#how tf did this get 20k | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

drawlfoy · 3 years

Text

detention, retention, and draco malfoy being a little shit

masterlist request guidelines

pairing: draco x reader

request: no not really

summary: golden trio friend y/n y/l/n tries to extract information out of draco malfoy after being placed in detention together.

warnings: swearing, panic attack kinda stuff, just the dark war things that would come w having the task that draco does

a/n: ayo so i started this as a fic i was originally planning on writing in a week. i discontinued it bc i didn’t think anyone was that interested, but i’ve written for it on and off. it’s about 16k words right now standing, but i’m reposting this as a 2 part series. here are the first ~12k words....enjoy :) IMPORTANT: if you’re like “hey i started reading this in october why tf are you reposting the first two parts” just keep reading ok lmao i promise there’s more there’s about through part 6 in here hehe. i just wanted new readers to be able to pick up on it without being turned off by the fact that it was part 3. this will b e 2 parts and at least 20k words

word count: 11.6k

taglist: @gruffle1 @missmultifandommess @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naiomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @alwaysbeanunknownfan @nearly-memories @litty-dumb @callieclearwater @malfoy-wife15 @charlenasaxen @belladaises @fiantomartell

happy reading y’all

For legal purposes, the york pudding she lobbed at Pansy Parkinson’s head on Monday evening was simply meant to be a joke. She didn’t know that her aim was bad enough that it was going to get in Snape’s hair instead--honestly, it wasn’t even supposed to get past the Ravenclaw table, much less veer to the left to make a beeline for the professors--but no matter how much she tried to explain this to McGonagall, her sentence remained the same: detention every Friday. For two months.

Her life was ending for sure.

“I honestly don’t know what you were expecting,” Hermione told her as she gently wiped off the nib of her quill later that night in the common room. “Even if you had hit your mark, that’s still technically assault.”

“Did you even hear what she said to me? She told me that I looked like the type of kid that bit people in primary school,” complained Y/N. “I didn’t even think she knew what primary school was!”

Hermione snorted. “How long ago?”

“Two days. I’ve been waiting until there was something throwable on the dinner table.”

“How very analytic of you.”

“I’m going to hit you.”

“And you wonder why you’ve got detention.” Hermione tsk-ed at her, her face stone serious but her tone light hearted. “Maybe take this as an opportunity to, I don’t know, do your homework for once? So you won’t have to have a breakdown over the next Potion’s essay and beg me to write it for you?”

“I’m going to go to sleep and think terribly mean thoughts about you.”

“Have fun.”

Detention.

Something that Y/N wasn’t completely unfamiliar with--she’d done her time organizing Snape’s cabinets, just like every other Gryffindor--but it was different when it came to McGonagall. An impressive old lady, she thought that McGonagall saw something in her. She was always the first to chuckle at Y/N’s jokes and hesitated to reprimand her stupid behavior. And she never gave Y/N detention.

Until now, she supposed. 6th year was changing a lot of things--even their Potions professor--so McGonagall turning a new stone shouldn’t have been anything shocking.

At least, not as shocking as the first thing Y/N saw as she walked into her house head’s office.

“Malfoy?” she spat.

The platinum blonde didn’t even bother to look up from his desk.

“Miss Y/L/N,” Professor McGonagall chided. “I think we would all prefer if you restrained yourself from getting into any more physical altercations with Slytherins.”

She huffed, plopping down in the chair furthest away from that foul git and reaching for her satchel.

“I’ll be back in two hours,” said the elderly professor. “If I hear anything, and I mean anything, other than the sound of studying, consider your sentence doubled.”

With a swish of her robes, McGonagall was gone, leaving her with Malfoy.

“So what’d you do to get in here, huh? Did the administration finally get a hold of that video of you licking Voldemort’s toes?”

“What the fuck does that mean?!” he snapped, whipping around to glare at her.

“‘s just a joke,” said Y/N. “Like--how everyone says your family houses him and everything--but whatever. I can tell it’s a sore spot.”

His gaze, never withering in intensity, remained trained on her face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Apparently so. What’re you here for?”

He exhaled sharply. “If I tell you, will you shut up and let me think?”

“No promises, but maybe.”

“Late work. I forgot to turn in the Transfiguration exam last week.”

She made a tutting sound as she lazily shuffled through the crumpled parchment in her satchel. “I expected more from you. Aren’t you gonna ask me how I wound up here?”

“No. I am going to ask you to stop talking now, though.”

“That’s terribly unfortunate,” Hermione said over breakfast the next morning. Ron and Harry were nervously chit chatting at the other side of the table over the Saturday Quidditch game against Hufflepuff--supposedly it was supposed to be quite a high stakes match. Not like Y/N cared much, though.

“Yeah! And the worst part was that he won’t even tease anymore. Like, he just sits there all broody and woe is me. We’re all witnessing our nation’s descent into war--he’s not special!”

“Who are you talking about?” asked Harry.

“Oh, just Malfoy,” said Y/N. “We have detention together with McGonagall. He’s such a nasty little greaseball, don’t you think? I mean, look at him right now, glowering over his cereal.”

“Wait! That’s it!”

“What’s it, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“It’s genius, really,” he said. “Y/N has to spend time with him alone every week, and we know that something is up with him. Malfoy is absolutely a Death Eater and has connections to You-Know-Who, but I just need to find a way to prove it.”

“I vaguely forecast where this is going, and I hate it already.”

“Listen, Y/N. It’s not for that long, and it’s for the health of the wizarding world. If you just get to know him--”

“Ick!”

“If you just get to know him, maybe get him to trust you and find out his secrets...we’d finally have enough to turn him in and throw him out of Hogwarts for good.”

“Is that really necessary, Harry?” Ginny butted in from her seat further down next to Dean. “Malfoy’s probably just exhausted like the rest of you. 6th year is difficult, and we have no solid evidence that he’s a Death Eater. I’m sure being stuck in a room with him for 2 hours is hard enough without pretending to be nice to him.”

“But what if Harry’s right?” said Y/N. “What if he is actually a Death Eater? What if he’s an active danger to the student body?”

“Exactly!” The joy written across Harry’s face at the prospect of someone else finally agreeing was infectious. “So will you?”

“Er…” She dragged her spoon across the top layer of her porridge. “In theory, sure. In actuality, I’m not sure how I could do it. Malfoy doesn’t want anything to do with me, either.”

“Love potion?” offered Ron.

“I don’t care how much of a prat he is, I’m not roofying him.”

“I rarely agree with you, Y/N, but I think you’re right. If you want to do this, you need to get him to trust you for real.”

“Your back-handed compliment skills never disappoint, Hermione. Do you think you could help me out with a plan?”

A slow smile spread across the girl’s face as she nodded. “That’s my strong suit.”

The plan they laid out over the remainder of the day was ambitious but at least do-able. Each week was split into different subtasks, the end goal being a somewhat tentative friendship between the two.

“If you can flirt with him and get him to have a crush on you without scaring him off, you’d be in the best possible position,” Hermione told her as they walked back from the Quidditch pitch among the screaming Gryffindor fans. They’d won--yet again. “Obviously I don’t foresee that being likely, but if you pull it off somehow he’d probably be willing to tell you anything. The fact that you’re a pureblood is going to carry you through this whole ordeal. He’ll at least be accepting of your existence in the wizarding community.”

The bitter edge in Hermione’s tone made Y/N’s blood boil. There was no reason for Malfoy to be as prejudiced as he was--he’d spent his adolescence in Hermione’s academic dust. She was obviously smarter than him.

“You got it, ‘Mione,” she said. Her voice barely carried over the cheers of her peers as they ascended the steps to the common room. “We’ll take this little ferret down. I can’t wait.”

“Don’t get too cocky, now.”

The Gryffindor after-party was crazy...per usual. The charmed self-filling goblets, the blasted playlist of Wizpop pumping through the air, and the buzzing energy of the room was giving Y/N a giant headache. She stood with Hermione and Harry by the edge of the crowd, watching Ron get hoisted up on the shoulders of the chasers.

“No wonder the Slytherins think we’re Neanderthals,” Y/N mused. For once, Hermione didn’t respond. “Hermione? Is everything okay?”

The second she turned away to look at her best friend, gasps and whistles filled the room. She whipped back just in time to see Lavender Brown, a sweet but slightly ditzy girl in their year, pull away from a kiss with Ron.

“Oh shi--Hermione!”

Harry and Y/N shared a glance before darting after the witch--who had impressively already made it to the door.

“Hermione, wait!” Y/N called as they jogged after her, throwing open the common room entrance and finding her sat by the tapestry on the other side of the hall, knees to her chest.

“‘Mione, what’s wrong?” asked Harry.

“Don’t be daft, Harry,” said Y/N. “You saw exactly what the rest of us did.”

“I don’t understa--”

“Harry.” Her voice was taut. “I know you’re just trying to help, but I think that it might be best if you let us be. Go back and enjoy the party.”

He gave her a tight, grateful smile before darting back through the door. Y/N wasted no more time in walking over to Hermione and throwing her arms around her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, hugging her tight. Hermione made no move to detach them, so she continued. “Ron is an idiot. You deserve so much better--your first kiss was Viktor fucking Krum, after all. You’re hot stuff and this place is just unfortunately running dry of men who are impressive enough for you. Once you’re out of here and working in the Ministry, you’re gonna have the time of your life with men actually in your league.”

Hermione managed a sniffly laugh as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “It’s just so fucking embarrassing, you know. Like, I have a crush on him because I think he understands me and I smelled him in my Amortentia and I thought he’d like me back, but…” She hiccuped. “Then he goes off and kisses Lavender Brown, of all people. There’s nothing particularly wrong with her or anything, but she’s so different...I’m so bookish, and she’s so girly and everything I’m not…”

Y/N took the opportunity to tuck a lock of Hermione’s hair behind her ear as she listened.

“And it can’t help but make me think--was I ever anything to him but a friend? If the girl he ends up choosing is the opposite of me?”

“Girly, don’t think like that,” murmured Y/N. “He’s a teenage boy. They don’t think of love the way that we do--to them it’s a game of availability, not of choice. At least for Ronald. You intimidate him, and by extension, you’re not available.”

“That shouldn’t matter!”

“You’re right. It shouldn’t.” Y/N drew a long breath. “So you should find someone who always has you as their first choice--someone who isn’t intimidated by your intellect. They’re out there. I promise.”

Hermione managed a shaky smile. “Thanks, Y/N. I mean it. Do you mind if I have some alone time? I don’t think I’m ready to go back to the party but I just want some quiet.”

“Of course. Let me know if you need me,” she said, brushing herself off and making to walk down the hall.

“You’re not going back to the party?”

“Nah. It hurts my head and I want fresh air. If I’m not back here in a half hour, assume that I’ve been kidnapped.”

With that, she started her walk. She wasn’t planning on going on a long stroll--there was a small balcony that she often went to when she needed to clear her head. It was beautiful, especially on a snowy night like this.

But the walk was creepy.

There was only one way in and out--a narrow, damp hallway that had absolutely no light fixtures. If Y/N really wanted to, she could cast a quick lumos, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what lived on the walls. The stairs were steep, too, but she managed to bound up all 40 of them in record time.

“Who’s there?”

The sudden voice ripped a scream out of Y/N’s throat as she reached the top, catching a glimpse of the shadowy figure at the edge of the balcony that spoke. She clasped her hand over her mouth and she crept forward to the opening, getting a better look at the person that was in her secret spot.

The clouds shifted in the sky to allow more moonlight to cast a soft glow on Malfoy’s face, hardened with irritation.

“Malfoy?” Y/N asked, rather dumbly.

“What stellar observational skills,” he drawled.

She felt her cheeks grow hot. “What are you doing here? This is part of the Gryffindor tower. Shouldn’t you be...I don’t know...playing hide and seek with the sewer rats in the dungeons?”

“Very funny.” His flat tone exposed the fact that he did not, in fact, find it very funny. “There’s no rule barring me from coming up here.”

“But why? This is my spot!”

“Because I wanted to get out. Now, I was here first, so unless you want your detention extended, I suggest you leave.”

Y/N bit the fiery comebacks on the tip of her tongue as the memories of her plan with Hermione began floating back to her.

Week 1 -- Hold one neutral, civil conversation with Malfoy.

“I’ll be quiet. You won’t even know I’m here,” Y/N decided upon. leaning up against the balcony. The rogue snowflakes that made it past the overhanging roof melted on her cheeks.

“That isn’t a suggestion,” said Malfoy. “I’m demanding you leave.”

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Y/N asked, pointedly ignoring his words. “I’ve always loved the snow. It’s so quiet.”

“And it would be even quieter if you left.”

“Aren’t you the conversationalist?” said Y/N.

“If you don’t leave, I will hex you,” Malfoy told her through gritted teeth.

“I just love how the moonlight reflects off of the snow,” continued Y/N. “It’s so...pure.”

“Please leave.”

On her walk back down the dank stairwell, she allowed herself a little smile.

Task 1? Technically done.

The first week went largely as planned. Malfoy was cold and certainly suspicious of her, but he wasn’t completely venomous when Y/N asked where he got his quill from in Potions. It was silver, charmed to shimmer with flecks of forest green. He told her Barnaby’s in France, and that was that. She walked away from his table with all of her limbs attached. Perhaps that was all the progress she was going to make in the next few weeks, but the task at hand certainly made the prospect of her lost Friday afternoons more bearable.

Harry was going completely batty, rambling on about how Malfoy was behind the mysterious cursed objects that had been floating about the castle without explanation.

“And why would Malfoy bring cursed objects to Hogwarts if he has aspirations other than being expelled?” Hermione would ask over their books.

“You don’t understand, Hermione! You girls need to be careful walking around at night--especially you, Y/N. I don’t want you going missing after detention because of that slimeball.”

Y/N always gave him a laugh, berating him for his slight misogynistic commentary and turning back to whatever her task was, but the truth was that she was worried for him. The mental weight of the impending war and the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it was certainly getting too difficult for him to bear. It was heartbreaking to see the vivacious boy she’d grown up with crumble under the responsibilities of something he should never have to worry about in the first place.

Friday came much sooner than expected, and Y/N reluctantly left her friends in the common room to trek to McGonagall’s office. The walk was frigid and the wind bit at her cheeks as she rounded the last outdoor hall.

Why was this castle so dark?

A thump behind her made her jump, and Harry’s words came floating back to her.

Remember all those cursed objects? What if there’s someone just...stalking the school grounds, waiting for someone like me to snatch?

She shivered, throwing herself at the office door and slamming it behind her.

“Miss Y/L/N,” Professor McGonagall greeted, her eyebrows raised in amusement. “Something giving you trouble?”

“No, Professor,” she answered, setting her bag down on the desk next to Malfoy. He sent her a curious look as well. “It’s just cold outside.”

She chuckled. “I need to go speak to Headmaster Dumbledore. I expect that, upon my return, you both are in one piece and alive.”

“I’m not sure if I’m the one who needs to be given that speech,” said Y/N, bored and testing the waters.

“She’s right, Professor,” added Malfoy. “There’s no projectiles here.”

McGonagall exhaled a long, shaky breath before brushing herself off. “Please. Behave yourselves.”

“You got it, boss,” she said as she watched her Professor walk out the door. “So, Malfoy. How was your week?”

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’d way prefer if you didn’t speak to me,” he said, refusing to make eye contact.

“I’m not up to anything! We’re in detention together and, I dunno, since I see you sometimes at balls, I thought it’d be nice to be on good terms.”

“Good terms?” He scoffed. “You’re a Gryffindor. I’d rather you be a bloody Hufflepuff.”

“How about neutral terms?”

Even though he wasn’t looking at her, she could catch a glimpse of him rolling his eyes. “If neutral terms mean you being quiet, then, yes. Please.”

“I’ll be plenty quiet. After I hear about your opinion on what happened in Potions today with Brown and Weasley. When Snape yelled at them for holding hands.”

He let out a sharp sigh. “Believe it or not, I actually have better things to do than keep up with whatever stuff your house does.”

“But…?” Y/N pressed. She may not’ve spent her time at Hogwarts as Malfoy’s best friend, but she had grown up with the boy, and she could tell when he was holding back.

He stared blankly at her.

“Come on. I’m literally the only person in my house who’ll openly admit that they’re disgusted by that dynamic. I’m begging you.”

She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she thought she saw a flicker of amusement dance across his face for a moment. “Your house sounds more like a cult than a student group.”

“Oh, says the one from Slytherin,” said Y/N.

“We only act like that because our families are close. What’s your excuse? Hormones and Quidditch culture?”

“Touché.” As much as she wanted to fight back, she bit her tongue. Whatever she was doing was making progress, and quicker progress than she was expecting. Her next task was to make him laugh, and she was emboldened by the fact that she could potentially be able to kill two birds with one stone.

They sat in silence for a little bit, but this time, it was a comfortable silence. Malfoy wasn’t staring at the clock on the wall or rolling his eyes at her every move, so she had time to plot.

On one hand, she could make a fool of herself--drop her inkwell, say something stupid in class, fall down the stairs--but she had a sneaking suspicion that her sorry attempts at slapstick humor wouldn’t land well with Draco anymore. He’d become so serious lately, so solemn. This was the most light hearted she’d seen him, even compared with how he acted with the rest of his Slytherin lackeys.

On the other, she could try to sell out her friends. She could confide in him how “big” Hermione’s teeth were (they weren’t even big) or tell him that Ron smelled of eggs (true, but that was a low blow). Something told her that this would be much more successful, but she wasn’t willing to turn to that so quickly--she was already a week ahead as it was.

“What is it?”

Malfoy’s bored drawl cut through her flurried thoughts. Her cheeks turned pink as she blinked, noticing that she’d been staring at him for far too long. “Nothing. Sorry. I just spaced out.”

“Sure,” he mumbled, giving her another suspicious look before turning back to his work. “Can you maybe space out somewhere other than my face?”

“Where’s your vanity, Malfoy?” she pressed as she leaned back in her chair, hair swinging over the back.

“Shut up,” he snapped. She could tell that whatever connection they’d had in the fleeting moments beforehand was being burnt by the second, but her embarrassment and pride drove her forward.

“Merlin, what’s got you so wound up?” she prompted, noting how deliciously unraveled he looked at this. “Where’s my cool, collected Slytherin?”

He slammed hands on his desk at this, whipping around to glare at her. “What’s your angle, Y/L/N?”

“What?”

“Why are you bothering me?”

“Because I want to.” She beamed.

Malfoy ran his fingers through his hair, mussing up the usual neat manner in which it normally laid on his head. “Compelling. What do you want from me?”

“What do I want…?” She tilted her head at him, narrowing her eyes. “What?”

“You never talk to me,” he explained. “Obviously, I prefer it like that. I can’t help but wonder why suddenly you want to be making small talk. So, what is it you want from me?”

“Malfoy,” she said. “I think you’re a spoiled prick who thinks far too highly of himself and drives me insane. But I also think that you’re funnier than what my friends give you credit for. Granted, you’ve always been annoying, but I don’t want anything from you. I just want to, I dunno, make these next few months less insufferable.” Somehow the lie slipped through her teeth easier than any of her previous bluffs.

He frowned, his mouth opening once before firmly screwing shut into a scowl. “Oh.”

“No offense, Malfoy, but what else can you offer me other than your dazzling personality?” she teased. “You know my family. I don’t need to blackmail you to pay for jewelry I’ve had my eye on or anything.”

He scoffed. “As if I’d say yes.”

“Exactly my point. It’d be fucking weird. Merlin, I’m not trying to butter you up to buy out Borgin & Burkes for me. Do I give off gold-digger vibes? Is that what this is about?”

“Fucking hell.” Malfoy turned to her in disbelief. “Do you ever shut up?”

“Answer my question. Or better yet, pull out your wallet. Wait, did I say that out loud?” She mimed surprise and covered her mouth. “Oh no! What will my mother say now that I’ve squandered my last chance of hitching you? There’s no way I can go home for Christmas break now.”

He rolled his eyes so hard she found herself worried for a moment that they were going to just permanently get stuck in the back of his head. “Hate to break it to you, but you didn’t really have a shot to begin with.”

Ouch.

She huffed and dramatically flopped over the back of her chair, hoping he couldn’t see that she’d flinched. “So you don’t think I’m pretty??”

“Y/L/N,” he snapped, his voice a low warning. “Can I please just work? What is with you today?”

Y/N sent him a sour look before giving her Charms work another look. Malfoy was awfully quiet, and when she snuck any glances at him later on, he was angled to face away from her.

Why did she feel like such shit all of a sudden? She cataloged the past events, trying to pinpoint the exact moment that her stomach dropped. It all made sense when the words “You didn’t really have a shot to begin with” echoed around her head once again. She’d failed Harry. She’d failed Hermione. There was no way that she was going to be able to get him to reveal his secrets now--it’s not like he was confiding in even his closest friends as Harry made apparent when he explained how vague his statements were to his fellow Slytherins on the train. Her only chance would’ve been to somehow get him to fall for her, and that wasn’t going...great. And it had been a pipedream to begin with.

When McGonagall swished back into the classroom to dismiss them, Y/N shot out of there without even looking at Malfoy again. It felt like something was lodged in her throat and she was not going to cry in front of him. No, no. She had to make it to Hermione to tell her what was going on.

“Y/L/N?”

Malfoy’s voice made her pause in her flee as she nearly rounded the corner in front of her, but she refused to look back. It was far enough away that it was possible she didn’t hear him.

“Wait!”

She was up the stairs and speed walking as fast as her legs could carry her to the Gryffindor tower before he even saw which way she went.

“I don’t think you understand,” Y/N wailed by the fire as Hermione rubbed her shoulders and Harry sat awkwardly perched on the couch. “I can’t do this. The only way this was going to work was if he had a crush on me, and I don’t think he ever will. I fucked it up! The one time you guys need me, I fuck it up! I let you down!”

Hermione’s left hand stopped its rubbing to rest firmly on her shoulder. “Please don’t be upset. You didn’t let us down. Plus, you’re only, what...two weeks in? You don’t need him to like you to make it work. Just getting him to trust you will be enough, and you’re good at that.”

“I don’t think so,” continued Y/N. “Harry said that he wasn’t even that open on the train when he overheard him talking to all of his friends. And those are purebloods that he likes! That he’s trusted and known for years and years! I’m a friend of you guys, and he knows it. I think he’d figure it out quick.”

“We should take every chance we can get,” said Harry from his spot a few feet away, his eyes lazy and unfocused on the fire crackling in front of them. “You won’t let us down if you can’t get anything, Y/N, you know that! But if you got anything from him, it’d be incredible. It’s a win-win. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”

“I’m not upset,” she said, her tone becoming defensive. “I just...don’t want to mess this up. I know how much it’d mean if I succeeded.”

“So just try!” Hermione said. “There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m sorry he was kind of mean to you today, but I don’t think that should bother you too much. He should be more afraid of what you’d say if you didn’t care about being a good person.”

“Fucking right on there,” she said, wiping away the frustrated tears. “If I was honest with him, he’d leave crying. He should be grateful that I’m taking this bet so I actually have to be nice to him.”

“That’s the spirit.” Harry leaned over to smack her back like he did his Quidditch teammates after a winning match.

After they’d parted their ways with Harry, Hermione and Y/N made their way slowly up the stairwell to the girls’ dorms.

“Y/N?” Hermione asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think, er…” She paused. “Do you think you were really upset about failing us today? Or was it something else?”

“What do you mean?” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t see what else it would be.”

“I’m sorry,” responded the bright witch. “Forget I ever asked. It was a stupid thing to wonder about.”

“Weirdo,” she teased as she waved her a goodnight and made her way to her dorm.

The next morning, Y/N busied herself with revising her Charms essay over her breakfast--a cup of tea and a half-buttered piece of toast--while Hermione leaned over her shoulder, nodding or grimacing at the corrections she made.

“Did you work during detention? Like, at all?”

“‘Mione,” moaned Y/N. “It’s too early for this. I don’t want a lecture. I just couldn’t focus.”

Her warm brown eyes narrowed as they bore into Y/N’s face. “Why were you distracted?”

“Oh, I, uh…” She stumbled over her words as Hermione drew closer. “Merlin, Hermione. I told you last night. I just felt like I was letting you all down.”

“Mhm,” was all she got in response before her best friend tilted her head back down to the parchment in front of her.

Y/N sat, completely puzzled. What was Hermione on about? She’d been straightforward with what was hurting her--she didn’t want to mess up the only task the Golden Trio had ever given her--and, even if she hadn’t been, Hermione was smart enough to deduce things for herself. So what was she thinking about?

Her eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table where the usual 6th year pureblood gang loitered about, drinking black coffee and sulking--but Malfoy was not to be seen. She jumped when her eyes met Parkinson, her dark eyes burning into her soul as a deep scowl was written across her face.

“Malfoy, what the fuck do you want?” Ron’s voice pulled her back to reality to see him glaring somewhere behind her.

“I wasn’t here to talk to you,” a familiar voice drawled.

She turned to see Malfoy standing behind her, a sneer written all across his stupidly pretty face.

“Miss me already?” asked Y/N as she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side.

“For fuck’s sake, stop doing that,” he mumbled, reaching into his pocket and throwing a box at her. “You forgot your quill. I took the liberty of properly storing it, because it seems like you lot like to just throw them in your bag. Makes me physically ill to watch.”

“Oh.” Y/N studied the intricate box in her hands before tucking it away in her knapsack. “Thanks? I guess?”

He nodded curtly, contorting his face into one last scowl to send to Ron before turning and leaving,

“So,” Hermione began, cutting her omelet at a much brisker pace, “I think we need to have a little chat. About...all of this.”

“Why?”

“Not right now,” she said, her voice low and her eyes flicking at Ron and Harry sitting across from them. “I don’t think it’d benefit us for them to hear.”

“Ok?” She cautiously took a bite out of her toast and continued staring Hermione down. “You’re scaring me.”

“It’s...I don’t know. I thought I was crazy for thinking this, but it seems like we need to talk about it anyways. For this little mission of yours to work, we need to be totally open and honest with each other.”

“Sure.” Y/N took another bite. “I honestly have no clue what’s got you so on edge, though.”

“Who’s on edge?” Harry asked, leaning over the table and stealing the croissant on Y/N’s plate.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “Do you not see the entire plate of them over there?”

He laughed, sending her an easy grin and dunking a piece into the hot chocolate in his mug. “Finders keepers. Say, Y/N, are you busy next weekend? Ron and Lavender are going to Madame Puddingfoot’s together, and I know Hermione isn’t going to want to take a weekend off studying to go to Hogsmeade, so I thought that maybe we could go cause some trouble at the Cauldron.”

“If you stop stealing my food we can talk about it,” replied Y/N, the corners of her lips tugging up into a grin.

“Deal.”

Hermione tugged at her arm. “I just realized I need to get something out of my room before we watch the Quidditch game. Will you come with me, Y/N?”

“Sure!” said Y/N. “Gee, I’m rolling in invitations today.”

Once they exited the dining hall, though, it immediately became evident that they were not actually heading up to the dorms. Hermione dragged her into the nearest bathroom before casting a quick silencing charm.

“Myrtle! Are you in here?” Only when she was sure silence was the only response to her question, she seemed satisfied to turn to Y/N and begin talking. “When were you going to tell me that you have a thing for Malfoy?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Y/N felt the heat that had risen to her cheeks from the last quill-encounter re-emerge.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” said Hermione. “Are you seriously going to expect me to believe that you nearly sobbed over some random pureblood git telling you you never had a chance with him because it might slow down your progress with helping us? Actually? I’ve seen you look more ecstatic about hearing that your dear granny passed away.”

“To be fair, she had really good life insurance,” Y/N cut in. “And she was an old hag. Never had a nice thing to say to me.”

“Life insurance or no life insurance...you can’t seriously expect me to believe that you were just upset about not being able to help us as much. That was ridiculous. I don’t buy it. And the way you blushed like crazy when he came over to talk to you--the way you try and pretend like you can flirt...please. Y/N, it’s clear as day. I know you, and I know you have a crush on him.”

“Hermione!” hissed Y/N. “You have no clue what you’re talking about!”

“Yes, I think I do,” she pushed. “And you need to be honest with me if you want to be of any help right now.”

Her bossiness lit a fire of rage in Y/N’s chest, but she sucked in a deep breath, shutting her eyes before releasing it. “Believe me when I say I haven’t ever acknowledged any feelings I may or may not have towards him.”

“Ok.” Her face softened. “I know it might take time, but I honestly do think I’m right. Please just...be careful. This is a really odd situation to get caught up in if you actually have feelings for the other person. You’re trying to manipulate him, for Merlin’s sake.”

“And if I have these feelings for him, I’ve done a pretty damn good job of suppressing them for however long they’ve been here.”

Hermione sighed. “That’s true. I’m just saying that spending this much time with him is probably only going to make things worse. Will you please tell me if anything changes between the two of you?”

“Anything changes?” Y/N’s voice was dripping in disbelief. “You’re joking. Even if I was obsessed with him I don’t think there’s ever a chance of hell in anything ‘changing’ between us. He said it himself.”

“You know what I mean, Y/N,” responded Hermione. “Just promise me, ok?”

“Ok,” said Y/N. “I promise.”

That seemed to satiate Hermione as she nodded approvingly at her friend. “I think it goes without saying that Ron and Harry shouldn’t hear about this.”

“There’s nothing to hear about, but yes.” She shuffled her feet before meeting Hermione’s eyes again. “Er, I’m sorry for this being a weird question, but would you mind coming along with me and Harry to Hogsmeade? I don’t really see him like...that...and I don’t want to read into it too much and reject him if he is doing it just platonically, but just in case. Y’know.”

“Sure,” said Hermione, even though her face took on that curious expression yet again. “Anyways, you actually did forget something--you’re not wearing a single piece of Gryffindor colors for our game today. You should probably run back to your dorm before Harry and Ron notice.”

After they said their goodbyes, Y/N found herself turning over the things Hermione had said to her in her head. Did she like Malfoy? No, no fucking way. But a part of her really did think he was funny. And of course it was natural to feel rejected when anyone insinuates that they’d never consider you as a romantic interest without jest.

Once she’d made it up to her room and grabbed a few scarves, Y/N made to put her red cloak into her satchel. Her fingers ghosted over the box that Malfoy had given her and scoffed once she saw the Malfoy crest engraved into the rich wood.

Narcissistic snot.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she reached over to open up the elaborately decorated box. What met her was not just one quill but two--one of which was most certainly not her own.

She took them both out, tossing the old one in a pile with her other trusty familiar white feather quills and picked up the other one. It looked familiar--identical to the quill that she’d complimented Malfoy on in Potions about a week ago. Butterflies began to flutter like crazy in her stomach as she turned it over in her hand, watching the gray and green glitter together and the magic sparkles cast a gentle light over her bed. She generally avoided dipping into her family’s pockets to get school supplies any more than she had to--it’s not like it made her friends feel good about themselves when they were reminded how rich her family was--but this might be what she could consider to be an exception. She hadn’t even liked his quill all that much when she first saw it in Potions--but it was one of those things that was so noticeable that it made sense to compliment him.

She gave it one last look before tucking it back away into the elaborately decorated box. Perhaps she had spoken too soon when she’d told Hermione all hope was lost.

When Monday morning Potions class with the Slytherins rolled around, Y/N wasted no time. Malfoy was alone--even his Slytherin lackeys seemed to know not to bother him. Just what she needed.

“Malfoy,” she greeted, setting her bag down on his table and looking him dead on. He raised to meet her eyes, his eyebrow raised.

“Can I help you?”

“I just wanted you to know that I also really like your immense fortune,” she said. “And your manor.”

“Well, a lot of people do,” he mumbled as he looked away to dig through something in his bag. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he was blushing.

“I’m just letting you know,” she continued. “In case you were wanting to give them away. It worked for the quill, so I thought, well, why not?”

He exhaled, a deep and annoyed sound escaping his lips as he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. “I knew I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You really didn’t have to.”

“I was getting sick of it,” he told her. “I never can stick with one quill for too long, and I thought it’d be a shame to toss it. I thought it’d be better to be charitable--it’s not like your family could get an appointment at Barnaby’s if they tried.”

“Hey!” Y/N said indignantly. “You don’t know that!”

“I’ve heard your parents try to speak French,” he said. “If you’re anything like them, you'll be barred from ever entering the country.”

“Malfoy!”

His lips turned up into a smile, a soft laugh escaping his lips. Y/N suppressed the urge to grin in return. Task 3? Done. “What?”

“I can’t even argue with you,” she said. “It’s tragic.”

She stared at the empty stool next to him, wondering if she should just take the leap and sit with him. Malfoy seemed unbothered by her presence as he opened up his Potions book and set it next to his cauldron. “Do you want a partner?” The words left her lips before she could stop them.

He cast her a curious look before glancing at the empty stool. “It depends. Are you going to be annoying?”

She gasped in faux-offense. “What makes you think I could ever be annoying?”

“On that note, I think you better get back to Potter.” He motioned with his head towards the side of the room where most of her Gryffindor friends were chatting. Harry was staring at her, his fists clenched by his side.

Y/N smirked and sent him a wink.

“On that note,” she said, careful to imitate Malfoy’s drawl and sending him a smug grin, “Maybe I better sit here.”

“Hm.” He awarded her one more uninterested look before rolling up his sleeves and setting out the ingredients for the potion they were brewing--Amortentia.

She tried not to make it too obvious that she was staring at his left arm, but there was nothing on it like Harry had told her. It was just pure, unblemished pale skin that shimmered under the light. Before he could catch her looking, she quickly sat down and started pulling out her own things. After a short pause, she decided to take out the silver quill. She’d left his box back in her room--she wouldn’t be caught dead with something that had the Malfoy crest on it--but she’d wrapped it in a pouch with her own family’s emblem on the front, shimmering in gold and red.

“Why don’t you just buy your own charmed quills?” asked Malfoy after they had chopped all of the gillweed.

“You already know. We’re an abomination to the French. We aren’t allowed entry.”

“That’s not what I mean.” His tone was meant to read as exasperated, but his words still seemed good-natured.

“I...well.” She frowned. She’d never confessed this to anyone, but she supposed that Malfoy wasn’t going to find a way to use it against her. “I don’t like to flaunt my family wealth. I think it makes people, at least in Gryffindor, like me less. I learned that pretty early on.”

He hummed something in response before sliding all the gillweed into the cauldron, turning the clear liquid into a bubbling forest green.

“Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?” she asked.

He took his time finishing the note he was jotting down before he answered. “I’m not being nice. It’s just called being civil. You said it yourself, we see each other at balls sometimes.”

“We probably won’t anymore, though,” she mused.

Malfoy’s eyebrows shot up, but his voice remained low and steady. “No. I suppose that we probably won’t. Is your family part of the Order?”

“Hm. Are you a Death Eater?” she asked brazenly. He had no business asking her something like that, and he knew it. Especially not with his family connections.

“What do you think?” he drawled, waving his bared left arm in front of her face.

“Bullshit. That doesn’t mean anything after we learned Glamour spells last year.”

“Guess you’ll just have to trust me, then,” he responded, focusing intently on the bubbling liquid in front of him instead of her face.

“I guess so,” she replied. The weight of her Glamour comment began to sink in--she was right, after all. How had she not thought of it before?

But he was right when he told her she just had to trust him. Could she? Y/N rested her chin in the palm of her propped hand as she watched him work. A piece of disobedient moonbeam blonde hair dangled over his forehead as he diced up the unicorn tail, his eyebrows furrowed in focus.

“Is this why you want to be my partner?” he finally asked after a few moments of silence. “So you can just stare at me while I do all the work?”

“There’s the vain Draco I know,” she said, grinning as she leaned over to punch his shoulder.

He rolled his eyes again, scooting out of arm's reach before flipping back to Amortentia in his book. “You’re insufferable. And it’s Malfoy to you.”

“Fine, fine, Malfoy,” said Y/N. “What do you want me to do, then?”

He shoved his cutting board towards her, the half-diced unicorn tail staring up at her. “Finish dicing this and then stir it in. 9 times clockwise. I did almost all of the work, but it should be finished after that.”

Y/N sent him another glare before doing as he said. The glittering quill kept catching her attention from the corner of her eye, and she couldn’t help but notice that Malfoy was writing with just a plain white quill for the time being. HE really did just give it to me.

After the final ingredients were diced, she began to stir, each rotation around the cauldron turning the potion to a different color. It began as the bubbling green, then a deep sea blue, then a royal purple, a crimson blood red, a glimmering gold--before settling into a pale silver.

“Wow. It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “It’s like...liquid starlight.”

“All thanks to me,” said Malfoy. “You didn’t even have to crush the Mandrake root.”

“You’re such a gentleman, Malfoy.” Her voice dripped in fake sincerity. “So, what do you smell?”

Y/N was expecting him to scowl at her and tell her that it wasn’t any of her business, but he actually leaned over the cauldron and shut his eyes.

“I’ve never been good at explaining what things smell like.”

“Fair.”

Once he leaned back, she took his place, shutting her eyes and breathing in a tendril of the beautiful potion. “Whoa.”

“What’s it for you?”

“I don’t...know,” she admitted. “It’s not something I can describe note by note. It kind of reminds me of something, though.”

“Something with Potter, I presume?” he said, casually twirling his generic white quill around his fingers.

“No,” she answered, surprised at how honest she was being. “It’s…I’m trying to think. Er, it’s very lavish. It reminds me of when I was younger and my parents would drag me to galas and balls and whatnot.”

He stared at her in silence.

“What about you? Does it remind you of anything?”

“Yeah.” Malfoy reached forward to put a lid on the cauldron, effectively shutting out the steam from reaching either of them.

“Ooh, have you figured it out yet?” she teased, crossing her legs and turning to face him head on. “Let me guess. Is it someone like…”

She paused, a wicked smile stretching across her face. “Oh my god, is it Hermione? Or Luna? Or...help me out here!”

“No.” His voice was sour.

“Ah, it’s Parkinson then, isn’t it? Tell her I’m sorry for throwing food at her if you ever have the chance. Make sure to add the part where I’m more sorry that I missed.”

“Y/L/N!”

“It’s okay. I’d be a little let down, too.”

“Can you please just…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Please just stop. I haven’t figured it out. Okay? Happy now?”

“I’ll leave you alone,” said Y/N. “Under one condition. You give me a hint. I’ve given you everything I know! This isn’t fair.”

“This doesn’t have to be fair,” he hissed.

Y/N kept the easy smile plastered on her face while she waited, her eyebrows raised in anticipation.

“You’re not going to let up until I tell you, are you?”

“You’d be right on that,” she said, sugary sweet.

“Fine. It’s something kind of floral.”

“How descriptive,” she snorted as she slumped back in her stool, thinking hard. Where had she smelled it before? Y/N shut her eyes, leaning her head back and trying to immerse herself into the memory that had surfaced. It smelled like grandeur, like an open ballroom full of guests wearing expensive perfumes. She could feel spinning, spinning like she was with a dance partner. Who was it? She couldn’t quite remember--the last ball she’d been to had been years ago--but after she leaned forward and smelled the Amortentia once more time, she came to a conclusion.

“I had to have danced with him at a gala before,” she announced to Malfoy, who was looking quite unimpressed. “So I know it’s no one from Gryffindor.”

“Interesting,” was all he said before turning to his parchment and jotting something down.

Late that night, while Y/N was settling into bed, a strange idea struck her. Sure that the thought that was nagging her was completely fruitless, she had no trouble with reaching into her desk and pulling out the Malfoy box. She just had to check if she wanted to sleep well.

Here goes.

She closed her eyes, imagining the expensive scent of her Amortentia. Then she opened it, stuck her nose into the fabric, and breathed in.

Well, fuck.

The internal debate going through Y/N the next day at the breakfast table was intense. On one hand, she really, really wanted to just tell Hermione that Malfoy had been in her Amortentia and she was completely fucked, but on the other…

She glanced at the witch next to her as she methodically sliced her toast into perfect, equivalent squares before dunking them in jam. Y/N liking Malfoy was not going to fit into her toast cubes. If she said anything, she would lose her excuse to talk to her about him. And her excuse to try and get close with him.

Perhaps I can figure it out tomorrow.

When tomorrow came, she still hadn’t made progress. Y/N was beginning to think that her so called “revelation” after they brewed Amortentia was truly just complete and utter bullshit. So what that his quill box smelled like it--all rich people kind of smelled the same at some points, and so did their houses. There was a reason why she couldn’t immediately pin the scent to anything--it wasn’t like she even knew what Malfoy smelled like.

But the truth remained that she was still attracted to someone who happened to be a rich Slytherin--so naturally, her mind began to wander. There’s no way it was Zabini--his mother owned a fragrance line, and she would’ve instantly recognized the cologne that she knew Mrs. Zabini made him wear--and there was absolutely no way that it was Crabbe or Goyle, so the only other Slytherin it left was...Nott? But that didn’t make sense either--she’d never spoken to him before in her life, even less than Malfoy. So perhaps it would be better if she didn’t think on it.

The next day of potion brewing came on a stormy Wednesday. Malfoy and Y/N worked silently together to brew a Draught of Dreamless Sleep. She was surprised to see how practiced his movements were--he didn’t even have to reference the book to recite the exact measurements and directions.

“Do you have bad dreams or something?” she asked, mostly as a joke. He didn’t seem to pick up on the light-heartedness and stiffened up.

“No?”

“Gee, you’re talkative today,” Y/N said, trying to ignore how her hand brushed his by accident when she added the scoop of anjelica.

“Excuse me for not entertaining you,” he drawled. “I wasn’t expecting to have such a needy potions partner today.”

“I am not needy!” she gasped, smacking his arm. “I’ve sat in silence for a full hour!”

He rolled his eyes (he was always rolling his eyes) and gave the potion one more final stir before setting the lid on the cauldron. “Think you can do that again? It needs to simmer for that long.”

“Just because you’re so sweet to me,” crooned Y/N before pulling out a heavy book from her satchel. Her Charms exam was tomorrow, and, naturally, she had decided to save all of her revising work until the night before. The textbook stared back at her as she jotted a few notes onto a previously blank sheet of parchment. The quill in her hands was light and glided across the paper like the tears of Merlin, something that she had forgotten quills could do. All of her familiar basic quills were okay, but they were prone to skidding and breaking. This nib hadn’t worn down in the slightest, still at a smooth and defined peak.

Y/N couldn’t believe that, out of all people, the person to give her such a thoughtful gift was Draco Malfoy. She tried to sneak a glance at him then, moving her curtain of hair away from her face. It took all she had in her to not be startled at the fact that he was already looking back, a slightly concerned expression etched into his face.

“Is something wrong?”

He snapped out of it the moment the words left her lips, his face hardening. “No.”

“Forget I ever asked,” she responded, turning away from him for good and focusing on her textbook. No, there was no way he could be what she smelled in her Amortentia. She liked to think that her subconscious wasn’t secretly a masochist.

Friday evening swung around again, much to Y/N’s dismay. She’d had a talk with Hermione later on in the week, confirming that no, she did not smell Malfoy in her Amortentia, and that yes, she was still abiding by the plan that Hermione had so carefully laid out for her. It did bother her a bit that she could be lying to her on both fronts--but at the end of the day, she was going to get the answers that Harry wanted, no matter what.

She just had to get through the scary ass castle first. She’d forgotten how spooky Hogwarts was after her previous sprint to the door, and this time she was positively trembling by the time she turned another dark corner on her way to McGonagall’s office. Yet another cursed item had been found in the girl’s lavatory on the 3rd floor, right by some of the classes that she had taken earlier in the week. The fact that whoever was out there was capable of dark magic and actively wanted to hurt people terrified her, all that Gryffindor bravery be damned.

So when she heard footsteps suddenly right beside her, it was no wonder that she jumped feet in the air.

“Fuck!” she sputtered, turning to see a very familiar blonde in Slytherin robes. He was frozen in place, curiously looking her up and down.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“Malfoy,” Y/N said, resisting the urge to melt into a puddle of relief at the sight. This wasn’t right--wasn’t he a suspected Death Eater? “You scared me.”

He scoffed, digging his hands into his pockets. “You’re supposed to be the brave ones, right?”

“Huh?”

Malfoy motioned to her Gryffindor jumper.

“Oh.” Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized what he meant. “I dunno. I just get jumpy around the castle at night.”

“No shit.” They’d begun to walk now, side by side. Y/N couldn’t remember ever walking with him before--she’d always been late. “Do you think I forgot the way you screamed when you saw me at the tower?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, reaching over and giving him a healthy shove.

They walked in silence together. Malfoy moved noticeably slower than he normally did so he wouldn’t leave Y/N’s shorter legs in tow. McGonagall seemed pleasantly surprised to see Malfoy hold the door open for her.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along,” she said, giving Y/N a hesitant nod before grabbing the stack of papers on her desk. “I’ll be back momentarily.”

After she exited the room with a swish of her deep maroon robes, Malfoy turned to her. “Are you scared of the dark or something?”

She turned, ready to send a biting retort his way, before she noticed how gray his pallor looked...and how big the circles under his eyes were. “You look like shit, Malfoy. Is everything okay?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t change the subject.”

“Oh. Um…” Y/N pause before deciding that the little tidbit of information she was about to reveal wasn’t that important anyways. “I’m just on edge at night at Hogwarts is all. Especially with all that weird shit going on with all the cursed objects. So I kind of hate walking to and from detention.”

Malfoy let out something that sounded like a strained laugh.

“You didn’t answer my question. Is everything okay?”

“None of your business,” he snipped. “I just had a bad night.”

“Do you have trouble sleeping?” she asked, unable to keep herself from prying.

“Something like that.”

“Have you tried lavender?”

“I’m sorry?” He frowned.

“Lavender. Like the essential oil. It’s nothing magical,” she explained. “I just like to spray it in my bed sometimes before I sleep. Or I’ll use a few drops in a diffuser. I have trouble sleeping too, all the time, actually.” She shut her mouth before she had any chance to ramble further.

“It sounds a bit too floral for my taste.”

“Here.” Y/N dug around in her satchel, searching for the tiny spray bottle she kept with her at all times. “Borrow this and spritz your pillow with it before you sleep, and then tell me it’s too floral. I promise it helps.”

He glared at her. She extended her hand with the white bottle that was covered in purple decor, raising her eyebrows expectantly. “I won’t tell anyone that you have it if that’s what you’re worried about or whatever.”

“Fine,” he snapped, snatching it from her hand and dragging his fingers over her palm for just a second. “Don’t expect me to actually try it, though.”

“Just give it a sniff.”

He huffed, but to her surprise, he actually uncapped the top and held the spray hole up to his nose, inhaling in once.

The effect was immediate. Malfoy’s face completely drained of color, becoming even grayer than he’d been when she first saw him under the light. The briefest expression of surprise fleeted over his face before he wiped it off, replacing it with something unreadable and tossing it back at her. “I’m not using this.”

“Why not?”

“Not quite my taste,” he spat.

Y/N was shocked by the sudden outburst, watching as he continued to glower at his desk. “I don’t understand. It really does help you sleep. I know it seems stupid, but I...really think you should try it. Just once, if anything.”

“Why does it matter so much to you?”

“Because I--” Y/N stopped herself before she let her mouth run without check. “I know what it’s like is all. I feel like shit if I don’t sleep. Plus, I have to spend time with you every Friday. I imagine that you’ll be slightly more tolerable if you sleep more.”

“Hm.” He sent her a particularly venomous glare. “Thanks for your concern. Consider me uninterested, though.”

“You break my heart,” she teased, pulling back her hand and placing the bottle on the corner of her desk. An idea struck her.

“And just what are you smiling about?” Draco said. His lips were turned into a sour frown.

“Nothing, nothing,” she responded, her voice adopting a sing-song quality. All she had to do now was wait.

He exhaled, a deep and exasperated sound. Then he turned back to whatever was in front of him.

McGonagall entered the room a few minutes later, nodding cordially at the comfortable silence the two students were in. What she didn’t know was that Y/N was waiting, just waiting for Malfoy to dig through his satchel and stop paying attention to his quill.

She got her opportunity a few minutes later, when McGonagall called him up to look over his latest Transfiguration homework.

“Mr. Malfoy, I’m happy to see that you’re taking more initiative in getting your assignments done...I have to say that you had me a bit concerned…”

While her professor kept Malfoy occupied, Y/N darted over and grabbed his quill.

Ha.

Malfoy frowned down at his desk when he returned, giving Y/N a suspicious look.

“What is it, Malfoy?” she said, hoping her voice conveyed nothing that might hint that she took something of his.

“Nothing.”

“Hm.”

The rest of detention passed without any more discussion. Y/N was eager to run up to her dorm and set up her plan to be carried out the next morning, but she calmed her bouncing leg and forced herself to keep a straight face when McGonagall dismissed them.

“Got somewhere to be, Y/L/N?” Malfoy’s voice called after her as she sped down the hall towards the Gryffindor tower.

“What’s it to you?” she fired back.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up his pace until he was walking next to her.

“Aren’t the Slytherin dorms the other direction?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Are they?”

She allowed herself to be amused by the way words flowed out of his mouth when he was slightly out of breath. “Why are you walking with me?”

“You said it yourself.” He kept his eyes cast on the cobblestones below them. “You don’t like walking alone at night.”

“Uh...oh.” Against her will, her feet froze and she was glued to the ground. “You’re joking, right?”

If the lighting wasn’t so dim, Y/N would have good reason to believe he was blushing with how intently he was studying his fingernails. “By all means, I can be.”

“No! No, I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth. “Er...I’d like you to. If you want to, that is.”

He shrugged, an elfish expression spreading across his face as he took in how nervous she was. “Well, come to think of it, you didn’t ask me to. I suppose I better get back to the Slytherin dorms anyways. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the Gryffindor Tower right now.”

“Why?” she squeaked.

“Oh, you know, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of the cursed things showed up on your side of the castle, yeah?”

She gulped.

“I gotta get going. Don’t want to stand around here too long. This place gives me the creeps.” With that, he turned and began walking away.

“Malfoy?” She hated how timid her voice sounded. “Consider this me asking you to walk with me.”

He slowly faced her, a sly grin plastered all over his face. “Oh? Did I hear that correctly? Do you want me to?”

“I’m only going to say this once,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and trying her best to look intimidating. “Walk with me. Please.”

“I guess I’ll take it.” Malfoy glided down the hallway to her in just a couple steps, sending her yet another smug look.

“You made up that whole ordeal about Gryffindor Tower being targeted, didn’t you?” asked Y/N as they rounded the corner to reach the staircase leading up to the common room.

“You bought it, didn’t you?”

“Who says I didn’t just want you to walk with me?” pushed Y/N. This was as close to flirting as it would ever get for her--but it looked like, somehow, things were falling into place. The heat in her cheeks must’ve been from the excitement of making progress.

Malfoy’s toe caught on the first stair and, if it weren’t for Y/N’s steady grip on his arm, would’ve made him go sprawling across the stone steps.

“Merlin, Malfoy,” she said, immediately dropping her grip from his shoulder. “What’s gotten into you?”

He responded with an unceremonial snort and a withering glare. The rest of the walk was done in silence, and Y/N noted how careful his footwork became around the Gryffindor steps.

“This is me,” she finally said once they reached the tapestry for the Gryffindor dorms. He seemed surprised, and only then did it strike her that he’d probably never seen the entrance himself before. “Thanks for being such a gentleman.”

“I live to serve,” he drawled.

And just like that, he was gone.

Her plan was simple. She had located an extra monogrammed pouch in her cabinet, a rich mahogany color with her family crest in a vivid gold, and placed both his quill and the lavender bottle. She would corner him after breakfast or follow him out of the Great Hall and show him then.

However, it was becoming increasingly obvious that Malfoy was not coming to Saturday morning breakfast. Many people didn’t, but Y/N had never known him to miss it. His normal spot was vacant, and it certainly wasn’t a house-made decision as all of his Slytherin friends were present and accounted for. Y/N couldn’t say for sure, but she could see Parkinson turning her head to the entrance every time the doors thudded open before glancing back to Malfoy’s empty seat when it turned out to be someone else.

Where was that loser?

“Excuse me,” she said to the trio as she stood up and brushed off her skirt. “I think I’m going to go get some fresh air. I have a bitch of a headache.”

Hermione and Harry expressed their sympathies while Ron gave her a characteristic mumble through his mouthful of bread, and she was off with the pouch secured in her cloak pocket.

It was a clear November morning, clearly Mother Nature’s attempt to slowly move the world from the crisp autumn to a cold winter. The sky was clear and the sun’s rays warmed her skin at a slanted angle, casting weak shadows across the courtyard.

If I were Malfoy, where would I go to sulk?

The obvious answer was either the Slytherin common room or his own dorm, but that was without a doubt out of question for her. She wasn’t even sure if she possessed the knowledge to guess which corridor the entrance was in, much less work out the password herself. Beyond that, just getting into the common room and waiting would be...She shivered. It would be a terrible idea while she was clearly wearing a cloak in Gryffindor red and gold trim.

As she continued her aimless wander around the castle, she heard the slightest sound from the girl’s bathroom on the second floor. It wasn’t ever really in use--no one came in there to actually use the loo unless they wanted Myrtle to materialize and tell them her supernatural troubles while they were in the middle of their personal business--but it was often the source of strange happenings.

Like the cursed objects she thought to herself, her nails digging into her palms. But did she care about that right now? Surely cursed objects seemed somewhat...suspicious. Dark magic was difficult to hide, and to a pureblood eye that grew up around magical objects, cursed things shouldn’t be impossible to spot.

And, plus, it was Malfoy she was looking for. None of the students had died from the curses so far, and if she was able to break through and learn something, or at the very least gain his trust, the reward to the Order would be more than worth it.

She stepped in, expecting to see an entirely empty bathroom with perhaps a ghost rattling around at the sink. Instead, a different sight awaited her.

Draco Malfoy was clutching the edge of the cracked sink basin in front of him, rocking himself back and forth and shaking. From her vantage point, she could see that he was dressed in his normal garb--a black ensemble--but his hair was unruly and messy, sticking up in the back like he’d hurriedly tugged something over his head.

A strangled gasp grounded her and halted her curious observations. Malfoy began to make these awful sobbing sounds, like he could barely manage to breathe.

Y/N was frozen in place as she surveyed her options. If she stayed and tried to talk to him, he might react in anger or hurt her. But if she just left him, like this, all alone...She swallowed once before stepping forward.

“Malfoy? Are you okay?” Obviously he’s not, you bint said a voice deep in her brain. She pushed it aside as he swung around, his wand raised and his eyes blazing. “Whoa! I’m not going to...Put your wand down!”

He stared at her, his eyes wide with horror as he continued to shake, so much so that his wand slipped out of his hand and clattered to the floor. Without thinking, Y/N reached into her pocket and flung her wand away, holding her hands up.

“I’m not going to try anything. I promise.”

As she drew closer, she could see the remnants of tears on his wet cheeks and the way that his silver eyes were rimmed with a bloodshot red.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he hissed, his voice weak and cracking.

“Neither should you. This is the girl’s bathroom.”

final a/n: ok so lmk if you guys wants me to continue. i really did not edit the last half fjkdsal;f also kinda made this an au where malfoy tried to assassinate dumbledore. with more than one cursed object but dw it’ll all make sense ill clear that up 😭

#draco malfoy #draco x reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco imagine #draco malfoy imagine #draco x you #draco #draco malfoy x you #draco x y/n #draco malfoy x y/n #draco x oc #draco malfoy x oc

320 notes · View notes

ppangjae · 4 years

Text

ordinary people | j.jaehyun

Summary | Jaehyun’s parents are coming home for Christmas and he may have made the biggest mistake of telling them he has a ‘girlfriend’. Insert you, his best friend, who so happens to be the only girl he knows and trusts. You, on the other hand, would have never expected Jaehyun to show up at your door at two in the morning with nothing but a proposition; to be his fake girlfriend. And man, are you in big trouble.

Genre | fluff, angst, slow burn, fake dating!au + friends to lovers!au + ceo!jaehyun (because why TF not??)

Word Count | 18.3k+ words (oof almost made it to the estimated count of ~20k)

Warnings | lots of bickering!

author’s note: it’s finally here! this took longer than i had initially thought, but i’m just glad that it’s done. this is literally the first one shot on this blog, so let’s make it official :-)

It's an early Sunday morning when Jung Jaehyun shows up at your door. There's an unusual feeling in your gut for he shows up in casual clothing. His usual business attire is replaced with a loose black hoodie and a pair of jeans. He also shows up with a lopsided smile spread across his lips, a smile that you know so well and what it truly meant. But you're too tired to even bother.

"Hey," he greets you, and you lean against the door-frame to look up at him with a questioning gaze. "Can I come in?"

You glare at him. "It better be worth my time, Jaehyun. It's two in the morning and do you know what my eyes are begging me to do? Yes, that's right, sleep."

"I won't take too much of your time, I promise." He reassures you and you squint your eyes at him before moving aside to let him in.

He makes his way inside your apartment, entering into your small living room to take a seat on your couch. At this point, the sleep in your eyes have been rubbed away and you begin to notice his unusual behavior. You raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Wait, first of all, why are looking at me like that?" You question while folding your arms.

He scratches the back of his neck, confessing, "I may have made a big mistake."

"You jeopardized your company?" You blurt out with eyes wide like saucers. Now you're really awake. Jaehyun panics, vigorously shaking his head.

"What? No! Of course I wouldn't do that! My parents would kill me!" He exclaims and you sigh with relief. "Just listen to me first, now would you?"

You take this as an opportunity to take a seat beside him. As he watches you get comfortable on the couch with him, he winces to himself. Once he tells you what he's done, he knows for a fact that you'll be cussing him out.

"My parents are coming home for Christmas," he begins and your face softens.

"Aw, that's so sweet of them, you get to spend Christmas together—"

"And I may have told them that I have a girlfriend." He interrupts you. The both of you stare at each other for a couple of seconds before you let out a snort.

"But—But you don't have a girlfriend." You stifle a giggle, but when he lets out a frustrated groan, you burst out into laughter.

He whines, begging you to stop laughing at him. "It's not funny!"

Your laughter dies down and you grow confused. "Wait, but why are you telling me this now? You could've told me this through text—"

It then hits you. You eat up your words and stop mid-sentence. Jaehyun looks at you with a nervous smile. His hands are clammy and sweaty out of nervousness.

"That's the problem. First of all, I don't have a girlfriend. Second of all, I told my parents that I have a girlfriend. And last but not the least—"

"They're coming home for Christmas and they want to meet your supposed girlfriend." You finish it off for him, and he claps his hands together.

"Bingo!" He exclaims until he falls hesitantly silent. He glances at you sheepishly. "So, do you want to be my fake girlfriend?"

"Huh? No!" You get up from the couch, looking down at him as if he's gone insane. "Do you think they're going to believe you? They know me as your best friend, your childhood best friend, and not as your girlfriend!"

"But you're the only one I trust!" He pouts. You shake your head. "Come on, Y/N, it'll only be for a couple of weeks—"

"No." You cut him off. "Find someone else, Jaehyun. They're not going to believe you—"

"Y/N, please?" He begs you with those puppy eyes and you tear your eyes away from him. Those eyes always get the best of you, but this time, you're not going to let them work its magic. "Please?"

"Jung Yoonoh," you raise an eyebrow. You shake your head. He frowns. Whenever you call him by his name, he knows that you're serious. "No. It's final."

He sighs in defeat. "Okay, fine, I understand. I guess I'll just make something up somehow."

"Yes, you sure will." You fold your arms. "Besides, it shouldn't be that hard finding someone, right? You're a CEO, shouldn't be hard. Ask your secretary, I'm sure she'll say yes without hesitation."

He whines while you try to push him out the door. As he digs his socked feet to the floor, the force of you pushing him is causing him to slide across the whole apartment.

"You say that like it's the easiest thing to do."

"Trust me, it'll be easy finding someone." You finally push him towards the door. With defeat, he opens the door and steps out of your apartment himself. He turns around to face you and give you those same puppy eyes. You shake your head for the nth time. "I'm not going to give in, Jaehyun."

As the door begins to close on him, he starts sputtering out offers. Offers such as doing your laundry for a whole year, paying your groceries for a year, and the list goes on and on. You shake your head but he doesn't give up. He starts getting down on his knees and you can't help but break out into a smile. He pouts cutely, but your smile immediately vanishes from your face.

"You'll figure something out, Jaehyun. But I'm sorry, it's a no from me."

“He asked you to be his what?”

Johnny looks at you with shock and you almost choke on your own spit. It takes a couple of seconds for him to let it sink in, but when it does, he places his face in his hands. He’s not sure if he should feel shocked or confused, but it was definitely something in between those two emotions.

At first, Johnny thought that you had asked to meet up at a cafe to catch up on each other’s lives. But he didn’t expect this. Never this.

“Yeah, shocking, I know.” You chuckle, raising your hot, steaming cup of tea to take a sip.

Ironic. The only tea that Johnny’s sipping on is the fact that Jung Jaehyun had asked you to pretend to be his girlfriend. The idea itself had two red warning lights flashing right at him.

“But are you going to do it?” He asks. “Will you be his fake girlfriend for the holidays?”

“Nope.” You pop the ‘p’, and he frowns. You tilt your head, not expecting that reaction from him. “But why do you look sad? Did you want me to do it?”

“Would it be bad if I said yes?” He grins and you send him a death glare. He raises his hands up in defense.

“You know my feelings for him. You’re the only one that knows.” You lean your back against the chair to look out the window. You let out a sigh. “And that’s exactly why I chose not to do it.”

Johnny flashes you a sad smile before shoving the last piece of his muffin into his mouth. You tear your gaze away from the window to look back at him. “I would do the same thing if I were in your shoes, Y/N.”

“Being his fake girlfriend is the closest thing to being his real girlfriend. And with the feelings I have for him—I know that it’s not a good idea.” You shake your head in dismay. “I’m afraid that I’ll only end up hurting myself. All my dreams and what ifs would happen and come true, and I’ll mistake them for being real when they’re not.”

“But have you considered the fact that doing it will give you the chance to tell him how you truly feel for him?”

The question makes you stop. You glance at Johnny. He can see the gears turning in your head. You look down and stare at your cup of tea to contemplate.

For almost half of your existence, you’ve been pining after your best friend. Jung Jaehyun, your childhood best friend that has struck the chords of your heart. But these harbored feelings you have for him remain harbored. It’s all because you can’t bring yourself to confessing. Sometimes you’d get peaks of confidence and courage, where it almost pushes you to confess. But what holds you back is the feeling of doubt, and those spikes of courage and confidence vanish away. You’re Jaehyun’s best friend, and there’s absolutely no way that he sees you as more than that.

But Johnny has a point. If this gave you the opportunity to tell Jaehyun how you truly feel for him, then things might work out. It was killing two birds with one stone; Jaehyun’s parents will believe the act you both pull off and you’ll finally confess your feelings. But why did you feel afraid? Why do you feel like something is holding you back?

“I can’t do it.” You shrug off your thoughts. “His parents won’t believe that I’m his girlfriend. Jaehyun will only embarrass himself.”

“I don’t think so,” Johnny mumbles.

“What makes you think that?”

“If I were Jaehyun’s parents, I’d love it if his girlfriend ended up being his childhood best friend.” He shrugs his shoulders. “In fact, it makes it more believable.”

“How?”

“Because you both know each other inside out. You both share the same tastes, hobbies, everything. You’re best friends for a reason, Y/N. No, you’re practically soulmates. His parents would be more comfortable and relieved knowing that you’re his girlfriend.” He explains and you fall silent.

The both of you sit in the booth in silence. The cafe is busy and noisy with baristas working espresso machines and customers loudly chattering away.

Johnny had valid points. At the same time, images of Jaehyun’s puppy eyes start flooding your mind. You were starting to feel nothing but guilt. But you also had valid reasons. One, you don’t want to do anything that goes outside the best friend barrier because it’ll only hurt you. Two, you’re his best friend and not his girlfriend. And three, he could just find someone else to do it, it was simple.

But why was this starting to bother you? Why was this making you think everything over for the second time?”

“Listen, Y/N, this is what I think you should do.” He places his hand over yours, giving you a reassuring look. “Try it out. It’ll only be for a couple of weeks. Besides, you’re the only one Jaehyun knows and trusts. This will help him. It shouldn’t do much harm, right?”

“But what if I ended up telling him? And what if I only get hurt in the end?”

He flashes you a small smile. “The last thing Jaehyun would want is to hurt you.”

You both stare at each other. He looks at you with hope and you look back at him with doubt. You sigh, retreating your hand from his.

“Fine. I’ll do it. But only because I feel guilty!”

And boy, were you in huge trouble.

"Look who we have here."

You glare at Jaehyun. It was your turn to show up at the door of his mansion. But this time, you were a bit more considerate than he was and showed up at a more appropriate time. Jaehyun moves aside to let you into his mansion.

"I'm not going to be here for long," you frown. "I just wanted to tell you something."

“You don't want to come inside and have a cup of coffee?" He grins.

"Jaehyun, I really don't have the time to make jokes—"

"Maybe have a snack?" He teases.

"Jaehyun," you whine.

"Alright, fine." He smiles, gesturing for you to continue. You let out a huff of breath, squinting your eyes at him.

"I'll do it." You mutter. He furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"Do what?"

"I'll be your fake girlfriend." You say just a bit more louder than a mutter. He leans in.

"Sorry, what was that?" He teases as a smirk appears on his lips. Oh, how you wish you could wipe that smirk off his face.

"I said," you begin before pinching his cheeks. "I'll be your fake girlfriend!"

He groans in pain, grabbing your wrists and prying your hands away from his face. He looks at you like a child who got his present earlier before Christmas. You're immediately caught off guard when he pulls you into an embrace. The beat of your heart momentarily slows down before it picks up its pace.

The moment is cut short when Jaehyun's phone starts to ring. The two of you pull away from the hug and he fishes his phone from his pocket. He quickly excuses himself to answer the phone call while gesturing for you to come into his mansion.

As you step inside, you look around Jaehyun's mansion. There's a large chandelier hanging from the high ceiling made out of marble. On the walls going up the staircase are pictures of Jaehyun as a child, and Jaehyun with his parents. Along with the pictures are shelves carrying awards Jaehyun had won at school.

You smile to yourself. Although Jaehyun is dripping in luxury and riches, he's never been poisoned by it. He's still the same Jaehyun you met when you were still a kid. He's still the same Jaehyun who is humble and grateful for his blessings.

You snap out of your thoughts when you hear Jaehyun calling out your name. Turning towards him, it looks like he's just got done with his phone call.

"You came at the right time." He smiles. "I need you to pack your bags."

"Pack my bags?" He hums in reply. "Why? For what?"

"We're flying out to Milan at six," he says it as if it was nothing to him. You stare at him, mouth agape in shock. He notices that you haven't budged a bit. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Did you just tell me to pack my things because we're going to Milan in a couple of hours?" You ask, pinching yourself to make sure you're not dreaming.

He looks at you funnily before teasing, "I didn't stutter, did I?"

"How—You know what? I'm not even gonna bother asking."

You've always dreamt of living lavish. You've dreamt of riding luxury cars and wearing limited edition pieces. You've dreamt of paying off your student debt with one transaction. But it was just a dream to you only because you knew it would take a lot for it to happen. Jaehyun was a living example. He was raised by parents who were running the country's top cosmetics business. When Jaehyun turned eighteen, his parents had put their full trust in him and enrolled him in a business program. After hardwork and dedication, Jaehyun had eventually graduated (with high honours!) and took over the business. It didn't take much longer until he became the CEO of the family business. And now, Jaehyun's living the dream.

"I wonder how it feels to buy two airplane tickets out on a whim," you say softly as you and Jaehyun stroll up at a lounge.

Jaehyun takes off his shades and shoves them into the front pocket of his jean jacket. "It wasn't an impulsive purchase, alright?"

"Well, you did just tell me to pack my things out of nowhere because of a flight I'm suddenly boarding." You wave it off. "No biggie, right?"

He chuckles. "It's for a business trip, Y/N."

"Ah, I see." You nod your head. "Now that explains everything."

"I brought you along because my parents might be there," he explains. "But I'm not fully sure. I brought you just in case they do show up."

"Is that why you asked me to pack my best dress?"

"Bingo." He fist bumps you.

As the two of you settle down on one of the leather couches in the lounge, you place your feet on your luggage. Leaning against the couch, you glance at Jaehyun. He's looking at something on his phone before placing it down on his lap.

"I should give you a break down of the plan," he suggests. "My parents are coming home a week before Christmas and will stay until the second week of January."

"That long?" He nods his head.

"Yes, so I need you to keep this act up with me until they go back to America." He adds.

"When they arrive, what's the story we tell them?" You question.

“What do you have in mind?"

"I guess we'll just keep it simple and say we had feelings for each other for a long time but never got around to confessing." You suggest and he seems to agree.

"And then wing the rest of the details?"

"Correct." You answer. "We'll be able to wing it, right?"

He smiles. "Right."

"But you are aware that we have to be convincing to them, right?" You raise an eyebrow. "And what I mean is that we have to, you know, show them that we're 'in love' with each other."

"We hug each other whenever we see each other. I can hold your hand, no biggie. Unless you have an issue—"

"But we also have to, you know—"

"Kiss? On the lips?" He cuts you off. "I have no problems with kissing you. No strings attached, right?"

There's something about his words that make you feel heartbroken. Just a little. No strings attached. It made you feel sad but it was a good reminder of who you are to Jaehyun. You're his best friend for life and his fake girlfriend for a couple of weeks. Everything that happens during this fake relationship isn't real. No strings attached.

"Right." You muster up a smile. "No strings attached."

The plane lands two hours later. The flight attendant directs you to what seems like a different section on the plane. You start to wonder. But then again, this was Jaehyun, always out on a whim. The flight attendant directs you towards the section for first class passengers. You can't help but look at everything in awe. The both of you arrive at your assigned seats and you look at Jaehyun with excitement and shock. He could only look at you amusedly.

"First class?" You say excitedly and he nods.

"Only for the best," he chuckles as he takes off his jean jacket to settle down in his seat.

As you take a seat, you start fiddling with the buttons on the arm rest before a flight attendant approaches you. You look up at the flight attendant and she offers you a glass of red wine. Taking the glass of wine, you turn towards Jaehyun to catch his attention, only to find him already looking at you.

"Are you trying to get drunk during the flight?" He teases.

"Sorry, this is all new to me." You chuckle, placing the glass of wine down onto the table you pulled out for yourself.

"Well, our flight is a couple of hours, so make yourself comfortable." He insists. "However, I just want to remind you of what's planned right when we land."

You take a sip of your wine. "What's happening when we land?"

"A good friend of mine from Dior will be picking us up at the restaurant. She tailored my suit for the business conference we're attending and I told her that I got a last-minute plus one." He explains. "She has a couple of dresses she wants you to try out."

"But the dress that I brought is good enough, no?"

"It could be used as a backup." He replies. "Besides, Marcella really wants to meet the woman that supposedly stole my heart."

"Stop being greasy."

"I'm not."

"Alright. But are you sure you're not spending too much? On me, specifically?" You frown, completely doubtful.

He gives you a warm smile. "There's nothing for you to worry about. You're my best friend, and you doing this for me is more than enough."

You mirror his smile. He grabs his glass of wine while you grab yours, clinking your glasses together as a kickoff to what's about to start and what's about to go down this holiday season.

"Let's kick some ass, babe."

Waiting for you at the airport is a woman draped in everything Dior. She exerted nothing but high class and riches, standing out from everyone else at the pick-up terminal. You couldn't help but gawk at her, wondering how you could gain the confidence she had. She wore a seat of black shades indoors, and slung over her shoulder was cute little purse. Once she spots Jaehyun, she adjusts her shades a bit lower down the bridge of her nose. She smirks.

"Marcella, long time no see!" Jaehyun exclaims.

You assume her name is Marcella. When her eyes land on you, your first instinct is to shy away. She smiles at you, flashing her perfectly white teeth. She pulls Jaehyun in for a hug and pecks him on the cheek. Once she pulls away, she extends her arms to you.

"Is this the special girl you can't seem to stop talking about?" She teases Jaehyun and you fail to notice how Jaehyun's ears turn a light pink. "I've been dying to meet you, Y/N! From what Jae tells me about you, I have a feeling that we'll be the best of friends."

The two of you hug and when you pull away, you turn towards Jaehyun. "You talk a whole lot about me behind my back, huh?"

Marcella winks at you. "He sure does. Now, let's get going. We don't have much time left before the business convention. I want you both to look sickening."

And with the snap of her fingers, two bodyguards randomly show up at your side. You slightly flinch when a buff man dressed up in a suit suddenly appears on your right. Looking up at Jaehyun, you can't help but look at him incredulously when he shows no reaction, as if it was normal.

You decide to look straight forward, fixating your gaze on Marcella. She walks with poise, her heels clicking against the floor and her hips swaying back and forth with every step she took.

Suddenly, you feel a warm hand grab yours and you almost stumble on your own two feet. Glancing down, you could see Jaehyun gently holding onto your hand. You bite your lip to stop yourself from smiling to wide. And how you wish your cheeks weren't a light shade of red because of it.

While you're too busy trying to steady the beat of your heart, Jaehyun's completely distracted by the blush beginning to form on your cheeks.

"Babe, everything alright?" You look up at Jaehyun. He looks at you with genuine concern.

You're not sure if it's the way your hand fits perfectly in Jaehyun's or if just holding hands with him felt effortless, but all you knew was that you were definitely in big trouble. The way he calls you babe feels different this time, no matter how many times he's playfully called you that throughout your friendship.

You stutter, "I-I'm doing alright."

The three of you are escorted to a black SUV with tinted windows. As Marcella hops into the car, she rides shotgun while you and Jaehyun sit together in the back. There's not much interaction or conversation at the beginning of the car ride. You guess it could be because you're still flustered or because Jaehyun's still holding your hand. Marcella looks at the both of you through the rear-view mirror and a smile starts to form on her lips.

"I have a ton of options for you, Y/N." Marcella decides to start a conversation. "When Jaehyun told me he was bringing his girlfriend along, I got too excited and started pulling out my favourite dresses."

"Wow, you're showing a lot of favouritism." Jaehyun frowns. "You got Y/N a ton of dresses to choose from, and yet you only gave me one option. You didn't even let me decide whether I liked it or not!"

Marcella chuckles. "That's because I already know which style suits you best. For Y/N, however, I wasn't quite sure what she liked, so I went ahead and started picking for her."

"As long as she looks beautiful," Jaehyun says softly, and you feel his thumb gently caress the back of your hand. "She already is beautiful anyways."

"Just trust me on this one, Jaehyun. I'll work my magic."

The black SUV parks in front of the grand Galleria Victorio Emanuele II. As you look out the window, you can’t help but gasp. The shopping area did not look like a mall whatsoever. It looked like a tall museum with a long strip down the middle for shoppers and tourists to walk through. But it didn’t stop there. The floors were tiled and the lights were all sorts of bright and dim, giving off a romantic vibe. As you all got off the car, your eyes start to wander off into the farthest distances. But somehow, your eyes stop to stare at a sweet couple who are sharing a cup of gelato.

Marcella leads the way into the shopping area with you and Jaehyun following behind. The bodyguards are too busy scanning the area to even notice you playfully hitting Jaehyun in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” He hisses, and you look at him with wide eyes.

“Jaehyun, I don’t want you spending so much on me—”

“I want to.” He cuts you off, rubbing the area you had hit. “You’re already doing so much for me, and this is the only way I could pay you back.”

“But—”

“Y/N, once we get to the shop, there will be one of the tailors who will dress you up. To make you feel more comfortable, I’ll be in the fitting room if you need my help.” Marcella looks over her shoulder. She smiles at you.

The reaction you have when you reach the shop is not much different than when you had got out of the car. The shop was huge with three floors of endless clothing. Christian Dior. You had never once thought or imagined that you’d be wearing a known brand. But this was Jaehyun’s life, this is considered normal to him. You look up at Jaehyun, who flashes you a reassuring smile. He places his hand on the small of your back, guiding you as you head into the shop.

Marcella offers you her hand and you gladfully take it. Before you even know it, you’re being dragged down a corridor and through some curtains. There are two female tailors waiting for your arrival, and once you’re in their sight, they welcome you. As the tailors take you to the fitting room to try on the first dress, Marcella can’t help but watch how adorable you are.

“Here’s dress number one, Miss Y/N.” One of the tailors shows you a dress hung up against the full-body mirror. “I’ll let you put it on alone and then I’ll zip it up for you. Just let me know when you’re done.”

“I—Alright,” you say sheepishly.

The tailor shuts the door behind her and leaves you all alone. You turn towards the mirror to stare at the dress that’s been hung up for you. It’s a black dress that’s covered in sequins. You touch it gently, afraid that with the slightest touch, it’ll rip apart. You carefully put on the dress to the best of your ability, for it was quite long that it hit the tiled floors. Once the dress is on your body, you call out for the tailor to come back into the fitting room to zip you up.

You’re surprised when Marcella comes into the fitting room instead. There’s something about Marcella’s presence that makes your tensed up body to relax. Maybe it’s her warm and welcoming smile that’s telling you that everything will be alright, and that all you have to do is relax. She had some sort of vibe similar to that of Cinderella’s fairy godmother.

As she’s zipping you up, she asks, “I’m guessing you don’t like this one.”

You look at her through the full-body mirror with surprise. “How’d you know?”

“You look quite stiff in this dress, almost like you feel uncomfortable.” She replies.

“Well,” you begin to explain, “it’s more because of the fact that I feel like I’m being spoiled.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You feel like you’re being spoiled by Jaehyun?”

You slowly nod your head. “I feel bad.”

“First of all,” she says as you hear her zip up the zipper on the dress. “You shouldn’t feel spoiled. When Jaehyun called me yesterday, he asked me to get the best dresses Dior had and I asked him why. Do you know what he said?”

The dress is zipped up. She gently places her hands on your shoulders. You look at her with a questioning gaze.

“He said that you’re irreplaceable and very special to him. He only wants the best for you, for his girlfriend.” She smiles. You feel your heart skip a beat. “And mind you, he didn’t tell me that you were his girlfriend. But by how he spoke about you and how he looks after you, I already knew. I already knew that the woman Jaehyun’s talking about is someone really special.”

“He’s special to me,” you say softly and the smile on Marcella’s face gets wider. “But I feel like I don’t deserve any of this. The last thing I want is for him to spend so much on me, and yet here he is, going the extra mile.”

She laughs. She has a nice laugh, you note, for it rings beautifully in your ears. You can tell that she is someone you can trust. “That’s the Jaehyun we know. He always goes the extra mile. But don’t feel bad for letting him do all of this for you because he genuinely wants the best for you.”

“I’ll try not to.” You say softly.

“You won’t try to not feel bad. You will not feel bad whatsoever.” She reassures you. “Let your boyfriend spoil you once in a while. Now, shall we show him the dress?”

You feel more relaxed with her reassurance. She helps you walk out of the room because the dress is extremely long. The two tailors grab the ends of the dress so help you walk easier. Marcella draws the curtains and you find Jaehyun sitting down on one of the couches. He looks up from his cellphone and his eyes meet yours. His eyes squint.

“Yeah, I don’t like it. It looks like Y/N doesn’t like it either.” He says with much confidence and conviction. It was almost as if he had read your mind.

“Hm,” Marcella hums softly as she begins to look deep in thought. You awkwardly stand in front of Jaehyun with the tailors still holding at the ends of your dress as Marcella starts scanning her eyes around the shop.

“Is there something wrong, Marcella?” You ask and she lets out a soft ‘aha!’.

“I think I know what dress you should wear.” Marcella grins, and she suddenly disappears into the shop.

You look over your shoulder to see the tailors sharing the same look of confusion. You look back at Jaehyun who only shrugs his shoulders.

“Miss Y/N, shall we head back to the fitting room to take off the dress?” One of the tailors insists and you nod your head. They help you back into the fitting room to get the dress off.

Marcella comes back to the fitting room with a dress covered in a plastic garment bag. The tailors excuse themselves and let Marcella work her magic. You watch her with curiosity as she hangs up the dress against the full-body mirror. As she slowly takes off the garment back, the dress is revealed to you and you can’t help but gasp. The dress is beautiful.

“I did say that I chose dresses for you prior to our first meet, but I think this dress is the one.” She explains, heading towards your side to look at the dress. She looks at you and smiles when you don’t utter a single word. “I’m guessing you like it.”

It’s a navy blue dress with a corset bodice, but it flows out in tulle fabric. Scattered all over the skirt of the dress are constellations and cosmic designs. It gave off a feeling of floating in the sky or in outer space. It looked magical.

“I’ll let you put it on and I’ll zip you up.” She insists and leaves the fitting room all to yourself.

You stare at the dress. You had never seen a dress like this, and so you assume that it was one of a kind. You carefully put on the dress, and once it’s on, you stare at your reflection in the mirror. You couldn’t believe that the woman standing in front of the mirror was you. A price tag on the dress catches you eye, but you decide to not spare it a single glance because you knew you’d regret doing it. On cue, Marcella knocks on the door and you let her in.

She zips you up and grins. “I think Jaehyun will love it.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

And so when she finally zips you up, she guides you out of the room. The tailors each grab your hand to help you walk. As Marcella draws the curtain, you notice Jaehyun’s busy talking to someone on the phone. He’s pacing back and forth in front of the couch, running a hand through his hair. You hug yourself, feeling a bit insecure and awkward standing in front of Jaehyun. Marcella clears her throat and Jaehyun quickly ends the phone call. He shoves his phone into his pocket and looks up at you.

When Jaehyun finally sees you, he can’t help but feel his mouth slightly fall open in shock. There’s something about the way you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear and the way you look at him with those curious doe eyes that make his heart soften. You’ve always dressed up for family gatherings and blind dates, but this was different. You’re dressed up for him. He suddenly has a want of having you dress up for him from now on, because with the way you look perfect and beautiful in front of him right now, it unexpectedly makes his heart beat slow and still. It strikes a chord in his heart. To him, you look so perfect that he’s afraid that with one mistake, he’ll lose you forever.

You continue to stand there awkwardly and expectantly, waiting for his final decision.

“It looks perfect,” he breathes out, “you look perfect.”

“How’s everything moving along?”

You look at Johnny with horror. His pixelated face lags for a bit until you hear a choppy version of his laugh. Johnny’s wifi had been cut off and he had to get to the local cafe to be able to video chat with you. You’re assuming that the cafe’s wifi was nothing but utter shit. But you speak too soon when his pixelated face starts to get clearer and his voice stops cutting off.

“It’s been… rough.” You let out a sigh.

As you take a sip of your freshly made cup of coffee, you watch the busy streets from the comfort of a restaurant patio. Jaehyun had decided to fight his jet lag and sleep in to catch up with Italy’s time. You, on the other hand, had trouble sleeping because all you’ve been thinking about was how Jaehyun stared at you in that dress.

“I can tell.” Johnny smirks. “Has anything spicy happened?”

“Well, other than the fact that Jaehyun spoiled me with a Dior dress, nothing else has been spicier.” You reply.

“Wait.” Johnny’s eyes round in shock. “Dior? Christian Dior?”

“You heard it right.” You purse your lips into a tight line. “Trust me, I reacted the same way.”

“He’s really grabbing every opportunity to spoil you, huh?”

“But that’s not the issue,” you shake your head.

“Then what’s the issue?”

“Johnny, when I wore that dress yesterday, the look he gave me… I may be overlooking and overthinking about it but,” you bite your lip. “I don’t know. I should probably stop overthinking it.”

“Listen, Y/N,” Johnny says. “Don’t overanalyze, overthink, and overlook. Just enjoy the moment. You’re doing this as Jaehyun’s best friend. You’re also doing this for the sake of your own feelings.”

“Is it too late to back out?”

“It’s too late to back out. You’re not going to just let Jaehyun give back a Christian Dior dress, right?” Johnny chuckles. “I don’t even think they do refunds. Do they?”

“This is stressing me out.” You groan.

“Just do it for you and Jaehyun. Killing two birds with one stone, remember?” Johnny reminds you and you slowly nod your head.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You mumble. “No overanalyzing, overlooking, or overthinking. This is for Jaehyun, and for me, if I get the courage to tell him how I feel.”

“There’s the fighting spirit I’ve been looking for!” He exclaims. “Anyways, I have to go, Y/N. The wifi here in the cafe has its good days and bad days. I also promised Haechan to join him and play video games.”

“Alright,” you pout. “I’ll text you if anything happens, okay?”

“And I’ll text you back as soon as I can, just like how I always do.” He reassures you.

Right on cue, the video chat gets choppy and laggy, forcing you to end the chat. You let out another frustrated sigh, folding your arms and leaning against the chair. A pigeon takes a seat right behind the patio fence, and it grabs your attention. You frown, bending over to get closer to the pigeon.

“Hey little guy, do you know what I should do?” You ask the pigeon.

The pigeon only stares at you before flying away. You pout, grabbing your cup of coffee to take a sip. You try to occupy your thoughts but before you even try, you hear someone clear their throat. Looking up, you see a man standing right in front of you. He’s quite the looker. He has a distinct set of eyes that seem to be piercing right through your soul. He has such strong features that it makes you do a double take.

“I was wondering what a lovely lady like you would be frowning on an early morning like this.”

Your eyes slightly widen. Taken aback, you tilt your head in confusion. “Are you talking to me?”

He scans around the patio before shrugging his shoulders. “You’re the only lady here, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Sorry, but may I ask who you are?” You question.

He extends his arm. “Nam Joohyuk. And you are?”

“Y/N.” You shake his hand briefly before gently retreating it away from him.

“Do you mind if I join you for breakfast?” He asks and you shrug your shoulders.

“Sure. I don’t mind. I was just about to finish my breakfast anyway.” You insist.

He takes the seat right across from you. You’re not quite sure what this man’s intentions are, but he doesn’t seem harmful. He calls for a waiter and orders a toasted bagel with cream cheese and a small cup of cappuccino. You look away from him before he catches you staring. You fixate your gaze on the local shops down the street, wondering if you should check them out before you fly out in a couple of days.

“You didn’t really answer my question,” he breaks the silence.

“What question?”

“What’s a lovely lady like you frowning on an early morning?” He asks.

You chuckle. “It’s a long story. Quite complicated too, actually. I don’t think you’d be interested.”

“But I’m interested in you,” he says slyly and you furrow your eyebrows.

“You’re very blunt with your words,” you say softly. “Shouldn’t you be afraid of me? You barely know me. You’ve only known me for five minutes and you only know my name.”

“I could say the same thing to you.” He shrugs his shoulders.

You fold your arms.

“Is it bad to tell someone that they look beautiful? Is it bad to join a beautiful stranger for breakfast?” He tests and you smirk.

“Fine. Have it your way, I guess.” You say softly, avoiding his gaze.

“Well, Miss Y/N, I just wanted to let you know that I find you very beautiful. I couldn’t help but approach you and maybe get to know you more.” He explains.

You decide to call for the waiter, but before you could, someone catches your eye. Jaehyun’s standing near the door leading back into the restaurant. He’s shooting daggers at the guy seated across from you. You feel your palms start to sweat.

“Waiter!” You exclaim, and your voice seems to break Jaehyun’s gaze on the guy. The waiter approaches you and you discreetly ask for the bill. When the waiter excuses herself to grab the bill, you begin to gather your things.

“Leaving me already?” Joohyuk frowns. “If so, can I maybe just get your number—”

“My girlfriend does not want to give you her number.”

You freeze up in your seat. Jaehyun’s voice sounds cold, and when you look up at him, you can’t help but notice how you can’t even recognize him. He’s glaring at Joohyuk. Joohyuk almost chokes on air before glancing at you. You raise an eyebrow at Joohyuk.

“Jung Jaehyun,” Joohyuk smirks. “Long time no see.”

You eyebrows knit together in sudden confusion. They knew each other? Jaehyun’s hands clench up into fists and you quickly finish gathering your things to avoid causing a scene.

“Indeed, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.” Jaehyun says. “I was even hoping that it’d be the last.”

“You really scored yourself a beautiful girlfriend,” Joohyuk folds his arms. “But are you sure that you’re not making her happy? I couldn’t help but approach her because she looked quite… sad.”

Jaehyun looks at you for a moment and you avoid his gaze. “Stay out of this. My girlfriend and I are dating happily with good intentions. The last thing I would want is for men like you to hit on her.”

“I’ll stay out of it. But only until she finally leaves you.” Joohyuk shrugs his shoulders.

Jaehyun gently grabs your hand and tugs on it. As you both leave the restaurant, Jaehyun hands the waiter a couple of bills to pay for your breakfast. You can’t help but feel a bit guilty and humiliated, not finding the voice to defend your best friend in front of a stranger.

“Are you okay? Did he say anything bad to you?” Jaehyun asks with concern when you both reach the elevator. You shake your head.

“I just feel bad for not defending you,” you mumble. “I’m sorry. I was going to leave him, I swear, but he was just—”

“Persistent?” You nod your head. He scoffs. “That’s Nam Joohyuk for you.”

“You both know each other?”

“He’s the next CEO of a competing company.” He confesses. “He has a way with his words, and he always tries to get whatever I have. It’s quite annoying, actually, and it’s all because he’s persistent. He never gives up.”

“He’s going to be at that business convention for sure.” He hums in reply. “I’m sorry, Jae. I had no idea who he was—”

“Don’t worry about it.” He cuts you off, flashing you a small, reassuring smile. “As long as he didn’t hurt you and say anything to hurt you.”

As the elevator reaches the floor your room is at, the both of you step out into the hallway. Jaehyun lets go of your hand and leads the way to the room. You can’t help but think. Why was Jaehyun staring at Joohyuk like that? Why was he getting angry?

There’s a sudden peak of courage and confidence, the familiar emotion peaks that you get when you think it’s the perfect time to confess. You guess it’s because of the way Jaehyun got overprotective of you, how he held your hand, and even how he stared at you in that dress.

And when you couldn’t help it no longer, you call out for Jaehyun. “Jaehyun?”

But when he turns around those peaks of courage and confidence disappear from the look on his face. The anger and jealousy that was once on his face moments ago had vanished. The warmth of his hand on yours had run cold. The deep stare he had given you when you were in that dress was nothing but a result of your overthinking and overanalyzing. Jaehyun doesn’t love you how you love him.

“Yeah?”

He truly doesn’t see you that way. And it makes you feel sick.

“Nothing.”

The business convention approaches faster than you think. Marcella arrives at the hotel room you and Jaehyun shared to help you put on the dress. She even arrives with a team to do your makeup and hair. Marcella doesn’t dare to tell you but she notices how quiet you’ve gotten since the last time she had seen you. It seemed like you had some troubling thoughts you were hesitant to share. But she didn’t want to intrude.

“You look beautiful,” Marcella says once everything is done.

“Do I?” You say softly. You say it more to yourself. Marcella frowns.

“Y/N, are you doing alright? You’ve been quiet since I got here and I can’t help but feel concerned.” She asks. “Did something happen between you and Jaehyun?”

You muster up a smile. “Nothing happened. I guess I’m just really tired.”

Marcella pats your back. “Well, you know that you can trust me with anything. So if anything happens, just know, I’m just digits away. I’ll drop everything to talk to you.”

You can’t help but chuckle. Marcella’s just like Johnny. Somehow, you wish the both of them could meet because they’ll absolutely become best friends. Best friends. Just like you and Jaehyun. Your smile falters.

“I called a chauffeur to pick the both of you up. It’s on me. I don’t want any complaints. I just want you both to arrive at the venue safely.” Marcella announces.

“Marcella, can I ask you something?” You ask.

She gestures for you to continue. But with the gaze she’s giving you, you almost tell her the truth. But you wouldn’t dare do that. The show hasn’t even started.

“My friend is in a complicated situation.” You begin. “She’s in love with her best friend, but she doesn’t know what to do. Heck, she doesn’t even know if her best friend loves her back, in that way.”

“Do you want to know something?” You nod your head. “When Jaehyun told me that he’s in love, I was ecstatic. When he told me that he’s in love with his best friend, I was excited. But when he told me that his best friend ended up being his girlfriend, I felt nothing but happiness.”

“He told you that?” She smiles.

“My fiance and I, we were two lonely people who decided to give love a shot.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But there’s always that one person, the one that got away. To me, the one that got away was my best friend.”

“Really?”

“Really.” She smiles as she reminisces her past. “I was so in love with my best friend, but because I pined after him for most of my life, I lost the opportunity. He fell in love with someone else. Sometimes, I wonder if things would’ve been different if I had just told him.”

“Do you miss him?” You ask out of curiosity.

“I do. But not in that way.” She replies. “I’m happily in love with my fiance. And so, to help your friend out, I would tell her to confess before it’s too late. Don’t be like me. In fact, she should be like you and Jaehyun! I’m happy that the woman Jaehyun’s in love with is his best friend. You really make him happy.”

Someone knocks on the door. The both of you turn towards the door to see Jaehyun popping in his head. A smile creeps up on your face, signalling him to come into the hotel room. He walks in wearing a navy blue suit, and his hair gelled and pushed back. He looked like a prince.

“Perfect timing,” Marcella clasps her hands together after checking her phone. “Your chauffeur is here.”

The both of you find yourselves seated in a black SUV with the chauffeur. On the way to the venue, Jaehyun replies to a couple of emails on his phone while you look out the window. As you pass by, you can’t help but admire the beautiful houses and shopping strips. Jaehyun looks at you briefly with a faint smile spread across his lips.

Turns out that Jaehyun’s parents aren’t attending the business convention, leaving one less problem for the both of you to stress out over. However, potential business partners are attending the event, therefore you and Jaehyun had made sure to look polished and perfect so that this fake relationship wouldn’t slip through.

“Do you think they’ll like me?”

Jaehyun tears his gaze from the screen of his phone to look at you. You’re still looking out the window. He purses his lips into a tight line. His eyes fall upon your hand, and he has the sudden urge to hold it.

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“I don’t know,” you shrug your shoulders. “I guess it’s just my insecurities getting the best of me again.”

“Listen, you look beautiful. To me, at least, and that’s all that matters.” He reassures you.

“You’re only saying that because you’re my best friend.” You chuckle as you turn to look at him. He shakes his head, looking at you seriously.

“They’ll love you,” he says.

The SUV pulls up in front of the venue, and the men suited up at the valet open the doors, escorting you out of the car. Jaehyun walks over to your side, grabbing your hand in his. You’re already used to the feeling of Jaehyun’s hand in yours, so you’re not caught off guard anymore.

Everything about the event screamed money and riches. People were dressed up in luxury brands, whether it be statement dresses or all-black suits. It was a crowd that you weren’t used to, and you immediately feel yourself tense up. Jaehyun seems to notice how quiet you’ve gotten, and he gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. You look up at him and he smiles at you.

“Is there anything you would like to drink, Mr. Jung?” One of the waiters asks, holding up a tray with an assortment of alcoholic drinks. Jaehyun looks at you.

“Is there anything you would like to drink?” He asks and you shake your head. Jaehyun glances at the waiter. “We’ll have two glasses of water for now, thank you.”

The waiter hands the two of you a glass of water. You clear your throat, your eyes scanning through the venue. Everyone looked beautiful and handsome. The aura each individual had was enough to tell you that they’re from rich families and backgrounds. Jaehyun being one of them. But Jaehyun was different from the rest. He built up his future with the help of his parents, and he’s been nothing but grateful.

“Where are the potential business partners?” You ask Jaehyun in a soft tone. He looks around the venue, before spotting them. He points at two people standing near a stand-up table.

“Those are the Park’s,” he says. “We’ve always wanted to form some sort of connection with them. But they were the ones that reached out to us first.”

“That’s nice, I guess they really want to become partners.”

“Do you want to meet them with me?” He questions.

You stare at him with wide eyes. “I—”

“They’ll love you.” He reassures you. “Stop worrying.”

You look at him hesitantly before he grabs your hand. He leads you towards the Park’s, and once you reach them, they smile at the two of you.

“Jung Jaehyun!” One of them exclaims, shaking his hand before pulling him into a hug.

“Mr. Park, it’s nice seeing you here.” Jaehyun greets Mr. Park. The woman standing next to Mr. Park is assumingly his wife. “Mrs. Park, it’s nice to see you here as well. It’s unfortunate that Jinyoung couldn’t attend, I was hoping to catch up with him.”

“Jinyoung was quite devastated when a business matter came up, he had wanted to see you as well!” Mrs. Park says. “I was also looking forward to meeting your parents, but it’s sad that they had to stay back. But I see that you’ve brought yourself a lovely plus one.”

Jaehyun glances at you. You smile at the Park’s. “This is my girlfriend, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. You are so beautiful!” Mrs. Park hugs you briefly. “The two of you look great together. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, right, Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Yes, that’s right.”

The night has arrived, and the business event is almost finished. Jaehyun was dragged farther into the venue to talk to other CEOs and business partners, leaving you all alone at the bar. Your eyes search for him, until you spot him talking to a woman. She looks somewhat near your age, and she’s quite beautiful that you stare at her longer than you should. She’s wearing a long, red dress with a long slit exposing one of her legs. The dress is sleeveless, exposing her prominent collarbones. She looked model-worthy, like someone you would see pictured in a fashion magazine.

She leans in to whisper something to Jaehyun, and the both of them share a laugh together. You squint your eyes at her. Before you could shoot a glare her way, you stop yourself. That’s right. You’re not his girlfriend. You have no right to be jealous.

“What’s a lovely woman like you sitting all alone at a bar?”

You inwardly groan, turning around to see Joohyuk approaching you. He takes a seat next to you at the bar, ordering himself a glass of red wine. You grab your shot glass and take the shot, bottoms up. Joohyuk places his chin on his hand and stares at you.

“I see that your boyfriend left you here all alone,” Joohyuk says. “He seems to be busy with Minyoung.”

“Her name’s Minyoung?” You question, the alcohol in your system starting to act up. Joohyuk looks at you with surprise.

“You don’t know who Minyoung is?” You shake your head. “But you’re his girlfriend, you should know who Minyoung is. Or should I say, who Minyoung is to Jaehyun.”

“Is this another one of your mind games, Joohyuk?” You scoff. “What do you want from me?”

“This is not a mind game.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I’m just surprised you don’t know anything about Minyoung.”

“Jaehyun loves me and I love him.” You lie. “We are happily dating.”

“If you love him, you shouldn’t be letting a past-lover like Minyoung stand so close to your boyfriend like that.” Joohyuk tests you.

You look past Joohyuk’s shoulder to see Jaehyun and Minyoung still talking to each other. You scoff, turning towards the bartender and ordering another round of shots.

“Poor little Y/N,” he cocks his head to the side while looking at you. “You should be careful of Minyoung, you know that, right? She’s Jaehyun’s past-lover, but they never really dated. She rejected him. But now it seems that she can’t accept the fact that he’s taken.”

“Taken by me,” you say before slamming down an empty shot glass. “Thank you for your concern, Joohyuk. But I know Jaehyun wouldn’t do anything bad to me.”

Jaehyun winces when Minyoung places her hand on his shoulder. She’s clearly flirting with him. He tries to fight the urge to push her hand off of his shoulder.

“I had no idea that you were taken, Jae.” Minyoung purses her lips into a tight line. “Did you get impatient enough to stop waiting for me?”

“I don’t love you that way anymore, Minyoung.” He confesses. “We were young. You rejected me. I found someone else.”

“But wouldn’t it be nice if you just dropped your girlfriend for me instead? You’ll not only get me but a share of my company as well.” She shrugs her shoulders. “But with your girlfriend, you’ll have her and nothing else good for your business.”

“I was simply talking to you to offer a business proposal that’ll benefit your declining business. But I guess I’m just a bit too nice.” Jaehyun pushes her hand off his shoulder and she looks quite taken aback. “Nice catching up with you, Minyoung. I wish you all the best.”

“Wait, Jaehyun!”

But it’s too late. Jaehyun’s already turning around to head back to you. He stops in his tracks when he sees you and Joohyuk talking to each other at the bar. Joohyuk’s hand is inches away from yours, and Joohyuk’s leaning in closer to you. You look quite tipsy, and Jaehyun spots several empty shot glasses right in front of you.

As he makes his way towards you, Joohyuk spots him and smirks. “Your knight in shining armor is here to save you.”

You glance at Jaehyun. Your face goes blank when Jaehyun pushes Joohyuk aside. He grabs your hand and pulls you away from Joohyuk.

“Jaehyun, I feel sick.” You say softly.

Jaehyun stops and turns towards you. “I don’t want you near him. Did you notice how he was looking at you? How he was staring at you? I didn’t like it, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper. “I had no idea.”

His angered face softens. He sighs. He definitely has a weak spot for you. There’s something that pushes him to lean in and press his lips against yours. He cups your cheeks with his hands and deepens the kiss. Your lips are soft, and they taste sweet. Before he can take the kiss further than intended, he stops himself and pulls away. You look at him with tired eyes, but surprisingly, you’re smiling.

The faint taste of strawberries and raspberries lingers on his lips.

“Let’s go home.”

Jaehyun carries you from the lobby to the hotel room you shared. You’re dozing off but you still had a little bit of willpower to keep your eyes open. The alcohol was definitely kicking in, and everything was starting to get blurry. But all you could seem to focus on is your close proximity to Jaehyun and his scent.

He smelled like fresh laundry, like he was fresh out of the drying machine. Jaehyun carried you like he was folding a snowflake, almost like if he made one mistake, you’d crumble up and disappear. He couldn’t deny how the hairs on his neck stood up all because you were so close to him.

As you reach your hotel room, Jaehyun struggles to open the door, but when he does, he kicks off his shoes and heads straight to the bed. You’re mumbling words underneath your breath and Jaehyun can’t seem to make out what you’re saying. He gently places you down onto the bed, but he suddenly falls on top of you when you don’t seem to unlatch your arms that were wrapped around his neck.

His face is inches away from yours. You’re too drunk and tipsy to even notice that his lips are centimetres away from yours and how he’s literally all up in your face. But Jaehyun is sober and completely aware of what was going on. He’s so close to you that he can count your eyelashes one by one.

His heart is beating fast that he’s afraid it’ll beat out of his chest. Your eyes flutter shut and he can’t help but stare at how beautiful you look. His eyes stare at your closed eyes, then they continue to trail down your face. His gaze stops at your plump lips, and he immediately remembers the kiss you both shared a couple of hours ago. He bites his lip.

Suddenly, your eyes flutter open and his eyes widen in response. He scurries to get up from you but he stops when your hands cup his cheeks. You stare at him through hooded eyes.

“Jaehyun,” you whisper, “you should smile more.”

“Y/N, you should go get some sleep, you’re starting to talk funny—”

“When you smile, your eyes twinkle. It’s like I can see the stars in your eyes.” You smile, caressing his cheeks. “You should smile more. It’s charming.”

He knows that his ears are red, but he doesn’t care. Eventually, you knock out. Jaehyun moves you on the bed and tucks you underneath the blankets. He decides to take the couch for the night.

However, he doesn’t expect to hear the words that come out of your mouth when you turn off the lights.

“Goodnight, Jaehyun. I love you.”

The car ride to the airport is silent. Marcella stares at you and Jaehyun with concern. You’re still a bit hungover from all the shots you had last night. Jaehyun’s occupying himself by answering new emails from his phone. You woke up that morning with a huge headache and an empty hotel room. You found Jaehyun standing outside on the balcony, looking up at the clouds as they pass by. There was something bugging him, you assume, because ever since you woke up he didn’t even bother talking to you. Did something bad happen last night? You couldn’t remember.

The airplane ride going back to Seoul is just as silent. Jaehyun finally breaks the silence and explains to you that he’ll be busy typing up some contracts and documents. You respect him and opt to catch up on your novel during the flight, but something was still bugging you. Was it the troubled look Jaehyun had on his face? The frown he had on? Or maybe it was the way Jaehyun left his in-flight meal untouched?

You couldn’t remember anything from last night except for one thing; the kiss. The kiss you both shared never seems to leave your mind and it was the first thing you remembered the moment you woke up this morning. The feeling of Jaehyun’s lips seem to linger on yours a bit longer than it should. At this point, you’re glad that Jaehyun’s busy with work because you weren’t sure if you could be able to talk to him, maybe even look him straight in the eye.

However, what you don’t expect is entering Jaehyun’s mansion only to see two extra pairs of shoes at the door. You and Jaehyun share a look for the first time after hours of silence.

“Surprise!”

The both of you flinch when Jaehyun’s parents jump out of the corridor. Jaehyun’s mother is the first one to realize that Jaehyun brought you, his childhood best friend, home. And when she realizes it, her eyes go wide like saucers. His father, however, can only grin when it all starts to add up from him.

“When did you guys get here?” Jaehyun asks, completely confused.

“We didn’t attend the business event so that we could settle into your place before you both get home.” Jaehyun’s father replies. “Your mother cooked up a huge dinner because she had a feeling you’d be bringing your girlfriend home with you.”

“Y/N?” Jaehyun’s mother trails off, staring at you with eyes formed into beautiful crescents.

“Yes, mother.” Jaehyun musters up a smile that causes his dimples to pop out. “My girlfriend, Y/N.”

The four of you stand like that for a moment. Jaehyun’s mother stares at you like a trophy that Jaehyun had won. From the look on her face, you bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. Maybe tricking Jaehyun’s parents into thinking that your his girlfriend is easier than you thought.

“Oh, that’s right!” Jaehyun’s mother snaps out of her trance and exclaims. “Let’s eat dinner! I’m sure the in-flight meals weren’t pleasant so I cooked you guys a hearty meal.”

“You didn’t have to, mother.” Jaehyun says and his mother slaps him in the arm.

“I wanted to,” she winks at you. “Besides, this dinner will be much more special because your girlfriend is here to join us. Right, Y/N?”

You clear your throat. “Yes, Mrs. Jung.”

She waves it off. “Just call me mother, Y/N.”

Before you could look at Jaehyun, his mother starts dragging you into the kitchen. Jaehyun smiles to himself when he sees you start to internally panic. Maybe having you pretend to be his girlfriend was a good idea, he thought. His parents believed him when he told him that he had a girlfriend, but he didn’t expect them to believe that his girlfriend ended up being you.

It almost seems too real, and there was that small chunk inside of him that wishes it was.

“Son, let me help you with the luggage.” His father insists and Jaehyun takes up the offer.

The both of them head up to his room to unpack his things, along with yours. His father places Jaehyun’s clothes back into its usual spot in the closet. Jaehyun places your things into one of the newly bought dressers he got specifically for you.

“When did you decide to give it a shot?” Jaehyun’s father asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Y/N.” Jaehyun’s father answers. “You know, I always had a feeling that Y/N saw you as more than a childhood best friend.”

Jaehyun stops, looking over his shoulder. His father’s busy placing clothes into the closet to notice that Jaehyun’s looking at him. “Really?”

“Really.” He chuckles. “I guess it was how she looked after you, and whenever she looked at you, it felt… different.”

Jaehyun smiles. “Well, I guess that’s one of the many reasons why I decided to date her.”

“You can tell she really cares about you, Jaehyun. I wonder how she felt when she found out that you had the same feelings for her.”

“I guess you’ll find out during dinner.”

You and Jaehyun’s mother are busy setting up the dining table. Every now and then, you would see Jaehyun’s mother admiring you from the corner of your eye. All your life, Jaehyun’s mother had treated you the same, never different. It was like she knew of your feelings for her son. You guess you could say that mothers always know best. And you liked it that way, where no words had to be said because she just knew.

How you wish that could be same when it came to Jaehyun.

“You know, when Jaehyun told me that he had a girlfriend, I was so excited to meet her. Jaehyun’s not really good at the dating department. My husband and I were so worried that he’d never get married.” She says as she places down a bowl of rice onto the dining table. “But I knew that if he did fall in love, it would be with someone he’s sure of.”

You chuckle. “I didn’t expect it to be me.”

“Oh, I expected it to be you, sweetheart.” She pats your back. “If Jaehyun were to ever settle down and date someone, it would definitely be someone he knew, like a friend.”

“You think he’s the type to fall in love with his best friend?” She hums in reply.

“I know so. When your parents and I watched the both of you grow up together, we’d always joke about how you two might end up together since you’re both always stuck together like glue.” She laughs. “And even though you’re quite shy, I could read you like a book, sweetheart.”

“Am I that obvious?” You whisper and she nods.

“When you both matured, I started to notice that you were beginning to act different around him. It resembled me when I started falling in love with Jaehyun’s husband.”

Jaehyun and his father interrupt the conversation you both had when they stroll into the dining room. The conversation is cut short and Jaehyun’s mother mumbles something along the lines of continuing the chat later on. As the four of you take your seats at the dining table, you glance at Jaehyun and flash him a smile. He smiles back and you feel your heart swell.

“I’m happy to spend the holidays with all of you,” Jaehyun’s mother cheers. “It makes me reminisce all the times Y/N and her parents would come over to have dinner together.”

“We’ll be having more of that from now on, that’s for sure.” Jaehyun’s father adds.

“Cheers.” Jaehyun chuckles and the four of you clink your glasses of wine and champagne.

The dinner is filled with many laughs and chatter. It was similar to that of a family reunion where everyone was catching up on each other’s lives and what they have planned for the future. But in this case, it was more of an interrogation, specifically towards you.

“So, who was the one who confessed first?”

You and Jaehyun unexpectedly pointed at each other, before your eyes widened with panic. Jaehyun clears his throat. “Y/N, it was definitely you who confessed first, was it not?”

“It was you!” You playfully argue back.

He scoffs. “It wasn’t me. It was you!”

“Fine, I’ll just say that it was me to make you feel better about yourself.” You roll your eyes at him and he sticks out his tongue at you.

“When did you realize it, Y/N?”

You glance at Jaehyun’s father. He looks at you with curiosity and you let your eyes wander. Your eyes stop to fixate on your plate. You set your cutlery down onto the table.

“I guess I realized that I love Jaehyun when I realized that it may be too late.” You say softly, courageously looking at Jaehyun. He’s staring back at you with those soft eyes. “He makes me feel special, like I’m the luckiest girl in the world. He always made me feel special.”

“Great. Honey, where’s my money?”

“What money?” Jaehyun asks confusedly.

Jaehyun’s father fishes out a couple of bills and hands it over to her husband. “I can’t believe you were right all along. They sure ended up together.”

“You guys made a bet on us?” Jaehyun looks shocked.

“We’re just joking.” Jaehyun’s mother laughs while her husband hands her back the bills. “We all had a feeling you’d end up together anyway.”

Jaehyun washes up before heading to bed. He stares at his reflection in the mirror, with his eyes trailing down to his lips. Throughout the whole flight, he couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss you both shared and the words you said to him before knocking out. He couldn’t stop wondering whether you remembered any of what had happened, and he wishes you didn’t.

But then he remembers how Joohyuk stared at you that night. It seems to haunt him more than it should. He remembers how angry he felt, how overprotective he suddenly got over you, and to him, it was quite unusual. The last time he felt this way was with Minyoung, and it was slowly starting to terrify him.

Memories of you standing in front of him in that beautiful Dior dress, seeing you chatting with Joohyuk at the restaurant’s patio from the balcony in your room, and the smile you gave him after he kissed you fill his mind. It was all starting to make sense. But maybe it’s the idea of being in a fake relationship with you that’s making him feel this way and making him think it’s real.

His thoughts are cut short when he hears a knock at the door. He quickly wipes his face and runs his hands through his hair before stepping out. You’re standing outside of the bathroom, holding a face towel and your toiletries.

“I know I slept on the couch when we were at the hotel but,” he gulps nervously. “My parents might barge into the room and I don’t want them seeing us sleeping apart.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I have no problems sleeping next to you,” you mumble shyly before clearing your throat. “Unless, you feel uncomfortable…”

“I’m fine with it.” He says softly as he moves aside to allow you to use the bathroom.

You let out a soft chuckle. “Okay. I’ll go wash up now.”

He watches you as you quickly shut the door. He hears the shower turn on and he lets out a huff of breath. He trudges his way towards the bed, placing his phone onto the bedside table. He draws the curtains and opens the door to step out onto the balcony.

The moon is shining beautifully tonight, he notes to himself. He rests his hands onto the railings of the balcony, staring up at the stars that are scattered across the sky. He laughs to himself, to him, you are like the moon. You are unique, and you shine brighter than the rest. But you’re far from reach, and all he wants is to be closer to you.

He doesn’t realize that he’s been out on the balcony for a long time until he hears the shower turn off. You step out of the bathroom after changing into a comfortable set of clothes, spotting Jaehyun standing outside on the balcony. You grab your robe and throw it on, heading out to join him.

“Mind if I join?” You ask. He looks over his shoulder and smiles.

You accompany him out on the balcony, looking up at the sky. He tears his gaze from the moon to glance at you. To you, he was easy to read. He was an open book. But to him, you’re hard to read. With one glance, he can’t seem to make out what you’re thinking in that beautiful mind of yours.

“Stop staring at me, I know I look cute.” He snorts, looking away from you.

“Funny how my parents believed it.” You raise an eyebrow. “I didn’t expect them to.”

“Me either.” You shove your hands into the pockets of your robe. “But I guess they do.”

“Do you perhaps,” he says before falling silent. “Do you happen to remember what happened the night of the business event?”

You know that your face pales, but you quickly shake your head. “No, not really. I had a lot of shots that night, so everything’s a blur.”

“Ah, I see.” He nods his head.

“Is there something I should remember?” You question.

He turns to look at you. You’re looking up at him with a questioning look. The beat of his heart seems to speed up, and his palms grow sweaty. The both of you stare at each other underneath the moonlight. And although you had lied about not remembering the kiss, the silence you both share is enough to tell the truth.

“Will this make you remember?”

Before you could utter a reply, Jaehyun’s hands cup your cheeks and he leans in to kiss you. Your eyes widen with surprise before fluttering shut. His lips taste like peppermint, you think to yourself as you wrap your arms around his waist. He leans in closer to deepen the kiss, and you allow entrance for his tongue to graze yours. Before the kiss grows more passionate than it is already, you gently place your hands on his chest and push him away.

When you both pull away from the kiss, you can’t bring yourself to look at him. He scratches the back of his neck and looks everywhere but you. You’re both breathless from the kiss.

This is wrong. You’re both best friends. You love him and he doesn’t. You’re letting your feelings get ahead of itself, and he’s just a victim of getting caught up in it.

“Sorry.” You both say at the same time.

He clears his throat, his fingers reaching up to touch his lips. You hug your body, before biting your lip.

“I’ll go to bed first,” you say softly. “Good night, Jaehyun.”

He doesn’t answer, and you take it as your cue to head back inside. When you shut the door behind you, you gently touch your lips. Jaehyun looks up to stare at the moon, and he chuckles bitterly.

You lied. You remember what happened that night.

But why did you lie to him?

You wake up the next morning alone. The kiss you shared with Jaehyun gives you a throbbing headache. You groan, rubbing at your temples before deciding to get out of bed. As you head downstairs to the kitchen, you spot Jaehyun and his father leaving the mansion. Jaehyun doesn’t spare you a single glance before heading out. You sigh.

Heading into the kitchen, you see Jaehyun’s mother cooking breakfast. When she realizes you’re in the room with her, she smiles widely at you. “Good morning, sweetheart! Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes.” No, you didn’t. “But I woke up with a headache. Do you happen to know where the painkillers are?”

“Oh, poor thing. I’ll get you them right now. Do you mind watching the pan for a quick second?”

“Sure, mother.” You insist as you take over and continue to fry the bacon for her. She disappears for a moment before coming back with a glass of water and a pill. “Thank you.”

Jaehyun’s mother looks at you with concern as you take the pill. The look on her face makes you tear up a little, because you were starting to feel guilty. You and Jaehyun aren’t dating, and you can’t imagine the look on her face if you tell her the truth. You can’t tell her the truth, but the way she looks after you like a daughter-in-law almost makes you do it. She doesn’t deserve any of this.

“Do you know where Jaehyun and his father went?” You ask and she nods her head.

“They went to grab some groceries before the stores close tonight.” She replies and that’s when you realize that it’s Christmas Eve. “Do you want to help me cook dinner tonight?”

“That would be lovely,” you smile.

She places the bacon onto a plate with a sunny-side up egg and potato wedges. She hands you the plate of breakfast and you look at her confusedly. “Jaehyun told me that you would wake up soon and asked me to cook breakfast for you while he goes out with his father.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” You shake your head.

“Stop worrying. I wanted to. Besides, I had nothing else to do.” She laughs.

You glance down at the plate, feeling your eyes tear up again.

“Thank you, mother.” You whisper and she gently pats your shoulder.

You eat everything on that plate out of appreciation for her. This was the first time someone cooked you a meal after you moved out of your house to live on your own, and the gesture itself made you grateful.

“Mother, do you happen to know who Minyoung is?” You ask out of nowhere.

She replies, “Minyoung was Jaehyun’s first love.”

You hum in reply.

“What made you suddenly ask that?” She chuckles.

You shrug your shoulders. “They were talking to each other at the business event.”

“Minyoung is a quirky girl. She was raised by two lovely parents who ran a successful business. When Jaehyun met Minyoung, I had a feeling that he really liked her, and I was right.”

“But she rejected him.” She frowns.

“Minyoung and Jaehyun were close friends, but not as close as the two of you. Jaehyun saw her as more than a close friend, but to her, he was just another business agreement. When she turned nineteen, her parents set her up on an arranged marriage. Jaehyun was devastated.”

You try to remember how Minyoung looked that night, and you don’t recall seeing a silver band on her fourth finger.

“Minyoung rejected him and told him that arranged marriage or not, she only saw him as a friend. As for the arranged marriage, it fell through. Minyoung threatened her parents that she’ll tell the press about the arranged marriage if they didn’t let her live her life on her own decisions.” Jaehyun’s mother explains with dismay before taking a sip of her cup of coffee.

“She is beautiful,” you state, and she agrees with you.

“What I saw in Jaehyun was what I saw in you. While he pined after Minyoung, you pined after him.” She grins. “When Jaehyun got rejected, I was dying to tell him that there’s always been someone waiting for him. That someone was a beautiful young lady who’s always bickering with him, always standing beside him if it wasn’t Johnny, always there for him.”

She places her hand on top of yours and you smile.

“But I guess at the time, Jaehyun didn’t realize that that someone was you.”

“I know that it’s quite unfortunate that we have to leave earlier than expected.”

You glance at Jaehyun’s mother who’s getting her makeup done. The original plan was that Jaehyun’s parents would be here for the holidays and go back to America in the middle of January. But due to circumstances related to the business, they have to fly back to America right after New Year’s Day. When Jaehyun’s parents broke the news out to the both of you, you both could feel nothing but relief. Once they’re gone, everything between the two of you goes back to normal and the fake relationship will be nothing but the past.

“I know, I really wanted to spend more time with you.” You say softly.

To your surprise, there was another business event happening tonight. You smile to yourself when you remember Jaehyun falling down to his knees, begging you to do him one last favour. And so here you were, getting your hair and makeup done with his mother before the event.

“This event is going to be quite interesting,” she sighs. “The Park’s and the Kim’s will be there.”

“The Kim’s?”

“Minyoung and her family will be there.” She replies. “Not quite sure why, but I suppose the Park’s had brought them along because they’re business partners.”

“Maybe they want to propose a business merge?” You assume and she shakes her head.

“We can definitely merge with the Park’s, I have no problem working with them. But with the Kim’s? I’m not sure about that.” She says with a face filled with distaste.

“Ah, I see.” You mumble.

“The idea of the Kim’s being at the event bothers me, but I’m not sure why.” She says, deep in thought. The makeup artist pulls up two shades of lipstick and asks her to choose one. As she points to the coral-shade lipstick, she glances at you. “Doesn’t it bother you too?”

“I feel slightly suspicious,” you reply. She hums in agreement.

As both of your makeup finishes up, you head towards the bedroom you and Jaehyun shared. As you walk in, you stop in your tracks when you see a box sitting on top of the bed. Your eyes read the label, and then widen like saucers when they read ‘Dior’. You shake your head to yourself, Jaehyun spoils you too much.

Opening the box, you see a white dress. In the box is another small box, and when you open it, it reveals a beautiful set of Chanel earrings. As you carefully take out the white dress, a note is stuck to the bottom of the box. You set the dress aside and pull out the note.

When I saw this dress, I thought that you’d look beautiful in it. As always. -Jaehyun

You stare at the dress and the guilt slowly starts to build up. You don’t deserve any of this. This wasn’t right. Once this act is done, Jaehyun would have to return the dress and the earrings. Once this act is done, all of your clothes will be packed away in your luggage. Once this act is done, Jaehyun will be dropping you off at your house. Once this act is done, you’ll be back to best friends.

Why did you agree to this?

The night is still young and the Park’s arrive on time. The event turns out to be a reservation at a small event room, all three families are set to be seated at a long dining table. The Kim’s have yet to arrive, but as expected, they always arrive “fashionably late”.

As per usual, Jaehyun looks stunning. He looks like a prince that’s ready to settle down and rule a whole kingdom. This time around, he’s dressed up in a black suit, tailored perfectly to his body proportions. As for you, you were dressed up in a white dress. The dress stops right at your feet, and the material is quite light that it flows effortlessly down your legs. It has a long slit that shows cleavage up to the middle of your thigh.

“Miss Y/N, you look beautiful like always.” Mrs. Park greets you with a peck on the cheek. You smile and feel an arm wrap around your waist. You’re used to the feeling of Jaehyun’s arms around you, so this type of affection doesn’t surprise you anymore.

“Thank you, Mrs. Park.” You giggle. Jaehyun rubs circles around the small of your back and you can feel yourself slightly shiver at the gesture.

You look up at Jaehyun to find him already looking at you. He leans in to kiss your cheek. You feel your cheeks heat up. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks,” you mumble. “You look great yourself.”

“The Kim’s are arriving in a couple of minutes,” Jaehyun’s father announces just as he finishes up a phone call. He nods his head at Jaehyun. “Jaehyun, do you mind waiting for them outside? We wouldn’t want them getting lost on the way.”

“Sure,” Jaehyun says and his arm leaves your waist. You suddenly feel empty.

As Jaehyun heads out, there’s a small voice inside of you yelling for you to accompany him. You feel troubled, until you feel Jaehyun’s mother gently pat your shoulder.

“Why don’t you go with Jaehyun?” Jaehyun’s mother insists, and it’s almost like she had read your mind. You nod your head and quickly catch up to Jaehyun.

The both of you stand at the entrance, waiting for some sort of luxury car to pull up. Soon enough, there’s a set of bright headlights that fall into your line of sight. Before the car pulls up, Jaehyun’s phone starts to ring.

“I’ll be quick. It’s an important phone call,” he says softly, before excusing himself. Out of panic, you start to follow him because you don’t want to greet the Kim’s all alone. You’ve never met them personally. Heck, you don’t even know how they look like.

But as you’re following Jaehyun, you hear a car pull up to the entrance and quiet chatter. You stop in your tracks, looking over your shoulder to see Minyoung get out of the car along with her parents. She looks suspicious, you note to yourself. Her parents huddle around her and start talking to her in soft voices. You slowly walk up to a post and hide behind it to not make yourself seen.

“Remember, we came here to merge with the Jung’s, alright?”

“You did tell us that you’re interested in Jaehyun. This is your opportunity to make that happen.”

“That’s easy to do. Once I tell Jaehyun everything, he’ll leave that poor little girl for me instead.”

You frown. There’s a sudden urge for you to come out from hiding and get into a fight with them. But there’s that insecurity that you have within you that tells you that you’re nothing compared to Minyoung. What you do won’t be enough anyway. She had the power, the looks, and the money.

As you hear them start to head inside the venue, you can hear Jaehyun greet them and guide them inside. You successfully come out of hiding and follow a couple metres behind them. Minyoung stares at Jaehyun with much conviction. She looks like a sly cat, suspicious and mysterious. She’s here for one thing and she will do everything in her power to get it.

“Ah, the Kim’s are here!” Jaehyun’s mother exclaims, hugging each one of them. As she hugs Minyoung, you can only softly snort to yourself when Minyoung hugs her a bit too tight. Jaehyun’s mother slightly pushes her away. “Seems like you missed me a lot, Minyoung.”

“Oh, I sure did, mother.” She smiles. If you weren’t so obvious, you would be shooting daggers at her at this moment.

Jaehyun’s mother seems to wince at how Minyoung calls her, but shrugs it off as she catches up with Minyoung’s parents.

“Shall we have dinner first?” Jaehyun insists and everyone agrees.

Everyone sits around the dining table and starts digging into their food. You watch each one of them as they speak, noticing how they speak with such grace and passion for their work. As for Jaehyun, you can’t help but admire how professional he looked when he spoke. There’s a special glint in his eyes that show how much he loves what he does. It was like being a CEO of a company was his fate. You can’t help but feel out of place sitting at a table with a bunch of business people.

Jaehyun seems to notice how you’ve gone quiet. You feel someone’s hand grab yours from under the table and you slightly flinch in your seat. Glancing under the table, you relax when you see Jaehyun’s fingers interlock with yours. You look at him and he gives you a reassuring smile.

“Miss Y/N, you never really told us about what you do.” Mrs. Kim says, and she looks at you suspiciously. You knew what she had planned up her sleeve. “Do you run a business?”

You clear your throat and set your cutlery down onto the table. “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t run a business. I graduated with a degree in human biology. I’m currently focused on research with a couple of colleagues that I graduated with.”

“Interesting.” Minyoung squints her eyes at you. “I wonder how Jaehyun seems to take interest in you. Aren’t your conversations a bit different? Jaehyun talks about business and you talk about… science. Isn’t it conflicting?”

“Well, they were both best friends before they dated so I’m sure having conversations with each other aren’t difficult.” Jaehyun’s mother butts in.

“Once your research is done, what are your next plans?” It was now Mr. Kim’s turn to interrogate you. You feel quite uneasy at the sudden attention that’s been focused on you, and Jaehyun could tell.

“Once we publish the research papers, we’re all going to venture off and do more research. The world is revolving and technology is improving, Mr. Kim. There are still more things in the world that we have yet to discover.” You say with passion and determination. “Don’t you think so, Mr. Kim?”

He looks quite taken aback. “Y-Yes, I think very much so, Miss Y/N.”

“Conversations with her are quite interesting,” Jaehyun butts in. “I love how she has such a positive outlook on the world around us. She’s doing much more for the world than you’ll ever know. I guess that’s why I love her so much.”

You share a look with Jaehyun and his parents and they seem to pick up what’s going on. Jaehyun sets his things aside and gets up. “Everything alright?”

He smiles at you. “I’ll have to excuse myself. I’ll be right back, just have to use the washroom.”

The conversation about you cuts short and the attention is soon directed to the Park’s. As you’re continuing to eat your meal and listen in on the conversation, you could see Minyoung slowly get up from her seat.

“Excuse me,” she announces. “I’ll use the washroom really quickly.”

You shove a forkful of mushrooms into your mouth as you suspiciously watch her head out of the room. Once she’s out of sight, you glance at Jaehyun’s mother who nods her head. She reads your mind yet again. You get up from your seat and everyone looks at you.

“Sorry, excuse me. I’ll be back, I’ll thank the chef for cooking us a great meal tonight.”

Everyone smiles at you before you head out of the room. As you head towards the washrooms, you stop walking when you hear Minyoung giggle. You furrow your eyebrows, following the sound of her laughter. It leads you to another room. You spot the washrooms that are on the opposite end of the corridor. You frown.

Her laughter seems to get louder and louder, until you find yourself standing in front of a door. You bite your lip to contain your anger when you hear Jaehyun mumbling something you can barely make out. You barge into the room and you can’t help but gasp.

Jaehyun’s sitting on a small couch and Minyoung’s sitting on his lap. She’s inches away from kissing him. You can’t help but laugh to yourself. Jaehyun didn’t even bother pushing her off of him. When they hear you laugh, they glance at you in shock.

“Sorry, I thought this was the washroom.” You chuckle, shaking your head in disbelief. “I guess I’ll leave you two some privacy unless you two want me to cause a scene.”

“Y/N, I can explain—”

“You don’t need to.” You cut Jaehyun off. “I suggest you leave, Minyoung, before I tell everyone what you had just planned on doing.”

She smirks, rolling her eyes at you. She shows no shame as she leaves the room, bumping your shoulder while she’s at it. You glance at Jaehyun with disbelief.

“Y/N, I’m sorry—”

“You don’t need to say sorry to me.” You shake your head. “We’re not dating, right? This is all just an act, right?”

“I had no idea what she was trying to do—”

“And yet you let her sit on your lap? Unbelievable, Jae!” You feel tears start to well up in your eyes. “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

You scoff. “You know, throughout this whole thing, I found it difficult to be around you. I don’t even know why I agreed to this in the first place. And then when your parents came, I started to feel guilty because we were putting on a show for them. But then I started to feel bad for myself, because I didn’t think I would stoop this low for you to realize something, to realize that the feelings that I have for you are different.”

“What feelings, Y/N? We’re not dating—”

“And that’s it! That’s the problem! We’re not dating!” You yell. “I’d always forget that this is fake because a part of me felt that this was real. But what you did just now just showed me how much of a fool you are, Jae. While you’re still in love with a woman who only wants your money, you’re hurting someone else in the process of it all. And that someone doesn’t want your money, she just wants you.”

Jaehyun can only fall silent in shock. It was all starting to add up for him. You watch him as he starts to consume your words and realize what they truly meant. He frustratingly runs his fingers through his hair. He’s at a loss for words. You’re in love with him. He’s not sure when you started feeling this way for him, but it was all starting to make sense.

“Y/N, I’m sorry.” That’s all he could manage to say.

You sigh. “I’m sorry too, Jae, because I don’t think I can do this much longer. I’m sure you can figure out an explanation to tell your parents.”

“Y/N—”

“And I guess I should say sorry to myself for falling in love with you, because even though I knew that you didn’t feel the same way, I still tried. I gave it a chance because of that small sliver of hope.”

Being heartbroken is a mess. It’s a mess that you never asked for. But maybe you deserved it. You’ve run out of tears and you’ve run out of energy to be sad. Scattered all over your bed are used up Kleenex tissues and empty Kleenex boxes. Your phone never seems to stop ringing, but you don’t even bother looking at it. Johnny has tried reaching out to you, but you can’t bring yourself to facing him. You’re not even sure what day it is, because you’ve spent so much time crying yourself to sleep and forcing yourself to get out of bed. You wondered if Jaehyun felt the same, but you could only laugh at yourself. He was probably doing just fine.

No, it’s not just a ‘maybe you deserved it’. You did deserve it. You deserved to get your heart broken. You had set this all up for failure, and you were stupid enough to think that you’d get the benefit of the doubt.

But it’s too late to blame yourself now. You have no choice but to move on. Jaehyun probably got together with Minyoung. This was what he wanted, right?

Your thoughts are cut short when you hear someone knock on the door. You force yourself out of bed for the first time this week, trudging towards the door. Looking through the peephole to see who it is, you feel your heart stop when you see Jaehyun’s mother standing outside.

You hesitate. You ponder whether you should pretend like no one’s home until she goes away or actually letting her into your home. You decide to open the door.

Jaehyun’s mother looks at you in shock and sadness. “Y/N?”

“Hi, mother.” You say in a soft voice. “Would you like to come in?”

She makes herself comfortable in your home, seeing little bits and pieces of your childhood that you brought along with you when you moved out. She stops and looks at a framed picture of you and Jaehyun on his seventh birthday hung up on the wall.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush but,” she says as she averts her gaze away from the picture. “Jaehyun told me everything.”

“I’m sorry,” you say barely above a whisper. You’re surprised that she’s not mad at you. You’re more surprised that she’s grinning at you.

“It’s okay.” She mumbles. “I just wanted to see if you were doing alright.”

“Well, honestly, I feel devastated.” You shrug your shoulders. “But I guess that’s just how things were supposed to end up. I’m so sorry for what we’ve done, we truly didn’t mean it. Jaehyun just wanted you to be happy for him, so I guess this whole ‘relationship’ gone way out of hand.”

“He explained why he did it and apologized. I’m not mad.” She reassures you. “I kind of wished that it was real. But when Jaehyun told me the truth, I couldn’t help but wonder how you were feeling.”

“I’m holding up fine. I guess with time, I’ll be alright, and things will go back to normal.” She’s aching to reach out to you, because the bags underneath your eyes tell her a different story. “Is Jaehyun doing alright?”

“This is why I admire you,” she smiles. “You’re selfless. You think about others than yourself.”

You can’t seem to say anything to that. She can’t seem to understand how horrible you must feel. “How’d you know that I was in love with Jaehyun?”

“I could see it, Y/N.” She replies. “You look at him like he’s your world. In your eyes, I see nothing but love… but also fear. I think it must be because you’re afraid to tell him how you truly feel. You fear that once you tell him, you’ll end up losing him forever.”

“I guess the heart never lies.” You chuckle.

“I’m not in the right place to tell you whether Jaehyun returns the same feelings or not but,” she sighs, “if he doesn’t feel the same way, then he’s truly missing out on someone special.”

“I don’t want to lose him.”

“I know you don’t. But just give him some time, and maybe it’ll be enough for him to recollect his thoughts and realize things.” She suggests. “In the meantime, rest well, alright, Y/N? For me, and for Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun’s been a mess since the dinner with the Park’s and Kim’s. He’s been cooped up in his room almost everyday. The only time he would come out of his room would be for his meals. He explained and told the truth to his parents, and he was glad that they didn’t get mad at him. His parents had left for America the day before, and now he’s left all alone in his mansion.

Every night, he would step out onto the balcony and stare up at the moon. It was the closest thing he could have that resembles you. Your words echo in his mind, haunting him.

After washing up before going to bed, he turns on some music before stepping out onto the balcony. The moon is covered by clouds tonight, but he could still see it shine peacefully. He can’t stop thinking about you.

He’s not sure about his feelings for you, but what he’s sure of is that you’re someone different than the rest. You’re someone special and he can’t afford losing you. He’s aware that his heart beats differently whenever you’re around. He’s aware that you see him in a different light, and that it’s been this way for almost all your life.

He’s sure that he doesn’t deserve you. But he feels a little selfish. He wants to have you all to himself. He can’t seem to bear the thought of you belonging to someone else. Even the imagination of you standing at the altar with someone else makes him feel sick.

“Am I too late?” He thinks aloud, looking at the moon as if it had an answer for him.

But his phone buzzes in his pocket, and his phone itself has an answer to his thoughts.

y/n (10:43 pm): can we meet up?

The river flows peacefully, flowing at its own pace. It’s gloomy outside with the wind a bit chillier than usual. You hug yourself, bracing the chilly wind that breezes by. A couple passes by, and you can’t help but stare at them. They’re holding hands until the man places their interlocked hands into his pocket. You inwardly sigh.

From afar, you can hear faint footsteps get louder and louder, crunching dried, fallen leaves. You look over your shoulder to see Jaehyun approaching you. He has two cups of warm coffee. You smile when he arrives. He hands you your drink and you mumble a soft ‘thanks’ before he sits next to you.

The both of you sit against a tree in silence. After Jaehyun’s mother dropped by to talk to you, you figured that the best way to resolve this is to be lighter about it. This whole situation was planned for failure, and the both of you let your emotions get the best of it. Things got out of hand.

“I’m sorry,” Jaehyun breaks the silence.

“Me too.” You purse your lips into a tight line. “I shouldn’t have left everything on you like that.”

“And I shouldn’t have dismissed your emotions like it was nothing,” he adds. “Your emotions are valid, you know? It was rude of me to brush it off like it was nothing.”

“I accept your apology.” You smile.

“I accept yours as well, even though you shouldn’t be apologizing. You did nothing wrong.” He glances at you and he feels blinded by your smile. His heart skips a beat. “But do you mind hearing me out?”

You look at him confusedly. “Is there anything else to explain?”

He tears his gaze away from you to look at the river. You stare at him, waiting for him to continue. “That night when we came back from the business event in Milan, I knew that you would remember the kiss we shared. But I also knew that you wouldn’t remember the words you said to me before you knocked out.”

“What did I say?” You question.

“You said you loved me,” he replies softly. You feel your cheeks flush. “It made me wonder. When Joohyuk stared at you like that, I didn’t feel good about it. I saw you and Joohyuk at the restaurant patio from our hotel room, and it forced me to get out of bed.”

“I don’t like Joohyuk that way.” You chuckle. “Trust me.”

“I know, but it looked like he liked you.” He shrugs his shoulders. “And I hated it. But I disregarded my feelings because I thought, why would I feel this way? You’re just my best friend. But then I remembered seeing you in that dress for the first time, and it was like time had stopped. It was like it was just the two of us in that room.”

You feel yourself slowly smile. Where was this going?

“And then I realized that I never told you about Minyoung. I wondered why you never knew, and why I never bothered to tell you. I remembered the night I told Minyoung my feelings for her and coming home after being rejected only to find you sitting on the couch with Chinese takeout. It was funny that out of all days to confess, I confessed to her on my birthday.”

He glances at you and you both chuckle. Out of nowhere, Jaehyun grabs your hand in his.

“When I saw that picture of you and I on my seventh birthday up on your wall, I wondered, why would you keep such a photo?” He says. “And when my parents started talking about how they knew we’d end up together and when my father told me that he always had a feeling that you saw me as more than a friend, it was all starting to make sense.”

“But then how about when I caught you and Minyoung?”

He grimaces. “Minyoung told me that her parents were planning on setting her up for another marriage, but they gave her freedom of choice. She chose me. It made me realize that I was just a business transaction to her, as if my confession for her didn’t matter. I said no, because you and I were together, and something inside of me was dying for those words to be true.”

“But she almost kissed you?” He hums in reply.

“When I said no, she forced herself on me, and then you came in.” He explains. “It was all just bad timing.”

“Minyoung will really go out of her way to get something she wants, huh?” You frown and Jaehyun shrugs his shoulders.

“It’s okay, she can’t have me.” He smiles. “I’m all yours.”

“Since when?” You furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t remember you confessing to me.”

“Did I not just confess to you right now?” He pouts.

You look away from him to hide the grin spreading across your lips. “Did you not? I don’t know, I might have to hear it again.”

“Y/N,” he whines.

“Okay, I’m just playing with you.” You glance at him. “But maybe I really want to hear it again.”

The both of you stare at each other. Jaehyun feels time slow down and his heartbeat pick up. You were easy to read now. Your soft brown eyes show nothing but love and warmth the moment he looks into them. A faint smile replaces the grin on your face when you see your own reflection in Jaehyun’s eyes.

“I’m in love with you,” he whispers. “I think I’ve been in love with you for the longest time, but was too blind to see it.”

“Yeah,” you pinch his cheeks. “You might need to get a pair of glasses to fix that.”

“You’re not going to say it back?”

“Say what, back?” You tease and he pouts.

“I take it back, then—”

“Fine!” You cut him off. “I’m in love with you, Jae. I’ve been in love with you since we were seven, since your seventh birthday, to be exact. That’s why I have that photo up on my wall.”

“Really?”

You smile. “Really.”

One year later…

“Quick! He’s arriving in five minutes!”

Jaehyun’s mother scurries around the kitchen with a pot filled with kimchi stew while Jaehyun’s father washes up the last set of dirty dishes. The mansion has been empty for the past week because Jaehyun had been travelling to several business events. His parents had decided to arrive home earlier than Jaehyun was informed off, to surprise him just like last year.

“He said he would be home by seven! It’s only five!”

“Maybe his flight landed earlier? I don’t know!”

The both of them are scurrying around the dining table, making sure everything is set up perfectly. They set up three plates and glasses along with three pairs of cutlery just for the family. The dining table is colourful with several dishes Jaehyun’s mother had cooked for him.

Five minutes soon become ten seconds and the both of them are fixing up the Christmas tree. Soon enough, there’s a knock at the door. The both of them glance at each other and let out a huff of breath. As they both head towards the door, Jaehyun’s mother dusts off her apron before opening it. His parents could only stare in shock.

“Welcome home—”

“Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad. Meet my girlfriend, Y/N.”

author’s note: it’s finally done! ahhhh!! after so much interruptions, it’s finally done. i’m just happy that it’s done. i’m so sorry for having you wait for so long. but here it is :-) i hope you liked it and i wish you a happy new year!

i’m also wondering if i should do a drabble game where i post a list of AUs, prompts, and genres for you to choose from and i’ll write something short in return. what do you think?

let me know what you think! comments, feedback, questions? hmu!

#jaehyun scenarios #jung jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun blurbs #jaehyun fluff #nct jaehyun scenarios #nct 127 #nct #nct 127 scenarios #nct scenarios #jung yoonoh scenarios #yoonoh scenarios #nct fluff #nct blurbs #nct 127 blurbs #jaehyun

3K notes · View notes