Moon Like U
In which Choi Youngjae’s romantic feelings towards his best friend are exposed by his own song- and he deals with that by running away.
Good thing his best friend is good at running after him.
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Pairing: Youngjae x Reader
Genre: College!au, Best friend!Youngjae, best friends to lovers, fluff, fluff, and more fluff
Word Count: 3,583 words
[ ft. GOT7, TWICE, and DAY6 members + 15&’s Jimin ]
-=-=-=-
You remember the day your neighbors moved in. At eight years old, you were coming home from school one day, stepping out of your mom’s car to see boxes littered on the porch of the house in front of you. Curiously, you watched as people rushed in and out of the front door, picking up boxes and heaving them inside.
That’s when a little boy walked out, looking all kinds of happy. He’d tried to lift one of the boxes, but ended up falling on his behind as they were too heavy for him. A woman you guessed was his mother laughed and ruffled his hair, then proceeded to let him help her carry the box inside- though it was obvious that the mom was doing all of the work.
The next day, you sat in your chair at school, doodling on a piece of scratch paper. Your homeroom teacher suddenly called for the attention of everyone in the room, making you look up to listen.
“Everybody, we have a new student today, and I expect you all to make him feel welcome.” She’d said. “This is Choi Youngjae.”
The boy you identified as your new neighbor, a timid yet bright looking person, stood beside her, looking nervously at the class. He offered a smile that you returned. Not that he saw it, of course.
“Why don’t you take a seat over there next to Y/N?”
You watched as Choi Youngjae walked to the unoccupied table on your left, hung his bag on the back of his chair, and settled in his seat. He turned his head to the right, met your curious eyes, and gave you a timid smile. You smile back.
And that’s how your neighbor, the new kid, became your seatmate for the rest of the year. And your best friend for the rest of your days.
Choi Youngjae quickly became a permanent fixture in your life. It was uncommon for either of you to be seen without the other, whether at home or at school. After learning of your friendship, your parents quickly became friends, his siblings befriended your siblings, and you had multiple family dinners together. Both of your parents welcomed the other kid like they were their own child. Soon enough, the Chois became your second family.
You and Youngjae ended up going to the same middle school and the same high school. With all the time you spent together, you knew each other like the back of your hands. He fit into your life so perfectly that you couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t in it.
It was just the two of you in middle school. You were both satisfied with your friendship that neither of you went looking for other friends. And as if the world sensed it as well, ‘new friends’ never came looking for either of you.
Come freshman year, you befriended a classmate of yours, who found out about your love for the kitchen and invited you to join the cooking club. Youngjae, on the other hand, had befriended a senior, Jaebeom, who introduced him to dance and music. Saying that Youngjae was a great dancer and an even better vocalist, he was invited to join their performance group, GOT7.
GOT7 was a family on their own. A family that Youngjae became a part of, finding himself new brothers. Being his best friend, you also became friends with the boys, but you were more of a cousin to them, rather than a sister. The supporter. The audience member who was present at all of their shows, always bringing bottles of water and homemade snacks to keep the boys hydrated and energized during practice, and the first person to listen to Youngjae’s original songs and covers.
Youngjae remained a proud member of GOT7 up to high school graduation, even carrying it up with him to college. With all the time he dedicated to the performance group, you began to notice changes in him.
His face and physique started maturing. He started appearing slimmer and more toned, his baby fat being shed away by the hours he spent dancing. His voice also improved a lot from the practice and coaching he received from Jaebeom. He learned to take better care of himself, which meant a brighter complexion and a healthier glow. Most importantly, he looked happy. He glowed of happiness.
At this thought, you couldn’t help but smile. As scared as you were of change, you happily welcomed this. You couldn’t help but think that Youngjae had grown into a man, and that he wasn’t the same little boy who had trouble lifting moving boxes years ago.
A few months after graduation was all the time you had to relax, and before you knew it, you were moving into an apartment near the university you were going to be attending. To nobody’s surprise, you and Youngjae were going to be attending the same university, and even got apartment units in the same building. With only one floor in between your units, you were still considered neighbors.
Despite the close proximity, you both found that it was going to be difficult to spend time with each other. Due to having different majors, it was rare for the both of you to have similar break times. Upon finalizing your class schedules, you realized that there were only a couple of days a week that you would have a common empty slot in your timetables.
One of these common empty slots was your Saturday nights. From 6:30 pm onwards, neither of you had any classes. At the beginning of your freshman year, the both of you agreed that Saturday nights were ‘best friend’ nights. From then on, you built your schedules around that one night, and it became an automatic response to refuse anything or anyone else that tried to occupy that night. Youngjae made sure that he never had practice or a shift at the radio station, while you made sure that none of the clubs you joined were meeting then. The offers you received to have Saturday dinners with your friends and club members were immediately rejected for walks in the park, movie marathons, and nights in with your best friend. It became a tradition, and neither of you had plans of breaking it.
These Saturday nights were when he took the opportunity to have you listen to whatever he managed to compose throughout the week or tell you stories about interesting things that happened in the past few days. Whatever he had to say, whatever he had to rant about, you were there for it. You found that you loved listening to him and making him laugh.
As much as you loved it when he talked to you about things, you couldn’t deny that he was an amazing listener as well. You could talk to him about anything and everything, and he never judged or criticized without reason. Even when you had a terrible day, he would sit and listen to whatever you had to say, letting you rant and get it out of your system before comforting you with his words of support.
You don’t remember when his sincerity started being so attractive to you, but it was. It was one of the many things you loved about him; that he genuinely cared. You saw it in the way he made sure you ate properly, in the way he was overprotective of you, and in the way he was always there to support you. All he had to do was give you one of his smiles and a hug, and instantly, you felt better. He made even the darkest days brighter without even having to try.
You don’t know when it started. At first, you doubted the whole ‘liking your best friend’ thing, but as time passed, your feelings started to grow stronger. It grew and continued on growing until Choi Youngjae was all you could think about.
-=-=-=-=-
On the second Saturday of the November of your second year, after a particularly tiring class on organic chemistry, you’re ready to drop dead. Arriving at your apartment, you flop on the couch and dial Youngjae’s number, listening to a few rings before he picks up.
“Hello?”
“Youngjae~” You whine.
He lets out a chuckle. “What is it?”
“Let’s just stay in tonight. Can you bring dinner?” You ask, voice lazy.
“I was just thinking the same thing.” He says. “Pizza and garlic bread?”
The other GOT7 boys can be heard in the background as they overhear Youngjae’s words and start chanting for food. You let out a small chuckle. “You know me so well. Don’t take too long!”
“Yeah, I know.” He says. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes or so.”
“Thank you~” You chirp.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s no problem. See you!”
The line dies after that.
You end up falling asleep on the couch, only to be awakened by the sound of knuckles rapping on your apartment door. Your movements are sluggish as you drag yourself off of the couch to greet your best friend, your mood instantly brightening as your eyes take him in.
He’s dressed in the usual black and white hoodie that you always see him in, with his backpack on one shoulder. He sports black joggers, and a pair of black sneakers. On his head, he wears a black cap, and in his hands, a box of pizza and a bag of garlic bread.
Never in a million years had pizza delivery looked so attractive.
Despite Youngjae looking immensely attractive and cute, you maintain your composure and act normal; just as you had done every single time you guys saw each other.
Once the door is locked, the both of you fall into your ‘Saturday night dinner’ routine. While Youngjae sets down the food and starts unpacking it, you head into the kitchen and grab two glasses and a bottle of cola. Setting these on the table, you join your best friend and sit cross-legged on the floor, grabbing a slice of cheese pizza for yourself. Youngjae, already munching away on a slice of his own, uses his free hand to pour cola into both of your glasses. As he pours your drinks, you take your TV remote and aimlessly scroll through Netflix.
When you finish eating and cleaning up, you both relax for a while, finishing the movie then doing your own thing and naturally falling into conversation. You manage to convince Youngjae to join you in playing a game he isn’t particularly fond of. With the game console and controllers set up, you take the earphone he’s offering you, and listen to music on his phone while playing.
After leveling up your characters a couple of times, Youngjae pauses the game and excuses himself to use your bathroom, leaving you to wait for him while listening to his music.
You’re enjoying the current song, so you lean back into the couch and relax as you listen. Soon enough, the song comes to an end, and the next one starts.
“Y/N-ah. This is for you.”
Not thinking much of the dedication at first, you continue to listen, paying extra attention to the lyrics. After all, this is for you.
A couple of minutes in, and you’re overcome with a feeling that you can’t decipher.
It’s a love song. One about the different things about you that he adores, comparing you to a heavenly body, and how he falls for you over and over again.
You don’t know whether to feel ecstatic that he feels the same way towards you, or scared because it feels like a major breach of privacy. Not knowing what to do but not wanting to stop either, you patiently wait for Youngjae to finish his business so you can ask him about it.
The bathroom door opens and closes not too long after you realize what the song is about, and Youngjae plops down beside you, smelling of your peach hand soap. He puts his earphone back on, and when he realizes what song is playing, turns to look at you with an alarmed expression- only to find that you’re already watching him with gentle, confused eyes.
“Youngjae-“
He doesn’t even hear what you have to say because he grabs the earphone you have in your ear, quickly gathers his belongings, and runs out the door.
It happens too quickly for you to process anything, and by the time you run after him, he’s gone. You try checking his apartment and knock on his door repeatedly, but no one answers. Disappointed, you return to your apartment and plan to look for him the next day.
Except, you don’t find him.
For the next few days, you look everywhere he could possibly be, even asking at the radio station he works at if he had taken any shifts recently. His partner DJ, fourth year student Kang Younghyun, replies that yes, Youngjae had, and that in fact, his shift had ended just before you showed up.
You thank Younghyun and leave, frustrated that he even went so far as to change his extra-curricular schedule to avoid you.
A little over a week after that unfortunate night, you receive a call from Jackson, a member of their performance group.
“Hey Y/N! Want to join us at the bowling alley this Friday night? It’s the first time in a while that so many of us have been free at the same time, and even Nayeon, Mina, and Jimin are coming along.”
The sound of Jackson’s voice and the mention of your other girlfriends brings a smile to your lips, and you can practically feel his energy through the phone. Deciding that you miss everyone and deserve a break from school, you gladly accept. Jackson cheers, and is about to end the call, but you stop him at the last second.
“Wait!” You say hurriedly.
“Hmm?” he answers. “What is it?”
“Is Youngjae coming?” You bite your lip, suddenly feeling stupid for asking.
“Actually, no…he’s not.” The deflated tone in his voice gives you an image of Jackson frowning. “Didn’t you know? He told us he’s been really busy with homework and projects. He’s not free until winter break.”
It’s your turn to frown. He didn’t tell you that.
“Oh. Well, okay. See you on Friday!” You try to sound excited, but don’t seem too convincing. If Jackson notices anything, he doesn’t mention it as he ends the call.
Friday night comes faster than you thought it would, and you head to the bowling alley to meet up with your friends. The first people you see are Nayeon and Mina, who excitedly capture you in a tight group hug. Greeting everyone, you notice that the only people not present are Jeongyeon, Younghyun, Dowoon, Yugyeom, and Youngjae. Jackson greets you with an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm, and despite the heavy feeling in your chest that the absence of your best friend causes, you find yourself smiling happily for the rest of the night.
A few more weeks pass and you start feeling lonelier and emptier than you ever have. Despite knowing that Youngjae wouldn’t show, you still keep your Saturday nights free, hoping for him to come knocking on your door. For the sake of tradition, you do what you would normally do together, having solo movie marathons and taking walks in the park alone.
One fortunate Wednesday afternoon, your inorganic chemistry professor sends a message to the class beagle, informing everyone that there would be no class today as he has a family emergency to attend to. You walk out of that class feeling relieved, as you didn’t have time to do the reading, and the professor you had for that class was quite fond of graded recitation.
Walking leisurely along the quadrangle just outside your department building, you take your time and soak up the sun, thinking about everything that happened within the past few weeks. Unsurprisingly, most of your thoughts are occupied by Youngjae.
As if your thoughts summon him, you see your best friend descending the steps of the arts building, walking in the same direction you’re headed. For a split second, you don’t believe it. Then you remember that for the past few weeks, you’ve been hoping for at least a glimpse of your best friend- and here he is. You’d recognize that mop of brown hair anywhere.
You break out into a run, and when you get within hearing distance, you call out his name.
“Yah, Choi Youngjae!”
He looks over his shoulder and sees you running towards him. You slow down, expecting him to stop and wait for you to catch up, but he does the exact opposite. Turning back around, he walks even faster to get away from you
Frustration quickly builds up inside of you, and you sprint. He rounds a corner just as you catch up to him, grabbing his backpack to keep him in place.
“Ah-!” Losing his footing, he stumbles at the sudden force that’s keeping him from moving. He recovers quickly and turns to face you, avoiding eye contact with an obvious look of nervousness on his face. “Hi Y/N…”
He meets your eyes. The look on your face shows that you’re both angry and disappointed, and he knows that it’s time to stop running away.
Your best friend clears his throat. “Want to go for a walk?”
You accept, and soon enough, you find yourselves at the park that you always used to visit.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.” Youngjae comments randomly.
“That’s because you’ve been so busy avoiding me and running from your problems.” You can’t stop yourself from snapping at him, the word vomit escaping your mouth. Immediately you regret it, bringing a hand up to your lips and looking at him with an apologetic look in your eyes.
He chuckles dryly. “It’s okay. I deserve that.”
“But why?” You frown.
Exhaling deeply, Youngjae scoffs bitterly. “You know me, I’m insecure as hell. Whenever you fawn over guys in those movies and dramas you watch, I realize I’m nothing like them, and that you’ll never like me the way I want you to. Stupid, I know, so I hid my feelings. All of it. I only let it out through my songwriting.”
You watch as he brings a hand up to run it through his hair and to rub the back of his neck. “It’s not that I had plans of hiding that song from you. Until I realized that my own song exposed me, I forgot that I included that little dedication in the recording.
“I panicked, of course. I didn’t know how else to deal with it other than distancing myself because I was so sure you didn’t like me back, and I couldn’t bear the thought of our friendship being awkward after that. I resolved that if you ever talked to me about it, I’d still sit there and listen, but I knew that nothing would be the same again.”
You decide you’ve had enough of listening to the boy’s insecurities and step in front of him, blocking his path. “Don’t you get it? That’s exactly why I like you.”
Confused, Youngjae stares at you blankly.
“Youngjae, you’re the greatest guy I know. You’re an amazing listener and you’re always there for me whenever I need you to be. There are so many things I love about you, and I hate that you’re so insecure about yourself, because, honestly, you have no reason to be. I also hate that you didn’t talk to me about it. I thought we told each other everything?” You pry, watching him with gentle eyes.
He bites his lip, looking down at the ground. “I’m sorry…” His voice is tiny, and he sounds so sad that it breaks your heart.
You sigh, reaching out to take his hand in yours. “From now on, don’t hold back with me, alright?”
Nodding, he lifts his head to look at you. “Okay.”
You find yourself smiling, then return to your original place beside him to continue walking, never letting go of his hand. “Do you have anything for the rest of the day?”
“No…”
You turn to face him. “Then where should we go for our first date?”
“D-date?” He looks back at you with wide eyes, stuttering.
Cute.
“Yes, our first date. Unless, you don’t want-?” You raise an eyebrow, and Youngjae immediately regains his composure.
“No! No, of course I want to.” He replies hurriedly, tightening his grip on your hand.
You let out a laugh, leaning forward to quickly press your lips against his cheek. “Let’s go.”
Ready to continue walking forward, you almost stumble as you feel him suddenly tug at your hand. Pulling you close, he presses his lips to yours in a proper kiss. He lets go of your hand and places his hand on the small of your back, the other going to your elbow to bring you even closer. With your hands resting on his arms, your brain goes fuzzy at your close proximity, and your chest feels hot, heart beating fast. Nothing can compare to the amount of happiness you’re feeling right now.
Pulling back, he looks into your eyes, and you understand the amount of love and affection he has for you, without him needing to say it explicitly. He touches his nose to yours, beginning to sing softly.
“There’s a moon like you.”