Hi!! Can i request a CORTIS James x reader fic where the reader is a solo artist and they had dated pre-debut but broke up after debut? They wrote all these songs about each other but never reached out to each other until they run into each other at a brand after party. And they decide to give it another shot 🥹🥹🥹 thank you!!! I'm such a fan of how you capture emotions in your writing
James x reader || Tangles Melodies
Ex-lovers and fellow musicians, James and a you reunite at a brand after-party, confronting past heartbreak and unsent songs to give love a second chance.
the after party was loud, a swirl of clinking glasses, sparkling lights, and people draped in designer everything. you were trying to stay calm, sliding through the crowd with the practiced grace of someone used to being watched, used to smiling at the right moments. but inside, your stomach was a little too aware of every step, every laugh that cut through the air.
and then you saw him.
james, looking like he belonged on a magazine cover even with the easiest grin on his face. only, that grin faltered when it landed on you.
“you…” his voice was barely above the music, yet it somehow found you through the noise.
you blinked, heart stuttering. “james.”
it had been years. not that anyone was counting—but the songs, the lyrics, the late-night writing sessions where you’d poured your heart into melodies about him, or him about you… it had all been private, sacred. until the day you debuted, and until the day you parted ways.
“i didn’t expect to see you here,” he admitted, scratching the back of his neck like a nervous teen. his usual poise was slightly frayed, edges softened in the dim lights of the venue.
you shrugged, a small, almost shy smile tugging at your lips. “same.”
and then there was that pause. the weight of all the unsent messages, the songs that had been your diary, your therapy. all of it hanging between the two of you.
“can we… talk?” he asked finally, his voice rougher than usual, thick brows scrunching.
you nodded, following him to a quieter balcony at the back. the music muffled there, the air cooler, the city lights spilling around you like tiny spilled stars.
“i wrote a song once,” you admitted, your hands fidgeting with the edge of your sleeve. “about… us. about what we had. you probably don’t know.”
his eyebrows rose, eyes widening slightly. “i wrote one too.”
and just like that, the floodgates opened. you talked about lyrics, about the nights you’d stayed awake thinking of each other, about the heartbreak of debut and how everything felt too soon, too public. james was outwardly flustered, running a hand through his hair, stammering over words he usually had no trouble with. you were calmer, even if your chest thumped a little too fast every time he smiled or reached for your hand.
“do you… want to try again?” he asked finally, a little desperate, a little hopeful, the vulnerability in his voice slicing through the nerves you’d been holding in check.
you looked at him. really looked. and maybe it was the quiet honesty in his eyes, the way he seemed unmasked even in the chaos, that made your heart answer before your lips could.
“yeah,” you whispered. “i think… i want that.”
the next day, when james got back to his dorm, his members nearly tackled him in the living room, shrieking with excitement.
“wait, wait! tell us everything!” keonho shouted loudly in his ear.
“took long enough!” juhoon yelled across the room, from his scrunched up window seat.
“you look like a love-struck idiot, hyung!”
he laughed nervously, cheeks flushing, rubbing the back of his neck. “it’s… really nothing like that,” he muttered.
but they were relentless, teasing him, poking fun at the way he kept grinning at his phone like a fool. he could only shrug, flustered but happy, replaying last night’s words in his head.
and later, when you were alone together in a quiet hotel room during a collaboration meeting, he finally closed the door, exhaling sharply.
“i’ve missed this,” he murmured, voice low, warm. stepping closer, brushing a loose strand of hair from your face. “missed you.”
you didn’t answer at first, only letting your hand find his. the small gesture made his chest tighten.
and then, softly, deliberately, he leaned in. lips pressed against yours in a private, lingering kiss—gentle at first, a question that your lips answered with certainty. the kiss deepened, slow and careful, the world shrinking to the two of you in the dim glow of the room. his hands cupped your face, thumbs brushing over your cheekbones, while you rested your palms against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath your fingers.
when you finally parted, just enough to breathe, he rested his forehead against yours, eyes closed, voice husky.
“we’re… really doing this, huh?”
you smiled softly, inner nerves still humming, but outwardly calm. “we are.”
and in that quiet room, with the city buzzing far below, it felt like coming home.
James: Haha, so do you want to get a coffee sometime or maybe-
Lily: Look, I've tried to let you down gently. I've told you that I find you an annoying prat on multiple occasions, but obviously it's not getting through to you. So no, no coffee. Never.
