Before Your Very Eyes
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ summary: You and Jeongin have been friends since you were kids. Everyone knows that. All of Stray Kids know that. You’re just a pair of close childhood bffs. Nothing more. Right?
a.k.a the three times the members of skz were super oblivious, and the one time Jeongin had to spell it out for them
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ word count: 3.8k
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ includes: fluff, fem main character, use of Y/N, a lot of time jumps hopefully its not confusing lol, making out, unintentional voyeurism (dw everyone is weirded out), the skz members are annoying but lovable little twerps
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ a/n: we’re back baby! i wrote this in just over a month and that seems long but its the quickest i’ve written in a while and IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF! editing and reading this made me lol a lot but i also feel that my writing is so surface level? (cut to me using 25537251 synonyms of ‘said’) if anyone has writing tips pls lmk!
also this fic was inspired by a list of ‘reverse tropes’ someone posted on tumblr so there will be more fics to come starring the other skz members! pls stay tuned! in order to not spoil the surprise the reverse trope will be stated at the very end hehe. hope you enjoy!
I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORK TO BE REPOSTED OR FED INTO AI
Movie night with the rest of the boys was something you regularly joined in on, what with Jeongin always inviting you over.
In the dark living room, the television produced vibrant colours from fast cars and fiery explosions. You sat on the far end of the couch, cuddled up next to Jeongin, who sat in the middle. Chan, who’d fallen asleep twenty minutes in, took up the other end while Felix and Seungmin were sprawled out on the adjacent two-seater. Everyone watched in comfortable silence, with the occasional remark on the film’s unrealisticness thrown in.
Your head lay against Jeongin’s chest as his arm was slung around your shoulders, keeping you close. As the movie dwindled on, your eyelids grew heavier and your body instinctively curled itself around him even more — seeking his warmth.
A strong, icy gust of wind from the air conditioner swept through the room, and like a cat, you jolted awake; a shiver rippling across your skin.
Jeongin began rubbing your arm, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just really cold in here.”
He reached behind him to grab the blanket resting on the couch cushions, before standing up to shake it out and wrap the two of you up in it. As the soft, fluffy fabric encompassed you, you settled into Jeongin’s side once again, now with your legs draped across his lap and his arms around your torso.
“Get some rest,” he whispered in your ear. “I’ll wake you up when the movie’s over.”
With the familiar comfort of Jeongin’s body and the soft blanket wrapped around you, you let out a small hum as you finally drifted off to dreamland.
Felix noticed the tartan blanket being unravelled out of the corner of his eye. He watched as you and Jeongin evolved into a human burrito — smooth skin pressed against one another like two perfect puzzle pieces, your head tucked securely under Jeongin’s.
“Hey, Seungmin,” Felix whispered.
“Hmm?” the younger replied, eyes slowly tearing away from the television screen to look at his hyung.
The Australian subtly nudged his head towards the cuddled-up duo on the long couch; one now fast asleep and the other oblivious to their attention on him in the dark room.
“Look at them, they’re so cute together,” Felix smiled. “They’ve been so close lately. Have you noticed that?”
Seungmin nodded, “It’s like they’re super-glued together.”
“It’s amazing how comfortable they are with each other.”
A lull in the conversation led Felix to believe his teammate hadn’t heard his comment, but when he turned to look at the younger man, he could practically see the gears turning in his head.
“Well, they’ve both done and been through a lot together. I’m not surprised that they’re physically comfortable with each other.”
‘That’s true,’ Felix thought. Two people who’d been friends since they were toddlers and spent their years growing up together were bound to be close both emotionally and physically. It wasn’t uncommon for you and Jeongin to be side-by-side during group activities — arms pressed up against one another or legs playing a lazy game of footsie. Whispered inside jokes followed by hushed laughter and crinkled eye-smiles.
“But they’ve been more… touchy-feely recently, no?” Felix mused, his brows furrowing ever so slightly.
“They probably just missed each other a lot while we were on tour,” Seungmin shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV. Felix pondered the rationality for a second and realised that he had a point. Whenever Jeongin had a free moment to use his phone amidst the chaos of their schedule, there was a good chance he was communicating with you. Laughing at the memes you sent or being updated on your life in rushed video calls.
He took one last glance at the pair, perfectly content in each other’s arms despite the people around them, before settling back into the movie’s outlandish story.
The silence of the empty floor was disrupted by you and Jeongin stepping out of the elevator — heels clacking against the tiles and laughter filling the air. His hand rested at the bottom of your spine, the weight of his palm both a steady comfort and the creator of butterflies in your stomach. Your skin tingled despite being separated by your satin dress and his sturdy blazer across your shoulders.
As you reached your destination, you stepped aside to let Jeongin unlock the door. Standing behind him, you unashamedly drank in his back and shoulders; the fabric of his white button-up stretching across his body perfectly. You all but drooled at the sight of his forearms, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
The beep! of the electronic lock snapped you out of your daze, and you were met with Jeongin’s knowing smirk.
“You good there?”
Fearing the risqué words that might’ve come tumbling out of your mouth, you kept your lips sealed shut and nodded your head.
“After you,” he opened the door with a deep, butler-esque bow, eliciting a giggle from your lips.
The dorm you entered was much noisier than the quiet hallway outside.
Much noisier.
A loud chorus of welcomes greeted you as you walked in. Inside Chan and Jeongin’s usually calm dorm was a rowdy mess of takeaway containers, soda cans littering the floor, and the rest of the boys crowded in the living room, hollering and laughing at the television and one another. Chan, Minho and Seugmin lounged on the couch as the rest sat on the floor, their focus locked onto an intense game of Mario Kart.
“Hey guys! Welcome back,” Chan smiled.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Minho gestured to the mess around him with a lazy raise of his arm.
You and Jeongin laughed. “How’s game tournament night going?” you asked.
“Pretty good!” Chan beamed. “After we had dinner, the first game we played was UNO—”
“Which I won,” Minho interjected.
“Which Minho won, yes. You should’ve seen it. Whenever one of us was about to win, he’d put down a pick-up card and draw the game out even longer.”
“Bet he was hiding a bunch of plus-fours up his ass,” Seungmin drawled as he scrolled through his phone. Though met with laughter from the rest of the boys, he couldn’t escape the elder’s wrath as a pillow was swiftly chucked into his face.
Once he composed himself, Chan continued. “Then we played Twister, where Hyunjin was the final winner.”
The man in question let out a loud whoo! as his eyes and hands never left the race.
“And right now we’ve got our Mario Kart competition going on.”
“Who’s winning?” Jeongin asked.
“Me, of course,” Changbin puffed out his chest.
“Not for much longer!” came Felix. In a split second, a blue shell zipped through the air from Felix’s Toad and crash-landed on Changbin’s Baby Luigi in a fiery explosion. Changbin could do nothing but yell out in shock as his character flailed helplessly in the air and the rest of the drivers whizzed past him.
“Why’d you do that?” he whined.
Felix only giggled as the race continued, whilst Changbin was left pouting as he tried to catch up from second-to-last place.
“Do you guys wanna join? You can go head-to-head, and the winner will take on me and this race’s winner to determine the champ,” Chan explained.
“Thanks, but we already decided to hit the hay once we got back here,” you smiled apologetically.
“Which reminds me,” Jeongin said, “I need to get my room ready. Wait right here.” He patted your back and dashed down the hall, disappearing into his room.
“So what did you guys do tonight? You’re both dressed real fancy,” Minho commented, making space for you on the couch.
“Ooh! We went to this new Italian restaurant that I’ve been dying to go to. I’ve heard so many amazing reviews, and the menu looked heavenly, but they’re so popular that they’re booked out months in advance. Luckily, Innie was able to pull some strings and snag us a table for tonight!"
“Sounds like you had a good time,” Chan smiled.
“Absolutely! You should all try it, it’s to die for. Plus, Innie was such a gentleman, which made the whole night even sweeter.”
“Really? What did he do?”
“First, he showed up at my apartment with a huge bouquet of tulips — my favourite — as well as a beautiful silver bracelet,” you gushed as you lifted your right wrist, the dainty jewelery glimmering under the lights. “Then he drove us to the restaurant, and after dinner, he surprised me with a trip to this little gelato spot that I’ve loved for years. He was so charming the entire night; always opening doors for me, pulling out my chair, asking me how I’ve been. Plus, he paid for everything!”
“Damn, he did all that?” Jisung raised his eyebrows.
Hyunjin chuckled, “Who knew Jeongin was such a secret Romeo?”
“And a baller,” Changbin added.
“Yeah, he’s the best.” A shy smile and blush crept onto your face as you recalled the night’s events. Clips of Jeongin’s smile and melodic laughter played on loop like a movie in your head, as every steady touch from his soft hands was seared into your skin.
A loud cheer from Felix brought you back to reality. He jumped up and down like a little boy whilst the others groaned in defeat — the TV displaying Toad celebrating in his kart. It was at this time that Jeongin made his return to your side.
“The room’s all ready,” he said. You smiled and nodded, handing your purse over to him as you got up.
“You sure you don’t wanna join the rest of game night?” Chan asked. “We’re playing League of Legends after this.”
“You don't have to worry about losing. Felix has got that covered,” Seungmin smirked.
“Oi!” The man in question leapt onto the couch and grabbed Seungmin by the collar, shaking him back and forth with no true malice.
“No thanks, we’ve had a long night. You guys have fun!” Jeongin smiled and gently ushered you to his room — his hand on the small of your back. You waved goodbye as a choir of Goodnights sang you down the hall, only muffled by the door of Jeongin’s private sanctuary closing behind you.
“Well, aren’t they just the cutest darn thing you’ve ever seen?” Changbin remarked, a sly smile gracing his features.
“I still can’t believe he went out of his way to do all that,” Hyunjin admitted, plopping down onto the two-seater. “Seriously! This is the same Yang Jeongin who refuses our hugs and kisses.”
“But hyung,” Jisung piped up, “he only ever does stuff like that with her! Haven’t you guys noticed how he gets all sweet and caring when she’s involved? I mean, not that Innie’s an inconsiderate person, but he always goes above and beyond to do things for her.”
Minho shrugged, “They’re childhood best friends. What do you expect?”
“Yeah, he can be a real sweetie pie when he wants to be,” Chan mused. “It’s so nice of him to do this for her.”
“And she just got that promotion at work, right? That’s probably what they were celebrating,” Seungmin added. Everyone let out little comments of agreement all at once, before their voices died down again.
“Wait, but why is she sleeping over?” Hyunjin asked.
“Her apartment is almost an hour away from here. She probably didn’t want him driving so much this late at night,” Minho rationalised as another chorus of “oh yeah” and “that’s right” was emitted from the boys.
“Maybe we should do that more often,” Chan mumbled.
“Do what?”
“Take our friends out on special outings to celebrate them.”
“Hyunjinnie! Please go out with me!” Changbin threw himself on Hyunjin and puckered his lips, loud kissy noises filling the living room.
“Get off me, you big oaf.” Shoving the elder away, Changbin fell to the floor on his butt with a loud oof!
“That wasn’t a no!” he sang, to which Hyunjin merely rolled his eyes, and the rest of the team roared in laughter.
“God, where is it?” Chan muttered to himself as he craned his neck, searching under his bed. Sighing in frustration, he stood up and dusted off his sore knees. He groaned as he looked down at his phone screen and saw the pathetic 3% battery life glaring back at him.
He’d woken up a few hours earlier to see that it had only 15% remaining, but gave it no thought. He’d gone about his day as usual — breakfast, shower, and now work — without a care. It wasn’t until he unlocked his phone to send some files to himself that the measly 5% battery life reminded him that he needed to give it some more juice.
Unfortunately, his bloody phone charger was nowhere to be found.
He’d searched all the bags he regularly used. Throughout his room, the kitchen, the living room, and even his bathroom. But it had simply disappeared into thin air. He’d last seen it in the recording studio the day before. Maybe he’d left it there. Or was it the practice room?
Rubbing a hand over his face, he marched over to Jeongin’s room. He couldn’t let his phone die now! He was in the zone!
Rapping his knuckles on the door, he pushed it open without waiting for a response.
“Jeongin, can I borrow your char—”
To say Chan was taken aback by what he walked into was a gross understatement.
Jeongin was sitting on the bed, his back comforted by pillows against the headboard as you straddled him. His arms were around your torso, caging you in as if he was afraid you'd disappear, as your hands caressed his face.
And you were going. to. town.
Your lips were locked in a fierce battle, pressed against each other in a furious flurry of passion. Chan stood frozen in place as his poor eyes caught glimpses of your tongues exploring each other’s mouths. It was as if you were physically attempting to fuse into one being with how close you were — not a sliver of space separating your bodies and lips.
And don’t even ask him about the noises you two were making.
Dear, god.
The worst part was that you hadn’t even realised he’d walked in.
You were still going at it.
“Um…”
“Oh, fuck!” you shouted.
Chan’s gravelly voice caused you to jump away from Jeongin in shock, scrambling off the bed and standing there like a child that’d just been reprimanded. Horror flooded Jeongin’s eyes. Your faces mirrored one another as they flamed up with the heat of a thousand suns.
“Sorry, I- uh- I need to borrow a charger,” Chan awkwardly rubbed his neck. “I can’t find mine.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay, sure.” Jeongin stood up in a daze, and his head swivelled around the room. A few seconds passed before he was hit with a dose of clarity — bending down to retrieve the charger that was plugged in by his bedside table. In the meantime, you and Chan were avoiding eye contact as if it were the plague. You stared at your hands and began picking at your nails, whilst Chan had suddenly found the ceiling of Jeongin’s room rather appealing.
“Here you go,” Jeongin spluttered, thrusting the charger in Chan’s direction as he too kept his eyes trained on the floor.
Swiping it out of his hand, Chan muttered a curt thanks before bolting out of the room; the door slamming shut behind him. Sitting back down at his desk, he plugged his phone in and breathed a sigh of relief to see that it hadn’t died.
He tried to return his attention back to work, but it all eluded him as he stared at the too-bright monitor screen. The hard cushion of his armchair sweated against his palms, his body shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and a strong taste of vomit formed in the back of his throat.
As the moon took over for the sun, Chan found himself holed up in the recording studio with Changbin and Jisung, tinkering away at songs for their upcoming album. Hours of slaving over their computers, microphones, and keyboards finally came to a pause when Changbin’s glorious phone notification signalled the arrival of their dinner.
The younger two were locked in a heated discussion about some new video game as Chan quietly munched on his sandwich, his mind drifting back to the day’s events.
“Hey guys,” Chan said, catching Changbin and Jisung’s attention. “You won’t believe what happened today.”
Their puzzled yet intrigued expressions prompted him to continue. “I walked in on Jeongin and Y/N making out.”
“Whoa! Seriously!?” Jisung’s eyes and jaw fell wide open. The noodles between Changbin’s chopsticks were suspended halfway between the container and his mouth, his buff body now a rigid statue.
“Yeah! And it was so awkward because they didn’t notice me at first, so I had to stand there for a few seconds and watch them go at it.”
Jisung pulled a comically disgusted face, “Ew, pervert.”
“Trust me, I was horrified. It was like watching my own flesh and blood get it on.”
Changbin let out a loud gagging noise, “Okay, that’s enough. Please don't give us any descriptions."
“Why do you think they were making out?” Jisung tilted his head, akin to a confused puppy. A silence was shared between the three men as they thought hard.
“She must’ve been teaching him how to kiss. She’s always been a good friend like that,” Changbin commented.
“Right, right.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
The three sat in the silence of the newfound discovery for a little while longer.
“So like I was saying,” Jisung beamed, “the game’s skins customisation is insane! It’s so much better than…”
Eight tired bodies sat in the practice room, hunched over in a circle, digging into take-out boxes of aromatic food as sweat clung to their skin — a deserved reward after endless hours of tedious dance rehearsals.
“Hey, Jeongin,” Changbin garbled through mouthfuls of his bibimbap.
“Hrm?”
“Is Y/N single?”
Jeongin’s eyes widened. The noodles he’d been chewing sat unmoving in his mouth, rapidly losing their flavour. He repeated your name in a meek voice, filled with confusion.
“Yeah. Remember my high school friends who came to my birthday party? One of them wants to ask her out. They think she’s cute.”
The rest of the group wasn’t particularly concerned with the conversation at hand. Save for Changbin, they were too preoccupied with their swirling thoughts about the comeback, and the savoury goodness hitting their tongues.
The sounds of cutlery scraping against plastic containers and mouths wolfing down food filled the room.
There was a beat.
And then another.
And another.
Before Jeongin swallowed and finally opened his mouth.
“Y/N and I are dating.”
Seven heads whipped towards the youngest. Seven pairs of eyes bulged out of their skulls. Seven voices pierced through the air with cries of shock and disbelief.
“What?!”
“Dating?! You guys are together together?”
“How could you hide this from us?!”
“Since when?!”
“Why didn’t you tell us?!”
The barrage of questions only sent Jeongin spiralling deeper into confusion.
“We’ve been dating for six months. You guys never realised?”
A stunned silence fell over the group. The boys looked at one another, their faces filled with bewilderment.
“We thought you were just really comfortable together,” Felix squeaked.
“But- but you guys have seen us cuddling. She’s even slept in my bed at the dorm!” Jeongin’s head frantically turned from side to side, searching their faces for any hint of realisation.
Hyunjin shrugged his shoulders, “Best friends can do that too.”
“Jisung and I do it all the time,” Minho smirked.
Seungmin let out a loud snort as he began chortling with a mouth full of kimbap. Unfortunately for him, it quickly devolved into a coughing fit that had Felix patting his back and Jisung letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Last week, Chan hyung walked in on us making out!” Jeongin continued. “I was mortified!”
“YOU WHAT?!”
Everyone’s heads whipped towards their leader.
Chan blinked and raised his hands, “I’ll admit, that was the first time I suspected you guys were more than friends.”
“Seriously? Only then?”
“Well- I thought about it, but Jisung and Changbin convinced me otherwise!” Chan pointed a finger at the two, who sat side-by-side with wide eyes.
“You told them?!” Jeongin cried, at the same time that Felix, aghast, cried, “They knew too?!”
“I thought they were good friends!” Changbin defended himself.
“You idiot! What kind of friends make out?” Hyunjin shot back.
“I don’t know! Special ones?”
The practice room descended into chaos. Everyone began yelling at once; some trying to find out more info, some accusing others of withholding information, and some defending their naivety.
Shoving his container of food on the floor, Jeongin stood up with a huff. He clapped his hands twice, bringing everyone’s attention to him.
“Okay, since everyone was unaware, Y/N and I are dating. We are a couple and we love each other very much. We are definitely more than friends.” Jeongin’s palms sweated as he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. A warm flush spread across his neck as he surveyed the group’s reactions, scanning their features for the most minute of changes. His stomach felt queasy, and he feared he might fall over at any moment.
But as the seconds passed, the faces of the members began to brighten — smiles emerging and teeth showing. A stream of congratulations flooded Jeongin’s senses, voices overlapping one another. Their earnest happiness alleviated his worries, and he sat back down, receiving pats on the back and aggressive hair ruffles in the process.
“Congrats, man!”
“I knew it would happen!”
“Aww, our Innie is a man now!”
“Alright, alright, everybody settle down,” Chan’s voice quelled the chaos, but only for a second. Jeongin moved to resume eating his noodles when a voice stopped him.
“So, Jeongin,” Hyunjin called out, “Y/N, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows as the rest of the group let out snickers.
“Have you been in love with her forever, and ever, and ever?” Changbin added with a teasing grin. Jeongin groaned and rubbed his face, now a bright, beet-red.
“I can’t believe it took you guys this long to get together,” Seungmin chimed in. “You sure you never kissed on the playground when you were kids?”
“Nah, that’s not Innie’s style,” Minho laughed. “I bet he gave her a flower and said something corny like ‘This means we’re going to get married.’”
Another chorus of laughter reverberated against the walls and Jeongin’s body crumpled into a ball. Whilst happy for their support, he wished he could magically disappear from the moment. Even if that meant crawling into the earth, or spontaneously exploding. Both at the same time, if possible.
Trope: Fake dating No one believes you’re dating