in between
pairing enjin x reader
desc apt roommate au what started as a shared space just became normal. enjin slipped into your routine before you even noticed.
a/n sigh guys i freaking love domestic enjin im giggling and kicking my feet. was actually my first fic and im finally reuploading it without the censorship ( thx tumblr ) but yay i actually love him sm.
wc 522
the first few days passed quietly. enjin kept to himself, respectful in a way that never felt awkward or distant. he cleaned up after himself, would move throughout the apartment carefully, like he was always aware of where you might be. you noticed it in the small ways — the way he left the counter clear if you had left a mess you would come back to, like he already knew you would't.
it made living together easier than you expected, conversation flowed slower at first. a few words here and there, mostly practical.
"sorry," he said once, stepping out of your way even though there was plenty of room.
"you don't have to apologize every time you breathe," you replied.
he paused, clearly considering that. "noted."
after that, it got easier.
you started to talk more — nothing deep, nothing heavy. just small things: comments made in passing, jokes that caught you off guard.
one evening, you caught him staring at the fridge like it had personally offended him.
"you okay?" you asked with a slight furrow of your eyebrows.
"i'm trying to decide if i want food," he said seriously, "or if i just want to complain about being hungry."
you snorted, rolling your eyes teasingly. "bold of you to assume those are mutually exclusive."
he looked over his shoulder and smiled at that — small and sincere. it lingered with you longer than it probably should have. as days turned into weeks, the space began to feel different. like it had finally become full. enjin's presence found its way into your routine before you even noticed.
he arrived around the same time most evenings, keys placed in the same spot, jacket hung neatly instead of tossed aside —something you used to have to lecture him about. once he arrived, everything seemed to settle too. along the way, you realized you'd started waiting for the sound of him coming in.
"you're home late," you said one night, glancing at the clock.
"yeah," he replied. "lost track of time."
"doing what?"
he sighed deeply and shrugged. "existing… poorly."
you laughed, and he looked down briefly before glancing back up at you, like that was exactly the reaction he was hoping for.
sometimes you sat in the same room doing separate things, comfortable in the silence. other times, you talked until the conversation trailed off on its own.
one night, you stood beside each other in the kitchen, shoulders almost touching as you reached for the same drawer.
"wow," you said. "we really need to establish drawer boundaries."
"this one's neutral territory," he said. "shared custody, love."
you shook your head, smiling as you stepped back. "we'll discuss that later."
"looking forward to it," he replied, tone light — but his eyes stayed on you a second longer than necessary as you walked away.
later, lying in bed, you thought about how easily he'd become part of your days. how the space felt so much warmer when he was there, emptier when he wasn't. the thought that surprised you most wasn't how comfortable it felt. it was how much you liked it.
©tinibun 2026 ― please dont repost, steal, translate, or place my works into ai ♡
