Renjun Fluff - Tumblr Posts - Page 2

toy wagons & heartbreak ✧ huang renjun

✧ pairing: artist!renjun & dancer g/n! reader

though dancing is not as touched upon for reader as artistry is for jun

✧ wc: 4.4k

✧ genre: fluff, angst; best friends to lovers

✧warnings: language, brief description of a nightmare, cheating, suggestive? sorta.

"shove off, you bastard. i hope your mom chokes on a bag of cocks today and your dad gets his beer bottle shoved up his ass!"

the sudden and very vulgar outburst brought attention to the relatively short male in the back of the classroom. no one knew who he was. hell, they didn't even realize he could even speak. he was always mute and his ‘cool’ demeanor didn't help his case. silence followed for the next few seconds until a certain individual cracked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"dude, what type of fake british accent was that? you sounded like marie antoinette, but male. and very, very american. and she had had her head cut off already!"

the male that seemed to prattle off nonsensical insult after insult, lee felix, was doubled over. your fellow classmate’s arms were wrapped around his sides, laughter practically deranged. but, it helped. the merriment and joy the laughter brought.

it eased the tension in the room. soon, the whole class had reached a volume that could only be described as boisterous, cacophonous laughter permeating into every corner of the classroom. even the assistants in the class laughed. the teacher had a very strong look of distaste on her face. but, even the corners of her lips were turned up.

"jun! what the heck? i said at lunch, not in the middle of math class!"

another voice rang out. it was yours. the sentence wasn't heard very clearly, though. even you were laughing. the room seemed to be alight with a positive aura. and not even the quiet kid at the back of the class, huang renjun, (who also doubled as your best friend) could hide his smile. not even he could deny how relaxed the atmosphere had gotten.

of course, all good things must come to an end, right? and that moment of seemingly infinite bliss? oh, that was simply too good of a thing for you to experience. it was such a blessing of a moment, that you ought to have deemed it a curse.

your dream quickly turned for the worse as the vivid colors flashing behind your eyelids darkened, the joyous laughter from before transforming into something more sinster. you had no idea what was happening, the younger you being replaced with you from the present as you were being caged in by-

—

you awoke with a start, a hand clutching your chest. that wasn't exactly a memory you were fond of. you probably would've been close to forgetting about it if you hadn't dreamt of it tonight. when you took in your surroundings, the realization that you weren't in the dance studio anymore hit you.

that was the last place you remember leaving your room to go to, planning on venting out your frustrations in a form of art. and seeing as drawing and making music weren't exactly your forte, perfecting choreography was your next best choice.

seeing as how someone had to come and find you, that may not have exactly gone according to plan. every time you moved your legs, sharp pains shot throughout the rest of your body. sure, you could call it ordinary soreness. but, unfortunately, you have become painstakingly aware of how many bruises seemed to accumulate when you danced while upset.

but, that was beside the point. the pain could wait. right now you’d rather focus on the fact that you were in a bed. a very nice one in fact, although there was something wrong. you couldn't quite place your finger on it but maybe it had to do with the person sleeping next to you.

wait, there's a person in the bed. next to you. sleeping. next to you. and they’re…shirtless?

you had to stop yourself from emitting a scream that would've awoken the penguins in antarctica. instead, you settled on scrambling out of the bed, relieved to find that you still adorned the clothes you had left the house in the previous night. the sleeping person turned their body so they were facing you.

'more like sleeping beauty. jesus christ. he's so fucking pretty, oh my god. and his lips, oh my god. his lips. fuck. i bet he has a really pretty smile, too? oh god, he does, doesn't he? oh, fuck me.'

a smile adorned the unknown male's lips. well, 'unknown' is a false statement. the shirtless male was in fact your childhood best friend, and self-proclaimed platonic soulmate, huang renjun. he had gotten used to this behavior in the early morning. it was something you went through often when he had to pick you up from the studio.

he hadn’t been asleep at all. he woke up an hour ago, your movements in the bed much too erratic to even attempt sleeping through. the clock had stated that it was an alarming four-thirty in the morning. the sun wasn't even close to rising, yet here you were.

"aw baby, if you like my lips so much, why don’t you kiss them already, hm?"

that's when you seemed to snap out of your very sleep-deprived daze and you looked at renjun, your shock obvious on your face.

"...what?"

"unless you're all bark and no bite."

"okay, wait, you- what's that supposed to mean exactly?

"ah, so you're unaware that you said all of that out loud like two seconds ago. figures. although i gotta say, i especially liked the part about my lips. do you think about them that often?"

you blanched and stared at the male across from you incredulously. you couldn't have said that out loud. you were just having very, very loud thoughts. you were sure of it. until y'know, just now, you'd reckon.

"oh, jun. i'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable. i didn't mean that—"

"you didn't mean it," a pout took over renjun’s lips, his bottom lip jutting out which only made it seem fuller than it was. and all the more inviting— "a true shame. i would've liked a kiss from you."

there was a hint of sadness in his voice. no, not a hint. he didn't even try to mask it. all the emotions in that sentence were clear as day. disappointment, as well as sadness, were crystal clear.

"okay no, because what's that supposed to mean?"

a breath. a pause. a sigh.

"nothing. just go back to sleep."

and just like that, it was as if renjun was never awake in the first place. he was out like a light. which only left you with so many questions as to what just occurred. 'what the fuck?' seemed to be the most frequent one you asked though.

then, something happened that threw the both of you for a complete loop. you found yourself getting back in the bed, only this time you sat directly on top of renjun. he awoke easily, eyes wide and void of any sign of fatigue.

he blinked up at you blankly, unsure of what to do with you or with his hands.

"may i…help you?"

"cut the act and just kiss me."

renjun leaned in, much to your surprise, even if you had told him to do it in the first place, and placed a bruising kiss on your lips. it was intense as if he was trying to convey all of his emotions into a sloppy transfer of spit. you weren't even sure if this could be called a proper kiss, but your brain was functioning too slow at the moment to catch up to what was happening right now. hands roamed across any surface they came in contact with, yours eventually resting atop renjun's chest and his wrapped around your waist.

when you pulled away from each other, he busied himself with wiping his mouth of the spit at the corners with the back of his hand, while you attempted to hop off of his lap only to be pulled back down by his free hand.

renjun sat up, eyebrow raised at your attempt at a hasty getaway, grabbing your hips again in attempts to pull you closer still. he said nothing, which left you to internally panic in the mildly uncomfortable silence. unfortunately, your mind was on the edge of going completely blank as you tried to let your brain catch up to what just occurred. and what was currently still very much happening.

but catch up it did not, seeing as renjun pulled you in for another kiss. only this time, it was much softer. there wasn't any real urgency behind it. it was as if you melted together, breaths soft and eyes closed. it was only the two of you and that was all renjun needed. that was all you needed, even if you hadn't come to that conclusion yet. your arms moved to wrap around his neck, fingers softly combing through the hair at his nape, renjun’s hands grasping onto your sleep shirt.

this time when you pulled away, you didn't rush to get off of his lap. silence filled the room, the only sound being your combined breathing as you swallowed nervously. okay, so 'what the fuck?' was what you wanted to say. it seemed to be your favorite phrase lately. until renjun beat you to it and broke the silence himself. with a much more sophisticated question.

"uhm, do you wanna talk about that?"

"no. let's just be quiet for now."

but, quiet never lasted long when it came to the two of you.

"i think i’m in love with you."

the words weren't loud. they were soft. and you thought that if they had been any quieter that you wouldn't have caught them at all. but, you're sure you did. you're so, so sure of it.

"what?" a whisper.

it was dead silent in the room. the only sound that could be heard was the soft tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall in renjun’s bedroom.

"i didn't say anything."

renjun uttered out, cheeks aflame with embarrassment.

"but, you did. you,” a quiver in your voice made itself present. “you said you were in love with me. didn't you? you did. you did, right?"

the worry couldn't stay out of your voice as much as you had wanted it to. your heart rate was increasing, panic settling in now as the weight of everything started to creep up on you, planting itself atop your shoulders little by little.

you were scared.

scared you were still dreaming, and that just made this whole scenario up.

scared that you and renjun didn't just kiss twice.

scared that the boy whose lap you were sitting on wasn't actually underneath you at all.

scared that your feelings weren't unrequited after all. scared that they were.

you were terrified, actually.

renjun could sense that. he'd be a fool if he didn't, seeing as the air in the room is so still that he automatically picked up on when your breath hitched and became more of a panicked pant rather than a steady inhale-exhale cycle.

"okay, hey, wait. hi lovebug, i’m right here,” he rubbed your back gently, attempting to get you to calm down.

“i did say it. i’m pretty sure that i’ve been in love with you since fifth grade."

"fifth grade?"

your voice cracked and renjun finally took this moment to look back up from his legs and at you. your eyes were filled with unshed tears, both from your panic and from the situation in general. you were just so overwhelmed and were struggling to process any of this fully.

yet, that's not what renjun wanted. he didn't want teary eyes and soft voices. he wanted to hear the same words uttered back to him. he wanted a kiss, a touch, anything other than the silence that's filled with tension so high-strung that choosing to break it could be a very dangerous game at this point.

yet, some part of you convinced yourself that this was some sort of cruel joke. you liked renjun, loved him even. yet, you were so unsure. so you opted to remain silent. and a hush fell upon the room.

—

the words circulate through your head for hours on end. you're still at renjun’s house but you’ve moved away from his room and into the little office space he considers his art studio. You’re careful not to touch any of his pieces, fearful of messing one up.

as your thoughts race, you look around and analyze his works. while you’re not an artist and don’t have a keen eye for detail yourself, you’ve gone with renjun on enough trips to the art museum that you deem yourself knowledgeable enough for this.

the small pile of blank canvases spread across the floor that are intermixed with unfinished designs reminds you of something. he had told you recently that he’s hit an artist’s block, a ‘very hard, and a very mean one’, according to him.

he had confessed this to you in a joking manner but you knew it was affecting him more than he let on. how could it have not when it was what he’s done his whole life? none of his art coming out the way he wanted, none of the messages he’s trying to convey shining through.

you glance at the crumpled sheets of paper that lay about the trash bin, some torn from his sketchbooks, others from plain college-ruled notebooks. it was if you could feel his frustration emanating from that pile, his own perception of failure that had been weighing down on him, the standards far too high.

if only he could see how wonderful he is, you wished. you’ve drawn before sure, whether it be begrudgingly for a school project or for fun while you’re at the park. but, you truly believe that renjun’s art belongs in museums. he’s on a different level than you, something that was made well aware when you took that art class together in grade school.

you always tell him that the fruits of his precocious labor deserve to be shown off internationally, to be appreciated by all. he'll brush you off with a shy smile and change the topic every time but it never affected your admiration for him. it only made you say it more often.

the corners of your mouth lift up in a small smile as you catch a glimpse of the piece he made up back in your sophomore year of high school. you asked for a portrait, not of yourself but of things he associates with you.

“so, you want a collage then?”

“no, make it in the shape of me, just not of me.”

he still understood the assignment despite your confusing instructions and came over to your house to give it to you a month later. you brushed off his rushed apologies for how long it took and held out your hands so he could hand your the finished project.

your expression was nothing other than pure joy as you took in his art. the outline was the shape of you sitting with your head back. ‘’must’ve been a photo he took of me while we were hanging out’, you thought as your eyes moved slowly across the canvas. you picked out certain things, like pokémon and anime characters, sheet music and a tiny break dancer. each thing you recognized brought an ecstatic giggle out of you and renjun breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.

while he knew you’d like anything he makes no matter what, this work stressed him out because he saw you as way more than the things you have interest in or made a part of your life. but seeing your satisfaction and how your eyes shine with wonderment, he thinks he genuinely did a good job.

your arms engulfed him in a tight hug, thanks spilled from your lips as his arms came around your stomach.

“thank you junbug. i really like it.”

you pulled away and he flashed you a bright smile.

“anytime, sugar.”

the petname earned him a pinch on the cheek but he still thinks it was worth it.

—

as you pull yourself out of the memory, a smile on your face, you realize a couple of things.

renjun’s love was always evident, obvious even, but he always masked it under the guise of your best friend. he’d always done anything he can for you, offering up a helping hand no matter how grueling the task. even if he pretended to not like you sometimes, he was always ready to risk it all.

yet, he also protected you often. like tonight, for example. you wouldn’t have stopped until you literally couldn’t move anymore at the studio. and maybe you couldn’t when he had come to pick you up, you can’t recall. but the outlying fact is that he knew where you were in the first place. you wonder if that was the first place he went or if he had to think about it. nonetheless, it doesn’t change the fact that he knew.

you thought back on your feelings, on your relationship with your best friend, and your feelings for said best friend.

you always thought he’d be a good boyfriend to somebody, not specifically to you but you can’t lie and say you haven’t entertained the thought. nor can you say you’ve never thought about kissing him.

you had a crush on him before, it was always a random occurrence. a wave of emotions far more than platonic for renjun coming up all at once on more than one occasion.

but, do you harbor those same feelings now? is the question you can’t answer.

—

you padded softly back into renjun’s bedroom. you didn’t exactly expect to find him sleeping again but you can’t say you expected to find him up drawing either.

“hey.”

it was soft, hard to catch and laden with emotions you couldn’t decipher.

“hi.”

and silence befell the room again. you at the doorway and him on his bed. he had yet to look up from his notebook while you focused your gaze on the ground.

maybe if you stared hard enough you could fall through it, and avoid this. the entire interaction. maybe it’ll be one of doctor strange’s portals and you could go back in time to before the confession.

renjun sighs before putting his items on his nightstand and looking up. if you won’t start, then he might as well do you both a favor and get this over with. it’s simpler that way anyway, he’s never been a ‘beat-around-the-bush’ person, as far as anyone else knows.

“i understand if you don’t reciprocate my-,”

“i like you, too.”

you had started talking simultaneously, as your head finally lifted in order for you to meet his eyes.

your confession shocked yourself as much as it shocked renjun. he had prepared himself for rejection, having accepted it as his fate already.

“you, you, you what?”

“like you? back?”

you didn’t doubt yourself but, it was hard not to consider you had let yourself say whatever you felt right at that moment without inhibition.

“are you sure? i’m completely fine with being rejected, y’know. i can get over it-,”

“no need to, jun. i’m sure.”

you took your first step since having walked back into the room and sat on the edge of his bed. you looked at the wall in front of you, which adorned the pieces that had been recognized in competitions, all of them earning nothing less than the ‘gold’.

“are you, sure you’re sure, though? like-,”

before renjun could continue on any further, you moved close enough to cover his mouth with your hand. you sent him a bright smile before speaking.

“yes. quite, actually. so, if you may be so inclined, could you be my boyfriend?”

you let your hand fall from his face and he sent you a playful glare before replying.

“despite the fact that your question was grammatically incorrect, i’m quite sure my answer is yes.”

“hush you.”

you looked into his eyes, and the both of you broke into a wide grin before he pulled you into a quick kiss.

"hold on, you said ‘like’. i said ‘love’, there is a difference in the-,”

you placed your finger on his lips and tilted your head as you smiled.

“i love you, too. is that better?”

“much.”

—

fifth grade was what renjun had said to you that night. you're in your last year of high school now. the confession was said a little more than 1 year ago. yet, your dynamic has changed remarkably.

you two don't just talk while expertly skipping over any hints at a love life anymore. you don't just hold hands ironically, only to pull apart with an offhand remark towards the clammy state of either of your hands anymore. you don't just eat lunch together because he’s your only close friend anymore. now, you do so much more than that. all the little things that were considered platonic, all the actions that the two of you did due to how close you were to each other had so much more significance to them now.

the times you two locked eyes across the hall, or a classroom, a smile would find its way onto your face, a warmth blossoming throughout your chest.

or when it’s ass’o’clock in the morning, yet not actually morning, renjun finds himself in his room, texting you. as if it’s routine, there’s never any real topic of conversation, he just wants to talk to you. you're half asleep yet you're doing everything in your power to send mildly coherent responses. it's not exactly going too well.

long after you've stopped replying for the night, and after the crickets have stopped chirping and the moon is shining her brightest, renjun wraps himself up in his thoughts. they used to shroud him in darkness, leave him cold, and choking on his sobs in the middle of the night. holes and spirals he'd go down, the escaping so much harder than the fall.

but now?

they wash over him gracefully, a cascade of emotions that can only be summed up to true happiness. he had you to thank for it. your smile, the way you hit something, or someone, every time you laugh, the way you don’t feel as if you have to act polite and cute in front of him.

he used to admire you from a position he thought he would stay in forever, so close to you yet so far from where he wanted to be. but now, you’re within his reach, within his grasp.

and it’s obvious from the closeness of your bodies as you walk the streets of seoul late at night, to the secret moments you share in bed together. the soft kisses exchanged, the questions you ask each other that the both of you may have to thank TOK courses for having the ability to answer. the intimacy of it all, it was addicting. it made both of you feel wanted, appreciated, and loved by the other.

which is why the night when renjun walked in on you sharing that intimacy with someone else, it hurt. the closeness of your bodies, the flirtatious giggles, all of it.

it hurt him so bad. he couldn't fathom the reality of it all. he questioned himself as he took in th scene before him. was he not enough? was he merely just an object now? no longer the person that made you happy? that made you feel loved anymore? did you not want him anymore?

his questions were answered when he heard you utter the words 'i love you' to the unknown person. his heart dropped. tears clouded renjun’s eyes as he stormed into your shared bedroom, heart torn in two. sadness and rage dying down to a mere dull ache in his heart.

you looked up quickly, eyes widening. your hair stuck to your forehead, face flushed and covered in a sheen of sweat. immediately, you pushed the other person away, who had attempted to cower under the covers.

"renjun...i-,"

he shook his head, still in disbelief but unwilling to near any sorry excuse you had at the moment. his eyes bored into yours, excpet they weren't relaying the love and compassion you had grown used to. it was anger.

"save it. i spent most of my life loving you. for an entire 10 years, my heart was yours. i didn't look at anyone else with the same adoration i held for you. i didn't even think about anyone else. you were it for me. you were the only one i truly thought i could spend my life with. but i'm pretty sure i won't be thinking of you like that for a long time now. so, i hope the person under the sheets knows that you're a fucking dick. and i hope you know that, too. especially you.”

as renjun’s ramble dies down, his heart swells tremendously, with emotions he can't describe, tears slipping down his cheeks.

he shakes his head again, bottom lip quivering. he wipes the backs of his hands across his cheeks as he turns on his heels and leaves. he hears his name get called as you rush to pull yourself together and chase him out. he doesn't listen, he keeps walking.

a hand catches his wrist, and he doesn't turn. he keeps walking, dragging you behind him without a single care.

"hey, i'm not a fucking toy wagon, stop fucking walking."

"why should i? why don't you go back to fucking around with that boy you love so much? he seemed cute. and if you don't want to get dragged, get the fuck off of me then."

"if i let go, you'll leave. i can't lose you, jun . i’m sorry, i’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart. just, please, don’t leave me. i can’t lose you, i can’t. i, i can change? it was stupid, that was stupid. i wasn't thinking straight and i'm so, so sorry. junnie please, i can't lose you.

he scoffed, still not glancing back.

"you lost me the moment you decided that that was a good idea. the moment you went behind my back to satisfy your need for something i obviously wasn't giving you. you haven't ‘had’ me for however long that’s been going on. get that through your thick, fucking skull."

at that, renjun pulls his wrist out of your grasp. you were spared no attention as he walked away, blending into the crowd.

oh, and then it started raining. well, that's always fun.

— © jijiluvr 2021, all rights reserved

neotherapy (18+)

"Hey, uh... hello? You've reached Neo Therapy Practitioners, this is Jisung speaking!

Oh, you wanted to schedule with us? Sounds good! And who will you be visiting today?"

— Let’s face it, this whole adulting thing? Shit fucking sucks. Working from nine to five as a corporate slave for the next forty years until you’re rendered obsolete isn't exactly what you'd consider a fulfilling lifestyle. Between a ridiculous workload, an asshole supervisor, and an inexplicable amount of failed dates— it’s fair to say that you were one minor inconvenience away from committing arson.

That changes for the better when your coworker refers you to Dr. Lee at Neo Therapy Practitioners. A complex with a multitude of services to provide. Ranging from chiropractic adjustment, to beauty services, to even a practice as niche as aromatherapy? You find yourself dabbling in each of these services to unwind from all the stress, gaining confidence and relaxation in the process. 

You unfortunately learn nothing in life is without consequence, however. When you end up in certain "situations" with each provider— you think you may have bit off just a little more than you can chew. But hey, beauty is pain, right?

— scheduled appointments

♡ session 1: step on a crack, dr. lee's gonna break your back!

– by guanana

[ “That’s what I’m here for. I’ll put you right back into shape.” ]

pairing: jeno x reader

summary: After years of sitting hunched over at an office desk and squinting your eyes at an overly saturated computer screen, your back finally gives out on you and decides it needs a break. 

Good thing your friendly neighborhood chiropractor Dr. Lee is here to save the day! Small issue though— he’s really fucking hot and he’s got a way with his hands.

status — booked 

♡ session 2: paint nails n' get railed!

– by mondaycoffee

[  “So? Do you want that discount or not?” ]

pairing: yangyang x reader

summary: At the suggestion of Dr. Lee, you find yourself setting up an appointment at Yangyang’s Paint-n-Go, Neo Therapy Practitioners’ very own nail bar! However, when you discover just how freaking expensive it is to get a mani-pedi done these days, your tech has an offer that you find difficult to refuse…

status — booked

♡ session 3: wants n' kneads

– by guanana

[ “This would be a lot easier if we kept conversation to a minimum. I can’t do my job properly if you don’t shut up.” ]

pairing: jaemin x reader

summary: The stress of the office has caught up to you once again. In fact, it came back so strong your back gives out ten times worse than before.

As if it couldn't get any worse, Jeno’s out of town. With your trusty chiropractor missing in action, circumstance leads you to the front door of Neo Therapy’s late night masseuse. Jaemin's not the friendliest nor the most talkative, so your utter confusion makes complete sense when his fingers find themselves knuckle-deep in your pussy halfway through the massage.

status: scheduling

♡ session 4: sugar, spice, n' good advice!

– by mondaycoffee

[ “I see her everywhere. She’s the early morning rain, the neglected cup of coffee sitting on the bathroom sink, and kind words from a stranger when you need them the most. I am used to seeing those traces of her, and, more often than not, it is I who seek them. But, when I’m with you, her memory gets the slightest bit fainter and that’s really nice.” ]

pairing: renjun x reader

summary: After your last appointment, you find out the origin of the pleasant smelling oils used during your massage: the handsome Mr. Huang working just across the hall. You discover through research that he’s a popular Aromatherapist in your area, and that he’s known particularly for his expertise in treating work-related stress. Perfect! You discover that he’s the complete opposite of what you had gotten with the emotionless masseuse, Jaemin; he is kind-hearted, gentle, and a wonderful listener. So it’s no surprise that after only a few sessions, you’re falling hard for sweet Renjun—with disastrous consequences.

status: scheduling

♡ session 5: find love, or dye trying

– by mondaycoffee

[ “Dude, watch it! You’re gonna get bleach on my vintage 1987 David Bowie Glass Spider Tour shirt!” ]

pairing: mark x reader

summary: If someone were to ask you if the glass was half-full or half-empty, you’d simply answer by bashing the glass against their head. You were not rolling with the punches, life throwing one thing after another with no signs of stopping. It’s so bad that Haechan finds a whole patch of white hairs forming at your scalp. Entering a quarter life crisis, you make your way to Neo Therapy’s highly acclaimed hair stylist as quickly as possible.

Now enter the eccentric—and painfully awkward—Mark Lee. While he doesn’t know a lot of things, he seems to know just how to fix you up. But while you’re stuck in his chair, you discover that he also has a knack for pissing you off. And what does a sane person do when they lose their cool? Step on a man’s cock, of course! 

status: scheduling

♡ session 6 (FINALE): face your fears

– by guanana

[ "You don't always have to do things on your own, you know. I'm always gonna be here for you." ]

pairing: ? x reader

summary: You would think after all of the dollars you've invested into Neo Therapy Practitioners, you'd be much better off than how you started both physically and mentally. That's not the case though— you'd say you've gotten even worse.

After the trials and tribulations you've suffered from at the hands of the dastardly attractive men, you decide it's time to throw in the towel and accept that this 'treat yourself' shtick just isn't for you.

At least, that's what you had planned until you receive a call from the person you'd least expect. And just maybe, it might be what you've needed all along.

status: scheduling

— prologue

“Yeah, the fish was bigger than my forearm! Little prick nearly took me overboard, so you’re honestly lucky to be sitting in my presence today.” Your blind date guffaws, taking an obnoxiously loud sip of his wine.

You tried to be attentive, you really did. It isn’t often that you actually go out on dates, but when one of your ‘girlfriends’ offered to set you up with her “charming and well-mannered” coworker, you decided that it would be good to get out of the house for a while and enjoy yourself. However, this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind. Fortunately it doesn’t take long for you to see this man for who he truly is: a complete and total jack off.

Kevin Moon, on paper, is everything that a woman could ask for in a partner. He has a stable, high-paying job, and he makes enough money for you to step down from your position at the office and take care of the house. For an office man, he’s not exactly lacking in the looks department either, bragging that he works out daily to maintain his physique. When you ask him why he agreed to go on a date with you, however, his answer strikes you as more than a little off-putting. “Honestly??” He traces a finger along the circumference of a dinner plate, not breaking eye contact with you. “I was told that you have a bangin’ body. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed by that assessment.”

Your heart sinks to the bottom of your seat, watching a wolfish grin overtake his handsome face. Of course your friend didn’t say something like ‘Oh, she has an admirable work ethic’ or even a simple ‘She’s beautiful, I think you would like her.’ She has reduced you to the shell you inhabit without so much as trying. You squirm uncomfortably under his gaze, “Ah, I see…” You hum absentmindedly, trying to focus on anything but the man in front of you.

“Say,” He trails a suggestive hand across the table, grazing your own that rests next to your barely touched food. Having opted for the salad as your appetizer after he shot you a rather judgmental stare when you asked the waitress for fried calamari. Remembering the way he had spoken over you, taking on a snappy tone with the young lady. “Why don’t we take this back to my place?”

The logical thing to do would be to pack your things and leave this bastard high and dry. But you did tell your friend that you would give him a chance, that you were ready to get back into the game.

Your mind trails back to your time with Dr. Lee Jeno, your chiropractor who had shown you that there was nothing wrong with casual sex. While you enjoyed it and had gone back for seconds, thirds, and even more– the both of you had agreed that you were simply in different places in life right now. He was much too work oriented to make time for a relationship, and you were in pursuit of something more stable. Agreeing that your relationship held no depth aside from great sexual chemistry in bed.

An index finger traces down your knuckle, bringing your attention back to the man across from you. He tries a bit too hard to flash you some bedroom eyes, looking like he just ate an edible whole rather than looking desirable. Rather than subtly biting his lip, the man was just chowing down on the flesh. 

The bar must be in hell. Because in retrospect, the next words that come out in your mouth could’ve easily stayed within the burner of your mind. With a heavy sigh, you decide to throw the dog a bone.

“Sure, let’s go.”

—-

“God damn,” Kevin groans after pulling out of you. Rolling and splatting back flat onto his king-sized bed with fast paced breaths. Popping off the used condom and tossing it into the trash bin near his dresser. “You’re amazing.”

You really wished you could say the same, but you couldn’t lie to save your life. Mr. Moon was subpar, and that was being generous. The man has not mastered the motion of the ocean, and was a two-pump chump at that. Bland, boring, and overall textbook sex has you regretting ever agreeing to a night out with him.

If it was bound to go nowhere, you wouldn’t have had that much of a problem. Never one to set your expectations so high as to not set yourself up for disappointment. But was it really too much to ask for a basic understanding of human anatomy? He couldn’t locate your clit to save his life, and that’s not even the worst part. 

You didn’t even get a free meal out of this. The son of a bitch grinning at you cheesily back at the restaurant, shame apparent when he tells you that he’s ‘forgotten his wallet.’

Looking up at his ceiling, you refuse to look him in the eye. You’re especially ashamed of yourself for settling. If you wanted dick that badly, Jeno could’ve easily just fucked you until you literally couldn’t think properly. 

Kevin watches you worriedly when you pick yourself up, redressing yourself and patting yourself down. Wordless when you collect your bag from the coat rack. “Heading out already?” He asks.

“Yeah.” You reply dryly when you make your way down the stairs, Kevin following closely with his now flaccid dick swinging with every step. God, he’s shameless.

“I mean, did you want to spend the night?” He clears his throat.

“I’m alright,” Your hand is already on the door handle, ready to head home to cleanse yourself of tonight’s sins. “I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

“Could I see you another day, then? Maybe Friday night?”

It takes everything in you to not sneer at his audacity when he tries to grab at your wrist. Seeking solace in biting your cheek. If it was up to you, you’d never see him ever again. 

“I’m going to have a late night, I won’t be able to make it.”

“Saturday then?”

You blink at him slowly, almost appalled when he doesn’t get the hint.

“...Sunday?”

Oh, brother.

“You know what?” You say, twisting the door handle before taking a step out. Secondhand embarrassment running heavily through your veins when he follows you out, bare ass out for his neighbors to see if they were to look outside. “I’ll keep you posted.”

His lips form into a disappointed ‘o.’ “Uh, text me?”

“Yeah, something like that.” And with that, you were gone with the wind.

––

You’re late. 

That much is apparent as you walk into the private room rented by your group of friends, voicing an apology upon your late arrival. You rush toward the open chair, frazzled as you drape your coat and bag across the top. Nobody found it important enough to wait on you before starting on their meals, save for Yeri who greeted you when you took your place next to her. “It’s really, really nice to see you.” Her voice is sweet and her smile warm, you can already feel your nerves begin to melt away.

“You too, it’s been way too long.” You murmur, pulling her into a side hug. You mean it; out of all of the people in attendance, Yeri was the only person you could truly call your friend. She always made sure to keep you in the loop, extending hang outs to you even when the others hadn’t. “I hope you’ve been well.”

A nasally voice from across the table interrupts your conversation, painted lips pulling into a veneered grin. “Ya-da, ya-da. I don’t know about everyone else, but I for one would really like to hear how that date with Kevin from HR went.”

Of course she would. The owner of the voice, Rianne, sat opposite of you at the large table. She was the one who contacted you about the date in the first place, assuring you that he was the perfect gentleman. However, the triumphant look in her eyes revealed the truth– she absolutely knew exactly what she had thrown you into…and now she wants to hear you recount your failure in front of everyone.

“It went alright.” You take a long drink of your water, swallowing down your pride along with an ice cube or two.

Her eyes were predatory as she watched you swallow, “Oh, that’s lovely! Are you going on a second date? You were all he could talk about in the office yesterday.”

And suddenly you’re choking, water going down entirely the wrong way. “Really?” You manage between coughs. “What– what did he say?”

“He said that you were so eager,” Rianne hid her smiling mouth behind a napkin, eyes betraying her amusement. “You couldn’t seem to keep your hands to yourself.” Your jaw slacks at the audacity, but before you have the chance to defend yourself she cuts you off with a giggle. “I can’t say I blame you, though. He is quite handsome, you make such a lovely couple.”

Fire courses through your veins, “We’re not a couple. He was nice, but I honestly don’t think I’m ready for a relationship right now. I don’t have any plans to see him again.”

A few of the girls gasp at your words, whispers erupting from each corner. Rianne’s eyes widen comically, letting out a feigned gasp of her own. “But, you can’t keep waiting forever! Face it dear, you’re not exactly getting any younger.”

You bite down on the tip of your tongue, trying hard to keep from giving her a piece of your mind. Luckily for you, Yeri is there in an instant, hands wrapping daintily around your forearm. “That’s enough, I think.” She reprimands, voice loud enough for everyone at the table to hear over the chatter. Then, she turns to you with a twinkle in her eyes. “Now, who wants dessert?” 

The discourse ended just as soon as it began with much gratitude owed to Yeri’s intervention. Now that dessert has been passed around the table and the conversations have taken a better turn, you finally find time to relax. The atmosphere is far lighter, and even Rianne cannot keep from enjoying herself despite her loss. Soon, the attention of the whole table has been gathered, another one of your peers rising to their feet to speak. “As everyone already knows, our very own Yeri is getting married next month!”

The entire room erupts into cheers, Yeri bashfully curling into your side. You remember hearing about that! Her big, shiny engagement ring was the only thing taking up your instagram feed for at least a week. “This is so wonderful,” The same friend gushes. “Let’s hear some more details from the beautiful bride!” 

“Well,” The bride-to-be begins, not even bothering to rise to her feet. “The color scheme for my bridesmaids will incorporate the red gowns I have already sent to the group chat.”

“Question, are we allowed to bring a plus one for this event? My fiance is on his way back from France on the private jet as we speak.” One of the ladies interrupts from the opposite end of the table, studying her perfectly manicured nails, trying to bring everyone’s attention to the rock presiding on her ring finger. Shameless. “I need to let him know these things so that he can have his secretary plan accordingly.”

Your eye involuntarily twitches as annoyance courses through your veins at light speed, unsettling your stomach. Of course this was going to be a popularity contest, a dimwitted battle of the dates. What else would it be about? You knew that Yeri came from money, but at least she was humble about it. As for the rest of them, all they care about is their material possessions and comparing the arm candy they’ve managed to secure within the last week. In response to your intense emotions, one of your hands ball up the fabric of your pencil skirt.

Yeri nods in response to her friend’s question, “Yes, plus ones are welcome! Just let me know so we can have enough food for everyone!”

All of the women seem to speak at once, each describing their plans for hair and nails, as well as the various men they’re thinking about inviting to the wedding. You attentively listen in on each of their conversations, trying to gauge where you stand in the midst of it all. To your surprise, it seems as though you’re the only person in turmoil about this. Unlike them, you have no date and you hadn’t even thought about the possibility that you would need one.

Rianne’s voice rises above the chatter, “Yeah, I have a date, too! He’s the sexiest guy in the whole office, everyone wants him, but he wants me.” She boasts, pressing her chest against the table, breasts nearly spilling from her blouse.

Well what do you know, she tricked someone into liking her? Pity. Honestly you couldn’t understand Rianne’s appeal. Sure she’s gorgeous, but when age finally claims her beauty, what will she have left? Certainly it wouldn’t be her winning personality… “--what about you?”

“What?”

“I said,” Rianne sucks her teeth at your inattentiveness. “It seems like everyone here has a date, what about you?” She cuts you off before you’re able to counter her, corners of her mouth downturned with artificial sympathy. “Oh yeah, you’re ‘not ready for a relationship’ right now. That’s okay, someone has to be there to watch the kids, right?”

Oh fuck no. “You’re sorely mistaken. I said I wasn’t ready for a relationship, not that I didn’t have a date.”

Her perfectly arched brows shoot up, “Oh really?”

Your mouth runs dry, but you try your best to keep a neutral expression. “Well, not exactl–”

“Who’s the lucky guy? Do we know him?” She leans in even closer. Any sign of surprise leaves her face, contempt reclaiming her features. It was well known that Rianne had to get the last word in any scuffle, so it was no surprise when she drove you into a corner. Putting words in your mouth to paint you as a charity case. 

When your mouth clamps shut at the shame, a crooked smirk makes its way to her face once again. “Thought so.” She clicks her tongue at the last syllable. “You’ve always tended to… hm, how do I say this as nicely as possible?” She tilts her head, thinking hard when she brings a hand to her chin. 

“Tend to what?” 

“Neglect yourself.” She narrows her eyes at you, giving your visage a once over up and down. “But don’t worry about that, because I’d love to help you with that.”

“And why would you want to do that?” You snide, biting back any curses that threaten to leave your lips.

“Because what else are friends for? I’d hate to have you look anything less than presentable.” She travels from her spot at the table to wrap an arm around you, the suffocating closeness feels like being constricted by a snake. “How about you come with the rest of the girls and I for our next trip to the nail salon? I’ll cover all of your expenses, of course. I know you can get a little... stingy.”

There’s no way in hell you’re going anywhere with her. Not now, not even in a million years. At the mention of a trip to the nail salon, you’re swiftly reminded of a certain someone. Tall, broad, handsome, and offering a discount– at his colleague’s expense of course, but that didn’t matter right now. “No thanks, I’m good.”

Her confusion is apparent, and her hold on you loosens ever so slightly. “Why not?”

Because you would rather drop dead than give her any more ammo. “Because I’ve got an appointment elsewhere.” Shrugging yourself from her arms, you turn to face her and her expression is even better than you’d hoped. Mouth agape, jaw opening and shutting, almost fish-like as she tries to protest. You don’t try to stop the smile creeping up onto your face, “Contrary to belief, I do spoil myself every now and then.”

Never one to back down, she tries to call your bluff. “And just where are you going to get your nails done? There’s no way it could be any better than where we’re going.”

Even if it wasn’t by the grace of Yeri grabbing your attention to try her dessert that had just arrived, you know that you would’ve kept your little sanctuary to yourself. Turning away from the offended Rianne, you regain some semblance of control when you get one over on her. Honestly, a plus one wasn’t your top priority at the moment. Rather your mind drifts to your prospective nail appointment and your chiropractor.

It makes you think– not only did Jeno refer you to the nail technician across the hall from his office, but the complex had a whole hallway of different practices. Thinking about the two little business cards lodged in the folds of your wallet, you’ve yet to encounter even a fraction of the pleasures that they have to offer at Neo Therapy Practitioners.

...

"Hey, it's Jisung again. Thanks for holding.

...Are you still there? Ah, good! Alright, so I've got you all set for your appointment. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Oh? No need to thank us. You know it'll always be our pleasure to serve you."

...click.

——

( authors' note: thank you for taking interest in our collaboration project! be sure to follow the lovely and amazing @mondaycoffee for updates regarding the series.

the general series tag list and member specific tag lists are open! )

𝙂𝙇𝙄𝙏𝘾𝙃 𝙈𝙊𝘿𝙀: 𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙘𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 !

Welcome to GLITCH MODE; an rpg starring none other than the nct dream members! In each mission, you will take on the role of a new character and play through the story quest to reach the end!

[MAIN MENU]: from controllers and professional gaming pc’s, to head sets and twitch subs— the boys have it all. competitive, smart and ever ready to win, they begin to realize that there’s another prize lying out in the real world for them, the prize of your heart.

[SETTINGS]: fluff, angst, gamer! au, streamer! au, various trope pairings, fluff, angst, comedy, romance, suggestive, food, profanity, etc. warnings and themes will be added with every individual fic.

[DURATION]: speedrun: 3k | playthrough: 9k

[NEW GAME]: START (latest release)

▸𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝟐 | na jaemin

version: streamer! jaemin, gamer! jaemin, friends with benefits au, profanity, fluff, slight comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Na Jaemin has always been player 1, the one at the top of the player chart with all the wins and everything he could possibly want. Being the best sometimes got to his head and unfortunately for you, you were the girl who was hopelessly in love with him, eager to please. It’s sad really, the fact he only ever saw you as player 2.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐒𝟓 | lee donghyuck

version: streamer! hyuck, gamer! hyuck, established relationship au, profanity, comedy, fluff, slight angst duration: tba closed beta test: Your boyfriend is sweet and considerate, always looking out for you and making sure to be there for you. You had met him in one of your college classes and although you had been with him for over two years, sometimes you wonder if he loved his PlayStation 5 more than he loved you.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | lee jeno

version: gamer! jeno, streamer! jeno, enemies to lovers but also friends to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Lee Jeno is the epitome of everything you could ever hate, and the feeling is mutual. You’ve competed in almost everything against each other, determined to gain the upper hand. On a totally unrelated note, that fun streamer you’re pretty good friends with is thinking about doing a face reveal.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 | zhong chenle

version: gamer! chenle, streamer! chenle, friends to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, mutual pining, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Zhong Chenle wasn’t the type of guy to get nervous easily. He had known his worth ever since he was a little kid, so it wasn’t often that he found his palms sweating and words stumbling over each other. The only time that happened was when you were involved.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑 | mark lee

version: gamer! mark, streamer! mark, strangers to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: Mark Lee was popular, there was no doubt about that. Being one of the most relevant twitch streamers tended to do that to you in the online world as well as the offline one. That popularity led to a plethora of people falling for his sweet demeanor and pretty smile, so you knew that winning his heart would be a challenging game it itself.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐒 | huang renjun

version: gamer! renjun, streamer! renjun, exes to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst duration: tba closed beta test: You’re heard of crying in the club, now get ready for crying on your DS! There was only one person in the world who managed to get you doing that and it was none other than your darling ex-boyfriend; Huang Renjun. The world hates you though, because you end up having to compete against him in a gaming competition. Using a DS.

CLICK TO PLAY!

▸𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 | park jisung

version: gamer! jisung, streamer! jisung, best friends to lovers, profanity, fluff, comedy, angst,  duration: tba closed beta test: Jisung was the complete opposite of you, he liked peaceful games like animal crossing and you liked league. He liked story based games and you liked horror. Too bad that he was head over heels for you, because if there was one this both his viewers and you liked to do, it was to make him suffer.

CLICK TO PLAY!

proposing to you | nct dream

“Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

pairing » nct dream (individual members) x fem!reader​

trope/au » ​established relationship au!, non-idol au!, marriage au! (well it leads to it)

genre » it's all just fluff and vibes here hehe, dreamies who are all very much in love with you, mark's one makes me chuckle, renjun's one makes me wanna squish his cheeks (i miss him 😭), jeno's one makes me melt, haechan's one is chaotically (?) romantic (in my opinion), jaemin's one makes me want to have pets again so bad, chenle's one makes me want to splurge and treat myself, jisung's one is too adorable for me

word count; estimated reading time » 4303 (total); ~16 mins (total)

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » nicknames; members to reader (love, bubs), lots of kissing, ...not proofread---

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

my very first time doing something like this. this scenario has been in my head for some time and i finally had the time to sit and write it all 🥰 (and also because sem 1 results come out later today and this is my way of forgetting about it uhm 🤠)

this is my personal take on how each member from dream would propose to you!! i tried to make them all with similar word count but i can't help but to get carried away with some 🥹

Mark sits on the stool, one foot on the ground while the other is on the footrest, making sure that his guitar is tuned properly and that the new strings that he bought yesterday are set up properly. To ease his tension he strums random chords and raps random words on top, making the other Dreamies lovingly judge (and tease) him. Jeno would be tasked with calming him down, while Haechan does the exact opposite of what Jeno is doing, purposely annoying him to get his mind off his nervousness. Either way, it worked well to get the lovesick boy from the reason why they’re all gathered today. 

“You both are too loud!” Renjun says when Chenle adds random notes to Mark’s singing, belting high notes that are out of his range whilst also purposely hitting them off-tune.

“She’s probably going to walk in and think we’re crazy,” Jisung whispers to the boy who scolded Haechan not long after, who decided to join in on the chaos.

“Well, the point is that she doesn’t see the chaos right now…” Jeno lets out a nervous grin, turning his head to the still-closed door, “Maybe one of us should stand outside and text someone in the room or something.”

“No,” Jaemin crosses his arms, “This is funny,” taking out his phone to start recording, making the other three facepalm at how he’s indirectly contributing to the chaos. 

In the end, the noise and chaos were too loud for anyone in the room to realise the door opening. When he noticed you from the other side of the room, hand over your mouth, cheeks rising at the scene, his voice cracked and his cheeks blushed instantly. Mark’s voice cracked and his coughing caused the other boys to be immediately disciplined, rushing to their scheduled spots in their room as Mark mutters an “Oh crap…” thinking that everything has all been ruined.

You tried to keep your laughs at bay at your pouting boyfriend, but the image of him being silly only made it harder for you to wipe the smile off your face. But soon after, you realise the decoration around the room and the heart-shaped balloons and the unique balloons shaped like rings. Understanding how this is a different occasion to a date that you expected him to set up, you blurted a quick “No, I didn't see anything!” and rushed out the door, heart beating fast at the possible connotations behind the set-up.

It will forever become a memory that you two will always bring up whenever and wherever. A slight mention of it would instantly bring out a shy Mark who hides his red face in the crook of your neck, forever in love with you.

“Ah! That proposal was supposed to be perfect.”

Your mind replays the scene back again. After running out of the room, you waited around five more minutes, trying to calm the beating against your chest. When you did enter back, your eyes were only focused on Mark who started performing the little piece that he has prepared for you. Your body sways to the rhythm and the sweet melody of his voice and Mark who kept his eyes on yours for the majority of the performance only made the moment even more special. You remember the way you hopped on stage, only wanting to be held in his arms and unable to let go. Eventually, you did and Mark got down on one knee with the ring that he had prepared for this moment. Reminiscing the time always made you chuckle and Mark pouted and groaned, knowing that you were lost in that time once more. 

A kiss lands on his lips, wiping the pout effectively from his lips, “It’s perfect because it was you, Markie.”

Renjun is pacing around the room, making sure the decorations are placed at their designated spots properly. He would circle the room countless times, making sure the flowers were fresh and presented in the way that he liked whilst his hands busied themselves with playing with the case of your ring; that he hopes will be on your fourth finger soon.

Mark massages his shoulder, relieving his body tension. Jaemin has his camera ready to take pictures whenever he can, making sure not to interfere with the small bubble that Renjun would create with you. Jisung, being more responsible than the older members most of the time stands still with a proud look on his face while Chenle gives him a thumbs up along with Jeno as well. Haechan is just as encouraging; Renjun’s threat to make sure he didn’t cause trouble playing in his head.

“I think everything is set up,” Jaemin says as he takes more photos of the venue to add for the memory book.

“You’re playing a very important role here,” Haechan comments, a hand resting on his hand, “Don’t mess it up.”

Jaemin replies with a slightly menacing smile, “Don’t mess with me, Lee Haechan.”

“To be honest, everything will go well as long as Renjun doesn’t go blank as soon as she walks in,” Chenle teases the older boy at how in love and speechless Renjun would be around you.

“True,” Mark gives him an encouraging thumbs up, “But you’ll be fine. She’ll be here any minute now actually.”

You received instructions through text from Jeno about meeting at a place, a dress code and a time “when you should open the door (don’t open it before!)”. The text is odd and when asking Renjun about it, the tips of his ears growing red from each passing second tell you that he does know what’s going on but it's cleer he wouldn't tell. You couldn’t ask any more questions after he pulled your face into his for a quick kiss, hushing you from any more questions. 

When you walked in, outfit in line with the theme of the room and matching with his, Renjun’s heart melted once more, falling in love with you all over again. You slowly walk towards your boyfriend, eyes flickering around the area and taking in the decorations as well as giving the boys a smile and greeting back. When Renjun is infront of you, he playfully bows, momentarily stumbling and losing his balance. You cup his cheeks when he lifts his head, kissing his lips, not bothering about the camera capturing it all. 

“W-Woah,” Renjun stumbles with his words, “That was nice.” 

“This whole place is nice, Junnie,” your boyfriend is relieved by your words, “You look beyond nice, by the way.”

Few minutes later, Renjun takes his position on the floor and Jaemin captures it the memories with his camera: the way it dawned on you that he's proposing, to when you finally sealed Renjun’s love and to the way Renjun takes your lips after. 

Jaemin smiles behind the camera, capturing all the moments to make a physical memory of it all.

Including getting extremely closer than he said he wouldn’t take a better picture of the band around your finger.

“So this is why you made me dress up?” Taking in the fragrance of the flowers that Jisung gave as a token of congratulations from the rest of the boys.

Renjun nods, “You look beautiful, by the way.”

Jeno and his little smile that would reach his eyes. That was one of the first reasons why you fell for Jeno but to him, it’s his default expression whenever he sees, thinks of hears anything related to you. At the start of your relationship, he’s shy about receiving and giving you affection but you didn’t mind initiating the skinship, hugging and pecking his cheeks that would gradually lean towards his lips. He loves the skinship from you even in front of the rest of the boys who would tease him about it.

“She loves you,” Jaemin wiggles his eyebrows at the goodbye kiss you gave him.

“I love her more,” he replies, his eyes filled with heart shapes.

As the relationship developed and you got a little place with him, Jeno would slowly be the one who initiated the skinship, hugging your waist to sleep and keeping you close to him whenever he could. Even outside, he would be the one to link your hands together first and show his love through the bouquet of flowers from the start of any date.

“These bouquets just keep growing bigger and bigger each time in my opinion,” twirling the gift around in your hand while the other is in Jeno’s.

Your boyfriend kissed your head, “It didn’t really change from the first one, bubs.” Content with the little giggle you gave as he watched the elevator take you both to the floor where he booked the last dinner where you would be his girlfriend and the last anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend; the start of a new title to the both of you.

His hand is stashed in his pocket where the ring is and he couldn’t help but gulp nervousnessly. The dinner went smoothly with the courses that Jeno pre-ordered and throughout the whole date, he loves the way you fill the atmosphere with the times that you didn’t spend together for the day, him updating you on his day too. He would never be tired of hearing your voice and the eye smile on him is a clear indication of that.

“I’m going to go to the restroom,” Jeno says as he kisses the back of your hand. He approaches one of the workers there, asking for the largest bouquet that he has ever given you in their back room where he dropped it off hours before the dinner. 

You’re preoccupied with taking pictures of the view from the windows that span from the floor to the ceiling but your boyfriend’s reaction comes into view and your phone screen rests on the table once again, ready to greet him. What you didn’t expect is when Jeno kneeled to one knee, arms outstretching the flowers he had with the opened box nestling between its petals.

“Jeno?” You asked him, tears beginning to fill up your eyes.

“I thought it would be nice to ask here, at this place. We always spent our anniversaries here and even today,” happy with how the corner of your lips rises with the event, “Will you marry me?”

It took you less than a millisecond to respond with a nod and a loud “Yes”. When Jeno stood from his position, your arms were immediately wrapped around his, hiding your lower face behind his shoulder.

“I thought you were shy.” 

“I am,” heat rising to his cheeks, “But I wanted to make this special for my very special girl.”

The Dreamies have never seen Haechan so nervous before. It bought them back to the times when he was crushing on you, blushing and being giddy all the time at the thought of you. They remember how Haechan was asking Jaemin for advice for the outfit on your first date that you prepared, and he rocked up with something really formal for a casual date, mixing up the place for the restaurant as a similar four-star restaurant. It would be something that not only you would tease him about, but when news spread to the Dreamies, they used it as the main thing to tease him about whenever he was being mischievous. It did die down quickly as after learning that the memory is very fond to you, the teasing wouldn’t work against him anymore.

The necklace that Haechan gifted you that day would be a reminder of the happiness that he has been giving you from the start of the journey and just like the sun pendant that reminds you of him, you love how just a glance of it knocks out all your worries that life may have weighed you down with. 

It all seemed to be a recent memory, but that was quite a long time ago for everyone who knew what happened. Now, Haechan is waiting for you to come back home after a night out with your friends and earlier in the day, the boy who was pacing around the room about what to wear to his first date with now is now pacing around the jewellery store on the perfect ring on your hand. 

He talked with the boys about his proposal plan to which the others have chipped in and helped him with. In the end, some of their advice is taken on board, but most of them made him grip his hair and made him say, “I’m just going to wing it.”

To which Mark replied with, “Sure, dude. If it doesn’t go ‘well’, it’s another thing to tease you about.” 

In all seriousness though, he wants the proposal to be perfect; just like how you are to him. He plops down on the bed, raising the box to the ceiling as he looks at the diamond he worked hard for. At the sound of the front door creaking and your voice greeting him from the other side of the house, he pockets the jewellery in his sweatpants, jumping from the cotton to greet you.

Your arms were outstretched and Haechan brings you to his embrace immediately, “How was your day?”

“So good,” your voice muffled with the hug, “We bought friendship rings,” pushing him away slightly to show him, “We thought about this so much but we thought it’s so pretty that we couldn’t not get it.”

You realised that as much as Haechan smiled at the decoration around your finger, it didn’t go unnoticed that he was playing with the hem of your jacket. An eyebrow perks up from that and you give him a kiss on his cheek, asking him what was wrong.

He took a deep breath, took the box from his pockets, got down to one knee and opened the jewellery to you for the first time, “Marry me,” he started, “Carry a part of me wherever you go too.”

Growing up, you were never able to have pets. Your dad is allergic to cats, one of the pets that you’ve always wanted, and your mum isn’t sure of how well the family would take care of another life due to how busy life is. You totally agree with her because pets should be well taken care of as much as any other kind of life form.

When you and Jaemin were financially ready to get a place for yourselves, one of his first promises was to get a pet that you wanted. Through motivation and a lot of saving, making sure that you were both ready to take care of another life and doing all the research on how to take care of cats, you and Jaemin finally adopted a pet to take care of. Jaemin is also thankful for the added company in the house as your work schedule wouldn’t match with his and that would mean that one of you would be alone in the house. Having another pet would make the house more lively and less lonely. With gradual time and more financial stability, you were able to adopt two more that you both love equally. 

“We should get another one,” you comment as Jaemin turns off the bedroom lights.

Your boyfriend hums at your thoughts, knowing exactly what you mean. He slips into the covers, hooking an arm around your waist and pulls you closer to his warmth, “You really love taking care of others, don’t you?”

You close your eyes and hum a response, exhaling at the comfort of him next to you. “You know how I am.”

“I do, bubs. I do,” and he really does. With how your eyes light up whenever you take care of the people around you, always loving how you’re able to help out others whether it be him, your family, his family or the three cats that are sleeping soundly in the living room, it comes naturally that he’s thought of settling down with you permanently for the rest of his life; and having a little mini you or mini him later down the track. Similar talks have happened in the relationship and he thought that it would be perfect to make it happen soon.

No more words were said that night but Jaemin kissed a final kiss onto your soft lips and made a mental note to prepare for another life chapter with you. A few days later, he was able to speed through his work, being able to finish early to see the ring that he had been monitoring through the website. As soon as his eyes landed on it, he immediately thought of you and that’s how he made his final decision to buy it.

Thankfully, you had a later end to your work today and that gave Jaemin enough time to prepare a small, quick dinner as well as dressing the three cats into little outfits that would be fitting to wear in a wedding. 

“Come on, Luna,” he says as he struggles to get her paw in, “I don’t have a lot of time and I want to make mummy proud!” With this, the cat seemed to comply instantly and Jaemin squished the cat’s cheeks in thankfulness.

With each cat, he securely attached a note on their ventral side: Love, Marry, Me, and plans to release each cat one by one from the bedroom when you come in. Jaemin just made it in time, quickly scooping up all the cats into his arms, and rushing to hide in the bedroom.

“I’m home!” You routinely shouted, “Nana?” Confused about why the house was so quiet, especially when knowing that Jaemin finished work a long time ago. “Maybe he went out and forgot to tell me?” But that’s quickly proved wrong when pipping hot homemade food were neatly set out on the table. “Luna! Lucy! Luke!” Calling out to your three cats, wondering how none of them rushed to the door like they usually would.

Suddenly, the door to your room opens and you gasp, scared that an intruder is in your house but out comes all your three cats in different, cute attires. “Oh!” Kneeling on the floor to get a better look at them, “Did dadda do this? Hm?” Picking up Luna with his little white dress, rubbing your nose on hers. “What’s this?” Reading the ‘Love’ message on her stomach. You set Lucy down, picking up Lucy in a similar outfit, “Marry…” Your eyes widened, looking at a groom-like dressed Luke who sat patiently, licking the back of his exposed paw. Sure enough, the final and last note makes your jaw drop.

Jaemin emerges from your bedroom, smiling at how you look up at him in shock. He kneels on the floor, “I was supposed to let them out one by one but they got excited," he shrugs with a smile. "As much as I would love another pet,” he hinges the velvet box open, “If you would like to, I would also love a mini you or mini-me.” A hand rises to your gaped mouth, eyes staring at the cushioned ring. “But first, will you marry me?”

It seems that Luna, Lucy and Luke were on board with the idea, jumping on your lap and resting their little paws on your arms. Sure enough, you nod and verbally express your actions. The “Yes” is all Jaemin took to carefully place the three nosy cats away from you, sliding the new ring on your hand and pulling you into a kiss.

During ring shopping, Chenle would look around the places he could find and spend a lot of time window shopping on all the rings that were available in your size. He invited Jisung along on the journey and the younger boy was more stressed than him with how he was handling the situation. From the very first store, he already has about five rings that he’s thinking would be perfect for you. Jisung gave his input on each one which Chenle is thankful for, but did minimal in narrowing down the options. He even asked the other members, but it was still the same result. 

In the end, after visiting all the stores that he had listed, Chenle purchased about ten rings from each store. The employees are used to customers who are stuck between multiple choices as a symbol of love for their partner. But they weren’t prepared for Chenle to cross his arms, calmly exhale point to the rings and say, “I’ll just take them all.” 

Jisung tried to save his wallet but after deep thinking and checking the return policy, he decided to buy all the ones that his heart couldn't let go of. He'll figure out what to do with the rest of the diamonds later. Because of his massive purchase, on the day of the proposal, he looked calm and collected but inside, his heart was beating like he just ran a marathon. It was running so fast to the point that you asked him if there was something troubling him when you laid on his chest to sleep last night. Chenle shook his head firmly but from the way his finger trembled a little when he was patting your head, you couldn’t help but to question him once more.

“It’s not a big deal, I promise.”

After some time, your raised eyebrows relaxed, “Okay. Tell me if it weighs too much and whenever you’re ready, okay?”

And he’s so excited to tell you what is on his mind soon. The thought of finally being able to spoil the love of his life for the rest of his life excited him so much that with the boxes looking similar across the stores, he didn't realise that he also grabbed the one that he hadn't decided on the previous night. When you nodded to his proposal, too stunned and speechless from happiness to speak, the different ring to his expectations when he opened the velvet box made him let out the famous Pikachu face. 

“What?” You chuckled and tilted your head in confusion at his reaction, completely unaware of the boxes hidden under the bed. 

“N-Nothing,” well, it looks like he'll explain later but with the happiness written on your face and the kisses you showered him with, maybe he'll just gift the rest of the spares to you.

“Don't be so nervous,” a hit lands on the side of Jisung’s arm from Chenle, “She'll love this.”

In the early stages of dating, you were always sharing your date plans with him, planning most of them. You made sure Jisung didn’t mind them because being in a relationship isn’t only about one person. Jisung loves the way you talk enthusiastically about all the places you want to go with him and all the activities that you want to do with him. Jisung would give you that adorable gummy smile, eyes shaped like crescent moons whenever he did so. Those small event plans became more detailed, expanding into different topics naturally such as proposals, weddings and honeymoon places and Jisung being in love with everything about you, would mentally take notes of what you love for each occasion.

“I promise,” Jisung stops your words for a second, “We will do them all together.”

There was a time he was caught writing it all down on his phone to which Chenle teased him endlessly, the other Dreamies joining along at their youngest being in love. It’s not that he will forget the things that make you happy, he just wants to be able to see it all so that he can plan the perfect proposal. They promised to help him with every step when he was ready. 

Today is that day.

Jaemin tells him that the hinge of the engagement ring’s box would eventually break with how much he’s fiddling with it but it’s the only way he could distract his nervousness.

“Maybe you should recite your speech once more,” Jeno clears his throat, opening the paper in his hand.

“Jeno loves Jisung, guys. Look at him,” Haechan teased his same-aged friend. His bear-like friend would chase him around the room and Jisung would be shouting at the two to be aware of the decorations around the room.

You came in through the chaos, the door opening inwards where Haechan stops abruptly to avoid his face smashing against the wood and Jeno back hugged him as a result of that. You peeked behind the door, confused but smiling at the two. Before you could question what was going on, Renjun kicked Haechan out the door and welcomed you in.

“He’s not prepared for this,” pointing at your boyfriend who hides behind Jaemin. “Stay here while I talk to Haechan for ruining this moment.”

But the moment wasn’t ruined at all because just looking at how your Pinterest board came into life and the boys slowly giving Jisung the spotlight while you walked down towards him, everything is indeed beautiful and perfect.

“Oh wow,” you breathed out, “It's like my Pinterest came to life.”

Hearing that is the biggest compliment to Jisung who spent hours analysing your saved folders of wedding venue inspirations, trying to find a consistent theme. He gifted the teddy bear on his hand to you, pecking your lips and pulling away with a deep red blush across his cheeks. He readies himself to his rehearsed position after, “Will you marry…me?” Endeared by the way you hide your face behind the teddy bear. Yet, your answer is clear without your words.

Just like how he gives you a kiss on the lips with a “Yes” from you and the silver band around your finger that sealed your happily ever after.

navi/masterlist!! 🤍

tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here or removed!): @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️ @kflixnet 📺🍿

[21:15] | nct huang renjun

“Don’t listen to society. Don’t look at their views. You're beautiful and I love you as you are. I promise.”

pairing » nct huang renjun x gn!reader (fast proofread once - lmk if i missed anything!)

trope/au » ​established relationship au!, non-idol au!

genre » hurt/comfort, fluff and angst (pretty balanced imo), renjun is concerned for your wellbeing, but he loves you and is willing to show that anytime!, renjun is comforting and patient, best boyfriend huang renjun, renjun letting you steal his clothes instead of buying new ones

word count, estimated reading time » 772, ~3 mins

warnings (lmk if i missed anything!) » reader has trouble with body image, reader struggles with body changes in gaining and losing weight, mentions of being stuck between two clothing sizes, weighing body in the first few parts of the story, reader implied medium to long length hair, renjun is taller and physically bigger than the reader

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 nct dream masterlist 🤍 'especially to you...'

to the you who has doubted the image that any reflective mirror has shown you. surround yourself with people who love you as you are and love yourself as you are. you don't need to change and you don't need to force yourself to change.

if you stay true to yourself, treat your body with kindness, you will be able to see yourself in a healthier light.

it's not easy and it never was. the journey to be able to fully smile at yourself when you've been drowned in doubt is hard but i will pray that day for you will come.

It stares you dead in the eyes.

The meeting of the double arrow-like lines would only appear when you put a considerable amount of yourself with the help of gravity. Then when you do, it blinks alive, calculating the shift of your body and the amount of pressure you would willingly give them. You passed the single-digit stage a long time ago, the same time that you overgrew your baby crib. As you age and mature, you watch the first number change and morph, the next number coming along as it accommodates the changes in your body.

It doesn’t help that the scale is reflective, the fear in your eyes clear and the gulp of your throat resonated deeply in your head as you thought of the amount of food that you digested along with the lack of movement that spreads the entire week.

Maybe you shouldn’t have gone shopping today.

Or maybe, you should’ve never gone clothes shopping at all.

Your mind goes back to the image reflected on the shiny surface of the changing room. It tells you that even though you have made progress, the outfit that wraps around your skin isn't as pretty as you depicted on the mannequin by the big shop window.

Hypnotised to see the truth, your other foot raises, leaving condensation on the marbled floor due to stress. But before it could form a footprint on the glass, a pair of arms lifted you, kicking the machine to the best he could given the non-slip stickers on its bottom for user safety.

“You’ve just weighed yourself ten minutes ago,” the fact whispered in your ear directly. Renjun tightens his hold around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder. “Talk to me, bubs.”

The worried gaze falls upon you as soon as you turn your head sideways. Tears well up in your eyes when Renjun gives a half smile, eyes tender and fingers reaching to swipe the loose strands of hair that tickle your vision. 

“I just feel stuck,” you confessed, hitching rapid breaths with the way your boyfriend turns you to face him, lower body slightly bent to face you head-on. “I tried a bunch of clothes today and I feel like I'm stuck between the two sizes—it just feels like,” your eyes wander around the place, the room seemingly spinning and the tears clouding your view.

Renjun’s hands envelop your shaking ones, pulling them closer to the beating of his chest, in an attempt to ground you back to the present. His heartbeat runs through your fingertips, slowly matching his calming ones and eventually syncing when he instructs you to breathe in the cooler air through your nose and exhale the carbon dioxide through your mouth.

“Those clothes aren't good enough for you then,” Renjun’s brown orbs intently focus on your tear-stricken ones. Without another notice, he cups your cheek, his thumb giving reassuring swipes to your itchy and sticky skin from the salt water. “They don't deserve to be put on your beautiful body.”

It sends chills down your system, closing your eyes to further focus on the tapping of his pointer on the back of your palm. Renjun nods, humming to the count of his fingers on your skin, seeing how your throat stops constricting by your cries, hushing you and pressing delicate kisses on your spent eyelids.

“Don’t listen to society. Don’t look at their views. You're beautiful and I love you as you are. I promise,” Renjun’s sincerity hits your body in a warm wave and your eyes are now crying for a different reason. “Oh?” He exclaims amusedly, the hand on your cheek still holds yours to guide your now relaxed face into the broadness and safety of his chest.

Renjun sways his body, alternating his body weight between his legs. A hand is wrapped securely around your waist, the other crossing diagonally across the back of your head. The fingers on top found a home in your scalp, massaging your negative thoughts away.

“I love you too, Junnie.” 

The nickname that sounds even lovelier gives his heart life, chuckling and hugging you tighter as he lets out a prolonged squeal, commenting on how adorable you are to him.

Renjun pulls you away momentarily, swooping in for his lips to meet yours, calmly and sweetly, caring and patient. It flows through his gesture and he’s glad you know how much he loves you with the way the corners of your lips could reach your ears.

“Besides,” he starts between the medley of pecks on your face, “why are you shopping for clothes when you're always stealing mine?”

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 nct dream masterlist 🤍 'especially to you...'

tags: @k-films @kflixnet @starlit-network @kstrucknet

water glass | h.rj.

pairing: renjun x reader

genre: restaurant au, college au, angst, fluff, waiter!renjun

word count: 5.7k

warnings: mentions of date drugs (not renjun), suggestive intentions (also not renjun)

summary: a dinner date gone wrong… or, if you look at it another way, a dinner date that almost got you in a terrible situation. almost.

a/n: not sure i really like the prompt of the way this date goes wrong, but renjun as a waiter? yes, always yes, 1000 times yes (also yikes the editing on the title in the picture rip XD) (also this is a repost because tags weren’t working the first time i posted this, i’m not sure why hjhdfjgfd)

Ever since you had laid eyes on Shin Youngjin, you’ve been harboring the largest crush on him. He was perfect — his voice had a comforting effect on people, his intelligence was said to be as sharp as his jawline, and every time he ran a hand through his hair, you felt yourself melt.

Unfortunately, you had been told by many individuals that Youngjin didn’t date — in fact, no one had ever seen him on campus with a girl longer than “was necessary”, which you took to interpret as “conversation made for class purposes only”.

But fortunately for you… he had seemed to make an exception.

That day when he had approached you of his own will, while World History class hadn’t even started yet, he’d leaned down next to your ear and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

Maybe it wasn’t the best pickup line ever, but it had blood rushing to your cheeks before he’d even started speaking (the wink he added afterwards didn’t help). One thing led to another, and the two of you had exchanged numbers. Youngjin promised to take you out to dinner one of these days.

“As a date?” you’d asked, not quite believing him.

“As a date.” The half-smile that traced his face was killing you slowly. But in a good way.

And this is how you find yourself tonight, wrapped in a dress that your roommate had suggested you wear (read: aggressively barricaded the door with a chair and told you that you are NOT going out like that on a DATE who do you think you ARE (Name)??).

Youngjin, ever the gentleman, opens the door to the restaurant for you. You’re vaguely aware of the hand that he has around your waist, but you decide you don’t mind. It’s Shin Youngjin, for God’s sake.

A waitress leads you to a booth and the two of you sit, a shy smile gracing your face as you open the drinks menu. Not long after, a young man in a black apron appears, and you notice the shining tag he wears on his top: “RENJUN”. He greets the two of you politely and tells you that he’ll be your server tonight, placing glasses of cold water in front of you both. “May I get you started on drinks?”

Youngjin looks at you expectantly, but you shake your head. “Ah, I don’t do alcohol.”

His eyes seem to glint at you, and he nods. “I don’t either,” he says, staring at the side of your head as you, unaware of his gaze, hand the beverages menu to Renjun.

Your server looks between the two of you. “Water’s fine? Okay, I’ll leave one of these menus here, just in case you change your mind.” His attitude is professional yet cheerful, and you wonder if you’ve seen him at your college. Before you can say anything, though, he’s gone, the dinner menu left in his wake.

“I feel like I recognize him from somewhere,” you tell Youngjin, tracing the condensation on your glass thoughtfully. “From school.”

“Hmm, maybe,” he says, not really interested in talking about your waiter. “So, Miss (Name)…” His velvety tone makes you blush. “What else do you do, besides being the only interesting subject in History class?”

Oh, oh wow. It’s not even a good line, but you’re smitten (unfortunately), and you know that (also unfortunately).

You’re in the middle of discussing how you spend your free time in your dorm rooms when the man in front of you has the audacity to whisper in that ever-so-secretive way (the same way that he makes you feel like putty), “What do you say we head back to my place when this is over?”

Now, although you’re quite convinced that Youngjin is The One™, you’re not foolish enough to agree to something like heading over to a near-stranger’s dorm. “Maybe some other time… but tonight I want to go straight back to my place.” You know that he might be disappointed, though, so you consolingly add, “My roommate made me promise her to tell her how the night went.”

He seems like he wants to say something against that, but instead he smirks. “Ah, yes, never keep your roommates waiting… I’ve had to learn that lesson the hard way.”

“Care to share?”

“Of course…”

A few minutes later, you catch Youngjin staring at your neck. Why would he — oh, of course, you deduce, he’s probably staring at your necklace. You play with it, explaining that it used to be your mother’s as you rub your fingers over the smooth circle. He’s a good listener, nodding as you continue, still staring at your necklace.

Renjun comes back after noticing that both you and Youngjin have closed your menus. Seeing that you aren’t ready yet, he takes your date’s order first before turning to you.

As your gaze is focused solely on the list in front of you, you barely notice Youngjin reach across the table for a napkin. You miss the small white tablet that falls from his sleeve into your water cup, dissolving quickly into nothing.

Renjun, however, doesn’t. Though he was only able to see it out of the corner of his eye, he has no doubt in his mind what it was. He knows where this will go, and it is in that split second when you look up at him, oblivious to what just happened, that he decides that he must do what he can to spare you, prevent you from even touching your glass of water.

You tell him your order and he writes it down absentmindedly, desperately trying to think of ways to take away your cup. To buy time, he asks about the toppings you want, and oh, what about these other toppings that aren’t even included in the dish? One is a repeat question, and he realizes his mistake only after the words are out of his mouth.

A look of confusion crosses your face. “Um… yes please?”

“Didn’t you already ask her that?” Youngjin asks, his suave attitude now borderline impatient.

“Uh — um yes, my apologies.” Renjun bites his lip nervously, not liking the expression on your date’s face while still trying to figure out how to deal with the water. You probably wouldn’t want him to outright say, “Your boyfriend spiked your drink!” That would be rude, and he doubted you’d even believe him.

He’s running out of time when —

An idea finally hits him.

And unfortunately, it’s a terrible one.

And even worse, it’s the only idea he has.

He leans to take your menu and, while retrieving it, the floppy bound leather knocks your glass onto its side, the contents spilling onto the table. And you.

You’re surprised to the point where you don’t even know how to react, but Youngjin stands up and points an accusatory finger at your server. “You did that on purpose!”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Renjun bows at a ninety-degree angle, pretending to panic (and, with the way Youngjin’s glaring daggers at him, he’s beginning to not need to pretend anymore). He quickly picks up the overturned cup and returns it to its upright position, scrambling to dab the water off the table with the spare handkerchief he has in his apron. “I’m new here, I’m so, so sorry…”

That’s false. Renjun’s parents own the restaurant, and he’s been working here longer than any of the other employees (that is, if he counted all those days he spent as a ten-year-old cleaning tables before opening hours and making sure each one had enough napkins and chopsticks). But he’s twenty now, meaning that he has ten years of practice under his belt, ten years of learning that obviously included how to not be clumsy with large menus.

Your date starts to raise his voice. “First you ask her the same question twice, then you spill water on her — if you must know, she is my girlfriend, so don’t even think about —”

“Youngjin, it’s okay.” It makes you weak when you hear him call you his girlfriend (even though you aren’t), but given that your date looks like he’s practically about to tear your waiter to shreds, his hand already clutching the off-white collared shirt, you feel the need to speak up. “He’s new here, and it was just water, anyways.”

Reluctantly, your date releases his grip on the server, sinking back into his seat.

“I’ll go to the bathroom to clean up,” you say, sliding out of the booth and heading towards the back of the restaurant.

Renjun’s hands linger over the napkins, collecting the water in swift, sweeping motions that guide the water away from dripping off the edges of the wood.

Youngjin’s eyes linger on your figure, watching your hips sway and disappointed that, tonight, he would be unable to see them swaying again, although at a different place, his place. Licking his lips at his fantasy, he clenches his jaw as he notices Renjun cleaning the table.

He has a feeling that the waiter saw the tablet, but then remembers that he should have been taking your order down at the time. He curses your server under his breath, which Renjun, ever the professional, pretends not to hear.

In the bathroom, you take paper towels and flatten them, lightly pressing them against your dress, hoping to soak up as much of the liquid as possible. It’s not quite as effective as you had thought it would be, but it’s a better solution than no solution at all.

You’re just exiting the bathroom when you see Renjun, standing against the wall opposite the door. Had he been waiting for you?

His expression makes it clear that he has. Looking around to make sure the two of you aren’t being watched, he whispers, “Your friend put something in your drink.”

“What?” Confusion is evident in your tone, so he continues.

“Your friend. He dropped something into your water.”

“Sorry… I’m not following…” You bite the inside of your cheek.

If you were this dense, he’d best be more direct about it. “Did he ask you if you were interested in going home with him tonight?”

“Huh?” Your eyebrows furrow, and Renjun has never felt more frustrated.

“Did he ask you,” he says slowly, leaning closer to you and lowering his voice even more, “if you were interested — in going home with him tonight?”

A chill makes you shiver, not because it’s cold, but because he’s right. “Yes,” you breathe. “He did.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said no,” you whisper, gulping as you’re starting to put two and two together.

Renjun steps back. “Right before I took your order, I saw him reach over your glass and drop something that was small and white, but I didn’t see it after that, so I assume it dissolved. I don’t think I need to tell you any more.” He pauses, waiting for you to say something.

You can’t believe it. Your Shin Youngjin? And to think he would stoop so low as to slip a tablet into your water in hopes that you would drink it and…

That doesn’t sound like the genuine, charismatic Youngjin you know.

“How do I know you’re even telling the truth?” You fold you arms and Renjun sighs.

“I’m not actually new here. This place belongs to my parents; I’ve been working here since I was a kid.”

“So?”

“So,” he says, trying not to sound annoyed with a customer he’s known for barely five minutes, “I would probably know to avoid knocking over drinks with a menu.”

“But what you’re telling me — about the thing he put in my drink — that just doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”

“Do you even know him that well to begin with?”

The blunt words hit you like the ice in the water, landing abruptly onto your skin and making you stare up at him in shock. But before you can tell him to get out of your way, the question finds its way into your conscience.

How much do you really know Shin Youngjin, other than seeing him regularly in World History?

Then you remember the arm he’d snaked around your waist as you were walking into the restaurant. And, although you didn’t notice it at the time, you vaguely recall his hand resting at your hip, daring to slink lower on your body than it already had.

And, if you can remember that, then you might also be able to assume that oh, maybe he wasn’t looking at the necklace you were wearing, maybe he was looking somewhere else, maybe his gaze was lower than your neck and you hadn’t realized it because you were too focused on him.

Because, when you look at the world — and Shin Youngjin, who up until now, was your world — through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags look like flags.

Renjun watches the realization dawn on your face, and as you glance back up at him, you no longer seem confused. Rather, you seem helplessly distraught.

“What do I do?” you ask, begging him for an answer.

“Dump him,” he says, as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

“What? I can’t just straight up tell him that I’m leaving!”

“Yes, you can,” says Renjun slowly, maintaining solemn eye contact with you. “Because you are your own person, and if you don’t like the way someone is treating you, you can tell them to piss off.”

You send a pleading look at him, but he shakes his head before you can even say your question.

“No, I’m not doing it for you, because it has to come from you. You’re the one he’s mistreating. Also, I’m pretty sure that if I say one more word to him, he’ll punch me.”

“Will you come with me?” Your voice is a whisper, your eyes are sincere. “Please.”

A pause, and then: “Okay, but I’ll have to stand slightly apart from you two. Don’t worry —” he adds, “I won’t be too far away.”

“That took quite a while,” Youngjin says as you return to your seat.

“It was quite a lot of water,” you reply, smoothing down your dress.

“I think we ought to complain to management about this,” he muses, glaring at Renjun, who’s wiping down a table a little ways away.

“But Jinnie, he’s new —”

“This is how new people learn: from their mistakes.”

“Youngjin, please.” You finally gain his attention. “I know you’re upset about the spill, but I’m not. I talked with him earlier and he formally apologized. I forgave him.”

“You forgave him.” His tone is one of disbelief, as if something was wrong with that.

“Yes.” You stand up, trying to maintain your composure. “And do you know what else we talked about?”

“What.”

As you stare at him, you realize that he is no longer the shining Youngjin that you’d viewed him as just an hour earlier. Instead, you see that he’s impatient, unforgiving, selfish.

And, as his actions from tonight had clearly displayed, you see that he has no respect for others. He didn’t care whether you said no to coming home with him, because he was going to try to have it his way. He didn’t care what happened to you — he only cared that he got what he wanted.

“We talked about how you drugged my drink when I wasn’t looking.”

The bomb you drop in the conversation makes him stand up, as if the spark was right underneath him. He tries to defend himself. “Whoa whoa whoa — I didn’t put a thing in your drink! I’m not that kind of person, (Name), you know that. And besides, why would I?”

“Because I said I wouldn’t go home with you tonight. And I meant it, and you ignored it.”

“I didn’t — I swear, I didn’t touch your drink. Did you see me do something that made it look like I had?”

“No. But someone else saw you.”

Renjun had moved onto another table, one placed in your peripheral vision if you were staring at your date. Your gaze flits to him, and he gives you a look, one that you can’t quite put into words, yet one that tells you what to do next.

“You’re despicable,” you say to him. “I hate your attitude towards me; it shows how you treat women.” You stand up from the booth and gather your purse and phone. “And I hate how aggressive you were with our waiter. Don’t even try to call me, or text me. I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”

As you begin to make your way towards the exit, his voice calls from behind. “You have nowhere to go.”

You can hear the arrogance in his voice when he says it, but you turn and face him with the most repulsed look you can muster, rooted in the absolute disgust you have for him. “I’d rather have nowhere to go than to be at your mercy. Goodbye, Youngjin.”

You spin on your heels and make your way into the outside air, already cold from the night but frigid from the slight breeze. He was right — you did indeed have nowhere to go, no ride to catch. Maybe an Uber would be the best option, so you look up the phone number before realizing that neither you nor Youngjin had tipped.

It takes a couple of minutes to find the back entrance to the restaurant, which is hidden by a wall and stacked boxes. This must be where the deliveries for supplies go through, you conclude. And that door seems to lead to the kitchen.

It swings open easily, maybe even too easily, the flimsy metal grate of the door wobbling as you try to close it without making too much noise, but in vain, you hear an “excuse me” from behind you.

Caught.

A lady with smile wrinkles bows out of common courtesy, and you bow out of respect. “I’m sorry, dear, but we don’t allow customers in this part of the restaurant.” She clasps her hands in front of her apron, the plastic of her head cap crinkling as her hair falls down when she stands upright. “May I walk you back to your table?”

“Oh, um —” You try to explain yourself without sounding too nervous. “Is it… is it okay if I stay back here for a little bit?”

She tilts her head to the side and leans forward, listening.

“I — I came here on a date, but he put something in my water — and our waiter knocked it over so I wouldn’t drink it, and — then the waiter told me about it, and then I — I talked to my date about it but he got angry with me, and he was being really rude and making me uncomfortable…” Your eyes dare to tear up and you lower your head in shame, embarrassed to admit such a thing to a stranger.

But she understands and nods, taking pity on you. “Stay here as long as you need,” she says, her eyes filled with sympathy. Then she sits you down on an unused chair, asking if you’d like something to drink. “Barley tea while you wait?”

“Yes, please…” Your tone is an odd combination of grateful and miserable.

A few minutes later, Renjun walks into the kitchen, relieved that your date had finally stormed off. His sleeves are rolled up from cleaning tables and he sighs, tossing the dish rag into a nearby laundry basket.

And then he notices you, holding a cup filled with something he assumes is tea. “Why are you still here?” he asks, a part of him breaking inside when he sees your expression.

It’s awkward as you try to put the cup down while fumbling with your purse. “Well I — I forgot that I hadn’t tipped, so I just — I wanted to —”

“You don’t have to.”

You stop, a couple of dollar bills between your fingers. “Why not?”

He shrugs. “You just don’t. I only brought you water… which I knocked over, so the more reasonable thing to do is for me to pay for your dress.” His mouth twists and he looks away, feeling partially guilty.

But you don’t stop the conversation there, frustrating him slightly more. “Oh, my dress? My dress is fine, it was just water.” And it’s awful, because now Renjun can’t think of anything else he can do to make everything up to you, make tonight not a complete failure of a date for you. Dear god, this is like when Mom tries to pay the check after a dinner with friends. Do I need to FIGHT you for the bill?

And then he has another idea, and he isn’t sure whether it’ll be good or not.

“I’ll take you out to dinner,” he says bluntly, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he can arrange them into something more polite.

“What?”

“Well if you’re still hungry — and if you want to, sorry that was a bit too straightforward —”

“I want to.”

It’s something barely louder than a whisper, but he hears you and unties his apron, folding it up and placing it on a counter. “Mom?” he calls. “I’m taking my break now.”

One of the chefs turns around, and you realize it’s the lady who allowed you to stay in the kitchen and gave you barley tea. She takes one look at the two of you before saying, “Oh, okay! Have fun!” and delivers a teasing smile to you both.

Renjun’s ears are pink. “Mom —”

“Yes, I heard you! Go take your break, Jun!”

You and Renjun prove to be very indecisive over where to eat (“Um… do you want to eat in the restaurant?” “I don’t mind, where do you want to go?” “I don’t know.”), which is the only reason why you’re eating churros for dinner. It has nothing to do with the fact that your friend doesn’t want to eat at his family’s restaurant (he says).

But Renjun knows the owner of the churro shop a block away, who said that you guys didn’t have to pay (he doesn’t tell you that it’s because his friend’s proud of him for finally getting a girlfriend, which he doesn’t object because hey, free food). And they’re good churros, so who are you to complain?

As you sit across from him inside the parlor, you learn that he does, in fact, attend the same college as you — you happen to be in the same year and you even have your life skills class together, which surprises you both (and despite it being a class of a hundred people, you wonder why you don’t seen him more often).

And he learns your name, something he realizes he didn’t know yet. He hadn’t felt the need to, since it was just you and him, but now he feels slightly embarrassed for not asking it sooner.

Your previous feelings pass with the time as you watch people enter and exit, walk by the glass windows of the place and peer in curiously. Renjun’s a good storyteller, weaving anecdotes of his college friends into your mind that play like a movie — Lee Donghyuck, his classmate from the music section in the arts department; Na Jaemin, his friend from and captain of the dance team; Lee Jeno, his roommate of two years and best friend of ten. And after a while, you find yourself longing to get to know the boy sitting in front of you, to possibly share some experiences with him, to fall into his memories and join him there.

By the time you finish your churros and walk around the streets, a question — ignored until now — arises.

“Renjun…” Your voice trails off, and you become painfully aware of just how many things still separate you. He may be in your class, but he’s still very much a stranger. A pretty stranger, but a perfect case of seeing yet not knowing.

“Hmm?” He turns his head, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Why are you… being so nice to me? You barely know me.”

“Well…” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks, starting to make things slightly awkward. “I didn’t approve of what your friend pulled earlier, no one deserves for that kind of thing to happen to them —”

“No, I mean all of tonight. You prevent me from drinking the water, and then you help me get rid of Youngjin, and then you take me out for dinner — why?”

He sighs. “What happened in the restaurant was what anyone would do. But I didn’t want you to be upset after everything… so I asked to hang out with you more, because I wanted you to at least have an okay night.”

Something inside of your chest blooms as his words reach your ears, a giddy feeling that only comes from the thoughtfulness of a stranger… and perhaps from other things, too but you’re not quite sure.

You’re caught up in your mind in dilemmas of your own. How can you express your gratefulness after all that has happened? He acts as if his acts were nothing, not knowing the effect it had on you. How do you thank him?

And you realize where your thoughts have left you, your gaze landing on his lips.

Oh.

Blood rises to your cheeks as you dismiss the notion, hastily looking away.

No, that’s a bad idea.

Quite terrible, in fact.

After considering what he had said earlier, Renjun is hit with a sudden thought and he swallows nervously, facing you. “I realize now that I’ve become too involved in your life tonight. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to mess everything up for you.”

You raise your eyebrows at his change in demeanor. “What are you talking about?” He doesn’t reply, so you continue. “You saved me. And… you encouraged me to speak out because I was uncomfortable, and I really appreciate that. You didn’t mess anything up, Jun.”

His ears burn a bright scarlet, unseen by you in the darkness, but he reaches up to touch them and you think you might know why.

 “Um — well, what I’m saying is —” You stammer under his gaze, which is fixated on you, only you. “— I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”

The lights on the sidewalk are able to illuminate his expression, but it’s not enough for you to notice the pale pink dusting his cheeks. “I did, too.” His voice breaks on the first word and the sentence becomes a whisper. “Ah — it’s getting late, I ought to take you home.”

“Wait —”

Renjun freezes when your hand grabs his in an attempt to make him stop walking, and his brain short-circuits as he tries to think about anything except holding it.

“We haven’t even had dessert yet.”

“What?” he chokes out as he concentrates on your hands, hoping you don’t realize his voice is suddenly an octave higher. God, were you trying to make him flustered? “Churros aren’t dessert?”

“I mean they’re sugary, but not quite dessert material…”

He tries to relax — at least as much as he can while you’re holding his hand — and manages to somewhat compose himself. “Okay…”

“Do you want to get something cold or something hot…?”

He doesn’t know, and instead chooses to run his other hand through his hair, the chill of the wind blowing gently across his face. You can’t tell that his cheeks are tinted pink, but you feel his palm starting to get sweaty.

“I have an idea,” you say, squeezing his hand and you could swear you just heard him gasp with a sharp intake of breath.

“Oh?”

“It’s a terrible one, though.”

“Go for it, I love terrible ideas.” He watches as you gaze up at him and step nearer, and he begins to realize where this is heading. “After all —” His arms find your waist, his eyes reflecting the pale glow of streetlamps. “— I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t spill water on you.”

“True.” You pull him closer and notice that he tilts his head yet doesn’t move. Were you making a mistake, was this too fast? If he wasn’t staring at your lips, you certainly would have thought so.

Then what was he waiting for?

Amidst the thoughts running through your mind, an answer comes to the surface.

You. He was waiting for you.

Renjun realizes that this may not be your first kiss ever, but it’s your first kiss with him, and it shouldn’t be his decision to make — it should be yours.

And your answer is yes.

You meet him halfway, a silent thank-you passing between. It was out of respect that he hadn’t kissed you first, out of respect, he had waited for you. You hadn’t expected a person to do that on a date… or ever.

The night air picks up and sends chills down your arms and legs, the only heat coming from Renjun’s hand on your cheek. With every gust of wind your grip on his shirt tightens, ensuring that the warmth won’t leave you, grasping for it like a child trying to catch embers flying from a fireplace.

An indescribable gratitude bubbles up within you as your arms loop around his neck. And the moments tick by as slowly as if you suddenly stared at a clock for each second.

One.

Thank you for saving me.

Two.

Thank you for keeping me company.

Three.

Thank you for waiting for me.

And you pull away. The kiss was short, yet it leaves you too shocked to speak.

Thank you for making me stand up for myself when I was nervous, thank you for encouraging me when I wasn’t sure.

Your thoughts never get further than the tip of your tongue, but they make it to your eyes, a sign of your gratefulness present in your expression.

The first actual words out of your mouth are: “You taste like cinnamon sugar.” His cheeks flare up in embarrassment, and although you can’t see them in the current lighting, you can feel them burning as you brush your fingers against his face.

 “I — thanks?”

“Mmhm. Well, you didn’t specify hot or cold for dessert, so I decided a little bit of both.”

“What was the cold?”

“The wind.”

“Ah, the wi—” He lets go of you to check what you’re wearing, noticing the raised bumps on your arms and the way that your hand is a lot colder than his. “Wait, you must be freezing, I’m so sorry —”

“Oh, it’s fine —”

“I mean, I would offer you my jacket, but I don’t have one, so unless you want to wear my shirt…”

You smack his shoulder lightly. “We should start walking, then.”

As you move to continue down the sidewalk, it’s now Renjun’s turn to take your hand. He ignores the fact that he can’t hear himself over his internal screaming while holding your hand again, asking, “Wait, you never told me the other half. What was the hot?”

Glancing sideways at him, you send him a knowing look and laugh. “I think you know. Let’s keep going —”

“Actually, seeing as I apparently taste like sugar,” he says matter-of-factly, “you don’t need dessert.”

“What are you talking about?” Whirling around to face him, you point to yourself. “Dinner goes to the stomach.” You gesture to your chest. “But dessert goes to the heart. That’s why there’s always room.”

Renjun pretends to consider your philosophy before agreeing. “Hmm. I like the way you think.”

“Yeah, me too.” You grin cheekily at him after dismissing his remark and earn an eyeroll, something that you were sure you’d be seeing a lot more often if you decided to start seeing him (which was a very likely possibility, if you were being honest).

“Are you sure you don’t need to go back soon? I don’t want to keep you here if you do…”

“What? No, I don’t need to go back,” you say, ignoring the rather inconvenient vibration of your phone, probably your roommate asking where you are. “The date’s not over until we’ve both had our fill of ice cream.”

“Hold on, ice cream? You want ice cream in this weather?” He gestures to the sky to indicate his point.

“Every time is ice cream time, Jun.”

Your phone keeps buzzing and you check it reluctantly. It is indeed your roommate, spamming your texts in hopes of getting your attention and an answer. Rather ineffective, you decide as you switch your phone to Do Not Disturb mode. Of course, it might result in some complaining at the end of the night, but you suppose that you could be spared that conversation for now.

She would ask you, “Where were you?” and you would reply, “On a date.” She would ask, “I should have known — no Sherlock, what were you doing for so long?” and you would say, “We went out for dessert, too.” She would inquire further, “So what happens with you and Youngjin now?” and your puzzling response would be a shake of your head and a “Never again… but I did meet someone else…”

You could picture the scene as you step into the ice cream place with Renjun’s pinky interlocked with yours, a small and rather inaccurate display of the growing affection he has for you.

Your orders are placed, as are your spoons, smooth plastic meeting smoother dessert. Neither of you are brave enough to try the adorable fish-shaped cones that the shop is famous for, since they look like a mess about to be made. Your dress and Renjun’s white collared shirt aren’t exactly ready for that, so you get your ice cream in cups like the cowards you are.

On the side of the counter, there’s a glass dispenser of water with cucumbers and mint sprigs floating over the surface, and Renjun leaves you to take the ice cream and find somewhere for you both to sit, which you do.

When he returns, he places two water cups on the table and bows respectfully, clasping his hands in front of him and surprising you slightly. Yet as he straightens up, you notice the smirk tracing his face, the playful gleam in his eyes.

“May I get you started on drinks?”

short but sweet renjun blurb ^^

you and renjun have been best friends for as long as you can remember. sure, you’ve hugged him plenty of times, but you always wondered what hugging him would feel like if you ever dated. it would surely feel different…but now after a couple months of dating, you still haven’t been able to identify that feeling you were expecting to change. it worried you. you felt at fault for not feeling any different about him, everything still felt the same to you, thinking maybe you just didn’t love him in that way. but it took you long enough to realize that it’s not that you didn’t love renjun… hugging renjun didn’t feel any different because you’ve loved him all along.

Heyy!! I really REALLY love your writings!! Could you please write something fluffy for Renjun as well? I'd appreciate that alot! but if you cant its fine too 🫶🫶🫶

sorry this took forever LOL

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♡ rj x fem!reader ♡ school au ♡ classmates to lovers ♡

fluff. no warnings!

renjun was that boy who made your heart do somersaults. renjun was that boy who made you feel like you swallowed a million butterflies.

renjun was that boy you loved.

─ ੈ♡˳

huang renjun was that boy with soft eyes, pretty lips, and a perfect smile. he was that boy you had a couple classes with. that boy who always happened to sit two rows ahead of you, one seat over to the left.

so there you were in your first class, sitting contently throughout the lecture. your mind starts to drift as you observe the boy with his back facing toward you. you couldn't help but notice how neat his notes were and how nice his handwriting was. the lecture ended, urging chaos to erupt in the room. you stay in your seat, as usual, to wait out the stampede of students.

the room cleared to reveal a beige cardigan draped onto the back of a chair. you counted one, two, rows up, and one seat over. it was renjun's. renjun was always one of the first out of the class, so he was probably long gone. you figured you could just take it with you since you would see him in math later, anyway. you picked the soft beige fabric up from the chair and wrapped it over your arm. you headed over to the door but stopped for a second to answer a text on your phone. you didn't pay any notice to a presence entering the room until an abrupt greeting startled you.

"hi.”

you instinctively jerked your head up.

"oh my gosh renjun you scared me." you said, hand to your heart. renjun flashed a smile and pointed his finger to call attention to you holding his cardigan.

"oh." you quickly handed it to renjun. " i was gonna give this-" you could feel your face heating up. "i just thought you had already left so i figured i- but maybe i should have just left it-"

renjun threw his head back in laughter at how flustered you were. "yn it's okay." he interrupted you. "i actually didn't even come here to get this." he smiled. "i came here to leave this paper on the professor's desk. he held up a paper in his hand. "so thanks. i never wouldn’t have noticed i left it here if i hadn't seen you holding it." he giggled through each sentence.

you felt some strange sense of relief wash over you. you started to laugh with him. this situation really shouldn't have been funny enough to make the two of you laugh as hard as you did. but it felt good.

renjun's eyes shifted to look at the clock on the wall behind you. "shoot. class starts in like 4 minutes!" he said as he naturally began to walk backwards, eyes still fixed on the clock. "bye yn. i'll see you in like an hour!" you watched the boy leave your sight, listening to his footsteps growing quieter and quieter.

you've been classmates for a while now, in fact, he was the first person you ever talked to on your first day. both of you had arrived to class too early and made small talk in the hall while you waited to go in. so it's not like the two of you were strangers, but you wished to get to know him more.

a little while later, you went to math. you took your usual seat, looking over to where renjun sits, only to see that someone else had taken his spot. this worried you because that spot was perfect for keeping an eye on him, which was pretty much the only thing you looked forward to when going to math. all the other ‘good’ spots were being taken. you were preparing to have an extremely boring class without having a view of that pretty boy, but finally, that boy you were waiting for walks in the room, scanning around for an open seat. your eyes widened a little once you realized nobody was sitting next to you.

renjun approached you confidently. "guess this is where i’ll have to sit." he smiled.

you don’t know why the thought of sitting next to him excited you so much, but you couldn’t stop smiling. it wouldn’t be so easy to look at him without making it obvious, though.

you stared blankly at the mess of numbers in front of you. you had no idea what any of it meant.

"need some help with that?” renjun leaned over, having noticed your struggles. he was close to you. probably the closest he’s ever been. you got that funny feeling like as if you were on a roller coaster drop. “oh.” you said shyer than before. “yeah.”

renjun rested his elbow on your side of the desk to reach your paper easier. “okay so…” he began to explain to you.

you ignored the little gestures he made to the paper, and how he scribbled some nonsence.

You could only focus on him. the way his voice sounded in spite of his gibberish. the way his hair brushed his skin when he moved. the way his eyes glowed as he thought.

"so, does that make sense?”

everything he just said completely flew over your head, but you responded, nonetheless. “yeah! yes, thanks. that makes so much more sense.” you smiled.

renjun scoffed. “yn, you didn't listen to anything i just said.”

“what?! why would you think that?” you said, avoiding eye contact.

“because i started talking about my grandma’s kiwi allergy and you didn’t notice.”

the bell rung.

“how about we continue this in the library after school?” he said, getting up from his seat. “since it’s the weekend tomorrow, we’ll have more time to work.”

you felt your smile form on your face again, giving renjun the idea that you agreed.

“oh yeah,” he continued. “can i have your number?” he rubbed his forearm. “so i can text you when i get to the library..” he swallowed.

“yes, right. right.” you pulled out your phone quickly, looking a little clumsy while doing it.

he took your phone and you observed his concentrated expression as his thumbs glided across the screen.

after exchanging numbers, you went your separate ways.

you walked away, feeling a little embarrassed. “why do i act so weird around him?” you scolded yourself.

after school hours, you decided to go find renjun. you approached the library, walking alongside a glass portion of the wall, and caught a glimpse of your reflection. you cringed at the sight of your tangled hair.

you glanced at the time on your phone before starting your way back in the same direction you just came from, finding the nearest restroom. you put your bag on the counter, and combed through your hair with your hands, taking another moment to reapply some lip tint.

fixing your posture, you stood tall in your reflection. you smacked your lips together and ruffled your hair before grabbing your bag and speed walking out to the hall.

you approached the library once again, this time, a little more confident.

you walked through the quiet room, the smell of old books and wooden shelves hit you softly. the stillness around you made you self conscious, you could hear your every move. there you saw him, sitting at a desk, his back to you. he was tapping his fingers against his cheek, and seemed to be deep in thought.

you approached him from behind but you almost didn’t want to disrupt his thinking. you wondered what he could possibly be thinking about.

renjun suddenly scooted his chair back as if about to stand up. “when is she gonna be here-” he gasped after seeing you standing right behind him as he turned his head. “holy-” he caught his breath.

“sorry. i didn’t mean to startle you.” you laughed. “and sorry im late…something came up.”

“don’t worry…i hadn’t even noticed you were late…” renjun’s eyes wandered around the room. “uh so…should I help you with that thing from earlier?” he pulled out the chair next to his, gesturing his hand for you to sit.

“yes, thanks.” you sat down. “it’s nice to know that you’re good at math…” you said to break any second of the silence.

“yeah…um, yeah i’m pretty good at math…”

you wondered why he sounded like he was lying, but you brushed it off. renjun seemed to be way more nervous than earlier, unlike the confident renjun you were used to.

“okay this is easy!” he said. “this should be a 2 instead of a 1.” he pointed at the faint pencil on your wrinkled paper.

you thought you had that one right… but without asking many questions, you went along with whatever it was that renjun said.

you worked until the evening, then you decided to finish up.

as you picked up the rest of your things, renjun took off his sweater and draped it over his chair. “won’t you be leaving?”you asked. “why take it off now?”

he looked to you. “oh. i just got really hot…like…right now.”

“oh. okay.” you replied. “well thank you for helping me, renjun.”

“mm.” he nodded, a faint smile in his eyes.

you were hoping to walk out with him, maybe even get him to walk you home, but before you could even swing your backpack over one shoulder, he was off.

“okay bye yn gotta go see you tomorrow!” he blurted as one long word as he rushed out of the library.

“renjun, your sweater!” you did a double take at the chair where it was left. he heard you but he acted like he didn’t. “weird.” you picked up the sweater, just like you had done earlier. right then, you heard a buzz from your phone.

from: huang renjun

hi yn. i left my sweater at the library. do you mind taking it with you???

omg renjun i literally told you that before you ran out!!!

are you free tomorrow? so you can give me my sweater…

yeah im free

can we meet at that cafe by the school? at like noon?

sure

that next morning, you found yourself walking to that cafe. opening the door, you found comfort in the scent of coffee and sweetness.

“renjun!” you called over to him. “here.” you handed him the soft bunch of fabric.

“thanks. sorry to make you come here.” he apologized, though you knew he wasn’t actually sorry.

“oh, i don’t mind…” you shrugged.

“well since we’re already here… do you want to get a coffee or something?” renjun proposed. “sit. ill go get something.”

you sat at one of the smaller tables, while renjun ordered something. you couldn’t stop yourself from staring helplessly at the boy. his beige cardigan complimented his light brown hair. it seemed that every time you saw him, the more you grew to like him. he was cute, well-mannered, funny. you usually tried to shake away these feelings once they started, but today you let them stick around a little longer.

the sight of renjun walking over to you, holding two drinks in either hand, was enough to make you blush.

“here.” he handed a cup to you.

he sat down in the seat across from you, but only for a moment.

“i better get going. something came up.” he got up, just like that, walking past you and out the door.

it happened suddenly, so you didn’t even see him walk out, but you did see, by the time you turned around, his beige sweater in a bunch on the floor.

“that boy…” you mumbled to yourself as you went straight to pick it up and run after him.

that boy was now halfway down the block. “renjun!” you got no response. you ran as quickly as you could. once you got close enough to reach, you tugged on his arm.

he turned around.

you dropped your hands to your knees, gasping for air. “you,” you swallowed, “you dropped this.” holding the cardigan out with one arm, the other still resting on your bent knee. “you know, you’re very clumsy, huang renjun.”

“oh that?” he laughed. “i dropped it on purpose.”

…

“why…. would you do that..” your jaw stayed open.

“so you would come looking for me!” he flashed a bright smile.

his perfect expression distracted you for a second. “you must have a big ego to think i would go out of my way just to give you this.” you shoved the cardigan into renjun’s arms.

“right, because you just full-speed sprinted down this block for fun…” he teased back.

you didn’t really have anything to say so you moved your eyes away from his.

“yn.” he spoke.

“renjun?” you replied.

“why are you so cute?” he asked, well aware of how flustered it would make you.

a sudden warmth overtook your chest. you kept your stare away from renjun, but he kept his on you, not expecting a response. he took in a breath before he spoke. “will you hang out with me today?”

now you fixed your eyes to his. “don’t you have something urgent?”

“i made that up. let’s go.” he grabbed your wrist and pulled you along to wherever he was going.

your feet scooted across the sidewalk as you tried to keep up with his rushing pace. you looked down to see where his hand held your wrist gently. “how could he be so bold?” you thought.

“renjun!” you shouted, seeming a little annoyed. “where are we going?!”

renjun turned his head to you for a moment before facing forward again. “im taking you somewhere special.”

moments later, you arrived in front of a small corner store.

“cmon let’s go inside.” he opened the door and let you walk in before he did.

“so your idea of hanging out is making me run errands with you?” you playfully nudged renjun’s shoulder with yours.

“well if somebody didn’t use every single one of my pages as scrap paper…”

you felt like you were getting closer and closer to renjun, and you felt it happening quickly. you kept surprising yourself with how comfortably you would act around him, and how you could tell he felt more comfortable too. the happiness you felt around him was starting to outweigh the tension you had been feeling.

you and renjun spent the rest of the day walking around the city, browsing boutiques that were way too expensive for both of you combined to afford. you just did normal things, but it felt surreal.

you went to sleep that night, thinking about that boy, continuing your fantasies from where you had left off the night before.

the next morning, you snoozed your alarm a couple times less than usual, motivated by just the thought of that boy.

today after school, the class rankings of the math test scores would be posted. after the bell rang, you found renjun waiting in front of the classroom. “im kind of nervous..” you murmured as you took your place next to him, leaning against the wall. he didn’t seem too confident himself. “me too.” he confessed. you nudged his shoulder after hearing his response. “psh, don’t be. you’ll probably be in first place.”

you had a lot of confidence in him.

a few minutes later, you, renjun, and the rest of the class, stood in front of a long list of names, trying to get a glimpse at their own.

after a moment of squinting, you came across your name. “hey, for out of 53 students, i didn’t do too badly.” your shoulders dropped in relief.

renjun gave you a thumbs up and a big smile that almost looked sarcastic. “good job!”

“well thanks to your help…” you tried to stay modest. “What did you get?” you asked him. “i can’t find your name in the top 10.” you looked further and further down the list.

#53. Huang Renjun

“oh yeah about that…” he tried to get you to look away from the paper. “hey let’s go to the library now!” he changed the subject, and dragged you to the library.

the two of you sat in your usual spots. “so do you need help with anything?” he looked tense.

you weren’t good at math, but you were at least smart enough to realize that renjun wasn’t good at math either.

“renjun.” you turned around to face him.

“hm?” he perked his head up.

“you cant do math either, right?”

he fluttered his eyes. “hm?”

“i saw your score, renjun.”

“oh.”

you couldn’t keep a straight face. “why are you pretending to be good at math?”

he just stayed silent, tracing around the desk with his finger. you were hesitant to ask, but you did anyway, “renjun,” you paused, “do you like me or something?”

his movements froze. “how about i walk you home?” he frantically got his stuff together. “it’s gonna get dark soon so let’s hurry.”

you couldn’t pass up that offer, so you just let him get away with avoiding your question.

he walked you home, and your heart fluttered all the way there. “it’s here.” you slowed your pace as you approached the small stairs in front of the door. you walked up one of the steps before turning around to face the boy who seemed a little shorter all the sudden. “im taller than you!” you giggled.

renjun stood on his tippy toes, bringing his face nearly level to yours. he looked at you. his glossy eyes glimmered with the porch light that automatically turned on.

you leaned back a little, surprised at how close you were to him.

you suddenly felt that shyness that you had almost forgotten the feeling of. “im still taller.” you said.

his concentrated expression turned into a grin. “well good thing im just tall enough.”

“just tall enough for what?” you laughed. “a smurf?”

he couldn’t help but smile as he shook his head gently, careful not to break his eye contact. “no.” he said. “for this.”

and unexpectedly, that boy that stood in front of you. that boy with the sweetest smile and the cutest laugh. that boy you couldn’t stop thinking about. he leaned in. and the closer he got, the more you anticipated his touch. his hand on your cheek. his eyes fixed on your lips; that’s where he placed his own. it was the most perfect match.

you felt only his lips move out of your reach as he stepped up to you. “it’s better if i’m taller, don’t you think?” he laughed before reattaching his lips to yours. your hands made their way to find a place to rest against his chest. you felt his heart push against your palms.

“yn. i dont know if ive made it obvious enough, but i really like you.”

“so you do like me..” your grin stretched from ear to ear.

he didn’t answer. he looked at you and sighed through his forming smile. he reached for your hand to tug you closer. and without a word, your lips reconnected.

you took in everything you could about that moment. you wanted to cherish every feeling of every second you spent with that boy.

that boy who pulled you closer. that boy who held your hand.

renjun, that boy you loved, was now renjun, that boy who loved you.

tysm for requesting i rlly appreciate it ! hope u like it ＾＾

i usually don’t write things this long but idk what happened hhahahhaha

kiss it better

pure fluff

bf!renjun x gn!reader

—{7:07pm} ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

as much as you adored your boyfriend, renjun, he was a bit of a klutz… your so called ‘dates’ were practically babysitting. thank goodness he has you by his side, otherwise, he might set something on fire.

it was sunday night. it’s typical for you to invite renjun to your apartment so you can keep him from doing anything too stupid. you sat on your bed as you watched renjun sit at the desk in front of you, typing away at an essay due tomorrow. you admired how his pretty hands moved across the keys to make clicks and clacks. the rhythm almost lulled you to sleep, but of course, renjun, who might as well be your child, had something to say.

“done!” the boy said while closing the laptop that gleamed in front of him, darkening the room ever so slightly.

“yay. good job.” you yawned and rubbed your eyes simultaneously.

“now i just need to print it.” he jumped out of his chair. “do you have paper?”

“yes.” you gestured over to your dresser. “it’s in that drawer.”

renjun waltzed over to open the drawer and reached in to grab a sheet of paper.

“ow ow ow” renjun suddenly exclaimed.

“what, what?!” you ran over to the boy.

“paper cut.” he cried over-dramatically.

you slouched a little in relief after remembering that renjun is just a drama queen, and it’s not actually the end of the world.

“yn,” he tried to pout while holding in his laughter, “it really hurts.”

“knock it off renjun.” you scoffed and turned around to walk back to the bed until renjun grabbed your shoulder and pulled you into his chest.

“kiss it better.” he said while pulling you closer.

“renjun. you’re way too old.” you tried to squirm away from his embrace.

“ynnnnnn” he whined. “ow ow owwwwwwww it really hurts.” he tugged on your arm.

you rolled your eyes before picking up his hand and placing a gentle kiss onto the teeniest tiniest cut on his pinky. “there. feel better now?”

“almost.” he replied, now pointing to his cheek, “it hurts here too.”

and so you kissed his cheek softly.

“and here.” this time pointing to his other cheek. then his nose. then his forehead. then his lips. the next thing you know, you’re kissing renjun all over the place.

“there.” you patted his cheeks. “all better now.” turning back to your bed, renjun pulls you in again.

“wait.” he whisperd. “bandaid.”

you slapped his shoulder playfully. “it’s not even bleeding! you can barely see it—”

“owwwwwww” you were cut off by renjun’s whining.

“fine. I’ll go get one.” you brought back a bandaid and wrapped it around renjun’s pinky, placing it over the invisible wound.

“now draw a smiley face on the bandaid.” renjun made yet another request.

you reached for a marker and traced over the surface of the bandage.

“ow that hurts.” he let out a very unnecessary whimper.

“you and i both know that didn’t hurt.” you said.

renjun looked to you and smiled. “it did! so can you at least do one more thing?”

“what, renjun.”

the boy looked down to his hand, and held out his bandaged finger in front of you.

“can you kiss it better?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

thx for reading! pls send requests ! ＾＾

- 🍉

Swan Lake (Teaser)

pairing: ballerino!renjun + ballerina!reader genre: ballet?? competitive idk how to describe, u'll see wc: (teaser) 0.8k, (full) undecided but around 5k+ synopsis: Your first professional performance for Dream Opera Ballet is a piece you've prepared your whole life to perform. But, you didn't expect to find love on the stage, especially within an evil sorcerer. note: I'm so messy with everything I'm so so sorry!!! I also did a lot of researched while writing this piece, so hopefully it isn't too horrible to read...

It was all once a dream to you. Ever since you were younger, you immersed yourself into the art of Ballet.

“Hurry, ! We mustn't miss the show… We’re already late.” Your mom hushed into your ear. Once a ballerina herself, she had an extraordinary career before she had succumbed to old age. The theater was full, as always. You felt yourself scanning the area for too long; unfamiliar and peculiar faces were all you could see. “Don’t stare!” She warned before pulling you into a loud room. You saw the gold and red room laid out across your vision. The bright stage was adorned with a golden frame, bright yellow curves and swirls; but sadly, the real show was covered by red curtains. Taking your seat, your mother ushered the stage mannerisms into your ear; reminding you to be respectful. But, you weren’t listening. Instead, you were staring at the curtains slowly opening. As the first act started, you rolled your eyes and stared boredly at the stage, at all the men prancing around the stage with such synchronization and grace. You decided ballet was boring. It wasn’t upbeat and energetic like hip-hop, or snazzy and exciting like salsa. Your mom’s thrilled face meets your weary one, making her frown. “… Not everyone gets to see a performance like this. At least pretend to enjoy it for Mommy, okay?” She nudged you, her face serious. You sighed before nodding, slumping in your seat watching your mom’s face soften as she looked back at the stage. You stared back at the stage per your mom’s request, eyes widening as you saw a flock of thin, pale ballerinas appear in white. You scooted to the edge of your seat when you saw her. The most angelic, elegant ballerina you’ve ever laid eyes on emerges from the center of the stage. Your mom excitedly wraps her arm around you to pull you closer, “That’s Juliette Ya Zuo, amazing isn’t she?” She whispered into your ear, making you nod over and over. She was even more than amazing, you thought.

Since then, your lifelong love for Juliette Ya Zuo began. You became obsessed with how she performed, how she moved. You watched her every performance, hours of studying how she is so captivating, how to be like her. She never fails to overshadow her co-stars, what would you expect from a world-class ballerina like her? Not only was she a ballerina, but an entertainer, a performer. She lived on the cover of sports magazines and at the top of dancing awards. You want to be a ballerina too, not just a ballerina, but someone who could potentially be the next Juliette Ya Zuo. After her extraordinary performance of Swan Lake, your mom brought you to the Stage Door. “Why are so many people here, mom?” You asked her while she smiled gently. She pointed at the door as soon as it opened wide, a crew of ballerinas and ballerini exiting the stage. Fans stormed near them, holding out their programs as your mom handed hers. “Can you get an autograph from Juliette Ya Zuo for me, baby?” Your mom turns your body towards the strawberry blonde woman before pushing you forward. Slowly, you walked cautiously toward her. Up close, she was even more beautiful than you thought. You felt your heart lurch as she glanced at your childish figure, sending you a sweet smile before finishing up her conversation with a brunette teenager. She kneeled down as you sheepishly handed her your program. “Did you like the show, printsessa?” She asked, her euphonious voice tickling your ears. You nodded as she signed the program you were previously holding, and you suddenly felt the urge to tell her what you were thinking. “I want to be like you when I’m older, a good ballerina! I want to perform like you too.” You said, voice timid as she chuckled lightly. “It’s not easy to be a ballerina… But you have to persevere, only so many people can succeed.” She told you, her blue eyes softening. She gently held your hand as she spoke to you, “Become comfortable with critique, not everyone is going to be nice to you.” You listened to her carefully, smiling with acknowledgement. She looked around before leaning closer to you, whispering, “I hope to see you perform one day.”

You look at the program everyday, caressing her signature and message as you reread it again and again. The protective wrap on the program wrinkled under your touch as you reminded yourself to buy a new cover soon. Tucking it away in your tote, you lean your head against the railing of the train. The cool metal of the rail makes you forget about the pain you felt in your toes, before you snap back to reality from the ring of your phone.

Mina Coming to practice yet? Announcement of Audition Results for Dream Opera Theatre today! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

Your eyes bulged as soon as you saw her text, you forgot.

爱 | h.renjun !

synopsis : you plan out a romantic picnic day for you and your boyfriend,renjun.

warnings : none except for mentions of food

word count : 1.13k

genre: fluffy fluff

note : it’s my first request! i really hope you all like this <3

“where are we going? just give me one clue!” renjun whines for the umpteenth time.the poor boy was currently blindfolded,which was a little shocking but still tolerable to him.what really terrified him though,was you driving him across to who knows where.

it was a lovely sunny saturday,renjun had wanted to stay at home for the whole day and relax due to him finally ending his uni exams,but your plans had said otherwise.you had out of the blue asked him to wear the blindfold back at your apartment and he had instantly refused,but you kept insisting so he accepted and it led to where the both of you were now.

the car had abruptly come to a stop,startling the boy a bit.he heard the sound of the car door opening and closing.he really did hope you weren’t gonna kill him. “grab my hand,renjun.we have to walk a little bit more then we’re done and you can take the blindfold off,” you explain putting your hand out for him.renjun slowly grasped both of your hands and began to exit the car.

you had to slide up the basket filled with food you were holding in your hands up to your arm to support him.you closed the car door and locked the car before making your way to your destination,a field of flowers

“i really hope you’re not going to murder me here,” renjun exasperated.you giggled and looked at him,his lips were quivering as if he was scared which he probably was.you began to feel a little guilty,but you already had reached a tree,in the middle of the field.

it gave a beautiful view of the field which consisted of bright tulips,sunflowers,jasmines and much more you didn’t recognise.

you had discovered the place one day driving home from your university and instantly thought to bring renjun and you here for a date,but did not know when was the time.so after hearing that his exams end today from his friend jaemin,you decided now was the perfect time to carry out the plan.

“we’ve arrived anyway.let me open your blindfold.” you say as you stopped walking.you untied his blindfold and stepped out of his direction so he could see where you brought him to,and he was instantly wowed.he had turned his head to then look at you with a bright smile which had you melting on the spot,how could he get so cute? he had then looked over to see the basket in your hand and his smile grew even larger.

“you brought me here for a picnic?” he asked you with excitement while walking closer to you.you had just nodded while putting the basket down and taking out a blanket to lay on the grass.renjun had walked over to help you prepare the food but you swatted his hand.he hissed as he looked at you, “that really hurts,” he whined.you tsked before beginning to say, “i planned this day for you,for you to take a break specifically.you can go look around the flower field and when i’m done i’ll call you over okay?”. renjun had just nodded while patting your head,he then had began to walk into the field to admire the flowers.

you continued to take out all the food and prepare drinks,and when you were finished you began searching for renjun.you found him standing with the flowers surrounding him,admiring them.

he looked so cute with the small smile displayed on his face,his hair that framed his face perfectly,looking at him made you feel like time stopped.you could have spent all your time admiring him if it weren’t for the food awaiting you two.“renjun,come on!” you called out to him.he turned his head to you and began running in your direction.

“come on,food is ready.” you said while walking back.

“i’m so full” you whined dropping on the bed.renjun just sat down on the side of the bed,laughing while ruffling your hair.the two of you (mostly you)had devoured most of the food during the picnic,and then ran around in the field of flowers chasing each other.sure,it was a good experience but not until you got a stomachache and decided to go home.

both of you were dressed now in your pajamas, getting ready to sleep.

“you shouldn’t have ate all of the pasta you made,i told you it was too much for you” renjun said.you turned your head to face him before getting up,renjun had just continued staring at your figure.you went to your drawer to pull out two face masks and headbands. “up for a face mask?” you grin.

“while we do that,why don’t we watch a movie?” renjun cheekily asks in return.he walks over to grab the computer on the bedside table lovated next to your bed, brings it to his lap to open netflix and choose a movie.you pull a headband over your head and applied the mask while bringing yourself to the bathroom so you could adjust it.renjun then walked over to you and placed his head on your shoulder.

“hm?do you need anything?” you ask looking up to him after adjusting your mask.renjun shakes his head to signify a ‘no’ and gives your cheek a peck,to then realise he kissed the face mask instead of your skin.his expression contorted from one of happiness to disgust,and you tried your best to hold in your laugh but sadly,it was proved impossible when you looked at his face.

“stop laughing at me!” he whines.you laugh even louder,his face looked so cute even though he was angry.“i can’t help it! you look so cute” you explain giggling.renjun pouts at you and walks out of the bathroom.

“i’m sorry for laughing at you! jun!” you say trying to catch up to him.

with the movie credits rolling through on the computer and the couple cuddled up on the bed with nothing to worry about,renjun felt completely content and wished he could stay here forever.

you on the other hand,were fast asleep on his arm. you two had decided to watch a romance movie,the notebook to be exact.you two were conversing a lot throughout the first half of the film,but renjun had noticed how your sentences became even more slurred and you had started breathing steadily.

he turned his head to see you fast asleep,and he swore he could melt into mush right there.with your eyelashes fluttering,your soft cheeks that looked so plush,renjun thinks you look the cutest asleep.

“thank you for planning today for me,爱” he whispers to himself.“you always find ways to make me fall in love with you even more,it blows me away.” he continues then pecking your forehead delicately.

he then turns over to power off the computer,but he swears he can see a ghost of a smile forming on your face when he does.‘i don’t care if you’re awake anyways,you deserve to know how much i appreciate you’ he thinks to himself.

Hey, so I saw you were accepting requests. I was wondering if I could request a fic with Renjun? Where his s/o plans a special/romantic day for him. I hope this is okay. I also hope you're doing well and taking care.

hi! i decided to change it up a bit if you dont mind.i hope you enjoy this,take care!

爱 | h.renjun !

Rebound = fav trope

With a major ✨ angst ✨ and a happy ending after some 🌌 regrets 🌌

Hurt-comfort wins!

P.S. can I request you to make something like this again XD

because I had you | huang renjun

Pairing: RENJUN x reader Wordcount: 11k Genre: angst, fluff, rebound girl, cheating???? Warnings: Language, emotional manipulation (if that’s what you call it), cheating, drinking, mentions of other members, I really suck at giving warnings lol, not proofread

Summary: Coming from a fresh break-up, Renjun found himself unable to move on from his ex-girlfriend. You, on the other hand, had the biggest crush on him for quite some time now and when the opportunity to finally be his girlfriend presented itself, you grabbed it with both of your eyes closed… even though you know you’re just a rebound.

Taglist: @chenlewifey @chichhihaa @jenyongcas @kuncitizen @jaeyongii @arrasuh @thejeongjaehyun @kimga @jenosbliss @linohues @legbouk @cuteejeno @bethm5 @chocojae @grapesuns

I think it's time that I be honest Should've told you not to go Thought I knew just what I wanted I didn't know myself at all

“Are we drinking every weekend night now?” Yangyang chuckled before drinking his glass of iced scotch.

Renjun shook his head and stared at his drink. “I just need to get that out of my mind.”

“Then you shouldn’t have told her to go. If you weren’t too prideful then probably you’re not drowning us with liquor now.”

“She said she’s not sure of us anymore. Do you honestly think I would stay in a relationship like that? No. I deserve better.” He said and drank the alcohol in one go.

“Is it really that or your ego is hurt? We both know you hate it when people hurt your pride.” Yangyang looked him dead in the eyes.

Renjun smirked, “Aren’t we all?”

“No. Not when it comes to someone you love.” Yangyang said in all seriousness.

Renjun was silent for a minute, soaking in his friend’s words. Maybe he’s right, maybe he’s not. He may be miserable right now, but he for sure cannot stay in a relationship that is no longer certain.

“Love.” He laughed. “What do you know? You’re single and have been cheated on.” He realized the gravity of what he said when his friend did not reply back. “I’m sorry man. That’s wrong to say.”

“I guess we’re both in deep shit.” Yangyang fake laughed, “But maybe you can still turn yours around. I know someone that I can set you up on a blind date with.”

“Who the hell still goes on a blind date?” Renjun scoffed.

“You and her. Just say yes and I’ll plan everything for the two of you. She’s nice, smart and fun. Totally your type.” Yangyang assured him as he poured liquor in Renjun’s glass.

Renjun chuckled. Maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe he really wanted to try dating again- but he said yes without any convincing. He raised his glass and offered Yangyang a toast, “To a new beginning.”

Yangyang looked at him with disgust at his friend’s choice of words, but raised his own glass nevertheless. “To a new beginning.”

~

You checked your dress one more time and combed your hair with your fingers as you nervously waited for your date. It has been an incredibly long time since the last time you went on a date, let alone a blind date.

Receiving a phone call from your cousin in the middle of the night is something you would normally ignore, but that specific night felt like you had to answer it. If you’re going to be honest, you’re not really too excited about dating, but when he said he’s setting you up on a date with your greatest crush, you jolted up from your bed and called Yangyang names just to make him admit he’s joking. But he wasn’t.

Your date is half an hour late, but your excitement is still over the moon. It’s a rare opportunity to get on a date with someone you liked for a long time.

You took your phone out and sent your cousin a text.

You: Hey just letting you know that your friend is 30 minutes late. He’s going to show up right?

You look around the place as you keep your phone in between your hands. Yangyang chose a decent restaurant, not cheap but not too expensive.

A little later, your phone vibrated and you checked it. It’s from Yangyang.

Yang: I hope. He was pretty drunk when I told him about the blind date, so… I'm not that sure if he remembers. Lemme check on him.

You rolled your eyes at his response.

You: Are you for real? Are you really this dumb?! I’m probably waiting for nothing!! Thanks a fucking lot.

You sighed and hastily gathered your stuff from the table and looked through your bag to find your wallet and pay for the two glasses of iced tea you ordered when the chair in front of you was pulled out by someone. The birthmark on his hand is very familiar, you looked up to see Renjun seated himself down.

“Sorry, I’m late.” He said and gave you his ever so beautiful smile. You were dumbfounded for a second, starstruck even. You couldn’t find the words to say and were thankful when his phone rang, “One second, I have to take this.” He said and you just nodded, still staring at him. God, is he really this breathtaking? “Yes. I’m already here. No, I didn’t forget, it’s just that the traffic was really bad.” He looked at you and smiled again. “Listen, let’s talk later. Mkay, bye.”

“I’m sorry, I kind of sent Yangyang an angry text that you were late and I thought you weren’t coming.” You said in a very apologetic tone.

Renjun chuckled, “No. That’s okay. I should be sorry I didn’t handle my time very well. Please let me make it up to you and order anything you like, on me.” He raised his hand to call out for the server.

You remained quiet but there was a friendly smile on your face. The server gave both of you a menu.

“So, what do you think you’ll be getting?” Renjun asked you as he kept his eyes on the menu in front of him.

You looked down on the menu and read it. You kept reminding yourself to stop looking at him as you might creep him out, but you still find yourself staring at him for each minute that passes.

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t been here before, do you have any recommendations?” You asked and cannot help looking up on him.

He switched his glance to you and smiled again when he caught your eye. You felt your cheeks reddened by it.

“Do you eat chicken, pork or beef?” He asked. You looked down on the menu. You were actually eyeing the baked lobster but since he offered to pay and he didn’t mention seafood, it might be too expensive to get.

“I eat them all, but I kind of want a lobster. Can I get that?” You asked back.

“Yeah definitely! Anything you want. Why’d you have to ask?” He chuckled, finding your question ridiculous.

“You didn’t mention seafood, so I thought that’s not in my options.” You explained with a shy smile.

His shoulders dropped down and his eyes suddenly lost their light. “Sorry. It’s because my ex-girlfriend doesn’t eat seafood. I just got used to it.”

You felt your chest tighten at his confession but shrugged it off and forced yourself to smile. “I guess I’ll be getting beef instead.”

Renjun looked up to you and you saw in his eyes that he was thanking you for your sympathy. “Do you mind if I order for you?” You shook your head and he immediately called the server back.

“We would like to get a slow-cooked beef roast please, but instead of mashed potatoes can we get a gravy on the side?” He asked and gave back the menu.

You chuckled, “Wow. That’s a pretty precise order.” You said teasingly.

“Yeah. This is where my ex-girlfriend and I went on our first date and she always gets the slow-cooked beef roast here. It’s very delicious you’ll see.” He said with a smile on his face as if what he said didn’t disrespect your existence.

“Oh, I see.” You smiled and faked a laugh.

A little later the food came and Renjun was right, the food was phenomenal. He ordered a bottle of red wine and it was amazing. The place has a good ambience for a first date, the servers are extremely nice and the tables are far apart so everyone would get their own privacy when conversing.

Everything is perfect, just like how you imagined it would be. From the food to the setting and to the man you’re out on a date with. The only problem is, Renjun cannot seem to stop himself from talking about his ex-girlfriend.

From the moment the food came, to the first sip of his drink until the last drop of wine from the bottle. An hour later, Renjun finished the whole bottle of wine by himself, now half-drunk, he never ceased to talk about the girl he used to date. He didn’t even notice how much you prepared for this date.

It was almost perfect. It’s just he made you his diary, he’s like he’s just talking to a friend, not a date. If he was with someone else, it would be very disrespectful, but you find it fascinating how much he adored that girl for him to disregard your feelings at all.

You took the glass of wine and put it near your lips, “You sure do talk a lot about this girl in front of your date.” You said it jokingly, but it was a slap on Renjun’s face.

He suddenly realized what he was doing and was butchering his date with you, “Oh god. I am so sorry.” He said and sat up straight. “I am such an asshole.” He apologized.

Your eyes widened and gulped the wine in your mouth, “No! Don’t be! Yangyang gave me a heads up so I know your situation. I understand it’s hard to move on from someone that made a huge impact in your life, but it’s good that you’re trying to get over her.” You smiled.

He looked at your face as he tried to find sarcasm in your voice, but all he could hear was honesty. He gave you a tight-lipped smile. “I am.” He agreed. “You know… Trying to move on. I hope you don’t feel like I am using you because that’s not the case at all.”

You chuckled, “Why not?”

“Why not what?” He asked, totally confused.

“Use me to get over your ex.” You suggested and stared directly into his eyes.

You’re with somebody I can’t be, Yeah But I can tell that you’re happy

“Why would you tell him that?!” Yangyang laughed at your face as you frowned even more.

“I had wine okay?! And he looks like he seriously needed help to get over his ex.” The volume of your voice lowered as you progressed through your sentence.

“Based on your story, Renjun is more likely to be the drunk one so don’t you dare blame the wine! The wine’s innocent! And no matter how much of a savage Renjun could be, he’s still not the type of person that would use someone for his own gain.”

You groaned and slumped yourself deeper into your cousin’s couch, guilt is eating you alive. “I know. I mean, I should have known that.” You buried your face on the pillow and fake sobbed. “I ruined my chances with Renjun. I am so stupid.”

Yangyang did not reply his usual ‘yeah you are stupid’ so you raised your head to look at him. He’s on his phone and his brows are knitted.

“I am having a breakdown here. Could you sympathize with me for once?!” You yelled but he raised his finger at you to shut you up. A smile slowly creeps into his face as his eyes remained on his phone. “What the hell is wrong with you?” You whispered, genuinely scared of his reaction.

He was still unbothered for a minute or two before he threw his head back and laughed out loud. “Oh my goodness, this is gold.” He said catching his breath. “Forget all the nice things I’ve told you about Renjun. Looks like your dumb plan worked and he’s going to use somebody for his own gain after all.”

You sat up straight, your heart is beating so loudly. “What do you mean?”

“His ex-girlfriend is now dating somebody and he wanted to know your number so he could invite you to our friend’s birthday party.” He said and laughed maniacally.

You don’t know if you should get hurt or glad. Hurt because that’s how he remembered you or glad that at least he remembers you.

~

“Why do you keep on bothering me when he’s late? I’m not his mother Y/N and you have his number. Text him!” Yangyang said and dropped the phone right after.

You were standing outside of your apartment waiting for Renjun to pick you up. You felt too shy to text him but you know your cousin’s right. You composed a text and were about to send it when a white car in front of you stopped. The windows are tinted so you cannot see through but when the driver lowered the window, you saw that it was Renjun.

“Sorry, I’m late again. Hop in!” He smiled and opened the door for you from the driver’s seat.

“I’m starting to think you’re doing it on purpose.” You joked. He chuckled and shook his head.

“No, I swear it’s not on purpose. I was just busy making phone calls for you.” He said and gave you a quick glance that made you blush instantly.

“What do you mean?” You asked, looking the opposite way just so you could hide your tomato red cheeks.

He only chuckled. “You’ll see.”

“Seat here my love and we’ll start right away.” A lady guided you to a salon chair and put a gown around your neck. Another lady sat down beside you and took your hand, preparing to manicure your nails. There’s another at the end of the room steaming a beautiful white dress. You were so taken aback by everything happening around you. Everyone was like a swarm of flies the moment you came in.

You desperately looked at Renjun through the mirror as the people in the salon worked their magic on you. “Renjun, what’s all this for?”

Renjun only smiled but his eyes were fixed on his phone, “We’re going to my friend’s birthday party remember?” You were going to say something but he waved his hand at you and was going to step out of the salon, “Take good care of her for me, okay?” He told everyone and he winked at you, “I’m going to get ready too. I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours.”

Hours?! Couple of hours?! Why do you need to stay here for a couple of hours? You were frowning and deep in your thoughts when one of the people around you spoke.

“You were very lucky. Are you his sister? Renjun’s girlfriend, Hera, is our regular. She always gets her hair done here and your brother requested your hair to get styled like hers! Sweet boy.”

You smiled bitterly.

Of course. Why aren’t you surprised? There’s nothing wrong with the way you do your hair, but you guessed that he liked how Hera does hers. “I am not his sister, I’m his date.” You informed them with a tight-lipped smile.

The ladies looked horrified and they all apologized. The noise and any kind of conversation died down after you told them you don’t mind. Everybody worked on you in silence, only the upbeat music of the salon was echoing the space.

Two hours and a half later, you’re standing in front of the mirror, staring at yourself. Your hair is turned into bronze and styled with large curls, you have very smokey eyes and the tight white dress brings out your contour, you also have long white bedazzled nails that make your movements very awkward. You look very beautiful, but you don’t feel any connection with the person reflecting in the mirror.

That’s not you.

But didn’t you offer yourself to become a rebound? Didn’t you want to help him get over his ex? You wanted this and you’re aware of whatever he’s doing right now so you don't get to be offended or hurt because you brought this onto yourself.

There was a knock on the other side of the door that brought you out of your thoughts. “Y/N? Are you ready? We have to go.” Renjun’s voice never fails to make your heart panic.

You sighed and fake a smile in the mirror before opening the door and giving him your almost-perfect practiced smile. He’s very breathtaking in his very light pink suit and pants.

He looked at you, mouth agape. “Wow, you’re beautiful.”

‘I look beautiful or they did a good job of turning me into a clone of your ex-girlfriend?’ You thought to yourself.

“Thank you.” You said. He offered his arm to you and you gladly clung your hands around it.

The party was just as classy as you expected it would be. Jazz is playing live in the background of the quiet chatterings of the guests. Even the soft sound of cutleries hitting the white plates sounded so sophisticated. The guests are wearing their best dresses and their shiniest jewelry.

“Happy birthday, Mark. It’s nice to see what you did to the place.” Renjun greeted a very refined-looking man in front of both of you.

Mark smiled brightly, “Thank you, man. But you know this kind of party isn’t really my type, I just had to make my mom happy.” He pulled Renjun in one of that classic bro hug. His gaze switched to you, he gave you a smile and offered his hand, “You are?”

You reached for his hand and were going to speak when Renjun interrupted, “Y/N. She is Yangyang’s cousin.” Your heart cracked a little at his introduction. Well, he’s not wrong, you really are Yangyang's cousin, but aren’t you also his date for tonight?

Mark gently squeezed the grip on your hand, “Very nice to finally meet you, Y/N. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Yangyang.”

“You did?” You asked, a little taken aback. He nodded and smiled even more, his hand still holding yours.

“…and my beautiful date.” Renjun continued his introduction of you in an unusually loud voice. You only then realize a beautiful lady walking towards you, wearing a tight red dress with long brown curled hair. Instantly, you recognize who she is, that must be her, Hera, Renjun’s ex-girlfriend.

You loosened your hand from Mark’s grip and tried to make yourself invisible in her presence. She’s so beautiful, her aura is so powerful and elegant. The way she carries herself is amazing. No wonder Renjun can’t get over her.

“Happiest birthday, Markie.” She said and gave Mark a kiss on his cheek. She only looked at you then at Renjun. “Nice to see you again, Renjun.” She smiled.

“You look beautiful, Hera.” He said and took her hand to kiss the back of it. “Are you alone tonight?” Renjun asked, totally forgetting your existence beside him.

“My boyfriend is running a little late tonight.” She said.

Renjun scoffed, “That’s disappointing. I never made you wait when we were together.”

So this is your role here. Not a date, but someone he could showcase. Someone who would stand beside him just so Renjun would not look pathetic when Hera brought his boyfriend. You glanced at your date only to see him staring at her like a love-sick puppy. You felt so out of place. You sighed and looked down at your feet. A gentle hand was placed on your back, you looked beside you and saw Mark, “Be confident, you are gorgeous tonight.” He whispered and smiled at you before walking away to attend to his other guests.

Maybe you did something really terrible in your past life to be seated with Hera, her boyfriend who just arrived, and Renjun that is currently drinking the whole bottle of wine to himself.

Renjun hates it. Seeing Hera with her new boyfriend is driving him nuts. How could she move on from him that fast? How could she find a replacement for him in a span of weeks while he still drowns himself in alcohol whenever he thinks of her. Did she not love him at all?

He was just glaring at Hera and the other guy the whole night, making everyone uncomfortable in his vicinity. Clearly, everyone in that table knew that he hasn't gotten over his ex yet and you’re just this pathetic date he brought with him to save face. You remembered feeling starving while getting ready, but you can’t seem to find the appetite to eat now.

Renjun stood up from his seat, a little tipsy. You immediately stood up and held him on his arm, helping him to stand up steady. “Where are you going? Let me help you.” You said in a hushed tone, but Renjun took his arm back.

“I can manage, thank you Y/N.” He said and faced everyone at the table. “Everyone, we’re heading home because I can’t stand to be at this table any longer.”

Yangyang, who was also seated at that table, tried making a joke, but everyone knew what Renjun was talking about.

“You drive right? I mean I spent a lot of money getting your look done, the least you can do is drive us home.” Renjun laughed at his joke, but for everyone, that’s an insult and uncalled for.

You only stared at his reddened face. You should be angry but why do you feel so sorry for him?

You heard Yangyang standing from his seat, your cousin smiled at everyone as he made his way to you and whispered into your ear. “Let that dick go home alone. I’ll give you a ride. This situation is so stupid, you are stupid and Renjun is a jerk. Let’s go.”

You kept your gaze at Renjun who is now walking towards the exit. You smiled at your cousin, “I have to go. See you Yang and thank you very much, but he needs me.” You said and bid Mark a happy birthday before going after Renjun.

You tried your best to run after him outside Mark’s house, “Renjun just a second!”

Renjun stopped walking and turned around to look at you with tears running down his cheeks, “What Y/N? I know I’m pathetic, I know I’m an asshole for treating you like shit and I’m sorry. But can you get mad at me some other time? Just not today. Please.”

Your chest tightened at the sight of him losing himself because of a girl. Without a word, you walked up to him with open arms and pulled him into a hug. Though he is taller than you, he managed to make himself smaller in your arms. You let him cry on your shoulders and drove down to your place after he calmed down, and let him stay for the night at your apartment.

It’s time for me to finally meet somebody new Take her to all the places I took us too And she might help me forget, But loving her is something I could never do Because I had Because I had you

You were cooking breakfast and Renjun is sitting quietly in the kitchen watching you hum as you flip the pancakes. Renjun took his time appreciating your features. You have very rosy cheeks and cherry lips. Your eyes are very expressive and he loves how both ends of your lips perk up when doing something you like.

He remembered how caring and thoughtful you are. He remembered how you forgave him for treating you poorly last night and how you put his feelings first before yours. You are a catch, and he realized that.

“Let’s go out on a date.” He bluntly said out of nowhere.

You snapped your head towards his direction and accidentally nudged the pan from the stove making it drop on the floor, creating a huge mess.

“Careful!” Renjun yelled and jolted up from his seat.

“Ah shit.” You mumbled. You bent down to try cleaning up your mess and without a second later, Renjun is now helping you clean up the pancake batter that was splattered everywhere.

“I didn’t know I could affect you this much.” Renjun teased you and you only chuckled, not denying his accusation. “Did you know that I received a very angry text message from your cousin this morning?” He smiled sadly. “He didn’t like that I am using you to get my girlfrie- I mean… ex-girlfriend’s attention. And honestly? That’s not like me and I didn’t like what I did one bit.” You were silent and were just staring at him. “I am sorry for bringing you into this mess. You are a very nice woman, thoughtful and selfless. You deserve someone who would want to be with you entirely.”

You looked down on your fingers, still crouching down, trying to hide your disappointment. He’s rejecting you already even before you confess your feelings for him.

“I understand that-” You stood up and were about to tell him that you were happy for the short time you spent with him when he cut you.

“That’s why I want to take you on a date. A real one. A day just for the two of us.” He also stood up and looked you in the eyes. “Obviously, I haven’t moved on yet, but I like you and I want to give this a shot. You said you’d help me… and I am willing to cooperate. Just say yes.” He persuaded you.

Maybe this situation he’s offering you is not so much different than being a rebound, but you felt the sincerity in his words and you just couldn’t reject him. You gave him a smile and nodded. “Okay. Take me out on a date, Renjun.”

For the past week, Renjun was trying his best to come up with an idea on what to do on your date with him. He did a lot of research and asked everyone’s suggestions- he even forgot that Yangyang was still mad at him and still called him to ask for his opinion.

He wanted this to be memorable not only to you but also to him. This date marks his first step to moving on and he was very excited that he’s making this progress with you. He planned everything from his looks to the places he’s going to take you.

Renjun is now parked in front of your place, half an hour early. He is wearing a dress shirt and a slack, partnered with his very shiny wristwatch. Renjun looks expensive, he did his best to look good just for you. He is nervously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and looking at his watch every minute, debating whether he should knock on your door early or knock at exactly 6 o’clock.

A soft knock on his passenger window made Renjun jump from his seat. You cannot help but laugh at him and your wide smile made him grin. He unlocked the doors so he could go down the car and open the door for you, but you did it yourself as soon as the doors were unlocked.

“I’m so sorry. I was going to do that for you.” He sighed apologetically.

“What? No, that’s fine! Nothing to apologize for. I have two hands and two feet, I’m pretty sure I can manage.” You winked at him. He was taken aback by your boldness and managed to compose himself again. “So where are we going? I’m excited!” You shrieked.

You thought the first and last time you’re going to listen to live jazz would be at Mark’s birthday party, but Renjun brought you to a very fancy restaurant that could feed a whole street in a third-world country with the price of their cheesecake. Your jeans and sweater getup certainly did not fit in the place. Heck, the female servers are wearing better attires than you.

Renjun nervously cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I should have told you where I was taking you.” He genuinely felt bad that you might be feeling a little out of place with your clothes.

You laughed wholeheartedly, “No, don’t be! It’s embarrassing at first but this is hilarious. The servers are more decent looking than me.”

He couldn’t help but laugh as well, it is funny. “Y/N, why on earth did you wear jeans when you know you’re going on a date?”

You shrugged and took a bite of your very expensive fries. “This is my date outfit. I heard you called Yangyang when preparing for this day. That's why I thought we’re going to see movies or something.”

Renjun fell quiet. He did call Yangyang for his opinion of the places that he chose, but he never asked what kind of date you would enjoy.

“I didn’t think of asking him about your preferences, I’m sorry. I should have definitely done that, but I think I was so excited planning this that I forgot to consider your liking.”

You waved your hand vigorously and gulped water before talking, “Oh no! I would love to see your taste and I might say that you have a very fancy gut.” You winked at him, trying to make the situation a little less awkward.

He was even more guilty of what he did. He smiled sadly, eyes on his plate. “If I am going to be honest, everything I planned for today is based on what Hera enjoyed back when we were still together. We dated for three years and it feels like everything I know in dating is everything I learned while I’m with her.” He laughed sarcastically and lazily dropped his fork on his plate before letting out a deep sigh. “I am sorry. I wanted to plan a perfect date for you but it’s almost like I am being sucked by this black hole. Everything is always about her. You should know that you don’t deserve this kind of treatment, not from me or anybody. I just… I’m sorry, I tried. I really did and I would understand if you’d stop seeing me again because honestly? I would stop seeing myself too if I were you.” He rambled, eyes still glued at the table.

You did get the gist of where he got the idea of going to this place and yes, you were disappointed about it, maybe even hurt, but not disappointed enough to not see him again.

You chuckled and carefully put your cutlery down and sat up straight. “You know what? Maybe next time I’ll take you out on a date instead.” Renjun raised his head quickly and stared at you. “What?” You asked, half laughing.

“You’ll take me on a date?” He asked, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

You shrugged. “Yes, why not? I mean by the looks of it, you look like you’ve only been on dinner dates not on a date date.” A smirk is visible on your lips as you sip from your glass of wine.

Renjun genuinely smiled at you, thankful for the patience that you’re giving him. “Well, I am excited.”

Hey, remember when I told you That you and I, we'd go down in history together, yeah And does your sister ask about me? You and I, what we had, is it gone forever?

Renjun did something he doesn’t usually do: letting other people take control. His pride and his ego were always the cause of his arguments with his ex-girlfriend. He likes to be in control of everything and when things start to go out of his way, he will leave. But with you, he’s different. He trusts and looks up to you so much that he lets you take over this dating phase. He’s even excited that for once, he’s clueless about the things that will happen.

You asked him to drop by your apartment early. He asked you what he will wear but you told him to wear whatever he wears to sleep. Renjun was skeptical but showed up to your doorstep wearing gray jogger pants and a sweatshirt, you looked down to his feet and saw that he was wearing socks that do not go together and flip-flop that he probably owned for a while now. He looked like he just woke up and it made you smile how his eyes are still swollen. At least he combed his hair though.

“Good morning.” You greeted him. He smiled when he noticed you were wearing similar-looking clothes to him.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He greets back, not failing to make you blush. “Do you happen to have breakfast? I’m starving.” He asked, peeking through your door, trying to get a glimpse of your kitchen.

You softly pushed him out as you got out and locked your apartment door. “We’re eating out.” You said.

His eyes grew big, “Looking like this?! I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet!”

You laughed out loud as you made your way to his car, “I told you to come wearing whatever you wear to sleep, I never told you to come here straight from bed. If your breath stinks, that’s on you.”

Renjun grinned so wide after hearing what you said. You’re right. He stared at your back with adoration before jogging after you and putting his arms around your shoulder.

Renjun expected something different from the fancy restaurants he went to with his ex-girlfriend before. He’s preparing himself for fast food chains like McDonald’s and Burger King, but to his surprise, you parked his car in front of an old-looking place.

You noticed how his eyes silently judged the place by its look. “This is the best diner in town. You know that you don’t have to pay so much money to taste good food right? Sometimes you just have to support the local businesses.” You smiled at him before going out of the driver’s seat leaving him in awe once again.

And you’re right again. He ordered a simple waffle, but it tasted different from the expensive places he went to. It’s better. The noise in the diner felt very cozy. He loved how he could smell the food being cooked a few feet away from their table, he loved how he could hear the laughter of the children eating with their families and he loved how you made everything comfortable for him the whole meal.

He was smiling from ear to ear in the car, your eyes are on the road but you can feel his stare at you. “Stop staring.” You said, making him change his gaze and laugh.

“I had fun on our date. Thank you.” You felt how genuine his words are but the way he said it sounded like your date has ended already. He thought that’s everything you planned for today and you couldn’t help but to snort. “What? I’m being sincere here, jerk.” He said with a smile on his face.

“No, I’m not laughing at you.” You tried reasoning out.

“I am not laughing with you so you’re definitely laughing at me.” He said playfully and looked at you laughing your heart out.

“No, it’s not that! It’s just funny that you think we’re driving home now. We literally just ate breakfast, our date hasn’t even started yet.” You explained.

“Wait. That’s not it?” He asked with a surprised look. You quickly glanced at him to see his reaction and it made your heart flutter but also sad. Flutter because of his innocent reaction and sad because the dates he’s been on are just one meal together and that’s it.

“Nope. We’re going to the mall. We’re going to dress up.”

Renjun’s type of clothes is a suit and coat. He knows it would be different from what he’s used to and he’s willing to explore other ways to dress up, but he didn’t expect you to bring him to a department store.

“Are these even clean?” He asked, not wanting to touch the clothes on display.

“They’re clean, don’t worry!.” You said and pulled him to the aisle where the casual clothes are located.

“You’re going to make me wear these?” He asked with a hint of disgust in his voice. He walked to the rack where button-up shirts were hanging. “Can I at least wear this?” He took a denim button-up.

You hummed and put your hand on your chin, “That looks good with…” You scanned the casual clothes and saw a gray sweatshirt, “this!”

His brows are knitted and a frown is visible on his face, “How am I going to wear them together? I can just get this shirt and pair it with a good coat. That’ll look nice on me, don’t you think?” He asked.

“You’re right that it’s going to look nice on you, but we’re going to try something new right? So try to wear clothes your age! This is the new trend now. Wear that denim shirt underneath and wear this sweatshirt on top of it. It’s warm and stylish.”

You thought it was going to be a long debate with him, but he just sighed and took the sweatshirt from your hand, “And for the pants?” he asked, making you smile.

You excitedly clap your hands and ran to the aisle where the pants are and looked for the perfect one.

Renjun is staring at himself in the mirror, rotating his body every now and then, checking what he looks like. The clothes are a little loose than what he’s used to but it’s undeniably comfortable. Not only is it thick enough to keep him warm, but it also made him feel youthful.

“Not bad.” He praised. You know he liked his new get-up but is just too stubborn to admit.

He turned around to you and was about to say something but he found himself out of words after seeing the clothes you’ve chosen for yourself. You’re wearing a very cute pink and brown turtleneck sweater and faded boyfriend jeans. He cannot explain how he was so attracted to someone covering all of their skin.

“So? How do I look?” You asked, spinning around for him to get a good look at your outfit.

“Beautiful as always.” He said in all seriousness. You really are so beautiful that it almost made him jealous when other men looked your way.

You brought him to the fair. It is the very cliche ‘cute date’ ever told in the history of mankind but you’re also aware that other than a dinner date, everything is new to Renjun. You wanted to make him experience things you’re sure he never experienced before. You wanted to see how his eyes light up when he wins a stuffed animal after hitting the target using three bullets. You wanted to see how much he would scream in a roller coaster ride and how he would ask you to ride it again. How he would react to his first corn dog and how much he’ll love to ride the Ferris wheel. To your satisfaction, you saw everything you expected to see. His reaction to everything made you see the genuine joy of the fair for the first time without cringing.

Renjun figured out a lot of things about himself in just one date with you. He found out that he liked spicy foods better than the regular ones, that he has a high pitched voice when he’s scared, that wearing loose clothes is more comfortable than wearing tight slacks, that he’s not as brave as he thought he was when he entered the haunted house with you. And when you accidentally hugged him for the first time when someone jumped at you, was also the first time in his life Renjun felt his heart beat faster.

He did not only see himself better, but he also started seeing you in a different light. Not just someone who’s helping him, not just his friend, but also more than that.

You’re with somebody I can’t be But I can tell that you’re happy

It has been half a year since your first date with Renjun and it amazes you how much Renjun has changed over the months you’ve spent together. He never mentioned his ex ever again and you’re happy for him.

You had planned dates for him every week of all sorts from the most common ones to the most adventurous ones. You went out to movies, picnics, hot air balloon festivals, pilates, hiking, hot springs and many more.

You never fail to surprise Renjun every time he goes out with you, the dates you have planned are always fun and refreshing and he’s starting to get excited about planning dates too. He took you to a glass bridge once, both of you were stuck right from the beginning, in the end, the two of you decided to just give up and watch other people walk on the bridge instead.

To Renjun, meeting you is one of the greatest things that has happened to him. He never realized how much he didn’t know about himself until he met you. He not only found out his likes, dislikes and things he’d never thought he’d enjoy, but he also figured out his feelings for you. He likes you and it did not surprise him one bit, in fact, he is glad to finally admit it.

Perfect. Whatever is going on between the two of you is perfect. You love him more for each day that passes and all you’re waiting for is Renjun to say the same.

And that is going to be today.

Renjun felt like it was time to level up his relationship with you. He doesn’t see any reasons not to make your relationship official, and he’s so excited to finally ask you to be his girlfriend.

“You’re sure about it?” Yangyang asked his best friend who is now smiling from ear to ear. “Well if I’m going to be the judge, I can say that you are definitely in love with my cousin now.”

Renjun knitted his brows and laughed, “Is it that obvious?”

“You just took me out for a milkshake, the Renjun I know gets drunk any hour of any day!” Yangyang exclaimed.

Renjun laughed, “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, Yang. I am glad that she is patient enough to wait for me for this long. She deserves the best and more.” He sincerely said.

Yangyang smiled and tapped Renjun’s shoulder, “I couldn’t be any happier for you and Y/N. You both deserve the best and more- you deserve each other.”

Renjun pulled his best friend into a hug, “Thank you.”

Renjun invited you to go to one of his favourite activities- painting. He booked a painting class for the two of you and you were so excited that you’re going to see Renjun do something he loves dearly.

“Am I going to be your muse this time?” You asked Renjun through your phone as you fixed your hair in the mirror.

Renjun smiled widely on the other line. “Sure, if that’s what you want. Actually, you know what? You’ll always be my muse from today on.” He dropped a hint.

A hint that you didn’t miss to pick up. Your heart could almost jump out of your chest. He’s finally going to ask you to be his girlfriend and you couldn’t calm your heart down.

“Then I should probably get ready, make myself beautiful if I’m going to be your muse.” You teased him.

Renjun knew you already caught up with it, but he played along. “You could wear whatever you wear to your sleep and you’d still be the most beautiful to me.” Your cheeks blushed so much, remembering your first official date with Renjun, that you couldn’t find the words to speak.

~

It’s been over two hours. You have been waiting at your painting class but Renjun is nowhere to be seen and hasn’t been answering any of your calls.

“Miss?” A staff member walked up to you with a sympathetic look. “Mr. Huang only booked the store for an hour, we tried giving you another hour and we’re very sorry that he didn’t show up but we’re going to open to the public soon.”

You looked around and saw people coming in. You smiled sadly and nodded, “I’ll leave, thank you.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to leave, you can stay here a little longer. We’re just letting you know that other people will be here as well.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just go home. Thank you very much.” You said. You stood up, hooked your bag on your shoulder and fixed your beautiful red dress before walking out of the building.

Maybe he’s just stuck in traffic, you’re sure he has a reason why he ditched you and you wish that he’s somewhere safe.

You are so tempted to text your cousin and ask for Renjun’s whereabouts, you’re sure that he knows his best friend’s plans, but you fought against it- instead, you sent Renjun another text message.

Hey, Renjun. I’m just letting you know that I’m heading straight home. I hope you’re somewhere safe. Please text me when you read this, I am worried about you.

Renjun stared at your text message for what seemed like forever, he then set his phone on the bedside table of someone’s room that he hasn’t been in for half a year. He looked at the woman lying beside him who was resting comfortably on his chest, wrapped around in his arms. He’s with Hera.

This is what he wanted. This is what he wished would happen for so long.

He was on his way to you with a bouquet of flowers and a well-made mind when he received an unexpected call from someone he thought he already moved on from.

Hera Calling…

His fingers hovered on the red button. One hand on the wheel, the other on his phone, contemplating whether or not to answer the call. After six months' worth of work for him to get over his ex, one phone call is all it took for all of his efforts to go down the drain.

He could’ve just ended the call and met you, but he went after familiarity. Out of false instinct, he came back running to her feet.

Renjun shut his eyes tight. He chose this, he wanted this but why is his heart breaking slowly?

His phone rang, Yangyang was calling, probably worried for him as well. The sound of his phone vibrating against the wooden table made Hera shift in her sleep, Renjun found a chance to leave the room and take the call.

“Hello?” Renjun’s voice lost all of its confidence. His guilt is eating him alive. He did not only hurt you but also his best friend.

“Where are you? We are so worried about you! Y/N said you didn’t show up at your painting class? What about your plan? And she said you weren’t answering any of her calls and texts. Did something happen? Are you okay?”

“Yangyang, I’m sorry... I was on my way to the class but someone called me. She's crying and she said her boyfriend cheated on her and I- I was the only one she has and-” Renjun rambled but did not get to finish what he was saying when Yangyang cut him off.

“Wait, hold up. Please tell me you’re not talking about Hera. Did you ditch Y/N for your Ex?” Yangyang asked, his voice filled with venom as if Renjun could taste the bitterness of his words.

“I’m sorry…” Renjun’s voice became smaller but that was the confirmation that Yangyang was looking for.

“And you chose to tell me first before facing her? You are such an asshole! A coward! I don’t fucking even know who you are!” Renjun closed his eyes tight.

“Why? What happened, Yangyang? Is that Renjun? Did he finally answer? Can I talk to him?” The sound of your worried voice in the background made Renjun’s heart fall to the ground. He was so embarrassed that he panicked into dropping the call.

A series of angry texts from Yangyang and worried phone calls from you filled his night. Yes, he likes you, but he’s still in love with Hera- or so he believes. He just feels bad that he didn’t tell you first but Renjun thinks that the universe is finally in his favour, though a tiny voice in his head tells him he’s going to regret what he’s done.

When Renjun never called you back or texted you the whole night and the next day, Yangyang took courage to tell you what happened to Renjun. Part of him hoped that his best friend would at least tell you himself that he got back with his ex, but Renjun couldn’t find the face to do it so he just disappeared.

“Oh.” You said disappointingly. Your knees lost their strength, your stomach felt like it was snatched empty, your heart felt like it wasn’t there and the empty space is creating this painful pinch in your chest. You sat down on your couch and laughed sarcastically. “I see.”

Yangyang felt sorry, he sat down beside you and pulled you into a hug. “I’m sorry Y/N. Renjun is an asshole, I didn’t know he could do this to you.” He tried consoling you, but you only felt more sorry for yourself.

Yes, you were a rebound. You know the situation you went into, but wasn’t the six months he spent with you special or was it just special for you? Didn’t those memories he made with you mean anything to him? Because to you, they meant everything good in this world. You felt complete with him and you assumed that he was the same with you. But in the end, you were just a fool who fell in love with a guy that will never love you back.

There’s nothin’, oh There’s nothin’ left to lose Because I had you, babe There’s nothin’ Nothing that I could do I wish I had you

If there is one thing that Renjun forgot, it is the fact that he’s a changed man. His interests are now different from Hera who only knows expensive food platings. But he didn’t lose hope in the four months he’s been back with Her, he was once like her and all she needs is to experience something else.

Renjun excitedly took her to the places you introduced them to him. Ordered the same foods that you suggested to him and told him all the jokes you told him.

Hera couldn’t understand why he was doing this, “Or we could just go to Chops? Their burgers are good there too and we don’t have to squeeze ourselves in this place.” She mumbled as she played with her ‘cheap fries’ in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

Renjun’s smile faded, “And what? Eat at an overpriced restaurant?”

“Babe, if you can’t pay, I will pay for the two of us! I have money so don’t worry! We don’t have to eat at this cheap place!” She explained in a hushed tone, afraid to offend anybody who could hear.

Renjun wiped his mouth with a napkin and sat back on his chair, “It’s not about the money, Hera.” He stated but was too tired to explain to her that he just wanted her to experience the fun he had with you. “We’ll go to a different place next time.”

Hera dropped her fry on the plate and wiped her fingers, “Thank you. Was that so hard?” She asked and Renjun almost said yes.

And when he said ‘different place’ doesn’t exactly mean the kind of restaurant Hera was expecting. Renjun brought her out to do some activities and went on Kayaking. She wasn’t really happy about it and kept complaining about getting wet and that genuinely ruined Renjun’s mood completely.

“Look, I just want you to experience something new, Hera. Something fun.” Renjun said exasperated.

She raised her eyebrows at him, “What the hell is that supposed to mean? We had fun before! That is why I don’t understand why we have to do this when we’re okay with what we had!”

Renjun sarcastically laughed, “No! I experienced fun and the shit we do before is not fun! Why can’t you be just like-“

“Like who? Huh? Like who, Renjun? Like that pathetic rebound, you tried dating just to get over me?”

Renjun could feel his face turn red and how furious he feels right now, “Don’t talk about her like that! She’s not pathetic and she is not a rebound!”

Hera scoffed, “Not a rebound my ass. You think I didn’t know what you pulled at Mark’s birthday dinner? You were so desperate to get over me you even used your best friend’s cousin just so you could forget me. But look at you now! Who do you think you’re with?! You’re with me! Still with me! You came running back to me! She was your rebound and not a very good one!”

She’s right. He knows she’s right. You were his rebound and there is no sense in denying that, but he stopped seeing you that long ago. You’re not just a rebound to him anymore, you’re more than that. You’re Y/N. His friend, the person who knows him well, the woman who brought a side of him he didn’t even know he had. You are someone he wished to be with again. Someone he wished he didn’t hurt. Someone he wished he didn’t leave.

Renjun got tired of arguing and just went back to their same old routine. Dinner dates, dull conversations, quiet meals, shopping on weekends. He gave up trying and just accepted that this is what he’s chosen. He loves Hera right? And letting someone you love do what they like should be satisfying right? Then why does he feel so forced?

In the end, Renjun ended everything with Hera.

Why? Maybe because he constantly thinks of you. He looks for you in everything he does. All the places he went to reminded him of you. Maybe because the love he thought he had for Hera was just a figment of his imagination, maybe because after being with Hera, he realizes the difference between familiarity and being in love. He’s familiar with Hera, but he loves you. Only you.

It’s wrong. Wrong to leave you just like that. Wrong that he didn’t think. Wrong that he thought he figured everything out when he chose Hera over you. But isn’t it too late now? What can he do? It has been almost a year since the last time he’s spoken to you. He had you blocked in all of his social media accounts so he wouldn’t have to be reminded of the awful thing he did to you, he knows Yangyang will never answer him and the only way to contact you is through your phone number.

He’s unhappy. Way unhappier when he broke up with Hera the first time. He felt like he was out of place like he shouldn’t be here and he shouldn’t be doing this.

The sun is setting and Renjun is driving home from work when he finds himself driving on a different road. He smiled as soon as he saw the building and parked his car in front of a familiar local diner. This is where you brought him to breakfast on your first actual date.

To be back at the place that holds a very special memory of you is enough to make him feel alive. The smell of the barbecue ribs can be smelled from the outside. God, even the smell of the restaurant reminds him of you.

He pushed the door open with his body and walked inside to find a place to sit. Like a habit, he walked further to the back of the diner where you and he always sit but he saw a familiar figure on his way there. He quickly hid behind a wall divider and peaked.

“Y/N?” He mumbled to himself.

You’re wearing your favourite sweater, your hair is tied in a bun. You’re happily conversing with someone in front of you. Renjun took a step closer to see better, the guy you’re with is awfully familiar. Like someone he knows for a very long time.

Renjun realized who it was when your date turned around to call a waitress nearby. Mark. What are you doing with Mark? How long have you two known each other? This diner is his special place with you, why did you bring him here? Are you dating him? Are you happy with him? Do you love him?

His heart broke at his last question. What if you do? What will happen to him? The thought of you falling in love with someone else pinched his heart.

He couldn’t handle seeing you laugh at Mark’s dry jokes anymore. Renjun stepped back and was about to take off when he bumped into Yangyang going back to their table.

Yangyang was startled to see his best friend after a long time. He’s still definitely mad at him for hurting you and running away from everyone, but he couldn’t hide his concerns seeing Renjun lost a lot of weight and looking like he aged 10 years from the last time he’s seen him.

“Renjun, what are you doing here?” He asked, no grudges in his tone, just genuinely asking.

“I-uh. I was going to have my dinner. I don’t mean trouble, I didn’t know you guys were here. I’ll just leave.” Renjun wanted to apologize and tell his best friend that he misses him, but he couldn’t risk another minute of getting caught by you. He quickly walked away when Yangyang stopped him.

“Do you want to grab a drink at Joe’s? For old time’s sake.” He offered and gave Renjun a smile.

The two of them are seated in a booth and we’re quietly drinking their liquor.

“How are you?“ Yangyang broke the silence.

Renjun smiled sadly, wanting to confess that he was not okay. “I’m sorry Yangyang, I really am.”

Yangyang gave him a smile and a soft tap on his shoulder, “All is good. She is doing well now. It’s been what? Almost a year? But before, good god, we couldn’t even get her out of her bed. She was devastated when you left her out of nowhere and blocked her on everything. She stayed at her apartment most of the time. She’s stopped having fun and stopped doing the things she used to do. But I guess everything happens for a reason, right?” He smiled and sipped his drink.

Renjun could feel his guilt suffocating him, his heart self-destructing. “And now you said she’s doing good?” He asked. “Right?”

Yangyang looked him in the eyes with sympathy, “Yeah. She’s doing good.”

He nodded and sighed in relief. He’s glad that you’re not beating yourself up anymore. An asshole like him doesn’t deserve your tears and he’s just happy that you’re no longer hurting, but… “Is she and Mark…” He asked hesitantly.

“Yes. Just a month ago.” Yangyang quickly answered. “They met a few months after you happened. Mark remembered her from his birthday party and was pretty much head over heels with her since then. It wasn’t easy for Mark, but he’s very patient and persistent. Just like how she was with you.” He explained. Yangyang saw the pain in his friend’s eyes and saw how much Renjun still loves you. “I’m sorry. I’m not telling you all this just to hurt you. I’m just letting you know that she’s okay now. Better actually.”

A tear fell on his cheek and he quickly wiped it away, “No, don’t be. It’s my fault. I am so stupid Yangyang and honestly, I can’t even remember if I ever did think my decision through. I have no reason and I don’t want to make any excuses. I’m just stupid for not choosing Y/N.” Renjun cried. His tears were flowing down his face. “I love her and I wish I admitted that to myself sooner.” He confessed.

“The shit you’re telling him, man.” A voice said. Renjun turned around to see Mark smiling creepily, Yangyang suddenly started laughing and then he saw you just staring blankly at him. Mark walked around to sit in the booth while you just remained standing behind him.

Renjun stared back at you, memorizing your face. He’s never seen your face this close for almost a year and he could swear that you’re still the most beautiful person he’s ever seen.

“What are you guys doing here?” Renjun asked. He wanted to pull you into a hug. He’s never seen you for so long and having you near him takes his breath away.

Yangyang laughed. “I knew you don’t love that Hera anymore and Y/N right here haven’t moved on yet so I thought you guys could talk. Oh, and by the way, Mark and Y/N aren't dating. We just bumped into Mark today and brought him with us to dinner.” Renjun smiled hopefully. Does that mean you’re still in love with him? His eyes shifted from your cousin to you, and he saw how your face turns red and how your eyes gather tears around them.

“This isn’t funny, Yangyang. I am not your fucking puppet! You cannot fucking force me to talk to him!” You said and quickly turned around and ran away.

The three men were stunned at your reaction. Renjun hastily pulled himself out of the booth and ran after you.

“Y/N! Wait, please!” He yelled and gently grabbed your arm to stop you from running. “Please, let’s talk.” He begged.

You turned around, tears running down your face. It’s funny how this situation is so familiar to you, how you ran after him at Mark’s birthday dinner and how he cries for his ex. Why is someone always running away?

“What do you want, Renjun? We have nothing to talk about!” You pushed his hand away and attempted to walk away when he pulled your arm once again.

“No! We have something to talk about! Please Y/N. Just listen.” Renjun felt how powerless his words are as if no matter how much he cries and begs nothing will make you listen.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” You harshly took your arm back from his grip. Tears are helplessly wetting your cheeks. “Renjun, may I remind you that you threw me away like trash? Who do you think you are to ask me to listen to you when you didn’t even think I deserve an explanation when you left me for your ex?!” You wiped your tears away and sighed, “Damn it. Damn these tears! Damn this heart for loving you all this time!”

Renjun sobbed, “I-I’m sorry.”

You scoffed “Do you know what I realized when you left me? That you wouldn’t even notice me if I didn’t offer myself to be your rebound, that you wouldn’t even see me for who I am if you weren’t so desperate to get over your ex, and that you will never love me the way that I love you because your heart has always been hers. So, no. I don’t want to talk to you and let you hurt me more. I am making progress, Renjun. I am moving on without hurting anybody, something you didn’t do. Let’s leave it at that.”

Renjun cried harder, people are now looking at the two of you but none of you care. “You may be right about everything you just said but you’re wrong about one thing. I loved you before, I loved you during and I still love you after Hera. I love you so much that I couldn’t breathe when I thought of you. Every day I carry this weight in my chest because I know deep down that I should be with you. That for everything I do, I remember you! Because everything that I enjoy now is because of you, because you helped me know myself better, you showed me who I am. Don’t you understand? With you, I felt what happiness actually feels like. You’re wrong that I will never love you the way you love me because I do, maybe even more.” He stepped closer to you.

Your tears are gushing down your face harder. “No. Y-you’re lying. You don’t hurt the people you love. Stay back.” You said as you put your hand out to stop him from getting closer to you, but all of your strength is gone.

Renjun, who is also crying as hard, gently pulled you to his chest. “I am sorry I hurt you. I will not try to explain myself because I am wrong, I know you’re mad at me and I understand that, I am mad at myself too. The day I didn’t show up at our painting class, I knew I made a mistake but I didn’t realize that I was making THE mistake of my life. And the day that I broke up with Hera, I really wanted to drive to you and beg for your forgiveness right after but I never had the courage, Y/N.”

You shook your head resting on his chest, “Don’t lie. Please, Renjun.” You begged.

He cupped your face with both of his hands and gently wiped the tears from it. “I am not lying.” He said between his sobs. “I am sorry and I love you.”

“Don’t say things like that.” You hid your face back to his chest. “Tell me the truth even if it hurts me. Just never lie to me.” You cried.

He hugged you tightly as if he was going to lose you, “That’s the truth. I love you. I really do. I am sorry for leaving you, I know it would take a lot of time to get your trust back, but all I need to hear from you is if you still love me, and I will promise you that I will do everything I can to fix us.”

“You promise?” You asked, your breathing is slowing down. Renjun caressed your head down to your back.

He kissed the top of your head and pulled you away, enough just to see your face. “I promise.”

You looked into his eyes, maybe you’re going to regret this or maybe not, but you listened to your heart once again, “I never stopped loving you and I never considered trying to stop loving you.” You confessed.

Renjun smiled, “Can I please kiss you?” He asked

You chuckled, but tears are still pooling around your eyes. You nodded and he slowly closed the gap between the two of you and lightly pecked your lips with a kiss. He looked back into your eyes to check if you were still giving consent and kissed you again, longer and passionately. You felt everything Renjun cannot express in words in one kiss.

“I love you. I would never get tired of saying that. I really love you.” Renjun repeated himself.

“Do you know that I used to wish for you to kiss me?” You confessed, making him laugh.

“I already did.” He whispered as he softly put locks of your hair behind your ear and kissed the tip of your nose. “And do you know that I wish I had you?”

You stood on your toes and quickly kissed the tip of his nose, mimicking what he did earlier. “You’ve always had me.” You whispered back and held back the happy tears that were threatening to fall.

Both of you hope that this time no one will have to run after the other, and by the looks of it, fate is taking your side.

I think it's time I finally found somebody new And tell myself that she's the one to get me through And she might help me forget but loving her is something I just couldn't do Because I had you

Next Story: Never Be Alone | Mark Lee