Pancakes!
Yung kage notices you've been quiet
Content warnings: none Requested?: yes ↳ "I'd love something with yung kage x fem reader, with romance prompt 18, like the reader's tagging along in vlogs w nick and kage and she's been too flustered to make a move."
Y/n sat back in her chair, pretending to focus on her pancakes, but her mind was elsewhere. It wasn’t that the group was hard to be around; they were all pretty easygoing, but she just felt a little out of place.
Everyone had this effortless way of talking in front of the camera, always ready with a joke or a story. Even Kage seemed like he’d been born to be on camera, always relaxed and making everyone laugh with the most natural ease.
But for Y/n, every time the attention was on her, it felt like she was thinking about what to say instead of just saying it. Every word felt calculated, even though she didn’t want it to.
She picked at her pancakes, glancing up now and then at the group, but always quick to look away.
After a while, Nick handed the camera to Kage, motioning to his plate. “Hey, take over for a bit, I’m starving.”
Kage adjusted the lens without missing a beat, focusing first on Nick's pancakes before swinging it around to the group. His eyes briefly met Y/n’s, and he noticed how quiet she’d been since they got there.
“You like it?” Kage asked, grinning at her as if to include her in the banter.
Y/n felt her cheeks heat up, but it was just a simple question, not an interrogation. “Yeah, they're good” she said, trying to brush it off, but there was no denying the warmth she felt from the simple attention.
“Solid pick.” Kage continued, leaning back a little in his seat, still holding the camera. “But I swear, those pancakes look the best out of everyone's.”
It was small, but it made Y/n feel like maybe she wasn’t as invisible as she’d thought.
The rest of breakfast passed in a blur of banter and Nick zooming in unnecessarily close on everyone’s food.
Y/n mostly stayed quiet, answering when asked, but her eyes kept drifting to Kage. Rhe way he leaned forward when he laughed and the way he smiled at her when he caught her staring.
She didn’t think she was being obvious, but as they were all piling back into the car, with Larry claiming shotgun and loudly arguing about aux privileges, Kage lingered beside her.
“You good?” he asked, quieter so only she could hear.
Y/n nodded, managing a small smile. “Yeah.”
He nodded like maybe he wasn’t just asking to be polite. Then he glanced at her again, eyes flicking to her hand for a second too long. “I didn’t think you’d actually come,” he said, voice a little different now, less teasing. “Nick said you might bail.”
“I almost did,” she admitted, laughing nervously. “But... I wanted to come.”
“Good,” Kage said. And then, just barely brushing her arm with his, “Glad you did.”
—
After a long day, everyone made it back to the hotel. until Nick, never one to sit still, suggested they head back out for a quick trip – something about vending machines and a 7-Eleven down the block.
Y/n had passed, waving them off with a small “I’m good,” and something about being tired, and no one questioned it much. She wasn’t even sure why she didn’t go; she just didn’t want to.
She sat on the edge of the couch in the shared room space, scrolling through her phone and listening to the buzzing traffic coming through the cracked window.
Ten minutes passed, then the door opened.
Y/n looked up.
It was Kage.
He didn’t say anything right away, just shut the door behind him gently and walked in.
She blinked. “Did you forget something?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t feel like going.”
Y/n’s mouth tugged to the side, unconvinced. “Pretty sure you were already outside.”
"Okay, you got me," Kage shrugged and sat down next to her on the couch. “I didn’t want you sitting here alone.”
That made her pause.
“Oh,” she said quietly. Then, after a second, “Thanks.”
“You’ve been pretty quiet,” he said, not accusing, just stating it soft and easy.
Y/n hesitated, caught off guard. “Oh. Yeah, I guess.”
He tilted his head a little. “Not feeling it today?”
She wasn't entirely sure why she’d been so withdrawn. “It’s not that. I just never know what to say around all of you.”
"Hey, everyone else already does enough talking for you," Kage let out a soft breath, not quite a laugh. “you don’t have to keep up with anyone.”
Y/n stared at her lap for a second, then picked at her nails. “It kinda feels like i do. Everyone talks so much, i just kind of… listen”
Kage gave a quiet chuckle, the sound low and warm. “That’s fine, you know. You’re allowed to just listen.”
Y/n looked up at him, catching the way he was looking at her
She smiled softly, leaning back into the couch. “sometimes its hard to join in, you know?”
“Yeah.” He stretched out his legs, crossing his arms over his chest. “You don’t have to try so hard around everyone, you know,” he said. “I like you like this.”
Y/n raised an eyebrow, half smiling. “like what?”
He shrugged. “Quiet. Kinda awkward.” Kage grinned, glancing over at her, “you.”
She kept her expression neutral, but inside, she felt heat rising to her face. She felt a weird vulnerability that came from being read too easily.
“…Seriously?” she asked, careful not to sound too thrown off.
He nodded, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She glanced away for a second, biting her lip. “Honestly… I’ve been trying to flirt with you this whole trip.”
Kage turned his head toward her, mildly amused. “What? When did that ever happen?”
“I mean... I looked at you,” she said, shrugging, “and you sometimes looked back.”
He couldn’t help but laugh, and the sound eased the last of the tension from her shoulders. “That’s it? That’s your definition of flirting?”
Y/n shrugged sheepishly. “Seems like it worked, though.”
He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.
She felt herself relax, not despite him, but because of him. There was no pressure to talk, no expectations other than to just sit there.
