#txt timestamp

you break out into the halls of the stadium and while you’ve made it out of the crowd in the stands, you’re met with the exiting mob. it’s like swimming against the current, just on land rather than water. and you’re trying desperately not to push anyone, sticking close to the outskirts so you’re not fighting against too many people, taking your time to pick your way through the throngs of concertgoers.

but the closer you get to the backstage entrance yeonjun showed you earlier, the more restless you become. you haven’t seen soobin in a month because of this tour, and facetime calls are a sad excuse of a compromise; you’ve missed seeing the real thing in person since he kissed you goodbye in the entrance to your apartment with a promise of calling you the second he touched down in america. more important than anything right now is to see him face to face, to hold him to your chest and not let go for minutes on end.

what transpired tonight feels like a fever dream: stadium show, sold out, every single seat filled. this is what soobin and the boys have been working towards their entire career, and they made it. and you were here for it. when you’d initially booked your flight to la, you hadn’t considered the milestone tonight and tomorrow night would be for the boys; you simply missed soobin and you’d wanted to see him. but halfway through the show, it hit you just how monumental all of this really is.

and that realization now is manifesting into an incessant need to see choi soobin right this second. you barely stop long enough to flash the security guards at the backstage entrance your badge, proving that you’re allowed to be back there, before you’re taking off again in the direction of the dressing rooms. away from the fans, your tears, happy as they may be, flow freely and you nearly get lost a couple of times before the green room finally comes into view, door wide open and laughter pouring out like audible warmth, steady and comforting and like home.

you dash towards the room, coming to a short stop in the threshold, a hand braced against the cool metal frame. the five boys are goofing off, wiping sweat from their faces and munching on snacks to tide them over until they get back to their hotel, laughing and shoving at one another as they joke around in a bid to burn off adrenaline. they’re so wrapped up in their own little world that not a single one notices you. something or other about taking matters into your own hands, you suppose.

“hey! choi soobin!” you call, out of breath and wild with anticipation and excitement. a month apart is coming to a very surprise close and when the boy in question whips around, eyes wide and round like a deer in headlights, it’s all you can do not to melt under his discerning gaze, watching as he blinks once, twice, three times while he registers that you stand before him, eyes just as wide and breathing just as heavy. but when he finally catches up to reality, the expression that crosses his face is priceless.

“oh my god!” he says, blindly setting down whatever he was eating on the table behind him before he rushes across the room to you. his embrace comes in hot and fast, arms wrapped tight around your waist in the blink of an eye, so much momentum that the two of you stumble into the hallway, still locked together. “oh my god, what are you doing here?”

he pulls his face away from your neck to really get a look at you. his eyes shine with tears and stardust, catching stray beams of light in the hallway. he looks like he can’t believe any of this is real and honestly, you don’t blame him because it doesn’t feel real at all to you either.

“i came to see you, silly,” you respond, smiling up at your precious boyfriend. you sink your fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, wrap your arms a little tighter around him, shuffle a little closer. you’ve wished to be back in his embrace every night for weeks and now you’re here and it feels like the first time all over again: special and warm and one of a kind. “i missed you and i couldn’t wait anymore, so… here i am.”

soobin smiles brightly and who are you to not return it?

“here you are,” he repeats, untangling his arms from around your waist, only to cup your cheeks in his hands to leave a million and one kisses on your face. he giggles the whole time, nuzzling his nose along your skin and whispering sweet nothings between every one. “‘m glad you’re here. thank you for coming.”

when his mission of pressing kisses to every square inch of your face is complete, he winds his arms around you again, leaning his cheek against the top of your head. he rocks you back and forth in that hallway for so long, just holding you against his chest, his heartbeat strong and steady under your cheek. you missed this, you missed him, but you’re glad that he went away to chase his dreams.

“‘m so proud of you, binnie. you did so well tonight,” you say quietly, voice trembling on the last few syllables. your fingers curl tight into the back of his shirt, not so much to wrinkle it but enough to anchor yourself against him as you feel the tears bubbling up.

soobin smiles, felt in the way his cheek rustles against your hair. one hand presses warm and comforting into the small of your back, the other soothing the space above. it’s a little ridiculous, the way you’re the one crying when he’s the one who just played a three hour concert to a sold out stadium of over twenty thousand people, but you are so overcome with pride that you can’t help it. he’s fought so hard to get here, he deserves this more than anyone you know (the other four boys excluded).

soobin shushes you softly when he feels the first few tears seep through his shirt. “shh, darling. you don’t need to cry. it’s okay.”

he coos at you over and over, breathy little chuckles wracking through him every once in a while, whispering about how cute and sweet and lovely you are. he reiterates time and time again that really, there’s no reason to cry, but through your attempts to catch your breath, you tell him that you can’t help it, that you’re so overwhelmed with pride and love that the only way your body knows how to release it is through tears, which makes him giggle even more and hold you even tighter.

“my baby, always so sweet to me.” his voice is soft and gentle, warm against the top of your head. “i made it this far because you always believed in me. i’m glad you were here to see it all.”

you sniffle and nod in assent, muttering a “me too,” voice still thick with tears. you’re gradually coming down off the adrenaline of the night, glad to have the sweetest boy in front of you holding your pieces together. when you finally do calm down enough, he leans back, arms still linked around you and a soft smile on his face.

“it’s about time for us to clear out of here for the night. wanna come back to the hotel and have dinner?” he asks, tilting his head to meet your gaze, eyes still shining with that silver stardust. you nod again and he smiles that pouty little smile of his. his hands take their rightful place on your cheeks, soft thumbs wiping away stray tears, and he kisses you slow and gentle. “so cute… c’mon. let’s get out of here.”

soobin moves away reluctantly, but links your hands together when he turns back towards the green room where yeonjun, beomgyu, taehyun, and kai have been watching it all unfold. you’d be lying if you said it doesn’t look like all four of them are a little misty eyed themselves, but you won’t embarrass them like that. 

: : bonus

soobin lays on his side facing you, his eyelashes fluttering against the soft skin of his cheeks as he sleeps. his breathing is slow and steady, comforting even when his exhales breeze across your face. he looks peaceful like this, a sight that you’ve missed since the moment he left you in korea.

as you study his features, you’re overcome with that pride again because it still hasn’t set in that tonight has been monumental. it feels like a dream you’re about to wake up from but don’t want to, but how could it be anything but real? he and the boys have worked so hard to get to this point. you saw the old tweets fans were bringing up. this has been the dream since day one and it’s come true. how special is that?

you can feel the tears welling again, pricking at the back of your eyes in the dark, and you sniffle as quietly as possible. but as though he has a radar for your emotions, soobin shifts, cracks an eye open and then the other when he realizes you’re about to cry again. he giggles breathily in the near-pitch black of the hotel room and scoots in closer, wrapping his arms tight around you.

“no more crying,” he whispers, nuzzling his nose against your hairline. the amusement in his voice is nothing short of sincere and playful; it’s not chastizing or annoyed, just simply warm because you care about him so much that you feel affected the same way he does. he presses you soft to his chest, a hand rubbing soothingly at your back. “no more tears tonight. go to sleep.”

you nod against him, snuggling in close and melting into a warmth that is distinctly his. you can’t ever be apart from him again; you miss this when he’s away, never able to get good sleep because you’re always hyperfixated on the cool, empty space next to you. but now, you’re slipping away like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

“missed you, soob,” you say quietly. “don’t leave me again.”

he laughs silently, just a little tremble of his shoulders to prove it ever happened, and scoots impossibly closer. “next time, you’re coming with me, i promise. but at least you’re here now.”

he’s right. at least you’re here now. and you don’t plan on leaving again for a while.

Beomgyu woke up earlier than usual with slight confusion. He had expected to be woken up by his members; he had expected Yeonjun to sing his own rendition of happy birthday, Soobin holding a cake, and Taehyun and Kai dancing goofily.

Instead, when he went out, he saw Kai and Taehyun on the couch, watching a movie without even sparing him a glance. When he made his presence known, the two youngest simply grunted in acknowledgement.

Maybe it was the pettiness within him, but he refused to say anything at first.

"Where's everyone?" Beomgyu asked. Without looking away from the tv, Kai answered, "out, we think?" at that, Beomgyu was hopeful. They could be going out to get him cake and presents.

"Something about an individual schedule or something, we're not sure. Manager Kang and Manager Oh came by to pick them up like an hour ago or so. We're both gonna get picked up later too but they didn't say anything about you," Taehyun added.

With that, he was once again crushed.

Deciding that he wouldn't let his member's busy schedule and what he perceived as indifference ruin his day, Beomgyu decided that he wants to spend the day with his partner, you.

But of course, you had a family emergency that day. When he called you, you sounded like you were preoccupied and you couldn't even spare 2 minutes to talk to him before you hung up.

Not only that, but his mom, dad, and brother said that they might come by late. They said that the train was having issues and there weren't any more trains scheduled to depart from Daegu to Seoul until 8 pm.

Disappointed, he ended up spending the whole day playing games. He realized that at some point his members had returned home and went out again, so he decided to just sleep. And even after he woke up, he shut his phone off permanently.

So there Beomgyu sat; alone, heartbroken, and seething. He had received wishes from his fans but not the people who are the closest to him. It hurts. It sucks.

When he looked up to the clock above the tv, he felt some of his tears drop.

"Happy Birthday to me," he choked out as he blew the candle with shaky breaths, comically as the clock struck 12.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open and you stood with the boys behind you.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHOI BEOMGYU!" you all yelled.

Beomgyu's eyes widened and his first reflex was to burst into tears.

Panicked, you shove the cake into Taehyun's arms and rush to him. "Baby, why are you crying?" you asked, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and pulling him close so that his face was buried just under your chest.

"You forgot! You all forgot! It's too late, it's not my birthday anymore!" He choked out in between tears, sobs, and snot. Whilst the others cringed at him, you simply grab a few tissues and carefully wipe his face, "No no no baby, we didn't forget! See!" you said as you pointed at the grinning boys.

Looking up, Beomgyu sniffled, his hands had somehow wrapped themselves tightly just below your bottom, "I-It's not my b-birthday anymore," he whined.

This time, Yeonjun spoke up with a teasing grin, "well, it still is," he said. Beomgyu turned his head and furrowed his eyebrows, "remember last month when you told us you don't trust us to make a surprise party because our ideas suck? Well, (y/n) and I thought that we can prank you by pretending to forget your birthday and when you were taking an angry nap, Kai snuck into your room to change your phone's clock and all the clocks here to another time zone. It's actually still 8.30 pm," Yeonjun added.

Beomgyu had to take a second to let everything sink in.

You all stood in anticipation, waiting for his reaction.

Merely seconds later, you all jumped in surprise when Beomgyu let out a mixture of laughter and cries. He laughed loudly as tears kept streaming down his face.

"You a-a-all are assholes! I-I-I- y-y-ou go-t m-me! I was r-really scared! I h-ate yo-u all!" he said in between laughter and tears. Thankfully, you all know him good enough to realize that he was actually thankful and relieved.

You were pulled onto Beomgyu's lap, him hugging you tightly as he pepper kisses onto your face, making you giggle. Despite the "excessive" PDA, the boys gathered and sat around the dining table. You all spent the rest of the day by ordering in, singing, playing, making fun of Beomgyu, and reassuring him that his family really couldn't come until the next day because their train was really delayed.

the way his lithe figure ambled into the classroom with his hands in the pockets of his pressed grey trousers, the way the strands of his bright red hair fell across his face as he pulled back his chair and the way he gracefully tucked them behind his ear while he took his seat. the way he was let off the hook for the outrageously colored undercut and piercings just because he was the student body president, and the way you coveted the position he snatched from right under your nose.

even the way he unpacked his textbooks and placed them on the table was irritating.

“you’re doing it again,” beomgyu chuckled. you were kneeling on the top of your seat, hunched over with your hands gripping onto the backrest– almost as if it did anything to disguise you. tearing your eyes away from your natural enemy, you turned to your best friend and blinked.

“what are you talking about?”

he shook his head and laughed once more, although you didn’t quite understand what the joke was, and closed his sketchbook. “that embarrassing thing you do when the sight of yeonjun triggers your animalistic instincts, and it’s like you’re going to start barking.”

you frowned. you had no idea what on earth he was rambling on about. but you quickly caught wind of the little snickers and whispers going around the class before realising how laughable your behaviour must have seemed. it wasn’t that you hated yeonjun, it really wasn’t. and it was times like these that you were reminded of more reasons why he was probably more suitable for the job you so desperately wanted.

he was hot-headed and emotional, sure. but he was admirably hardworking and dedicated as well. he was easy to talk to, trustworthy and he emitted a light that attracted people and just naturally had them flocking toward him. you hated to admit it, but yeonjun was perfect for the job– and you couldn't stand him for it.

turning around with a huff, you slipped back into your seat and folded your arms across your chest. “hey, hey, it’s okay vice pres,” beomgyu cooed, reaching over to pat the top of your head. grinning at your pouty lips, he turned your face towards him and pushed up at the ridge of your eyebrows. “we all have our own talents, and you’re working just as hard as he is, okay? besides, you can bark all you want; it’s cute.”

you glanced over at yeonjun, who was chatting away with his deskmate, soobin. he had been laughing at something soobin said, when his eyes found you, the warmth within them vanished within seconds.

flipping around in panic, you shoved beomgyu off, mumbling under your breath, “i never said i’d bark, he’s just irritating.”

the class erupted in moans and groans as the sound of metal scraping across the floor tore through the atmosphere and at their eardrums. you rubbed around the entrance of your ear canal and shook your shoulders in attempt to silence the ringing it left behind.

“ms. kim, fifth period has already started and the vice president is engaging in idle chatter with choi beomgyu.”

your head snapped to the back of the class, to find yeonjun standing up from his seat with a hand obstinately in his right pocket, eyes fixed on the teacher in the front of the class. you scoffed, and soobin desperately attempted to get him to sit back down.

beomgyu rolled his eyes, and was on the verge of telling you to ignore him, but you had already shot up out of your seat. “if i may,” you started, folding your hands behind your back, “we were told this is a free period, and that we may do with the time as we please, as long as it doesn’t disturb the other students.”

removing her glasses, ms. kim sighed and rubbed her temples. your debates and jabs at one another at school were nothing new; it made the way the two of you perfectly regulated the school seem unbelievable. “yeonjun, (y/n). let’s just– ”

“and you believe your behaviour is not disturbing the class?”

“i mean, i’d say it was doing less than the obnoxious laughter shared between you and soobin.”

“how immature! all this to protect beomgyu? anyone care to recite what the school rules entail about dating amongst students?”

“sure! and let’s have a look at what they say about bright red hair while we’re at it!”

“that’s enough!” ms. kim shouted in more of defeated tone than anything else. when she instructed you and yeonjun to take your seats and study, you threw one another one last exasperated look. “and if i hear another word, you’ll both get detention. whether you’re on the student council, or not!”

when the siren wailed signalling the end of the day you packed your bag at a snail’s pace, waiting for yeonjun to leave before you did. there was a council meeting squeezed in before his basketball practice, so you had to be quick, and you didn’t want to have any unwanted run-ins before then.

the minute he had a foot out the door you jolted up, but beomgyu’s hand on your shoulder held you in place. “don’t worry about him. i’ll have a word with him after practice.”

“ah, right.” you nodded, urgently patting his hand before jogging off, not forgetting to wave over your shoulder when you rounded the corner.

as you crossed the hallway, you checked your wristwatch– five minutes. you had five minutes, and if you didn’t make it in time, you’d never hear the end of it.

you stopped just before the end of the hallway and breathed before you were abruptly pulled into the council room. your back was slammed against the door just as it clicked back into place, your backpack slipping to the ground with a thud.

with an arm blocking any exit from either side, his face hovering only inches before yours, yeonjun smirked the smug little smirk that drove you absolutely crazy.

“hey babe”

you smiled, ears burning at the mention of the petname you were yet to get used to. “hey.”

“you hate the hair that much, huh?” he chuckled, an arm snaking around your waist to pull you even closer.

your arms reached around his neck, “hmm. it’s growing on me, actually. it’s hot.”

his eyes flitted to your lips, before he moved to take them between his– but you turned away and he was met with your cheek instead.

“(y/n)” he whined, rubbing his forehead against yours, making you giggle. “baby we only have five minutes before they get here and i haven’t gotten any kisses today”

it truly was unfortunate that your first and, according to yeonjun, your last relationship in high school had to be kept a secret. but you were not about to admit that you were in love with the boy who you swore you’d rather strap yourself down infront of shyamalan's adaption of the last airbender than befriend; much to your boyfriend’s dismay.

you smirked, “but baby, what do the school rules say about dating amongst students?”