*inactive*

Amidst the cacophony of noise in the café, there was a man quietly sitting in the corner of the room. His name— Yang Jeongin; a young, handsome man… who looked like he was about to lose his shit. In Jeongin’s 20 years of living, NEVER would he have thought that his heart would pound wildly under the presence of his best friend—the same person who witnessed every single gross, embarrassingly pathetic moment in his life, but here he is now, stomach wrenching in anxiety as you reenacted how your day went.

“So then Brian had to help me rewire the entire system!” you huffed, throwing your hands up in wild gestures. “Just how incompetant do you have to be to misplace every single wire?! Red plug to the red ringed input thingy, yellow plug to the yellow input and so on! It’s not rocket science!” Before you could fully lose your anger, you took a few sips of your drink to cool down. Noticing that Jeongin was spacing out, your eyebrows creased in worry. “Hey, are you okay?”

The sound of your voice snapped him out immediately, only now did he realise that he zoned out during your rant. “Oh, yup! Of course I’m okay! Why?”

“I don’t know, maybe cause you’re staring at me the same way you did when you had your first kiss with that cockroach,” you laughed, remaking the exact expression he made that day. Jeongin hid his face, groaning.

“That was such a traumatizing experience,” he shivered, the dramatic-ness of his reply drove you into laughter.

“No but seriously, what’s wrong? You’ve been a little quiet this whole time.”

Jeongin’s heart raced. What am I supposed to say? ‘Oh nothing big, I’m just nervous cause I’ve been madly in love with you since we were kids’? He sucked in his lips, fiddling with his fingers. “I don’t know,” he stuttered, “I guess I’m just really happy to be in your company again, that’s all.”

Your eyes softened. “Aw, I’m sorry, Innie,” you pouted, reaching over to hold his hand, making his heart race. “It has been a while since the two of us hung out, huh?” Jeongin let out a shaky breath, eyes lingering on your entwined hands. He looked up, faking a sad pout.

“Duh. Ever since you started hanging out with your radio show friends, we don’t spend as much time anymore. I miss you, you know?” The second his last words spilled out, he panicked. Fuck fuck fuck. Why did you say that?! he thought as his face turned red in embarrassment. However, if Jeongin wasn’t so busy beating himself up, he would’ve noticed how flustered you’ve become. The simple 7 letter phrase sent your heart racing—though there was another 7 letter phrase you’d much rather hear from him. In an attempt to cover up your true feelings, you chuckled, pinching his hand before you let go, much to Jeongin’s disappointment.

“Come on, you don’t really miss me that much? Don’t tell me you don’t have any other friends other than me, loser.”

He huffed. “Of course I do have other friends. It’s just that they’re not my best friend, aren’t they?”

“Aw, it’s okay baby,” you grinned. “If you really missed me that much, you could’ve just called and I would’ve made time for you. You know I always do!”

“Yeah, I guess, but I didn’t wanna bother you! You have been busy lately so—”

You rolled your eyes. “I told you countless times before: I’m never too busy for you, Jeongin.”

He stared at your face for a bit before breaking out a huge smile. “Thanks, Y/n.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re my favorite dumbass, what would I do without you? You know how boring my life would be?”

“Nevermind. I take everything I said back.” The two of you laughed for a few seconds before resuming back to your own tasks. You looked back down to your notepad, staring down at the highlighted markings on your script. Jeongin watched your eyes darted back and forth from said script to your notepad, wanting to gaze upon your stunning face a bit longer. After a few minutes, he begrudgingly tore his eyes off of you, hoping that you hadn't noticed his stares. As his brown orbs trailed back to his spiral notebook filled with mundane notes, a plethora of messages erupting from his cell phone caught his attention. Immediately, he dropped his pen to read what was the gossip his friends wanted to talk about today.

His eyes scanned through the seven new messages sent by 5 of his friends; texts about Jisung telling everyone to bring a date to their party, Hyunjin and Changbin arguing that Minho “didn’t count”, Jisung complaining and saying that he wasn’t going to bring Minho anyways, and Minho saying he’d take Seungmin instead, to which the latter strongly disagreed to. Jeongin muffled his laugh, covering his mouth to stop himself from interrupting your train of thought—which was useless for it only made you even more curious. Shaking it off, you merely sighed, continuing to scribble down your notes with furrowed brows. Meanwhile, Jeongin, who was now holding his phone with both hands, decided to join in on the conversation. Despite only taking his eyes off of the screen for 30 seconds, there were already another eight messages from the rest of the guys. Jeongin laughed, reading messages of Minho and Seungmin bickering about their script for a radio show. He wanted to crack a sneer joke about the divorce couple when the thought of you flashed his mind, giving him an idea. ‘Can I bring Y/n tomorrow?’ he texted, resulting in the guys sending messages of approval (in the form of some weird ass emojis).

With the okay of his friends, he dropped his phone with a slight bang, slightly startling you. “So, are you—uhm—planning on doing anything this weekend?” Jeongin asked, twirling the strings of his bracelet nervously. You stopped writing and looked at him. Moving your pen away from your notepad, you brought it closer to your mouth, not noticing the sheer layer of sweat coating his forehead. You hummed in thought, mentally going through your schedule.

“Hmm...Nope! I think I’ll be free, why?”

His eyes sparkled in delight, mentally fistbumping the air. “Cool! I was wondering if you wanna go to a party with me!”

Immediately, you cringed. “A party?” you drawled. “Yikes. Whose party?”

“Hyunjin and Jisung are the hosts! They wanna celebrate the end of finals week, and the school year, in general, ‘as a reward’ or something. It’s gonna be at someone else’s house though.”

Parties? A gathering of more than 10 people who get together to drink, fuck, and other potentially illegal stuff? Yeah, that’s a hard ‘no’ for you. If it were just going to be the 9 of you, then you wouldn’t have minded but knowing how well known those guys are, there will definitely be more than 9 people there. You frowned in slight disappointment, thinking that he was going to invite you to hang out with him—only him. Just the two of you. But instead he offers you to a party? Knowing full well how much you despise parties, especially with people you don’t know? You grimaced. “Mmm...I’ll think about it, man.”

“Come on! Please? You said you’d go!” Jeongin pleaded.

“Whoa whoa, hang on. I told you I’m free; I never said I’d go to a party with you!”

“Please, Y/n?” he pouted. “I don’t like parties either but I already promised them I’d go!’

“Jeongin…” you sighed, “You can’t go making promises you can’t keep.” You went back to your notes, marking the end of the conversation. The air grew silent between you two. Looking up, you noticed Jeongin’s sullen expression. Feeling guilty, you let out a sharp exhale, catching his attention. “I’ll go,” you whispered.

“Really?” he exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise. “You don’t have to, if you really don’t want to.”

“It’s okay, I felt bad for declining. You looked like a kicked puppy,” you snickered. “Besides, anywhere I go is only fun when you’re around. You know that, don’t you?”

“Hi, guys.” Jeongin greeted tiredly, locking the door behind him. In the kitchen, there was Hyunjin, Jisung, and Changbin, all huddled up around the stove like cavemen discovering fire for the first time.

Jisung was the first to acknowledge his arrival. “You’re late, honey,” he teased, not making eye contact. “Too busy sucking Y/n’s pretty face?” Jeongin’s visage turned into the bright shade of crimson. He spluttered in embarrassment, trying to explain that he could barely even look at you in the eyes anymore. Thankfully, Hyunjin was there to save him. God bless you, Hyunjin! The taller male smacked the back of Jisung’s head. He clicked his tongue. “Stop it, Jisung. You know he’s sensitive to that topic! It’s not nice to rub in the fact that he’s too chicken to confess to her!”

Jeongin groaned, throwing his bag onto the floor, next to the couch. Yeah, I take it back. God, please curse those two. He muttered, “You guys are all jerks.” Fortunately, no one heard him. Changbin snorted, hitting the two stooges on the back of their heads.

“Anyways, welcome home, kid,” Changbin turned around to talk to the younger. “We’re just making ramen. Grab a bowl, it’ll be done in 5 minutes.”

“Thank you,” Jeongin muttered. He brushed past the huddle of toned bodies to grab a bowl and a pair of chopsticks from the respective places. “Where are the others?” he asked quietly.

“Chan stayed behind to add some finishing touches for our track, Felix went grocery shopping, and you know where the other two went,” Jisung answered, glancing back at Jeongin for a brief second before returning his attention back to the boiling pot of instant noodles.

Hyunjin then turned around, striking a flamboyant pose. “Kiss the Radio,” he whispered in the same manner they do for the intro. The boys, with the exception of the youngest, chuckled; Jisung lifting his palm for a high five, to which Hyunjin took. Jeongin silently sat at the table, blankly staring down at his bowl. Changbin, being the observant older brother he is, immediately caught onto his friend’s gloomy behavior. He pulled a chair for himself, sitting across from him.

“Talk to me, what got you so moody on this lovely Friday evening?” Jeongin, being the emotional teen he still is, refused to tell him at first, in fear that they’d laugh at him. He grumbled, fiddling with the chopsticks in his hands. Changbin tsked, somewhat disappointed that the baby of their friend group felt the need to close off his worries from them. “Come on, you can tell us. You know we’ll always be here to help you out and give you advice.”

The younger finally sighed. “It’s Y/n again,” he murmured, cheeks reddening at the thought of you. Jeongin briefly looked up at Changbin, continuing his speech when he gave him a subtle nod to continue. “I—gosh guys—I feel like I’m going crazy! We finally hung out, just the two of us, for the first time in almost a year, and I felt like I was going to...I don’t know, pee myself!”

“Luckily you didn’t!” Hyunjin tried to cheer Jeongin up, resulting in a nudge from Jisung.

“It’s been so long since it was just us, I forgot how nerve-wracking it is to be alone with her and ended up gawking like an idiot! My hands felt so clammy, my eyes bounced everywhere except at her, everytime she talked to me, and my stomach felt so twisted and empty. I felt so unprepared, it was embarrassing! Best friends shouldn’t be scared to be in each other’s presence!”

“Well best friends aren’t in love with each other,” Changbin smirked. The red in Jeongin’s cheeks amplified, resisting the urge to hide himself.

“Changbin! That’s not funny!”

The elder threw his arms up teasingly. “Just saying!”

Jeongin lets out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his face with his palms out of stress. “Guys, what should I do? I can’t keep doing this! I need to tell Y/n I love her before I regret anything!”

The whole kitchen was dead silent. Every single one of them were gathering up their brain cells in order to brainstorm some good ideas. All of a sudden, Hyunjin’s face lit up, as if he had an eureka moment. “I know!” he said, pounding his fist against his palm. “Did you tell Y/n about that party we invited you to?” Jeongin nodded with a skeptical ‘yeah’.

“Good! At that party, why don’t you pretend to be drunk in order to confess to Y/n? You know, if she doesn’t feel the same way, you can just blame it on the alcohol!” The three boys stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

Jisung was the first to break the silence. “Dude,” he began, “that’s fucking smart!”

“What?” Jeongin asked incredulously.

“Yeah, you should totally do it like that!” Jisung walked over to Jeongin, leaving Hyunjin to prepare the ramen himself. He wrapped one arm around the younger’s shoulders, smacking his chest with the other. “The sooner, the better! And that way, you can finally get your feelings off of your chest and she won’t renounce your 12 year long friendship!” The longer Jeongin thought about it, the more tempting the plan was. Poor, easily persuaded boy...

“NO!” Changbin intervened. “No no no. You’re doing it all wrong!” He sighed, setting his drink down onto the table. Getting out of his chair, he stepped closer to Jeongin, pushing Jisung out of the way and placing his own hands on his shoulders. “Listen. If you want a sure fire way to confess your feelings to Y/n, then I say you should just man up and tell her— without the use of alcohol or lying. Do you really think you’d be satisfied if you followed that dumbass plan?”

“Hey! It’s not dumb!” Hyunjin cried, slowly waddling to the table with the pot of ramen steaming in his hands.

“Yes, it is. And that’s exactly why you two are single.”

Jeongin stared at the ground sourly, now thinking of other ways to successfully reveal his true feelings to you without embarrassing himself. “Whatever,” Changbin smirked. “Hey, isn’t Y/n one of the hosts in that radio show you guys were talking about earlier?”

“Kiss the radio?” Looking back up, Jeongin tilts his head in confusion.

“Yeah, that one. And don’t they do that segment where they have confessionals or something?”

“Yeah…? Where are you going with this, Changbin?”

The elder rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. “So...Confess to Y/n through that!”

Jeongin’s heart dropped. He could already feel his palms sweating in fear. There is no way he is going to declare his love for his best friend in front of thousands of listeners. “I can’t do that,” he stuttered in pure panic. “That’s a really popular show! One person is enough for me to lose my crap, but in front of a bunch of strangers?! I might have an aneurysm, man! Or worse!”

Changbin sighed, finally releasing his grip from his shoulders. “Hyunjin’s really rubbing off of you, huh?”

“Again. Hey!” the said man pouted. Jisung, on the other hand, noisily slurped his noodles, enjoying that his best friend was getting picked on instead of him.

Brushing Hyunjin off, Changbin continued, “Confess to her, yeah, but under like, an alias or a code name that only the two of you know! Declare your undying love to the love of your life but still keeping it on the downlow. Easy!” He clapped his hands in triumph as he uttered his final word. The other two boys let out an amazed “oh” in unison, dropping their chopsticks to give their eldest friend a round of applause. Changbin held his palm up with a curt nod, signaling for them to cease their clapping as if he were the president of Korea. With his jaw dropped widely in awe, Jeongin’s eyes sparkled. That’s...brilliant! he thought. He gave Changbin an excited smile, ready to thank him for his help. Just as he opened his mouth, the shorter man turned back to him, lips twisted in a smirk. “No need to thank me, I know I’m brilliant,” he boasted, sticking his chin up high. Suddenly, he sighed. “Be careful, you might feed into my ego! I know I’m an amazing bro, but you don’t have to rub it in!”

“Okay, you know what, Bin?” Jisung snorted. “You’re way too cocky for someone who’s only 167 centimeters.”

“FUCK OFF!”

…For the rest of the night, Jeongin spent his free time in his room, brainstorming what to write in his love letter. However, he couldn’t produce anything that satisfied him—and the evidence lay in the mountain of discarded paper in the trash bin next to his bed. He sighed out of frustration, palms rubbing against his tired eyes. Damn it, I think I need help…

He snatched his phone from beside him and unlocked it, immediately going to the messaging app. He scrolled down until he found the exact contact he was looking for. Tapping on the number, he swiftly brought the phone to his ear, hearing it ring several times before someone picked up. “Chan? Are you busy?”

The line was quiet for a few seconds until Chan’s voice was registered. “Never too busy for you guys. Why?”

“I need advice.”

“About…? You know I’m just in the room across yours, right?” Chan softly giggled.

Jeongin awkwardly chuckled, face reddening. “Uhm. This is kinda embarrassing for me to talk about face to face so I’ll just settle with calling…” he said as he fidgited with his ear.

“Ah, understandable. In that case, go ahead!”

“Hypothetically speaking, you want to write your feelings, let’s say, love, down on a piece of paper. What exactly do you write?”

“Oh?” There was clear mischief laced in Chan’s tone. “Well Jeongin, this is more of a subjective matter. There are a ton of things you can write in a love letter; it could be a bittersweet one, a romantic one, or even a more platonic one for your friends! It all depends on what you want to say deep in your heart. Doesn’t matter if you use simple vocabulary or Shakespearean language, as long as you are conveying YOUR LOVE through YOUR OWN WORDS, that’s all there is to it. If you’re going for the more, uh, romantic approach, you can talk about how strongly you love this person. Simple but nevertheless meaningful—nothing could go wrong! Just let it flow naturally…Get it?”

“I think I do…Thanks Chan!”

“Any time! Oh and good luck with Y/n! I’m rooting for you buddy!”

Jeongin blushed, hastily telling Chan ‘thank you’ before ending the call and locking his phone, sliding it back to its original spot. Now that he had a better idea of what to write, he did not feel as antsy. After ripping another sheet of paper in half, he picked up his pen once more to write. Without the pressure of making his letter “flawless”, his thoughts were now able to flow effortlessly through his pen and onto the parchment. His hand moved like it was on autopilot, it was as if his heart had taken over. He was so sucked in that in no time, the entire half sheet was filled with lines of his love. Setting the pen down, he picked up the paper to read what he wrote, face glowing red once he finished.

‘Oh my God, is this too much? This kinda doesn’t even sound like me? Will Y/n know it’s even me?’ Shaking off his doubts, he folded the paper into halves three times, slipping it into his bag pocket and leaving it there until the weekday rolled around. Grabbing his phone, he launched himself onto his bed, pulling his blanket over his body. He squirmed around for a few minutes before shutting his eyes, drifting off into slumber.

The morning came around quickly and the whole day was a blur for Jeongin as the night quickly approached. He anxiously sat on the dining chair, fixing himself for the 8th time that night. “Dude,” Jisung randomly popped up from behind, startling the already antsy boy. “You look like you’re trying to hold in diarrhea. Relax! It’s just Y/n!”

Felix came in right behind Jeongin’s other side, scaring him as well. “That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one in love with her.”

Jeongin rolled his eyes, slightly embarrassed, and completely unaware of your arrival. “You guys—”

“Y/n~! Hi!” Hyunjin greeted, running past the trio to you and wrapped his arms around you, leaning to give you a kiss on your head. You cringed, squirming to get out of his grip.

“Ew!” you laughed, “You reek of alcohol, Hyunjin! Get away from me!” Seungmin then appeared beside you, helping you unlatch Hyunjin from you. He jokingly pushed the latter away from you, teasing him that you don’t like socializing with tipsy people. Hyunjin pouted, walking off to bother Minho.

“Thanks, Min,” you grinned.

“Any time,” he shrugged, returning your grin. “Didn’t think I’d see you at a party?”

“I could say the same for you! You hate parties more than me.”

“Yeah, but the thing is, I’m one of the hosts, unfortunately. What’s your excuse?”

“I’m here to accompany my best friend!”

“Oh?” Seungmin raised his brows. “Speaking of…Are you ever going to tell him?”

“No!” Your voice dropped, eyes widening. “He cannot know I have feelings for him. Not yet, at least!”

He raised his arms up in a surrendering stance with a smug expression. “Okay, okay! Just saying! And if you do decide to confess, I’ll be here to cheer you on! Me and the rest of the guys!”

You giggled, “Thank you, Seungmin!”

On the other side of the house, Jeongin sat there, stressed. “I’m telling you, Jeongin!” Jisung said, now tipsier than a few minutes before. “If all else fails, you can also fake being drunk! It’s smart! If she returns your feelings, happy ending! If she doesn’t, not so happy ending, yeah, but you can just blame it on the alcohol and just make up whatever excuse. Foolproof!”

“That is anything but foolproof!” Felix said in disbelief. “Please don’t do that, Jeongin! Just be honest with Y/n. That would be a foolproof plan.”

The youngest furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “Hmm…You're right. This is a dumb idea.” He smiled at Felix. “I should just be honest with her! Thanks, Lix!”

Wanting to go over to you, Jeongin turned back in time to witness you throwing yourself into Seungmin’s arms, you kissing his cheek as Seungmin blushed. His heart dropped— jealousy brewing inside. After an internal debate with himself, Jeongin finally came to a conclusion. He placed his cup down on the counter and turned back to where you and Seungmin were at. He messed up his clothes and put on a ditzy face, swaying back and forth in the same manner he’d seen his friends do. He already reeked of alcohol and was tipsy enough to pull through with this stupid plan. Nothing can go wrong...right? “Oh no…” Felix muttered exasperatedly, realizing that Jeongin was in fact pulling through with the plan while Jisung cheered on the side.

He dragged himself into the living room , stumbling close enough to where the two of you were at. “Y/n!” he ‘drunkenly’ sang, launching his body onto yours. “I miss you~!” He tightened his arms around you, relishing the feeling of your warm body in his arms, and how perfectly you fit in them. Jeongin could feel tears picking his eyes, wishing he could enjoy this feeling without ‘being drunk’.

You stumbled, caught off guard. “Jeongin?” you stuttered. “Are you okay? What’re you—?”

He whined, “Why are you hanging out with Seungminnie? Aren’t you supposed to be with me? I’m supposed to be your date tonight, not him!”

“H-huh?”

“Y/n, I think he’s already drunk,” Seungmin spoke softly, stifling his laughter. “I think he had too much to drink tonight, you think you can take him home for us?”

“What? Uh, sure but I don’t have the keys to your house.” From behind, Jeongin whined, rubbing his face against your nape. Your face grew warm out of shyness, body writhing from the tickling sensation. Unbeknownst to you, Jeongin used that opportunity to inhale your familiar scent. He was internally applauding himself for how well this is going. Good job, Jeongin! And thank you, Hyunjin!

“Don’t worry about that,” Seungmin said. “I think it would be better if he stayed with you tonight. It’s safer that way, is that okay with you?”

You stared at the man in front of you, mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I don’t know if—“

“Y/n!!” Jeongin cried from behind. You turned your head to look at him, only to find his face close to yours. Way too close. You couldn’t decide if you wanted to move even closer or away from your best friend. Your lips were right in front of each other; the perfect distance for them to connect from just one move. You stared into his eyes, speechless, as Jeongin stared into yours. “Please…” he whispered huskily. His tone sent delightful shivers down your spine. If it wasn’t for Seungmin standing right there, you probably would’ve lost it.

Flustered beyond relief, you whipped your head back to Seungmin, who was giving you a mischievous look. “I—uh…” your voice cracked. You coughed, swallowing as much saliva as you could to do something about your dry throat. “I’ll take him. No worries!”

“Perfect! I’ll see you guys tomorrow then.”

“Y-yeah, see ya’,” you grunted as you wrapped your arm around Jeongin, adjusting his weight so that you won’t fall. You left the house, struggling to drag Jeongin to your car. Luckily I decided to drive myself tonight, you thought. You stumbled to pull your keys out and unlocked it, clumsily pushing Jeongin into the front seat. Hearing him wince in slight pain triggered you to say sorry. Buckling him into the seat, you checked him once more before going to your side of the car. As you started the car, you mentally prepared yourself for the potentially long night ahead.

…The entire 45 minute drive consisted of Jeongin singing at the top of his lungs, much to your amusement, and him constantly complimenting you, calling you beautiful and whatnot—but you’re never gonna admit how much his inebriated praises made you flustered. You finally arrived at your house, parking as close as you could to limit the walking distance. Hoisting Jeongin out of the car, you slammed the car door shut, the car honking once when you locked it. Struggling, you groaned for the umpteenth time that night, cursing your best friend for being so damn lanky. “Holy shit, Jeongin, when did you get so tall?”

Jeongin ‘drunkenly’ giggled. “Sorry~!” he sang. Grumbling, you dragged yourselves to your front door and unlocked it, which was not an easy task to do with a drunk 172 centimeter tall man clinging around you like a leech. You kicked the door open, doing your best to remove your shoes. Once they were off, you reached over and flipped the light switch on to safely navigate your best friend to your bedroom. Everyday, I thank myself that I live in a one story house, you thought, twisting the doorknob to your room and opening it. You ungracefully push him to your bed, the impact making Jeongin grunt.

“Crap, I’m sorry, Innie,” you cringed. You unfolded your blanket and draped it over his body. Your wasted friend looked up at you with tired eyes.

“Where’re you going?” he slurred. You brushed his hair back, pouting.

“Sorry, Innie, I can’t stay here with you tonight. Don’t worry, I’m just gonna be in the living room. You’ll be okay, right?”

Jeongin sat up with a pout, coaxing a few pity tears out of his eyes. “N-no…” he whimpered. “I want you to be with me, Y/n! Please?” Your heart churned at the sight of his pleading state, cooing sadly when you noticed his eyes glossing over. Dear Lord, I am not your strongest warrior.

“Okay fine, I’ll stay,” you tiredly agreed, making him smile and cheer victoriously like a little kid. “I still need to go back to wash my face, I’ll be back soon! Think you can wait for me?”

Jeongin childishly saluted. “Yes ma’am!”

You laughed. “Good boy!” you snickered, petting him like a dog. He laid back down, pulling the blanket over his nose and closed his eyes. You stayed for a while to play with his dark hair, eyes sadly lingering at his resting form.

“You know, Innie? You act exactly like you did as a kid when you’re drunk.” you quietly said, brushing his bangs back. “I remember the exact day you walked into that classroom and introduced yourself to the class as ‘baby fox’,” you giggled at the silly memory. “Little eight year old me thought it was weird but kinda cute…Who knew I would ever become best friends with the little fox boy? Since that day, we spend every waking moment together; I was there for you when you first got your braces, you were there for me when I first got my period, shit, I can’t imagine how terrifying that was for you! I remember you crying and screaming so much cause you thought I was gonna die…your parents had to give both of us the talk once I was clean…”

You stifled your laughter. “Man, eleven year old us were kind of idiots, huh? Wow, it’s really been 12 years since we met. We’ve really been through so much…I think the day my perspective of you changed was back in freshman year of high school. I got rejected by this guy I really liked and you were there to comfort me the whole night…Every person I had a crush on, every single one of them rejected me, and every time, you were there to comfort me…It made me think, ‘why do I need anyone else when I had you by my side?’…That epiphany really opened my eyes.”

You paused, watching his face for any sign of consciousness. Seemingly getting nothing, you continued. “That’s why—gosh, this is embarrassing, you’re not even awake to hear any of this…Though, I guess that’s exactly why I’m just letting out…idiot…” Your hand moved to his face, thumb softly stroking his cheek. “Yang Jeongin…I love you. I hope one day, you feel the same way I do…”

You brushed back his hair and kissed his forehead. You let out a melancholy sigh before turning to leave. Meanwhile, Jeongin’s heart was soaring. Y/n…you—she likes me! Y/n loves me back! He debated whether he should tell you that feeling’s mutual or if he should just keep pretending to sleep and talk about it the next morning. Of course, he shouldn’t waste this opportunity, couldn’t he? As Jisung always says, the sooner the better! “Wait!” Jeongin abruptly sat up, scaring you. “Come back, I’m not actually drunk!”

Your heart froze, body stiffening at the realization that Jeongin heard your confession. Fuck, no no no! “You’re not…Jeongin, stop lying, that's not funny! Just go to sleep already!”

“I-I’m not lying!” he cried, “I’m really not drunk! I faked being drunk so—”

All you could do was stand in shock. Fear, embarrassment, betrayal, anger, and relief swirled your mind, the storm of emotions overwhelming you so much that you didn’t listen to a thing Jeongin said. A thick fog of silence filled the room. You stared blankly at the man on your bed. “So…you’re not actually drunk?” you whispered.

“Never have been.”

“So that means…you were conscious…when I literally struggled to bring you here…and I told you I love you…”

Jeongin blushed. “Y-yeah. I—”

“Get out.”

“Wh-what?” he froze, guilt starting to fill his chest. He could clearly feel the twisting in his stomach. “Y/n, why?”

“Get out! You lied to me!” your voice raised in anger. “Jeongin, you tricked me!” You stomped over to the bed, ripping the blanket off of him. You grabbed his arm, roughly pulling Jeongin off.

“Y/n—”

“Jeongin, do you know how humiliating this is for me?! You—you basically took advantage of me!”

“What? No! But—you know I would never do anything bad to you!”

You scoffed. With a red face, you pushed him out of your room, trying to kick him out of your house. “Jeongin, that’s not the issue! The fucking issue is that you LIED. I—shit—you caught me off guard! I told you I love you cause I thought you were fucking asleep!”

He dropped his weight as much as he could in an attempt to stop you from shoving him. He spun around to face you. “I-I don’t see what’s wrong with that! Y/n, I lo—”

“NO! JEONGIN, PLEASE!” you screamed, tears pricking your eyes. “I’m so fucking embarrassed. I wasn’t ready yet…I didn’t want you to know yet, especially like THIS! Th-this wasn't how I wanted to tell you…” Losing your strength to fight back, your arms dropped to the sides. You stared at the floor, humiliated, wishing that he would just leave so you can sort your feelings out. “Jeongin…Please just leave…I’m a mess, I can’t deal with this right now. Please go home.”

Sorrow etched his face. How could he have known how much this plan would hurt you? If only he knew…he wouldn’t have done it. Jeongin stepped closer to give you a hug but stopped when he heard your quiet sobs. His heart broke knowing that those were tears that he caused. He bit his lip, stopping himself from crying. Muttering a shameful ‘sorry’, he turned to the door and walked out, leaving you to break down on your own.

…Jeongin bursted through the door in clear distress, startling the guys that were in the living room. “Guys I fucked up! I fucked up so bad!” He ran inside, looking for Changbin.

“Whoa whoa whoa, what’s wrong?” Felix asked from the couch, tightly clutching the bowl of cereal in his hands.

“I messed up. I did the thing Hyunjin suggested and it backfired! She’s mad at me! She hates me now! I blew it guys!”

“Hey hey, calm down. Y/n does not hate you,” Chan gently said from the kitchen, putting his doughnut back on the plate. “You’re her best friend, there’s no way she’d ever hate you.”

Changbin, the only other person awake and the one Jeongin desperately wanted to talk to, clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Told you so! I knew something would go wrong, I told you not to follow them! But what did you do? Listened to their plan!”

“Changbin!” Chan scolded.

“I’m only stating the obvious! He messed up, yeah, what’s done is done, but he can still fix it! We can help you fix your relationship, Jeongin!”

Jeongin plopped onto the couch, sitting beside Felix, clutching one of the cushions. “You sure?”

“Hell yeah! You still have that note, don’t you?” Changbin walked over to Jeongin, rubbing his shoulders to console him. The younger could already feel some of the pressure in his body lifting.

“Ah, you mean that love letter you wrote for Y/n?” Chan asked, smiling now that he remembered about it. Felix sat in confusion, trying to follow along with the conversation, mouth full of cereal. The older Aussie grinned, telling Felix that he’ll give him the details later.

Changbin snapped his fingers. “That,” he said, pointing to Chan, “You still have a chance! Once she reads that letter, she’ll instantly forgive you, tell you that she loves you too, and boom! Happy ending!”

“If you want,” Chan sang, “I can help you give the letter!”

“Oh yeah, let’s go! Chan personally knows YoungK, he can give the letter to him. Come on!” Changbin stood front of Jeongin, pulling the younger out of his seat. “Now! Now!”

However, Chan stopped them. “Uhm, yeah, sorry guys but not now. It’s late and Younghyun is mostly sleeping at this hour, let’s do that tomorrow, instead!”

“Okay, fine,” Changbin huffed. “Get the others to help too!”

“Ha~ppy, happy Monday, everyone! It’s everyone’s favorite host, YoungK, along with my favorite little minions!”

One by one, you all greeted into the mic.

“Hello everyone, it’s Seungmin in the building!”

“Hello, it’s LeeKnow~!”

“Hi hi, guys, it’s Y/n, and welcome back to—”

“Kiss the Radio!” the four of you cheered together, you and YoungK clapped while Minho hollered. It’s nearly been two days since the party and the little incident that happened that day. The entirety of your Sunday consisted of you sorting out your thoughts and ignoring every single one of Jeongin’s texts. Did you overreact? Mayhaps, but it was a perfectly appropriate response for confessing your 8 year long crush on your best friend after he basically lied to you. Feeling your anger bubbling inside, you took a quick sip of water to control yourself.

“Okay! For today’s show, I decided to switch things up a bit!” Brian, announced, putting on his signature ‘dj show host’ voice. “If you did not know, Haven University, which is the school my little minions attend, is nearing the end of it’s semester! Which means that their internship is ending today, so this is their last day!” The three of you whined exaggeratedly, yelling how you wanted to stay, how you wished it didn't have to end, etc. “I know, I know, I wish you guys didn't have to leave either! You three made this show much more fun and exciting, which I am very much grateful for!”

“It’s because you’re such a great host that you made this experience the best, YoungK,” Seungmin said as you and Minho agreed.

“Aw shucks guys. You guys are too sweet! Maybe, if possible, you guys can come back as permanent hosts!”

You gasped, “Oh my God, that’d be so awesome!”

“Right! Anyways, instead of having our whimsical chats first, I wanted us to go through the advice segment first. That way, we can get the more deeper stuff out of the way so we have more time for fun! Is that alright with you guys?” The three of you let out a cheery ‘yes’ in unison. “Great! In that case, Lee Know, would you like to read the first submission?”

“Yes~” Minho drawled. He stuck his into the clear container and pulled out a certain piece of folded line paper. Briefly clearing his throat, he murmured a sweet ‘okay!’ before beginning, not even recognizing the handwriting.

“Hello, my love. Sorry, is “my love” too strong? How about “darling”? Or rather, would “sweetheart” suffice just as well? Well, none of that really matters since I am too much of a coward to actually call you any of that, does it?

Love, loneliness, fear— emotions I never would’ve thought I’d feel when I am around you. Even if we are together 24/7, I can’t help but feel like we’re still too out of touch. The longing glances, the sparks I feel when our hands touch, the pounding in my chest when you smile at me—it’s getting more and more difficult to contain my feelings for you. Friends don’t typically feel any of that, do they? No, they do not. Oh, how much I crave to be more than just a friend...

That Title…Why does my heart hurt when you call me that? A͟ F͟r͟i͟e͟n͟d͟. Am I selfish for feeling this? Why can’t I just be satisfied with being friends? I can’t help but crave for more. I feel like a lovesick fool. Hopeless. Lost. Loveless

One day, hopefully soon, I will gather the courage to reveal my true feelings for you. But for now, I will just have to settle with nothing more than just a friend. I will just continue loving you from the sidelines until the day comes…even if that day may never come….I love you, Y/n. I have and will always love you…From IN”

The studio was hushed once Minho finished. You could feel three pairs of eyes staring at you in pure shock but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You knew in your gut who that letter was from. “Wow! How bold!” Brian gasped, breaking the short silence, “A confession? On live broadcast?! This is the first time we ever got something like this. This person sure is bold, Y/n, they must be serious about you!”

“Yeah…Wow,” you stuttered, stiffly chuckling. You looked over to where Seungmin and Minho were at, asking if they had any knowledge about the note, which they denied, completely oblivious to the note. Minho grabbed his phone to text you. ‘We knew he was in love with you, but we had no idea he’d do something THIS bold,’ his message read. ‘Frankly, I’m proud!’ You looked at Minho with a nod to thank him. Seeing how you were still in the middle of a broadcast, you decided to brush it off for now and worry about it later. You continue through the segment, reading a few more letters before cutting off for a break.

“And that’s all we’re gonna read for today, everyone! Now let’s listen to some of the most recently released songs to brighten our mood!” A song immediately played, mics switching off the exact moment. Brian then turned to you with a serious look. “So,” he dragged, sending you a teasing look, “are you gonna go to your admirer or…?” You stuttered, slightly confused by what he meant. “I think we all have an idea who the message is from. Look, I know this is your last day here, but I don’t mind you leaving if you wanna talk to that friend of yours to give your answer. Love is more important than some silly talk show!”

Your shoulders slumped, feeling guilty about leaving. “But, I feel bad. I can’t just leave! I can just give my answer later!”

Seungmin patted your back, wordlessly urging you to go. Minho, however, was a lot more verbal. “The two of you waited years for this to happen,” he scolded, giving you a parent-like glare. “Now that you finally have some progress, you’re gonna let it sit aside? Just go! We’ll cover for you, Y/n!” You glanced over the other two men once more and earned their okay, Brian shooing you like a cat. You thanked them all, removing your headset and grabbing your things, rushing out of the recording studio. They all cheered for you. “Good luck, Y/n!”

You sprinted as fast you could to his dorms, apathetic to the weird glances scanning your wild figure. Was it dangerous to run around like a maniac as the sun set? Probably, but you couldn’t care less. What was supposed to be a 30 minute walk from the radio station to Jeongin’s house was easily achieved in less than 20 minutes. You nearly slammed yourself against the front door, frantically knocking on it. “Jeongin!” you shouted, “Jeongin, please open up!” You continuously pounded your fist onto the door until it finally swung open, nearly causing you to hit whoever was behind it.

“Y/n?” Changbin stood there flabbergasted. Before he couldn have the chance to ask you what was wrong, you beat him to it.

“Where’s Jeongin? I need to talk to him!”

“Sorry but you missed him, kid. He went out not too long ago.”

“Really?” Your shoulders slumped, annoyance filling your chest. “Damn it!”

“Yeah, sorry, he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. If it helps though, I saw him run out that direction—” he said, pointing to his left, “—like a maniac earlier. I think he might’ve gone to your house. You should probably head there now just in case.”

Your irritation was short lived, quickly replaced by sheer relief. “Oh gosh, thanks, Bin!” you beamed, giving Changbin a tight hug. He chuckled, patting your back as returned the hug.

“Jeongin really does love you, Y/n,” Changbin said quietly. “I’m rooting for you both. Good luck!” You smiled, tightening your arms around him.

“Thank you.” You let go and dashed off to your house. Even if exhaustion was starting to kick in, you pushed yourself past your limits, driven by Jeongin’s love letter; you’ve waited far too long to stop now. You finally arrived home, chest heaving from running for the past 30 minutes. You whipped your head around in search of Jeongin, mentally screaming when you didn’t see him outside. You jogged over to your front door, thinking he might come over later. Reaching into your bag, you grabbed your keys and unlocked your door, ready to somewhat relax. However, instead of coming home to an empty living room, you were met with your best friend sitting right in the middle of your couch, holding a little bundle of light purple and white flowers in his arms. “Jeongin?”

He stood up, the tissue paper around the flowers crinkled as he moved. “Hi, Y/n,” he smiled, handing you the bouquet. “Sorry for just being in here without you knowing. I thought that I’d finally use that spare key you lent me.” You cautiously walked up to him, taking the bouquet into your hands.

“Flowers?”

“Yeah! I hope you don’t think they’re too cheesy,” Jeongin giggled, playing with his earlobe out of nervousness. His hand loomed over the purple and white flowers, as he smiled fondly, looking at you with a soft gaze. “I asked Seungmin and Hyunjin to help me out. Did you know that lilacs represent a person’s ‘first love’, and that these little white ones, the baby breath’s, basically represent everlasting love? Cute, right? Too bad they’re kinda poisonous, apparently. Oh, but don’t worry though, the baby breath’s are plastic! Don’t wanna kill off the love of my life.”

He giggled once more, moving his hands to cover his flushed face. You stared down at the simple bouquet, nearly tearing up at its message. ‘You are the first person I’ve ever loved, and hopefully the last. There can be no one else in this world that I’d love the way I love you.’

Tears started to roll down your cheeks. You tossed the bouquet onto the table, grabbed his face and gently pressed your lips onto his, catching him off guard. Jeongin stumbled a bit before catching his balance and returned the kiss, his hands moving to encircle your waist and cup your face. With just one touch of your delicate lips against one another, the both of you could feel the plethora of emotions surging through your bodies. Years of unspoken yearning was now nothing more than a silly thought. The two of you slowly departed once the demand of air was too great to ignore, nothing but pure love glazed over your eyes.

“I love you, Y/n,” Jeongin professed, “I meant every word in that letter.” You smiled, bringing him back into another kiss. Your arms twisted around his broad frame, pulling each other closer. The feeling of your lips against his felt surreal. It was addicting.

You pulled away and whispered breathlessly, “More.” Jeongin’s grip on your waist tightened, the sweet request sending delightful shivers down his spine. He moved his head to kiss you in another angle. However, the action still was not enough. “More, please…”

The once innocent kiss slowly grew with salacious fervor. Your tongue swirled against each other like a sensual dance, hands roaming freely, caressing and squeezing parts neither of you thought would ever touch. His knee slides in between your legs, grinding itself against your dampening core, making you whimper. The heat between your bodies was starting to grow unbearable. You both needed more.

“Jeongin…” you whined, slightly grinding your body against his, “…need more…Please…” Jeongin’s pants were tightening by the second, and your needy pleas were not helping. He groaned, begrudgingly separating yourselves from each other, resulting in a needy cry from you.

“Y/n,” he panted. “W-We should stop while we still can. I feel like I’m gonna lose it!”

You grasped his collar, harshly pulling his face to yours, staring him down with lust. “Then lose it. What’s stopping you?” Immediately, Jeongin lifted you into his arms, running into your bedroom. He opened and slammed the door shut, not caring about the loud noise he made since he had a feeling that won’t be the noise your neighbors would be complaining about tonight. He carefully placed you on your bed, hovering above you, eyes staring you down with the same amount of hunger in yours. His eyes raked up and down your body, silently asking for your permission to proceed. Earning a nod from you, he leaned down and kissed you once more, sliding his tongue back inside your mouth while he lifted your shirt to fondle your chest.

You let out a breathy sigh, enjoying the way his large hands squeezed your breasts. Jeongin separated his lips from yours, a thin string of saliva still connecting you together, to move down to your neck. You twisted your head around, switching from baring your neck to enclosing it with stifled giggles, his plush lips sending a pleasurable but ticklish sensation. “Wait, stop,” you tittered, “it tickles, Innie! Nooo!” He immediately stopped, looking up with an exasperated yet amused expression.

“This is supposed to feel good, not tickle you, you weirdo!” Jeongin quipped, sticking his finger out to stroke the exact spot he was sucking on seconds ago. At the sight of your joyful laugh, his eyes crinkled in adoration.

“I’m sorry! I can’t help it!”

“Well, you ruined the sexy mood!” he joked. The sound of laughter filled the empty room, the intense atmosphere instantly shattering. You giggles ceased, continuing to gaze in each other’s eyes. Your right hand moved from his shoulder to his face, gently cupping his cheek. Jeongin’s smile widened, leaning into your touch.

“I love you, Innie,” you spoke softly. “I’m sorry for overreacting and ignoring you.”

He shook his head. “No, don’t be sorry, it’s my fault. You were right to get mad, I did basically lie to you and I’m sorry for that. It was kinda a jerky move.”

“I guess we really are just idiots in love, huh?”

“Tell me about it, can you believe I actually listened to Hyunjin and Jisung’s plan?”

“That was their idea?” you snorted. “That makes a lot more sense.”

“They had good intentions! Wrong approach, yeah, but they just wanted to help!”

You sat up, chuckling. Jokingly, you said, “Still, remind me to kill them later.” Jeongin nodded and muttered a playful “Gotcha” as he sat up with you. He urged you to sit on his lap, to which you immediately took, kissing your forehead once you were settled. The two of you connected your lips once more, the kiss now softer than before.

“Do you still wanna continue?” Jeongin asked. The second you agreed, his hands moved from your waist to your rear, bringing your lower body flat against him. The feeling of his hardened dick grinding against your core had you both groaning in pleasure. You moved his hands to the waistband of your bottoms, coaxing him to remove them from your body. Jeongin followed through, looking up at you for confirmation—to which you verbally gave him your okay—and slipped both your pants and underwear down as you removed your upper garments, leaving yourself bare. He nearly smirked when he noticed the string of arousal connecting itself from your vulva to your panties. “So wet,” he murmured, half-cockily, half-surprised, which made you blush. His forefinger brushed against your damp lips, gathering up your slick.

An erotically shaky breath escaped your lips. You closed your eyes, relishing his light touch. Gathering enough arousal, he slowly inserted his finger inside you, catching you off guard. “Ah!” you jolted, mewling.

“Sorry, did that hurt?”

“N-no, you didn’t—oh fuck, that feels good.” Jeongin pumped his finger in and out, watching your face contort in pleasure. He wiggled his finger several times before adding another finger. You cried out, throwing your head back. “Shit, Jeongin!” You panted, chest heaving deliciously. He attached his mouth to your breasts, tongue swirled around your nipple. You twisted and moaned, the stimulation on your chest and in your cunt made you dizzy. You were so close to your release, tightening when Jeongin switched to the other nipple. “C-clit, Jeongin. Here—oh—!”

“Here?” His thumb moved up to play with the little bundle of nerves above, making you arch your back with a pleasured whine. The speed of his fingers increased, feeling you tighten more and more around them. He chuckled when your body started to shake, signaling that you were about to cum. He moved his head to your ear, pecking your jaw. “Let go, beautiful,” he whispered huskily. The unexpected command triggered your release, his tone sending shivers down your spine. You let out a keen moan, body twisting and shaking as you cummed, Jeongin helping you ride out your high. He carefully slipped his fingers out, panicking when you collapsed on top of him. “Shit, are you okay!?”

Chuckling, you nodded. “Holy fuck, you filthy virgin, how are you so good?”

Knowing that you’re still conscious and responsive enough to crack a joke, your best friend sighed in relief. “Porn,” he grinned cheekily, causing you to roll your eyes and lightly slap his chest. You were about to let out a snarky comeback, freezing when Jeongin stuck his soiled fingers inside his mouth. His pink tongue lapped up every bit of cum on his digits. Your face heated in embarrassment, hiding yourself in the juncture of his neck. “Jeongin!”

“What?” he simpered. “Don’t wanna put anything to waste, right?” You looked up to see his condescending smile. It was clear that he enjoyed seeing you so flustered in this way. You covered your reddened face while he laughed.

“You’re still fully covered…” you muttered, slowly moving your hands away. Jeongin briefly looked down then back to you, his smirk widening.

“We should change that, shouldn’t we?” he teased. He got off of the bed, slowly removing his clothes, giving you a little strip tease; forcing himself to ignore his shyness and to not back down. Before he could remove his boxer briefs, a crucial realization struck. “Crap, I don’t have any condoms…”

“It’s okay, I have some in that drawer over there.” Jeongin looked over and walked to where you were pointing at. He opened the drawer, blushing when he saw your neatly folded underwear inside. “In here?” he timidly asked, throwing you an embarrassed look. “Why do you even have condoms?”

Now it was your turn to smirk. “Aww, are you getting shy? You better not be, especially after fingering me and shamelessly eating my cum!” you raised your brow. “The condoms are buried in the corner somewhere. And for your information, a friend of mine bought them for me as a joke, I just never threw them out cause I thought they might come in handy one day!”

“Good thing you didn’t,” he snickered, pulling out the box and closing your underwear drawer. He pulled out one packet and placed the box on top of the drawer, walking back to the bed. He was about to open the package before your hands stopped him.

“Let me do it.” You tore it open, pulling out the rubber then tossing the trash onto the floor. At the same time, Jeongin pulled down his underwear, his red cock slapping against his toned stomach. You wrapped your hands around his stiff length, giving it a few strokes, which resulted in Jeongin to moan, before pinching the tip of the condom and rolling it onto him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and laid back onto the bed, bringing him down with you. He kissed your lips one more time, scooting back a bit to position himself to your vagina, his tip grazing your entrance.

“Are you gonna be okay?” he questioned, eyebrows furrowing in worry. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll tell you when to stop. Just go slowly.” Nodding, his hand carefully guided his dick inside you, going as slow as he could, hands going back to either side of your head. Your mouth hung open, a mix of mild pain and pleasure shot up your back. Jeongin immediately leaned down and kissed your lips after hearing the slight discomfort in your whine. You squeezed your eyes shut, forcing yourself to focus on the pleasurable aspect. You pulled away and breathlessly commented, “Holy shit, you’re bigger than I thought.” Naturally, Jeongin’s ego inflated, cheeks reddening out of shyness.

“Sorry?” he said, grinding his hips against yours to test the waters. Hearing your whimpers grow louder and needier, he slowly pulled out half way and slammed back inside, causing you to let out a loud moan. He continued the action, his hips gradually moving faster and faster with each desperate cry of his name.

“M-more!” you whimpered, “Go faster, p-please!” Jeongin groaned, sitting up to adjust himself. His large hands moved to your legs, spreading them wider. His pace increased, roughly pounding into you. Despite the cool air from the air conditioning, the heat from your bodies caused sweat to roll down your head; the sounds of skin slapping and heavy pants and moans filled the room. Your hands moved to his back, clawing at it. “Harder! Harder! Fuck, keep going, Jeongin!”

Your arched your back, heaving chest, tear-stained face, and loud, desperate moans hypnotized him. He wanted to see more. Throwing his head back with a loud moan, obsessed with the tantalizing squeeze of your pussy, he hissed, “Oh God, you feel so good, Y/n—fuck!” He hooked his hands under your knees, lifting your legs over his shoulders, enabling him to reach deeper inside you. Your eyes rolled back, the tip of his cock hitting your sweet spot. The pornographic moans that escaped your sweet lips had Jeongin’s cock throbbing.

He was dangerously close to the edge; your slick cunt was getting too much for him to handle. Not wanting to cum first, his hand cupped your cunt, thumb moving back to your clit, circling it in a way that had you seeing stars. “Ah shit!” you screamed, tears of pleasure streaming down your already messy face. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, OH FUCK!” Jeongin leaned forward to kiss you, shoving his tongue back inside your mouth. It took three more thrusts from Jeongin for your sanity to shatter. Your body spasming as you cummed, the milky fluid coating his length as he fucked you through your high, some of it spilling out of you.

Your pulsating cunt pushed Jeongin to his release. His body stilled, ejaculating into the condom. He pushed his face onto your pillow, moaning right in your ear. He rolled his hips into you a few times then pulled out, more of your fluids flowing out. Jeongin carefully removed the condom, getting up and tying it to dispose of it. You watched him through drowsy eyes, giggling when something crossed your mind. Wiggling your eyebrows when you made eye contact, you said, “That was so good, looks like watching porn every night really paid off!”

“Shut up!” he groaned with a laugh, threatening to throw the used rubber to your face. As he was going back to the bed, he bent down to pick up his t-shirt and sweater, separating them from each other, using the shirt to clean your messy bodies. He laid back down with you, throwing the dirtied shirt across your room.

You took your blanket and covered your naked bodies to protect yourselves against the cold air, cuddling to strengthen the heat. You nuzzled your face to his chest, taking in his scent. “So, when did you realize that you loved me?” you whispered, tracing curved lines onto his broad chest. Jeongin let out a breathy chuckle, reminiscing the exact moment his whole world changed.

“God, honestly, I think I’ve loved for a long time now but never acknowledged it until, like, our last year of middle school,” he laughed. “That was the year I got my braces!”

You giggled. “Of course, you were so cute back then.”

“Hey, are you trying to tell me that I’m not cute anymore?”

“Your words, not mine,” you joked, pecking his jaw.

Jeongin giggled, pulling you closer in an attempt to crush your body. “Rude. Even after I’ve confessed my love for you, you still continue to bully me,” he snickered, shuffling his body lower to rest his head against yours. “You know that kid who used to pick on me? I remember him saying something so mean about them, I legit cried! I really wanted to run away and bawl my eyes out, but then you saw us and pushed the kid to the ground and yelled at him, and I quote, ‘for being a little bitch and bullying other kids’!”

“Ah,” you cringed, “gosh, why was I such a violent kid?”

“Don’t be embarrassed, I like that about you!” Jeongin laughed. “You were one of my role models, actually! You’re so happy, strong-willed, independent, always helping those in need, aka me. You always knew what you wanted and worked hard for it. It was always so, so admirable, I was kinda jealous! I remember thinking ‘wow she’s so cool, I am so in love with her’!” Flustered, you buried your face in his chest again, mumbling something about how sweet but embarrassing his words were. He laughed again, rubbing your bare back in reassurance. “You know, as cliche as our whole love story is, at least now we finally have each other,” Jeongin kissed your nose, the two of you giggling. “Can’t believe we spent the last few years doubting ourselves. God, does that mean we could’ve been doing this all this time?”

“What? The sex?” you teased, making him panic.

“NO! Of course not! I meant we could’ve been doing this! The late night sweet talking, the cuddling without getting nervous, the gentle kisses? Everything we could’ve been freely doing as a couple. Honestly, I’m kinda frustrated with myself!”

“Aww, don’t be! Now we can do it, yeah?”

Jeongin sighed. “True. Better late than never!” he chuckled, earning a giggle from the both of you. You laid in serenity, basking in the feeling of finally being in each other’s arms…

“Wanna go another round to make up for lost time?”

“…Hurry up and fuck me dumb then, lover boy~”