Winter Crush
Oneshot! (Request)
Pairing: Crush! Inho x Fem!Reader (y/n)
Summary: Winter brings you back to Jun-ho’s house with warm food, cold weather, and a crush you never quite grew out of. Tasked with calling his older brother down for lunch, you accidentally walk into a moment you definitely weren’t prepared for — and from there, everything changes.
Warnings: Slow burn. Flustered reader. Mutual pining. Teasing / light flirting. Awkward situations. Soft romance. Slight second-hand embarrassment.
Author's Note: Based on THIS request. I wanted to write something cute, comedic kinda thing so.....yeah. Here it is.
Word Count: 1,210
Tag list: Lemme know if you want to get tagged.
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The winter wind bit at her cheeks as y/n walked up Jun-ho’s driveway, arms wrapped around a paper bag full of takeout.
The smell of hot dumplings and freshly baked bread made her stomach growl. A few steps inside, Jun-ho’s mother greeted her with a warm smile, wiping her hands on a towel.
“Ah, Y/N! Jun-ho told me you’d be coming by. He went out to grab some snacks too.” she said, turning to stir something in a pot on the stove.
“It’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t you go upstairs and call Inho for lunch?”
Y/n nodded, smiling politely. “Sure, auntie. I’ll go get him.”
As she walked upstairs, her mind wandered back to high school—the day Junho first introduced her to his family.
She'd been smitten immediately by his older brother, Inho. Tall, confident, with that smirk that made your knees weak, he had been the type of person you remembered in dreams and daydreams alike.
Your stomach fluttered at the memory.
Shaking her head to focus, y/n reached Inho’s door. She knocked gently.
No answer.
Slightly hesitating, she twisted the knob and peeked inside.
And froze.
Inho emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, droplets of water still clinging to his hair and skin.
“AHHHHH!” she screamed, leaping back and nearly dropping her mobile.
He was instantly alert, a hand covering her mouth. “Quiet! Why are you screaming?”
Her cheeks were on fire, and words stumbled out as she stammered “I-I brought lunch! Uh—mom said to call you—don’t, I mean—”
Inho’s lips twitched, trying not to laugh. He lowered his hand, giving her a look that was equal parts amusement and… something else. Something deeper.
“I’ll be down soon.” he said, voice low. “And you better leave now, or do you want me to change in front of you?”
Y/n bolted out of the room, cheeks burning like wildfire.
A few minutes later, inho descended the stairs in a button-down, intentionally leaving the first button open. Jun-ho, munching on a snack, squinted at him. “Not feeling cold?”
“The heater’s on, and I’m taking police training. I’m strong enough.” In-ho replied smoothly, smirking. “Unlike some babies I know.”
Y/n nearly choked on her own laughter at Junho’s mock-annoyed expression. Inho’s eyes flickered toward her for just a second, and she caught the brief, teasing glint there.
---
After lunch, the house settled into its usual comfortable chaos. Junho disappeared into his room to game, his mother busied herself cleaning up the kitchen, and y/n found yourself awkwardly lingering in the living room, unsure of what to do with her hands—or her heart.
Inho sat across from her, scrolling through his phone, sleeves rolled up just enough to show his forearms.
She tried not to stare.
Tried.
“So,” he said casually, not looking up, “college treating you well?”
Y/n nodded quickly. “Yeah. Busy. Lots of reading. Too much coffee.”
He hummed. “You always liked studying.”
She laughed softly. “That’s Junho’s version of me. The boring one.”
That finally made him look up. His eyes met hers, warm and curious.
“I never thought you were boring.”
Her breath hitched, just slightly.
Before she could respond, his mother called out, “Inho, take Y/N with you if you go out later. She shouldn’t walk alone in the cold.”
Y/n froze.
Inho glanced toward the kitchen, then back at her.
“I was going to pick up some groceries later,” he said slowly. “If you want to come.”
Her heart skipped. “I—I can.”
Junho yelled from his room, “Bring me snacks!”
Inho rolled his eyes. “You're impossible.”
---
The walk outside was quiet, snow crunching beneath their shoes. The air was cold enough to turn her breath visible, and she shoved her hands deeper into ber coat sleeves.
Inho noticed immediately.
Without saying anything, he reached over and tugged her gently closer, draping his scarf around her neck.
His fingers brushed her jaw as he adjusted it, lingering just a second too long. “You okay?” he asked.
Y/n nodded, cheeks warm for reasons that had nothing to do with winter. “Yeah. Thanks.”
He smiled faintly. “You’ve always been bad at saying when you’re cold.”
“You remember that?”
“Of course.”
That shouldn’t have made her chest tighten the way it did.
---
At the store, he teased her over her snack choices, stole a candy bar from her basket, and pretended not to notice when she bumped into him “accidentally” in the narrow aisles.
Each small moment added another layer of tension—unspoken, but very much alive.
---
On the walk back, he slowed his steps to match hers.
“You’ve changed.” he said suddenly.
Y/ looked up. “Is that bad?”
“No.” he replied quickly. “Just… you’re more confident. But still the same.”
Y/n smiled shyly. “You haven’t changed much either.”
He laughed softly. “That’s not true.”
Y/n didn’t ask how.
---
Over the next few days, y/n found yourself at Junho’s house more often than usual.
Sometimes it was accidental—dropping off notes, borrowing books, returning something she didn’t actually need to return.
Sometimes it was intentional.
Inho was always there.
Sometimes he helped her study, leaning too close, pointing things out while his knee brushed yours.
Sometimes he cooked, sleeves rolled up, focused and domestic in a way that made her heart ache.
Sometimes he just sat with her, sharing quiet moments that felt heavier than words.
And sometimes—when Junho wasn’t looking—Inho would catch her gaze and hold it a second longer than necessary.
Y/n started to wonder if the crush she'd carried for years was no longer one-sided.
---
One evening, as snow tapped softly against the windows, y/n sat on the couch flipping through a book while Inho worked on something nearby. They were alone as junho and mom went outside to grab things for dinner.
“You’re staring again.” he said without looking up.
Y/n nearly dropped the book. “I am not!”
He smirked, finally turning toward her. “Relax. I don’t mind.”
Her voice came out smaller than intended. “You always tease me.”
“Because you get flustered.” he replied. “And it’s cute.”
Her heart skipped. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I…” she trailed off, fingers tightening around the book.
He leaned closer, his tone softer now. “Because you what?”
Y/n swallowed. “Because I’ve liked you for a long time.”
The room went very still.
Inho didn’t smile. Didn’t tease. He just looked at her—really looked at her—like he was finally allowing himself to see something he’d been avoiding.
“I know.” he said quietly.
Her eyes widened. “You do?”
He nodded. “I noticed back then. High school. The way you looked at me. I didn’t say anything because you were too young. And I was supposed to be responsible.”
“And now?” she asked softly.
“And now,” he said, reaching out slowly, giving you time to pull away, “you’re grown. And I still like you.”
Her breath caught.
He brushed his thumb over your knuckles, tentative. “I didn’t want to rush this. Didn’t want to scare you. Or myself.”
She smiled, eyes shining. “You didn’t.”
He returned the smile—warm, genuine, full of promise. “Good.”
He didn’t kiss her then.
He just stayed close, fingers loosely intertwined with hers, the quiet between them no longer awkward—just full.
Like something beautiful had finally found its right timing.
