early steps —

[7:57AM] the warm breeze lifted the hem of your sundress lightly before it slid back into its place, sinching at your thigh with each brisk step you took. a bag was securely sling over your chest and tightly snug in your arms, it’s contents barely moving because of your care. you buzzed with excitement as you hustled along the countryside road, the smell of the flowering trees and bushes soaking into the humid air.

around the corner, down the hill. the train station was in sight. in the distance the train whistled, signaling it had come and gone. your speed picked up and sandal clad feet ran as fast as they could without causing you to stumble. a figure stood on the platform. a mop of brown hair and white button up. jun had noticed you running towards him and his lips quivered into a shy grin.

the sun was still rising up into the sky when jun stepped off the platform and was now waiting for you. “running late?” he called out.

you skidded to a halt, knees wobbly and feet turned inwards as you caught your breath. “running, for sure, but not late.”

raspberry days—

[4:37PM] the plug in fan stuttered along its track as it turned left and right, providing a few seconds of cool air before it was gone and back again. an almost empty pitcher of lemonade sat on the coffee table, drops of its condensation dripping down and landing in a ring-like puddle. it was starting to get warm outside, a sign of the hot summer days approaching.

stretched out on the sofa, one leg lazily hanging off the edge, was donghyuck. he was focused intently on his game of animal crossing running on his switch, fingers nimbly moving around the joysticks. his basketball shorts were low on his waist and his shirt had ridden up, exposing a small part of his cute tummy. you tried not to stare, but your eyes kept managing to get stuck there, heat rising to your cheeks.

“when you’re done staring, you wanna send me your island code so I can visit?” his sudden statement sent you into a panicked frenzy, your knee knocking into the fan and nearly tipping it over. donghyuck let out a short, breathy laugh. “a klutz as always I see.”

you scoffed, scooting over to his side. your switch was resting on a nearby pillow, waiting for you to return to your gameplay. while he was momentarily distracted, you took this opportunity to move even closer. “who are you calling a klutz!?” then you planted your lips right on his belly button and blew a raspberry.

donghyuck seized up immediately into bursts of giggles, his hands furiously trying to push you off as his knees curled into himself. the skin of his tummy was warm on your lips and you could barely blow a second raspberry when he shook himself so much, he rolled off the sofa and right on top of you with a thud.

groaning, you freed your arm out from underneath you and tried to push all of your hair out of your face and mouth. “get off, you’re squishing me!” you complained, attempting to somehow move donghyuck off of your stomach. he wouldn’t budge, if anything he tried scooting so that he was even more on top of you than before. rolling over and pushing himself up so that he was hovering over you, he grinned.

“now why should I listen to you after you were so mean to me? hm?” a hand snaked down to your side and merciless tickled your ribs. you shrilled and made a move to kick him off. he laughed at your pathetic attempts while also trying to avoid your free hand swatting at him. “oh how the turntables!” he stopped his attack and you took that moment to catch your breath. then a pair of warm and soft lips met your forehead. donhyuck smiled down at you when he pulled away.

ocean waves—

[8:48AM] you pushed open the screen door and stepped out onto the deck, the warmth of the sunbathed wood made your toes curl. taking a deep breath of the crisp, morning air and stretching your arms as high as they could go, you yawned. the ocean glittered in the sun and waves toppled into the shore. seagulls cawed ahead and cicadas chirped.

there was a figure out in the waves and you smiled. taking a seat on the steps descending down to the beach, you watched the figure glide across the waves on their surfboard. it amazed you, the clumsy mingi that worked at the board shop was an excellent surfer. he crashed into things and tripped over his own feet, and yet watching him surf was like watching a whole different person.

it looked as if the waves were dying down, and mingi started paddling towards the shore. you grabbed the beach towel that was drying on the rails from the day before and headed down to great him. you wouldn’t dare admit it out loud, but he always looked so good after practicing. as if the skin tight wetsuit wasn’t enough, flushed cheeks and wet hair was also a sight to behold. especially if he was smiling as brightly as he was at this moment.

“y/n! here on time again,” he grinned. he took the towel from you and threw it over his head, drying his hair.

you gave him a lopsided smile. “right, you surf down here every morning now that i bring you stuff,” you teased. mingi’s cheeks went red again. he tried to protest that it was simply because the waves were better here, but you weren’t having it. “admit it, you like having someone cute bring you a towel every morning.”

he huffed and turned his body towards you. “so what if i do?”

you weren’t expecting him to respond like that, now you didn’t know what to say. mingi leaned in a little close and you got ready to step back. “but you like having a cute surfer boy to watch every morning, especially if they look as good as I do in a wetsuit.”

your mouth went dry, he got you there. “you- you’re too close,” you tried to change the conversation.

mingi stepped back and placed his board under his arm. “if you’d like I could give you a lesson tomorrow morning for a change.” he leaned in again. “that way you can get a good look of all this up close.” then he winked and started jogging down the beach.

stardust—

[2:03 AM] you weren’t supposed to see him. the stars that painted his cheeks or the galaxies in his eyes. the fiery warmth of his skin was a feeling you shouldn’t know or long for. the nebulas in the silky folds of his garments, the mischief that came with each cheeky grin.

his eyes studied you peering out your window, falling stars danced in the sky and he happened to pass by. down he came, curious and intreguied. would your fingers bend and curl like his? did your lips feel as soft they looked?

you didn’t know what to make of the boy in front of you, but you didn’t feel frightened or alarmed. was he an angel? he had no wings, no halo. stars were nestled in hair and he gently cupped your face with one hand, the other hand found yours. he studied you closely, thumbs brushing over the scarlet in your cheeks and the smooth skin of your palm.

“beautiful,” he murmured.

a calm wind picked up the skirt of your nightgown and tresses of your hair. a steady thump of your heart, a step on your tip toes. you wanted to get closer. fingers curled on the windowsill as your lips gently pressed against his. the explosion of a thousand stars ignited in your core and the rebirth of the heavens sounded. he responded to your kiss with a smile and a shy laugh.

then he was gone. was it a dream? your hand and face still felt the warmth of his touch and a name was branded on your tongue.

warm—

[8:39PM] a red dress was hanging up next to a nice suit. you happily snuggled under the covers on your boyfriend’s bed, his shirt and sweatpants keeping you oh so cozy. everything smelled like him and you felt like you were being held by him. even though he was in the bathroom ten feet away.

nothing could actually compare to being held by him, and you were feeling a lack of warmth. “babe? i’m cold,” you called out. there was a moment of silence.

“okay, just a second!” he yelled back, muffled by the bathroom door. you waited, he was probably washing his face. then the bathroom door was flung open and jaehyun was bracing on the doorframe, a big mischievous smile on his face. he still had on his bear ears headband. “good thing i’m the hottest thing alive!”

then he pounced onto the bed, basically squishing you in the process. you yelped before groaning underneath his weight.

“better?”

“it would be if i could breathe,” came your response in between gasps for air. jaehyun rolled off of you so you could breathe again. he gently stroked your hair as you shimmied closer to him. “now this is more like it.”

STOP IT I WILL CRY

arrangements

[2:56PM] you sat on the old stone bench, moss creeping at the legs. the warm grass tickled your feet and there was a bumblebee that kept whizzing by. the garden was quiet, you could vaguely hear the creek trickling in the distance.

you were hiding here, no, avoiding. you were in plain sight but that didn’t matter all too much. no one would bother a princess in a garden would they? you didn’t look much like a princess anyways. your crown was sitting safe in your room, your hair was down instead of pinned away tightly. instead of a bustling gown, a simple dress in a pale color that felt light and airy. no shoes or stockings, you were bare.

seungmin knew better than to come looking for you, not unless he wanted to try helping you practice sword fighting again. after all, in order to get out of the stupid arranged marriage you had to defeat your father in battle, to prove you were strong and well witted enough to rule the country alone.

you remember very well the day the marriage was announced, to the entire kingdom and other kingdoms as well. seungmin’s mother and your father arranged for you two to be wed on the eve of the summer slostace, which was now only weeks away. of course, you and seungmin strongly disliked each other since you were children, and had no say whatsoever in the marriage.

the only time you two got along was during dual practice. you could call each other foul names and get the aggression out. to the rest of the kingdom, he was a sweet boy, an angel. to you, there was always something off about him, something that made your grind your teeth and furrow your brows. that is, until recently.

whenever your form was off during a battle practice, seungmin would stand behind you and place his hands over your own. you could feel his breath tickle the skin of your neck and ears, and his voice so gently tell you how to adjust your form. it made your heart race and you couldn’t focus. when you saw him joke around with the other boys his age in the kingdom, his smiling face and laughter clear as a bell warmed even the coldest cracks in your heart.

all these feelings, and yet you were supposed to hate him. after all, he hated you. thus you were hiding.

"y/n?"

out of reflex, you leapt off the bench and ducked among the flowers. you could see seungmin approach, the wind rustling his golden hair. he was wearing his white billowed shirt and black trousers.

"what are you doing?"

shoot, you had been found. "i- uh, was just napping."

seungmin raised a brow and an amused smile twitched on his lips. "not disturbing you am i?"

you stood up and brushed the skirt of your dress off, ears feeling hot. "not anymore... why?"

seungmin looked away and scratched his neck. "can we, uh, walk for a bit?" he extended his hand out to you. your eyes widened. the seungmin, your enemy, who hates you, is holding his hand out to you? your heart started to thump wildly.

"what are you waiting for? don't make me regret this," he huffed, cheeks warm.

you smiled and took his hand. "okay, minnie."