Past Astarion Meets His Future
This is a weird ass idea, but I'm doing it anyway. Some time travel fuckery. But the gist is: What if Astarion, decades before the Mind-flayers captured him, was on his last leg? Just on the verge of doing, what was at the time, his only way out. But what if something a little unworldly stopped him?
TW: Suicidal thoughts. M/F, me phoning it in with the dnd lore, Cazador is evil. Like, torture, physically and mentally, manipulation, literal horror shit. He's here so bad things happen to randos and our poor guy. I'm also using this as the backstory again for why Astarion can be in the sun in the future because it's so god damned convenient for drabbles.
~
Astarion watched the crowded bar with focused eyes, a feigned, relaxed smirk on his lips. But even with the acting, he could feel the smile on his face start to tremble, a tell-tale sign that he was truly on his last leg. It had been a long, horrible night, one that had no end in sight. Cazador was in rare form, demanding multiple warm bodies in the span of less than five hours. Astarion wasn't sure what had angered him this time, but he was taking it on the victims in a particularly savage way.
Twice already he had forced Astarion to stay in the room with the poor souls he'd brought back. And then Cazador... made him watch what he did to them. The monster truly had a knack for keeping them alive until the last possible moment. Beating them, assaulting them, laughing at their cries for help. He drank from them last, feasting on their blood until they were just on the edge of death before tossing to them ground. Then Astarion was dismissed with the order to find another.
He hated it. It was the worst part of his nights by far, not including when he was the one being tortured in their place. It didn't help that he always looked at their faces, full of terror and betrayal.
Why did he always have to look? It was a question he knew the answer to. It was because he did that to them. Perhaps not literally, but what was the difference? Astarion had led them straight into his hands.
That was all he did. His entire existence had been reduced to this. A slave, a rat, scuttling through the streets, only capable of inflicting the same torment on strangers. It was a hell that no one should experience, and one that Astarion had been in for nearly 130 years.
How could he continue like this? What was the point? He'd spent so long living on pure survival instinct, waiting for the impossible day where luck would be on his side. Where Cazador would kill the wrong stranger, where the possibility of his murder could become a reality. It was delusional, a poor excuse to continue clinging to this farce of a life.
But there was another option. There always had been. All he needs to do is wander off and wait for the sun to rise, and everything could finally be over. It's far from the first time he's thought about it. But Astarion is nothing but a coward. He'd seen the pure pain and misery of a death of that nature, your insides boiling from within as your skin turned to dust. It was horrifying, one of the worst ways someone could go. And yet... it was starting to seem like the only reasonable option he had left.
Maybe... maybe today would be the day, the first time he'd seen the sun in decades. And the last time he'd ever take a breath.
"Are you alone?" A voice asked, followed by a gentle touch to his arm.
Astarion turned, that same shallow smile instantly reappearing on his face. It was a man, one that was handsome enough for Astarion to probably not feel completely sick during the deed. Then again... he could always ignore them and go back to his final plan.
Or he could wait it out one more day, and pray for a miracle. Astarion nodded towards him, still slightly torn but willing to at least try. It's not like he could go home empty handed if things turned out that way.
"Come to my room?"
Well this was certainly easy. Astarion didn't even have to take the energy to bite out a subpar pick up line. He just followed the man to his room, a plan forming in his head on how he could convince him back to the manor. Not to mention his own escape if he turned out to have less than savory intentions.
The stranger shut the door behind him, sitting on the side of his bed with his hands folded in his lap, his eyes staring straight ahead. Astarion barely stopped himself from rolling his own. Great. A weirdo. What a lovely way to end the night, spending it seducing a complete freak. But Astarion had dealt with worse. He perched next to him, crossing his legs as he waited to see where this would go.
"I can see it," He finally said, his voice gravelly as he turned to stare at Astarion.
Astarion raised his brow, wondering for the first time if this particular prey had been partaking in some mind altering substances, "And what exactly are you seeing?"
"You."
Suddenly, the man was wrapping a tight hand around Astarion's wrist, his eyes shining with an unnatural green light, "You're close to the edge. Too close. My lord needs you breathing."
Astarion froze, equally parts horrified and confused at what he was alluding to. How on earth did he know his thoughts? What lord? Or the more likely reality; How wasted could one person be?
Astarion tried to pull back, frowning when he realized the grip on his wrist was iron-clad. He could feel a bit of panic start to swell inside him as he struggled, his voice rising, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Let go of me-"
"You must live," He said, the color of his eyes only getting brighter and brighter, near twin flames in the darkness of the room, "There is no other way. Kelemvor has work for you yet."
His confusion was quickly evaporating into rage. He didn't know what this thing wanted from him, nor why the god of death would have any interest in his life. But how dare he insist on Astarion's pathetic existence having meaning. He knew nothing.
His mask was slipping, his righteous anger spilling forth, "Let go. Before I rip your fucking arm off."
But he made no moves to back down. Instead he started to chant, an incantation that had Astarion officially panicking. Whatever magic he was using, it was powerful. Reality was shifting right beneath Astarion's feet, morphing into something different. The next thing he knew they were somewhere else entirely, his reality melting into something new right before his eyes.
The entire thing was so shocking that Astarion didn't even realize he was seeing sunlight. Without a single pain. He frantically looked around, the insane stranger's grip finally loosening as he twisted away. They were on a couch, in the middle of what looked like a brightly lit townhouse, voices spilling out of the other room.
Astarion stood quickly, a hiss escaping him, "Where in the hells are we?"
"Nowhere," The man said cryptically, his eyes still aflame, "Neither the present of the future. We are in nothing but a glimpse, taken and made for you."
That did nothing to answer his question. But it did make his mind go into more reasonable directions. This had to be an illusion, there was no other explanation for why he wasn't being burned alive. But an illusion of what? And for what purpose?
Astarion pinched the bridge of his nose, at a complete loss at what to do. He could try and kill him and pray that that would break the spell. But there was also the chance that he wouldn't live through an altercation with someone who could warp his senses so easily. Or perhaps this whole thing was a nightmare, a horrifying dream he'd cooked up after a night in the torture chamber.
Still at a loss, he settled on asking another question, "Then what is this a glimpse of?"
"Home," The man said simply before slipping off the couch. The cryptic bastard.
He started walking towards the next room towards the unknown voices; Astarion feeling helpless but to follow.
He lingered at the entryway, his eyes widening at the sight of a woman standing there, cooing at a teary-eyed child she had on her hip. They were right in her line of sight, but she had no reaction to their presence, instead calling out into the other room, "Did you find it yet?"
Another voice called back, oddly familiar as it groaned, "If I had, would I still be on my hands and knees here?"
Astarion stepped forward, more than ready to see if he could enlist the help of strangers for his predicament.
"They can not perceive us," The stranger said, interrupting the call for help that was on the tip of Astarion's tongue, "They are not real. Merely copies of what is, what will be."
"Lovely," Astarion growled out, his fingers itching to fight back against this demon of a man, "Now what in the gods' names does this have to do with me?"
"Watch and you will see," He said, his eyes blazing straight ahead, "The Lord of Death works in mysterious ways."
Astarion's theory of this being a torture-induced dream was becoming more and more believable. He didn't even bother questioning it, not when one more inane answer would send him into a tailspin. Instead he stared ahead, waiting for the moment he would wake up.
The baby was still squirming. Annoying whining sounds spilling from its lips, nearly on the edge of crying. But the woman still had a bright smile on her face, calling back "I told you we should have looked for it last night!"
"Well when she threw it across the room I assumed that meant it had fallen out of favor!" That same familiar voice yelled back, followed by an excited ah-ha! sound.
"Isabella's gonna have a fit, isn't she?" The woman sing-songed, bouncing the child on her hip, "I guess Mommy's going to have to let you start sucking on Daddy's hair again, huh?"
"I heard that!" The muffled voice called back, getting clearer and clearer by the moment. And then another man was walking into the room, grinning ear to ear as he held up a pacifier, "And I will not be forgetting it darling. Don't come crying to me the next time she's gnawing on your nose."
He leaned over to kiss the woman on the cheek before popping the pacifier in the girl's mouth, laughing when it instantly made her calm down. He was tall and pale, an elf with piercing red eyes and pure white hair.
No. It couldn't be-
"There. All better," The man sighed, his voice crystal clear in the calmness of the room, "She has quite the arm for a toddler."
It was a voice that Astarion knew, better than anyone else. It was his own.
Astarion watched, wide-eyed as his other self lifted the baby up in his arms, laughing as the child squealed around the pacifier, "She sure is cute for someone who can be such a brat. She takes after her mother doesn't she?"
The woman rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. Almost like she couldn't help but do anything else as she watched the duo, "Brave words for someone of your nature. Not to mention how she's your twin."
"Nonsense. She looks just like you, we should have named her Tav Jr," Other Astarion playfully argued, taking his other arm to wrap around the woman's shoulders, "I'm only responsible for the corpse-like complexion."
Astarion stared at them, in complete shock. He didn't-why would anyone or anything want to show him this? It didn't make sense. How would it be possible for him to be in the sunlight? Let alone to have a family. Astarion knew that this had to be a lie, there was no other explanation.
But that didn't stop his heart from aching from being forced to witness it. He was too shell-shocked to speak as he followed the duo to the other room, listening as his other self set the child in a crib, still cooing at her, "Auntie Karlach is coming over and you'll need your rest. How else will you be annoying together?"
"Astarion!"
He watched himself laugh as he pulled back, kissing her little forehead before murmuring, "Mommy only says my name like that when she has no comeback, isn't that right princess?"
"You're going to regret telling her everything when she can start talking," The woman, Tav, piped up from next to him, "I hope you realize she'll tell me all of your secrets."
Astarion rolled his eyes before pulling her against him, pressing a sweet and lingering kiss to her lips, "What secrets do I have that you don't know? Please, enlighten me."
What kind of cruel joke was this? Astarion, the real Astarion, had seen enough. He turned to the bastard that had sent him here, growling through gritted teeth, "Why are you doing this to me? Have I not suffered through enough?"
The man offered nothing of value, "We offer you what could be, if you can survive. No more, no less."
No. No, no, no. He wouldn't believe him. He refused to. There was no future for him. There couldn't be. I-It wasn't possible. Not with Cazador looming, not when he couldn't walk in the sun without being burned alive. And especially not when he couldn't even fathom letting himself care form someone enough to have a family with.
But that's what was in front of him. He turned back, his morbid curiosity getting the better of him. Just in time to see the couple standing there, holding each other while they made out like teenagers.
"I love you," His other self sighed happily, the words free and unbidden from his own lips between kisses, "More than anything my sweet."
"With one exception?" Tav asked, her arms wrapped around his neck.
Astarion laughed, nodding towards the crib with a knowing grin, "With one exception."
Astarion stared at them, a horrifying feeling starting to grow in his chest.
Hope.
It's the greatest betrayal he could give himself, an eternity's sentence to his own personal hell on the delusional belief that something better would come. He couldn't give in to it. He wouldn't.
But the question still escapes his lips, "How long?"
"Seventy years until you meet," The stranger said, "You must live to see it. Five more until you're here."
Astarion watched, wide-eyed as the alternate reality started to fade, the stranger's eyes becoming more dull and human-like by the moment. He stared until the last possible moment, trying to commit it all to memory.
But it was difficult. Like thoughts he couldn't quite grasp, slipping through his fingers. Something wasn't right.
"Will I remember this?" He asked, even though he was already on the edge of forgetting.
"No," The man said simply. They were back in the room, sitting on the bed as though nothing had happened, "But you'll remember the hope."
It was the equivalent of a curse, one that Astarion could barely fathom as magic twisted his memories. But he could feel it there, festering in his heart. The yearning for a new life, stronger than ever.
Astarion left Shar's Caress that night feeling dazed and confused. He barely managed to drag a wasted loner back to the manor with him, preying on him in the back aisles. It was startling to think that he'd almost forgotten his original mission considering the consequences. But whatever happened had... done something to him. Something that he couldn't quite name.
But he didn't see the sun that day. Or the next. Or the day after that. Instead he continued to struggle, to suffer at the hands of his sadistic sire with no end in sight. Not until years and years later, when the worst and best thing to ever happen to him occurred. He was kidnapped by mind flayers, but gifted with a disgusting parasite that allowed him to live in the sun.
It wasn't ideal but it was better than being under Cazador's thumb. Not to mention how he found companions relatively quickly. It had been pure luck that you stumbled upon him, even luckier still that you were the type to forgive a man for having a knife to your throat.
He was happy to accompany you. He was happy to do whatever it took to increase his chances of survival, frankly. It helped that he felt... strangely drawn to you. You looked oddly familiar. He didn't know how else to describe it, but it was almost as though he'd met someone from a past life.
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the sweetener you are
hyunjae x reader (idea from the anon who requested childhood friends to lovers!)
summary: when a mysterious man moves into the apartment next door, you realize that he’s your childhood best friend who’s disappeared for years. he changed, his life seeming to have soured. but you could just be his sweetener, the one to make him smile again
genre: best friends to lovers, and boy-next-door sorta thing, hurt/comfort for him because he deserves the world, nightmares, healing, one bed trope, youre forced to move in with him hahaha am i evil, back hugs, he acts "drunk" when tired (dont ask why, it was just an excuse to write him being clingy), hes flirty ish and teasing, hes shirtless for like one second (BECAUSE.), sleepy love confessions, kissing, is there tension? i can't tell myself, “sweetheart” good god
notes: school started so expect much much less after this... so see you in a bit 🥲🥲but hope u enjoy!!! this is literally just yumi who needs to stop writing long interpretations of their love for hyunjae in the form of fics + song inspo!
word count: 12.7k
You coughed. You choked. And then you glared straight at Younghoon who was staring back in complete alarm. Setting the unfinished glass down on the counter with a loud clink, you clenched your jaw with unspoken curse words that threatened to escape your lips.
“This tastes like dirt,” You garbled out. Rushing over to one of your cupboards, you pulled out one of those small sugar packets that you liked to swipe from those cute coffee shops. If it was free, why not take a few? Ripping the paper open, you poured it into the drink that didn’t even look like it belonged on this planet. It was both… green and yellowish-blue at the same time.
Younghoon gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth dramatically. “That’s not healthy!”
“But it tastes so bad,” You whined. “It needs a sweetener.”
He glared, dragging his hand all the way down his jaw in an unattractive way. “It’s an herbal drink. It’s meant to taste bad. Think of all the health benefits you could’ve gotten out of that without the sugar.”
“You made this?” You scrunched up your face in disgust.
“No, I–” He laughed nervously. “My mom did. I promised her I would finish it.”
You narrowed your eyes. “And you couldn’t because it tasted so bad. So you’re making me finish it.”
He gave you a pained smile as he stepped away. “I– who said that?”
“Why’re we even friends?” You questioned before jabbing a finger at the door. “Get out.”
Younghoon pouted but he eventually obliged, opening the apartment door. “You still owe me money for that overpriced tiny piece of cake by the way.”
“It tasted good!” You shot back.
“It did not.” He sighed. “It’s just you with your horrible sweet tooth. Don’t even– hey…” You noticed him peeking out of your door and into the hallway. And then he leaned back in, searching your face with wonder. “Someone’s moving in next door.”
You brightened with interest at that, practically jumping off where you were sitting on the kitchen counter. Bounding over to the door, you poked your head out under Younghoon’s, just like they did in the cartoons. Squinting your eyes, all you could see was a tall man with a cap on that covered most of his face.
“Who’s that?” Younghoon said, slightly too loud for your liking.
With a groan, you elbowed him in the ribs. “Shh…how would I know? Though... he does look better than that old dude who constantly yelled at those courtroom TV shows like he was the judge.” It was like the apartment next to yours was cursed. Magic wasn’t real here. Or at least, in this world. But you still believed that a witch had strolled by and casually placed a hex on Apt 245 for the fun of it. For the time that you’ve been here, you’ve seen about five people move in there. And they were never happy.
Once, there were two parents who had to deal with multiple children who would not stop crying. You hadn’t slept a wink the whole time they were there. They did receive a noise complaint though. Another time, there was a teenager who couldn’t even properly pay off the rent. He didn’t have a job. But he could somehow afford the loudest speaker where he would play the most gut-wrenching, saddest music ever. He got evicted.
But this man… well–he looked decent. Really. No evident curse here. Or at least, yet. When he turned around, you could see that he was very tall and… broad. Apparently, that was the first thing you noticed. He also seemed to pick up the moving boxes with ease and when he had stepped just the slightest to the side, you could see the impossibly perfect slope of his nose. Also a very odd thing to notice.
Younghoon grasped your arm, pulling you back into your own apartment.
“Don’t fall in love.”
You gaped at him. “What? I don’t even know who he is.”
He raised an eyebrow. “But he’s tall. And broad. And has a nice nose. I know you. I know your type.”
Shit.
“You do know me,” You mumbled sheepishly. “But still!” You poked him harshly. “I won’t fall in love. I probably won’t even see him for like– a month. Or he’s going to be cursed and moved out like the others. Don’t worry.”
Your friend narrowed his eyes in skepticism but he eventually nodded. “As long as you don’t bump into him tomorrow or something.”
You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Of course. I won’t fall in love.”
You didn’t fall in love. You fell onto the floor.
And you also happened to bump into him the next day ironically enough.
If only—if only—you decided to pick up your mail yesterday like you were supposed to, this wouldn’t have happened. And by this, you meant being distracted by a cup that rolled out of your new neighbor’s door and then walking straight into his chest.
You squeaked in horror. “I’m sorry!” And then you stepped backwards, tripped on your badly-timed untied shoelace, and ended up on the floor in the middle of the hallway.
When you looked up, there was a pretty hand that reached out to help you up. Taking it with burning cheeks, you could finally see what this man looked like up close and without a cap.
And you would have expected maybe one of those boy-next-door romantic moments where you would fall into his arms and start dating the next day. Oh, and also kiss and eventually get married. But no, you—
“Hyunjae?”
The man—Hyunjae—gaped at you with comically wide eyes.
“Y/n,” He breathed out.
As long-lost childhood friends, the most sensible thing to do was ask how he was. But you often defied expectations, positively or negatively, and so instead you lunged forward, wrapping your arms around his waist and pulling him into a tight hug.
Hyunjae, whom you’ve known since you were just young kids, has been your best friend for as long as you could remember. He used to be on the elementary school track team while you… were on the bleachers trying to tell the difference between subtraction and addition. But luckily, Hyunjae was both a smart and kind kid and so he had stopped in the middle of his running to sit with you and teach what your teacher couldn’t do properly.
He was always one year older, always more mature and experienced. But he tended to throw that away just for you and join in on playing games with you when he should’ve been studying for an exam. But he did so to cheer you up. He was sweet like that and you adored spending your afternoons after school with him.
The two of you even got to experience those dreadful high school years together, except there was always that haunting realization—that he would eventually graduate first. But he always reassured you.
“It’s just one year, silly,” He joked, pulling you into a side hug, one that perfectly portrayed his understanding of your worries. “I’ll text and call you all the time. Promise.”
Promises were often broken and this wasn’t any different. For when he had left for college, he never contacted you ever again. You had tried to reach out, but he never responded. And so, for your whole college term, you never saw Lee Hyunjae, your supposed “best friend,” ever again.
And you should have been mad—no, furious to see him again. You should have pushed him away and went on with your life while skillfully avoiding him. But just the simple sight of him brought back all those fond memories–baking cupcakes, falling asleep together just after screaming over a horror movie, holding each other when life just gets too much... And so you found yourself buried into his chest, holding him tightly.
“Hyunjae,” You whispered again, shutting your eyes in both contentment and fear of him pushing you away again.
But you felt two hands snake around your middle, hugging you back. There were a million questions running through your mind at that moment, wondering why he had disappeared but welcomed you so easily. But you set them aside, choosing to just melt into his still familiar embrace.
Finally though, you managed to pull away, looking at him with a fond smile. He smiled back. He had grown even more handsome than before. He managed to become taller, broader, and more charming all at once. His features were sharp, more mature. Something about him–the way he was dressed in a literal suit–really portrayed to you that he really was an adult now, as opposed to the teenager who procrastinated on science projects.
“How are you?” He smiled, almost too polite for your liking. You could see the way he stood, awkwardly and with fidgeting hands. And that was when it all hit you like a truck.
Your eyebrows suddenly furrowed, your lips pulled into a scowl, and your eyes narrowed as you stepped forward. “How am I? No. How could you–” You banged a fist on his firm chest. “–leave me–” Another punch. “–like that–” He stepped back in growing alarm. “–and act all polite and uneasy as if we weren’t best friends for years?” Both of your fists lingered on his chest, your strength growing weak from frustration.
“Y/n, I–” He winced.
“Actually, I hate you.” You glared. But your words differentiated from your actions when your hand came to smooth down his crumpled tie. “I don’t want to see you ever again. You’re an absolute asshole and I–” But your eyes met with his, his gaze amused and soft. And then you sniffled, looking down at the ground, the urge to cry suddenly overcoming you.
Hyunjae laughed quietly. “I’m sorry. If you would allow me to explain?”
“Great,” You grumbled. “Then do so. Since you’ve owed me an explanation after all these years.”
He glanced at his watch. “I have work. Tomorrow, maybe? Trust me.”
You looked at him in bewilderment. “Work? But you haven’t even unpacked yet.” You eyed his apartment with the door open. There were multiple boxes strewn about, some not even open yet.
“Emergencies,” He sighed. That was when you noticed just how exhausted he looked. “I have to go.”
“Oh,” You stuttered. “Okay. I– good luck?”
Hyunjae smiled, pinching your cheek just like he had done all those years ago. He seemed to be completely unfazed over the fact that you just punched him in anger. “Thank you.” And he was locking the door behind him and heading for the elevator. But just as he was walking away, you felt the need to call something out. Just a few words.
“Hyunjae?” You said.
He turned around, tilting his head. You never knew just how well work attire suited him. He looked almost… attractive. But god, what were you thinking?
“I missed you.”
He smiled but he never quite gave you a response as the elevator ding had interrupted him. Instead, he just gave you a small wave.
It was odd. Awkward. But one step at a time, you figured. It’s been years after all.
The next day, as promised, he had shown up to your door. This time, since it was the weekend, he was wearing a simple white shirt. One that still never failed to accentuate his broad shoulders.
But initially, you thought it was Younghoon and not a guy who you haven’t seen for multiple years. So you may or may not have opened the door with your hair like a bird’s nest and your sleepwear on that… wasn’t meant for the general public to see. Apparently, Hyunjae fits in the general public category now. Best friend? No, you hate him.
Kind of.
Not really.
Stumbling to the door, you flung it open, your eyes barely open. Immediately, you were met with the sight of just. Long legs. Not very helpful.
“Who–” And then you looked up, only to meet Hyunjae’s eyes. Choking on your spit, you straightened up. “Hello,” You blurted out in a monotone voice.
He raised an eyebrow and tilted his chin down with amusement. “And who’s the uneasy one now?”
“Sorry, I…” Your eyes trailed down to what you were wearing. With an internal gasp, you stepped backward. “I’m going to– change.”
He widened his eyes and then his gaze also traveled down. His cheeks were oddly red and he cleared his throat, looking away.
You cringed and shut the door in his face before he could even say anything.
Now in proper clothes that were for the general public, you opened the door again. He was still standing there with that same smile. The same kind, caring one he always regarded you with even when you were just kids.
“Where should we talk?” You asked.
His eyes glanced over to his own door. “My place?” He offered quietly. “I have unpacking to do.”
You stared at him silently. And then you nodded with an excited smile. “I can help.”
“Oh no,” He laughed softly. “You don’t have to. I’m fine on my–”
“You don’t look fine,” You interrupted. And without thinking, your hand came up to cup his cheek, turning him to face you. “You look tired.”
He stared at you wordlessly before sighing. “I guess I am.”
“So let me help.” You grinned. “I’m using my vacation days from work right now anyway.”
He could only mutter a shy “okay” as he opened the door for you to enter. Looking around, you found that the only things that he had unpacked lacked much of any personality. He took out the necessities and a bunch of… work. Papers, a computer, work suits and the like.
“You seem busy,” You remarked as you walked over to the box labeled “decorations” only for there to literally be one single plant that looked like it needed to be watered. In fact, it was on the brink of death. Immediately, your face was contorting in worry and you turned to where he was just standing at the entrance with an embarrassed expression. “What… happened to your initial dream?”
He approached you and peered into the box. “What dream?”
“The one where you wanted to have a place full of pretty plants.”
“Yeah well,” He laughed bitterly. “Circumstances change aspirations.”
You gulped nervously at his change of tone. Something was bothering him. Something, in particular, caused him to move here. You led him to the couch and sat next to him.
“So what is it? Why did you cut everyone off and– disappear?” You asked cautiously.
He looked at you for a long minute like he was trying to figure out a response for himself. And finally, he just sighed in defeat.
“Problems.”
“Like what?” You prodded.
“A lot. And I wouldn’t want to lay them all on you.” He gave you a weak smile. You regarded him with a soft look in your eyes, searching his face for any sort of answer. All you could see was a flame that had long been put out.
“Then tell me one.”
“One?” He bit his lip nervously. “One…”
“Just one,” You said gently.
“Like the one where the place I used to work at didn’t treat me right? That they refused to give me anything?” He mumbled, his voice trailing off with embarrassment. “So I moved here so that I could get away? That one?”
You froze at his words. You processed them and that was when it began to make sense. He wasn’t going to work yesterday. He was going to an interview. His computer was open to job openings and the papers weren’t reports. They were resumes.
“Hyunjae,” You whispered. But he was already distancing himself, standing up from the couch. You gazed at him with concern as you stood up, only for him to take a step backward.
“Why are you…” You frowned. “It’s okay, you know. Did you think I would look at you any differently?”
His jaw clenched. “Well, I did cut you off because I didn’t want to worry you. You always told me I would be successful, the best. So how exactly could I face you after they…”
“That’s not your fault. And I’m sorry for putting that on you,” You mustered, stepping closer. This time, he didn’t step away. He allowed you to do anything. He let you trail a hand down to his wrist, holding it gently. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me more. I’m sorry.”
He watched you with slight surprise, and with his lips pulled into a straight line, he whispered a small, “I should be the one who’s sorry.”
You shook your head with a smile. “Don’t be.”
He stayed silent at that, simply studying your features. You could tell he still wanted to apologize. But then the corner of his lips lifted slightly. “You grew up.” His tone was gentle, so kind, just like you’ve always known. It was a little quieter than before though, more closed off as if he was afraid–scared of what you would think of him.
You laughed bashfully. “And so did you.” Your hand trailed up to his shoulder. “Did you start working out?”
He smirked. “Why, do you like my progress?”
You snorted. “Could improve.”
He scoffed yet he only looked at you with fondness. The two of you simply stood there, in the midst of his empty apartment, just staring at each other. And then you giggled. He laughed as well before reaching forward and pulling you into his arms, squeezing you so tight that you felt the air leave your lungs.
“Ah–” You choked. “Hyunjae. You’re killing me.”
“I’m showing you my newfound strength,” He joked, stepping away. You were about to refute but instead, you felt your gaze wandering to his arms. Since when were they so toned and–
“Very funny,” You weakly replied. Escaping from his persisting soft gaze, you stepped away and approached the various boxes. “What can I help you with?”
Hyunjae didn’t have much. Apparently, all those large boxes contained about three small things.
“I overestimated,” He replied with a sheepish smile when you asked.
Most of his things were put away yet when you looked around, the apartment was void of any joy or charm. The only boxes that were left were his clothes which he claimed he could do another day. After putting away his single cup and plate–that’s all he had apparently–you turned around only to see that he was crouched, bending towards that same plant that you pointed out. Its leaves were drooping and the stem wilting, as his fingers gently prodded at it. When you looked closely, you could see a melancholy look on his face, a small frown tugging on his lips.
It was true, that Hyunjae had many dreams when he was younger. That was normal for many people. But to witness it all dissipate before your sight, no sign of light behind his eyes, you couldn’t help but feel your heart clench.
Walking over, you crouched down next to him. He gave you a forced smile.
“Kind of sad,” He remarked with a disappointed sigh. “I bought it only for me to fail to take care of it.”
“You can always buy another one.”
“Mhm,” He hummed dully. “Sure.”
You watched him wordlessly, observing the way his gaze fell when one of the leaves broke off. Shaking your head, you suddenly stood up.
“Let’s go out.”
He looked up at you in surprise. “What?”
“I’ll be your tour guide of the town,” You joked. “I know everything.”
Standing up with you, he stole a glance at his phone. “I can’t.”
“Why?” You pouted.
“I’m waiting for my result from the interview.”
You sighed and took his wrist in yours, pulling him to the door. “You need to get your mind off that for a second.”
“But–”
“Please?” You looked up at him, even batting your eyelashes. “Just for a moment?” You also exaggerated a pout.
He blinked in shock, his eyes trailing over your expression. “What are you doing?”
“Making you feel bad. Is it working?” You held back a grin.
He huffed out a laugh. “Definitely. Fine, just for a moment.”
You grinned and you were already pulling on your shoes and bounding out the door, leaving Hyunjae to smile to himself.
“This is a convenience store.” You pointed at it with a bright smile.
He rolled his eyes. “I know what a convenience store is.”
You laughed and led him to the next block before abruptly stopping. “This is the karaoke bar,” You said, pointing at the nearby building.
“Fun,” He muttered.
“We should go one day.” You smiled. “Actually no.” You scowled. “I got drunk there once and I think they banned me because I was dancing on the tables.”
Hyunjae turned to you in slight shock. “You? Drunk?”
“What?” You widened your eyes in surprise. “What is it?”
“I just… you always said that you hated the taste of alcohol,” He replied in wonder.
“Times change.” You grinned, nudging his shoulder. He gave you a small smile back.
Then, you led him to your favorite spot. The central park in the middle of town. It was a beautiful day out, the sky bright and blue. You loved to sit at one of the benches, watching birds fly by or kids play happily on the playground.
“Wait here.” You patted the seat. And then you were running off, nowhere to be seen. Hyunjae simply sat there, observing the calm atmosphere. When you came back, you were holding a stick of cotton candy in your hand. It was large, almost covering your whole face. Hyunjae chuckled, taking it from you so you wouldn’t trip on the ground.
“Aren’t we too old for this?” He questioned.
You shook your head. “I still love it.”
He took a bite and turned to look at you with furrowed eyebrows. “It’s so sweet.”
“That’s why it’s good!” You stared at him like he was the craziest man alive.
“It’s because you’ve always had a sweet tooth.” He frowned, gently placing it back in your hands.
“Fine,” You scoffed. “If that’s how you treat your best friend.” And you were taking a bite on the opposite side. When you pulled it away from your face, you were startled by a loud laugh. From Hyunjae, specifically. Turning to him with wide eyes, you could even see him smiling.
It was not like the other smiles that you’ve seen so far. Those ones were small, lacking much of any emotion. But this one was wide, full with amusement and happiness.
“Wha– oh,” You huffed, realizing that there was cotton candy on your nose. Hyunjae laughed even louder and suddenly he was leaning in to gently wipe it off with his finger.
“Cutie,” He whispered fondly, his other hand gently cupping the side of your face.
Your heart stuttered at the word. “Wh-what?”
He gulped, pulling away like he was burned. “Oh, I…”
You quickly recovered, instead scooching even closer to him so that your shoulders were touching. “You think I’m cute? Even when I’m all grown up?”
“Always.”
“I missed your smile,” You stated as the two of you were walking back to the apartment complex.
You had expected him to point out that he had smiled other times before. But instead, he gazed at you with soft eyes.
“I did too. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so happy,” He said. “All thanks to you.”
“Of course!” You beamed, looping an arm with his before pulling him closer. “You can always count on me.”
He didn’t respond this time. But his expression said it all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, was all you could see in his dark brown eyes. Smiling, you bumped your body playfully against his.
“Are you busy tomorrow?” You asked.
Again, you found yourself in his apartment the next day. Apparently, he had just gotten back from running and he needed to take a shower. So, you were looking through his boxes full of clothes. You sorted through them, folding them until you came across a hoodie. You didn’t recognize it, but the fabric of it was so… soft and warm. Your hands held onto it, contemplating what it would feel like if you just–
The door to the bathroom creaked open. You gasped and shoved it behind you, greatly hoping that he didn’t notice you staring at it longingly. But alas, you just had to have slow reflexes at this moment.
“Do you like it?” He asked. “Put it on.”
You laughed awkwardly, turning to face him, only for your protests to come stuttering to a stop. Your eyes trailed down from his damp hair to his… whole torso. His bare torso. He was shirtless. Right out of the shower, water droplets sitting prettily on his collarbones, traveling all the way down to his chest and his– he definitely works out.
“Oh,” You breathed out, your cheeks flushing red as you frantically looked away. This was not how you expected to reunite with your best friend after so long.
“Sorry,” He replied, his voice low. “My shirt’s in there.”
You nodded, refusing to look up. It was quiet for a moment, too quiet that you contemplated just shoving his clothes into his hands while dutifully avoiding the sight of his bare chest.
But then he was right beside you and he smelled so, so good as he leaned over you, his hand gently grasping your waist. To take a shirt. Very unnecessary but it still left you inhaling sharply. Feeling yourself go dizzy as you stood there, eyes trained on the ground, and every single muscle in all of human anatomy completely rigid until you were sure he was properly dressed.
Taking a peek, you were met with his teasing smile.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes,” You mustered.
“You were staring weren’t you?” He leaned even closer, his eyes searching yours with amusement. His hand gently lifted your chin up, making you swallow thickly at the way he was gazing at you with a small smirk.
“I wasn’t,” You whispered shakily.
“Hm,” He hummed. “You look a little flushed though.”
“It was nothing,” You shoved him away, feeling like your face was on fire. “You shouldn’t just walk around like that. It’s…”
“Mhm.” He only continued to smile wider. “Whatever you say.”
You groaned, abruptly turning away to hide your reddening cheeks. But then your eyes landed back on that same hoodie.
“I know that look on your face,” He teased, picking it up. “You like it.”
“I don’t.”
“Okay,” He simply replied, shrugging and turning around. You were just about to question his suspiciously short response when out of nowhere, he whipped back around and pulled the hoodie over you. Immediately, you were encompassed in warmth and– did he always smell this good? And why was he staring at you so softly with that stupid fond smile and why was your heart beating a mile a minute and–
“Hyunjae,” You groaned. “What was that for?”
But he stayed silent, simply examining you wearing his clothes. You tilted your head.
“Do I look good?”
His breath hitched and now it was him with reddening cheeks as he backed away. You stifled a laugh as you stepped forward, cornering him against the edge of the kitchen counter.
“And I know that look on your face,” You teased back. “You like it.”
His eyes fluttered, almost like he was fighting the urge to look over your body once again. He inhaled deeply and then he straightened, leaning over you this time. With a subtle smile, he whispered something that left shivers down your spine.
“I love it.”
Oh my god. You treaded backwards, suddenly feeling conscious of everything. His eyes on you–all over you–the way the shirt clung to his body, the rushing thought of the fact that you saw him without it on just a few minutes ago–everything came over you like a bucket of ice water.
“I–” With wide eyes, he only continued to approach you, the scent of his shampoo overcoming you quickly. You couldn’t come up with a comeback anymore. At first, you thought that this was just friendly banter, the type that you guys would do in the school cafeteria. But this–this was something different. With the way he was looking at you with darkening eyes, you weren’t quite sure this was that “friendly banter” thing anymore.
“Shut up,” You blurted out as you pulled the hoodie off you and thrust it into his chest.
“Why?” He grinned. “I like this game.”
You raised your eyebrows. “What game is this exactly?”
“The game of making the other person flustered.”
You stood there for a moment, thinking. You couldn’t quite come up with a verbal comeback. So you could instead…
Taking a step forward, you hooked a hand around the back of his neck, letting your touch linger there for a moment. A stuttering breath was caught thickly in his throat as he looked down at you in bafflement.
And then you let your fingertips trail around, down his neck, across his collarbone, slightly pulling down the hem of his shirt and stopping just at his chest where you could feel his heart thump erratically.
Your trace on his skin left sparks flying in your heart and when you had looked up, you knew that Hyunjae was experiencing the same thing.
He was looking down at you, completely speechless and his eyes round in shock. You smiled in triumph, leaning close to one of his reddening ears.
“Then I win.”
And you were heading for the door. But just as you turned around, you could see Hyunjae who was still leaning against the counter, cheeks now red as he stared down at the ground. You giggled, closing the door behind you.
The next time you saw Hyunjae, unsurprisingly, he looked exhausted again. In fact, he didn’t even recognize you at first with how he was gazing off into space rather than unlocking his own door.
“Come over tonight,” You offered.
He raised an eyebrow. “To do what?”
You choked. “Not that. Movie night!” You winked, patting his shoulder before leaving for the grocery store. You made sure to mentally add popcorn to your list.
And so, when it was pitch dark at night, you had opened your door to Hyunjae, fidgeting nervously at the entrance. You laughed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him in.
“Don’t be nervous.” You grinned. “It’s just me.”
As you set up the movie, you couldn’t help but notice Hyunjae looking around your apartment. He seemed to be taking in all of your decorations, and the fact that you had more than one cup and plate. You smiled.
“We can go shopping if you want,” You spoke up. “For your apartment.”
He glanced at you in shock. But he eventually nodded with a small smile, that same one you noticed that he often forced when he was tired and down.
Now sitting on the couch, side-by-side but never quite touching, the two of you watched a movie. It was a comfortable silence and whenever you would glance at Hyunjae, he would notice and turn his attention back to you. And every time you would make eye contact, you made sure to give him a bright smile, one that showed him that “I’m always here for you.”
"Staring?" He teased.
"In fact I am," You replied. "Forget the movie, you're the award-winning feature."
He laughed again. The same bright one at the park.
"I didn't take you to be such a flirter," He remarked.
"I'm not," You refuted. "You really are amazing."
He gave you a smile that wasn't so convincing. "If you say so."
Near the resolution of the film, you found yourself scooching over to him, letting your shoulders touch. But that wasn’t exactly enough, so you lifted his arm so that you could rest your head on his chest, his body warmth easily spreading to yours.
“What are you doing?” He muttered.
For a second, you thought he might actually be annoyed. But, when you looked up, you could see his softening eyes and the slight blush on his cheeks. You huffed in amusement and you only persisted, snuggling close to his chest. Eventually, he gave up on the whole tough act and he let his arm wrap around you, rubbing your arm in up-and-down motions.
You didn’t notice that you had fallen asleep.
Though you did briefly remember two… moments. One of them was him cautiously bringing you to your bed. The other being a warm hand softly caressing your cheek.
You woke up alone. Good! Who else did you expect? Rubbing your eyes, there was a constant sound ringing in your ears. The doorbell, you groaned. Stumbling to the door, you were hoping maybe… Hyunjae? But instead, it was your landlord. You furrowed your eyebrows in concern.
She sighed, shaking her head.
“Bad news.”
When it was Hyunjae this time who had invited you over, you were pleasantly surprised. Opening the door, you could see him sitting at the table, staring intently at his computer.
Tilting your head, you were about to ask what he was looking at. But then he suddenly jumped up, the chair almost falling over. There was a bright smile on his face as he rushed over to you.
“Hyunjae?” You looked at him in confusion.
“I got the job,” He exclaimed. “I got it.”
“You did?” You gasped. “That’s so– that’s amazing! Congratul–” You inhaled sharply when you felt two hands grasp onto your waist. And suddenly, your whole world shifted once you realized that he was literally picking you up and twirling you around. You laughed shyly as you allowed him to, watching fondly at the way he smiled so, so freely.
Once he had slowed down, there was an impending thought in the back of your mind that appeared from all of the adrenaline. He could put you down and you could lean in and maybe… maybe– press your lips to his as an extra cheer. Mentally slapping yourself, you felt your cheeks grow hot. Again, what were you thinking?
His hands were still on your waist, the both of you out of breath. You smiled, giggling softly. He smiled back, his eyes bright and sparkling.
“I’m proud of you,” You finally said.
“It’s all thanks to you,” He replied.
“Hm, well,” You huffed. “Guess who lost their apartment.”
He gaped at you. “What?”
“Not permanently,” You groaned. “But there’s been a technical problem that has to be investigated and fixed. So I can’t stay there for the meantime.”
He looked at you, deep in thought. And then his hands tightened on your waist. “Then stay here with me.”
Now it was your turn to gawk at him. “What?”
“Please.” He smiled. “I owe you.”
You blushed. “I didn’t do much.”
“You did.” He walked forward, nearly caging you against the wall. “Everything. You’ve helped me get this job.” Another step forward. “I’m indebted to you.”
“H-hyunjae,” You stuttered, trying your best to avoid stealing a glance at his lips.
“Just temporarily.”
You made a mental pro and con list. Pros–He was your childhood best friend meaning that he knew you best. Cons–what if things changed? What if you… fell? And you didn’t mean physically.
With a hesitant sigh in defeat, you responded quietly.
“Temporarily.”
When you and Hyunjae had art class together, you learned a little bit more about him. He was always the one who enjoyed the sketching, the outlining with the black pen, and shading in grey. You, on the other hand, were the one who would color in between those lines with vibrant colors, brightening the picture into something truly complete.
That was how you complimented each other. People often painted him out to be cold and blunt, but you always saw past that. It was always you who thought that he was the sweetest person you’ve ever met–the one who took care of you when you were sick and who pulled you away from passing cars.
Just like one of those art projects, you began to liven up his apartment with your own things. Of course, you didn’t bring everything, but the simple pieces of your toothbrush next to his and your coat hung up on the rack, were enough to make the puzzle feel just complete.
Soon enough, the evening came which brought the dilemma of where you would sleep.
“The couch,” Hyunjae spoke up, walking out of the bathroom again, with damp hair. But at least he was fully clothed this time. Still, that vision was practically ingrained into your mind.
“You’re right.” You nodded in agreement. “I’ll–”
“Not you,” He huffed. “Me.”
“Oh,” You breathed out. Abruptly you stood up in defiance. “No!” You blurted out. “That’s rude.”
He looked at you entirely unimpressed. “I’m being a good host. A gentleman.”
“Exactly.” You scowled. “You’re going to make me feel like I’m intruding. And look who invited me in the first place?”
He sighed, glancing at the bedroom door. “There’s only one bed.”
“Then we’ll share,” You replied, completely sure of yourself. Hyunjae didn’t respond so you lifted your chin high and walked past him and into the bedroom as odd as it may sound. However, in the corner of your eye, you could see that his ears were slightly red.
You may have underestimated the sheer awkwardness. Just a bit. Maybe a lot.
The two of you stood on either side of the bed, facing each other, contemplating the fact that this would be the first time you would be sleeping together. Actually, it wasn’t really awkward per se. It was more… hilarious. You pursed your lips, trying to stifle your laughter, while Hyunjae’s cheeks were puffed out in embarrassment.
Again, as the bolder one, you climbed under the sheets first. Still, Hyunjae was just standing, hesitating. You squinted up at him through the darkness.
Even under the dim lighting, you could see that his cheeks were incredibly flushed.
“I think I’ll just go back to the–” He couldn’t even finish his sentence because you were grabbing onto his hand and pulling him down into bed. He didn’t really protest though as you could sense him slowly melting into the warmth of it.
The lamp was off now and you were both succumbed to darkness. It was silent, only the sound of Hyunjae’s calm breathing. You weren’t exactly tired right now. You knew that it would take you a while to fall asleep. But that was fine! You would just wait until he fell asleep first.
Except, when you turned on your side to face him, you could see him staring back, big, round doe eyes on you. So, scratch that. And now you were cold which you weren’t used to. Your apartment was usually the perfect temperature, but this one left you shivering all over.
Unconsciously, you began to shift closer to his body. He’s always been the warm one. That used to be your strategy to not freeze to death when the two of you would walk down the winter festival together.
Suddenly though, you felt an arm across your waist and steady breathing on the side of your neck.
“Hm?” You hummed in confusion, wondering if the chest against your shoulder was just a hallucination.
But then he replied in a quiet, lower voice.
“Is this okay?” He whispered.
Oh, this was more than okay. You were familiar with his embrace. But to feel it just moments before you fell asleep brought a sudden bout of tranquility.
“Perfect.” You smiled to yourself, curling up to his body in which he held you closer in response. It was warm, comforting, just perfect. It didn’t take you a while to fall asleep anymore.
When you awoke, you were slightly—no, very confused about why it was still dark out. You were pretty sure the room should be bright with natural light from the sun. Or maybe you’ve just gone crazy. But that was when you glanced at the time. It was still the middle of the night.
When you turned to your side, that was also when you realized that it was Hyunjae who had woken you up. Unknowingly at that. His arm was still around your waist but this time, his hold was almost painfully tight. If you looked closely, you could see that his eyes were screwed shut, his eyebrows twitching with small stuttering breaths escaping him.
But, you’ve always heard the saying that you weren’t supposed to wake someone up from a nightmare. So you hesitated, keeping your hands close to yourself, worriedly watching. At some point, he jolted awake by himself.
Now, his breathing was even faster and he had shot up, looking around frantically. Blinking your eyes sleepily, you turned on the nearby light and sat up with him.
“Hyunjae?” You whispered, looking him over in concern.
He turned to you in a growing distraught state and he widened his eyes. “Are you–”
“It’s just me,” You muttered. “Bad dream?”
Hyunjae froze for a moment but he slowly nodded. And usually, it was you who initiated the hugs. But this time, he was the one who lunged forward, holding you close to his chest. His hands grasped onto you tightly as he buried his nose into your neck.
With the way he was holding you so tightly, so… desperately, you wondered if this had happened before. But still, you allowed him to just hold you close, your own arms coming around to gently pat his back.
You didn’t know when, but he eventually pulled away. He refused to look you in the eye and so you brought a gentle hand to the side of his face, coaxing him to face you.
“How long has this been going on for?” You frowned.
He shut his eyes. “A while.”
Your heart clenched at his quiet response. For the past few days, you had thought he was feeling better, less exhausted. But behind the bedroom door, it must be different.
“Do you… want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know…” He trailed off.
“You don’t have to tell me–”
“...what they’re about.”
“Oh,” You breathed. “The nightmares?”
He nodded with tired eyes. “But while I was gone–away from you–people I’ve loved, everything I’ve cherished seemed to disappear before my eyes. It wasn’t just work it was… a lot.” His voice was quiet, hard to hear but it was loud enough that you could hear each and every heart-twisting emotion.
You stayed silent, your hand finding his to stroke the back of it soothingly.
“I felt hopeless.” He frowned. “I guess those nightmares felt like I was reliving that all over again.”
He didn’t say anything after that. You watched him cautiously, wondering what exactly to do. But then you felt his hand tighten on yours slightly and that was your cue to shift even closer.
He glanced at you with an ashamed expression that only made the pit in your stomach drop even more. Slowly, slow enough so that he could back away if he wanted to, you wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close against you. Almost instantly, he was breathing out a low sigh of relief as he nuzzled even further into your embrace.
“You’re not alone anymore,” You whispered. “And… thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”
He didn’t say anything, but when he held you back, it was a perfect answer. The two of you stayed like that, in the dead of night, just holding each other until you began to feel drowsy from his warmth. It wasn’t the first time that you’ve done so. The only difference was that it was always you who needed that extra piece of comfort. It was never Hyunjae. Seeing him open up was different but something that you were most grateful for.
“I never replied to you the day we met in the hallway,” He spoke, interrupting your thoughts.
You pondered for a moment, recalling the memory. “When I said that I missed you?”
He nodded. “I didn’t reply because I was afraid you would still be mad at me for leaving you so abruptly.”
You smiled softly and shook your head, your hand coming up to the back of his head to stroke his hair soothingly. His eyes widened slightly in shock but he quickly melted into your touch. “I was angry at first.”
He laughed quietly, though his voice was watery with unfallen tears.
“But now I’m not,” You whispered. “I promise. I’m just happy to see you again.”
He pulled away to look up at you, searching your face to make sure that you were telling the truth. When you only gazed back with utmost sincerity, he let a small smile tug on his lips.
“I missed you,” He had finally replied, answering your statement from before. “More than you know. It was hard without you.”
Your gaze softened once you noticed the sparkle of a few tears in his eyes and when he blinked, your sleeve was immediately coming up to pat his cheek, drying the ones that had broken free.
“I missed you too,” You responded and gently, you were pulling him back into bed. And this time, without hesitation, he was hooking both of his arms around you, tightening you into his chest.
“...so much,” He muttered sleepily. “I missed you so much.”
“You have me now.”
“Always.” And you felt his hand grasp yours, guiding it to where his heart was, thumping in a soothing rhythm. “In here.”
You were the first one to wake up. It seemed that Hyunjae’s nightmare and tears had left him too exhausted to even notice you unwrapping yourself from his protective embrace. And so, you took it as your duty to cook something decent for him to wake up to.
Except maybe Hyunjae did notice because he opened the door shortly after. You probably should have placed a pillow in his arms before you left. He walked out and you had to stop yourself from cooing because that would be a little bit… weird. But you couldn’t help it because the sight of his hair tousled and messy, his eyes barely opened and puffy from the tears, and his lips pouted adorably, left you smiling with endearment.
“Morning sleepyhead.” You grinned, turning the stove on.
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he shuffled over to where you were standing behind the kitchen counter.
You tilted your head in amusement, wondering how he managed to navigate with his eyes barely open. “Are you feeling better?”
Again, still no response. You watched as he circled the counter, positioning himself behind you. And then you gasped quietly once you registered the strong arms that enveloped your waist, pulling you into a warm hug, your back now pressed up against his chest. You could even feel his nose nuzzling into the back of your neck, breathing deeply.
You simply just froze, unable to do anything. Once you realized he wasn’t going to move anytime soon, you turned the stove off and simply allowed him to hug you to his heart’s content. He let out a sleepy hum. Or was it a whine?
“You’re clingy in the morning,” You mused.
“Mhm.” Even his morning voice was cute.
And when you said sleepy, you meant it. Literally–you were pretty sure he fell asleep while back-hugging you in the middle of the kitchen. You practically had to hold on to the counter to brace his weight and when you stole a glance over your shoulder, you had to stifle a laugh. His cheek was smushed into your shoulder and his eyes shut in content.
“O–kay,” You heaved, forcing your body to turn around. And still, he would have almost collapsed into you if you hadn’t planted your hands on his shoulders to hold him up. His head lolled to the side as he peeked an eye open to look at you drowsily.
You chuckled and your hand came up to his hair to ruffle it. Immediately, he was leaning into your touch and when your hand traveled down to cup his cheek, he was nuzzling into it like a puppy.
“I missed you,” He slurred, his voice huskier than usual.
“Mm, you said that already,” You hummed teasingly, a smile threatening to spread across your lips. “Hyunjae.”
“Hm?” He smiled lazily.
“You’re acting drunk and it’s like–” You glanced at the clock. “Seven in the morning.”
“And what about it? I missed you,” He grumbled, an adorable frown on his lips.
“Ah,” You sighed, shaking your head. “Go splash water on your face, you dummy. Then you’ll wake up properly.”
He still didn’t budge. And so, using every single ounce of your strength, you had to carry him all the way to the bathroom as he was still clinging onto you like a koala.
After a few minutes, with the sound of the bathroom sink splashing in the background, you finally managed to start cooking something. But then the door clicked open and you looked up. Hyunjae, his eyes finally open, was blushing so hard that you couldn’t even conceal your laugh anymore.
“Missed me?” You remarked.
He winced in response, his cheeks continuing to flame red.
“I don’t know what got into me,” He muttered, refusing to look you in the eye.
You beckoned him over and he finally looked up at you shyly.
“It was cute,” You teased. “You’re cute when you’re sleepy.”
“And what else?” He quickly recovered.
Your breath hitched. Ah, you thought. There he was. The usual Hyunjae when he was fully awake. The one who loved to tease you until you were blushing and hiding your face.
“Don’t do this again,” You groaned.
“Do what?”
“That.”
“You’ll have to elaborate on that, sweetheart.”
You raised an eyebrow at the nickname, completely unfazed. But when your eyes traveled down, that was when you realized just how close he was. He continued to lean forward until he was caging you against the counter, both of his hands on either side of you. It wasn’t the flirting that got you, it was his body encompassing you so, so effortlessly, making you feel smaller than you really were.
He chuckled. “Cat got your tongue?”
Oh, this is definitely how best friends act. You were one hundred percent sure about that.
He smirked, tilting his chin down, as his hand traveled from the edge of the counter down to your hip.
Fifty percent.
His eyes wandering elsewhere–somewhere along the lines of your lips.
One percent.
“The breakfast is going to burn,” You stuttered.
He simply licked his lips, his gaze fixated on yours.
“I can always try something else.”
You were screwed.
The first day of Hyunjae’s new job was the very last day of your brief vacation from work. With a sigh, you scrolled through the shows and movies, only for you to ultimately turn off the TV in boredom. You weren’t going to beat around the bush and refuse to admit that you felt lonely without him. Of course, you saw him in the morning, already dressed in a suit (that fit amazingly on him, dare you add), but it was only for a short moment.
He still had nightmares but they were becoming less and less frequent. Sometimes, when they happened, you would just pull him closer and he would immediately relax with a small sigh, almost like you had the superpower to eliminate his night terrors.
And sleeping together never was awkward again. In fact, you adequately enjoyed it–his arms around you and vice versa. Did best friends regularly cuddle at night and gaze at each other for so long that your heartbeat started to speed up? That… you weren’t quite sure about.
Yawning, you found yourself lying down, spreading across the couch. You didn’t even do much today yet your eyes still threatened to shut close.
At some point, you blinked your eyelids open once you heard the door unlocking. Sitting up, you smiled softly at the sight of Hyunjae opening the door. His tie was already loose and his hair was blown up from the wind. Squinting your eyes, you then noticed that he was practically stumbling into the entrance, almost like all of his coordination had dissipated.
His eyes were droopy and his lips pouted from what you would guess to be exhaustion. Everyone’s first day of work was like that. You watched as he set down his work bag and walked over to you, very… very slowly.
“How was work?” You questioned, looking up at him.
And just like last time, he didn’t respond. Silently, he leaned forward and literally–very literally–laid on top of you. His body weight pulled you back down to lie on the couch and his arms were snaking around you as his legs tangled with yours. Speechless, you felt as he nuzzled back into your neck, just like he’s begun to do so often now.
“You look gorgeous today,” He whispered, his voice very oddly slurred.
Your breath hitched. “Are you drunk?”
He looked up at that and you practically choked on air once you realized how close his face was to yours. And then he smiled languidly and shook his head.
“Are you sure?” You searched him for any sign–red cheeks, the scent of the alcoholic drink–yet you couldn’t find any.
“I’m just tired,” He mumbled, planting his face back into the crook of your neck.
“Okay,” You laughed. Gently, your hand came up to his broad back to rub it in circles, the material of the suit rough and honestly quite unsatisfying. But still, you persisted once you felt his tense muscles slowly soften. Slowly though, you came to a stop. “Hyunjae.”
“Hm?” He hummed.
“You need to take a shower,” You huffed. “C’mon.” With all of your power, you pushed him up and off you. Again, his head tilted to the side with a tired smile. You laughed and shoved him until he finally obliged and went off to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, you were left there, contemplating his strange behavior. He never acted this clingy before. Not even for the years that you’ve known him. It was only after that particular night that he started to… do this.
When he was done showering, he stepped out. You had hoped that he would be more awake now, but it seemed he was even drowsier than before–too tired to even dry his own hair. With a click of your tongue, you motioned him over to sit down. Like a puppy, his eyes brightened at the sight of you as he obediently followed.
“You’ll catch a cold,” You ridiculed with a worried frown.
After finding a towel, you stepped in between his legs. Carefully, you began to dry his damp hair, marveling at the way his hair curled up after a shower. You rubbed his scalp, making your way around and behind his ears. When you peeked at his expression, you stifled a laugh at the way he basically fell asleep under your touch.
Once you deemed his hair dry enough, you were about to walk away but instead, he abruptly stood up, swaying slightly. And then he fell forward, pulling you into a warm embrace.
You smiled fondly. “Tired?”
It seems that when Hyunjae was tired, he never answered any of your questions, funnily enough. A lot of his answers were just “I missed you” or a small hum. But this… this answer was different. It was spoken so quietly, so softly yet it perfectly resonated through your ears.
“I love you.”
Before you could even say anything or really do anything, he was reluctantly pulling away and heading to the bedroom. Your lips parted as your eyes fixated on absolutely nothing. Just– space. Your whole body had gone rigid as you simply stood there, processing his words. You couldn’t even blink.
Best friends… say that too, don’t they?
It started to become a pattern for the whole first week of his new job. When he was actually fully awake, he told you that the work was demanding yet he never looked so happy and content. Sometimes, you wondered what his past work was like, but you never prodded.
But, because the work was just so demanding, every single day, from Monday to Friday, he came home exhausted. And any person would expect him to just head straight for bed. But like you said, it was a pattern, a usual thing, that he would cling on to you. Apparently, something had shifted in him. Originally, when you saw him exhausted, he would become closed off. But after… that night, he acted almost intoxicated. Not on a drink. But simply off being tired.
You found it endearing actually. His voice was always quieter and he often stumbled over his words this way. His eyes were dazed and soft on yours and he also became ten times heavier as he liked to lay all of his weight on you when he pulled you into a hug. He constantly just seemed to be in a completely different mindset–one that was very… loving and… yeah– different.
He liked to say things too. Slurred and quiet, but he still very clearly said them. You could never figure out if he meant them or if he was just tired and rambling things for the fun of it.
He said “I misssed you” a lot. Occasionally, he would blurt out that you looked pretty or beautiful. Or, it would be a small “hi” accompanied by a shy smile. Sometimes, if he was too tired to say much, he would just giggle over nothing in particular. But… there was one specific phrase that he would say out of the blue.
“I love you.”
That one always left you perplexed. It could be a… platonic thing to say, right? Where did the word “love” come from? You didn’t think much of it, but you couldn’t help but feel some sort of spark of light in the very depths of your heart.
It was weird, really. An out-of-this-world, alien-like thing for a best friend to say. The words I, love, and you arranged in that particular order were never syllables Hyunjae ever let fall from his lips. He never spent any particular ounce of breath to say them.
Yet now he did.
For some odd reason.
But again, he was just tired. Surely.
And just like before, the pattern started all over again. The week was coming to a close so maybe you wouldn’t hear those words again after this. But you didn’t really mind altogether. With a tired sigh, you walked out of the room, now changed out of your work clothes and into something more comfortable.
Right on cue, the main door was unlocking, and once again, the pattern began to unweave itself. He would walk in, with the occasional misstep and stumble. And like usual, he looked tired. Though, you envied his ability to still look… attractive. And then he would look up, search for a particular someone, and do that stupidly lazy smile–the one where his eyes weren’t focused on anything but you.
“What are you doing here?” He giggled–he giggled now, apparently.
You eyed him, completely apathetic. “You let me stay here temporarily, remember?”
He blinked at you with an adorable pout. And then he nodded. “You’re right.” He smiled. “Aren’t you smart?” He pinched your cheek.
Scowling, you wrestled his hands off. And for the first time this week, you finally decided to question his bizarre behavior.
“Why are you acting like this?” You whined, holding him up by his arms so he wouldn’t fall over you like he had done the day before.
“Because I missed you,” He grumbled, his eyes struggling to stay open. “Now let me–”
“Agh,” You groaned. But still, your hands fell to your sides as you let him wrap his arms around your torso, bringing you close to his chest. Whatever made him happy, was your motive. And totally not, I secretly enjoy this.
It was quiet for a few moments, just the sound of his slow breathing against your earlobe. For a minute, you worried that he had fallen asleep already, but he spoke again.
“Have I mentioned how uncomfortable this suit is?” He mumbled. “It’s very hot and–”
You didn’t even say anything. With a sigh–one that wasn’t particularly annoyed, but more… doting–you stepped away. He stared at you in both drowsiness and slight confusion, but his eyes slowly widened once he realized that you were taking off the jacket for him. Gently, you pulled it off his shoulders and down his arms, your eyebrows slightly furrowed in concentration.
He was quiet, simply watching as your fingers grasped his tie, unloosening it with a sharp pull, causing him to lurch forward, his lips startlingly close to yours.
“Interesting,” He teasingly remarked, but his voice was still slurred.
“Shut up,” You snapped yet there was no malice behind your tone.
Your hands then came up to his collar, unbuttoning the first few buttons to reveal slightly past his collarbones which… you’ve already accidentally witnessed before. With a friendly pat on his shoulder, you deemed him undressed enough. He slowly turned his gaze to you and your breath hitched at the sight– his work attire now loose with his hair slightly messy… ah. Not to mention, his tilted head and sleepy expression that only made things worse.
Clearing your throat, feeling your cheeks burn, you scrambled off somewhere to shove a change of clothes into his hands and left abruptly, your heart thumping. Soon enough–you didn’t know when because you were busy contemplating all of your feelings and the meaning of life–he walked into the bedroom. Undoing the made bed, you motioned him to climb in. Obediently, he followed and you pulled the blankets over him.
“Y/n,” He muttered, grasping your wrist before you could walk away.
“Hm?”
“...love you,” He whispered.
Again, he was just rambling. He was just saying things. He had stumbled over his words and his voice was quiet, so that meant that he didn’t mean it. He didn’t mean any of it. It was all fake–
“I love you,” He repeated—clearer, louder this time without an inch of hesitation. And this time, he was looking straight up at you, his cheeks slightly pink, flushed.
Maybe it was more real than you had thought.
The first week was over, meaning Hyunjae was more situated at work and most importantly, less exhausted. On the first day of his new, non-intoxicated-on-fatigue persona, he had simply greeted you and strolled past. You wouldn’t admit it fully to him but that simple interaction that did better fit what you guys were–best friends–left you feeling empty inside.
But it was fine. It was just a one-week thing.
Until it wasn’t.
The next day, the pattern appeared again, but it wasn’t… like before.
He was fully awake this time yet he still–
“Hyunjae?” You stammered. The arms wrapped around your waist tightened further as he stood behind you, hooking his chin over your shoulder, and breathing out a low sigh. And now that he was newly… conscious, he did more. His hands began to wander over you in soothing shapes and he pressed his chest further against your back.
“Just stay here with me.”
You could see his soft smile in the corner of your eye. With a bothered huff, you glanced back at him, only for you to inhale sharply at how close he actually was and how… nice his cologne smelt. Oh, and his hands were still wandering.
“I thought you only acted like this when you’re tired?”
He shook his head, shifting even closer, his warmth encompassing you comfortingly.
“Do you want to know something about me?”
“I know a lot about you,” You joked.
But he was quiet, a serious silence befalling the two of you. You gulped and whispered a small “what is it?”
You could hear him huff out in amusement, his hands never failing to leave your waist. “While I was away–when I was at my lowest–I thought of someone all those years.”
And for some reason, you knew exactly what the answer was.
But still, your voice tremored. “Who?”
A squeeze on your waist.
“You.”
Shutting your eyes, you breathed out a shaky sigh and looked down to where he was still hugging you from behind. Your heart was thumping and you were sure he could hear you. And even if he could make out the pounding, he never budged once. Not once did he stop tightening his arms around you and not once did he cease to bury his nose somewhere into your skin, leaving shivers down your spine.
With your heartbeat practically reaching your ears, you nudged him and turned around so that now, you were facing him. Without his dazed, sleepy look, it was just his soft eyes and the slightest tug of his lips, an endeared smile. Without his exhaustion that often left him sluggish, it was just his firm, stronger arms that held you so easily.
“Hyunjae,” You whispered.
“Sweetheart,” He replied, his voice gentle and content. And before, you wouldn’t have paid a single ounce of attention to that nickname because it just seemed like how best friends would fool around. But now… things were different and you weren’t sure how exactly. And so the name sweetheart now left your cheeks flushing.
You swallowed thickly, your breath shortening. “Do you know how much you confuse me?”
His smile only grew. “Elaborate on that.” A pause. “Sweetheart.”
You sighed, biting your lip with mortification. “That. The nickname.”
“Sweetheart? You never said you didn’t like it, I can stop if you want—“
“Don’t!” You rushed to say. You blushed more once you realized he was teasing you again, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Not just the nickname. Everything.”
“Like what?” He stepped closer if that was even possible.
You gazed up at him and you were sure you looked frustrated right now, judging by his fond smile. He always said you looked cute when mad.
“You say that you miss me all the time.”
“Because I do.” He dipped his head lower to look at you with those foolish, puppy-like eyes. “I think of you whenever I’m at work.”
“But,” You exhaled shakily. “Do you realize that you say something else?”
You were sure he wasn’t aware. He didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind whenever he was exhausted. So maybe, he would just stare at you in utter confusion, deny it, and this whole… feeling fiasco would be done and dealt with. But then—
“That I love you?”
Your lips parted in surprise and you peered up at him, wondering if he was just taking a wild guess. But no, the soft, genuine look on his face said it all.
“You… knew?” You stuttered.
“Of course I did,” He chuckled softly. “And I meant every single one.”
Eyebrows furrowing, you stepped backward from shock. As you avoided his eyes, you missed the nervousness and the unsureness that flitted across his face. But, just that one step away left chills down your body–as if being away from Hyunjae and his embrace wasn’t even natural anymore.
And so you stepped forward again. Immediately, you could hear a low sigh of relief escape Hyunjae’s lips and feel his hands snake back around your waist protectively. You weren’t sure what expression was on his face though, as you were very adamant on staring directly at his tie–his chest. You knew that he could still see your reddening cheeks, but you still preferred not to look him in the eye.
“That,” He said quietly. “You’re also quite confusing too.”
“Wh-what?”
“Stepping away and stepping back,” He spoke softly. “Looking me in the eye but refusing to when I say that I love you.” One of his hands left your waist to gently guide your chin up. “So look at me now.”
“I…” You trailed off, feeling yourself go weak just from his soft, loving gaze.
“And one more thing.” He tilted his head teasingly.
A pause. A great moment of silence.
“You don’t say it but you show it.”
“Hyunjae,” You breathed out, your heart beating like a loud, intense drum.
“I wasn’t completely unaware.” He smirked. His hand had already left your chin and found its place back to your waist, yet you found yourself staring straight into his dark eyes, stuck in a trance. “I know that you dried my hair with a towel–that you even undressed me. I know that you took care of me.”
You did do that all on your own accord, simply because you thought that you were being a perfectly good friend. But now that you thought about it–you didn’t have to. You could have easily pushed him off, and told him to do everything on his own but you didn’t. And it was all because you–
“So tell me then,” He whispered, his voice quiet–only for you to hear, almost like he wanted you all to himself. “What are we?”
You held your breath, your cheeks growing hot. Your hands rested on his chest and you could feel his heart pound, exactly like yours. He felt the same, you realized. With a shaky sigh, you gazed up at him.
“What do you want us to be?”
He hummed, a soft smile on his lips. “What do I want?”
He slightly reworded your question and you wondered why. But you nodded, your eyes studying his features. His handsome features. They were sharp when you had met him in that hallway. But his keen eyes, the angle of his eyebrows, his perpetual frown–they were just soft, soft on you. No longer was there a frown, but just an affectionate smile.
“What do you want?” You repeated his question, your voice hushed to a whisper.
He leaned in, his gaze warm and gentle, his eyes wandering over each and every detail of your face.
“I want to love you.”
You had expected to inhale sharply, gasp maybe–but no. Because everything made sense to you now. His kind words, his soft and fleeting touches across your body, it all pointed to one thing. And so, instead, you smiled shyly.
“Then love me.”
And just like that, his grip on your hips tightened and he turned you around so that your back was facing the door. He was walking you backward until you felt the hard surface against your shoulder blades and he was leaning down, close enough that if he inched further, he would be kissing you. But he didn’t–not yet.
“May I?” He muttered, looking over you with slight concern.
You nodded, embarrassingly with a bit too eagerness. He laughed softly and then he was fitting his lips against yours as your eyes fluttered closed. The press of it was gentle and tender as he tilted your chin up and angled himself so that it was more comfortable. The kiss was unlike any that you’ve experienced before. It was like the tension that had built up before had completely broken down, as you allowed yourself to just fall.
Fall, physically, almost because you felt your knees go weak, with only the door behind you to hold you up. But his hand traveled back down to your waist, hooking you in against his body, keeping you steady as he muffled a groan against your lips. You couldn’t hear anything but his breathing and the thumping of your own heart.
All you could think of was him–how he could so easily change from rough to soft, how he could push forward so quickly but pull away so easily to allow you a gasp of breath, and how he could make your heart pound yet lull it into a steady rhythm of love. He kissed like he could devour you, but if you decided to peek an eye open, you would see his adorably furrowed eyebrows and his flushed cheeks, showing that he wasn’t anything like that.
He was just a man who needed a bit of a sweetener in his life.
With a quiet noise, he pulled away. Immediately, his eyes searched over your features, making sure that you were okay and that he didn’t do too much. But, when you gave him a smile, your eyes flitting nervously, he grinned and leaned in to grant you another soft kiss.
“How long?” You laughed shyly.
“I came to the realization when you tried to cheer me up whenever I was tired. But I think I’ve already felt this way for a while.” He replied. He pinched your cheek again. “All those dates and extra care that you gave me…very cute thing to do.”
Your eyes went wide. “You… noticed?”
“I notice a lot of things, sweetheart,” He teased. “Like how you’re grabbing onto my suit to pull me into a kiss right now.”
“O-oh,” You stammered, letting go of his crumpled collar. “I didn’t realize I–”
He shook his head and before you could finish your sentence, he was cupping your cheek–something that he’s never done before–and guiding you back to his lips. And this time, his tongue swiped against your lip, making you gasp quietly.
“You taste like candy.” His gaze fixated on your lips.
“I didn’t know you could…” You had to stop for a second to catch your breath. And it wasn’t just because of his exceptional kissing, but it was the beat of your heart, of all of your love. “...you could kiss like that.”
“What can I say?” He tilted his head with a teasing look. “I guess I have a sweet tooth.”
“Trust me on this,” Younghoon whined. “I followed the instructions to the very dot. They’ll taste good. Promise.”
You eyed him skeptically but still, you picked up one of the cookies that he had baked. They looked a little… off, but it should be fine. Taking a bite, you took note of the odd texture, and then the taste started to register on your tongue.
You coughed. You choked. And then you threw the cookie back on the plate.
“Bitter,” You gagged. “It’s so bitter.”
“What?” He cried. “Are you kidding me–”
Your eyes lit up once you remembered your boyfriend who was sitting next to you on the couch. He was busy on his computer, doing some sort of work report but you ignored that, turning to him and grasping his collar tightly. You pulled him in, pressing your lips to his, causing him to let out a small “mmph” in surprise.
But almost instantly, he turned into jelly from your touch, a smile growing on his lips as his eyes fluttered close. He had tried to deepen it desperately but you pulled away shortly after, leaving him to chase after your lips adorably.
Younghoon gawked. “I’m right here.”
“So?” You shrugged, smiling innocently. “At least he tastes sweet.”
“Oh my god,” Younghoon mumbled, getting up to throw the cookies into the garbage can.
Meanwhile, Hyunjae was staring at you in a daze, his cheeks flushed. But, he quickly recovered and he was quick to pounce on you, pressing kisses all over you once Younghoon had left.
“A warning next time would be great.”
He was now hovering over you on the couch, caging you under his arms and his computer long forgotten. The position left you flushing but it was also the perfect one to knee him in the stomach.
He winced in pain. "What was that for?"
"A warning, you said," You mocked. "When literally yesterday you kissed me up against a wall in your own workplace."
"That's an exception." He smirked. "You liked it, didn't you?"
"I..." You blushed, remembering the way he had kissed you so fervently, dressed in that suit and tie, the thrill of getting caught still running through your veins. "It was alright."
"Sure, sweetheart," He whispered in a teasing tone. He looked annoying handsome like this, with that amused smile that contrasted his soft, loving gaze. "Then I'll make sure you like this one."
Oh, how you despised him.
And then his lips were on yours again, swallowing up any shy noises that threatened to escape you. But just before he did, he had whispered three quiet words against your lips.
"I love you."
And how you loved him too.
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE your avatar modern a-z list and ur neteyam series! I was wondering if you took requests by any chance? like could you do something with aonung with fem reader maybe enemies to lovers? sorry if u dont!
no way, tysm for this! I haven't even put out anything specific saying ill do requests and the fact that you wanted to see more of my writing means so much to me 💚 tysm anon for giving me this chance, i hope it won't disappoint you! There was no specification so I hope me taking creative liberty with this was okay!
: ̗̀➛ “I hate you.” “Love you too.”
word count and approx. reading time: 2.5k words, 8 minutes?
pairings: ao’nung x fem! omaticayan! reader
notes:
- reader is neteyam’s twin sister
- when someone says something in english it’ll be in italics but not all italic dialogue is english it may just be for emphasising the word
- I’m pretty sure the na’vi have their own curse words maybe
- I tried to make it seem like you (the reader) is talking to..well..an audience, in the beginning. but i realised thats also you. so to seperate it, the indented text at the start is you talking to yourself.
warnings: kissing, literally making out, teasing, a lot of cussing at the start, neteyam being a protective brother (not a warning ik)
Meeting someone that is so stupidly annoying, so much that you want to kill them on the inside, is common. Its alright. No biggie. Happens to all of us.
But if the same person makes you feel all giddy inside with their stupid smile and their stupid face and their stupid hands on your shoulder and their stupid mouth, so giddy that you want to shut them up by kissing them, then you’re gonna wanna sit down for this, cause it happened to me, too.
“Ao’nung, I swear on Eywa if you don’t actually help me with this right now I will pull out your hair and send my ikran after you, you piece of shit!” you practically shriek at him after being stranded by the ilu.
It had been a month since you and your family first landed in Awa’atlu and started training with the metkayina.
After mastering your breathing, the next step of training consisted of the metkayina helping you and your siblings learn how to ride the creatures, but Ao’nung was being uncooperative as usual.
He didn’t adjust any part of your riding position, insisting that you were going to be fine and that your posture was already “perfect.”, to which you gave him a suspicious glare. And stupidly, you trsusted him. That ended up with you being stranded in the middle of the blue ocean, being practically blown away by the water, ilu leaving you in the dust.
He laughed, his ilu gliding across the water with him on its back, going in your direction. “That was hilarious. You didn’t actually believe me when I said you were going to be fine, did you?” he chuckled, eyes silently judging your messed up and sopping wet hair.
You glared at him, exhaling deeply. “You’re such an annoying bitch, you know that?” you mumbled under your breath, saying the word in english so he wouldn’t understand. He had been messing with you for weeks now, always laughing at you if you’d messed something up and never actually being helpful.
As you swam forward, water level at your shoulders, to get onto the back of his ilu, he extended his hand, offering to help you up. Hesitantly, you took it. Once your hand near his, he reached forward and grabbed your forearm, pulling you up and leaning down into your face.
“You know, for such a pretty face you have such a foul mouth.” he muttered with his deep voice, amused eyes searching your face for a reaction. He really didn’t know exactly what the word meant, but he definitely had a guess.
You were shocked, your hand held high up in the air. He was so strong that his grip on your wrist lifted up the rest of your body, yet it didn’t hurt you at all. Your waist was still submerged in the water,
Your eyes narrowed into slits, he thought he could get the best of you? Even though you were suspended in midair you still came up with a comeback. “Wish I could say the same.” you whispered in mock pity, bottom lip jutting out in a small pout.
He rolled his eyes with an entertained smirk, lowering you back in the water. “Please, you wish you had my beautiful face.” he said as you mounted the back of his ilu, sitting directly behind him. You were about to respond with another insult when the ilu suddenly dove under the water, and quickly you shut your mouth and took a deep breath in so you wouldn’t pass out.
It was all so sudden that you didn’t even realise what you just did; wrapped your arms around his abdomen, clutching it for dear life to avoid being thrown off the ilu for a second time. Once you came to your senses, however, you couldn’t bring yourself to pull away.
Partly because you were just shocked, but also because you could feel his abs. Damn. He certainly was well built for his age, you thought to yourself before snapping out of your momentary daze. You quickly repositioned your hands to hold his shoulders instead, wanting to slap yourself in the face for the thought you just had.
Sure, you had had a few...maybe romantic thoughts about Ao'nung, especially the first time you two met. He stalked up through the crowd with such confidence and assurance in himself that he caught your attention immediately, but your little love at first sight moment was quickly crushed when he and his friend Rotxo started making fun of your brother's tails, right in front of you.
He was strong, tall, confident, and the Olo'eyktan's eldest son. The whole package. Who wouldn’t like a guy like that? For you, it was much easier to resist, because he was a complete and total asshole to you and your family.
You were pretty sure he had the biggest, stupidest grin on his face right then and there because you knew that he knew that you could feel his muscles. He moved his left arm, placing a hand behind your thigh to secure your position on the ilu as he made a sharp turn around a rock in the water. You were going to have a seizure at this point.
Being Neteyam’s younger twin sister had its perks and definitely its downfalls; your older brother refusing to let you date anyone and side eyeing the hell out of any guy that dared to approach you.
“Hey, it’s not like you’re going to mate with any of them now! You have the rest of your life for that!” he always said in defense whenever you would get mad at him for scaring a little crush away.
Granted, he was definitely right. Little kid love wouldn’t have suited you and you probably would have broken up with your boyfriend in a week because you were bored. But then at least you would have gotten used to male attention that wasn’t your family. Well, except for that one time, but that was so long ago you had already forgotten the feeling.
You felt blood rush to your cheeks at his touch, stomach doing backflips. You took a hand off his shoulder to pinch his on your thigh, a silent warning since you couldn’t speak underwater, causing his hand to jut away and return to holding the rein at the front of the ilu.
It wasn’t like this was his first time touching you, he’d placed his hand on your shoulder and flickered your forehead, sure. But this time felt different. It was more gentle. More caring. But you hated him. And he hated you. At least that's what you thought.
Your mind wandered to when you were lying in a shallow pool of water with Kiri, chatting away about how Awa'atlu had been for you both so far. "So, how's your little crush?" she smirked, twisting and playing with one of her little braids dangling over her face.
"Crush? I don't have a crush, Kiri." you rolled your eyes. "Are you kidding me??? What about that douchebag Ao'nung?" she stopped playing with her braid, eyes widened. She wasn't mocking you, she actually thought you had a crush on him.
"Ew. Barf. Why would I ever like him? I have taste, sister." you scoffed, pretending that you weren't considering it inside your head. He infuriated you, made you to want to slap the stupid cheshire grin that was constantly on his face.
But when he did keep his mouth shut, you couldn't help but admire his strength. And his better than average face. "I'm too good for him." you said, snapping out of your little daze thinking about him. Kiri raised her eyebrows in amusement, but you didn't notice.
At the end of the day, your family and Tonowari’s gathered for dinner, having a friendly chat about how things have been going lately. Your mother was doing well in Tsahìk training with Ronal, and your father had mastered riding a skimwing. Your ilu training was taken over by Tsireya who was MUCH more helpful than Ao’nung was, and everyone had made good progress.
But the real elephant in the room? Lo’ak and Tsireya sitting in front of each other, always making shy eye contact as they ate, her giggling sometimes when she saw his ears turn purple.
You felt sick to your stomach seeing the interaction. Ronal and your dad didn’t seem to notice, but Tonowari and your mom definitely did. Neytiri hid her smirk by continuing to eat, and Tonowari had a big smile on his face finding that his daughter had found someone (Toruk Makto’s second eldest son, no less!)
Ao’nung wasn’t there to witness this, cause apparently his dad sent him off to do some errands and he was running late. You shared a strained look with your sister Kiri, who made a fake throwing up expression. Neteyam and Tuk honestly couldn’t care less.
When Ao’nung finally arrived, he took the empty seat on Neteyam’s right; in front of you, even though there were 2 other vacant mats he could have sat on. Kiri broke the half amused half disgusted and half oblivious silence, with a “Lo’ak, please stop staring at Tsireya like that I’m literally about to projectile vomit all over the floor.”
“Kiri, shut up!” he groaned, avoiding Tsireya’s gaze in embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s getting weird and I’m losing my appetite.” you commented, stating the truth but teasing your brother at the same time. By this point, both pairs of parents + Tuk decided to ignore you guys' conversation and talked about their own things.
“You’re just jealous you never had anyone that liked you!” Lo’ak accused you, you gasping in fake hurt. “Well that’s not true.” Kiri said, shoving her mouth with more food. Your eyes widened, your head turned to look to your right, directly at your sister. Neteyam looked up at this.
“Oh– right– uhm forget I said anything.” she played it off, temporarily forgetting that you both kept that a secret from your brothers. “Hey no nonononono, I wanna hear more about this guy!” Lo’ak said, eyes flickering between you and Kiri. Ao’nung and Neteyam were also listening intently.
“I don’t think that’s really necessary.” you said nervously, looking at Neteyam whose eyes narrowed. “No. You will tell me.” your older brother spoke, as you gave him a pleading look. “You know you have to tell him sooner or later.” Kiri rolled her eyes as you slapped her arm.
“Okay! Fine!” you sighed, an exasperated expression on your face. “It was Viawli! He confessed to me with some flowers and then we dated for a while. Behind Neteyam’s back.” you finished, burying your hands in your face.
“Honestly you should’ve listened to how annoying she was when they dated. Oh Kiri he’s so sweet he got me flowers- Oh Kiri, he's so funny, Kiri he’s so handsom–” you slap her own hand around her mouth to stop her from talking, your entire face purple at this point. Lo’ak howled with laughter as Neteyam continued eating, expressionless, his annoyance and protective urge probably bubbling up and waiting to explode once your both were out of sight from your parents.
Your eyes met with Ao’nungs, he seemed very shocked at this news, but you decided to ignore it for now. You had more important things to deal with; Neteyam’s wrath.
After receiving a painful earful from your brother, you opted for a little walk along the beach, enjoying how the ocean looked after eclipse. The sand underneath your feet comforted you, and you liked kicking some of it into water just for fun. As you were doing so, you noticed someone who was waist deep into the water. Strange, you thought. Who would be swimming in the cold water at this hour??
You decided to get closer, and then you noticed the bun. It was Ao’nung. You waded in the water, the ripples from your movement alerting him that someone was near. He turned in your direction, making eye contact with you.
You wanted to say something to mock him, but your resolve dissipated once you saw the look on his face. He looked like he had been deep in thought, something you’d never seen before. All you could do was wave hi. He nodded his head a little, indicating it was okay for you to be there.
You waddled through the cold water, standing next to him. He continued staring into the horizon, and you pursed your lips in silence. This was kinda awkward, but you also didn’t want to ruin the moment. You two were so close, if you moved your left arm just a little you could hold his hand.
Wait what? No! You weren’t supposed to be having these sorts of thoughts around him, he was supposed to be annoying! But you couldn’t help yourself, you looked down to see your hand and his, dangling lonely next to each other. You resisted the urge to take his hand, instead marvelling at the size difference. His hand was huge compared to yours.
When you looked up, you noticed he was already staring right back at you. But instead of a smug smirk, he had a gentle smile on his face. A genuine smile. Your lips parted, confused as to what he was thinking.
“So,” he finally said. “This ‘Vialli’ guy. Did he treat you nicely?” he asked, stopping looking at you and instead turning his gaze back to the horizon. “It’s Viawli. Not what I was expecting you to ask but alright. I mean he treated me really well when we dated–” you stopped suddenly, noticing how his ears twitched in annoyance when you said “we dated”.
Holy shit. Was he….jealous????? Your heart raced at this realisation, realising maybe you weren’t hallucinating earlier today and maybe he actually was touching you with care. You decided to test your theory, with a small grin on your face.
“He brought me tons of flowers, he was so sweet, he always complimented me and he always took me out on dates.” you pretended to gush about him, even though you’d already forgotten entirely what your little dates were like.
“He was super good looking, I was so happy that I scored practically the most handsome guy in the clan–” you were interrupted when Ao’nung pulled you by your chin into a heavy kiss. Your eyes widened in shock, before you closed them and melted into the kiss as well.
Your teasing didn’t quite yield the results you expected, but it got you something even better. You wrapped your arms around his neck and his hands snaked around your waist to pull you even deeper into the kiss.
The entire time your brain was just screaming at you, telling you to pull away. That it was wrong. He was supposed to be annoying. But your heart urged you, begged you to not let go of him.
You both pulled away at the same time for air, and you were stunned at what just happened. You just made out. With Ao’nung. And you enjoyed it. The world was truly going to end.
He placed his finger under your chin once more, turning up your head so you’d look at him. He searched your eyes, your face, searching for any sign that you reciprocate his feelings. “I,” he hesitated, “I see you, Y/n.” he whispered.
You didn’t say anything for a while, just looking at him, and that made him concerned. He was about to back away when you finally placed your hand on his cheek gently. “Ao’nung. I see you.”
His smile grew wide, and he leaned in. You thought he was about to kiss you again, but instead he put his mouth near your ear and mumbled, "I can treat you so much better than that skxawng ever could.", the huskiness of his voice making your knees buckle.
“You know you look ethereal in the night, right?” he said, as you both sat down on the sand with legs outstretched, hands holding. “Oh shut up, will you? It’s going to get weird.” you huff, feeling slightly embarrassed that you went from shouting at him and calling him a bitch to kissing him and holding hands in just one day.
“It’s not weird. I don’t feel like anything’s weird.” he smirks, a glint of mischievousness in his eyes, “Why? Do I make you feel weird?”
You pause, before taking your hand away from his and pinching them together. “I’m this close to throwing sand in your face.” you deadpan.
He squints, looking at your fingers. “They’re touching–” he realises what that means and he takes off running, you following closely behind him with a handful of sand.
Eventually you catch up to him, being faster since you were much more agile than him on land. You tackle him from behind, pushing him down as he yelps. At this point you no longer have any more sand in your hands and you can’t bring yourself to take any, cause you’re too busy laughing and heaving.
You let him go and sit cross legged in front of him, smiling as he pulls himself up, panting for air. “I,” he breathes out, “I hate you so much–” You snicker, amused by how tired he is and place your hands on your cheeks. “Love you too, Ao.”
tysm for reading this, in case anyone has any requests and would be willing to give me a chance to fulfill them i'd be glad to! i had so much fun making this and i hope you liked it anon! reblogs and feedback are most most appreciated 💚
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