ˎˊ˗ 🎐 ⊹ ࣪ ˖ 🤍୭˚. ⠀ᵎᵎ ⠀ 🐰
𓈒 ˚˖𐦍˖˚ twice as shy - twice x fem!reader (10th!member, maknae)
─𓈒ㅤׂ 𝜗𝜚 summary: when your unnies suspect love is finally in the air for you, there's no way to convince them otherwise. and they will start a mission to find it out.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ fluff, littlest hint of angst. wc: 5034
⊹ ࣪ ˖ warnings: none as far as i know of, y/n mentions
if someone in twice was smiling at their phone with a bit more twinkle in their eye than usual... someone was about to be investigated. unfortunately for you, it was your turn this time.
nayeon noticed it first. she'd walked into the break room at jype, ready to grab a drink and claim the seat next to you before the second she noticed you lounging in the corner. with a water bottle and protein bar in hand, ready to sink in a seat after three hours of dance practice, she walked up to you. but then she stalled slightly. too caught up in your phone, you hadn't even noticed her presence. and then it happened. the second she saw the corners of your mouth being pulled into a shit eating grin, one like she'd never seen before, with that look in your eyes, she suspected something.
"yah, move your legs. make room for your unnie." she joked, watched you jump in surprise, and laughed.
then you pocketed your phone with a bashful look on your face, as though you'd been caught.
okay, so that was definitely weird.
later in the car, nayeon brought it up.
"did any of you see y/n smile at her phone today?"
momo didn't even look up from hers as she answered, "probably another reel of funny animal videos or stupid memes. those get her all the time."
but nayeone shook her head, determined, "no...no- this was different." she turned in the passenger seat to face the others in the backseat.
that definitely got their attention. sana leaned in and jeongyeon glanced sideways, still driving.
"...go on." she spoke.
"she seemed all soft and mushy. didn't even see me until i talked to her. jumped in her seat and turned crimson. then put her phone away."
momo laughed, "oop- you caught her."
"that sounds straight from a k-drama." sana gasped.
"... you think she-?"
nayeon gave jeongyeon a look, one that read 'duh!'.
"huh! really?"
within a day, all of twice...well, except for you- had been informed.
too busy with checking your messages app for new texts, you failed to see their eyes on you each time you pulled out your phone. the bored and slightly disappointed pout on your face when you found there weren't any messages, didn't help your case. still, there was no real proof, and they knew better than to ask you directly or tease you in case you might feel ashamed or would shut down. they knew that if you needed them or wanted to share, you would come to them when you were ready. so, they waited. and waited. but with overflowing schedules and barely any free time to even stop and think, the subject quickly disappeared to the back of everyone's minds.
until you, completely spent from a whole day of variety shows, didn't fall asleep during the ride back to the dorm like you usually would. and when suddenly the 'no screens in the car or i'll get car sick' rule was thrown out the window and you were smiling softly and shyly at your phone, the thought resurfaced in their minds.
the first notification popped up the second everyone had gotten into bed.
nayeon: intervention time.
nayeon: mission 'who's our maknae talking to' has officially started
dahyun: oh god, she made a groupchat
sana: hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, what's uppppp?
jihyo: why do i need to be here?
nayeon: you're leader. try to keep up
chaeyoung: i thought we'd promised to let her come to us
jeongyeon: ya but nayeon-unnie has the patience of an earworm and the curiosity of a cat
nayeon: YAH!
jihyo: i'll have you know i'm only staying in this chat to make sure you're not gonna do something you're gonna regret or that's gonna make y/n uncomfortable
jihyo: or that momo is gonna enable you
momo: WHY AM I CATCHING STRAYS?
jeongyeon: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
tzuyu: i don't like this :/
tzuyu: left the group
nayeon: omg
nayeon: she's gonna snitch
jeongyeon: she wouldn't
nayeon: maknae line loyalty!!!????
chaeyoung: yup thaz right 😎
nayeon removed chaeyoung
momo: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
jeongyeon: was that necessary?
sana: oh nooooo 🥺
nayeon: yes. now focus, everyone
mina: read
in all honesty, the chat died down the next day when only nayeon and momo kept texting and the conversation went from your possible love life to all kinds of nonsense after only five minutes.
but now all of the girls were on high alert around you. and you weren't stupid. you noticed how nayeon was constantly staring right at you, beaming with a mischevous glint in her eyes whenever you looked up from your phone. and you'd caught momo trying to peak over your shoulder more than once.
sana saw their feeble attempts and, ever the charmer she was and never one to back down from a challenge, took a chance herself when you were gathering your breath after practice. the second she saw you type away on your phone, she went for it.
"y/n-yah!!!" she ran up to you before you could prepare, jumped onto you and pressed her cheek against yours, trying to quickly peek down at your screen. "you're always so soft."
"oof, sana-unnie." you groaned, trying to stop her from slipping off your lap and falling to the ground.
feigning surprise, she perked up, "oh! who is sending you all those hearts?"
this caused multiple heads to shoot up. quickly, you locked your phone.
"y/n..." sana sang, arms around your neck and pulling back to look at you with a soft teasing grin.
"who are you texting?" she teased sing-songy.
"once!" your reply was too quick and perky.
she leaned in, "but you blushed."
you shrugged, muttering innocently, "they say sweet things."
sana looked. and kept looking. her grin grew. but you didn't waver. when she realised you wouldn't budge, she did.
"and they're all true." she pinched your cheeks and got off, running off to the next nearest member to smother them in some love.
later, nayeon pulled sana side.
"you saw something."
"oh?" sana grinned, "did i?"
nayeon groaned and stomped her feet, "sana!"
"calm down." sana giggled, "i actually didn't see anything."
"but you-"
"i only teased. to see her reaction. and it worked."
"you sly-" nayeon pinched sana's arm.
"but promise me that we'll leave it here?" sana held up her pinky, "it was all fun and games but if she's real about this, we should be too. let her come to us, like we said."
nayeon stared at sana's pinky, bit her lip, then sighed, "okay. fair."
she hooked her pinky around sana's, but sana immediately shook her head, "no! you have to seal it with a kiss or it doesn't count."
nayeon looked at her, deadpan, but realised sana was serious. "fine."
sana's giggle sounded and nayeon rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth curled upward ever so slightly.
...but nayeon wouldn't be nayeon if she didn't accidentally slip up.
later that night, the dorm was quiet. aside from the soft music playing in the open kitchen and the k-drama nayeon and dahyun were watching on the couch, there wasn't a peep of chaos to be heard. it had been another day full of rehearsals, having all the members cocoon in a designated corner of the dorm to recharge. it was unusually calm. peaceful, even. a rare occasion in the twice dorm. and also something that wasn't destined to last in a living space shared between ten members.
“y/n, come sit with us.”
you only hummed, too busy finishing the sentence you were typing to hear what she'd said exactly.
"y/n."
"mhm."
dahyun and nayeon shared a look. it wasn't like you to be so distracted when your unnies called for you.
"yah! who are you texting that's more important than us?!" nayeon slipped up before she'd known it. she sat up to turn to you, her face mask half peeling off.
across the room, sitting in one of the bean bags, sana instantly looked up from her bag of snacks.
sitting at the kitchen counter, getting caught off guard by the quiet being broken, you nearly choked on your iced tea.
“i literally only answered a text.” the familiar click of your phone locking sounded in the silence. you had sounded too defensive instead of the nonchalance you had been trying to go for. you knew they weren't fooled.
“oooh,” momo walked in at the worst- or perfect- moment, hair still wet from the shower. a terrifying smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth. she giggled. the kind of giggle that meant she knew something... or was up to something.
that got everyone’s attention. within seconds, heads appeared from bedrooms or quiet corners. jeongyeon walked out of her bedroom, the exhaustion of the day still written on her face but coming over anyway when she'd realised where the conversation in the livingroom was heading. jihyo slowed her stirring in the ramen she’d been making, eyeing nayeon and momo and trying to shake her head without you noticing. chaeyoung, sketchbook in hand, made mina pause her game and pulled her out her bedroom. and even tzuyu looked up from her meal with mild curiosity.
"what?" your ears burned now, "why are you all being so weird?"
“because you're texting with both feet kicking.” tzuyu shrugged.
the room erupted.
"eh!?"
"YAH!"
“FEET KICKING?!” nayeon screamed, mouth hung open and eyes wide as saucers. she jumped onto the couch, face mask now hanging on by a threat.
jihyo sighed lowly, tapped her utensils on the pot and turned to lean on the counter, arms crossed. she locked eyes with jeongyeon, the both of them clearly thinking the same.
sana whispered softly under her breath, in wonder, “this is how love stories begin.”
dahyun nodded solemnly, "it's a milestone. we missed her first steps and first words, but we're here for this."
momo looked devastated already. “our baby is in love…cute!" she fussed over you, trying to pinch your cheeks and ruffle your hair.
you pushed her hands away, “i’m an adult,” you deadpanned, "not a baby."
“you’re OUR baby,” sana corrected.
the problem with being the maknae of twice was that nobody ever let you live it down. no matter how old, you would forever be their maknae.
to them, you sometmies still were the kid with hopeful eyes who had entered the company full of dreams. they still talked about how you used to bow to literally everyone in the building. and with terrifying sincerity. or of the first time you'd met nayeon and had been so shy, she'd had to ask you to repeat yourself three times before she finally caught your name.
you'd been shy in the awkward, observant way of a child suddenly gone from the safety of her home and parents to being surrounded by older trainees, mentors, teachers and higher ups to work towards your dream.
but with years of experience and the confidence of being backed up by your members had sharpened you into someone magnetic. on stage, you were captivating. but off it, surrounded by the women you'd grown up with, you were still their maknae. still attached to their hip. still falling asleep against their shoulders during flights. still coming over to hang out in their hotel rooms like it was a sleepover every day. and forever getting the little sister treatment.
so right now, unfortunately for you, nine older women looked at you like the protective big sisters they were to you.
but someone broke the anticipating silence.
"eat. before it gets cold."
jihyo put a steaming bowl of food in front of you. behind you, she gave everyone a stern look. the message was loud and clear.
immediately, the others started feeling guilty.
nayeon cleared her throat, "y/n-yah, you can sit with us after you're done eating... if you want."
"or i can paint your nails? i was just about to do mine..." momo, feeling sheepish, looked up from the ground before looking at you.
though mina hadn't involved herself with the entire matter at all, she held up her nintendo switch, "want to play a game with me?"
sana slid her half eaten package of sweets your way, "you can finish those if you want. the purple ones are the best."
you looked at them, at their expectant but careful looks. you didn't know who to answer to. the delicious scent of the food in front of you begged for your attention, though.
overhwelmed by all of their eyes on you, you smiled softly, "maybe later, thank you."
they all turned to go back to what they were doing, leaving you and tzuyu sitting around the table with jihyo cleaning up the counter behind you.
tzuyu grabbed a few paper towels and gave them to you. she leaned in, frown on her face, "sorry. it slipped."
you dug into your food, "it's okay. you were just teasing."
"mhm." tzuyu sipped her drink.
and that was that. at least for a little while.
because not even two weeks later, on the set of shooting fancy, you slipped. no, not just slipped. you fell, slid off the stairs, crashed, front barrelled and torpedoed into a thick brick wall.
the filming of your group shots in the third outfit had just finished, leaving for some room to change and rest while it was time for dahyun, nayeon and chaeyoung's close-ups. staff had given you 45 minutes to yourself before you would be called up again. and after spending the first 35 minutes of those catching up on some much needed sleep - you had gotten up at the crack of dawn and also still had a physio appointment scheduled for later today - your phone called to you again. or, well... more like someone on it called to you.
you hadn't planned it, but the second the dating-ban had lifted after your 4-year contract, it had found you. well, not it... someone had. they'd found you through the grapevine. then direct messages started, because how else was a booked and busy idol meant to meet someone? exchanging phone numbers followed soon after. it had started off as a friendship initially. the safety and peace you found in them felt like coming home each time you talked. it was nothing you'd ever experienced before. even just knowing they were out there, could give you peace. it obviously helped that you had a lot in common. and the mutual respect and understanding for idol life was there from the get-go, which made communicating and bonding through crammed schedules all the more easier. you had yet to properly spend time together, time and privacy making that impossible right now. but maybe some day soon.
the phone rang a while, and for a split second, you nervous that you were bothering them. but that thought went out the window quite quickly when you heard their voice through the speaker. you panned the volume up, trying to drown out the distant sound of fancy being played on a continuous loop through the set speakers.
unfortunately for you, the changing rooms you'd all been assigned weren't exactly soundproof.
"and here i thought you'd be busy filming."
your chest warmed the second you heard their voice. you giggled, actually giggled like a teenager in love, and plopped back down on the couch. still under the assumption that the others were at lunch, like they told you they would be when you said you were going for a nap, and knowing that your assigned roommate for the day was busy filming, you continued-
"i'm never too busy for you."
"oh?"
"especially not when i miss you."
one cubicle over, jeongyeon stalled, then she nudged jihyo. to your other side, momo and sana were already muffling their squeals and giggles behind their mouths and pressing their ears to the wall.
"so... i'm not keeping you from your work? i would hate to have a swarm of angry onces after me because i'm the reason you're not in the music video."
"pfff, don't be dramatic." a laugh, a blush. then- "i will always make time for you.
a beat of silence, "bold thing to say to 'just a friend'."
"is that some passive aggressive jealousy i hear?"
chaos was unfolding in the rooms next to you. jeongyeon and jihyo were debating wether to start talking really loud to indirectly let you know the walls were thin, or knock on your door to tell you staff needed you so they woudn't risk anyone else hearing you.
"wait- i feel bad. let's not do this." sana pouted and pulled herself off the wall, ushering momo to do the same. but they both jumped in surprise when the door behind them opened.
"eavesdropping is rude, you know?" momo slapped a hand against tzuyu's mouth, whose eyes twinkled in pure delight at managing to give momo a heart attack.
suddenly, sana started laughing like a maniac.
mina, who trailed in behind tzuyu, made a face of shock and confusion.
"eh? what's going on?!"
sana took a deep breath of air in, before continuing her laughter. then, abruptly, she stopped.
everyone looked at her, incredulously, with wide eyes.
"the sugar finally got to her." tzuyu muttered.
"oh, no! tzuyu, mina, i'm just happy you're here!" sana spoke, way too loud.
they all stilled, curious what was up, until your voice broke the silence again.
sana cursed under her breath. it hadn't worked.
you continued, "-or are you afraid i'll reject you? because damn, you're sure taking your sweet time."
in the other room, jeongyeon's mouth hung open. maknae was gone. vanished. evaporated. into thin air. she stood up and pulled jihyo up with her. they needed to do something before anyone other than the nine of them would hear you.
you were unbeknownst to anything, so your phonecall continued.
"honestly, i'm a little afraid. yeah."
their genuinity caught you off guard.
"you're not just any girl, you know? aside from the fact that your smile, laugh, heart and soul are truly one of a kind... and you're literally the most beautiful girl i've ever seen...it's just... everything that comes with it is a little intimidating and i think that's what's putting me off." a pause. "wait. that came out wrong. i mean-"
"i know. i feel the same."
"you've made it very clear this is just for fun and that you don't want anything serious to jeopordise the group or let down your friends, and i understand. but i can't act like i don't have feelings for you."
you swallowed.
"and at first, i could push them aside. but i don't think i can do that anymore. i respect you. so much. but this is the point where i have to respect my own feelings too. so if you're really really really sure you don't want anything serious, then please, tell me. because i can't pretend to just be your friend any longer."
quickly, jihyo left the room and stopped in front of your door. she knocked twice, "y/n. call-up is soon."
you froze. she'd said it loud enough for it to be picked up on the phone.
"right... um- i don't want to keep you any longer. and i'm sorry for dumping this on you right now. but... you just think about it. yeah? take some time to let it rest. come to me when you have your answer."
you said your goodbyes, and fixed yourself.
jihyo guarded your door until you came out. her face softened when you met her eyes. you looked distant. timid. not here. a little shaken, perhaps, too. and she knew why, because she'd heard everything. she tried not to let that show on her face though, careful not to put even more on your plate right now.
there was no time to dwell on the phonecall you'd just ended when two stylists were already pulling and prodding at you to get you camera-ready again.
jihyo stayed close to keep an eye on you until it was go-time. fancy started booming through the speakers before the director counted down.
it was almost eery how quickly you could switch back to your performer mode. at was as though you'd shaken the exhaustion and emotion of mere minutes ago off of you. with twinkly eyes thanks to the set lighting and sparkly eyeshadow, you captured the camera again. and even when the shot wasn't on you, you were on.
the others hovered the entire day. not annoyingly, never annoyingly. but enough to give you that silent comfort. you were too caught up in your head to notice it.
later, while you were cosied up in bed, catching up on a show, a knock sounded. expecting it to be your roommate announcing she was going to come in since the door was closed, you dismissively muttered a 'come in'.
"y/n-yah." jihyo's low and soft voice made you look up. she gestured to your bed, "can i come sit?"
you nodded, opened the duvet for her to get in, but she shook her head and took a seat by the end of your bed. this.... this confused you. the distance she chose to put between you in this moment let you know something was up.
"i would never want to make you uncomfortable..." she started, cleared her throat. then, "we've noticed something has changed lately, but out of respect never brought it up until you would. but earlier today, we overheard a conversation you had on the phone."
immediately, your face felt as though you'd just swallowed a big spoon of samyang spicy buldak sauce.
"no-" jihyo scooted closer the second she watch you start to panic and shut down, "don't be embarrassed." she grabbed your hand that fidgeted the hem of your shirt and squeezed, "you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. but since we heard... it felt wrong not to let you know we did. or to have you think you can't come to us. because you can. you're family."
she sighed when you remained silent, your tv show filling the silence as it continued to play in the background.
"and for the record- you won't let us down. because your happiness will never jeopardise the group."
you sat with that one for a while, but ultimately the worries crept up again.
"but jihyo-unnie, idols can't-"
she cut you off, "it's hard. i won't lie. and at times it might even feel impossible. but with a lot of care, patience, respect, communication and consideration from both sides, it's possible."
when you seemed to zone out, she squeezed your hand, "and you deserve to be loved just as much as anyone else. your profession or situation don't have a hold on that."
it fell quiet after that. she looked at you with a soft expression while you did anything but look back. instead, you groaned and hid your face in your hands.
"this is so embarrassing." you finally dared to look at her, and saw she tilted her head, "that you found out like that. i swear, i wanted to tell you. but i wanted to be sure first because if i wasn't...and it would be found out... then you would all worry for nothing or there would be big problems because i could taint our name or do something stupid without even meaning to, just because i didn't know what i was doing or because i didn't-"
"y/n-yah." jihyo finally accepted the invite and buried herself under your covers, pulling you close. "none of that happened and none of that will. it's okay. we've got you."
she rested her chin on top of your head and let you calm down.
"you really like them, hm?"
sheepishly, you admitted, "yeah."
"did something bad happen after the phonecall? you felt off afterwards."
"no... not really. i just faced the facts i have been trying to run away from."
jihyo nodded to herself, mind running a hundred miles an hour before she muttered, "do they care for you the way you need?"
"yes."
"do they make you feel safe?"
"yeah."
"do they understand what it will be like to date an idol?"
"mhm."
"wrong. they won't know until they are." she smiled apologetically when you looked up, frowning, "but if they're willing to take the leap and respect that it will be a steep journey, then that's a start."
you huffed, "you're not really selling me on this whole dating-thing now."
jihyo laughed. loud. and your panic and embarrassment melted away like snow in the sun.
"i'm just being realistic. i don't want to sugarcoat things and have you be unprepared because i was afraid of hurting your feelings."
"how very leader of you."
"hmmm-" jihyo pondered playfully, "is it? i was thinking big sis, but fine. yah! don't roll your eyes at me."
the two of you chuckled.
jihyo looked around your half of the dormroom, at the photo frames with pictures of your family and some pre-debut selfies with trainees who hadn't made it in the business. at the little trinkets you'd collected over the past few years: the plushie mina had crocheted for you, the glasses you'd nicked from nayeon and the cute bag tzuyu had gotten you abroad.
"speaking of sisters... you'll have to tell them. it'll be best if it's coming from you." she felt your body tense in hesitancy. you were spent from the long day and more than ready for bed. you weren't quite sure if you could handle such a conversation with nine sets of eyes on you right now. you knew they wouldn't react badly, at all. but they would react. and you didn't know if you had the energy for such a moment right now.
"you don't have to do it right away."
"okay." you nodded. "soon?"
"soon."
and soon took place two days later, when there was finally some time to breathe between outfit fittings, shoots for next year's season greetings and a meeting with the company about your next japanese album.
everyone sat in the livingroom, unsuspecting. some on the couch, some on the carpet. the tv was on, but not everyone was watching. but definitely no one was watching the second you ripped the bandaid off-
"i'm talking to someone. romantically, i mean. and i know you know. or at least had a hunch."
nayeon's head whipped around the fastest, she shrieked, "I KNEW IT! WHO IS IT?"
"good afternoon to you, too."
"WHO?!"
jeongyeon pinched the bridge of her nose at nayeon's antics.
"i'll let you know when they're comfortable. but they're good to me. really good."
nine faces softened immediately. sana's eyes were wet when she walked over and squished herself between you and chaeyoung to give you a hug.
"are you...talking-" momo paused for theatrical effect, "-or dating?"
you looked at all of their faces. at their curiosity, their love towards you, but also their protectiveness hidden beneath a sheen of concern.
you smiled, thinking back of all the times they'd tried to catch you- and all the times they nearly had. their inability to mind their own business in the most caring way was one of the things that made you so fond of them.
"i'll tell you..." they all leaned in, "...soon."
a collective groan filled the room,
"ey! she's doing this on purpose now." jeongyeon playfully smacked the back of your head.
"she's become the maknae menace."
"she's always been, she's just more comfortable showing it now."
you laughed.
right on cue, your ringtone went off. dahyun gasped so loudly everyone jumped.
“oh my god,” she whispered, “it's them! look at how she lit up!"
the room exploded again.
“WHO ARE THEY?”
"do we know them?"
“are they handsome?”
“do they deserve you?”
“are they funny?”
“if they're disrespectful, i’m ending things on your behalf.”
you stared at them in disbelief. “oh my god, you're all so weird.”
“hey, what's this shit talking?! we raised you!” nayeon cried.
“you did not raise me!”
“you came into the company too shy to look us in the eyes!" she shot back, "you were emotionally raised by your unnies, the jyp dance routine and corner store food!”
“that explains a lot actually,” mina murmured, head perched on her hand to look at you with a twinkle in her eyes.
even you laughed at that, but the second you felt your phone buzz in your pocket, it turned into a bashful smile. which was a problem. because the second you pulled your phone out of your pocket and saw their name on your screen, you visibly softened.
“oh,” sana said, “it's someone really special.”
“…maybe,” you admitted carefully.
the screaming was immediate.
nayeon dramatically fell on the ground, pulling momo with her.
sana started jumping.
dahyun grabbed a cushion and started hitting the floor with it, repeating "i knew it!"
you buried your face in your hands, laughing despite yourself.
“you’re all being dramatic.”
“we have to be dramatic,” chaeyoung argued. “our maknae is experiencing romance.”
"when and how did you meet?" tzuyu wondered.
sana clutched her chest, "when can we meet them?!"
“stop,” you muttered, cheeks warm now.
nayeon immediately pointed. “THERE! she blushed again!”
“i’m leaving.”
“no, sit back down.” momo gushed, "do you have a photo of them?"
through the chaos, the text message had long been forgotten. until your familiar ringtone rang.
nayeon suddenly grabbed your shoulders, shaking you, "go! answer it! don't leave them hanging!"
she pulled you off the couch and pushed you off towards your room before they could start asking you about star signs, blood types and mbti's.
jihyo watched you and smiled knowingly as you glanced at your phone screen and beamed from ear to ear. seeing that smile on you made all of them relax. whoever was on the other side of the phone, was making their maknae very happy. and that, more than satisfying their curiousity, was what really mattered.
and with all their chaos, teasing, and dramatic nonsense, came something painfully sincere along with it. protective, but never controlling. caring, but never overbearing. love, respect and admiration, and never unrequited.
that was twice.
a/n: hiii. i hope you liked my first little story. thank you for reading <3 and... who are you crushing on? a backup dancer, fellow idol? do the others know them already? ooOooOoh.
