Summary: You and Jiyong have always toed the line between friends and more than, but you can’t seem to take the plunge and actually be with him. So he waits.
Word Count: 1.3k
Warnings: Mentions of cheating (not by reader or Jiyong), some angst, some fluff
Author’s Note: I wasn’t going to write anything this week but as I was looking through requests I stumbled across this one and the inspo hit hard. This is based on a Tate McRae song called Greenlight. Enjoy <3
When you first met Jiyong you’d both been in relationships, a tragedy really because there’d been instant sparks. You were both too good to ever act on it. You’d stayed friends over the years though. Rooting for each other and supporting each others successes in life.
Despite the sparks, you’d gotten engaged to someone else. You’d been with him for years, it just made sense. Besides, Jiyong was in a committed relationship too, and he seemed happy. Until one day he’d texted you that they’d broken up.
You’d been knee deep in wedding plans when you’d gotten the news and had rushed to his side. You’d supported him through his breakup. You never crossed that line though. No matter how much you wanted to. His heart was broken, and yours belonged to someone else.
Jiyong had smiled at your wedding, danced with you like a friend when he’d always wanted more. Was on good terms with your husband. He would love you from afar if that was all he was allowed to have.
But then the affair happened. Jiyong saw red. How could he cheat on you? Jiyong had shown up unannounced and punched him in the face. You’d followed him out, explained to him that couldn’t happen again. You loved him. You’d change for him if it meant he wouldn’t do it again.
Jiyong didn’t get it. He loved you. He would never take advantage of you like that, never cheat, never ask you to change. Why couldn’t you see how great you were? He just smiled and nodded though, let you go after what you wanted.
It happened again a few months later and you filed for divorce. Jiyong offered his home to you, but you declined. You couldn’t live with him. It wouldn’t be right. So he’d helped you move into an apartment down the street. And he hoped.
“I appreciate you helping me, Ji. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” You hugged him as he sat the last box down in the kitchen.
“You never have to thank me. There’s no place else I’d ever be.” He grinned. “Should we get dinner?”
You nodded and he led you out of the house. Dinner was more flirty than it had ever been. Now that you were both single there was nothing stopping either of you. That spark from years ago was still there, not that it had ever faded. You heart longed for him. And so when he walked you home and leaned in for a kiss, you didn’t stop him. You kissed him back like you’d been craving him for years.
∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘
“You think you’ll ever want to take that next step?”
It had been months of this game. Dinners, movie nights, kisses. But you hadn’t committed to him. Every time you thought it was about to happen you would chicken out.
“Yeah. I just, I’m not ready yet.” You shrugged, giving him an apologetic smile.
He nodded like he always did when you gave this answer. Jiyong didn’t understand why you couldn’t just jump in with him, but he would never pressure you. When you were ready, he’d be ready. He could wait.
Another month passed and Jiyong was officially going crazy. He’d done everything he could think of. Even wrote a song about you, his eyes on yours the entire time he sang it when he debuted it at a show. Taken you to all your favorite stops along his tour. You still weren’t ready. He was running out of ways to show you how much he loved you, how much happier he could make you than anyone else.
“Ji, you didn’t!” You practically jumped into his arm when he presented the tickets.
“Of course I did. They’re your favorite band, right?”
“Yes! Thank you, oh my god!” You squealed before leaning in to kiss his cheek. “I love you!” The words were out before you could take them back.
Jiyong stilled in your arms and you leaned back to look at him, wide eyed. He never thought front row to your favorite band would be what made you crack, but here you were.
“You do?” He was hopefully, almost too hopeful and you nodded.
“Yeah, but I’m not ready.” You sighed, pulling away from him.
“Why not?” You paused, turning to face him. This was off script, but you guessed you started that.
“We were together for a long time, Ji. He hurt me really bad. I’m not ready to get my heart broken again. And what if we don’t work out? I just lose my best friend? I can’t do that.”
“But what if we do work out?” He moved to stand by you, “I love you I would never do what he did. I think we could end up being something beautiful.”
You let out a sigh, it was too much. Your feelings for him had always been too much. You’d always known he’d loved you, but hearing it out loud was doing something to you.
“Ji, I don’t know.”
“Give me a chance.”
“I’m scared.”
“Me too.”
You almost caved, you almost said yes. You wanted to say yes. He was giving you everything you needed but you still couldn’t pull the trigger. As if reading your mind, Jiyong just nodded, a sad smile on his face.
∘•···············•∘ʚ ♡ ɞ∘•················•∘
As time went on, Jiyong still tried. Not as hard as he used to, but he couldn’t help how he felt about you. The time you spent together was always the best, it made you feel alive in ways you hadn’t before. Made you wish you weren’t so afraid to let him be more than that.
And then one night, it finally happened. You’d been out for drinks and a girl had hit on him right in front of you. Jiyong being the shy guy he was had laughed it off but she’d been persistent. He’d bought her a drink, offered to let her hang out with you guys. She’d been flirty the whole night. You stayed in the car as Jiyong walked her to her doorstep, watched in agony as he placed a kiss on her cheek, smiled at her before she walked in her house.
“What was that?” He’d hardly made it back in the car before you were fuming.
“I was making sure she got home safe, it’s called being nice.” He shrugged.
“Jiyong, please. She was flirting with you all night.” You sighed leaning back in the seat.
“Was she?” His brows raised. “I didn’t realize.” He turned to face you.
“Yeah, well she was.” You folded your arms with a pout. “And You were flirting back.”
“I was not.” He snorted. “I told you I wouldn’t do that to you and I meant it. Believe me, I only have eyes for you no matter how painful it might be.”
“I’m sorry.” You sighed, looking at him. “I don’t know why I can’t just let myself be with you. I want to, I really do. I just…can’t.”
“Ever?”
“I hope not. But if you don’t want to wait for me, I get it.” You nudged him, “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
“I’d wait for you forever.”
Your heart skipped a beat at his words. There was something about the vulnerability in his voice that made you want to jump off the deep end and finally give into this whole thing. You’d find a way to make it work, right?
You moved in closer, your lips brushing against his softly. His mouth moved against yours, his arms finding their way to you as he pulled you closer. You’d done this a million times but today it felt different. Like a promise instead of a no.
“We try.” You whispered as you pulled away, your forehead resting against his.
“We try.” He nodded, a small smile on his face.
He’d waited years for this, but he knew he needed to move slow if he didn’t want to lose you. He vowed to never make you feel the way your ex did, he’d protect your heart for the rest of his life. He’d already been doing it for all these years anyway.
The Russian government’s continued failure to put Russian society on a war-time footing will have significant impacts on Russian logistics as traffic from Russian tourism to occupied Crimea jams Russian logistics to southern Ukraine in the midst of the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south. The Kerch Strait Bridge is along one of two ground lines of communication (GLOCs) supporting Russia’s southern force grouping, with the other route passing through occupied Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson Oblasts. This sole remaining logistics route is now a single point of failure for the supply of the large numbers of mechanized Russian forces in southern Ukraine needed to resist Ukrainian counteroffensives. Russian and occupation officials have nevertheless continued to promote occupied Crimea as a tourist destination, however, urging Russian civilians to drive through and to a warzone rather than advising them to avoid it as a responsible government would.[8] Russian occupation authorities recently struggled to mitigate traffic issues just from increased Russian tourism across the Kerch Strait Bridge, as ISW has previously reported.[9] Russian President Vladimir Putin even ordered the use of Russian military assets to ferry tourists across the Kerch Strait.[10] Some Russian milbloggers also suggested that the attack against the Kerch Strait Bridge should not reduce continued tourist flows.[11]
Hiiii bestie @now-let-me-be-frankie and @whats-a-terrarium bullied me into listening to in strange woods and i will now take this as my villain origin story and do what they've done to me so all my loved ones can cry the way i did
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