words left unsaid | jooheon
prompts - Drink: My character will call, text, or show up at your character’s house drunk. + Confess: My character will speak their true feelings about your character. // request more here!
characters: reader x jooheon
word count: 1.2k+
genre: fluff
There are still several more hours until the sun will crest the horizon and the chilled night is relatively quiet, except for a misplaced knocking. It permeates your warm dream, melding itself to the imaginary world until it is all that fills your ears. You blink awake to stare bleary-eyed at the clock on the bedside table. Surely it must be lying about the time.
You groggily swipe the back of your hand across your eyes and sit up. The air is silent for a beat, leading you to believe you simply had a very visceral dream. But the knocking comes again, loud and persistent against your front door.
“What the ever-loving-heck?” you grumble as you swing your legs out of the bed, tapping your toes across the hardwood until the fluff of your slippers offers a cozy reprieve. Bending slowly, stretching the stiff muscles of your back, you scoop up your robe from where it was sleepily discarded. “Aliens better have landed and set the world on fire, or else this can wait until I’ve had my eight hours.”
You swiftly move through your house despite the darkness and frown upon reaching the front door. The knocking continues in an uneven rhythm followed by a solid thud of something else hitting the door. The peep-hole offers no answer as to whom is visiting you at this ungodly hour, and with a resigned sigh you flip on the overhead light outside and slide back the deadbolt.
A frigid gust of wind greets you just before something falls against you. Or, rather, someone. The shock of red-dyed hair halts the punch you had ready and you grip the man’s shoulders instead to push him back up to slouch against the door frame.
“Jooheon? What the hell are you doing here at this time?” The outside breeze carries the answer to you and you scrunch your nose. “Are you drunk?”
The inebriated man makes some semblance of a grunt yes and tips forward. You place your palms against his chest to hold him upright and he stares down at the action.
“I have to tell you something,” he slurs, lifting his hand to hover only a breath above your own.
“Now? I thought you were rehearsing tonight?” You look over him quickly—he wears loose sweats and a thin shirt, indicators that he had been practicing at some point.
Jooheon brushes his fingertips lightly over your hand. “ ‘s important.”
“Jesus, where is your coat? You’re gonna freeze to death out there!”
“Forgot it.”
Your lips purse tightly and an exasperated sigh blows out. “Get inside before you turn into a cherry popsicle.” Grabbing his hand you pull him all the way inside and nudge the door closed with your foot. Slowly, you lead him to the couch and ease him down. “Sit here.” You leave him for a moment to turn on a few lamps and to retrieve a bottle of water from the kitchen.
Jooheon gratefully takes the water and downs half the bottle before you sit next to him. He looks like Hell; his usually rounded cheeks and upturned smile are nowhere in sight and your heart clenches at the sight. You grab a nearby throw and drape it across his shoulders.
“So, what was so important that you traipsed through the freezing night to reach my door?”
Jooheon fixes his gaze on the bottle between his hands, gathering his thoughts into what he hopes will be a coherent sentence.
“There’s something really important that I need to tell you.”
“Yes, you’ve said that already.”
He presses his thumbs into the side of the bottle, caving it in slightly. He exhales slowly and shakes his head, “No, I mean it. This is something important.” He pauses. “Something I’ve wanted to say for a long time.”
Your heart speeds up its beats, fluttering against your ribs with worry at his sudden seriousness.
He sets the water bottle down and turns to face you, his face showing a resolution you only saw during practices and performances. The butterfly beats of your heart now turn into an eagle’s powerful stroke and you are not sure how much more your chest can take.
He reaches for your hands and rubs small, soothing circles across your knuckles. “I’m probably scaring you, huh? I’m sorry.” He smiles for the first time that night and your pulse begins to slow at the familiar sight.
You squeeze his hands and return his smile. “It’s alright. What were you going to tell me?”
Jooheon looks up to the ceiling, gathering his courage and trying to sober up his mind. He releases a shaky breath and lowers his eyes to find yours.
“For a long time now, I—” he is interrupted by a sudden hiccup and his hand flies to his mouth, his eyes wide in embarrassment. “Oh my god, I’m sorry!”
A laugh spills from your lungs and breaks up the remaining tension that hangs in the air. Your chest feels lighter but Jooheon now hides behind his hands. You cannot contain your giggles, but you pull his hands down and hold them in your lap.
“It’s okay! I’ve seen you do more embarrassing things.”
“But this is important!” he nearly whines, the alcohol still driving his emotions.
You stifle another giggle at the innocent look splayed across his face. “Keep going, Jooheon. I’m listening.”
He takes a moment to compose himself and to make sure no more hiccups interfere with what he is about to say.
“For a long time now, I’ve been hiding these feelings that I didn’t understand at first. But after a lot of thought, I’ve realized what they are.” He stops and chews on his bottom lip, planning his next words carefully.
“What are they?” you probe.
“I have feelings for...you. I like you.” He holds your gaze as it’s your turn for your eyes to go wide.
“Fe-feelings? What kind of feelings?” you ask your mind still unable to process his words.
“Romantic feelings, if we had to label them.”
Your mouth gapes as the full brunt of the words hit you and your heart lurches forward.
“You don’t have to say anything or give me an answer right now,” Jooheon tumbles out sensing the rapidly increasing pulsing of your heart.
“No, that’s not it! I—I feel the same,” you admit, heat spreading across your chest at your confession.
Jooheon is silent and stares back at you.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” he says hurriedly.
“That’s, um, not the reaction I was expecting.” Your stomach drops and you feel as if you are going to be sick, too. “If this was just some kind of mean joke—.”
“No!” Jooheon shouts, waving his hands before you before clamping both over his mouth. “ ’m ‘onna throw up!”
Realization dawns on you with all the subtlety of a hammer and you shoot to your feet and point to the bathroom. “GO!” Jooheon stumbles to his feet and makes a crooked bee-line to the bathroom.
A few minutes later you stand outside the bathroom with a fresh bottle of water and an extra toothbrush. “You alright?”
The toilet flushes and Jooheon cracks open the door, taking the water and the toothbrush before pushing it closed again.
“Can we have a re-do in the morning?”
You laugh and adjust your robe against the predawn chill. “Please, lets. You can have the couch for the rest of the night.”
m.list
A/N: thank you, dear anon, for my first monsta x request! I had so much fun writing this ^-^ I hope you enjoyed it! ♡♡♡