no song effects me anymore

[...]

“shield me, oh handsome yohan, before i wither away from too much sun exposure. this is one of those times that i admire the fact i’m short enough to hide behind your back. the other times? not so much. ” she moaned, completely uncaring of their close proximity in an exposed, public area. they were friends, so it never mattered to miki if she should be too careful, even as a trainee, in her physical contact with others, not especially if she was close to them just as how she was to yohan. 

a year or two ago yohan had thought he had a pretty good grasp on fashion and how to dress himself, but after becoming a trainee, well now he knew he had no idea what he was doing. “do you really trust me to buy a pair of shoes by myself?” yohan’s abysmal fashion sense was a running group among his friend group after the last time he went shopping and returned with a bright yellow bucket hat that he tried to make work for months. “maybe i will buy something bright and ugly just to wear around you. what do you think?” yohan can’t help but continue to tease miki. it was one of his favorite pasttimes, and it truly showed how comfortable yohan was with miki that he was able to do it so effortlessly.

“deal!” yohan’s quick to agree. spending the rest of the day at the arcade after an hour or two of trying to find shoes? of course he’s going to say yes. he can’t help but to shake his head at miki’s antics, “comfort dressing, huh? mayb—“ his words are cut off as he watches miki disappear only for her to hide herself behind him, his shirt tightly held in her grip. “what are you doing? sun exposure? what are you a vampire?” he tries to take a few steps forward, awkwardly stumbling when he feels miki running into his back again.

“this is hard. how am i supposed to walk like this?” he whines at her, face turning a bright scarlet color as he looks around at the look on the faces of strangers as they move past him. “and people are staring at us.” of course if there’s something yohan really worries about, it’s what other people think. he doesn’t mind miki hanging off of him, it’s something he’s grown used to in all of the time he’s been friends with her. it’s the looks on the faces of strangers, the disapproval that makes him turn bright red with shame and frustration. he’s come a long way from where he used to be in the beginning of his trainee career. but he still has a long way to go before he stops thinking about his actions in the eyes of others. “come on, the sooner we go, the sooner we can get out of the sun and get to the arcade.” 

[...]

“i hope it won’t be the last time we get together.” yushin pauses, eyes on the table, words only loud enough for yohan to hear. “i hope we can be okay again.” the closest thing he can relinquish without asking for forgiveness, or apologizing properly; it seems he can’t stem where they even went wrong, but youth and pettiness will get the best of anyone. “if that’s alright with you.” 

he doesn’t know if it’s an old habit or a testament to how comfortable yohan is feeling, but he can’t help but to smile widely at yushin, his voice coming out in a teasing tone. “i mean i’m not saying you’re picky if that’s what you’re implying.” he can’t help but to laugh, glad that they were doing this. his entire mood had changed from what he had started with. gone was the frustration and anger over his own inability to correct move his body, to dance the way the rest of the members of his training group. instead it’s been replaced by a happy feeling, a nostalgia that makes his heart feeling lighter and brighter. “you’re right, you’re easy going. i know you’ll eat all of the stuff i order for you right? clean the plates and bowls and tell me how good it was?” his teasing tone continues as he picks a seat on the other side of yushin.

pulling off his heavy coat he sinks in the warmth the small restaurant offers to him. the walk had been a short one but it had been frigid and the cold had sunk down right into his bones. but he was feeling better surrounded by a familiar place and the smell of delicious food in the air. the company he was keeping for this evening only helped to strengthen it. yohan falls into the seat and leans over to look at the menus spread out in front of them. he bites at his bottom lip as he takes in the list of options and picks out a few of his favorites to think over.

“i didn’t come here daily! just a few times a week. the food in the cafeteria is okay but this stuff is better.” glancing up at yushin, he fights the urge to freeze in place. it’s like looking at a photo, a memory of a simplier time, but of course things are different. the yushin in his mind is younger with messy hair and the collar of his school uniform undone. this yushin however, although ruffled and tired from practice, is more put together than the yushin of memories ever was. he shakes his head and instead slides the menu closer to him. “are you sure? you know i’ll eat whatever is put down in front of me.” and that much is true even back in the day. yohan was easy to place, went wherever anyone else wanted to go and just usually picked something from the random. there were a few things he hated with a passion but otherwise he wasn’t picky, simply liking food.

shrugging a shoulder, yohan flags down the waiter and places their order with the few favorites he had picked out earlier. sinking back into his seat, he took in the nearly empty restaurant around them, confused for a moment before realizing the time is probably the reason why. his eyes flicker back to yushin as he hears him start to speak. it had been a long time, a very long time since they’ve sat across from each other. in the past there would have been more conversation, more teasing, way more touching as they liked to push and prod at each other. but yohan’s selfish and he likes this too. “it has. but i like to think that maybe this is the start of a new direction.”

[...]

“i’ll wait for you on that table.” he pointed to a corner of the cafe at an empty spot near the window. “get to thinking what we should eat! or order in, whatever you want.” he said indulgently, finally although belatedly, pushing his chair back and inwards once standing back into the counter to step away from there. “i have a game to catch up on!” he nearly skipped away, and thus the waiting begun. 

yohan was excited, to say the least. he never expected the invitation to spend time with insoo but once it was given, he hoped with every fiber of his being that it wouldn’t be rescinded. it had been a long time since he had gone out and spent time with someone he considered a friend, or at least a potential good friend in insoo’s case. seeing him at the cafe brightened his day and now he would get to experience what it was like outside of that safe setting they had grown close in.

he pouts a bit as his hair is ruffled and pushed into his eyes, he fixes the fluffy curls and moves to whine at insoo but the words get stuck in his throat as he feels the tug on his shirt. instead he swallows the words and flushes a bright red color instantly. he had showered before work, because of course he did, but that had been a few hours ago and yohan had been working with coffee and other ingredients all day. he probably smelled like more than just coffee, remembering the sandwiches he had made for a few customers not even an hour ago. he ducks his head down a bit, bright red color flowing from his cheeks to his neck and his ears also turning a bright scarlet color, giving his secret away. “oh my god, i’m so sorry. i probably smell worse than just coffee.” this time he does whine, shaking his head as he smiles widely at insoo. “you’re just being nice to me.” and for once in his life, yohan is glad for his intense laundry routines, praying to the laundry gods that the smell of detergent sticks and the smell of coffee fades once they finally leave the cafe.

[...]

“can you believe it’s been so much time already? time flies when we keep busy.” he idly busies himself with the concrete in front of them, their gaits a bit awkward as they bump into one another due to proximity. admittedly, yushin hasn’t put much effort into mending their friendship but it’s stupid to hold onto grudges. he rarely does this, and feels petty for having done so at the start, instead of letting bygones be bygones. that and now that he’s with his friend outside of the work setting, it’s simple, truly. he’ll do better. “is this the place?” yushin blinks when he stares up at the sign of the place yohan has brought them to, releasing his hold to open the door. “come on, i think it’s actually colder than it feels. i am going to order some hot tea as well, which is probably healthier than soda anyway…”

it was cold, a lot colder than yohan thought it would be when they stepped outside. he shivered down into this cold, his nose and ears already red. while he didn’t really care what yushin picked food wise he was infinitely glad he picked hotpot now, at least it gave him a chance to look forward to being warm for a while before they had to walk back to the dorms in this.

“it’s not far thankfully. just a few blocks.” the walk to the restaurant is familiar, something that yohan does at least once a month. on the days they were given off, yohan liked to explore all that seoul had to offer, his favorite being the bookstores and food places alike. this particular restaurant had been one of the first that yohan had stumbled on, half asleep and hungry. it was after a particularly long and grueling practice that had left him sore and angry with himself while wandering the streets of the neighbor. yohan had been lured in by the lights and the smell of food and the good atmosphere and the nice staff had him coming back pretty often.

“i guess it works out for us because i’m flexible. though hungry enough i will pick for you.” yohan teases, a smile breaking out across his face as he burrows down deeper in his coat. “also i don’t think even you’d be able to last long out here, mulling over your choices in a cold as sharp as this. i feel like my fingers are going to fall off.” he jokes. “then again, you’ve surprised me before so many you would be able to do it.”

“right? winter came a lot faster than i thought it would. but the years past by in the blink of an eye anymore.” and it’s true, it had felt like forever since yohan had come to the company though each day seems to pass by both slowly and quickly. another year and yohan is older and still fighting hard to chase after his dream. a well of anxiety blooms in his chest but he does his best to push it down. he doesn’t want to think about the worries and stress that haunt him at night or whenever anyone from home calls to check on him. instead he lets it go for now as they finally reach the restaurant. “yeah this is the right one.”

[...]

“come on, lets go before everything closes,” grabbing their jackets and dragging the other practically by the elbow, heading out of the practice room. ‘we’re getting you out of here before you decide to turn back around, and turn on the music again, and don’t get me wrong, i love that song, but not if i hear it one more time today, yohan.” 

yohan lets the words yushin spoke wash over him. he wants to fight, to deny it, because if there was potential surely he would be able to do the simple move. but if he really thinks about it, thinks back to all of the months of hard work he put into himself and his dream, he knows that the other is right. yohan is a far cry from where he was and he knows with more hardwork and practice that he’ll get better than he is now. he’s just impatient and wants it now, but it’s not possible.

“you’re right,” he admits as he heads to the couch against the far wall to pick up hoodie, sliding it over his head as he says, “i’m just as impatient as ever.”

“wanna get hotpot?” yohan’s up for whatever yushin wants. he’s never been particularly picky over food, willing to try anything. but he knows they’re not dressed for anything upscale, not that his wallet would be able to afford it. “i know a place. i used to go there a lot during my first year in seoul.” he smiles widely at yushin, excited at the idea of heading back to a place he loves a lot. and if he admits to himself, he’s excited to share that place with yushin.

yohan let’s himself be led out of the practice room, the touch on his elbow so achingly familiar. it reminds him of times that he’d spend afternoons with yushin, attached to the hip as they visited cafes and bookstores. it makes something inside of him flare to life, a piece of yohan that longs for what they had, the closeness they shared when they were in school. but yohan knows that you can’t go backwards, you can only move forward. so he’ll take whatever yushin is willing to give him.

and he’ll be the first to admit that he’s surprised that they would even be like they are now. he had hoped in the beginning that his wishes were coming true, that yohan would have a chance to apologize to yushin and that they would maybe be able to rekindle their friendship. but his hopes had been destroyed after that first conversation with yushin. yohan had left the practice room that day angry and sure that he would never be able to talk to yushin again. but maybe it’s true when they say time heals wounds, because being with him now like this doesn’t hurt as much as it did in the beginning.

[...] 

“excuse me, i’m not princess peach. but close enough, i am a princess. so… you’re off the hook.” ara’s expression schools into a fake-disgruntled look, but ara doesn’t know much about princess bubblegum either way. “i’m princess bubblegum! from …adventure time. to be honest, i don’t know much about her so…. we’ll just keep it at that. it matched my hair…” ara trails off, feeling a bit lame; while it’s something she wouldn’t admit to just about anyone, she is willing to tell yohan the truth. “guessing you don’t watch that show either, unless you’re just teasing me,” her tone plucky as she takes a candy from him and slowly unwraps it before taking a small corner bite. “look at people with their matching costumes… man, we should have come as something together. it looks so.. fun.” she can’t tell if she’s being serious or not, considering there’s about multiple spiderman guys here, and a whole ensemble of sailor scouts.  

yohan’s the first to admit that he’s not the best at parties. they often leave him feeling out of place, unsure of where to go, who to talk to, or what to do. he thought the halloween party was going to be the same. honestly, he had every intention of skipping it. but his friends had argued with him, made it impossible for him to refuse. so he put on the costume and tried to be lighthearted about it though a feeling of anxiety was building up in his stomach.

right now he’s not regretting his decision to come at all. instead he’s sporting a wide grin that doesn’t seem will go away for a while. just the sight of ara had happiness blooming in his chest but getting the chance to talk to her, to tease and joke around with her. it was something yohan didn’t realize he needed until it was happening.

“first conversation in forever and you’re already letting me down.” yohan teases lightly while shaking his head. “i’m going to get you to watch all of them one day, mark my words.” but his thoughts about movie marathons are cut short as he feels the touch on his arm and hears ara’s words. he feels his his ears turning hot and red from embarrassment. “i mean, yeah. i workout sometimes.” that’s a lie, he works out any free time they get but he’ll never admit that, especially not to ara.

[...]

“i mean, uhm.” he fidgeted, thumbs playing with the rim of his cup, circling and smoothing over the edges. “if you want to, and can… today, maybe? if you have nothing to do?” his shift would start soon enough, after all. he was a bit eager (okay maybe a lot…). the fact that he was incapable of hiding it made him incredibly embarrassed now. “i haven’t done much other than work, and dance sometimes and… well, I dropped some time ago from college, but friends sometimes visit and stuff.” though not many, and not always. so insoo had found himself a bit friendless at this point. he’d been scouted recently by a few entertainment agencies, but he hadn’t decided what to do yet, at odds with his past and what he’d wanted to do for the future. it hadn’t been long since his father passed away, so he was still debating on a lot of things. he had to focus on paying his debt, and yet…

“i’m always sleepy,” yohan teases. but it’s the truth. he messed up his sleep schedule in high school due to many lates nights spent on homework and studying. nowadays yohan spends his nights wide awake and his mornings half asleep and exhausted. but luckily working in a coffee shop allows him all of the caffeine he could want, probably too much if he’s being honest.

back when they first started talking, yohan could have swore that insoo was just trying to be nice. maybe chat up the boy behind the counter for free treats or coffee, discounts. it’s not the first time someone has tried that with him and yohan isn’t naive enough to believe it won’t ever happen again. but insoo was different, has proved him wrong time and time again. but there was always this piece of doubt in yohan’s chest that whispered to him in these moments that insoo was just being nice, there was no way he wanted to hang out with the shy boy from behind the starbucks counter.

they’ve had plenty of conversations, sure, telling secrets and jokes and stories about their days everytime insoo comes in. but there’s always been a counter between them, a barrier that separates friends from customers. or at least that’s what yohan thought. but watching what seems to be pure excitement fill insoo to the brim, well it warms a place in yohan’s chest at the same time that tiny bit of tension that he seems to always carry in his shoulders seems to relax. the tiny voice that whispers doubt is quiet for once and yohan can’t help it when the soft smile he had been sporting blooms into the brightest grin across his face.

lgcxyohan​:

we go.

he’s not blind. he also has been in the same training group with yohan for a handful of months now, and that in combination with their history leads him to understand a little bit more about what yohan says, and what yohan doesn’t say. they’ve been amicable at best after their awkward re-introduction, with no thanks to both of their odd behaviours. it’s something yushin hasn’t bothered to correct after all this time. but it gets to a point where at least they’re holding some sort of conversation even if it’s smalltalk. the other trainees from the group had left already, but yohan insisted on repeating the song again and again. 

“you know it’s almost an hour past practice time, right?” the clock edges more towards 6 in the evening than 5pm, which is the end of their usual morning sessions. he doesn’t mind that yohan asked him to stay behind, he doesn’t mind. after all, while he has an eye for the choreography, yushin isn’t ever going to say he’s great at it, even after a few years of practice. “here, it’s probably muscle memory at this point but you keep missing this one movement, which makes you offbeat for the rest of the chorus.” he stops the song, and moves over to yohan, moving his arm to swing in the proper direction, the one step he keeps skipping. “see here, one, two three,-  then so on? yea, you’re missing the ‘three’.” and then he moves yohan’s arm ever so robotically, so that it can try to stick and replace what the younger boy has been doing repeatedly. “don’t get mad at yourself – you don’t have to say it,” the blonde gives yohan a pointed look. “i can tell. don’t be so critical. some of the trainees in this group are almost on the verge of graduating to the senior group. we’re all at different skill levels as it is. so…. don’t be so hard on yourself.” 

 “one more time. i’ll even do it with you this time, if you want. but…. it’s getting late and i’m getting hungry,” yushin sheepishly admits, scratching at his cheek as he looks away from yohan. “one more time then… let’s grab a bite to eat? or something? it’s friday. we should celebrate,” he says as if they don’t have practice on saturdays. unless the company gives them a little bit of a break during christmas break. it’s getting close to that time of the year.

“can you believe it’s 4 days to christmas?” he says in passing as he goes to press the music to play again. hopefully for the last time. he’s leaving with or without yohan because his stomach growls embarrassingly at the exact same time the music blares. he hopes the music was louder. 

yohan knows it was a good idea in the beginning to ask yushin to stay behind and help him. he trusts yushin to be honest with him, to point out his mistakes and what he can do to fix them. but yohan feels guilty. he feels bad for asking yushin to put in extra time with him while the other trainees got to leave to rest and eat dinner.

yohan pushes himself up, leaving his waterbottle to rest against the mirror. he runs a hand through his hair and sighs heavily. he almost tells yushin to go home, to just head back without him, that he’ll work on the next few pieces together. but yohan? well he’s selfish, he must be because he bites his tongue and moves to take his position. “just once more and then hopefully i’ll get it right.” and with guilt burning in the pit of his stomach he tries to follow along with what yushin is showing him.

he swallows down his frustation and allows yushin to move him, tries to memorize what he’s showing him. but everytime he moves his arm in what he thinks is the same way, it looks off, looks stiff and unnatural. yohan’s surprised but yushin has always known how to read him better than most people, and it looks like he still knows how to. he takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. “you’re right. it just sucks because i don’t think i’ll ever get it right. it’s like no matter what i do, i just can’t get it right.”

but yohan is nothing if not stubborn, so he grits his teeth and steels his nerves and lets the music wash over him. the beginning of the song is easier, muscle memory leading him through the parts he feels comfortable with almost as easy as breathing. it’s still messy, a bit disjointed but that’s just yohan’s style it seems. but as comes up through the chorus, he stumbles a bit in his steps but he refuses to let that throw him off. instead he centers his balance and works through the rest of the routine as they move out of the chorus and into the next verse. yohan tries, tries so hard to keep his limbs in check but instead of going right, he goes left. so he stops, midstep as the music continues on until it drops into silence for a moment before re-starting.

“ i am not! a brat!”  being friends and overly familiar with yohan proves something a little more than just fun, because no one ever sees this whiny little side of miki unless they’re truly close to the homebody herself. “fine fine, i’ll get out of the house.”  she grumbled, groaning and umphing as she struggled to pull on some pants while not hanging up on the phone, yelping as she nearly lost her balance and crashed into the closet. 

the little interlude of an incident is immediately shaken off, brushed off with patting hands and a clearing of her throat with a mild, threat towards yohan. 

“ you heard nothing.”  she declared. “ if you heard something, i will hide in the kitchen closet and you won’t be able to find me. ever.” she straightens up, yanking her socks on as she hopped her way to the living room of the dorm, slapping on the nearest hat and shuffling into her untied shoes, squeaking as she made the last few jumps to hitch up her track pants and brush down her shirt, before slamming open the door. 

“i’m here–ooh god the sun…” as dramatic as she had planned for her appearance to be in order to..well, emphasize on how exactly she was to say..displeased at being woken up abruptly from her lazing day, only to be deeply foiled by the blazing sun shining brightly, and merrily, might she disastrously add, in her face. 

“how do you stand the sun?” she whines like the big baby she is, plopping her way towards yohan with a big pout on her lips. “ and where are we going again?” 

yohan is barely able to hide his surprised smile. he was sure that he would fail, that his whining wouldn’t ever be enough to bring miki out of her room. it’s never worked before in the past and he thought for sure that he’d have to resort to begging (though that’s absolutely the last thing he wanted to do). but for once it seems like lady luck is in his corner, rooting for him for once. satisfied, he leans back into the bench content to wait.

yohan bites his lip to hide his already growing smile at her antics. shaking his head, he looks at the screen on his phone wondering how long it’ll take her to get ready and get her things together. he’s not expecting to be scared at the sound of the front door to the dorm building slamming open and announcing miki’s entrance, but he jumps, hand flying up to his chest as his heart threatens to burst out of his chest. he’s not sure why he didn’t expect it but in all honestly yohan should have known better. hanging up their call and pocketing his phone, he stands up to meet her taking in her bright track pants. he feel overdressed in an oversized graphic t-shirt and his favorite pair of jeans.

“the sun might not bother you if you weren’t so intent on becoming one with your mattress.” he teases, reaching out to tug at the hem of her shirt. “i need to buy a new pair of shoes and i was hoping we could check out this new arcade i heard about. but you look like you’re only ready to run to the mart instead.”

@lgcyushin

for as much as yohan loves to sing, dancing was not his forte in the slightest. it was hard, harder than any sport he had ever played as a kid or during school. he wasn’t clumsy, didn’t often lose his footing but it took him a while to visualize the moves let alone to try them. once he did try, he was hesitant, too mindful of his movements and body to feel comfortable moving along to the music.

it hadn’t gotten him in trouble it. but it only had taken his instructor pointing it out a handful of times before yohan made it a point to spend extra time in the practice rooms after lessons, running through the movements a few dozen times until his muscles were protesting.

tonight was no different. the only difference was the presence of yushin in the room with him. yohan still isn’t sure if he’s stupid for doing it or not, but something had possessed him to ask yushin to stay after lessons, to help him out with the moves he had struggled with today and earlier this week. he thought he might have to make excuses, to beg, letting yushin know the last thing yohan wanted to do was to drag the rest of the team down. but it surprised him, had caused him stumble over his words when the other had accepted easier than he thought.

that had been a few hours ago. they were still at it, the room stifling hot and the bass of the song shaking the floor and rattling the mirrors in front of him. yohan feels his shirt sticking to his skin, soaked to the brim with sweat. as he moves through the song ago, eyes wrapped on his own frame, he starts to feel exhaustion and frustration sinking into his skin and settling deep into his bones.

this is definitely long time coming but i’m so sorry to everyone that i had been plotting and messaging with a few months ago. the last few months have been super busy and stressful in my life, a lot more than i thought possible. but now it seems the dust has settled and i would love to finally give lgc the attention it deserves and plot with all of you!

3 am.

[...]

he wasn’t easy to open up, but all the more of a challenge and intrigue for insoo, who was as determined and relentless as an overgrown, attention-seeking pet. “i wanted to ask you last time when your birthday was. but lately i’ve been a bit overworked. have i told you i work at a ramen shop?” insoo mentioned casually as he sprawled on the counter, giving his best imitation of puppy eyes as he huffed. “i may need a shot of espresso on that one but then i could also regret it…” insoo was if anything, not in need of more energy. “…anyways- you’re always welcome to visit. my granny owns the shop, i told her about you and she said she’d love to meet you.” he added quickly. “what do you think? you wanna come visit hyung soon?”

yohan picks up the blank cup, marker ready to jot down insoo’s daily order on the side of it. it throws him off, hearing the request for food that yohan loses his grip on the cup before he manages to catch it seconds before dropping to the floor. biting his lip, yohan tries to stop the smile that threatens to bloom widely on his face. but he fails to hide it and instead tilts his head, up beaming at insoo as their eyes meet.

a laugh bubbles out of his chest as he feels his hair being ruffled, his hand writing slipping and sliding over the cup before he finally sets it down on the counter. luckily yohan’s the only one out here, otherwise he might have to apologize to his coworker again for his barely legible handwriting again. “i’m sleepy. but that’s nothing new.”

“how about you, hyung? it’s been a while since i’ve seen you in here.” yohan can’t help but to ask as he starts to work on the drink. he moves through the back with ease grabbing what he needs without a second thought, evidence that he’s done this enough that yohan could probably make drinks in his sleep if he really wanted to.

it only takes a few minutes before he’s sliding the drink across the counter, he uses the paper cup he had been holding earlier. honestly he had wanted to place it one of the cute glass mugs with matching plates they keep behind the counter, but yohan was too much of a coward to try it. he’s hopeful insoo might have enough time to stick around to actually enjoy it and maybe spend some time chatting with yohan. but he also knows his schedule is busier and yohan isn’t selfish enough to ask him.

“here you go, once chai latte with a shot of espresso.” yohan presents the drink with a flourish and a giggle. “although you should totally sleep rather than drinking more caffeine.” he says like he doesn’t spend most of his days relying on caffeine to get him through late night practices and early morning shifts.

if there’s one thing that yohan didn’t account for when coming to seoul, it was how much the large city would affect him. when daydreaming about his future, he thought about all of the fun things he would get to do and all of the opportunities that he would never get back home in daegu. he forgot to account for all of the things he would be leaving behind, all of the people he would be saying goodbye to. he didn’t realize how deeply homesickness would sink deep in during the late nights and take place up residence in his chest. “you didn’t. but i love ramen and would definitely love to visit you and and to meet your grandmother.”

[..].

miki licked her lips, pinching her nose and faking a chesty cough quickly as she kept the phone pressed to her ear. 

“i might also be falling sick.” she did her best to sound completely pinched and nasally, as though her nose had suddenly become blocked within a span of a few hot seconds. “i don’t know what it is, but i might be allergic to the idea of going out of my dorms and my bed.”

yohan waits, finger over the screen ready to end the call the moment he hears miki’s voicemail again. the ringing seems endless as he sits there, holding his breath, but he’s pleasantly surprised when he hears her voice loud and clear cutting through the ringing. he was sure that he was going to have to at least call her five more times before she gave and picked up.

he’s not sure how he pictured her answering the phone this time around, he had been prepared for yelling or maybe begging. but he’s taken off guard by the whining. he shakes his head as he listens to her rant, knowing she might have been on the edge of sleeps sure, but promises are promises.

and as much as yohan tries to fight it, the more he listens to her whine, he can’t help the giant smile that slowly blooms across his face. for as much as miki drives him crazy when she does this, he does find her cute. though he would never tell her that, it would be giving her the upper hand and he’s not that dumb. he struggles with her enough as it is, telling her that would just be adding more fuel to the proverbial fire.

yohan struggles to drop his smile, to school his face into a blank look, instead he clears his throat and sighs deeply into the phone. “you’re such a brat. you promised to spend this time with me weeks ago and here you are blowing me off. do you know how long i’ve been waiting out here for you?” yohan isn’t as good at their game as miki is but he tries occasionally, to give her a run for her money. “and instead i’m out here in the heat, waiting for you for hours, without water. i’m slowly melting away into nothing, giving myself heat stroke and you’re sleeping.” yohan whines back at her, trying to pout at the phone but failing and smiling instead.

“you don’t want to die, do you?”