#escapewriter.request

you and yunho have been best friends for as long as you could remember. you did nothing and everything together. it was like you two were meant to be friends.

but your heart wanted more than just friends.

it wasn’t the first time you felt this feeling towards him, but it also wasn’t the first time you’ve pushed them aside for the sake of your friendship. and it hurt you knowing that you’re just going in loops, repeating the pain over and over again.

you both were currently in the park after a long day at school. you were on the swingset and yunho sat at the top of the slide. there was a good amount of distance so that when either of you spoke, it was easy to hear the other.

however, right now it was silent. yunho has told you that someone in his class confessed to him today during lunch. he was waiting for you to react to the news so when you didn’t, he continued to speak.

“i told them no.” you lifted your head to look at him, confusion written on your face.

“i thought you liked them yunho?” yunho had told you before that he thinks they’re his first love. it broke your heart then, but now it gives you a small amount of hope.

he pushes himself and slides down, sitting at the end of the slide. “yeah, i thought i did too. but when they confessed today,” he looked at you, a nervous glint in his eyes, “it made me realize they’re not who i love.”

you heard your heartbeat in your ears and yunho stood and approached your swing, standing in front of you. “who do you love then, yunho?”

he grins, scanning how you reacted him just standing in front of you before bending forward to be level with you.

You wanted to desperately disappear as you walked in the hallways of campus, quickly trying to get to your first class. Pairs of eyes shot your direction, many of which were glares of jealousy, made you wish you just called in sick.

This was one of the many reasons why the two of you never openly went out; people are mean and it’s inevitable to avoid. You just wished the news came out in a different way.

Upon entering your classroom, you spot your boyfriend sitting in the spot right next to your desk. You would think he would keep his original spot next to Eric in the back, but the smug look he had on his face proves that he does not care about the stares he’s receiving.

You smile softly to yourself before taking your seat next to him as he quickly kisses your cheek. Glaring, you pinch his thigh as he flinches.

“Ow! Can’t I not greet you in the morning?” An unsettling look crossed your features as you looked over your shoulder towards the corner of people who are known to fawn over Sunwoo.

“You can,” you mumble as you play with your fingers, “but not in front of people. Plus this is Haknyeon’s spot, he’ll be irritated because he has to move at the back.”

Sunwoo grins before leaning closer towards your face as you shy away from him. “Baby, does it look like I care if Haknyeon will be mad? No.” The corner of your mouth twitches up in a nervous smile, the thought of the people in the corner burning holes on the back of your head still lingering in your brain.

Your boyfriend takes notice, he has noticed the second you walked in, but he’s been waiting for you to say something. But his patience runs thin. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m uncomfortable,” your voice shakes nervously as you bite your lower lip, “it feels like everyone wants to rip off my head.” You laugh to yourself to try and lighten up the mood, but soon resume your tense state.

By now, the two of you were used to expressing your emotions to one another. Communication is important to you both, whether it be little or a lot, as long as it’s good communication.

“My love, you don’t have to worry about them. Who cares about what they think? What matters is that we’re happy, right?” He grabs your hand and laces your fingers together. He brings it up and kisses the back of your hand as you pout at how adorable he is. “You make me feel alive.”

“Okay you could’ve stopped at the happy part.” You giggle to yourself as he clutches his heart, a pained expression on his face.

“I express my love and get rejected? Wack.” You both laugh together, the weight on your shoulders long gone, the feeling of eyes burning on you forgotten, and the tense feeling now replaced with love. You were grateful for your boyfriend.

“Kim Sunwoo, I get you’re in love but I’m gonna need you out of my seat.” You both turn to Haknyeon standing in front of the desk, a dead serious look in his eyes as Sunwoo pouts.

after months of being away from each other, san was thrilled to have you in his arms again. as much as he loved touring and performing, he missed you dearly and just wanted to feel you holding him.

however, what he failed to remember was how much space you needed whenever you both slept. not because you didn’t like cuddling — you loved it a lot — or because you were hot and sweat a lot, but instead for the reason that you tend to kick in your sleep.

people sleep walk, sleep talk, or both; you on the other hand, sleep kick. and unfortunately, san had to learn that the hard way.

san has just returned home from tour, his jet lag catching up with him as you both lay in bed watching a movie. you were usually the one to fall asleep first, so when san was peacefully resting beside you, you turned off the TV and decided to nap with him.

but, instead of pulling away — which is what san usually did — you pulled san in closer, snuggling into his scent and warmth. soon, your eyes became droopy and you were lulled to sleep.

***

san felt a shove at his left thigh, too close to the danger zone for his liking.

his eyes opened wide as he saw how close the both of you were in proximity. getting out of bed quickly, he was able to avoid your next hit. he sighed for a moment, looking at your sleeping form before softly smiling to himself.

he carefully returned to his spot after putting a barrier pillow in between you two. he layed down and took your hand in his, intertwining your fingers and kissing your knuckles before laying it flat on the pillow.

your eyes flutter open, a goofy smile forming on your lips. “sorry, i forgot to put a pillow.”

leaning back in your chair on the porch of your backyard, you inhaled the fresh smell of spring. the grass was greener, the air was warmer, and the sky was clear. everything was perfect.

you brought your mug up to your lips, sighing in content as the liquid of your morning coffee flowed down your throat. it was a beautiful start to the day.

“come back here little one!” your turned your head to follow the voice of your husband chasing after your babygirl who had ran outside the sliding door.

she screamed in excitement as she ran from her dad, a smile stitched onto her face with her eyes crinkling.

a grin creeped up to your lips as you watched the scene play out in front of you. your husband, laughing as he chased your beautiful daughter in the backyard.

when she began to slow down, you noticed she had her recent gift in her hand; a bubble gun.

san caught her in his arms and she squealed as his tickled her. “you have to let me attach the bottle before you can play with it.” he spoke softly to her.

he carries her in one arm as she pouts and holds out the toy. he grins and takes the bottle out from his pocket, takes off the cap and twists it into place on the gun.

“go for it little one.” she pulls the trigger and a swarm of bubbles release. she giggles in excitement, a happy smile on her lips, and an innocent glint in her eyes.

you watch as she moves her arms around to spread out the bubbles, your eyes landing on san who was already looking directly at you.

“babe, come play with us!”

you grin and make your way over to them, your daughters eyes sparking when she sees you. “pop the bubbles!”

san puts her down, the bubble gun falling to the floor as she runs to try and pop every single one of them. you pick up the gun and continue to blow bubbles as san goes with her to help her pop them all. he eventually lifts her up in the air and over his shoulders so she can reach higher.

“No.” You pout as you curse the time for moving too fast. He slightly pushes you away without removing your arms and he grins at you. He leans forward, kissing your left cheek, then moving to plant another kiss on your right cheek. He pulls away to gaze into your eyes as a form of comfort and as a silent way of telling you to let go.

You roll your eyes at him and scowl as you hear Seungcheol clear his throat from the other end of the hallway where the rest of the guys were waiting. “Fine.”

Your arms fall to their sides, Wonwoo quickly cups your face in his palms and gives you a sweet and passionate kiss on the lips. He pulls away to which you whine at and he chuckles, giving in and leaning in multiple times to peck your lips.

“Okay, now I have to go baby.” He gives you one last hug, both of you squeezing each other tightly before pulling away.

He begins to walk towards where Seungcheol was at the end of the hall, hand now in yours as you stood in place. You held his hand tightly, a sad pout on your face.

“Baby, let go.” He chuckles, now familiar with your actions because this has happened on multiple occasions where Wonwoo had to leave for tour.

“Okay, I know I get a lot of kisses, but can I get one more please?” He rolls his eyes with a smirk, walking forward towards you. You beam happily knowing that he could never say no to you as you wrap your arms around him and he places his hand on the back of your neck, pulling you in for another kiss.

You savor this one, kissing him back feverishly and knowing that you won’t be able to get another for a few months. He pulls away, eyes still closed as he leans his forehead against yours, both of you breathing heavy.

“Happy?” You nod, brushing your forehead on his and you grab his hand. Both of you pull away and Wonwoo takes a step back. He waves at you as he slowly walks towards the end of the hallway. “I’ll text you, okay?”

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. The crickets began to chirp and you swore you heard a family of birds begin to sing. Your eyes snapped open. You turned to look at the clock, 4:02. Of all the times for time to move slow, it chooses now.

You heard a grunt from the other side of the bed. Your boyfriend, who was once facing away from you, has now turned to face you. His arm extends and wraps around your waist, pulling you closer to his body out of instinct.

You huff in frustration, looking at your boyfriend's peaceful state. Without a second thought, you removed his arm abruptly and sat up, your feet moving to the side of the bed. A sudden burst of energy ignited, your mind and body now awake and won’t go back to sleep for some time.

Sunwoo, who squints at your back the entire time, not knowing what is happening. He watches as you stand up and begin to pace the room for a moment, checking the clock every five seconds.

“Baby?” His raspy voice takes you out of your trance. “What are you doing?” His voice cracks a bit as he begins to pout from being woken up.

You hop on the bed, Sunwoo blinking a few times and wondering how you have so much energy. “Sorry I woke you up. I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep.” He nods, not really paying attention as he focuses on trying to keep his heavy eyelids open.

He drops his head on the pillow and shuts his eyes, his arms opening up wide, a familiar sight to see. “Come on,” he whispers softly, not bothered by your loud and disruptive behavior, “let’s sleep.”

You get up and walk to his side of the bed, resuming your pacing from before. “But I can’t. My mind is currently alive and won’t knock the fuck out.” You glance at Sunwoo who drops his arms, the pout more evident than before. You continue to pace.

It was only 4:07 when Sunwoo sighed loudly. You ignored him and attempted to think of something to pass time. He sighs again, but louder and with a more whiny tone. “Quit whining you big baby.” You continue to pace before getting pulled off your feet.

The grip on your wrist was soft as Sunwoo tugged you hard to pull you to bed. You land on top of him with an ‘oomph’, his arms immediately wrapping around your form as you struggle to get loose.

“You know I can’t sleep without you in my arms.” You rolled your eyes, but reluctantly laid on his shoulder. You would be lying if you said that his arms didn’t bring you comfort and security.

However, you sighed loudly, the clock on the stand ticking agonizingly slow. His heartbeat was slow compared to yours as you shifted in attempts to get comfortable. “Okay, so you can sleep, but how do you expect me to sleep?”

You knew he smiled, you felt it on the top of your head. “Do you want me to sing to you?” Now, it was your turn to smile. You nodded eagerly, knowing that his soft and delicate voice calms you down. He opens his eyes for a second and kisses your forehead. He moves a bit, feeling more relaxed as his arms tighten around you. “This song should be familiar.”

You grin the second he begins to sing softly to his song ‘Berry’, the lyrics naturally flowing past his lips. You softly hum in tune with him as you begin to feel your heart rate gradually match in beat with his heart. The moment was perfect. Your eyes began to droop, your breathing slow, and your arms softly wrapped around Sunwoo. This is the feeling that you want to have, always and forever.

blowing softly in your eyes, clear melodies from your lips.

~ The evening glow cascaded through the curtain windows, a satisfied sigh passing your lips as you gazed at the sunset. You felt someone creep up behind you and wrap their arms around your form. You relax, loving the feeling of being embraced by someone you love.

“What are you doing?” His raspy voice whispers in your ear as you grin, silently signaling towards the beautiful picture outside the window. “The sunset?” You hum in response, turning your body so you can wrap your arms around your boyfriend.

“I could get used to this.” You move your head to look at Wonwoo, his eyes already on you.

“Good, because you’re not going anywhere.” ~

Your eyes snapped open, the heart monitor beeping in time with your fast heartbeat. People with white lab coats and scrubs rushed in, speaking to you in attempts to calm you down, but you could hear nothing. The only sound heard was the ringing in your ear, the ones you get when you stand up too fast or fall down and hit your head.

You opened your mouth, desperate to speak, to say something to someone, but there was nothing. You felt vulnerable. And you hated that, which is why you refused to receive treatment after the news of having brain cancer.

Medical professionals have offered multiple options, none of which mentioned a high chance of survival. At that point, you had lost all faith and decided to refuse treatment and to spend the rest of your days with the people you love. You thought that maybe now was your time to go, except you didn’t want to.

Your head fell back into the pillow, eyes staring at the ceiling as nurses and doctors cared for you. With blurry and darkening vision, your uneven breathing gradually slowed steady.

~ Heading to your boyfriend’s apartment, you had a heavy heart. Your mind has been completely occupied with the fact that just before going over, you were at the hospital declining any treatment from the doctors. It broke your heart knowing that you’ll have to keep this from Wonwoo, the man who thinks the world of you.

You approach his front door and before even having the chance to knock, it swings open, Wonwoo pulling you into the bright room and giving you the tightest hug.

This. This is something you never want to forget.

You wrap your arms around him, kicking the door shut behind you. You inhale, taking in the scent of his lotion. He lets go for a moment before capturing your lips into a feverish kiss. You melt immediately and relax, eyes shutting as you deepen it. He pulls away, leaving you in a haze as he laughs.

“Hi baby.” You smile at him.

“What’s gotten into you today Wonwoo? You’re more affectionate than usual.” You walk past him and into the living room. You plop on the couch, your mind only focused on Wonwoo as he approached where you sat.

“Can’t I just show affection to the person I love?” You giggle as he sits next to you and cackles you down on the soft cushions. His head lay on your chest as he hummed in satisfaction. “Can we nap like this?”

“I just got here Wonwoo,” you whispered as you began to thread your fingers through his hair, “I came here only for us to nap? I could have stayed at home.” You roll your eyes in fake annoyance before grinning down at him as he scowls up at you.

“It’s not the same, babe. Sure you could nap at home, but I wouldn’t be there. It’s better to have napping sessions together.” He holds onto you tighter, as if he feared you would slip away at any moment.

“Fair point Jeon Wonwoo, you win this time.” You release the strands of hair before wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him closer as the two of you drift off into a deep sleep. ~

Wonwoo didn’t know what to think as he sat in the waiting room at the hospital. So many thoughts ran through his mind, thinking that he was the cause of you ending up on that bed. He didn’t know that the argument you two had just a few hours prior would have led to this. He would have never made you go home in the rain.

He runs his fingers through his hair, pulling at the strands before hearing a doctor call your name. He immediately rises to his feet, approaching the man in the white coat.

“Are you the guardian?”

Wonwoo gulps, trying to keep his composure. “Uh, no, I’m the, um, boyfriend. Their parents live out of the country.” The doctor nods in understanding as he signals Wonwoo with his hand to follow him.

“Well, did you happen to see them before they were found passed out on the sidewalk in the rain?” Wonwoo looks down, ashamed of what he’s done. He nods slowly in response, a single tear dropping. “Hey, it’s okay,” the doctor pats his back as an act of comfort, “things happen.” They stop in front of your door, your room number slightly visible from the dimly lit hallway.

The doctor looks at Wonwoo and speaks with concern laced in his voice. “Before we head in, I think you should try to convince them about the treatment.”

Wonwoo shakes his head in confusion, asking with worry, “I’m sorry, treatment? What treatment are you talking about?” He sees the doctor's reaction, already putting the pieces together as he lets out a groan of frustration, leaning against the wall and placing his hands on his knees. Wonwoo didn’t even need to ask the doctor to know.

“Brain cancer. It’s a low chance but not too low. It won’t hurt to try. Yes it is a lot of work, but with the medical team we have, they will be able to push through with it.” Wonwoo couldn’t answer, all he could do was nod as more tears slipped down his cheeks. “Think about this for a bit, because I believe in them, and I’m sure you do as well.” The doctor opens the door slightly for Wonwoo, “They’re sleeping, but they probably wanted to see you.”

Wonwoo glances in the dark room, taking in your peaceful face before turning away. He looks at the doctor, finally standing up straight. “I didn’t get your name, sorry.”

The man smiled softly, extending his hand out, “Dr. Lee Jihoon.” They both shake hands, greeting each other politely.

“Jeon Wonwoo.” Wonwoo looks back into the room, an unknown feeling in his stomach. “I don’t know if I should go in there,” he looks down in shame, “I don’t deserve to see them after kicking them out.”

~ “Wonwoo will you please calm down for a moment. We need to relax before we talk.” You sat on the couch, watching your boyfriend pace in the living room, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when I see a man hugging you after walking you to your front door?” His voice was loud, and he had every right to be mad because it didn look bad on your end, but you needed to explain before it got out of hand.

“Baby, please listen to me explain—”

“Don’t call me that, not now.” He sighs as he stops pacing, his back facing towards you.

He didn’t know that you had gone to the hospital prior to your date due to a massive headache. Jun, who was a nurse at that hospital, had escorted you home because you had no form of transportation except walking. His job was to make sure you got home safe, and he has multiple times which resulted in a friendship blooming. Jun only hugged you as a form of comfort because you were stressed out about the fact that the cancer had grown, which caused the headache.

You had no intention of telling Wonwoo because you knew he would be worried and would want to walk you himself. The only problem was explaining the story. If you lied, and he knows when you do, it would make everything worse.

“Answer me honestly,” you look at Wonwoo as he turns around, eyes glossy, “are you cheating on me?” You stood up, eyes now slowly brimming with tears in fear of him not believing you.

“Of course not Wonwoo. Please, let me just explain.” He scoffs at you, not knowing what to think or believe. You reach out for his hand only for him to avoid you before you touch him.

“I think you should leave.” You widen your eyes, hoping that you probably misheard him. He makes eye contact with you for the first time, the once bright room turning dim as the rain storm rolled in. “Get out.” ~

“Wonwoo, I can not have a say in what happened this evening, but I do know that people forgive.” Jihoon rubs the man's back, hoping that maybe it will give him the courage to go in there. “I know you must feel terrible, but they need you right now.”

He looks into the room again, the clouds from the storm slowly moving away as the light from the sunset begins to shine in through the window. “Thank you Dr. Lee.” He nods before walking away to care for other patients.

Wonwoo leans against the doorframe for a moment, your limp body on the bed and various tubes attached to it. It was a tough sight to see. He closes the door softly behind him and walks over to the side of the bed. He sits down on the chair, his hand coming up and hesitantly grabs your hand. He brings it up, kissing your palm and leans his forehead against it as tears fall down his face.

He should have known something was wrong. All those days you felt sick or had a headache, he should have known. He was angry, not at you, but at himself. He understands why you never told him, it was something serious and you were probably scared. Your parents moved out of the country and you were left here to care for yourself.

Wonwoo vowed to never make you think that you have to be the only one to care for yourself or to think that you were alone in this because you’re not; you have him. And he makes a promise to himself and you that he will never leave your side.

He sharply inhales as he lifts up his head. He looks at you, your eyes now open and looking at him. He didn’t know what to say and just let his tears fall.

You smile weakly, squeezing his hand. “You’re here.”

His breath is shaky, gluping before he responds. “I’m here, baby. I’m so sorry—”

You cut him off before he goes on a tangent about how this could possibly be his fault. “Wonwoo stop. It’s not your fault, you didn’t know.” It broke your heart watching the man you love cry because you simply didn’t take care of yourself.

He whispers, calming down a bit. “I know, but I should have never kicked you out when there was a storm.” You squeeze his hand again, silently telling him that it was okay.

You scooted over in the bed, tapping the empty spot next to you. He looks in concern, “Are you sure I won’t hurt you?” You nod as he slowly gets up and lays next to you, his arm wrapping around your body and you cuddle close to him.

You lay in silence for a moment, just enjoying each other's presence once again. Wonwoo breaks that silence, asking you the question that you knew would have to come sooner or later. “Are you really not going to take the treatment?”

You sigh, shaking your head. “Why should I when I have a low chance of surviving? I would be wasting people's time and so much money.”

Wonwoo instinctively holds you tighter, as he thinks about his next words. “You’re missing the big picture, baby. It may be a low chance, but it is still a chance,” he moves a bit to look into your eyes, “I believe that you will survive. You wanna know why?” You roll your eyes, and grin at him. “Because, you are the strongest person I know. And I will be here by your side the entire time, and I need you to know that you will never be alone going through this.”

Your eyes slowly well up, not knowing what to say to your boyfriend as he kisses your cheek. He looks at you, wiping away a stray tear with his free hand. “What do you say, baby?”

Your head hung low, too ashamed to look at the person in the mirror. As you silently let the tears flow down your cheeks, you didn’t notice the door to the practice room open.

“Get out, your time is up.” You didn’t have to look up to know who it was. You know that voice anywhere, it was practically that voice in your head.

You heard his duffle back fall, a long sigh escaping past his lips as he began to stretch. He glances at your sloched form, a small tear dropping. He smirks, “Awe, poor ballerina can’t handle the pressure of a solo?” He scoffs and walks to the speaker system, “Suck it up. You’ll lose even if you did it right.”

You finally rose your head, your pride not allowing you to sit there and take his meaningless words. Standing up, you walk over to your bag and stuff your belongings in, not bothering to be neat. Without another word, you left the room with the door softly closing behind you.

***

6 days until dance competition

You stand in front of your instructor, head held high after performing the solo for what seems to be the hundredth time. She looks at you, her expression unreadable as you focus your eyes forward. “You’re still wobbly after landing the jump,” she turns to face the mirror, your eyes meeting, “you’re getting there though. You did have a long break, so it is hard to get back into doing tougher moves.”

You nodded your head, shame slowly taking over your features as she walked to her bag. “I have to head out now, oh! Hip-hop team has a scheduled time here around 4pm, so about an hour and a half.” She looks at you with a smile, “you have four days, relax a bit and then try again, okay?” You returned her smile, as he left the room. In the silence, disappointment hung over your head and rained all over you.

Quickly, you walked to the speaker systems and rewind the song. You were determined to land it.

***

You began to change out of your dance shoes and into a comfortable pair of sneakers. Right as the clock struck four, the door to the practice room opened. You had hoped there would be more people, but luck just wasn’t on your side.

You watched with disgust as Soonyoung strode to the speaker, an upbeat song immediately playing. He sets down his bag on a chair in the corner of the room. You focused your eyes on the floor, not wanting to draw attention to yourself.

But on the other side of the room, Soonyoung looked at you, a glint of sorrow in his eyes. He missed the way it was when you two would bicker in the practice room. He missed the rivalry feeling that the two of you shared. He never once meant any of his words to hurt you, but as he sees you stressed on the floor and having a hard time putting on your shoes, he may have crossed the line the other day. He knew you were crying yesterday, but he thought you’d fight back like you always do; it was the first time you didn’t.

He stretches for a moment, debating on whether or not he should say something, but every time he does speak, harsh words only come out of his mouth. That’s all your relationship ever was with him. Nothing more and nothing less.

As he grew the courage to speak up, you were already out the door. He stands there, the music stopping momentarily before playing the next song. Sighing loudly, he looks at the door and mumbles to himself before continuing to stretch.

“Next time.”

***

4 days until the dance competition

Soonyoung has felt guilty after seeing you in the practice room. It never once crossed his mind that you were possibly overwhelmed from the amount of pressure you were given, especially after returning from your break due to an injury.

He wanted to help or to give you some sort of comfort before the show, but he felt out of place to do so. Both of your dance teams were known to be rivals, and to have his own team question why he encourages the ‘enemy’ is something he wouldn’t know how to explain.

He feels terrible. The thought of you struggling alone made him cringe because he wants to be there to make you feel better. It was an odd feeling he had in his stomach and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

Soonyoung was on his way to campus before stopping in front of a store. If he wasn’t able to talk to you through words, maybe actions would be his best bet.

He leaves the store in a hurry, desperate to make it to the practice room on campus before you leave. He approaches the door, heavy pants escaping past his lips before peeking through the window of the room. You sat on the floor, your legs curled to your chest, arms wrapped around and head hung low. His heart ached at the sight.

He leaned against the wall and looked at the teddy bear in his hands. Making a final decision, he sets down the stuffed animal in front of the door before walking away and back to his dorm.

***

You hadn’t realized what time it was. After having a breakdown, you fell asleep in the practice room. A sigh of relief escaped past your lips, a smile making its way on your face. You finally landed it. It was tough and frustrating, but all that hard work paid off.

Glancing at the clock, it was an hour past four and you knew Soonyoung would give you a hard time. You quickly changed out of your dance shoes and packed your things. You got up with your bag strapped around your shoulders and headed for the door.

You swung it open to see a stuffed bear on the floor. Tilting your head in confusion, you figured that it was meant for someone else. Spotting the note attached to it, you picked it up in hopes of finding a name for the owner. You opened the flap and began to read.

Uh, hi.

Look I know that we’re not on good terms, but don’t stress so much about the competition. You’ll do amazing like you always do. I’m sorry if my words hurt you in any way.

- hosh

Your eyes widened as you quickly scanned the area, not knowing if you wanted to find him. You placed the note in your pocket, a warm feeling growing in your chest. You slowly walked towards your dorm, not knowing that you were smiling the entire way back.

***

2 days until the dance competition

Standing tall with a slight grin on your face, your instructor looked at you through the mirror. “I knew you could do it.” She had the widest smile on her face as she circled behind you to stand on the other side. “You finished early and perfected all of the moves. It’s really just muscle memory for you, that’s how awesome it was.” You shyly grinned and looked at your feet before returning eye contact through the mirror.

She walks forwards and turns to face you. “I think you deserve a break for the rest of the day, don’t you think?” You nodded your head, the weight on your shoulders getting lighter with every second that passed. “Get going then. Good work today.”

You beamed with happiness, your heart pounding in excitement as you said ‘thank you’ to your instructor before leaving the practice room with your things. Checking the time on your phone, it was twenty-five minutes to 4pm. You subtly looked around in hopes of finding the person you were looking for.

You spot Soonyoung rounding the corner, his bag on his shoulder as he kicks a small pebble on the floor. From just looking at him, your heart began to beat faster than before and your hands began to feel clammy. You walked forward, stopping him in the middle of the hallway.

He looks at you in shock before coughing out of awkwardness. “Soonyoung.” He avoids eye contact, and attempts to keep the rivalry streak with you.

“What do you want?”

You grin, knowing that this was all just a mask. “Thank you.” He blinks, trying to process what you said, only to see you walk away before he can say anything.

He mumbles to himself once again. “Why do you always do that?”

***

Day of the dance competition

You sat backstage with the rest of your team. They all gave encouraging words and eased your nerves to distract you from the ticking clock.

You looked at your bag, spotting the flowers and tiger plushie that you bought prior to arriving at the auditorium. The hip-hop team were currently performing their stage, and next would be your team's turn. It would be the perfect time to give him the gift.

The sound of applause erupted as someone came in through the door. “Get ready, ballet team! 5 minutes!” Everyone began to scurry out of the dressing room. You quickly retrieved the bouquet of flowers and plushie before heading out.

Keeping your eyes open for the familiar man, you spot him in the back of the crowd, wiping off his sweat with a towel. Upon approaching him, he smiles at you.

Everything seemed to stop. Everyone around you didn’t exist and it was only you two in that hallway. You extended your arms out with the items. “You did good, even if I didn’t watch to confirm it.” He grins, taking the items out of your hands and smells the flowers.

“Thank you, and you’ll do great out there.” He takes one of the small flowers and pinches the steam to shorten it. He places it behind your ear before looking deeply into your eyes. “You know, we’d be great friends.”

You laughed slightly before walking past him and turning around. With confidence, you say to him, “We’d also be a great couple, but I’ll take you to dinner first before I can confirm that.”

He raises his eyebrows, shock on his face. “Are you asking me out?”

You shrug with a smirk on your face. “Depends on what your answer is. Say, after the show tonight? Ice cream?”

He steps forward boldly. “Okay, but I’m buying.”