i’m a kpop multistan who wasn’t allowed to listen to boy bands growing up, consider this the aftermath. hope i can give you guys something to dream about
listening to: enhypen, nct (minus wish sry), &team, boynextdoor, txt, p1harmony, 82major, b.i., riize/xnghan&xoul, jackson wang, xdinary heroes, & more (^з^)-☆
other interests: film, poetry, cats, other cute animals, activism, seafood (sry fish), language learning, art, & more
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masterlist:
short works based on members from various idol groups. all of my work is fiction/simply a reflection of my unhingedness imagination
☆ 11:48 PM (hyunjin - stray kids) angst college au
☆ 3:55 PM Series (niki - enhypen) angst small town au
☆ 10:00 AM, 10:07 AM (jaemin - nct dream) angst office au
more to come ٩( 'ω' )و
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wip:
??? (chenle - nct dream) fluff study abroad au
Long Weekend TEASER (sunghoon - enhypen) parents au
My Masterlist ;; Tasteless Part 1 ;; Part 2 Coming Soon!
Daywalker Vampire Jake x f!reader | Wc estimate: 17k-20k
Synopsis: Jake killed a man. Yes, you saw it. Yes, it happened on your front lawn. And yes, Jake did it with his bare fucking hands and teeth in the most graphic way you can imagine. But what happens now?
Themes: Small town au, runaway criminals, aged up au (mid-late 20s), loose soulmates au, angst, humor, fluff, Vamp Enha, blood + gore/ violence, roadtrip au, isolation/ loneliness, strong suggestive content, hurt/ comfort, death, heavy guilt, eating, reading, vomit, Blue Collar Jake x Stay-at-Home Reader, cursing, romantic slump?, friendship?, lots of vampirism, just buckle up for the ride
Guest Starring: Heeseung (Enhypen), Niki (Enhypen), Taehyun (TXT), Taesan (BoyNextDoor), Jungwon (Enhypen), Sion (NCT Wish), a few OCs, ...TBD
A/N: Soo excited for this :3 The vibe is a little different, but I absolutely love it! Like I'm barking at my screen. Estimated release is the end of the year, & I'll be making a taglist (comment/ send asks to be added!) Check out the Pt 1 mood board here
synopsis: after suffering relentless nightmares for months, your husband, Sunghoon, decides to plan a family trip. little did you know that that trip would be were those nightmares became reality.
synopsis: after suffering relentless nightmares for months, your husband, Sunghoon, decides to plan a family trip. little did you know that that trip would be were those nightmares became reality.
pairing: husband Sunghoon x reader | parents au | TEASER
synopsis: after suffering relentless nightmares for months, your husband, Sunghoon, decides to plan a family trip. little did you know that that trip would be were those nightmares became reality.
a/n: was supposed 2 be done for Halloween lol but i've been super hard on my writing. its getting fun again tho. thinking should i split it (2 parts) or just push thru its gonna get done regardless. also, titles are hard (send help!) missing timestamps
A/N: Putting this here for vibes! Full fic dropping this weekend :D Let me know if we want more because I have like 30 pins saved & this was fun af to make. Also, comment/ ask to be added to the taglist
Current wc: 5k+ | Estimate wc: 12k+? idek | Estimated Release: late October
Synopsis: Jake's been one of the most powerful beings in the world for centuries. He's not looking for excitement anymore. He just wants a simple life of solitude. And he's finally found it in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Then you walk in, setting his normalcy on fire.
Elements (for the entire work, not just the teaser): Tension, desire, obsession, Vamp Enha, death/ violence, small town au, angst, suggestive content, menstruation/ reader gets period, house party, dub con, BoyNextDoor members, hopefully crumbs of fluff lol, maybe more …
A/N: Wanted to share a snip from what I'm currently working on. Happy spooky season everybody 🧛🏽♀️
Jake whistles a tune as he unlocks the dealership door, his shoes continuing to click against the shiny tile floor. As he makes his way past BMWs, Benzs, and high-end Sudans to his office, he’s greeted by a wall adorned with his framed portrait 10 times over. A moderately different tie in one photo, shorter bangs in another, but all him nonetheless. Always with his same sharp smile, canines on full display, like he likes it.
Jake has been casting away in this small countryside town for a little over a year, been working here for almost 11 months. His life has become pleasantly predictable.
In this town, there are all but 3 supermarkets, 2 public schools, and 1 county jail. Cloudy weather and quiet streets are constant. By 9 PM on a Monday, the entire town is tucked away at home.
This level of mundane is the type of normal Jake dreamed of when he was living with his old coven. When he was still trying to manage the veil of his demons. When his desire felt unquenchable.
Now, he’s doing what he does best, and he’s having a damn good time while doing it. What better job for a mind controling vampire than a salesman?
In the months that he’d been living here, he’s never found himself particularly triggered by anything. All the blood here was the same because all the people here were the same. Or so he thought.
That was all before he got a whiff of you strolling down the parking lot one afternoon while his co-workers were out for lunch.
...
The parking lot full of options instantly overwhelms you. It feels like there are more cars in and around this dealership than there are people in this damned town. You find yourself window shopping as you journey down the concrete aisle toward the entrance. When you finally make it, you notice a sign on the door: “Out for Lunch”
You suck your teeth. There is no way you’re turning around after basically hitchhiking to get here. You had to ask your neighbor for a ride, which at the time felt like a very hard thing to do. If you had to drag yourself outside during your period, you were going to make the trip at least somewhat useful.
“Hello?” You knock on the glass experimentally. In the shadowy distance, you see what looks like a man. Blocking the sun from your eyes, you lean into the glass.
“Excuse me?” You tap the glass again. “Are you open? Seems like you might be the only one not out eating.” You force a laugh, trying to sound friendly.
That’s one of the things you hate about this town, all the fake fucking laughing. Everyone’s always feigning an amicable attitude, forcing smiles and pretending to be polite. It felt like everyone was in one big theater performance all the time. It’s exhausting, but it’s the only way you can get anything done properly around here, so you do it too.
Don’t tap the glass. The thought travels through your mind like a foreign agent. You straighten, taking a step back without thinking. Both hands return to your sides stiffly. The unexpected urgency of your movements makes your blood run cold. Maybe you don’t need to buy a new car today.
Jake uses your distraction to disappear into his office. He feels weak, like his knees could buckle if he stood there any longer. He shuts the door behind himself, instantly reaching for a bottle of peppermint oil he keeps in his desk drawer to mask the smell of unexpected killings and other everyday odors.
He can’t believe he smelled you from the parking lot. He douces his hands in the fragrant oil and rubs it over his hair, neck, and hands, hoping it’ll mask the scent of the customer, you.
Before he even steps outside his office, he can feel that you’re leaving. It’s like he can hear your footsteps on the pavement. Conflict rushes through him as he steps back onto the showfloor to see that you did indeed turn around.
Reasonably so, his telepathy must’ve freaked you out.
Still, he can’t believe you’re really just going to leave? He huffs, frustrated by all the questions mixing in his head. The least you can do after nearly giving him a panic attack is buy a car, so he can get the commission.
You were going to try and catch a bus home. That was the updated plan. Still, your feet stutter as you walk away from the dealership’s shiny windows. Your mind feels like a storm of contradiction. Then you hear the ring of a wind chime.
“Can I help you?” The employee shouts from the entrance. His head barely peeks out.
You pivot to get a better look at him. He looks pale under the cloudy sky. “I’m looking to buy a car. Can you help with that?”
He doesn’t say anything, he just scrunches his nose and opens the door further.
You saunter back to the entrance, a strong smell of peppermint filling your nostrils. You stare at the man skeptically as he lends you a similar distrusting gaze.
“I wasn’t sure if you guys were closed.” You watch as the man’s body takes up most of the doorframe.
“We’re not.”
You nod. Yeah, that much is obvious at this point. “Can I come in?” You point past him to the empty show floor.
Jake isn’t entirely convinced you’re not some evil, vampire-adjacent creature sent to disturb his peace. He can’t bring himself to formally invite you in. “Do what suits you.” He looks you up and down, stepping away as your hand reaches for the door.
Rude. You catch the door before it can fully close and walk into the showroom. It’s spacious, and the cars are all polished enough to see your reflection in the hood.
Jake lets you wander, grateful for the distance. He mulls over the familiar scent. Maybe he could just have one little taste—No.
He loosens his tie with a sigh. "How can I help you?" He forces a smile.
…
Later that night as he’s driving to his quaint home on the edge of town, the blood of a drunken bastard fresh on his lips, he’s hit by the scent once more. The scent of you. His foot instantly switches to the break, his head whipping from left to right. What— Where is that coming from?
Panic flashes over him. His neighborhood is empty, as usual. That’s why he picked it. There were only 3 families, 2 empty houses, and a park— he turns to see one of the empty houses spilling fluorescent light from every uncovered window.
In the window across the street stands you, holding a brown box. You’re moving in.
His heart sinks for the first time in decades. He didn’t even know that was still possible. Even after a meal, your scent starts a slow churn in his stomach. His fang throb with expectation. You’re an anomaly disturbing the peace, his peace. The peace he’s been waiting centuries for.
He sighs. It’s decided, he’s going to drain you.
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Again, this is just the teaser. More to come soon, so stay tuned~
A/N: I pulled bits and pieces from a few different scenes. This idea will not let me sleep lol, I hope you guys can be half as excited about it as I am :)
This is gonna take a little bit longer 😞 i’ve been outside too much, but she’s already at 10k! Hoping to have her polished & ready to go in a few weeks max
pairing: Niki x fem reader | small town au | total wc: ~18.2K
synopsis: The moment you and Niki have your first argument at a cutesy frozen yogurt shop out of town and everything that follows.
themes: different character POVs, angst, unlabeled/non monogamous relationship, time jumps, underage drinking, weed, Niki a year younger than reader, high school, college, poor communication, shorter reader, fluff, etc (listed in each part)
ft: Maki (&team), Taki (&team), Soul (p1h), Jo (&team), Jake (enha), Jay (enha), Heesueng (enha), Sunoo (enha), Sunghoon (enha), Jungwon (enha), Kazuha (le sserafim)
although i’m closing a chapter, ik imma revisit & critique these into next year lol. think i’ll write fully mapped out stuff moving forward (because i was gasping at straws in each part of this)
please look forward to the Sunghoon one shot i’m cooking up! i’m so excited (^○^) thanks for the love on that
synopsis: Niki hangs back after your first big movie night.
themes/elements: Y/N's POV, fluff, skinship, internal dialogue, reader is shorter than Niki, low-key gn-reader, generally happy & sweet vibes, let me know if i missed something
a/n: not proof read sorry! might clean this up later, but i fought to get it done as is lol. @aloveminsalade you helped me push thru and finish this. i hope its at least okay :D
likes, comments, and or reblogs are immensely appreciated!
The front door to you family house slams shut. A little aggressively if you might add. You can still hear the murmurs of friends through the closed door. If you had access to the doorbell camera, you’d probably be watching them discretely.
The living room was empty except for you. It smelt like cooked butter and slightly musty air conditioner. There’s still popcorn crumbs on the table. A few greasy finger prints decorate your parents’ favorite suede couch.
The air felt still. But full. In a good way.
You just finished hosting your first ever movie night and your jitters are still radiation off of you. It was a success. You just have unshakeable high tension.
You want to make it a rotating thing, one friend hosting each week for the rest of the summer. You’re unemployed, so you have a bunch of free time in particular. Right now, its just an idea, but you’re waiting to see if someone will circle back to it in the groupchat now that you’ve made the first step.
It is super duper unlikely you will be able to host next week. You begged your parents for a week straight to give you the house to yourself just for today.
Your dad was skeptical, but he didn’t really care as long it was on a weekday. He had work anyway. Your mom was harder to crack, she was a bit weary about strangers coming to her house unattended. You ended up having to make a whole power point presentation with pictures and descriptions for each person you were inviting.
That’s how you ended up hosting a movie night on a random Tuesday in July. High school you would be quaking. You might’ve been well-known because of student council and stuff, but you didn’t have a lot of people you considered friends until recently. Maybe you’re just more open to it now.
This is all part of your reform plan full of little ways you can improve your relationship with Niki. Today marked the beginning of step three: become friends with his friends.
Your first official step was to soft launch him on at least one of your socials. It was nothing special, just a caption-less picture of you two on FaceTime uploaded to your story. He liked that a lot, but he’s too nonchalant to admit it. The only reason you know is because he screenshot it and put it as his phone lock screen. He was giddy for days, probably annoyed Maki and Taki pretty bad.
Step two was having him interact with your parents somehow. You aren’t exactly ready to formally introduce him to them, but you know for a fact they’ve seen him from your doorbell camera. You let him get even by putting your phone call with them on speaker one day, this way he could east drop like how your Dads been spying. You weren’t sure how effective that was, but hopefully it demonstrates how comfortable you are with him.
Niki’s footsteps interrupt your train of thought.
He walks into the living room with a few trash bags and a roll of paper towels. He places the roll on the coffee table and tries to toss an empty plastic bag your way, but it barely gets anywhere and he fumbles to catch it while its falling. Its a little silly. He glances between you and the bag. His ears grow a little hot.
You look at him expectantly, wide eyes shifting between him and the bag.
A breathy laugh escapes through his nose. Little did you know that your ‘dear caught in headlights’ confused expression has Niki swooning. Its possible he likes being around you a little too much these days. He shakes his head, looking towards the hardwood floor with the tiniest smile. He makes his way over to you, handing you the bag properly.
You smile a little too, mumbling “Thanks,” as you take the bag from him with furrowed brows.
His lip twitches, but he simply nods in response.
You shove at his shoulder while he walks away. “Don’t act all cool,” you smirk, “you were juggling take out bags a second ago.”
Caught him. He shrugs, “Jugglings cool.”
“In your clown era, huh?” You raise a brow, resting the hand with the still empty bag on your hip, making a loud rustling sound in the process.
Niki scoffs, eyes scanning between the bag on your hip and your face. “What if I am?” he takes a step closer, tilting his head playfully. His eyes briefly peek at you your lips, like he’s checking if they’re still there.
You jut your lips out and narrow your eyes, staring at him like he grew a second head. You blink at him. He’s weird sometimes.
He laughs airily more to himself than anyone else. He closes the gap between the two of you, patting your head with a hushed, “Cutie,” departing his lips like a confession. Then seemingly casual as ever, he starts collecting abandoned glasses off the coffee table, stacks them in his hand, and makes his way back to the kitchen.
On the outside, you’re composed, considerably unamused even, but its hard to ignore the fluttering of your heart. You’re still getting used to the honeymoon stage. You try to clean like you’re unfazed.
A wave of ‘damns’ roar from outside the house interrupt your futile attempts to wipe up stubborn popcorn grease. You dust off your hands, place the makeshift trash bag down, and make your way toward the window to check out the commotion.
You peek through the blinds of the window nearest the front door. Niki walks up behind you, resting his head atop yours to watch the scene unfold outside your house. You suck your teeth.
Maki, Taki, Jake, and Heeseung stand on the lawn outside your parents house in a wide messy semicircle around your only lasting friend from high school, Kazuha. She stands with both hands on her hips and a tight smile. They’d been flirting with her all day. It was kind of annoying, but whatever. Maki cartoonishly rubs his hands together and takes a step forward, she puts her arm out before he gets anywhere near her. Jake bites his lip to suppress a chuckle. Jungwon watches everything unfold from against his parked car.
It hadn’t occurred to you that they might still be outside. You twist your lips, asking, “Think I should go outside?”
Niki looks down at you befuddled, “Why?”
“They’re bothering her.”
“Nah,” he drags out the 'h' lightheartedly and peers out the window again, looking closer this time. "They’re just messing with her."
That isn’t a very girls girl response. You put some space between the two of you and glance at him uncertainly, "Niki, be for real—"
As if on cue, your dad’s voice cuts in through the doorbell at full force. “GET OFF MY DAMN GRASS!” His voice is so loud you wouldn’t be surprised if his lips were kissing his phone’s microphone to maximize his reach.
Your neck whips back towards the window.
All the boys jump, even Jungwon who was safely on the pavement. Taki rushes into Maki’s arms, Maki holds him for a second before registering he’s hugging Taki instead of Kazuha. Upon realizing, he glares at Taki threateningly enough for him to retreat.
Jake bites his lip so hard you wonder if it might bleed as he scans the yard for the source of the scolding. Heeseung grabs Jake by his collar and drags him towards Jungwon’s car with deeply furrowed brows. By the time he reaches the back seat Jungwon is seated comfortably behind the steering wheel.
Kazuha is the most entertained you’ve seen her all night. Your pride takes a little offense since you imagined that sort of reaction going with the intentionally comedic film you selected, but you’re glad she’s alright. She’s the only person outside with the knowledge of your smart doorbell, let alone your father’s voice. She surveys the front of the house, noticing you and Niki perching at the window and waves humorously.
You wave back and watch her strut to her parked vehicle.
How long had he been watching? Although the the issue of your father repeatedly monitoring you through the doorbell camera came to mind, you decide to allow the wave of relief to wash over you instead.
Everyone is gone. Except Niki.
You spin on your heels to face him, placing a hand on his chest and fiddling with the fabric timidly. He looks down at you with a soft expression.
You gleam up at him, "Did you have a good time?"
He nods before you finish asking. "You?"
You nod, lending him a small, but genuine smile. "Do you have to go? I mean," you pause trying not to sound clingy, "What time are you heading out?"
"Whenever," Niki shrugs. A sign of amusement disguised as a breath sneaks past his lips as he tosses his arms around your shoulders, pulling you into a hug. "I’m down for whatever."
You hum in response and hug him back.
The quiet that engulfs you feels almost awkward on your end, but you doubt he feels it too. How did you get here? A piece of you doesn’t know what to do with the domesticity that has developed between the two of you.
You sigh, "We should get back to cleaning."
"When do your parents get home?"
"My Mom gets home around six," you close your eyes.
Niki lets one of his arms fall off your shoulders to dig in his pants’ front pocket for his phone. Its only 5:09 PM. He smirks at the screen triumphantly and pans the phone your direction, nudging you with the side of it to grasp your attention.
You open you eyes to the dim screen. You figured the sun was still high due to the time of year, but its generally earlier than you thought. This was really more of a movie day.
You wiggle out of Niki’s hold, scanning his face apprehensively. "Wanna come to my room?"
A beat of silence.
On the outside, the pair of you look very chill. Your too deep in your little nonchalant olympics to give Niki access to the part of you that was immediately mortified by your own question. You swear its more innocent than it sounds.
As you anticipated, Niki’s mind is in the gutter. He is equally composed physically, you are yet to see the cartwheeling adolescent boy hidden behind his stoic expression, although you do notice the red of his ears when you study him too hard.
He twists his lips and raises a brow, "Why?"
You aren’t expecting that question. "Because I wanna show you my room," you say it like you’re asking.
Another beat of silence. Now you’re certain you both feel awkward. This is real awkwardness.
So, you start rambling, "I always thought about how I really wanted to see your room in person when we started facetiming. I guess I just wanted to see it up close, ya know?"
He nods almost robotically, providing you with minimal comfort.
"Well, last time I came over I— I got to see your room and— it was cool and—"
He cuts you off as he rubs his chin obviously still processing everything, "Why was it cool?"
Now you’re both looking at each other confused. You look away first, "I don’t know." You know.
Niki tilts his head in search of your eyes, but you persistent in avoiding him.
"Seeing all your stuff, sitting on your bed, it just felt like— I got to see a more intimate part of you… And now I want to show you an intimate part of me… That’s all." It doesn’t really feel like a 'thats all' type of thing to say, but you’re becoming increasingly anxious as he inspects your facial expressions from the corner of your eye. You clear your throat and face him. "You wanna see?"
Niki’s whole face is tomato red, well maybe not that vibrant, but red nonetheless when you finally take a peek at him. All he can do is nod.
"We don’t have to be there long," you reassure him, "I just want you to look around real quick. I don’t even know if you know what I’m talking about." You almost laugh to ease the tension.
He nods again.
You begin walking towards you’re room, only stopping in your tracks when he grabs your wrist.
He peers between your face and hand and gives you a tight mouthed grin, "Actually, can we just— chill there for a minute?"
You're both mortified.
You nod once, curtly. And survey his face and your hands.
But that’s okay.
He slides his hand down you wrist and into your palm like its second nature. He stares like your tangled hands are worth looking at.
It might even suit you two.
You nod again, in response to nothing in particular with a face so flustered that it comes off as disapproving. You pull yourself together before he finally focuses on your face.
The ground beneath you is even. You’re seeing eye to eye. And you’re together. That’s more than okay.
pairing: husband Sunghoon x wife reader | parents au | MOOD BOARD
synopsis: after suffering relentless nightmares for months, your husband, Sunghoon, decides to plan a family trip. little did you know that that trip would be were those nightmares became reality.
general themes/elements: angst, thriller, cute married couple moments, nightmares/dreams, parenting, spirituality, missing persons, sexual tension, more...
teaser wc: 1.5K | current wc: 5.8K | est. wc: ~9K idk
a/n: i have several wips, but life was kicking my butt. thought id put this out in the nether to keep me motivated (plus I love this spooky lil story, happy Halloween). just slapped that name on b/c it doesn't have timestamp (yet?)
likes, comments, and or reblogs are immensely appreciated.
A few days later and Sunghoon’s already planned your long weekend family getaway. He arranges for the three of you to drive a few hours to a cozy cottage around Milford, Connecticut. The drive up is painless. You leave straight after retrieving Ian from pre-k.
While the house seems questionable from the outside, it’s surprisingly modern on the inside. It’s a one bedroom falsely advertised as two because of the pull out couch in the living room. There’s a small, well maintained outdoor pool and fire pit hidden in the overgrown backyard. The living room has a wood burning furnace that neither of you know how to use and the kitchen despite being up to date, is much smaller than the rest of the rooms. The bedroom and master bath leave no room for improvement. They were both comfortable, clean, and lined with rustic artwork. Every doorknob has beautiful intricate engravings that gave the place an extra once of whimsy. You adore it. You couldn’t have asked for more.
The owner of the property is an older lady, Miss Jasmine, who lives up the road at an equally quaint house. The house you’re staying in used to shelter her and her husband, but she can no longer stomach sleeping here after his passing a few years ago. Her children live out of state, but help her rent it out online, allowing her to make a sizable income that goes towards the mortgage of her new home.
After a lengthy chat over check in, she promises to regularly assist with the furnace and even watch Ian for a couple hours if the two of you need. You’re nearly consumed by shame when her offer for free childcare made you imagine lewd images of you with Sunghoon before any parental concerns. Sunghoon guarantees the two of you will call if you need anything.
Today is the first night of the local October night market. Sunghoon mentioned it nonchalantly after walking Miss Jasmine out. Its seems like a nice coincidence to you, but Sunghoon knew about it since he booked the place. Small vendors from all over the area set up tables offering niche good and services like airbrush tattoos and vegan mac and cheese. You, Sunghoon, and Ian trek there as a family immediately after dropping off your luggage.
Right now, you’re struggling to decide on getting your palm read by a white man with a controversial hairstyle wearing a colorful Baja hoodie while Ian tries to wander away. Sunghoon catches him out the corner of his eye and grabs him by his scarf. “Where are you off to, huh?” He yanks him closer and envelops him in a back hug.
Ian is four and tall for his age. He has one of those scratchy kid voices that make him sound more delinquent than he is. On the contrary, Ian is quite reserved. That’s why you call him your little mouse or mousey for short. He takes after his parents and is able to have a conversation through expressive eye contact just as efficiently, if not more than when he attempted to do so verbally. That’s probably why his first words came so late, he didn’t need them.
Ian peeks up at his dad with a raised eyebrow and points at the fried ice cream cart a couple stands over.
Sunghoon fights a smile, turning his attention towards you, “Babe.”
You avert you attention from the fortune teller’s brochure of services and spin on your heels to face your boys with you head tilted curiously.
Sunghoon nods over his shoulder at the fried ice cream cart.
You looks between Ian and Sunghoon with a growing downturn smile. “Did you ask?”
Ian looks away bashfully, “Can we have some ice cream, please?”
“We?” You arch a brow and crouch down to Ian’s level.
He nods, “You love ice cream mommy.”
You let out an amused laugh, “I do, but isn’t it a little cold for ice cream?”
Ian cringes like you’d said something genuinely offensive, shaking his head after regaining some composure.
“Its never too cold for ice cream,” Sunghoon chimes in.
His son glances up and nods. He fidgets with the fuzzy scarf around his neck pleading, “Its not even cold.”
Oh. Him and Sunghoon took after each other in that way because you’re definitely a little chilly. You loosen his scarf, mulling over an answer. “We can go in a second. Mommy is going to buy something from this table first, okay mousey?”
Ian sighs like a person much older than he is and nods.
You stand to your full height and exchange a look with Sunghoon. He purses his lips, glancing down at Ian sympathetically then back up at you. You squint your eyes at him knowing he’s challenging your decision. The two of you stare each other down, communicating wordlessly all while Sunghoon still holds Ian in his grasp. He starts it, it goes like:
You said I’m supposed to take care of him this weekend.
Well, I’m his mom.
But we’ve been standing at this table for ten minutes.
Its barely been seven.
You don’t even know what you’re buying yet.
You cave first.
Sunghoon taps Ian and points at a sign in front of the fried ice cream cart. “What number does that sign say?”
Ian cranes his neck up to look at his dad and points at the sign as a way to confirm they were talking about the same sign.
Sunghoon nods.
“I see a five,” Ian says un certainly, oblivious to his father’s intent.
Sunghoon lets go of Ian and fishes in his pocket to retrieve his wallet. He pulls out a five dollar bill and wags it in front of Ian teasingly. “Go see if that’s how much how much it costs.”
Your son’s face lights up. He’s already taking a step away from the two of you when he asks, “Then, can I get some?”
“You might be able to get some today and tomorrow if that’s the price,” Sunghoon nods.
Ian runs towards the cart before you can give Sunghoon a sideways glance. “I thought you wanted him to stay home.”
He stride closer to you and places his hands on either sides of your waist. “Well, if he’s here he might as well have some fun,” he shrugs.
Your face softens. You’re too endeared to be bothered.
“And by fun I mean sugar because we are not doing crap all weekend,” he cringes.
You swat at his chest. He pulls you in and kisses the top of your head. You close your eyes and relax into him for a few meekly seconds before anxiety pries your eyes open, forcing you to check for Ian at the neighboring cart. You don’t see him.
You push Sunghoon off you as your face hardens all over again, the deep crease between your eyebrows reappearing.
Sunghoon looks down at you confused.
“Where’s Ian?”
Sunghoon’s posture stiffens.
“Here, Mommy.”
You look down and notice Ian standing in front of you and his father with a cup of what looks like a ball of fried pancake batter in his hand. He looks between the two of you with a perplexed frown. He taps his dad and extends one of his hands with the five dollar bill he was previously gifted. “They said it was five dollars, but I was cute so the lady gave it to me for free. I told her we’ll be back tomorrow.”
Sunghoon stares down at the bill. Ian shakes it like he’s running out of patience. Sunghoon grabs it and returns it to its place in his wallet.
You watch Ian like he was a ghost, eyes glossed over and quivering. Sunghoon noticed. He was watching you like a hawk. Although you never told him what what happens in your nightmares specifically, it was moments like this when he could guess. But he didn’t push.
Ian looks between the two of you slightly disturbed and annoyed by the awkwardness that has overcome the group. He sighs and scoops up the first bite of ice cream offering it to you with a nod. You bend down generously and eat it off the spoon. There’s a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside the chewy fried dough. You hum at the taste and stimulating texture. “Wow,” you give your son an exaggerated and jovial thumbs up trying to lighten the mood.
He smiles and faces his father, “You want?”
Sunghoon shakes his head, “You first.”
Ian nods and takes a big bite of his own, struggling to break the batter evenly. He immediately starts doing a little dance with his eyes still closed from the immersive bite he’d just served himself. You giggle at Ian’s tiny dance. Sunghoon mocks him with a goofy expression and rustles his hair. “Lets get some dinner to go with that dessert.” He reaches for your hand and nudges for Ian to walk ahead of the two of you towards the line food trucks in the distance.
pairing: Niki x fem reader | small town au | total wc: ~18.2K
synopsis: The moment you and Niki have your first argument at a cutesy frozen yogurt shop out of town and everything that follows.
themes: different character POVs, angst, unlabeled/non monogamous relationship, time jumps, underage drinking, weed, Niki a year younger than reader, high school, college, poor communication, shorter reader, fluff, etc (listed in each part)
ft: Maki (&team), Taki (&team), Soul (p1h), Jo (&team), Jake (enha), Jay (enha), Heesueng (enha), Sunoo (enha), Sunghoon (enha), Jungwon (enha), Kazuha (le sserafim)
status: complete!
Part 1 (3:55 PM) wc: ~4K
Part 2 (7:57 PM) wc: ~5.9K
Part 3 (9:23 PM) wc: ~6.1K
Epilogue (5:09 PM) wc: ~2.2K
last updated: Dec 28, 2025
a/n: thanks for stopping by & big big thank you to everyone giving this love
npt: @saintsqueensbutchers, @mycovenclaudia, @croweden, @feralnataroni, @puppysepulchre, @rippedpatches, @tiredandsapphic and to everyone else who wants to join!!
"Character" just being Anok Yai? 😭 To be fair, I am obsessed. Everything pretty much checks out ✮⋆˙ Thanks for the tag Starri!
tagging the chef @kpapidontknowme @anyone-else... lmao I don't interact with a ton of ppl on here, so if you see this you're formally invited to join 🫡
very accurate :) ngl i’m eating up how some of the same things are popping up for several of us. shout out communal experiences
ty @rrradduh for the tag!! passing on to @mweoga @aloveminsalade (hope you don’t mind the tag again lol) @liuvisions @kongjjen (because i sent you an ask once & you were so sweet)
it comes from my 5th grade music group that happened during the first year of Covid when we were stuck at home hence the Home part, then glitch is because computers glitch. Once I left I took the name with me
Also sorry if you get tagged multiple times moots, we share them
I originally made my username as a joke for a fanfic I was writing, and just combined three of my favorite things: poetry, potatoes, and the color purple! 💜
Some moots! (No pressure!): @queenofhalloween94 ; @dream-land-gurl ; @lov3rachan ; @justwonder113 ; @mlsohee ; @dea-nimus
i had this fascination over the name kim kisun. and then i thought of usernames. and then came 'to kim to the ki to the sun' but obviously it was too long and i cut pieces from here and there.
my orignal username on tumblr when i first started writing was hyperdramas...and i don't remember where it even came from 😭 easy answer would be to say its inspired by the album that a song i was obsessed w last year (neverender by tame impala & justice) came from (the album itself being named hyperdrama) BUT i've used the same handle for almost 2 years now so...that doesn't make much sense to me 😭
seokminfilm came about because of seokmin and his love for cameras. i combined seokmin's name and the word "film", and therefore seokminfilm was born!
tagging my favorites! @hanniescookie @1009high @chwerio @callisrecords @himewonu @realmofclouds @kwnnies and anyone else who wants to chime in!
my first user (macapunoz) comes from the word macapuno which is something relating to coconut (but in my head i took it from coconut jelly or paste on those jars…)
then i wanted to make my user more related to svt and something else i love ! the word hime comes from a j-fashion style i always do everyday called himekaji (meaning casual princess) (or in tiktok terms 😭 “shoujo girl” style) so himewonu means princess wonwoo (◡‿◡✿)
tagging ! @ihankaji @riumori @starshuas @wooahoe @coriihanniee @beomniiz + anyone else who wants to join (>‿◠)
I can't exactly remember my first username bcs I only used this app to read so I didn't bother paying any attention to the aesthetics of my account before 😭 I started writing a few weeks after attending the seventeen concert in my country where I had major pcd and changed my user to cinnashuas (combination of cinnamoroll, my fav sanrio character, and Joshua, my svt bias, plus carats say Joshua resembles cinnamoroll a lot !!)
I changed my username to my current one (coriihanniee) in the middle of my first bnd smau bcs I was certain I would most likely use my account to mainly write for boynextdoor since they're my ults, coriihanniee is just a combi of leehan's fav fish (corydoras) and his own little nickname (ihan) !!
tagging - @ring4hiy @prodkwh @kjwluvr @lovehakie @taestulipss @pupillary + anyone else who wants to join! 💕
i actually only started using tumblr in july and i had seen so many amazing writers and wanted to write too since i had been a onedoor since debut and my bias is woonhak so love + (woon)hakie!!
pretty simple name actually...
tagging: @starriniqhts, @nanaluvsyouu, @ilysungho (i fear its too obvious...), @altersin, @ring4hiy + anyone that wants to join!! (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
The first fic I ever wrote on here was a leehan fic and I was REALLY getting to them and tried to find names associated with Leehan so I thought of stars and starry + ihan (how his name is pronounced in Korean) = starrihan :)
Lol soo… Does anyone know the 2000s cartoon called Chowder? The character Schnitzel (the tall grey chef thing) only says the phrase “radda.” It was the first thing that came to mind, but I made the spelling cute 😭 Not Kpop related at all, just me being impulsive :P
Thanks for the tag!
Tagging: @kpapidontknowme @guppiechuu @jongst4rs + anyone else who wants to join in
my user name is silly. me & my friends used to call kpop guys k-papis (kpop combined with papi) so my username basically means “kpop dudes don’t know me” which is a lie because yechan must remember me deep down in his heart
Synopsis: The fine, reserved dealer you've had your eye on finally asks you out... Or well, sort of asks you out. He didn't really say whether or not it's a date. Now you're left to decipher the indistinct difference between red and beige flags. But he's so cute tho!
Themes/ Elements: University au, summer au, food/ eating, weed smoking + stoner reader!, swearing, tension, mild angst, fluff!, humor, suggestive content, flirting, kissing, overthinker reader!, English lit major reader, slight bad trip, minor jump scare?, everyone's messy af
A/N: 8k+? Each part just keeps getting longer lol. Luvah prnounced like 'lover' btw
ft. Chaewon (Le Sserafim), Xiaojun (NCT/ WayV), Harua (&team), mentions of Maki (&team), a bunch of made-up random people...
“It’s official! I know who my husband is going to be!” You shout from the front door of your apartment, loud enough for the neighbors to hear. You slip off your shoes, dancing your way toward the fragrant-smelling kitchen. “And he’s exactly who you think he is.”
Your roommate, Chaewon, stands at the kitchen stove, with an amused look in her eyes. She’s in house shorts and a lousy t-shirt. “You mean your landro boy?” She slips on a pair of oven mitts and opens the cooking contraption, removing a loaf of bread.
“Landro boy is no more. He’s lover boy now.” You extend your index finger matter-of-factly. “Also, it smells like heaven in here. Did you make bread from scratch?” You ogle, resting on a stool at the kitchen counter.
“Thanks, I got bored. Took a couple of things from work too.” She rests the pan on the stove and slips off the gloves.
You notice a takeaway container of veggies. You hum, plopping a baby carrot into your mouth.
“So are you gonna explain?” She snickers at your distracted state.
You blink at her with blank eyes, a piece of zucchini between your teeth. “Sorry, munchies. Remind me to go snack shopping.”
“Focus. Explanation first, snacks later.” Chaewon throws an oven mitt at you.
“Right.” You straighten up in your seat, ready to dramatise the happenings of your day for your live-in bestie. “I went to his house today.” You nod pleasantly.
“Okay?” Chaewon leans forward onto the counter.
“We talked and smoked, and I now know for a fact that he doesn’t hate me.”
She raises an eyebrow at you. “Is that so?”
“It is.” You hum.
“And how do we know that?”
“He kissed me on the cheek before I left.” You deliver definitively.
Your roomie snorts, thoroughly amused. “The way you walked in here shouting, I almost thought you got some.” She smirks.
You scoff, clutching your imaginary pearls. “My dear friend, what do you think of me?” You act scandalized, drawing a laugh from your one-woman audience. “Besides,” you pause for dramatic effect. “The future is full of endless opportunities, especially since he asked to see me again tomorrow.”
Her laughter seizes at that. She switches from skeptical to excited. “Like a date?!”
You shrink into yourself slightly. “Well, I don’t really know.”
“How don’t you know?” The excitement in her voice wavers.
“He just said he wants to talk.” You make air quotes. “But he called me nice and pretty, and he asked if I was seeing anyone, so maybe.”
Chaewon hums judgingly. “Strike one,” is all she adds.
“Go easy on him, Chae. The dating pool in this city is atrocious. I’m just happy he’s house-trained, a win is a win.” You banter to your surprisingly unenthusiastic audience.
“You barely know this guy, it’s only a win because he’s hot,” she chides. “He could’ve properly asked you out.”
“I’m not disagreeing.” You shrug, downing another baby carrot.
A comfortable silence settles between the two of you.
“So what’s the plan?”
You blink, a lost expression blooming on your face. “What do you mean?”
“You can’t walk into this defenseless. Last time you went out with a dealer, you ended up wasting half of your semester in your room listening to sad music and smoking cheap weed.”
You huff. “First of all, Nicholas isn’t my dealer. He’s just a guy whom I happened to buy weed from once.” You put up a finger for emphasis. “Second of all, that guy was a serial-cheating asshole. He was more run through than a football field.”
“I hear most guys like that are. How do you know lover boy is any different?”
You sigh. “I forgot how synical you are of men. Makes this a lot less fun.”
The bored look in your eyes sends Chaewon into a fit of laughter. “Don’t get me wrong! I’m happy for you, I just want you to be careful.”
“I will be.” You lend her a soft smile. “Luckily, I don’t think Nicholas is like that.”
“I trust your judgement.” Chaewon nods, supportively, trying to match your energy a bit more now. “Worst case scenario, you can always tell if he’s a manwhore by the way he acts during sexy time.” She wiggles her eyebrows, picking up a vegetable and eating it.
It’s your turn to snort now. “What’re you talking about?”
“If he’s sincere, he’ll be nervous.” She speaks confidently with a mouth full of food.
“That’s not a real thing.” You roll your eyes.
“Sure it is. I live and die by that rule.” She makes prayer hands, looking up dramatically.
“That doesn’t make it true, Chae.” You tilt your head at her, unconvinced.
“Yeah, well, you calling him your husband doesn’t mean he’s gonna marry you.”
You grab the oven mitt she threw at you earlier and launch it at her across the table.
She ducks down quickly enough to dodge it. “Suddenly I’m having a change of heart.” She slowly inches back to her full height. “Should we rent a wedding dress for tomorrow or do you wanna keep it casual?” She jokes, making both of you giggle.
…
6:54 PM
You stare at the blue awning, rereading the words “Wang’s Washers” for the umteenth time. You’d been standing outside the laundromat for the past ten minutes, worrying if your punctuality is too chalant for a first-time hang-out.
It’s humid as ever. You’re able to survive the evening air with a maxi skirt and a tank top. The sun is still out, deceiving your sense of time. One more minute, then you’ll head inside.
As you scroll your phone mindlessly, awaiting the end of your one-minute prison sentence, you notice two girls around your age stumble out of the establishment. One of them has a hand over her mouth and eyes the size of golf balls. The other giggles and sputters, stuffing a small black pouch into her purse.
One of their feet knocks into a silver water dish meant for stray cats near the entrance. The metal clanks loudly against the girl's shoe, stealing your attention. Water splashes onto the pavement.
“Shit.” She mutters under her breath, still obviously reeling from whatever just happened inside the laundromat. She laughs breathlessly. “You did not prepare me for him to look like that.”
The other young lady tsks. “Now you understand why I’ve been gatekeeping him.” They both stop in the middle of the sidewalk, a few steps away from the front of the shop.
“That ship has sailed. He could barely keep his eyes off of me.” The friend retorts cockily.
“Yeah, right. Get in line.” The other scoffs, checking her appearance with her phone camera. “I heard from a friend that he’s packing more than a few grams if you know what I mean.” She pockets the device with a smug look.
“I think I’m more of a visual learner.” The other friend jokes, causing the pair to erupt with laughter as they walk down the road.
Well then. That conversation had a lot less to do with Ocean Breeze laundry detergent than you were expecting.
You stand with a dumbfounded expression, feet rooted to the concrete. They must’ve just come from talking to Nicholas. Chaewon’s warnings echo in your head as you glance into the distance.
No. You shake your head, determined not to be deterred. So what if girls talk about him? You push at the glass doors of the laundromat before you can talk yourself out of it again. It’s 7 o’clock on the dot now. You’re perfectly on time… Maybe too perfect.
Pushing the doubt aside, you walk to the front desk of the near-empty establishment. A couple is sitting on chairs in the corner, and an old man in the back is folding clothes. The roaring sound of rickety electronic fans and the low buzz of TV fill the space. When you notice there’s no one to greet you, you ring the bell atop the counter.
DING
You wait patiently, observing the details of the long-standing family business. It’s a little worn down, but it’s clean, and it smells really good. You can understand how Nicholas has managed to sell weed here undetected. It’s a tranquil business. The soap powder and damp clothing completely disguise the scent of the drugs he’s undoubtedly hiding in the back room.
As you busy your mind counting as many floor tiles as possible, a whiff of cologne hits your nose. Looking up, you lock eyes with the man of the hour.
The laundromat heir walks out of the backroom with a crossbody bag on his shoulder and his phone in his hand. He wears a black tee, distressed jeans, and an unfamiliar pair of glasses.
He slides his phone into his pants pocket, a smile overtaking his features when he sees you. He runs a hand through his hair, eyes softly observing your outfit. “Hi.”
“Hey,” your voice sounds more winded than you’d like. He looks good. You understand why the girls seemed to be up in arms about him earlier.
“You look pretty.”
“You too.” You reply, head empty. “I like the glasses.”
“Maki said you might.”
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day, I guess.”
Your comment goes unaddressed aside from his all-consuming gaze. He bites his lip, buffering momentarily. “Should we…?” He points at the door.
“Yeah,” you nod more than necessary, taking a step back from the furniture that divides you.
He walks from behind the counter, shouting something in Mandarin to his father, who you see walking out of the shop’s customer bathroom. The old man stretches his back, waving lazily at his son before wobbling off to sit and watch TV somewhere. They exchange a couple of words you don’t understand, but you try to follow along anyway.
All of a sudden, you feel a warm arm cascade over the length of your shoulders.
“Are you hungry?” Nicholas asks, his voice warm and fuzzy.
You glance between his eyes and his hand on your shoulder, face growing hot. “I could eat.” Your voice calm while a flurry of butterflies rage in your stomach.
“Good.” He drags you out of the establishment, holding the door open for you with his free hand. “There’s a place with really good dumplings around here. Do you like dim sum?”
The stale air hits you instantly. Does going out to eat mean this is a date? “I like dum sum.” Your brows crease as you overanalyze.
He laughs at your thoughtful expression. “Then I guess we’re getting dim sum.”
“I guess we are.”
“Stop copying me.”
“Or what?” You cock your head at him.
“Or I’m gonna force you to sit down and enjoy a meal with me.” He leans in, smugness written across his face.
“Oh no, I’m so scared.” You cover your mouth, feigning terror.
He laughs, looking away from you.
The two of you walk side by side. You decide to wrap an arm around his waist to avoid it awkwardly bumping into his side. You’re still shocked by how lean he is when your hand makes contact. It sends your mind back to the infamous shower incident, but you drop-kick the thought out of your head as quickly as humanly possible.
Neither of you stresses conversation. The occasional bird chirps, and passing car stereos fill the silence for you. It only takes you a few minutes to reach the restaurant; it's a quaint eatery decorated with bright reds and neutrals. There are a few patrons scattered about the space, mostly families, and a single diner or two.
Nicho enters before you, his arm finding its way back to his side, while yours does the same. As he steps in, a boyish host with sharp features and distinguished eyebrows approaches him. Nicho smirks, clapping their hands together in a handshake.
“Man, it’s been too long!” The host beams.
“And whose fault is that?” Nicholas jests.
“I guess we’ll never know.” The pair shares an amused knowing look that goes completely over your head. You stare at the exchange as if the answer will reveal itself through their silence. This brings the host’s attention to you. His thin lips form a genuine smile. “And to whom do I have the pleasure?” He delivers smoothly.
“This is Y/N.” Nicholas gestures at you, stationed passively behind him.
“Hi, I’m Xiaojun.” The striking individual extends a hand out for you to shake.
“Nice to meet you.” You slip your palm into his, smiling. His shake is absurdly delicate, like he’s holding a flower petal and doesn’t want to rip it off the stem.
“Alright, you two must be hungry.” Xiaojun claps loudly, retrieving his hand from your grasp. “Should I sit you guys near the bathroom, or are you potty-trained now, Nicholas?” His voice is so friendly, you almost miss the sarcasm. He grabs two menus off a shelf.
“Ignore him. We’ve been neighbors since I was 5, and he hasn’t matured since.” Nicholas covers his mouth as he whispers to you.
A little laugh makes its way past your glossed lips. You turn to Xiaojun. “I think we’ll take our chances.”
Xiaojun tsks. “She’s a betting woman. I like her.” He walks his way to a two-seater table near a front corner of the eatery. The table sits against the large glass storefront windows. He places the menus down with care.
You sit with your back to the entrance, effortlessly distracted by people walking by on the other side of the thick glass. The sun is starting to set.
The host hovers close to your sorta-date as he settles onto the slightly wobbly chair. Before Nicholas can address the weird looming presence, Xiaojun snickers, leaning to the boy’s seated height. “Heads up, these are shark-infested waters.” The boy’s thick brows draw together, a crease forming. “They’re both working tonight.”
You look behind your chair, inspecting the decorative potted plant for signs of a hidden camera, because there is no way this man just whispered that to your nonconfirmed-lover-boy. It would make more sense for you to be on a prank show.
You blink. Both? As in two separate… Sharks?
Nicholas grabs the host's shoulder with a tight-lipped smile. “Word from the wise, try not to use the word infested in a restaurant.”
Catching onto Nicholas’s effort to dance around his comment, Xiaojun retreats, briskly moving away to fetch the two of you some water.
You fall into a comfortable conversation with Nicholas, attempting to conceal the fact that you are constantly checking the horizon for any potential sharks. You talk about your days, both having worked for the better portions of the hours so far. Nicholas seems to be more comfortable than before; you feel your own shoulders relax every time he says something mildly dorky or smiles a little too unrestrainedly.
“Did you smoke before this?” You tilt your head, genuinely curious. Your question cut him off, but it can’t be helped now.
Nicholas laughs, caught off guard. “No, why?”
You blow a raspberry with your lips thoughtlessly. Leaning an elbow on the table, you prop your head up on your hand. “I don’t know. I guess you look really relaxed.”
“Do I?” A smile materializes out of thin air. He leans in, resting an arm on the table. “Say more.”
That makes you chuckle. For some reason, you feel embarrassed. “I don’t wanna psychoanalyze you and make it weird.”
“It’s not weird if I ask you to do it.” His voice is deep, but soft, like he just woke up.
“Something about you feels like you’re on a beach drinking bottomless mimosas.” You wanted to throw in a comment about him looking like he has a stick up his ass on a semi-regular basis, but you keep that part to yourself.
He hums, sipping his glass of water. It’s ice cold, and you’re sure the condensation makes his hand wet. He wipes his palm on his jeans under the table.
“Do you come here often?” The question rolls off your tongue aimlessly.
“When I was younger, yeah. My parents are friends with the owners.”
“Maybe that’s why.” It’s your turn to sip water. The ice clinks around in your glass.
He scoffs humorously, gaze casting down at his clothed legs.
You lower the glass from your lips. “You know, like this place activates your inner child or something.” You over-elaborate. Why is he laughing? You look at the rosy tips of his ears, was it that amusing? You go back to drinking.
He shakes his head, looking up, but not quite meeting your eyes. “Right. Definitely not because I’m happy to spend time with the girl I’m interested in.”
That instantaneously sends the ice-cold liquid rushing down the wrong pipe. You cough into the glass of water. Now why the fuck would he say that so casually—
“Hi, are you two ready to order?” A waitress walks up to your table, pen and notepad in hand.
Nicholas, who was laughing his ass off a moment ago, turns to her. The humor slides off his cheekbones, a drastic shift in atmosphere occurs. “Uh, can we have another minute?”
The young lady taps her pen against the wad of paper in her hand. She’s glaring at him. Not the vilified ‘Gen-Z’ stare, no. She’s actually glaring, like he killed her pet dog.
You’re still wiping water from your chin as you watch the staredown unfold. Eager to confront her bloodlusty gaze, you prepare your most polite voice. “Um, excuse me—“
“Like an actual minute, or are you still a liar?” She snides at Nicho, not even sparing you a glance.
Well, that didn’t seem very professional. Who the fuck is she?
Nicholas tucks his lips, conjuring all of the patience in his being before replying: “Give us five then.”
“Kitchen closes soon.” She throws one final dig, then disappears back into whatever cave she crawled out of. Her lengthy ponytail sways as she walks away.
This must be the shark—or at least one of them. You turn back to Nicholas, who reads the menu expressionlessly. His resting bitch face is slowly reappearing.
“I’m guessing you guys know each other?” You say, lifting your own menu for the first time since you’ve sat down.
“Kind of.” Is all he offers. Secretly, he’s kicking himself for choosing to take you somewhere in his neighborhood.
Chaewon’s words hit you, again, like a chill up your spine. No, that's ridiculous. You hum to yourself, amused. Certainly, some middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a camera crew will be making an appearance before the end of your meal to let you in on the practical joke that must be taking place.
“What does kind of mean?” Your eyes remain glued to your menu.
“She’s Xiaojun’s sister.” He says casually.
You release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. See, everything has a reasonable explanation. Looking back on it, the physical resemblance is definitely there. “Their energies sure are… different.”
Nicholas tuts, placing his menu back on the table. There wasn’t much need for him to look anyway; he’s been here a million times. “Don’t hold it against her. She just hates me specifically.” He stretches in his seat, arms lifting over his head.
“What’d you do? Break her favorite Barbie doll as a kid?” You give him a once-over.
He lets out a weak, dry laugh, picking his menu back up. He glances down at it. “What’re you getting?”
The menu is a dense and easily overwhelming. If you were left up to your own devices, you’re 1000% sure you’d need more than 5 minutes. “What do you recommend?”
He throws out a few suggestions. Eventually, you land on something that you’re sure you’ll like. Almost instantly after you’ve decided, Xiaojun’s sister approaches the table with the remnants of a scowl across her face and takes your orders. She leaves just as quickly as she had appeared.
“So…” Nicholas drums his fingers on the table quietly.
“So…” You mimic his tone of voice.
“How’d you meet Euijoo?” He fights the urge to roll his eyes at his lackluster question.
“We took the same class a couple of semesters ago. After that, we kept bumping into each other, and now he’s my second favorite party guest.” You nod as if to agree with yourself.
“Who’s the first?” Nicho tilts his head curiously.
For a second, you look at him as if her were stupid. That was your version of flirting. Unfortunately, the ball ended up so far away from the basket that it went flying over his head.
“What?” He asks innocently.
Mildly ashamed of the absolute air ball you just threw, you sip from your water.
Nicholas blinks. “Wait— Was it— Are you talking about me?” He says incredulously, leaning forward. “Am I supposed to be number 1?”
You nod in a barely noticeable way.
“Aw, that’s cute.” He coos.
“Shut up.” You roll your eyes, placing your drink back down.
“So I’m your favorite party guest?” He pridefully salts the wound.
Huffing, you reply, “Not anymore.”
“But I avenged your broken vase.”
“After you rejected smoking with me.” You point an accusatory finger at him.
He rolls his eyes now. Sassy. “Yeah, after you stole from me.”
“I didn’t steal it. Your father gave it to me.” You slouch, a faint pout on your lips.
“And you kept it.” He pushes back, smugly.
You cross your arms. You’d rather hold your tongue than admit defeat.
Sure, some might say you stole it. And maybe that same some is right. Still, it’s not very nice to hear it out loud. His word held no bite, only a smooth, challenging flare. Thinking back on it, the entire situation was absurd.
Your brows knit together. “How’d that even happen anyway?”
Nicholas lost the point as he stared at your thoughtful pout. “How’d what happen?”
“There’s no way you keep your bud next to the actual laundry orders, is there?”
Nicholas laughs, somewhat embarrassed. It’s kind of stupid to admit it. “Well…”
Your jaw drops. “That’s insane. You’re a crazy person.”
“I swear I’ve never had a slip-up before.” He defends himself urgently.
“Shouldn’t you at least use different bags? Like one goes in paper bags, and the other goes in plastic.” The food arrives as you do your best to strategize a better system. It’s seeming hot, the smell fills your nose, and as if on command, your stomach growls.
“Someone’s hungry.” Nicho teases.
You glare at him wordlessly.
“Besides, it’d be really fucking weird if my dad picked up on me using different bags all of a sudden. It’d turn into a lecture about how plastic doesn’t grow on trees or something.” He shrugs, reaching for his chopsticks.
That part hadn’t crossed your mind. You hum in understanding. “I guess you’ve had a while to figure this out.”
He shakes his head, not quite agreeing, but also not distinctly disagreeing. “Only like 2 years.”
“What made you start selling?” You grab your own chopsticks now.
He peeks at you from the corner of his eye, growing a little weary of all the questions.
You retreat instantly, noticing how it sounded. “I promise I’m not a cop. I was just curious.” A hand atop your heart.
He eases. “My friend had a connection with a plug, and I really wanted to move out of my parents’ place. Living with them and working at the ‘mat was like hell.” He takes a bite.
You do the same. There wasn’t much to say. It’s easy to sympathize with his situation. You can’t imagine what you’d do if you had to be around your family 24/7.
“And now I live with children, so I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.” He cracks a smile, lightening the mood.
The meal carries on in small pockets of conversation. Some are light and humorous, and others are a bit more sentimental. Nicholas is easy to talk to. The way his eyes stare back at yours, the way his head nods, it all feels very tender. He takes active listening to a new level. A level that you’re not sure if you’ve experienced before. And it’s kind of… nice. Second by second, he managed to dismantle your cynicism until you found yourself talking more than usual without trying.
As customers trickle out the doors and onto the now dark sidewalks, you finally become aware of how long you’ve been sitting in the same place. Both plates are empty, and your water glasses have been refilled at least three times. It's like you're dancing around a game of chicken, waiting for one of you to choose what happens next.
Right now, you’re in a discussion about what made you choose to study English literature. You haven’t had this conversation in a while, and it makes your tongue feel abnormally heavy with uncertainty. Why did you choose this major again?
“I think…” You hum. “I think I was super interested in reading at first. I wanted to be well-read, but I didn’t really know where to start, so I decided to take a few courses. It kind of just stuck.”
Nicholas nods. Both of his elbows rest leisurely on the table, and his hands are clasped together. His silver rings glimmer in the warm restaurant lighting. “Do you still like it?”
The bulbs flicker occasionally as if personally asking you to go home. You stretch your legs under the table, the lack of movement has left you stiff. “I think so.” As you answer, your stretched foot knocks into Nicholas’, and you immediately draw your foot back to your side of the table.
He raises a brow at you.
“Sorry. That was an accident.”
He says nothing as his foot now hovers over your own. He lowers it, stepping square on your toes. It’s not firm enough to hurt, yet heavy enough to establish his presence.
You slip your foot from under his, but it’s no use. He steps on your covered toes again, a knowing smirk on his face.
You retreat once again.
Without blinking, he finds your foot and steps on it again.
“Are you really playing footsie with me right now?” Slight shock across your face.
“Oh, are those your feet under the table?” He points down, voice oozing sarcasm.
You kick the side of his shoe-clad foot. The contact makes a low thud sound; he must be wearing boots or something. You tut at him triumphantly, silencing him.
Before you get the chance to do a victory dance, he leans back in his chair. His legs move forward, bumping yours, as he sinks into the seat. With his newfound leverage, he cages your knees between his own.
Even when you try to break free, your thighs remain pinned together by his hold. You sigh with defeat. “Alright, let me go.”
He sits up a little. “What’s the magic word?”
“Please?” You attempt.
He shakes his head cutly. “Wrong.”
You huff, slumping into your chair. Your eyes move to the scraps on your plate. “Open-sesame-seeds.” You deadpan.
He snorts. “Funny, but no.”
“Okay, seriously. My knees are gonna rub together and start a fire.”
He shrugs, smirking.
“But I have to use the bathroom.” You pout.
“Then break free.”
With all your might, you push at his thighs hard, breaking free and knocking both of your legs into the stem of the table in the process. Your nearly empty water glasses tremble, and your chopsticks roll off the table.
The plastic sticks bounce across the tile noisily, conjuring Xiaojun’s attention. He jumps from his hunched-over, half-sleep state and jogs to pick up the used kitchen utensils that have somehow made it over a yard away. He looks around for the culprit as if you and Nicholas aren’t the only two people still there.
You stand, embarrassed. “We’re gonna fight before the night is over.” You point two fingers at your eyes, then at his. It’s not very threatening.
He barely catches the threat; he’s too busy laughing. “Smoke, the magic word was smoke.”
“How the fuck was I supposed to know that?”
“I'm sorry. I didn’t realize you were gonna hulk smash the fucking table.” Nicholas wipes away tears. “I was gonna use it to transition into me offering to smoke you out.”
Xiaojun taps your shoulder from behind before you can respond. “I think you dropped this.”
You turn and glare at him.
“Or maybe you threw it across the floor on purpose…” The employee backtracks nervously.
“I think we’ll take the check,” Nicholas interjects.
Xiaojun scoffs, looking down at his friend. “No shit, Sherlock. We close in like 10 minutes.”
“Where’s your restroom?” You butt in.
“Straight back there.” Nicholas and Xiaojun answer unanimously, pointing in the same direction. Xiaojun instantly looks at his friend, annoyed.
“Why would you answer? I’m the one who works here.” He narrows his eyes at the boy.
You decide to take the help and go. They’ll figure it out themselves.
“She’s my date, why wouldn’t I answer?” Nicholas speaks as if Xiaojun is stupid.
Your footsteps stutter. Oh. So this is a date… You all but skip to the bathroom with a newfound sense of enthusiasm. After all, your date is waiting for you.
As you’re about to exit the bathroom stall to wash your hands, you hear a small knock. You open the door to find a small girl in thick glasses and pigtails staring at you with a familiar set of dark, distrustful eyes. She can’t be any older than 10.
She stands right outside your stall door, blocking your path to the sink.
“Oh, hi there.” You smile regardless of her scowl. She’s just a child after all. Maybe she can’t see well.
She remains, silent and stiff as a rock.
Okay then. You squeeze past her and make your way to the sink. You look down to turn on the faucet. When you look back up, you see the same little girl glaring at you in the reflection of the mirror. You jump, shocked. You laugh to yourself, attempting to shake off the nerves.
You go back to washing your hands. “Can I help you with something?”
She doesn’t say anything, and it’s genuinely starting to freak you out. Finally, as you move to dry your hands with a paper towel, she speaks up:
“Stay away from Nicholas.” She says it like a threat.
You blink. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” She barks in her squeaky voice. Like a wild chiquaqua.
You’re not very interested in arguing with someone else's child, but you can’t just stand there and be berated either. “Listen, little missy—“
“He likes a lot of girls all the time. You’re not special,” She sasses ineloquently, like she’s sharing gossip with her friends at the lunch table.
You’re a bit speechless. What are you even supposed to say to that? You lend the girl an awkward smile before you toss your paper towel into the bin and shuffle out of the bathroom.
Nicholas stands by the front door, chatting casually with Xiaojun. He has your purse on his shoulder and a mint in his mouth.
You approach the men werrily.
“Are you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Nicholas’s attention lands on you, eyes filled with concern.
Yeah, the ghost of Nicho’s past. You shake your head, feigning nonchalance.
“Do you want to go home? I can call you a cab—“
“No, no, it’s fine.” You will not let an Anabelle doll dictate the end of your night. “You said you wanted to smoke me out, remember?” You push at his shoulder playfully.
He looks at you skeptically. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah, the night is still young.” You attempt to perk yourself up.
The host claps. “Well, I hope you two love birds enjoy the rest of your night because I’m ready to close up and go home.”
At that, the two of you walk into the humid night air. Nicholas calls a cab, even though his place is in the neighborhood. You offer to walk, but he insists since the sun has already set. The time you spend in the cab, walking up the four flights of stairs to his apartment, taking off your shoes at his front door, and sneaking into his bedroom passes like a flash. Your mind is busy running a relay race through an obstacle course of thought.
“Do you wanna just smoke my pen?” Nicho stands at his dresser, expectantly waiting. He removes his glasses and places them atop the large piece of furniture.
You blink back into reality, leaning against his desk. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
He opens his drawer and pulls out the pen that the two of you shared yesterday. He saunters over to you, taking a pull. The smoke blows up and over your head. “What’s on your mind?”
You shake your head dismissively. “I’m just tired.”
“You can sit on my bed if you want.” He takes another drag and passes the pen to you.
“I’m okay right now.” You breathe in the thick smoke, feeling the weight mingle with the air in your lungs. You exhale, fanning away the haze. Your eyes travel through his room, noticing the ring collection on his nightstand and the 2 clothing racks pushed against his wall. “Your room is like a department store.”
He rubs the back of his neck, walking over to his bed to sit. “I’m really into fashion.”
“Is that what you want to do long term?” You take another pull.
He smiles shyly. “I’m in school for it.”
You cough at the unanticipated response. How hadn’t you asked him about school yet? “Jeez, I’m horrible. I didn’t even know you were in school.” You face palm.
“I didn’t bring it up.” He shrugs, taking the pen from your outstretched hand. He hits it immediately.
That does nothing to stop the guilt in your stomach. “I should’ve asked.”
“You can still ask me now.” He says, amused.
You remove your hand from your face, sighing.
He takes another drag, once again blowing the smoke up and away. “I’m waiting.”
“Hey Nicholas, what do you study?” You play along, voice innocent and enthusiastic.
“Thank you for asking, Y/N. I actually study fashion design.” A satisfied look on his face. He leans back onto the palms of his hands. He passes you back the pen.
You hum at his cute, bubbly way of speaking. “It’s crazy how your life kind of revolves around clothes.”
He blinks, caught off guard. “I never thought about it that way.” His eyes were momentarily more alert. He looks at you like he has more to say, but nothing comes out.
“Do you actually know how to make clothes and everything?” You blow smoke away from him.
He laughs, relaxing again. “That’s like asking a literature major if they know how to read.”
“I don’t see a sewing machine.” You shrug, unconvinced. On your next hit, you start to feel a comfortable weightless sensation like your body was transforming from a bag of rocks to a bowl of jello. With your jello-like hand, you pass the pen back to its owner.
He takes it, smoking leisurely. “It’s big as shit, so I keep it in my closet.”
“Proof or it didn’t happen.” You smirk.
“Another time, I’m too lazy to move right now.” A new pink hue is in his eyes as he looks up at you.
An idea strikes you, and your progressively droopy eyes double in size. “Or you can make me something.” You bat your lashes at him.
He leans back a bit further onto his hands. A careless smile on his lips. “What do you want?”
“Really?” You gasp, placing a hand over your heart. “You’d actually make me something?”
“Yeah, why not?” He jeopardizes his comfortable position to hand over the vaporizer.
“I was half joking when I said it.” You deadpan, hands slowly dragging the device to your mouth.
“Well, I’m being serious, so what do you want?”
“You can just make me like a scarf or something.” You raise and drop a shoulder indecisively as you take another pull.
He laughs, his head falling backwards. “It’s the middle of summer. What’re you gonna do with a scarf?”
“I don’t want to stress you out with something complicated.”
“You picking something lame like a scarf is stressing me out, actually.” He looks at you, his head still thrown back a bit. His eyelids are lower than before. “It has to be something you’d wear.”
You take a long pull, blowing the smoke up like Nicholas had been. “Do you have anything in mind?”
He looks at you for a long moment. His eyes scan the entirety of your figure shamelessly like he’s wearing black-out sunglasses.
You shift self-consciously, taking another hit just so you have something to do with your hands. The nerves force a cough from your lips as you exhale. You didn’t realize the colors in his room were so vibrant.
“Do you like long skirts like that?” He cuts through your thoughts, eyes glued to the flowy material of your maxi skirt.
“Wouldn’t be wearing it if I didn’t.”
“I can make you something like that.”
“That’s way too much. I can’t ask that of you.”
He huffs humorously. “You didn’t ask, I offered.” His gaze heavy and sincere. “Can I get a closer look at it?”
You hold the pen in your sweaty palm, nodding. The floor boards feel cool on your socked feet as you stalk toward the boy. You stand between his widely spread legs. It feels like the ground is vibrating as you watch him observe your lengthy garment.
He sits up straighter and pinches the loose fabric between his fingers. “Can I have the pen?” He looks up at you momentarily, his unoccupied hand facing palm side up.
“Oh, uh, yeah.” You mutter, placing the device in his palm.
He breathes in from it right away, smoke flooding out through his nose soon after. His other hand messes with the fabric brainlessly for a while longer. “I think I can do this.” He nods to himself.
“Cool,” is all you can manage.
He takes another hit, then extends the pen toward you. “Do you want more?”
“I’m good right now.” With the way you’re barely hanging onto your sanity, you think it’s in your best interest to decline.
The device lights up as he takes one last drag before tossing the stick behind him onto his bed. He blows down and to the side since you’re in front of him now. He bites his lip, eyes glancing from you to a random object in his room. He busies his mind with a question. “Do you have a time you need to be home?”
“I’m not in a rush.” You sway from side to side aimlessly.
“Then do you want to sit down? I feel weird being the only one sitting.” He lets out a timid laugh.
“I feel like I’ll sink right through the mattress if I sit down now.” You laugh.
A larger chuckle escapes him at that. “Are you high yet?”
“I’m definatetly not not high.”
“Me too.” He leans back onto his palms, smiling. “This cart’s pretty strong, sorry. I probably should’ve said something.”
You shrug, not bothered enough to respond with words.
He smirks up at you. “Don’t worry, I’m a good trip sitter. I won’t even mention the monster under the bed.”
For a second, your brain considers the possibility of a real life monster sleeping under Nicholas’ bed feeding on dust bunnies and lost socks. The thought quickly shifts into one of vague amusement. You push his shoulder. “You’re an asshole.”
He doesn’t say anything. Not even a slight reaction crosses his face.
Why is he silent, like there actually is a monster under the bed?
You shudder, looking down at the floor. “Oh my god, you really are an asshole. Now I feel weird about having my feet on the floor.” You huff, shoving his shoulder a little rougher and climbing into his lap without thinking. You bunch up your skirt and straddle his legs, covering your eyes with a hand.
Nicholas snorts, bringing a contradictory hand to your back to rub soothing circles. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. There’s no monster.” He wasn’t expecting the joke to lead to this. Normally, he’d probably be as rigid as a steel bar, but the haze of the weed calms his nerves.
“Sure, there’s no monster, but now I feel like a bug's gonna crawl from under there or something.” You lean your head on his shoulder.
Nicholas laughs even harder at this, his hand still running up and down your back.
His laughter makes you laugh. “It’s not fucking funny.” You say literally while laughing. You shove his shoulder hard, and from this new position, it completely knocks him back onto the bed. Watching him flop, shock written across his face, turns your laughter into a silent wheeze.
He throws an arm over his eyes. What you don’t realize is that your laughter is traveling through your entire body and onto his body in an extremely vulnerable spot. He peeks up at you and that was single-handedly his worst decision so far. He either needs you to stop laughing or he needs to disassociate. Whatever it is, it needs to happen now or your seat is going to become a lot less comfortable.
His body feels warm underneath yours. It’s surprisingly grounding. Your laughter finally simmers as you become aware of the fact that you are sitting on top of your date in his bedroom. You blink at him, noticing his red ear and neck. “Are you warm? Am I like smothering you?” You ask, concerned.
“I’m good.” His voice is tight. At least you stopped laughing.
“What now, Mr. Trip-Sitter?”
“We could watch a movie or something.”
You stare at the man sprawled beneath you with hooded eyes. Placing a hand on his abdomen, you come to the realization that you don’t want to watch a movie. You don’t know if you really want to talk, either. And you definately don’t want another damn kiss on the cheek. You want to—
“What?” His voice is small, his eyes now uncovered and looking straight at you.
“Hmm?” You blink, dazed.
“You’re staring.” He explains, voice low and gravely.
“I am?”
“You are.” He places his hands loosely on your hips, messing with the material of your skirt.
You lean forward, closing in on the gap between your face and his.
His hold on your hips is firmer from anticipation. He looks at your lips, licking his own.
Suddenly, the odd events of the night and your roommate’s haunting advice come crashing down on you, causing your back to straighten. You squint down at him, the whirlwind of thoughts in your head making you sensitive to the low light in the room. “What’s going on here?”
He furrows his brows. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t seem nervous at all.” You say accusatorily, like it's a bad thing.
He’s completely lost now. “Why would I be nervous?”
“Good guys are supposed to get nervous.” You say without thinking.
He sits up, confusion and slight offense written across his face. “Good guys— Nervous about what—”
You sigh, panicking. “Fuck. The little girl said you were no good.” You cover your face with your hands. It's hard to say where this overwhelming onslaught of emotions came from, but they’re definitely punching you in the gut right now.
“Little girl?” He speaks with disbelief.
“Stop repeating everything I say.”
“I’m confused.“He grabs your wrists, dragging your hands away from your face. “Are you okay? Are you having a bad reaction to the weed?” You’re scaring him now. He brings your wrists down to your sides, then leans back to rest on his palms again.
You look at him with earnest, red eyes. “The little girl at the restaurant told me to stay away from you.”
“What girl? Are you talking about the waitress?”
“No.” You huff. “There was a little girl, like 10 years old, with pigtails in the bathroom.”
“Pigtails…” He mumbles to himself, trying to jog his own memory. “Jun’s sister?”
“No I said she was 10—“
“Xiaojun has 2 sisters.” The crease between his brows finally dissolves. “One’s in elementary school.”
“Why do both of them hate your fucking guts?”
Nicholas avoids your gaze at that question.
“Okay, I’m getting off of you no—“ You bunch up your skirt, preparing to stand, but he grabs your wrist yet again.
“Wait- Jun set me up on a few dates with Liya, the waitress, and it didn’t work out.” He blurts quickly, determined to get you to stay. “I guess she made a smear campaign against me to her little sister.”
“She also said that you’re a womanizer.” You poke a finger at his chest.
“The 8-year-old said that?” He raises a brow at you.
You narrow your eyes at him. “She said you like a lot of girls.”
Nicholas sighs, rolling his eyes. “I’m around a lot of girls. I’m studying fashion design, the classes are dominated by feminine energy. That doesn’t mean I like them.” His tone makes it seem like this isn’t the first time he’s heard this misconception.
You hadn’t thought of that before. Maybe it would’ve been better to just ask earlier. Still, one thing weighs heavily on your heart. “Well, why aren’t you nervous to touch me?” You say almost in a whisper, looking away from the boy beneath you.
“Nervous? Why do you keep talking about being nervous? Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“My roommate said if a boy is sincere, he’ll be nervous to touch you.” You mumble.
He pauses at how timid you sound. “I mean, I guess I’m a little on edge, but I’m just happy to be near you.” He glances around the room, searching for his words. “I already know how I feel about you. There’s no point in me worrying about whether or not you’ll reject me because that’s up to you. I’ll just have to deal with whatever that choice is.”
You don’t say anything. The two of you stare at each other solemnly, feeling the weight of his words.
Playfulness flashes across his features. “Honestly, I don’t think I felt nervous until you a few minutes ago when you started talking about random little girls.”
You laugh at that, and Nicho smiles.
He calls your name. “Are you nervous?”
“A little.” You chew your bottom lip anxiously.
He moves your hand from your side to the center of his chest. He covers your hand with his own, the rings cold against your skin. You can feel his rapid heartbeat through his shirt.
“Your heart's beating really fast.” You speak lowly, afraid to disrupt the fragility of the moment.
“Yeah, you scared me sober.” He laughs.
And you do too. Slowly, his heart rate settles into the pace of a slow song. You keep your hand pressed against him the entire time; it calms your nerves just as much as his. You hadn’t realized how miraculous the heart could be. Silence isn’t really silence as long as you’re alive. There’s always a drum in the background. It’s peaceful.
Your head falls forward onto his shoulder.
“Are we okay now?” Nicholas squeezes your hand.
“We’re okay,” you sigh, slipping your hand away from his chest. You reach for the abandoned weed pen on Nicho’s comforter. “I owe you a high.” You take a long pull, then lean in until your lips faintly brush against his. You can hear him gulp.
You tilt your head, eyes eternally locked on his, and exhale into his mouth.
He sucks up the smoke without hesitation, fighting the urge to close his eyes. The smoke drifts out of his nose.
You press your lips flush to his, then pull away. He tastes like the mint he was eating back at the dim sum place.
“Okay, now I’m nervous.”
You snicker, placing a hand over his heart once again. It’s beating a little faster than normal, but still steady. Your eyes travel from your hand on his chest to his lips and you feel a stutter in the stable rhythm. You brush the tip of your nose against his affectionately. “We can just stay like this for a while if you want.” You say pulling away from him.
He blinks. He doesn’t want to do that. He scans your face, taking in how relaxed and content you seem. This must’ve been how he looked to you at the restaurant. You glow under the warm light of his bedside lamp.
You take a small hit from the pen as you wait for him to say something.
He reaches for the device near your lips and brings it to his own. Pulling the smoke into his lungs, he blows the haze out to the side. He places the pen down on his mattress. Without warning, he draws you closer by your hips and connects your lips in a slow, languid kiss. Your hand is smushed between your chests as your bodies press together, the kiss deepening.
Yeah… You hope Chaewon doesn’t wait up.
…
2:18 AM
You stand in the kitchen sipping from a glass of water like a wild animal. One of Nicho’s t-shirts clings to your frame and your hair points toward the sky as you chug the refreshing liquid. You look like a hot mess, but you couldn't feel bothered enough to care. Suddenly, you hear the floorboard creek.
Harua stands in the hallway, staring at you with his famous bored expression.
You freeze, cup still tilted 90 degrees in front of your face. Maybe if you stay completely still he’ll think it's a dream.
A gradual smile overtakes his sweet features. For the first time, he looks genuinely happy. “Congrats.” He says sweetly.
“Thanks,” you reply with the cup still up to your face. Your voice echos in the plastic cylander.
He turns to leave you to your revenous conquest of their water supply when something pope into his head. “When you guys wake up, tell Nicho it’s his day to do the dishes.” At that, he walks back to his room down the hall.
Synopsis: You met Nicholas, a reserved laundromat employee by day and weed dealer by night, 2 weeks ago. Your paths drawn together by fate (and marijuana). Regardless of the initial attraction, he ghosts you. Unfortunately for him, you guys have a meddling mutual friend: Byun Euijoo.
Themes/ Elements: College + summer AU, weed smoking! + smoker reader, tension, teasing, swearing, partial nudity, fluff!, slight angst/ miscommunication, humor, a kiss, feelings, shorter reader, English lit major reader, Nicho works at his dad's laundromat, eating junk food, lots of dialogue, music mentioned, ending is a little rushed
A/N: Love this universe down! Shout out @starrihan for triggering this & @kpapidontknowme for test reading. This can sorta be read as a one-shot, but I'd strongly recommend reading part one
The sun beams down onto you in a way that is impossible to escape. Your black tank top absorbs the heat without remorse. “Fuck.” Probably shouldn’t have worn black today.
It’s still the middle of summer, but you’re on campus for a moment to figure out something with the registration office. You wanted to drop a class, and luckily, you were successful. It would’ve been completely painless if not for the damned high noon sun.
You’re trudging through campus, on your way to the nearest bus stop, when a familiar voice stops you in your tracks.
“Hey!” Euijoo calls you from behind. His voice is bright like the sun. He jogs over to you with a smile.
You turn around, your body relaxing as your feet come to a stop. “Hey, yourself.”
“Whoa, you’re sweating.” He says more to himself.
You blink at him, lips forming a thin line. “Y’know, some thoughts are better left inside our heads.”
He laughs and pinches the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t always think before I talk.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” You nod.
“Let me start over.” He clears his throat. “Hi, Y/N. Crazy running into you here, you look radiant as ever.”
A laugh escapes you at that. You decide to play along. “Why, thank you. You’re too kind.”
He relaxes a little, seeing you laugh. “What’re you doing here?”
“I had a hot date at the registration office. You?”
He hums and nods in understanding. “I’m taking a summer class.”
You grimace. “Bummer.”
He laughs. “Yeah, it is.”
It falls quiet for a moment. You both kind of stand around awkwardly, avoiding eye contact as you search for something to say.
“So, what’re you about to get into?” EJ tilts his head pleasantly.
“I was just going to hop on the bus and take my ass home. It’s too hot to be outside.” You speak definitively. “What about you?”
“Class just ended, so I’m heading over to Nicho’s to smoke. You’re free to join if you’d like.”
You hum skeptically. “I don’t know, I don’t think he likes me.”
Euijoo gawks at that. “What? What makes you think that?” He looks at you like you just turned blue and grew a second head.
“I haven’t heard from him since the party.” You shrug.
You threw your party a whole two weeks ago and haven’t heard a word from him, which is shocking because you spent hours together that night. You exchanged socials and everything. You even stopped at the laundromat— in a very casual, super friendly, non-thirsty way— to see if he was in, but you couldn’t find him. He was a ghost. A sexy, unobtainable ghost.
“Most people don’t hear from Nicho ever, so don’t take it too personally.” He retorts with a smirk.
You sigh, “It's fine, I don’t wanna make it awkward—“
“I’m sure he’d be happy to see you. Come on, I’m driving.”
You start to say another lame excuse, but perk up at the mention of a car. You raise a brow. “You’ll drive?”
He huffs out a laugh. “Yes, I’ll drive— is that really all you needed to change your mind?”
“Does your car have air conditioning by chance?” You bite your lip, torn on your decision.
“It does,” EJ says with a slow smirk. “So does Nicho’s place.”
Shit. Your air unit has been malfunctioning for the past two days. You scheduled a handyman to come in tomorrow, but that feels like forever now.
You hum contemplatively. “I see.”
“I bet that sounds pretty good to you right now, doesn’t it?” He nudges your shoulder, still smirking.
You hum some more. “Shouldn’t you call Nicholas and ask first?”
Euijoo puffs, waving a hand dismisively. “Nah, Nicho loves surprises. The more the merrier.”
…
You arrive at a sleek building, a couple of stories high. The lobby has shiny tile flooring, but no working elevator, so you’re forced to walk up four tretorus flights to the drug dealer's humble abode, carrying two slightly inconvenient paper cups of creamy goodness.
EJ offered to stop for food, and of course, you couldn’t turn away when he offered to get you a milkshake. Now the condensation of the cold drink sticks to your hands, like the persistent layer of sweat on your forehead.
Your cheofer’s long, two-steps-at-a-time, strides up the stairs gave you no room to stop and catch your breath. Your chest is heaving by the time you reach his apartment door labeled 4B. Funny enough, it kind of reminds you of when you first met the anti-social young man at your apartment across town. Life really is one big circle.
While you attempt to catch your breath and smooth down the frizzy flyaway hairs you’re sure are poking out, Euijoo rings the doorbell with his free hand. His other carries a greasy paper bag full of fast food.
DING DONG
Once more.
DING DONG.
You can hear stomps and a muffled, groggy voice from behind the door. Euijoo snickers, trying to hide his amusement. You turn to him.
“He hates when I do this.” He explains, clearly enjoying the prospect of pissing his friend off. “One more time?” He asks you, but he presses the bell before you can properly get out an answer.
DING DONG
He laughs, but it’s quickly cut off when an angry-looking, really pretty boy answers the door. Like really pretty—
“I will personally get you a key to this apartment.” He looks straight at EJ, eyes bored like a kid at school. He’s wearing a polo shirt and dark denim jorts.
“Aw, where’s the fun in that?” EJ tilts his head coyly.
Pretty boy sighs. “Who are you?” He looks at you now, his eyes still a bit dull.
“Hi. I’m Y/N.” You smile awkwardly, you attempt to raise a milkshake-clad hand and wave, but it just looks like you're shaking the drink.
“What? Is that for me?” He raises a brow at you.
Your mouth makes a small ‘o’ shape before you shake your head. “No… My bad. I was uh, trying to wave.” You smack your lips together in an even more awkward expression. You bring the paper cup back to your side.
“Oh.” He nods, equally awkward.
“This is Harua, one of Nicho’s roommates.” Euijoo turns to you with a soft smile, effectively diffusing the uneasy atmosphere. “Don’t worry. His bark is worse than his bite.” He whispers the last part to you with a smirk.
Harua looks at you with furrowed brows. “What’d he say?”
You open your mouth to speak, but again EJ interjects before you can form a proper word.
“I asked her if she thinks you’re ever gonna let us in or if we’re gonna keep talking in the hallway like a bunch of weirdos.” He says without missing a beat.
“He said something about me, didn’t he?” Harua keeps his gaze on you.
You timidly nod in response.
Harua sighs, finally looking back at Eujioo, who seems slightly wounded by your snitching. “Whatever, man. Nicholas is in the shower. I gotta finish getting ready for work.” He finally steps away from the door, allowing you all to enter. He leaves the two of you, busying himself further in the apartment.
EJ holds the door open for you. “Maki here?”
“He’s in his room,” Harua calls from down a hallway.
When you enter the apartment, you’re immediately hit with the scent of sage and citrus. They have an open floor plan, so you can see their living room and kitchen all at once. The decor is modern and minimal; everything is surprisingly neat. A balcony sits directly ahead of you, as promised, functioning more or less as a window for the space.
Once you’re in, Euijoo moves past you to slip his shoes off. “I’ll be right back. You can put the shakes on the counter. Make yourself comfortable.” He smiles at you before dropping the food on the counter and making his way down a hallway
You mimic him, slipping off your shoes to the best of your ability without any free hands. The only comforting thing in this unfamiliar place is the cool air, as promised. You sigh in relief.
You shuffle over to the kitchen and place the drinks down as told. Great, now you’re alone. You tap a finger on the counter, looking at the melted whipped cream. You quickly decide the milkshakes might be better off in the refrigerator. You open the refrigerator and place them inside next to a couple of takeout containers when you hear a floorboard creak.
“How do you know EJ, again?” Harua appears out of absolutely nowhere, sliding a belt into the loops of his jorts. He has a bag on his shoulder now, and you can smell his newly sprayed cologne.
“Oh.” You jump, turning to face him. “We both go to A.N.D. University.”
Harua nods, buckling the belt. “How is it? I’m transferring there next semester.”
You shrug. “I like it enough.”
He nods, making intense eye contact. His expression is neutral, but friendlier than before. “Cool,” is all he says.
You stand looking at each other for a moment. Thankfully, it’s less awkward than the first time. You’re each trying to lock a new face into your memories.
“When you see Maki, tell him it’s his turn to do the dishes. I doubt he’s gonna keep hiding out in his room now that there’s a girl here.” He makes his way to the shoe organizer by the door and slides on a pair. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Good luck at work.” You smile at your soon-to-be schoolmate.
He sighs. “Thanks, I think I’ll need it.” He smiles at you for the first time. He doesn’t actually show any teeth, but it feels like an accomplishment nonetheless. He walks off, the door slamming behind him.
You wander about the space, awaiting Eujioo’s return, when you hear a doorknob turn somewhere down the dark hallway. You walk over to see who it is and are met with a half-naked Nicholas as he attempts to exit the bathroom, blinding white light flooding out of the room behind him.
He freezes with his hand on the knob when he notices you. His eyes fill with panic. He wears only a bath towel, lowly on his hips. Droplets of water drip from his hair to the valley of his collarbones, then down his chest.
Your jaw drops. Between the shock and the beauty of it all, you’re pretty sure you stop breathing for a second. Maybe three. He’s more muscular than you would’ve originally anticipated, but before you can make any other observations, he scurries back into the bathroom and shuts the door with a slam.
A door further down the dark hallway opens. Eujioo makes his way toward you with a face of mild concern. “Everything okay? What was that loud bang?” He stands in front of you, glancing from left to right, visibly confused.
“Nothing.” You respond way too quickly, furrowing your brows and tucking your lips like a witch suddenly stole your voice.
EJ laughs skeptically. “Why’re you being weird?”
“I’m not being weird, you’re being weird.” You deflect with a shrug.
“Did you just run around the room or something? Why’re you breathing like that?”
“What are you, a cop? Stop asking me so many questions.” You laugh breathlessly.
He looks at you, judgment ever-present on his face. “Did Nicholas get out of the shower yet?”
Behind the inquisitive man, you can see Nicho sneak out of the bathroom, now wearing a wrinkly shirt and the same towel on his bottom half. He slips into his room across the hall.
“How would I know anything about that?” You babble a bit too high-spirited for your own good.
“You’re in the living room. I thought you might’ve heard or seen something.” He speaks like it’s obvious because it kind of is.
“Well, call me Stevie Wonder because I didn’t see a thing.” You say, walking to the couch and plopping down gracelessly. You decide the safest bet is to face the balcony, so the taller man can’t see through your web of lies.
“Right…” Euijoo nods, not buying a word you’ve said.
“He’s in his room. Probably getting dressed.” A boy with deep dimples pops up behind Euijoo. He chews on a piece of gum.
Where the fuck do these young men keep spawning from? You flinch in your seat, apparently the only one startled by his sudden appearance.
He approaches you on the couch. “Hi, I’m Maki.” His minty breath fills the air between you.
“Oh, um, Harua said it’s your turn to do the dishes.” You relay before you can forget.
Maki’s smug look falters, his lips forming a tight line. “Of course he did.”
Euijoo walks to the kitchen counter and checks the bag of food. “Damn, the fries are getting cold.”
“Should we just eat without him?” Maki faces EJ with a mischievous look.
“Do that and I’ll never smoke with you again,” Nicholas says from behind Maki in the hallway. He walks into the space stiffly with his hands in his pockets, his eyes shifting toward you every few seconds. He’s wearing a new, less wrinkly, fitted t-shirt and high-quality sweatpants.
“Good morning, princess,” EJ teases from his position leaning against the countertop.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone.” Nicholas glares at EJ.
“Surprise.” EJ smirks, throwing a fry from the bag into his mouth.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Nicholas approaches the latter with a stern look.
“What if I said no?” The same smirk on his face, and a new fry in his mouth.
Nicholas grabs his shoulder and faces both of their bodies away from the living room. They have a hushed conversation in the kitchen area while Maki unknowingly blocks your view of the drama.
“So, you smoke?” Maki asks casually, clearly unbothered by the bickering.
“Yeah.” You respond, only half paying attention.
“Like how much?” He raises a brow.
“Enough to be here right now.” You raise a brow back at him.
“Touché.” He nods, satisfied by your answer. “I didn’t get your name.”
“Y/N. I go to school with Euijoo.” You decide it’s better to just say everything at once.
Maki’s eyes double in size as he stifles a laugh. “Oh.” He coughs and clears his throat, trying to disguise his shocked reaction.
He draws your undivided attention at that. “What was that about?”
“Nothing. Something was in my throat.” He waves a hand at you dismissively, still struggling to hold his laughter.
“Oh, really?” You deadpan at him, unconvinced. “You sure that wasn’t just your body rejecting the lie you’re telling?”
“No, it was actually my body forcing me to mind my business.” He delivers rather matter-of-factly. Smugness is evident in his tone.
“Touché.” You imitate the boy with a mocking tone.
EJ claps his hands, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. He makes his way over to the armchair next to you. He beams, bringing a refreshing light into the space as if he weren’t arguing with the host momentarily ago. “Let’s smoke. The food is getting cold.”
Alright. You’re sure of it now, something's off. You should’ve taken your sweaty ass home. It’s definitely awkward, like you predicted, and Nicholas 110% does not ‘love surprises’ like Euijoo said. Why is everyone looking at you like you’re an alien? What were Euijoo and Nicho talking about? And why didn’t Maki do the goddamn dishes yet?
You turn to Euijoo, your voice hardly above a whisper. “Maybe I should go.”
The boy’s jaw drops. “No, don’t go. I just put the fries in the air fryer.”
You rise to your feet, preparing to insist and make a swift exit. “I think I’ll just catch the bus-“
“You’re leaving?” Nicholas approaches the living room with a fry in his mouth. He only spares you a glance before reaching for a tin box on the coffee table. He opens it, revealing several joints rolled to perfection. Did he just keep that there at all times?
Nonetheless, you don’t want to interrupt their bro-time any more than you already have. “I don’t want to intrude.” You lend him a small smile, which he doesn’t see because his nonchalant ass isn’t even looking at you.
“You’re not.” He says, placing a joint behind his ear and another between his lips. He closes the tin, and the metal pieces clank against each other. He walks to the glass sliding balcony door and opens it.
Maki wanders past Nicho onto the balcony. He leans on the rail and looks at you with a knowing smile. That cocky, secret harboring, bastard.
Nicholas looks at you from the open doorway, removing the unlit joint from his mouth. The stale summer air is already creeping in. “You came here to smoke, right?” His eyes are unreadable, and it’s easy to want to shrink under his gaze.
“Yeah.” You say quieter than you’d like.
He reaches into the front pocket of his jeans and retrieves a small pink lighter. “Well,” he takes the cylandrical object between his lips once more and lights it. He takes a drag, gaze consistently on you. He blows the smoke behind him and off the terrace. “I’m smoking now.”
You’ve learned few things over the course of your life. One of them being that if fine shit invites you to smoke, you go smoke. You blink at the handsome man.
Nicholas turns to fully join Maki on the balcony.
EJ eagerly jumps to his feet. “Told you he doesn’t hate you.” He leans down, so only you can hear him.
“That doesn’t exactly prove anything.” You retort slowly, still reeling from Nicho’s scandalizing eye contact.
He tsks. “Fine. If you wanna take your lukewarm fries and go wait at a bus stop under the blazing afternoon sun, be my guest.”
You sigh, giving EJ a look that telepathically tells him to ‘shut up’.
EJ bites his lip, knowing he won. “That’s what I thought.” He walks to the balcony, confident that you’ll follow him.
And you do. Once you step out, you close the door behind you. The space is large enough to fit all of you comfortably with a small two-seater table off to the side. You stand with your hands at your sides like the emoji while they pass the spliff around. There’s barely any wind, so it burns nice and slow.
Nicho passes to Maki, Maki passes to Euijoo, and finally Euijoo passes to you.
You take a small tug from the joint, testing it out. You can hear Euijoo snicker from beside you, vaguely unimpressed by your weak pull. You decide to show out on your next drag. It’s not quite Nicholas' level, but it’s enough to make Euijoo wordlessly put his hands up in surrender.
You attempt to pass to Nicho without looking, but he’s too preoccupied with the view to notice. “Here,” you nudge his shoulder with your hand holding the joint.
His brows shoot up in surprise, like you just interrupted his daydream. He pinches the filter end, fingers brushing yours slightly. He takes a long drag, inspecting the joint for canooing. He whips out his lighter and attempts to fix the uneven burning.
“So what’s your major?” Maki doesn’t say anyone’s name in particular, but you know he’s talking to you.
This pulls your eyes away from Nicholas and to the smug guy still leaning on the railing. “English literature.” You look the boy up and down. “Are you in school?”
“I’m taking a gap year.” He shrugs.
“That implies that you’ll eventually go back to school.” Eujioo laughs, doubtful of the younger man.
“I’ll go when I’m ready. I just wanna get my money up first.” Maki takes the joint from Nicholas like it’s second nature. Like he doesn’t even have to look. You wanted that. He takes a drag, coughing out a cloud of smoke.
“What would you study?” Eujioo tilts his chin up at the boy in challenge.
He passes the joint to EJ. “Marine biology.” He delivers with a definitive smirk.
Euijoo and Nicholas burst out laughing. EJ nearly drops the joint, folding himself forward with reckless giggles.Maki didn’t quite seem like the type who would be interested in marine biology.
“I have never heard you use the words marine or biology in my entire life.” Euijoo sputters out, still catching his breath. His smile only disappears when he has to close his lips around the paper.
“Fuck you guys.” Maki laughs, finding it a tad absurd even to himself. “I could totally be a biological marine.”
“Marine biologist.” You correct with a small snicker of your own. Nicholas snorts. You mutter a small ‘thanks’ to EJ as the joint works its way back to you in the rotation. You instantly take a drag.
“You knew what I meant.” Maki rolls his eyes, lolling his head to the side in annoyance.
“I’m not sure if you even knew what you meant.” You retort with your own smug mug, you blow the smoke down out of your mouth. The boys egg you on with low chuckles under their breath.
Maki sucks his teeth. “Fuck you—”
Nicholas glares at him from the corner of his eye. His eyes void of any amusement.
Maki scoffs at the sudden subliminal threat pointed in his direction. His offended expression gradually melts into one of mischief.
You take another drag, bigger now that you’ve grown more comfortable.
“That reminds me, I heard Nicho fucked up a couple of guys at your party a few weeks ago. Is that true?” Maki asks as you inhale the smoke.
That makes you choke. You cough uncontrollably at the unexpected comment, smoke coming out of your mouth and nose at the same time. You cover your mouth with your elbow, struggling to pull yourself back together. That little fucker threw you off on purpose.
Euijoo pats your back supportively, but is still generally amused by the drama.
You pass to Nicho, eyes teary from borderline dry heaving a second ago. “W-What?” You stammer.
“I didn’t beat anyone up.” Nicho takes the joint from you without looking. His eyes are locked on Maki, shooting daggers at the troublemaker. “I just,” he furrows his brows and takes a pull, searching for his words. He exhales the smoke, up and over your head. The joint is almost done. “I helped Y/N get her point across.”
“Somehow, that was more alarming than you saying you kicked someone’s ass.” Maki blinks, growing mildly uneasy.
EJ laughs, nodding violently. “You sound like a mobster.”
You laugh to yourself, finally feeling the effects of the herbal flower. “He kind of was like a mobster.”
They all turn to you at that, their expression vary from interested to uneasy.
“Not in a bad way or anything. No one died, it was just really badass.” You clarify, suddenly panicking with the increased amount of attention on you. Nicholas’ gaze is the softest, so you lock in on him. You look at him with low red eyes, the memory fond and vivid behind your eyes. “It was cool,” you say almost inaudibly. Like it was nothing.
Nicholas clears his throat, nodding at nothing as he kills the last bit of the joint, tossing the clip into a potted plant. There were several filters littered atop the soil. A faint red in his eyes and on the tips of his ears. Why is he flustered?
“You good, bro?” Maki teases, dimples on full display.
He side eyes Maki. “It’s out, let’s eat.” Nicho rolls his shoulders to relieve the new tension settling in his body. His shirt rides up a little with the movement, and it's almost enough to activate the feral dog in you. He brushes past you to slide open the balcony door.
The air fryer beeps relentlessly, making it clear the cooking timer is done. Cool air hits you instantly alongside that same sage-citrus scent. A chill runs up your spine at the sudden shift in temperature. You’re still watching Nicho like a hawk as everyone walks past you to enter the apartment. Euijoo calls your name from the kitchen, shaking you from your daze.
He dumps the fries onto a big plate while Maki and Nicho heat the lukewarm burgers in the microwave. Nicholas picks at his nails, drawing Maki’s attention to his hands.
Maki jerks his head back, confused. “Are you wearing rings in the house?” Nicholas sports not one, but three silver rings dispersed between his ten fingers. That’s a lot to just be hanging out at home.
“So? You’re wearing a necklace.” Nicho says unbothered, removing the food from the microwave.
“Well, yeah, but I never take this necklace off—“
“Leave the man alone,” Euijoo interjects. “He pays his bills. He can wear his rings if he wants.” He chuckles beside the tense boys as he finishes arranging the fries. He grabs a bottle of ketchup from the fridge and heads to the couch, where you sit patiently.
“Oh shit. The milkshakes.” You say under your breath, standing before your mind can register it. As you turn, you notice Nicholas with the two familiar paper cups in hand. He works his way to the couch.
Without a word, EJ digs out two coasters from wherever the fuck and lays them out for the boy. Once he’s done, he relaxes into the same armchair from earlier.
“Who’s are these?” Nicholas asks as he rests the melted drinks on the coasters.
“Probably those two.” Maki points at you and EJ, tossing three fries in his mouth at once. He plops onto the floor in front of the coffee table, so he can munch away till his heart's content.
“Actually, it’s for me and you.” You say to Nicho shyly. “I told Euijoo to get you a milkshake as compensation for me popping up out of nowhere.” You deliver with an awkward laugh.
Nicholas licks his lips, “Oh.”
In all honesty, he’s pretty sure the thing in his chest keeping him alive took a little break at the sound of your words. When Euijoo said you wanted to come over to smoke during their side-convo in the kitchen, Nicholas was entirely ready to accept the fact that you wereusing him. He’s had a fair share of opportunistic individuals take advantage of him for free weed, and he suspected you to be one of them. What else would you want from him?
Your relationship started with flower, and it was going to end with flower as far as he was concerned. Now he’s not so sure what to think.
You grow uneasy from his silence. “Is that okay?” You look up at him with innocent eyes.
He doesn’t usually like sweet treats, but he nods in approval anyway. His mouth is too dry to speak. Is something burning? He’s sure he’s short-circuiting.
Euijoo crunches loudly on a fry. “Sorry, some of the fries are a little burnt.”
At least that explains the smell. He’s not completely crazy.
“Nicholas?” Your voice pulls him out of his thoughts.
“Hmm?” He blinks.
“Are you gonna sit down?” You ask with a small giggle.
He hadn’t realized he was the only one still on his feet. He journeys around the coffee table and sits on the same couch as you with a healthy amount of distance.
You scootch closer to him, grab the half-melted milkshake, and take a sip. A cool sensation slides down your throat. Melted or not, you were gonna drink it.
Nicho grabs his own, sipping while stealing glances at you from the corner of his eye. It's been a while since he’s had a milkshake. Maybe it’s the high talking or the fact that you got it for him, but it tastes pretty good.
Maki passes around the freshly heated, wrapped cheeseburgers until each of you has one. He then turns on a Bluetooth speaker. “Anyone want aux?” His eyes scan the room before returning to his food.
“I got it,” EJ sighs, taking his phone from his pocket. ‘Open Arms’ by SZA starts to play, he hums along almost immediately, then drops his phone beside him on the couch cushions.
The room falls into a comfortable quiet as the music fills in the empty space. From the crispy crunch of French fries to the delicate rustling of the sandwich wrappers, everything feels natural. You don’t feel like a sore thumb. You’re just a couple of kids with the munchies enjoying the fuck out of some fast food. This is what summer days were for.
Small conversations come and go. You talk about the weather, which leads to a discussion about global warming, then Maki morbidly brings up the concept of an apocalypse. EJ quickly derails that with a comment about The Lego Movie, restoring the carefree atmosphere.
You can practically feel your bones dissolve as you melt into the plush couch. The colors of the room seem more vibrant than when you first walked in with Euijoo over an hour ago. The sun is getting lower, and an orange hue overtakes the sky outside.
Your head rests on the back of the sofa. You turn to Nicholas and observe as he chews with a mouthful of food. You decide to stare until he notices you. So far, that’s 2 minutes and counting. Without your noticing, the conversation shifts to a debate on the best fruit.
“No one wants to hear you argue oranges again, Ju. We get it already.” Nicholas sighs, rolling his head back. “I vote bananas.”
“That’s a basic ass answer.” Maki laughs.
“How can a fruit be basic?” Nicholas narrows his eyes at the boy on the floor. “What do you want me to say? Kiwi?”
A small laugh escapes you. Kiwi is a funny word.
Nicholas turns to you at the soft noise. Are you laughing at something he said? He lets out a shy, dry laugh of his own. A weird sense of pride settles in his chest as he meets your gentle gaze. You look fully relaxed.
Maki and EJ continue to argue about whether kiwi should actually be in the running as an unsung hero.
Nicholas shifts his head toward you on the back of the couch, a mirror of your posture. You look at each other, bodies sprawled across the seat.
“Never imagined you saying that word.” You say, still amused.
“What word?” His eyes scan across your face, secretly thinking of how to make you smile again. “Kiwi?”
You giggle again. It’s like you’re five years old, but something about the way it rolls off his tongue feels absurd.
A slow smile blooms on his face. “Kiwi.” He double checks his theory.
“Stop it.” You raise a finger to your mouth, trying to silence your laughter.
“What’s so funny about kiwi?” He laughs incredulously, not really sure what’s funny.
“It’s the way you say it.” A lazy smirk on your face.
“Am I saying it wrong or something?” He furrows his brows, the words falling slowly from his lips.
Your smirk deepens. “No,” you say lightly.
He leans in slightly, confused by what you mean. “Then what is it?” He looks across your face for a hint.
“It’s just a funny word.” You shrug. “And you make it funnier.”
He takes in your reaction with a small hum. You really are a mystery to him. He’s staring.
“Is there something on my face?” You wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, still smiling.
“No…”
“You were staring.” Your voice comes out smaller as you grow shy.
Whoops. His eyes shift around the room for a moment. “You’re one to talk,” he deflects.
You huff out a dry laugh. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He fixes you with a knowing look. His lids low due to his heavy accusations. “In the hallway.” He speaks in fragments like it's obvious.
You look away from him, remembering him leaving the bathroom earlier. “That was an accident.”
“Sure.” A cocky grin on his face.
“I’m serious!” You defend. “How was I supposed to know it was you?”
“I live here Y/N.”
“Well, how was I supposed to know you’d be naked?” You whisper-yell at the amused young man. You cover your face with your hands. “Wear some clothes next time.”
“First of all, I did after I noticed you.” He holds a hand out to stop your excuses. “Second of all, this is my house. I can’t be at fault here.” He laughs.
Slowly, you drag your hands off your face. You could drown in your embarrassment. “Fine. I’m sorry.” You grumble.
He doesn’t say anything until you turn to look at him again. When you do, he looks away. “It’s alright, I don’t really care.”
You observe his side profile while he pretends not to notice.
Maki and Euijoo busy themselves with the plate of French fries and the nearly empty bottle of ketchup.
“The food was good.” Nicho’s voice is low.
“It was.” You nod.
He turns to you. “Thank you.”
You blink at him, caught off guard at his sudden eye contact. “It was mostly Euijoo’s idea.”
“Then thank you for going with him to pick it up.” He lends a thin-lipped smile.
“I just sat there. Didn’t do much.” You play with your fingers in your lap.
“Can you just accept the thank you?”
“Oh,” you mumble, glancing around his serious expression. “You’re welcome.”
He hums, looking at the ceiling again. You do the same.
Euijoo jumps to his feet, slidding one of the last fries into his mouth. He looks down at Nicholas. “Maki and I wanna smoke some more.”
“Go ahead, I’m good.” Nicho shrugs.
Maki stands, his knees cracking from being on the floor so long. “Y/N?” He asks, pointing to the terrace.
You peer up at him, shaking your head no.
“Can I?” EJ reaches for the joint tucked behind Nicholas’ ear with a cute smile. Nicholas nods, turning his head, so the boy can grab it more easily. “Many blessings, kind sir.” Euijoo retrieves the joint and forms prayer hands to thank Nicho. He and Maki exit onto the balcony, closing the door behind themselves.
Euijoo’s playlist continues. ‘Summertime Magic’ by Childish Gambino purrs through the speaker.
Both of you sit staring at the ceiling for a while until your thoughts grow too heavy.
“I stopped by the laundromat last week.”
He hums. “Picking up your friend’s clothes again?”
You exhale lazily through your mouth, suddenly hesitant to reveal why you really went. “No.”
“Personal load?” He asks, half paying attention. Most of his energy is going towards his mind, his thoughts vast and endless.
You snort. “That sounds so weird.”
“Like a personal load of laundry—“ He clarifies.
“No, no. I get it.” You suppress a laugh. “It just sounds wrong.”
“I didn’t realize you have teenage boy humor.” He rolls his eyes, his voice surprisingly warm.
You simmer. “I was just checking in.” You deliver awkwardly, working your way back to the original topic. “On things…”
He snickers, turning to you. “Checking in on things?” Sarcasm laced through his words. “Is that your cute way of saying you wanted to buy weed from me?”
A genuine laugh escapes you at that. Your ears grow hot at his insinuation. Did he think you were cute? “No.” You sing the word, drawing out the ‘o’ for an extra five seconds.
“No?” He quirks a brow.
“Nope.” You pop the ‘p’.
“I’m out of guesses.” He looks back at the ceiling.
You sigh, it’s now or never. “I wanted to see you. Thought you’d be there.” You inspect your nails, acting as nonchalant as possible.
His mind goes quiet. He doesn’t say anything.
“You didn’t text me after the party, so I thought you might be more of an in-person type of guy.” You double down, still cleaning your nails that weren’t dirty to begin with.
His silence stretches between the two of you, making your mouth feel dry.
“Didn’t think you’d remember me.” He mumbles.
“Well, I do. Now what?” You turn on your side to face him, resting your head against your hand on the couch.
Nicholas glances at you with furrowed brows. “What do you mean?”
“I told you I remember you. Now you have to say something.”
He smirks. “Something.”
“You’re an idiot.” You glare.
Laughter spills from his lips. “You put me on the spot. What am I supposed to say?” He rests his head so he’s facing you.
“Say something nice.”
“Something nice.”
You push his shoulder roughly and fold your arms across your chest in protest. He just laughs. It’s loud and unrestrained.
“You’re actually the worst. Do you know that?” You deadpan.
“God forbid a man follows instructions.”
His joking hits you like a soft rejection. “On that note, I think I’ll join Maki and Euijoo outside.” You sit up, looking for your phone to take with you onto the balcony. It’s wedged between couch cushions. You grab it and attempt to stand, but Nicholas grabs your wrist.
“Okay, calm down.” He insists. His grip only lets go once you sink back into the sofa.
You stare at him expectantly, still visibly annoyed.
“I think you’re nice.”
“Nice?” You parrot back to him with a quirked brow.
“Yeah. I like how you treat people.” He avoids your gaze.
You weren’t sure what you imagined he’d say, but that definitely wasn’t it. You hadn’t realized he’d been paying that much attention to you. “Oh.”
He scoffs. “Oh?”
“Yeah, oh.”
“What kind of reaction is that?” He narrows his eyes at you.
“I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“What did you think I was gonna say?” He sits up, inspecting you more closely.
“That I was pretty or something.” You say shyly, a bit embarrassed at how it sounds. You were expecting a shallow compliment, not an evaluation of your personality.
“You are pretty.” His voice casual. “But that’s obvious—”
“Obvious?” You blink.
He rolls his eyes. “Can you stop repeating every other word I say?”
“Sorry, just didn’t realize it was obvious.” You make air quotes when you say the last word.
He scans your relaxed figure on the sofa from head to toe. Your hair is a little messy, and the gloss on your lips has dulled significantly, but you’re still very obviously pretty to him. He forces his eyes back to the ceiling. “I think the kind of person you are is more important than how you look.”
“And what kind of person am I?” Your body leans toward him without you realizing.
He huffs, a humorless laugh, and closes his eyes. “I already said it. You’re a nice person.”
You look at his closed eyelids, admiring his lashes. The genuineness of his tone makes you shy. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Nicholas keeps his eyes closed, a small soft smile on his face.
The conversation naturally comes to an end, and tunes hum lowly through the air. You rest your head on the couch near his, eyes almost coming to a close—
The glass terrace door slides open with a loud creaking noise. The boys pile into the space with reckless laughter. The thick smell of weed and heat wafted through the open door. You jump away from your spot at Nicho’s side, while the young man remains unbothered. Maki closes the door, it makes a distinct click sound.
“It’s hot as fuck out there.” Maki uses the hem of his shirt to wipe sweat off his face.
Euijoo coughs, clearing his throat. “Can I borrow a bottle of water?” He looks between Maki and Nicholas.
“How do you borrow water?” Maki teases.
Euijoo laughs, already making his way toward the refrigerator. “Good point.”
They loudly exchange jokes while scavenging the kitchen for a light snack, slamming cabinets and rustling through boxes.
Nicholas sucks his teeth at the disturbance. “I’m not doing this.” He stands and looks back at you. “Come on.”
You follow him to his room down the hall. He shuts the door and huffs, leaning on the wooden surface once you’re both inside.
You stand awkwardly in the center of his room, noticeably less high now. You watch as he walks to his dresser and pulls a small vaporizer pen from his sock drawer. He flops back onto his bed, then takes a hit. He offers it to you silently.
You grab it from him and take a hit. “Why didn’t we just smoke from the pen earlier?” A large cloud of odorless smoke spreads in the air.
“These things aren’t good for you.”
“Neither is smoking.” You laugh. You take another hit, then pass it back. And just like that, you’re loosening up again.
“This is my personal stash.” Nicho takes the pen and hits it immediately.
Maki doesn’t even know I have this.”
You nod absentmindedly as you glance around his room. It’s dark and neat. Golden sun spills through the window blinds. He has a bunch of clothes.
“Wanna sit?” He pats the bed next to him.
You sit next to him, leaning back on the palms of your hands. The room is quiet. It’s peaceful. You sit like this for a while, occasionally passing the pen back and forth. You stare around the room while Nicholas stares at you. Only he would be lame enough to have a pretty girl all to himself in his bedroom and still have absolutely nothing to say.
“I can feel you staring.” You giggle, not sparing him a glance. You could almost hear his mind racing.
He sits up, eyes fixed on you. It’s now or never. “I was wondering… Are you seeing anyone?”
A wave of deja vu hits you from when you were sitting in your room with him a few weeks ago. Sitting thigh to thigh, looking at each other like there’s something under the surface that you can’t quite interpret. You remember this feeling.
“Well, I’m seeing you right now.” You attempt to cut the tension, a smirk on your face and an abnormally fast beat in your chest.
“Good one.” His voice is dry. He looks at your red eyes, then your lips. He blinks, landing back on your eyes.
He waits.
“I um. No. I’m not.” You fumble under the pressure of his gaze.
He hums, looking down at his lap. His confidence wavers. “I’m not gonna send you home with any free weed.” He slowly searches your face for a reaction, but you remain unmoved. He honestly would’ve if you asked.
You look left to right, bewildered by his comment. “I didn’t think you would…”
“Then why did you come here?”
“Because Euijoo invited me to smoke.” You deliver like it’s obvious. “And I was curious.”
“About what?”
“Is this an interrogation or something?” You scoff, light-heartedly, looking away.
Nicholas retreats slightly. “Sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“No— no. It’s fine.” You chew on your bottom lip. You can feel him impatiently observing what you’ll do next. “I was curious about you.” Your voice a whisper.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
You both turn at the sound of a hand pounding against Nicho’s door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“Y/N? I’m trying to head home soon. Do you want me to drop you off?” Euijoo shouts from behind the shut door.
“One sec!” You shout back, looking at Nicholas, who is already looking at you.
“You can go if you want,” Nicholas mumbles.
“I feel like I shouldn’t.”
He snickers at that. “It’s fine. Get home while there’s still light outside.” He rests a hand on your knee and squeezes.
“But we’re not done talking.” You huff.
“You’re right. We’re not.” He says calmly.
“Then I don’t wanna—“
He kisses you on the cheek. It’s chaste, but the sensation lingers. Red spreads from his cheeks to his ears, he looks at his hand on your knee, collecting his thoughts.
You blink, unsure of what you were originally going to say.
KNOCK KNOCK
“Hello?” Euijoo’s tone is a bit more nervous than before.
“She’ll be out in a sec!” Nicho calls out to his friend. He glances at your face, a laugh escaping at your expression. “I work at my Dad’s Thursday through Sunday.” He squeezes your knee again, his hand slipping away quickly after.
“Are we gonna talk about this?” You point at your cheek. It still tingles from the impression of his lips.
“Yeah, later.”
“When?” You press.
He laughs, a contentment settling in his chest. “Tomorrow. I get off at 7.”
<Hope you enjoyed this little add-on! I was gonna post sooner, but I smoked a new strain before writing and it made me anxious LMAO. Y'all be safe out there 🫡>
