summary: after a long day of schedules, yunho comes home expecting a quiet night and accidentally ends up watching aquamarine with you.
pairings: jeong yunho x f!reader ౨ৎ
genre: fluff, comfort, domestic, established relationship, slice of life, light humor, etc..
warnings: none, sleepy yunho, light teasing, reader can’t dance <33
coy’s note: first yuyu fic on this blog who cheered!! 😋 i rewatched aquamarine a few days ago and forgot how nostalgic it feels. i used to watch this movie all the time with my younger cousins during sleepovers growing up, so this fic was very much born from missing those memories:) **lowercase IS intentional
the apartment had gone quiet hours ago. not the lonely kind. the familiar kind.
the kind that came after dinner dishes had been put away, laundry folded, and the rest of the night finally belonged to you.
the living room sat dim except for the lamp beside the couch and the soft glow of the tv.
you’d long since changed into pajamas, one of yunho’s old t-shirts hanging loose over sleep shorts, blanket draped across your legs as you sank deeper into the cushions.
aquamarine played softly in front of you.
it had started as a random decision. mostly nostalgia. partly comfort.
you’d just gotten to the part where aquamarine first appeared when you heard it.
the familiar jingle from the other side of the door, followed by the soft click of it unlocking.
you smiled to yourself before you could stop it.
the door opened. closed. shoes kicked off.
then somewhere near the entryway, a muffled groan.
you could practically hear the exhaustion. a minute later, footsteps shuffled down the hall. slower than usual.
dragging just a little. and then:
you turned toward the sound. yunho stood there looking exactly how you expected him to. tired.
hair messy in that way that meant he’d probably run his hands through it a hundred times without realizing. hoodie slightly wrinkled. eyes heavy like the day had settled into them and refused to leave.
“there you are,” he said, quieter than usual.
you lifted an eyebrow. “we’re you expecting someone else?”
“honestly,” he glanced around the apartment. “could’ve sworn i lived with a ghost.”
you snorted. “a ghost who does your laundry?”
“a very responsible ghost.” his smile came easy. small. sleepy. familiar.
and, annoyingly, it softened something in your chest immediately.
without much thought, he crossed the room and leaned down, pressing an absentminded kiss to your shoulder before glancing toward the tv.
he gave you a look. “wow. very descriptive.”
you grinned. “aquamarine.”
that got him to pause. “…what’s that?”
you blinked. slowly turned your head. “you don’t know aquamarine?”
he stared. “the what movie?”
“why is there a mermaid movie?”
a laugh slipped out before you could help it. “because it’s literally about a mermaid, yunho.”
“that explains very little.”
he only shrugged, far too amused with himself.
you settled back into the couch a little more, blanket shifting around your legs.
“it’s nostalgic,” you explained. “i used to watch it all the time with my younger cousins during sleepovers.”
the memory alone pulled a small smile from you.
“but honestly?” you glanced back toward the screen. “i think people don’t give it enough credit.”
his attention shifted from the tv to you instead.
listening. the way he always did.
“it’s not just some girly movie about a mermaid,” you said. “it’s about friendship too. growing up. love in a really simple way.”
you hesitated for a second. “it’s actually way better than people think it is.”
for a moment, he didn’t answer. just looked at you.
something quieter settling into his expression.
“that’s cute,” he said finally.
you narrowed your eyes immediately. “don’t start.”
“you’re being suspiciously nice.”
he huffed a tired laugh. “too exhausted to argue.”
that got a smile out of you despite yourself.
then, like his body had made the decision before his brain caught up, yunho sighed.
the kind of sigh that came from a day that had taken too much out of him.
before you could say anything, he lowered himself onto the couch beside you.
or, more accurately, partially onto you.
“yunho,” you laughed as his shoulder bumped yours.
he ignored you completely.
already shifting until he stretched across the couch, head eventually settling into your lap like it belonged there.
honestly? it kind of did.
his cheek pressed lightly against your thigh as he got comfortable.
like this had quietly become his favorite place to land after long days.
“three practices,” he muttered. “interviews. filming.”
you winced. “that sounds awful.”
“it was.” his eyes slipped shut.
your fingers paused for half a second before finding their way into his hair.
“you saw me this morning.”
that pulled a small smile from you before you could stop it. “missed you too.”
because somehow, no matter how ordinary the day had been, coming home always felt like this with him.
like something inside the apartment settled. like the night softened once he was there.
your fingers moved through his hair slowly. carefully.
and the effect was immediate. a quiet breath left him. his shoulders easing little by little beneath your touch.
“you okay?” you asked softly.
your hand shifted, lightly scratching at his scalp. he melted further into your lap without even pretending otherwise.
a few quiet minutes passed like that. the movie playing softly. the lamp glowing beside you.
his breathing evening out little by little. then suddenly:
a small nudge against your thigh.
your brows lifted. “…did you just headbutt me?”
“you moved directly into my hand.”
a laugh slipped out of you. “thought so.”
you resumed scratching lightly through his hair, fingertips brushing gently near the nape of his neck.
after a second, his hand lazily reached up, resting your wrist for a moment before absentmindedly turning his head just enough to press a tired kiss against the inside of your palm.
like he hadn’t even thought about doing it. like the affection with you had become instinct.
“you’re clingy.” you murmured.
and before long, somewhere between teasing and commentary and sleepy silence, yunho stopped pretending he wasn’t invested.
even if he’d never admit it.
the credits rolled quietly across the screen. neither of you moved.
the apartment had settled into that sleepy kind of silence that only seemed to exist late at night, when everything outside slowed and the world narrowed into something smaller.
just this. the couch. the lamp beside you.
yunho still stretched comfortably across your lap like he hadn’t spent the last hour pretending he wasn’t at a little invested in a movie about a mermaid.
his eyes lingered on the tv for another second before he huffed softly through his nose. “so…”
you glanced down at him. “so?”
your grin came instantly. “oh my god.”
“you knew raymond’s name.”
his eyes shut briefly, like he regretted speaking at all. “that happened one time.”
your fingers scratched lightly at the back of his head, earning a small shift closer against your lap.
“the bandaid scene was nice though.”
your expression softened. “the raymond one?”
he nodded once. “the dramatic fence jump was a little much.”
you laughed. “it was very dramatic.”
“like.. unnecessarily dramatic.”
“that’s part of the charm.”
a sleepy smile tugged at his mouth.
“but the bandaid thing,” he said, shrugging slightly, “that part was nice.”
you looked back toward the darkened tv for a second.
“i always liked that scene.”
“because of the fence jumping?”
“but mostly because…” you tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear, “he noticed she got hurt and just helped.”
the memory played back easily.
aquamarine falling off the bike.
raymond seeing it happen.
immediately rushing outside like the world was ending.
jumping over the fence for dramatic effect.
then kneeling beside her like nothing else mattered.
“he didn’t make it weird,” you said quietly. “he just wanted to make sure she was okay.”
yunho stayed quiet. listening.
“it’s actually why i started carrying bandaids.”
that got his attention. his head tilted back slightly. “you carry bandaids?”
“forever,” you shrugged. “what if someone gets hurt?”
you hesitated for exactly half a second. “…you.”
the look he gave you made warmth creep up your neck immediately.
“well,” you added quickly, “not just you.”
his lips twitched. “thats really sweet.”
you nudged his shoulder lightly. “i just think it’s nice to be prepared.”
the conversation drifted after that. easy. unhurried. the kind of back and forth that always came naturally with him.
until eventually, the tv dimmed into silence. for a while, neither of you said much.
yunho stayed exactly where he was, eyes growing heavier while your fingers absentmindedly traced through his hair.
then, quietly, you reached for your phone beside you.
the movement alone made him glance up. “…what’re you doing?”
that answer immediately made him suspicious.
you carefully lifted his head from your lap before standing.
instantly, confusion crossed his face. more confusion when you had turned back toward him. phone in hand. the other stretched toward him.
yunho blinked up at you, hair messy from laying there too much. still looking adorably lost.
then the music started. soft guitar. familiar.
island in the sun by weezer.
recognition flickered across his face almost instantly.
suddenly, embarrassment crept up to your neck.
maybe this sounded cuter in your head.
still, you held your hand out anyway. ❝ may i have this dance?❞
for a second, he just looked at you. caught somewhere between confusion and amusement.
then a quiet laugh slipped out before he instinctively lifted his hand to cover part of his mouth, eyes crinkling at the corners. “there’s no one else here.”
you narrowed your eyes. “yunho.”
“what?” he said, smile lingering behind his hand. “just checking.”
your hand stayed awkwardly extended while a terrible realization hit you.
this man literally danced for a living. meanwhile, you absolutely did not.
“you can say no,” you said quickly. “i know this is kind of embarrassing and definitely less cute than i imagined and i cannot dance anywhere near your level so—”
he reached for your hand. “c’mere.”
“you don’t have to if you’re tired.”
his thumb brushed lightly over your knuckles. ❝baby, ❞ he said softly, ❝of course i’m gonna dance with you. ❞
something about the softness in his voice made the embarrassment settle, if only a little.
and at first? it was objectively bad.
you stepped the wrong direction almost immediately.
“you stepped on my foot.”
a laugh escaped both of you. that kind that came easy. familiar.
eventually, the joking settled. the movement slowed. until neither of you were dancing anymore. just swaying.
his fingers loosely threaded through yours while his other hand rested at your waist.
not holding too tightly. just there. steady. easy.
your joined hands rested loosely between you while your head tipped lightly against his shoulder.
close enough to hear his quiet breaths over the music.
after a while, you tilted your head back slightly. “if you were a merman, what color tail would you have?”
he looked down immediately. “…you’re serious?”
he actually thought about it.
your smile came easy. “blue?”
something softened in his expression. small. fond.
he shrugged lightly. “don’t know.”
that landed softer than expected. for a little while, neither of you said much. just swayed. slow. unhurried.
until another thought crossed your mind. “wait.”
you tipped your head back. “do you think those starfish earrings would look cute on me?”
his brows lifted immediately. “the talking ones?”
“mhm.” you pretended to think. “i feel like they’d either be really cute or really ugly.”
a sleepy smile tugged at his mouth. “pretty sure they’d look good on you.”
you studied him for a second. like you were genuinely considering something. “…i don’t know.”
you tilted your head slightly. “i think you could pull them off.”
that earned a laugh. “me?”
his hand shifted lightly at your waist, thumb brushing absentmindedly against the fabric of your shirt.
“yeah?” he asked quietly.
something about the way he said it made warmth creep up your neck again.
still, you matched his energy. leaning closer until your mouth hovered near his ear.
quiet. playful. like sharing a secret.
immediately, he huffed softly. “…don’t start.”
you ignored him. same teasing whisper. “yunho is really, really good at dancing.”
“okay,” he muttered, smile impossible to hide now, “that one’s definitely biased.”
“yunho is very good at valorant.”
that got a real laugh out of him. “absolutely not.”
“yes.” you swayed once before continuing.
“i think yunho looks really adorable when he pouts.”
that one got him. you saw it immediately. the tiny pause. the way his shoulders shook with a quiet laugh.
“you’re embarrassing me.”
“and yet you’re still standing here.”
he shook his head, fond despite himself.
but when you spoke again, your voice softened. less teasing now. more honest.
“i love how your smile alone can brighten up any room you walk into.”
the teasing slowly faded from his expression. something quieter settling there instead.
“i love how hardworking and passionate you are too,” you murmured. “whether it’s idol stuff or acting or honestly anything. you care so much.”
his gaze flickered towards you. quieter now. more attentive.
“and…” your voice softened again, “i really admire how comforting your presence is.”
his eyes met yours properly then.
“to me,” you said softly. “and to your members too. i think people feel really safe around you.”
for a second, he didn’t say anything.
just looked at you. quiet. a little shy.
like he didn’t fully know what to do with being seen that clearly.
then a soft breath of laughter left him. small. embarrassed.
“you can’t just say things like that.”
your brows pulled together. “why not?”
a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “because,” he muttered, quieter now, “you make me shy.”
“i thought you were supposed to be the confident one.”
he only shook his head once before lifting your joined hands, absentmindedly brushing a soft kiss against your knuckles.
like he needed a second to recover. “keep going, though.”
you laughed softly. “greedy.”
“a little.” his smile stayed small. shy around the edges. for a second, neither of you said much.
just swayed. slow. comfortable.
the song humming softly through the apartment.
then, quietly, he dipped his head just enough to press a lingering kiss against your forehead.
unhurried. the kind that felt more like affection than habit.
like i heard everything you said.
your nose scrunched a little. “was that supposed to distract me?”
“maybe,” he said, not even pretending to deny it.
the song drifted quietly around the apartment, nearing its end.
“i think i liked it more because you liked it.”
your heart did something embarrassingly immediate. “the movie?”
he nodded once. “you looked happy watching it.”
simple. matter-of-fact. like that explained everything. and somehow, it kind of did.
without really thinking, you leaned a little closer. “thanks for watching it with me,” you murmured.
his hand squeezed yours lightly. “thanks for asking.”
then, quieter like the words slipped out before he could stop them. “i think i just like more when they’re with you.”
before you could recover from that, he dipped his head just enough to press a sleepy kiss near your shoulder.
soft. lingering. the kind that felt absentminded in the best way.
by the time the song faded, neither of you had really stopped swaying.
