“i can be that body” - ryul
♠️ : is it really advisable to get a stranger to fulfill the needs of your broken heart? maybe not. but at 3am, on a quiet beach with a cigarette between your fingers and a boy you’ve never met sitting beside you, some bad decisions start to feel a little comforting.
♣️ : strangers to ?, suggestive, making out, smoking [ ryul x reader, ryul x fem!reader ]
w.c : 1.9K — not proofread..
the call ended at 2:03am.
you stared at your phone screen long after it went dark, like maybe the silence would explain itself.
four years together and the end of it came through a tired voice on the other end of the line.
“i think we should break up.”
no fight. no warning. just a quiet decision that didn’t seem to include you anymore.
by the time the line went dead, you were already grabbing your keys.
the beach is empty when you arrive.
the sand is cold when you sit down, the ocean wind brushing against your skin while the waves roll in slowly.
you thought you’d cry. thought the tears would come at some point during the drive here.
but nothing does. just the hollow feeling behind your ribs.
you pull a cigarette from your pocket and light it, watching the smoke drift into the wind.
the cold settles into your bones.
the kind that makes you wish for two things:
a cigarette in one hand and someone’s arms around you.
just as you were about to cry after realizing how cold it was to be alone in an empty beach at 3 am, you saw a figure.
a boy walks toward the shoreline, hoodie pulled over messy hair, hands tucked into his pockets.
normally, you’d be scared of a man in black in the same dark place as you. for some reason, you just wondered: is he also sad tonight?
he pauses when he notices you. probably had the same train of thought as you before he approached.
“mind if i sit?” he asks.
he huffs a small laugh and drops down beside you. he kept a very respectful distance– like two more people would fit between the two of you.
for a minute, neither of you talk.
“breakup?” he asks casually.
“you’re smoking on a beach at three in the morning looking like the ocean personally betrayed you.”
you laugh under your breath.
the quiet between strangers settles in easily.
the wind keeps pushing against your shirt.
you cursed your ex in your head. why did he have to breakup with you through the phone at 2am? now you didn’t even bring a jacket.
after a while you say, almost absentmindedly, “you know what’s weird?”
“people always say it’s easier to talk to strangers.”
“because we don’t know you,” he says simply. “no expectations. no history. we can’t judge you properly. and sometimes strangers give better opinions.”
about how your friends would react if you called them right now.
they’d pick sides. defend you. say your ex was trash. this boy beside you wouldn’t do that. he has no reason to.
“let’s test that theory.”
“four years,” you say. “that’s how long we were together.”
you stare out at the ocean.
“he called tonight and just… ended it.”
“do you miss him?” he asks after a moment.
“i think i’ll miss… having somebody.”
“like having someone there. physically.”
“yeah,” you say, a little embarrassed now. “like someone around. next to me. on me. whatever.”
ryul watches you carefully.
“you’re very bad with words, stranger”
“thanks. i get that a lot”
“what? you offer your ears to sad girls in dark beaches at 2am?”
“that’s false. it’s 3am now”
you laugh. a real and loud one. he watches you and eventually laughs with you.
“do you think there’d still be somebody out there? maybe i already wasted four years of my life and rotted”
“somebody out where?” he asks, looking around
“the only body im seeing here aside from yours is mine” he says
“is that an offer?” you chuckle
you fixed your posture, brows meeting halfway. “doubt it”
“try me” ryul said with a cocky smirk.
“you don’t even know my name”
“do i have to know? i’m just gonna be some body after all”
you chuckle, shaking your head.
“i’d offer my jacket but it’s 10 degrees. i think not bringing a jacket is on you” he says
you both let out a laugh.
he laughs. a moment later, he moves a bit closer to you.
“wanna hug then? my jacket fits two people”
you look at him to rethink your life decisions.
you’re about to cuddle with a stranger at 3am in a beach after your ex broke up with you through the phone.
he pulls you in gently, wrapping his arms around your shoulders as you lean your back against his chest.
fucking. warm. so. fucking. warm.
it felt like your body and soul is experiencing the exact warmth you were yearning for twenty minutes ago.
you melt in his touch and he definitely noticed, tightening his grip a bit, his thumb brushing mindlessly on ur skin.
“see?” he murmurs above your head. “problem solved.”
for a while neither of you move. the waves keep crashing softly in front of you, the sound filling the silence that settles between two people who technically still don’t know each other.
but somehow it doesn’t feel strange.
his chin rests lightly near your shoulder, breath warm against the side of your neck. his arms are now loose around you, like he’s giving you space to pull away anytime.
instead you relax further into him.
“cuddle sad girls on beaches at three in the morning?”
his arms tighten slightly, just for a second.
“you just looked like you needed it.”
something about that makes your chest ache again, though softer this time.
you tilt your head back a little to look at him.
“and what if i need more than a hug?”
his eyebrow lifts slowly.
you shrug, trying to sound casual even though your heartbeat just picked up.
“i told you earlier. i’ll miss having somebody.”
“don’t repeat it like that.”
“why not? it was honest.”
you roll your eyes, but you can’t stop smiling a little.
ryul studies your face for a moment.
“i could still volunteer.”
you turn around slightly in his arms now, enough that you’re facing him instead of the ocean.
his hoodie still drapes over both of you, turning the space between your bodies into something smaller. warmer.
“you’re very bold for someone who met me fifteen minutes ago,” you say.
“you’re very comfortable for someone who’s basically sitting in a stranger’s lap.”
you hadn’t realized how close you shifted.
your legs are between his now, your hands resting lightly on his chest to steady yourself in the sand.
his hands slide to your waist automatically.
“this is how people make terrible decisions.”
the wind pushes your hair across your face. he brushes it aside without thinking, fingers grazing your cheek.
your breath catches slightly.
the distance between your faces gets smaller without either of you really deciding it should.
“…would that be part of the volunteering part?”
“that would definitely be step one.”
you don’t give yourself time to rethink it.
you lean forward and kiss him.
like you’re testing the moment.
ryul freezes for half a second—clearly surprised you actually did it—before his hands tighten gently at your waist and he kisses you back.
your fingers curl into the front of his hoodie as he pulls you closer, the fabric of it sliding slightly as your bodies press together.
the cold from earlier is completely gone now.
when you shift in his lap, trying to get more comfortable in the sand, the movement makes both of you pause.
ryul exhales slowly against your lips.
“you feel that?” he murmurs.
“well, that was fast” you whisper, kissing him again.
he laughs quietly but pulls you closer anyway, one hand sliding up your back while the other stays firm at your waist.
your hips shift again without thinking.
the friction makes you both inhale sharply.
“okay,” he says under his breath. “now we’re definitely making bad decisions.”
“you’re the one who volunteered,” you remind him.
“i’m starting to think you planned this.”
you roll your eyes but your arms slide around his neck now, holding him as you kiss him again.
slower this time. lingering.
his hoodie is still wrapped around both of you, trapping the warmth between your bodies as you move closer and closer.
your knees press into the sand on either side of his legs.
his hands tighten slightly on your hips when you shift again, instinctively pulling you closer into his lap.
the friction makes your breath catch.
ryul lets out a quiet laugh against your mouth.
“yeah,” he murmurs. “this is definitely not helping your heartbreak.”
“i didn’t ask for help,” you whisper back.
“what did you ask for then?”
you tilt your head, brushing your nose against his.
his eyes darken slightly.
your fingers slide into his hair this time, tugging lightly as he tilts his head back with a quiet groan.
“you’re dangerous,” he murmurs.
“biggest mistake of my life.”
then his hands slide lower along your waist, steadying you when you shift again against him.
both of you go quiet for a moment.
the ocean keeps moving behind you.
but inside the hoodie the two of you share, everything feels warm and close and a little reckless.
ryul rests his forehead against yours.
“my apartment is five minutes away,” he says quietly.
“that sounds like another bad idea.”
his thumb brushes slowly along your side.
you glance toward the dark shoreline, then back at him.
your lips curve slightly.
“lead the way, volunteer.”
