#wooseok fluff

at your school, kids would often be allowed to eat their lunch outside on days when the weather was nice. on one of these days, you sat out with your lunchbox open, munching away. a boy, oddly tall for his age, walked over and sat next to you without speaking a word. he quietly ate and for some reason, neither of you said a word. perhaps, you were waiting for the other person to speak first.

"what's your favourite vegetable?" the boy suddenly asked as he bit into a baby carrot.

your mind went blank and the first thing you could think of was "green pea."

"green pea? peas are gross!" the boy whined, sticking out his tongue.

then, to both of your surprises, a tiny green pea rolled over to where you were sitting. a kid further away had dropped his lunchbox, but none of you knew that. you simply thought this magic green pea had appeared out of nowhere.

"wow... we were just talking about green peas! you must be magic!" the boy exclaimed, picking up the green pea.

"my mom told me i should marry someone special when i'm older. if you're magic, then that makes you special. i swear on all the green peas in the world that i'll marry you!" the boy calls out.

"my mom says you shouldn't make promises you can't keep," you retorted. why would you want to marry an oddly tall boy with skinny limbs?

"i'll keep it... i'm Wooseok. Jung Wooseok," the boy said.

"i'm y/n," you replied.

from that day on, the two of you were inseparable. i guess we have the green pea to thank for that!

fast forward many years to the present and you're sharing an apartment with the big goof. life and the future are both still question marks for you, but at least you have each other.

"hey, you didn't forget to buy ramen, right? we've ran out for two weeks now," Wooseok explains from the couch as you walk into your shared apartment with arms full of groceries.

"of course i didn't forget, but you clearly forgot something," you say, dropping the bags down.

"i did?" he asks, turning his head to look at you.

"yes! to help me, you idiot."

he rolls off the couch and shuffles over, helping you empty the bag and place everything in its rightful spot in the kitchen. naturally, him being taller than you, he puts away the things that belong away in the higher shelves while you put the things away that belong on the lower shelves.

"we make a great team, don't we?" Wooseok asks.

you're about to make some smart remark until he presses his chest against your back and squashes you against the kitchen counter as you put something away. he puts something away in the same cupboard, but just higher. something about feeling his larger body against yours for that brief moment makes you feel so shy and sick in the stomach.

"y/n, what's wrong? why is your face burning up?" Wooseok asks, looking worried as he puts the empty bags away.

"i-i... why did you have to corner me into the counter like that!" you whine.

"i swear i didn't mean anything by it!" Wooseok defends with a laugh.

you grasp at your chest and your racing heart. it's probably just beating so fast because you were scared when Wooseok approached you like that, right?

"can we cook something together, today? since you just got groceries... and i'm tired of takeout food," Wooseok explains.

"let's try to find a simple recipe online, then," you say, pulling out your phone.

you lean against the counter and Wooseok does the same, shuffling close to you until your shoulders and arms are touching. once again, your face heats up as you feel Wooseok's warmth from right next to you.

"W-Wooseok," you stutter.

"hm?"

"why are you so close to me?" you blurt out.

his eyes move from the light of his phone to your face.

"what's wrong with that? do you not like it?"

"no, i--"

"y/n, your face is burning up again," Wooseok grumbles with a pout. he reaches out to touch your cheek with his hand, feeling the warmth for himself.

you shy away from his touch and ask yourself why you're doing that. you and Wooseok are friends, it's not like a stranger is touching you! but it feels different, now. it does feel like a friends thing anymore.

once you decide on a recipe, you and Wooseok work on preparing everything together. Wooseok hovers around you a lot, purposely reaching past you for things, holding your hands and showing you how to cut things (even though he's not that much better than you himself). something is definitely different, but you decide to brush it off for now.

"y/n, can we go eat outside in the park?" Wooseok asks, bouncing up and down. the motion reminds you of when he was a kid, and you reach up to ruffle his hair. he smiles against your touch and closes his eyes

"sure! let's pack this all up, then."

the two of you leave the house with your hands full of food and find a nice spot in the park to sit in the grass, right under the shade of a tree.

"ah, there's green peas in this rice?" Wooseok asks, holding up a spoonful of the rice.

"yeah, you dummy! we literally cooked this together," you remind the boy.

"yeah, but..." he mumbles.

"i was gonna say, do you remember when we first met?" Wooseok asks you.

"of course i do. we talked about green peas, just like the ones in this rice."

"do you remember what i promised you?"

you go quiet. of course you remember, but why is he bringing this up now?

"that i would marry you?" Wooseok asks, his cheeks turning pink. his smile radiates nervousness, and you wonder what his point is.

"yeah?" you mutter.

"y/n... do you think... we could be more than friends?" Wooseok asks, hesitantly reaching out to hold your hands in his larger ones.

"w-what?"

"do you think--"

"i heard what you said, i'm just... i--"

Wooseok chuckles and pats your head, shaking his own.

"you don't have to agree to anything or be sure of anything now. i just want you to consider it, because lately, i feel a little different around you. i wanted to tell you so you're also aware of it," Wooseok explains.

"you feel...?" you question the tall boy.

"i feel like i'm falling in love with you," he says bluntly yet sincerely.

"Wooseok..."

"i think my younger self knew what he was talking about when he made that promise to marry you," Wooseok says with a chuckle.

“Do you really think quarantine will be over that easily??” Wooseok asked as he sipped on his beer before placing it on the small table in his balcony. “Honestly, I have no idea, but I really hope so.” You answered, sipping on your beer as well. “Wow, you sound like you really want it to be over, am I that boring??” Wooseok joked, acting as if he was hurt by your behavior. You couldn’t help the laugh escaping your lips at his sudden comment. “Come on, I want this to be over so you can finally invite me to that hamburger you promised.” You said laughing, letting him know that you haven’t forgotten about that little promise he made you a few weeks ago of inviting you to a good hamburger once all the pandemic and quarantine thing was over. “You really have a good memory, huh?” Wooseok said, nervously scratching the back of his necha and letting out a nervous and shy laugh. “I never forget about food promises.” You said, raising your beer to take a last sip.

Days and nights went by and both of you kept sitting every single day on those small chairs you both had in your balconies. Sometimes sharing a beer, sometimes a bottle of soju when there was stress and hurtful moments of the day one of you wanted to drown in that soju bottle, sometimes a cup of coffee as you both admired the beautiful sky of sunset. Sometimes you shared your worries, sometimes your dreams and some other times you both shared memories and funny experiences you had. Sometimes you even told each other the lesson you had to study for an upcoming exam to make sure you studied enough. He even baked you a cake for your birthday and even though it didn’t turn out like a masterchef cake, his intention was what really mattered. Little by little that boy that moved next to you and that you had no idea about who he was, suddenly became your best friend, partner in crime, the only one there to listen to your ramblings and thoughts when nobody else could. Suddenly it felt like both of you became a single person, sharing experiences and sharing the same thoughts and dreams of becoming someone important someday in the future. And soon, both of you found yourselves being deeply in love with each other. 

**

You decided to turn on the TV while you were eating lunch. You haven’t turned it on for the past few weeks. You knew the only thing they would be talking about was about the pandemic, giving more and more bad news, making your anxiety and depression for being in a lock down grow more and more as you heard all that bad news. And if you decided to change the channel to something more entertaining you knew all you would find was shitty reality shows that didn’t really catch your attention. But still today you decided to turn it on just in case they said something about the end of the quarantine as everyone in the town was rumoring. 

You placed your bowl of ramen on the living room table near the window just in case Wooseok called you like some days to eat with you. You grabbed the control remote of the TV but before you could even turn it on, Wooseok’s voice full of excitement prevented you from doing all of the things you just planned to do. 

As soon as you heard his voice, you peeked your head out of the window to face a happy boy filled with happiness. “What’s wrong with you?” You asked frowning, not really understanding the sudden behavior of the tall boy. “You really haven’t heard the news today or seen them on your phone??” Wooseok said, happiness overflowing him. You gave him an even more confused look. “Why would I have to see the news?” You asked. He perfectly knew your thoughts about news these days and how you prefer being on the balcony talking with him rather than sitting in front of the TV for hours just watching and hearing misery. “(Y/N) today is the last day of the lock down!! From tomorrow on we can go out!!” The tall boy said, jumping out of happiness. The moment you heard him say that you remembered the conversation you had last night and he was right. Today was the day the government would be announcing if the quarantine period was over or not. And apparently is finally over. 

The next time I confessed, I decided to be more literal, hoping that would help. Second is the best. I repeat to myself, working up my courage as I reach the practice studio and watch as Wooseok tries to nail a move. I shake off my nerves while I wait for him to land it to come in, and I wave to him in the mirror. He waves back and says, “Hey! I didn’t expect to see you here today!” I smile, “Well, um... I have something important to tell you.” He nods, spinning around to face me, and gestures for me to go on, “I like you, and not in a sibling light. I like you, Wooseok.” He raises his hand to his neck and scratches it, “Oh,...” He gathers his thoughts for a moment and tells me, “Well, um,... I like you as a sibling. You’re just Shinwon’s little sister to me.” I nod, “It’s okay. Well, I just thought I should tell you.” He nods, and he gestures that he should get back to dancing, and I nod. I wave goodbye and take my leave. My first thought was that that saying did not apply here. 

Before I make it down to the cafe at the bottom of Cube, I’m going over Wooseok’s words in my head. It hits me, ‘Shinwon’s little sister’, he must have said something! Probably, ‘if I ever find out one of you has the hots for my sister, I’ll scream’. Although, I guess it’s not really a threat, considering he screams a lot. But I turn around and head up to his studio. Thinking it had to be with a warning from Shinwon, I decided it's best to tell him about my feelings I have for his best friend. I knock on the studio door, “Who is it?” “The pizza delivery man–” “Already!?” “No! It’s your little sister, nitwit.” He opens the door with a pout, “I didn’t order pizza anyways.” I laugh, “I figured. You're more of a burger person anyway.” He laughs, “Whatcha need?” I gulp, “Well, this is kind of important.” He nods and gestures for me to sit on the couch across from his chair. I sit down, and when he settles, I tell him, “I really like Wooseok. Would you approve?” He thinks it over, furrowing his brows together. Before he shrugs, “It is a little weird, but if he makes you happy, who am I to get in the way of that? I know I’m your big brother and all. And that's my best friend, but I respect your decision, kiddo.” I grin, “Thanks, Wonnie.” He smiles and ruffles my hair, “Now, you wanna go out and get some burgers with Seokie and me?” I glare, “Too soon.” He laughs, “Good thing I was ordering in any way.” 

------

Okay, third time's the charm, maybe? Maybe with Shinwon’s blessings and acceptance, Wooseok changed his mind. I spend the day playing cards with Shinwon when Wooseok comes downstairs. Shinwon nudges me, ‘Go get 'em!’ I nod and follow him outside, cursing those long legs of his. I go, “Hey! Wooseok!” He smiles, “Yeah?” I smile and put my heart on the line again by asking him out on a date. And he shakes his head before the words come out of his mouth, “No, I just view you as my little sister. I’m sorry.” How wrong I was, thinking that would change his mind. I nod, “I should have taken your answer the first time. I’m sorry.” He nods, “I understand. If you guys need me, I’ll be in the studio.” I nod and head back into the house and plant myself on my chair and rest my head on the table with a ‘thunk’. Shinwon asks, “You okay?” I shake my head and groan out a ‘no’. Shinwon reaches over and combs his fingers through my hair, “He rejected you?” I nod, “Damn. He never said he didn’t like you that way. If I had known I would have told you to save you some heartbreak.” I groan, “Yeah.” He snaps his fingers, and I look up from my view at the wooden table, “What?” He smiles, “Does ice cream and comedy sound good to you?” I nod, “This is why you’re the best brother.” He grins and drags me over to the couch, leaving the cards strewn across the table. I throw myself on top of it, and he comes back with a big tub of ice cream and two scoops. I squint at him, and he pulls out a mini mint choco pint from behind his back. I nod and take the big container possessively, which causes him to laugh.

------

It’s been about a month since my last rejection. And while I still hang out with the two and act like nothing is wrong, my heart aches badly. When the whole friend group of theirs decides to throw a party at Jinho’s dorm, I decide this is the perfect way to get over Wooseok. I put on my best outfit and head over to their dorm. By the time I reach the dorm, people are piling in. I squeeze through, noticing there are more people in this dormitory than there is room in this place. With no sight of either of the two, I’m trying to avoid for the rest of the night. I find my way through the crowd. I spot one of their mutual friends, Hyunggu. Who is dancing in the middle of it all. 

He drops down low and slowly brings himself back up, popping the whole way. And I cheer among the crowd and watch as he taps someone into the circle. He makes his way out of the middle as people shower him with compliments, and I follow him out to do so. “I know you do it for a living. And all but, wow, your dances are just massively impressive.” He grins, “Thank you. You’re (Y/n), Shinwon’s little sister, right?” I sigh, “Don’t remind me…” He tilts his head, “But that means you’re not just beautiful, but you’re funny too.” I blush, “I um, I guess?” He grins, “I’ve heard a lot about you.” I smile, “All good things?” He nods, “But I always wanted to put a face to your name. You’re prettier than I could have ever imagined.” I blush, and he holds out his hand, “Would you care to dance?” I shrug, “I’ll warn you, Shinwon got the dancing skills, though.” He pulls me close to him and whispers, “Anything can be learned” If I wasn’t red before, I know I’m on fire now. He pulls me over to the dance floor and spins me around. 

I can’t seem to get enough of his company, and that’s when I spot him. He’s standing next to Shinwon behind the island, talking with him but staring right at me. As if he sees right through me, I gulp to myself. But it’s obvious in the way my motions still a bit that I’m not entranced in the world the two of us made any longer. He spins us around when he sees exactly what, or rather who stole my attention. “I heard something from Shinwon about what happened.” I groan, “That’s lovely.” He giggles, “I don’t think it’s me who you wish to dance with, am I right?” I gulp down another breath, “But,... I want to dance with you cause you’re fun and uh,...” He nods, “Your heart belongs to other places, doesn’t it?” I nod, “Yeah,...” He gives me a brilliant smile, “Well, just your luck. Mr. Jealousy is steamrolling to us right now. It was fun to dance with you and finally meet you, darling. If you ever tire of him, you know how to find me~” Before I can say a word, he’s gone, and there in his place stands Wooseok. 

He doesn’t give me time to comprehend the whole situation before he’s pulling me away to a quieter place. Which happens to be outside on the patio, “I think I may have realized it too late.” He mutters mostly to himself, but I catch it all. “What? I don’t get what you mean.” He readjusts, and like the second time he rejected me, he scratches the back of his neck. “That I don’t see you in a sister light at all. I don’t know why it took until I saw Hyunggu dancing with you to realize it. But I realized I want to be the one who gets to dance with you. And the thought that you would love someone else and that I would lose you when I had more than one chance,...” I squint at him, “Why should I believe you?” He looks up at the patio light before looking into my eyes, “Because Shinwon almost hit me over the head with a frying pan for having the audacity to realize my feelings for you after breaking your heart.” I laugh a little, “I believe that.” He smiles, “So what do you say? Would you be willing to give me a chance? I know I tossed three chances away, but maybe the fourth time is the actual charm?” I shrug, “We’ll see by the fourth date.” I smile at him, and it hits me, “Wait! You know you rejected me three times!?” He nods, “Yeah,...” I groan, and he smiles and holds out his hand, “I’ll make it up to you. But first, can you get Shinwon to stop ogling us with a cast iron in hand.” I look over, and lo and behold it’s my brother in the window holding a skillet. 

I wave, and he gives me a thumbs-up, and I nod. He smiles and walks away, “You didn’t go after me because Shinwon was about to kill you. Did you?” He shakes his head, “The worst thing that man can do is scream. And I’ve been best friends with him for years, so I highly doubt he’d kill me now. I know too much.” I nod, “Me too,... Too much.” We laugh, and he holds out his hand for me, and I grab it.