Zodiac Bias: Virgo
Pairing: Sungjong x older!Reader Genre: Neighbors AU, Angst Rating: PG-13 Summary: He gets the courage to ask you something that’s been bugging him. Word Count: 1.3k Warnings: Language, casual drinking
It’d been a long ass day. Your boss spent most of his time on the clock breathing down your neck over a mistake he’d made. If you didn’t need the money so bad, you likely would have snapped on him.
One day. One fucking day…
You punched in the code to your apartment building and yanked the door open, coming face to face with spoiled sunshine.
“_____!”
“Sungjong,” you breathed, once again captivated in his beauty. He never failed to catch you off guard and apparently got off on being attractive to you.
“Just coming in?” He pointed behind him, “I just got in, too.”
He was a terrible liar. You pinned him with a glare, “Then why are you facing this way?”
He grinned, unconcerned with being caught out. “I saw you coming down the street and waited for you. Wanted to say hi. You know, invite you up for a drink.”
Your shoulders sagged at the mention of alcohol. It wasn’t a bad idea. “…Fine. Lemme go change clothes.”
Sungjong perked up at your acceptance, eyes just about sparkling. “O-okay! I’ll see you in a bit then.”
He spun on his heel and disappeared up the stairs to the second floor. You shook your head, biting your bottom lip to keep from smiling. Perhaps Dongwoo was right. You usually refuse to give him the time of day and came off as being too hard on him. It was clear he had a crush on you, but you were convinced guys in their early twenties weren’t mature enough for serious relationships. And you didn’t have time to babysit his feelings.
So why were you agreeing to hang out with him, alone?
Oh, yeah. Booze. He had alcohol and you’d had a trying day. Too tired to tell him no. This can’t possibly backfire on you.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, you were knocking on his apartment door. It occurred to you that you hadn’t eaten so you brought along snacks with plans to order in so you wouldn’t end up shit faced by midnight.
Sungjong opened the door, glanced at the food in your hands, and grinned, killing you with his dazzling beauty. “You came! I thought you’d change your mind.”
“And risk you coming down to my place? Pffft. No thanks.” You stepped around him and into the apartment. Where you apartment was a carefully maintained mess, Sungjong’s was organized and neat. “What the—”
“I hire a maid.” He answered breezily, taking the food and setting it on the island behind you. “I don’t often have time for chores between shoots. When I come home, I’d rather unwind than push a vacuum cleaner around.”
“Spoiled rotten,” you mumbled under your breath before spotting the glasses he set out and the bottle of vodka. “Do you have something to chase that with?”
He arched an eyebrow at you, “Um, I’ve got some juice if you need it.”
“Give it to me.” You held out one hand while pouring with the other. “This is a want. Not a need.”
“Rough day?” he asked as he arranged the snacks on a plate between you.
You answered with a gruff “yep” before tossing back the shot. “Ugh, it burns!” You swallowed the cup of juice he slid to you. “Ah. Much better. Way better.” With the burn gone, you noticed how quiet he’d gotten. When you looked his way, you were caught off guard by the tender look in his eyes.
You swallowed nervously and said, “What? Did you want me to wait for you or something?” When he didn’t answer you added, “I’ll do a shot with you if you want.”
He stood up straight and sighed, eyebrows wrinkled. “_____, are you seeing anyone?”
Your eyes doubled in size. “Uh, no. An odd thing to ask when we’re discussing shots, though.”
He closed the gap between you to refill your glass. He was close, almost too close, but you didn’t move away. “Woohyun says I should be patient, but it’s been almost a year now…”
“Sungjong, you’re losing me here. What’s almost been a year?” You looked up at him.
He put the bottle down and looked back at you. His gaze flickered down to your lips a few times before he spoke, “Since I’ve met you.”
Oh. Oh, no. “Nope.” You held up your hand. “We’re not going there. You’re not going there.” You held up your shot glass for him to take. “Here. You need this as much as I want it.”
“_____—” He tried to protest but you put a finger to his lips and pressed the glass into his hand. Once he had it, you moved away, putting the island between you. “_____, come on.”
You shook your head and motioned towards the drink he held. “Bottoms up, you brat.”
Sungjong rolled his eyes and tossed it back, putting it on the counter with a clink. He didn’t reach for the juice, instead enjoying the shiver it gave him. Once he collected himself, his eyes were on you. “So, what do you have against younger guys?”
“What makes you ask that?” Your voice went up an octave. Fuck.
“Dongwoo told me what you said. Why you pretend you don’t notice my feelings.” He looked away and shrugged, “I just want to know…what happened. If I don’t stand a chance, I deserve to know why.”
Suddenly, it was so quiet you swore you could hear his heart beating just barely over your own thundering pulse. And because it was just the two of you, there was no way around this. No one to interrupt and give you an easy way out.
“Well?” He returned his attention to you, leaning on the counter with his arms crossed.
“The last few guys I’ve dated were in their early twenties. Not one of them acted like an adult after a few weeks.” You took a deep breath. “So, I did research. Studies show that young adult men are more likely to cheat than any other age group. They believe it’s due to not being fully mature, still focused on the self and personal needs.”
He blinked a few times, processing your words. “And…you think I’m like that?”
You meekly nodded, “I mean, you haven’t shown me otherwise. You like to party, drink, and hang out with Woohyun. And we both know he gets around. So, birds of a feather and all that.”
Sungjong nodded, eyes on his hands. He seemed to be so deep in thought that you figured you could go for another shot. Since the cat was out of the proverbial bag. You reached for the bottle of vodka and let out a noise of surprise when his warm hand closed around your wrist. By the time you looked up, he was almost at your side, turning you to face him as you were pinned between him and the counter.
“I’m not like that. I-I know you won’t take my word for it, but _____ I swear it.” He caged you in. “Ever since I first met you, you’re the only one I care about. When I go to parties, it’s just to drink and dance, unwind from work or celebrate with friends.” He took your face in both his hands. “I think those studies are bullshit, but I respect your opinion. Just…” he pressed his forehead to yours, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Could you give me a chance?”
You closed your eyes and allowed yourself to enjoy his closeness. Without thinking about it, your hands went to his shoulders, pulling him flush against you. He let go of your face and put his arms around your shoulders, burying his nose in your hair.
“I’m scared,” you admitted. “Heartbreaks are a pain in the ass to get over, you know. Not to mention you’re part of my friend circle. Things could get awkward if it doesn’t work out. I don’t want to fight you for custody over Sungyeol.”
He laughed, his body shaking you gently. “He said the same thing about you. He thinks if we started dating, I’d monopolize your time.” You started to pull away but his hand cupped the back of your head and guided it back to his shoulder. “No, don’t. Just give me a little more time. This feels…nice.”
