#compass

꒰ ੭⭒notes :: mimi!! MWUAH i absolutely love you and your mind, this was so fun to write omgomg... i didnt expect from myself to write almost pure fluff one day, but i really liked it so yall will see more of these in the future for sure (also this turned out pretty angsty but what can i say... i cant help myself) i really hope you like it and i could see into your mind (⁠✯⁠ᴗ⁠✯⁠)

Yuma's eyes are filled with concern as soon as he approaches his friend, seeing how hard he’s gripping the red cup full of beer in his hand. 

“Dude, are you okay?” Jo immediately jolts his head from your direction, getting snapped out of his thoughts. 

“Uh, yeah, sure” He sighs, trying to sound casual as he glances towards your direction once again, around the twentieth time this night. 

He's definitely not okay. Not when all he can think about is how much you have been changing in the past weeks, hell, even months by now. You used to be just like him. That's how two people find each other, right?

But now, instead of following each other around nervously in this party just to find a spot in the corner where you two can talk, you are laughing with some random boy. A random boy Jo has never met before, someone he hasn't seen before. He didn't take his features in, not at all. Instead, he was staring at you endlessly, watching as you squint your eyes as your mouth fell open in a laugh. It has been his favorite thing ever since he first saw it, it made something bloom in his chest every time.

You find someone who is similar to you, and you guys become friends. This is what happened with you two too, at the age of five, when your mothers let you meet.

Your mothers have been friends since high school, and they promised each other to let their kids become friends when they'll have one. This worked out surprisingly well, because you and Jo are in university now, and you are still friends.

“Are you really okay? We should find a spot to sit” Yuma asked again, eyes flickering between Jo and the direction he looks towards.

You seemed unbothered, talking and laughing with the guy at some unfunny joke he told you, slapping his arm playfully. Jo sighed to himself and finally turned to his friend to look down at him.

“I think we should just go home or something” he mumbled, fidgeting with the edge of his red cup.

Yuma nodded, thinking for a few seconds “Then y/n wouldn't have a ride home. You took her here, remember?”

Jo pinches the bridge of his nose then he looks around in the garden. “Oh, yeah, sure, I forgot about that.”

“Dude, where's your mind?” The blond boy asks in a low tone, but Jo doesn’t answer. 

Soon Yuma grabs his hand and leads him in the garden, making him not having a choice where to go. There are a bunch of people here, and it makes Jo’s stomach twist in anxiety. Some people are in the huge pool, playing around or chilling by the edge with drink in hand or kissing. The others are dancing, or just talking. By now, everybody is at least a bit tipsy.

Except for Jo. He hates alcohol. Yuma tried to convince him to drink, so it’ll make his thoughts less foggy, but he refused. He hates when his throat burns, when his cheeks get red and hot, when he feels like he can't control what he says.

Yuma sits down with a groan when they finally find an empty couch settled next to the pool. “Gosh, finally. I've been standing since forever” he comments as he takes a sip from his own beer. 

Jo just hums and calls it a day, but his eyes are searching for you again. If he wants to be honest, he doesn't want to leave you alone with that guy at all. He doesn't know him, and it feels dangerously strange. He isn't used to seeing you laughing with someone who's not him or Yuma. 

“Jeez, you are one of a kind” 

He turns his head back to his friend again at that, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“Don't think that I don't know where you are looking” Yuma continues, bobbing his head towards your direction “You’ve been looking at her all day” 

Jo lowers his head, thumb caressing the side of his cup. Fidgeting with anything he could find when he was nervous, it was such a bad habit. It made it painfully obvious how much embarrassment he felt about everything. “That's not true,” he mumbles.

“Deny it all you want” Yuma shrugs his shoulders, but leans closer to Jo’s ears to lower his tone “I’ve been noticing a thing or two between you two, though”

“That's bullshit” Jo lets out a breathy laugh, pushing his friend slightly with his elbow. “We are just friends”

“Friends don't hang out all the time. She practically lives in your apartment by now.” 

“It's none of your business anyway” he pushes the words through his teeth, looking at your direction again. When he looks his heart nearly stops, because you are staring right at him, looking above the guy’s shoulder while he's talking about something. 

“You are madly in love with her, just admit it”

That's the moment all the fidgeting pays up and the red cup full of beer, almost in slow motion, falls out of Jo’s hands and lands on the floor, splaying the liquor all over their shoes and the stone floor. A small amount even gets on the front of the couch. 

“Gosh, I'm done” Jo jolts up from the couch, kicking the cup away in anger. “Do you seriously have to be noisy about— everything?” he turns to Yuma, the words spilling out before he could stop them.

“Yes, I like her. And so what? I'm not a loser who fucks around all the time, goes to those stupid ass emo rock parties you always go to. You know there are people who actually have feelings for others. Like, I don't know, love?” 

Yuma looks up at him from the couch in disbelief, mouth falling agape. He has never seen his friend so angry like this, especially not at him. They’ve always gotten along, and as much as Yuma knew Jo, he would describe him as a calm person. 

Yes, Yuma was different. He lived his college life to the fullest, he had the absolute most fun at every party. And let's just say, he also knew his people. There were many local rock themed parties around in many bars late at night, and those were his personal favorite. He always bragged about them to his friends, especially Jo. 

Because Jo was an amazing listener. Besides, he was someone who always accepted him and his style, the numerous piercings in his ears and the one in his tongue, the eyeliner he would put on on days where he just felt more confident than usual, the black hand gloves that covered his whole forearm.

Jo said all of this was cool, and Yuma knew he just had to keep him right at that moment. All these things that made him different, that made the guys in high school bully him, was cool? Jo made it seem like it was the best thing ever. Expressing yourself, your true self.

And yet here they were, the tall man unusually bursting out at him and saying all of this is stupid. It goes against everything he ever knew about Jo.

“Stupid?” Yuma says, voice calm. By now, everybody around them looks at them with judging looks. “You know what else is stupid? That you have been liking her in the past three years and you are still too much of a coward to confess to her.” he slaps his own — empty — cup to the table and stands up, pushing Jo away who stumbles back as Yuma walks past him and disappears in the crowd.

-

It’s around midnight when you go to find Jo, who has been sitting on the couch where his cup fell out of his hands ever since Yuma rushed away from him. He has been thinking about everything, his life, his friends, and how painfully he likes you. 

He swallows a lump in his throat when you call his name out and ask if he's okay. You are so sweet with him, sometimes way too sweet.

If he thinks about you for too long, he feels like his whole body will combust until the only thing he sees is you, your beautiful hair, your soft and smooth skin and that smile which makes your eyes squint and he will only be able to call out your name while he burns to death. 

You two walk to the car and get in it without saying a single word to each other, both of you are way too invested in your own thoughts. 

The party is far from ending, it probably lasts until sunrise. Jo doesn't ask why you wanted to leave early, he doesn’t even realize it. 

His mind is racing with at least three different scenarios of what could happen if he just accidentally said ‘I love you’ even though this probably won't happen while he starts the engine and quietly drives out of the parking lot. He always catches himself doing this. Making up scenarios about things he will never do or say, and imagining the worst possible things happening after. 

Twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes in silence while he drives, eyes strictly glued to the road, because Jo is too scared that if he just glances at you, he won't be able to take his eyes off of you. He grips the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles are turning white, and you — in opposition to him — are looking at those said hands. 

Jo gulps, he has been thinking about the conversation he wants to bring up since you sat in his car, but he isn't sure if he actually wants to talk, because what if you open the door and jump out of the moving car? That would be way too brutal to handle.

Then, like a sharp pain in the chest, Yuma's words flash in his mind. It made him realize something, that he was right. What is he even doing? You won't jump out of the moving car, this is too ridiculous to even think about. That's not a reaction to anything. He is a coward. 

Then, he decides something. That he won't be a coward anymore. He won't sit on the couch in the corner when he goes to a party, and that he will confess to you. 

When he starts to think about the acceptable place and time of a confession, he realizes that he's doing this wrong again. 

Jo lets out an awkward cough, squirming in his seat. “So, who was that guy you were talking to?” 

Don't look at her. Don't look at her. Don't look at her. 

He looks at you for less than a second, but as he feels — and then for a moment in the dim car, sees — your heavy gaze on the side of his face, he turns back to the road faster than ever. 

“Oh, no one” you answer casually, your lips feeling dry all of a sudden. “Just a guy I met there”

It feels like the knot in Jo’s stomach loosens a little bit. He isn't your boyfriend, or a friend you have never talked about. That was someone you just met there, so there's nothing to overthink, right? 

He takes a slight turn to the left, driving into a gas station. “Okay. I saw you had fun” he states. 

You straighten up your back when you remember the glances he sent you, even when he was sitting far away from you on that couch on the other side of the garden. 

You run your hand up and down on your thighs, laughing nervously “At the beginning yes, I guess” 

Now he looks at you fully, eyebrows shooting up at the unexpected answer. “Only at the beginning?” Then, he looks at the digital clock in the car, realizing it's only almost one am. “Wait, why did you want to leave so early?” his voice softens, eyes searching for any reaction on your face. 

But you turn your head down, fixing them on your shoes. 

Something happened, Jo already knew it. It breaks his heart seeing you like this, and he doesn't know what to do. “Did he do something?” he ends up asking. 

You nod your head slowly, not looking up at him. “He— he was being pushy and he— um” you stop, taking a deep breath. “He touched my chest” 

His eyes widen at your words, and he stops the humming engine. Silence falls in the car, Jo opens his mouth to say something, just to close it again. Of course he was an asshole. He doesn't remember this happening at all, even though he looked at you for almost all day. 

He reaches out to your face, softly placing his finger on your chin to turn your head to his direction. The lights of the gas station make your eyes shine, and he swears he’s going to melt at that moment. 

“You don't deserve this” he mumbles “I know you might be looking for someone, but you deserve way better. It must've hurt you a lot” 

You lick your lips, nodding your head. You stay silent for a few seconds, debating if you should actually say these things or not. “It’s just— you—” you look into his eyes and it hits you, it hits you how many things you can ruin right at this moment. 

Jo lowers his hand from your chin, but you grab onto it. You stare at the spot where your hands touch for a few seconds, heart hammering in your chest. “I saw you looking at me.”

Jo pulls his hand away “I know”

“Why was that?” you tilt your head, and you watch as he nervously looks out of the window. 

“I didn't want you to get hurt, you know? I feel like in the past weeks we kind of drifted away from each other. I guess we have both grown up, and I appreciate that you want to find someone who loves you, but be careful. I'm happy for you, but it hurts because— I—” the words rolled down from his tongue, the last part of his sentence getting lost in the darkness of the car. 

“Jo” his name is soft on your lips, a little bit too soft. Jo’s heart grows triple at its size as he turns his full body to you. 

“Sorry, I know I’m a bit too protective sometimes and it's probably very annoying” he apologizes, lowering his eyes.

“It's cute”

“What?”

“It's cute. You are cute” you bite back a smile as you watch his eyes widen, his whole face turning red which is visible even in the dark car where the only light is the light filtering in from the gas station. 

“We shouldn't be drifting away. I know going out to these parties is out of your comfort zone, and I’m sorry for dragging you there” you reach for his hand again. “I shouldn't be drifting away from such an amazing person like you”

“You think I’m amazing?”

“You are” you laugh, because he really is amazing, and he really is just so cute, especially when you make him flustered like this. 

“That's — that's sweet” he stutters, avoiding your eyes. 

“Thank you for protecting me” you mutter after a few seconds of silence, and you really mean it. Having a person like Jo in your life is a blessing. Sometimes it can be a curse too, but most of the time it's a blessing. 

When he looks into your eyes again and you lock eyes, it feels like something shifts. His gaze is way softer than before, eyes doe and innocent like a baby deer. His hand is in your lap ever since you pulled it there, and you caress it softly with your thumb. 

“Y/n” Now it's his time to call your name out, even though he knows you are already listening to him. “I think I really love you.” he admits, locking eyes with you. “I think I have been in love with you ever since I’ve known your favorite color”

You don't hesitate, not for a moment, when you close the distance between you. Jo’s eyes widen as soon as your lips touch, but before he could realize, you are moving your lips on his and oh my gosh — he melts into it. He runs his hands in your hair, angling your head upwards so he can reach you more. He’s usually shy, but there's not an ounce of shyness in him when he licks your lower lip and his tongue finds its way into your mouth.

It's slow and deliberate, and it’s filled with emotions. You can almost feel how Jo’s shoulders slump, how he's in relief by your move. You grab onto his shoulders and pull him closer, and he lets out a small sound that disappears in your mouth. You are sure that what you are feeling now, is the most beautiful thing you have ever felt. 

“I love you too” you mumble into his mouth, and he slowly pulls away so he can look into your beautiful eyes in this vulnerable moment. Then his eyes travel to your lips, and he kisses you again, because he just can't get enough of you.

-

The smell of summer rain is filling up Jo’s apartment, a few droplets of water falling into the room through the opened skylight. You and him are laying on the couch while a random movie plays in the background, cuddling as the sound of Jo’s soft snores echoes in the room. 

You are already awake, but you just can't help yourself and listen to his cute noises as your head is on his chest, feeling his heartbeat in your ear. 

You and Jo were awake all night. When you got home, you talked a lot about random stuff, your feelings, and just about everything in life. It felt like a breath of fresh air, the tension that had been building up in the past months just disappearing in a span of two hours. 

After you finished, you both voted for watching a movie. You ended up cuddling and kissing, and soon you both drifted to sleep before you had a chance to turn off the tv. 

You smile to yourself before you get up from the couch as quietly as possible so he doesn't wake up, and you walk to the kitchen in your fluffy slippers to make breakfast for Jo and you. For your boyfriend and you. 

Soon he wakes up too and switches the channels to some sit-com you can watch while eating breakfast. 

“Why did you confess to me exactly yesterday if you’ve been liking me for so long?” you ask out of curiosity, taking a bite from one of the rice cakes you put on your plate. 

Suddenly, guilt blooms in Jo’s chest as he remembers the heated conversation with Yuma. They were harsh, but it made him change for the better. It made him realize something about himself, and he will be forever thankful for that. However, on the other hand, he was straight up mean to Yuma. 

Jo lets out a tired sigh “Yuma told me something that I will be thankful for forever. It made me realize that we only live once and that I love you more than everything. That's when I knew I had to do it as soon as possible” he explains.

You smile, he’s seriously the sweetest and the cutest person ever. You always liked him a little bit, but now you are madly in love with him, and you hope this feeling will never end. 

“About Yuma…” he adds, already shifting towards the end of the sofa “I have to talk with him” He stands up and leans down so he can press a kiss on your forehead. “I’ll be back”

You nod, “Okay, but be quick because there's another movie I want to watch”

He laughs, and his eyes shine up at the mention of spending more time with you. “Only if we can cuddle” he leans down again, the kiss now landing on your lips.

“Hey! I haven't brushed my teeth yet” you laugh, covering your mouth with the back of your palm

“I don't care” he offers a smile and turns around on his heels, grabbing his jacket so he won't get wet in this weather. 

Jo knows he needs to be quick, and not only because he wants to watch that movie with you, but also because he knows that Yuma has to play with his garage band everyday at exactly 10:00, and he's not the type to be late.

The door opens up almost immediately after Jo knocks, and the blond boy rolls his eyes when he sees Jo. “What do you want?” Yuma barks. 

So he's still mad. Noted. He wears the usual stuff he does every day, black cargo pants, some rock band’s grey merch shirt, under that a long sleeve white shirt. He isn't wearing his black long gloves, but his nails are painted black and it looks pretty fresh. His eyeliner is slightly smeared under his eyes, but Jo assumes it’s on purpose. 

“I just wanted to talk,” he says, composed. “About yesterday”

Yuma grabs onto the door, and he's ready to shut it but Jo stops it firmly with his forearm “There's nothing to talk about” Yuma states, annoyed.

“I really didn't want to hurt you. I know what I said was probably going against everything I've ever told you, but I was just mad. Me and y/n had so much tension building up between us and your curiosity felt uncomfortable to me. I acted childish and I’m sorry for that”

The door slowly opens up again, and Yuma's eyes look a little bit softer than before. He's not smiling, his face is totally neutral and he doesn't answer anything at first. “So you didn't mean it?”

“No, obviously not! You know I always found your style unique and cool, and I envy that you don't fear to show yourself to others.” 

Yuma finally cracks a smile, his snuggle tooth peeking out from his closed lips. “Thanks”

“So, are we good?” Jo asks hopefully, scanning his friend’s face. Yuma steps closer and pulls him into a hug all of a sudden, and Jo smiles to himself. 

“Of course we are”

“By the way, me and y/n are together now. I confessed to her” he adds as he pulls back from the hug. 

“You bastard! Who knew I would give such good advice. So you are not a little coward anymore?” Yuma pushes his friend by the shoulder slightly, making him stumble back.

Jo laughs, shaking his head. “I don't think so”

“Wow. I wouldn't expect you to ever grow balls. Have you had them before oorrr?” Yuma teases, and they both end up laughing. 

“Anyways, I have to go. I promised her to watch a movie” 

They both say their goodbyes, and Jo leaves with a freeing feeling in his whole body. He's pretty sure he has never felt like this before. Happy. Truly happy. He just can't wait to get home and watch that movie you want to watch, then to spend the rest of your lives together. He already misses your beautiful face, voice, and your gorgeous eyes.

💌 @nichozzystuffs @ateez-atiny380 @ikigaijo @yuversi @yatta-exe