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chapter twenty-four

it was the night before their summer trip, and, well… y/n and mikey were doing their usual thing.

she was curled up on her vanity chair, legs tucked up as she scrolled through tiktok, while mikey sat behind her, carefully blow-drying her damp hair. freshly showered, skin warm and dewy.

these little moments—quiet and mundane—felt strangely precious to mikey. just him and y/n, in their own world. whatever this was, it had become a part of his routine. their routine.

and by routine, it meant y/n’s skincare session. living with her meant he didn’t have much of a choice—he had to adapt. he was pulled into her habits, her steps, her rules. and somehow, he didn’t really mind. not when it came with moments like this.

he turned off the dryer with a soft click, placing it back in the drawer beneath her vanity. then, leaning in, he went straight for a kiss.

“no,” y/n shifted away just in time, making him miss. “i told you—you can’t kiss me. we’re doing our skin care night.”

mikey huffed dramatically, lips still close. “can’t i just give my girlfriend a little kiss?”

y/n gave him a look—a mix of annoyance and flustered heat—and rolled her eyes. “i’m not your girlfriend.”

oh. right. the boyfriend-girlfriend talk from a few weeks ago. ever since mikey had that silly conversation with her dad, he hadn’t let it go. he’d been calling her his girlfriend ever since. it annoyed her. flustered her. made her blush every damn time. and he knew it. which was exactly why he kept doing it.

mikey stole a quick kiss anyway, brushing his lips against hers before she could dodge again.

y/n glared at him, pouting even as her cheeks turned a shade too pink.

mikey just grinned, eyes soft. she looked so damn cute like this.

the night went on in their usual rhythm—silly teasing, soft laughter, face masks smeared on their cheeks, and a netflix show playing in the background neither of them was really watching.

and by morning, they were up early, already packing for the trip.

“sooo… which one’s better?” y/n asked, holding up two swimsuits—one a sleek, sexy black one-piece, the other a striking red two-piece.

mikey was lounging on the bed, his back resting against the headboard, arms crossed as he watched her with a lazy grin. he had already finished packing—of course—and now it was just y/n, still deliberating over her last item.

“try them on first,” he said, biting his lip as his gaze shamelessly dropped to her legs.

y/n narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “i don’t like where this is heading.”

“c’mon,” mikey shrugged innocently, “how am i supposed to choose if i can’t see you in them?”

“unless you want emma scolding us for being late, i suggest we stop now.”

“so you admit you can’t resist me?” mikey teased, his smirk growing wider.

“don’t flatter yourself, sano,” she shot back with a grin, tossing both swimsuits into her suitcase. “i’ll just bring both.”

mikey pushed off the bed, stepping close until he was standing right in front of her. his hands found her waist, pulling her just a little closer. his eyes searched hers, glinting with mischief. y/n smirked too, placing her hands on his chest, not backing down.

he leaned in, lips almost brushing hers—

DING-DONG!!!

someone violently murdered the doorbell.

“fucking great,” mikey groaned, pulling back dramatically.

y/n laughed, brushing him off gently. “i’ll get the door. it’s probably them.”

she made her way to the entrance, and sure enough, an overly excited emma stood there, sunglasses on and two bags in hand, looking like a walking summer ad.

“omg!!! i’m so, so excited. i can finally feel the real summer. god, i shouldn’t have taken that summer class,” emma whined dramatically.

y/n couldn’t help but laugh. and just then, mikey appeared behind her, casually walking past them with a suitcase in one hand and a duffel in the other, heading toward the car.

“i thought we were using shin’s car?” mikey asked, eyeing the situation.

draken, already looking mildly stressed, muttered, “ask your sister.”

“uhm, so… i may or may not have brought two suitcases and—”

“those bags in your hands aren’t enough?” mikey deadpanned. “you packed like we’re leaving the country and not coming back.”

emma huffed. “well, i already rented a bigger car for us, so shut up!”

“you mean i rented the car last minute?” draken added dryly.

“it was my idea!” emma defended, chin high.

“thank you so much for the idea, ma’am,” draken said with dramatic sarcasm.

mikey just shook his head, loading their bags into the trunk.

the sound of a car door closing caught their attention, and izana stepped out from the driver’s seat.

“let me help you with that,” he offered.

“thanks,” mikey nodded, letting him take one of the bags.

“you’re driving?” mikey asked, making casual conversation as they worked.

“yeah. your sister said i should because i’m ‘the oldest,’” izana said, doing air quotes. “and i couldn’t exactly say no to the boss, right?”

mikey laughed under his breath.

but then… silence.

both brothers turned toward the front of the house, spotting emma and y/n standing frozen, expressions slightly stunned.

draken, completely unfazed, just leaned into the car, smoking like this was none of his business.

“what?” mikey asked, confused.

emma turned to y/n and muttered, “i shouldn’t have drank that much at mikey’s birthday party.”

“yeah,” y/n agreed under her breath.

soon enough, everyone started getting into the car—izana in the driver’s seat, draken in front, y/n slipping into the back. it was peaceful for about five seconds until—

“MIKEY!!!! I HATE YOU!!!” emma screeched. “you already had y/n all by yourself in your damn apartment, let me sit beside her!!!” she started yanking on mikey’s arm, trying to pull him out of the seat.

mikey, already seated beside y/n, dramatically slumped against her shoulder, clinging to her with his eyes shut. “shh.”

“you little troll—move!” emma tried pulling him out by the arm, but he clung harder to y/n.

draken sighed, rubbing his temple. “em, do you want to sit up here? we’ll even let you play your playlists.”

emma paused. visibly thinking.

“…fine,” she huffed. “but i’m playing all the summer anthems.”

draken got out of the passenger seat, and emma moved from the back to take his place. once they switched, everyone settled in.

“can i drive now?” izana asked, deadpan and exhausted already.

and with that, they were finally off—headed to the beach.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

emma was belting out summer hits like it was her personal concert, draken was quietly regretting his life choices, izana had both hands on the wheel like a responsible dad, mikey was leaning on y/n, and y/n was somewhere between laughing and filming it all for her memory.

they made a few chaotic stops along the way—took blurry group pics in front of scenic spots, raided a convenience store for snacks they definitely didn’t need, and bought matching sunglasses they’d probably forget at the beach house.

overall, it was chaotic, loud, and absolutely perfect.

and after hours of driving, they finally pulled up to y/n’s family’s beach house.

it was stunning. sun-drenched, spacious, and honestly? it looked like something out of a movie.

“this is sooo nice, y/n! oh my god!” emma beamed the moment they stepped inside the beach house, already heading off to explore every corner like she wasn’t even tired from the drive.

the boys followed in with the bags, mikey immediately kicking his flip-flops off like he owned the place.

there were only three rooms—one was clearly the master bedroom, the other was y/n’s old bedroom, and the last was a guest room. only two of the rooms could accommodate couples, so naturally, emma clung to draken and claimed the guest room for them. which left the master bedroom to mikey and y/n.

izana? well, he ended up in y/n’s bedroom. alone.

in the master bedroom, mikey was already tossing their bags onto the bed while y/n unpacked with her usual focus. “so technically… this is your parents’ room, right?” mikey asked, flopping down dramatically on the mattress.

“eh, not really,” she shrugged with a grin, bouncing lightly as she sat beside him. “this bed’s mine now. dad decided to give the whole place to me.”

mikey leaned in, eyes soft, smirk playing on his lips. “does that mean… i get to have you here?”

y/n cupped his cheeks, smile never fading. she nodded, “all yours.”

and just like that, their lips met. warm, eager. the kiss deepened quickly, sun pooling in golden ribbons through the window, lighting up her face. mikey pulled back for a second, just to admire her.

“god, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

y/n laughed, cheeks tinted with pink. “shut up,” she mumbled—but then he kissed her again, slower, deeper, like they had all the time in the world.

until—

BANG BANG BANG

“y/n!!! mikey!!! come have snacks!! i made something!!” emma’s voice rang out from behind the door.

mikey groaned, dropping his forehead to her shoulder. “i swear she does this on purpose.”

y/n was breathlessly laughing as she adjusted her top, slipping off the bed. mikey went to open the door, grumbling.

“were you born just to annoy the shit out of me?” he deadpanned at emma.

emma gasped, mock-offended. “aw, poor mikey. did you get cockblocked again?”

mikey shot her a glare and muttered something under his breath before walking off to where draken was. emma laughed so hard she wheezed, already skipping off to the kitchen. y/n followed shortly after, only to pause at the end of the hall.

her old bedroom door was cracked open.

curious, she gave a soft knock.

she knocked gently. “hey… why aren’t you downstairs?”

izana looked up, offering a small smile. “just needed a bit of rest. driving all the way here was kinda exhausting… especially when your sister acts like a pop-star the whole ride,” he chuckled softly.

y/n chuckled and sat beside him. “are you comfortable here? sorry if it’s messy…”

“no, it’s perfect. thanks for letting me in here.” he looked at her then, sincere. “really.”

she smiled shyly. “i figured emma wouldn’t sleep unless she’s glued to ken’s side, and well… i doubt you’d wanna room with mikey.”

“god, no.” they both laughed.

his eyes wandered around the room before landing on the small stand filled with beach photos from years ago. he walked over to it and picked one up. “these your parents?”

“mhm,” she nodded.

he glanced at her. “you stopped taking pictures when you got older?”

“yeah… after mom died, i didn’t really come back here. just didn’t feel like summer without her.”

“shit,” izana said quickly, “i’m so sorry—i didn’t mean to bring that up—”

“it’s okay,” she laughed at his panicked expression. “i didn’t really have time or people to come here with anyway. my dad’s abroad, and it’s just me...”

she glanced at him with a small, grateful smile. “but now you’re all here. so… thanks, izana. really. it means a lot.”

that made something in him pause. her words hit deeper than they probably should’ve. because for the first time in a while, someone made him feel like he belonged.

izana turned his attention back to the shelf, and one particular photo caught his eye—a small, framed picture of little y/n, crying hysterically with a giant fish beside her.

he grinned.

“you look adorable here. should i show this to mikey?”

y/n’s soul left her body. “don’t you dare—!” she lunged for the photo, but izana only laughed, holding it up just out of her reach.

“izana! give it back! i hate you!” she yelled, laughing as she chased him around the room.

but the universe had a wicked sense of timing.

y/n’s foot caught on the strap of izana’s bag. he stumbled backward, falling onto the bed—y/n crashing right on top of him.

the laughter died.

and they landed. her on top of him. breath caught. heart racing.

they didn’t move. didn’t even blink. the silence was charged. his hands were still on her waist. her face was inches from his. both of them too aware, too quiet.

“…y/n, are you—”

SLAM

“here…” emma barged in holding a plate of cookies—and froze.

izana shot up. y/n scrambled off him like the floor burned.

“give me that,” y/n muttered, snatching the photo from his hand like nothing happened.

he let her take it, still processing.

she brushed past emma and darted downstairs.

emma blinked, eyes following y/n, then slowly turned back to izana, still half-sprawled on the bed.

“…sooo. do you want some cookies?”

izana, who looked like he’d just had an out-of-body experience, nodded silently.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

the sun had begun its slow descent, casting gold across the waves and streaking the sky in orange and pink. it was late in the afternoon now, that golden stretch between three and four when the sun started to dip but hadn’t quite begun to set—and if y/n had to describe the day so far in one word, it’d be: chaotic.

the beach house opened straight out to the sand, and the pool was just a few steps away. draken was already down by the water, standing with his hands in his pockets, letting the breeze mess up his hair. emma, ever the diva, had claimed one of the lounge chairs near the pool, sunglasses on, drink in hand, fully committed to sunbathing.

meanwhile, y/n was in the middle of wrestling mikey into sitting still.

“stop moving! i need to put sunscreen on you!” she hissed, squeezing another glob into her palm while mikey squirmed away like a kid.

“y/nnn, the sun’s already going down!” he whined. “why do i still need this? we’re practically in the shade!”

y/n rolled her eyes. “yeah, and you’ll still burn, dumbass. now shut up and stay still.”

living with mikey meant learning a lot of things. like the fact that he may be a gang leader, but deep down? he was just a dramatic, stubborn child in desperate need of supervision.

“there,” she said triumphantly, rubbing the last bit of sunscreen onto his face. “now get out of my sight.”

mikey didn’t need to be told twice. he took off, sprinting toward the beach where draken waited.

behind her, emma let out a sigh.

“you need to stop babying my brother. seriously. he’ll never grow up at this rate. just look at him.”

y/n sat down beside her, laughing softly. “it’s fine. i don’t mind. besides… i kinda like seeing this side of him.”

emma glanced at her over her sunglasses, but didn’t say anything.

just then, izana joined them, plopping onto the lounge chair near emma’s feet. “what’s going on? weren’t you two gonna swim?”

“this is the only time i’ll be apart from mikey this entire vacation,” emma said dramatically. “i’m savoring the silence.”

izana chuckled.

“what about you?” izana asked, turning his attention to yn. “you don’t like the sea?”

“not really. i’ve never been a fan. i prefer the pool,” she said, watching the waves crash in the distance.

“babes,” emma said suddenly, turning to y/n. “question.”

“hm?”

“so like… i saw a bunch of people setting up beside the beach house. is that a public party?”

“ah, yeah,” yn said. “i was actually gonna ask if you all wanted to go later tonight—”

“omg, yes!!” emma cut her off, already too excited.

izana just laughed under his breath, shaking his head. y/n grinned and stood up.

“i’m gonna dip in the pool for a bit. see you guys later.”

both siblings nodded, watching her go. once she disappeared into the water, izana stood up as well.

he didn’t say anything, just quietly headed toward the house to change and join y/n in the pool. still, there was a knot in his chest he couldn’t shake. he didn’t want things to stay awkward—not after what happened between them at the mall—or at her childhood bedroom. she was important to him. a friend. someone who felt like home in a way nothing else did.

he just wanted to spend time with her again.

but when he came back out, that quiet hope collapsed in on itself.

there she was—already in the pool. and so was mikey.

they weren’t just swimming. they were laughing. close. too close. mikey’s hand rested easily on her waist, their bodies half-draped against each other in the water. and before izana could turn away, he saw it—mikey leaned in and stole a kiss from her lips.

izana stopped breathing.

he stood there for a second too long before pulling himself together. whatever flickered in his chest—whatever ache that was—he buried it fast. the last thing he needed was for anyone to notice. especially emma.

so he walked over to her, sat back down quietly, and stared out at the sea. didn’t say a word.

emma suddenly spoke—didn’t even turn her head. “you like her, don’t you?”

izana froze. “what?”

“i’m not blind, you idiot,” she said, sipping her drink. “and i know both you and mikey better than anyone. don’t insult me.”

izana looked away. “i don’t know what you’re talking about.”

emma smirked. “when did it start?”

“it didn’t.”

izana’s reply came too fast, his tone a little too flat.

she gave him a look. “you’re really gonna lie to my face?”

he didn’t answer, just leaned back slightly.

emma crossed her arms, one brow slowly lifting.

he sighed, annoyed—at her, at himself, maybe both. “i didn’t… feel anything like that.”

he stayed silent for a moment, then let out a quiet breath—because of course he couldn’t hold out against emma. not when she was looking at him like that.

emma waited. “so?”

izana hesitated.

“well… maybe it started when you used to talk about her to me on the phone. back when i was away,” he admitted, voice low. “you’d go on about how kind she was, what she was like as a person.”

he paused, eyes distant.

“or when you’d send me pictures of you with her. i didn’t even think much of it back then. i just… liked looking at her—or hearing her name.”

his lips curled into a faint, fake chuckle. “kind of your fault, really. you only ever talked about y/n.”

his fingers toyed with the hem of his shorts.

“…or maybe it was the night i saw her at the park. she was by herself. that was the first time i saw her in person… the night i had just gotten back.”

“ohhh, so that’s why you two seemed a little too familiar when you met,” emma said, narrowing her eyes. “you’d already seen her in person before i introduced you.”

izana nodded. his voice trailed off.

“so yeah… i don’t know,” he said quietly. “it just… happened.”

he laughed under his breath. “fuck, i sound so cheesy, don’t i?”

emma nodded. “a little bit.”

they both looked over at the pool.

mikey had pulled y/n closer, whispering something that made her laugh. again. and again. as if he was the only one in the world allowed to make her laugh like that.

emma’s voice was softer now. “but mikey was already there.”

izana’s smile faltered.

“yeah,” he whispered. “and i couldn’t do that to him. not again. not after everything. he’s finally smiling like he used to. he’s finally healing.”

he swallowed hard.

“i’m not gonna be the reason he falls apart again.”

emma nodded. they sat in silence for a long time, listening to the waves, the laughter, the distant sound of something slipping out of reach.