghan can get showered already so you can all head out.
By the bathrooms, Chan's about to start throwing a fit. "She looked over here once!"
Karina pats his shoulder lightly. "We'll get her next time. For now, I'll just have to feed her a great narrative of you until she realizes she wants you for herself."
Chan looks down. "This is hopeless."
"Holy shit, where is Chan?" Minghao complains, but you show no sympathy as he was seemingly having the time of his life yesterday.
You shrug, adjusting the strap of the bathing suit you had just put on. "Don't know, don't care."
Your friend tsks. "At least we get out early today."
You shake your head. "Doesn't matter, Joshua's forcing us into that work bonding thing."
MInghao groans, resting his forehead against the steel locker. "I forgot about that, what's the point again? We've had plenty of time to bond already."
"It's mandatory if we want that last paycheck." You remind him and he sighs.
He grabs a bottle from his locker and uncaps it. "Can you put sunscreen on me?"
You nod, it was a normal occurrence, and usually no one batted an eye. Even as you rubbed it into his face, too close for it to be considered just friendly, you know it's all platonic.
Chan on the other hand, isn't so sure.
Him and Karina were walking up the gravel path and the scene hits him before he walks into the area. "H-He's rubbing sunscreen on her back!"
Karina tries to calm him. "They do that for each other all the time."
"Then why does it look so romantic!"
"You're overthinking!"
"Seungkwan rubs my sunscreen in! Why don't you do it for her?!"
"I always get here late!" She defends. "Anyways, this isn't about me, we need to get in there!"
You're instantly drawn to Karina and Chan loudly entering, and it seems the two have gotten close over the past few days.
"Hey guys," Minghao greets and they offer him a hello back before opening their lockers.
"Chan," Karina speaks louder than her normal volume as to draw your attention. "Could you help me put on sunscreen? Can't reach my back today."
Chan nods, grabbing the bottle from her hands and slowly helping her rub it in. He wants to make sure you looking too, and how he's one hundred percent sure he can do it better than Minghao can.
"Uh Rina," You speak before you all head out.
"Yes?" She responds, hoping for you to say something about Chan.
"You have a couple white streaks on your back." And you grimace at Chan's poor job of doing something as simple as rubbing sunscreen in. "Do you want me to-"
"No! No," Karina laughs at her outburst. "Um, I'm sure Chan can help me fix it."
You almost flinch.
"Right, Chan?" Your friend grits her teeth so the male could take the hint.
"Oh, right!" He catches on and then vigorously continues to rub the cream into her skin. He's a little too aggressive with it.
"Ow- um, okay!" She lets out. "I think I'm good now."
You stop, "Okay..."
Chan scurries off, and he realizes he actually needs to get his own swim trunks on, and for heavens sake, where is his first aid whistle?!
You two walk away, you picking at your nails as you dread the day ahead. Your friend needs to break the silence. "So, you're staying today?"
"I wish I had a choice." You grovel.
"I feel you."
You catch the time on one of the parks various clocks. "We open in five."
Your partner nods at the reminder, continuing to with you just out of the sight of the boys and any other listeners. "So, what do you think of Chan? Isn't he sweet?"
You're taken aback. "Is this you trying to get my approval?"
"No.."
"Because you could do way better."
She almost stops in her tracks. "What?! But Chan has lots of redeeming qualities."
You feel like this is a prank. "Like?"
"Well he's nice, a good listener, and-"
"Oh, you got it bad." You interrupt.
She's about to start swinging. "No, you know he's not my type."
You frown. "So you're leading him on?"
Karina deadpans. "We're just friends, but all I'm saying is, uh, he's not a bad guy!"
You almost stop walking. "Right..."
She speaks again, trying her best not to seem pushy. "You know, I think the two of you have a lot in common, you could be good friends."
Before you can even respond, someone is yelling your name across the park, and its too early in the morning for that.
Though your face softens when you realize its Mingyu beckoning you over. You tell Karina you'll meet her at your station and separate. She was acting kind of odd anyhow.
"Mingyu," You approach him, the shade now concealing your face as you take a seat on one of the chairs. You try to keep your eyes from wandering, mainly to his exposed arms. "What's up?"
He smiles' bashfully, leaning on the counter. "Well, I've been wanting to ask you this for some time,"
You can sense he's a little nervous, so you nod your head. "What is it?"
"Could I maybe..." He trails again, before closing his eyes in mental preparation. "Have Karina's number?"
You gape like a fish out of water, doing your best to conceal your light disappointment. "K-Karinas number?"
"Well yeah, I'm interested in her. Unless she's seeing someone." He stumbles on his words.
You tilt your head. "Not sure, maybe you should ask Chan."
"Chan?" Mingyu almost laughs. "He doesn't like her like that."
You grimace at that. Had Chan been telling everyone that he didn't like Karina, when clearly he had been acting the opposite? Sure, she didn't like him back but, for him to be saying things like that was a low blow. "Did he tell you that?"
"Huh, what?" Mingyu looks confused. "Well, not directly. Though, It wouldn't make sense because he already likes someone."
You wave him off. "Doesn't matter, either way, you should ask her yourself. I really can't give you her number on my behalf." You explain, feeling kind of bad, but keeping a peppy voice.
"You think she'd give it to me?"
You smile. "You'll never know if you don't try."
Watching, once again, a few feet await is Lee Chan. He's using all his self control not to rip the foam tube in his hands apart, but Vernon brings him back to earth, or more like back to helping him tie up the obstacle course in one of the pools.
Even as he's experiencing red-hot jealously from watching you interact with his friend, he can't help but admire how pretty you were. You somehow managed to make that stupid visor look cute. And trust me, Chan thought no one could make that hat look cute.
If Chan was anyone else, he probably would've given up on his painful crush by now, but Chan wasn't anyone. He's not sure where his liking for you started, maybe it was that first day you joined. Looking all pretty as you stood next to Minghao and introduced yourself. Chan had overheard from Joshua that you had impressive swim skills, and you had a crazy dedication for your job.
It was a few weeks before he even got to interact with you. You were pretty much attached at your friends hip, taking a minute to warm up to the others. You had gotten partnered with Karina for a ride once and she helped you get along with the rest of the staff pretty well.
That's not how you first knew of Chan though.
No, that was a while later. One hot day a few years ago, when Chan was still scrawny and more awkward with girls. He had finally had a chance to grab a slushie, opting for the purple mystery flavor that rested in the machines. (Chan thinks it was a result of a machine that hadn't been cleaned, so it really just tasted like a mixture of all the flavors.) Anyways, he happened to be in a hurry due to him chatting with Mingyu for well over his break.
Which meant he booked it to the other side of the park.
Which consequentially meant that he wasn't watching where he was going. This meant that his slushie met an unfortunate end on your lifeguard bathing suit. And all over the floor.
Now, you were testing patience at the time. This was a new job, plus it was an accident, you could forgive the guy. You also didn't mind that he was pretty cute.
That was until he ran.
Look, in Chan's defense, you made him so nervous. You were so much prettier up close! He stood there frozen for a few minutes, stuttering and thinking of ways to apologize. So he did the only viable thing to do, he ran to the bathrooms to fetch napkins!
Only, he didn't say a word so you thought he literally just ran off to avoid conflict - which wasn't even happening in the first place!
After that, you dubbed Lee Chan someone to avoid. He obviously left you in a mean spirited haste, a deep purple stain blotched all on the front of your uniform. You figured he had a good laugh about it too!
Chan regrets it everyday, why didn't he just act like a normal human?! Why did he have to make things harder for himself?!
By the time Chan had returned, you were long gone. You had ran to the bathroom on the verge of tears, basically abandoning your post and leaving Minghao to run after you.
So if anyone asked, you'd say that your distaste for Lee Chan was completely valid.
...
"Great work today team." Joshua addresses you all, clapping his hands together before placing them on his hips. "I'm really proud of you all today."
"Which is why you should let us go home." Jeonghan pipes up from behind you in the cluster of a group, smiling hopefully.
Joshua laughs sarcastically. "But then you'd miss all the fun!"
The smile dies on Jeonghans face as Joshua starts recanting the same little group seminar tips he gave last year. And the year before that.
Then he waves a hand out. "I've noticed that there's been some tension on the team lately, so we're going to heal that with some bonding time!"
Karina stiffens beside you, leaning in to whisper. "I'm already bored."
You giggle a bit as Joshua starts pairing up teams for an obstacle course through the park. Normally, you wouldn't care, that was until Joshua cited a twenty five dollar Starbucks gift card awarded to the winner. Oh, he had your attention now.
"Karina, I know you don't talk to Jeonghan a lot so you're with him!" Joshua says esthetically, while you sigh at losing two possible partners. Well, there was still Hao.
"Minghao and Vernon."
Well there goes that.
You finally are graced with the call of your name but are immediately shot back down to earth when the accompanying name leaves your managers lips. "..And Chan."
You immediately step up in protest. "Are we allowed to switch partners?"
Chan frowns but regains a bit of hope as Joshua shakes his head. "Nope, sorry but I have to be firm with this. In fact, you two are the tension I was referring to earlier."
"Are you kidding?"
Joshua narrows his eyes, gripping his clipboard. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"
"Joshua, with all due respect, there is no tension! It's just Chan being an idiot!" You complain, widening your eyes.
Ouch, Chan thinks. That went straight to his ego.
Though your boss stands his ground. "I would just like you two to work together for once."
You scoff, muttering a string of curses under your breath which Joshua pretends not to hear, Chan does as well. For the sake of his pride.
Your manager finishes reading the names off of the paper and announces the commencement of the challenge, which you could be less than excited about.
"For this activity, one of you is going to be blindfolded. This will help strengthen the trust you two have in each other."
Trust? You and Chan just looked at each other after you were handed the blindfold. You didn't even know what the objective of the game was yet.
"Part of this activity is deciding who will be blindfolded amongst yourselves." Joshua continues, rubbing salt into the wound.
"Well-" You begin, about to start arguing when Chan holds his hand out. He can see that you're definitely uncomfortable with the idea.
"I'll be blindfolded." He states.
"What?" He wasn't even going to fight you on it? "Really?"
He shrugs, trying to will his face from not turning red. "I trust you."
You blankly stare for a minute, trying to read a hint of humor or anything of that sort in his eyes. But you come up empty, his expression dead serious. You just handed him the blindfold, leaving him to fend for himself as he tied it around his eyes.
What did he mean he trusted you?
Karina finishes tying Jeonghan's when she turns back to your boss. "Now what?"
"You're going to lead them through the water course," Joshua smiles, although it seems a bit mischievous. He had to be getting a kick out of this. "The ones that come out first, and the most dry, win."
You gape, you were supposed to lead this grown ass man through the water course and not let him fall in?
"Lead your partner to the starting position, and then we'll begin."
You do a steady job at pushing at Chan's back to the finish line. You're less than enthusiastic about it though.
You line up among the others, knowing you'll probably come out of this ordeal soaking wet, and that's less than desirable.
The course is simple, lined up floating fuzzy blocks paced in a pathway like structure. Then you have to follow up a little climb of inflatable stairs. Then back down to the finish line. Easy enough right?
Chan's shaking right now, he's not looking forward to falling in and possibly being left to drown — as if he's not in the prescence of a group of lifeguards right now — as if he's not one himself.
He's still scared though, give him a break, he can't see!
He hears the sound of a whistle and you begin pushing at his back, leading him onto the first block. The weight of you two displaces the block, and you can feel the other block getting further.
"Okay, move about two inches onto the next block, don't fall." You instruct him and he follows, waving his foot around until he feels the safety of the makeshift ground.
You jump onto it after him, "The next one is directly in front."
And you're pleased as he lands right on it. The two of you are ahead of some of the others as well, Seungkwan already having fallen into the water, and Vernon still on the first block as Minghao tries to encourage him to move already!
"The next one is far, so I'm going to go ahead of you. I'll grab your hand after and pull you, alright?" You explain and Chan nods.
You do as you said and then hold your hand out, grabbing his palm and pulling him so the blocks float closer together. He carefully makes the step and you cheer a little in your head.
You only had one more block, then the stairs, and you were home free. You could practically taste your drink now.
Well, maybe if Chan hadn't almost fell over.
You grab both of his arms in an attempt to stop him, and you catch him just in time. He winces at the prospect of falling, and you squeeze him. "I'm not going to let you fall, okay? I've got you."
Chan's glad he can't see you, because then he'd bear witness to you noticing the growing redness of his face. And if he had to acknowledge it, then he'd jump into the water himself.
You two successful make it to the last block and you cheer, the others having more trouble with their team work behind you. The others seem to be having a hard time due to lack of trust in their guiders.
You notice that Chan had trusted completely in everything you had said, even though you knew he didn't want to splash in the pool.
You stare at him for a minute, and he starts talking. "Uhh, aren't we supposed to keep moving"
You shake your thoughts from your head. "Up the stairs now, I'll lead you, just hold my hand."
Before you know it, the two of you had made it to the end. You take off Chan's blindfold as you announce your victory. Throwing your arms around Chan as you celebrate. "We won! We beat those suckers."
"Those suckers are right here!" Karina says, panting as she comes down the stairs. She's wet, pulling a much dryer Jeonghan behind her.
You keep your hands around Chan as Karina explains. "He stepped back on the block and basically pushed me off on accident."
You giggle at that, face on a few inches from Chan as he tries not to combust. Lord, he was so in love with you. Your pretty eyes as they crinkled while you let out the prettiest laugh.
Karina notices and she lets out a smile. He really did like you, anyone could see it in his eyes.
You don't notice though, sliding your hands off of Chan as you jokingly tease Karina. "I won the card! I won the card."
Jeonghan pulls off his blindfold just in time for you to see him roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
Chan insisted you made a night of spending the card together. You didn't mind, telling him you'd meet him there after your much needed shower.
So here you sat in the Starbucks lobby, awaiting Chan as you had the card and he had already passed you his order. You tapped away on your phone as you hear the chime of the door and you hear someone sitting across from you.
You don't mind his presence, weirdly, you felt he was really vulnerable with you today. While it likely didn't mean much to him, it had you overthinking everything.
"Here's your drink, it just came out." You speak first, pushing the cup towards him.
Chan thanks you and drums his fingers on the side of the cup. "You know, I think this is the longest we've been together without you saying you hate me or something."
You shrug. "It's hard to be mad in a Starbucks. Place smells like heaven, plus you showed out in the game today."
He waves you off. "It's easy to trust you, we've known each other for long."
You snort. "More like you've bothered me for so long."
"Oh, admit it. I make your job more interesting. If it wasn't for me constantly causing a scene then you'd be bored out of your mind."
"I guess you have a point." You reluctantly agree as you sip your drink.
He smirks. "I know."
You purse your lips. "So, any updates with Karina? I know you two have been spending time together lately. Seems I was wrong."
Chan sighs. "No, I'm not into her in that way."
Brows raised, you chuckle, asking a question you already knew the answer to. "She's not interested or?"
"No, and neither was I." He states, eyes meeting yours. "She was never the one I liked."
You don't know why but you stutter a bit. "S-She wasn't?"
Chan looks away. "If it had been her and I out there today, I would've fell into the water."
"What do you mean by that, Chan?"
"You know what I mean by that."
...
You'd been avoiding Chan for the past two days, even constantly buttering up Joshua so you could be on the opposite side of wherever Chan was. It was wrong, you know, but you couldn't help it.
You were a coward, you couldn't even think about acknowledging any feelings Chan had for you. You only had a week left until the end of Summer anyways. Maybe if you ignored it you could move on.
You couldn't like Chan, not after the years you spent disliking him. Sure, had he done anything else to make you increasingly upset? Well, no. And he did usually brighten up slow days with his presence. And he did leave random water bottles by your chair when he knew you were too busy to go get one yourself. (He didn't know you knew, you figured this was his way of trying to get on your good side after the ordeal, but you never forgave him)
That was another thing too, how could he say he liked you after purposefully trying to embarrass you? Sure, it was a while ago, but you never forgot.
You're brought back from your thoughts when Jeonghan speaks, "I'm sorry, your child is not tall enough to ride this ride. It's regulation."
In front of you was an increasingly stubborn woman and what seemed to be her child as she whined about rules you had nothing to do with. "This is ridiculous!"
"It's regulated by the city, ma'am." Jeonghan shrugs. "You can leave a comment card up front if you have a complaint."
She just scoffs and storms off, stomping loudly down the stairs with her child in tow. You'd never understand some people.
Jeonghan turns to you. "Been here the whole summer and I'm still not used to it."
"You never get used to it, trust me."
He laughs in response, before changing the subject. "It's quiet up here, usually Chan's in the general vicinity by now."
You stiffen at the name. "He must be busy."
"He's never too busy for you." Jeonghan crosses his arms.
You bite the inside of your cheek. "Too busy to bother me?"
He suddenly turns serious. "I don't understand, Chan is nothing but nice to you and yet you're always ratting on him like he's a pest."
"You don't get it." You say, hoping he'll drop it.
He doesn't though. "Sure, he's a little overbearing at times but it's only because he really likes you."
"Don't say that."
"Say what?"
"Say that he likes me."
"Are you stupid?" Jeonghan spouts, and you're shocked at his tone. "The poor guy looks at you like you hung the stars yourself and you always just brush him off like he's a nuisance! But you know what? Even after all the mean things you do, he does nothing but talk greatly about you. About how you're the kindest soul, about how your smile lights up his day. How you're the prettiest girl he's ever laid eyes on."
You stay quiet, holding back tears.
"He thinks you're the greatest girl in the world, you've just never given him a chance to tell you." He finishes, leaning against the railing.
"I don't believe you."
Jeonghan turns away. "Then you'll have to ask him yourself."
You open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your friend reads your mind. "I-"
"Go," He interrupts, jutting his chin in that direction. "Before it's too late. He's with Vernon at the flow rider."
You nod and take off down the stairs, mindful of the puddles of water on the floor, but your urgency remains the same. You had to know, you had to hear it from him. You need to know why.
It's not too far in the afternoon that there's a huge line, only a couple people standing around but Vernon's helping them. Chan stands to the side looking unoccupied, now was your chance.
Wading through the people, your heart beating against your chest, you find yourself standing in front of Chan.
He averts his eyes, unsure of how to start the conversation. He had gotten the message from your avoidance, you had made your point. "You want to, um, ride the flow rider or..?"
You clear your throat. "Do you like me?"
He leans back at the question. "I thought it was obvious."
"And this isn't a prank?"
He wipes his palms on his pants. "W-Why would it be a prank?"
"I don't know! How am I supposed to believe you after that slushie?" You say, genuinely distraught.
"What slushie?"
"The one you spilled on when I first got hired here! What kind of joke was that?" You ask, finally glad to let it out into the air after holding it in for so long.
"What do you mean? I ran off to get napkins and when I came back you were gone!" Chan answered, confused on why you even remembered that.
"You could've told me! I thought you had ran off to laugh at me!" You argued.
He stands, ignoring the attention you two had drawn from others. "I would've said something but I clammed up and didn't know what to say, you were just so pretty-"
You straighten up. "Chan, you're a moron."
He stills. "I know."
"I thought you were cute before then too. But I felt so embarrassed after that, I even had to pay for a new one because Joshua said someone took the spare."
Chans eyes soften. "I grabbed it for you, but as we know, I never got to give it to you."
You look down at the new information. "Oh."
"I like you, I really do." He begins. "I like a lot of things about you. Like your perseverance, your passion for this job, your love for your friends. Just one of these days I wished you would've talked to me long enough without ripping me apart."
"I'm a bit harsh, aren't I?"
"It's one of the things I like about you, you're not scared to put anyone in their place." He admits, and it was true. Chan liked all of you, not just your better qualities.
"This whole time I thought you were the jerk when really it was me." You remark, eyes on your shoes and the floor beneath you.
"I don't blame you, I'd hate me too." Chan chuckles.
You shake your head. "I don't hate you. In fact, these past few days have been so draining. As much as I complained, you gave me something to look forward too. Knowing I'd see you do something to get my attention, just didn't know why you wanted it so bad."
"Now you know." He steps forward. "And between you and I, I've done a lot of embarrassing things to get you to look my way."
"Oh, you did them on purpose?" You tease.
He playfully rolls his eyes. "Obviously."
You assured him that you believed him as you smiled. He grabs your hand in his, the two of you standing in the sweltering heat of the park. He rubs his thumb over your palm. "So what now?"
"Take me on a date."
"You want to?"
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't." You respond. "I want to give us a chance."
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."
BONUS:
"That bastard really did it." Seungkwan remarks, eyes bulging out of their sockets as he watches you and Chan flirt by the lockers before closing.
Karina stares on as well. "They're so cute that I want to throw up."
"Give them a break." Minghao butts in. "Today is the last day."
"Thank the Lord." Vernon approaches the others. "As if he couldn't get more annoying about her, I've had to hear him recount every date they've had so far."
Minghao cringes. "She's the same way."
Karina agrees. "I'm not even that bad."
Seungkwan looks over at her. "So how are thing with Mingyu anyways?"
Karina put her hands up. "Oblivious as always."
Shrugging, Minghao leans on the wall. "Should we just ditch them here and go?"
"But we haven't finished cleaning-" Jeonghan, who appeared out of nowhere starts before his voice dies down. "Yeah, lets go."
"They'll definitely be too in love to notice us leaving."
Rating/Genre: M18+, strangers to friends (idiots) to lovers, rom-com vibes; fluff, smut (in part two), angst
Pairings: SingleDad!Mingyu x DaycareTeacher!Reader(f), mentions of Joshua, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan
Warnings: Mentions of having/raising kids, parenting, having a family/wanting to be a parent, that sort of stuff, like he’s SUCH a family man, so much fucking cuteness with a 4-year-old kid, kid tears from another kid hitting, SLOW burn!!!, Mingyu is called Daddy but it’s because he’s literally a father (not used during sexy times), reader is shorter/overall smaller than Mingyu, reader is called ‘ma’am’ playfully/teasingly, ugh this Mingyu is such a dilf in like the most wholesome way!!, future explicit smut (size kink, choking, etc)!
Word Count: 16.5k
Summary: You've sworn off dating. But your favourite kid at your work has the hottest dad in the entire world. A bit of harmless flirting never hurt anyone, right?
A/N: Part one of two (second coming Sun. Sept. 17)! There's no smut in this part but please stick with me here, ok? It'll be worth it!! If you don't like kids, you probably won't like this - so I'd recommend skipping it!
You aren’t supposed to have favourites. But it’s hard not to when Marco comes over, holding up his indiscernible lego creation proudly to show you, his sweet toothy smile and bright eyes making you melt as they do every single day you come into work.
It doesn’t make sense. There is no reason for you to feel so connected to this kid, this four-year-old with big, brown almond-shaped eyes and the cutest little nose.
But on the first day you’d set foot into the daycare, he’d given you the brightest smiles, calling for you to watch what he was doing – whether it be running or jumping or climbing up the slide – and looking over at you to make sure the new teacher was watching, making you feel welcome even in all your anxieties. Already, you felt like his favourite.
So, having him wiggle his way inside your heart doesn’t feel all that weird. Not really. How could it when he seems so happy to have you there each day to play with?
Running up to you to get you to growl and reach out for him like any good monster would, him squealing and running away just to come back again five seconds later. Sending you a goofy face from across the classroom when he randomly looks up from the toys he’s playing with among his friends.
Laying, eyes closed, totally still, when you go around to tuck each of them in at naptime but breaking into a wide smile when you gently poke his side and tease him for pretending to be asleep already.
It’s halfway through your third week of work when Marco comes over to you with tears welled up in his eyes. There’d been some pushing and occasionally a kid falls while running and needs some comforting. But seeing his normally happy face all crumpled is completely heart-breaking.
“What happened?” you say gently, opening your arms quickly for him to run into and immediately wrapping soothingly around him, a hand rubbing gently over his back.
“M–M– Mila hit me!” he gets out between sobs, pulling back slightly to point in the direction he’d come from.
You look over his shoulder where a few kids are standing a couple metres away, Mila being one of them. You call her over and she comes, expression solemn, while you continue to hold Marco, asking him where it hurts, taking a look at his head where he points, caressing softly over it with your thumb.
“Mila, did you hit Marco?”
“No, I punched him!” she responds, tiny fist flying through the air for emphasis, the hard plastic toy still in her hand. It’s almost funny, the way she says it so fervently, but she’s absolutely old enough and smart enough to know better.
Not to mention that Marco’s not a hitter. He’s rambunctious and full of energy, a goofball, sometimes an excitable mess, but you haven’t seen him hurt anyone in all the hours you’ve spent with these kids.
It’s not a big enough thing to write a report on – that’s reserved for real injuries or accidents. But the behaviour needs to be addressed with Mila’s parents and it’s also important to let Marco’s parents know as well.
And because you were the one to deal with it on the playground, the other teachers decide to let you try handling it.
So, you stay a bit later that day. By 4:30pm, there’s no more than ten kids left and by 5:00pm, Marco is one of four.
Soaking in the gorgeous weather, you wait with one of the other class teachers and the last few kids on the fake grass next to the playground, close to the gate where the parents come for pick up.
While two of the them play with a ball back and forth and the one girl braids and unbraids Ashley’s hair over and over, Marco and you are play-fighting, him giggling away as he tries to knock you onto your back on the grass, only to screech when you easily toss him off or roll him to the side and scoot away as if trying to escape. You make a show of it, anything you can do to make him laugh harder, make his smile wider as he comes back, launching himself at you with a growl.
He finally relaxes – both of you giggling as you breathe heavily from the exertion – and he just lays on you for a second. Then he lifts his head to look at you, cracking up when you do the same simultaneously, shooting him a silly face. And that’s when you hear Ashley’s voice.
“Marco, look who’s here!”
You both turn your heads to the gate, but you can’t yet see who’s approaching on the other side. “Go get your water bottle,” you tell him.
The boy scurries off you, heading to do just that, then waits at the gate, eyes focused on the parent who has come to pick him up.
You pull yourself off the ground too, attempting to fix your dishevelled shirt and the way your hair is now surely tangled and crazy at the back of your head. You always leave work somewhat of a mess after running around with them all day.
But as you approach the gate and see Marco’s dad… Well, you sort of wish that wasn’t the case. You can’t doubt for a second that the young man standing in front of you is the child’s father. Perhaps uncle but even then, they look so much alike that those would need to be some strong genes.
“Hi!,” you say quickly, praying to not appear like you are as blown away by how gorgeous he is as you are. “Marco had a great day.”
“Oh, good,” the man says warmly, smiling down at the boy as he reaches to touch his hand where it grabs onto the fence.
You usher Marco back so you can unlatch it and let him out then you lean against the pole so there’s no space between you and the open gate for any other kids to squeeze through. “I do want to let you know though that there was a little incident today.”
He steps closer, a bit concerned, a large hand gently pressed to the top of Marco’s head, making sure he stays nearby.
“One of the other children got a bit rough with him and hit him on the head so you might notice…” You bend down, Marco’s big eyes following you as you reach for his head and push back the soft brown strands on his forehead to reveal a little bump. “There’s a bit of a bump. We just put some ice on it and he calmed down quickly but wanted to let you know,” you explain.
“Ok, ok…” he says, nodding as well as he looks at the mark and then down at Marco’s face that was now smiling up at him. “He certainly seems ok now,” he says with a little chuckle, mirroring Marco’s smile, and just proving their relation in how similar it is. Oh god, they are so adorable.
“Yeah, no, we had a lot of fun the rest of the day. I just didn’t want you to worry if we didn’t point it out to you.”
“Yeah, of course. Thanks,” he says, meeting your eyes again and making you vibrate a little with how kindly he’s looking at you. “You’re the new teacher?”
“That’s me, yeah,” you reply quickly, a little embarrassed though you don’t know why. You just feel a little flustered, and you can only blame it on the fact that this man is terribly good-looking, tall and broad, with a devastatingly attractive face. And somehow with all that, he also just has the softest energy to him. In how he looks at Marco, in how he looks at you, completely friendly and at ease.
“Teacher Y/N, right? Marco’s mentioned you,” he says before turning to the boy and bending to pull him swiftly up into his arms, his legs easily finding their place on either side of his dad’s torso. “Haven’t you, buddy? You have fun playing with Teacher today?”
“Yeaaah,” he replies, playing with the collar of his dad’s shirt and nodding his head.
“I had fun too, kiddo. I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll play some more, ok?”
With that, the man adjusts the boy on his hip, taking a small step back. “Ok, thank you. We’ll see you tomorrow. Say bye!” he ushers to Marco, waving his hand, having his mini-me quickly follow suit.
You keep your eyes on them as you step back, still smiling, and close the gate, beginning to wave as well as you call out another goodbye to Marco. It‘s only once you turn that you let your face show what you were really feeling, eyes widening at Ashley, your mouth dropping slightly open.
“What?” she asks, almost concerned, one child behind her and the other two now in front of her playing with the toy trucks in a pleasantly subdued manner for once.
“Oh, nothing,” you quickly recover, though you can’t help the way you begin to laugh at yourself.
“Oh, Mingyu,” she says, her voice dropping lower in understanding. “Yep, I feel you on that.” She chuckles when you nod a little too aggressively as you come closer.
“You weren’t going to warn me about that one or…?” you tease as you plop down next to them, giving the tiniest bit of sass to your colleague.
She laughs again. “Honestly, I didn’t think about it. I forgot that you haven’t met some of the parents yet.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you brush off.
“Shall I switch you to the later shift permanently?” She’s joking. You know she is. But also, you don’t hate the idea.
When you look at her in a way that gives your thoughts away, she laughs for a third time.
“I can if you want! I wouldn’t mind having the 8:30am shift instead.”
“Are you serious? We can’t switch just so I can talk to the hot dad,” you say with an embarrassed chuckle before immediately covering your mouth, remembering you’re still in the vicinity of children. With ears.
“It’s fine,” she plays off, glancing down at them. “They’re not listening. And yes, we absolutely can. You know they’re not together anymore?”
“What?”
“Marco’s parents.”
The thought should not make you happy. Not at all. Someone's divorce is not something to be happy about. But that man – that man – is single?
“Seriously?” you reply, a little quietly, a little awkwardly. Probably overcompensating for how much you don’t want to seem excited about the information.
“Yup,” she says smugly before beginning to pull herself up. “Ok, Olivia. Mommy’s here, go get your water.”
You stare at the grass for a moment, feeling the delayed butterflies that you hadn’t let yourself feel five minutes earlier when he’d been standing in front of you. It’s a ridiculous thought either way – you spoke for all of one minute. But damn, he just seemed so nice? You could use more nice in your life.
-
Starting the following week, you're on the later shift, the one responsible for staying until the last pick-up and making sure things are in order for the next day before heading home. You’re actually impressed with yourself for how much you have not thought about Marco’s dad all day – you don’t feel right calling him Mingyu, not even in your mind, seeing as he hasn’t actually introduced himself to you.
Much like every other day, Marco comes flying over to you when you arrive, showing you his new shoes that light up and asking if you like them. Of course, you do. What could be cuter than a giggling, stomping 4-year-old peering up at you, waiting for your approval?
At lunch time, he says thank you when you give him more pasta. The kids barely ever say thank you. You thank him back for using his manners.
It’s another beautiful day so you take the kids outside to play the whole afternoon. Marco asks you to play hide and seek, his innocent little pouty face looking around to the other kids when you tell him to go find some others who want to play it too.
He hurries off, cutely asking each friend if they want to play then coming back to you when he’s corralled a handful of them. You count. He always wants you to count. So he and the other kids can squeal when you “find” them in one of the six mildly decent hiding spots around the playground, cackling with laughter when you thrust your hand into their hiding spot and find an arm or a leg to grab and wiggle.
The same four kids are still there at 5:00pm. But it isn’t Marco who is picked up next. Then there are three. Then two.
Then it’s almost 5:30pm and Marco’s still there. It’s actually a little awkward. 5:30pm is the pick-up deadline and anyone picking up after that has to pay a late fee for going over. And you aren’t exactly wanting to be the one to remind Mingyu of this if he does come late.
You don’t mind, however, hanging out with just Marco. You’re tossing a huge inflatable ball back and forth, making him laugh each time you intentionally bop him on the forehead, his arms too slow to register to catch it before it hits him. You figure he’s going to get the hang of it one of these times but when it keeps playing out the same way, you decide he must just find it funnier this way.
You don’t even notice his dad walking up. And when you do see him, one arm up, casually leaning against the fence as he watches over top of it, you feel wholly embarrassed again. You should’ve been watching for his arrival.
“Sorry, I’m late!” he calls over through a broad smile once he sees you’ve noticed him.
“Oh,” you sound before glancing down at your watch. 5:30pm on the dot. “You actually just scratched by,” you say, almost teasingly as you move to stand, keeping your hands out in front of you knowing the little goof is still going to throw the ball back at you despite the fact that you aren’t looking. You catch it and toss it away. “Look who’s here,” you say excitedly to him, much like you would a puppy, pointing then trailing after him as he runs to the gate.
“Water,” you remind him, approaching the fence yourself and chuckling when he whizzes over to the picnic table where the kids know to keep their water bottles when the group is outside.
As you look at the man who’s now standing fully (damn, how tall is he?), your chuckling ends but your smile stays, even when you try to hide it, bringing your lips together. “It was a good day,” you tell him easily as you click the lock on the gate open and swing it slightly so there is no longer fence between you, allowing Marco to come around.
“Great. I’m glad to hear it.” His voice is nice. Quite low and warm. It’s hard to imagine him disciplining a child.
“I’m Mingyu, by the way. I realized I didn’t actually introduce myself properly yesterday,” he tosses out, bringing up his hand, prompting you to shake it with as much confidence as you can muster. You aren’t a particularly shy person but this man has some weird fucking spell cast on you.
“Well, nice to officially meet you. It’s such a pleasure having Marco in the class,” you tell him, knowing that you can at least sound sure and genuine in a comment like that.
“Yeah, he’s pretty sweet,” Mingyu replies, his fond gaze falling down to the boy as he ruffles his hair. “Thank you for playing with him so much. He tells me – god – every day about it. It’s always Teacher Y/N this and Teacher Y/N that…”
That makes you laugh. It also sort of makes your heart crack open a little bit too. “Aw, well…” you begin, letting out a bashful little laugh. “I enjoy playing with him too. He’s, uh… pretty special,” you finally admit, as casually as you can, trying not to sound too weirdly obsessed with this kid you’ve only known less than a month. You really don’t understand why you feel so connected to him.
The way Mingyu looks at you confirms that he doesn’t think you are weirdly obsessed at all. In fact, he looks at you with what you could only call happiness mixed with a pinch of awe. Like maybe he can understand that Marco actually is special to you, even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
It’s a disarming look, one that almost feels too sweet, too vulnerable for someone who has only met you twice. But then again, you feel strangely drawn to him after only having met him twice. Ok, who are you kidding – even after just the first time.
So, is it that wild to assume he feels – dare you even consider it – drawn to you too?
“He is,” he says softly, eyes sparkling with the love he has for his son. Then he clears his throat, breaking whatever trance he has you under to look down at Marco again. “Well, I won’t keep you any later than I already have. Sorry again. Got held up at work.”
“That’s alright, you made it,” you tell him – easy breezy. “Honestly, if you’re ever later, it’s not that much of a bother to watch him.” With that, you smile down at Marco, catching his eye and his cheesy grin, before looking back up. “I know the centre has the late policy and stuff, but I… yeah, I don’t mind.”
His eyes widen slightly before he chuckles. “I mean, of course, I would pay you. I’m not going to expect free childcare–”
“No, no, I know. I didn’t mean–”
He laughs again as he says: “No, I get it, I get it.”
“I just meant that I enjoy watching your son… so,” you shrug, a little smile on your lips as your face tries to cool down from all the flushing it’s doing. “If you need someone to watch him at any point, I can.” Another shrug. Yes. Good. Still easy breezy.
“That’s… a really nice offer,” he says, seeming actually touched by it. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, of course.” It isn’t really ‘of course’. You wouldn’t offer for any of the other kids. Just for your favourite.
“Well, if I wanted to take you up on that… how could I…reach you?” he asks with a tilt of his head, glancing down at Marco to check on him before meeting your eyes again.
“Right. I guess… I guess you’d need my number for that,” you reply with another chuckle. Damn, you’re letting out a lot of shy flirty laughs. Ugh.
“Here,” he says as he reaches into his back pocket, pulling out his phone and quickly swiping to open up a blank contact for you.
You put in your number, deciding at the last minute to put your name in as “Y/N 🍎”, hoping he’ll think it’s cute and not weird.
“Ok, cool,” he says when his phone is safely back in his hand, locking it shut then meeting your eyes once more. “Well, then, I hope you have a good rest of your evening.”
“You too. Have a good night, Marco! See you tomorrow.”
They both smile widely at you as they head to their car, Marco letting out a long drawn out goodbye to you, stumbling over himself as he tries to look back to wave.
You just laugh, waving back before closing the gate and locking it.
And then, there are those damn butterflies again.
-
The best part of your day is officially the end of the day. It would be regardless – getting rid of each little bugger one by one just makes your job easier late in the day. But now, every pick-up time includes a tall drink of water leaning over the fence, watching you play with the kids until you notice. You never know how long he’s standing there before your eyes meet, a beaming smile already plastered on his face every time, without fail.
Sometimes the kids will notice a car pulling in or someone walking up. Other times, he might be standing there for a full five minutes, and you are none the wiser. The tendency to get wrapped up in playing with the kids, giving them your full attention, is definitely one of your strong suits as a teacher, but your awareness of other people could use some improvement.
The little chats are always brief, a few sentences back and forth as you pass over supervision of Marco to his dad. It is nice, the fact that he is always one of the last kids to get picked up, if not the last. Nice that you guys can be a bit playful, give his son an extra compliment that really no other kid or parent should be hearing.
It’s always very much friendly though. Not that you are expecting this mature, grown man to flirt with his child’s teacher. You aren’t at all. But the fact that the conversations stay really light, really surface-level definitely makes you consider the very real possibility that your crush is one-sided.
Maybe it is. Maybe it is and that’s ok. Getting wrapped up with a student’s parent is a bad idea anyway.
Still, erasing your attraction to him is out of the question. You just know that is out of your hands. The man is too lovely.
When it’s been a couple weeks and he hasn’t texted you, you resign yourself to the child’s-teacher zone. Is that worse than the friend zone? Probably. Have you made a move yourself? No. Do you feel like you can without completely embarrassing yourself and putting yourself in a super awkward position if he rejects you? Also, no.
Not to mention the fact that you don’t actually want something serious with someone. The end of your last relationship was painful to say the least, and ‘casual’ is the only thing you have the capacity for right now anyway. How would you explain that to him? That his kid’s teacher is just DTF? Yikes.
-
It’s a whole three weeks of short pick-up time chats before you hear from him outside of the daycare, your phone ding-ing at 9:00am on a Saturday.
Unknown: So what fruit do I get beside my name? 🤔
YN: Haha don’t think I know you well enough to be properly assigning fruits
MG: Ah it has to be more natural huh?
YN: Exactly
YN: You just get Mingyu for now
MG: Awww that’s so boring
YN: lol
MG: Ok fine
MG: But for real… I need to ask a favour of you
MG: You can absolutely say no. I don’t even know how serious you were about your offer but…
MG: Are you busy this evening? I need someone to watch Marco for a couple hours and I know he would just be so excited if it was you
MG: I know it’s so last minute
You really weren’t expecting this. As serious as you were about your offer, you didn’t think he’d actually take you up on it. Especially since it’s been a little while. But of course, your stomach is bubbling from just getting to text him. It feels wrong somehow. Inappropriate. But there is no rule about texting a kid’s parent.
YN: Oh! I actually don’t have any plans today at all so I can definitely do that
YN: Do you live in the area?
MG: Ah that’s so great! Ok thank you so much
MG: Yeah we’re only a few minutes away from the daycare actually
YN: Ok cool :)
MG: I’ll send you the address. Could you be here for like 6:30? Does that work ok?
YN: For sure
He sends it. You recognize the street. And then, at 6:25pm, you’re pulling up to the house, driving around the cul-de-sac once before finding the right number. It’s cute – small, simple, nice.
You feel nervous. You spent too long getting ready. To not spend time with him. You’re literally going to see him for one minute before spending the rest of the time with a four-year-old. A four-year-old that does not give a crap about what you look like.
Even now, you spend a minute too long in the car before pulling yourself from the driver’s seat, up to the door, giving it a good solid knock. When he whips it open, button-up pulling across his chest, a pair of navy slacks covering long legs, you’re only slightly taken aback.
Why does he look like that? Damn, he looks hot all dressed up. But also, he’s… all dressed up. You can’t help where your mind goes. And you can’t help the sinking feeling it gives you.
“Hi! Come in, come in. Thank you so much for doing this,” he greets so happily, waving you in with his hand as he steps back, swinging the door open further to welcome you into the home.
“Teacher?” a little voice chirps from another room before you hear little footsteps scurrying, getting louder by the second.
Mingyu is already laughing, shutting the door behind you as he points to the little welcome mat where pairs of very big and very small shoes have been haphazardly kicked off.
“Teacher! You’re at my house?”
“I’m at your house,” you confirm with a bright smile, slipping off your sandals, still holding the little stack of colouring books and pencil crayons you brought along with you to your chest. You definitely do think Mingyu has things for his son – obviously – but you still felt compelled to bring something. Just in case. And kids love shiny new stuff. Part of you just wants to see his face light up when he notices one of the colouring books is full of dinosaurs.
“We made pasta… for you!”
So that’s what that delicious smell is. Your eyes widen a touch before flicking over to Mingyu who gives you a bashful smile and a shrug.
“Here, come on in. I’ll show you around quickly, and then… yeah, I made some food. I wasn’t sure if you’d have eaten before so you and Marco can have some for dinner,” he rambles as he walks down the hallway, hand finding the top of Marco’s head to usher him forward as you follow along. “I have no idea what you like so I apologize if you’re not a fan,” he explains, coming to settle by the stove, giving the finished pasta dish one more stir in its pan.
“It smells great. I’m sure it’ll be perfect,” you dismiss his concerns quickly as you drop your goodies on the island, before glancing around the main floor, taking in the open plan of his kitchen and living area. The house is really cute, even homier inside. Not at all what you might expect from a guy in his (mid?) twenties. The kitchen’s decked out with a host of appliances, the living room cozy with blankets and pillows – and plenty of kids toys.
“If you just want to pop whatever’s left in here, put it in the fridge. That’d be great,” he tells you, tapping the lid of a tupperware container, leaving it next to the stove.
“Of course.”
“Thanks. And seriously, thank you so much for this. You’re really saving me here,” he repeats as he wanders closer before bending down to Marco’s height and focusing on the boy. “I gotta go, buddy. You listen to Y/N, ok? Be good, please.”
“We’ll be great,” you assure him warmly, leaning back against the counter as you watch him pull his son into a hug. “Right, kiddo? What should we do? You hungry now or do you want to play a bit first?”
“Play! Play!” he says excitedly, rushing over to you, completely forgetting about the dad who’s trying to say goodbye, to grab your hand and pull you into the living room, beginning to excitedly show you his various toys.
You glance up, wide smile plastered on your face as you plop down next to Marco on the rug.
Mingyu just chuckles, shrugging as though he’s given up on trying. “You two have fun! I’ll be back before 10pm.”
“Sounds good,” you call back to him, lifting a hand in goodbye. And then he’s grabbing his phone off the counter and slipping back down the hall and out the door.
The two hours before you put Marco down fly by. It’s very easy to be distracted by a hyperactive toddler, especially this one that just loves playing, chatting away with you. You have to tell him five times that, no, you can’t wrestle in the house, sometimes needing to actually hold him still so he’ll stop launching himself at you on the couch.
You can’t believe it when he actually goes down, thinking he’d be too revved up but you suppose all the excitement has worn him out. There’s not a peep from his room after you leave it, quietly closing the door behind you after tucking his sweet face in, then tip-toeing to the stairs, trying to keep totally quiet as you make your way back down to the living room.
It’s now, in the silence of Mingyu’s house, that you feel a wave of thoughts rush over you. Unfortunately, the primary one is the sucky feeling that he’s on a date. The man looks like a god and has the whole adorable dad thing to boot. And apparently, he can really cook? Of course he’s on a date. And from the sounds of things, perhaps he’s been trying to go out with this girl for a while.
You don’t love it, the thought of his eyes lighting up as he looks at a pretty woman across the table from him. But you can’t really blame her, whoever she is.
What happened between him and his ex-wife? Maybe your glasses are a little rose-tinted at this point (no doubt they are) but you have a hard time understanding someone breaking up with him.
But what do you know? Your exposure to him has been extremely limited until tonight. Maybe he is actually awful. Maybe he’s a horrifically toxic partner. You don’t have the best track record for being able to see someone’s true colours.
Part of you sort of wishes to find something wrong with him so you can stop being a love-sick puppy dog. And then again, part of you is just enjoying the excitement of a crush, the giddy feeling of being around someone you find really really attractive. Because it’s been a very long time.
You clean up the living room, putting away the few toys and games that you didn’t get around to having Marco tidy before it had been time to bring him upstairs. Trying your best not to snoop, once everything is away, you settle into the corner of the couch with your phone, scrolling on various apps for a while until you figure that it’s perfectly reasonable to turn on the TV while you continue to wait for him to get home.
Marvel movies, K-dramas… It’s in the middle of judging his ‘Recommended For You’ on Netflix that you hear the door open and lift your head towards the hallway following the sound of the floor creaking under foot. A few seconds later, he’s poking his head around the corner and letting out a soft ‘hey’ in his gentle voice.
“Hi,” you whisper back, not really sure how much the sound carries up.
“How’d it go?” he asks as he opens the fridge, placing what seems like his leftovers inside.
“Good. Really good,” you tell him, waving a hand to show what a breeze it was. “He went down at about 8:30pm.” It was a bit strange, putting him down in a real bed instead of the little cot at the daycare, but it was also sweetly familiar in a way, tucking him in, gently wishing him a good sleep as you always did.
“Ok, perfect,” he replies with the easiest smile as he comes over to lean his hand on the back of the couch. “You messing up my Netflix?”
“Messing up?” you counter, looking back over to the selections on the ‘Favourites’ carousel. “I don’t know about that. I was actually thinking that I was half-impressed by your taste. But maybe I’ll withhold that comment.”
“Oh, really?” He seems to enjoy that, nodding as he shifts to sit on the arm, bringing one socked-foot up to rest on the couch cushion. You have to try extra hard not to look at the way his pants pull over his thighs and groin. But putting his hips at eye-level like that? That’s just unfair.
“Well, yeah. Interstellar’s the first thing that pops up. Kingsman, Spiderman… Tenet.” You continue to read off titles, letting the tone of your voice convey your opinion, though, for the most part, it’s positive. “Inception, too. You’re a Nolan guy,” you piece together, looking over at him, seeing his now pushed up eyebrows.
“I am.”
“Ok, fine. You get the compliment then. These are a few of my favourites,” you admit.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” you agree with a chuckle. “Interstellar is so good. But… actually, now that I’m looking.” You continue to click over further. “I’m disappointed to see The Prestige missing.”
He smiles wide before bringing a hand up to run through his hair. “I, uh, I actually haven’t seen that one. Or maybe I did a long time ago but I can’t really remember.”
“What?” you emphasize, personally offended that he’s a Nolan fan but hasn’t seen your all-time favourite. “Mingyu… you’ve got to be kidding.”
He’s laughing now. Sure, you’re playing up your offense a bit. But that is just wrong.
“The Prestige is… perfect. It’s masterfully-crafted in every way. Like, I know people talk about it somewhat but it is seriously underrated in comparison to his other films.”
“Ok, ok,” he replies defensively, his voice raising slightly in pitch as he lifts his hands. “I believe you, I do. I guess I’ll just need to watch it then. See if I trust your judgement.”
Why is everything he’s saying sounding a bit… flirty? Even though he’s not flirting. Surely, that’s just how he is.
“You do. That’s your homework assignment. Watch it and let me know what you think,” you tell him with a little laugh as you begin to stand up, flipping the remote around in your hand to pass it to him.
He receives it but keeps his eyes on you, smirking in a ridiculously adorable way. “Oh, a homework assignment, huh? Didn’t realize you were my teacher too.”
Damn, so fucking flirty.
You let out a bigger laugh, feeling a little embarrassed at how you’ve gotten yourself into this line of conversation as you walk back to the kitchen, finding your bag on the counter. “Can’t stop, I guess. Force of habit,” you explain sheepishly.
He chuckles too as he follows you, both of you walking in step back down the hallway towards the front door. “So, what do I owe you?”
In your periphery, you can see him reaching into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. It feels kind of weird, the idea of accepting money from him. You really had just enjoyed playing with Marco for a few hours. Something about that kid is so wonderful; you even find yourself missing him on weekends.
“Oh, honestly– it was only like a couple hours. It’s… it’s fine,” you get out, a bit awkwardly, a bit unsure whether refusing the money would just make it weird.
“Y/N… I’m gonna pay you for your time,” he says with a sure nod, his voice lowering as if to say ‘come on’. “Especially if you don’t mind watching him again in the future, I really need you to take my money,” he says, beginning to laugh as he pulls out a couple twenty-dollar bills and thrusts them towards you.
You look at his hand, then up at him, then back to his hand, tilting your head slightly as you sigh. “Fine. I guess you’re right,” you concede, gently taking the bills from him and sliding them into your wallet. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. I’m sure Marco loved it.”
“He seemed pretty happy.”
“Makes sense,” he returns as you go to bend down, pulling your shoes back on your feet. “I appreciate it,” he adds before you have a chance to linger on what he just said. “Is it ok if I text you when I need a sitter again?”
“Absolutely. I mean it – it’s not a chore for me at all.”
“Ok,” he replies, his lips pressing into a warm smile as he pulls open the door and leans against it.
“Ok, well, have a good night.” You step out onto his porch, turning around one more time to smile at him briefly before heading to your car.
“You too! Get home safe.”
“I will!” you call to him before sliding into your front seat. You can see him still at his front door where he stays until you’ve backed out, sending you another wave as you pull away.
-
“You won’t be happy with me.”
“Oh?” you ask, getting up from his couch to meet him at the island.
“I haven’t done my homework yet.” He sends you a teasing smile as he shrugs off his suit jacket, laying it neatly on one of the bar stools. It’s been almost two weeks since the last time you were at his house. This time he asked if you could watch Marco straight from the end of daycare. You agreed, quickly meeting them at the house once you finished up. The things you would do just at the thought of getting into Mingyu’s pants…
Ridiculous.
You huff out a chuckle, bringing your arms to cross over your chest. “You’ve had plenty of time. What’s your excuse?”
“Would you believe me if I said I have a hard time getting into movies on my own?” He still holds that flirtatious smile but you think you can see a glimmer of shyness in how he’s looking away as he says it. How dare he look so sweet while dressed up looking like the most handsome date in the world. Not your date though.
“Oh yeah? Started it and couldn’t get into it?” you ask, leaning forward onto the counter, bringing yourself just a little closer to him.
“Didn’t even start it honestly. I’m a terrible student.”
You shake your head in amusement. “Yeah, apparently.”
“Would you… want to watch it with me? It is only 9pm,” he suggests, glancing at his watch, his cool confidence suddenly back in place.
God, this is a bad idea. There is no way you’re going to be able to hold yourself together for the next two hours – you seem to always become a blushy flirty mess around the 15-minute mark, which thankfully is around the time most of your past interactions have ended.
But, obviously, you’re going to say yes.
“You want to watch it tonight?”
“Only if you want to,” he says simply before turning to the freezer and pulling out a small carton of ice cream. “Can I bribe you with snacks?”
Yes. You love ice cream. But unfortunately, that’s not the thing you most want to be eating in this kitchen.
“What kind you got?” you attempt to play it somewhat cool, nodding your chin towards the container.
“Ben and Jerry’s? Half baked?”
You click your teeth then sigh through your smile. “Fine, I’m in.” As if it’s a big concession.
He laughs, scrunching up his nose way too cutely as he grabs two spoons from the drawer and the two of you settle onto his couch to watch, close enough to pass the ice cream back and forth.
“Ok, I must warn you though. I’m really annoying about this movie. Like if I’m talking too much, just tell me to shut up,” you say just as it’s starting.
“I’m always the one talking too much during movies, so I really don’t think it’ll be a problem–”
Your hand grasps his thick forearm, interrupting. “The hats. Ok?” You look over at him, finger pointing to the TV. “You have to watch closely. There’s so many good little details.” Your head turns back to the TV, only vaguely registering that he’s still smirking at you for a moment longer before following your gaze.
“You weren’t kidding, eh?”
You start to giggle but then the narration is starting and he has to hear it. Whispering now: “Everything's a clue, ok? Don’t pay attention to me. Watch.”
He snorts another laugh, taking the ice cream out of your hand but keeping his eyes on the film. “Yes, ma’am.”
Your flush at the teasing name catches you off guard. Ma'am?
Then again, Mingyu could probably call you anything and you’ll be ok with it at this point. He could probably do anything and you’ll be ok with it at this point. That is how stupidly attracted you are to him.
To your surprise, your unceasing commentary throughout, punctuated with satisfied groans at all the good reveal moments, doesn’t seem to deter him too much. He doesn’t even tell you to shut up once. Though you have to tell yourself to a few times – using spoonfuls of ice cream to keep your mouth full. It doesn’t really work.
If anything, he may find it slightly endearing? It’s hard to tell when you’re too distracted finding all his reactions endearing, the way his eyes widen all innocently, his mouth dropping open slightly at the best part of the movie, when everything starts to click together like gears into place.
Then he’s tapping your thigh repeatedly. “Holy shit. So, that’s…? And then he’s…?”
“Uh-huh,” you confirm with a nod as your gaze falls on him, enjoying watching him experience your favourite movie way too much. He looks just like Marco right then as his mouth begins to turn up into the biggest awestruck smile.
“Pretty fucking good, huh?” is the first thing you said as the credits began. Finally, you could prove your point. And, you have to admit: this is much more fun than him just telling you he liked it.
“Oh my god,” he says with a little laugh, bringing his hand up to his forehead. “Ok, yeah. Fair enough. It’s definitely up there with his other ones.”
“Right? I told you. Underrated.” You collapse back into the couch.
“Well, thank you very much for introducing me,” he leans back too, motioning towards the scrolling white font on the screen.
“Proud of you for getting your homework done. Even if it did take… a little bit of tutoring,” you joke.
“I had a very helpful tutor,” he replies with a shrug. “I owe it all to her.”
Then you’re both chuckling, gazes falling down, both maybe a little embarrassed at how lame you’re being. But, hey, he’s playing along. It’s cute.
“I suppose I should head out,” you tell him, only half-able to mask the hesitancy in your voice.
“Yeah– yeah…” he agrees quickly as if being shaken out of his thoughts by your movement. And then you’re both walking together to the door again, him pulling out his wallet and popping the few bills into your open purse, completely skipping any resistance to it.
You let it happen, just smiling a little at him for a moment before shaking your head and bending to put on your shoes.
“Thank you. Can’t wait to hear all about how Teacher Y/N is his favourite person to play with in the morning.”
Aww – as if that isn’t supposed to melt your heart? “Oh, stop it. You’re his hero,” you assure as you pull your bag over your shoulder.
“I swear I’m being replaced.”
“Not my fault that I make a really good dinosaur.”
That must not be what he’s expecting from the chuckle he lets out. “Are you saying I’m not a good dinosaur? You know, I resent that.”
Now you’re giggling, unable to help it when he pouts like that. With a shrug, you open the door, stepping down carefully before turning back to him. “Thanks for the ice cream.”
“You’re very welcome. Better that I don’t eat the whole thing alone honestly.”
“You have a four-year-old.”
“Yeah, but some things need to just be for the adults, ok?” he rationalizes, coming to lean against the door frame, his long limbs allowing him to span across the whole thing.
“Very true,” you agree with a firm point towards him. “Well, I’m always down for adult ice cream.” About a millisecond after you say it, you regret it, your eyes falling closed as your cheeks push up into an awkward winced smile. “That… sounded weird.”
He giggles cutely, looking down at his feet. “I gotcha.”
“Ok,” you say softly, laughing once more before heading down his steps, looking over your shoulder at him once more. “Goodnight.”
“Drive safe.”
“Always do!”
Another gorgeous smile from him is imprinted on your mind, leaving you thinking about him the whole way home.
-
“You going to the fair?”
“There’s a fair?”
“A fruit festival. And it looks like you have no excuse to not come along,” he says, glancing to the empty playground.
“Hm… you got me,” you reply, your voice dropping lower as you nod with a little smile.
“Come with us.”
“Ok. Just let me take out the garbage and I’ll come to meet you.”
As soon as you arrive, it’s not hard to spot them; Mingyu is 6’2 and, well, him. Marco already has cotton candy stuck in and around his mouth as you approach, catching both their eyes and earning two perfect smiles.
“Didn’t waste any time, huh?” you ask, obviously referencing the way Marco is stuffing another huge bite of cotton candy into his mouth.
Mingyu leans in a bit, one hand still lightly touching the top of his son’s head to keep tabs. “Don’t tell anyone, ok? But… I’m kind of a pushover.”
You feign your surprise, the only shocking part about the revelation actually being the fact that he’s outright telling you as much. “Noo,” you let out in a sarcastic little gasp, which has him lightly bumping into you with his elbow, a pouty little smirk making its way across his face.
“Hey, I’m not too bad,” he clarifies but it’s still a bit whiny and you literally have to refocus your eyes on Marco because you’re sure that it’s written all over your face just how cute you find him.
“What’s the plan, kiddo? What are we riding first?”
He doesn’t answer for a second, seemingly ignoring you as he looks around the fair, taking in the slowly growing crowd of people as everyone gets off work. But then he’s grabbing your hand in his and pulling you in the direction of the kiddy rollercoaster, looking back at you for a moment to give you a big purple-toothed grin.
“I guess we’re going this way,” you say over your shoulder, checking to make sure Mingyu is following. And he is, chuckling and shaking his head at the way Marco’s about to rip your arm off.
-
“Want some peach?” you ask, spearing a slice onto your fork, making sure to get a bit of the crust and whipped cream all together.
“Who’s peach?” he asks, turning his head from watching Marco bouncing literally off the walls of the bouncy castle. After a mere second, there’s that pleased little smirk as he looks over, taking in your slightly surprised expression.
All you can do is roll your eyes and try not to show your fluster as you hold out your fork. “Still vying for that fruit emoji, huh?” you tease, pushing the bite into his open mouth just a tiny bit more forcefully that you normally would.
He chuckles as he chews, beginning to shake his head before any words can come out. “I didn’t even think about that, honestly.”
Just as you’re about to express your doubt, you hear Marco excitedly shrieking, a sound all too familiar. “Teacher! Teacher! Watch me. Watch this!”
Unable to ignore him, you step closer, taking your own bite and watching through the netting as he does what can only be considered a belly flop onto the inflatable floor, immediately beginning to get jostled around by the other kids jumping.
“Wow… Look at you,” you sound out as best you can. Your pretend fascination with kids’ skills is well-trained but a little overused; you decide to offload. “Mingyu. Come look at your son,” you say, turning with a cheeky grin, finding his close-lipped smile, tan arms crossed sinfully across his chest, before he drops the pose and comes a little closer to watch Marco do the same jump for the sixth time.
He laughs. “Wow, buddy. Don’t hurt yourself though. Don’t want you to get stepped on,” he urges gently, his hands gripping onto the netting as he leans closer to look in.
Your gaze jumps between them, too endeared by the giant man softly cooing caring words to the four-year-old.
His gentleness with his child is quickly becoming the most attractive thing about him. And, considering everything, that is very dangerous.
-
MG: Is there any chance that you’re free tomorrow night?
YN: There’s a chance
YN: What’s up? You need my services?
Why? Why did you say that? Can you not play it cool for two freaking messages?
MG: Haha not exactly
MG: Wanted your opinion on some recipes
MG: My toddler’s palette isn’t the most refined lol
You stare at your screen for a whole minute, unsure what he’s talking about, unsure what you might be agreeing to. But you know there’s no chance of you saying no, even as you sit there, knee bouncing anxiously, trying to decide what to reply with.
YN: I could do that
YN: Though I can’t promise a very refined palette either lol
YN: I’ll do my best
MG: Ok perfect
MG: Want to come here around like 7?
YN: Sure!
MG: Come hungry :)
Oh, you will.
-
It’s only when you’re driving over that it sinks in that Marco might not be there. Mingyu is not hiring you as a sitter. No, he’s inviting you over to actually spend time with him. Which is enough to process on its own. But it’s only once the question of Marco springs up in your mind that you start to stress – is it a date? Are you an idiot for not realizing it? Or are you an idiot now for even considering that that’s what he was intending?
You still have no idea if he’s seeing someone. You saw him off on those two evenings, looking too incredibly fine to be doing anything but trying to impress. But also, you’re convinced he’s being flirty with you, even though your brain tries to psych you out every time, telling you it's not true.
“Hi – come on in.” He answers the door in a t-shirt tucked into some nice fitting denim and a smile. While it isn’t at the level of things he’s gone out in, it does make you breathe a sigh of relief at your quite casual outfit, even if it does mean you’ll have to stare at his arms and thick thighs all night.
As you step inside, he stays close, making small talk with you as you remove your shoes and follow him in, finding the house seemingly empty apart from him.
“I may have taken your instructions too seriously. I’m starving,” you say playfully as you slide onto the closest island stool, watching him return to the stove where it looks like he’s been practically preparing a feast. It smells wonderful. Especially with your incredibly basic cooking skills leaving you with lazy meals most nights when you get home.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he replies and even facing away, you can hear his smile.
“It’s a good thing too, it looks like. How many people are coming tonight?” you tease.
He chuckles as he whips over to the fridge, grabbing a last-needed ingredient. “Well… I hope you don’t mind if it’s just us two. Marco’s with his mom this weekend.”
The way your heart rate speeds up tells you that it’s exactly what you want to hear. But does that make it a date?
“Oh. I didn’t even realize that you… shared custody.”
“Yeah, every other weekend he’s over there. Comes back Sunday evening.”
You hum a little, nodding your head, wanting to ask more but not being sure if you should. Being curious would be normal though, for anyone. “Is she nearby?”
“Yeah, only like a 25-minute drive so… Not too bad,” he says casually, glancing over his shoulder at you before returning his gaze to finish plating up what seems to be an appetizer.
“That’s good,” you say breezily, leaning back as he comes closer to slide a dish in front of you. “That he gets to see her.”
“Yeah, it seems to work well for all of us. … Dig in,” he urges, looking back at you to nod to your plate.
“Are you not joining me?”
“So needy,” he teases gently, surprising you a little, then he’s shooting you another too-pretty smile. “This needs just another minute.”
You shake your head, training your eyes on the delicious-looking food, probably failing miserably at keeping your cool. As he finishes up, you take your first bite, even more impressed than the last time he fed you. “Oh my god. So, wait, you actually, like, cook? For real?”
“What – you thought I was just a hot dad?” he smirks, cleaning up the edge of the plate with a napkin like a damn professional.
You snort in an attempt to cover up your fluster. “I mean, now you’re just a hot dad that cooks so…” you trail off, unsure how to get out of this terribly flirtatious area. “Pretty sure that’s even worse.”
He chuckles as he comes around the island, slipping in next to you, and bringing his feet up onto the footrest immediately despite the way his legs are too long to bunch up properly under the overhang. “I, um… I actually just got hired at a new restaurant that’s opening in the fall. As a chef. Hence, me wanting to try out new recipes on you.” He’s suddenly shyer, less cheeky as he motions to the counter full of food.
You can feel your face brighten at the words and especially at how he seems genuinely happy to share the information, underneath the bashfulness. “Oh, wow. Congrats. That’s so cool! … And makes a lot more sense as to why you’re so damn good at this,” you say, pointing down at the dish with your empty fork.
“You like it?” he asks hopefully, gentle eyes studying your face as you take another bite and nod enthusiastically. “Good, good.”
“How did I not know you’re a chef?”
“Because I’m a carpenter,” he says, words tumbling out with a laugh. “The food thing is more like a long-standing dream…”
You blink at him, a little more surprised, a little more impressed, smile pressing onto your lips.
“What?” he asks, swallowing down a bite.
“Nothing. That’s just– so exciting for you. … I’m excited for you.”
He gives you a warm smile. “Thank you.”
-
The problem with Mingyu is that he is so much more than hot. And as much as you should’ve known that from the beginning, it didn’t sink in soon enough. And now, it’s entirely too easy to see him as more than a guy you want in your bed.
Even as you make your way over to the couch, curling up in one corner while he finishes putting away a few things into the fridge, you find yourself dreading when it’ll be time for you to go. He makes you feel all warm and fuzzy in a way that you haven’t felt in…years.
“What are we watchin’?” he asks, nestling in one cushion over from you, legs coming up under him as he grabs a blanket and tosses it over the two of you.
“You’re letting me pick?”
“I’m nice like that.”
“Pushover,” you mutter teasingly as you grab the remote, beginning to flick through.
He clicks his teeth, letting his head drop back against the couch in exasperation.
“Anything I want?”
“Not if you’re going to be mean to me,” he plays back, letting his head fall to the side to look at you. The sudden urge to lean over and kiss him is strong. And terrifying. Why does he have to look at you like that?
“How much are you going to hate it if I choose this?” you ask, trying to refocus on your task at hand.
He lifts his head, finding “The Holiday” thumbnail outlined by the cursor, then smirks a little before glancing at you with raised eyebrows.
“Isn’t that a Christmas movie? It’s the middle of summer.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. And it’s not like there’s some rule anyway.”
He just motions his hand towards the TV as if to say ‘go ahead’, plopping back into his cushion.
You giggle before giving in: “Ok… we can find something else–”
“Put it on, Y/N,” he prompts, making you smile widely as you click into it. Most rom-coms are not exactly cinematic masterpieces but something about The Holiday gets you every single time.
As soon as the narration starts, Kate Winslet’s lovely voice going on about love, you wonder if you’ve made a terrible mistake. Why would you choose to watch a love story with a man that makes you this giddy? Rookie mistake.
You wiggle down into your corner, tugging the blanket closer around you as a protective barrier. At least when Jude Law’s handsome face is on the screen, it provides a form of distraction.
“That’s why you wanted to watch this?” he asks, making you realize only then that you’re smiling at the screen.
Your eyes fall closed, defence on the tip of your tongue, but after a moment you just shush him, refocusing on the TV with a grin.
“Is that what you’re into?” he continues to bug you.
“What? Charming? Sweet? Sexy?”
“Oh, wow,” he scoffs, face lighting up into a smile as he turns a little more in his seat to face you.
You shove at his shoulder in return, attempting to direct him back to the TV. “Stop it. Come on, you cannot tell me that that isn’t a dreamy man.” When you raise your hand, he finally looks back over with you just as the two on the screen are leaning into a soft kiss.
He watches for a moment then you can see in your periphery as he turns his head back towards you. “Not exactly my type,” he admits with a little laugh. “But I’ll give it to you.”
You shake your head once more, a habit you can’t stop every time he’s playful with you. Which seems to be every other second.
For a minute, you think you’re past it but then the kiss just grows more sensual, his hands pushing back into Cameron Diaz’s hair, and you can feel yourself flushing hot – twice as much too, knowing that he’s watching your reaction.
Mingyu lets out a laugh but when you turn your head to glare at him, he presses his lips together as if trying his best to suppress it, shaking his head ‘no’ and motioning you back to the TV.
“You’re the worst,” you mutter through your uncontainable smile, refusing to look at him anymore. “Pay attention.”
“I am paying attention!”
Through a good chunk of the movie, he does seem to be paying attention… right up until it’s revealed that the love interest is actually a single dad, and you can feel his eyes land on you again.
You lift your head from where it’s resting to peer at him curiously. Oh, he looks too pleased with himself.
“Single dads, huh?”
Your jaw drops open first but then your eyes are quickly rolling as you pull the pillow from beside you to whap him with it.
“Ok, ok–” he gets out through battered chuckles, his arms shooting up to attempt to block your hits. “I’ll stop. I promise.”
“You better. You invite me over here just to tease me the whole time,” you complain.
“Seriously, I’ll stop, I’m sorry. I’m just being a shit,” he says, continuing to shake his head then turning to stare back at the screen.
You side-eye him for another moment before looking back to the cute giggling children on the TV.
“Are you a hopeless romantic?” he asks, garnering your gaze once again. “Is that why you chose this?”
A little breath of amusement comes out of you. “Not exactly. Actually… kind of the opposite now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… I guess I’m just a little jaded from… past stuff,” you explain nonchalantly, unsure how much he is open to hearing, and especially unsure how much you are comfortable sharing. But then again, if you’re going to continue to flirt mercilessly with each other then you suppose he deserves to know a bit more.
“Ah, ok. That’s fair,” he says gently. “I suppose we’re all a little messed up from our pasts.”
“Yeah. So, love isn’t really in the cards for right now.”
“Not at all?” he asks, his brows lifting slightly though you’re trying not to look at him too closely, using the ongoing movie as an excuse.
“I don’t think so. … What about you? You dating anyone?” you flip it around, having the courage to do so considering the direction the conversation has taken.
“Me? No. … Not exactly easy to do. With Marco, and then with all the work going into changing jobs... I’ve been so focused on that. Dating hasn’t really been on my radar.”
Hm. He’s not dating anyone.
“Oh. The self-proclaimed ‘hot dad’ isn’t even taking advantage of the single life, huh?” you chide. When he grins wide at that, seemingly blushing as he looks down to his lap, it’s somehow even cuter than the teasing smile he’s been giving you throughout the night.
“I mean, not everyone wants to date someone with a kid anyway. ... They see that I’ve already done all that stuff...” He tilts his head, looking as though he might go on. “They want it to be my first time like it’s their first time, you know?…Engagement, pregnancy announcement, whatever. But it’s just not. There’s nothing I can do about that now.” He shrugs a little, making the words seem simpler than what they actually are.
“So, you’ve dated? Since you and his mom…?”
“Just one person really. But yeah, that’s what got in the way. And once she realized it was a problem for her… well, that was it. ... It’s kind of hard for me to think about introducing anyone to Marco now.” He pauses for a moment then looks away from you, scrunching up his nose in a little wince as he says: “He got kind of used to having her around so…”
You nod but can’t help the way your stomach feels like it’s swirling. “Right. That makes sense; you don’t want things to be confusing for him.”
“Exactly, yeah. So, I guess I have to be a bit more careful,” he continues, letting himself break into a light-hearted little chuckle. “I’m trying to be better at that. For both our sakes.”
“Mm, good idea,” you say through a little smile. “You still have hope then? After everything?” The question comes out before you can really stop it.
“Of course. You don’t?” It surprises you how quick, how confidently he answers – even after his marriage didn’t work out.
You hum a little, regretting the question now that it’s being reflected back. “I’m not sure I can. It kind of just seems like everything falls apart no matter what, doesn’t it?”
“How can we know? If we don’t try?” he says so simply, the smile in his eyes making you all soft and warm in all the ways you’re scared of.
“Well, I think we found the hopeless romantic in the room,” you tease, breaking away from his gaze in an attempt for self-preservation.
He chuckles cutely. “Yeah, yeah. I guess you got me.”
-
It feels right and wrong at the same time, the way you keep your distance a little more after the chat. He walks you to the door and stands back as you put your shoes on, finding your purse to hand it to you once you've straightened up again. Then he just looks at you for a second, letting his hands sink into the front pockets of his denim.
“Thank you for feeding me. It was the best meal I’ve had in a long time,” you say then watch as he eases in front of you, smiling at the floor before peering up at you through thick lashes. You aren’t sure where the confident, unswayable man that you first met has gone but he is somehow getting cuter with each side he shows you, this shyer, even softer-spoken Mingyu being no exception.
“It was my pleasure, honestly. I love cooking for people. And actual feedback beyond a ‘yeahhh’ when I ask if something’s good.”
You laugh, able to picture it clearly, the kid so wrapped up in his meal that he’d barely answer you if you asked him a question. “Oh, Marco,” you say fondly, smiling as you turn and reach for the door handle.
“Does he drive you nuts? And you’re just being nice about it?” he jokes, finding his place against the door frame as you spin on the front step to face him, now having to look up even more at him thanks to the level difference.
“No, no… Not at all,” you answer quickly, amused by the assumption. “I honestly think he’s the best. Even though I’m absolutely not supposed to say that.”
“Ah, you probably say that to all the parents.”
“I do not!” you defend, crossing your arms over your chest for show. Or maybe just to keep you from reaching out and flirtily shoving him for the tenth time that night. “Nah, I know it sounds silly but I… I don’t know. I liked Marco from, like, the day I started. He shot me one of those big smiles… That was it,” you say, popping your shoulder in a little shrug.
He chuckles a little, gaze falling down as he lets his head drop to the side. “I’m glad.”
You watch him for a second in comfortable silence, meeting his eyes when they peer up at you once more. You want to kiss him. You’re also crazy enough to think he might want the same thing.
But it’s obvious to you – and probably just as much to him – that after tonight, that can’t happen. No matter how much you would absolutely die to have his body on yours, you just know you can’t do that. Not if it means signing up for something that you are in no way ready for.
-
Between that night and the next time he reaches out to you a few days later, you have all but convinced yourself that you would no longer spend time alone with Mingyu. You can’t be trusted. You’re sexually-deprived, and he’s beyond perfect, and it’s an absolute recipe for disaster. If he had so much as leaned in an inch that night, you would’ve closed the gap, smashing your lips to his.
You’re still holding onto this resolve strongly when you check your phone during nap time…
MG: Hey 🙂
MG: It’s totally fine if you’re busy but if you’re not
MG: A few friends want me to join them to shoot hoops tonight and thought it might be more fun for you and Marco to hang out at the park instead of trying to find someone to watch him at home
MG: (Secretly hoping he’ll want to watch for a bit too but who knows)
The image of Mingyu playing basketball is far too good to say ‘no’ to, despite that being exactly what you should be saying. It’s not you and Mingyu spending time together alone at least. You look across the room, seeing Marco asleep on his cot, mixed in with the rest of the napping kids.
MG: There’s a playground there for him in case that wasn’t clear!
YN: He’s going to get sick of me haha
MG: I don’t think that’s possible lol
YN: 😊
YN: It works for me yeah
YN: Are you still picking him up?
MG: It’s actually the park beside where the festival was 🍑🍑
MG: If you want to walk over with him
MG: Or I can come get him
YN: Lol fine you can be Mingyu 🍑
YN: Since you want it so bad
MG: 😃
YN: We’ll walk to you
YN: I gotta go. Your child is awake and making animal noises
MG: Haha I’m sorry
At 5:30pm, you lead Marco down the street to the park, bumbling along together hand-in-hand. Thankfully he listens well – he always seems to when he’s the only kid and you could put your focus completely on him. It’s only once you’re close enough, and he can clearly see his dad standing inside the basketball courts, that you let go so he can run to him, yelling “Daddyyyyyy!” the whole way.
Mingyu’s head flies to the side, face lighting up at his toddler barrelling towards him like lightning with those long legs. He jogs over, bending down just as Marco runs into the fence, fingers wrapping around the metal grid.
Trailing behind, you can’t hear them clearly yet but you watch, probably a little too dreamily, as the two talk animatedly with each other, Mingyu motioning to his friends who’ve started to make their way closer, one of them dribbling a basketball casually as he goes.
Then Mingyu gestures for Marco to come around, pointing to the opening at the corner so he can run in and jump into his arms, the child gripping comfortably around his dad’s neck as he settles him on his hip to talk to the other men, wide smiles on all of them.
You follow, stopping at the corner of the courts to lean against the pole, letting them have their little moment, and shooting them all a little smile and wave when Marco loudly exclaims that ‘Teacher’ brought him and whips his head around to find you and point.
After a minute, Mingyu walks Marco over, still holding him. He looks way too good in basketball shorts and a cut-off t-shirt, way more casual than you’ve seen him. Until now, you haven’t been blessed with a full view of his biceps and shoulders. Now, you really wish you could have remained in blissful ignorance. You don’t need any more fuel for this fire if you are to actually be friends.
“Thank you for this,” he leads with, looking at Marco with a warm smile before bringing it over to you.
“No problem,” you reply, getting a bit bashful despite yourself. “It’s really nice out anyways.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to throw a ball around so, if you guys watch at all… Just know that I’m better than this, alright?” he warns as he bends, letting Marco’s feet find the ground.
“Sure, sure,” you say with a sarcastic little nod.
He just smirks back before resting a hand on Marco’s shoulder, looking down to meet the big brown eyes looking up at him. “Are you going to watch Daddy play?”
“I-I want to go on the slide!” he says, his head turning to settle his gaze on the red spiral not too far from you.
Damn, you kind of want to watch Daddy play.
But instead of making that obvious, you just chuckle and shrug at Mingyu.
“Ah. Can’t say I’m surprised,” he sighs through a smile then starts to take a few steps backwards. “Just come get me if you need me.”
“Will do! … Ok, let’s go, kiddo.” You trail after Marco, watching him closely as he runs for the playset, instantly becoming distracted by the spinning discs and the pirate wheel and the wobbly bridge. The playground is far more exciting then the little hill and slide you have at the daycare, you have to admit. Eventually, he’ll notice the spiral slide once more.
Over the next forty-five minutes, your glances towards the courts are few, partly because Marco is so fast that you could lose him in a second if you aren’t careful, but also partly because you do not want Mingyu to see you looking. Not when he is with his friends, running around, all flushed and sweaty, shirt sticking to his back and chest…
Ok, you do look a little. But you keep it brief, training your gaze back on Marco quickly and following him around to the other side of the playground when he decides it’s time for the swings.
A few minutes of swinging, him squealing then cackling every time you push him borderline too high, and then he’s coming to you and reaching for your hand.
“Can we go to Daddy?”
“Oh. Yeah, sure. I think he’s still playing…” you start to explain as you lead him in the right direction, making sure to stop and pour the pebbles out that have gotten stuck in his light-up shoes. “Are you going to try basketball like your dad someday?” you ask casually, noticing the way he focuses on the ball soaring around the court as the two of you get close.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you could play if you want. You’re already pretty tall which is a good thing.”
“I want to play basketball!”
“Right now, you want to play?”
He doesn’t respond, just looks back at the pick-up game, finding his dad.
“Uh, maybe. We can see. I think your dad might love that actually.” You take him over to the opening for the court, not sure whether you should interrupt, but just then Mingyu notices you and immediately calls for a little pause before jogging your way.
“Hi.”
“Hi!” he replies, a bit out of breath, forehead shimmery with sweat. “Everything ok? We were only going to do another twenty or so.”
“No, that’s ok. I was just bringing him over because he asked. He says he wants to play with you,” you relay, breaking into a little chuckle. When you look down at Marco, still diligently holding your hand, his eyes are focused on the ball being dribbled back and forth by one of his dad’s friends.
“He wants to play with me??” he repeats, exaggerating the excitement and surprise in his voice for Marco’s amusement as he kneels down to the boy’s level. “You want to try, buddy?”
“Yeah!” he says, letting go of you to walk into his dad, hands pressing to his shoulders familiarly, though he continues to watch the ball.
“Ok, let’s go!” He scoops Marco up, giving him a little bounce. “Um… if you want to go you can. Or, if you want to, like, stick around for a bit, we could go to that cafe after. Get him a snack?” he suggests, pointing his free hand at the cute spot on the corner.
You should go.
“Uh, yeah, sure. I don’t mind watching for a bit.”
Whoops.
“Ok,” he says, all soft and smiley, before turning to walk back to the group.
Shit, he really gives you butterflies, especially when he looks at you like that.
As you step in, finding the bench along the edge and plopping down, you have to tell yourself sternly not to just stare at him the whole time. Which is really hard with how gorgeous he looks, not to mention the fact that he’s very patiently yet goofily trying to teach Marco how to dribble with a ball that is clearly too large and heavy for a small child.
When Marco finally bounces it a couple times by himself, he giggles loudly, messing himself up until the ball is running away from him and he has to go after it. “Teacher! … Teacher, did you see that?”
“I did!” you call back through a big smile, giving him a few silent claps of your hands before crossing them back over your chest.
-
The cafe is nice. You both talk with Marco the whole time, going back and forth between relaying daycare happenings to Mingyu then asking Marco various questions. He doesn’t have the clearest diction but he gets excited when asked about his favourite things, adorably rambling on in a way that somewhat makes sense, helped by his dad’s input.
After that, it becomes a bit of a routine: Mingyu playing basketball with his buddies each Thursday, you bringing Marco over to watch, then the three of you spending a little extra time together until dinner time. He ends up introducing his friends, Joshua, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan, who all seem super nice, likely helped by the fact that you’re the one making it possible for them to hang out with Mingyu again each week.
Against your better judgement, it’s absolutely your favourite day of the week. Not only because you get to spend more time with him, getting little additional glimpses into his life, but… those damn cut-off shirts, making his arms look massive. Those would get you every time.
He doesn’t invite you over to his house though, opting for different spots in the area. Well, until the fourth time.
“I seriously made too much. He and I will never get through it all,” he tells you as you walk with them towards their car. “Plus, I need your expert opinion anyways.”
“You know I don’t say no to free food,” you say with a laugh. “You don’t need to butter me up.”
“I know, I know. I just… I feel like I take up so much of your time,” he says, a little bashful as he pulls the door open, looking to you as he waits for Marco to climb up into his seat.
“You do realize we’re actually friends, right?” you tease. “You stopped paying me to watch Marco a long time ago.”
He laughs from inside the car, nearly hitting his head when he stands back up after buckling him in. “Which I still feel bad about.”
“Oh my god,” you whine, taking the passenger seat once he pulls it open for you. “Don’t start.”
You’re still smiling when he climbs in on his side, easily popping the car into reverse and backing out smoothly. That’s attractive when anyone does it, right? Not just because it’s him?
“Besides, you pay me in food. Pretty sure I’ve eaten enough of your i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m to make up for the free childcare.”
“It is shockingly impressive how quickly you can put away a pint.”
“Hey, you eat it just as fast.”
“And I’m twice your height.”
“Shut up,” you gawk, smacking into his arm with the back of your hand, making him whinge dramatically, reaching over to rub it. “He can probably do it too,” you say, twisting in your seat to see Marco, who looks over at you with big eyes and a smile when he notices you.
“Teacher… are you coming to my house?”
“Uh-huh, I’m gonna have dinner with you. Is that ok?”
“Yeahhh,” he says softly before focusing his eyes back on the trees flying by outside.
When you turn back around, Mingyu smiles at you too for a moment before retraining his gaze on the road ahead.
-
After dinner, you insist on doing the dishes, keeping an eye on Marco playing, while Mingyu takes a quick shower. Then the three of you watch a movie.
You haven’t been to their house in weeks but you feel as welcome as ever when Marco cuddles up into your side and actually stays still for longer than a minute, body slumped against your arm, eyes fixed on the TV.
It feels nice in a way that is hard for you to grasp because as much as you love all the kids you’ve met and taught and cared for, you don't felt quite like this about any of the others.
Maybe if you don’t move at all, he’ll stay right there, totally relaxed against you, for a while. Marco barely ever stays still but now, thanks to Toy Story, he hasn’t moved for a full twenty minutes and counting.
From the other side, Mingyu looks at you just as you look over at him, his eyes dipping down to his son then back up to you as a close-lipped smile presses onto his lips. Then he mouths: “Cute.”
You glance down and your lip juts out, eager to express just how adorable you find the boy, even if you can only see him from above, his squishy cheek pressed against your arm.
When you look back up, he’s still watching you. “Do you need anything?” he asks quietly.
You think for a second before giving him a cheeky hinting smile.
He just rolls his eyes and gets up, returning a minute later with ice cream. But instead of handing you a pint or a spoon, he simply scoops out a spoonful and holds it out for you, being totally quiet so as to not distract the little one.
You shake your head just barely before opening your mouth, receiving the bite, and mouthing a little “Thank you” back to him. He gives you a sure little nod in return before serving himself a bite.
-
“Ok, Marco. Time to go up. Say goodnight to Y/N,” Mingyu says gently, giving Marco a tap on the butt. He’s lying on your lap now but lifts his head quickly, as if coming out of a trance, at his dad’s words.
“Nooo, it’s not time,” he whines, clearly past tired as he rubs at his eye with a small fist.
Mingyu gets up slowly, coming to stand over the two of you with his towering height. “Remember? I said after the movie, we’re going to get into our pajamas and brush our teeth and get into bed. Come on, bud.”
“Wanna stay with Teacher.”
That makes the both of you chuckle although you both try to stifle it.
“Y/N’s going too. She has to go to sleep. She’s tired too. Aren’t you?”
“Oh, yeah,” you play along, turning a little in your seat to gently help him off you and steer him towards getting up. “I think it’s almost my bedtime too. Come on.”
He gets up slowly, letting out another whine, but stays close to you, even once you stand up as well.
“Let’s go, Marco,” Mingyu says a bit more sternly as he starts down the hallway, stopping in the archway to turn and give him a little look.
“Are you leaving?” Marco asks you through tired eyes, rubbing them once again until strands of his bangs are hanging in front of them. Carefully, you brush them out of the way, heart pinching at the sound of his little voice.
“I’m going to go in a little bit, yeah. Do you want me to walk you upstairs?”
He just lifts his arms up, a clear request to be carried.
You glance up at Mingyu. You don’t carry the kids at your job often, usually only if they get hurt or need extra comfort for a few minutes. Marco, you’ve probably only carried once in the few months you’ve been working there. But you do love carrying them – that damn nurturing instinct in you just sings at the feeling of a kid clinging onto you.
Mingyu shrugs in response. “Up to you.”
After a quick second, you’re bending down to haul him onto your hip. He’s pretty heavy – he’s so tall for four and especially in his sleepy state, he’s just a warm cozy dead weight wrapped around you, his arms locking behind your neck, long legs swaying with your movements as you walk to join Mingyu.
“You don’t have to,” he whispers through a little smile once you’re close.
“I don’t mind,” you whisper back, holding Marco tightly as you follow him up the stairs into the red and blue decorated bedroom.
At each step of the bedtime routine, Mingyu tries to get Marco to say goodnight to you and move onto the next thing. And at each step, he asks you to stay. Apparently he needs to show you his dinosaur pajamas. Then he needs to show you his new tooth brush and how great he is at brushing his tongue.
Of course, he then has to show you his current favourite book to be read, of which he has memorized all the words anyway. Mingyu would say the first half of the sentence then Marco would say the rest in his adorable way, making Mingyu smile widely each time. Sometimes he even would scrunch up his nose and eyes while listening. You aren’t sure which one of them is cuter.
It’s only once the book is done and the light is off, and Mingyu is somehow curled up in the tiny bed beside his son that you’re able to leave, saying a hushed, “Goodnight, kiddo,” before you slip out the door, leaving it open just a crack.
You tip-toe down the stairs then hover in the kitchen, unsure whether you are actually supposed to leave or not. What if he expects you to? What if you leave and he’s not expecting you to? Which one is less awkward?
Instead of deciding, you take a few minutes to bring the empty ice cream container back to the kitchen, rinsing it and the spoon in the sink, searching for the recycling bin, figuring it’s fair for you to take the few minutes to clean up while he puts Marco to bed.
Not to mention, that you don’t really want to leave. As much as you’ve been good about not flirting with him too heavily, you still love being around Mingyu. You crave it. Which maybe is not a totally normal feeling about a friend.
It’s difficult for you to make the right decision every time, considering the perpetual pull you feel towards him. You know the right decision doesn’t include you putting his son to bed with him. The right decision definitely doesn’t include hanging around after Marco has gone to bed, cleaning up the kitchen as if you belonged here. Because the last time you were alone together, you wanted to kiss him.
But here you are again.
He comes down after five minutes, walking as lightly as possible on the hallway floorboards before peeking around the corner into the kitchen and living room, looking for you.
“Oh, ok,” he breathes out before chuckling quietly. “I wasn’t sure if you’d actually left.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to,” you joke, relieved that he had questioned it in the same way, while you dry your hands on the towel hanging on the front of his oven.
“You don’t actually have to go to bed,” he admits cutely.
“No? You’re not sending me to bed?” you tease, unable to help it. He’s just so very teasable.
Closer to you now, he plays back, “Would you have listened?”
Gaze falling to the floor, you sneer out the tiniest laugh – a defence mechanism because you can’t stop your brain from going the absolute wrong way with this. “Depends how convincing you are, I suppose.”
“I can be…” His palms find the counter behind him, his body leaning back and stretching slightly. “...pretty convincing.”
You try with all your might not to look – but alas, your eyes flick to the smooth bronze sliver of lower stomach that becomes visible above the waistband of his pants, before jumping back up to his face awkwardly, your face immediately getting hot. He has to know what he’s doing; that has to be on purpose.
“I, uh… washed up those few things,” you say, starting to smile nervously in your embarrassment as you toss a thumb in the direction of the sink.
“You really don’t have to do that,” he replies softly as his eyes settle back on you.
“It was very delicious,” you carry on, ignoring him for your own safety, and walking by to pick up your phone, checking it out of habit.
8:52pm.
“See, you’ve already eaten all my ice cream so I guess I need to get creative if I want you to stay longer, huh?” he says as he comes up beside you, sighing a little for effect. But when you look up at him, he’s all charming smile. You aren’t often speechless, but really, what are you supposed to do with that?
Your nod is tiny, cute even, but also certain, your eyes locked on his, even as you bite nervously at the inside of your lip.
“Ok, then, what’s the next film I need to be educated on?”
-
The Prestige? You weren’t able to shut up.
Bad Times at the El Royale? Totally silent as the first scene plays out. And it’s not because you aren’t as enthusiastic about the filmmaking.
To be fair, you are practically notorious at this point for telling him he has to focus, he can’t miss a single thing, so maybe he isn’t aware of the difference. But you are aware of it. Aware of him, quite close to you, his thigh resting lightly against your knee thanks to how you are curled up on your cushion, body facing him a bit.
“What the fuck is happening?” he asks at the four-minute mark, making you chuckle.
“You just have to watch and see.”
He sends you a look.
“I can’t tell you. That’s the whole point.”
“But what was he doing?”
“Mingyu,” you scold through your breath.
“Is this the same hotel?”
This time you shoot him a look, bringing a finger up to his pretty lips a second later when he opens his mouth again.
He just smirks, cheeks pushing up, trying but failing to hide how fucking amused he is at your slight annoyance.
“Just. Watch,” you whisper. But then you’re breaking your own rule, your eyes stuck on him as he slowly relaxes his face, his gaze darting down to the finger you had raised then back to you. You bring your hand down slowly, once again a little embarrassed. “You’re… not watching,” you say quietly.
“Neither are you.” His gaze dips down slightly, to what you can only imagine are your lips. Just for a moment.
Your heart rate speeds up, letting your own vision fixate on his full bottom lip for a moment. Just a moment.
Wow, wow, wow, this is absolutely what a crush is supposed to feel like. Oh no.
“I…” he says, so quiet, just as he leans towards you a little, his eyebrow pinching together slightly in that adorably innocent way.
You let yourself mirror him, going twenty to his eighty, then your lips are meeting. So very gently. Are you both just terrified of scaring the other off? When have you ever been this timid with someone?
Well, when have you ever been this into someone?
Your hand floats up to gingerly find his jaw, barely touching him, just fingertips, the sounds of the movie completely washed out in the background. But when the chaste kiss ends naturally, you find yourself pulling him back to you, not letting him go farther than a inch before you’re kissing him again, your palm brushing over his cheek.
Slowly, he makes it a real kiss, seemingly encouraged: letting his hand find your knee, letting his lips caress and pull a little at yours, letting the smallest sound of satisfaction slip from his throat.
Shit, he feels so good to kiss. Like everything you imagined but even better, all big and warm and soft. But also, invigorating.
You let him in, shuffling a tiny bit closer on your knees when his arm comes up to rest on the back of the couch and his body turns more towards you, big hand sliding up your thigh just a tad. He’s being so careful, tongue barely teasing at your lip, then subsequently doing the same to your tongue when you kiss him more deeply; but you can feel the eagerness in both of you. You want to climb on top of him, and wrap every part of you around him.
Taking in a deep breath, your other hand comes up, both of them sliding back into his hair, enjoying the softness between your fingers. How does everything about him feel so perfect? He feels good, smells good, tastes good.
After the most wonderful minute, your lips part just as gently as they came together, hesitant and slow. You don’t want to stop but you also really want to look at him.
He’s harder to read now – not smiling but certainly not unhappy. Just watching you openly, taking you in, as he lightly rubs his lips together.
Your hands have slid down his neck but now you slide them further, not really thinking, just letting them skim over his chest. Overwhelmed, you tip your head to the side, letting it rest against his arm where it lay, and close your eyes, your shyness in the face of him making the corners of your mouth turn up a little. After a moment, you turn into the warmth of his skin, hiding your face in his bicep.
From just the sound of his breath, you can tell he’s smiling. Then he’s wrapping his other arm around you, scooting closer as he pulls you to him with a little groan of effort, ending up with you fully curled up in his chest. His face comes to the side of your head as he cuddles you, your body fitting so incredibly well in his embrace.
“I didn’t fuck up, did I?” he asks close to your ear. And even that makes your heart speed up more. All low and sexy. But also all caring and sweet.
You shake your head right away, something he probably feels more than he sees. “No, no… I just…” you breathe out, trying to remember how to play it cool for a second even though there is probably no point anymore. “Wasn’t sure if that would happen. Or should happen. So, I'm just… trying to process.”
Really, you know the answer. It shouldn’t happen. But you need to make light of it so you won’t start to panic. You can’t see him, your head still tucked into his shoulder, but you’re kind of glad for it when he lets out a little unreliable: “Mm.”
“I just don’t think I’m in a place to,” you pause, not wanting to say it, not wanting to ruin how fucking perfect this feels. But he’s complicated in a way that you aren’t prepared for. “To be in something serious with someone? Just… casual?” It’s a question only in that you wonder if he can understand.
“Right,” he says, a little stilted, but he doesn’t change his hold on you, still cuddling you against him, a heavy arm wrapped around your back.
As sure as you have been all night that he knows his effect on you, you feel suddenly concerned. “This feels really good though. Like… Like fucking nice,” you say, trying to make it clear in your voice and the way you let your fingers bunch up in his t-shirt that you really don’t want him to let go.
He lets out a breath, as if he hasn’t breathed since he pulled you in, and you feel his forehead press against the top of your shoulder. “Fuck, Y/N…” he sighs through a little disbelieving laugh.
“I’m sorry,” you whisper, joining him in the disappointment-tinged chuckle. As you nuzzle into his neck a little more, letting his mix of deodorant and shampoo and skin cloud your mind for the moment.
“I…” He groans, but it’s so fucking cute, hearing the frustration even while he’s trying to play it off. “I don’t think I can do ‘casual’.”
Your face scrunches up a bit. That is definitely not what you want to hear. He needs so much more than you can give. Someone who’s not so scared to leap. “I… don’t think I can do anything other than casual.”
“Mmm,” he groans again, raspier, before taking in a deep breath. You’re so close to him, his throat, his chest, that every noise is just magnified, the grit in the rumble of his voice and the tightness in the sigh he releases.
It’s dumb – his stupid sounds are just making you feel even more drunk on him, thinking dirty thoughts that you can’t control. Even as the two of you are clearly unearthing the neon sign that reads: This can’t happen.
You shift your hold on him, sliding your arm around his waist a little more.
“You’re killing me,” he murmurs suddenly. The press of his head leaves your shoulder and then his arm is moving, hand coming to your hair to gently prompt your head to lift it so that you could look at him.
Goddamnit, still so damn sexy. You look at his lips again. Then back to his pretty eyes. Caught once again – because you really shouldn’t be looking and thinking about feeling him some more.
He kisses you harder this time, bracing his hand on the back of your head as his mouth envelops yours. With a sharp intake of breath, you’re kissing him back, immediately pulling him closer to you even though it’s practically impossible in the position. His fist closes in your hair, not forceful, but just enough to feel the tension in him, letting it seep through the strands into your skin.
His tongue moves slowly, the right pace for indulgence, for melting into someone. Does he really need to be an incredible kisser too? Does he not have enough boxes ticked already?
You part again after another minute, becoming too aware of the rush in your veins. Still, you hover close, lips grazing once or twice as you both catch your breath. “Should I go…? Or… are we watching?” you whisper. “Because I think this is dangerous.”
He pulls back a little more, seemingly in thought before answering: “Will you stay?” Then he lets a little smile poke through. “I promise I’ll pay attention.”
“You better,” you reciprocate, extricating your hands from him despite their unwillingness, letting yourself settle against his side instead.
He watches you for another moment before he presses his lips together and gives a little nod – more to himself or to you, you aren’t sure – then looks back at the screen. “I’ll, uh…” With a little performative cough and a smirk, he reaches for the remote. “Rewind.”
A/N: this Mingyu is my perfect man ok?? everything about this fic is personal to me including my love for The Prestige. i purposely left out any spoilers bc if you haven’t seen it you need to go watch it unspoiled lol. thank you so much for reading and keep an eye out for part 2 :D
Tag List: @theharrowing @here4kpopfics @the-boy-meets-evil
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Please reblog my work if you enjoyed it ❤️ Thank you!
genuinely so so in love with everything about this i need single dad mingyu personally on my doorstep by the morning !! like actually i couldn't stop smiling the entire time i read it (like full on get a grip on reality smile it's kind of embarrassing). i love little marco and the story progression and like dad mingyu !?!? PLEASEEE im already so downbad for him, i don't even like kids that much (not true i just can't fathom making my own ouch) yet im somehow still so incredibly enamoured with this au. the single dad trope is just gon do it for me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. i think this fic already made it's way up to one of my absolute favs. can't wait for the pt 2 omg
➳ summary: three times someone called you and seokmin a couple and one time he did something about it.
➳ wc is approx 5.5k words
➳ tags: childhood friends to lovers, friends to lovers. lovesick seokmin, seemingly unrequited feelings. idiots to lovers. everyone sees it but them. avatar by james cameron slander. pet names used "platonically", knight in armor seokmin. stuck in his feels seokmin, pining and yearning seokmin, salty n jealous seokmin. "platonic" cuddling and pda. minghao is judging every single person ever.
➳ warnings: reader goes on a date with an asshole, panics and calls seokmin while upset. mentions of mummies. cursing!! reader has hair that can be tucked behind ears. reader calls their mom.
➳ notes: inspired by the poem the physics of love by kim inyook, which i suggest reading (linked) before reading this fic to get an idea of the metaphors and symbolism used throughout. for information on otzi, the naturally made mummy, go here. you don't have to know abt otzi to read this fic, but i still think he's super fucking interesting.
o n e
there was a poem you had read to seokmin once.
he didn’t remember a great deal of it, too distracted from watching the way your lips formed each and every syllable, the way you spoke like a secret melody, the song one his heart had long known. the two of you had been in his room, the line of your bodies pressed together. it was dark, with only the artificial light of his bedroom lamp lighting the room, but still it casted such a benevolent glow upon you that seokmin swore you were ethereal.
he might not have remembered the poem or its words, but he remembered what it was about. someone seemingly small and elegant, of no consequence to the world, and how such a person could pull the narrator towards them with a pull stronger than that of the earth and its gravity.
it was you, he had realized, and him. you were seemingly ordinary, and yet he found you more beautiful than any flower or any sunset, found you more interesting than any foreign language or animal, your voice lovelier than any instrument or song, your mass and gravity heavier than any planet’s, constantly pulling him in, closer and closer and closer.
it was why, seokmin knew, he couldn’t help but press himself next to you even though there was tons of space. the outside table was large enough to fit eight and only five sat at it, but still seokmin pressed his shoulder to yours and wedged himself in between you and hansol, his thigh against yours, your warmth seeping into his skin.
“hi,” you had laughed, eyes bright and sparkling. you leaned into seokmin, putting your weight against his in response. you pressed your forehead to his cheek, a fleeting moment of contact that had his heart racing and mouth drying.
minghao, who was new to the group, peered over his glasses at the two of you. his eyes flickered, watching as you slid your snacks towards seokmin and offered him one, as seokmin gasped happily and snatched the pretzel from your fingers.
minghao cleared his throat, setting his book on the wooden table. “are you two,” he began, his voice soft, hesitant, “you know. dating?”
seokmin’s heart leapt. he tried not to think of how the two of you often looked to outsiders, pressed together, giggling and laughing and smiling and caught in the other’s orbit. he couldn’t. if he did he would start imagining other things, like your lips against his cheek and how sweetly you would feel pressed against him, his hand sinking into your hair and angling your face towards him; how early mornings wouldn’t mean waking alone but waking in your arms, his face pressed into the crook of your neck, your hands soft against his skin.
so no. seokmin couldn’t think about such things.
you pulled away from him at minghao’s words, retracting. seokmin missed you as soon as you moved, wanting to bridge the distance you had put between the two of you. “we’re not,” you explained, pulling another pretzel from the bag. you hooked your fingers through the hoop, spinning it slightly. “we’ve just been friends for forever.”
“you’ll get used to it,” soonyoung explained, patting minghao’s shoulder. the younger man’s face was completely red, heavily embarrassed from not only asking such a personal question but being wrong. “they’re always like this. they’ve been friends since they were like, thirteen.”
“y/n was my knight in shining armor,” seokmin explained, stealing the pretzel bag from you. he dug through it, busying himself in an attempt to shove the heartbreak at your answer deep down. you weren’t lying. you and seokmin weren’t dating and you had been friends forever, and during that forever the two of you had stopped worrying about what others thought of your closeness; during that forever the lines between platonic soulmate and romantic soulmate blurred for seokmin, the two becoming one.
you laughed at his comment, elbowing him. “someone was making fun of him for a bad grade he got on a quiz.”
“so y/n punched him.”
minghao’s embarrassment evaporated, something akin to awe and horror taking over. you and seokmin began cracking up, your laughter blending together and creating the most precious and beautiful melody.
“i did not,” you protested, swatting seokmin’s arm. “i’ve never punched anyone in my life,” you told minghao, rolling your eyes. “all i did was push him a little.”
“and then he fell down a flight of stairs.”
“stop,” your laughter was loud now, gathering the attention of passing strangers. “he did not! we were -- minghao, we were on the playground outside of the middle school.”
“you’re right,” seokmin agreed. “and it was the playground y/n pushed him off of.”
you turned to seokmin ripping the pretzel bag from his hands. “i did not! minghao is going to think i’m some sort of bully.”
“well you did just smack be a couple of seconds ago --”
you huffed, turning your shoulder to seokmin. you were so irritated with him, but he could see the little grin that was curving the corner of your mouth, the way your eyes crinkled slightly in merriment. “okay. so someone was being mean to seokmin and i pushed him back and away, and he stumbled a little bit. but he didn’t fall. didn’t fall down, didn’t fall down stairs, didn’t fall off the playground equipment.
“after that i guess i sort of just took seokmin under my wing. i got decent grades -- better than him, at least. so i began sitting with him and helping him with assignments, and thus our friendship began.”
“it’s like rhinos and those little white birds,” soonyoung explained further. “except seokmin got all the benefits in the friendship and all y/n gained was some annoying fly buzzing in their ear.”
seokmin gasped, eyes wide. he threw his pretzel across the table at soonyoung, the snack instead hitting a studying mingyu. “i’m not a fly!”
“you’re not a fly, don’t worry.”
mingyu quickly interrupted you, throwing the pretzel back across the table and hitting seokmin on the cheek. “y/n’s right. you’re some stray dog that y/n fed once and now won’t stop following them home.”
seokmin grabbed the pretzel bag from you, dug his hand in and grabbed a handful of pretzels. he then threw them across the table, the snack raining down on the boys sitting opposite. “i’m not a stray dog!”
“seokmin!” you admonished him, pulling seokmin back to your side. you looked around before gathering some of the fallen pretzels and sweeping them underneath the bench for birds. “it’s okay, seokmin. no need to get upset. you might be a stray dog but don’t worry, you’re a cute stray dog.”
t w o
“i can’t fucking believe seungcheol rented an entire theater for jeonghan’s birthday,” mingyu muttered, sticking his extra large popcorn underneath the butter dispenser. “it’s so ridiculous.”
you shrugged, shoving your drink underneath the soda dispenser. seokmin grabbed two straws and took them out from the wrapper, waiting for you to press your lid on top of your cup before sticking it inside of your drink. “i mean. you know how seungcheol likes it when people boast about his generosity.”
hansol sucked in a breath, tilting his head. “is it really generosity if you want someone to talk about it?”
“i don’t care if he wants me to talk about it or not,” seokmin argued. he shoved mingyu out of the way with his hip, thrusting your shared popcorn underneath the butter dispenser and soaking it. “if seungcheol wants to buy me a macbook and tells me to run up and down the interstate screaming about it, i will. don’t think i won’t.”
you laughed, grabbing his drink off the counter and holding it in your other hand. you leaned against it next to seokmin, so close that your elbow brushed against his. he couldn’t help the way his heart swelled a little with pride. all this space, and yet you still sought him out and stood close enough to where you were touching.
it was as if -- if he dared to think this -- he had his own mass and gravity that dragged you into his orbit, that had you leaning into him and crossing rooms to join his side. it was as if just like seokmin you, too, were drawn to him.
“give seungcheol a break you guys,” you chuckled, tossing your head back and flipping your hair over your shoulder. you had worn it down, the locks framing your face beautifully. well, in seokmin’s opinion you always were beautiful with no exception -- even that one time where he had to barge into your apartment when you were puking into the bathtub, sickness running its course through your body.
“you act like seungcheol isn’t the one that forks out money the easiest when we need help,” you added. seokmin pulled the popcorn towards himself, wiggling the box and letting the butter travel. “he literally just bought supper for us the other night, mingyu.”
seokmin looked up from the popcorn, meeting mingyu’s eyes. mingyu looked like a puppy getting caught pulling the stuffing from a favorite toy. his dark eyes were round, his face in a wince. “you ate out with mingyu and seungcheol without me?”
you shrugged, stepping away from the counter. seokmin, pulled by you, followed. “it wasn’t anything big, seokie. they just picked me up after work and seungcheol asked if i was hungry.”
seokmin pouted, ignoring how hansol’s face contorted in disgust at your pet name for seokmin, waddling after you as you walked towards the ticket attendant. you stopped once you noticed mingyu and hansol weren’t following, still busying themselves at the counter, rifling through the different popcorn seasonings.
“what degenerates,” seokmin muttered, shaking his head distastefully. his heart leapt when you giggled, bringing your drink to your lips. “can’t take them anywhere.”
“funny,” you said, “that’s what i usually say about you.”
seokmin fake laughed at you, high and pitchy. you let out a little cackle, trying to mimic his fake laughter before you were interrupted by your own little snort.
seokmin bursted into laughter, throwing his head back. you were mortified, eyes wide and darting around the theater space. you looked liked a deer in the headlights, embarrassed at your snort. “do you think anyone heard that?”
“just me, sweetheart,” seokmin returned, unable to help the pure adoration and love that dripped from his voice. he reached out, shifting the popcorn to one hand. he skimmed his fingers over your brow, drawing your bangs aside. he then tugged on them before tucking them behind your ear, letting him see all of your face unobscured. “you’re so cute.”
you gave him a look, cheeks high on your face as you tried to suppress your grin. you rolled your eyes a little, letting seokmin’s fingers linger on your ear for a few moments before you pulled away.
mingyu joined the two of you in long strides, hansol slowly walking behind him, digging through the popcorn and popping a few in his mouth. mingyu stopped once he reached you two, turning around. “hansol! you’re allowed to walk a little faster, you know?”
hansol looked up at mingyu, unperturbed. “we should’ve got seungcheol to rent the theater for the new avatar movie.”
“i could not care less about that movie,” you said, deadpan. you then turned and walked towards the attendant. “we’re part of the party for theater thirteen?”
the attendant blinked. they glanced between you and seokmin. “oh, yeah, no problem. y’all can go ahead and go through. do you need help getting to the theater?”
you shook your head, sidestepping around the attendant. “nope! we’re all good, but thank you.”
the attendant nodded. then they leaned forward across their box, voice low but still loud enough for seokmin to pick up on it. “may i just say that you and your boyfriend are absolutely adorable.”
“oh,” you said, balking. “we’re -- we’re just friends.”
if seokmin heard that phrase one more time, he’d quit. he’d quit his life, quit his job and quit the lease on his shared apartment with jeonghan. he would kiss his parents good-bye and then retreat to the nearest mountain. he would befriend the neighborhood friendly sasquatch, learn his ways before making his own home in a mountain cave. he would live the rest of his life in that cave, never to hear another human voice, never to hear those dreaded words again.
the attendant looked over your head. seokmin fought to control his wince.
you waited for mingyu and hansol to walk ahead of the two of you, mingyu complaining as hansol continued to maintain his slow, lazy pace.
“seokmin,” you began, voice low and hesitant. “do you -- do you ever think --”
“try not to,” he interrupted. his heart was going to leap out of his throat, his brain packed up and left his body and was taking the first taxi out of the city. he was going to drop his fucking drink, his palms were so sweaty.
you blinked. “right. but seokmin, do you wonder about what it --”
seokmin laughed, pointing ahead at mingyu. “haha, kim mingyu nearly fell! come on, y/n, we got to hurry before they get fed up with waiting and start the movie.”
he shouldered ahead, leaving you behind.
a huge part of seokmin felt guilty. he couldn’t help but mentally fill in the rest of what you were going to say. do you wonder about what it would be like to date? do you ever think about what it would be like to be together? do you know why people constantly think we’re dating? do you know why people always say that you look at me like i put the stars in the sky, do you know why you come home from every single date alone, do you know why you can’t help but compare every single person to me? do you know why your heart stutters and leaps and yearns for me, do you know, do you, do you love me?
he didn’t know what to say to any of those questions. seokmin didn’t know how to navigate such a thing. how could he? how could he attempt to navigate the seas of your relationship when he didn’t know its limits, when he didn’t know where the sea stopped with its smooth currents and began ravaging your ship.
he knew he loved you. he loved you platonically and romantically. he loved you like a dear friend, loved you like the love of his life.
but where did you stand with him?
could he even dare to hope that you shared a fraction of his feelings? that you -- that you thought he was the sun amongst the dark clouds, that he was as precious as a rare flower, that he was someone precious and someone to be treasured?
he could barely manage to greet his friends when the four of you entered the theater, could barely manage to let his smile grow. the seats were dual sitters, large and practically meant for couples to cuddle.
seokmin felt horrible when you dropped into a seat, looking at him, expecting him to join you in the loveseat. for a moment he was going to sit beside you, press against your side and wrap his arm around your shoulders and pull you close, breathe in the shampoo of your hair.
but then he remembered. do you love me?
and so seokmin sat on the other side of the cup holder, keeping it between your bodies, keeping him from your side and from our warmth.
and it plagued him for the rest of the movie.
t h r e e
jeonghan and joshua were being loud and having fun, and seokmin was not about it.
he had a cloud hanging over him ever since you texted that no, you couldn’t hang out on friday night because you!!! had!!!! a!!!! date!!! you couldn’t go with him to see that new museum exhibit you had been so excited for because you were going!!! with!!! someone!! else!!
you were going to see something you had been looking forward to for forever with someone that wasn’t him, and even worse, you were going with someone who was a possible romantic interest.
it was so out of the blue. you and seokmin rarely went on dates, you even moreso. they were so sparse that seokmin could count the amount of times you went on dates on both hands, with the amount of times you met that same person on a second date being counted on two fingers.
it wasn’t like you weren’t allowed to go out on dates and be your own person. of course you could! you were allowed to hang out with other people without him, were allowed to see movies and go to the market without him. you were allowed to go see that new museum exhibit that you had been waiting all year for with someone else.
but that didn’t mean seokmin had to like it.
it felt so wrong. it felt like it was against the laws of the universe for seokmin to not be with you when you were doing something so precious to you. it was like he was fighting against gravity, constantly trying to force himself from giving up and returning to your orbit.
at first he fought with himself. who cared about that exhibit anyways? who cared about some ice man who had the oldest tattoos in the world? who cared that he was a mummy that was naturally made?
but then seokmin had felt his heart crumple, as if it were a piece of paper that he, himself, was crumpling up into a wad. you cared. you cared about this exhibit.
and that meant the world. it didn’t matter if seokmin didn’t particular care for mummies or ice men, didn’t matter if he found them sort of creepy and even scary. it didn’t matter that he found the 90s movie the mummy creepy and always squeezed your arm whenever certain parts came on. none of that mattered because it, mummies and ice men and extremely old tattoos, mattered to you.
so of course it mattered to seokmin.
and you were sharing it with someone else. you were sharing something so precious, so beloved, with someone that wasn’t him.
it was just a downhill from there, seokmin realized. it was just one exhibit, just one prehistoric iceman. but eventually it would be more than that. it would be more than one iceman, it would be more than one date. it would be one, two, five, a hundred dates and a wedding and he would lose you for the rest of your lives to some worthless, horrible, no good, terrible, lazy, third-rate vermin.
that was his lot in life. seokmin wrapped his hand around the beer glass in front of it, pressing his fingers against the cold drink. he could only be lucky enough to be your dearest friend, lucky enough to occupy your orbit for a moment in time. he would be lucky enough to be your best friend, never your lover.
that would have to be enough, seokmin vowed. he lifted the drink to his lips, settling them on the rim. it would have to be. and it would be.
his phone buzzed on the table. seokmin ignored it, tuning in to jeonghan pestering joshua about some bullshit made-up story behind the origin of beer.
his phone quieted.
then it began buzzing again.
seokmin set the mug on the table, grabbing his phone. as soon as he turned it over and watched your name flash on his screen, he felt his stomach drop and his heart freeze.
you never called. if you were going to call him you always warned him with a text. you hated calls. you hated calls so much. you called suddenly like this only when you needed him, like that horrible day where he had to force your apartment door open, when you were so sick you could barely move.
seokmin picked up the phone before he fully registered what he was doing. “y/n? baby, are you okay?”
you hiccuped into the phone. seokmin’s body tensed, sliding to the edge of the seat, prepared to jump from it and run out of the restaurant. “seokmin,” you sniffled, voice close to the phone receiver. “he -- he brought us to a bar for supper and he just -- he left me here.”
immediately seokmin was standing, grabbing his coat. jeonghan and joshua began badgering him, following suit and standing. he abandoned the table without second thought, going to the register. “it’s okay, baby. just tell me where you are and i’ll be right there, okay? it will all be all right. your seokminie will be there. stay inside and i’ll call you when i get there. or do you want to stay on the line?”
“stay,” you begged, and seokmin knew he would do anything for you. “i don’t know where he brought me. it’s -- seokmin, i’m so stupid.”
tears stung at the corners of his eyes listening to you fight your tears. seokmin shook his head even though you couldn’t see it. “no. listen, sweetheart. you’re not stupid. just stay on the line with me and i’ll be there quicker than -- quicker than superman. all right? it’s my turn to be your knight in shining armor.”
you laughed into the phone, though there was no joy or happiness in it. you laughed like it was the only thing you could do in that moment, like it was the only thing stopping you from sobbing.
“i’m gonna hand you to jeonghan while i pay,” seokmin said, glancing at his older friend. jeonghan had an extremely worried expression on his face, brows furrowed and large eyes wide. “that okay, baby?”
once you gave your affirmation, seokmin was handing off the phone. he pulled out his card, shoving it into the reader before the woman behind the counter could say anything.
she glanced up at him, drumming her fingers on the counter. “i hope you get to your partner quickly. it seems like they really need you.”
“they’re --” he cut himself off. but joshua and jeonghan were right there, probably listening. “they’re my friend. they had a bad date.”
the woman nodded, glancing at the other men. then she leaned over the counter. “you know,” she said, voice quiet, “you’re acting like this someone might just be more precious to you than just a friend.”
seokmin looked down at the card reader. it chimed; he stuffed his card into his wallet.
as soon as his phone was back in his hand, he was bringing it up. “okay. i’m back, sweetheart. did you tell jeonghan the address? did you look it up on maps?”
a n d o n e
there was nothing seokmin liked more than being pressed against you.
the winter weather brought cold rain, the sound of it slamming against pavement loud. you had pushed open your windows just a smidge,k letting the sound of rain fill the bedroom before you squealed, running across the carpet and jumping to join seokmin.
the two of you were so wrapped around one another that, looking down on the blanket, he couldn’t tell where you began and he ended. your legs were tangled with his, arm hooked through his and holding your phone over his shoulder as you peered at it. seokmin had long abandoned his phone, dropping it behind your head.
instead he let his eyes fall shut. he basked in the smell of you, how surrounded him. your lovely fabric softener that reminded him of spring, the vanilla scent that constantly clung to your skin. he had rifled through your candle collection and lit one called sea island cotton, which further seemed to sink into his soul and coax it into a rest.
it wasn’t often the two of you were able to do this anymore, seokmin lamented. he wiggled one of his hands free, reaching up and sinking it into your hair. it was a little greasy, but he slid his fingers through it all the same, thumb stroking the strands as they went to his fingers.
you weren’t kids anymore, seokmin knew. it wasn’t like high school, where the two of you could sleep over at the other’s house for the entire weekend, doing homework together, pressed shoulder to shoulder on the carpet of your living room. it wasn’t like college where you could spend every passing moment with him, save for the rare ones where you attended separate classes.
you were adults, seokmin thought. and that meant being busy, constantly searching for ways to preserve old friendships.
really it was a miracle the two of you had maintained yours. especially when it felt like every passing day with you had his heart growing another size, when seokmin felt part of his soul being torn between wanting what’s best for you and wanting you.
sometimes he wondered what it would be like if those two things were the same. if he was what was best, if you genuinely wanted him like he wanted you. if you imagined walking through the supermarket hand in hand with seokmin, if you thought about the puppy the two of you would adopt. if you thought about the sort of house would suit you best, if you thought about the cruise you two would take after retiring, hand in hand and sipping margaritas.
he wondered what it would be like to be the person you always sought out first to drag to iceman exhibits, to be the person you would always call first when in trouble. seokmin was your number one now, was the person you constantly orbited around, but who was to say it would be like that in a year? six months?
when your phone vibrated it scared seokmin, making him leap in your arms. you laughed, loud in his ears due to your close proximity. you tapped the phone, answering it and putting it on speaker. “hi, mom.”
there was a rustling noise. “hi! i was just calling about the weather. i saw you were going to be having some bad stuff heading your way.”
you hummed. your feet wiggled against his, tapping on his in a rhythm to a melody only you could hear. “yeah, it’s just raining right now. i saw there was a thirty percent chance for a bad storm in my area, so it might miss me altogether.”
“well if it gets bad i want you to go down to the laundry room,” your mom announced, voice firm. you rolled your eyes, bringing a laugh out of seokmin. he tried to muffle it, pressing forward and burying his face into your hair. “is that -- do you have a boyfriend you’re not telling me about?”
you sighed, shimmying. you turned your face from seokmin’s chest so you could speak clearly into the phone, but not dislodging him completely. “it’s seokmin, mom.”
he hated the way you said that.
“do you have a boyfriend?”
“it’s seokmin.”
as if he couldn’t possibly be your boyfriend, as if the word wasn’t something that could be added to his definition. he could see it as clear as day: lee seokmin, son, friend, boyfriend to y/n.
“how was the date with that guy?” your mom asked. seokmin fought the urge to butt in, to berate the man and call him every single bad name he could think of. “what was his name? you two went to that exhibit, didn’t you? how did you like it?”
you paused. your hand had been playing with the fabric of seokmin’s shirt but at her question you stopped, smoothing your hand down. you tapped your fingers against him once, twice, thrice. “uh. his name wasn’t important. we didn’t even get to go to the exhibit.”
“oh,” your mom sighed. seokmin could practically picture her closing her eyes, pressing her lips together. “oh, y/n. well. you can always go to the exhibit with seokmin, you know.”
“i know,” you said, fingers beginning to pick at seokmin’s shirt again. “i can always count on seokmin to let me drag him to see some dead dude.”
seokmin frowned against your hair. he hated this conversation. he hated the dejected tone of your voice.
he pulled away slightly, nose pressing into your hairline. seokmin kept his voice low so your phone wouldn’t pick up on it. “can you hang up? i need to talk to you real quick.”
you threw him a troubled look, but you did as he asked. once you were off the phone with your mom, which had taken another few minutes, you were pulling away from him with a little frown. “seok? what’s up? did you not want to go to the exhibit with me anymore?”
seokmin sat up, crossing his legs. you scooted towards him, pressing your feet against his calves. seokmin reached out, laying his hands on your knees, palms up. you quickly settled your hands in his, shifting so each of your hands was wrapped around two of his long, elegant fingers.
“i want to go to the exhibit with you,” he said, leaning forward. you were so beautiful. “but i want you to know you wouldn’t be dragging me to it.”
you winced, hands squeezing his. “poor choice of words, i know.”
seokmin shook his head. “no. it’s more than that, y/n. it’s. i want to go to the exhibit with you.”
you tilted your head. seokmin watched, endeared, as your bangs escaped from behind your ears. “but i didn’t think you liked otzi or were even interest in him. i don’t think you even know his name, seokmin.”
“i thought his name was otis,” he admitted. you snorted, lips turning into a smile. “but listen to me. are you listening? i want you to listen, sweetheart.”
your smile wavered, your eyes turning serious. you nodded, licking your lips and squaring your shoulders. “i’m listening, seokmin.”
“i don’t care about otzi,” he reiterated. when you frowned at him, lips parting to protest, he shoveled forward. seokmin couldn't let you interrupt, not when he was standing on the edge of the cliff and preparing for the plunge. “but he matters to me. he matters to me because he matters to you.”
you wiggled your hands in his, releasing your hold on his fingers to instead lace your digits together, weaving them like a tapestry. it was like you were no longer just pulling him into your orbit but weaving your celestial bodies together. “seokmin, i need you to be more clear. what do you mean?”
“i mean,” he sighed, fighting to try and gather his thoughts. how could he put nearly a decade of love into words? “i don’t want you to go see otzi with some other man. i don’t want you to go to the movies with anyone else. i don’t want anyone else picking you up after work and taking you to eat. i don’t want you to cuddle with anyone else on winter nights where it’s raining.”
there was a pause in the air. you looked torn, as if you were at war with yourself. your eyes were serious, your lips pressed thinly. “seokmin. lee seokmin. i need you to be really clear about what you’re about to say. because if you’re saying what i think you’re saying, if you mean what i think you mean --”
you broke off suddenly, tearing your eyes from your face. you squeezed them shut, taking a deep breath.
“if you love me,” as soon as you said those words seokmin was sucking in a large, horrible breath that seemed to fill his lungs and then some, stretching them out. “if you love me like i love you, i need you to be crystal clear. please, seokmin, please.”
“i love you,” he returned, as clear as sunshine and just as beautiful. “i love you. i want to hold and kiss you, i want to be your boyfriend. i don’t want you to ever take anyone else to museums or say that we’re just friends. i want you to have to call and tell your mom that lee seokmin is your boyfriend.”
you wrenched your hands from his and seokmin had a fraction of a second to miss the feel of them before you were throwing yourself forward and into him. your arms went around his shoulders, pulling him fully in your orbit, joining your masses and making you one.
“i love you,” you chanted, the words sweet and like honey to seokmin’s ears. “lee seokmin, my knight in shining armor, my superman, my bestest friend. i love you.”
but no matter how sweetly you spoke, the kiss that followed was even more so.
SUMMARY: falling in love with your fake boyfriend isn't a good idea, and it's even worse if that fake boyfriend happens to be Kim Mingyu. but you just can't help it — he's got the prettiest smile you've ever seen.
“Oh, poor Y/N, you probably still haven't gotten yourself a boyfriend, have you?”
You can feel yourself tensing up at the words said by your colleague, Karina, her lips formed in a smile that completely contradicts the way she just spoke to you. She's acting as if it's just an innocent question, something she asked because she's genuinely curious – though you both know she said it to humiliate you, or maybe just to make you envy her for getting a loving boyfriend before you did. Either way, she's really getting on your nerves, and from what you can glimpse to the left, your best friend isn't very amused, either.
“No, of course she hasn't. With all the college work, I doubt she has the time,” One of your other colleagues defends you, sensing the tense atmosphere, and you send her a thankful smile.
“Right,” Karina says, a hint of amusement that very much pisses you off visible in her eyes. Her smile is so fake, it makes you want to throw up. “I’m glad I have my boyfriend, though, he's so lovely. Last night, when I came home, he'd prepared me homemade dinner and–”
You're growing more and more annoyed by the second when suddenly, Karina's monologue is cut off by your best friend's voice. And that relief that washes over you when Karina stops talking is wiped away the moment you hear what your friend has to say.
“Y/N does have a boyfriend, actually.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck. What did she just say? Did you hear her right? Judging by your friends’ mouths that are hanging open, you probably did. And you surely look just as confused as them, because in all honesty, you do not have a boyfriend and one look in your best friend’s direction tells you she's already regretting her not thought-through actions.
“What?” Karina asks finally, this time her tone much more unamused. Is her voice quivering? “You’re joking, right?”
One look at her scandalized expression is enough to make you realize that you can't back out now. Not if you don't want to see her condescending smile every day for the next twenty years. So just grin at them, sending your best friend a sideways glare as she starts rambling about your nonexistent boyfriend.
“Oh, we're not joking,” She assures them, and it takes all of your willpower to stop yourself from hitting her right then and there. “He’s handsome as hell and so kind. Oh, and he's really, really tall.”
“Oh my god, show us a picture, Y/N!” One of your colleagues exclaims and you're suddenly very aware that all of their attention is on you.
“A– A picture?” You look at your friend frantically, but apparently, this is the extent of her helpfulness, because she's looking everywhere but at you. Traitorous bitch. Why’d she spew so much nonsense if she isn't even going to take responsibility for it? “Right, let me find one real quick.”
This is bad. Really bad. And what makes it even worse, is that today, of all days, when you open your phone with trembling hands, the last picture in your camera roll isn’t a photo of you with any of your close friends like it usually is. It could’ve been Soonyoung or even Wonwoo, and just like that, you could’ve introduced one of them as your super handsome boyfriend. But no, fate clearly isn’t on your side today.
No, today, of all days, the last picture in your camera roll is of you and the one and only Kim Mingyu – a guy known on campus for both his looks and his outgoing personality. He's got all the girls swooning over him, and until recently, you've been all but silently admiring him when you're in school – letting your eyes fan over his frame when he plays soccer or resting your gaze on him for a little too long during an otherwise boring lecture. You finally got the chance to talk to him for the first time no earlier than yesterday, but only after making sure there’s enough alcohol in your system to flirt with him shamelessly.
“Maybe you should give me your number,” You’d said as you were getting ready to leave, batting your eyelashes up at him. “You know, just so I don’t forget who to call when I need someone to change a lightbulb in my apartment.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” He’d asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement and handing you your phone back, this time with his number in it.
“Of course I am,” You responded, mimicking his facial expression. “We should take a picture together, too.”
“Why? So you won’t forget my face?”
You smiled at his playful tone – or maybe simply at the sound of his voice. “No. So that you won’t forget mine.”
He chuckled – a sound you still haven’t forgotten even though you were drunk as hell when hearing it – and let you click a few photos, putting his arm around your shoulder as if he really was your boyfriend. And then, when you were looking through the pictures, you felt his eyes on you again – this time different from when you were talking earlier, more intense somehow. Meeting that gaze of his, you were almost worried your knees would give out from underneath you, but someway, you managed to stand on your feet long enough for you to see his lips forming into a small, yet sincere smile and for his arm to leave your shoulder, instead caressing your cheek.
For a moment, you were certain he was going to kiss you – with the way he was leaning forwards slowly, stroking your skin and making your heart beat faster than ever before. And just when you thought he was going to connect his lips to yours, he placed them dangerously close to your jaw instead, his voice low and distracting in your ear.
“I wouldn’t be able to forget such a pretty face even if I wanted to, sweetheart.”
Blame it on the alcohol, but his words quite literally made you go insane and you went home with a giddy smile on your face, happy with how things were going. Now, though, you're putting all of that at risk.
Honestly, it's kind of your own fault. If you hadn’t decided to have a photoshoot with him while in your drunken state, you wouldn’t have ended up in this situation, with your phone clutched tightly in your hand, ah’s and oh’s leaving the mouths of your so-called friends as they look at the picture you’re showing them. A picture of you and Kim Mingyu, someone who is definitely not your boyfriend.
“Your boyfriend’s really handsome, Y/N, I’m so jealous!”
Oh, God. This is truly the worst possible outcome of this whole situation, isn’t it? How does one go from finally piquing a handsome guy’s interest to lying about being in a relationship with him in less than 24 hours?
“Oh, and by the way, Y/N, me and Karina are planning to go to her boyfriend’s soccer game this weekend. You and your boyfriend should come, too.”
You're thrown off guard by your colleague's question – they've never really invited you to things like that before. Guess you're much more interesting now that you have a tall, kind and handsome boyfriend. Correction: now that you're pretending to have a tall, kind and handsome boyfriend. Your friend is looking at you like she wants you to say no – even she is well aware that you're in a screwed-up position right now – but if you tell them you can't make it, you know that you'll be giving Karina exactly what she wants. And there's no way you're going to let her find out about this lie.
“Oh my god, really? We’d love to,” You say, mustering up a smile that turns real when you see the way Karina’s jaw is clenching.
“See you on Saturday, then.”
—
Okay, so it did feel amazing to see the look on Karina’s face when you told her you have a boyfriend, but you didn’t exactly think it through when you agreed to bring him to the soccer game on Saturday. Because that means that now, you can’t keep this a secret from Mingyu anymore – you have to ask him to get involved. Which is why already an hour after you leave the cafe with your colleagues, you’re calling Kim Mingyu, asking him if he has ten minutes to spare.
“It’s urgent,” You practically beg him on the phone.
“You missed me that much?” You can almost hear the smirk that’s planted onto his face, and it makes your heart skip a beat in your chest. Only once, though, before you realize you’re probably going to lose all chances of dating him soon enough. “Alright, I’ll be there in five minutes.”
And so here you are – sitting by a small table outside of a cafe, right across from Kim Mingyu. You're kind of just staring at him, stalling, because you're not sure how to tell him why you asked him to come. To your defense, it is a little embarrassing that you're here to ask him to be your fake boyfriend for a day. Much to your surprise, he's not saying anything, either, his eyes on you as you sit in silence. You can't really tell from his gaze whether he's amused or annoyed, but when the waiter brings you your drinks and you hand him his coffee, there is a small smile tugging at his lips and he tilts his head to the side. He's probably expecting you to speak now.
So you clear your throat and open your mouth, ready to tell him everything. Only you never get that far, because suddenly he's the one speaking.
“You’re different today.”
“What?” You ask, dumbfounded.
“You’re different than yesterday,” He says, smiling softly – as if more to himself than to you. “More nervous.”
Yeah, that's because there's no alcohol in my system, and you're ridiculously handsome, dumbass, you want to say.
“I’m not nervous,” You say instead.
“Really? You look nervous,” He grins wider, pointing at the way you're fiddling with the rings on your fingers. Hearing him point it out, you stop immediately. Seeing your reaction, he adds: “Don’t worry, it's cute.”
And a wink. He’s winking at you. You hate him. So much. You hate him, and his stupid flirting, and his stupid smile, because right now, you're trying to ask him for a favour, and here he is, making you feel like there are thousands of butterflies swarming in your stomach. And you can't even look him in the eye, because you're sure that if you did, he would be able to see right through you and how you feel like you're about to faint. But then again, you can’t exactly blame him when you’re the one who told everyone he was your boyfriend.
“Um, okay, so either way,” You start, voice already trembling. “What I wanted to say is that I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend and go to a soccer game with me this weekend.”
As expected, Mingyu’s initial reaction is a very shocked ‘can you repeat that, please?’ and when you do, he raises his eyebrows, opening his mouth to say something. But you don’t let him, because you’re already utterly embarrassed and you just want to get this over with as fast as possible. So you let the words stream out of your mouth, and you explain everything – from how annoying Karina is to how truly sorry you are for dragging him into this whole mess.
“And I’m really, really sorry, but it’s just like I can’t tell them it was a lie, because they’ll totally-”
You’re babbling and babbling, looking everywhere but Mingyu’s eyes as he interrupts you.
“Okay.”
Your head tilts upwards to look at him instinctively and you’re met with the sight of him resting his chin on his hand, his pearly teeth on display as he grins. “What?”
“Okay, I’ll be your boyfriend.”
“You’ll…”
“I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend so that your friends won’t find out you lied,” He repeats, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, before he leans closer to you over the table – an act that makes you pull back with heat rising to your cheeks. “But only on one condition. You have to pay for my meals for as long as we’re dating.”
“Fake dating,” You clear your throat and correct him as he leans back in his chair again, and he only smiles in response, which your heart apparently takes as a sign to start beating like crazy. Why the fuck is his smile so alluring? God really does have his favorites, doesn’t he? If he’s going to keep looking at you like that, this whole fake-dating might end pretty quickly with a heart failure. “Yeah, okay, I suppose that’s fair, since I only need you as my boyfriend until this Saturday.”
“Only until this Saturday?” He pouts and a smile creeps onto your features, despite your attempts at holding it back. “Alright, then, I’ll see you around, Y/N.”
And he walks off, leaving you feeling a little too excited for someone who needs to pretend they’re dating Kim Mingyu.
—
Soccer. You know absolutely nothing about it, despite having ‘accidentally’ lost your way to the dorm and walked past the soccer field to watch Mingyu play countless times before. That’s why you tried doing research this morning – only that you were so uninterested that all you managed to memorize was that there are 11 players on each team. Way to go, Y/N. Now you’ll definitely impress Mingyu and fool everyone into thinking you’re dating someone who plays soccer.
“You okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” You say as you see Mingyu’s worried expression. He's really cute when he's looking at you like that – like he cares for real, not just pretend. And that's probably what possesses you to tell him, of all people, why you're nervous. “Just a little stressed, because I know absolutely nothing about soccer, and I’m scared our relationship won’t seem believable.”
Why did you just say that? You literally wanted to impress him by pretending to be a soccer expert and now, you're straight up telling him you're clueless? Wow, you are doing a great job at making this whole thing more awkward than it already is.
“Why wouldn’t it?” Mingyu doesn't seem to mind what you told him though, looking more confused than annoyed. “Look, I’ve been watching my teacher explain algebra over and over again, but that doesn’t mean I get it.”
His words have you snorting with laughter and you can see his shoulders loosen up as he smiles. The look he's giving you is making something turn in your stomach – two days ago, you hadn't talked to him before, and suddenly, he's gazing at you as if you're the most interesting thing in the world. Is this how he gets all the girls to fall for him? If so, you totally understand them.
“Besides, you don’t need to like all the things I like for me to like you.”
Okay, um, he didn't need to say it like that. You can't stop your head from whipping around to look at him again, heart beating quicker and quicker, so loudly you fear he might hear it. It's like everything is in slow motion – your body's burning up and he's smiling, unaware of how affected you are by what he said. And he looks stunning, with his hair falling onto his forehead, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket and a cap on his head. You hate caps. They're ugly and are only worn by middle schoolers. But Mingyu wears one, and somehow, it only makes your heart beat harder against your chest.
You chuckle nervously to hide your flustered state, hoping to god you didn't stare at him in silence for too long. “Right, uh, we should get to our seats maybe.”
“Sure,” He smiles again (maybe they should ban smiling from now on, it's proven to cause heart palpitations) and puts his arm around your shoulders. Upon seeing your caught off guard expression, he adds: “We’re dating, remember?”
It's not like he's letting you forget, though.
The seats Karina reserved are somewhere in the back, but since the stadium is huge and the seats are high up, you can pretty much see everything without much trouble. This is something Mingyu notices right away, completely discarding the idea of introducing himself first in order to praise your colleagues for their seat choice.
“Wow, these seats are great,” He says, gaining everyone's attention. From the corner of your eye, you can glimpse the way some of your friends’ mouths drop open. “Whoever picked them out must know their stuff.”
You can see the way Karina's face lights up at Mingyu’s words and it makes you want to throw up. Not only because she's getting on your nerves, but also because you feel a sting in your chest at the fact that Mingyu praised her. You have no right to feel that way – you're not dating him for real, after all – but it hurts just a little bit after what he said earlier. ‘Besides, you don’t need to like all the things I like for me to like you’. What a load of bullshit.
“Aww, thank you,” You'd almost forgotten how fake her overly sweet voice sounds. “You must be Y/N’s boyfriend. I'm Karina, her friend since high school.”
Friend is a bit of an overstatement, for sure. All the two of you had in common in high school was crushing on the same guy. Which is, by the way, the guy who’s sitting next to Karina right now, fingers interlaced with hers. Seungcheol – someone you wasted three years of your life obsessing over, only for him to end up with Karina in the end. And you don’t realize how much of a grudge you still hold against him for choosing her over you before Mingyu finishes introducing himself, and it’s Seungcheol’s turn to smile in your direction.
“Nice to finally meet you, I’m Seungcheol,” He tells your fake boyfriend, before his eyes land on your frame and you feel yourself tense up. “Hey, Y/N, long time no see.”
“Yeah, I guess,” You say with a forced smile, unwillingly taking a step back when he leans forward and holding your breath until you realize he’s just going to shake Mingyu’s hand. Sighing in relief as he sits back down, you silently curse yourself for acting so nervous around him. Still, you can’t help the way it’s like a blunt knife boring into your chest when you lock eyes with the man who cut off all contact with you the moment he met Karina.
Lost in thought, you almost miss the way Mingyu’s grip tightens on your shoulders. Almost.
You turn to send him an inquiring look, but he either doesn’t notice or he just brushes it off, and takes you to your assigned seats. He plops down between you and Seungcheol – deliberately or not, you don’t know, but it sure makes you feel more at ease and you relax in his grip. That’s when you realize he still hasn’t let go of your shoulders, and you’re suddenly very aware of how close he is. There’s still space between your bodies, but his knee is brushing over yours and you can smell his cologne clearly. It’s expensive, probably, but it’s not a strong or bold scent. Still, it’s a distinctive aroma – you’ve never smelt it before and yet, you’d have no problem recognizing it after today.
The soccer game is boring, to say the least. You find yourself almost drifting off to sleep multiple times, and each time, you remind yourself that you’re sitting next to Kim Mingyu and he’ll most definitely be disgusted if you fall asleep and drool onto his shoulder. But even though you stay awake, you give up on watching the game about halfway, opting for looking at Mingyu instead.
He’s much more entertaining than some random people kicking a ball, anyway. Besides, his expressions pretty much mirror the whole game. You can tell when his favorite team scores a goal by the way he grins from ear to ear, laughing to himself, and you can tell when a good player misses, because he scrunches his nose up and has this disappointed look in his eyes. That disappointment is so bleak that it has you thinking that whoever does something to make him look at them like that is just, plainly put, a bad person. Silently, you hope he’ll never look at you that way.
“You’re quite invested in this game,” You lean over to Mingyu, raising your voice a little so that he’ll hear you through the noise of cheering people.
“Well, of course I am,” He tears his gaze away from the game to look at you, but only for a moment, before he’s watching the players run across the field with excitement-filled eyes. “This game determines who gets to play in the finale.”
“Ah, I see,” You say and Mingyu doesn’t miss how you smile to yourself, lowering your head as you push your hair away from your face. It’s to no avail, though, because it keeps falling down anyway. He smiles to himself, too, at the scene, but looks away before your eyes can meet, seemingly focused on the game again.
By the time the soccer game is finished, you’re pretty much bored to death – especially since for the past ten minutes, Mingyu has only been talking to Karina and her boyfriend. And for some reason, that makes you really mad. What can they say that’s so interesting? Maybe he should pretend to be Karina’s boyfriend instead, if he likes her so goddamn much. No, Y/N, what the hell? Fake dating has nothing to do with liking. It’s not like Mingyu is here because he likes you. No, he’s pretending to be your boyfriend, because… because, well, because you begged him to. And because you’re paying for his meals.
Still, it kind of angers you that Mingyu has the decency to smile like that at other people than you – since you’ve already been more exposed to heart problems because of that smile, shouldn’t it be reserved for only you?
“I’m leaving,” You tell them, eager to get home and still caught up in that sense of betrayal – something you don’t really have a right to feel in this situation. But it’s not like you can control your emotions. “Bye.”
Locking eyes with Mingyu for a moment, you sigh before turning around to leave just as your colleagues eagerly say something you can’t quite pick up to your so-called boyfriend. You hear their goodbyes faintly in the background as you start walking down the stairs to the exit, starting to feel a little stupid for just walking away like that – if you didn’t, you could have left together with Mingyu. But he doesn’t seem to mind staying and talking to Karina, so why should you care? You’re starting to think he only agreed to fake date you because of this.
“Hey, Y/N, wait up!” You hear a voice that undoubtedly belongs to none other than Kim Mingyu and it has you smiling before you can even turn around. God, you’re really starting to feel like those butterflies swarming in your stomach aren’t just from you being nervous about lying to your colleagues.
You’re feeling so giddy that you don’t really look where you’re putting your feet as you turn around, which results in your foot slipping off of the stair step and you fall onto the stairs with a wince that leaves your mouth in response to the sharp pain that cruises through your ankle. You want to cry out for Mingyu, but before you can even gather your thoughts enough to do that, he’s already by your side, his dark eyes open wide as they scan your face.
“Are you okay?” He asks, but before you get to reply, his hands cup your face, squishing your cheeks together as he tilts your head to one side, then the other, studying you intently enough for heat to rise to your face. Jeez, why are you thinking about the fact that he’s touching you when you literally just fell down the stairs? You seriously need to get your shit together.
“You’re not,” He decides finally, reaching out to wrap his arms around your waist, and you look up at him in disbelief, prompting him to add: “I’ll carry you.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer or anything, just lifts you up with one arm under your knees and the other under your back like it’s the easiest thing in the world. You think you can hear Karina shout something in the background, but you’re not sure, easily distracted by the feeling of warmth radiating off his body that is now closer to you than it’s been ever before. He’s just your fake boyfriend, but that doesn’t make the loud beating of your heart any less real from where you’re looking up at his focused face, thinking about whether he’s also feeling that small spark of electricity in his body when he touches you.
“But I think I can walk, though,” You mumble against his shoulder, and mentally curse yourself for feeling your heart speed up when he looks down on you, his nose less than two centimeters from your own. His breath lands on your face, at which you turn away from him, just to calm your racing heart a little bit.
“Why would you walk when I can carry you?”
His tone is genuinely confused and you start to think that he must be completely oblivious to the many feelings that stir up inside of you when he starts walking through the alley leading back to the dorms. Words like that are enough to make someone fall in love and yet, he's just saying them like it's something obvious – like it's obvious that since you've hurt your ankle, he has to carry you back home. Even though you can walk. Even though you could take a cab. Even though he's not your boyfriend.
He continues walking like nothing happened – because, as you've finally figured out, he probably doesn't think anything did happen – and you keep your head on his shoulder, feeling pretty miserable as you smell the scent of his shampoo clearly. You’re almost by the dorms when he suddenly stops, putting you down on a bench and telling you he’ll be right back before disappearing into some store, which you soon understand is a pharmacy.
“I’ll pay you back,” You tell him the minute he walks out of the store with an elastic bandage in his hand.
“Don’t worry about it,” He says softly, but you wish he didn’t. Can’t he just let you win this one time? It’s like, every time you see him, he proves that he not only doesn’t have any flaws, but also that he has a lot of qualities you didn’t know about before. But what if you don’t want to know about them? It’s enough that he’s making your heart flutter when he’s pretending to be your boyfriend, but now nobody is watching, so why is he like this? Does he want you to fall in love with him?
If he continues acting like this, you fear that might actually happen.
You watch quietly as he kneels down and helps you take off your shoe, wrapping the bandage around it as if he’s done it a million times before. And you don’t say anything, afraid that if you do, you’ll start crying. Not because it hurts when he touches your ankle, but because he looks absolutely beautiful, face illuminated by the setting sun. You’ve seen him play soccer so many times, and each time, you’ve internally screamed about how hot he looked, but this is different. This time, you can’t take your eyes off of him – his brows furrowed in concentration, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. It’s all so humane, and yet so captivating to watch.
Before you can even stop yourself, your hand is alreading coming up to Mingyu’s face and pushing his bangs away from his face, and it’s not before he looks up that you freeze with your fingers touching his cheek, realizing what you just did.
“Your hair,” You blurt out, immediately pulling your hand back and feeling your body grow hot when you lock eyes with him. “It was in your eyes, so I just… sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?” He tilts his head to the side, and you look down, pushing your own hair out of your face.
You don’t answer his question – what are you supposed to say? Not even you know why you apologized. Wait, no, you do know. Because you feel like you’re treating something fake as if it’s real. But isn’t that exactly what he’s doing, too? He’s talking to you like he enjoys it, putting a bandage onto your ankle and worrying about whether or not you are hurt. And none of it seems fake when he does it. Oh, you’re definitely going crazy. Good thing this whole arrangement is over now.
Right. It’s over. With all the stuff that has been going on, you totally forgot that your deal ended right after the soccer game. There’s no reason for you to see Kim Mingyu ever again. You can just cleanse your mind completely, starting tomorrow.
“Don’t you have any hair ties?”
Mingyu’s voice makes you look up in confusion, only to see him sitting right next to you on the bench. “Sorry?”
“Your hair keeps falling into your face, too,” He points out. “You should put it up.”
“Oh, I don’t really like putting my hair up,”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know, it’s just… I feel like it looks bad on me.”
You feel his gaze on you again, lips pushed in a pout and he looks at you like he’s examining a soccer game. Which partly makes you feel uneasy, but mostly, you’ve grown to enjoy being the center of his attention. Which is dumb. Because he’s just talking to you since you promised to pay for his meals.
“That makes no sense,” He decides finally with a smile. “It’s common knowledge that if you have a pretty face, you should put it on display for everyone to see, you know.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?” You scoff, feeling something turn in your stomach. Pretty face. He’s evil for saying it, but you’re the one at fault for feeling like you’re about to float into the air at his words.
“It’s not bullshit,” He protests. “But it made you smile, so you can think whatever you want. As long as you stop walking around grumpy, because it’s making me feel uneasy.”
“Why is it making you feel uneasy?”
“Because I prefer it when you smile,” He grins, before standing up from the bench. “Come on, we should get going. It’s dark already.”
One look to the sky is enough to make you realize that it is, in fact, already dark, so you grab Mingyu’s outstretched hand and you let him pick you up, this time placing you on his back instead. You wrap your legs around his waist, resting your chin on his shoulder – justifying it by saying that it’s the last time you can enjoy being this close to him. Which is true, but it still doesn’t justify how you’re drinking in his scent and the sound of his breath as if you’re trying to memorize it.
“Are you sure you can carry me all the way to campus?”
“Yes, of course,” He says before bringing one arm up to flex his biceps. “I’m a strong boy.”
You chuckle at his antics, taking the opportunity to bury your head in his neck, feeling how goosebumps spread all over his skin when your nose brushes over it. “You’ve been a good fake boyfriend, you know. Thank you for doing this.”
“What?” You hear Mingyu’s confused tone. “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Karina asked if you and I wanted to join them for bowling tomorrow.”
You sigh. “And what did you tell her?”
“That we would come,” He says and upon seeing your expression, he’s quick to add: “I mean, what else was I supposed to say? That we’re planning on breaking up tomorrow?”
You sigh miserably, knowing that he’s right. It’s not like he could say anything else.
“Are you mad?” He asks after a while, and you ponder for a bit on that question.
Are you mad? Yeah, you are. But after some thought, you realize you’re not mad that you’re going bowling or that you have to keep pretending that Mingyu is your boyfriend – you’re mad because this means you no longer have an excuse for the way you feel happy in his company, or the way you’re tightly holding onto his shoulders right now. Because it’s not the last time you get to hear his voice, to feel his touch, to see his face, and yet you’re looking at him as if it is. And you have a feeling you’re starting to figure out exactly why that is.
“No,” You reply finally. “Just tired.”
Yeah. Sleep will fix everything. It has to.
—
Sleep doesn’t fix anything at all.
If anything, it makes everything worse, because you dream about Mingyu and his godforsaken smile that he bestows upon you right before he leans down to press his lips to yours. And that’s when you wake up, feeling more miserable than ever. Now you’re really starting to wonder why the fuck you thought it was a good idea to start fake-dating your crush.
God, Y/N, get your shit together. Are you really so weak that you can’t spend two hours in Mingyu’s presence before you start dreaming about him? In all honesty, though, it’s not your fault that he looks so pretty when he smiles. And when he doesn’t.
“Shut the fuck up,” You mumble to yourself as you get up.
Today is going to be a long day.
“Where are the others?” Is the first thing you ask Mingyu when you arrive at the bowling center, where he’s sitting alone on a chair by the bowling track. Your only solace when you thought about meeting Mingyu again and having to deal with his painfully handsome face, was that the two of you wouldn’t be alone, and yet somehow, you’re the two first to arrive.
“Not here yet,” He says, looking up from his phone and pushing his hair back to look at you. “You walked all the way here?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You shouldn’t be walking long distances when your ankle is hurt,” He points out and you press your lips together into a thin line – it’s 1pm and he’s already making your insides turn to mush. Great. “Sit down at least, if you’re gonna be so stubborn.”
You nod and do as you’re told, looking everywhere but at Mingyu. Maybe if you don’t look at his face, you can stop this stupid crush from turning into something worse. It’s naive, but it’s better than having your heart flutter at the smallest of things. Like when he ran his fingers through his hair earlier – why the hell did you get goosebumps from that? You must be out of your mind.
“Do I make you feel uncomfortable or something?” Mingyu asks suddenly, and it makes you really feel bad for acting like that. It’s not like he’s making you feel like this on purpose. “It’s like you don’t want to look at me.”
Oh, you do want to look at him. You just know better than to hurt yourself like that.
You sigh and turn to him, resting your chin on your hand. “Is this better?”
“Much better,” He smiles cheerfully in return.
“You’re so full of yourself.”
And rightfully so, you think to yourself as he giggles softly, before opening up a bottle of water and putting it up to his lips. You’re wishing you never turned to look at him again, because the way the sleeves of his shirt have rolled up to reveal his arms should be illegal. You can see the way his muscles flex as he opens the bottle, the way his jaw and neck are on display when he tilts his head backwards to drink. The way his soft lips wrap around the mouth of the bottle has your mind reeling with images of him kissing you like that, and since the vision is making your whole body heat up, you turn your eyes away, searching for something else to focus on.
You find that ‘something’ on the table in front of you – there’s another bottle of water there and you decide it’s a good distraction, so you reach for it. Everything goes well until you’ve tried to open it three times and the cork doesn’t even move an inch. What the fuck?
“You need help with that?”
Mingyu’s looking at you with a hint of amusement in his eyes, hands already taking the bottle from you without waiting for a proper answer. You give up on protesting and silently sit back, watching the veins on his hand become more apparent as he opens the bottle with ease, before handing it back to you with a satisfied grin on his face. It’s obvious in the way he’s looking at you that opening the bottle for you boosted his ego, and it makes you roll your eyes.
“You don’t have to look so happy, you self-obsessed idiot.”
“Who are you calling self-obsessed?” He pouts, suddenly leaning forward and pinching your cheeks – something that makes your heart beating stop for a good five seconds. “I just wanted to help my cute baby out.”
“I’m not your–”
“Oh my god, you two are so freaking cute!” You’re interrupted by a voice that undoubtedly belongs to one of your colleagues who just walked in, Karina and Seungchoel in tow. Taking it as a sign, you pull away from Mingyu, feeling your heart beat so hard that you’re scared it’s going to beat out of your chest. What the hell just happened? “Sorry we’re late, we missed the bus.”
The fact that you’re not alone with Mingy anymore allows you to pull yourself together a bit, and you’re happy to see that he’s leading the conversation without asking you for any input. Soon enough, Karina wants to start bowling, and you’re divided into three groups – Karina with her boyfriend, Mingyu with you, and your two other colleagues with each other. You’ve never bowled before, which makes you extremely nervous – maybe the fact that Mingyu is watching you plays a part in that, too – and as expected, you totally miss the bowling skittles when you let go of the ball.
You can hear Karina giggle in the background, which makes you sit down, discouraged. Plopping down next to Mingu, you don’t really pay attention to who’s playing, more focused on counting down the time until you can go home, already tired of all this. You’re so lost in your own thoughts that you almost don’t notice Mingyu’s hand that he rests on your upper thigh. Almost. In an instant, you’re turning to look at him in disbelief, but it’s a bad idea, because he was leaning towards you, too, to whisper something in your ear.
You freeze in your seat, and so does he, the rest of the world suddenly drowned out. The only sound hitting your ears is his breath, and it’s like everything is moving in slow motion – his dark brown eyes staring into yours, large hand brushing over the skin on your thigh, his skin flushing a delicate shade of pink. You can barely register your own nervousness as you look at his lips – usually turned up in a smile, but right now they’re slightly parted, no trace of cockiness to be seen anywhere. Is it bad that you really want him to kiss you right now? It is, and it’s even worse that you can’t even deny it anymore.
You should pull away, look away, do something – anything. But you can’t. You’re just looking into his eyes like there’s no one else in the room, letting that warm feeling that stirs up inside of your chest grow.
“What I wanted to say was that you don’t have to get upset over what Karina says or does,” Mingyu finally whispers, licking his lips and clearing his throat as he breaks eye contact. “Her opinion doesn’t matter.”
You nod slowly, wondering why he looked away – is he nervous, like you? Kim Mingyu and ‘nervous’ are words that you’d never place together in a sentence, but now, he really seems a little hesitant, or maybe even shy. You don’t know. Oh, why is he always so hard to figure out? First, he’s flexing his muscles at you and calling you his baby, and then he’s looking away when you lock eyes with him? His middle name should be ‘mixed signals’ at this point.
“Mingyu, it’s your turn.” It’s Seungcheol’s voice that forces you to turn your attention elsewhere, and you’re half-relieved, half-angry as you watch Mingyu rise up from his seat and take the bowling ball into his hands. Your thigh feels kind of cold without his hand resting on it.
As expected, Mingyu is really good at bowling – just as he is good at everything else – and it seems that his usual mood is back, because before he throws the ball, he’s lifting it up with one arm to show everyone how strong he is, and sending you a wink. It’s just for show, but it still sends a spark of electricity through your body. Though that still doesn’t compare to the way you’re basically drooling over him as he bowles. Hey, it’s not your fault that he looks fucking hot in that black shirt that folds up just enough to reveal a centimetre or two of his abs as he jumps up in thriumph.
What catches your attention, though, is how you’re not the only one shamelessly staring at Mingyu – Karina seems to be just as drawn to him, looking at him as if he’s her next meal or something. What the hell? You’d think that since she’s got a boyfriend, she’d stay away from someone she thinks is your boyfriend. Once a bitch, always a bitch, you think to yourself as you see her smile flirtatiously at Mingyu when he looks at her for a moment. Okay, that’s enough.
You stand up, pretty much making all of your colleagues look at you with furrowed brows and walk up to Mingyu just as he’s about to pick up another ball. Surprising both him and yourself with your actions, you grab ahold of his arm, pulling him closer to you.
“We should get going,” You say to everyone, throwing a fake smile Karina’s way before you stomp out of the bowling center, dragging a very confused Mingyu with you.
Once you’ve stepped outside and gotten a breath of fresh air, it dawns on you that your fingers are still wrapped around Mingyu’s biceps – as wrapped around as they can be, anyway, because for them to fit all the way around his arm, your fingers would have to be like five times longer. You retract your hand as you realize you’re touching him, not even sparing him a glance when you start walking home. Maybe it’s because you feel embarrassed for dragging him away like that, or maybe you don’t want him to see how upset you are, but you figure it’s best if you walk away from him.
“Hey!” You hear his voice, and not even two seconds later, his fingers are closing around your wrist, forcing you to stop walking. “You okay? What was that about?”
And that’s it for not having this conversation right now, you suppose. You turn around to face him, sighing.
“Did you really not see how Karina was looking at you?” You ask him and when he furrows his brows in confusion, you groan. “She was totally staring at you for twenty minutes, at least. Like she wanted to eat you or something. Did you really not notice?”
“No,” He shakes his head.
“Wow, you really are ignorant,” You laugh bitterly. Great, so he's probably not even aware that his actions can make someone's heart beat faster, or that the things he does make him seem like he's interested in you. “You’re seriously so unaware of everything.”
“Well, I’m aware that you’re jealous.”
“Excuse me?” You blink in surprise and he just flashes you a grin before starting to walk down the sidewalk. Does he really not realize he's making you want to rip your hair out? Or maybe he does, and he's just preying on your downfall. Either way, you conclude that you should get rid of him as soon as possible. “Mingyu, wait, you're walking too fast.”
Oh, well. Maybe you're not as strong-willed as you thought.
“It’s not my fault your legs are so short,” He says, but waits for you nevertheless, and adjusts his pace so that he's walking next to you. His hands are in his pockets, a smile on his face and the way his muscles are illuminated by the sunlight has you fighting for your life. “You’re small and cute, though, so I'll forgive you.”
“Do you have a size kink or something?”
You regret saying that as soon as the words leave your mouth, because now you're not only flustered from when he called you cute, but your mind is also reeling with the thought of him being turned on by you being smaller than him. Which is absolutely wrong of you to think about, since you're not even in a real relationship with the guy. So why are you suddenly feeling a little faint when you look at his strong arms and hands big enough to cover your whole face? And why are you dying to feel them on you?
He's about to reply to your question, when suddenly, you can see his eyes fan to something behind you, and soon enough those arms you were drooling over are grabbing you by your shoulders and he's practically throwing you to the other side of the sidewalk. It's because a car was driving close to the pavement, you realize, and it's such a touching gesture that it makes your heart beat quicker. But you can't even focus on that for too long, because soon enough, you're thinking about the way he basically manhandled you and how badly you want him to do it again.
Oh. My. Fucking. God. What is wrong with you, Y/N? He's just being a kind person and you're not only developing a crush on him, no, now you're also thinking about fucking him. Talk about the worst fake-dating experience ever.
“Doesn’t he know how to drive or what?” You hear Mingyu mumble and it takes you a second to realize what he's talking about, and another to realize you're staring. Hopefully he didn't notice. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Of course he noticed.
“Like what?” You decide to play dumb and start walking again.
“Like that,” He emphasizes. “Like you want to eat me or something.”
He's just teasing you, you realize as soon as he repeats what you'd said earlier about Karina. He probably doesn't even realize just how right he is. And he doesn't need to realize it, either, you think to yourself as you roll your eyes at him to hide your nervousness. Or maybe there's a chance he feels like that, too? He did push you aside so he was the one walking on the dangerous side of the pavement, after all. And he put his hand on your thigh. And smiled at you. And looked at you as if you were the only girl in the world. And–
No. You need to stop doing that to yourself. He's your fake boyfriend, he needs to do these things. But most of these occurrences happened when the two of you were alone.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” Mingyu asks suddenly and you whip your head around to look at him.
“Studying for my math exam at the library with Wonwoo. Why? Did Karina ask for us to go somewhere with her again?”
“No. Why with Wonwoo, though?”
“Because he’s good at math?” You say, eyeing his clenched jaw cautiously. “Why’re you asking?”
“No reason.”
And then he just walks in silence. Why is he suddenly so quiet? Is he jealous? Is it bad that you hope he is? Probably. But you can't help it. You’re so caught up in imagining a jealous Mingyu that you don’t even realize you’ve arrived at campus before you see the school fountain right in front of you, and the university building behind it. It’s still quite early, and the sun lights up the flower-filled grass in a way that makes it look really magical. You smile to yourself at the sight, and turn to look at Mingyu, but he’s nowhere to be seen. For a second, your smile drops, before you feel a hand on your shoulder and Mingyu’s face is smiling down on you, a small, yellow flower in his hand. He must’ve picked it just now.
“Boo,” He says softly, and it’s like he casts some sort of spell over you, because suddenly, you can’t seem to tear your eyes away from him, even as his hot breath fans over your face and spreads goosebumps all across your skin.
“It’s pretty,” You tell him. It’s about the flower, you think to yourself, but it’s really not.
A second passes. Then two. He doesn’t move. He’s just looking at you, his eyes fan over your lips, your nose, then they stare into yours. Deeply. Warmly. Ardently. You don’t want to look away, so you don’t. And neither does he. Six seconds. Seven. He leans in – you can hear him breathe. Or maybe it’s the sound of your own breath? It’s all mixed now, intertwined. Eight, nine, ten. His hand touches your jaw. It burns, but in the best way possible. You don’t want this to end. Fifteen seconds have passed. His fingers tuck something behind your ear. The flower. It’s the flower. Eighteen. Nineteen. A smile that makes you melt.
“Yeah,” He whispers, finger grazing your cheek before he pulls away. “Really pretty.”
And then it’s just complete silence, except for the sound of your heart loudly banging against your chest. Boom. Boom. Boom. You’re in love.
—
You’ve always felt perfectly content with having a silent, one-sided crush on Kim Mingyu, but now that you’ve gotten a taste of who he is, it’s hard not to wish for something more. Even though you know it’s not going to happen.
That's what you're thinking about the next day as you sit in the library with Wonwoo, a math book full of things you don't understand in front of you. You've been sitting like this for an hour, and Wonwoo has already filled three pages in his notebook with math assignments, while yours remain empty. Mingyu has been occupying your mind ever since you parted ways yesterday, the way he put the flower in your hair playing on repeat in your thoughts.
The flower. Oh, you must be crazy, but you could swear that you saw a hint of emotion in his eyes as he looked at you, something that sparked up a hope that you might just have a chance with him. Maybe he has feelings for you, too.
Just as you're thinking about that, your phone buzzes with a message and you pick it up instantly in hopes that it's Mingyu. It's not.
Hi would u and Mingyu like to come along on a trip w me and Cheol this weekend? We’re going to the seaside resort :)
“Of course you're going to the fucking seaside resort,” You mutter under your breath, catching Wonwoo’s attention.
“What was that?” When you shake your head, he sends you a smile and doesn't press any further. For some reason, that makes you feel out of place. He's so different from Mingyu, who would've definitely investigated you by now. You find yourself missing that, missing him, even though you shouldn't. “Do you want to take a small break and go grab something to eat?”
“Yeah, sure,” You agree, because it'll definitely be good for you to stop focusing so much on Mingyu and the feelings you've developed for him. But right as you're done packing your things, the doors to the library are, to the librarian's dismay, thrown open with a thud and in walks the only person you know who wouldn't care (or know) that you're supposed to stay quiet in a place like this.
“Y/N!” Mingyu’s loud voice tears through the silence, and many students raise their heads to look at what the hell is going on. Some look utterly confused, with their mouths hanging open, and you suppose you look the same as you watch a man who last read a book in middle school walk into the library. “There you are. You guys done studying?”
“I– Uh, no,” You say, suddenly very nervous. “We were going to take a break and eat something. But what are you doing here? I thought you hated the library.”
“I still do, this place is awful,” He frowns for a moment, but not even a second later his signature smile is back on his face. “But I wanted to help you study.”
He what? That just sounds strange coming out of his mouth. Not to mention the way it makes butterflies go crazy in your stomach. One thing is Kim Mingyu flirting with you, and pretending to be your boyfriend – another is him suddenly offering to study in the library with you, even though you know he hates it. Especially since he doesn't have to. It's not like he has to pretend to be your boyfriend right now.
“You… wanted to help her study?” It's Wonwoo that speaks up first, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Yeah, can't I do that?” Mingyu’s voice is soft, but his eyes that have settled on Wonwoo’s frame emit some kind of coldness that you’ve never seen in them before. Wonwoo seems to sense this, too, because his gaze fans to you and he smiles under his breath at Mingyu’s behavior. “We can go get food later, Y/N, let's finish studying first, okay?”
“But Wonwoo wanted to–”
“Oh, it’s fine, I’ll get food by myself,” Wonwoo says reassuringly and you can glimpse the way Mingyu’s shoulders loosen up as your friend picks up his bag. “I finished the homework earlier, and, to be honest, it doesn’t look like I’m wanted here.”
And with a wink sent Mingyu’s way, he walks away, leaving you alone with the boy you’ve both been dying and dreading to see. His bangs are in his face – his hair is messy, his eyelids are drooping and his shirt is creased. He must’ve just gotten up from bed, which is such a Mingyu-thing to do, considering it’s already way past noon. Nobody sleeps that long. Nobody except him. Just like nobody except him can make you smile just by simply existing – just by standing next to you in sweatpants, with a can of Redbull in his hand. Looking way out of place, but staying anyway.
“Hey,” You say it more like a question, but Mingyu doesn't seem to notice that as he sits down by the table where you and Wonwoo were studying earlier.
“Hey,” He replies and takes a sip of his drink – which, by the way, he's not allowed to have at the library. Though you don’t suppose he cares, since his wide smile is back on his features again, like it never left. “You ready to study?”
You sit down on the chair to his right, feeling your lips spread in a small smile at the way Mingyu’s all up in your business again – even if it mean he’s making your stupid little crush even worse by just being close to you. That thought seems so distant, though, when you see him grin at you cutely despite the tiredness in his face.
“I am,” You say, getting out your notebooks again. “But I have trouble believing you’re here to study.”
“You got me,” He raises his arms in resignation, flashing his teeth at you as he’s leaning back in his chair. “I’m just here to watch you study and be of moral support.”
“Right,” You say, eyeing him cautiously. “I don’t think today’s your working day, though, fake boyfriend. It’s not like Karina can see us here.”
“So?”
‘So’? What the hell is that supposed to mean? One look at his face is enough to tell you he’s well aware that today, he doesn’t have to hang out with you. And yet he’s right here, in the library of all places, sitting next to you like it’s the most natural thing to do. Does that mean he genuinely likes to spend time with you?
“So, you are free to leave,” You give him another chance, just in case he’s starting to realize his mistake, though if he left now, you’re not sure whether you wouldn’t just have started crying your eyes out.
“Do you want me to leave?”
He must be dumb for real, you think to yourself as you catch his softly curious gaze. There’s something in his eyes you can’t quite put a finger on – if you didn’t know any better, you’d say he was feeling apprehensive to hear the answer. Which isn’t possible, obviously, because Mingyu doesn’t care what people think of him, and he certainly doesn’t give a shit if you tell him to leave. He’ll just find another girl to flash his smile at. Still, something in his gaze tells you not to joke around right now, so you speak your mind.
“No, I don’t,” You can’t help but mimic his actions when he grins and that weird look in his eyes disappears, but before he can start shouting, you add: “But that doesn’t mean you get to bother me while I work. I don’t want to hear a single word from you until I’m done with this assignment.”
“You’re so cruel,” He pouts but shuts up, picking up some random book from the nearby shelf and burying his nose in it.
You sigh in content, turning your attention to your mathbook. Now you'll really get to work.
You don’t really get to work, though. Thirty minutes have passed without a single equation being written down in your notebook and it’s all Mingyu’s fault. Technically, he’s not bothering you at all as you work, his eyes firmly planted in the book in his hands. And still, you can’t seem to concentrate at all when he’s sitting next to you, with his long fingers gently tapping the wooden table as his eyes fan over one page, then the other, and he’s bringing his hand up to turn to the next page.
He doesn’t do any of this elegantly at all – truly, his grip on the page is way too rough, folding the paper each time he turns it over and his eyes keep fanning back up to a previous sentence he didn’t quite catch because he zoned out. It’s painfully obvious he hasn’t read a book willingly before in his life, and yet, somehow, he manages to look utterly beautiful while doing it. His whole existence is a threat to your sanity, you conclude, looking away. You can’t afford to have him notice your staring.
Not even ten minutes later, just as you’ve finally calmed yourself down enough to fill half a page of math problems (the only obstacle in your way being the hair that keeps falling into your face) this temporary peace of mind is torn away from you in an instant when you feel a featherlight touch on your neck, making your head snap up in surprise.
There are goosebumps forming on your skin when your eyes meet Mingyu’s sheepish smile, his fingers caressing the back of your neck as he gathers your hair in his hands. For a moment, you can’t seem to form words, taken aback by this close proximity, your heartbeat loud in your ears. Then, slowly, you start breathing again.
“What–”
“Shh,” He cuts you off, as if you didn’t just have to sit there regaining your breath just to ask him the question he’s not letting you ask. “Don’t get distracted. I’m just putting your hair up.”
Just. So this is, like, normal for him? He puts every girl’s hair up in a ponytail when hair falls in her face? That explains why he owns a hair tie.
“Where did you get that hair tie?” You ask him, a little accusingly, as he finishes putting your hair up in a ponytail.
“At the store? That’s where they usually sell hair ties, you know.”
“Yeah, but like, why do you have it? It’s not like you need it.”
“No, but you do,” Upon seeing your unconvinced expression, he sighs. “I saw it at the convenience store today, and it made me think of you and how your hair is always falling into your eyes because you won’t put it up, so I bought it. Now you have a hair tie and I get to hang out with you more because you can finish your assignment quicker. It’s a win-win situation, really.”
For a second you’re left just blinking dumbly, feeling a little giddy for no reason at all. He bought it for you? He thought of you at the convenience store? Is this the part where you start jumping up and down, giggling? No, Y/N, calm down. It's not like he confessed his love for you, either. But you suppose it's close enough.
“Idiot,” You tell him with a smile so big it makes your cheeks hurt. “Why would you waste your money on that?”
“It’s not a waste, it's a gift. Now finish your assignment, I'm getting bored.”
And as if to prove his point, he leans back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting his arms behind his head. There's nothing extraordinary about the action, and yet it makes something turn in your lower stomach when his shirt rides up a few centimeters to let you catch a glimpse of his abs. His biceps are on full display, too – flexed because of the position he's in, and big. There's no doubt he's spent some time in the gym and God, it shouldn't be legal to look this good because now you're imagining him working out, drenched in sweat and shirtless and it's absolutely not good for your health.
“Oh, right,” You say to Mingyu, suddenly reminded of something. “Karina and Seungcheol want us to come with them to the seaside resort this weekend.”
“We should go, then,” Mingyu opens his eyes and rests his chin on his hand. “Right?”
“Probably,” You sigh. “It’s the whole weekend, though. Friday evening to Sunday morning. Two nights at the hotel. It seems a little redundant.”
“I don't mind. I don't have anything else to do, anyway.”
You raise your brows in suspicion. “Kim Mingyu doesn't have anything to do on a Friday night except spend time with his fake girlfriend at a seaside resort? I'm finding that a little hard to believe.”
“Yeah, okay, correction: I don't have anything else I'd rather do on a Friday night than spend time with my fake girlfriend at a seaside resort.”
In contrast to his usual playful smile, he's looking quite serious as he says that and you wonder if he means it. You read into the things he says a little too much, you know that, but it's not like it's completely baseless for you to think that he might like you. Oh, this is all so fucking complicated. Fake boyfriend, real boyfriend – where does one draw the line? He is only pretending to date you, so why do his smiles feel so genuine? Why does it feel real when he tells you you’re pretty?
If he's only your fake boyfriend, why are you in love with him for real?
“Great. I'll tell Karina we're coming, then.”
——
You are not going to let yourself be affected by Mingyu and his actions today. Not even in the slightest bit. You can’t afford to get your hopes up. Besides, staying indifferent can’t be that difficult, right? He’s not that interesting. His smile isn’t that alluring, either, if you really think about it – there’s nothing fascinating about the way his eyes turn upwards when he grins, pure elation radiating off of him. Nope, you don’t care about him and his stupid smile at all. That’s what you keep repeating in your mind on the way to the seaside resort, knowing damn well it must be the worst lie to have ever been told.
It’s fine, it’s fine. Even if he does affect you and your heartbeat rate, you can still keep it a secret. You’ve been doing it for the past weeks, so why not this weekend, too? This weekend and you’re done – you and Mingyu part ways once and for all. Sure, you’ll feel miserable without seeing his smile, but it’ll pass after a week. Or seventeen years.
Shit. You’re so fucked.
And you realize you’re even more fucked than you thought as you enter the hotel at which you’re supposed to be staying at, only to find Seuncheol and Karina already standing in the hallway. But they're not the reason you're fucked. No, the reason is standing next to them in a white, form-fitting shirt and his laugh echoing off the walls.
Mingyu’s back is turned to you, but it brings you little relief, since you can clearly still see the outline of his back muscles through the thin material of his shirt. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say he looks godly, and neither would it be an overstatement to say that, no matter how bad you try not to, you can’t help but literally devour him with your eyes from where you’re walking towards them slowly. Partly, you dread the moment they’ll notice you, because you’ll be forced to look not only at Mingyu’s exposed forearms but also his ridiculously handsome face. And even as you prepare yourself for the moment, you still find yourself feeling a little dizzy when Mingyu turns around to look at you.
“Y/N, you’re here,” He says, and the excitement laced in his voice is just a little too real for you to completely get rid of the idea that it’s not just pretend. “I missed your pretty face.”
He then proceeds to trap you in his arms, muffling out all sounds of Seungcheol and Karina laughing as he pulls you flush against his chest. You can’t breathe for a moment – not because his grip is too tight, but because you realize that fuck, you’re actually being hugged by Kim Mingyu right now and it feels way too comforting for your own good. The scent of his cologne hits your nose – it’s the same one he used at the football game, the same distinctive smell that officially belongs to him now – and the warmth of his skin actually works to calm down your heart a little. It’s a contrast to how you usually react to being close to him, but you don’t mind, because this feeling of solace brings you equally as much glee.
“I missed you, too,” You mumble against his chest, and it’s not a lie at all. “But can you please let go of me? You’re crushing my ribs.”
“Ah, right,” He chuckles, and when he lets go of you, the whole world falls back into place – reminding you why you’re here and that you’re not alone. “Sometimes I forget how small and cute you are.”
You scoff in response, feeling your whole body heat up.
One would think you’d get used to these dumb comments after coming dangerously close to heart failure because of him more times than you can count the past weeks. But no, it still affects you all the same and makes your insides turn to mush, even if Karina and Seungcheol are standing right there, which means that his words are most likely just for show.
It's the weekend, though, and you've been living in a constant state of overthinking the past week, so you don't suppose it's that much of a big deal if you sit back a little and let yourself feel happy when Mingyu shows you affection. It's inevitable, anyway, since you’re in love with the guy. In love. It sounds so serious when you put it like that. And one look at his smiling face reminds you that it is.
“So,” Karina clears her throat, gaining your attention. “We should check into our rooms now, and then we can go for a walk and ice cream later?”
Everyone agrees, and so you head to the reception desk in pairs – Karina holding Seuncheol’s hand, and you with Mingyu next to you, your shoulders just barely touching. You get the keys to your room and thank the lady – Mingyu does so with a wide grin that probably just made that woman’s day much better – before you start heading upstairs. There’s only one problem, though – you’ve brought three bags along and now that your uber isn’t helping you carry them, you feel like you’re about to faint from taking three steps with them in your hands – not to mention you have to walk up the stairs with them.
“I’ll carry those for you,” You hear Mingyu’s voice, and before you can utter a word, he’s taking the bags from you with a smirk. “I’m your strong boyfriend, after all.”
You can’t even bring yourself to protest as he starts walking up the stairs with your and his bags, muscles flexed. Your eyes must linger on his arms a little too long, because soon enough, he’s sending you a shit-eating grin and lifting your bags up and down like they’re weights at the gym. It’s a joke – he’s teasing you – and yet it’s making you feel all hot and bothered. God, you must be crazy. Half-embarrassed, you avert your gaze in order to calm your heart down before it beats out of your chest.
“You’re enjoying yourself a little too much for someone who’s carrying four heavy bags up a shitload of stairs, don’t you think?” You try to sound composed, but it doesn’t really work.
“Not at all,” He smiles – you weren’t supposed to look, but it’s not your fault that whenever you hear his voice, all of your attention is on him – yet it doesn’t hide the way his face is reddening and his voice is strained, arms starting to shake just a little from the weight.
You can’t help but burst into laughter at both his face and his stubbornness – that boy would seriously rather die than admit he overestimated his strength. He doesn’t laugh with you, just sends you a glare and pouts as he finally sets down the bags in your shared room as the two of you arrive. No matter how hard he tries, though, he can’t erase the hint of enjoyment that lies in his gaze.
It takes Mingyu less than two seconds to plop onto the soft bed and sigh dreamily, like he’s just ran a marathon.
“Just don’t fall asleep. We’re going for ice cream in half an hour, you know.”
“Hmm.”
“If you fall asleep, I won’t wake you up,” You warn him, ignoring the way your heart is doing loops at the sight of his sleepy state. He looks so cute with a sheepish smile on his face, nose buried in the pillows.
He doesn't react in any way, so you add: “Are you really that exhausted from just carrying my luggage?”
That, he hears very well.
“Of course I’m not,” He jumps up straight away, like someone poured cold water all over him and you can't help but smile to yourself at the way he's – way too obviously – flexing his muscles for you to see.
“I was just joking, Mingyu,” You tell him, walking over to where he's standing, by the bed. “You’re very strong.”
And before you can think twice, you put your hand on his bicep and squeeze it through the shirt. It takes you less than a second to do that, and another second for your mind to start malfunctioning. Oh, fuck. One, you just touched Mingyu’s biceps. Two, they're big. Big, as in you realize you can't even wrap your fingers halfway around them. Big, as in if he were to hold you in place, there was no way you'd be able to move.
And finally, three, this one little touch is enough to have you feeling weak in the knees, unable to think of anything but the way his muscles felt under your fingertips. You can't stop yourself from imagining how they would feel without that shirt separating your skin from his, either. Oh, you've really dug your own grave with this one.
“You think I’m strong?” Mingyu’s voice is soft, but his gaze is intense as you look up at him.
“I– I mean you carried my bags up the stairs, didn't you?”
“Sure did,” He smiles and for a moment, you think you're safe. “But you didn't have to touch me to figure that out, did you?”
Nevermind that. You're not safe at all. In fact, you feel like all the air from your lungs has dissolved, leaving you breathless. Being in love with Kim Mingyu is one thing – making it so painfully obvious is another. What if this makes things awkward between the two of you? You wouldn't be able to stand that. Partly because it ruins your chance of convincing everyone you have a boyfriend, but mostly because you truly enjoy being around Mingyu, and you don't want this… thing you have going on to stop. You having to live without speaking of your crush on him is much better than not speaking to him at all.
“I’m sorry,” You say finally, unsure of what else you could've possibly said to save the situation.
“Why are you apologizing?” He looks at you from above, pushing your hair away from your face before bringing that hand to brush over the part of your shoulder that is exposed by your tank top. You shudder. “I never said that I mind.”
What?
Did he just say what you think he said? ‘I never said that I mind’ – what the fuck is that supposed to mean? That he liked it when you touched him? That he wants you to? He's got to be messing with you. Right? His eyes don't leave yours, though, and while there's a cocky grin on his face, he's nowhere near laughing.
“We should, uh, head downstairs. They're probably waiting for us,” You say, heart hammering in your chest.
“Yeah, we should.”
You wait for him to move, but he doesn't. So you don't, either. You're still dangerously close to him – if he were anyone else, you'd say he was invading your personal space. But he's Mingyu, and the truth is that you want him all up in your personal space. That doesn't change the fact that this is making you nervous – the way he's gazing down on you with a look you can decipher, the way his hand lingers just a couple centimeters away from your arm, the way you can hear his breathing clearly. You want him to do something – anything – because the tension in the air is so thick, you could touch it. But you don't want to touch it, you want to touch him.
And you want him to touch you. Does he want that, too? You don’t want to get your hopes up too much, but you also can’t seem to shake the thought that he looks infatuated with you, too, at this moment. His eyes are lidded, tongue darting to lick at his lips. Not once does he look away. What is he thinking about? Suddenly you wish you were inside his head.
“Y/N, Mingyu, are you guys coming?” Karina's voice from outside the door brings you back to the real world.
Right. You're going for ice cream. Shit, you really need to stay focused. You’re here to have Mingyu pretend to be your boyfriend, not to make him become your real one.
With that in mind, you start walking towards the door. You don’t even make it two steps before you feel Mingyu’s hand grab your wrist, before pulling you back to him. Surely, he doesn’t use all of his strength, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’d have collided with his chest if it wasn’t for the hand that he places on your hip to steady you. Suddenly you're face to face with him again – well, maybe face to chest is more accurate – but you don’t even get to question his actions before his rip on your wrist fades, and he brings his hands up to brush something off of your cheek instead. Then, he lets go altogether.
“You had something on your face,” He explains upon seeing your facial expression.
“Is that why you’re looking at me like that?” You blurt out before you can stop yourself. What is up with you today? When did you get so shameless? It must be all the endorphins Mingyu’s providing you with speaking. You’re about to take back what you said, but as usual, Mingyu beats you to it.
“No,” He’s smiling again – running a hand through his hair and flashing his teeth at you. You don’t think you’ll ever grow tired of his smile. “That’s just because I like you.”
And then he fucking leaves. Like he didn’t just fucking make your heart drop to your stomach and then jump right back up, only to start beating at an abnormal speed. Because I like you. You’re about to faint. At least it feels that way. Are you even breathing? Everything seems so unimportant suddenly, the only image in your head being Mingyu and his smile. Because I like you. His words are on replay in your mind, flowing through your whole body until they reach your heart, where they settle down to bloom. Because I like you. He likes you.
Mingyu likes you.
It’s not a love confession, nor does it mean he wants you to his girlfriend for real, but it’s a confirmation that you didn’t fuck up everything with you reckless actions earlier, and it also means you have a chance. Even if just in the slightest. That’s enough for you.
Well, there goes the plan of not letting yourself get affected by Mingyu’s words and actions, you suppose. Slowly, you fight the urge to start giggling like a schoolgirl and leave the room to meet the others, who are standing in the hallway, waiting for you. Karina looks annoyed as usual, Seungcheol smiles softly, and Mingyu – oh, you could write a whole about how stunning he looks even in the poor lighting of the hotel – grins when he sees you and you can’t help but do the same.
“Finally,” Karina groans, and you roll your eyes. You’re about to say something to her, but right then, Mingyu drapes his arm over your shoulders and pulls you close, which erases each and every thought you had before, replacing them with pure elation. He really is driving you crazy.
“Let’s go, then.”
The way to the ice cream shop is merely a fifteen minute walk and it leads through the empty streets that surround your hotel. It’s getting dark already as the four of you head outside, and the cool air is making you regret not putting on a jacket. But hey, in your defense, if Mingyu hadn’t decided to make your whole body grow hot with his actions, maybe you wouldn’t have forgotten about it. It’s alright, though, because Mingyu’s arm around your shoulders is warm and doesn’t leave much room for worrying. Even if he’s just doing it for show. But you don’t need to think about that right now, anyway.
Inside the shop, it’s cozy and warm, which is something you revel in for approximately five seconds before Karina suggests that you eat your ice cream outside. You can’t imagine what’s going through her head when she says that – it’s freezing cold outside, for fuck’s sake – but Mingyu and Seungcheol don’t seem to share your doubts, so you only follow after them with a sigh as they sit down at one of the outdoor tables. The place is cute and the ice cream is good, but you can’t really focus on any of that with the way the cold air is hitting your poor skin. You don’t want to disturb Mingyu when he’s so invested in whatever conversation he’s having, though, so you don’t mention it.
“You okay, Y/N?” It’s Seungcheol that is first to notice your state, his voice laced with concern.
You can see how Mingyu stops talking immediately, turning his head to look at you, too, and you smile apologetically. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little cold.”
Seungcheol smiles at you and starts to take off his jacket, which you’re about to tell him not to do, but Mingyu’s voice cuts through the air before you can even say a word.
“You’re cold?” It’s a question, but he doesn’t wait for an answer before taking off his jacket – that way also effectively putting Seuncheol’s actions to a halt – and putting it around your shoulders. “Here, put this on.”
“It’s oka–”
You don’t even get to finish as he lifts up your arm to slip it inside the sleeve of the jacket. As he reaches for your right arm, you help him and slip it inside of the sleeve yourself, and so his fingers come up to zip the jacket up instead. Your eyes find his when he pushes the zipper up to your neck, hand brushing over your skin as he nudges your hair away so it doesn’t get in the way. His gaze glimmers with satisfaction as he finishes putting on the jacket, as if he just solved a very hard puzzle, and your heart flutters just a little when you look at his grinning face.
“You look cute.”
Well, maybe more than just a little.
“Thanks,” You mumble as you look away, reminded that you’re in fact not alone with Mingyu right now.
A silence settles over the four of you; Karina’s jaw is clenched as she eats her ice cream, while Seungcheol just looks like he’s feeling out of place. You feel a sting of guilt in your chest – they invited you to hang out together, and you’re making this into a way of interacting as much as possible with Mingyu. It’s not fair for them, not to mention it isn’t very good for you, either, because soon enough, he won’t be pretending to be your boyfriend anymore. You should be getting used to not spending time with him, not the other way around.
“So,” Karina says finally, her eyes evidently trained on only Mingyu. “How do you guys like the ice cream?”
‘You guys’, my ass, you think to yourself. She’s literally looking Mingyu right in the eyes, and still acting as if the question is directed at everyone? You kind of feel bad for Seungcheol for having to deal with her on a daily basis.
“It’s really good,” He tells her and Karina sends him her sickly sweet smile. She opens her mouth to say something, but you’ve seen enough of her advances towards Mingyu – though he’s not technically your boyfriend, so you have no right to get jealous. But you do.
“Really? Let me taste,” You say and before you can back out, you grab at Mingyu’s wrist and lick his mint chocolate ice cream.
Okay, so first of all – mint chocolate is disgusting. It tastes awful. You suppose this must be how Mingyu feels each time he walks into a library. Second of all, despite the appalling taste, it’s absolutely worth it because the way Karina’s face turns into an expression of pure defeat is probably the second best thing to happen to you today. The best being every conversation you’ve had with Mingyu, of course.
Speaking of your fake boyfriend – his eyes are set on you as you lean away from him again, something in his gaze sending shivers down your spine. His eyes are wide – you’ve caught him off guard. Good. If he’s going to make your head spin every day, you might as well do the same.
He doesn’t look away, just keeps gazing at you with an intensity that would’ve forced you to sit down if you were standing up. You can see the way his stare drops down to your mouth and then moves up again, his tongue darting to lick at his lips. There’s something in his eyes – something that wasn’t there before. Something that shoots straight down between your legs. Desire, maybe? But not in the primal way, it’s deeper than that, more tender. Yearning. Longing. Something in between. Want. Yes, that’s the word.
“You’ve got ice cream on your lips,” He says it so quietly you almost don’t hear him – which is weird, since it’s Mingyu we’re talking about here.
“Really? Where?”
You’re about to wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, but Mingyu’s fingers wrap themselves around your wrist and hold it in place. What is he doing? You look at him – at his parted lips, the hint of a smile lurking on his face, that stare of his that fills you with all kinds of feelings – and your heart stops. He leans forward – you can feel his breath on your face as he looks down on your lips again.
He’s going to kiss you. And you want him to.
You want to keep looking at him, at his smile, his beautiful eyes, but you can’t stop your eyes from fluttering close when his soft lips meet yours. He’s barely touching you, the kiss is merely a brush of skin against skin, but it still drives you crazy, sets your whole body on fire. You can’t move, couldn’t have pushed him away even if you wanted to. But you don’t want to. You want this to last forever, the subtle taste of mint chocolate, the smell of his cologne, the feeling of his tongue brushing over the inner corner of your lips – you don’t want it to end.
But it does end. Far too quickly. He pulls away, with a grin on his face, completely unaware of how badly you want to jump into his arms and kiss him again.
“There.”
You blink. Once. Twice. What is he talking about? Oh, right. The ice cream. He was licking off the ice cream. Your heart beats against your chest painfully hard, serving as a reminder of the situation you’re in. Seungcheol and Karina are still here, and Mingyu just kissed you. You put the pieces together fairly quickly from there – of course he kissed you, he’s supposed to be your boyfriend. It’s more believable that way. Suddenly the taste of mint chocolate that lingers on your tongue stings.
“You guys are so cute together,” Karina smiles her fake smile and something turns in your stomach.
She totally bought it. But so did you.
“I think that’s all thanks to Y/N,” Mingyu’s laugh rings in your ears as his arm falls around your shoulders again. He’s holding you close, but the air’s colder than ever and the smell of his cologne hurts your nose. Not because it smells bad, but because you like it too much.
“Speaking of Y/N, what made you fall for her? I mean, the two of you are so different from each other. On different levels, almost.”
Karina’s words feel like salt in a wound. Different levels. Is that true? Mingyu’s grip tightens on your shoulders, but this action that usually would’ve had you feeling warm inside just barely registers in your mind. Focus, you want to tell yourself, you’re not supposed to feel sad now. You’ll only fuck up the whole plan and your relationship with Mingyu in the process. But you can’t stop your thoughts from reeling and your heart from sinking.
“What do you mean?” If Mingyu knows what Karina’s talking about – which, surely, he must know, since it’s not much of a secret he’s out of your league – he’s doing a great job at pretending he doesn’t. Just like he’s done a great job at pretending to have feelings for you. Almost too great.
“I just don’t get why you chose Y/N,” There it is. “I mean, you could probably have any girl you want.”
He could. You know that. You’ve always known. He’s Kim Mingyu, for fuck’s sake – who wouldn’t fall for that smile of his? You surely did. Though right now, you regret it. You regret asking him to be your fake boyfriend, you regret forming a connection to him, and you regret letting him kiss you like he meant it. It’s your own fault, really. If you’d just let yourself crush on him silently, if you hadn’t gotten your hopes up, thinking he might like you, none of this would’ve happened. You wouldn’t have had to sit by his side, feeling like the most naive person on earth.
“I don’t want to have any other girl, though,” You don’t want to look at him, but you do. His smile is long gone, and it feels so weird to look at him without it. Not bad or scary, just different. A new side of him. “I want her.”
Your eyes widen as you look up to meet his gaze. Funny how you’ve spent the last weeks getting to know him, but now, when it really matters, you can’t figure out what’s going on inside his head. He’s looking at you with a shadow of a smile ghosting over his lips, eyes filled with the warmth you’re used to seeing in them, and it doesn’t seem fake at all. Neither did the kiss, or the hug, or any of the signs he’s given you the last weeks. All of it felt real. But what does that matter when it’s all pretend by default, anyway?
A minute passes by in silence. You have so many things to say, but you say nothing at all. Only after that minute has passed and the feeling of Mingyu’s arm around you is too much for your poor heart to handle do you stand up, making everyone look at you. Mingyu’s arm falls limp onto your chair. He’s about to say something, but this time, it’s you that doesn’t let him.
“Excuse me for a moment,” You say and leave them at the shop. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s not just for a moment when you start walking down the street that leads back to the hotel.
You’re still wearing his jacket, you realize, but you don’t take it off. It’s cold – that’s your excuse, but really, you miss him already. Part of you wants to stop walking and see if he’ll come running, but part of you hopes he won’t. You walked away to avoid telling him about all of this – the mess you made by dragging him into this. If you see him now, you’ll end up spilling everything. And he’ll want nothing to do with you ever again.
You make it a whole seven steps before you hear his voice.
“Y/N! Wait!” And against your better judgement, you stop walking until he catches up to you – breath fanning at you from above, yet you can’t seem to look up at him. “There you are. Why are you walking alone in the dark?”
You should go. Leave him behind like you intended to, break off this whole deal and go home. Pretend like Kim Mingyu doesn’t exist, pretend you’re not in love with him. But your feet won’t move. It’s like every bit of doubt and worry you’ve kept inside of you until now is making its way to the surface.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Mingyu’s hand cups your chin and tilts it so your gazes meet. His eyes soften – go from a look of fear to tenderness. “Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”
Yes, you made me fall in love with you, you idiot, you think. But you don’t say it out loud. Instead, you sigh and let your head fall against his chest, eyes fluttering shut. You can tell Mingyu wants to say something – his breath is ragged, muscles tense – but instead, he wraps his arms around you and pulls you closer. One, two, three. You calm yourself down slowly, inhaling his scent. Mingyu isn’t a patient man – you know he wants you to tell him what’s going on. And you will. You owe him that much. But you let yourself revel in his presence for a minute or two first, thinking that if everything goes wrong, at least you’ll have the memory of his strong arms protecting you from any pain.
“Is this about the Karina thing?” You feel the vibrations of his voice through his chest as he speaks and it makes you smile. “You know that what she said is just complete bullshit, right? You shouldn’t care–”
“You’re such an idiot, Kim Mingyu,” You cut him off as you pull away. He looks so shocked at your words that it makes you want to laugh. “You really are. You notice how my hair falls into my face, or how I’m struggling to carry my bags, but you don’t notice the way your words and actions affect me.”
He probably doesn’t know it, but he always pushes his lips out in a pout when he’s confused, and right now is no exception. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” You take a deep breath. “I’m in love with you. Hopelessly so. And I know you don’t feel the same way, but you could’ve at least spared me for all your heart-fluttering gestures, because you’re only making me fall harder.”
You thought you’d completely accepted your failure, but the way your heart reaches dramatic speed once you’re done speaking proves you otherwise. Or maybe it’s not hope that has you feeling dizzy – maybe it’s just Mingyu himself. You observe him cautiously after you’ve said it, and slowly, but surely, you see his pout and furrowed eyebrows fade into a smile – a soft one that has his eyes crinkling.
“Who said I don’t feel the same way?” His voice is merely above a whisper as his hand reaches for your cheek, thumb stroking the skin on it. You shiver under his touch, slowly processing his words as his other hand comes to grab at your waist and pull you close. “I like you, remember? A lot.”
“Yes, but you were my fake boyfriend and–”
“Why do you think I agreed to this whole deal, Y/N? I’ve had my eyes on you ever since that party at Soonyoung’s.”
“You agreed because I promised to pay for your meals,” You remind him, heart struggling to beat at a normal speed when you feel his fingers play when his finger moves from stroking your cheek to your jaw.
“It’s not like I can’t pay for my own meals. The hair tie, the library, the flower – do you think I do that to every girl I hang out with? Why do you think I spent time with you when I didn’t have to?”
You swallow as his thumb strokes your lower lip. “I don’t know, because you’re nice like that?”
“Nobody’s just ‘nice like that’, baby,” He smiles that ridiculously gorgeous smile of his as he leans forward to connect his forehead to yours, almost making you faint in the process. He might've kissed you earlier, but this is different. Now he knows everything. “When I said I wanted you, I wasn’t kidding.”
Okay, Y/N, breathe, you tell yourself, but it’s easier said than done. Especially when his breath is mixed with yours, eyes shining with emotion as your noses brush against each other. He wants you. Kim Mingyu wants you. Your heart is beating so hard against your chest you fear he might hear it from where he’s standing, merely a centimeter away. It’s like he’s awaiting your next move. Without thinking much, you put your hands on his shoulder and pull him a bit closer. Just so his lips fan over yours, and butterflies swarm in your stomach. Oh, you want him to kiss you so badly.
It’s like he hears your thoughts, because not even one second later he’s closing the small distance between you and pressing his lips to yours. This time, it’s not just a brush of skin against skin – well, objectively speaking, it is, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s much different from the kiss at the ice cream shop. Now, he’s holding onto you tightly, entangling his fingers in your hair while his lips move against yours fervently. The arm which rests on your waist is pulling you closer, though you doubt you could be any closer to him than what you already are. Your grip on his shoulders is just as firm, the cool air nothing compared to the way your whole body is heating up from his touch.
Mingyu’s teeth scrape against your lower lip and you open your mouth slightly, gripping his bicep tighter when he slips his tongue inside. You can’t even make out what he tastes like – whether it’s mint chocolate, coffee or anything else – you’re too focused on the fact that he’s kissing you, that his hands are pulling you closer as he moves his lips against yours. His fingers pull at your hair just hard enough for you to tilt your head back and allow him to move his lips down to your jaw, tongue darting over the skin. You want to look at him, but you can’t help the way your eyes flutter shut when he starts pressing open-mouthed kisses against your throat, spreading goosebumps all over your skin and you shiver.
For some reason, Mingyu takes this as a sign to pull away, leaving you with chapped lips and breathlessness in his arms.
“Why’d you stop?” It sounds a lot whinier than you’d intended, but who can really blame you? Kim Mingyu just told you he has feelings for you and kissed you, only to let it end this fast – you’re allowed to whine.
“Because you looked cold,” He says and you scoff. Because you looked cold? What kind of excuse is that? He grins at your facial expression, moving his face closer to yours so that for a moment, you think he’s going to kiss you again. “Why? Am I so good at kissing that you need more?”
“I literally hate you so much,” You push him away with a scoff, thinking that walking back to the hotel might be a good idea since the cold is starting to catch up with you. Still, you listen for Mingyu’s steps behind you as you walk, only speeding up when you’re certain he’s walking, too.
“That’s mean,” It doesn’t take long for him to catch up with you and walk by your side, shoulder against yours the whole way until the hotel that, fortunately, lies only 100 meters away. “I don’t give kisses to girls that are mean, you know.”
You arrive at the warm hotel fairly quickly and waste no time heading towards your room, acting like you’re eager to crawl under the sheets. In all honesty, you’re more eager to spend time with Mingyu without freezing to death – not that you’ll tell him that. You’ve boosted his ego enough for today, you suppose. Speaking of Mingyu – he walks with you, but you don’t look at him before you’ve entered the room, unable to hold back your smile at the pout that is evident on his face just like it was in his voice earlier.
“And what girls do you give kisses to?” You ask him as you take off your (his) jacket and throw it on the floor. His eyes find yours as he walks over to wrap his arms around you again, and just like every other time he’s touching you, it makes your heart beat faster. Nose brushing against yours, eyes smiling down on you, fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. You want to kiss him again.
“You.”
“What?” You laugh at his response, almost missing the way his eyes rest on your lips. Almost. “That makes no sen–”
You’re cut off by his lips pressing against yours for a mere second, soft and sweet for as long as you can taste them, and then he pulls away with a wide grin on his face. And you can’t even bring yourself to get mad at him for pulling away when he looks so fucking cute looking down on you, hair falling into his eyes a little.
“I love you,” He says after a while, and it’s like there are fireworks going off inside of you. You could’ve died from happiness right then and there.
“I love you, too.”
“Let’s go to sleep, baby.”
You nod your head, half in a daze. He loves you. Kim Mingyu loves you. And he doesn’t dissappear when you’re in the bathroom, changing, he’s still there when you come out – sitting on the bed, waiting for you. You smile at him and he smiles at you, hands latching onto your shirt and pulling you down next to him. He pulls you closer, legs entangled with yours under the covers as he presses a kiss to your forehead.
This night you fall asleep between Mingyu’s arms, breathing in his scent and feeling completely at ease.
—
The sunlight shining through the window is what wakes you up the following morning, inviting you to open your eyes only to screw them shut again. It’s way too early for that much light, you decide, rubbing your eyes before you realize it is, in fact, already almost noon. God, you’ve slept in. You almost get the urge to get ready for school, but then you remember – you’re at the seaside resort with Karina and Seungcheol. And Mingyu. You smile as you think of him, reaching to your left to touch him, but you’re only met with warm bedding underneath your fingers.
For a scary second, you worry that he’s left, or maybe even worse – that all the things you remember from yesterday never happened and it was just a dream. Fortunately, those worries evaporate when the door to the bathroom that is connected to your room flies open and none other than Mingyu himself walks out.
Which is great and all – except that he has a towel wrapped around his waist. Only a towel.
You try to divert your eyes, you really do, but it’s really fucking difficult when he’s standing two meters away from you with water dripping down his exposed chest to slip under the white towel that is the only thing shielding him from your sight. His hair is wet, too, falling into his forehead until he pushes it away, his arm muscles accentuated by the lighting. God, looking this good should be illegal. It’s not like it’s anything new that Mingyu’s hot, and yet the sight stirs up a heat between your legs, heart beating a little faster as you sit up on the bed, finally forcing yourself to look him in the eyes.
“Oh, hey,” He catches your gaze and flexes his muscles instantly – something that might’ve just made you laugh if it didn’t shoot straight to your pussy. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah, well, um,” You gulp a little too loud when you catch yourself looking down on his bare chest again. You need to focus, you think to yourself, closing your eyes briefly to collect your thoughts. “I don’t usually sleep this long.”
“Mhm,” You see him smile and then the bed bends under his weight as he plops down on it, arms reaching for you and pulling you close with ease. He nuzzles his head in the crook of your neck, lips fanning over the skin and making you shiver softly. All cute and all, except he’s still only wearing a towel and the warmth of his body is making you you lose your mind a little. “And do you usually look at people like that?”
Like what, you’re about to ask, but the words die down in your throat when you feel his big hands slip under your shirt and rest on your waist, and you know he knows you want him. It’s kind of embarrasing how big of an effect even his slightest touch has on you, but who can really blame you for feeling all hot and bothered when Kim Mingyu is lying in bed with you, his chest against yours and hips only a few centimeters away from meeting his? He smells so nice, too – the scent of his shampoo is making it impossible for you to even think about leaving his embrace.
“No,” You whisper instead, breath hitching when he lifts you up to place you in his lap. He’s leaning against the headboard now, finger still firmly gripping your waist as he leaps forward to plant a soft kiss to your neck.
“No?” He says this against the skin of your neck, sending shivers down your spine as his hands travel higher and higher until they fan over the back of your bra, asking for permission to take it off. You give it to him by pushing your chest out against him, hands grabbing at his arms under the excuse of keeping yourself steady. Though, in reality, you just really like his arms, and the feeling of his muscles beneath your fingers only serves to help a throb form between your legs.
“No, just you,” You basically moan out as his right hand gropes one of your tits, bra thrown onto the floor.
“Just me?”
He smiles against you, now pressing a kiss to your jaw, pushing himself up against you to reach more of your skin, and in that way, causing his hips to brush up against yours. Your grip on his shoulders tightens at the contact and so does the coil in your stomach – you might be wearing shorts and the towel is still wrapped around Mingyu’s hips, but that doesn’t change the fact that you can clearly feel how his hard cock is pressing into the side of your inner thigh, mere centimeters from where you want it to be.
It’s like he reads your thoughts, because in the next moment, he’s lifting his hips again so his clothed cock brushes up against you, and judging from the satisfied smile that settles onto his face when you gasp, he’s doing it on purpose. You can’t even say anything when his hand rests on your hip and pushes you down on his bulge, this time successfully rubbing against your clit.
God, you’re going to go crazy if the two of you keep pretending this is a normal cuddling session any longer. At this point, you’re positive both your panties and shorts are completely soaked, not to mention how painfully your pussy is throbbing with need – the need for Kim Mingyu to fuck you.
“Mingyu…”
“Mmm?” He hums absentmindedly, fingers moving lower until they rest against the waistband of your panties.
You only whine at him in response, deciding to take matters into your own hands when you see his amused smile, your hips rolling into his and your pussy clenching around nothing when it rubs against his cock. You can feel how his fingers dig into your skin, a soft moan escaping past his lips at the touch and you know you've won.
“What happened to the cute, shy Y/N?” He’s still smiling as he speaks, letting his hand push your panties aside and hover just a centimeter away from your dripping pussy. It makes you suck in a breath, and Mingyu smiles even wider. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“I’m still here,” You assure him, moving your hips just a little forward so they reach his hand. It takes all in you not to outright whimper when the palm of his hand grazes your cunt, the slight sensation enough to make your whole body go limp in his arms, your mouth resting close to his ear. “I just really want you to fuck me right now.”
And that’s all Mingyu needs to hear before he basically manhandles you so your back is flat against the mattress, the towel slipping dangerously low on his hips as he hovers above you with his chest against yours. You shiver underneath him, nipples pressing against the thin shirt you're still wearing, thighs rubbing together in an attempt to relieve yourself of some of the tension. Mingyu doesn't fail to notice any of that, quick to practically rip your shirt off and play with your tits with one hand, while the other pulls down your shorts and panties so he can press one finger flat against your clit.
“Mingyu,” You moan out, lifting your hips off of the bed to create some friction. “Please.”
“God, you're so eager,” He grins and runs his fingers over your tits as he starts moving his thumb across your pussy, smiling in satisfaction when he sees how you're practically dripping onto his hand. “And so wet. Is that just for me, baby?”
You can't even give him an answer when he pushes one of his fingers inside of you, still letting his thumb press against your clit. A whimper leaves your mouth when he pulls it out only to push it back in a second later, setting a quick pace pretty quickly. The room is already filled with the noises your cunt makes when he fucks his finger into you, adding another when he realizes you're still bucking your hips up, begging for more. His thumb starts lazily rubbing circles on your clit, and you moan his name, then bite your lip to muffle the noise.
“Don’t,” The way Mingyu pouts is a big contrast to the way his fingers curl inside of you as he pushes them deeper into your wet cunt. “Wanna hear those pretty sounds you make, okay?”
“Okay,” You whimper, tightening your grip on him when the finger rubbing your clit speeds up and he presses wet kisses into your neck, then down to your tits and stomach.
His hand that isn’t busy fucking you with his fingers settles on your hip as his mouth reaches your inner thighs. He kisses them softly and looks up at you, eyes dark and hair framing his face so nicely, before he dives between your legs, catcing you off guard when his fingers slip out of you, only to be replaced by his tongue that laps up your juices while he continues rubbing your now swollen clit.
“Feels so good, Gyu,” You say and you can feel him moan against your pussy, the sound sending vibrations straight to your core. It's embarrassing how close you are to cumming already, but in your defense, Mingyu knows exactly what he's doing when he drags his nose through your folds, letting one of his fingers slip through your walls again. You grab at his hair, not trying to hold back your moans anymore as his tongue presses against your clit.
“You taste so good,” He purrs against you, making you cry out in pleasure when his fingers hit that one spot that makes your toes curl.
It's all too much to handle – the way his finger is leaving and entering your pussy at a fast speed, plunging deep inside of you as he sucks on your clit – it's got your thighs closing around his head, hands pulling at his hair to bring him closer like that's even possible. You’re so focused on chasing your orgasm, that you almost don’t notice when he adds another finger to pump in and out of your cunt, making you feel so full that your eyes roll to the back of your head and you clench around him repeatedly.
You don't even get to warn Mingyu of your approaching high in any other way than holding tight onto his strong arms as your pussy clamps down on his fingers, your hips bucking into his face. The intensity of your orgasm has you grabbing at the sheets as you cum on his tongue and fingers, feeling a little empty when he retracts his hand from your heat.
“Mingyu,” You whine from overstimulation when his tongue laps at your pussy again, licking up all your juices before he sits up.
“Sorry,” Mingyu smiles in a way that tells you he doesn’t feel sorry at all, and waits until you prop yourself up on your elbows so he can kiss you.
You can taste yourself on his tongue when it slips inside of your mouth, but what occupies your mind more is the way he’s still got the towel wrapped around his hips, and his painfully hard cock is now pressed against your thigh, reminding you just how badly you want it inside of you. It doesn’t exactly help the case that Mingyu’s looking even hotter than before – his hair pretty much dry now, but completely disheveled, chin glistening with your slick.
Before you can get the chance to back down, you put your hand on his chest and let it trace his muscles until you reach where the towel is tied. Mingyu basically purrs into your mouth when you palm his cock over the fabric, his head falling onto your shoulder.
“I’m gonna fuck you so good,” He mumbles into your ear and you feel his words shoot straight to your pussy. “You want that, don't you?”
“Mhm,” You tell him as he pushes you down on the mattress again, your hands coming up to finally untie the towel that's shielding him from your hungry eyes. “Want your cock, Mingyu, please.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely.”
He helps you push the towel off of his hips and groans when his cock springs free – it's a pretty sound that would've totally made you feel even needier if you weren't too occupied staring at him with wide eyes instead. You can tell from his growing smile that you're only feeding into his ego, but you can't really help it – his cock is not only pretty, it's also really fucking big.
“Aw, are you scared it won't fit?” His thumb strokes your lip and you can see how his arm muscles tighten when he leans on them to align himself at your entrance. “Don’t worry, baby, I'll make sure it does.”
You shiver when the tip of his dick grazes your cunt, his arm helping you to wrap your legs around his hips. His breath fans over your face as he leans down to press a kiss to your cheek, and you feel both butterflies and heat spread in your lower stomach at the action. God, he really wants you dead. The smile on his face doesn't subside even as he starts rubbing his cock across your folds without warning, making you grab at his arms, moans leaving your mouth no matter how hard you try to hold them back each time he comes in contact with your clit.
To your defense, you weren't exactly expecting him to suddenly start smearing your arousal all over your swollen cunt.
His movements work wonders, though, and soon enough, you're clenching around nothing with each roll of his hips, dripping onto his cock like he's been touching you'd hours, when in reality, it only took five or so swipes of his dick to bring you to this state.
“Mingyu, please,” If his goal was to have you become a whining mess, he's definitely reached it, because now, all sense of embarrassment is thrown aside. “I want you inside of me.”
“Are you sure you can take it?” He asks, but you can tell he's just as eager as you when he positions himself at your entrance.
You nod vigorously and that's all the confirmation he needs to drive his cock into you slowly. He's trying to be gentle – you can tell from the way his lips are parted and his big hands grip your waist tighter – but that doesn't change the fact that he's stretching you out like crazy, small whimpers leaving your mouth as you try to adjust to his size. You've barely gotten used to having him inside of you when you realize he hasn't even pushed all the way in. You're already feeling incredibly full, but nothing beats the way you feel Mingyu’s cock deep inside of you when he finally bottoms out, your pussy sucking him in.
“You’re so tight, fuck,” Mingyu groans and you only clench around him harder at the praise, feeling your mind go a little hazy at how stuffed you are with his cock. “Making me wanna fuck you dumb.”
Do it then, you want to tell him, but then he starts moving and all plans you had of speaking turn into quiet whimpers as you dig your nails into his skin. He’s moving painfully slowly, but it’s still making your head spin when he pulls out only to push himself back into your tight cunt, stretching you out and making you feel every bit of his cock clearly.
At first, you manage to keep your eyes on Mingyu – the way his abdominal muscles flex with each leisure thrust, making you whimper a little louder than you would’ve otherwise, the way his cock creates a bulge in your stomach when he buries it deep inside of you, the way his mouth falls open in a groan whenever your walls tighten around him. After a while, though, you can tell he wants to go faster and truthfully – you want him to,
“Mingyu,” You mumble, tapping his shoulder lightly. He only hums absentmindedly in response, but his eyes meet yours, so you continue. “More, please.”
“More?” His eyes light up and he thrusts a little harder this time, experimentally, smiling when you let out a broken moan. “Yeah? Feels good?”
“Mhm,” You mumble, eyes fluttering shut when he draws his hips back only to push into you again, this time deep enough so that you feel him all the way to your stomach.
Satisfied with your answer, Mingyu positions your leg higher on his hip so he can thrust into you at a deeper angle – something that leaves you seeing stars when he picks up his pace, fucking you into the matress. Your hands grab at his arms to steady yourself while his hand cups your tits, face leaning forward to press open mouthed kisses to your neck, sucking on your sensitive skin softly.
“Feels so fucking good, baby,” He mumbles into your neck, sending shivers down your body and making you clench around him harder.
The coil in your stomach starts to tighten and your eyes roll to the back of your head as Mingyu hits that one spot that makes your toes curl in pleasure. He doesn’t miss your louder moans, smiling to himself as he continues to hit that spot, sucking marks into your skin. His thrusts are fast but far from shallow, making your mind go foggy, not able to focus on anything but the way he’s fucking you so good. You bury your hands in his hair, forgetting all about being embarrassed and whimpering his name with each thrust that pushes you closer to your orgasm.
“Mingyu,” You say. “I’m so close.”
This only urges him to go harder, now bringing his thumb to rub circles on your clit as well, the action making you almost scream his name, thighs starting to shake. You don’t even have to hold onto him anymore – which is good, because you’re unable to think of anything else than how his cock slips in and out of your sopping cunt – because his strong arms are holding you up, fingers sliding easily across your sensitive clit. Your pussy is clenching around him uncontrollably now, tears starting to prickle at your eyes from the stimulation and you almost don’t register the things he’s whispering into your ear with a hoarse voice.
“You’re being such a good girl for me, taking everything I give you.”
You nod your head dumbly and clench around him in response, unable to really gather your thoughts to form any sentence, but Mingyu doesn’t seem to mind, hand coming to grab at your hips and push them against him so he can reach deeper into your pussy. This is when you can’t hold it in anymore, a loud moan of his name leaving your lips as you cum around his cock, sucking him in tightly as if you don’t want him to pull out.
You can feel Mingyu’s smile against your neck as he continues to pound into you as you’re trying to recover from your second orgasm, chasing his own high. Whimpering from the overstimulation, you hold onto him as he twitches inside of you. It doesn’t take long before he’s moaning right into your ear – a sound that makes your breath hitch in your throat – and emptying his cum into you.
“Fuck,” He pulls out of you and you whine at the loss of contact. This makes him smile – his signature grin looking even better on him than usually, with his cheeks flushed and droplets of sweat forming on his exposed forehead. “You did so well, baby.”
You can feel butterflies swarming in your stomach at the praise, face contorting into a tired smile when he lies down next to you, strong arms pulling you closer until your head rests against his chest. His warmth engulfs you and you realize you’d have no problem falling asleep between his arms right now.
“That was really amazing, you know,” He says and looks down on you.
“I know,” You press a kiss to his jaw. “Round two in thirty minutes?”
Mingyu’s laughter fills not only the room, but your heart as well.
It is the season- and London is full of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, waiting to be swept up in a whirlwind of romance, passion and matrimony as they each fight their own battles for happiness in London's elite society.
An elaborate charade- that is what your life has been for these past few years, and it has taken the help of more than one person to balance your delicate lies and secrets. Now entering your final season as an eligible young lady seeking wedded bliss, will you be able to keep up the act in order to achieve your dreams?
You have always received the best of everything life has to offer: be it education, family, fortune or happiness. Mr. Yoon Jeonghan- one of the ton's renowned villains- cannot possibly bring you happiness of any kind, never mind wedded bliss. But can you evade Jeonghan's charms? Or will you find yourself falling victim to this clever rogue?
Viscount Joshua Hong is by far the most eligible bachelor in London. Rich, handsome, and renowned for his excellent manners and refined tastes. Young woman would kill for the chance to be the Viscount's chosen bride. But nobody can quite determine which of the young ladies he prefers, and you are beginning to have your doubts. Is the Viscount really as gentlemanly as the ton seems to think?
The Viscount's sister with an enormous dowry, beauty and unmistakable talent- you began the London season as the most desired woman in any room. But Jeon Wonwoo (a man who would rather hide in the library than dance at a ball) was beyond your comprehension. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it embroiled you into a scandal with a man you could never love.
Your debut in society was as spectacular as one could be, but nobody had prepared you for what came afterward. When you find yourself overwhelmed during your very first season and unable to keep up with the rat race to secure yourself an eligible husband, a curious mentor appears- in the form of notorious flirt and self-proclaimed rake, Mr. Kim Mingyu.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
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6. Closed Doors: Kwon Soonyoung (ongoing!)
Soonyoung had made peace with his station in life. A younger son of a little-known family, he was not set to inherit a fortune and had nothing to recommend him but his bright personality. Nobody expected Soonyoung to make the match of the season. But when you- a woman with ties to the royal family and riches beyond his imagination, a Duchess in your own right- seeks Soonyoung's hand in marriage, his life begins to spiral entirely out of his control.
A mixture of hard work and sheer good fortune had landed you a coveted position as the governess for Viscountess Hong's little sisters. But when the Viscountess' notorious younger brother returns from his time at Oxford, you find yourself treading dangerous waters. Mr. Lee Chan- with his boyish smile and passion for horses- seems determined to make your job very difficult indeed.
