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20cm (twenty centimeters)

jock!keita x fem!reader

genre: fluff! (slightly suggestive at the end and a little sprinkle of angst)

wc: 15k

highschool au, keita is in rugby, (one sided) enemies to lovers, reader is kinda a bitch (she gets better!), there’s plot holes, it’s just very silly, keitas a lil slow, reader is super tall, slow burn if you squint, even though it’s a songfic the lyrics are unrelated, happy ending!, no pt 2 probably

synopsis: keita would describe himself as a down-to-earth guy. he stands around 165, and has overgrown darkish brown hair he's been wanting to cut since may. he enjoys his rugby teammates and coffee. he likes cooking and cats, and he dislikes reading and homework. new entry on his dislikes: you.

a/n: it’s FINALLY out 🫶🫶 so much love went into this and there’s so many ideas that got scrapped but i hope it’s good anyways!

"did you hear..?"

"didn't someone say..?"

"i was told.."

keita had always disliked rumors and found them a waste of time. he had himself to worry about, not a student he had only vaguely heard the name of prior.

"did you hear someone was moving?"

"didn't someone say shes like 6'5?"

"i was told she was friends with half the students here already!"

these whispers were no different. who cares if there was an incoming student? sure, she might be tall. but is that enough to occupy someone's time? it seemed like all his friends were consumed by this newfound knowledge, constantly looking around the hallways for an unusual skyscraper. although the boy felt out of touch with the constant buzzing news, once he hears it keita always ends up unsatisfied.

"c'mon, you act like she's a celebrity" he rolled his eyes, slamming his locker shut before turning to beomgyu. he was met with a shrug, trailing behind his friend as they strolled through the halls. "i'm just happy theres finally someone taller than hanbin." keita nodded along. the constant knocking on the door frames by the basketball boys was always irritating. no matter how tall you are, that ritual is reserved for annoying 13-year-old boys. "maybe sungchan will finally get humbled." he mumbled to himself. The two captains were always grouped as a unit, along with the football (soccer) and hockey captains, much to keitas dismay. almost exclusively hanging out with them proved to be quite chaotic, where keita was left scolding them for their outbursts.

he hadn't noticed how deep in thought he was until he crashed into beomgyus shoulder, stumbling back a bit. "hey! why'd you suddenly stop-" keita hadn't gotten the chance to finish his thought before he looked up, joining his friend in his frozen state.

there, walking into the class next to theirs, was an unfamiliar face. actually, scratch that. they didn't even get to see her face. her head was obscured by sheer *leg*. nevermind humbling the basketball boys.. beomgyu visibly gulped in surprise.

"well. there's the new student I guess.." keita scratched his head, unsure of what to say. "yeah." was all beomgyu responded, walking inside their next period without another word.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

it wasnt long before the class came to an end, and all the students piled out one after another like a pack of animals. keita quickly maneuvered past them, making it to his locker perfectly in time to make it to his next class. only one problem. well actually two.

a pair of legs blocked his path. keita had the top locker, and the one on the bottom remained unoccupied for as long as he could remember, so hes never had issues getting to his until now. he had assumed whoever was there must've gotten mixed up, since theres no *way* someone would purposely block him.

as his eyes trailed to see who they belong to, his eyebrows quickly furrowed in discontent. "my lockers right there" he calmly stated, pointing to the area behind you. you put a hand on your eyebrows, pretending to look around before peering at the girl next to you. "you hear something minjeong?" winter shrugged, digging through her locker a bit more. under all the piles of expired coupons for makeup brands, surely her binder would be there. "knock it off. just cause he's short doesn't mean he's invisible." you did the same for her, looking around sarcastically. winter laughed at your antics, hitting your shoulder.

ah yes, winters friend group. there was practically gorilla glue that stuck their phones and makeup brushes to their hands. keita had always been around them, since they usually ended up in rotation dating a member of the rugby team. he couldn't find himself liking any of them, which only worsened your appeal to him. he scoffed, pointing to his locker. "can you move?"

"or what? why'ya in such a rush" you finally acknowledged his presence, though once you did keita wished you'd gone back to ignoring him completely. the way you looked and talked to him as if he was a child utterly *irked* him. he took a deep breath, stabilizing his anger. "look. i just need to get my notes for my next class. and you're in the way of my locker." he spoke clearly and slowly, purposely over-explaining. somehow this seemed to satisfy you though, as you ruffled his hair and moved closer to winter.

"why didn't you just say so? isnt it easier to just use your words?" you cooed, peering over to winter to earn a giggle out of her. now, this had never been something keita had experienced before. being one of the all-star athletes of their grade, people went out of their way to not pick on him. and even if they did the whispers were quickly silenced after the first game of the season. so this kind of behavior was completely foreign to the boy, leaving him dumbfounded on how to respond. he furrowed his eyebrows, not appreciating the way he was the butt of your jokes.

"don't touch me."

"ouch! the boy bites" you pretended to wipe the hand on your jeans, acting as if keita was some rabid dog that just gave you a disease from his metaphorical bite. winter seemed to find this hilarious, elbowing you with a mean grin.

"pick on someone your own size!" she sneered, clearly meaning it back-handedly as the pair walked away giggling.

keita balled his fists, feeling his blood boil. he swore, in all his past interactions with minjeong she was never this bitchy, and the sight of the new winter made him huff out in frustration. is this what it felt like for all the kids his friends had teased throughout the years? this shit blows! maybe he should've listened to all the anti-bullying campaigns from jr high...

☆...★...☆...★...☆

keita was unimpressed but not surprised to see the same torso resting on his locker the next day, though he didn't lose his rationality last time he can't guarantee the same today.

as soon as the two of you made eye contact, you began yawning in boredom. it only took a split second for you to come up with a new callous comedy routine, tapping on winters locker door. "we gotta hurry, we're on a time crunch." you said, no sarcasm laced in your tone. you began tapping your wrist as if there was a watch on it, making winter furrow her eyebrows in confusion. and keita doesn't blame her, he would've thought you were being serious too had he not seen the glint of mischief in your eyes. "what? why?" she looked over to you, noticing the boys presence and scoffing out of amusement at the new context.

he turned to you, now deciding to stoop to your level in terms of petty insults. "what happened to pick on people your own size? the basketball team is just waiting for you." hes sure you've heard the 'you should join basketball' or 'you should join volleyball' about a thousand times before, and his theory was proven correct when he saw your eye twitch. "you know, you seem like a sports person too! i know exactly which sport you play"

did you know? you could tell he was a jock! maybe this is the part where you finally start respecting him as a person, showing human decency! he knew he misjudged you, or maybe you were just in a bad mood the other day. it doesn't matter now, now keita feels comforted with the fact that at least he can wear with pride his apparent 'sports person look'. he cleared his throat, a proud grin on his face as he looked up at you. "yeah? you know what sport i play?"

you nodded, glancing at winter to wait for her cue to leave before continuing. "of course i do!" you smiled, starting to take steps away from his locker to match your friend's walking pace.

"its mini golf."

☆...★...☆...★...☆

"what's wrong kei? you've had a scowl on your face since you've buckled your seatbelt." his frown deepened, slumping into the passenger seat.

"i do not!"

"do too!" beomgyu added with a snicker, peering from the backseat. heeseung quickly yanked him back, putting beomgyus seatbelt on for him. the four of them, sungchan included, were on the way to a random burger joint as per usual. last week it was the mall where they convinced heeseung to buy the biggest dildo in the spencers aisles. the week before that it was the skate park where beomgyu brought a scooter because he didn't know how to skate.

with rugby seasons coming up, this would probably be the last time keita tagged along before the group became busy with their sports. october was always a hectic month for all of them, and he would've felt like shit if the last moment he had with his friends was of him complaining about some girl.

"what's wrong? seriously, you can tell us anything bro" sungchan continued, one hand on the wheel while the other rested on keita's knee. he gave keita a comforting squeeze, causing the boy's sour look to soften. "... well. y'all know the transfer, right?"

the other three nodded, all having their tidbits to add.

"yeah the tall chick"

"shes pretty cool"

"winter and yunjin's group, right?"

keita clicked his tongue, his nose scrunching at their nonchalance about her.

"why? you got rejected by her or something?" beomgyu snickered before getting hit by heeseung, mumbling something about asshole and salt into the wound.

"what? no! she's a total douchebag."

a moment of silence hung in the car as the boys looked around each other, gauging one another's reactions. it wasn't long before the three burst out into laughter.

"im serious! y/n is such a-"

"is she a jerk or are you insecure?" heeseung wiped a tear, hitting keitas shoulder.

keitas mouth faltered, losing confidence in his conviction. sungchan hummed an agreement, both hands on the wheel. "she's pretty funny man, you just gotta not take her seriously."

keita straightened up in his seat, folding his arms over each other.

"she has no business making those kinds of jokes."

"or maybe you need to loosen up a bit"

keita looked out the window, sighing softly. maybe they were right. maybe he was just a little sensitive about his height and you weren't doing any harm! yeah, he's sure that's it. he just misjudged you. wait... he's getting a sense of deja vu.. nono! this time is different. keita was positive it wouldn't be long until he started viewing you the same way everyone else did.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

strolling to his locker, keita kept trying to tell himself it'd be fine. things were different now! he was sure talking to you with a different attitude would change how you both viewed one another.

when he approached the two of you again, he replaced his usual frown with a neutral expression.

"it's the all-star athlete!" you clapped as if you had been waiting for his entrance. keita felt reassured by the fact that you didn't have something snarky to add this time! things really would be different.

"we should go to one of his games" winter added, barely looking their way before returning to her locker. seriously how is she this unorganized? you responded with a shrug, shaking your head slightly. "i dunno, i'm not a huge fan of golf."

golf? winter and keita exchanged a confused glance before looking back at you. keita was about to correct you when it seemed to dawn on him their bickering from a couple of days ago. he felt his eye twitch involuntarily, oh, you are *such* a bitch.

he tried to rationalize with himself. you're just joking! take it easy! but if they're just jokes how do you know exactly how to get under his skin??

keita balled his fists again before pointing at you with narrowed eyes. "why don't you come to watch my actual game this friday? don't come apologizing to me after you see the scoreboard." he shot a tongue through his cheek. he's not sure why he loses his rationality every time you come into the equation, but he just couldn't help the way he walked toward his next class without even bothering to open his locker.

you looked over to winter with an amused expression. "he actually plays a sport?"

"yeah, rugby."

"is he any good?"

"arguably the best player."

you sat in silence for a second, calculating in your head what to do. once winter slammed the door shut, you started walking with her, a smirk now emerging on your face.

"let's buy some tickets then."

☆...★...☆...★...☆

the gates to the stadium were flooded, and you could barely find your friend group, even with you towering over everyone.

beomgyu was the first to spot you, sneaking up on you and wrapping his arm around your shoulder.

"yo! i didn't know you'd be here smelly"

"i'm not the one with major B.O. here" beomgyu laughed, teasing you with a couple of pats on your arm. he then paused, dropping his smile and smelling his other pit before shrugging.

"i'm not the one that has my head literally in the clouds," he said, pointing to your head to emphasize your height.

"i'm not the one with my head metaphorically in the clouds" you flicked his forehead, raising your shoulder so his arm would naturally slip off of it.

just as he was about to respond, winter and yunjin quickly joined the both of you hand in hand. "you ready?" you asked, showing your phone with the ticket opened. winter joined you in the action, dragging yunjin around as she raced inside the stadium.

once you met up with the others, you sat down in between sungchan and aisha, the only two people who could balance your height in between them.

"what's the occasion? did minjeong come here to show you all her exes or something" aisha was quickly hit lightly on the arm at the question. the statement seemed harmless. something you could've easily played off. but for some reason, the question had you flushing and hiding your face with your hand. winter stuck out her tongue, managing to make her voice ring above the laughing.

"you wish! she's here for keita!" you hid your face even more, unable to act cool when the wave of embarrassment hit you. sungchan furrowed his brows at the revelation. "kei??"

"por favor?" winter responded, doubling down on her claim. sungchan shook her head, reaching over behind him to talk to her. "no, that's his nickname you idiot" you snickered at the two, taking note of the abbreviated name.

"oh.. yeah! gigantic y/n here was gushing about it!"

"was not!"

you were met by a wave of teases from everyone around you, which proved to be overwhelming with the 10+ voices all chanting insults. suddenly you felt someone shaking your shoulder aggressively, yanking your attention from the growing red on your face.

it wasn't that big of a deal right? i mean, sure you were here to watch keita but it didn't mean anything. you were only here on account of all the bluffs you had heard from the man himself. so why did it feel so awkward to admit where your motivations were?

"look, your loverboy is on the field~" aisha whispered, snapping you back to reality. you pouted, mumbling a retort even with the way your eyes began darting for him.

"you know, keita um.." you peered over to heeseung, who had surprisingly been quiet throughout the game. "he kinda well.." he seemed to not be able to finish his sentence, his stammers only increasing when he noticed your confused face.

"he hates you." beomgyu finished the thought for him, causing both you and heeseung to sigh in sync with one another.

"i dunno what i'm doing wrong! i treat him the rest of you and the reactions totally different" you huffed, crossing your arms while shaking your head. beomgyu decided to keep talking, despite heeseungs expression.

"it's cause he's an egomaniac"

there was a pause, letting you process the new information. your eyes suddenly widened, before you point at him.

"that would make sense! wow, you had a coherent thought! since when did you use your brain?" beomgyu stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry at you. aisha shoves his face out the way, replacing it with her shocked face.

"what do you mean it 'makes sense'?? i thought you had a thing for him??"

you quickly shook your head with a frown. "i'm here cause he invited me." beomgyu and sungchan exchanged a confused look, both hesitantly looking back at you. "did he?"

you nodded before continuing. "something about showing off to me. minjeong, back me up here!" she took a couple of hard blinks, trying to load in her brain what you just said. "oh yeah! i wasn't paying attention to you two, i tend to tune your arguments out"

she looked over to the field, clearly focused on a specific player. following her eyes, you naturally drifted to watch the game. the corner of your lip curled in amusement at your perfect timing, watching as keita crashed into the floor and scored a try, seemingly with ease. the boys in your circle all began to rise out their seats, roaring and cheering while chanting his name. he looked over to the energetic crowd, giving them a quick thumbs up before running off to their next formation.

"i might have to steal your loverboy," aisha said, shaking your shoulder again. she was clearly in a trance, making you softly scoff at the way her eyes seemed fixated on the boy. you weren't jealous in the slightest! honest! she could have him if she wanted. sure, the try was pretty cool, but so what? he still hated you anyways.

"god, you look like keita with that frown" sungchan teased, giving you a lighthearted grin.

"whatever. i'm gonna go get some stadium food. wanna come?" you hummed the question, standing up and stretching your legs softly. sungchan rose with you, giving the other guys a thumbs up before walking off with you.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

as keita approached his locker, a proud smirk emerged on his face. he crossed his arms while he waited for you to notice him, eagerly awaiting your reaction.

the scoreboard of the night was 45-27, a good 15 of those points were thanks to keita. you watched the whole night with your eyes glued to him. you had even memorized his jersey number; keita was 17.

"so?" his eyebrow was raised, his question ringing through your ears. you went home that day promising to yourself you would not speak of it. to his face, at least. the last thing you'd want do to is join his fanbase at your school (which consisted of aisha after the game)

"so?" you repeated at him, acting clueless as to what he was insinuating.

"you know what i'm talking about."

you shook your head playfully. "no.. i don't. you gotta use your words, big boy"

his lip twitched at the name. he was *not* a child, and why you seemed to still have that narrative even after watching him tackle with as much energy as he could muster irritated keita beyond belief.

he sighed, knowing you wouldn't entertain him unless he played along with you.

"the rugby game. 'm guessing you were there?"

"what's it to you?"

his confident stature faltered for a second. he.. hadn't thought of the scenario where you hadn't gone. if you weren't there.. that would've ruined absolutely everything. that night keita fought so hard for *you*. even if it was out of spite to prove you wrong, every single point he scored he imagined your shocked expression. he had imagined beomgyu and sungchan gassing him up. he thought about ryujin and minju giving you a disapproving glare, asking how in the world you could berate someone like that. like *him*. if the reality was you were chilling at home, netflix turned up while he was busting his ass on the field...

he stuttered, suddenly losing eye contact with you.

"you at least heard about it... right?" he mumbled the last part, despising the way his voice began to lose all power it had before. that's always what happened when he was around you. all the authority leaving him and rendering him powerless at your sly remarks. winter interrupted the two of you, peaking from behind her locker.

"we were. y/n was the one that dragged me there" you lightly hit her arm, whispering something keita couldn't pick up on. reassured, keita continued.

"you take back what you said?"

"about what?"

"you know.. about the mini golf" he muttered, now extremely embarrassed. he hadn't realized how.. immature he was until now. keita didn't have a deep hatred for golf or anything, so why was he so offended? why did he want to impress you so badly? he crossed your arms, leaning against the lockers with a smirk. "you want my praise?" keita scoffed, acting as if you were unbelievable. he rolled his eyes, looking at you to spew bluffs before his eyes softened at the eye contact. okay. maybe he did...

you shook your head. "i never said you weren't good NPD." his eyes furrowed at the new nickname. what's.. that stand for? if it was another hidden short joke he felt he would've exploded on the spot. you laughed at his expression, patting his hair before gesturing to winter you were ready to go. "you impressed me, see you around."

☆...★...☆...★...☆

"what's NPD?"

heeseung laughed curiously at keitas sudden question. looking up from his computer. "narcissistic personality disorder. why? you got a health project?"

silence clouded the boy's mind for a second, everything becoming a haze. it didn't take long for fury to fill every inch of his body. from the ends of his fingertips to the strands of his hair, keitas mind went blank with rage.

"that BITCH!" keita suddenly slammed his fists on the table, disrupting their study hall period. the teacher gave him a look, to which keita only sheepishly smiled. he turned to heeseung. "i'll tell you later"

once later came he had pulled his friends (beomgyu and sungchan had decided to tag along against his wishes) away, deciding they needed to eat off campus for lunch today.

"sung, what's NPD?" he asks the same question to his friend, making sure to get a consistent answer. "NPD? isn't that narcissism?" keita grits his teeth. so it was true.

"that stupid ass-"

"did someone call you that?" heeseung cut him off, knowing better than to let keita rage out in the car.

"i swear when i see y/n again i'll-" beomgyu burst out laughing upon hearing who was responsible for the new name, unable to control the roars of laughter erupting from his lips. keita rolled his eyes, but said nothing in defense of the teasing comments.

"wait wait wait.. y/n said you had NPD?"

"i'm *not* narcissistic!" the glances the other 3 shared said otherwise, making keita straighten his back defensively. "when have i ever done something narcissistic??" they all glanced at each other again, unsure how honest they can be.

"i mean there was that one time during basketball practice you-"

"that doesn't count! hanbin was *asking* for it."

"okay, well what was the context before the nickname" keita huffed put; recalling the memory in his head. his pout then changed into an open expression, his mouth falling agape when he connected the dots. "okay well, that was a different story! it's was-" he was interrupted by beomgyus giddy laughter again, listening as he began clapping hysterically.

"this is too good" gyu had choked out to heeseung, making the corners of his lips curl into a smile as well.

"you think she got the nickname from what you said at the game??" sungchan teased, hitting beomgyus shoulder lightly. keita glanced between the two, his lips thinning into a frown.

"whaddya say?"

"he called you an egomaniac" keita looked at beomgyu with an unimpressed expression, waiting to beomgyu to defend himself.

"i'm just saying man," beomgyu shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the death glare being sent his way. "you invited some girl that you think hates you to watch you play so she'd stop hating you?"

"that doesn't make me narcissistic."

"okay, what was the full conversation?" beomgyu continues to instigate, even with everyone else's silent pleas for him to stop. gyu was pretty much the only one immune to keitas bitch face, which results in beomgyu usually being the one getting bruises from him. even with beomgyu being in hockey, his muscular strength was far outweighed by keitas kicks to the shin.

keitas mouth fell agape, just now reflecting on his actions. he glanced away, biting the inside of his cheek softly. "i wanted to hear her say i did good.."

"an egomaniac *and* a praise kink??" heeseung quickly covered beomgyus mouth to stop him from spewing any more bullshit. keita was once again left defenseless, a situation he felt become more and more commonplace the longer you stayed. if a magic genie came up to him right now, his three wishes would be to grow 20 cm, make beomgyu less annoying, and zap you from existence altogether. the longer he knew you the less tolerable you became. seriously, not one redeeming quality! how is that even possible? the cherry on top was how everyone seemed infatuated with you.. how did you even manage that? sure you were pretty, but all that you had going for you. frustrated, keita suddenly lost his appetite for lunch that day.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

keita would describe himself as a down-to-earth guy. he stands around 165, and has overgrown darkish brown hair he's been wanting to cut since may. he enjoys his rugby teammates and coffee. he likes cooking and cats, and he dislikes reading and homework. new entry on his dislikes: you.

or would you fit under enjoys? he wasn't sure anymore. it seemed so strange to him he'd consider that as a possibility. there's no way you'd be an enjoys! he can hardly say he enjoys your presence and to say he enjoys your attitude is a *gross* overstatement, so why did he miss you when you were absent today?

walking to the lockers felt empty without anticipating your sly comments. it felt strange that he missed it. he should be relieved you were sour of his daily routine, even if it's just 1 time. but this 1 time his frown was even deeper than all the other times before it.

“where’s y/n?” he asks winter directly, who shrugged in response. "contrary to popular belief: we are *not* attached at the hip. she barely tells me anything." his eyebrow raised in amusement, suddenly curious. he was also curious by the way winters usual time digging was cut in half. it was strange why she was in such a rush...

"than why is she always next to you?"

"she makes me carry her shit for her" she groans, leaving keita to presume it's probably a peeve for the girl. "why she doesn't use her locker i dunno! all i know is my locker is filled to the brim with random sticky notes from her bag."

it suddenly dawned on keita he had never questioned why winter took forever at her locker past she was unorganized. and he had never considered the option that you hung around winter often because she was your errand boy. retrospectively, everything seemed to make slightly more sense. he opened his mouth to continue his stream of questions, but winter rolled her eyes.

"do you only have y/n and rugby in your brain?" keita was about to argue back, but he quickly found he couldn't. he really.. didn't think about much else.

"i have someone i wanted to talk to you about. related to both those things." his eyes rose in confusion. how are those two subjects even linkable?

winter closed her locker, leaning against it with her arms folded. she gestured for keita to come closer, holding back a laugh when she noticed they were the same height. she spoke lowly, as if this was some big secret, even with the way she had already told half the kids in the hallways before keita.

"i'm throwing a party post-game, assuming you guys win. it'd be rude not to invite the team." keita had a specific face when he was confused or about to ask a question. one that with enough time around him was easy to recognize. almost always dating someone on keitas circle, winter had become accustomed to the expression.

"yes, y/n is invited."

"i wasn't gonna ask that." keita shot back, joining the girl in her folded arms.

"then what was your question."

he cleared his throat, his body physically relaxing the longer they held a conversation. "want me to pass the message to the team?"

winter nodded.

"yeah, sure. i was gonna do it myself, but it might be easier for you. see you around NPD" she gave a half-assed wave, walking quickly and joined with minju rather than y/n who was typically tailing behind her.

his teeth grit at the continuing of the nickname. though it wasn't as annoying coming out of winters mouth, it somehow made him even angrier. how that works, keita himself wasn't sure. but he just found a new reason to do well at the game.

confronting you at the party.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

"does this look pretty on me?"

"why? you tryna impress keita?"

you rolled your eyes, holding a fist up threateningly. "you didn't answer my question."

yunjin took you in for a second, trying to find the best response.

"you'll end up impressing more than just keita" she winked, sitting down on the edge of the bed with a relieved sigh. pouting, you sat down next to her and glanced at the closet winter had locked herself into.

"why do you guys think i'm so obsessed with that guy anyways?"

yunjin looked at you as if you were crazy, lightheartedly chuckling. "you guys are basically a couple at this point."

"are we?? or do you just want to see me tied down"

yunjin scooted closer to you, placing her hand on your shoulder and facing you directly.

"yeah. cause i text my friends for advice on new nicknames to call a guy when i have no interest in him" you met her expression with an eye roll, though you didnt retort. no matter what you responded with you would only end up digging your hole deeper. winter saved your ass, waltzing out with a pencil skirt and a low-cut shirt. "you have to admit NPD is pretty funny" yunjin waved you both off, checking her phone.

"whatever, it's almost time. people should be pouring in any second."

winter joined the two of you on her bed, leaning her head on your shoulder when yunjin began tuning the two of you out in favor of all the stories she hadn't checked.

"first public school party, you ready y/n?"

"is it like the movies?" winter laughed at your innocent question, debating between lying to you or not. "only if you're with the right crowd" she went with lying! it's easy to tease you when you were clueless about public school and how it works.

"one thing though.." she started, looking at you to see if she piqued your interest.

"pregame is always the best part"

you tilted your head curiously. "what's pregame?"

yunjin put down her phone, quickly humming in response. "it's when people take shots before the actual party. as prep. minjeong memorized the usual people by heart at this point."

you nodded along, taking note of the words "usual people". ....was keita one of them? fuck! you did it again! you stood up from the bed, shrugging as you walked towards the stairs. "someones gotta open the door for them." you reasoned, walking through the open doorway and exiting winters room. it seemed as if they were waiting for you, with the way the entire rugby team came flooding into the living room the moment you had gone down one step.

"yo! winter send ya out here to entertain us?" one of the guys questioned, gesturing for you to come join them. you shook your head, now rushing down the steps. "nah, just have good timing i guess."

they all seemed to be carrying booze packages, placing them lazily on the dining room table. you watched silently, holding the fact that they resembled worker ants to yourself. the same one that called to you from before spoke again, now sitting on the couch. "why'ya here so early?" he asked the question with a hum, crossing his arms as he started to get comfortable. the other boys were quick to follow, and soon the entire coach and the seats surrounding were all occupied. you waltzed over next to him to answer the question with a shrug.

"i live right next door. wasn't a long walk."

"is that how you know minjeong?"

"you could say." he frowned is disdain. your answers were so direct and short. as if you were expecting the conversation to end every time you opened your mouth. he wasn't gonna give up though, instead, he tapped the armrest for you to sit on. you did reluctantly, making sure to keep space between you two.

"if you live so close why didnt you go to our school till now"

"i went to a private k-12. you wouldn't know the name." keita had been sitting on the other end of the couch this entire time, though he faked a sense of aloofness. even though he wasn't even glancing your way, his opened snapchat that he hadn't tapped in minutes telling you everything.

"i'm realizing i don't know anything about you."

"and i plan to keep it that way."

"why?" you could see keitas head perk up, eagerly waiting the answer. you instead slipped a bottle into the guys hand, giving him a teasing smile.

"drink if you want to ask any more questions. i'm not giving away my info for free." he glanced down to the bottle, fidgeting with it in his hand.

"jiung, dont. you're our designated driver." the dude next to him put a hand on the boy's shoulder warningly, though his palm was quickly shaken off.

"fuck it. keita can be the new driver."

only then did you decide to pretend to acknowledge him, making a small gasp before waving. "NPD! what's up, i didnt notice you" you walked over to his side of the couch, crouching down so your elbows were on the armrest rather than sitting on it.

"was it not clear by the fact that the rugby team is here?"

"ohhhh, that's who these guys are! hey, congrats on the game" you gave him a half-assed smile, watching closely as he swallowed the insults urging to leave his lips.

"you don't sound very sincere"

you smiled again, this time more genuine. "i guess it's cause im not surprised you won." he raised his eyebrow back at you.

"what? is this a compliment im hearing?"

"i wouldn't say *that*"

he clicked his tongue in response, nodding slowly.

"of course you wouldn't CHD."

he had a shit-eating grin on his face, unable to hide his proud expression now. you tilted your head teasingly, dropping the volume in your voice noticeably. "what does that stand for?" he leaned closer to you, clearing his throat before dropping his voice too, muttering in a voice barely above a whisper. "chronic. hater. disorder" you grin at him, opening your mouth to compliment his creativity until jiung interrupted the two of you.

"if i chug the whole bottle how many questions is that?" you perk your head up, making a small humming noise as you think of an answer. "15."

he pouted, looking at the bottle then towards you. "there's definitely more than 15 sips in here."

"that's why sips don't count."

he gave you an unreadable look, but before jiung could connect the bottle to his lips some more people came flooding in, officially starting the party. you turned back to jiung, smiling at him softly. "you're outta time, maybe if you find me again we can continue" you have him a small wave, walking back up to winters room. keita let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding in. he wasn't sure who to be frustrated at, but all he knew was he needed to tackle someone to get his rage out again.

as the night continued and more people joined, it became increasingly hard to find you. annoyed, keitas willingness to be sober decreased by the second. he huffed out, trying to find sungchan beomgyu or heeseung in hopes they could bring him to his senses. his mood only soured as he watched winter and sungchan throw themselves on each other. well great. guess he's gonna see her more often.

that was his final straw. and with the final snap, he stormed over to the kitchen, yanking out a solo cup from the package and walking over to the jug (dispenser thing idk what they're called). once he walked over to the booze station, keitas frown deepened even more upon seeing your face. before he could even pour any liquid into his cup, he found himself compressing it into his balled fist, making a loud crunching noise with his tear and rip made into the plastic material. he opened his palm, letting it fall out of his hand. it took everything in keita to not begin screaming at you the moment he recognized your features. instead, he turned around and quickly ran to find beomgyu.

"why did minjeong let those creepazoids come in early?" you complained, shifting around uncomfortably. ever since you left jiung with the bottle and a challenge you had been pulling your skirt down uncontrollably, memorizing every face in every room you entered. you had hoped he wouldn't show up with an empty bottle. you had hoped he hadn't already memorized what questions you asked. and you especially hoped keita wouldn't end up the designated driver tonight. yunjin shrugged with disinterest at you. you could tell from the way her eyebrows furrowed she wanted to call you absurd for your behavior. "they give us free drinks. we haven't had to buy any in a *long* time." she grinned, handing you a cup and opening a can to pour the beer into it.

"underage drinking? i'm disappointed yunjin."

"you'll get used to it preppy." she teased back, drinking the leftover liquid in the can. you glance down at your hand curiously.

a red solo cup. just like in the movies. you had sworn you dreamed about them on the days leading up to your enrollment. you figured this was just another myth. a trope that has been long dead when it comes to real-life practice. it's interesting though, good things usually never come from these things. still, you took a sip. the bitter buzz of the alcohol made your throat burn and it felt as if you were drinking acid. it tasted utterly disgusting and yet you go back for another taste. yunjin smiles at you, hitting your shoulder lightly. "you'll get used to it."

her face sours as if she had just eatten a lemon, contracting into a look of discomfort.

"looks like you haven't either"

"i'm a lot closer than you are." you both laugh. a dry laugh, one with no joy or humor. it was empty noise as you kept glancing beyond yunjin, watching if one of the rugby guys stumbles in to give you that same shit. yunjin watched silently, unsure of how to help comfort you. "go find keita." her sudden demand caught you off guard.

"what? why?"

"if you tell him what's going on he'll tell them to knock it off. they'll listen to their captain a lot more than some chick." she smiled, gesturing to the door. you smile back at her, ruffling her hair lightly. "thanks short stack."

"i'm actually one of the tallest girls here" she flips you off on your way out, making you both laugh. a genuine one this time. one without that same emptiness.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

it didnt take long for you to find keita. he sat at the same spot on the couch, where they last talked. you sat down next to him, not even making eye contact before speaking.

"can you do me a favor?"

"why should i?" he also doesn't look at you, drinking from the beer bottle in his hand. you turn to him, and for the first time, showed him vulnerability.

"you're the only person i can ask about this..."

he pauses for a moment, taking another sip.

"let's see what great things youve done to earn a favor from me:" you gulped, watching the fury start to burn in his eyes.

"your nickname for me is a narcissist. you've made comments about my height so often my friends have started giving me shit for it. you mocked the fact that i was an athlete. you've made me late to class half the time. i've become a joke to my entire social circle. but at least you congratulated me for my game." he finally turned to you, his elbows resting on his knees with a wry chuckle. "oh wait. you didn't even mean it."

"what's your problem?"

"MY.. problem?? i should be the one asking you that." he stood up, pointing at you now. he finished up his drink, placing it on the table before gawking at you completely appalled. you furrowed your eyebrows at him. why was keita making such a big outburst? you genuinely couldnt understand what was wrong with him. "it's my problem you're a bitch now?" you stood up too, narrowing your eyes at the boy. you leaned down to get closer to his face, whispering lowly. you mustered up the scariest expression you could, and the most intimidating tone you could manage.

"what did you just say to me?" you saw the way his eyes could barely focus on you. it was as if they had been glazed over with the pink tint. throwing him over your shoulder, you sighed and began marching over to find one of the captains. even though he didn't thrash around like a child, it didn't stop his loud complaints. "put me down! what do you think youre doing asshole?! get off of me!"

once you located an equally wasted beomgyu and heeseung, you quickly threw keita from off your shoulder and placed him down in front of them. they didn't seem to ask questions about the predicament... not that they had a chance to anyways. keita huffed, sending daggers with his glare.

"you guys need to take care of him. he's a little drunk right now"

"i guess it's my problem you're a coward who can't handle being called out."

this entire day he seemed to be egging you on, seeing how long it took before you got genuinely angry. and you're not sure it's because of the drinks, the stress from everything earlier, or the insults themselves but something had *snapped*. you gave a fake smile to his two friends that shared a completely over it expression.

keita hadn't even gotten another word in before you politely excused the two of you and dragged him off to some hallway.

"you wanna talk? lets fucking talk." you crossed your arms, waiting for an explanation.

"let's start off with the fact that you hate me. i just don't understand why you're *so* rude to me"

"what do you mean?"

he scoffed "what do YOU mean? you've been teasing me since we made eye contact! you didn't even know anything about me before i was called names and mocked."

you gave him a couple hard blinks, seemingly coming to a revelation. as if a lightbulb had sparked above your head. "holdonholdonholdon-"

"im not finished!"

"you don't have to be." you frowned, grabbing his wrist and pushing him into the closest room to have more privacy.

"explain to me again why you don't like about the way i treat you?"

he did it again, slowly and enunciating clearly. even if he was pretentious, you always seemed satisfied when he talked slower. calling it "using his words". you blinked a couple more times, a genuinely confused face. not one that seemed to invalidate his feelings, or want to call him names. one that seemed to be missing information.

"is that... not how everyone talks?"

he also paused. keita blinked in sync with you now, completely at a loss for words.

"...HUH?"

"i asked yunjin and winter on how to act more like a public school kid and they both tell me everyone's mean and tease each other all the time."

.... WHAT?

so you were just doing it to fit in?? not to piss keita off? not because winter had a secret grudge against him and used you as her secret revenge? not because you're just a bitch....?

"is that... not true" your voice trembled a bit, worry written all over your eyes and brows. keita soften his tone, sighing out slightly.

"it's not far off" he muttered, a new urge to comfort you overtaking him. he guessed it made more sense in hindsight. with the miscommunication now cleared up, a million more questions now appeared in his head. he moved closer to you slightly, your horrified look rendering you unable to respond.

"it's just.." he thought for a second, looking up at you with gentle eyes for the first time since the two of you had met. you locked eyes and you seemed to find peace in each others pupils. "how come you're more harsh to me than anyone else?"

keitas question was met with silence, making him add more to the inquiry for context. "like my other rugby guys?"

your face soured at the mention of them, the uncomfortable reminder of jiung who was probably hunting you down with questions prepped. with your privacy about to be invaded and with another guy hitting on you. you laughed softly at keita, gently pushing loose hair behind your ear.

"i didnt even know any of their names before today. how was i supposed to know what to say to get them to react like you do?"

"like i do?"

"you're cute! the way you get angry and start heaving with anger makes me want to push your buttons more" you admitted, watching with satisfaction at the way he got riled up from that confession alone. he caught on, relaxing his shoulders and trying to wipe the grin off your face.

"you think i'm cute?"

you laughed louder this time, easing the tension in the room by a tenfold.

"if that's your takeaway."

"so you do! wahhh if you wanted to ask me out you should've already"

"as if! you would've gotten all aggressive on me like earlier."

"i wouldnt know, you haven't flirted with me like you were with jiung before the party."

you scoffed, rolling your eyes in disbelief.

"you think i'm into that guy?"

"actions speak louder than words" he threw his hands up defensively.

was keita actually being serious? you weren't even sure what the reason for these accusations were, but you were gonna make sure they don't continue. you slyly moved closer to him, lowering your head to his level.

"if you hadn't noticed you've asked about a hundred questions and i haven't made you pay a single tax. if i'm into jiung why is that?"

"cause i'm already wasted enough as it is." he replied, only around half conscious at this point. the longer you two talked and the closer you got, the more he felt his stare linger. the hotter the room suddenly became. the more kissable your lips seemed...

he exhaled quickly, nodding to himself. "*really* wasted.." you smirked at where his eyes were glued.

"me too." you whispered, trailing your sight down to his lips as well. his hand softly placed itself on your cheek, his thumb making circles around the cheekbone.

he could've sworn he had never felt this way about you before. keita had never once looked at you and felt attraction. what the difference was tonight he was unsure of. how irresistible you became was a question he'd never get answered. how much you seemed to be calling to him left keita speechless, unable to process even his own thoughts.

"fuck." now unable to hold back, he firmly pulled your face down and finally connected your lips, letting the feeling marinate for a moment. the sparks exploded and the little butterflies created fireworks in his heart. all the fairytales would've never prepared him for how dreamy a kiss while completely drunk would be. you stayed frozen, not even bothering to process what was happening. the more you thought about it the less it made sense so you decided not to think about it. enjoy the moment. even if it was temporary.

even with your dynamic, even with your reputations in school, even with the way *everything* would change after this none of it mattered. time froze. everything froze. and for this one period, you didn't have to think about anything else but the way your lips fit with each other like jigsaw puzzles, moving with one another's in perfect rhythm you could get lost in it.

*knock knock*

"is your uh, argument over? it got really quiet for a second and i just-"

you threw yourself off keita and he ripped himself out of your grasp by the shoulders. you both made eye contact for a moment, unable to process what had just happened. why it happened. how it happened. when it happened. it seemed... completely unbelievable. keita cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping over to the door.

"yeah. we've come to a middle ground i guess." he opened it, revealing heeseung who was awkwardly leaning against the wall.

"that's good! that's good.. me and beomgyu were worried how long you two would y'know.. be at it."

you joined in clearing your throat, adjusting your hair and top anxiously. as you approached the door, you turned to heeseung and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"keep an eye on keita. he was supposed to be the designated driver but..." you trailed off, glancing at him with heeseungs eyes following yours to keita who awkwardly shifted. you made eye contact with him again, patting his shoulder one more time before slipping out.

"how did you end up like this?" heeseung teased, wrapping his arm around keitas shoulder and escorting him out.

"it's a long story"

☆...★...☆...★...☆

that night was some of the worst sleep hes had in a *long* time

keita hadn't told anyone about what happened that friday, hoping to forget it himself. every attempt at purging the memory only seemed to resurface it though, which drove him insane. the more he thought about it the more he started to think about the conversation beforehand. you two had cleared up the misunderstanding that basically drove your dynamic up until this point.

he had no clue how to bring it up if you mentioned it. what would he even say? the more the thought about it the worse his headache seemed.

so keita figured he'd do what seemed like the most reasonable conclusion. pretend like he knew nothing.

your heart skipped a beat when you saw the boy approach his locker, his eyes glued to something on his phone. when he glanced up, you couldn't help the way you slid away from the lockers, giving him full access unlike normal.

keita had assumed based on your relaxed body language that you hadn't remembered. he does recall you both being drunk, so blackout wasn't out of the question. you grinned once he arrived, that smug grin that gave him a new pet peeve he didn't know he had until you.

"congrats on the game NPD." he rolled his eyes, not wanting to give into whatever scheme you had brewing. even though he cleared the misunderstanding with you, it didn't stop your usual high and mighty act. he wasn't sure if he was glad or not, but keita wanted to push his luck with you. how much more information would you give without hesitation?

"you're not blocking my locker today."

you nodded. "isn't that a good thing?"

"i'm just curious what changed suddenly."

"it's a little gift for winning." he closed his locker, binder in hand as you stared at you unimpressed. "bullshit." you out your hands up defensively.

"why don't you just use your locker?"

you furrowed your brows "hm?"

"i heard from minjeong you don't use it. you could save both my time and yours if you just used your locker." he rolled his eyes, already expecting the headpats you'd give him for over explaining. although he wasn't exactly fond of them he can't say they weren't already a part of his routine when i came to you. you thought for a second, hands playing with his hair as you thought carefully.

"which question do you want the answer to more?"

"second one. i'm just dying to know." he batted his eyelashes dramatically, even if he did genuinely want to know the answer that doesn't stop the sarcasm keita laced in his voice.

you removed your hand, gently pushing him to the side. "why i don't use my locker?" you patted the one below keitas. "why i block your locker?" you patted the bottom one again, letting him connect the dots.

".. is that one too short for you?" your eyes rose in shock, your face flushing in embarrassment.

"well when you put it like that..." you trailed off, glancing to your locker and then winter. "gotta go. see you anyways NPD!" you quickly added, grabbing her by the shoulder and dragging her away.

keita sat there in disbelief, the 2nd revelation about you also clearing up a *lot* of the shit you did that bothered him. so you had the one below him? he guessed it made sense why you chose winter to carry your shit for you then, hers was diagonal to yours. he watched the two of you walk off, trying to process all the new information he just received.

you on the other hand also struggled to process your own revelation.

"it's interesting," you started, causing minjeong to glance curiously at you.

"i always thought he only talked to me cause i forced him to. he always complained about being late. but this time, he's still late. and i didnt do anything" you were rambling to yourself, completely lost in thought. your friend laughed at your cute behavior. she hadn't ever seen you gush about a guy, but she couldn't deny how cute it was seeing the one guy who happened to catch your eye. her friend had good taste, she has to say!

☆...★...☆...★...☆

you were frozen in place when you saw keita standing at the lockers this time, leaning against them while waiting for you. when he spotted you out the corner of his eye, he pushed himself off, turning to face you directly.

"you know your locker code?" you gave him a confused look at his question, deciding not to ask.

instead you nodded wordlessly. he nodded too, sliding a folded sticky note into your hand.

"let's trade lockers. you probably think mine is too tall for me anyways" he frowned, earning a grin and snicker from you.

"i swear i've seen you on your tippy toes to reach your lock" he smacks you lightly. you only laughed harder at his anger, leaving keita to end up giggling with you. you were about to fuel the flame by adding more instigating words, but was quickly shut down by winter clearing her throat awkwardly, giving you a side eye.

you let out one last chuckle, facing keita as you shook the sticky note in your hand. "will do"

you opened the paper, expecting his combination. as you skimmed through the numbers, you realized there was too many for a combination. winter pointed at the paper, softly scoffing. "it's his number. whyd you need his number if it's just to switch lockers?" you shrugged, not understanding it yourself. not that you minded, quite the contrary. you slide the paper into your pocket carefully. yeah, that was *not* going out of your sight anytime soon.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

the following days quickly turned to weeks, the days blending into one another. the more time you spent together the more natural your new friendship with keita, even preferable to the one from before.

It was strange, you could've sworn you *didnt* remember keita being this funny. or thoughtful. hell he's everything you *wouldnt* expect. since you got his number you certainly haven't let it gone to waste, texting him everyday.

all of your friends took notice to how close the two of you became, but said nothing. everyone was too busy congratulating sungchan and winter! you weren't the only one making moves during her party, and now sungchan was commonly seen accompanying the three of you at your lockers. as you and winter would leave he typically lingered behind with keita.

"don't you think it's funny?"

keita looked curiously over to his friend, whose eyes were glued to the girls.

"since you've become friends you started complaining about her more." he opened his mouth to retort, but was left speechless. not like sungchan was wrong, and though it didn't end with keita calling you a bitch or screaming, sungchan could name the amount of times he has something nice to say with just his two hands. that reminded him...

keita pulled out his phone, scrolling down to your contact. 'CHD 🥱'. he was still quite proud of himself for coming up with it, even if it paled in comparison to you calling him a narcissist. keita mindlessly hit the block button for the nth time. it became so common your eyes widen in panic everytime he whips his phone out.

sungchan peers over keitas shoulder, chuckling lightly. "again?"

"she called my face one only a mother could love."

"isnt your mom-"

"nonexistent? yes! shes met both my dads before" keita rolled his eyes, huffing out at the memory. he quickly stopped his way to his next class, sungchan staggering behind.

thank god for rugby. he had to get his rage out somehow.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

any bystander watching the scene playing out right now would be calling the cops immediately. luckily, the neighbors seemed somewhat used to it. at the very least, they don't give enough shits to even step in themselves. you scoffed, pacing back and forth before walking back up to the window. you began banging on it, just like you had for the past 10 minutes.

"look i'm sorry for what i said but open the damn window!" you hollered, followed by the eerie silence. like you had been doing for the past 10 minutes, you crossed your arms and waited for a response. like the past 10 minutes, you were left with nothing.

you began whining, and *unlike* the past 10 minutes the window cracked open, just enough for you to hear his voice but not enough to do anything yourself.

"knock on the door like a normal person and i'll let you in."

"we both know that's a lie. now open up! i'm sweating balls out here."

keita frowns, sliding the frame all the way open so you could easily climb in.

"sweating balls? it's november!"

"and i'm hot??" you wiped the dust off your pants, stretching your now sore legs.

"you banged on my window like a psycho.. just to tell me you're sorry?"

you gave him a grin, finishing off your yoga. "and to tell you to unblock me!"

"so your first instinct is breaking into my home?"

you shrugged, sitting down on his bed as if you owned the place. he sighed out, but did nothing to stop your attempts to get comfortable.

"i didnt break in, you let me in yourself" you pointed to the still opened frame. you then pointed to keita, your eyebrows raised. "and it's not *your* home, it's pops."

"don't call my dad pops!" he spat out, rolling his eyes. you felt like a nuisance to him, like your entire life's purpose was inconveniencing him.

he still wouldn't trade it for the world, and he acts like a lost puppy every time you're absent. the one time you missed his game to watch sungchans with winter, his heart sunk into a deep pit reserved for you. he never.. felt this way about someone before. it always catches keita off guard when he notices how much he's let you get away with. like breaking into his house to ask for him to unblock you. he always chalks the way his tummy turned to the fact that you drove him insane, and not the good kind. the conversation had yet to prove the former wrong. he scoffed out at the playful grin your displayed. it's as if you never took him seriously!

"he loves it when i do that!"

"well i dont!?"

you clicked your tongue, hollering out lazily.

"pops! im home"

silence hung in the air for a moment, both of you anticipating quietly for a response. there was faint shuffling heard from beyond keita room, and before long there was a knock at the door.

"when did you get here? i don't remember opening the door for anyone.."

he peered from the doorframe, with only half of his torso and his head visible.

"keita and i were just hanging out is all" you smiled brightly to his dad, gesturing to the boy with your foot. he only nodded, deciding it's better a better conclusion than the reality. his dad hummed out, matching your bright smile.

"i'll make a snack for you guys" you quickly gave him a thumbs up, but keita loudly groaned.

"dad, i'm not a kid. i don't need you to make me a plate of apples" he frowned, which was met with a dramatic elongated sigh.

"you need to learn your manners! look at your friend over here, god. this is why i'm glad you and y/n are friends, she can teach you a thing or two" he mumbled, walking out and toward what you presumed to be the kitchen.

"manners my ass. you're anything but classy." you batted your eyelashes, framing your face with your hands. keita flipped you off, letting himself fall into the bean bag underneath him. you laughed, rolling over in his bed in a fit of laughter.

"this is what i'm talking about! you're such a slob" he threw his arm out to point to you, but his complaints were meaningless amongst the sound of sheets rustling under you. he stood up, pulling your leg quite literally. "get off you'll give my bed fleas"

"what? isn't this your dream?" you teased, turning around to face him. keitas entire face flushed. what the fuck does that mean?

"having a hot chick just *waiting* for you" you wiggled your eyebrows, placing one hand on your hip and the other hand holding your head. he climbed onto the bed, hitting you lightly in the chest.

"as if. this is *your* dream to be on my bed right now"

you raised an eyebrow. keita didnt even have time to point out the fact that you had now shuffled out of his sheets and sat down properly.

"you're not denying i'm a hot chick?" you tilted your head, grinning. keita mirrored your gestures, putting hands on his hips. "you're not denying this is your dream?"

you lifted up your hand as a threat to punch the boy, your lips forming a frown. he held onto your wrist, ranking you closer so he could mutter something intimidating to your face.

as his mouth fell open, the door to his room did too.

"i got some-" his dad fell speechless once his gaze rested on the two of you and your.. comprising pose. keita swore it wasnt weird! absolutely nothing intimate. not until his dad entered the room. you both awkwardly cleared your throats, adjusting yourselves. you were met with a slow nod, the plate of fruits being your saving grace from eye contact.

"well i'll um... let you teens get back to that!" keitas dad coughed, ripping the produce away from your eyes as he closed the door behind him.

now you and keita sat in the hanging tension, hands on your knees as you both politely sat. he coughs, and you clear your throat. nothing. you suddenly stand up, "this looks like my cue to leave.."

he furrowed his brows.

"nonono, you can't break into my house, make fun of me, roll around on my bed like a dog, and then leave at your earliest convenience. i still havent even unblocked you yet."

you pointed at him before you turned around, trying to pry the window frame open. "you don't need to. i was just gonna text you dets for minjeongs party, but..."

you trailed off, facing the boy again with a half assed smile. "now that your confession is out, i'm scared i'll rizz you too hard!"

"cut the bullshit." he gave you an unimpressed look, and you sheepishly laughed in return.

"see you at 8?" be waved you off, watching carefully as you stuck a leg haphazardly out of his window. you gave him one last salute, stumbling as you landed on the other end. he sat there expressionless, slowly following as you begab running off.

he had noticed that neither of you denied other claim. why wouldnt he? he didnt *think* he liked you like that. i mean sure, you we're pretty! like.. really pretty. stunning even. but keita knew better than anyone else how rotten your personality truly was. so why was he still staring at the spot where you disappeared? it made no sense. if he really didnt care for you like he claimed, hes not sure why he spent so long thinking about you. why his heart starts racing when your close. why he kissed you at a party...

holy shit.

this couldnt be. when the fuck did keita develop feelings for you?! how the hell did this happen?? this cant be real... this isnt real!

he thought back to all your interactions and if seemed to hit him suddenly. he had *always* liked you. your teases couldnt be any closer to the truth.

keitas room seemed to spin under him, his mind completely dazed. everything was spiraling, he should- he has to- he wants a-

he sat himself on his bed, the only way he could stabilize himself. keita took a deep breath, recounting everything up until this point.

its no wonder he was so sensitive to your teasing. nor is it a surprise he craved your validation so bad. and he guess it made sense why you were always on his mind during rugby games.

well, looks like he found a new motivation to win the game this week.

to confess to you at the party.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

keita could hardly say he was surprised when he showed up to see you already there. just seeing you in person was so.. much different now.

nothings really changed. you're still y/n. the tallest girl in school, and the new student. he was still keita, the captain of the rugby team.

all of it wasnt out the ordinary, but *god* was it so different now.

almost anything made his tummy turn uncomfortably. like he wanted to vomit but all that would come out would be sparkles and rainbows.

the party had already started, and the music blared so loud it rang in his ears. he put his hands over his ears to muffle the noise. he needed to concentrate for his mission. his mission being that he *needed* to find you. keita wandered around aimlessly, peering at every which way like he was playing where's waldo.

and then he spotted you.

it seemed to hit him like an iron door. your beauty. oh my god, you were gorgeous. loss for words doesn't even scratch the surface of how keita felt in that moment, but he knew he was on a mission. there's no way in hell he's going back now, even if you did look like *that* while on the dance floor.

"y/n.."

you smiled when you spotted him, seizing your dancing to walk over to the boy. "wassup hot shot! congrats on the game" you patted his shoulder in approval. "i bet all the other teamed tremble in fear at your name" you were acting different from usually. you're a lot.... nicer than usual.

he's not sure how to feel, or wether it's a scheme to hurt his pride or not. he then peers down to your hand. a red solo cup. you became nicer when you're drunk, who would've thought.

"i wouldn't say that"

"wow, is NPD being humble right now?" you raised your eyebrow, laughing. your laugh was a lot cuter than he remembers, and his brain seemed to fog just at the sight of your smile. you ruffled his hair, beginning to take a few steps back. "holler if you need me!" you wink before disappearing into the crowd. his lip twitched into a frown, biting his cheek as he watched the body of people move to the song.

you were always sneaking your way around, flowing from place to place at your earliest convenience.

before keita could begin walking back toward you he felt a tap to his shoulder.

"another rugby dub!" he dabbed up sungchan with a grin.

"basketball dub too, i heard you guys won!" sungchan laughed, nodding in confirmation.

"it's all thanks to hanbin though, he's a madman in the court." keita suck in through his teeth, nodding wordlessly. hanbin, the hopelessly kind knight in shining armor who was equally as basketball as he was in academics.

every girl that's rejected keita has been because of him. and honestly, he couldn't blame them.

"speaking of him, i havent seen him anywhere."

"you've been looking for em?"

sungchan nodded, now glancing around in an attempt to scout for the other boy.

"it's cool, i'll find him for you. i gotta give him my own congrats anyways." keita patted sungchans arm, giving him a thumbs up. the basketball captain had always been sort of like a dad to keita and their whole friend group, so he almost always had shit to be worrying about in any social gathering. keita would be glad to take some weight off his shoulders, even if it was just trying to talk to one of his team mates. the sigh of relief sungchan let out only confirmed his suspicions, and the thumbs up of approval was all the confirmation he needed.

he could find you later, keita had a new temporary mission.

the first place he decided to check was the kitchen, where all the liquor was. if hanbin was there, score! if he wasn't there, he might as well get himself a drink.

keita shrugged, not caring much for the absence of the basketball player. oh well, more time to decide which drink he’d pour himself. he decided on the mystery beer in the jug, he trusted his team to make a good concoction! once he had it poured into his red solo cup, keita swiftly exited, spotting hanbin talking with someone right next to the kitchen.

he could only see the back of their head, but he wasn't paying much attention to notice it was you. all he noticed was the surprisingly casual outfit hanbin has on. his letterman was lazily open, showing his plain white tshirt. his baggy jeans were clinging onto his legs effortlessly and keita had to admit, hanbin looked ethereal even under the lights of the dance floor the next room over.

"hanbin!" he looked over, his eye smile subtly fading now that his conversation was interrupted. you turned you head around to see who called his name, giving keita a small wave when the two of you made eye contact.

of course you were here. you're always everywhere keita went. he couldn't escape you even if he tried, and the worst part is he's now realizing he doesn't want to escape. he *wants* you to be wherever he goes, and he wasn't sure how to process it.

"i heard you crushed it in the basketball game, nice man" keita nodded, taking a sip from his cup.

okay, note to self; don't trust your team again. he wanted to spit it out the moment he tried it. you noticed his reaction, gently taking the cup and taking a sip yourself before handing it back to him.

you now both shared the same expression. though the taste seemed to be a muted thought in keitas mind now. an indirect kiss? you? just indirectly kissed him?

"yeah well, it's all thanks to this one" hanbin laughed, gesturing to you. that seemed to sober keita up a bit, his curious eyes now bouncing between you two. you shyly laughed, giving a small wave of dismissal.

"after i saw you in the crowd i knew i couldn't embarrass myself" hanbin smiled with a shrug. so you went to the game? i mean, keita shouldn't be surprised. your friend was dating the captain, of course you'd be there.

he couldn't help but frown at hanbins comment, the eerie similarity to keitas mindset sending shivers down his spine. he hadn't processed that you could be motivation for anyone else. you *shouldnt* be. they'd only be getting their hopes up.

"i heard about you and had to see it for myself," you nodded

oh?

oh.

so he guesses they wouldn't be getting their hopes up after all. who was he kidding? it's sung hanbin we're talking about here. mr perfect, of course you'd be impressed by him.

"i didn't realize you guys were close"

"we watch your games together!" hanbin chimes.

it was weird, keita didn't remember mr perfect being this passive aggressive. he could barely get a word in before hanbin dismissed keita entirely to talk to you. sure, hanbin was probably into you, but did he have to act like that?

"its so crazy what you can do with your height, right y/n?" you gave hanbin an unsure look, nodding hesitantly.

okay, so keita wasn't overthinking.

"i mean, just look at you two next to each other! what is that, a 20 cm difference?" you frowned, pulling keita closer to you defensively.

in the beginning of the year, you probably would've laughed with hanbin, maybe even fueled the fire a bit. but things are different now. instead, it was hanbin giggling to himself. it was so odd, keita could've sworn hanbin was a nice dude with no mean bone in his body. and he could've sworn you were an asshole with no nice bone.

"i'm not that tall" you politely chuckled, trying to dismiss him. "she's 180" he added.

hanbin smiled meanly, the same way you did a couple months ago. "what? i thought keita was 160?"

you smiled, shaking your head firmly.

"he's 165."

"i didn't know knowing your friends heights were so important." he put his hands up defensively, no longer snickering. "does that mean you know how tall i am?"

your face softened, but your grip on keita didn't. he took another gulp of his drink, watching carefully.

"you look like your the same as me. 178?" hanbin nodded excitedly, giving you a high five.

"see, we really are friends then!"

keita was used to girls being into hanbin more than him. he was hardly surprised with how short tempered he was versus the patience hanbin always had. but for some reason, it seemed to sting a lot more with you.

maybe it's because you flirted with hanbin while holding onto keita. maybe it's because he was gonna confess tonight. maybe it's because he didn't think your type would be gentle guys like hanbin.

maybe it wasn't, and maybe that's why hanbin was being more callous than usual. so many maybes, it made keitas head hurt. he couldn't keep engaging in the conversation, he had to get out before he spiraled any further. he slide his way out your hold, making a lousy excuse before walking off with a sigh.

when he was finally alone, keita had a chance to catch his breath. he sat in a random hallway, the same one you and him had been in last time. the idea of you wanting hanbin instead was all he could think about.

it was worse than jealously. keita felt.. envious.

envious of the way hanbin could easily take any girl in the school, and he just happen to pick out you. envious of the way you seemed to replace him, going to the basketball games instead of his. and when you were at the rugby games, you weren't there for him. it was for hanbin.

envious of the fact that you two looked perfect together. envious of the fact that your relationship with hanbin didn't start out rocky.

and before he knew it, keita was crying. the beads rolled down his cheek slowly, and he didn't even bother to wipe it. instead, he just crouched down, pouring his face into his arms.

god was he pathetic. this was supposed to be the best night of his life and instead he was sobbing in the corner of a hallway. he had just won a rugby game, and the last one of the season! he should be having a cheers with jiung, a bright smile on his face. instead, he sat with a half full red solo cup filled with mystery liquor next to him. the only noise you could hear was it's soft fizz, and the muffled hiccups and sniffles.

"NPD?" your voice rang from the entrance of the hall, but keita didn't bother to look up. he's already ashamed of himself, he couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd feel if you saw him like this.

"NPD! where did he go.." you trailed off, your voice changing in volume because of proximity.

you took one last look around the narrow path, finally spotting him.

there he was, hunched over and shaking. you felt your heart shatter at the sight, he looked so.. fragile.

"kei.." you called to him softly.

he glanced up, holding his breath when you made eye contact.

hanbins letterman.

you were wearing it. he bit his lip to stop the whimper he almost let out. you began walking to him slowly. he began panicking, standing up and roughly smearing at his face as if you wouldn't find out he was crying.

once you had move closer to him, you firmly held onto both of his hands to stop the harsh scratching at his face. without saying a word, you replaced it with your own hands. your fingers were cold against his warm cheeks, sending shivers down his spine. you exhaled out, just barely grazing your thumb under his eye. the ghost touches were ticklish, but slowly he felt the tears stop pouring out from him eyes.

you breathed again. "nobody else should see you like this" you muttered, letting him go to search for a place somewhere more private. you were being.. scarily comforting right now. keita had a hard time processing that the same person who broke into his house was finding a place for him to cry without his reputation being shattered.

until you gripped his wrist, throwing him into the same room you did last time. nope. definitely the same person.

you dragged him like a rag doll onto the bed. and for the first time, he saw genuine anger in your eyes.

you had never once gotten mad in front of him before. annoyed, sure. unamused? all the time! but never irritated.

he watched silently as you began ripping the jacket off of yourself.

"that dick. making us seem like we're closer then we really are." you cursed out, just loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough that it was clearly an internal dialogue. "i mean, we just sit in the same area! i didnt even notice him there" you continued, rolling the sleeves off carelessly.

"and then he mocks you?? in front of me?" you approached the bed, crawling until you sat on keitas lap. you tightly gripped his chin, making him gulp. all the gentle ghost touches are long gone, and he's sure there'd be marks after tonight.

you lean closer to his face, the angry glint in your eyes.

"nobody calls you short except me." you said lowly, closing the gap between the two of you. keita yelped on surprise, gripping into your shoulders to sturdy himself.

so much was happening right now, it made the boys head spin in confusion.

so he decided it was easier not to think about it. the girl he likes is currently on top of him kissing him like a starved man. he hardly has room to complain.

he whimpered quietly when you pushed him backwards, making his back flat with the bed while you were hovering on top of him.

"wait- wait- too fast-" he breathes out, trying to catch his breath.

"you.." he pointed to you weakly, watching you heave on top of him. he then pointed to himself, uncertainty written all over his expression.

"like..me?" you nodded, as if this was blatant and he was an idiot for not realizing sooner. "i thought it was obvious when i kissed you in the exact same room."

keita blinked. you remembered?

"wait- i thought you forgot"

you tilted your head, the previously furious expression now replaced with slight annoyance at worst. "i wasnt *that* drunk npd"

"so you knew both of us liked each other.. and said nothing?" you shrugged "i was waiting for you to make the first move."

he blinked, his eyebrows furrowed. you're always so confusing, logic seems to be thrown out the window when it comes to you.

"i'm a girl y'know! we like it when guys are bold" you rolled your eyes, your arms now crossed. he laughed at how silly you were, tension he built up in his entire chest being released with his small chuckle. soon it went from a chuckle to a full hands clapping laugh. you look over at him, your face now red with embarrassment. "don't laugh!"

he seized his giggles on your command, his hands now coming into your shoulders. although his eyes were still puffy, you much preferred how he looked when he was happy.

"well, looks like you'd made the move now." he said with a grin, pulling you back down to hovering over him. his arms snuck their way around your neck, pulling you toward him one last time for one final kiss.

one without misunderstands. without confusion. one that finally seemed like a closing. everything was settled now, and there was no doubt in keitas mind.

you were made for him.

☆...★...☆...★...☆

you were talking with winter, your smile a lot brighter nowadays and your shoulders a lot more relaxed.

"what happened to the real y/n? what'd you do with her?"

you laughed at sungchan. "i'm not sure what you mean?" winter closes your locker for you, directing all your attention to them.

"see the real y/n i know wouldve said.."

she looked at sungchan, and as if they telepathically communicated, looked back to you and said in sync.

"he finally has a reason to be a narcissistic" the three of you laughed, though you were rolling your eyes at them.

before you had a chance to retort, keita had already approached the lockers. you routinely took a step back, letting him squat down to get to his lockers.

"i heard someone aced his test?"

"what! that was supposed to be a surprise!" he huffed, glaring at sungchan who innocently batted his eyelashes.

"i was thinking about getting you a treat. i realize it's a been since we've had date night anyways" you said with a shrug. he gave you a grin, taking his books out.

"just for a 100? if i knew i'd get a treat if study for every test.” he stood up, going on his tip toes to plant a kiss on your forehead.

"ew! cover my eyes" winter whined, taking sungchans hand and using it obscure her vision. earlier on the year, keita would've found it annoying, unbearable even, that she was so close with one of his closest friends. but after a *lot* of convincing from both you and sungchan, he can say he's content with seeing her more often now.

he had to say, it was more fun that they were both taken. even if it took him a little longer to finally seal the deal, it was all worth it in his book.

you ruffled his hair, turning back to him. okay, worth it unless you're doing *that*.

"that seems like our cue to leave, you think NPD?"

he frowned, taking your hand out his hair and intertwining it with his fingers instead. "we can have normal couple names y'know.." he whined.

you laughed, giving his hand a small squeeze. "what, don't you'd think it'd be weird for me to call you baby?"

"no! it's cute."

you blew a raspberry in disapproval, waving him off.

"NPD is more accurate, you're anything but a baby."

"even if i'm short?"

"i'll blame pops on that one" you laugh, walking with him to your next classes. he groans, giving you a middle finger.

"stop calling my dad pops!"

winter smiled, watching the two of you fade into the background. "she's grown up so much" sungchan grins, interlocking their hands. "c'mon mom, we're gonna be late" he laughs, escorting her the other way.

and for the first time since the school year started, you had walked to class without winter next to you.

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