Your Favorite Neighborhood Sapphic

best friend! raven queen, who is unable to pinpoint when her interest in you turned from platonic to romantic, but it’s been long enough for her to be painfully aware of how she was hopelessly head over heels in love with you. her crush on you has been around for almost as long as she’s known you, and she doesn’t think she’s ever felt the same way about anyone other than you in her entire life. it’s always been funny how the big bad evil queen’s daughter had a royal in her closest circle, yet it wasn’t nearly half as funny as how infatuated she was. did she have to fall for someone who was so different from her and so out of her league? 

best friend! raven queen, who has never had the confidence to confess her feelings for you, despite having them for years. she’s a bit of an overthinker with her mind constantly going over all the best and worst case scenarios. sure, you could accept her feelings and agree to go on a date with her, but you could also scoff at her, stamp out her ambitions, and tell her your treasured friendship was over as if it didn’t mean anything to you to begin with. imagine if you even said you didn’t like girls like that, even though she knows for a fact that you do like girls like that! of course, you would never do anything like that, at most, you would just politely decline and bear a couple weeks of awkwardness, but she was terrified of something awful happening if she tried to take a step outside of the boundaries already set.

best friend! raven queen, who regretted her delay once she learned that you were dating apple white. the news spread like wildfire, and for quite some time, it was all everyone would talk about for an entire week. it was all about how you two were a perfect match, how it made so much sense for the two of you to be together, how perfect the two of you seemed in both appearance and personality. “the chemistry couldn’t have been more perfect if it was conjured up in science and sorcery,” they would say, deeming you and apple to be the cutest couple on campus in a matter of hours. 

best friend! raven queen, who would be slumped over like a wilting flower whenever she was reminded of how you were dating someone else now, as if it wasn’t bad enough that you weren’t spending as much time with her anymore as a result of it. her best friends do everything they can to cheer her up, reminding her that there were plenty of other fish in the sea and that she shouldn’t be so worked up over this, but she’s still massively upset that she didn’t shoot her shot during the thousands of opportunities she had over the past few years. 

best friend! raven queen, who can’t help but feel a little bit insecure about herself when she sees the two of you walking around campus together, arm in arm, giving her a friendly wave and a smile before continuing on your way. apple has always been everyone’s dream girl with her bouncy blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and blood red lips. not only was her beauty highly coveted, but so was her kindness, leadership skills, and position as heir to the kingdom as the daughter of snow white. it was no wonder you fell for her, someone as perfect as she is, over her, who is destined for evil, with a rather plain appearance and an awkward personality to boot. besides, she’s a rebel, and you’re both royals. just because ashlynn and hunter broke the barrier between the two sides, it didn’t mean it was any easier to cross a boundary that’s been set for generations. 

best friend! raven queen, whose tiny evil side whispers to her every now and then, although she’s quick to shake them out of her head. even if they tell her to sabotage dates and spread little lies to ruin the blonde’s reputation, she refuses to resort to petty tricks, even if the voices say that she would be a much better partner for you than apple could ever be. how could she ever think of doing such evil things when the two of you were so happy together? she could never be as selfish as people make her out to be and hurt her dearest friends, that simply isn’t the kind of person she is. so, she clenches her fists and lets out a sigh, intent on keeping her peace. if it’s meant to be, then she would eventually be alright with the truth, but if it wasn’t, then she would simply have to wait, and she was willing to wait for quite a while, even if it meant waiting until after graduation. 

best friend! raven queen, whose chance came to her a lot sooner than expected. after a handful of months of what seemed like honeymoon bliss, cracks started to show and caused the foundation to crumble, leading to a messy break-up that had everyone scrambling to learn about the hot gossip. meanwhile, she wound up in your dorm room, lending you a shoulder to cry on while you allowed your heart to spill out with all the little details going unnoticed. you were also crying about what an awful friend you were, essentially abandoning everyone in favor of your new relationship, but she assured you that no one was upset with you in the least bit and that they all understood you merely got carried away, all that mattered now was how you understood your faults and were willing to learn about them.

best friend! raven queen, who became unsure of when the right time to confess her feelings was. after missing the opportunity last time, she was determined not to make the same mistake again and watch you slip from her fingers into the arms of another person, but she could never find the perfect moment. besides, you still haven’t fully gotten over apple yet, nor did you seem interested in pursuing another relationship at the moment. randomly telling you how much she wanted to be girlfriends instead of only friends never seemed like the right move, and she was stuck in this constant cycle of uncertainty where, every time she mustered up the courage to say something, she would start overthinking if it was the right time or place and end up not saying anything at all.

best friend! raven queen, who contemplated drinking a potion or casting a spell on herself to get the confidence to start and the charm to win you over by the end, but in the end, she managed to whisper out her feelings during a quiet hour in the library while you two were studying for an upcoming test. she braced herself for rejection, pursing her lips together with her eyes screwed tight for a feeling resembling a dagger to the chest, but it never came when you shockingly accepted her feelings and shared your own.

best friend! raven queen, who you’ve come to realize that you liked as well, but you still weren’t sure if a relationship was right for you after the disastrous falling out that previously happened. it’s been long enough that it was obvious she wasn’t a rebound, but you didn’t want her to be the target of any nasty rumors that were bound to happen for dating the ex-girlfriend of apple white. still, she promised you that she didn’t mind in the least bit, not when she’s already been picked on for ages now by people who didn’t even know her. things like that didn’t matter to her, especially if it meant having you by her side as her lover instead of a friend, and after hearing her earnestly spill out her feelings, you leaned forward to kiss her, effectively elevating your status from friends to girlfriends.

request:

Was reading ‘totally over it!’ And for wlw requests it made me think. So (as a request) can I please get friends to lovers with raven from ever after high with a royal fem!reader? (Bonus points if they were formerly dating Apple)

Rumi was trying her best. She really, truly was.

You were cute. You were nice. She had been smitten the moment she met you when she went to get coffee, and that crush is what motivated her to drive all the way across the city every day just for a cheap, not even good, cup of coffee. But she was fine if the coffee didn’t taste good, seeing your smile, hearing your laugh, was more than enough.

It had taken her weeks before she could admit to Mira and Zoey that they were right, she had a crush. It had taken months for her to gather the courage to even ask you out.

A silly thought. She was Rumi. World-famous celebrity. Popstar royalty. She shouldn’t have issues with asking someone out.

But here she is. Struggling each day to ask your number before giving up and retreating in shame and embarrassment with a coffee she didn’t even like in hand while Mira and Zoey looked on with pity and amusement.

That was the old her, though! The Rumi who was always ashamed and scared of who she was, scared of the rejection if the truth came out. The new Rumi wasn’t afraid of being rejected [she was terrified] she was confident in herself and that was all that mattered [this pep talk was doing little for her nerves] and so she was going to march right in there and ask you out!

She had Zoey and Mira in the back, serving as both support, and to keep her from backing out at the last minute, as Rumi marched into the small little coffee shop.

You were there, as you always were, warm smile, sweet-voiced, as you went through the small line of customers. With each step forward, Rumi felt her confidence start to waver. By the time it was her turn, she felt uncomfortably warm under the fluorescent lights of the coffee shop.

Your expression had brightened the moment you saw her, which did nothing to help the way her heart was racing when you greeted her, asking if she would like her usual.

Rumi had come into the coffee shop intent to be as suave and cool as her fans believed she was as she swept you off your face. Instead, Rumi, stammering and blushing like mad, was barely able to get the words out as she asked if you were free later.

She didn’t miss the way your smile had tightened.

“…Right. Um, I actually have plans, sorry.” Before she could even ask anything else, you were retreating under the claim of needing to make her drink, and that was that.

She tried again the next day. You said the same thing.

This went back and forth each day after, Rumi trying hard not to let the rejection sting, trying hard to not give up, slinking back to Mira and Zoey after each rejection with her tail between her legs. Tried to ignore the way you no longer lit up when Rumi showed up, how you seemed more avoidant when she approached.

 After a week had gone by, you had to hold back a grimace when Rumi timidly came to the counter, already knowing what she was going to ask.

“Look, Rumi,” you started, cutting her off before she could even begin. “I respect your dedication to the bit, but can you stop?”

She blinked at you, brows furrowed in confusion. “Bit…?”

“Bit. Joke. Prank. Whatever it is that you and your friends are trying to call it. Again; respect for keeping it going for this long, but just accept it’s not going to work.”

So, Rumi might be unversed in the world of romance and dating, she might have no tangible experience when it came to asking people out. This might be wholly new territory for her, but she was by no means naïve.

And she really did not like what you were implying.

“I—do you really think I’m asking you out as a joke?” Rumi couldn’t help the way her voice rose in pitch, she felt like she had been slapped. Did she really come across as someone who’d do something so…so mean?

You just shrugged, as if you were wholly indifferent to the whole thing.

“A pretty girl asking me out?” under other circumstances, she might have preened at hearing you call her a pretty girl. But this was definitely not the time for it. “I’ve learned by now that it’s always a joke.”

And wasn’t that something terrible to hear? Rumi suddenly really wanted to have some ‘words’ with all those people who thought it’d be funny to ask someone as sweet as you out just as a prank.

“I promise you that this isn’t a joke,” Rumi insisted instead, slapping her hands onto the counter dividing the two of you. “I—I really do want to take you out on a date. I’ve wanted to for a while.”

You didn’t look convinced at all, arms crossed over your chest as you gave Rumi a wholly unimpressed look. “Right…and it’s different this time because…because you say it is?”

She understood, it wasn’t the most convincing argument. But it was the truth!

Undeterred, Rumi pressed on. “What do I need to do to convince you?” she asked. “I’ll keep coming back every day asking you out if I have to.”

You faltered a little. “…That’s just going to make you look stupid coming back after being rejected.”

“I don’t care,” and she didn’t.

If people wanted to think she was foolish to keep asking you out, then let them. She hadn’t spent all this time agonizing over her crush just to give up that easily.

“You’ll just be wasting your time.”

“I’m not wasting my time if it’s with you.”

“You shouldn’t put this much effort in for a joke.”

“Good thing it’s not a joke, then.”

“Rumi—”

“I like you, I want to take you on a date,” Rumi said, her tone serious, genuine. “Just one. If you end up not liking it, then I’ll never ask again.”

You watched her for a long moment before your shoulders sagged. “Haaah,” you sighed, bringing a hand to your face. “You really are a stubborn one, aren’t you?”

“Only when it comes to people I like,” was her cheerful response.

Raising your head up, you stared at the ceiling as if searching for answers. None were given.

Another sigh. “Fine. One date,” Rumi perked up instantly as you held up your finger. “One chance. That’s all you get. Got it?”

Rumi nodded eagerly, her smile almost smug as she puffed her chest out, “I only need the one chance.”

Rolling your eyes, you fought back the huff of laughter. “Right, right. I get off in a few hours, that should give you time to figure out what you’re going to do.”

It was a bit short notice, sure, but Rumi nodded, intent on making sure this was the best date you’ve ever been on, intent on proving just how sincere she was in her feelings for you. “You won’t regret it, I promise!”

Mira had been planning this for weeks.

Today was the day she was going to ask out the hottie from the gym, and nothing, not hell or high water, not impromptu concerts or events, not even an invasion from Gwi-Ma himself, was going to stop her.

Mira had met you a few months ago, had thought the two of you had hit it off pretty much instantly. You two had a lot of shared interests, and Mira found that not only was it easy to talk to you, but it was fun. You were fun. You were funny. You were clever and cute, and kind.

Over the months, she’d learned a lot about you, and she had found herself opening up to you, as well. Enough so that she started catching feelings before she knew it.

It had taken a lot of work, a lot of nights overthinking things and lying awake plagued with thoughts of doubt and anxiety, and a lot of talks with Rumi and Zoey, and even Bobby, for her to work out how she’d ask you.

She had never actually asked someone out before, this was new to her, as laughable as it might be. She’d considered trying to be smooth, trying to win you over with flowers and chocolates, sending you love letters.

Zoey certainly had a lot of ideas of how she could ask you out. A lot of them being taken from the shows she watched or comics she’s read. None of which really fit Mira’s own personality, which Rumi had agreed. A lot of the suggestions would have felt inauthentic coming from her.

Ultimately, Mira had decided that the direct approach would be the best.

After all, that’s just the kind of person she was. She was direct, she was blunt, she didn’t like to dance around a subject playing coy and naïve. You knew this about her; you’d surely be suspicious if she tried asking you any other way.

And so the plan was simple.

She’d hit you up at the gym like she always did, the two of you would talk and chat and work out together like you always did. Once you were finished up, she’d head out with you and once out of the gym she’d shoot her shot.

Sure, asking you out when you were both sweaty and tired may not be the most romantic of ways. But it is what it is.

And, Mira wanted to think it had been going well!

You were in a pretty good mood when you came into the gym, you were laughing at all her jokes, you seemed responsive to her. Everything was going smoothly!

So, when the two of you stepped back outside, she felt confident when she asked you.

Mira certainly wasn’t expecting your smile to suddenly become so forced, a tightness in your jaws and a dry look in your eyes.

“Right…who put you up to it?” you asked in return. “Rumi and Zoey don’t seem the type…one of the other celebrities you hang out with? Or was this all your idea?”

“I…what?” Mira asked. “What are you talking about? No one ‘put me up’ to anything. I’m just asking you out.”

You adjusted your grip on your gym bag, tilting your head to the side. “Look, Mira. I’m not an idiot. I’ve gone through this enough times to know that people don’t just ‘ask me out’,” you said, your tone and expression unamused. “So what’s the plan? Ask me to meet you at a restaurant or café and then ghost me? Take me somewhere nice where some friends of yours have a prank planned to make me look like an idiot?”

Ghosting you—pranks—what were you talking about?

Mira felt a rush of anger coil in her chest. “Have people done that to you?!”

“Seems to be the only reason people ever want to ask me out,” you said it so matter-of-factly, as if that was just a simple truth of life and no longer worth feeling bothered by. All it did was fan the anger Mira was feeling. “I mean, I am surprised. Didn’t expect this from you, too.”

“Well, you shouldn’t expect it from me at all!” Mira yelled back, “I—I’m not asking you out as some mean joke.”

You didn’t seem convinced, your body already turning in a subtle sign that you were ready to leave. To leave her.

Mira couldn’t let that happen. Couldn’t let you leave while thinking she was some…some asshole who wanted to play around with you for her own amusement, like the people you’ve come across before.

So when you started to walk, Mira snatched you by the wrist, stopping you.

“Names!” she demanded.

You turned to her, expression knitted in confusion. “…Names?”

“Names. Everyone who’s asked you out to make fun of you,” Mira emphasized, feeling that anger tighten in her chest.

How could she let someone get away with doing something so cruel to you? That wasn’t right. No one should get played with like that.

 Tilting your head, you let out a soft laugh. “What? Are you going to personally hunt down each one and beat them up just because they thought they were being funny?”

“Yes!”

“God, you’re ridiculous,” you pulled your arm free from her grasp and looked away. “That’s an awfully lot of effort to put in just for a joke.”

“That’s because it’s not a joke,” Mira shot back. “I want to take you on a date. You can even ask Rumi and Zoey and they’ll tell you the same thing, that I’ve been agonizing for weeks over how I can ask you out.”

She had to stop herself from grabbing your hand again, letting her fingers curl into fists at her side instead. “Let me take you on one date. You can pick where we go. I’ll prove to you that I really do want to date you.”

You watched her, really looked at her. Time felt frozen as Mira waited for your response.

Then you sighed, ran a hand over your neck. “You’re not going to give up if I say no, are you?”

“You know I won’t.”

Shaking your head, your body sagged in defeat. “Okay. We can go on a date,” you conceded, and it took everything Mira had not to let out a victory whoop. “I pick the time; I pick the location. If I feel like you’re up to anything, I’ll leave.”

“Of course!”

You watched her, and then sighed again. “I’ll text you the details later, okay?”

Zoey had two secrets.

Well, technically she had many, many more secrets than two. But the only ones that really mattered right now were two of them.

The first was that when it was late at night, Zoey liked to sneak out of the penthouse to spend time at a nearby skatepark. Sure, skateboarding at night wasn’t the safest, but the park had street lamps! And when it was night, there were so few people around that, even disguised, Zoey didn’t need to worry about getting caught by fans or paparazzi.

Sure, Bobby and Rumi would have a fit if they knew, but it was her escape. Someplace fun she could go where no one expected anything.

The second was that she totally had a skatepark spouse. It was like having a gaming spouse, only instead of being online in some MMORPG, you and her only ever saw each other at the skate park.

That didn’t mean Zoey was any less smitten with you.

Your ‘romance’ as she liked to call it had been going on for three months now.

You had been one of the other night skaters at the park, and the two of you had hit it off right away. Bonding over skating tricks, over famous skaters. Bonded over music. Challenging each other with harder and harder tricks until you were both going home covered in scrapes and bruises and wide grins.

She liked spending time with you. Loved talking with you. It felt like some nights you two didn’t skate at all, you’d just sit at one of the ramps, and talk. Zoey could talk the night away about the most meaningless topic, and you would listen.

Not just the zoned-out kind of listening, either. You’d watch her, you’d respond to her. You’d ask questions to prompt her to keep talking.  You showed interest in what she had to say, and that meant more to Zoey than she could say.

Not only did you listen to her, but you were so cool, too. You were good at skating. You were incredibly funny, and you were unfairly attractive.

How could she not fall for you when you were just so…so perfect?

Which is why, even though it was difficult, it was so important to her that she ask you out.

She wanted to be able to hang out with you during the day time. She didn’t want you and her to call each other your ‘spouses’ as a joke to the others at the skatepark. She wanted to be able to call you her partner and mean it!

And so, with all the confidence she’d been gathering through the day, the moment she reached the skatepark, Zoey wasted no time.

“Lets go out!”

You had nearly choked on your water when she made her sudden proclamation, coughing and gagging as you thumped on your chest a few times.

“I mean…we’re already out?” you offered weakly as you let out a few smaller coughs, trying to clear your lungs of your drink.

“Not like that. I want to go out on a date. With you.”

You watched her for a long moment. The only sound in the air was that of wheels on concrete and laughter of the small handful of skaters around them. Then, after an eternity, you turned away from her.

“Right. Ha, ha. Very funny.”

Oh. Well, that might as well have been a slap to her face for how it left Zoey reeling.

Oh. Well, that might as well have been a slap to her face for how it left Zoey reeling.

“F-funny?” Zoey repeated, stumbling after you when you began to walk away. “What do you mean funny? I’m asking you on a date, that’s—” That’s not supposed to be ‘funny’.

You rolled your eyes, clearly unamused. “I get that we like to joke to the others, but come on,” you gestured to Zoey. “A pretty girl wants to take me on a date? Sorry, but that joke loses its luster after a few times.”

Joke? A few times?

Things clicked into place, and Zoey really hated the image it made. You’d never talked about your dating history before, always had a sour expression when someone tried to ask. Now she understood why.

But did she really seem like the kind of person who’d do that to you?

Hit with a rush of determination, Zoey grabbed you. “Let’s make a bet, then.” She came here intent on getting a date with you, and by God, she was not leaving until she did!

You cocked your head to the side. “What kind of bet?”

Zoey pointed to the halfpipes. “If I can do a varial McTwist, then you have to go on a date with me.”

“You’re going to end up going on a date with an ambulance if you try.”

She stuck her tongue out at you. “You’re just saying that because you’re scared I’m going to win and then you’ll have to go on a date with me.”

You stared down at her, clearly weighing your options. She could see the stubbornness on your expression clashing with your own concern for her.

After a while, you threw your hands to the air. “Fine! We’ll play your stupid bet,” you muttered, making your way to the pipes. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you when the paramedics come.”

Pumping her fist in the air, Zoey went scampering after you. She had this in the bag! That date was as good as hers!

You remained unimpressed as you leaned against the back rail of the pipe, arms crossed over your chest, your own skateboard tucked under one arm, watching Zoey as she adjusted her helmet.

“Your last chance to back you,” you warned her.

Zoey watched you. You’d sounded genuinely concerned for her when you said that, and it warmed her heart to know that she hadn’t ruined what affection you did have for her.

Smiling, she flashed you the peace sign, and down she went.

Sure, skateboarding could be tricky. It required a lot of precision, a lot of fine motor skills to control where the board went and how your body moved. All things that Zoey had in abundance.

Add in the years of practice she had, and, while she’d never done this trick before, she was confident in her ability.

Zoey made sure to glance your way every time she went up the ramp as she slowly gained speed, making sure to throw in a few simpler tricks here and there as she went, feeling like a proud peacock showing off before the main event.

And then it was time. Her body tensed just right as she went up the ramp, hitting air. Instantly, she snatched her board, tucked her head in as her body began to flip, rotating in the air—

She biffed it.

Sprawled out on the bottom of the ramp, her skateboard rolled back and forth uselessly beside her.

Her back hurt from taking the brunt of the impact. It wasn’t the worst pain she’d felt, she’d taken harder beatings from demons, from her girls, from even Celine during training. But that didn’t mean the fall hadn’t hurt.

“Damn it, Zoey! Are you okay?”

Oh. You were there sliding down from the other end of the pipes and running towards her. She remained down, limbs sprawled out like a starfish, too sore to even try to get up.

Safe to say, she’s lost the bet.

“…Sooo,” Zoey whistled once you dropped to your knees beside her. “Can I at least get a consolation date?”

You stared at her as if Zoey had sprouted a second head. “Are you serious?” you asked, voice trembling. “You just hit the ground harder than I’ve ever seen, and you’re more worried about if you can go on a date with me?”

“Yep~!”

Leaning back, you stared up at the sky. “My God, you’re insane. You are actually crazy.”

It wasn’t as if she was seriously hurt. Any injuries she got, the Honmoon would just patch up for her. She’d be fine. “Crazy in love with you,” she teased in return.

“I…” you shook your head, laughter starting to bubble up from your chest. “I mean, that’s one way to prove you’re serious. Don’t think anyone would go so far as to risk head trauma just to prank someone.”

Oh. Oh that sounded like good news. Pushing herself up to her elbows, Zoey stared at you with wide eyes, and an only slightly loopy smile. “Does that mean you’ll go on a date with me?”

You immediately had a hand to her back, helping to support her weight. “Do you promise to let me take you to the hospital if I do?” you asked, and Zoey would let you take her anywhere if it meant dating you. “Then yeah, we can go on a date.”

“Hell yeah!” Zoey yelled, throwing her fists to the air, nearly hitting you in the jaw with her sudden lack of coordination, ignoring you worriedly telling her to stop squirming.

She needed to tell the girls that she did it! And that she was going to the hospital and would miss practice tomorrow. But more importantly they needed to know she scored a date with you! They were going to be so proud!

You weren’t usually the mischievous, trouble making type, and playing major pranks like this on your girlfriend wasn’t your norm. So of course, when Rumi and Zoey first approached you with their amusing proposal, you had turned them down.

But…well… they were persistent.

And five million is five million.

It’s more money than most people can even dream of seeing, let alone getting. So, really, can you be blamed?

Besides, Rumi and Zoey weren’t wrong, Mira has been being a bit much in teasing the two about their love lives lately, so it was only fair that she got taken down a peg or two.

Plus, and you reiterated, you’re being paid five million. You’d have to be crazy to say no.

And it’s not like this prank was going to be forever. Just a few days, maybe a week, tops, of pretending you didn’t know you were dating Mira. Simple and harmless, with a good chance that Mira was going to catch on and call you out immediately.

So, with an obscene amount of money freshly deposited into your bank account, it was time to play.

.

.

.

“Hey, Mira,” you said suddenly, idly scrolling through your phone. The two were relaxing on the couch, Mira absently watching some show while you leaned against the arm of the couch, your legs thrown over her lap.

She hummed, taking a sip of her water, “Yeah?”

“What do you think about getting a pair of promise rings?” You didn’t look up from your phone even as Mira nearly choked on her drink, and without missing a beat, you continued. “It’s like those best friend necklaces, but as rings. Look at this pair I found, aren’t they cute?”

Holding out your phone, Mira squinted at the screen—sure enough, there was a pair of simple, but elegant rings displayed, and etched on them was a simple Best Friends Forever.

They were cute, but the absurdity of it had Mira laughing. “They’re cute, but why would we get BFF rings?”

“Well, a few of my friends got them recently, and I thought it was a nice idea. Really solidifies a friendship. And we’ve been friends for ages,” you said simply, falling into a simple explanation about how nice it was to have a ‘physical embodiment’ of your friendship, and how it could connect you to your friends even when you weren’t around them, and—

Mira blinked, laughter quickly dying out. “…but why friendship rings?” she asked, grappling for…something. “Why not couples rings?”

You stared back in confusion, mouth pulled into a puzzled frown. “Why would we get couples rings? We’d need to be dating for those.”

Silence hung in the air for a long, dreadful moment as Mira stared at you, searching your face for a lie, waiting for you to grin and say “Gotcha!” but there was nothing. Just pure confusion, as if Mira had been the one talking nonsense. As if—

Fuck.

No.

This could not be happening.

“Because we are a couple?” Mira’s voice rose in pitch as she said that, gesturing furiously at you and herself. The two of you had been dating for five years, now. How could you not know this? How could you just forget this?

You tilted your head in an expression of confusion that was unfairly adorable—something Mira couldn’t even enjoy because of the reason you were so confused. “No, we’re not?” you repeated, watching her for a moment.

Then your expression shifted into a smile, followed by a laugh—and Mira found herself hoping, again, that you’d deliver the punchline to this joke. “You’re so silly, Mira. I don’t know where you come up with these jokes.”

You were the one making jokes, Mira wanted to accuse.

Instead, she pinched her forehead. This had to be a bit, it had to. There was no way you were genuinely telling her that you two were ‘just friends’ after everything you had done together.  “Very funny,” Mira said after a long, slow exhale. “But do you really expect me to buy this? We’ve had sex; you’re literally covered in hickies. Friends don’t do that.”

“Rumi and that actress friend of hers do,” you countered easily—which. Okay. Fair. But only because those two were absolute dumbasses when it came to classifying what they were, and so Mira would argue they shouldn’t count. But you were smiling softly at her again, offering another amused laugh. “It’s like you forget ‘friends with benefits’ is a thing. Nothing wrong with a couple of pals helping each other with physical needs from time to time.”

From time to time, sure. But you and Mira were together far more than that.

Dragging her hand down her face, Mira gritted her teeth. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep herself calm. “Okay. Then what’s your explanation for interrupting anyone who tries to flirt with me? Like that pretty girl from the other night who tried inviting me to a party. Aren’t ‘best friends’ supposed to help each other score, not chase away potential dates?”

“We already had plans to get dinner at my favorite barbeque place, and I didn’t want to the coupons to go to waste,” your answer was both immediate and shameless as you shrug. “Plus, let’s be honest, Mira. A bar hookup is a recipe for a scandal. If you’re genuinely looking to date, I’d be more than happy to help set you up on some blind dates, but I’m not going to let you put yours and Huntrix’s reputation on the line just because some pretty girl offered you a drink.”

Mira could scream.

She really, genuinely wanted to scream.

What was going on here? Everything you were saying—there was no hint in your expression or tone that suggested you were kidding, you sounded completely genuine, as if Mira was the one with the weird ideas here. As if the idea that you and her dating is nonsense.

You really believed what you were saying. That you and her weren’t dating.

How? How?

Had Mira been misreading the signals? Hadn’t they’ve talked about their relationship before? Or did she just assume they’d had that conversation, that they were on the same page?

Before she could press for more answers, you looked at your phone and pulled yourself off of the couch. “It’s getting pretty late so I’m going to head back home,” you announced, stretching with a quiet groan, before smiling warmly at Mira. “You should get some rest, too. I think all this work you’ve been doing’s got you thinking some weird stuff.”

Weird stuff. Ouch. Okay, that actually stung a little.

But Mira forced a smile, “Okay,” she said through gritted teeth. “Text me when you get home.”

Still smiling, you approached her slowly, and Mira felt her heart beating faster, preparing herself for you to give her the usual goodbye kiss. Only for the crushing weight of disappointment to hit her when instead you pulled her in a simple hug.

And then you were gone, leaving Mira to stew in her utter confusion over the situation.

.

.

.

Mira had hoped that by morning everything would be back to normal again. That this whole you don’t know you’re dating her would turn out to just be some weird dream she got and nothing more.

What a fool she was.

By the next day, you seemed to double down on it. Continued the day after, and the day after, and the day after.

Laughed and shrugged off any attempt Mira made to be romantic, teasing her as being overly affectionate, playing it off as purely platonic—and as if to prove the point, you’d be just as cuddly with Rumi and Zoey as Mira was trying to be with you.

She wasn’t jealous about that, of course. Not one bit. She wasn’t gnashing her teeth when you draped yourself over them.

But that was beside the point.

The problem, as it were, was very obvious now. You, somehow, someway, did not know that you and Mira were dating. Somehow that detail of your relationship just managed to escape your comprehension and drifted into the void. So, that meant the solution was just as obvious; Mira needed to drive the point home that she was your girlfriend. Easy. Right?

She already had plans. The entire day dedicated to a date with you. Reservations to your favorite restaurant. Routes planned so you and her could walk around your favorite places, she’d already bought your favorite flowers to give to you, too.

By the end, you’d be swooning, and there’d be no doubt in your mind that you and Mira were a couple.

And the date, she wanted to believe, had gone well! You were clearly surprised by the sudden outing, and just as clearly having fun the entire time. Smiling, laughing, holding Mira’s hand like always.

It felt like their dates always did. It was fun, it was relaxing, it reminded Mira just how much she loved. You were even holding her hand as the two of you walked!

“This was fun,” you had said with a sigh when you and her rested at a bench. You were leaned against her, head resting on her shoulder in such a familiar show of intimacy that Mira’s heart swelled.

Smiling, she tilted her head to nuzzle against yours, “I’m glad.”

“We should hang out like this more often,” and just like that, you had shattered the moment without even trying. “Maybe we can invite Rumi and Zoey to come along, too.”

“Rumi and Zoey?” Mira stammered out.

You hummed, nodding your head as you pushed yourself off her. “I think they’d enjoy it. And I love these one-on-ones but it’s always nice to have more friends around, don’t you think?”

For an outing between friends, sure. But this wasn’t that. This was a date. You don’t invite third and fourth wheels to a date!

Forcing a smile, forcing a laugh, Mira pulled you back to her. “Ha, ha. Very funny,” she said dryly, because this had to be a joke. You weren’t seriously calling this a ‘friendly outing’. She refused to believe it. “I doubt they’d want to stick around watching two people be all lovey-dovey for the entire time.”

“You say it like we’ll have some couple making out next to us the entire time,” you laughed.

How was it that you were still missing the point? That you and Mira were that couple??? You were the couple that’d spend the entire date staring at each other like you were each others whole world the entire time.

But you were just sitting there with that smile of yours that said you knew nothing about the thoughts racing through Mira’s head. That you still hadn’t caught on that you were dating Mira.

Fuck.

It was all or nothing, Mira didn’t know what else to do.

So she reacted.

You had barely finished your sentence before Mira had grabbed you by the face, her grip rougher than she would have liked, dragging you closer. Her mouth crashed against yours in a hard, desperate kiss.

There was a surge of fear when she felt you tense against her, mind racing with doubt even as she held you tighter, kissed you harder. Was she doing this right? Was she going too far?

Then your hands were on her, grabbing Mira by the jacket, pulling her closer. Kissing her back.

It was everything, and her worries began to melt.

“Mira~” you smiled when you pulled away, still holding her by the jacket, your playful tone easily tugging at her heartstrings. “If you wanted to practice kissing, you could have just asked.”

Her chest tightened. You were serious. You were genuinely serious. You really believed that you and her were just friends. Wow. That was... Mira was going to need time to process that. “…Right.”

.

.

.

It was midnight and  Mira hadn’t slept a wink. Couldn’t. She was too stressed. Sitting on her bed, Mira had her head in her hands.

Her memories of you racing in her head, trying to pinpoint the moment everything went wrong. Practice kisses. Friendly hangouts. Platonic. That’s what you insisted you and her were. Platonic. Friends. Nothing more.

Nothing. More.

Was this amnesia? You did hit your head a few days before all this began, slipped right on a patch of wet floor when you’d visited Mira at the studio. But the doctor had assured her that you didn’t suffer anything more than a mild bump to the head.

Maybe the doctor was wrong, maybe when you hit your head it did something to your brain to make you forget. It wasn’t unusual for symptoms to head injuries to appear a few days after, right? Should she take you back to the hospital just to have another scan, make sure you’re okay, make sure this wasn’t going to get worse? Or maybe—

Mira swallowed hard as her thoughts continued. Maybe… maybe she was the one who had misread the situation. Maybe the problem wasn’t you, but her. That you two really were never anything more than friends, and Mira had just assumed that… that you liked her as much as she liked you.

Had she only deluded herself these last few years? Did…did you even like her like that?

So stressed, so lost in her own thoughts, Mira hadn’t noticed the bedroom door opening, or the quiet sound of footsteps approaching. Hadn’t been aware of any of it until she felt the bed dip beside her and arms wrap around her.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” you greeted with a mischievous grin, propping your chin on her shoulder.

Mira tried not to melt into your hold. You two weren’t dating, as it were, so she had to hold herself back. “Morning,” she mumbled in reply as she looked you over.

You looked…smug about something. She didn’t know what, but she knew that smile you had, the glint of trouble in your eyes. Had something happened? Was it something Mira could even ask?

Still hugging her, still pressing yourself as close to her as you could, you let out a hum, “Got any plans for today?”

Mira shook her head. This was her last day off before it was back to work with rehearsals, interviews, and other various events. She was almost looking forward to the business of it all, at least that’d keep her mind focused on something different—

“Great! Let’s go on a date, then!”

…What?

That simple declaration had Mira reeling back, pulling herself out of your arms to stare at you in bewilderment.

“You…want to go on a date?” Mira asked slowly, watching you nod your head in confirmation. She tapped a finger to her own chest. “…with me?”

You laughed, “Who else would I want to go on a date with if not my own girlfriend?”

And oh, her heart flipped at the title. But that did nothing to alleviate the confusion, it only worsened it. Because girlfriend? You were calling her your girlfriend today.

“Hold on—” Mira started, trying desperately to make sense of what was going on. “You’ve been insisting that we were ‘just friends’. Suddenly we’re girlfriends again? What’s going on?”

It was your turn to look confused as you tilted your head to the side. “What are you talking about?” you asked innocently. “You are my girlfriend, why would I be insisting you weren’t?”

“That’s what I would love to know! You were acting like we have only ever been friends, what’s going on?”

You watched her for a moment longer before laughing, reaching out to pull Mira into a hug. “Sheesh, I thought Zoey was the one with the imagination,” you were running your fingers through her hair and Mira could do nothing but melt under your gentle touch.

“Saying you’re not my girlfriend? That’s crazy!” you continued, smile in your voice as you continued to hold her. “We’ve been together for five years, Mira. Sure, you’re my best friend, but more than that; you’re the love of my life. There’s no way I could pretend otherwise.”

Had it really only been her imagination? These last few days some crazy dream? That felt too…convenient.

But it was really hard to think of an argument when you were holding her so tenderly, pressing kisses to her cheeks and forehead. Very hard to think of anything but your touch and your kisses.

“Come on,” you insisted, tugging lightly at her arm as you smiled. “Get dressed, I’m going to treat you to all your favorites today. Gonna spoil you absolutely rotten.”

Mira felt the weight in her chest start to ease up. “Oh? You sure about that? My tastes are expensive, remember?”

“Money’s not gonna be a problem, trust me,” and there that mischievous smile was again, telling her that you knew something that she didn’t. But right now, Mira didn’t really care about what sort of trouble you might have been up to.

Maybe you’d been right and these last few days were just a weird fever dream. She could drive herself crazy trying to figure out what was going on later.

Right now, Mira was just looking forward to going on that promised date with her girlfriend.

Rumi and Zoey loved Mira very much. She was their best friend. She was their ride or die. What they didn’t love? 

Her constant yearning for you. 

 Don’t get them wrong, they love you. They are so happy that Mira has you in her life. You have made Mira so much happier since the two of you started dating. They also miss you. Missed hanging out with you. The yearning, however, has gotten out of hand.

Ever since you went to London to finish your fashion degree, Mira has been acting like a woman who just sent her husband to war. She would stare at your pictures on her phone. Anytime she was out with Rumi and Zoey, Mira would make comments saying how you would have liked a cute stuffed animal she saw in a shop or how you would think the flowers looked beautiful that day. 

She even wrote a song that made it sound like you passed away in a tragic accident. That was when Rumi and Zoey knew they needed to do something. They had to bring you back to Korea to visit Mira so she would stop acting like a heart broken widow.

You were making yourself dinner when Zoey randomly facetime you. It wasn’t that unusual for Zoey or Rumi to randomly call you. You’ve grown close to both girls since you started dating Mira, to the point where you would consider Zoey and Rumi your sisters. What was unusual was them begging for you to come visit Mira. 

“You guys want me to fly back to Korea so I can surprise Mira,” you ask as you look over to your phone which was leaning against a measuring cup that you were using as a makeshift phone stand. Zoey and Rumi were huddled close to each other like a pair of students trying to hide the fact they were passing notes. You could tell the two of them were in Zoey's room, evident by the mountain of stuffed animals that threaten to fall on them.

“Please, we are begging you. I’ll get on my knees if I have but please come see Mira,” Zoey said, the desperation clear in her voice.

“Zoey, stop. You don’t need to do that,” you quickly say, knowing the rapper will actually gets on her knees to plea to you. “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to surprise Mira, but why the sudden request? It feels like this is coming out of no where."

“Mira has been a moping mess since you left,” Rumi said, letting out a deep sigh. “It would be funny if she didn’t look so heartbroken all the time.”

“She reminds me of a sad wet cat,” Zoey added on, thinking back to how Mira spent her break during practice watching your old Tiktoks, loudly sighing every once in a while. 

You couldn’t help but laugh at the way the two girls were describing your girlfriend. You were well aware of Mira's tendency to be over dramatic. She may try to put on the tough girl act when in public, but in reality, she’s the biggest softie. She was always fussing over you and doting on you. Truth be told you were just as bad as she was.

Most people would be shocked to learn that Mira acted like a lovesick fool when it came to you. She melts from the simplest touch from you. A single smile from you makes her swoon. The sound of your laugh easily puts her into a good mood. Plain and simple, Mira was a lover girl and she was proud of it. 

You didn’t even need to be around for her to act like an idiot. From what Rumi and Zoey were telling you, Mira was taking the separation hard. Granted, it was hard on you too. You missed cuddling up to Mira to watch a cheesy movie and you missed going on dates with her. Well you missed in person dates. You still had dinner dates with Mira via video calls (well, it was dinner dates for you, breakfast dates for Mira due to time difference).

There was no denying it. You missed Mira just as much as she missed you. “Alright. How are we going to do this," you ask, making the two other girls cheer.

For the next hour, the three of you planned how you were going to surprise Mira. Thankfully you were close to winter break meaning you’re going to have a little over two weeks to spend with Mira. Since most of your time was being eaten up by studying and tests, Rumi and Zoey were kind enough to do most of the planning, to which you were grateful for.

Plus they needed to warn Celine and Bobby about the surprise visit so they could plan some time off. Once you're back in Korea, Mira will refuse to leave your side for the whole time you’re here. So, unless they want to deal with a bratty Mira, that means no interviews or fan events or anything that would pull her away from you for her for the next two weeks.

With the surprise visit set in motion, all there was left to do was wait and make sure Mira doesn’t find out about it.

As it turns out, hiding a surprise from someone as observant as Mira proved to be difficult. 

Mira was really good at reading people. Especially the people she loved. Especially you.

Out of the three of you, you had the easiest job. All you really had to do was pack and get to the airport. Rumi and Zoey had to find a way to get you on a plane, get someone to pick you up and sneak you into the penthouse all without Mira noticing.

 So it should be easy to hide the surprise from your girlfriend, right?

 Wrong.  

One of the first times you were almost caught was during a facetime call with the dancer. You have been studying for the past two hours and decided to take a break. You called to see if Mira was up to talk for a bit. She answered on the first ring.

You were telling Mira about how one of your classmates nearly set the dress he was working on fire when she noticed that your suitcase was sitting in the background of your dorm.

You pulled out the suitcase from under your bed so you could clean it out before you started to pack. When Mira called you set it aside thinking nothing of it. Of course, she would notice that it was out of its usual spot.

“Why is your suitcase out,” she asked, looking at you suspiciously. She then gasps “Are you coming to see me?”

You let out a laugh, mind racing to find a believable excuse. “No, Kaz is borrowing it for a bit. The handle on their suitcase broke so I’m lending mine for their trip,” you finally get out, throwing your roommate under the bus.

Your girlfriend stared at you for a bit longer like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. Right as you thought she was going to see through your lie and call you out, she let out a whine of disappointment. “You can’t do that to me babe, getting my hopes up like that.” 

“Don’t blame me. You’re the one who jumped to that conclusion, my love.” 

“I know. I just miss you so much. My bed is so cold without you in it, gongjunim,” Mira whined like a kid that was told they couldn’t have any more cookies. “When are you going to be able to come home again?” 

You so badly wanted to tell her that in a week, you’ll be back for two weeks. You wanted to see how happy the news would make her. You had to bite your tongue so it didn’t slip out. “I don’t know. I promise once I’m done with my classes for the semester, we’ll talk about me coming back home for a bit, okay?”

 Mira seemed to be satisfied with your promise, for now. “Fine. You know, being separated from you for this long should be considered cruel and unusual punishment.” 

The next time Mira almost found out about the surprise, it wasn’t your fault. It was Zoey’s. 

Zoey has hard time keeping secrets at the best of times. She never lets out any secrets on purpose. They tend to slip on when she starts to ramble.

During an podcast interview the girls were doing , the host asked if there was anything the girls were looking forward too. Zoey, excited to both surprise Mira and see you, nearly let the plan slip out.

"Yes! There is something I'm really looking forward too! Rumi and I are plann-Ow!" Zoey was cut off by Rumi who stomped on her foot. Rumi then took over and talked about they were excited for the up coming girls night they had plan.

Mira gave her friends a suspicious look, trying to figure out why they were acting weirder than normal. Thankfully the host moved the interview along, giving the dance no time to think any more about it.

By the time the interview was done, Mira has mostly forget about Zoey's and Rumi's little outburst. She was busying thinking about getting home so she could call you.

Finally the day of your flight back to Korea was here. You spent the morning triple checking everything. You made sure to pack all the essentials, texted Rumi and Zoey that you were leaving for the airport and about what time you should be landing. With one finally check that you had your ticket and passport, you order an Uber.

You were loading your suitcase in your uber when Mira called you.

“I think I’m dying from lack of love from you. Everything reminds me of you,” was the first thing Mira said when you answered the call. No hi or how are you. Just that. “It’s been too long since I've gotten kisses from you. I think I’m going through withdrawals.”

You rolled your eyes, and got into the uber. “ You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m not being dramatic. I’ve been separated from the love of my life for almost half a year. It’s a fate worse than death,” Mira argued. “The clothes you left don’t even smell like you any more. It’s been that long."

“Oh the tragedy. Would you like me to mail you some of my clothes?”

“I would prefer to do it in person, but since you can’t do that, I guess mailing them would be enough,” Mira said, sounding a hundred percent serious. “Send me that bomber jacket. You know the one I'm talking about. Please and thank you.”

 “I don’t know babe. That’s my favorite jacket,” you replied just as seriously (you made sure to pack that exact jacket, knowing Mira would want to steal it). “ I think you’re going to need to give me your favorite hoodie in return.” 

“You drive a hard bargain,” Mira said thoughtfully. “But fortunately for you I can’t say no to you. I accept your offer.” 

You both laugh. The two of you started to talk about everything and nothing. You feel your excitement grow as you begin to think about how soon, you will be back home. Home to her. 

“Hey, I need to go. I just made it to campus for my history test,” you said, cutting off the story Mira was telling you about how Zoey made a fool of herself in front of a pretty girl at a coffee shop. “It's going to take me a while. I’ll call when I have some time after, ok?” 

“I’ll hold you to that. Good luck jagiya,. Remember you studied hard for this test. You’ll pass it with no trouble. I love you,” Mira reassured you. A part of you felt bad for lying to her, but it was worth it. 

“Love you too, Mira.” 

With that, you hang up the phone, and gather your bags from the Uber. You braced yourself to be bored for the next 14 hours as you walked into the airport.

The second you got off the plane, you turned off airplane mode on your phone and watched the texts flood in. One was from Zoey, telling you that Mira is at the pent house, sulking in her room since you haven’t called her yet. Another was from Rumi wishing you a safe flight. There was a text from Bobby saying he'll be there soon to pick you up. Then Mira's texts came in.

Her first one was her wishing you good luck on your test again. Then another one reminding you to eat after since you tend to not eat before a test due to stress. The next few text from her came in a little over two hours ago:

♥️Mimi♥️: I’m guessing ur asleep since ur not answering 

♥️Mimi♥️: sweet dreams aein ♥️

♥️Mimi♥️: text me when you get up

You couldn’t help but smile at how sweet Mira was. You quickly look up to make sure your suitcase wasn’t coming out before shooting a text back saying that you’ll call her in an hour. She texted back immediately:

♥️Mimi♥️: I’m setting a timer rn

You giggle and put away your phone. Finally you saw your suitcase coming around the baggage carousel and grabbed it. You take a deep breath before throwing yourself into the crowed of people.

You fight your way through the crowd of people as you look for Bobby. There were so many people it was overwhelming. You were about to lose hope of finding the man when you spotted a sign waving in the air.

The sign had cartoon turtles drawn on it along with little drawings of Mira, Rumi and Zoey. Written in blue, messy handwriting was ‘Welcome home! We missed you.’ Seeing the sign made you smile so big it hurt.

“Bobby,” you called out once you were close enough for him to hear you. He gave you a warm smile when he saw you break away from the sea of people. “Thank you for picking me up.” 

“Of course! I’m happy to do it,” Bobby said, setting the sign aside to give you a quick hug before he took your bags, despite your protest. The only thing he let you carry was the sign.

As Bobby led you to the car, he told you how he made sure for the next two weeks, Mira has no work obligations, so you could spend the most time together as possible.

"Bobby, have I told you how much I love and appreciate you? You're the best."

"Oh it's nothing. I'm just taking care of my girls. And that includes you now, you know," Bobby said, using his experience as the manger of the biggest idols to cut a path through the sea of people.

When you finally get to the car, Bobby, being the sweetheart he is, just tells you to get in the passenger seat and let him take care of the bags. Knowing there was no use fighting him, you did as you were told.

With your bags loaded into the car, Bobby and you started the drive to the penthouse. You didn’t talk to Bobby much during the drive. Not because you didn’t want to, you loved talking with him, but because you were exhausted from the long flight and the many test you took just days prior.

You must have fallen asleep at some point because Bobby was gently waking you up, telling you that you finally made it to the penthouse. You got out of the car, and stretched your back. This time you beat Bobby to the trunk and grabbed out your bags.

Zoey and Rumi were waiting for Bobby and you on the first floor. Zoey was bouncing on her feet while Rumi leaned against the wall. The two of them were talking about something but stopped talking when they heard the door open.

The second that Zoey saw you, she launched herself at you and pulled you into a bone crushing hug. “Oh my God! I have missed you so much! You look great! How have you been? How has London been treating you? How have your classes been? You haven’t gotten any new besties to replace us, have you,” Zoey’s questions spilled out of her a mile a minute. 

“Breath, Zoey, breath,” you laugh as you hug her back. "I’ve been fine and London has been great. The classes kicked my ass but I think I passed them. No, no one could replace you guys as my besties.”

Zoey lets go of you, your ribs crying out in relief. You then turn to Rumi with a grin on your face. “Hey princess of pop. How have you been?”

Rumi punched your arm before hugging you. “I’ve been good. Better now that you’re here to stop Mira’s whining about missing you.” 

Zoey was so excited that she nearly broke the elevator button with how hard she pushed it. “Ok so Mira is being a grumpy, mopey mess in her room. She thinks we're waiting for dinner , which to be fair we are, don’t worry we order enough for you too. I think we should call her out for dinner and then boom, surprise!” 

You all look at Zoey, watching at how she bounces on the balls of her feet, before you laugh. It warmed your heart to see how eager Zoey was to surprise her best friend. “Oh I missed this so much. I missed you guys.” 

As the four of you rode the elevator up, you caught up with them, telling them about the different projects you worked on during the semester, promising to show them your designs at some point. In return, Rumi and Zoey told you about what was going on with them. Not about the events that are played on TV for millions to see, but the moments between that are only for this little family you found your way into because of Mira.

Soon enough, the elevator stopped at the top floor. Rumi was the first to get off to make sure the coast was clear. Once she gave the thumbs up, you carefully stepped off the elevator. Zoey and Bobby followed behind after leaving your bags outside the elevator.

Rumi, Zoey, Bobby and you quietly walked over to Mira’s room. Each time one of you made a noise, you all winced, and paused, waiting for Mira to open her bedroom door. Thankfully that never happened and you made it to her bedroom without incident. 

You paused in front of Mira’s bedroom door, suddenly nervous at seeing your girlfriend again after almost five months apart. You looked at Rumi and Zoey, who just gestured for you to knock. Bobby stood back a bit with his phone out to record the reunion. With your heart beating wildly in your chest, you took a deep breath, raised your hand, and gave the door three sharp knocks. 

“Just leave the food in the kitchen. I’ll be out in a bit to get it,” Mira’s voice was muffled by the door. “I want to rot in my bed for a bit longer.”

“Damn, I guess I’ll just fly back to London since you don’t want to join me for dinner,” you reply, trying to keep your voice steady. 

There was a pause before you heard the thump of feet hitting the floor. In less than a minute, the door was pulled open with such force, you’re surprised it didn’t come off the hinges.

It took your brain a second to process that Mira was ,in fact, standing before you. She was wearing her polar bear pajama, hair pulled into a messy bun and her glasses sat crookedly on her nose. God she was even more beautiful since the last time you saw her.

You gave her what you hoped was a confident smile. “Two little birdies told me that you missed me."

Mira didn’t say anything, she just pulled you into a tight hug, which you happily returned. She places a kiss on the top of your head as you put your head against her chest. You could hear how hard Mira's heart was beating, your own was most likely matching hers.

The deep ache that took residence in your chest since the day you left for London slowly loosened. You had missed Mira so much that at times it almost physically hurt. It felt like you left a piece of yourself in Korea for the last five months. You felt whole again standing in the arms of the woman you loved most in the world.

Mira pulled away just enough to start peppering your face in kisses, whispering 'I love you' between each one, before ending the assault with a kiss to your lips. Rumi and Zoey pretends to gag.

Mira ,surprisingly, is the one who broke the kiss. She rested her forehead against yours. Her eyes were filled with nothing but pure love and happiness.

"This is real? You're actually here," Mira's voice came out in a soft whisper, like she was afraid if she spoke too loud, you would disappear.

Instead of answering her, you gently cupped Mira's face, wiping away the tears that escaped and gave her another soft kiss on the lips. It was a short kiss, but it was enough to prove that yes, this was real and that you were here.

"It was Rumi's and Zoey's idea for me to come home as surprise for you," you explain once the kiss was broken. "Bobby helped too by getting me from the airport."

Mira looked over to them. Zoey was smiling like a idiot, happy the surprise worked. Rumi gave her signature awkward thumbs up as Bobby put his phone away.

"Thank you guys," Mira said, swallowing the lump of emotions that sat in her throat. "Thank you all so much. This is one of the best surprise I've ever gotten."

"I just got sick of you acting like a heartbroken widow," Rumi joked but there was no malice behind her words.

" It was nothing. I just wanted to see my girls happy,. I'm glad I could help" Bobby said with a warm smile.

"Group hug," Zoey yells as she pulls everyone into a huge hug. You ended up squished between Mira and Rumi. The hug was warm and full of love.

"Thank you guys again. This means so much to me," Mira said, breaking the hug. You stayed cuddled up to her side, soaking up the warmth she gave off. Rumi gave your hand a quick squeeze before she retreated to her room. Bobby was already back to manger mode, typing away on his phone.

"You're welcome. Now stop with the yearning. You got your girl back for two weeks. Use your time wisely," Zoey said, giving her a wink.

"Oh I will. Trust me, I will," Mira gives you a mischievous smile before scooping you up in her arms.

"Mira! put me down," you demand, giggling, playfully hitting her in the arms.

"Sorry, jagiya, can't do that," Mira ignoring your request as she went into her bedroom.

"Don't forget dinner will be here soon and don't forget about your suitcase is still next to th-," Zoey's words were cut off by Mira kicked her bedroom door closed.

Mira wasted no time. She quickly cross the room, tossing you into her bed once she was close enough.

"I missed you so much," Mira whispered as she crawled on top of you. She nipped at your neck before pressing a kiss to it. "I don't think I could put into words how much I missed you,"

You grabbed the front of Mira's chin and pulled her into a messy, heated kiss. You felt Mira's hand playing with the hem of your shirt, making a silent request.

"Why don't you show me how much you missed me?"

Please still be here. Please still be here. Please still be here.

Jinu’s heart thundered in his chest as he nudged past the crowds on the sidewalk. He was running late; he was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago.

God he was so stupid, you’d probably already got tired of waiting and left. He wouldn’t blame you if you had left.

But he really hoped you hadn’t.

Breaking free from the crowds, Jinu pushed past the glass doors of the theater, stumbling in like a madman.

There weren’t as many people inside as there were outside. A few stragglers hanging around. A handful of bored employees at the counters. For a moment he dreaded it was because he was so late the movie had already started.

“Jinu!”

Your voice cut through the air, and Jinu felt relief as he raised his head and saw you waving him down. You hadn’t left. You were still here, waiting for him.

Quickly he made his way to you, nervously adjusting his jacket, straightening his clothes to look a little more presentable. “Sorry I’m late,” he murmured his apology, hand already on his neck as the guilt settled in. “I was—”

With Rumi, needling her for information, trying to use her to find the Hunter’s weaknesses—and getting his own walls broken down instead as that strange friendship developed.

“Rehearsing. With the other guys,” he settled on.

You watched him with wide, innocent eyes, he could tell you already believed him. You had no reason not to. “It’s fine,” you said with a smile, his own personal star in the dead of night. “The movie hasn’t started yet, so as far as I’m concerned, you’re not late at all.”

You were so sweet. If he’d done this to any of the other Saja Boys, they’d be annoyed, frustrated, they’d snap and complain because he wasted their time making them wait.

But you accepted that he was late and brushed it off like it hadn’t been an issue to you.

“What movie are we watching, anyway?” Jinu asked as he fell in step beside you, walking towards the ticket counter. He hadn’t really taken much of a look at what was playing, far too enthralled by the simple fact that you’d asked him out to the movies at all to care about what movie you’d be watching.

You grinned, “I was thinking we could go back to the classics. How does a slasher sound?”

That sounded…interesting. “That sounds wonderful!” Jinu said excitedly, lying once again.

He’d never seen a horror film. But he was curious about them, and if it meant he got to spend more time with you, well, you made every experience he had worthwhile.

Beside, the ‘horror movie’ couldn’t be any worse than the things he’s seen, and the things done to him in the demon realm. He couldn’t imagine the horrors a human came up with could compare to the kind of things Gwi Ma did.

But you seemed excited as you asked for two tickets to the movie, and if you really wanted to see a horror movie, then Jinu was more than happy to see it with you.

You paid for the movie tickets, but Jinu insisted on paying for the snacks. Two drinks, and a large bucket of popcorn to share. That seemed simple enough, a classic for a date.

A date.

It still made Jinu’s heart do flips and twists to think about. An actual date.

Oh, Rumi was absolutely going to tease him relentlessly for this when they met up next, but it would be worth it.

Snacks in hand, Jinu followed your lead into the theater, listening attentively as you explained the art of finding the perfect seat in the theater.

Center is best for both visual and sound experience. Don’t want to be sitting too close to other movie goers, because then you run risk of them distracting you if they’re obnoxious. Especially if kids are involved. Ideally two seats minimum between you and any other patron. Though you emphasized that it could be harder to reach that standard when the theater was busier.

Jinu nodded along as you explained it, voice quiet beneath the pre-movie trailers. You knew the wilds of a movie theater better than him; he’d let you handle this. Besides, he rather enjoyed just listening to you talk, anyway.

Soon enough, seats were found and the two of you settled in.

“Do you know what this movie is about?” Jinu asked in a whisper, leaning towards you, only half-paying attention to the trailers still playing on the screen.

You hummed in response, “From what I saw of the trailers? It seems like it’s following a more American storytelling structure, with a group of college kids going somewhere they shouldn’t, and a crazy killer hunts them.”

The American storytelling structure? He hadn’t thought that horror could be differentiated that much between countries.

“I’ll be honest…this is my first horror movie,” his first movie entirely, if he wanted to be fully truthful. “I don’t know what to expect with this.”

As soon as he said it, Jinu felt a rush of regret—quickly wondering if maybe he said too much. Maybe admitting something like this would make him seem less cool, less interesting, to you. He didn’t want you to lose interest.

You laughed, and for a moment that fear settled like a lead ball in his stomach.

But then you reached over and rested your hand on his, “That’s fine if you’ve never seen one before. It’s nice that I get to take you to your first,” you said, rubbing your thumb over the knuckle of his thumb. “If it gets too scary at any point, you can squeeze my hand, okay?”

Swallowing hard, he turned his hand over so it was palm-up, so that he could curl his fingers over your own and giving it a hesitant squeeze. “Thank you.”

You only smiled. Warm. Comforting. Everything he could ever want.

Before he could say anything else, the screen went black and the lights lowered until it was fully dark. Moment later, the screen was alight again as the movie began, and your gaze was torn from him to look ahead.

Jinu stayed watching at you, though. A quiet, private smile settling across his face as he watched you for a minute longer, squeezing your hand once more, before he slowly returned his gaze to the screen.

For as unprepared as he was for this movie, you seemed excited for it, and that alone made Jinu eager to experience this with you.

It was about a third of the way into the film that Jinu was hit with a sudden realization:

Movie theaters were…strange.

He hadn’t known what to expect, not really. He’d never seen a horror movie before today. He’d never seen any movie, period. Never stepped foot into a theater before tonight. Jinu only had a fleeting idea of what he might expect.

Don’t get him wrong; concept itself was rather interesting. A giant screen to showcase moving pictures, and speakers surrounding him to play the sound. Ingenious, even. He rather liked the concept itself.

The problem was instead the film of choice.

It was that he just didn’t understand—couldn’t understand—why anyone would want to watch something for the sake of getting scared, of feeling terror. Didn’t seeking out terror go against basic survival instincts?

And yet the theater was nearly full, filled with people gasping and screaming with each jump scare, each time one of the poor humans on the screen were violently butchered, corpses left in in far larger pools of blood than seemed possible.

Couples clinging to each other, friends laughing to try and play off their earlier wails. The space reeked of fear. And yet people sought this experience out.

Everyone seemed frightened in some way. Everyone but Jinu.

Perhaps he was desensitized to the horror after four-hundred years in the demon realm. For all the violence he was witnessing, it felt like child’s play compared to the suffering he’d seen and experienced at Gwi Ma’s hand.

If anything, the movie felt…boring.

He felt no connection to the characters, felt no rush of fear or excitement over the drama and suspense. The film was dull. Any other situation and Jinu would have gotten up and walked out by now.

But this wasn’t any other situation.

“Aaah!” You bit back a shriek, pressing your face into Jinu’s arm. “Oh god, oh god, why did you go in there? Why is there so much blood?” you whispered against him as another poor human was hacked to pieces on the screen.

You had a death grip on his hand, his fingers feeling tingly, and he was sure there would be red marks, maybe even a bruise, when you eventually let go.

He fought back a laugh, but couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Hey now,” he whispered softly, voice nearly drowned out by the dying screams from the movie, “Don’t go hiding on me now. You’re the one who wanted to see this.”

“And I’m regretting it now,” you whispered back sharply. “I didn’t realize it was going to be this terrifying.”

The hand not currently trying to break his own was gripping his forearm, clinging to him like that would keep you safe as you kept your forehead pressed to his shoulder to avoid looking at the screen.  “I can’t watch this. There’s so much blood.”

He chuckled lightly, but made no attempt to pull away from you. He liked the way you were clinging to him.

Maybe that was why people were drawn to movies like this. To feel their partner hang onto them for comfort and protection. If that were the case, then he could understand the appeal.

“You can hang on to me for as long as you need, then,” he murmured, his free hand reaching up to stroke your cheek. He won’t judge you for being scared. “I’ll let you know when the scary part is over.”

You let out a muffled whimper and something along the lines of ‘thank you.’

That’s how the rest of the film went.

You’d pull away from him when the movie calmed down, only to go hiding into his arms once more when something particularly frightening happened. The ‘non scary’ parts grew fewer and fewer between, and by the third act you completely gave up trying to watch the movie, hiding away into his arm and shoulder instead.

And he relished every moment of it, his heart thundering in his chest as he rubbed circles in your back and murmured comfort to you.

He almost didn’t want the movie to end when it meant you’d let him go. But all good things must, and eventually the credits began to roll.

Following the crowd out of the theater, Jinu gave a light hum. The weather had taken a slight turn for the colder, a prevalent chill had taken to the air that had you shivering.

Without thinking of it, Jinu pulled off his jacket and draped it across your shoulders, “That wasn’t too bad of a movie.”

“Thanks,” you murmured, pulling his jacket tighter around yourself, “I actually had a lot of fun tonight. Though, I think we can cross off going to any more horror films for future dates.”

Jinu’s heart hammered in his chest. Future dates.

He didn’t even try to stop the grin from forming when you said that. “Oh? Does this mean I’m getting a second date with you?” he asked playfully, hopefully.

You watched him, seemingly contemplating his question. “I don’t know, you did show up fifteen minutes late,” you mused, letting the comment linger for a moment before smiling and bumping your shoulder against his. “But…yeah. I’d like to go on another. If that’s something you’d like, too.”

On the outside, Jinu’s smile went soft at the confirmation. On the inside, he was freaking out, celebrating, popping mental bottles of champagne.

“I would love that. I should be free this weekend,” Jinu said, as if he didn’t have complete control over his own schedule. “Maybe we can go out for dinner somewhere?”

You were quick to accept, much to his delight, with an agreement to work out the finder details of where and when at a later point.

And then the two of you just lingered there, enjoying the company, enjoying the quiet of the night, watching other stragglers slowly exit the theater.

Your hand hung close to his, knuckles brushing together in an unspoken question, and Jinu answered by reaching out to take hold of your hand. Your hand was soft, fit perfectly in his own. He would never get tired of holding your hand.

“I should be getting back home,” you said after a while.

Jinu nodded, “Can I walk you home?” he asked. “You didn’t drive here, right? I can call a cab.”

As he began reaching for his pocket to withdraw his phone, you stopped him, stepping closer and reaching out with your other hand to stop him. “Don’t worry. There’s a subway station around here.”

You were pointing down the street, and Jinu followed the direction you traced. Sure enough, there was a station just a few blocks away.

Still, Jinu felt a brush of uncertainty.

“Don’t tell me,” you laughed, sensing his hesitation as Jinu felt a flush of embarrassment rush through him. “Have you never taken the train?”

He hadn’t. Never had need for it when he could teleport to where he had to go. But that wasn’t something Jinu could tell you. “There weren’t any trains where I’m from.”

In the technical sense, it wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the truth, either, and the guilt felt like needles in his gut. But you were looking at him with a smile, accepting what he said so easily.

“Well, take this as a learning experience. You’re going to need to learn how to navigate the railways if you’re going to live here.”

Just like with the theater, Jinu let you take lead, following beside as you walked confidently down the sidewalk and through the doors of the station. Even with it being so late in the night, there were plenty of others coming and leaving, the night never truly dead in this city.

The doors led them to a turnstile, and you grinned, paying for both of your fare with a card. A monthly pass for unlimited rides, you had said as you and he walked through the now open path and then down the stairs.

Once they were at the platform, as if timed perfectly, a train had slowed to a stop, it’s doors opening as crowds filtered in and out.

Wasting no time, Jinu began to walk towards it—but you caught his wrist and pulled him back to your side.

“That one goes the opposite way from where we’re going,” you explained, fingers still pressed to his skin. He wondered if you could feel how quick his pulse was. “See that sign? That tells you what the train is, where it’s going.”

He nodded along, pretending to understand the words you were saying when all he could focus on was the warmth of your hand on him, of how badly he wanted to take your hand into his own.

You led him further down the platform, only dropping his hand once you’d reached the opposite end. “This one? This goes to ours.” You pointed to the departure board as if to prove it.

Soon enough, your own train arrived and you and Jinu shuffled in with the rest of the waiting crowd. There weren’t any seats open, and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do until you had poked him.

“Careful, okay? Hold these,” you whispered, gesturing to the handrails above.

Jinu reached up and gripped the plastic with all his might, watching as you held the rail above you for support as well. There were a few passengers who seemed to be doing fine without any support.

The noise of the train was deafening, and his ears were ringing. With a nervous swallow, he wondered how anyone could take these daily.

As the train began to slow once more, the overhead announcement declaring their station, Jinu shot a curious, expectant look to you. You smiled back to his silent question. “Our stop is five stations ahead.”

As the train lurched forward again, you stumbled.

Out of instinct, Jinu’s arm shot out, pulling you against him before you could possibly fall, his other hand gripping the rail even tighter.

But you only chuckled, claiming sea legs on a train. It was easy to lose one’s footing on something like this. But you made no move to pull away from him. Rather, you let go of your own hand rail and held him for support instead.

Jinu decided he liked that.

The remaining stations went by in what felt like a blur, and you only finally pried yourself away from him when the announcer declared your stop.

Exiting the train, just like everything thus far, he blindly trusted you to lead the way.

You led him out of the station and into the streets. It was still a considerable walk, but Jinu didn’t mind when your hand was in his again.

You and he were talking aimlessly as you walked. About the upcoming idol awards and the progress Jinu’s group was making with their new song. About your own job and upcoming events in your life.

Simplicity at its core, but intimate in its own way.

He would watch you with pure adoration as you went into a tangent about a subject you were passionate about, you looked so adorable when you got excited like that.

The walk had only been fifteen minutes, but that had been fifteen minutes too short. When they reached your apartment door, Jinu didn’t want to say goodbye. Didn’t want to call it a night.

“I meant it when I said I had fun earlier,” you said, pulling your hand from his, smiling up at him. “Tonight had been wonderful.”

“I had a lot of fun, too,” Jinu admitted, voice a quiet confession.

You reached up rest your hand on his neck leading him to lean down as you placed a kiss on his cheek. His brain short circuited at the feeling of your lips on him.

“Text me when you get home, okay?”

Jinu nodded, not trusting himself to be able to form words.

With that, you retreated into your apartment, and Jinu remained rooted in place for a solid minute before stumbling back, a wide grin stretched across his face.

He got a second date with you. He got a kiss from you.

More than that, though, he couldn’t wait for the weekend. Couldn't wait to go out with you again. He'd need to research what the best restaurant to take a date to would be.

Maybe he could pester Rumi for the answer. She might tease him a bit about it, but he didn't care. He wanted the next date to be wonderful for you.

He got to experience movie theaters and train stations for the first time with you—Jinu couldn’t wait to see what else of this world you were going to show him.