___

“Hey— Y/N! Y/N!”

You freeze in your steps, eyes closing from your name being called in an all-too familiar tone.

“Where the hell were you this morning, lady?” 

Hearing the harshly spitted words down at the end of the dorm hall, you slowly turn with a swear under your breath. 

“Why are you cursing me out at ten in the morning? It’s a Tuesday. Relax.” You put your arms out in surrender.

The brunette gestures his hands out in confusion to your nonchalance, face scrunched in annoyance as he stalks towards you. “You left me hanging this morning at the cafe! I even got your usual disgusting black coffee and you didn’t show.”

Tucking your lips into your mouth, you’re lost on making an excuse. Ever since last Sunday’s dreadful realization of— “Oh fuck, I’m actually developing feelings for this asshat”— you had decidedly bailed on your Tuesday meetups.

Now… yes. It was very rude to bail without saying anything. However, it was all karma now, running into Wonbin at the dorms anyway. Just your luck.

“… You remember me taking my coffee black?” 

Even you know your words are meek.

Wonbin is lost, his usual relaxed and sleepy eyes wide. “... That’s what you picked out in what I just said to you?” His eyebrows raise, brain almost producing smoke, trying to figure out why your comment is so off-topic.

Freaking out, you roll your eyes, looking around like you should be anywhere but here at this moment. Your cheeks are warm from confrontation, still blubbering for what to say— especially since Bin looked insanely good right now. 

He looks like he just got out of the shower with his dark hair wet, changed into his usual annoying black muscle tee and cargo pants. Seeing as he smelt like cologne and warm steam, you’re assuming he had been to the gym this morning, showered, and then immediately changed and chased you down this hallway.

“Look, I was busy, okay? I forgot about this— project I have to finish up on. And also Sohee convinced me to feed his… fish… before class…” 

Wonbin only blinks before slowly smirking. It morphs into a large grin, all toothy from the embarrassment starting to grow on you. It’s written clear as day all over your expression.

“You’re a shit liar, you know that? Always have been. Let me guess, you’ve been thinking about what I said Saturday night.” 

He’s irritatingly smug, almost happy to have this effect on you. The worst part was that he wasn’t wrong. It was all you’ve been able to think about. 

“Ohhh, that? Your stupid, drunken confession about liking me freshman year? Why would I? It’s just one of your usual crappy jokes.” You wave a hand, glancing off to the side in nerves.

Bin only cocks his head, eyes squinting before taking a step closer. You instinctively move back but Wonbin takes a hold of your elbow, the contact making your heart sing.

“Y/N, that’s not true. Stop lying.”

“I’m not lying,” You scoff, twisting out of his hold. “I just know you hardly take anyone seriously. Why would I have reason to believe you? You’ve practically dated half the girls on this campus since then. It’s been three years too.” 

Suddenly, Wonbin’s jaw tightens, serious. Your stomach does a flip at the dark look growing in Bin’s eyes, pupils blown out in emotion.

“Look, I may have been drunk confessing to you, but what I said was true. Now don’t stand here and tell me you feel nothing for me because I know you’ll be lying.” 

“You’re… you’re being serious?”

He lets an incredulous scoff, shaking his head. “Yes Y/N, I like you! I don’t know how much more I can spell it out. Who else would be able to handle your daily bullying? Or how to steal my hoodies and stain them to shit? How you inhale half of my fucking food every time we go to the dining hall or—! Even eat all my cereal and take up a drawer in my closet right now? Ugh, you even drink black coffee. I hate that and I hate the smell of it on you. Who does that? That’s vile.”

You can’t help the grin that overtakes your face, hand clutching Wonbin’s while he’s all riled up.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t know. Let me sit on it for a second… jeez.” 

You let air out from your mouth, now pressing the back of your hands to your cheeks. The butterflies in your stomach can’t seem to calm down and Bin’s over-looming presence crowding you didn’t help.

Out of nowhere, he speaks up again, bending a little down to get in your face. “Who’d you get your usual coffee with then? You replacing me, hm?” 

You choke, looking up. You can tell he’s trying to break the ice and you feel a little better already, snorting.

"If you say that guy in the beanie from the other day, I'll be mad. What's his fuck ass name, again? Sock...? Seok—?"

“Shut up, I can get a coffee with whoever I want. Besides,” You peek at your phone. “Don’t you have class soon, asshat? What are you still doing at the dorm?”

He sees through your facade of trying to avoid this conversation again, grabbing the small of your waist with a smile. With him tugging you closer, it’s harder to hide how fast your heart is beating.

“Say you missed me.”

You narrowly miss Bin’s pinch to your cheek, only glaring with no menace behind it. With a palm placed on his solid chest, you try to calm down at his advances.

"Ugh, no! You’re so cringe, I didn't miss you."  

The smile on Wonbin’s handsome features only grows wider.

"Mmm, right. At least look me in the eye when you say that, then I’ll leave it alone." 

Of course you can’t seem to make eye contact suddenly. 

“Screw you!”

Wonbin’s laugh echoes out as you shove at him, hiding your smile by turning away. By God, was he irritating…

At least he was your irritation.

you hadn't meant to stand this close to him, hadn't meant for everything between you to feel so charged. but here you were. "you're so tense," wonbin murmured, his voice low, almost teasing. his eyes searched yours, reading you in a way that made you feel exposed, vulnerable in a way you couldn't explain.

you tried to look away, to keep some distance, but your gaze stayed locked on his. how could you not look at him? "i'm fine," you whispered, but deep inside you knew it was a lie. your heart pounded in your chest, so loud you were sure he could hear it too. you felt almost weak, caught in his web.

wonbin smiled, a slow, knowing grin. "you sure about that?" he asked, his voice dropping as his eyes looked down to your lips, making you feel exposed. you didn't know how to respond.

his hand moved slowly as if he was giving you a chance to pull away. but you couldn't. the touch was featherlight at first, just the tip of his finger brushing the curve of your jaw. it made your breath hitch, your whole body trembling. "you don't have to hide it," he said softly, his voice wrapping around you. "i can tell you want to kiss me."

you froze, eyes widening at the words. you didn't even know what you were supposed to feel, but something in the way his finger grazed your skin made your chest tighten with need.

wonbin noticed. he always noticed. the way your body reacted to him, the way your hands clenched at your sides as if you were trying to hold yourself back. "i think you've been wanting this for a while," he murmured, his voice dark and enticing. "haven't you?"

the question made something stir deep inside you, a mix of nervousness and something else, something darker, something you hadn't quite recognized before. you opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. your throat was dry, the words tangled in your head, your thoughts scattered by the weight of his stare. wonbin chuckled. "shh… it's okay," he whispered reassuringly, but you weren't sure if you felt safe or exposed in that moment. "i'll take care of you."

his hand slid down your arm slowly, almost like he was savoring every inch of skin he touched, sending shivers down your spine. you felt your heart race, the rush of desire curling low in your stomach, but you still couldn't bring yourself to move. your body was betraying you, reacting to his touch in ways you didn't know how to stop. wonbin leaned in, his breath warm against your cheek, his lips grazing the sensitive skin just below your ear. you shuddered, a soft gasp escaping you as his fingers traced the line of your neck, teasing, like he knew exactly where to touch to make you react.

"i can feel how nervous you are," he murmured, his voice a whisper against your skin. "but you don't need to be. just let me lead, sweetheart." your body felt like it was on fire. you wanted to pull away, to say something, anything. but instead you stayed there, frozen in place, letting him control every movement, every breath.

wonbin's hand slid lower, gently cupping the curve of your waist, and you gasped, the contact soft, but it felt too much in the best way. "you don't have to be scared," he whispered, as if he could sense how you were trembling, how much you wanted to pull away, and how much you wanted to stay. you wanted to protest, to pull back and say you weren't ready, but his lips found yours before you could say anything. the kiss was gentle at first, hesitant, like you were both testing the waters. but then his mouth pressed harder against yours, and the pressure sent a shock of heat straight to your core. you gasped into the kiss, your hands gripping his shirt as if it was the only thing holding you up. wonbin didn't pull back. instead, his hands slid lower, tracing the curve of your hips, pulling you closer to him, until you could feel the heat of his body pressed againstyours.

his tongue gently parted your lips, and you couldn't help but open up. your heart pounded, your chest tight, as if you couldn't breathe properly with him so close. this was new, this overwhelming desire. yet the longer you kissed him, the more you found yourself giving in to it.

"you taste so sweet," wonbin murmured, breaking the kiss only to slide his lips down to your neck, his hands carefully scooping you up and placing you on the counter of the bathroom. your body trembled, the coldness of the counter a sharp contrast to the heat building between you.

you were so confused. you didn't know what was happening, but you didn't want it to stop either. the way wonbin kissed you, the way his hands roamed, the way he made you feel like you were everything to him, it was intoxicating. "let go," he whispered, pressing his forehead to yours, his voice thick with desire. "you don't need to fight it. just trust me."

it’s valentine’s day in the city, and the air smells like sugar and perfume.

you’re curled up in the backseat of a cab, the windows fogged from the cold, the streetlights trailing like slow motion sparkles across wonbin’s face. he’s leaning against you, cheek pressed to your shoulder, silent in the way that only happens when he’s thinking too hard. you can feel it in the tension of his fingers, how he keeps curling them into your coat like he needs proof that you’re still there.

"you okay?" you murmur, voice low, thumb brushing lightly over his hand.

he nods, doesn’t look at you. "just tired."

but you know it’s not that. not really.

he’s been like this all week—subdued, sweet in that clingy way you secretly love, but distant in the places you can’t reach. like he’s afraid of something he doesn’t want to name. and you’ve seen it before. the way it crawls up his spine and sits behind his eyes. doubt, soft and ugly. too quiet to fight but too loud to ignore.

so you hold him tighter. let him rest his weight against you, fingers slipping into his hair. "we can go home," you say. "we don’t have to do anything. just lay down, listen to music."

he hums, nods again. his hand comes up to rest over yours, and you press a kiss to his temple just to feel him breathe again.

later, in your apartment, he’s curled up in the middle of your bed like a spoiled cat—hair a little messy from the shower, hoodie a size too big, sleeves falling past his hands. the room smells like your favorite candle and the leftover sugar from those macarons he made you buy earlier even though he pretended they were for you.

he looks beautiful. soft. like someone you’d write a thousand love letters to and still feel like you didn’t say enough.

you crawl in beside him, wrapping around him from behind, your hand slipping under the hem of his hoodie to touch warm skin.

"you’re really quiet today," you whisper into his shoulder.

he shifts. pauses. "...do you ever think about leaving me?"

the question is so quiet you almost miss it. it breaks something in your chest.

you sit up just enough to see him, your heart doing that slow, sinking thing it does when he gets like this. when his mind takes him to places you can’t follow.

"what?" you ask softly, brushing your fingers through his bangs. "where’s this coming from?"

he shrugs, avoiding your gaze. "i don’t know. just… sometimes i think i’m too much. and you’re… too good."

you let out a breath, gentle and sad. because this isn’t the first time he’s said something like that. and it won’t be the last. wonbin loves to be loved, but part of him still can’t believe he deserves it. not fully.

you lean down and kiss his cheek. then the corner of his mouth. then his jaw.

"if in the morning i’m with you, and in the evening i’m there," you whisper, each word a kiss. "and if it’s you that’s always waiting—then why would i ever want someone else?"

his eyes close. his throat works like he’s trying not to cry. "i don’t know," he says. "sometimes it just feels like… one day you’ll wake up and realize there’s someone better."

you shake your head, climbing over him gently until you’re nose to nose, both of you tangled in the warmth of your sheets.

"you’ve always been the one, wonbin. even before you knew it. even before i did." your fingers brush along his cheek. "there’s no one else. not even close."

he finally looks at you. and it’s that look again—the one that makes you feel like the only thing in the world. like you hung the stars and spelled his name in the constellations. but this time it’s laced with something tender. something tired.

he swallows hard.

"i get so scared sometimes," he admits, voice cracking. "like… like there’s this part of you i’ll never be able to reach. or that maybe you’ll get tired of how much i need you. how soft i get around you. it’s pathetic."

"it’s not pathetic," you say, sharper than you mean to. your hands cradle his face now, gentle but insistent. "don’t you ever call it that. you love harder than anyone i know. that isn’t weakness."

"but it feels like weakness." his voice splinters. "like i’m always waiting for something to go wrong. like i’m bracing for it."

your chest aches. the kind of ache that makes your breath catch, because you’ve seen him like this—late at night, when he thinks you’re asleep, curled in on himself like he's trying to disappear. always trying to prove something. to deserve something he already has.

"what would it take?" you ask quietly. "for you to believe you’re enough for me?"

he closes his eyes. a single tear escapes down his cheek.

"i don’t know," he says. "i want to believe it. i really do. but sometimes it’s like my head won’t let me."

you nod, pulling him in until your foreheads touch, your voice barely audible in the quiet of your room.

"then let me say it again. as many times as it takes."

his fingers tighten around your waist, desperate in a way that breaks your heart open. and he hides in your neck again, trembling just slightly, like the weight of all his unsaid fears has finally caught up to him.

"don’t run from me," you whisper, threading your fingers through his hair. "not when i’m right here."

"i won’t," he whispers back.

and for the rest of the night, he holds you like a lifeline. like he’s still learning how to believe in good things, and you let him. you hold him right back.

because loving him has never been hard—it’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done. and someday, you hope he’ll understand just how much that means.

"I'm not complaining, nor am I making fun of you baby. I'm just so happy that you're asking me to buy you something expensive you know." He replied, taking his coffee to sit next to you at the dining table. "You hate branded stuff so I'm just surprised."

"Well yeah...I'm not a huge fan of branded stuff, like you can buy a dupe for so much cheaper you know." You sighed holding Wonbin's free hand.

"What colour bag do you want?" He asked as he got his phone out, messaging Anton 'Longchamb bag'.

"Mocha! It's this brown colour bag and it's super cutee, like all my friends have a blue one so I wanna get a different one." You answered smiling at him.

You giggled as he planted a kiss on your knuckles.

"I don't know much about the brand, but Anton recently bought his girlfriend a pink Longchamp bag and he just messages saying there's different sizes of the bags...which one do you want?" Your smile widened as Wonbin neglected his coffee as he used one hand to scroll through his phone and the other to hold your hand.

He pulled you onto his lap as he showed you the different bags.

"This is the bag I want." You said pointing towards the Mocha coloured bag. He smile as he kissed your shoulder putting the bag into the chart.

"Get me my card baby." You squeeled with excitment as you jumped out of his lap and ran to get his card. You heard his laugh as he muttered about how cute you were.

You quickly gave him his hard and you sat on his lap, watching him pay for the item.

"This will be my birthday gift for you baby." He murmered as he kissed your neck, earning soft giggles from you as you turned your body to hug him.

"Best birthday gift ever binnie. Thank you for the bag"

He only smiled as he made his grip firmer around your waist.