PHONING... 7 Hours Ago.

PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ 7 hours ago.

After finding Kai on the outskirts of your kingdom, the two of you develop a bond stronger than any passage of time.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 4k ✧ fluff

On the outskirts of the tranquil kingdom lied a familiar sun-kissed, magical field. The air was crisp and cold as vibrant wildflowers sway in harmony with the gentle breeze. Kai’s eyes felt heavy as he tugged on the sack thrown over his shoulder.

Exhaustion took over his body as he let out a huff, eyes narrowing under the beating sun as he stared off into the distance at the kingdom drawing near.

Another one of his days was spent fulfilling quests of people around him, days beginning to blend together from his lack of sleep.

Even still, the rays of golden sunlight danced upon the emerald grass, casting a warm glow that illuminated the enchanting landscape. A smile tugged at his lips though as he thought of you.

Butterflies flit and fluttered among the blossoms of the land you were so proud of, adding an ethereal touch to the serene scene.

The kingdom of Hyrule was a haven where time seemed to stand still, inviting everyone who entered to bask in its radiant beauty and find solace in its' peaceful embrace.

Kai held himself back as he slid down the steep indent, rolling ankle meeting the bottom of the rugged mountain. The dense forest he had just came from still teeming with life and the songs of creatures unknown to him filtered through his ears.

Despite this, the sun beating down on him causing the sweat to pool on his pale skin didn’t phase him as he thought of you and the castle where he knew he would be able to rest his head.

You, the princess and future ruler of Hyrule but aside from that, Kai’s trusted friend.

It was known that you had been too busy with directing your kingdom’s construction efforts to be formally crowned as you were supposed to and so your taking of the title of ‘Queen’ had been stalled for quite some time.

Citizen’s speculations suggested you simply couldn’t handle the pressure and preferred to bury yourself into your research and studies, spending much more time shut away behind books. Not that they necessarily minded, you still tended to your royal duties as you needed and were regarded with much respect in the realm.

Beyond all the speculations and folklore created around you and the royal family you were tied to, no one knew you as well as Kai.

The two of you had met what felt like ages ago, the first day you could remember stumbling upon a boy who couldn't speak.

You were unsure if he couldn’t or wouldn’t, any questions inquiring about his family or friends met with a steady silence.

It was in that silence you seemed to pick up on his own confusion, the realization dawning that he wasn’t quite sure of much himself.

In taking him in, it didn’t take long for you to agree to help him discover who he was and possibly reunite him with his family.

Despite how well he seemed to fare on his own, you found yourself growing increasingly enamored with the boy and extended as much help to him as possible.

From Kai’s perspective it had been a particularly exhausting day when you, a young girl who had never heard a single melody in your entire life approached him.

Leaning down to see what the boy was hunched over, him shying the slightest bit away from you to protect himself.

“What’s that? Won’t you show me?” The air of familiarity in which you spoke with threw him off the slightest bit.

You were close to his age but you carried yourself with a confident air, despite being so far from civilization.

The air was alive with the melody of a birdsong and the rustle of leaves. The crackle of the fire in front of him pierced his ears and he whipped his head around to see if anyone else had come.

Strangely enough, it had just been you. With nothing to protect yourself but a book in hand, in that moment he made the quick judgement that you were the slightest bit ditzy.

The scent of wildflowers and pine trees filled his senses, it had been too long he had been traveling and he hadn’t the faintest idea where he had wounded up, having lost his map long before he could remember.

The walls of the kingdom could be seen from miles away, the ruins of ancient civilizations fallen past littering the path to its’ entrance like picture frames.

Despite the ruins, the kingdom itself remained untouched by the passage of time. Peering eyes remained focused on his hands, shaky as they covered something from your sight.

When you were met with no answer, you hummed and sat yourself down on the ground across from him. “You don’t talk?” You asked.

Kai thought for a moment before shaking his head. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, he was just the slightest hit apprehensive when it came to strangers. Not that anyone could blame him.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the earth’s floor and illuminating secret glades nearby.

The thing he had been protecting so dearly you eventually found out had been a music box, something delicate and treasured throughout his life.

A small, pink music box that was said to hold every song in the world. Curiously, you asked him to play a song for you.

Despite his fuzzy memories attached to the music box, his heart had told him to protect it and always keep it close.

Something so delicate in a world such as his must be protected.

Even so, he smiled hesitantly and played you his favorite song.

Kai watched while your face lit up with wonder as the music filled the sky and the poetry of the keys moved you in a way you had never felt before.

It wasn’t unnatural to hear the humming of strings throughout the kingdom as people played for their enjoyment but to hear a song tethered to the cranking of the winds’ gears somehow sounded much more beautiful and refined.

It hadn’t even dawned on the both of you that night began to fall, a shiver running down your spine at the thought of anything showing up unexpectedly.

“Why don’t you come back with me?” You offered.

“You can have a nice, full meal!” Clapping your hands together excitedly, you brushed yourself off as you waved back toward the kingdom.

Kai’s eyes wandered toward the fire in front of him and the sad excuse for a soup he had attempted to make, his pale cheeks flushing red.

Despite his wanting to decline out of embarrassment, the growling of his stomach quickly betrayed him.

The hesitance in his eyes was obvious and despite your age, you found yourself reading him as clear as your favorite book.

You kneeled down, reaching for his hand slowly. When he didn’t pull away you took it as a sign, gently grabbing it and holding it in your own with a smile.

“It’s not charity. You showed me something precious to you today, so I want to treat you. Think of it as a trade, okay?” For the first time in a while, Kai found himself smiling and he nodded.

“Okay…” His voice was quiet and you almost didn’t catch it. The sudden response had you ecstatic as you pulled him up, him stumbling to his feet.

Underneath that tree, the two of you formed a friendship that would last for years to come.

Kai would play his songs for you day after day and you would sit by him quietly, never seeming to mind that he would only speak to you through song.

As the two of you grew older, he seemed to talk more and more. Some days it was less often than others, not that you’d ever point it out. With his age, Kai had taken on many more quests and adventured out more often.

Spending more time away from the kingdom, you found he’d always return from these adventures completely exhausted. Of course, you let him know that there was always a warm bed waiting for him at the end of the day. Even still, you could tell that all of his hard work had taken a toll on him.

On days where he was particularly silent, you found him seeming much more drained physically and emotionally.

With this lack of speaking, seemingly stemming from the responsibility he had placed on himself at such a young age, you were quick to realize that Kai was the type to silently carry his own burdens.

The last time you had heard him break this silence was when you called him to one of your research stations, anxiously chewing on your nail as you stared down at the map in front of you.

After so many years you’d finally managed to track down members of Kai’s lineage— or at least, that was what you had hoped. Stowed away in Hyrule’s sister country of Labrynna you had heard whispers of a story that seemed to match exactly with what you had known of Kai.

Brothers and sisters searching for a young boy to match his exact description when you had met him. Of course, it dawned on you that it could be any other boy with a similar appearance so you decided to pay a visit yourself to be sure.

A boy and a music box.

The last thing you wanted was to get Kai’s hopes up for nothing, you were sure that would break the both of your hearts.

When you were younger you had grown fond of adventuring out beyond the kingdom, much to your fathers’ dismay. The issue lied in your own ability to defend yourself.

Knowing this, Kai agreed to help you in training to get stronger.

Traveling through sprawling deserts with tranquil lakes, you found yourself excitedly scribbling out poorly made drawings of its’ beautiful landscapes and jotting down notes of things you’d wanted to show Kai and discuss with him later on.

Deep inside Labrynna teemed with life inside its’ hidden village where the inhabitants carried on traditions passed down through generations. The village had a captivating beauty about it and you couldn’t help but find it fitting for someone like Kai to originate from there.

Once you had arrived, asking around had led you to a cozy cottage, its thatched roof adorned with ivy and moss, blending seamlessly with the surrounding verdant foliage. The village itself was a stark contrast to the deserts surrounding it.

Hesitantly, you swallowed the lump in your throat and knocked on the door. When the door opened you were faced with a girl, seemingly only a few years younger than Kai. It didn’t take much longer than a moment of studying her face to confirm the two were related and your heart began to swell.

You didn’t want to ruin the surprise so you had opted for an excuse for your appearance, some nonsense about Hyrule’s trading system reaching out to merchants of their partnering kingdoms.

All of the training you’d sat through came in handy as you rambled on and on about exchanging goods ranging from exotic spices and textiles to precious metals.

Kai’s sisters who you later learned to be named Lea and Bahiyyih seemed interested as the younger one happily engaged with you in conversations about her finest gems she’d accumulated over the years.

The cottage exuded an aura of warmth and tranquility, its walls adorned with quaint wooden shutters painted in hues of earthy greens and rich browns. The occasional pink foliage littered the area, you assumed by Bahiyyih’s touch.

Lea seemed much more hesitant yet she still offered you some tea, mentioning that she knew of some boys who may have been interested in trades as well.

The four boys, you later learned, had been friends of their missing brother.

The crackling fire filled the air with the scent of cedar wood as you were brought back to the night you had met Kai.

As you studied faded photos around the cabin, a photo of the boy you knew all too well had caught your attention, standing between the two girls with a toothy grin.

Something you found particularly captivating was the familiar, small music box held in the youngest girls’ hands.

Kai’s smile radiated that same warmth even through the faded photograph, your heart swelling at the sight of what he once had. You knew that he always yearned to return home, even if he couldn’t quite remember how he had gotten lost in the first place.

When you had returned to Hyrule that day, you were saddened to find that you had missed Kai’s return before he set off for another quest. You were sure he was off exploring the deepest cave somewhere quite a distance away.

The table of your research station had been littered with papers from your travels, those drawing and notes previously hidden away for Kai’s return.

The map of Kai’s home was now covered with detailed markings, warnings and notes scribbled across the top of it all leading to the circled area. Papers with notes tucked inside detailing a description of the newly familiar cabin and its occupants just in case he had somehow gotten lost.

There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that he would be able to find him though, seeing how people seemed to gravitate toward him. Kai always seemed to find himself exactly where he needed to be, you noticed.

A hand placed on your shoulder had you jumping, hands instinctively moving to cover the map as you whipped your head around. You found Kai, a confused look on his face that you read clear as day.

A sigh of relief escaped you as you smiled, growing embarrassed of how lost you had gotten in your thoughts.

“I know that it’s been years and you seemed okay with the prospect of giving up but…” your voice trailed off as you rolled the map up, gently placing it inside a protective sheath.

Kai tilted his head slightly and his hair fell in front of his face. You smiled a bit as that, wanting to reach up brush it out of his face. You’d noticed that it had grown much longer than he usually kept it when he was here.

“I found them, Kai. Your sisters.” For a moment he stilled, almost as if he had completely frozen up.

Concern filled your gaze and you stepped forward, holding the map close. “Kai? Are you alright?” Your words were smooth and soft, as if trying not to scare a frightened animal.

For the first time ever in the years you had known him, Kai laughed. The sound was loud and quite obnoxious, unlike anything you had ever heard from the boy and your eyes widened in surprise.

Despite the unfamiliarity, you found his laugh to be much better music than anything he had played for you before.

“Sisters,” he let out a deep breath and he looked down at your hands wound tightly around the map. He reached out, placing his over your own.

Kai wasn’t one to initiate physical contact yourself, the unfamiliar warmth causing the blood to rush to your cheeks. “Will you come with me?”

A part of you wanted to cry at the overwhelming care in his tone, how gently he asked you to follow him to his home.

Regrettably, you knew you had to deny this request.

“Unfortunately, I’m needed here.” He frowned for a moment before shaking his head, that wide smile crawling onto his face again.

“Sisters,” he repeated. A laugh escaped you this time as he said it. “Yes, Kai. Sisters. You have some friends there as well, I’m sure everyone in the village will be ecstatic to see you.”

As he took the map, he placed its’ sheath down at his side gently. Curiously, you spared him a glance before you turned to grab something else.

The delicate pink music box was held in your hands, finally going to be returned to its’ rightful owner. Before you could turn around to give it to him, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist.

The feeling of his warmth against you had your heart skip a beat as he buried his face into your neck. It was almost like he was starved of touch with how tightly he held onto you, as if he believed you would slip away any moment.

“Thank you, Y/N.” And there it was, the way your name had slipped off of his tongue so perfectly as if it was exactly where it belonged.

The lack of mentioning your title reminding you that you were simply yourself to him and nothing more.

It was these incredibly rare moments you cherished so dearly.

Every sensation felt almost heightened with him so close and you attempted to clear your throat, head spinning. No amount of conversational training could have prepared you for the absolute fool you became when it came to him.

That encounter had been months long passed by now and eventually became a distant memory. No matter how much time passed though, it would always be etched into your mind as the moment you found what love had felt like.

Even after all the time had passed you never grew tired of waiting, confident that he would return when he was ready. In fact, rather than growing bitter, your excitement only grew as you found yourself wondering what stories he would share with you.

Despite the occasional whispers in the kingdom due to his drawn out absence, you hadn’t found yourself concerned with it much. A part of you always missed him but he had promised to return and because of this, you trusted him.

Kai had agreed to return at a set time and place; seven months from the day he had left, beneath the seventh tree in the kingdom’s olive orchard.

Excitedly you rushed about, wondering if you had looked presentable enough. It was a foolish thing to wonder about, especially as Kai had seen you through all of your different phases and accepted you wholeheartedly.

Even still, you found yourself childishly hoping for everything to be perfect.

When you arrived promptly, you waited. As time passed you began to check your time keeper, wondering if your mind had been playing tricks on you.

Checking it every so often but even still, there was no sign of him. You began to question your memory for the first time in your life, wondering if all of your notes and countdowns had somehow been mistaken.

Was it the seventh tree or the tenth?

As foolish as you knew that you were being, you still wondered and decided to check, just in case.

As you made your way over to the tenth tree, Kai finally arrived at the seventh, tiredly leaning against it.

Confusion grew on his face as he studied his surroundings where you were noticeably absent.

The kingdom’s mystical monuments in the distance seemed to peek over the walls ahead, remnants of a bygone era. The trees above the both of you stood strong against the passage of time.

Kai waited before deciding he must have had the wrong tree and perhaps it was another where you were supposed to meet. He mentally scolded himself as he was sure Lea would have done for making you wait.

Meanwhile, you had arrived at the fifty-sixth tree, where Kai was still nowhere to be seen. Your strong facade seemed to fade with time as you found yourself wearing your disappointment on full display.

The both of you began to drift aimlessly around the olive orchard, almost meeting but never quite. Hundreds of questions passed through the both of your minds, had it even been the right day? Perhaps he had come a day early or a day late.

Finally, you found yourself beneath the same tree— the seventh where you began, feeling lost and resigned.

A part of you felt like crying as you stared down at the ground, heel digging into the soft dirt.

It was barely a minute that you stood there before there was a tap on your shoulder.

It was him.

“You came!” Even after all of the time you had spent conditioning yourself to be sure of his return, having him directly in front of you after what felt like forever had lifted a weight off of your shoulders.

With your arms suddenly thrown around his shoulders, he stumbled back at the impact as a bubbly laugh came from your throat. You weren’t expecting a verbal response but surprisingly, it came

“Was there any doubt?” He asked, a new teasing tone in his voice as his hand came up to cradle the back of your head.

Your eyes closed for a moment as you took in his presence, not wanting to let go. The playful tone in his voice was new and you found yourself flustered at the newfound confidence he seemed to have.

Even after such a short time, he continued to grow. A part of you felt sad that you had missed it.

Reluctantly pulling away, you brought yourself to look him in the eye and study his face. It was exactly how you remembered it yet somehow it still felt different.

"Where were you?" You asked, "I feel like I’ve been searching all my life."

Kai’s smile softened as he grabbed your hands from his shoulders, bringing them down to your sides to hesitantly interlock your fingers.

"You stopped looking for me," he replied, "and I found you."

He said it as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world and you shook your head, just grateful for his return.

Despite all of the lost time he had to make up for, Kai never regretted stumbling upon Hyrule— upon you.

With time he realized that it was not just the natural beauty of the kingdom that captivated him but you and the sense of wonder that came with knowing you.

Looming on the horizon like a beacon of hope, stood Hyrule Castle. In the distance behind you it almost shadowed behind you like a crown, the fortress of stone and marble that serves as the heart of the kingdom and the place Kai had once called home.

His eyes looked past you for the moment as he studied it, its towering spires reaching for the sky, silhouettes against the backdrop of the suddenly setting sun.

“Do you remember the song that I played you the night we met?” Kai asked as he brought his eyes back to yours, catching you staring.

Sheepishly, you shook your head no.

“I don’t,” you confessed.

“But I remember every song I have heard since you left.”

When he asked you why, you took both his hands in yours and kissed them warmly. This time, it was the tips of his ears that blushed a bright red as you looked up at him through your eyelashes.

“I couldn’t wait for the day I could share them with you.” He hummed in response, nothing else needing to be said.

The two of you sat, ignoring the setting sun as you began to spill everything of the past month with the other. For the moment neither of you had any responsibilities— you weren’t a princess and he wasn’t a knight: you were simply those kids you had always been.

The familiar silence you were once used to with Kai was quickly replaced with the familiarity of his laugh, your favorite sound.

The way Kai would speak your name with gratitude as if it was the mantra of his soul. No matter how often you’d laugh and deny it, he knew it to be undeniably true.

Underneath the vast expanse of the dimming sky, Kai pulled out something from his pocket— an ocarina, cradling it gently in his hands.

Curiously you glanced at it. Kai’s love for music was something that you were well aware of but he always seemed much more reserved when it came to playing himself in front of other people.

“Since you don’t remember it,” he started.

“I’ll play it for you again.” His gaze fell with a sense of quiet reverence as he raised the ocarina to his lips, its smooth surface cool against his skin.

With practiced fingers he exhales as the familiar, almost haunting melody drifted into the air weaving its way through the night.

Each note resonated with a tenderness long forgotten, carrying with it the depth of his emotions. Your breath seemed caught in your throat as you were enraptured by the song.

And as the night fell, you knew that he had to go.

Regrettably, you allowed yourself to ask him for once thing.

“Do you think you can stay? Just tonight?”

The softness in your voice allowed him to peer into your soul, the beat of your heart reflecting in every word.

“Anything for you.”

In the stillness of the castle’s corridors late at night, the entrance to your bedroom stood as a silent sanctuary from the outside world.

The tall, ornately carved doors loomed like sentinels, polished wood gleaming softly in the dim candlelight that flickered from sconces lining the stone walls.

The two of you seemed small compared to the walls around you but even still, Kai stood tall and proud. He seemed the same but still so different.

A soft creak echoed through the corridor, breaking the silence of the night as you stood holding it open. The familiar scent of lavender and jasmine lingered in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of beeswax from the candles that cast dancing shadows across the room.

The scent that Kai had once regarded as his own home. “I’ll see you off in the morning then?” Your voice held a hint of sadness and Kai nodded wordlessly, lips pressed together in a thin line.

Despite his lack of expression you could tell that something was weighing heavy on his mind as well. Gently grabbing his hand in yours once again, you pulled him closer to you for a moment. “I really have missed you, I’m glad that you’ve found your home. Both of these things are true.”

It was easy for you to tell that underneath it all, Kai had that lingering regret of leaving you to return home. Some sort of guilt buried inside that he couldn’t seem to sort out and detangle in his own.

You gently raised your hand to cup his cheek and he melted into you, just as he had all those months ago.

“You’ll always be special to me, Kai.” Your voice was careful as you wondered how you could confess how you felt after all these years without outright saying it. Tip-toeing around the truth that you both knew.

“I hope that you can allow the simple miracle of your own presence to overwhelm you.” Kai’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment as your thumb brushed against his cheek, feeling the warmth radiating off of it. “You’re beautiful in ways that can't be described.”

A smile came on his face as the tension disappeared from his expression, eyes fluttering open to look at you with pure adoration.

“Goodnight, Kai.” You hummed, gently placing a kiss on his cheek.

When the morning came, you saw him off at the gates as you had agreed to let him go. Although you wished you had more time, you refused to feel sad as you thought of the moments you’d spent together.

Kai knew that the pair of you were eternal, even after all this time. Every quest would lead him back to you, as you were born to walk this world in intersecting lines. Every adventure would bring him back to your side, whether he had to travel for 7 hours or 7 months.

Deep inside, you thanked him for his gift of music and poetry he had brought into your life simply by finding you.

A whirlwind of emotions swept you off of your feet the day you met him, your feelings spilling out in waves just as the ocean had. How lucky you considered yourself to fall in love so young.

Similarly to this, Kai found himself eternally grateful for you finding him and showing him love because he had known nothing better since meeting you.

In all of his adventures, Kai had stumbled upon the ruins of numerous civilizations. He had read their musings about the Gods they worshipped and promises of heaven, endlessly conflicting descriptions of divinity.

Nothing seemed to be as true as what he had thought himself when he was with you. Kai knew that he was born with his heart already broken, his memories taken from him in fragments. But the world began in pieces and somehow made itself whole in the exact way you had shown him.

The day he met you, your smile seemed to be a blazing trail of light that show down from the heavens as your each word seemed to direct him to where the stars truly belonged.

The smile that had shown him the way had also blessed him with realization that he loved you, like some sort of secret only he was allowed in on. The secret knowledge that he was as hopelessly devoted to you as those civilizations had been to their make believe Gods.

Nothing in the world could stop the maddening rush that those three words he longed to say to you caused.

And so he’d practice saying them over and over until you met again to perfect them for you. For his love, with those words, he found himself becoming with divinity and in turn, one with you.

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ

ִֶָPHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ dead butterflies.

Besides the distance between the two of you, nothing could sever the connection you and Taehyun shared so long as you shared the same moon.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 1k ✧ fluff , kang taehyun x reader

A streak of light flashes across the sky, a rare occurrence in the streets of Paris. Thick heavy raindrops pound the uneven pavement, littered with dried leaves and twigs.

Running down the street, huddled together under only his coat, the two of you laughed as the sound filled the streets.

The times that you got to see Taehyun were few and far between these days but the ways in which he would make it up to you were always worth it in the end.

The never ending affection he gave you when he would return, gentle kisses up your wrist as you shyly hid your face from his gaze.

From the first time that he had kissed you so gently, you realized the complete power he had over you.

That first time, on a night similar to this with much quieter patterns of rain where he wrapped his arms around you outside the door of your apartment.

Your grip on the edge of his coat beckoned for him to stay and he let out a sigh.

He didn’t need to say anything, you knew that he couldn’t.

Taehyun wasn’t even gone and yet you already found yourself missing him, a feeling of yearning so intense that you could never have imagined before meeting him.

"Keep me in your heart.”

The sentence was fairly unlike him, you had come to find out. Later on in your relationship you found he tended to shy away from such dramatic phrases, offering a much more pragmatic outlook on things.

Despite this, he had made the exception for you.

Breathing in his scent mixed with the smell of the rain, your heart began to swell.

With the distance that soon followed, you found yourself grateful for the space it provided.

Taehyun never let the distance get the best of you, offering any second that he had free to you.

For once in your life, you believed that distance made the heart grow fonder.

With knowing him, there was a newfound desire that spurred in your heart.

You’d try to think straight but realized you were falling so badly, everything seemed to be jumbled together. Everything except for him.

A feeling so unfamiliar you could never quite place— something that only seemed perfectly depicted by the movies.

You never knew that much at all about love before he came into your life but delicately, you seemed to be learning.

"You were right about the storm!" he yells over the howling wind. "Obviously! I told you we should have headed out sooner." You cried, voice charged with excitement, and he laughed.

“Can you blame me for wanting to stay with you longer?” You stumble over a stray log on the sidewalk as he reaches out to catch you.

Finally reaching the safety of your apartment, the awning above providing shelter from the rain.

The two of you tumble on the dry grass laughing without a care for the mess you’d become.

He tosses aside his drenched coat, wrapping his arms around your waist.

Your bag falls from hands, contents consisting of broken hand mirrors and flavored lip glosses spilling out.

The world froze around you as he kissed you good night.

The moon peeks through the treetops and you are content.

With moments of silence like this, you’d think back to your first conversation at some fashion designer event you can’t recall the name of now.

“I live in a dorm with the others," he said, describing it in such a way that when you finally came to scale those vast, wooden floors, it was like you had seen it a thousand times before.

As if it had always been there, waiting to welcome you. Like the pretty, sunlit corner of his room that remained unfurnished, sitting empty until your visit, now filled with your paints and brushes.

Emptied drawers now occupied by articles of clothing slowly growing larger after every visit you had made, always leaving a trace of you behind as a reminder of what he had waiting for him in Paris.

An 8 hour time difference and ruined sleep schedules never seemed to falter your shared determination.

To each other, you were worth it.

You’d never been so glad to be so tired.

Often times when it was your turn to visit, you would fondly call him your Frankenstein, a man who was a patchwork of all the things you had ever longed for.

He’d grimace at the thought of something so ugly and you’d laugh, poking his dimple only for him to teasingly bite your finger.

As you’d cringe and push him away with a loud ‘eugh’ he would be the one laughing, arm locked around you as he trapped you to pull you in.

The soft kiss he’d place on your forehead was enough to silence you.

Taehyun always gave you such gifts—not the kind that were put in boxes, but the sort that filled you with imagination, breathing indescribable happiness into your life even from a distance.

Notes he had given you in person and letters he had sent overseas, all the words he had wrote seemed to thread together into a ribbon perfectly tied around your heart.

As if he had cast a spell on you with them, each word was forever burned into your mind and with it the memory of each moment you read them.

The love Taehyun had provided was all-consuming, sometimes you found yourself crying as you lost all control.

The heavy realization of how unbelievably in love you were with him, how unbelievably grateful you were.

Cursing at the moon as if it were somehow at fault for the distance between the two of you.

Late into the night when you came to your senses, your hushed apologies were enough as the moon lulled you back to sleep with the reminder that as long as the two of you looked up at the same one, the two of you were always connected.

Despite how far you were from each other due to your occupations, he always made sure to integrate parts of you into his life and you, him.

One particular visit to Paris for work he had come, hands full of heavy bags. Curiously, you tried to peek in only for him to shake his head and follow you into your apartment.

That day, rather than going out for some fancy dinner, the two of you stayed in and spent the hours conversing while painting intricate designs on flower pots.

"So you can create your little monstrous plants," he explained.

Secretly, he had hoped you would gift him one to bring back with him. A small part of you and Paris to bring back home.

And somehow, by some miracle stroke of luck, you handed the pot back to him with a small seed tightly packed inside of it.

“What is this?”

“It’ll be a surprise, just keep nurturing it. Okay?”

Now, the potted plants he had brought back were suddenly littered around his room despite his lack of a green thumb.

And his love for the gesture trumped any sense of doubt that he had in his ability to keep it alive, doing his best to nurture the plants just as you had asked.

With time, it would grow just as you promised.

No matter what it was, he looked forward to it.

Due to the constant presence of social media in your work and personal relationships, the sacred times you spent together in person were spent unplugged.

Finding anything to occupy yourselves, you’d go wherever the cities would take you.

On your first time visiting the HYBE building’s rooftop garden, Taehyun had showed you how to catch the stray butterflies that fluttered from their elusive neighbors.

You told him about the rumors that companies would farm them for cosmetic use.

He listened in morbid fascination as you described how the helpless insects were cruelly dismembered, before their fragile and beautiful wings were crushed and ground into a fine powder.

“Your lips would look beautiful painted with butterly wings," he would tease you, his thumb brushing your lower lip.

A scoff of fake offense would escape your lips as you shoved him away, only to lock hands and pull him closer shortly after.

"Yeah right.”

The two of you had spent much of your days alone, in your peaceful sanctuaries, apart from the peering eyes of the outside world.

When the weather was good, the two of you would venture out of Paris, past the worn jetty and picnic of the city’s little beach.

You, with a small, amused smile on your lips, hair tousled by the sea wind. You were different from anything he had ever known.

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ

PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ carnival.

Essentially becoming a shut-in due to your extreme fear of crowds, your friends are determined to take you out and show you how much fun things can be.

path unlocked: [ star song.] replay? ✧

જ⁀➴♡ wc 1k ✧ fluff , humor , comfort

As you inch closer to the front of the line, the rhythmic clinking of the cars ascending and descending fills your ears.

Standing before the entrance, the worker looked at you expectantly before glancing at the boys behind you. You turned to face them and they all gave you an encouraging smile, each one as sweet as the one before.

“So, who’s it gonna be?”

Looking at each of them, it felt almost impossible to pick just one. The feeling that everyone was waiting on you made you even more anxious, the idea of annoying the people around you getting your nerves up even more.

“Hey, Y/N it’s fine. Take your time.” Taehyun commented.

The small smile he gave you was enough to have you letting out a sigh of relief. “I think…”

As they looked at you expectantly, you frowned. There was no way that you could choose just one of them without feeling bad for leaving the others out.

“I think… I-I don’t think I want to go on it anymore.”

Turning to the attendant with an apologetic look, you gave a quick apology before walking away, ushering the boys out of the line.

“Y/N? Are you okay?” Yeonjun asked, looking back with a concerned look toward you.

“If you’re too overwhelmed we can head out,” Soobin started.

Shaking your head as the six of you find a place behind a nearby tent, you shook your head. “I’m fine! I’m having fun!”

Kai tilted his head slightly at your tone. It was fairly obvious you had became overwhelmed, even if you refused to admit it.

Your heart was coming down from the anxiety of holding up the line as you looked back at the ride, seeing the couples and families climb aboard.

In truth, you didn’t want to go on it that badly but the embarrassment from not being able to make such a seemingly simple choice had you flustered.

“Why don’t we get out of here anyways?” Taehyun offered.

You gave him a quizzical look, fiddling with the end of your shirt. “Where would we even go?”

Beomgyu shrugged, “why don’t we just go look at the stars?“

The suggestion was simple but it had caught your attention, looking up. All night the carnival seemed to distract from the natural beauty around you.

A part of you felt ashamed for not taking a moment to appreciate them.

Taehyun nodded. “Soobin still has some blankets in the truck, I think.”

“That I do,” Soobin said with a huff. “My poor napping blanket.”

“Come on, you big baby. I’ll wash it when we get home.” Yeonjun said, nudging the taller boy as he let out a huff.

You laughed, shooting him a grateful look. “Thank you, Soobin.”

As your group of friends began to weave through the carnivals crowd for the final time, the chaos began to fade into the distance.

Taehyun and Kai’s gentle hold on your hands had you sending them grateful looks.

Laughter and the faint echoes of carnival music lingered in the air as you all left behind the colorful lights and bustling rides.

Excitedly, Beomgyu walked backwards as he continued to ramble about a topic you couldn’t follow at all.

Seemingly, him and Soobin were arguing over who was better at the game they both played.

“Quit fighting!” Yeonjun called after them.

Ahead, the wide field was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight.

Even with the music in the distance, it was peaceful. Tall grass swayed gently in the breeze.

There was a rhythmic whisper that accompanied all of your footsteps as you found an area to settle down at.

Yeonjun and Taehyun set out the blankets as you and Kai gently nudged each other, pointing out the stars you could already see much clearer.

Soobin and Beomgyu seemed to continue their previous antics as they stumbled around chasing each other.

The scent of earth and grass filled the air and you took a deep breath in, finally feeling your heart settle for the first time that night.

The faint aroma of the carnival treats were finally left behind and as you sat down, Beomgyu basically crashing down next to you, you laughed.

You had once heard a story once about lovers who kept finding each other, no matter how many times the world came between them.

Even when they were cursed for the rest of eternity, transformed into stardust and placed scattered far apart throughout the galaxy.

Parts of them still found each other in the vastness of space.

In this story, rather than previous lovers, you had seen your friends.

Your bodies were made of stardust, and you were hurtling through space and time, toward the most beautiful collision. Yet each and every time, no matter what— you would find each other.

The night sky stretched endlessly, a canvas adorned with countless stars. Tired conversations ensued until you were all lying down, laughter subsiding into a familiar and comfortable silence.

Nameless stars gracefully stretched across the heavens, a river of light that seemed to flow from one horizon to the other. Endless.

In this moment of awe and wonder, you found yourself hoping that this moment could be endless as well.

Each star seemed to twinkle with its own secret, beckoning you to explore the mysteries of the cosmos.

You, Soobin and Yeonjun began to make up names and stories for the stars as Taehyun stifled Kai’s laughter in attempt to not wake a sleeping Beomgyu.

The air was crisp and clear, carrying with it a sense of tranquility that enveloped you all like a warm embrace.

In this moment, surrounded by the vast expanse of the night sky, you were reminded of the beauty of the universe.

No matter how overwhelming things had gotten, no matter how big and scary the world truly was— you would always find yourself back here in this familiar patch of grass with your friends.

With Soobin’s tired head on your shoulder and Beomgyu fast asleep on your thighs.

The gentle hum from Yeonjun and Taehyun accompanied by the squeeze Kai had given your hand.

The contented chatter of crickets and the slow, rhythmic song of cicadas.

If you could describe happiness, it would be that moment the universe had conjured up for you.

Served to you like some sort of cosmic apology for all that you have been through, and all that you had missed out on.

If you could take from all the possibilities, that moment would be the one you would always choose to bring into fruition.

And yet, you were well aware that the world spun too quickly and it turns too slowly as you waited and waited for the moment to transact into memory.

Eventually, the day would come when you could no longer tell the difference between this memory and a dream.

You found your own eyes growing heavy as your hand stilled in Beomgyu’s hair, coming up to your mouth to stifle a yawn.

Despite the acknowledgment that this, too, would end, you found the timeless connection of the stars omnipresent in your friendship.

As the stars watched over you all, unwillingly drifting to sleep together, a part of you confirmed what you had always known.

The six of you would always find each other, no matter if it was a dream or a memory.

There was nothing to grieve over in this moment. There was just love.

“Do you think there is the possibility of you and I?” The star asked.

“In this lifetime, is that too much to hope for?”

“There is something so delicate about time, so fragile.” The moon had started.

“If nothing ever comes of us, at least I have known this feeling, this wonderful sense of optimism that you have gifted to me.” The sun chimed in.

“You have given me something I can always keep close to me—to draw from in my darkest hour like a ray of unspent sunshine.” The moon commented.

“The love we share, it will be carried on by us through generations. It will be passed on and felt, the pieces of each other that we have borrowed and spent will be remembered.” The sun had finished.

“No matter what happens next, I will always be glad to know there is someone like you in the world.” The star said.

“Thank you for loving me.”

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ

PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ waves.

In the quiet glow of the morning, the rare private moments he has with you are Yeonjun’s favorite.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 2k ✧ fluff , choi yeonjun x reader

Love should make you appreciate the life you lived.

This was something that Yeonjun had always believed in.

All kinds of love were believable to him and any form that it came in was welcomed. From the love from his friends to the love from his fans, somewhere along the way Yeonjun had decided that love made the world go around.

Although, there was always that nagging feeling that it was temporary. The fear that things could crumble in an instant.

Yeonjun was rarely an anxious person, oftentimes he’d take things in stride and work his best to improve his faults, building off of them. Despite this dedication, everyone was prone to the stresses of overthinking on occasion— it was only human.

Thankfully with the busy life he led, the time that these thoughts had to take over was little to none. Much less overwhelming and more of an annoyance, days of relaxation would only stir up thoughts of disappointment.

‘Why not spend this time working toward something?’

He wasn’t sure he could ever find a definite defense against that question. Luckily for Yeonjun, nowadays he found those thoughts rarely came to visit and were instead replaced with thoughts of you.

Sparrows of light flew in like spears through the window. It was only the rain that shattered the otherwise deafening silence. The ever familiar grip around you tightened as you stirred awake slightly, taking a deep breath as you nuzzled further into him.

“Are you awake?” You knew that he had already known the answer, recognizing the change in your breathing. He always paid attention to things like that. Even still, you craned your neck up to face him and gave him a small smile before a yawn escaped you.

And he smiled, God, that smile before leaning in to place a kiss on your lips. Neither of you had brushed your teeth but in the very rare mornings that you had to yourself, intimacy came before hygiene.

It was in the very rare mornings like these, Yeonjun realized that he would fall in love with you all over again.

His favorite kind of mornings, perfectly intimate and so private.

The people didn’t need to know about your ordinary happiness, that was just for the two of you.

The moment of peace was quickly disturbed by the sound of his alarm ringing, signaling the start of his day. For a brief moment he considered ignoring it and abandoning his schedules (which realistically, he knew wasn’t possible) to spend more time with you but as if the world was also against him, the birds outside began to sing as well.

With an annoyed huff, he reluctantly pried his arms off of you but not without giving you a few kisses peppered all over face that you affectionally rolled your eyes at.

You buried your face back into your pillow, eyes fluttering closed for a moment as you took another deep breath in.

Yeonjun felt his heart swell in his chest as he watched you from the corner of his eye, a dry chuckle escaping him as he began to get ready for his day.

Realizing you’re unlikely to fall back asleep with the newfound empty space next to you, you tiredly scrolled through your phone comfortable in bed. Yeonjun leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom as he began brushing his teeth.

“When I hold you close to me I can always see a house by the ocean,”

His words were muffled by the foam of the toothpaste in his mouth and you couldn’t help but laugh as you watched him do his best to get the sentence out without letting any slip out.

It would have made you cringed if you didn’t have a look of obvious confusion on your face, which wasn’t missed by him and he just smiled, mouth full, as you motioned for him to continue.

“Yeah, good morning to you too.”

The words weren’t hard to put together— not when it was something he’d bring up often.

Your future. ‘Our future.’ As he’d say.

Even still, you waited for him to continue.

Yeonjun often wondered if there was a universe where day and night could co-exist, where your secret moments in crowded rooms didn’t have to be so fleeting and he could love you for how long he knew that he was destined to. If his mornings would always look like this.

“A beach house, maybe?”

After what felt like a never ending staring contest, he spit the toothpaste out of his mouth finally and washed off any remaining that had fallen out despite his best efforts.

During this visit back to the bathroom sink, his reflection stared back at him. With his hair messy and unkempt, face a bit puffy and bare, he still smiled.

“Last night with your breathing, I swore I could hear the waves.”

As he wiped his hands and face, he made his return to the doorway and looked directly into your eyes with that dorky smile he always sported. In that smile, you felt all of his sincerity.

Your hands made their way to your face to hide the smile that had clawed its’ way on there as you let out an embarrassed groan, retreating into the safety of the bed.

Still, he just laughed as he finished drying.

“You’re an idiot..”

Despite the harsh meaning of the words, there was no negative weight to them. If anything, the cadence you’d spoken with held nothing but love.

The same bell seemed to ring in your heart and you swore if you heard him chuckle one more time you were gonna grab him by his shoulders and shake some sense into him.

Making his way back to the bed and sitting next to you for a moment, the sinking of the bed made it feel welcoming again.

Even how you were, hiding from him under a mess of tangled bed sheets with your hair mangled just the same, all he could think about was how good you were to him.

Reaching out, his hands gently pulled your wrists away from the shield you put up to protect your face. You shot him a glare in response through your fingers.

That dorky smile was now replaced with one full of confidence and admiration.

“Only for you.~”

Despite your best efforts, you were never a mystery to him.

No matter how much you’d try to hide from him, from the moment he met you he had been determined to show you how he felt and will always feel.

For Yeonjun, you’d given him everything.

The kind of love you only find once in a lifetime, he’d always say.

Since he was surprisingly the more sentimental of the two of you, you found that you’d often keep your own thoughts to yourself.

Not that he didn’t enjoy hearing them, you just never believed you could articulate how you felt as well as he did.

He was happy all the same, ever the giver.

Maybe he preferred it that way, you couldn’t tell.

What you could tell was how earnest he had always been in these moments.

In any moments you’d share, creases and folds in your skin, marks running up and down like drops of rain from the sky were loved and valued all the same in the driest desert, maybe even more.

Any insecurities were quieted as he’d drag his fingers along, connecting marks on your skin like constellations and sealing them in the sky in his mind with a kiss.

In Yeonjun’s heart, you provided a feeling he was convinced that he would never explain in well enough words.

To you, this was ridiculous.

What felt like hundreds of confessions of undying love and devotion never seemed to be enough to him, each one bringing up a new comparison to try and encapsulate the feeling you gave but never feeling quite good enough.

Like a garden filled with flowers, he’d say that you provided that kind of love that bleeds a myriad of colors into the world for miles and miles, and in that moment you swear you’d never seen anything more beautiful.

Almost immediately after saying this, he’d shake his head, insisting that wasn’t a perfect explanation.

His critique of perfection never seemed justified to you considering that it was more than anyone else had ever given you.

Yeonjun, who loves you with his entire heart, makes sure that you know it.

Even if the explanations weren’t perfect to everyone, they’d always fit how you felt when you looked at him.

It felt perfect enough for you and that was all that mattered in the end— because they were for you. Everything was for you.

His habit of being a perfectionist seemed to span even into his love life, not that you minded.

It ended up being a part of him that you loved all the same.

Something that started out as a friendship, seemingly born like any other through mutual friends and interests ended up becoming an unwavering promise between the two of you to stay together.

You, a book that had no name had drawn him in with only the cover, just to pull him in deeper and deeper as he turned the pages.

Despite this, he swears to you that it wasn’t only your outside allure but also every life story that you’d shared in confidence and every passion you’ve displayed— the things that you had loved in turn made him fall madly in love with you, a million times over.

Maybe the reason he couldn’t explain how much he loved you was because he wasn’t sure how deep it ran. How much deeper it could go.

Maybe if he loved you less, he could talk about it more. Because of this, despite his innate desire for perfection, he found himself preferring the uneasiness of not knowing. The way you left him unusually speechless on any days spent together, he found a new love for those imperfect moments.

The burning of the sun on his skin was never as comparable to the flush of his cheeks those days.

When Yeonjun said he loved every part of you, there was never any hesitation. Never any doubt.

In his mind, he was pulled under the moment he saw you.

With time, your presence became a constant force, existences entangled together like the eternal change of the seasons or the silence in the nights you’d spent together.

Maybe it was in the silence of those nights that he found himself that home on the beach.

A love that recognises and tends every broken bit of each other.

If it was possible, Yeonjun would decide to reread every chapter of your lives together because he was confident that he could pin-point the exact moment he fell in love with you the first time— and every time after that.

Any hardwired yearning for unconditional acceptance was nulled with a single look because when you looked at him, he didn’t feel the need to try.

And such, an authentic connection that goes beyond superficial labels or appearances was born.

“You know, as much as I love your poetic musings, babe… I think you’re gonna be late.”

His eyes widened for a moment, head whipping towards the clock on the wall only to narrow his eyes at the realization.

“Oh— shit.”

With a newfound burst of energy, Yeonjun quickly pushed himself off of his space in the bed.

Pulling a shirt over his head and quickly fixing up his hair, he didn’t bother to turn and see the amusement on your face, knowing that he’d ignore all of his responsibilities for the day to just to sit and stare for a while.

Finally dragging yourself to sit up, you pulled the blankets up with you to keep them close as a replacement for his weight until he returned.

‘I swore I could hear the waves.’

It was often that you’d find his words ring in your mind, unsurprising considering exactly who they came from but the butterflies in your stomach this time seemed even more delicate than usual.

Delicate like the kiss he stopped to plant on your forehead, despite the rush of the outside world racing against him. In those words was the promise of your future.

Anytime he had shared a new reasoning for how much he loved you, which he swore he could make a never ending list, you found yourself growing closer and closer to understanding it yourself.

For you, Yeonjun provided an undeniable sense of comfort. It was a strange, almost alien feeling— seemingly too good to be true but placed gently in the palm of your hand.

To the both of you, this unfamiliar sense of security was simply the beauty of it all.

Reminiscent of a fuzzy feeling that you’d never quite be able to place— a feeling that reminded you of the scent of your childhood home and the desire to return home all at once.

The passage of time and the haziness of your memories.

All of these dazed feelings rolled into what you believed would be your first and last true love. Choi Yeonjun.

Choi Yeonjun, the most beautiful man you had ever laid your eyes on— the one whose voice you could single out in a crowd of thousands of people.

Choi Yeonjun, the most talented man you’d ever met and just about the most annoying sweet talker. The man with the kindest soul who provided the purest love.

Your perfectly imperfect love, Choi Yeonjun.

Regretfully taking the moment to pull away from your warmth, he flashed you that tired smile that seemed reserved only for you in these soft moments.

Staring into your eyes with only his reflection looking back, in them he swore he had seen that love reflecting back at him all the same.

You’d never have to say it, you’d never have to lift a finger when he’s around. He just knew you.

“I’ll miss you.”

Like all the times spent with Yeonjun that were full of laughter and mutual adoration, the muscles in your cheeks began to feel strained. You never minded.

“Promise?”

Creases appeared as the smile that was so uniquely you returned to your face only to confirm his suspicions. The love he chose to share with you was in the right hands. His favorite hands.

“Always.”

You were in love too, no matter how far apart you happened to be, you would both feel it anywhere you went. While he would hear it in the cheers of his fans, you would hear it in the silence of the night. But the both of you would feel it on the way home to each other.

Maybe that house he envisioned on the beach wasn’t that far off in the realm of possibility, maybe he was just dreaming.

Or perhaps the waves he heard that night had been the waves inside of his heart, crashing and pushing towards you the same way they were said to gravitate towards the moon.

Either way, with that sound he swore he could see an eternity with you.

As he rushed out, stumbling a bit over the mess created on the floor of his room, a laugh you couldn’t contain while watching him leave trickled through the cracks of the door he had closed behind him.

Your laugh, the only sound that could overpower the sounds of the ocean.

A sound he knew that he would always love.

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ

PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ songs for you.

With the encouragement from his friends to stop yapping and finally do something about his crush, Yeonjun enacts a multi-step plan to ensure you fall for him. Unfortunately, each incident seems to crash and burn.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 6k ✧ fluff , humor

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the manicured lawns and towering buildings of the university as you yawned.

Stepping out of your final class of the day, the campus buzzed with energy and activity around you. Despite the students rushing past you, your eyes stayed glued to your phone as you quickly texted your friends to let them know that you were done with your class.

Unknown to you, staggering behind was Yeonjun whose eyes stayed glued to you. Soobin seemed to notice his lack of animated responses and followed his line of sight, only to see you.

“Staring holes into the back of her head surely isn’t getting you anywhere.” Soobin said teasingly, nudging him.

The sound of Kai’s loud laughter caused Yeonjun to sink into himself as he shot the boy an annoyed look, quickly checking that you didn’t look over at the commotion.

Of course, you were too busy tied up in your own world and he let out a sigh of relief.

The conversation was punctuated by the ringing of bells signaling the end of classes. “Why don’t you just make a move already? You’re running out of time, at the pace you’re going someone else is gonna swoop in.” Beomgyu’s flat tone didn’t seem to match his interest in the topic as he tucked his phone into his pocket.

“It’s not like I haven’t tried, she’s just always busy.” Yeonjun scoffed as he brushed a strand of hair from his face.

“Really?” Soobin hummed, “I haven’t seen you talked to her once.”

Yeonjun straightened his back and let out a huff as he jumped to defend himself. “That’s not true, we talked at the student showcase!”

Soobin snickered, “Oh right. Was that when you spilled your Sprite on her?”

“Ai—”

In the distance, there was the faint strains of music drifting from a nearby quad, where a group of students has gathered to enjoy the late afternoon sun. Beomgyu tore his eyes away from the group as they had passed, chiming in.

“Oh, yeah! And then she missed collecting her prize money because she went to go clean herself up.”

Embarrassment was written all over his face as Yeonjun ran a hand down his face, refusing to think back on the memory.

“Okay. Not my proudest moment, clearly.”

“You don’t have that many proud moments anyways, so don’t worry about it.” Taehyun teased, placing a hand on his older friends’ shoulder.

Yeonjun groaned, shaking him off as the group made their way through the campus to the court.

Yeonjun thought of what the others said as his eyes scanned the walls of the buildings, adorned with posters advertising lectures, performances, and club meetings. Despite his lack of personal interest in these clubs, they seemed to give him a few ideas on how to get your attention.

Yeonjun stood at the free-throw line, ball in hand, heart pounding with a mix of nerves and excitement.

It wasn’t like Yeonjun was a sweat when it came to their games— they were always in good fun so he never worried too much about it but knowing that you were only a few feet away on the bleachers with your friends had him feeling much more competitive.

Yeonjun glanced over at you, his heart stopping when he caught your eyes with his. Glancing over out of curiosity, you found yourself a bit embarrassed with the sudden eye contact but you flashed him a quick supportive smile.

In all honesty, you didn’t know much about him aside from what you heard from everyone around you. Yeonjun was attractive, that much you could admit, but it was a bit difficult to approach him considering how highly everyone spoke of him.

The two of you shared quite a few mutual friends so you’d run into each other fairly often but you never found yourself particularly engaged in a conversation with him alone.

The one time that you had talked to him ended with you covered in sticky soda which was of course, much less than favorable.

Even still, the conversation before had been enjoyable enough as he told you how much he liked your art. Student showcases were a bit of a drag and you found them quite embarrassing but when you’d later found out that he had dragged the rest of his friends to see your display, it felt worth it.

From then on you’d regarded Yeonjun as attractive and kind.

The eye contact grew a bit uncomfortable as you nervously laughed, quickly turning back to face your friends who gave you a teasing smile.

“Well, anyways, I’m not sure if I’ll text him back. I mean it was really nice but I don’t think he’s really the type to want something serious, you know?”

Karina hummed as she twirled her hair around her finger. “Are you sure you’re not making an assumption? Maybe he can surprise you.” She offered and you bit the inside of your cheek.

Ningning laughed as she tangled a sour strip above Winter who tried to catch it with her mouth. Watching this, you found yourself laughing at her struggling from her position lying on the bleachers.

“Y/N’s impossibly high standards strike again,” Giselle says as she shakes you gently by your shoulder with a smile.

Sheepishly, you rubbed the back of your neck and whined. “Isn’t that a good thing? I don’t wanna be played by some dumb disingenuous guy, y’know?”

You used to think that falling in love was about holding on, but soon you found that it wasn’t. Meaningless conversations made your head spin and after one too many times, you’ve practically given up.

At the end of the day, you realized you may never realize what love truly was. Or maybe you’ve had it all wrong. There was always the possibility that someone could change your mind but you refused to hold your breath waiting for it.

Winter finally caught the sour rope in her mouth and bit down on it, tugging the rope as it slipped from a distracted Ningning’s grasp, slapping Winter in the face.

Ningning’s attention had been turned toward the court as she saw the familiar group of boys muttering and looking over.

Winter choked as she sat up straight, coughing as she blinked rapidly to get rid of sugar that had gotten into her eye. You let out a small laugh as you moved her flailing hands and wiped the remaining sugar off her face.

“What about Yeonjun?” Giselle offered and you gave her a confused look.

“What… about him?” Ningning looked at you and then back to Yeonjun’s three friends who were still starring.

In his own word Yeonjun focused on the hoop with a deep breath, visualizing the perfect arc of the ball as he got ready to shoot it through the air.

Suddenly, his confidence came crashing down as a familiar voice called out.

“Y/N! This one’s for you!”

Ningning and Winter both started laughing and you turned toward the court with a confused look to see Soobin waving his arms toward you to get your attention.

Yeonjun’s stance fell and he quickly turned toward Soobin, heart beating out of his chest.

“Hey— why the hell would you—?!”

Soobin snickered as he nudged Yeonjun back toward the starting point, “Sh! Hurry up!”

That nervousness creeped back up as Yeonjun prepared to take the shot. It certainly didn’t help that he could feel the weight of your gaze on him. Knowing you were watching seemed to put him in a rushed state and he wasted no time shooting.

With a flick of his wrist, he released the ball, sending it soaring towards the basket with all the confidence he could muster back up.

Unfortunately, as the ball left his fingertips, he realized with a sinking feeling that something was off and he made a mental note to choke Soobin out when they were out of your sight.

The ball veered off course, missing the mark by a wide margin and clattering off the backboard with a resounding thud.

Any childish hope of impressing you dashed in an instant and he refused to turn and face you as he turned completely the other way, eyes staring through the chain link fence and out at the lot beyond it.

Beomgyu pursed his lips as he attempted to stifle his laughter and Taehyun grit his teeth together.

“Oh, that’s not…”

Embarrassed, you buried your face into your hands with an audible groan not even having to look up to know that he missed the shot, Giselle’s laugh next to you was enough of an indicator.

Embarrassment flooded Yeonjun’s cheeks as he retrieved the ball, trying to shake off the disappointment and salvage what's left of his pride.

After his blank stare was torn away from the fence he attempted to laugh it off, making light of his missed shot as he prepared to try again.

Soobin stood awkwardly, long arms stuck to his sides as he laughed along with Yeonjun in an attempt to help soothe the tension. Kai looked up from his switch, seeing the glare behind Yeonjun’s eyes and laughed.

“You’re making it worse, hyung.”

“Well… she laughed?” Soobin offered.

“Her friends laughed, idiot.” Yeonjun countered.

Soobin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret at Yeonjun failing to live up to the expectations he'd set and he let out a long drawn sigh. “You’re helpless.”

Yeonjun swatted at him, “me?! You set me up!”

The two’s bickering fell on deaf ears as Taehyun swiped the ball from Yeonjun’s hands and looked back at your group of friends.

Your hands fell from your face and Taehyun noticed a shy smile playing on your lips as your friends gushed about Yeonjun’s embarrassing moment.

The kitchen was bathed in warm, golden light as Yeonjun stood cluelessly, Soobin eagerly gathering ingredients to bake cookies.

Soobin turned from the cabinet and gave Yeonjun an annoyed look, “are you gonna help?”

“I would if I knew what we were doing.” Yeonjun argued as he cautiously moved around the counter, leaning against it with his arms crossed.

Soobin puffed out his cheeks for a moment as he stilled, placing the flour on the counter. “Cookies. Brownies? No— cookies.”

“Cookies?”

“Do you want to get a date with her or not?”

Yeonjun paused for a moment before the realization washed over him and he gave Soobin a confused look. “Remember what happened last time you tried to help?”

Soobin blinked a few times before throwing the rest of the ingredients on the counter and put his hands up in defeat. “I give up.”

As he went to walk away Yeonjun rolled his eyes, grabbing his wrist to stop him. “No! Clean up your mess.”

“My mess?” Soobin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yeonjun’s cheeks grew red and he groaned. Neither him or Soobin were particularly good at baking but the idea of trying seemed appealing, at least if it was for you.

The silence had Soobin chuckling and Yeonjun shook his head before turning back to the counter. “So… cookies.”

With a sense of determination, Yeonjun set to work, measuring out ingredients as Soobin preheated the oven.

Flour dusted the countertops, and the scent of vanilla extract lingered in the air, adding to the cozy atmosphere.

Occasionally, their community mates would wander in with curiosity or to fetch snacks for themselves. This was how Soobin found himself lost in conversation with Beomgyu as Yeonjun reached for the sugar and salt.

It was easy for him to find himself distracted as he imagined the look on your face when he gave you the cookies, hoping that they were to your liking.

Baking for someone was out of character for him and that much was obvious from how clumsy he was in the kitchen. It wasn’t that he was horrible but he certainly wasn’t the best, he much preferred to buy stuff rather than make it himself. Though he seemed convinced now that making them himself was the best way to make sure they were enough to showcase how he felt.

Unbeknownst to the distracted Yeonjun and Soobin, the granules cascading into the bowl weren’t the sweet, crystalline sugar he intended, but instead, the coarse, white grains of salt.

Oblivious to this mistake, Yeonjun continued to add ingredients, his mind consumed with other ideas to win you over and gain your attention in a more positive way.

With each stir of the spoon, the mixture began to take shape, the dough coming together in a smooth, glossy consistency. Yeonjun looked up at Soobin and Beomgyu who were locked into something the latter was showing on his phone as he scooped the dough onto the baking sheet, excitement building with each passing moment.

Yeonjun slid the tray into the oven as he excused himself for a few to go change, heart beating with excitement and the hope that you’ll savor the sweetness of his gesture.

Soobin agreed to wait for the cookies to finish as the older boy left, Beomgyu peeking into the oven with curiosity.

As the cookies baked, a faint scent wafted through the air. Beomgyu noted it wasn’t the enticing aroma of freshly baked treats, but instead, the unmistakable tang of salt.

“These for Kai or something?” Beomgyu asks, wondering if the boys were intending to pull a prank.

Confusion clouded Soobin’s mind as he furrowed his brow, unable to understand what he meant. “No? They’re for Y/N.”

Beomgyu’s mouth formed a quick ‘o’ as Soobin shoved him aside, pulling the tray from the oven. Yeonjun returned to see the golden-brown cookies on the counter and smiled.

“Nice! You want one Beomgyu?” The younger boy blinked for a moment, the other two’s obliviousness causing him to snicker as he shook his head.

“No, thanks.” Beomgyu reached behind Soobin, grabbing a bag of chips and waving them in front of the others as he quickly left with an amused look.

Soobin reached for a cookie and Yeonjun quickly smacked his hand away.

“No cookies for saboteurs.” He said firmly.

“Man…”

Of course, Yeonjun had considered giving them to you himself but unlike usual, he always found himself too tongue tied around you.

In the end, he decided to leave them at your seat during your last lecture. Even without sharing the class, your professor was quick to let him in due to her growing annoyance with his begging.

Not having much time to figure out the mystery of the cookies, you shoved them into your bag to investigate later. That was how you found yourself sat with your friends in a cafe nearby campus, cookies sat opened and untouched on the table.

Inside the small box was a scrap of paper that simply said ‘to Y/N, from Yeonjun! :)’

“Why would he make me… cookies?” You asked, head tilted slightly to the side in confusion.

“Seriously? You realize that he’s crazy obsessed with you right?” Jisung said with a look of amusement, swirling around the straw of his latte as he leaned into his hand. “You don’t know how many times Mark has complained about it.”

Chenle nodded, adjusting his sunglasses as he leaned back into his seat. “Right. Like, weirdly obsessed with you. It’s important to me that you know that, Y/N.” His voice was teasing and you rolled your eyes at his usual sarcasm.

You sat, staring down at the box of clumsily decorated cookies. Smiley faces and hearts messily drawn on them each made your chest flutter the slightest bit.

Unfortunately for you, the sweetness of the gesture was quickly overpowered by the complete confusion on your face when Jisung began coughing and spitting one of the cookies out. That was how you learned they were in fact, pact full of salt.

“Really? This is seeming like some weird joke…” your voice trailed off and Chenle snickered.

“Yeah, I just think he’s not very bright.”

Pausing for a moment, you nibbled on the straw between your teeth as you wondered if it really had been an accident rather than a joke. It was obvious that he put a bit of effort in, despite the ultimate failure the gesture had been.

Jisung rolled his eyes as he glared down at the box of cookies with a personal hatred burning in them. “What a waste of cookies…”

The library’s grand facade is bathed in the sunset as you tiredly make your way toward it to get some last minute studying in. Classes haven’t been very stressful as of late but you’ve found yourself growing increasingly distracted by a certain boy.

Multiple mishaps have led to him staying on your mind simply due to his strange behavior. Anytime you had thought about confronting him about it though, he seemed in a rush to get away from you.

Unknown to you, Yeonjun sat in the library with Beomgyu kicked back beside him loudly munching on a snack. Considering how the library attendant seemed to barely care about their job, the noise didn’t seem to be much of an issue at the moment.

“Why’re you so stressed? Just make the perfect playlist and write a charming one liner or something in the description— boom, Y/N falls in love with you and the two of you can make out for all of eternity.” He teased.

Yeonjun glared at him, shoving his feet off of the library desk. “Quiet down!” Beomgyu looked around to see the library was, as he expected, mostly barren. “As if it’s any kind of secret.”

“Whatever. And I’m not stressed, it’s just a playlist.” Beomgyu nodded, although it was clear from his expression that he didn’t believe him.

“Right. Considering how hopelessly in love with her you are, isn’t it weird that you don’t know her music taste?” Choosing to ignore the hard truth of his words, Yeonjun continued scrolling through his music library as he carefully selected each track.

Beomgyu noticed his meticulous attention to detail as Yeonjun scanned lyrics, taking out and adding songs as the moments passed by.

At the start he seemed to kick off strong, choosing songs that Beomgyu has heard in passing from Yeonjun’s own personal playlist from artists like Hanuel and Hojean.

The more he continued to try and curate the ‘perfect’ playlist though, his confidence in his own taste seemed to visibly wane as Beomgyu watched him replace his personal favorites with more popular songs.

Yeonjun chewed on his lip with his eyes narrowed, agonizing over whether each song was romantic enough or if it would resonate with you in the way he hoped.

It was when Beomgyu watched him replace 99% of the playlist with old Bruno Mars songs that he gave his older friend a deadpanned expression, deciding to take over.

“This is getting like… really corny, dude.”

In Yeonjun’s quest for perfection, he became paralyzed by indecision. The two spent hours of Beomgyu offering songs and Yeonjun agonizing over every choice, rearranging the playlist multiple times.

“There’s no hope for you. Just let me do it.” Beomgyu said with a sigh, hanging up his bag of chips as he and Yeonjun swapped seats.

Yeonjun watched in focus as Beomgyu added and deleted tracks, fighting the urge to comment on his choices and unable to shake the feeling that something is missing.

“There.” Beomgyu said after only a few moments, rolling out of the way for Yeonjun to look. “Take it or leave it. I’ve worked my magic.”

Yeonjun scrolled through for a few moments, thinking on it before beginning his edits.

Seeing this, Beomgyu groaned as his head dropped to the desk with a ‘thud’.

“Dude, it should not be this hard. You’re gonna stay single forever…” his muffled voice groaned.

“Shut up.” Yeonjun muttered.

After a few more moments, Yeonjun felt defeated. What should have been a quick and easy process was somehow becoming increasingly more complicated all because it was for you.

“Cigarettes after sex?” Your voice murmured quietly as you stared at the screen from behind Beomgyu, studying the tracks.

The title of the playlist had your heart stopping in your chest, only for the feeling to tighten as you read the description attached to it.

Yeonjun jumped at your voice and quickly snapped his laptop shut. Beomgyu rolled his head to the side, cheek pressed against the desk as he saw you leaning above him.

“Oh, hey Y/N.” His voice was tired and you looked down, giving him a small smile. “Hi, Gyu.”

There was a silence as Yeonjun stared at you like he had been caught doing something wrong and the small smile on your face stayed. “Hi, Yeonjun.”

Your voice was as sweet as ever and the close proximity had him feeling almost dizzy. Attempting to come to his senses, he cleared his throat and gave you his usual charming smile. “H-Hey, Y/N.”

Of course, his voice betrayed him and Beomgyu snickered.

Yeonjun kicked him underneath the desk and Beomgyu groaned, causing you to chuckle as you pulled away from them.

“Sorry for intruding, I came over to ask Beomgyu about something for photography but…” your voice trailed off for a moment as you pondered what to say next.

Yeonjun’s heart pounded in his chest as he wondered if you saw what he was making and if he needed to move across the globe out of embarrassment.

“Well anyway, it doesn’t matter.” You said, ultimately choosing to save Yeonjun from the embarrassment of calling out the playlists’ title.

“I’ll leave you two to it.” You said with a yawn, stretching as you stepped back. “Oh, bye Y/N.” Beomgyu said, voice uninterested and trailing off as he began to doze off against the table.

“Oh! By the way Yeonjun, you should send me one of your playlists sometime.” You said, a hint of playfulness in your voice as he gave you a dumbfounded look, muttering an incoherent goodbye.

Yeonjun stood in the flower shop, carefully selecting a bouquet of vibrant flowers, each bloom seemingly chosen with care and tied together with a delicate ribbon.

He hadn’t known if you’d pay much attention to detail or look into their meanings but he quickly found himself pulling out his phone with each option, making sure to look up the meaning of each specific flower just in case.

Yeonjun’s world almost seemed to shatter when he realized the yellow carnations in his hand were not, in fact, the best choice and they were quickly jammed back among the rest as he began to pace around.

Taehyun watched the ordeal from behind the counter and let out a sigh as he rang for assistance, his coworker clumsily poking his head out from the back in question.

“What’s up?” He asked.

Taehyun motioned toward Yeonjun, “my friend needs assistance. You mind tending up here for a bit?” He asked gently and the boy shook his head with a smile.

Knowing the front was taken care of, Taehyun made his way to Yeonjun with an amused look.

“You know when I told you to get her flowers, I didn’t mean come and tear up our displays.” He said half-heartedly.

“Right, you just meant come and make you more money.” Taehyun shrugged at that, knowing it was more-so a comment stemming from his frustrations.

Adjusting his glasses, Taehyun reached around and fixed up the bouquets that Yeonjun had messily discarded. Realizing the mess, he ran a hand through his hair.

“Sorry, Taehyun.”

Taehyun’s gaze lingered on Yeonjun as he shifted under it, kicking at the ground in frustration. It was obvious that Yeonjun had been stressing himself out over making the right choice.

Despite his friends knowing about his little crush on you, Taehyun had noticed how seriously he had been taking everything when it came to you and couldn’t help but feel that sincerity stemmed from something much more serious.

Adjusting his glasses, he smiled and shook his head at him. “Give me a few minutes in the back, okay? Don’t mess up the rest of our displays.” Taehyun mused teasingly.

Cluelessly, Yeonjun nodded and followed him to wait at the counter as he went to make him a personalized bouquet. With a sigh, Yeonjun felt a slight weight being lifted off of his shoulders as he trusted Taehyun’s choices.

With a nervous flutter in his stomach, Yeonjun approached you at the picnic table where you sat, his heart pounding with anticipation.

As he opened his mouth to get your attention, you looked up at him from your phone with a knowing smile. You’d found that lately you’ve become increasingly aware whenever he was around, even searching for him wherever you’d went subconsciously.

“Hi, Yeonjun.” You said, giving him an expectant look as your gaze traveled to the bouquet of flowers he held.

His grip on them was tight as opposed to the delicacy of the flowers and it made you smile as you held back a laugh.

A combination of blue and violet flowers were tied together by a pink ribbon, the colors complimenting each other and harmonizing well.

“Y/N,” he started before clearing his throat again. This was a habit he picked up when around you, you’d noticed.

“These uh… they’re for you!” He said awkwardly, presenting you them with a goofy smile. His lack of tact made you chuckle as you took them from him.

The silence that followed, though, had a sinking feeling form in the pit of his stomach as he watched your eyes begin to water.

Yeonjun’s expression became clouded with confusion and concern, “do you not like the color? I-I honestly know nothing about flowers so, you can just throw them out if you want! It’s really no big deal, I was just thinking of you so— or, I thought you’d like them. Not that I was randomly thinking of you. Or— not that I don’t think of you, but…”

Yeonjun’s voice trailed off with a nervous laugh, hoping his rambling would cheer you up and relieve you of whatever pressure he seemed to suddenly place on you.

Quickly, you shook your head with a small smile as the tears fell. As you opened your mouth to protest, your nose twitched as you suddenly let out a sneeze.

It's then that he realized with dawning horror that you were allergic to the flowers— the last, ‘fool proof’ gift he had hoped would win you over.

Yeonjun’s heart sinks as he watches you struggle to suppress a sneeze, filled with regret at his thoughtless mistake.

“Sorry, Y/N.” He stammered out, gently taking the flowers from you with a helpless feeling as he watched your discomfort.

Even with your wordless protests he wondered if his friends had been right and he really was clueless.

With anyone else, flirting seemed to come so easily but with you, he wanted his efforts to really mean something.

Quickly he realized that getting caught up in the things his friends thought were romantic gestures were just his own stupid way of ruining everything in the end.

Yeonjun’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as he realized the gravity of his error. Another romantic gesture overshadowed by the unintended consequences of his actions.

He wondered if his constant errors had been some warning of your future— a tell tale sign of truth that was meant to signal to him that all he would do is let you down.

Caught up in his own thoughts, Yeonjun was pulled out of them as you smiled through watery eyes, gratitude shining through despite the discomfort.

“That’s sweet, Yeonjun.” A nervous smile made its way onto his face as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.” You added on and he realized that maybe, the gesture hadn’t been a total failure in the end.

“You’re cute when you sneeze.” He added jokingly and you rolled your eyes.

“Don’t ruin the moment, Romeo. I can still accuse you of attempted assassination, you know.”

The flowers discarded on the ground, Yeonjun kneeled against the bench as the two of you talked for a few moments. A hint of a confession on the tip of his tongue before his phone went off suddenly, causing him to frown.

Regrettably he said his goodbye before rushing away to go help whoever had called for him, not without one last wave and charming smile.

When he turned back, the world beneath you kept spinning round and round like the plates in a circus act. Yet even with his new absence, you couldn’t leave Yeonjun behind.

No matter what kind of day you were having, he still scratched at the corner of your mind, like a cat begging to be let in.

The smile that creeped up on your face at the memory of him couldn’t be defeated. It was at that picnic table, hands covering the wide smile on your face that you had accepted defeat.

“Are you okay? You seem nervous lately.” Kai asked as he watched Yeonjun step onto his skateboard.

He pushed off with a confident stride, weaving through the concrete park with his eyes fixated on you from a distance.

Leaning against the concession stand, you chatted with your friend that Yeonjun couldn’t seem to remember the name of. Matty? Matthew?

His board caught on a rock he didn’t notice as he watched you laugh, eyes widening as he stumbled forward off of it. Kai followed his sight and clicked his tongue in acknowledgement.

“I’m trying to figure out how to tell Y/N how I feel.” He said as if it weren’t obvious to everyone around him. Despite that, Kai nodded.

“I mean— she seems open to talking to me now after the showcase incident so that’s good news, right?” Yeonjun’s tone was hopeful and Kai’s lips twitched up in a smile.

“Oh, actually…” Kai held the can in his hands away from him as the metal snapped, carbonation bubbling to the top. “I passed her and some of her friends in the quad the other day and she asked me for your number.”

Yeonjun practically threw himself onto the ground at that as he stumbled over his board once more, “she what?! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kai laughed, shrugging. “Slipped my mind.” His voice was teasing, though and Yeonjun furrowed his eyebrows at that.

Sensing his apprehension, Kai sighed. “She asked me not to tell you.” He said simply.

“Well, you failed.” This time, Kai pouted at him.

“Whatever, you would have found out anyways. Hasn’t she texted you yet?”

“Well if she did, I would have known that you gave her my number, wouldn’t I?”

“Oh,” Kai paused before nodding. “Fair point.”

“I know that you want it to be special but why don’t you just try being yourself? You know, tell her how she makes you feel without overthinking it.” The younger boy offered, sliding his board back and forth with his foot as he took a break.

“It worked for everyone else you dated, somehow.” He added on with a cute tone as he reached forward, pinching him.

Yeonjun swatted his hand away from him and looked back to the concession stand. Leaning against it, you were facing his way this time as if you’d known he was there all along.

When your eyes met you gave him a kind smile, waving at the two of them. Kai waved back as Yeonjun froze and for the moment, he almost thought you were looking for him.

Yeonjun found himself light-headed with the same stupid determination and sudden desire to impress as he stepped onto his skateboard again.

As Yeonjun approached, he decided to show off a trick he and Kai had been practicing. It wasn’t anything too big, just a jump over the small obstacles littered around the park.

With a burst of speed, he launched himself into the air, heart pounding with anticipation. But just as he reached the peak of his jump, his foot slipped off the board, sending him tumbling to the ground in another display of clumsiness.

You gasped in surprise, eyes widening in concern as Kai grimaced, rushing over to help him. Matthew placed the snacks you’d bought on the counter next to you and cringed, “ouch. At least he tried?” He laughed before noticing your lips pressed into a firm frown.

“You should go check on him, Y/N. Make sure he didn’t break any bones or concuss himself?” He said teasingly as he turned, placing a cold can on ice tea on the counter next to your bottle of water.

A look of confusion played on your face and Matthew rolled his eyes, shoving the mess of items into your arms. You stuck out your tongue at him in annoyance before turning back toward Yeonjun.

The embarrassment could have been bearable if he hadn’t seen you walking directly toward him.

Yeonjun rarely felt embarrassed, he never felt like anything mattered enough to worry about in the grand scheme of things. Of course, this changed with you and that embarrassment became a part of his daily routine.

“The universe has got to be against you,” Kai said as he gave Yeonjun an empathetic look and the older boy just laughed it off.

At the end of the day, as embarrassing as that had been, you never seemed to shy away from his embarrassing displays before.

The crinkle of bags dropping next to him alerted Yeonjun of your presence as you kneeled down with a sympathetic smile, cold iced tea in hand.

Yeonjun’s hand that had been soothing his busted ankle fell and he gave you a toothy grin. “Y/N, what a… coincidence!”

You rolled your eyes at this, reaching out and pressing the can of cold iced tea against his red ankle. Yeonjun’s cheeks flushed at this and he looked up again to see you.

“Since your guardian angel is here, looks like it’s my cue to go.” Kai said with a teasing tone, shooting you a knowing smile. “Bye, Y/N~”

A laugh escaped you and you shook your head as Kai pushed himself off on his own board. Yeonjun’s constant effort to impress you lingered in your mind, each attempt seemingly more desperate than the last.

Despite these failed attempts though, Yeonjun became the one constant stuck in your mind. Before he started these grand displays, you found yourself dreading the idea of dating.

You couldn’t be sure what the reasons were for these attempts at first but after the first two, it had became obvious that he was interested in you.

It made you laugh at how determined he was to get your attention, almost like he had blinded himself, never seeming to realize that he had already gotten it.

The last thing you wanted was to get caught up with someone who was looking for a relationship for the wrong reasons. Countless times you found yourself jaded after failed talking stages.

Funnily enough, Yeonjun’s constant attempts to win your affection seemed to have you wrapped around his finger similarly to how he was around yours.

“At least you tried.” You said, echoeing Matthew’s teasing. Yeonjun’s wide grin never left as you moved from on your knees to sit down properly next to him.

His gaze followed you like an enamored kitten and you found yourself suddenly feeling shy under it. “You’re always there at my worst moments.” He said.

“Don’t worry, it’s always just as endearing.” You nudged him gently with your shoulder and he rolled his eyes this time.

“Let me take you on a date, then? I’ll make sure it’s one of your best.” This time, you were the one who grew embarrassed as he leaned in close.

His eyes peered up at you with curiosity as you tried to avoid his gaze. You gently pushed him away with a shy laugh and he grabbed your hand in his, holding it in its’ place against his cheek.

“I’m sure it will be since it’s with you.” And like what seemed like second nature after all this time, his breath caught in his throat. The wind blowing against the both of you left him unfazed compared to those words.

Overtime as he invaded your life, you found how perfectly he seemed to fit like a perfect piece of the puzzle.

Because of Yeonjun, you found yourself learning that love was about hands gripping the edge of the world and letting go, one finger at a time.

Each bated breath, holding it in before the drop came. It was unfamiliar and scary for your first time, but soon you’d get used to the motion; the headlong dive into the deep.

“Y/N,” he whispered your name like a prayer, his voice heavy with all the hope of heaven. Your hand remained still against his cheek only for a moment as his grip on it loosened.

Nervously, you pulled your hand from his against his face, only to take his in your own and gently lock your fingers together. His gaze never left your face as he memorized the patterns of your skin, your own eyes focused down at your hands.

Any anxieties from long before were let go as you thought about him and how recklessly he had thrown himself into it, all for you.

Unabashedly, you wanted to love like he did. So you decided to go with it.

Tracing the lines of his palm, you drew a map to salvation in your mind. After what felt like too long of meaningless encounters and empty promises it seemed that the world led you right to each other.

The last thing that you wanted was to fall for someone disingenuous and find yourself distraught over someone who wasn’t worth it.

Fortunately for you, Yeonjun seemed to hear the knock of your heart and answer it like his calling.

songs for Y/N. ♡

you only get one chance to fall in love with your heart still whole, thank you for making the fall that much sweeter. ;)

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ

PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ jet lag.

Late nights with Beomgyu returning from trips always seemed to leave the two of you in a weird state of sentimentality.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 1k ✧ fluff

When Beomgyu was away, there were countless questions that lingered in your mind.

Did he think of you on airplanes? With his headphones snug around his ears and the clouds below?

Did he think of your lips as he was exploring new territory— traveling against the turn of the planet, did it take him back to your bedroom?

These were questions you’d never burden him with the pressure of answering so soon, though you wished he would.

What you did know was that you thought of him— always, you thought of him.

You thought of him on airplanes, in thoughts that went a million miles an hour. Over towers made of tin and toy towns filled with figures you’d never know.

Nothing felt real above the ground, your head as dizzy as the first time he kissed you.

You wondered if he thought of the past, in the early morning light when he would wake up next to some stranger, wondering why he didn’t feel a thing.

No one as comparable to what the two of you shared now.

In truth, you thought of the past yourself.

In every bar room and bedroom where you were forced into conversation or giving away parts of yourself to partners who didn’t deserve you— you missed him.

Even without knowing him back then, your heart missed him.

Although these thoughts of the past were shameful to most, never once did you find yourself embarrassed of it all. He never gave you any reason to.

The memories of being tangled in bedsheets with lovers you can’t recall the names of only served as a reminder now.

Never have you been loved as wholly as you were now.

A love in its’ very early stages has somehow given you this feeling of permanence.

These questions and thoughts of what his mind would conjure up in your absence only made you more anxious to see him next.

Teasing texts and photo updates from his travels had you checking your phone, giddy eyes gleaming with excitement.

You wonder if he thought of you in cars. When every turn they took was driving the two of you further apart.

The distance always growing.

Did every road sign pleading him to take care, remind him of how much you wanted him, how deeply he was loved?

The signs issuing out warnings of propriety and setting in place the rules to keep him in check, almost scolding him for leaving.

And staring out the window, miles away from you— Beomgyu found himself thinking of you on the roads that would stretch into the horizon.

On roundabouts and signs that kept telling him that they were going in the wrong direction.

That he was going in the wrong direction: away from you.

In the car, headphones playing a song you’d mentioned in passing— he hoped that you thought of him as much as he thought of you.

Everything was still so fresh between the two of you. There was so much uncovered ground that the two of you desperately wanted to explore together, toeing and dancing on the line of it all, hand in hand.

No matter how many days had passed, your minds drifted back to each other.

In the kitchen of your apartment, humming a song that you’d began to associate with him in your current ‘honeymoon phase’ the thoughts resurfaced once more.

You hoped that every step would bring him closer, that every dead end was a messenger, willing him to turn back around, reminding him when it was time to come home.

The sound of a key turning in the doorway would have made you jump had it not been for you noticing the footsteps leading up to it. His footsteps, a sound newly memorized.

The humming never stopped, even as the sound of tired shuffling and wheels rolling on the wooden floor approached.

The suitcase was quickly discarded in the hallway, hands making their way around your waist and his breath against your neck.

Pausing, you placed the dish you were working on in the sink. “You’re back,” you said quietly.

Before he could respond, a yawn escaped his lips.

You chuckled, grabbing his hands and placing them at his sides as you turned. He frowned for a moment before you faced him, taking his headphones off from around his neck.

Gently, you placed a kiss to his lips. He chased you for more as you pulled away, only for you to place a finger against his pout.

“Let’s go to bed.” Too tired to argue, he nodded.

You locked your fingers with his, gently pulling him toward your bedroom. Without bothering to shed his coat, he sat down.

The nagging look you gave him had him letting out a huff before he shook it off, tossing it to the floor.

While he shed his layers, you went back to the hallway to grab his suitcase and wheel it in the safety of the room.

“I barely know you,” he said, voice heavy with sleep.

Beomgyu already had a large amount of clothes he had left at your apartment, you decided that you would unpack his things for him later.

“You know me well enough.” You said quietly, sitting down onto the bed next to him.

His eyes were heavy, barely being able to keep them awake. Despite this, he widened them as much as he could in an attempt to stay awake. To savor the moments with you.

“I don't know your favorite color or how you like your coffee.” He continued.

“I don’t think I’m very picky when it comes to colors— I like pink flowers though, if that’s what you’re asking.” Your answer was teasing as you gently tapped his nose.

The small smile he gave you as his eyes followed your finger made your heart flutter.

“I’m just saying, we should know these things.”

Beomgyu, currently fighting to stay awake for the sake of spending time with you was much different than his usual self.

“We’ll learn,”

You found yourself loving both versions all the same.

“Plus, I know Toto. I think that’s a start.

The mention of his beloved parrot had him rolling his eyes, recalling the memory of the first time he had shown you him.

Terrified as the birds’ claw sunk into your arm, you could barely bring yourself to make eye contact with it.

He always laughed at you for that.

“What about what keeps you up at night or the lullabies that sing you to sleep?”

You tilted your head to the side, fixing your position on the bed as you motioned for him to lie down.

“No one has ever sang me lullabies.”

Soon his head was in your lap as you gently brushed his hair out of his eyes.

“Do you want me to?”

“Depends, do you want to?”

He paused for a moment, thinking over the idea. It seemed a bit embarrassing but for you, he’d do it.

“Well,” he began.

“I don't know a thing about the first guy you loved, why you stopped loving him or if you still do…”

As he looked up at you with his eyes that held the stars even in the darkness, you smiled.

“You don’t ever have to worry about that now.”

There was a comfortable silence and a few moments in as you leaned your head back with a deep breath, you wondered if he had fallen asleep.

Before you could check, he started again.

You continued to stare at the dark ceiling.

“I don't know how many cells you’re made of or if they have any idea that they’re part of something so unimaginably perfect.”

As the blood rushed to your head and you found yourself inevitably dizzy at his confession, you closed your eyes and hummed.

Maybe it was an attempt to calm the swelling of your heart.

“I don’t know any of that about you, either.” You started.

Even in the darkness, his eyes followed your every move as if he was in a trance.

Maybe it was due to the fact that he was that tired or maybe it was because he was realizing that he was in love.

“We may not have a clue about any of these things yet, but this—” you placed your hand on his chest, over his vulnerable heart. “This we know.”

Somehow with that he felt all of the questions he had were stilled, his heart beating in the palm of your hand.

“…You’re right. We have time.”

The comfortable silence returned as your hands found their way into his hair once again, running through it and occasionally massaging shapes to his skin.

And as his eyes collapsed heavy with exhaustion, burying his face against the warmth of your body, it was your hand holding his heart that brought him home.

“Goodnight, Gyu.”

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ